Quick updates

I have not been blogging for the longest time ever owing to the huge amount of workload that I have these days. No complaints about the workload because I feel that this is my first batch of students and I am willing to stretch myself, go the extra mile, and see what will turn out eventually. :) Though I feel the fatigue at times from the endless marking, especially when I mark late into the nights, I guess I still have a pretty good work-life balance. I play tennis and badminton weekly, watch football every weekend, catch a movie once in a while, catch up with my old pals, play tons of iPhone games, etc. The only thing that I have not been spending time on is the ideas that emerged while I was in Europe late last year. I hope that things will turn for the better in term 2. :) It is tough in J2 definitely. I am too occupied to think of anything else but at the same time, I am learning a lot in school, from the other teachers and also from my students. :) I am just praying that my students will survive this year and will move on to achieve their bigger dreams in life, if they exist. :)

被遗忘的

他的喘息终于远去了

这夜寒分了 心是凉的

我的孤独已经到站了

受够的曲折 不再闹了

有那麽多的忧伤围绕着

疲惫的双眼还凝望着

有人被失落寂寞促拥着

这样的片刻 真想唱歌

爱像风中的风筝 有翱翔的旅程

而被遗忘的是 那些放开手的人

残忍或不残忍 也不唏嘘难以割舍

而被遗忘的是 那些放开手的人

被遗忘的是 放开手的人

有那麽多的忧伤围绕着

疲惫的双眼还凝望着

这失落犹然美丽的时刻

这夜紧闭着双唇 我只想唱歌

爱像风中的风筝 有翱翔的旅程

而被遗忘的是 那些放开手的人

残忍或不残忍 已不唏嘘难以割舍

啊被遗忘的是 那些放开手的人

被遗忘的是 放开手的人

爱像风中的风筝 有翱翔的旅程

而被遗忘的是 我这放开手的人

不会残忍 也不会难以割舍

而被遗忘的是 我这放开手的人

飘过山又飘过河 缓缓的 淡淡的

被遗忘的是 放开手的人

我该遗忘的是 你赞美过的单纯

被爱情遗忘的 是我这已放开手的人

20120108_華人星光大道總冠軍賽來賓_林俊傑_JJ_學不會

Extremely engrossed in his performance, nice vocal, nice song, nice piano playing skills, nice performance...

Reliving that Atas Day

This post was made on 16th June 2009.

Title: Atas Day

Went shopping with dear BH this afternoon.
Was initially out hunting for her ideal Gucci wallet.
Ended up in the LV Store!
I knew I should not have entered.
Each time I enter the store,
I come up with a new dream item.
But like I told BH,
Sooner or later I will collect a whole set of LV bags.
Wallet.Cardholder.Sling Bag.Hangbag.Clutch.Papillion.
And finally the LUGGAGE BAG!!!!
I think I am a LV Fanatic!
But I am still young.
And for now, I cannot buy anymore since I just bought one last year!!!
I have time to complete my collection still.
I should just bid my time and not buy too many.
More haste, less speed!
Lol!
But honestly, I don't think I will ever get enough of LVs.!
No Gucci for me, cos I am loyal to that one and only brand-Louis Vuitton.
Don't forget,
It has been the love of my life ever since I was 16. :))
Plus I got my first when I was 18. :))

And yes, I have finally bought the bag that I fell in love with 2.5 years ago! :)

The Theatre of Dreams experience

It is yet another sensational return to Old Trafford! It is amazing to be here once again. Perhaps it's the acoustic of the stadium or the atmosphere, every time I step into the stadium, I feel excited and feel my adrenaline rush! :) no wonder they call the stadium the theatre of dreams. It is where you feel your dreams come true or that you are living in a dream. Sounds like inception yet again! The only difference i felt this time was the absence of C.Ronaldo in the team! :) Fortunately we have Chicharito to replace him! :p now, it's an hour away from kickoff and we should just sit back, relax and enjoy a good match! :)

Post-match
Now I really feel like 3.5 years ago. The away team scored 2 goals first and man u had to overcome the deficit. When Berbatov (my "favourite" player) scored the first goal, I was reciting to myself, "no déjà vu, please." indeed, man u did equalise and the score line became 2-2. It seemed like the dark clouds in the sky had been blown away by the cheers of the Manchester united fans or could it be that there's a silver lining in every cloud? Nope, it was none of that because Blackburn scored again to make it 3-2! Now I have resigned to fate that I will end up dejected like 3 years ago. Hordes or fans started leaving the stadium at the 83rd minute and I did have the urge too! It was way too painful to have to sit till the final whistle was being blown and coming to terms with united's loss.

