I can hardly believe that 2011 is ending! Hold your horses though, because I intend to make good use of the last day of 2011.
Year 2011 is a year full of ups and downs, personally, locally and internationally.
For me, I graduated with a Diploma with Merit and an award for the Kingsmen Creatives Prize. That was the glory of my life, my pride and joy. I was at the top of the world. Then, came the task of choosing a University. I fretted over whether I am good enough to enter a local University and thought that I lost my chance. In the end, I chose NUS and am planning to major in Geography.
I wouldn't say that 2011 is good to me because it isn't. The year seems to hover between good and bad, besides, I am not entirely pleased with myself and the way things are heading. Indeed, I would say that the earlier half of the year was so much better than the later half.
If there is one regret I have for 2011, it is that I failed to fulfil my goal and dream of going to USA. All these years, I worked so hard and am going to reward myself with a bang but yet, it failed to materialise. That goal is still standing. I can only hope that I can fulfil it sooner not later.
In Singapore, this is nerve-wracking year. Toes are trod-on and fingers are pointed at. We witnessed the watershed General Election and Presidential Election. I finally realised that Singapore is not what I thought it to be. I thought that people will be more grateful and thankful for we have, alas, that was not the case. People, especially, the younger generation, have grown contemptuous and cynical. They have grown "fat" from all the coddling and protection.
2011 is a year full of disasters that one can almost say it's a disastrous year. Not only are there earthquakes, floods and tsunamis with thousands of lives lost, there is also the financial crisis that sent countries into debt and the stock markets a-tumbling. The powerhouses of the world are not so powerful after all.
The technological world lost a visionary, Steve Jobs, who redefines technology. The world, too, lost dictators such as Gaddafi and Kim Jong Il.
All in all, it's been a roller-coaster ride of a year. However, I will still miss it simply because the year is gone. The new year ahead seems daunting and tough, for the world economy and for myself. Not to mention, the supposedly end-of-the-world will arrive. I will be entering into my second semester of studies and I have to grit my teeth to bear with it.
For all the pessimism I show, I still have hopes that 2012 will be wonderful as it can be. Besides, the year 2012 is made better already with the thoughts of Sherlock season 2 in January and The Hobbit in December starring both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in both shows. Oh, it's Christmas!
I can't believe June is almost over! Seriously, this is not good.
Tomorrow, I will flying off to Macau and China with the family, all 13 of them. This is the "family trip of the year", I reckon. Particularly because we're going to visit the old Hakka hometown of our ancestor, or should I say great-grandfather.
I can only hope it will be fun, in the way fun is for me. My ideal vacation is slow-paced and relaxing, therefore this kind of trip is not exactly my cup of tea. There will plenty of shopping though. I hope to come back to Singapore with some 'catches'.
Originally, I was planning to follow up this vacation with another one, to USA. But, circumstance changes and I lament the loss of a perfect time for a perfect holiday. I try hard not to think too much about the should-bes and could-bes, as the sands of time run out.
Oh well, there's still the end of the year. But then, University would have started.
Exams are over and I'm out of school! Phew, the relief I felt after the Legal Aspects of Business paper ended was indescribable. That feeling of high tension I put myself through to keep my pace was gone as soon as the clock stroke 4.30pm. It wasn't the difficult paper I envisioned and I finished it with time to spare. I found it doable, just like Managerial Account 2. Now, eyes will be on my final grades for the semester, which will either make or break my cumulative GPA. For studies, I have never wanted something more than I want my GPA to reflect my hard work. Seriously, I have put in so much effort and sheer hard work this 3 years, and I don't want it to all go to naught just because of one lousy semester. So, after the paper, my group and I went down to Timbre at Clarke Quay to celebrate. I have never been to that part before so it was truly an experience. Since we reached at about 6pm, we were their first customers. My friend ordered a Margarita and I drank 2 sips. It was not bad, except that I like it better when the ice melted. We left before the live band started. And that day was officially the last day of the Poly life. I can't say whether I am sad to leave because I am still not recovering from the "high" that is holidays. I have push myself really hard these past weeks, even going into computer-celibacy. I never have chance for leisure reading and I cut down on time spent online during the exam season. During projects, all I did was surfed the net for related subjects. I expect that withdrawal symptoms will kick in soon. One thing I hope to get fulfil before University starts is to, of course, go for a vacation in the States. Really, really, please. I want to do something for myself once. I need a fairy godmother.
