It was my first Monday in London since quite some time ago.

Lesson-wise, getting through Monday requires a fair bit of effort. There're one Econs lecture, 2 Abstract Maths Lectures and one Abstract Maths Class. I could feel my brain crying out for help at the end of the academic day.

Then there were the cricket trials.

We met at St Johns Wood Station. Having chatted with some of the guys, I realised that the probability of me making a fool out of myself (in cricket terms) was immense. I mean, the only ever Cricket experience I had was playing with some dudes about half my age at Katong Park. Equally embarrasing (even before the trials began) was that I had no idea what a "box" was. For those who do not know, it is something men wear to protect the sensitive area.

So the trials began. It has been a long time since I bowled against 'empty' stumps, so my bowling was rather wayward at the start. Furthermore, I was bowling against a real batsman this time. Anyway, the bowling became a bit more stable after a while.

Just a sidenote, I personally feel that the entire motion of bowling in cricket (from the run-up to the mini-jump and the swinging of the arm) is elegant and graceful. It really requires a lot of skill and training to execute such a manoever.

I guess since I have ZERO (proper) cricket experience, my aim was just to get the right width and length. It got better as I bowled more.

Then came the batting. It was my maident attempt at batting with pads and gloves on (minus the BOX). The whole set of gear on me was rather asphyxiating, especially the helmet. As expected, I missed several of the balls that were bowled towards me. I was LBWed a few times, others I'd probably have been caught. But still, it was a good experience.

After an hour or so, the session came to an end. I was probably the worst ever player (in history) to grace the Nets of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Still, it was great fun. And some of the better (much better) players gave me rather encouraging advice. A few of them said that I should stick at cricket, because my bowling improved over the hour, and I have the potential to be a decent bowler. They were probably just being polite, but still it made me feel better.

I just find it so sad that so few people from the motherland can appreciate Cricket. Sure, it does not always provide the same kind of adrenalin rush that Soccer of Basketball does, but it is a sport that requires skill, patience and judgement. People who label cricket a boring sport are just plain ignorant.

Since I probably will never ever get to play cricket when I return to Singapore, I guess I will make use of my time here in London to do more batting and bowling.

Ok, enough of balls and boxes, I think I'll be heading to dreamland now.

Later.

Having taken one drink too many the night before (it's more like earlier in the morning), I rose at 11am. That's darn late by my standards. After a quick wash, I dragged myself down to the dining hall for brunch. Not bad really.

Anyway, it was a Saturday, and I had no intention of staying in my room completing my work (though I probably SHOULD have). I also needed to 'walk' the effects of the alcohol away. I decided upon visiting RC churches in the vicinity, since I quite enjoy looking at Church Architecture.

Armed with my Digiam, London A-Z guide and some notes I wrote down from www.rcdow.org.uk, I set off in good spirits.

My first stop was the Church of St Aloysius Gonzaga, a short walk from HPH. This is the parish of Somers Town.



I guess this is what they call a "Modern" Church over here. It may not have the Neo-Byzantine architecture of Westminster Cathedral, but it's beautiful in it's own right. And it certainly does have a lot to offer.

Just a little history, St Aloysius Gonzaga was born in 9 March 1568 at Lombardi, Italy. He was born a noble, and was the son of a compulsive gambler. Eventually becoming a member of the Jesuit community, he cared for Plague victims in Rome during the 1591 Plague Outbreak. In the end, he became a Plague victim himself and departed on 21 June 1951 in Rome. Canonized in 31 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII, he is the patron saint for AIDS Patients and AIDS caregivers.




These 3 stones pretty much sum up the brief but rich history of the church itself.



And this is the history corner, where there are write-ups and photographs of the various significant events that have taken place in this humble parish since it was built.



That's the view from the entrance.



A closer view of the altar



The tabernacle



The chapel on the side

Having said a quick prayer, I felt ready to embark on the long journey to my next Church.

The journey to the next parish took quite some time. The bulk of the walking was along Euston / Marylebone Road. There were some rather eye-catching events taking place along the way. There were also some places of interest.



That was part of the JFK International Students' Hostel or something like that.



