Yep been back for some time but I haven't felt like blogging or doing anything much (including practicing). Blame it on the weather, I think. AND the construction work going on somewhere in the lower levels of my block. The drilling seems to go right into my head.

I went shopping with KK on Monday... we watched She Is The Man, and in the evening we went to Esplanade to watch the performance of Emz's (& the rest of Les Six) piece for the art installation at the concourse. All the pieces made an impression in their own different ways, it was real cool! KK got me a birthday present in advance (a book, obviously...) which I just started reading today in the room furthest from the source of the drilling noise, cos I just couldn't do anything else.

Been looking for a job too but I haven't been successful. I can't blame anybody except myself, cos I'm quite specifically looking for jobs that are sales/retail-related or at the very least customer service-related. I'm convinced that it's going to make it easier for me to find a job when I return to Birmingham, since lots of employers prefer people with experience. Hope I find a job soon! =)

Met V, a friend from Hong Kong, this afternoon because I asked her if she could help me move my stuff to storage. I had lots of shopping bags full of stuff since I didn't have many boxes, so V suggested I should go to Access Self Storage to buy more boxes.

When we got to the place, there were many people waiting to be served. Quite a lot of them were there to 'open a storage space' and at least two people were moving their things in for the first time so they were waiting for staff to remove the locks on the doors of their reserved spaces. However, there was only one person at the counter. The day when I went to reserve a space there was also only one guy at the counter. I was telling V that if they knew the summer holiday period was usually quite busy due to international students storing their stuff, they should have more staff working per shift. I waited around for a rather long time and in the end we decided to go to Argos instead.

At Argos, we decided that the boxes were too unreasonably priced. So V suggested that she could loan me her boxes since she wouldn't be travelling home this summer. So in the end we went to the city centre for very much nothing. But anyway thanks V for lending me boxes and helping me bring them to my room too! And helping me squeeze my stuff in >.<













to this.












Haha ya I was that messy and pathetic, using shopping bags and cereal boxes but now I have real boxes! :)

I'm sort of done packing and tomorrow I'll be bringing the all the barang barang to the storage place, Access Self Storage. I'm just hoping I didn't leave anything out.

I'm feeling evil that I decided not to sing in chamber choir for the Summer Festival, cos I'm scared I can't manage packing etc plus sing for the concert. Hmm... looks like I made a mistake in choosing the date to 'start the storage thing', maybe I shouldn't have chosen the same day of the concert. But anway, don't think anyone would mind as long as I return the scores.

Now the whole room is in a mess. Bleargh

This evening I went to pay my rent for the house I'll be moving into in September, cos I wouldn't be back in Birmingham until mid-September so I have to pay in advance. I probably haven't mentioned that due to a certain twist of events, I'll be sharing a house with four other guys next year. (If there are any cousins reading this, please hush, I'm not supposed to let my grandma know ok?) Two of them are Singaporeans, one is Russian and one is from Hong Kong.

I couldn't really remember how we got there the last time to sign the contract, so I contacted MIB, one of the Singaporeans. Ya that was his initials on his cheque book, quite cool right. Ok, anyway, when I found out that MIB was planning to pay his rent one of these days I asked him whether I could tag along. And it was good that I did, cos if I didn't I'd probably have walked in circles for dunno how long before I took the right route. At the same time I realised that I'd be staying with two jokers next year, MIB and his Russian course-mate S.

On the way to our landlord's shop, we were about to cross a road when suddenly,
MIB: ey later when we cross the road we have to bend down.
me: ...??? Huh, why? *Looks around quizzically wondering about the lack of any low obstacles over the road*
MIB: elderly, what.
me: o_O *Sees an 'elderly' road sign across the road* Oh!!!!
We both burst out in laughter. After a while, I find it a lame joke, but I sometimes wonder at the speed of MIB's brain. Do all 'computer' people think so fast? (He studies er, I forgot what, something with a computer in it la)

When we found the shop the landlord started to explain that we could write twelve cheques, one for each month, and date it for that month etc etc, and then he had to leave to help serve the customers. His shop is something like a mama shop, or like a mini ECON Mini Mart if you know what I'm referring to. It sells the usual snacks, drinks etc that mama shops sell, and then it sells canned foods, frozen food, milk, bread, magazines, newspapers, alcohol, cigarettes, birthday cards, whatever cards, and rents DVDs.

