Picnic by the Lake!

The term is coming to an end soon and one by one, many of the exchange friends are leaving Warwick to go home. ='(
Emily was leaving the next day so we had a last gathering with her to picnic by the lake.


Everyone brought along some snacks. Tadah!

Emily,Christine & I.

Somehow our food attracted a swamp of ducks and ducklings and we started feeding them with bread. It was cute at first but long after it started to smell bad cuz the duckies were poo poo-ing all over the place. Urgh. =/

I was so afraid that the duckies would bite the half-eaten apple which I was holding in my hands.



Ugly ducklings. Where's piyo-piyo!?!

Later, some of us walked around campus and explored some of the areas we haven't been to before. Unfortunately, the skies weren't that bright so no nice sunlight for perfect photos as it was drizzling earlier on.

There used to be a whole land full of yellow flower (think is rapeseed flowers) but apparently they have started wilting. No longer that yellow anymore. =(

Time flies...

DANDELIONS!

We played with dandelions, they're so pretty! Happy Me! ^^

and the girls started collecting flowers while we were walking along Lakeside.

Later on, I caught Alice in the Wonderland (I know I'm slow, better late than never! Haha!) with Charmaine at Warwick Arts Centre. We wanted to experience how the Warwick cinema feels like before we leave UK.

Turned out better than I expected! The cinema IS really cinema; with comfy seats, air-con, large screen and nice sound system. The best thing is...we paid only 3.50pounds for the movie! It was really enjoyable.

The cinema will even be screening Sex and The City in 2 weeks' time. Not bad eh.. but I've already watched it in oxford. Hehe =D

Day trip to OXFORD!

Took the megabus from Canon Park Station which is just outside the campus, directly to Oxford Water Eaton station. Megabus is usually very on time and it departs/arrives at the stated timing. However, it was almost 25mins late behind schedule due to a major traffic held up on the highway.

Why? BECAUSE IT RAINED!

RAIN!!! Such spoiler to a day excursion! Don't be deceived by the 2 lovely pictures above, they're taken only after the sun came out in the late afternoon.

When I reached Oxford (which is an university town), it was already drizzling quite a bit and the skies were dark. HATE IT! Because it meant not enough sunlight---> ugly photos!


I felt lost for a moment after alighting from the bus but eventually followed the road signs and arrived at the tourist information centre to book a Official Oxford Walking tour for 2pm & bought a map. It kinda sucked cuz I arrived there at about 1.02pm and the 1pm tour had already started. Thanks to the traffic jam; thanks to the rain.

There were still some time before the tour so I walked around nearby and spotted BLACKWELL! It's well-known for its large collection of books, music and art pieces. It occupied the area of 9 shops! They sell very special things like medieval music, musical/opera audtion etc.

I browsed through some of the DVDs and there's so many which I wanted to buy! Mozart's Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute), Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, Shakespeare's Romeo&Julie. These are all classic performances!!..but pricey too. In the end I only bought Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet DVD performed by Kirov Opera at St Petersburg!!! I really want to watch a russian live ballet performance someday. =]

Oh! The british royal ballet is performing Swan Lake in London from 9 -19 June, but I guess I probably have to give it a miss. =(


I walked further down the streets and randomly discovered... The bridge of Sighs!

Actual name is Hertford Bridge. No idea why it is called bridge of sighs but it's said to bear close resemblance of the bridge in Venice.

Sheldonian Theatre - sort of like the main hall for the collective colleges of Oxford university. Matriculation/ convocation ceremonies are held here.

This is just one of the many college courtyard.. forgot which college this was.. Haha. Way too many..
The buildings are actually residences of the students and also comprises of several college facilities. Such nice campus right... Lucky smart cookies..





Yup, this is not the famous dining hall scene in Harry Potter but Oxford are generally well known for their grand dining hall. This is for real. On scheduled nights, students will sit down together in this dining hall and enjoy a good meal. (They are fed by the college.. how nice.. dun need to go Tesco shop for groceries and slog over the stoves)


Duh...Oxford leh... Creme de la creme..

Perhaps Cambridge students could have their laundry done for them as well so they'd have more time to study. LOL. That's a total exaggeration. =X










The Divinity School - which is the filming scene for Hogwarts' hospital ward in Harry Potter.



