That was another 365 days of I-don't-know-what-happened. This year passed by rather quickly, I'd say. Maybe because every week was work, weekend, work, weekend, work, weekend. When routine kicks in, you don't know how quickly time is flying past. I'd say 2010 wasn't as interesting as 2009 (cos 2009 was simply too brilliant); but this year had its own share of ups, highs, spoils and downs.
Some major activities/events that took place that were worth mentioning. In chronological order:
1) CNY Walkabout cum Lunch
A success. Kudos to the Comm for putting in so much time and effort to prep for the actual day. All of us MTs had opportunities (or were there arrows?) to do something on stage. I was one of the emcees for an auction segment. We auctioned off several beautiful flower paintings and calligraphy done up by the elderly themselves from Geylang East Home for the Aged! Even though it was my first time being an auction emcee, it turned out to be fine, thanks to the great support from the generous souls, we collected more donations than expected for the needy :)
2) Circle Line Stage 1-2 Train Ride
Okay, it wasn't really a "train" ride cos it was rather more of a locomotive. Prior to the commercial opening of the tracks, QC works have had to be done to ensure that all systems, mechanical or electrical, are functioning properly. So I followed the rail guys onto a yellow locomotive into the CCL stage 1-2 tunnels and stopped by every now and then to inspect the walk-throughs, tracks, water seepages and signages. Eye-opener to see it, walk it and smell it before all does.
3) NUS Career Fair
Ah, this was where I submitted my resume last year! Haha. That so fortunately landed me where I am now. Anyway, so I was there on one of the days to promote the MT Programme. It was heartening to be back in NUS... I also dropped by my FYP lab and said hello to all my friends there. The lab is as messy as I last saw it.
4) Opening of POEMS
Yes, I finally did something productive and dragged myself to apply for a POEMS online trading account! Yay! Can buy and sell stocks and earn some side income! Haha... but no leh, I do not belong to the active / keen eye type; plus I am risk averse - so I deal with little in stocks investment. But well, having a platform is the first step to everything else! Haha.
5) CCL Stage 1-2 Guest Opening!
Held at Stadium station, it was a day for specially invited guests, with dances, performances and sneak peek of the train operations. Ooo yeah, it was also the FIRST TIME we were allowed to EAT ON THE TRAIN! haha! It was so cool - we could not believe our eyes when two trains carrying loads of heavenly food docked into the station and opened the doors for all to enter!
6) R/s ended.
I prefer not to talk about r/s matters openly. So let's just say that we flew a kite for close to 5 years, then the winds stopped blowing and the kite landed softly. That was early in the year but yes, I do reminisce those times - happy and sad memories. I still miss her occasionally. Who wouldn't? I mean, we had spent our lives closely for more than 4 years. Anyway, don't worry about me, I think we're both happier this way. =)
7) Hong Kong family trip!
My dad has a Nikon D90 to play with and we took toooooooons of pictures!
The last time my entire family went overseas together was... erm. In 2005! That was so long ago! So I thought we should do something again soon and pushed for the idea to go back Hong Kong together and ta-da, my dad checked and he still had reward points from a certain airline, and off we flew! 7-12 June.
It couldn't have come at a better time - I so needed a break from work.
Hong Kong means a special place to us because my dad worked there for a few years and we did go over a couple of times during holidays and would stay for a few weeks. My last time there was I think before the millenium ended, but HK to me was all still familiar. =) Though I still can't speak Cantonese enough to save my ass...
Of course, a visit to HK wouldn't be complete without visiting the touristy places like Ladies Market, taking the tram to The Peak, famous egg tarts place, longest escalator place, oh, we even saw Kenny 'A-Bee' with his daughter! Oh, we spent a day at Macau too. The wet weather spoilt the day as we couldn't assess the other casinos, but we had a decent Portugese lunch and some portugese egg tarts, and visited the church ruins. We spent the rest of the time at Venetian and another casino trying our luck... Haha...
We didn't visit Disneyland cos my parents had been there before and came out disappointed, while we frequented Ocean Park last time. Not to add that all of us have outgrown roller coaster rides...
We had close to 6 full days in total and am glad for that too, because we could afford to sparsely occupy our itinerary and enjoyed flexibility when say, a rainy day meant we had to stay indoors. We also called up and had a dim sum lunch with my dad's aunt who is residing in HK. It was nice to see her again.
And what's Hong Kong without all the GLORIOUS FOOD??!
Haha, see that suckling pig right there? We feasted on half a pig on our last day before departure. Throughout our 6 days we never went a single minute feeling hungry! It was restaurant after restaurant, finger food after finger food. Every single shop that we patronised seemed to serve excellent roast duck/geese! And super tantalizingly fresh HK-styled steamed fish! *salivates*
=D
Hong Kong to me is also about taking the electric tram, affectionally called the 'ding dong car'. It runs on overhead electric cables. The whirl of its old differentials and all-so-familiar 'ding dong' that its horn emits seem to protrude a sense of calm and stability amidst the hustle and bustle of the streets in busy Hong Kong.
