Away in the UK and Europe...

2008-07-20T01:47:00.002-07:00

Went for this Bach und Jazz concert at Heiliggeistkirche in Heidelberg almost straight after returning from Freiburg.. Met up with Icy (3rd pic), a Hongkong-er from my music class.. It's so nice to be attending a concert with someone. =p (remember by solo appreciation of Scarlet Pimpernal... she was in berlin at that time) The organ looks fantastic with the horizontal trumpets and the added lights..

The concert was about 4 hours long with breaks in between.. First was a solo organ concert, followed by a few pieces by a jazz band (really really good), then a scared choral jazz thingie (choir.. erm... not so good), then lastly... and most enticingly is an organ and saxophone duet. The last segment started only about 1045pm.. Was quite sleepy already, but the music was so good.. that we just stayed all the way.. Took the last bus back at 2355hrs..

Icy and I outside the Musikwissenschaft Seminar entrance.

oh the life. =)

Freiburg, Neuf Brisach, Colmar and Breisach

2008-07-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

from 17-19 July....

In Freiburg, at the top of the Münsterturm.. (i think that's what it's called) .. Climbed up all 200 over steps with my backpack because I forgot that all Hbfs have locker facilities.. :S .. it was. a workout. But the view was really great though. Windy too. It's really worth the climb sans backpack.

Took the Schauslandsbahn from some outer area of Freiburg. It's a 25 mins (one way) long cable car ride all the way to the top of i-don't-know-where. But all in all, the view was fantastic and the weather was really good. Didn't manage to spend a great amount of time there though. Had to take the 25 mins ride down again to catch the bus back to Freiburg... so that I can take a train to Breisach.. so that I can take a bus to Neuf Brisach. =)

More on Neuf Brisach later, but we're now in France, past the river Rhine (really great view as well.. it's like something out of a picture). Arrived there at about 17++hrs and was immediately ushered off to a 2 hrs organ lesson. =)

This is a cathedral in Colmar. St Martins I think. Colmar's a really nice town with old buildings a-plenty. Went there on the 18th, after organ practice in the morning and a short lesson. Then went back to Neuf Brisach to practice some more.. before going over to my teacher's for dinner.

About the teacher's house: It has 2 grand pianos, 1 harpsichord, 1 pipe organ, and 3 clavichords.

*GASP.

ya i know.

It was a really cosy place. Self-designed and built. (wow right) His garden's filled with lavender and rosemary plants.. even a self-dug pond.. and his 2 cats! Bibi and John. John's a really really fat cat.

He invited another student of his, David, and other friends over as well. And his wife's a superb cook. It was a really good gathering... and I'm definitely, already, missing the times in Neuf Brisach...

This is the organ in Neuf Brisach that I practiced and had lessons on. It's a fantastic organ with excellent balance and sensitivity to touch... spent... hours and hours practicing in the three days there..

Here's a cathedral from Breisach, where the train station is.. My teacher dropped me off at the French border and I walked over to the German side of it... albeit with a heavy heart after saying goodbye.. I guess it's suddenly hitting me that I am truly going to leave. Really really soon. Even as I blog now, I really should be cleaning my room in preparation for the move to Leipzig. oh dear.

all in all... totally memorable trip.

Johanneskirche - Neuenheim, Heidelberg.

2008-07-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Introducing my practice venue, which I visited for the last time yesterday morning. I spend most of my tuesday and friday mornings there, save for the times I'm out of Heidelberg. The church's really nice (people and building alike) and I know I'll definitely miss collecting the key from the lady at the pastor's office, who is always friendly and greets everyone with a smile. And for Herr Seibert, the organist and Kantor at the church. He was really helpful right from the start.

This is the building opposite the church where we have choir practice every Monday night. The soprano ladies are really really nice..

The Scarlet Pimpernel. =D and the city of Ettlingen

2008-07-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

secret photos that I took of the musical. hehe. I had thought that it was going to be in English, but alas... no... it was in German. haha. But thankfully I had most of the lyrics of the songs memorised down pat in my head. So understanding wasn't a problem. The set was really simple since it's at the courtyard of a Castle. But there was a lot of symbolism used: a red cloth dragged by actors dressed as executioners to signify the blood shed from the guillotine... etc. A lot of the effect turned out really great.

This scene is when everyone was trying to guess who the Scarlet Pimpernel really is....

This was when they sang the song 'The Riddle'... a song about trust and conspiracy... really interesting.

