ELOCIN.

Zoom zoom, the hills roll by.

2011-12-18T05:39:00.001-08:00

I'm standing at the entrance of the oldest art museum in the world as I type this - the Uffizi Gallery!

This morning we woke early to take a train down to Florence. We're here's now, but it's freezing cold!

Here are a few shots of what flew by my window while on the train. :) Not something you see everyday in Singapore!

It's a small world after all!

2011-12-17T11:04:00.001-08:00

This morning, we turned up at Termini to buy tickets to Florence for tomorrow, before setting off to find a so-called "Chinatown". Well, we never found it, but we did bump into family friends amidst the lunch crowd!

Dad spotted Isaac and Ivan first. We all ended up having lunch together while the parents exchanged tips and stuff on Florence and Rome.

Later in the afternoon we headed down to San Clemente to see the excavations under the church. The church isn't large and imposing at all. In fact, it kind off blended in with the nondescript street it was on. We practically had to keep our eyes peeled open to find it. I suppose that's why not many tourist go out of their way to find it. Finally getting there though, the excavations did not disappoint. The church on street level already dates back to the 15th c (if I'm not wrong), but walking down the stairs to 1st and 4th c churches it was build over is like being transported to a whole other world.

We ended up at St John Lateran's at the end of the day, sitting in a for mass even though we didn't understand a word they were saying.

Off to Florence tomorrow morning!

Glad to know my Chinese helps

2011-12-17T03:03:00.001-08:00

Very ironic that I managed to get us directions to the nearest taxi stand by asking the bar man in Chinese. And to think I failed it all this while. See! At least it served it's primary purpose - to communicate.

Just concluded a brilliant trip to the Musei Vaticani and the Sistine Chapel. We had a wonderful guide called Bikki, a very perky old lady with a sea of knowledge hidden in that solid head of hair.

So apparently the metro people went on strike today. And since we are technically cut off from the outside world with no wifi and no English newspapers, we had no idea until we reached the metro station, only to find it closed and ourselves late for the guided tour.

Eventually, after a bus detour to Arco di Travertino, we managed to get a taxi there. The taxi driver was a jolly dude who was impressed at my attempt at Italian.

That's about all for today. We're having dinner at the same place we had lunch. , also where I had my first tiramisu in Italy! :D

Stealing Wifi

2011-12-16T01:10:00.001-08:00

We're in an Internet cafe just across the road from our wifi-less apartment. Dad and mom are clearing emails while Nette and I managed to get free wifi through our phones. >:) Sneaky eh?

Off to the Sistine Chapel!

Chinese food at the heart of Rome

2011-12-15T14:19:00.003-08:00

Dinner time now and we spotted a Chinese fast food place at Termini station. Hahaha! We've travelled miles to get to the Eternal City and here we are eating nasi goreng.

Chilly Morning and Beehoon Soup

2011-12-15T14:19:00.001-08:00

9am and I'm back in bed to keep warm. Just had beehoon soup for breakfast and some chips with salsa. Mom's outside complaining about Dad's airing of the house because it made the floor colder than it already was. Meanwhile, Annette's hogging the toilet because she was the last to get get up (no surprise there).

Yesterday we took a trip down the metro again to visit the Foro Romano, or Roman Forums. Simply put it's a collection of the ruins of ancient Roman building. A proper guide would tell you that this is was probably the centre of activity in the ancient times, at one point housing all the state building and monuments, other times being the site of many religious buildings. The place itself is impressive in size, as are the bits of buildings left behind. I found that staring at a vast space and visualizing the ancient Romans in their living space was quite fun to do. One should, however, be prepared to do a lot of walking so comfortable footwear is a must, and if in winter, keeping yourself warm and your tummy satiated would make the trip much more enjoyable. Also remember to take a toilet break before getting in, because there aren't many loos along the way.

Lunch/dinner was back at Cinecitta, comprising of kebabs, pizzas, and Dad's new favourite: the cous cous. On our way back, we grabbed some solid Italian gelato at the corner shop which got people staring. Crazy Asians, they must have thought. As if it wasn't cold enough.

By the time we got home it was only 6pm but already pitch black outside. I spent my evening under the covers, reading a novel as tasty as it's name - "The Food of Love" by Anthony Copella. They book was a very apt read in this context since 1) the protagonist was an art history student in Rome and 2) it's set in ROME.

It would go into greater detail on the book if I had the time. Right now I'm being chased to get changed. No idea where we'll be going, but that's the fun of not being on a tour group isn't it?

Till then, ciao my friends!

"We can eat here everyday just for the Wifi"

2011-12-12T11:34:00.001-08:00

We're sitting outside a restaurant that's supposed to be "economico" and good. It's called Le Streghe and it only opens at 7.30pm (there 15 minutes to go!). We could have gone back to the apartment to put down our groceries first but we're out here in the cold because 1) the food here was recommended by our landlord, 2) our legs are dead beat and 3) there WIFI!

You will not believe how difficult it is to get Internet access in this first world country. It's crazy!

Woke up early this morning at about 5am to a heavy downpour, complete with lightening and thunder. Came out for breakfast and saw my parents eating in the dark. Apparently the power had tripped and we had to survive on no electricity for awhile.

In the afternoon, we visited the Colosseum and later walked all the way to Capitoline Hill, chancing upon the Museo something something Risorgimento. :/ The colosseum was as expected: majestic, awe inspiring, ancient. Be prepared for a lot of walking because the steps are really steep and there aren't any elevators. Also, I would say that for 5 euros per head, getting a tour guide isn't as worth it as a audio guide. For one, you can split the cost of the latter over the number of people with you (of course, not too many), and also because if you're sneaky enough you can just stand near a tour group and eavesdrop on the tour guide. :D Talk about making use of it's inherent non-excludability.

