yay!
midyears are OVER. math seems to be the only subject i can safely say i passed... the rest are kind of... hanging on the edge things. but ah heck. i didn't prepare. not going to complain. i just hope promos will be another story altogether.

so. my long long long over-due post on france and paris.
Day 5: 3 June
eurostar to france: embarrasingly big luggage once again embarrasses me. overall, the ride was ok i suppose.... felt tired and sleepy...
hotel: finally! after 4 hostel nights, i had towels and soft beds and bath tub and carpeting and very fluffy quilts! yes. i am a spoilt brat.
dinner: we found out water cost a horrific 4 euros per 1.5 litre bottle. urg. and french food was very strong.
went outside to hotel to walk to dan and gwen and freezed my ass off without my jacket.

day 6: 4 June
sight seeing morning: the Battle of the Sommes museums, preserved sites and trenches. went to the biggest British war memorial,Thiepval Memorial, watched a ceremony. we met war veterans...the whole thing was sad. no wonder war poems are sooo... depressing. there's just this air of loss and pain and regret. and anger really, if you think about what's happening in the world now.

In Flanders' Field, the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row

this was on our guide's shirt. i think it very... sad. war is still very much alive. and poppies are red pinpricks of blood on fields of green. i understand why war poets like to use them so much.
kebab lunch: went to a completely deserted town for lunch. only smoke-filled and alcohol-selling bars open and we didnt speak French! sign language is the universal language.
underground tunnel museum in Albert town: very informative and interesting. Plus. hahah. we made nice purchases at the giftshop.
drive to PARIS!: tormented dan by displaying my extensive knowledge of westlife songs ( the tables are finally turned) , then we all demonstrated the spirit of jon by snoozing the rest of the ride away.
the city of PARIS: gray. well, i suppose the touristy places would be prettier. but that was my first general impression.
Chinagora: horrid horrid. it really looks like a freaking pagoda and there's chinese on everything. plus out triple room was creepy...oh yes. i turned on the television.(nono. not like that.) and France really is the land of the liberal. a total of 2 horrific accidental peeks for 'adult movies'... luckily we changed rooms. hahaha. then me dan and gwen stayed up talking about life, love and everything else.

day 7: 5 June
mad rush sight seeing of paris: too much to see, too little time. many many things struck off my see-before-i-die list. concord square with the obilisk from Egypt, Arch de Triomphe! Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under it, Notre Dame de Paris.
lunch in the redlight district: moulin rouge was there but we gave it a miss to go souvenior shopping. ( i know i know, how very shallow). anyway, we did see the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, talk about irony. oh yes. i am convinced that parisian pigeons will die in singapore. they're wayyy to fat. the heat would roast them alive. and they cant fly very fast and they're not very smart. they'll surely be shot.

love: the Eiffel Tower! omg. hahah. i have horrible height phobia. i am super proud of myself for making it all the way up, climbing as far as i could climb since i was already in paris and all. the view was breathtaking, the whole of paris, stretched out like a magnificent carpet. my only regret is not going up at night or taking a shot of it at night.
river cruise down the Seine: a droning voice that periodically switched to french, chinese and some other weird languages. plastic yellow chairs... it was like a moving lecture hall. which explains why many of us fell asleep...
back to the hotel: sun still glaring in our faces. had more cup noodles with Yvonne and Audrey.

day 8: 6 June
2 hour drive to Versailles Palace. i fell asleep. when we got there the place was just... amazingly huge. its really... luxurious. it made me want to be french princess at that time period. Hall os Mirrors where the treaty was signed.
sprawling gardens that go on forever. seriously. if i could, i would play hide and seek in there and never come out.
Latin Quater for lunch: Crepes! for lunch. and eyecandy on the side. i loved the dessert crepes.
Musee d'Orsay: Impressionism galore. i found some pieces very... interesting. like memories from a dream. as if i've seen them before but i dont quite remember where.
end of holiday blues: i was so down with that that day.
the Louvre: i met Mona Lisa today! yay! she's so very famous through none of her own credit. but she looked sea-sick with a greenish tinge. but she does look at you all the time. we know. we walked. the Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and other paintings.

day 9:7 June
the ending! haiz. i was seriously sad that day. we ended up waking up late, sleeping away our last few hours in Paris. then managed to drag ourselves down to Carrefour (!) to splurge on a chocolate spree... then it was packing and 'walking my dog' away from Chinagora. all the time with the worry of midyears pounding in my heart like an awful headache. flights back were fully utilised to watch as many movies as possible... then it was... hitting the books. and looking through my photos... and midyears.

still in my pyjamas. shall drop back off to sleep. maybe... sleep away my horrible eyebags.