If I were to paint a picture of life (lately)
It would look somewhat like
The red of fight
The orange of street lights guiding
The yellow of test
The green of keep on going
The blue of collectedness
The indigo of drain
The violet of blank mind struggling
The black of silent dwelling
The grey of fuzzy sleepiness
The white of morning light
The lost rainbow of the wall
The transparency of weakness
The neon of imbalance
The mint of night air
The steel of acceptance
The silver of resistance
The gold of company
The iridescence of understanding
The glitter of laughter
Weaving edges, curves, loops, contours
On a crumpled canvas of delirium.
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
REAL lessons
Renaissance Engineer Advance in Leadership [REAL]. REP went ahead and forced us to skip most of the first week of school for this. Long story short, it's a leadership programme by Linhart - not your average student leadership camp.
If uncomfortable situations are like being thrown in the deep end, safe to say I was drowning, at the same time as being taught to save myself from drowning. Better be distressed now than later in the real world right? Nevertheless, it was extremely taxing, and by the 3rd day I imagined myself to be at 30% efficiency (as per my summer school business simulation haha) - liable to drifting into zombie mode at the slightest disengagement. Granted, a wealth of potential lay in the programme for us to tap (not to be punny, but it was really expensive!), it all depended on how much we wanted to. Coming out of this I can't say I completely mastered everything that was taught, but at the very least, I'm a bit clearer on who I am and what I can be.
Length of paragraph is not an indication of importance:
Be authentic. Lead from the heart, people will eventually see what you really are rather than what you want them to see. Even a facade of good is doomed to fail [trying too hard... it is pitiful when you see through someone like that].
Life is VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) and the situations we were thrown in were designed to reflect that. Planning gets you so far, the rest is up to your reflexes and ability to untie your tongue and respond. In school we prepare, script, and rehearse. But consider when the audience isn't interested, and they ask questions ahead of time. In this lack of order, we start to 慌张 and lose confidence. Prepare to face surprises so that they stop being surprising, and make sure you know what the audience needs/wants to hear.
State the end point first. Yes or no before explaining - don't waste a busy person's time, they might cut you off before you even start to.
Don't think that there's nothing to learn from someone beneath you. Snobbery does no good for impressions and skillsets. This extends beyond humility and includes a drive to improve so that you are willing to learn from whoever it is that can offer the lesson.
Have gratitude for everything - opportunities, people etc. Obviously, this doesn't mean waiting for a big break to land in your lap and then thanking the skies for it. See and grab opportunities as they waltz by, and be thankful that they came in your direction. Appreciation goes a long way, and motivation is an important asset. Myself, I want to be motivated to give my best to whomever I might be working with, as they would for me. I like to think I've consistently thanked my minions for their hard work, and as ex-Chief Saikang Warrior, worked just as hard together with them. But I don't remember the details anymore, so all I can do is to make sure I do so in the future.
Eventually, I've also learnt more about myself. However plain and unambitious this might sound, my vision is to be comfortable. Challenge is part of the comfort (coz I get bored easily hahaha), but there will come a point where I won't see a need to go higher. REP is training us to become future CEOs, CTOs... Yea yea. It might be too early to say, but I don't think I'll be one of those. I'm not worried, coz as one of the REAL faculty said, you don't have to be right at the top to be a leader. I guess it's something I've always known, but never was confident enough to believe in. I don't have to be the President, I want to be the Quartermaster. (In those days) I was the go-to person for anything logistics-related, I had my objectives, and had to rally people to meet them, and I enjoyed my job. Granted, there will always be differences to leading in school and whatever lies out there, but I'll take it as it comes. Leadership is a journey, and life is a great teacher (one can learn from another's life stories as well!).
I just need to keep reminding myself (though it's nice to have friends around to help say, like my learning partner! :)) that I'm not that lousy, and that I'm capable in my own way.
If uncomfortable situations are like being thrown in the deep end, safe to say I was drowning, at the same time as being taught to save myself from drowning. Better be distressed now than later in the real world right? Nevertheless, it was extremely taxing, and by the 3rd day I imagined myself to be at 30% efficiency (as per my summer school business simulation haha) - liable to drifting into zombie mode at the slightest disengagement. Granted, a wealth of potential lay in the programme for us to tap (not to be punny, but it was really expensive!), it all depended on how much we wanted to. Coming out of this I can't say I completely mastered everything that was taught, but at the very least, I'm a bit clearer on who I am and what I can be.
Length of paragraph is not an indication of importance:
Be authentic. Lead from the heart, people will eventually see what you really are rather than what you want them to see. Even a facade of good is doomed to fail [trying too hard... it is pitiful when you see through someone like that].
Life is VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous) and the situations we were thrown in were designed to reflect that. Planning gets you so far, the rest is up to your reflexes and ability to untie your tongue and respond. In school we prepare, script, and rehearse. But consider when the audience isn't interested, and they ask questions ahead of time. In this lack of order, we start to 慌张 and lose confidence. Prepare to face surprises so that they stop being surprising, and make sure you know what the audience needs/wants to hear.
State the end point first. Yes or no before explaining - don't waste a busy person's time, they might cut you off before you even start to.
Don't think that there's nothing to learn from someone beneath you. Snobbery does no good for impressions and skillsets. This extends beyond humility and includes a drive to improve so that you are willing to learn from whoever it is that can offer the lesson.
Have gratitude for everything - opportunities, people etc. Obviously, this doesn't mean waiting for a big break to land in your lap and then thanking the skies for it. See and grab opportunities as they waltz by, and be thankful that they came in your direction. Appreciation goes a long way, and motivation is an important asset. Myself, I want to be motivated to give my best to whomever I might be working with, as they would for me. I like to think I've consistently thanked my minions for their hard work, and as ex-Chief Saikang Warrior, worked just as hard together with them. But I don't remember the details anymore, so all I can do is to make sure I do so in the future.
Eventually, I've also learnt more about myself. However plain and unambitious this might sound, my vision is to be comfortable. Challenge is part of the comfort (coz I get bored easily hahaha), but there will come a point where I won't see a need to go higher. REP is training us to become future CEOs, CTOs... Yea yea. It might be too early to say, but I don't think I'll be one of those. I'm not worried, coz as one of the REAL faculty said, you don't have to be right at the top to be a leader. I guess it's something I've always known, but never was confident enough to believe in. I don't have to be the President, I want to be the Quartermaster. (In those days) I was the go-to person for anything logistics-related, I had my objectives, and had to rally people to meet them, and I enjoyed my job. Granted, there will always be differences to leading in school and whatever lies out there, but I'll take it as it comes. Leadership is a journey, and life is a great teacher (one can learn from another's life stories as well!).
I just need to keep reminding myself (though it's nice to have friends around to help say, like my learning partner! :)) that I'm not that lousy, and that I'm capable in my own way.
Sunday, 16 August 2015
SG50 and beyond
7th August at the Sing50 concert, the new National Stadium sparkled to life in show of appreciation for a certain singer called Tracy Huang. It was the first time that night that people in the stands lit up their (assistive phone) lights in appreciation for a performer. I had no idea who she was, had never heard her songs before, and my friend thought she was a 20-smth (a quick Google showed she's actually 63). But at the moment she started singing 哭砂, the stadium roared in approval and transformed into a sea of twinkling stars. I was one of those who cheered, without knowing exactly why. Haha, it could've been anything, but aside from the really nice chorus, I was thrown back to 11 years ago when I attended an NE show as a P5 kid. In each of our funpacks was a torch, creatively shaped to look like what is now known as a Nokia dinosaur, something (the real thing) that many of us had pestered our parents for at that time. As darkness fell, a beautiful sight beheld, and I never forgot how those twinkles bloomed across the stands and shimmered to the music.
Back to the present, it was a night of all round reminiscing overall, given that I was with some of my oldest friends. I always manage to have fun with this bunch, snaking queues, horrible acoustics, and all xD It's kinda unfortunate that that was the only day possible for all 8 of us to meet at once in 2015, but hey, some friendships need very little maintenance. Here's to 10 years of sisterhood, and many tens of years more!
The wait for 9th August felt especially drawn out this year. It's prob because of all the pre-hype and the extra long SG50 weekend (awesome move, coz we all love holidays haha!), and even on the day itself I couldn't wait for the NDP to start (watched at home on TV, not lucky enough to get tickets :/). After spending such a long stretch overseas, I'm glad I could be back for this. And this year the nation celebrates 50 years of independence, something really extra special.
I was at marina barrage to watch the RSAF Black Knights on that day with J and J. No videos/pictures, coz I wanted to enjoy the action live, without having to allocate attention to a small screen. The Black Knights never disappoint :D [Well, they didn't disappoint, but we chose a wrong spot to watch. Meaning, instead of cheering during the aileron cross and criss cross, we facepalmed as the F16s disappeared behind a building at the most intense part. At least there were many other more visible stunts.] Of all the stunts, mostly roaring crowd pleasers, one was particularly symbolic and beautiful - the Dedication Pass. I guess a quick google will yield some photos and videos, but being there was something else. Right before the stunt, the pumping club music was silenced, and so was the crowd. Marina barrage was suddenly automatically hushed as if everyone knew something was coming. The music started playing (See You Again by Wiz Khalifa), and befittingly, the line "We've come a long way from where we began" played as the Black Knights emerged from the clouds - 4 in a diamond formation with 2 others spiralling deliberately around slightly behind, all with extra thick trails of smoke. As they made their entrance, the angle emphasised the lights on the underbellies of each of the F16s. Small but strong, visible lights, a contrast to the gloomy skies. The effect was lasting, and the crowd felt it, I felt it. As the F16s roared away to the uplifting chorus, the crowd cheered as one. You get breathless watching this kind of thing, and without thinking, you start to smile :)
Then there was the getting out of there. I'd already had a taste of free transport getting to Bayfront mrt, and I don't think there has ever been such a huge number of Singaporeans out on the streets before that day. Massive waves of people headed to and back from the bay area throughout the day, and it was a huge, slow crush in the sweltering heat after the aerial performance. But like that then have 气氛, and once a year is fine haha. The plan was to go to the retro carnival at tanjong pagar railway, but I was falling asleep over lunch, so we just went home, in good time for the parade!
