Spring Break 2007 Part Three

March 12 – London

Woke up to the sounds of a foreign language and just about remembered I was in my ten-person hostel room. There were six other people and they were furiously packing in the room though it was still a little dark. Chatted a little with some of them and found out that they are from Spain and were leaving that morning.

After breakfast at the hostel’s pantry, I left for Buckingham Palace. Got off the tube at Victoria station and walked about ten minutes, passing the Royal Mews (it was closed) along the way. When I reached the Palace, I saw that the Changing of the Guards was taking place the next day so I would have to come back then. There were tourists sitting around the Queen Victoria Memorial watching the cars go by. I think they were tourists but I’m not sure what they were doing sitting around. I didn’t think there was anything to see at the Palace other than the Guards ceremony so I snapped some photos and then went on my way.

Queen Victoria Memorial

Buckingham Palace

On the way to Westminster Abbey, I took a stroll in St. James’s Park. I am always bewildered by people relaxing in parks on a working day. Don’t these people have to work at all? Maybe I’m wrong but I have the impression that Singaporeans work every minute of the day. Time is money. How to relax? I was pretty sure the people there were not all tourists and mothers with their kids. But it would be nice to be able to relax when you want to.

Daffodils with the promise of spring

A picture of serenity

Ducks can swim very fast indeed

I walked for about ten minutes to Westminster – the government and administrative area of London. It is quite a sight to behold because of the iconic buildings and structures right in front of your eyes. Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, just to name a few. As awestruck as I was at Times Square, it happened again here. To be standing at places that were very much a part of world history, it is an amazing feeling and my spring break was only just beginning!

Westminster Abbey

St. Margaret’s Church, Westminster

Clock Tower, London Eye and double-deck bus

The flags of Commonwealth countries are proudly displayed here as a reminder of the Empire’s global dominance way back. You can just about spot the Singapore flag in the middle there. Yay for the “Bastion of the Empire”, the British pride of the East. I thought it was interesting to see anti-war demonstrators camping out in tents. Ironically, they were situated right where the Singapore flag is, post-WB/IMF 2006 and all. I wanted to get to where the flags are but I would have to jaywalk so I didn’t bother. Wanted to get a shot of the crescent and stars flapping wildly in the wind. I thought it would have made a nice picture. =)

Clock Tower, Big Ben is the name of the bell that chimes every quarter

Just to prove I was here!

London Eye and River Thames

From Westminster, I crossed the bridge towards the London Eye. The queue was too long so I decided to book my ticket online and return the next day. I crossed the Hungerford Bridge and found myself back at Trafalgar Square. I took a quick peek inside the National Gallery for about five minutes then I was out of there. Tubed from Charing Cross to Tottenham Court where the British Museum (top) was. Incredible is what I call it, it houses 13 million objects from every corner of the world and is a tremendous testimony of the past. I’m going to stop writing right about now because I don’t want to do the museum injustice. All I can say is I spent about four hours in there and I was still not done! And I got out with a headache after being so overwhelmed.

Interior with the famous ceiling, if you didn’t already know

More ceiling

 

 

 

Yes, as you can see, it was pretty overwhelming in the British Museum. But my cultural day didn’t end there. I had a ticket to Phantom of the Opera and had to get to Her Majesty’s Theatre by 7:30 p.m. I still had plenty of time, so I went back to the hostel for a shower and change of clothes. The six Spanish people had left by then, and someone else had come in. I was about to set off for the theatre when Vanessa (from NZ) and Jerome (from France) came in. New roommates! I chatted a little bit with Vanessa but she was really tired and was going to have an early night because she just came off a Contiki ten cities tour in twelve days so she was exhausted. Jerome was going to meet a friend but we exchanged numbers and I said I would call him after the show.

I made my way to Piccadilly Circus and was greeted by this building with flashy advertisements. It was definitely London’s Time Square. I spotted a Pret A Manger and it was highly recommended as a must-try when I was planning my itinerary. I had seen one in New York City but the English one is authentic. I grabbed a crayfish & rocket sandwich and orange juice for dinner.. The theatre wasn’t too far down Haymarket. Argh! My seat was partially blocked by a pillar! How can they sell the ticket at the normal price when it has a blocked view! There were a couple of empty seats beside me so it worked out fine eventually.

