From Liverpool to Blackpool..

19 Jun 05

Made a daytrip to Blackpool today..it's about an hour and a half away by train. Blackpool's like a giant amusement park..everywhere u turn, u see slot machines, video game arcades..there's also a ferris wheel, a carousel..hmm..all these remind me of a song..

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My mum just called me..asking me about the usual stuff..how am i doing..blah³ She said she saw the 'heat wave' in UK from the news & told me to go back home if the weather turned too hot for me(did she forget tat i spent 26 hrs growing up in hot & humid Spore?!) Y'know, just 2 weeks ago, she called & asked if i can take the cold over here..& if not, i should just fly back..hmm...parents..u just can't win them can u?

Oh ya, one funny thing was she asked if i'm used to the food here & if i can finish their 'huge portions'..& my reply? '1 serving is barely enuf for me' I also dunno if my appetite has increased since i came here cos it's cold(starting to turn warm liao lor) or simply cos i'm bored(& so i turn to food for comfort)..anyway, i really dun think their serving is tat huge..american's serving maybe but here..seriously lor, 1 sandwich or 1 cottage pie definitely wun last me beyond 2 hours (yes, i'm still on a 2-hr feed)..do u know tat i can easily wolf down 4 slices of bread(wholemeal no less) and have ample room for dessert..& i'm talking about lunch alone..

Sigh..i'm gonna eat my savings away soon..

1 month anniversary

Yup..i've been in UK for exactly 1 month today..

To summarise what i've seen & done for the past 1 month will require more space than this blog allows..or at this moment in time, more time than this free internet access of 30 mins allows..

Have i regretted this decision to 'liu lang'? Nope..well, at least not yet..i haven really gotten into any exciting adventures..but i do have the time to see people more clearly..it's not difficult when there're no datelines to meet..no reports to rush..just Me vs The World Out There..k lah, do miss u folks back home sometimes..do have my lonely moments too..

To quote Ms K's quote (who kindly typed a newspaper article for me)..'Travel helps us to think more clearly about who we are and where we come from..We travel to open our hearts & eyes & learn more about the world than our newspaper can accomodate..'

Anyway, there're some things tat i still need to get used to..they are :

1. How to mix hot & cold water from 2 separate taps without scalding myself or freezing my hands esp when i wash up in the morning

2. My height is now 5ft 6in, not 166 cm

3. The speed limit on the road are in miles/hr, not km/hr (which can be rather surprising, as the speed limit in some 'xiao lu' can be 50..quite high for a singaporean lah)

4. If there are 2 or more consecutive days with temps over 25 degrees, it is a 'heat wave'

5. It is 'reasonable' to charge 3 pounds for still mineral water(aka plain water) & it's not considered daylight robbery

6. Ditto for charging 2 pounds for boiled rice (aka plain white rice)

7. Ditto for charging 3.50 pounds for a 1.5 hrs ride on the local bus (distance equivalent to taking bus from Changi to Jurong)

Obviously i can go on about the exhorbitant prices of more items here but i guess i just have to live wif it..at least until i run dry of pounds..

For now, i've run out of free internet time..

Liverpool!

Tat's right..i managed to arrive in Liverpool afterall..after forking out another 22 pounds : /

Today's my third day here..planned to spend 4 nites in this hostel..which has only 1 female toilet & 1 female bathroom in the entire building..& u can't lock the damn bathroom cos the only sink available is in the bathroom..add this to a miserable kitchen & we decided to move out after 2 nites..

The good thing was we spoke to this Canadian girl & she recommended us another hotel which offered quite a bargain cos they charge by the room & not the no. of pax..and swee swee each room can accomodate 3 pax, so just nice for us. Their toilets are pretty interesting, look exactly like the kind u find on aeroplanes..took some pics..heh..It costs us only 9 pounds pppn now, compared to 13.50 pounds pppn at the hostel..the only drawback is not being able to cook..

