Musings of a Chemistry Graduate

Now now... the deal is done.

2010-05-09T22:01:00.000+08:00

Bittersweet.

Life in the past 7 weeks. 4 more to go

2010-04-11T10:53:00.000+08:00

2010-02-21T20:56:00.000+08:00

KLL signed like 20 times today.
must spend less, save more

Resolutions

2010-02-06T14:49:00.001+08:00

1. be thankful

2. be positive
a la "i will definitely lose weight this year" =P

2010-02-02T23:20:00.001+08:00

祸不单行

One Dance in Paris

2009-12-12T22:59:00.002+08:00

"You have room seven. It is a very good one." He handed me an old-fashioned metal key attached to a doorknob that felt it was made of lead.
"What is this?"
"Your room key."
"Not the key, this." I held up the doorknob.
"A doorknob."
"I can't carry a doorknob around Paris."
"No, you can't."
"What?"
"when you leave the room, you leave the key with me. When you come back, I give you the key."
"Wheat if you're not here?" I've been known to stay out late.
"I am always here."
Why did that not reassure me?
"Where's room seven?"
"On the fourth floor."
"Where's the elevator?"
He pointed to a door on my left. I opened the door.
"Those are stairs."
"For three stars, you get elevator. Maybe two stars. For one star, that is the elevator."
The stairway was exceedingly narrow, and, with the backpack on my shoulders, Maggie's headdress case in my right hand and Jack's bowling bag in my left, I could barely maneuver. If this was the main stairway, I wondered what the fire stairs must be like.
At the third floor landing, I passed a sign: FIRE STAIRS.

This is the reason why I love novels. They help me freshen the paint in my memories.

London. Paris. Rome.

I miss those carefree travelling days!

Agenda

2009-11-28T10:10:00.002+08:00

- SPA assignment
- find YANMEI
- sew
- read
- develop photos
- ~~GESL reflections~~
- ~~deconstruction essay~~

Agenda

2009-11-23T14:29:00.001+08:00

- ~~pack closet~~
- ~~pack school stuff~~
- ~~scrapbook~~
- sew
- read
- do hw
- develop photos

Agenda

2009-11-20T21:15:00.001+08:00

- pack closet
- pack school stuff
- scrapbook
- sew
- read
- do hw

Book, again

2009-11-15T21:44:00.002+08:00

"Fiction is so often preferable to life, because, sadly, only in fiction can you write the magical incantation at the end: 'And they lived happily ever after.'"
- Olivia Goldsmith

Book

2009-11-15T17:54:00.002+08:00

"Chance plays a large part in life and - though given lip service - is rarely acknowledge on a daily basis. The smallest thing - the change of a traffic light or the twitch of a muscle - can alter everything."
- Olivia Goldsmith

Book

2009-11-15T09:26:00.002+08:00

"But there are places that can be found by each of us, places we may have never been or never thought of that, in themselves, hold a mysterious key to our happiness."
- Olivia Goldsmith

Sir Howard Walter Florey

2009-11-09T10:37:00.002+08:00

It's cool to read about famous men.
But to write about them in assignments, no.

Procrastinator!

2009-11-08T20:10:00.002+08:00

It is a clear sign of procrastination when you begin to blog excessively once again.

And procrastinators would rather go jogging than to begin on a 1800 word essay.

GE Women 10k 2009

2009-11-08T14:37:00.003+08:00

1:17:04
1 November 2009

Shadows under my eyes

2009-11-08T04:19:00.003+08:00

4.21am in the morning.
It's been a long time since I've worked this late. =(

"... relieving the memories of Europe makes me feel better, even if it's just for a little while." - Theresa Alan, 2005

Psychology essay

2009-10-29T23:40:00.001+08:00

The Chemistry graduate finally managed to vomit out a 2006 word essay.

Hurray!

The Chemistry graduate leans towards Biology

2009-08-24T23:01:00.002+08:00

- Bio upgraders at the Labrador Nature Reserve, Singapore

Singapore Bay Run 2009

2009-08-20T20:00:00.000+08:00

3h:13m:52s

lousily slow, but completed.

Shape Run 2009

2009-07-26T22:44:00.001+08:00

KLL's race timing: 01:11:06

6 minute improvement =)

The end is only the beginning!

2009-07-24T22:33:00.003+08:00

So today marks the end of the 4 week ESE programme. And come to think of it, it wasn't so crappy afterall! Of course, there're insane times when shitloads of nonsense were thrown at us- but overall, I guess it was pretty wonderful. It was enriching, but I think I aged too! =S

No more bang-ahs. No more crossing fingers for no relief work. No more waffles and milk tea from canteen. No more taboo. No more jokes and mad laughter. No more coffee and tea from meeting room. (YES, no more isolation in meeting room) No more preparation of lessons. No more borrowing of books from library. No more screaming and shouting in class (by me). No more shouting and jumping in class (by students). No more sleepy students. No more enthusiastic students too. No more "cher cher cher!". No more "cher!!!! They're gay!" or "cher, I/she very moody today." No more kungfu panda. No more irritation. No more lack of appreciation. No more of my favourite students. No more of "I want remedial"s. No more appreciative students. No more lame shit in class. No more 1N1, 1N2, 2E2.

For now.
=)

2009-07-01T21:17:00.000+08:00

The Chemistry undergraduate has graduated and will have her commencement on 8 July 2009.

