this is where i've lived

sights!

this is part of what i've seen

cool.

day nine

today was okay in the morning
woke up late in the morning
feeling sloggy sluggish

had a lecture on anhydrobiosis
not my kind of thing
hahs

we "sneaked out to town" during lunch
COOL.
i bought a cambridge hoodie
a tee shirt
LOTS from marks and spencer
it was going really cheap
as usual,
i bought those that could not be found in singapore
hahs
i had a danish scorn for lunch
then we had to rushed back to college

afternoon we had a trip to NIAB
i think that the only thing that interest me was the very last part of the trip where the non-transgenic plants came in
it was cool to see 300 different varies of the same species planted for observation
cool

we went to tusco!
and shopped
and shopped again

something bad happened when i came back..
shan't talk about it
sobsob

i'm alright now
all thanks to steph
hahs
cool.

day eight

today was really tiring
i felt tired all day
and depressed
and weird

now you know what happened

sigh
today we had a practical transformation of GFP gene
but my mind wasn't there
i tried the hardest though
i managed to survived through it with my acute stomachaches
it's not fun when my experiment don't work out

later in the day...
i had an early bath
dinner
oh!
econs test
it didn't work out well
i had only 5 minutes for the last question that had the most weightage!
what was i thinking?!

the only consolation is
it's over

then i went to bed
the end.

day seven

i saw meteor rain!
cool.

i saw 2 really obvious and clear ones
with lots of other faint streaks
really mesmerized by it
hahs
and obviously,
i made lots of wishes!

today's breakfast the same
lecture was on cancer and genetics which was really cool
then we had this planetarium thing that made me really dizzy
constellations and stars sort of thing
wasn't my thing at all
hahs

practical was on the analysis of our GPF experiment!
2 of our agar plates actually glowed!
really cool.

next part of the practical was on plants
hahs
Dr Haikai's best at it
he made us shake our specimens together with the loud music
"let's get loud" to get the timing of 4 minutes
hahs
cool
love it here.

then after we came back
i had a game of chess with mark
seriously,
i feel that i've aged at least 10 years
and white hair jutting out
and 90% of my brain cells exhausted
hahs
but guessed what?

I WON THE CHESS GAME!
never have believed it
but it's time to start believeing!
rushed to help the guys at their pantry to fried rice
need to offer a service in order to eat the very homey fried rice they've cooked
hahs
so i washed the dishes
cool

dinner was totally hilarious
navin totally made my laughed a year's worth of laughters!
kays, i shall not elaborate how he impersonate no.13
sorry, inside joke
once again.
my biotech friends really stood up for me and themselves
we shouldn't really care about them
they're just superficial in their thinking
it was fun though
hahs
just don't do that again
i don't know if i could stop laughing the next time before i turn into madness
hahs

then we had night study sessions
and we went for star-gazing
once again
I SAW METEOR RAIN!
totally awesome
to share this experience with my group of lovely friends
though we were all freezing from the strong winds
and ended up stuck together like a bunch of penguins
we had the moment
love it.


miss mom and dad.
i'm their little girl after all.
hahs

day seven

today was rather cool
hahs
breakfast i ate this HUGE bowl of oat
and went poo poo after that
hahs
oat always works for me

then we went to the national science museum in LONDON!
gosh, the ride was about 2 hours long
i fell asleep hahs

london was the typical metropolitan city
very modernised
packed with high-rise buildings
and the state-of-the-art technology

i did not fall in love with it as i did for cambridge
obviously.
it's just not for me

the museum was totally HUMONGOUS!
my tutor went there for three times and she told me she was far from being half done
you can SERIOUSLY get lost easily
the coolest thing i remembered was
the silver microscope from the 18th century
the thomas edison lightbulb
the alexander flemming's first ever penicilin mold
the first ever analytical machine (calculator)
"queen elizabeth" ship
it's just too many
too overwhelming
too awesome.

