Resurrection

Think I may start blogging on the travel blog again. Totally forgotten about it but will try to record my travels in that blog since its the only without any classified information. LOL

Feelings after a PainT

The feeling in the house today had been pretty wierd. This was all the more puzzling as we had just finished painting the 2 rooms and the rearranged the furniture in my room (at least partially), which to me is quite a major achievement and thus many cause to celebrate. But strangely enough, my dad decided to go into one of his mood swings again and thus there was an awkward silence the entire morning as i was still irritated over his uncalled for outburst.

This pretty much reflect my feelings right now. It pained me when I realised that i had to put someone i liked and cared so much through such an unpleasant situation and no matter what I do or say, I will not be able to share in completely the responsibility or shitty feelings that she is going through right now because it is still she who has to say the things and do the dirty job whereas all I can do is to only double or even triple my efforts to be nice to her to make up for the bad things i have to make her do. Its like all those crappy empathy stuff that we learnt last time where u can say how much u understand or know but when asked directly, it is only words that are difficult to translate into actions. Its divine retribution as I had jokingly say before but in all seriousness, is it fair for someone else to bear my debt when i m supposed to be the one getting the retribution? Does this happen to all those whom i had criticised so harshly before or is it only just me? Would this have not happen if I had been more accomodating and understanding of others' situation in the past? No words was able to describe the guilt and apolegetic feelings that was welling inside me when I saw your tears last night. All i can say now is that I m relly sorry to have made u cry and i promise that you will never be made to cry again with me by your side...

People may say that he's mad but its usually the mad ones who come up with great things

Was still a bit sore from yesterday's wimpy defeat. Bremen had indeed been performing below par this season and this was another typical example. NO shots on goals, lack of possession and pussy defending in a match which would have surely been hailed successful if they managed to win the cup. Memories of Middlesborough double cup finals defeat returned to haunt me but thankfully, survival had already been secured in this season's tumultous affair...

Woke up around 5am to catch the first train to Fussen. Once again, I had difficulty waking myself up but I was constantly reminded that I had objectives to make today and that I will definitely have 2 hours of guaranteed sleep on the train later.

The train was surprisingly crowded at such an early hour. Okay, it wasn't jam packed but I had to walk all the way to the end of the train before being able to find a 2-seater that is free. It was quite a scary journey too because it seemed that the train was full of drunk "punk". Okay maybe they weren't punks but their dress code meant that i had to be careful not to step on their toes. It was Ascension Day, i.e public holiday in Germany and I guessed that accounted for the overnight binge. I was forced to settle down in my seats as there was no more space to advance and I immediately proceeded to close my eyes and pretend to sleep.

Haha anyway enough ramblings about the journey itself. Managed to reach Fussen pretty early and embarked on my tour of Schloss Hohenschwangau and Schloss Neuschwanstein relatively tourist free. This was especially so for the former and i was actually able to absorb in all the stories that the guide told me. It was opulent living at its finest, imagine staying in a castle compound and looking out at the Alps everyday through ur window. The Alpsee and Schwansee were absolutely gorgeous and I was told that it was even more beautiful when the lakes were frozen up during winter. Ah how i yearn to live as a prince with my beautiful consort...

And maybe I was again a bit spoilt by the first tour that the Neuschwanstein turned out to be a bit more disappointing. (For the record, both castles have to be visited by tour only. I guess there must be stories of tourists getting lost and this is the only way to avoid having too many missing people reports. Can one imagine if P Tekong is open up to allowing people to wonder around as they wish...) But despite the relatively letdown in the tour, it was then made up by the castle itself. It was actually an unfinished castle by King Ludwig II. He had wanted it to be a tribute to Richard Wagner (famous poet of that time, like Shakespeare) with each and every rooms reflecting his plays but was unfortunately branded as mad and eventually "forced" into retirement by unknown forces. The white exterior of the castle gave it a dreamy appearance and set into the snowy background of the Alps, it was fairy book stuff. The view from the nearby Marienbrucke is one that must not be missed by any honeymooning couple and together with the sound of the waterfalls in the background, one can easily be transported into Wonderland if not for the noisy hordes of tourists swarming the place.

