Friday, 6 July 2007
Friday, 22 June 2007
Friday | 22 June - Last day in the UK, at Beckenham, Kent
So today's my last day in the UK. It's been 2 weeks gone by really fast, but very meaningfully as well.
Last night, I took Aunty Cynthia & Uncle Robert, Aunty Anne, and Andrew out for dinner. They decided on eating at the Friendly 8 Chinese restaturant, just a 10 minute walk away. The food was pretty good, but I was full from my late lunch so I only had a single a la carte dish. I insisted that I pay for the dinner, which they graciously accepted - very happy that we could share a meal together!
I walked back to Aunty Cynthia's house with Aunty Anne, and she showed me the old houses and the flowers that adorned their gardens. She let me smell the honeysuckle of a particular house. The skies were very beautiful that evening - it was still bright at 9pm, and about dusk.
I spent the night at Aunty Anne's place, which is a 10 minute jog from Aunty Cynthia's place. Aunty Anne is really very nice and friendly - she showed me the kitchen, where to find water/food/breakfast and told me to help myself.
She showed me the shower, and also showed me the bath tub (in a separate bathroom) "in case I felt like having a bath instead".
She let me check-in online and print out my boarding passes, and provided me with a map (hand drawn) to Aunty Cynthia's place by foot, and also scissors to cut up magazines which I wanted to bring back (alot of good photography which I hope to learn from).
She went to bed earlier than I did, while I spent about 1-2 hours repacking my bags and discarding useless stuff.
I woke up at 7am, thinking she'd be at work already. But hearing activity outside my room, I went out to see Aunty Anne having her coffee and breakfast. She told me that my coffee was by my bedside - that was so very nice of her to make me coffee and put it at my bedsite table for me! I sat at the sofa next to her, and dozed off.. much to her amusement.
She showed me where breakfast could be found, and how I could use the telephone. I told her I think I'd sleep in (I was really tired) and I'll call Aunty Cynthia that I'll be over for lunch instead of coming over for breakfast. She immediately made the call to Aunty Cynthia for me.
She went off to work after that, while I went back to bed. I woke up to finish my coffee and call British Airways (on a free line, not the PREMIUM RATE line, which Uncle Peter cleverly found out for me - he has these ways of finding out the cheapest way to go about doing things). I'm relieved, and more confident of bringing back ALL my things home without any additional charges.
I'm going to wash the dishes in the kitchen and write a thank you note to Aunty Anne, as well as present her with a bar of Thronton's chocolate.
My total expenditure so far is probably about £550.. Won't be spending any more today!
Last night, I took Aunty Cynthia & Uncle Robert, Aunty Anne, and Andrew out for dinner. They decided on eating at the Friendly 8 Chinese restaturant, just a 10 minute walk away. The food was pretty good, but I was full from my late lunch so I only had a single a la carte dish. I insisted that I pay for the dinner, which they graciously accepted - very happy that we could share a meal together!
I walked back to Aunty Cynthia's house with Aunty Anne, and she showed me the old houses and the flowers that adorned their gardens. She let me smell the honeysuckle of a particular house. The skies were very beautiful that evening - it was still bright at 9pm, and about dusk.
I spent the night at Aunty Anne's place, which is a 10 minute jog from Aunty Cynthia's place. Aunty Anne is really very nice and friendly - she showed me the kitchen, where to find water/food/breakfast and told me to help myself.
She showed me the shower, and also showed me the bath tub (in a separate bathroom) "in case I felt like having a bath instead".
She let me check-in online and print out my boarding passes, and provided me with a map (hand drawn) to Aunty Cynthia's place by foot, and also scissors to cut up magazines which I wanted to bring back (alot of good photography which I hope to learn from).
She went to bed earlier than I did, while I spent about 1-2 hours repacking my bags and discarding useless stuff.
I woke up at 7am, thinking she'd be at work already. But hearing activity outside my room, I went out to see Aunty Anne having her coffee and breakfast. She told me that my coffee was by my bedside - that was so very nice of her to make me coffee and put it at my bedsite table for me! I sat at the sofa next to her, and dozed off.. much to her amusement.
She showed me where breakfast could be found, and how I could use the telephone. I told her I think I'd sleep in (I was really tired) and I'll call Aunty Cynthia that I'll be over for lunch instead of coming over for breakfast. She immediately made the call to Aunty Cynthia for me.
She went off to work after that, while I went back to bed. I woke up to finish my coffee and call British Airways (on a free line, not the PREMIUM RATE line, which Uncle Peter cleverly found out for me - he has these ways of finding out the cheapest way to go about doing things). I'm relieved, and more confident of bringing back ALL my things home without any additional charges.
I'm going to wash the dishes in the kitchen and write a thank you note to Aunty Anne, as well as present her with a bar of Thronton's chocolate.
My total expenditure so far is probably about £550.. Won't be spending any more today!
excess baggage - a way out?
My Free Checked in Allowance
World Traveller and Euro Traveller – 1 Bag
Maximum dimensions per bag (H+W+L): 158cm (62in)
Maximum weight per bag: 23kg* (51lbs)
* Please note: we will continue to accept a piece of baggage weighing up to 32kg (70lbs) for travel completed by 30 September 2007.
So I may be able to check in my luggage, which weighs just under 30kg.
