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it's snowing!!!! so pretty. it's a snowy day.
everything's got a snow blanket.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

the message yesterday was about our faith again. N it's a tremendous thing to be strong when we're the weakest.

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Psalm 56:3

in thee alone.

i'll be flying to london on the 3rd of feb. YAY! can't wait. the exciting bit is seeing familiar faces n pple i can just scream at. oops.

the tiramisu here is fantabulous! oooohhh *drool* oh my apartment's settled, it's tiny n cosy on the 5th flooor with no ascensore (lift) it's a great way to burn those calories after all the cheese n carbo. i'm gonna put on at least 3 kg, i ate a whole pizza by myself yest n constantly feeling hungry!
the lil apartment is 15 mins away from sch, cheap, sharing with van n amanda. can't wait to shop for it. our own place! how exciting! i can't wait to cook! wheeee!
it's to save money, the prices are exorbitant here. (no daryl, it's not just apple crumble on the menu)

have a blessed week everyone! wheeee! gonna go to a hostel now coz a fellow exchange student is cooking chinese food! exciting!
oh chinese new year without bak kwa is gonna be spent at someone's place with steamboat! n of course we're gonna do our own da shao chu and moving in.
ciao!

finally got my fiscal code today! took 4 hours coz they went on an hour strike again. how ridiculous. hahaha. but it was a blessing coz we bumped into a Greek lady, Turkish girl n Indian girl n we made friends! =) the few of us didn't understand Italian and were just stuck at the hall wondering what was happening when they announced the silly strike thingy den got chased out tog n we all went for coffee and exchanged numbers. it's hilarious how a mini international community can get together joking about the way Italians work but the Turks are worse.

n then it was Chinatown, ooh everything's so chinese i felt like i was in China! we had chinese food again! it was so sumptuous...n it was such a lovely day. think everything's getting better and hopefully the apartment will get settled soon. wheee. n we're planning a chinese new year steamboat! how exciting! yay! with some Hongkees. It's funny how u appreciate ur heritage more when u're away, and i'm more cheena than ever.
Thank God for the day. wheeee.

I feel so much better after a nice warm bath, thanks gnet. Guess exchange is a really good opportunity to learn to be on your own, and be thrown out of your comfort zone. Stuck in this city fraught with consumerism, alcoholism, vandalism, weird regulations, smoke and racist perspectives, I have to learn to cope with everything just coming at me like a blizzard. An awful reality to bear. Like the potter and his clay, it needs to be molded into perfection.

8.45pm Tues 17/1

i wonder if i'm yanking so hard on the cord it's about to break n there's tension because i'm pulling too hard yet at the same time not wanting it to break. the fear of everything is just driving me nuts but it'll get better.

there should be a new tourist attraction in Milano..called the Questura. it's mad! it's the immigration department tt looks like a typical chinese run-down building with horrid toilets filled with a stench n illegal immigrants n policemen checking on them.

i woke at 3.30am. yes. to go queue (for 3 hrs in the blistering cold) yes just to get my permit to stay. it's so dumb..coz we all alr had our visas which kinda are useless in a way. so when we reached there at 4 plus in a cab there were alr 10 pple in line. n the dept opens at 7.30am. It's certainly a sight to see, people standing there freezing in the cold wanting to get permits.i had my hot pack..thanks del..n bought a latte froma cafe which is a Godsent... the bureaucracy here is...atrocious...
and just as the gates opened, everyone just rushed it n i was squished n there was some kinda fight in front coz this guy wanted to get in without q-ing n in the end he got dragged into the police dept next door. scary.

after queuing n queuing (i spend half my time q-ing) i had to wait for 3 consecutive times to get my documents. while waiting, it was pretty daunting seeing illegal immigrants being dragged upstairs by the Italian policemen....(wearing black, looking 10 times scarier than on tv, with masks) n they were all black people...and also dragged to the toilets to get checked. (drugs maybe) N the policemen were wearing surgical masks n gloves like they were doubling up as toilet cleaners and forbidding anyone else to go in. it's really scary seeing tt in real life....
there were plenty of pple getting permits n it's saddening to see how everyone wants to get a job here with the good pay. its depressing how money drives people, n in this county esp...it's depressing. I'll never want to live here!

next i walked to a nearby building to get my fiscal code so as to open a bank account. n guess what..they were on strike!!!! for an hour. it's ridiculous..so we went to get the forms and it's loads of q-ing n q-ing again. oh when i say q..it's not orderly like anywhere else..people cut ur q whenever they like it. don't ask me why.
i seriously miss Singapore's efficiency n all of us have been taking it for granted....
perhaps tt's why pple vent their frustration by vandalising n throwing loads of cigarette butts on the floor n going on strikes.
*arrrgh*

anyhow....getting the permit to stay here..is like American idol, whereby u qualify for the semis or something.I was suggesting tt the questura be a pitstop for Amazing Race..it's the MOST daunting task ever...ha.
thank God i survived n tt i went thru tt successfully...i spent a total of 6 hrs getting that precious piece of paper which i'm gonna tear up in front of the brainless officials at the end of my stay here. ha!

15 mins to class....

Never been so industrious before. I’m actually making an effort to neaten my Italian notes! Well, it’s freezing so it’s hardly bearable to engage in any other activities. We saw the first apartment yesterday our eyes almost popped out as we oohed and aahed in the Ikea looking house. It’s so pretty complete with a kitchen, bathtub and living room. But we’re still scouring for cheaper ones that comes with fastweb (internet). It’ll be definite that we’ll be fighting over the usage.

I got a frightening call in the middle of the night that kind of shocked me into staying awake for a while. This crazy guy yelled into the phone ‘Wassup, WA!” it’s either he’s drunk, a racist neighbour or plain weird. So far, nothing bad has happened thank God.

