Last few days in Basel...

I just finished my last exam for my course here in Basel! Not an easy paper, but I guess I should pass.. Spent almost a full day cleaning up the room yesterday as I had to check out today (else I'd have to pay another 325CHF for my additional 4days here - they don't pro-rate and charge me for the full month), and moving/ packing my luggage was a painful chore. I had SOOOO much to pack! Gosh...

Weighed my final luggage that is going to be checked in when I board the plane this Sunday, and it weighs a borderline 30.6kg! Haha..My luggage weight limit is 30kg, but I am assuming they would not charge me for 600g extra. =) At most I'd open up my luggage on the spot and take out 600g worth of stuff and put them in my hand-carry! Hahaha...

This is my last 5th day in Basel as I'd be flying back to Singapore on Sunday. Time sure flies, and though I know people say this all the time, but it really just seemed like yesterday that I arrived in Zurich airport, wondering what was going to be in store for my here in foreign Switzerland. Now, the land is no longer as foreign as it used to be (though obviously I still don't understand or speak German), and I've taken a liking to this place! Clean, friendly and fresh, I'd say Switzerland is a great place to stay in, albeit expensive. And as much as I miss home, darling and family as well as friends back in Singapore, it is pretty sad that I'd be leaving this place of good cheese, wine and food so soon. Not to mention that the many places that I can visit around the region would no longer be within close reach once I travel half the globe to go back home.

Just a few more days left here, hope to make good use of my time by exploring parts of Basel that I've not seen and going back to places that I've gotten so used to, as well as perhaps resting before flying back home. After the exams, I think I deserve a break, though many things are still not completed for my Master's course, which I am supposed to have done during my stay here. Hope my supervisor's understanding enough! =p

Shall be going to leave my luggage with a friend later, and then moving stuff to my new hostel, where I am sleeping in a 8-bed dormitory with 2 other friends. Some of them are going to watch a football match (supposedly a really good one starring FC Basel) at a pub, but I am kind of reluctant as #1, I'm not that much a fanatic about football, and #2, I don't really feel like spending money in a pub. Ah well, shall see how later. Kind of owe people some small change cos I didn't have enough coins with me today when paying for my hostel and for a bus ride..

Had a good time at this restaurant serving free-flow wine (the red wine was really good) during lunch today, and Tommy kindly treated YS and me. A relatively good day overall I'd say...Good start to the end of exams! =)

Vienna...The last trip...

Vienna, the romantic destination for music and cake lovers... In short, it is a place of indulgence... of good food, music and shopping!

At Demel's, this former royal confectioner store, which serves really gooooood cakes...


At the Schonbrunn Palace...

In front of the natural history museum (note that the wind was strong and weather really cold at that time...haha...So posing for this picture with the cute elephant was no mean feat!)


Stephansdom, the icon of Vienna..a really old cathedral standing in the middle of the shopping district...


On top of the Danube Tower (which was in the middle of nowhere, but offered magnificent views of the Danube and Vienna):

Took this photo deliberately to show the effect of the strong (and COLD) wind up there on the Danube tower.. see my scarf and hair going all over the place in an almost horizontal manner? And if you look closely, you can see that my clothings (it's a heavy coat mind you) including my jeans are being blown back by the wind...

London!

This was a weekend trip that was really good, cos for once, we could understand the language that the locals were speaking in! haha... And perhaps because we took a flight there and back via easyJet (budget airline), I felt more comfortable as the travelling time was soooo much shorter... =)

Walked along the Thames, watched Les Misérables, took a flight on the London Eye...it was just a great trip...

Here are some moments to share...

The Big Ben! Didn't know it was part of the parliament houses...haha...

At Buckingham Palace! But it was closed at the period of time we were there...

The Tower Bridge! Always thought this was the London Bridge when I see it on TV or in movies...But the London Bridge is actually something really quite boring as compared to this...haha...

At the Natural History Museum where the dinosaurs lurked...Grrr.... =p
The awe-inspiring Natural History Museum...

After Les Mis at the Queen's theatre!

Kor! It's your corner! hahaha... this was in London's Chinatown...