Phantom was very grand. To be honest, despite all the hype over it, I had never watched even the film version and only knew a little of the story. Which is really funny because in my years in SAF Central Band, I think I have performed the soundtrack about ten times at least. I was particularly impressed by the set changes. The musical was performed close to perfection save for the fact that when the singers sang opera, I couldn’t really hear the clear enunciation of the lyrics.

One day when I have time, I shall sit down and make a list of all the plays and musicals I have watched in my life. Only started when I was fifteen or sixteen I think and it was the stand-up comedies of Selena Tan when she was just starting out. Anyway, my next must-watch musical is Miss Saigon. Hopefully they bring it back soon.

Anyway, after the show ended, I called Jerome but he was still with his friend and was only going to reach the hostel in an hour’s time. So I went back to the hostel to use the Internet to check my emails, book tickets to the EMIRATES stadium and the London Eye. The night kind of ended there when Jerome and I decided we were too tired for anything else and so that was Day Two in London, with Day Three to come..

Spring Break 2007 Part Two

March 11, 2007 – London

After yesterday’s flight mini-drama, I was so glad and very thankful to be put on the next available flight to London. The flight went well – it was only about a third full so there was lots of space. Virgin Atlantic was not half bad, better than Northwest, in my opinion.

I arrived at the London Heathrow Airport around 11 in the morning. After collecting my bag and getting out of customs, I called Rowie because I couldn’t find the link to the underground tube. After getting some directions and laughing over some random thing that I can’t remember now, I decided I had to find an ATM to get some pounds for the tube. All the ATMs at Terminal 3 were out of cash! I had to exchange US dollars for pounds, and don’t get me started on the exchange rate!

I bought an Oyster card and put 20 pounds value in it. (I know, that’s about S$60! Don’t get me started!) The underground system is pretty easy to navigate once you look at the map and see where they all interchange. I had booked a hostel located 2mins off King’s Cross St. Pancras, on Gray’s Inn Road and so it was all a matter of taking the tube there, it was a direct journey on the Piccadilly line. The train ride took about 45 mins and it was a really interesting journey. The airport is situated in Zone Six and I remember learning from Geography back in JC that the city has concentric zoning. As the train traversed through the zones into Zone One, you can see the landscape changes from suburban to urban. A family of about seven dressed in Chelsea gear got on and were standing really close to me. That were some interesting sights of my first hour in London.

So I finally reached King’s Cross St. Pancras and it was quite an overwhelming station to be at initially. It is a major train station that has six tube lines interchanging there, and also the train station that connects to outer London and the rest of England as well.

I was starving by then, it was around 12:30 p.m. and I saw Burger King across the street so had lunch there. I found Ashlee House (the hostel) and checked in. It was my first time at a hostel (other than the band tour to NZ in 2000, but that’s not really counted because it was really nice!). I was given a bed in a room for ten. I counted that there were six other occupants at that time. There were five double-deck beds in a really really tiny room, and a sink. It was bare, but it was enough. The male bathroom was on another floor, but that wasn’t a problem. What was a problem was that they don’t have hot water in the day time, so I couldn’t take a bath. I unpacked a little, left my laptop with the safe in the reception and set out to make my way to Dominion Theatre at Tottenham Court Station for Hillsong Church’s 2:30 p.m. service.

Hillsong Church London

The people at the church were really friendly and there was a good mix of races. I suspect a good majority of the Asian people I saw inside were Singaporeans because a lot of them study here in London. I started chatting with an English guy sitting next to me and found out he was a law graduate from Nottingham who just got back to London. Ended up chatting about law and I told him I wanted to study law for the longest time, but that didn’t work out. The service went well. I was jet lagged and couldn’t help dozing off several times during the service though. One thing I didn’t get was why after service ended, the congregation kept clapping and clapping and the band returned on stage and did one more song as an encore. Was this a church service or a concert I was attending?