i fell in love with the museum after all
cool
grabbed 2 triple chocolate chips for lunch
and a banana
hahs
good for digestion
cool

then steph mark and me rushed to see the museum for the remaining time of our lunch break
it was a FRANTIC rush
we went to the history of mathematics and computing section
as mentioned above
cool

then we head for the imax movie
it's in 3-D!
then we get to wear the really cool spectacles
hahs
the movie is about life in a space station and how they manage to build it
it was really interesting at first
but as the movie progresses....
erm...
let's just say it's not for me hahs
oh, bythe way
had a great time chatting with my "evil stepsister" about evolution
hahs

then it's back for dinner!
i had salmon this time
the guys actually missed home and cooked curry with rice!
ahh...
so sweet.

then we had an evening lecture on admissions to oxbridge
all i could say is
stressed.
i WILL strive.
even if i didn't get in after all,
AT LEAST I'VE TRIED AND GAVE MY BEST SHOT

no regrets.

then at night jie en totally wrech havoc in my room!
stinko!
yieks.
hahs
what's so funny!
hahs

oops, inside joke.
hahs
cool, that's all for today!

day six

today was totally awesome!
this morning we went to stratford after breakfast
the bus ride was a grueling 2 hour journey
but the scenery along the way was simply BREATHTAKING
i felt released
i felt relieved
i felt that, at a single moment, i would wished to have the opportunity to stay here.
together with the clear skies
the vast wheat fields
the horses and cows
the windmills
the clear blue rivers
the historical bridges
the cute cottages where we could only see them in movies
the beautiful flowers
how i wished for my parents to see these sights
to see what the other people round half the world was seeing and living in
and i have wished for all of my relatives and friends to share my sight
no words could be said when i saw these, it was simply amazing.

then i thought that nothing really mattered anymore
nothing except my family
because that is the only constant in my life
nothing would stop a poor man,
a wealthy man,
people of the upper classes,
of the lower classes,
people with different status,
with different academic abilities,
different looks
from all these sights.

everyone should be given a chance to see this
and that is why we must treasure our lives and constants
because we would never know when we would be brought to a beautiful breath-taking sight
that makes one mature and grow
that makes one think
that makes one wonder about the wonders of the world
and to make one have a clearer picture of their lives.
one would never know

for me, i never one to know in advance
because when it comes,
it would be meant as a surprise.
cool

then we arrived at stratford,
Shakespeare's birthplace
i am not a big fan of shakespeare
in my eyes, he's just a very talented and great man
it's a pity he has no living descendents

then we went to have fish and chips! hahs.
it was okay
too oily for my taste
the beans were...
erm...i would say it's a personal preference
hahs
cool

then we went to the cadbury factory!
it was the largest cadbury store in the world!
we saw the stages of production of chocolate
and got some free chocolates!
then we were in a rush for time
so it was a mad rush at the cadbury chocolate store at the end of the trail
so i just took a bucket and grabbed any chocolate i saw that was
1. a good bargain
2. cute
3. not found in singapore
hahs
i looked so much like a typical auntie in a market grabbing chunks of meat
hahs
oops.

then we came back just in time for dinner
maybe i'm too full
because of the fish and chips
that's why
i ate only a little
after dinner
i had games with the group of friends
the attempt with the volleyball was hilarious when everyone was struggling to toss the ball into the air
it was followed by the game of table tennis that makes me ended up laughing with a serious stomachache
we were laughing all over the place
hahs
cool.
it's really fun

right, tomorrow will be back to serious work
night studying sessions will be back in action
it'll be fun
cool.