2009-04-29T11:27:00.003+08:00

heh... i should really study yeah.. it feels warm, yet silly to read wacko posts from years ago. some memories were made fresher - like orientation only began some months ago. but i have no recognition of some of them at all.

so things have changed in 4 years. and i'm about to graduate.

put in more effort KLL!!

i like

2009-04-29T10:57:00.004+08:00

salt and pepper mill

und handphone receiver..

2009-03-15T15:59:00.001+08:00

Time in lab sucks, time outside sucks too =S

Sunday blues.

Can time stand still?

2009-02-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

- Barcelona, Spain

Terra 6th reunion dinner

2009-01-25T00:12:00.003+08:00

- Gazelle in the Natural History Museum, London, UK

French lectures start tomorrow

2009-01-17T11:49:00.003+08:00

Post-presentation and pre-lectures time is great!

I'm nua-ing like nobody's business ^_^ muahaha

- Disneyland, Paris, France

Until I'm back

2009-01-11T02:58:00.001+08:00

- Big Ben, London, United Kingdom

Find my twin

2008-12-25T22:59:00.002+08:00

4 years later, people still say we look alike. lol!

Happy until cannot happy

2008-12-23T22:42:00.003+08:00

Results are good but no good. I have nothing to complain about though. Now I need to absolutely recharge and fight FYP and Sem 2 next year.

And today marks the beginning of my BREAK from labbing. UNTIL NEXT MONDAY ^_^

WHEEEEEE~

- Disneyland, Paris, France

#17 Charlotte Yap

2008-12-22T22:12:00.002+08:00

Born to Glenn and Eliz Yap on 3rd December 2008.

Happy birthday!

2008-12-20T01:00:00.000+08:00

- Regent Park, London, UK

I love Gaudi

2008-12-15T22:36:00.003+08:00

- Park Guell, Barcelona, Spain

Facebook

2008-12-08T18:30:00.003+08:00

Granma is now on Facebook.

No more "I can set up FB account for you! Only need your email and birthday ma..", "How come linlin is not in myFriends list?", "Aye captain! We set up an account for you lar..", "We tagged the wrong 'Lin Lin'!" and the likes of it.

The Local Tourist is finally updated. After 2 months -.-

On directions

2008-12-07T21:02:00.003+08:00

Today was spent eating juicy fish and chips, shopping for a stripy tee-shirt and playing pool in a place that doesn't feel like my own country. And as usual, no outing is ever complete without someone not mentioning "FYP" or asking "So what're you gonna do after you graduate?"

I can be so many things I want to be, or see myself being. But eventually, I can only be one.

Which passion do you choose?

- Sylt, Germany

In another perspective

2008-12-06T11:14:00.003+08:00

Crazy footprints up a sand dune-
i'm looking down from the top of the world.

- Sylt, Germany

Endless

2008-12-02T11:26:00.004+08:00

Because the end is only another beginning.

With the exams finally over, fortunately or unfortunately, I have to go back to lab...

noooooooooooooooooooo

- Schloss Oberschliessheim, Munich, Germany

>.<

2008-11-24T17:51:00.003+08:00

When my paper was collected, I thought, "YES! No more analytical chemistry. Time to fight the biophysical paper on Thursday!" But I had to rethink and correct myself because it will be a paper for Spectroscopy in Biophysical Chemistry. =(

And I must have been crazy to have thought that the paper was rather well done, save for the sickening True/False part that I'm totally unsure of. =( The calculations part were all wrong because of silly mistakes in dilution factors, not multiplying in constants and worse of all... ... thinking that microgram actually means mg. T_T

*sobs*

Eventful Saturday

2008-11-22T18:12:00.003+08:00

First day of exams and plenty happened this morning. First I saw "1 page of help sheet allowed" in the past year papers and PANICKED. I thought it was supposed to be 1 piece (aka 2 pages/sides) - but luckily it was. Then, I remembered that I forgot to bring a watch along and prayed for the exam room's clock to be functioning - and luckily it was. Then I had to run to the toilet a couple of times because of this morning's coffee, but fortunately I didn't had to go during the paper.

I was pretty amazed by everyone's cheat sheets too. Especially since I thought mine was already very powerful. They utilised every millimetre of space - no borders, 5pt font, 5 columns filled with words, and have space for pictures. Pity I didn't put in more diagrams from the notes!! Sam Li wanted us to draw diagrams which I totally thought were rather useless T_T

Generally the paper itself was fine.. some difficult; some easy (past year questions -.-). But I think everyone had the same sentiments. Not sure if I can do well, but at least I can hope. It's draining to think about Khoo's paper though. Notes unread, cheat sheet unwritten, tutorials undone. RARRRR

PS: Congrats to people who took Structural Mtds. & Adv Anat. this semester yeah. Your exams finished on the first day of the official exam period! =P

Cheater bugs

2008-11-22T10:25:00.008+08:00

It's been a whole week of cheat sheet madness that I've put myself and the NTU gang through.

Now I present a new technique amongst the nano-sized probes, microchip fab, ppm, ppb, ppt, etc.... *drumroll*

THE MILLIMETRE HANDWRITING

At least 35000 characters (6500 words) on an A4 paper and a frontier in the capabilities of human eyesight. I just hope the results are justifiable T_T

Happy beach umbrellas

2008-11-19T22:05:00.002+08:00

The exam period is depressing enough.
I want to be where the sun, sand and sea are.

