14 april part four punting ghost tour
we walked back to river cam area. cos we had to try punting. get a chaffeured one. we wont be able to punt ourselves. punting is an activity you must do in cambridge. using a pole to push the boat along. the chaffeured one cost 12 quids. if you go on this ghost tour (including punting), it only costs 14 quids. of course we went on the ghost tour. some time to spare before 730 pm.
river cam.
somebody punting.
mathematical bridge. supposedly built without bolts. until someone who took it apart could not accomplish the same feat.
corpus christi college
eagle. nobel prize-winning scientists crick and watson spent equal time in the lab and this pub. this pub was also popular with the american airmen in WWII. heard ghost stories later on the ghost tour. about leaving the window in the attic open so that the souls of the children who died in a fire could get out. americans being sighted. the door being closed though there was something stopping it from closing..
forgot where...
some ghost stories. ghost bookshop where a lady had been sighted by a customer. librarian shelving books in the tourist info centre. he was been heard by people who worked at night. a lady dressed in green in a house. her portrait was hangin in the doorway. but the owner said no such painting. when they checked again, there was truly no painting of the lady.
the guy who did the punting on the ghost tour. he looks quite young. he had been puntin the whole day and was hoping ours would be the last punt for him.
must really go on the punt. you get to see the colleges from river cam. the bridges connecting the colleges are not open to the public. so you can only see them if you take the punt. bridge of sighs-replica of the original in venice. bridge at clare college. oldest bridge 1639. its architect was paid a measly 15p for his design. he cut a slice out of one of the balls adorning the balustrade (the next to the last one on the left).
lively pub life.
on the punt.
we took the train to king's cross on our return trip. platform 9-3/4. in harry potter.
14 april part three kettle's yard-fitzwilliam-chelsea bun
It was around three plus when we were done with lunch. Decided to squeeze in some sightseein before the attractions closed for the day. visited kettle's yard since it was nearby. the house was the home of HS 'Jim' Ede, a former assistant keeper at the tate and his wife, helen. housed artworks in a living cottage. the three cottages were rather run-down and had to be restored before they moved in. it was interesting that you have to ring the doorbell just like visiting your fren's house. then someone will let you in.
next we hurried over to the fitzwilliam museum as it was closing soon. massive neoclassical edifice. actually reminds me of the pantheon in paris. this museum takes its name from the seventh viscount fitzwilliam who bequeathed his art treasures. one of the first public art museums in the uk.
pembroke college. lovely gardens and lawns. founded in 1347 by marie de st
pol de valence, the widowed countess of pembroke. at 17 she married the 50 year old earl, but he was killed in a joust on their wedding day.
fitzbillies. everyone eats the chelsea buns. of course the piggies must try too.
other pastries from the window.
14 april part two meetup
We managed to find the tourist information centre after some time. Some inconspicuous corner. But the maps were not free. luckily brought my lonely planet along. there was a map in the book. we should be able to find our way.
the king's college chapel. one of the many entrances (which may not be open).
one of the finest examples of gothic architecture in the uk, comparable with chartres cathedral in france. some shots outside cos we did not go into the interior. was going to meet luen for lunch first.
senate house where the students will have their graduation in.
on the other side of the street.
the famous fudge shop. really sweet fudge. but its fresh. you can see it being made in the shop.
the guide book recommended some french restaurant at northampton st. therefore arranged to meet luen n bf there. we were at the fudge shop when luen called. to walk to northampton, we walked along queen's road. it was later that we found out we should have walked the other way from the fudge shop. it would have been a shorter route. some fotos along the way to the french restaurant.
luen could not find the restaurant. apparently it had closed down (the lonely planet guide was a 2006 edition. within a year the premises had shut down). the poor gal was luggin her luggage with her (some help from the bf). if i had known that, would have arranged to meet her somewhere more convenient. sorry gal. she was in cambridge for a conference.
initially we settled on pub food. while at the counter, the staff told us it would take more than an hour to get the food ready. so long!!! thus, we changed our minds and ate at an italian restaurant. pretty decent food. its nice to catch up with frens over food. plus its in a foreign country. not in singapore. exotic meetup place. again, luen fattened me up with chocs. the not-too-sweet type of chocs. definitely suited my palate. Thanks. before long, we parted ways. it would be some time before we meet again. take care.
luen n i
all of us.
14 april part two cambridge in the morning to the city centre
The train took us to cambridge. the train station.
We started walking to the city centre. Along the way, it was chilly. cold in the morning. should have worn thicker jacket. some photos:
the photo looks a bit eerie. the pink is very strange. i look weird too. too pale. must be the contrast between my face, the black jacket and the pink flowers.
the flowers close up.
as we walked, we passed by restaurant and cafe. the piggies were checking out the menu. then we saw tatties. the famous baked potato place. of course we must try it. the person behind the counter recommended con carne. so we ordered that. oh no, we have eaten beef unknowingly. yikes. did not think much cos it was recommended. spongiform.... i must say that the baked potato is really good. huge.
after a satisfying meal we were on our way.
in our attempt to find the tourist information centre, we ended up doing some shoppin. i bought nike shoes at 90 sgd and H bought boots. we had to lug them around for the rest of the day. saw a cheap sagem phone (minimal functions) at 30 pounds. the salesperson was very friendly. tempted to buy. but wanted to think about it first. could get it at any vodafone shop in oxford st.
