Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Was overjoyed when I received a call today to ask me down for the interview tomorrow. Phew...I was given a second chance and was told that this was the very last slot available....So better not miss it again...Hahaha :D Kinda felt relieved and embarrassed as well.

Was back from London on last Sunday evening. As expected although I still cannot believe it till today, I did not go anywhere except to Bayswater where we had the famous Roast Duck rice :P. Rest of the time were spent sleeping, watching TV and surfing the Internet in the comfort of my room. Came to think about it now, I kinda of regretted not exploring London even if it means going back to the same old places which I might have visited a couple of times before. Actually London has so so much to offer... Greenwich, Windsor Castle, the many popular Plays etc etc and oh yes, plus Stratford-upon-Avon ( about an hour by train from London ) where Shakespeare was born !!!

The walk through Kensington Garden from our hotel to Bayswater. Relaxing.



High Street Kensington. A Shopping Heaven.




My Buy from M & S... As usual, my fruit juice ( this time I had the apple n mango flavour...Nice Nice ), Extremely Chocolatey Mini Bites ( recommended to me by Han Bing - don't really like it initially but when I brought it back to SIN, it melted a little, as in the chocolate became softer and it blended so well with the sponge cake in it and thus tasted much nicer and more chocolatey :P ) and the Belgium Chocolate Cheesecake...quite nice though I only managed to finish half of it. Oh yes, in case u are thinking, yes I have a sweet tooth :D. Why can't the M & S in Singapore sell all these foodstuff ?


That's it for my London stay. Nothing exciting at all.



Monday, April 28, 2008

I was so tired when I got back from London last evening.

Slept very early but woke up in the middle of night scouting for food.

Manged to sleep at 7 am this morning but was so tired that I actually overslept !!!!!

There goes my future....I ruined my future just like that ??? OMG!!!!!

Supposed to attend a very important interview today but, have no choice, to postpone it. What a bad impression I gave them. Wasted. Damn it.

What the fuck is wrong with me ???

Forget it.

It's my fault...no one to blame.


*Crossing my fingers*


Hope I can pass the interview if I were given another chance.

Now let's stop procrastinating.... time to tidy my wardrobe. I seriously have no idea what new clothes I have bought for the past couple of months.


Ciao.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Afterall, the 1 night stay in Jakarta was not as bad as I thought it would be after hearing mixed reviews from different people. Initially, I was kinda of reluctant to go there...thanks to the reviews related to by my fellow peers. However, I soon realised that my fears were uncalled for when I entered my room and in fact, I really enjoyed my stay there and would not mind going there again.

Lesson learnt : Never trust others' opinions easily until you have experienced it yourself eh. People tend to exaggerate or rather add salt and pepper....dun you agree ?

So here are some of the bad reviews regarding the hotel I have heard from my fellow colleagues :

(1) There's no air-conditioner except a ceiling fan.

FYI, it was freezing cold in my room and there wasn't any ceiling fan. I simply love the temperature :D So comfortable.

(2) There's lots of mosquitoes in the room.

This is my worst fear. I hate mosquitoes and all of you know how irritating it can be to be bitten all over by these evil blood suckers. FYI, I did not spot a single mosquito in my room. I had a very peaceful night and had no bites at any parts of my body throughout my stay.

(3) The rooms were 'dirty'. Well, you know la...those supernatural thingy.

Well, to me the room I stayed in was very clean and peaceful. I really love the room and be honest, I had a very very comfortable stay. I just love it. Relaxing n cozy....woooohoooo :D

Though we arrived in the morning and had the whole day to do lots of things, I decided to just stay in my room and rest. Some went for massage, pedicure and spa treatment, some went swimming and gyming while others went to the city which is about an hour drive away.

Took a nap after I showered and woke up just in time for my dinner. Have been looking forward to ordering the Nasi Goreng as many people were telling me how nice it was. And so, I decided to order room service and ordered a few courses for my dinner.

Within 30 minutes of my order, my food came and was delivered on a lovely portable table dressed nicely as seen below ....

