Last bank holiday for the year..

It was a bank holiday on Mon..a bank holiday in UK = public holiday in Sg..& it's always on a monday..meaning long weekends..not tat it made a diff to me..but it makes a diff to those working..

Anyway, together with 2 of fish's colleagues, we drove up to Stratford-Upon-Avon on Fri..visited the Shakespeare-related houses(actually only one was his birthplace..the rest belonged to his mother, wife, daughter, etc).

We spent the nite in the town..& the next morning, we drove further up north for about 40 mins to reach Warwick..of cos the main attraction here is the castle & i must admit it's one of the better castles i've been to in UK..even though the admission was a bit on the hefty side(16 pounds per pax?!)..but there were quite a few performances to see & the castle grounds were quite big..we actually spent about 5 hours exploring the castle..

Another night in a B&B in town..a stopover for lunch in Coventry the next day & we're back in London by Sunday evening..

Monday was the Nottinghill Carnival..& me went to zou re nao..it's a bit like our Chingay procession..fanciful costumes(some of them i would say, outrageous)..colourful floats..& most important of all...interesting food! :Þ

Hmm..a weekend trip like this had burnt quite a hole in my already-not-very-deep pocket..guess it's time for some financial planning...

Gone fishing..

ZXL Times will be back Monday, 29 August 2005

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(back-dated) 9 & 10 August 2005 - Thank you, soon-to-be-Dr Wong

This morning, i checked out of my messy hostel & checked into Dr Wong's place..heh..yours truly had thick-skinned-ly bunked in with Dr Wong..

After some chitchatting over breakfast & upon Dr Wong's suggestion, I decided to make a day trip to Berwick-Upon-Tweed..I had originally planned to go to some Scottish towns..but then, i think³..most of the scottish towns look alike to me anyway..

So, wat's so unique about Berwick-Upon-Tweed leh? Well, it lies on the England-Scotland border..yes, such a border does exist..so i spent the rest of the day exploring the place..quite a nice little town(though the weather could be nicer ~.~)

Dr Wong was nice enough to lend me her student pass..which means i can get student rates on train fares..^.^ Not only tat, she also borrowed a sleeping bag from her neighbour so i can be spared from sleeping on the floor(i left mine in london)

I must admit we weren't exactly the closest of colleagues back then..but we're definitely on friendly terms ..just like everybody in the division is with everybody(tat's wat i loved about my job..the people) She wasn't obligated to do anything for me but the fact tat she did & i'm most grateful for it..

There were a few funny moments when we spotted some familiar items(read : 'SFL' brand) among each other's possessions..like t-shirt lah..shoe bag lah..fork & spoon lah..hehheh.. :Þ

Spent the next day hanging around Edinburgh city..din feel like going too far since i'm catching the night coach back to london..

Dinner tonight was quite 'sumptous' (by the poor student's & poor backpacker's standard anyway) We had roast chicken(!)..as in really one whole chicken leh..from (where else) Tesco..realised i very long never eat such chicken liao..all my chicken are in the form of chicken mayo in sandwiches..haha..

About 930-ish..i bade farewell to Dr Wong..i'll see u around in UK again..i'm sure..or am i?

Dun tell me summer is coming to an end liao..

I woke up with frozen toes today..somehow my blanket din cover them last nite..and it's bloody cold this morning..it still is cold right now at this moment..fingers feeling a bit stiff as i'm typing..according to the weather forecast..it's a 'high' of 15 degrees today..sigh..

Ever since the rare spell of good weather on Sunday, it's been mostly rainy & cold for the past 1 week or so..my fren was just wondering aloud last night..'seems like summer is giving way to autumn liao..' Nooooo....

Okok, enuf about weather..shall continue about my Scotland trip..

Monday, 8 August 2005

I woke up with a mission in mind today – to lay my hands on one of those coveted Military Tattoo tickets. The MT has some historical background to it..but to me, it as a military band performance fiesta..it features performances from various countries (though mainly European)..and the main selling point is..it’s held in the Edinburgh Castle grounds..i first found out about it when I was in Edinburgh 4 years ago..but I din manage to get tics then..so I was quite determined to catch it this time round..tickets are so hot tat they’re usually sold out in the December preceding the event..there are usually loose tickets being refunded from time to time so it’s really a matter of luck..

Soon-to-be-Dr Wong had shown me the ticket office last evening..it’s just 2 mins from my hostel..so I strolled over at 9.50am..thinking I should have quite a good chance..oh..how wrong I am..there are must be at least 50 pple in the queue already..machiam waiting for the Oakley sale to begin.. @_@

I joined the q and a few minutes later..the staff came round and announced ‘there’re only 12 tickets left for now..’ Undeterred, I asked if there’re any chance of tickets being refunded in the afternoon..he said there might be & I could try coming again later..

