First day of school passed quickly since we only went for an hour's lecture, thought we had another lecture but had no idea that it was cancelled, just sat in for 15 minutes before realising the lecturer probably isn't gonna come after all.  In fact, might as well start school next week since tomorrow is national day and for the following days, a number of tutorials are cancelled too because the lectures are affected by national day.  Haha but still can't complain because that still means I would have a number of days free before school really starts. 

So really nothing much to say except for the one hour lecture I went to today seemed interesting albeit being rather like a sociology module.  Our lecturer is one interesting character too which would make lectures fun I suppose, she's strict, yeah but I like her for her idea of humour, haha.  

Apart from school stuff, started reading this book "the darwin conspiracy", been chatting with mh about how intriguing conspiracies are.  Was trying to find "the mozart conspiracy" which mh is reading, but couldn't find it, chanced upon "the darwin conspiracy" instead and I must say it's really good.  It doesn't really have a loadful of thrill or action or romance, but in its own unique way, it's a page turner, alternating between charles darwin himself, his daughter's diary and a modern couple researching darwin.  Although it's fiction, I suppose there's no denying certain truths in it.  Interesting how the real world really do have conspiracies that seem to only appear in movies, even in the past.  But then again, I guess it's the true conspiracies that gives people inspiration for movies and books.  Those conspiracies just make you realise that things aren't always what they seem, even facts that have been passed down for centuries, to see that even great people do have their imperfections too, or that things were hidden from us, made to be rumours and myths.  If not, why would people find evidence to question certain things like the existence of aliens or venture to find out the truth behind historical mysteries? Although whether you really believe it or not is up to you. Can't wait to read "the mozart conspiracy" too. 

Anyway, national day's tomorrow and going to see the fireworks after collecting our new car, haha exchanged our existing car for a second hand one, more spacious.  Just some thing my dad does once in a while so that the value of the car will not be depreciated.  Something like that, haha don't ask me to explain it because I can't and don't really get it, all I know is that we get a different car. And since it's just past midnight now, I've officially posted this on 9th aug, so HAPPY 46th BIRTHDAY SINGAPORE! (Perhaps I might be the first one to wish SIngapore, haha). :)

Have we become so materialistic in our way of life, that we sometimes forget the fulfilling happiness of simple things that we can bring for one another?

So haven't blogged for what seemed like ages, and now that the holidays are about over in 5 more days, thought I'd sum up the holidays.  There was kind of a theme for every month of the 4 months holidays i suppose, which helped in making time pass faster (what would I want that).  Somehow I am kind of looking forward to school reopening, just to break out of this holiday routine.

Anyhow, the first month of holidays was pretty much movie month.  Started off with the universal studios trip, which by the way was fantastically awesome, went on the rollar coaster 6 times because once you get on it, nothing beats that.  After conquering that hands down that day, those of us who braved it pretty much thought we'd have no more regrets.  Haha but that's just for that day, because I still wanna go for parachuting, bungee jumping and all that in the future.  After resting from the universal studios craziness, we started our movie routine, one movie per week and we really kept at it for a month.  There isn't one movie we didn't watch that month seriously, until the week where we couldn't find a time to watch, which also happens to be the last week of may, so it somehow summed movie month up.

Then started the month of outdoor activities like kite flying, picnic, nature and sunset walks.  Felt really good to just appreciate the small but beautiful things in life and if anything, brings you to realise how great it is to know friends a lot more, how they are not always what they seem (Haha, just as I am not always what I seem).  It's just really nice to sit down and chat while the sun sets till dark, enjoying the night breeze, because everything around is just so peaceful which we don't get often in modern days, great environment for contemplation and reminiscing definitely.

Then there's the month of practicum, got to be in school for 5 weeks this time as opposed to just 3 days last year and it was a wonderful experience.  If anything, it just made it clearer to me that I could actually love my job.  Haha you may say I haven't seen the worse because all I did for this practicum was just to sit behind and observe, but I kind of like that feeling of watching the kids, hearing them say the darnest things (where you don't know whether to laugh or be mad).  More than one occasion, I have actually imagined myself teaching them and couldn't wait to try teaching them for real.  Will definitely get the chance next year where I might possibly go crazy with the actual workload, but for now, just being sure that this is the right job is enough for me.  Haha considering I can't fulfill my real dream of being a travel writer, or a museum curator/guide, or you know, those things that singapore doesn't have the market for.  Well at least it gave me a chance to discover what else I could like doing with my life, namely teaching.  Oh there's also helping my mum with her kindergarten project work where everyone in the family helped with making models, a time for family bonding and for double sided tape massacre.  Oh yes, I am totally an expert at using double sided tape now too, fast and accurately at the edges, haha.

So then, there's this week of august, last week of the holidays which I have already planned activities for.  Went out last friday in fact, during the last few days of july, right after the last day of my practicum.  Did the same old enjoying great food at a german place and chatting at the sentosa boardwalk while watching the sunset.  And nicely enough, did some self reflection before the holidays end, haha I mean that's what holidays are for right? To slow down and rediscover yourself.  Cheers to one great holiday :)

Wonder sometimes if I am really born and made for this world, and scary how you'll question your meaning of existence in this world, like there's always this sense of emptiness that you can't place, that will surface when you call for it.  But that's life isn't it? Nothing's perfect and read somewhere that one day, if you do get bored with life, it just shows that you are content with this life.  It's exactly because you can't think of anything else to fulfill you, that shows how fulfilled you are already, even though there may still be that little void.  After all, we do need that little emptiness sometimes to motivate us and push us on to discover more of life, to seek for that missing piece.  If we do find it, that's great but if we don't, that's just one of life's little mysteries among everything else, but definitely no regrets.  For now, I suppose I just need to travel and see more of the world.  Not that I hate my life, I love it, but I just wish sometimes I could put it all down in exchange for travelling, to not care about responsibilities and reality.  I wish one day that such a world can exist, a world where we can just give in to our senses, give in to our heart and soul instead of our mind, a world where we can just explore in wonder.  Till that point of time, I will always wonder that little bit --- if I am sometimes made for another world.

