Bewilderment

Me,Devil's advocate? And here I was having the impression that we were thinking alike.

The Picturesque South

During our spring break (eons ago in April) we made a trip to Bratislava, Vienna, Prague and Munich (BVPM) but there are just too many pictures to put together, hence I'll skip those. Interested parties could (as I know, you already have) look at the 2 blogs, amanda and jia, linked on the right.

anyway, the second spring break trip was more interesting. We went to the Aeolian Islands in the South. Rather thronged with tourists, but not as bad as Florence, Rome and Venice. It was definitely charming and idyllic.

Pictures from Lipari, the Aeolian Island we stayed on.






Side note: If you want to read about some misadventures my roommates had while I was off hiking on Stromboli, read amanda's 26 April blog entry.

More pictures from Italy

There seems to be a sort of dearth of photographs in my blog. It is time to rectify it.

Continued from the Veneto, Venice



After that trip, I went solo on a short weekend trip to Florence. Unfortunately for me, it was cultural week so many of the blockbuster attractions were overflowing with tourists and locals alike, taking advantage of the entrance fee waiver.
Since I was there alone, I decided to go to Pisa (which wasn't on my original itinerary) on the 2nd day with 2 other girls I met at the hostel, which of course meant that I took the requisite "Heaving the Leaning Tower" pictures.



Clockwise from top left hand corner: Ponte Vecchio, View of Florence with the distinctive dome of the Duomo from Piazza Michelangelo, Baptistry at the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa, Leaning Tower partially obscured, Gardens of Palazzo Pitti

ruminations on my life

I woke up today to various epiphanic realizations.

1) My life lacks direction. 2)I can't decide what to do to remedy that. 3) Maybe I'll be happier relishing in mediocrity.

Of course, a whole bunch of people I know would be positively flabbergasted at that last thought, but to be honest, being mediocre is a really comfortable state to be in. Breaking out of that zone depletes energy much more quickly than languishing in it, unless you are born with that abundance of ambition. I admit that I don't possess that drive. If someone were to ask me what I want in life, I would be stumped. I have a pretty good idea as to how would like to live i.e. perhaps with regard to the quality of life, but I cannot pinpoint what exactly it is that I want out of life. It remains unresolved in my mind but continues to haunt, irk and perplex me sporadically.

Is this a phase or is it a permanant condition?

the prodding...

after much ribbing from aghast friends, i am back. I don't know for how long, since putting down my thoughts in writing doesn't seem to suit me very much. I definitely applaud those who can blog coherently and insightfully day after day.

i am currently supposed to be studying for the upcoming exams. there hasn't been much success, thanks to my preoccupation with all things unimportant.

At the Teatro alla Scala

It was Great. I watched Angela Gheorghiu, Romananian soprano extraordinaire in person and loved the entire performance.

The entire setting of the theatre enhanced the experience. Forget the Esplanade Theatres' claims of acoustic superiority, they cannot compare aesthetically. Sitting at my stall seat and looking up towards at the horse-shoe shaped galleries, its easy to imagine the theatre in another era; men in knee-length coats, breeches, stockings and (powdered?)wigs, with their fair companions all decked out in fine gowns complete with ruffled sleeves, dainty slippers and paper fans for flirting. Their prestigious elevated boxes not only providing them a birds' eye view of the audience but also to be gawked at and admired. In short, a place to see and be seen. That is not to say that they did not appreciate the fine art of opera, I'm pretty sure they multi-tasked well enough.

I enjoy going to the Esplanade Theatres at home for despite its atypical architecture, it does have other merits. However, as I sat at my seat at La Scala, it was heartening to realize that for ages, people have been sitting at possibly the same spot I was at, perhaps appreciating the same pieces as I was. Given the era in which operatic pieces were written (there are hardly any contemporary operas), it also felt like I was experiencing it as it was meant to be, in an environment that would best showcase the work. Then came the thought that I would probably only feel that way about old theatres in Europe, where these artistic traditions have been in place for centuries.