day five

today was really fun
the breakfast was the same as yesterday
so i shall not dwell on it
hahs

in the morning we had a lecture on evolution
cool
i can't believe that there are still people out there who did not believe in evolution
i mean no offense
this is due to the vast difference between intelligent design (creationism) and the theory of evolution.
i find this really interesting
i mean
it doesn't really matter
because it is a fact that evolution is happening
it is being supported by historical and scientific evidence
it doesn't really matter if we believe in it or not, it IS happening.
when i say i believe in evolution, it doesn't mean that i do not believe in creationism
it is because my perception of creationism is different from what it is being defined.
evolution forms the basis of science today
creationism forms the basis of religion
thus, BOTH are as important.
that's my stand

then we went to the zoological museum
cool!
i exhausted my whole camera memory card in the museum!
can you believe it?
well, it's a fact!
hahs
there were lots of artifacts are models of millions of species in there!
i could spend weeks exploring and it may turn out that time is still too short!
cool
i love that place
i saw the skeleton of an elephant, polar bear, giraffe and lots more!
cool!
and i saw this really special creature called the "spidercrab"!
cool

i headed for the co-op to grab my lunch
i ate tuna salad!
yummmm..
hahs

then in the afternoon, we had a lecture on genetics and we were able to extract our own DNA!
we have to gargle salt water, spit it into detergent then add in some ethanol
easy as wind!
and we could store our DNA into a vault
and make it into a cute necklace
hahs
i have it safely in my luggage right now
cool
the lecturer said to give it to your parents and exclaim
"hey! half of it belongs to you!"
cool

then we had national day celebration
all i can say is that i love the chicken given to me in the buffet
it was HEAVENLY!
and i really MEAN IT!
hahs.

then we went back and an awful thing happened
again, i shall not dwell into it

that's all for the day
nights!

day four

yay! today i phoned my parents and heard their voices.
it's soooo much better than msn
especially when me and my parents are not too good at computers
hahs

breakfast was alright
except that it was awkward sitting with people who stare at us in a wierd manner
i shall not elaborate
after all, i'm in a foreign land
oh! not to mention
the oat in the morning was yummy!
today i drank chocomilk.
oh did i mention? yesterday was cafe latte

then we had our lecture as usual
today was quite interesting
it was on pharmaceutical chemistry
i didn't know it had such close relations with biology till today
great! that is one thing that makes me NOT hate chemistry
hahs
cool
then we had tutorial as usual
i drank coffee this time, with biscuits!
the discussion about clinical trials and ethical issues is interesting.
we had our discussion for our research project
it REALLY makes us think A LOT
and i really mean A LOT
mark almost went crazy
not to mention i AM crazy by that time
my head almost exploded
seriously.
cool

my lunch was a packet of vege chips
i'm too lazy to head out to co-op
then we head down to Angelia Ruskins University
for lab work
today we had the chance to deal with the GFP gene!
the gene that was always mentioned in our notes
we get to perform an experiment using it!
cool
love it.

it was followed by a lecture on other methods of analyzing DNA
i learnt a new method called probing
hahs
cool

since we have time left, we head for a supermarket
i thought we were heading out to another supermarket in the day
so i didn't really buy anything
awww...should have bought something for my mom and dad
the cookies here are really nice
i saw Hagen Darz ice-cream going out for less than 4pounds only!
gosh!
if i could bring them home in boxes
hahs

then we head back for a game of volleyball in the evening
guess what?
before we get to play with it,
it fell into the river
then we made a human chain with ziyang at the end to reach out for it with the volleyball net
cool.

then we had a game of volleyball!
ms lim and ms neo could ACTUALLY play!
my arms almost snapped into half
i dodged the moment i see it coming to me
hahs

then it's dinner!
i had pork with some mustard sauce, two spoonfuls of salad, a banana and cafe mocha
hahs
yum yum..

we had no evening lecture today
so we have to report to stanley library opposite the old hall for self-directed tutorial sessions
ms neo and ms lim really make good personal tutors
ms lim saved me from the "irony" passage and ms neo saved me for integration
cool.

then we bathed!
it was a really nice bath...hahs
and what next?
i'm typing this now!

