I am glad to have had the London experience, it was an unforgettable 5 weeks. On top of that, I have made many wonderful friends, I have been offered the opportunity by many to visit them, and they will show me around their respective countries (cities)...

It was off to Windsor to visit the Queen who was there for her Summer vacation, after my final exam.

Zooming around Windsor, courtesy of Princess Soni... (I am missing you)
The Queen is behind me somewhere...

GPS.... We used it to help us find Windsor Castle...
There you go....medieval splendour and magnificence...
Moments after our final exam....

In retrospect

London: My dream came through... The British Library of Political and Economic Science; LSE...Its truly an honour to study here; it is the world's biggest library for the social sciences.

I feel so enriched in this environment...students walk with zeal and passion, there is a great sense of purpose in the air.

My classmates...among us an investment banker (decided to take a breather from work to go back to school), a Pakistani Civil servant and the rest of us; undergraduates!
My lunch kakis (buddies) at Garrick (Cafeteria)

Reminiscing...

London: 25 July, 2007

Dear one and all,

Life has been good, I am now done with my LSE Summer School Programme. Basically, from now till I return home, I will be touring London, taking in the sights and sounds, and catching up with my LSE mates whom I will surely miss.

The last couple of weeks have truly been hectic, given I had to juggle an intensive coursework in the day and tons of readings to do in the evenings. Nevertheless, i relished the challenge. In all, I managed to do relatively well on the course. Anyway, my final exam result will be released this coming friday!

Now that the course has come to an end, I can finally heave a big sigh of relief. In retrospect, I have made many good friends, and have had my horizon broadened a great deal. It has truly been a worthwhile investment on my dad's part to have so willingly sponsored my education here in London. Thanks, dad!

Time passes in a blink of an eye, when I return to Singapore, I have about another 6 weeks before term starts. I am looking forward to it with bated breath! Afterall, once done with my final year, I am free to either start a career or pursue my Master's degree. I am keeping my options open.

Wish me luck, folks!

P/S: will post more pictures of my London escapade...

Warmest regards,
Vernon

A typical day at school

London: 18 July, 2007
A day in the life of a student at the LSE over the summer...here at the London School of Economics and Political Science (official name), we work hard and play just as hard...not surprisingly, many luminaries like George Soros (world financier), Heads of State ( The Danish Queen, Presidents, Prime Ministers), Nobel prize winners, Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones fame)....are alumnus of LSE.

10:45 am: Just arrived in school...took me 20 mins to walk from my Hall of Residence at Rosebery Avenue.
LSE Campus: I am so gonna miss this place...well, I hope to pursue my masters here at the LSE, hopefully in Politics and International Relations.
11 - 12am: Tutorial (also known as class at the LSE):
Here you find my tutor Ms. Annika Bolten...she is currently pursuing a PhD (very soon; Dr. Annika Bolten), and she was once a student at the LSE. I like her...firstly, she is inspirational, secondly, she is intellectual, and last but not the least, she is tall!....The aforementioned are qualities I look for in a mate!

Enough said....well, she is really dedicated and she goes the extra mile for us, i guess that explains why I managed an 'A' grade and am in the top 10 placing of all who did the mid-term exam in my IPE course of 60 ++ students. And, I hope to repeat that success and earn for myself a Certificate of Distinction!
12 - 2pm: Lunch break:
We wine and dined at some Italian Ristorante... the food was amazing, and the ambience perfecto! Company?...well, priceless with this bunch. From left: Soni (British), Nico (Dutch), Ryan (American), Me!...SINGAPOREAN and proud!
After lunch, we chatted and debated over the issue of excess comsumption, no thanks to me...in the end, I inspired Nico (right) to have a debate with the waiter on sending leftover food to Africa instead of throwing it away!
2 - 5pm: International Political Economy Lecture:
Dr Andrew Walter my lecturer... very focused and precise! He is a good man. No doubt, having lecture after lunch can be a sleepy affair, no thanks to the post-lunch syndrome, we keep ourselves awake with a caffeine fix! And yes, i am a model student, always sitting in front and trying to be as attentive as possible. Today, we talked about the EMU...or the European Monetary Union in the global political economy. My take?...interesting lecture! It sure broadened my horizon.
Lecture break at every 1 hr interval...we break for 10 mins each time. Off to Nero or Pret's to get ice - coffee!
5- 8 pm: The LSE Library:

The British Library of Political and Economics Science (official name)...I like it here, it is huge...the world's biggest library for the Social Sciences (Politics, Sociology, Economics...), yet, one is able to find a nice and quiet spot to (gently) hit the books! I spend at least 3 hrs here on certain days...especially, when exam time is nearing!