The Divinity school is also the very first examination hall, whereby students are examined 1:1 by a professor or head of the college...whatever you call it in the past. The guide told us that each student was examined orally, whereby the examiner ask a question/ post a topic and the student have to talk and talk....and talk until the examiner thinks that the student has displayed deep knowledge of the topic. This could go on for THREE DAYS! Can u believe it!!! It's true... IN THE PAST!




This is probably the only place I took a photo with myself in at Oxford. Got some Asian uncle to help me take and this was the result.... -.-"





It's nice to have my full body in the pic.. but.. the focus should be on the Radcliffe Camera (the cool building at the background)!!!


I wasn't pleased with the photo but thanked him anyway cuz he and his family were nice people. =)


I walked around to take other photos and then randomly asked for a caucasian auntie to help me snap a photo with the Radcliffe Camera again since it's kinda like the landmark so I really wanna take a photo with it. Turns out much better after she kindly took 3 shots. Very friendly auntie too. Hehe. ^^

After going for the Bodleian Library Tour (covers Duke Humphrey Library and the Divinity School), it started to rain quite alot and totally dampens my mood. It was so hard to get around cuz the map was drenched. I couldnt make it in time to the Alice's shop and was too cold to head to the Thames river (where punting activities were), so I went to the Odeon cinema and bought a ticket to watch Sex and The City 2!

Luckily I'd checked out the timings before coming as a wet weather plan. Reached the cinema at 5pm, bought tickets from the patient lady who had a total miscomm with me, grabbed some southern fried chicken with chips at the Kebab shop opposite and went for the movie at 6pm. Perfect timing!

It would have been a totally enjoyable day out if not for the rain! I think I haven't seen all of Oxford yet. Hopefully can go back again.

I quite like travelling alone cuz it's always OTOT, no one to rush me and I can do whatever I like, EXCEPT for the fact that it's hard to take nice pictures with myself in it. LOL!

For the past week I've been in research lab cuz there's actually no more lessons for me to attend this term. Research has been well so far, FINALLY!...after so much confusion in trying to get me started with my project. =)

When I first started going to lab, I felt so lost. I wasn't given clear instructions as to what was expected of my work etc. If you're not a Chemistry student, you perhaps might not know the difference between an undergraduate teaching lab and a research lab.

So anyway, the research lab is so much more messy and dangerous-looking as compared to the teaching lab. It looks as if there'd been mad scientistSss working on some experiemnt using complicated setups & equipment. I've seen the research lab in NTU before so it's not that shocking to me when I started to work here. The point is! I was so unfamiliar with things I had to spend long time searching for apparatus and chemicals. NTU is definitely more organised...and NEW!

It's been one week though and I'm doing fine, I guess. =D The thought of doing Final Year Project instead of Industrial Attachment did cross my mind while I was working in the resarch lab. Hmm.. still too early to tell if I'm really suitable for that or not.


It is now exam period in school and every single soul seemed to be immensely busy with exam preparations except me (cuz' I had majority of my papers last term, when I was stress like shit. Still waiting for results which will only be released on 29/6. WTS. Pls lemme pass man...)

The more slack I am now, the more I feel out-of-place. My daily routine for the past 1-2 weeks after the Easter hols have been: sleeping till late, go lab do research, come back cook dinner, chase drama serials (direct translation from Mandarin)till late. I ought to be shot!

By right,I am not exactly THAT free cuz' I still have an exam to take on June 15! Polymer Chemistry and I haven't started reading a single bit! I skipped alot of the lecture due to exams last term cuz this is Year 2 module while I'm taking Year 3 modules last term. Aiyah. it's complicated.

Anyway, I'm going to Oxford tomorrow! I'm not gonna wait anymore. Everyone has different schedule or has been to different places. Just my luck. I'll go there alone then, cuz I really wanna see the place/ university. =)

Hope the weather will be good~

Last week when I went to London for Carmen, I thought I've teleported back to Singapore. Felt so warm even though it was only around 26degrees celcius & I was sweating in my room! Seriously can't imagine stepping out of the Changi airport basement carpark (to fetch my father's car probably) which would totally have me baked alive as if in an oven!

The news had reported, though, that last weekend was sort of like the hottest days for the whole year in UK and it was gonna get colder subsequently. True enough, these few days had been cool and windy again. ME LIKE IT~

Ok. Gonna sleep already. Nitez. ^^

Carmen - 1st Opera held @ London O2 Arena!