Alternatively,
"You may check in your free checked baggage plus one additional item of sporting equipment providing that it weighs no more than 32kg and does not exceed the dimensions: 2.5m x 1.00m x 0.8m (98cm in x 39 in x 31 in). "
So I can try checking in some of my stuff as sports equipment - the kites, the ball & mit sets, and also throw in some of the heavier stuff like postcards, etc. Should just meet the 23kg (for my first check in) and definitely less than 10kg for the additional bag.
Praying everything will work out..
World Traveller and Euro Traveller – 1 Bag
Maximum dimensions per bag (H+W+L): 158cm (62in)
Maximum weight per bag: 23kg* (51lbs)
* Please note: we will continue to accept a piece of baggage weighing up to 32kg (70lbs) for travel completed by 30 September 2007.
So I may be able to check in my luggage, which weighs just under 30kg.
Alternatively,
"You may check in your free checked baggage plus one additional item of sporting equipment providing that it weighs no more than 32kg and does not exceed the dimensions: 2.5m x 1.00m x 0.8m (98cm in x 39 in x 31 in). "
So I can try checking in some of my stuff as sports equipment - the kites, the ball & mit sets, and also throw in some of the heavier stuff like postcards, etc. Should just meet the 23kg (for my first check in) and definitely less than 10kg for the additional bag.
Praying everything will work out..
Thursday, 21 June 2007
EXCESS BAGGAGE ):
Oh dear.. If you could, please pray..
- for a safe return flight.
- for my baggage NOT to be taxed, and if so, for a viable alternative to be easily made.
- for the families i've stayed with, that God may bless their households.
My check in luggage currently weighs 30kgs (thereabout), the heavy stuff being the jams, sweets, chocolate, enamel signboards (bought, not stolen), three ginormous kites and sports gear. i really cannot afford to chuck those! will be repacking tonight and reducing the weight as much as i can.
I'm currently staying with Aunty Anne, a friend of Aunty Cynthia. It's a 5-10 minute run from where Aunty Cynthia stays, so I'll be running over to have breakfast with them tomorrow.
Just checked in and I got myself an aisle seat, so I have easier access to the toilets and such.
See you back in Singapore.
- for a safe return flight.
- for my baggage NOT to be taxed, and if so, for a viable alternative to be easily made.
- for the families i've stayed with, that God may bless their households.
My check in luggage currently weighs 30kgs (thereabout), the heavy stuff being the jams, sweets, chocolate, enamel signboards (bought, not stolen), three ginormous kites and sports gear. i really cannot afford to chuck those! will be repacking tonight and reducing the weight as much as i can.
I'm currently staying with Aunty Anne, a friend of Aunty Cynthia. It's a 5-10 minute run from where Aunty Cynthia stays, so I'll be running over to have breakfast with them tomorrow.
Just checked in and I got myself an aisle seat, so I have easier access to the toilets and such.
See you back in Singapore.
Thursday | 21 June - Summer Solstice, the Longest day; Royal College of Surgeons
Today's the longest day in summer, with 17 hours of daylight.
Visited the Royal College of Surgeons Museum with Jialun and Kaiping. It was a nice visit, and quite an eye opener into the development of the practice of Medicine, and surgery specifically. I was surprised by how far back surgeries and medical procedures were employed in medical practice! It's really amazing how the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter was so ahead of his time, and how ideologies and concepts he developed are still very relevant today. He clearly was ahead of his time.
Afterwhich, we had lunch at this pub, with a "2 for £7.49" offer. We had 4 meals between the 3 of us, sharing a Caesar's Chicken Salad - which was great. A filling meal for 5 quid each.
We split up after that - KP went to Madame Tussaud's while Jialun went to National Gallery; I went to Piacdilly Circus to purchase the rest of my kites from Lilywhites.
I went to buy espresso beans and had them ground for Uncle Peter, as well as bought chocolate milk and chocolate mousse from Marks & Spencer. The chocolate desserts are really good. I got back just before 5pm, with two hours to pack now.
Have to pack very quickly now, because I have to leave Sydenham HIll for Beckenham where I'm staying tonight. I'll be meeting Aunty Cynthia, Uncle Robert, Aunty Anne and Andrew for dinner (which I will treat them to).
I fly off tomorrow at 9pm (4am Singapore time) and arrive in Singapore at 5.15pm (Singapore time). My flight's BA0011.
See you guys soon. Will update the rest of the photos and trip when I get back.
Love.
Visited the Royal College of Surgeons Museum with Jialun and Kaiping. It was a nice visit, and quite an eye opener into the development of the practice of Medicine, and surgery specifically. I was surprised by how far back surgeries and medical procedures were employed in medical practice! It's really amazing how the surgeon and anatomist John Hunter was so ahead of his time, and how ideologies and concepts he developed are still very relevant today. He clearly was ahead of his time.
Afterwhich, we had lunch at this pub, with a "2 for £7.49" offer. We had 4 meals between the 3 of us, sharing a Caesar's Chicken Salad - which was great. A filling meal for 5 quid each.
We split up after that - KP went to Madame Tussaud's while Jialun went to National Gallery; I went to Piacdilly Circus to purchase the rest of my kites from Lilywhites.
I went to buy espresso beans and had them ground for Uncle Peter, as well as bought chocolate milk and chocolate mousse from Marks & Spencer. The chocolate desserts are really good. I got back just before 5pm, with two hours to pack now.
