Law school is taking its toll :(

(Thank God, Death Cab @ Rock City tomorrow!)

-

And in another blink of an eye, the summer is just about to end. Back to school, back to uni again. I sure hope i carpe diem this academic year. Seize life by the reins - spend hours in the library in a comfy hoodie or sweater and bottles of redbull at least three days in the week, work for a term or two on campus, spend time at the careers office sorting out my resume & applications and refining them, hanging out & traveling & partying with friends, spending time building relationships that go deep... learning about life, about love (not necessarily the romantic kind), about people. This is the beginning of the end of my academic life - this 3 year block. 3 years is too long a time to let slip, but also too short a time to embrace all i'd wish to do. All you can do is make the most out of it... i want to finish up this chapter of my life and think about how it was one heck of a ride that left me breathless on the edge of my seat... but strangely with the capacity to take on more because i upped my threshold for these (not so) wonderful things life has to offer :)

i don't want just to be happy, i want to be brimming with joy and an open mind... a teachable heart. i want to be a better daughter, student, friend, person. i want to understand people around me and i want to understand myself. i want to see what i am capable of; and to learn to be harsh on myself without the self-destruction. i want to give grace and experience grace. i want my realisations to be made tangible by manifesting these thoughts into actions. to know that my parents sacrificed for me to be where i am today is not enough - i need to bear fruit; i need to work to show my appreciation to show that i understand the value of that sacrifice. i want to grow up.

to grow up, without compromising on the knowledge that

"All grown-ups were children first."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's 'The Little Prince'

-

It's love, it's love that holds us
We will be alright
It's truth, it's truth that shows us
If we all walk in His light
It's love, it's love that holds us
We will be alright
It's truth, it's truth that shows us
If we all walk in His light

Oh can you feel the gravity falling
Calling us home 

Don't know if people still check this space, I won't be surprised if nobody did haha! Anyway... in a blink of an eye 9-10 months have passed and I've more than survived a year in the UK. Back in Singapore for the summer (which is really disgustingly humid - BUT the weather is my only gripe about being back, and i must say after some time you get a little more accustomed to it)!!!

So... this chronicles the summer of 2008; traipsing around :)

Just felt like updating this slightly musty old blog with a short post! Don't know/don't care if people still read this actually... but if you do, hi! Hope you are glad new year's eve is here... because I sure am! 2007 was great and bad for so many reasons (even though it did seem to me a relatively bad year). Here are some of the main ups and downs:

1) Interning at a law firm: I thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess it was that which caused me to realise what I was giving up if I pursued an arts degree. Thank God for the experience :) I was really happy everyday going to "work" and shadowing lawyers. Never felt more productive I think..

2) Japan! I loved my Japan trip :) I have many pretty pictures to prove that. Would've loved it more if I hadn't spent my time worrying about uni and A-level results :( But I love Japan in the Spring... it is amazing. Tokyo is right up there with NYC! I love Japan!

3) Getting my A-level results: Bad. BBE. But actually I still see God's grace in that, because I could've done a whole lot worse for history. Considering I started studying properly for history only maybe 2-3 days before. The 2 weeks before was spent writng notes without anything actually registering in my head.

4) Post A-level results: Probably the most agonising period of my life. Stuck in rut because I am a 1988 baby, and I had an E for econs. Basically was left with nowhere to go... parents adamant about sending me overseas.

5) ENGLAND!: The biggest change this year... and maybe of my life. After months(?) of agonising and decision-making... tossing and turning the idea in my head about what I want to major in, which unis to apply to and in which countries.. after acceptances and rejections, after a very hurried month of settling travel documents and student stuff.. I found myself in England! What surprised me more was that I've survived 3 months on my own. I made friends really quickly, adapted well, I love my housemates & classmates. I love my subjects. I forced myself to cook, I actually CAN COPE WITH FINANCES!!! And budgeted everything perfectly till Dec came along :P

6) Christmas: I came back home :) At first I wasn't so sure what I was doing back in the heat back home, but after a couple of days I got back into the swing of things and I must say that although this Christmas hasn't been as "happening" as they have been in previous years, it was nice to be back with the people I love. Nothing big or life-changing, just a quiet and genuine sense of being blessed. Being thankful and appreciative... After being away for awhile I've come to notice some things about Singapore that I really dislike.. but also some things that I really like. Ultimately, this is home and will always be no matter where I live!

