right outside my room window, was a gift of colors and life
there's something magical about rainbows that makes everybody really excited and happy
besides the secular symbolism of gay pride, the rainbow represents God's promise of faith and His presence through it all
its a reminder that there will be sunshine after the storm, if we just believe
how timely.

-

i've been spending quite a bit on concerts/productions/workshops lately
the most recent one is Junyan's EH hall production @ UCC.
cecilia, enmei and i paid $18 to see Junyan waltz and hiphop, as well as perform some high school musical dance at the end of the production.

it was pretty worth it; alotta effort was put into the production, and the play production was peppered with timely themed dances at each segment, making it alot more intersting as well.

in other news, our cell group + a few more people had lunch after church to celebrate Iris' and Zhenjie's birthday today (:


beef noodles at liang seah street was a treat; its apparently a taiwanese specialty
and most of us had set meals that came with bubble tea (or boba loca, as referred to in the US), i think my first since i came back to singapore (:

lastly, mac's coming back from Brunei tmr (:

YAY.

i like thursdays, although i have my earliest class in this semester, having to navigate peak hour traffic and reach school by 9am.
but after a 1h philo tutorial, the rest of the day is free for me

so today, i finished class and made it to mac's for macs-breakfast - geddit, geddit?
and then proceeded to spend the whole day doing absolutely nothing but lazing around
being satisfied with guitar hero, online shows, jamming and chilli crab dinner
and some attempts to run at the park and do pilates workouts
and also some research work and internship applications
and messin around with a polo ball



BLISS (:

in a bid to maximize the usage of our SUV before it gets traded in for a Beemer, i decided to take the dogs to botanical gardens
it might be a few months before the careful treading around the new leather of the BMW will relent to the responsibility of being a dog owner
so it might be a few months before the dogs are allowed in the new car :(



the after-rain botanical-garden scene was really beautiful and peaceful


or at least until ginger came along and tore up every last bit of serenity, freaking out the swans by attempting to hunt them down, and running everywhere frantically like she had enemies hot on her heels




in other news, i made jello-shots! (: vodka, ribena, and blackberry jello


i wanted to do lime+tequila, but i couldnt find any tequila! it is pretty amazing, considering tequila is found everywhere in the USA, even in pharmacies.
anyway, mac&i met up with ernest, lide & zhenjie for drinks @ lide's old condo
it marked the end of my 4 midterms all packed into one week, a really tumultumous week considering the difficulty of the papers

it was a good talk with the boys; we havent caught up this way in a long time
ernest brought his guitar, so there were some emo-song-singing,
and some malibu-MANGO cocktail in a shotglass (we didnt bring cups, smart),
and some melted jelloshots despite my trying to cool the jello in an airconditioned car :(

revival

i had this thought to revive my blog ytd after the bell rang for my last midterm
it was a weird, oddly-timed thought that probably came with the gush of time that came as i put down my pen and wrote down my name
there was alot of pent-up frustration over the last 2 papers i had ytd (public finance & environmental econs)
for the amt of work i put in, i expected it to be a breeze
but not only was i stuck for a few questions, i actually left blank one entire 10-mark question in public finance, just because i couldnt do it
the only redeeming grace, however uncalled for, is that everyone else wore the same black face when they came out, and complained about the same questions

HEE.

on thursday, my heart broke for JASON MRAZ, who serenaded me 700m away with his guitar and musical-legend-voice
there are many bands/singers who sound better live than on record, but for Jason Mraz, he was just PERFECT live
i was sold the minute he started his first song - dynamo of volition




amongst the 1000-2000 hearts which melted that night, someone else's heart melted too, by pure musical genius

thankfully for that, he didnt mind me gushing about how i was in-love in the middle of "beautiful mess" as i became a beautiful mess

-

to end off, a really beautiful scene that i saw on my way to mac's place the other day
the clouds were ominously looming over the trees, and the gusty winds were blowing at the pink flowers, causing a flower-shower as i drove down that stretch of road
really serene (:

-insert entry-

its coming into week 5 of school, and i'm starting to feel the heat
school itself isnt as tough as previous semesters, but working towards a cap5.0 this semester so as to graduate with second upper honors is definitely not easy at all.
the thought of summer school... ugh, lets not go there. but thats a must, for sure.
it definitely is a strange feeling considering most of my econ major peers are stepping out into the workforce at the end of this term; but ohwell it is an investment that hopefully i'll appreciate in the near future.

-

past weekend of CNY visitation, golf class, and dinner @ jurong hill was definitely worth remembering.
on sunday we went to zhenjie's for visitation, and...(as all recent house parties would go) play Wii.


here's everybody with some crashers


and here's my cell group

on saturday, mac and i gave our go at golf. wasnt my first, but i still sucked at it as if it were my first.