Oh ya, we had a sudden cravings for chinese food yest & we went to a Thai & Chinese buffet(which is more chinese than thai anyway)..i think i ate enuf to last me for 3 days..haha..well, this is actually bad news for me as i'm really on the way to being a xiao pang..temp dropped to about 13 degrees for the past 2 days..eliminating all possibilities of running out there..

Planning to go visit Anfield(dun be too jealous, wei..promise i'll send u a postcard) but the tours are fully booked till next week..will see how then..depending on schedule, i'll try & make a trip to my home away from home - Goodison Park (homeground of Everton)

Oh well, gotta log out soon..using a free terminal at their sorta NYC here..

Stay tuned for more Liverpool action!

Rated PG (Strong language)

Tamade!! So pissed wif myself..can't believe i made such a stupid mistake..

I'm supposed to book online coach tickets for the 3 of us from London to Liverpool on Sunday, 12 Jun & duno-wat-the-hell-happened, i booked tickets for SATURDAY instead!! The tix cost £22 or S$66..and cos it's a budget coach, amendments or refunds are not allowed..wat the f***

(Mumbling & grumbling to myself) ¬!"£$%^&*

I'm back!

Aha! here i am again..sitting in front of a pc & telling half the world about what i ate for lunch and how many crunches i did :Þ

It was a (unsuccessful) job hunt tat brought me back to the london 'woods'..my hiding hole here..anyway, decided to nuah & get fat(somemore) here before i continue my journey..yes yes, i realise i spent most of my time nuahing rather than travelling & looking for job..and i have the 'extra chins' to show for it : /

Anyway, a quick summary of wat happened during those days without internet access..went to some pretty little villages(yes, villages, not city, not towns) ..visited some caves..but the damn weather prevented us from taking a 2-hours hike around a magnificent gorge : (

Also had a few miserable moments when we had to stand in the rain for the never-coming bus..when a day out to the beach was ruined by a sudden downpour..oh well, this is english weather for u : /

But overall, the weather had improved slightly since i came over..i can now walk around the house in my usual tshirt & shorts ensemble..it just feels like i'm perpetually in an air-con environment..

Till the next interesting thing happens..or till my next chin appears..whichever comes first..

No more internet access

The title says it all..

Shiok ah!

Today we woke up slightly earlier..830am..cos we decided to take some action - to look for jobs..

We headed out after breakfast and popped into a few agencies, there were at least 7 - 8 of them within 10 mins walking distance from our hostel..left our CV & contact details wif a few..then realised cukoo me remembered my mobile no wrongly..too many digits liao : /

Had lunch at this pancake restaurant recommended by LP..interesting items on their menu..chicken curry & pancake? And boy, are their pancakes huge! Wif one sick cat among us, the 3 of us can barely finish the 2 pancakes (i must control my diet mah)

Then spent the afternoon idling at the nearby shopping centres..oh, saw one fitness centre..very tempted & went in to ask about their charges..wah biang, £10 per entry..a bit ex right..no choice but to give up the idea..was thinking maybe can go for a jog since the weather has turned slightly warmer since morning..

On the way back to our hostel, i spied another fitness centre..it looks posh..tucked in a corner of a hotel..nevertheless i went in to check it out..the receptionist asked if i was a guest in the hotel & i said no..all prepared to walk out liao then i itchy-mouth asked 'can i pay to use the gym then?' Wat a pleasant surprise when she replied '£5 to use the gym'!

Mai tu liao..went back to hostel & changed into my exercise gear and went back to the gym..it's a bit small compared to the £10 one..prob cos it's a hotel gym & not a commercial gym..but i'm happy enough to see the familiar treadmills, exercise bikes, dumbbells, etc..instructor will be proud of me : )

To describe my workout routine here will bore everyone reading this..so i shall email instructor & my gym buddy separately..heh..

Felt so shiok after the workout tat i'm beginning to think i'm really addicted to sports..