full circle

interactive childhood

2009-03-30T12:28:00.003+02:00

Yes, it's been a while - this is so cute I can't resist putting it up!!!

:))))

the awesomeness i missed

2009-02-10T06:34:00.001+01:00

if only i'd stayed another 5 more days and caught this amazing concert... love him to bits!

not a fan of pink but...

2009-02-05T09:31:00.004+01:00

i sure like this bag! (especially the charms)

by juicy couture :) and while we're at it, this is pretty cute too.

frosty winters

2009-01-21T04:08:00.003+01:00

oh, my sweet wilhelmina! is this you??? haha i stole the picture from shima's friend. IT'S FROZEN! and... THERE'S SUNSHINE!

it's been more than 10 years and it's the 100th year since it first started. i really hope this will happen - hold your breath!

indancity: beyond

2009-01-19T14:10:00.003+01:00

well done babe! it was a fantastic job and i loved it! :) so proud of you <3

ill

2009-01-14T04:57:00.001+01:00

coming down with the flu isn't fun at all, especially when school's just started. argh! massive headache and aches all over. :(

one step forward five steps back.

2009-01-11T13:26:00.001+01:00

but this is the end of it, and for that, i'm glad.

aramsa spa out time

2009-01-06T17:22:00.002+01:00

at the lounge after our massage // lovin' the pandan and lemongrass in-house brew // at the cafe for lunch // discovering colour accent on my sister's camera and going mad playing with it! :) // baby spinach and pumpkin and fetta salad // portobello mushroom burger that was huge and juicy //

:) :) :)

happy birthday!

2008-12-31T11:45:00.008+01:00

to the only one who can get drunk faster than tris ... :) thanks pet for capturing this moment - it's classic!

with a surprise itinerary on hand, we set out for a massage at kenko, only to find that some people had such weak constituencies and couldn't take some pain! i guess this shows that the image he's been painting me as abusive is far from the truth. far far far. i'm nothing but gentleness. :)

after that came a little walkabout on the surprise itinerary, and then dinner which was french food. mmm, was really good food with impeccable service.

our starter - baked brie cheese with pistachio nuts. was very well done, the baked cheese crust was crispy but it was still creamy inside as brie cheese always is. BUT, the fruit at the side was... frozen? shouldn't be happening!!!

my confit de canard with apple rosti. kinda tasted like the ones michelle brought back from paris. yumssss! didn't quite like the mango salad at the side though. rosti was so yummy i wished there was more.

daryl's fish of the day - a generous portion of red snapper with cream sauce dribbled over it. best when piping hot!

and dessert was passionfruit souffle with a scoop of passionfruit ice cream. slurrppp!

so, happy birthday d, and start acting your age!!! :)

old is gold

2008-12-20T17:28:00.003+01:00

nothing beats a chilled night out with old friends, where laughter flows freely and happiness is the only thing we know right then and there.

mixed kids!!!

2008-12-19T13:42:00.001+01:00

this is SO SUPER CUTE and it makes me ashamed that my mandarin isn't half as good as theirs. love the french-chinese boy who speaks mandarin with a french accent! SO ADORABLE.

oooh. i want one too!!!

the proof is in its existence

2008-12-18T05:20:00.003+01:00

yeap, the existence of stupid people.

read about it here.

of all un-godly names, why subject an innocent little boy to the name adolf hitler? hope against hope he'll grow up and change his name. maybe all the name calling and that hating thing that little kids do will spur him on to change his name in future.

birthday bliss

2008-12-16T18:09:00.010+01:00

had a great birthday celebration with daryl on monday, with a surprise itinerary. :) we went on the flyer and it was nice, but i say the audio guide is a must! i enjoyed my ride a lot more with the audio guide than the others who were just walking around looking at the view from the top...

us // the flyer // marina barrage and the hundreds of ships waiting to enter the port // the view from the top - the highest you'll get to without being in a skyscraper. overlooking the kallang river that's no longer a river :( i have to voice my anger regarding the damming up of the river!!! no more waves crashing in, it's just a mild meek ... reservoir? :( //

dinner at buono:

must-have portobello mushroom appetizer // swordfish carpaccio that i found too salty for my liking // daryl's cream-based mushroom fettuccine // my ravioli crustacean that was pretty good //

we later went to pasir ris park, where there was a little cafe/pub called summer breeze. it's a really lovely place just to zone out and enjoy the sea breeze and watch the planes take off at night and wish i were on a plane back to holland, but of course i can only just sit there and dream. ha. for a monday night, it was doing damn good business! i was really surprised, but i'm glad that it's thriving because i love the concept of a place next to the beach like that. :)

and...

mmm...

spent my birthday with the bestie exploring the ann siang area, and though we only got a few hours together, every minute was nothing less than pure fun. love all the old shophouses there, reminds me of the area where my grandparents used to live in till they had to make way for the north-east train line.

ann siang road // hot chick alert! // at the bottom of ann siang hill // one of the old tiles on the walls of the shophouses. //

lunch was at the eden cafe at club street - they had a set lunch menu that was reasonably priced. it's a really pretty cafe and i have to say that i didn't know what food to expect, but it was really good. the deco was simple and cosy. we got a corner sofa seat right at the back of the cafe and there was an array of stuffed toy bears there watching us eat.

because we couldn't wait to eat before i remembered to take shots of the food - the portobello mushroom that we cut into half already, covered by a thin layer of yummy puff pastry that was just done to perfection, and our roast chicken leg that was juicy, tender and herby. YUMS. // pretty table decorations // the christmas tree i designed on jac's iphone while waiting for our food! super cute. :) //

a little visit to the patissier resulted in two tiny cakes that brought me so much joy! mmmm. heavenly. :)

found this really amusing :) // somehow this graffiti reminded me of utrecht and the walls near albert heijn on twijnstraat that were always graffitied. //

if you've got it, flaunt it!!! ;)

thanks for the lovely day spent with me babe, i've not been so happy in a very long time. it's been a perfect day!

and back home later that night...

my favourite strawberry shortcake from canele. thanks sisty for getting it for me! :)

none of them acting their age. hee. love this pic! // with granny //

thank you, all you dear friends, for messaging, emailing, msn-ing and facebooking me birthday wishes. thanks for all that love and words can't describe how much all your little messages mean to me! :)

december babies

2008-12-15T20:09:00.002+01:00

after not blogging for a very long time, i'm obviously not too good at it, so i'm just gonna put up the photos, since a picture paints a thousand words!

the 12th was khel's birthday, and to celebrate, pet organized a birthday party for him. and not just that, she, who has never baked aside from home economics class in secondary school, actually set down to bake him a cake! awww.

tasted pretty damn good too! :)

mandatory shot by the christmas tree

those who came earlier

the birthday boy

may all his wishes come true! :)

lunch the next afternoon for my birthday, before yenfang and adrienne flew off for their holidays.

thanks guys, it was a great time (note, the company, not so much the food! dessert was yummy though.) ping and rui - you two were missed!!!

lovin' life

2008-12-07T16:27:00.005+01:00

i survived my 10km jog/walk and lived to tell the tale! yeah, me, with no stamina and no practice whatsoever, am glad to have made it. this year's route kinda sucks though, because of the IR construction, we were redirected from previous years' route to the expressway and round the suntec/millenia area. air quality was definitely very bad with the traffic, and no trees and greenery to soothe the eyes. hopefully next year they'll come up with a better route. oh wait, did i just say next year??? O_o why i torture myself like this each year is a mystery to me. and yet, after i come in each year, i tell myself, ok i shall train for next year's. hurhur.

Photos courtesy of www.redsports.sg

FRIENDS.

if you have the labyrinth game in your ipod touch or iphone... let me play and i will love you for life!!! i'm uh.. just kinda addicted to it. :) was introduced to it in the apple shop while looking at the ipod touch (not that i intend to get it) and i played till i squealed when the ball dropped in the last hole just as i was reaching the finishing point. SO ANNOYING. everyone stopped to stare at me, so i quietly slinked out of the shop. :(

next day, realised that jac has the game in her iphone and was so delighted! :) sometimes i feel like a little kid and all you need to do is sit me down with a game like that and i will be really distracted and give you peace for the next few hours. really. i'm glad i'm not yet initiated into gaming and all that jazz. otherwise, that's it for me! hee.

and just for the sake of it, i saw this greedy-me photo on fb that pet uploaded and couldn't resist uploading it here too! well, yums as it was, it's still nothing compared to my ultra juicy botak jones burger... double patty no less! i might attempt the triple patty burger one hungry day...

Attica

2008-12-05T11:54:00.003+01:00

Proof that Pet cannot take self-shots of more than 5 people at a time -

Poor Siewmen! Oh, and was Khel supposed to be in the picture as well??? That makes it worse... hee.

Still muchly loved :)

Been too long babes! Had a great time y'all.

where's my winter?

2008-11-24T05:56:00.003+01:00

i hate it that it's been snowing non stop in the 'trecht and holland in general!!! why why why. when it was end nov last year, all we got was non-stop rain... i love snow! (especially when it's dry snow) i see photos of snowmen and snow blizzards in the 'trecht and i'm SO freaking jealous. and over in rotterdam, serene can't even clean her car because it's covered in snow.. haha. this must be to make up for the lousy winters they've had for the past 3 years or so.

ooh, maybe this year they'll actually be able to hold the Elfstedentocht that hasn't happened in like, 10 years, if the weather keeps up like this.. would be SO awesome... except that I'm not there. ;(

ah ah ah.

i need a white christmas... truly magical. :)

law students and their laptops

2008-11-17T11:19:00.003+01:00

Was stressedfully trying to get through Evidence readings when I received a link for this article:

"A thief learned the mistake of trying to steal a law student's laptop last week after becoming a punching bag for an Arizona State student he tried to rip off. Armed with a baseball bat, the intruder, Gabriel Saucedo, allegedly climbed through an open window into Alex Botsios' apartment, waking the student and threatening to smash his head in.

Botsios was willing to let Saucedo take his wallet and guitars. Then the robber made the mistake that ultimately landed him in the hospital -- he went for the laptop.

According to Botsios, he said "Dude, no -- please, no! I have all my case notes ... that's four months of work!" Saucedo, obviously underestimating the fury of an overstressed, overworked first-year, was unsympathetic. That's when Botsios could take no more.

Wrestling Saucdeo to the floor, Botsios separated the bat from the thief and repeatedly punched him in the face. When it was all over, police had to get Saucedo stitched up before charging him with armed robbery and kidnapping, while Botsios only suffered some scrapes and a bruised knuckle. Most importantly, at least to the student, is that his laptop, which he called "his baby," escaped unharmed. Next time, Saucedo might want to try robbing a third-year student, as they're generally more docile."

