Gibbons Park

A distinct difference between Singapore and Canada is how their citizens spend their weekends. Whereas an average Singaporean will almost predictably head down to the many shopping malls (most notably at the notoriously crowded Orchard Road) dotting all across the country, the Canadians really prefer to bring their entire family to the parks for some outdoor activities such as BBQ or simply a game of baseball. I begin to wonder, what mystifying attraction does the shopping mall possess to hold us all in thrall? Surely a good weekend with the entire family at the Bontanical Garden wouldn't hurt? Alas, despite its romantic ambience and ideal site for gathering with friends or families, the Bontanical Garden remains woefully empty, save for some consicentious joggers or a few old folks taking a casual stroll. Spending Sunday at Gibbons Park was really a different experience for me, as I joined the rest of the international students in games and a picnic of sorts with our peer guides (usually senior students who volunteer to assist international students in their stay at UWO).





Perhaps pale in comparison with the Bontanical Garden in terms of the variety of flora and fauna, Gibbons Park has its own quiet charm.





The London river meanders through the entire park, with tall sagely trees and endless stretches of greenery, the park provides a comfortable retreat for the city dwellers during the weekend.



Notice the difference in this picture? Yes, both me and Jiahao are wearing shorts, despite the sun, the temperature is a freezing 10ºC and Jiahao has the jacket!




Soccer, frisbee and football, you name it, we played it. The weather was perfect, sunny, but cool. No amount of running can make us perspire!


My new found buddy from France, Jean, a French version of me! Cheeky, tongue in cheek humour and always flashing a wide grin, we enjoyed talking crap with each other all the time.


Jiahao's peer guide Allison Foran. Me and Allan were really dying with envy, while Jiahao netted himself a hot blond as his peer guide, we had to settle for a bloke from Hong Kong and a lass from China respectively.

The weekend was well spent, plenty of friends from more than a dozen countries were made in the short span of 2 hours, but more importantly, I finally did some sports since I arrived at Canada. Perhaps it was due to all the fun I'm having so far, I scarcely felt homesick at all. Slowly, I am beginning to believe that this exchange experience might just be the best thing that has happened to me so far in my entire academic life.

Western Culture (part 2 of previous post)

This is a long overdue entry, partly because of nagging assignments and deadlines, but mainly due to sheer laziness on my part. Nevertheless, I shall continue the odyssey of the campus in this entry and fill you in on events that transpired when we first arrived at the campus.




An open air concert in the evening for Frosh week (i.e. Freshies' Orientation). The temperature for that night must have been 15ºC at the most, I was freezing to death in my dri-fit T-shirt that night.




Pursued by murderers, muggers, rapists, hooligans? Fear not, emergency posts like these are erected all along the campus's walkway. Help is just a button away, but let's hope we won't get to use it, hahahaha.

For the first time in my life, I get to watch a live football match (not to be confused with soccer), and the game night is HUGE. Crowds thronged the stadium, entire families were gathered to watch the match between the Western Mustangs (UWO's home team) and their rivals, the York Lions. Fortunately for us, students of UWO watch the game for free and like any true blue Singaporeans, we rarely let free stuffs slip us by. Jiahao and Allan who hardly know anything about the game watched the game enthusiastically anyway. As we reached the stadium after the opening ceremony, we got ourselves pretty rotten seats. We were seated at the furthest row of the stadium and did I mentioned the stadium was not sheltered? Gusts of strong and bone chilling wind swept down on us as we tried desperately to rub our palms or put them between our thighs to keep ourselves warm. It was futile. But the skimpily dressed cheerleaders and the adrenaline of the crowd managed to make things slightly more bearable.





The Mustang's home stadium, think the maximum capacity of this stadium is more than 10,000.


We only have to smile once and our cheek muscles will be frozen in place. That night was really cold, the 3 of us were shivering throughout most of the match, and for the first time in my life, I begin to wish that another 20 pounds of fats could miraculously be transfered to my body to insulate me from the wind.



Cheerleaders!!!! I must say they're really a cut above the ones we have in Singapore... I cursed when Jiahao's camera ran low on battery and no further pictures of cheerleaders could be taken. I will never buy another Energizer battery.


The Western's mascot, predictably, a Mustang. It is dragging a doll in the form of a lion with it, talk about Voodoo magic.



The game was intense at every quarter, we had a really good view of the game when we decided to move all the way down the grand stand.


A forlorn looking Jiahao was left behind at the stadium when the game ended.

It was a mind blowing first week in UWO, activities after activities were strewn at our faces and we could hardly rest our foot for a moment. But isn't that what exchange is all about? Immersing in every activities possible, experiencing the time of your life and more importantly, milk the money worth you have spent so far! (I'm a Singaporean after all)

As I walked further, I came to the set of Harry Potter (part 1).

Clearly this must be the campus where they shot the movie Harry Potter! The buildings and lush green fields bear the uncanny resemblance to those of the movie. I am convinced that just touring the campus alone is worth all the trouble of flying half way across the globe.




University College, the key building that embodies a Victorian age feel to the University of Western Ontario.






Middlesex College, another building on the campus that looks more like a castle of sorts than a lecture hall.



Besides squirrels, there are ducks wandering around the campus's field as well.


The crest of UWO, I still have not figured out what the animals flanking the crest are, but guessed that it is a moose and a lynx.

I walked into the set of Pride & Prejudice

The title for this entry echoed my exact sentiments when I finally arrived at Medway-Sydenham hall in UWO. I guessed the three of us simply cannot comprehend how on Earth can a student residence be built so elegantly. Even a darned street lamp can easily thrash NTU's, whose buildings are constructed to be woefully utilitarian. Little did we realize, the exterior of the residence was only the tip of the ice berg of the architecture shock we're about to experience. Naturally, our intrepid photographer will not miss the chance to take some pictures of our residence.


The green patch of land within the premise of the residence is known as the Quad. Basically, it is a mini-park where students can play sports or do some outdoor reading.





Sydenham hall, the oldest hall of residence in UWO with a distinctive Victorian age architecture. My first thoughts when I saw this building was: this has got to be a museum! I thought only Oxford or Eton college still boost fine architectures like these. I was totally blown away, if only they have more adventurous architectures like these in NTU back home. I mean how can any of the halls back in NTU from 1 to 15 come anywhere close to matching a residence like this?


Me and Jiahao's wing in the residence, the Neville house.


Me and Jiahao's room, notice the stark difference between the exterior of the residence and its rooms. By a stroke of luck, we got ourselves a double room.


Jiahao's bed,


and mine...


We each has a walk-in wardrobe, not much 'walk-in' space, but better than nothing.


Beneath that modest windbreaker and miserable 3 quarters, I was really shivering like mad on that cold, yet sunny morning.


The gates of the residence at night. The lamps that lit the compounds is really captivating. You can easily take a romantic stroll within the premise of the residence after dinner and be captivated by the charm exuded from the building.




River Thames, a river that meanders through London. It is also the river that seperates Medway-Sydenham hall from the campus.


Across the bridge, the beautiful campus of UWO awaits. More pictures will be uploaded on my next entry, until then, I'm simply overwhelmed by fatigue from my Niagara trip over the weekends, and long for some decent rest.