Round 2

Right, I promised some pictures and updates soon on what's been going on around here in the UK, so here it is =] Been a pretty eventful period for the past few months. Attended a few events like the 3 Doors Down gig (IT WAS AWESOME) Ling Yu's fashion show (model for a day she was *wink wink* ), road trip to Wales, Singsoc trip to blackpool and last but not least, the most recent trip to Amsterdam.

Yes, Pat, I know we've only just been there last year, but this trip was still worth it. Managed to do different things for the most part, so it was cool. The tulips were in bloom, so it made up for what we missed on the previous time. Also went to the Rijjk Museum to check out Rembrandt's works instead of the ever popular Van Gogh Museum. Managed to finally get into the Heineken Brewy after trying for 2 days. Of course, we all went to the RLD and tried out the various mental stimulants on sale. What did you expect from a group consisting solely of 11 raging males. Hahaha. Enough said, all in all a very enjoyable trip!




Check out the tickets from easyJet! It's almost as if we're going on a bus ride!




Arrival



Anne Frank's House











Like the last time, we usually walked to wherever we wanted to, with the exception of the Tulip Gardens as it was outside of Amsterdam itself



Flower Power!!!





Real Life Imitating Art?



RLIA 2





Blue Carpet







Larger than life Chess Pieces







Boring lah chess





Kuan





Alec



Aaron and Kuan





Doesn't this look like it's right out of a postcard?





My preciousssss~~~





the group







I think this tulip is called Showwinner





































Some shots tht I played around on the camera with






Right, after a LONG day in the Tulip gardens in Leiden, it's back in amsterdam for some shopping, sight seeing and HEINEKEN BREWY!





Clarence: NO tram! We WALK!



Brian really couldn't help himself...



At Dam Square









Hard Rock baby~

Guess how I spent the afternoon?

Reading this very interesting article on how Fight Club the movie is really the real life version of Calvin and Hobbes the comic strip. Not sure if this was written as a discussion by a film student or something like that, but I seriously enjoyed reading about the comparisons made as well as the obvious effort made in researching and cross referencing between the two subjects.

It's kind of a pleasant surprise to find myself agreeing with the well thought out arguments. Well, it really isn't that surprising. :P I've LOVED the C&H comic strips since time immemorial and enjoyed Fight Club the movie immensely (even though Ling didn't really enjoy it). Any of you happen to like both and concur with the parallels drawn by the author of the article? I'm sorry if it's too much of a read or this post bored you to tears.

I feel like getting the DVD for Fight Club and buying a book of Calvin and Hobbes now... ah... good times...

Shoot

Haven't blogged in sometime and I apologise, but there have been activities going on here. I promise to update soon. Meanwhile, I have to catch up on sleep as well as someone very important to me =)

The Night Before

Was thinking of the film "Halloween before Xmas" when trying to think of a title for this post. In a way related to the herky jerky insane pace of that film. It's the friday before Easter break here. Why am I so stressed? So many things keep popping up in school. Disasters awaiting to happen at every turn. It's only 12noon now! I feel resentment welling up inside of me. Is the depressive streak of people around me catching?

Back in.... (February only lah)

Somewhere along the line, I got too melancholy and began filling this blog with pensive muses and nonsensical quizzes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with those. They do provide a break from the mundane nature of reading about what goes on in my daily life. But wait a minute, hold it right there. Wasn't that the purpose (or at least one of the main reasons, I still retain the rights to rant whenever I want, however I feel like XP) of this blog to begin with? So that my dear ones, no matter how near or far they are, can get a glimpse of how life is for me. What follow are pictures taken in York. It was sort of a daytrip for Ling and me. Just to get away from it away and spend some quality time together. You won't believe how popular that girl is. :P (Felt a sudden twinge of pain in my side there...premonition of something to come? hehe) Oh, here's something for you to gnaw on: In recent times, it has come to pass in our society that it's a bad thing to reminisce about the past. Popular culture deems it as holding onto the past and not looking towards the future. I, for one, am very fond of the nostalgia I feel while thinking of events past. Sitting here in my room, at 0440hrs, it's an excellent way to relax and unwind after a hectic day pounding at the laptop. (do NOT ask me about courseworks just about now. Very bad way to start a conversation.) Thinking back like this helps me re-enforce feelings I have for individuals in my life. It brings back good memories. What so wrong about thinking on them? The fact that I have had good times only spurs me to go on creating more memorable moments.

Alright alright, before I bore you all to sleep, here are the photos as promised :P


Back in feb... it was so cold compared to now! What to do while on the train to York? Sleep of couse! :P Such a pig...

Dreamy eyes ...

All recharged to take on York!



