Birthday Wishes.

Happy 24th Birthday to my dear sister!
Even though I may be far from you, I send you much love from here in Germany.

Beautiful Autumn.

A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer's wave for goodbye. Seasons change and so does everything else. Autumn is here and winter soon. And I will be back where I belong.

Frankfurt!

Headed down to Frankfurt City last Saturday for a day trip with Philipp.

This was the first time that I have been to anywhere in Germany other than Hattenheim, the beautiful wineyard region that I live in. Frankfurt City drew an uncanny resemblance to Singapore. Towering skyscrapers everywhere. Nevertheless, Frankfurt itself was a beautiful city. There was the pretty Main River as well as old historical buildings that left me in complete awe. Because Philipp takes really unflattering pictures of me, there will be no pictures of me at all in this post. So blame this German, okay? Haha.

We went to this market look alike place and had pizza. Oh gosh, that was the first time that I had soooo much onions in my entire life. The whole slice of pizza was basically just bread and onion. I also had apple wine and I like it! It was neither too bitter nor too sweet.

By the way, did you know that Maggi was a brand from Germany? I was always under the impression that Maggi was a Singapore brand since there are always their cooking programs on television. Haha. Amazing contributions the Germans made to this world.

Oh, I watched "The Devil Wears Prada" here in Germany! It was the only cinema in Frankfurt that showed English movies and you have no idea how glad I was to embrace this movie. So the movie changed like 50% of the original storyline from the book, but it was interesting nevertheless.

So, that's about it for Frankfurt. Coming up next, my visit to beautiful Prague!

We Love London! Part II.

London 29th to 30th September 2006
Starring: We Heart Donuts!
Finally laid my hands mouth on Krispy Kremes. The World's Most Famous and Delicious Donuts. We bought our mouthwatering and delectable donuts from London Waterloo Train Station. Each of these sinful indulgence takes away five years of my life but adds unceremonious inches to my waistline. But who cares? Its not everyday that a person gets to eat Krispy Kremes.

Westminster was one of my favorite tourist attraction of London. This was the place where I learnt a great deal about the history of Britain. Bloody Mary. Winston Churchill. The Parliament.

In The Da Vinci Code, the Westminster Abbey was the place that Robert Langdon and Sophie Nevau had their square-off with the Teacher over the cryptex. It is basically a very old church burying the bodies of really important people like Issac Newton and Charles' Dickens.

The famous St. Paul had really breathtaking interior. It is really a pity that photography is not allowed in most churches and museums because the all white interior and three-dimension art on the wall were absolutely gorgeous.

Therefore, instead of capturing beautiful pictures of the monuments, we goofed about outside the church and took pictures of ourselves.

My final day in London was devoted to my one and only greatest love. SHOPPING! Haha. I made my first Japanese friend in London. Kentaro, joined us on my last day for shopping in London.

We had a late lunch at a dimsum restuarant that purportedly served the best dimsum in London. Being extremely hungry, we could not help ourselves but kept ordering. Add that to the measely-portioned nature of dimsums, we came up to one of the most expensive meals in London. It cost us 10 pounds* each person for our lunch.

*Edit: Elise says that the dimsum costs each of us 10 pounds and not 30 pounds each. So yup, here it is!

Shopping in London was absolutely fun! They had brands like Ted Baker, NEXT, Warehouse, Topshop, Gap, David & Goliath, Von Dutch, Paul Smith and so many more brands. And not to mention, their Warehouse and Topshop are like a hundred times bigger than the ones in Singapore. In my earlier hours of let's-get-crazy-shopping session, Elise and Nic went off to watch another Arsenal match while Kentaro and Chaiyut accompanied me shopping. I felt really bad because they had to sit around and wait for me while I satisfied my shopaholic fetish.

Dinner was at Mangosteen, a Thai Restaurant in Central London. My first experience with Thai food. Other than the tom yam soup which was not really to my liking, it was really great.

Living in Egham on the outskirts of London meant loads of time spent on the train. And below are also loads of funny pictures which are so random that they fall into no category in particular.

