One less death

I witnessed an attempted suicide drama today on the way home. A boy (the figure looked like a teenage guy in the evening light) clung precariously on a sloping ledge outside the 15th floor. It's understandable why half the neighbourhood congregated downstairs on a mundane Wednesday night. I found myself sharing their perverse interest in somebody else's misery.

It's interesting to listen to the general chatter. Most people speculated that he won't have the guts to jump. Some criticized his stupidity. Generally, nobody was sympathetic. I wavered between sympathy and dispassionate thoughts.

"Poor guy, either he'll be too stressed to jump or he'll be pressurized into jumping since there is a palpable air of anticipation at ground level."

"Oh man, look at all the resources wasted. 3 fire engines, 1 ambulance, 1 inflated float, numerous civil defence guys, policemen..."

"Sigh, I totally understand how the guy feels... Depression sucks."

"Suicide is a crime you know."

See how callous I am these days! Anyway the real drama happened when the guy finally (after more than an hour) decided to let himself be rescued. The moment he stood up, a net was thrown from the top of the block and a civil defence officer rappelled down and embraced him from behind. There was a collective cheer, claps and wolf whistles. I was very amused. HDB neighbourhoods are never boring.

Day 3 - West Berlin

A visit to West Berlin is a must! Most tourists hang around the eastern side, not surprising since the main attractions are located there. I'm glad we devoted an evening to the grungier and more ethnically diverse West Berlin. A short note on the history of Berlin - West Berlin belonged to the Allies while East Berlin was under the Soviet reign.

I was immediately struck by how different the west side felt. Funkier. More dangerous perhaps.

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedachtniskirche - what a mouth full! Roof of this very old cathedral (1895) was bombed in WWII and not restored. Really eerie to look through the ruined windows.

New hexagonal bell tower in blue glass built on the damaged grounds. We witnessed a wedding ceremony!

Kurfustendamm - chic shopping street. Unfortunately, the shops there close VERY early.

Gill's trademark yoga pose - look out for more later.

The Gossip Girl pose!

Our fav past time - grocery shopping... Check out the gigantic Ritter Sport chocs. It's Euros 0.70 for the normal size block! The mini Vodkas are utterly adorable too!

Currywurst as recommended by Des. A simple concoction of ketchup and curry powder. Ketchup is just not my cup of tea.

Day 3 - Potsdam

Somehow our day trips are more enjoyable than exploring the cities alone. I was pretty satisfied (I won't say I'm bored) with Berlin after a day so we decided to take the free tour (again) to Potsdam, one of the several UNESCO World Heritage sites we'll be visiting this trip.

Berlin Friedrichstrasse Station - beautiful sprawling train station. On a high-speed double decked train.

It feels good to head away from the city! I can see why Potsdam is known as the "jewel of Berlin".

Very picturesque!

TR complained that I always upload unflattering pics of him. This one's passably nice.

Alter Markt - the old town centre. I seriously can't remember what the guide said about the buildings. Ask Gill.

Dandelions aplenty!! It must be their season or something. I've never seen such big, fluffy ones before. Tried blowing them to see if the story Thirteen O'Clock is true!

What can be more ethereal than seeing hundreds of dandelions floating carelessly in the air?

The very romantic New Garden with the beautiful Cecilienhof Palace.
Lake Jungfernsee - supposedly many nude sunbathers but we didn't see any. Restaurant in the Marble Palace. Historical buildings don't seem to retain their original purposes anymore.


The problem with visiting so many cathedrals is that I can't recall their names or the patron saints they commemorate. This cathedral has a lovely courtyard and belfry.

I feel as if I was walking in a Jane Austen world of meadows, streams, gardens and forests!

Frederick The Great's famous Rococo retreat palace Schloss Sanssouci - French for "without worries". I can see why he would have no worries in this gorgeous place!

My favourite part - the terraces!

The concert hall located on top of the terraced vineyard.

Parc Sanssouci - the palace's garden.

Nauener Tor - the Disney like "castle" gate in the quaint Dutch Quarter district filled with little boutiques.

Quiz

The reason I'm doing this is to FORCE other people to do it.

A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs & replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

B) Tag 8 people to do this quiz & those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by & cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.

Tagged by: Desmond

If your lover betrayed you, what would your reaction be?
Hope that I'll be depressed enough to kill him and insane enough to raise the insanity defence when I'm caught.

If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
To not work but still have the money to travel and build a Martha Stewart house.

What will your dream wedding be like?
Zap the whole world away leaving just us.

Are you confused of what lies ahead of you?
Duh, I'm always sleep deprived.

What's your ideal lover like?
Long list man. Here's one: affectionate.


Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Read Auden's "The More Loving One".

How long do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
Wait for what? For him to propose? If it's not reciprocal, I'll not wait. If he LOVES me, I'll be more patient.

If the person you secretly liked is already attached, what would you do?
Nothing. Guys are not worth fighting over.

Is being tagged fun?
I find it amusing.

How do you see yourself in ten years time?
Married, retired and swimming in money haha.

Who are currently most important people to you?
Loved ones.

What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Erm, it'll take me forever to write what I think of Des.

Would you rather to be single and rich or married but poor?
Married and poor. I'll probably regret my decision.

What's the first thing you do every morning?
Pee.

If you fall in love with two person simultaneously, who would you pick?
The one who loves me.

If given the chance to turn back time, will you?
I don't think so. Maybe to certain periods only.

What is the last thing you would do before you die?
Write my diary.

8 people to be tagged:
Cuilin
Yivon
Gillian
Shuxin
Evans
Niccole
Kah Ming
Yiwei

Day 2 - Berlin

Did not blog during the trip because of a very unfortunate event - TR's backpack got stolen on the night train in Rome. Losses: a laptop, a camera, a pair of specs and sun glasses, Eurorail passes, priceless snapshots and other data etc etc. Bloody hell!

What I remember most distinctly about Berlin was the cloudless sky and relentless sun. It became colder as the days went by. In retrospect, Berlin is also the cheapest place to shop. I just wish we bought more chocs from the supermart there. Speaking of supermarts, Gill's fetish for them meant that we visited more supermarts than H&Ms!

Met ZQ and Kelvin at the lobby of our hostel!

On a street near our hostel. Little traffic even though it was 8 plus in the morn.

Street scenes!

Streets were lined with blooming flowers. Had a typical European breakfast of pastries and sandwiches at a tiny street-side cafe.

Joined the New Berlin Free Tour (you just need to tip the guide) which was a wonderfully informative 3.5hr tour of Berlin. First stop: Brandenburg Gate.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews with its abstract undulating blocks of concrete. Some think they look like tombstones. I feel as if I was walking through underground bunkers.

Somehow it feels a little disrespectful to be fooling around the memorial but think of the picture opportunities!

Berlin Wall: adorned and unadorned. The nondescript wall was quite disappointing really.

Checkpoint Charlie: overly touristy. Museum Island: a cluster of museums. Can't remember the name of the square where the Nazis burned the books.

Berliner Dom: a rather impressive church with a fantastic view from the dome. Note the Fernsehturm "Toothpick" - Germany's tallest TV Tower - at the side.

Garden in front of the Dom. Lovely place to lie and daydream!
Walking around the dome, taking in the Berlin skyline.

Popsicles and a giant pretzel!

The Reichstag - Berlin's parliament house with a futuristic glass dome. There's a platform at the top for you to lie on and peep through the sky light.

Mirrored spiral in the middle of the dome.

Walking down the dome. I think we took pics at every step.

One of my fav pics. Love the way the evening light filters through!