And... a little bit of Ettlingen. =) .. This is taken from the cafe I had tea at, while waiting for the musical to start. The whole city of Ettlingen is really really quaint. Lots of cafes such as this, pretty tablecloths and all.. All the roads are old roads... Basically - Quaint.

It's so sad to always have to take pictures like that, but I'm getting really good at it. hehe.. Love the bridge in the background.

This seriously fascinated me...

organ-related schedule =)

2008-07-07T06:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe i've got only about 27 days before i'm back in laksa-land.

WHICH ALSO MEANS: 27 day more (ONLY) of ORGAN-LAND.

:S .... if i could rearrange the world, i'll pack all the food and loved ones of singapore and all the organs and music of europe onto a cosy island. right now, my immediate desire is to pack the organ in peterskirche and my organ teacher into a dhl box and ship them back to singapore. (but no, that will be torture. not the pack-in-a-box part, but the lack-of-organ-music-culture-in-singapore part)

anyways....

I'll be going to freiburg and some other place in france from the 17th-19th of July for an organ tour. =) .. yummy.

Then off to Leipzig on the 20th for Euroarts music festival. Looking forward to the chamber music classes and all the concerts. It'll be really nice i think.

more updates later.

PIPES RULE! =D

Brugge and Brussels... 20-22 June

2008-06-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Spent a weekend in Brugge and Brussels.. mussel and chocolate fun. =)

some church in Brugge...

a posed photo of me stealing kanna's waffle. really. it's posed. i have my own waffle. don't need to steal his. =p

because i was obsessed with the ribbon rose that i made in a pub. =p .. it's pretty right? =D

Mussels!! yummy.

the 4 girls. =) ..

a big thank you to our hosts from brussels, exchange students and kanna's friends. Thank you all so much for your hospitality and for being such wonderful people, bringing us around and all.. (and pan pan, for zettai kareshi!! =p .. heh! i'm telling the whole world, as i know it, to watch it now.)

The Scarlet Pimpernel

2008-06-13T23:56:00.001-07:00

To all my dear musical-fanatic friends (to Steph in particular. =p )...

I'm going to watch The Scarlet Pimpernel on the 9th of July!! =D yeah! Couldn't find it on the West End... but here it is! an hour away from Heidelberg. =) .. yeah yeah yeah.

on best friends

2008-06-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Best friends are those who will line the toilet seat with toilet paper, just because you're a sucker for sanitation.

i miss my best friend.

on why dog owners pet other dogs

2008-06-10T04:23:00.000-07:00

i don't know about everyone else, but ever since Matthan i've started to take notice of other dogs around me, subconsciously comparing them with our little boy. And in all honesty, Matthan's really the cutest and the most handsome of the lot. Honestly. As i walked past 3 dogs this morning while coming out from the church, my hand felt like reaching out to pet them as my mind turned to Matthan.. maybe it's a subconscious thought.. that in petting them, i could get a little bit of our boy from them. maybe. i don't know. what i do know is that i miss that little smelly dog.

on flying and leaving

2008-06-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

Just got back from London, once again. This time the trip was really good - managed to catch the St. Anne's family (missed them the last time cos of bank hols), went to Disneyland in Paris, watched how Matthan's growing to be the wonderful little boy that he's meant to be, spent time with the babe... then saying goodbye.

Traveling back and forth, saying goodbye over and over again isn't easy. But I'd much rather do that than to sit here in my room and slouch back into my little hermit hole of organ/piano practice, tv serial watching, online shopping and minimal attempted studying. I guess it gets easier after awhile, after you know from experience that the world's not going to change even though you're miles and miles apart. As I sat in the airplane, I'm just really really thankful that teddy's portable.

Thinking about life back here in heidelberg again, i guess i am, despite all my whining and cravings for the food paradise that singapore can provide, looking forward to the next 7 weeks or so here in heidelberg. Was just thinking about what I've got to do in the 7 weeks: 1 5000 words essay, 3 2000 words essays, 2 500 words essays, learn about 4 new organ pieces to the best of my ability, go to brussels, go to france, go to leipzig, hopefully go to italy, sit for exams... all in the next 7 weeks or so. (truth be told, i just want to spend the whole time having organ practice and lessons... =p ) .. so ya. mel's going to be busy. if ever she starts whining, remind her that she's got stuff to do, to complete, and to strive to complete to its perfection (organ-wise, school's on S/U option. =p .. but ya, she still has to pass.)