What a waste when I am dining alone....

These were what I ordered....

Appetiser :


Thai Beef Salad

Salad:


Gado Gado

Soup:


Tom Yum Soup

Main Course:


The famous NASI GORENG !!!

Was damn full and my stomach was very bloated after I finished everything. The Thai Beef Salad was very nice and the chilli lime dressing that came with it were out of this world...hahaha. The Gado Gado well was average and the Tom Yum soup...sorry to say...suck. Nothing beats the authentic Tom Yum soup in Thailand. Ok, now the Nasi Goreng....true enough...it did not disappoint me....the rice was delicious though the satay was a little dry and tough (as it's beef) and the fried stuff were a little soggy for it was left outside for quite sometime. All in all, the room service was superb and very affordable. All these for just S$30....so kinda cheap. A satisfied and happy boy at the end of the day :D

Oh yes, I was quite impressed with the portable table. Initially, when the hotel staff delivered it to my room, I only saw my Gado Gado and my Thai beef salad. Was thinking in my mind that something was missing from the table....Ahhhh...where's my Nasi Goreng and my soup??? So he showed me this black box beneath the table and when he opened...dada...my rice and soup were inside...Was impressed as it was a warming cabinet and so everything was kinda hot inside. Wow...ok...maybe some of you may have seen this before but as I do not order room service that regularly, I am quite impressed by it. Nice touch.




Alright, that's it for now.

Heading to London tomorrow morning. Guess this time I will just stay in my room and do my own stuff. Were back from London not too long ago and have done what I wanted to do and so its time to rest my body. Anyway, be going to a faraway place in May for my holiday and think gonna spend a lot. Time to start saving now....

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Weather was very bad in Hong Kong yesterday due to the typhoon. Fortunately, I was still able to get back to Singapore despite the long delay and the possibility of the flight being cancelled. I really pity those passengers who were stranded at the airport, trying their best to get out of Hong Kong to their destinations as soon as possible. Never experience a typhoon in my life before, it was my first time yesterday to feel the effect of a typhoon. The wind was so strong that you could see the wing flaps of the aircraft swaying up and down and that you could even feel that the aircraft was swaying despite parking on the ground. Besides the very heavy downpour, visibility was also very low. I wonder how people staying in Hong Kong deal with the typhoon. Probably, most people will just stay indoors. Pity those people who have to brave the wind and rain in order to get to work or run their errands. Initially, I was planning to visit Hong Kong for a short shopping spree trip after I get back from London next week but I guess I shall just stay in Singapore. Neither would I want to shop in such conditions nor would I want to get stranded at the airport. Feel really fortunate to be living in Singapore where we are spared from such natural calamity.

Sometimes I feel that if you were to talk on the phone in a bus or on the MRT, it would be better to take note of the volume of your voice and the content u were discussing about. This is what I call consideration and privacy. While on the bus today, I was trying to take a power nap when this lady seated a couple of rows behind me started yakking loudly on her hp. Well, I am perfectly alright if I could not take a nap. The thing that kept me entertained was the content she was discussing. No doubt my eyes were glued to the mobile TV in front of me but as her voice was kinda loud, I had no choice but to eavesdrop...or rather to listen. So she was discussing about her work, her boyfriend ( oh ya, she's an old auntie ) and etc etc. The best part was she was telling the other party her PIN number she used at work. I nearly laughed at her conversation but I managed to control...Phew. Anyway, I guess the few of us who were seated near her all knew part of her private life. On another occasion, this young teenage girl boarded the bus with her mother ( I assumed ) and were seated in front of me. The girl started complaining and whining non-stop. She was complaining about her grandmother and why the relatives would like to 'push' the poor old lady to stay with her family. From her facial expressions, tone of voice and hand gestures, I could see that she was very unhappy to stay with her grandmother. I guess she was only a secondary school student and yet she was starting to feel this way. I pitied the grandmother really. Haiz... That's the reasons why I seldom talk when I am taking the public transport or if I have to, I would speak softly and keep my conversation short and sweet. So if I never pick up your call, most probably I am on public transport :D

Got back from Frankfurt just a few days ago and I must admit that this trip was fruitful, fun and enjoyable. Must really thank Ju Leen for 'dragging' me along to sightsee outside Frankfurt. Initially, I was kinda reluctant to go for the sightseeing trip for I was a little lethargic. Fortunately, the trip turned out to be very fun and I can be very sure that I would regret if I did not join them.

