everywhere else in the world but here. After coming back from Europe, I was really relieved to sleep in my own bed and shower in my own shower again. However, it took merely three days and I was itching to see the world again. I thought: "uh oh. I have the travel bug really bad!" and talking to various friends who had come home from their own adventures certainly didn't help. I have quite a few plans in the air:
1. Japan, Korea, HK
2. Italy, Greece, and Turkey
3. Australia and New Zealand
4. Costa Rica, Argentina, and Brazil.
However, only God knows when I would ever get to go to those places. (But don't let that stop you from telling me if/when you ever go and need a traveling buddy.) haha The last week of school has admittedly been much harder after coming up with all these plans in my mind but perhaps it will get to happen much sooner than I think. ;)
Speaking of school, I have to admit that I've actually been enjoying it. Perhaps its the ability to pick the classes I'm interested in. But it has also been helped by the fact that I feel much more comfortable at school this year. I've been told countless times that the first year is the hardest; that it is the most agonizing. And looking back, in this instance, the grass IS much greener on the other side. It IS nicer to be a 2L and I'm looking forward to the challenges that this year has to offer.
I promise the next post will be less reflective and I'll try to come up with sarcastic stories to tell you. Hope you all are doing well!
August 30, 2008
August 17, 2008
Bling Bling-ing
The whole world is glued to the tv as the Olympics are on. Yours truly is no exception. It is more than just the thrill of watching the world's greatest athletes compete in a mind-boggling array of sports. It involves pride as it is my motherland that is hosting these games. And despite the controversies that have already arose with voice-switching little girls, pre-recorded fireworks, and protests regarding Tibet, I am indescribably proud to be Chinese-American. I am proud to be part of a people with thousands of years of history, a people that have a tremendously strong sense of self, and a nation that has an increasingly important role to play in the world. I eagerly watch the games every night to cheer on China, the U.S., and the world.
p.s. This quote hecka cracked me up: "How fabulous was Phelps’s feat? At Sunday’s start, the Person’s Republic of Phelps would have ranked fourth in gold medals and been ahead of all but 14 countries in the medal count." - the NBC Olympics website.
p.s. This quote hecka cracked me up: "How fabulous was Phelps’s feat? At Sunday’s start, the Person’s Republic of Phelps would have ranked fourth in gold medals and been ahead of all but 14 countries in the medal count." - the NBC Olympics website.
August 11, 2008
European Adventures London
My last update about Europe. From now on, its going to be the trials of 2nd year. haha I hope you'll still stick around and read this even with that warning. ;)
So we headed to Gare du Nord to take the Eurostar from Paris to London at around 1pm. However, when it came time to board, they found an "unclaimed" piece of luggage and had to evacuate the whole area. It was insane since the elevator AND an entire set of escalators were broken!!! After a very chaotic hour, we were able to board and just made our train with 10 mins to spare (and an hour late). We were on our way to London! The Eurostar dropped us off at King's Cross Station and of course, I had to go find the Hogwarts Express.
Here's the platform. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go through being a Muggle but someone left their cart halfway through. I can only hope that it was forgetful Neville.
We then navigated through the tube and got to our hotel. We took it easy as it was already after 6 by the time we got there and just had dinner.
The next few days, we set out to see the sights.
Here's Westminster Abbey. The famous site of weddings, funerals and coronations.
And we also went by 10 Downing Street but not only was it obstructed with heavy construction both on the outside and along the street, but also heavily guarded. Of course, what else would I expect? Gordon Brown waving to the crowd?
But along the way, I stopped for a tourist picture.
Jo said it smelled really bad inside so I didn't go in. hahaha
But here we are along the Thames river with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in the background. Too bad they were not in session or else I would've totally gone to watch a session. ;)
We wandered over to the London Eye and I had to satisfy myself with a picture from the ground since the prices were outrageous (read: 13.50 pounds!!).
We also headed to see the Queen! Unfortunately, I'm not sure if she was home or not.
Can you guys tell?
In order to get to Buckingham Palace, we took a walk through St. James Park. It was a really nice park and if it didn't have a bajillion tourists swarming around, I'm sure I could see the locals coming to hang out there.
Here's the Princess Diana Memorial Walkway across the lake in the park.
And of course, we took the bus a few times. Here's the inside of one of those old school double deckers where you get in on the back. Davis people, like the ones along the G line!
Everyone thinks that this is the London Bridge but rather, it is the Tower Bridge. It's very pretty though.