The London Eye!!! Stunning at night...


Me in the London Eye capsule...with the next one behind me... Hee...
At Hampton Court Palace...where we even got to tour the kitchens (which was really interesting)
At Hampton Court Palace gardens... don't the trees and bushes remind you of Hershey's kisses? I wana take a bite of them! Hee...

The breathtaking Swiss Alps!

This trip to Murren up in the mountains was absolutely fantastic. We stayed in Lukas' (my swiss friend) uncle's residence, which had a magnificent view of the 3 famous peaks in that region from the living room balcony, and it was just so comfortable there! Not to forget the memorable and sumptuous meals we had there, with good wine, jazz music and good food (self made pizza and raclette - melted cheese with other stuff!)!

Also tried out skiing, which was really a brand new experience for me! To tell the truth, I simply HATED it initially, and wondered why on earth people paid so much to go skiing! Haha... But as I slowly got the hang of it, though I am still pretty bad at it, going down the steep slope can be really exhilarating! Of course, I fell countless times, and didn't really go down any slopes as the place wasn't exactly beginners' friendly... Afterall, it is a holiday resort for people who know how to ski to enjoy the mountains... Hee...

Did feel inferior to the little kids (probably could ski better than they could walk) who whizzed down the slopes like professionals while I struggled down the teeny wheeny slope on my own... Haha...

Here are some moments...


Simply looooooove the snow-capped mountains... I didn't want to leave!!!

The famous Eiger (with the North Face - the most difficult to scale slope), Mönch and Jungfrau peaks... This was right in view from the living room window! Imagine that! Hee...

Resting at one of the restaurants nearby after lunch (packed sandwiches with salami), and here's me and Tommy, with my iced tea (yup, didn't feel like having anything hot even though it was cold there)...hee...

That's me on my skis!!! Went down the slope in front of me only ONCE cos I insisted on doing it, and so Lukas kindly went down with me...haha..

Us at the dinner table, after a tiring day of skiing! Cheers! =)

Up at the Schillthorn peak, where a 007 Bond movie was filmed in the 1960s, and the Piz Gloria built just for that show. Piz Gloria now houses a revolving restaurant, where we had breakfast that day! Stunning views and great cheese... =) Did I mention that the view from there and where I was standing in this picture simply takes my breath away? =p

Lukas (from left), me and Tommy, with the ski funicular behind (on the right in the background), and the mountains cum snow cum trees...

Me and YS before we returned our ski shoes (a pain to walk in, literally) and ski equipment!

Long Xmas/ New Yr Break... [26 Dec 2005 - 4 Jan 2006]

Don't really have the time or inspiration at the moment (exams start next week) to write something about this long trip, and the incidents in Italy have already been covered in previous entries...So, I'd just let the pictures do the talking and take you through a 'visual tour' of my trip!

PARIS...
The Louvre!!!! A place that I've always sooo wanted to visit, it simply was surreal when I finally got there...Love this place to bits! Not only is it magnificent and beautiful, it holds one of the world's largest collection of Art! =)

The famous Notre Dame...Didn't go in due to lack of time and 'cos we felt that the cathedrals won't be that different...haha...

The EIFFEL TOWER!!! It really looked magnificent...Was totally awed and utterly excited when I saw the famous and iconic tower... =)

MILANO (a few hours stop.. hee..)

Behind me is the shopping street where there are lots of designer shops as well as beautiful arcades!

At Duomo Cathedral...

ROME...
At Circus Maximos...The used-to-be race track for chariots! =)
In the Vatican near the St Peter's Basillica - Just look at the throngs of people who were queueing up to get into the cathedral! It was simply madness... haha...
At one of the fountains in Rome, which was in the middle of a round-about...

VENICE...

The Rialto bridge overlooking the Grande Canal! This is the most famous bridge in Venice... =)
At St Marco's Square!
Look at the waterways...These small little 'canals' run through the whole of Venice!
Simply love the waterways...Aren't they just beautiful?

One of the numerous bridges in Venice - an important infrastructure for the island...

