Marcus' Back-to-School Journal

2010-07-20T14:14:00.001+02:00

Uppsala

Spending summer here in Uppsala proves to be more rewarding that I anticipated. I was kicking myself earlier for agreeing to do a summer internship instead of a fall one because that pretty much means im stuck here for the whole duration of the season and not be able to travel like everyone else is doing.

But guess what, it's a harsh summer this year and the thermometer is showing high 20's and low 30's. Not a good time to sweat yourself globe trotting if you asked me, I'd spend my time chilling here in this brilliant weather anytime and hangout with them who are also around.

We've celebrated Midsummer during the longest day of the year and now just try to avoid reminding ourselves that shorter days are ahead of us. So what have I been doing all this time? Well, I TRY to do some research for my thesis when I get up from bed every day, and if the sky is blue (which has been for the last month or so), we'll often just hop to the lake for a bath, followed by grills and drinking till late.

People will gradually start coming back when August arrives, and I look forward to seeing some new faces when the new intake comes in. I will be doing my job as International Secretary and will be baby seating some newbies until they are settled down.

There will be a change of scenery come September when the leaves start falling and we will be done picking blueberries and apples and pears by that time. If I have it my way, I will be doing a little bit of traveling to Spain to see some friends and perhaps postpone my study for a month or so.

Time flies when you are having fun, and soon my study will be over, but guess what, im beginning to plan for a one year trip to ozzy when im through Europe. Life is just too short to be caught in a ratrace if you know what I mean. And yes that is meant for ALL OF YOU who's reading. Talk bout rubbing it in.

:p

the swedes love dressing up

celebrating Sweden Day

Buck's Fizz as pre-drink

Our favorite place: Sushi Buffet

Grill@Phil's

Korean dinner@Kitty's

drinks@Snerikes

Picnic@CityPark

Camilla

Snapps for Midsummer

setting up Maypole for Midsummer

Grill@Christian's

Sandstrom, Christian and Will

Coaster ride@GronaLund

Sandstrom and Jenni (Stockholm)

another Grill@Chris'

Daniel and his dogs

2010-05-31T10:21:00.002+02:00

The farewell Gasque was a real success, with the weather shining brilliantly despite a bleak forcast. Turned out that the rain came a day late, and we all did appreciate the blessing. Everyone was happy and expressed much gratitude for us to organize the dinner party, and it lasted pretty much the whole night at my home student nation, whereby four different bars were in operation and we had four bands playing.

Chris was a great toast master, he entertained the guests throughout the night with his quirky jokes and boyish charm and people were pleased. I especially liked the part where he summed up the whole academic year with a mention of series of events that had taken place, and threw in a few anecdotes here and there for the laughter effect. SooJeong made a great video of us asking what we live for in life, and it was all very meaningful.

My two German couchsurfers were with us that night, joining us for the afterparty. I was kept busy bringing them around introducing them while trying to also socialize at the same time. It was all good and they found the student life in Uppsala amusing.

Brought them to play soccer with some classmates yesterday and we had a bbq at Lise's later on. We also managed to catch the cultural carnival that was happening at the city park and saw some very good performances from talented musicians.

Will have my final presentation tomorrow for my paper and then we're done for the year. Should start my summer internship pretty much right after and it does not involve too much workload, I will be a researcher, so that means I can still do a little bit of traveling from time to time, i manage my own time!

Summer is looking up to be really good, everyone will be going away but there are still a few of us that will stay back in Uppsala and will continue to hangout as per usual. Won't be seeing some of the other classmates for a long long time but we'll find each other at some other part of the world, at some point.

Until then...

Javi

Sandstrom and Corina

Jenni Nylander

Appetizer is served

The Organizing Committee with Chris as the toastmaster

The award winners

After Party

Official Class photo (not everyone is in it)

2010-05-20T15:06:00.001+02:00

Uppsala

Wow, it sure has been a long while since I last posted. Was I busy? Well not so much, just generally spending way too much time watching online TV, and as you have already guessed, Summer is here! So lotsa outdoor activities and drinking-in-the-park.

Year one is rapidly coming to an end, and the lunch committees (including me) are, as the name implies, spending time planning for class activities over lunch. We have so far organized everything from baseball tourney to poker nights, movie nights, pub crawl and such. And the most anticipated event of the year is none other than the farewell gasque which will take place next friday, it's gonna be spectacular to say the least!

And because I'm so good with the international students, I've been elected to be the International Secretary of Uplands Nation! I look forward to the new term this fall, and will have lotsa new students under my wing. I love doing that, getting to know new people and help them find their bearing in town. My swedish is getting better too (I hope), will be taking the exam next month and hopefully get certified.

Summer will be awesome in Sweden. I haven't made any travel plans yet simply because I'm doing the summer internship stint here in Uppsala. I have however been invited to at least two mid summer parties in the swedish countryside. It'd be nice to get out in the woods and do some horseback riding!

simply lovely...

Sunday brunch at Luna's

Traveling on ferry over melting ice in Stockholm

Jenny and Cecilia

Lunch time at the campus

Poker night in session

Fika@Uplands

Fika@Sana's

Mich and Me

Blizzard on the first day of spring

Uppsala twilight

egg painting on Easter

Camila on Shisha night

Sunday brunch at Flogsta

Branboll tourney

Boat race on Valborg

hanging out with classmates

Massive festival of Valborg

BBQ in session

Bon Fire at night

2010-03-02T02:18:00.004+01:00

Here's some updates:

The boat trip was a real success, everybody let themselves go and partied immensely as planned. It was real quality time that we spent together, a total of 40 hours, including the six hours sojourn in Riga where we did the obligatory city tour under thick snow and ongoing blizzard. All in all, no complaints! except perhaps there was slightly too much alcohol consumption, but hey, it was duty free, so that has to be done!

Coming back to Uppsala we laid low for a while, attending schools and get the group project going. My team will be conducting research on Vancouver City and its sustainability pledges, and how the Olympic Games have failed in several occasions to honour that pledge, truth is the games aren't as green as claimed in the media.

Nevertheless I have been keeping myself busy with some of the winter games and last night we saw the final event of Ice Hockey whereby Canada beat USA 3-2, way to go Canada!

Luna also invited everybody to her beautiful home for Fika on Saturday, it was a really nice gesture on her part, as our time together as a class is numbered and come Summer it's everyone on their own. It is a saddening thought but life moves on, we will be doing our own thing and realize our own plans, and it's hardly the end.

Luna cooked us some scrumptious taiwanese food, among them the fish and vegetable soup, which is totally good for this weather, and everyone brought sweets and puddings so it was a real Fika!

The last couple of days have seen the weather gone for the worst, snow storm aplenty and some of our scheduled excursions are canceled. Temperature increases slightly when the sky is overcast and drops drastically when the sky is clear and blue, and the cold gets into your skin and bites mercilessly. That happened last weekend when we were stranded in Stockholm for a good four hours because the train wont go on icy tracks, for obvious reason.

I would like to go away somewhere for Easter but the prospect of only traveling for a week doesn't appeal to me at all, I normally go for a one month travel at least if I'm backpacking, but we'll see if I could hook myself up with cheap flights.

As you know there weren't much celebration for the Chinese New Year, we celebrated on the first day and that's it, even then it wasn't real traditional kind. I contributed by wrapping dumplings and I cooked the chow mein which got back positive reviews. I didn't hangout with the chinese as these days I spent more time at the nation and it's only popular with the swedes.

next item on the calendar: St.Patrick's!

My Couchsurfer from Austria

Cooking for CNY

Wrapping dumplings

My Chow Mein

Excursion for nature appreciation

glorious view

I joined the kids for some sledging

Beautiful day

Christian making a snow angel

Happy

Eco-Village

The Professor's home

Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future | Video on TED.com

2010-02-12T12:21:00.001+01:00

Definitely check this out and have a better idea of what im doing and studying...

M.

Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future | Video on TED.com

2010-02-07T21:42:00.003+01:00

exciting times indeed, well at least we're not in hibernation anymore, the bear has come out to play! Had kindava low key bday celebration with the folks, it started before I got to the lecture hall in the morning and someone wrote my name over the white board for all to see, and before I knew it, everyone was giving me bday hugs and kisses and cakes and songs, and it happened on the very same day we were to give our presentations on our project! Helluva way to take off that stage fright, I'll tell you that, not that I have problem with public speaking.

In the evening, just right after swedish class, I headed over to Maya's place where we were supposed to have a fika. We got in the building and everything was dim and quiet, and I was like: where's everybody? And then this twinkly sizzly light came on, the kinda fireworks kids love to play in the new year and doesnt produce a whole lot of smoke, and then the cake came out, candles and all, it was all just so sweet!

So we ate, we talked, we made plans, you know, just another ordinary night in this cold bitter winter. I felt myself at peace and reflective at the same time, happy that it doesnt take a whole lot to make me happy, and just be contented with the moment, happy that life aint stressful at the moment, happy for a bunch of good loving friends. Life is simplicity...

Last week was a whole week of pub crawl because Lisette has her bday, and they even made a nations-crawl monopoly drinking board game, minus the monopoly part and throw in the drinks and weird awkward questions when you hit 'chance'. It was all good fun, no one was particularly bothered with the project work we are to submit this week.

And in less than two weeks, we will board the Cruise from Stockholm to Riga and back for the weekend, the boat ride will take some 40 hours to-and-fro, imagine the amount of time on international sea! That's when duty-free kicks in, the purpose is not to see Riga, but to drink loads en route! Well I've been to Riga so I've done the whole Latvian thing, I gave in to peer pressure and canceled my skiing trip that weekend just to hangout with my fellow classmates! Over half of us have signed up (that's 40 pax to you), add another 100+ from facebook invitation to other students from the University, It's gonna be wild!

Truth is, this is gonna be one of the last group activity for us sustainable students as a class, and I would hate to give up the chance to mingle with these close friends that ive known for half a year. Everyone will go on to do different things in summer and come fall we will be doing different courses and such. And also, it costs us RM30 to do the round trip, with cabins and all, don't you just love the low season? Not very sustainable I'll admit, but hey, the ship is leaving WITH or WITHOUT us, so why not with us?

Will also be celebrating CNY with Elizabeth and all, she's from SanFran so she should know a thing or two about wrapping dumplings, i cant say the same!

Here's to the year of the TIGER!

My homemade bday cake with Marzipan frosting

Sledging Sunday

Niall having a go

pub crawl in session

Almost a third of the class came

Janbert, Yiran, and Christian

Our homemade board game

Fika in session

Javi having a go at leaving bday gal a wish

2010-01-16T22:21:00.003+01:00

Uppsala

Well so im back to Uppsala! it's been an enjoyable holiday that lasted 25 days, was it long enough? well one could never have enough holidays right? Anyhow, it's back to the freezing town and studies commence almost immediately, it's more of an end actually, we had a paper on friday and that concluded my course of Systems Analysis.

Spring term starts on Monday, it's funny how they call it Spring term, since it's hardly spring and the weather definitely doesnt reflect it! Well i guess it's kinda depressing to call it the Winter term as that would be rubbing salt on wounds isnt it; it's bad enough that we have to work hard, and to work in winter at that!

To cheer things up a little, fellow classmates have been organizing parties and get together so that we can all hug and pat each other in the back, the holidays is over! Someone's mentioning something bout a skiing trip over the weekend and yet some others venture as far as organizing a trans-siberian trip! I'm all for traveling so im just gonna tag along and not have to worry bout logistics and stuff.

And the best thing that happened since the year started is I've finally got back my internet connection! I installed Ubuntu as my new OS alongside Windows and now it's working like magic, here's to open-source OS!

It doesnt work well with my usual streaming application but that's fine, i can manage without the distraction of watching online TV, as it is, im already spending way too much time online!

Winter landscape is absolutely stunning, minus the cold of course. We still have short day time but that will change in the course of weeks. It's also time for me to look for a placement for internship, and im still up in the air as to where i would go. I guess i will cross that bridge when i get there.

Until then, Happy year 2010 everybody!

Black Forest cake

Bak Kuk Teh

Pork and Egg

Winter playground

Frozen lake

Ice Hockey in progress

Jenny and I at the Uni

Sandra with her thai fried rice

Christian and Solene

Jub, SooJeong and Shihomi

Friedel and Alin

look at the thickness of the snow

walking on frozen lake

2010-01-04T11:13:00.004+01:00

2009-12-21T10:06:00.002+01:00

Black Forest, Germany

The holidays has begun and it´s been doing me lotsa good so far. I needed it as life in Uppsala is starting to feel like cabin-fever syndrome with the temperature plummeted down to -18 degrees and freak snowstorm runs wild.

The black forest is snowcapped too, but not the few feet thickness as in sweden, the one here is powdery and soft, nice to walk on, but perhaps not to build snowballs! Ive been fed well with homecooked german food and yesterday we had the german-french Raclett which was my first. It´s pretty much potato and cheese and with the toppings of your choice, and then u grill it over this special device for a few minutes and it´s ready for consumption. Absolutely ingenious, as preparation is easy and no heavy duty cooking is required.

This wine region is famous for their wine too, and the best part is, it doesnt cost u a bomb! think €2 for a bottle of good wine, and im already planning to smuggle a few bottles back to Uppsala!

will be spending Christmas with Dominik and his family and New Year with Kew and Ejia. Then it´s off to Berlin to look up Jian and for my flight back to Sweden. I dont particularly look forward to the flying back part as few written tests are awaiting. But you gotta enjoy the moment!

i bought a new camera and should get the pictures running in no time. It is nothing fancy and i fought not to go with my favorite Sony brand but opted for another touch screen from Nikon. Sleek and futuristic is the word.

They say the temperature should drop this week and the snow will melt, but White Christmas really doesnt matter to me anymore, i will be seeing lotsa snow in the next two months! more than i could bargain for even.

so here´s to more drinking and be merry for the next two weeks!

2009-11-24T14:38:00.002+01:00

updating my blog once a month doesnt seem like a lot of effort, does it? well i really should write more bout my life here in Sweden, truth is, there aint much that is happening these days except assignments and group works and exams and the weekly parties.

It gets dark at 3pm so u can imagine we dont really hang around outdoor anymore, it's always in the cozy nation bar or someone's room. Halloween party that took place last monthend was a blast, the only tragedy that happened is i got my camera stolen!

i cant care less bout the camera, it is easily replaceable, but the pictures are not! and ive taken lots of it in the past month too! i guess that's just how life is, that's how it rolls! and if u think about it, it aint the worst thing that could happen, it's only a camera!

lotsa unnecessary expenditure this month, like when i had to pay 180sek just to fix a flat tyre, it aint cool! can u imagine earning 120sek (rm60) per hour working as a bicycle repairman? blue collar jobs are highly paid in this country!

on a brighter note, niva is coming all the way from KL to visit me this week and will spend two weeks with me! the papers are also coming to an end and the holidays shall begin real soon, and then it's off to germany for a whole month!

i love sweden but it's good to get outta here for a while...