i love this kind of schooling and lifestyle
it really suits me a lot
even in an enclosed hall,
i felt free as my mind roams to different issues around the world
i'm given complete freedom of expression
though it naturally comes with responsibility
but i'm really given the intellectual freedom
as if i really am a scientist
i do have a voice and expression
without conforming to any syllabus
we're allowed to discuss anything under the sun
even if it does not relates to the topic we're doing
is this the reality of colleges here?
or is it just summer school?
it's so professional
it's so enriching
it's so engaging
it's so fun
that makes you fall in love with what you are studying
i've never felt that way before.
cool.

day three

today was great
for breakfast, it was same breakfast
had sausage, bacon, hash brown and egg
with a cafe latte.
great start for a great day!

then we head for lecture
lecture was given by Dr Hickal
if i have spelled it correctly
hahs
he's a really fun and happy guy.
lecture was interesting
it was about plant virology
methods of prevention
vectors of infection....
lots
hahs, innnteresting (:

then we had tutorial
but before we had tutorial
all of us including our tutor, Dr Dawn
we made tea/coffee in the kitchen for ourselves!
then we had butter and chocolate cookies to go for it
hahs
after that, tutorial started and we were split into 2 groups
i was in the "teacups"
hahs
tutorial was totally awesome!
we had this quiz and it was really fast and grapping
Dr Dawn probing us and bombard us with questions and pushing us further into the topic
she never once provided the answer before we had given our answer
after we answered, she would then elaborate and reinforce the point
i love the way she stimulate a story of us being biologists solving a problem dealing with viruses and crop yield
we then further discussed on the issues of today
GM food and it's ethics
we were being asked for our own opinions and the pros and cons of GM
she then gave us her own opinion and the reality behind scientific research as she IS afterall, a SCIENTIST.
cool.

then we head back for our second part of the lecture
wrapping up everything and sharing ideas from our tutorial
kudos to sarajane!
hahs.

lunch i ate instant noodles
because i crave for some asian food
hahs
cool

then we headed down to the Angelia University for lab sessions
we did gel electrophoresis and DNA extraction while waiting
cool.
had lots of fun taking lots of pics during that time
with ms lim!

then we head back for photo-taking!
that was when something really unpleasant happened
i shall not dwell on it

then steph, mark and me went round the college to camwhore!
the architecture here is simply amazing
i'm in love with this place and the environment

then we had dinner!
i chose fish and prawns with a bowl of bean soup that smelled like "kiam chai"
cool.

after that we had an evening lecture on king leur
gosh.
you should know what could have happened to me
puzzzzzled.

hahs

went to bathe and
I PROUDLY ANNOUNCE
I HAND WASHED MY CLOTHES ALL BY MYSELF!
mommy daddy, both of you should be REALLY PROUD of me!
hahs
that's all for today

cool!

day two

morning i had english breakfast
i took bacon, sausage, hashbrown, egg and milk as usual
it was good :)

then we had our introductory lecture on genetics and the origin of species and evolution.
it was very interesting
it was done by Prof Mike Majesrus
if i'm not wrong
i think that he is very passionate towards what he is doing
but i think he is overly emotional
it was a good lecture anyways

then we had lectures on scientists who attended cambridge
i voted for a woman whom i forgot her name
hahs, i just remembered she was great.
we then broke into our tutorial groups and we have a wonderful woman as our tutor
we were given a research topic of "survival of science"

for lunch, i headed out to a supermarket "co-operative" to get pasta
it's tomato and mature cheddar cheese pasta
it costs me 1.6pounds!
oh dear.

next, we headed out to cambridge town again
this time we went punting down river cam!
it was such a memorable and wonderful experience!
i heard that it was a popular activity for students here at cambridge
usually, they would pun down to granchester to have great cream tea and scorns
i gave my shot in punting too!
hey, i'm not too bad
along the way, i had a little chat with the guide for our boat about cambridge and the colleges here

this time i bought a map of cambridge for 50pence
i chatted with my tutor as we walked through the streets again about cambridge
everything IS about cambridge
hahs
i'll make sure i strive
this trip really sets my head straight
i won't give up
not anymore