Need I say more?

EXAMS ARE OVER AND WELCOME HOLIDAYS!!

Had a really great lunch buffet at zhou's kitchen with my coursemates, well most of them, right after our paper yesterday to kick start the holidays haha.  And so first up, universal studios cum staycation at the festive hotel tomorrow! Can't wait! Hope it doesn't rain and none of the rides are under maintanence, so going to go on all the rides, feel the adrenaline and scream all my happiness out.  Haha I sound crazy don't I? Well, it's because the holidays are here most importantly, and secondly it ended well enough. 

Seriously, the module that I never listen in class too, the module that I have to read codes for (aka ancient chinese), is actually the module i feel the best about out of the 3 papers I've had.  What a great feeling to end the exam with, I mean you wouldn't really want to welcome joy at the expense of the feeling of doom for results.  Not that I don't feel doom at all, especially for my first two papers, but hey the feeling of ending the exams plus the last paper being the one I actually finished and answered each question beats it.  Just hopes it translates into one good result, instead of it being a disillusionment on my part.  Because on the other hand, you'd never know, maybe the end of exams just makes you so happy that even a normally done paper seems great, maybe the fact that the first two papers didn't go well made a normally done paper seem the best in comparison.  But again, if this last paper is normal, it shows how bad the first two was.  Haha okay I should stop this on one hand and on the other hand thing, but it helps to see the full picture and prepare myself for anything right? 

Okay what else, paris seems to be on hold.  Amazingly if it doesn't turn out again, i don't actually feel sad about it, because I guess the possibility of being able go as a family seems more fun.  Previously we didn't really think of going to europe as a family because of the toll of long flights and jet lags on my parents.  But with this discussion of me going to paris this time also opened up another discussion about going  as a family, since my brother states he so terribly wants to see europe and venice before it sinks too, haha.  So there, even if it doesn't work out for me this time, the possibility of going year end as a family is better.  Or if that doesn't work out, there's always the graduation trip to europe with friends (i think?) which is also good. :)

Anyhow, it's the holidays now and anything except lecture notes will be awesome.  Which reminds me, I can finally go borrow storybooks from the library again too, haha.  Shall start packing for tomorrow then, adios!

So ever since year 2011 began, had outings planned for the first week of the new year, and also termed the last week before school reopens again, haha. 

Met up with my sec school choir/ jc co/ mrt mates on tuesday where we dined at this jap place momiji, they had a really scrumptuous buffet and like all buffets, it is worth the price if you've got the stomach for it, haha although the desserts weren't its forte.  Spent 3 hours there where we just ate and chatted, updated our 'orange daily paper' where we had great laughs too.  Here's some of the stuff we ate.
 

Afterwards belle mentioned that an exhibiton on pompeii was in town at the national museum, and since it was free for us, why not? Haha poor belle though, it's the fourth time she's been there after accompanying different groups of friends, and she became one good tour guide though it's hard not to get bored for her.  The artefacts were simply beautiful and intricate in their carvings which makes you think what happened to art ever since the renaissance died down, love the mosaics too.  The casts at the entrance were more impactful though, because they made it out of the bodies they found at the pompeii excavation site after the mount vesuvius eruption in 79 B.C.  The ashes at that point of time brought instantaneous death to whoever was there and it was so sad to see how those people were freezed at that day and time, with such fear.  There was this one of a man just crouching down and praying, hoping it'd all stop, but he just died instantly in that posture.  There was also another of a couple where the husband was reaching out to his wife.  I mean, they were real people just seconds before, feeling so much emotions, sadness, fear, desperation, and yet they never got to see what it would have been, fixed in postures where they are at their most vulnerable. 
 

Haha they had this make a gladiator helmet section at the end meant for kids, but we did it anyway, so the helmets fitted on our heads in a weird way.


And so that's tuesday, haha we literally took pictures of every exhibit too :)

Then it was Wednesday, meeting up with kn and mel, our first and last meeting during the holidays because mel just came back this week only, lucky her went to Europe, haha.  So we ate at Watami, gave her her birthday present which we guessed correctly through her hangman clue and she gave us souvenirs that she bought from different cities. Thanks dear! And after which, went to catch "gulliver's travels" which was a pretty lame but terribly funny show, guess that's how it is when we get older.  We need brainless humour because we already use our brains too much, haha, love jack black and emily blunt.  She was totally the princess in distress, classic, just standing there and commenting on her plight except for running.   A modern intepretation of a classic book haha.
 

Mel bought all these haha, love the hand painted masquerade mask from venice and these little trinklets.  Kn didn't get the mask , haha because of something she said about wanting a man, instead she got some postcard of men, not the real thing but absolutely funny.  Let's just say they were not fully clothed, hahaha.

So that's pretty much it, can't wait for tomorrow, and I am so enjoying this last week of holidays.  Can you actually believe this is the only week I went out with friends? The rest of the holidays was with the family and staying at home, that itself was quite an enjoyment too with storybooks, catching up with tv series, cooking, haha.  Mum's starting work too after a long break, will kind of miss having her at home and my brother too with his school starting, I hardly get to see him when school reopens.  Oh timetable's out too and I've finally gotten a 4 day week, so the long 4 hour breaks for 2 days are pretty much pardoned, anything for a free day and a longer weekend. :)