8th May 2008- Day 3

"If anyone gets startlingly lost...." exclaims Katie Brock as we were gathered outside the president hotel. That was the adjective of the day. Startlingly lost. The English tend to hyperbole everything, and it sounds like literature in action! Cool!

Me, Rosanne, Rajab, Meriem, Hajab, Faustina

Maggie, Me, Ruth, Joao, Isabela

We gathered in the lobby of the President Hotel while waiting for the coach to HSBC. Coach means bus. I met Ruth from China. Apparently, she had some visa problems back home and could not make it in time on the 6th. But fortunately she made it to be there on Thurs, so she wouldn't miss the competition on Friday. Ruth is a really nice girl, she could pass off as a Malaysian with her looks :P And we later (the next day) found out was a really great competitive badminton player. She can do 500 sit ups and something else (I forgot what) at once! Beat that! Watch the olympics in a few years people, you might just see her representing China. How awesome would that be?! =D

Some photos I captured while in the moving bus. I mean coach =p

That's the tower bridge and the tower.

We reached HSBC earlier than the other coach, so we had some free time to just hang around and take photographs.

T (Thailand) and I

Joao (Brazil) and I

Joao and Isabela (Brazil), Mariam (Georgia), Maggie (Hong Kong), Me (Malaysia!!), Ruth (China), T(Thailand)Pretty pretty flowers!

The HSBC Tour:

This is their history wall. It was so cool. It is made of metal cards all stuck to the wall and when you look from the back it forms...........

Isn't that absolutely AMAZING?!!!!


Taking photos the Asian-style. We took this photo with NO outside help!! So proud of myself lol I think I was holding the camera hehe. Practice makes perfect. Can you get 4 people in a pic in the right frame holding the cam in front of u and not look like you are holding the camera? =p

Catherine, Ruth, Natty, Maggie and I

Michelle from Denmark and I

Isabela from Brazil

We were brought on our tour of HSBC. They brought us to the technology room, and we were introduced to the technology that has yet been implemented into the market. I may not be technologically inclined, but some of the stuff there were really cool. Such as the posters in which either a bar code, a chip embedded or simply an "invisible" box printed on the poster would lead the mobile phone which has the technology to the website of HSBC, directly to the service advertised. Besides that, we were shown the technology which might just revolutionise banking... no longer would it be just internet banking... What do you think of PLAYSTATION banking?! :P Sounds interesting eh? They also showed us a virtual reality, game-like 3D version of a HSBC branch, which unfortunately was not opened at that particular planned area. Besides that, the non-invasive technology of identification by the veins in the wrist was showed to us. I think it was Daniel who was the "volunteer" to just try it out, and of course it worked, "not in database." Looks like someone would not be able to access other people's account in HSBC even if he somehow knew the password. *grins* And then........ we had another sandwich lunch!! I think it is quite a trend here in England. They do love their sandwiches.

Patricia from Hong Kong

T!!!!!! (Tanawat) from Thailand. haha I love this photo!!


Natty also from Thailand. She's so cute and innocent-like.

I saw Meinira sitting over at one side, near the sandwiches, so went over to talk to her. She comes from Tajikistan. A country I just googled to find out more about =p.

T, Natty, Me, Meinira. That's Martin in the background on the left with his backpack. Annette is in black and white, also in the background speaking to important HSBC people.

I saw Minde and Jima, the two participants from Thailand looking out the glass walls/windows of the HSBC room where we were having lunch. Just for the sake of random statements, I remarked "admiring the view?" which was replied with two blank faces, raised eyebrows. It reminded me of those cartoons where question marks will appear around their faces. Apparently, both of them had no idea what I was saying. So I repeated, because I thought they did not hear. Again question marks?? Haha so I rephrased around 5 times, maybe more. lol. Then Jima got it, and Minde was still blur. By that time, it was pretty amusing already. I was like, its ok, nothing important.. But they wanted to know what I was asking, so I had to rephrase till they got it. haha. It was a funny experience. I guess although everyone speaks english, we all use it in varied ways. When I was with the chinese/thais, who looked a lot like your average Malaysian, there were times I almost slipped in the "lah" and even "makan", local slang and local words we are so used to back home, coz I almost forgot that they were from different countries. Ironically though, the slips don't occur with people who look really different. A little odd, but I guess its just psychological, perhaps slightly subconscious. Augustine was drinking Dr Pepper, something very ordinary and we tasted some of it. It tasted really damn weird to my tastebuds. Haha. After the tour, we took MORE photos =)

