Here i am at Yibin's house typing this blog. Seems like my blog has been rather dead these few days. Of cos, it's not bcos i've been inactive these few days. In contrary, i've been pretty up and about last few days. But still, i have to apologise for the lack of updates. =P
Now in a melancholic mood... reflecting upon myself and thinking of the new direction i will be heading towards next year.
For now, i'll have some time with God and with myself. Till the next post. Tata!
It has been pouring since last night and it is still pouring hippos and elephants. Oh well, my family has since left for tokyo and will not be back till New Year's Day. Sigh... seems like i'm all alone at home for a week. so lonely. *sob*
Started off my Christmas morning with a run with aik keong. Sometimes i think it is really good to have a running partner, it keeps you running faster. So many times along the way i wanted to just get back to my slacking pace but the mental motivation of wanting to keep up with him (or at the very least not to lose him in sight) forced every ounce of my leg muscle as well as my exhausted lungs to press on to the finishing line. Come to think of it, i only had like 4 hours of sleep the night before so i guessed it's pretty justifiable for my poor performance. Haha. =P
Went to Bukit Panjang Gospel Church for the night. It was a really good musical presentation of the gospel and the meaning of Christmas. Oh well...what should i do for the rest of the week?
After a quick nap after church service and lunch, Huijun, Jasmin, Aik, Binnie and I went down to Seoul Garden for our Christmas dinner at Marina Square. Come to think of it, this was my 5th buffet in a short span of 9 days. I could hardly see my bellybutton now... *sigh*. At the very least, i did not gorged myself this time round... it's just not worth it.
Huijun and Jasmin posing for the nth time in front of the cam
Look who's the glutton!?! hee hee
Watched "Charlotte's Web" next before advancing to the arcade for some entertainment. Played this drum game which was pretty funny (funny, not fun) and indeed my forearms did had a workout tonight.
Drove to Holland Village TCC for some coffee after that. Had an exchange of gifts. The group of guys and girls at a table opposite just kept staring at us ripping our gift wrappers. Haha... oh well...
Went to play badminton at Clementi Sports Hall with Jieyi and Yibin this morning. Came to a pleasant realisation that my fitness has improved ever since i came back from New Zealand. Wow, i could sense a surge of previously unfounded power running through my veins. Hee hee... that's a bit over exaggerating. =P
Night was spent at Shenjun and Shuyi's Pre-wedding dinner. He ought to be honoured that i showed up in my prom attire as i seldom... sorry i correct myself... RARELY wear such formal attire to any occasions. Oh no... seems like vanity has gotten its hold on me. *sigh* Oh ya.. guess what?!?! the dinner was an ala carte buffet. OH GOSH... that would be like my 4th buffet in 2 wks. Judging from the number of peeled prawn shells on the table, i really might have atheroclerosis very soon. Geez... i better start my healthy diet REAL SOON for fear of losing my credibility as a nutritionist among my friends. Hee hee.
Feeling guilty over the lack of exercise and the immense gorging of food, aik keong and I decided to go for a short jog after the dinner. BAD IDEA! Suffered from stitches along the way. For the 1st time in my life i was actually running in front of him... a definite sign that his stitches must be in really really bad state. Gosh... thank God the run was short and swift, or else ShenJun would've skinned me alive for torturing his bestman. =S
And to dear ShenJun, i will pray for you. I know it must've been really nerve-wrecking for you and i highly doubt you will be able to have a good sleep tonight... but just want to say relax and keep calm... leaving all things into God's hands. I'll definitely pray that God will not give you a sudden revelation of you having the gift of celibacy...i really hope not. =P Hahaha *just joking* Better go and sleep now... *yawn*
Checked in at around 6pm. The euphoria of going to a country which I've been dreaming of going ever since childhood welled up within me. I could hardly contain my excitement. And this time round, i would be going for a mountain climbing course alongside with my bro aik keong and sis yang tien. Frankly speaking, i knew i could always count on Tien-jie to settle all the administration as well as unforeseen circumstances for us, and aik keong to help carry me to the nearest medical facilities if my legs happened to give way up in the mountain due to excessive climbing stress hahaha.
Yang Tien, Me and Aik Keong before departure
11 Dec 2006
Arrived at Sydney Airport awaiting a transfer flight to Christchurch. The flight was a long 8 hours. I couldn't imagine how i would survive the flight if not for the in-flight entertainment. But i did spent most of my time dozing off anyway. But i was glad to take a break from the flight at Sydney.