As for the museum, the content they're presenting is reaaaally heavy. Not so much for those who aren't history buffs. But the panoramic view on top is brilliant! And the huge birds that perch themselves on the railings are a plus. Not forgetting the sculptures in the front that are eyecatchers on their own!

(BREAK)

Just finished my meal at Le Stregh. Okay, not really finished. More like... I'm struggling to reach the end. The portions are hugeeee and not exactly cheap for very generic dishes. I'm about to burst at the seams.

Just going to post this and get back to my meal. I'll post again once I hit a wifi spot, which may not be soon.

CIAO!

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

2011-12-12T10:13:00.001-08:00

It's 5.33pm and I'm sipping my dad's version of vin chaud, or hot wine (made by heating cheapo packet wine over the stove), while resting my battered feet. For the last 24 hours or so, my toes have been trapped in my brand new doc martens, so you can imagine their trauma.

We're staying in an apartment in the neighbourhood of Cinecitta, where it appears 75% of the population is above 60 years old (just a wild guess!).. It's definitely not near the heart of the city where the attractions are clustered, but it is nonetheless conveniently situated a short walk from a metro station that takes us to the town centre in less than 15minutes. The apartment is very self-contained with all the necessities packed into the two bedrooms and a living room/kitchen. What was a bonus was the AH-MAZING view from the apartment. Also, being situated in a more working class neighbourhood, the things around us are cheaper. The downside, however, is the lack of wifi. :(

I shall not elaborate on the plane ride anymore than to state plainly, and this my entire family agrees, that Qatar airways is no where near a 5 star airline if Singapore Airlines is one. Perhaps it's only normal to feel more comfortable amongst your own people. But service in Qatar definitely cannot compare to that in SQ.

To sum up in a paragraph what we accomplished today, we basically spent the majority of our morning having extended breakfast in a nearby cafe, waiting to check in. The cafe (L'Aroma Cafe) is owned by a Chinese man from Wenzhou who was, no doubt, glad to meet people who spoke his native tongue, no matter how poorly. Not far from that, mom and I chanced upon a provision store run by a another Chinese man, also glad to have someone to converse with in mandarin. As much as we all know how bad my grasp of my mother tongue is, I have to admit that there is something comforting about hearing someone speak the language in a western country. It's almost as if the language bonds us, even though we don't even come from the same region.

The afternoon was spent hunting for cheap food (economico!) and then taking our virgin trip on the Roman subway to the Trevi Fountain, before walking all the way to the Spanish Steps at Piazza de Spagna (sp?).

I walked past a store dedicated to Hello Kitty trinkets and immediately thought of Sibyl. Too bad they were all extravagantly priced. Elsewhere while grocery shopping, there were AISLES and AISLES of cheese, so much that you could smell them all even through the cling wrap! And I wondered how Keith would survive such an "ordeal". Haha!

Off to bathe and then have instant mee for dinner. Good night all! Missing all those back home dearly. :)

Tingling Teeth.

2011-11-23T16:25:00.001-08:00

Just woke up from a good night's sleep. In fact, I'm posting this straight from bed, typing in my phone.

First day of freedom was glorious! Went shopping with Sibyl for some make up and practically traversed. The whole of Orchard Rd. I think I spent a full hour at Sephora, gawking at the wide range of beauty products, then running around to try some. The store at Ion is HUGE. But everything is reaaaaally expensive unless you're buying their house brand so I reckon it isn't actually a place for noobs like me. REGARDLESS, I got my hands on a bottle of Anna Sui Moisture Rich Liquid Foundation, though I think it might actually be giving me a bit of a white cast but I suppose a bit of mineral powder on top would do the trick!

Anyhoo, that was the only high end product I could bear to buy. The rest of the stuff I got were from drugstore brands (Revlon and Maybelline) and they're actually really good!

Checked out Topshop make up as well because Sibyl was getting the lipstick (Brighton Rock - A beautiful pick colour but not quite something I'd dare to wear). Not quite sure about the quality but they were surprisingly inexpensive at SGD19!

Sibyl made a funny comment that I thought was very true, while we're were having hot chocolate at Starbucks at 10pm. We aged so quickly in a day, it was like YEARS just passed us by. Okay, maybe that doesn't really make sense to you, but it did to me!

So this morning (10 mins ago), I woke up to a godawful pain at my wisdom tooth, which leads me to believe it has a mind of it's own and knows I'm about to extract him today.

Outside, my maid is packing up the house so fast, it's like everything's turning into boxes! :O

Alright, I'm off to conquer day two of absolute freedom. Too bad it starts off with me ripping out my teeth. Sigh.

Let the Adventure Begin!

2011-11-17T00:58:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm sitting in front of the computer with my literature notes and a highlighter. I really should be studying because I have my last three A'levels papers next week.

Which brings me to why I created this blog in the first place.

I figured that after next week, I'm pretty much going to be a free woman until university starts next year. Now what better way to document all the hulabaloo that's to come than in a blog! I don't know how free I'll be, but I'm hoping I'll be able to keep blogging for awhile. :/

Not that I think my life is real interesting or anything. Maybe in the next few months I'll uncover great ways to experience my sunny island!

I should get back to studying now...

*shakes head at lacklustre post*