sick of looking for those heroes in the sky.

2011-10-24T14:26:00.002+02:00

what do we really want? that's the question we never fail to ask both ourselves and the people around us. but the catch here is, every single time we answer 'i don't know', do we really not know? or do we actually not want to know? it seems to me that more often than not, the answer's the latter. because we're afraid of knowing. because we're afraid of coming to terms with ourselves, of finding out or admitting that we're not the person we want or thought ourselves to be. because we're judging ourselves by how we think society would judge us. because we have this inbuilt perception of what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad, what should be, and what shouldn't be. we're always carrying this measuring tape and this weighing scale throughout our lives and we would like these tools to guide how we live our lives and to always measure up to be good. we would like to live in an absolute world. we would like to be absolute. but we forget that we are not. we are relative creatures. the measurements only mean something when compared to another, when we bestow a meaning to that number. we want to believe black is black, white is white, light is light, darkness is darkness. but just like how coldness is merely the absence of heat, darkness is merely the absence of light, these things only gain a meaning when relativity sets in. so we benchmark ourselves against society's prescribed and unspoken rules and standards. the question is, why are society's rules and standards necessarily "right" and "ideal"? obviously, the notion of right and wrong, good and bad are what keeps peace and security from prevailing in a society. but that doesn't make them the golden rules.

so, what if you end up doing things you never imagined you would do?

so, what if you find yourself compromising the values you held so dear to?

so, what if you discover you aren't the person you believed yourself to be?

so, what if you realize you don't want to be bounded by those rules?

maybe we really can fool ourselves to believe we do not know what we want.

because we fear what we want.

because we fear who we really are.

because we fear that we are really the monsters that hide inside of us.

because we fear that we are the monsters that keep us up late at night.

because we fear that there is nothing but greyness and dimness in this world.

because we fear that life isn't a simple arithmetic problem of 1 + 1 = 2.

because we fear that our values are just make-pretend.

so, many of us live life hiding from ourselves. and that leaves me wondering, how do we manage that.

we see only what we want to see.

we see only what we are prepared to see.

we know only what we want to know.

we are only who we allow ourselves to be.

2010-11-16T14:38:00.006+01:00

gradually, the pain eased. the numbness left me. and my heart opened itself again. the page turns and a new chapter beings. a chapter without you. a chapter without the pain you bring.

it's reading week and i'm trying hard to study but i really am not cut out for econometrics. darn. decided to go to bintan with the club because i really need to get out of singapore and i really need some space and time to think. or rather, to not think. to talk stock of everything that's happened in my life through these almost 4 years in nus. i was certain that university will bring to me much more than i can ever imagine. but i didn't know it would be all these and this much. my social circle has evolved and changed so much and so fast that i'm really wondering if all these friendships really would stay. no matter how strong and concrete they seem now. i mean..a certain friendship was really solid 3 years ago, 2 years ago. but look what happened. and look how i've drifted from alison.

can't wait for the 24th..when sophy would arrive..and the 25th..when econometrics can just boot itself out from my life forever and ever.

take heart.

that behind all the defences and snaps and sarcasm and standards you had the heart to love someone who was far from perfect.

have faith.

that you will find that heart again.

with a man with the right kind of situation.

when

2010-10-24T18:01:00.001+02:00

and then i wonder. when am i going to stop loving you.

2010-10-17T07:13:00.002+02:00

i wanted a perfect ending. now i've learnt, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.

sometimes you have to be strong for yourself. you need to know that you're a good person and a good friend. what's meant to be will end up good and what's not - won't. love is worth fighting for, but sometimes you can't be the only one fighting. at times, people need to fight for you. if they don't, you just have to move on and realize what you gave them was more than what they were willing to give you. hopefully, people realize great things when they come around and not lose something real. always fight, until you can't anymore, and then be fought for.

2010-10-05T16:54:00.001+02:00

there's a new problem.
i have stopped crying.
i have stopped being paralyzed.
i can't seem to feel the pain anymore even though i know it's there.
but i still think about you all the time.

i've learnt.

2010-10-04T07:28:00.003+02:00

i've learnt that it's better to love and get your heart broken in the process. because then you know you've loved and you've given and you've tried.
i've learnt that it's ok to keep crying nonstop for the love you've lost. because then you know you can actually feel and something ever meant so much to you.
i've learnt that it's ok to tell the world to go on a standstill because you're nursing your pain. because you are the only person living your life. but we must also know when and how to get in sync with the world again after that or you will always be left behind.
i've learnt that it's ok to let go of the friendship that caused you so much pain. because letting go is letting go of the pain.
i've learnt that one can never live without another. as much as that is unthinkable. because really, life goes on.
i've learnt that i can never stop loving you. even if you've stopped loving me. even if i've already moved on. because love doesn't end. i may be gone now. but if you need me, i'll always be there.
i've learnt that the heart doesn't see, doesn't think, and only feels. because it took over my brain.
i've learnt that at the end of the day, the strength and tenacity of one's heart will always bring it through anything. even if the problem with the broken heart is that it's still alive.

i loved. because you could light up my life without even trying. because i wanted to believe you.
i lost. because you just couldn't be there to light up my life forever. because i couldn't believe you anymore.

2010-09-29T16:54:00.000+02:00

oh gosh. i really do.

the calm after the storm.

2010-09-29T07:29:00.002+02:00

after living in the eye of the storm, and after the storm finally happened, a certain kind of calm rests over my life now. after finally purging everything out in the previous post, it's as if the toxic is finally out of my body, or that some kind of equilibrium has been reached within and without. and i feel so much better. perhaps it's because i'm so done with crying and moping. but then again, no sensible self-pitying human being would ever be done with crying and moping. maybe just telling about it makes it all better. as if you've finally come to terms with it. this is probably how social networking and all the endless facebook and twitter feeds and what-have-yous work. feeding on the human need for attention, for release, for some form of letting go.

and perhaps, in this process of grieving, i've found the answer to the question i never could answer. not only to you, but to myself. you will never find out the answer, but this will stay with me forever.

this is one hell of a hectic week and i don't foresee it subsiding next week either.

i want to curl up in a ball, cry, fall asleep, and wake up the next day with no more tears to shed and a heart made of steel.

2010-09-26T13:26:00.009+02:00

and so, before the emo demon, also known as yours truly, takes over again, let's pour all this emo shit out. instead of posting them on fb and twitter and every single goddamed social media possible by my minuscle participation in them.

i tell the story of a girl who tried to hold on to what was never hers and what will never be hers. because he persuaded her to it. it may sound totally fatalistic, but given the self-pitying person i am now, i would not go further down the 'it was my fault' path than this. he tried all means possible to make her change her mind. he loves her. he can give her a lifetime guarantee that all those other men then in her life couldn't, etc. god remembers what else did he say. and so, after agonizing over it for weeks, and given all the phone calls and texts that he sent, she threw caution and rationality and logic and her mind and her heart and everything to the winds and dogs, and plunged straight into the black hole. and as you would've already expected, she never got the happiness she wanted and or thought would have for a moment. even though she knew this man would never be the end point for her and articulated it to him. after all the discussions, which were few and far between due to his exceedingly busy and occupied and fucked up life, all she got were tears and less and less certainty that it was all real and he meant what he said really. and then he told her to save the both of them from frustration and upset and everything, just go back to your life as if you've never met me and when i'm free i promise you i'll call you out and all of us can be happy together. she didn't want to cause this would seem too much like a scam and she's already given him every single thing he wanted. she's not about to budge on this. but after a few text messages he stopped replying and she got so tired she didn't want to bother to. what's the point. and when she met him again, everything was as if nothing happened. this was what he wanted and she can give it to him and always deliver. but the hurt and pain went further. she never believed him when he told her he loves her. but did she really?

he once asked her if she loved him, and she couldn't answer him. she merely told him she definitely likes him but she doesn't know if this is love. is this really love afterall? and the famous answer is, no idea.

it hurts. so bad. like never before. it has never hurt so much. nothing has ever wrecked her the way this did, especially when it's only been 2 months.

this is the story of how a girl broke her heart, not knowing how and why, and is struggling to recover from it. she thought she could be happy for a while. but it hurts so much things have never been ok for the past 2 months and she hasn't stopped crying for the past 1 week. and to think 1 week ago, everything looked okay and so rosy.

there are a million questions to be asked, a million things to be sorted out because nothing was ever sorted out or talked about.
how was it love?
what happened to the love and time that could be given?
what happened to the guarantee?
was it even real?
did he really mean it to begin with?
how can he have tried so hard to get something only to throw it away like that?

but does it matter?
do the answers matter?
he was never hers to begin with and she knew he never will be.

she came a full circle. with all the hurt and pain.

and so, dear heart, why him?

the problem with the broken heart is it's still alive.

the least you can do is to leave me alone. you're leaving me alone. but you're not leaving me alone.

all i want is to go back to before. before you.

it hurts so much i can't breathe. i can't think. and the problem is i've been feeling too much.

i cannot close my eyes at night nor open them in the morning without you on my mind.

everywhere i go every single thing i do no matter what i do how busy i am you're still on my mind.

did i make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life.

when i made the choice you wanted me to, you walked away telling me you'll be back, and eventually dropped me a text telling me to move on.

no matter how much i laugh, it just doesn't seem to be enough.

all i ever wanted is a simple way to get over you.

people keep on saying that you should follow your heart. but when your heart is broken into so many pieces, tell me, which piece do you follow?

sometimes, you just have to wonder, how many times someone you care about has to hurt you before you finally don't care.

no matter how much you tell yourself you're over someone, your heart knows the truth.

every single thing i see/hear/touch reminds me of you.

when everyone was telling me to run away, i walked straight into the fire.

i won't say i love you, i won't say i miss you. but sometimes, it's the things you don't say that rings the loudest and hurts the most.

i can pretend to live my life as if we've never happened. but i'll always be pretending.

there are so many statements and sentences i can come up with to express the hurt, the wreckedness, the pain. but what is the point?

i can blame you for painting such pictures for me, for doing such things for me, for making feel that everything will be ok and it was all real but everything has come to naught. and so? i think that's the truth you have to admit with me. but we aren't in the picture you painted now and so what am i going to do about it?

