Rachel's Blog

Versailles

2008-12-28T05:42:00.012+08:00

Yesterday, it was the 4 of us together again to Chateau de Versailles (castle). It is just 30 minutes from Paris. It was a very beautiful but really cold day of -2 degrees celcius and it feels worse than usual for me because I was sick. We did not really do or walk much, but I enjoyed myself as we laughed and joked around and had much fun.

the window latch

beautiful sunset
It was Chinese dinner and home later.

On a random note, I would like to say that Paris is getting colder and colder each day. It's totally crazy. Today, it was -3 degrees throughout the day. I would never survive without my gloves and beanie. Without my beanie at Versailles yesterday, my ears suffered serious torture and were extremely red and hard by the time I got home. Well, can't wait to go back! I hope I don't get more sick though, considering that it will be a sudden jump of temperature from below 0 degrees to 30+ degrees!!

My dear friends, see all of you soon!! Date me for coffee and I'll bring my laptop so you can see all the pictures! A bientot.. ciao!

Disneyland

2008-12-25T03:17:00.017+08:00

Yesterday was Disneyland with T, K and Y! It was my first time ever in Disneyland. I totally felt like a kid again but the joy I felt was indescribable. You feel very carefree, happy, getting all excited and waving at Mickey, Donald etc because they are just soooo cute!

Herby!

motor stunt show

no need for introduction for this character

the ride that drops you down vertically in the building. great thrill!!

this room is where all the costumes are made

a movie set

the parade at night

facade

part of the huuugggee interior "land"

I only managed to take 3 heart-stopping rides as the queues were all very long and spent the rest of the day on a few other rides, watching shows and the parade. All in all, I enjoyed myself greatly as this was such a magical experience!

Black Friday

2008-12-21T19:28:00.011+08:00

Friday was a really, really sad day for all of us. I went to school to have the last lunch with the peeps. It was many of them's last day. And then someone started a chain reaction - L started crying at the lunch table and everyone started tearing too. And this was just the start. Later on, everyone started crying at the smoking corner and all of us were in such an emotional mess.

The worst hit came when we all walked Borja to the school gate and we all burst in tears - even T (a guy) was crying. Oh gosh it was such a horrible scene that really breaks my heart. I kept having flashbacks of how we first met, the fun and laughter that we had, the house parties and nights out that we had etc...

Even though it was just 3.5 months together, everyone really, truly bonded and supported each other. It hurts so much to see all of us break up. Well, at least most of them live in Europe, so it's not that bad. But for me, it's impossible to see them soon. I decided that I might try to save money in a few years to come back for a gathering, especially to see Tania. She is coming to Asia too in a few years.

Now for some pictures on the last day:

red eyes and trying to smile

with the Germans at our very last party

with a Japanese-Korean-Canadian, American and Argentinian-German. lol.

I am really dreading the 29th - the last time I will be seeing the people dearest to me - Tania, Thomas, FP, Sophie and Leighai (who coincidentally happen to be the people who haven't left yet, or they are French). I guess I'd most likely have a major breakdown on that day.

Well, making the most of my time here. Have been meeting Tania up. We went shopping at Champs-Élysées yesterday!

I'm beginning to dress Parisien

playing with foam at Saint Michel

sadly those wallets are not mine! :(
We had really good and cheap dinner - ultimately delicious and tasy. Shaved chicken meat in panini or pita with chips for 5 EUR. It is one of my most favourite food in Paris.

It was a drink and home afrer that for us.

Paris At Its Best

2008-12-18T23:55:00.008+08:00

With 12 more days to my departure, I now look back and think about how I've lived my life here. Although it was only 4 months here, it was a different, exiciting, challenging 4 months. I have sooo many stories to tell when I get back! So, if you wanna know, date me out for coffee! Hehehe!

So, if you ask me, what are the most interesting facts about Paris? Here are the Top 3:

1. You can do anything you want in the Metro (train). ANYTHING. I've seen people scream, shout, laugh loudly, hold parties (yes you heard me right!), buskers, sing, play hide-and-seek (this is a very popular game among TEENS, where you jump around carriages), fight etc.... Oh and to pee in the Metro station is very common.

2. Parisiens are NUMBER ONE in parking skills. Really. They win anyone HANDS DOWN. Just look at their parallel parking:

And if, like me, you're wondering that it's impossible to get out, think again:

And on how to get IN:

I see these happen all the time till there is no kick in seeing anymore. Lol.
On top of having superb parking skills, they have "great" driving skills.

Traffic jam? No problem, just drive up the pavement to cut the queue!

Need a U-turn? No problem, just drive over the divider!

Oh, and if you are like Paris Hilton and her chihuahua or the Japanese, this is the place for you.

3. Treat your dog as your (human) companion! No problem! He could go on the Metro with you, to the supermarket, bars, restaurants, shops, departmental shops... anywhere!

Interesting? You bet.

La Vallée Village + Mahjong Session

2008-12-16T19:09:00.011+08:00

On Sunday, Y and I went to La Vallée Village to do some shopping. It was a village with rows of shops where you can find branded stuff at factory price. They are not defected goods - just goods of the past season. There was Burberry, Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, Agnes B, Armani etc... I bought a Burberry wallet and 2 Polo Ralph Lauren Polo-Tees!

After that, we met up with the rest of the Singaporeans and their French friends. It was just the usual house party but with an Asian touch - Mahjong. Woohoo! After most of the people left, we played rounds and rounds of Mahjong. Luckily, there was no bet. Being super lousy, I wouldn't have played if it involved money. Not willing to 交学费...

TY teaching Cyril how to play. He learns fast because he knows how to read Chinese!

my shitty cards at the start of the game. but i still won. hehehehehe
We stayed over at their place as it was late. The next morning, C drove us to their school as it was near the RER. Their school (ESIEE) is so big and nice!

with Reyes and Faizal
Had a really fun day with them! Oh and some other random pictures taken in school during the last lesson:

the one and only French girl that I like - Sophie

the 3 guys who made our stay so fun - Borja, FP and Thomas
I reckon I will take loads of other pictures tonight and on Friday. We're trying to squeeze as many gatherings as possible. I am gonna make the most of my remaining days here spending time with the rest, especially with Tania, who is like my mother/sister. She is always protecting me, listening to me etc... Will definitely stay in touch with her when I'm back.

Gala d'Advancia @ Tapis Rouge + Chez Moi

2008-12-14T00:07:00.009+08:00

I would say this "gala" was more of our own party. We didn't give two hoots about other people who were around. We just enjoyed ourselves thoroughly - laughing, drinking, dancing... It was a great, great time.

Before the gala, everyone came over to our place. We talked and laughed and had some drinks first. Thankfully, the crazy neighbours of ours weren't in. They came back right after we left. We made our way to Tapis Rouge by metro. The gala wasn't a gala - it was just expensive clubbing. It would have been considered bad and boring if weren't for all the fun-loving international students. We made our own night.

at my house

with Thomas & Tania - freakin tall people

with Thomas :)

with Sophie

i love these people

For more pictures, I have the full album on my Facebook. It was one of my best nights ever in Paris. I will definitely be so sad to leave them.

Heartwarming

2008-12-13T00:18:00.003+08:00

After the shit that happened to me on the ski trip, I am in fact very happy and very touched now. When I told T and some others the story, they were so upset and word soon got round the international students. I was very surprised that everyone was very, very concerned and angry. And I was even more surprised that I was not alone - shit happened to 2 others too.

They were so upset that everyone decided not to go for the Gala night. T even walked up to R for a refund of the ticket; telling him "You know what? We're all gonna stand together and if this is the kind of attitude we are getting from this school, fuck it."