8 pm: Dinner: Ordered Fish (without Chips) today...British style, I had a Haddock drizzled with vinegar, it was mouth-watering!

9pm - beyond: ... Hall Sweet Hall... Shower, Read my text-book, then ZZZ......

My exam is in 2 days time...wish me luck, I hope to ace it again...gonna start mugging!

My birthday in London...

London: 16 July, 2007

It may have been belated, nevertheless, it was truly an awesome experience to be able to wine and dine with fabulous friends! Thank you Soni for making it all happen, and thank you different ones of you who graced the occasion. It was heart-warming...and I will not forget this beautiful experience in a long time to come.

It was an amazing experience...thank you all! You guys make life in such a beautiful city all the more pleasant! I am deeply greatful...

My biggest birthday prezzie...has to be an 'A' grade for my mid-term exam paper in International Political Economy IR 209. The results were released today, and it exceeded my expectation. I thank God!

After school today...I was given a huge surprise when my LSE course mates lured me to a fancy restaurant and suddenly everyone at the restaurant started singing me a birthday song...truly amazing!

Dinner was good, after which we had a cute caterpillar birthday cake which my mates bought. After everything, we adjourned to a neat little bar for some cocktail.

Then it was Home sweet Home!

What a whirlwind day it was....thank you Soni, you have been an amazing friend...All the best for our finals! Press on, we shall!

A toast to me!

The cosmopolitan gang of 8...China, Indonesia, America x2, Great Britain x2, Holland, and me Singapore!

Soni and I...You rock! Thanks for the fabulous surprise!

Me and my Tagitalle with King prawns...see my text book?

My cute little birthday cake of a baby caterpillar with M&Ms...

Me and my birthday cake, i could not bear to eat the baby caterpillar's head! White choc, amazing...but, i did not!

We had some nice white wine to go with pizza and pasta...lovely combination, i must say.

Cosmopolitan... it was refreshing!

Fellow course mates at the LSE...It was good company...a Dutch (Nico), Singaporean (me) and British (Soni)!

Good night, good bye for now...see you guys in school...Thank you for such a meaningful evening.

My birthday in the Countryside...

London: 15 July, 2007:
I spent my birthday in the countryside today. Went to visit Steve and Jean (former members of my church in Singapore). Had an amazing birthday, away from the hustle and bustle of London! Please kindly enjoy the pictures from the bottom of this post. Thanks!
Home sweet home....10 to 7pm... a few more hours and my birthday will be no more...

Returning to King's Cross, London from Welwyn Garden City
A nice little cottage...

View from the house
Jean and I! God bless you, Jean....really appreciate you driving me around Welwyn. Hope to receive you when you so decide to visit Singapore in the not so distant future.
A celebration of summer...

Singing of Praises!
Makan! Awesome...

Helping ourselves to the glorious food!Setting up the place for the celebration...

Walking up the drive way of one of Jean's church member's house...(that's Jean walking in front)
Traffic wardens directing the guests..
Jean walking away from her car...
An old English church opposite the house we are going to...
Steve and Jean's home...

Approaching the viaduct...being driven to Jean's home.
In Jean's car...

The church i went to this morning...
Beautiful doggie...
Time of arrival in the beautiful garden city of Welwyn... On the train to Welwyn Garden City, 1 hr north of London in Hartforshire to visit former church members now based in England.
Attempting to uncork the bottle of white wine in the Hall... pleased to announce, it was a success. Food and wine...what more can i asked for... i have a very thoughtful roomie...and Phantom of the Opera was playing in the background!


In the wees hours of the morning...had wine and food to celebrate my birthday! I have my roomate to thank for making it all happen! After that, I went to bed blissfully before waking up to a beautiful sunday morning!