I had only previously visited the Grand Palace in Madrid and was thus not used to the splendour of the European castles. Was totally taken in by the scenes that were painted in each of the rooms. It was just like the Vatican, only that instead of biblical stories, we have heroes and heroines. It had made me wanted to find out more about this poet but it was also because of my lack of knowledge that i wasn't able to appreciate the art more. Even the servants's quarters reel of class as I made my way through the various levels. Speaks a lot when I actually get the urge to stop travelling, save up on my liquid assets and aim to carve out such a decor in my house in the distant future :p

Took me all the way till noon as I continue to marvel at the 2 castles and their stunning backdrop. The 2 lakes were buzzing with activity but their vast size meant that the activities barely caused a ripple and it was still calmingly beautiful. Sitting on a rocks and gazing out into the horizon, one can simply let go and relax. It was so similar yet so different to the feeling that I got when I was sitting on the ledge in Santorini, gazing out into the vast Aegean Sea.

Schloss Neuschwanstein was one of the main reasons why I had wanted to come back and there was much doubts as to whether the touristy nature of the place would lead to another disappointment. I m glad I did come here as it truly lives up to its billing...

Lazy Saturday in Paris

Didn't really want to wake up that early, given that I had only went to bed close to 4am after walking all the way from the Effiel back to my hotel the previous night. What a waste of a superbly comfortable hotel if i were to only sleep for 2 hours. Luckily there was no complimentary breakfast or I would have to be forced to wake up to eat it.

Went to FNAC bookshop at around 10 am. Did some hunting around the day before and realised that it was actually quite an arduous task to try to get all the books that I wanted in the collection. This was my last attempt as it was supposed to be the largest bookshop in Paris, i panned all my hope on it. Simple task it was but true to my style, I hollanded immediately coming out from the metro station. All the streets looked the same and i was only told a general direction by the hotel staff so there i go trying to murk around. Saw this artistically challenged building which i had assumed to be the shopping centre, only to realise that why in the heck there was still a long queue forming outside at the entrance at 10am??? In the end, i found out that it was actually an art museum with an attached hall and everyone was queuing up for tickets. Anyway took me another good half an hour before i managed to find the correct place but luckily all the book were available. Set me back by another 42 Euros though...

The afternoon was simple. All the hype about the French Open made me quite curious to check out the legendary arena and so I took the remaining time to go to the Stade Roland Garros to see what it was all about. It was unfortunate that the tourney was being held at the same time and thus I was unable to enter the stadium grounds to take a look inside. Getting a ticket wasn't that expensive as it was the day before the official opening but i still can't bear to part with my 19 Euros. (Quite ironical given that i had already spent 42 Euros on books, 45 Euros on Bremen match and so much more on transport and food...) Haha maybe it's just that i wasn't a hardcore tennis fan :p Anyway the grounds was still quite large from the outside and took me close to 45 minutes to walk its perimeter alone. Also went to the nearby Parc de Princes to see. I did like PSG for a short while last time but its colours were just too yucky (double sin i would say since i would expect a more fashionable jersey and badge from the team of the capital) to sustain me. Its stadium was surprisingly white but otherwise nothing too impressive. Not excactly tall too and the shop was pheewww the most expensive among all the stadium shops that i had seen so far.