2009-10-15T22:05:00.003+02:00

busy busy busy indeed! My computer has been throwing tantrum and doesnt connect me to the internet, and im starting to think that's a blessing in disguise, at least i can study more in my room!

this week sees the beginning of a cold spell and it snowed briefly yesterday, cycling is no longer recreational and all activities are indoor-bound now. We finished our first course and i think i did pretty well in the exam on tuesday (we'll see), and all papers are highly praised (maybe this is just the swedish way).

new course started right after without so much of a break, but that didnt stop us from getting a few much deserved beer after such hard work!We are studying in a different University now, in the countryside of Uppsala, brilliant bike trail through the woods and especially now when the leaves are falling and the colors stunning.

i feel stronger and healthier now because of so much biking and fresh air, and it's free fitness too! so what's happening next? oh ive got the tickets to Germany for three weeks over Christmas, it'll be great to get out of the cold for a while tho i doubt it'll be less chilly. But Christmas in Germany is always good fun, afterall didnt they introduce the Christmas Tree? or did the brits? well who cares!

2009-09-27T10:46:00.003+02:00

School's started and there are lotsa readings to be done, no more spoonfeeding of the yesteryears, you're pretty much on your own now. Projects and assignments are coming at us at full throttle, and there are weekly papers to be submitted. That however doesnt mean an end to the endless parties, and that's why im loving my classmates so much!

All work and no play doesnt work with the europeans...

Another good thing about this programme is the field trips, we've been to the woods and water treatment plants to look at how various operations are being handled, first hand glimpse at the potential environmental careers.

and then we have the major cooking sessions, often whipping up gourmet meals from our tiny kitchen, as we have Lise our Martha Stewart in our midst. Yesterday we had a mexican affair, having fajitas and nachos with guacamole and tequila, good times!

I dont think Malaysian affair is coming very soon as im completely clueless when it comes to cooking.

It's getting real cold coming into Fall, the leaves are turning red and yellow and everyone's feeling mellow. I should get prepared for the darkness too, but i dont think it will be much worse than London.

We'll see what happens...

Lasagne!

2009-08-22T21:28:00.003+02:00

Things have been quite wild lately, Orientation week started and i made a bunch of close friends on my first day, gosh im loving all my new classmates already! Kehoe, Lise, Norran and I bonded almost immediately and we have been inseparable ever since, hanging out from morning till night, cooking and drinking together, it's been great fun!

the rest of the class seem like a cool bunch too, ive got my eyes set on a few that i know will definitely strike the same chord as me.

Summer is coming to an end and we have been busy soaking up the last of sunshine like a sponge, trying to get as tanned as possible for winter. Ive found myself a room in town and will move in come 1st of September, it's 1.5km to the campus and ive got myself a bike too!

will sign up for a swedish course when i can and hopefully i will be fluent in a new language when im done here. Here's to more cheerful days to come!

2009-08-13T15:03:00.002+02:00

Uppsala, Sweden

So i got on the train and traveled along the Oresund Bridge connecting Copenhagen to Malmo. Things were pretty happening in Malmo, the sun's up high and everyone was in the mood for parties and sunbathing. August and i joined the festival in support of the Gaza plight and there were awesome musicians performing various gigs which lasted for hours!

we baked some bread (people do that alot in europe) with olives and sundried tomatoes and had some vegan food for dinner. I seem to be hanging out with lotsa vegans these days and havent eaten meat in days! No not even dairy products! And studying a course of Sustainable Development doesnt help, because people who do this program are very Environmental conscious, well one has to practise what one preaches right? And eating meat isnt very sustainable! We all know how much CO2 is released in farming. We'll talk more of that when i know more...

At night Janus suggested we should head to the ocean for a quick dip, and i was like: isnt it freazing in the water? and he went: well that's the whole point! apparently it helps him sleep better. So we got on the bike and rode to the coast, stripped and jumped into the dark water from the platform. The water was deep and icy cold and you have to get up quickly lest you develop hypothermia. We did few more jumps and it got better with each dip, you dont really feel the cold as much when your body temperature adjusts accordingly.

From Malmo i got a ride from three swedish girls headed to Goteborg to attend Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour. It was a lucky day for me as i waited no more than 10 minutes, whereas the couple who were hitchhiking ahead of me had been there for more than an hour! The girls were awesome, we stopped midway for some fresh air and sunshine and food. And quite obviously money comes easy for them too, a ticket for the concert cost them €100 and they just attended AC/DC the month before where a ticket fetched around €130.

I stayed with Nick for two nights in Goteborg in which time the weather changed for the worse. I followed him on the job the next day where i experienced 'a day of trucker's life', from goods collection at the warehouse to deliveries all about town. He cooked an awesome pasta meal and also a big fan of Japanese food, that's why we went to the same jap restaurant two days in a row for lunch.

and then things didnt turn out so well but more of a series of unfortunate events. I was supposed to be headed for Mariestad where a friend was expecting me. Turned out i got on some wrong rides, headed for the wrong direction in the wrong motorway than ive intended. Well to sum it up, i got to Stockholm some 500km from Goteborg and spent the night there.

And then yesterday i took a train from Stockholm to my final destination here in Uppsala where my University is, a mere 60km away. I take it as a blessing in disguise that i get here one week in advance, even though i missed out visiting my friends in Mariestad, Orebro and Vasteras. I can always visit them some other time but my early arrival here means that i can sort out my housing in Uppsala quicker before the term commences.

Thing is, finding housing here is a tricky business. Hopefully i can find a place of my own before long and get settled down comfortably, afterall this is where i call home for the next 2 years at least. And thank goodness for having friends here too, which means i dont have to spend a fortune on hostels like some other international students do, and some for weeks! oh how could i live without them?

Visa större karta

2009-08-03T23:40:00.003+02:00

Copenhagen, Denmark

So i left London in a haste and didnt have time to meet up with everybody, but that's ok, it's only a stone's throw away from the Scandinavia and a return ticket cost you next to nothing.

Got in to Aarhus before noon and quickly realised how expensive it is to live in Denmark, in recent years it has become one of the most expensive countries in Europe, on par with the UK and Russia.

I jumped on the bus headed to the city to meet with Joe and Louisa, and their new born cute as a pie baby Marius. When i got there, they have already prepared a nice little room up in the attic for me, with a million dollar view and an en suite bathroom. What more can u ask for?

for the next couple of days we were just cycling around town doing what a dane does best, having danish pastry in the park, went to the woods and the beach, having dinner parties, and getting to know people.

I then moved on to Odense, a city where Hans Christian Andersen was born. Deniz and Lars hosted me, and we also have visitors Emilia and Andrew from France and Canada respectively. They say the more the merrier, we cooked, we dined, we drank, we had long walks in the countriside and we slept in. Isnt summer just great?

Today i hitched two rides to Copenhagen and im staying with Jan. He's a vegan so we had lotsa vegetables and tofu, and we talked about sustainability, a subject in which he's really passionate about. It suits me since i'll soon be taking up that discipline but i doubt i'll be able to live without heating and to reuse my shower water. Again, thank God it's Summer!

Will be getting to Sweden this weekend.

2009-07-25T19:04:00.002+02:00

Golders Green, London

We know how time flies but surely im not back in London already? It's sad but true, my seven-week recuperation period back home is up and it's time to move on again. Except i dont think im ready for what's ahead of me.

I tire easily these days and havent exactly been in the pink of health, was having a tough time with my nose during my 13-hour flight here and i think i must have caught a bug or something, not the swine variety i dont think.

I suppose i wont be doing much for my one week here in the city other than catching up with a few close friends and enjoy the last of summer. As much as i loath the heat back home i cant help wishing the sun would linger just a bit longer here.

you want what you cant get.

And isnt that true, im starting to miss the local food back home already, the food that i have taken granted of and wasnt the least excited about when it was offered before me.

I take comfort in knowing that the minute ive had enough of this oversea experience, i can just purchase the next ticket outta here and be back home in the same day, talk about the convenience of traveling these days.

but as for now, i can still handle the uncertainties that i see before me, i live for that! i just hope i can settle down sooner rather than later before it wears me out.

i'm a survivor and i know it.

And God bless the highspeed WIFI here!

2009-06-12T16:54:00.001+02:00

2009-05-15T02:29:00.002+02:00

Hackney, London

Let's start over. Travel's over, and im not about to recap every single moment in details, in a nut shell - flew out of bremen - survived a faulty aircraft - got back to gloomy (and much colder) London - Edinburgh - London - ready to head home

not that im suffering from writer's block, just that sometimes things happen so quickly and when you do find time to write about it, the thrill's gone, vanished into thin air, no more excitement whatsoever...

what im still excited about tho, it's that im gonna become a student again! the blog will then be renamed Marcus' back-to-school journal, and u know what, i should have more time to do more updates then, if the swedish weather is as bitter as advertised.

Receiving the notification few days back that i've been accepted into this world ranked #71 University was delightful, and that's an understatement! and the fact that ive made the selection despite presenting such a bleak CV totally made my day.

I graduated in year 2005 and have since done nothing even remotely productive (when it comes to career advancement). When i made the decision to go backpacking in NZ, i knew i was putting my career on the chopping block. Everyone was busy getting employed and climbing up the corporate ladder while i was soaking up the sun in a serene vineyard in Marlborough.

and after a one-year stint, i came over to europe to embark on my european experience and further reducing my bachelor's to digital papers. Have i once regretted doing what i did? No. This experience is invaluable, if anything, ive learned more than i ever will simply just jump into the ratrace upon graduation.

this is an experience of a lifetime, the surrogate gap-year i never had when i finished high school, and dont i wish for the millionth time that ive had a gapyear, things would be so much different then, i would never have gone for engineering, and instead pursued something my heart desires. Talk about mainstream career choice...

thankfully, i am able to make use of my bachelor's to pursue a Master's! and in this time of global economy crisis, pray tell if there is ever a better time to study such as now!

Im grateful of God's blessing that my dissertation struck a chord with the examiner, and God I AM ready to study again.

the countdown to fall 2009 has officially begun...

2009-03-28T11:19:00.002+01:00

Stuttgart, Germany

So where was i? Right, i spent some quality days in offenburg in which time i've played farmer in Dominik's farm, played an enthusiastic soccer fan in three matches, and pretty much just partied hard for the benefit of my host.

time flies when you're having a fab time, and as much as i hate it, i gotta carry on my journey and Dom has gotta go back to the military, i know i'll always be welcomed back here as gran and grandpa love me to bits! he couldnt stop telling me bout the war stories of yesteryear...

Dom gave me a ride to Speyer where his camp is based, and i spent the day visiting Unesco heritage sites of the famous Dom and the surrounding churches and cathedrals, well what's new?

Got in to Heidelberg and that's when the weather took a bad turn on me, rain, snow, hail and whathaveyou started falling on me and despite the city being a popular tourist destination with a backdrop of a charming castle and mountains and valleys and the beautiful river Neckar, i was pretty much inbound for most of the time.

went to a good bday party and some hippie gathering and some wine and dine and that is pretty much it.

arrived in stuttgart yesterday and came here to Esslingen to see Ben. We met in a church in Hasting, NZ and have been friends since, traveled together for a while and were involved in lotsa church activities back then. Reunion is always good fun.

Will head to Fulda tomorrow and see what happens.

Spring09 travel

2009-03-20T09:58:00.004+01:00

one interesting fact about Basel Airport, it has three different checkpoints for access to three different countries, namely Switzerland, France and Germany, and i quickly took advantage and checked them off my list one by one.

first stop was obviously Basel, followed by Mulhouse, and Freiburg - the infamous tri-city of tri-countries. En route to the blackforest, which was clearly the highlight of my trip, i spent some time in the town of Colmar.

Now that might remind you of this replica town we have in bukit tinggi back home, and may i commend that the developer did indeed do not such a bad job in the imitation, well at least the facade of it.

entering blackforest from Freiburg, met up with Sebastian and he wasted no time in introducing me the beers of the region, and we had a great nightout with his friends on an all-night bender. Woke up next afternoon and took a hike around the world-renowned blackforest for some fresh air, i really needed it!

and we know the blackforest is responsible for its cake and the cuccoo clock, so i did the obligatory task of savoring them as well.

Moving on, i proceeded deeper into the forest and spent some nights in the village of Waldkirch, Elzach, Haslach and Gengenbach, enjoying german hospitality to the fullest, the people here in the forest are just too nice! and that's an understatement.

Well, it's not just the german hospitality im enjoying, but the asians too! Stayed in the household of two families where the wifes are south-korean and Indonesian respectively. So yeah, fusion food is definitely on the table! and gosh, it's nice to taste real chilli again! and to practise my bahasa too, in the case of the german-indonesian household. Sascha is just too lucky to have an asian wife!

will be meeting dominik here in Offenburg later, it's definitely been a while! last saw him about a year and a half ago, and he's promised a party tomorrow, so we'll see!

maybe i should consider moving to germany eh?

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2009-02-07T13:21:00.006+01:00

Pete and I

chinatown

wow, it's definitely been a while since my last post, it's not that nothing much has happened, it's just that im spending more time on facebook and updating my status there that i felt not so incline to do it here all over again.

it was a low-key celebration on my birthday, had a few to drink with my housemates and we talked till the wee hours. Pete came visiting and crashed in my room before flying back to Halifax, Nova Scotia and we had a good night out.

CNY was/is more of a somber affair, there wasn't any reunion dinner or any sorta celebration to begin with (lack of chinese friends is the key), and i truly missed the festivities happening all over town back home. Went to chinatown to get some of that spirit but somehow it's just not the same, it's way too cold to hangout too long in the open air...

and then it snowed. And the worst thing is, London was totally unprepared for it. The city has not seen a blizzard in over two decades and when it happened, it crippled the whole place in a blink of an eye. All transportation came to a halt and we became the laughing stock all over europe and the world. Things like that dont happen in Moscow or NY or Vancouver.

but how joyful everyone became! the snow was much welcomed in the midst of global economy breakdown, people took the day off to go sledging and to build frosty in the park with their kids, and i had my first snowball fight in london!

my spanish trip has been canceled, i am supposed to leave for santiago like TODAY, but the airline let me down and they refunded my money. and guess what, it's actually a blessing in disguise! most airports are grounded because of the icy runways and some poor people are still stranded in heathrow as we speak.

im scheduled to fly to Switzerland next month and i will just cross the border to france and thereon germany and make my way back to london from there.

till you hear from me again...

2009-01-03T15:37:00.002+01:00

Phew, time certainly waits for nobody, the festive seasons came and went in a thrice, but not without some fun elements in the process.

the days running up to Christmas see a celebration of two of my roomates' birthday, and on Christmas eve the folks threw a house party at our place and we had a ball of a time. On boxing day we went shopping because of the post-christmas price slashed of everything, and followed by more parties, everyone's on hols so there simply any reasons why not to.

on new year eve, we went on the boat at the Victoria Embankment, at subzero temperature, hand clutching a flute of champagne, and witnessed the firework display at the Eye and also at Canary Wharf.

and dont ask me bout my new year resolution, what is it about people that they only resolves to do something good for themselves once a year? i dont buy into that concept at all...

Looking forward to travel next month and then i guess it's time to go back home. What with the pounds plummeting to parity with the euros, traveling in europe isnt that economical anymore, i think i shall stick back to exploring asia for now...

it's all good.

