brief update

the weather has gotten fairly cold lately - single digit temperatures! i think it's safe to say that winter is here; according to my friend's wife, autumn ends when the cold wind blows, of which much has definitely been happening lately. the temperature itself is quite alright; it's the winds that bring the chill! london apparently isnt the only place that has strong and cold winds. sigh. my zara coat made its appearance today, and so have my gloves when i'm cycling. the winds are such that i have to pedal a fair bit harder against the wind, and my hands do get so cold that they start to tingle and burn a little if my gloves arent on..

meanwhile, my apartment has gotten cold enough that there's a need for slippers - will go out to buy them today - and a heater as well. the glass screen door separating my bedroom from the balcony doesnt have very good insulation, which means that my room gets really cold if i dont turn on the small portable heather. 2 nights ago, i was so cold that i woke up at 4.24am, and had to dig for the thick comforter. i cant complain though - the other singaporeans in the north are already freezing, while it's only just beginning to get cold for me..

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anyhow, there's this electronics (and others) store in japan called Yodobashi Camera, and i really love that place! they have awesome prices on most stuff, and the sheer size of the place means that they sell a wide variety of electronic products, audio visual equipment, stationery and so on. the best thing about Yodobashi camera though, is their gold point card. i'm not sure how much yen translates into 1 point, but you can redeem your points as cash rebates at 1 to 1, meaning that 1000 points would mean a 1000yen discount on the item you're purchasing.

and the ratio of yen spent to points obtained is good enough that i've managed to get about 4500yen discounted, on top of the 5000yen voucher i got from applying for my mobile phone. amazing. i redeemed myself a "free" travel hairdryer today, just in time for me to bring it to hiroshima this weekend :)

i also think that i've lost some weight since i came, and am quite definitely at my slimmest post-SEP in london (i dont recall what size i was before exchange, so i hesitate to comment on that)... i have no idea what could contribute to this weight loss, since i eat more dairy products over here, as well as chocolates and cake. i might be eating a bit less in terms of proper meals though - half a slice of bread less for breakfast, 1 soup less for dinner and less fruits as well. maybe that makes a difference, although i dont think i'm healthier for it. i definitely used to eat more vegetables and fruits in singapore. it's true that i cycle for about 20min twice a day - to and fro from school - about 4 times a week (i cycle a bit more on weekends too, depending on where i go), but i walked 15min twice a day to the mrt station - which involved going over an overhead bridge - and climbed the 3 storeys of stairs to get home back in singapore. i'm not sure whether i'm getting more physical activity (definitely cant call all that exercise!) here..

but regardless, i've unfortunately lost weight where i cant afford to the most, and i dont really feel that my tummy has shrunk.. also, the fact that i dont know what could possibly contribute to this weight loss makes it somewhat a concern since it seems a bit unnatural!

so how? i also dunno... the irishman upstairs claims that the reason why i feel cold in this weather is cos i'm too thin, and that i need to fatten up to insulate myself against the cold :P