swimming down my chocolate river..

updates

2010-06-24T12:52:00.006+08:00

havent blogged in a million yrs..been too busy and lazy to type anything decent or remotely interesting here. writing this post coz of a certain Mr Andy Macey in Tonbridge =)

anyway, Hannah visited Singapore a while ago! (it happened so long ago that I cant reli remember when =P)
brought her to eat loads of Singapore food - she reacted to everything with hmmmmm.. interesting! haha. hopefully that's a gd sign =)
Hannah with the ice cream uncle! - forced her to try the ice cream bread...

too bad she's not gg to come over to work anymore =( will miss her loads!

been so busy feasting at well (when i'm not on shift at work)
went high tea at Regent hotel with the GSK strat gals =) - it's English high tea!! hoho. fatty scones with lotsa clotted cream! sinfully blissful. i so miss the decadent cakes in UK!

cakes and more cakes!

celebrated oint's bday at Jumbo's again! hehe. our favourite place for chilli crab &seafood =)

look! they even provided aprons for the clumsy eaters..

yup! starting night shift later tonite.. woohoo.. wonder if i'll survive..
first pay check tmr!! =) so so looking forward to it =)

2010-04-10T11:40:00.003+08:00

everything's one big mess...
surely it cant get any worse..

2010-04-10T00:06:00.001+08:00

i reli wanna go back..
=(

Tonbridge-Withdrawal Syndrome

2010-04-03T00:35:00.004+08:00

think i may be suffering from Tonbridge-Withdrawal Syndrome (if there's such a thing)

I MISS....
the nice cool weather (not the rain)..
the daily lunch walks/jogs around the pretty lake with Phil, Mark & Firouz..
greeting the swans, ducks and sheep while cycling through the fields enroute to work..
visiting the supermarkets and returning with a backpack full of yummy artery-clogging food..
the canteen's fat greasy chips drenched in vinegar..
Hannah's chocolate cakes + flapjacks...
Same-timing Andy at a rate of 1000 words/ minute and watch him look up and sigh at me in desperation..
"Rolling" over to Hannah's desk and disrupting her work..
being squished by Derrick..
trotting over to the pilot plant and be greeted by "Hello Trouble!"...=)
my failed attempts in blowing up the lab with my scattiness..
awesome "_" Day & the person who made it so very special.. ;P
.
.
.
i miss everything soooo much..
i actually even miss cycling to work!! (note: only in fair weather though, and minus the endless bike problems, horrid motorists and racist stone-throwing kids!)
.
.
yeh.. i'm definitely suffering from Tonbridge-Withdrawal Syndrome.

is it the beginning or the end?

2010-04-03T00:26:00.002+08:00

I did see it coming..
but still.. it felt so surreal.. so very strange.

Hope that things will only get better from now onwards..

When you're all the way down at the bottom,
The only way left to go is up.

Bergen, Norway + Beautiful Fjords - 8/9 March 2010

2010-04-01T20:47:00.008+08:00

Think I can declare that I've finally seen one of the most beautiful creations of mother nature..

If the Scottish Highlands were breathtaking.. the famous Norway Fjords certainly emptied out all the air in my lungs! heh. rite, not very poetic - but you get my point.

Bergen itself is a lovely lil city.. colourful wooden houses..tons of fresh seafood (yummy!!)...- for every meal!

... basically the entire place seemed to be part of a fairytale picture book - definitely one of my favourite cities!

we took the funicular up to one of it's many many towering mountains.. but it was too misty that day and our entire aerial view of Bergen was soon shrouded by clouds!

and then.. there was Troll land.. me + BIG BIG Troll! =)

Bergen aside.. we then took the famed railway - scenic train ride from Bergen to Oslo.. that's where the beautiful Fjords greeted us =)..

upon reaching Oslo, we then transfered to the overnight DFS ferry to Copenhagen..
pretty little islands with quaint colourful wooden houses!!

and we caught the sunset =)

...
had mega seafood dinner buffet spread on board the ship with mommy and daddy as well.
what more can i ask for.. =)

Scottish Highlands - 27/28 Feb 2010

2010-04-01T20:19:00.003+08:00

this is way outdated.. but juz didnt feel the need to blog it as i'm no longer sure if anyone's still reading this blog since i'm back in singapore now.

anyway.. Scottish Highland's breathtakingly pretty! - especially so when it's partially blanketed in white fluffy snow =)

Big Hairy Highland Cows - is that what they're called? Daddy was looking at those cows and drooling! hehe. 'coz i told him that Scottish cows are bigger, fatter and therefore more yummy!

and here's my mega fish and chips! - my very last one as well =P boohoo.. no more big chunky fishies + fat laden sinful chips in Singapore!

had traditional Scottish pub grub in Edinburgh as well. mmmmmm.. my succulent pork belly, haggis + apple and rhubarb crumble!!

i'm definitely suffering from English pub grub withdrawal syndrome.. =(

Farewell lunch at The Chaser Inn

2010-03-16T21:09:00.006+08:00

backlog.. 4th March 2010

this is a long overdue post.. but been so busy packing (and throwing stuff away) in the UK.. i never did get around to bloggng this.

anyways, had my farewell lunch at The Chaser Inn with my lovely colleagues 2 wks ago. it was awesome =) the people that I reli like were all there!

here're the people from Bldg 12..

Firouz giving his heartwarming speech..

happily squished by "papa" Derrick!!

the masterpiece photoshop-ed by Phil.

miss them all already..
i just had to post this up.. who u calling shortie??

and here're my favourite ladies =)

..
.
..
had dinner at Firouz's together with his famiy and Hannah (and her lil yellow car)
he cooked us a delicious spread of Iranian food!

there's beef + lamb with potatoes, rice & salad (sorry i dun remember the name of the dishes =P)

and his wife, Mel, made us homemade apple-pie. yummy!

there's even life entertainment. hehe. Lily performing bull-charging =)

thanks heaps for a lovely evening!!

farewell dinner with housemates at Zizzi

2010-02-25T07:15:00.004+08:00

went for my farewell dinner with Syl and Cara at Zizzi's today despite the incessant rain.. Stu's MIA coz he got stuck at work. oh well. Ladies' night out =)

I finally got to try my massive Calzone!! been dying to try it for ages!! it's like a folded pizza with loads of meat and cheese waiting to burst out of it. yummy!

and here's Torta Zizzi - warm plum, fig and pistachio torte with vanilla ice cream. One of the best dessert ever =)

finally..the 3 well-fed and satisfied customers =D

Happy Happy day!! =)

2010-02-23T04:22:00.005+08:00

haven't blogged in a reli long time.. coz i was either too busy doing last minute feasting or ill in bed (from an overworked disgruntled tummy) =(

definition of last minute feasting:
a mad frenzy of continuous frantic stuffing of all food local/ foreign in your host country, which is perceived to be hard to come by in your home country.

anyway, i have been suffering from severe last minute feasting syndrome - been stuffing everything I fancy! hehe.

one of my exotic favourites - smelly goat's cheese focaccia =) ~ so horrendously pungent but oh-so-divine! kinda like durian eh.

and here's most of the feasting events (those that I had time to stop and take photos of) in the past 3 wks!

Indian Buffet... sweet yoghurty curry.. nothing spicy at all.. but lovely all the same =)

alrite.. this didn't taste that great.. but it's comfort food miles away from home..somewhat crappy (and dodgy) but so familiar it healed my soul! haha
Chinese buffet for CNY dinner.. (this is the first of 5 plates!)

brought Hannah & Lucy to my favourite dim sum restaurant in London Chinatown - they loved all the dishes I ordered! =D so so very pleased.

and I decided I just couldn't leave without ANOTHER full Sunday Roast - roast beef, yorkshire pudding, veggies, roast potato + lots of gravy (not as great as the previous country pub lunch.. but the dessert's awesome!) - check out the thick melty chocolate oozing out from the big fat orange chocolate puddle pudding! hehe.

yup.. and for the rest of this wk I'll have to undertake the formidable task of clearing out the fridge, freezer and food cupboard. you know - you never ever realize just how much food you've got stocked up till you've got to finish ALL the food in 4 days??!

went supermarket shopping yesterday for EVEN more stuff to lug home..
and here's the basket full of Choocies + yummilicious goodies =) .. the lady at the check-out counter was overwhelmed.. she asked if ALL that food was for myself - I said yeh, I've got an eating disorder. hehe. you should have seen that look on her face!

yup!! reli reli lovely happy day today!! It's raining cats & dogs & the lil countryside of Tonbridge seems to be flooding.. BUT I finally managed to sell my bike today!!! =D yippee! that means NO MORE cycling! hoho. I was so pleased I gave my helmet & ugly high-vis vest & waterproof shoe-covers to the buyer as well. he's happy - I'm gloating =) lalalalala.. and I get to catch a lift to work with Hannah in her cute lil' yellow car! no cycling + all that feasting.. life is good =D

hang on.. on second thoughts.. I didn't even get to kiss my trusty ol' bike goodbye..
i'll remember you...
my lovely armadillo.

Sunday Roast!!

2010-02-01T01:43:00.005+08:00

Hannah and Lucy treated me to traditional English pub roast today.. it was oh so MEGA and lovely!! =)

Hannah drove us to a country pub - The Hare, just off Tunbridge Wells..

Cappuccino & shortbread

My Roast Beef + roast potatoes + roast veges + mega yorkshire pudding!! ~i'm not a beef fan but that is the best thing ever.. soft and succulent =)

Hannah & Lucy..

my massive dessert.. Sticky toffee pudding + clotted cream. yummy!

went for a lil country walk ard Lamberhurst.. all in all a lazy, fatty, lovely sunday =)

Tromso - northern lights!

2010-01-15T05:30:00.001+08:00

here are photos of the northern lights taken by keejun... they appear green in the pictures, but reli - they're grey when u see them. wish i've got more powerful eyes!

Tromso northern lights trip

2010-01-14T05:16:00.007+08:00

Visited Tromso, Norway, last wkend with a few of the stevenage gals. The week before, it was -20degC there.. but when we arrived, it was 4degC and raining! argh. reli strange how quickly the weather changes!

on the first nite we went straight for the Northern lights tour - paid loads for a reli good guide. it was extremely cloudy (and rainy), so he had to drive us past the Finland border in search of clear skies (and the Northern lights). so we found a patch of clear skies and waited.. and we believe we saw the Northern lights! haha. the activity was low that night.. so u can only see a greyish band of light. it'll appear green when photographed though - the camera catches loads more than the eyes can see! but only the guide's got the professional camera.. so... u can look at his photos here http://www.kskogli.no/aurora/?page_id=25

Tromso itself is a reli small city.. (with extremely nice and helpful, not to mention very gd looking people!)
Tromso city and its surrounding fjords..

view from atop

one of the largest remaining wooden cathedrals..