The only consolation I got from the match was chicharito's signature on the ticket stub and a handshake with him! :) the feeling was so surreal! When I went to the red cafe the next day, the waiter was nice enough to console me after I told him about my encounters. He said it was a bizarre result last night and united is plagued by injuries. Once in a while, the big 4's or perhaps we should say the great 6 teams will drop points together in one weekend. I just happened to be at the "right" weekend! So he said I should not wait till 3 years to return to old Trafford and he wishes that during my 3rd visit, it will finally be a win where I could celebrate with all Manchester united fans. Shaking my legs, crossing my fingers and praying for that to happen. :)

Officially counting now!

Before I know, i am left with 7 days in this beloved continent of mine! :( wherever I am, I think of europe and feel nostalgic. This place simply left me with too many awesome memories that make me find it hard to detach myself from it!

Anyway, I finally got to experience a white Christmas! :) the visit to Rovaniemi was one that had been planned 3 years ago but I only got to fulfill it 2 days ago! :) seeing Santa Claus in person, walking in the snow, riding a reindeer sleigh, etc. the only missing thing was northern lights! Ah, how sad....

I guess because of the existence of Santa Claus in rovaniemi, and that parents from all over the world, especially the Europeans, bring their children to visit this place, it makes Christmas more meaningful. Rather, it makes people love Christmas more and also learn the joy of giving and sharing! :)

Merry Christmas everyone!

The journey thus far

Unknowingly, I have been in Europe for a week and honestly, it has been a challenging yet fulfilling journey thus far. 6 months ago, I was extremely stunned when a friend of mine told me that she gave up a place in Stanford in exchange for a business opportunity. All along, I had deep admiration for her because she was leading a life that I sought. She graduated with a first class honours, toured the world, entered a top consulting firm, was given the chance to be posted to Toronto to work, and eventually saved a huge sum of money to go for graduate school in yet another top university. :) life just couldn't be better than that. However, prior to going to Stanford, she took a break from work and had some time to spend on her own. It was then that she decided that she did not want to be an employee all her life. For the past 7 years, she had been too engrossed in delivering results, academically and in her workplace. She was too caught up with all the expectations and work that she had no idea what is it that she truly wants in life until she got that break!

I guess this holiday, I feel the same way she did 6 months ago. Previously, I had mentioned that I am embarking on a travel with mixed feelings this time round. First, one of my best friends in poly had just gotten married and was embarking on a new phase in life. I truly realised that we are indeed no longer young, no longer had the youth to idle and waste our life away. Second, I will be missing Christmas with my sec sch friends! FYI, I have been spending Christmas's eve or new year's eve with them almost every single year since I was 16! Sometimes, we end up walking around and doing nothing but it was during these moments that we forged a strong bond or relationship that I sincerely and strongly believe will last till the end of our lives. Third, I'll be missing New Year's Eve with my family members! For the past 6 years, we have been holding a gift exchange party, though for the first few years we held it on Christmas's eve. In my opinion, that is the perfect way to end a year and also to start a brand new one. We have fun, we have joy, we have laughter in the house! Sometimes, we talk about our new year resolutions, we gossip, we complain, but we are TRULY happy at the end of the party! Everyone gets really tired but I am pretty sure we all go to bed with a smile plastered on our faces. Fourth, because wai needs to work on her projects, we will not be visiting switzerland together during the Xmas period. And she has limited time available for travelling so I will be spending the first half of the journey on my own!

There were simply too many of these push factors that made me ponder about my decision to go to Europe. However, the pull factors had a stronger effect on me I guess.

First, I have been wishing for a white Xmas for quite a few years. This was an opportunity and I really do not want to miss it. Furthermore, wai's studies will come to an end next June and i seriously doubt I will have time to visit her in June next year. Second, it has been 3.5 years since I last stepped foot on Europe. I really miss the place and have been reminiscing about all that has happened back then. Be it the architecture, the people, the weather, the snow, the memories. So I took the plunge and booked my tickets to Europe!

