Uh oh... the i-think-i-live-near-school-and-thus-can-dally syndrome has started. I decided not to go for 2:30 german class today cause I had just finished bathing at 2:10 and there was no way I could be in class on time.

It's almost like back home. I stay a 15 to 20 mins walk from school.. sth like the half an hour bus ride from my place to school. The only diff is I can't and I won't pay for a cab to bring me to school. Firstly, cause cabs don't ply my area here and secondly, it's SUPER ex! I think the flag down rate is like 5Fr or sth...

Spring is almost here... I see green leaves everywhere, flowers, the snow melting, birds in the garden! Nice! Even the weather is a bearable 7 deg instead of -1 or 0.

I like pics of the snow melting. I think it's cool that there's grass and stuff under the snow... wahahahs... like so oxymoronic...

It's been hectic since classes started. I have german lessons from 8:30 EVERYDAY till about 4. Went for a city tour, a talk on the history of St Gallen which I promptly fell asleep in. Went Lake Constance on Sat. Sun stayed home, but was catching up with ppl at home. Yesterday, even though I had a day off, woke up even earlier to go Saentis. So it's just been out early, home late kinda thingee... and I don't feel very rested. Hahaha... But I guess things will be diff when school starts. My timetable is looking good (ie: slack!). More time to chill...

But slowly settling in here... more at ease with walking back at night. Quite sure I won't get lost in the near future... so ok...

Hmmmz... Day 12 in Switz...

Ok.. i think i was kinda pms-ing before that, therefore, all the emo thingee. Plus now, things are more settled.

I am enjoying German lessons. We kinda learn basic conversational German and how to form simple sentences like

Ich heisse Gillian
Ich bliebe ein Semester (i will be here for one semester)
Ich arbeite erst zwolf tage (I have been here for only 12 days)
Ich spiele Klavier gern (I like playing piano) - Oh.. have I mentioned, I have a piano in my house!

2 more days to end of intensive German... Kinda settled my timetable.. so yeah.. Looking forward to school to start!

Anyway, I feel soooooooooo domesticated.. cooking, washing, ironing... Watch out for more pics over in my other blog! :)

Hmmm.. I think i just need to be around ppl.. The worse times are when I wake up in the morning... and I have nth much to do... Like dun have to rush to school... Then I'll just sit back and contemplate my surroundings... But not that I want to rush home immediately.. I want to go tour Europe! I want to go to Basel, Geneva and Bern...

I dun miss home... not even the food... But I miss the people at home...

But once I take the bus ride to town, I will just go like 'Waaaaaaaaahh...' cause the view is really very good. Think snowcapped buildings when u are on a road winding slowly into town... Magnificent... I'm having a good time when I hang out with the other exchange students... and stuff.. Maybe I'm just pms-ing... or i need to get rid of my 'morning homesickness'.

Hahaha.. exchange is fun.. no doubt... I really see a lot, hear a lot from others... It's like for a lot of people especially the Europeans, they speak more than 3 language. It's like English, German and maybe French or Spanish, or both plus other languages like Swedish... then the things I See here is also so different. I like the recyclign way of life... I don't exactly mind my 'exchange diet*'.

*Exchange diet is just like rabbit food (ie: Salad) or like simple stuff cause I'm too lazy to cook. But I went shopping in Lake Constance, Germany. The things there are cheaper! Wahahhas.. and I bought biscuits and stuff... :) Now, I just have to start eating them...

But the downside is you have to be prepared for these pangs of longings especially when you wake up with nothing much to do.. Sometimes, I wish you all can be over here with me.. Then it'll be a blast cause we'll have fun. Or sometimes, I wish that I can get home easily... But I also like the times I have here... It's contradicting.. But hey... there are many facets of emotions for every individual...

Everything is foreign here.. like how much walking I've done, like following a bus schedule, rushing for the last bus, taking the train to another city... going grocery shopping. Planning my menu.. walking to school.. blah blah blah... but slowly getting the hang of things. Go look for 'Acztion' or sth like tt.. It meants Action! I think.. which means the product is on sale.. wahahhas...

Ok lar... I'll be fine... a couple of weeks more and I'll probably be gushing abotu the people I meet instead of pining for the people at home. :)

Heh... It's one week since I've been here... Yet.. I sometimes feel like I've been here far longer than that. Sometimes, I can't wait to leave cause I'm missing you all back home, but other times, I just think that 'gosh... I'll be here for only 3 more months'. I'm like a pro liao.. shopping at Migros, the grocery store here... walking to town, walking home from school. Even prepping dinner or packing bread for school

Like I told some friends, I think i'll walk more in these 3.5 months here than in the past year back in Singapore. Like a 20 mins walk to school is normal for me.. Hahaha... I guess i'm really spoilt in Singapore.

Sigh man... I'm still missing home... Ok.. I think it's normal. But sometimes, its quite shitty that I would just tear up when I read my sister's email me or when I think of home or my mum, dad and bro. This is especially when I'm all alone or sth... HOW?

Thank goodness I stay connected via the internet... but the thing is it still feels different. Plus I'm not staying with the other Singaporeans, or have like other exchange people that I can talk to. Maybe I'm just not that emotionally strong.

German classes for 3 days already. It's not too bad. I think I'll continue with the course during term time... But 830 class is like hell... Wahahahs...