Madame Tussauds. The queue was quite long. The dome-shaped thing popping out on the left is the Planetarium.



A wedding! Taking place at the Westminster Town Council. One of the few weddings I'd encounter on this day. I think the couple were Indian. Bless them.



I have never seen such a large row of Pinkish Red (or Reddish Pink, whichever way you look at it) Houses in my life.

And so after over an hour of non-stop walking, I arrived at my second destination for the day. This is the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Marylebone Parish.



The outside is quite nice really.



The view from the entrance. Fairly majestic.



A closer view of the altar.



Another of those side chapels. Too bad I could not find out what the Chapel was called.

Unfortunately, I was not able to find out any history about this beautiful Parish. No worries, I made a small contribution to the Church funds, prayed, then continued on.

This time, I passed by Edgeware Road. This was probably where the Moroccan Community can be found. There were lots of Halal Restaurants selling kebabs. I was rather tempted to get myself some, but I refrained from doing so, keeping my budget in mind.

This leg of the journey was not as long. I reached The Church of St James, also known as the Spanish Place Parish.



Arguably the most Majestic destination for the day. There were lots of people outside because a wedding (another one!) had just taken place. Beautiful day indeed.




As usual, I will start with views from the entrane. The former was taken with flash. Which do you think is nicer?



Closer view of the altar. With flash.



Statuette of Mother Mary. From one of the many side chapels that this church has.



Paschal Candle. First one I've seen today.

Once again, there was no information about the history of this parish. It would have been nice to learn more about this architectural marvel.

My final destination for the day was the Ogle Street Parish, or the Church of St Charles Borromeo.



It's a pity the church is sort of "blocked" in the front. I mean, it does really look quite nice.

Saint Charles Borromeo was born in Aron, Italy on 2 October 1538. His life focused mainly on helping the poor. Eventually becoming a Cardinal, he was the Archbishop of Milan. He also happened to be a teacher and parish priest to Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Having succmbed to fever, he was called home on 3 November 1584. He was canonized by Pope Paul V on 1 November 1610.

When I entered the church, there was this old man walking up and down the side of the church, praying the Rosary. It was a bit scary.




View from the entrance. This is quite a small parish. I think it can only seat less than 200 people. And unlike most other churches where the congregation is in front of the Altar, the Altar here is surrounded by the congregation. Does really add to the cosy community feel.



The Baptismal Pool. The word Baptism really means "Plunging" so here Catholics to-be are immersed into to water. There are 7 steps leading to the bottom of the pool, representing the 7 Deadly Sins. At the bottom of the pool, the Old Person dies, and the New Person is reborn. The 7 steps out of the pool represent the 7 Blessings of the Holy Spirit.



The Papal Blessing by Pope John Paul II. The unique feature of the Papal Blessing (compared to Papal Blessings of most other churches) is that it was signed by the Pope himself, not someone signing on his behalf.



A statuette of Mary comforting Pope John Paul II



As you can already tell, the are lots of allusions to Pope John Paul II in this church. Here are photos of the 2 rather significant events during his papacy: On the left, Pope John Paul II meets the leader of the Jews in Rome. On the right, he meets Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who shot Pope John Paul II and left him in a critical condition. The Pope survived, and forgave Mehmet later on. Not something easy to do if you ask me.

It turns out that the gentleman praying the rosary on the side of the church was Father Alan Fudge, the Parish Priest. I also chanced upon a lady preparing flowers for the Altar at mass. At the basement, a group of African women were having a prayer session for peace in their homeland. A rather cosmopolitan Church indeed.

This marked the end of my mini pilgrimage. It was spiritually enriching, and also a feast for the eyes in terms of architecture. Best of all, I spent 0.00 pounds for this whole journey.

I hope that my DFRs liked the photos and found this little write-up informative. When I do have the time, I will go exploring again sometime soon.

Better do some proper work now.

Cheers mate.

It's now 3.30am on a Saturday morning. As the working week draws to a close (it already has), I thought it'd be fitting to share some rather, erm, memorable experiences with my DFRs (Dear Faithful Readers).