and so, dear heart, why him?

even though you still occupy every single thought of mine every single second, i woke up from a nap that was really just dreams to realize 4hours had passed.
and then reality struck. it wasn't a sleep. it was an attempt to escape reality. and sometimes that is all we can count on.
and the second thought struck. life goes on. even if you haven't moved on. even if you're lying on the ground shouting and screaming in pain, and unable to move on.
life goes on. even though that is probably the problem.

i wanted people to airlift me to the hospital. so that i can stop the pain. i wanted to be ok. but truth be told nobody can stop the pain except him and myself. and he's not gonna stop the pain so i have to. no matter how much it hurts i am walking away. no matter how much it seems like i can't move i am walking away. no matter how many gallons of tears fall i am walking away. because there's no other way about it. because i've let myself sink into the clamour for this for too long. simply because it hurts so much that i have to bear with more hurt and pain and get out of this.

i came home bawling my eyes out nonstop for 3hrs 2 days ago. even through all these tears the hurt doesn't stop. even with all these tears they don't prevent more from coming. it's amazing how much people can cry. it's amazing the amount of tears that can fall from our eyes. it's amazing to the extent sometimes i suspect my eyes are really waterfalls.

i haven't been able to let go.
i still haven't let go.
the hurt hasn't gone away.
the tears haven't stopped.
and i know i deserve better.
and no matter how much i need people to tell me everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be fine, i know deep down inside me as well as the whole world that i really am going to be fine.
because i am me.
but i am sorry, i cannot go back to my life because this is my life and you're in it.
i cannot pretend i've never met you because you'll always have that spot in my heart.
and perhaps through it all i will never stop loving you.
all i really really need and want is to go back to before. before you. but both you and i know that it isn't possible. as much as we can pretend to be so in front of everybody else.
at the end of everything, all i ever did was to give you everything you wanted from me. i wanted you to be happy. and i still want you to be happy.
i hope you are.
even though it kills me inside that you're happy like that.
it does.

p.s. i will let go and love again. it's just a matter of when.

another year

2010-06-06T10:17:00.002+02:00

another year has past. and i didn't make it back to seeyo u. again. i had an excuse last year because i wasn't in the country. but this year..i was. but i was at work. not that i went to see you on other days too. a lot of times i wonder, what if you never left us. what if it was all a cruel mix-up; that you've always been here somewhere. what if you ever came back. i am turning 22 this year. the very age that your clock never started working again, the very age that yours stayed at forever. would i be able to live the rest of the life you never led for you. would i be able to really be happy finally. have i really let go and accepted your premature departure.

there is no truth. there is only perception.

so what about death? is there only perception too? if i believe that you're not gone, would you be back? no. you won't.
at the end of the day..death overpowers everything. including our minds.

do you know, the only one thing in this world that would drive me to tears every single time i think/talk about it is you.

two was your favourite number. because you were born on the twenty second of february. and your license plate number was all twos. two stayed with you your entire life. because when you left you were twenty two.

the day you slipped away was the day i found it won't be the same.
every step i take every move i make every single day everytime i pray i'll be missing you.

one of those days.

2010-04-22T17:04:00.001+02:00

it's one of those days that you wish can freeze in time. and remove the headache.

the end of a semester.

2010-04-17T12:40:00.002+02:00

this semester has finally come to an end. the ups and the downs, the valleys and the pits. no matter of painful it was, how hard it seemed, now you look back at everything through an utterly blurred frame. you cannot recall what were those things that made you cry. you cannot remember the things that made your heart wrench. yet at the same time, you remember the tears. the pain. the hurt. the ache. you also remember the laughs, the love, the smiles, the joy. perhaps what you have been searching for the entire semester was solace. and solace was what eluded you. not that you've finally grasped it.

it's queer how people feel loneliness. some are shrouded by it wherever they go, whoever they're with, because their heart has always been walled up. many try to break open this wall, only to be confronted by emptiness. for some, loneliness always trails behind, never being able to catch up. for others, it seems like an endless race where there's never a clear winner.

you walk into lesson alone. you desperately watch the clock tick by. you leave class alone. you return to where you at least have chances of making conversation with the people you know. it seems like the entire world has decided to evacuate from your life, albeit temporarily. perhaps your only life lines are your phone and your laptop, but even then they bail out on you.

you can't wait to get busy. but when your life gets filled up, you start to realize the pile-up of what you don't want to handle is as draining as a void. even as everyone is talking, the silence is deafening. you watch the days crawl by, hoping that there will be a new addition that make you feel less alone. but somehow you start to wonder, perhaps it is just you. you that everything good wants to avoid.

let's await the start of a new chapter on 10th may.

come down to me.

2009-12-29T11:05:00.000+01:00

awwwwwwww. beautiful song. really. =)

Words fall out of my mouth
And I can’t seem to trace what I’m saying
Everybody wants your time
I’m just dreaming out loud,
I can’t have you for mine and I know it
I just wanna watch you shine.

Tripping up on my tongue,
It’s all over my face and I’m racing
Gotta get away from you
Burning all the way home,
Try to put it to bed but it chases
Every little thing I do

When the light falls on your face,
Don’t let it change you
When the stars get in your eyes,
Don’t let them blind you.

[CHORUS]
You’re beautiful
Just the way you are
And I love it all
Every line, and every scar
And I wish that I could make you see
This is where you ought to be,
Come down to me.

Spell it out in a song,
Bet you never catch on to my weakness
I’m singing every word for you.
Here I’m thinking I’m sly
Then you’re catching my eye, and just maybe
You’re thinking what I’m thinking too

When you see it on my face,
Don’t let it shake you
I know better than to try and
Take you with me.

[CHORUS X1]

staring.

2009-12-27T11:11:00.001+01:00

perhaps if i keep staring at you..the world would melt away.

try.

2009-12-24T19:18:00.002+01:00

if i walk would you run
if i stop would you come
if i say you're the one would you believe me
if i ask you to stay would you show me the way
tell me what to say so you don't leave me
the world is catching up to you
while you're running away to chase your dream.

six months.

2009-12-23T06:04:00.002+01:00

six months can transform your life. within six months everything can change, including the people in your life, the people who are important to you, the things that occupy your thoughts, your day to day routines, your thoughts, your feelings, but how about who you are? there are a lot of people i would not have recognized when i stepped back onto singapore soil on 26th june. a lot of my priorities and loves and thoughts have changed. but what has been the driving force behind this? is this just the environment in singapore, or is it whatever happened in norway and beyond?

been meeting up with so many people i haven't seen since the weeks that i got back, before the start of the semester. but somehow it's as if with some people, the friendship has been altered, and it can never go back to whatever it was. and with some, i cannot even remember the basis and the nature and the state of our friendship from before. just like the few weeks after exams had fundamentally changed something, the six months had moulded my life into a different mould. one that which my closest friends are the furthest away, one that which new people leave footprints, new people make me laugh, new people make me cry.

which is why we often realize that everyone can live without someone. there is no one that you cannot live without in your life. because hate as you must, regret it as much, life goes on. it never stops.

just got my results yesterday. gosh. never done so badly. oh wells.

you keep wanting to believe
you keep on wishing
in what is furthest from the truth.
in what can perhaps never be the truth.
you are afraid.
afraid of disappointment.
afraid of rejection.
afraid of hopelessness.

absence

2009-12-21T08:01:00.004+01:00

if absence means everything connected to that entity is absent, the world be a better place. perhaps the most damning feature of the world and us is memories. memories bring the best in us and the ugliest in us. memories help us keep a silver of hope. relive the happy times. know that we were loved. attempt to be evidence of the presence of something we yearn. help us live our lives till the very end. but memories also destroys hope. relive the worst times. know we were hated. know we were unloved. attempt to be evidence of the presence of something we detest. make us want to end our lives. memories remind you. taunt you. haunt you. spur you. they make you feel a sense of lost, or a sense of gain. memories will forever be a double-edged sword. even after the people are long gone, the memories stay with you.

if you leave, you do not bring all the memories etched with your presence with you. it stays with the people. and it can bring both hope and loss. just because hitler died does not mean the second world war and its repercussions do not live on. just because your brother passed away does not mean his love does not stay with you through your life.

it's finally time for me to take a rest. when nothing much is happening anymore and i get to sleep, to stop staring at my phone, to not check my phone, to just do whatever i want, and not live as though i'm on high alert. the results will be released tomorrow. even after all my slogging and grumblings and the effort put in, i know i did not put in my best effort. because halfway through, i got tired. i got frustrated. i just didn't feel like it anymore.

but at often times those words get tangled up in lines
and the bright light turns to night
until the dawn it brings
another day to sing about the magic that was you and me.

cause you and i both loved
what you and i spoke of
and others only read of the love
oh, the love that i love

see, i'm all about them words
over numbers, unencumbered numbered words
hundreds of pages, pages, for words
more words than i had ever heard
and i feel so alive

uncle kracker - smile

2009-12-18T18:38:00.002+01:00

You´re better then the best
I´m lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow that´s right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me
Lets me know that it´s ok yeah it´s ok
And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed sing like bird
Dizzy in my head spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh you make me smile

Even when you´re gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through the sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed sing like bird
Dizzy in my head spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh you make me smile

Don´t know how I lived without you
Cuz everytime that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed sing like bird
Dizzy in my head spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh you make me smile

realization.

2009-12-17T03:46:00.003+01:00

perhaps it was and is the point of realization. that whatever happened probably should not. and thus the situation. thinking about that, does it really matter whatever inference i make since..the realization is only on my part? maybe it doesn't. and it probably shouldn't. there should be another point you have to cross. before you're safe on the shores of resolution and clarity, that no matter how big the waves and how near they are, you will never step into them again without a life vest.

somehow this holidays seem to be really draggy and endless. the fact is as much as i enjoy the break, the slackness, i cannot stand the emptiness, the void, the fact of disconnection. i would much rather get back to school. slog to death not knowing how many deadlines there will be, when will those deadlines end, get frustrated over group reports, presentations, projects, than this.

which is why i've decided to finally ask my father about the german course i've been wanting to take ever since bergen. it's high time i started.

no time and space can come between two people.
that is if they are meant to be.
if everywhere you turn
you are enveloped by the time and space between you
how do you determine if it can come between you.
if it can ever be.
if it is meant to be.
perhaps it is not for you to determine.
it is for time to tell you.

