holidays

finally.
a long-awaited entry. maybe not.
but it's the longest time i've ever not posted an entry over here.
i think it has piled up too much dust. way too much.

anyway. i just got back tonight.
so i'm kind of tired to blog.
looking at the amouth of photos that i've got.
and a whole 10-day long holiday in such a beautiful place is indeed hard for me to put them all down here.
shall do what i can do to describe the trip.

in general the trip was really an eye-opener.
but still. i would say that there's nowhere better than home.
it's good to be back here.
somewhere with things you find more affordable.
somewhere you feel so much safer.
somewhere you just know your way around.
and somewhere where i know where i've got internet access.


anyway. these are the types of houses you see in london. really pretty.
not quite like those high-rise apartments you see in singapore.


the view from the room of the house i stayed in.
the hostess prepared a really lovely room for us.
and they've got a pretty garden. which is really a very nice place!


in their house there is a conservatory. a nice place for afternoon naps.
with plants that the hostess herself carefully take care of.


the beach less than 5 minutes walk away from the house we stayed in for the first 6 days of my trip.
anyway. i was in west sussex. a place south of london. all the way till 12th morning.
it was a countryside area. which is really a very quite and nice place to be in.


being in the country side. we went grocery shopping by visiting farms.
where you really get very fresh food you need.
it's super cool.
this is a collage of the photos i took with my sis and i at the chichester food park.
they've got really loads of fruits and vegetables!


and to get meat and eggs, we went to a farm.
got to see the person feeding the goats that they reared.
the baby goat is only 3 days old.
and it's already grown quite a bit!
super amazing.


a picture of ying and me with the horses at leythorne farm.
but we were both so scared that we dare not go any closer to the horses.
haha.


a picture of me with the host.
he made smoothie from fresh fruits for us on several mornings.
haha. a healthy start to a day.
considering that i ate so much during the trip.


and a picture with a handsome english!
this guy is my age if i'm not wrong.
he's the gardener for the family we stayed with.
but girls. he's attached.
haha.


and when we went out on day 2.
uncle drove us and we got stuck at this junction cos the barrier was down to let the trains pass.
that took some time.
dont get to see such things in singapore.


and we visited chichester market.
took a photo with 2 policemen patrolling the streets.
who gladly agreed when we approach them to take photos.
haha.
i think ying and i crazily took a lot of photos throughout this trip.


we had our lunch just by the sea. but it was low tide.
after that got to visit this area in chichester. bosham.
got to even enter into the church.
a catholic one i think.
managed to sit down and pray for a moment.
really a peaceful sanctuary.
lovely.


on day 3 of the trip.
we visited arundel.
another area in england.
went to the castle.
admission was super expensive.
just to walk around the grounds of the castle cost 6.50 pounds.
to enter into the castle would cost 5.50 pounds more.
wooo. damn expensive.
but the place was really pretty.


a pic i took with mum at arundel castle grounds.
zi pai-ing skills at work.


mum and i with uncle and aunty at the keep of the castle which was one part of the castle we got to visit buying the cheaper ticket.


day 4 was shopping day.
but didnt get to buy a lot of things.
partially cos even though at gunwharf quays there are factory outlet stores, the things are still very expensive.
we bought thornton's chocolates though.
damn nice.
hehe.


me outside the starbucks at gunwharf quays.
didnt go in to get a drink though.
much more expensive than getting one in singapore.
:S


saturday night.
our dinner was fish&chips.
going to england. seems like having their fish&chips is a must.
and it's super delicious.
the one we went to we got to choose what type of fish that we want.
also. they have it with salt and vinegar.
instead of tartar sauce we get in singapore.

anyway weekends was rest days. so sadly we were stuck doing nothing in my room.
didnt have access to internet and couldnt do much.
get to stay at their place and watch movies though.
haha.