Well however, HS, me and the Chinese already bought the tickets and R refused to refund. And so, at the very last minute, the dear international students decided to go for the Gala. We're all going TOGETHER. I really, really am so happy and appreciative of everyone here. The Chinese, Spanish, Italians, Americans, Germans - I never expected everyone to be so united and so supportive of me.

Tonight is our night. Fuck those French. We'll have our own time before everyone leaves. I'm sure I'll miss them loads... Have taken lots of pictures these few days with the dearies. Will post them up soon.

Sephora

2008-12-12T08:22:00.003+08:00

I frequent this, in Champs-Élysées:

In 18 days, I thought I would never see my haven again. I love the pencils and brushes... But no!

SEPHORA IS COMING TO SINGAPORE!

Woohoo! This is so great. I'm gonna get Jov to help me check out the prices in SG. Hope it's not too expensive. And if it's more expensive, I'll make everyone jealous by buying a shitload from Paris. Muahahahha.....

Ski Trip - ultimate (fruitful) nightmare

2008-12-08T14:04:00.013+08:00

"Phew!" That was the first thing on my mind when I reached Paris 1 hour ago. I have to say that this ski tip was the most frightful, horrendous, yet fruitful trip I ever had. Just 2 days made me open up my mind - very greatly.

Day 1

R (French) told us we could ski with them, because it was his first time skiing too. When it was time to ski, the group was nowhere to be found. As I expected, TY and I were left alone. After all, we were the only 2 foreigners in this ski trip. I thought, never mind... It doesn't matter.

The only way to start skiing was to take the chairlift up the slope as we were in the valley. And so we did - thinking it was not far and that we could take the chairlift down again if we couldn't ski. No, we were wrong. Upon arrival, the only way to get back down was to ski. (It was just the "tiny" first level)

Obviously, we didn't know how to move, stop or manoeuver. We decided to watch other people, and then try. I swear it wasn't easy AT ALL. The slope was about 50 degreea steep. We fell time after time. It was not just simply landing on our butt and stuff. We practically rolled, twisted in every way you can imagine - thankfully we didn't break any bones.

Since we were beginners ALONE, we take about 10 minutes on average just to pick ourselves up. You have to actually bend your body to try to take off your ski so you can stand up. And it was hard and painful to do that because both your legs are locked in tight boots on long skis. By right, we could have just stood up with 10 seconds - IF there was someone to help us up. But no. I swear that throughout our whole ordeal, at least 100 people passed us and only 1 or 2 stopped to help us. We fell and fell and sometimes just sat in the snow for 30 minutes because we were too exhausted to carry on.

Ok, now here's the gist of it all - suddenly there was a snow storm. It was snowing really, really heavily. Snow beat against our cheeks and neck. It was impossible to keep our hoods on as the winds were too strong. Soon, we couldn't feel our cheeks, toes and fingers. And we couldn't pick ourselves up from the snow. We were so, so scared. This is the first time in many years that I have felt extreme fear - indescribable with words. Maybe I could even count it as the most intense fear I've ever felt. Wild thoughts soon flooded my mind - what if we couldn't make it down? Maybe we even have to get a helicopter to rescue us. I was on the verge of crying.

We haven't ate and were very weak. It was obvious we were in agony, lying in the snow and trying to get up but can't. No one stopped to help. I was so afraid that I would lose my toes or fingers from frost bite. Finally, after I don't know how long, we manage to pick ourselves up and carry on.

After getting past the 50 degree slope, we reach a fork. Thank God I can read French. The sign distinguished between difficult and easy. But in the storm, I couldn't see the way. I was afraid that the sign could have been blown in the wrong direction or something. I was getting very paranoid. Thank God again I can speak some French. I asked a girl how to get to the valley, and whether the sign pointed the right way. In my broken French, I managed get the information I want and so we started off in the direction "Facile".

This time, it was easier. the slope was about 30 - 40 degrees and the snow was much smoother. Of course, we fell time and again and sat in the snow for minutes. But we were getting better at slowing down and stopping and the storm was clearing. We soon felt stronger and braver. Each time we fell, we were determined to pick ourselves up and make it fast to the valley. We fell less and less and soon started to get the hang of it. We even took pictures when we were down on our ass.

Finally, after 4 - 5 hours, we were back to where we came from. (Usually it takes only 40 mins for one to get down) I was so, so relieved. After the extremely frightening experience, we actually felt glad, happy, strong and determined.

we conquered this! can you believe it?!

pride and a sense of achievement!

tired but happy
After that, it was back to our room and we were totaly knocked out from extreme fatigue.

Day 2

This time, we met R on the way. He offered for us to join them. And so we did. Well, when we reached the top, the rest of the group decided to go higher up and we were left with a girl and guy. we skiied down the same route again. I don't know if yesterday's experience made me so strong and determined - but I got very good at it. I fell only about 2 - 3 times. In fact, I could even go left, right, S shape without anyone teaching me. I guess it's because I am very good at rollerblading - I just used the same technique (except for stopping). TY had a much harder time than I did. The guy (let's call him RM) who was with us very kindly helped her each time she fell.

I made it to the valley within 40 minutes. I was so happy. We went up again - and they decided to go higher. We followed them only because there was a BBQ planned for us at the snow park - which was on top. They told us that there was the "Facile" (Easy) slope for us to get down. And we went higher and higher.

Eventually, we found ourselves stranded in the "Tres Difficile" (Very difficult) slope. What. The. Fuck. It was about 70 - 80 degrees steep and the snow was rough and uneven. It was the only way down. And so I tried, very, very, slowly. Surprisingly, I didn't fall much - I was just slow. Poor TY had a very, very hard time. She fell countless times and I could tell she was on the verge of crying. I felt helpless because I couldn't control the ski that well to stop on the steep slope and help her up.

Thankfully, RM was here and throughtout our 5 hour ski, he helped her all the way and waited for us. The rest of the group eventually abandoned us because we were too slow. Only he stayed behind. We met up with the rest at a restaurant and they ate lunch. After that, the rest of the group skiied down while we took the cable car with RM, R and L. You couldn't imagine my joy when I found that the cable car took us right down to the valley - meaning no more skiing! (It was not the same for the chairlifts - only one way UP)

My happiness was soon taken over by fear as we found ourselves stranded again - 3km from our chalet. (According to what the locals tell us) It was freezing cold, we were lugging our 5kg skis and we were lost. It was near impossible to walk. We tried to hitch a ride for 30 - 45 minutes but no one was willing to help us. After many failed attempts, someone was finally willing to fetch us - he was the organiser of our ski trip. We were extremely lucky to have caught him when he drove past.

We were back to our chalet in no time. TY and I were weak again, being stranded in the alps without food or water. In about an hour, it was time for us to leave. Another surprise waited for us in the bus. Here comes the most "EXCITING" part:

This group of french girls told us to get out of our seats because it was "already taken". Obviously, it was not because there were no belongings there at all. Not wanting to make a fuss, we just got up to find another seat.

However, there were no more seats left. The only 2 single seats were taken up by people's bags. We were left standing like idiots for about 10 minutes with the student in charge trying to get seats for us. And can you imagine it: NO ONE WAS WILLING TO LET US SIT. He went to the back to ask the girls what happened and although she spoke in French, I understood that she did not want us to sit near them. All the girls stared daggers at us - like we were dirt. I was so fucking pissed.

Eventually, a guy was forced to move to sit with another guy and he was cursing and swearing and stared at us like poison. The girls were sniggering and talking about us. Even when the journey started and they started to play movies, they still continued to taunt us by saying very sarcartically "Francais" and a string of other phases about "Anglais" when asked what language they wanted to watch the movie in.

Fuck those bitches. Fuck racism. I didn't give a shit anymore. I was angry but now I don't care. To me, this whole trip was certainly an eye-opener and even though we've been through loads of shit, I really, really learnt a lot and I feel stronger and braver than before.