Among all the museums we went to, my favorite was the National Portrait Gallery. The top floor was portraits of royalty, starting with the Tudors. The second floor was a bit more modern, moving up until the mid 1990s and included people like Beatrix Potter. The bottom floor was modern people like Dame Judi Dench and David Beckham. It was really cool to see the change in the way people are portrayed. However, I only say this to intro the next picture who had nothing to do with the National Portrait Gallery. HAHA.
This is the famous chandelier in the Victoria and Albert museum. Jo told me that the designer is the same as the one who designed the decorations inside the Bellagio. :)
And of course, I have some food pictures.
The famous food hall in Harrods!! The room was huge and all the food looked SO GOOD. Sigh.
And Jo and I had tea one afternoon. The cake was pretty good.
London was a great end to my European adventures. In fact, of all the cities I visited, I really could see myself living there for a bit. Maybe because it reminds me so much of Hong Kong or because of the ease of language but to be honest, I feel very comfortable there. And to continue with the list of favorites, my favorite small city was Colmar. The architecture is so distinct and the town is very cute (although very touristy). My favorite large city was Munich. It was a great combination of old and new and the Germans are definitely some of my favorite people.
I'm so glad to have gone on this adventure...one that I've dreamed of for many years. It has opened my eyes to sights I never knew existed and to people I never hoped to meet. God has not only tremendously blessed me in allowing me to go but in bringing the people and places into my life. And I'd like to think that I learned a bit about International Law as well. :wink: Thanks for reading friends and stick around because you never know what adventures I might encounter next.
So we headed to Gare du Nord to take the Eurostar from Paris to London at around 1pm. However, when it came time to board, they found an "unclaimed" piece of luggage and had to evacuate the whole area. It was insane since the elevator AND an entire set of escalators were broken!!! After a very chaotic hour, we were able to board and just made our train with 10 mins to spare (and an hour late). We were on our way to London! The Eurostar dropped us off at King's Cross Station and of course, I had to go find the Hogwarts Express.
Here's the platform. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to go through being a Muggle but someone left their cart halfway through. I can only hope that it was forgetful Neville.
We then navigated through the tube and got to our hotel. We took it easy as it was already after 6 by the time we got there and just had dinner.
The next few days, we set out to see the sights.
Here's Westminster Abbey. The famous site of weddings, funerals and coronations.
And we also went by 10 Downing Street but not only was it obstructed with heavy construction both on the outside and along the street, but also heavily guarded. Of course, what else would I expect? Gordon Brown waving to the crowd?
But along the way, I stopped for a tourist picture.
Jo said it smelled really bad inside so I didn't go in. hahaha
But here we are along the Thames river with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament in the background. Too bad they were not in session or else I would've totally gone to watch a session. ;)
We wandered over to the London Eye and I had to satisfy myself with a picture from the ground since the prices were outrageous (read: 13.50 pounds!!).
We also headed to see the Queen! Unfortunately, I'm not sure if she was home or not.
Can you guys tell?
In order to get to Buckingham Palace, we took a walk through St. James Park. It was a really nice park and if it didn't have a bajillion tourists swarming around, I'm sure I could see the locals coming to hang out there.
Here's the Princess Diana Memorial Walkway across the lake in the park.
And of course, we took the bus a few times. Here's the inside of one of those old school double deckers where you get in on the back. Davis people, like the ones along the G line!
Everyone thinks that this is the London Bridge but rather, it is the Tower Bridge. It's very pretty though.
Among all the museums we went to, my favorite was the National Portrait Gallery. The top floor was portraits of royalty, starting with the Tudors. The second floor was a bit more modern, moving up until the mid 1990s and included people like Beatrix Potter. The bottom floor was modern people like Dame Judi Dench and David Beckham. It was really cool to see the change in the way people are portrayed. However, I only say this to intro the next picture who had nothing to do with the National Portrait Gallery. HAHA.
This is the famous chandelier in the Victoria and Albert museum. Jo told me that the designer is the same as the one who designed the decorations inside the Bellagio. :)
And of course, I have some food pictures.
The famous food hall in Harrods!! The room was huge and all the food looked SO GOOD. Sigh.
And Jo and I had tea one afternoon. The cake was pretty good.
London was a great end to my European adventures. In fact, of all the cities I visited, I really could see myself living there for a bit. Maybe because it reminds me so much of Hong Kong or because of the ease of language but to be honest, I feel very comfortable there. And to continue with the list of favorites, my favorite small city was Colmar. The architecture is so distinct and the town is very cute (although very touristy). My favorite large city was Munich. It was a great combination of old and new and the Germans are definitely some of my favorite people.
I'm so glad to have gone on this adventure...one that I've dreamed of for many years. It has opened my eyes to sights I never knew existed and to people I never hoped to meet. God has not only tremendously blessed me in allowing me to go but in bringing the people and places into my life. And I'd like to think that I learned a bit about International Law as well. :wink: Thanks for reading friends and stick around because you never know what adventures I might encounter next.