Have to pack very quickly now, because I have to leave Sydenham HIll for Beckenham where I'm staying tonight. I'll be meeting Aunty Cynthia, Uncle Robert, Aunty Anne and Andrew for dinner (which I will treat them to).
I fly off tomorrow at 9pm (4am Singapore time) and arrive in Singapore at 5.15pm (Singapore time). My flight's BA0011.
See you guys soon. Will update the rest of the photos and trip when I get back.
Love.
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Tuesday | 19 June - Windsor Castle, Great Windsor Park, The Long Walk, Phantom of the Opera
Windsor was great. Went to Waterloo to meet Milton at 9.45am, and Shawn and JIA LUN came along. Joel joined us later.
We got tickets cheap - a 2 for 2 offer, so we paid half price at £3.90 each for the return journey. The 50 minute trip there was passed by playing cards - Bridge, Dai Dee and Egyptian Rat Race (which I keep winning).
Today happened to be the Royal Ascot Races, held at Ascot which is a short drive from Windsor itself. The Queen was in attendance, and she was probably at Windsor Castle at her royal apartment.
Upon arriving at Windsor, I got maps and we went to Windsor Castle. £6.50 entry, and we were in to explore the place. Really big and beautiful and there were many intersting things inside - Queen Mary's Doll House collection, the Royal Art Collection (featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo and more), the Royal China Collection (porcelain tableware), Armour and weapons, the St. George's Cathedral, and the castle environs.
Afterwhich, we went to grab some lunch at a cafe (I had a stuffed potato with tuna and corn, and an ice cream) and clever me went to buy two 2l of drinks for £2.60!! This shop had a one for one offer (: Pretty good deal, considering a 500ml bottle of coke at the cafe cost £1.30 (:
Then we went to the Great Windor Park. Gosh, it was so beautiful and massive - the Long Walk is so simple with the boulevard of trees gracing each side of the road path, and that was beauty in itself. The 3 mile road leads to Windsor Castle. The group of us sat under a tree and ate our lunch while we talked. After lunch, we passed the time playing cards and enjoying the lovely breeze and summer weather, while Jialun made sketches for his sweetheart. I'm kidding, but Jialun was drawing whatever he saw. Very remarkable interest and means of expression, and I really admire Jialun's drawing ability.
Then the moment we'd all been waiting for - PHOTO SHOOT! Took lots of scenic shots of the Long Walk, Windsor Castle, and also us with the lovely scenery. We took cool shots as well - I enjoyed it!
After the Great Park, we made our way back to the train station, with 30 minutes to spare so we walked around Eton for a very short while - not enough time to visit Eton College though. Well it was good enough fun, and we went back from Windsor via the train to Waterloo, grabbing dinner at McDonalds' before catching the Tube to our various locations for musicals. JIalun and Shawn went to watch the Lion King while Joel and myself went to catch Phantom of the Opera with Bird, Yanling, John and Milton.
Phantom was quite an awesome musical. The set was great - very elaborate and well designed and thought of. The thing that kinda grew stale after a while was the constant use and re-use of the same tunes, with lyrics changed accordingly with the situations and dialogue. Nonetheless, the strong melodies and themes held true - song like Music of the Night and That's All I ask of You were really well sung. The performers weren't bad, singing and dancing well. And there was much use of pyrotechnics and explosives - flames and firecrackers were used for effects, the phantom would escape using a small thunderflash and a shroud of smoke. The smoke machine was very cleverly employed for the water scenes (:
it was training on the outside when it ended. So we waited outside for the rain to simmer, while we took some photos of ourselves. Then we headed home via tube, along our own separate routes.
I found myself at Green Park at 10.45pm, with a train that would depart from Victoria at 10.52pm (though it actually departs at 10.50pm). So with great determination, and really couting every second, I hopped onto the Victoria line train, alighted as soon as it arrived, ran and cut through the crowd like a meandering stream, dashed up the escalaor, tapped out of the gantry and ran up the stairs into the Victoria station, made a quick check on the Departure boards to confirm my train's platform, dashed through the gantries and boarded the first carriage of the Orpington line train as soon as I saw it..
Ten seconds later, the doors closed and the train departed. Thank goodness - it would have been a 30 minute wait for the next train just because of that 10 seconds lapse.
I'm going to have a shower before hitting the sac. Going to update the photos asap (:
I'm meeting my friends at Westminister tmr, and then going to watch the Changing of Guards again. Then we'll see what there is to do before going for dinner at Edgware Road for dinner at night.
Monday | 18 June - Tower Bridge, Baker Street, Serendipity
Woke up late - again ): 9.30am and I rolled out.
Quickly got ready, didn't shower (it's not needed here since it's not so humid) but fixed a quick breakfast and hung out my clothes to dry with just ONE MINUTE to rush to the train station to get the next train to Victoria.
I happened to hop into the carriage where the Ticket Inspectors were on - they checked my Oyster card which was obviously in service (:
Then from Victoria, I took the District and Circle line all the way to Tower Hill. Upon getting there, I got out - and it rained.
Was marooned there for almost an hour.
When it simmered down, I set off for Tower of London and Tower Bridge, in the gloomy weather. Long queues formed for tickets to Tower of London. Seemed very interesting, but I went into the Visitor Centre (free admission) to watch the video which showed a general overview of what's inside Tower of London and a very rough idea of it's history and significance - THERE! I've seen Tower of London. Took a few photographs, though I think the only nice photos of Tower of London would be taken from the inside, or from the air (by helicopter or from Tower Bridge).