This entry is gonna be very long for I have uploaded many photos of my Rhein Valley trip...so now I shall let the photos do the talking...



Frankfurt & Rudesheim (Rhein) - 12-16 April


Managed to catch a few hours of sleep after I touched down in Frankfurt in the morning before meeting Leon, Ju Leen and Jaslyn for lunch.



The popular Crispy Duck Rice @ Hong Kong Bistro. This dish is one of the 'must-have' whenever I visit Frankfurt. F.Y.I, the sunny side up egg was not part of the dish for I ordered it separately. The strips of duck meat was really tender, crispy and fragrant. Coupled with the stir fried mixed vegetables a.k.a. 'Choy Suey', the dish is perfect. I am missing it right now :(



Leon, Ju Leen & myself. Glad to see Leon in Frankfurt though we meet up quite often in Singapore. The feeling was different when you see somebody you know in a foreign land. Anyway, both Leon & Ju Leen will be heading to New York while I will be heading back to Singapore. How envious. Nevertheless, the time we spent together in Frankfurt was a memorable and fun one.



Pit Stop : Delicious and Yummy Pastries!!!!


It started to rain heavily while we were walking back to our hotel. As we were not arm with any unbrellas or rain coats, we decided to take shelter at the cafe where we bought our yoghurt ( the yoghurt was very nice especially if mixed with the complimentary museli ) till the rain stop or subside. Suddenly, this young little kid approached Jaslyn and started talking to her in German. As we do not know what she was saying, we tried to ask her in English. However, to no avail, she continued yakking in German. As she was very adorable, we decided to take some photos with her. When she saw our cameras out of our pockets, her first reaction was to pose and not just one pose but many poses.....







To round up the evening, we had our dinner @ Champions Bar


Had our 'Eat-all-you-can' Ribs and the popular Buffalo wings :P plus our usual dosage of gossips....hahahahahaha.


The Rhein Valley Trip


Next morning, we woke up very early to embark on our sightseeing trip. Took a tram to the main train station where we took the train to Rudesheim. Initially, we wanted to go to Baden Baden but as the train tickets were very expensive, we decided to go to the Rhein Valley instead. For the 5 of us, we bought a group ticket which cost only 30 Euros...meaning each of us need only to fork out 6 Euros compared to 80 Euros each if you were to go Baden Baden by the direct train.



Frankfurt Main Train Station ( Hauptbahnhof )


Grabbing some gourmet sandwiches for brekkie before boarding the train.


This is our train to Rudesheim. The journey took about 1 hour and via a few stops before reaching our destination. Got to say that the train was efficient, fast and quite comfortable for an hour's trip.


After 1 hour, we finally arrive...



Exploring the little quaint town before taking the cable car up the hill...




Boosenburg Castle and residence of Carl Jung, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology.



Ju Leen & I along the quaint little alley lined with souvenir shops, cafes and small hotels.



Please mail me to Singapore :S


Found this in one of the souvenir shops :



A good innovation eh....

Hightlights of the Tour :


For 10 Euros each, you get to ascend the hill via the cable car, walk around the hill before catching the chairlift to the foot where you will take a ferry back to the starting point.

Ride up on Cable Car ...



No Doubt the experience was fun and 'enjoyable', it was torturous as well !!! As we were only partially protected, the wind was so strong that we were nearly froze to death...hahaha. Tell you, it was soooooo cold that we were all shivering and you could hear our teeth 'gegegling'.

The very beautiful scenary while we were on our way up to the hill.

On top of the hill....


