A new chapter

Had a blast the past couple of days, met friends whom I haven't met in quite awhile, and friends whom I'm gonna miss real badly. I don't think I need to name names, you probably know who you are.

So I'm enlisting tomorrow. It still feels kinda surreal, how fast it's upon me. To think that NS felt like a distant future in the past, but it's right here in my face now. I'm not afraid, filled with a little trepidation perhaps, but nothing I can't overcome I know. Let's hope this will be a good experience too, like all my past experiences on a whole thus far. Gonna miss you, my loved ones, but seriously, I don't wanna make a mountain out of a molehill, it's only gonna be 2 weeks. Many people in the world face a much longer/worse separation.

So till then, know that you're in my heart and mind, wherever you are, Singapore or not. Love, much.

P.S. Have heart my dear, you WILL find it in you to do the right thing. I have faith in you, always have, and it doesn't change today.

Oww

I don't remember ever feeling so miserable. It saps your energy, literally.

Tour guide, if just for a day.

Just back from a day out with Mikko and his girlfriend. I haven't gotten her name, despite chatting with her from Vietnam all the way to Clarke Quay, here in Singapore. But I guess it doesn't really matter as long as the conversation flows and one is having a good time. I must say that I had a bloody good time today. I guess one of the reasons why I offered to bring them around Singapore was because I'm very proud of my country, very proud to be Singaporean and I want to bring.... a personal touch into 'just another mundane holiday to another city-state'. It's true that perhaps my decision was influenced a great deal by the warm hospitality I received while I was on the road in Cambodia and Vietnam, albeit a very short trip, it had a profound impact on me. How at the end of the day, it really is the inter-personal, human contact that brings people from all walks of life together. Like I said before, you don't need to speak the same language to understand each other. Sometimes all you need is just a smile.

I'm glad Lucy came along, even though it might have been partly because she wanted to see if the dude really was as handsome as Joanna made him out to be. But it was a great experience with two of my bestest friends, even if the weather killed us all.

We met the Finnish couple at Clarke Quay at 3pm. They ahd been to Sentosa earlier in the morning, but as I had expected, the place was a tad too expensive for their budgets. My only regret is that I didn't go along because I wouldn't have minded paying for them. Plus, this episode has made me realise how little I know/have seen of my country. Haha, I even had to do some research on the attractions to go to and what to do, ironic much eh? So Lucy and Joanna went back home first to bath and prepare before we met at 1.30 at Clarke Quay for lunch. We had been playing MJ the night before and OMG, it was a horrible night, but you win some lose some. I've understood that philosophy ever since I started gambling with money, so it's no big deal. BUT I WILL WIN MY MOOLA BACK. RAWR! The crazy woman Joanna cycled here the night before, thus she had to cycle back in the sweltering afternoon heat. And to add insult to injury, her tires were punctured, by what I do not know. She actually thought I sabotaged her bicycle. -.-'''

So we met at Clarke Quay for lunch at Manhattan Fish Market. Shared a seafood platter with Lucy and we were soooooooooooo filled! Joanna didn't even finish her Fish & Chips. Thereafter, we proceeded to the riverfront to slack and wait for Mikko to arrive. When they did, we realised that they hadn't had lunch yet, so we went down to the Central Market, trying to look for some authentic local food. The girl didn't want to eat any meat so the only thing on the menu was Chee Cheong Fun, and Mikko gamely ordered Laksa. Respect. He finished the whole bowl, and even drank all the soup. If I were to do that...... I think I'll look like I ran 42km or something. According to him the Laksa was awesome food, interesting, considering it wasn't even super authentic Laksa like the one from Katong. So with our tummy's filled, we decided to walk down the river, towards Fullerton. That would bring us past all the major historical/cultural landmarks in the area, like Raffles' landing spot, The old Parliament building, Victoria Concert Hall, Asian Civilisations Museum, Supreme Court and City Hall and the War memorial. It was an itinerary that I stole from the internet, but it was a very interesting walk, nonetheless. Got to see many things that I haven't seen in a long long time, and it felt just like the Learning Journeys excursions we used to have, just that this time round, I was the guide for the day. Did, most of the talking, trying to explain what little I knew about our colonial past, and if they looked bored, they never showed it. I wanted to show them the ACM and the Peranakan museum but they said they ahd the whole day tomorrow so they'd probably do that plus the Singapore Flyer, so we gave it a miss. Pity since I was looking forward to the museums!