Although I lost weight, have bruises all over and my body aches like hell, I did not regret going for this trip. The alps are very beautiful and it was certainly a good and invaluable learning experience.

TGIF

2008-12-06T00:05:00.004+08:00

WOOHOO!!! I am going to ski!! I am soo excited but scared at the same time because it will be my first time on the mountains and I have no freakin idea how to ski. Also, besides TY (who is going with me), I don't know anyone else. The rest are all French people. They'll probably speak French all the time and although I understand a little, I can't freakin speak it!

Anyway, I'm greatful that I was able to borrow everything I needed - waterproof large jacket, ski pants, gloves and goggles. I just hope I won't come back with 2 shades on my face because the UV rays are so strong up on the mountains and I'll be wearing huuugggeee goggles. Gonna apply lots of sunscreen!! And gonna wear my cute little ear band thingy under my beanie lest my ears drop off. Hehehehe..

I'll be back on Monday with beautiful pictures!! Je suis très heureusse! Ciao...

Snowing!

2008-11-30T08:30:00.003+08:00

IT'S SNOWING IN PARIS!!! Can't believe this is actually the first timw I'm seeing snow in my life. Lol.

Catacombes et un Repas Chinois

2008-11-30T06:33:00.008+08:00

Aujourd'hui, nous sommes allés aux Catacombes avec les autres étudiants de NYP. C'était angoissant et sinistre mais amusant parce que c'était avec les autres étudiants de NYP.

Okay, I am trying to practise my French because I have an exam this coming thursday. Dammit. Anyway, it was a great day because we were out with other students from NYP Engineering school. They were doing Final Year Project (FYP) at ESIEE (an engineering school just outside of Paris). We met through a french friend, who did an exchange with NYP last semester. Pictures of Catacombes below:

some well thingy

we're entering the freaky area!

The story of Catacombes, as extracted from Wikipedia:

Most of Paris's larger churches once had their own cemeteries, but city growth and generations of dead began to overwhelm them. From the late seventeenth century, Paris' largest Les Innocents cemetery (near the Les Halles district in the middle of the city) was saturated to a point where its neighbors were suffering from disease, due to contamination caused by improper burials, open mass graves, and earth charged with decomposing organic matter.

After almost a century of ineffective decrees condemning the cemetery, it was finally decided to create three new large-scale suburban cemeteries and to condemn all existing within the city limits; the remains of all condemned cemeteries would be moved discreetly to a renovated section of Paris's abandoned quarries. The use of the depleted quarries for the storage of bones, based on the idea of Police Lieutenant General Alexandre Lenoir, was established in 1786 by his successor, M. Thiroux de Crosne, under the direction of Charles Axel Guillaumot, Inspector General of Quarries.

After the visit, we went to our Chinese friends' place to have dinner. They very kindly whipped up a super delicious 8 dish meal for us. I am gonna learn how to make 宫宝鸡丁 and 扒丝苹果!

刘腾 cooking 扒丝苹果

一可，蒙蒙 and I
Had a really filling and great dinner and went home after that. Yes, as you can see from above, I put on weight. Dammit. I am gonna SOS exercise when I am back in 1 month's time.

Dublin Trip

2008-11-25T08:19:00.030+08:00

The reason for not updating the past few weeks was because I had nothing new/interesting to update. Haha. But now I have. I went to Dublin for 3 days. Stayed at Tania's house.

Day 1
First stop was Insomnia - something like Starbucks. They serve REALLY good hot chocolate. Basically, fresh chocolate is melted in hot milk - they don't use powder.

After that, went to the tourist office to collect my hop on/off bus tickets. It is certainly a good and fast way to explore Dublin if you're only here for awhile.

me in the bus

with the famous Molly Malone statue
If you've heard, Ireland is also known as "The Land of Guiness". I went to the Guiness Storehouse to see how the draughts were made.

view from the top tower
After that was shopping! I shopped at Henry Street and Grafton Street. I love the layout of the shops - it was well centralised and not confusing unlike those of Paris.

Henry Street

Grafton Street

St Stephen's Green Shopping Ctr

Tommy Hilfiger was in the shop!!!!

too bad it was too crowded to get a glimpse of him
Day 2
First up was Trinity College - The Book of Kells. As extracted from Wikipedia:
The Book of Kells (Irish: Leabhar Cheanannais) (Dublin, Trinity College Library, MS A. I. (58), sometimes known as the Book of Columba) is an illuminated manuscript in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was transcribed by Celtic monks ca. 800. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.

Sadly, there was no photography allowed so I didn't managed to take any pictures. However, if you are interested you can find out more about it from Wikipedia - there are pictures too!

After that, I headed to Dublinia nad Christchurch Cathedral. Dublinia is a place where you can find out all about the medival/viking era.

They actually show how you can know how the above skeleton looks like when he/she was alive. Click to enlarge and read the words in the pictures below:

this is how the woman looks like when she was alive

Christchurch Cathedral

As it was getting dark and really cold, I headed to Temple Bar as the last stop and it was home after that. Temple Bar is a traditonal, very Irish bar.

At home, Tania's housemate gave me a makeover. She very kindly taught me how to put on eyeshadow, fake eyelashes and even gave me makeup. She is such a nice person! Look at my nice makeup below! (Ignore my weird/scary expression. I don't know how to pose/look into the camera!)

Day 3
Day 3 only existed because I missed my flight. So I stayed home most of the day. Went out only to buy groceries and to ice-skate! The ice-skating rink was very much like Singapore's - with the exception that they blast disco music.

All in all, I enjoyed my Dublin Trip a lot because the city is beautiful and mainly because Tania's housemate was such a nice girl.

Asian Groceries At Last

2008-11-04T20:48:00.008+08:00

WOOOHHHOOOOOO!!! I am so happy! I found an Asian provision store near my house and the things are very cheap there!! Look at my loot:

egg noodle - something like meepok and it's only 1 EUR compared to simliar products at supermarkets for 3 EUR

出前一丁!! 0.60 EUR compared to supermarkets' 1.50 EUR for sucky european brands

Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce for 2.50 EUR compared to supermarkets' 5 EUR and some ulu brand

my favourite peanuts!! hehehehe
Although the noodles are not really meepok, but at least the taste is familiar chinese taste and something close to my heart! Below is the cooked 'meepok' with pork. Looks like fettucine but sure tastes Chinese! =D

The shop sells many other things like grean beans, curry powder, Yeo's soya bean drink, coconut juice (those in the shell still), lots of Chinese fish etc.... When I manage to gather my Chinese recipes, I am gonna go there to get my groceries! Surprisingly, everything there is cheaper than the supermarkets - including rice. I expected Asian groceries to be very expensive. Hohoho I am so glad now....!

Chantilly

2008-10-31T02:04:00.013+08:00

Today was finally a day out for me! After staying at home since sunday... I was kinda on a drama serial spree. Lol. Dragged my tired arse outta the house into the freezing cold (2deg) at 10 in the morning and met Tania. We were headed towards Chantilly. Chantilly is in Picardie, just 30 minutes from Paris by TER train.

