A Dutch fren comes…

Im really sorry for the lack of updates… but honestly, i find it really hard to log in to a new post and start blabbering about my life in SINGAPORE… i mean… whats so interesting man? Besides i just lost my camera, so its really hard to have pictures over here that i would usually take back in Holland…

Basically updates… daniel is well and fine.. but kinda lonely.. and hope that long-lost friends could give a ring and say hi or something… lost all my contacts in my sim card.. so well its not a perfect start to a new era over here.. daniel is stressed as well… thinking very hard not to think about my thesis topic that is coming very soon, as well as my scientific paper im writing for a conference soon… of course daniel also felt wonderful meeting back his old cliques.. reminiscent of the old times…

Today, a Dutch friend comes. He is Sijme. No pictures at the moment… but he was my group leader back in TU/e days… and a very nice fella.. helped me adjust when i was in Holland… and now im just doing a favour to let him stay over so that he finds his accomodation in school… man, i just hope he can keep everything intact when hes around.. :)

A quick snippet on what he said at a foodcourt in Tampines:

“Oh man, the people over here seemed so unhappy while they are eating.”

I looked around and indeed, i observed that most of us Singaporeans really had an unhappy face while eating… its either we had a hard day at work or we just dun seem to enjoy our meal…  its kinda ironic coz over here we had cheaper and MORE variety of food around than over in Europe but yet people over there seemed to enjoy food there more..

I frowned.. They must be frowning at why im frowning…
Welcome to Singapore… Sijme…

Dan

Transformers

Yesterday caught up with the movie gala- Transformers

Im just glad that I am able to catch it over here in Singapore, with its screening gonna end soon… those who haven watch must move your ass and go buy the tickets!!

Ive always liked Transformers cartoons when i was young… but the movie made those autobots looked a whole lot menacing, awesome and destructive.. your mouth just gapped open with the amazing graphics on this display when they ‘transform’… i really like the part where Bumblebee is chased by the police car from the Decepticons.. such adrenaline excitment.. :)

Anyway.. any comments on the movie please post below…
I heard there will be a part 2 man…

Hurhur,
Dan

1st Day in Singapore…

Still smarting after two recent effects:

1. Lost my freaking 500 dollars camera on the last day of my stay in Eindhoven… You could have said im damn suay but really i must blame myself for being callous and careless… dropped my camera on the floor but still did not hear it… the guy that picked up my camera must be laughing in his pants right now…

2. Flight got delayed freaking 4 hours.. from 2130 to 1am in the morning… have to wait for 4 hrs at the airport eating sandwiches and orange juice using KLM vouchers – which were “sincere apologies” from KLM for a “technical fault” in the aeroplane… i felt desperately jet-lagged when i went back to Singapore…

But anyway, i feels good to be back in Singapore! Wahaha…

I still remember a recent Singaporean joke by Chengwei:

Two NS boys were talking on the MRT…
NS boy 1 to NS boy 2 (listening on his headphones):
Eh.. brudder.. you know how to sing ‘an jing’ or not ah?

Focused on his SMSsing, NS boy2: *silence*

NS boy 1: Eh bro.. tokking to you leh.. Answer leh…

NS boy 2, not looking at him and still focussed on SMSsing: sing ‘an jing’ ah… ler diam diam lor…

First day in Singapore

… slept at 5am in the Sunday morning and woke at 830… severely tired.. but crawled myself out of bed… went to church service at 10am… feels good to see so many Singaporeans around.. just like home.. the pastor preached about the Lord’s Prayer and it feels wonderful worshipping God again… went to Tampines Mall with my girlfriend to settle my Sim card and bought some contact lens… Crowded and squeezy :) as always…  in the late afternoon.. i met up with my sister and her family to pick up my mum back from Japan.. great to see my nephew and niece grow up.. and to hear my mum’s jovial laughter when she came… :)

Even though Holland is a very beautiful place.. which made me sadly reluctant to go home.. but upon reaching back… theres still no other place like home (which is greatly in line with the new National Day song!) Hurhur… But its a strange feeling.. everything looks familiar but something in you feels different to it… You appreciate Singapore better… the clean place, the short distances, the efficient MRT, the local language and the nice foods in hawker centres… So a word of advice.. if you feel annoyed of Singapore at the moment, go somewhere else and stay for half a year or a year and then come back… you will be different!