Indeed, it was somewhat sobering to know that this feeling of heritage would be out of reach when I return home to the modern theatres. More importantly, it will further be worsened by the scarcity of excellent artistes and performances, with the rare few definitely being exorbitantly priced.

No pictures for this post, as photography was forbidden within the theatre.

Happy Bday Val!

This post is dedicated to my wonderful elder sister, who turns 23 today.

Thanks for being my sounding board over the years, letting me drag you to places, and tolerating my being a pain in the arse at times. Hope you're having a good celebration in London even though you're there on business.

Buon Ventitresimo Compleanno!

To the Veneto

Ack, clearly behind with the blogging again. Sorry to friends who have been checking for updates.

I went back to the Veneto again. This time, there were only 2 of us, as my other housemate had gone gallivanting around europe (5 countries in 12 days) with her boyfriend.



We first went to Verona, land of Romeo and Juliet. Unfortunately, I found the entire R&J theme rather inane given that they weren't even real people. Its quite baffling how other people can get excited about visiting the famed "Julietta's Balcony" and even go on an entire R&J themed tour in Verona. Honestly, I have to say that J's Balcony was the most crowded with sightseers. Honestly, who could find a balcony and nude statue of a fictitious figure more intriguing than the Verona Arena or the Giusti Gardens?


The Giusti Gardens. A miniature Eden hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city.


View from the top of the gardens.

I have to confess, I have a fixation for high places where you can see the entire city. Places such as the Dome of the St Peter's Basilica (Vatican City) puts me on cloud nine. Its an exceptional feeling and the views are excellent. Once I reach the top, I can stand there taking in the panaroma for a good hour. Thus, I just had to climb up the Torre dei Lamberti, a 12th-century bell tower. Being the (ahem)robust youth that I am, I chose to climb by foot instead of the lift (its wimpy. for old/injured ladies people. )

Sometime up the eternal ardous climb to the top of the bell tower, I had to pause and take some of these pictures.



It was great. The longest climb ever, but it was worth it. We were just glad to reach the bell tower and were soaking in the view when there was this great "DONG" in our ears and the ground shook beneath our feet. Anticipating more "Dong"s, our fingers flew to our ears. There were no more. We looked down at our watches, and saw that it was 1.30pm. I shuddered thinking what it would have been like had we been 1.5 hours earlier.


The Arena. Partially obscured view due to works in the centre. Imagine a half-sized Colosseum, and there you have it.

The Arena was rather enchanting. Nothing on the scale of the Colosseum, but definitely in better condition. I think I might just buy tickets to watch an opera when their season starts in June, seeing that Verona is only about an hour and a half away. Definitely a rather unique setting, plus I've heard its a hit.

Chicken Rice

I have to talk about this. After weeks of non-Singaporean food, our yearning for home food has finally been assuaged.

We had Homemade Hainanese Chicken Rice.

My plate at dinner: Clockwise Baked Dark Sauce Chicken with Herbs, Tortilla Espanol, Mixed Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette.


The all-too-familiar tastes perked me up immediately. There must be some kind of relationship between chicken rice and endorphins.

P.S Mom, we can cook.

More pictures of Alghero

Part of the Old Town overlooking the sea


A piece of Catalan Gothic architecture, the bell tower of Cattedrale di Santa Maria.


Boats anchored at the waterfront in the evening.

Food, glorious food

One great thing about going to the islands is that there is Fresh seafood. It's great. You could get lobster at a restaurant there for under 20 euros. I had crab, my favourite. You can't blame me for going crazy in Alghero when there is hardly any fresh seafood here in Milan. I don't even get to eat fish, just chicken, beef and pork. Ever since the avian flu hit Sicily a few weeks back, my choice of meat has been ever diminishing.

Another type of food that rarely goes wrong in Italy is Pizza. They have all kinds here, but in general, they like them huge. Most often (if you go to the right places) the pizzas are bigger than the plates they are on. For instance, this is one that we ate in Alghero. It is supposed to be 1 metre long, and cost us about 25 euros for the whole thing.



Chelsyee and Adriana grinning in delight(and anticipation) over our 1m pizza

The view while we were freezing...