Ok, I really, really want to go to USA once I graduated from Poly. Like seriously. I have been looking forward to this trip since last year and have save quite a sum for it. All the money I earn from my work and internship are in the bank, waiting to be spent. It's now or never. I don't mean for it to sound so morbid but it's true. This is a good time to just "let down my hair" and be sinful for a couple of weeks. You would think that after more than 13 years of schooling and stress, I deserve that two weeks vacation. Anyway, I am not intending to use the parents' money for this trip. Everything will come from my own pocket and it will be sweet. When will I ever get the time and spirit to truly enjoy myself again? University is not going to be a blast and it only means more stress to come once the term starts. After that, perhaps there will be time for a graduation trip and then it's out to the working world. And you know what happens when you have a real job - no more holidays! All you get are public holidays and 14 days of leave. But when you are old, going on a trip seems to be a drag? Recently, I and a couple of friends were lamenting how difficult Life is. Truly, when you are this young, with a long future in front of you, you have to wonder how to make it right. To project it to the future, how can we cramp University, work and getting hitched into the 10 years before hitting 30? To me, 30 is considered old, in a way. As a friend puts it, by 30, she wants to accomplish something. Well, well, well. I guess I'm glad that I am not the only one getting all jittery and suffering from what is coined "quarter-life crisis". I used to think I worry and want too much. I am not really to grow up and be an Adult. I am responsible, yes, but to tackle all these issues, gods, I have no confidence in myself, at all. So what now? I can always go to Orlando during the year, but there is nothing to cheer about. I am planning to use this trip to reward myself for all these years in school and all that jazz. Now, the plans seem to go down into the drain, and I don't know how to salvage it. The big problem here is NO ONE can accompany me. It is too expensive, for one. And with me having no confidence to make this trip alone, I have no idea how to pull this off. Countless of people travel by themselves daily, I don't see why I can't do it. And what with the distance being so far away, I need someone by my side! I can go to LA, but there is no one to accompany me to Orlando, Florida and this is the crucial part of this trip. It may sounds silly a reason to make this trip because of the Wizarding World but I don't see why can't I enjoy what I want. I still wish I can make it. This will be the greatest thing I done for myself. I hope that somehow, I can go there, even if it's only one or two days in Orlando. I want to shop till I drop too. Shop and sightsee, oh please. I can always find my friend in LA and then travel to Orlando by myself and stay inside Universal Studios where it is deem safer. The only downside is that I won't be able to venture outside of Universal Studios. Truth is, I only have enough to make this one trip, and make it memorable I shall. After that, it's saving all the way till I can go for my University graduation trip. There is simply no second chance. This is why I am in such a dilemma. I want to seriously enjoy myself, do the things I want and plan to do. If there is a compromise, it depends on what it shall be.
Oh gods, today was worse than I thought. I had fun over the last week and now it's payback time. The amount of homework from each child is that many and we had to mark all of them, today. There were only 3 of us left to finish the work. Bloody hell. -
It's 8 hours of straight work for me, on a Saturday. I started at 9.27am and ended at 5.29pm. I saw this coming and my reaction is relatively numb over this. -
At least, I got pay by the hour. Oh, why am I doing this anyway? I keep questioning myself. At least, I won't feel guilty over how I spend. And I know I need the cash, if I am going to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 at least twice. -
Contrary to common belief, I do not do this just for the sake of money. Oh no, you can call me a chronic goody-two-shoes who is too responsible for her own good. When I have to do something, I make sure I do it right. When something falls under my care, I have an obligation to make sure it works out right. That's how I am and I hate it. A recent example was the camera business. It's all in my previous post. -
I am seriously in need of therapy. I need therapeutic shopping. Actually what I need is a good holiday, free and easy. All I want is to relax and relive, is that too much to ask?