on organ lessons

2008-05-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have organ lessons every monday that i'm here in heidelberg. And it's been fantastic so far. Lessons are inspiring, the organs are inspiring in themselves. For the last lesson we used an organ in the Musikhochschule für Kirchenmusik. It's a small historical organ, following the german baroque tradition of organ building, with parallel pedels, and with the short and high upper notes in the pedals.. (this is probably not making a lot of sense to most of you, but oh well. for my memories sake. =p ) .. The touch was so wonderfully clear. And although my bach didn't sound fantastic because I was still getting used to the organ, whatever little quality stuff I could muster sounded so so deliciously good. And it really is the organ. It's just.. really really nice compared to the electronic speaker ones that we have back home. So very different. ... If only good things were movable. I'd move the organs and the teachers to singapore.. or move the family, friends and food from singapore to heidelberg. if only.

(i want nasi briyani... and laksa yong tau fu... and tom yum soup.. and grandma's food.... oh dear. ok. should stop thinking.)

Joshua Radin - the fear you won't fall

2008-05-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

'Digging a hole and the walls are caving in
Behind me air's getting thin but I'm trying
I'm breathing in
Come find me
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
I know you're scared that I'll soon be over it
That's part of it all
Part of the beauty of falling in love with you is the fear you won't fall
It hasn't felt like this before
It hasn't felt like home before you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
And I hate the phone
But I wish you'd call
Thought being alone
Was better than was better than
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel this way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you
Can't get my mind off of you
And I know it's easy to say but it's harder to feel
This way
And I miss you more than I should
Than I thought I could
Can't get my mind off of you'

... it's so simple. and so nice. love it. =)

Pavarotti

2008-05-11T03:45:00.001-07:00

Quote from one of my movie marathons

2008-05-10T12:46:00.001-07:00

'I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. '

a week back in london..

2008-05-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

prata and milo dinosaur! =) .. sharon brought the milo from nottingham (it's cheaper there. and yes, there's milo in the UK) .. got the prata from chinatown.

matthan and me! i look like a happy chipmunk walking the most handsome puppy in the world. =) ..

pink daisy... bought from king's cross..

made apple crumble! the first successful one. the other two that i made before had apples peeking out of the crust. This was a huge success. =p .. yummy success.

our darling. =)

our handsome baby.. =)

2008-05-04T02:38:00.000-07:00

Procrastination

2008-04-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

Procrastinator: a professional at crastinating. (whatever that means.)

no i don't think so.

a million and one things to do and a million and two lazy bones.

Update: Stuttgart, April 12-13

2008-04-23T08:34:00.001-07:00

At the spring festival in Stuttgart. This is the outside of the ride we took..

Some flying ride.. the dots up there are people and flying seats..

the three girls..

ferris wheel...

and dinner at night, cooked by shareen, aurelia and kanna. I just provided eye-power. =p

good weekend. =)

My rooom... =)

2008-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

The view from my window... =)

My first laundry pile drying under the photos on the wall...

my table, which is stocked up with snacks. and do you spot the big tub of nutella? It's terrible. It says 'eat me' every other second.

shelves...

and teddy on my bed. =)

a weekend to be thankful for.

2008-04-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Let's see. photos later k? I've got no more space in my com. for photos, thanks to all the movie videos that i've gotten from friends. =p

Saturday: finally managed to go ice skating! but oh my gosh, the place was utter chaos. Kids were throwing themselves on the ice, initially they were even chasing a small rubber ball around! I was so scared that i was going to be in the line of the ball or the kids or something. But it was good though. The place was relatively empty, as compared to the rinks in london. There I could just practice going faster, with an absolute clear path (cos all the kids were just throwing themselves onto the ice in the middle). Nice nice.. =D

Sunday: Went to church and lo and behold, they're letting me practice! =D .. I only got the chance to ask the Kantor after service, and during the entire service i was just praying that God will make it happen.. the church had a relatively decent organ, good acoustics.. and i guess one can say that I was really desperate to get a place to practice. And you know what's the most wonderful thing, I asked the Kantor when are the best times to practice (ie: when the church is usually free), and he said on tuesdays and fridays, which are (lo and behold again) my free days! The 'coincidence' was just too much. It's as if God's saying, 'don't doubt me, I'm here.' ... =D ... and truly, He is. There is really no way that this could have happened without His hand in it.

