陀螺

好久没来了。不知为什么，进了NIE之后，整个人，仿佛陷进了漩涡，做完了一份作业又是一份作业，转呀转的，有点像个陀螺。忙到最后，已经不知道自己在忙些什么，为什么而忙了。

上个星期被派到学校去观察教学，竟然见到了中学很疼爱我的一个华文老师。在观察一堂课时，老师分下复习作业，叫学生自己复习。闲来无事，就帮帮坐在我身旁的男孩，下课时，他对我说：“老师，谢谢你。“

有惊喜，有错愕。忽然发现，我，已经不是学生了。虽然，在我老师面前，我永远都是个学生。但，人生的另一个阶段，却在我不知不觉中，突然袭了上来。

最近碰到一些不如意的事，真的发现，人，活在世上，真的有许多自己没办法解决的事。自己一生骄纵，现在才明白。 不开心时，并不是想什么就能开心的。不喜欢长大，因为觉得太无力。

Krimml

decided to visit Krimml instead of our original plan of Graz or Innsbruck...despite that its inaccessible location that means we have to spend a night on a train when we leave in order to reach Chur in time to meet the Glacier Express the day after and it takes numerous train-hopping plus a bus that never appeared to get up to the mountain village. in the end, we had to trudge up the mountain road, knocking on every door (and there were very little doors to knock) asking for directions in hope of an offer for a ride up. we did get a ride...when we were halfway up ;p

In the end, it was all worth it... Krimml is a beautiful village... we went there for the famed Krimml Wasserfalle, and got so much more in return...

The peace and quiet of a secluded mountainville was what we needed after the crowded cities of Vienna and Salzburg. We got a lovely room complete with breakfast and offers of a ride down for 17 euros. There was barely a soul as we wandered around the minuscule village. The air was sweetly fresh with the recent rainfall and pure. The surrounding mountain peaks created a calm and serene atmosphere. For once, there was no place we needed to rush to or see, we just needed to be, and take in this feeling of tranquility... it was a wonderful rest in the midst of our journey...

Vienne

Last day in Vienne and its a rainy day... we went to see the Spanish Reitschule morning exercise in the Winter Palace in the morning. the steps of the horses are made part of a orchestrated ballet, very graceful and measured. I really want to go back and see a full show...

we went to Vienna University next for lunch at its cafeteria, one of the cheapest meal we had ;p the never-stoppiing elevator up to the cafeteria was worth the trip itself! An adventure getting on and off :) the university was interesting as well, the oldest university in the german-speaking world, had a feel for what its like to study here...

did some sights next, the neo-gothic neues rathaus (new town house) and the burgtheater. The theater was almost totally destroyed by a bomb and rebulit. The guide gave quite an extensive introduction to the history of the theater, even as to describing each of the ceiling frescos.

finally had enough of sights as well as P's wet and squishy shoes. We set off for Mariahilfer Strasse, vienna's busiest shopping street, to buy waterproof shoes. Happily succeeded in buying two pairs of Gortex shoes, both waterproof and breathable! Shopping is indeed therapeutic :)

Had weiner schnitzel for dinner, fried breaded pork, crispy and reminded me of chicken cutlet. decided that I waited too long to eat this viennese delicacy.

settled the next day's railway tickets and schedule at Westbahnhof before heading home to pack...

Karlskirche

second day in vienna... went to the augustinerkirche in the morning, the church where sisi and franz joseph was married, as well as the nationalbibliothek (meaning national library :) I want the live in the library!!! Its the perfect scholar's study...

strolled along Graben and Kartner Strasse in the afternoon, fashionable shopping streets of Vienna and had several bite sized sandwiches of various toppings for lunch. saw a economical japanese restaurant.. and couldn't resist...

visited the Stephansdom again for a closer look at its interior and climbed up the south spire for a aerial view of vienna and to walk off the lunch :) I love the churches... such fascinating pieces of history and amazing architecture and all free ;p although the towers' steep spiral steps attempts murder with every step.

went to Hotel Sacher for the "original" sachertorte (I'm such a sucker for original) before visiting the Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera House). P's very happy today because of the variety of foods we tried today ;p

The highlight of today is Karlskirche, a beautiful mint and white dome church with towers and oriental-style columns. Its so special because it is the only church complete with a glass elevator that sends you all the way up to the top of the dome to see the wall murals and the cupola frescos up close! Even P was impressed (and that's hard to achieve!). Its slightly frightening when you'll all the way at the top, right at the tip of the dome. the wooden flooring suddenly seem quite flimsy and Karlskirche is the tallest Baroque Church in Vienna! But its definitely worth it for the beautiful frescos, done mostly in pastels, depicting angels and other biblical stories...

dinner's at Naschmarkt, a lively market selling everything from flowers, produce to restaurants.