Just like every year except the last, I watch the parade at home on TV. Some years are meh, esp in recent years where the songs have never managed to match up to those from the pri school days, but this year was really WOW. Most people find the marching contingents boring, but ever since I came from a UG in sec school, I'd always taken interest. This year, there was an added vintage contingent, and even the traditionally cheesy portions with dancing kids was something special. Which Singaporean can't resist chuckling at a neon green spiky (and cutely round) durian float, or another one shaped like a packet of tissue primarily meant for chope-ing? [Typing this, I realise the word "durian" isn't in the dictionary. Time to wake up your idea blogger! x)] My sis squealed "so cute!" at the combined pri sch performance, where they all wore suits that lit up in multi-coloured stick figures. But the part that I'd been looking forward to forever was yet to come. I think many of us who'd grown up with the old songs would've wished for the day when the original singers come back to do a performance at the NDP. This year, so many of them did! SG50 ma, special. Kit Chan came back to sing the perennial favourite "Home", as did Clement Chow, Corinne May, and JJ lin with this year's song (his version is the best NDP song we've had in recent years). But for me, the highlight was Stefanie Sun, who did a medley of "We Will Get There" and as I said last year, my favourite NDP song, "One Singapore". I really wished I could've gotten tickets this year, but then again so would almost the rest of the population.
Ending off with the fireworks adding colour to our ever picture perfect marina bay night scene, the celebrations on 9th August came to a close. Singapore, you've fought hard to come this far. I've only been around for so long, but I've had the chance to experience living overseas, and I feel the love for my country more than ever before. Where I am safe, where I am rewarded for my hard work, where different ethnicities are bound by common values, tastes, and a common language, and most importantly, where my loved ones are. I hope in 50 years I'll still be sprightly enough to cheer and sing along to the old songs during SG100 ;) Singapore, have a great 50th!
In the week after, things are back to normal. It's how we roll, through celebrations or grief, we carry on. For me, school has started proper, but I feel like I haven't had enough holiday xD
Back to the present, it was a night of all round reminiscing overall, given that I was with some of my oldest friends. I always manage to have fun with this bunch, snaking queues, horrible acoustics, and all xD It's kinda unfortunate that that was the only day possible for all 8 of us to meet at once in 2015, but hey, some friendships need very little maintenance. Here's to 10 years of sisterhood, and many tens of years more!
 |
| 姐妹们! |
I was at marina barrage to watch the RSAF Black Knights on that day with J and J. No videos/pictures, coz I wanted to enjoy the action live, without having to allocate attention to a small screen. The Black Knights never disappoint :D [Well, they didn't disappoint, but we chose a wrong spot to watch. Meaning, instead of cheering during the aileron cross and criss cross, we facepalmed as the F16s disappeared behind a building at the most intense part. At least there were many other more visible stunts.] Of all the stunts, mostly roaring crowd pleasers, one was particularly symbolic and beautiful - the Dedication Pass. I guess a quick google will yield some photos and videos, but being there was something else. Right before the stunt, the pumping club music was silenced, and so was the crowd. Marina barrage was suddenly automatically hushed as if everyone knew something was coming. The music started playing (See You Again by Wiz Khalifa), and befittingly, the line "We've come a long way from where we began" played as the Black Knights emerged from the clouds - 4 in a diamond formation with 2 others spiralling deliberately around slightly behind, all with extra thick trails of smoke. As they made their entrance, the angle emphasised the lights on the underbellies of each of the F16s. Small but strong, visible lights, a contrast to the gloomy skies. The effect was lasting, and the crowd felt it, I felt it. As the F16s roared away to the uplifting chorus, the crowd cheered as one. You get breathless watching this kind of thing, and without thinking, you start to smile :)
Then there was the getting out of there. I'd already had a taste of free transport getting to Bayfront mrt, and I don't think there has ever been such a huge number of Singaporeans out on the streets before that day. Massive waves of people headed to and back from the bay area throughout the day, and it was a huge, slow crush in the sweltering heat after the aerial performance. But like that then have 气氛, and once a year is fine haha. The plan was to go to the retro carnival at tanjong pagar railway, but I was falling asleep over lunch, so we just went home, in good time for the parade!
Just like every year except the last, I watch the parade at home on TV. Some years are meh, esp in recent years where the songs have never managed to match up to those from the pri school days, but this year was really WOW. Most people find the marching contingents boring, but ever since I came from a UG in sec school, I'd always taken interest. This year, there was an added vintage contingent, and even the traditionally cheesy portions with dancing kids was something special. Which Singaporean can't resist chuckling at a neon green spiky (and cutely round) durian float, or another one shaped like a packet of tissue primarily meant for chope-ing? [Typing this, I realise the word "durian" isn't in the dictionary. Time to wake up your idea blogger! x)] My sis squealed "so cute!" at the combined pri sch performance, where they all wore suits that lit up in multi-coloured stick figures. But the part that I'd been looking forward to forever was yet to come. I think many of us who'd grown up with the old songs would've wished for the day when the original singers come back to do a performance at the NDP. This year, so many of them did! SG50 ma, special. Kit Chan came back to sing the perennial favourite "Home", as did Clement Chow, Corinne May, and JJ lin with this year's song (his version is the best NDP song we've had in recent years). But for me, the highlight was Stefanie Sun, who did a medley of "We Will Get There" and as I said last year, my favourite NDP song, "One Singapore". I really wished I could've gotten tickets this year, but then again so would almost the rest of the population.
Ending off with the fireworks adding colour to our ever picture perfect marina bay night scene, the celebrations on 9th August came to a close. Singapore, you've fought hard to come this far. I've only been around for so long, but I've had the chance to experience living overseas, and I feel the love for my country more than ever before. Where I am safe, where I am rewarded for my hard work, where different ethnicities are bound by common values, tastes, and a common language, and most importantly, where my loved ones are. I hope in 50 years I'll still be sprightly enough to cheer and sing along to the old songs during SG100 ;) Singapore, have a great 50th!
In the week after, things are back to normal. It's how we roll, through celebrations or grief, we carry on. For me, school has started proper, but I feel like I haven't had enough holiday xD
Thursday, 30 July 2015
Summer rage
Well, I haven't done this in a while.
As to why, the list is lengthy and detailed as excuses will be, but in short I just haven't had the motivation to blog since my return to this sunny island. I pretty much spent the first 3 weeks or so hanging around at home, lazing, annoying my sis, or going out for my much-missed hawker food. Oh, I climbed as well, fingers suffering the combined burden of training hiatus and holiday weight gain. Caught up with some friends as well, but many others were bound by work schedules so I'm still waiting to see some ppl I haven't seen in a long time.
When I find the time again I shall relive my travels and detail some of the more interesting summer memories, but for now I must explain the title of this post. Rmb the feeling of having to do holiday homework? Multiply that by any ridiculous positive number and you'll probably get the irritation that's been hovering in my emotional space for the past few weeks.
Ah, and not forgetting summer school. Yea well, the course I'm on right now (yes, now, during summer break) might be a bit too highly intensive and deep for my super-lousy-at-doing-business head, but at least the struggle means that I'm actually trying to learn something useful. So, the course itself is not the problem.
The problem is, that despite my super-inexpertise, I'm somehow having to save my in-game company (in the business simulation run in this course), from bankruptcy on a regular basis. And at times, you wouldn't have known a few other ppl exist in the team.
I feel myself becoming more easily emotional lately. And these emotions are getting increasingly difficult to hide. My demeanor comes from an ability to suppress urges to slap deserving ppl combined with a stoic barrier to quash outbursts. But like using a computer, there's only so much you can compress a file before it can't take it anymore.
No worries, I'm not constantly wanting to slap ppl. It's just this team of mine, and the persons (note the "s") in question. I've been simmering for a while, and I'm glad the course ends today. Key takeaways: beware of (1) slackers (2) untrustworthy ppl (avoid letting them handle/influence decisions!) (3) ppl who just have no idea what's going on even though they think they are working hard enough.
Sighs. Well, at least it's liberating to write again. And I'm gonna climb it off tmr - one good thing that happened this week is that my endurance has increased.
<<ends rant>>
As to why, the list is lengthy and detailed as excuses will be, but in short I just haven't had the motivation to blog since my return to this sunny island. I pretty much spent the first 3 weeks or so hanging around at home, lazing, annoying my sis, or going out for my much-missed hawker food. Oh, I climbed as well, fingers suffering the combined burden of training hiatus and holiday weight gain. Caught up with some friends as well, but many others were bound by work schedules so I'm still waiting to see some ppl I haven't seen in a long time.
When I find the time again I shall relive my travels and detail some of the more interesting summer memories, but for now I must explain the title of this post. Rmb the feeling of having to do holiday homework? Multiply that by any ridiculous positive number and you'll probably get the irritation that's been hovering in my emotional space for the past few weeks.
Ah, and not forgetting summer school. Yea well, the course I'm on right now (yes, now, during summer break) might be a bit too highly intensive and deep for my super-lousy-at-doing-business head, but at least the struggle means that I'm actually trying to learn something useful. So, the course itself is not the problem.
The problem is, that despite my super-inexpertise, I'm somehow having to save my in-game company (in the business simulation run in this course), from bankruptcy on a regular basis. And at times, you wouldn't have known a few other ppl exist in the team.
I feel myself becoming more easily emotional lately. And these emotions are getting increasingly difficult to hide. My demeanor comes from an ability to suppress urges to slap deserving ppl combined with a stoic barrier to quash outbursts. But like using a computer, there's only so much you can compress a file before it can't take it anymore.
No worries, I'm not constantly wanting to slap ppl. It's just this team of mine, and the persons (note the "s") in question. I've been simmering for a while, and I'm glad the course ends today. Key takeaways: beware of (1) slackers (2) untrustworthy ppl (avoid letting them handle/influence decisions!) (3) ppl who just have no idea what's going on even though they think they are working hard enough.