-

There are lots more things that have happened in between these major things... but let's just say I am welcoming 2008 with open arms! I have exams, coursework, 6 more months with my new friends, possible travel plans to some other places in Europe.... and in Sept/Oct.. UNIVERSITY! Soooo I am just taking college life as it comes, I am going to be a good girl in 2008 and study more (instead of dinners and movies and playing xbox and doing useless, aimless things around the house). I want to be emotionally stronger as a person and to take conscious steps towards becoming a mature adult hopefully. Can't believe I am going to turn 20 next year. OMG I FEEL SEVENTEEN! Nooooooo....

But happy new year everyone, I have a family BBQ in a bit and then COUNTDOWNNN with my loved ones :) Reflecting on the past and setting new goals for the future! God bless!

Okay, so it seems I haven't blogged since... long before I left :P

I am now in the UK! Well, actually I've been here for a month now... I've been settling in okay, spent my first birthday (as far as I can remember) abroad here. My dad and I went to Stratford to visit Shakespeare's birthplace on my birthday and we came back on the later train to Leamington so most places were closed and we ate at Pizza Express andddd I came home to a SURPRISE :) I had lots of presents and a nice cake and I was really thankful that God had provided me with so much in just 2 weeks of being alone in a foreign place :) I had fun, I loved my cake, I loved my presents, my balloons, the cards & of course, my new friends who are really great :D It's a real mix and I'm having lots of fun... good to see so many like-minded people or people so interested in politics and the like. We're like a mini-UN it's really nice :)

Anyway, back to life in the UK... it's been okay. Red tape, is of course, fairly bad. But I think I got the bulk of the crap in my first week here... I felt really angry and annoyed but ever since then I haven't come across idiots so that's not too bad.

Food here is crap in general. You don't know what you've got till you actually no longer have it. After a while you get used to the exorbitant prices of things and you stop thinking about the fact that you paid 30SGD for a couple of slices of pizza at pizza hut, or that you paid 15SGD for a Macdonalds meal - which, btw, the Medium Macs meal here is the equivalent of a Regular in Singapore and they only have two sizes, Medium and Large. Also, KFC here tastes like crap and will cost you at least 15SGD for a meal. On the bright side, there is an AWESOME AWESOME Thai restaurant just 5 minutes from here. But I should point out that 6 of us chalked a bill of about 300+ GBP the last time we went... which is about 900SGD -_- But like I said, after a while you stop converting.

If you keep thinking prices in terms of SGD you will realise you can't actually buy anything here. I've tried, and the cheapest thing here is Beer & Water. Evian is dirt cheap, as is Volvic and stuff... But come to think of it we don't even BUY water in Singapore... UK water is REALLY CLEAN but it is 'hard water' with lots of calcium carbonate so it does taste very funny and it is kind of a chore to have to filter it and then boil it. So when I get lazy I just grab bottled water from the supermarket :P

My room here in the UK is uh, cosy? That's just putting it nicely, though. But it's alright... I got a good deal. I'm right next to the toilet and away from the noise in the kitchen or anywhere basically cause my room is tucked in a corner. I'm also right next to the emergency exit :P But I am contemplating getting an apartment to stay in... only if I find a good one and if the college will refund my money for this craphole :( *Sniff*

Train tickets here are insane... and I need to travel once a month to Birmingham otherwise I might die of boredom. Taxi isn't so bad. Sometimes we take it to the supermarket cause we have too much crap to carry or cause things get too heavy. But we know this one taxi driver now and we're like "regulars" so he charges us less :P

I just did my FIRST ever law essay over the weekend and while I don't think it's much good I'm really happyyyyy that I've written one :) Awesomeness.

