The Journey Continues...

"Congratulations you passed the test!"

"Really?! Have you got the score?"

"Sorry, we don't disclose those information... but please take this with you"

The letter reads "Following your test today in knowledge of Life in the UK this is to certify that you have reached the level required for the purposes of naturalisation as a British citizen under section 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981. This also confirms that your success at this test demonstrates that your level of competence in English meets required standard for naturalisation. No further proof of this is needed."

First of all I like to thank and I'm so grateful for the 12 years of education I've received in Singapore! My family and friends who keep me grounded! The amount of tax money I've paid into this country for the last 6 years! And with all that, this letter is what I get in this journey to UK residency!

And by the way! £34.00 for a computer based test, which I took 10 minutes to finish! Come on! I'm sorry... you can take the boy out from Singapore but you can't take Singapore out from the boy!

Tales of the Cities

The streets are clean... the air is fresh... the skies are blue and you feel safe in this place. You walk slower so that you take in the sights, sound and the beauty of the city. There are no hassle in getting around and people are actually friendly and do smile at each other. 'Do you need any help Sir?' I almost had tears in my eyes in Harvey Nichols! With music pipers playing in the background and the amazing Castle as the backdrop, how can you not love this city?!

The streets are dirty... the air smells of dirt and piss... the skies are blue but only when you are lucky enough to be living near open fields and space, and not looking into your neigbour's bedroom window. You are conscious and on guard all the time when you are out. You walk fast like robots before you get push over by moving crowd and endure dirty stares when you stop. You are lucky if you get announcement in underground stations stating that 'All lines are operating in good conditions', and you try to avoid eye contact with anyone and dare least to say smile at any person. You actually inconvenienced the sales person by walking into a shop because that means they have to walk behind us and try to smile at us and the moment we walked out, they wonder why we walked in in the first place. With bad singers/buskers doing their thing in the background and trying to avoid another copy of London paper being pushed to your face... How can you not love this city?!

The Flying Scotsmen

You all must be thinking what happened over the weekend when I have 'conveniently double booked' myself! Well here it went...

S turned out to be a really nice, sweet and charming guy! Very intelligent as well I must add... a Winston Fellowship Medal from the Queen herself last summer for his research work on a health epidemic among youngsters in UK... Can't beat that can we? Even though with his short period of 'absence and luke warm reception' before my visit to Edinburgh... he surprisingly ticked ALMOST all the boxes!

We met up for dinner and drinks on Friday night and went for a spin around Edinburgh after... went passed the castle, the city and even around the Arthur's Seat... conversation was flowing with loads of flirting thrown in... overall... an A+ first date!

We didn't say goodbye until after brunch on Saturday... stating that I've to meet 'Arthur' for lunch and coffee... 'Arthur' being a friend of someone from work, which is true but on actual fact I am meeting A from Glasgow!

A quick 45 mins changed and there I was ready for my next date!

A didn't disappoint too... funny, chatty and very opinionated! Very artistic as well. Working as a PR / Marketing Manager for a space similar to Barbican in London kind of made our conversation interesting, and filled with references to you lot! All my arty friends!

I supposed I was feeling uneasy about 'double dating', thought would be a good thing to do with a 'mini date' with A to take the edge off from meeting S... it did work to be fair but can't really say the same for A... Will remain friends with A without a doubt... Did eventually caught up with Arthur but only over phone... so technically all I did was mixing the order up.

I ended up spending the rest of my stay with S, spending time together in cafes, having dinner and even went for a movie together... 'The Science of Sleep' - Vivid imagination required!

Said our goodbyes on Monday morning and have promised to keep in touch... in fact we've already spoken on the phone a couple of times since I got back and S is coming down to London next weekend on a business trip, which we are likely to meet up and spend some time together.

Don't really know what to expect but am keeping an open mind. Still infant stage for sure and again we hardly know each other... still loads to explore and learn... but I'm looking forward to the journey. Awfully calm this time round... for those who knows me, you should know what I'm talking about. No anxieties, no expectations, and no pretences... Can only hope that we will have fun along the way.

So we shall wait and see... watch this space and wish me luck!

The New Frontier

Have not felt this excited before for a holiday for a while! I think it's a mixture of going away on my own and visiting a whole new city for the first time that made it so exciting! Have heard so much about the beauty of Edinburgh and after almost 6 years in UK, I am finally making this trip.

And probably also the fact that I've managed to 'double booked' myself for the weekend! Yes I have!

Got to know S from Edinburgh for a while... must be at least a year ago when we know of each other... then of course we lost touch when I was disconnected from the World Wide Web for a while but got in touch again this year and have just been chatting online and speaking to each other on the phone since...

Than there's A from Glasgow... a fun guy to chat to whom I've recently met.

Both very different in their on rights and both very keen and promising.

The 'problem' all started when I have my trip organised... first told S and he went 'MIA' after... which I thought fine, let's catch up with A then... told A about my trip and have arranged to meet on Saturday for lunch... and of course S 're-surfaced' asking about my trip and wanting to meet and spend the weekend together (he was very sick for 2 weeks... bless him... hence didn't keep in touch)

So here I am! 'Double booked' for the weekend in Edinburgh! I'm sure I'll be able to sort this mess out!

Got up really early that morning before the train up North... I even made my own sandwiches for the ride! That just goes to show how excited I was! Kind of fun too... it does feel like a field trip!