Gimme back the sunny weather!!!

- Barcelona, Spain

The bicycle

2008-11-18T22:28:00.005+08:00

Lonely and photogenic.

-Sylt, Germany

Work sets you free...

2008-11-18T00:43:00.005+08:00

... or maybe not.
I have 5 days left.

- Dachau, Germany

Random slacking nonsense

2008-11-02T19:18:00.004+08:00

Like during every exam season, I am obsessively compulsive in spamming drama series. Even if I've seen them already. This year it's a lot worse as anxiety has yet to set in. Plus, there's lesser motivation to work hard once you figure that the race'll never ever end.

I've been thinking if my generation was born into some kinda oxy-moronic era - when the technology and medicine are advanced and when the world is supposedly a better place than before. Yet, in just these short 22 years, there has been countless tragedies. To say the least... there are technological disasters like the Chernobyl disaster; acts of terror like 911 and the Bali bombings; natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami and this year's Sichuan earthquake; 2 financial crisises in ten years. It makes me wonder what more can cause global ripples in the years to come.

More about the rat race, a journalist exholted her alma mata NTU and put down NUS in The Sunday Times today. I wonder if pure pride or just to derogate the degrees that NUS awards. I admit that I'm no big fan of NUS but even if I am, I will not belittle the graduates from NTU. And if I really want to compare the standard of varsity education, I would rather wonder why the slacker overseas degrees are often more valuable than the extremely rigorous ones us local students obtain. Perhaps it's the global mindset that the overseas graduates acquire.. perhaps it's the queer envy or resentment for being undermined.

Either way the grass is always greener on the other side. And for now, any grass away from NUS seems greener.

On teaching and learning

2008-11-01T11:56:00.004+08:00

A student from 1101 lab thought I really should get the TA award. It feels good to be appreciated yeah =)

And I slept for 13hours last night. Not uninterrupted my the countless alarms set, but still it's a long long time since I've slept so much. Maybe it's my subconscious attempt to nua and not study.

It must be.

Great Eastern Women 10K

2008-10-27T07:48:00.003+08:00

first and best timing of 01:17:03
=D

The Rat Race

2008-10-21T10:40:00.003+08:00

When your success or hardwork is determined only when compared to that of others.

Saying

2008-10-09T06:41:00.002+08:00

"Everything is transient, and nothing is enduring" - Buddha

New skin

2008-10-05T13:02:00.002+08:00

to unclutter my life.

Final year is really different. But perhaps i'm still the same.
After re-watching the final episode of My MVP Valentine, i suddenly remembered why i bought my Samsung E700A 6 years ago.

Looking back, it's rather amazing to see how quickly time has passed. i will reminisce about how this year has been 8 months down the road.

The memories will be great.

Just wait and see.

2008-09-29T22:02:00.002+08:00

I don't like the feeling of exam anxiety.

Especially if it's because I have not studied for it.
=(

2008-09-22T22:25:00.002+08:00

I'm appalled.

I have not been to ECP in AGES and I haven't even realised it, if not for today. It's so long that I am stuck in the "ECP's not well-lit at night" era.. so long that I can't exactly remember when was the last time I've been there. The last I could remember was the sec3 or sec4 gathering with the class for cycling/blading... and I can CONFIRM that I've not been there since 2004.. or since JC. That makes at least 6 years of hiatus! =O

So much for being a Singaporean!!

2008-08-15T22:37:00.002+08:00

sometimes i listen to/read about stories and lament about the things i can't do.
or perhaps the things i did, but felt it wasn't enough.

but i think, in the end, my heart feels full.. knowing that i can live these moments through friends and books.

and many at times, these are enough.
=)

so these days have been busy, but not busy.
24hours isn't enough to sleep, eat, be at home, be in school, keep up with old friends, make new friends, shop, relax, exercise, watch TV, craft and many other random things..

i feel tired,
but sometimes, it feels good to feel tired

so so so so so....
SINGAPORE'S WOMEN TABLETENNIS TEAM GOT INTO THE OLYMPICS FINAL!

finally a medal.. after a 48year drought.

we should have a public holiday =D

2008-07-21T14:31:00.002+08:00

ytd was travel-bad-luck madness.

70min to dulferstrasse from stusta
- MEGA deja-vu cuz it's exactly the same situation as when i first went there 1.5months ago

70min back to stusta
- got caught by the police for not having my headlights on

when the usually take only 30min by public tpt or bike

2008-07-20T15:30:00.002+08:00

Tag der Chemie am Freitag, 18. Juli 2008

Chemie der TUM: Eine der Top-Adressen in Deutschland

this is the reason why i cannot have it easy for my exams.

who expects you to memorise the whole of IA 1 PLUS IA 2
and all the mega-gigantulous ligands and way-too-complex mechanisms for asymm catalyst??