"who can say where the road goes
where the day flows.
only time.
who can say why your heart sighs
when your love lies.
only time."

i just haven't met you yet.

split.

2009-12-15T13:52:00.003+01:00

something present can absent itself over time.
something absent can never present itself over time.
it was something in that split second of acquaintance that sows the seeds, be it dormant or not, for something to grow from.

i'm not interested in where it leads. perhaps i don't wanna know anymore too. does this even sound logical.

if you can't smile. cry.
if you realize you can smile
but your smile just never reaches your eyes
perhaps the smile was an act of struggle
an act of sorrow
an act of crying.

que sera sera.

between the seen and the unseen

2009-12-13T09:31:00.002+01:00

somehow you realize that it's so much easier to fight something you can see. something tangible. something that is out there in the open. something that has a presence. something that is spoken of. something that is written down. rather than fight something that you cannot see. something rumoured. something that is present only in murmurs. something present in your mind. something lurking. something that may or may not be present simply because of its intangibility.

when everything's out just like the rays of sunlight, it becomes easier to confront the things you don't want to. the facts. the words. but that may be in part due to the fact that it becomes easier to avoid them. it requires less effort to focus on other things, to trivalize, to box them up and hide the box somewhere no one can find it, to convince yourself that you cannot see them and therefore those are not there anymore.

it's time for you to take a step in a different direction.

"she says days go by i am hypnotized
i'm walking on a wire
i close my eyes and fly out of my mind
into the fire

she says days go by i don't know why
i'm walking on a wire
i close my eyes and fly out of my mind
into the fire

oh, days go by i'm hypnotized
i'm walking on a wire
i close my eyes and fly out of my mind
into the fire
oh, light the sky and hold on tight
the world is burning down
she's out there on her own and she's alright"

christmas

2009-12-11T04:22:00.004+01:00

the widely celebrated and hyped-up season of giving, sharing, and love is here. it's the christmas season. strolling down the streets of orchard road everyday, you will never miss its imminent arrival. every single year, during this season, the roads and shopping malls get swamped by crowds. it gets hard to walk. it gets hard to clear your mind. as the overflowing information and shoppers overwhelm you.

thus it is funny how every single year, i never have any plans for christmas. it's true. i may end up spending it somewhere, which i don't really remember, but i don't have plans. back in jc, i'm pretty sure i spent christmas at home. the year i graduated, i spent christmas working. 1st year in uni, i was embracing the sand and soil and sandflies in cambodia. 2nd year in uni, i was somewhere in mind cafe. and this year, i don't know.

what is it about christmas and valentine's day that you feel like you're in the slumps if you spend them alone, or with no plans in particular. perhaps it's the hidden assumption in such festivals that you will find the special people who will make time on this busy day just for you. there is the hidden assumption that there is everyone for everyone.

if love prevails, everyday's a valentine's day. everyday's a christmas day. because you'll feel the love with you, in you, and around you anyway.

there's this song that was stucked in anna's head the other day.

"i don't want a lot for christmas.
there is just one thing i need.
i don't care about the presents
underneath the christmas tree."

what's on your wishlist for christmas this year.

a sign

2009-12-10T03:54:00.001+01:00

if it was a sign, then perhaps it would be a negative one. somehow i can't get my mind off it. it's pretty funny how things happen. a song pretty much summarizes it.

An old man turned ninety eight
He won the Lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought?  It figures.

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down, he thought
"Well, isn't this nice?"
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
And who would've thought?  It figures.

Well, life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face.

A traffic jam when you're already late
A 'no smoking' sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams...and then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?
A little too ironic...and yeah, I really do think.

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought?  It figures.

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out.

it's time for us to face the truth.

overlapping.

2009-12-09T03:14:00.002+01:00

the funny thing about life is that somehow, the lives of you and others can overlap in a split second and impact is only felt long after. it is the most amazing thing. it can also be the most tragic thing. every single decision in your life leads you to somewhere, just like the simultaneous decisions of others bring them elsewhere. perhaps to you. lives collide. people collide. as a result of decisions they don't think much of before making them. people are brought together, people are separated. hearts rejoice. hearts break.

the most melancholic thing of all is when you think your life collide with that of another, when everything seems good and falls into place, then you realized that no matter how good the fit, it just doesn't fit. that's not how things will be or can be.

"it's like meeting the man of your dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife."

when lives collide and overlap. when you wish perhaps you appeared earlier. when you wish for mutuality. perhaps the only thing you can do is believe that everything happens for a reason. you'll feel better that way. hopefully. but the fact remains. the truth hurts. the truth that hurts the most is one that breaks hearts.

seems like everywhere i tried to go
i keep thinking of you.

2nd dec

2009-12-02T06:43:00.003+01:00

it's the end of the semester. officially since my one and only paper ended yesterday afternoon. whoo. looking back at the entire sem. a storm seems to have come and gone. i can't really remember what i have been doing since i got back. there are so many friends that i haven't had time to meet up with after the school term started again. i'm always missing mein mein. and it seems like a semester of disconnect even though exco has expanded the set of people i know in nus. but the disconnect is so jaring perhaps all these new people do not even matter.

a little baby in the house. exco. nus. so much promise. so much hopes. so much happenings. so many disappointments. so much angst. so many grumblings. so much fun. so much excitement. so much dronings. so much confusion.

perhaps i do need to take this 5 weeks to reconnect with everyone and really lay out what's gonna unfold the next sem. when mel is gone. when mein mein will still be away. when kaili will be gone.

a crisis never just happens.
it's always in the brewing.

where you belong

2009-10-27T12:09:00.002+01:00

now that i'm back where i 'belong', even though everything seems exactly the way it is before i left, i know that that is perhaps furthest from the truth. reason being everything has changed, and i am not the same.

when i look at the friendships that i've left behind, wherever they are now, after i've been to bergen and back, i wonder what were they worth really. somehow as much as i know they didn't matter, it isn't that good a feeling to know that they really didn't matter.

i've made new friends, i've met new people, i've new experiences, which i cannot even put my finger to. some people come and go. some people stay forever. would the friends i met in bergen stay? or are they even still here? that remains a question.

stepping into nussu exco. it is another chapter in my life. in nus. how do i begin on how i feel being part of it all yet feeling like there's nothing i can do.

stepping into the 3rd year of my existence in nus. school work has never been more hectic and overwhelming. how come i don't feel the pressure and the power to work the way i thought i would.

stepping away from what i felt was important. do i really get a clearer picture.

and i carry on dreaming.
about macadamia ice cream.
about green tea.
about black pepper chips.
about chocolate pocky.
about milk yan yan.
about the snow and rain i left behind.
about the new embraces.
about the loves.

bergen

2009-10-26T03:24:00.000+01:00

so many things i miss about bergen. so many people. so many places. so many events. so many feelings. so many so many. i can't begin.

last night

2009-06-05T11:59:00.002+02:00

i cooked the last dinner i'll ever cook for my friends here last night. took me a long time. and it was nice =) then we got ready to go out..went to the spanish kitchen first..and then to tiger tiger. for some reason..this was the one time i really wanted to get tipsy and drunk and whatever. and at the end..ruben just hugged me and said he'll really miss me. and then it all began. i started crying nonstop. adrien came to talk to me and i kept crying still. and even when michael came. i hate this feeling. this feeling that i'm leaving everyone and when i come back everyone would be gone already. even now..i can't stop crying. i'm catching the flight to london in 6hrs. omg. i feel so horrible now. staring at everything.

rafal's farewell dinner

2009-06-03T00:10:00.003+02:00

rafal is leaving tomorrow and there was a farewell dinner last night. he cooked polish stuff for us! =)

waiting for our dinner in rafal's kitchen..

it's here!

sui.

some polish soup

chitchatting

trond and sophy

polish dumplings

random

anna rafal yijie

smile

=)

with ruben

again

anna

HA

trying the smile detection thing

half rain half no rain

pretty

again..

love the layers

rafal's leaving tomorrow..sophy's cooking dinner tomorrow..lunch with joeri on thurs..my farewell dinner on thurs..then it's off to london on friday..i'll miss all the people so much. gosh.

norway in a nutshell

2009-06-02T17:28:00.002+02:00

woke up damn early on sat though i didnt sleep much on fri when i got back..to go for the norway in a nutshell trip with jo and yijie..SUPER DUPER ULTRA DAMN TIRED =S but it was omg so gorgeous. picturesque..i'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

still in bergen

fountain with the sun

pretty pretty

the valleys

waterfall with rainbow right in the middle

RAINBOWWWW

love it

under the sunlight

welcome!

clear clear water

with yijie

the ferry

on it

food and a sleeping yijie..as usual

church

train

HUGE waterfall

nice end to our trip

tired. sleep.

beach beach beach =)

2009-06-01T17:18:00.000+02:00

went to the beach cos the sun was all sunnyyy!!!!!

julian and lars

markus and arthur

out of the water!

jo and judith in their kitchen

tuna salad

salad

failed attempt to act cute

failed again

the next day..beach again!!!

sophy

all ready for the water

swim swim

dived

at the bonfire at night

setting up the wood

can u believe it was 12am

fire fire

burning bright

moony

=)

party 29th may

2009-05-30T17:24:00.000+02:00

had the preparty at karina's kitchen..it was yet another crazy party =)

michael julian renato

nice one

O_O

so many people

sophy and julian (big)

julian and renato

julian renato ruben and what's-his-name

=)

anna and sophy

me anna sophy

julian pouting

drinkinggg

then it's back home..super duper tired..first time i actually got tipsy =S

party 28th may

2009-05-29T17:11:00.000+02:00

it's thurs and though we wanted to stay in..we ended up going out cos it was really fun at michael's kitchen..great night!! =)

zoltan and pawel

victoria and erika

tamogotchi! (as nicknamed by the spanish)

with lai yew

with sophy

comfy on the mattress

alex and laiyew

again

playing with the new toy in town

drink

stoning

say cheese

julian and sophy

zoltan

laiyew gutti adrien

gutti adrien julian

carlos trying to kiss laiyew

sophy carlos laiyew

=)