2008-12-21T12:42:00.003+01:00

2008-12-06T16:42:00.003+01:00

2008-11-22T13:11:00.002+01:00

Battersea, London

So what's new, got in to London to start saving for my next trip, in which it's gonna happen for definite next feb as i've already purchased the airticket. It's a Santiago-bound ticket so i will be visiting northern Spain, Portugal, and plan to do southern france en route to Germany. I guess it's back to traveling in western europe again...

In the midst of credit crunch, i still couldnt resist the urge for some Malaysian food. So the other day we went to this malaysian restaurant for Char Kuew Tiew and Curry and roti canai, among other local favourites and had to fork out £22 each just for hawker food! Talk about daylight robbery.

Moved in to Battersea and sharing the house with Portuguese and Brazillians, all seem pretty friendly and outgoing so im looking forward to spend the holidays with the portuguese-speaking folks, there will be a giant house party this friday and non-alcohol drinkers need not apply.

oh yeah, have i mentioned? Met Simon Cowell the other day and he seemed like a pretty nice guy! His alter-ego when acting as AI judge was non-existent. I wasnt that star-struck as this is London afterall, if you really fancy u can meet a celeb every other day, just check out the newspaper listing for their whereabouts.

A blizzard is forecasted tomorrow so im hoping to hangout in the snow, it's about time dont u think? oh time sure flies...

Krakow - Banska Bystryca - Budapest

2008-11-08T00:11:00.003+01:00

Budapest, Hungary

So i hitchhiked to Banska with minimal difficulty, the people are very comfortable with hitchhikers and they have often done it themselves before they own a car, and as i understand later, the goverment encourages such mode of transportation and used to offer rewards to drivers who pick up hitchhikers in those days.

Slovakia is famous for its mountainous landscape with friendly and approachable people. I stayed with Katarina and Peter and they brought me out to savour cheap slovakian beers. As it is, the Slovakians are giving up their currency and will start using euro in two months' time, so im really lucky to visit the country before it gets expensive!

I then headed on to Budapest which is gonna be the highlight of my travel. Ive always wanted to visit the city and i know im gonna have a good time with szabi my ex-roomie bringing me around. We used to have great fun when we were sharing a flat in the hip area of Hackney and then he had to go back to hungary to kickstart his bachelor's degree in Uni (he's my age!). I like that we share the same philosophy in life and that there are so much in common between us.

so even though he's got exams going on, szabi was bringing me all over budapest to the best clubs and bars and the trendiest place in town. We met some of his friends and they are all as cool as I am... :p

I was really depressed on the last night because i was going on a london-bound flight back to the gloomy and stormy land, but u know what, good things dont last, so why not just get on with it and not look back. At the very least memories are there to stay...

im just happy that ive made some valuable friendships that are gonna last for a long long time to come...

and also because ive gotten lucky in budapest... :p

Kaunas - Suwalki - Warsaw - Lodz - Tychy - Krakow

2008-11-03T09:58:00.004+01:00

Krakow, Poland

Whoa it's gonna be another long post with minute details. My journey from Kaunas to Suwalki was not without drama, it took me three rides altogether and i was picked up by three police officers on the second (thank goodness it's not illegal to hitch here, i might have been incarcerated!). None of them spoke english so i kinda gestured that im heading to Poland, and that's exactly where they brought me to, the Lithuanian-polish border, and getting a ride from there was as easy as pie, i simply approached a truck driver who was only too glad to have me on board.

Got in to Suwalki and realized i would be gaining two hours that day, winter time is on. Mike and his parents were most hospitable, the table was laden with food that could feed an army! and everyone just sat there watching me eat, something about feeding a starving traveler that people find pleasing to eyes...

the usual drill ensued, mike brought me to the local bar and bought me local beers at the same time proclaiming them as the best in town. We also had a go at his Ukrainian wine collection, and damn, good wine dont necessarily have to come with a price.

the next day after a heavy breakfast, Mike's dad brought me to the best hitching spot just slightly out of town, and insisted that he waited with me while i hitched, and when i got one in about five minutes, he interviewed the driver and declared his approval. These two estonian dudes that gave me a ride were awesome, they were Munich-bound but they took me to warsaw anyway. Along the way non-stop offering me food and beer, do i really look like i need a good feedup? I had some really good texan beef jerky and estonian beers, just to be polite!

Warsaw being the polish capital immediately means loads of people and traffic, and having lived in London with a population of more than 10 million and counting i wasnt overwhelmed. I quickly befriended a polish tram ticket-inspector who was quite eager to get me to my destination and to let everyone around him knows that he speaks that word or two of english, the dude was practically talking to me in polish the entire time! So i got on the tram without a ticket and soon arrived at Filip and Martha's place.

we spent a good weekend together going sightseeing and meeting friends amd having vegetarian meals. The good thing about traveling in poland is, you never seemed to need tickets for public transports, and as martha pointed out, just pretend to be a stupid tourist when asked to produce a ticket by the conductor, it's not like they speak english anyway! well thankfully i never have to practise that, yet.

i then headed on to Lodz to visit Marek and Rafal, of whom i spent Easter with earlier this year. Since running into them in Venice in february, ive been seeing them like every few months or so, in london and in poland, that has gotta tell you how small europe actually is. We had a good party celebrating Marek's bday in which i dont recall much of the second half of the party, i kinda passed out after like a gazillion shots of vodka. well it happens.

It was good times but i have a schedule to follow, so i left Lodz for Tychy after three nights for an intense history lesson. and Jozef did a brilliant job educating me at the German concentration camps- Auschwitz. I remembered seeing the exact same place on Oprah's once and the memory is still vivid, it felt surreal walking down that same path as ive seen a sobbing Oprah did. It was an oppressive place, i will tell you that right now, and definitely not for someone not emotionally prepared.

The Nazis killed some one million jews and tortured thousands there. I stood at the exact same barracks where the people were kept prison and looked at the same wall where they were murdered. Let's not forget the gas chamber. And all this happened on Halloween's day. Eerie...

over the weekend the poles were commemorating the deads and visiting graves of loved ones, one would mistaken it as lantern festival when the entire cemetery lit up at night from the candles. Totally enchanting.

We made pizza again yesterday, i think im really getting good at this! Krakow's brilliant and prettier than Warsaw, well the latter was wiped out completely during WWII so i dont think it's fair to make a comparison, but the constant rivalry between the two cities are obvious and intense.

Will be going to Slovakia next...

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Tartu - Riga - Vilnius - Kaunas

2008-10-23T00:10:00.006+02:00

Kaunas, Lithuania

Hitchhiking out of Tartu was a complicated affair, few cars drove such a long distance to Riga and there was little reason for border-crossing on a week day. It took me a total of three rides to Riga but fortunately i didnt have to wait long for 'em, the first ride set me back for 20 minutes waiting time and a nurse picked me up, she was visiting her mom in Elva which is only 20km away. Second ride was a farmer who got me another 10km and the third ride was immediate, i havent even set my backpack down when this lovely latvian couple stopped for me.

there was little english spoken between the two of them but we got along just fine, we stopped half way at a local coffee shop and they bought me coffee and tit-bits, talk about some fine latvian hospitality.

Got in to Riga just after dark and i let Edgars cooked me some vegetarian meal. The five of them in the house are all vegans which pretty much means say good bye to fats. But damn, the dude can sure cook a fine meal even without animals involved. I kinda like Riga and her old town, though the city is twice the size of Tallinn and have more stuffs going on, which i dont particularly care for. I was there for the people and not the place, and i cant stress that enough, european cities do look alike after a while!

we celebrated Elina's name day (it's something they do here in this part of the world) and made three large Pizzas, from scratch. It was really fun cooking with the folks as it reminded me when i used to make pizzas with mom, but i bet you havent tasted brocolli pizza before, it's brilliant! We had some to drink and toasted and made merry and it's all good fun, good food and good company.

I then moved on to Vilnius, by hitchhiking, of course. Got a ride in 10 minutes and such a joy ride it was. Picked up by two latvian Illustrators who didnt take much time to convince me to have a go at their merlot. So two stopovers, two bottles of wine (the driver didnt drink) and two joints later, we arrived in the capital of Lithuania pretty happily, if i may add.

met up with Griedrius and Viktorija and we went back home for some more boozing session. Tried this Lithuanian herb liquor that tasted just like medicine but with good effects, though i cant say the same when i got up the next morning with a major hangover. I let Vik made me a good cup of tea which she claimed it's her special remedy, and it worked miraculously. Oh yeah, did i meantion? i slept in a massive WATERBED in my own room! cant tell you how much i wanna invest on one when i can.

Vilnius is a pretty little thing, set to be the european capital of culture next year, the city is driving in full throttle waiting to impress. At night, we cooked pasta and washed down with wine and beer and checked out a local bar. Justin joined in later when he got back from Tallinn and we had a go at his Shishah and Whiskey collection. Fantastic end for the night.

Good times are often shortlived, hitchhiked to kaunas today which wasnt all that challenging, it was a well used route and it's only 100km apart. Arturas's mom cooked me this awesome Lithuanian meal which consists for the most part potatoes and fats and eat with soured cream. She was quick to suggest that it's a fattening meal but i loved it! and for the record, there are no fat people here in the baltic states, at all.

just came back from the cinema and we watched Max Payne for free (connections, connections...), it was a mediocre film without much of a storyline and i got rather restless after a while, you can only take in that much shooting at one time, you know.

the journey continues...

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Brocolli, tomato + onion
mushroom, olives, tomato + aubergine
Mushroom, gherkin, onion, garlic, olives + tomato

Helsinki - Tallinn - Tartu

2008-10-17T22:12:00.005+02:00

Tartu, Estonia

Helsinki is somewhat a more toned-down version of the Nordic countries, sure she's developed and all that but lack the exuberance and warmth that are greatly enjoyed by its southern counterpart, think Madrid, Rome or Amsterdam.

people go about minding their own business and wont stop to mingle on the street if they can help it, it's way too cold to say 'how do you do' i'd imagine. And since i desperately wanted to leave the euro-spending country pronto and head on to the baltics state, i didnt even check out the night scenes in Helsinki.

instead i let Arto cooked me a three-course gourmet in his house. The european men have since ceased to amaze me with their cooking ability. It seems they can just whip up some food out of thin air like Jamie Oliver effortlessly, it is also because eating out simply costs too much! Leave no tips at the table and the waiter will offer a 'dont come back again' politely.

I took a three-hour ferry ride to Tallinn next and fell in love with the estonian capital immediately. What's not to love of a country with 1.4 million citizens? No longer will you walk on the sidewalks and risk holding up a hundred people behind you because you're a slowass, or queue for ages to get in to a good bar and for once Service is noted!

Responsible for Skype and Kazaa, the ppl here are technology savvy indeed! fellow estonians were boasting to me of their e-tax, e-education, paperless hospital, and simply everything being digitalized, i havent the heart to tell them the malaysians are such too, albeit not always up to standard and poorly maintained.

So we went to this Italian restaurant where food is served a la 'Marche' whereby a smart card is given and our orders being stored in it, and no, we dont have to wait for our food to be called out, as Davide excitedly pointed out to me, we were given a vibrator which goes off when our food is ready, how 'smart' eh? i think i still prefer placing order a la 'SAKAE' and table service, tyvm.

but Tallinn really is a charming baltics city with her old town very much preserved and church spires dominated the skyline. We went to the local bar at night and hangout with a bunch of italians on the italy vs montenegro match. Italy of course won the match effortlessly so it wasnt that thrilling. As Mirje's sister is coming to KL for a job placement, i was busy answering her neverending questions, is healthcare up to par, how's the nightlife in KL, is it safe walking down the street? i can only assure her that KL is very much the metropolis everyone thinks it is, minus the cold wind and the charming old town.

So i attempted to hitchhike out of Tallinn to Tartu. and as luck will have it, with God's blessing, a car stopped for me just under two minutes after thumb's out. Mario is a tattoo artist who was eager to show me his designs upon me finished telling him my story. and he wanted to come to malaysia after i told him our Iban tribes have tats all over their body and they use traditonal techniques. What a way to promote good ol´malaysia eh?

we went back to his house en route to Tartu and his mother wanted to give me a gift! i was asked to choose anything i like from her shop which sells bric-a-bracs and collectibles but kindly turned her down. i cant ask for free rides and free gifts at the same time! apparently any non-estonian speaking people are well-liked here.

Got in to Tartu without any incidents and i hooked up with Tonu, geologist and curator for Museum of Geology, so it's not a surprise when i tagged along today on a cross country excursion over estonian coastline collecting rock samples. It was kinda fun though i can tell you right now im no rocks expert.

Will go to Latvia tomorrow.

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Ferry ride and boozing in Turku...

2008-10-12T21:26:00.006+02:00

Vasteras - Uppsala - Stockholm - Turku

2008-10-10T11:15:00.007+02:00

Turku, Finland

Alright, im gonna make an effort to post a blog once a week.So I left Vasteras for Uppsala for some great student parties. Uppsala is known for its city campus and the whole town is vibrant with student energy, it made me miss Varsity times! I crashed at Sebastian's place for two nights and one night at Nicklas'. It's good to have friends around as i save heaps on accommodation, an average of €20 a night. So Nicklas hosted a party because i was coming and he sent some 180 facebook invitations to his sophomore-year friends in which about half turned up. It was also to be a joint housewarming party with Daniel and Peter as the three of them moved in to the new apartments some few months earlier but didnt get around to hosting the obligatory party.

it was a huge success, people came bearing loads of booze even when there were free beers and wines offered. I got to see Mattias and Anders again and we talked bout the good old times in New Zealand. The boys have also invited me for a winter skiing trip in february in which i might consider going! I also met up with ex-uni mate Jian before i boarded the train to Stockholm, and what with him and Sebastian enticing me with the great student life in Uppsala i might actually consider taking up a free course in the Uni here! I love Sweden and living here for a coupla years doesnt sound too bad at all!

I made my way to Stockholm and stayed with Goran for three nights. This capital city is just as beautiful as advertised, albeit a little larger than my ideal size of Uppsala and are more crowded and filled with immigrants like most other capital cities that it doesnt feel very swedish anymore. Dont get me wrong though, i love Stockholm and the abundant water ways and parks and bridges are just brilliant. I love the concept that the city is built on islands and mainland and the surrounding archipelago and woods, it's like you are getting both worlds of urban lifestyle but at the same time nature is just right at your doorstep, definitely one of the most liveable cities in the world.

from here i embarked on a 12-hour ferry ride to my current location of Turku. The ride was amazing, and considering that i only paid €10 for it, it was a major bargain! i spent some time at the deck admiring the beautiful scenery and crisp sea breeze, some other time doing duty-free shopping on board, a quarter of the time napping and the rest of the time playing Wii -Supermario World!

Upon arriving at the port, Alex brought me to this remarkable rock concert in town, we met up with Reto and Julian and had an amazing time with the band. Yesterday we went to the bar for billiards and i totally sucked at the game. Was supposed to get on to Helsinki today but my host persuaded me to stay for the weekend for some parties, and since Julian invited me to hitchhike together to Helsinki on Sunday, i
said yes! no harm saving some €25 for the train ticket. That's if we're successful.

well there you go, a full record of my travel to date. Pictures later...

