Sometimes it really sucks to be alone in a foreign land. My housemates have already started school and therefore dont have much time for me. As classes have not started yet, I do not have the chance to meet & make new friends. As such I have to entertain myself.
Just today, I went Buckingham Palace alone for the tour. Would prefer to go with someone else but not much choice since the palace is only open till tomorrow to the public. It's pretty cool to have a tour inside the palace and see how the royal family live it up with the taxpayers $$. It's really opulent and luxurious inside with all the antiques and furniture and paintings.
Had krispy kreme donuts along the way to school. Here it's so much easier to get good donuts without queuing unlike Spore where the queue is so god-damn long! However getting sick of all the bread, pasta and pizza I have been eating these past few days. Need to start cooking chinese food soon man.
Yesterday night, my housemates invited some of their friends over for steamboat cum mooncake festival celebration. It went pretty well although the preparation was abit rush as we only did the grocery shopping last minute together with our rice cooker (finally!). Guess when you are thousands of miles away from home, the feeling is really great to have friends over having steamboat amidst the cold weather of London. It's quite comforting to know that although your family and gf are so far away, there are still friends that can make you feel at home.
Lastly, ling has been complaining that I have not mentioned her in the blog. So shall make a short dedication just for her - Been missing you too but I'm really glad that things are going quite well. No quarrels and arguments yet. Haha. But cannot be too complacent because it's only a few days and there are still a good 9 months ahead! Hopefully we will make it through together. Love ya...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
My First Few Days in London
The 13hr40 mins flight wasn't as bad as expected. Probably cuz it was a night flight, I slept a good part of it away. Was met at the airport by my friend's friend, Chaiyut. Really grateful that he came down early in the morning at 630 to pick me up. Will be staying with him and another of his friend Leo for the next 9 months, hopefully everything will go well!
Moved into our "home" immediately and I must say it looks pretty good, although the rent is god-damn expensive. The Londoners must be making too much $$ as exotic cars like Aston Martins, Mercedes, BMW and Mini Coopers etc are all so common on the roads.
My first meal in London was a sandwich with latte and Chaiyut treated me to it. It cost 5 pounds (S$15) and apparantly that is considered cheap by London standards! Pretty much did nothing for the first 2 days as much time was spent making our home liveable. Hopefully all these shit can be settled asap so I can get down to my real purpose of being here... studying.
Finally had the time to go LSE on my 3rd day here. Travelling in London is pretty easy with the tube (equivalent to our MRT). Went to settle my bank account before that but apparantly it is still not ready so I have to survive with whatever few cash I have on hand for the next few days at least. Met this undergrad girl Celine from Singapore with her parents at the branch and I must say, it was so comforting to meet Singaporeans in London. Went to school to meet up with Chaiyut as we wanted to go down to Chinatown to buy some stuff. Celine and her parents joined us too as they dint have much plans either. I must say Chaiyut was a pretty good tour guide and her parents were suitably impressed! Went pass Covent Garden Market, Chinatown, Leceister Square and Picadilly Circus. Will return to explore these places in greater detail when I have the time. Had char kway teow for dinner at Chinatown and I must say it tastes so good! Not cheap though; cost £6 = S$18!!! Although it is due to the fact that I have been eating bread, pasta and pizzas for the past few days but nonetheless, I do miss Chinese food here. Got to start learning how to cook!
There's so many things to settle - school stuff, housing issues, banking, transport etc. And the worst thing is that since public transport is so expensive, minimum £1.50 per trip on the tube, the cheaper alternative is to walk. And my friend Chaiyut walks really fast! It's definitely not as convenient as Singapore where I can just drive the car around. But I guess it will be good training for me to be more independent by the time I'm done with my studies here.
Although it has only been a short few days here, but it has definitely given me new perspectives in life. Just today at school, I chatted with this guy from Pakistan and a girl from Africa. Everywhere you go in school, you see people of different nationalities and this is definitely something that is probably missing from NTU. Definitely looking forward to meeting and making new friends from all over the world and experiencing first hand the cosmopolitan and diverse culture here! Also, being alone in a foreign land makes me appreciate how I used to take my family for granted. In Singapore, I could always depend on my family and friends to help with whatever problems but here, everything has to be settled by myself. And the expenses are just tremendous in a city like London including the school fees. Hopefully the expenses will come down once I settled in to school life. I have to really thank my dad for giving me this opportunity to further my studies and do something which probably not many of my peers get to experience.
Sorry but did not have time to upload photos but it will be done soon once my internet at home is up and running!
