A fleeting thought

of you.

Where have you been?

What have you been up to?

Do you still think of me?

In search of lodging

Recently, we’ve been wandering in search of a home. And while we look around with a budget in mind, I wonder, at what point are we gonna throw away our budget for a house that we really like?

Well, so far, we haven’t seen the one yet.

Actually, we haven’t even seen a place we like yet.

Either our budget is too low, or our expectations are too high.

Still wandering, and wondering.

Struggles

It’s been some time since I returned to Singapore, 11 months, to be precise, but I still can’t get London out of my head.

I’ve always known there is nothing in Singapore worth coming back for, but he just had to be here.  And he’s definitely more than worth it.

And that’s why he has been promoted, from the boyfriend, to the husband-to-be.

But still, I can’t stop thinking about London.

 The husband-to-be keeps telling me that we’ll be back for good, some day, but I know, realistically, the some day might just be tomorrow, forever.

Just perhaps.

I actually kinda forgotten I had a blog. Perhaps I’ll update it soon :)

Winchester

Winchester was once a capital of some ancient kingdom.

It is now a very charming historic old town; quaint, mediaval, tranquil. It has cobbled streets, houses with nice white picket fences, lovely gardens, castle ruins; perfect to spend a day in.

We saw what remains of the Wolvesey Castle, which had a warning sign prominently placed at the entrance gates “Please take care. Ancient monuments can be dangerous.” Perfect, as I made my way right through the arched entrance.

We also visited Winchester Cathedral, which was surrounded by a garden filled with tombstones, and this just shows you what the Brits would do as long as they got a place on the lawn in the sun…

(Yes, those are graves.)

Ancient buildings have been conserved and transformed into schools, like Winchester College.

And that’s the entrance to the Headmaster’s Office.

The ATMs here are called “Holes-in-the-Wall”, but I think you can safely call post boxes that too…

Beautiful gardens surrounded by ancient walls that run throughout the charming town.

And for the shopaholic Singaporeans, Winchester has its very own High Street.

Although the quirky ancient statues are not forgotten; just built around.

Oh and this is the local hospital. Lovely!

All pictures copyright 8 June 2008 by Little Mint. Please do not use without permission.

Exploring the South

Because I distinctively feel that my time in London is running up, I’ve been trying to cram as much as I can in the last few weeks; which explains the trip to Southampton - something that I’ve been wanting to do since I first arrived.

No excuse really, because Southampton is just a 2-hour train ride from London, is one of the UK’s busiest and most important port, houses the beautiful Southampton University, is near to the sea, and is amazingly historic yet modern.

Of course, it’s also the place that I spent quite some time in when I was just a little bit.

The city centre has, on one hand, huge fanciful modern shopping malls looking just like ours on Orchard Road, but also has a semi-conserved wall running all around it. Semi-conserved, because it’s crumbling at some bits!

It all starts at “Bargate“, the “entrance”, which now leads to the “High Street” – the main shopping street.

 At the right-hand corner, you can see parts of the crumbling bits.

And below are the bits still left standing.

They’ve also managed to build a bridge against the wall, so you can “walk” on the wall, which you can imagine is kinda thrilling for a tourist…

The modern shopping malls.

If only our parliament was as pretty as this huh? And yeah, it’s their court house.

There are tons of docks and harbours in Southampton, from where you can take one of the many ferries to a nearby island. This “Red Funnel” brings you to the Isle of Wight.

And oh, this city is where the Titanic sailed from too.
 
Notice the weird green thing that came with our Fish & Chips? It’s “mushy peas” (dried marrowfat peas soaked overnight in water and bicarbonate of soda and simmered with sugar and salt )! And yes, it tastes as bad as it sounds…

I still remember the playgrounds scattered across Southampton that I loved as a kid

This is where I used to live. The strangest thing is, I have zero impression of the building itself, but I distinctively remember the garage where we used to park our car. I still remember how squishy the apartment was though.