-
I don't know which one of the two jobs I have now is worse. I can only console myself that regardless of what, jobs are temporary. If you hate it that much, shove it.
-Anyhoo, the thought of fulfilling my goal is comforting.
Something got me thinking about what worldly goods I want this Christmas and further on. Surprisingly, nothing really catches my eye, yet.I am eyeing for a Pandora bracelet for my graduation, as a graduation present. As for birthday, I'm hoping for something special.I'm saving up for the trip to USA, of course. I want to shop and spend those well-deserved, hard earned money on what I like. I want to see what I having been waiting to see one year ago. I know, money isn't easy to come by and yet, there is a part of me that crave for branded items. Not the really high end brands though, just a little higher than normal, if you know what I mean.
My father was back from the States and he brought with him Ralph Lauren goodies! Oh, how wonderful! If only I was there too.-
He bought me a bag, one which I have coveted for a long time. Too bad it's the only piece left, I had another one in my mind, oh well, nevermind, I can save that for my Christmas present next time. In fact, as soon as I have the time, I will do a post on things I want to get.-
The bag was going for a huge discount, there's why he bought it. Thank god for end-season sales. -
He bought some polos from the outlet at Beverly Hills. I guess it's pretty certain that the store at Beverly Hills targets high-end customers. The clothes are not cheap at all, and all the bags are made of leather.-
It's just so lucky my father got that last piece in North Carolina.He also got pins from Hard Rock cafe at Los Angeles and Hollywood. Sighs, now I really want to go there on top of going to Orlando.I guess within the first few years of my career, I will take vacations as long as I can afford them. This goal means that I've to work extra hard and save. But, I think it's worth it, to do something that I like, for a change.
Is it stupid of me to keep on pining for what was long past? It is not a place, much less a person. It is the experience I had that I long for. I can't help myself, pining for that wonderful experience I had all those years ago in Hokkaido, Japan with the rest of the family members. It was something special, something true to the heart. As my brother puts it "Old times, old times". I keep on harping about going back to Hokkaido, I think it's more of searching for that experience rather than visiting the places. Of course, I do love the country. But, to me, I want the intangibles over the tangibles. I want back the services, the good experiences, the times we shared and loved. I am feeling very melancholy and reminiscing these past days. I don't know what's wrong with me. To keep on searching for something intangible. So, in about two weeks times, I'll be leaving for Taiwan, if everything turns out well. I went to the NATAS Fair 2010 at Singapore Expo on Friday afternoon with my father. My father thought he was being smart to visit the booths on the first day and on an afternoon to boot. Well, there place was swarmed with like-minded people. Luckily, there was carpark lots left. Ate at Burger King before going inside. Needless to say, the queue for the entrance tickets was so very long. But the queue moved quite fast. It cost $4 per person to go in. Once inside, the crowds seem less congregated because the fair spanned from Hall 4 to 5. Seemingly, all the outbound tour operators were there. Ha, now is the time for me to dish out all those terms I have learnt during my tourism studies. I was so excited to collect those brochures and catalog showing each country's best. I love reading up on what each country have to offer and more. There were so many people giving out pamphlets and stuff. We went to Chan Brothers and another tour operator to compare the packaged tour on Taiwan. At last, we went with Chan Brothers, partly because of its reputation. Wow, the Chan Brothers booth look to be the biggest yet, what with so many staff on hand and all of them occupied at any given moment. Signed on a deal; 8 days Taiwan All Rounder, after the one my father wanted was replaced with this instead. I want to fly Singapore Airlines, but, alas, there was only a flight on Friday afternoon. Therefore, we had no choice but to make do with China Airlines. I know, me, (un)willingly to go with China Airlines. I guessed I resigned myself to saving money for my coveted trip, since one SQ ticket will cost a hundred plus more for each person. Another reason was due to it being a short journey, just 4 hours. I can endure that, I hope. Naturally, I was going to research more on China Airlines when I reached home. I found out that it has a higher accident rate than normal airline average in the world. Oh gods, I shouldn't have done this. Now, it makes me quiver just to think of it. Urgh, I'm going to be sick.This is the time to know more about the tour operator job. After learning about it so much, it brings a new perspective to see it at work. Those details, itineraries, advertising gimmicks, asterisks at play, etc. Pheesh, if they make it even more "cheap and wonderful", I wouldn't have fall for that. I rather take reasonable over gullible any other day. Finally, everything was done. We went on to get our "free" 20 inches luggage bag from DBS bank for spending $2,500. Since we have some time left, we visited other booths promoting their countries. That's when I started my spree. Of collecting brochures. Europe, Japan, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, but no USA. I now have this huge and heavy stack of booklets which I have no where to keep. And then my father drove me back, too bad I had work later in the day and my father had to go back to his office. If not, we can spend more time there. Saw the news yesterday, there was at least 8,000 visitors there by the first day. Is that awesome or what? I just want everything to be alright. C'mon, millions of people fly in and out around the world. If I am afraid, I should jolly well stay in Singapore for the rest of my otherwise miserable life. I want to travel, that is a dream and hope.