Jing and I visited the Polaria to see this =>
super duper fat whiskered seal! - it's sooooo round.

the seals kissing!

we then attempted x-country skiing.. it's less fun than down-hill skiing..plus the rain's washed away most of the snow as well.. so it was very slippery and much more difficult to control where u're gg.. (more like slipping on ice instead of skiing reli)

we went on a track ard the pretty lake..

x-country skiing was a nice experience.. but the highlight of the trip was the dog-sledding at night! it was quite scary at first, coz the dogs get all excited when they see you arriving and they all begin howling like mad.. it was a major challenge guiding the sled yourself - the dogs are extremely strong and they dun run.. they CHARGE! it's very dark at night as well, so u can't exactly see where u're going.. u just cling on real tight for dear life and stomp on the brakes everytime u're flying downhill. ooh! and u gotta watch out for overhead tree branches as well! - the huskies run reli close to the trees.. they dun care if u get whacked in the face by a branch or not!

there were 5 huskies pulling each sled with 2 passengers - one in the sled and one standing behind guiding it..apparently, the huskies are grouped according to their running ability (and intelligence!)
the 2 rear white huskies - supposedly the weaker and sillier ones in the group. they'll run and pee and shit at the same time!! hehe. reli cute and adorable though. =)

and the front 2 skinny black huskies that are the strongest and fastest!

after the heart-racing husky-sledding in the snow blizzard, we're "snow-mobiled" to the traditional sami camps - the lavvu tent for a hot sami meal!
in the tent..

we were served hot creamy fish stew + norwegian bread - it was extremely delicious =)

yup.. that's about it! made it back safely to more snow in the uk..

Europe Xmas Trip (Warsaw)

2010-01-07T06:39:00.005+08:00

Warsaw is just a mega city... reli reli mega especially when u've exhausted all your polish zloty on food and gotta walk the entire city due to lack of funds for the bus tour! (and it was snowing the entire time we were walking=P)

THE museum. it's a physics/ science museum i think.. strange how the museums look more magnificent than the castles..

Old town square.. pretty pretty!

love the buildings..

who's that climbing thru my window??

the barbican..

apple crumble thingy..

Polish dumplings!! reli yummy - served with bacon oily sauce, which they call the gravy

various fillings on the inside.. turkey + carrot, spinach + cheese, mushroom + cabbage.. all LOVELY!

in the massive royal garden.. we've got the ducks-on-ice parade!

snowy paths!

frozen lake..

the royal palace (very tiny behind.. too trecherous + lazy to hike up there!)

pretty sight.. a million birds in the evening sky =)

yup..and that's the end of our europe trip! then it's back to UK for the New Year.. (and MORE snow...)
Happy New Year everybody!!

Europe Xmas Trip (Krakow)

2010-01-07T05:52:00.006+08:00

took the overnite train to Krakow after Prague..

Poland's reli different.. much colder, and the place that we visited was reli depressing as well.

There are 3 Auschwitz concentration camps altogether, we visited 2..

the exeution wall..

the HUGE extent of the other concentration camp

death railway..where the weak(woman and children) were marched from the trains straight to the gas chambers..

sleeping conditions.. more than 20 ppl were crammed on each layer!

their "loo" for more than 20, 000 prisoners..

we had a guide whose uncle was one of those executed for helping one of the prisoners who escaped... sigh.. depressing tour, but learnt so so much.

on a lighter note.. Krakow's the only city in Poland that wasn't destroyed/ damaged by bombing during WWII, so most buildings are still intact!

at the old town square..

Church with the statues of the 12 Apostles..

Castle..

Traditional Polish cuisine..
stewed cabbage + minced meat + mushroom sauce

Clockwise: mushroom soup in bread bowl, fisherman soup (it's SWEET?!), Barley soup (it's SALTY!!) - they taste reli... peculiar.. haha. but quite tasty after the initial shock.

cheesey cake + sweet plum/ rum/ fruit base - another strange thingy.

mega chocolte wafer

Jewish market..check out the signature green shop windows! (known locally as hole-in-the-wall)

snow snow everywhere..

Royal road to the "Royal Gate"

lonely statue in the cold..

rite.. that's Krakow! cold and snowy.. 3.5hrs train ride to Warsaw next..

Europe Xmas Trip (Prague)

2010-01-06T23:04:00.009+08:00

Prague is simply the loveliest European country! I love the architecture, the cheeeeeaaaapp food and simply the place!

Museum..

beautiful old town hall..

Tyn Church

the famous archaeological clock

Church in castle town

view of prague city centre from atop the castle

cruise down Prague river..(the river flows from the Alps all the way to Hamburg!)

famous charles bridge behind..

walking across Charles bridge..(it's 500m across!)

amongst the busy crowd..

and then, there's more foood.....
another fat and juicy hot dog!

Tridelnik.. my favourite!!!!!!

Langos! - deep fried dough with loads of cheese and tomato

my piggy gingerbread cookie!

banana and choc crepe

fabulous lunch at a kinky pub!

czech cuisine! - alot alot of MEAT! beef goulash with bavarian dumplings, duck leg, pork NECK, pork KNEE and some other funny dumpling..

yeh i know what u're thinking.. the poor piggy! even it's neck wasn't spared.. tsktsk. if u're a pig, dun be caught in Prague!

Europe Xmas Trip (Vienna)

2010-01-06T22:33:00.004+08:00

yet another repeat visit to Vienna...

so juz a brief blog abt the special things! hehe

massive kaiserkrainer.. my favourite!! the cheese spurts out with each bite!!

3 scoops of ice cream each!! ~ ice cream in winter!! hoho

pretty Rathaus at nite..

lighted presents on trees!

outside the palace..

we went to watch another mozart concert..(with ballet and opera performance)
ballet and orchestra were brilliant.. the same can't be said about the opera though.. hehe

lastly..huskies at the train station.. notice sth? (hehe.. i wonder why.)

Europe Xmas Trip (Salzburg)

2010-01-06T21:54:00.006+08:00

next stop after Munich was Salzburg..

Salzburg's gorgeous! pretty city amongst beautiful landscape..
(castle's behind on top of the hill)

massive fortress at the back..

view from atop the fortress..

our lovely B&B...

the breakfast room..

the owner's 8yr old dog - Nino!! =)

Traditional Austrian cuisine.. the brown ball's liver dumping! and the other's pancake soup. so extremely salty!

my massive turkey escalope! wooohoo!

BEEEEG pretzels of all kinds!! ( i tried 3!)

special apple with a heart embelm - i wonder how they do it?

we went for the sound of music tour on xmas day..
the Von traap house & the lake behind it!

"I am 16 gg on 17..."

the pretty mirabell gardens..

beautiful lake enroute..

gotta watch the sound of music again and relieve those moments!

Europe Xmas Trip (Munich)

2010-01-06T21:33:00.006+08:00

it's my 2nd time to Munich this time round, and we're there for the xmas market and of coz, Hofbrauhaus once again! hoho. uploaded the scenery pics before.. so juz the glorious food photos this time round!

how can any trip to Germany be complete without the fat juicy bratwurst/ currywurst/ __wurst!!

massive pork knuckles!!

BEEEG gingerbread(S)!!!

German nudle

Bismarck burger!

massive donut-like thing

some fried potato patty with apple sauce (basically, we didnt reli know what we're eating - we just ate!)

pumpkin seed PRETZEL!!

this is sth like pizza.. but with gorgeous creamy cheese/ mayo and bacon bits on top. simply divine!

yup! that about sums it up.. Germany's the land of pork and flour!=)

and since our snowman-building attempt was unsuccessful back in UK, we made another attempt in Munich..
and here's our lil snowgirl! so pretty =)

UK snow blizzard ~ 18th Dec 09

2010-01-06T05:27:00.005+08:00

on the day where it snowed like mad...
and we got stranded in Tonbridge coz Eurostar trains got suspended..
we decided to look on the brighter side and make do with what we have..
Snow, snow AND MORE snow!!

THICK snow mattress in the front garden!

pretty snow cloaked tree..

snow on the streets..

in the backyard.. (look at that thick layer of snow cake on the trampoline!)

snow fight!!

defeated by ms zihui's underhand means.. hah

after the taxing snow fight.. it's time for our MEGA xmas roast dinner!! =)
we polished off the entire chicken.. (Spike and I did the most damage!)

what can i say.. AWESOME fatty filling dinner!

my 24th!

2009-12-02T04:57:00.004+08:00

Phil says that i'm almost a quarter of a century old! haha. that sounds reli old eh.. time passes so quick!

Hannah baked me a reli dense rich flourless chocolate cake!!

and packed me a bday goodie bag =)

Thanks everybody for the lovely cards and pressies! =)

had sooo much cakes and chocolates the last few days that i'm seriously gg to burst out of all my clothes!

oh well..one life, take your tummy to its limits! hehe =)

Lapland & Helsinki ~ 28th/ 29th Nov 09

2009-12-02T03:53:00.010+08:00

Visited Santa at his home all the way in the Arctic Circle last wkend.. we took a 3hrs flight to Helsinki, then immediately hopped on the overnight train to Rovaneimi.. it was a 10hrs train ride.. good thing we paid more for the sleeper train though.. Jing and I had a cabin to ourselves... it was so very comfy!!

Sleeper train from Helsinki to Rovaneimi.. our cabin + our own lil sink..

and then we arried at Santa Claus Village ~ Santa House!