See the scary face on the window screen? Reminds me of the horror movie, The Eye.

That's about it for London. Oh right, my shopping buys that I promised from oh-so-long ago?

I love London! I give it five out of five Krispy Kremes!

We Love London! Part I.

London 26th-28th September 2006

Awoke at an ungodly hour of 5.30am on the 26th of September to a benumbing and chilly Tuesday morning. The rain had evidently diminished to a gentle patter but I could still feel the bitterness of the cold piercing mercilessly through my coat. I should have heeded the signs from the skies that it was going to be more than just a friendly wintry week in London. It rained almost every single day during the week that I was in London and most of the time, my coat was insufficient to keep me warm, resulting in a trembling me.

It took me more than 3 hours to get to the outskirts of London at Egham despite arriving at the London Stansted Airport at one in the afternoon. There it was that I was introduced to one of the most hilarious person that I have ever met, Chaiyut. Oh my god. He is so corny that he could easily give one of the jokers from the twenty-sixers a run for their money.

We stayed on the outskirts of London at Egham, in the luxurious dormitory-apartment of Royal Holloway College. This is where I met many other Asian students in additional to Chaiyut, the new Thai friend that I just met.

The very next morning was spent exploring the Tower of London. The Tower of London was built many centuries ago and serves not only as a tourist of attraction for the modern day but continues to serve as an important fortress for Great Britain. This is the place that houses the legendary Royal Crown of Queen Elizabeth along with many girls’ best friends – DIAMONDS! Haha.

Great Britain is the home of Paddington Bear. Remember the bear with a raincoat and sign that says “Please take care of me”?

By the way, I met Julia Roberts in London. She was really friendly and posed for a picture with us in her signature thousand megawatts smile.

Fooled you, didn’t I? Nicholas, Elise and I went to the most famous wax museum in the world, Madam Tussads, to get ourselves up close and personal with celebrities. This would be the closest that we would ever get to snuggle so cozily to these Hollywood stars and historical figures.

Pretty Woman and me.

I nearly killed Collin Farell. At the sight of him, the overzealous me made a mad scramble for him and in a sheer moment of over-enthusiasm, almost knocked his entire wax figurine down. Imagine what would have happened then. I probably have to apply for a work permit in London and spend the rest of my youth working at Madam Tussads to pay for the shattered wax figurine of Collin Farell.

The Beckhams.

I heart Johnny Depp!

Gorgeous Orlando Bloom.

Whoopi Goldberg and Robin William.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – SMG.

Bond Girls!

Marilyn Monroe and her famous posture.

The Beatles!

Madam Tussads was totally amazing but freaky. There was a horror section in the museum which is evidently not for the faint hearted. What with bloodied reel people creeping around you and making an abrupt grab for you, your feet and your hands, I could feel my adrenaline pumping more than usual. I was basically squashing myself in the middle of Elise and Nicholas and holding on to them all the way. Not that it was of much use because the dead people have their job to do – totally freak you out. No doubt that I was totally petrified by the horror section, I had amazing fun at Madam Tussads.

I found a new love – broadway musicals! Watched my first ever musical, Les Miserables in London. The tickets cost me a small fortune but it was totally worth it. The play was absolutely brilliant and we had splendid view of the actors and actresses from our seats. I am so in love with musicals now!

That is all for now. More about the rest of London coming up soon!

Awful Day.

I am feeling really feverish now. I cannot even drink my favorite coffee now. The chilliness of the air makes me feel worse. Being alone here in my room makes it all the more difficult.

It is times like these when I just want to go home.

Updates. Italy Finale: Venice!

Hallo! I am back from Prague. Had a fantabulous time in Prague shopping, indulging in gourmet and sight-seeing with Eliz. The past two weeks have been incredibly beautiful. Most importantly, it was spent with lovely people along the charming sights of London and Prague that was totally bewitching.