and on monday 12th. uncle drove us up north to london.
where we were at for the second half of our trip.
and the pictures are of the london eye.
the world's largest ferris wheel.
we went up on it on the hottest day recorded for june in london though.
and the capsules of the eye was made of glass.
which was a really hot experience.
feels as if you are in a greenhouse.
haha.


a picture taken with uncle in the capsule.






some of the amazing view you can see from the eye.
really splendid.


and because uncle was sick on the actual day of my birthday.
we didnt get to go out for dinner that night.
made it up with a dinner on the 12th.
had italian meal.
which was really costly.


the first breakfast i had in our hotel in london.
me holding on to this really delicious peach yogurt.
haha.
super nice.


took a shot of myself with borough market in the background.


me in front of the southwark cathedral.
this really nice place.
we didnt get to visit it until it was on our way back to the hotel.
i enjoyed the visits to the churches.
they gave me small opportunities to spend really quiet times with God.


climbed up the monument.
this 62m tall structure built to commemorate the great fire in london.
there were 311 steps to climb to get to the viewing area 50m above ground.
and ying and i climbed all the way up.
damn tiring.
it was one of the few times i actually perspired during the trip.
cos the weather then was cool. naturally air-con conditions.
phew.


and we also visited the tower of london.
entry tickets to this historical palace is expensive though. 12 pounds.
we walked around and it was a rather interesting experience.
but i've got to say that it isnt easy living in a castle.
damn crazy to walk around.
haha.
bought some really cute souvenirs.


one of the dinner at the hotel was breaded scampi and chips.
scampi i was told was sthg like prawns.
quite nice though.
watched the match brazil vs croatia over dinner.
won the bet too.
earned myself 22 pence.
btw 22 pence cant get you anywhere in england.
haha.


a picture of mum and i with uncle on one of the bridges across river thames.


a collage of pictures on the original tour.
on this open-deck bus ride around some parts of london to just sightsee.
can drop off at any place you like to visit the places of attractions then hop on the bus again.


my second last night at london was really fun.
got to meet up with taitik and lindy at leicester square.
and we went to this japanese restaurant for dinner.
had chicken karaage rice.
and the serving is really huge.
it's really worth it for 4.90 pounds.


a picture i took with lindy.
behind us is a theatre.
they were holding the movie premiere of the break-up that night over there.
should have stayed longer. would be able to catch a glimpse of jennifer aniston then.
hehe.


lindy and taitik took me to walk around chinatown there too.
which was quite interesting.
got a passer-by to take a photo of the three of us but it's in lindy's camera!


a photo with taitik.
at covent garden station.
we went walking around that area.

they escorted me back to the hotel where we watched the first half of the match germany played against poland.
and we walked to the pub somewhere near the riverside to watch the second half.
and i ordered diet coke!
haha.


and to meet them.
i took a ride on the tube.
the underground train in london.
it's non-aircon unlike in singapore's mrt.
and i think singapore's mrt system is way better!


us zi-pai-ing on the last day of the trip.


over at windsor.
near windsor castle where the queen lives.
a really scenic place.
the castle is super pretty also.
very magnificent sight.


and us at windsor great park.
this really big area with lust green grass grounds to sit on.
really a very nice place for picnic and a day of relaxation.
very very lovely place.

basically.
the trip.
was the one time i watched so much world cup matches in my entire life.
timing over there at london is so much convenient to watch them then in singapore.

and the things are really expensive.
so i think i'll really appreciate shopping here.

well.
i'm tired.
back at home and a good time to rest a while before i start work.
got loads of things to finish up.

happy sunday

kuai le xing qi tian~
happy sunday!

zhien concluded that today is a great great happy sunday.

morning.
i was so glad that i finally managed to get my lazy body out of bed at 6 am.
despite the fact that i slept at close to 1.30 am.
then was church service.
which i think God really worked miraculously.
i was kind of sleepy at first but still i didnt doze off and was actually quite awake throughout the day. really thank God for taking away the weariness.
the power of prayer. :)

then service ended a little bit earlier than usual i think.
so i had some time to sit around with the cell while they have their lunch before i go off to meet some of the 6a people for lunch.

