in love

What a voice.

recent read

I managed to get a second-hand copy a few months back from a (pre-loved) book fair at Leisure Park and only got down to reading it some two weeks ago, before CNY. 

The last Dan Brown book that I'd read before this was The Da Vinci Code, and that happened more than 10 years ago. It felt like I was being transported back in time on a few occasions; to the secondary school days, where I couldn't place the book (Da Vinci Code) down as I simply had to find out if the predictable plot is unveiling as predicted. 

After reading my second Dan Brown book, I conclude that there's a pretty standard writing formula that Dan Brown follows, and that could be the main reason why his 'twists' are predictable more often than not.

Still good for light and easy reading nonetheless!

:\

:/

:\

Why?

Welcoming the year of the water dragon.

#1 Card with description of yusheng's origins at Dragon Phoenix Restaurant, Novotel. 

This lunar new year is slightly different from the others because it's my year! I can't remember if I was as excited about CNY 12 years ago, but I must've been; it was a dragon year too! Anyway, reunion dinner with the paternal side of my family took place last night at Dragon Phoenix Restaurant at Novotel. The place was so awfully crowded; the restaurant had even rented a ballroom from the hotel to cater to the numerous families gathering for their reunion dinners.

#2 Yusheng - Ready to be tossed

#3 and my very first lohei this year! Let's huat together!

Post reunion dinner, we headed home to finish up with the spring cleaning - I was so glad that we were done when we were done because Ah Hong had been breathing down my our necks all day; she's someone I don't wish to be around on 除夕. And as usual, we spent the rest of the night watching Mediacorp's CNY eve's special programme at home - just to hear what the fengshui master has to say about the luck of the different zodiac animals for the year.

#4 First angbao of the dragon year, from Ah Hong dearest!

Spent another 30 minutes helping Honghong prepare red packets for next day's visiting - and I realized that CNY is a jin 重本 affair!

Woke up only late afternoon today since I hadn't gone to bed till 6 a.m. in the morning. It was grandma's place until evening; I ate way too much new year goodies and we played mahjong - started off by winning a lup sup 自摸五台湖; I was so happy that I squealed and jumped around in joy.

#5 Cheongsam that I'm going to continue wearing even when it's not CNY

#6 Hiao hiao. 

We visited Honghong and Dad's matchmaker friends in the evening and I think they had a good time catching up. I'm probably not giving them enough credit here, but dear auntie and uncle, I hope you will know that I truly am thankful that you brought Mumsy and Dad together about 30 years ago! I will not be here typing this if not for you guys!

I have a crazy amount of assignments to get done so I really shouldn't be spending too much time here so... all you people reading this, have a fantastic Dragon year of good health, love and wealth! Huat huat! :)

#7 Our new 'passenger'.

#14 Someone you’ve drifted away from

Round One of this CNY's spring-cleaning started a few afternoons ago. It's an annual ritual that I go through the stuff in my drawers/cupboards whenever I get the order from Mumsy to "clean up the pig-sty that is your (mine) room" and this will be that one time (each year, excluding the last one) when I'll actually be looking at momentos; notes and letters, specifically, from my secondary school. Reading the now-faded words on the slightly dog-eared cards and slips of paper (result of trying to keep everything in a tiny box) always brings back flashes of the long-past secondary school days; folding-in instead of tucking-in shirts during morning assemblies, scurrying down from classrooms as soon as we hear William Tell playing over the speakers, pulling socks as high as we can (since ankle socks were not allowed), periods of time where we were crazy busy completing 10-year-series questions and preparing ourselves for the big O's, or where I was let down by a boy for the first time in my life.

These handwritten notes never fail to remind me that time - minutes, days, weeks and years, is always creeping by us silently and that I'm getting older with each annual CNY spring-cleaning. In recent times (where I appear to be more outgoing), these slips of scented paper have also started to remind me of the girly shyness and long-lost innocence I used to have back there. It's this very same type of naivety that makes me cringe (real bad) these days if I should so allow myself to think that I possess it now; in fact, I'm cringing while thinking about the notes that I might have written in response to notes that I've stumbled upon here.

