Let me keep you near

How can you claim to be ready for something you know nothing about?

To have the faith that you'll emerge at the end for the better?

Stuck between a pint of B&J's and a pint of beer,

would you choose comfort or sleep?

Wishing that the dream could last forever

or, perhaps, that the nightmare will come to an end.

If it were possible to tear this world apart,

it would already be done.

Damn the double-edged sword that the world is built on!

Trip to Glencoe and Loch Ness 17/10/09

Hey-ho! This is yet another episode of my life which I am to put on display for the umpteenth time. Haha, so this is the trip I took up to a place that's pretty familiar to everyone: Loch Ness.

*Cue cheesy narrative voice*

It all started early on a Saturday morning at 8am. There was a chill in the air but it was cool and crisp, hinting of the rain the night before. On board the bus we went, heading off on the rabbie burns tour of Glencoe and Loch Ness. Along the way, we witnessed an amazing sight. The chill of the night had caused the mist to envelop the river below. Reminiscent of The Mist, no? (Liked that movie)

Ladies and Gentlemen, our first stop:

Loch Lomond

The morning sunshine

This is what nature is all about.

If you can't appreciate this, I really feel very sorry for you.

Ducks, ducks...

...And more ducks.

Chalets by the beach, although it was pretty chilly.

This german shepard was so well trained,

he just hopped in the boat after his master.

I cannot remember where I took this but it's called a burn

This is another loch where the water was so calm,

it was as if it were a mirror.

The highlands of Scotland

Jack Russells!!

The owners were really friendly too, letting all of us pet them and

allowing us to borrow their binoculours to look at some stags.

I know it's not much to look at but it almost resembles a letter...haha.

Heading up over the mountains

Mount Doom

The sis

Ooo, rocks!

Believe it or not, this is not a candid shot...

but it could have been...

And so we arrive at Loch Ness...

out there, beyond the trees, lies the fabled monster of the depths.

Ah, a modern marvel.

Scottish engineering at its finest.

Through a series of dams,

this system allows boats to travel over "land" to the other side.

...And on they go.

I would explain how it works but I doubt most, if any, of you are interested.

Loch Ness in all its glory.

Our final stop for the day:

Somewhere in the Highlands of Scotland

It is significant cuz it has this statue to commerate the Scottish Highlands as the place where the commandos of WWII trained in their fight against the nazis.

Still, really beautiful scenery.

Well, that concludes this pictorial depiction of my trip to the Scottish Highlands. Am gonna try to go further north next time. I hope you enjoyed it. Next weekend is gonna be Halloween. Looking forward to all the parties and what not...we've even got a pumpkin this time. Carved it and all but pictures are not family-friendly so you can go FB and check them out, if you're smart enough ;) Cheers, till next time!

Please don't ask me to explain this

Too much time spent on thinking only leads to possibilities you would never consider...sometimes good, mostly bad.

The trick is to dismiss them as unlikely outcomes,

both the dreams and the nightmares.

What you're left with is the truth...

that you are subject to the capricious nature of this world.

I believe that I can make my own choices

yet why then do I keep making the wrong ones?

Some say that I am too sensitive for such a saturated world,

too indifferent to the machinations of social life.

So I sit here...

ever the optimist...

haunted by the worst nightmare imaginable:

Reality

The best laid plans of mice and men

Got called out last night on an inpromptu ride to the Ibrox stadium which all you non-football followers will not know is the stadium where Rangers FC play at home. Who are Rangers FC, you say? Rangers and Celtic FC are the top two clubs in Scottish Football and both are based in Glasgow, Scotland. The home stadium of Rangers is the Ibrox stadium whereas Celtic play at the appropriately named Celtic Park. There's loads of history regarding these two clubs but I'll spare you the details. Basically, Rangers is a Protestant club while Celtic is Catholic (Christianity...If you still don't know, you ought to be reading more and get some help, it's embarrassing).

Just some background info cuz I just know I'm going to get grilled on this. Ross is Dave's friend from uni cuz they're in the same course and the three of us (Ross, Dave and I) went on this ride together with Sam, our flatmate who is from France. He's in crutches becuz he injured his shin.

Right, now that all that's out of the way, first stop: Kelvingrove Art Museum. The place was closed but it's still a pretty awesome sight from the outside. I've actually been inside before but it's nothing to get excited about. Haha, looks like a castle from Dracula or sth, even comes with blood red lights on the upper floors.

Sorry about the bad photography. I'm not very good with a camera.

Ross' car. Can you guess his surname?

After the rest finished their smokes, we headed down to the west end and the Tennents' bar which serves really good Tennents beer. Well...better than anywhere we've been anyway. A bit more info then...Tennents is a scottish beer brewed mainly in Glasgow, I think. Anyway, it's locally brewed but most of it is shite, especially the ones that come in the cans.

They have a really huge selection of ales, lagers and spirits.

Take your pick.

A pint of Tennents.

Really smooth and crisp.

