Saturday, September 29, 2007

President Palace. Same street as where i stay in. Weird urban layout



Vilnius is famous for its churches. I heard there are more than 400 churches in Vilnius alone. The interior of the churches are really amazing. I am not sure if other European cities are as good as. But been to Latvia's, but churches there are not as intricate in design as Vilnius'







City Square of sort. can't really remember the name. But it is nice hor, with such European feel in it



The famous Gate of Dawn, where it is said that the Mother Mary painting has healing power.



View on top of the City of Dawn

Next entry will be on my short trip to Riga, ok?



Friday, September 28, 2007

My apartment. The one on the third floor. It is quite nice to stand on the balcony at night, sipping a beer or red wine while watching people walked by. The building is actually very old. Maybe a hundred years old.




To get to my place, walk though this dorm, which is a typical design in houses here



Press the security code and enter the door.



Do you freak out when u need to walk through the stairs of this status? I did when i first came. It is dark, air is still and most of the time, without lights. When it is pitch dark when i return home after partying, just use my handphone to shine on the steps for some light. Trust me, it is not that scary after all. But it was a culture shock when i first came. Our life in Singapore is just too good right? Corridors and lights are taken for granted



The way to my apartment :)



The door to my apartment!





Ta Da! My apartment looks so nice..i love it so much. So different from the outside! So..dun judge a book by its cover



My kitchen. Where i now spend quite a substantial time. I actually learn how to cook and begin to like cooking.



Cam whoring with my packet of laksa paste. The latest food that i tried to cook. The difficulty is like 3/5 cause you have to make stock of the chicken breast bones



End Result of my laksa. No coconut milk, made do with fresh milk. So not as good but overall....



Good job, Keetzai!



Everything has gone into my stomach!



Thursday, September 27, 2007

I can no longer continue count down to the days that i am going home. As of yesterday, i looked at the calendar and thought to myself. 30 more days. In exactly one month's time, i am heading back to my little sunny island called Singapore.

A 10 minute discussion with my boss this afternoon changed the whole dimension of the game. Scrap the 30 days and put in a question mark.

I am leaving Vilnius but not back home. But my next stop is....



Yes! London! Will be leaving for London on 11th Oct and likely to stay there for at least 1 month or more.

Am i excited? Am i sad? I dunno. It is a feeling beyond words. I am both excited and a slight feeling down because my trip home is postponed. I am excited to go to an international city, i think Singapore is small and tiny compared to London. Excited to see the Queen!( I hope to see her, i am serious!). Excited to go into a whole new city with a whole new culture. Excited to adapt to a new environment again.

At the same time, i am tiny weeny down bcos i won't get to see my friends and family for another 1 more month. It is like a child looking forward to eat Macdonald's today but the parents say the outing to Macdonald's will be postponed until 1 month later.

But in anyway, i have to and i am keeping my chins up. Being young, being mobile is my advantage. I have proven i can survive and doing well in a foreign land. I just need to keep up the good job.

I know people and friends are envious of me, so i am not complaining. Though i tink my folks at home will be disappointed.

Gotten my air tickets already, so it is like an almost confirmed trip to see the Queen

Your Majesty, your humble subject, Keetzai is happy to see you.



Wednesday, September 26, 2007

This is the street where i stay




Gedimino Ave which is next to Totoriu Street where i stay. Gedimino is probably the nicest street in Vilnius, at least to me. I adore the Catherdral, don't u?



Gedimino At night






Vilnius City in aerial view. I was on top of a hill, where the Castle is



The Castle



Yours truly posing beside the beautiful river



St Anne's Church and St Bendentine Church. St Anne Church is really one of its kind. The story goes that Napoleon wanted to bring this Church back when he was in Vilnius. He didn't managed and he wanted to burn it down. Luckily, the weather was too cold for the fire to be lighted.

And St Anne's Church is still around for us in Vilnius

Okay..next entry would be about my daily life i guess..

:)



Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Didn't realised today is the Mid-Autumn Festival until YC told me about it. Bcos i absolutely have no idea. No such mood in Vilnius of course. So i gave a call back home, me being such a nice boy.

Other than that, no celebration or what, probably i will buy some candles back home and play.

They say one misses family such festivals, true to some extent i guess. Lucky i dun miss them too badly. Will be back home soon.

Normal day in a foreign land. Decides to go off work early to cook laksa. Come on, let me have my own celebration can!



Monday, September 24, 2007

Yeah..finally got my cable with me now! Thanks KJ! You will get more than a fridge magnet from me okay!

I have a lot of pictures so i dunno where to start from.

Okay, maybe start from how my journey begins!



Plane landed in Frankfurt(Main) Airport at 6am. Looks clean and empty. The airport is damn huge but i felt good and excited bcos i am in Europe!



I certainly looked shagged after 12 hours on the plane. Ass hurt.



As i had 7 hours to spare before my flight to Vilnius in the afternoon, i decided to make a trip to the Frankfurt City Center. So i had to take a 20 min train ride to the city. And look at the train map. It looks damn complex. And it is not in English! Undaunted, i just had to ask the people around for directions. :)



The airport train station in the morning



Frankfurt City Center Train Terminal. Modern in the interior but ancient on the outside. What a beauty




Okay, i am a sua ku. Took this picture of EU symbol to exclaim...' I am in Europe!!"




A walk along the river bank in the morning.



