4 Nov 07 (Sunday, Delft)

Today is my self-declared rest day! Surely I deserve a rest after a week of hardwork, rite? So today I lazed in bed from 7am (when my alarm rang) until .. 10.30am! Many thanks to IHE for providing us with such a comfortable & cushy bed! Yes, I know my bed is kind of messy & I really could do with some help here. Any takers?

Today was rather peaceful & uneventful, as I stayed at home the whole day, reading up my Maths notes (it's getting tougher & tougher!) so that I wun be too far behind lessons. Thankfully a couple of frens are with me on msn keeping me comapny, updating me on their lives (a mix of good news and bad news), etc .. It's always heartwarming to hear from close frens when living alone in a far away & cold place ..

In the evening, I whipped up a sumptuous dinner for myself - with 2 packets of instant noodles, a can of curry chicken and some fine culinery skills (ok, I may have exaggerated it a little.. haha..) - and *da-da* :- A fine dish of delicious dry chicken noodles! Dun judge it based on its looks, cos it actually tased quite good! Ok, I know this is not a big deal, but at least this is a good start to the beginning of a greater variety of meals (beyond bread & pre-packed nasi goreng) for me, rite? So pls be generous with your encouragements! :)

The night was spent discussing the Maths assignment with 2 fellow students, followed by more revision on my own. So proud of myself for my discipline! (Actually it's more like Im lazy to go out. Haha ..) Hopefully I'll have something more exciting than this to share tomorrow!

3 Nov 07 (Saturday, Delft)

Lovely Saturday morning .. finally a day without lessons :) As usual, my trusty alarm rang at 7am, but my body wouldnt bulge, indulging myself to laze around for a moment. The moment lasted 45min before I pulled myself out of bed finally .. most reluctantly as u can imagine ..

For breakfast, I made myself some coffee, bread and took a window-seat with a lovely view. My hostel is nested behind a row of large trees, and their leaves have all but turned yellow to prepare themselves for the coming winter. This reminds me of the need to prepare myself with sufficiently warm clothings to brave the winter too.. certainly need to keep a lookout for those kind of really thick winter-coat!


I heard from my senior Wong that there's a Singapore Food Festival happening at a shopping mart in Delft .. something both of us felt quite unbelievable. I mean, why would anyone want to organize a SFF at Delft - a tiny town with few, if any, Singaporeans? So we planned to go check it out this morning. Before meeting Wong at his hostel, I made a little detour into the "downtown" to withdraw some cash. I also passed by IHE, the place that will be my 2nd home for the next 17 months. Lovely architecture, isnt it?


Ths journey to check out the SFF is pretty smooth and enjoyable with great scenery, although Im not sure Wong also finds it as enjoyable as he has to pillion his wife & young daughter.

After cycling for some 30min, we're finally at the shopping mart hosting the SFF. It is called Xotus & doesnt it look rather like our Expo?

Surprise surprise, there is indeed a Singapore Food Festival happening at this remote part of the world (check out the poster carrying the SG flag in the centre top)! It is rather small-scaled though, and are selling packed food instead of piping hot cooked food like Hainan chicken rice, laksa, bak kuteh, char kway teow .. haha, just my wishful thinking ..

I took the opportunity to get food tat lies within my capability to whip up - shrimp wantons & lotsa of instant noodles. Counting on them for my next few dinners! Just outside the mart, there is a stall selling Oliebollenkraam, a traditional Dutch food that is available only in these few months of the year. They taste very much like our hum-jin-pang sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Spongey & nice :P

Oh, here's introducing Wong, his wife and cute daughter! Such a happy family, ya?

Wong showed me to an Indonesian outlet where I bought my Indonesian food lunch box. Had their yellow rice, beef rendang, green cabbage & half an egg .. yummy! Especially taken at a window-seat table while leisurely reading the newspaper & my Lonely Planet..

In the evening, I was treated to my most enjoyable dinner since I came to Delft. Dinner, at the invitation of Wong, was sumptuous Msian/SG home-cooked food, served in the most homely ambience. Beyond the great cooking, the generous hospitality by Wong & family made the dinner tat much more heartwarming & memorable .. thanks man!

2 Nov 07 (Friday, Delft)

As usual, I pulled myself out of bed (abit with much struggling) as my alarm burst into life at 7am sharp. Somehow, my bed feels especially warm and cosy this morning, and it took exceptional determination and ill-power to part ways with "her" (warm & cosy - gotta to be a "she").

It has now become a routine that when I get out of bed, I log into msn to catch-up with my frens in SG (7am Delft time = 2pm SG time) while simultaneously (1) washing up; (2) getting myself some simple breakfast of bread and coffee; (3) getting dressed & (4) doing my hair (yes, Im still diligently maintaining my spiky hairstyle). A rather busy morning eh? :) 7am Delft time is 2pm SG time, so it is a rather convenient time to catch my frens online. It is also a good time to see if there's any urgent email to read/respond (none so far .. haha, as if Im so impt).

