Apologies

Dearest Pals,

You may noticed that there are a couple of entries 'missing' for the last 2 wks of July. As you may be aware, this was due to the fact that internet in the apartment was down and I have been desperately trying to catch up with the back dated entries.

Stay tuned...

Les Miserables

Had planned to spend a quiet week in the evenings preparing for my training which will commence this coming Thur. I was so tempted when Tunleng suggested going for my favourite musical - Les Miserables. The moment she mentioned that the last minute tickets were available, all plans to prepare for the training were thrown out of the window and gone with the wind. Hack it~! I am NEVER known for my discipline and this shall be no exception.

Despite being someone who had problems sitting through a 2-hr movie (I remembered myself almost close to tears and pulling my hair out when Ivan made me watch StarWars with him), I enjoyed every moment of the 3-hr musical. This is my fourth time watching the musical - I first watched it 11 yrs ago in my Katong Convent uniform at Kallang Theatre! Time flies. :*(

Not sure why,.. but everytime I watch Les Mis, I prefer Eponine to Cosette. She is prettier and sings better. The female lead pales in comparison. Desiree agreed too.

I could almost remember all the lyrics.. My favourite part has always been Eponine's 'On my Own'. She was a brilliant singer! Found myself sub-consciously singing along.. good thing I wasn't asked to shutup.. heh heh~

Enough said. I LOVE my musicals!!!!

Next few days in Paris

Headed straight down to Louis Vuitton at Champs Elysees first thing in the morning! Wanted to get my hands on the neverfull bags which the salesgirl mentioned were always out of stock by late morning. Managed to grab the last 2 small ones!

Also,.. **drums roll**... I had thought of a BRILLIANT idea to get my hands on the Porter wallet (last piece!) in a branch outside Paris!!! Just before hitting the sack last night, it struck me that Desiree will be travelling down to Paris the coming weekend. I could ask the LV staff to transfer the wallet to Champs Elysees (which takes 5 wkg days) and then get Desiree to collect it for me! Woohoo again~! You could have probably guessed how badly I wanted the wallet by now.

After fulfilling my shopping desires at LV, we proceed to do more serious sight-seeing.

Irene was right! Arc de Triomphe was indeed amazing! There seems to be some sort of majestic aura that eludes from it. I like the way the 53m tall by 45m wide structure stood right in the middle of busy road junction with never-ending traffic moving around it. Though we made our way to the top of the monument, we thought that the view wasn't as impressive as compared to one standing at the foot of the structure looking upwards.

Another must-see-cannot-miss monument in Paris is, of course, the much-talkabout Eiffel Tower. No wonder thousands of people from all over the world raved about the iron tower. Even Tunleng, who was skeptical with most things, was wowed by it. Think I must have taken more pictures of the Eiffel Tower than the rest of the pictures taken in Paris!
Mischievous us left our names on the tower!Moving and jostling around the hectic and bustling streets of Paris can be extremely exhausting. And this gave us the perfect excuse to take a breather at the Parisan cafes along Champs Elysees. It is interesting to see how the tables and chairs are arranged to facilitate people-watching!
During the trip, we were blessed to meet several wonderful people who had helped us in someway or another. Their kind gestures from forcing the metro doors open which were closing on us when we struggled with our luggages, to telling us we were on the wrong directions of the metro while accidentally overhearing our conversation left us thankful and definitely made our trip more enjoyable!

The yummiest macaroons I have ever tasted! We ended up buying 1 of each flavour. A must-try in Paris - Pierre Hermes macaroons!!

Our only regret in Paris was not being able to visit the renown department store - Galeries Lafeyette. Had originally reserved our last day for a day of shopping at Galeries, not knowing that most stores closed on Sunday. My heart dropped completely when we turned up seeing the entrance closed before us. Martin insisted that he had told me earlier but I had absolutely no recollection of it. Sigh... Heard how its food halls are more impressive than Harrods. What a pity we couldn't get to see it.. sob sob :*(

Paris here we come!

The day which I have been looking forward to has finally arrived!! Its always been my dream to visit romantic Paris with Prince Charming, sipping coffee at a Parisan café watching the world go by, enjoying the captivating night scene from Eiffel Tower, dah dah dah dah… Well, although Tunleng is nowhere near Prince Charming, I’m sure she will still make great company for the 4-day escapade!