Certainly made me smile - yes, the temper of an overstressed, overworked law student!!!

close your eyes and dream about what this could be

2008-11-15T11:32:00.004+01:00

is it already the middle of november?

gosh. time's flying past again, when i need it the most.

if i could just close my eyes, be rid of all my responsibilities and be free, i would do it, and go far far away.

life's gotten way too mundane, i need some spice in it!

it's that time of the year again...

2008-11-07T13:27:00.002+01:00

when i start to put on my jogging shoes to set the pace for that once in a year torture i sign myself up for.

and then i ask myself again. WHY. WHY WHY WHY SIGN UP FOR A RUN WHEN I HAVE ZILCH STAMINA!!!

hee. i think my stamina died at 400metres today... well. baby steps baby steps.. just gotta cover 25 times that distance in 1 hour.. WEH! gonna do it gonna do it! i still have one more month :)

top gear...

2008-11-06T12:40:00.001+01:00

IS BACK WITH A BANG!

fb: the surrender of all privacy.

2008-10-26T13:33:00.004+01:00

I amused myself recently by clicking on one of the profiles of someone who had requested to be my facebook friend a few months ago. There was nothing much on the profile that I could see besides groups this 'Rachel Tan' person had joined, including 'I've had sex with someone on fb before', and 'the annabelle chong appreciation club'. So I turned to the friends of Rachel Tan, and golly. We have a handful of friends in common.

Which turns me to this question: why don't people screen who they add on facebook? Is it part of the quest to have the most number of friends as a reflection of your popularity or is it plain laziness in checking out who this person is, thinking it might be some long-forgotten primary school friend? Does it seem safe because this 'Rachel Tan' person is apparently born in 1987 and is a female?

Back to the friends of Rachel Tan. This was the most interesting bit. out of the 400 plus friends Rachel Tan had, only 1 was a guy, and fewer than 5 were non-Asian females. Most of the girls were at least moderately attractive or downright sluttish looking. The girls came from all over the world including China, Taiwan, America, Canada, Singapore and Europe.

NOW.

If that doesn't set alarm bells off, I don't know what will.

Has it occurred to any of these people that adding unknown people opens up their entire profile, including photos of them, their friends and everything else to these anonymous strangers? I'm sure if i came up with an alias and added random people to my account, at least half of them would accept.

FB may be fun and a convenient way of keeping in touch with your friends and all, but do it with discretion, otherwise you might unwittingly expose yourself to the dangers of internet predators.

needs 48 hours in a day!!!

2008-10-21T15:21:00.004+02:00

i've had no time to blog! and there's nothing much i do besides frantically catching up with work, so blah.

BUT...

daryl's macbook arrived today! sooooo exciting. i'm going to make him bring it over to win my daddy over :D it'll be really nice to have a laptop with a working down arrow key...... hehe.

that said, american apparel is totally amazing with their delivery speeds. pity they screwed up my order but jamie has kindly called to rectify it. happy. i hope the new dress comes as quickly as the other batch did ;) woot!!!

it's soooo sad that when you start running out of time you end up doing only online shopping, and force yourself to the shops when you've used up your last bit of powder and have no other choice. no wonder my butt is getting exponentially bigger :\ :(

now that b&f oral presentation and research paper is OUT OF THE WAY, persprop and ROT research paper, here i come!

(omg, did i vaguely sound excited? i beg to differ!!! it's just happiness that my workload is lightening up, slowly but surely. haha)

module selection for sem 2 starts tomorrow, or rather, in less than 3 hours. insane that no announcement was made. thank goodness for friends! for those with not so witty comments about me balloting for intelligence law (still undecided actually) - keep them to yourself. hee. <3

angsty and angsty and angsty.

2008-10-16T19:28:00.003+02:00

dedicated to someoNe.

wish i could wave this in front of your face. hehee.

school's driving me nuts!!!

oh fairy godmother...

2008-10-15T16:09:00.003+02:00

... won't you deliver me THE new macbook!!!!!!

the fast and furious of the flappy paddle gearboxed cars

2008-09-30T11:37:00.008+02:00

half my photos were like this.

truly tragic.

another fraction, were like this.

and finally, there was one like this. :)

(which probably was because he took the corner really slowly!)

so i gave up and turned to stills, like this one. either massa or raikkonen, whose car just failed him during the practice rounds. pretty awesome, the crew had to manually push the car out of the track before the driver got out. thankfully he was able to drive into the area that's out of the main track area.

and more stills. heh.

the first time i've seen the new open-aired theatre since i came back!!! // the war memorial//the crowd// the beautiful skyline (with my dream house on the leftmost)//

anyway, for some proper photos from the bf that i took off his flickr! you can actually see the cars here :)

the porsche carrera race in the evening that i missed :(

during the qualifiers:

honda

redbull's RB4 by renault

and could it be....?

well, either champion's fernando alonso's car, or poor nelson piquet jr. who crashed out.

very tired us after an entire night out. my feet were sooo achy and swollen, and we left the area just as the qualifiers ended, so we didn't have to squeeze with a million other people onto the trains.

i would love to watch the F1 from the swissotel next year!!! :) overall, it was pretty awesome, being there and listening to the cars roar and ultra-pollute the place, though it got a little boring not being able to see much because the cars were so fast. ear plugs mandatory! but well, if we got the seats, it would've probably been better. the finals itself was pretty exciting, what with the pit-stop dramas and how i feel that massa could've gotten into an accident had he not pulled away from his little crash before the force india car plowed into the exact same spot. well, let's see what next year brings for another night race!

it's all about the moos and the melamine

2008-09-28T10:05:00.002+02:00

After having spent the past few weeks tsk-ing the boyfriend over his misfortune of going to a country which made imitation milk (the crooks!!!), where he drank about 2 glasses a day for 6 whole months, and after all the jokes of kidney stones growing in his brain instead.... it only occurred to me today that I was drinking milk every day for 2 entire weeks in shanghai. -_- Maybe I'm the one with the brain stones, since it took me so long to realise. :(

all the world's a stage

2008-09-26T06:16:00.004+02:00

and our dear petrina merely a player... and pingying plays many parts as set and costume designer and make-up artist.

michelle and i ushered for the night, so we're (pretty) in pink, sat's ushering colour. flowers were for show - the flowers only went to py and pet. hehe. ah, tris has more photos! but i have no idea when i'll get the photos from him. grr. and at post-production party - love pet's falsies plus super sparkly eye make-up.

great work guys, i loved the music quite a bit, and in all, was pretty much a success for saturday night.

dinner at kazu sumiyaki on monday - the girls wanted to thank those who were in shanghai for exchange for their hospitality. it's a barbeque place, and the food was pretty good! except for the MSG that got my muscles contracting... but i was the only one who felt it, and i am pretty sensitive to it. ah, the golden mushrooms were yums! really miss eating lots of them in aji-sen in shanghai where it's so much more affordable and tastes really great. and there was also foie gras that just melted in your mouth, and roasted sweet potatoes, and 4 dollar per piece mushroom O_O, and zucchini with chicken with cheese sticks that taste yummier than they sound, and lightly seared tuna slices, and garlic rice that was really quite good, among other dishes that i can't remember now. ahh. i feel hungry thinking about the food already.

py and me//adrienne absolutely fascinated with her cabbage//with daryl//yos being the paparazzi (and cam-whore) for the night - yax and jo//huixiang, troy and yos//yenfang, quan quan and yos//

ahh, and morton's later and F1 tomorrow.. quite an exciting weekend if you took away the 1500 words i -intend- to churn out! :\

make it mine make it mine

2008-09-25T16:12:00.001+02:00

oh yes i'm following your joy

i'm gonna make it mine

i absolutely adore this boy. ah drools. and for the millionth time, if only i had a musician boyfriend.... hee.

take me home

2008-09-23T11:17:00.004+02:00

Beautiful song by Aqualung that a friend introduced to me - this youtube video is the only one I've managed to find to be able to put on my blog, so please excuse the lack of images.

Every day

Keep making the same mistakes

Once again

I find myself in the same old place

And I'm wandering

Wondering

Where to turn

There's a dead end

Straight ahead

Won't you take me home?

And you said

There's nothing you wouldn't do

And I answered

There's nothing in this world I need you to do

Just hold me

In your arms

I feel so cold

There are dark clouds gathering

Won't you take me home?

Oh won't you take me home?

Got me wandering

Wondering

Where to turn

There are dark clouds gathering

Won't you take me home?

Oh please, won't you take me home?

Oh won't you take me home?

just before i go...

2008-09-17T19:18:00.006+02:00

hur. literally, as in whether i disappear forever or actually die of brain exertion by 13 oct, here's some photos of sweet memories taken a couple of weeks back. :)

the best pizza in singapore//the pretty companion with killer nails (hm. guess who did them ;))//the wind-tousled look//the greedy face.//

anyway, law iv coming up this weekend! finally guys, all your months of hard work is gonna pay off :) good luck with it, make it end with a bang!

the 13 of october might as well be a friday.

2008-09-17T19:18:00.003+02:00

because i have...

1. chi corp & securities law take home due that day

2. biz & finance quiz 2

3. possibly an oral presentation for b&f research paper which means...

4. my research paper will be due on 11 oct

and now i have a major headache, an acute onset of stress, and probably will look like i've aged 10 years come end oct.

blooper!!!

2008-09-15T16:05:00.002+02:00

My sis called this colleague of hers an 'old man' then my mum asked how old he was.

Sis: 60

Me: (almost frantic) take that back! take that back!!! QUICKKK!!!!

Sis: huhhh??? what did i say wrong?

Mum: (glaring) 60 is OLD?!?!?!

hehe. my mum's not yet 60, and she barely looks 50 anyway. but it was still quite funny, especially when my sis tried to save her skin by claiming that my mum looks super young so she forgot her actual age. hurhurhur. and the ever loving mother of mine responded by threatening to throw her out of the house. jokingly, of course. hehehe. age is a sensitive issue after all!

here we come! ;)

2008-09-12T10:44:00.001+02:00

take me to new york, i'd love to see LA
take me to chicago, san francisco bay

woot!

times like these that make me wish i was back in some corner of europe...

2008-08-30T09:06:00.002+02:00

strolling along the canal banks in my beloved utrecht,

watching the horses do their morning exercise in vienna,

having a peach beer in belgium,

making a wish and tossing a coin backwards into the trevi fountain,

running away with marie from dodgy guys in budapest,

walking along the road with our eyes pinned to the ground just to follow where the Berlin wall used to stand,

staring at beautiful lakes on a cold wintry morning,

having one of those greek coffees we used to have so often,

checking out one of those clubs and laughing at how the dutch (can't) dance,

drinking wine straight out of the bottle, screaming and laughing at the top of our voices,

eating marie's food straight from the casserole dish and promptly getting yelled at for the lack of etiquette,

doing grocery shopping at AH,

watching the first snowflake fall.

giving

2008-08-28T18:49:00.001+02:00

giving

and giving.

school's in, fun's out.