Concluded the day with my last European meal. Finally get to have my French onion soup as an appetiser accompanied by roast duck as main course, taken in a cosy bar which was showing the German Bundesliga. (Funny but don't ask me why. It just happen) Saw the end of the title race and an utter demolition of my Werder Bremen by the league champions but the league was over for me 3 days ago. ( I still can't believe that in the one single year that i get to go Germany over the past 10 years, my favourite team had decided to put on its worst ever showing since 2000. Haiz, how cruel fate decides to play its game...) But it somehow just sums up life that you cannot get what you want all the time but just have to hope that you get the good things most of the times and be contented with them. Took the night flight out of Paris that night, broke but contented =)

Nightlights in the City of Lights

Went back to the hotel to slack for a while since I had already paid for it. Was close to 8 but the sky was still bright. The plan tonight was to make sure that i captured in all the bright lights of Paris to compensate for what i had failed to do so previously.

Winded my way through the streets of Paris close to 9pm but bloody hell, it was stil as bright as our 5pm. Was already at the Champ Elysees at 930 and I still see no artificial lights. Decided to continue my crazy indulgent way and decided to check myself into a cafe 100 m away from the Arc d'Triomphe. It was another round of ppl watching as i sat by the terrace cafe, slowing chewing away at my roasted chicken accompanied by another bottle of coke yet again. Figured out that that was the best way to get my money worth, compared to only one glass of wine for only slightly lower price. had a conversation with the waiter who kept drumming into me that "c'est Paris" and I should not let the night go ALONE :p Anyway i already had a plan in mind and thus i kindly rejected his offer of giving me some of the city's hippest clubbing place.

It was way past 10 pm when the lights were finally up and what a stunning sight it was. I totally absorbed the pictures along the Champs, the Arc, Louvre and especially the Eiffel. I must make special mention of the Eiffel. if anyone is bring their girlfriends along to Paris, do try out the following. Bring them for some shopping at the Champs (which remained open till 11 pm, it being a weekend) followed by a slow walk to the Arc. Pretend to take some pictures before embarking on the biggie. take the path that is perpendicular to the left arm of the Arc and strolled towards the Eiffel. The tower will be completely out of sight which makes the subsequent sight even more wondrous to behold. Give yourself about 30 minutes and continue walking straight. Do not stray into any of the side roads, no matter how tempting they may look and voila at the end of the street, one will be treated to a magnificent view of the Eiffel, even more splendid than if u were to see it from near. Proceed to do some bo liao stuff before seizing on the magical moment at the stroke of the hour to see an even more awesome picture (hence the 30 minutes which i had said earlier to make sure that you will have ample time but not too excessive ^_^)

Had a walk down the Seine thereafter. I had been dreaming the entire day of an exotic encounter by the Seine (my BIG plan :p) but i guessed it was too late. Saw totally nothing at all but nevertheless still managed to get in some more pretty night scenes of the Louvre, as well as, the Opera House. Not too disappointed about the day's work though as i head back for the comfort of my bubble bath

If Only Inflation Has a Name

Arrived at Paris Gare d'Est at 0940 hrs, full of excitement of revisiting this city once again (I was sincerely hoping that this visit will change my impression of this supposedly charming city as I was pretty disappointed the last time round as I have been telling everybody on how lousy the place turned out :p) Took the overnight train and whew, it was really terrible. I can now finally conclude that if possible, avoid taking the sleeper trains unless you are willing to pay for the sleeper trains are actually worse than the normal trains. At least i get a full comfortable 2 seaters, rather than having to squeeze with 3 other people in a 6-seater cabin... In addition, even if one is willing to pay 30 euros more for a bed, its still a 6-bedder with an extremely low roof :(

Anyway, enough for the negative stuff. I had pretty much prep myself for the worse train ride ever for there was always the luxurious hotel awaiting for me at Paris :) Checked myself into the Banke Hotel and was extremely surprised that it actually had 5 stars on its name plate. I had planned only to give myself a 4-star treat so voila, c'est tres bien! Willl be posting up the pictures on Facebook soon but the room was not bad. A bit small and without a reading table but the comfy bed, bathtub and flat screen TV more than made up for it. Hee hee...

