Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Baby
Monday, November 02, 2009
Junk food may lower stress: research
It seems there might be a biological reason why people crave junk food.
New Australian research has found that eating foods high in fat and sugar reduces anxiety levels. But while it might make you feel calmer, that does not mean it is good for you.
Our increasing reliance on junk food is one of the reasons behind Australia's growing waistlines.
But it seems there might be a scientific reason why people turn to high fat and high sugar foods when they are stressed.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales gave young rats who had been taken away from their mothers a diet of either junk food or healthy food.
Professor Margaret Morris from the University of New South Wales says they noticed a difference in the animals' behaviour.
"What we found was that the animals that had the junk diet were much less anxious than those that who ate the junk food, so what we think is that animals are using junk food to relax themselves," she said.
Animals given the low fat diet had double the stress levels of the junk food eaters.
And while it might seem quite a leap from mice to humans, researchers say brain pathways controlling appetite are similar in both species.
"People do use food in this way as a kind of a medication to soothe themselves," Professor Morris said.
Overseas studies have shown that people who like junk food tend to choose sweet foods and chocolate when stressed.
"Individuals who enjoy eating certain types of food will seek out that type of food for comfort eating following an unpleasant or stressful experience, and that's a remarkable finding," Professor Andrew Lawrence from the Howard Florey Institute said.
The findings might also explain why many people fail when they go on diets.
Researchers will now look at whether exercise can be as good as junk food at relieving stress.
stress
happy 23rd
Thursday, August 13, 2009
thoughts
Monday, August 10, 2009
1) we stayed up till 2am for the sports club meeting and had to take a cab home.. so tiring, still got sch on the next day!
2) not forgetting the mad rush everytime before a project dateline... we chiong with our design projects on the day before submission till 3am of a Saturday... hahaha entire weekend totally wasted..
3) rehearsing and fearing for my fyp ppt as the previous ppt din really receive gd comments... was afraid tt the profs would tekan us..
4) the 2 weeks stay-home-and-mug routine that makes me so bored and is so stifling! makes me feel the maximum sian for being a student..
5) there was really little free or leisure time, as most time at home was spent researching/studying/doing quiz/tutorials/printing notes... hahaha.
and there were the really gd, amazing moments that make all the slogging, hard work worthwhile...
1) looking forward to those free days, or the days when the lessons end early (~12pm) so we can go out and have some fun!
2) going for camps, sports club events and doing hall activities are really what makes my sch life so interesting and really spiced up my life... it's always fun!
3) not forgetting the occasional supper outings at sheares, fong seng or bt timah... or even those gatherings to go sentosa or ecp, these outings kept me going!
4) what is better than a nice relaxing loooooong holiday to end a busy semester... with many gatherings and vacations planned, it's hard not to be exhilarated! the holidays is the ONLY reason why being a student is better than a working adult..
5) the perfect way to end the semester is to receive the good grades and then u reflect back to be glad tt u have worked ur butts off for it. sweet rewards only comes with bitter hard work! with less-than-decent grades, ur next sem might be spent worrying and being even more stressed and frustrated!
so, there are the pros and cons for being a student, but always be contented that you CAN be a student! afterall, lets juz be happy with the pros and get on 咬紧牙更 with the cons!
Sunday, August 09, 2009
today is the country's bday! yeah!
so at 8.22pm today, what were you doing? singapore wants us to recite the pledge no matter where we are- at the mrt where they will stall for a few secs, at the shopping malls where they will broadcast it and hope that you stop and recite, or overseas where you will be watching the parade live.
i did not stand up at home of cos, but i received quite alot of sms for the way the pledge are said. take note tt i din invent this up, so dun arrest me for posting this. here's 2 of them:
We, the passengers of MRT
Poise ourselves as 1 united kiasu
Regardless of pregnant women , elderly & little children
To chiong in when the door opens
So as to archieve seats , sleep & rest throughout the journey
this is not sth i m proud abt sg, yet i have witnessed this so many times. this is actually the ugly side of singaporeans. but actually, it's not only us who are so kiasu, i m sure some countries are also that rude... but of cos, its always gd to strive towards a gracious society.