So we wrote our cheques for September's rent and waited for him to finish serving the customers. When the landlord came back and realised we had only written one cheque each, he was like, 'You can write twelve cheques blah blah blah... you understand?' This was directed at me cos I suppose the first time he mentioned that I had a quizzical look on my face so he thought I didn't understand how that worked.
MIB: I think she wants to come here and pay you every month. She wants to see you every month.
Me: ...
Landlord: *after a few seconds, realises the joke* hahaha, you naughty boy, say such things.

It was really funny LOL. That was MIB's way of stopping the continuous 'twelve cheques' thing. Nah, our landlord is a nice man, he's very sincere about touching up the paint, door etc of the house before we move in. And I know he was just trying to save us the trouble of having to go to his shop every month, or post him a cheque every month. But as MIB said later, on our way back to the university, 'Go to his shop every month also good what, every month get free drink.' Haha it's true, when we went to sign the contract he told us to grab a bottle of soft drink each on our way out, and this time he did the same thing again. But this time we didn't take any, er cos I'm trying to lose the 'winter weight', whether or not it's actually 'winter weight' is beyond me... anyway I just try.

Yep, so on the way back MIB was saying that S's jokes are even more 'cruel', as he put it. What he really meant was that S was very good at cracking jokes. And that he hasn't even cracked the more 'need to use brain' jokes yet. Alright! Bring it on man! What's better than living with two jokers who can entertain me and make my brains work at the same time. Hehe I think next year will be amusing indeed.

As I mentioned, I went to Bath with Poot and Celine last Friday. The train ride was about one hour plus, and we had to first take a train to Bristol Temple Meads station before taking another train to Bath Spa station.

Bath is a very charming little town. Even when we were in the middle of the city, most of the time I could catch glimpses of the countryside through gaps in buildings. We reached Bath at around 11 plus and were planning to catch a free walking tour at 2pm so we just took a walk around the city taking photos before having lunch and lounging about in a beautiful park where Celine and I got terribly sunburnt. The walking tour was great, we got to see the city and at the same time were educated about architecture. The guide was not exactly very interesting (he used to be a teacher and we know teachers are boring :P), but I was really interested in what he was saying cos all the talk about ornate decorations, 'the age of reason', the proportions of the buildings, the symmetry and what not paralleled what was taking place in the musical styles during the respective periods. It's one thing to look at pictures and another to see them in real life with a guide explaining at the same time. Anyway, photos!

Bath Abbey

















Left of which was the Roman Bath, which regretfully we found too expensive to visit. And neither did I take any picture of it cos there wasn't anything much to see from the outside. The England flags on top of the abbey where supposedly there because of the World Cup fever, our guide later told us.

The park where we had lunch and then proceeded to get sunburnt in deck chairs




























We paid 1 pound to get into this park, and it was worth it. It was not very crowded, unlike the Royal Cresent where there were lots of young people sunbathing and playing everywhere. Haha Celine deviously took that last photo just after I thought she had already taken a picture and looked down at my camera.

The Royal Cresent













According to our walking tour guide, the low 'rock wall', in the the olden days, served to separate the peasants from the more distinguished people. The grass on both the higher and lower 'tiers' would be cut such that they reached up to the same height. So the peasants would have been standing deeper in the grass.

As we were on the walking tour, we heard some music playing. It sounded like... a harp? A guitar? A mandolin? A shop playing a CD? We turned a corner to discover a very talented musician playing some cylinder-like thing with two mallets in each hand.













Some sights of the city





























As you can see, it was breath-taking. And you can glimpse the countryside in the second photo. I'd rather visit Bath than London anyday.