While taking photos of Tower Bridge with my tripod, it began to pour! DRAT. So I dismounted my camera from the tripod, hid it under my sweater and ran for shelter. Decided to hide from the rain until it was clear that it would be sunny. So just as well - I had lunch while waiting. I had a £3 meal, which was a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. So I ended up having 4 pieces of chicken and a lot of fries. Not bad by London standards.
The rain stopped and I carried on my way to see where I could take more photographs of Tower Bridge. it was about 12noon by then. i walked along the banks of the river thames, on Tower Bridge itself, and across to the opposite banks. Finally found a few good spots to take the photos with proper exposure. I went on my way, talking towards London Bridge and turning out to the main road where I could take the train from London Bridge Underground. I seem to be going by this place MANY MANY times.
I'd originally planned to go to South Kensington just to take photos of the flowers I had seen yesterday at Cat's place. And perhaps go to the museums. But the gloomy weather made me decide otherwise - I decided to go to BAKER STREET - home of Sherlock Holmes!
Took the tube to Baker Street, making only one transfer - I'm quite attuned to riding the tube now (:
At Baker Street, I realised there was more to see - Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, a Beatles Memorablia Shop and Museum, an Elvis Presley Memorablia Shop, and the famous 221B Baker Street Residence of Sherlock Holmes. Went into all those memorablia shops - very nice collectables and badges and such, and also a little Beatles Museum and Sherlock Holmes Museum! But I wouldn't part with my Sterling just for that! So the only two souvinirs I took home from there were - 1. the business card of the Sherlock Holmes Museum and 2. a mental note to remember to take a photo of Abbey Road, of Beatles Fame.
Leaving the place, I contemplated having an ice cream - STUPID JONK. It was then that i ran into these blokes:
Jia Lun, Shawn, John Hsu, Gillian and Huipei.
OH MY SON. what a small world. Serendipity strikes everywhere!
Gillian left, and the rest of us went to Canada Water to go back to Huipei's brother's rented apartment (he's a fourth-year medical student at King's) - they'd be staying there for a few days before they fly back home. The apartment is a really lovely place, and I quite liked the layout (albeit it was quite a messy living arrangement) and how cosy it was.
After a short rest, we took a bus to London Bridge (see - i'm there AGAIN) where we took a train to Tottenham Court Road (where they were to catch Les Miserables the musical). I got myself a Java Chip from Starbucks to indulge in ): £3.15!
On the way, the bunch of them went to get Krispy Kremes at the station before we took the tube to Tottenham Court Road. We had dinner at Wong Kei Chinese Restaurant at Chinatown. Food seemed quite decent, and portions large. However, we were in a smoking section ): And the waiter sounded MORTIFIED when I didn't make an order. He was like,
"NI BU CHI FAN?"
And I was like "BU CHI!"
HAHA. So we had a good time over dinner, eating and talking and drinking tea (i like) and toasting to our promotion.
Then they went to get their tickets and subsequently, meet up with another group - my OG, comprising Yan Ling, Xinrong, Bird, Milton, Kaiping and Thomas. Was great seeing them, and we talked a bit while waiting to go into the theatre.
The Group at the Theatre.
I went home for dinner. Aunty Amy cooked chicken rice, which was really lovely. We finished the whole platter, including veggies and I ate the leftover curry from last night's dinner. This was followed by ice cream, which Uncle Peter cleverly concocted some fudge made out of melted dark chocolate (from the microwave). It was good - and I'd better exercise alot when I get home!
I spent the rest of the evening planning a day trip tomorrow for us - considering going to Windsor OR Salisbury/Stonehenge OR BOTH. Both seems out of the question, it's way too rushed.
Adeline sent me a text to sell me Joel's here and is bored and gave me his London line. Will rope him in for tomorrow's outing.
Hope tomorrow goes fine. I reckon we'll go to Windsor!
Will update with photos asap!
Quickly got ready, didn't shower (it's not needed here since it's not so humid) but fixed a quick breakfast and hung out my clothes to dry with just ONE MINUTE to rush to the train station to get the next train to Victoria.
I happened to hop into the carriage where the Ticket Inspectors were on - they checked my Oyster card which was obviously in service (:
Then from Victoria, I took the District and Circle line all the way to Tower Hill. Upon getting there, I got out - and it rained.
Was marooned there for almost an hour.
When it simmered down, I set off for Tower of London and Tower Bridge, in the gloomy weather. Long queues formed for tickets to Tower of London. Seemed very interesting, but I went into the Visitor Centre (free admission) to watch the video which showed a general overview of what's inside Tower of London and a very rough idea of it's history and significance - THERE! I've seen Tower of London. Took a few photographs, though I think the only nice photos of Tower of London would be taken from the inside, or from the air (by helicopter or from Tower Bridge).
While taking photos of Tower Bridge with my tripod, it began to pour! DRAT. So I dismounted my camera from the tripod, hid it under my sweater and ran for shelter. Decided to hide from the rain until it was clear that it would be sunny. So just as well - I had lunch while waiting. I had a £3 meal, which was a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE. So I ended up having 4 pieces of chicken and a lot of fries. Not bad by London standards.
The rain stopped and I carried on my way to see where I could take more photographs of Tower Bridge. it was about 12noon by then. i walked along the banks of the river thames, on Tower Bridge itself, and across to the opposite banks. Finally found a few good spots to take the photos with proper exposure. I went on my way, talking towards London Bridge and turning out to the main road where I could take the train from London Bridge Underground. I seem to be going by this place MANY MANY times.
