Yes, i'm back.. for 2 weeks and 2 days already. Was just plain lazy to log in and write something. I had wanted to write abt my last few days in Switzerland, but well, just never got around doing it. :) Those will go into my photo album, which i'm putting together after collecting my 269 photos i've developed.
And so much has happened in the past 2 weeks that it felt like it was already so long ago that I got off SQ345, collected my luggage from the belt, made my way home and ate my first chee cheong fan!
Kbox, cycling at the beach, eating at Tiong Bahru and Chinatown, watching movies, and of course, hanging out with friends! Spent most of the first week with dearest yuan, then met up with the guides for Potter as promised since May or so, and then the crazy 'econs girls', and the german immersion peeps of course :)
Yuki's been far from forgotten. In fact, very much missed :( Received 2 cards from her already, and i've sent her a small parcel :) Man.. I wonder how people endure long distance relationships...
What else... oh yea, been feeling somehow schrecklich for 2 weeks already, and only today did i know why when Dixie told me it's because of aircon! Better not fall sick!!
School starts again on Monday!! Oh my oh my.. i'm looking forward to it quite a bit, cos I seriously miss lectures in English. But the cors bidding is so screwed up this semester (esp for econs) that I'm half frustrated and half scared I can't get my modules. Sucks.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Rheinfalls/VENICE!
Activities lined up from last week till now... and lots to say..! But too tired now to describe everything here.. haha so once again, i'll let the pictures do the talking:
Yuki's japanese friend, Takashi, who's studying in Portugal, visited Zurich last week, and on Thursday (12.07) Esther drove us up to Rheinfalls. I heard it's the largest waterfalls in Europe, though i'm not 100% sure. Still, it was magnificent enough. We took a boat all the way up to that huge rock u see in the middle of the falls there... So exciting!!
Esther kindly invited us later to her grandma's house for lunch, where we almost wiped out the spread:
Over the weekend, i went to Moutier to spend my last weekend with Aunty Brigitte and Uncle Jean. Ate lots and played lots, especially with the two grandsons..... Soooo cute!!!
Came back on Sunday, and on Monday morning together with Yuki and Takashi, caught the early train to Milan, before changing trains to VENICE!!!
It's such a lovely city, and the three days spent there was even more fun with the two Japanese. The whole city was made up of intertwining rivers and roads and bridges. Haha a map wasn't necessary, cos we simply found our way through trial and error. All the streets looked almost the same to the foreign eye and except for the yellow signs which gave us our rough direction, we just WALKED.... and discovered...
And we also saw all forms of transportations by river: the morning post, cargo, food and beverages for the restaurants.... EVERYTHING!! No vehicles on land meant that public transport took the form of these boats too:
Venice is famous for its glass, and of course, masks! EVERY street had at least a shop/stall selling masks, and some i actually found quite eerie, like this one:
Gondola rides cost a bomb, so I made do with pictures:
The famous San Marco square was so crowded.. And the queue to the museum and palace was unbelievably long, so we gave it a miss. Who knows if we'll even get a chance before it closes.
The Rialto bridge, also one of the most photographed features of Venice.
One of my best night scene shots.. Venice at night was really romantic :)
In the three days, we made a promise to each other. Takashi and Yuki would not speak Japanese with each other, while Yuki and I can't communicate in German. So it was English for the benefit of all of us. Haha freaking hilarious, cos the their English, although seriously quite up to standard, was so cute! And Takashi's humour meant that we were always talking rubbish, laughing non-stop, doing silly actions, learning phrases in all sorts of languages, singing Japanese songs......
The train back from Venice to Milan yesterday was delayed by almost one hour, which resulted in our missing our train from Milan to Zurich. Almost every train that left Milan was delayed by 30 mins or 1 hour, and tensions were high in the station. We queued and were referred to three different places before getting the correct authorisation for our train tickets, and three of us stoned and just kept staring at the 'train-info-board' (sorry, i'm short of vocab now.. too tired..) for at least one hour, so that we could run to our train once we knew which platform it was departing from. On the train, again, it was lots of nonsense talk and stupid games. And the ticket officer who checked our tickets chatted us up a bit too. Guess what, he actually spoke to me in perfect Singlish (if there's such a thing) when I answered him that I'm from Singapore! Turns out his wife is Singaporean, and so of course, he's often in Singapore. :)
By the time we arrived in Zurich, Takashi's intention to have some good swiss food for dinner couldn't be fulfilled cos all the restaurants' kitchens were closed. We had kebab instead, before catching the last tram home.
