Off to Oktoberfest!
Ok! Now it's off to Oktoberfest for the weekend! I hope it will be fun!! I heard ppl just eat, drink and get drunk! And we've to go at 8am to queue for a place in a tent. Ok. I can't imagine eating, drink and getting drunk for 20 hours but oh well, i'll get to experience it in the next 2 days!
More about it when i get back!
*Waves goodbye*
Life in sin city..
Holland has always been known as sin city and being here, it seems like it's perfect ground for sin. Or are all exchanges like that? I'm not talking about myself because the most i have done is kiss (peck) a girl on the lips under a dare. If not then it's lying on the patch of grass in the middle of a circle road. Well, if there was something else, I'm sorry I dun remember it. Maybe due to too much alcohol. I'm talking about the scandals here that I won't go into details about. I'm having lots of fun watching it though and I must admit it's kinda exciting. I would have to attribute it to the effect of being totally unrestricted and unrestrained here. No one cares what you do with your time, what time you go home and even who you bring home.. ;)
That's about holland for now. My life's unexciting. Cook, study, wash, sleep, eat, party, get high, go home and sleep. Partying's alright.. Shortlived most of the time cos the party ends at 2. And by the time we reach the club it's 12. Unlike in Singapore where we dance till we can dance NO MORE!
The next part of my post shall be dedicated to my short hiatus in Singapore. No more clubbing photos though. I was considering posting them but they are just too x-rated to be posted. And the ppl involved have asked me to filter what i post. So ask me if you wanna see it.. ;)
So here's it:
Chomp chomp!
Spinach wanton meeeeee!!
Barbequed chicken wings! Looking at it now makes my mouth water. When can i taste it again? :P Apparently we can't start fires anywhere in holland except for your own backyard so we can't have bbqs!
Ju and giant sugarcane with lemon! We used to get that for free cos one of the gam jia zui brothers liked her! HAHA! ;) But unfortunately he no longers works at the chomps branch..
My favourite black cai tao kueh!! YUMMMMYYY!!
And the best of all: Sambal Stingray!!
Pity i didn't get to eat my juei kueh! It was closed when i went..
Upper Thomson Prata House!
Teh peng and Milo peng!!
Crispy plain prata and egg prata
BOOM!!
INDIAN CURRRRYYY!!
Mutton Rendang! It was FANTASTIC!
Sushi Tae!
Beef Sukiyaki!
Qilin and i..
Sentosa!
The 3D simulator, just before we enter.
Mich and i in those weird 3D glasses..
In the simulator..
View with ppl who taught me how to cycle!
Mich, ju and i
Yakitori and Ya Kun!
Yakitori! Not as good as the original one though..
Tea at yakun!
Breakfast cooked by darling ju for me! :D
Yummy! I wanna have someone cook scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and orange juice again!
Celebrating darling sister's sweet 16 at Aburiya just before i fly off!
Butteryaki squid! The food was so yummy I forgot to take pictures of the cheese sausages, shitake mushrooms, beef, chicken, cabbage and beef tongue!
Birthday girl and i!
Byebye at the airport..
Shi Ling and i
Ju and i..
Family..
Dearest smu girls..
Lim family aka Mj kakis! Minus Julia.. Yes, little 12 year old Sheree is a pro at mj!
Group photo..
Mich and i..
And finally,
Mich and i with julia's popping head! ;)
Forgot to take pictures of dian xiao er, beef steak, lobster, frog legs, prawns, bamboo clams and sushi buffet! Was too hungry and the food was too good! Looking forward to eating those AGAIN! YUMMY!
I'm such a glutton! ;)
the only constant is change..
The only constant is change.
We've heard that many times over and over again. I wish it wasn't true but it is. So true. Promises made can be broken in a split second. Feelings change in a split second. Decisions are made in a split second. Trust can be lost in a split second. People can even lose their lives in a split second.
It seems that I've been looking for a constant in the wrong places. When all is stripped away, all that's left is just wondering how stupid and naive you were.