To ensure that we don’t miss the train, we dragged ourselves out of bed in the unearthy hours of the morning to get prepared for the trip. Missing the train to Paris would be devastating. Managed to catch the 429am bus to Waterloo Station. So excited that we were nearer and nearer to Paris!!!


The Eurostar ride was enjoyable. The train was almost empty which was great as we have more space to make ourselves comfy. Listened to the song ‘Simple Gifts’ on Tunleng’s ipod and absolutely love it!

Good thing we did a little homework the night before– didn’t have much problem making our way to the hotel with our one-tonne luggages in tow. Conquered another complicated metro system! Felt damn proud!

After chucking our luggages at the hotel, we headed to a nearby Parisan cafe for lunch. We couldn't understand a single word on the menu as everything was in French! Below is what I had for my first meal in Paris..

Starter: Salade de calmars a I'orientale

Main Course: Steak d'onglet a I'echalotte


Dessert: Tarte Tatin


We decided that our first stop shall be the Musee du Lourve. As we took the metro to our destination, we came across several buskers who were really good.. my favourite was this guy playing ‘Romance de Amor’ on the guitar. We just paused in our footsteps until the whole tune was completed.

As we stepped into the museum, we couldn’t help it but felt a little more cultured. Have always heard about the Monna Lisa Painting and her famous enigmatic smile. Finally had the chance to see original painting ‘upclose and personal’. It was truly amazing and was definitely the highlight of the museum visit.

After the paintings, we proceed to the other halls. To be very honest, we got a little bored after awhile but ended up having great fun trying to mimic the sculptures. Realised that a couple of people were doing that too! Great minds think alike! Ha~!

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant at Champs Elysees (pronounced as Shaw-Ser-lee-say). Food was decent but service was lousy - encountered a loony waiter who claimed that he’s a Singaporean, after we said we were, but was obviously not. When our food came, he attempted to tuck a serviette on our collar as a bib. Not sure whether this was his idea of being funny. If so, I seriously think he has a warped sense of humor and we were totally NOT impressed. Before we left, he actually cupped his hands on Tunleng's and refused to let go. Good thing I made a quick beeline to the exit! Should there ever be a Most-Irritating-Waiter contest, I think he will win the award hands down! Even asked us to take a picture with him. Nuts!

Going to the largest Louis Vuitton store situated at Champs Elysees was a compulsory item in our Paris itinerary. To my horror, the limited edition LV Monogram Porter wallet I badly wanted was sold out! Even the neverfull bag was out of stock! Well, not that I really wanted the neverfull bag as my sole intention for it was to match the Porter wallet which I adored. Since I cant get the wallet, I figured out that the bag has lost its function. Left the boutique slightly disappointed.. What a way to end my 1st day in Paris.. :*(

Mother of Education..

To date, Cambridge is my favourite amongst the touristy places I have been so far. The trip was inpromptu and arranged rather last minute. In fact, the decision to go was triggered by Mira's casual suggestion during a MindAlign chat.

Thanks to my resourcefulness, I found a good 3-for-the-price-of-2 lobang! That works out to a mere 8.60 GBP for a return ticket to Cambridge from London! Ha~! (Having said that, it could have been cheaper if we were to go in a group of 4)

Cambridge is a small and peaceful town - home to 31 colleges! We travel mainly around on the Red Topless Sight-Seeing Tour Bus..

The highlight of the Cambridge Trip was Punting. Didn't know what 'Punting' was initially.. I thought it was fishing, Tunleng thought it was gambling (think she meant horse punting.. heehee..). Desiree's guess was the closest so far - rowing boat with a stick.

Some interesting facts I learnt during the trip:

1. Cambridge University claimed that it has produced more than 80 nobel prize winners so far.
2. Trinity College is the richest college in Cambridge, followed closely by St John's College and King's College.
3. When Prince Charles studied History and Archaeology in Trinity College, it was said that his bodyguards scored better than him in the exams.
4. St John's College lost the right to build a clock tower due to a dirty trick played by Trinity College.
5. John Harvard, founder of Harvard University is educated in Emmanuel Colleague in Cambridge!
6. The reason why the railway station was built a distance away from the city centre in the early days was to prevent the students from being distracted by the attractions of the neighbouring cities!

The Trinity College

St John's College

King's College

Playing Host

Back dated entries..