BEEEG Snowman!! look how tiny we are next to him =)

Reindeer Sleigh.. poor reindeer.. it looked reli annoyed and tired!

we then queued up to meet Santa himself =)

at Santa's Main Post Office.. everybody's busy writing postcards and mailing them out for xmas..

pretty xmas tree + presents that're not meant for us..

look! Singapore is 9334km away from Lapland!! haha.. Singapore's actually well-known and important enough for them to have a special sign post dedicated to us!! =)

see the blue line above? cross over and Voila!! u've crossed the Arctic Circle!! =)

the wkend that we're in Lapland happened to be he opening ceremony of the xmas season in Lapland as well.. so there was this performance about the elves in search of the missing key.. and Father Xmas (Santa) himself of coz.. it's quite crappy reli.. but nobody's complaining!

and then the best thing happened.. it started snowing heavily!!!! woohooo!! the snow made everything seemed even more magical! we were so very very happy =)

snow snow snow...

and then we left Santa Village and took a bus back to Rovaneimi for dinner.. at the Northern most Mc Donalds! (havent had a meal at Mac's in like 5yrs!! but we were kind of desperate for food and it's the Northern most.. so.. )

after a reli boring Mac dinner it was time for yet another overnite train ride back to Helsinki.. (yes.. Lapland's so very far away!) but this train back was even better! we booked the cabin with ensuite shower!! haha. it's reli cool actually.. we had a cabin on the upper deck!
this is the setting for the sink + toilet..

when u pull the entire movable wall forward.. secure it over the toilet bowl.. and u use the newly created compartment for showering! ahhh.. intelligent design & engineering.. everything in the small tiny space!

btw.. the beds are reli comfortable! a million times better than the rubbish hostels (+ bed bugs) and my own creaky bed + sunken spring in tonbridge!

arrived in Helsinki early on SUnday morn and we were greeted with rain.. and more rain.. it was quite warm though.. 4degC!
Helsinki looks kinda like Singapore.. buildings + departmental stores everywhere.. (just that everything costs a million times more..)
the main railway station..

the Town hall (i think)

at the Helsinki bay..

view from above..

the main shopping street

and coz everything in the shops were in the range of hundreds of euros (plus it's raining).. we started feasting instead.. =) wat better stuff to spend ur money on than food! hehe

we wanted to try finnish food.. so we had my bday lunch at this (relatively more affordable) restaurant..
smoked reindeer + venison on rye bread

white fish + carrot puree + an entire heap of buttery potato mash!!

the food was oh-so-divine =)

afer that it was shopping for finnish chocolates! =)

and that about sums up our Finland trip.. it wasnt as cold as expected.. we had like 5 layers beneath our coat and the temperature never did fall below 0degC! and so we survived =) Helsinki's not a place for the budget or average traveller to be honest.. nothing there for u unless u're filthy rich!

end of magical Santa fantasy.. back to rainy, flooded tonbridge..

lost in translation..

2009-11-17T06:11:00.003+08:00

I learnt some new (more classy) phrases today!

Singapore lingo: Eye shit (yan^2 shi^3)
British lingo: Sleepy dust (awwwww.. sounds so nice doesnt it!)

Singapore lingo: Nose shit/ mucous/ pi^3 sai^4
British lingo: Bogies (dunno how to spell it)/ Snort

.... a world of difference eh? & then u wonder wat's with Singaporeans and our obsession with the word 'shit'? time for us to refine our language!

sleepy dust... haha. lalala...

London - Broadway Market

2009-11-17T05:51:00.005+08:00

visited Broadway Market on Saturday with the Stev gals.. It's a lil east-London Market..

Quite small reli, but lots of glorious, artery clogging cakes & food =)

we were eating constantly throughout the entire day! reli amazing.. (yeh i know.. wat's new?)
but the weather was absolutely horrendous.. apparently it was the worst storm in UK for the entire yr! (and we chose such a great day to go explore an outdoor market - how wise!)

anyway, too busy feasting & hiding from the storm.. so just a few pics..
many different kinds of fat round scotch eggs

THE mushroom stall!! woohoo.. our favourite!! everything tastes soooo divine

and THIS is the special mushroom risotto that we waited for over an hr braving the storm! how glutton can we get.. it was worth the wait though. =)

ventured to Japan centre next..look at the pwretty doraemon bun =)

yep.. broke again but ever so well-fed and happy =)

start of a new wk =)

2009-11-17T05:20:00.002+08:00

i hereby declare my undying love for my armadillo tyres.. =) reli reli hope that they stay strong and pumped up (at least for the next 4 to 5mths!)

here's the cute lil armadillo!!

survival of the fittest

2009-11-13T04:08:00.003+08:00

been such a crappy week that i reli have no idea how it can get any worse.

but there's nothing to complain about really.. it's a fair world.
everyone's dealt certain cards, it just depends on how u deal with them.
cope well and you survive for the next challenge,
else, u just gotta butt out to make room for someone more worthy.

anyway, just glad that the wk's ending. next wk's always a new start, no?

on a happier note, here's home cooked british-style Singapore chow mein! =)

with pad thai noodles..

tastes awesome! =) both cooked with tender loving care. haha. of coz, u won't be able to find these in Singapore.. there's only our good ol' hokkien mee or char kway teow!

P/s: Defintion of Singapore Chow Mein (in UK): any kind of noodles stir-fried with beansprouts (& other veg) with chilli (& some prawns if u're lucky!)

when enough is enough

2009-11-12T04:04:00.003+08:00

sometimes i wonder juz how much crap a person can take in a day. or make that 2 days.

so sick of bike problems. or rather, so sick of punctures that erupt out of no where!

i've decided that i reli dislike autumn.. in the UK at least. thorns and brambles litter the ground.. twigs with enormous OMINOUS looking thorns strewn across the path, threatening to puncture any supposedly puncture-proof slimed tube that comes its way..

and oh, how can i forget to mention the oh-so-lovely gloomy dark clouds and incessant rain! the whipped cream on top is the muddy fields of coz. mud's my best friend!

was so frustrated i actually thought i was going to explode on Monday. If frustration could kill, i would probably have died a thousand times over.

anyway, i've finally got armadillo tyres!! yeh, u didnt read wrong.. i've got Armadillo tyres!! wooohoo =) they're supposed to be REALLY REALLY puncture proof. (and they cost a bomb!) they're named after the armadillo for some reason you know. (strong BUT expensive)..

Thanks heaps to my very special colleagues for EVERYTHING =)

guess when everything's gg wrong.. your only consolation is that there're at least people around who care enough to listen to you moan about it..
and even better still, people around who help u solve it..
THAT, itself, is a blessing =)

for now.. i just gotta pray real hard that my armadillo does wat it's supposed to do - stay hardy and brave the evil thorns, brambles, mud & rain with me!

Special Farm Visit! =)

2009-10-19T01:26:00.005+08:00

wheeeee.. visited Wobin's farm yest! =) it was so so fun!!

russett apple trees..

his pet goats! i like the grey one.. he's called tinker. and the white & brown one is his twin.. called bell =)

i helped to clear out their smelly lil shed..

and filled it with new hay!

see how neat and clean it is now =)

and i got to drive the tractor!!!! (it's manual by the way.. i stalled the thing. haha

and this is the ramp. THE ramp. (there's only one ramp but quite a few ewes. that lucky thing.) watch out for his horns.. they'll bore a hole into you!

the hens that lay eggs 5 days a wk...reli reproductive..

and here's his pretty house.. it's reli lovely inside =)

yup! was so happy he allowed me to visit! hmm i wanna earn enough to buy a farm for retirement next time..

sidenote: THIS is my long-waited butternut squash! hehe. been dying to buy one and try it.

it weighs 1.5kg! ate it up for dinner. =) so sweet & yummy!

GSK Sailing Regatta 2009

2009-10-13T02:43:00.007+08:00

I took part in the GSK Sailing Regatta 2009 last wkend. it was so so fun!! =)

there were 13 boats all together, 8 sailors per boat. The regatta was a GSK UK-wide thing.. whereby all the GSK UK sites could take part.. Tonbridge sent out 3 boats! but i weren't on a Tonbridge boat coz we had too many sailing enthusiasts to fit nicely into 3 boats. so i was put on a GSK Ware boat instead..

it turned out to be much better than i expected though. ALL my team mates had at least 3 years of sailing experience! haha. I was the only novice. and 4 of the guys were skippers (i.e. they were qualified to sail their own boats). how impressive is that =)

all the sunsail boats at the dock..

it was a 2-day race event, and we had to sleep overnite on the boat itself. here's my own lil cabin! it's supposed to sleep 2, but as we had 5 guys and 3 gals on board, i was given my own room and the guys had to squeeze. =P

after a full english breakfast cooked on board ( i was the chef coz everybody were busy doin other more impt things!), we set off to the start line..
unrolling the main sail on the way out..

and before the race started, i got to helm! (navigate according to the wind direction..) it felt sooo good! and no, i didn't crash the boat.

i was positioned on the starboard side.. meaning i had to do all the tacking (for the change of boat direction) which involved alot of rope pulling and wingeing! hard work reli, but so much fun =)
the guys putting up the spinacle, in preparation for the change of direction of sail..

during one of the calmer stretches of the race course.. i had the luxury to turn around and snap a picture of the (reli encouraging) and spectacular view behind...
look at all the other boats lagging behind!!

ahhh.. satisfaction =)

overtaking a Tonbridge boat (Phil's boat!)

our skipper - Steve, concentrating hard at the helm..

and finally..after a 2hr intensive race & lots of chaos later.. a victory pose by our skipper! we finished 3rd in 2 races and 4th in the other race! =)

it earned us a 4th position overall, out of 13 boats.. missed the medal and trophy by 2 points =(

on Sat nite, we had a 3 course dinner (included in the cost) and disco at the Royal Yatch Club. ALl the guys had to be in suits else they won't be allowed entry, tt's why everyone's dressed so smartly!
here's the team =)

and finally..a group picture before we embark on the long journey back home to feast & snooze..

didn't take many pictures as I was too busy tacking and holding on to the rails to avoid being blown off for most part of the race..
so glad I went for it! certainly a reli great and worthwhile sailing experience. maybe GSK Jurong should send a team over next yr to compete too =)

Marseille, Aix-en-Provence trip!

2009-10-06T03:25:00.009+08:00

Visited haoz's sis - Peiqi @ Aix-en-Provence (southern France) last wkend.

Aix is a lil lovely town! reli different from Paris.. Aix's old, but has got that rustic charm to it =) I reli reli like Aix actually.

Aix main street..

the Cathedral.. (look at the lovely CLEAR blue skies!! - if only the weather in UK's this good. it rained whole day today, and the rain seems to be staying =( arghhh)

ooh.. i stayed over at her place that night. nice lil apartment!

and she's got her own lil garden..

the next day, we visited Marseille..(reli big and busy seaport.. i preferred Aix much more.. Marseille's a lil too 'rough' and messy)

of coz, it's still pretty nonetheless..

and then, there's the awesome hearty food..
canard dish with red fruits sauce + barley ~ i'm not a big fan of duck but this is so soft and lovely!!

pork & duck casserole, stewed with butter & kidney beans i think (another meaty artery clogging yet oh-so-good dish!)

my favourite ~atas cookie gourmet shop!! their specialty's almond cookies - they fall apart in your mouth! and these stuff's called navettes - almond based as well i think.

