The Run

Met Yujin, Wanling, Terence and Jerome at sport hall. They just came back from Switzerland and were manning the S'pore Society booth at the CCA exhibition. Yusen suggested going for a run and Yujin was quick to agree to it. It's really really a long time since I last ran and I dunno whether I'll be able to keep up with their pace (Yujin seems to be rather fit though he claims that he haven't run for a long time).

We met Yujin, Wanling and Jerome somewhere near castle leazes for the run. Zhen Siong did not join us because he was busy fixing his computer which had 'kana' virus. Anyway, the weather was real good for a run with occasional cool breeze blowing towards us. A good thing about running in England is that you dun really sweat while you are running.

We ran to town moor. Yujin was really 'siao on', started singing army songs and shouting 'left right left right left'. He also made us 'chiong' up the knoll, which reminded me alot of those army days in 4SIR. It was really tiring as we have to run up the knoll with the wind blowing at us. All of us were almost half dead when we reached the top of the knoll.

The view from the top was brillant. The bright blue sky above us and the big green field just under our foot. After looking at God's marvelous creations, I really cannot imagine how beautiful heaven will be.

The Grass Is Not Always Greener on the Other Side

It is the week of registration in the university and we have to attend quite a number of induction lectures regarding the use of the library, lab safety, IchemE talk, blar blar blar... We also need to register for our modules which we faced tremendous problems. One of the module, biotechnology, which I'm supposed to take is now offered in sem 2. They just decided to change it to sem 2 recently and until now they haven't updated the module website, which states it's offered in sem 1 (now you can imagine how efficient is their adminstration). Eventually, we spoke to the lecturer who allows us to do a self study on the module and she will set a final paper just for me and Yusen. There were also lots of timetable clashes but Ming managed to sort it out for us (thank God). Now, we are taking modules from year 2 to year 4.

We had been in England for almost a week and the conversion of pounds to sing dollars really hits us hard. The cheapest lunch you can is to grab a sandwhich in Greggs which costs ard 1.75 pds, which is equivalent to 5.25 sing dollars (amazing izzit??). We got sick of eating costly sandwiches which is not really that spectacular. So, we decided to get our own bread, ham and cheese to make our own sandwiches for lunch. In fact, it is very common for foreign students to pack their own lunch.

Washing clothes in England is also very expensive. Unlike in Raffles Hall, we can use the washing machines as and when we want because they are free. Over here, using the washing machine each time costs 1.60 pds while the dryer costs 20p. It's really really expensive to wash clothes here so we decided to wash once every week (no more than that). We also came up with our own way to dry our clothes without the dryer, i.e to hang them in front of the heater.

The English people are generally very friendly but they tend to drink alot and go clubbing almost every night. So, it's very common to see a drunkard struggling to walk in a straight line along the streets at 1, 2 am. However, the thing that amazes me is that they are still able to wake up early the next morning to go to work or school and not suffer from hang-overs.

The Flea Market & Baltic Museum

Finally, it's sunday, the last day of the week! The seniors brought us to the flea market at the quayside. There are alot of make-shift stores but not much of a crowd at the market. The stuffs sold are mostly daily essentials and clothes, not much of souveirs. We walked around the flea market. There's nothing really special about the market, just like another 'pasa malam' in S'pore. The only difference is that the market is in the day.

Flea Market

Later in the afternoon, we went to Baltic Museum which is just at the opposite side of River Tyne. The catch about this museum is that it's FREE (what a relief!). We have been spending alot of money on food and travelling, gotta cut down on my spendings. Anyway, I'm not really a person into art, so I can't appreciate the drawings and scupltures in the museum. Saw a scuplture of a rat and a cockroach, dun really know what they are trying to depict. Just wanna take some pics of the art pieces but got stopped by the security guard who insists that no photography is allowed (what a pity! anyway photography is also a form of art mah). We went to the top of the building where we are able to enjoy the scenic view of the city of Newcastle and also the famous Gateshead Millennium Bridge.

