Well, I know I'm supposed to blog about some other stuff from before, but, you know, once its past a certain time the idea of blogging about that topic becomes like a novelty haha. So well. Maybe I should just summarise what I wanted to blog about...
1. I was kinda on a "musical journey" of sorts. After the Muse concert, I actually picked up a copy of a documentary on the rise to fame of Bob Dylan. Called "No Direction Home", it shows the early formation years of Dylan and his own musical voyage. You wonder, how is it possible to write lyrics as deep and resounding (as it were for that time) when you are barely 21. Its just shocking sometimes. Dylan, indeed the romantic, songwriting extraordinaire, and the poet of the 20th Century. Must for fans.
2. Listened to the album "The Who - Live at Leeds". As you can tell, a live recording of a The Who's concert. Absolutely rock-solid live performance by the band themselves, even managing to sneak in a dirty joke in the midst of the gig haha.
3. Caught Mamma Mia finally, after so much procrastination. My seat was a beat awkward, so didn't get the best sound. Nice show though.
4. Went to windsor castle. Magnificent castle, splendour everywhere.
5. Went to Edinburgh with Edwin. Nice place, good weather (surprisingly) I hope all goes well with you.
6. Wimbledon was a blast. Despite the rain and long queues, actually managed to get into centre court and caught 3 matches .... Fernando Gonzales vs Tipsy, Serena Williams vs forgot who, and Roger Federer vs Marat Safin!!! Wow. Blown away. Serena just demolished her opponent. I think she could have given any guy a fight on that day. She was just awesome. And Roger was so graceful to watch. Congrats on winning the title too! Also saw Sharapova and Nadal and Murray etc etc. Definitely one of the highlights of my SEP!
7. Attended Aaron's and Kathy's wedding. 1st UK wedding I attended, even though they were singaporeans. Quite an eye opener. But I prefer the chinese one I think.
Ok. What a summary.
Anyways .... Teresa has just left for Africa for 7 weeks. I really hope she takes care of herself, but also to have fun at the same time. Suddenly I have quite some time on my hands, though I would rather not. A couple of meet-ups with friends this week, so should be good!
Oh, on an aside, I realised Singaporeans are soooo fascinated by anything and everything Japanese. why??
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
back in the heat.
It was really a whole messed up flight. Supposed to fly off on Monday night 2215 ... flight delay till past 2330, and while we were on the plane, the pilot told us Heathrow had a curfew at 2330. And we couldn't fly that night! I never expected Heathrow to have some curfew .... so much for international airport. The plane was evacuated, luggage was stuck in the cabin hold, the passengers were pissed, and literally formed an angry mob demanding rescheduled flights early next day, and hotel stay for the night (which is the norm). Emirates was severely understaffed to handle this situation, with only 4 attendants to 400 shouting, angry people. It was chaotic. In the end, only 40 rooms were found and obviously the Economy class people weren't gonna get any of it. They then claimed it was the best they could do and the rest could have their hotel stay/transport reimbursed for the night. I took a cab back to London to Teresa's; I was really lucky to have a place for the night. Called Emirates time after time to rebook flights, cos I was connecting at Dubai later on and I was going to miss it. No booking available .......
Next day, 7am went down to the airport. Finally got a reschedule for Malaysian airlines which would leave at 10am .... but MAS wouldn't accept my excess luggage, asking me to pay 600+ pounds for it! (not MAS fault though, as they helped Emirates with this favour. Emirates offered a coupon to cover the costs but MAS would have nothing of it. And I'm like the pawn in their chess game.)
After much complaining, I finally booked another Emirates flight at 1300 (which was delayed again ......), given complimentary hotel stay in Dubai for a night, and then catch the next day's connection to Singapore. Weirdly, I caught the same connecting flight as Teresa! So there was a little light at the end of the tunnel ... Finally reached sg on Wed night 11pm. What a ride!
I haven't unpacked yet though.... Too tired to do that. Maybe over the weekend. Now trying to combat jetlag + repairing computer viruses .... sigh.
Anyways. Sg. is. so. HOT.
haha. chilllllllll .....