The service ended at 4:30 p.m. and I left for Covent Garden. It used to be a marketplace known as Convent Garden because a large fruits and vegetables garden was maintained by monks. The ‘n’ was later dropped due to a spelling misunderstanding, can you believe it??? Today, it is known for being a shopping and entertainment district (the Royal Opera House is here) with cafes and restaurants, and street performances as well.

A street at Covent Garden, cobbled streets in the foreground

St. Paul, Covent Garden

These signs were such a great help and even show the time taken to get around

After walking around Covent Garden, I didn’t have a plan as to where to go next so I decided to take a coffee break at Starbucks (where else) and plan an itinerary of some sort. It only stuck me then that I hadn’t yet bought a map of London and so I found one that was pretty good and it was then that I realized I had wandered onto the Strand, which is a street to the south of Covent Garden, running almost parallel to the River Thames. For a while I was pretty fascinated about being on these Monopoly streets. And the Strand was always one of my favorite acquisitions HAHA!

I decided to walk down the Strand towards Trafalgar Square. Along the way I passed the Savoy, which was featured in a movie I watched, but I can’t remember. It’s showing Porgy and Bess at the Savoy Theatre right now.

Red telephone booths, it’s definitely London

So I walked to Trafalgar Square and the sun was about to set. People were sitting on the steps in front of the National Gallery and enjoying the cool evening breeze. I read somewhere that among all the squares in London, Trafalgar was growing in popularity and I could see why. There were throngs of people snapping photos in front of Nelson’s Column (pictured left), the fountains, the many statues and of course with the National Gallery. One thing I noticed immediately in comparison with the little I’ve seen so far in US is that European architecture is very much nicer. Even comparing cosmopolitan cities like New York and London, they are vastly different. Maybe it’s not fair for me to judge them because what do I know about architecture and art. You can definitely see though that London has a good mix of modernity and rich cultural heritage, while NY is well, modern, (historical culture is fewer and further between).

The National Gallery houses centuries and centuries of art

Statue of King George IV

View of Big Ben down Whitehall Street

After I was satisfied with the photos taken at Trafalgar Square, I walked down a street named The Mall that starts at the Square, passes under the Admiralty Arch (pictured left) and leads to the Buckingham Palace. I walked along this street and saw the Duke of York’s Column. The sun was setting and the city started to get more cozy from the warm hues of the street lights. I took a leisurely stroll through St. James’s Park and it was really nice because spring was there in London – the flowers were blooming and made Ithaca seem so dreary in contrast. Walking through St. James’s Park, I saw the London Eye in the skyline beyond the Horse Guards. Still wasn’t too familiar with my bearings so I had to constantly check the map to make sure that I was walking in the right direction.

St. James’s Park, with Carlton House in the background I think

I went back to the National Gallery for night shots

I walked up Charing Cross Road towards Leicester Square and saw the TKTS booth for buying discounted tickets to musicals but decided that I would come back the next day to check out Phantom of the Opera tickets. Walked towards Chinatown and saw the usual sights of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants. But I knew that Asian food would be better eaten in Asia, so I decided that I would have traditional English fish and chips and there was one that was recommended by a backpacking website and it was nearby on Endell Street. I found the place without too much trouble but it was crowded so I ordered fried haddock with salt and vinegar for takeaway. I conclude that the chips here are much healthier than processed American (French or Freedom, whichever you prefer) fries, but salt and vinegar is an acquired taste, which I have do not have.

Street performance at Covent Garden

I was really sleepy and I suspect it was because of the time difference being across the Atlantic, so I decided to call it an early night. But I walked about four tube stations from Holborn back to King’s Cross St. Pancras so that I could take in the night sights. Took about forty minutes of a stroll and there wasn’t much to see actually, other than Russell Square and UCL, which Gladys was at in Fall 2005.

When I reached the hostel, I found out that I was the first to get back to the room and the other occupants were not back yet. I was just eager to get to bed and wake up early to make the most of the day, so showered and went to bed for my first night in London.