We, the citizen of Singapore
Pledge ourselves to strike on Mon, Wed, Thu, Sat and Sun
Regardless of TOTO, 4D or S'pore sweep
To buy, hope and earn extra money based on Quickpick, System 7-12, and Big sweep tickets
So as to achieve Cash, Car, Condo and Country Club Membership
this is actually the truthful side of sg, where we are a 'fine' and 'gambling' society. it's quite apt, seeing that so many people around us are still hoping that the $2 will bcum $2 mil any time soon.
so you see, it doesnt matter which and what pledge we recite. it is more impt tt we do not forget where we came from, and to reflect on the good things tt our birth country has given us - sense of security, belonging and a family.
happy 44th bday.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Facial
anyway, working life is pretty bored cos 9-5 was spent working. when u go home take dinner its alr around 8pm. so there is only 3hrs more for yourself. 1hr was spent on facebook, email, basically doing nth fruitful. the other 2 hours were spent on tv, games, anime, dvd... so well, it's either going out for a dinner before heading back, or slacking ard at home. with my dire face condition, i gess the latter sounds better for me and for everyone else who will see me.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Commencement 2009
with only half day leave, i could only rush off at 12pm, and i have to meet mingyue to borrow the robe from her before she rush off to work. haha. her commencement ends at ard 12pm! thanks so much to mingyue for charging me at such a discounted rate without needing to wash or iron it.. really cool :)
so i took some pics with the chem engine people who officially graduated 5 hours earlier. here is lee ching, my engine camp fren, engine committee buddy and work & travel pal.after some clicking of the pics when i put on the robe, it was already 130pm. we could be seated by 2pm, and some coursemates were already seen. thus, i din visit kaihui as there was no time! so i hurriedly ate a $3 expensive sandwich before heading inside. while waiting for out turn to receive our scroll...
of cos, worth mentioning is the very nice bouquet of sunflowers from ey! making me the centre of attraction and highly noticeable in pictures! really a pleasant surprise since he said long ago that he wun spend money on flowers.. not forgetting the people who came specially for me.. pei and shuyin! so nice of them to pop by and take pics with me.. ntu people will be graduating later.. at the end of july ha. thanks so much for coming!
Thursday, July 02, 2009
bye bye student life
Pre Year 1
Went to 4 camps- sheares, engine, sports, union camp. many pple called me a camper or a chiongster, whatever u call it. i still insist that camps are a great way to make frens and liven up the school life.
engine camp is the most unforgettable one as i rmb how i almost din want to go for it since mingyue backed out the last min. but the counsellor's pushing made me sign up, jus 2 days after the end of sheares camp. the fun part of the camp was the night at sentosa, the fright night at the haunted houses there. me and zhiwei actually went beyond the area set up by the concillors, to another house! it was quite frightening thinking abt it, cos what if sth scare us that were not the councillors? haha. also met jiemeis zhao hui and yiyang there, where we were really a great team together, grabbing most of the awards. me, i got the best SP award with Daniel, where we did a random dance on stage. after the camp, we went on to do rag dance together, meeting up everyday for 2 weeks to rehearse for the rag dance. during the dance, i got to know 2 councillors really well, angel and sok. we got tgt as we started discussing abt rships. funny huh. the days were really fun and high with jiemeis, angel and sok ard. so glad to know all of them.
sports camp was the most fun and happening camp as everyone there was so sporty and 'on' so there were many tricks and forfeits that were so laughable. think abt the 'girls wash guys' armpits' and the revelation of 'are you a virgin' at pulau ubin were really interesting moments. all the councillors were super 'siao on' really tire us out. of cos, going for so many camps made me very tanned and familiar with the cheers. so i won the best freshie award :)
Year 1
the after effects of engine and sports camp, was that i wanted to run for their clubs. i have already decided to go for sports club, but my jiemeis were running for engine club, so we tried our luck tgt. of cos, we couldnt win those seniors who have more voters than us. i am happy that i only lost out for 1 vote. quite a gd achievement already, i think. so, i entered sports club. these interviews have given me experience on how to answer interviewers and how to present myself. i think these have made me able to perform well during work interviews.