In the end, I ended up ignoring the only thing that I always knew would be the constant. There was always a constant nagging of the back of my mind. But I always chose to ignore or avoid it. Probably because I felt guilty and unworthy. Blocked it out by going down the road of decadence. I hoped that it would numb my senses and it probably did. Secretly, I prayed for something because I knew that was the only way it would end and it miraculously happened. So You still heard me. I'm sorry I didn't pass the test and You had to intervene.
I feel relieved but hurt. Free but weighed down. Confused I guess.
I dunno if i can ever go back to the way things were before. It seems like the road further down decadence seems such easier. Even though i know full well that it isn't the best way to go.
Help me find my way back.. To You..
bicycling!
Got my first bicycle yesterday! It's a dark red bike. With brakes, without gear and heavy.. Cycled around from the black market bicycle shop (black mkt cos the bicycles there are all stolen) yesterday to town for dinner and then from town to the cinema for a movie and then from the cinema back home.. And boy, it was such an adventure. Firstly, I only kinda learnt how to cycle last sat and really only cycled for at most 10 mins! So i'm really an amateur at this. And here, the roads are not flat with slopes and some parts of the ground are cobbled stones and others consist of pebbles. Not to mention the roads where there's a need to watch for cars! So i fell 3 times and got a cut on my finger and bruises all over. And cos i'm such an amateur i was so slow and kept stopping! Especially at the slopes where it's just SOOOO tiring to cycle and the roads where i was so afraid i would be knocked down by a car! Million thanks to jo and yinghan for waiting for me in front and lionel who very very very patiently waited behind me and kept telling me not to rush and take my time! i'm REALLLYYY grateful!
daddy's on business times!
Have been wanting to say this for the longest time: daddy's on business times!!! 18th Sept, Business Times. Even though it's just an interview with him about the company that the works for, i think it's quite a big deal. I mean - how long will i take before i can be on the business times?! I'm proud of you Daddy!! :D
Things have been good in Maastricht so far! Well, apart from the workload.. I've got a paper on private equity next week and honestly i'm still quite blur about what's happening! Shopping here is absolutely fantastic! H&M has a section that has perpetual sales. And it's like 5 euros for a dress kind. And other things on 50% or 70% sale. So naturally, I can't control myself.. Right? :P So i bought a top and 2 dresses and 3 pairs of stockings that were not on sale. I had to get the stockings to replace my kinky black stockings with the lace gutters. Cos they were errmm.. TOO KINKY!
We celebrated NUS guy, Ding Sheng's birthday last night! It was supposed to be a surprise so we lied that we were going to town to eat but instead we hid in our rooms cooking up a storm. The guys had to distract him by chasing him out of one of the "kitchens" and occupying him by playing dota with him. Oh yah, all the Singaporeans here play dota! Even the girls play! I'm the odd one out! But back to the birthday celebration, we had a real sumptious dinner of bak kut teh, laksa, curry chicken, stir fried veg, steamed egg and stir fried black pepper beef! Absolutely yummy! Esp the bak kut teh and laksa which were both from Prima packs. Prima packs are just so excellent! And it was great cos Ding Sheng came into the room when we were still finishing up the cooking and we told lots of ridiculous stories to cover our tracks and he actually believed us! So when some of us walked in with the birthday "cake" which is actually a pie, he was really stunned! After dinner, we went to a coffeeshop by the river to erhmm.. You know.. ;) But didn't get too high though.. Then we went pubbing. Finally settled for this pub near our hostel called Highlander after going to 2 others. Had 2 sex on the beach shots, 2 whisky shots and a beer. Was totally gone after the whisky shots.. Not to mention that they tasted damn horrible! I couldn't even walk straight back to the hostel i think. Then we continued the party in Ding Sheng's room and I had a little more wine and beer. And of cos i became even more gone.. Only remember dancing with the NTU girl, Weiwen and then falling asleep! But according to Jo i didn't really do anything too bad! Right jo? ;) But arrgghh.. I'm having a headache now.... :(
Okies.. Gonna finish up my breakfast and go get some groceries and try start on my paper..