Hopeless.. the internet in the apartment has been down for almost 2 weeks. Can't believe that Ascott, being a reputable company, have to take this long and still can't get it fixed?! They claimed that the engineers have been making trips down daily to investigate the issue but have yet to find a solution. *faint*.. Talk about efficiency... Overheard some tenants showing displeasure and were snapped at by the staff of the apartment - since they are not charged extra for the internet usage, they really shouldn't be complaining... Hur~?

Yippeee!!! Went to fetch Tunleng at Paddington station... Time to reciprocate and play good host to her. Put up at her place when Alex and myself popped over Shanghai in March and she has been extremely hospitable. Though weather was a tad too cold, food was delicious and company was great! Even had Jenevieve and her friend, Suzie, joining us! Enjoyed myself tremendously. Definitely don't mind going there again!

Now that I've got a sight-seeing buddy, finally got to do some serious toursity activities in London after consecutive weekends of 'meaningless' shopping. Had the itinerary all planned out for the next few days. After dropping her luggage, we headed straight to the St Paul's Cathedral - the church where Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana got married. It was a nice cathedral and we managed to make our way up to the highest level which was the observatory storey. The view was amazing!

The entrance of Saint Paul's Cathedral

Taking a break before proceeding further.. stamina running low..

152 steps more to go!

Our reward - The Breathtaking view!

Lunch was at a nearby GBK (short for Gourmet Burger Kitchen). Had my RBS welcome lunch there and have been wanting to go back. The beef patty was made with angus beef and it tasted absolutely heavenly. All thanks to Karin for recommending it!

Went to Trafalgar Square. But didn't want to post pictures here due to some reasons..

Ended the day swinging by Queen Mary pub off River Thames for a drink and light dinner. A shame that we couldnt get a proper table as it was pretty crowded. Had to make do with just a bench. :(

The one on Training and Food..

Its been a rather busy week at work. Conducted my maiden training session to a teeny weeny class of 3. I really wouldn't consider it fantastic, but I thought it was a pretty good first attempt! Though I quite enjoyed it and felt like a teacher in school, I can't deny that I was alittle jittery throughout the session.

As for the food section, I have been trying to avoid consuming ready-cooked meals from Marks and Spencer since last week. Beginning to feel unhealthy eating microwaved food laden with preservatives. Before that, I mostly have it for lunch and dinner.

Also, I have been getting a little sick of cold sandwiches and started asking the deli folks to heat up my sandwiches and bagels. Wasn't exactly surprised that I had to pay an extra 20 pence for heating though I was secretly hoping that they would do it for free. Even eating-in cost 30 pence more. Hmm... nothing in London is free. These little incidents made me appreciate things which I have always been taking for granted in Singapore.

Lately, I am beginning to have strong cravings for oriental food. Guess I must have been deprived of hot piping cuisine since I am really not one who needs my rice. Wasn't exactly pleased that most Chinese restaurants in Angel offer only vegetarian food. I am absolutely not an ardent fan of gluten stuff that are molded to look like meat. (Harlow~ what's the point of being vegetarian when you are still craving for meat?!) And I DON'T think gluten 'meat' taste like meat! Yikes! Anyway, was elated to finally chance upon 2 Chinese restaurants serving meat, 1 within walking distance and 1 opposite my apartment! They are not super yummy but well,.. Beggars can't be Choosers.

Most expensive Zhap Chye Png packed in a 15cmx10cmx5cm aluminium foiled container!

Apologies for bearing with my food grouses...

Been looking forward to weekend 'cos Tunleng is coming to visit! Yay~!

Perfect Shopping Buddy

Went on an intensive shopping spree with Emily today at Harrods Knightsbridge (yes, again!!). She travelled an hour's train journey from Southhampton yesterday and stayed over at my place in London for the night. It really amazes me how the friendship had evolved since my early days in OCBC. Remember seeing her on pics and hearing loads about her when Jen spoke fondly of Her Best Friend... and meeting her for the first time during our KL trip, together with Jen, June and herself. It was great fun then!