Came home from class in the evening totally burnt out and weary. All the incessant traveling, late nights and daily chores have left me feeling so fatigue. Fell asleep while doing my readings on the bed and awoke all of a sudden feeling totally disoriented. For a moment, I was confused about where I was. Was I back in Singapore? Or was I still at Eliz’s dorm? It took the loud clanging in the kitchen by the housemate-that-I-utterly- dislike to make me realize that I was back in my room in Germany.

The pace is quickening and my classes are starting to gain momentum. I checked my timetable this morning and got a rude shock when I realized that I actually have classes every single day for this week. It is time for me to get down to actual studying here.

Was actually planning to head down to Frankfurt during this week with Philipp but muddle-headed me totally forgot that I have classes this week and therefore, spoiled all our plans. Even though I have been here for nearly two months and have been to so many cities and countries, I have not yet explored Germany at all. The closest I have been to Frankfurt is the Frankfurt International Airport when I touched down in August. How sad. I was so looking forward to Frankfurt. Anyway, Louis Vuitton has to wait, my dear sister.

************

Final post about Italy. Famed for being one of the most romantic cities in the world, Venice lived up to its name. Surrounded by water and river, the main modes of transport in Venice are the ferries and gondolas – the river taxis. The panoramic view of the sea from the ferries was breathtaking. Now I finally understand why twins are enjoying themselves so much in New Zealand when there are only grass, mountains and seas there! I love the rivers in Venice so much!

The gondolas riding down the rivers are really pretty. Furnished so extravagantly, the gondolas look like it is specially made for a King. No doubt the price of a ride down the river in a gondola is fit for a King only. The myriad of beautiful flowers overlooking the river from the balcony of restaurants, cafes and shops made me fall in love with Venice even more. Think Casanova and you will be able to imagine what the river of Venice looks like.

One of the most famous attractions of Venice was the masks. In the past, the citizens of Venice wear masks everywhere to go. Men and women alike. The funniest thing is the extent they go to hide their identity such that nobody knows what their neighbors look like. How mysterious.

In Saint Marco lies a really beautiful monument. There are the twelve horoscope signs imprinted on the walls of the building and the huge clock starts to chime every single hour without fail. Not to mention, in the square before the monument lies one hundred million pigeons that flocks dangerously close to you when you walk across the square. To be honest, I was so afraid that I would be attacked by these creatures that I basically carried an umbrella with me all the way through the square, just in case, I needed to wrestle with these little but less than desirable darlings.

Food in Venice was really expensive in general. However, I have grown to realize along the trip in Italy that not having a decent breakfast can have extremely adverse effects on my friends for I can develop into a grouchy and moody person for the entire day. Such is the wise sayings of the doctor: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Haha.

Anyway, towards the end of the trip in Venice, I had already spent so much money that I could not be bothered with counting every single Euros. Along with Gizem, the both of us had really good breakfast in one of the cafes even though it cost us a bomb. In case you didn’t realize, most places in Europe carry additional charges for sitting down to eat in the cafes and every single ketchup and mayonnaise that the staff offers you costs money. So think three times before you blindly say yes.

The fornarina was the best pastry that I have ever eaten to date. Wrapped with chocolate in the sugar coated thin and crispy crust, it offered a sweet combination that leaves me wanting more. Somehow, all the croissants that I ate in Italy were wrapped with jam inside. Totally unique and different from the buttery ones that I always eat.

See this picture? It is really blurred because this is a picture of a picture. Get the picture? Haha. Bad pun there. This is what happens when high tide comes. The whole shop gets totally flooded.

A balloon made of metal. This is so cool.

More views of the river from different corners of Venice.

This is Gizem, my Turkish friend. She is one hot babe!

There was actually a riot going on in Venice. Not on a huge scale and the people of Venice seems pretty nonchalant about it. But being a typical Singaporean who has never seen a riot and whose closest brush with law is crossing the road when the traffic light is still red, this is definitely new stuff for me.