Psalm 93

2008-04-18T23:23:00.000-07:00

1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed in majesty
and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established;
it cannot be moved.

2 Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.

3 The seas have lifted up, O LORD,
the seas have lifted up their voice;
the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

4 Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the LORD on high is mighty.

5 Your statutes stand firm;
holiness adorns your house
for endless days, O LORD.

...

i've realised how much i've taken for granted.. how much i've complained about, when in truth, there really is nothing that I should be complaining about. For everything i have now, is so much of a blessing. When one compares with what's 'better', one often forgets to remember about what one already has. I guess i've been too focused on the 'better', forgetting that in truth, i don't deserve any of these at all and everything comes as a blessing from our mighty Father God. Now as I start to settle in, and on hindsight, looking at the times that when i'm all alone, I can only look towards Him, I realise that maybe that's His way of bringing me back to Him, closer to Him.. creating the opportunity that would never have been there had I been too comfortable with life. And on this hindsight, everything seems so different... and i'm thankful. so very thankful, that my God, Who is mighty and armed with strength and robed in majesty, is holding my hand every step of the way.

to everyone: thanks. =)

2008-04-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Through this time, I've just been constantly reminded about how very small I am, and how very very much I need God.

To the St. Anne's family: I miss you guys to bits. I never realised how much morning prayers and lunchtime concerts have formed part of my life until now. I've even taken to unconsciously putting my coins into stacks. (alex will know why. =p ) And thank you so very much for your prayer support. I can never tell you how much it means to me.

Just want to share a song, from Point of Grace: You'll never walk alone.

"Along life's road
There will be sunshine and rain
Roses and thorns, laughter and pain
And 'cross the miles
You will face mountains so steep
Deserts so long and valleys so deep
Sometimes the Journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember
I want you to know

You will never walk alone
As long as you have faith
Jesus will be right beside you all the way
And you may feel you're far from home
But home is where He is
And He'll be there down every road
You will never walk alone

Never, no never

The path will wind
And you will find wonders and fears
Labors of love and a few falling tears
Across the years
There will be some twists and turns
Mistakes to make and lessons to learn
Sometimes the journey's gentle
Sometimes the cold winds blow
But I want you to remember wherever you may go

Jesus knows your joy, Jesus knows your need
He will go the distance with you faithfully."

two weeks since leaving good old london...

2008-04-15T01:49:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks of a roller coaster ride.. Let's start from the very beginning..

Arrived in Heidelberg on the 1st of April, with heavy heavy bags that my poor babe had to carry. Landed to administrative ridiculousness, with Heidelberg's administration hailing as one of the more primitive of universities' I've encountered. Or maybe I've just been taking NUS for granted. In NUS, where matriculation only consists of one step, where one collects everything from the same place, where people speak english, where most things are organised and electronic... Just think of Heidelberg as the opposite. I'm still adamantly lamenting that Heidelberg has almost absolutely nothing.

Went to Lindau after that for a blissful few days, with good food, lots of time, no administrative stress...

then back to Heidelberg. The first few days alone were just miserable. Everything's so different here. It's like thrown into a place 10 years behind. Everything is done by paper work, not extremely fantastic in the organisation department, in german,... and just generally very different from the fuss-free, easy life i led back in both Singapore and London. Every lecture's conducted differently, with each lecturer having his/her own method of conducting the class and of signing people up. There're even different certificates one can get out of taking the same class. And whoa. the workload's just madness. But thankfully that's the workload for the music module i'm taking, so i guess i don't mind that much that it's a tad bit a lot more than what i've been used to. And another thing, module mapping has just been so utterly cruel.. and to save myself the stress and headache i've decided to do a special semester in NUS when i get back so that I can just take 4 modules here, and hopefully be able to concentrate on music once i manage to find a piano or an organ. (now that's another problem..... -.-

ya. generally. i need all your prayer help.

first few days in Deutschland... (not heidelberg, yet.)

2008-04-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

visiting at Lindau, an island at Bodensee.. nice little town.. nice, but little. but still nice.

went shopping at Ravensburg, and found this little 'bridge' in the middle of nowhere that looked nice. The rest of the town doesn't look like that though. =p .. oh oh.. but there's this interesting see-saw where instead of sitting, one stands on it.. quite fun. =D

Crystal World! that was really really a treat for the eyes. SO so so so many crystals.. and really interesting displays too..

and finally.. the Alps. =D ... snow. at long last.