Spring Break 2007 Part One

March 9, 2007 – Ithaca to New York City

It was a mad rush after class ended on Friday afternoon. But within seven hours, there I was in New York City. It was definitely nice to be back in the city, and after five hours on the bus, it felt good to be standing on Broadway again. Took about half an hour to walk to my hotel, which was on West 47th between Seventh and Eighth, checked in and was disappointed to find the room was tiny. There was a bed, a TV set and sink. That was it. The shared bathroom was along the corridor, which was fine except that the hot water supply was cranky. But I can’t complain, it was right at the center of the theater area. I was kind of tired from the craziness of the week and hadn’t had dinner either, so I grabbed some food from MacDonald’s, watched The Devil Wears Prada on TV before I called it a night.

March 10, 2007 – New York City to London

Had a great night’s sleep, slept way longer than I should have and panicked when I realized I had twenty minutes to checkout. Made it in twenty-five. Left my luggage in the lockers and went out to source for tickets to A Chorus Line. The discount booth was way too crowded – the people start queuing at 10 – and the queue snaked around Marriott. I managed to get tickets for the matinée and decided to walk around a bit before show time.

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A huge crowd was gathering at one of the junctions on Times Square and I walked over to check out what the fuss was about. Turned out it was Uma Thurman in the midst of filming her new movie, I think it’s called Accidental Doctor. I stood there for about fifteen minutes and they did almost ten takes of her crossing the street. In between takes, she very graciously waved and smiled for the cameras. Yes, PR in action. But I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she was really endearing to the crowd.

Bearing in mind that my camera doesn’t zoom anymore, if you look in my online gallery, you’ll see that I was pretty close to her. Yes, I was initially at the back, but I inched my way forward to get better pictures. Me being real short, (and the camera’s limitations of course), so I had to jostle my way to the front. Anyway, it was a memorable experience because she’s a huge star. There was a Latina in front of me who shouted, “Uma, you are so beautiful! Can you look here so I can take a photo?” She obliged, of course. But no flash photography allowed once the cameras started rolling. By the way, there was a stand-in for Uma Thurman. There was another lady on the set, blond too and dressed exactly like Thurman. It was like seeing double! Just that you could tell their faces were definitely not alike.

A Chorus Line was everything I imagined it to be, and more. It was such a special personal moment to get inspired all over again and experience what motivated me to adapt the script for Des Rêves (for the uninformed, it was my hall’s production last year). I had watched the film version, but nothing beats seeing it live on stage. You know how sometimes, too much of anticipation and expectation tends to leave you a tad disappointed, but NO, not this one.

Eight dancers. Eight stories. Lives on display, testimonies of our dreams. Des Rêves captured the dreams of anyone who wanted to make it, to prove their worth, to put their lives, just like the eight dancers, on the line.

Ah. Thinking about it again makes me so proud of the people I worked with.

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They have trishaws in New York City too!

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On a high, I got out of the Schoenfeld Theatre and proceeded to look for some New York City souvenirs for Mike and his parents. I had my eye on the clock because I had to be at JFK airport by 6 p.m. and I gave myself an hour to get there via subway. I went back to the hotel to collect my bag that I had earlier placed in the locker. Made my way to the subway station at Port Authority, and I made my first booboo of the trip. Now that I think about it, I was rather silly. I did ask the subway staff for confirmation of the train that I should be taking – the A line towards Queens. And so I did, but I boarded the one heading uptown, instead of downtown. The NYC subway is rather confusing, and now that I have been to London and Paris, I have to say NYC’s transport system is quite horrible and inefficient. I’m not trying to make excuses for myself, but it is easy to get onto the wrong train. Especially when you are alone and unfamiliar with the area, and on the way to the airport to catch a flight.

So. I was on the wrong train that was going to uptown Manhattan, instead of towards Brooklyn, and eventually Queens, where JFK is. I asked directions from a fellow passenger and got off, at Harlem. OK so now I can say I have been in the dangerous part of New York. This time, I got on to the right train. Replaying the whole incident and trying to reflect on what went wrong, I was on my way. It was a race against time, as I later found out that it takes two hours to get to JFK via subway. There is a faster alternative, the Airport Shuttle, which costs $13 and would have taken 40 minutes. The subway costs $2 for a single trip. So of course, I acted smart and took the cheaper alternative, and felt rather proud for saving $11 just like that.