2008-08-14T05:08:00.003+02:00

i'm back! after a long disappearing act. figured i'm too lazy to post my shanghai-tong li photos, but they're on facebook anyway.

school's started, and i'm barely in the swing of things. all i feel is... lethargy. in addition to feeling like kicking myself for doing a couple of stupid things. i guess it's to the point of no return, but at least i've done my best already, and anything out there isn't left for me to initiate.

well, maybe things will pick up from next week onwards! yup, in all fairness, at least i see the girls more often now, and that's good enough to keep me going. :)

to our final year in law school, hope it'll be a good one!

Haiku

2008-07-21T05:34:00.012+02:00

First post from my Shanghai trip: dinner at Haiku. Jappy food, super duper yummy. Looking at the photos make me sooooo hungry and I'm craving it again! ;(

Haiku, in the French Concession area.

Sashimi, my first love. Yellowtail, salmon and tuna.

Chawanmushi - could taste the sweetness from the chicken that was cooked with the egg. mmm!

A roll, with eel on top, and 3 types of fish inside, I can't remember what.

King Kong Roll, that was almost 2 times the size of the other rolls. Quite a challenge to put the entire roll into your mouth, but well, daryl the big mouth did it ;)

Our salmon roll! It had lightly pan-seared salmon on top, and I forgot what was inside.. more salmon, but I forgot how it was done :\ Maybe raw. :) And some yummy sauce drizzled on top of the roll...

Ended dinner with a light red bean mousse. Yums!

Amazing dinner, it was soooo scrumptious, we were completely stuffed after dinner. Daryl more than me, as usual. French Concession area is pretty, but I had to resist shopping in that area, especially when I was almost broke after all the shopping I had done the days before! ;( Nonetheless, I got a gorgeous top from one of the boutiques there. Oohlalaa! :)

Addendum: Just to note how much I've eaten - I was telling my dad and sis about everything I did in Shanghai when my dad interrupted and asked, "what else did you do besides eat?"

ARGH! I think I should hide from the world for quite a bit while I try to work off the extra kilos from the past 1 year.

hola from shanghai!

2008-07-14T04:09:00.003+02:00

It's sweltering here, and I cannot take the weather. But otherwise, I'm holding up pretty fine, eating a lot, and enjoying the street snacks. :) Spent the weekend in Tong Li, a water town. Really pretty. Photos to be up soon! But for now, it's out for breakfast and a day of gai gai. Kus!

last look at utrecht!

2008-07-06T17:48:00.006+02:00

Managed to spend a nice couple of days in Utrecht after my final exam, and it was wonderful :) Stayed at Marion and Jean-Charles' after I got kicked out from IBB by the ever shitty SSH, and after my exam, we took a nice stroll around their place and in the city centre and even in the countryside towards Maarssen.

These are the chicks and hen that always go to Marion's neighbour's bench to hide from the afternoon sun. Know how humans always take evening walks in the parks? These chickens come from the park and take evening walks in the neighbourhood.

There was a 6th chick a little further down. They're not afraid of humans! There were 2 roosters nearby making a lot of noise.

We walked from Julianapark to the Utrecht countryside into Maarssen! The countryside is gorgeous, and they have hugeeeee modern and old houses there which are soooo gorgeous. And it's so peaceful and serene. No wonder the Dutch love nature so much.

Deer at Julianapark//Little castle in the countryside//Old house next to the castle, it might even be part of the castle grounds.//Back of the house with lots of flowers in bloom, with the canal surrounding it.//Wandering cat//Swans//Back of the castle//Windmills in Maarssen//Careful, ducks crossing!//

And dinner that night at The Ostrich, this African restaurant on the banks of the Oude Gracht.

The first dish is of course, my ostrich meat!!! Yums.//Marion's bean-vegetarian dish//Dessert that the three of us shared. REALLY GOOD// Didn't take a photo of Jean-Charles' dinner, but it was perfectly cooked salmon. Yums.

Went to the city centre for a long walk round the entire city the next day. Weather was amazing. It was 30 or so, but then it became cloudy and there was a really heavy rainfall in the late afternoon. It's as if the weather was pre-empting me for Singapore. And indeed it was, because the day I came back, it rained and it was so hot as well. UGH.

miffy traffic light!//the evil looking rabbit version of the thinking man that's just next to the miffy traffic light. contrast.//the square at Neude with a million cafes//old water pump near behind a church in the city//one of my favourite narrow lanes leading from twijnstraat to the oude gracht//windmill near a gelato place ha//look what bottles we drank out of! in anticipation for the beijing olympics//marion and jean-charles//marion and i. we were just staring at the canal for a while. it's really beautiful.//

along the streets of utrecht:

if you own this house...//... you get this little garden haven to yourself!//row of old houses that look very identical//we walked and walked and went through little alleys and saw more pretty houses//the oldest street of houses in utrecht that's in the museumqwartier//little narrow house at the corner where 2 canals meet//another house along the canal with a colourful garden//who needs venice!//the dom tower - icon of utrecht - blurred by the heavy rain.//

Till next time! Much love.

leaving it behind.

2008-06-30T13:37:00.002+02:00

It's pretty depressing to be facing a completely ugly disgusting empty room, to have to move lift-loads of trash down with the flatmates, knowing that you're going to part in a matter of minutes, and saying goodbye.

Thank you girls, for lugging my luggage onto the bus with me, thank you for this wonderful journey this entire year.

My gosh, I don't remember when I last felt this depressed! And with an exam looming ahead of me as well.

On the bright side, I'm now living with Marion, in a place that's a lot bigger than that "hole in a wall" room I used to live in the past year.. that holds so many precious memories for me. :(

I love you guys, IBB 231.

say goodbye to the world you thought you lived in

2008-06-29T13:04:00.002+02:00

i'm packing my stuff, i took a rest in my favourite easy chair, i'm looking at my very empty room now, full suitcases, last few things left in my room, and i'm heartbroken.

i can't bear to leave this all behind.

the best endings are always a blast.

2008-06-26T00:25:00.009+02:00

Flat dinner to end our stay in IBB. Despite the WORST housing association, SSH, that any one can EVER have, I've had some of the best flatmates. So we started with a sweet little invitation

Snapshots of one of the best nights ever.

Our resident cow - the la vache qui ruit cow that Marie painted and put up.//Giving her poufiasse look//One of Eva's many superstar poses//Shima was really proud of the carrots that I bought her, that were actually, more uhh. bush than carrots. I felt kinda embarrassed carrying it back with all the green leafy things sticking out of my shopping bag//Petros, doing what he does best - bumming//Feeding time//Danai giving every one a hug after we surprised her with a birthday cake//French sam-seng woman//The speculaas cake that Marie made for Danai//

And because it's Danai's birthday, this is specially for her.

Damn poseur//Danai the superstar//Danai the strong Greek woman//Showing off her tan lines//Power!//Acting shy//

This morning, Eva and I realised that more than half of our photos were of Danai posing. Photowhore!

Singing French songs after many wines.

Popping the champagne!

And our family photo, with Alena after she came back from dinner.

We even made a 5 minute video that's on Petros' camera, where all of us started speaking our languages and many other different languages, acting all whacky and crazy and it's super embarrassing, but that's all the fun. I even gave a mini speech about the benefits of Botox and exclaimed out loud that I sound so exotic because I'm Asian (this was before I started drinking, can you imagine).

We must have sounded like we were having an amazing time because 2 curious dutchie girls decided to come to our side in ROLLERBLADES giggling as they ran through our corridor and back. OMG. Sometimes some people render me speechless. When we finally found a NICE dutchie from next door to help us take a group photograph (that's not here since I already have soooo many photos up), Marie told us to say 'cheese' Carla Bruni style - 'sexxxxxx'. Well, trust the French. And because Petros is the only guy around, he had to listen to girly talk like pregnancy and contraception. His expression was incredibly hilarious. Classic.

It's been an awesome year here, I'm gonna miss you all soooo much! ;(

ParkHeuvel

2008-06-24T00:25:00.012+02:00

Part 2 of Saturday was dinner at ParkHeuvel, a French restaurant in Rotterdam. Located right in the park in Heuvellaan, and by the river (though the view I got was not that nice), it was a dining experience I would not get to experience in a long long time. We had the most attentive staff ever, waiting on us, and the moment we sat down, the staff gave us a nice platter of starters and champagne. After starters, we ordered the 5-course set that was sooo insanely good. But before the dinner started proper, we were served with the unbelievably fresh Dutch herring that just melted in my mouth the moment I put it in. Mmmms!

Greedy me before we started on the platter of starters.

First course of the meal - lobster in all its natural sweet goodness, with ham and melon and the white bit on the right side is king crab. The lobster was SO sweet and tender, cooked to a perfection that I've not tasted before.

Part 2 of dinner was a shellfish (the one in the bamboo-like shell that was used in the serving) with octopus and squid and spinach, with a butter-based gravy. They pour the gravy onto the food after they've served you the dish. Tres bon!

Third course - fish (turbot, if I'm not wrong) from the chef's hometown in Holland, with ham on top that's crispy. The gravy on the side of the dish is made up of potatoes and basil. As Serene said, she wouldn't talk to me until I tried the fish. Melted in my mouth, was superbly fresh!

Last meat dish in the meal - the best cuts of lamb, as we were informed. With a sauce made from the lamb. My gosh. It was indescribably amazing, even Serene, who's not a fan of lamb, was won over. Extremely tender, no overpowering smell or taste that lamb typically has, and the meat came right off the bone.

Before dessert arrived, we were given warm madeleines that were supposed to get us 'used to the sweet taste of dessert'. Mmmmm.

Dessert, that came in 3 parts. The little shot glass at the back contained sorbet with gin. Refreshing, to cleanse the palate. Second part of dessert was a strawberry sorbet with almonds and a strawberry-jam like concoction. Third part was a ravioli. Strawberries and a strawberry-gelatine like bit that you can see in the photograph here.

My pretty companion for the dinner - thanks for being willing to go for this dinner with me!

Me and my shellfish-squid-octopus dish.

It was an amazing experience, and I've never felt so pampered in a restaurant, ever. All my anticipation for dinner was worth it, because of the amazing food and service. Every wine recommended was yummy too, and complemented the food just right. While we were waiting for the cab they had called for us, we sat at the bar and were updated by the staff on the NL-Russian match that had already started (tv in the kitchen, that we were invited to go watch while waiting haha), and that we were rushing to catch. Sadly, the match didn't end in our favour though I'm glad we didn't go down without a fight! Although a win would've completed what was the best summer solstice I would probably ever experience, I already had a very fulfilling and happy saturday. :)

saturday morning in cambridgelaan

2008-06-23T14:20:00.002+02:00

On a whim, Krysia and I decided to make pancakes for lunch on Saturday. So I headed down to her place where she taught me how to make pancakes the way she thought her mum made them. Very very yummy nonetheless, whatever recipe it was. :)

Krysia cutting the ingredients for our savoury pancake//Our savoury pancake with ham, cheese, red capsicums and olives... mmmmm. Zeer goed!//Our apple pancake that tasted as good as it looked.. after adding some honey on it. ;)//Proud makers of a savoury pancake. I flipped them all, by the way.//

Cambridgelaan is in the main university campus, the Uithof. So some last shots because I rarely ever go to the Uithof. There is a LOT of wilderness around the Uithof. Sometimes when I go there, I forget whether it's a university or a jungle...