Yang Tien and Aik Keong - Ambassadors for Merino Wool
One thing to note was that Merino wool is really really comfortable and good. You can perspire in it all you want but it will never stink. Moreover, it does keep your body warm very well. Smells good, feels dry, keeps warm... wow... what are you guys waiting for man. Merino is YOUR choice!
That's the Qantas plane bound for Christchurch
After the stringent check at Christchurch Airport, we took a cab down to Windsor B & B for the night. Do you know the custom officials actually checked the sole of my hiking boots to see if there were any soil residues stuck to the soles? WOW! I'm not trying to be sarcastic here but i do admire their professionalism. Also, we were all pretty full from the 2 breakfasts we had on the flights (first on S'pore-Sydney, Second on Sydney-Christchurch). Haha.
Windsor Hotel Bed & BreakfastRoom of aik keong and I - pretty messy *oops*
After chucking our stuff in our rooms, we went out for a tour of the city, at the same time finding outdoor shops to buy some of the equipments and apparels we need for the climb. It is renowned that New Zealand offers great varieties and good quality outdoor equipments.
Candid shot at a traffic junctionThe Art MuseumHappy customers at bivouac/outdoor (blew my wallet *sob*)
The service here was great. I mean the salesmen really do know their stuff. In fact, most of them were veteran climbers themselves, being able to advise us on the things that we need. Another plus point was that they weren't those sort of salesman who would coerce the customers to buy the really expensive stuff but professional in trying their best to cater to the customers' needs. Two thumbs up! After leaving our excess baggage back in Windsor, we decided to take a stroll around Christchurch. One good thing about visiting NZ in the summer is that it has longer daylight hours. Basically, the sun rises at around 4 am and sets at around 10 pm in the night.
Aik keong and I at this bridge which was built to commemorate something *i forgot* there ain't any skyscrapers in this city... cool GOSH! My first 'live' tram in my life What was i looking at?Weeping Willow by the stream. I would luv to read a book under the tree.Bro and I by the stream Ok, i have to clarify that there's nothing sleazy going on between us! Hahaha! Look at the mother duck and the ducking... soooo cute!Tien jie taking photos of the duck family. Papa duck, Mama Duck n Baby Duckling
While taking photos of the ducks, i was thinking to myself: this scene could never be played in singapore. First, the kids will traumatise the ducks so badly that they will die of heart attack on the spot. Secondly, some ah peks or ah mahs will catch the duck to make herbal duck soup or something. Gosh... nature right in the city. Christchurch is indeed a Garden City. Singapore? HAHAHAHA...don't make me laugh.
me, aik keong n yang tien in front of this monument beside the cathedralThe Cathedral which i've forgotten the name.Starbucks CoffeeA public square where they play big-scale chess on the ground
We were trying desperately to find the busstop which will take us to Mount Cook Village the next morning. We were delighted by the professionalism of the salesman here (especially the one in DFS whom helped us to find direction) but it seemed that no one knew its whereabouts. My last resort was to find the police officer at the police station and yeah... you could always count on Mr Policeman to help you find your way!
Had our dinner at this Korean-Japanese Restaurant along the way. Although the price of the food was like 10+ dollars, the servings were really large. Really worth the money man. Had this spicy seafood noodles...yum yum. The mussels were like cool-cool!
Spicy Seafood Noodles
That night we had UNO game. Argh... ended up being bullied by the 2 veteran players. But miraculously, i managed to win the game... hahahaha.
12 Dec 2006
After an early breakfast in Windsor, we continued on our journey to take a 5-hour coach up down to Mount Cook Village. The driver was part driver part tour-guide, telling us stuffs about the places we've been through etc. Below are a couple of shots along the way. The countryside scenery was great... enjoyed the feeling of being in a great expanse.
We had a break stop at the town of Geraldine. Took some photos of the town before having some meat pies at the cafe. The meatpies were SO SO GOOD!
The Old Post Office A Local Museum Local Presbyterian/Methodist Church
The meatpie was YUMMILICIOUS!
Our next stop was at Lake Tekapo. The view was SPECTACULAR! The clear blue sky strewn with cotton clouds. The range of alpine mountain at the backdrop of the crystal baby blue lake. The air was filled with scent from the flowers (which i've forgotten their names) and it was nature at its very best. I was amazed at the colour of the lake, one of its very kind. In fact, the lake's source was from the glaciers up in the mountains and the blue was due to the crushed rock fragments and minerals that flowed down from the glacier valleys.