So there I was on the subway, millions of thoughts running through my mind. Shall I get off and try to get a taxi to the airport? Will there be a taxi in Brooklyn? Will there be a jam? How come the subway takes so long? Why didn’t I take the shuttle? Now that I am going to miss my flight, how much will I end up paying just to save that $11? Feeling rather silly of myself that the trip started off like that, by the time I made it to the airport, it was 7.30 p.m. and my flight was to leave at 8. I went straight to ask if I could get a seat on the next available flight, and PRAISE THE LORD! They put me on the next one, which was leaving at 9.45 p.m. and at no extra cost! Blessings abound! God is truly amazing!

And so, that was that. I missed my flight due to me trying to save $11 and not finding out that the subway would take two hours. There and then, I resolved not to make any more mistakes for the rest of the trip and that I had to be on top of every situation.

To come, Part Two: London

Just a quick note to say that I am fine, and back in Ithaca. London and Paris were incredible and I will blog about them soon enough. But for now, it’s back to the cold and catching on some sleep because I am kind of jet-lagged now. Europe is now officially my favorite place to be in, and Europeans are my favorite people in the world.

London

I’m now in London, blogging from the basement of the hostel I’m staying at. It’s a cheap holiday so I had to go with budget youth hostels. I’m staying at one located along a road near King’s Cross. Today was exciting. After landing, I took the subway to King’s Cross to check-in. It took me an hour to reach, but at least now I am more disciplined regarding timings. It’s a ten-person bunk and it’s tiny. But for the price I’m paying for a hotel in London is worth it I guess – for the location.

Really sleepy now, i was sleeping through half of worship during Hillsong London church service at Dominion Theatre. I’m thinking of going to Her Majesty’s Theatre tomorrow to catch Phantom of the Opera. So I’m going to have an early night and wake up early tomorrow so I don’t waste the day.

Yesterday, I was on Times Square when Uma Thurman passed by because she was filming “Accidental Doctor” on Broadway. Photos will follow once I can find weireless for my laptop to connect to. And I am nodding off now so i have to continue another day.

Think.

I had some trouble sleeping last night. Wasn’t the first time that it happened here in Ithaca, but it definitely got me thinking. Well, thinking is something that I do a lot of and it takes up way too much of my time. I spend too much time on thinking and deliberating (sometimes it turns into daydreaming) than actually acting on what I’m thinking about.

That makes me a think-a-lot-but-no-action kind of guy.

So anyway, I resorted to counting sheep and it worked! Well, at least I think it did because I remember counting to about 99 and it kind of stopped there. Maybe I got lazy and didn’t make it past a hundred, and then started thinking about other stuff or maybe I really fell asleep there at 99. It gets a little fuzzy from there.

But today I woke up feeling like I worry too much. I don’t deny that, because I know I do worry a lot. And it’s not usually a problem. Though now I think it has become a problem, thinking about it on hindsight.

I’m putting things into perspective here. The past seven weeks haven’t been perfect, though I’m getting the impression that people think it has been from my blog, emails and chats. Maybe I give that impression to you guys unknowingly – wanting everyone to think that I’m having a great time here. And I think that that’s because that’s me. I give the impression that I’m a very tolerant guy, mild and able to take it all in my stride. That’s how I have lived my life for as long as I can remember, I think. Maybe that’s also how I am, that I don’t open up much of what is going on inside. A lot of what goes on inside is not portrayed on the outside and if I don’t share it, nobody would know.

So, now I think about all the people who know me and how long they have known me and how well they know me.

To be honest, there is a lot going on inside. And I’m afraid it may just explode into something manic and uncontrollable one day.

As an after thought, and this is not intentional, I used “think” eleven times in total.

Spring. European spring.

March 1, Thursday

Stepping out today, the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining brightly. It was perfect weather – minimal wind, a mix of warm and cool at the same time. Just perfect.

The snow storm about two weeks ago practically left everything covered in white. For about three days or so after, roads had to be cleared, snow had to be shoveled off pathways and cars had to be dug out. As you can see in the picture, snow is still gathered in dirty heaps by the side of the road. Some of it has melted though, because the sun has been out and it went above freezing point for a couple of days. In fact, instead of snow, we had rain occasionally. So that was nice. Friends I chat with online ask about the cold, well, it’s great that I don’t perspire anymore. I can head outside in two layers when it’s -5 deg C, but when the winds come though, it chills you to the bones and you just want to head indoors as soon as you can. Winter has been a new and nice experience, now I just can’t wait for spring to come. Not too cold, and not too warm. I think I definitely miss wearing just a t-shirt and jeans. But that said, I prefer being here to the humidity in Singapore.