Next day, 7am went down to the airport. Finally got a reschedule for Malaysian airlines which would leave at 10am .... but MAS wouldn't accept my excess luggage, asking me to pay 600+ pounds for it! (not MAS fault though, as they helped Emirates with this favour. Emirates offered a coupon to cover the costs but MAS would have nothing of it. And I'm like the pawn in their chess game.)
After much complaining, I finally booked another Emirates flight at 1300 (which was delayed again ......), given complimentary hotel stay in Dubai for a night, and then catch the next day's connection to Singapore. Weirdly, I caught the same connecting flight as Teresa! So there was a little light at the end of the tunnel ... Finally reached sg on Wed night 11pm. What a ride!
I haven't unpacked yet though.... Too tired to do that. Maybe over the weekend. Now trying to combat jetlag + repairing computer viruses .... sigh.
Anyways. Sg. is. so. HOT.
haha. chilllllllll .....
Monday, July 02, 2007
Goodbye London
I know I thought of blogging about some other stuff, but haven't really found the time to sit down and do it. And then suddenly. Today marks my final day in London!
Memories, I have lots of it. Either in pictures, videos, gifts or deeds, I must say this whole experience has been very very enriching. Of course, the friends here that I've made, really appreciate the times we all have together... Oh well. Before I get too melancholic (sp?), I better stop heh.
London certainly hasn't let me down in its weather; still wet and windy on the day of leaving. And the bomb-cars hasn't help much as well ...
It's quite weird, as I'm not exactly leaving a lot of my friends as we are all going back to singapore and at least spending some time back home, but more of this place itself. As I say, London is really great city to be in, especially if one is a fan of city life.... The real sadness probably will come when all the londoners leave in sept/oct back to the UK to study, while I'll be midway through my term by then ....
Ok. Gotta go now. Heathrow waits for no late pple!
Seeya from Singapore!!!!!!
Memories, I have lots of it. Either in pictures, videos, gifts or deeds, I must say this whole experience has been very very enriching. Of course, the friends here that I've made, really appreciate the times we all have together... Oh well. Before I get too melancholic (sp?), I better stop heh.
London certainly hasn't let me down in its weather; still wet and windy on the day of leaving. And the bomb-cars hasn't help much as well ...
It's quite weird, as I'm not exactly leaving a lot of my friends as we are all going back to singapore and at least spending some time back home, but more of this place itself. As I say, London is really great city to be in, especially if one is a fan of city life.... The real sadness probably will come when all the londoners leave in sept/oct back to the UK to study, while I'll be midway through my term by then ....
Ok. Gotta go now. Heathrow waits for no late pple!
Seeya from Singapore!!!!!!
Sunday, July 01, 2007
akan datang ...
apologies for the lack of posting. A few to come in the days ahead I think, so keep an eye on it.
personal notes
dylan, muse, who, mamma, windsor, edinburgh, wimbledon, wedding.
personal notes
dylan, muse, who, mamma, windsor, edinburgh, wimbledon, wedding.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Con Te Partirò
In many ways, it's time to say goodbye.
Over the last 2 weeks, I've been seeing freshers moving out of halls. Other Singaporeans finishing their exams and leaving either for holidaying with friends, or else just going back to sg to begin their army/air fore/dsta/astar etc. attachements. Everyone's leaving... everything's gonna come to an end.
Me? I'm not too sad. Sure I will miss London, and I still have 1 week more here. The freshers, you can see the tinge of sadness in their eyes when they moved out ... someone even weeped! I guess I have been used to leaving halls, twice already. In any case, we're all gonna go back to Singapore, and its easy to arrange meetups. I suppose, for me, it would be sadder when people start leaving for London to carry on their academic pursuit, in September.
Otherwise I foresee many foodie gatherings when I back. haha! chomp chomp. chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Supermassive
It's been quite a while since I blogged eh? haha, well actually I've been pretty cooped up in the EE labs the past few weeks, working on the EEG project with my groupmates. Just had the presentation a couple of hours ago, and although it got rather testy with the business case, I must say we did really well for our technical presentation! (apart from my small boo boo of forgetting to plug in the channel input haha) So well done to the whole group, it has really been a wonderful experience working with everyone.