Posing at Lake Tekapo
Look at the flowers!! WOW!!
The gull just happened to be in my shot. Cool...aik keong and I (thank God we are not allergic to pollen)A group shot by the lake. The guy whom took this pic seemed pretty pro with his manual cam but apparently he has never used a digicam before.Just like a painting *AWW*
Next it's back to the coach and onward towards Mount Cook Village once again. Some photos which i've taken along the way.
Finally arrived at Mount Cook Village. We trekked to the Alpine Guides quarters to dump our stuff as well as to meet our guide before finding a place to fill our growling stomach. Had lunch at this cafe nearby. The background was just breathtaking. I could never imagine i would have a chance to have my meal while admiring the majestic alpine ridges not far away from me.
Our lunch by the snowcap mountains
After lunch, it was back to the Alpine Guides HQ to prepare our equipments. This was the first time i had any contact with ice axes and crampons. Goodness... *sweat* This is serious stuff man.
at Alpine Guides HQMESS
The collection of equipments was followed by spending the night in the nearby Alpine Guides chalet. The chalet looked splendidful too! Have a look at it yourselves!
Our common bunk
The Common Area
Oh... and the fun part was we would have to cook dinner for ourselves. For the first night, our main chef was jonny (our guide), yang tien and aik keong. Haha... at least i did helped in the washing of dishes.
There were other mountain enthusiasts staying with us. Had a chat with some of them and they were really cool people. I think one thing which i've enjoyed very much was the opportunity to interact with many of the locals as well as people from other countries here. =) It really did expanded my horizon.
Chefs at work
It was late night UNO with a new found UNO pal David. David was a doctor from australia and he would be taking a plane with his wife to trek on some glacier the next day. cool...
13 Dec 2006
Started off the morning with breakfast and some ropework practice.
practising ropework in common area
More practice with arrival of Jonny
A few hours of practice later (basic rope knots, roping etc) we embarked on our first hike to Mt Sebastopol for some natural rock climbing. Due to the fact that some of us were not able to cross the scree, we had to make a long detour up. As a result, we did not have enough daytime for the rockclimbing. Nevertheless, it was a great hike and a good warm up for the arduous one the next day on hindsight. =P
Valley
Snow mountains
I love the flat plains
Jonny, Tien and I resting halfway
Aik, Tien n I on the halfway mark up Sebastopol
Had our lunch at Red TarnThe scree which was pretty steep. a tarnTakin a detourMount Cook Lilies. Really lovely and rare flowers. You can be fined NZ$5000 for picking one. On descent
Spotted many hares hopping from bushes to bushes during the hike. From the New Zealander's perspective, these creatures are pests and ought to be killed. From Jonny, I've learnt that the British has introduced many animals such as cats, rabbits, deers etc to New Zealand thereby endangering many animal species in the country. One of such endangered species is the kiwi bird. Therefore, killing rabbits, deers, possums etc are encouraged by the government as these creatures do not have natural predators in NZ environment at all. One famous line by the NZders is that if they happened to see a possum crossing the road, they would not hesitate to swerve the car to run them over. Well, i often thought that killing animals are blatant cruelty. But over here in NZ, killing the right kind of animals are actually doing nature justice. Haha... i was so 'on' about this killing thing that everytime i stumbled upon an unknown animal, i would ask jonny if i could kill it. =P
14 Dec 2006
Embarked on a hike to Mueller's hut. As these 2 days would be clear days before the cold front comes in, it was wise to place the hike on these 2 days. Like what Jonny said, the weather in NZ is 'quickly come, quickly go'. And in fact i do testify to that. This must be one of the most arduous hike i've ever done. If not for the hiking poles, i would've really fallen off the cliff. In fact, i did have a lot of close shaves which still gives me the jitters when i recall them in my mind. It was also a test to my physical and mental endurance as some parts of the trek needed us to rock climb with our heavy backpacks on. Also, the walk on snow without crampons was totally exhausting and demoralising. But all the effort has been worth it. yeah! cool-cool.
small lake formed by melted glacier
taking a short break halfway up Mueller's hut Some shots midway the journey
Had lunch at this spot called Silly Tarn
We came to a stretch of snowfield and Jonny taught us some snow techniques. We were taught how to walk safely in snow as well as some self-arresting techniques. Personally, i find the self-arresting really fun. Basically one was to prone with his ice-axe pushed down into the snow at chest level to brake irregardless of which position he was in. So we had a fun time sliding down the snow superman-style, head-down face-up style, slide style while performing the self arrest.
