Taking Stock (1st Milestone)

With the blink of an eye, I’ve been living in London for close to half a year! Gosh – that’s close to 16% of the time I have here (3 years). Time really flies when you’re having a good time.

I should really take some time to look back into the past 6 months and reflect on how I’ve spent my time here. Have I really learnt anything from being in England? Have I really gained what I hoped to achieve when I left the shores of Malaysia and Singapore not too long ago? And there’s the big question I often get from friends back home – “Have you changed?”

Truth be told, I can’t say that I have changed much in the recent months. I’m pretty much the same Hsin-hui that you know even before I came here - simple, fun-loving, and cheerful.

But I must say that life here in London has certainly been remarkably colourful. Yes – in every sense of the word. I’m certainly more well-travelled now, having been to places that I’ve never dreamed possible – including the majestic Swiss Alps, the mysterious Stonehenge, and other magnificent places like Paris (Boy, I just love the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum), Cambridge, Oxford, Bath, Zurich, and Austria. Priceless memories from these trips will forever be etched in my mind. Among the most treasured moments I’ve had include the time when I was skiing down the Alpine slopes in Austria, absorbing the breathtaking view of the whole of Paris from the pinnacle of the Eiffel Tower, and bathing in the open-air hot springs in Switzerland while light snowflakes drizzled down from the sky above. Ah… what bliss…

I’ve also learnt the basics of cooking a reasonable meal. Previously, all I could ever whip-up in the kitchen was just a simple bowl of fried rice or instant noodles. Now, I have a certain measure of confidence to cook a variety of soup, pasta, curry, and other Chinese dishes. At least I wouldn’t feel lost if I was thrown into the kitchen and asked to prepare a meal. I must say that I actually rather enjoy cooking (although I may not be that good at it – yet!)

On another note, I really miss making music in my life. Sure, I’ve been to several fantastic musicals here in the West End – including Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Cats. And after attending several services in Hillsongs London, I know that there is a calling for me to continue in my pursuit of making music. I really do not know what plans God has for me, but I can sense that it’s gonna be big! Huge! Boy, I truly thank the Lord for using my parents to plant the gift of music in me ever since I was young.

He’s given me a dream – a very big one. By His grace, I don’t just have a dream. Instead, I see it, and I hunger for it! And I’m confident that one day, this dream will come to pass. But what should I do to get closer to this dream? Hm… Perhaps I should get myself a guitar? How about a keyboard? Or maybe both? *Grinz*

We have all been fearfully and wonderfully made. And deep down within our inner recesses, there is this huge potential that is waiting to spring forth and shine to the people around us. One day, it will all come to pass – when our memories and fantasies converge as one.

“Twenty years from now, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do, rather than the things you did. So raise your sails, aim for the sky, and your ship might yet fly!” ~Mark Twain~

Hold on to your dreams, my friend, and continue to run this race with wisdom and courage. I’ll see you when you get there…

Bath

Presenting the world famous Roman Bath...

Ain't the picture above just beautiful? This is the amazing sight we beheld when we entered the Roman Baths in the City of Bath.

A World Heritage City, this place dates all the way back to the Medival Ages. It was originally built by the Romans (duh - why else would it be called a Roman Bath?), but was abandoned after the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons. You can read up more on the traditional Medival Bathing at this site. Besides being known for it being Britain's only hot mineral springs, Bath is also famous for being the city featured by Jane Austen in two of her novels - Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

The waters of the Great Bath (as shown in the picture above) are natural and have not been treated. As such, people are not allowed to go into this warm 'pond'. There have been plans to open a Bath Spa for the public (to allow residents and tourists to have a dip), but it has always been postponed for one reason or another. Observers say that these delays could be a bad omen. After all, the place was used as a temple of pagan worship to the Goddess of Healing, Minerva. I guess only time will tell...

For people in the UK, this is definitely a place worth visitng. Take my word for it. :) Also, feel free to click through my pics at hozoned4 for some of the pics I took while in Bath. Enjoy!

Stonehenge

The Stonehenge - One of Earth's greatest mysteries, one of England's greatest treasures.

Built between 3000BC and 1500BC, this prehistoric monument has attracted flocks of visitors from all around the world. Pilgrimages are made throughout the year to witness these majestic stones - simple stones which serve to remind us all of the complexity and sophistication of the engineering and sciences of our forefathers.