=)=)=)

julian and sophy

zoltan and laiyew

paul and his younger bro..i forgot his name

ruben and paul's cousin

random girl with pawel

it was really a great night!!! =)

random bbq place

2009-05-27T17:06:00.002+02:00

the sun is out!!! beeen out on the bbq pit!! nice view great sun blah blah blah!! woohooo!!!! =) we went to the city first then went to relax there.

the spanish

all drinkinggg

awwwwwwww

arthur with his new sunglasses

sleeeeepy

laugh

pretttyyy

=)

ruben

camwhore still

then it's back to my room and then out!! =)

23rd may fjord trip

2009-05-24T16:59:00.000+02:00

photos of the fjord trip on 23rd may. superrr tiredd!!!!

yijie and i at the beach

charlotte and christien

norwegian flag

boringg

finally going back after 8hours.

the trip was so tiring!!! 8hours on the ship omggg!! i wanted to sleep already =(

farewell dinner 22nd may

2009-05-23T14:57:00.000+02:00

the time had come for the farewell dinner of the semester. it feels kinda weird that everyone is leaving after this farewell dinner to wherever we had come from and settle back into the lives that had gone on for so long without meeting all of the amazing people we've met these past 5 months. we were supposed to dress up since this was a formal dinner..the dinner was good..free wine and everything.

nicole and yijie

soph and i

nicole yijie christien

christien judith jo

waiting for our food..

charlotte and soph

charlotte soph me

the table..

table........damn bored.

the boys at the next table

chit chat talk cock

the other table next to us..i was really bored.

soph and i again

wonder what's with the fork?

NHH fork!!

food is here!

roasted reindeer with potatos and veg!

worst english accent..no joke =P

with doris..she's so cute!

with yijie

markus..he's still so tall even when im in my heels..

with ruben

5 girls

with rafal!

our dear norunn "norwegian mama"..love her!

GILF of the sem nominees..GILF = Girl I Like to Fuck..lol..sophy's nominated!

the 3 girls..but eva won..oh well..surprise surprise.

zoltan

kalle

arthur..ok damn not nice shot..

those boys..intruding into my photo with julian!

finally a nice one

with chun hua..my laptop saviour

michael

what were we laughing about..

smileeeee

with karl the swedish dancer..

FREDDIE!

it's DESSERT TIME!

victor

victor ruben yijie

christien

charlotte

=)

christien with a stupid pose..=X

mojojojo

with a tearing chisato..awww

watching the video

absorbed

svein..my mentor who picked me up from the bus stop and witnessed my great appearance in hatleberg student hostel by falling flat on my face and also the first time i ever puked cos of drinking during the speed drinking game during sviesaften..the memories

us with kalle

not that short anymore! =)

awwwww dont cry anymore..

the little fountain in school..

the clock tower we see everyday

the place i was never wrong about..which gave me the experience of a lifetime and allowed me to meet the most most amazing and memorable people ever.

later on..julian and the guys managed to persuade me to go out to tiger tiger with them cos it's the last night we're gonna do that together even though i need to wake up at 8+am the next day. and so we went. it was damnnn funny. a lot of funny things happened and it was great!

rafal and lukas..the stupid boy who carried me up along with robert >_<

dance dance

then i left along with julian arthur markus and victor..and they were hounding me and it got really funny again. went to julian and arthur's kitchen for a while..then to my kitchen for pizza and we went to bed. great day. great night. love the people. =)

yesterday

2009-05-22T15:45:00.003+02:00

went to the train station to pick marilyn and daniel (whom i've never met before) up. took a walk around the city centre and stuff..and then it's back to my room and dinner with the girls =)

DANDELIONS! bergen is now FULL of them everywhere..i love the feeling when u're walking and it's the seeds all around u..floating..flying..to places unknown..it feels just like it's snowing..just that it's snowing spring =)

the fountain at the lake is up!

still under construction..

=)

bryggen wooden buildings once again

i love wooden houses

lalala

nicee

then it's dinner at jo's place..it was pasta again! =)

before

yijie preparing her famous salad dressing

with cheese..pre-oven

TADA! done!!

happily eating popcorn

eat eat eat

the smokers..was pretty peeved when jo insisted on smoking indoors when i hate the damned smell.

it's FAREWELL DINNER tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

random scenery

2009-05-22T01:29:00.000+02:00

just random photos of the great skies and scenery from where i stand.

i was studying and went to the kitchen to get some water and i saw this..

woah.

so pretty

i love sunsets

random pics..choc mousse!

2009-05-21T11:07:00.002+02:00

sophy and i made choc mousse yesterday!! ok actually she did most of the making but whatever! damn nice =) supposed to have a bbq yesterday but they postponed it cos the weather was too cold -_-" like argh ok fineeeeeee

before

freia choc

sky was kinda dark and clouds were heavy..

the mixer finally worked..

after..

DONE.

then had dinner with chisato..made my ba chor mee for him cos he's leaving on wed..right after the farewell dinner..oh wells..it feels kinda weird. he's the first person i knew here..even before coming here..and he's always been very nice to me..well except when he gets drunk and keeps hugging me and all. in a lot of ways..he's like a little boy i guess. he misses japan a lot since he's already been here since last august..so i'm really happy that he can go back and speak japanese all the time =)

backdate: dinner with the girls

2009-05-20T15:05:00.002+02:00

had a dinner with the girls..soph jo yijie..on sat night. there was this eurovision song contest and it was pretty nice.

MUSHROOMS!

eggsss

sophy

what was jo doing..

greedy girl

our chicken

nice weather out

smile

uh oh..kinda dark

me and yijie

and a drunk jo with kalle at the reception during the eurovision song contest

i should study for my tues paper..but i'm such a lazybum..gonna have BBQ later!!!! and the weather is finally clear and good again! woohoo!! =)

norway national day 17th may

2009-05-19T11:46:00.002+02:00

didn't go out this weekend cos i had a paper yesterday..and there was the eurovision song contest on sat night..and..NORWAY WON! haha it was pretty funny and amusing..and norway won by more than 100 points..so that's cool! and it's the night before their national day..which kinda makes it even cuter. anyways..got a little peeved cos they were bugging me to go party with them but i didn't want to. went back to my room and slept.

woke up bright and early on sunday morning to go see the parade in the city centre! like really early. and everyone was decked in suit and their traditionl costume..so cool!!!!! but we felt super underdressed but what the heck.

walking to the city centre

a burst of dandelions! but i think the camera can't catch them cos they're too small..

all the flags hanging

awwww look at the cute little girl!

the clear sky right at bryggen

look at everyone

walk walk

never seen such a crowd

bad pose

nice pose

more crowds

bryggen

insun and me!

waiting for the parade to begin

policeman

the first guy

nice car

WOODEN BICYCLE!

4 on 1

so cute

cool old man

bands

really really great weather

omg the crowd

little cutie sitting high up

so manyy peopleeee

the high schoolers

i never thought there were so many people in bergen

never seen so many norwegians in 1 place at 1 place

it was really amazing.

view of the sea and the mountain

our salmon baguette

christien happily eating

even at the lake

wanted to go see the fireworks with them at 11pm. but i haven't finished my cheatsheet but i was so tired cos i slept so little that i didn't go eventually. darn sad. and markus told me yesterday that WE COULD SEE THEM FROM RIGHT HERE.

OMG.

DAMN SAD.

but the national day was pretty cool..i think the whole of bergen..if not the whole of norway was out. and there was this old man who gave me this pin with the nationl colours on it when i was going back..awww...so sweet!! =)

*3 down. 1 more to go.*

my life is a soap opera episode 2.

2009-05-13T19:32:00.003+02:00

yes. it's official. my life is a soap opera. at least..i think so.

sophy told me to call her at 8.15am this morning. we have a paper at 9am. so somehow i got it into my head that we only need to leave at 9.30am. and yeah basically i screwed up. i woke up at 8.15am. woke her up. then slept till 8.20am. slowly took my own sweet time to bathe and all. came out. saw sophy's missed call and msg. i looked at the same. IT'S 8.40AM. MY PAPER IS AT 9AM. OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG I NEED TO BE THERE BY 8.45AM. i changed grabbed my wallet and pencil box and bag and ran to school like my life depended on it. technically it did. if i didnt take this paper it's suicide. i already have to spend 1 sem taking 6 mods when i get back. it's either 6 mods for 2 sems or 7 mods for 1 sem if i didnt catch the paper in time. the more i think about it the faster i ran. and i arrived just after 8.45am. phew. phew phew phew. my goodness. turned out sophy and markus came to my room to knock but i was bathing. gosh. i was scared out of my wits and i wanted to die and i wanted to wake up to realize it was a dream after all. but no. it has to be reality and i CANNOT wake up.

gosh. some adrenaline rush early in the morning. which explains why i was wide awake for the exam. the paper was ok. but i was left wondering..why the hell do people need 4hr examinations..like seriously..it's just 6 questions.it's kinda like..wth. and i asked my neighbour about the carbon copies for the exam..so turned out that the carbon copy is given to another professor in another school to grade. but the problem is..i don't think he can see my writing cos i don't think i wrote hard enough.......=S

after the paper..we went to the bbq pit to just eat and sit down with the germans..and the sun was so strong..now my cheeks are burnt. -_-" my goodness.

now..mugging for paper number 3.

tell me why

2009-05-12T22:58:00.001+02:00

someone tell me why im actually nervous for exams that i just need to pass. is this the rumoured brainwashed syndrome by the singapore education system. sheesh.

one down.