as a deputy publications director, sports club took up the whole academic year, with me preparing for magazines and meetings. i was the bazaar director too. thankfully, my engine mates formed a committee with me, successfully organised the bazaars together. the meeting normally ended at 2am, where we will take cab home. this sports club brought me tgt with a group of sporty people- the circle. we will play bball, eat supper, go ktv, bbq and meet up often. they really made me look forward to every activities, where we toiled and worked for our respective projects such as biathlon, triathlon, adventure race and sports camp. the activities bonded us together, and our fav hobby is to play 'violent heart attack' as it is really violent.
of cos, as a student, i really struggled to cope with my studies, together with the CCA. i din really know how to study but i din do that badly luckily. as a freshie, i am thankful for han xun's help to guide me on using CORS and for his notes.
one of the circle clique brought me into Temasek hall. jiemeis were quite sad that i din join sheares hall.. but sheares hall din have any vacancies while temasek has. so it was fated that we were in diff halls, but we still met up for suppers occasionally. i stayed with hui en at Blk E, and she is the nicest girl and is always so understanding. this begin my hall life as a temasekian..
Year 1 Summer holiday
of cos holidays were also spent toiling for sports club events, with the preparation of sports camp and triathlon were enuf to exhaust us. i went for sea sports camp as a councillor and then to sports camp as a sports club committee. i also joined engine camp with jiemeis as the camp committee. so i am really experienced with camps haha. seasports and sports camp's highlights include us playing Taboo and 'violent heart attack', and with some funny incidents, like ah dong fulfilling his forfeit by hiding in a dustbin, and junhao pouring his lemon tea in a cup used for camps, those cups with holes!!
engine camp also have its exciting moments, where we make up and act as ghosts for fright night for 8hours in the houses near PGP. i am not a sadist who likes to hear them scream, but its fun when us ghosts will make them do unbelievably stupid stuff, like sing a bday song or light the candles or face the wall. i had really amazing time at the camps but alas, not all the people i still keep in constant contact. do know that u guys are really one fun loving bunch.
Year 2
of cos, every year those staying in hall will have to change rooms. i went to Blk B to stay with Terri and signed up to be the orientation camp councillor. terri and my neighbour kaixin were also councillors although we were not in the same groups. but we were really enthu that time, and when we bathed tgt we will keep singing the temasek's song. so funny. one fond memory of temasek hall was that i went for the Initiation. dun be fooled by this innocent word, but it was where all newbies to hall have to go thru the torture. we were blindfolded and have to go thru flour, water, soap adventures but all was done in pure gd fun. as i was a councillor undergoing such torture, my peers made sure i got the MOST fun. haha.
i was new to hall so i tried my hand in everything. going for interblock sports competitions, rag, and of cos inter hall competitions. the best sport of all was soccer, where i got to know this bunch of girls who trained with me and we really trained hard. click on the 'hall' label at the end of the post to know more.
Year 2 Summer holidays
I went for US work and worked at Richmond, Virginia as a lifeguard at Kings Dominion. As most of you would have know, i spoke fondly of this trip, and i would recommend everyone to go for it. you could gain great working experience from this, as you are one of those labourer at their country. you could get great frenships with the americans, and they really accept us as frens and guide us around. you could even forge frenships with the locals who went with u, and i remain in close contact with them. the best benefit of all, is to earn enough money to go backpack around US and eat their local delights. i went new york, niagara falls, washington, san fransisco, LA, LV and grand canyon. these places were really interesting and will be a great eye opener for anyone. for more info, click on the 'tour' label.
