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..