Anyway, digress aside, I received a good number of hand-written notes (on postcards and scented letter paper) from a close friend from secondary school, lm. We used to confide in each other all the time about problems that were faced, gave each other words of encouragement when the O-levels preparation got tough or when we sensed that the other was feeling down.

But, as you might have guessed how this is going to turn out, after going onto the respective paths that we've chosen following the Os (me TP while she stayed on in NYJC), we gradually lost touch as time went by. I can't remember if it was a result of our differing schedules, or that we I simply just couldn't be bothered enough to keep in contact. From meeting up once every 3 months, it dwindled to once every 6 months, and eventually, it became an annual event of sorts. Nowadays, we still talk when we meet up and everything is fine, though we're just not as intimate as we used to be back in secondary school. And we're probably never going to be heading in that direction anytime soon, I guess.

Our relationship is an important reminder to me that friendship, like many other things in life, needs maintenance and effort to work. As we trudge along in life trying to fill new shoes, priorities may change, more people will enter our lives; something as simple as a lack of initiative (to ask each other out) and there you have it, 'friends' can sometimes be expendable too. It's sad, and regrettable but that's just the way things roll; like how lovers turn to strangers or how close friends can turn to mere acquaintances over extended periods of not keeping in touch.

I bet you didn't know - armpits can be described as virgin or sluttish.

最近比较忙.

My life in a few pictures

#1 Taiwan Toto

#2 Apple strudel at Bugis

#3 Strudel girls

#4 Dad grinning after the TV purchase; on a side note, we've moved into this flat for 8 years now!

#5 Postcard from Nepal; from the ever-adorable Audrey. I'm quite sure she wasn't the one who pasted the stamps.

#6 Postcard from Haerbin; from another adorable girl, Stella. I can sort of imagine the freezing conditions based on her description of the place brr.

That's it for now. It's going to be a hell of a 6 weeks!

把狗放掉

Mumsy is a lot of things; a wonderful mother who's nurtured me and didi to where we are now, Dad's good-luck charm, a 4D-winning 'expert', purchaser of materials for my uncle's knitting factory, one of the most important pillars of support in my life, etc etc.

But she is not an animal lover.

Me (and Yf): Mummy, let's get a dog leh.

Her: 你们试试看，如果你带狗回来我们的家，我一定把它放掉。

I hope she's just kidding!

#9 Someone I wish I could meet

Anthony Bourdain, because he's such a bad-ass chef-travel-host/writer-in-one.

I'll probably bombard him with lots of travel and food related questions if I see him, and make him tell me some of his most memorable travel/food experiences.

#10 Someone I don't talk to as much as I'd like to

My dear Lala.

Back in TP, I used to talk to her about relationship problems I was facing and she'd always have something constructive to offer; I was really glad that Lala was always making me look at things from different perspectives, thus allowing me to be slightly more appreciative of my ex-boyfriend, and my life in general.

We haven't been meeting as frequently now that we've graduated from TP, though we still catch up every once in a while. The last time I saw her was probably more than a year ago and I am feeling so guilty now that I wasn't able to attend her wedding since I was in Vietnam in December. 

It's amazing how time flies by so quickly. We used to joke about marriage back then, but now, it's not a joking matter anymore. Not for her anyway. I really hope that she's happy with her life right now and this is also a reminder that I should really arrange to meet up with her again soon!


ps. I should really get this 30-day thing over and done with soon!

Today, I said "No" to someone for the first time this year.

Well done AJ!

To Danua Toba

Having spent a day and night at Berastagi, we decided that it was time to set out for Lake Toba (the supposed highlight for this trip). After making some arrangements with the guesthouse where we stayed at, we set off for the ferry point in Parapat - a small town found on the edge of the great lake.

Our driver made a few stops along the way to Parapat; included in the price paid at the guesthouse receptionist. The first stop was a local village where there was a mix of traditional homes and slightly more modern ones; the villagers went on with their daily lives as we walked around to get a slight idea of how they lived their lives, they seemed to be rather used to the presence of tourists like us.

#1 Laundry hanging outside one of the slightly more modern homes.

#2 A slightly more traditional home on the right in the background

#3 

#4 More laundry

At the end of our very brief walkabout, someone came up to us with a logbook and asked for donations to improve the lives of the villagers. I definitely hope the little money that we'd contributed will help the villagers improve their lives in some way, even though I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get a cent of it.