Okay, this is much too long a post. I'd post pictures but the internet is far too slow. You should get facebook :P

Hope all is well, and probably half of you don't read this anymore because I don't really blog here -_- but yeah if you do, hope Singapore is treating you as well as the UK is treating me :)

xx

Hello, okay.. I just realised my blog is "dead" as zj pointed out today :P Er, I don't think I have much to say but I just bought a new camera from the IT fair today and it was a very good deal! Yep so hopefully more photos when I leave? Anyway here are some really funny videos I found on my facebook network and I can't stop laughing at them. And yes, please go get facebook! It's fun once you get the hang of it :) You'll eventually find it more user-friendly, kind of like a Mac!

Okay, this is kinda mean but it is funny. I suppose it's really a question that is pretty much off the beaten track for a pageant. She was most probably shocked to get such a question, then became nervous and then came up with such a terrible answer... Yikes!



Haha, great commercial.



Hehe, Ali G is super hilarious! Boutros Ghali is such a cool man; can't believe Ali G called him a 'geezer' :P Haha but he was so cool to play along with the jokes!



Stewie being annoying, as usual. I really like Family Guy although I must admit it gets quite crude at times...



This is known as the 'best commercial ever' on youtube. No comment?

(Pardon my poor grammar in this post, i am half asleep as i write)

Japan doesn't seem too long ago, but the reality is that it's been slightly over two months since i've returend from the land of kawaii. My trip to japan has changed me forever. i know like cute things. er, some cute things... which explains why i suddenly felt like using the "turn-turn" machine (i dunno what those are really called. in japan i call them the 100yen machines) and i got myself a nice shiny ariel thing. i know it sounds gross, but it's really quite nice :)

The months after Japan have been somewhat hectic; I spent a whole month of doing nothing and worrying about my future (often in tears), learning very important lessons in faith and surrender, learning what it feels like to do a Jonah and spent - up till now - practically a whole month of working at a boy's school (semi-yucks). On top of work, I've been rushing around all over the place. In the span of slightly less than two weeks, I went down to get forms, submitted my visa application, got my chest X-ray done, gone for a medical checkup, applied for accomodation, booked air tickets, do copious amounts of shopping & just yesterday i got my shots.. which really hurt by the way... and left me feeling rather sick for the entire afternoon but i am proud to say that my body has proved STRONG because i have no fever even though i have all these meningitis & influenza rubbish in my body at the moment... ok but maybe i shouldn't say too much. maybe it'll kick in later :x

i can't quite say that reality has truly kicked in though, despite all the actions i've taken to er, get steps closer to my departure in TWO weeks (omg!). i really feel like giving myself a pat on the back for settling so much in such short notice but alas, i'm really thankful that God's seen me (and my parents) through such a time as this. it's not small decision to make... and the actions that ought to follow, the ramifications of such a decision are pretty much colossal? 2 weeks ago i started to get a bit excited, but i think now i am really very sad.

going to church today and looking at my new ysg, i realise i really love these kids. they are very special and i feel so sad that i didn't have enough time to get to know them better. but they are really lovely, and though i'm not even gone yet i can't wait till i come back so i can see them again. i want to be committed to them though i may be thousands of miles away... i want to pray for them and continue reading their blog and see how they are growing in their lives as individuals.. they are so cuteee i just want to hug all of them! such beautiful people :)

so yes, i'm rather sad. i used to really want to get out of this country pretty bad... but if i haven't already said it before, i'll say it now - the people who have the most gripes about the country, who complain the most about the trappings of singaporean society are most probably the biggest patriots. and there is so much i will miss about singapore. to be honest, i WILL miss the weather. i dread the cold. the weather in england is not only cold, it is dreary. sigh.

well... i can't even begin to imagine what awaits me there. at this point i'm not worried about being without friends or whatever, i just can't picturea thing. ask me what i expect, what i picture coventry/the uk to be like and my mind just draws a complete blank. if anything, it might just conjure up a picture of prospero house (where i am going to live, and yes please no more Shakespeare jokes or remarks about 'The Tempest').

after so much rambling, all i can say is that i should walk the talk and have faith.

Ye of little faith; why is it that you doubt?

He is alpha & omega, the beginning and the end. i shall be strong and of good courage because i believe in His promises and faithfulness :)