Year 3
i din think i wanted to join anymore CCAs as they are quite draining, esp cos my CAP went downhill rapidly. so i focus more on studies and tried to pull my CAP back to where they should have been. i m glad to say that efforts to improve have paid off :)
Year 3 Summer holidays
being year 3 already, i din feel i was up to it to join any more camps. i have already joined 8 of them and that was enough. so i took on an internship with IME, A*. the job was quite relaxing as i had a super nice supervisor who allowed me to stay home or go to work late if i finished my tasks. this stint let me understand the world of researchers, and i was thinking that i can understand Einstein's frustration when he couldnt get the material for filament. researchers work was occasionally repetitive, more academic based, which wasnt suitable for me. those who enjoy doing experiments and reading journals to catch up on latest tech shld prob go for it. gd pay really.
Year 4
being stagnant in the CCA field for a year, my last year was of cos spent on FYP. thankfully, i also got a very nice Prof. of cos la, i chose him de ma. whatever i dunno, i jus have to ask him and he will help me find answers if he dun already know. so nice, like spoon feed me ahhaa. and half the proj was abandoned as we do not have time for research so the scope of the project shrinked, easier for me to do my report.
Graduation
after exams, i went to europe with ey for my grad trip and all this time, i actively seeked for a job as i know tt stagnant too long i will get really bored. luckily for me, i tried my luck on an advert which wanted 1-2 years of experience but they were willing to grant me an interview. and it leads to me getting a job!
as you can see, most of my great memories dun involve studying although that should be my primary concern. i think that those CCAs and activities really made my uni life all the more interesting and lively, giving me greater satisfaction and shaping my personality. my best buddies were also made from outside academia thus, i encourage all juniors to actively try their hands on all the activities, but of cos not forget to put in effort for the exams too.
quoting from my boss: play hard and work hard too.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Work life
yes, my first week and i dun feel like working anymore.
actually u ask me abt studying i also dun wan to. i jus wan to nua hahaha. my first week of working is like climbing up the steep incline of the mountain. the initial stage i have expected to be tough- all the learning, familiarising and adjusting esp to the time, all of these i can try my best to handle. but then my wardrobe, driving skills and lack of funds are the more pressing issues. these make it harder for me to fit into this close knitted company. i guess i jus need abit more time. hope the second week will be lots more better.
hows your first week?
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Fun facts
Paris, France
1) The Eiffel tower is quite ugly during the day cos it is black, but it is really pretty during the night esp when it sparkles at every hour
2) You will hear lots about Napoleon Bonaparte, be sure to know who he is
(If you watched night in the musuem 2, you will know that napoleon is short, thus he adopts a aggressive nature to compensate for the lack of height)
3) Louvre musuem closes on tuesday so if you want to enter, dun go on tuesday!
4) Most french dun really understand English
5) Their metro costs 1.60euro if you buy 10 at one go
Amsterdam, Holland
1) They have a specified bicycle trail where the bicycles have priority over pedestrian. So make sure u look first before crossing!
2) Be sure to visit Red light district, girls dun idle around too long, the 'service people' will shoo you away!
3) Go ahead and try the marijuana since it is legal!
4) Their bus fare costs 1.80euro per trip... really expensive for us
5) Heineken originates here, and if you visit the factory, free flow beer (but of cos need to pay to get in)!
6) Novotel hotel is highly recommended if you wanna stay there
7) Go to volendam to try the fresh fish if you like to view a fishing village..
Germany
1) The toilets there require 0.50euro, but starbucks toilets are free!
2) Must try the blackforest cake!
3) Heidenberg is a really pretty place
Brussels, Belgium
1) 'The little boy who pees' is a famous Brussels landmark, also called Manneken pis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis
2) The chocolate truffles WILL melt so do not buy any of them!
3) Godiva is cheaper there!
Lucerne, Switzerland
1) There are many swiss alps and yes, there is snow every minute even during summer, so prepare your gloves
2) The fast food are realllyyyyy expensive, even ketchup and chilli you need to pay 0.10euro for each packet, so try to visit those supermarkets
3) The chocs are really good, so buy more!