I'd originally planned to go to South Kensington just to take photos of the flowers I had seen yesterday at Cat's place. And perhaps go to the museums. But the gloomy weather made me decide otherwise - I decided to go to BAKER STREET - home of Sherlock Holmes!
Took the tube to Baker Street, making only one transfer - I'm quite attuned to riding the tube now (:
At Baker Street, I realised there was more to see - Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, a Beatles Memorablia Shop and Museum, an Elvis Presley Memorablia Shop, and the famous 221B Baker Street Residence of Sherlock Holmes. Went into all those memorablia shops - very nice collectables and badges and such, and also a little Beatles Museum and Sherlock Holmes Museum! But I wouldn't part with my Sterling just for that! So the only two souvinirs I took home from there were - 1. the business card of the Sherlock Holmes Museum and 2. a mental note to remember to take a photo of Abbey Road, of Beatles Fame.
Leaving the place, I contemplated having an ice cream - STUPID JONK. It was then that i ran into these blokes:
Jia Lun, Shawn, John Hsu, Gillian and Huipei.
OH MY SON. what a small world. Serendipity strikes everywhere!
Gillian left, and the rest of us went to Canada Water to go back to Huipei's brother's rented apartment (he's a fourth-year medical student at King's) - they'd be staying there for a few days before they fly back home. The apartment is a really lovely place, and I quite liked the layout (albeit it was quite a messy living arrangement) and how cosy it was.
After a short rest, we took a bus to London Bridge (see - i'm there AGAIN) where we took a train to Tottenham Court Road (where they were to catch Les Miserables the musical). I got myself a Java Chip from Starbucks to indulge in ): £3.15!
On the way, the bunch of them went to get Krispy Kremes at the station before we took the tube to Tottenham Court Road. We had dinner at Wong Kei Chinese Restaurant at Chinatown. Food seemed quite decent, and portions large. However, we were in a smoking section ): And the waiter sounded MORTIFIED when I didn't make an order. He was like,
"NI BU CHI FAN?"
And I was like "BU CHI!"
HAHA. So we had a good time over dinner, eating and talking and drinking tea (i like) and toasting to our promotion.
Then they went to get their tickets and subsequently, meet up with another group - my OG, comprising Yan Ling, Xinrong, Bird, Milton, Kaiping and Thomas. Was great seeing them, and we talked a bit while waiting to go into the theatre.
The Group at the Theatre.
I went home for dinner. Aunty Amy cooked chicken rice, which was really lovely. We finished the whole platter, including veggies and I ate the leftover curry from last night's dinner. This was followed by ice cream, which Uncle Peter cleverly concocted some fudge made out of melted dark chocolate (from the microwave). It was good - and I'd better exercise alot when I get home!
I spent the rest of the evening planning a day trip tomorrow for us - considering going to Windsor OR Salisbury/Stonehenge OR BOTH. Both seems out of the question, it's way too rushed.
Adeline sent me a text to sell me Joel's here and is bored and gave me his London line. Will rope him in for tomorrow's outing.
Hope tomorrow goes fine. I reckon we'll go to Windsor!
Will update with photos asap!
Monday, 18 June 2007
The Week in Retrospect..
Time to take stock of what I've done this week. It seems week well spent..
with the awesome company of good friends, and visiting great places.
Thanks alot Grace, and your mom, and Aunt and family. It's been great travelling with you!
And much thanks to Cat too - thanks for showing me around (:
Saturday
British Museum & Library tour with Cat
Royal Albert Hall
Italian Dinner with Cat
Kensington Gardens to watch rollerhockey (meeting this guy named Alex)
Sunday
Church service at Salvation Army, Penge Corps
Lunch with Aunty Cynthia and friends at home
Afternoon with Aunty Cynthia, Uncle Robert and Andrew
Dinner at Aunty Cynthia's house
Monday
Picadilly Circus with Grace to shop at Lily Whites
National Gallery with Grace and Jenny
Tea at Covent Garden
London Transport Museum
Travelled around (attempted to go Tower Bridge), went to Waterloo
London Eye
Video arcade!!
Tuesday
Tate Modern
Millenium Bridge
St. Paul's Cathedral, Evensong
Fame, the Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre
Wednesday
Cambridge, with Grace and family
Dinner at Chinatown
Thursday
Oxford University with Grace and Jishan
Eagle and Child Pub - where the Inklings met up
Punting
G&D Ice Cream
English Tea
Friday
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Saturday
Bath City & Environs
Roman Baths
Royal Crescent
Thornton's Ice Cream and Chocolate
Sunday
Church with Cat at Holy Trinity Brompton
(which started the Alpha Course)
Lunch - Four Seasons Duck Rice at Bayswater
Science Museum Part II
with the awesome company of good friends, and visiting great places.
Thanks alot Grace, and your mom, and Aunt and family. It's been great travelling with you!
And much thanks to Cat too - thanks for showing me around (:
Saturday
British Museum & Library tour with Cat
Royal Albert Hall
Italian Dinner with Cat
Kensington Gardens to watch rollerhockey (meeting this guy named Alex)
Sunday
Church service at Salvation Army, Penge Corps
Lunch with Aunty Cynthia and friends at home
Afternoon with Aunty Cynthia, Uncle Robert and Andrew
Dinner at Aunty Cynthia's house
Monday
Picadilly Circus with Grace to shop at Lily Whites
National Gallery with Grace and Jenny
Tea at Covent Garden
London Transport Museum
Travelled around (attempted to go Tower Bridge), went to Waterloo
London Eye
Video arcade!!