The train was rather pleasant... on time and clean... sat myself down next to an old lady... smiled and said hello. Organised myself... got my iPod, papers, books, magazines, food and drinks on the table... ready for my 4.5 hours of LONG DISTANCE train journey! Leaving London! Before I knew it, the lady did exactly the same minus the iPod of course! And this time she smiled at me...

The journey was actually really good! An hour out from London brought you to sights, space and colours that you were never familiar with living in London. All the rural areas, the fields, and even the sea... the ancient walls that still remains along the coast... all so amazing! And least to say, more and more non-Londoners were getting on the train... Quickly then turned to my magazine and avoid eye contact but still couldn't help myself but checking out their big chunky jewellery and funny accent... Both men and women!

When the train was just leaving Newcastle, this young chap came on and sat just across from me... neatly dressed in his long coat and smart suit underneath... typical boy next door look and with charms that all our mums will sure approved of... he smiled and nodded and went on to settle himself down...

Than came all his text books on the table... 'Guide to Anatomy' & 'Quick Reference to Surgical Procudures'... gosh we have a young doctor on board! I reckoned he was probably going for his exams or interviews in Edinburgh... At that very moment I wanted to hide my Heat magazine quickly and was hoping that I've something intelligent to read in my bag! The best I could find was Living etc!

Even though the young doctor got off a station before mine... he smiled before he left and this time I smiled back at him...

Looks like its already a good start to an interesting weekend in Edinburgh!

That Feeling (Part Deux)

That feeling again... I'm blaming everything on that feeling... no doubt! It's all The Feeling's fault! Because of IT that always wanting to jump out... one that can never contain itself! One which is dying to share and to give! One who can never help it and gets oneself in trouble!

You open your heart and invite someone in... in regardless of differences, thoughts and even distances...

In your world, Love rules everything! Love conquers and overcomes anything! All things are possible if there's Love! But of course all these takes time to develop... it doesn't happen over night... You're fully aware of that but ever so willing to make Love works!

In the real world, not everyone thinks like you do! One is full of sparkle and interest at one time, then dull and bored at another... You can never really know where this is going...

Then you finally realised that all these were just a game... a game that people play with each other in the real world... a game that one can never learn and know the rules... and all one can do is run around in circles... chasing... tired... lose out... fades out... then wait for another game to start...

How many more games one have to play till one call time out? When will be a time when there's no need for game playing? No rules in Love? What you see is what you get... you give and you receive... you smile and he smiles too... you love and he loves you back... When will it be that time?

Happy Valentines.

Life in the UK - A Journey to Citizenship

"Becoming a British citizen is a significant life event. The Government intends to make gaining British citizenship meaningful and celebratory rather than a bureaucratic process. "

"I have asked this new advisory group... to consider how best to achieve the Government's plan to promote language skills and practical knowledge about the United Kingdom for those seeking to become British citizens."

"As a result, we are developing new types of courses specially suited to the needs of migrants. English language courses which use teaching materials based on the concept of citizenship; and courses specifically about citizenship for people who already have adequate English but need to know more about WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE IN THIS COUNTRY AND CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY."

[The Home Secretary, The Rt. Hon, David Blunkett, July 2004]

Text Book to study for Life in the UK Test - £10.00

24 Multi Choice Question, Computer Based Test - £34.00

Application for Indefinite Leave to Remain, a full day of waiting in Home Office Croydon, dealing with morons behind a glass protective screen for a rightful stamp on the passport- £500.00

Mr David Blunkett, who happens to be blind and walks around with a guide dog, caught in a scandal with a woman and left the Government not long ago - Priceless

Connections

In this modern world of discoveries and technologies, what defines human connections? In physical and touchy sense? Or is virtual sense now also being consider as part of human interactions?

The distance between us has definitely grew closer. With phones, emails, chat rooms, MSN, Skype, etc... our World is definitely getting wider and smaller at the same time.

The way we communicate, meeting people, and even making new friends... Are they all going to change in context? Or we have to change our mind set to accommodate the growth and development of today's new world inventions and capabilities?

Thinking about how blinds communicate, instead of typing, they speak. How mute communicate of instead speaking, they write. And now with modern day inventions, we have the joy of communicating through Internet with sight, sound and words, isn't this a form of communication?

One thing is for sure! We still need that human 'touch' to make all communications work. It's a two way traffic. It's through our thoughts, our thoughts that defines us... then transfer to words... and being transmitted through this screen and reaches the other... and the process repeats itself in return.

Regardless of you being in front of the other person or not, if you lack your humane input, you go no where. And if you do open yourself up, and be yourself, open your heart and invite someone in, you'll feel the connection even if you are miles apart from one another.

That's my 2 pence worth of my take on modern communication. Fascinating indeed!

Mother & Son

Received a call yesterday morning... 'Ah Ma fell and hurt herself! We're just on our way to the hospital!' My heart almost stopped!

Apparently she tripped on some spillage and fell in the kitchen, bruised her head and lost conscious for a short while. Doctor kept her for two hours for observation, deemed fine and was then later discharged.

As I was told, she was rather shaken and very emotional, especially when she was placed in a bed next to my Dad's when he was admitted two years ago... the fact that he didn't make it walking out of that hospital alive... Poor Mum... its never easy and never will be...

Can't help but feel helpless and guilty... I've been so far away and for so long by choice... its never easy and never will be...

Every time when I visit, her spirit is always the same, one that I will always remember, respect and admire, but her physical state is never the same as before...

K: "You should be more careful... take it easy and rest..."

M: "I'm OK... do not worry... go back to your work..."

I can almost feel her pain there and then...

PS: Love you Mum xx