Interestingly, we didn't do much shopping at Hong Kong. The prices didn't seem quite bargainable. I did buy a few shirts (G2000, lol) and souvenirs and HAHA, I spent most of my money on Dragonball figurine collectibles. I went crazy over them because there were shopping malls dedicated to just selling toys and I had to visit EVERY SINGLE shop. And the figurines are all very cheap and I've never seen them before in Singapore, too.
On our last night, we were back in our rooms resting our tired legs when we saw huge flames emerging from the base of our building! FIRE!!! We immediately grabbed our valuables (though during a fire, you're not advised to do that) and alerted the neighbours. There were already an anxious few who had gathered at the corridors pondering what to do. We used the stairs down but came to a dead end at Lvl 2 whose metal gates were locked after 11pm. WTF? We alerted the guard stationed at Lvl 1 who didn't quite believe us that there was a fire and told us the only way out was via another staircase. Double WTF?? Fortunately the fire turned out to have started at the dump and the fire department had already extinguished it pretty soon.
All in all, Hong Kong was fun. Albeit not quite the crazy kind of fun you'd have if you travel with your friends, if you know what I mean, but it was a different kind of heartwarming fun being there with my family. Again. =)
8) Genting with RSGT
My last time to Genting was... before 2000.
The peaks of Genting in 2010 felt warmer. I think it's due to global warming. Or maybe cos it was summer? But Genting was still relatively cooler than sunny Sg! And cool weather makes it more fun because it feels more like a holiday!
We spent a weekend there, visited the casino and the theme park. Haha, the theme parks brings back lots of childhood memories! Like the elephant and spaceships turn-round-&-round thingy! I also succumbed to peer pressure and took the free fall thingy - TWICE! Haha, but it was definitely worth all the butterflies in the stomach and dry mouth symptoms when you're strapped into the seat and can't do anything but watch as the shuttle brings you higher and higher into the clouds! The suspension at the paramount, not knowing when the thing would fall was akin to a revolver pointed to your head, not knowing when it'd fire at you! Suddenly it gives way and the laws of physics were never gonna be defied - gravity pulled at your racing heart arteries and the rocketing down was nothing but gone in less than 5 seconds but it was sheer ecstasy!!! MUST TRY!!!
Tried my hands at the casino too and returned with >100% profit! Haha. Lucky lucky me. I fortify my strategy on two elements: patience and simple statistics. Most of my friends won too - others base it on 'gut feel', 'rule of 3' and 'trend setter'. Of course there is the 'beginner's luck'. HAHA.
9) Dad turns 60
We had talked excitedly all year about an awesome celebratory grand dinner feast but in the end settled for a cosy seafood dinner at a Chinese restaurant. To top it up, my mom baked my dad's favourite durian cake. =)
Wishing you many, many healthy and happy decades ahead!
10) Bangkok FTW!
My 1st time holidaying in Bangkok!
Technically not my first time IN Bkk cos I transited here last year.
I had been soooo excited about Bkk since months ago cos needed a break from work and I had withheld all my shopping urges JUST FOR THIS TRIP!!! Shoes! T-shirts! Bags! Accessories! Tailored shirts! Roadside food! Haha. It helps to go Bkk with friends who'd been there before - cos they know all the places to shop and you have a feel of the bargainable % on the market prices before deciding to put your money on that cute top!
When I visit other countries, I always loved their Chinatown; Bkk's isn't an exception. We had fun riding a tuk-tuk and zipped in and out of the packed traffic. Must trys are the chinese restaurants, cheap bird's nest and awesome sharks fin soup!
4D3N sure wasn't enough! There weren't enough time nor meals to shop more / savour roadside stall food! Will definitely go back again! And I fell in love with authentic Thai tom yum soup! Just cannot find the real thing back here...
Oh, and you know why should NEVER travel without travel insurance? Because you NEED to get it! You could be 100% careful with your life and limbs but you could never say the same to your belongings! The inefficient baggage ppl at Bkk misplaced my friend's luggage and she returned home thinking the worst - that all her new purchases have gone down the drain... That's where ur insurance protection comes in! My friend's luggage was found after 12 hours - that was about $200 compensation and it could more than enough buy you another plane ticket.
11) Batam with JC frens
My 1st time to Batam! Haha. Ditto Bkk, technically not my 1st time at Batam.
I fell in love with Alpokat (avocado milk shake)!!! Super rich and fresh and creamy, full of vitamins and thirst-quenching! MANY MANY thanks to X-tine for organising and arranging sooooo much for this trip! Her awesome parents ferried us around for all 2 days and brought us to the shpping malls and the best seafood restaurant place. AWESOMENESS!