I was most determined to chill out in the city, given that this is a repeat visit and I did cover most of the sights in the city before already. Thus, i began my day chilling out at a cafe right by the Louvre. Given that i was previously tricked by the menus before, i did pay special attention to the menu again but ^*#*)& I kena conned again when this guy pointed to the menu and told me 12, 50 euros when it was glaringly telling of 15,80 euros. Nevertheless, given that i was in the chill mood, decided to be willingly taken in and sat down. (The additional 3 euros was for the pancake dessert i was told which i feel was totally not worth it. Bland and boring...) But i must say that apart from the dessert, the fish and the white wine that came along was good and that did cool my temper a bit.

Walked past the Louvre and was in a dilemma as to whether I wanted to enter it. Already had my dose of art in the Alte Pinathotek in Munich and thus wasn't that enthusiastic about it already compared to the time when i had initially planned for the trip. Decided to give it a miss and instead walked down the Seine to Notre Dame, humming Fish Leong's tune and doing some ppl watching at the same time. Pretty amazed by how the French has this inherent ability to pick up girls, regardless of their age. There was this old uncle who was cycling along the bridge when he saw this obviously deep in thought Japanese girl and the first thing he did was to stop his bike and started chatting up with her. I was impressed sia.. Anyway had this small brush with a Korean girl who bumped into me. Saw her again somewhere down the bank where she looked a bit lost and was looking at the roadside map for directions but the shy me did not dare offer help She's quite cute i must admit and I was tellng myself that if i did saw her again, sure must go up and talk to her. And guess what? No i didn't get to see her again so alas, so much for a romance in Paris.

Went over to the Bastille after visiting Notre Dame and had a bottle of Coke that cost 5 euros!!! Yes the price is really jaw dropping but well the idea of sitting by the terrace and watching the world go by was just too tempting an offer to pass up. Anyway just for the record and to do some justice to my entry title, that is not exactly very expensive in French terms because apparently inflation has caught up in the 3 years that I had not visited the place. The average price of a bottle of coke at restaurant is indeed 5 euros and if i were to do the same thing at the Champs Elysses, it would cost me 7 Euros!!! Even a bottle of Coke at the Supermarket cost me 1,50 Euros so that's the Paris 2009 for you. Being one that had been spoilt on 1 euro Coke at McDonald Germany, one can imagine my disappointment when the cheapest McCoke cost 1,30 euros. Anyway, back to the point, sitting by the terrace at the Bastille was a most relaxing experience. There were power-suit executives with their handphone rushing on to another appointment, chic looking office ladies who just did their shopping, lost tourists fidgeting with their maps, college girls giggling and gossiping and couples holding hands and doing their usual spontaneous PDA out of the blue. This was Paris as it should be and i was bent on savouring every (expensive) moment of it :)

A Day in the Office

Had wanted to blog yesterday but the connection was too unstable. Tried to load blogger right after lunch but was still loading even AFTER I CAME BACK FROM DINNER!!!!!! The people have started their training and loud thundering noises can be heard every day.

Was at the cookhouse yesterday when the first drops of snow fell. I was told that there was already some in the morning by the airport party which i had missed. It was so surreal yet beautiful. Ran back to my bunk to get the camera to film all of it down.

Snow continued to come in spurts throughout the whole of yesterday. Its a bit like rain but yet so different. Everyone was indulging in that bit of snow, irregardless of rank, especially when we saw WR and MB joining in the fun also.

Today was even more beautiful as I finally get to see what is real snow. There was totally no warning except that I was wondering to myself that it was quite dark and gloomy when I woke up. By the time I finished washing up and changed into my uniform, voila, snowflakes were floating gently to the ground outside my window. The snow was picking up in intensity and soon the trees and ground were covered with snow. Had real fun taking photos, esp at the back of my office where the snow-covered tree blend seamlessly with the red-bricked buildings. There was even enough snow to have a mini snowball fight! ^_^ Imagine training in the snow. Its such a cool new experience...