4) Swiss watches are famous and cheap. but their 'cheap' means over 100euro, not as cheap as you think!
5) There is no beggers/poor people in switzerland as every one of them are rich
6) Must try cheap Movenpick ice cream!
Italy
1) Must try gelato!
2) The pigeons are really fat and well fed by locals
3) The branded goods are cheaper here and there is a factory outlet
4) Wine is cheaper than mineral water/coke
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Europe (Part 2)
We were all excited today as all of the meals were provided but none of them was Chinese! Woohoo. Finally a change of taste. Frankly speaking, we were quite sick of the western breakfast served everyday. They normally contained yoghurt, ham, bread, cheese, scrambled eggs, coffee, juice, sausages, cereals.
We went around to take pictures in Blackforest before heading downhill for the best part of our journey- Switzerland! First stop at Switzerland was the big Rhinefall, which is a nice waterfall. It was cool and windy, but I cant help comparing it to Niagara falls where it is so much bigger and prettier.. oops!
Day 8- Lucerne
We both agreed that Astoria Hotel was a 2 star hotel as we had to wait for quite long to get a table for breakfast. Not only that there was no heater, no wireless, the toilet was small, the breakfast was bad, and all of the tour people felt that the corridor was too noisy (since we stayed in the first floor!) So really, Switzerland din really left such a good impression. It was lucky that Engelberg saved the day. Or rather, it was Mt Titlis- the Swiss snow-capped mountain that could go 3020m above sea level.
When we reached the bottom of the mountain, the scenery was really breathtaking with mountains at the backdrop, and the houses lying in the middle of the mountains. To get up to the summit, we had to go through 3 phases. The first was the cable car that could take up to 6 person at a time, similar to the one in Singapore, just that the cable car was more shaky and we were travelling up a steep incline.
The temperature was freaking cold (-1oC) so we were glad that we brought gloves, caps and winter wear along so we could really enjoy the snowy moments, not like the rest of the tour people.
Lunch was also at the mountain top with a refreshing change- Thai chilli sauce and green curry with chicken wings and watermelon for desserts! We were really hungry by then and gobbled up our food silently. And then we went back to the mountain of cos! Not much jus to take some more pictures and took in the last view of the magnificent scenery.
Then it was shopping on our own, getting free gifts from some shops and dinner! Regardless of the poor standards of the hotel, we really like and enjoy Switzerland and will definitely be back someday.
Day 9- Lucerne -> Venice
The day started early for us as we set off at 8pm. Travelling to our last country of our tour- Italy! The food and things were cheaper at Italy, with half the price for the baguettes and drinks. But it was still too expensive when converted to Singapore dollars or even ringgit. The weather was also hotter than elsewhere so we din really have to wear a jacket. We headed to Milan to take care of our own lunch thus we tried Spizzico, a pizza fast food meal. We bought 2 huge quarter pizzas at around 2.80 euros and gobbled our way through. The pizza was really tasty with nicercheese and strong tomato flavor. We had quite a good time trying out the local pizza, which was more thin crusted and with a crispy base.
Really, there wasn’t much at Duomo square as there were only branded shops around which we cant really afford and dun really need them too.
We were quite bored when it comes to shopping since we dun buy LV or gucci. After lunch, we headed towards Venice and checked into our Albatros Hotel. We thought the Astoria hotel was bad enough but Albatros really was of the lowest standard, with even poor quality beds and super small toilets. Oh well, this ends our day, hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Day 10- Venice -> Tuscany Region (Florence)
Venice used to be a shipping port and thus, we took the ferry to get there. The weather was a bit hotter in Italy too, getting closer to what we were used to. But the day was bright and cheery and really suitable for the ferry ride. Upon reaching Venice, we liked what we saw immediately. The stunning St Mark’s Basilica was bright and glaring against the rows of venetian houses.
杀人放火 and the price is exorbitant due to the expenses for the classical music outdoor performances.