in maastricht once again..
ok.. so i'm in maastricht once again.. arrived with close to 40kg of baggage, much attributed to the huge textbooks that weighed almost 10kg altogether. dragged my luggage with me from maastricht aachen airport all the way to the guesthouse. changed 2 buses and walked about 500m in all. i think that journey must have had been the most torturous in my life! firstly, dragging around a 24kg luggage, a 15kg hand carry and a 2kg handbag is alr not easy. what more crossing roads, negotiating pavements and steps. i practically stopped every 20m to take a break!
the weather's here turning quite cold. before i left it was around 7 - 17 degrees and now it's 5 - 15 degrees. doesn't sound like a lot but it feels quite different. before i left, it wasn't a problem to walk around in a light jacket or even without one. now, i have to wear a light jacket and add on a thicker one. and when the wind blows, i just shiver and my teeth become close to chattering!
updates on the luggage: klm in amsterdam said they couldn't do anything so they asked me to send my luggage as cargo back to Singapore. and it cost an awful 127 euros! i'm gonna make sure that klm and not i pay for this!! honestly, after such a bad experience, i would suggest to pay slightly more for a more reliable flight provider, rather than end up with all this trauma!
on my flight out of singapore, this realisation suddenly struck me: i'm gonna be away for 3 whole months! the last time i left it wasn't this way because i knew i was gonna be back in 5 weeks. but now, i am leaving the place i've known my whole life for 3 months and it's so far away. i kept my gaze on the lights of Singapore till i could see it no more. 3 months might seem short to some of but after being europe for 1 month and a half previously and going back to Singapore, there's really no place better than home! yes, being overseas and being on exchange is exciting and interesting and the freedom of living alone is enticing. but then there times where loneliness sets in and the cold gets to you. and that is when i learnt to appreciate the place that i've always grumbled about.. in that short 5 weeks, i've learnt to appreciate what i have always failed to notice in the past. maybe now even treasure the things that i used to grumble about. maybe this is a classic case of the grass being always greener on the other side: when i was in singapore i always wanted to be out and now when i'm out i want to be back!
lastly, thanks to everyone to sent me off at the airport and who made my short one week in Singapore so memorable! like what del said: 1 week in Singapore is just too short!
updates
some updates:
baggage - went down to the klm office today and i think they haven't done anything. manager wasn't even there. i insisted that they got him to call me by hook or by crook today. so he called and guess what?! they said i have to lodge an official complaint b4 they can do much. i'm sorry but like WTF?!?! can't you just get my luggage back first? even budget airlines have such services. in the first place they dun stop you from checking in your luggage. or at most they offer to put your luggage on the next flight. not ask you to miss your flight or fly without your luggage. honestly, ridiculous shit!
sentosa - went to sentosa on sat with ju, mich, jas and clare and it was real fun! thanks to you all for helping me learn how to ride a bike! something i could never do no matter how hard i tried in my last 22 years! i prob would have never learnt SO fast (in like half and hour) without you guys! thank you once again! other than that we went to this simulator ride thingy which was well, quite fun but not exciting enough. thank goodness we only paid less than half the price! it's definitely not worth $16!!!
food - i've been eating sooooo much these days.. but singapore's really a food paradise! can't help it can i? :P had lobster, bamboo clams, frog legs and prawns at owen on fri night and omg! it was all SO SO SO SO SO good! forgot to take pictures of those though. played mj after dinner then had thomson prata for supper. how good mutton curry, prata and teh peng taste!! then had chicken rice at seah im on sat afternoon. sat night was yummy western at vivo; steak set meal which cost about 18 after tax. not too expensive for that much meat! then on sunday night, i went to ju's place for mj and her mum cooked curry for us! it was so yummy and nice! then today i had sukiyaki beef at sushi tae for lunch and aglio olio prawn pasta at coffee club at night for dinner! omg! they were all so yummmy!! so sad i prob won't get to eat them for the next 3 months! now i really appreciate singapore!