Anyhow, looking forward to visiting the church at Famagosta later. It seems rather far away. We’ll see how it goes. Ooh! I finally need to go to the toilet after feeling constipated for 5 days(thanks to lack of water n loads of carbo)! Ta!

Back! It’s quite funny to see how 3 people of various opposites can come together with mere similarities like nationality and objectives for the day. Van, Amanda and I have been doing most activities together. Well, it’s either with them or alone. The rest of the people don’t seem to be visible for most parts of the day. I wonder why. It’s Sunday, no shops are open so I wonder what they do. Hibernate? No wonder Singapore’s so efficient, must be the weather. Winter is depressing; it’s so cold you feel lazy and unproductive unless you’re doing something that doesn’t require much brains/strength.
Back to the 3 of us, I’m the one who’s constantly hungry while Amanda is a shoppaholic and Van is like the opp of Amanda. It’s funny how she shakes her head whenever Amanda talks to her other half over the phone. Like some OSW. Hilarious.

Italian homework time! Ciao Ciao! (pronounced as chao)


updates on church later....
still freezing...ack.

 
 

first part of the first day was nerve-wrecking and just a mad rush registering, lugging the baggage up and down the stairs and settling in. emotionally, physically draining.

hostel is not bad actually, just lacks a kitchen. school food sucks as usual. pricey and not tasty.

italian class rocks! it's fun n my instructor makes learning so fun! love it. the language barrier doesn't seem that bad now.

it's freezing here but i get by, just that i fear getting frost bitten when the coldness of the tap water penetrates my bones n my hands remain cold for hours.

food wise...pasta pizza salad panani. n i have been having bananas for breakfast.

i miss everyone but the feeling isn't so depressing anymore. unlike the first day when i arrived i was torn between tears and sulking. thank God for the strength.

all the red headed people i noe so far in my italian class n misc people are party animals. *scream* i feel so out of place for now, race seems to be a factor when socialising. n when you don't drink, dance, do drugs, it makes you a weirdo or perhaps a typical Asian girl who's tied to Mummy's apron strings. I hope i'll meet more people of similar interests, especially when i visit the Church this Sunday.
anyhow, i think tolerance is really an issue because every culture is just so different. we went out with this Korean girl yesterday and she just disappeared all of a sudden, without telling us. n she went back to the hostel all by herself! So far, the people who actually bother to talk to us are Asians - Thai, Asian-american, yellow-skinned people...and the others talk about partying all the time. *faints*

the Italians here aren't that helpful, Milanese aren't known for being warm i guess. N they smoke so much. to guard against the cold i guess. sometimes i wonder if i'm in the right place.

i still need to get accomodation from Feb onwards, we decided not to rush because everyone who is desperate to get housing is calling the whole list right now. We'll wait till the new housing list is out.

pix of my hostel room!
- my comfort corner!
- my bed
- the sink

oh i went to the famous duomo yest act to buy misc items...it's beautiful but under renovation. n we got lost coz we weren't too familiar with the way i guess. being hungry, i was so agitated n my anger got the better of me. i have to keep bearing in mind my words n actions, n pray for guidance....being in a foreign land pushes you out of the comfort zone.

oh dear i still need to go q up at the questura (police station) for 6 hours after waking at 5 am in the morning because of mindless italian procedures. *groan* there are so many things to do every exchange student is stressed up....it's 'crazy!!!' quote unquote lena.

la di da....more updates soon.

oh yes, thanks for all the gifts of love n coming to the airport ok! seemed like a sendoff for me going away for 6 decades. haha. thank you for keeping me in your prayers.

mum, if u are reading this stop panicking. i'm not a 5 year old! n trying to talk to me everday doesn't help because it stresses me out further with the amount of things i have to do. i know what i have to do....seriously. relax. 'chill' (amanda the other sgean loves to say tt, she's so happy-go-lucky it balances my kancheongness)

it's such a blessing to experience so much warmth (note the pun)before i leave.
the prayers, the hugs, the notes, the gifts, the food, the effort, the time remind me so much of our greatest ability to care n share n love. I'm so thankful for that.

i'll definitely miss all of Singapore, its people, weather, food, transportation system n i can't imagine how i'd feel flying back to Changi in July/August.

N since the amount of haves is directly related to amount of expectations, i have been blessed with so much tt I'd probably have to cope with less over there. It's a journey that has been given by God to mould me into a good soldier. to learn truly God as my refuge and strength. n to trust in Him always.

quote unquote

We'll be here anyhow

a while ago, a friend of mine said this to me. it made me realise how much i loved my friends, especially this bunch of friends. five years of friendship and still going strong. we were assembled from all over the place but somehow fate has a way of building a bridge of chance for those meant to meet.

though we may all be physically apart, even continents apart, and leading different lives, we can take comfort knowing that the next time we meet, we'll just pick up where we left off. and it always feels as if none of us ever parted.

in a little over 11 hours from now, you'll be flying off to the land of pasta and pizzas. i hope you get used to it. learn how to cook ( it's time to we sample something more than apple crumble ) so you may dazzle us with more culinary delights when you return. try not to return with an italian bf cos he won't understand any of our jokes. and besides, you already have a bf. try not to cross him cos it really wasn't easy that you found a bf. i know you'll kill me for saying something like this on my blog but you know i mean well.

do take care. have your naps. eat your glucousamine pills. bathe regularly. change and wash your clothes. wash your hair when you have the time. write to us if you even remember.

and when you return, we'll have our fair share of merry making again.

thanks dareal, actually i'm not even looking forward to returning. just kidding.