later in the day we had games, frisbee!
it was totally awesome
we played amongst our school only
naveen made me laugh SO much during his hassle with ___
HAHS!
cracked me up

i was the goal keeper
i catched the frisbee quite a no. of times
yay, totally enjoyed it

for dinner, i chose turkey steak
it was a BIG MISTAKE
i can't make it to half the steak
SO SORRY
you're too horrible!
but the eclair was totally awesome!
had milk AS USUAL

then we have a lecture on the history of cambridge and the colleges and traditions
it's very informative
then we head back to our dorms

i bathed in an OKAY cold shower
it's not that cold
but steph said it was freezing to the extent that she jumped out once she turns on the shower.
erm. maybe i'm immune to cold water.
then this is the worst part
i had 2 rounds of dirrhoea after my bath
my stomach was really hurting a lot
gosh.

took half a bottle of po chai pills
i'm feeling better now
don't worry mom and dad

need to be back to my homework
bb.

day one

today was totally awesome
i can't believe i survived the 13hr flight to London
airplane food was (silence) alright
i slept for 4 hours only
then we arrived at heathrow airport
when i was about to get a bottle of water
i saw "1.5pounds"

what?
i walked out of the airport and felt chilly wind against my cheeks
it was nothing like the artificial "air-con" in singapore
trust me
it was so natural
so natural as if it was something that resides in this place a quarter the time here
and it is indeed true

then we were on a long bus ride to cambridge
this was when i promised myself that i would definitely be back later in my life
i saw vast green plains clear blue skies horses feeding on grasses
cottage-like houses
golden leaves decorating the floor
fields fields and fields
i even wondered if this was all a dream
that i was brought to this beautiful town
i could look miles and miles and feel as if there was no such word such as "industrialization" or "modernisation"
it was definitely a breath of fresh air

i could live here
if i'm not who i am now
hahs

then we arrived at girton college
when i arrived, first impression was made
it was not as majestic and impressive as king's or trinity
but as you get to know this place better
i found that it's a very warm and home-like place
friendly. is what it should be named
if you really take a step back and enjoy your walk down the corridor or just simply look out the window i'm sure one would fall in love with this castle

i got to my room
there was no heater
and for once i thought i would be frozen by the next morning
hahs
nonetheless
it had a nice view
and a personal space

later on in the day i was brought to town
i felt like i was brought back to the olden times
i was in love with the preservation of the infrastructure right from thousands of years ago while modernizing at the same time
it was as if
they were too in love with this beautiful town that they would do anything to protect it's original look it was like a precious treasure to the people in this town and this is their way of showing love
to protect it from being lost forever
this was my impression of it

there were countless of castles (colleges) with rich historical background
great infrastucture beautified the place
we took lots of pictures
when we were hungry we stopped by this supermarket and grabbed a salad for 1.49pounds

what?
but it was delicious
healthy but delicious

then we went exploring the place ourselves and had lots of fun
we saw the unique telephone booth and mailbox of the sixties colleges special shops such as the joke shop bakeries cafe and the market place

secret: i bought postcards
from the post office of course
mommy daddy
it's a surprise

we then headed back to girton
we're supposed to have games but rain deterred us
so

dinner
it was suuuumptuous
can't believe i drank a small tub of milk
the cake was
diminishing returns
headed to bathe and slept
rather early
at 10.30pm

can't believe i was in such deep sleep that i could not remember accompanying stephanie to the toilet later in the night
hahs

great day
miss mom and dad

counting down...

2 more days!
can't help looking totally forward to it!

totally awesome!
hahs!
argh!
time is passing so slowly!

can't wait!
hahs (:

off i fly!

3 more days before i embark on my journey to london!
wootz!
THIS IS UBER EXCITING!

i'll be on a reach cambridge programme with my schoolmates.
i'll be attending a 2 week summer camp at cambridge university!
the best part is...
the course i've signed up is biotechnology!

wootz!

i can't wait!

i'll have to catch up on my school work though
because school's as usual over here
it's summer all year round
hahs!

3 more days!