BEEEEEEEEGG fat macarons!! - i bought 2! the pistachio & choco one. sweet and chewy!

potato omelette - it's spanish i think. but we juz bought it anyway. it looked too good to resist!

ooh and this is the best!! we went supermarket shopping on Friday nite, bought loads of cheese & ham and had a raclette dinner!! =)
you heat up the cheese on the lil raclette pan to melt it..

then pour the molten cheese over baked potatoes, all sorts of ham, or eat it with bread!

and this is how the real French enjoy their cheese..
make a hole in the middle of Mont d'or (special kind of cheese), pour white wine into it, then bake it in the oven till it melts within!

then u pour it over potatoes & bread as well. ~ simply the best cheese ever!!=)
at the Aix Saturday market..

madalienes! so rich & heavenly..

fresh seafood!

my marron (chestnut) crepe ~ i finally got to eat a french crepe. =)

un croque monsieur - cheese & ham sandiwch laden with soft melted gruyere ALL OVER.. sinfully yummilicious!

and last but not least.. here's my host who stuffed me round and pudgy~ (yeh ok.. i was the one who stuffed myself=)

yet another fun-filled (& fat-filled) trip! =)
gotta break for winter now..time to get back to reality and brave the wind & rain.

Switzerland road trip!

2009-09-24T04:18:00.010+08:00

took 2 days off and visited Switzerland over the wkend. been looking forward to this trip for ages!! chocolates and cheese... mountains & lakes.. sounds heavenly =)

we visited Geneva on the first day..
The Broken Chair.. the sculpture's commissioned to urge all countries to sign the Mine Ban Treaty, to honour their commitments to help mine victims & to clear mine areas.

Beautiful lake Geneva

Autumn leaves..

giant chess boards in the park

scrumptious pizza dinner @ interlaken! btw, the food's reli expensive in Switzerland..no, correction. EVERYTHING's ridiculously expensive in Switzerland. a kebab from a takeaway costs 9CHF = 6GBP = 15SGD!! haha. this pizza's 19CHF. oh well. but when u're travelling & u're hungry.. money doesnt matter!

on the 2nd day, we drove to the cheese factory in Broc, la Maison du Gruyere (The house of Cheese)
it was a self-guided factory tour.. it was awesome! learnt everything possible abt cows & the cheese making process.

rows & rows of cheese.. they're kept on the shelves for a period of between 3 to 10mths.. the longer they ferment, the "smellier" the cheese!

our cheese fondue at long last~ the authentic Swiss cheese fondue has got a reli strong wine taste.. and u have it with potatoes & bread..

and all the cows in Switzerland has got cow bells! =) it's kind of noisy actually.. imagine an entire field of cows with cow bells.... apparently the cow bells are there to give the farmer assurance that his cows are still around..

We visited the Cailler chocolate factory next!!

It was a free choc factory tour with rows & rows of free choc samples.. how incredible is that?! we ate till we thot we were gg to die of diabetes right there and then.

after the massive feast.. it was time to appreciate nature..
beautiful lakes @ interlaken.. Thun-ner-see (Thun means tuna!)

at the base of Jungfrau mountain..

we took the cable car up to the mid station and went for a lil hike!

Mount Eigen

the valley..

top of the world... =)

the impressive trummelbach falls ~ it's a series of 10 glacier waterfalls within the caves!

the photos probably dun do it justice, but the trummelbach falls's easily one of the most magnificent & mystic work of nature..

scenic view from the caves..

and last but not least, here's our spectacular sleek OPEL Insignia!! (we had a free car upgrade, which was awesome. I'll probably never earn enough to be able to drive this car otherwise)

Dublin wkend trip

2009-09-16T04:25:00.007+08:00

Visited Dublin last wkend. We ended up spending more time outside Dublin instead..

went on a one day tour to Wicklow and Glendalough on Saturday. pretty scenic views enroute...

they have got pretty lil purple flowers growing on turf everywhere (which they burn during winter instead of coal)

the valley where they filmed bravehearts! (not that I watched the movie)

lovely lakes..

Monastic City (Glendalough)

yet another beautiful lake near Monastic City..

American frens - Darren & Dave!

On Sunday, we went for the Guinness Factory tour... and we actually spent 3.5hrs there!! so ridiculous.. but the tour's kinda nice.. they show u the entire beer making process..and all the ingredients that go into it!

the tour ends off at the Gravity bar.. (right at the top!) u get to exchange ur ticket stub for a free pint of Guinness..
and u get an aerial view of Dublin city centre as well.

Guinness's reli black and bitter (yeh I know.. not much of a description eh.) but I reli havent mastered the art of appreciating alcohol (apart from those in chocolates) so.. I only managed 1/4 pint!
Massive Guinness hat in the Guinness storehouse..

finally.. we ventured into Dublin city centre- Grafton Street

Christchurch cathedral..

traditional Irish food! ~ Stewed Beef Casserole

and Irish lamb Stew + wheaten bread.

they're both reli hearty and lovely =)

ooh.. lastly.. do you know that garfield's Irish?

yup.. that about sums up Dublin trip. not as exciting as the other places.. looking forward to Switzerland this wkend!! =)

life is fleeting..

2009-09-08T04:54:00.004+08:00

at the beginning, there were flies,
HUGE disgusting swarms of flies..
amd overgrown grasses and shrubs..
thorns and brambles that stick out and scar u.
from all sides.
then with the passing of summer,
they disappeared and died.

and then there were moths,
moths of all sizes that threatened to overcrowd the lil room.
but with the passing of summer,
they, too disappeared and died.

and then there were the lovelier things in life..
the flowers that only bloomed in spring
the little ducklings & baby lambs growing fast in preparation for the change of season..
the migrant ducks & geeses.
the 17hrs of daylight.
but with the passing of summer,
they are all fast disappearing..

nearly got squished by a reckless driver while cycling to work yesterday,
and i nearly squished some reckless jay-walker dashing across the road today.
maybe it's just the reckless cyclist at fault eh.

with the passing of summer,
everything's fast disappearing.

gotta live each day as if it's the last..
coz life is oh-so-fleeting.

Blackforest road trip!

2009-09-02T04:30:00.014+08:00

visited Blackforest last wkend with the Stevenage gals. We rented a car and drove around the Blackforest & its surrounding regions, exploring the pretty little towns, taking in the beautiful scenery (& of coz stuffing our faces with the awesome food!!)

the first town we visited was Strasbourg.. (France)
Cathedral of Notre Dame

town centre..

le petit France ~ (a region within Strasbourg)

we then visited the university town of Tubingen.. it's so pretty it actually looks fake and 2-Dimensional in photos! a pity we only reached there at night though.. everything's closed!

Sunday was explore-nature-day ~ coz all the shops everywhere are closed on Sundays in Germany.

beautiful lake Titisee

Europe's highest waterfall.. Triberg wasserfall (it's a lil trickle reli..disappointing!)

now here's the real deal.. Rhine falls! Europe's largest waterfall

view from the top

the region around the Blackforest is especially famous for their cuckoo clocks..

each is intricately crafted..

and here's the world's largest clock!

visited Freiburg (Germany) on the last day

there are lil canals that run through the town centre

apparently they're there for easy access to water in the event of fire..
also, legend has it that if a lady jumps into the canal, she'll marry a Freiburg man! i dunno about boys though..

and finally.. how can any trip be complete without the food?!
check out the odd shaped pumpkins!

special pasta dumpling = pork meat wrapped up in special pasta skin

Strasbourg speciality = flat pizza with onion & cream

meat loafs..

pretty german pastries..

and loads more pastries!

german nudle + pork, beef & turkey steaks in mushroom sauce

pancake soup! ~ PANCAKE soup! haha. we were incredulous when we first saw it. it's reli pieces of pancakes in the soup. tastes surprisingly nice =)

some house special.. spinach meatball.. tastes reli good as well. doesn't look like a meatball at all though.

super duper huge bread..looks more like a stone eh.

the famous Blackforest cake! - the supposedly authentic version is so different from the Prima Deli one. it has got REAL cherries + loads of rum & cream!

and thick creamy german cheesecake

Munich Weekend!

2009-08-25T04:12:00.010+08:00

Visited Munich last wkend with a few of the stevenage peeps.

The weather's kinda horrid on Sat.. persistent rain the entire day! it was very foggy & cold, so much so for summer. caught the 615am train to get to Schloss Neuschwanstein (the pretty fairytale-like castle which the Disneyland castle was modelled after!)~ a loooong 2-3hrs ride away...zzzzz

Schloss Neuschwanstein was situated right on top of this massive hill.. a 30mins climb from the base.
View from above..

View of Neuschwanstein.. shrouded by clouds!! mystical eh.

the castle up close

the castle.. taken by a real professional

view of the other castle (so insignificant in comparison that I dun remember the name)

pretty Alpsee lake near Neuschwanstein

we saw a slug on the way down ~ the first slug i've ever seen in my entire life! haha

the nearby pretty town of Fussen

we then had dinner at the most famous beer garden in europe - Hofbrauhaus
the place was so HUGE yet so ridiculously crowded.. people people EVERYWHERE!

but the atmosphere was awesome. they have got this wonderful band playing.. and ever so often, the germans in the house will clap & sing along & end it with the clinking of their massive 1Litre beer mugs!

and the German house favourites.. woah.. i dun even know where to begin!
i had the ENORMOUS crackling pork knuckles + potato dumplings (crispy thick fatty skin + huge tender juicy meat chunks that melts in ur mouth..mmmmmmmm..)

Mega Pretzel!!!

we explored Munich city centre on Sunday ~ great sunny day! but all the shops are closed on Sundays...=(

The Chinese Tower in the English Garden (yeh.. strange huh)

we had our porky snack there. haha.
Meatball (succulent pork patty) & boiled sausage!