This morning was the 1st time I stepped out of the appartment so early on a Saturday morning. Couldn't believe that we actually reached Knightsbridge at 1015am. As the saying goes, 'The early bird catches the worm.' Today was the first weekend since the Harrods SALE started on 2 Jul (Mon). We had specially made a conscious effort to arrive early to ensure that we WON'T miss out on The Good Stuff. As usual, the protestors against Animal Rights stood outside the entrance urging people to boycott Harrods for selling Animal Fur. Have been seeing them every weekend since I arrived in London. Sometimes, I really admire these people for the time and efforts they go through and the weekends they sacrificed for a good course, whilst we shallow suckers just care about the savings we accumulated through our 'good bargains'. **Ashamed**

Needless to say, Emily and myself went hysterical yet again at the sight of BAGS! Each and every display seems to be beckoning us to go over and check them out. Self-discipline failed us and we found ourselves buying a CHLOE bag each! We are definitely bad influence on each other but I swear Emily influenced me more than I have any negative impact on her! She is incorrigible to start with! Haha~ j/k (ok,.. I was only joking about the incorrigible part but I swear Emily is definitely not regarded as ideal company if you are on a saving stint. She will come up with the most VALID excuse to help you justify all your purchases.) I could see the look of guilt on Emily's face as she had promised Dave not to buy anything VATable. Anyway, fingers crossed that this purchase can help me stay away from bags for the time being.

Wanted to maximise Emily's time in London, so we took only short breaks in between for coffee and lunch. Felt really exhausted.. can't imagine how Emily (being 8 months pregnant!!) managed. Had planned to proceed to Selfridges (to see my Miu Miu wallet) after Knightsbridge but the crowd was so maddening and chaos everywhere that we just dropped the idea (which was probably a brilliant decision in some's opinion) altogether. We ended the day with lemonade and fries at a hotel nearby.

Date: 07/07/2007
Mood for the day: Absolutely Thrilled and Satisfied.

Roller Coaster..

After 4 weeks of external training and 'honeymooning', its time to get my hands on proper work. I HATE to admit that I am beginning to experience that 'wee' bit of stress and loads of pressure.. pressure to perform. Not that my colleagues have been nasty or anything near to that effect. On the contrary, the team have been awesome! I am grateful towards Christine for being so ever willing to share her knowledge, Eddie for his patience with my endless and seemingly dumb questions, and of course Karin for always being so assuring with her comforting words of encouragement.

Since beginning of this week, my mood was unpredictable like the weather in London. It is largely dependent on how I evaluate my own performance at work. Today was ok,.. yesterday was awful (fell into deep depression). I can literally feel my emotions racing up and plunging down like the 'Lethal Weapon' rollercoaster ride in Gold Coast. :*(

Though I had enjoyable moments here, I couldn't really enjoy London without having this nagging pressure to meet up to expectations at work (which I believe is NORMAL) whenever I'm out 'having fun'. At times, even stay in during weekend to mug boring manuals.. *YAaawn**

Anyway, really looking forward to Emily coming to stay over for the Friday weekend. Also, will be expecting Tunleng to arrive next weekend and we will go travelling to Paris the following week! Woohoo~~~~~ Champs Elysees here I come!!!

Meanwhile, though I am not dying to go back, I miss everything back home in Singapore - my beloved family, fun-loving friends and of course the FOOD! I miss my Soya Bean drink, Jolly Bean, Mr Bean.. *sob sob*.

I know I do have friends who can't wait for my return too! Erhm... not for my company,.. but for the shopping list they have given me before my departure.. sigh.. some great friends I have!

1st Month anniversary

1 July completes my first month in London. I can't emphasize how glad I am to be here. I have always enjoyed busking in the company of good 'ol friends. Coming here actually got me out of my comfort zone to experience something different. Staying on my own really isn't all that miserable afterall!

10 things I have learnt/discovered about London during my one-month stay:

1. Air-conditioning should not be taken for granted here. It is NOT common in England.


2. NEVER attempt to do a foreign currency conversion when you make any purchase. It will just give you a heart attack.


3. QUID is the slang for Pounds.


4. Kampung chickens are known as FREE-RANGE chickens.


5. The TUBE MAP is really not as complicated as it looks. In fact, the tube is the easiest mode of transport in London.


6. Portobello Road market DOESN'T just sell mushrooms.


7. There is no 1 british accent. People do speak with different accents in London.


8. LUNCH isn't really considered a meal, like breakfast and dinner. Hence, most people make do with sandwiches in front of their work stations.


9. The british and americans AREN'T exactly the best of friends like we thought how Tony Blair and George Bush are. In fact, they are really only 'Distant Cousins'.


10. British are warm and nice people!

Picture of my colleagues in London: