Friday, April 29, 2011

The Land of Chocolates, Clocks and Cliffs!

It's been a few days since we have been back from Switzerland, but I feel that the beauty of the country deserves a post at least.

To be frank, we all had the consensus that Greece was more beautiful than Switzerland. I really think it has to do with proximity though. We were immersed in beautiful sunsets, lovely white houses and a volcanic island in Greece, but we only managed to witness far-off peaks in Switzerland. Granted, we made it to the highest mountain range in Europe (Jungfrau, if you do not know it), but the remainder of the trip played out like sitting in a cinema watching a video. Only that we were in a train, of course - The Glacier Express. But I get ahead of myself. I should talk about the trip bit by bit...

We made our way to Switzerland by going through the Dusseldorf International Airport in Germany. That meant that we had to leave 4 hours before our check-in time to train all the way to Dusseldorf. That was also the first time we were taking EasyJet instead of our usual Ryanair. Somehow it feels a tad posher albeit still budget. Anyways, there wasn't anything interesting there.

We landed in Basel and immediately started scouting out for the prices of the produce there. Ian had warned us beforehand that things were going to be expensive, so we basically brought 4 days worth of biscuits, bread, and instant noodles with us to last through the whole trip. We got some weird stares along the way for eating our bread though.. I wonder if they think that we were too poor to afford meals or something. I still can remember 2 old ladies on 2 separate trains giving us weird looks of contempt...

Back to Basel! It was already dark when we landed, so we lodged at the YMCA Hostel there, which was well-equipped and -decorated as compared to any other hostel we have been to so far. Of course, we didn't know at this time that the Backpacker's Villa Sonnenhof in Interlaken was going to pwn it for miles and miles! The villa was almost all equipped. With a kitchen for your cooking needs, a ping-pong table, computers enough to start a LAN shop, a pool table, a POOL. Amazing. Add a good breakfast and good service to that, and it's no wonder why they got themselves so many awards from Hostel World and Hostel Bookers.

We went straight to Zurich the next day, leaving the exploration of Basel for our very last day in Switzerland. It's a pity that we didn't really manage to go to the main city of Zurich though. We spent our time in Hardbrucke, where we visited the headquarters of Freitag. There was an accident that happened to Chew there. She fell off a bicycle that she was taking photographs on, and we were scared to death by that. Thankfully, the staff of Freitag were kind enough to buy here some sugar and drinks to calm her nerves. We had heard about the hospitality of Switzerland before we came, but that was our first real encounter with that.

By the time we finished looking at all the bags, and finding the outlet shop that was nearby, it was about time to head on to Interlaken.

For the two days in Interlaken, we visited Jungfrau and took the Glacier Express that gave a view of all the different mountains in the Swiss Alps.


Jungfrau was amazing without question. I have never experienced winds so strong before. I really thought when I was on the plateau that I was going to get blown away if I didn't lower myself or hold on to the ropes at the side. If I look happy in that picture above, it's because I was glad to be able to hold on to the flag pole for support!

The view was of course, magnificent. Hopefully you will be able to see them when I get more time to update my Tumblr! The winds were so cold though, that most of us almost got frostbite, and we had to head in..

There was also an Ice Palace at Jungfrau, but it wasn't anything special. Not after you have seen the ice sculptures from Harbin, at least. Maybe it was because it's still the start of the tourist season, and most of the sculptures haven't been completed yet.

For our second day, we went on the Glacier Express! What was supposed to be a great journey turned quite sour because the passengers beside us kept reaching over to our table to take photographs without giving a care about us. Their armpits were literally almost in our faces lah! Also, because we were in a train all the way through, it didn't really feel real to me. Like I said before, it was much more like watching a movie rather than being there.

The Glacier Express took us about more than half a day to complete, and we had some time to drop by Lucerne before going back to Basel. It was a beautiful city that was rich in history, and and got to see lots of swans! We even coaxed one out of the water by luring it with biscuits. LOL. It was also in Lucerne where we saw this whole bunch of people dressed up as rabbits for Easter. More on that on Facebook! Anyways, watch this cute swan in action!


Exploring Basel on our very last day was just a matter of visiting the Munster because we were too tired from the trip to do anything else. I guess there wasn't much to see there anyways other than the multitudes of museums. And with that, we flew home to good ole Maastricht. And that was that =) Switzerland in a post!

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Remembering.

The song "My Immortal" came on in my iTunes, and I was reminded of a younger me in secondary school.

Back then, I was still figuring out what life meant. Do you remember yourself in a similar stage of life? Everything was deeper than it looks, and everything seemed layered with added meaning. My eyes opened to the world of interpersonal relationships. I found God.

On hindsight, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life right then too. I was involved in creative things such as the Chinese Drama Circle, and I was involved in things that built people up, like the Boys Brigade. These things continue to be what I want to do with my life. I want what I do in the future to build up others, to show others that there are better ways of looking at things beyond the mercenary earning of money and beyond the pessimistic thoughts about others. I want to create - to translate ideas in my head into concrete solutions. Maybe that's why I love marketing. It's conversation, and it's innovation to make lives better.

Thinking about those times puts a smile on my face - the naiveté I had, the funny little things I did. I thought I fell in love then, only to find now that true love takes a lot more than just having that warm feeling coursing down my veins. All relationships take effort and time and compromise. I see that now, clearer than ever. It's beyond holding hands and feeling nice. It's deciding to say sorry, or to admit that you are wrong, even if it's not the most comfortable thing to do.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have turned out the same way I am without knowing God. Now I know what James means when he said "Every good and perfect gift is from above". I need to remind myself of that more.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Greece!

I always find it difficult to aggregate all the experiences I've had in a country into one single post, yet too tedious to write daily journals of the trip. I learnt that when I tried to keep a travel journal in Italy. So I guess the best way to communicate how the trip was is to show you an email that I wrote to my mother. I just sent it, so it's totally possible that you are reading it before she does. Hahas.. But it's everything I want to say about Greece. Because words cannot express how awesome the place is...

Hello Mother!

I just came back from the Greek Islands and just started school today. Actually I am taking the 1 hour I have before class to write to you right now!

Greece was the best place we have been to so far in terms of the scenery, the food and the people. We planned to go to Athens, Santorini (an island) and Rhodes (another bigger island), but ended up spending only 3 hours in Athens because the ferry we wanted to take initially was cancelled. The trip ended up to be more about the islands than the main peninsular of Greece.

Of the two islands that we went to, I must say that Santorini wins hands down. It's supposed to be super touristy because it's the place where they filmed "Mamma Mia", but we went there before the actual peak season started. So everyone was just starting to open their stores, and the weather was rather cold.

There was the beautiful sunset at Ia, and the panoramic view that we saw at the top of a monastery on a hill. Also, there was the beautiful scenery of the different coloured beaches (ask Sis to show you Facebook when I upload the pictures!). What really struck me though, was how friendly everyone was on the island. They were genuinely willing to help us and answer us when we had questions, and didn't get annoyed at all in situations where I think someone else would flare up. We were really just waiting for something bad to happen to us in terms of service, but it never ever came.

We also managed to get lots of free stuff in Santorini! This bar called Yazz Bar we went to gave us free Vinsanto wine, which is the locally produced award winning wine there. I bought some back for you guys to try =) The very same bar also treated us to some Moet Hennesy champagne one night when we went over there for a party they were having because it was the bartender's birthday. There were also lots of other examples of how other shops just offered us free yoghurt to try or more food. Really really friendly people!

The food there was also great. They basically eat something that is similar to the kebab that we see in Singapore, but they call them "Gyros" and "Souvlakis". They are also big on salads, olive oil and pita bread. I TOTALLY LOVE PITA BREAD NOW! What they do is they toast the pita and eat it together with a dip, normally made of greek yoghurt and cucumber called "tzaziki". I think I can make some when I get back for you all =) Other than that, the meals are mainly meat. Either pork or beef in the kebabs..

The trip in Rhodes was also very nice mainly because of the people. I didn't exactly fancy the scenery there, and the beaches really couldn't compare with Santorini. But the general warmness of the Greeks came through. There was this small incident with a very bitchy lady boss in the hostel we stayed in, but other than that, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I managed to get myself a good tan in Greece too! I was starting to feel gao wei because of how white I was becoming in Maastricht. Hahas..

I was just very impressed with how the people there were so friendly despite all the economic problems we read about in the newspapers. Frankly, I was expecting riots and strikes in Athens, and that's why we didn't plan to stay more days there. What we got out of it was so different though.. People were genuinely happy and sincere, and glad that we were there to visit their country. They were also happy to share their culture with us in terms of how to make their food.

I think it's hard for any other place to match up to Greece le!

Anyways, I really miss everyone at home! Sent some postcards back home. Let me know if you received it! I'm going to Switzerland for 4 days this Wednesday because they are having Easter holidays here, so I probably will not be able to skype again. BUT I'M ALWAYS THINKING OF HOME!!

<3

Your Son,
Dezhi

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

It was the first day of exams today, and we journeyed to the far North of Maastricht, to MECC. That's short for Maastricht Exhibition and Convention Centre.

We overestimated and ended up reaching there 1 hour in advance, meaning we had lots of time to burn while waiting for the exams to begin. So, we ended up choping a slot somewhere and started mugging! Typical Singaporeans!




When we finally went into the hall, it was like "WHOAAAA". It was mother huge. This photo probably doesn't do it any justice. But I am quite sure that it's much bigger than the MPSH back in NUS. The exam rules here also feels much more relaxed. They could bring their lunches in, and you can basically do anything before the exam starts. When time is up, there is an announcement to tell you that the exam has started, and everyone basically just starts doing it!

The paper was rather okay, I guess. It was the first paper, so I mugged really hard for it, and I could answer all the questions. It was obvious that Caren set some of the questions easy so that we could all pass I think. Ended up getting out of the exam hall 1 hour in advance =)

And it was off to Macs after that for some feel-good late lunch before we headed home for more muggingggg...

Monday, April 04, 2011

Through the looking glass.


来exchange感觉上就像时间冻结了一样,一直还以为过几个月后回到的家将会跟我离开的一模一样。昨天偶然看见了一个朋友的脸书(Facebook)后才忽然发现时间没有我地球还是不停地在转,朋友们的生活也一直在过。而我只能在这里默默的观看。那是一种好怪的感觉喔。

到底来这里值得吗?就像凯利说的,交流其实没有想象中的精彩。来这里之前还以为会认识到很多朋友,会学到别人的习俗和文化;来到之后却提不起劲去跟别人交谈,了解。想象中神奇的欧洲其实也没有多么地稀奇。也不知道是因为我的期望太高,还是因为考试的关系变得有点emo⋯⋯

剩下的时间我因该怎么充分的利用呢?是时候问自己到底要在交流的时候达到什么目的了。我不要再被课务影响了。Afterall,回到了新加坡之后有的是功课,再不享受就来不及了!

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Girlfriend Down.


Kai Li's ankle got injured from frisbee yesterday and it has begun to swell up. When she woke up today, she shouted in pain from the blood clotting there I guess. There is nothing much I can do about it other than boiling some eggs to rub the injured area for her and putting warm packs on the area to circulate the blood flow. The annoying thing is that our refrigerator here does not allow for ice production, making it impossible for me to use a cold pack to numb the pain.

Frankly, I think there wasn't a need for the game to be so rough. I guess I can't really blame anyone because after all, it's sports and these things have inherent risks. But this isn't the first time. When he tackled me for basketball I could brush it off since it was just a game and nothing much happened to me after falling. But Kai Li now? The least he could offer to her is an apology.\

I just hope she recovers in time for exams. If not I guess we would really have to take a cab down to the MECC..

Friday, April 01, 2011

匿名的好友

This song has been stuck on my mind since yesterday...

 
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