I have to say that Catholic Society is a pretty happening place. In my first week, I got to know Marie (from France) and Roberto (from Italy). This time, I got acquainted with Miguel, a Finance pHd student from Spain. He also happens to be a member of Opus Dei. That's rather intriguing if you ask me. Hopefully I'll get to know more people from exotic places around the globe.

On Friday, I somehow bumped into Father Iain in school. Seriously speaking, he's quite a witty chap. He mentioned "We are coming up with a pro-life education programme. The plan is in an embryonic stage.". As I discussed the prospect of watching a football match, he mentioned "Perhaps we could watch some second rated team like Chelsea.". Haha, now that's what I call a sense of humour.

And I finally got to play my first game of pool at HPH. Not the best of conditions to play in, but I won anyway! Guess all the training with the brothers really helped.

Friday night was Crush!! It was a Halloween ediition of Crush, though I did not bother dressing up as Barney or something. The quality of song choices was not exaclty consistent, though I did have some fun. Like the "Intellectual" drinking game I played with this UCL guy Oliver. It consisted of asking each other general knowlegdge questions and if we could not answer them, we had to drink. I stunned myself with my intelligent guesses, answering 2 out of his 3 questions correctly. He could not figure out both of the questions I gave him though, so I guess that's something to be proud off. Here're the questions:

1. Who's the longest serving MP in the world? Ans: Fidel Castro (I answered, in true patriotic Singaporean fashion, LKY)
2. When did Manchester United first win the European Cup? 1968 (my question to Oliver, which he got wrong)
3. Who's the best selling artiste of all time? Elvis (I got that right)
4. What's the Capital of Slovakia? Bratislava (He got it wrong)
5. The richest South American Country I.T.O GDP? Argentina (I got that right)

Besides learning some interesting facts, I also got to try Aftershock and Snakebite, the former being some anaesthesia-tasting drink which leaves your tongue totally numb.

Then there was this bloke in the toilet who was quite obviously drunk. While taking a piss, he noticed two little creatures crawling on the wall. "Hey, I found two spiders here. Anybody hungry? I can sell them at 50 pence each. There're at least 3 grams of protein in each one."

Ok the alcohol is taking it's toll on me, so I think I will go to sleep now. The rather inviting bed is about 30cm behind my chair.

G'nite mate.

Guess who?

After a fortnight of absence, the David is back in London!

And arriving with him are some new additions to the room...




Add hot water and ice (optional) and you have one superb drink.



If I get another unpleasant hall dinner, this will come to the rescue.



You know what they say about successful people...

Just a quick update. I arrived at about 6am London time this morning. Went to my hall, had a quick bite, then attended lessons. I did not fall asleep, but I was totally zombified. Nothing the profs said registered. Fortunately, some friends helped me out with the catch-up work. Special thanks to Winston, CC and Yanneng. I'll buy you guys coffee someday.

Ok, here are some long overdue photos of the OFFICIAL final moments I spent in Singapore.



At Open House 06. Not the best of OPHs I must say, but check out Benny Tong's bag.




Last Dinner with 20th



The three brudders from A51 (Half of the Sworn Stonetable Brotherhood)



Friends from Catholic High. Please don't call us Cathigh. We're not a bunch of cats on drugs or something.

Ok that shall be all for my re-introductory post. Shall try to update more. Please do leave a message if you drop by. Thanks.

Cheers mate!

And so, my first week in London has come to an end.

Life here has been good (pardon the lack of adjectives) and I'm pretty much enjoying it. Some things could be better but I guess I'll refrain from whining.

Ok. The food around here has varying degrees of quality, depending mostly on what one's budget is. The one and only hall dinner I had was, while not the worst thing I've ever had, forgettable. Other than that, most of the stuff I've eaten has been quite superb (and fattening) really, no thanks to my mother and her fellow female partners in crime. Roast duck, salt and pepper squid, tempura, grilled cod, fried prawn noodles...Such are the luxuries that I'll miss when I return. Well, I could still possibly enjoy some of this stuff when my parents are not here, only that I'll get the 3pound version from Waitrose or Tesco's. That's not a bad prospect actually, because the variety of microwaveable meals available can be quite overwhelming.

