Wow, it has been close to a month since my last update. Well, I have only 10 mins to do one now, so I might as well make the best of it.
First of all, to thank everyone for giving so many surprised through the course of the day. I really dunno what to say already. Thanks everyone :D
School's been good, some mugging here and there, nothing much to be worried about. Though I have to say that I did screw up my test today quite badly.
So be it. Its my birthday, I can do whatever the damn hell I want... =P Just joking =X. Didn't really quite understood the subject at hand, and misread the question on the test. Its quite a pissoff, but I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
Weather's also been turning from cold to even colder. I can now see smoke coming out of my mouth even as early as 5pm and the sun is starting to set earlier and earlier. Now about 5pm its completely dark already. Quite depressing to see the night for most times of the day. Doesn't help that the rest of the morning are spent in the Clore Lecture Theater.
Oh, and I have decided not to return for the winter break as well. The air ticket prices are ridiculous. Completely out of this world. But then again, my term starts back at 9 Jan, so I can't make it for ACJC open house anyways.
..
It has been just over a month since I left the airport and took the plane down to London. I could still remember how the tears almost came flowing out that day. To be perfectly honest, for the last hour at the airport, I constantly asked myself. What the hell was I doing this for?
Still, I look the ticket and my bags and proceed to board the plane anyways. The first week was exciting upon landing. Things and things to prepare, more and more people to know. Because of all the hubbub happening around you, you drown yourself in the task and push your own personal insecurities to the back of your mind. If you didn't get a duvet, you would freeze for the night, not the time to be considering about the reason for coming to London to study.
As the weeks past, we start to get better and better at taking care of ourselves. Memorizing the places around, getting yourself stocked up on food. Then came the incredible amount of workload unlike any others in Singapore.
But soon, you'll once again get used to it. It all becomes common in your new life, and you once again find time to think back and recall about all those insecurities that your brought with you into London when you stepped into that plane.
Would I be able to handle the workload? How are people back in Singapore? How cold will it be tomorrow? How are my friends from AC? How are the NSC people now doing? How are my juniors coping in A Levels? How are my NS brothers doing? Would I regret the decision to study overseas in the end?
In the end, all the questions of the future, where no answer is present, until when they have past as experiences.
I guess I should look for something to fill up the time once again.
Nothing much to update, I guess the 2 most important events.
10 Oct. Went out with the Singapore Society in Imperial to explore London. I have uploaded all the pictures onto facebook already, so please go ahead and look it through. Met quite early in the morning with Khew Fai and joined his group, called Lambo, if I remembered it correctly. Took the tube from South Kensington Station down to Hyde Park Corner and walked towards Buckingham Palace. The palace itself was damn bloody crowded, as it around the time of the changing of the guards.
There were police going around on horseback. HORSES.
My god, the only chance of me ever seeing that in Singapore is at Kranji, not in front of the Freaking Istana.
Anyways, moved on across Queen's Lawn and through St. James' Park and down towards the Big Ben. Cross Westminster Abbey along the way. Saw the London Eye for a moment but didn't really even go near it.
That was followed by take-away lunch at MacDonalds and then taking a trip down to Trafalgar Square where we finished eating and climbed lions.
Moved on to Chinatown from there, which was quite a ridiculously short walk, I did expect a much longer walk than that. Walked around a bit and continued down the road to Covent Gardens. Where all the buskers are and such. I could describe the buskers, but I guess its better for you guys to go SEE THE PEEKTURES.
Nevertheless, stayed there and walked around for another hour or so and moved back to Chinatown for dinner at Wong Kei.
Bloody hell, a bowl of rice in London is 1.60 Pounds. Can you believe it.
Nevertheless, food was decent and cheap, so no complaints.
11 Oct.
Woke up ever earlier(Actually I woke up late that day.), as we prepared to go for the first Fellwanderer's Sunday Walk. For background, the Fellwanderers is a club at Imperial where they basically... Walk. Walk everywhere, mostly around the more Rural Sides of the United Kingdom.
Mind you, when I said walk. I don't mean from your house to the supermarket, or down Orchard Road.
When I say walk, I mean 9 hours up and down countless of hills, around millions of rabbit, sheep and cow dung.
for that day, we were heading towards the Seven Sisters. Its a landmark along the South Coast of England, linking the Towns of Seaford and Eastborne.