Good head too :D

Next stop: Rangers FC stadium aka Ibrox

There were loads of bricks with similar carvings on them.

Wonder how much it costs for one.

Like the idea though..

Outside the front gates

Dave just had to get a picture of him and his flag.

This was my attempt at getting a snap of the pitch at least.

Haha, it wasn't intentional but I like the effect of the light on the pitch.

We got lost trying to find Ibrox that we actually got there quite late and decided to skip Hampden park (where the Scotland national football team call home) and Celtic Park until another time. Felt bad that Ross used so much petrol bringing us around as it is.

Back at the flat, a flash of inspiration and a great idea started to take shape. We decided to cook some potato chips at 12.30am in the morning. We had all the ingredients on hand and just went to it. Sam sliced his potatos while Dave heated up the oil to deep-fry the potato chips. There wasn't much else for me to do so I documented :D

Hard at work

All them potato chips

Was pretty surprised how easy they were to make.

Spring rolls from Chung Ying next door.

Pack of 50 for less than 2 pounds.

First batch of chips peppered and salted and ready to eat!!

Dave and Sam

Sam getting ready the 2nd batch before making some potato crisps

The crisps which were just as good.

What a great success!! It was a good night but really fattening. Went to sleep really satisfied but couldn't wake up the next day. Luckily, I didn't have any classes but it's going to be a problem for me soon. It's just so nice to curl up under my comforter when it's cold out. My alarm doesn't seem to have much effect anymore. I can't believe it's only been 2 and a half weeks since I left. Feel much longer than that. Hope everyone back home is well. Miss u all loads.

Having an off day

You know how sometimes you can see how everything is going to go wrong? Like it's building up a certain momentum that causes everything to go wrong and you're gonna be stuck with a really crappy ending? My cooking today didn't exactly go as planned. Tried to make green curry chicken. Didn't know what else to add in..decided on shitake mushrooms. Not a fan but anything goes. First mistake: not enough coconut milk = too little curry. Second mistake: mixed up the knobs on the stove and cooked the rice too long and it was all mushy and slightly watery. Third mistake: Didn't remove chicken from freezer early enough which meant I might have eaten slightly raw chicken (not too sure abt that...checked it though). All in all, the wrong cooking experience was terrible, splashing myself, getting stuff on my fingers...oh, and dropping the damn packet of spice paste into the saucepan where i was heating the oil. Imagine grappling a fish while trying to squeeze it's insides out. Edible enough mistake..now just need to wait and see if I pay for it. Still got leftovers for tmr...whoppee...

Didn't exactly have the best start to the day either due to a bad dream that kept me tossing and turning all night. On a separate note, I am at a stage where I am looking at my life and wondering how and where I can start improving it but I keep banging against the proverbial wall. Can someone hand me a gun to kill that voice in my head? Anyone....

I sometimes wish...*Bang*...see? Easy...

After thinking about it....no.

Twilight

I look to the skies,

wishing you were here.

That I can see your face mapped out by the stars,

while I lie here and miss you.

I watch the night turn light blue,

but it's not the same without you.

The silence isn't so bad,

until I realise I haven't heard your laugh today.

I sit at my window, thinking of what to say,

to let you know that I'll think of you tonight.

I'll doze off safe and soundly,

dreaming of your arms around me...

Some of the best times being back home in Singapore

Wakeboarding!! Together with my sis and her friends, Fiona, Shu and Shu's bf. It was an awesome experience although I took some time to get used to the board and swallowing loads of seawater. It didn't make pleasant viewing for the first round...could only stand up properly once and I was floating in the water for like 75% of the time. Was so jealous of the rest who were standing and actually wakeboarding. But I was rather glad I managed to do so the 2nd time around. Picture proof.

(I have no idea why this pic is so small)
Haha, I'm sorry!! Cam-whoring...

Gliding across the water (or at least attempting to...)

Still going strong..

Splish Splash, I was taking a bath. Finally lost balance.

Next up, we have our long-overdue, eagerly anticipated, action-packed weekend away to Bintan with RB7. Danny couldn't make it so it was just the 6 of us. After much planning and organization, we managed to squeeze in a trip for all of us. We stayed at the Nirwana Beach Club which exceeded my expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. I've only included the pics I found on my camera as the rest are on facebook and Amy's blog.

This is outside the shack where we rented stuff and time-slots for our water sports.

We did kayaking and sat on the banana boat. It was awesome!!

Amy!! Your face is priceless...

But I'm nice enough not to zoom in and crop your face...haha.

Bintan beauties...

Man, I really miss the fun we had there.

Loves them girls

That's abt it. I also went diving at Tioman island but those pictures are already on facebook. Mebbe I'll do a post about my next dive :D Really enjoyed my trip back as I managed to go on trips and hang out with my friends. Looking forward to next year with more trips and experiences in store. Sending my love to all back home (Mum, Dad, RB7, the whole Yong family, including Auntie Josie and especially Por por)...