Assassins, Beavers, and lots of eating!

Weekend beckons....

It has been a very cultural week and it was the same on Friday when me, Edwin, Remy and Isaac decided to watch the musical Assassins at the last minute! It was a very unique musical in both the way it was presented and also the content.

Firstly, it was a very small theatre where there were like only 150 seats and they were performing like a metre in front of us. There was NO stage! The stage was the floor and it was a really up close performance where you could see every inch of the actors' faces! And when they point their gun which really shoot blanks, you could really feel the fear and power of the gun! Which was really intimate and awesome!

Secondly, they were talking about the stories about the assassins of several presidents of USA. We had quite a discussion about it afterwards at a nice bar call Archibald Simpson's and all agreed about how the musical prompts us to look at the reasons behind the attempts to kill the president which were all different in motives and period of times but still connected in their wish for a better world, a wish to be closer to their American Dream. Really insightful musical!

Here is a taste of the Broadway version which was on a stage, so just imagine they are just standing in front of you!

On Saturday, Me and Edwin join the conservation society for a trip to Aigas Field Centre to learn about the conservation efforts of the beaver and scottish wildcat. The scottish wildcat are an endangered species due to road kill, hybridisation and the decreasing natural habitats. Hence they are trying to mate the pure species and set up a breeding program. So far they had a kitten and they were mating at the time we went, so we couldn't see them as we would disturb them.

We didn't see any beavers either as they were nocturnal but we learnt about their capabilities to build dams, lodges and their tree eating teeth! Really amaze me!

Bieber fur! I mean beaver!

On site learning

Beaver Works!

Beavers love to bite until there is left only a little bit left of the tree and let nature fall the tree as they prob may kill themselves if they bite all the way through. SMART!

On Sunday, we woke up to the snow like I mentioned in the previous post, and then later in the evening it was time to cook up a storm in the kitchen of my new friend from Singapore, Jianyao, who is studying full time mech engineering here. We are representing Singapore in an international cooking competition held by the International Society in our university.

CHICKEN RICE complete with chilli sauce and grass jelly with lychee here we go!!!

Chicken rice Cooking Time!

The most crucial factor!

Ready to be brought to the competition arena!

German food which won first!

Always No. 1 in my heart and I hear from others also theirs.

Made by my Italian friends!

Fried mars bars and the red wine berry salad from Scotland!

The chicken cake (made of chicken) from Bulgaria is really cute!

Food to be eaten with beer!

Lots of stuff from BRAZIL which got second!

One of the most popular from INDIA!!! The kebab finished so fast that I didn't get to try any :(

The aftermath: cleared all food and filled many extremely satisfied stomachs

The event capped a really awesome week that felt more like a holiday everyday than a school week. Well only 2 more weeks to our next awesome event: EASTER TRIP so its time to mug a bit to catch up on school work haha! Ciao! Salut!

Spring Snow!

The last thing I was expecting on a Sunday was SNOW!
Especially so late into the winter when it is getting so much warmer than when I just arrived in Aberdeen.

Shocked when I looked out in the morning!

Miss you guys!

My very own snow angel!

Our very own viking snowman creation!

Guarding my window loyally

Zombie Apocalypse!!! Life in a student festival week...

My Skiing video in which i fell twice is out! Have a look!!! HAHA



This week is apparently the student festival week where there were plenty of events from tuesday to thursday.

On tuesday, I went to the International Foooood Festival to have free food but I was 45 minutes late as I was in a Society of Petroleum Engineering talk and it ran late. NOOO MOREEE FOOOODDD! I was soooo saaadddddd.........:( Only some popcorn to take to the next event at MacRobert Building for a movie screening of DRIVE by Ryan Gosling who was so good! Now I know why the gals dig him! The movie was excellent and simple. Didn't watch the next movie (Pan's Labyrinth) as I didn't want to stay too late.

On wednesday, my class was cancelled so the first event of the day was ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!!! As a survivor, I was given checkpoints and had to run there without getting attacked by a zombie. If I was infected I would become one myself. I'm gonna bring this game to Singapore for Halloween!!!

THE ORIGINAL ZOMBIES!

I became one too!!!

The aftermath: 90% zombies 10% cheaters

Act sei only haha!