I've been slacking too much. Now I really have to start packing. ARGH. Wonder whether I should buy a weighing scale to see how heavy the luggages are so that I won't exceed the weight limit??? Celine left this morning... and she won't be coming back (other than to visit) cos she's a one-year exchange masters student from France. I wonder how I will feel when I leave in 2008. But for now, here are some things I will miss:

1. The sun + cool breeze combination in summer (uh, when there is a breeze la)
2. The cold winds during autumn/winter/spring (it's freezing but quite shiok too)
3. The sights all around me (e.g. trees/plants in full bloom, stark tree branches in winter)
4. The harpsichord(s)!
   
5. The blue skies (ok this can be counted in No.3, but I just suddenly thought of it)
6. The walking (I love to walk, especially in silence/alone)
7. The amazing opportunities to travel (ok I know I haven't made much use of it but student mah, must be thrifty and must study! I'll try to utilise my time well next summer)
8. The squirrels everywhere (even in dustbins sometimes)
9. The more relaxed, laid back pace (other than essay/assignment submissions of course)
10. Hot water taps (so efficient for washing the dishes)
    

But there are also things I look forward to when I go home:

1. Family and friends (of course)
2. My piano (er so-so la, but not having to walk to school to practise will be a plus)
3. The beach! And the sun (not so much the sun now, cos I dunno if I might be permanently lobster-coloured when I go back)
4. The food (? think I'm weird cos I don't really get cravings for anything except once in a long time)
5. Taking mrt's and buses again (instead of walking and occasionally taking buses or trains)
   
6. A job (hopefully if I can find one?)
7. Shopping (? maybe, but I'm not very keen on shopping unless it's CDs heh)
8. No more big fat hairy bees suddenly appearing when I'm walking (in summer) or smaller bees seeking warmth in my room (in autumn/winter)
9. Shops and stuff not closing so early (only pubs/clubs will remain open at night here)
10. The efficiency
11. Being able to still be out in the middle of the night and not worrying too much about safety (as opposed to really silent/deserted and dimly lit streets here. Even if a street in Singapore is empty at least it'll be brightly lit unless u're really in some ulu place la. Or is the night sky here darker??? Maybe there are more trees, which makes it darker.)
    

I'm not looking forward to:

1. More mosquitos (there are mozzies here that are thinner and longer, but maybe they don't like my blood or maybe they got squashed by me if they hid under my duvet before I go to bed *evil laugh* So far I've only seen and killed two ever since the start of warmer weather, ok make that 3 cos I just saw a big one.)
   
2. Cockroaches and lizards (I haven't seen any in my flat/room, not that I'm complaining, but I've only seen lizards once or twice out of rooms. Cockroach count = 0)

I went to Bath with Poot and Celine, her flatmate, today. Had lots of fun and got really sunburnt! Yes it's really hot here now... sometimes I think it's even hotter or at least as hot as Singapore. Here's a comparison between my leg and arm to show how burnt I got.















Think the few times I ever got this red was only during camps or maybe in secondary school when we were rehearsing formations during band prac. Actually, I think I've only been so burnt once or twice before. Or maybe I forgot. Or my skin has gotten so used to autumn/winter such that I became a 白斩鸡 ('white chicken' in chicken rice terminology) and then it was very prone to becoming red. Feeling hot all over and itchy!!!! ARGH. Luckily I don't really have to go out until Monday, and hopefully by then I don't look so lobster-like anymore.

Will update with photos of Bath soon when I get more photos.

Poot and I went to London one day after our exams. But I was very sian after that and was too lazy to blog about it. So... the highlights of our trip:

Buckingham Palace




























Horses seen near Hyde Park
























The guys look so small on such big horses. Their euphoniums and tubas look miniature and light too. Haha ok maybe I'm too used to seeing asians with instruments la.

Hyde Park
























It gave me a very beach-like feel.