The very very gorgeous library. The interior is even more stunning than the exterior, but I have never stepped into this library before to take photos. Very typical Dutch design with glass all over so you can see everyone inside (and vice versa). Wish the law library (both in Utrecht and NUS) was half as pretty!//The bridge in Cambridgelaan - can you imagine paying 500 Euros (approx a little more than 1000SGD) a MONTH to LIVE ON A BRIDGE in a room that's approximately 20sq metres big? Maybe you're paying for the experience that you'll never get any where else in the world, hurhur.//Pretty path next to Cambridgelaan//Some grazing goat just behind Cambridgelaan. Yeah, all part of the university's wilderness experience! Hahaha. There are also horses and sheep. Really cute actually.//

Saturday was my heartbreak day when we lost to the Russians, but it was a fantabulous day otherwise. More to come!

serene's visit to the DUTCH DOCTOR

2008-06-21T00:01:00.003+02:00

The last 2 words should strike fear in the heart of anyone who's been subjected to dutch doctors. If it doesn't, here's Serene's Tragic Tale, taken off her facebook note.

"So, I sprained my ankle and decided I should see a doctor.

But my regular clinic's closed, so they referred me to another doctor.

I went there and this is an unforgettable conversation.

Doc: Goedemorgen Mvr Tan, wat is de problem?

Me: Good morning, I think I sprained my ankle yesterday while running.

Doc: oh, English. Yes, let me see it.

Me: Ok (lifts up right foot)

Doc: Yes, you have RAPTURED (sic) your ligament. Does this hurt?

Me: No.

Doc: (Turns the ankle inwards) Does this hurt?

Me: (Screams)

Doc: (Do not worry. This is not an important ligament.

Me: ???

Doc: Through evolution, this ligament is no longer in use.

Me: But it's still there and it still hurts.

Doc: Yes, I know. (Smiles)

Me: ???

Doc: The other ligament provides the support, this one is just there. So now it's gone and it's ok.

Me: ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!!

Doc: Just rest it, the pain will go away in 3-6 weeks.

Me: ?!?!? Can I still take part in the 10km race this Sunday?

Doc: I think not. You will regret it.

Me: When will I be able to run again?

Doc: in 2 weeks, if you're lucky.

Me: ?!??!

Me: Do you have any gels, medication that might help? Bandage maybe?

Doc: No, if it hurts, you can take some paracetamol, otherwise, rotate your ankle frequently and let it heal.

Me: Rotate it?!!? It hurts!!!

Doc: Ya, when you watch tv, put it on a chair and rotate your ankles.

Me: That's all I can do?

Doc: Yes. Now, don't walk too much, walk if you have to, but not too much.

Me: ?!?!!??!

Doc: Ok now, goodbye Mrs Tan.

In exasperation, I limped out of the clinic."

So Serene got the typical Dutch doctor who 1) does not believe in medicine; 2) does not prescribe medicine; 3) does not show concern; 4) tells you to go home and it'll recover; 5) sticks to their 10 minute appointments.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I have to say that I'd love to be a doctor in this country. I already know what they're gonna prescribe! Plenty of home rest. Idiot-proof prescription, works every time.

Shauna: on the bright side, though the doctor almost yanked the earring through your ear, you got some medicine... that was err. Not prescribed properly either, but well. You got medicine. ;) HAHA this is soooo hilarious when it's not happening to me!

HUP HUP HOLLAND!

2008-06-15T13:56:00.005+02:00

At Leidseplein in Amsterdam//Hanging up the other countries on cows for slaughter ;)//The crowd before the match started//The celebrations when we won!//Non stop screaming and cheering and merry-making//The Dutch Griffin//With Petrina!!! :)//

T'was a wild crazy happy exciting night in Amsterdam watching the Netherlands-French match, and not to mention the company I was with! Pet and Khel came down for 3 nights, and it was fantastic spending time with them. Happiness. Hope you two enjoyed yourselves, and the atmosphere at the match! I screamed till my throat got sore and everyone was in a frenzy every time there was a goal! The best moment was when we scored barely a minute after the French scored in an attempt to catch up with us. There's no better time than this to be in Holland. I love love LOVE this - Eurocup is looking like a great one this year. Oranje is unstoppable, don't let me down now baby!

I want to be there screaming my lungs out and singing along to 'We are the Champions' come 29 June!!!

more words of wisdom

2008-06-12T16:55:00.003+02:00

To protect what ever little reputation she has left, I will just use a pseudonym here. Any coincidence to the real name is well... just a coincidence. ;)

So we were on the train to Amsterdam, eating BK's mini burgers. Which were quite yummy, by the way. As the train ambled on...

M: Look, sheep! Cows!!! SO CUTE!

And without anything more than a split second of a pause...

M: Oh no, I'm eating it!

Seriously, this girl never fails to put me into stitches. Her very random and side-splitting conversations never fail to leave me speechless. Love ya!

Paris in summer

2008-06-12T14:27:00.008+02:00

It was back to Paris for my last trip while I'm on exchange. Weather was not too bad, cold for the first 4 days, and sweltering hot for the last 2. Very relaxed trip - I think I've come to the point where I don't wanna do a mad rush to see everything. But with a week in Paris, I could see everything in detail this time. Love this city! (And their country-wide policy of 90euro cent bagettes and their crepes, and their croissants, and their confit... mmyumyum! ;))

Went to the Conciegerie, where Marie-Antoinette was jailed during the Revolution. Really interesting visit. Also went for the M-A exhibition in Grand Palai with Michelle and Philippe's mum, where she explained stuff to us. It was really an eye-opener! :)

The Conciergerie

And JAC!!! This is for you :) I immediately thought of you!

Painting by Degas, he does a lot of pretty ballet paintings. This photo was taken of the painting in Musee D'Orsay. I love that museum. It used to be an old train station and it's really pretty inside.

Interior of Musee D'Orsay.

And my favourite bridge -

Pont Alexander III.

Guess what we saw in Musee du quai Branly?

The crystal skull that's supposed to be the topic of Indiana Jones! I'll have to watch that movie. :) But the skull looks quite comical actually. Cute.

And the night view of Paris from Ciel de Paris. Really pretty, reminds me of the view from NewAsiaBar, but of course, it's very different as well.

I really love this wonderful year of travelling, cannot be more blessed!

i knew something was missing...

2008-06-04T00:30:00.001+02:00

... and it was shauna baby's birthday post!

sorry baby girl, love you much!

bash was held at baden 109, and baden 109 parties never fail to deliver. had lots of fun that night!

the theme was 'professionals'. yeah, shauna as a nun.. um. well. ;)

danai, michelle, marie and i. 3 IBB girls and one... michelle. (: looks like all the IBB girls were in a ... (i have the perfect word to describe our completely similar but uncoordinated expressions on our face, but it's in french, and as we all know, i only know french vulgarities. HAHA that's just the perfect excuse for my inability to spell french words because they aren't spelt the way they sound.) mood.

for some strange reason... i really love this photo. marie looks like i'm killing/torturing her!

kiss for the birthday girl! though i look really... strange in this photo, as in ALL the photos that night. bah.

happy 22nd darl!!! :)

indulgence..

2008-06-04T00:02:00.002+02:00

for you sad souls without facebook... here's to sharing one of my favourite moments in brussels 2 weekends ago. ;)

building a mystery

2008-06-02T22:10:00.003+02:00

how my prof is gonna survive reading my very boring almost 5K words paper is a mystery to me, because it took me 10 hours to finish reading my first draft, and i fell asleep 4 times, no less.

ahwells, it's over, and my other paper's kinda completed as well, so here's looking forward to my last ever exchange trip - paris (again!) for a week! (:

time flies when you're loving it

2008-05-31T23:41:00.002+02:00

marie just ran into my room to hug and kiss me and tell me that she can't bear to leave me.

omg.

we're leaving in a month, and i can't bear it.

to the pruetthipunthu

2008-05-28T12:00:00.003+02:00

Always the ladies' man. In more ways than one. Happy Birthday Tris! (:

You've seen your birthday blog, there's nothing much more for me to say here. Have a smashing 24th!

lovin' the strikes

2008-05-28T11:51:00.002+02:00

When I first read about the dutch bus drivers striking by not collecting payment for the bus rides, I was really really disappointed, because they didn't strike in Utrecht and in a couple of other big cities. But today, when I decided to take the bus home because I felt too lazy to walk, I was happily surprised (is there such a phrase haha) when the bus driver put his fist down on my strippenkaart and winked. HA! I immediately thought, ARE THEY STRIKING IN UTRECHT TOO, AT LONG LAST??? Yeah, they are, and they started yesterday!!! I feel stupid for having walked yesterday and this morning to school. But it's ok, I need the exercise anyway.

I love the way the bus drivers strike in the Netherlands. In contrast to the French - Marie had to walk all over Paris at zero degrees in Dec last year because public transport was on strike there, and they refused to work. Ooh ooh, it's a happy day! (Besides having 2 papers that I have to finish writing soon but they're just staring blankly at me.)

that feel good factor

2008-05-27T18:21:00.005+02:00

It's amazing how good service can bring a smile to your face and make you feel good for the next few hours. (Yeah, I'm a sucker for good treatment like everyone else.) Popped by Sabon after lunch on my way home today, and the lady in the store immediately made me try all her favourite scents and body creams. I still smell so nice now ;) Didn't have any intention (nor the moolah) to buy anything, but I think I'll go back some time to get something, since I'm running low on body lotion. Ha. Don't wanna buy more than one item, but I have like 4 different scents on me and I don't remember which is which. Good marketing tactic I say. It was amazing, because she was soooo friendly, and showed so many pretty and happy smelling soaps/body butter chunks to me. And it didn't harm that her co-worker exclaimed out loud that she loved my nails, and asked me where I got my nail polish from. (Orly spice, my favourite colour at the moment.) And also made these 2 other girls who were purchasing items at the counter look at my nails. Feel good indeed. ;)

We should have such good service back home! It really makes a difference, and increases consumers' willingness to purchase more. Ha. Obviously I'm not used to such good service that I even have to blog to share my happiness.

Few pictures of the things that I like that I took off Sabon's website. (Not putting up the picture of the body oil here, but it's amazing. Skin feels baby soft!!!)

Lemon mint body scrub. Very refreshing fragrance.

