Prague- Magical City of Bridges and Spires

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. The astronomical clock in Prague. Every hour, hordes of tourists will stand in front of the clock and watch the 1 min performance by the clock itself.
This magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, has been mirrored in the surface of the swan-filled Vltava River for more than ten centuries. Undamaged by WWII, Prague's compact medieval centre remains a wonderful mixture of cobbled lanes, walled courtyards, cathedrals and countless church spires all in the shadow of her majestic 9th century castle that looks eastward as the sun sets behind her. Prague is also a modern and vibrant city full of energy, music, cultural art, fine dining and special events catering to the independent traveller's thirst for adventure.

Prague’s history spans over thousands of years. In this long period the city grew from the Vyšehrad Castle to what it is today: the multi cultural capital of the modern European Czech Republic. The Vyšehrad Castle was erected on the right bank of the Vltava, the longest river in the Czech Republic, opposite of the later constructed future Prague Castle., the largest castle in the world. When the Republic was still Bohemia, Prague became the seat of many dukes and kings, and an important merchant settlement. Modern Prague knows several historical bridges that span the broad river. The first one, the Judith Bridge, was built in 1170 by King Vladislav II, but crumbled down in 1342, becoming the foundation for the later built Charles Bridge, probably the most famous bridge of Prague. King Charles IV of the new Luxembourg Dynasty reigned during the 14th century, in which the city flourished. It was Charles who built the New Town with the Saint Vitus Cathedral, the oldest Gothic cathedral in central Europe, and the Charles Bridge in order to connect the two city centers.


Detail on the charles bridge, arguably the most famed and photographed in Prague. Ok, the black and white effects dun seem to show very well.






Prague suffered considerably less damage during World war II than other major cities, and almost all of its historic architecture has remained intact. Now the city is a lively collections of examples of Art Nouveau, Baroque, Renaissance, Gothic, Cubist and Neo-Classical buildings.

The famous Fred and Ginger Building- courtesy of Jared Wong.

Being described as the gateway to Eastern Europe, Prague still retains much of its original charm and glory. But i wont say it would be the same 5 years to come, with the influx of tourists turning it into yet another place catered to the tourist gaze. (Urry, 1990)

importance of a good breakfast

There are those mornings that you refuse to open your eyes albeit the sun shining into your room and you aint tired anymore. There are those mornings that you realise you are on the wrong side of the bed and refuse to climb out of it knowing whats in store for you for the day. Today was just one of them.

Having the luxury of breakfast prepared by the roomie, I had this sudden craving for the smoothie in the fridge- roomie cant find it, i went to the kitchen myself and realised all was lost

There was a mass murder. Some say a mass rape. Besides the smoothie, the unopened Onken yoghurt, the ham was gone.



A delicious, interesting and high-quality yoghurt in a great big pot. Difficult to imagine what could be better really. The little chunks of strawberries all contibute to the wholesome goodness. The texture - well - is of course wonderful with the colour a slightly pink. It simply forms an integral part of my healthy breakfast. Now, I wonder who the culprit is...

Since the breakfast is the most important meal of the day, without the yoghurt this morning, I decided to just not start on my migration essay that's gonna be due. Even though the roomie is stressing me over his 4-5 hours of maths mugathon, I had enough. The sudden thought of graduating and not doing the 4th year seemed like an option. The idea of earning bucks and squeezing puny students brainjuice out seemed all too good. Thats all because of the spoilt breakfast I had:(

Alright, on a happier note, I am going on trips again!

30th April-4th May- Edinburgh and the isle of Skye
7th May- 10th May- Stockholm and Dinner with Zhanrui @ London

Indescribable

One of the praise and worship songs that I like! I stand in awe, admiring your creation Lord

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untamable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
INCOMPARABLE, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

A lost generation

my first haircut

After about 3 mths of trying to grow the hair above the head, one realises that the keratin in these black streaks do not seem to strenghthen them a bit. The result was a messy crop of hair, almost like a bird nest, with the sides almost curling out to resemble that of an old chang kee curry puff!!