We went home via the Karlplatz pavillion subway station, one of the prettiest subway entrance we've seen, with sunflower gilt motifs on patina-green copper roofs, matching Karlskirche perfectly :)

三年

今天是三周年纪念。感觉平平淡淡。三年了。一段感情，起起落落，开心与不开心，都过了三年了。昨天P写信给我时说，这三年，好像梦一般。

打从前天开始，他便一直问我，收到信了没。却一直不肯说是什么信。今天收到信时方知，那傻蛋，用铅笔画了4幅小画，跟着Precious Moments的style，画了我们的记忆。our own precious moments.

“从来不知道，原来你有画画天分耶。”
“我小时候画画很厉害的哦！”

很简单的画，只是素描。也许是我们今天的心情写照。时间使所有的浮沉不定都慢慢沉淀。

只有在最细微的生活中透出的幸福快乐，才是最真实的。

平淡也浪漫。无语也温暖。

Fireworks

had an rare eventful day yesterday :)

as one of the precious days that I can sleep until I "wake naturally", I woke close to 11am. updated on the europe trip which I am lagging far far far behind :( haiz.. at this rate, I don't know when I will finish...

went to red star for a dim sum lunch with mom and dad :) delicously yummy... then its off to the Kwan Im Temple at waterloo. took some photos of fortune teller and one Qi Gong for Shutu. Not sure if they are any good thou... after seeing K's photos.. I discover that my photos are truly only for mine and P's memories'sake. well, as long as we can look at them and go "remember when..." when we are old... ^-^

went to the NTUC fair at Suntec in the afternoon and found my korean aloe vera drink! and going for only S$3.5! compared to the USD$5 in boston, this is too good to be true. esp since I am willing to pay exorbitant rates for this drink :)

went for the fireworks at Marina Bay in the evening. An act of near-insanity with the huge masses of people pressing and squeezing against each other... an ordeal to get there and another ordeal getting out... but still managed to take a few good photos and videos of the pretty lights for P :)

Vienna

first day in the imperial city of vienna... our first stop is the "very soul of the city", the Stephansdom. A huge bulky Gothic-style cathedral smack in the middle of Wien. We reached there with the mass in service, attempts at sneaking in was thwarted by the obvious asian face :p thus had to settle for viewing the interior of high vaulted cathedral from the back of the church.

walked down to schwedenplatz afterwards via a suggusted route that passed by several minor sights. Took a leisurely walk round the city and had delicous pizza for lunch as well as a kasekrainer at the original Wurstl am Hoher Markt :) yummy...sausage with cheese melting out of every bite...

we somehow ended up walking down kohlmarkt to land in michealerplatz, in front of the Hofburg Complex, castle of the Habsburg Empire.

visited the apartments and the schaztkammer in the alte burg. although the rooms were sumptuously decorated and the treasury one of the most impressive collection I have seen (truly, all the jewels and exquisite antiques) , what I really was interested in is the much-loved empress Sisi who lived in these apartments. A fascinating woman with stars in her hair and sorrow in her heart.

We left via Herrengasse and walked to Freyung, the old sanctury of the scottish church. a pretty glass-roofed courtyard with the Austria Fountain depicting the major rivers, all awashed in sepia lighting...

walked out to am hof and enjoyed dinner at an open-air austrian place before going home...

Danube

Left Salzburg for Vienna today by a rather circuitous route via the Danube. Took the train the Melk and bought tickets for the Blue Danube Cruise before visiting the magnificent Melk Abbey. This Benedictine Abbey is HUGE and looks very noble overlooking the little village. Nearly fell in love with the library, filled to the ceiling with tomes of hand-copied scriptures by the monks. The interior of the abbey was beautiful as well, shell-like spiral staircases, marble halls and baroque chapels and wide courtyards...

The Danube isn't blue... more like a muddy green. P was certainly not impressed ;p but still, the views along the way of austrian villages, castles and ruins has a charm of its own.

We stopped over at the fairytale village of Durnstein, a dainty little place with only one main street with interesting little shops, but its so perfect! When the boat was approaching the village, I prayed so hard that this would be our stop... its so pretty with a tall blue and white church tower right at the docks! It still have its medieval wall surrounding the village, to get up to it, we had to climb up a covered stairway, making us feel like we are entering another time. I want to go back there one day and stay in its schloss hotel...

We left Durnstein for Vienna, a long boat ride complete with two locks (this thing that changes the water level of the boat, quite fascinating. P went "we're sinking??" at the first one when we didn't know what's going on). Also caught a beautiful sunset on the Danube, skies and water turning a delicate shade of pink, accentuated by the lights of the boat..

