twinklebells

perhaps

2008-06-12T00:51:00.003+01:00

perhaps memories will never be able to last u a lifetime..perhaps u should face the reality eventually...wake up from your dreams lil girl...things will never be the same again...lil girl wants to love u forever...but faith is slipping out of her hand like running sand losing control...what is happiness...and where is love...perhaps perhaps perhaps...

end of term syndrome

2008-03-09T19:17:00.002Z

havent updated for soooooo loooooooong again!:) Time for some reflection since I have completely no motivation to study for my spanish exam. Lent term has gone by super fast!! And it's really scary that we'll be taking our finals so soon and going to be third years in a few mths time! Perhaps this term had much more events on the calender...and much more things to do compared to the first...it just slipped by without knowing...I am really fortunate to have fulfilled one of my goals for the year and I really look forward to the experience this coming summer:) This term has not been easy in terms of the adjustment I had to make, learning how to be a more understanding and supportive girl, realising the fact that everything will not just turn out to be the way I want it. Everyday I have been learning not just the knowledge in school but the ability to control my emotions better and how to deal with the realities in the world. Growing up is not definitely not easy and sometimes I feel that I do let my emotions overrule myself which is something I have to control. Everyday I should count my blessing and know how lucky I am with my loved ones by my side...I should really treasure the experience I have now and yes start counting my blessing!!And... I went on a weekend trip last week with my dear:) My parents have come to London to visit me:) Although they are in France now but I'll be able to see them on Wednesday again:) And then it will be Italy after school ends:)As the term draws to an end, it's time to settle down, to put all the uncertainties and distractions away from me, to know how lucky I am and to prepare myself for the most important thing on my list this year.

善待自己的心

2008-01-16T01:11:00.000Z

Resolution of the day:

把心放开，不要再让自己疲惫的心受累了，生命短暂，快乐无尚！

france

2007-12-28T23:45:00.001Z

法国之行：

Nice Cannes Monacco Lyon Paris

旅途的开始：

兴奋、高兴、自由

旅途的中途：

梦想、美食、期待

旅途的尾声：

疲倦、迷惘、想家

飞机飞过阿尔卑兹山，从机窗看日出，心中有说不出的感动。Alps不再是

教科书里那么的遥不可及……

飞机正在降落，窗外的地中海、依山而建的沿海城市以及熟悉的热带棕榈

树是法国为我们准备的欢迎礼。

尼斯

Nice

堪蓝的地中海在阳光的照射下闪闪发光。我们都陶醉在这美丽的景色中，

恨不得马上冲下巴士投向大海的怀抱。在酒店check-in后，我们在一间传统

的法式餐馆用餐，但吃得却是意大利馅饼。技术纯熟的师傅在我们的面前

制作馅饼，好客的店主让我们感受到了法国人的热情。两天后，我们又回

到了同样的餐馆用餐。店主特制的“中国辣椒干”橄榄油 “Huile de Olive

with Prima de Chine”有家的味道，让我们流连忘返。热情的店主还给了我几

个尖辣椒干，让我自己回家酿制。：）

站在Parc du Chateau眺望无边无际的大海，手牵手在沙滩上看日出、日落，

漫步在尼斯古镇的石子路上，品尝街边的小吃:Socca，Crepes及Italian Gelato，

在无人的餐馆用餐，沐浴在温暖的阳光中，再回到一望无际的大海边，尼

斯真的是让人回味无穷！

康城

Cannes

康成立尼斯只有20分钟的车程。少了热闹的康城影展，康城显得格外宁静。

与尼斯不同的是这里的大海少了石子，多了沙滩。走在国际举行走过的红

地毯上，望着富丽堂皇的法式酒店，幻想康城影展壮观的景象，实在难以

致信自己就在康城。

摩纳哥

Monacco

蒙特卡罗，法国境内的一个小国家，世界13亿人口只有5000人拥有这个国

家的护照。昂贵的房子、奢华的赌场、酒店、游艇、世界名流的聚集地。

干静的街道、严谨的治安是我想起了新加坡。F1车道穿梭在蒙特卡罗1.95

sq km的街道上。大海拥护着这颗璀璨明珠。唯一的字眼：奢华、奢华还是

奢华。

里昂

Lyon

我们依依不舍的离开了海滨城市。火车经过了许多法国小镇，慢慢的往内

陆城市里昂行使。由于自己对大海情有独钟，所以对内陆城市有种偏见，

对里昂并没有什么期待。但，里昂却让我惊讶，让我心服口服。里昂古镇

以及Soane River像极了一幅画。Notre Dame de Fourviere 守护着里昂，他既

神圣又充满童话色彩。里昂真的是法国的美食之都：红酒炖牛肉、药草烤

鸡、法式火锅、煎饼、甜点及热巧克力样样都让人垂涎三尺。这对我们这

些贪吃的家伙实在是美极了！：）我想这段路程最难忘的莫过于法式美食

以及我们这群“面包一族”了！

巴黎

Paris

在此重游巴黎感觉很复杂。终于可以登上艾菲尔铁塔的顶端，而且还是跟

自己心爱的人一起爬楼梯到中途。那一刻的感动实在是非笔墨所能形容。

来到自己生平的第一个迪斯尼乐园：童话、现实、笑容...寒冷的冬天抵挡

不过迪斯尼的魔力以及圣诞欢愉的气氛。跟自己心仪的chicken little拍照，

照片中的我笑得多么灿烂！不知道下一次去迪斯尼会是什么时候呢？随着

我们渐渐长大，迪斯尼也离我们越来越远。

或许第一次总是最美好的。重游巴黎市中心的感觉并没有上一次那么好。

或许是严冬的原故，有或许是圣诞佳节，巴黎到处一片喧哗，显得很拥挤、

很肮脏、很乱。我找不到第一次的美、第一次的宁静、第一次地感动。巴

黎，爱之都，梦想与艺术的天堂在冬季却失去了她的魅力。在卢浮宫咖啡

座的我回想着这次旅途的点点滴滴，看着世界各地为蒙娜丽莎着迷的人群，

真的觉得自己是幸运的、世界多么的美好！

赶路、归巢

第一天在凌晨3.30am追赶前往机场的巴士仿佛是这段旅程的一个前兆。有

三次在最后一分钟搭上火车，错过的前往里昂的火车，得和同伴分享座位，

最后返回伦敦是有发现火车票没有被旅行社确认，得临时重买一张，然后

一路奔跑到列车厢。是时候该回家了，会Greville Street我第二个家，第二次

感到伦敦是我的家。

途终

在Eurostar上的我

photos:

click on flickr badge:)

my house:)

2007-12-16T11:47:00.000Z

Our house!:)

my room:)

my study table:)

a lil corner of my room:)

my door and full length mirror:)

our "reception":)

passageway to the kitchen:)

our kitchen:)All white!!

our dining area:)

holidays!!

2007-12-14T22:24:00.000Z

yay!!! Holidays are finally here!!:) Looking forward to France and Xmas:):):)Happy Girl!!!hee

my little moments of relaxation

2007-11-30T21:10:00.000Z

life has been pretty mundane for year 2...it's tutorials after tutorials..readings after readings..and i din even take a single weekend trip this year:(..just hope that holiday will come soon..and my exams will be over soon...year two stuff is so tough...and i really really must catch up during the holidays..and hope I'll survive!!!Here are some pictures taken during this term:)

A prelude to Christmas Concert:)

Hyde Park:)

:)

21st in London

2007-10-26T23:33:00.000+01:00

Havent updated for really really long!! Had some problems with our internet and second year has been really really busy...work is super hard and there are just so many other talks and presentations to attend..and I can't believe that next week is already the 4th week of school!! Today finally I had some time to sit down and update my blog..I know this is really long overdue but I'm still going to talk about my birthday in London:) A big thank you to everyone who have organised, cooked, brought me to places, treated me and wished me happy birthday:) And of cos everyone who have celebrated with me before I came back and lovely Angeline who drew a princess card for me from NZ:)

Sunny day with Blue Sky at St James Park with silly Cheng and Ed's milkshake with Xiufang:)

Clockwise: Lovely Jo with silly Cheng who's pretending to cook, Chwen making Sweet and Sour Pork from Scratch with Neng and me, Winston, JO, Huijie, Mr WOng, Neng and me, Cheryl and Jiayun who made yummy Chocolate Tart and Tiramisu:D

Chocolate Tart and Tiramisu made by Cheryl & Jiayun. Cake with loads of berries bought by Shimmie's household..yumyum:)

Muscular Chwen, Shimmie and me:), Housemate Tan who tried to make me drunk but failed hee, Phyllis and Neng

Birthday girl ME and the cake with stolen berries:)

And of cos Last but not least Neng, the organiser of everything:) Thank you girl for everything!! For all the warmth I feel at our house:D