Now as I am reflecting, I am 80% sure I made the right decision. When I spend time on my own, I think a lot more. I suppose it is because i have no one to talk to and so i ask myself questions and then try to find the answers to it. However, I am absolutely sane and am not suffering from bipolar disorder or whatsoever. As I am on a holiday, I do not feel as tired as compared to when I am in Singapore whereby I literally fall asleep minutes after I lie on bed or fall asleep while I am watching the television. Thus, it was during the nights I spent in Switzerland and Poland that I realise what new dreams I have in life and what my life cycle should be like for the next 5 years. And because of me acquiring these new dreams, I feel afresh as a person and my outlook of life is more optimistic than ever. When a person has dreams, he or she finds motivation and drive to work hard.

By stepping out of my comfort zone, I mature as a person as well. I become more independent and I stretch my physical and mental limits. For e.g., my luggage tore apart and I had to make do with a duffer bag. The bag is at least 12 kg and I had to carry it together with a backpack and walked 20 minutes to the railway station. Upon arriving at Warsaw, I had to carry that same two bags and walked another 10 minutes to my hotel. Money was definitely not the reason why I had not taken a taxi instead. I just wanted myself to become stronger mentally as a person. Thus, so far my Europe trip has been a challenging but definitely fulfilling one! :)

I have 14 more days left and yes, this time round like all other trips, I dislike returning to reality but because I found a new dream that I want to fulfil, I am convinced that having reality knocking is the way for me to enter into my dreams once again! :) feels like inception suddenly! Ciaozzz.....

Warsaw experience

I had a wonderful 2-day stay in Warsaw I must say. The city is must safer than I thought it would be. Perhaps it is the religion that the Poles adopt which explains their behaviour and attitude. About 90% of the Poles are Catholic and the guide in Krakow was right about Poland being a traditional catholic country which devote their Sundays faithfully to church and god. In Warsaw, I see for myself what it means to have a faith.

I remembered that when I went to Shanghai 2 weeks ago, the professor who gave us a lecture on Shanghai mentioned about how the lack of a religion or faith makes one greedy, unscrupulous, or even immoral. That explains why the PRCs are known to be profit- oriented businessmen who lack sympathy for the poor or the health of others. In Poland, I see the other side of human beings.

While in Wilanow and the other parts of Warsaw, I see people walking, rushing to churches. Mother and son walking together to church, students flocking to church in hordes, and the most amazing one was seeing a tall, cute, handsome and promising young man with his messenger bag hurrying to church after hearing the church bells! I think I am someone who fears commitment which explains why I adopt no religion. I cannot foresee myself diligently going to a place of worship on a regular basis and not questioning whatever faith that I might adopt. But I see the majority of the Poles doing that, young and old alike. For that, I truly admire them for who they are.

It is often in these cities that we see peace and stability and security. :)

The visit to the Warsaw uprising museum caught myself at a surprise because I know I am not a museum person and even if I were to go to one, I am unlikely to stay there for more than 2 hours. However, I spent close to 5 hours in that museum. The whole exhibition was awesome because of the way they presented the entire WWII situation where Poland is concerned. We had read in secondary school textbooks about how WWII started as a result of Germany's invasion of Poland and how the Jews were exterminated in concentration camps in Poland. But we never truly learnt anything in depth in my personal opinion despite the 1 year spent on it. A visit to Berlin, Munich, Krakow, and Warsaw in 2 weeks would suffice and be deemed more beneficial. All the insights of the war, from invasion to capitulation to uprising and eventually surrender are simply awe-inspiring!

The visit to Warsaw's stare mistro was a little of a disappointment. The square was a small one and there were not that many shops or fanciful items that can be bought. It reminds me of Stockholm's old town but I guess the latter was so much more beautiful! :)

But anyway, I was lucky to have gone to a really nice Polish restaurant which served delicious cuisine! The warming winter tea was one of a kind and after drinking it, I really find the cold less overwhelming.

I guess I am pretty sick of castles and cathedrals after the Europe tour in 2008. Every other castle pales in comparison compared to the ones in Austria, Sweden, and Buckingham Palace. The only twos that I have heard are of equivalence are Versailles in Paris and the one in Munich which I did not visit the last time round. As a result, I no longer pay to enter castles. As for cathedrals, I have seen at least 20-30 of them in Europe and my favourite 3 has got to be saint peter's in Rome, notre dame and sacred coure in Paris. So no more cathedrals for me when on tour. As a result of such a mentality, I see myself needing lesser time when I visit. I guess I have to say so for waterfalls. I don't think I will pay much attention to falls again after having seen Niagara, with the only exception the Iguazu falls in Brazil! Hope that some day I get to visit it and that day would not be too far away.....