There were 2 bedrooms, both of which were only big enough to fit exactly 1 queen-sized bed. There was no walking space on 3 sides of the room, and only a tiny 1-person-walking-space-strip on the side of the room with the door.

School! The only thing I distinctively remember is how miniature everything was; the toilets had doors that started barely above my shoulders.

Southampton University, where everyone loves the sun.

And no one sits in the shade.

Thoughtful bicycle tracks.

I still can’t get over how cheap everything is in Southampton! I was told rooms in a lovely housing stretch right beside the university cost only about £60 (or about S$ 180) a week! And a room in a real house! With a real bath, a real garden, a real kitchen, a real living room, a TV (!!), and a very-British white picket fence!

And here I am stuck in some shady part of London (not even Central) paying £110 a week for a very miniature room?!

I’d have chosen Southampton over London anytime!

All pictures copyright 7 June 2008 by Little Mint. Please do not use without permission.

Why I really dislike that “news” “channel”

Tell me, exactly which line in this article shows you that the “Bring Your Own Bag day campaign” got a “positive response”??!

In fact, they are so kind as to remind you in the fourth paragraph that “studies show that only 1 in 5 actually bring their own bags while grocery shopping. Inconvenience or forgetfulness are the main reasons cited.”

Sweet.

I don’t even see how they dare call themselves a “news channel”.

Happy Food

My first Mcdonald’s in London, and a Happy Meal at that!

At only £1.99, with a toy (stickers + album) thrown in, it’s definitely a good deal :)

And I got a fruit shoot! A yummylicious apple+blackcurrent juice drink, 4 nuggets, small fries… Yum.

The sauces tasted strange though. The BBQ sauce tasted more ketchup than BBQ (in the way only the British like it), and the curry sauce is actually called “Sweet Curry Sauce”, and that’s err… exactly what it is. Sweet.

In the normal adult-sized version, instead of fries, you can opt for fruits, or salad, and you can get a bottle of orange juice instead of coke, all for the usual price.

Even more impressive, they note exactly how much sodium, fats and blah blah is in each packet of your food on the back label. Very brave, I’d say. 

All pictures copyright 1 June 2008 by Little Mint. Please do not use without permission.

Free newspaper delivery! Air flown in!

I opened my door this morning to be greeted by The Financial Times, Asia edition, delivered neatly right to my front door. It even had “Air Mail” printed on it.

Wow. Since when did I subscribe?

Then I realised, it was sent by my future employer, for whom I’m returning for in August to slog my heart out. And I “realised”, because there was a 2-page full-colour insert advertising for my future employer, with the words “See our new ad campaign in Section 2″.

How sweet.

I can’t wait till August.

Round & Round

Yes, this entry is exactly 2 months late.

My birthday this year was a quiet affair. (I promise it won’t be next year, when I turn a quarter of a century years old.)

The family had dinner together at Carousel at Royal Plaza On Scotts, because I wanted to try it, conveniently forgetting that I had just eaten there on the company’s account some months ago.

I definitely remembered the moment I stepped in tho, because we walked right past the very posh executive-like private room that we had our corporate lunch at.

Suffice to say, the only thing that wow-ed us – as my brother pointed out – was the efficiency with which they changed our cutlery. They had a cutlery rack on every table, and once they cleared a piece that you’d used, in comes another.

My brother was so intrigued by it that he took out several pieces just to see how quickly they were replaced.

The food was not as good as Conrad Centennial’s Oscar’s (the dad said), while the spread was not as good as Shangri La’s The Line (the boyfriend said).

It was (slightly) cheaper though, I think. Perhaps the best part about the food was the freshly-opened oysters :) Yum!

More Movies

Stuck at home… so more movies :)

The Witches

Deep Impact

I love Trouble

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

A Few Good Men

The Client

It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad World

The only Must Watch: A Few Good Men :)

Music to my ears

I watched a Russian choir concert on Monday, a piano trio concert today, and am going to watch the school’s wind band this Friday. All for free :) Final-year presentations by the school’s music students. And they are of stage-performance standards!