Tuesday
Tate Modern
Millenium Bridge
St. Paul's Cathedral, Evensong
Fame, the Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre
Wednesday
Cambridge, with Grace and family
Dinner at Chinatown
Thursday
Oxford University with Grace and Jishan
Eagle and Child Pub - where the Inklings met up
Punting
G&D Ice Cream
English Tea
Friday
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Saturday
Bath City & Environs
Roman Baths
Royal Crescent
Thornton's Ice Cream and Chocolate
Sunday
Church with Cat at Holy Trinity Brompton
(which started the Alpha Course)
Lunch - Four Seasons Duck Rice at Bayswater
Science Museum Part II
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Sunday | 17 June - Church, Equipment Failure, Four Seasons Restaurant, Science Museum, Lily White to buy kites..
Went to church with Cat today. It was a very good service (worship was led by Tim Hughes) and the message today was very very apt and fitting, and ministered to me much. The pastor spoke well, and very down to earth - pragmatic with strong basis on the word - which I really enjoyed. If I were living in the UK, I'd probably go worship at that church.
The message today was "How to handle anger". Scripture reference was Matthew 5:21-26.
He made six main points, chiefly:
1. Consider the CAUSE
2. Press the PAUSE
3. Watch the WORDS
4. Master the MIND
5. Couting the COST
6. Pursue the PEACE
Very thought provoking, and I left feeling a sense of peace and desire to work on how I manage my emotions and respond to situations. How apt, considering it's father's day as well.
Have yet to call home, and tell my dad that I bought a 1:43 model of the Vauxhall Victor F Series, and to wish him happy fathers' day.
There were tons of beautiful flowers in full bloom on the road to church today. Changed to my macro lens to take some nice lovely photos of them. Then walking back out - we see a lovely classic Jaguar parked on the street, along with a nice BMW. So I make a lens change from my macro lens to a wider-angled lens.
And then when i switch on the camera - 'Err CF' displayed on the status panel.
Equipment fault - the CF just wouldn't work. And I didn't have another CF because it was lying back home with yesterday's photographs. I'm going to check the card to see if there are any photos which could be recovered.
Otherwise, today went on fine (aleit without photos). Went out for lunch with Cat to this Hong Kong restaurant called 'Four Seasons' and they served pretty good duck rice ("the best duck rice you'll ever eat," according to Cat). Was not bad - I had mixed meat while she had duck rice. Split the tab, and we each paid £8 for lunch - decent by UK standards.
Walked through Kensington Gardens while walking Cat back to her hall. Was a nice long walk, and we saw many kids and dogs running all over the place. Cat mentioned she'd have trouble keeping a pet, cos she has enough struggles feeding herself in UK - things really aren't cheap there!
Except for some things, like clothes during sales. Or Thornton's chocolates which we got from Bath yesterday.
After seeing Cat back, I went to the science museum to finish off where I'd left off. Was so amazed by the collection of model boats. They're so beautiful and intricately made, and I didn't have my camera to take photos ): The war ships and diving vessels really intrigued me - how they're so sophisticated and.. cool! Haha - i mean, everything's built for action. Weapons. Hatches. Gadgets. So exciting!
I saw the exhibit on the Spitfire planes, which Britain made throughout the Great War from 1936 all the way up till 1945. It's amazing how much spending the poured into the craft, as well as how many improvements they constantly made to it [There were 24 marks (revieions) of the craft].
It celebrated the human spirit of faith, perseverance, courage, comradeship, loyalty, unity, ingenuity, and great engineering design. From the great ambitions and clever design of RJ Mitchell (who sadly, died of cancer, living only long enough to see the prototype fly), to how Joe Smith carried on the project .. And how many women were recruited and TRAINED to work in production lines to build these crafts from scratch. It's just amazing how the country united in such dark times. There were many stories of pilots who were drafted from all over the world - New Zealand, Thailand, Jamaica, India, Scotland, Czech Republic, etc. Some of these men had escaped their countries (which had been occupied by enemy forces) to come and continue the fight from Britain as pilots. Some of these men were allies, and come from diverse backgrounds and even distant shores. I found this exhibit very enjoyable.
The museum closed at 6pm, and I went off to Lily Whites at Picadilly Circus to buy a kite and some games to play for picnics. Then I went to WHSmith to browse photography magazines - still deciding which one to buy, cos there are a few issues which deal with the same things - shooting and composing landscapes, portraiture and (most importantly) common photoshop techniques for photographers. That'd be very handy to me, with practically no Photoshop knowhow!
The message today was "How to handle anger". Scripture reference was Matthew 5:21-26.
He made six main points, chiefly:
1. Consider the CAUSE
2. Press the PAUSE
3. Watch the WORDS
4. Master the MIND
5. Couting the COST
6. Pursue the PEACE
Very thought provoking, and I left feeling a sense of peace and desire to work on how I manage my emotions and respond to situations. How apt, considering it's father's day as well.
Have yet to call home, and tell my dad that I bought a 1:43 model of the Vauxhall Victor F Series, and to wish him happy fathers' day.