Sighs. Well, at least it's liberating to write again. And I'm gonna climb it off tmr - one good thing that happened this week is that my endurance has increased.
<<ends rant>>
Monday, 1 June 2015
Retrospect: One year
Song for the year: On My Way - Phil Collins
Tell everybody I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be
Exactly one year ago, on 1st June 2014, Me wrote this. [Indeed. Adventures, nonsense, and hard times there have been plenty. Seems like I was quite the oracle xD] Excited, but at the same time not quite ready to leave. That poor thing who would burst into tears at the departure gates.
Tell everybody I'm on my way
New friends and new places to see
With blue skies ahead, yes I'm on my way
And there's nowhere else that I'd rather be
Exactly one year ago, on 1st June 2014, Me wrote this. [Indeed. Adventures, nonsense, and hard times there have been plenty. Seems like I was quite the oracle xD] Excited, but at the same time not quite ready to leave. That poor thing who would burst into tears at the departure gates.
Six months from then, another Me wrote this. More experienced, having lived overseas for half a year, but weary of routine (studies/tests/deadlines), and missing the comforts of home. The following 8 months had seemed such a long time to pass.
And here I am on 1st June 2015, one whole year from the day I was last in SG. My exams haven't ended yet (3 to go T.T), but lol I've got license to reminisce [this post was slowly drafted over the past month anyway]. "Time flies when you're having fun", as the adage goes. Haha, "fun" must encompass a whole lot of wacky things then, which must be why the past 6 months macam vanishing act. Save for this painfully slow exam period... But that aside, it's somewhat paradoxical - however fast time seems to fly, the feeling never goes away in that it's been a very long time.
Before we left, I thought I was coming for an overseas internship and one academic year in ICL, with a generous helping of travel whenever I could find the time. So that was true, but how was I to know that there was gonna be so much more than that. I've enjoyed much of it but this year wasn't easy, that's for sure.
With regards to traveling, there are now too many trips to list without being a bore. And I'm also aware that I've rarely written about them since this year started, which I should have done but did not... [I prob should, or else in a few decades' time let's just say I'll rmb nth of raw minced meat and schizo weather] Being in REP has given me this wonderful opportunity to explore the beauty and flaws of UK/Europe - the food, people, weather and more. Also made me less of a suaku - one year ago I couldn't have told you the procedures in taking a flight, and now in about a week, I'll be heading on my first solo trip (10 days across central Europe)! I've taken more flights in just 2014 than in my entire life before coming here... To visit so many places so far from home at such a young age is a thing of fortune, and I'm nothing short of grateful.
I'm definitely different from before, but strangely I don't feel like I've changed much. Looking at the things I've written, I still sound like the same me who was up typing at 3am on 1/6/2014. Ok actually I have changed... Physically, I'm stronger, bulkier (in a few different ways), and my hair is too long. I can cook confidently now. And after all them life lessons... I've honed
my alertness, learnt to trust more wisely, and developed
pretty steely resilience. But even then, I still feel like the same person under all this thick armour. Maybe I have a very "steady" personality that isn't likely to change
much, but I feel I've been doing things the way I've been doing them for
a while now. I'm not easily excitable, just the same as not being
easily flustered, which has been a great help sometimes. Essentially, I'm not coming home much different from when I left, but that doesn't mean I've learnt nothing.
Hence follows this particularly apt set of lines (which has had the fortune/misfortune of being quoted to cliche-ness):
Hence follows this particularly apt set of lines (which has had the fortune/misfortune of being quoted to cliche-ness):
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can
see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the
people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started
is not the same as never leaving.” - Terry Pratchett
I guess it's not often that we come across a piece of writing that simply says it the way it feels. It's been a joy to take cheap flights all over the place and experience for myself how different the rest of the world really is. We tend to compare, and we sometimes fail to acknowledge the beauty we were blessed with. All I can say here is, we have it damn good on our sunny island, and having seen just a bit more of the world, I have learnt to appreciate that better.
[dun complain about a 5 cent increase in MRT/bus fare please hor here increase by 10p (20 cents) and each tap of the oyster costs you at least a plate of chicken rice and you need to get back where you came from so that's two plates of chicken rice i'm not kidding]
This whole experience is something to be thankful for, but if it has to be broken down into notabilities... I'm thankful for technology, for opening a window to home. Thankful for the internship. Thankful for the scholarship/REP allowance. Thankful for proximity, to school, to this side of the world. Thankful for the climbs, both the regular gym sessions and the ones in the great outdoors. Thankful for my friends, old and new, with whom I've shared fun times and braved adversity (not mutually exclusive!). Overseas, your friends are like family, and that is a fact to be treasured and respected. Out of these, special mention and gratitude goes to my roomie and close buddy, J, with whom I was destined to land the same table, same internship, same course, same room. But that's ok lol, coz even though we've been stuck with each other for the entire year, we function independently, e.g. eat when you want and pon the classes you want yourself. Though once in a while we do things together like a 5-hour dinner (15 mins of eating included :P). This kind of comfortable space is better than anything I could ever have asked for. [it's her bday AGAIN in 2 days and i haven't decided what i'm gonna do to her yet...]
So after all that's been said and done, it's been a deeply edifying rollercoaster ride. But now I really think it's time to go home (soon)! Ya la, I know I've said before that I don't really miss home but that was agesss ago. [Not bad though that final line, I knew myself well.] Because of its record-breaking duration (>13 months omggg) this exchange has been really worth it, but now there's really no doubt that I wanna go home... The seasons have gone through a full cycle and yes it's been too damn long so I can't wait to touch down in our extremely awesome Changi airport in just slightly over a month. But before then, I've got these last 3 irritating papers to clear, then the summer stuffed full of travels will fly by. And then I'll see you all again :)
I guess it's not often that we come across a piece of writing that simply says it the way it feels. It's been a joy to take cheap flights all over the place and experience for myself how different the rest of the world really is. We tend to compare, and we sometimes fail to acknowledge the beauty we were blessed with. All I can say here is, we have it damn good on our sunny island, and having seen just a bit more of the world, I have learnt to appreciate that better.
[dun complain about a 5 cent increase in MRT/bus fare please hor here increase by 10p (20 cents) and each tap of the oyster costs you at least a plate of chicken rice and you need to get back where you came from so that's two plates of chicken rice i'm not kidding]
This whole experience is something to be thankful for, but if it has to be broken down into notabilities... I'm thankful for technology, for opening a window to home. Thankful for the internship. Thankful for the scholarship/REP allowance. Thankful for proximity, to school, to this side of the world. Thankful for the climbs, both the regular gym sessions and the ones in the great outdoors. Thankful for my friends, old and new, with whom I've shared fun times and braved adversity (not mutually exclusive!). Overseas, your friends are like family, and that is a fact to be treasured and respected. Out of these, special mention and gratitude goes to my roomie and close buddy, J, with whom I was destined to land the same table, same internship, same course, same room. But that's ok lol, coz even though we've been stuck with each other for the entire year, we function independently, e.g. eat when you want and pon the classes you want yourself. Though once in a while we do things together like a 5-hour dinner (15 mins of eating included :P). This kind of comfortable space is better than anything I could ever have asked for. [it's her bday AGAIN in 2 days and i haven't decided what i'm gonna do to her yet...]
So after all that's been said and done, it's been a deeply edifying rollercoaster ride. But now I really think it's time to go home (soon)! Ya la, I know I've said before that I don't really miss home but that was agesss ago. [Not bad though that final line, I knew myself well.] Because of its record-breaking duration (>13 months omggg) this exchange has been really worth it, but now there's really no doubt that I wanna go home... The seasons have gone through a full cycle and yes it's been too damn long so I can't wait to touch down in our extremely awesome Changi airport in just slightly over a month. But before then, I've got these last 3 irritating papers to clear, then the summer stuffed full of travels will fly by. And then I'll see you all again :)
 |
| Sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo (11/4). |
So, tell everybody I'm on my way
And I just can't wait to be home
With the sun beating down, yes I'm on my way
And nothing but good times to show
I'm on my way
Yes I'm on my way!
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Times gone by
Another major retrospective post is looming, and I have this feeling I might have too many things to write by then. Many, many things have happened from Dec up till now, and I haven't always had the time/chance/feel to write about them coz education tends to get in the way. But that's not the point. The point is that the past 5 months have zoomed by so fast that it makes winter seem short. It's a bit scary, the rate things picked up. In any case, meaningful occurrences deserve some detail, and hence it's time to do some recounting.
Firstly, winter break came (and went too fast), during which I went to Spain + Portugal. [I got to do some more traveling following that, but it seems like I won't get to blog about those until I go back to SG D:] By the time sch started, we were halfway into Jan. The following two weeks or so were a blur of acclimatising back to sch life (somewhat). And then, Jan was gone.
Firstly, winter break came (and went too fast), during which I went to Spain + Portugal. [I got to do some more traveling following that, but it seems like I won't get to blog about those until I go back to SG D:] By the time sch started, we were halfway into Jan. The following two weeks or so were a blur of acclimatising back to sch life (somewhat). And then, Jan was gone.
Feb,
ah Feb. I think my alcohol consumption went up a few hundredfold in
this month (mainly beer), what with the meetups and late-night chats
that became crazily frequent and regular. Like I reasoned with my dad (or more so my mum actually), when there are things to celebrate and
unhappiness to drown, milk just doesn't cut it. One of those things to celebrate was CNY, which was by far the best part of Feb. Why else
would one stay up past 3am on almost every weeknight in a single week.
Shag la, but it was fun. And it's prob not an experience I'm ever gonna
have again. Then, there was the summer school issue which threw our hearts all
round the place and incensed us quite a fair bit. After much angst and confusion, that's been resolved
and I've alr set my mind on ponning half a day to fulfil a long-overdue
objective.
