Tuesday, February 28, 2006

skiing trip



tonite i be leaving for a town near zakopane region for a skiing trip. something i have alwayz look forward to thruout my life but never had the chance to try. however when the trip seems imminent, the enthusiasm that i should be experiencing is surprisingly lacking. hmmm.. i guess 1 of the reasons is tat i expect it to cost at least S$350 for equips, lodging, food and parties. i have already start to spend lesser especially on alcohol and parties. while i used to club a mind boggling 6days a week, im reducing it to a more sane 2 days clubbing week. n i have taken to drinking the cheapest beer and cooking myself.. however this 2 wks will be another big spending week.. have to pay rent(i think im paying advance), ski trip and be joining shar for a short hols when she touch down warsaw. i hope that i will not spend so much.. budget trip in lieu.

last night, i went for an austrian meal. its like S$7.50 for half a kg of pork and 1 bowl of fries n salad and S$4 for a litre of beer! thats crazy.. the portion here is really incredible i swear. n the "sweet" agnes is cursing me on her blog to grow fat. thats a scenario i hope will not materialise. :s

on a more somber note, i declare my hair cutting trip a complete flop. while others comment its not too bad(except my stupid french roomy), i hate it! its like im back to my sec sch times. horrifying. what is the cause of this? cos i dont speak polish n the hairdresser dont speak english. so i jus show him a pic(trust me i dont look anything like the pic in the end) and say tak(polish word for yes when he ask something). horror of horrors.. my hair disintegrate into a lump of short cluster hair. everyone was shocked! according to many a eyewitness of my disastrous hair outing, they said now i look more.......... chinese.. pui. they thot im jap in the past... sigh..

Sunday, February 26, 2006

cooking alone

I just discover a very healthy and yet delicious way to cook chicken. chance upon some drumsticks(those HUGEmongous ones..) from carrefour going at only around $1.80sing for 4! i was thinking how to cook it. then brilliant idea struck me. just spread lotsa honey on it. then i painstakingly spread more honey under the skin n microwave it(think of those u have back at cold storage in spore) for around 12 min. why is it healthy? first there is NO artificial and salty seasoning used( eg. oyster sauce). second, all the oil in the chicken is squeezed out and remember there is NO oil added in the first place. last but not least, the chicken is thouroughly cooked even inside thus elimating risks of bird flu. so there u have it, a healthy and idiot proof recipe of chicken!

Honey glazed chicken
(1) huge drum sticks
(2) Lotsa honey

leave it in microwave for 12mins.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

23-02-2006

another boring day.. ydae when i was having lunch, i met 2 vietnamese girls. they were really hot especially ngoc white(both are called ngoc but the one in white jacket is hotter). so i went up to them and chat with them. some of us were guessing where they were from n i thot they are koreans or chinese.. damn turn up they were leaving so close to spore. cool.. anyway i got their nos.. so thats a good start. i would never be so brave in spore. environment changes someone huh.

i had a HUGE meal at kfc with claudius. its like 2 huge piece of chks plus 2 smaller ones.. its really really big but every meal here is big.. i think i will really degenerate into a fat arse soon.. save me from this...

last night was crazy. we were watching barca against chelsea at equilibrium. i suggest kebab and jan, me n matthius start running to the kebab store in NON-winter clothes.. i only had a wind breaker on.. thats reminiscing the time i went to get vodka on tee shirt. its soooo bad.. i broke my resolution not to attempt such stunts again. damn it. i really did ran fast thou.. its freezing. kids dont try this in europe during winter again.

now im trying desperately to search for info on lublin. should be travelling there tml but so many things are not fixed yet. i dun even know who is going.. now i got jan, claud, judith n sporeans. plus of cos daniella n christ are the responsibilities of felix. im getting the americans too. if this pull thru, im sure its going to be a hell of a trip. but lublin i jus realised got a concentration camp.. there is a gas chamber inside n im sure this will be an emotional trip if we manuveurve our way ther..

on a happier note, ina told me that the govt is giving us money. this only means 1 thing.. election is near.. but i dun care. any money is going straight into my discover europe plans. so far only germany is confirmed. world cup here i come!! maybe spain(the girls are hot), prague, vienna n bratislava?