A Day Trip in Durham

Today is first saturday since I reached Newcastle and we planned to go to Durham. Durham is just a 15 min train ride down from Newcastle and it's a small town, suitable for a day trip. The place was also made famous after it was used as one of the site for the movie, Harry Potter (though I'm still not very sure which is the part).

We bought the tickets at the central station and it costs 4.80 pds for a day pass (wouldn't consider it to be too expensive). Well, in England, you dun really need to get a ticket to board the train unlike in Singapore. However, there will be random spot checks by the conductors and if you are 'suay' enough to get caught without a ticket, you will be liable for a fine of 20 pds or more. So it's up to you whether you want to take the risk anot.

We reached Durham in the late morning. The place is awesome. From the elevated ground, we are able to capture the overview of the whole town. The Durham Cathedral stands high and prominent admist the rest of the buildings. It really looks very grand from far, can't imagine how beautiful it will be when it's just standing right in front of me!

Durham Cathedral

Durham is small, posh and exquisite. We walked along the traditional english, cobbled street to reach the town centre. The street is rather narrow with rows of shop houses by the side. You can also see people busking by the road side. In fact, it is a common sight in England. After a 15min walk, we reached the outskirt of the Cathedral. The view was magnificent. There is an open patch of field outside the Cathedral and Durham Castle is just opposite the Cathedral. Durham Castle was the prince bishops' home until 1837, when it became the first college of the new university. It remains a university hall. We din go in to the castle due to the limited time and therefore have to choose between the castle or cathedral. In the end, we chose to go into the Durham Cathedral.

Durham Cathedral is considered to be Britain's most magnificent Romanesque struture. It is vast and has a pretty fortified look because although it may have been built to pay tribute to God and to house the holy bones of St Cuthbert, it also needed to withstand attacks by the Scots and Northumberland tribes on the Normans.

The interior is spectacular. Durham was the first European cathedral to be roofed with stone-ribbed vaulting, which upheld the heavy stone roof and made it possible to build pointed transverse arches, the first in Britain and a great architectural achievement. It's a pity that we are not allowed to take pictures in the holy ground.

We paid 1.40 pds to enter the tower leading to the top of the cathedral. It is a long way up with a total of 325 steps and it gets kinda dizzy when we walked up the spiral staircase. Nonetheless, it's worth it as the view from the top was simply breathtaking.

A Day of Sweat

Went shopping in Eldon Square, a rather big shopping mall in Newcastle. At first it was supposed to be mere window shopping but we came across Sport World, that is having storewide sale. Some of the sport equipments are really really cheap, e.g. a pair of soccer boots costs only 11 pounds. We got stuck in the shop for a long while. Nicky, Yusen and Zhen Siong were busy choosing their boots. In the end, all of them picked the grey 'total 90' boots. When I asked them why they chose the same boots, they claim that the boots are different cos they have different sole design (err...lost for words).

Later in the afternoon, Regent brought us to a Chinese supermarket where we can get some chinese stuffs like oyster sauce and rice. Yes.. rice, you dun get to see rice being sold everywhere in Newcastle. Actually, the ang mohs do eat rice except that they do not know how to cook rice cos they haven't see a rice cooker. All they have is those rice that is frozen and all they need to do is to put it in the microwaves. Anyway, we bought a 10kg sack of rice which costs ard 5.80 pds (not really that expensive). This would also mean that we have to carry that sack of rice back and it's a long trip back by foot.

We then went to Netto, the supermarket that is supposed to be selling the cheapest stuffs in town. True enough, the food is rather cheap and we bought alot of stuffs that would last us for at least a week. Anyway, the bad thing about Netto is that they do not provide plastic bag, so you must bring a bag to contain the stuffs. The reason is simple enough: to reduce budget. In the end, we bought so much that we can't possibly bring back (bear in mind, we still have that 10kg sack of rice to carry). Regent suggested that we could use their trollery to push our items back (What a brillant idea!!!). We pretended to return the trolley and then tried to smuggle the trolley out. However, we got caught by the security guard and in the end we have no choice but to bring the stuffs back in a box. It was a long journey back, and we were sweating like crazy carrying the rice and groceries that we bought.