Everyone skipped the gondola ride as the river looked dirty and had a smell. But the gondola people wore a characteristic striped t-shirts that looked like convicts ha. We wanted to take a look inside the basilica but carrying a backpack wasnt allowed inside so we went to chat with the 72years old uncle.
There was also alot of starters, with plain bread, bread with meat, salad, paella rice and pasta. Our tour group also make alot of noises as they were 'high' as they had drank quite abit. There we took a group photograph! The expectation of the florentine steak built up with our long wait and when it finally did arrived, it din disappoint us at all. I really liked the steak and couldn't stop praising it. Everyone was daring everyone else to bottoms up, making all of us very high and red. It was really funny that all the aunties were so high and laughing all their way on the bus until we reach our hotel, West Florence hotel. With all the laughter settled down, we ended our happy and exhausted day. Looking forward to Rome!
Day 11- Tuscany Region (Pisa) -> Rome
Everyone had lots to drink the previous night so it was with some reluctance to wake up in the morning. But, the one night stay at west florence hotel wasn't that good and off we packed up and headed for Pisa first. We had to walk quite a distance before we reach Pisa. There were plenty of souvenior shops by the streets and in Pisa and we were kind of inundated by them. Pisa was surrounded by a wall and inside it, we could find the famous leaning tower of Pisa. (which is one of the seven wonders of the medival world, there are different seven wonders of the world i realised, like seven natural wonders, the new seven wonders of the world)
What surprised us was that the tower wasn't the only building in the large square, there is a domo and baptistery in the Square of Mireacles. We took photographs of the tower and marvelled at how it is slanted. After being amazed by the leaning tower, we proceed on to the city centre of west florence.
Arriving in west florence, the first thing to do is to satisfy our stomachs for a lunch break. Tevin brought us to a self service ristorante where we bought a lagsana. it was totally different from its counterpart in Singapore, where it was more chessy and the flour wasnt that special. Again, it was worth our investment as we had experienced something different.
We went to meet our city guide after lunch and she introduced as the churches, monuments and various statues in west florence. The san maria church (full name Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) was truly magificent in its own style (huge, classical, gothic and full of historical values) with works by Michelangelo who was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer, wow!
Our afternoon in west florence was spent mostly walking around, seeing the greek inspired works and ending after a toilet break at a local leather shop. Then, we proceed on to Rome and rested at Eur Suite.
Day 12- Free and easy at Rome
The free and easy day at Rome was not free and easy at all as we did not have much free time to explore the transport on our own, and was rather a packed day. In the morning, we headed straight to The Colosseum to imagine the brave gladiators fighting the beasts (斗兽), and tried to absorb the history when the local guide brought us around. The colosseum was now a ruin, not as magnificent as ever with age, but seeing the stadium made me brave haha.
Day13- Rome -> Singapore
With dreary feelings and lots of heaviness and weariness in our hearts, we left Rome and headed back to Singapore.
Europe (Part 1)
Day 2- Paris
Half a day on SQ334 made us tired and grumpy. We were anxious to land and start our sightseeing, yet we were very tired due to the difficulty in falling asleep. But we finally made it to Paris. We landed at 715am but the queue was long, so we were only through at around 9am. The bus took us for a brief city tour where we took pictures for some famous landmarks, namely Eiffel tower, Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe.
Day 3- Free and easy at Paris
It was a free day for all of us where no coach was provided and we had to travel around on the Metro and experience what it feels like to backpack. This was a pleasant surprise for us since we also wanna walk more and explore ourselves. Our first stop was was at Montmatre, where we went to the gigantic and gorgeous church.
Besides this, we manage to catch the Eiffel lighting up at 930pm (daylight saving). We actually left at around 955pm and din know about the “sparkling” of the Eiffel at every hour. Luckily for us, we went to the opposite bank to take a nicer picture, and caught the lighting up, which took our breath away and made our trip all the more worthwhile. So cool lor can see Eiffel in all its glamour.