& yet another pork knuckle

the new Townhall.. it's built gothic style.. very grand indeed.

we climbed 306 steps (i think) up St Peter's for this.. Aerial view of Munich city.

the Residenz

& its garden!

and then we had more food..
German sweet cheese strudel!! fat, creamy & nice =)

some sweet cereal-like pastry (there were so many different kinds.. we juz kept buying & eating without knowing wat we're eating!)~Typical Singaporeans!

another great fun-filled wkend =) carted back loads of ritter sports & ferreros as well! happy big round porky chocolate tummy =D

Oxford~15th August 09

2009-08-20T05:02:00.007+08:00

Visited Oxford last saturday with YL and his colleagues.
It was the first time meeting them but they're a great bunch! (not to mention that they kept me extremely well fed throughout the trip =)

Oxford's a lovely place..with the main attraction being the colleges that make up the Uni of coz.

apparently the student to tutor ratio is 4:1!! so there's no way u can fail your exams..
if your school looked likedat..(instead of the dowdy gloomy NTU..) would you go to school everyday?

the Harry Potter bridge!

pretty Christchurch college - the garden

THE cake shop.. icing experts!! look at the cakes.. all so pretty =)

and this is the famous Moo Moo milkshakes stall.. they have got over 200 milk shake flavours!! we had the organic dark choc & time out + nutella one. simply divine =)

and then we went punting!! other ppl did it with ease..
but we ended up slamming head on into trees/ cliff edges/ banks/ swans! haha. u name it, we did it.

though a disaster.. we made it back to shore safe & DRY! =)

Overall a lovely day trip =)

they treated me to roast duck & fatty pork & chilli beef & loads of other stuff in london chinatown for dinner!! woohoo. awesome fatty day! =)

Belfast - 08, 09 Aug 09

2009-08-11T04:18:00.007+08:00

Visited Belfast with the entire Stevenage gang last wkend.

Belfast's even more overcast & rainy than UK mainland.. it made me suddenly grateful for Tonbridge's weather!

certain parts of Belfast reminded me of New Zealand.. endless stretches of farmland.. hairy cows & sheep!

pretty scenic fishing port..

lovely cliffs along the coast..

clear blue water

the famous carrick-a-rede bridge! (it was previously built & used by fishermen to trap and harvest salmons!)

we went on the Giant's Causeway tour.. it's lovely! the uniquely shaped nature landforms are all named after the Giant's something.. cause they're reli huge..
the Camel..

The Giant's Boot

The Giant's Organ Pipes

Basalt Stepping Stones

On the second day, we took the Black cab tour.. it brought us on a "history cultural tour" ard West Belfast.
There's still tension between the Protestants & Catholics in Belfast today.. riots often break out.. this is the Shankill street (Protestant quarter).. the murals are all drawn free-hand..

the reli reli long wall that separates the Protestant quarter & the Catholic quarter.. (the fence goes up to approx 4-5m high!)

leaving a msg on the wall..

it was Singapore's National day yest so... here's our msg.. =)

and over on the Catholic side (Bombay Street).. it's more peaceful..

the murals promoting justice.

our lil black cab!!

here's all of us.

and how can any trip be complete without the food!!
Irish Stew

we ate at the oldest & most traditional pub.. The Crown Saloon Bar
the wood in the interior's all taken from Titanic's sister ship (which was never completed after Titanic sank). and the seats that we were sitting on were all seats from the first class cabin!
Hunter's Chicken - soft, cheesy & succulent!! =)

Raspberry Cheesecake

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Banoffee Pie

Seafood Clam Chowder & Irish Wheaten Bread! - easily the yummiest bread ever.

yup! that sums up the Belfast trip. =)

Mystic Iceland~!

2009-08-05T04:42:00.011+08:00

Visited iceland - Reykjavik with the Stevenage gals over the wkend. It's easily the best trip ever!! ~ Hilton hotel stay (included in package), bus pick up from everywhere.. awesome buffet everyday!! haha. wat more can u ask for.. (yeh.. we're all super broke now.. but it's oh so worth it..)

Iceland's reli sparsely populated.. with a population of only slightly more than 312,000!! it's a very pretty and clean city though. and everyone speaks english!
Reykjavik - city view from Hilton hotel =)

Famous iceland skyr!! - it's yoghurt like.. but it's actually creamy cheese. super duper nice.. it's only found in iceland though..we ate loads of it!!

Reykjavik City lake

Made-in-iceland chocolates! (their chocolates here are all mostly rice kripies style or liqourice choc. eeks.. reli hate liqourice. but the locals eat them by the handful!!)

Iceland's abundant with geothermal pools.. we went to the most famous one! ~ Blue lagoon.. the place's quite huge.. very scenic.. reli relaxing =)

natural face mask!! =)

Volcanic crater lake

pretty landscape along the way.. (iceland's kinda like new zealand.. pretty scenery all around!! - mountains & clear blue skies..)

Summer in iceland is reli special.. the sun sets relirelireli late! so at 12midnite.. it'll still be bright =) they call it the midnight sun.
Strolling along the city coast after dinner (it's 10pm!!)..

all of us =)

Guilford Falls~ reli majestic and pretty!!

Icelandic horses.. apparently the import of foreign horses are banned. so the Icelandic horses are all of a pure breed. Strong & stealth! =)

the geysers... Strokkur (it erupts once every few mins!)

Icelandic meat (lamb) soup. very oily, very lamb-y.. but surprisingly nice. apparently it's reli good for winter! makes u all warm and fuzzy inside =)

at Thingvellir National Park
the Mid-Atlantic Ridge!!

and my favourite - Whale watching tour =)
it was so so cold.. welcome to summer in Iceland..

we spotted Minke Whales =)

and of coz.. how can a trip be complete without awesome food...
the food in iceland is very very expensive.. it costs approx 5pounds for a small bowl of soup. so we ended up having buffet everyday!! haha. it's around 12pounds, fills u up and more value for money! =)
Iceland's famous for their fresh fish & lamb.. so that's what we had..
pan-fried red fish!

and loads of other stuff from the buffet spread..

all in all an awesome trip!! =) back to reality for now.. no more hilton, no more chartered buses.. no more buffets..

lovely wkend!

2009-07-27T05:45:00.008+08:00

it was storming last friday.. but here's a reason why there's always sth to look forward to after a storm...
HUGEEE pretty RAINBOW!! was grouchily getting out of my drenched cyling attire when i looked out of the window and saw this.. simply awesome =)

yuliang's in london for 2mths for his work trip.. went to london to walk ard & eat with him today... loads & loads of food! =) - these are just a third of all the food i ate!
apple tart

cafe mocha

creamy pistachio ice cream!!

jap seafood ramen - so not fantastic.

lovely lovely wkend!! =)

P/S: another successful attempt at my minchiangkueh!!! so so very pleased. maybe i should consider opening a minchiangkueh shop in UK...

Portsmouth & Southsea

2009-07-19T05:52:00.004+08:00

went Portsmouth & Southsea to walk ard today. alone. haha. duh. always alone. the stevenage ppl are too far away!

Portsmouth's kinda like Esplanade (again).

loads of pretty restaurants and pubs.. with ships at the dock.

& this is THE Tower. not just any tower but THE tower. nothing too exciting abt it. unless if u're reli rich & have nothing better to do, u can pay to get up there to watch the supposedly amazing view.

What's reli reli enticing though, are the factory outlets!! haha. it's a shopping haven =) and there happened to be this horsham food festival thing today - numerous restaurants set up stalls promoting their food. meaning loads & loads of food!! i felt oh-so-blissful =)

how do you make a right??

2009-07-14T04:53:00.005+08:00

u noe how u get one of those days whereby EVERYTHING that can possibly go wrong just seem to go wrong??!!

today's one of those days. *&^%$#$%^&*&^%$#@

it was a nightmare from the minute i stepped into the office till i finally left.

sigh.. worst day of my working life in the UK! (yeh i noe it's not that long but still..)thot i was actually gg to break down & go mental.

on hind side, it's nice to be soooo busy resolving all the shit that cropped up at work. time passes so quick, u don't have time to sit around and ponder & sulk over other more depressing stuff.

anyway, glad that it's finally over! Hoping tmr will be better.

Great wkend

2009-07-14T04:22:00.005+08:00

Went into london to watch MaMaMia with Jing on Friday. we had korean for dinner as well! so so very happy =) been craving for my kimchi for a reli long time.

MamaMia was awesome! love all the songs. and it had a happy ending! ~ so fairytale like. guess musicals with sad endings just won't be as popular? life's already such a bitch. fairytales help ppl keep their dreams & fantasies alive =)

Siru & Aiwei came over from Stev to visit on Sat. we made our beloved minchiangkueh!! lalala... so so very pleased. it's like a dream come true. fancy eating homemade MCK in UK!! complete with lianrong & redbean paste =)

visited Brighton (yeah.. AGAIN) on sunday for the Brighton Carnival.. i've been to Brighton a gazillion times, so much so that I could be their tour guide.

the Carnival was just kinda like a street procession.. groups/ societies/ clubs dressed in fancy costumes dancing/ playing instruments parading down Brighton's city centre..

the batsss

the skeleton performers.. they're the best!!

BIIG man

enormous skirt

& sexy belly dancers!

it wasn't that interesting reli..
so we walked The Lanes.. and entertained ourselves feasting & shopping! =)
pretty cupcakes galore ~

my first time eating a cupcake!! haha. amazing eh. took me 23yrs to TRY cupcake. been having one muffin too many.

bought home loads of chocolates & fudge as well!
yet another fat fat wkend =)

the climb

2009-07-09T06:09:00.002+08:00

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb...

GSK inter-departmental football match!

2009-06-27T05:55:00.003+08:00

went to support PT (Process Technologies) for the football match today. I'm no football fan but it was reli fun to watch especially when everyone starting getting competitive! =)
PT was in red.. (if you gotta lose.. at least lose in style yeh. heh)

Team talk - team strategy anybody?

the PT team! ~ we came in 3rd. 3rd out of 5 teams. not too bad really. I contributed 8mins of it. haha.

and this is lil' Lily - Frank's 9mths old daughter =)

yup! awesome day, awesome weather..
i just wish they would play sth else other than football. In UK.. it's just football football AND mORE football! bah.

gsk summer country fayre - continued!

2009-06-27T05:18:00.005+08:00

i just had to upload these..
flying kicks!! =)

Sumo Wrestlers =)

K.O.

this is hilarious.. sumo wrestlers trying to perform gladiator jousting! =)

rite that's it for now. hopefully there's gonna be a next time! =)

Cardiff Wkend - 21/22nd June

2009-06-24T03:59:00.006+08:00

went to Cardiff, Wales last wkend with the stevenage gang. We took the National Express bus service there.. 4hrs bus ride from London!! - BIG BIG mistake. gg there was alrite, but the trip back was soooooooo horrendous that we all declared we would never ever take National Express again. Imagine being stuck in a stuffy (no windows) bus filled with people, breathing in purid air for 4-5hrs.. the entire bus just stunk of urine! arghhhh.. the journey was so so painful.

anyways, that aside.. Cardiff was.. alright. loads of drunk party go-ers yelling & gg ard hugging ppl on the streets. it's pretty boring reli.. apart from the cheap (& awesome) food & shopping =)
Welsh Cakes - dainty lil pancake-like stuff with raisins & dusted icing sugar.

our favourite bakery stall in the market!! everything was so cheap we went mad & bought tons..

we bought the day hopper bus ticket & ventured off to the neighbouring lil towns..
Cosmeston Lake - we got conned! it was supposed to be reli huge & pretty. but it turned out to be just a puny lil lake. seriously - the lake near gsk tonbridge is much larger & has got many more generations of ducks & swans..