I went to London alone over the weekend...

SPECIALLY TO WATCH CARMEN THE OPERA!

As crazy as it may seem, spending the time, money and effort to travel to London for the opera, I really wanted to watch the show cuz since a long time ago, I've been fascinated with CARMEN.

The music was FANTASTIC! Probably couldn't get any better cux it was conducted live by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra! Totally gave me the goosebumps when they played the songs and for that very instance, I felt it was all worth the trip!

(even though money-wise wasn't really worth it..hmm...)


CARMEN is the 1st opera to be held in the O2 arena, which usually holds concert performance by bands and popstars such as Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas etc.


The O2 Arena is at North Greenwich Station, all the way at the east of the city, while my hostel was at Kensal Green (North-west area).

There's so much disruption to the travel route because many of the tube lines are closed during weekends. That's one thing I loathe most about London. Damn it. Waste time, waste effort...



FINALLY! I was elated on seeing the signboard. ^-^

The massive O2 Arena.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra!

The view from where I was sitting... not super fantastic/near but it was already a 60pounds-valued ticket. I got it for 33 pounds online though. Good thing.

The overall settings of the stage. It was intentionally shaped like a serpent. The arena was HUMONGOUS! I wonder what joy could the people sitting in the cheapest fare section get from watching at such a FAR distance.

Overall, the music was really really praiseworthy, but the fact that such live acting performance was held in a huge theatre like this actually ended up with poorer visual effects as compared to those regular theatre with a front stage. Cuz at the circular setup of the O2 arena, there'd be some point whereby the actor's back faces you and you wouldn't be able to admire the expressions essential to make you feel connected.

I enjoyed CARMEN very much, but still felt that Phantom of the Opera musical is the best so far! <3

HELP ME!

I think I'm ill...

I can't STOP shopping!

I went to Coventry this afternoon, after lunch with the exchange friends, to run some errands and unknowingly came out from Primark with a huge bag of shopping loots. Everything seem so nice and must-buy, now that the summer clothings are out in store. Lovely!

My shopping loots of the day:

Cardigan - £11

Dress - £7.50

Romper - £9

Tee - £4

Tank top - £4

Shorts - £9

Handbag - £3 (UP: £7)

Shoes - £2!!! (UP: £4)

Jacket - £5 (UP: £11)

Talk about dirt-cheap when there's sales. OMG.

BUT... the trouble rises when it comes to packing my luggage back to Singapore. Shipping costs too if it's too heavy yeah.

I never knew I could be addicted to shopping in UK.

Somebody STOP ME!!!

Gosh, I realised I've been MIA from my blog for so long. LOL.

Well I guess partly because after I met up with BF, we're busy experiencing the joy of travelling, and also the travel plan disruption due to the volcanic ashes really kills my joy a little. I was rather affected by the sudden change in plan that got us stuck and spoilt our itinerary, that we've taken careful planning for.

Hostel reservation had to be cancelled, deposit forfeited, train tix rebooked, money wasted. BUT, at the end of the day when things finally goes well... WE ALL HEAVED A SIGH OF RELIF & afterall enjoyed the trip very much! ^^

I'm sure that when we looked back at how we overcame the problems that occurred during this trip in future, we'll all be laughing silly at our learning experience. =)

This 6-weeks' long Europe tour at one go would probably be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm fotunate to be able to experience it. Some exchange students might have more time to travel far more places, but due to the nature of my course of study and its exam timetable, I couldn't do the same. BUT, I am already thankful for the chance to come on this exchange programme; for the chance to 大开眼界 & built many beautiful memories. =D


One and a half more months to stay in England before I finally head home. Time flies. How I wish I could stay till Decemeber to watch the first snow of this year. As much as I dislike going back to scorching hot sunny island, "tiny red dot" with strict rules, home is still where I belong, where my love ones are. Many of my exchange friends will be leaving Warwick much earlier, in June, but I still have one exam to take and gotta work for my research project which has been postponed for many weeks!

Basically this term 3, summer term, is a super slack one for me and I feel as if I'm still on holidays. Good or bad? I think I'm getting a little far too "nua" now. Gotta brace myself up and treasure the little time I have left in Warwick.

I went to the lab today to order chemicals needed for my research. Hopefully I will be able to start the experiment on Wednesday. =)