Day 4 – Paris -> Brussels -> Amsterdam
Waking up at 7am was the hardest thing to do since we only slept at 12mn the previous day. The day was just spent travelling in the coach so we watched movies along the way. Anyway, we were laughing at our tour guide Tevin’s English as it was really hilarious. Not insulting him since he helped us a lot when we went around ourselves yesterday. Some memorable lines
“France is like a hexagon, which is a 6shape”
“Lunch is the Chinese dinner” (???!!)
“France is near the athletic ocean.”
“Holland has giant fans which can generate electricity.”
We went for Chinese (yawns!) lunch and dinner and shared ice cream with the tour people. So cold still eat ice cream, but the cornetto was fresh and crisp, totally worth the SGD50cents. Then, we went around Brussels, Belgium eating free truffles and godiva chocolates and watching the little guy pee (what is the fuss about? but anyway no pics as we forgot to take our camera down, and we havent take pics from our tour group) Haha. Stopping here and there for toilet breaks. After which, hotel check in at Novotel was done. Novotel looked old and totally not pretty but their interior was classy, the amenities were good, with water heater and internet at the lobby, something not expected for hotels in Europe. even though their room was smaller than at Mercure, their amenities were the best out of all the hotels we stayed in europe. so Novotel is highly recommended!
Day 5- Amsterdam
Today we set off at 830, first stop being the keukenhof, where the beautiful tulips are. It was like a botanic garden, rather than a field of tulips which everyone imagined Holland tulips to be. We weren’t disappointed though, and continued our way looking at all the beautiful flowers around the garden. The garden was top notch compared to the one in Singapore as there are ponds, fountains, archways, swans and ducklings. As it was not the perfect season to watch tulips, many of them weren’t in full bloom and we could only imagine all of them blossoming at the same time. it wasnt that bad as you can see from the pics.
We alighted at Dam square and we took pictures of the national monument and some buildings.
Dinner was again Chinese and the food was really quite bad. regardless of the dinner, we were all excited as Tevin led us to the well known red light district in Amsterdam. Strangely, he seemed to be more enthusiastic than the rest of us, going closer to view the girls than was necessary haha. It was really a window shopping session since all the girls wore their bikinis and stood behind a window to wait for customers. Then the man who wants the girl will just open the doors and go inside and have their business done behind the curtains (efficient?). There were also shops that sell marijuana and alcohol, which was legal there. (no pics sorry!)
It was really a district of sinful enjoyment and really an eye opener for us. Disappointingly, the girls weren’t that pretty (some needs a vigorous diet) and they weren’t showing any real stuff, haha. We took the electric bus back to hotel, freeee since we didn’t pay for it, snaked through with our group of 7. With that, we turned in after we settled our stuff with the free internet.
Day 6- Amsterdam -> Koln -> Heisenberg
Today was a tiring day and the bus took us to germany, on the way to Switzerland. So excited but also abit drained since we always slp very late. Anyway, our first stop was at Koln, visiting the Dom chapel.
There was a bread shop that sells 2 berliner for 1 euro.. quite cheap! But we opted for a more special waffle wrapped with apple strudel sauce, which was too sweet and sour. 1.75euro was the price we were willing to pay for an exotic looking bread that din taste tt well.
Friday, May 08, 2009
i have graduated!
party like there is no tomorrow cos it's the time when i know that i need not have another academic year to worry about, no final year project resting at the back of my head. and really, jus the time to rest and ponder about my life, my future, and what i wan to do about it.
but really, not much to think about.
to freak out on my job hunt, or worry abt causing the 0.1% increase in unemployment, is to create undue stress upon myself. the world outside is the employer's market so i have not much say on my ideal job or my expected remuneration. what i can do is jus to wait for the royal arrival of their HR's reply and their interviews.
waiting is a waste of time.
so enjoying myself, fulfilling my psychological demands which were long deprived due to school work is my top priority. worrying would not speed up things, only increase the number of white hairs on my head. haha. jus trying my best to apply for the jobs, and the rest is up to them. but why not take this time to rest and have a great time? before we all step into the 50 years of working life, hectic schedule, stressful corporate relations and get blown away.