We arrived at Gare du Nord and queued at the ticket booth. When it was our turn, we were horrified to be told that we were in the wrong area (after queueing for 10 mins). I was so afraid that we would miss the 10H40 train. And so we ran all the way up to the right area (Grande Lignes) and bought our tickets via a self-service kiosk. Gare du Nord is sooo big and we were running all around confused. We finally boarded the train at 10H38. Phew!!

view from inside the train, on the way
We arrive in Chantilly-Gouvieux after 27 minutes.

the beautiful Chantilly castle

the garden

the library
After a long walk in the park, Tania and I left the castle and slowly walked out towards town. We were so cold and tired. I was looking down at the floor, dragging my feet and wishing that I could be in shelter soon and guess what... When I looked up I saw FP, my french friend. He was with Yann. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was just... omg? Such a coincidence!! And off we went into his car - shelter and warmth at last!

feels weird to be on the right side of the road...

i love this girl
FP dropped us at the train station after that and we were back to Paris. More pictures can be seen here.

tired but happy at the end of the day! :)

River Seine

2008-10-20T02:37:00.010+08:00

Another week has passed. I have been in Paris for almost 50 days. Time really flies.... School was as usual. I was given one particularly interesting assignment for Consumer Behaviour - to design a creative poster for Absolut. Examples of posters are:

I was to create something like the posters above (you can see more of them at http://www.absolutad.com). The topic given was a place/country/city/population. I bloody didn't have photoshop and neither did I know how to use anyway. So I used Photo Impression, the software which came with my Canon camera. For once I was so thankful I had such a programme. To the best of my ability, I edited photos for more than 3 hours and here I present to you my final piece:

************
On Saturday, it was a lazy day out - slacking and relaxing by the River Seine. It was so, so beautiful. The pictures below really do not do justice to it. A camera simply can't capture the beauty of all the magnificent things here in Paris.

Parvin's Visit Part II

2008-10-15T04:13:00.005+08:00

Monday was school as usual for me. Managed to have time to take Parvin out shortly though - during my break. We went to the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre.

After school was drinks with friends. Love this fun bunch of people man.

And another backdated picture of the Erasmus party which I acquired recently:

i love this picture hahaha

Parvin's Visit to Paris

2008-10-13T06:09:00.021+08:00

Parvin is here!! Wooo... We visited so many places today. First stop was Jardin du Tuileries!

Next up was the Louvre Museum! After being in Paris for more than a month, I finally visted the Louvre today. It is really huge. I heard that if you spend a minute at each exhibition, you would take 6 years to finish seeing everything in the Louvre.

the famous Mona Lisa painting

coronation crown of Louis XV

egyptian jewellery

is the tomb of Mary under that small pyramid?
Headed to Champs Elysees next to walk around and to see the Arc De Triomphe.

Next was to La Defense, where the Grande Arche was. La Defense is the major commercial centre where all the office buildings are. There is also a giant shopping centre there. Unfortunately, everything was closed as it is Sunday.

We slacked there and waited for the sun to set so we could go to the Eiffel Tower. (it looks nicer at night)

stupid boy so extra
Final destination was Notre Dame. Kept telling Parvin about orbs appearing in my photos the previous time and she got freaked out. Hahaha.

After a long and exhausting day today, it was home finally. Shucks, 9am school tomorrow! Zzz. And so I'm off to sleep..........

Bastille

2008-10-11T23:07:00.005+08:00

It was Bastille on thursday after school with hs.

the Opera Bastille

p.s I love my new boots hahaha
Nothing much to do there except walk around. Did some shopping as I really had a lack of clothes. Can't wait for Sunday where Parvin will be coming over to Paris and I could take her around! Woohoo! :D

Jardin du Luxembourg

2008-10-08T02:15:00.009+08:00

It was Jardin du Luxembourg today! One of the most beautiful gardens I've seen. You could slack the day away watching the clear blue sky, admiring flowers, chatting etc...

No school for today! Neither for tomorrow! Hehehehehe.....

Parisien

2008-10-04T23:36:00.006+08:00

Last night was really a true blue Parisien night for me. Met up with hs and her French friends for a night out. We took the Velib - the bicycle. And later went on to slack and chat at our French friend's house. Remember my earlier post on the Velib?

Paris has Velib stations all over where you could rent a bicycle for only 1 EUR. You can return the bikes at any Velib station which makes it so convenient. Another perk is that it is free for the first half an hour.

It's a shame I forgot to bring my camera though. But here is how the Velib looks like:

Paris is so bicycle-friendly - the roads have a bicycle lane. A typical Parisien takes the Velib most of the time to work or school if it is nearby. I always wanted to try the Velib and finally got my chance! I didn't try earlier because I don't know the way around. It was great that there were our French friends to lead the way! So fun and cool and you wouldn't be sweating because the weather is so nice!

Looking forward to tonight as it is Nuit Blanche - which literally means "White Night" when translated to English.

As extracted from the website:

"Each autumn for seven years, Nuit Blanche lights up Paris. For one sleepless night,
dreams are played out on the streets as the city reveals itself from an entirely new
perspective. Each year, as this marvellous night draws near, Parisians wonder what it
will bring. Which parts of the city will it involve? What events have been planned?
What atmosphere will they find? This year, for the 7th Nuit Blanche, artistic directors Hervé Chandès and Ronald Chammah extend an invitation to travel as they embark us on an exploration of images.

For the 2008 Nuit Blanche, Paris’ buildings become giant screens. Parisians and
visitors to the city become actors, spectators and projectionists as films and
animated images illuminate their nocturnal wanderings. For one night only, video artists and film-makers transform Paris’ stations into a giant Bollywood film set, an operatic stage, a photo studio or a projection room. Works orchestrated by outstanding international artists suspend the hustle and bustle of
station platforms and concourses to replace it with the silence and magic of
creation.

For one night only, the sky is reflected on the Tour Saint-Jacques, the Tour
Montparnasse is transformed and, for the space of a moment, churches are home to
the unity of free people, carried by the voice of Patti Smith or the images filmed by
Javier Téllez.

For one night only, art guides us through the landmarks of Paris, places so familiar we no longer notice them. The passer-by is prompted to stop and see, letting the poetry and emotion of Paris resonate through the city. The spirit of Nuit Blanche is there, captured in this moment of sharing, freedom, daring and openness."

Sounds fun! Wheeeeeee!

Madrid or Rome?

2008-10-03T05:19:00.003+08:00

I can't decide whether to go Madrid or Rome!

Rome - very romantic, nice architecture etc...

Madrid - nice architecture too, and most importantly - a FOUR LEVEL ZARA which sells clothes half the price of SG's Zara.

So, please vote on the sidebar on the right of my blog! Thank you! :)

Sophie's House

2008-10-01T01:56:00.011+08:00

I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN IN PARIS!!! WOOHOO!!!

Today was a day off from school. Headed over to Sophie's house at Boulogne. We just slacked, talked, played, laughed..... I love these people man.. Pictures below!!

FP and me "sparring"

Yike & Yuxin (from China) & I

FP again

Sophie & the girls
I'm so happy to have made so many new, great friends. And and and, I think I have the most diversified project group for Consumer Behaviour! There's me (Singaporean), Ye Ying (Chinese), Leighai (Japanese), Tania (Mexian-Irish) and Sophie (French). This is the first time I'm so excited about school. I guess it's because there is so much fun just attending lessons. Everyone is very participative and we often share jokes and ideas.

Ironically, I don't miss home. In fact, I think I will cry when I leave here. Lol. Hopefully there will be chances for me to meet all my friends I made here again after I go back to Singapore.

Picnic at Jardin du Champs de Mars

2008-09-29T05:56:00.008+08:00

Picnic today at Jardin du Champs de Mars!! I cooked fried rice for lunch and brought some over for the picnic.

The outing was with hs' friends. Nice lazying around on a sunday afternoon!

Fun...

2008-09-27T18:16:00.005+08:00

After 2 weeks of school, I feel that the French way of teaching is really unorganised and not planned. The timetable especially sucks. But it is definitely less stressful than back in NYP. No notes are given though, so I gotta listen and take down my own notes.

What I love most about Paris so far is the friends I've made!! Had lots of fun chilling out and stuff when there's no school.

Feels more like a holiday man. Wheeeeeee! :)

Hôtel de Ville / Notre Dame

2008-09-22T03:55:00.017+08:00

Today was housework day and also a day out for me. Since my housemates did not feel like going out, I went out alone to Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) as there was a special event going on - Journées du Patrimoine. In this annual event, places which are usually closed to the public are open!!