Me carrying the sack of rice

River Tyne At Night

Went for an international students induction talk conducted by the university deans at Herschel Building in the morning. Actually, the talk is more applicable for those students who will be studying for the full course as it's mainly about the payment of tuition fee.

We went to the Union for lunch. Had a chicken filet for 3 pound. The chicken filet was very small in size and the plate was practically filled with chips. There's something funny about eating out in UK and that is you need to pay for some of the sauce. So, next time when you happen to go to a restaurant in UK, remember to ask whether you need to pay for the sauce, dun be a typical Singaporean and just take everything and ended up paying extra. Anyway I learnt my lessons from Yusen who paid extra 60p for the gravy.

The Union

We did some shoppings in the city later in the afternoon. I realised that not all the stuffs are expensive in England. There is a shop along the main street in the city center that sells clothes that are even cheaper than in S'pore, e.g. the winter clothings cost only 11 pounds and 5 pair of socks for only 2 pounds. We spend 2 hours in the shop all thanks to Xue Jia who was like trying out clothes after clothes and seeking our advice all the time. In the end, I bought a winter hat for just 1 pound.

We went back to fetch Zhen Siong, who had finally arrived from Singapore, at the Richardson reception. After that, we began our first attempt to cook. Well, we dun have much ingredients on hand, only chinese handmade noodles, vegetables and some campbell mushroom and cream. So, we decided to dump whatever we have and try to come up with something edible (imagine chinese noodles and campbell soup.... 'zhong xi he pin'). True enough, the dinner turns out quite horrible. So, we learnt something new today and that is not to add campbell soup to chinese noodles.

Later at night, we met up with the rest of the 'khakis' and took a stroll down to River Tyne. River Tyne is the main river which flows across Newcastle, separating Newcastle city centre from Gateshead town centre. This is also how Newcastle Upon Tyne got her name. The night view of the river is simply superb. The road along the river is properly lit. Across the river is the Baltic Square which looks like the esplanade in S'pore. It is also colourfully lit, which adds life to the night. There is also a boat by the sea which have been turned into a club. The highlight at the Quayside is still the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. At certain time of the day, the whole bridge will tilt to be almost parallel to the sea, so that the boats can move under the bridge. We are so fortuate to be there at the time when the bridge is going to tilt. It is really really amazing to witness the whole event for ourselves.

A ship moving under the bridge

A Home Away From Home

Met up with the rest of the freshies early in the morning near Keith's place. All of them look really really tired. Seems like they haven't recover from the jet lack. 2 hongkee gers just flew to Newcastle this morning and joined our group. One is called Eleana and the other is Hugo, same name as the brand Hugo Boss. Our group seems to increasing in number each time and that would mean more names to remember.. Aaargh!! *faint*. Anyway, Keith is our tour guide for the day as Yujin and the rest of the committee member of S'pore society are heading down to Switzerland late afternoon *envy* (nvm..we are going there during dec too). Keith had been to Newcastle for a six mth attachment, so he is the 'lao jiao' in the area. We met Yujin along the way to campus and he brought us to the internet bubble in the old library. Apparently, the place used to be a library but now you can't find books there. We met Yujin's friend in the old library. This guy's called Regent and he's in his final year doing business. He just flew in from Singapore this morning and was so unfortunate to 'kana arrowed' to be our new tour guide just because he bumped into Yujin at the wrong time.

Regent brought us to the city centre where we went to set up our bank account and get pre-paid cards for our handphones. Later in the evening, Regent was also kind enough to invite us over to his place for dinner. He stays in Honey Pot House (what a cute name) which is just a small distance away from the castle. Currently, his flat is still vacant expect for this BBC (british born chinese) guy, Steven, who is staying with him now. We ate the dinner that Regent cooked for us. It is really an enjoyable meal, eating some home cooked food and chit chatting with one another. It's just like one big family. A home away from home (Raffles Hall motto).