I have somewhat settled into life here at Hughes Parry Hall. Food and washing machine aside, I have to say that I like this place. I have gotten to know some of my floor mates, and there're lots of fascinating stuff about them. Being an inter-collegiate hall, guys here come not only from LSE but also from other schools / colleges under UOL. Opposite me, there's this guy studying / training to be a sax player at Royal Academy of Music. Then there's this other bloke doing Development of South Asian Economies at SOAS. These are pretty wicked courses to take if you ask me, and I take my hat off to them (well not that I'm wearing one now, bu you get the point) for pursuing a course in something they are SERIOUSLY interested in. In addition, having Brunswick, Russel Square Tube station, cheap restaurants and a few other UOL halls in the vicinity is a big plus point (get the pun?).

One thing I've learnt is not to judge people by their appearances (or books by their covers, whatever). Like the Chinese dude and the Sri Lankan Postgrad student (both coincidentally at LSE) may look like nerds, but they go for CRUSH every Friday night. That's what I call working hard and playing hard. Respect. May we someday blaze the dancefloor at the Quad, even though I totally suck at dancing.

The not-so-good part so far is not being able to know many of the Singaporeans. It was probably because I missed the Freshers Camp, and in all honesty, it is not exactly the most happy of feelings to have. Fortunately, I am gradually getting acquainted with many of my fellow countrymen at LSE. To those whom I've gotten to know, thank you for having made the transition into life here all the more smoother. Of course, I have also gotten to know others through Lectures, Hall mates, Catholic Society etc. No point coming to London to hang out only with S'poreans is it? I'm not an ultra-nationalist or something, though there might possibly be such people around here in London...

Well, I shall be returning to the motherland for two weeks or so, hence I will miss out on all the fun here. And the blog will stagnate for a while I guess. After all the blog address is davidgoestolondon, not davidishavinganoutrageoustimeinsingapore. To my Dear Faithful Readers, stay tuned in 2 weeks time. I'll be back, somewhat with a vengeance muahahahahah. Right.

Cheers. Mate.
(Pardon the monotone of this entry. As you would have already read, I'm not very proficient in blogspeak, so I hope you haven't dozed off reading this)

Y'arite?
Ok. As I have promised my Dear Faithful Readers, I will bring them on a pictoral tour of my residence





From the lift to my room. The exposed cement and bricks adds a, erm, retro feel to the whole corridor doesn't it?



And so the doors have opened. WELCOME to this humble dwelling of mine.



The very first object my eyes saw upon entering the door. It now comes complete with some cheesy vjc orientation t-shirt.



The sink and mirror. A HUGE eyesore when I first entered my room, but I'm beginning to appreciate it's value. At least I don't have to walk to the nearby toilet just to brush my teeth. Sweet.



The table where working and socialising can go on at the same time, and rather smoothly at that.



The window sill. I think that the curtains they provided do help to liven up the mood of the room a little, bright colours and all.



The nice wooden shelf above my bed. The big monstrosity of a box at the bottom shelf is a mini (how ironic) first-aid kit.



Where the day ends - for those two blokes lying over there and for myself. Oh by the way, their names are Patches and Gibbs. They were a present from my mother.



That's one of the shared washrooms. The one nearest to my room, where I ususally take a piss / crap. Obviously when no one else is using it.



The kitchentte which has a BLOODY STOVE! And they told us that no COOKING is allowed. Marvellous. I'm so gonna cook something that's bloody better than what the dining hall serves (not that the dining hall's cuisine is very bad, but still...)

That shall be all the photos for now. I shall post more photos soon, including one or two of my archnemesis, the washing machine.

Seriously speaking, we're on better terms now. Though he still eats my cash, at least he cleans my clothes well (after I trashed him s***less and made him my servant hahahaha).

So lectures have officially started. For now, everything seems manageable. I wonder when crunch time will come. Oh and last night, there was this party on board a boat sailing through the thames. Specially organised by the UCL Singsoc for Freshers in London. It was indeed a fun-filled experience. Sadly, I didn't bring my camera with me. No worries, I'll get the photographs from other friends who did.

That's all for now, stay tuned for more stuff.

Cheers. Mate.