Anyways, I went to the Muse concert at the NEW wembley stadium over the weekend. Really got blown away, they were very very solid. Matt was singing at his best, and the stadium setup was marvellous. Really made use of all the space available in the stadium for their props, which included 2 giant balloons having a gymnast spinning underneath, floating around the stadium. Kinda hard to explain in words tho, gotta see the pics for it. Easily the best gig I've been to! It's a pity they didn't play City of Delusion, which is kinda my fav Muse song of the moment. But otherwise, I was impressed with Matt's piano playing, and overall stage show of the whole gig.
I think Muse have really brought the space rock genre to a new level. Bowie may have started it, but Muse perfected it.
Next few days, gonna start the major packing up of my room and shifting temporarily to Teresa's, before heading off to Scotland (?? maybe??) for a couple of days, and then back to London, then Sg. Going back so soon..... and now my 3rd year is officially over ......
I think this EEG technology (not just the one we just made) really has very good potential. It can actually be integrated into many other items that we saw presented today, and gives wonderful benefits to users besides just simple diagnosis. Brain wave games, anyone? Some pics of us at work today ... I was the lab rat for the demonstration! haha.
 |
| EEG Project |
Anyways, I went to the Muse concert at the NEW wembley stadium over the weekend. Really got blown away, they were very very solid. Matt was singing at his best, and the stadium setup was marvellous. Really made use of all the space available in the stadium for their props, which included 2 giant balloons having a gymnast spinning underneath, floating around the stadium. Kinda hard to explain in words tho, gotta see the pics for it. Easily the best gig I've been to! It's a pity they didn't play City of Delusion, which is kinda my fav Muse song of the moment. But otherwise, I was impressed with Matt's piano playing, and overall stage show of the whole gig.
I think Muse have really brought the space rock genre to a new level. Bowie may have started it, but Muse perfected it.
 |
| Muse Wembley 16/7/2007 |
Next few days, gonna start the major packing up of my room and shifting temporarily to Teresa's, before heading off to Scotland (?? maybe??) for a couple of days, and then back to London, then Sg. Going back so soon..... and now my 3rd year is officially over ......
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Wii played Wii till the Wii hours ....
Whee !!! haha. pure unadulterated fun. except for the ring tossing of course heh.
Sporty weekend then, with Hamilton on pole for Canada F1 and the motoGP, and the French Open Final. its a busy stay in Sunday!
Sporty weekend then, with Hamilton on pole for Canada F1 and the motoGP, and the French Open Final. its a busy stay in Sunday!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
These days ...
... have been quite a revelation of sorts.
Turns out that finding out too much of some stuff isn't good. Realized that some people around me are wearing masks, even thicker than I originally thought. Hmm.
What's new? Everyone wears masks to some extent, myself included.
Perhaps less analysis ought to be done here. A professional hazard of an engineer. Deal with the problem, and move on.
Don't get it?
Shrugs.
Turns out that finding out too much of some stuff isn't good. Realized that some people around me are wearing masks, even thicker than I originally thought. Hmm.
What's new? Everyone wears masks to some extent, myself included.
Perhaps less analysis ought to be done here. A professional hazard of an engineer. Deal with the problem, and move on.
Don't get it?
Shrugs.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Milan 2 Liverpool 1
It wasn't the best of games, but it sure did alleviate the pain of Milan and her fans. Especially what happened 2 years ago. Inzaghi's fluke goal, a wonderful Kaka setup for the 2nd, and a comeback header by Kuyt. Liverpool may have played better, but Milan took their chances when they came. Liverpool cannot complain, for they won 2 yrs ago even though being more thoroughly more outplayed than Milan was today.
Well, it brought back memories of yesteryears....
The 1st time I watched a Milan match, was in 1994, in Athens as well, where Milan faced Barcelona. Milan, with Franco Baresi and Costacurta suspended, were up against Cruyff's Barcelona, led by a fantastic Stoichkov-Romario combination, with Koeman, Zubiuzeretta, et al. But Milan won emphatically, 4-0 at that. I knew I loved Milan since.
In 2003, I still remember I was the duty officer that night at Kranji. Milan vs Juventus in the UCL final. We had Channel 5 in the duty office, and that night a few of the men came down and watched the match together. Milan prevailed on penalties that night, and I still remembered how I jumped for joy (haha!), before going on my rounds.