My perception of life is different.. its seemed that theres a great world out there for us to conquer… nothing is too difficult for us to overcome, as long as we persevere… now it seemed that the job market in Singapore is looking good.. but i might one day jump at hte chance to work abroad or something.. its a great opportunity…

But in the meantime.. its back to basics..
Love, Dan

Berlin (12-14 July)

So great… this is my last trip.. Berlin – the alpha-male of the urban pack in Europe. It is a metropolitan city where the U-bahns and S-bahns rule and reign…

Our first stop was the Reichstag… the parliament house of Berlin.. which was previously destroyed by the Allied forces in the World War… but they have now rebuilt it with a new outlook and hopefully, a new peaceful parliament regiment…

The next day… we rented bicycles and had toured the whole city of Berlin on bikes! We located and traced the imaginary route of the Berlin Wall… the so-called “Iron Curtain” that separated the sphere of influence between the Allies and Russians…

Even though the Wall has been long demolished… the separation between the East and West still seemed clear.. theres still a bunker at Checkpoint Charlie.. where in the past was the only link between East and West Berlin.. Chengwei wittingly suggested that no wonder it seemed that West Berlin has Subway Restaurants!

We went over to the Terror Musuem- where Hitler used his reign of terror – his Gestapo or the Secret Police – to rule over Germany, in particular Berlin…

Over there i shook hands with the enemy…

Our cycling trail also visited the Brandenburg Gate, the Berliner Dom and the TV tower..

For now, my trip in Europe reaches the end.. Europe is a fascinating country where every town and city has its own unique culture, lifestyle and people… I would love to visit them again… but for now.. thats all folks!

Munich (07-09 July)

One thing that struck me is the similarity of my experience between Munich and Madrid.. both cities have talented buskers on the streets, have nice cheap foods and most of all, i get to meet wonderful people around the world there…

City center of Munich.. rather peaceful place..

The place is littered with beer halls, tables spilled out in the open.. its a real pity I dun have any kahkees to try the authentic Bavarian beer together… :(

I head to the Hofgarden about 200m from the city center.. beautiful garden, nice skies and a pavilion..

@Day 2

This is precisely why i head to Munich.. the Neuschwanstein Castle.. legendary to its name.. and the inspiration for the Disney’s Cinderella castle.. its absolutely amazing, nothing like i’ve ever seen..

I’m not alone in this.. thousands of tourists flocked when i was there..

Thank God I met a fellow tourist on the train and we travelled to the castle together.. Hes a Columbian (South-American) along with 2 of his Guatemalan friends.. :)

Amazing stuff…

The trip was a pleasant surprise.. got to meet many individuals from around the globe and of course to see this magnificent castle.. i must say well done, Dan!

Dan

4 Days to go…

Received feedback from my competency coach regarding my self-evaluation… it was overall not really good… probably because of the way i view reflections differently…

But its funny that my coach read my blog and she said it seemed that i have been travelling too much! (instead of making individual learning on design aspects) … lol.. maybe i should post some design learning experience next time..

But i believe travelling is never too much.. u reach a place but there will still be another place to go to… so as my travelling experience come to an end, i would love to share the best moments and the regrets of my journey… In a rather reflective mood, 4 days to go and Daniel’s Journey goes back to Singapore…

10 Best Moments (in no particular order) :

1. Travelling with my dearie and watching her smile in delight

2. Scaling up the Eiffel Tower in Paris

3. Experiencing the marvels of the Neuschwanstein castle encrusted with an overhanging cliff, a waterfall lake and the fading background of the Alps

4. Jaw-dropping at the majestic La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, 100 years have been built but still 100 more to finish…