2008-07-13T19:24:00.000+08:00

my papa said:
"ehh.. RELAC lar.. 最多读多半年"

errppsss

2008-07-12T03:06:00.001+08:00

it's nice to have friends and family who're awaiting your return from a foreign country.
and nice to plan for the future =)

so now i'm sitting in my room with a died down thunderstorm.
the worst ever i've seen here in Munich!!
the winds were crazy and tore the canvas sheets at the kindergarten downstairs.
so they were ripping gleefully in shades of orange on the rooftop
it was a medley of flopping canvas sheets, tumbling rubbish bins, crackling thunder and pouring rain

anyway, here are the photos taken with anticipation and adrenaline of winning the EM at the livescreening in Olympiastadion.
but, the with the hopes are dashed

and last Wednesday, i had a mini stammtisch with my neighbours from Blaues Haus.
Seok's recipe of miso pork stew + red & white wine + "BlackForest" dessert
with random banter and roaring laughter

european culture and people. asian culture and people. beijing olympics.
singaporean chinese vs china chinese. ukranians vs russians.
dogs and birds and cats. rabbit that got ran over. a cat that was half body ran over.
movies and stars. juno. teenage pregnancy.
feminity. marilyn monroe. SATC and the girls and clothes they wore.
sports. Freizeit. supermarkets

all in the good ambience of Johanna's room.. pretty isn't it?
girly pink and prints and all. and tealights and scented oils.
her cutlery and cooking utensils actually spilled over to half her walk-in wardrobe.
how funky is that?

2008-07-11T04:56:00.001+08:00

依靠别人并不丢脸
尤其是对方也很愿意让你依靠的时候

2008-07-09T23:08:00.001+08:00

敞開心胸　去追尋快樂的出口
別怕寂寞　因為有我們在背後
假如以後　我們全都各奔西東
要永遠記住最初的夢

2008-07-02T04:19:00.002+08:00

i am SOOOOO distracted.

you know, the power of tabbed browsing and wikipedia.

it has been an hour of topics like:

japanese cuisine
horse meat
sakura
Altes Land
sushi
tamago
omelette
german cuisine
church of england
paganism
Knoedel
Leberkaese
2nd breakfast
pale lager
Pilsener
Pilsner gladd
saxons
wheat beer
Dunkel
german loanwords
abseiling
bagel
muesli

oh wells.. when then would it be chemistry, organic, reactions, reagents, trace analysis, eu business law.......?

2008-07-01T14:53:00.002+08:00

thoughts running through my head:

- flight home.
- travel plans.
- exams.
- transfer of credits.
- FYP
- bidding for FYP (?)

all these anxiety due to indecisiveness.
time waits for no man.
every day, the prices keep increasing.
every day, the deadline is nearer.
and every day, your number of options decrease

RARRRR!!!

2008-06-28T17:20:00.006+08:00

i like lazy days when you laze with your own thoughts =)
and reading random short stories online.
it's really good.
Journal of Life - Love Stories

ytd, belle and i went to watch SATC at Nymphenburger Strasse!!!!!
haha.. she - the SATC fanatic.
and i - the SATC know-nothing-at-all

7.50euros -.-
but it was a great movie nonetheless =))
funny chick flick.
& i still can't believe i cried when Big proposed to Carrie

-
-
-
-

more long ago memories-

sushi buffet at Tenmaya.
to celebrate belle's and junhao's birthdays
the food was ok.
and the cool thing was that they have FUNKY stuff like
korean kimchi
goreng pisang
honeydew sago

and fortune cookie
"You are dreaming of seeing the world"
that's my fortune
so i can only dream? =P

and after we were all stuffed to the max, the cake was brought out.
check out belle's berrylicious name!

and on the previous monday, we had pizza hut buffet.
nothing like the buffet in singapore 8years ago though!
i still can remember the long afternoons spent after class with my girlfriends and pak.
and the many birthday celebrations we had there, at JEC =)
=)

yeah. so this buffet, with only pizza
5 official types - but i suspect more actually.
cuz they kinda just threw the ingredients in with random permutations =D

and we played bridge while digesting
and took photos of junhao's SEHR LUSTIG bowl haircut by the turkish barber
and how else to end a meal but with EIS???
=D

2008-06-27T04:24:00.003+08:00

after watching "why why love", "devil beside you" has been on my to watch list.
today, at the 7th episode, i see the people i never saw before.

qi tai (iswak2) was in devil beside you!!! albeit with a much younger appearance.
and after i googled, he's actually from the ancient boyband comic boyz!!!
whose 求爱复刻版 mtv i've watched a bazillion times to learn the difficult song.
*faints*
he looked much cuter and boyish when he was still part of the band tho

and what's more, kingone was from comic boyz too
-.-

2008-06-26T20:54:00.003+08:00

20 minutes ago, i had a shock of my life.
i think now it has began to sink in.
i'm amazed at how protected i am here in germany.
away from sad news of any kind.....

13 months ago, i worked for NUSChem as an editorial member for the 80th anniversary brochure publication. amongst the 80 to be interviewed, was Dr Lee Kum Tatt, a pioneer of many fields in singapore. in spite of the hard times, he rose above the people and contributed greatly to our society. the singapore icon - the RISIS orchid - was his invention, he helped to set the singapore science centre - a place i loved so much when i was in my teens, and he was the founder of SISIR, just to name a few of his greatness.

i remember that he was strict with shan and i. we had to find out and be all knowing about his past when we visited him at his home. he has a booming voice, much gusto, and very proud of the obstacles he had overcome.

his stories were sprinkled with humour. scientific humour.
he told us his gutsy encounters as a young researcher and academic
and also stories of his unending perseverance towards helping mankind
and stories of how he taught his family.
he showed us his postcard drawings that have hidden truths in them.
he taught us how to make the egg stand.

scientist, academic, entrepreneur, philosopher
husband, father, grandfather

i think he did it all

your words will live on.

http://leekumtatt.blogspot.com
http://leekumtatt-tribute.blogspot.com/

2008-06-26T07:34:00.002+08:00

words

can be so pleasing to the ears
and can also become vicious swords that pierce the heart

it's quite scary how they can be misinterpreted and passed down to hurt another person.
and the hurt goes round and round.

never-ending.
until the misunderstanding is cleared.

worse,
when people spread malicious rumours.
falsehood that threatens the good and peace around it.

the world ought to be a pretty place with beautiful thoughts.
i'll do my best to keep it that way.