Moved into our "home" immediately and I must say it looks pretty good, although the rent is god-damn expensive. The Londoners must be making too much $$ as exotic cars like Aston Martins, Mercedes, BMW and Mini Coopers etc are all so common on the roads.
My first meal in London was a sandwich with latte and Chaiyut treated me to it. It cost 5 pounds (S$15) and apparantly that is considered cheap by London standards! Pretty much did nothing for the first 2 days as much time was spent making our home liveable. Hopefully all these shit can be settled asap so I can get down to my real purpose of being here... studying.
Finally had the time to go LSE on my 3rd day here. Travelling in London is pretty easy with the tube (equivalent to our MRT). Went to settle my bank account before that but apparantly it is still not ready so I have to survive with whatever few cash I have on hand for the next few days at least. Met this undergrad girl Celine from Singapore with her parents at the branch and I must say, it was so comforting to meet Singaporeans in London. Went to school to meet up with Chaiyut as we wanted to go down to Chinatown to buy some stuff. Celine and her parents joined us too as they dint have much plans either. I must say Chaiyut was a pretty good tour guide and her parents were suitably impressed! Went pass Covent Garden Market, Chinatown, Leceister Square and Picadilly Circus. Will return to explore these places in greater detail when I have the time. Had char kway teow for dinner at Chinatown and I must say it tastes so good! Not cheap though; cost £6 = S$18!!! Although it is due to the fact that I have been eating bread, pasta and pizzas for the past few days but nonetheless, I do miss Chinese food here. Got to start learning how to cook!
There's so many things to settle - school stuff, housing issues, banking, transport etc. And the worst thing is that since public transport is so expensive, minimum £1.50 per trip on the tube, the cheaper alternative is to walk. And my friend Chaiyut walks really fast! It's definitely not as convenient as Singapore where I can just drive the car around. But I guess it will be good training for me to be more independent by the time I'm done with my studies here.
Although it has only been a short few days here, but it has definitely given me new perspectives in life. Just today at school, I chatted with this guy from Pakistan and a girl from Africa. Everywhere you go in school, you see people of different nationalities and this is definitely something that is probably missing from NTU. Definitely looking forward to meeting and making new friends from all over the world and experiencing first hand the cosmopolitan and diverse culture here! Also, being alone in a foreign land makes me appreciate how I used to take my family for granted. In Singapore, I could always depend on my family and friends to help with whatever problems but here, everything has to be settled by myself. And the expenses are just tremendous in a city like London including the school fees. Hopefully the expenses will come down once I settled in to school life. I have to really thank my dad for giving me this opportunity to further my studies and do something which probably not many of my peers get to experience.
Sorry but did not have time to upload photos but it will be done soon once my internet at home is up and running!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Countdown to London.... My thoughts and feelings
I'm leaving Singapore for London in 2 days. Yes, I should be all excited and looking forward to the trip. After all, how many people can have the opportunity to go London to study their postgrads immediately after completing their undergrad? And that's the point I'm trying to make. It's not easy when most of your peers are working in top banks earning big bucks while I am still "slacking" around not looking for a job. The feeling sucks. Some might say I am trying to escape reality, but I have my reasons. Also, the preparation for overseas studies seriously suck! Lots of things to prepare, lots of things to buy, lots of things to pack and worse still, I haven't settled my accommodation in London yet!! Feel time is running out but I am still far from being prepared. Guess it's my fault for leaving the packing till the last minute. Also, this is the first time I will be away from home for so long and I can already foresee how much I will miss Singapore. My family, friends, food and of course HL!
And yes, all these basically sum up my thoughts and feeling pre-trip. I'm not as excited as I thought I will be and I'm not as prepared as I will like to be. Hopefully things will turn for the better once I'm there.
A message for HL - I know it's going to be difficult to keep a long distance relationship going, but I just would like you to know that I will put in my best effort! After all it's only 9 months, shorter if you can come over or if I'm flying back. Must take care of yourself back home and work hard and earn lots of $$ k? Will miss you a lot as well! Love you....
And yes, all these basically sum up my thoughts and feeling pre-trip. I'm not as excited as I thought I will be and I'm not as prepared as I will like to be. Hopefully things will turn for the better once I'm there.
A message for HL - I know it's going to be difficult to keep a long distance relationship going, but I just would like you to know that I will put in my best effort! After all it's only 9 months, shorter if you can come over or if I'm flying back. Must take care of yourself back home and work hard and earn lots of $$ k? Will miss you a lot as well! Love you....
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