Feb
is special, so it gets one more paragraph. In this month, I was also
forced to think about and reconsider what I used to call a
friendship. My tolerance is stretchy but it has its bounds. I think the lies (specifically the one concrete lie amidst a cloud of other just barely ambiguous stuff) were the last straw. It's not even crossing a line anymore, it's like falling off a cliff. There's no way back. In recent times whenever we happen to revisit this issue it's always with a tinge of sadness. It's a really regretful thing, for any kind of relationship to deteriorate that much. Enough time has passed for most negative feelings to die down, but pity and regret aside, how can I call a friend someone whom I cannot trust when I turn my back? It is unfortunate, but my defences are up and if the lies continue, I will not hesitate to spill. This was the first life lesson of its kind, and I hope there won't be many repeats to come.
March
was a mess of deadlines - labs and coursework all. This is exchange
life in ICL and just like that, March slipped away like butter. As
much as I was looking forward to the Easter break, the way it seemed to
rush up was just scary. [In this month, SG was united by the loss of our
founding father LKY. I rmb feeling a kind of detached despondency when we
got the news through fb - as Singapore slept, we overseas Singaporeans were the
first to know. In that one week, this was all we could talk about, and I
was truly amazed by the sheer number of people who cared, here and back
home. Underneath all the unwarranted complaining, we are a people with
heart. Incidentally, it was also raining in Font during the funeral
procession...]
April!
Holiday! In fact, March hadn't even ended properly (we left on the
night of the last day of school) when I left for Fontainebleau. I really
had the time of my life there. And of course the next thing I knew, I
was back in London for one week of reality before my next trip up to
Italy. A good trip with a good friend, with enough sun and chocolate
gelato to keep me happy :) Then (again), back to London for one week of
slightly more panicky reality and I was off (again), for a short trip
back to where it all began. After an awesomely chill two days in the countryside of Derbyshire, we said goodbye to some ppl whom now consider us as friends. I fully expect it to be a long goodbye, but with hope that we will see them again. That was it, no more trips left to mask the
full-blown horror of the exams which started for real at the end of the month. The first paper was for a subject which (1) was a year 3 module (2) we hadn't had foundation for coz we were doing it in parallel with the foundation year 2 module (3) we couldn't attend half the year's lessons for coz of timetable clashes. Just some justification for the fact that I am thoroughly unconfident of passing that particular paper :(
Now it's a bit over one week into May. Other than studying to pass exams in effort not to repeat the traumatic first paper experience, I don't foresee much else happening. I'm still climbing, which is prob the main thing that's different from back in NTU (where passing is not good enough haha). I think I spoiled one of my fingers though... And recently, I suddenly really missed climbing with UMC. Like really badly. Help, I think the exam season is triggering a severe bout of homesickness...
Saturday, 2 May 2015
April assortment
So it's the 1st of May (or at least it was, about an hour ago). This means that I'm a good 11 months into my excursion to this side of the world.
I just felt like typing smth before I go to sleep. The past 5 months have flown by, and it feels like not long ago when I was lamenting the fact that I'd still had 7-8 months left before I could go home. Then again, like J said, even though time does fly, there's no doubt upon looking back that we've been away for a very long time. But that's a (long) story for another day.
April deserves a bit of a mention for being the latest month to zip past, but with the distinction of being one of the most enjoyable and meaningful. [It's like Feb but without the angst] Bouldering in Fontainebleau. Sun and gelato in Italy. 2 carefree days in Derbyshire. 2Gs in the air.
It was mildly amusing how each travel period would be separated by increasingly panicky bouts of reality. Thanks exams. But at least I got to fully enjoy those times away. Not to mention the sentimentalism associated with visiting the place where it all began, and the people who have been in that place for ages and ages. And some of whom now see us as friends. I hope it won't be 10 years before we get to see them again.
15 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happier
I found myself resonating most with the "Embrace Adversity" part and I don't find it the least bit strange. According to the infographic, from adversity, we gain distance and perspective. I believe it's like seeing things from different and wider angles, some of which are a happier view than others, and that having been through adversity gives us the ability to calm down and choose from a range of angles that never seemed to be there before. There is almost always a better picture I guess, just whether or not we choose to see it.
[In cases where there is no better picture, bitching is catharsis.]
The friends, fun, fatigue, and everything. I'm grateful for all that I've got to experience this year, that's all.
Special mention to the rapeseed fields. When the countryside is coloured in the brightest yellow you can find in a Faber Castell set, you know that spring is really here. And whatever may be on mind (usually revision) I can't help but marvel.
I just felt like typing smth before I go to sleep. The past 5 months have flown by, and it feels like not long ago when I was lamenting the fact that I'd still had 7-8 months left before I could go home. Then again, like J said, even though time does fly, there's no doubt upon looking back that we've been away for a very long time. But that's a (long) story for another day.
April deserves a bit of a mention for being the latest month to zip past, but with the distinction of being one of the most enjoyable and meaningful. [It's like Feb but without the angst] Bouldering in Fontainebleau. Sun and gelato in Italy. 2 carefree days in Derbyshire. 2Gs in the air.
It was mildly amusing how each travel period would be separated by increasingly panicky bouts of reality. Thanks exams. But at least I got to fully enjoy those times away. Not to mention the sentimentalism associated with visiting the place where it all began, and the people who have been in that place for ages and ages. And some of whom now see us as friends. I hope it won't be 10 years before we get to see them again.
15 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happier
I found myself resonating most with the "Embrace Adversity" part and I don't find it the least bit strange. According to the infographic, from adversity, we gain distance and perspective. I believe it's like seeing things from different and wider angles, some of which are a happier view than others, and that having been through adversity gives us the ability to calm down and choose from a range of angles that never seemed to be there before. There is almost always a better picture I guess, just whether or not we choose to see it.
[In cases where there is no better picture, bitching is catharsis.]
The friends, fun, fatigue, and everything. I'm grateful for all that I've got to experience this year, that's all.
Special mention to the rapeseed fields. When the countryside is coloured in the brightest yellow you can find in a Faber Castell set, you know that spring is really here. And whatever may be on mind (usually revision) I can't help but marvel.
 |
| On a path between the villages of Breedon on the Hill and Melbourne. |
 |
| In the skies above Cranfield, probably in the midst of a dutch roll. |
Monday, 6 April 2015
Fontainebleau 2015
I enjoyed this trip so much that it was boosted right to the front of the blogging queue (sorry drafts). Bouldering! Outdoors! And the company was really really awesome :) Not everything was perfect (that's looking at you, weather), but it was such a great experience that all those grouses don't really matter anymore. I also think I did better than I ever expected of myself, so yea, I'm happy :)
Prelude
Down south from Paris lies a region called Fontainebleau, well-known as a bouldering haven. [For non-climbers, bouldering is a climbing discipline involving (relatively) short rocks i.e. boulders. No ropes/harnesses needed, just shoes, chalk, and crashpads for softer landing.]
It's just a hop over to France from London so this was the best ever time to go to not tear a hole in my bank account. It was a bit of a hassle to fit this trip in between all our clashing schedules for Easter, but we somewhat succeeded in the end. Even before the trip, the weather forecast told of clouds and rain. And true, when we landed in port Calais, the sky was simply, continuously, grey. It was grey throughout the half-day we spent in Paris, and at one point, the Eiffel Tower was shrouded in fog so thick that only the bottom half was visible. [Sadly, the fog cleared and I didn't manage to get a picture of that unconventional look.] After flitting around the main tourist attractions of Paris, it was off to Font in our rented car.
The places
The boulders are located in forests dotted around Font, so having a car was important. We went to Bas Cuvier (1.5 days), Franchard Isatis, and L'Elephant in chronological order. The former two had the usual forest floor, covered in mushy leaves esp after rain, but L'Elephant was different. I'd read that some areas were sandy, but I wasn't expecting the boulders of L'Elephant to be surrounded by Sentosa-esque soft white sand. [When searching for crashpad rentals online, I found comments on how the sand provides a good soft landing. Please, no, you still need crashpads. Read on to find out why I think that way.] It rained intermittently for the first few days, but we got a decent amount of sun so it wasn't so bad.
L'Elephant is named as such because there is a boulder there that really looks like an elephant. A gigantic one! [We didn't get to climb this particular boulder, but I've been told it's v difficult to get down off it...]
THE CLIMBS!!!
I didn't keep track of the routes we did, but it was mostly blue routes (orange for the first 1.5 days and some red). [Looking at the Font grading system on wiki] Blue is... not a v zai level, but the climbs were a sufficient challenge for us.
Routes in Font are v footwork intensive. On many routes one is free to choose from a selection of footholds, if
one can locate them. It's better to climb in a group so ppl can point out out-of-sight footholds, whether you're on or off the wall. Having to step on ~1mm scuffs is no joke man, same goes for those polished nubs. Sometimes, there really are no obvious footholds - what to do? Smear. You really have to trust and step well if not you'll just slip and get a nice scrape right down the leg. My big toes were red and raw at the end of those days coz of all those minuscule footholds. Also, I don't think I've ever done so much heel hooking in an equivalent space of time.
In general, I think my footwork was not bad, and it really helped me keep up. One route was particularly symbolic - a red route that we were trying on the 3rd climbing day. Although I didn't manage to finish, I was quite satisfied with the level I reached. The bottom half of the rock was full of like "inverted nail marks" which I managed to utilise with minimal scrabbling so as not to wear down my poor shoes. In the end, I was bested by a slopy left pinch. More finger training then.
Throughout those days I met a really wide range of handholds - like a exhibition of what I learnt the first day I walked into the SRC gym. There were jugs that felt as good as those made of plastic, lots and lots of crimps, and even monos. All these on curved, flowing features that would seem right at home in some serene chinese garden. Near the end of the first full climbing day, my right middle finger got irritated after 4 hard tries (2 with the wrong beta >.<) on a route with a right crimp on the crux. From then on, I decided to maximise my climbing mana through self-preservation. This meant avoiding right crimps/monos, or at least not wasting attempts on routes. But handholds weren't really a big problem for blue routes, at least not until the top...