The slope where we did our self-arrest
After doing countless self-arrests which got all of us pretty shagged out, we had to continue our hike up to Mueller's hut. And gosh, the remaining part of the trail was really terrible. Hiking on snow was totally disgusting without crampons. My boots just kept sinking into the softsnow making it an extra effort to lift them up. This was accompanied by the slippery surface which we feared slipping off into the abyss down the cliff. It was way past dinner time and i realised my energy meter was running out. Every step into the thick softsnow was totally demoralising. However, the sight of the red Mueller's hut did motivated me to push on.
YES! reaching...reaching... *pant*
Other hikers at Mueller's hut
Don't touch me, let me rest. =P
Bro and I after a hard day's hike
But the breathtaking scenery makes it all worthwhile
After some hot tea and cracker, we were perked up and ready to go again.
The common kitchen
Evening nightsky. That's Mt Cook on the left
bro, tien and I in euphoria
The night was pretty cold. It was pretty hilarious how aik and I were coming up with all sorts of plans to pee without going to the toilet hut (a distance away) for fear of sliding to our death in the middle of the night while going to the toilet. =P
15 Dec 2006
Morning bright and shine
Keas spotted
Keas are like native parrots which is a common sight in Mount Cook Village. They are extremely intelligent and are capable of solving puzzles. We were warned by jonny never to put our hiking boots outside the hut as these birds will fly off with the boots in their beak. Haha. Apparently jonny once had his boots being carried off by one of the keas. But lucky him, he found the boot stuffed under the water tank 10 metres away. Seemed like the keas just want to play a prank on him. Haha... so cute. But of cos i will not take my chances. =P
Next was more snow techniques on crampons!
White snow. The albido was so high that one could get snow blindness from prolonged exposure
All of a sudden, we heard a deafening roar followed by an avalanche not far away from us. Apparently a big block of ice has broken off the cliff and pummeled down at high speed right infront of us. Cool, first-hand avalanche right before my eyes. I will never forget this experience!
We went climbing up Mt Olivier next. All of us were roped up during the climb. Oh my gosh, drop-off cliff a few inches away from my feet, snow making the trail slippery, scaling over boulders the size of elephant... oh gosh... my adrenaline did pumped so hard during then. But the scenery up there at the peak was OH SO GOOD!
Tien, Jonny n I (kneelin down) at the peak of Mt OlivierThat's Mt Cook behind us 3 of us finally made it to the summit indulging in our ecstatic pleasure Can u spot the glacier? The clouds being forced over the mountains. And i'm on same level as them. WAH! Thumbs up!! More pics before the descent
As more clouds got forced over the mountains, it marked the beginning of the cold front. Wind started to howl and i could really feel myself being blown off the peak. The descent was anything but smooth. There was a part which i practically had to do a 'close to pull-up' move across this huge boulder with my feet dangling 2000 metres from the ground. Gosh...i wondered how i even managed to do it.
Upon reaching Mueller's hut, we packed up our stuff and made our quick descent back to the chalet. Couldn't believe we actually cramponed down the steep slope as seen below. Yikes!
Looks can be deceiving
After such gruelling experience, we came to a point of wanting a nice dinner at the Hermitage instead of cookin in the chalet. Jonny drove us to all the available restaurants in the vicinity only to find them closed for the day. Seemed like we had to cook dinner for the night too. Anyway, the dinner was good. We had onion omelette (by me), Thai spicy noodles, Pumpkin soup, as well as peaches for dessert. We retired early for the night.
16 Dec 2006
As the front brought along great amount of wind and rain, we were unable to go to the natural rockclimbing site that morning. After practising some new ropeworks in the chalet, jonny drove us down (45 minutes drive) to a nearby town called Twizel to do some rockclimbin in the gym. Along the way, we were chatting about global warming and politics. Jonny made a startling news when he said that we ought to kill the cows as they were the main source of greenhouse gases in NZ. Cows produce large amount of methane which will harm the ozone too. Hahaha... new excuses for eating steak. YEAH!
Rockwall Climbing
After the rock-climbing session, we went to a nearby cafe to have a cup of hot cappucino. This was followed by a stop at Peter's Lookout on the return trip. Lake Pukaki was simply beautiful beyond words can describe. Anyway, i often became the butt of the joke because i always have problems remembering and pronouncing the names of places. For example i would call Lake Pukaki Lake Pikako and Lake Tekapo Lake Tekapao etc. =P
aik, tien, me and jonny at Lake Pukaki
Aik Keong and ILake or sea??Look at the waves. WOWsee...i can float...matrix styleTRUE pristine coastlineKids went wild at the coast Had our long awaited buffet dinner at Hermitage in the evening. Jonny was shocked at my massive appetite. Hahaha...he really did believed that i eat very little normally when i told him at the beginning of the course. Well, i supposed this was an exception of hell break loose as i really needed to recharge all the energy lost in the course. Hahaha. The food was good... especially the lamb leg and steak. Great. As you guys could see, that's the backdrop of the mountain ridges behind us.
My last night at Mount Cook Village and i haven't had the chance to admire the night sky. (considering the long daytime and short nighttime). Went out in the blizzing cold and i was greeted instantly by a shooting star gliding across the sky. The magnificent display of the cosmic entities got me hypnotised instantly. For a moment i wasn't even aware of the cold that was biting my muscle tissues. When i finally realised i was shivering left right centre, my beloved bro locked me out of the chalet. How loving... 17 Dec 2006
The front had not pass us by yet thus we would have to do abseiling behind the Alpine Guide quarters then. We weren't complaining considering that we had great weather for the Mueller's hut hike already. Spent some time in the morning learning new rope techniques before adjourning to our abseiling hands-on after lunch. I have a serious problem of always stepping on ropes. Somehow i suspect my feet has some hidden magnetic flux that targets only ropes. Another problem is that i always drop the belay hood. haha... i think Jonny almost puked blood telling me not to step on ropes. Oh... one thing to note, there were many sandflies at the wall due to the rain. EEEKS!! had a few bites here and there. disgusting creatures.
Abseiling down
Prusicking ourselves up to enjoy our tea *cheers* After abseiling, we went back to the chalet to pack up our stuff and be ready to take the coach back to Christchurch. Really could not bear to leave such a wonderful and beautiful place. And surely i would miss jonny our guide. He is a superb guide and i felt really safe with him around. In whatever things that he do, he never compromise on our safety. It's rare to find someone so experienced (He has taken 2nd highest peak at Everest before), so knowledgeable and yet humourous to be a guide. His geographical knowledge really wowed me away, allowing me to broaden my knowledge experientially, something which i could never learn in textbooks. Not only so, he takes pride in his profession as well as his country. He would really bend down to pick up an empty bottle on the ground and drive a 30 minute journey down to the next rubbish bin to throw it. His love for nature (a superb serious environmentalist) and passion for climbing (lives-at-edge adventure seeker) really draws my respect for him. I would definitely miss his 'cool-cool', 'okie-dokie' and 'alrightie'. How could i forget the CH4 of the cows.
Last lunch (meatloaf meal)
A last photoshoot of the mountain ridge with bro I feel like a hobbit standing beside Sir Edward HillaryGood bye Mt Cook Village. Hope to be back to scale Mt Cook in the future.Sleeping beauties (sneakshot by Tien) Shots along the wayChurch of the Good Shepherd by Lake Tekapo on the way back When we arrived at Christchurch, we checked in back to Windsor again. This was followed by a buffet dinner at Oxford Restaurant. Was surprised to see alot of Singaporeans there. Suddenly, i was pretty sick of buffet. haha. After dinner, we went for a walk at Hadley Botanic Garden. Really nice place to chill and hang out. Lots of ducks in the vicinity. Took a video of me chasing the ducks hee hee.
18 Dec 2006
Feeling guilty of our eating spree for the last few days, aik keong and I woke up early in the morning to go for a jog in Hadley Park. This was followed by breakfast and a cab down to the airport. Had a small episode of 'The Revenge of the Spider" starring Tien-jie as the victim halfway during the journey. Hee hee.
Had lunch at a cafe in the airport. The only one cafe that is.
Didn't look appetizing to me, i went that far to dig out all the sunflower seeds off the bun
Apparently someone found it delicious waitin for our plane at Christchurch Airport Oh look at that face. How we dread plane flights!