The many gondolas (charging exorbitant prices for a ride) teeming with tourists on the busy waterways...

A gondola being rowed down the waterway...simply romantic...

A view from the top of the Bell Tower at St Marco's Square.. Simply breathtaking...

Finally...PHOTOS!

At long last, I've managed to get hold of the photos that Yunshan helped to take (after losing my camera), so here they are! Essentially, they are of the travels I took during the long xmas break in late Dec/early Jan (Paris, Milan, Rome, Venice and Murren (in the Swiss Alps mountains) ) and over the next few weekends after that in London and Vienna. :)

Enjoy!

GONG HEI FATT CHOY!!!

It's the Lunar New Year again! Time for lots of good food, festivities, relative visiting, fun and games with cousins and aunties, and ANG BAO! Haha....

Yes... it is that time of the year again... But sadly, this time round, I have NONE of that atmosphere... Cos I am in Switzerland - where there is ZERO atmosphere for CNY, not to mention that Chinese is quite uncommon here, so there isn't a Chinatown whatsoever where the New Year is celebrated!!!

But it has still been alright (other than missing home terribly and being extremely envious hearing the ra-ra and lively atmosphere in the background when I called home), I had a reunion dinner with 2 friends at a Chinese restaurant here in Switzerland! The boss was really nice, giving us a pot of tea for free, brought some CNY snacks over to our table and offered us some, and when we were leaving, the wife of the boss (aka 'lao ban niang') came over with a tray, and on it, laid several new year decorations (like the chinese knots and stuff)! She urged us to bring one home, and after my friends promptly took one each (I was kind of slow aye..=p), the ones that I wanted were all gone! Seeing my disappointment, she actually offered to get me the one that I liked! Haha.. felt really paiseh but happy at the same time...

So as you can see, I did have a good CNY eve, albeit subdued and quiet as compared to the usual festivities and cheer, and CNY was spent at home cooking good food for myself (Bak Kut Teh!) and just kind of resting (and studying too cos exams are next week!) and calling family...

May the new year of the Doggie bring in good tidings and better luck and fortune than the last to everyone! =)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

No photos as yet...

Looks like I won't be able to post my photos of my previous trips (Paris, Rome, Venice, Skiing in Mürren, London and Vienna) til quite some time later... Having lost my camera, all photos are with my friend YS, and given the insane amount of photos they all add up to, we definitely would need Stevie's external hard disk to compile the photos... So all who are visiting this site, wait and watch out for my photos! To be uploaded soon... I hope...

Exams are coming...Time to study harder! I need motivation! =(

Sick...

It seriously feels awful to be sick...Down with the flu, my nose is thoroughly overworked from all the blowing and rubbing that I had to do to get rid of the disgusting mucus in it so that I could breathe...And the cold air makes it even more unbearable and difficult to take in air... My throat is sore from time to time and clearing it every few minutes is the norm now (you can imagine how disruptive to the classes I am at the moment! =p), and coughing every now and then is everyday regime too...

I wana get well soon! Chinese New Year is just this weekend and I want to have good food! And be able to enjoy them of course (and not fall even more ill after all that heaty stuff.. Haha..), even when I am in a place that has absolutely ZERO atmosphere for CNY!

Had braised duck flavored porridge for dinner yesterday (thanks to darling's parcel of love that included instant porridge mix), and it just felt soooo good to have something warm, soft and ASIAN when I am unwell! Haha.. it is just amazing how everyday things back home could be like paradise when away from Singapore...I shall dig into and wolf down as much Singaporean/ Asian food as I can in the first week I am back! Less than a month before I leave...I look forward to that day, yet I am reluctant to leave this place behind...I still wana go travelling!

Believe there will be more chances to travel in the future, and next time, hopefully, it would be with close friends, my darling, or with family...it'd definitely be a totally different experience... =)

A No Camera's Life

Looks like not having a camera around is really not the same... I miss the feeling of pushing down the button and closing the shutters in the camera, capturing the moment that I wana capture...

But then again... it does feel good to just go around places without having to spend a lot of time behind the camera snapping away; there is now more time to enjoy life and smell the roses...