Yes, we walked from one town to another in the south of London with the freaking wind blowing in our faces. I swear, the wind was strong enough to move me, so that was how scary it was. It didn't help that the slopes of the Seven Sisters were almost 50degrees most of the time. Damn bloody hell difficult to get up and down.
But it was such an exhilarating experience. Got to be there to feel it. The wind, the view, the height. And of course, the satisfaction of completing the whole course.
Go see, photos are all on facebook. When in doubt of which part of facebook, please refer to previous post.
Till next time.
...
PS. Oh, for those interested, Maths at Uni is still acceptable, isn't so hard that I'll die yet. =)
The Eagle has landed, London's a nice place. Cold but nice. Let me do an update.
2 Oct.
Took the flight at night. So sadded >.< Flight was rather horrible, 13 hours. Really horrible. It wasn't scary or anything, just that it was such a long flight it was almost unbearable. Spent my time playing Bridge and watching "The Proposal".
3 Oct.
Landed in the UK, Heathrow Airport. Rather warm within the airport. The airport itself actually looked like a shopping center in Singapore, in fact, it could be compared with Beauty World in Singapore. Really quite run down. Then I stepped out, the freaking freezing wind hit in right in the face. Its ok without the wind, but WITH the wind, horrible.
Got down to my hall, and unpacked before going for a walk around the place. Looked at the school, cheap places to eat, and bought the essentials such as pillows and duvets. In fact, I'm still lacking duvet covers and a 3 pin to 2 pin plug converter.
Went back, met my roomate for the first time, and took a ride down River Thames in a boat with a pub on the 2nd Level. Looked around for a bit, and fell asleep on the trip back. Was too jetlagged.
The walk back was especially memorable, the wind was cold. Coldest I've ever felt.
4 Oct.
Went out for International Students meeting in the morning. Came back, then had a BBQ dinner with the Hall. Nothing much today.
5 Oct.
Woke up early in the morning. School just started - Fresher's Week. Had information from Mathematics, and slept early.
And an interesting note, my Tutor's rather cool. The most interesting person I've seen in a while.
6 Oct.
Fresher's Week! Joined up for many many activities. Let's see how it all goes and which ones I'll be keeping in the future. Now more interested in Snooker, Fellawanderers and Gaming. Also signed up for like, Poker, Chess, Cooking Society, Kendo etc etc...
Ok gotta sleep early for tomorrow. Here's the photos of my studies here. Will be updated daily with new photos. I'm intending to take a photo outside of my windows for the WHOLE time. Lets see how it goes. =)
I had a dream this morning, and this just unplayed within my mind. Probably read of a story like this somewhere before, just unable to pinpoint where.
..
There was a boy who had cancer, living the last month of his life as the terminal disease dug into him across the days. Like most adolescents of his age, the boy was not one deprived of feelings. He took a fancy to a girl in class that he was in, and would often be staring in her direction while classes were still going on. That is, until school holidays arrived and the disease uncovered.
The boy didn't tell anybody of the disease, even resorting to shunning the rest of his friends just to keep the issue mum. But there was someone that he couldn't ignore.
And so, the boy went down to the CD shop one day, where the girl was working in, and offered to buy a CD from her. He felt his heart brighten up, everytime she flashed a smile his way. The girl would always even offer to test every disc, and bring it to the back of the store, for it to be rewrapped into the jewel casing before giving it to the boy.
And the next day, the boy returned, for another disc, for another smile. And the next, and the next. And it continued, until one day, when he never came back to the stall, and the girl called the parents, never expecting the news that he had died in the morning, finally overpowered by the disease.
During the funeral, the girl appeared at the boy's house, and asked about the discs that he had bought the previous month. The mother brought her up to his room, and as she opened the room, the girl cried, as she discovered the CDs all arranged on the rack, from the first day to the last, still wrapped in the jewel case that remained unopened.
Not because it was kept in pristine condition, but because it was never opened. In every case, there was notes left behind by the girl, everytime she brought it to the back of the store, she had left them in, hoping the boy would finally understand her feelings.
But it was not to be.
..
It was quite interesting to see a dream from a third-person perspective for once. Quite a sad story though. >.<