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2008-10-02T14:05:00.002+02:00

Vasteras, Sweden

I know i know i know, im a terrible blogger and updating my blog seems to be the last thing on my mind! So much had happened over the past week that i dont know where to begin. So here it comes...

After Paris ive taken a train to Lille, the TGV ride burned a hole in my wallet, it cost me €40 for a journey of 200km! such a rip-off. My plan to hitchhike didnt work as i couldnt find a strategic spot to hail potential drivers, and they all drive at crazy speeds on the motorway.

Met up with David and Anthony in Lille and we spent three days drinking French wine, beers and listened to french music. David is a musician and Anthony is a theatre director, and the mates that hung out with us are of similar variety: painters, artists and the like...so it was all good fun in a very artsy way...

i then continued on to Bruges, arguably one of the most picturesque town in Europe. Every angle and corners in this village is postcard perfect and it is filled with endless canals. Johan and I, along with two of his friends, formed a team in a local quiz contest. Everything was written in dutch but i still managed to contribute - mostly on hollywood showbizz and travel questions.

and who in his right mind will not love Belgium? the country must have the most varieties of beer when you consider its size and population. And no, it's not just the quantity im talking about, but the quality. Fancy having a beer with 9% alcohol and tastes superb!

from there i made my way to Brussels where i stayed with Rafael for two nights. The same story followed where i tried more belgium beers and some very good belgium meals.

After that i crossed the border to Rotterdam where i met up with Archie, one of my best travel mate in Australia. And when you get right down to it, Holland is not all about the tulips, cheeses and windmills...i had the best time in Amsterdam with Thomas and Rene where i had my first magic mushy. Mind you, this mushroom is like no others you've taken before. It is not tasty but you'll love it. enough said.

from Amsterdam i made my way back to London where i caught my flight to my current location of Vasteras. Sweden is amazing when you try to take your mind off the cold weather. The countriside is lushed with greeneries and colorful leaves coat the area into an artist's canvas. I'm falling in love with Fall.

will make my way to Uppsala tonight to meet up with team sweden, my best friends in New Zealand. They are having a party for me!

Later.

Visa större karta

2008-09-18T12:35:00.004+02:00

Paris

It's really what everyone thought it to be, the city of Romance! Thanks to Mel, i have free lodging at a very nice hotel room with two giant king size beds for the both of us, the damage: only 110 euro a night...nice...

so we did the typical tourist route and the usual suspects include Musee Du Louvre, River Seine, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Sacre Couer, Arc de Triomphe...among others..

I spent some half a day at the Louvre celebrating the congregation of the greatest art works in the world and still only managed to only appreciate a small portion of it. The museum is massive in such a scale that is beyond imagination, and it is still expending as we speak. We had an excellent guide whose passion in arts is obvious as she sashayed us through the crowds and giving us pointers and interpretations of different artists.

it seemed that most visitors are on an even tighter schedule than us, can u imagine those clowns spent like an hour at the Louvre? such blasphemy! doubtless they were there only to catch a glimpse of Monalisa and busy posing infront of the camera with the holygrail behind.

but as much as i love the city, i have to literally haul ass to fit in 11 countries in two months, another tiring whistle stop traveling but it has to be done. Will try to somehow hitch a ride to Lille later in the afternoon and see what happens.

I also get to practise my rusty two-semester worth of francais with the frenchs and i must say im in better shape than i thought i am. I asked direction in french and got responded in french and i absolutely understand what they're saying! if that didnt deserve a Bravo i dont know what does...

three days in paris is somewhat not doing the city any justice, im sure it has much more to offer than the mere tower and a painting that doesnt belong to them, i long to experience some parisian lifestyle and to visit disneyland! but when you gotta go, you gotta go...

stay tune for the next leg of the travel...

2008-09-13T21:34:00.003+02:00

Gosh, it sure feels good to be on the move again, im getting restless! Six weeks of rest seem like an ideal time frame to rejuvenate and to plan things through...

so Paris, here i come...

was freaking out a little when channel tunnel caught fire earlier two days ago and was forced to close, im sure it still is at present time im typing, hopefully things are gonna get better on monday, i need the tunnel to cross the channel!

i'll be fine...

View Larger MapFirst pit stop

2008-08-26T18:45:00.004+02:00

London

It´s official, the baton was handed over to London and now all eyes are on her! and trust me, the pressure is on...

On Sunday, everything came to a standstill as everyone dropped everything and gathered together before the giant screens erected all over London to witness the live Olympic closing ceremony. Reason: there was an 8-minute segment on London being the next host.

It was a fantacular show, i will give beijing that, the chinese had hosted a good games in the midst of major controversy attack and they pulled it off beautifully. The crowds around me were quick to agree as everyone cheered on the flawless artistic performance, a somewhat toned-down version of its opening counterpart. Such discipline, such precision, such determination and such an effort that only the chinese can muster. And as the commentator came up with an opinion that all these are the results of totalitarianism, i must confess that im on the same page with her...

the people there have always been obedient, they have always been told what to do and what not to do, how to do it right and only right, and i can only imagine the tremendous pressure of being one of the performers. The chinese are perfectionist.

patriotism was strong as everyone cheered jubilantly at the sight of Boris (the mayor of london) and when ´God save the Queen´was sung. The irony didnt escape me: most people hated the mayor and almost 70 per cent of the londoners are foreign immigrants!

but when Beckham and Lewis were on stage on a somewhat cheesy cameo, the people just went mad! Gosh, they are not even on british soil anymore, both have sought out greener pastures at the states...

nevertheless, the count down is on, the people are psyched that the games are gonna be held here in 2012 since 1948 and they are gonna do everything to make it right, no, they want to surpass the chinese and hold the best games ever!

one thing im sure the brits are definitely capable of doing, they will make Olympic festive with non-stop parties and everyone will be able to attend the sporting events, an area in which beijing has failed miserably with its sombre moods and unlimited restrictions and empty stadiums.

afterall, it´s all about having a good time, dont u think?

2008-08-20T17:48:00.003+02:00

London

what with the games going at full force and have been somewhat successful, i too have been following the events steadfastly, paying close attention to the likes of Badminton, Diving, Swimming, and Gymnastic.

Bravo to Malaysia for grabbing a silver medal in the Games, it´s been long overdue since we last claimed any medals...despite the badminton final match was clearly a ´no match´, i felt inclined to cheer on for our home country.

Team GB in the past weekend have been hauling the medals frenziedly, putting them in third place after USA and China. And considering their size (as compared to the giants), i cant say im not impressed. The press have reasonably gone mad and pictures of gold medalists are made front-page material.

And with London being the next host, i can say the brits are a lil´on the paranoid side, they are dying to perform and to show the world what they are made of! and one way of doing that is to put the current host down...

bad press have been circulating over how the chinese are hosting the games. We all know of the criticism sparked over the opening ceremony where they claimed the fireworks were computer generated, we also know that the sweet lil´girl with the voice of an angel werent actually hers, and so on and so forth over the millions spent to make the event ´spectacular´when the money could have been better spent on the poor...

gosh, bloody poms, why dont they just get a grip? i know the pressure is on but that´s only gonna make London2012 something to look forward to, the bar has been set high! it´s disheartening to listen to biased commentators on BBC and the cruel remarks over how the chinese are training their human robots in an inhumane fashion.
Which athlete wasnt trained young? and tough, for that matter...

Michael Phelps is awesome, how can anyone swim that fast is just beyond my comprehension, he´s clearly out of everyone´s league! inspired somewhat by this great olympian, Ivan and I have been visiting the swimming pool near our house alot lately...just for this Olympic period! everyone feels that a little sport is really something we should incorporate into our daily lifestyle...

i know for a fact that this health consciousness wont last, summer is coming to an end and before long it will be too cold to do anything, let alone stripping bare and exercise!

im so gonna freeze to death in the scandinavia...

2008-07-31T22:57:00.005+02:00

Tower Hamlet, London

So what´s new lately? not a whole lot i´m afraid. Apart from busy planning my autumn travel and arranging logistics where it sees fit, i have been lying pretty low, only a selected few know that i´m currently lurking around in London, as i havent been exactly publicizing my return. Reason? I´m hoping to be a little frugle this month and hence cant really socialize and pubcrawl with mates. Money is needed when i next travel in september.

Got back to London Victoria from Plymouth in time for the Summer Cruise Party hosted by the RSA. It was a good reunion with all my ex colleagues as i really did enjoy working and boozing with them. And having lived so close to River Thames all this time im in London, i havent actually gone on a cruise on it. So free cruise plus free food means no chance im missing it.

And it couldnt be happening at a better time. Summer is at its best with temperature soaring as high as 30 degrees and the whole city has gone lunatic about it. Everyone walks on the street with little or nothing on them and Ice cream Giant - Ben & Jerry´s has been offering unlimited free ice cream at the park.

London is also celebrating the handover of the Olympic torch later this month and there is a good lineup of gigs and parties and carnivals taking place every single weekend. Summer also means everyone´s traveling and everyone´s coming over here and they are gonna wanna bunk with me in my room which means i´m not gonna have any peace. Well, i guess i shouldnt complain.

but you know what, the heat is somewhat killing me, if i´ve wanted to live in a hot country, i would have gone back home already. Autumn is beckoning and i´m going to paris! then on to Belgium and Holland before hitting scandinavia and the baltic countries.

so let´s have a quiet august and enjoy the Olympic games. I have a feeling China is on the upper hand though im not sure if im supporting them given their lousy humanrights record, but it´s time to send a message to the whites that the yellowskins are a force to be reckoned with, dont you think?

2008-07-17T12:31:00.005+02:00

Lympstone, Devon

Ever heard of the term 'avoiding cities like a plaque'? that's pretty much what we did.

It hasn't gone down that well when Suya and I started out cross-country camping trip two weeks ago. She picked me up at Bristol and we headed straight on the motorway and got out of the city within minutes, our goal was to camp at the Forest of Dean in Wales. It didnt happen. It rained on us alot. It was cold.

blame it on summer, everyone who has a life is out on camping trips too! families, school kids, teenagers, couples, loners, the whole lot is out there occupying every camp sites and holiday parks. Caravans and campervans are on the road hogging the single carriageway. It amazes me how outdoorsy the british are, apparently you havent had a childhood if you havent gone camping with your families every summer. We malaysians really needa learn a thing or two from them.

On our first night, we camped behind a pub for only 5 quid, it was getting late as we had a late headstart and we pitched our tent in minutes just so that we can catch the lastcall at the pub before the barmen closes it at 10pm. We ended up having such a good time with the locals and didnt get kicked out until 2am! It feels good when everyone insisted on buying you real ales and southern comforts even after you say no (halfheartedly, :p).

from then on we avoided motorways altogether and got on the A roads and B roads, ie Scenic routes. Driving through english countriside is a beautiful experience, moorlands and national parks aplenty, and the coastline is to die for, albeit being too cold to swim in the sea even in the midst of summer. We gone past manchester and leeds and liverpool and blackpool and every english cities that you can name, without even considering going in and get caught in the mess. I've had enough of city sightseeing in London.

It was indeed a good camping trip, we drove some 1700 miles in total and unfortunately, that costs us a fortune. It's by far my most expensive trip yet but im not complaining, what's better to see the country than to travel with the local. Suya knows everything there is to know about England and she's eager to transfer that knowledge to me, and we've gone all the way up to scotland, back down to england, crossed over to Wales twice, and visited castles and mansions and monuments and stone circles.

It's also a gastronomic trip for me too. Every town has something special to offer and we've been feeding ourselves really well. Went to torquay yesterday and met up with Suya's mom, got treated to a very nice meal and beer at the pub and we participated in the bingo quiz! 25 questions altogether and i somehow managed to contribute 2 answers. The Japanese word for Japan (Nihon) and Jesus's age when He died (33). We didnt win but it was good fun.

will be going back to London next week...

2008-07-03T22:14:00.006+02:00

I´ve been a very, very bad boy...

i´ve done something that i´m not proud of (alright, maybe im that little bit proud of it) and i feel ashamed of my actions (or at least i feel that i should be ashamed). It´s that bad...

So it was just an ordinary day out, i´m saying ordinary because it was raining, or rather, drizzling, which is quite common here, sometimes you just wish that it either rains, or it doesnt, but not something in between, it´s hard to make up your mind whether to stay in or out when it´s like that, you know.

Because it was raining, i thought i should go to the cinema, it´s been a while since i last saw a film in the big screen and i didnt exactly have company, so i was just kinda dating myself. I got myself a standard price ticket for EUR 5.75, opted to watch ´Wanted´ because the trailer was good, and it was actually pretty good. Angie Jolie being as stunning as always but gosh isnt she getting really thin? i feel like i can break her arms by just looking at it, so it isnt that convincing that she´s swinging machine guns effortlessly and kicking asses, but anyway. There were lotsa actions and the special effects entertaining, everyone was just flying and jumping around in slo-mo as though they were in a dream.

but i digress...

So i bought a standard price seat and guess what, i took the premiere seat! There were like 10 of us in the hall, a far cry from the movie goers in KL, and i was at liberty to choose any seats i like. And as everyone went for the Eur 9.50 seats, i thought: hey, you´re not leaving me behind! and so i did the same.

but that wasnt the crime.

After the show, upon coming out from the gents, i was kinda lingering at the cinema checking out new summer films. And then i saw some people coming into the foyer and headed to one of the cineplexes. So out of curiosity i followed them in. And then it just happened. I sat down. On the premiere seat again. Without a ticket. If i told you the whole act wasnt premeditated, would you believe me? probably not.

It was all very nonchalant on my part. I didnt feel as though im doing anything wrong, it just felt so right! Seating there, minding my own business, as if i have every right to be there. And the brilliant part is, i didnt even know what film that i would be watching. It´s like a box of chocolates, you dont know what you´re getting every single time.

So i checked out the trailers - Hancock, KungFuPanda, Mummy, MammaMia, DarkKnight...all pretty impressive and made me wanna watch it, perhaps except for Hancock and MammaMia if i had to pay for them. No chance in the world am i paying to watch Will Smith flying like a lunatic, and seriously, Meryl singing? I love the woman but that´s just a tad too much.

When i heard that famous catchy tune of SATC, i thought i´ve gone to heaven and back. I´ve been wanting to watch that film! Been following the series and been dying to know what happened between SJP and mr.big. Now i know! The film is as good as the TV show, and of course Samantha´s hilarious one-line punch never failed to put a smile on my face. She´s good, or rather, the writer is.

And after show #2. Because it´s still raining, because im all alone, because im homesick and hence felt like paying the price of a movie ticket in KL, because im all smug the first time i committed the act, because once isnt good enough and because im a bad, bad person, I did it again.

This time i kinda know what´s gonna be showing, the kids gave the game away. So Narnia it is. Well why not? i like C.S.Lewis and i dont have problems with talking animals, if anything, a fantasy film would make a fine ending to the day. If only the kids in the film were americans though.