Will post photos of the house soon:)

london 2007

2007-10-03T17:18:00.000+01:00

serene is back in london!:) This time she has housemates...so she's not alone anymore:)Everything is more or less settled after unpacking for a whole day yesterday...so now just have to get a chair, some household stuff, wait for our internet and settle some household stuff when everyone's back..i dont have internet at home now..so have to come to school everyday to use the internet..but thankfully school is not too far away and i really dont have much things to do at home...well there are...but im just taking things a bit slower now...i promise i promise i will be start working hard once school starts..yes i must revise my spanish:( which i've yet to do so...inertia is great after such a long break..and i want to decorate my room and make it really nice and cosy...cant wait for everyone to be back and then it will be my bday:)..yeah...although i wont be with my parents and my best friends...but i'm really thankful for all the love, the presents and the early celebrations i've had:)..thank you people..love love love love everyone of u...<3..and now im just waiting for the future to unfold before my eyes..everything to fall into place and hope everything will be smooth and wonderful this yr..yay!~

Reflections

2007-09-29T11:20:00.000+01:00

Will be leaving for my 2nd yr of studies in two days time..here im taking a little break from the packing.admin stuff and meetups with close friends to have a good reflection about the past yr. I left for London on the 25th of Sep last yr..just a lil over one yr from today..my parents were with me through my first days in London...everything was so new and fresh..and everywhere was endless amount of surprises and new opportunities. To me, it was a dream come true to be able to study overseas and doing something which I think is enjoyable and challenging..and one yr later as I looked back at my decision..recalling all the days of endless interviews..discussion with parents and debating with myself about going overseas and staying for med....im really glad that i've made the right decision:)Nothing compares an overseas education and the wonderful experiences of travelling together with friends...cooking with my cooking mates...laughing from my heart when i was in paris...late night rehearsals for excess baggage...lugging the hwa chong nite styrofoams from singapore to london..running from event to event for the finance society committee..getting really stressed for exams towards the end...sleeping over at xiufang's place and my tiny but cosy room...visiting shimmie at her hotel-like hall....or even just the simple chinatown dinner and dim sums..everything cant be summarised within one paragraph or one entry..but all the exciting memories and happy days will stay in my heart....and on one hand, Im sad about leaving my parents, my dear friends in Singapore and only be able to see them next yr..but on the other hand, im excited about the new yr ahead..living with my housemates for the first time ever....working towards my career and the many many opportunities which lies ahead of me...life is beautiful and im such a lucky girl!! Hope the next yr will be as exciting and a complete different experience as the last. For the first yr, I did try some new stuff but there are so much so much that I really want to do in my second yr..I want it to be a different one from the first...perhaps opening up more to the other i'tels and committing myself to some stuff which I've not done before...and of cos making sure that I will study hard and play hard at the same time. There are just so many opportunities lying before me and nothing is ever enough...

The 4.5 mths hol has been really really relaxing for me...I think it is prob going to be my last longest hol..I enjoyed myself alot..enriched myself with the rich shanghai culture and business circle:) of cos not forgetting all the yummy food..cheap shopping...sightseeing and spending time with my new found friend, xiaoyun:) The two mths in Singapore was spent with my grandparents, parents and closest friends:) I realise I din really take lots of photos this time in singapore..but all of you will stay in my heart, close to me:) There were lots of time for me to slack..wake up late...do anything w/o having to rush from here to there..everything just seemed to have slowed down...however, there are still so much so much there's unsettled as im about to leave the country. Perhaps, not everything in this world can be solved promptly..perhaps there are things that really require time to show...but it's so heartbreaking to see my parents worrying so much about me...esp my mom..how she always tells me that she cant sleep well in the nite..and is aging bcos of me...it's really saddening having to face all these at home..having only so lil time spent at home...and leaving them for at least half a year...sometimes i really really do feel like giving up, do wonder if i've made the right choice, do wonder if im being such an unfilial daughter...sometimes i will feel the other way...im going to use all my courage to fight on bcos i know u care and u do feel for me and u do love me...but there are also times when i cant even convince myself...when will all these feelings go away...when will i know what's really the right decision for me...i hope that one day there will be a day..when i can really control and know what is the right thing for me...and when i can be 100% convinced....

maybe that's growing up and everyone just have to go thru it...yes one day i will be able to make my decision for myself..and one day i will be able to smile again from the bottom of my heart...im fortunate to be where i am today..having the love of so many on me...compared to the characters in the chi documentaries which i watch in shanghai...perhaps i should just let nature take its course..perhaps one day i will be enlightened!