But this had us arriving at Vienna at 9pm... causing a adventure in finding our hostel accommodations... but it was all worth it when we saw our hostel room, a cozy little room complete with a mini-table, closet, tv (which we never used) and comfy bunkbeds, our first private room in our travels...

Bad Durrnberg

Spent half the day in Bad Durrnberg Salt Mine in an attempt to learn more about Salzburg's history...Salt was known as "white gold" in the times of the archbishops and brought Salzburg its legendary wealth. But in truth, we came away with the memory of the mad scientist white coats we had to wear and the steep slides used by the miners to get to the bottom of the mine which was really fun. Wheee! and you are at the bottom of the mine in seconds. Ingenious. There was also an underground salt lake we had to cross with a boat, its pretty amazing to cross a lake when you are god-knows-how-many-feet underground...

After we got out of the dark and gloomy mine, we took some time to climb up the steep steps of Durrnberg to the St. Maria Church for pretty views of flower-strewn hilly lawns..

The second half of the day was spent at Hallein, a picturesque village which happened to have a market-fair on with stalls selling all kind of items from dolls to cheese and milk! There were people buying cheese by the bucket or is it milk? ;p

Went back to Salzburg with enough daylight for a last stroll down Getridgasse. P also helped me find an elusive garden full of gnomes in the Mirabell Gardens, kitschy I know, but so cute! Especially when he imitated one for me to take a photo :)

Hohensalzburg & Hellbrunn

We started the day with Hohensalzburg Fortress, the landmark of Salzburg. The aerial view of Salzburg from the fortress was impressive, while the white turnip coat of arms was somewhat amusing. The tour did give us a basic understanding of the history of Salzburg and its archbishops.

After the stern history lecture, we went to the playful Hellbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the archbishops. And it was fun! Loved all the trick fountains, from the dining table to the wasserspieles that shoot up as you pass by. P complained about getting wet but we were laughing the whole time :) the mechanical theatre was fascinating as well as the minature grottos with figures powered by water.

we went back to Salzburg for dinner, starting with a slice of esterhazytorte, a heavenly concoction with feathered icing. I had a certain salmon dish that literally melts in the mouth and P bought a burrito of sorts from a stall in one of the many passageways.

We walked through Linzergasse on the neustadt and visited an Italian style cemetery on the way back...

Salzburg

we arrived in Salzburg, Austria on a rainy afternoon... P therefore decided that he didn't like this place ;p

However, he did like the hot dog with added cucumbers snitched from the morning's free breakfast at Fussen we shared under the somewhat inadequate umbrella shelter :) There's nothing quite like biting into a hot and sweet sausage on a cold, rainy day... it's even worth the rain for the experience...

we visited Mirabell Gardens before crossing the river to the altstadt and spent the day wandering around Salzburg's old town, visiting the many kirches and platzs and attempting to get lost amidst the maze of alleys and passages..

of all the many churches we saw this day, my favourite is the baroque kollegienkirche, with the white cloud and cupid carvings. the gothic franziskanerkiche comes a close second simply because of how different it stands out with its vast and un-adorned vaulted ceiling and regal air.

I love getreidegasse with its intricate wrought iron signs... a medieval shopping area! and all the passageways and courtyards and portals... it's one of the most charming street we saw...
for once, when P lit up at a MacDonald's sign, it was understandable :P

Linderhof

Linderhof... the only one of King Ludwig's castles that's finished. P liked it because its the smallest :p until he realised how vast the gardens are...

Linderhof is more a minature palace than castle, very intimate and very gold, very decadent... the grounds are impressive, perfect setting for the fountains and statues. The Venus Grotto was hauntingly pretty and very cold...

We did the long walk to the hunting lodge, covering almost the entire place and came back at the top of the terrace, giving us views of both the front and back of the terrace gardens...

We visited Oberammergau on the way back, a village famed for its navity woodcarving and house-wall murals, called Luftlmalereien, literally "paintings in the air"... I love the Bavarian wall paintings...it adds so much color to both the houses and the streetlife... and its so authentically Bavarian...

Neuschwanstein

Neuschwanstein... the fairytale castle of dreams... an exquisite mirage in the Bavarian Alps...

we were one of the first in the castle in order to escape the crowds... it was worth it to have the castle to ourselves on Marie's Bridge...

we walked around the Alpsee after visiting both castles, P had the wonderful idea of taking a rowboat out on the lake. It was one of the loveliest things we did, floating on the lake with views of both castles and the alps. The sun shining gently down and the tourist crowds far away...

we took the cablecar up the alps in the afternoon and hiked up near the top...our first hike up the snowy and craggy mountains...breathtaking views... P was very impressed by the hang-gliders :p

one of our best days... the castles... the lake... the Bavarian Alps...