Thought I would write something light for a change.
On Saturday, 23th January, the whole family attended 表哥's wedding at Changi Village Hotel. It was an Afternoon reception. Before the wedding lunch, there was a solemnisation ceremony too. And after that was the tea ceremony.
It was a fun day, it is a once in a blue moon chance for the whole family to attend a wedding reception together. Too bad we didn't take many photos that day.Anyway, there's always Chinese New Year, and by then, I would have been free. I can't wait to do the things I want. I'm so making a list of the stuff I must complete when semester 3.1 rolls in. My last holiday as a "free person". 3.1 holidays would see me doing internship and 3.2 holidays is when I will graduate. Oh god, it seems so fast. As much as I like poly life to end, I rather study than to do something else. And I do want to go University, preferably overseas. But before making any plans, I have to start researching on that trip to Florida.Soon, my dear, soon.
What to update? Hmmm.
Nothing much going on, but to prevent the blog from being stagnant and breeding mosquitos, I'll make a post full of trivial stuff.
Recently, I've thought up of a phrase, "7 hours is long enough, 1 month will pass fast enough, 2 years will come soon enough". Funny how time works.
I'm not kidding when I said I'm going to Orlando, Florida, USA when I graduate from Poly. I don't know if people will take me seriously for what I say now but wait and see. Never had I been this determined to do something for myself, not even to get a higher-than-average GPA. This time, I'm perfectly serious and I've plans to show it.
Technically, it's not even 2 years because I'll graduate by Feb 2011 and there's only 18 months left. So far yet so near.
Already, I'm counting my finances but ultimately, all I can do is to earn and save. A trip to USA will be a bomb and don't even talk about the valuation and exchange rates when 2011 rolls in. My predictions is that US$ rate will go up and I deeply hope that S$ will strengthen in value by then.
One more resolution that I made today; to go for driving test in the next long holiday which is Feb 2010. By any chance, I'll get my driving license on the first attempt and will be free to drive my father's car. Oh, how I wish.
In the midst of making plans in the next 2 years to come, I've been sleeping, working, complaining, and of course, reading.
I just can't get enough of Lynn Kurland's novels! They are one the few great things that I discovered while on the hunt for good books. First is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, second is Spirited Away by Cindy Miles, third has got to be Lynn Kurland's.
I remembered browsing at the Romance section at Borders and found one of her novels by chance. I didn't bought that title then but decided to take note of the author and searched for her books in the library. I wasn't certain if her books will be great and all.
Went to the library and only saw one the titles on the shelves. Ahh well, better than nothing. Sebsequently, I borrowed her other titles, one at a time. Frustrating but rewarding and makes things sweeter.
Then, came a time when I can't find the other titles besides the 3 I'd read. Went to Borders and Kinokuiya and ended up buying 3 titles over a period of time.
There are still many to look forward to! Recommended Stardust of Yesterday to the library and am pleased to say they took it into consideration and the title is currently in transit, whatever that means. I've already reserve it and am the first in line. Hopefully, I'll read it soon. Hahaha, what a fine chase it has been. I've checked Borders, Kinokuiya, contemplate whether to order from Amazon or Borders...