Ok..since there’s nothing I could do about it now..i decided to go ‘climb’ Arthur’s Seat first..though it’s not exactly very high at 251m..it’s actually an extinct volcano at the end of the royal mile..

Hmm..it’s not a physically demanding trek but there is no one main path..& there’re some parts u have to literally ‘climb’ using hands and legs..not too sure if I reached the actual summit cos there’s supposed to be a monument but I couldn’t find it..in any case, it offers a great view of Edinburgh city from up there..& I’m quite happy liao..

Felt a little hungry after the exercise so I began making my way down..grabbed a sandwich & then I headed to the MT office again..

There was no queue this time..and I was quite sure there’re no more tickets..i went in & asked ‘Are there any tickets left for tonight’s show?’ ‘We have 4 left’ Yippee! Went to the counter and was shown the available seats…2 were at the 18pounds & 2 were for 30pounds..needless to say, I went for the former..haha! finally..i got the tickets..so happy! ^o^

After tat, I just wandered about the royal mile..catching some of the buskers in action(understudying them, some of u might say)..

Oh, guess wat I had for dinner tonight? Pork floss bun! I found a pack of pork floss in the kitchen hostel..they must have been left behind by this group of Singaporeans..i noticed them last night but din get round to talking to them..it’s actually on the ‘common shelf’..meaning it’s meant for all hostelites..but I decided to ‘gope’ it all for myself since I dun think any of the ang mohs will know wat it is..least appreciate it..haha..qiong ren de ri zi jiu shi zhe yang de..

Focus..

Before i get too carried away blogging about my mundane life and risk losing my readers out there..i think i should blog about something more interesting..like my highlands trip..so here we go..

Sunday, 7 August 2005

We continued our tour of the highlands today..din really catch the names of some of the places we passed by..was too busy admiring the views to pay attention to the guide..he was telling us about the history about the Scotland & stuff..in any case, 2 days of listening to the guides is enough to make me realise that there’s this animosity between the Scottish & the English..(btw, for those of u who are still not aware, Scotland & England, & Wales for tat purpose, are 3 separate countries..they have their individual national flags & anthems)

Wat I do know is tat we stopped at Kingussie for lunch..but being a Sunday(& more places are shut on Sundays in the highlands than in the major cities)..the few places tat were open were the pubs & a few high-class restaurants..& me being the ‘sour olive’ went for the cheapest option..sandwiches from the local grocer..bought my tuna mayo & banana & sat outside a church to munch lunch..qiong ren de ri zi..sigh..

After lunch, we drove on..visited Fort Augustus..more of the bitter battle tales between Scotland & England..

Then it’s time to head back to Edinburgh..Ewan tried to liven things up on the journey & saboed a few of them..he’s good..really entertaining & funny..he even managed to convince this american guy take off his shirt & perform a dance on the coach..

Oh, did I also mention our group pooled money & bought some Scottish whisky to share? We paid £2 each & Ewan managed to get us 3 bottles with the sum collected..with some 30 pax among us, we only got about a sip each but it was enuf..the whisky was really strong..din really enjoy it tat much..

We arrived back in Edinburgh at about 545pm..there was some delay cos it’s the first weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival & some roads were closed..Edinburgh has 101 festivals going on in Aug & the city is at its vibran-nest (think it should be most vibrant?)..personally, I think it’s the best time to visit even though it means squeezing with 2000 other tourists for tat glimpse of the castle..

Checked in at my hostel..superb location but I can’t say the same for my roommates..i actually got a shock when I entered the room cos it’s by far the messiest room I’ve ever came across..it’s a 12-bed dorm and to be fair, it could have been quite a spacious dorm if not for the fact tat there were 5 or 6 ang mohs sprawled on the floor with piles of papers & packets of food all around them..

They threw me a look & went back to their own stuff..think they’re performing in the festival..they seemed to be rehearsing for some play..

Put down my stuff & zipped off..meeting my ex-colleague, soon-to-be-Dr Wong..she’s here in Edinburgh studying..yes, u got it..her PhD..

Ah..there she is..still looks the same..maybe a little rounder the face..but more or less still the same..& since she’s not eating, I just popped into a takeaway shop & bought a jacket potato for dinner..

Then she orientated me around the city a bit..the high street is also known as the royal mile..cos it’s..well..a mile long..beginning from the castle to the parliament house..