Writing this from Italy...

Can't believe what has happened over a span of less than 2 days...Being the usual careful me, I simply do not understand why I was so overwhelmed with stupidity on the start of the new year... In essence, my camera was stolen. And this comes less than 24hours after losing almost 500 euros which was gone with my money pouch/ wallet.

To start, I left my camera in my coat pocket while I boarded a train to leave the Piazza Spagna (where they had the mad countdown for the new year) to go back to my hostel. The train got more and more crowded over the stops, and I actually felt for my camera once to ensure it was there before grabbing on to a bar to prevent myself from falling down from the jostling of the crowd. And I was feeling happy. Happy to be in a totally different environment, experiencing something totally different for the first time on a New Year. Alas, that happiness was not meant to last. Just within minutes (my train stop wasn't too far away), this happiness was entirely and completely stripped off of me when I got off the train, reached into my coat pocket for my camera and found it MISSING.

Frantically I ran back into the train, hoping against hope that it had dropped somewhere in the train. The train soon took off again, and alone I was in the train, trying hard to fight back tears while my brain told me to stay calm. Nope, it wasn't anywhere on the train. Got off at the next station and rode the train in the opposite direction back to my stop. My 2 friends who were travelling together with me saw me and when told that I did not find it, I simply walked away to get back, as I did not want them to see me crying. Tears just rolled down uncontrollably, and as hard as I tried, I could not stop the flood gates from opening widely and letting through the enormous waves of tears.

Imagine at the same time, I was trying hard to reach darling, someone I badly needed to confide in and to hear from at that point in time. BUT, the connection simply refused to go through. *No signal* Try again, again, and again. *No signal* I cursed and swore, and simply wanted to push through the crowd and shout at everyone in my way. It did not help that it was raining too, which made my face feel a lot cooler, but my mood a whole lot gloomier.

Just wanted to let out a snapshot of this little phase of my trip in Rome, and having lost both my money and my camera (which is my most precious and treasured possession materially) in a matter of less than 2 days, it was enought to make me lose much of my sanity. *sigh* What a way to start 2006. May it be better, and has reached rock bottom. Then the only way it can go is up.

Thanks darling for being there for me when I finally could reach u...And really sorry I made u feel so worried and had u listening to me crying out loud and saying things that weren't exactly meant to be. Love u lots and love u always...

Olympus Obituary

I miss you my dear Olympus. Not only have you served me well, you have been a good friend and dear companion. We've seen so much of the world together, moments captured through your eyes. I can't believe you've left me forever, sorry I wasn't a careful enough friend. This loss still pains me, but you do not have to fret. Cos you'd be remembered forever; in my heart, you're my everlasting friend.

X'mas blues?

Looks like being far away from home during the festive season can bring about some depressing moods...For no too apparent reason, I have been feeling moody and down over the past few days. Sure, I have had some unhappy moments, like having to fork out quite a lot of money for train reservations out of the blue (well, cos it wasn't planned lah), being able to withdraw only 1000CHF per day from Singapore (i.e. more transaction charges as I need a lot more than 1000CHF), finding out that the parcel Darling sent might have some problems due to some of the stuff inside the parcel (but I think darling would be even more upset than me really), feeling stressed out over some study matters, etc etc, but they are not major big issues you see, and therefore should not affect my mood that adversely!

*sigh*

Guess it's being away from home and seeing people getting together with their families to celebrate christmas with big fanfare that is making me feel blue? Darling is not feeling happy either that I am away during this period of festive cheer. I miss him tons too...

Happened to visit the supermarket today (to get some snacks, like chocolates! haha..to perk myself up), and saw a huge crowd of people who were probably doing last minute shopping for christmas dinner stuff etc...Many came to the cashier counters with cartfuls of stuff, and it made me feel the X'mas cheer and warmth that was around...Really different from Singapore... =) That made me smile though...It felt good that people around were happily going about preparing for their celebrations of the impending holiday...

So, to all who are able to celebrate this season with family or close friends, treasure those moments and be happy that they are around you... =)

Merry Chirstmas and Happy 2006 everyone!