5. Standing atop of the Edinburgh plateau and oversee the ancient city

6. Boat rowing at the El Retiro Park, Madrid

7. Bike-cycling around in the city of Berlin, tracing the imaginary Berlin wall…

8. Moved to tears at the presence of God in the Sistine chapel of the Vatican city, Rome

9. Overwhelmed by the array of tulips in Keukenhof, Netherlands

10. Walking to school in Eindhoven when it snowed…

7 notable regrets:

1. Failing to watch a Premiership match.. and did not visit my favourite team, Newcastle

2. Not able to try snow-skiing during winter

3. Missed out on the Northern lights and Ice Hotel in Kiruna that Cheewee so vividly mentioned!

4. Not able to travel in Eastern Europe, mainly Prague, Vienna and Budapest.. mainly due to bad timing and no kahkees…

5. Missed out on river-rafting, handgliding and horseback-riding in Switzerland!

6. Miss out on Vienna in Italy (i really liked cities with rivers)

7. To not able to go back with Simmon in Katowice, Poland due to my flight back to Singapore

Otherwise, I am really really pleased with my time here in the Netherlands… Posting my trips in Germany very soon…

Dan

Final Chiong…

As usual, the anticipation of going to another new city sets in.. Its probably going to be my final travels already before i get back…

Today will be meeting Chengwei for a possible trip to Berlin between 12-15 July… and tml i will be heading down to Munich on a 3-day trip…

Munich (7-9 July)
Berlin (12-15 July)

And there goes my journey in the west…

Dan :)

Independence Day…

After posting so much of the recent holiday trips 3 weeks ago… just want to come back to my present… and update about my life now…

Its been really relaxing few days i had for months already… usually during weekdays i would be busy going to school, rushing projects… now that i have finished my projects and assignment and recently also finished writing my self-evaluation.. ive really got nothing to do man.. for a person whos always looking for something, it does not bode well for me…

Ive been watching TV on the internet using the powerful internet in school… and surfing net all day long.. and now im reading a book called ‘Eragon’.. a fantasy story..

Yesterday i had been to Bruges..

Bruges… a medieval old town where rivers and stone cottages meet.. hit onto the old market square where a city hall and a old forte stands.. and then reach a peaceful sanctuary where the old nuns stay, surrounded by water and linked by a bridge… and lastly, their modes of transport an old trusty horse-carraige..

It was really nice to see such a beautiful place.. although not spectacular but its spirit of peacefulness will calm any nerves…

Its pouring outside in Eindhoven now.. its been a cold and wet summer so far over here.. had a chill and cough out here.. Btw Happy Independence Day to Americans..

Dan

Madrid (18-21 June)

In Madrid, we took a more relaxed approach.. probably we were really too shack after travelling for so long.. the travelling took its toll on our minds..

There aren’t really major attractions in Madrid.. we just wanted to walk around and see what Madrid is about.. nice shopping, good food and great Espanol music..

Thats what i call a nice Spanish meal…

Plaza Mayor.. right at the heart of Puerto del Sol..

Palacio Real.. the grand palace of Madrid.. nicely pruned garden..

We headed to El Retiro Park… where we had boat-rowing at a lake within the park itself! Really nice experience…

Oh.. and we visited the Bernabeu Stadium.. home of Real Madrid..

I have finally visited two major cities of Spain… Madrid and Barcelona.. i like Spain because the people here are generally friendly and more outgoing… and food here for once suits Asians.. because they like lotsa meat!

Ciao ciao,
Dan

Paris (16-17 June)

Paris, i guess is probably over-hyped as a romantic and peaceful sanctuary… with an overflowing of obnoxious tourists and money-grubbing touters at tourist spots, its hard to find it peaceful, let alone romantic… the subways are dirty, overcrowded and difficult to locate.. but i muz admit the places we go is certainly worth all the trouble…

@ Day 1

We head to Paris Disneyland! To relive our childhood fantasies… i really feel im young again…

Hit a beautiful snap of the Eiffel just as the sky turns dark blue… scaling this metal structure is the best (and scariest) moment of my life…

@Day 2

Sacre Couer… eh really popular destination as u can see…

Arc de Triumph

Louvre Museum.. and as i quote from Shoonghong.. “I feel like im in the Da Vinci Code!”