In the wee hours of this morning, Yuki and I sent him off at the airport, which is why I'm going back to sleep right after finishing this post. Next week this day, i'll be going back to the airport, and this time, it'll be ME flying off. Man...... time's flying by tooo quickly!!!!! :'( *sobz*
Yuki's japanese friend, Takashi, who's studying in Portugal, visited Zurich last week, and on Thursday (12.07) Esther drove us up to Rheinfalls. I heard it's the largest waterfalls in Europe, though i'm not 100% sure. Still, it was magnificent enough. We took a boat all the way up to that huge rock u see in the middle of the falls there... So exciting!!
Esther kindly invited us later to her grandma's house for lunch, where we almost wiped out the spread:
Over the weekend, i went to Moutier to spend my last weekend with Aunty Brigitte and Uncle Jean. Ate lots and played lots, especially with the two grandsons..... Soooo cute!!!
Came back on Sunday, and on Monday morning together with Yuki and Takashi, caught the early train to Milan, before changing trains to VENICE!!!
It's such a lovely city, and the three days spent there was even more fun with the two Japanese. The whole city was made up of intertwining rivers and roads and bridges. Haha a map wasn't necessary, cos we simply found our way through trial and error. All the streets looked almost the same to the foreign eye and except for the yellow signs which gave us our rough direction, we just WALKED.... and discovered...
And we also saw all forms of transportations by river: the morning post, cargo, food and beverages for the restaurants.... EVERYTHING!! No vehicles on land meant that public transport took the form of these boats too:
Venice is famous for its glass, and of course, masks! EVERY street had at least a shop/stall selling masks, and some i actually found quite eerie, like this one:
Gondola rides cost a bomb, so I made do with pictures:
The famous San Marco square was so crowded.. And the queue to the museum and palace was unbelievably long, so we gave it a miss. Who knows if we'll even get a chance before it closes.
The Rialto bridge, also one of the most photographed features of Venice.
One of my best night scene shots.. Venice at night was really romantic :)
In the three days, we made a promise to each other. Takashi and Yuki would not speak Japanese with each other, while Yuki and I can't communicate in German. So it was English for the benefit of all of us. Haha freaking hilarious, cos the their English, although seriously quite up to standard, was so cute! And Takashi's humour meant that we were always talking rubbish, laughing non-stop, doing silly actions, learning phrases in all sorts of languages, singing Japanese songs......The train back from Venice to Milan yesterday was delayed by almost one hour, which resulted in our missing our train from Milan to Zurich. Almost every train that left Milan was delayed by 30 mins or 1 hour, and tensions were high in the station. We queued and were referred to three different places before getting the correct authorisation for our train tickets, and three of us stoned and just kept staring at the 'train-info-board' (sorry, i'm short of vocab now.. too tired..) for at least one hour, so that we could run to our train once we knew which platform it was departing from. On the train, again, it was lots of nonsense talk and stupid games. And the ticket officer who checked our tickets chatted us up a bit too. Guess what, he actually spoke to me in perfect Singlish (if there's such a thing) when I answered him that I'm from Singapore! Turns out his wife is Singaporean, and so of course, he's often in Singapore. :)
By the time we arrived in Zurich, Takashi's intention to have some good swiss food for dinner couldn't be fulfilled cos all the restaurants' kitchens were closed. We had kebab instead, before catching the last tram home.
In the wee hours of this morning, Yuki and I sent him off at the airport, which is why I'm going back to sleep right after finishing this post. Next week this day, i'll be going back to the airport, and this time, it'll be ME flying off. Man...... time's flying by tooo quickly!!!!! :'( *sobz*
Monday, July 09, 2007
Züri Fäscht 2007
www.zuerichfaescht.chThis carnival, held only once in four years in Zurich, is like THE occasion to let loose, cos the whole city turns into a playground; rides of various sorts, food stalls aplenty and lots more to buy! This year is only the 3rd year after the previous one, though, cos next year they'll be having the Euro Cup, so I'm lucky!! :)
So, all the rides and stalls were opened from 5pm on 6th till 10pm on 8th July. No vehicles were allowed in the city centre, and the streets were PACKED! I counted: i couldn't take 5 steps in a straight line, cos someone was sure to come in the way, and I'll have to siam. Read in the papers that there were altogether more than 2 million visitors over the weekend! Woot!
So... initially, on Friday afternoon, as the stalls started opening...
So, all the rides and stalls were opened from 5pm on 6th till 10pm on 8th July. No vehicles were allowed in the city centre, and the streets were PACKED! I counted: i couldn't take 5 steps in a straight line, cos someone was sure to come in the way, and I'll have to siam. Read in the papers that there were altogether more than 2 million visitors over the weekend! Woot!