In the end I was caught at before every checkpoint LOL. I am gonna die in a real zombie attack. Became a zombie in the 3rd round. By that time there were zombies EVERYWHERE in school. DAMN FUN!

In the evening, I went to the Jazz and Swing Dance performance at Butchart Centre and sat around to chat with some friends from our neighbour Malaysia and to watch the Jazz band perform with my friend Isaac Swing dancing with his other friends. Swing dancing is quite cool. I used to think that they are very obiang, but its not! Wished I didn't have 2 left feet haha.

Swing Dance + Jazz = (Y)

Jazz + Mugger = Chao Mugger!

Me and edwin left halfway to go to the Performing Arts Variety Show at Tiger Tiger, one of the clubs in Aberdeen. and IT WAS FANTASTIC. For 3 pounds only, we watched a capella, stand up comedy, improvised theatre, improvised dance (my favourite!), monologues, hip hop dance for 3 hours. It was all really good!!! And we sat in the front row lol. Apparently very few people other than the performers and some of their close friends turn up, so we 赚到！

MEOW!

We were early and chope the first row!

Here's another video of some idea of the show!

Post-Road Trip

After about 500 miles of travelling in the past 2 days, its nice to be back in my room, no matter the smell and everything that I hate about it.

Roughly our journey in TWO DAYS!

On friday night, me and Edwin awaited the arrival of Kenny, Jun De and Rina who came from Glasgow where they are having their exchange. They came around 1am and bunk in with us in our ghetto.

Revelie was at 7am and after some breadfast we were on our way to our first destination: Inverness!

Vehicle Commander Kenny Low and Driver Jun De

Parkour at Inverness Castle!

Posing like the statue at Inverness Castle!

It was just a short stop at Inverness for an hour and after taking some pictures we were on our way again!
Loch Ness here we come!!!

We searched for Nessie and we found it! I have to admit that I was one of the people who don't believe that there is nessie but there it was right in front of our eyes and boy it was majestic. It was too huge to come to shore and only the baby Nessie could come near. I really wanted to have a ride on Nessie and tried to swim to it but alas it was too fast and the loch too cold for me to swim to it. Oh well, at least one of life's greatest mystery has been solved!

We first spotted nessie along the river crusing peacefully.

I went down to the banks of the loch and was speaking with one of its babies.

Nough said.

Even though it didn't let me have a ride on its back it was nice for it to come and say hello to us. BYE NESSIE!!

Next we went through the Loch Ness to reach Fort Argusta and Fort William. We didn't stop at these towns but stopped at some random part along the road that had really nice scenery and was also one of the highest place around. Took a walk around and did crazy stuff for camwhoring purpose!

We then drove on to Glencoe Mountain where we stayed at a youth hostel that was near the Glencoe Ski Centre.

A random place.

Our car!!!

Sorry Guys! My bowels are too weak!

Jun De and Rina who went off walking without locking the car, leaving the three of us to protect the car. Hmm wonder what was their ulterior motive....

We pass by Ben Nevis Distillery which was close but the whisky smell was so STRONG!

Edwin trying to drink some whisky here..

The next morning, the 5 kiasu Singaporeans went to the ski centre at 8am when it opens at 830am. We ate some breadfast again and did our business before the ski centre opened and up up here we go on the chair lift.

We only bought the beginner pass that only allow us to use the access chair and the rope tow that was a very lousy and tiring way (on us) to bring us up the beginner slope. In fact, they do not really check if we use the other lifts which Edwin and Jun De tried. The rest of us didn't had time to try (or I would say BOJIO!) as we had to leave by 130pm to go back to glasgow to return the call by 5pm.

Skiing on real snow is really different and MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE FUNNNNN!!!!!!
The slopes were longer even on the beginner ones and it was just so exciting to go down the slope at speed and try to control your descent by turning. Even though I fell lots of times and my knees hurt after that, it was like my ski instructor like to say 'SUPERB'

Approaching Glencoe Mountain in the misty morning

Reached the base of the Glencoe Ski Centre. And we are one of the first!

Log Cabins! So cute!

The Plateau Cafe where people rest after skiing!

Camwhoring moment!

The sky cleared up when we went down in the afternoon for this awesome shot!

When we reached glasgow, we dropped off Rina and went to return the car before walking for like 2 hours before we reached the city centre and ate buffet at CHINA BUFFET KING!!!

