Dearest friends
Thanks for your well-wishes and blessings and prayers the past months, especially during the last two. To those who have interceded and intervened before I arrived at the stage of shaving off all my hair (and eyebrows; though nothing could prevent me from committing the drastic-womanly-stress-compelled act, as Jon calls it, of cutting a fringe)...yes, to those who were there, my most heartfelt . There isn't a word I know to adequately express that gratitude.

After the completion of exams, four friends and I went on an Italy escapade - I got back not 3 hours ago.


Yes Hil, Matt, Fang, Alex, Dre, Dan (and annonymous), your messages did not go unnoticed nor failed to brighten up my week! I just couldn't reply them - Jon and I, the internet junkies, were starving from broadband linkage and had to find an Italian internet cafe to squeeze out fifteen minutes of English reading material, which ended up time enough only for checking mail.

10 days of Firenze-Roma-Pisa...and we saw the Pope!! Albeit his side-profile and his arm (boy, were we excited with just that glimpse) during the papal audience last Sunday. The sense of family when the thousands gathered at St Peter's Square cheered at his first words (we cheered too, like fans for a supersuperstar) was heart-warming, uplifting; and that was merely a gathering on an Ordinary Sunday. Pictures to come soon, and I'm going to try and load a short clip we took of the Pope's speech! hee dear old Benedict.














From city sights














To hills and dales

















To Germany vs Poland (Jon Siu mei Neda)


To Gerrie our mum and wise one who woke the earliest to prepare a spread for breakfast every morning (mortadella ham, sweet tomatos, mozzarella cheese, german sausages, gorgonzola cheese, soya bread, baguette, all cut up and laid out professionally), Siu mei our great tour guide and amazing planner and much needed accoutant and banker of the group (who booked the apartments and knew Florence like the back of her hand), Neda our fashion consultant and make-up specialist, Jon our referee and porter and resident jester and gamemaster and peacemaker and fellow pig-out-er; thanks for the great time!