14 april part one hp woes
my phone died on me. it just hanged and i could not press any buttons on my phone. i was supposed to meet luen in cambridge. so she must have tried contacting me. thank goodness i have her bf's no. i wrote it down in my organiser. at least i could get hold of luen through her bf. they were in cambridge together so i did manage to confirm my lunch date with her in cambridge. imagine meeting up with frens all over the world. it is indeed getting globalised.
now i had to borrow H's extra phone for a while before i get a new one. off to cambridge we go.
13 april fri the 13th! churchill arms
Dinner was at churchill arms. a pub serving thai food. recommended by z. quite strange hor? think the place is popular. if we had arrived later we might not have been able to get seats.
the place was rather dark. and i did not put flash for my photos. you can see the deco of the place. tropical. butterflies, ferns, pitchers, fountains.balloons hangin on part of the room. otherwise its mostly covered with plants. really simulates dinning in the wild.
H and I. cos Z was around to help us take photos. hardly have the chance to be in the same pic. i will help H take and vice versa.
the food. huge serving. not bad. phat thai was tasty, the curry was good too. for the price we paid it was worth it. had cider again. magners. we seemed to be acquiring a taste for alcohol.
because we always talk so enthusiastically about food, z calls H and i the piggies. oh well, the piggies sure love their food. and its great that both of us love trying new food. hunting for new and cheap food is our hobby. glad that we came together to london. the piggies go london!
11 april tootin broadway curry n pub
went to try pakistani curry at tootin broadway. the naan was fantastic. freshly made. u can watch the chef in action. it was not busy when we were there for dinner. cant exactly remember the dishes we had. think there was a mutton briyani (fragrant rice and tender mutton. its important that the meat is tender), spicy chicken (which was really spicy. hot after taste), okra (otherwise known as lady's fingers. hard to find this veg here. H and i love nuah vegetables. few pple like them actually. miss lady's fingers cooked with egg by my mum), pistachio kulfi (absolutely too sweet. sickeningly sweet. how do u eat this stuff? will get sick if you eat too much-put on weight, diabetes? though supposedly there is no link between sugar foods and diabete?).
after dinner drinks at a pub. stella as usual. plus tried cider. bulmers tastes good. slightly sweet. finally at a pub. british culture to hang out at pub before dinner and after dinner. have a couple of drinks to unwind and chat.
10 april sophie steak house & A&F
not nice. cos i had the salmon. it was dry. as dry as the pork loin burger in borough. was expecting salmon to be cooked in gravy style like teriyaki or cream sauce or something. at least the dessert was interesting. tasted like tofu cheesecake. forgot to take fotos again. becomin a food reviewer. eat and eat and eat. hmm dunno if i should trust the weighin scale. it says that i m gettin lighter. how is that possible with the amount of food i eat??
A&F shop concept is cool. loud hip music playing in the shop. pretty babes and handsome hunks to serve the customers. the hunks were standin at the doorway. the babes behind the counter. short shorts. but the shop is very dark. cant see clearly.
9 april magic wok
london eye in the day.
me and london eye.
big ben
first time in bayswater area. chinese food at magic wok. there were just normal chinese food. with some dishes which were better. hmm no pics to show cos we were eating with the rest of mr ng's frens. among his frens were some pple good at suaning/teasing others. very funny to listen and watch them. think in a group outing there must be people who talk and people who listen. the talkers make the outing interesting, otherwise it will lapse into those awful silences. but i suppose there are times when the listeners wish to talk as well. imagine someone always representing you when you actually wish to say something. it sounds totally miserable if you cant say anything!
the better dishes were the roasted duck. cripsy skin. aubergines were not too bad either. a bit salty though. the legendary rice was not that legendary. will depend on the type of rice that you like to eat. its the type which is drier. i prefer rice which is slightly moist and sticky. not exactly missing chinese food as yet. if i stay in london longer, i may. then again, i may not cos its possible to cook them myself (just whether it is palatable or not).