Outdoors, there is no final hold. A route hasn't been sent until one is standing on top of the boulder. As I now know, that final struggle can be a pain as the tops are mostly just one huge sloper to mantel up upon. [Mantling is an actual skill.] Whatever small edges on the top face were awesome help in hauling body weight up and over. But most of the time, even those were non-existent so us unskilled people had to flop in the most unglam manner and wriggle until our centre of gravity crossed into the safe zone. à la beached whales. These moments would've been quite funny to watch if there wasn't a need to worry about my friends falling off. Of course, the boulders have varying heights, and the higher they are, the worse the consequences of falling.
The first route we did on the final climbing day is a v good example. It was meant as a warmup blue route and it looked decent from the ground: a little high, but with a large sloping ledge to step on along with what seemed like many jugs. Epitome of misjudgment.
The start wasn't that easy, nice handholds but no obvious footholds meant smearing up and perching on the ledge, and from there it just got scarier. Crawling up the ledge was fickle business. It turned out that there were not many nice things to hold, and the smooth ledge wasn't v promising either. All that time I was scared I would roll off the ledge and break smth... At a certain point, it became impossible to down-climb [in desperation, many things come to mind], or jump down [alr too high and it's not the top yet!], so the only way was up. It really felt like leading outdoors, having to pause to calm and steel myself and all that. When I got to the top I was really trembling, I think more so because of the fear than the effort, coz the route wasn't that difficult, just v scary. And I plastered myself to the rock for fear of toppling off the way I came. At least getting down the other side was easy.
Speaking of getting down, that can be annoying too. Some boulders have gently sloped faces on one side, so after climbing up the sheer side [lol, so apparently the essence of climbing is to make things difficult for ourselves], one can walk down the other way. On other boulders that are more rounded or cube-shaped, the usual way is to "butt" down the side gingerly, taking care not to slip and lurch headfirst off the rock.
My final climb in Font ended prematurely when I fell outside the crashpad, onto my back, and hit my head. The sand and my ponytail helped soften the blow and I'm just glad I wasn't far from the ground and nothing serious happened. The sequence in question involved a right heel hook at about waist-height before bumping the left hand to a higher hold. I missed the left hand catch and my right heel was hooked so beautifully that it was the last thing to fail. The hook wasn't particularly nice/deep and I was surprised it stuck so well. Aside from being surprised at my own footwork, I literally had some sense knocked into me. My spotter and I were so fixated on the next hold that we forgot I hadn't gotten there yet. Partly coz I'd attempted once before and got higher, so I never expected to fall like that. Anyways, SPOTTING IS IMPORTANT. If everyone looks out for each other we'll all be able to climb together safely :)
[It happens that my fall was captured on video. Even as I was rubbing away the headache, it looked so comical I might have laughed. But then, these things are only funny till smth bad happens. So to my friends who might be reading this, never underestimate the importance of spotting. At least the headache didn't stop me from watching Poh finish his 6c.]
Everything else
During our recent trip to Building One (another gym in London with cool dyno routes and more), I suddenly rmbed that I own a Canon Legria camcorder. I used to use it extensively (esp during the JC touch league), but after a while I kinda... forgot about it. So I made it a point to bring it along and use it on this trip, to immortalize awesome moments. It might be 5 years old but still it captures in HD (though it doesn't show on blogger) with satisfactory audio - pretty damn good. On hindsight, I was evidently not thinking enough and didn't borrow a tripod for it. It would have saved me the trouble of finding flat rocks to plant it on and using random stuff to prop it up. This and the cui battery life meant that I couldn't use it all the time too. Ah, but the things I've caught on video, all those funny things we did and said xD [I have since bought my own Gorillapod to go with it, and will be on the lookout for chances for use :)]
If there's any one general thing I've learnt from my exchange travels, it's that good company is the backbone of a great trip. [I consider myself quite lucky in this aspect.] This bunch (and the rest of the sg climbers here) is peculiarly like a mini UMC - people I'm comfortable climbing, talking cock, and having fun with. Friends, really. Same as back in NTU, a large part of why I climb is the people I get to spend time with.
I was the weakest member of the group (3 guys, an interwoman, and me). So I knew the worst that could happen would be them doing routes that I wouldn't be able to even start on. But I managed to keep up, doing the same routes that they did, and at times, doing better than some of the guys hahaha. In some routes, I struggled a bit with strength and took a few more attempts, but in others I had better footwork and was more stable. At least we all attempted the same routes (save for Poh) and I finished most of them. This is smth I'm really happy about :D
I'll miss this place. We climbed for about 3.5 consecutive days and that was pretty much the physical limit. Any more and I'd have been in too much pain (raw, scraped and aching) to want to climb, let alone climb well. I guess if we had gone for longer we'd have to factor in repair days. But it was not to be, at least for this time. The trip really flew by and in no time it was back to London and reality - proof of how much I enjoyed myself. And I dare say: best outdoor climbing trip I've been on so far.
And lastly... this.
10 months ago, I was unable to fit my old pair into my luggage, so I don't have my designated outdoor shoes here with me :( On top of my regular gym climbs, this pair has braved the abrasiveness of natural rock 3 times to date and the left heel has become loose. They will turn 2 years old come August 24th (it's not difficult to trace back the date) and I've been v happy with them thus far.
How highly is my happiness valued? ;)
Prelude
Down south from Paris lies a region called Fontainebleau, well-known as a bouldering haven. [For non-climbers, bouldering is a climbing discipline involving (relatively) short rocks i.e. boulders. No ropes/harnesses needed, just shoes, chalk, and crashpads for softer landing.]
It's just a hop over to France from London so this was the best ever time to go to not tear a hole in my bank account. It was a bit of a hassle to fit this trip in between all our clashing schedules for Easter, but we somewhat succeeded in the end. Even before the trip, the weather forecast told of clouds and rain. And true, when we landed in port Calais, the sky was simply, continuously, grey. It was grey throughout the half-day we spent in Paris, and at one point, the Eiffel Tower was shrouded in fog so thick that only the bottom half was visible. [Sadly, the fog cleared and I didn't manage to get a picture of that unconventional look.] After flitting around the main tourist attractions of Paris, it was off to Font in our rented car.
 |
| The view from my backseat. 2 crashpads in the boot and one more squashed in front of our knees. |
The places
The boulders are located in forests dotted around Font, so having a car was important. We went to Bas Cuvier (1.5 days), Franchard Isatis, and L'Elephant in chronological order. The former two had the usual forest floor, covered in mushy leaves esp after rain, but L'Elephant was different. I'd read that some areas were sandy, but I wasn't expecting the boulders of L'Elephant to be surrounded by Sentosa-esque soft white sand. [When searching for crashpad rentals online, I found comments on how the sand provides a good soft landing. Please, no, you still need crashpads. Read on to find out why I think that way.] It rained intermittently for the first few days, but we got a decent amount of sun so it wasn't so bad.
 |
| Bas Cuvier (29th and 30th March). The crowds made it seem like an outdoor boulder gym. |
 |
| Franchard Isatis (31st March). |
 |
| L'Elephant (1st April). Really like Sentosa right? |
 |
| L'Elephant itself. With a Denise for scale. |
I didn't keep track of the routes we did, but it was mostly blue routes (orange for the first 1.5 days and some red). [Looking at the Font grading system on wiki] Blue is... not a v zai level, but the climbs were a sufficient challenge for us.
 |
| "I have always dreamed of coming to Font." (Lee, 2015) |
In general, I think my footwork was not bad, and it really helped me keep up. One route was particularly symbolic - a red route that we were trying on the 3rd climbing day. Although I didn't manage to finish, I was quite satisfied with the level I reached. The bottom half of the rock was full of like "inverted nail marks" which I managed to utilise with minimal scrabbling so as not to wear down my poor shoes. In the end, I was bested by a slopy left pinch. More finger training then.
 |
| This is not that route, but this was footwork training. Notice the shoes are not my own (coz we were blur in the morning and forgot to bring our communal plastic bag of shoes). So when we found out at the place we had to borrow spare shoes from Dong who was there with ICMC. We went back to retrieve our shoes in the afternoon xD |
Throughout those days I met a really wide range of handholds - like a exhibition of what I learnt the first day I walked into the SRC gym. There were jugs that felt as good as those made of plastic, lots and lots of crimps, and even monos. All these on curved, flowing features that would seem right at home in some serene chinese garden. Near the end of the first full climbing day, my right middle finger got irritated after 4 hard tries (2 with the wrong beta >.<) on a route with a right crimp on the crux. From then on, I decided to maximise my climbing mana through self-preservation. This meant avoiding right crimps/monos, or at least not wasting attempts on routes. But handholds weren't really a big problem for blue routes, at least not until the top...
 |
| This photo was taken to point out one particular bump to be aiming for (coz it's not clear from below). NTU+NUS just grinned anyway hahaha. |
Outdoors, there is no final hold. A route hasn't been sent until one is standing on top of the boulder. As I now know, that final struggle can be a pain as the tops are mostly just one huge sloper to mantel up upon. [Mantling is an actual skill.] Whatever small edges on the top face were awesome help in hauling body weight up and over. But most of the time, even those were non-existent so us unskilled people had to flop in the most unglam manner and wriggle until our centre of gravity crossed into the safe zone. à la beached whales. These moments would've been quite funny to watch if there wasn't a need to worry about my friends falling off. Of course, the boulders have varying heights, and the higher they are, the worse the consequences of falling.
The first route we did on the final climbing day is a v good example. It was meant as a warmup blue route and it looked decent from the ground: a little high, but with a large sloping ledge to step on along with what seemed like many jugs. Epitome of misjudgment.
 |
| This route. |
 |
| With me for scale. Not daring to sit on the tip of the boulder for a photo after that ordeal. |
Speaking of getting down, that can be annoying too. Some boulders have gently sloped faces on one side, so after climbing up the sheer side [lol, so apparently the essence of climbing is to make things difficult for ourselves], one can walk down the other way. On other boulders that are more rounded or cube-shaped, the usual way is to "butt" down the side gingerly, taking care not to slip and lurch headfirst off the rock.
