The Great Rail Journey

Tomorrow we leave for Europe. I've been into Europe loads of times, but this time it's going to be slightly different. We're going overland all the way, using buses, trains and ferries. We're going away for 18 days now. The preliminary plan (if all goes well) goes like this:

London - Belgium - Germany - Austria - Hungary - Romania - Bulgaria - Greece - Italy

On the 18th day, we're flying from Venice to Liverpool straight.

Planning this trip has been looooong! Figuring out train times, deciding which cities we can cover in the limited time we have... Obviously, this is going to be a quick zip through all the above mentioned countries. The point is seeing Europe by rail, taking in the landscape as it passes by. The point is getting from point A to point B within the given time. This isn't a leisurely holiday, soaking in the local culture and all that bollocks. In fact, its more stressful than anything. I've spent many an hour in the last one week tearing my hair out planning this trip. I'm already tired just thinking about it, but I'm also very excited. The planned highlights are: Austrian ex-concentration camp Mauthausen, Transylvania, Greece to Italy by sea, ancient ruins of Pompeii and the romantic waterways of Venice. I hope we do this right. Will try keep things posted, as much as I can. Watch this space!

xx

Simpler times

My parents flew down from Singapore on Tuesday morning. The night before, very conveniently, all the electricity in our flat went. Apparently, Stuart Little somewhere, chewed up some of our cables, and the stupid mouse got fried in the process, blocking the electricity flow. So for the last four days, we have been using electricity from this socket conveniently located just outside the flat. Our bathroom is lit in candles, we have 6 plug extensions snaking all across the floorboards, and decisions constantly have to be made, when choosing to sacrifice either charging our laptops or watching a DVD.

And since the washing machine clearly can't run without power, I had to go down to a laundrette today, for the first time in my life, carrying my big basket of laundry, paying 3 quid to wash them, and sitting there watching them spin away for 35mins. It was so...Friends-esque. It's actually quite entertaining watching the different cycles of a washing machine (or am i just going soft..?). Another reason why it felt quite surreal is cuz I was surrounded by Americans, and you know how friendly they are, more so in a laundrette. Even with a book in hand, I couldn't escape the clutches of the over-friendly, bored American tourist doing his washing...

a lazy week

I've been watching alot of television. Sinful I know, but I think I deserve it. This has been the first time I've been able to PROPERLY bum around since exams finished, what with doing the work placement and everything.

I've conducted marathons in fact...Prison Break, Lost, Desperate Housewives...everything! It's the post-modern way to watch dramas. The post-modern personality is no longer capable of watching an hour of a story unfold once a week, which is why we have to watch 10 in one shot. It kills the mind, I tell you.

Anyway, this mindless time-pass won't be lasting much longer. On the side, I've been planning and preparing for the little holiday I'm treating my parents to next week. As a thank you gift for sponsoring my university education, I'm taking them on a great rail journey through Europe for 15 days. The plan is to hit Romania by Day 7 and then make our way back. I think I've sprouted a few grey hairs in the last 2-3 days booking the rail passes and trying to get everything right. More details later.

Also been getting some interesting feedback about my articles off late. One person thanking me over email, grateful that I wrote his story, and some others I hear about chucking all the papers out because they don't want anyone reading what I've written. Juicy!

Boston!

I finally booked my flights to Boston! Been putting it off for ages, thinking I should wait for a good deal, but today I decided to bite the bullet.
Soooooo - I'm leaving London on 11th September (gulp), and back to London on 13th October.
5 WHOLE WEEKS!
Visiting my cousin (and one of my bestest friends in the world), Nabilah, at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachussetts. I might've just graduated, but I'll be livin the uni life once again - American-style - verrrrrrry soon! :P

PS. This is also a big deal for me, being the first ever long-haul flight I'll be funding MYSELF....feel like a big girl now!

Introducing...Freaky

I feel like I must blog about this.

Meet Freaky.



The latest member of the flat.

Originally from Marchmont Street, she now humbly resides in Witley Court with us. We like to think we are doing our bit for the disabled world by adopting this fish.

Because, you see, she is a disabled goldfish.

Freaky here, has no control of her breath intake/outtake, causing her to frequently turn upside down because, as you can see, she is also very very......fat.

Supposedly, she was a bit of a celebrity in the fish store. Everyone always assumed she was dead, floating about upside down, but really, she just has a bit of trouble turning the big belly right side up.

Goodbye Hughes Parry

Now it really does feel like it's all over. I moved out of halls today, Hughes Parry, my home for 2 out of the last 3 years of my life. I was out all day, but when I came home in the evening, it definitely felt really out of place, not returning to halls. Not having to head home before 7pm to catch dinner served in the kitchen, and having to warm my own food in the microwave. I realised just now, besides my 6 days in Madrid, I have spent practically every single night in the last 9 months in Room 227. Even though I felt like I never got attached to it, like I did to my 1st year room in halls, I realise I feel extremely displaced sitting here in my new room in my sisters flat. It's nice to be back with family, which I have really missed, but adapting to change is bound to be disconcerting in the beginning.

The last 7 days in halls anyway, have been very strange. Everyone left a week before me, so things were eerily quiet. Not surprisingly, I made sure I didn't spend much time indoors.

Anyhow, I've been looking forward to moving back into my sisters, down the road. Missed being with family, missed having a fridge and a kitchen. Packing as usual, was an absolute confusing nightmare. Not knowing what to pack for and when. Deciding what to send back to Singapore for good. Deciding what I need here over the summer. The last one week, with friends moving out, and then me today - had made this life-change ahead of me ever more stark, and it's been an emotional few days. I'm not sure if I'm less strong than I thought, or if I'm becoming stronger than I am at present. Maybe I've been in denial, trying to stay overly optimistic about leaving London, leaving my life that I've known for 6 years. Every act while packing was laden with meaning, like, packing up my winter clothing, realising I might not need them for a long, long time.

Some pics of my room

If somebody offers you chicken on a yacht, take it

I have a re-discovered love for the London Bus.

My bus-pass has given me unlimited freedom to wander around this city, taking in all the sights as I go along. It's so much better than being stuck in a hot, humid underground train. It just doesn't make sense, taking the tube in the summer.

Anyway, yesterday we discovered a part of London, which I have now totally fallen in love with. It has also created in me the desire to be RICH. This may be a slight problem, with the whole...journalist thing. Hmm.

We went to Tower Hill, St. Katharines Docks, Bankside, sat by the river and had pizza, watching St. Paul's Cathedral...doing....not much really. It just stands there, after all. We took a total of 6 buses that night. Went around in circles a few times.

There were lots of people lounging about on their yachts, and one group called out to us as we passed by, and just as I'd been thinking, "I wish one of these yachts would invite us on..", some guy calls out saying, "You like chicken?!" and we just stare at him, laughing. He keeps asking, so we say no we don't like chicken, and walk on, but really, for 10mins after that I wouldn't stop moaning about why we didn't get on his yacht for some of that chicken. How dumb!

Lesson learnt: Take more risks in life. Another way of putting it: If somebody offers you chicken on a yacht, take it.

Tower Bridge as the sun sets

St. Katharine's Docks (1 side of it)

The biggest, prettiest pub I've seen.

The prettiest Starbucks I've seen!