Natty, Meriem, Jima, Hajar, Me, Catherine

While waiting for the coach, I spoke to Andranik from Armenia. Andranik is a GENIUS!! lol. He finished high school at 15 and is now in his last year in university. 15!!!! I was in the middle of secondary school at 15! Still a naive, young and carefree. lol. I remember him very well for his name somehow reminds me of some character from a science fiction movie. Someone who has a knack for machines, or perhaps is half-machine himself =p He was a really good conversationalist, it was really nice talking to him. I just realised that I don't have his email! =( But I'm sure I'd be able to find out anyway. Thanks to today's internet technology. =)

Andranik and I with the Lions of HSBC.
They have names, believe it! Stephen and Stitt, after the branch managers. I'm not sure if this is Stephen or Stitt though. I think it's Stephen =p

When we were out around the lions, other people were introduced to the bad luck number of "4" and the good luck number of "8". Something a little closer to home. When the man was talking about that chinese superstition, it suddenly reminded me of how in TAR College, when we have exams, tables with 4s will always be the last one filled. Hmmmm, my room number in London is 514. Direct trasalation: -- No-- straight away DIE!!! -- Lol, how's that for good luck? (that was meant to be sarcastic)

And then we were in the coach. Took some pictures as the bus was moving. Sat next to Minde in the bus this time around, but he had earphones in his ears all the time so we didn't speak. He has a really cool camera though. Another guy with one of those professional cameras was Gian, from Philipines. The eye of London

The tower


Random photo of a wall with clocks of different times in different countries around the world. I thought it would be a good photo to take to commemorate how we are all from different countries and thus different time zones, yet we are brought together in this one week, at this one place, in this one time zone, for the same purpose of a competition and meeting new friends. In a way a perfect analogy to what all of us symbolise.

The coach took us back to Darthmouth House. If I am not mistaken this was the day when Faustina and I found out that we did not get a homestay because we were on a flight too early. It was a disappointment because indeed both of us were looking forward to it, but since we were only told so late, there was nothing that could be done. Faustina decided to go with the aunts for their own homestay, while I was to head to Heathrow on Saturday, where a hotel, premier inn was booked for the night we were supposed to be having homestay. Faustina so kindly asked if I would like to join her, and I said that most probably, after I checked in the hotel. More on that in the next post. Anyway, after the homestay briefing, we had the debate that we prepared for the day before. Deciding the Qwertyuiopian constitution. As a social democrat, I was part of the alliance for the opposition.

Left government. Right opposition. That's Ian the President of the Government

Now Martynas' time to speak out

The King (Andrew Fitch) almost wanted to come up with his own ideas of the new constitution because be thought that we did a very messed up job on both sides. But before he managed to give out his final decision, there were some people (I forgot who) who interjected and gave very sound arguments. And thus, the Kind gave us one last chance.

And the winning team is......

Well. not us. lol. The government wins.
Formed from an alliance of Nationalists, Conservatives and the Greens.

What was so ironic was that our opposition alliance is made up of Social Democrats who wanted nuclear weapons over social rights of education with EXTRA military budget (extra mind you), Liberals who were strongly supportive of a strong parliament and being ruled by the government and Communists who were supportive of an army of armed forces when it states in the guide that they want to dismantle all the existing structures of an army. LOL No offence anyone, but don't you think it is a slight bit messed-up, if I were to put it mildly? haha But trust me, it is hard to come up with alliance when every group's goals are so different. I don't really remember much of the governments' points, I think it was as messed up too =p Again no offence, it's been a few days since the debate and I might have been a little sleepy that day haha. The most amusing was of course the Greens. I like the concept, where the only goal is to save the environment. It puts some amusement in what would be otherwise a little dry. Oh by the way goose feathers are the most highly protected resource in Qwertyuiopia. So protect them geese will ya?! =p

After the debate we were to have free time. I was talking to Mrs Amy for awhile about our homestay, or well about not having a homestay and all. Then Faustina's aunt said "aren't you going along with the rest? Faustina went off to get sourvenirs." So I went downstairs, but Faustina was nowhere in sight and almost all the participants were gone, because it was really quite some time after the debate ended. But perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. I had a chance to really talk to this lovely girl hailing all the way from Brazil.... Isabela!!! She was awesome-ly great company. I had to take a photograph with her. =) She loves watching musicals. We were going to watch hairspray together with her teacher after that, but the timing was just too late =( I had to go back for dinner with Faustina and Ms Amy as promised, and to practise my speech after a week of neglect. Isabela tells me that Hairspray was really good. Awww... wished I could have made it somehow. Haha. Hiro Nakamura's freezing time and teleportation would be a very useful skill to have. Ah well, too much Heroes on the plane. Now I start living in fantasy land too.

Isabela~~~~~~ A person you should DEFINITELY get to know if u have the chance to. She is warm, friendly, and so so so REAL. Great personality, one awesome girl! =)

I was with Isabela and her teacher talking as we walked and took public transport and walked again to the theatre where they were showing Hairspray. Towards the theatre, we met Martin, from Argentina. A small-sized guy with brilliant blue eyes. He was heading back to the hotel, which I was to go back to, so as to meet both Faustina and Ms Amy in time for dinner. Thus, I said goodbye to Isabela and walked with Martin. It was a good thing he was there, because as everyone knows, my sense of direction is horrible. I would have probably gone around in many circles before reaching my destination if it weren't for him. Spoke quite a bit to Martin on the way back. Before we went back to the hotel, we went to get postcards. He knew a place where it was so much cheaper than the postcards I bought initially earlier on. And they look better too!

We are in London so we MUST have at least one proper English dinner, or so says Ms Amy. I absolutely agree. So off we went to a nearby restaurant for and English dinner.

We had a starter of Nachos with three kinds of toppings/sauces, one red, one white and one GREEN! Surprisingly, the green one tasted absolutely good! That was Ms Amy's treat =) Thanks! That was lovely. (I am only using lovely because I was in London. haha that would sound really out of place back in Malaysia.) Haha Next came our main course and I had pasta. I really wanted to remember the name of it because it sounds so grand, but all I remember was it has an R and a C. Ricotti? Cor- something- something?? Faustina, if you see this. HELPP!! I forgot the name of the dish haha. I know you remember it. =) Faustina knows a lot about english food, and english manners. And she knows how to hold the fork and knife properly too. lol.

Pasta!! It was deliciously yummy! =) I've never had pasta that looked like that ever. Its green and filled with something (I really don't know what) and served with cream sauce. There's garlic bread and greens at the side of the platter. A note about how they serve food traditionally (I think) in London is that they give salad with no dressing. It's healthy I know, but I can't possibly have more than one meal of raw vegetables on its own! =(

What strikes me as delightful is that even normal restaurants all have a nice bar that gives it a touch of elegance. I had rose wine with my dinner that night. It was an absolute delight. It was light pink, slightly the colour of a drop of phenolphthalein with a very very very very mildly alkaline solution as such it is still translucent, almost transparent. lol. Only chemistry students will equate a perfectly social drink of alcohol to a lab solution =s Too much studying!!

After the meal, we went back to the hotel for practice. I was already very tired by then. I'm not sure if it is the London air, or the sun or the travelling around in the tube and the bus that drains me, but I felt more tired than I would normally have been. I started off first, and I was horrible. I forgot my lines, and I couldn't remember them. Ms Amy was starting to get worried. When it was Faustina's turn, Ms Amy got even more worried as Faustina forgot her lines too! I guess we were both tired. I gave it another shot, and this time around I remembered all my lines. It wasn't a long practice. We decided it would be more productive to sleep instead. So we did. I swear I was so worried myself I was mumbling through my lines just as I was going to bed. It would be embarrassing to forget.

And this wraps up day 3 in London. I should have taken MORE photos lol