We walked one full round, all the way back to St Andrew's Cathedral before we decided to bring Mikko to Chinatown to try some Ba Kwa. Lucy was like craving for that really badly. We initially wanted to take the train, since they were more comfortable with it, but Mikko wanted to be a bit more adventurous and try the buses so we hopped on 124 and alighted at Chinatown. There, we walked to Temple St, upon Lucy's suggestion and ended up eating at Mei Heong Yuen, which was the same place Jiahao, Joanna, Grace and I ate the other time when she was still in Singapore. We ordered 4 Yang Zhi Gan Lus, our staple, which turned out to be not bad, except the ice made it kinda diluted towards the end. Mikko and his girlfriend ordered some Mango and Strawberry shaved ice dessert. It made me glad to know that they were enjoying the new culinary experience, for they had remarked that it was their first time eating desserts in this style, with shaved ice and all. All the desserts they had eaten so far were almost always chocolaty or creamy. Halfway through our desserts, it started to pour really, really heavily. And since we weren't in much of a hurry, we just sat at the shop, chatting and waiting for the rain to subside. It turns out that Mikko is 27 nd his girlfriend is 26. An I still thought that he was like 23/24. Hahaha... It's cool that they're able to travel so widely even while they're still studying. Hopefully I'll be able to do that as well, in the near future.

When the rain lightened, we made out way back to Chinatown mrt. Mikko wanted to head to the Night Safari, upon my suggestion, but I think the rain was a bit off-putting. So they decided to head to Orchard Road instead to do some shopping (yay, boosts our economy). Jo and I followed them while we accidentally left Lucy behind. SORRY!!! I thought that you'd be following us as well. =/ We intended to go to the Night Safari with Mikko, if I were able to get the car but alas, that wasn't the case. Which is just as well because it is STILL pouring and I don't think it'd be a very pleasant experience.

Mikko is leaving tomorrow for KL, and we'll be meeting him for dinner at Geylang before he leaves. Gonna get them to try some durian!! He asked if it was the smelly fruit. HAHAHA super cute. Till then, I'll post some pictures if I remember to take them tomorrow. Totally forgot about it today, hahaha.

Gonna game. Out. :)

Mahjong again and again

Just finished playing mahjong with my awesome friends Joanna, Joel and Jin Ming. Its always a fun time when we get together and today wasn't an exception. Though it's true that I feel a tad bad when I win their money, but oh well, it's mahjong and luck eh guys, no hard feelings. :) So today was a good harvest, was losing roughly $60 before I came back with two 6tai zi mos and some ping hus. Joel was nice enough to give me a lift back, so thanks a lot dude! Mahjong at my place next time la, then you won't have to place like 7 parking coupons or something. Hopefully the next time is Monday.

I have been doing nothing with my life recently and it has really been getting to me. I have no idea why but I feel like I am wasting my precious youth. Pretty ironic, this coming after poly, but I'm over that anyway. I think it's partly because of the backpacking trip? It really opened my eyes, and made me want to do something meaningful with the chances I have been given in life. Some people would kill to have the cards life has dealt me, even when it's nothing spectacular. In better news, Joanna has been accepted by NUS's FASS, which I am glad for because its something that she wants. But of course if you get SMU's I'll be even more glad for you. The whole uni thing is being very......... frustrating for me. Seeing my peers flit off towards uni leaves a bittersweet feeling in my mouth. I'm definitely happy that they've embarked on another one of life's journey's, and then I look at where I am; undecided about what I wanna do/study. It just makes me very sad. I'm hoping I'll be able to find an answer to what my heart is asking soon. It is very disturbing to not know.