Since I’ll be hanging ard Edinburgh for a few days, I also asked her to show me where Tesco is..(yes, I’m a loyal Tesco fan)..she even offered her kitchen to me(after I complained about how miserable the hostel kitchen is) should I prefer to cook my meals(cheaper mah..i'm a poor backpacker & she's a poor student)..

After tat we walked back to her hall..oh my, it’s like 2 mins away from the castle..or like wat she put it, she’s staying in the ‘prime district’ or the orchard road of Edinburgh..hee..tat gives me an idea…

Today i cried..

And it’s all the stupid shallots’(a kind of onion, not the shallot shallots u get in Sg) fault..dunno why this shallot so potent..i teared all the way from cutting to cooking it.. sniff sniff..
But in fact, I’m feeling quite happy today..blissful kind of happy..nothing special took place..just an ordinary day..

Woke up at 10-ish..cooked my oatmeal for breakfast..read the papers..surfed the net..then it’s time for lunch..turkey ham sandwich & some cherries..

Then about 3-ish..i peeped into the fridge and realised there’s nothing to cook for dinner..so we decided to pop down to Waitrose (the supermarket 2 mins away)..

It has been wet & cold for the past 2 days..so it was quite a pleasant surprise when we stepped out..quite lovely the weather..a bit of sun..not the sweltering kind..more of the balmy kind..throw in a few gentle breezes..ah..this is the perfect weather..never thought the weather in UK can be this perfect..haha

Think I mentioned before..Tesco is the NTUC and Waitrose is the Cold Storage equivalent? Well, the nearest Tesco(& it’s a huge one..about the floor space of Carrefour’s one level) is a 8mins bus ride away..but since today is Sunday(meaning the bus only comes round every half hour) and we felt tat it would be a shame to waste this weather..we decided to walk there instead..

Took us about 30mins to get to Tesco..spent some 40 mins grocery shopping..aiya, it’s my one & only hobby here mah..besides I liked grocery shopping even before I came over..& the supermarts here are so much more exciting..ha..

Buy 1 get 1 free for Ben & Jerry’s! So we bought 1(& got the free one of cos) and sat outside Tesco and started eating our B&J.. ^o^

Done with our ice-cream, we started to stroll back..aiya..this time round carrying bags of groceries, so walk slower lor..

It was 5-ish when we got back..relaxed a bit then started preparing dinner..just a simple meal..pan-fried salmon wif asparagus(& the offending shallots) & toufu soup..

Watched ‘As Good As It Gets’ on tv..caught it in the cinema last time round..but I liked it enuf to watch a second time..

And now here I am..sitting in front of the pc screen..typing away on the keyboard..telling half the world wat boring things I did for the day & how much I enjoyed them..like tat also can blog one pg..heh..

Ye xu zhe jiu shi jian dan de kuai le?

Opps..sorry twink..*.*

Yes, I made a mistake..a BIG mistake..

I was looking at a photo the other day..one of my ex-colleagues..& i recognised all of them..except one..& i made an even bigger mistake of asking around 'who's tat girl?'

Now this girl...she's no 'ordinary' colleague..she's my 'twinky colleague'..

I blame it on the poor resolution of the photo..so i decided to put the photo to the test..

I got fish to take a look at the accused photo & try to identify the said person from another montage photo..& she took a grand total of 2 secs to pick her out from the 16 faces..'it was quite easy..'

Ok, wo zhi cuo le..

p.s. Twink, ur compensation is in ur inbox..

It's raining again..which means i can't go jogging..which means i will get even fatter..

Just got off the phone with my ex-colleagues..they were out celebrating Ms Nike's(opps, nike's the name of her dog actually)3xth birthday..judging from all the noises in the background, they're definitely enjoying themselves..as they always have..though i'm not present, it feels good to know tat they're having a good time : )

Back to my highlands adventure..& in case any of u readers out there are as blur as Mrs Chua, i came back from Scotland last week liao..i'm just back-dating my blogs now since i din have the chance to log in then..

Saturday, 6 August 2005

Had a simple breakfast of instant oatmeal(realised the non-instant ones really tast a lot better) then it's time to set off again..

Hmm..today we had one more guide..Ewan..dunno how come he suddenly appeared today..was he supposed to be ard yest too? Anyway, he's just as good as Tony..very entertaining..can tok kok non-stop..i like..haha..

Off we go..more majestic highlands..more dramatic coastlines..it's a bit over-whelming actually..being right smacked in the middle of nature..