Unfortunately, the other remaining titles are not available in the library and in my school library as well. I've thought up of the what was at first a good idea I didn't consider. TP's library. Alas, there are only a few titles available and most of them I've already read.
Plan C will be to order in with the aid of Kinokuiya. At least, they don't change freight or extra costs, or so they tell me. I'm still thinking about it. If my longing gets worst, I'll do it.
For now, I'll wait impatiently for the next coveted novel: Thirteen Chances by Cindy Miles. It's really bad that people get to read it weeks ago but I'm still left hanging.
Back to Lynn Kurland's novels. Her novels are that wonderful and sweet with time travel romance! There are so many characters that inter-weave that it gives me a headache and I have to refer to the genealogy chart all the time. What made it worst is that although the books can be read independently, characters from other titles will make cameos and appearances. It's only one's nature to want to refer back to their stories and to know more than what they summarised.
As a result, I find myself borrowing the titles that I've read for a second time. Such is the workings of me. I'll need to re-read a book to check on details.
All in all, there are like 6 titles left for me to read, 1 of which I'll borrow when I go back to school, the others' futures are unknown. Possibly, I'll just go with Plan C. Makes everything easier.
It's hard to find good romance novels without all the explict "scenes". Lynn Kurland has got to be one of those rare authors who does that. Very PG rating. I highly recommended her titles, to be read in the sequence.
Gosh, I can ramble on and on about trivia.
F1 season is coming to town, yes! I may not be the greatest fan but I certainly enjoy F1 and its drivers.
My friend reached Singapore on Sunday morning via flight from USA. It's been a year, since I last saw her though I chatted with her almost everyday on Facebook. Together with some other classmates from Sec 4, we met up for a gathering. Mostly, I was the organiser. So, imagine my distress when I can't contact my friend at all. I've tried her US phone number to no avail. I was really at a loss of what to do. Thankfully, all worked out in the end. Just as soon I meet up with another friend to discuss about it, she called me. Turned out that her phone has no signal.It was great to see her, this time with an accent! And I finally got the Twilight DVD and wolf charm which I asked her to help me buy. I have to return the money soon. When the others who were supposed to meet us at Khatib MRT came, we travelled to Wheelock Place for Sakae Sushi. Altogether, 5 guys and 5 girls went to this gathering. There were supposedly to be more, but they dropped out. The 10 of us squeezed into a table at Sakae. Walked around Orchard Road for a while and it started to drizzle. We then went to Bugis and watched movie in Iluma, the new entertainment centre in Bugis. I don't even know there's a new building at Bugis, seeing that I seldom go to that area at all. There were not many movie choices to choose from. 3 choices were left: Terminator Salvation, Blood, and Drag me to Hell. The problem was that I don't watch this kind of movies. Drag me to Hell is absolutely a no-no since it's pure horror. Blood is M18, though I'm already 18, there are still others who are not. Thus, we bought tickets for Terminator. In other circumstances, this is the kind of movie which I won't considered watching. Anyway, I keep my eyes adverted whenever I feel that I can't handle the scenes. Before the movie, since we had some time left, the guys went to play at the arcade, and us girls had some "girl-time" at Coffee Bean. My definition of frightening differs from the average person's. Giant, mutated animals movies scared me, so do gore (aka Sweeney Todd) and action violence and thrillers. Pretty pathetic, maybe. I'm blessed and cursed with over-active imagination. I make up story-plots and fanfiction in my head which I don't penned down. But memories and images of different "horror" shows I've been unfortunate to view all jumbled up, becoming one big horror show that keep replaying in my head at night.The movie ended around 9 plus. Walked to a hawker centre for a late dinner. I was not feeling very well so I ordered something light. I think the moment the movie had started, I was already feeling queasy. When we finally parted, it was 11 plus. I reached home by 12am since my father came to Yishun MRT to fetch me. Other than the watching of Terminator, it had been a wonderful day. My friend is scheduled to go back in Indonesia soon, so, there should be a gathering before she leaves.