In 2005, Milan Liverpool pt 1. Painful, painful. 3-0, then 3-3. Milan outplayed Lpool, but ..... alas. Penalties lost. Very painful. I was in my room alone that night and I could not sleep.
Today, Milan vs Liverpool pt 2. Milan were outplayed by a better Liverpool, but a fluke and a moment of brilliance by the otherwise quiet Kaka put Milan in the dominant position. This day, I'm in Teresa's room, watching with Terence. What joy! I was going mad! Too happy. And watching Paolo lift it for the 5th time, just amazing what this guy can do. 39 years old, and still lifting European cups.
When is the next time? shrugs. Hopefully it will be memorable again, for the right reasons.
For now, a little celebration will suffice. Forza Milan !!
The day has come.
What an exciting day ahead.
No, its not because my last paper is within 4 hours away. After this silly exams has dragged on for so long (and quite disappointingly...), it's all gonna be over in a matter of hours. But, it's just the exams.
No, it's also not because of the French Open coming up, in an interesting time in the tennis world where Rafa's 81-match streak has just been broken and smashed by Roger. I won't read too much into that result, though undeniably the confident boost for Roger would be immense.
The REAL reason for today's excitement lies simply, in the ancient town of Athens.
AC Milan VS Liverpool FC !
UEFA champions league finals. These 2 clubs have so many European cups between them it's not possible to count with both hands. Both teams are looking up for the match, and believe me the hype here is really enormous. My hall is setting up a projection screen and broadcasting the match in the common room, and they're getting ready for the party should Liverpool win.
Well, I say. Save the money.
No doubt about Milan's win today. People say revenge is not on their mind. Bollocks. Revenge will be on their minds. A huge core of the current Milan team is made up of the same team in that infamous 2005 final. On their mouths, they speak professionally about Liverpool and say revenge is not such a important thing... but believe me it is THE motivation tonight. Bring the scousers to the slaughter!
Come on Milan! Kick their asses back to where they came from! (which is here...)
It's party time.
Friday, May 11, 2007
not in the mood.
It's a bad day.
Just finished my 5th / 6th paper today. and there is a chance that I may fail it. No kidding. It's not funny.
I came out of the exam room feeling like EE2012 all over again. That one, I only attempted 50% of the marks. So I know I surely failed the paper. But there was the "buffer" of everyone else; a good 100 pple perhaps. So the bell curve pulled everyone up. So I wasn't too worried with that paper, though it didn't feel good coming out still.
Today's paper was reliving the whole 2012 thing again. Yes, in all probability there will be moderation. But, do you know how many pple are taking this course?
Only 6.
15 pple registered for the course, but only 6 registered for the exam. Dropout rate is 60%. I'm forced to take this cos of mapping issues. Brings me back to 6 months back, all the emails to and fro NUS but to no avail to remap this Microwave course. Never mind now. Studied hard, for selective topics, but in the end was examined on something else. Gamble didn't pay off -- tough luck, han.
How does one moderate the scores of 6 pple. Shrugs. It's gonna be nasty. I give myself a 50% chance of passing this time.
Went out, walked in the rain for 20 mins, couldn't find a money changer who had hungrarian forints. damn forints. should have wore a cap.
Irritating cough that wouldn't go away. Still to do packing all over again. Didn't want to start my trip like that. Stupid flaking bag.
The only comfort now for me -- and its not the fact of moderation -- but more of I wouldn't be able to do anything about it until at least 2 months later.
Just not in the mood.
Just finished my 5th / 6th paper today. and there is a chance that I may fail it. No kidding. It's not funny.
I came out of the exam room feeling like EE2012 all over again. That one, I only attempted 50% of the marks. So I know I surely failed the paper. But there was the "buffer" of everyone else; a good 100 pple perhaps. So the bell curve pulled everyone up. So I wasn't too worried with that paper, though it didn't feel good coming out still.
Today's paper was reliving the whole 2012 thing again. Yes, in all probability there will be moderation. But, do you know how many pple are taking this course?
Only 6.
15 pple registered for the course, but only 6 registered for the exam. Dropout rate is 60%. I'm forced to take this cos of mapping issues. Brings me back to 6 months back, all the emails to and fro NUS but to no avail to remap this Microwave course. Never mind now. Studied hard, for selective topics, but in the end was examined on something else. Gamble didn't pay off -- tough luck, han.