My final climb in Font ended prematurely when I fell outside the crashpad, onto my back, and hit my head. The sand and my ponytail helped soften the blow and I'm just glad I wasn't far from the ground and nothing serious happened. The sequence in question involved a right heel hook at about waist-height before bumping the left hand to a higher hold. I missed the left hand catch and my right heel was hooked so beautifully that it was the last thing to fail. The hook wasn't particularly nice/deep and I was surprised it stuck so well. Aside from being surprised at my own footwork, I literally had some sense knocked into me. My spotter and I were so fixated on the next hold that we forgot I hadn't gotten there yet. Partly coz I'd attempted once before and got higher, so I never expected to fall like that. Anyways, SPOTTING IS IMPORTANT. If everyone looks out for each other we'll all be able to climb together safely :)
[It happens that my fall was captured on video. Even as I was rubbing away the headache, it looked so comical I might have laughed. But then, these things are only funny till smth bad happens. So to my friends who might be reading this, never underestimate the importance of spotting. At least the headache didn't stop me from watching Poh finish his 6c.]
 |
| Last few moments at L'Elephant. |
During our recent trip to Building One (another gym in London with cool dyno routes and more), I suddenly rmbed that I own a Canon Legria camcorder. I used to use it extensively (esp during the JC touch league), but after a while I kinda... forgot about it. So I made it a point to bring it along and use it on this trip, to immortalize awesome moments. It might be 5 years old but still it captures in HD (though it doesn't show on blogger) with satisfactory audio - pretty damn good. On hindsight, I was evidently not thinking enough and didn't borrow a tripod for it. It would have saved me the trouble of finding flat rocks to plant it on and using random stuff to prop it up. This and the cui battery life meant that I couldn't use it all the time too. Ah, but the things I've caught on video, all those funny things we did and said xD [I have since bought my own Gorillapod to go with it, and will be on the lookout for chances for use :)]
If there's any one general thing I've learnt from my exchange travels, it's that good company is the backbone of a great trip. [I consider myself quite lucky in this aspect.] This bunch (and the rest of the sg climbers here) is peculiarly like a mini UMC - people I'm comfortable climbing, talking cock, and having fun with. Friends, really. Same as back in NTU, a large part of why I climb is the people I get to spend time with.
I was the weakest member of the group (3 guys, an interwoman, and me). So I knew the worst that could happen would be them doing routes that I wouldn't be able to even start on. But I managed to keep up, doing the same routes that they did, and at times, doing better than some of the guys hahaha. In some routes, I struggled a bit with strength and took a few more attempts, but in others I had better footwork and was more stable. At least we all attempted the same routes (save for Poh) and I finished most of them. This is smth I'm really happy about :D
I'll miss this place. We climbed for about 3.5 consecutive days and that was pretty much the physical limit. Any more and I'd have been in too much pain (raw, scraped and aching) to want to climb, let alone climb well. I guess if we had gone for longer we'd have to factor in repair days. But it was not to be, at least for this time. The trip really flew by and in no time it was back to London and reality - proof of how much I enjoyed myself. And I dare say: best outdoor climbing trip I've been on so far.
And lastly... this.
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| Nuuuu a hole T.T |
10 months ago, I was unable to fit my old pair into my luggage, so I don't have my designated outdoor shoes here with me :( On top of my regular gym climbs, this pair has braved the abrasiveness of natural rock 3 times to date and the left heel has become loose. They will turn 2 years old come August 24th (it's not difficult to trace back the date) and I've been v happy with them thus far.
How highly is my happiness valued? ;)
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Winter (Spain/Portugal) 2014
It's back to the travels, starting with winter.
I've left this too late and I regret it. When asked what I did in winter nowadays I can't rmb much, even though I know I definitely enjoyed (most of) it. Had no feel/mood to blog for quite a while now (due in part to the deadlines and in part to other negative stuff), but there are still photos and snippets worth sharing from my winter trip. So here's a "short" post on the highlights, captioned and elaborated to the best of my memory.
Getting there
On 21st Dec 2014 I flew alone into Barcelona to meet up with my grandma, gujie, and gujeong on the following day. And thus started my 13 day winter holiday in Spain + Portugal.
First time flying alone, so great that things went smoothly. I think the exceptionally high number of flights I took in 2014 really helped me ease into the procedure. The trouble came after that when I got a bit lost trying to find my hostel (there wasn't so much as a sign, just a small paper with the name written on it on the door frame). I'd reached earlier than what I indicated in the booking and... the reception was closed. I called the "emergency number" and got let in, but by then I was feeling quite unsafe. The look of the place didn't help one bit and I actually considered going back to the airport to stay that one night. But eventually, I settled my stuff and went out to explore Placa de Catalunya.
The place(s)!
The trip went like this: Barcelona - Valencia - Granada - Seville - Lisbon - Fatima - Porto - Segovia - Madrid - Toledo, as koped from the tour website [yes my parents paid for my travels, but before you start judging, I fully intend to return the favour and more when I'm capable]. Ain't gonna talk about everything coz I don't have the time/not everything was interesting/I couldn't get good photos in the first place HAHA.
For continuity's sake - I was in Placa de Catalunya i.e. Orchard Road, or maybe Orchard Square, where I did some window shopping. And the next day I finally met my family members again!
22/12 - Valencia. This was one of the places I distinctly rmb wishing I'd had more time and freedom to explore. The thing about being a student is that you tend to walk everywhere to see everything coz walking is free. Yea sure it's tiring, but the intimacy of this way of travel cannot be gotten from inside a moving bus, craning the neck for a crappy view of smth that would've been beautiful were it not viewed from behind slightly grimy glass. On the other hand, there's no way to run all of those places on foot/train in 12 days, so moving on.
Just the City of Arts and Sciences would've taken a whole day to explore! We didn't get to go in - more of just take photos from the outside and move on, except for the pathway through the mini garden. [I did get one of my best shots from the trip though.] Other than this, it would've been nice to simply walk along the river Turia. And... I unfortunately can't rmb much beyond this...
23/12 - Granada
25/12 - Seville, where oranges are aplenty. I learnt how to tell a bitter orange from its leaves (there's a smaller segment at the stem so the leaf has a rough '8' shape) and that Seville oranges are too common to be a special thing - but foreigners who buy them outside of Spain don't know this xD.
26/12 - Lisbon. On Christmas evening we crossed over into Lisbon, one of the places I especially rmb. Where to start - the four pictures I've chosen to represent the 1.5 days there are drastically different in location and feel. But overall, Lisbon struck me as a beautiful place - the presence of open water and panoramic postcard views might have helped.
Living in London means being pretty inland, and same goes for many parts of large countries. Not like in Sg where you're never really far from the sea, esp for this Pasir Ris girl who simply has to take a 10 min cycle to reach the water. I rmb now how I felt this day going around Lisbon - this calm sense of freedom. First up was Belém, on the banks of the River Tagus. It was a windy day, and the sun was shining (as I'd come to love about the trip), and this was where I took a single, random selfie that would become my fb profile pic.
Next we headed down/up winding roads to get to Cape Roca in Sintra, the westernmost point of Portugal and by extent, Europe. This time, there wasn't just a river, there was the Atlantic. I walked down this path on the cliff to take in the view, bearing the brunt of the winds and trying not to twist my ankle along the way. Sunset came really fast then, and we had to leave coz according to the tour guide, monsters swoop down after dark to catch unsuspecting tourists at the cliff.
27/12 - Fátima and Porto. Fátima is a really religious place. I'm not well-versed in these things, but apparitions of the Virgin Mary happened here, and the exact spot is marked by the Chapel of Apparitions. These are interesting stories to hear, but belief is up to the individual. I witnessed some devout followers kneeling their way across the sanctuary on the marble pathway that extends far far beyond the bottom right hand corner of the picture. Just wow. Outside the Sanctuary there were many (touristy) shops selling prayer candles shaped in whatever ailing body parts a person could have. So if one wants to buy boob-shaped candles, here's the place to go.
In Porto, I mostly rmb nice views and the port wine cellar tour in Sandeman. Don't ask me to describe how the wine tastes coz I dunno how to other than it was sweet (both red and white). I just drink only lol.
28/12 - Segovia. Next up we were heading back to Spain for a student town high up and far inland. At 1000m above sea level it's definitely colder, even colder than London. In this place, old college walls would be vandalised with the names of top graduates (??) as a mark of victory. Haha, cool kids from the past.
30/12 - Madrid. Where I didn't manage to capture any good photos :(
31/12 - Barcelona. It was back to the starting point and where we welcomed the new year. I managed to eat 11 out of 12 grapes (one for each of stroke of midnight, a Spanish tradition), so hopefully my luck this year will be not bad HAHA. [Thus far it's been ok :)]
The Sagrada Familia was one of my favourite places from the entire trip. Designed by the amazing Antoni Gaudi, construction began in 1882 and... is still ongoing. Completion is projected for 2028, but looking at the scale and the design, it wasn't difficult to justify the crazy long construction time. We visited many many cathedrals throughout the trip and all were majestic, but this one was different. Not just good looking, but also so well thought out it seems out of its time (at that time). But then again, this is characteristic of many of Gaudi's buildings - that genius.
While the outside was spectacular, the interior was even more amazing. In conventional structures, straight, evenly-spaced columns may be way to go. But here, the columns bend in a manner calculated to support the massive load. They are also designed with a "double twist" to resist twisting moments in both directions. True engineering man. And note that this was done in a time where computers didn't exist. So much respect. Nerdy stuff aside, it was also so pretty! The stained glass is arranged by colour so that the light is projected in a colour-coordinated spectrum. In general, the place felt more welcoming instead of giving this dark and creepy feeling that ancient places of worship tend to exude.
The final bit of the trip involved taking the bus up the winding slopes of Montserrat. I can never get tired of these views.
The food!
