I almost forget there is something called blog in this world. After such a great many days of inactiveness, I finally remember there is another way of wasting some time -- writing something on my blog ( Ah, please do not be cross with me if blogs are important to you; I am just saying that I have never taken efforts to exploit the usefulness of blogs). Today is March 30th, 2007. The clock has just ticked 1:17am, and here I am, half-awake, half-asleep, sitting sluggishly in front of my computer, with the annoyingly extensively worded math computing handout spread on my table. Immersed in the unfathomable depth of the silence of a Cambridge night, I suddenly feel a strange impulse to write something narrative, just as I frequently did 5 years ago in The Chinese High School.

 

5 years, oh dear! How time flies! I still vividly remember the time when I told Mada (Zi Lie, sorry to use your old name again, but I am telling sth in the past), that we were the youngest Chinese students in our school. But all too soon, we became seniors, and then seniors of seniors, until now we have graduated, left the familiar Singapore, and moved to all corners of the earth. Such flashback sometimes makes me shudder. Recent as it seems, it is in fact a long-time past. And now, the same situation has reoccurred -- We are now the youngest students in Universities. Freshers as we are called, we soon will not be. The process is regretting, but unalterable, just like the second law of thermodynamics which we frequently encounter in books.

 

As I am writing, the night darkens, reminding me of the night sky of Edinburgh which I visited a week ago. Despite the fact that Edinburgh was a scary city, the days there were cherry times which I particularly enjoyed. Although I am strongly adverse to horrible things, I joined a ghost tour with Morna. In the chilli March wind of Scotland, we walked on the rotten earth of a medieval graveyard, with trembling but gentle steps, careful not to waken those in slumber. Encapsulated in an impenetrable darkeness, we stood in the most haunted ancient prision in the world, as the guide claimed. It was told that we, a group of about 15, were marching into the very centre of the lair of an unseeable beast, a "thing" that was responsible for numerous hostile attacks on innocent passers-by. Everybody was frozen with fear when the guide told us, that before the beast makes an assault, it breathes icy air into the victim-to-be. Nobody talks. It was all silence.

 

Suddenly a loud cry pierced the hushness of the night. The guide's torch failed, and darkness immediately engulfed the entire crowd. There was a soft murmur coming from behind, followed by women's screams in great horror. For a second or two everybody was petrified, too scared to face a situation that was generally not believed but was universally steathily expected -- an encounter with the beast. After several seconds, which seemed like an eternity, the guide burst into a loud and evil laughter. It was to his great satisfaction to see that we were cheated by his little dramatic performance -- a loud shout from his colleague, followed by the well-timed swithching off of his torch.

 

After the trip, people were saying that they never believed the story of the guide. Well, neither did I, but it turned out that the trip was one of the most intereting parts of the journey to Scotland. From time to time people seek excitement. As time flies fast, we all need some things to remember. Sometimes, you do not need to believe it, just do it.

 

 

 

 

 

      不知不觉来剑桥已经一个半月了。时光飞逝，让我感觉就像回到了五年前，惴惴不安又满怀憧憬地踏上岛国狮城的土地。光阴恨短，仿佛刹那之间，我就得和新加坡挥别，想再回去都不容易。然而，四年的生活，成了沉沉的记忆，总能在不经意间让我欣喜又留恋。我常常会想起我们华中的同学，当初同楼共住，今日各奔天涯。庆幸还有网络的连线把我们彼此联系。诸位还在为A level努力的学弟学妹们，祝你们好运！抱歉当初没能给你们更多的帮助。YY，什么时候咱们还能再去beach road 吃火锅啊？在新加坡的好友太多，花花，熊，Estella,曦悦，麻大，陈曦，浩明，循实，至明，果树，celestine，eugene, jun wen, jackie...... 实在没法一一列出.但只要把手机里熟悉的名字浏览一遍，往昔的生活就历历在目。人生得一知己足矣，斯世当以同怀视之。想到有这么多好朋友，的确是一种莫大的快慰。

      

      过去的记忆是迎接未来的勇气。来到剑桥是我多年的理想，自然要珍惜这里的一切，哪怕是只是一草一木，一寸光阴。这里的生活的确忙碌，却也丰富。起码现在真正能够全身心得投入自己喜爱的事物中去。上课，学习自然不会轻松，但继续跆拳道，break dance和法语的时间还是有的。在剑桥也认识了不少新朋友，大家相处融洽，虽不熟识，却也和睦。在英国好像最流行的活动之一就是pubbing。有些来这里读A level的同学对此着迷，非常积极。我也去尝试了几次，并不是非常享受酒吧的喧嚣与酒气的醉人。呵呵，新的事物我不忌讳，但是我有我的方式，不会为随波逐流而迷失自我。