Aik keong and I bought one book respectively on arrival at Sydney Airport for the transfer flight. He purchased "Touching the Void" while i got "Between A Rock and A Hard Place". At least we would have something to read on the plane. Somehow i figured out that long flight does make a person goes mildly insane. This was proven from aik's toying around with my soft toys in the airport, oblivious to the attention he might be getting.
Finally back in S'pore! Pretty surprised to see it pouring cats and dogs in the middle of the night which extended right into the next day. WOW! At least it did aid in the acclimatisation from the cold and dry weather to the cool and wet monsoon climate.
On a personal note, these places, and the experiences i had in them, were special to me. The senses of solitude, ownership, and place that i felt were creating a private world that, by definition, was impossible to share. Despite taking photographs and videos of the trips, the images failed. They were unsuccessful because they were removed in time and location from what i went through to be in that place at that time. To a person sitting in an office or a living room, a picture of a winter mountain sunset is just a picture. To me, it was the experience of taking the picture. For instance, after hiking for hours, trudging in the thick soft snow and then reaching the summit etc. A picture couldn't do the experience justice - no matter my photographic talents, I couldn't make the viewer feel the transcendant combination of depletion, fatigue, hypoxia, elation and accomplishment that i felt in reaching such a height at that twilit moment. Sigh... that's really a pity.
Went to school today to submit stuff to King Edward VII Hall. Frankly speaking, i've never heard of the hall and obviously i wouldn't know how to go. Thank God for the NUSSU notebook which has a map of the campus within.
The weather was super hot yesterday, a stark contrast to the weather the day before that. Wearing a thick black tee, trodding on with a backpack under the hot sun was no joke. EEEKS... perspiration. Sigh... how i wish i was back in New Zealand. Contemplating on a retirement plan over there liao *oops* Hahaha.
Finally, i've managed to send in the stuff. I was pretty disappointed that i did not rain elephants and hippos yesterday. I did specially chose a large golf umbrella for the monsoon occasion and it did not rain. Sigh... so wasted.
Night was spent meeting up with Eric and Weisheng as well as 3 other more permstaff of HCC whom i did not know. We had a ala carte buffet dinner at China Square and i have to admit the food was pretty good. Although at 35 bucks pax, the quantity and quality of the food more than makes up for the cost. And of cos last but not least,HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY ERIC!
As i was walking towards Esplanade to take a bus home, i couldn't help but notice some form of floatation/structure in the water. I do hope you guys can make it out in the pic above. I was just thinking if these structures in the water will affect the marine life in the sea/river (not that there are much to start with anyway). Hmmm...
P.S. oh btw, happy belated birthday to my dear Rebecca too =P
It rained and rained and rained yesterday. Raining elephants and hippos i supposed, as i figured out cats and dogs couldn't seem to suffice the intensity and long duration of the downpour. But i ain't complaining, in fact, i love it. At least the transition from the cool and dry climate of NZ to the hot and humid climate of S'pore seemed easy with the monsoon rain dipping temperature to that of below 25 deg celsius. And how can all of us deny the pleasure of cuddling in our quilt blanket while the wind and rain went lashing outside our windows.
Evening was spent at Billy Bombers with Weisheng (who came back from taiwan) and Adrian (who came back from Australia). Suddenly realised how long we've not seen each other. Felt like i've just left Taiwan not long ago when it has been almost close to 9 months plus. wow... time flies (indicative NOT imperative). Cool-cool.
Blogger webpage seems to load really slow these few days. Sigh... seems like i might've to load my NZ photos later then.
"We're all hypocrites. The only true act of an environmentalist would be to shoot himself in the head. Otherwise he's still contaminating the place by his mere presence." - Edward Abbey
I'm finally back in Singapore. This trip to New Zealand has been a fruitful experience which really ignited my passion to scale the heights. The ropework skills, self-arresting in alpine heights, climbing techniques etc were things i hope i will remember for the rest of my life. And certainly i do hope that this will not be the finale, but the mark of beginning for this new-found passion. For now, i will take some rest. But certainly i will try to post an entry of my adventures in New Zealand with pictures (yes... PICTURES!!) very soon. In the meantime... enjoy the rain!
