christmas

merry christmas! ((((:

ying rong's

here you go. (:

i miss hanging out with you a lot a lot.

love you babe!

check this out if you have nothing better to do. its quite fun. found it when i was doing research for my lab report some time back.



some good things are worth waiting for. but what if you have to spend a lifetime waiting?

my christmas break so far

hmm, time for a li'l update. im having my december break now. i'm enjoying it. =D i love the free and easy feeling.

i can

sleep at 3 am and wake u at noon, thinking that it's only 10 am.
do nothing but design my blogskin the entire day without feeling guilty
have drinks at some random bar and drink to my hearts' content w a handful of friends
talk about philosophers and afterlife at 2 am in the morning after getting a bit high
have flames (leeds equivalent of KFC, only that it's better) at 230 am
go supermaket-ing, buy 2 weeks' worth of crap and cook everyday
do some work and feel really hardworking for starting early on my stupid essay

well, basically thats what i've doing for the past week. quite shiok. makes coming to leeds to study and staying for christmas worth it. =D

as for my Cologne trip last weekend, it was terrific!

quality company, beautiful scenery, refreshing beer and great weather. what more can one ask for a holiday except for time to freeze right at the moment for you to savour? :) Cologne is really a beautiful, beautiful city. the cathedral alone blows you away. too bad my old camera sucks. i swear that the shutter speed is like 3 whole seconds. its worse when it's on night mode. it's terrible. cos the night scene is so darn gorgeous.

here u go, pictures taken in during the trip.


river rhine [dunno the bridge's name]


Cologne Cathedral [600 years of history, so must touch and kiss according to Zuthur]


one of the food stalls in the german christmas market. the food is fantastic! [except for the weird giam cai thing w soup]


german train. it's like FOC cos the tickets machine is inside the train cabin.


shopping on a saturday =/


ice cream, anybody?


me, Zuthur and Sarah. Cologne beer is so darn good! (:


river rhine. chocolate museum on the RHS.


taken during the long dreary bus ride back to London. beautiful isn't it?


Sarah, me. Leeds train station. sulking, cos i f*cking forgot the train tickets! missed our train and had to spend another 50 quid on our new ticket. yes, go ahead and punch me. ):


heading to Hogwarts?


pretty self explanatory huh?


London underground


London. what square is it called again?


yours truly, on train back to Leeds from London. we didnt miss it this time round.

well, this pretty much sums up my holiday trip to London and Cologne. i'll be heading for London again on the 27th. POST-CHRISTMAS SALES! we're gonna do so much junk there! have duck rice, pizza, cha guay tiao, kebab, watch musicals [phatom of the opera, billy elliot, nutcracker, evita.... ..], put flowers on karl marx's grave(?), RETAIL THERAPY etc etc etc. ahhh. heehee. quite looking forward to it. =D hopefully Ted Baker will have a mega sale on this trench coat.

well, i guess staying in Leeds for Christmas isn't such a bad choice after all. i'm so glad that i have some very good company. (((:

It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife.

BREATHE IN

Breathe In - Frou Frou

I read you and God I'm good at it I'm so spot on
Chord shapes in air go press that dissonance if you dare
And you breathing in finesse an innocent
From her partying

And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
'Cause I love you no?
Can't help but love, you know...

What part of no don't you understand I've told you before
To just get off my case this isn't happening stop this now
And I where was I? I have to be somewhere
Now where did I put it?

And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
'Cause I love you no?
Can't help but love you, no...

Is this it, is this it, is this it?

Yes hello we're back and we're taking calls
Now what was the question?

And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
And I'm high enough from all the waiting
To ride a wave on your inhaling
'Cause I love you no?
Can't help but love you, no...

raaaaaainn

i dun like the cold rain, doing lab report and people who think that they are princesses. but i like the feeling of after exams, the start of term breaks and good company. ((:

talking about striking a balance. haha.

ah well, im going for an opera in a bit. it's called peter grimes. hope i wouldn't fall asleep. i just wanna go for the experience. the theater looks really glam with the lights and red carpet from outside. wonder what is it like inside.

more later, if im not too lazy. heee. im freeeeee from studying for the next 4 weeks! woohoo.

shit, lab report. ugh. =/

title and registration

Title and Registration - Death Cab for Cutie

The glove compartment is inaccurately named
And everybody knows it
So I'm proposing a swift orderly change

'Cause behind its door there's nothing to keep my fingers warm
And all I find are souvenirs from better times
Before the gleam of your tail lights fading east
To find yourself a better life.