2008-06-25T23:34:00.000+08:00

all that's well, be well

please

2008-06-25T20:25:00.003+08:00

today i aimed for a half hour run.
i aimed to turn back in 15mins, and since i coincidentally had a tummyache, i took a turn to head back to Stusta.

BUT

the roads seemed more and more unfamiliar.
and i hit a river.
the Isar river

= maybe near to marktkauf?
= damn far from stusta

i found a map there and in the end, i was far from both places.
i've covered like most of the nordteil -.-

so i turned back, trying to keep the picture of the map in my head.
and continued to run.

half hour later, i'm still not at Stusta.
finally found another map, and trudged home, luckily in only 10minutes.

it was a good run though.

time to think
time to breathe
time to enjoy the sun, and the shade, and the sun.

and it was a day of more than 2 or 3 nude sunbathers

=P

2008-06-25T05:50:00.004+08:00

in some random memories of long ago, here are some pictures from daytrips to within Bayern.

with the blink of an eye, my Munich SEP is about to end in like 43 days.
as per confused and indecisive lin, it's SUUUPER mixed feelings about it all.

na ja. when the time comes, the time comes.

here's Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria. it was the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman emperor and was the richest city in Germany where old gold was hidden. in modern day context, perhaps it is synonymous to the rich hiding and parking their assets in Swiss banks. Nuremberg was also impt in the WWII times. Large state propaganda events were held at the Nuremberg rallies and of course, there were the Nuremberg Trials.

a day trip with clifford, aaron and johannes on a public holiday.
needless to say, the town's pretty empty =x
but we had :

boot-shaped Katjes from aaron,
icecream at every turn on the street,
churches and more churches,
and a Bierfest - not like they need any reason to drink
highlight was not just the nuremburgers in semmel
but rather the toilets.
we were wondering what the weird merry-go-round lookalikes were..
.
.
.
.
urinals.
that are actually VERY exposed from a higher point.
yes.
you see them peeing!! =x

and at this garden, the start of the hilarious jump shot session which aaron and johannes gamely joined.
and my cheating jump shot from a boingy platform! =P

yeps. in this city filled with history and lebkuchen and the original pocket watches (Nuremberg Eggs), we found fun on a public holiday =)

in Bayern is a ulu ulu town - oberammergau. quaint little fairytale land. with the story of little red riding hood and hansel and gretel painted on the houses. they're also famous for their long tradition of pretty woodcarving. and Passion Play. and winter skiing.

no snow for us to ski down of cuz. so we scaled a mountain and took the ski lift down. CHAOOO exciting cuz the uncle gave us a push on the way down! AND we were wondering why there's no protection belts or sth.. and sat gripping TIGHTLY to the seat , shivering in the cold. it's sub-zero btw. there's ice on the tree branches.

that was 1 day spent hiking, solving riddles on cool postcards, waiting for junhao to master his artistic macro phototaking and playing bridge!

2008-06-18T17:01:00.001+08:00

it's not easy

2008-06-11T20:46:00.011+08:00

city of romance. capital of France.

with major influence in politics, entertainment, fashion, arts
and FOOD
THE place of origin of the Michelin Stars.

PARIS

7-11 May 2008

6 friends - old and new.
the beginning of an unforgettable adventure!

picnic on the bridge. cmi jump shots.
wilson. watermelon seeds spitting contest.
ah pek got angry.

Disneyland.
Schwazfahren, and got caught!
"MAX" to the maxed.
happy until cannot happy!
cheap thrill rides... until i almost cmi.
schwarzschlafen/
indescribable feeling.
drawing lots.
sleepless night.

New Paris Tour. Paris sights in 3.5hours.
"eh, don't emo leh"
boat ride. origami. river splashes.
yummy jap dinner. 1euro milkshakes.

Versailles. total nua-ness.
good jump shots. the angmohs were so amused =P
row row row your boat, gently in seaweed
恋爱-ing
artsy Montmarte. sleezy redlight district.
"We're from Taiwan~"
not believing that it's already the last night in Paris.
rigged lot drawing session!

*with smug sly smile* "HARRLOW!!"
"I wanna see Statue of Liberty!"
LADUREE.
wahhhh! heaven 来了
- until we forgot the time.

mad rush to airport.
but first the 2 CHAO blur ones must make it to the hostel, wherever it was
with torn maps and popping ears.
"What's that street name?"
"ermm.. left or right?"

in the end, we made it.
gratitude:
to guan.
to belle.
to prayers.
to Air France.

+PSP gefunden.

such an adventure.