Monday, February 20, 2006

first day of sch



last nite i cooked for the spore contingent, kuba, christine(french chn) and daniela from germany. we had scrambled eggs, sweet and sour pork and honey chicken. damn i was marinating and buying the stuffs but since e SS pork takes a long time for me to cook, felix help me stir fry e vegs and chk. however they are mostly my efforts.. grr..

the spore contigent is funny. we keep targeting at felix. poor guy. he is harmless thou damn animated and always try to impress us esp christine with nuggets of infos on various topics.

Eg:
Jerel: hey.. my fish fillet got bones!
Felix: they are not called fillet then since fillet got no bones.. they are merely called fish.
US: ............

thats the way he is. he is indeed knowledgeable and can navigate better than i do in poland thou i arrived earlier. but he is a funny chap... i love to tease him. damn i might have retribution so i better shush a lil.. :x

we had a city tour and later went to the jewish musuem to commerate the halocaust. it was an impressive museum and we gain more deep insight into the unfair and inhumane treatment the jews were subjected to in ww2. it was a surreal experience.

i met christ n daniel and they are great! christ is infact a chinese from france. she is way adorable thats y felix likes her quite a fair bit. maybe i shd jump into the wagon.. hmmm.. nah dont wana make felix unhappy thou he is not really very close to me. however a sporean is still a sporean. he is my compatriot afterall. what make christ interesting is she wont mind settling in a non-france cty( mabbe spore) if she likes that guy alot.. hmm food for thought?

today was the first day of class. it was quite alrite but the accent of the prof is almost inaudible. i cant seems to grasp what he is saying or have any notions on the preceeding at least in the beginning. oh well.. i will survive. some pics below.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

pictures




Thursday, February 16, 2006

=)

Its getting boring to keep saying i club here i club there since i seem to do it everynight that im only going to type out key happening events dat occur in the club if any.. last night was such a night. i managed to know my spainish neighbour at the club. we see each other almost everyday but dint even talk to each other. we were dancing together and she was so drunk(mabbe thats y we dance). so happy!!

To all my friends in spore(eg tk, joan, yan etc etc). thanks for your concern.. i really appreciate it and no matter how many friends i made in warsaw, you guys rock!! and tk dont worry i will get u your vodka when im back home.. i cant wait to ton over in sch with u again.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Best party yet at sabinki

Last night we had a great time at sabinki-our hostel. organised this mammoth party which sees around 40 people (or even more) outside my room drinking and making merry. due to the french roomy of my reminiscing over whisky, we bought a bot of whisky instead of the usual vodka. then there were like 3-4 bots of vodka and beer.. drinks were jus flowing..

Chatted and dance with some polish girls. they were mostly kamela's friends and its really sensational night. later after much partying, we went to club underground. i was barely sober but still neat enuff to dance and crucially, not puke. however i went back alone again as i really cant last throughout the night.. damn. the clubs here open till the last patron has left so i really really cant take it. so i left around 2plus 3 am again. sigh.. i must learn to pace myself if not will really spent alot on taking cab.

Spent really alot ydae. i guess i must have spent like 100pln or more ydae.. im screwed. must know how to be more stingy and not so generous on money. there are a total of 3 sporeans now in warsaw. only jerel is not here yet. the sporean contigent is expanding. there are like 2 asian girls here including 1 from canada. the other, i have yet to introduce myself. damn but i will get there. guess both of us were shocked when we see each other as its not easy to see chinese here..

going to the movie later i guess. dont wana drink everynight. hopefully today is the first night i dint get to drink. somehow im really not complaining about that. =)

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Racial/ religion harmony

Due to the fact that im really bored and the recent outroar over the mohammed's cartoon, i feel compelled to add my 2 cents worth of thought to it. I was sourcing the net for the controversial pictures and finally found it and this is how it looks like.

Disclaimer: by reproducing the cartoon is by no means of disrespecting the muslim religion. on contrary, its my small attempt to vindicate the uproar caused by the aggrieved muslims.

You just have to hand it to the danish newspaper for publishing something so controversial and irrelevant. The bomb clearly depicts terrorism and islam goes hand in hand. What blasphemy! surely a highly literate and modern country like Denmark will have more sense than to publish such a picture?

Agree that some of the terrorism are caused by muslims. however it be foolhardy to attribute all the acts of terrorism to muslims and islamic teachings. first and foremost, im certain that NO religions be it islam, christianity, catholic, buddhist, hinduism etc preaches violence as a way to end violence. far from the truth, i actually find islam teachings very agreeable.