We stopped at this town called Portree & was told to pick up some food so tat we can enjoy a picnic lunch in this castle..& so i did..bought some pancakes(they're on offer mah) & grabbed an apple from the supermarket..

And about 12-ish, we reached the castle..actually 'ruins' is more like it, wif 70% of the structure gone.. picked a spot & started eating my pancakes..made some small talk to the 3 taiwan girls sitting nearby..one thing about this tour is..i can't really 'click' with the pple..other than the aunties & uncles..the rest of the ang mohs are mainly aussies & americans & they tend to stick among themselves..not tat i mind lah..but just thot it'd be nicer if everyone can click..like the hostel mates i met in Wales(oh..i think i forgot to blog about them..must really rem to do so..really great bunch of pple)

After lunch..we were given a choice..to stop at Loch Ness or to go for a seal/dolphin cruise. Most of us went for the latter option cos we're gonna to pass by Loch Ness on the way back to Edinburgh the next day anyway..

The cruise cost 5pounds each & lasted for about 1 hr..we did see a lot of seals but no luck in spotting dolphins(sorry, 0.5..i was all ready to take the photos for u)

Tonight, we stayed over in Inverness..it looks like quite a happening town but i wasn't too keen to venture out..was quite tired & beside, only the pubs will be opened at night..

One good thing about sharing a room with these ang mohs is..they will ALWAYS be out partying on friday/saturday nights..which mean i can almost have the room to myself at night while they're out painting the town red..

Another day has passed..one more day of highland remains..

Highlands here i come..

Time to clear my backlog..

Friday, 5th Aug 2005

After eight and a half hours sitting next to this jap lady who kept nodding off on my shoulder on the overnight coach, i arrived in Edinburgh.

Stepped out of the bus station..wooh..the crisp cold air reminded me tat i'm now in scotland..a couple of degrees colder than in London..the streets were still quiet at 7.15am..

I had joined a tour to the Highlands..yes, it's a package tour..a bit touristy but i figured it's the best way to see the highlands by myself..not economical to drive and too ulu to risk getting lost/stranded in the mountains(me kiasi mah)..

Check-in time for the tour is 8.30am so i roamed about a bit..not tat there's much to see since the shops are not opened yet..spied a O'Briens & went in for some juice..

Strolled over to the Haggis office at 815am & was greeted wif this looong queue of pple..settled the admin stuff then went out to wait for my coach # to be called..

'Bus #3 pple follow me pls' shouted this guy in kilts..we were led to this big yellow coach..after dumping our luggage at the back, we climbed aboard..this group is bigger than i expected..38 pax..i was kinda expecting those small van kind..a quick scan..hmm..a couple of aunties & uncles..2 china-looking men..3 chinese girls(couldn't tell where they're from..must wait till they open their mouths then i can guess)..& the rest are all ang mohs..

The guy in kilt introed himself, 'I'm Tony & i'll be your guide cum slave over the next 3 days'

When everybody's settled down in their seats..off we go..

This tony guy quite good..can drive & talk at the same time..all the while, he'll be pointing out the places as we pass them..telling us some stories & jokes..basically tok cork lah..some of his jokes quite corny one..sample joke : Wat did van gogh say when offered a sweet? No thanks, i've got one 'here' (one ear) Geddit?

We sort of entered into the highlands after 2 hours of driving..and i began to snap furiously away on my camera..after about 30 mins, i gave up cos i realised i am AMONG the highlands..which means everywhere i turn my head also soooo beautiful..no point taking so many shots..besides dun think my amateur skills can capture the magnificence of the highlands..

We had a couple of stops along the way..some were tea break stops..yea, there were coffee/tea & biscuits provided..others were for us to take pics. According to Tony, scotland accounts for >50% of the coastline in UK despite occupying only about 1/3 of the land area..which means u're never >5miles away from the coastline when u're in the highlands..well, for those interested, can check out the UK map..scotland really does have a very jagged outline..

That nite, we stayed in this town called Kyle of Lochalsh, which is at the tip of Isle of Skye..with not much of choice for dinner..i went for fish & chips..but it was a good choice cos the fish was really fresh & the chips were chunky good..

After dinner, it was a quick shower & then it was off to dreamland..

Third Month Anniversary

After spending 90 days in UK..there're things i'm still getting used to..

1. The way time is read here..how would u tell the time in the following case :

a) 5.15 b) 9.50 c) 12.30

The correct answers(over here anyway) :

a) quarter past five (not 'five-fifteen')

b) ten to ten (not 'nine-fifty')

c) half past twelve (not twelve-thirty)


2. There are very few dustbins in London..even fewer after the July bombings(for fear of bombs being dropped in them). Which means if u're out on the streets & u have finished a packet of drink & u want to throw it, u'll probably need to carry it for 27 mins & 4.8 miles before u spot a dustbin..


