Kok Yong and I made our way across the English Channel to the land of our former colonial masters, London. As it was still mid-Febuary then, the weather remained wet and chilly.
DAY 1 - LONDON EYE
As seen from the photo, the sky was terribly cloudy and dimmed. It began to rain soon after.
BIG BEN
Across the London Eye lies the Big Ben, right there, just outside the Underground's exit. Given its hype, it didn't impress us too greatly. In fact, Kok Yong exclaimed, "Huh? This is the Big Ben?"
The Westminster Abbey, where most of the Kings were buried, was situated a stone’s throw away. However, the place was closed when we reached the entrance.
WESTMINSTER PALACE
We had dinner at a eat-all-you-can buffet in the area, and strolled along the Thames River. The Big Ben is to the right of the palace in this photo.
We then proceeded to Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. I didn’t take any pictures as it was raining and the temperature was freezing cold. With that, our first night in London ended.
DAY 2 - BRITISH MUSEUM
The next morning, the two of us excitedly made our way to one of the greatest museums in the world, the British Museum.
I miss my Mummy, but not these sorts.
I feel like tickling its funny bone.
Despite repeated pleadings, this deity simply refused to look towards my camera.
A Tibetan artifact.
A Tibetan Prayer Wheel.
Kok Yong saw this gigantic bell, and suggested we do up a crossword puzzle. –_-"
The crossword puzzle.
One of the permanents from Easter Island.
There you have, Kok Yong trying to act cool.
One of my favourite storybooks in my childhood days, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”….
Only to realised it was all in Hieroglyph.
The interior of the British Museum.
MILLENIUM BRIDGE
BRIDGE OF LONDON
A HDR image
The time was around 6pm. Kok Yong didn’t want to visit the Tate Modern Art Museum, and we had nothing more to do. We then thought of watching a musical in the British equivalent of Broadway, the West End which comprised of the Piccadilly Circus/Leicester Square area. Unfortunately, it was a Friday evening and most of the musicals were sold out. To make things worse, the date was 13 Feb, the eve before Valentine’s day. Tickets that were available were simply too expensive to us.
We settled our dinner in another eat-all-you-can buffet, this time in Chinatown. I was hesitating between having the famous duck rice there which cost 15 pounds, or the buffet which was only 6 pounds. I opted for the cheaper option, and deeply regretted it.
After dinner, Kok Yong found a hair salon and he said he wanted to have a hair cut. It turned out that the hair salon was owned by Malaysian Chinese.
An advertisement was placed on the hair salon’s window. Ah! 肉干！My precious… However, I resisted the urge to buy a packet for myself.
DAY 3 – OXFORD
Happy Valentine’s Day! Whilst many couples who spent the romantic night together would choose to sleep till the late morning, Kok Yong and me woke up early not to catch a worm, but a bus that will take us to Oxford.
Oxford, as many of you know, is one of the most renowned university towns in the world. There were huge crowds of youths in this city, and made it an exceptionally vibrant place.
Love animals. Don’t eat them.
An enthusiastic preacher of the higher being.
TRINITY COLLEGE
Trinity College! Arguably the best college in Oxford University.
Trinity College’s lawn. Coincidentally, I realised both of us were wearing the exact same model and size for our jeans. He had bought it without knowing I owned a similar pair. Now, that’s what I would call “gay”.
Kok Yong wanted to do a TC pose, and he dragged the normally serious and mature me into doing it together with him. Unlike the green-skinned deity in the British Museum, I agreed reluctantly.
It was still snowing in mid-February.
MUSEUM OF THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE
There was this Museum of the History of Science in Oxford where numerous scientific apparatus used in the past were on display. They were truly objects of ingenuity. Even if you were to place me in those times, I wouldn’t have the brain nor talent to invent them.
This deceivingly simple-looking instrument was actually used to measure the height of the sun above the horizon. (1760)
Sundials (1617, late 16th century and 1592 from left to right)
Sundials (1900)
Pocket-sized terrestrial globes (1791)
Photographic camera (1845)
Arc Lamps, the ancestors of the incandescent bulbs. (1930)
An early electric motor. (1850)
An enormous lodestone that is shaped like a crown! It could lift a massive weight of 72.5kg! (before 1756)
And the star of all, an Einstein blackboard.
Albert Einstein was invited to Oxford to give a series of 3 lectures on relativity in 1931. This blackboard was preserved from the second lecture.
“Please take care of this old staircase.” A rather cute, but queer sign.
The Bodleian Library was one of the locations to film Harry Porter.
Who can forget about the classic red telephone booth?
Being on a shoestring budget, Kok Yong brought along a packet of pasta and a few bottles of instant sauces to cook in the hostel’s kitchen. We placed our foodstuff in the designated cabinet and had to label them. Look at what he wrote. –_-
That’s me alright. Plus my secondary school. Duh.
DAY 4 - BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Before heading back home to Paris on 15 Feb, we made a last stop at Buckingham Palace. It proved to be one of the most overrated places we visited thus far in Europe. Really, it was that bad.
With more than an hour to spare before our departure time, we did some shopping at Hard Rock Cafe and Top Shop.
During this span of 4 days, Kok Yong and I experienced 2 significant moments together; Friday the 13th, and Valentine’s Day. Luckily, unusual bad luck wasn't bestowed upon us. And most fortunately, sparks of love didn’t occurred between us. Phew. But what we did gathered were loads and loads of fun and laughter, and a concise and rich appreciation of cosmopolitan London, the magical Thames and dynamic Oxford.
Long-ge
Remus
Mong
Fishball
Murtabak
Rice with mutton curry
Mee goreng
Pratas
Long-ge
Remus
Mong
Fishball
Murtabak
Rice with mutton curry
Mee goreng
Pratas
Pierre and Marion are both close to 190cm tall. I had to stand on my toes to save myself some grace.
Pierre then carried Zhang Peng on his shoulders and turned him round and round. 