Cam-whoring in the middle of the town square early in the morning. This is the most beautiful part of Frankfurt. So it looks a bit too touristy



dun u all find that old buildings behind look nice yet cartoon like? I felt as if i was in a cartoon scene



Skyscrapers. The blue building on the right is Deutsche Bank, while the left belongs to Commerzbank. I just give them credit and take a picture of them. The home of the big banks



Trams! Up close and personal for the first time. No chance to take it but it is nice to see the tram running slower pass you

No more as i only spent a few hours in Frankfurt. Being in an European city for the first time, Frankfurt really looks great. I didn't know what to expect at that time for the next 3 months, but i left Frankfurt with a sense of uncertainty and sweetness.

Up next will be Vilnius! Where i am working and living now. Trust me, it looks completely different from Frankfurt. It will be my next entry. But just to give you guys a sneak preview......



My home for these few months!



Friday, September 21, 2007

A long journey from home. This is how i put in.

I was blog-surfing since i was done with my shower in office 1 hour ago. How my life has become so different from theirs. My juniors are still in school, busy with their hall activities and presentations. Entries were about school mates and how bitchy some of them are. And my closest friends, though working are still going out for supper and jokes.

My life probably deviates too much from theirs. Can't share their jokes, miss the supper and complaints. Miss everything that seem so familiar yet so distant.

These days i am more concerned with what am i cooking for my next meal and what programme should i have for the weekend.

It feels great to have a totally different lifestyle from the rest. But sometimes, i just wish to return to where i belong. Soon i guess. Back to apartment to much my chips for supper



Wednesday, September 19, 2007

i am blogging in office now. The time is 9.05pm over here. Nope i am not doing OT. I left office around 7pm. I am back to the office to shower. Yes, SHOWER.

The heater in my apartment is not working for the 2nd day in a row. I was cursing and swearing when the ice cold water came pouring down on me. So, today i decided to come to the office to shower. And we have a shower in our office! So cool! (okay, can also mean we can do OT as much as we like bcos you can shower here!)

Unique experience. First time i have to walk a distance to get a shower. Well, there is always first time. Once in a lifetime experience. It is always good to take things in my stride.

Anyway, i cooked meatballs for dinner just now. Not bad, but i prefer my mum's. See, homesick again. I was thinking, anything my mum cooks will be delicious, after i have eaten my sub-standard cooking for 3 months.

I can't access net from my apartment bcos i lent my wireless card to my colleague. So can't update as often as i would want to. But i am still as happening (yah right!) as ever.

Tag me if you have special request for me to blog!



Monday, September 17, 2007

I cooked Bak Ku Teh this evening for dinner, as i have already said in my previous entry. And i did it!..yahz it wasn't that difficult all of you might say. True, but come on, gimme some credit! When i ate the tender pork meat (i didn't want to buy pork ribs), i felt a small sense of achievement. Personal achievement that is. I know, being alone in a foreign land and surviving until now is already a huge achievement by itself. I am proud of that as well. I am proud of the fact that i can cook something now as well.

These few days, i am feeling a stronger urge to return to Singapore. I love being in Vilnius, i am sure everyone who has been following my blog is well aware how much i enjoy staying here. But i started to have some kind of reality check on myself. I look forward to return home because i would have a pay rise. What am i getting now for my job is sufficient for a temporary stay here, but i have commitments back home, plus the difference in living standards. I did my sums this afternoon and this are my expected expenses:

Food - 300
Transportation - 200
University Loan - 500
Family Allowance - 400
Insurance - 170
Fone Bills - 50

That is already 1620. Bare minimum to get by. Not to mention some unforeseen expenses, like birthday presents plus neccesities purchases. I absolutely have no idea how much i will be getting and it keeps me in tenterhooks. I dun expect to be paid like my peers in big banks because the circumstances are different but i surely need a minimum sum to survive and live comfortably and to provide for my family. It is a fact.

You could have said i can go easy on repaying my university loan and family allowance now, depending how much i draw for my salary. Yes, but i rather not. My dad cleared the loan on my behalf and i think it is only fair i return his money as soon as possible since it is from his retirement nest. Money is always an issue, that is the problem

I am living a relatively frugal life now, and i always wish i dun have to think so hard when making purchases. Okay for now, i am trying to save for my holiday trip which explains my need to save.

And i admit that i feel unbalanced when my peers are applying credit cards back home. I dun want to compare because all of us lead a different life but it is just the materialistic part of me taking control for the moment.

Maybe i shouldn;t tink so much and enjoy while i can for the moment. Leave problems as they are. Some things are beyond control



Sunday, September 16, 2007

Today was super cold. When i woke up, it was raining. Had series of drizzles until now. I reckon the temperature is around 10 degree. Too cold for someone from the sunny and warm Singapore!

Was feeling too bored so i went to the office around 4 plus to work a bit (ok, i left at 945pm). Not exactly workaholic, just plain bored cos i had no plans for this weekend. And i found the time to actually chat with Ms Eu and Mr Jeremy! Haha.. so much of them to spend time entertaining a bored person like me.

We had a hearty chat, btw we chatted on skype( good choice bcos it is free!) and chatted on all kind of stuff. I felt so good chatting with someone from my country, where we understand each other's lingo and common understanding. It does ease my homesickness indeed! We talked about food and of course my job. It is so nice of Jeremy to give me some advice on career planning as well. It is always good to listen to a wise man speaks!

*p/s: i am not lao gan!

I am so looking forward to going back home and meet the two of them for a hearty meal! I owe them one meal, seafood zi char ok? hiak hiak

On a side note, i went to a casino this evening to kill and lost 35 litas! No good, but well, i guess it is still fine, just to train my gambling skills and just treat it as if i went to clubbing tonight.

Looking forward to a lazy Sunday tomorrow!



Friday, September 14, 2007

In some way or another, i have become more localised. Well, i got to adapt right?