I'm here!

I've finally arrived in London - yay! It's Day 6 and things have just been a whirlwind around me. My folks have headed of to a swissoland and I've been attending one induction after another, doing the usual school and banking admin and working out the quickest route to school.

LSE has a whole host of public lectures... Alan Greenspan was here 2 nights ago for a lecture... I didn't know!

Last night I went with SY and CL to their CG meeting which is held at a barge beside Canary Wharf... how cool is that! Haha. It's London's first floating church wor... ;) Anyways, it's been fun apart from the wet and gloomy weather and the need to walk, walk, walk. I miss my car.

From now on, I'll be blogging about my Chevening year at pumpkingoestoskool.blogspot.com

Super Dad saves the day!

Yet again!

What would I do without my Dad? My car tyre burst in the mall yesterday evening and thankfully, I was still able to drive out of the underground parking and wait for Dad by the main road outside Tesco. Thank God for my handyman Dad... :)

My car looks rather spastic with it's spare wheel. The normal wheel is too large for the boot and had to be placed in the passenger seat... hahhaha. Photos to follow.

Counting down...

5 weeks and counting.... yippeeeee!!!!!

Here's a teaser.... ;)

A lovely affair

It was one of the loveliest weddings I have ever been too. Loads of people, young and old (proportionately more young), squeezed into what I'd imagine is a hall meant for 250 at most. ;) Celebration was in the air and the crowd cheered as soon as the bride walked through the sliding door. T'was definately a first for me! ;)

The ceremony was beautiful and meaningful with personal exhortations and blessings meant for the couple. All in all, lovely! I was moved to tears.. hehe.

What I've learnt:

1) Testimonies from the couple's marriage counsellors lend a personal touch to the proceedings.

2) Choice of speaker is VERY important. All speakers should end with blessings for the couple.

3) A smaller hall creates a cosier atmosphere.

4) The element of friendship in a marriage must be nurtured and not forgotten.

And a whole host of other poignant things.. hehe. Congrats D & B!

O my

The strangest thing ever. People talk about 6 degrees of separation. It's actually only 3 degrees... and it extends all the way to the UK!

"We are going to crash into the clouds"

Our tour guide, Tadashi, kept saying that when we were about to board the Ropeway at Hakone's Mt Komagatake - the second highest volcano in Hakone. Haha. He's a really cute old man who was waving a little red Mickey Mouse flag about to ensure we didn't get lost.

The day started far to early for my liking :P ... had to drag myself out of bed at about 6am and trudge along towards Royal Park Hotel for the Hato Bus pick-up. By 9.30am, we were on the way to Mt Fuji and I was nodding away towards the "little" Spanish boy who happened to be sitting next to me. He actually filled more than his seat and more into mine. :P

Nevertheless, the tour guide was entertaining with stories of Japan's past and the Shogun. He even gave us a dose of his viewpoint about the previous and current Prime Minister. Apparently, they both strive to be obedient to the American President, for trade reasons. He also taught us to make an erupting Mt Fuji so we would have our own "personal" Mt Fuji's. Hahahaha. Ask me and I might just teach you. ;) He also left us with some instructions on how to make a Shogun's helmet. Kewl. I'm gonna try with newspaper when I get back. Apparently, it's just the right size for a normal sized head. :P

Mt Fuji was glorious today, albeit for a short period of time. According to Tadashi, Mt Fuji is a shy mountain. So much for that. Anyways, I have been inspired to climb it. R's climbed it. I just need to find kaki to go with. I reckon that'll be harder than it sounds. Sigh.

The day ended with a ride on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train)... I actually thought it was going to be so fast that everything outside would be a blur... hahaa. Not. But it was a restful ride nevertheless.

Anyways, it was a lovely day and we're off to Yokohama tomorrow. Here're some pics from yesterday and today.

People are so considerate. Those with flu/cough don face masks so they don't pass on their germs to others. I took the shot because I noticed the word "pumpkin" on the advert, since I couldn't read anything else! Haha.

This little girl was trying to clean her mouth with her tougue while her daddy was rummaging thru his bag for a tissue. She's doing a pretty good job I reckon.

Falling asleep in Asakusa.