One may be forgiven to question the significance of these stones. Why is it that everyone makes such a big hype over it? I mean, they're just stones, right? Surely, there's gotta be other unique historic stones in the world that deserve a similar attention to that received by the Stonehenge?

Well, you're wrong. Archaeologists have remarked that one of the most definitive designs of the Stonehenge is the horizontal stones mounted across two parallel vertical stones each. Other stone structures of the past were all vertical in design. There had to be some reason which compelled the creators of this site to lift such huge and heavy stones to place them above the structure.

Some say that it was a religious site - evidenced by the remains of tools for pagan worship. Others argue that it was an astrological site (with stones that mark the sunrise and sunset during the Solstices of the year). Some believe it to be an annual calendar - one that even factored the changes in the sun's position in leap years. In addition, some extermists even claim that it was built by aliens as a landing site for their spaceships.

There are heaps of evidence for the various theories above, without any one of them being more conclusive than the other. It remains one of Earth's best concealed mysteries to date...

What do you think?

P/S: Do remember to check out my pics at hozoned4, yeah?

Which File Extension am I?

Well, guess I'm having some peer pressure to post-up some form of personality quiz result. Here's goes:

Why don't you try it?

Smallville

Believe it or not, I've recently taken a strong interest in Smallville. Well, I've just started watching the series not too long ago, and am currently watching the first few episodes of Season 2. Think I'm currently in the 5th Episode of the season. Cool stuff!

The series has a rather remarkable storyline that portrays the young Clark Kent in his adolescence - prior to the Superhero we all love and adore. And just like all of us, life for him isn't a bed of roses. It's full of the trials and challenges that we all face. I'm sure there are many of us out there who often wish to have his superpowers. Hee~ Does the following description of our hero ring a bell?

"Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound... 'Look, up in the sky!' 'It's a bird,' 'It's a plane,' 'It's Superman...'"

Oh oh, and let's not forget the beautiful Lana Lang (acted by Kristin Kreuk) in this wonderful series. Some of my friends say that she's the only reason why they watched (and are still watching) Smallville. I wonder why Clark never managed to win her heart. She is just so hot! Hm... would Supes have been better off if he ended up with Lana Lang instead of Lois Lane?

Guess I'll just have to watch more of the episodes to find out...

Google?

My favourite Search Engine:

Les Choristes

Mention this film title to anyone and one of the most common responses you’ll come across is the question - “Is this another Mr Holland’s Opus?”

Yeap – I’ve just watched this show yesterday evening.

Yeap yeap – I stepped into the cinema thinking that this would be just like Mr Holland’s Opus.

And yeap yeap yeap – boy was I right! :)

Don’t get me wrong. I must say that I absolutely love watching these films about music teachers who help their students discover the wonderful and magical world of music. Other shows that have successfully used the similar formula include Music of My Heart and Sister Act. Hm… I believe I could even include The Sound of Music! And boy, did I love them all!

Well, what exactly makes these shows tick? Let’s just take a quick look at some of the common elements of these shows:

ACT 1

- Teacher arrives at new school
- Students dislike teacher
- Teacher stumbles across a talented student
- Teacher is inspired

ACT 2
- Teacher begins to teach music
- Students start off as a hopeless bunch (Hm... Typical!)
- Teacher is patient
- Students gradually respect Teacher

ACT 3
- Teacher has a bad boss who discourages music (Yes – this is always the case!)
- Teacher fights against bad boss (almost always winning – otherwise there won’t be a story)
- Bad boss threatens to cut funding

ACT 4
- Teacher and Students prepare for a fund-raising concert / competition
- Teacher and Students succeed / win
- Everybody lives happily ever after

Epilogue
- Teacher continues to teach music…...........................

Well then, do I see any aspiring directors out there? :)

Extravagant Worship

Guess what?

I just attended an extravagant worship service with Hillsong London yesterday night. And boy, it certainly did live up to the word extravagant!

If you're familiar with Christian music, you'll know what I mean. We had among the best singers/musicians all under one roof in the Hammersmith Apollo (Hey, even the Beatles have performed there before!) The Hillsongs London band was joined by Darlene Zschech, Matt Redman, and Delirious. Amazing, huh? I would have given anything to be able to worship with just any one of them. Hence, you can imagine the level of excitement I felt upon discovering that not one, not two, but ALL THREE of them would be coming together. Haha - this was certainly an event not to be missed! You can imagine that the whole theatre was jam packed with throngs of people - including some who had to stand by the isles! God's blessings certainly overflow!