Taken my last paper (Art and Philosophy) last thursday. WOOHOO! Hahahaha. Was extremely elated that the examinations were finally over and for now, i wouldn't care less of what results i would be yielding. Let me enjoy myself a bit more before bracing to face the tragic reality of my *i think i'm so going to fail* grades. Well, i supposed if i leave it all in God's hands, why should i be worried. If indeed i did not do well, then surely He wants me to learn a lesson from it.
And all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose - Romans 8:28 Thursday night was spent watching "Happy Feet" and "Open Season" at Causeway Point with Jasmin and aik keong. Well, had to say that i initially thought that "Open Season" would be a better show than "Happy Feet" as what could a bunch of penjuins excite me? Well, i was so so wrong. "Happy Feet' was a terrific show with a good plot, good music, good wadeva etc. Yeah... it is worth watching. So what are you guys waiting for??
Friday morning was spent trekking at MacRitchie Reservoir with aik keong. This trek was to allow us to accustomise and train up for the upcoming New Zealand Climbing Trip. Had the most horrendous revelation of how WEAK i am. Think i really might not make it (i mean literal sense) back to Singapore. But i think it would be cool to 'go meet Paul' in the mountain than in other unsightly places. My books anyone?? =P Aik keong can walk really fast. Goodness! Had a tough time catching up with him. I mean you have to take into account my 'chicken legs' mah, how to catch up with a veteran trekker who used to be a track n field sprinter too. =P Hee hee. well, at least for sure, someone is able to carry extra load for us. *wicked laughter* Went to Adam Rd Hawker Centre for lunch after the trek. The Nasi Lemak there was SEDAP!! Oh gosh, the long queue was worth it. You guys really ought to try it somehow.
A gigantic millipede crossing our path
Aik Keong acting cool with his shades atop Tree Top walk. =P
Met up with Bryant, Zhirong, Roy and Brendan at Orchard in the night. Had dinner at Vila'ge (former Marche) and someone performed some special feat for the night which earned himself a $20 Vila'ge voucher. Haha.
Bryant before the Grape Pressing Competition.
The WINNER is....
Bryant Teo "Kay Wee" Hahaha...
A footage of the wine-making process:
It was over to Yibin's house next for the recording of our new song for the upcoming songwriting competition. Kind of like the song very much, except that it really is pretty hard to sing, so different from the conventional pop music with the tune stuck in your head like a broken gramophone. Haha. Alright... better go for an early rest and start packing for my NZ trip.
Tomorrow is my Art and Philo paper and i seriously do not have any drive to study for it. Seems like the holiday mood came a tad too early. I mean in just 4 and a half more days i will be out of this tropical island!! That seemed too soon to be true. Yeah!
*learning to be satisfied in Christ alone*
Oh...I'm daydreaming again... argh... WAKE UP WAKE UP!!
Rule of thumb: Never drink so much water before entering the exam hall.
Never felt so unprepared for an examination despite mugging throughout the whole day yesterday. That's the problem with language paper, it really takes time to study. Kind of impossible to cramp all knowledge into the mind in one day... sigh... i shall see what's the outcome of my chinese paper then.
And at the last 15 min of the paper, i had an urgent need to go to the washroom to release pressure. Argh... i felt like a dam with a huge growing reservoir of water exerting tremendous pressure on it. Gosh... and the time taken to collect the papers were SO SLOW!! i practically FLEW to the toilet when the chief invigilator dismissed us. Shall never drink so much water before taking exams next time.
I was on the bus thinking about the social culture of Singapore, thinking about whether Singapore is a good place for children to grow up in. (don't ask me why i think this kind of thing ok? i also dunno...must be the post-exam syndrome or something) There was an Indian father and his son sitting behind me. The father was teaching his son all the road signs (for example NUH is National University Hospital). It was a pleasing sight that brings warmth to the heart. SUDDENLY, this group of guys (who obviously just finished their exams) were loud-mouthing their exam answers accompanied with lots of F's and 'bl**dy etc in front of my seat. I was just thinking... would the Indian kid behind me learn all these martians language from the group of guys in front of me? Sigh... i really do hope not. Sometimes i wonder if the singapore government can plant secret police around the island to fine those people who use vulgar languages. Like one "F-word" fine $50 something like that. First it will make us a gracious city. Second we can be assured that our next young generation will be 'forced' to use CLEAN English. Third, it reduces the environmental pollution (displeasing noise pollution). What's so great about swearing? I still do not understand... why can't they just substitute it with nicer words like 'rose' or 'pineapple' or 'you're beautiful' or something. Haha... well... i supposed even if you really want to use demeaning words (which of cos shouldn't be used in the first place), you could apply some subtlety. For example, i can call you a Philistine. But you won't be offended in the first place because 1)70% of you guys will not know what is a Philistine [WAH SO CHEEM] and 2)50% out of the 30% of you wouldn't know what's so bad to be called a Philistine and 3)only a rare few would be offended by this. [and i suspect a few more would think it is a compliment... sounds so scholarly hor?]