Every little town in UK has a War Memorial. Poppy flowers are traditionally laid out in memory of those who have fallen. It really states how much the War was a real facet of their lives and is still remembered till today. How many can say the same in Singapore? It's a cliche, but do we dare to take our peace for granted?

She: "So cute~~!!" Me:"I wonder how it tastes..." I so deserve to be smacked :P



Choot Choot!!!





3 guesses to which building this Minister Building reminds me of. Clue: It's in a neighbouring country





York was very nice to just walk about and take in the sights. One of the best things about it would be the old fashioned shophouses you see here. You just hop from shop to shop, gazing in the quaint windows till something catches your eye. Window shopping at its enjoyable best. :)

One of the many interesting shops we saw in York.

Another selling point of York: The various tea houses just sort of sprinkled hapazardly around the city centre. Here at The Earl Grey we settled down for lunch. Pity we didn't try the scones, but the tea was fabulous (sorry for the lack of a photo) and the fare good too!

Welsh Rarebit. (For Pete's sake, no I didn't eat a rabbit!)

Ling had some Banger' n Mash. Notice how she's eating so quickly that the camera couldn't keep up? :P

Why so perturbed? Read on...



Up next, Clifford's Tower!











Scaling the steps of Clifford's Tower

The Windy Summit

Viewing the sunset from uptop

York also has some of the best maintained stone walls along the edge of the city. I think they date from medevial times where castles, fords, forts were used.







That's all! Now get your bum on that train.

I forsee...

That these 3 fruit are going to be the staples for my meals this week. For some reason, none of us felt the imeptus to do any grocery shopping this week. (Financial pits can do that to you too) So, dear plum is going to plump up my lunches. Tangy orange will spruce up my snacks and give me that zing to last the day. Sandy apple is a dear to fill up the spaces left over.

On a different note. Pray for me and wish me the best. I will be having my University Basketball League Finals tomorrow night, 9pm UK time. This will be the match that decides if our team, the young and upstart Rojak, gets to dethrone 3 times defending champions Medics (obviously they are all medcine students). Like one of my friend says, it's there for the taking.

Call me Takumi!!!

My japanese name is:

井上 Inoue (upon a well) 拓海 Takumi (open sea).

Take your real japanese name generator! today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

I kind of think this name is so me. As with all things, even my name is contradictory and a testament to oxymorons. :)

Spider Web

mood: calm before the storm
music: Black Eyed Peas - Shut Up

For someone who was recently witness to a friend's car going into a major skid and spin on UK's motorway, this video somehow struck a chord with me. I am not normally a fan of Simple Plan, but the circumstances and feelings involved managed to contrive a sense of understanding and connection. Being one who drives very regularly back in Singapore might be another factor. You all know what I mean (ESPECIALLY ROGER LOW) don't drink and drive!

the video

The video brought a very valid point to mind. Are our lives really just our own to live? Everything and everyone is interconnected somehow. Each little action or non-action on our part has a cause and effect on some other external situation or person. Sort of like something along the scale of a mental or emotional earthquake occurring when you make a monumental decision and the effects of those decisions are felt more keenly the more someone else is closer to the epic centre (namely you). As with all things in life, I believe that the "best in moderation" policy applies here as well. The balance between being apathetic to those around you and overly-sensitive is a tight rope we all learn to walk in the lives we lead. It's just a case of how proficient you are at maintaining that balance. :)

So, how close are you to the core of my web do you think you are/should be? Are our lives as inter-related as you think they are? Do you have a pull over me and vice versa? Questions, I have a few. Answers, I await from you...

I don't know

Is it just me.. or does it seem like she's drifting away?

Been getting mixed comments. That I have lost weight as well as put on weight within the last week. What do you think? You be the judge

 

Drones

Ever felt like you're the one on the chair above?

Prone to freezing.

With this kind of weather, is it any wonder I would feel miserably cold here in my room?

Silly SAM

just something silly and amusing that came up while chatting with Alec on msn.


"i am sam
like the ham
i don't like spam
they make my mailbox a real jam

i am sam
like the dam
i really like taking the tram
they go much faster than a pram"

I Walk Alone, I Walk Alone

mood: Pensive
music: Greenday - Boulevard of Broken Dreams


Fluttering snowflakes, deafening silence. Solitary footprints of mine in the snow. The midnight hour creeps up as I trek home - a lone figure cutting through the icy lanes.

I look back and see the steps I've taken to reach where I am now. Slips I've had a few. Mis-steps aplenty. Chargrin at my old self is what I feel. Footsteps begin anew with firmness. It's good to be able to walk on with surety. Feels good to move forward.

"Where the city sleeps
 And I'm the only one and I walk alone"