That’s it for Venice. This is definitely the best city in Italy. I love Venice! Anyway, up next on this blog, London! London was the most fun that I had among all my trips because my company was absolutely hilarious. I am so looking forward to blog about London but not now, my dears. It is exactly 3am now in Germany now. Time for me to catch some sleep before my class tomorrow.

Off to Prague!

Will be leaving for Prague in a few minutes time to visit Elise. Back on Sunday.

Meanwhile, take care, all you sweeties.

Love,
huiling

Asian Party!

Attended the first party ever to be held by a Singaporean here in Germany. Lai Meng was totally piqued and absorbed in a feverish mode for the past days because it was her first party ever and was determined to make it a resounding success.

Unlike the countless Mexican and German parties that I have been to for the past months, this Asian party was a huge contrast. There was no alcohol. At least not until the Canadians and French came and brought along their own beer and wine. Instead, we had Coke and Chinese Tea. Haha. It was Lai Meng’s attempt to inculcate in those angmohs, our very own Mid-Autumn Festival.

Fun Fact: Did you know that the fifteenth of the eighth month in the Lunar Calendar is called the Mid-Autumn Festival and not the Moon Cake Festival?

Gosh. Being only interested in the moon cakes and nothing else, I have been calling this day the Moon Cake Festival for the past twenty-going-to-twenty-one-years. Haha. But whatever, I still am going to call it Moon Cake Festival.

I made this myself! Oh my, Mummy will be so proud of me.

eve; wathisname, lai meng; lai meng, cherry, jun, wathisname, wathisname; wathisname, lai meng, wathisname; hokyu, jacky; josh, dikun; philipp; josh, wathisname, alexandra, max; wathisname, wathisname, lee, wathisname.

Great food. It has been a long time since I ate home cooked Asian food in the famous Singaporean buffet style. I am missing Chinese food so much. Siew mais, har gows, spring rolls, dumplings, xiao long baos, char siew buns, lotus paste buns and mooncakes.

I am soooooooo hungry now.

Back from London!

I am back from London!! And guess what? I am finally blogging from home! The internet connection has finally arrived after what seems like eons.

Came home on Sunday evening to a pleasant surprise that still gets me grinning like a Chesire Cat whenever I look at it. The parcel that my Mum sent me has arrived! My lovely Mexican neighbour and housemate, Olga and Cherry, collected the parcel from the doorstep when they arrived home from their exams last Monday. Apparently, it arrived just mere hours after I left for London.

Evidently, my Mum was so concerned and upset about my not having anything to eat because I could not cook for goodness sake, that she sent me almost a carton of instant noodles. As much as I appreciate the gesture, I doubt I would be able to finish all the food without turning into a female version of Lex Luthor. (Too much monosodium glutamate causes hair loss, my dears!).

Lying on top of my parcel was a fleece blanket. The peculiar thing about the arrival of this fleece blanket was that it was sitting on top of my parcel when it arrived. Not inside but outside. The initial inspiration I got was that the pretty fleece blanket was sent to me by my dear sisters. However, after much deliberation, I realized that if it were sent to me by my mum, then it would be inside the parcel and not on top of it. Besides, neither my mum nor sisters had any clue about any blanket in the parcel that they sent. The uncanny part of this gift was that I saw a similar fleece blanket when I was out in Wiesbaden shopping the week before and had already made intentions to purchase it. Only to relinquish the idea when I thought of the dilemma of an excess baggage when I return to Singapore. Read it whatever way you want – creepy or a sweet gesture. I would pick the latter. Hmm.. I think I have a secret admirer! Gasp! Haha.

Back to London. London was uber fun! What with Tower of London, Madam Tussads, London Bridge, Westminster, Big Ben, London Eye, Broadway musicals and of course, amazing shopping brands like Topshop, Miss Selfridge, David and Goliath, Ted Baker, Paul Smith, Gap, Urban Outfitters and NEXT. Shopping, I love!!!

Anyway, before I begin blogging about London, I have still one more post about Venice to go. So all due soon. Will be leaving for Prague tomorrow to visit Elise. More girls’ talk. Shopping. And eating like a King!