I've never been a fan of vanilla fragrances, but the one still on my hand is zeer goed. The scent is not too heavy and I'm surprised I actually like this quite a lot!

And this. Is. Mooi.

Heart-shaped soaps that smell very yummy, sweet but not overpowering. Ack!!!

I love Sabon.

two girls and the chocolate city.

2008-05-26T02:25:00.003+02:00

which is also the beer-making country. so here's us, having a degustation set of beer in Brussels, chilling out to the jazz music (i was looking at the stage) being performed at the city's jazz marathon in the Grand Place where this little pub was.

i loved the peach beer - more of peach soda with a pinch of alcohol thrown in for good measure. first glass on the left.

karen and the cherry beer (i love this photograph to bits)

my lovely companion for this fabulous weekend spent lazily in our city - everywhere we went, i read the dutch signs and she read the french signs. it was hilarious when we read aloud signs, and realized we were reading the same sign in different languages. cheers to more lovely trips in future!

Frankfurt-Fulda weekend

2008-05-22T22:17:00.010+02:00

Spent a very happy weekend in Frankfurt and Fulda 3 weekends ago at Christina's home. (: Fulda was where her grandma lived and we went to visit her. It's a really nice little town, complete with church and castle. Was stuffed to the brim, but I loved every bit of it.

The old houses in Frankfurt - typical German houses. Similar to those you find in parts of France with all the wood decor//Frankfurt's skyline behind the old town//Main square where there was a carnival going on//Old ruins of an old swimming pool of sorts//

Famous Frankfurt icons:

The bear and the bull//Old Opera House//Frankfurt Stock Exchange//And Frankfurt's Appelwine//

Saturday in Fulda:

Post lunch dessert - chocolates and cake with tea or coffee (italian style too because Christina's granny lived in Italy for a period of time)//Tea-time snacks//The wonderful fruit tart with a thick chunk of yoghurt as the base rather than the usual cream - heavenly!//

The orangery in the old castle grounds//Nicely primped//

The church in Frankfurt - the whitest church I've ever stepped into in Europe. It feels so refreshing when you enter it. I was completely surprised, because every other church I've been in in Europe is dimly lit. This church was amazing!

The exterior//Ceiling with gorgeous paintings//The altar//

Went up a mountain on Sunday to get a view of the neighbouring regions. Went by car, of course ;) If you have 2 hours and a lot of stamina, you could walk.

View from the top//Streaky clouds in the sky//People climbing the rock to get an even better view of the surroundings//

Went to a vineyard along the River Main after the mountain , and this is my favourite photograph of the day: a little girl who ran towards the grass and plopped herself down to ponder about the greater things in life. ha.

Thanks Krysia, for such a wonderful trip! xx

missing you and wanting you here.

2008-05-20T20:09:00.003+02:00

love at first sight...

oh fatboy, where art thou?

it's the perfect weather to be hammocking now, though still a tad chilly at times.

with so many thoughts hanging over my head, i just want to lie on fatboy and enjoy the afternoon with a silly contented smile, forgetting everything else.

mystery solved.

2008-05-18T16:02:00.002+02:00

THE DUTCH. HAVE BEEN STEALING OUR FOOD.

AND WE CAUGHT THEM IN ACTION.

they come from across that door that separates us from them. so to any international student who ever lives at Ina Boudier-Bakkerlaan 231, Utrecht, beware of your unfriendly dutch neighbours on the other side. there are at least 2 thieves!

stupid neighbours who have been stealing our oil, cheese, bread, ham, milk, sugar, soap, shampoo, washing detergent, toilet paper, just to list a few things. and when they steal, they don't steal a little bit. they go for quantity. petros left for spain a few days ago, and his unopened bottle of oil is now down by half. HALF. danai left for barcelona a few wks back, and when she came back, her new packet of sugar was halved. thinking someone might have spilled it by accident (though it was in her personal shelf), she ignored it, but the next day, the other half was gone too.

it's an organized crime, as danai put it. they even took her lonely planet that she left in the kitchen.

last night, shima heard some noises at 4plus am, and went to the kitchen, to find 2 people RUNNING out of the kitchen into the dutch side. and she stood in the kitchen for 10 min, not knowing what to do, and popped her head out, and saw 2 dutchies doing the same too, from their side. when they saw her, they ran away. WTF! if you dare steal, show your ugly faces too man. all my stuff that's been stolen. (no one can have access into our floor unless they live there, by the way.)

THIEVES THIEVES THIEVES.

and imagine how they've been laughing at us, thinking that we didn't know that they were taking our stuff, and letting us think that there were thieves among us. but all of us. all of us have been missing stuff so it couldn't just have been one of us stealing from the rest.

but the most telling incident must've been when almost all of us were overseas one week, and danai's oil and sugar just disappeared, but the only other 2 people who were at home with her don't cook. at all. well, in petros' case, it's more of he can't cook. hah.

if it's really just 2 people stealing from 8, imagine! they probably didn't have to buy anything the past year. didn't know such people with no conscience existed. their parents really didn't know how to bring them up. and i'm not gonna feel bad about saying that out loud.

we need to take drastic action. pronto.

a very belated post

2008-05-17T22:21:00.005+02:00

finally got my lazy ass down to posting photos of queen's day - koninginnedag, that occurs every 30th of April, unless that day is a Sunday, then it occurs the day before. biggest street party in NL every year to celebrate the queen's birthday (birthday of the previous queen), and i went down to amsterdam for it this year. only day you can drink alcohol in the street, and everyone's decked out in orange and music blasts from every corner of the street, and the entire country becomes one big flea market. buskers everywhere with some good shit going around.

orange everywhere//dancing away//ex-porn star (dj console under that huge uh. blow-up doll.)//people in boats down the canal//flea markets//the Marriott celebrates queen's day//very packed outdoor concert at Museumplein//

shima and cecile//marie//me and my flatmates//shima, erika, kristen and jo before they went on the capriole//shuana with the dutch flag//us!//

totally smashed from the travelling before koninginnedag and with the need to catch my 730am train the next day, i left amsterdam pretty early that evening. but not before chilling out at vondelpark and meeting twee to say hi. and having bums come up to us to attempt to give us jigsaw puzzles (!!!) and watching a guy pee into a public urinal from a distance (hence doing a manneken pis).

you meet the strangest people on such events, but it was great fun nonetheless. (:

in a manner of speaking

2008-05-16T13:17:00.003+02:00

currently on repeat, nouvelle vague.

In a manner of speaking

I just want to say

That I could never forget the way

You told me everything

By saying nothing

In a manner of speaking

I don't understand

How love in silence becomes reprimand

But the way that I feel about you

Is beyond words

Oh give me the words

Give me the words

But tell me nothing

Oh, give me the words

Give me the words

That tell me everything

In a manner of speaking

Semantics won't do

In this life that we live we only make do

And the way that we feel

Might have to be sacrificed

So in a manner of speaking

I just want to say

That just like you I should find a way

To tell you everything

By saying nothing

Oh give me the words

Give me the words

But tell me nothing

Oh, give me the words

Give me the words

That tell me everything

snippets

2008-05-15T23:19:00.002+02:00

i love the intellectual conversations i hold with my friends all the time.

ying says:

you need exercise

ying says:

haha

ying says:

wanna jog tmr?

Michelle says:

what

ying says:

i intend to jog. morning tho

Michelle says:

huh

ying says:

huh?

Michelle says:

(as in dreading that thought)

ying says:

not the huh? but the huh...(crazy)

Michelle says:

haha no... it's the "huh" as in... really....................

ying says:

oh. the huhhhh........

ying says:

omg i can't believe this convo

Michelle says:

yay! we've deduced so far the 3 meanings "huh" can take on

Michelle says:

excellent!

ying says:

yeah, we're great huh!

Michelle says:

that's a fourth one!

---

and how to tell a french guy when you see one....

i was sitting opposite this kinda sexy guy on the train to Rotterdam last Sat, and was trying to figure out whether he was Dutch, when i saw him throw out a Paris metro ticket from his wallet, and speak into the phone softly in what i thought was french. so i immediately thought of my french patate and texted her.

me: i'm sitting opposite this really sexy french guy in the train now!!!

marie: how do you know he's french? but if he's sexy, he's probably french. hehe!

sweet! ;)

feeling: stagnated

2008-05-13T22:25:00.003+02:00

if i could cry it all out, i would. but the tears refuse to come.

in any other world//you could tell the difference

and let it all unfurl//into broken remanence

sunset at kralingse plas, rotterdam.

2008-05-13T19:00:00.001+02:00

sunset at 2142.

(thanks to serene for the photo because i didn't bring my camera out to the park)

beautiful peaceful lake reflecting God's wonderful creations.

weekends should be made of this.

2008-05-12T20:52:00.001+02:00

a fatboy, a riesling and plenty of sunlight. mmm. :)

Wien

2008-05-09T10:14:00.011+02:00

When we entered Vienna, we were completely flabbergasted because it was SO majestic. I always knew Vienna was culturally rich, but I didn't realize they had so many monstrously huge well-preserved buildings of old that were all coated in gold. Well, not literally, but inside these buildings, almost everything was gold-plated!

Anyway, we arrived in Vienna from Budapest at 930am, and headed down to the city centre, where the Vienna Marathon was being held. Awesome atmosphere, a lot more supporters and cheering than the Singapore Marathon. Anyhow, they were blasting classical music at parts of the route. And pop music at certain other points as well. Marie and I were very amused but I totally loved the atmosphere. When we saw old grandpapas running the route, we felt grossly unfit (well, more me than her since she rows) and lazy and lethargic (ok, well that's just me).

Leonardo Da Vinci wearing SOCCER BOOTS - part of the advertisement for the soccer festival going on then//Marathon runners//Supporters//Beethoven!//The view from the grass//Lazy afternoons with refreshing gelato//Everyone lying around in the Stadtpark//Horses outside the Hofburg Palace//

Entrance of the Hofburg Palace from the inside//Sisi Museum - love the entrance!//Rathaus - Parliament House//Hofburg Palace//Came across some army ceremony (personally dislike their uniform)//Belvedere Palace in the Belvedere, where Marie and I found nice benches to plop ourselves on... and promptly fell asleep. The sun was sleep inducing! :)//

The State Hall, which was used as a library for the government at that time. It. Is. So. Grand. (See what I mean when I say we were astounded by the city and its richness/grandness?)

Hundertwasserhaus - No straight lines! Not even inside, apparently it's all curved inside as well, the floors and walls and chairs.. woo. Awesome stuff. Designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. // Bottom 2 photos are of Kunsthaus, which is a stone's throw from Hundertwasserhaus. Look at the pillars!//

Our tickets into the Musikverein for a concert. It's a gorgeous place. Again, all the gold, even the organ!

State Opera House, Burg Theatre and the Rathaus at night.

And as always, I always rate a city by its food. :) We didn't eat proper meals in Vienna, unlike in Budapest, but the tea and snacks didn't fail to impress!