So there you go, three films for 5.75! go ahead then, tell me im a loser, but hell, im feeling bloody good about myself. God will understand.

On another matter, i´m flying to Bristol tomorrow.

***

Pancho and I at Newgrange

Tram ran over a bike

Breakfast

Lake@Blessington

11pm

2008-06-28T03:00:00.006+02:00

Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Ireland, havent we heard so much about it? first of all, there is the much celebrated St. Patrick and the drinking that goes with it, and then we have the green Leprechauns for some reason appear just about everywhere here, let´s not forget Guinness the famous beer, Titanic that was built in Belfast, Bailey´s, C.S. Lewis (author of Narnia and Christian icon) who was born here and the two Unesco heritage sites...i guess that´s just about everything...oh wait, O´brien´s sandwich bar is from here as well...

Got in to Belfast on a not so fabulous rainy day, quickly realize there are much more terrible weathers outside of London, and also found out that i left all my water-proof jackets in London. Nevermind that, hopped in to the nearest T.K Maxx and got myself something to shield from the rain, a very nice jacket, if i may say so myself.

Next up, waited for Rafal to pick me up at the city hall, let him explain the city´s orientation to me, which aint all that difficult, about several times smaller than London and the lack of public transport, which is practically non-existent apart from buses, but then again, they dont really need it.

It really is a small city, which suits me just fine, but im not here for the city, am i? Booked myself a tour to the first unesco heritage site of Giant´s causeway. Nothing too overwhelmingly spectacular, just some very unique rocks formed out of some volvanic activities some centuries ago, ive seen it numerous times in the nature-blessed country of NZ. Like so many world wonders, it´s just some rocks...think Ayer Rock in Australia, think Stone henge and think Easter island...

Did several tours around Northern Ireland and crossed the border to the republic of Ireland today. Dublin is a good hangout and also a good base to explore the surroundings. Met up with Sergio, Nuri, Suzanna and Francesca (3 spanish and 1 chilean) here where i will be crashing at their place for the next few days. I´ve always loved to hangout with the spaniards because they really know the meaning of life. Went bar hopping around town, had some guiness and wine and will go with them to the second world heritage site in Ireland tomorrow.

It´s also the Euro final tomorrow where Spain is playing against Germany, so naturally a drinking footballmatch session is in order. and naturally too that i´ll be supporting spain...not that im much of a football fan...

Oh yeah, another good tidings, i´ve just received my check of 709 pounds from the magnanimous Queen, she´s returned my tax! albeit not everything but im not pushing it, im glad to get something back!

i´m feeling generous today...

2008-06-20T20:17:00.004+02:00

what with oilfuel price soaring everywhere, it could just mean the end of cheap-travel era, or so i thought...

Been keeping an eye on travel offers for some time now, and i cant resist anymore, i just booked another flight ticket! As exciting as it may sound, booking tickets in advance without knowing where you'll be at the time of travel can be rather tricky. So far ive got three virtual tickets that i've yet to utilize and it's pretty comforting knowing that the getaway ticket is right there at your disposal and some good times are forthcoming.

Heard from a friend yesterday who is currently stranded in the UK because her passport was stolen while she was in Spain that contrary to what i might believe: 'Malaysian Passport is pretty valuable'. Apparently our passports are one of the targeted ones as it allows access to the UK and EU without the need to apply for travel visas. And havent i been taking that for granted?

The winter flight that ive just purchased is Stockholm bound, and it set me back for a mere 13 quid, and trust me, that's a bargain. And if time permits, im gonna sleep on it for the next couple of nights and decide if i should get future tickets for france and spain and the balkans. It pays to plan your trip months ahead!

Will be flying to Belfast on Tuesday and lately just busy having goodbye drinks with friends and colleagues, after telling them that im leaving London for good (im still not sure if that's true).

and how'bout that course that ive been wanting to take, nothing has materialized yet...so typically me...but blame it to the Revenue and Custom board, what's taking them so long to refund my TAX?? im hoping to get hold of some 700 pounds of tax paid to the queen under my nose if i can have it my way.

we'll see what happens...

Now, time for some good ol' travelin'...

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2008-06-08T16:10:00.003+02:00

another fruitful week where much was done and time fully utilized...

Summer's here and hence free shows and gigs and festivals are happening literally just every other corners in town. On Sunday, we went to Trafalgar Square for the free Live screening of the premiere of Romeo and Juliet, the ballet, as performed by the royal Ballet at the Royal opera house, Covent Garden.

now im not so much of a ballet person, having just seen the Nutcracker and thought it was OK, simply because i love the Nutcracker overture, ballet or not. But yeah, Romeo and Juliet was great, the orchestra outstanding and the casts danced with passion, though after endless pirouette you would start willing them to have a change of style, their moves are just so limited...

On tuesday, I took Callie on a tour of West End, visiting various theatres and galleries, in which we're both fond of. At the national portrait gallery, the images of the Tudor Dynasty came to life and i found it most fascinating as i'm currently reading the book of the great Lady Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I.

Thursday, went to the cinema at Leicester square with Anna Paola and Uyi and we watched 'The Kite Runner'. As i've read the book before and fell in love with it, i applaud the director for such a great film, it was such a faithful adaptation of the book! and that's so rarely happens in book adaptation films...i found myself quoting dialogues from the book as the movie unfolds and was please to see little alteration has been made.

and now the highlight of the week, of catching 'Wicked' at the Apollo Victoria theatre. Simply Spectacular! and it wasnt unexpected, i've only heard good things about this fairly new musical and their numerous awards, among them the 'Best New Musical' and the 'best design' category, need i say more?

Art direction was phenomenal and the songs and scores top-notch, with leading casts Elphaba and Glinda outshone everyone else and were awarded with a standing ovation when the curtains fell. They were soooo GOOD! Both demonstrated amazing vocals and their ensembles so well coordinated and executed, it was truly a magical experience with 2.5h of nonstop entertainment (alright fine, there was the 20 min recess between act 1 and act 2).

All in all, it is definitely one of the must-see musicals on earth, and not just once, but many times over...

2008-05-28T00:02:00.005+02:00

so many ppl visiting!

Ivan's mother and brother, Fabi have come all the way from Malaga to pay us a surprise visit, and such a surprise it is! I was woken up rudely at an ungodly hour of 1130am (hehe) and was told to clean up the room because we're expecting visitors! and yeah, the visitors were already in Victoria station en route to Brixton (i.e. 3 tube stops away) and not back in Spain...

and yeah, it was quite an effort indeed considering our room is in a perpetual state of mess. So we hauled everything into our closet and gave a half-hearted scrub to the floor and declared it ready for inspection.

All's well and approved of...

for the past few days we've been doing lotsa sightseeings and savoring Mercedes' incredible spanish cooking, and wont i miss them when they leave tomorrow?

Callie is coming next week and im looking forward to catching all time favorite musical 'Wicked' with her...

life's good...

2008-05-08T18:14:00.003+02:00

25 degrees today! that's as warm as KL!

it wouldnt do the good weather any justice if we didnt at least spend few hours out in the sun, and really, with the erratic london weather, you dont wanna take it for granted, so out to the park we went...

and gosh, if that's not what life is about, i dont know what is, lying on the grass with beers within reach, and our macbook tuned in to our kinda music, and logged on to the network so that you're still with the world although you feel as if you're not...it's pure relaxation...cant get any less complicated than that...

Life isnt about dining out at Mayfair and getting a £200 an hour massage, it isnt about earning a 5 figure salary and spending holidays in Cancun, it could be as cheap as getting just Stella and Kebab and nothing else, it isnt that hard to figure out if you get right down to it. Simplicity.

Or maybe it's just simply because it's summer...

2008-05-01T21:42:00.003+02:00

***

It's been a month since i got back, and ive long settled down to the mundane life again. I'm not complaining really, i needed the rest and now im getting it, i have all the time in the world to do my own thing, to read my books and to hangout with all the friends here.

The weather is also getting quite promising, apart from the occasional hail shower and the ever-present english storms, we also have been getting a fair bit of sunny spell, and picnic sessions are definitely in order; the temperature has risen and the lush parks are beckoning.

of course London has been buzzling as usual, and the current hots are focused on the London mayoral elections. It has very little to do with me but it's good to see people getting all excited bout it.

Just the other day the Olympic torch relay took place here and we have heaps of Free-tibet protesters on the road, you have no idea how funny it looked when the torch bearer ran by, surrounded by a dozen chinese security guards, anxious to keep the flame from the protesters, who were equipped with water guns!

that's london, people are free to do whatever they want, yeah, even to criticize the queen. Dont see that ever happening back home.

I've bought a flight ticket to Belfast at zero cost. I'm really getting quite good at finding travel deal like this, if i may say so myself. The idea is to visit Ireland and Scotland and then to join Suya on her two-week camping trip in England and Wales, thus a full travel of the UK in a month.

Time is running out and i have a million places to be at the same time, i wanna go back to germany and spain and i also want to explore scandinavia and the baltic countries.

will have to start prioritizing from now on...

2008-04-19T17:35:00.001+02:00

Whenever im feeling uncertain with life, i always think of Forrest Gump...

Happier times in Poland...

2008-04-11T15:40:00.003+02:00

2008-04-07T18:38:00.003+02:00

Weird, weird weather...It snowed yesterday, heavily, in London, in April...

So i got back to the metropolis after a two-month getaway, visited six countries, and made some really incredible friendship. Upon coming back here, Fabi came to visit me along with his brother, Ivan, who is my new roomie, and who is desperately trying to get away from Spain and it's spanish-speaking citizens and learn English, with me!

Now im not sure if i make a good tutor, so earlier when we were at the college trying to get Ivan enrolled in some English courses, i got myself consulted as well, to enrol for Celta or Tesol...

The fee is a little bit steep but the certificate is recognized worldwide and enables me to travel to different countries to take up teaching position. That is really enticing considering how i want to visit south america and the far east and would love to spend some few months in each and every countries that i visit. Will seriously considering taking up the course though my priority right now is to top up my bank account again.

Managed to find an affordable room to rent earlier last week and im right now staying with two spanish and two italian blokes, it doesnt do too good to my future travel prospect as ive been to both countries already, but everyone's really cool and friendly, and sober...a total contrast to my previous hungarian roomies. It'll definitely be quieter and it'll be good for a change somehow.

gonna lay low for a coupla months now before i start making plans...

oh wait, ive already got plans already, we're going to Alton Tower this weekend, the theme park that boasts some of the more extreme rides in the UK...

All's well...

Happy Easter...

2008-03-24T22:20:00.003+01:00

Gdansk, Poland

Such a happening weekend, food and drinks and eggs aplenty, and yeah, ive had my fair share of attending Polish mass in different churches...albeit not understanding a word the priest had to say, i really did enjoy the presentation, and being in the temple of God, all the understandings that you ever need is between you and God...enough said.

so i met up with Marek in Sopot and was welcomed into his household. Brilliant God-loving family, i had one of the best Easter in my life, not only experiencing Polish Easter and rituals, but also first rate polish hospitality.

Just got back from the village of Prabuty in the countryside, and cant stop thinking of the warmth and love that was shown to me. I've always been deprived of grandparents, and was totally spoilt to bits earlier by Marek's. Being seated conveniently between grandma and grandpa, my plate was constantly kept full with food by grandma on my right hand side and my shooter glass with polish vodka by grandpa on my left hand side, they really did adore me!

there were also water fight (they throw water at each other on Easter Monday, yeah even when it's freezing ) and egg fight with the cousins, talk about Easter fun!

We will be heading to Lodz tomorrow where Marek studies and will meet up with Rafa for some reunion, and drinking is definitely in order.

I'm loving Poland!

2008-03-18T07:27:00.007+01:00

Oh so Beautiful...

Woke up today to a brilliant change of setting, everything and everywhere is blanketed with snow, such a breathtaking transformation overnight into a winter wonderland, and it always has to be my last day in that particular location...the best part is, it's not even freezing cold!

something about the color white that just seems to beautify everything it touches, it was as though a magical spell has been cast and all of a sudden you appreciate everything around you, things that you have taken granted for before...

I can still remember the very first snow flake that had flew upon me and kissed my cheek, it was in prague, and it was totally unexpected...i recalled feeling the sudden excitement, the exuberance in me growing by the second, as more and more flakes followed suit, and then the sky was filled with a million puffy flakes, flying energetically everywhere, anxious to meet the earthlings, and to paint the surface it laid on into a white canvas, totally magical.

Snow takes away worries, regrets, guilts, despairs, depression, and just about anything negative, and believe or not, it does brighten your day, and nothing matters anymore, you feel like you have got the whole world under control, it's incredible like that...if only it lasts though...

im heading to Hamburg today, fingers crossed, hopefully there will be snow there too...but right now, im gonna go play with the snow...

2008-03-17T10:12:00.005+01:00

Hildeshime, Germany

Alright, it's about time to pick up that backpack and be on the road again. This past week had been completely relaxing, good food and good company, and it's getting warmer too!

Chloe gave me a much needed haircut yesterday and now im ready to face the world without looking like that dude in 'castaway'.

Been thinking of going back home alot lately, everyone's giving me the pressure, everyone's getting married, having housewarming party, promotion, and all that goingons. And knowing that i probably need a job once i get back, friends are telling me that they can bring me into their company easily and i get to become an engineer, just like what ive studied to become from the very beginning. I dont know if that sounds exciting or not.

have i had enough travel? i dunno if i'll ever be...but i really needa start doing something the world requires me to do...

if only time stops when you wanted it to...

2008-03-16T08:16:00.002+01:00

"Suddenly the world seem such a perfect place..."

2008-03-13T09:07:00.002+01:00

just how stupid can i be?

i was messing around with my templates earlier, editing and adding some links and deleting redundant stuffs in Html, and then i proceeded to click on Save Changes (without checking what changes ive made)...

and voila....everything is gone, ive deleted most of the Html...

this is just soooooo typical of me...

watcha gonna do?

2008-03-09T22:20:00.006+01:00

oh gawd, i am feeling so completely worn out, my foot's been hurting for days now and im walking with a limp, but you know what, it's OK...I've arrived at my 'rest house'.

So i traveled from Prague with eurolines up north, crossed the border, through some snow-patched area and mountains, and got in to the german city of Dresden. Great city, a capital of Saxony, lotsa nice sights, and altogether a very proper and well-planned township. Spent the night at Quentin's, a french scientist, and we chilled out at a local diner, relaxing ambience and captivating music.

from then on i decided to boycott germanrail if i could help it, the fare is unreasonably high and spending money aint exactly a priority in my list just now. So i hooked up with some locals and we shared a ride to leipzig, a sister city of dresden.

i met up with friedemann and sebastian in this city and we had some good nights of partying and attending local musicians' jamming session. I also visited ThomasKirche, the church J.S. Bach was reciding during his time and we sat in for a Motette. Powerful repertoires by the choirs and sopranos with accompaniment by pipe organs, it was beautiful.