There were tons of beautiful flowers in full bloom on the road to church today. Changed to my macro lens to take some nice lovely photos of them. Then walking back out - we see a lovely classic Jaguar parked on the street, along with a nice BMW. So I make a lens change from my macro lens to a wider-angled lens.
And then when i switch on the camera - 'Err CF' displayed on the status panel.
Equipment fault - the CF just wouldn't work. And I didn't have another CF because it was lying back home with yesterday's photographs. I'm going to check the card to see if there are any photos which could be recovered.
Otherwise, today went on fine (aleit without photos). Went out for lunch with Cat to this Hong Kong restaurant called 'Four Seasons' and they served pretty good duck rice ("the best duck rice you'll ever eat," according to Cat). Was not bad - I had mixed meat while she had duck rice. Split the tab, and we each paid £8 for lunch - decent by UK standards.
Walked through Kensington Gardens while walking Cat back to her hall. Was a nice long walk, and we saw many kids and dogs running all over the place. Cat mentioned she'd have trouble keeping a pet, cos she has enough struggles feeding herself in UK - things really aren't cheap there!
Except for some things, like clothes during sales. Or Thornton's chocolates which we got from Bath yesterday.
After seeing Cat back, I went to the science museum to finish off where I'd left off. Was so amazed by the collection of model boats. They're so beautiful and intricately made, and I didn't have my camera to take photos ): The war ships and diving vessels really intrigued me - how they're so sophisticated and.. cool! Haha - i mean, everything's built for action. Weapons. Hatches. Gadgets. So exciting!
I saw the exhibit on the Spitfire planes, which Britain made throughout the Great War from 1936 all the way up till 1945. It's amazing how much spending the poured into the craft, as well as how many improvements they constantly made to it [There were 24 marks (revieions) of the craft].
It celebrated the human spirit of faith, perseverance, courage, comradeship, loyalty, unity, ingenuity, and great engineering design. From the great ambitions and clever design of RJ Mitchell (who sadly, died of cancer, living only long enough to see the prototype fly), to how Joe Smith carried on the project .. And how many women were recruited and TRAINED to work in production lines to build these crafts from scratch. It's just amazing how the country united in such dark times. There were many stories of pilots who were drafted from all over the world - New Zealand, Thailand, Jamaica, India, Scotland, Czech Republic, etc. Some of these men had escaped their countries (which had been occupied by enemy forces) to come and continue the fight from Britain as pilots. Some of these men were allies, and come from diverse backgrounds and even distant shores. I found this exhibit very enjoyable.
The museum closed at 6pm, and I went off to Lily Whites at Picadilly Circus to buy a kite and some games to play for picnics. Then I went to WHSmith to browse photography magazines - still deciding which one to buy, cos there are a few issues which deal with the same things - shooting and composing landscapes, portraiture and (most importantly) common photoshop techniques for photographers. That'd be very handy to me, with practically no Photoshop knowhow!
Saturday, 16 June 2007
Saturday | 16 June - Bath City & The Great Expenditure..
I was almost late for the bus to Bath City - I had missed the train (the first time!) and the next train would take me there JUST on time. I had some trouble finding the Victoria Coach station, but Boris and Cat were so nice in waiting for me and trying to direct me (unsuccessfully) over the phone.
Anyway we were on our way, just after 8am. Cat and I were tired, so we slept. Boris kept himself entertained with music. There was a jam on the M10 motoryway, so we took a detour and ended up arriving 30 minutes later than the expected 11.05am. It was a very long and tiring journey, at least for my bottom. It also rained along the way, and we feared it raining at Bath.
Upon arrival, it DID drizzle. So much for going to Bath, only to have a shower.
Anyway, Cat got a map and found out all the key places to visit. And we were on our way...
First stop, lunch. We had lunch at a church cafe, which was run by volunteers. The people there were generally warm and friendly, and I was quite blessed by the warmth of this old lady who helped us clear our plates. Had myself a salad, soup, and milkshake.
Then we went on our way to see the Roman baths. Quite an intersting development in time, the whole hot springs, bath and temple idea. The architecture is very clever, and well arranged. I'm somewhat disappointed though, that a commercial tourism group has overtaken the ruins of the bath, and made it into a properly arranged 'museum' of sorts. Makes it lose its 'ruined' and 'ancient' charm, although I do believe this way it allows for better maintenance and protection of historic artefacts from thieves (and idiots). I'm very very in awe of the ingenuity of the human race.
The Roman Bath in Bath, England (Source: Wikipedia)
We took our time in there - at least I did. I took lots of photos, and had a look in every nook and cranny. Bath was a spa, a place of cleansing, a place of worship, a place of healing to the Romans who occupied Britain back in 43AD.
Moving on, we went to explore the city of Bath. Not that spectacular actually. We saw the Museum of Costumes - half closed for renovations, so half price! But never went beyond the reception. I joked that we paid half price, to see the models half naked. Hurhur.
There was a wedding going on in that same vicinity. I saw the wedding photographer and his Lowepro CompuTrekker bag. I think wedding photographers are really cool. All ready for action, and with the coolest gear around. I saw him set up - as I expected, he had with him TWO Canon EOS 1D bodies, flash units (both on stands and camera mounted) and a whole array of lenses (notably the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L, which is so large and distinct in white) with their rear glasses UNCAPPED. The Pros don't really care much about dust and all - just getting the job done, and making as fast lens changes as possible. And here I am in Great (dusty) Britain with so much fuss over the dust that's been landing on my glass and camera body. Long way to go to be pro! Haha.