Stonehenge, Bath and some.

2008-03-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

the latest arrival.

2008-03-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

hee. =) .. i'm determined to be good at this. including organ of course. ice skating and organ. and dance, and music in general. and God. and the babe. and the people i love. that's all i need.

Will be leaving london for germany soon. feels a little weird, especially since i've gotten so used to everything here. Being with the babe, being with the family in st. anne's, ... even fighting the winds to come home. to come Home.

i'm sure going to miss it. a lot.

Past and Present

2008-03-07T01:07:00.001-08:00

For those who didn't know, we've moved. =) .. as in. moved house. Just some thoughts on it:

- missed the old house: our first home.
- our new one is looking good and starting to feel cosy and like home.
- i'm monopolizing the kitchen. =p
- the bed's comfy.
- the bath's cold-ish...

may God bless our new home. =)

...

yup. guess that was a trial for moving to heidelberg. *quiver. i'm so so so not going to be able to carry my bag pack. (i know i know. the whole world's been telling me: 'but your boyfriend's going to be coming with you what.' [the question is: HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO MOVE BACK TO SINGAPORE LIKE THAT?!!]

another problem for another time. =p

(ps: went skating the other day again. 'tis good. i'm currently oh-so-tempted to get my own pair of skates [someone scream: 'but mel! i thought you were complaining that you had a lot to pack already!' ... yes yes i know.] and... AND!! .. someone actually asked me (ME!!) to teach her how to skate. hah! horror of horrors.)

What's a girl to do...

2008-03-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ok. I need help deciding. Vote 'yes' or 'no' in the comments box k? =D

Here's the product:

and information on it:

Heel Height: 4 IN (10CM) [!!!!!]

Incredible. just incredible.

2008-02-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

funny sign outside a shop in chinatown

2008-02-27T15:21:00.001-08:00

(once again, please self-invert. =p )

Dinner and some.

2008-02-27T13:43:00.000-08:00

heh. I made it. I shall leave you all to your conflicting thoughts of disbelief and desire to praise. For now, some thoughts...

On human pride.

- it's so easy to stupidly and stubbornly hold on to one's stated statement even thought you know that the statement has been proven wrong. The power of pride.

- It can prevent one from experiencing life at its fullest.

- It can exclude one.

- It's easy to overlook.

- It's hard to get out of.

And that's why we need to ask for wisdom. Deep is the folly of Mankind, he who says that he needs not wisdom; he who scoffs at goodwill and help; he who believes that he is sufficient for himself; he who feeds the pride in his heart. Who are we to behave as such? As if we know all things and can do all things. For no. In truth we can do nothing alone.

Job 12

"1 Then Job replied:
2 "Doubtless you are the people,
and wisdom will die with you!

3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?

4 "I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called upon God and he answered—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!

5 Men at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those who carry their god in their hands. [a]

7 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?

12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?

13 "To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.

14 What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
the man he imprisons cannot be released.

15 If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16 To him belong strength and victory;
both deceived and deceiver are his.

17 He leads counselors away stripped
and makes fools of judges.

18 He takes off the shackles put on by kings
and ties a loincloth [b] around their waist.

19 He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows men long established.

20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.

21 He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.

22 He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings deep shadows into the light.

23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;
he sends them wandering through a trackless waste.

25 They grope in darkness with no light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards."

asos.com =D

2008-02-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

THIS arrived in the mail today. =D ... heh! and it fits perfectly. hoo hoo! happy.

=D

random

2008-02-24T15:32:00.001-08:00

My first and failed attempt at Sudoku.

Theme 2: Things that i've been up to.

2008-02-24T12:48:00.001-08:00

A: Bathing teddy! =p .. he looks traumatised. But oh so cute. =)

B: Ice- skating! it was so slow to 'get the hang of it'. (sort of.) .. i still looked like a flapping penguin after 3 hours. But world just wait and see, i'm going to make a real penguin out of me. (ok. maybe not the unflattering bulge. but you get what i mean.) ..

On another note, watching people ice skate really make me feel like being like them, free and fast on the ice. On the one hand filled with power, yet at the same time filled with grace. A dancer and a player at the same time. Beautiful really.

which brings me to the next point...

C: Watching ice-hockey and floorball matches and pracs. Tried playing floorball once. It was quite fun actually but a little scary to play with all the 'fire and balls' people (whatever fire and balls mean. it's just a self-concocted phrase that just seems to fit the bill you know. one of those things. =p ).

then...