Apple strudel and croissant that were superb//Hot chocolate (under the sun, no less!) with ALL THAT AMAZING CREAM. IT TASTED SOOOOO GOOOOOD.//Strawberry cake from Demel's that was so so yummy//Marie's rhubarb tart that well, didn't find favour with me, but she loved it. From Demel's too.//

Last morning in Vienna, we went to the Spanish Riding School to watch the horses do their morning training and carry out their tricks! The horses are trained to trot differently, to look like they're dancing, or move sideways, jump in the air, and do a number of other tricks. Beautiful creatures.

Inside the training hall that's so gorgeous//Training//

And we know Vienna really is the epitome of music and culture in Europe. We even found... an Opera Toilet. (There was a toilet of modern art in the Hundertwasserhaus Village too!!!)

Induced a lot of laughs, but very very cute!

This trip was awesome, and I heart my little Marie for being such a great travel companion! :)

shorter hair

2008-05-08T17:11:00.003+02:00

it's 25 degrees, scorching hot, and i love it! :)

Pieter Baan Centrum

2008-05-07T20:29:00.002+02:00

is a place in Utrecht where Dutch suspects are put for 7 weeks of observation and detention for psychiatric evaluation, to see whether they have any mental illnesses that affect their responsibility for the crime they're alleged to have committed.

So we're visiting it next week, and prof reminded us to bring our identity cards.

Prof: Please bring your identity cards otherwise you will have a problem getting in (pause) and it will be an even bigger problem trying to get out.

Haha! Well, nice to know that at least it's under top security surveillance because I live just across the road from it. Have a perfect view into the cells and compound. Exciting! Can't wait for class next week. :)

Budapest!

2008-05-06T19:52:00.010+02:00

Charming city, full of life and wonderful hungarian wine. Didn't know about the yummy hungarian wines that existed before this trip. If you go, you HAVE got to try them!!!

Photos photos:

The river Danube with Buda on the left and Pest on the right!//Pest - the low-lying area of Budapest//Statue on top of the Buda Hill//Church in the cave//Statue outside of the church//

The castle at night//The Chain Bridge//Parliament House by night//Chain bridge//

Central Market Hall with lotsa yummy food besides the usual veggies, fruit, meat.//Statue at Fisherman's Bastion//Side entrance of the castle//

Parliament House in the day//St. Stephan's Basilica//Biggest synagogue in Budapest//The vast Hero's Square in front of City Park//

Walking towards City Park//Museum in City Park//The entrance of the thermal baths//2 very happy girls after 2 hours in the thermal baths!!!//

Opera House//The grand ceiling and box seats//Chandeliers above the Royal Staircase (for the royalty, as the name suggests)//The ceiling, again, in the hall.//

Inside the Opera House//Setting the stage for the ballet for Midsummer's Night Dream (which Marie and I wanted to catch but could not afford because all the cheap tickets were sold out!)//One quarter of a painting around a room depicting Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Summer!//

Lazing at the park.

With lotsa greenery, blue skies and white clouds, Europe is picture perfect in spring/summer. No wonder they live through winter - just for the beauty of all this.

Koninginnedag

2008-04-30T23:45:00.002+02:00

Orange is the Dutch royal family's last name.

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), Amsterdam, 30/4.

Again, expect more photos.

the biggest blessing is to be able to eat, and love it.

2008-04-30T23:37:00.005+02:00

The Viennese version of Laduree, I promise.

Even the hot chocolate was equally rich and yummy. The whipped cream was... indescribably heavenly.

Demel, Vienna, 29/4.

Stay tuned for more photos ;)

take time to smell the flowers

2008-04-30T23:31:00.000+02:00

budapest, 26/4.

more to come!

i'm back!

2008-04-29T23:30:00.003+02:00

from vienna and budapest - 2 GORGEOUS cities. will post photos... soon! :)

had a bash with marie, the 6 days or so just flew by. queen's day in NL tomorrow! orange party in the streets. woo!!!

then off to frankfurt for another 5 days. WHEEEEE!!!!!!!!

p.s. I'M IN LOVE WITH HUNGARIAN WINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

crim law and forensic mental health

2008-04-23T23:24:00.003+02:00

is such an interesting module!!! Love it! But classes are a little.... sloooowwww. But it's alright, the interesting readings more than make up for class time. Prof told us today that a few years back, there was a case where 2 people tried to burn a baby in a toilet bowl. O_O and people who think they're Hitler, Michael Jackson and so on??? Intriguing right! But the textbook is sooo freaking ex. 60euros!!! Still cheaper than the storybook-like law and econs text I was conned into buying though. GRRRR. Thank God for the library and photocopying machines. And that I got smarter. :) Today in the bookshop, this girl was holding 2 copies of the text, and she took out a 50. Then Christina turned to her and said, it's 60 for one. The girl's eyes widened, and she immediately put the books back on the shelf, and said "I still need to be able to eat." Exactly my point! I don't know why they torture students like this. Thought the girl had a rather cute reaction though.

Anyhow, we had great weather for the past few days, but somehow I think I managed to jinx it by writing my fb status as "soaking up the sun". Went to nap and when I woke up, it was all cloudy and rainy. !!!!!!!!! :'(

Never mind, on to brighter skies in Budapest and Vienna. :) And back for Queen's Day, then off to Frankfurt! Exciting 2 weeks up ahead!!!!!

a mix of excitement and peaceful sanctuaries.

2008-04-21T22:33:00.001+02:00

Haarlem! Loved the train station - very different from the other train stations in NL. But of course, I think the prettiest train station I've seen in Europe so far is the Antwerp station. And Berlin's HBF is really huge, but too modern. Think the Haarlem station is the nicest I've seen in NL so far, considering both the interior and exterior. Amsterdam's train station is gorgeous from outside, but the inside is pretty much like any other train station, sadly.

And the excitement came from of course, my crazy on-the-spot decision to take the crazy ride that I posted about in my last post. Carnival in the Grote Markt!

And peaceful sanctuaries were to be found in the hofjes littered all over Haarlem. This one is Hofje Van Staats, the biggest hofje in Haarlem, with a very serene looking courtyard. A hofje is a courtyard with almshouses around it, so these (mainly) old women who can't afford to rent a place outside, would get housing here. Kinda like social security housing I believe?

And this is the smallest hofje in Haarlem - the Lutherese Hofje founded by the Lutheran church next to it. Only has 5 houses!

Witte Herenstraat, where the Frans Loenenhofje and Lutherese Hofje are located. It was a coincidence that I found these 2 hofjes here, because I decided to walk down this street on whim cuz it was really pretty.//Entrance to the Frans Loenenhofje//Old corner shop//Half of Haarlem's Stadhuis - blocked due to the carnival!//

Sint-Bavokerk, the main church in the city square//Quaint building I chanced upon, it's all slanted and old-looking. Think I spied a courtyard like thing from outside//Church tower//Another really old looking building along Kruisstraat. Stood out because the buildings flanking it looked a lot newer.//

It's pretty sad that my photos can't show how pretty these places really are! While NL isn't a very exciting place, it's got lots of beautiful old architecture that's distinct to it. Will be missing all this when I go back to too-modern SG!

"no limit" ride, haarlem.

2008-04-20T09:48:00.001+02:00

well done huiying. one brave soul.

keukenhof, 18 april.

2008-04-20T01:09:00.007+02:00

super windy day with a photo-shy companion. biggest open aired garden in europe, bursting with colour and pretty pretty flowers!

hyacinths in china pink, that's the name of the colour. don't ask me why! and some other light purple which name didn't stick//tulips//tulips//tulips//more tulips//very pretty tree!//some more tulips//dunno what flower... might very well be some other tulip variety//even more tulips//tulips in a greenhouse!//china pink tulips//sea of flowers (not tulips) with yellow daffodils at the side - loved this! (by the way, whaddya think is the flower the dutch are famous for?;))//

(click to enlarge photo!)

how can this post go on without a windmill?//bridge over one of the many canals//hot pink hyacinths among other flowers//strange white things beyond the flowers//they remind me of the Qoo mascot//canal//more of the canal and flowers (you should know what NL is famous for by now, if not, you're an idiot)//one of the many figurines they had littered all over the garden//fields of flowers! pity there's only yellow and cream flowers in these 2 pictures.. imagine the fields bursting with rows of red, purple, yellow, orange, white, pink flowers! :)//a seat in the middle of the canal for the tired//think the boat's part of the random decorative thing!//shinto(?) deco//bamboo with silver bells attached to them//welcoming the 2008 olympics//

and at this point i should mention that the canal with the fountain above had a little path for people to walk on. like circular platforms for you to step. kinda like stepping stones, just in wood and a lot bigger. wanted to take photos cuz it's quite pretty, but once i started walking on them, i just felt this fear that my shoe would drop into the canal. and it didn't help that i had visitors asking whether i was from vietnam (?!?!?! i'm assuming they're from vietnam. looked very south-east asian to me), to which, i said no, and hopped over the boards even faster! yeah, i'm not too sociable. haha!

hyacinths//close up of other flowers//the white and pink flowers with the furry edges - i thought the white one was fake (i saw the white before the pink) and i did a double take before i realised it was real! :\ very very... wow.//

and i dragged my poor freezing companion to walk around leiden after keukenhof, and since i was freezing, this is the only nice shot i got. :\

don't be fooled by the sunshine.. the wind was sooo strong it felt like my bones were frozen. but well, it helped that there was sunshine. :) BUT WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE WINTER!!! :'(

anyway, this is the witte singel, the main canal in leiden i believe. the banks would be the perfect place to lie down and read a book while soaking up the sun... if there was no wind. but it's probably a lost case to wish for windless days, especially since windmills were invented here...

Utrecht, 731pm.

2008-04-19T08:28:00.001+02:00

eeks!

2008-04-15T23:16:00.002+02:00

sorry for lack of updates - exam time! but i have plenty to blog about, so see you folks in a couple of days! ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE

2008-04-08T21:51:00.007+02:00

happy birthday to the cutest and most bimbotic girl in Utrecht that i know! ;)

dimsum lunch, yummy pear and chocolate cake, wine, b&j cookie dough and deep dark secrets shared the birthday with michelle today. i cannot believe that i let you girls dig all the skeletons out of my closet :P but that said, i had a fantastic day today (: MUAH!

part of our super filling and huge lunch//this is what happens when the birthday girl refuses to pose for photographs - you get a lot of her hair in the picture, or you get a blurry shot. :P

so i'd rather turn my camera onto more willing objects - shauna!//decadent cake//more and more cake//rich chocolate cake with richer dark chocolate coating and little chocolate-biscuit balls and big chocolate bits on the side that you can't see here, with pear bits on the bottom of the cake that just made it unbelievably out-of-this-world yummy//

blessed 22nd! (:

the dating game.