We ate many many things throughout the way, and drank much alcohol too xP. Paella, suckling pig, tomato rice, seafood... In general, I ate lots more than I usually do and gained some significant weight. I think after all is said, I still have Chinese taste buds lol. So even though I was being Asian and let my camera taste most of my food before I started, I only want to make two special mentions, coz I have distinct biases hahaha. From the looks of it, I'm a dessert person ;) [Maybe coz I usually have to force myself to finish the mains >.<]
Portuguese egg tarts. I honestly dun rmb when the last time I had any of these was (or if I'd even had them before). Loved the custardy, flaky goodness so much that I whacked two at once, and wished I had more xD.
Churros with chocolate. The chocolate is wayyy too gau to drink, so I made sure to fully utilise my churro in wiping it all up. Kinda like you tiao in chocolate sauce :P.
Ending off
Some people will have received one of these:
Physically writing essays after such a long time wasn't easy, I must say. Haha, as was the search for international stamps. I was told to go look for tobacco shops, but even after the entire trip, I have no idea what a Spanish tobacco shop looks like. In the end, I submitted these to the hotel front desk, and they helped me send them home.
Then, it was back to London to start a term that is now going to end.
I've left this too late and I regret it. When asked what I did in winter nowadays I can't rmb much, even though I know I definitely enjoyed (most of) it. Had no feel/mood to blog for quite a while now (due in part to the deadlines and in part to other negative stuff), but there are still photos and snippets worth sharing from my winter trip. So here's a "short" post on the highlights, captioned and elaborated to the best of my memory.
Getting there
On 21st Dec 2014 I flew alone into Barcelona to meet up with my grandma, gujie, and gujeong on the following day. And thus started my 13 day winter holiday in Spain + Portugal.
First time flying alone, so great that things went smoothly. I think the exceptionally high number of flights I took in 2014 really helped me ease into the procedure. The trouble came after that when I got a bit lost trying to find my hostel (there wasn't so much as a sign, just a small paper with the name written on it on the door frame). I'd reached earlier than what I indicated in the booking and... the reception was closed. I called the "emergency number" and got let in, but by then I was feeling quite unsafe. The look of the place didn't help one bit and I actually considered going back to the airport to stay that one night. But eventually, I settled my stuff and went out to explore Placa de Catalunya.
The place(s)!
The trip went like this: Barcelona - Valencia - Granada - Seville - Lisbon - Fatima - Porto - Segovia - Madrid - Toledo, as koped from the tour website [yes my parents paid for my travels, but before you start judging, I fully intend to return the favour and more when I'm capable]. Ain't gonna talk about everything coz I don't have the time/not everything was interesting/I couldn't get good photos in the first place HAHA.
For continuity's sake - I was in Placa de Catalunya i.e. Orchard Road, or maybe Orchard Square, where I did some window shopping. And the next day I finally met my family members again!
22/12 - Valencia. This was one of the places I distinctly rmb wishing I'd had more time and freedom to explore. The thing about being a student is that you tend to walk everywhere to see everything coz walking is free. Yea sure it's tiring, but the intimacy of this way of travel cannot be gotten from inside a moving bus, craning the neck for a crappy view of smth that would've been beautiful were it not viewed from behind slightly grimy glass. On the other hand, there's no way to run all of those places on foot/train in 12 days, so moving on.
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| City of Arts and Science, Valencia. |
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| Palm trees everywhere~ When I first landed, I thought I could be in Malaysia. Aside from the mild cold, it was sunny and the land was wide open with fields of palm trees spread far and beyond. |
23/12 - Granada
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| Part of Alhambra, an Islamic palace in Granada. |
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| View from the palace. |
24/12 - Cordoba. On this day I retired my trusty S3. Welcome S5! Hello to more
awesome-looking photos and Whatsapp grouses.
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| Tested my new phone camera at a random rest stop. Wider screen + noticeable improvement in reaction and quality. Who says iPhone camera better hahaha. |
25/12 - Seville, where oranges are aplenty. I learnt how to tell a bitter orange from its leaves (there's a smaller segment at the stem so the leaf has a rough '8' shape) and that Seville oranges are too common to be a special thing - but foreigners who buy them outside of Spain don't know this xD.
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| The Gardens of Murillo, Seville. |
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| Plaza de España (Seville), featuring random horse. |
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| Plaza de España (Seville), featuring random rainbow! |
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| Eduardo VII Park, Lisbon. |
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| Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries), on the bank of the Tagus River in Lisbon. |
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| Cape Roca, Sintra. |
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| Just the sun melting away into the great divide. |
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| The Sanctuary of Fátima |
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| Must be somewhere along the way to Porto. Using the photo dates and Wikipedia in trying to put a name to places. |
In Porto, I mostly rmb nice views and the port wine cellar tour in Sandeman. Don't ask me to describe how the wine tastes coz I dunno how to other than it was sweet (both red and white). I just drink only lol.
 |
| On the banks of the Douro river, Porto. |
30/12 - Madrid. Where I didn't manage to capture any good photos :(
31/12 - Barcelona. It was back to the starting point and where we welcomed the new year. I managed to eat 11 out of 12 grapes (one for each of stroke of midnight, a Spanish tradition), so hopefully my luck this year will be not bad HAHA. [Thus far it's been ok :)]
 |
| View of Barcelona. |
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| Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. |
While the outside was spectacular, the interior was even more amazing. In conventional structures, straight, evenly-spaced columns may be way to go. But here, the columns bend in a manner calculated to support the massive load. They are also designed with a "double twist" to resist twisting moments in both directions. True engineering man. And note that this was done in a time where computers didn't exist. So much respect. Nerdy stuff aside, it was also so pretty! The stained glass is arranged by colour so that the light is projected in a colour-coordinated spectrum. In general, the place felt more welcoming instead of giving this dark and creepy feeling that ancient places of worship tend to exude.
 |
| My phone camera does not do the interior justice. |
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| View from Montserrat. |
We ate many many things throughout the way, and drank much alcohol too xP. Paella, suckling pig, tomato rice, seafood... In general, I ate lots more than I usually do and gained some significant weight. I think after all is said, I still have Chinese taste buds lol. So even though I was being Asian and let my camera taste most of my food before I started, I only want to make two special mentions, coz I have distinct biases hahaha. From the looks of it, I'm a dessert person ;) [Maybe coz I usually have to force myself to finish the mains >.<]
Portuguese egg tarts. I honestly dun rmb when the last time I had any of these was (or if I'd even had them before). Loved the custardy, flaky goodness so much that I whacked two at once, and wished I had more xD.
Churros with chocolate. The chocolate is wayyy too gau to drink, so I made sure to fully utilise my churro in wiping it all up. Kinda like you tiao in chocolate sauce :P.
Ending off
Some people will have received one of these:
Then, it was back to London to start a term that is now going to end.
 |
Saturday, 21 March 2015
Affinity
(20th March, Fri)
[I was in the midst of writing my winter post and it's taking too damn long.]
On this day we went for dim sum buffet at Bright Courtyard Club. Haha me and buffets don't normally go well together, but for the sake of har gows, which I haven't seen in over a year, I went for it. It was really good although I left feeling like I wouldn't have to eat over the next few days. [For the record, I had just fruits for dinner and am hungry at this time of writing.] So many legit large prawns! These are not easy to come by (and "king prawns" here are like what we know to be normal-sized prawns pfft). And I didn't expect how much I'd come to like the liu sha bao. I've eaten from a few places in sg but always disliked the overpowering salted egg yolk taste. This version (like I told the rest), felt more like a butter sugar pao xD. I had 5 of them. Totally worth the £16.50 total cost.
But that's not even the main point of this post. The main point was this:
Which was the mango dessert I had after I was beyond 100% full. The reason this is significant is because of this:
At probably the exact same time I was scarfing down the mango dessert to rush back to class, a certain group of girls was having (mostly) mango desserts back home. Coincidence? I think not. This kind is an affinity that somehow naturally develops over 10 years of sisterhood, a proof of bonds. The number of times a year we meet at full strength can be counted with one hand (plus minus a finger or 2), but every time it's like nothing has changed.
Haha, I've seen a few diff versions of the same pictures on insta, so I thought I'd do my own. This post is dedicated to you girls, my 姐妹们! Miss you all, but we'll be at full strength again soon, 等我回来! :)
[I was in the midst of writing my winter post and it's taking too damn long.]
On this day we went for dim sum buffet at Bright Courtyard Club. Haha me and buffets don't normally go well together, but for the sake of har gows, which I haven't seen in over a year, I went for it. It was really good although I left feeling like I wouldn't have to eat over the next few days. [For the record, I had just fruits for dinner and am hungry at this time of writing.] So many legit large prawns! These are not easy to come by (and "king prawns" here are like what we know to be normal-sized prawns pfft). And I didn't expect how much I'd come to like the liu sha bao. I've eaten from a few places in sg but always disliked the overpowering salted egg yolk taste. This version (like I told the rest), felt more like a butter sugar pao xD. I had 5 of them. Totally worth the £16.50 total cost.
But that's not even the main point of this post. The main point was this:
Haha, I've seen a few diff versions of the same pictures on insta, so I thought I'd do my own. This post is dedicated to you girls, my 姐妹们! Miss you all, but we'll be at full strength again soon, 等我回来! :)
Saturday, 21 February 2015
CNY in London
(20th Feb, Fri)
I haven't been on a roller coaster in a while, but I imagine the past (this) week to be a pretty good representative. How else does one get multiple rapid turns of emotion. The heart plummeting in resignation. Then a nauseating turmoil of frustration and helplessness. And without warning, an exuberant, crazy high. Yes I think that covers the ground nicely - the REP gang will know.
It's simply amazing how much trouble a single person can cause. But the problem now is that trouble tends to leave a legacy. So who's/how to clean up the mess? "Ruining lives since (insert year here)" indeed. If we graduate as strong ppl it'll be because of all the nonsense we've had to endure.