We also went on cycing trip through woods and lakes and wild parks, a breath of fresh air and to take in the subtle Spring smell. It's starting to turn green and buds are blossoming. 'It's a good sign', i told Ondra back in Brno. 'Hardly', he replied. ' Winter aint over yet and there shouldnt be signs of life at all!'. Good point. How nice of that guy who came up with the term 'global warming' so that we can all point fingers to.

moving on, i stopped by in Magdeburg and got another ride to my current pitstop in Hildeshime, giving a pleasant surprise to Chloe in the middle of the night, who wasnt expecting my visit at all. A good surprise. I think.

I should be resting here and try to rejuvenate for at least a week, and thereon Hamburg and to Poland where ive been invited to to spend Easter there. It should be nice spending easter in the village.

Been on FRIENDS marathon for few hours now, just taking a break to update my current location and wellbeing. I look forward to catching up with some favourite TV series for the next few days, damn, i miss American TV.

It's all good...

thanks Kristof, for making me fall in love with this song, hope it can be an inspiration to everyone out there.

2008-03-07T10:31:00.004+01:00

and then it snowed...

just when im about to board the bus to germany...wouldnt i love to see snow-capped prague? oh so much...

good thing is, the storm is over, or so it seems, and just might as well be too...ive had some lousy bitchy weather for the past few days, it had rained on me started on my last day in Vienna and followed me through to Prague, and then the cloud cleared and temperature dropped sickeningly low, winter is coming back...

Prague, such an amazing city, unique in every ways and have so much to offer, i was completely charmed at first sight, this is definitely one of the capital cities that i can call home to.

unlike other cities, prague is ideally sized in that you dont feel overwhelmed upon arrival, you dont get slapped with a hundred underground and tram lines and with a million people walking past you, on the contrary, you feel completely at ease and comfortable.

what i like most about this city is that, such a vast area is devoted to being the city´s green lung on the other side of the river, it´s like you can have city life during the week and escape to the wilderness on the weekends, talk about a balance lifestyle...

as it´s customary, i like to begin exploring the city from the highest point of view, literally. So i took a hike up the mountain, admiring fancy-swanky-pants houses along the way, and was rewarded with a glorious view of the city when i got to the top. It really is beautiful, and no doubt why they say prague rivals other european cities to be amongst the handsomest.

Thanks to Bohdana, i have my own apartment in the middle of prague, i did feel blend-in with the society so quickly, finding the location of the apartment with the right tram, getting off at the right stop, and getting in the house with the right key (there were a bunch of them).

at night, i savoured some reputable czech beers with the girls, who dont seem to stop once they´ve started, and it was good times, good beer, good company...

im loving prague...

What would i give to live where you are?

2008-03-01T12:22:00.002+01:00

Brastilava, Slovakia

Traveling to the eastern side of europe isnt as daunting as i first thought it'd be, sure ive heard stories about them being less wealthy and everything, but at the end of the day, they are still part of europe, the same medieval town, adorned with castles and churches and gigantic cathedrals, monuments and fountains and obelisks and parks, and yeah, the obligatory river that cuts the city in half, one side more developed than the other, and in our case here, the magnificent Danube...it makes me hum Strauss' everytime i sees it...

there are certain changes nevertheless, let's just say traveling from Vienna to Brastilava is alot like traveling from Singapore to Johor Bharu, for those who's done that route, you know what im talking about...it's really a rude surprise though, all of a sudden things just arent so pretty anymore, everything is everywhere, rubbish strewn across the countriside, and the train station was madness...

but looking past all that, you will see a beautiful country before you. The slovakians are such friendly creature, always eager to help, and the fact that their english literacy is higher means they dont struggle during conversations, and oh, they are so cute...

Currency exchange works to my favour as well, and probably why im falling in love with east europe...we were at the bar yesternight and Half a litre of beer costs less than a euro...talk bout being in heaven...

will leave the beautiful people and head for czech next...

2008-02-28T23:12:00.002+01:00

Vienna, Austria

This beautiful city is doing me lotsa good, i feel like im getting back in touch with the music inclination in me, i wanna play the piano soooo badly! well, at least to some of Mozart´s sonatas...

Visited yet another Mozart´s apartment today in Vienna, the only one remaining after that of his birthplace and his residential place in Salzburg. I know a deadman´s living place is hardly interesting to anyone, but i felt his presence when i stood at his room where he has written some of the greatest pieces in his lifetime, the man was so talented! think ´The Magic Flute´, think ´Don Giovanni´...

Well, we know vienna gave birth to many other famous composers and took pride in being the world capital of music, so of course i also dropby to see Beethoven, Strauss and Haydn. Such geniuses...

Should be heading to Slovakia for a brief visit of its capital tomorrow...

im getting a little weary of all these running around...

some rest is definitely in order...

2008-02-24T23:26:00.007+01:00

The germans and me

Breakfast

our cozy hut

apres ski

train travel through ice, nice...

trentino meal

italian steak

me falling on my bums, which was often

alpine view

gondolas

***

Salzburg, Austria

So much have happened in a matter of days! I left Piacenza, traveled to Verona and spent the night there, and thereon headed north towards Trento, great place, i felt completely at home amongst the dolomites, ive always had a thing for the mountain ranges and there is something about them that gives me the sense of peace...

Spent my last day in Italy partying the Italian way, Bonaventura had some of his friends (like 14) over at his place and we spent the night eating some bolognese food and good italian wine, and beer...

from trento, i stopped and visited bolzano and brixen for the day, nice quiet towns with great cathedrals and castles, and the next day went on to Brenner, nothing much there except it is the Italian-Austrian border town...took an austrian train thereon and quickly realized train travel in Austria is EXPENSIVE! im paying something like 16 euros for every 100km i traveled, as compared to the 6 euros/100km in Italy...dont i miss Italy already?

but really, crossing the border through Brenner´s pass actually means entering a whole new world, how can things change so quickly? From latino to caucasian, from cheesy creamy pasta to hot spicy austrian soup, from wine culture to beer culture, from italian plains to the snow-capped austrian alps...so different, and oh so beautiful...!

Brief stopover at Innsbruck and met up with the Bavarian girls (petra, carola and stephie) at Jenbach. We drove up to the sweetest little hut up in the mountain that overlooks the valley, and the view is just so stunning, totally unbelievable, with indescribable feeling...(quoting Jasmine)

The rest of the folks joined us in the evening and there were a dozen of us in total. Met these fantastic friends in new zealand and now we hooked up again for some get-together. Spent the night catching up and you know, drinking...

the next day, what to do in Austria except to ski? we went up the ski field in the gondola and arrived in the winter wonderland. Skiing...you either hate it or you love it, for me, i totally love it but i completely suck...the bruises now resting all over me is a testament of that. But gosh, so much fun...

Left the germans and the bavarians today and continued on my journey while everyone left for home to face reality, got in to Salzburg and right now staying with this great Austrian/German family, who´s been following my journal so far and know everything there is to know bout me...

Will be meeting my favourite composer, Mozart tomorrow at his birth place...cant wait to be totally inspired!

stay tune...

Here´s Lea and Brad again.. :p

2008-02-18T00:25:00.004+01:00

It's been very informative traveling so far, im learning new stuffs everyday, about history, cultures, and right now political occurrences that are happening even as we speak...

as im currently staying with Dusan from Serbia in Piacenza, Italy, i am getting right-to-the-date information about the independence declaration from Kosovo, which i knew nothing about until now, gosh im just so ignorant...

the thing i wanna emphasize is, even though we (malaysians) do not have strong diplomatic ties with the Serbians and worse still, Israelis, some of my closest travel mates are from there! no one is holding grudges against anybody...

you know what a good idea is? the politicians should start backpacking around the world to learn of tolerance and acceptance of one another, and stop fighting!

and ironically, i get to know about the current hots of our election issue back home from Luca, my host in rome...i was like:'wow, really?', when he told me about it...not that i really care, if i may add...

may the best man get the victory then...

2008-02-15T21:49:00.006+01:00

Genova, Italy

One man's meat is another man's poison...When i told my italian friends that ive incorporated Genova in my itinerary, they have advised otherwise, it's just aint worth the while, they said. Well you know what, im in love with this harbour city, and i daresay more so than Rome or Florence or even Venice!

Traveling from Pisa to Genova takes you through Cinque terre, or Five Lands, the legendary Italian fishing villages, and i didnt pitstop there simply because it is the wrong season! the mediterranean water is freezing cold this time of the year and trust me, it sucks to admire the water at a distance, just like what im going through here in Genova.

this is a vibrant city, and just like other italian cities, it is full of history and medieval buildings, but on the contrary though, and probably why i love it so much, this place is totally free of tourists!

Giovanni brought me out to a fantastic lunch today, and being the hospitable italian host that he is, he wont hear of my getting the bill, gosh, dont i just love being a traveler!

As we are all aware of, the italians are known to be gastronomes, we're talking about a nation who enjoys good food and drink! and they are very eager in sharing that trait to all who aint suffering from food disorder! A complete Italian meal consists of such in that order: Antipasti, Primi (pasta/soup/risotto), Secondi (meat course), Contorno (vegetable) or Formaggi (cheese), and closes with Dolci (sweet) with espresso.

I know i love food, but after Primi i declared that im stuffed (we each had one serving per course, as is customary, and of course, gigantic-sized serving), Gio werent so convinced, so i eventually opted for all time favourite Tiramisu, it was divine...

i later went for a coastal walk to burn off all that fats and soaked in the sun, something in which the italians are blessed with, among others, heavenly weather...

wish i can stay here for a long long time...

started off with fizzy white and bread

followed by white

antipasti

primi

Dolci

coastal walkway

genova day

genova night

2008-02-14T23:55:00.005+01:00

geez, just when i thought the italians are a bunch of sober innocents, their alcohol is just as toxic...thanks Parrachino, for making me tipsy!

Happy V-day, guys...

Been running this song through my head lately, that's gotta say something, right?

2008-02-13T01:29:00.000+01:00

wow, great city, awesome people, and damn, why am i doing whistle-stop traveling? three days are hardly enough to explore a beautiful city such as this...

I took a four-hour train ride from Florence to Rome this morning, and upon arrival, deposited my heavyass backpack at the station and hopped into the Metro underground...there is simply no time to lose! Rome has much to offer and the time i allocated for it does no justice to it whatsoever...

I got out of the underground and was immediately in awe...there it is, the majestic Colliseum, standing right before me, such an imposing and wonderous architecture, with so many stories to tell, among them sinister ones...

and so it is like that throughout the rest of the day, every corner you turn to, something caught not just your eyes but your breath as well, it is really an exceptional city...

and just like most of the other italian cities, it is infested with tourists...can never seem to get rid of them...it's not like i hate to share such a beautiful city with other people, it's just that, their presence hike up the entrance fee tremendously, few years back and it was free to enter the colliseum, nowadays please deposit 11 euro at the counter, tyvm...

i should feel grateful nevertheless, it is mid-winter now and they say the amount of tourists are the least this time of the year, next month onward when Easter is on, it will be three-fold no less...

After visiting the Palatino, i went to look for Luca at his place. The good thing of staying with an italian host is that, you get to see everything through an italian's eyes, you know where the best pizzerias and gelaterias are, you learn about italian language and history, and you get to experience everything the italian way...

and one of it is flying down the roman streets in the scooter! it was amazing, albeit a little chilly, but riding behind Luca, who was kinda showing off by speeding, is really a shitload of fun...it's like having a personal guide around the city with him explaining every important monuments and obelisks and even statues! you have no idea how many there are lurking in nooks and corners...

we then stopped at what he claimed as one of the best pizza place in town, and sure enough, it was really good! we had a large pizza each along with antipasto and beer...sometimes i wonder how the italians eat all that carbs and yet still maintain a near-perfect figure...Life is unfair huh?

As it is, Luca lives conveniently next to the Vatican City, so we took a stroll to say hi to the pope, and visited Castel Santa Angelo, another magnificent piece of art...More history lessons and more pictures taken...we later hopped in to his favourite bar for some live music, walked along River Tevere, where he criticized Dan Brown for his groundless story-telling, to prove his point and in reference to Angels and Demons , he brought me to the exact location where the story took place...'the dude clearly has no head or tail about Rome', he said.

I am so looking forward to more sight-seeing tomorrow...

2008-02-08T19:43:00.000+01:00

Manuele, my host in Ferrara

princess posing for picture

The year of the rat, did you say?

Marek setting up the burner to cook lunch

Ekaitz teaching me how to make tiramisu, coffee flavour for me, and colacao flavour for him

Ekaitz digging in

the grand canal

gelato

Masqueraders

Marek and Raphael

Italy = Pigeons

***

Ferrara, Italy

Wow, so this is what i have been missing my entire life, why wasnt i born an Italian? everything about them just feel so right! so...complete...

Well, almost complete...

Upon touching down at Treviso, i waited at the carousel for my sleepingbag that wasnt gonna show, realization hit pretty quickly and i kinda accepted the cruel fact that it's gone before i even know it for sure...

having gone through worse scenario than this, i shrugged it off and before long found myself in the enchanted dreamland of Venice...It was cold, the sky was gray, and above all, it was rainy...that didnt dampen anything at all, well, at least it didnt dampen the spirit of the masquerader...

So i didnt do much on the first day, went back to Massimo's house and met two other travelers from Poland, and boy, were they totally fun to hangout with...we ate some polish sausages, drank some wine, talked a little, you know, the usual...and in about a coupla hours know everything there is to know about each other...totally cool...

the next day, the finale of Venice carnival 2008, woke up to a brilliant sunny blue-sky day, had some italian coffee and we went costume hunting! nice outfits and fancy masks can be seen everywhere, these people clearly dress to impress! we took tonnes of pictures, went out of the way outside the tourist zone, squeezing through narrow alley and trespassing through residential area, talked to the local people and joined in the local party, it was all fun!

the boys are totally equiped with travel gears, i was very much amazed when they produced a bunsen burner from their backpack and started cooking stew by the canal, and let me tell you this, that could possibly be the best picnic ive ever had, we were in our own world, enjoying the scenery to the utmost and oblivious to curious passers-by, who were most amused by our antics...

after that we stopped by the gelateria for a much needed gelato, it was beginning to feel like summer with all that sunshine and a gelato was most welcome. When night falls, we hopped in the wine shop and got ourselves a bottle of merlot each ( we later regretted not getting two bottles each), and italian merlot is really tasty (maybe i was thirsty)...we sat at the boardwalk beside the grand canal, listening to italian music, watching people dancing, totally mesmerized...

the evening party was the major attraction...everyone gathered at the piazza San Marco to begin a whole-night dancing to end the carnival, after which everyone's gonna sober up to commence a 40-day fasting till Easter...nice...

The Italians reminded me very much of the spanish, the way they party, so much freedom, and so much joy, and gosh, everyone is so beautiful...not exaggerating here...

good things end quickly, as im very much accustomed to it already, the next day, i bidded farewell to my new-found friends of Marek and Raphael, and continued on my journey...They tried to coax me into traveling with them in another direction, but plans were made and other people are expecting me else where, so i have to wave them off at the train station...and you know what, poland is officially added to my itinerary now...

***

I got off the train at Padova and went to meet with Cris, easily the most charming lady ever...we shared so many travel tales and never ran out of conversations, i truly did enjoy my two nights with her and her beautiful kids, savoring real italian food, getting so many different ideas from her approach to life, and was totally inspired...at the end of my sojourn in padova, i knew ive found yet another soulmate...