We saw a very awesome Royal Crescent - you could probably run end to end and cover 150 metres. It was arched, and a couple of stories high. Possible housing a few families/houses. But in any case, I'm sure it was a HORROR to clean. You'd probably need a PA system or mobile phones to call your kids for dinner. In front of that house was a ginormous piece of land with a lovely lawn - what a dream home!
The Royal Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England (Source: Wikipedia)
We roamed the town, and among other things that caught our attention, we went to look at Italian Ice Cream (with 30+ flavours of milkshake), an English Fudge Shop (I bought 99p chocolate to eat), a Candy Shop (with 300+ varieties of sweets), Sally Lunn's Bakery - the oldest house in Bath, a Car model shop (where I bought my dad's Vauxhall Victor) and HMW (where I bought 3 DVDs for £20/SGD61).
All in all, I think I spent the most today:
NATIONAL EXPRESS TICKET - £16/SGD48
LUNCH - £6.50/SGD19.50
ROMAN BATH ENTRY FEE - £10/SGD30
THORNTON'S CHOCOLATE - £10/SGD30 (which includes 15 CHOCOLATE PRALINE EGGS + 6 ALMOND BARS + 3 SCOOPS ICE CREAM - a good deal)
3 DVDs - £20/SGD60 (Shrek I and II box set, Ocean's 11 and 12 box set, Silent Hill - 5 movies)
MODEL CAR - £12/SGD36
TOTAL: £75/SGD224
Got to watch the budget for the next few days!
Anyway we were on our way, just after 8am. Cat and I were tired, so we slept. Boris kept himself entertained with music. There was a jam on the M10 motoryway, so we took a detour and ended up arriving 30 minutes later than the expected 11.05am. It was a very long and tiring journey, at least for my bottom. It also rained along the way, and we feared it raining at Bath.
Upon arrival, it DID drizzle. So much for going to Bath, only to have a shower.
Anyway, Cat got a map and found out all the key places to visit. And we were on our way...
First stop, lunch. We had lunch at a church cafe, which was run by volunteers. The people there were generally warm and friendly, and I was quite blessed by the warmth of this old lady who helped us clear our plates. Had myself a salad, soup, and milkshake.
Then we went on our way to see the Roman baths. Quite an intersting development in time, the whole hot springs, bath and temple idea. The architecture is very clever, and well arranged. I'm somewhat disappointed though, that a commercial tourism group has overtaken the ruins of the bath, and made it into a properly arranged 'museum' of sorts. Makes it lose its 'ruined' and 'ancient' charm, although I do believe this way it allows for better maintenance and protection of historic artefacts from thieves (and idiots). I'm very very in awe of the ingenuity of the human race.
The Roman Bath in Bath, England (Source: Wikipedia)
We took our time in there - at least I did. I took lots of photos, and had a look in every nook and cranny. Bath was a spa, a place of cleansing, a place of worship, a place of healing to the Romans who occupied Britain back in 43AD.
Moving on, we went to explore the city of Bath. Not that spectacular actually. We saw the Museum of Costumes - half closed for renovations, so half price! But never went beyond the reception. I joked that we paid half price, to see the models half naked. Hurhur.
There was a wedding going on in that same vicinity. I saw the wedding photographer and his Lowepro CompuTrekker bag. I think wedding photographers are really cool. All ready for action, and with the coolest gear around. I saw him set up - as I expected, he had with him TWO Canon EOS 1D bodies, flash units (both on stands and camera mounted) and a whole array of lenses (notably the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L, which is so large and distinct in white) with their rear glasses UNCAPPED. The Pros don't really care much about dust and all - just getting the job done, and making as fast lens changes as possible. And here I am in Great (dusty) Britain with so much fuss over the dust that's been landing on my glass and camera body. Long way to go to be pro! Haha.
We saw a very awesome Royal Crescent - you could probably run end to end and cover 150 metres. It was arched, and a couple of stories high. Possible housing a few families/houses. But in any case, I'm sure it was a HORROR to clean. You'd probably need a PA system or mobile phones to call your kids for dinner. In front of that house was a ginormous piece of land with a lovely lawn - what a dream home!
The Royal Crescent in Bath, Somerset, England (Source: Wikipedia)
We roamed the town, and among other things that caught our attention, we went to look at Italian Ice Cream (with 30+ flavours of milkshake), an English Fudge Shop (I bought 99p chocolate to eat), a Candy Shop (with 300+ varieties of sweets), Sally Lunn's Bakery - the oldest house in Bath, a Car model shop (where I bought my dad's Vauxhall Victor) and HMW (where I bought 3 DVDs for £20/SGD61).
All in all, I think I spent the most today:
NATIONAL EXPRESS TICKET - £16/SGD48
LUNCH - £6.50/SGD19.50
ROMAN BATH ENTRY FEE - £10/SGD30
THORNTON'S CHOCOLATE - £10/SGD30 (which includes 15 CHOCOLATE PRALINE EGGS + 6 ALMOND BARS + 3 SCOOPS ICE CREAM - a good deal)
3 DVDs - £20/SGD60 (Shrek I and II box set, Ocean's 11 and 12 box set, Silent Hill - 5 movies)
MODEL CAR - £12/SGD36
TOTAL: £75/SGD224
Got to watch the budget for the next few days!
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