I was searching for some legal document
As the rain beat down on the hood
When I stumbled upon pictures I tried to forget
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head
'Cause it's too important
To stay the way it's been

But there's no blame for how our love did slowly fade,
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night

And there's no blame for how our love did slowly fade
And now that it's gone, it's like it wasn't there at all
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide
Lying awake at night, up all night
When I'm lying awake at night

nice, nice, nice. im hooked to this song.
well, i should be sleeping now. shit. im getting hungry. man, i dun want the sarah syndrome! =X
LOL*

let go, so let go

i've been receiving complaints about my stagnant blog. in case you've been wondering, i'm still very much alive. its just that i've been busy mugging, or trying to mug, my ass off these days. exams sucks. no doubt about it. it's universal; from singapore to UK to wherever. i think it's a singaporean thing. cos even when there's lack of drilling here for me to study very very hard, i'm still doing so. possibly even more so. i guess that's a nice change. i dunno. haha.

its's been more than 2 months sonce i left home, or reached here so to speak. there have been quite a few emotional roller coaster rides. but i'm gradually settling in to the life here. establishing my routines, building familiarity and transcending to another level of independence. this independence is not something you can develop at home; not that you cant learn to be independent when you're in the place where you grew up. it's just a differernt.

the independence here is like a no string attached life. you are truly on your own, with no moral obligations to fulfil and people to please. here, it's more like 'me, myself and i'. you exist as a single entity, with no worries or cares for the world. everything is more or less your own time own target. you do what you like and like what you do. it's refreshing, liberating and.... sad. cos after awhile you get tired of the space and pirvacy. you begin to think that you are havng too much space that it becomes emptiness.

ah well, i guess thats life. you cant have everything. i'm not depressed or suicidal, thats just how i feel about it.

but i've made a couple of good friends here, fortunately. and im very thankful to have em ard. ((:

oooh. i'll be going to york this sat for shopping. yeah, i know i have exams. but i have my mum's permission. 'as long as you can finish whatever you need to study for, theres no reason to be cooped up at home.' my mum's words [in chinese of cos]. hahah.

okay, enough time spent on my random thoughts. time for some work to be done. =/

weekend

i should be doing some work now. i've been procrastinating since i got back from town. it seem like i just cant concentrate on my textbook. i keep wondering to spme other places in my mind. haha. i think i'm still in the post-assessment mood. bleah. i should steer myself back very soon.

went shopping with Sarah and Sherrie today. okay, what's new right? i've been going to shopping almost every saturday for the past month. i usually come back empty handed with a full stomach. but today is a different story. =D i spent a total of 57 quid on a pair of jeans from Zara and a a water proof "snowman" jacket from Gap. heeheehee.. they are so nice and value for money. the Gap jacket is on sale. it was 58 quid. but there is a reduction of 20 quid. so its about 30% off. heh. i love getting good buys. call me cheapo. i dun really care. heehee.

sigh. i should do my revision early. will upload some pics soon. my d-cam's batteries finally arrived. =D

thank you erer! you really put in quite alot of effort to pack the stuff. haha. love you! -muacks-

the nearness of you

The Nearness of You - Norah Jones

Its not the pale moon that excites me
That thrills and delights me,
Oh no
Its just the nearness of you

It isnt your sweet conversation
That brings this sensation,
Oh no
Its just the nearness of you

When youre in my arms
And I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams
Came true

I need no soft lights to enchant me
If youll only grant me
The right
To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night
The nearness of you.

halloween

halloween was damn fun! i went clubbing with the Singsoc people at Oceana. this time its actually enjoyable, not awkward.

basically, we just drank, danced and bitch about ugly/sluttish people. it was really enjoyable. esp when we bitch. =X i even told my mum that i went clubbing. hah. and she cldn even recognise me on the picture! i dressed up as a "vampire" but i dun think i look like one. cos im too cute. haha. no la. its cos i didnt have blood/white powder. and im not sure if i really want over do it, resulting the not quite like vampire look.


clement, yun jing, me, sarah and zuthur


sarah, me, edna and asha


clockwise: zuthur, sarah, yun jing, asha and yours truly. on the dance floor.