It was a morning with a slight drizzle .. sianz, I really hate it when it rains & Im outdoors (my closer frens will know tat it's because my hair will collapse when my hair gel dissolves in the rain) .. So braving the rain, I cycled really quickly to school - all the time observing proper road safety measures of course :P

The first lesson was at 8.45am, a very suitable time for the Maths lesson where a superbly fresh & clear mind is absolutely necessary to comprehend the lesson. I believe the lecturer has no doubt how lost we all are from our clueless eyes .. I would say today's lesson is by far the most challenging. It is only later I found out that several students has decided to meet up to study it together tomorrow! Now you see how potent the lesson is?

After the Maths lesson, we break for lunch - a time I so look forward to everyday as this is my only decent meal of the day. I noticed nasi-goreng with chicken/lamb on the menu and when I asked for the lamb, they said they will cook the lamb only after they've finished selling the chicken .. funny isnt it? So I took the chicken with a bit of disappointment, and also tried their "African pepper soup with chicken" - sounds exotic eh? Haha .. it taste great too :)

Lunchtime was totally enjoyable as I had this fellow student who told us how roads in his country are planned & designed. Firstly, they need no planning as they just lay the roads where the existing paths are. Then, when there is no existing path, you just put a donkey there. Why? Becos a donkey will help find the shortest path thru its instinct! Gosh, can u believe that?! Haha ..

After the good laugh at lunch, the next lesson is on engineering structures. It was in this really small classroom, and tats when I realize how small the class is - just 11 of us coming from Ethiopia, Guatemala, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Sri Lanka & USA. These are the people who'll brave thru the trails & tribulations of the demanding MSc course with me.

After class ended at 3.30pm & some loitering around (checking emails, having a hot drink in the canteen, etc), I went to the town centre to withdraw some cash. It was still drizzling outside .. a cold & wet evening really makes me miss home .. awwww..

In the evening, IHE screened the movie "Wild Hogs" - a comedy movie about 4 middle-aged frens setting out on a wild and free roadtrip on their motorbikes. It was screened from a DVD, and it came with a female voice describing every scene that has no people talking. It seems like a feature to benefit the visually handicapped. It was pretty strange watching it this way .. but I still very much appreciate the effort by the school and seniors in arranging all these recreational stuff for us lonely students.. thanks man!

1 Nov 07 (Thursday, Delft)

I was up at 7am this morning (yes, I'm still persevering with my wake-up-at-7am regime), and did some emailing and msn chatting. Pleasant times always pass by so fast, and before I knew it, it's 10am and time to get to IHE. Before school, I made a de-tour to check my bank account .. and when I saw that funds have been transferred over, I feel a sudden rush of emotions .. yes, Im finally been liberated from poverty & can live a normal life once again!

We have Maths lesson today, recap-ing some of the Maths stuff we were taught in the earlier part of our lives .. gosh, there were so much that I've clean forgotten .. jialat! Gotta work hard liao .. I'm quite impressed with the way my lecturer taught Maths - the clarity with which she conveys the concept across. I've been a Maths tuition teacher before and I know how tough it is to teach Maths.

It was lunch after the Maths lecture. I promised myself to cut down on red meat & fried stuff. So today I took the salmon and clear chicken soup - healthy rite? :) The salmon was very good, and lunch was most enjoyable, maybe because I no longer need to worry if I still have € to have my next meal :)

After lunch was almost 4 hours worth of lesson on Matlab, a type of programming tool. Matlab is totally new to me, and the lesson is really interesting. But 4 hours worth of lecture is really no joke, and before long, many students got really lost and the mind starts to get goggy with the commands and algorithms.

When lesson ended, it was 5.30pm, and I was very surprised by how dark the sky already was! It looked like it's 7.30pm! It wasnt like this yesterday .. goodness, is this normal?

With the place so dark now, I decided to head for hostel. Although Im no longer living under the poverty line, I've decided not to squander my money away. So I'll leave the dinner at some nice restaurants for another day and just make do with the humble nasi-goreng, fruit juice, 2 apples and a cup of coffee :) Hmm, taste good too!

The evening and night was spent doing up a Maths assignment. I didnt plan to finish it actually, but it was really engrossing and before long, I've finished it and it was ... 1130pm! Suddenly felt hungry and saw the pack of chocolate cookies seducing me. So decided bing on it while doing my last assignment of the day - updating this blog.

31 Oct 07 (Wednesday, Delft)

I got up at 7am as usual (it struck me that my time here is too precious to be wasted lazing in bed), and begin my day. Lesson is not due until 10.45am, so I still have a couple of hours of free time. I msn-ed for a while, and by 10am, I'm off to school with my trusted companion - my bicycle :)

I've a lecture today, and it is at the theatre with the wooden ceiling. It has been a long long time since I witnessed a class so attentive! All the students were following the lecturer closely, raising questions spontaneously whenever there is doubt .. amazing .. I wonder whether this is going to be the norm or an anomaly..