     

      不过剑桥各个学院的formal dinner倒是值得一去。每当我穿上正装沐浴烛火安坐于400年古老的大厅里，总会感到酒香因融入了历史的气息而格外醉人。这个时候能和刚认识的新朋友举杯共饮，往往酒不醉人人自醉了。剑桥因其古老而神秘，却更因其古老面纱之后的活力而美丽。每当走入cavendish laborotary想起rutherford当初也在这里实验过，每当教授指向maxwell当年用过的书桌，每当步入宏伟的图书馆而环视走道两旁一位位伟人的雕像时，我都不由得想起，难道现在我不是正站在巨人的肩膀上么？

 

 

     

Oh Dear! I have updated my blog for 2 months! Well, it is time to write sth now.

 

So eventually I have reached Camrbidge. Strangely, the weather is extremely good. We have sunshine every day, so I get to see the beauty of the University in perfectly good mood. This is indeed an old place, with lots of formalities, traditions and legends. But the bright side is -- noboday actually cares about the rules. Hence I can comfortably live in the way I am used to, without the fear that others will find my behaviour unacceptable.

 

We have food in the Great Magnificent Hall. At noon the sunlight ripples in through painted windows, gilding every thing inside with a golden lining. It is truly an awesome scence, just like those screened in films. However, although the hall is gigantic, we do not have electric lights at night. There are candles, giving light only enough for everybody to see their own plates. When the masters and fellows come in, someone knocks a gong, and everybody stands up. Then a respectable professor reads something in latin, while we all stand and behold. At this time you really cannot help saying to your self: gosh, this is Great Britain!

 

There comes the food! I would not say it is good. A decent dinner costs about 3 pounds, but the meal is not half as good as that served in Singapore. I have been here for 3 days, and I start to miss China and Singapore... Should I go to a Chinese restaurant today?

 

But apart from the food, everything else is nice. The people here are very friendly. I used to think that British people are serious, but they are actually as friendly as people in Singapore. My neighbours are both English, and they are really pleasant friends. Do believe me: Most of those who have stereotyped imaginations about the UK have never been there, or have just stayed there for a short period. When I join the Cambridge community, I truly experience the vitality of this nation.

签证办好了，trinity 的房子也选好了，终于可以出去旅游一下。算了一下Cambridge给的全额scholarship居然是按照最贵的那种房子算的，真是可以奢侈一下。但还是收敛一点，选了个中等的就好了。反正是卫生间浴室一应俱全。

 

这几日去了四川九寨沟玩，真是累人。临走前一天和老同学们在市体育场踢了场球，用的是一小时5000元的草皮。我们只想玩玩而已，结果体育场工作人员还准备了号码牌及裁判，反倒让我们不自在了。无锡这几天很热，踢了一上午球后都体力透支。当时我没想到，第二天开始的旅游还更累呢！

 

四川我还是第一次去，天府之国，确是诱人。加上前几日在苏州，扬州，镇江，杭州，上海等地的游览，感觉水乡的灵秀与高原的大气都让人引以为赞。可是舟车劳顿，光为了进九寨沟，就得坐11个小时的汽车，还是在山路上颠簸。听说后面一辆大巴打了2个跟头翻进了一片玉米地，不知伤亡如何。九寨沟景色实为天下之奇。去黄龙全途行驶在海拔3000米以上的高原，风光无限好。景区里人们摩肩接踵，争先恐后同时又自不量力，到处都是气喘吁吁面目狰狞的高原反应的登山者。要是把持不好自己的实力就贸然拼命，看样子的确是不智之举。

 

 

不久后British Council 要举办一个 pre-departure session, 挺有意思的，再去转转。

我支持的阿根廷，英格兰和巴西居然48小时内全被淘汰了，这实在太让人不爽了。考虑到看帖的人可能于我爱好不同，我也不多说什么，只是熬夜熬得郁闷。不知道为什么英格兰队就是不用双前锋，难道真的英国人保守到如此地步？其实该怪瑞典人埃里克松，换帅应是好事。可怜他在英国这么久，却总是战绩平平。

 

巴西队星光灿烂，但是确总难过法国这一关。有人说这届世界杯很规矩：英格兰还是没胜瑞典，荷兰仍败给葡萄牙，巴西依旧望法国而却步。的确如此。开来以后主教练选人参考参考星座动向，可能有奇效。

 

怎么办呢？接下来只好看德国的了。