Okay I think I've vomited the emo parts. Here's the happy parts. We stayed over at Dawn's place on Thursday. I was super looking forward to it and ALMOST didn't go because I started feeling sickish and my nose was dripping like a leaky faucet. However, I'm glad I did make it for the stayover. It was just very good, easy going and comfortable company. We didn't even do much except slack around, chat, and watch a movie: Taken. It wasn't too bad, quite sad at parts, especially the human trafficking scenes. Pretty hard breaking, the sacrifices some people are forced to make. We had supper at the coffeeshop outside Dawn's place because a few of us were hungry. Joanna got cheated by Lucy into ordering a muturbak which I ended up finishing. At this rate I'm really gonna get a belly! HAHA. Alicia, Jo, Dawn and I slept on the cold hard parquet floor. Poor Dawn got evicted from her own bed. As a result, we all woke up with aching backs and once Lucy went to the toilet, Dawn and I pounced onto the bed. HAHAHA that slut Joanna went up without telling us.

Was supposed to meet Alicia (who left earlier with Lucy) at 3pm to go down to starhub at TM for an interview but I woke up at 2.40pm and so we arranged to meet at 4.30 instead. Ended up meeting her at 5. Hahahaha, so we went down and guess what? The manager wasn't there. Sheesh. So Jasmine said she'll let us know when to come down again. I'm pretty excited about the job, partly because I haven't worked for 3 years (I do not consider my tuition teaching to be a real job even though people earn loads going just that)and also because I think going out and earning some money beats lazing and rotting at home practically everyday. Heck I think I might even be looking forward to army, though I am quite sure this will come back to bite my ass a few months down the road.

Gonna play mahjong again later at 11pm, hahaha, wish me luck. :)

Excited much!

An email from a Finnish couple Joanna and I met in Phu Quoc, Vietnam some time back while we were backpacking. I offered to bring them around Singapore. Super excited! Any suggestions?

An epiphany?

You Scored as French/Spanish/OtherLanguage

You should strongly consider majoring (or minoring) in a foreign language, especially French or Spanish as they have a greater use in today's world. But other languages could be useful to you as well, such as Chinese, Japanese, German, Italian, or many others. With a major in a foreign language you could teach, or work for a company as a translator or foreign correspondant.

It is possible that the best major for you is your 2nd, 3rd, or even 5th listed category, so be sure to consider ALL majors in your OTHER high scoring categories (below). You may score high in a category you didnt think you would--it is possible that a great major for you is something you once dismissed as not for you. The right major for you will be something 1) you love and enjoy and 2) are really great at it.

Consider adding a minor or double majoring to make yourself standout and to combine your interests. A minor in a foriegn language is useful for ANY major. Also, business or political science are great m

French/Spanish/OtherLanguage
94%
Psychology/Sociology
88%
Biology/Chemistry/Geology
88%
English/Journalism/Comm
88%
History/Anthropology/LiberalArts
75%
Visual&PerformingArts
75%
Education/Counseling
75%
PoliticalScience/Philosophy
69%
Nursing/AthleticTraining/Health
63%
HR/BusinessManagement
56%
Religion/Theology
50%
Physics/Engineering/Computer
44%
Accounting/Finance/Marketing
38%
Mathematics/Statistics
38%

Of immunisations and fake crocs

Been preparing hard for the trip. First up was reading on all the required and recommended immunisation jabs for travellers to Cambodia and Vietnam. I ended up only taking typhoid because of the superb health care system in place for Singaporean students. YAY. So I went down to TPY polyclinic on tuesday to get my typhoid jab and also my malaria pills. It turns out that the pills they gave me were Melfoquine and its not very effective in western Cambodia and the Siem Reap area/ Angkor Wat area because the parasites are resistant to the medication. And taking the pills means that I will not be able to dive, which is a real bummer since that's one of the things I'm looking forward to! So, should I 1) take melfoquine and don't dive, 2) change the pills to doxycycline which is a DAILY dosage/30 plus pills so that I can dive, but risk having extreme sunburn as one of the side effects or 3)not take any malaria medication, pile on insect repellent and pray for the best? That way, I can dive and won't get sunburn! Oh sighs.