3. Plastic bags here have holes punched in them..u know those kind of NTUC 'zua long' back in Sg? 9 out of 10 bags used by retailers here have holes in them(scared children suffocate wor)..this is esp irritating when u use them for trash bags..& u kinda forget & u happily pour away ur leftover gravy..this action is usually followed by a string of expletives while mopping the floor..


4. There IS a need to slang..sometimes. The other day, i was having lunch at a cafe & the waitress came over for my order..i wasn't quite ready & so i said in my typical sporean accent(some of u would call it monotone) 'could u give me another minute please?'..only to have the waitress stare back blankly at me & say 'sorry, i can't speak ur language' @.@


5. Summer in the UK is still cold..at least to someone from the tropics..esp at night when the temp drops to about 12-14 degrees..i always go to bed feeling nice & warm(ie. kicking the blanket to one side)only to wake up in the middle of the night grappling in the dark for the blanket..


6. Travelling alone means if i buy a loaf of bread/pack of biscuits, i will have to eat it for breakfast, lunch & dinner so tat i can finish them before the expiry date..not tat i can't finish them lah..but sometimes u just feel like having variety in ur meals mah..


7. Roundabouts. There are at least a gazillion roundabouts on UK roads..& i hate them all..i must have driven past 100 roundabouts in my 3 days of driving here(& gone on full circles on at least 10 of them cos i got confused abt my exit) The most ultimate roundabouts are those double roundabouts..where u exit from one only to find yourself right smacked in another roundabout..


8. Related to driving here..the people here really drive a lot faster..i can be cruising along on the motorways(or wat we call highways) at 80mph(130km/h) & i will still be overtaken by vans/motorcycles/coaches...


9. My diet/lifestyle. I dunno if i'm really eating a lot more..or cos of the fact i'm exercising less..but i do know tat i'm putting on A LOT of weight..so much so tat i can barely squeeze into the jeans i brought over..& most of u would know..my jeans were never tight..& i could fit into them perfectly when i first came over..fastforward to 2 mths later..i have to hold my breath just to zip them up..


10. The cost of living here is DAMN high..i know i blogged about this before but tat doesn't mean i've gotten used to it..i still cannot get over the fact tat i have to pay 60penny for a packet of Ribena..& i'm toking about one packet, not one pack of 6 packets..


Case closed.

Quick Summary

Received some feedback..'demanding' to know why there were no publications of the ZXL Times over the past week or so..tat's cos yours truly was on holiday..ok, so i'm pertually on holiday..but this time it's more of a holiday holiday than my usual backpack holiday..u get wat i mean??

Many would have realised..coming back to reality(ie. work for most of out there) after a holiday means u have a lot of backlog to clear..well, i'm no exception..i need to catch up on the past few issues of ZT(ZXL Times lah) too..

A quick preview of wat's to come..

5 - 7 Aug : Skye High Adventure

8 - 10 Aug : Edinburgh & Ard

11 - 13 Aug : Driving to Rye (but ending in Reading instead)

14 Aug : Day out at Thorpe Park

Watch out for this space!

Back in the woods..

It had been a very packed one and a half weeks..going to the highlands..meeting up with ex-colleague..driving away for a weekend getaway..celebrating birthday..screaming my head off at the amusement park..

All the above have made me a very tired zxl..at the risk of sounding 'qian4 bian3'..me long time never feel so tired liao..

K, let me catch up on my sleep first & then..i will be back..

Off to scotland..

Be back to celebrate my 3rd month anniversary..


P.S. Is Adidas really buying over Reebok??

Multiplier effect?

I was chatting online to ONE pax the other day..as u would expect from an online chat..it's about some wu-ah-boh-eh stuff..like wat i'm having for breakfast & how i 'destroyed' a door..

Fastforward to the next day : Another pax commented on my breakfast menu..

Fastforward to next next day : Yet another pax asked me about my door...

Hmm..is this wat they call the multiplier effect??

Smoking to be allowed in limited areas at hawker centres ..??

Did i read the news right? Tat smoking is gonna be allowed at hawker centres from July 06? Why why why? Why are we taking a step back towards eradicating smoking??

Here in UK, they're already moving towards smoke-free pubs(which is where the british hang out) & we're doing the opp for our hawker centres(where singaporeans hang out?!)..

Why like tat..