D: Visiting the Old Operating Theatre Museum. The forceps above look so scary... so so so scary (and PAINFUL). Everything there was just medical, potentially rusty, old, musty and scary. I basically went through the entire place with a look of grimace/horror on my face.

The world's oldest operating table. (for women)

Operating table for children. (imagine screaming kids who end up dying there.... *shivers)

E: Visit to Wesley's Chapel. (ok. please invert the photo yourself. i have no idea why it's inverted on MY laptop. but not on blogger. don't ask me. it's technology. you know how they always rebel against me.) .. Wesley's Chapel, also known as the place of the start of Methodism, is nice and cosy, with a lot of history. Saw John Wesley's grave, his mother's grave, saw his organ, tried the current organ in the chapel... The methodists there were really friendly and i'm hoping to be able to go back and play for a service or something.

F: Finally.. arranging biscuits for lunchtime concerts at St. Annes. =D

ok. major updates. =p

2008-02-24T12:17:00.001-08:00

hehe.. ok. i know i haven't been diligent in updating this, or anything at all. I've just been so so so so lazy. It's terrible. I know. =p .. So. To clear up weeks of back-log, i shall update by themes. So.

Theme 1. FOOOOOOOODDD... =D

These eggs are so cute right? the difference in size. =p .. they just amused me.

Goreng pisang! it's really easy to make actually. just very very oily. But really easy.

The finished product. =)

Apple crumble!

Burgerdale! another oily number.

AND THE WHOLE SPREAD! from left, burgerdale, black pepper beef and brocolli and spinach with egg and oyster sauce.

=D .. and for the record, nobody suffered any mishaps after eating what i've been cooking. REALLY.

(now now serena, i know what you're going to say. but really. NO. nothing happened to anyone. =p ) ..

woohoo! mel can cook!

mel...

2008-01-30T09:38:00.001-08:00

- is eating so much chocolate she's going to look like one soon. you know, one is what one eats. i wonder what a choc-human will look like. hmm.

- is amused at her new cotton candy lip balm

- is thinking of her girlfriends back home, especially the Ss and the D.

- is wishing that they're here.

- is letting the pot cook bak khu teh tonight, thanks to spices flown from home.

- just ironed an extremely stubborn pair of pants.

- just washed teddy. (photos later of he/she/it looking totally traumatised.)

- is loving her first home together with the babe.

- is praying for God's guidance every day.

- is thankful.

What i saw the other day and what i made today.

2008-01-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

Saw a police horse!! =p .. trotting around outside the church i work in.

and... mel k.!! guess what i made!!! =D

The colours God used to paint the sky..

2008-01-27T07:28:00.000-08:00

.. are so vivid and marvelous that this photo can only capture a fraction of its beauty.

my pineapple tarts attempt 1.

2008-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

ok. i've got some post-oven photos, just haven't uploaded them. They may not look really much like pineapple tarts, and may not really taste like pineapple tarts either... but someday! they will be! =p .. on a more sentimental note, despite their semi-failure, eating them still reminded me of my grandma. =)

Updates: meeting Ziming; and Shuming; and work.

2008-01-19T12:44:00.000-08:00

Ziming came over for about 1 day on on the 12th of Jan. (ziming, i know you arrived on the 11th but 10pm at night and not doing anything doesn't quite count for a day; and i know you left on the 13th but early in the morning doesn't count either. =p ) .. Anyways, it was a fun night of meeting in chinatown, getting a little lost at first (then discovering that zm brought his compass!) , met wenyong who's doing his exchange in birmingham, AND went to Four Seasons for duck! =D ..

Then met Shuming and Gerald on monday after work for dinner.. and they brought me to this place with hawker food! had hokkien mee! and it was not bad at all! Shuming had BOO BOO cha cha.. heheh.. what a funny typo. =p .. great catching up.. =D

Now. about work. Work was a little boring the first few days, mostly because there wasn't much for me to do, but menial work (because both the pastor and the cantor were both on leave, so the poor administrator was frequently at a loss as to what to let me do). But the people are all very very very nice. Very sincere, very friendly.. one feels at home straight away in St. Anne's. (and i'm not saying this only because i'm working there or they're bribing me to say this or anything.) The home-liness of the church is just so inviting that one warms to the people easily.. Just played a few hymns for a council meeting today. Truth be told, i thought it was really awful playing (as compared to the fantastic playing they're all probably used to), partly because i wasn't used to the organ yet, not enough practice and also because my hymn-playing ability is generally limited. But everyone was just really thankful that i played at all! so. ya. really really nice people. =)

British Museum and Cartoon Museum

2008-01-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

The first two photos hail from the British Museum: very many pottery and mummies. =p

and the Cartoon Museum was simply fantastic. Spent quite some time reading the comics, really good satire.