Being in the insurance line, i have the privilege and what i genuinely consider my good fortune to know many muslim clients. they are always so welcoming and warmth in extending their invitations to me. we dont view each other as a form of business transaction but more friends. a young, inexperienced agent like me normally incite distrust and contempt from other races including my own-chinese. no such things for my muslim clients thou. without attempting to over generalise the malay population, i indeed does feel that they are really trusting to friends. come on.. just go downt to any beaches during weekends in singapore. u can see countless malay families having small picnics and campings around. what im trying to convey is that malays enjoy each other company and would prefer quiet picnics than to boogy away or even worse, rattle their machine guns and set off dymanites.

I am aware that singaporean muslims are living in vastly different conditions as their counterparts in poorer and tougher countries. but one must agree that part of the current wave of terrorism are caused by the western countries including america. while their idea of maintaining peace is highly righteous and noble, one must wonder if it is indeed better to maintain a policy of non-intervention in certain contexts.

Crime rates in America is one of the highest u can find in the world. we dont however find any countries offering to extend "expert" help to eradicate the crimes. what im trying to say is it is totally unfair and biased to condemn a religion based on certain unfortunate episodes. i understand those poor victims of 9-11 have no right to suffer such a premature and unfortunate demise. but neither do those in iraq, iran, north korea who have had to suffer the might of the westernised countries' bombs and firepower.

I emphatise with america to a certain extent. it have risk jeopardising its entire economy by participating in so many wars in an attempt to maintain order in the world. left to their own vices, most countries will simply degenerate and regress to an era of violence, crimes, hate and killings. the western countries i fear have come too far to simply pull out of the contentious zones. the seed of hatred and violence have been sowed. what i lament is why cant such countries be left to fend for themselves in the beginning? singapore recieved no help when it seek to put down the maria-hertogh racial riots. vietnam inspite of the best intentions from america in the vietnamese war, coast through their time of pain and sufferings and is now a complete countries on the path to recovery. South africa once plagued by racial tension is doing just fine. China has decide to rid itself slowly of its communist origin and embrace capitalism. slowly but surely many such countries are picking up their feet and crawling towards a better life and with little intervention or "help" from america and its allies.

this does not seems possible for countries like iraq anymore.. the grievances felt by them towards western countries are too great and will not dissipate in the short run. america and their allies cannot abscond now as their previous misdeavours will not be forgiven. what looks set to continue is a vicious and continuous cycle of hate and violence.. if only, what could have been....?

Exhaustion


Another day in warsaw, another day of partying.. im seriously getting sick of so much parties and vodka and beer.. "oh but u can try rejecting them huh??"hmmm... honestly, its almost pointless to rebut them or refuse their kind intentions.. anyway, what can i do at night except drink and party? no tv, no supper, no beaches n i still dunno my orientation..

Last night at the club, a girl chatted me up and ask where im from and stuffs. it was her fren who pulled me and spoke to me in polish.. she reeked of alcohol so i tried to put it across her that i dont speak polish. later that girl spoke to me a lil. she was not too bad. not the prettiest pole around but still not bad. but i cant really communicate with her n doesnt really have the mood to hook up girls so i jus intro myself and spoke briefly. later kamela's fren tried dancing with me but im ermmm... not keen. but at least good to know chineses are still acceptable to certain poles..

My alcohol tolerance is improving. had maybe 8 shots( or more) and 1 huge cup of beer, but was TOTALLY NOT HIGH. this is not good as we all know that if im not high, im shy. freaking shy actually. how often u get a girl chatting with u and u dont know how to respond.. sharks.

I spent close to 250 euros already. guess must start to go easy on spending.. jus had kebab at my fav kebab store. the guy is so sweet. he gave me gigantic portion and also gave me 2 free mutton meat balls when i wana buy them as a side dish(and i only ask for 1). it cost abt 6 sing but the portion trust me is completely shocking. luckily i got gym here thou there is lil equipments. my routine is skip for caudio, do abs and carry some free wts. thats it but should be okae le. ohh.. i dance VERY vigorously too for more caudio. =)

Today 1 more sporean is coming. i dun know him well and his prolly not my sort of company but it sure feels better if there is 1 more sporean here. even though not many people know of spore, im proud to be 1. as for sporeans thinking europe is better and more modern den spore, let me reassure u it is NOT. even at paris airport, it is no way near spore standard. i really mean no way. its ugly, old, run down and stuffs.. so sporeans, do be proud of what we have. for those ang mos who still think we are some 3rd world country, i can only feel sorry and flabbergast for them. come spore and u shall see how modern, rich and prosperous we are. this is not some patriotic cry but its really the case. WE are really very modern.