Alright alright...i shall go get some rest before studying for my next paper. *yawn*
This is a picture of Mt Cook. Oh gorgeous gorgeous! I really do hope the photographer didn't adobe photoshop this photograph for the special effects. Ahhh... i wonder if it will really be this nice when i climb on it next week. I'm so so so so excited...
Here I am freezing at YST Library studyin for my Chinese Paper tomorrow. Well, at least the air con here will prepare me for the unpredictable cold and windy conditions up in the mountain, if i stay here long enough that is. =P My mind has been flooded with imaginations of the climbing trip, the thrill, the excitement, just everything to do with New Zealand. Oh gosh, i cannot concentrate on my studies at all. What's exam compared to this... eh... still quite something important lah hor? Hahaha.
On my way towards the library, i saw some construction work outside YST Conservatory once more. This whole structure is really 'look nice, trouble many.' I mean yes yes there's aesthetic value (i do have to commend its pretty architecture) but no practicality at all. I think i did comment on the immense area of concrete covering the entrance of the conservatory a few posts back. Not only is it a waste of resources (cement, concrete, money etc), it generates gross significant amount of Horton's Overland Flow which causes UNNECESSARY flooding in the school compound. It seems like the drainage system of the conservatory has not been efficient thus far. Why don't they just make a garden outside or something? Some Victorian-themed garden that some gardener artists can inject a sense of Romanticsm into it. At least i think it yields more benefit in which 1)it reduces flooding incidents and 2)takes in carbon dioxide and produces oxygen via photosynthesis which aids in keeping greenhouse gases down.
The great glass panels of the conservatory takes great pains and measures to upkeep. Personally speaking, i see the whole conservatory to be like a greenhouse and i wouldn't be surprised if we have greenhouse effect here in the conservatory every afternoon. And this means greater stress for the aircon in the conservatory to keep the place cool which means more costs on electricity as well as maintenance of the air-con system. I wonder if the glass panels are windproof and shockproof. You never know when will there be a Richter Scale >9 earthquake in Indonesia that will cause such great tremors to Singapore that this whole big glass structure will just go "PIANK!!" and "CRASH!!"
Alright...i better get back to my studying or else it will be my chinese paper that goes "PIANK!!" and "CRASH!!" =P
It was a pretty enjoyable and tiring day. Had a mini informal badminton tournie with the uncles and aunties in church. Oh gosh... they were really good.
Ok... a new week has started... with a chinese paper on tuesday and a GEM paper on thursday... i really gotta get down to study for fear i will get dinosaur kosong when results come out.
Need to start training intensively for the mountain climbin course. Still thinking of how to compete for the badminton tournie on later on this afternoon with so many good players in my team down. Aiyoh... seems like aik keong and i have to take up more of the matches then... xiong!! And why am i thinking of such things when i have two papers awaiting me next week. Aiyoh... totally forgot all about exams... oops
After doing countless self-arrests which got all of us pretty shagged out, we had to continue our hike up to Mueller's hut. And gosh, the remaining part of the trail was really terrible. Hiking on snow was totally disgusting without crampons. My boots just kept sinking into the softsnow making it an extra effort to lift them up. This was accompanied by the slippery surface which we feared slipping off into the abyss down the cliff. It was way past dinner time and i realised my energy meter was running out. Every step into the thick softsnow was totally demoralising. However, the sight of the red Mueller's hut did motivated me to push on.
The night was pretty cold. It was pretty hilarious how aik and I were coming up with all sorts of plans to pee without going to the toilet hut (a distance away) for fear of sliding to our death in the middle of the night while going to the toilet. =P
We went climbing up Mt Olivier next. All of us were roped up during the climb. Oh my gosh, drop-off cliff a few inches away from my feet, snow making the trail slippery, scaling over boulders the size of elephant... oh gosh... my adrenaline did pumped so hard during then. But the scenery up there at the peak was OH SO GOOD! 