(:

ooh. and i got a new phone (and number)! heh. its the Samsung D900, red version. hee. its so gorgeous and slim! =D

YAY! i finally got a phone!!

watched A Good Year with Sarah just now. it has quite a nice theme. but very predictable. initially we wanted to catch Marie Antoinette. but there is only one timing at 9:45 pm. so we decided to watch a good year instead. that's like my first time watching a movie in Leeds. talking about being ulufied. =/ haha. it feels almost like i was back in PS catching a movie on a weekend. but its more pricey to watch movie here. its about 5 quid. i guess once in awhile wldn hurt right? =D

during my christmas break, i wouldn't be going back to singapore; its more rational to do so. 'cause my break is only 4 weeks. it'll take me 2 weeks to get over the jet-lags. so i might as well stay here and conquer UK. lol. mayb not. but i'll be going to london post christmas and to germany at the beginning of my break. i still have no idea where exactly i'll be going in between the 2 trips. but i guess i'll be going to the south. its warmer there. so its time to read my UK guide book and start booking train tickets. cheaper that way. heh.

i just hope tt i wldn get too homesick...

oh. i'll be going to nottingham next weekend for the nottingham games. wanna guess which sport i'll be participating in? no prize for those who guessed correctly though. for the benefit of those who have no idea, i'll be playing for the massoc (malaysian and singaporean society) volleyball team. hope that it'll be fun. never been to nottingham before and have never played in any of the inter-university games before. went for their training today. apparently, they think that im quite good. but that's just because half of them dun know how to play.. haa.

its winter now. cos the whole of UK is follwing the DST daylight saving time. so the time difference is 8 hours. which means the sun sets even earlier in Leeds. =/

so gloomy. ):

pandora's box.

to all music lovers,

do check out pandora, if you haven't already done so.

(: cheers!

Swingset Chain

Swingset Chain - Loquat

There's a playground that we used to run on
The penny-drop that broke her arm
The monkey bars that you fell from
The swingset chain that stuck with my tongue
It's thirty below and we're far gone
If you plant yourself here I wouldn't miss you for long
But then comes the day when you leave town
I'm back to the way I was when you weren't around

If you want to know what that was like
I'll tell you first, it was way too quiet
It rained a hundred nineteen days of the year
I spent my time falling down the stairs
I know I can't tie you to a leash
But something tells me you'd go further than Greece
And then I'll have to figure out what to do
I'm kind of afraid I'm co-dependent on you

I'm freaking out that we've started breaking down
Before momentum picked up
Now all these doors are locked
The trees trick you 'cause they're always standing still
If time was really racing by
You could see it when you drive

There's a rooftop deck where we still hang out
A couple of bars where we're not allowed
The roller-skates that threw you on your face
The park on the hill which was our only space
The fog is fast and it rolls right in
About the time I struck my first fifth of gin
I really don't mean to complain too much
But this is turning me into quite the lush

I'm freaking out that we're running out of time
But to do what?
Should I stop and think of that?
Is there something I could do to slow it down?
Live in a day for once
Instead of watch it screaming by

You're a dandelion seed
That flies through the air
And lands randomly
Then disappears

I'm freaking out that we've started breaking down
Before momentum picked up
Now all these doors are locked
The trees trick you 'cause they're always standing still
If time was really racing by
You could see it when you drive

choice

get busy living, or get busy dying.

the choice is yours. and yours only.

it started when we were younger and u were mine

time kinda flies this week; its gonna be friday again tmr. i'll be going to a flea market out of town on sunday just to look around albeit i have an upcoming assesment on monday. hur. please don't nag me. i really need to get outta leeds, i haven't really travelled anywhere since i got here. besides, i have assessments like every week. like next next monday, im gonna have my final assessment which contributes to 40% of my overall module mark. yes, im gonna mug my ass off for that assessment.

oh! i finally got my long awaited parcel with my seafood inside.


they're dried and tiny though........

go ahead and laugh. but when you're abroad on your own, anything goes. esp when it tastes like home and is not bland.

im sure u guys know where this originated from. my mum had been nagging at me all week to check with the site office if her precious "dye" food has arrived. so here u go mummy. its right beside me now. and im gonna have some of it tonight. =D

one more thing, i had a haircut cum mini makeover yesterday, courtesy of Sherrie. i've got quite mixed reactions to my new hairstyle. so i'll let you decide for yourself...