How does one moderate the scores of 6 pple. Shrugs. It's gonna be nasty. I give myself a 50% chance of passing this time.
Went out, walked in the rain for 20 mins, couldn't find a money changer who had hungrarian forints. damn forints. should have wore a cap.
Irritating cough that wouldn't go away. Still to do packing all over again. Didn't want to start my trip like that. Stupid flaking bag.
The only comfort now for me -- and its not the fact of moderation -- but more of I wouldn't be able to do anything about it until at least 2 months later.
Just not in the mood.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
No wonder you are ignoring me.
I was trying to get xiexing's attention over msn, cause I needed to ask him something about FYP. Then for ages, he just won't reply me (usually he does so in an instant) ... so I thought, you know, what could it be? It just struck me that the Rome Masters was on, so I went to check, and yeah, his favourite Roger Federer is playing against the Italian no. 1. ok so the score says 6-2, 4-3 ..... so I thought ok lah, maybe he will get back to me soon.
Then I realised.
Federer is losing ! Not winning!
And yeah, he lost this match. 6-2, 6-4. hmm. Like that ... how to win the French Open. sigh.
Maybe someone needs to make another comment on his cajones to get him moving. No more groggy legs pls. tsk tsk.
And yeah, I've been missing for a while, been down with a cold while revising for the exams. Got a paper tomorrow, and one more on the 23rd. And then .... Project time!!!
Of course, all work and no play makes me a dull boy. So then, to Budapest with the girl this weekend. Sun, please ;)
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Norway trip
The photos from the norway trip ... just 200 odd in all!
A quick summary of the trip ....
Went there to meet Melvin, whos on exchange in Trondheim. We did the norway in a nutshell package tour, but with buying all our tickets on the spot we saved at least 2-300 NKR, which is 50-75 SGD ! not bad. the one day tour included a couple of train rides through scenic routes, mountains and small villages. A fjord cruise to see Norway's most famous natural beauty -- the fjords of course. And then bus ride to Bergen.
Bergen's a quaint quiet town. very small, akin to Bath. But oh my, the mountains were so beautiful! It is weirdly sunny in the 2 days I was in Bergen, which was quite rare cos it rains a lot in Bergen. We spent 1 whole day time doing a 5 hour trek from the mountain Ulrika to Floyen (sp?) .... and it was soooo nice and calming. You can only hear nature's sounds, and even though the city is just down there from the mountain you can hardly hear any traffic. We had the fortune to be accompanied by a Bergen local who did that route "many many times" in his life. He's about 50 yrs old, and through the entire trip we just chatted and chatted, and learnt so much about each other cultures. I learnt so much from him than from the tourist guides/internet. Quite wonderful I think. And his fitness/agility just left us bewildered at times. Don't let that beer belly fool ya!
Other than that, we spent quite some time sunbathing, and now I'm darker! again ....
Norway is indeed scenic, though extremely expensive. I think anyone who has been to Europe should at least drop by this Scandinavian country for a short visit!
till next time!
A quick summary of the trip ....
Went there to meet Melvin, whos on exchange in Trondheim. We did the norway in a nutshell package tour, but with buying all our tickets on the spot we saved at least 2-300 NKR, which is 50-75 SGD ! not bad. the one day tour included a couple of train rides through scenic routes, mountains and small villages. A fjord cruise to see Norway's most famous natural beauty -- the fjords of course. And then bus ride to Bergen.
Bergen's a quaint quiet town. very small, akin to Bath. But oh my, the mountains were so beautiful! It is weirdly sunny in the 2 days I was in Bergen, which was quite rare cos it rains a lot in Bergen. We spent 1 whole day time doing a 5 hour trek from the mountain Ulrika to Floyen (sp?) .... and it was soooo nice and calming. You can only hear nature's sounds, and even though the city is just down there from the mountain you can hardly hear any traffic. We had the fortune to be accompanied by a Bergen local who did that route "many many times" in his life. He's about 50 yrs old, and through the entire trip we just chatted and chatted, and learnt so much about each other cultures. I learnt so much from him than from the tourist guides/internet. Quite wonderful I think. And his fitness/agility just left us bewildered at times. Don't let that beer belly fool ya!