75, 100, 50 respectively. SIGH

then mac and i joined my parents and abel's & ernest's parents for a midnight karaoke session at orchid country club. OLDIES UNITE.


and on friday, dinner @ jurong bird park. i've never been into the park, but the restaurant on jurong hill was awesome


TEPPANYAKI. yums


the end.

win some, lose some

as a year 3 junior, i fully expected this semester to be disgustingly brimmed with work, suffocated by mountains of unfinished yet due assignments, and incessant readings to pore over.
instead, i find myself with ample time to go over to mac's for a visit today, and then to great world city for a movie ('the reader') with supper in the evening
granted i have mondays free (as do mac), but i have already finished reading up on the relevant textbook chapters for all my classes, as with the due tutorial assignments.

i am very slightly worried about it, because it may mean next sem's gonna be a culture shock
but at the same time, it gives me alot more time to pursue my interests and commit more with NUS Resonance, and also allowed me the opportunity to take part in a few organizing committees for a couple of student events this semester, which may prove to be slightly challenging, but a new experience nonetheless.

anyway, some pictures from the cny week (:


the CITADEL group @ Reso cny party - i rly love that game



then to zouk to support melvin @ SMU Bondue Pageant/Bash

and then some pictures from CNY day #1 - churchy boys and churchy girls



and family


and homies

this month looks real good (:

i had my first philosophy tutorial class today at 9AM, and i was 20min early for class
i drove along the stretch of clementi road to school at 830AM, vigorously weaving in between cars thinking i was running late, fervently praying that traffic would not negate my wish to make a good first impression in class
but it was only at one of the stoplights nearest to NUS that i realized i had reached school in less than 10min, a feat that would have been nearly impossible just last year
for anyone unfortunate enough to require the perusal of clementi road in the peak hour mornings to work/school, they would know that traffic there is BRUTAL - it simply does not move; always had for the past 10,000 years.

WHAT happened to all those cars with incessant honking and drivers cursing below their breaths?!

dont get me wrong, i am delightfully relieved that the traffic has somehow evaporated.
but at the same time, the severity of this economic downturn finally struck me hard.
i read it in the newspapers (be it in Singapore or the USA) a lot - about retrenchment, the slowing of GDP growths, the worrisome fall of major financial banks, etc, but i havent really felt the impact of such, being sheltered within my safety bubble of ongoing tertiary education and a family that shields me from the rippling effects of recession
there have been talks of job credit schemes being able to alleviate the crisis, but perhaps Singapore has not been spared from the global job loss trend as our leaders claim.

i cant do anything about the situation; i dont think any single individual can.
but it definitely makes me feel more appreciative and thankful of what i have
i probably cant understand fully the worries and problems of a retrenched, but i will definitely pray - for faith, love and motivation.

on looking back

mac said something that rang my nostalgic bell this afternoon
and as it follows, i went to my blog, and re-read entries dating back to 2005, and remembered why it is that i still have this blog in the first place
this portal encompasses the bits and pieces in my life - things i'd like to remember, for good or bad, so i can look back and witness my own growth and changes within myself
its like a scatterplot of points in my life; one that i can finally plot a line through to see the ups and downs, and unveil the journey that i have taken
i write today, so that one day i can return to this exact page, and be in the moment that i am now, remember the thoughts that i held, and relive this time.
i write today, so that i may give thanks and be appreciative of what i have or had
i write today, because i want memories to last forever

-

on writing, i've completed a 13-page research paper on the evolution of prehistoric art ytd
its a paper written for my UCLA anthro class, for the credits that i've yet to attain
although it wasnt easy writing this paper (esp since i left my textbook back in UCLA), it was prolly one of the most enjoyable, and best paper i've written
the topic was engaging and interesting; i actually felt like i was learning while writing that paper

on school, i actually have a 3.5 day week this semester
its pretty amazing, the turn of events
i screwed up my CORS bidding because of garmisch's lack of internet in germany, but i ended up with one of the best term schedules i've ever gotten in my entire NUS education
God does have a way of working things out in the least expected manner or time

i am twenty-two

it's my birthday again today - it seems like ytd that i had my 21st birthday celebration
there's so much to be thankful this year; for the things that have passed, and the things to come.
2008 was a blast; so many new experiences, new friendships, and new journeys
even the end was a culmination of the new and interesting - i set off fireworks for the first time in my life in germany! that was exciting
and 2009 was kickstarted with ski thrills and family bonding, elements i hope will last through this year and more (:

this birthday has been really simply - plans were made, but plans were foiled
by sickness, by some miscalculations.. but in the end, the time spent was well worth it, and also alot more meaningful (:
i came back to singapore, and to my life, feeling rather apprehensive of how things were going to be like
it felt like i forgot how it was to have a life here, after i've delicately built up the life overseas
but i realized, esp today, that i've worried for nothing, because amidst all the changes and times, everything back home has been the same old, same old
and i'm so thankful for that.

i return back to school @ NUS tmr, its the end of the honeymoon 8 months
it's sad to say goodbye to something so precious and wonderful, but i know my journey there has ended, and now i tread onto a new one that will be filled with its own adventures and lessons to be learnt

onward, onward

acclimatization

i've been back in singapore for 2 days; barely unpacked, but im packing again for our family trip to europe tmr. i'm still rly jetlagged, living on US time - it might make the transition to europe time a little easier.

it's great to be home; being surrounded by familiar faces, sights & sounds once again. there were major adjustments made, and to be made - most obvious of them all is the driving. i almost drove into the wrong lane, and have to concentrate alot harder now to drive on the right side of the road. no more tipping in restaurants is a huge relief, but the humid (suffocating) weather isnt.

in the 2 days i've been home, i managed to meet up with brandon for tea@dempsey and gelare@greenwood today - same person different country. twas nice catching up with a brother whom i've become really close to, and spent the last 4 months almost togehter with every single day. sigh, i do miss ucla so. i also managed to squeeze in a trip to marina barrage with abel, lide, melody & mac for an evening picnic. really pretty place (:

christmas 2008 was pretty low-key and simple. the standard christmas lunch @ aunt susan's with the entire extended family, and then christmas dinner at pz's place with their extended family.

ok jetlagging, sleepy, gdnight