After lunch, I hurried to Hôtel de Ville and queued for about 40 mins. Get ready to be awed by the magnificent architecture. (Click to enlarge the pictures)

the exterior

ceiling

Mayor's office
These are just some of the pictures I took. There are loads more. You can find the full set here (slideshow) or under the section "Photo Albums" on the right.

After the eye-opening visit, I decided to go to Notre Dame too since it was nearby. There couldn't have been a better day - the sky was clear and very beautiful.

notice the orbs? hmmm...

More pictures here
It was a great, great day today! :D

How Dogs Drink Water

2008-09-21T18:02:00.006+08:00

Think you know how dogs drink water? Think again. I am pretty sure you never knew dogs drink water this way. Watch a dog drinking water in 300 frames per second (notice the TONGUE):

***********
Shopping again yesterday! Look at my loot below! :D Okay, actually only two are mine. The rest are bought for my friends. Hahaha.

"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"

2008-09-19T22:06:00.006+08:00

I think this is so true. Many a times, our actions contradict our words. One might say "I am sorry" but his/her actions show no sign of change for the better. One might say "I love you/I need you" but his/her actions prove otherwise. One might say "I appreciate your help" but actions show he/she takes it for granted.

I am sure no explanation is needed as many of us have been in these situations before. Not once, twice but countless I am sure.

I would like share a series of quotes which I think is very true and very meaningful. Just some food for thought:

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

All problems become smaller if you don't dodge them but confront them. ~William F. Halsey

The best way out of a problem is through it. ~Author Unknown

Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold - but so does a hard-boiled egg. ~Author Unknown

Action will remove the doubts that theory cannot solve. ~Tehyi Hsieh

When deeds speak, words are nothing. ~African Proverb

Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement. ~Alfred Adler

Talk doesn't cook rice. ~Chinese Proverb

People may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do. ~Lewis Cass

Cooking Part II

2008-09-18T03:05:00.008+08:00

Woo. Just finished my dinner which was cooked by myself and hs. Not too bad after all. It was our first time cooking rice and dishes after all that pasta and eating out.

preparation

chicken stir fried in butter, marinated with soy sauce

cauliflower and carrots

fried onion egg

our dinner
Overall it was quite nice. Although the rice was a little too sticky, I think it was great for our first time cooking rice in a pot. Wahaha. Gotta rack my brains for more ideas on what to cook in the future. =X

Cooking

2008-09-18T03:05:00.007+08:00

We stocked up on groceries!

And today, I cooked ham and mushroom aglio olio for dinner!

Not as nice as what they sell outside of course, but I thought it was rather nice too.

It's getting rather cold these days, so HS and I geared up for the cold!

our cute little socks

Night Out; First Day of School

2008-09-15T04:36:00.013+08:00

On saturday, it was a night out with the other international students. We met at the Eiffel Tower and went on to a bar/cafe and chilled and chatted.

the Eiffel Tower in the evening

the Eiffel Tower at night

view from underneath the tower

at the River Seine. notice the beautiful sky

Tania, Me, Ellen & Lisa

*****
On saturday, it was shopping day at Galaries Lafeyette. It was a really nice shopping mall with nice architecture.

performance going on on a stage suspended in the middle of the shopping centre
I bought 3 Longchamp bags for 198 EUR. They are much cheaper than in Singapore. Really liked my buy!

*****
Sunday was a stay home day for me. Did laundry, housework etc..

*****
Today was the first day of school. It was nothing much - just getting our timetables and stuff. The system here is very different from that of Singapore. My timetable is 14 pages long - 1 for each week. My subjects are not fixed at a certain timing and it always shifts around and sometimes I don't have it for a week at all. The timetables are actually planned according to the lecturers' schedule. They choose when they want to teach and we are just slotted in sometimes with hours of breaks in between. Thank goodness my home is so near school so I reckon I can steal a nap during long breaks.

Tomorrow would be my first lesson. Hopefully the lecturer teaches in proper, good english (and not mixed with french) so that I can fully comprehend.

My next plan for my free time would be to go on what I call a "Da Vinci Code Adventure". Hahaha. For those who have read Da Vinci code, you would know that the holy grail lies in the Lourve Museum!! (read: fiction)

Besides that, if you're a reader I'm sure you have heard of the rose line too. For those who do not know, according to Wikipedia:

Rose Line is a name given to the Paris Meridian in the Priory of Sion mythology and popularized by Dan Brown in his novel The Da Vinci Code.Although the same name Rose Line is used for the Paris Meridian in both contexts, it also involves different definitions.

The Paris Meridian is a meridian line running through the Paris Observatory in Paris, France -- now longitude 2°20′14.025″ east. It was a long-standing rival to Greenwich as the prime meridian of the world, as was the Antwerp meridian in Flanders.

In the early 1800s, the Paris Meridian was recalculated with greater precision by the astronomer François Arago, whose name now appears on the plaques or medallions tracing the route of the meridian through Paris.

For more of it, you can refer to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Meridian

I am gonna take pictures of the inverted pyramid and the small pyamid and I shall tell you if I think it looks like the small pyramid can be moved. Lol. Also, I am going to try to find these 'Arago' medallions which trace the Rose Line!! *excited*

Tour of Paris With International Students

2008-09-12T03:59:00.012+08:00

Today was second day of visit of Paris with the international students. We walked for hours and went to many places.

Ellen, Tania et moi à Ministère de la Culture et Communication

Jardin du Carrousel:

avec Chihoko et Wakako
For more photos of the visit, please visit my facebook (you don't need to have an account):
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71522&l=96a22&id=565482183

After the visit, Tania and I decided to head for Champs-Élysées. We passed the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries on the way.

More photos of Jardin des Tuileries:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71524&id=565482183

Finally we arrive at Champs-Élysées.

my Peugeot 207cc ..i wish

Peugeot Avenue Boutique

More photos of Champs-Élysées:
http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71523&id=565482183

Induction Week Day 3

2008-09-10T23:38:00.009+08:00

Third day of orientation today. We learnt how to use the school extranet system - something like NYP's CMS, but much more cool! There are many other functions, which I forgot as it's all in French.

After the com lab lesson, we had 2 - 3 hours free time so I went outta school for lunch as lunch wasn't ready so early. Ate at some casual dining place nearby - damn nice food.

my lasagne

After lunch, we went to slack at a cafe. The concept in Paris is where the chairs are all placed facing the street. And everyone sits facing the street. They would sit, drink, smoke and talk for hours watching the world go by. Really know how to enjoy life man.

at the cafe
Went back to school after that and ate again. Omg I keep eating! I ate salad at the school restaurant (they don't call it a canteen, neither does it look like a canteen).

the school restaurant. there is a salad bar, a desert bar and the main course area.
The man at the canteen treats us international students so nice! As we are kinda blur, he always makes sure we take sauce for our salads, walks to our table just to give us serviettes etc... Today, he gave me a free chocolate pudding! So nice of him! :)

chocolate pudding that has abit of milo taste
Finally, at 1330, it was time for site visit of Montmartre. Although I already explored that area, I still went as it was fun to hang out with the rest of the students.

Went to Sacre Coeur for the third time. Got my cousin her rosary ring and a cross for my sis. Got them both blessed by the priest.

That was just about my day.

P.S. I am lazy to post more pictures, so for more, please visit my facebook. :)

Induction Week Days 1 & 2

2008-09-10T03:56:00.015+08:00

Yesterday

First day of school cum my birthday. It felt just like any other normal day except for the wishes. We were given a tour of the school and confirmed our modules - nothing much.

really small elevator that can only fit at most 3 people shoulder to shoulder
Today

Had a "Surviving in Paris" lesson by this really friendly and jolly Madame Beatrice. I really liked her.