Lyrics - Defying Gravity

2008-01-09T15:22:00.000-08:00

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphaba - why couldn't you have stayed calm for
once, instead of flying off the handle!
(sung) I hope you're happy!
I hope you're happy now
I hope you're happy how you
Hurt your cause forever
I hope you think you're clever!

ELPHABA
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy, too
I hope you're proud how you
Would grovel in submission
To feed your own ambition

BOTH
So though I can't imagine how
I hope you're happy right now

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry:
(sung) You can still be with the Wizard
What you've worked and waited for
You can have all you ever wanted:

ELPHABA
(spoken) I know:
(sung) But I don't want it -
No - I can't want it
Anymore:

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

GLINDA
Can't I make you understand?
You're having delusions of grandeur:

ELPHABA
I'm through accepting limits
'Cuz someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down:
(spoken) Glinda - come with me. Think of what we could
do: together.

(sung) Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Glinda -
Dreams, the way we planned 'em

GLINDA
If we work in tandem:

BOTH
There's no fight we cannot win
Just you and I
Defying gravity
With you and I
Defying gravity

ELPHABA
They'll never bring us down!
(spoken) Well? Are you coming?

GLINDA
I hope you're happy
Now that you're choosing this

ELPHABA
(spoken) You too
(sung) I hope it brings you bliss

BOTH
I really hope you get it
And you don't live to regret it
I hope you're happy in the end
I hope you're happy, my friend:

ELPHABA
So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

GLINDA
I hope you're happy!

CITIZENS OF OZ
Look at her, she's wicked!
Get her!

ELPHABA
:Bring me down!

CITIZENS OF OZ
No one mourns the wicked
So we've got to bring her

ELPHABA
Ahhh!

CITIZENS OF OZ
Down!

Wicked the musical!

2008-01-09T05:05:00.000-08:00

Wicked was fabulous! The music just consumes you once it starts. The intensity, the mystery, the nuances... everything.. How everything was framed and presented. And the costumes and the set were so elaborate! A true feast for the eye. =D .. No words can truly express the experience. (or any experience for that matter. mm.)

So ya. Go watch!

Tower of London. =)

2008-01-08T06:10:00.000-08:00

Really interesting experience. Hee. i've got funny stories to tell about how i tried to get the guard to take a photo with me, and about the very very many many diamonds and bling bling... and about the instruments of torture and traitor's gate. But right now, I'm just so lazy to type. heheh..

So. Let me just leave you all with a quote from King Edward I said after his dear wife's death:

'... whom living we dearly cherished, and whom dead we cannot cease to love...'

=) .. (now everyone go: awwww...)

the 'attractions'

2008-01-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

it's strange, really, like how everyone goes: 'oh, you MUST see [this], you MUST see [that]...'; then you realise that when you actually see it, it's like: ok. so this is it. mmm.

oh well. for what's worth, here're some pictures for you all to 'wish you were there' at. =p

(so evil right.)

but the truth is, i wish you were too.

For Good

2008-01-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

'I'm limited
Just look at me - I'm limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda
So now it's up to you
For both of us - now it's up to you...

(Glinda):
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

(Elphaba):
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
[For Good lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]

But because I knew you

(Glinda):
Because I knew you

(Both):
I have been changed for good

(Elphaba):
And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the things I've done you blame me for

(Glinda):
But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

(Both):
And none of it seems to matter anymore

(Glinda):
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

(Elphaba):
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

(Both):
Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

(Glinda):
And because I knew you...

(Elphaba):
Because I knew you...

(Both):
Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good... '

...

This song gave me goosebumps, is giving me goosebumps, and will be giving me goosebumps for sometime. It's so nicely done by the original cast of Wicked. So so so poignantly done.. and the lyrics.. just as the person in the youtube video said: 'it can be said of anyone who comes into your life.' ... and it's so true. And I think of all of you my family and friends, I do believe that, because of all of you, I've been honed and changed for the better. =) ..