August 8, 2008
European Adventures Paris
Bonjour! After Strasbourg, I took the train to Paris and spent five days there with my friend Joanna. Here's a quick picture recap:
We were really tired but when we got to the hotel and unloaded, we wanted to go see something. Lo and behold, look what we stumble upon.
The stars represent the EU emblem since Sarkozy was president of the EU when we were in Paris. hehe
Here's the version at night. It was so pretty since the lights actually sparkled!
The next day was a Tuesday which means that our original Louvre plans had to be scraped since it closes Tuesdays. Thus, it was off to Paris Disney. I was ready for some manufactured fun and to get in some time at the Happiest Place on Earth: Euro version.
Their Sleeping Beauty Castle was freaking awesome. I totally loved it b/c it had an animated dragon in cave part and an awesome upstairs.
The outside of the castle with a Disney band to welcome us.
Here's the stained glass windows that were on the upper floor. They were pretty cool.
And of course, no one does fireworks like Disney. I have to say the music, lights, and fireworks combo is the best I've seen.
The next day was Museum day. Three major museums, Notre Dame and some more exploring. It was a long day. haha
Here's me doing my "yay for I.M. Pei" jump outside the Louvre.
And of course we must not forget the famous Mona Lisa. She's very tiny in real life.
This is the inside of my favorite museum visit: the Musee l'Orangerie. It hosted Monet's "Waterlilies" and had two rooms that looked like this. Simply beautiful.
We dropped by the Musee d'Orsay which could've easily been a really fun museum if my back was not killing me at that point. Just too much wear and tear for a couple of weeks by then.
And then it was off to search for the hunchback. Didn't see him at all.
The last full day was spent at Versailles because it was so HUGE. It was ridiculous how big it was. And like Jo said, no wonder there were wars b/c if one person was allowed to own all of that, I'm sure it was a matter of time before the common person would revolt.
Me and part of Louis XIV's garden. There is more believe it or not.
We headed back out into the city and went to the Arc de Triomphe...another self-tribute by a king.
Here's the view from the bottom.
And then from the top, this is down the Champs Elysees. :) I did a TINY bit of shopping. hahaha
Well, that was a quick run through of my time in Paris. Next up, London!
We were really tired but when we got to the hotel and unloaded, we wanted to go see something. Lo and behold, look what we stumble upon.
The stars represent the EU emblem since Sarkozy was president of the EU when we were in Paris. hehe
Here's the version at night. It was so pretty since the lights actually sparkled!
The next day was a Tuesday which means that our original Louvre plans had to be scraped since it closes Tuesdays. Thus, it was off to Paris Disney. I was ready for some manufactured fun and to get in some time at the Happiest Place on Earth: Euro version.
Their Sleeping Beauty Castle was freaking awesome. I totally loved it b/c it had an animated dragon in cave part and an awesome upstairs.
The outside of the castle with a Disney band to welcome us.
Here's the stained glass windows that were on the upper floor. They were pretty cool.
And of course, no one does fireworks like Disney. I have to say the music, lights, and fireworks combo is the best I've seen.
The next day was Museum day. Three major museums, Notre Dame and some more exploring. It was a long day. haha
Here's me doing my "yay for I.M. Pei" jump outside the Louvre.
And of course we must not forget the famous Mona Lisa. She's very tiny in real life.
This is the inside of my favorite museum visit: the Musee l'Orangerie. It hosted Monet's "Waterlilies" and had two rooms that looked like this. Simply beautiful.
We dropped by the Musee d'Orsay which could've easily been a really fun museum if my back was not killing me at that point. Just too much wear and tear for a couple of weeks by then.
And then it was off to search for the hunchback. Didn't see him at all.
The last full day was spent at Versailles because it was so HUGE. It was ridiculous how big it was. And like Jo said, no wonder there were wars b/c if one person was allowed to own all of that, I'm sure it was a matter of time before the common person would revolt.
Me and part of Louis XIV's garden. There is more believe it or not.
We headed back out into the city and went to the Arc de Triomphe...another self-tribute by a king.
Here's the view from the bottom.
And then from the top, this is down the Champs Elysees. :) I did a TINY bit of shopping. hahaha
Well, that was a quick run through of my time in Paris. Next up, London!
August 2, 2008
European Adventures Day 56
I'm currently sitting in an internet cafe off of the Bond St. Tube station in London. Four more days and I'm home but just wanted to let you know that I WILL have a huge picture update once I'm lucid and in my own home again. I would love to hang out so please call in about five days. haha :) See you soon!
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