But thank goodness unhappiness doesn't last, not during CNY anyway! I'm actually making do with less sleep nowadays, what with the endless meetups lately [this is the third consecutive week we've met for 3 times at least!]. Not to mention a constant nagging conscience to exercise after all the CNY goodies [YES! Credits to various sources of love back home], beer, and array of supper foods consumed. I think amidst the fun we had everything else went out the window hahaha. Morning lessons? Who needs them after a skype visit at 4am. We did our best to craft a little CNY atmosphere of our own, and although it really is nothing to shout about compared to back home, it was better than I could ask for :)
新年快乐 everyone! 恭喜发财!
There's just another 4 months to go :o
I haven't been on a roller coaster in a while, but I imagine the past (this) week to be a pretty good representative. How else does one get multiple rapid turns of emotion. The heart plummeting in resignation. Then a nauseating turmoil of frustration and helplessness. And without warning, an exuberant, crazy high. Yes I think that covers the ground nicely - the REP gang will know.
It's simply amazing how much trouble a single person can cause. But the problem now is that trouble tends to leave a legacy. So who's/how to clean up the mess? "Ruining lives since (insert year here)" indeed. If we graduate as strong ppl it'll be because of all the nonsense we've had to endure.
But thank goodness unhappiness doesn't last, not during CNY anyway! I'm actually making do with less sleep nowadays, what with the endless meetups lately [this is the third consecutive week we've met for 3 times at least!]. Not to mention a constant nagging conscience to exercise after all the CNY goodies [YES! Credits to various sources of love back home], beer, and array of supper foods consumed. I think amidst the fun we had everything else went out the window hahaha. Morning lessons? Who needs them after a skype visit at 4am. We did our best to craft a little CNY atmosphere of our own, and although it really is nothing to shout about compared to back home, it was better than I could ask for :)
新年快乐 everyone! 恭喜发财!
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| Full strength +1 at Goldmine on 初一. Photo credits: Daniel Wang |
There's just another 4 months to go :o
Sunday, 25 January 2015
Saturday Round-up [inspired by slugs]
(24th Jan, Sat)
Just thought I'd write something down to sum up this week's happenings, which might be continued if the weeks continue to be happening. Coz I meant from the start for this to be a general-purpose blog, my personal storybook. And I dun wanna keep it in limbo as I write them long travel posts. There are still all those small everyday things worth remembering, and I think I've given too many of them a miss. [The slug story is below, if you can't wait haha]
With Oslo 2014 cleared, there's still the Winter post, Bath+Bristol, and Cologne 2015 to write about. Haven't started on any of these even though the temptation is high for Cologne. Just know there was lots of beer, pork, and haribo involved.
Monday we had a good meal at Da Mario (again), as well as a great REP catchup. Other stuff and news to do with REP came in as well this week. Some were overwhelmingly positive, but others... I'm not quite so sure.
I've been climbing with sore wrists but it's not too bad. The right one keeps clicking away.
Made egg tarts ytd night! Been excited about this for quite a while, and I enjoyed it. I think it's not the baking that I enjoy, it's the baking with friends. I wouldn't bake alone. Interesting how the custard and the pastry bakes at the same rate - I'd nvr thought about that. There were a few drunk ppl in the kitchen we were in, so I was surreptitiously moving the tray of unbaked egg tarts around so that flailing hands wouldn't upset them. The tarts turned out awesome, prob coz we made them hahaha. After that we just talked and talked... just us 3/4 of Table 3. All the way until I realised I wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.
And this morning 5am (after just 2 hours of sleep), I was heading to Billingsgate fish market. The variety of seafood omg. You just ask for what you want and the sellers pick and pack them for you. No need to choose personally, but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I'd intended to buy salmon and sotong, but came away with prawns and a seabass as well. Finally proper prawns! I have plans for them. xD And today I found out that my body can't tank 2 nights of severe sleep deprivation in 2 weeks. Took 2 naps today, which made up my sleep count to 4 hours, but was still pretty disoriented the whole time I was awake.
Just ended steamboat at Beit, had my first fishballs/tofu in 8 months! ^^ Skipped the post-dinner cards and drinks coz I dun think I can tank a 3rd night of too little sleep haha. Early start again tmr.
[I'd actually started thinking about writing this ytd night, when J and I were somehow discussing about slugs. Yep, slugs. They were a very real menace to us in the RR days. But I'd nvr blogged about this for some reason, even though it's an epic story we still love to tell. So here it is in its full glory!
Sometime in the summer, we came back and found what we first thought were a few (~4) mouldy pieces of pasta scattered around and in our pots, some of them slumped over the edges. Although we did recently cook pasta, to our horror, we saw that the "pasta" had antennas (or stalk-eyes whatever they are). And thus began a long-drawn battle with the slugs occasionally winning. Amusing on hindsight, but at that time...
Due to the lack of proper racks/shelves, we kept our washed utensils on the counter top beside the sink. Not ideal, but it was fine until They started seeking shelter from the nighttime cold. Basically, we couldn't figure out where and how they were getting in and onto our pots. This was also the point I thought we were damn suay to have a superslug family in our backyard. Not just smart, but speedy too coz within an hour or so (while we were distracted by the TV), they could scale the 3m wall from the outside, squeeze through a non-existent gap in the window, and climb back down another 1.5m to the counter. It would be a long time before we figured out their way in - through a sink pipe leading directly to the ground outside, a shorter and more sensible route.
With this knowledge, we put up many defences, like salting around the sink hole, or covering it with a salt-soaked rag, and the ground outside, and leaving out plates of alcohol to attract them. Salting the sink happened every night (we had that much salt to burn). Even then, just a bit of lax (like when we went out for dinner) would give them an opening and they would invade our pots. I'm a squeamish person - just looking at the slugs made me want to bolt. But still, someone had to throw them outside. It is in such times where I feel most thankful to have at least one guy around haha! This went on for the rest of the internship period.
Turns out this is a common problem in the UK. Think it was esp bad for us coz we nvr groomed the overgrown grass at the back of our house. Nowadays, in face of trivial issues, we like to say "at least it's not slugs :)".
The End.]
Just thought I'd write something down to sum up this week's happenings, which might be continued if the weeks continue to be happening. Coz I meant from the start for this to be a general-purpose blog, my personal storybook. And I dun wanna keep it in limbo as I write them long travel posts. There are still all those small everyday things worth remembering, and I think I've given too many of them a miss. [The slug story is below, if you can't wait haha]
With Oslo 2014 cleared, there's still the Winter post, Bath+Bristol, and Cologne 2015 to write about. Haven't started on any of these even though the temptation is high for Cologne. Just know there was lots of beer, pork, and haribo involved.
Monday we had a good meal at Da Mario (again), as well as a great REP catchup. Other stuff and news to do with REP came in as well this week. Some were overwhelmingly positive, but others... I'm not quite so sure.
I've been climbing with sore wrists but it's not too bad. The right one keeps clicking away.
Made egg tarts ytd night! Been excited about this for quite a while, and I enjoyed it. I think it's not the baking that I enjoy, it's the baking with friends. I wouldn't bake alone. Interesting how the custard and the pastry bakes at the same rate - I'd nvr thought about that. There were a few drunk ppl in the kitchen we were in, so I was surreptitiously moving the tray of unbaked egg tarts around so that flailing hands wouldn't upset them. The tarts turned out awesome, prob coz we made them hahaha. After that we just talked and talked... just us 3/4 of Table 3. All the way until I realised I wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.
And this morning 5am (after just 2 hours of sleep), I was heading to Billingsgate fish market. The variety of seafood omg. You just ask for what you want and the sellers pick and pack them for you. No need to choose personally, but I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I'd intended to buy salmon and sotong, but came away with prawns and a seabass as well. Finally proper prawns! I have plans for them. xD And today I found out that my body can't tank 2 nights of severe sleep deprivation in 2 weeks. Took 2 naps today, which made up my sleep count to 4 hours, but was still pretty disoriented the whole time I was awake.
Just ended steamboat at Beit, had my first fishballs/tofu in 8 months! ^^ Skipped the post-dinner cards and drinks coz I dun think I can tank a 3rd night of too little sleep haha. Early start again tmr.
[I'd actually started thinking about writing this ytd night, when J and I were somehow discussing about slugs. Yep, slugs. They were a very real menace to us in the RR days. But I'd nvr blogged about this for some reason, even though it's an epic story we still love to tell. So here it is in its full glory!
Sometime in the summer, we came back and found what we first thought were a few (~4) mouldy pieces of pasta scattered around and in our pots, some of them slumped over the edges. Although we did recently cook pasta, to our horror, we saw that the "pasta" had antennas (or stalk-eyes whatever they are). And thus began a long-drawn battle with the slugs occasionally winning. Amusing on hindsight, but at that time...
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| This kind. |
Due to the lack of proper racks/shelves, we kept our washed utensils on the counter top beside the sink. Not ideal, but it was fine until They started seeking shelter from the nighttime cold. Basically, we couldn't figure out where and how they were getting in and onto our pots. This was also the point I thought we were damn suay to have a superslug family in our backyard. Not just smart, but speedy too coz within an hour or so (while we were distracted by the TV), they could scale the 3m wall from the outside, squeeze through a non-existent gap in the window, and climb back down another 1.5m to the counter. It would be a long time before we figured out their way in - through a sink pipe leading directly to the ground outside, a shorter and more sensible route.
With this knowledge, we put up many defences, like salting around the sink hole, or covering it with a salt-soaked rag, and the ground outside, and leaving out plates of alcohol to attract them. Salting the sink happened every night (we had that much salt to burn). Even then, just a bit of lax (like when we went out for dinner) would give them an opening and they would invade our pots. I'm a squeamish person - just looking at the slugs made me want to bolt. But still, someone had to throw them outside. It is in such times where I feel most thankful to have at least one guy around haha! This went on for the rest of the internship period.
Turns out this is a common problem in the UK. Think it was esp bad for us coz we nvr groomed the overgrown grass at the back of our house. Nowadays, in face of trivial issues, we like to say "at least it's not slugs :)".
The End.]
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