Last night, bartek "save" my life.. he found a chinese restuarant near to school. Chinese food!! rice and chicken and pork and stuff... RICE!! thats very very important to me. as usual the portion is huge n it cost between 4-6 sing. not bad at all price. not extremely impressive food but its still chinese afterall and it meet my no 1 criteria for patronising it.. it got english speaking staffs and menu.. cool!

I'm swearing off clubbing(at least for tonight). dont really have the zest for it. thinking to stay in or go to some cafes and pubs for jus 1 drink. noon will be spend in gym and msn(usual activities) and maybe laundry cos i dunno where i can dry my clothes... boring day predicted ahead..

Friday, February 10, 2006

Extracts

Polish student (PS) : "hey man. im so and so. you are?"
ME: "Hi. I'm David. Your are from?"
PS: "I'm from Poland a student here. You are from China?"
ME:"Nope. I'm from Singapore."
PS: "Ahhh i see.. its near to China too!"
ME(aghaust): "No its not. its very far from China.."

If Singapore is near to China, Poland is equally near to Africa.. So he might be from Ethiopia for all I know.. I think asian chinese guys are not very "in" in poland. damn.. my french mate already hook up with his buddy. yeap that girl u saw on my earlier blog. sigh.. she must be thinking poor cheena asian man. i'll be better off with a french. Bon Jour. i really dont understand how it works.. Sigh.. pondering should i dye my skin white.. grr..

my day in warsaw

Days are lonely in warsaw.
when your the first to arrive, thats little exchange students around.

Days are spend lazing on bed,
waiting for interesting people to be on msn,
or just praying kuba or bartek come and save me from this bordom.

Days are used to fantasize,
that which girls you are going to go after tonight,
which clubs you are going to patronise tonight,
and what are you going to drink tonight.

Days are spent reminiscing about home,
about what could have been.

Nights?

Nights are spent trying to stay sober,
conjuring excuses to refuse more drinks,
differentiating whether thats a guy or girl.

Nights are also best spent... sleeping.

Ahhhh.. Another day in Warsaw.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

getting sick



im losing track of time here. days are passing rapidly maybe cos the day time here is short n its dark after awhile. getting sick(actually was sick b4 i came) n my throat is killing me. thankfully my mom packed some herbal tea for me dat im cooking now. it smells horrible thou but i need to drink it to prepare for the next drinking binge. its crazy here dat ppl are drinking every night. after the 1st nite fiasco, i mercifully drank only 1 glass of wine n beer last nite. i cant take it anymore as my throat is really hurting.

i woke up damn early cos i simply cant sleep. cant get use to the fact its 3plus pm in spore while only ard 8 in the morning here. will try to adjust myself better as time passes... my french mate is damn cool too.. they had a fun time suaning the "attractiveness" of my buddy. speaking of whom i haven meet yet.. but im in no rush to really meet her thou.. =(

okae i shall add in some picturs of my french mate n his cute buddy-kamela now. happy viewing. au revior.

first day in warsaw



Hi all. im safely in warsaw. as expected, the flight here was horrific.. 3 bloody americans was sooo noisy.. 1 of them put his leg on the back of my seat and they reek of wine.. horrible horrible. the transit at paris was lonely.. to add to my woes, the flight was slightly delay due to a..................... strike. cool union power. in spore, its a crime to declare a strike..

but the good thing is, im finally here- safely.. hahaa was too paranoid about planes and stuffs.. its so great to see kuba n bartek again.. really misses them but kuba was a lil sick. n they like the stuffs i brought over for them(i hope) and took me around.

snow is not too bad. the weather is fine.. not as cold as i expected(negative 3-5 now). cold but still bearable. thot a singapura kid like me would surely die. so i moved into the hostel and its pretty cool. quite spacious n got our own fridge. hahaa.. i got a french for a roomy. will take pics of him and add in soon.

i was very very very drunk last nite.. really really bad.. i puke at the club's counter and i can still remember the stunned, annoyed, irritable look on that poor receptionist.. she must be thinking.. what the hell.. yellow skin man cant drink still want to drink.. should stick with mao tai and stuffs n dont drink vodka. sigh poor kuba n bartek had to practically lug me back.. i was delirious and almost unconcious. not a perfect start huh to my exchange..

speaking of start, its freaking bad. i opened my luggage n realise the chilli i brought over was spilled. so some of my clothes are soiled including the white g2000 shirt i have brought over. had to throw them away.. sharks..