***

so much to tell, so little time...arrived in the medieval town of Ferrara today and fell in love with it instantly, it's really that easy to fall head over toes to everything and everyone here...

will talk of my experience in Ferrara next time...stay tune!

2008-02-03T18:08:00.001+01:00

yet another captivating musical, bravo!

I finally made it to watch Les Mis at westend, and sure enough, with all the compliments ive heard about this well-loved musical, it didnt disappoint.

While the theatre is a tad small for my comfort, and the lack of over-the-top stage props and special effects, the casts didnt fail to deliver, and at the end of the show, one wont hesitate for future comebacks. It was that good.

I love the songs especially, powerful rendition by teen Cosette and teen Eponine (her rendition of 'On my own' was breathtaking), kudos also to Fantine and Marius. And as for Jean Valjean, i wasnt really that blown away by his performance.

Would also like to give credit to both the kids on stage, they were spectacular! Thénardier and Madame Thénardie did a superb job as comic relief, i love them to bits!

I must say that it was money well spent, and more les mis is to be expected!

Venice, here i come...

2008-01-31T19:52:00.000+01:00

View Larger Map

2008-01-29T05:44:00.000+01:00

been partying too hard, and for good reasons too!

bday came and went, just like that, and suddenly i feel as if im ancient, and people start looking at me and expect so much more...age is just a number if you get right down to it, isnt it? what bearing has it gotta do with anything?

free booze and free food on your bday, now that has gotta be one of the greatest thing in life...and more importantly, surrounded by people who care about you and really meant it when they wished you a great year ahead, that's priceless!

it just makes it even harder to say goodbye...

2008-01-24T09:44:00.000+01:00

Boy, have i been busy! sometimes things just come gushing by all at once that you hardly have time to process it...it's not that it's overwhelming, but you tend to long for a short interval, some thinking time, if you will, to savour the good times that happened.

Rey was in the country for a few days, so i hopped on the train at Waterloo and traveled for two hours OUT OF LONDON (hurray!) to the quaint old town of Bath...it's like going back to medieval time, where each and every buildings tell a story, and guess what, the birth place of Jane Austen, and of course, the Roman Bath...

as like everywhere else in England, it was really gray when i arrived, and it made the place more mysterious than ever, and believe or not, it does send a chill down your spine every now and then, and it's not from the cold wind!

One thing i like about small towns like that is the ideal size of it, not overly humongous like the big donkey of London...it takes just under an hour to walk from one end to the other, and that's not walking the entire time, you stop for breathtaking views, which is often, and also to admire the little bric-a-brac on display along the sidewalks...and if you fancy bridges and rivers, we've got the lovely river Avon here for your enjoyment, and when you tire of walking, sidewalk cafes are aplenty for you to get your caffeine fix, you are simply spoilt for choice!...there is no reason not to fall in love with Bath...

At night, Rey cooked us some malaysian dish of Chicken and Potato stew, and some greens, it was scrumptious! we joked about her establishing a B&B here in Bath offering malaysian delicacy, with the breakfast being Roti Canai and Nasi Lemak and Wan Tan Mee, it will be a major hit! As Rey and Glyde dont have a habit to drink, we didnt hit the local bar, instead, you wouldnt believe it, we spent the night playing Wii! and the game we played is none other than the top-of-the-chart Mario vs Sonic Olympic match...frankly though, im way too old for Wii, was physically exhausted after playing ping pong and swimming and running with the Wii remote, talking about technology!

the next day, we went to Bristol for some sightseeing, by that, i really mean doing all the free stuff there is to do in Bristol, which is alot...think museums, think medieval towers, think parks, think old historical buildings...all in all, Bristol is lovely...

another reason i love Smaller towns is the personal space you get...imagine walking into FCUK and you're the only customer, and imagine all the sales items are still there and are available in all sizes and colors, it's just too good to be true! needless to say, i had a good time shopping, without all the pushing and shoving and the presence of i-would-rather-be-somewhere-else sales person.

it was a very relaxing trip altogether, away from the hustle and bustle city life...

*******

Got back to London Paddington yesterday, went to meet with Fabi, who came to visit me from spain and will spend the next few days with him...

oh yeah, have i mentioned? i lost my wallet yesterday...just after i withdrew money from the cash machine, and just when im going off to Italy...dont much care bout the money, but all my cards are there! including my youth card which entitles me for concessioned tickets in europe...what a major blow...

but as i said, what can you do about it?

2008-01-09T01:31:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to update my blog for days now, indeed, this past week has been rather eventful, among them, szabi and i were water-fighting on NYE, so as a result, we poured some half-a-litre of water onto the laptop and the thing went kaput...so we were out of internet for like a week, it was pure torture!

the dude pulled himself together and bought a new laptop coupla days back, his third and the second in a two-month frame. Good thing is, he was rather nonchalant toward the whole episode and didnt mind in the very least, so right now we are back in business...

NYE was a major flop, sometimes when u think about it, the whole counting-down thing is just totally overrated, at the end of the day, it's just another day, dont u think?

as it turned out, London was bloody raining that time, it cant get more miserable than that...so we hangout at home and got ourself ready for the scene by getting loaded before we hit the bar for countdown...and guess what, just right outside the bar, the bouncer decided i was WAY too loaded to admit me into the bar, can u freaking believe that? just because i was throwing bottles on the street didnt mean i was gonna be unruly, did it?

oops, i should probably shut up now, shouldnt i? :p

So being the good roomie that he is, Szabi wont hear of my insisting him to join the rest in the countdown and yeah...we actually said happy new year outside the bar with the others who didnt manage to get in...

but really, NYE aint all about merdeka square or time square or sydney harbour bridge or Big Ben...it's all about the company who's gonna be there to wish ya a great year ahead when the clock strikes 0 hour, it's really all about just that...it didnt matter that we were soaking wet from the rain or from perspiration (for those celebrating in the tropical), because it hardly dampens the festive mood...alright, maybe just a little...

I have a good feeling for 2008, it's gonna be a year of revelation for me, it's gonna be SO GOOD...

Hillsong prelude

2007-12-28T23:23:00.000+01:00

Hillsong has gotta be the coolest church ever, occupying the Dominion Theatre where they play the musical 'We will rock you' every sunday, they have got the lightings, the sound system, talented musicians and most important of all, the anointed and well loved Pastor Gary Clarke.

2007-12-27T16:22:00.000+01:00

Tamas and John

Our Christmas tree ( a lil' sloppy, i know...)

the wine i contributed

tadah, Christmas steamboat

foggy London morning

Hillsong Christmas Eve service

drunken Szabi

enough is enough, this has gotta stop, this binge eating habit of mine...

I know, i know, it's the holidays, so what if you are eating more than usual, it really doesnt count, does it?

well, quite apparently it does...i was staring at my naked body while trying on new outfit yesterday (thus hogging the fitting room for a good 20 minutes or so), and i was rather alarmed...my body has ballooned up considerably since the last time i checked...

and really, i blame it to my much altered lifestyle...first of all, ive been eating a whole lot ever since i came here, my appetite has definitely grown astoundingly...the small portion of food that stuffs me easily back home can no longer satiate my constant hunger, and due to the never-ending food supply at work, and the quality of it (we eat what we serve the client), i have been binging every single time i visit the chefs in the kitchen...and let's not go to the high starch component of the english food.

and i know how they say an average londoner walks more than anyone else in a developed nation, that much is true when we've got warmer days...nowadays, with a travel pass in hand, everyone just jump on any mode of transportation to get from point A to point B, even for a mere 500 meters journey...(im the culprit, hehe)

roomie szabi has been urging me to join him on his daily workout session at the gym which is located conveniently in the next block from our house and so far ive been far too lazy for that, but seeing the urgency at hand, i might just take his offer up for it...

***

Still deliberating whether to celebrate NYE in London or in Paris...

2007-12-20T15:33:00.000+01:00

the Drawing room

the vaults

fellow Colleagues

RSA Christmas Luncheon

Hillsong Christmas service

2007-12-14T13:37:00.000+01:00

it was completely random, i was just fooling around on the internet, looking up stuff and chatting up people, when i just subconsciously pulled up this airline web page, saw some great deals where the promotion ends in a few hours' time, and without much time to hesitate (i had to go to work in the next hour), i bought myself a ticket to VENICE...

the advertised price was 10 quid, but after adding all that miscellaneous, it came up to 20, which i think is fairly cheap! and so it's official, my next travel will happen on the 4th of feb, after rey's visit and after les mis...

now that's what im talking about, something to look forward to (other than Christmas and NYE) and something to plan on...

the date also coincides with Venice Carnival, so i'll be witnessing the real masquerade party...hip hip hurray!

***

on an unrelated note, i kinda got mugged yesterday, was pretty wasted and somehow recall someone going through my stuff and took my money...40 quid...

well, that's that, i guess...cant do nothing about it...

2007-12-12T11:56:00.000+01:00

end result

capsicum and onion

chicken

On such a rare occasion that all of us are at home at the same time due to dayoffs collision, tamas suggested that we make fajitas for dinner...

the very thought of fajitas triggered me down memory lane, i can still remember my first fajitas was at TGIF, mom's favorite chain and she was the one who introduced it to me, telling me the correct pronunciation and what it's made of.

and while i was at it, i thought of all the chains back home that i used to enjoy so much, damn, one thing we dont have here in London, it's all these megamalls with everything under the roof, and damn (again), they are scattered in almost every other corners in the klang valley...how can i not miss the lovely city?

we dont have anything even remotely close here...all the shops are on their own, and to windowshop, you have to fast-walk along the sidewalks with a million others, oh, did i mention, walking in the freezing cold. Don't even attempt to slow down your pace to admire the dazzling jacket on mannequin, you will not only be cursed, but be shoved and on one incident (i read it in paper), be killed. This poor old man was getting in some lowlife's way and ended up getting walloped and died...it's sad but true...

so while the boys were out getting the ingredients for cooking, i cant help browsing through the store directory of Pavilion, i heard it is the latest addition to the shopping scene in kl. and my my my...all that food chains (not so much of fashion's) really turned me right on...

what have we got? Dome, dragon-i, breadtalk, madam kwan's, rain nudle house, tony roma's, la bodega( cant miss that one), ms read, SAKAE!!, thai express, kampachi(is it the same as the jap restaurant in equitorial?), TGIF!!, and of course, all others that i havent the pleasure to visit, yet...

have you guys the slightest idea how spoilt you are being a KL-ite?

2007-12-07T14:57:00.000+01:00

ice-skating at somerset house

somerset house

the eye, again...

st paul's cathedral

oxford street

2007-12-03T00:06:00.000+01:00

It's here, it's here! the lights and decorations are up, and carols are played in most stores, merry shoppers with a ready smile can be seen up and down Oxford street, doing last minute Christmas shopping and taking advantage of the Christmas sales...

as if that's not enough, the council cordoned off Oxford street and Regent street yesterday for what was known as the VIP day, or Very Important Pedestrian day...it was a complete madness, the entire length of Oxford street was filled with human beings, and trust me, it is a very long street, the length as covered by four tube stations...

and what is more unbelievable, is that i didnt buy anything, well except for some thermals and long johns and scarfs, you know, the essentials, i didnt even so much as glance at other stuffs...

I am waiting for the annual Boxing day sale...now that's the real deal...since when ive become such a money-pinching freak, i really dont know...i guess London can really transform a person without one realizing it...

***

Petra came over from Germany for a weekend getaway, and along with Mustafa (libya) and Tino (Italy), we braved through shitty london weather of freezing cold wind and went bar hopping, started in Camden town and ended in Oxford Circus...

we talked about some winter travel plans and i really like hearing that she has got it all sorted out, we are gonna be going away to some snow-capped mountain somewhere in Austria, and good old Tino has also promised to fix me up with his friends when i do my italian trip next year...

so what if im working really hard right now? it's gonna be all worth it after all...

2007-11-25T11:00:00.000+01:00

i've always been saying that the only thing that makes a travel interesting, it's the story from all these different people that you crosspath with...

everyone has a different story, every single person...

so i was sharing a bottle of red wine and coke (Kalimotxo) with roomie Szabi, when he told me how he got about living in London...

the dude took up electrical engineering back home in Hungary, where he studied for two years, and got offered a scholarship to be trained as an athlete in the states. So without much hesitation, he quickly signed up, eager for a change of environment.

So what do you do when you have zero literacy of the language in an english-speaking country? you adapt.

He got his friend to sit for the TOEFL test for him (fake ID and everything), where he passed the test with flying colour and have his scholarship granted, and before he knew it, he was on his way to memphis.

So long story short, he only stayed in the states for one and a half years, and got expelled from the uni in his sophomore year when they found out he faked his toefl test (that part was interesting, he slept with some bloke's girlfriend, the dude found out, got pissed off, went to the authority and rat him out).

with only two grand in his pocket, he bought a car for one grand, and started a cross-country trip to LA, california, where dreams can come true. it did for him, he got himself a rich girlfriend, spent his remaining money in vegas, and flew off to hawaii, all expense paid for...

and then when family affair called for, he flew back to europe, and on returning to the states, he found that he has been deported, they discovered that he has been staying there illegally after his student visa became void, and decided that he shall never step foot in the land of america in his lifetime.

so instead of flying into the land of dreams, he took a detour and ended up in Mexico. and while he enjoyed the lifestyle there and lived there for a bit, he soon realized he's getting no where and hence came to london to earn the pounds.

and now he's just stuck here, like everyone else...the thing about london is that, people easily get complacent and fall into the comfortable zone, and as time goes by, it just gets harder to get out of it...

i have been invited to Hungary for white Christmas, but im gonna pass for now, as ive already made plans for Christmas in London, will hafta wait till next year for my first white christmas...

will just be contented with a Gray one this year...

2007-11-16T16:57:00.000+01:00

you know it's cold when you breathe and your breath is visible in the air...Grrrrr...i mean, seriously...

***

So Suya came to visit me in town and we went out to a really cozy restaurant in Angel, along with her sister, brother-in-law, and cutie pie Casper...

we got to talking and before long, her ever cant-sit-still syndrome got the better of her, and she started coming up with all these traveling plans and all these incredible deals her company (she works for airlines) is offering...

and as im infected by the travel bug as much as she is, i quickly became interested in the places that she's mentioned, and we both decided that croatia it is next...

i will hafta look at the map again and draw out the would-be travel route, and a feasible one...i made a huge mistake last time flying from spain to germany and missing out everything in between, aint gonna happen this time...

Eurostar international station was shifted from Waterloo to St.Pancras two days ago, and they are offering a return ticket to Paris for only 60 quid, tempted as i am to have a weekend getaway to the city of romance, i really have to wait for the proper time to go, i.e., when i have the means to splurge...

right now just wanna concentrate in raking in the money and have a fantastic Christmas, oh, and a happy new year too...

now im really getting in the spirit...