Other than that, we spent quite some time sunbathing, and now I'm darker! again ....
Norway is indeed scenic, though extremely expensive. I think anyone who has been to Europe should at least drop by this Scandinavian country for a short visit!
till next time!
|
| norway! |
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Milan ..... Milan ....
oh man .... what a glorious match. Stick it up to ya man utd fans.
AC Milan vs Man Utd - Match Comp
Uploaded by FootballHeaven
And yes, its another Milan - Lpool final. Again. repeat. of 2005 final.
Kelong soccer? Perhaps. but even so, not knowing which side its rigged towards make it so entertaining to watch.
Kuan Hsin, you and me again, 2 yrs later. Game on.
AC Milan vs Man Utd - Match Comp
Uploaded by FootballHeaven
And yes, its another Milan - Lpool final. Again. repeat. of 2005 final.
Kelong soccer? Perhaps. but even so, not knowing which side its rigged towards make it so entertaining to watch.
Kuan Hsin, you and me again, 2 yrs later. Game on.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Why don't you all F-F-F.....
Truly, Rock and roll never dies.
The oldest and "greatest" rock band in the world - meet The Zimmers and their
amazing cover of The Who's "My Generation". Lead singer Alf is 90 - it's quite something when he sings "I hope I die before I get old". And he's not the oldest - there are 99 and 100-year-olds in the band!The Zimmers will feature in a BBC TV documentary being aired in May 2007. Documentary-maker Tim Samuels has been all over Britain recruiting isolated and lonely old people - those who can't leave their flats or who are stuck in rubbish care homes.
The finale of the show is this group of lonely old people coming together to
stick it back to the society that's cast them aside - by forming a rock troupe
and trying to storm into the pop charts.Some massive names from the pop world have thrown their weight behind The Zimmers... The song is produced by Mike Hedges (U2, Dido, Cure), the video shot by Geoff Wonfor (Band Aid, Beatles Anthology), and it was recorded in the legendary Beatles studio 2 at Abbey Road.
What can I say ... wow! Rock's no.1 anthem sang by the old fogies.
Anyways, here's The Who's live performance.... you can really see why they brought live rock to a new level .....
Why don't you all F-F-F ....
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Greece photos
ok ok here they are, nearly 500 of them haha. Well I wanted to pick out some, but in the end, just upload all la.
hopefully I didn't upload any of the "x rated" stuff hah!
hopefully I didn't upload any of the "x rated" stuff hah!
thats me at the black sand beach in Santorini ...
Friday, April 06, 2007
We're so lucky ...
I guess, for the one certain good thing out of the Greece trip, was that we had just missed a ferry cruise accident off Santorini just yesterday. So, count your blessings ...
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
είμαι πίσω - I'm back
I just got back from Greece! and what a place it was ..... finally away from the chill of london to the sun and the sea of Greece.
Just like Rome, this place has managed to strike me as wonderfully fascinating. It's no secret why Greece national colours are blue and white; the deep blue sea and the abundance of white marble everywhere! (even the wiring casing is in marble ... go figure)
Its really a nice getaway, the island hopping. Perhaps the only slight regret was not spending enough time on the islands itself (We only spent 2 days in Crete, 1 in Santorini, 1+ in Naxos) ... but I sure enjoyed myself there. 9 days away from the hustle and bustle of city life, no internet, no school, making it a really serene trip. Anyways, here's just some tips for whoever's interested to go Greece next.
Athens - 2 days is more than enough. Just make sure to see the Acropolis, esp the Parthenon. you will be wowed. Other than that, Athens is just a typical city.
Crete - Island that is bigger than Singapore. I think a minimum of 3 days is necessary if you want to explore the entire island. We only managed to cover the Palace of Knossos and some beaches, but the town itself is really nice to walk through. Of course, rent a car for travelling around. You could try to bargain to under 30 euros a day.