Fussen

Fussen, a small Bavarian village on the Romantic Strasse...

We spent the day wandering around this bright and cheerful village, with its small shops and cobbled streets. Its baroque church is the first of its kind that we saw... amazing us with the richness of its ornaments.

I like Fussen because of its small town feel, very Bavarian with their colorful houses and shops, embracing one with a relaxed, holiday feeling...

Zurich

Zurich... our very first stop... which makes it special...

we arrived on a sunday... thus the famous Banhofstrasse was an abandoned elegant boulevard. However, this allows us to see the quiet beauty of Zurich.

We took a 4h cruise on Zurichsee, and P promptly took the chance to snooze under the sunny skies ;p

explored the two churches of Zurich upon return... climbed up to the top of Grossmunster for an ariel view of Zurich...walked through the old town and discovered the peaceful spot of Lindenhof...an old park overlooking the river, complete of giant chess sets and swings...

went back to the bustling street of our hostel to eat dinner at Macdonald's before going back to the hostel. Came out at night after showering for a look at Zurich's nightsky...

woke up at 5am the next day to catch the 730 train to Munich... and had the river to ourselves as we crossed the bridge at dawn... quiet and calm and pink-tinged... and that remains my memory of Zurich... elegant and calm.. and lightly rosy-tinged...

Salem

we drove to salem, witch village the day before we left for europe...

always wanted to visit salem... having read so many books, facts and fiction equal, intepreting the events that happened there so long ago...

slightly disappointed at how commercialized the whole place is now...the many sights and interests so vainly exploiting the true and fictional events that happened there...

still...learned facts that I never knew before... Salem's old fame as a seaport (apparantly, China once believed Salem was a country by itself, based on the vast number of ships that came from Salem!), the history of pirates of Salems... all outweighed by the witches... poor things :p

I only wish... the town can lose that faint veneer of artificial polish...

dazzling day

was scanning through the photos stored in the ipod... and realised I forgot about this beautiful day...

I can't even remember the date... or why we went out... to return library books? to borrow books? or simply to visit Trinity? only that it was a beautiful day and we did go out..

we went to Trinity...and to the library...truly explored the library for the historical monument it is, wandering through the frescoed walls and halls, instead of just getting my books and out.

we walked down the green commonwealth ave, amidst strolling dogs and snowing blossoms...past Public Garden and Boston Common to the Macdonald's there for chips and ice-cream...

we walked back through the common to Charles Street... and did a repeat of last year to get the meringue cookies we missed... through charles street and across longfellow bridge over the river and home...

such a long, long walk and we weren't tired at all at the end... I remember the blue skies and the green trees, I remember the salty and hot fries against the cold and sweet ice-cream... I remember the laughter reflecting off the mirror-like lake and river...

it was a beautiful day... dreamy and bright... did I really forget? or was it simply resting in a corner of my mind? a dazzling memory...

home is where the heart is

finally... I'm home... in my haven... then one place that I can truly call my own...

they say home is where your love is... perhaps that's true in a way. P always says his favourite place is wherever I am...why else would I always leave my haven for ages at a time? but my room is my special place...

arrived at midnight as usual and hit the ground running... phone calls, unpacking, finding a backpack for my brother and plans for registration tmr...

want to do updates for europe as well.. planning to update one day per day... which will take me roughly 30++ days to finish up the entire trip...

the best part about going away is coming home... if only...

etre et avoir

a very sweet documentary... one that touches abit too close to heart... a career that I will be facing in the near future... shown in a way that it should be, only I know that it will never be so for me...

the innocence of the children, the never-flagging patience of the teacher... both substances that I no longer have or never had in the first place...

teaching a child to wash his hands while teaching another fractions... teaching patience, teaching confidence, teaching independence... teaching each child to be, and not just to have...

Is this what a teacher should be? teaching out of the love from the bottom of your heart... teaching in such a way that it becomes a joy, something priceless, using imagination and only the most basic tools. without the technology of our life... we are reduced to the core of our hearts...

when did we forget that teaching does not mean imparting knowledge? that teaching is nurturing at its very essence?

I felt I was watching a fairy tale...

night sailing

went night sailing last night with a group of friends (excluding P, who refused to go, the anti-social git)

It was a clear night with a huge full moon that's impossibly round. We had a wonderful view of the Boston skyline, all lighted up.

I always loved to be out on the water with the wind blowing... a feeling of freedom, no restrictions. It's a feeling you don't get on ground. Water and wind, flowing and streaming, has an allure that's irresistably present in its infinite forms.

I'll always remember sitting at the tip of the boat, looking out at the broad horizon of lights and towers, freezingly cold but wonderfully free...

:P I think I was an icicle when I got back... with P being the perfect hot water bottle..