Barry Island (off Cardiff)

sandy beach @ Barry Island..

FIsh & Chips & ice cream go together for seaside towns in UK. if you're at a seaside town, u simply MUST have fish & chips & ice cream.. else ur trip just won't be complete. (Actually, that's all they sell at sea side towns)
but anyway, i had both!! =) my fat awesome cheesy fries.. (somehow i suspect this lunch clogged up my arteries enough to raise my blood pressure for good.)

Welsh ice cream's reli good! - very very creamy. apparently their ice cream's different from the rest coz they make them using double cream.

@ Penarth Pier..

Cardiff Bay/ Mermaid Quay.. this place's quite pretty. loads of restaurants.. kinda like our esplanade.

standing under the world's largest Welsch LOVEspoon. haha. they have got different designs & symbols that signify different stuff.. say for example, if u get someone a lovespoon with a lock, it means u wanna love them for life & blah blah blah..

finally, my favourite pastime again! =) everyone were queuing up for this!! (& so we joined the queue.. - typical Singaporean style eh) we weren't disappointed. the tarts & choc eclair were divine =)

yup! tt about sums up our Cardiff trip. wish we had a car. the Wales countryside will be so much more worth visiting!

GSK Summer Country Fayre - backlog

2009-06-24T03:48:00.004+08:00

It was GSK Summer Country Fayre last monday.

It was held at the White Rock Inn not far from Tonbridge site, and there were games like Petanque, Bat and Ball (these 2 are for the older ppl), and more fun and violent ones like gladiator jousting & sumo wrestling!! =)

Jam & Charlotte sumo wrestling - complete with fat suits!! It was reli fun.. the fat suit's so heavy.. ur movements are kinda retarded and u juz end up falling and rolling all over the place =)

Thomas & I gladiator jousting..

the chemists beating each other up..

dinner was Hog Roast! yummy piggy =) not many photos though. nicked them all from Jam. oh well, it's the memory that counts!

Paris wkend trip!

2009-06-17T03:58:00.006+08:00

took the train to Paris last wkend with the stevenage gang. it was knackering reli. slept a grand total of 10hrs in 3 days?!
the weather held up - hot and sunny. but as the rest have all been to Paris before, this was more of a feast and shop trip instead of actual touring.
the Sacre Coeur

Notre Dame Cathedral

Awesome French Seafood Baguette!

endless cakes & pastries

we found Pierre Herme!! ~ lovely macarons =)

Pierre Herme's ice cream sandwich! reli expensive but one of a kind =)

the Eiffel Tower from afar ~ reli far. we were too lazy to walk all the way there. too hot, tired and dehydrated.

Louvre Museum & its famous pyramid!

the second day was spent in Disneyland - we had a free Disneyland & Disney Studios Day pass (some promo with rail europe)

my bEEG popcorn!

the Disney Parade...
Eeyore!!

The Lion King

Pretty Glass-stained window of the three fairy godmothers

Jack & the Beanstalk

yup.. yet another mega feasting trip.
all that eating is making cycling so much more tedious!
but I can't help it reli, since..

Trip back home ~ The Great SIngapore Feast Part 2!

2009-06-07T23:47:00.005+08:00

as i'm blogging this, i'm currently back in my small TINY lil room in uk. suffering from jet-lag, pimple outbreak due to the first facial experience and severe eye bags.
oh well, when u feel like crap, re-live the happy memories! so here goes.. =)

@ Ding Tai Feng with the ladies!
my favourite yam dumpling..

ktv with my darlings =)

spicy korean noodles!!

jap dessert (yes again) with my 11yr best fren!!

Bing's wedding!!

exchange of vows..

@ the church reception with my T1-1000m partner =)

gossip session with fellow red bean & bread fanatic, yeling

2nd send off at airport..

yup! back to reality for now.
praying hard that with my new round belly from all that massive feasting, i'll still be able to make it up the monstrous hill tmr!

Trip back home ~ The Great Singapore Feast

2009-05-30T20:39:00.007+08:00

It's been a mad feasting (and shopping) spree EVERY single day since I landed in Singapore last Sat!

Everyday's about having a mega bf, then shopping, then mega lunch, then shopping, then high tea, then meeting frens for dinner. the amount of food that i've consumed within the past few days is enough to feed an entire Kenyan family for a wk! so so ridiculous.. getting tired of eating already (that's a first!)

here're some of the highlights..

Chilli crab + fried mantou @ Long Beach Seafood

lovely gooey yam paste!

with my even lovelier family =)

jap food with mommy & aunt @ Roychi

sashimi!!!

my all time favourite - baked sweet potato + red bean + jap soft serve ice cream!

Gathering with the Shanghai GIP peeps

anqi, roomie + chumchum

Ajisen - Spicy Octopus Ramen with my fav gals

happy bday gal

durian Feast!! ( durian crepe, durian puff & durian mousse cake) - simply divine

Singapore skyline @ night - view from Marina Barrage

.. and the feasting goes on next wk..

Day out at Brighton

2009-05-11T05:54:00.005+08:00

Today was lovely lovely lovely =)

went down to Brighton with Lucy and Hannah and had an impromptu picnic on the pebbly beach!

Surprise picnic prepared by Lucy ~ she painstakingly made the pizza from scratch! and it tasted much better than Pizza Hut's thick dough.

we then walked through the Laines.. bought chocolates & fudge.. food & more food.

Hannah & I... & frozen yoghurt =)

Lazy pigging-out Sunday ~ all Sundays should be like this!

Budapest & Vienna Trip!

2009-05-07T05:50:00.010+08:00

visited Budapest & Vienna with Jing and Keejun over the long wkend. It was fun but knackering! we juz walked and ate and walked and ate through out. here're some of the highlights =)

BUDAPEST
St Stephen's Basilica

Chain Bridge

View atop the Castle District

Beautiful flowers!

Fisherman's Batillion

Parliament at night

Traditional Hungarian Cuisine - Beef/ Chicken Paprika(creamy stew) + knodels (noodley-like pasta) & Beef Goulash!!

loads and loads of drool-worthy cookies & cakes!!! =) ~absolutely heavenly

all the buildings in Budapest were so so old.. including our hostel.. (but thankfully the interior was recently refurnished)

Vajadhunyad Castle

VIENNA

Belvedere Palace

everything about Vienna was Mozart Mozart and more Mozart!

we went to watch a Mozart/ Beethovan concert-opera-ballet as well.

Rathaus

Funny Clock - one character appears every hour, but at 12noon, ALL the characters will parade and go one full circle.

Quirky yet pretty arty farty Hundertwasserhaus (private housing) - why wld you want hoardes of tourists at your doorstep EVERYDAY anyway.

Opera House

Schonbrunn Palace

Stephansdom - majestic and grand with beautifully crafted interior.

and the food in Vienna's AWESOME! everything comes in HUGE portions - not a problem for me of coz =)
Traditional Austrian Cusine!
Wien Schinitzel (reli thin but horrendously HUGE pork)

Sacher Torte!!

my fat fat kebab durham

HUGE scrumpilicious PIzza!! ~ all mine!

Famous Kaserwurst - The warm cheese EXPLODES in your mouth when u bite into the huge sausage ~ simply orgasmic. haha

and here's juz something random.. saw some kids on a school trip at Schonbrunn Palace.. so so sweet!! =)

That's about it! yet another enjoyable trip ~ FEAST for the eyes and the tummy!!

Singapore Day.. Continued!

2009-04-27T03:46:00.003+08:00

Here's our group shot!

the girls..

lazing on beautifully mowed lawn at Hampton Court after 4hours feasting marathon - what could be better?

Singapore Day @ Hampton Court, London

2009-04-26T05:37:00.009+08:00

went up to London today for SIngapore Day =)

It was a mad day of non-stop queueing and feasting!

Hampton Court's reli pretty.. rows and rows of bright tulips =)

and this was what made us sooo sure that we've arrived at the right place.. an ERP gantry!! (u gotta give the organizers credit for this)

there were loads of FOOD!! hoho. authentic Singaporean food sooo many thousand miles away from home. We ate ALL of the following within 4hours:
Hokkien Mee, Chicken Rice, Carrot Cake, Chwee Kueh, Bak Kut Teh, Muah Chee, Mee Siam, Char Kway Teow, Prata, Satays, Kway Chap, Hum Chi Peng, Orh Nee & Ondeh Ondeh!!

Authentic Satay Man

the best prata ever!! and we had 2 whole chunks of pork ribs in the Bak Kut Teh. (no other pictures of food though - we gobbled them down once we had our hands on them)

the Hum Chi Peng fan club! - bubbling with excitement while queueing for our Hum CHi Peng.

Look! they flew the Hill Street Char Kway Teow uncle over - it's seriously good.

Ah Meng balloon

and we spotted K.F. Seetoh in the crowd..

and got hugged by the Dim Sum DOllies!!

my gd old tkgs uniform on display - reli unbelievable.

all well fed and happy to leave

I LOVE Singapore..

an Ideal glutton's day out =) - suffering the consequences now though. we were so stuffed that we couldn't even stand straight after that..

2009-04-22T03:21:00.002+08:00

some idiot broke into our backyard last nite, knocked over my bike and the rear tyre got slit. SLIT!!

so i woke up this morning all geared up to cycle to work, only to find myself staring at a totally flat tyre. *&^&$%#@$%^&* - and the green silicon that was in the inner tube (puncture prevention) was all smeared over the entire wheel frame. and now i can't fix it coz the silicon's all over the tube and the repair patches won't stick. woohoo! the irony of it all.

no wonder Spike was barking like mad yest in the wee hours of the morning. (and we all thought he was just going mental and nobody bothered to wake up to see wat's gg on)

lesson learnt: always trust your dog.