OK, thats the hair in front of prague castle!

"Courage is not a man with a gun in his hands, but it's when you know you are licked before and get to go through it no matter what, this is what i called real courage"

After 72 hours continuous and serious contemplation, so one decided to gather all the courage to become a guinea pig. He decided to sacrifice himself for the betterment of humankind!ok, maybe not so serious, but he decided to be part of this noble act to allow his friend to experiment with the hair.

A note about this friend, a "hot babe" wannabe, her interests include dancing, cam whoring, ahem experimenting with new things. Please kindly note that she neither owned a scissors or a comb before embarking on this big and important project. It could mean life and death, it could mean another 3 mths of ridicule and humiliation. But in order to scrimp on 6 pounds to go to a barber, he decided to look for the next best alternative, presenting to you: Hazel Peh



Some photos about the first awesome experience:


Yeah! the customer was a satisfied one, and the hairstylist become accomplished so much that she had pple queuing up making for appointments. Almost In case you Mr Moe decides to sack you one day, Ms Peh, I allow you to use my photos in your hairdressing salon along Orchard Road. Thanks a million Hazel!

Easter break blast!

7 Countries, 14 Cities, 33 days Mr Goh ,you are the winner of the amazing race Easter 2008! So what makes you think you deserve this award???Simply becos the only thing I have lost this trip was my washing powder!! Thank God for His grace that nothing important was lost, after the lost of the wallet in Bangkok...

so whats the favourite city? My friends call me a 'francophile', who loves everything french. I admit I am biased but I really love Paris! albeit it being too touristy in the end. My french served me well, and met up with a good friend of mine, chilling in the Quick restaurant, reminiscing the old times, it just completes the picture. A disclaimer: my pictures sure wont do justice to the city, neither my descriptions, but better than nothing la...


My first look at the Eiffel tower on top of Sacre Coeur. Was tres excited! The world's most visited monument, more than 10 million visitors a year (Thats more than the whole of singapore for info). More than just a satellite/radio transmission tower initially built for, the tower has evolved to become the symbol of Paris, the image that appears in everyone's mind when you mention the city.


In the heart of Montmartre area where I stayed, great artists such as Picasso and Van Gorh lived here. It dawned on me that i have the artistic genes, despite asking my fren to draw for me my still life during sec 2 and everyone crowding around me during art exam to help me finish my art piece... Ok that was all nonsense or bullshit! But I have to admit my appreciation of the arts have increased multi-fold and at least now i know the difference between crayons and colour pencils (I mean renaissance Vs Impressionists)



Moulin Rouge! translated to "red mill' in english. High class brothel back in the 1900s. Now that it has become the site for cabaret shows. The guide said that it was worth every euro, just that it cost 89 Euros including one drink. The pockets were not feeling that full then so I gave it a miss. :(


Aux Champ elysees, aux champ elysees! the orchard road of Paris with the Arc of Triumph at the junction. Marking Napolean's victory during his reign. Its GIG-normous contrasted to the size of the person its built for. Pretty impressive, well i guess I read so much of it during my french classes, just this sense of awe standing in front of it.

LV and prada bags going at 20 percent discount! OK, seriously I am not kidding! Being a tourist, i do get a 19.6 percent tax rebates on these luxury goods. Send me the dough if you want some bags cos I be going back to paris with the girlfriend in summer...


heh, the luxuries of life, desserts and coffee! The chocolate tart was the best thing i have had in a while! truly lives up to my expectations. So where are the profitteroles and macarons? Sadly, I dint have the chance to try them due to time constraints but I promise I be back.

Lots of pple say the city is overhyped, i do agree to a certain extent. Le Chateau de Versailles and la tour de Eiffel were a bit of a disappointment. Hordes of tourists flooding to these sites that totally spoil the experience. I wonder what will happen when summer comes. BUT the air in Paris is different. THe quintessential French experience. The HAute culture, the cafes along the sidewalks, the language, simply melts together in this single place. PARIS, je t'aime!