mj: mj luck has been sucky this week! apart from the 2 dollar win i've been losing everyday! zi mo 6 doubles or 8 doubles also not enough to cover!! thank goodness i have my insurance - julia hee to cover me. she seems to be on a roll man!
school: shit. i haven't done a single thing. i feel damn screwed.
well well, it's back to holland tmr! mixed feelings again. going to europe has made me appreciate Singapore much much much more - the ppl, the place, the convenience, the food. EVERYTHING in fact. but i'm also loving the experience in holland. and learning how to be really independent. oh well, let's just see how it goes. i really hope i dun cry in the airport tmr, today rather but i doubt that's gonna be too possible. i know i'll really really miss home.
it's goodbye to Singapore in 21 hours....
S.W.A.Y.
My parents must have named me wrongly. I should be called Goh SWAY hui instead. I wouldn't blame not having good luck but being so unlucky all the time is another matter altogether!! As if having to spend 1700 to fly back for my visa is not enough. The stupid airline - KLM cancelled my Maastricht - Amsterdam flight. WITHOUT informing me! So I reached the airport 2 and a half hours early.. So that i could claim my tax refund! And there was no flight for me! So they packed me into a taxi to take the train to amsterdam. I was so afraid on the train.. It was cold and even though i was so tired i had to stay awake in case my luggage disappeared! By the time i arrived at the airport it was 2045 and my flight was at 2130. What happened was that the racist biatch at the counter refused to let me check in my luggage even though i explained the situation. I mean it's their stupid fault for not informing me! Worse was that she was talking to me in a real condescending tone and even told me to either miss the flight or fly without my luggage. WTH! By that time i was feeling so miserable i just wanted to get back home. So i left my luggage in the baggage storage area and flew back home. Now, i'm in Singapore and i have no idea where my baggage is cos klm singapore is supposed to uplift it back for me by today but they haven't called me and i can't call them cos there's no office number. It's damn screwed up.
On a MUCH lighter note, my time in Singapore has been really fulfilling thus far. A little too much actually.. Kinda worried how i'm gonna leave all over again. And how i'm gonna catch up on all the work! The last check it was 5 chapters of reading per session which takes place twice a week! i've never been so stressed!!!!!
Singapore's been great. Started with dinner with the smu girls and then clubbing. It was a really wild night. Photos following this! Then the next day ran some errands and then had suki sushi buffet with vanessa. Yummy! At night, went to chomps with qx, michelle and ju. Sambal stingray, bbq chicken wings, wanton mee, carrot cake, egg tau huay and sugarcane with lemon. Guess i dun have to describe how good it was. Pity chwee kueh was closed! :( Tonight it's seafood at owen and mj! WOOHOOO!!
Ok.. As promised, photos from the wild night out at obar!
First photo of the night..
So so so red! Like a red lobster!
Partners in crime...
Smoking sizzling hot!
Red-dies unite!
muacks!!
boobies galore! haha..
More sane photos:
That's all for now.. Gotta get ready for my owen dinner! :P
the feeling of missing out...
As contented as i am here, i feel like i'm missing out a great deal on what's happening in Singapore. Just read cher's and jas's blog and spoke to ju and i feel as though I missing out so much on my friends' lives. I read and hear the things that they are going through and I really wish i was back in Singapore with them. Makes me wanna cry..
Now i really wish i was back.. Back in familiar territory.. Where I am grown to be so dependent on.....
First exchange party!
I'm so positive that my alcohol limit has risen by leaps and bounds! That's good news right? ;) I probably owe that to the cheap alcohol here. Price of a bottle of wine averages around 2 euros! So is the price of beer in a restaurant. Same price or cheaper than water or coke! So light drinking has become quite a common practice!