Sometimes you can tell if spring is coming. You start to see the occasional bird across the sky. I’ve seen flocks of birds flying in formation. Twice in February. But it was truly an odd time for them to be migrating since February was the peak of winter, if I’m not wrong. I’ve seen deer come out at night, possibly searching for whatever green grass could be found. There’s a stream down near the Commons that appeared frozen a while back. Last night while passing it, the stream was flowing again. Probably only the surface was frozen back then.

Someone made a joke about global warming. They were saying a group should come out and advocate for global warming because 1) Coney Island will disappear under the higher sea level (not sure why they have something against Coney Island though, it’s an American joke) and 2) it wouldn’t be so cold anymore – less snow and less ice. Almost everyone I’ve met asked me what am I doing here in Ithaca because it is so cold, they can’t comprehend why I would want to be here. They then ask what is the weather like in Singapore and I tell them it’s just a single season of tropical humid weather, with seasonal monsoons. And they think it’s fantastic because you don’t get chilled to the bones. I tell them it’s not quite as fantastic because even a leisurely walk induces torrents of perspiration. Always the case of grass being greener on the other side.

I decided to go down to the Commons today to do something about the camera. See, I dropped it a while ago and now the zoom function doesn’t work. So all the photos you’ve been seeing have been taken without zoom. Not sure if it shows in the photos, but definitely hasn’t been very comfortable for me. No close-ups and I have to get nearer to the subject before I can snap it.

For now, landscape shots are still manageable but might be a problem. I can’t imagine going to Europe without a ‘zoomable’ camera! I consulted with the lady from the photo shop and she said repairs might cost up to $200 and take about eight weeks. So that is out of the question. Doesn’t make sense to spend $200 to repair a two-year-old camera. Yup, so that’s a bummer alright. Seven weeks gone, fifteen more to go. I don’t know. Sometimes I feel time passes too fast, sometimes I can’t wait to go home.

March 5, Monday

Turned 23 today. My first birthday away from home, I think. Usually celebrate it with family and godparents over dinner, as well as Gladys, Kelvin, Yuanting and Kenny for the past few years – remember Sakae Sushi at Northpoint, the 21st party at my house, and last year at the apple strudel place.

And I especially recall my 19th birthday, it was during my basic military training on the little sunny island of Tekong. My platoon sergeant had gathered all of us, us wondering what was up. He ordered us into pumping position and we were like, bummed that we were going to be punished. What the army does to you is you sometimes get punished without knowing what for. Just do, no questions asked. So anyway, there we were, in the push-up position and obediently awaiting the “down” orders. My platoon sergeant went, “Go down, hold it there until you finish singing a birthday song to Jeremy.” Yep, that was my 19th. Pretty memorable.

It was a pretty regular day, today. Didn’t have anything planned, so it was nice when Canan said they were going to take me to coffee. This week is the week before we leave for our spring break, so everyone is busy with assignments and midterms. So guys, I appreciate the thoughts. That’s just how it is, having birthdays during school tests/exams periods. Naomi, you will just have to compensate by making me more sushi.

Just kidding.

Anyway, I will be catching a bus from Ithaca to New York City early this Saturday morning and spend the day there before a night flight to London. Reach London the next morning and spend three nights there. Take a flight to Paris and spend two nights there. Take a flight to Liverpool and meet Rowenna there because her flight from Geneva arrives ten minutes before mine. Explore Liverpool with her. Dinner at Mike’s house and spend the night there. The next day, take a train to London for my flight back to New York City. One night in New York City and a bus back to Ithaca the next day. A terribly rushed holiday, jetting from place to place, but I promise I will be back in Europe one day. So that is spring break. A birthday gift to myself. Nah, from my parents actually. HAHA!