HAPPY until cannot HAPPY.
next leg - road trip to France/Freiburg

2 words.
can't wait

2008-06-11T20:37:00.006+08:00

so that was our car for 3 days, a VW GOLF!!! haha.. at a super cheap price too =P

the journey to Sylt, a tiny island north of Germany, was 3hours - inclusive of the funky train trailer to the island. Sylt is only about 99kmsq and it used to be part of the mainland.. but cuz it's made up largely of sand dunes, erosion by the North Sea shrinks it. it is a funky island nonetheless, with cute frisian houses whose roofs are made of dried hay.

on the first day, we had a BBQ by the beach, enjoying a kind of time we'll never get in Singapore - 9pm sunset. night breeze. and a beach to our own.

and this. taken on a quiet night with jy and guan.
(yes, some things u learn in school are actually useful!)
we waited 10minutes freezing in the cold - inside the car boot
=D

and 2nd day was biking the whole morning and afternoon. and that equated to MANY pictures of our photogenic bikes =P rent is dirt cheap, compared to the riddiculous hourly rates at ECP. so we cycled around the northern half of the island. probably about 25-30km or so? lotsa phototaking and nua-ing breaks tho.. at the Hafen, at the beach, at the dunes, at the lighthouse, at the cliffs (with nude sunbathing uncle =S)

something special are the "chairs" at Sylt. boxy thingys that are colourful or have wonderful paintings of them. they are everywhere, even in restaurants with al-fresco dining =) and endless playground that can be very trecherous too!

below are some pics from dune-climbing. crazy jinyi had the notion of scaling the sand dune. and up and up the 2 guys went while joel unknowingly cycled on and on towards the hostel. in the end, i abandoned the phototaking and climbing up too =P hopefully the scale of the dune can be seen from the top right pic. see those 2 ants climbing? hahahaha.. it's qte scary to look down from the top! and when going down, jinyi had another smart idea. to roll down the dune. =D

like Japan, there're cherry blossoms in Germany too. Cool eh?
and the green men who're constantly being blown away

and we drove to the southern side. to yet another cliff where we smelt the salty air we can only find in Singapore and not in Munich.

So here's the 4 of us on this adventurous road trip to a northern island in the North Sea.
^_^

2008-06-11T20:19:00.000+08:00

TIME TO TALK ABT HAMBURGGGGGG

=)

it was the long MayDay night cuz of the comfy-er-but-uncomfy 8hour-night-ride to Hamburg from Munich HBF! and actually, i met the guys straight away to head for sunny island (not Singapore) Sylt.

anyway, here's the Hamburg part first.. the 1D2N that i was there =))

Hamburg's a charming city in her own rights.. but i didn't REEEAAAAAALLLY like it. the night ~~scene~~ (hah!!) scenery was great though.. with the harbour (2nd largest port in europe) and enormous ships. unique to Hamburg though, like the Lion is to Munich, is the man with the Burden. hahaha.. actually i have no idea what his name is. but he looks like the male version of our samsui woman doesnt he? =P

there's also this cool street artist who really fooled me into thinking that he's a Denkmal or something like that. PLUS, we have the DONER BOX. jinyi's lieblingsessen in Hamburg, together with fastfood and mensa food =D

on the last night in Hamburg, we decided to have a picnic. which, in the end, didn't turn out too well.
=D
partly due to the lack of a good location, we had our picnic with Mr Warrior where it was SUUPER cold.
2) to the yuckily disgusting prune tart/cake thingy.
3) to the Hawaii Toast that were covered with cold cheese and condensation

so, check out the "i cannot take it anymore" faces of jinyi and chinguan

but yeah. the night scene was good.

.
.
.

and nope, i didn't go to Reeperbahn
nor to Man Street =)

2008-05-14T06:35:00.004+08:00

Because it has lived its life intensely

the parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.
The flowers merely flower,
and they do this as well as they can.
The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,
Does not need to explain itself to anyone;
It lives merely for beauty.
Men, however, cannot accept that 'merely'.

If tomatoes wanted to be melons,
they would look completely ridiculous.
I am always amazed
that so many people are concerned
with wanting to be what they are not;
what's the point of making yourself look ridiculous?

You don't always have to pretend to be strong,
there's no need to prove all the time that everything is going well,
you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are thinking,
cry if you need to,
it's good to cry out all your tears
(because only then will you be able to smile again).

-Paulo Coelho. Like the Flowing River.

2008-05-13T16:08:00.002+08:00

after 2 nights of relatively good sleep, i think i'm still quite high about the hamburg-paris trip. i love the company i had, the wonderfully relaxing sylt, the beautiful and touching sceneries, the whacky experiences in paris, and the excitment, adrenaline rush of almost missing our flight.

at this point in time, the only words that can describe the trip may be "感触良深". the post about the trip will be posted when i received the pics, feel more settled and can relate more clearly the joy over the past few days =)

i love my friends!!

2008-05-07T01:05:00.001+08:00

It's strange how sometimes you can have super conflicting thoughts at the same time.

Anyway, Sylt was fun. now must recharge for Paris.

2008-04-27T20:08:00.004+08:00

what is the !@#$%#@$ point of getting a license if you're not allowed to drive.

i can so easily rip up that cursed Human Resource Management textbook into 10 billion shreds now.

RARRRR

2008-04-26T17:40:00.003+08:00

Gestern Abend haben wir nach Theresienwiese, um das Musikfeuerwerk zu sehen. Es war ganz ganz toll.