actually i expected a birthday celebration.
haha.
sounds a little thick-skinned.
but yea. i kind of guessed that it would be this afternoon.
cos yesterday was telling edwin that i wont be able to join them for lunch this afternoon.
and he was asking why. so i mentioned that i have my jc class lunch gathering and meeting them at 1.30 pm. and he was mentioning about at least staying till 1 pm.
haha.
then over lunch.
i didnt order food mah since eating with the 6a people.
but had to explain to this other guy who asked why i wasnt getting sthg to eat.
and so he actually mentioned sthg like "oh so there's gonna be a double celebration".
haha.
then after that one other brother had to go off and before he left he was like saying i heard it's your birthday or sthg. then was extending his hand to wish me happy birthday before he zao off.
so i was like. kind of expecting some sort of like a celebration.

but still it came as a pleasant surprise.
i thought i would most probably be able to spot them before i get sneaked up on.
haha.
but i guess they still managed to take me by surprise.
so jj came behind me holding the cake.
and it was a really really pleasant celebration.
haha. though the wind kind of helped me blew out the candles.
and they had to relight it.
but it was really very nice and thoughtful of them.
really really sweet.


and this was the gift from my cell group.
a book!
yay. meant to let me have sthg to read on the flight.
and they got a really lovely bookmark for me too.
man. really really feel so blessed.

then after that had to rush off to take the bus so that i wont be late to meet the 6a people.
at first was kind of lost as to where to take the bus but i was lucky to have some people near the road junction which i approached for directions.
took me only 4 stops to get to newton mrt.
so i was slightly late but definitely not the latest.
haha.

zhixuan, eugene, james, linda, sarah and i were the only 6 6a people for the lunch gathering today.
haha. a small group.
but still good catching up.
18th june will be the bigger scale one. i hope.
haha.
went the hawker centre at adam road to eat.
sarah had a craving for the nasi lemak there.


but i ended up having hokkien mee.
looks good?
i think it's nice too.
haha.
i was the only odd one out that didnt get nasi lemak.
haha.
ok sometimes i can be damn off.
haha.


and of cos such nice dish deserved to be eaten till the plate looks rather clean.
hehe.
and one good thing abt this stall's hokkien mee is dont have sotong!
which i dont eat.
so i can finish everything up nicely.


and got another bday gift from zhixuan.
which was another book.
and coincidentally by the same author as the book i got from my cell.
haha.
wonderful.
hehe.
a really big thank you to zhixuan too!


only realised that there was a card inside when i got back home.
but really thank God i didnt drop it when i took the book out to see.
haha.

after that sarah linda and i decided to take a walk around orchard.
so we went shopping around tangs.
then went far east.

after some time we got rather tired of walking.
and tried to find a place to rest.


and found this really interesting shop.
man jia le.
i wonder how long it has been opened.
it's been some time since i went to far east to walk around.


and they have quite some interesting stuff on their menu.
but the smell of used oil is quite strong there.
haha.
and they have this very cute way of assigning a "number" to your order.
when you place your order at the counter.
you'll be given a mahjong tile.
that'll be reflective of your "number" according to your order.
quite interesting.
but we didnt end up getting a drink from there.
cos there werent enough seats.

so we ended up getting drinks from yakun.
and then linda helped to take a pic of sarah and i.

i've got super bad complexion though.
i hope it doesnt worsen when i'm in london.
i want to try and look pretty in the photos.
haha.
since it's such a rare opportunity to be there.

yeap and i will be off to london tmr night.
and will only be back on the 16th.
dont know how much opportunity i'll have to blog.
but i'm hoping that there'll be enough chances for me to get online and email a few people.

and maybe even meet up with taitik, florrine, michelle and jiaying.
and with lindy who most prob will be bumming around in london some time in between my stay there.
gonna be quite cool.
hehe.

full of anticipation.
the excitement is getting higher.
but i'm so gonna miss out quite some stuff over here in singapore.