2009-05-08T13:35:00.002+02:00

met up with tara yesterday to pass her a card. and freddie was with us!! well he has to leave bergen on the 27th or 28th may. which means he only has 19 days here with us. =( i'm so sad now. i think..out of all the people here..other than sophy jo and yijie..the person i feel the closest to and like the most is freddie. cos he's so grumpy and temperamental he's so funny. i'll miss him so much. =( =( =(

exam update: one down. three more to go.

sheesh. i couldn't sleep last night..even though i'm not nervous about the paper since i just have to pass. like what the hell. anyways woke up early for the 9am paper. super duper tired. first time in my life my exam is actually free seating. and the writing paper is like..each sheet has 2 carbon copies. so like they're together..after u're done writing..u gotta tear it off and separate the 3 copies out sheet by sheet. and u hand in the first 2 copies..the handwritten 1 and the first carbon copy while u keep the 2nd carbon copy. -_-" how weird. and after u're done u just hand them in to the guy who sits at the back and u can just leave. how cool huh! hahah..i was pretty amazed and quite kuku cos i didn't know what to do. my first paper. oh wells.

and on a side note..tara has left for oslo. =S

tara's leaving.

2009-05-07T00:20:00.002+02:00

yupp. tara's leaving. it feels kinda weird that she's actually leaving so soon. before all our exams start (ok actually it's on the day of my first exam) and way way way before me. and she's actually a fulltime student here. well she's going to oslo to stay with her sis and write her thesis in the meantime. she's leaving on friday morning..catching the 9am bus (same time as my exam) to oslo. i haven't been very close to her but somehow she's just such a lovely and lovable girl that it's hard not to like her and miss her. all the times we marveled at the food she cooked..the awesome photos she takes..how she's always energetic and stuff.

ar. it'll really feel weird that she wouldn't be here anymore..though i'll mostly be mugging away. kinda feel bad that i can't go out with her tonight or tomorrow night since my exam's on friday morning. sighs.

i guess this is just the start of the seemingly unceasing sadness and melancholy and stuff for me. each time someone leaves and goes back to where we've always been and resume their lives. without us. our exchange semester is coming to an end after all. perhaps the next person i have to bid farewell to would be freddie. =(

more dinner

2009-05-04T23:37:00.003+02:00

my days have become a routine. a sucky one.
wake up.
read.
eat.
read.
sleep.
and the cycle goes on.

had dinner with the dutchies and markus just now..

staring at victor's dessert

goodness knows whose hand is that

after posing for multi times..ruben finally decided to help him take a photo

ruben

uh oh..poor shot.

looking nice..

julian and his dinner

smiles

YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY

*back to readinG*

mug?

2009-05-02T22:21:00.007+02:00

omg. 1 sem of sep has totally increased my inertia to a level unprecedented since my 9month break after Alevels. i'm not even 1/6 done revising for my first paper which i have done nothing about...save meeeeeeee.

anyways..here are some random photos

dinner on 10th march @ zoltan's

some hungarian dish by joanna i think..

something by dominik..AWESOME

dessert by karl

WITH ICE CREAMM

dinner on 12th march @ zoltan's

some potato appetizer by tara

lemon prawn pasta by sophy

austrian pancake-like dessert by lukas

my grass jelly with longan and lychee

2nd apr zoltan's birthday dinner

polish dumplings by rafal

belgian beer zoltan brought back

paella by david

carrot dessert by tara

2nd dinner when i was back

hard at work for the salad dressing

salad

our pizza and salad

jo with her special diet

MY FIRST BBQ IN BERGEN

why did i take a photo of the sch..

it was nice weather

karl the expert starting the fire

the little food we have on the table..

lighting up..

presto!

strong fire + strong wind

our food

halfway through

random chatting

random..

the sun's setting

again

and again.

tada. the end of my mugging and random photos post. i have to get back to mugging. damn.

personification of bad luck.

2009-05-01T18:20:00.003+02:00

yeah. i totally can't believe my luck. went to the library to print out my term paper yesterday afternoon before my class. and i left my wallet there. didn't realize it until class ended like 2hours later. so i packed everything into my bag and ran to the library. i found my wallet! i was like thinking omg how lucky am i.

until..i felt and saw water dripping from my bag.

i opened my bag and i realized that i DID NOT SCREW THE CAP ON THE WATER BOTTLE IN MY RUSH. notes were wet. my ipod nano and pink motorola were drowning and crying out for dear life in the swimming pool that formed in my bag. took everything out and tried to dry them.

*DEH*
ipod: negative.
phone: negative.

took everybody's advice and put them in rice.

took them out today.
ipod: seemingly postive.
phone: in perpetual state of demanding me to insert my SIM card..which i already did as told.

so as of now..my singapore line is not active anymore till june >_<

random

2009-04-28T15:09:00.003+02:00

it's been 1 week since i got back bergen. i was sooo happy when i was back..back to my room..my own toilet..my kitchen..blah blah blah. but wasn't very used to having to go to school and start studying for my exams. somehow it seems like i've been on holidays all this while. yeah ok perhaps i HAVE been on holiday all this while. basically i spend most of the time in my room..enjoying my room..oh and doing my laundry and finally getting down to clearing and organizing everything cos of all the clothes..things i bought..blah blah blah.

had lesson on thursdays and it was like omg im so tired. oh the 1 nice thing was we had a bbq on friday! like my first bbq here. haha..but the european way of bbqing is like different..they just used marinated meat and stuff..no chicken wings..no stingray (i have yet to find it here)..no satay..no this no that. ar it's just different. but it was pretty nice! the weather was good for the entire week. went for the quadruple birthday party on friday night..it was ok..not very fun and like a lot of people werent here..christien markus ruben victor paul went to stavanger and jo went to copenhagen with her mum. oh wells. oh but we met patrick..he's really nice and he's COMING TO SINGAPORE IN JULY! hahaha WHEE!!! =)

for now..i just gotta complete my term paper =(

london 18th-20th march and back in bergen

2009-04-26T18:23:00.000+02:00

woohoo!!!!! london!!!! i love this place!

anyways jason came to pick me up at goodge street station just like last time. then i just kinda hung around in his room cos i was damn tired. then he came back from soccer match and we went for lunch and i went shopping for stuff for my little niece who has yet to arrive in this world..he went back to study and i just walked around on my own..i bought BOOKS!! SO HAPPY!! haven't bought books for a long long looooong time. basically time passed kinda fast and i got kinda lost trying to find my way back to his place but i still made it anyway..by intuition..haha! and jialing came and we got ready for dinner cos his family was coming over for dinner with him. jialing came along cos otherwise it would be darn weird. it's not like im his gf or what. not that i ever want to be. but anyways..had dinner at inn noodles and it was nice! got back to his room and he went to study with jialing while i fell asleep and he slept in his friend's room.

the next day..i woke up real early i don't know why and just surfed the net and waited for van's text. then she told me that she spilt water on her phone and it's now spoilt but anyways she'll meet me 1430 at bond street station. since jason slept only this morning and i was really really hungry..i left and had lunch and carried on walking around by myself..i was intending to take the tube to bond street station until i realized, as i was walking along oxfort street, that it was just along oxford street! so finally i met van at around 1500 cos she was held up by lunch. SO HAPPY TO SEE HER AGAIN! somehow i've always felt very comfortable around her and it's very nice hanging out with her. went to primark and bought some stuff..and then chinatown..where i bought tidbits to bring back to norway so that i can have some connection with the tidbits i'm used to. then went for bubble tea at a hong kong cafe while waiting for jason to come have dinner with me.

she needed to get back home early so i had dinner with jason at a japanese restaurant. for the first time he didn't gobble up his food..haha! it was a nice dinner..and we had frozen yoghurt after that..with GRANOLA! hahaha!! my favourite!! ok and then somehow we just walked to trafalgar square..and i thought the scenery was really nice..and then we just went back to his place and he continued studying and sleeping in his friend's room.

i like the billboard

he sent me to the airport the next morning..and woah he finally got himself to write a letter. my visit to london this time is not so much about sightseeing but more about visiting friends. cos otherwise i would only see him if he happens to come back to singapore and i don't know when i will see van again. so it was a really nice trip! =)

but my flight from london heathrow was delayed for 1hr cos there was some air conditioning problem -_-" thus i missed my connecting flight to bergen since i need to collect my suitcase..check in..cross customs again and go to the gate. there was one damn irritating and rude norwegian woman at the gate who irritated the hell out of me even though i was pissed enough about reaching hatleberg so late. oh wells. and then i finally reached HATLEBERG! arrrrrrrr i love my rooom!!!! =) and sophy yijie jo cooked a nice dinner for me! so touched!! =)

lyon 17th 18th apr

2009-04-26T18:12:00.000+02:00

we reached lyon at 6am..just hung around until this store opened..this old man was very nice..we couldn't speak french and he just decided to give us coffee and orange juice and croissant and all and it wasnt very expensive. it was a great breakfast! we then went to deposit our luggage and walked around the small city..somehow i really like this place though i was really damn tired and all. oh and i actually managed to read the map! hahaha!

the breakfast place

our breakfast

outside the terminal

nice clear sky

inside

cute doggie

carousel!

blossomsssss

the fountain

love this

court of justice

outside

then we checked into our 'hotel' and it looked like this....

in the morning when we checked out

self check-in machine

LONDON! JASON AND VANESSA!!! =)

barcelona 16th apr

2009-04-25T18:04:00.000+02:00

we went to another side of the city..where the anella olympic..museum and some stadiums are..i can't really remember the names now.

and it actually started RAINING HAIL! >_<
skies are clearing up

what we had for lunch

the greenness..

misses

the palace (i think) that's now a museum

barcelona stadium

its megastore

i really like barcelona..but the thing is i didn't get to see many of the things i wanted to see..oh wells..i will go back again!! just not too soon..lol
then we boarded the bus to lyon at night..as expected it wasnt a very comfortable bus ride...

barcelona 15th apr

2009-04-25T17:39:00.000+02:00

woke up late too. anyways..we decided to go around the main streets and to follow the map along to see some stuff. seemed like i was the only person who wanted to see everything..they didn't wanna see anything -_-" they don't really like barcelona. but the moment i stepped out of the hotel..i really like this place. somehow the air is just full of energy and..there's just something energetic and vibrant about this place that you can feel it in the air. anyways..we took the metro and just walked around.