We sang and we danced for more than 2 hours (with only short breaks in between) to songs like History Maker, Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble, Majesty (Here I Am), and How Great is Our God. The presence of God was certainly with us, and it was just so amazing to be able to shout out our praises to Him in a congregation of more than 4,000 people. One voice. One family.

Words fail me in describing the event. You should have been there... :)

London

Hi again,

I figured that the best way of starting my blog record would be by starting off with an account of my experience here in London, a place where I've lived for more than 5 months now.

I kinda like the description portrayed by the Lonely Planet. Hence, I've decided to copy and paste it over into my blog:

"London - the grand resonance of its very name suggests history and might. Its opportunities for entertainment by day and night go on and on and on. It's a city that exhilarates and intimidates, stimulates and irritates in equal measure, a grubby Monopoly board studded with stellar sights."

Yeap yeap - this paragraph sorta sums it all up pretty well, I believe. It fully captures the essence of what the city is really about - a melting pot of diverse cultures and backgrounds. One does not need to live here for long before being exposed to the various elements that are described above! I shall attempt to elaborate on each one of them as follows:

History and might are easily reflected in the city's majestic and classical buildings. One simply needs to make a simple trip to any museum or castle to be able to rewind the clocks back into the glory of the past.Entertainment is a breeze. I still recall asking my local friends here for suggestions on what to do during weekends (when I first arrived in London). And the simplest (and truest!) answer I've received is that it really boils down to what you're looking for. Popular hang-out spots abound - with beautiful parks (St James's being my personal favourite!), musicals, concerts, football matches, with pubs topping the list hands down.

The next beautiful thing I find about the city is the society and culture. In general, people here are far more outspoken and bold, as compared to the far-east. You'll find that the folks here are very forthcoming with their ideas and comments - even in the business environment. And it's really interesting to have the opportunity to mingle with people of different nationalities - including the Greeks, South Africans, Italians, Gibraltarians, and Nigerians (just to name a few!) Hey, I've even got friends who hail from Uruguay and Ukraine! How cool is that?

Monopoly Board. Ah... I'm sure many of us can recall our childhood days, playing Monopoly with our loved ones. Personally, I've yet to explore all the places on the board - although I'm pretty confident finding my way around places like Leicester Square, Regent St, Oxford St, May

fair, and King's Cross Station. One fine day, I'll plan a Monopoly trip around London - definitely armed with my trusty Digicam. Wait for my blog and pics, yeah?

Wow - guess this has been a pretty long blog! Hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I have writing it. Also, feel free to browse through some of my London pics in the following Webshots links:

http://community.webshots.com/user/hozoned4
http://community.webshots.com/user/hozoned2

Remember to bookmark this page! There'll be more great blogs to come! :)

Welcome!

Greetings,

Yeap yeap - this is my very first blog!!! After weeks of reading through the blogs of some friends, I'm finally convinced that it's time for me to follow suit. I guess that the old adage 'If you can't beat them, join them' holds a great deal of truth, regardless of how cliche it may sound. :)

Let's start off with a short introduction of myself (as well as the purpose of this blog!):

I'm a Malaysian guy, who's currently living halfway around the world in London. It has always been a dream of mine to travel around the world, and to experience the different cultures and lifestyles in various countries. Since young, I would marvel at photographs of the outside world, without ever expecting that I would one day have the opportunity to visit them.

However, life took on a really big turn when I received an offer to join PricewaterhouseCoopers London -through a Chartered Accountancy programme with PwC Singapore (which I had been working as an Associate for the past year). From the moment I boarded the SIA plane on 31st October 2004 in Changi Airport, I knew that my life would never be the same again.

I arrived in London on 1 Nov 2004, and have never looked back since. To borrow a quote from the well-loved film Notting Hill, I'd describe that my life here has been 'Surreal, but nice.' Yeap - I've literally enjoyed every moment of my time here - and I keep counting my blessings and thank God for the wonderful opportunity I've been blessed with.

Hence, with the start of this blog, I intend to keep a record of my life here. And when my time is up in the next 3 years, I'm confident that I'll be able to look back into my Blog archives, with a sense of fervor akin to Yanni's emotions that were embraced in one of his musical masterpieces, 'Reflections of Passion.'