Went for my first exchange party on tues! It was kinda fun cos they played r&b! Amazing huh. But well, as usual i got damn high. Had a malibu shot, followed by heineken, a vodka lime shot and lastly a bacardi 151 the one of the nus got for us cos in my drunken stupor i said "get me anything"! Ok. So i definitely was very high but amazingly i was still RATHER awake and i wasn't puking. Just that standing up and staying entirely sane was a challenge! I now know how embarrassing it must be for my friends to see me drunk! Cos there was another smu girl, jo who was entirely gone. And she only had 3 drinks - malibu shot, white wine and barcardi 151! It was freaking hilarious. She totally couldn't even stand up! At one point in time she was sitting in the middle of the road and couldn't get up. Then jj was trying to piggy-back her back and she let go of her hands and fell backwards to the ground. Then lastly at one point in time 5 guys had to carry her back! Thank goodness for jj who kinda took care of jo and myself! Or we might have been easily taken advantage of! Well, for me, i managed to control myself all the way back to the hostel. But after i reached my room i totally conked out and started sprouting nonsense and doing stupid things! But anyways still THANK YOU JJ (if you ever read this!): you've been great company and fun!
I'm surprised that i'm settling quite well in Maastricht. Still miss home, family and friends but i kinda like it here. Shops close at like 6pm and everything's closed on sundays except for the 1st every month so it's quite boring at night but we've managed to pass time by cooking and washing up together with episodes of greys anatomy. So usu by the time everything's done it's past midnight and time to sleep. I've concluded that i could be a good housewife with all the successful cooking and washing up! :P Groceries are really expensive here though. I think i've spent like 50 euros within 3 days! It's really a big change from everything being done for you to having to do everything yourself! And also when the most common mode of transport is your own 2 legs rather than 4 wheels and a steering wheel. It's a close to half an hour walk to school everyday and a close to an hour walk to the railway station. But apart from the frequent showers and the cold (it's like 7 - 17 degrees and it's supposed to be summer!) this place is really nice. It's like old buildings with modern ammenities. Shopping here is EXCELLENT. I'm totally turning into a shopaholic. There's like zara, h&m, mng and lots of other shops here! There're also a lot of other european brands here. I spent the WHOLE afternoon in h&m yesterday and bought lots of accessories. And the day before, I spent the afternoon in zara AND h&m and bought some tops and a jacket! To the point that i was late for class! Class was at 4pm and we only realised AT 4pm in h&m that we were supposed to be in class! Well, but after all Maastricht is supposed to have the best shopping in Holland. I think it might actually be true!!
Countdown: 6 more days to when i go back to Singapore! I'm so excited! I just dread the coming back! Once I go back i'm gonna miss home the WHOLE lot all over again!
Spinach wanton meeeeee!!
Barbequed chicken wings! Looking at it now makes my mouth water. When can i taste it again? :P Apparently we can't start fires anywhere in holland except for your own backyard so we can't have bbqs!
Ju and giant sugarcane with lemon! We used to get that for free cos one of the gam jia zui brothers liked her! HAHA! ;) But unfortunately he no longers works at the chomps branch.. 
My favourite black cai tao kueh!! YUMMMMYYY!!
And the best of all: Sambal Stingray!!
Teh peng and Milo peng!!
Crispy plain prata and egg prata
BOOM!!
INDIAN CURRRRYYY!!
Mutton Rendang! It was FANTASTIC!
Beef Sukiyaki!
Qilin and i..
The 3D simulator, just before we enter.
Mich and i in those weird 3D glasses..
In the simulator..
View with ppl who taught me how to cycle!
Mich, ju and i
Yakitori! Not as good as the original one though..
Tea at yakun!
Yummy! I wanna have someone cook scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and orange juice again!
Butteryaki squid! The food was so yummy I forgot to take pictures of the cheese sausages, shitake mushrooms, beef, chicken, cabbage and beef tongue! 
Birthday girl and i!
Shi Ling and i
Ju and i..
Dearest smu girls..
Lim family aka Mj kakis! Minus Julia.. Yes, little 12 year old Sheree is a pro at mj!
Group photo..
Mich and i..
Mich and i with julia's popping head! ;)