view from our hotel

the metro

they have these bicycles everywhere

and i was sooooooooo happy cos i havent seen so much greenery and leaves and everything ever since i left singapore. i've not seen such green for such a loooooooong time!

random guy on the streets

selling chickens!

another randomness

cute chess i saw at a tobacco shop

cuteeeee

heeee

funnily..every city i go to..they sell stamps at different places. in london it was the post office..the switzerland also post office..but in stockholm and helsinki every postcard seller would have stamps..and in moscow also post office..st petersburg the hotel has one..tallinn was also post office..and in barcelona it's the tobacco shop.

market place

buildingssss

the cathedral

history museum

inside of the cathedral..we didn't go in..cos it was too ex and also cos...

of this sign

under reconstruction

cute

random

how can anyone not like barcelona

gaudi museum! so sad i didnt get to see all his works.......

we then went for dinner and back to the hotel..

barcelona 14th apr

2009-04-24T17:35:00.000+02:00

slept damn late last night trying to do all my russian trip laundry and hanging them and also to repack my bag and so on. woke up damn early cos my flight is in the morning -_-" anyways thought my suitcase was lost when i reached spain cos it took forever to come out and like i couldn't find it even though the suitcases of the next flight was already on the belt. i reported lost and when i went back for a last look..it miraculously appeared on the belt. thank goodness. then met wee boon and fun ruey and went to our hotel..ate..and just slept. lol. cos im damn tired and it was alright night time.

the metro station at the airport

our room

then i just slept and slept..slept at like 10+pm i think. super super super tired.

russian trip - back to stockholm then bergen 13th apr

2009-04-24T17:00:00.000+02:00

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! WE'RE BACK IN STOCKHOLM!!

in the metro

our luggage

tired but happy

=)

waiting for the airport bus

shopped around in the airport..i desperately need to cure my rashes and salvage my face..and then we ate..and we hung around..and boarded the plane to olso and then to bergen..and then..

WE'RE BACK IN BERGEN!

omg the air smells so fresh!!! i LOVE bergen!!!

but sad to say..i only have 1 night in my room..i kinda regret booking the flight to barcelona the next day...........

russian trip - on tallink 12th apr

2009-04-24T16:56:00.000+02:00

on the cruise romantika.

i want cinderalla instead..

brilliant

group photo

look at my horrible face

making waves

we then finally showered..CLEAN AGAIN!! and went to celebrate markus' birthday. bought an old soviet camera for him in moscow since he doesn't have a camera...

opening his present

shutter!

yay

putting it back

=)

there it is!

then we went back and i just slept. too tired.

russian trip - tallinn 12th apr

2009-04-23T16:39:00.000+02:00

we finally arrived at 9am. went to the toilet to wash up..my face was horrible and was getting more horrible by the minute. it hurts a lot cos it keeps peeling. arghhhhhhhhhh. anyways withdrew some money and deposited my suitcase. we then went to the old city..contrary to what we saw when we first arrived in tallinn..those eastern european soviet kinda buildings..the medieval buildings of the old city that was preserved were really beautiful. it was like we landed into the fairytale of hansel and gretel. that was how it felt like. we went into yet another cafe and had breakfast..then carried on walking..went into another church and up the towel to look at the view..and then around..and lunch..and cafe again..postcard writing..then back to the terminal. we kinda got lost and was pretty late in getting to the terminal..thank god we were in time for our cruise back to stockholm.

when we first arrived

the old city

cute sign

i just love this kinda european medieval streets

pretty pretty shop

in the square

another side

and another

we finally reunited with markus! (he couldn't join us in russia cos he doesn't have a passport)

inside the cafe

by the window

a still-drowsy christien

where we sat

our table

smile please

please look here instead

now it's blur

anna and doris

jo and i

the signboard

terrace cafe

more old buildings

and old narrow alleys

the view from the top

love those houses

gorgeous

but im afraid of heights...

one last shot

down again

cutie

looking for food

foodie foodie where are u....

tada!!

inside

the menu

my food!!

the bill

outside once again

the sun is shining

happy

doris and i

right postcard writing..

left postcard writing

foood

sweeeet

to tell the truth..even though i've seen a lot and experience a lot this trip..i was missing bergen a lot. like i really wanted to come back to my room my bed my shower my everything. lol. all of us were damn happy that we were out of scary tension-filled russia and back into normalcy and also finally going back to bergen with mountains and trees and sea and fresh air soon.

russian trip - st petersburg 11th apr

2009-04-23T16:20:00.000+02:00

woke up and had buffet breakfast. then we went up to pack our bags and went to the lobby. bought stamps and posted our postcards. deposited our bags at the hotel and met the guys at the hermitage. there was a looooooooong queue outside and we finally managed to go in and deposit our coats and walked around. the place is so so so beautiful. and there are more than 300 rooms u wonder how the hell did the royalty know their way around and not get lost and if even half of all those rooms were used at all.

from a distance

the queue in front of us

the people behind us

so cute

quit moving

=P

please shave ur beard

big eyes

everyone had hoods except me

inside

love those lights

grand

love this hallway

three of us

check out the things she had to attach to her heels to protect the floor

heavy armour

I WANT SUCH A LIBRARY FOR MYSELF

biggest book in the collection

smallest book in the collection..and this is through the magnifying glass

the grand stairs of the winter palace

interior decor

when we came out

we then went to a cafe again..then to another cathedral..before returning to the hotel to wash up and wait for the bus..i can imagine it's going to be horrible. can't sleep.

unique kinda coke

top of the cathedral

the bronze horseman outside

christien and arthur

jo judith nicole doris

georgian restaurant

waiting

and waiting

my food

there was a belly dancer performing for us before our meal..it was kinda weird..

back to our hotel.

the bus ride was nice at the start..it brought us around the city to sightsee at night..it was really really beautiful. i can't help but think that this place is prettier at night than in the day. then it came to the train station to pick the rest of the people up at 2am. and then we set out on our way to tallinn, estonia. christien couldn't sleep and she ate like 2 of jo's sleeping pills when normally u take 1. so she ended up being damn groggy. and the bus stopped at like 4am for border control. the whole bus was stopped and checked for like half an hour before everyone had to alight and carry our luggage into the building to scan through and to stamp our passports one by one personally. christien got up and her face immediately paled. and she couldnt walk properly. she eventually vomited in the toilet and got a little better but was still super weak and groggy. we finally went up the bus at like almost 6am and continued our journey into estonia. christien just slept throughout and my passport was stamped by the estonian authorities. my whole body and neck was aching cos there was so little space inside the stupid bus and i couldn't move or sit properly.

russian trip - st petersburg 10th apr

2009-04-23T15:58:00.000+02:00

and so we reached st petersburg early in the morning. didn't even get to brush my teeth and went onto the bus for a 5hr tour. omg. can i just check into the hotel and bathe and sleep.

yet another statue at the station

the station

too tired to take much photos

one of the few photos i took in the morning

while waiting for the bus after breakfast

it was so cold..bus doors were not opened

christien and nicole with their food

eating

the winter palace

ice on water

as u can see..st petersburg has a totally different atmosphere from moscow. it was the capital of the russian monarchy before it was toppled in the russian revolution in 1917. it was renamed petrograd and then leningrad before its former name of st petersburg was restored in 1991. i love this place so much more than moscow. the people are nicer. the atmosphere less hostile. the place is prettier. less dirty. less polluted. but we also have less time. -_-" the thing about moving around is that the map we have has the street names translated into english alphabets but the street names printed on the streets are in russian -_-"

we finally checked into the hotel..had a quick shower and went out to explore the place. our hotel was park inn hotel and i forgot how to spell it in russian. it was nice =)

one of the 7 bridges we can see from a junction

KFC

while walking

another

frozen water

all ice

the fortress

halfway through..doris thought we were gonna have lunch. and she was sick and really hungry. but she had no choice but to follow us to the fortress cos we already split ways with zoltan arthur jo since they wanted to go to the curiousity museum. at the fortress..she was so sick that she decided to go back to the hotel by herself. and i told her to send me a text message when she reaches the hotel.

inside the church

pretty

where the last tsar and his family were laid to rest

all gold

the winter palace..also known as the hermitage

we were waiting for them at the fortress until we got their message that they're at the fortress and we'll meet at the restaurant that we have no idea how to go to. they did not reply christien's message asking them where they were and so we grudgingly decided to make our way to the restaurant. halfway walking she received another msg from arthur saying the restaurant's too expensive they were looking for something else. and then i was already so so so so angry i was ready to punch all of them in the face. christien told them to meet in front of the hermitage and not move. somehow we waited for 45mins in the cold and they never came. and then i text-ed arthur since jo didnt reply me and he replied a long time later saying they're already at a restaurant. we had to find our own food and we were all cold, tired, angry, and really really angry people. we accidentally made a small campfire at the pizza place cos somehow the tissue paper ended up on top of the candle and there was a fire and smart judith decided to give it more oxygen and blew at it and it nearly burnt me. anyways i was hurting too much and i needed to get back. christien decided to go find them and sort things out. so nicole judith and i made our way back to the hotel ourselves. and doris only reached the hotel 2hours later. omg. i later found out that she got lost cos some metro stations were closed and the map was in english and she cried but somehow people helped her and she got back to where we came from but she had to walk all the way back to the hotel. omg i feel so bad...

i was writing postcards in my room when christien and jo returned explaining that it was all a problem with lag cos of the receiving and all of msgs screwed up. so all was well even though i wanted to punch all of them. we had a nice talk and sorted everything out and just fell asleep. but i was getting more rashes than ever.

russian trip - moscow 9th apr

2009-04-22T15:48:00.002+02:00

woke up in the morning and went for breakfast..it was markus' birthday so i sent him a text message. we went up to our rooms and checked out. deposited our luggage in the train station..had to find the right one cos there were soooo many of them. and then we decided to take a lazy day and just visit the cathedral with the 9 domes on the red square. but first..we'll have lunch at the place we first had lunch in moscow. we then split up cos the rest wanted to go to a gift market and we kept walking cos arthur wanted to 'pass time'. it was damn cold cos the wind was really really strong. had some coffee..then dinner..then went back to the train station.

remember. this means u can ONLY walk on the white lines.