National History Museum








































I like the egg-size comparison thing. The smallest is the hummingbird egg, shown with the nest also, and there's the chicken egg. The white one is the ostrich egg, but I forgot what the two biggest eggs are -__-''' Oh ya, the odd-looking egg behind the chicken egg is very special cos its conical shape prevents it from rolling off cliffs and stuff where the bird usually has its nest. I'm such a geek hor?

Tower Bridge

























We were very lucky and some ship happened to want to come through. Lots of people gathered to watch. Haha ok, maybe the Londoners were not that interested but they had no choice except to wait till the bridge was lowered before they can cross.

And Poot spotted a rainbow!













Sometimes you have to slow down to notice things. The last time I saw a rainbow was on a busy street and people were just going by without noticing too. Or possibly they noticed but were not interested.

Will be back home in eleven days!!!

Nowadays I'm just about doing nothing... going for chamber choir rehearsals that's all. Actually really quite diao to go also, cos there are only two year ones including me plus I'm not even a singer lor. But nevermind la, there are also some non-singers so I don't feel too out of place. Otherwise I will really have nothing to do for summer festival liao. I wanted to practise a lot since I'm so free, but it feels really weird to go to the practice block now cos it's so empty. Other than small chamber groups or duet-ters practising, there isn't anyone else. And then I'll feel so extra to be there. Like, 'What?! Why is some enthu-kia still practising when all the 2nd/3rd year recitals are over?!' (assuming they dunno it's a first year). Somemore I'm like learning new pieces also, play until really CMI... so I'd rather the practice block be full and noisy. Anyway, I'm very good at sleeping in late also la, that just gives me yet another excuse not to go to school hehe.

I have to start packing my stuff also. Packed two boxes so far, one has books that I'm not planning to bring back, and the other was for all the winter coats/jackets/whatever you call them. Haha they were so thick I had to squash them into the box but it's good that they managed to fit. Can't believe it. Time flies. It feels quite odd now thinking of leaving Birmingham for Singapore, but it's almost like the same feeling I had thinking of leaving Singapore for Birmingham. I think I will never be content living in any country cos each has its own pros and cons. I just really hope I will have the opportunity of travelling round the world, even if I do it in my eighties haha.

Hmm recently I just discovered that a Hong Kong friend and I really share lots of similarities. Especially that we don't want to get married and have children. To us, married = no freedom. Married + children = even less freedom. Haha I know it's really selfish of us to think this way. But from another point of view, we get to enjoy freedom without being selfish towards our family (as in, spouse and children). And both of us would really love to travel. Er actually who wouldn't? I think tourism must be one of the richest industries around. Ya, so family = no money/time to travel.

I think the main reason for both of us was that we feel very strongly about having personal space/time. We realised this when she asked me whether I'd prefer to stay with my parents if I had a choice and I said no. It's not because we don't love or care for our parents, just that we'd really prefer to live alone. The point is, you need to have the money to be able to live alone in Singapore if you're under 35. And people change. We realise that by our mid-thirties, who knows, anything can change. Haha what a nonsensical rant, I know I will never be able to buy my own house.

Anyway the point was that we found it quite amusing that we would never have thought of each other as the sort of person who doesn't want to start a family. I always get people telling me that I look like I'd make a good mother i.e. 'you look motherly' *puke*. Not like I don't like kids, actually I'd really like to work with kids but cos of the reasons above I'd rather not have my own. Ya. And so this friend also looks like the 'motherly' type (whatever you think that looks like haha). All these 'you look like ____' are usually stereotypes anyway.

Having conversations with this friend was both quite funny yet beneficial also. Haha cos I'd be trying to speak in Cantonese, but as soon as I've spoken a sentence I'll switch back to English. My Cantonese always sounds weirdly accented. Like when I try to speak English English haha. But hearing her speak in Cantonese was good cos my brain can actually start to try to think in Cantonese also so that the brain thinks of the sound of the words before I say them. Rather than thinking in English or Chinese and then trying to say what I want to say in Cantonese. Whatever, I know I'm just crapping on a lot of non-related and irrelevant stuff in this post. Just suddenly felt like typing something just now, procrastinating the packing mah.