2007-11-08T14:48:00.000+01:00

it was altogether a very sad and disturbing occasion, and such a blow too, after two weekends of dual celebration of Halloween and GuyFawkes, when we are feeling so highly spirited, it's like a slap in the face, and my dislike for London has since sky-rocketed...

our house was BURGLED!

and if you are starting to wonder if i do indeed stay at some kinda scum area that spells 'danger', think again...

fine, i wont exactly call it a posh area like NottingHill or Mayfair or Lancaster Gate, but hey, Hoxton is located in central london in ZONE ONE, and only four tube stops away from West End, can i ask for a more secure precinct? well, apparently yes...

So i got home on tuesday to find tomas leaning against the banister at the balcony, smoking a fag and looking somewhat subdued, upon seeing me, he gave me a grin and announced (a little too cheerfully) that we have been burgled...

i was taken by surprise for a minute, quickly inspect the state of the house, not to check on my belongings, because i simply have nothing valuable lying around, but just to collect bits of evidence that a crime has indeed taken place there...

i got nothing...the room was as MESSY as before, clothes and undies were everywhere (they still are), CDs, DVDs, magazines, food, were scattered literally in any available space that you can find in our crib...but wait a second, something is missing, yeah, the laptops were gone...

all in all, three laptops were being taken away, and i learned that the house was empty for only a period of 40 minutes, the thieves were watching our movement the entire time! how creepy is that?

when asked how they feel about the tragedy, szabi merely shrugged and said nonchalantly: Shit happens...

now i really like that attitude, because one thing that i loathe, is people who cry things over spilt milk, they just drive me up the wall...

Needless to say i was a happy person when he bought a new laptop the next day (it's that cheap, around one week's wages), not only because i get to use the internet again (:p), but simply because these are the kind of people i want to hang around with, the cool ones...

that doesnt mean i want to hang around in London longer than it is necessary...

2007-10-29T11:30:00.000+01:00

So after work on saturday night, roberto and cyrell dragged me to club101 for a well deserved glass of wine, apparently there were cause for celebration, it's Halloween weekend and also the end of DayLightSaving time, which means we gained one Full hour, big deal...

people can be seen dressing up to the occasion, the streets were infested with vampires, zombies, mummies and younameit...thing is, they were not exactly treatOrTreating, but merely, as you would have guessed, drinking!

we chilled for a bit and just meeting friends, friends of friends, and it turned out we all have common friends, which i find it really amusing...London is a city of seven millions, what is the odd of that? It's happened to me on few rare occasions, and im beginning to lean forward to the theory of six degrees, we are all related somehow...

i've also recently succumbed to all these facebook invitations and thought i will just give it a try, and bam, i'm meeting all these folks ive lost touch with again...it's just great to receive messages from a travel mate whom you havent seen for over a year, and update each other on our current location and doing...

would like to take some time and hangout in the network and sort out the whoswho, send someone a poke and just keep in touch with the people you have crosspathed with...it takes so little effort nowadays to be in contact with other people, i just hope we dont start taking it for granted...

***

brought Roberto to Hillsongs yesterday and he really did enjoy the service tremendously, he declared after the service that he is gonna be attending church every Sunday now...

i cant be happier that i have managed to touch yet another person's life...

2007-10-23T19:20:00.000+02:00

Hoxton, London

Cant believe how quickly things get organized once you've had the experience, yeah, i've managed to find a room in just two days!

Was kinda worried if my new roomies could top that of my previous ones, because they were just absolutely amazing! didnt i have such a grand time in Spain?

My concern is totally uncalled for, turns out my current roomies are just as fabulous! So there're only the four of us essentially, two hungarians, one british and myself, all dudes. Szabi's brother is right now visiting london, so he's here hanging out with us as well.

The moment i stepped into the house i knew im in serious trouble, the kitchen shelf is filled with tonnes of alcohol! just about any kind that you can name, plus those that you cant, and rightly so, as two of the boys work in the bar around the corner...im thinking my plan of staying sober at least until Christmas aint gonna be working out so well afterall...

Im hoping i can quickly get acquainted to my roomies and hit it off well (we already have), and eventually get invited to Hungary, which is in my travel list...i know it sounds like im befriending friends for ulterior motive, but im really not like that, i do treasure each and every individuals that ive met along the way, even the touch-n-go ones...

I've started working with the RSA and hopefully i can top up my bank account for a little bit, so that more travel plans can be forthcoming...

things are pretty much working out so far, guess for once ive really got nothing to complain...

oh wait, maybe just one, but we'll leave that for some other day...

2007-10-21T21:48:00.000+02:00

Camden Town, London

it sure feels good to be on payroll again, it can only mean one thing though, the spending power is back!

u wont believe me if i told you i havent bought anything for myself (other than the basics) during the entire course of my six-week travel, truth is, ive been very careful with my money, for one, i didnt know how long i was gonna travel, for another, using your UK card in Europe is really expensive (they slap u with lotsa charges and commision).

so it's fairly accurate to say that i spent most of my money only and purely in food and transportation (and booze), and the verdict is...

total expenditure = €1000 (+/-)

which amount to only about €25 a day!

from the beginning of the travel, i have given myself a challenge, budget traveling with minimal expenditure, very much inspired by 'the amazing race'. Needless to say im feeling pretty proud of myself, and who can write a better book on 'budget traveling' other than me?

With that said, i want to challenge you guys out there to beat my current record, let me know if you are successful, coz if you are, you might just be the perfect travel partner for me, someone who doesnt hafta travel in STYLE...

drunken days back in germany...(i passed out in the bar and was carried all the way back home, kinda embarrassing i know...)

London

2007-10-19T20:34:00.000+02:00

Havent felt so exhausted for a long time now, getting in to London always give you that feeling, people hustling about, over taking you on the street because you are being such a slowass, try carrying my backpack, you holes...

welcome back to London, it's freezing here and im glad im well prepared, i even got myself a ear cover! dont say it, i know im a total wuss...

so being back here means getting back to business, something in which i hate...first thing first, i needa get my lodging sorted out, i know i shoulda done that BEFORE i got back, but im really not so much of a planner, in fact, i didnt know i was coming back until one week ago...

next up, dont i need a job? hate to break it to you but i do, and the reality is killing me, doesnt it to all of us? good thing is, ive established enough contacts before and i should get going in no time at all...

would also like to take up some courses while im here for the next two months, i have a good idea of what i wanna do, just wanna do some more research before committing myself to it...if only i was that sensible when i chose to do five years engineering course in the Uni last time...

what's next? just looking forward to celebrating Christmas for the most part...it kinda feel right having Christmas in Winter, and not summer like down under or back home, have always wanted to cuddle up in rugs near the fire place, chestnut roasting on an open fire, on Christmas eve, just like what we see on television...

dont worry, none of that is gonna happen in London...Bummer!

Berlin

2007-10-16T18:59:00.000+02:00

ive always been obsessed with visiting the capital city of a country, there has gotta be some unique qualities that govern the choosing as such, other than the obvious such as being the major CBD or in the population perspective.

but like Madrid and London, im in for a major disappointment...

to be quite honest, i really dont know what the big donkey has to offer, first off, everything seemed scattered and distant... never mind the fact that the city was divided before, but surely they can come out with a new plan when the wall was torn down? how'bout concentrating on beautifying a specific area and mark it as the city central, instead of having developments in different parts of the city? it really makes it difficult for travelers who travel by foot, like me...

and if you are here for the architectures and old buildings, you will have to be contented with new, characterless ones...

on the contrary though, there are heaps of museums and theatres and philharmonic halls if you are into them, you can also walk along side what seemed to be the remnants of the wall and soak in the history of yesteryears...

but then again, who am i to judge? hell, im totally biased when it comes to big cities...will always be a country boy at heart...

boy, i sure miss buenache, alcala, hildeshime and offenburg...

***

went out with my lovely hosts last night to the local sushi bar for some temaki and A drink, as it turned out, we had more than one drink, we had three drinks each, one maitai and two zombies, and by the time we were done with our drinks, we were the only ones left at the bar, and we walked back home like zombies...

things are not that hot during the week, the night scenes in berlin only heat up towards the weekend, and generally mondays and tuesdays are detox days, you've gotta give the poor liver a darn break at some point, you dont wanna mess it up...

one thing about all my hosts is that, we all share the same passion in traveling. German Vanessa and aussie Michael have been to countless places, and they never stick around at one place long enough to call it home, the world is their home...

we exchanged travel tales and i sorta like what they are doing, just doing what they are doing, worry bout nothing, and you know, Living...

life isnt all that complicated if you get down to it, live it and not to be lived...

Save the Earth!

2007-10-15T11:37:00.001+02:00

so im committed to writing bout the environment for today, in support of the greenies...will just present a few observations seeing ive only got 10 minutes left of internet usage.

The germans are dedicated to creating a very environmental-friendly atmosphere, they are aware of the importance of recycling, and they are actually practising it too...

First off, you get charged for every single piece of plastic bag at the store, bottles and glasses alike. Not only that, you are required to categorize your waste according to the different substances and you are legally obligated to dispose them accordingly into the different bins.

Smart cars are highly supported here as well, ppl are willing to pay a higher price for a small car in the name of saving the environment. Brochures and flyers are all printed in recycled papers, lights and heaters in the apartments are operated with timer, electrical appliances are made to be energy-saving...

It is also a common practice for people to carpool around here, ive been using the facility myself arranging rides to different places and traveling with complete strangers in the car. It is a brilliant idea, not only does it conserve resources, but more importantly, it is very cost effective as well.

We can all learn from the germans in becoming a greener person, they are really making an effort in making a difference, and they sure have done a helluva job at that...

Hildeshime

2007-10-13T14:19:00.000+02:00

Im loving Autumn, something about the falling leaves that feel very close to heart, a sign that there is always a beginning and an end, and something to look forward to next year...

im feeling detached to other people, im feeling melancholy, im feeling the cold weather and the gray sky, and when i say i dislike changes, i dont really mean it...truth is, it's good to have changes...

will be flying back to London from Berlin on wednesday...do i miss London? not a chance...someone here in Germany is holding me back that it's so hard for me to leave...i guess im in love...

i will be back here next year...

2007-10-06T16:54:00.000+02:00

Hildesheim, Germany

When you gotta go, you gotta go...

so i left munich and headed north...my initial plan of going through prague didnt work due to some logistic matters...

right now im staying here with Chloe, indefinitely, as ive been traveling for a while now, and a good rest is in order...somehow, going to another country with another language just doesnt seem so hot to me right now...i need some time to rejuvenate and yeah, detox my body for a little bit...

this is a really quiet town with some good walks and some unesco heritage sites, not so much on the happening side and also on the nightlife department, but hell, it suits me just fine, what i really need now is some wholesome food and a good place to sleep and to catch up on telly (i mean american TV)...

as chloe and i go way back so im pretty sure i wont wear out my welcome any time soon...

it's about time to think about getting back to the UK to earn some money...

Oktoberfest 2007, Munich

2007-10-04T16:22:00.000+02:00

Official logo

Chloe

Petra, Carola and some crazy americans we met

inside the famous HB tent

Strong bavarian girl

the Olympic rollercoaster

Spatenbrau tent

horses with beer

fische

Eurostar

Munich

band

pork chop

Welcome to the biggest, craziest and most happening party on earth!

it was madness! there are no words to describe the magnitude of it unless you see it for yourself, ive never seen anything that huge a scale in my entire life...

and no, it's not just about drinking, there are tonnes of other things to do and eat and see here, and of course, to meet other crazy travelers from all around the world...

everyone has gotta go to oktoberfest at least once in their lifetime, i promise you, you will have the time of your life!

2007-09-29T14:50:00.000+02:00

Offenburg, Germany

i guess im definitely a country boy, because i have the best time whenever im in the country...

took a slowass train yesterday (i cant afford ICE) from frankfurt to here in Offenburg and was immediately charmed by the surrounding. It felt even better when i saw Dominik waiting for me in the station, he´s like one of my closest german mates back when we were in NZ, we had so much fun together back then.

he took me on a ride and we cruised along his farm, educating me along the way on farming, i learned how to make apple cider and wine, and also about harvesting maize, apple, potato and grape.

as he is staying only 10 minutes away from the french border, he amazed me by driving over the river Rhine to Strasbourg where we visited the legendary cathedral there. and just like that, i crossover from germany to france and back in a matter of two hours.

at night, we went to the weinfest (wine fest) and tried so many different varieties that gave me a major hangover this morning.

Weather has changed from shit to perfection today, so we will visit some castles and the infamous Black Forest later...

i love the country...

2007-09-27T23:05:00.000+02:00

Frankfurt, Germany

The funniest thing happened today..i was at the tram station, trying to figure out where to get the ticket. So i asked this girl bout it, and she looked at me and gave me a sly smile, saying:' you dont need one', i went like:Really? then she turned serious: I mean it! Follow me.

so we hopped onto the tram, and stood strategically near the door; everytime it stops at a station, we would keep an eye for the ticket inspector, it was really comical the way she would scan the entire platform with just her eyes, you would never notice it unless you were paying attention to her.

and then it happened, just one stop prior to ours, these two strict looking officers came in, i swear my heart stopped beating for like two seconds, it reminded me so much of that time in Melbourne when i was caught redhanded traveling without a ticket, i totally freaked out...

very calmly, this cool german girl headed for the door, gave me the signal that says: get the fuck out of the train! NOW!

i recovered from my dumb-founded state, very quickly, if i may add, grabbed my backpack, and alighted the train, just as nonchalantly as she was, brushing by the officers, like damn, get outta my way..

and my, did we have a good laugh bout it, feeling very good that we just got away with murder...she was really awesome, and ended bringing me all the way to where i was headed to...

i should so stop committing all these misdemeanours...it's intolerable!

:p

2007-09-27T00:15:00.000+02:00

Cologne, Germany

Damn, this sure is one cold country, if only i havent taken the sunshine in Madrid for granted, would have soaked up all the warmth before i come...

Contrary to what ive heard about the germans, they are really friendly folks! ive gotten help all the way from the airport to here in Eifelplatz, navigating through yet another very extensive rail network in which the germans are so proud of...

ive said this before, and i will say it again, my hosts are awesome! God must be on my side in letting me meet all this hospitable people, they make me feel so privileged!

im loving Cologne, it really is picturesque here, wish i had more time to explore the place and not have to rush to Munich like a maniac..

maybe i will stop by on my way up again...

2007-09-24T20:06:00.000+02:00

Madrid

So i didnt make it to Portugal afterall, i was convinced by Fabi that my plan to do portugal in three days is a lousy one, it wont do justice to the country!

We said our farewells and parted ways, it´s hard but that´s what traveling is all about, you constantly meet new people and then you move on, telling each other that it is not the end, but merely a beginning of a wonderful friendship...

Im right now staying with Kristi and Steve from Massachusett, they are really cool folks, and im gonna hang around in Madrid for four days or so...

the city is massive but it doesnt intrigue me a great deal, i dont know, it must be the lack of character somehow, or maybe im just feeling that tiny bit of lethargy in my travel...will try to slow down a lil´and give a break to all that alcohol...

afterall, Oktoberfest is beckoning me and im just glad that i have something to look forward to...

Goodbye Spain!

Hasta Luego...

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