Santorini - The legendary Santorini. At least 2 days minimum there, with a car of couse. A car just makes it so much more accessible, and more freedom for yourselves. 20 Euros a day only... in fact I think a jeep may be worth considering to access to dirt tracks which leads to beaches. It was so fun driving around and stopping whenever we wanted. Of yeah, of course, we went during the pre-peak season .... the streets will be super packed towards end of April, and all the shops will be open in full. When I went, only a couple of shops were open; most of them were still painting their chairs for the tourist season. Stayed at Anny Studios at Perissa Beach, where the black sand beach was just in front of the hostel! and its a studio ie. kitchen, toilet, aircon. swimming pool. all for under 10 euro per night per person. how good is that! (I think these are pre-season prices tho). Anyways, IA, the sunset point, is said to be marvellous... unfortunately it was cloudy for the evening we were there. Otherwise, I think it could be really beautiful, with the red sun setting against the white walls and blue roofs of Santorini. Oh... Santo!
Naxos - Was so windy the days we were there, and calm when we left. Oh wells. Get a car too! (Apollon car rentals are REALLY good. cheap n good service!) Its about the same size as Santo, key attraction is the unfinished temple of Apollo. But I think the real unsaid attractions of these islands are really the views from the mountain tops, vast boundless blue horizons, clear white sky, rolling hills and such a laid back lifestyle. The Mediterranean is really beautiful! Windmill Naxos Studios is another fantastic and cheap place to stay, and its just next to the town main square and beach.
I guess I'm thankful for the good accoms (well, generally) that I had during the trip, as well as deciding to rent cars for the islands, which gave us so much more to see and enjoy. I'm definitely darker now, thank goodness, after a bit of suntanning! heh. Shiok.
Just like Rome, this place has managed to strike me as wonderfully fascinating. It's no secret why Greece national colours are blue and white; the deep blue sea and the abundance of white marble everywhere! (even the wiring casing is in marble ... go figure)
Its really a nice getaway, the island hopping. Perhaps the only slight regret was not spending enough time on the islands itself (We only spent 2 days in Crete, 1 in Santorini, 1+ in Naxos) ... but I sure enjoyed myself there. 9 days away from the hustle and bustle of city life, no internet, no school, making it a really serene trip. Anyways, here's just some tips for whoever's interested to go Greece next.
Athens - 2 days is more than enough. Just make sure to see the Acropolis, esp the Parthenon. you will be wowed. Other than that, Athens is just a typical city.
Crete - Island that is bigger than Singapore. I think a minimum of 3 days is necessary if you want to explore the entire island. We only managed to cover the Palace of Knossos and some beaches, but the town itself is really nice to walk through. Of course, rent a car for travelling around. You could try to bargain to under 30 euros a day.
Santorini - The legendary Santorini. At least 2 days minimum there, with a car of couse. A car just makes it so much more accessible, and more freedom for yourselves. 20 Euros a day only... in fact I think a jeep may be worth considering to access to dirt tracks which leads to beaches. It was so fun driving around and stopping whenever we wanted. Of yeah, of course, we went during the pre-peak season .... the streets will be super packed towards end of April, and all the shops will be open in full. When I went, only a couple of shops were open; most of them were still painting their chairs for the tourist season. Stayed at Anny Studios at Perissa Beach, where the black sand beach was just in front of the hostel! and its a studio ie. kitchen, toilet, aircon. swimming pool. all for under 10 euro per night per person. how good is that! (I think these are pre-season prices tho). Anyways, IA, the sunset point, is said to be marvellous... unfortunately it was cloudy for the evening we were there. Otherwise, I think it could be really beautiful, with the red sun setting against the white walls and blue roofs of Santorini. Oh... Santo!
Naxos - Was so windy the days we were there, and calm when we left. Oh wells. Get a car too! (Apollon car rentals are REALLY good. cheap n good service!) Its about the same size as Santo, key attraction is the unfinished temple of Apollo. But I think the real unsaid attractions of these islands are really the views from the mountain tops, vast boundless blue horizons, clear white sky, rolling hills and such a laid back lifestyle. The Mediterranean is really beautiful! Windmill Naxos Studios is another fantastic and cheap place to stay, and its just next to the town main square and beach.
I guess I'm thankful for the good accoms (well, generally) that I had during the trip, as well as deciding to rent cars for the islands, which gave us so much more to see and enjoy. I'm definitely darker now, thank goodness, after a bit of suntanning! heh. Shiok.
And the company of course ... much thanks to Joanne and Binghao!
Ok. 18 days time, 4 exams and 2 essays to hand in. heh.
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