We were so hungry and tired after a long day and not eating much other than some bread for both breakfast and lunch so we really whack the food at the buffet (I said I could eat a Dinosaur) until we were stuffed. Then it was finally time for goodbye as me and Edwin parted with Kenny and Jun De (who was in the toilet clearing space for another round of buffet when we left) and took the train back to Aberdeen where we walked (again) back to hillhead.

I really ate everything except the fried rice which were disgusting and I shared the cake with Edwin. Pictures of Icecream and fruits not shown too.

Hit the sack immediately when we reach. Didn't shower as my shower was still spoilt. Yucks. Haha.

Another week

Bonsoir!

A week passes too fast...and its adventure time again!!!!

Had ski session (I am getting better!!!) and

whisky tasting session (early night!) and 

cookery session (we made chocolate cakes, tiramisu, pancakes with fruit salad and chocolate sauce! I made the chocolate sauce only haha!) 

Watched this movie Hotel Rwanda with the friends of Médecins Sans Frontières Society (just randomly went as it was after the cookery session). It was about the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994 which is like just 18 years ago. I was 5 years old. It shocked me to think that around the time that I was living in the world, atrocities like these which I only know happened during Holocaust (pardon my lack of general knowledge) occurred. It was a really good movie that showed us that despite in the midst of all the despair, hope can arise out of the 'enemy'.

Turns out the lead actor was WAR MACHINE!!! Cool!!!

Anyway its friday and some friends from Glasgow are coming over to Aberdeen tonight to crash before we go on an adventure tomorrow. Not really sure where exactly we are going but should be Loch Ness and Glencoe. Ciao! (I am trying to learn a bit of the European Languages!)

Module Review

One of the more boring post that I will be doing:

A module review of the classes that I am taking in University of Aberdeen

PX2512 : Quantum Physics and Special Relativity
We had 2 teachers for this module and the first one, Prof Ross is simply hilarious, and the most vulgar and insulting teaching I have ever seen. Everybody loves him. See the email that he send for instance:

"Since the dawn of time, for the dinosaurs until their civilization fell, now for humans, in the brief period we have left before the penguins rise to conquer us for the hubris of naming a fairly poor biscuit after the most natty animal, all life has striven toward one goal. It has brought madness to many, riches to none, destroyed cities and continents, broken hearts and soured the most pure of love, annealed the souls of the truly great and left broken those too fearful to crest the highest peaks of knowledge and gaze upon the epiphany there waiting. I refer, of course, to delivering a perfect set of lectures on Special Relativity. (Like the vengeful ghost of that coward Einstein never could.) I've unquestionably done that now, and it's time to admit that there is nothing left for me here in Aberdeen. Finally I am free to pursue more financially rewarding employment (by selling my origami outside bus and train stations, vaccuuming money out drains and sewers, and setting fire to actual money and selling the ash to ash-collectors) and return to my true calling - my detective work. I assure you: from now on in this world, no matter how dark the night there will be no hiding place for evil.

I.e. There is no class this Friday. Ekke will be taking over PX2510 to teach you Quantum Mechanics. Lectures will start on Monday and be given by a man that my own mum described as "quite literally better than you in every possible way, Ross. Why did I even bother giving birth to you? You're rubbish."

Ross"

Having said that, I think he is great teacher and someone I would aspire to be like if I'm a teacher haha.

With 3 one hours lesson a week, and 3 CAs where the questions are given out one week in advance to prepare, its quite a relaxing module.

EG3593: Reservoir Engineering 1: Fundamentals
Taught by a really boring teacher. Overlap 2 hours of lecture with physics so I just went for physics instead. :P

There is also a lab and tutorial lesson in addition to the 3 hr lecture weekly. Bummer.

GL3524: Petroleum Geology and Reservoir Characterization
One of the more interesting course with 2 days of field trips!
Stuff taught was also more interesting!

GL4524: Petroleum Systems
6 Lectures + 1 3000word essay + 2 one day courses
So much for a lvl 4000 module. Seem quite easy to wing it. Even if I don't know a lot of the course materials.

EG3537: Dynamics 1A
Another Engineering module which gives a lot of problem. 6hr of lab! with assignments that is required to submit online fortnightly and notes that you have to copy in! sianxxx

Overall its pretty slack compared to NUS. But I'm on exchange after all. What do you expect haha!