So I followed Jo down to TPY polyclinic today for her to get HER typhoid jab. It was damn funny and a Kodak moment when the nurse told her that "it's advisable not to get pregnant within 3 months of receiving the typhoid jab." I quite literally burst out laughing in the consultation room.

Once we were done with the polyclinic, it was around 4, so we proceeded to the coffeeshop opposite the polyclinic for me to grab my lunch since I was famished till no end. There wasn't anything to eat so I ended up with rice and vegetable. Ordered 2 meats and 2 vegs and it was only 3.50!!! Can anyone say cheeeeeeeeap? And it was delicious to boot too. Yay, I is love cheeeeeeeeeap and gooooooooood food. :) We then proceeded back to TPY central to hunt for appropriate footwear for our trip. I was looking at Crocs, but Jo pointed out that we can get the fake ones. And me being the cheapo and kiam siap Singaporean, readily agreed. So we were hunting for fake Crocs and we chanced upon this shop that was selling them for 6.90. 12 if you buy two pairs. We then went on to try out the different pairs, sizes and colours for literally half an hour or more. All this while, the chinese shop assistant was wearing the ugliest most frumpy looking facial expression. I'm quite sure some fresh flowers would have wilted under her intense scowl. After choosing like for ages, I decided upon a RAD *cue ris low* pair which was super comfy, albeit the colour wasn't as pleasant as the yellow while Jo chose the yellow one. Satisfied with our purchases, we decided to part ways and head back home.

Monday was spent trekking from Harbourfront to Mt Faber Park and beyond, all the way to Kent Ridge Park. Dawn, Joanna and I met on the train before heading to Harbourfront together and meeting the rest at Seah Im Food Centre for breakfast. Had Wanton Mee which wasn't fantastic and chatted with Jiayun and Hoon. It turns out that Hoon is almost confirmed in the RSAF as a C3, or controller in laymans' terms. I'm super impressed and have new found respect for her. Hopefully things go well for her, and we might see each other in BMT! Woots.

With our stomachs full, we started on the long ascent up to Mt Faber, through Marang trail which was the same trail I took before. I must say it was a pleasant walk and it did bring back some fond memories from before. Haha. Its a nice place to just chillax and lepak and to chat, not to mention pak tor. The overall feel is very idyllic, tranquil and peaceful. Not to mention beautiful and quiet. We passed by some houses when we were on the Forest Walk. If I remember correctly the road name was Preston Road. It doesn't have Google streetview so I can't show you how beautiful the place is, but it's a very quiet street, with lots of nature, greenary and plants. Very my kinda place, and I've added it to the dream house list which comprises of my grandparents' shophouse, a place in Seletar or the one at Preston Road. I definitely should start on making more dough if I'm to accomplish any of those dreams. Heh.

Dawn wanted to give up halfway through and I think she looked like she was dying. Maybe it was the unbearable humidity and heat. Or maybe it was just the distance. But I could tell she was so glad for it to be over. Haha. When we reached Kent Ridge, we bade the rest goodbye as I accompanied Dawn home together with YA, Alicia, Joanna and MY. We took a bus to Holland Drive where we quenched our insatiable thirst and hunger at Hans cafe before parting ways and heading back. Jo and I took 147 all the way back and we were saying we should try falling asleep before the old people start boarding. That was, we can retain our seats without being criticised for magically falling asleep when old people appear. But of course, we being civic minded youths with good upbringing, willingly gave up our seats to the elderly. Hahaha..

That's the summary of my past few days. Nothing extraordinary, but very well spent I would say. I'm starting to feel the after-effects of the rejection letter. Its not like I'm emo or anything. I never harboured high hopes in the first place because I knew my eyesight was quite borderline. But still, sending in the application did give me a little hope booster, not to mention the call from the RSAF. But alas, things were not meant to be. It's okay, there's nothing I can't take anyway. Bring it on, we'll see what the Ministry has in plan for me then. As for this dream, I shall shelve it and fulfill it someday, maybe as a commercial pilot.

Out. :)