congratulations to all those successfully employed. u are on your way towards the 50 years. congrats to all unemployed. u are on your way towards psychological fulfillment.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
dun worry, all was well for me. i think. one prof was quite funny, he immediately said it was good right after my presentation. but then of cos came the bombardment from the other 2 profs, where of cos there were some questions i couldnt answer. but alas, everything has ended. it's the best time being a final year student.
cant believe i am about to graduate soon.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Primary school gathering
it was quite awkward at first as i dun seem to have any common topics to talk to them. slowly, we start to update on our current situation, lament on the work/study life, and reminisce in the past primary school times where who has a crush on who, who sits beside who, and some other gossips.
actually, all of us have changed, one way or another, though not so much physically. some became really good looking, having great fashion sense and nice make up. some became so talkative i really wonder what the 10 years have done to them. some was so different (wild) that i think i dun really understand them in the past. even me, i became more tanned, less shy and more at ease with conversations that were about me.
but the feeling of getting together with the old frens was there. the frens who live all around you, beside and opposite you, the houses which i used to frequent. it was all such a nice feeling, i cant really explain. yet, i am glad that this reunion took place, as i find myself being surrounded with nice people, and another bunch of people to hang out with. the common childhood history that will always bind us together, nonetheless i dun think many people have any gathering with their pri sch frens. cos none made any effort to organise.
it's alright, perhaps some gatherings will happen in the next 10 years. do your effort to keep in contact, otherwise you find yourself being so caught up with stuff that will just take all the years away.
Thursday, April 09, 2009
geylang serai
i saw my life sci prof on tv! he was being interviewed in the channel 8 news about the bacteria. jus nice he is the only life sci prof i know since i only take 1 life sci mod. haha. his chinese is really good, my mum even though he is from taiwan. but then i rmb that he told us about his ns life, so shld be singaporean lor. he looked totally younger la, my mum say the make up artist of cos will brush him up. cool to see someone i know on tv.
anyway i m digressing. my prof said that the 41 rats found at the accident scene were not the culprits as the other stalls are not affected by food poisoning, so most likely is the rojak itself. 137 seek medical help. i think this prob quite serious. 2 died 1 miscarriage. sigh. really ah, the bacteria is not that harmful, jus that those who have weak immune system will suffer greater consequences, where the bacteria may infect the other weak organs.
hope that no more innocent people suffer from this. stay healthy. thats my message.
Monday, March 30, 2009
money
Somewhere closer to us, charities' top management get salary more than 10 times than their working employee. are you donating to help the poor or to help pay for the caviar of the big fat greasy old men who run these organisations? i might be wrong, maybe they work so much harder that they deserve their fat pay checks.
but i am just not sure i will be donating to anyone anymore. not after the nkf and rev ming yi's corruption were exposed. i dun trust my money being given to the correct, empty pockets. why would i donate to widen the rich poor gap? isnt it like a particular country which received help and financial aid, yet the officials were enjoying the free food and money while the rest were left starving and dying?
money. it can make you do things that you cant imagine. are you donating correctly?
Earth Hour
i m digressing. i mean yes, pple are taking more action for environment and more publicity is gained from this. but what i wan to say is, those who waste electricity will continue to use their computer and turn on their taps. and those who will shut it off, are the pple who have done so everyday. hopefully, more will do their part to protect the environment n protect the polar bears. to answer your burning question, no i did not take part by drowning myself in darkness. but yes i kept everything unwanted off! i din say i was an environmentalist, i am just a normal teenager. as my mum said, the most impt thing is to stay safe and not shut all the lights off :)
back to the topic, the good thing is that the buildings which burns bright every night get an hour of rest. so there are some good things done. there are some nice pics from the earth hour. goggle it for more pics!
somewhere close to us, KL twin tower. those sparkling bright lights makes the whole KL gloomy.
somewhere far in london, where pple cant see the time anymore.
somewhere deserted in cairo, where it looks more like a graveyard. they shld juz keep the lights off.