:)Rem Lucky girl! Life is beautiful~

MAF

2007-09-16T14:59:00.000+01:00

情真情深曾经你我的心

就犹如漂浮不定的浮萍

毫无方向的飘流~

而今我们再度

回到美丽的城土

过去的风风雨雨我们从不曾忘记

日复一日一次又一次的迷惘

总有你在身旁伴我走过这一段

凭一份真挚的心为黄城而努力~

不管途中遇到多少打击

黄城你我的家

是我们彼此系缘的地方

一个充满温暖的天堂

纵然美好时光就像流星一般短暂

我们也珍惜现在决不让岁月流白

(重复*)日复一日当我们逐渐的成长

回头重望那段遥远坎坷的路程

但愿纯真的友谊永远埋藏心底

让我们的故事我们的歌曲

点亮每一颗心灵

MAF 2007......

my little brain

2007-09-10T11:36:00.000+01:00

this world is just too complicated for my little brain and small heart..why cant everything be simpler..why are there so much to think about..the unknown future seem so scary and one can never tell what will happen..what is true happiness or blissfulness...who is the right one...who will grow old with u..who will be your true friends forever...life is like a black hole..an endless tunnel...will i ever get to see the tiny flame at the other side of the tunnel?

im home again!!:)

2007-09-04T10:55:00.000+01:00

Yippeee..im home!! I love my grandmama, grandpapa, mummy and daddy:) They are so so so cute!! Although the last week has been rather mentally distressing...but I feel that I've grown up, learnt alot of new things and realised who's truly good to me:):) *hugs to you!!

上海

2007-07-09T10:04:00.000+01:00

我身在上海，这个承载着许多人的梦想的大都会。走在南京路上，霓虹灯

璀璨夺目；络绎不绝的游客都睁大了自己的眼睛，好奇的看着周围，仿佛

生怕自己会遗漏些什么。一个人的自己，走着走着，思潮起伏。我回想起

自己去年第一次踏上这颗东方明珠时，心情就好像我周围的游客们，觉得

一切都很新鲜，很难以置信。而昨天，当我又再一次走在南京路上时，却

觉得上海只不过如此。那种种的新鲜感，似乎已经烟消云散了。反而当我

走进breadtalk的时候，闻着那浓郁的面包香，心中有说不出来的亲切。

上海，到底不是我的家。中国，这个我出生的地方，不再是我最亲近，最

熟悉的地方了。我最亲、最爱的人在新加坡，我从小的朋友在新加坡，我

将来的事业也会在新加坡，我的心已经被新加坡紧紧地牵住了。

上海的天总是灰楚楚的，天气闷热得让人喘不过气来，周围总是有川流不

息的车辆和人群。从伦敦到新加坡，从新加坡到上海，每个大都市都有他

们不同的一面。伦敦充满了历史的底蕴，到处都是宝，像一本活生生的历

史教科书；新加坡井井有条，到处都让人放心；上海被全球化冲击着，

starbucks, subway, haagen daz 到处可见，却找不到我心仪的酒酿圆子。

但，我开始厌倦这些大都市，好像飞到一个孤僻的小岛，让海风轻轻的

吹过我的脸颊。身在新西兰的好朋友却跟我说她好想念大都市喔，好想

感受一下大城市的节奏感。如果能跟她交换几天，那该多好啊！唉！人

就是这样，不能拥有的东西，永远都是最美好。我想我们还是要学会感

恩，好好过自己的每一天吧！：）

my creation :)

2007-06-08T07:11:00.000+01:00

yipppeeee...my second attempt at making nutella cupcakes was awesome!! It's the best thing I've ever baked..hee..happy happy happy=)

one: scoop the mixture using an ice-cream scoop into the cupcake paper

two: Add one whole BIG spoon of nutella onto the mixture (I was super generous..used 1.5 containers of nutella just for 16 cupcakes! )

three: swirl the nutella with a toothpick

After 24 minutes in the oven....

Dada!

Perfecto!

Look at the layers!!:)

oooohhh:)

Yummy!!!:)

Yipppeee..I've mastered the art of baking!!:D:D:D:D:D

Morgan Stanley

2007-06-06T15:08:00.000+01:00

Have been reading a chinese book recommended by my mom. It is the autobiography of a chinese girl (she's 33 this yr) who grew up in China, did her undergrad in Dartmouth, worked in the Wall Street and Hong Kong office of Morgan Stanley and later became the host of phoenix TV. Although I've yet to finish the book..I cant wait to record down some of the stuff she said which is really really meaningful. It was really an enriching read, covering her experiences of schooling, uni applications, internship, job interviews, the world of investment banking etc etc..There's so much stuff that I could identify with her and learn from her...