my roomy-thomas got a cool buddy. i think she is quite cute but sharks.. she slept over at sebastien -polish fren of bartek room!! tamade.. if im not drunk, i will surely get her to sleep with me.. hahaa...

how amazing it is that my drink is not very cold but when i step outside, its cold within a while.. how cool it is when i realise every time i breathe, i saw smoke.. thats wayy cool huh..

okae i shall end now and go sleep. really still tired from my exertions last nite.. tonite im meeting ola!! i think kuba has arranged for us to go out. thats so nice huh.. hahaa.. will update u all again.. cya~

Sunday, February 05, 2006

1st pics(1st time know how to load.. thanks joan for your help)

my fav niece with my dad. isnt she adorable? im so going to miss her!! hopefully she wont forget abt me..



okae this is my family pic!!

Flying tomorrow

Finally the big day is here.. Tomorrow, i'll be leaving the safe encave of my home, my country to venture into a brand new world. for years, i'm being holed up in this sunny island, ignoring the fact that the world is too vast and different to comprehend. thus even though i get older with every passing day, i still remain too oblivious and ignorant to the surroundings. perhaps that is why this trip is starting to seem fearful for me.

but somehow everyone need to grow up. like the metaphoric young birds leaving their nest and build their own family, im taking a huge step into the unknown. no more protective parents to fend off and take care of my problems. it jus seems that i feel so alienate. so insecure. perhaps this trip will really make me matures. this trip is taking on a brand new purpose for me. its a transition period for me. to forget the past, to conquer my phobia, to not take anything for granted, to open my horizon etc.

the day has to come some how. tonight will be the last night i sleep in my bed till i return. actually i treated my family to dinner for my dad's bdae. i went to buy 3 fishes for my dad's fish tank last night. they might thot that its simply i love fishes then i buy. however the real meaning is to let them look at it when im away, to remind them of me. thus if touch wood anything happen, at least they got something alive to remind them of their son-me.

i hope im thinking too much. this niggling fear still remains thou. i truly love my family. no matter what, they have serve as a pillar of support for me. in asian context, we dont normally show our love for our family openly. however i do care and love them. i really really do. they are great parents and siblings and given a chance i will always want to be their son and brother. this is sounding morbid and too serious but this entry serve to remind me (and them if unfortunately something happen to me-touch wood) of their importance in my life.

on a happier n more positive note, this experience will serve to put me in good stead in the future. i will ideally blossom into a strong, independent individual that family members and friends can depend on. i can hopefully put a closure into my past love experience and carry on with life to learn how to truly love someone again.

the next time i enter entries in this blog will be in warsaw. what will the future in a foreign land entails? no one know. i hope it will be 6 months of fun, laughter and informative experiences that i will always carry with me for the rest of my life.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Feelings before the trip

Honestly, im scared of the inpending trip.. somehow i dun feel so gungho, so excited anymore. it could be the daunting plane trip as i always have a phobia or them or it could be the fact i will be away for so long. heck it could even be the fact that i be missing my family and everything i have back in singapore.

actually i am very fearful that i wont be able to make it back alive. the plane ride freaks the hell out of me. i just have this bad omen that something bad is going to happen. hopefully this is jus pre departure jitters that i will soon overcome.

somehow, im beginning to miss my family even b4 i leave. i wonder if i have been a good son and good brother. taking up the trip doesnt seem to be a very responsible thing to do as i would be adding on to my family's financial strain. i hereby swear that when i graduate, i will do my utmost to care for them. i really will..

dint went to work today. was simply too tired and getting sick. went to see a doctor and took some medications. goggly so went sick. not good.. getting sick so near to the trip. but i will managed. it could be a blessing in disguise as ur health tend to get better after a small illness. =)

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Musings

There used to be someone i truly love,
the memories so sweet that it lingers.

We shared many a happy moments,
the future we seeked so bright so rosy.

She was sweet, bright and pretty,
it was supposed to be my destiny.

Fate however decreeds differently,
a sudden storm was to change everything.

Days can pass and circumstances changed,
one thing for sure is that hurt remains.

A facade i put on, for all to see,
I used to ask God, "Why must it be me?"

Supportive friends and caring family,
I learn to see that it isnt all about me.

I will march on, to new frontiers,
I will no more shed tears.

Thanks to everybody for being there,
I promise you, i will be back a stronger brand new thee.