Notre Dame Cathedral.. the Quasimodo and Esmeralda story..

I like bits and parts of Paris… if they would make a whole-scale restructuring and cleaning up of the subways.. it would certainly be much better..

Dan

Edinburgh (14-15 June)

Edinburgh was a nice experience.. the journey towards Edinburgh on the road offers spectacular views of Scottish countryside.. continuous greens untainted by the outside world, occasionally tapered with herding sheeps and small cottages… and on the other side.. the North Sea, vast and unyielding, with no ships or islands over on the horizon.. just a fine bright line between the heavens and the seas…

I watched the view and realise how amazing God has created this world… no architectural feat could even come close…

Streets of Edinburgh.. huge, historical and gothic.. it always seemed that every building has its own ghostly past..

Edinburgh Castle, icon of the City.. the views from the castle were great.. and its really cold up there… freezing cold..

One of the highlights of our trip :) … we scale up a plateau behind the Holyrood Palace! It wasnt a difficult journey but the winds were icy and bends look dangerous… we could see the whole of Edinburgh from up here..

Love,
Dan

London (11-13 June)

I tell u London absolutely rockz man.. its by far the favourite city for me and my girlfriend amongst the rest of the cities.. One huge difference is definitely our host.. is my lovely cousin, Sarah and William, whom really made the difference in our trip..

Mind u shes not some nobody.. she lives in an expensive street apartment where Hollywood stars or English footballers sometimes stay.. its like a Bukit Timah equivalent of Singapore… and dances in club where Prince Harry and William usually goes! But shes still humble and friendly towards us and absolutely cherished our arrival…

Here are some pics of her and her own apartment…

@Day 1

We totally enjoyed our stay at her apartment…

One of our first destinations were the Harrod’s… the ultra luxurious 6 storey mega mall in London.. possibly one of its kind.. with luxury toilets that has a butler waiting to clean your toilet seats! Everything was so exquisite its almost untouchable.. well, things that you cant buy its always worth a snap!

Sarah’s recommendations of good tourist attractions are great! Victoria and Albert Museum, which is just streets away from her house, was our next stop… great and cool statues inside plus the admission is free! :) Nice views from the inside as the views from the outside…

@Day 2

This shop is found in Bond Street, an equivalent of ‘Orchard Rd’ in London.. and sells damn cheap stuff! I mean in London, cheap is taboo! I bought 2 singlets for 4 pounds but Ni bought much more to my ultimate demise…

The hugely majestic Parliament House and Big Ben…

With the London Eye just across the Thames River…

The Tower of London and the Tower Bridge… an enduring symbol of London.. with Ni posing with one of the Beefeaters…

@Day 3

After another round of shopping… we rushed to Windsor Castle, an hour train ride from London.. only to find that its closed… But we managed to take pictures with flowergirl and funny policemen..

Buckingham Palace… absolutely spectacular proportions…

Alrightz… London was really good.. and i promised Sarah i would come back again next time… I dunno when but some how i would.. :)

God Bless,
Dan

Kindendijk (10 June)

We head to Kindendijk… it was supposed to be an out-of-town village where the legendary windmills are.. we weren’t disappointed..

Then we head to Delft.. ive been there once.. but its the kinda place that tourists should go outside of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.. so i decided to bring her there as well..

Din take much pictures at Delft.. i guess we were really tired at taking pictures already.. can see on the pictures we badly need some rest.. but i cant imagine we still had two weeks to go! :)
Roll on pictures…

Dan

The day my girl came… (9 June)

Here are some pictures…

Arrival at Schipol Airport… glad to see her after 5 months… taking the train to Eindhoven… at 730 in morn?… anyway for your information i stayed over at Schipol… the last picture shows the pink cap ive got for her..

After leaving our luggag, we immediately jumped train to Amsterdam..

Some nice pics of Amsterdam… the land for the free..

Drug dealer making a call for his brudders… flower markets will never lose its colours… and alas.. the famous amsterdam sign in Museumplein..

We were quite beat.. Ni had to get over her jetlag while I didn really sleep well at the airport.. but we did quite well to smile brilliantly at the cameras…

Dan