So... initially, on Friday afternoon, as the stalls started opening...
haha I tried Raclette, a typical swiss cheese, that they melt and scrape on potatoes/bread, and serve together with gurkins or pickled onions. yumm..
The rides lit up at night.. The city literally DIDN'T sleep over the weekend..
Of course, I took the rides.. I liked the Freefall the most, but only because it gave a breathtaking view from right on top :)The main highlight of the festival is of course, the fireworks. They were on display both on Friday and Saturday night, in accompaniment to classic and pop music respectively.
On Friday night, we arrived a bit too late, and were squashed between much taller Europeans, so we learnt our lesson, and camped right by Zurich lake 5 hours before the fireworks to ensure we'll get a good view the next day. Indeed, the half-hour display was so... enchanting. And romantic too!But getting home after that was another task. We had to walk a distance to where the trams were allowed, and i'm sure canned sardines felt at least a bit better than i did.
8th July was Fumi's birthday, to whom I gave a tin of cookies I baked myself on the same day. We were invited to her party, where we had delicious japanese food, fruit salad, and of course, the cake :)
Supposed to catch the 11am train to Munster, Germany, today. But was only notified last night that my german host mother is too sick: she can't even walk. So I cancelled this trip, and luckily managed to get back a partial refund at the Hauptbahnhof. Hope she gets better soon! (Countdown: 16 more days in Zurich!) :) AND :(
Sunday, July 01, 2007
24 days left
Exams are finally over! That huge burden is lifted off my shoulders, and I'm looking forward to my last three weeks plus in Zurich. :):)
So far, it's been relaxing and chilling out, yuki staying over often, spazieren gehen and shopping... Gotta settle quite a few administrative matters this coming week too.
Most significant activity, though, would be EATING. Check it out:
Apart from the first picture, the rest were self-prepared. And they're just a fraction of it all. What else can I say... :)
So far, it's been relaxing and chilling out, yuki staying over often, spazieren gehen and shopping... Gotta settle quite a few administrative matters this coming week too.
Most significant activity, though, would be EATING. Check it out:
Apart from the first picture, the rest were self-prepared. And they're just a fraction of it all. What else can I say... :)
Sunday, June 10, 2007
the last weekend before exams...
... and where was I? Taking excursions with papa to other parts of Switzerland. Bravo.. I can only say good luck for exams.
Nevertheless, the two days were good.. apart from being able to spend time with my dad, i got to see more of german Switzerland. Papa told me I was here in 1994, sitting at this spot by the river or taking pictures there.. But heh, I was what, 7?? Couldn't recall much, naturlich...
Anyway, so Saturday, we took the train to Basel, the 'triangle' border city, cos it's the city at the border of Switzerland, Germany and France. A big town, I'd say.. There was a lot going on, and very hustle-and-bustle-y... From the Basel SBB Bahnhof below:
We walked through the city to the Marktplatz, where you see the prominent town hall:
Till we got to the River Rhine:
Yea, and we met up with an Austrian friend, with whom we had dinner with before heading back to Zurich. I'd say I was in Basel, but it's not necessary to go back.. :)
Sunday morning, we took an earlier train to Luzern, arriving at a comfortably crowded city, which looked very 'swiss'. A pity it was Sunday, so most shops apart from eateries were closed. Still... Along the bank of the Lake Luzern: (reminds me a bit of Clarke Quay)
The famous Chapel Bridge, apparently the most photographed monument of Switzerland:
And we took a 2 hour ship cruise on the lake, on a ship very much similar to this:
I'd say Luzern's a quaint yet sufficient city, which I'd most happily visit again, if I have the chance. Didn't get to see the other famous sight, the 'Dying Lion of Lucerne' monument, cos it was quite a distance from where we were... Still, I like Luzern and I wanna discover more :):)
We arrived back in Zurich at about 18:00, took a short rest, and met Yuki to have dinner together with my dad at the Chinese Restaurant. Haha part of our order: 'mai hiam, boi pai, ai hiam, gana sai' would be a very apt description here... :)
Haha those pictures with my face are not in my camera, so Entschuldigung! :)
Alright, gotta turn in; tmr sending papa off in the morning :(
Nevertheless, time's running out for me in Zurich! *frantic* ahhhhhhhhhh.....
Nevertheless, the two days were good.. apart from being able to spend time with my dad, i got to see more of german Switzerland. Papa told me I was here in 1994, sitting at this spot by the river or taking pictures there.. But heh, I was what, 7?? Couldn't recall much, naturlich...