Following, our driver drove us to see a waterfall. There was quite a heavy drizzle when we arrived and the visibility was quite bad. When our driver told us that the waterfall was right across from where the car was, I thought he was making it up to myself. Nonetheless, we got off the car for a toilet break, an guess what we saw minutes later...

#5 Sipiso-piso Waterfall! (I looked the name up)

#6 Completely covered by the thick fog just minutes ago.

A minute later, I felt bad for doubting the driver :x

We took a short (but tiring) walk along a footpath that led to a better view of the waterfall, and took funny pictures like that:

#7 He totally looks like he's been photoshopped into the picture

#8 This waterfall is located on the north side of Lake Toba and water falls from a height of 120metres to lake level. Its name Sipiso, means "like a knife", and that probably is describing the waterfall's appearance.

#9 Lake Toba shrouded in mist. A lot of mist.

As we made our ways back to our driver, some friendly locals who were in uniforms (looked like rangers of some sort) called out to us and offered us some durian/coconut/jackfruit (I can't remember what was it).

It was a short ride from the waterfall to Parapat, where we'd head to Samsosir Island from, a large island (the size of Singapore) in the middle of Lake Toba.

#10 Passengers of another kind

#11 Yvonne and Doris

#12 Doris and me

#13 Lake-front holiday houses on Samosir Island.

#14 More lake-front houses

#15 A view from Samsosir now

There's not too much to do on Samsosir Island itself since most of the people who head there are really just looking for a quiet place to unwind, swim in waterfalls and hotsprings, or just to immerse themselves in the local traditional Batak culture so we went cycling on the 2nd day.

#16 Fresh start

#17 Beautiful rice-fields and rich green hills

#18 It was a very nice cycling experience indeed.

#19 Traditional Batak houses that we passed by along the way. Something interesting about the Bataks is that they used to engage in cannibalism rituals a long time ago; they would eat the flesh of either criminals or war prisoners. Of course, it's long been banned since the 1800s when the Dutch took over.

#20 Toba hound.

#21 Taking a breather

#22 One of the common sights that were seen while cycling

#23 :) Thanks for waiting up!

#24 I was so so so tired from the uphill slopes, but I wouldn't mind doing it again with great company like this.

#25 My lovely new friends.

#26 One of the two lakes within Samsosir Island itself

The cycling left me breathless and perspiring madly by the end of it; it was quite a pathetic sight, me hopelessly panting and gasping for air. But like what I said three pictures ago, I wouldn't mind doing it all over again. Besides, taking a dip in the cold waters of the majestic Lake Toba after cycling made me forget about whatever tiredness or soreness I experienced after the 5-hour cycle.

#27 We had some Bintangs (explaining the flush on my face) in the evening, sang and danced with the performers who performed some traditional dances and songs for us. I did quite badly trying to follow their graceful movements (what's new hur), but it was all good fun and I was happy beyond words to have them extend their Batak hospitality towards us. 

Watched this on the way back to Singapore last night; the plot was quite different from what I'd expected, but it made me tear twice nonetheless :(

2011, just words

2011 started with a big bang and lots of fireworks (literally); I ushered in the new year with KH at his friend’s placein Cheung Sha Wan (Hong Kong) on the evening of 31st. We had a barbecue party on the 49^th floor and I remember poor Baileys (a 5-month-old golden retriever pup) falling into the Jacuzzi pool after running around it a couple of times and losing her balance. All of us gathered around the edge of the 49th floor when the clock finally struck 12 to admire the fantastic display of fireworks far off in the distance.

The next 5-odd months of my life was spent in Hong Kong. I never imagined that I'd one day head off to somewhere for an exchange programme, but I guess that's just the way life turns out sometimes, unexpected. So there I was, at HKIEd; Singapore’s equivalent of NIE. That’s a first – spending an extended period of time overseas away from family and friends in Singapore; and it was such an amazing experience. I got to experience the coldest winter that Hong Kong’s faced in a long time; I wore boots for the first time in my life, learnt to check the weather forecast to plan outfits for different days, and I'd even headed to Indonesia to take a break from the cold weather with some new friends. It was 5 plus months worth of invaluable experiences and memories. As the exchange programme was drawing to a close, I also did a fair bit of traveling and visited nearby places like Taiwan and China. On hindsight, coming for exchange was one of (if not) the best decisions that I’ve made in my life so far, at least in recent years.

