it's been two weeks now since i left warwick for europe. the trip has definitely been an eye-opener. soaking up the different cultures and experiences that are made so unique to each country is definitely humbling.

i've seen the most breath-taking of sights that definitely shook the world i stood on. the richness in culture and the historical value of every monument and cathedral that i've stood before or stepped into just reminds me further of the greater world out there. it's a world that's slowly unravelling itself to me with every moment on this trip.

europe's history is so rich it cannot be fully comprehended in its entirety. yet, each city that i intrude upon tells a story so different yet so similar. the cities are intertwined in history no matter which way you turn. the austrian-hungarian empire, the holy roman empire left legacies still present in so many of these cities like budapest and vienna. and it's not merely the history of the ancient world that is so impressive, berlin was moving and depressing at the same time. the concentration camp and the jewish museum were severe reminders of the atrocities and monstrosties civilised mankind was, and still is capable of.

yet, there is much to rejoice. the beauty of the land that was left behind is a stark reminder of what we have to preserve. the unrivalled and unparalleled beauty of the current state of the world will serve as a portrait for every state and every individual to learn by heart and to work towards preserving.

every city that harboured me for a night or two left memories imprinted in me for life. it was a lesson well learnt these two weeks and there are more to come before i finally close this chapter and move on back to life as i knew it before, all for the sake of a better world, and to keeping these moments in the books of history. my history.

these photos were taken with my spoilt camera which meant i could not see how my shots when i took them. they were the best shots that captured the essence of these cities, keeping in mind that it was fate that guided my lenses.

sunset in amsterdam.
the brandenburg gate, berlin.
an aerial view of snow-covered budapest.
the hungarian parliament building.
the virgin mary.
the sun over the danube river that divides budapest into buda and pest.
the view of budapest from the top of a citadel.

sunset in budapest.
absolutely stunning. vienna.

absolutely stunning.

the austrian parliament building.
white marble beauty. florence.
ponte vecchio. the only bridge in florence to survive the bombings of world war two.
sunset in vienna.
venetian masks.
sunrise in venice, from my hotel room. stunner.
gondolas geared to go.
sunset in venice.

it's goodbye venice now. verona, rome and paris awaits.

ok. i'm off to see the world, or at least europe for the next month. not gonna get much internet access but will update as best as i can. heading off to london now to crash annie's place before we head to stansted at 6 tomorrow morning to catch our flight to amsterdam.

and so the adventure begins.

merry christmas people

:)

just as the feeling of nostalgia slowly compounds, denzil comes along to remind me that exactly a year ago, we commissioned as officers of the singapore armed forces. one year on, so much has happened. unit life and now uni. it's a depressing day to be indoors today, blasting emo songs over and over again.

my juniors are commissioning next week. i feel their joy, and their eagerness. all the best.

everyone's more or less home now. the last few days saw people streaming out of the accommodation blocks with throes of luggage behind them. families came down by the bulk in cars and everything that have accumulated over the term were thrown into the boot. the house is slowly emptying itself out too. there are like 5 of us left now. it was nice seeing parents come into the house and helping their kids pack up. billy's french mum was such a sweet lady. and the singaporeans are more or less home already, save for bwendy who's heading to birmingham airport now.

school's out in 3 days. top b last night was smashing. got wasted and pissed and dragged myself home in one sane piece. cannot really remember much of what happened, but all that remained etched in my mind was drinking shot after shot of soco and applesours at home before heading out. and i spoilt my fucking camera. yes. the new white one i bought with chew and andre at comex not too long ago. i am fucking pissed now because firstly, i think i sat on it and it cracked the internal LCD screen, and secondly, i have no means of capturing down moments of my europe trip.