Anyway, so Saturday, we took the train to Basel, the 'triangle' border city, cos it's the city at the border of Switzerland, Germany and France. A big town, I'd say.. There was a lot going on, and very hustle-and-bustle-y... From the Basel SBB Bahnhof below:
We walked through the city to the Marktplatz, where you see the prominent town hall:
Till we got to the River Rhine:
Yea, and we met up with an Austrian friend, with whom we had dinner with before heading back to Zurich. I'd say I was in Basel, but it's not necessary to go back.. :)Sunday morning, we took an earlier train to Luzern, arriving at a comfortably crowded city, which looked very 'swiss'. A pity it was Sunday, so most shops apart from eateries were closed. Still... Along the bank of the Lake Luzern: (reminds me a bit of Clarke Quay)
The famous Chapel Bridge, apparently the most photographed monument of Switzerland:
And we took a 2 hour ship cruise on the lake, on a ship very much similar to this:
I'd say Luzern's a quaint yet sufficient city, which I'd most happily visit again, if I have the chance. Didn't get to see the other famous sight, the 'Dying Lion of Lucerne' monument, cos it was quite a distance from where we were... Still, I like Luzern and I wanna discover more :):)We arrived back in Zurich at about 18:00, took a short rest, and met Yuki to have dinner together with my dad at the Chinese Restaurant. Haha part of our order: 'mai hiam, boi pai, ai hiam, gana sai' would be a very apt description here... :)
Haha those pictures with my face are not in my camera, so Entschuldigung! :)
Alright, gotta turn in; tmr sending papa off in the morning :(
Nevertheless, time's running out for me in Zurich! *frantic* ahhhhhhhhhh.....
Friday, June 08, 2007
'studying'
By right, I shld be studying.. But by left.......
Tuesday night, Yuki came over to my place to spend the night, and she brought along a surprise gift! which reminded me of the sunflower Maggie and Glory gave before my departure here.. Sunflowers are like, the prettiest flowers.. :):)
Seems like this is the first time I've experience spring, so I was blown away by the blooming flowers, and couldn't resist not taking this picture on my way to school: love the rose bush.
And this morning, at Migros... Woo!! It's strawberry season.. Compare these to what we had months earlier: then, it was scrawny and barely red and pathetically small, now it's shiny bright red, huge and oh-so-yummy-looking!! Needless to say, these were really sweet :)
A few of us are invited to dinner tonight at a Swiss friend's place, and I offered to bake a cake to bring along. This below, is a typical swiss cake, called Carrot cake. One with real carrots, ground almonds and a slight hint of lemon flavour. The whole corridor of my apartment here smelt delicious when it was baking in the oven. Yummy!!
Will be going to Basel and Luzern over the weekend, and hopefully take lots of pictures! :)
Tuesday night, Yuki came over to my place to spend the night, and she brought along a surprise gift! which reminded me of the sunflower Maggie and Glory gave before my departure here.. Sunflowers are like, the prettiest flowers.. :):)
Seems like this is the first time I've experience spring, so I was blown away by the blooming flowers, and couldn't resist not taking this picture on my way to school: love the rose bush.
And this morning, at Migros... Woo!! It's strawberry season.. Compare these to what we had months earlier: then, it was scrawny and barely red and pathetically small, now it's shiny bright red, huge and oh-so-yummy-looking!! Needless to say, these were really sweet :)
A few of us are invited to dinner tonight at a Swiss friend's place, and I offered to bake a cake to bring along. This below, is a typical swiss cake, called Carrot cake. One with real carrots, ground almonds and a slight hint of lemon flavour. The whole corridor of my apartment here smelt delicious when it was baking in the oven. Yummy!!
Will be going to Basel and Luzern over the weekend, and hopefully take lots of pictures! :)
Sunday, June 03, 2007
it's june...
i'm officially in Zurich for 3 months. And this month, is the month I've been dreading all semester: exams. But now that it's here, I can't wait for it to be over! Haha I told myself I'll really concentrate on studies, and not undertake any 'extra' activities. But.. haha my plan doesn't seem to be turning out as expected...
1st June, Yuki asked if I wanted to go with her to the Chocolate factory. I mean, who can turn down such a trip! We found our way, and the moment we alighted the bus, we smelt chocolate in the air! I'm serious!! the factory was just by the main road, but still!! Haha the people living in that area must be feeling so fortunate. This endearing smell also stirred up my craving for a chocolate, even though I had just told Yuki earlier in the bus that I somehow didn't feel like eating chocolates that day.
I love this poster!! haha it says below: Created with love and passion.