2008-04-05T11:56:00.003+02:00

a friend of mine has recently been grazed by cupid's arrow.

yes, she's been involved in an activity called dating. and the guy, has been nothing but sweetness, that i'm soooo jealous just listening to her swoon over him.

someone who unclogs her sink, without him asking? and takes out all the hair stuck in the sink? (gross, i hate doing it even for myself)

and hobbles over a long distance with an injury just to see her? shooo sweeeet.

and treats her to bowling (so old school, so quaint).

and. this is it.

HE COOKS. HE BLOODY COOKS. things like -ahem- steak with mushrooms by the side, beans stuff with a bacon wrapping, and super yummy potatoes with little fried bacon bits? hehehe don't kill me when you read this babe, but i thought it's really wow. ;) wish i could be there to try it though. :(

EDIT: I just got a photo of the dinner. HAHAHA drool, all of you.

this is what dating should be ;) sweet, thoughtful little actions, wonderful conversations with lotsa good food as accompaniment. that tingly feeling that goes through you, and how a smile will light up your entire face just thinking about the other. how your heart goes weak and you gush non stop and hate yourself for gushing but can't stop grinning at the fact that you're gushing. and you can't stop gushing. how good it is, to be young and dating. that radiant glow, as it's been called.

to be honest, it's been a while since i've heard about my friends dating. ya. seems like a lot of unromantic youth nowadays just condense or skip the entire process. but maybe it's something we should all experience, and relish.

but what happens after the honeymoon period, some of you might cynically taunt me.

who cares, let's just enjoy the sweetness while it lasts.

it's pretty good to be a beggar nowadays

2008-04-02T21:54:00.002+02:00

indeed, while i was waiting for my 406am train to the airport last thursday, this decently well-dressed guy came up to me in the train station asking, "miss, do you have coins to spare?" i stared at him for 2 seconds, and shook my head. (i had to register whether he was asking to break a note or begging, see.) to which he rudely said "speak louder, i can't even hear you." and walked off.

WTF!!!!!!!!!

the cheek. you can be a high flying lawyer earning thousands a day, but try telling your boss that.

this, is a guy who can afford normal looking clothes as compared to others i've seen. this is a guy who's been relatively well educated that he could sputter those sentences in english pretty fluently. or well, maybe he's mastered those sentences well enough to get him through each day via people with "coins to spare".

this also reminds me of the incident ee hui had in amsterdam when she was here: this girl asked her for money and she just ignored her. then she persisted and asked again, a little more fiercely, "so is that a yes or no?"

but my point is, it must be quite awesome to be a beggar nowadays, since you can get money for doing nothing, and can heap insults on those who don't dole out a little 'charity'.

another career option to consider huh.

the sun, sea and a wonderful weekend!

2008-03-31T21:59:00.007+02:00

Nice and Monaco were GORGEOUS - the weather was perfect, the flowers were in full bloom, the food was good, everything was sooo good. Took too many photos, had an awesome time with great company, and drooled over all the good looking supercars: ferraris, porsches, lambos (there was a bright orange one!), maseratis, bugattis, mercedes convertible/sports convertibles, bentleys (which were all over the place) in Monaco. My adrenaline soared everytime I heard an engine roar! I kept drooling over the cars and laughed at old beat up cars that I knew didn't belong to Monaco without me having to even look at the license plate. Khel and Tris got so sick of me that when they saw the classic ah-pek rolls royce pass by, they started swooning over it. Owells. One can always dream, no? ;)

Photos from Nice!

Arches//Down a street in the Old Town//A shop in the Old Town//Flower shop in the market area//Part of Castle Hill (Colline de Chateau)//Flowers growing out of the wall//Tris, Khel and I before we set off on day 2//Part of Castle Hill//The view from the top of Castle Hill, with snow capped mountains in the distance//Infernet Bay, with the yachts of the super rich parked there//A peek into the cemetery on Castle Hill from the outside//The most modern tram I've seen in Europe thus far, on streets of Place Massena//Palais de Justice, in the Old Town//A cathedral in the Old Town//One of the old buildings in Nice//

AND THE BEACH THE BEACH THE BEACH.

Pebbled beach! 'Nuff said.

AND MY OTHER LOVE, THE FOOD. :D

peering into a candy shop//whatever was left of my apple tart after i'd hungrily gobbled it up - super yummy! :) there was some sort of jam in the centre//the very famous salad nicoise//grilled sea bream//stewed beef on tagliatelle//ratatouille//creme caramel//apple flambe which was TOO GOOD//candied fruit in the market//veggies//spices for sale in the market//colourful soap with different fragrances laid out for sale//

the market - where we heard this stall vendor say a whole lot of stuff and suddenly ended with 'mmmyumyum' at one go. he sounded really cute, according to tris and khel (i was distracted by i don't know what), so it became our pet phrase for that trip. mmmyumyum! ;)

Photos from Monaco:

First thing I saw when we got off the bus - a neatly lined up row of pink scooters!//Huge tulips//Casino Monte Carlo//The entrance//Even more yachts than in Nice//Monaco Ville//Part of the compound at Monaco Ville//The view from outside Musee Oceanographique//

The Musee Oceanographique is very famous and popular in Monaco. Didn't have a big interest in it at first, but didn't regret going in. It's more amazing than I thought possible, and it's really really gorgeous. (And I frequently thought of very well cooked seafood dishes while looking at some of the seafood. Oops, marine creatures I mean. ;)) Sadly, my photos have been croppedinto squares while making the collages. See my facebook album for the entire photos and I think I've uploaded some different photos too. :)

Fish with a horn//Sharks//Turtle going for his afternoon nap//Spot the stingray! Or stingray lookalike//2 seahorses with their tails entwined together//Big scary looking lobster - 2 different sized claws, one to act as a pair of scissors, and the bigger claw to act as a hammer//See the blue fish in this photo? It really looked like the lobster was poised to attack the fish! So we excitedly stared at the lobster's every move. But it didn't attack the fish in the end.//Jellyfish//Disgusting looking crab//Little squid swimming around very quickly//Miniature starfish? The full grown starfish look super gross because they have a lot of suckers, and that's the only thing you see when they're stuck to the walls of the tanks. EWW.//Picture perfect marine fish tank!//

3 wonderful days spent in the south of France, and I'm in love with it already! :) Don't go in summer though, the cab driver told us it's too packed in summer, last year, "the whole France was in Nice!" Hee. But I'm in love with this place. Our charming receptionist in our hotel, Jean-Sebastian, was really nice, and recommended us a place for dinner, that was Michelin recommended! BUT well, it was fully reserved, so, pity. :( Thus, I have yet to try the highly recommended yummy looking strawberry millefeuille from the restaurant Les Viviers. Lots of shops look very enticing and pretty for clothes shopping, but when you travel with 2 guys, there's barely any shopping that will be done. :P But all that said and done, I had a fantastic time, so thanks guys! :) Especially Michelleeeeee for making sure I wouldn't miss my insanely early flight so I could even be there in the first place!!! :) loveeeee.

Flew back on Sunday and it was spent in Amsterdam with Khel, Tris, Kyle, Mau, Shauna and Michelle. No photos for it, but there was the yummy charsiew duck and siew yoke rice to remember for sure! ;) Have safe flights back y'all, and thanks for the wonderful time. See you guys in another 3 months. :)

tris in utrecht!

2008-03-25T21:57:00.002+01:00

So as the BBC Europe Chapter welcomed Tris into Europe, so did I yesterday! Weather totally amazed him as it did me, because one moment it was snowing, the next it was sunny, and this cycle went on at least 10 times in a day. PMS weather, as the thai put it (ha, michelle!!!).

Twas a SUPER QUIET day because it was the tweede passdagen, which is err. Easter Monday? So it was a public holiday and every where was closed. So.. we just walked around the museumqwartier.

Railway museum//Some museum//Back of some other museum with small lonely car in the alley//Another other museum surrounded by the canal//FC Utrecht Stadion - just behind my house. With a huge Fitness First in it//Tris after 1 bokbier - can't really see, but he was SUPER red, to Michelle's and my amusement//A slightly more sober Tris after a while - sober enough to pose, so sadly, no fa cai mao pose//Us!//

Breakfast today was at De Bakkerwinkel - really nice cafe behind Janskerkhof. My set breakfast, which came with coffee. 2 pieces of raisin bread, a scone, prune jam and clotted cream, whatever that is. Michelle thinks it's whipped fresh cream. But anyhow, it's really yummy. :)

Definitely going to go back there soon to try the cakes! :)

So, sent Tris off to Copenhagen for now, but will be meeting him and Khel in Nice too soon! Exciting. Can't wait for warmer weather! :)

He is risen!

2008-03-23T14:14:00.002+01:00

'Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."'

- Luke 24:45 - 48

Happy Easter all, for our Lord is risen from the dead!

dimsum delights!

2008-03-23T13:59:00.003+01:00

dimsum on saturday with michelle in restaurant paradijs, the best chinese restaurant in utrecht. :) SUPER YUMMY!!! -drools-

shauna, if you're reading this - we were thinking of you and we'll have to eat dim sum together soon k! ok not just shauna. marion, jean-charles and christina - you'll HAVE to try this place too! :) it's super super yummy. and you usually can't get a place without a reservation.

some of the dishes we had:

2-in-1 cheong fun as michelle calls it - yau zhar guai inside the cheong fun! super duper yummy. the cheong fun was soooo smooth and droolworthy//super big yam puff that's twice the size of those you get in crystal jade//char siew pau!//lai wong pau - custard inside. SO GOOD.//

we ordered only 6 dishes (pan-fried chives dumplings and fu pei qun not in the photos) but we were absolutely stuffed! i haven't felt like that in a long time already. yum yum. just thinking of yesterday's lunch is making my current lunch taste pathetic :(

but thanks to my pigging out yesterday.. i have a sore throat now! :( but it was totally worth it ;)

beautiful tears from heaven

2008-03-21T14:08:00.004+01:00

is what marie and i concluded this was:

just a while before that, it was all sunny and beautiful, and after that, it became a snowstorm, with huge fluffy flakes as you can see! and marie tells me it's supposed to be the first day of spring. but it's beautiful anyhow.

so, beautiful tears from heaven especially for Good Friday.

i must be very lucky, because it's snowed quite a few times this winter, but the dutch say it rarely snows here, only rains non stop.

it's so gorgeous, to watch the light fluffy bits dance in the sky as they're carried by the wind, it makes me feel like i'm in a happy fairytale.

pity they all melt very quickly because the temperature on the ground is about 4, above melting point.

take me to that place where only we know

just because.

2008-03-20T18:49:00.003+01:00

just because we know each other too well and hold too many of each other's secrets

just because we are so different yet way too similar

just because i love you to bits

just because i miss you more than words can describe

just because you've always been there for me

just because you're my little sunshine

just because.

pris, char and jared visit!