i forgot to mention that on hindsight..i finally realized why 90% of pedestrian crossings in moscow are underground. given the speed the vehicles go at..even traffic lights can't save that much lives. and there's also why the metro network in moscow is so dense and frequent and efficient..though they do not give warning about closing doors and i got trapped between the doors =S damn scary also.

anyways we took the train to st petersburg. it was so horrible that it was really amusing. the temperature was biting cold outside and amazingly..it was so warm inside that we could sweat. and in the train from helsinki to moscow..there were 4 in a compartment. now..take out the door and the compartment..same bed..but a little smaller..and add 2 more beds 1 on top of the other along the side corridor. that's our train. the light was so dim it wasn't really light. and the windows can't be opened. and the beds are so small it was just right for my height. it was so amazing that i think it's damn funny and one hell of an experience and quite fun actually. oh and the french canadian guy sleeping in the bed next to me basically started taking off his shirt and jeans and slept in his underwear -_-" and his girl came and lied on top of him and they started kissing and i basically saw no evil and carried on talking to this smu guy sleeping along the 'corridor'. didnt manage to wash my face or wat and just slept. the train is due to arrive at 6.35am tomorrow morning.

russian trip - moscow 8th apr

2009-04-22T15:17:00.002+02:00

and so we woke up and tried to go visit lenin's preserved body but it was closed..so we decided to go to the kremlin after lunch! another fact about russia. more than 80% of russians are orthodox christians..something that i think only eastern europe has. and they have soooooooo many churches and cathedrals. the kremlin itself has 9 or 7 or them. went to the world war II memorial place where they mourn the dead soldiers of everywhere they fought and brought back the soil and erected monuments. there were guards (as usual) guarding the fireplace (where there's a sculpture of a fallen sword..coat..and helmet of a soldier on top of each other) and the monument. and there's a change of guards every 1hour. we decided to eat first before going to the kremlin and see if we can catch the change of guards.

soldiers in blue

soliders in green

guards in dark blue

guard in blue

guards with the monument outside the kremlin

guards marching in

outside the kremlin

on the bridge inside the kremlin

the armoury part of the kremlin..where we cannot enter

the only view of what's inside

the cannons

church

first time i see a really clean car..and needless to say..it belongs to someone of the kremlin. am i surprised.

someone got whistled at trying to cross this street not on the zebra crossing. yes there are guards at every zebra crossing and even though there's almost always no cars..u MUST only cross on the zebra crossing. this is russia.

the largest bell in the world..it can't ring and a part of it broke off cos there was a fire and they put too much water trying to put out the fire

some kinda food court

to tell the truth..i really feel like knowing some KGB people or those people who work in the kremlin or some russian guy with those long black coats and black suits and look so serious and who was walking out of the kremlin. it is just so..mystifying and intriguing.

arthur with my scarf -_-"

the roads

bridge and another cathedral

the cathedral

view of the red square and kremlin

along a small street

starbucks in russia

by now we're really really dead tired from this entire trip and all the walking. my feet hurts a lot. my legs ache like mad. and somehow there's some pain on my skin on my legs. all this endless walking..even though i really wanna see the sights and stuff..it's really damn tiring. and my face was deteriorating by the day no matter how i wash my face and stuff. it's really really bad. anyways we settled down in starbucks and thought about dinner and the ballet performance at 7pm tonight. jo and doris had to go back to the hotel first and we carried on walking without them. bought stamps and postcards and we went on walking..took the metro to the KGB building and met zoltan and anna..only to have zoltan bring us to a place that already has an outlet on the street where we were before. damn pissed by then. we gobbled up our dinner cos zoltan was late and rushed to the theatre to watch the ballet. i've never watched a ballet in my life.

a very tired christien

drained

everyone needs a coffee

street performance

russian macdonalds

toilets

prettiest metro station

KGB building

the theatre

arthur and christien using their binoculars

damn tired. arthur zoltan jo went to some propaganda pub to 'see how it's like' while the rest of us went back. i realized the pain cos i had rashes all over my legs..and yes all over my body also. damn. damn damn damn. it started again. and my face was all peeling and everything. oh wells. slept. then jo came back with arthur and they woke me up and took a photo -_-" then they went to bang on christien's and judith's door before coming back and saying bye. i was really really irritated cos here i am damn tired and coming back early to sleep. u woke me up. and kept talking even when arthur left. and then i couldnt get back to sleep for more than an hr. oh gosh.

russian trip - moscow 7th apr

2009-04-22T14:34:00.004+02:00

we alighted from the train and met up at the train station. went onto a tour bus for a 3hr tour when all everyone wants to do is to get to the hotel..bathe..and lie on some real bed. anyways..here are some photos from the tour that i managed to take without having the dirt on the bus window or some reflection inside the photo.

first photo in moscow..at the train station

everyone's hurrying in to get away from the biting cold

the statue of lenin inside the station

inside

look at how grey everything is

the older buildings..

newer ones

the first in the infinite policemen/army personnel we would see on the roads every 100m

almost all the cars on the streets are this dirty. i swear.

nice view of the monastery + nunnery

the university

the first thing that struck me about moscow is the tension all around. the moment we got off from the train..it was as if a thick coat of tension enveloped us. it was scary. and there was miliary personnel and policeman everywhere. like really EVERYWHERE. every 100m or less u go..u see not one but a few. and the air is so dirty it LOOKS dirty. and the cars..we figured that the reason why all the cars are so dirty is cos even if they clean it..it would revert back to the way it is within a day so why bother.

we got down at the red square to take a look around the red square and inside GUM (pronounced GOOM) which is this huge luxurious high end shopping mall in moscow. it is coupled by TSUM (SOOM) on the other side. the red square was gorgeous. it is one of the most beautiful places i've seen and needless to say the most beautiful in moscow. this is even when it is set against the dark clouds and grey skies. suddenly i didn't feel like i'm in hostile moscow anymore.

this is GUM

behind this building is where the kremlin is

the cathedral with the 9 domes forming 3 triangles

inside GUM

pretty pretty

prettyy

i wish im rich

wish im really rich

restaurant we ate at that was really good and really cheap

happy that we've food!

outside GUM

still nice

i still like this a lot

back on the bus..going to our HOTEL COSMOS

tired

turn around!

casino in the entrance of hotel kocmoc (cosmos in russian)

there was some confusion about our room cards cos we need to hand in our passports to the hotel for some registration and passport control stuff. yes. russia is such a stickler and oh-so-paranoid about foreigners and christien got screamed at. 1st time in moscow day 1.

our beds

toilet

not-so-nice view

arthur and christien in christien's room

some facts about moscow. there are 12 million people living in this bustling city and there are 5 million cars on the roads here. yes. more than the entire population of singapore. and this is only in the capital of a country. there are statues of people everywhere and the most celebrated person in the nation is not so much putin but lenin. the air here is horrible. the entire hotel corridor reeks of smoke and even our room reeks of smoke. everyone can smoke can indoors and outdoors. factories are situated in the city and we can see the emissions from those chimneys all the time. i could feel my skin dying.

we then went to the 24hr supermarket nearby to get water since we cannot drink from the tap here. and before long we realized that russians do not smile. they just stare. and stare. and stare. and they do not speak english. and it's gonna be hard for us to get around cos everything is in russian and they are using a different alphabet from us. the supermarket is amazing. alcohol takes up 1/2 of the store and 80% of it is hard liquor. this is how cheap alcohol is in russia and a testament of how much the nation drinks.

we put our stuff back in our rooms and went for a walk in the park opposite our hotel. yet another statue celebrating the launch of a rocket/whatever that looks like it. very very commuist. this was when christien got shouted at a 2nd time cos she went 2 steps up the stope of the monument even though there were footprints all over. there was a guard. guarding the monument. my goodness. can u believe it. this is russia. they have guards and police and army people everywhere. perhaps only russians can step on it because otherwise we would be stepping onto their pride or something. but anyways..christien was O_O 2nd time in moscow day 1. and the people are so cute. while waiting for buses at the bus stop..they actually queue up in 1 single file and wait..when there isn't any bars or queue lines stipulated. where in the world can u see this if not in moscow?

cute car..one that's clean for a change

the billboard outside our hotel

the sky was clear

our horseshoe shaped hotel

the statue of a frenchman..was it some president or something..outside our hotel

hotel kocmoc

the rocket monument

then we went back to the hotel..had the buffet dinner cos we were too lazy to go outside and find some stuff and it's not safe to leave the hotel without our passport and card cos any police can stop u and ask to check ur passport and visa. if you don't have them..u're in big trouble. and the thing about our hotel is..everytime we wanna take the lift up to our rooms..we have to show the guard our hotel card. yes. there's actually a guard whose job is to stand in front of the elevators and check the cards of the people going up. so we had our dinner and then i went to use the internet room to check my mail a bit to see if there's any important stuff..and we got our passports back..and we decided to go see the beautifull red square at night.

it was damn scary. it was the first time taking the metro by ourselves and we were armed with a metro map..a moscow map..and zero russian knowledge. went to the metro station and tried to buy a 10-ticket metro card. we were confronted with drunk guys who wanted to sell us some weird tickets and even though we ignored them they kept approaching us and even nudged us and poked me. omg i was DAMN SCARED. and we hurriedly bought our tickets and held onto our bags for dear life and went through the gates and finally went into the station. and we noticed people who jumped behind other people when going into the metro becuase they don't have a ticket and they try to get through before the gates close. and it worked. amazing russia. at the escalator..i realized that the platform is so so so deep underground. it takes about 5mins to get from 1 end of the escalator to another end and there were soooooooooooooooooooooo many people that the escalators were full and packed with people from 1 end to the other end. and we cannot see the bottom from the top even though it was pretty steep. cool. we managed to figure out which station we're at and which station to alight and so on without knowing russian.

we got out of the metro in the wrong exit and tried to cross the road. jaywalk. that was before we realized that moscow main streets are about 6 lanes wide and everyone drives as though they're on f1 track. i'm not kidding. we tried to cross and this car just zoomed past us as though we were on the highway or something. so we decided to carry on walking. anyways after much difficulty..we managed to find our way to the red square. and..oh my god. it is so so so picturesque and so..magical. i thought i was in fairytale or disneyland. it was pretty in the day..but at night..the only word was MAGIC.