Yup our main purpose there was actually to buy chocolates, cos Yuki's mum will be coming to Zurich in about two weeks, but wouldn't have time to head down herself, and thus asked Yuki to buy 30 small boxes of swiss chocs for souvenirs to bring back. Unfortunately, the actual production process is not opened for public viewing, but people come here to buy chocolates cos the prices are much cheaper than what you get in Migros or Coop; sorta like warehouse prices. The shop, though, definitely looks nothing near a warehouse. Haha i just felt like letting out a squeal of excitement when I saw the shelves packed with all sorts of chocolates in this shop... (sorry for the pic quality, though. I took it from a postcard, since I had, in my choc frenzy, forgotten to take a pic in the shop itself)
Haha I'll surely be going back there. Most probably before i fly back, to get enough chocolates for all my dear friends in Singapore. Haha if you happen to be reading this, I suggest you fix a date to meet me shortly after I return, to collect your share of chocs, otherwise I can't guarantee that what happened last year wouldn't happen again this year.. haha *winks to Liuyin* For the clueless, just to fill u in if u're interested:
Last year, in Germany, we visited a chocolate museum, and naturally, i stocked up on quite an amount of chocs to bring back for friends. Thing is, that visit was somewhere at the beginning of our trip, which meant that the chocs were not exactly fresh by the time I returned. What's more, I only got to meet some friends when school started, and by then, the chocs had already EXPIRED. haha Liuyin ka-qiao-ed me about this matter quite a bit, so nope! I shall not let history repeat itself!!
Yesterday, I paid a visit to another of papa's friends, in Grenchen. A small town southwest of Zurich. They were a nice simple couple, and took me around to walk in Solothurn, while telling me about the past of certain buildings and statues. Which set me thinking: the Europeans are really well informed of their surroundings. They knew when a particular building was built, to which family it had belonged to, what happened inside, what it's used as currently, etc... Wonder if I can do that with the buildings in Singapore. Hmm, wahrscheinlich nicht..
Oookie, time to get back to books. :( I just CAN'T WAIT FOR EXAMS TO BE OVER!!!
1st June, Yuki asked if I wanted to go with her to the Chocolate factory. I mean, who can turn down such a trip! We found our way, and the moment we alighted the bus, we smelt chocolate in the air! I'm serious!! the factory was just by the main road, but still!! Haha the people living in that area must be feeling so fortunate. This endearing smell also stirred up my craving for a chocolate, even though I had just told Yuki earlier in the bus that I somehow didn't feel like eating chocolates that day.
I love this poster!! haha it says below: Created with love and passion.
Yup our main purpose there was actually to buy chocolates, cos Yuki's mum will be coming to Zurich in about two weeks, but wouldn't have time to head down herself, and thus asked Yuki to buy 30 small boxes of swiss chocs for souvenirs to bring back. Unfortunately, the actual production process is not opened for public viewing, but people come here to buy chocolates cos the prices are much cheaper than what you get in Migros or Coop; sorta like warehouse prices. The shop, though, definitely looks nothing near a warehouse. Haha i just felt like letting out a squeal of excitement when I saw the shelves packed with all sorts of chocolates in this shop... (sorry for the pic quality, though. I took it from a postcard, since I had, in my choc frenzy, forgotten to take a pic in the shop itself)
Haha I'll surely be going back there. Most probably before i fly back, to get enough chocolates for all my dear friends in Singapore. Haha if you happen to be reading this, I suggest you fix a date to meet me shortly after I return, to collect your share of chocs, otherwise I can't guarantee that what happened last year wouldn't happen again this year.. haha *winks to Liuyin* For the clueless, just to fill u in if u're interested:Last year, in Germany, we visited a chocolate museum, and naturally, i stocked up on quite an amount of chocs to bring back for friends. Thing is, that visit was somewhere at the beginning of our trip, which meant that the chocs were not exactly fresh by the time I returned. What's more, I only got to meet some friends when school started, and by then, the chocs had already EXPIRED. haha Liuyin ka-qiao-ed me about this matter quite a bit, so nope! I shall not let history repeat itself!!
Yesterday, I paid a visit to another of papa's friends, in Grenchen. A small town southwest of Zurich. They were a nice simple couple, and took me around to walk in Solothurn, while telling me about the past of certain buildings and statues. Which set me thinking: the Europeans are really well informed of their surroundings. They knew when a particular building was built, to which family it had belonged to, what happened inside, what it's used as currently, etc... Wonder if I can do that with the buildings in Singapore. Hmm, wahrscheinlich nicht..
Oookie, time to get back to books. :( I just CAN'T WAIT FOR EXAMS TO BE OVER!!!
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