8 april dim sum and photo developing
Had dim sum at london jade in chinatown. restaurant just beside misato-the jap food with huge serving. dun really miss chinese food as yet. cos we do cook ourselves. edible food. wont poison ourselves. K's ma is an apparent fervent supporter of this dim sum place. so it must truly be good. Not too bad. but think carrot cake in crystal jade is nicer. chicken feet not very yummy either. hmm so what is good? i dunno wat i ate. some cripsy roll. chicken prawn paste? the rest of the dumplings were mostly prawn. prawn overdose. bleh. the prawns tasted fresh though. this is very important for seafood.
after lunch we did some phototaking. see K or mr ng (R would rather be called mr ng or dr ng in due time) could take better shots of us. black n white foto. interesting. the development process is more tedious. we got to see the process for ourselves later.
mr ng loves to bring ladies to the darkroom. to sian char boh apparently. only gals are welcome. the darkroom is similar to the darkroom in the lab. but not as dark. the process is similar. fixing washin and developing. expose to light for various times.
then u choose the timing you wan and develop it. see the differences in contrast with different exposures?
the finished product.
another better photo.
H and i. smiling prettily.
the rest of the photos. only enlarged the nicer photos. not many... modelling is a tedious job. fierce look fierce look. that is wat tyra banks would say.
so the best pic? we agreed it was of K at richmond park. oh well.
dinner was late. more like supper after developing the few photos. its a tedious process. exciting for the photographer to see his/her works. interesting for us to watch and help. seein the photo appear on the film paper. voila. thank goodness we are gals and have the opportunity to observe the process. thanks mr ng.
dinner was pizza at cafe forum. too tired to even think. watched the patrons of the restaurant play chess. a few tables playin chess. with timer. like professionals.
7 april the boat race
yay. time to pig out at borough market. but this time round we had an expert with us. R was goin to tell us wat food to indulge in. since we were on time and he was slightly late, we walked around on our own for a while. photo in front of the church. another view point from the previous time.
first up was the apricot tart. took a bite. not as fantastic as R described. the hot chocolate from the stall was good though. not too sweet. and thick. second was the pork loin burger with stuffing. not exactly fantastic. meat was very dry. the only saving grace was the dressing-mustard. so thumbs down. third was THE CHICKEN BURGER. really yummy. haiz R was smart to have bought the chicken burger. i was stuck with the dry and tasteless pork loin. surprisingly there was no queue at the chicken burger stall. perhaps chicken burger is too common? must try something more exotic. fourth was the chorizo. not sure if i had got the spelling rite. initially there was no queue. cos the sausages were not ready yet. by the time we came back again, we had to queue. H seemed to like it a lot. i found it too salty. would prefer something blander. fifth was not R's recommendation. i wanted to buy a pastry from this pastry stall that we bought apple strudel from the first time we were at borough. chose the greek yoghurt cheesecake. too bland. not cheesy enough for me. give myself a thumbs down. the apple strudel the previous time was good though. sixth was the brownie. really good brownie. one of the best i have eaten. in all were there more thumbs down?? Guess H and I had been doing pretty well in sourcing out cheap and good food.
since we had some time to spare before the boat race (yes, the famous one. between arch rivals cambridge and oxford), we took a walk along the river to shakespeare globe theatre/tate modern. Bought standing yard tickets (5 pounds only!) for othello on 4 may. open air theatre. modelled after what it had been in the past.
tate modern is a modern art gallery. dun really know how to appreciate modern art. some of the art pieces were a bit strange to me. my interpretation was different from the artists themselves. reminds me of the u channel show in which quan yifeng and bryan wong asked people to ask the meaning of the art.
in tate modern. can see the word tate??
the boat race was supposed to start at 4.30pm. there were many people on the other side of the river where there was a carnival. R wanted to shoot some good photos of the race. so we ended up on a bridge. he chatted up another photographer. the photographer was a press photographer and he mentioned that the bridge would be closed to unauthorised personnel once the race began. so we migrated to another spot.
Bridge we were on initially.
Din notice that bus 72 was in the picture. goes to my lab.
view opposite the river.
there was some problem with the spot. the police were telling us to move up cos the waters would rise up to the area we were in. some people were annoyed and argued that they had the right to sit where they wanted to. we were well-behaved and moved off. when the race did start, the waters did not rise up to the part we were sitting in. oh well.
muddy waters.
the wait. people were reading newspapers, chatting or drinking.
pre race. for the reserve team? race before the actual one.
photographer riskin his life.
the afghan gal taking foto while waiting for the actual race to start. i find that it is chilly when the wind blows onto my face. best to wrap up the face.
the police explaining that the water would come in. people did not look very pleased about moving.
another tree pic.
found this gal interesting. she was trying to climb the tree.
the father and brother poring over the papers.
let the race began. thot oxford would win. oxford was leading when we were watching the race.
ended up in wagamama for dinner. jap fusion. i would not say that the food is super fantastic. interesting i would say. R would definitely remember the place. where his bag crashed to the floor and broke the filter. therefore he had no mood to develop the film and we played majong at our place.
on the bus ride to our place, a funny incident happened. all the other female passengers were dressed like me-the afghan gal. but they were the real ones. quite hilarious for me to blend in.
have you played silent majong before? we played majong on a towel for fear of disturbing our neighbour. we had antagonised our neighbour quite a fair bit. fighting with her for toilets, banging doors etc.