(PS: I'M GOING TO (HOPEFULLY) WATCH IT THIS COMING TUESDAY!! =p .. heheheh!!!)

=) ... enjoy!

the latte boy

2008-01-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

this is really good.. =)

funny sign

2007-12-31T21:23:00.000-08:00

guess who made this:

2007-12-30T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have been:

2007-12-29T10:14:00.000-08:00

- watching very many movies at home;

- cooking AND baking AND washing; (*gasp. i KNOW. =p ..)

- walking around;

- getting to know his friends;

- playing darts;

- watched a floorball practice;

- surfing musical websites;

- discovered ASOS.com;

- missing friends;

- counting my blessings;

- thinking...

(and doing all the usual 'mel' things. =p )

ps: teddy says hi. =D ..

the iron mystery.

2007-12-28T08:49:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

I am sure we are all curious about the iron in the kitchen. So here's the story. =) .. :

Well you see, it all started with the rice cooker breaking down. But even with that, we still must must have rice for dinner. So what do the cooks do? The cooks (J and S) decided to form a water bath in a pot and put the rice pot in the water bath. But the rice pot won't sink in the water bath. So what do the cooks do now? They put a heavy container AND the IRON on top of the cover of the pot to hold the rice pot (which is in the water bath) down.

there. THAT'S why the iron was in the kitchen. =D

random photos from boxing day. =)

2007-12-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

We escaped from the mad mad sale at Oxford street and we walked.. and we walked.. and we walked... =p .. and here are some photos for you all. =) .. stories (including story about the iron) later. *winks

Spot the odd gadget out. =p

2007-12-25T05:05:00.000-08:00

more about the philo. dept in king's...

2007-12-22T01:51:00.000-08:00

it's an interesting sight really. Notice the sign from the previous post? Similar signs like that were all over the place from around the main entrance leading all the way to the philo. dept which is kind of buried about 3 floors under.

Some thoughts that ran across my mind:

1) Philosophers are really bad at directing themselves in the physical world. (probably because some aren't even sure whether it exists.)

2) The dept. was trying to emulate Plato's cave, like how the 'enlightened' professors keep returning to the cave for the betterment of the poor students who are still in the dark about the 'truths' of life.

uh huh. =p

as I said.. interesting. =D

pictures from my first day out. =)

2007-12-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

from random walking... =)

of getting boots, walking along oxford street.. venturing into chinatown and trafalgar square.. and visiting the organ AND the philo. dept. in kings! =D

I survived...

2007-12-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

- 2 plane rides

- disagreeable old ladies

- HUGE bagpack

- telling my life-story to the immigrations officer

- my first tube ride. =)

- a lot a lot of briyani.

=D

...

spending time with the babe. FINALLY.

hello london. =)

Leaving in about 16 hours time

2007-12-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested...

I'll be at terminal 1 at 1630 hours tomorrow.. =p .. call if you want to come!

Packing update.

2007-12-13T04:29:00.000-08:00

I finally started. =p .. heheh..

it's so hard to differentiate between necessity and indulgence. Unlike for short trips where one can just live with the same outfit for days on end (for days will indeed end soon), packing for 8 months is like... moving house. I want to bring EVERYTHING. (ok dear, don't panic, i'm not bringing everything. =p )

but... let's see if it's possible: if teddy is everything to me, then.. i'm kind of bringing everything (++) right?

hehehehe..

oh dear. packing woes.

Ithaka

2007-12-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

'As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon-don't be afraid of them:
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon-you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind-
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.'

mel needs to..

2007-12-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

eat: durian, bak khu teh, chilli crab, max brenner's, menotti's;

get: boots, bak kwa, plugs, ISC, contacts;

do: bring grandma to zoo, say goodbye to people and find a dhl box large enough for the bench...

... before she leaves this coming sunday. =p

For the interested, her flight's in the evening.. she'll need to be there by late afternoon to check-in. email her for the exact details k?

just. if you're interested. =D

(rats. she forgot about packing.)

leaving in 9 days..

2007-12-06T02:36:00.001-08:00

dear all,

as this is the first post of this blog, i shall attempt to make it sound official. Here's the place where i'll document my travels.. in the UK and in Germany... plus (hopefully) escapades to France and Venice and Switzerland and... =) ..

now's the packing process, plus pre-trip thoughts.. emotions.. the realisation that i will be missing friends, and no they can't just all be packed into dhl boxes. hee.

oh my oh my. packing. mmm.