Marie Curie Swimathon

2009-04-20T05:54:00.003+08:00

woohoo! i survived to tell the tale =)

did my 5km distance challenge (an appalling 200laps) in 1hr 51mins!

so so pleased =)
had a celebratory face-stuffing feast with Lucy at Zizzi's after that.
absolutely mullered but great sense of acheivement i guess.
raised 105 GBP for Marie Curie Cancer Care as well. Thanks to everyone who sponsored!! Love you all. *muacks*

lil baby lambs

2009-04-19T21:59:00.004+08:00

went for a walk during lunch ard the lake near gsk. look wat i saw!

lil baby lambs =) Phil says that the lil lambs are usually born in early spring, so that they'll have time to get fat and grow some wool in preparation for winter.

everybody loves spring!!

Dunorlan Park - Tunbridge Wells

2009-04-19T17:58:00.005+08:00

Great weather yesterday! ~ the joy of SPRING!! =)

went Dunorlan Park to soak in the warm afternoon sun (with horrendously chilly winds) and had a mini picnic there as well.

lil duckies!

It's a reli lovely park! there's this lake with boat rentals - canoes, peddlers and row boats!

the row boats excited me the most!! - it reminds me of those romantic hollywood films. we dun ever get such stuff in singapore eh.

its reli fun! - after u get the hang of it. but u have to row it backwards.. so odd. u can't reli see where u're heading.

swimathon later.. 5km swim! hoho. be back to report my victory if i succeed! =) wish me big big luck.

Easter Hols - Barcelona, Spain

2009-04-15T04:13:00.011+08:00

Spent my Easter hols in Barcelona. It was a truely enjoyable trip!! Had loads of fun strolling down busy La Rambla, gwaking at majestic Gaudi architecture, shopping at Zara, feasting on Tapas, Chocolate con Churros, fanciful pastries, Paellas & simply soaking up the Barcelona sun (and rain).

our flight there on easyjet + krispy kreme

pretty port vell

and the many yatches

busy la Rambla

gothic quarters

our first lunch - Tapas & seafood paella!!

our all time favourite - Fiduea, the noodle version of paella

Cathedral of Barcelona

people queuing up to light candles during Easter

Easter bread!! - they had feathers on all the easter bread and cakes =)

pastry galore

the best (& one of the largest) Strawberry and custard tart!!

chocolate con churros - so rich and orgasmic-ally good!

Placa Reial

Easter Street Procession along La Rambla

Musical Fountain - this is seriously awesome!! (the sentosa one's like child's play as compared to this) Jing and I somehow managed to get the best spot - right in front of the fountain!! so lovely and romantic =)

we visited the famous market - Mercat de la Boqueria. They had the weirdest things!
the ENTIRE lil piglet on sale.. (they had whole rabbits as well - skinned + with bulging eyes! but it looks too gross to be uploaded)

colourful display of dried goods

our favourite tapas bar - everything's so small and pretty & highly addictive!(not to mention too good to be true)

Gaudi's work of art (1) - Casa Batllo

Gaudi's work of art (2) - La Pedrera

Gaudi's work of art (3) - Sagrada Familia
This is unbelievable!! the photos didn't do it justice.. the artwork is so intricate and detailed.. it looks kind of odd coz it's a few themes combined into one - nature, human, religious & gothic. but reli interesting. a pity it's not yet completed though - ugly ugly cranes all around!

the interior..

entrance of Park Guell - check out the Hansel and Gretal houses!

the famous (but disgusting) huge lizard thingy designed by Gaudi - wonder why everyone's fighting to pose with it

Park Guell's reli nice and rustic..love the place to bits!

Spanish Village..

Barcelona Beach...

there were a few massive sandcastles on the beach.. here's one of the nicer ones (with the sandcastle-maker posing behind)

cute spanish guys at beach volleyball training

love Barcelona! reli great lively city to be in =)

Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo

2009-04-05T04:37:00.007+08:00

went Chessington World of Adventures today with my colleague. it was so so fun!

Chessington is kinda like a theme park-cum-mini zoo. (see www.chessington.co.uk if interested). it's not huge but enough to keep u entertained for a day. they had thrilling rides and other family and kiddy rides. & this is our all-time favourite!!

Dragon's Fury - reli fast and smooth ride with awkward twists and turns that make it seem as though u're being hurled towards the sky. simply awesome!!

pretty fairytale-like shops..

They had a mini-zoo portion as well..
squirrel monkey walk-thru enclosure. (this particular one sure can strrrreeeeeetccccch)

the majestic Condor!! it's wingspan is 3m wide!! reli huge. (it's real, btw. though it looks kind of fake)

fluffy old macdonald rooster.. (check out its feathery feet!)

one of my favourites! the capybara. soo cute and tubby!

and this is the ultimate!! frenly frenly piggy

close up view..

at the sealife centre..

Dory!

and to end it off, we had a massive Indian dinner @ Lalipu Cuisine near my house..

the serving was sooo monstrous that for the first time in my entire eating history, i actually had to pack home half of the rice coz my belly was so stretched it was gg to burst! but at least the food tasted decent enough so it wasnt too bad.

off to london with jing tmr for yet another feast! =)

2009-04-02T04:52:00.004+08:00

noonoo: here's the obiang pink tights for your perusal =)

went swimming juz now after work in the UK 25m std pool. supposed to be training for my swimathon, but turned out that i didnt have to train! hoho. so pleased. *gloat gloat gloat* 6mths since my last proper swim and i still managed 2.5km! (that is 100laps in the lil 25m pool mind u) - thot i was gg to fall asleep counting the laps. and coz the pools here are soooo small, everyone have to swim in circles to avoid clashing. anticlockwise CIRCLES. new style of swimming eh. round and round the swimming pool. and it's soooo stressful!! coz u can't stop to rest.. violent bulky male swimmers will be thrashing their arms and legs in ur face from behind if you slow down juz one bit. bleah. it was like getting chased by sharks. or whales! good training i guess. i completed 2.5km in an hr!! =) now i juz have to repeat the same feat for the swimathon.

was sooo famished after that (used up all my energy swimming away from the killer whales!). ended up feasting nonstop - what's new eh. now i know why Michael Phelps eat all the time..

2009-03-30T05:39:00.001+08:00

i have decided that it's up to yourself to make urself happy. nobody can get you down if you keep thinking positive.

...and the sun will always shine down on you. =)

Sylvia's Bday Party - 80s pub crawl @ Brighton

2009-03-30T03:28:00.006+08:00

Celebrated Sylvia's Bday yesterday.. Stuart catered a HUGE luxurious overnite bus to get the 14 of us to Brighton (a popular seaside town reknowned for their gay scene).

The bus was awesome!! havent seen anything likedat before.. 10 beds, (real beds mind u), a lounge area with huge comfy sofa + 42" flat screen tv, surround sound system, a bar area + microwave and kettle?! it's like a huge limousine reli. the coach was so huge that it couldn't come down to our street and had to pick us up from the main road. once in a lifetime experience reli. =) dun mind living in it! mobile house.

arrived @ Brighton in the evening and went to a few pubs (the English reli love their pub crawls.. ). Brighton was bustling with life and activity at night. (and yeh, they reli did live up to their "gay" image) went to a club after that. Their club's reli nice actually. not huge, but complete with pole (for pole dancing of coz) and disco lighted floor.. It was supposed to be the 80s weekend - and we were all dressed up to suit the theme! - loud fluorescent tights + leg warmers, visors + horrendous make up for the gals and the guys were decked up in mafia suits. we all looked hideously ridiculous but it was reli fun =) but needless to say, u won't catch me wearing those gordy bright pink leggings out again.

had a reli lovely time =)

2009-03-27T06:03:00.002+08:00

why is it that wat u wish for is always so far from reality..

i wish fantasies came true.

2009-03-27T04:54:00.000+08:00

sometimes.. u gotta endure the rain..
if you wanna see the rainbow at the end.

2009-03-17T04:30:00.003+08:00

did this quiz on facebook..

November

Has lots of extraordinary ideas. Difficult to fathom. Think forward. Unique. Brilliant. Sharp thinking. Fine, strong clairvoyance. make good doctors. Dynamic. Secretive. Inquisitive. Know how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative. amiable. Brave. generous. Patient. Stubborn. hardhearted. Determined. Never quit. Hardly become angry unless provoked. Love to be alone. Think differently. Sharp-minded. Motivate self. Doesn't appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built, tough. Deep love, emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest. Keeps secrets. Cant control emotions. Unpredictable.

ooh yeh. make good doctors??! to add insult to injury..
i'd like to think that it's accurate though. but such quizzes are usually rubbish.. worth reading to make urself feel better at times =)

Spring!!

2009-03-17T04:14:00.003+08:00

Lovely sunshine, blooming flowers, clear blue skies on a lovely Monday morning =)

Spring is here!!

Appreciate every moment coz everything in life is only for now =)

Avenue Q

2009-03-16T01:03:00.003+08:00

Watched Avenue Q in London with the Stevenage peeps yest.. it was AMAZING!! reli awesome musical.. love the songs and how closely the storyline hits home..

here's my favourite song from the muscial!
It's a fine fine line..

Kate Monster:
"There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend;
There's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend;
And you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb.

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time.

There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie;
And there's a fine, fine line between "You're wonderful" and "Goodbye."
I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime,
But there's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of your time.

And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore.
I don't think that you even know what you're looking for.
For my own sanity, I've got to close the door
And walk away...
Oh...

There's a fine, fine line between together and not
And there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got.
You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime...

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time."

2009-03-12T06:12:00.004+08:00

went up to London to stay for the wkend. stayed at Hilton hotel with the Stevenage girls. we got it cheap during a promotion and only had to pay 20pounds per person for the nite & buffet breakfast!!

but we stupidly chose a Hilton at the ulu outskirts of london.. the room's just normal.. and so was the breakfast buffet. no pancakes!! we were all so dismayed. heh oh well. we stuffed our faces all the same.

went on a feasting spree after that.. finally got to eat my sashimi!! miss jap food soooo much. and we discovered the most amazing concoction of Ben's melted chocolate cookies + ice cream! devilish combi. Stuart kept saying i'll eat myself to death some day. yeh.. maybe. but i'll die happy! =) (and obese)

due to the credit crunch in UK, many restaurants have been giving out vouchers and stuff.. it works actually. highly attractive for gluttons like me =)
went Gourmet Burger Kitchen for dinner after work today. the burger's so thick and juicy.. complete with fat chunky fries! easily one of the best =)

2009-03-03T06:07:00.002+08:00

feels so good to be back at work!! first time in my entire life that I'm actually reli happy on a Monday =)

why is it that u only learn to appreciate sth when u lose it.
as much as I detest cycling up the monstrous hill,
words can't explain how relieved I am to be able to get on my bike today. (and get it moving of coz)

such are the simple things in life that are often overlooked.
such are the things that we often take for granted...

i'll never complain about cycling ever again.
juz glad to have my mobility back =)

2009-02-27T20:46:00.003+08:00

so sick of being sick. for once, i'm seriously dying to go back to work. bored to death at home.. fabulous weather but can't go out!!

stupid knee, injured ligament, infected wound, sprained ankle, concussed head.
tell me what can be worse.

hope to get back to work next wk.. before i drive myself crazy.