Aber,

2008-04-25T19:10:00.002+08:00

How to make brekky with a pot on a lazy Friday morning:

1) Boil 1L water
2) Make coffee in mug
3) Boil expired ham
4) Boil egg
5) Sandwich ham, egg and cheese in Dreikorn Toasts
6) Add cornflakes to coffee

If it's not enough, have more Toasts with jam.

ps: Part of the satisfaction comes from the caffeine - which I've not decently had for 2 months.

2008-04-25T00:55:00.002+08:00

i don't understand why people can be so selfish.
nor how they can close and shut out things they don't want to see or hear.

XXX is right.
"they all got their own agenda. all want to receive information; but so reluctant to give information and help others"

he is SO right.
the world is so ugly.

2008-04-20T23:52:00.004+08:00

i wanna get these!!!
and these cute things ^_^

2008-04-19T23:37:00.005+08:00

After a bad attempt in space saving -to put all photos and comments into a photo- i've decided to just let it be simple

My apartment:

and the TUM Garching campus:

please click on pics to enlarge yeah? again, pics from london to be postponed. it's time to slack =))

2008-04-18T02:06:00.005+08:00

this is munich.

seriously, i've not posted for soooo long that i dunno where to begin.

in essence, this is what munich is about:

and this, is berlin:
and london, will be here in the next post!

2008-04-08T02:19:00.002+08:00

it's time to sweep the dust off this blog.
but there's not much time for updates.
check back over the weekend!

meanwhile, GOOD LUCK FOR THOSE WHO'RE PREPARING FOR EXAMS!!
加油!!

2008-03-20T03:01:00.003+08:00

This is SHIT, Micheal! (please see Hokkien Ratatouille from Youtube)

hello all! *big hug from London*
life's pretty great but the weather sucked, and will continue to be "wintertime" for the next week still.

now's shit though. why? cuz we're STILL on the editorial work. yes. i need to download my stuff and work. payless. here in freezing london..

you know what?

the rain bounced off us yesterday.
yeps.
bounced!

2008-03-03T16:04:00.002+08:00

packing is I N S A N E ! ! ! ! !

a week ago i was putting the jewellery i wanna bring along into a box. it amounted to like 20 earrings, 8 necklaces 3 rings and 3 bracelets. i'm sure i dun have that many holes in my ears nor more than one neck. and yes. i am lazy to wear jewellery in singapore, what's the chances that i'll wear them at least once on sep? =S

but that's ok. afterall, jewellery are teeny weeny objects. i have to restrain myself from bringing at least 2 pairs of heels (yeah.. "bring heels for what??!"), 2 pairs of shoes (cuz 1 will surely disintegrate), a pair of slippers and a pair or two of the cheapo ballet flats. >.< these will definitely take up alot of space righttttttt =(

shoes aside, i'm trying to pack my clothes. but i'm pulling out every other piece of clothing out from my wardrobe onto the floor for packing into the suitcase. it's like i'm moving house more than going on exchange.

hhooooowwwwwwww............

2008-03-02T19:00:00.006+08:00

it's been a long time.. and now it's only like 7 days till my departure.. in case some terra vice captain says i don't update about our gatherings.. here's some small updates:

dinner at changing appetites with terra 6th. the food's really quite good. esp the hotplate popiah thingy which i forgot what it's called =P anw.. the sweddish flag packages are quite cute yeah? =)) i do foresee that i'll go on many shopping sprees when i'm on exchange.

"formal" pics from the night we met up to take pictures of the editorial team. the bloody brochure is not out yet. it's insane isn't it? =|
pics from Signature Love Project's Amazing Race at BTC/SBG. it's a looonggg long time since we participated in something like this. and a long long time since we were supposed to do anything so sporty =P so it was a 3.5hour long walk up and around the botanic gardens. PLUS good-for-your-heart education that involved a total of more than a hundred jumpin' jacks and star jumps. yeps. my poor fatty thighs were aching for a grand total of TWO days! it was fun anyway =P but all the calories burnt were put back on cuz we indulged in ice cream at island creamery straight after the event =D
these 2 months i've got more crafty time than usual. #1 is my cny clutch. #2 is a more elegant/formal convertible clutch/shoulder bag for my young aunt. #3 is pak's patriotic "stationery bag". no dress, yet.

yeps. so i've ended my 2 months' stint at jspl. it is time to consider whether i would work there after i graduate. it's time to pack my luggage for 3 people too! and to fix some traveling plans. and to sew more. and to watch more tv~! ^_^

2008-02-20T22:52:00.004+08:00

Received news about accoms. it's a studio apartment with private kitchen! i wonder if it will be this:

or this thing we did a compre about in GAP - the multi-function cube house =|

2008-01-13T14:07:00.001+08:00

another month that flew past.

it was a month of MUCH lesser tv watching - if any at all.. alot of things happened, but not quite alot too

1) meet up with kai and hua for jap paper steamboat

2) small bro bday
3) s17 gathering.. onli 8 of us. and weijian was right. we only took one photo that time:
the pic of the smarter people with CAP ~5.0 - oiwing and weijian4) german gang's new yr eve cum predeparture dinner for quanhui where it was only left with him vivian and i. we only managed to get a decent group photo after the nth trial. anyhow, with qh and jinyi freezing their asses off in germany now, the gang is much reduced. it is time for the jurong point gang since the 3 ME pple are working in Jurong Island and i in tuas!5) wardrode revamp for fangting. + 2 scarves for clifford. i need a bag and some random stuff. perhaps this hols is the only time when i actualy got these things done =) minus the photo sorting of cuz. thousand of them from darmstadt immersion 1.5years ago are still siting around and collecting dust~~~ *gulp*

6) the very limited number of pics with the boyfriend7) big bro's 17th bday. realise my family only takes photos during bdays??8) shopping with joyce. the rare occasions when i actually spent more than her. alot more =P joyceeeeeeeee i want my shades!! next time we go out k =D

9) visa form submitted. after a 3 times entrance and exit to get my docs and all ready for it

10) went with joyce to esther's preview at joochiat. one of a kind experience i would say. some discussion and insight gained. stories heard. and the most memorable might be the half hour trot to joochiat from old airport road since we alighted at the wrong stop.