still just as much as i anticipate going to london for this break.
i anticipate coming back afresh.
hope i wont balloon with all the eating. i cross my fingers for that.

sweet saturday

the morning tuition was cancelled.
so i had a rather simple morning.
spent it watching yet another filler episode of naruto.
and seriously. the filler doesnt seem to be ending any time soon.
though the latest one seems rather interesting.

lunch was really simple.
but nice.
mum cooked plain rice before she left for work.
so my job was just to heat it up.
and then she also marinated chicken wings.
which i ate 4 of them with my plain rice.
it was nice lor.


after that went for church youth/tertiary service.
then travelled down to suntec with edwin to meet the rest of the uni people for dinner.
we ended up only being able to meet up half an hour after the appointed meeting time.

went walking around and realised that everywhere was super crowded.
finally decided to eat at nydc.
and the person at first told me it would most probably be about a 20-minute long wait.
so i left my name on the waiting list and went walking around.
looking for other possible alternatives.
decided to just wait for nydc.
but we ended up waiting for so long.
managed to only get a place after close to an hour's wait.
so sadded.

but the food was good.

i ordered hawaiian baked pasta!
hehe. my all-time fav.
yummy yummy.

peiyi, yiling and edwin treated me to mud-pie to celebrate my birthday.
they picked grandma goes nuts.
which was rather nice.
a really sweet treat.
but was kind of ex.
like they spent too much like that leh.
and i actually got so excited that i forgot to take a picture of it.
but yeap nydc mud-pies are nice.
;)
they made me very happy happy.

looking forward to trip to london on monday.

zhien's friday

yet another day when i dont really know how to put a title to describe aptly my day.
woke up later than i had to.
and i think it's really time i get some discipline in me.
bleh.
dumb dumb zhien.

went out to meet sis for lunch this afternoon at plaza singapura.
we ended up stuck at starhub for quite some time.
just to get the cable box changed to the digital one.
now it's so cool.
except for the lag and the jumping screen.
haha. the starhub people will have to come down and get them done soon.
or else i'm so gonna scream at them for ruining my tv!


and we went mahattan fish market for lunch.
kind of like fish&co.
it's a fish place.
but i think the food is great.
the prices already beat fish&co hands down.
it's slightly more affordable.
though the serving was smaller compared to fish&co.
fish&co got HUGE pans for their food.
but it was still a filling lunch.


the place has got rather nice ambience.
well decorated.
but honestly not much different from that in fish&co.
but they serve the food rather efficiently which is quite amazing.
given that it was lunch hour.
haha.


and the lunch set that i had this afternoon.
the soup of the day was cream of mushroom.
and i think it tasted good.
i almost licked the bowl clean.
haha.
and i couldnt finish the fish&chips.
but it was really nice.
haha.
yummy.
*two thumbs up*
zhien was so satiated.
btw the fish&chips pic was taken with my sis' phone camera which is of a larger megapixel.
that's why it is clearer. hehe.


went to best denki to get an extra canon battery so that my current one wont make me pull my hair while i'm in london.
but well.
the new extra battery almost made me pull my hair today.
it cost 89 bucks.
wah. heart pain.
i was telling sis how seldom i whip out my money to buy things.
but once i decide to buy sthg i really da chu xie.
burn hole in pocket. :(
sadded.
but well.
at least it's of use.
must take good care of my camera and the batteries liao.

after that walked around for a while.
before taking bus back home.
and sis left for work.


was waiting for the bus at the parkmall bus-stop.
when i saw in the space across.
that they are holding some adidas challenge thing.
guess it's cos of the world cup fever.
but yea. the announcer was calling out group names to get them ready for the match.
heard sthg like maple6. i was like -.-.
soccer freak plus gaming freak.
haha.
but well.
i guess the prizes shld be attractive for such a thing.
haha.
not much of my concern though.
given that i'm so not a soccer fan.
haha.