They reminded me of the university days, when the college would send weekly reminders for the lunchtime concerts they held every Wednesday.

The reason why I remember so clearly it was every Wednesday lunchtime is because, I deleted every email in exasperation, hoping hard that the next concert wouldn’t be scheduled for a Wednesday lunchtime.

It’s not very smart is it, to schedule a concert on the exact same day and time every single week, and then invite everyone to attend, when people might just have classes scheduled for that day, and never be able to make it!

Right, I don’t know how this turned into a rant, but I’m enjoying myself very much with free performances! I miss running my fingers down… the ivory keys. (What were you thinking!)

The Important Things in my Life

So I now have a bad knee, after climbing up the Jungfraujoch. Well ok, we didn’t climb; we took the train up. But still…

So we were in the Ice Palace, essentially, a palace, ok cave, room, space, whatever, carved out of ice. Everything’s carved out of ice, including the floor.

So I was happily prancing down the steps, eager to enter the place, not noticing that the rubber mats (and thus friction) ended at the last step.

Merrily racing down the steps, la di da… then

BANG.

Down I went, slamming into the ice.

I was stunned into… you know how in cartoons they show characters with rings of stars around their heads? That’s exactly how I felt.

Immediately a crowd gathered, frantically asking if I was alright, shouting for First Aid.

I was woozy, and in too much pain to answer.

All I knew in my semi conscious state was that my camera… my camera… in my hand… protected… safe… crashed… lens broken… camera…

So there I was sprawled on the ice, with millions of “Are you alright?” flying over my head.

And when I regained enough consciousness to speak. The first words that came out was,

“Is my camera alright?”

Movies Galore

Because of my bad knee after a fall (which I shall write about another time), I’m now stuck at home, for the next 6 weeks or so, under Doctor’s orders.

Which pretty much sucks because Summer’s here. And I want to go for those picnics! And BBQs! And…

Oh well. Enough whining.

On the bright side, my very-kind-housemate has lent me his stack of DVDs, and thus far, I’ve conquered:

- The Terminal (Loved how the emotions came out so strongly. Great filming, great acting.)

- Scoop (Featuring journalists, but a little hard to relate to. A dead journalist connecting with a live one for the “scoop of the century”? Come on…)

- Two Much (Hilarious. Loved it. Predictable ending, but enough comedy throughout to keep me riveted.)

- Rat Race (The plot definitely makes it one of the best movies I’ve watched in recent days. The idea behind this movie is fabulous. And it is hilarious, though once again, the ending sucked.)

- Superman Returns (Watched it once… twice… thrice… And counting.)

- The Parent Trap (Some light-hearted entertainment to brighten my days.)

- The Stepford Wives (Amazing storyline + twists. Must watch!)

…

more to come :)

One Hot Chick

 

(Oops I forgot to put on my dress!)

Mr Turtle Wax, is this hot babe “hot” enough to attract your eyeballs to my blog? ;) (She’s not dressed too!)

On a different note, anyone knows where I can buy Little Miss T shirts? I want one!

Credits: Unknown

Misses

You know, one of the things I actually miss about living somewhere warm, is being able to step out of (and into) the shower without freezing anything off.

Life Lessons

You know, it really is quite difficult to shower with one hand. I learnt that after successfully chopping up cutting my finger (yes, with the sharp side of the knife) while attempting to chop onions.

Meme: Shuffling Along

How to Play
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn’t make sense. No cheating.
4. With the answers, give your own comments on how it relates to the questions.
5. Tag 5 people.

How are you feeling today?
玻璃鞋
As fragile as glass; broken.
Yes, my knee’s injured.

Will you get far in life?
Michael Buble – The Best is Yet to Come
Brilliant. I’m looking forward to it.