The weather gets rather cold in the evening and there's like free air conditioning in the house. It's so cold that nite that Yi Fong jokingly said,' Can you pls turn down the air con?'

Setting Foot on the English Land

This is the first time that I travel on a 13hr flight. The feeling is horrible!!! I'm stuck in a small little seat with not much space to move my body and I din get much sleep throughout the journey. Luckily, there is a small TV screen at the back of every seat, so I was spending most of the time watching 'Simpsons'.

20th Sep 05 0715: We finally arrived at Heathrow airport. Yujin had told us before that Heathrow is a crowded place and the efficiency level of the staff is very low. This is indeed quite true. We actually queued for an hour to get through the custom and Yusen was complaining that his back is aching from carrying his 10+++ kg backpack for too long.

We had to wait for another 5 hrs for our transit to Newcastle. In the mean time, we wandered around the airport, checking out the prices of the food in UK. 1 bottle of 500ml coke costs 1.20 pound. That's crazy man!!! Dunno how are we going to survive for next few months, feasting on roti for lunch, breakfast and dinner???

The English is also rather innovative to come up with the idea of condom vending machines which are found in all the male toliet in the airport. This really tells us something about their lifestyle.

20th Sep 05 1415: After a 1 hour scenic ride on the plane, we finally reached our destination, NEWCASTLE. The weather is superb. Like what Tee Hoon mentioned in his blog, it's like being in sunny Singapore with a portable air con. It gets even colder when the cool wind rushes into your face.

Yujin was already at the airport to fetch us. He thought that we are arriving at 9 plus in the morning and has been waiting for 5 hrs *poor guy*. We boarded the bus to our hostel and along the way, Yusen and I were like going 'wooo' and 'wah'. The traditional English buildings and architectures are simply superb and they are arranged in an orderly fashion along the road. For the first time, we are finally away from the high rise HDB flats. 1 year ago, Yusen and I were still planning to go for SEP, now we are in NEWCASTLE.

We reached our accommodation, Esther Campbell Court Richardson Road in around 20 min later. The building structure of the blocks is very similar to Raffles Hall and I really feel as if I'm walking back to my hall. The difference between Raffles Hall and Esther Campbell Court is that the latter is more communal. We are staying in a 6 room flat and will be sharing the toilet, shower and kitchen.

One good thing about the university is that it is located next to the city center which is like the new SMU campus. Therefore, we can get our daily grocery rather easily. Yujin brought us around the city, to the Green Market and Grainger Market where we can get vegetables and meat and to Wilkinson where we can buy cheap household supplies.

Later in the evening, we met up with the rest of the people from the Singapore Society and also some of the Singaporean freshies that have just came over to Newcastle. We had a chinese buffet in a resturant in chinatown (the Englishmen actually put up a sign 'zhong guo chen' a direct translation for chinatown instead of ' tang ren jie'). The meal was marvellous especially after a long flight and we were all feeling tremendously hungry. The buffet costs 7.20 pounds (you can eat an international crusine in Paris Resturant at the same rate). Guess like chinese food in UK is a luxury, and dun think we can enjoy it as and when we want if we want to reduce our budget. Seems to me that I'm gonna miss the fried kway tiao and chicken rice in Singapore.....

The Departure to UK

The day is finally here when I will be embarking on the journey to Newcastle, UK, land of the English Premier League (though i dun really watch soccer but who cares jus join in the crowd). Filled with mixed feelings, I'm at same time excited over the trip and also worried about what is lying ahead of us. But I know whatever it is, God is there with me. Reached the airport at 8pm, though my flight is at 12.45 am. (thanks to my mum who keeps rushing me to be at the airport early). Had a farewell dinner with my relatives while waiting for my friends to come. Was so touched that tianhua, weihan and casper actually took a cab down to send me off. Thank you guys and I hope to see you soon when I get back to RH (if Mr President can get a place for me when I return). Anyway many many thanks to those who came down too. Guess like I'll be missing you people while I'm in UK. The time has finally come when I have to learn to be more independent and stand up on my own feets.