I had yearned to do some sea sports but we didn't cos the rest wanted to relac - spa, shopping and slack. Haha. I found downtown Batam like Johor Bahru. Cos it is a mix of Malaysia and Singapore - throngs of Sgreans packed the JB-resembling streets, malls and price tags. Haha. And it was during the National Day weekend, hello!
Everything was dirt cheap! Anything under the sun, everything! I bought a chiong OMEGA watch, lol. But doubt I'd go to Batam anytime soon... like my friend's mom who commented, "Why do you want to pay money to see what Sg was like 30 years ago?"
12) Food Hunt
Had participated in the annual Food Hunt organised by Downtown East in 2007 (3rd) and 2008 (2nd) but gave 2009's a miss. Decided to join again this year cos need an injection of adrenaline to monotonous work life, haha. Being an experienced participant, count on me for strategy and tips! Haha!
Our strategy paid much dividends cos we topped the group easily! The rest of the groups looked neither strong nor experienced... in fact we were the ONLY group to successfully pass the mid-point obstacle!
Came in 1st in 2010! Wootz! Haha. Disappointedly, the prizes have SHRUNK SO MUCH over the years. Back in 2007 the top 3 prizes included 1 year's free entry to their theme parks + a chalet stay + cash. Guess what we found inside our champion's bag this year?
For each:
- $150 Downtown East vouchers
- 1 foldable NTUC pouch
- 1 bottle of Cordial
- 1 can of Ayam brand sardines
- 1 can of Ayam brand beans/curry chicken/? (too insignificant I didn't bother to take a 2nd look)
Seriously OMGOSH - CANNED FOODS??? Budget cut, cut, cut. Haha. Sponsorships cut, cut cut. Although disappointed with our prizes, both of us were thrilled by the adrenaline-packed race!
13) Netball Corporate Carnival
Contrary to most, netball is in actual fact a VERY DIFFICULT SPORT TO PICK UP! Especially for guys, whom may think it's similar to basketball. But no, at netball you will be whistled for the most minimalistic of body contact and travelling (taking more steps than allowable with the ball) occurs frequently even to the more experienced players. I warmed the bench for most matches but our team came in 3rd at the PWC Corporate Carnival 2010, our career's best ranking!
14) Jingx's Hen's night
Wasn't really a "hen's night" per se, cos the chalet stay was devoid of all the pranks and nonsensical forfeits to be played on the hen! Awww, haha. Rather, it was more of a social gathering during which we had bbq, played games and... all of us got to know ourselves abit better, from the eyes of another. Right, cute butt? *winks*
15) Jiahui's hen's night
More fitting to the occasion, we prepared a shirt written with random guys' names and the hen's mission was to don the shirt, search Clarke Quay for guys with these names and have them sign on the shirt! Haha. In order to raise funds in support of the cause, we even rehearsed dance steps to 'Love in the first degree' a 100 times, but failed miserably in our bid to get ppl interested at Clarke Quay, haha.
The rest of the night, as how some might say, "What happens in Novotel, stays in Novotel".
Awesome 24 hours spent together.
16) QPS class gathering
Very sadly, the class gathering was called for only after the demise of our beloved bubbly Bing Bing... :( however it was also so that we managed to track down our beloved form teacher!! Haha! And how? Google, lol.
The meet up would have been more successful if not for a handful who couldn't make it at the last minute. Nevertheless it was great to catch up and also share what jobs one another was indulging in... more paths laid for a career switch?
17) MT Graduation dinner
An awesome buffet dinner at Zen to commemorate the ending of our 18-mth long MT Programme. Our Mamas graced the occasion. I know that even if next year see us split ways, our knitted friendship will never.
18) Me and Myself turns 26
Had awesome friends who celebrated for me.
Auto Svcs ASYE.
RSGT.
And of course, Jx and Busy Roys! =)))
19) Bukit Timah Hill on New Year's Eve
Haha. A minor accomplishment to scale Singapore's highest peak on the last day of the year! It was my first time there, and oh man, the slopes were steep! Kinda swayed my motivation to climb Mt. KK in 2011, but I'm still gonna do it!!!
__
2011 beckons. It will be year of surprises. Because not even myself has any idea of what is going to be welcomed... But here's wishing everyone a youthful and happy 365 days ahead! =) May things be smooth sailing and hope you will realise what you want to do in life! That was my friend's birthday wish and I thought it was real meaningful. We all need that. At least for myself, I hope to be enlightened where I'll be standing 5, 10, 30 years down the road.
I want to spend my 2011 the way I want it - adventurous, and a learning journey with flexibility and freedom and making lots of friends along the way, and finding my direction.
A rose would be a bonus. =)
