Saturday, October 4, 2008
I'm finally on air after the long long absence! My sincere apologies to those who care. So much has happened around me, the past 3.5mths has just flown by in a whirl.
In that time, I've seen and experienced so much, good and bad.. I've been sabotaged and nearly brought down by ill-intentioned people... but luckily, there were supportive friends and family around who kept me afloat.. kudos to them for that. I've gone on my 2 long trips (I'm just back from the second one actually!) and seen quite a few new places. The Lonza interview has come and gone, as "well-organised" as I'd expected it to be. All in all, I've lost quite a lot, gained back some, but most importantly, grown so much, and learnt about the good and ugly sides of human. This overseas experience is turning out to be quite an experience afterall. Training isn't much to talk about, but I've certainly got 1st hand experience of the working world, with its politics and self-centred, ruthless individuals. That, coupled with the training on independent living and the chance to scamper all over Europe, leaving my footprints everywhere... I shouldn't have too many regrets on choosing to come to UK manz!
Now, 3.5 mths later, I'm finally getting the chance to sit on my bed, laptop on my lap, my mind for once free of all the niggling troubles.. whew what a feeling! But all these problems and stress have taken their toll on me. I was pretty shocked a few days ago to find the "white hair count" on my head has gone up from 1 to more than 5 or 6! I seem to be losing my memory quite a bit too, and I finally fell sick on my trip after lingering on the brink for so long. The old back of mine is acting up on me too, and I somehow managed to pull a muscle in my right shoulder while trying to stretch my left shoulder! Yups, so my left side is left with its usual ache, and the right side isn't that right too! Well at least I've got this weekend to recover before dragging myself back to work on Monday again.
Yup and granny and uncle are finally safely back in Singapore again after trampling around Europe for the past month. Instead of a relaxed trip, I was pretty stressed throughout most of the journey, having to juggle the tasks of reading the map, leading the way, planning the itinery, making the bookings, choosing the restaurants, and at the same time having to regulating the pace and take care of granny, while listening to granny's and uncle's nagging. Come to think of it, it was little wonder I fell sick halfway through. Yup, so for half the trip, I was really struggling to keep myself together so the trip could go on smoothly. Luckily, it all went pretty well, and hopefully they enjoyed their time here. At least granny can now claim that she's seen England, Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland all in a month!
Apart from the stress and sneezing and coughing and fever during the trip, Scandinavia was really a beautiful place! Set against a backdrop of ripening fruits and reddening leaves on trees, it was a pretty dramatic and colourful experience.
The Norwegian fjords were some of the most breathtaking scenery I've ever seen, and the people of Norway were so pleasant! My uncle was really amazed that everywhere we went in Norway, cars were stopping to allow us to cross the road, even where there weren't pedestrian crossings. The Oslo Opera House was really a masterpiece in architectural design.. how many buildings do u see that allow u to take a pleasant stroll up its side onto the roof! I even met an interesting hotel receptionist who's doing a masters degree in ecotourism, and had a good discussion about windmill parks, and whether they're hurting or helping ecotourism! Can't help but feel a tinge of regret why I'm not in the tourism industry rite now.. knowing that is where all my interest lies. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be in that industry not too long from now ;p
Sweden was amazing too. We didn't gobble too many Swedish meatballs (well in fact I did, at the hotel breakfast in a Chinese restaurant!), but a friend of mine, Erik, hosted us in Gothenburg and treated us to a wonderful seafood buffet at the best restaurant in town! Thanks to him for the meal, and for bringing us around! Stockholm was pretty amazing too, with the almost-comical change of guards, the historical buildings on the riverside, the largest coin in the world at the coin museum, and the nice hotel we stayed at. Then there was this cultural park we went to, where they shifted several old buildings of various periods to from all over Sweden, buildings like factories, schools and churches, and got locals to don period costumes and "role-play" in the buildings, plying the original trade and explaining it to us.. very very meaningful!
In Denmark, we stayed in a B&B at a person's apartment. And this guy owns one of the most harmless, blur-looking and gigantic dogs I've ever seen. I dunno wats the breed, but it's the one you used to see in the Nippon paint (or some other paint) ad, grey and bushy, its hair covering its eyes. Dis one was exactly like that. The house-owner had left the key for us, and when we went in, we heard a loud thumping noise. Granny was so scared.. until we saw the dog lying in the living room, yawning at us and wagging its tail so hard it was beating against the floor! Costasund was her name, and despite her size, she was such a tame creature. And it was so farnie how her owner had to let her wear a hairband so she could see under her bushy hair! The dog and my granny were playing hide and seek the whole nite.. it seemed to like my granny alot, but granny was so terrified whenever it started lumbering up to her! In the end my granny was so relieved when we left the next day!
The overnite ferry we took from Stocholm to Turku in Finland was quite an experience too. It's one of those massive ocean liners with everything u can imagine on board.. there were quite a few restaurants, nightclubs, bars, a casino, and even a supermarket inside! The rooms were really posh, and we got a bargain, considering we had our Eurail discounts. And we went crazee in the supermarket, sweeping up all this Finnish chocolates and sweets, which were surprisingly cheap. And I bought quite a bit of Swedish liquour too ;p
Helsinki though, was a rainy affair. Granny was too cold to go out, and my uncle, stubborn as he is, refused to use an unbrella or wear the hood on his jacket, so they both stayed out of the rain and sent me foraying out alone. It was still quite a pretty city.. very modern and sophisticated I feel, somewhere I want to go back again.
Yup so that was my past few mths and my granny's trip in a nutshell. Lots of pictures to sort through now. Doesn't help that my external hard disk is not quite working now. Hopefully I can get them sorted soon and throw some pictures online. In the meantime, take care guys, and hope to hear from u soon. I'm counting down to going home oredi.. 3.5 more mths!!
senz posted at 9:45 PM
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