On the other hand, the introductory french lesson in the afternoon was horrid. The teacher did not know how to speak English and spoke French throughout the whole lesson. Almost all the other international students there know French quite well because they are mostly from Europe. Only me, Hui Shan and the students from China were totally clueless. Tried to absorb as much as I can until my brain hurt. Zzz.

After school, went home to drop my school bag and went out to walk - alone. Yann wanted to go somewhere else so we each walked seperate ways. I was quite nervous as it was my first time out alone.

I managed to order what I want (Fillet-O-Fish) at the Mcdonald's round the corner. The conversation went like this:

Me: "Bonsoir! Je voudrais Fillet-o-Fish"
Girl: "Menu?"
Me: "Oui."
Girl: "Plat?"
Me: (Thinking what the hell that word means.. and remembered) "Frites, si vous plait."
Girl: "Et boisson?"
Me: (actually wanted ice tea, but didn't know how to say in French)"Erm.. coke."
Girl: "Voila. !@#!@ewwfknef??" (I don't know what she's talking about at this point)
Me: "...?????"
Girl: (takes out a tray and a paper bag and points to each)
Me: (comprehending, I gestured to the floor to indicate that I wanted to eat in)
Me: (getting my food) Merci beaucoup!

In the McDonald's in France, there is a choice of a side dish (plat) of either fries (frites) or wedges. I always choose fries because I don't know how to say wedges in French! Hahaha. I shall go find out soon.

my 5.90EUR meal
After dinner, walked around the area nearby. Did window shopping for a few hours till I found myself in Pigalle - the red light district.

a place where you can fulfill all your sexual needs. Sex toys/costume, live shows, prostitutes, gays/lesbians etc...

It was only 8pm but there were many people drinking and some drunk already. Drinking is part of the Parisians' lifestyle. Pigalle is not exactly a safe place to be so I headed home while it was still bright. Bought a snack to eat on the way home. It looked like those thingys you can get in Little India. And it tasted similar too - really sweet.

Something random I want to share too: Parisians love to cycle, especially in this cool and nice weather. The roads all have a special section for bicycles only. They have sort of a bike transit system - called the Velib. One can rent a bike for free for the first 30 minutes, 1 EUR for the next 30 minutes and so on...

Took a picture of the bicycle station on my way home:

the Velib
Since it was dark already, I decided to take a another picture of the Sacre Coeur at night.

Beautiful, isn't it? I think I'm gonna attend the mass someday just for experience.

Got home and played the keyboard for awhile, then Yann came home. To my surprise, he got a little something as a belated birthday present for me.

I think it's quite cute! Well, that's about all for the past two days. Will update when I have time again. Ciao!

Exploring Paris 2

2008-09-08T04:29:00.016+08:00

It's Sunday today and all the supermarkets are closed! :( Ended up eating sausage with bread again (which was what I ate for the whole of yesterday)

Headed to explore another area of Paris again. Went to Sacre Coeur. It was beautiful.

view from Sacre Coeur
After that, we headed to the Montmartre area, also known as "Artists Corner". Saw many great painters. They are all so gifted!

After that, we walked aimlessly again and chanced upon a flea market. There were many second hand stuff being sold like bags, shoes, toys, ornaments, clothes etc...

We walked on to the Republique area where I finally found fast food. Walked on further though as we weren't hungry yet.

there is a Bata here!
We walked and found ourselves at Gare Du Nord, the major train station.

After that, we settled for dinner at this place called Fun & Poker or something, I forgot the name. So far, this has been my cheapest meal out. 6.80 EUR for a meal - european portion. The beef patty is really delicious.

After dinner, we kept on walking and exploring around. Went to an area where I found many shops like This Fashion, run by chinese. The price, of course is not like This Fashion, but its is considered to cheap end here. (about 15EUR average for a top and 20EUR for a bag)

Chanced upon this church called Saint Laurent too.

At about 8 plus, we decided to head home. I am certainly getting better and better in reading maps! I am proud to say that I have always been the one to read the map and lead us home! :D

I think it's good exercise actually - walking for hours. I walked at quite a fast pace and halfway the journey home I took off my sweater, wearing only the tank. I actually perspired in 20 degrees!

Well, walking is fun, especially in nice weather. The part I hate most upon reaching home is: THE STAIRS!! I actually counted the number of steps today. It is a total of 85 steps I have to climb everyday! And it's not those normal kinda steps; they are really steep and high. I do hope this actually reduces the kilos I would most likely put on!

School starts tomorrow! Can't wait! :)

Exploring Paris

2008-09-06T15:05:00.014+08:00

Yesterday, we went out to explore the streets of Paris. We just walked aimlessly for hours - but there were many things to see. There are shops on the street level of every building (except offices and churches). So far, no building that I see is purely apartmemts.

pasar malam thingy opp my home - it's actually a wet market

in the streets of Paris

their town area

the Opéra Garnier

toilets available on the streets

Printemps (like our Taka)

lift in Printemps

one of the many display windows of Printemps
Primtemps is really wonderful and high end. You can find Chanel, Gucci, Balenciaga etc there. The display windows are not just mannequins - each window is unique and creative with colours and life.

Afer walking for hours exploring, we settled for dinner at a Japanese restaurant. It was called a restaurant but not really restaurant price. I paid a whopping 7.80 EUR for my set meal that is just like Tori-Q. It is actually one of the lower priced food we found after walking for hours. An average main course costs about 8 - 10 EUR. In the town area it's about 13 - 15 EUR.

The only good thing is that the pasta sauces here are cheap - only 0.89 EUR which is about S$2. An average prego sauce in Singapore costs about 5 - 6 bucks. So well, I guess I'm gonna eat pasta really really often.

After dinner we headed straight home. At 8 or 9pm here the streets already start to get very quiet. The people work really short days. There are many Porsches here. Saw about 5 or 6 of them so far already. There is a cute 2 seater car here too:

We rested for the day after dinner. Didn't visit Sacre Coeur in the end as it was raining. Might go today though.

Arrived in Paris

2008-09-05T18:40:00.025+08:00

Finally, I have the time to blog. Been busy cleaning up the apartment and settling down.
My phone's default wallpaper:

From Singapore

To Paris

In the car with sis & Jovine

At the airport with Yvonne & Clement
After a gruelling 13 hour flight, I finally arrive in Paris. After clearing customs, Yann and I searched frantically for a public phone to call for our airport transfer driver. I was so afraid we would not be able to catch our transfer. We managed to inform the staff where we were in the end and got onto the huge van. It was very comfortable and the journey to our apartment was only about 40 mins.

Yann & I in the van

Arrived at our destination

At the entrance to our apartment building

See my face above? I was freakin cold although the temperature was not really low. That's because I stood outside in the cold for close to 2 hours. We arrived at 9 plus but the school representative and landlord was only able to meet us at noon.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and we decided to rest at a nearby cafe. (Didn't do that earlier because I didn't want to spend money)

Warmth at last at the cafe
We got to our apartment at noon and..... lo and behold!!! This was what greeted us:

Our apartment was on the 5th storey and there was no lift. We had to drag our heavy baggages slowly and painfully up the stairs. What's worst is that the stairs are unlike those in HDB and stuff; it is spiral, very small, and very uneven and sloping. Thus, when dragging my luggage up I could not afford to rest the luggage on the steps as they were too tiny. Thankfully, I did not fall and roll down the stairs although I am very clumsy.

my home for 3.5 months

living room cum Yann's bedroom (that's a sofa-bed)

kitchen

study area in my room

my room door (PINK curtains)

my bed
After the long flight, cleaning of the apartment and packing, we went grocery shopping. For dinner, it was just Maggi instant porridge and some cocktail sausages. I immediately fell asleep after I switched off my laptop.