2008-03-20T12:57:00.002+01:00

dinner was at Odeon in Amsterdam, which is quite a pretty place. food was quite yummy too - either that or we were really starving after having trudged around for over an hour looking for a place to eat.

odeon and its candlelit charm//twee and his paparazzi moment, where 4 cameras turned towards him and snapped away at the same time for no good reason//jared.//

damn good sea bass starter//my 'catch of the day' dish//scallops starter (also really damn good)//pris' mackerel dish//

us!

pity i left early, but it was a really really good time meeting you guys and chatting! :) and it looks like the utrecht people are really the only ones with damn shitty school terms in europe - with kyle leaving in a month's time and the rest of the europe people leaving by june, i feel like the only shit loser with a july exam. :(

have fun in paris you guys, and wherever else you're travelling to :)

another lazy afternoon!

2008-03-18T01:04:00.004+01:00

at this rate, i'd have checked out most of the cafes in utrecht by the time i leave. hehe.

this is at coffee company, the first and only vaguely coffee-chain like place in utrecht! (there's only ONE starbucks in the entire netherlands, and it's at the main airport. and well, CC is dutch too, i think.) not that i am a fan of coffee chains - i think that old-styled cafes retain their... smokey charm, but it's nice to be able to breathe freely too. hee. :) that having been said, i like a good mix for choice. not to mention that coffee company plays really nice music too!

the very colourful menu//cakes! not many cafes in utrecht have cakes or pies actually. most have traditional finger food like bitterballens or fries//cute pictures//christina and i//

after trudging through almost every single shoe shop in utrecht, this was a very very pleasurable way to end the day :) i knew that utrecht had loads of shoe shops, but the enormity didn't hit me until we went out specifically on a shoe hunting trip! there are easily over 30 shoe shops in a radius of.. less than 1 km? it's pretty amazing, and i'm very very thankful i'm not in my shoe craze at the moment. :)

that aside.. we found really cute boots for christina! ;) will see if i can sneak a pic of her in them!

and also... i'm probably heading to shanghai in july! will be hot and humid, but i'm happy happy happy! :) also something to keep me occupied while my favourite girl is running wild in NYC. :(

now i just need to get my flight back to SG... strangely, from the 5th to 7th of july, i have to be put on the waiting list for a flight!

tmd. this. is. crazy.

chillax weekend

2008-03-15T19:40:00.005+01:00

Friday in Delft!

the stadhuis (town hall)//the nieuw kerk (new church) in the main square of Delft//old Dutch buildings//the oude kerk (old church) - i kinda like having captured the cyclist in the foreground - the quintessence of dutch culture//

canals and their bridges//the same canal behind the back of the oude kerk//mandarin ducks suntanning! //make your own sushi/temaki japanese dinner - thanks lin hui!//

Delft is utterly puny. Nice? Well.. it's cute but i might go crazy living there for more than 1 month! Also, I get freaked out walking next to the canals in Delft because there are no railings separating you from the ground and the water. At all. :\ And loads of cars parallel park next to the canals. EEKS. I can already think of 5 people who would probably park the car into the canal ;)

Back in Utrecht on one of the very very very very very very very very very very very very rare sunny saturday afternoons, I went around snapping photos! Spring is arriving!!! Happiness. :)

roadside flowers (i really don't know what flowers these are. anyone?)//whole stretch lined up with flowers. for those who complain that Sg plants all its flowers and trees so it's unnatural... they do it here too! the flowers are all planted :P I have hundreds of daffodils lining the side of the street near where i live and.. they definitely didn't spring up overnight//my favourite railway track in Utrecht! It's just lying there in the middle of the road, doing nothing. it's not really used that often//one of the 4 barriers that lower to stop traffic so the train can go through when it does//

Michelle and I stopped next to a small little cafe next to the railway tracks for tea!

broodnodig//a feast for the eyes o_O but all typically super sweet for the dutch taste buds//our little snack - yoghurt and wild berries smoothie and a chocolate chip cookie for michelle; chocomel and wild berries crumble for me//HUGE ASS big 'chandelier' in the middle of the cafe. as depicted on the menu//

Quite a pity that I dragged michelle all the way out to look for a bag similar to one her sister bought, but... didn't find it :( Love the saturday markets in the city centre though - maybe i'll snap a few shots in future! it's really re nao and colourful and packed. Adds to the atmosphere! however packed it is though, it cannot beat a weekend crowd in Orchard Road. :\

Weather has been too good already. Puts me in this deliriously delighted mood. (: If only the weather here was like that all year round.. I would definitely consider moving here for good! But pity we know it isn't. :(

little delights

2008-03-14T10:37:00.004+01:00

at last, EU law exam 1 is put behind me. :) happiness!

my latest object of desire:

the Oscar de la Renta Doheny Clutch!

be mine please!!!!

2 days ago, i was in one of the foulest moods in a long time because of the bad weather that made my building shake very scarily. apparently that day, wind speeds went up to 120km/h! (sorry to those i told 120mph. big diff i know, my bad!) and 2/3 of flights in/out of amsterdam were cancelled or delayed. but here are two very differing opinions as to the situation when i told them to 2 different people:

daryl: wah! no wonder the aeroplanes cannot leave the airport. the winds are so strong!

pingying: !!! omg babe maybe if you stand at the window... u can FLY. open umbrella!! SO EXCITING.

the differences between the male and female brain. hehehe. very entertaining. guess which version cheered me up! :)

that day was so bad that my flatmate saw a guy fall off his bicycle in an attempt to cycle against the wind. i kept peeking out, hoping to see someone getting blown away by the wind.. but no such luck.

censored.

2008-03-12T15:26:00.002+01:00

hmph. my sister censored the things i should blog on this blog.

i know she's worried for me and what i say might land me into trouble.

but.

freedom.

of.

expression.

irritated.

damn bloody strong dutch winds that shakes my entire building isn't helping either. stupid stupid disgusting terrible awful weather is turning my mood all BLACK.

I HATE DUTCH WEATHER.

smurfffssss

2008-03-11T19:11:00.002+01:00

i got cheated of a smurf today! :( because i was at the supermarket and in this mad craze to pack my groceries, so i didn't ask the cashier for my smurf! BOOOOOO. sorry sistys, i'm one smurf short for your collection.

ok i'm crazy i'm not even collecting the smurfs for myself, but my sisters! because the smurfs were their generation. hehehehe.

and ping: sorrrryyyyy. there were NO plush smurfs in this particular supermarket i went to! they're really smurf unfriendly. even the usual smurf theme song they play in the supermarket wasn't being played today. so sad.

bah. i have 1.5 more weeks to collect more smurfs and get ping's smurf. hahaha. shucks. this is crazy. i'm actually dedicating a blog post to smurfs?

this is what shitty dutch weather does to your head. i've had enough of winter and incessant rain! and that strong wind howling outside, making the entire building shake. if i don't get a decent spring/summer, i. will. kill.

i dreamt...

2008-03-10T11:57:00.002+01:00

'he doesn't belong here; he's not one of us!' one of the older, wiser bunnies told the young foolish one. 'look at him, he's so much bigger and he's got those frightful looking teeth. he will eat us up.'

'no,' the younger one said, 'he's my friend. he's willing to work with us, to help us.'

'he's a danger and he doesn't belong here.'

the young one looked at his friend, and scampered away from the rest. over the period of the next few days, he made a headpiece that somewhat resembled bunny ears for his friend, and brought his friend around with him, working together and doing what all the other bunnies did.

the friend sat down one day despondently and did some thinking. he didn't belong, no matter how he tried. he wasn't one of them, and he was getting too old to catch up with these bouncy beings. he didn't fit in, and wondered how he had even gotten there in the first place. not only that, his friend was being ostracized by the others.

he finally decided to put down the headpiece his only true friend had given to him and wandered further into the wild, to return to the pack.

and this is the stupid things you dream of when you refuse to get up when you've already woken up 5 hours ago. ugh.

after the rain

2008-03-09T12:27:00.003+01:00

lin hui visits utrecht! twas a drizzly dreary dutch day, but after the rain, the sunset was mooi (beautiful)! :)

the oldest canal in utrecht with a chestnut tree popping into the picture//the sunset from my room//a wet street after the rain//lin hui and i with the oude gracht behind us//

the dom cathedral with the statute of anne frank holding a torch, with the setting sun illuminating the cathedral in a beautiful orange!

i'm beginning to fall in love with utrecht and it's beautiful little streets and quaint shops that surprise you, though i still hate the cobblestones for killing my feet and how nothing is open on sundays sans the first sundays of the month. as much as i'm anticipating home in 4 months time, i realise i'll be leaving my 'adopted' home that soon as well. :(

i give up.

2008-03-08T09:45:00.002+01:00

a friend said that he just wishes to look back upon his life when he's 80, and not regret anything. that's why i sent you that message last night. to save whatever can be saved, to set right anything that can be set right. but like all the past times, i feel like i'm hitting a brick wall. maybe next time, i'll just leave some pride behind for myself. regrets? they come and go all the time, so what with a couple more.

alright, you win. i'm giving up now. i hope you're happy.

shauna says...

2008-03-05T22:32:00.004+01:00

i'll make a damn good pole dancer.

shauna came into class like, when class was almost ending today, and happily announced that she adored the girls who did pole dancing (all youtube's fault!) and she spent the morning before (at 4bloodyam) attempting splits and handstands. asking ruth to pull her legs apart (omg) and looking at the wall longingly in her attempt to attempt a handstand.

and on the account that i can do both a split and a handstand, decided that i can do pole dancing very well.

and before you guys get any kinky shit into your heads, watch this video clip!!!

now i know why shauna was so awed by pole dancing - like!!!!!!!! i'd LOVE to have a bod that toned. ooh lala. look at those muscles. she's so flexible i'm put to shame :(

i NEED to get out of winter hibernation!

that 1960s party

2008-03-04T16:47:00.003+01:00

hosted by shauna, ruth, alana and britt!

hostess with the most//oranged out//thinking of a way to get my mary-janes into the photo after a tad too much wine (not my room by the way - my room's a lot neater now!)//whooooo//when we were sober//michelle, me, shauna and neil//

more blurry photos//michelle catching me in my moment of bimboticness//party was so packed it was spilling outside the flat per always//

looks like baden parties aren't gonna stop as long as there's 109! police paid the regular visit but in the end, it was really too big a party to keep in check. ahwells, fun while it lasted babe. am looking forward to your bday party! :)

with the best friend going to NY in a few months' time, she's been going crazy looking at coach stuff. haha. maybe i should delegate her to get me something too! but nothing has really caught my eye so far.. what i'd love is what's sold in EUROPE! but as a resident here.. no tax rebate. what's the point! sadness.

WHOO!! as i was about to click 'publish post' - i see a mini hail + snow storm at 8 degrees. beautiful. preferred the sun that was out just 5 minutes ago though. doesn't really matter because i'm indoors :)