2009-02-17T06:44:00.001+08:00

"life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Leeds wkend

2009-02-17T06:29:00.004+08:00

went leeds with the stevenage gang this wkend.

there're no particularly exciting places of interest there, but it was a fabulous shopping city. and everything was sooo much cheaper here than elsewhere! (especially the food) we went absolutely mad feasting!

stayed at Novotel instead of a hostel this time round. got it at a discounted price.. it was awesome!! BIG bed + soft fluffy pillows, a huge bath tub + massive delicious spread of continental buffet breakfast!! wat can u ask for. it was every gal's dream come true!

visited the royal armoury and saw these interesting tags at the souvenir shop..
this applies to me!

and my favourite..

awesome food, awesome company!

2009-02-17T06:18:00.003+08:00

last friday was great!
chanced upon this reli cheap restaurant/bar place at Tunbridge Wells town centre that's a converted old theatre. nice ambience.

sticky toffee date pudding + ice cream.. overly sweet but it's sooooooooo good!

brownies + ice cream.

watched The Curious Story of Benjamin Button after that. nice queer plot I guess... but a little too draggy. not advisable to watch on a full stomach =P
anyways, that was the first time in 5 mths since I last went to the cinemas! (it's like I've morphed into a caveman..) feels so good to have someone to watch a movie with =)
awesome food, awesome company. if not for the horrendously mangled bike & my temporarily impaired mobility, I'll be reli contented with life.

Brazil vs Italy friendly

2009-02-12T07:01:00.004+08:00

went London after work yesterday to catch the Brazil vs Italy friendly match at Emirates Stadium with Paul and his bro. It was the most awesome match ever!! so glad we went through all the trouble (queuing for eons just to get IN to the tube station and squeeze up the train) to get there. It was well worth it!

the turn out was 66,077 people! majority were Brazil supporters. Everytime Brazil attacked they cheered and sang, and when any of the Brazilian players tripped/fell over, they cursed and sweared like there was no tomorrow. It was mad. The Italian fans were greatly overpowered.

half time score: Brazil-Italy, 2-0!!

we were sitted 8th row from the front!! reli great seats=)
the crowd went absolutely mad when Ronaldinho came over..

fabulous match =)

2009-02-06T06:00:00.001+08:00

it's time.
time for me to wake up from my fantasy.

feb snow - GSK Tonbridge

2009-02-05T06:10:00.005+08:00

snow makes ppl reli happy. =)
though the snow and ice covered roads are horrendously hazardous (especially so if you're on a bike with lousy non-functional brakes)

i have come to the conclusion that everyone loves snow! it's simply too beautiful to resist.
went for our daily lunch time walk around the lake with Phil yesterday...

spot the brown furry puppy!!

Phil says this is the red-breasted robin. round and tiny!

awesome huh.
one of the perks of working at such an ulu countryside. nature at your doorstep =)

fabulous snow fight!

2009-02-02T22:27:00.008+08:00

this is the first time in my entire life I have experienced such heavy snowfall!! hoho.. it's AWESOME!! like a dream come through =) kinda like The Chronicles of Narnia!!-winter wonderland!

awoke this morning to snow covered streets... the layer of snow was so so so thick!!supposed to be at work now, but there's no way of getting into work, unless I walk all the way of coz..

ALL the southeastern service trains have been cancelled due to (obvious ADVERSE) weather conditions, so Stuart and Cara can't get to London. and I can't cycle into work coz i'll probably skid all the way down the hilly road and get myself killed along the way. (a car juz rammed itself into a tree right oustide as I'm typing this)

so so so.. we all got a day off work! woohoo!! trotted down to the park nearby (With spike in tow) and had a massive snowball fight!! Stuart played dirty and slammed an entire BALL of snow into my face! kns.

hard at work - building my big big snowman!! =)..

..which turned out to be a snow woman instead.. thanks to STuart.. he added boobs to the snowman.

at our house back yard..

i love snow!! hoho.. wonder if i'll have to get in to work tmr..

CNY celebration in London, Chinatown - 1st Feb 09

2009-02-02T21:41:00.007+08:00

went London for the CNY celebrations and parade in Chinatown on Sunday with the Stevenage gang.

It was snowing the ENTIRE day!! nice soft flaky snow!
The entire street was jam packed with ppl as well. loads of tourists.. and it was kind of hilarious coz EVERYONE (caucasians mainly) were eating charsiew buns and big chicken paus, walking along the streets! haha. it's like charsiew bun is gonna be the next big thing!

there were lion dance and the dragon dance thingy as well. and some other odd performances. nothing reli exciting.. so we ended up stuffing our face with food instead =)

and yest nite I had the most horrendous train ride EVER! it was a complete nightmare..
I boarded the train from London at 715pm.. it's supposed to be an hr's train ride home.. and due to ADVERSE weather conditions, I got stuck on the train for 6hours!! *(&^&%$%#. everybody was cursing like mad..

1st announcement: there's a trespasser on the tracks ahead.. we can't proceed till given the green light.
passenger onboard, "F*** the trespasser! ram him down!"
-train stopped for an hour-

2nd announcement: the trespasser is now gone, but to ensure safety, we have to carry out checks on the rail ahead to ensure that there's no damage and alright to proceed.
passengersSSS onboard, "what the F***?!!!"
-train stopped for another hour, then crawled 400m??-

3rd announcement: the rails are certified to be fit for use, however, a train in front of us is experiencing technical difficulties due to the adverse weather conditions. we have been given the red light and can't proceed.
passenger onboard, "what F***ing ADVERSE weather conditions?? it is just a few flakes of snow!!"
-train stopped for 2hours!-

4th annoucement: rescue train is coming to rescue the train in front and move it out of the way so that we can be on our way. rescue train will arrive in 40mins.
passenger onboard, "u call that a rescue?? a F***ing rescue that takes 40mins to arrive??! if our train were to catch fire, we would all have been dead and covered by snow by the time u F***ing arrive!!"
-train stopped for 1.5hours-

FINALLY........ we're on our way..
lesson learnt: English people sprout vulgarities when they're seriously pissed.

Good grief!! I boarded the 7.15pm train and got home at 1.30am.. seriously.. how efficient is their train system??!!
anyway, I reckon I muz have been the most calm and least pissed person on the train! haha.. coz I was too amazed by the pretty sight outside to stay annoyed for long.. it was snowing very heavily and everywhere was covered in sparkling white snow!! =)

while trudging home in the snow blizzard...

Hastings - 31st Feb 09

2009-02-02T21:16:00.003+08:00

went Hastings on Saturday coz I was too bored.. it's a pretty little town along the southern coast of England..

the Old Town..

and coz it's along the coast, there're loads of shops selling fish and chips!

the steepest rail way in UK (i think)

overall it's a nice pleasant place with loads of food! but again.. it's another pebble beach. still prefer the sandy beaches in Singapore. It was FREEZING as well! never ever visit a coastal town in winter. what was I thinking??!

2009-01-27T06:01:00.005+08:00

seeing is believing..

partially submerged playground anybody?

and this is how I got to work!

haha. off with the shoes and socks! not a bad idea reli.. juz that the water was soooo cold I was convinced my toes would go numb and fall off. paddling barefooted with my pants halfway up. how unglam is that?! desperate times call for desparate measures eh.

oh well.. juz hoping that the wkend comes sooner.. that the flood subsides.. that the wind will blow all the rain clouds away.

every day that the sun rises, shall be a happy day =)

2009-01-26T05:29:00.000+08:00

..You fill my life with endless wonders..

happy chinese new year!

2009-01-26T05:04:00.004+08:00

met up with the stevenage ppl on sat for our CNY dim sum feast! the food and company were fabulous =) but we over-ordered and ended up too stuffed. could hardly move after that. we ate till we were EXHAUSTED from eating! how ridiculous is that??

piles and piles of dimsum..

met up with Kelvin and Mingzhen after that for dinner (yeh.. i actually managed to digest all that dimsum from lunch). havent seen them both in 4 years! apparently alot of hwachong ppl are in the UK..

watched Les Miserables. we wanted to watch Wicked actually.. but the tickets were sold out so Kelvin bought Les Miserables instead. oh well.. it was a great musical all the same. great coordination.. effects.. cast.. but somehow it didnt blow me away. thot Phantom was much better.

it's CNY eve today.. and the Stevenage ppl are having CNY reunion dinner - steamboat! but I can't go coz it's too far. won't be able to get back in time for work tmr. arghhhh. everyone's got a CNY reunion dinner to go to except me! gotta cook my own pasta and mope with chocolates. haha. when all else fails there's still chocolates eh.

been raining the entire day! gotta get my wet suit ready and swim to work tmr. oh yay. how exciting.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR everybody! =)

Lots of love all the way from flooded Tonbridge!

Cry me a RIVER

2009-01-24T06:36:00.005+08:00

it's true that you haven't experienced rain till you came to UK.

and you haven't experienced flood till you came to Tonbridge.

behold the wonders of nature!

the flood waters got so high.. cars stalled.. roads closed.
there's traffic pile up everywhere!

I cycled underwater today. amazing feat.
The river burst its banks and ALL the soccer fields merged into a massive lake.

Top it up with strong blasting winds.. and you find yourself staring at China's Huang He.

It felt so surreal!

Would have appreciated the beauty of being able to stand RIGHT in the middle of a massive body of water (with delirious ducks floating around??!!).. if I weren't soaked to my knees in icy cold icky flood water.

and everybody says.. welcome to England =)

p/s: my colleague said that he saw people KAYAKING in the fields a few yrs ago when there was massive flooding. I dun even want to think about it.

2009-01-23T05:16:00.001+08:00

know that it's impossible yet I still persist. what on earth is wrong with me?
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.
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why is it that the rain never cease.