*************
New day today - woke up at 10am. Washed up, drank coffee and started to prepare lunch. Cooked spaghetti bolognaise. Yann washed the dishes while I cleaned the floor, stove and sink. Not easy at all. I wish I had a maid here. Hahaha.

Gonna go out soon, to explore the neighbourhood. Have yet to get my local phone card and some fresh food like fish, eggs and vegetables.

Will update soon.

TP Practical

2008-08-27T16:42:00.005+08:00

I PASSED MY TP!!!!!!! WOOOO!!!!!

Ok, I think I am damn heng to get a nice tester. He could have easily failed me if he wanted. I stalled thrice at the slope. And after that my left leg started shaking really badly. You would laugh if you knew what are the points I accumulated. (I kept stalling the engine)

- Slope roll backwards: 6 points
- Fail to release handbrake: 2 points
- Insufficient acceleration: 4 points
- Sharp turn: 2 points
- Incorrect checking of blind spot/mirror: 2 points
- Fail to check mirror before turning: 2 points

Total: 18 points

LOL. But well, who cares about the points? I'm happy enough that I passed. =D

K-Box

2008-08-27T08:32:00.006+08:00

It's been long since I've blogged. Nothing much except for last friday. Von, Clement and I went to kbox and had a good time. We sang lots of songs and also learnt a new song. Let me share it with you all. The title is: "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"
Here is the vid.

And the lyrics:

Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Walking home from our house Christmas eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.
She'd been drinkin' too much egg nog,
And we'd begged her not to go.
But she'd left her medication,
So she stumbled out the door into the snow.
When they found her Christmas mornin',
At the scene of the attack.
There were hoof prints on her forehead,
And incriminatin' Claus marks on her back.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walkin' home from our house Christmas eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.

Now were all so proud of Grandpa,
He's been takin' this so well.
See him in there watchin' football,
Drinkin' beer and playin' cards with cousin Belle.
It's not Christmas without Grandma.
All the family's dressed in black.

And we just can't help but wonder:
Should we open up her gifts or send them back?

Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walkin' home from our house Christmas eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.

Now the goose is on the table
And the pudding made of fig.
And a blue and silver candle,
That would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig.
I've warned all my friends and neighbours.
Better watch out for yourselves."
They should never give a license,
To a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves.

Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walkin' home from our house, Christmas eve.
You can say there's no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.

HAHAHAHAHA the most interesting and funniest song I've ever heard!!

Exams

2008-08-18T19:09:00.004+08:00

Exams daze - really a killer. After 2 days of exam and some calculations, I deduced that my GPA would drop to approximately 3.2. Hopes of entering into SMU are further away........

In today's world, results are almost everything. Singapore's idea of meritocracy is placing overwhelming emphasis on academic credentials as objective measures of merit. A degree is a norm, not as if you are darn smart if you have it. And if you don't, well then too bad you are nothing.

I used to think that I would have a bright future ahead because I felt that I was able to speak well, lead well, take a proactive and tactful approach and handling difficult situations etc... I thought, that are traits not everyone has. I always managed to impress at interviews as I was always confident and able to sell myself.

But one day I realised, so what? Although not everyone has outstanding non-academic talents, but there ARE people who have it. If another person has that same talents as you and he has a degree but you have a diploma, well, obvious choice the employer would make.

What would I do in the future?

Exams

2008-08-14T22:05:00.006+08:00

It's mugging time!! Zzzzz....

Mug mug mug mug all the way in the library. I HATE 3G! NO TIPS! Bloody cramp my brain. Sian. Went jogging upon reaching home to relieve some of that stress.

Timed myself for fun and I don't know if it's due to stress that I just wanna vent it out, but my 2.4 improved from 13:19 to 12:40. When will I ever go back to 11 mins!

This week and the next will be over in the blink of an eye. It is the last sprint from now onwards. Can't wait for exams to be over next wednesday.

Nasi Wa Wu Jitpa Ban

2008-08-10T00:50:00.003+08:00

Check out this really funny clip. You need to understand Hokkien to fully catch the joke and lame-ness. LOL.

Class Outing

2008-08-08T19:59:00.013+08:00

Yesterday

Had lunch at Fish & Co. with my classmates. It was certainly a great time spend together. My last day attending school too; and after that I'll be off to Paris.

i love these people. will definitely miss them.
BM 0628
the girls
the guys

After lunch, went down to town with Von to meet Clara. Shopped for presents for friends. Really squeezed my brain dry. Also, it's somewhat an early birthday celebration for me. Haha. Thanks babe! :)

the balcony @ Heeren

acting retarded. haha.

Videos

2008-08-04T00:08:00.006+08:00

Watched a really touching video today on HY's blog. Would like to share it:

It is about Dick and Rick Hoyt, a father and son team who have been participating in marathons and triathlons for the past 25 years. And you would never imagine - the son is disabled.

Taken from their website: "For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick."

For more of their story, visit their website.

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

Another great video I'd like to share:

The video is self-explainatory. Do watch ;)

East Coast & Simpang

2008-07-31T17:17:00.012+08:00

Woo. Finally projects are over yesterday! Randomly, Clement and I decided to go East Coast to blade. I tried to teach Clement how to blade. He is quite good for a first-timer. Haha.

We could only blade for 1 hour though, because the rental shop was closing in an hour. After that, we met Parvin and headed to Simpang Bedok to have a dinner cum supper. (it was nine plus)

I ate Sausage Carbonara and stole some of Clement's and Parvin's Chicken and Cheese Murtabak. And the ultimate winner for the night was the Mango Milkshake! Omg it's freaking nice. Doesn't taste like just mango + milk; I guess they added mango ice cream and other stuff. Simply orgasmic. Yum.

the heavenly mango milkshake
sausage carbonara
chicken and cheese murtabak
After eating, dear piggy was so sweet to send me home. :D Had a great day with those 2. Too bad Yvonne couldn't come along. Nvm, hopefully sat we can go Sentosa? Haha.

Project Presentation & Town

2008-07-25T00:42:00.021+08:00

It was presentation today for Purchasing Principles and E-Procurement. And I was late! Thank goodness I managed to get a cab or I so would have died.

my little notes for presentation
After presentation I was feeling vain so I forced Von, Clement and the rest to camwhore with me. Hahaha.

my favourite candid shot
another favourite shot. hahaha.

at NYNY
clement's dish
my dish
After eating lunch, Clara and I headed to town and both of us bought a pair of mary janes! I also bought a pair of high waisted shorts and a bangle. After we were done with our shopping, I called Von and it so happened that she was less than 10m away from me. Such a coincidence.

three of us - Clara, Von & I =D
Von and I later left for Clement's house. His dog, Russell is DAMN cute!! It is the most guai Jack Russell I ever encountered. Funny thing was he did not jump on us or lick us unlike Amber. lol.

gimme my bone now!
And, browsing through a photo album on the table, I chanced upon another funny and cute past photo of Clement! LOL. (Clement pls don't kill me, but it's too cute!) Russell's also very cute in that picture so I gotta post man. =P

cute owner and dog

Von and I headed home after that. It was a tiring but great day (:

Week Summary

2008-07-19T18:33:00.012+08:00

Summary of the week:

Monday and Tuesday was school as usual.

Wednesday was IB ICA 3. That stupid 25% test which tested us on 8 topics. EIGHT. If not for the study scope provided, I guess I would've died studying. Nonetheless, the coverage was still a considerable amount. And so, as usual, Clement and I met up earlier to study.

Clement actually brought a bottle of chicken essence for me! How nice! =DD

Well, the test later on was fine. But getting detiororating results made me not dare to raise my hopes too high.

After school, Clement accompanied me to AMK Hub as I had the sudden urge to make fruit juice. I initially decided on apples, but changed my mind because he loved watermelon juice. Haha.