Post-exchange, I made my way to the northern part of India with Siaos and Robin. I’d only gotten back from Hong Kong for about a week or two so there wasn't a lot of time for me to complete the unpacking and repacking. But all that haste did not dampen my mood for travelling because India was stunning. The place was baking when we visited during summer; it was over 40 degrees Celsius most of the time in the days, and in the words of Robin’s dad, it felt like we were constantly “standing next to a zhi char stall kitchen stove”. I’ve never been to anywhere like India and I've really enjoyed my time here. I still remember that I was smiling to myself after a 4-hour (I think!) long train ride from Jaipur to Jodhpur in a non a/c sleeper cabin; despite being covered in a thick layer of sweat and grime when we finally arrived. On this trip, I learnt to be thankful for all the material comforts that I have back home and for the kindness and hospitality of strangers.

Teaching practice started on a very hurried note after India and nothing very inspiring happened; in fact, it was quite meh. I realized that the working environment and the people in it play very important roles in influencing the job satisfaction of individuals, and I also learnt about the kind of environment that I do not really thrive well in. Anyhow, it got pretty stressful at some point because there seemed to be so much responsibility and so little attention given by the people in charge; I was just very glad that there were no major cock-ups by the end of it.

The end of teaching practice called for reason to celebrate and hence, I found myself in Boracay, Philippines with some NUS windsurfers and David for a dive trip. Boracay might just boast of the prettiest beach that I’ve come across so far; coconut trees with their swaying leaves dot the fluffy beach and fully-filled triangular blue sails line the multi-layered turquoise coastline. I dived in Philippines for the very first time and learnt an important diving lesson that wasn’t covered in any of the basic or advanced dive courses that I'd gone for – diving masks sink in the sea; so don’t bother looking up when yours come off underwater, for some reason or other (inside joke).

For the rest of the time, I stayed put in Singapore because there was school. I was glad to be back at NIE after what seemed like the longest break ever; and I caught myself smiling to myself a couple of times when I walked along the corridors - lectures, tutorials and breaks with the girlies again! I didn’t work exceptionally hard (that explains my grades this time round) but I did enjoy sitting through the lessons that were taught; most of them anyway.

Cambodia took place 2 days after the exams with JM; I was actually quite surprised by how spontaneous he was when I made a casual suggestion to the group - and really glad that he agreed to come together. Some of the architectural details of the tourist sites that we visited greatly reminded me of Thailand's. Oh, and the cuisine too! I'll get round to posting pictures of the beautiful Angkor, sooner or later.

And for the first time ever, I visited a country not as a tourist, but as a volunteer and had the opportunity to look at things from very different perspectives. My first visit to Vietnam took place in Year One, and I remember thinking that I probably wouldn’t be heading back here again. However, this second visit made me feel that there’s just so much of the country that I’ve yet to see, and the kids at the orphanage make it a valid-enough reason for me to head back to visit them again.

For the second year in a row, I counted down to a new year overseas. This time round, it was Taiwan with Mumsy and YF. I was in a bookstore at 12 midnight, and I stood at a road junction with YF to catch a glimpse of the fireworks that were being set off minutes later. Anyhow, that's the first group tour that we've been on as a family (minus Dad), and the only thing I liked about it was the knowledgeable guide and hotel rooms. 

I’ve been travelling a lot this year, and along the way, I made many new friends whom I can’t be more thankful for; for leaving some kind of print in my life one way or another. I've also learnt a lot from all the new people I’ve met; both good and bad - about things, other people, and myself. There were the happy events which’ve made me laugh till I teared, and also the sad ones that made me cry like a baby. One important learning point that I've taken away from 2011 is to keep an open mind and an open heart to things and let go when you have to because there’s no point in holding on sometimes; it's best to just take things as they come. And here's a phrase that I learnt from some of my new friends while I was in Vietnam: 既来之，浙安之. How timely!