11) swensens dinner with s17 again. it's really a loongg time since i saw ppl like ym n valli =P ad it was good turn out of almost 20 ppl considering that at least 5 are overseas! =)

12) i passed with 8 points~~ AND ARDEN HAD THE SAME TEST TIME AS ME! to think i went home so early to slp while he and some of them (minus the dota pple..) were at smu frolicking away =D

13) i'm finally quite stationed at work. lets hope this arrangement is quite permanent.

14) found some modules to map over to TUM. i sure hope nothing screws up.

15) sold mcmurry to mighty king!! yays! that money'll have to go into the shipping fees for the sister tho. bleahz

so this is all for now? hahaha.. looking forward to next wk =) hopefully more fruitful work at work. waffles with hua and kai. dinner with terra pple (at last). meet up with ahlam and *leen - the lin^4 gathering according to ahlam.

2007-12-11T18:04:00.000+08:00

^_^ niceeeeee!!! >>

it's a good treat after the mostly irritating meeting with the head about the brochure.
I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT OVER AND DONE WITH!
RARRRR

2007-12-09T13:41:00.000+08:00

i've been spending too much money. WAAAAYYYYYY too much money.
helppppp T_T

2007-12-08T15:04:00.000+08:00

right.. after watching

this
this
this
this
this
this

and this
during the exam time, it is time for new obsessions!!! PIRATING is taking my time away from watching more dramas and doing the things i should do. no time no time! >.<

2007-12-05T11:54:00.000+08:00

2 days.
today i MUST NOT shout "Yohoho!".
nor "YARRRRR"
NOR "ARRRRR"

2007-12-04T07:16:00.001+08:00

i shall not complain.

3 days!

2007-12-01T21:49:00.000+08:00

how many phone numbers do you have in your SIM card?
how many contacts do you have on your MSN?
how many people do you talk to regularly?

how many people are your true friends?

2007-12-01T18:15:00.001+08:00

sometimes, i wish i were god

2007-11-29T13:00:00.000+08:00

this sem is an anomaly. 4 core's supposed to be like xiong xiong XIONG. but i'm slack slack SLACK.

Excuses for my slackness and complacency:

1) will be in wunderbaerishe Deustchland nxt sem so i can escape the torture (albeit now - prematurely)

2) surfing around video sharing sites (and forcing myself to only bookmark them and not watch since it is less than 4hours to my next paper) and random fashion/beauty websites is definitely more addictive than looking at stupid lear notes that dun make sense.

3) 8 sets or dramas/movies and counting since the 2 weeks before exams must be a record of some kind. the slacker residing at one corner in my brain tells me to keep up the good work!

4) it's sem ONE. sem 1s are always abnormal due to an excessive 3-mth playtime before that.

5) 2 open book modules - open book = assumed slackness cuz ur brains refuse to study even though the rest of the world's mugging their ass off.

6) 2 organic modules - my "forte" where you read everything and everything seems familiar - yet the ability to apply all the reactions is totally random, by luck and depending on the qns set by th lecturer.

7) 2 relatively well-done CAs for the 2 modules gives false impression that you know your stuff. but the exam later (in 4hours time at no man's land - pgp) is 80%!!!!!!!!!! gawk. make or break.

ok. this list is reminding me how idiotic i am. i hope i won't have regrets in 6hours' time.

if i conquered lear's paper, i shall buy tidbits and snack thru 2 movies tonight.
if not, i shall torture myself by watching 2 movies without the tidbits. hah. how torturous yeah =D

2007-11-27T19:52:00.001+08:00

watching Swing Girls and listening to the band music on the zen have got me on a band music high again. miss playing in the band!! haha.. i can't believe i'm saying this.

i cant find many band pieces on youtube though. but there're some funky and good flutists out there!

beatboxing on flute - Super Mario!

Telemann Flute Fantasie in B Minor

2007-11-23T22:30:00.000+08:00

eeyyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
my 危机感 is damn low!!!!!!!!!!

2007-11-23T09:33:00.000+08:00

up till yesterday, I was still hoping for some chance that koh bro jr. would miraculously score well for his psle, get into rvhs and fulfill the 许家榴莲树 theory. heh.. but it didn't happen lar. everything else from hereon is a new beginning.

2007-11-21T00:49:00.000+08:00

despite running around in the rain for a grand total of about 20minutes today, it is a good day =)

1) Dear student, We have received your complete application documents which are in process for the moment. You will receive further information about your stay at TUM end of January .........The information you will receive in January is very important! It is about admission, your coordinator at TUM, accommodation, orientation week,... and you have to read it carefully!!

YAYS!!!

2)
3)

4)

5)

6)