after that tutored.
and yea. today she cried again.
as usual.
man.
i really wonder how to deal with her at times.
gonna not have lesson tmr since she's gonna have some ballet performance.
and i wont see her for next week since i'm in london enjoying my break.

went out for prayer meeting after that.
man i really have to admit that it is super convenient where i am staying now.
the bus ride only took like 20 mins.
so i ended up being early.
when i thought i had to rush.

tonight got a load off my mind.
and really thank God for that.
:)

so concluded zhien's day.

untitled

cant think of a title for this one.
haha.

not really a lot of things today.
but shall just blog.
before i hit the sack.

today morning was workshop again.
think i'm getting the hang of it.
haha.
which is really confident boosting.

i realised i sometimes really dont know what goes on around me.
be it years back.
i'm not sure what goes on elsewhere outside of my own class.
or shld i say my own circle.
and even now.
so many things i am so ill-informed about.
time to gain some awareness.
then i'll be more sensitive to others.
i guess.
i need to be.

planned to meet sis for dinner after her work.
but the flu got better of me.
and i sounded so bad over the phone.
in the end decided that i shall stay at home.
and maybe meet her for lunch tomorrow instead.

end up having an anime marathon.
was watching bleach 82.
then watched mahouraba on channel 56.
then watched kiba 9.
followed by naruto 186.
comments.
bleach filler. sometimes interesting sometimes not.
this ep was ok. not really super exciting but at least there was some action that made the pace seem faster.
but still. i wish the filler is over soon.
mahouraba is a really cute anime. though i've missed some eps here and there. it's super lame at times. funny anime.
kiba is getting more and more exciting.
cant wait for more action.
naruto. argh. damn hair-pulling.
they give super crap eps as fillers.
it's getting on my nerves.
haha.

and then finally got down to doing the layout.
which is due on saturday.
i hope it's gonna be approved.
i did what i thought was nice.
so i can only hope my boss thinks so too.
haha.

one only really really upsetting thing.
my hard disk is in such a sorry state.


i got it back from the friend i lent it to.
and end up seeing a spoilt casing.
he was saying that the casing was already spoilt when i passed it to him that time.
but i cant really remember. yet i really dont think so.
sigh.
i'm super sadded.
that's why i dont like to lend things to people.
i dont even know if i was the one that spoilt it.
or him. now.
and i just dont like to see my things like that.
maybe i'm just purely obsessed with my things.
but sigh. just dont like it when they get spoilt.
i hate spending the time and money just to get them repaired or whatever.
it's traumatising.
bleh.

a simple wednesday

good thing i managed to wake up early today.
so i reached church office like 5 mins before the time the workshop was to start.
phew.

today's workshop was fun.
really getting down to practicing presentation with one another.
not really very fluent and smooth going about it.
but i feel so much more confident.
and it's definitely great sharing experience as we talk to one another.
really cool.
today's workshop was really a long one.
from 9 am to 4 pm. with one hour's lunch break.
sometimes the weariness sets in.
but most of the time it was really fun.
really thak God.
i guess my tuition student started taking a break at the right time.
so that this week i dont have to give the second half of the workshop a miss.
but the only thing is i'm getting slacker.

came back home since i had the time before cell tonight to catch some rest.
and slept for an hour.
hehe.
i managed to wake up.
cos ying and sis made such great effort to make sure i got out of bed.
haha.

after that went gloria's place for cell.
and i ended up being the earliest despite reaching 5 mins earlier.
the rest were all late.
haha.
today's cell was really really really light-hearted.
shared about wat basically we've been doing recently.
and i realised that i've played so much.
time to get back to work.
time to pack for the trip.
time to get my layout that is due on the 3rd done. crap.
i really hate that.
bleh.
time to really stop eating so much. the gluttony must come to a stop.
haha.

a long day.
but simple.
and zhien is happy that it is.

still. reminder to myself: get to work!

i guess there would be no more playing for the rest of the week.
sadded.
i want to watch xmen 3!