20 mins before my haircut


TADA!



miss pseudo-cleopatra

haha. i just wanted a change. anyway, fringes grow real quickly. and i think its quite nice. hohoh.

THANKS SHERRIE! :)

as for my "makeover", Sherrie just picked up my makeup and painted my face. haha. then, she suggested that i change into something nicer and take pictures. basically, we spent almost the entire afternoon being vain. i took quite a lot of pictures which im not gonna post em here. haha. im not narcissistic or anything. =D well, okay. maybe just one la. cant waste the afternoon's effort right?


(:

i miss my phone. the pictures' quality suck.

ah well, i have to finish up my powerpoint on plagiarism and submit it by today. =/
ciao!

=/

its been a pretty hectic week. from school to shopping. suddenly its sunday again, and the routine is starting all over again. im having a bit of pre-monday blues. just that this one that im feeling now is slightly different; it has a dash of homesickness. nothing that i cant handle. just cant help but to miss home. from the luxury of having real soup to the random phone calls to/from friends. its just so faraway now.

its gonna be awhile before i get back to those things again. and i wonder if thye're gonna change in my absence. like morphing into something else that i cant recognise..

okay, enough lamenting. i have to be brave. i chose this path. and im gonna stick to it and make the best out of the stint, like how my bro-in-law put it. ((:

mugged.

if u dont already know,

I WAS MUGGED YTD!

):

i was on my way to meet my cousin for dinner at a small restaurant nearby. den 3 guys materialised from behind, snatched my hangbag and took off to the dark residential area. it was only half past eight can. =/

so i lost my favourite Gap hangbag, my motorola V3i, my favourite Guess wallet and my keys to my hostel in that split second. SIGH. inside my wallet i have my student ID, NRIC [yes, i know i shouldn have brought it along], my new bank card and some other stuff. some things can be replaced. but some cant be. ):

on the other hand, i still have my iPod with me. cos i put it into my jacket pocket instead of my bag. thats like the most expensive thing i have w me tt time. plus, i wasnt physically hurt. just shocked and truamatised. :(

this totally sucks. i'll have to bug the accommodation office for new keys, bank for new card and police for the official statement to claim my insurance. but i have to wait till monday cos they dont work on weekends. =/

but well, i wanna say a big THANK YOU to people who have shown concern and support to me. ((: it really made a difference.

the body

The most important things are the hardest things to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them - words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst I think. When the secret stays locked within not for the want of a teller but for the want of an understanding ear.

in case you're wondering, i've been reading Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption. i'll never ever write something like that. its so simple yet so close to heart.

time for my afternoon lecture.

peel me a grape

its been a pretty hectic week. lesson started proper and there are some order restored! ((: not that i love routines. its just feeling lost in an unfamiliar place kinda sucks. what we're doing during lectures is more or less a recap of A level stuff. which isnt too bad - i've given most of the things back to miss mani already. =X so much for mugging for A's. or mayb thats the reason behind my C for bio. hmm, let's not go into that. no one likes to read about lamentations right?

anyway, i love biology, esp human physiology. i'm so glad that i didnt settle for any random course back in Singapore. i might need time and energy to adapt to Leeds, selfishly burn a big hole on my parents' pocket and leave all my loved ones behind. but i know that this is something that i want to do for life. tho i dun know what's gonna happen in the future.

OH! i went for a little retail therapy and grocery shopping today with Sherrie. i spent like 30 pounds. =X and i got...


my dream boots! i love the colour, material, heel, height, length and price. its perfect! [12 pounds]


green bag! [4 pounds]

and one week worth of fruits and meat. well, my new bag and boots are probably made in China. but who cares. they're nice and of quite good quality. muahaha. i love getting good buys!!

and... its great to have a nice shopping partner. ((:

well, so far everything's quite alright. hope this will continue for awhile longer before the novelty of living alone wears off and homesickness starts kicking in. =/

the cold dreary winter is looming....