I will be alone for London and Paris, and with Rowenna once I reach Liverpool. Yeah, I know, why would anyone travel alone. Turned out the exchange folks had different plans and of course, Europe has always been my dream. I’ll be staying at youth hostels so I’m quite sure I will meet other young people backpacking and we can hang together some. So for the past few days I’ve been reading up about the various things to see and do, as well as booking air tickets and hostels. Yes, rather proud of myself thus far. But of course with help from Rowenna since she’s now a Euro expert. Please keep me in your prayers! Angels, journey mercy, protection, guidance – all also I WANT!

Been thinking about itinerary and here’s a rough one, of course subject to time allowances, will have to prioritize them:

London – Big Ben, London Eye, Emirates Stadium + tour (first priority), Covent Garden, watch Phantom of the Opera, Buckingham Palace, Parliament House, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, Tower of London.

Paris – Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées, Montmartre, Place de la Concorde, Luxembourg Garden, Notre Dame de Paris, Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, George Pompidou Centre of Culture, Rue de Mouffetard, Moulin Rouge.

Over and out!

p.s. the weather has taken a turn for the worse. it’s now -18 deg C with wind chill at -30 deg C, wind speed at 35kph.

p.s. heard about the earthquake in padang. keeping the region in prayer!

Spring break is coming!

This is the Chinese New Year package that arrived from NTU about a week back. There was a card from the professors, Dr. D and Nikki among them. I couldn’t quite make out the other signatures. Another card was from my NTU orientation mates – Renita, Shisi, Chris, Janus, Sikeng, Ailing, Maybel and Nerissa. Thanks guys! Was told by Renita that they bought laksa spices, teriyaki sauce, soup base etc. and passed them to Nikki (the exchange coordinator), who was sending out the package. But I guess the items weren’t included because of the additional postage. NTU is so stingy! But thanks for the thought, really appreciate it! Just realized how many of us from Laylio are away on exchange: Weiyi in N.Carolina, Angeline in HK, Chrong Meng in Beijing, Xinjie in Gold Coast and Jane in Maryland. Now I feel homesick, knowing that I was THIS close to having laksa for dinner. And there was traditional CNY red stuff, chun lian, lanterns or something. I don’t even know what those are for. Speaks volumes about how much of a Chinese I am.

Was in Syracuse last night for the John Mayer winter tour. It was about an hour’s drive and Syracuse looks like a really nice city. Defo livelier than Ithaca. My heart stopped for a moment as we approached the city and saw the lights getting brighter. That’s what Ithaca does to a city dweller.

Matt Kearney was the opening act but I was taking a much needed nap while waiting for John Mayer to start. John Mayer was fantastic! He sings really well live and those solo guitar runs, just leave you in awe. The American concert culture is really an eye-opener though. It’s just like going to the cinema, they sell popcorn, candy floss, hot dogs, beer at the door. OK, that at a baseball game, totally acceptable. But at a concert? Imagine going to the Indoor Stadium for a concert and bringing beer and popcorn in?

After the opening act, there was a 15 minute delay because the crew were setting up John Mayer’s 10,000 guitars on stage. I don’t know why it took so long and I’m not sure if it’s the norm to take a break after the opening act, but it sure left me very impatient. When John Mayer finally started, it was almost 9p.m. The light effects were very nice indeed. I remember Simon Cowell telling Katherine McPhee last season on American Idol that she should thank the lighting crew because they made her look better than she sounded. It’s true, lighting does wonders.

I took a 15-second video of “Bigger Than My Body” but due to copyright, I’m not going to host it on youtube. Because they’re going to ask me to take it down after a few months anyway. I’ll send it to you if you want it.

The bridge that connects South Hill to the Commons is going to be rebuilt in a project that will take nine months to complete. So no more walking to the Commons unless I’m up for a detour. Work on the bridge starts on Monday. And I’m going to be 23 on Monday. I feel so old! Definitely different from being in NTU because all the other guys are also two years older than the girls but now it’s just me being the old one among everyone else.

Just confirmed my plans for Spring Break-

Mar 10: Ithaca-NYC, night flight to London
11-13: London
14-16: Paris
16-17: Paris-Liverpool
17: Liverpool-London-NYC
18: NYC-Ithaca