How do your friends see you?
Sweeney Todd – No Place like London
Yes, my friends will know that I think that there’s “No Place like London”.

Will you get married?
孙燕姿 – 遇见
“我排著队拿著爱的号码牌” I’m in the queue for love.

What is your best friend’s theme song?
Il Divo – I believe in You
What’s a “best friend’s theme song”?? But yes, the best friend better believe in me!

What is the story of your life?
追
I’ve been running after… who?

What was high school like?
Charlotte Church – Carrickfergus
Yes, it might have been better in Carrickfergus.

What’s in store for this weekend?
Somewhere Out There
I’m thinking of you, somewhere out there. Totally sums up my weekend.

How’s your life going?
Michael Buble – Lost
Err…

How can you get ahead in life?
S.H.E. – 中国话
Hahahahaha. This has to be The Answer of the day. Yes, I know the whole world is speaking “中国话” and I need to brush up on my “中国话”.

What’s the best thing about your friends?
曹格 - Superwoman
Yes, they’re all super women (I suppose I don’t have guy friends then – shrugs – :D )

What song will they play at your funeral?
My Saviour Lives – Here in Your Presence
I’d be in Your presence, quite literally.

How does the world see you?
Chicago – All That Jazz
How would I know how the world sees me? Am I full of Jazz? -shrugs-

Will you have a happy life?
Aladdin – A Whole New World
Waiting for The Prince to show me a whole new world / A dazzling place I never knew

Do people secretly lust after you?
路- 梁静茹
Well if you do, you have a very long “road” to walk down with me…

How can you make yourself happy?
F4 – 流星雨
Watching Meteor Showers with you :)

What should you do with your life?
品冠 – 爱情不能做比较
I’ve (and I’d) never. :)

Will you ever have children?
The Sound of Music
The laughter of my children will be music to my ears…

What song would you strip to?
Johan Pachelbel - Canon in D
I suppose it’s a good thing that this is The Boyfriend’s favourite song then…? ;)

What does your mum think of you?
Live to Worship
Haha… yes, my mum thinks I live to worship.

What is your deep, dark secret?
Here I am to Worship
Is that a secret?

What is your mortal enemy’s theme song?
戴佩妮 - 你要的爱
I believe in spreading the love :D

What’s your personality like?
You Light Up My Life
Do I?

What song will be played at your wedding?
M2M – Pretty Boy
Yes, you’re my pretty boy. Is your ego inflated enough?

I like my cakes fried.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten my food promises.

Ghim Moh always reminds me of school. Because that’s where my Junior College is was. The campus has now been taken over by the very nerdy Dunman High kids. But oh well. It was nothing much to rave about anyway. We only had chalk boards and overhead projectors there; though it had this rustic charm to it, nestled away in the heartlands.

So one of the places that I headed straight for the second day I returned, was, of course, Ghim Moh.

I loved Ghim Moh Food Centre, because the Grass Jelly Uncle always gave students in my college’s uniform a discount :D

But of course (!), what I really loved about Ghim Moh Food Centre, was the Fried Carrot Cake (not the baked one).

There’s two of them, actually. One does the black version exceptionally well; the other, the white.

Uhh.. because I can’t remember the exact location of them, you’ll just hafta figure out yourself which’s the good white, and which’s the good black.

And yeah, there’re only two fried carrot cake stalls there (I think, don’t quote me on this).

There’s something else brilliant about the Ghim Moh’s hawker centre. And that’s how difficult it is to get a parking space Johnson’s Roast Duck.

No No No. Not the roast duck. The claypot chicken from Johnson’s Roast Duck. It’s S$ 3. And trust me, it’s to die for. :) I’ve died for it.

Fairyland

Disney is just brilliant.

I created my own Fairy!

You can change its her hair, eyes, clothes, colours, wings… even the angle of her arms and legs! Amazing!
 

All pictures copyright 17 May 2008 by Little Mint. Please do not use without permission.