on the streets

the metro station

outside the red square

GUM

GUM GUM GUM

arthur's finger spoilt my photo

can't see u

blurry still

finally!

the splendour cannot be described. it can only be felt.

we were in our dreams

doris and i

disneyyyy

YAYS

the billboard at night

russian favourite..bling and glitter

we then went back to the hotel and just slept.

russian trip - helsinki 6th apr

2009-04-21T14:10:00.000+02:00

so we disembarked at 10am helsinki time..which is 9am norwegian time. actually we were damn shagged by the end of stockholm. i couldn't imagine how i was gonna go on walking and looking around in helsinki moscow st petersburg and tallinn. i wouldn't have walked so much and just spent the $$ on metro. anyways because we were like uh 5mins late..arthur and zoltan just left without us cos apparently 5mins was too much. the rest of us decided to take a bus tour to see almost everything and then just rest cos we were so so so shagged. so we went on the bus..took the tour..went for tea at a cafe and walked around somemore before going to the train station to withdraw euros..change into rubbles at forex and then board the train to moscow.

christien on the bus

markus and jo

judith and doris

christien and i

somehow..helsinki's buildings and architecture seem greatly eastern european..i did not feel like i was in western europe or scandinavia at all. it was all straight and tidy brown red yellow buildings that look like they were built during soviet times. it was after that that we realized that finland was ruled by russia centuries ago and that was how it became separate from sweden and how helsinki became its capital.

the apparently famous stone church that's really low..

those stones

the inside

sculpture used to commemorate a musician

those tubes of symphony perhaps

the train station

the first constitutional building

the market that wasn't really opened cos it was sunday

naughty christien

smiles

the square

dessert for teatime

yummmm

the christmas store

at the train station..bound for MOSCOW

the trains around

nicole and doris in our puny cabin

the invaders

the intruders

a reluctant photo

bleah

the view from my little upper bed

anyway we had our sandwiches for dinner in the small small compartment..everybody wanted to escape zoltan so christien arthur and judith came into our compartment inside of staying in theirs. what a grouchy sulky boy he is. anyways..the time came for border control. the finnish guy took my passport and stamped it while the rest of my european friends were like 'what was that? why didn't i get any?' and i was like 'DUH u're in EU for a reason'.

and then the russians came. it was kinda scary cos they came and opened up the doors of the compartments and didnt talk except 'PASSPORT' and then we took them out. this guy came..took our passports and tried to identify our photos with us. everyone was ok until it came to me. well like DUH. the photo i have in my passport was taken when i was 12 years old. and it was damnn unnerving when he stared at the photo and then at me and then at the photo like 5 times and didnt say a single word. his eyes were like piercing. during the border control..we cannot even go to the toilets. everyone must stay in their compartment and not go anywhere.

finally they returned our passports to us and we tried to go to the toilet. no one can figure out how the tap at the sink works cos we tried to pull and push and whatever but no water came out. until the very very pissed russian lady guard came out and demonstrated to us to push the stick UP and the water came out. gosh. they didn't speak english either. and we were like 'oooooohhhh omg i didn't think of that'.

anyway we had a very insecure sleep cos everyone told us that people might come in and steal our things at night..but we still slept anyway but because we couldn't really shower or wash up..it was horrible..and we woke up in the morning at 7am in moscow. this is the start of our little adventure.

russian trip - on silja lines 5th apr

2009-04-21T13:48:00.000+02:00

it took a lot of time for us to get our tickets and get onto the cruise..and yeah it's call silja lines. anyway the lifts inside kinda suck..and we had to wait 1 million years to get into the lifts and get to our rooms cos there were 1 million people trying to do the same thing too. arghhh...and the cabins are kinda small but what the heck..it was only for 1 night. and there's no reception in the cabins. omg. anyways after that we went out onto the deck to look at the view and so on..i like the wind blowing at me..feels damn nice and calming.

our ship

nicole doris jo

botched attempt to take a nice portrait of me

the sky

christien

arthur and judith

those little islands

oops the angle is too low..damn he's too tall

with judith's help...>_<

ooooh judith has a beam of light

inside

the boys are happy cos it's dinnertime

we then went to walk around the deck..chat..and basically went back to our cabins and sleep. those ppl from cbs..sheesh..they were partying outside our door and i couldnt get to sleep till like 1 2am..

russian trip - stockholm 4th 5th apr

2009-04-21T13:07:00.000+02:00

woke up bright and early..had our buffet breakfast. it was really nice!! i love the bread and bacon and everything =) we then began the looooooooooooooooong walk to the old city to look at the palace and other things...

the palace

and then..guess who i bumped into..

melissa and phyllis!

like OMG we actually bumped into each other at the palace at the old city at stockholm in sweden when we're doing exchange elsewhere! and then i realized that phyllis is going on the SAME russian trip as me!! *happY*

jo and i

standing guard before the change of guards

and then..we heard a sound..it's the sound of parades...

so nice!! first time i see horse parading like that..and walking around town with the jockey! COOL! damn happy! we then went for this boat trip..

the vasa museum..that's like the only thing i remember now

got off and carried on walking around..all this walking was killing me. seriously.

we finally arrived at this market that is kind similar to harrods

the inside

look at the number of people out now that the sun is out..something u won't see in singapore

some red church

we were supposed to sit at a cafe and rest but somehow we split from christien arthur markus and nicole and we ended up walking like all the way back to where we were during the boat trip and like much much much further..i was getting really really annoyed.....

castle?

i decided to just leave and walk all the way back to the old city to look for the rest..met up with them and i can't believe i walked SO MUCH. i thought i retired from ever exercising again after j2 but well..i was wrong. anyways we then went to the tower near us and went up..woahhh..NICE VIEW.

resting and looking for dinner place

no he wasn't reading

pretty pretty

arguing again

all smiles

bad leaf.

nicole me markus

markus jo judith

i had to strain not to block nicole..

their steak

pasta..

my swedish meatballs with cute mashed potatos!

and we suddenly stopped in our eating to see a bunch of smurfs outside..lol

dessert at a cafe

yum yum

the place

the nobel museum

a gleeful jo and i

the picture didnt turn out well..

me and arthur

i am not short!

just shorter than 1.90m...

ok now i'm a little taller..but still shorter -_-"

we were damn exhausted. the guys went on to the ice bar and us girls WALKED back to our hostel. yes. AGAIN. it's hell of a walk. anyways slept early.

the next morning we woke up..packed..deposited our bags at the train station and went to the vasa museum and basically slacked till we need to meet at the cruise terminal for the start of the real russian trip.

the vasa ship that sank 10mins into her maiden voyage

it was really huge

and i bumped into phyllis again!

*russia here i comE*

oh and here are the videos i took of the parade..

russian trip - stockholm 3rd apr

2009-04-21T12:29:00.000+02:00

ok now im finally going to update and post the photos from my erm..16-day long trip! haha! =) so on 3rd apr, fri, we went to stockholm in the morning and reached there in the afternoon. we took the airport bus to the central station and along the way..used to all the mountains and so on of norway..we found sweden/stockholm surprisingly flat. checked into our ex-prison hostel and it was damn cool!!!

markus and arthur in the seat behind us

nicole and i

arthur -_-"

view from the bus

after a loooooong walk..langholmen

our hotel!

the room christien jo and i shared

the beds

daily schedule of the prisoners in swedish

the nice bathroom!

somehow i just love the little thermometer outside telling us what's the temperature..

arthur carrying my bag though i think u cant see the bag..

the elevator

the cute 'guard'

we then put down our bags and stuff..and went to the city to take a walk and see the sights and for lunch/dinner.

the bridge by our hostel..

along the river

he's FISHING!

the sun was setting..

along the bank..

the old city

one of the alleys

christien and i

BEN AND JERRYS!!!!!

taking more photos......

while they think about where to go for dinner..

decided!

arthur and i

thai curry

my stir-fried beef or something..

since we were so enticed before..and those europeans have never seen a ben and jerry's outlet in their life.......

we ended up there after dinner! YAYS!

then we went on walking..

so cute!

and walking..and we saw one of the most beautiful sceneries ever. like. E. V. E. R.

pink sky!

look at how pretty.....

everything becomes under the orange-pink-purple gradient..

oh gosh..

HAPPY

did i say i'm in love?

jo and i

the palace and all

never sick of the sight

we then went to the river bank as we started walking to a bar and....LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK

OMG SOOOOOO PRETTY TOOOOOO

one picture is never enough

the bar

it's an irish beer bar or something

i like how this looks

christien jo arthur markus

judith nicole zoltan me

all happy with their alcohol

HEAVEN and HELL on the same glass

we then began a super super super super loooooooooooong walk back to our hostel from where we were..omg..i've never walked so much in my life..little did i know that this is only the tip of the iceberg..

BACK

2009-04-20T22:24:00.000+02:00

YAYS!!! IM BACK IN BERGEN!!!! =)

2009-04-18T21:19:00.001+02:00

in london now..back to bergen soon on monday!!! =)

russian trip

2009-04-03T09:04:00.000+02:00

*STOCKHOLM..HELSINKI..MOSCOW..ST PETERSBURG..TALLINN..*

PACKAGE

2009-03-31T15:59:00.002+02:00

i received something from my sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
went to check my mail today and found a slip of paper..went to SPAR and...

there IT IS

my FAVOURITE MAMEE with lakerol and my earrings!

LAKEROL CASSIS

*HAPPY* =)

trippp

2009-03-30T16:23:00.002+02:00

will be going on the russian trip this weekend!! wheeeeee!!!
3rd-5th apr - stockholm, sweden
6th apr - helsinki, finland
7th-9th apr - moscow, russia
10th-11th apr - st petersburg, russia
12th apr - tallinn, estonia
13th apr - back to bergen

after that..will be going to...
14th&15th apr - barcelona, spain
16th apr - montpellier, france
17th apr - lyon, france
18th-20th apr - london, uk
20th apr - back to bergen

=) DAMN EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!