Better to study the map first before you embark on your walking journey. Or else, you will find yourself lost in the forest.

Tempel

Juleen helping the sweet couple to take a photo with the breathtaking scenary in the background.

How nice is it if I were to stay in that house. Nice Scenery eh. Again, if I were to stay there for long...I think I will be bored to death and be 'cut off' from the outside World. Hmmmm....

Michelle and I in front of Adlerwarte


The View of the Rhein Valley from Top :


The Statue ( Sorry I forgot its name )



And Now, the walk through the forest begin....

Poor gals, they seem tired and worn out even before completing half of the journey.

The Long and quiet route that will take us to the Chairlift station.

As it had been gloomy for the whole morning coupled with showers earlier on, the moment the first ray of sunlight hit us, we were overjoyed .... I love the colours of this shot :P


Along the way, I spotted ....


A homeless snail (without its house) ??? A Slug ???? A Leech ??? A slimey creature ??? It was crawling or rather sliding very slowly across the pathway...poor thing...I nearly stepped on it ! Anyway, it looked like a dead branch or part of a dead leaf if you never look at it closely.

At a small park with deers roaming about in the enclosed area ...

For just 1 Euro, you can buy this and with this in your hand...

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All the deers will be attracted to you....a good way if you want to take close-up pic of the deers

Our Star of the Day : Abercrombie !!!

One last view of the beautiful scenary before we descend the hill...




Bidding Goodbye....Though I wasn't sure if I will be back again, what I am very sure is that the scenary was really beautiful and breathtaking and that I never regret spending my day here with a bunch of fun and very nice people.


The Descent : Chairlift Xcitement :D


Get Ready...1...2...3....SIT...Safety Bar Down...Off you GO!!!

Oh ya, the Chairlift doesn't wait for people as it moves continuously, so you gotta be fast or you may get injured or miss it.



Enjoying the ride myself :D ...

That's how 'high' we were hanging in the air :P

1st part of the journey...Trees, Trees & more Trees...


2nd part of the journey....Steep Down slope as we moved towards civilisation :D


Finally, we see houses before we reached the station




The mini town : Assmannshausen



Food for thought : Can you see what's unique or rather wrong or rather peculiar with this house ?


Managed to guess it correctly ? If not, look at it closely and compare the 2 faces of the house......
Managed to see it ????? I shall not reveal here at the moment till you people tell me the answer eh :D....For those smarties who can spot it, don't you think is creative and really unique ? Hahaha....


I simply love the town.



How often you get a chance to get this shot in the middle of a railway track ?

Pit Stop - our late lunch


The People who joined the tour : Myself, Juleeen, Michelle, Kristy & Darren.


For those who thought this was a gigantic chicken drumstick....you are soooooooo wrong. This is one of the German Specialty : Pork Knuckle served with also a german specialty...Potatoes with bacon and onion. This dish is really out of this World....DELICIOUS !!!!! Can really compete with our 'De Kar' (Pig trotters)...hahahaha.

Also another common dish you will find in Germany....The Schneitzer (Sorry I forgot how the spelling is like but is something like this)....simply put...Pork Cutlet. Very Nice as well....crispy and tender.


Finally, the last part of our trip....


A 20 minutes ferry ride back alone the Rhein River back to Rudesheim



Along the way, we passed by the Burgruine Ehrenlels.


Finally, that marked the end of our whole day Rhein Valley Tour. Spent lots of time thinking of what to write, uploading the photos and rearranging the photos...hahaha. Anyway, I did not eat my pasta this time round...Must have it on my next Frankfurt trip.

Now it is examination time for my uni mates....Study Hard guys and we shall meet up after that :D
Going to Jakarta tomorrow and shall try the much talkabout Nasi Goreng...Just can't wait...Drools :P
Better be nice or I will be damn disappointed :D

OK, allow me to wish both

DAVID & JUNYUAN

A HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY

Hope the 2 of you will fulfilled all your wishes and most importantly, be happy and cheeful always. Friends 4ever :D