Everyone's always on the go. People don't even sit down at eating outlets when there are chairs. They prefer to stand. Here's an old man having a Red Bull. Btw, I've been told that everything can be bought from vending machines.... thus far, I've only spotted drinks and ciggies. Urban legend ler!

So... desuka!

I've finally realised where all the old people in Tokyo are... they are in Asakusa! It's a lovely part of the city slightly up north which gives one a feeling of being in an older part of Tokyo. There were loads of older folks here.. hehhehe. I'm learning more and more about life here:

1) Different people hangout in different parts of the city. One would hardly see youngsters from Harajuku or Shibuya or Shinjuku around the Ginza area.

2) Most women wear REALLY high heels and walk super fast. Hence their feet are a little deformed and they tend to walk bow-legged.

3) Shopping in Ameyoko is amazing! Bought a cool red Adidas tennis skirt among other things for only RM 15! Loads of food everywhere.

4) One can buy anything and everything from the 100 Yen shop. It's exactly like the One Pound Shops in UK.

5) Everyone's really well dressed either made up or in suits.

An "early" start to Day 3

It's 10.20am... and we've only just woken up.. hahhha. This is what I'd call a REAL holiday!

Mori said there are 3 types of young people in Japan:

"Normal" young people - Kids who've been to university and have "regular" jobs.

"Freeters" - Those who work in restaurants, bars and other places part-time just to earn enough for a living or to travel

"Needs" - Those who live off their parents..... hahhaa. Society is so harsh!

Ok, I need to go get ready now.... it's supposed to be rainy today. :P See ya later alligator.

Lost in Tokyo

It's day 2 in Tokyo and I'm still amazed by the massive crowds... it's really intense here! Love the city, the lights and the architecture. Found ourselves lost in the subway a couple of times and ended up going round and round looking for the right exit.. hahhaha. ;) I also paid a special visit to the loo at the Aoyama-chome station. :P Had a raw egg for dinner. Thank goodness the toilets in the subway are clean. I'd have had no choice anyways. hahha.

Oh btw, it's Earth Day in Tokyo today so HAPPY EARTH DAY y'all!!! :) Here're some shots of today's sights... enjoy!

Salut!

Here's to old friends whom I can call when there's no one to lunch with, who love me despite my quick tongue and sharp remarks, who drag themselves out of bed to be with me when I need company and whom I can call upon at anytime of the day.

You know who you are.... love you all!! And most of all to Mr Moo.... You're the best! Hugz!

Women in symmetry

Interesting that HL captured this at just the right angle... (iBridge dinner, Mar 07)

Remembering 31 years of goodness...

Apparently... this is the German translation of my name.. hahaha

Your German Name is:

Arianne Frauke

What's Your German Name?

James 3:16 (New Living Translation)

For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

It amazes me no end that through the blogging phenomenon, numerous talented closet writers are coming out of the woodwork...

Lilian & Wan Han's wedding

I attended their wedding last saturday.... WH was stoned at the end of the nite :P Here's lovely Lilian & me...

Bangkok - Nov 2006

Here're some long overdue photos of the trip with CY ... :)


The rest of the photos are available on ofoto.com....

Purity

Purity is a function of the mind and heart, and is expressed outwards through practical application of self-control.

1 Corinthians 6: 6 - in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love

Obedience : Step 1?

1 Corinthians 6 says: ¹⁴Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

I have struggled with the verses above for years and years. I'm still struggling with them and my choices have resulted in much pain. It is time to obey. :(

*Update @ 31 Jan 09 - Praise God! Tis a struggle no more!

HL's contribution to my pet hunt... Thaaanks!!! ;)

Sure, get a dog
but not a frog
nor a sawn timber log.

A frog croaks
and a log floats
but only a dog has sleek golden coat.

But why not a cat
or a bat
or a jet black rat?

Coz a dog barks
in the dark
making the robbers miss their mark.

A (wo)man's best friend
loyal to the end
so let's give 'em all a hand!

Put off, put on

Putting away selfishness, anger and jealousy and putting on obedience, love, patience, thanksgiving, generosity and purity.

May the new year ahead be a year of blessing and growth.

Happy trails to Ipoh... bro and I

2007 New Year's @ Char Chan Teng

Since it was also Alwin's birthday, we were given a giganticus cup of tea!!!