After about 2 hrs of lecture, it's my favourite time of the day - lunchtime! I had the chicken with fries & salad today, complete with a cup of coffee. Very nice .. :P At the same time however, I'm seeing my cash set back by another €3 .. now I very kelian, only have €12 in my wallet .. sure hope my funds can come quickly or else I really have to pack bread for lunch ..

As I cycle my way leisurely back to hostel, it struck me how lovely the journey is. Lining the roads and almost everywhere else, there are trees with their leaves having turned all golden.. the unmistakable sign that winter is fast approaching. I was told by seniors that the winter last year wasnt cold at all, while this year, we're already experiencing sub-zero temperature during autumn time. So they predict winter this year will be REALLY cold .. goodness ..

As the wind blows, you'll see the trees swaying in harmony, as the golden leaves falls slowly onto the ground (hope u can see from the photo) .. I guess this is how the word "fall" comes about..

Oh, I think I have not showed how my hostel (known as Mina) looks like. So here she is .. the place that's going to shelter me from wind, rain and sun for the next 18 months.

In the evening, we have a fellow student, Franto coming over to do dinner together. We cooked some meat, rice, potatoes & instant noodles .. and had a really fun time cooking together! After dinner, we spent some time discussing about some Maths problems, and that marks the end of the day.

30 Oct 07 (Tuesday, Delft)

Day 2 of serious lessons .. still a bit apprehensive as it has been more than 8 years since I walked out of my school's gate. The feeling of being a student once again, attending lectures & tutorials, especially having been thru so much in working life feels so weird and certainly needs time to get used to. I could still remember my 1st day of school in NUS vividly .. it was a lab session and that was where I met my 1st classmate who is now one of my very good fren also working in the same organization as me :)

Today's lesson is a workshop on Hydrology - learning to extract hydrological data, managing them, techniques to estimate missing data and appreciating the relationships of these figures and the story they are telling us. Haha .. sorry tat this sounds a bit boring or chim.. the lesson wasnt too hard to follow though, just that the qualitative analysis of the data is very open-ended and I spent some time concocting a couple of points :P

Time passed really fast during lessons. Perhaps it's because we were doing the exercise that made time felt passing faster this morning. Then we break for lunch - had fish & chips with a cup of hot chocolate. Umm .. yummy! When paying for my food, I realized I'm running dangerously low on funds. Sure hope my funds can come soon ... Had lunch with senior Wong (the kind fellow M'sian who has helped me a lot in settling down), Ahmad (another fellow M'sian doing his PhD here) and Paul.

As I cycle on my way home, I took some quick pictures of more views of Delft that I havent blogged before. There's this nice coffeeplace just outside the New Church. Imagine sipping your favourite coffee in the luke-warm sun, chatting with your loved one/frens or simply admiring the vicinity's architecture or watching people walk by.. At a canal nearby, the mandarin ducks are enjoying a lovely feast of bread, courtesy of a little boy and his granny.

Not all is so wholesome at Delft though. There is also this little video rental (I think so. I'm not sure as I did not go in to ask) store carrying a huge array of sex video titles (I saw them thru the door panel. Nope, I did not go in) :)

It rained last night, and even this little town where the folks take so much pride in keeping their environment clean (a fellow IHE student once witnessed a Dutchman chidding a group of tourists over a piece of unwanted bread their kid threw into the canal) could not be spared by the omni-present flotsam! I'm wondering if the flotsam will get washed out or cleaned up by worker .. and this struck me that I have not seen any maintenance chaps working in the canal since I was here. Hmm..

I spent a good part of the afternoon and evening doing some work, afterwhich I had my pre-cooked nasi-goreng again. Very kelian hor .. especially thinking back on how comfortable life is back in SG. Sigh.. these are times when I really miss home .. family, frens, food and warmth .. another 17.5 mths to go .. jia you! gambatei!

29 Oct 07 (Monday, Delft)

Today marks the 1st day of serious lessons. This is not to say that the previous week has been spent making merry & enjoying life, just that the lessons then were conducted in a relaxing and fun way so much so that it didnt feel like proper lessons :)

The 1st class is at 845am .. early huh? It was conducted in a small "lecture theatre", and it feels very scholarly sitting inside there, under the wooden ceiling, facing the blackboard on which so many world water experts has previously taught on it before ..

After a couple of introductry lessons, we break for lunch. I had the beef lasagna, which is the healthier alternative compared to the fried mussels with fries. Yes, I have not forgotten that I've to watch my diet now that I've been consuming lotsa of meat and very little vegetables :P Maybe I'll just take soup & bread tmr to go light ..

The afternoon lesson was "Review of Mathematics", something I once knew so well but has now long forgotten most of them .. hmm, really need to pay close attention in class! Somehow, today seems especially gloomy, not sure whether if it is because today marks the end of our "honeymoon"period in Delft, or that the rain & grey sky makes me miss the people back home..

As I'm running VERY low in €, I'll really need to go on budget now for my meals. So I cycled to Aldi to buy some pre-cooked nasi-goreng to do dinner. I sure hope this and my remaining bread is able to last me until my funds come. Otherwise xiaoqi will go hungry .. so kelian .. sigh..