Heh... I'm spending more time online thanks to the fact that I will go to my friend's place to charge my batt tmr.. and hopefully, I will get my package by Tues!!! *crosses fingers*

Anyway, settling in quite nicely... I'm enjoying what I've seen so far... Like going grocery shopping - u just look for the budget stuff. Hahaha.. poor students ma.. the 'MarktPlatz' which well, is the marketplace.. which is bustling with people from Mon to Sat esp Sat, but it is super quiet on Sunday cause all the shops are closed...

Eh.. saw this super nice cathdral.. I will post pics up once I get my adaptor.. dun wanna waste precious battery.. that's my mantra for the last few days...

It's just that cause I am living quite far away from the Singaporeans, up on a hill, I will leave town earlier when there is still light. So when I'm cooped up all alone in my room and not being able to use too much internet, I do think of home excessively sometimes.... Hahaha...

Haiya.. but I'll be fine when school starts cause I'll probably be occupied... Erm.. I'll update the other blog in chronological order and with pics once I get my adaptor...

Even the blogger interface is in German.

I Love skype!!! Cheap calls out to overseass lines...

Ok.. I'm finally here...

I think I'm a bit slow. So indifferent the few days before I flew.. even up to the point when boarded the plane... and when I reached here, it kinda struck me that I'll be on my own for 4 months. I'm feeling a lil lost... hahaha... being so far away from the world that I know.. and to my horrors, I discovered I did not bring my laptop adaptor. So smart hor~!~ Gonna get my mum to send it over... and meanwhile, I'm so glad I got a new battery the last time round so at least I have like 3 hours of connection time. Plus, I'm thinking of borrowing

See! I knew there was something important I would forget. I could feel it even before I left. Everything's fine... except for some pangs of homesickness when I called home after I arrived.

Anyways, I like my room. It's like quite big, neat.. and comfy... Hahaha...May be going grocery shopping later.. I'll see how everything goes...

I'm ALMOST done packing... and that's actually quite a big almost. Cause I'll have some last min thing to stuff in... Prob is.. my big luggage is a wee bit heavy... Bah! I think I stuffed too many things inside.. maybe i should diversify some into my not-so-full other bag...

A lot of should I bring this? or should I not... going to and fro. Taking things out, putting things back in.. yada yada yada...

------- 10:49 am on Thurs ------------

Ahhhh........ Still packing...

This is starting to feel so unreal... I can't believe I'm leaving in slightly less than 48 hours to Switz for 4 to 5 months. Wow... Not particularly excited, not even feeling as emo about it as I thought I would be.

Somehow, there is a little sense of indifference. Maybe cause I'm busy with trying to clear some work before I leave. Maybe I'll feel more hyped up after tomorrow. and get even more excited and emo the day after. *pre-flight jitters*

My room is currently in a mess cause I haven't put some of the stuff into my luggage yet. So whatever I need to bring, or bought is sitting on my table, hiding in my cupboards. Tomorrow is packing day. Hopefully, everything will fit. Or somehow, I will make them fit.

Now.. just what should I wear to the airport on Thursday? hahaha...

Stress.. and not from packing...

So many things to clear before I leave! Argh!!! 钱真的不容易赚！

4 more days!!! I'm feeling more and more excited... and I'm still half done packing. What is necessary, what are extras. What to put in each bag? Is bringing too much?What other work do I need to clear before I leave... So many things to do...

Oh... and thanks to all who took time out to meet up with me. Hahaha...

Tea/Dinner/Coffee with Val and Zhumei on Wed. At least I don't think I will miss jap food that much when I get over there. Heh...

Happy gaming @ Mind's Cafe with social science pioneers on Thursday... 'Ugly ugly!!!'

Dinner and mahjong with gassy on Sat. Next time we should meet earlier to play more mahjong. and we'll probably have yet another tutorial. :)

Random fact of the day: I receive like 30 over spam mail in my gmail account everyday. No wonder I keep having like 900 over spam mails even though they will clear the spam mailbox every 30 days.

Was just looking at some old photos when clearing my photos folder... Pics from trip to Down Under, Gold Coast in 2003, December...

I especially like the above pic with the mother kangeroo with the joey's head sticking. Cause I remember that she actually stopped and posed for the photo, as if to show off her joey...

And then the one below is of me feeding a kanga...

I miss times like this...


Ok.. maybe not so much of the mugging... but just G1 ppl sitting together in a GSR all doing work... I would presume this is rushing AS homework or studying for some test or sth...

Gosh.. this was taken at old campus.. which is almost 2 yrs back!

Leaving in one week's time...

So many things to do... Meeting up with friends, doing (very little) packing, just got my laptop back yesterday and Im now trying to load all the applications I usually use in... Being a temporary 'ahmad'...

Can't wait to get over... I've been tempted too much by the many many pretty pics i've seen posted by other exchange student...

I went back to school yesterday... and the most common refrain I got was 'Why are you STILL here?'. hahaha.. It's been a long wait.. but I'm kinda glad for the break I had... But I do so want to clear my comm service and internship report before I leave... Shall try and squeeze it in somehow...

Add baking pineapple tarts on the 14th night of the Lunar New Year @ 11pm to the list of quirky baking practices I am capable of... and that includes baking cookies till 3 at night.

Hot and bothered and tired and irritated...

I'm only getting my laptop back on Mon... and so far, I've just been... packing and repacking stuff, going to the school gym and driving. I kinda spent the whole day out from like 8 plus in the morning till 7 plus at night as the chauffeur. It is tiring and tedious... and I feel as if I've no life. I love my dad! Cause he usually just drives us around without complaints...