After that, headed home and blended the watermelons. The taste was not so nice at first, and I was horrified. Thank goodness it tasted fine after I chilled it. Went out with my aunt and dropped by Heeren to pass the drugged fruit juice to him. (Okay, I was kidding about the drugged part)

Walked about town. Blahblahblah..... And my aunt bought me an Eastpak! A RED one. Woots! That about sums up my Wednesday.

Thursday was school as usual again. Except that I had the sudden urge to do something to my hair. And so I did. Clement and Yvonne accompanied me to AMK to cut my hair after school. The hairstylist was really meticulous and I was rather satisfied with the end result. Besides, I paid only 12 bucks! Oh, and I psychoed Yvonne to cut with me too, but apparently there wasn't much difference as she only trimmed a little. Haha.

As for yesterday, I headed to downtown east E! Hub to catch a movie with baby.

We watched The Dark Knight, a sequel to Batman Begins. The plot was quite interesting and I felt that Heath Ledger, who played Joker, was really good. That sadistic "Why so serious?" really made me prepare myself for any gory scenes which might scare me. Heath Ledger was the same guy who acted in Brokeback Mountain and The Brothers Grimm. Shortly after fliming this, he passed away due to an accidental prescription drug overdose at age 28. It's such a waste for a talented actor like him.

On the other hand, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who played Rachel Dawes, sucked totally. I figured the production crew must've picked her just because she resembles Katie Holmes. But anyway Katie Holmes is SO much better looking than her.

Cast aside, the show was great, although quite long. Do catch it!

NAPFA

2008-07-11T20:47:00.005+08:00

Before NAPFA, I was feeling vain so Yvonne, Clara and I camwhored in IBRC (supposedly we were there to do project). Hahaha.

Finally finished my NAPFA. Although the results were nothing compared to my standard last time, I was nonetheless quite pleased considering that I haven't worked out for eons.

And when I arrived home, I gobbled down 2 plates of bee hoon and a full portion of ah balling. Goodness! I'm such a dinosaur!

Thus, I have decided that I will TRY to work out at least twice a week. (at this point, I sense you raising your eyebrows in disbelief) Riiigggggghhhhhttttt. =P

Random

2008-07-09T23:48:00.002+08:00

Fat Moments

2008-07-08T20:58:00.012+08:00

Ok, this is gonna be such a fun fun post!! I will let the pictures do the talking.

This is my best pal, Clement.

Now let me show you how 'cute' he was in 2002.

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TADA!!

TADA TADA!!

Hahahahahaha. What a huge difference that is man. And now for mine....

This was taken this year

And..... now for the "chio" picture last time...

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HAHAHA

Cool how we managed to slim down. Anyway, talking about slimming down, I really think I need to slim down now. Occasional supper has taken its toll on me. Besides, as all of my friends know, I'm such a pig and I eat alot. And also alot of snacks.

As usual, people around me would hear me say "I'm gonna run today", "I'm fat", "I wanna slim down", "I'm going gym/swim later" BUT they all never happen. I'm such a lazy arse. ROARRRRRR.

But but!! I ACTUALLY made good my plan today - to run. Went jogging with my sis. We jogged to Serangoon Gardens and back to Serangoon Ave 2, so I could take my stuff from Jovine's house. On the way we saw NYJC's open gate, the track beckoning us to go.... haha. And so we went.

Despite jogging for 3km or so already, I decided I should run again and time myself for 2.4km since my NAPFA test is this friday. I rested for about 10 mins and off I went. Wrong move. After 400m I almost pengsan so I stopped. LOL.

Me being the perfectionist, I couldn't swallow it and decided I should try again. So I rested for about 20 mins this time. And off I went again.. And clocked a freakin downright lousy 14:48! Dammit! Last time, when the "mata cheng teh korh" (police wore shorts), I clocked 10:38! HAHA. Yes yes I know, it's LAST TIME.

Well, let's see about friday. *Crosses fingers*

p/s: My legs are like jelly now. Make it mango flavoured.

p/p/s: I am craving for mango showhand at HK Cafe! ROARRRRRRRR

Death

2008-07-08T00:31:00.006+08:00

Talking to Clara just now, she told me of a blog. A sad, sad blog of a girl whom boyfriend just passed away (while training in Brunei). Even though I know nothing about this, just reading through her posts makes my heart in my throat. Even though I have no relation to the couple, I feel their sadness within me. It makes me feel like crying. It makes me ponder how life is really fragile and you never know what will happen in the future.

Some might say that they are prepared to go anytime. But on the other hand, would one be prepared for their loved ones to depart? Of course no one would. Since young till now, I would occassionally have dreams of my loved ones departing. And I would wake up crying. And even after realising that it is just a dream, I would still cry as the sadness just wouldn't leave. It is my ultimate phobia and I pray so hard that everyone around me will live and go naturally. Still I know, one day, they will eventually leave this world.

That blog is full of her emotions. I guess she just penned everything which she felt in her heart. It is full of sadness and lonliness. I just pray that in future, she will be able to move on and pick herself up. I pray that that NS guy will rest in peace. And although it may sound stupid, I hope he will appear in her dreams to talk to her and comfort her.

It's impossible to forget everything, but I pray that whatever she remembers, would be that of the happy memories of him and her. The love they shared, the moments they enjoyed. It will be forever etched deep in her heart.

Ubin

2008-07-03T22:22:00.019+08:00

My blog is alive again. Haha. And the reason for reviving it is because I want to a point of connection with my family and friends when I get to Paris in September. Since I'm at it, I decided to post some really great pictures I took at Ubin (although it's some time back)

At Changi Jetty

I was actually standing on a plank and it's SCARY.

The cool Adidas scarecrow. Haha.

A really nice picture at some crossroads

Some very cute dog at Ubin! =D

At Chek Jawa

A nice shot of the mangroves

After almost 5 hours of cycling, we were hungry...

And tired...

But still can make funny faces.... lol

Really loved the pictures we took at Ubin. There's a whole load more but I'm too lazy to upload and besides, I guess it'll be damn lag.

Anyway, for those of you who don't already know, I will be going to Paris for Overseas Student Excahnge Programme (OSEP) from September to December. Kinda excited yet sad to leave, although it's only 3 months. Guess will be blogging alot when I'm there. And if I'm not too lazy I will post all the pictures too.

Will be going to Advancia School near Pigalle, the red light district. Pray that everything will go smoothly and we will be in one piece when we come back to Singapore. Haha.

End of TEP

2007-10-02T22:30:00.003+08:00

Finally finished my summary report. Guess it was crap but heck lah. No time to do anyway.. Used the intervals between picking up calls to do. Haha! Left with my personal selling.. hope I can finish it by tomorrow. And hope my pay comes tomorrow when Ms Nor brings the newbies for interview.. hahaha.

Can't believe it's gonna be the end of attachment soon! Sad... I think I'd rather stay in UOB then go back classical.. Since hearing from people that 2nd year sucks.. Sian....!!

Shall end this boooring short post then. Back to my stuff.

Ray & Grace

2007-09-23T14:18:00.004+08:00

It's been a loooong timw since I've blogged. So now that I've the time, here I am. Haha. Grace and Ray came to my house yesterday. Had a fun time talking (If I counted, I'd realised we talked for 3 hours).

Played with Amber and stuff.. Though Tutu was kinda scared of Amber's nails she still sayang-ed Amber.. Awww..

Me behind Amber taken by Tutu

Us in my lift

After leaving my house we left for The Prata House @ Thomson! We all had mushroom cheese and egg prata and some others. The waiter served a wrong prata and our kind Tutu ate the extra. Lol. Walked at Thomson Plaza for awhile later and being lame, we took these pictures:

After that Ray and Tutu went off and I met my parents and headed off to my cousin's house. It's a really nice terrece house man. I'm gonna have one of those houses next time! Haha.

Anyhows, had a great time...