She was a really high-flyer in Morgan Stanley, within 3 years, she was promoted from an analyst to a manager, she has helped major merger and acquistions and IPOs such as BP and Amoco and the listing of Sina.com on Nasdaq. She was leading a life that so many people desire, making frequent overseas trips, earning a high salary, dining at expensive restaurants..splurging on luxury goods..she worked really hard at the same time..often working 18 hours a day..However, one day she realised she's really tired of the world of investment banking and decided to quit..below are some of the excerpts of what she said which I felt are really meaningful:

“放弃，并不是件简单的事，有时它比坚持更需要勇气。”

”从小，我就被灌输着最主流的观念：在家要做好孩子，在学校要做好学生，开始上班了，也一定做一份最好的工作。但是，我却从未真正动脑筋去想一想，什么才算是“好”？是别人都认为好的才是“好”？还是追随自己的心声，让自己开心快乐的才是“好”？”

“那一刹那，我想我是在冥冥之中受到了上天的点拨。我突然大彻大悟，投资银行不过是众人眼中的一道光环，我为什么要牺牲自己的快乐，去点亮别人眼中的光环呢？”

“毕竟，生活是属于自己的。”

These are her realisations after 26 yrs of hard work. I'm glad that I've followed my heart. I will work hard when I'm young and I believe that one day I will realise all these myself and find my own happiness:)

wierd weather

2007-05-28T09:04:00.000+01:00

london's weather is so unpredictable..it has been raining since yesterday..and it's really really cold:(...maybe that's a sign for me to leave this place for home:p yippppeeee..will be on the plane in 12 hrs time:)..but im going to miss my tiny room at Rosebery and all my friends here..life goes on...

look how happy i was when i just finished my exam!!hee

2007-05-27T11:11:00.000+01:00

不是风动，不是烛动，而是心动。

风是缘分，让人际会，相识，相知；
烛是愿望，让人有所憧憬，有所追求；
但爱的成就不是缘，也不是愿，而是心的悸动......

好美的句子喔！

我好怀念那心动的日子...

2007-05-26T22:58:00.000+01:00

A girl's dream...

praying

2007-05-24T23:53:00.000+01:00

Waiyin, you must take care! I will be praying every day...Everything will be fine~

sunny day:)

2007-05-23T21:06:00.000+01:00

Today was such a Sunny day:) Just like my mood..and everything just seem to be going the right way:) I was walking around in skirt today:)..woah first time since i came:)..hee...Had a nice catchup with shimmie..haven talked to her like that for such a long long time..and im so happy that we can pour our hearts out to each other and it's really a great feeling knowing there's someone like her in london with me:)..yeah..happy happy..hee and went for a yummy chinatown lunch at my fav place..haven had seafood for so long! And i just love their free soup..yummy..hee..after that, I went to south ken to pass xiufang her stuff..happy that they love my muffins:)..yipppeee..and since i was in south Ken, I decided to go the Victoria & Albert museum and the Natural History museum..V&A was kind of like the British Museum with all the sculptures..artefacts..treasures from different parts of the world..it was quite difficult to navigate inside so I only stayed there for a while...The Nat History Museum was much more interesting..and i got to see real dinosaur skeleton and fossils:)..hee..they had an entire section on dinosaur and the highlight was a robotic T-Rex that looked like the real thing..and honestly I was quite scared when I looked at it..it was super huge and the head and arms could move around and it was constantly "roaring"...So i didnt dare to stay for long at the section...reminds me of jurassic park..haha..what if all the skeleton and the gigantic T-rex just come to live..:S..haha...I also went to the sections on Mammals and human.. they have vivid explanations of the nervous system..circulatory system..DNA..cells..blah blah blah...haha..bring back so much memories about Biology..and im proud to say that I know all these!!:)haha...i must admit that Bio is interesting to learn..but definitely not fun to do the exams...I also went to the section on gems and minerals..woah..the whole section was just so bling bling..haha..:)Love it man!!:) After that I decided since I've travelled so much today...might as well..just make full use of the travelling cap (in london...if you exceed a certain amt of money each day for travelling on bus, tube or rail...i think it is 5.60...everything beyond that is free:))..i went to oxford street to walk around and shop:)..hee..happy happy..and now im back in hall..im tired..my legs are aching..but extremely happy:) And tomoro im watching phantom..yippee:)..lalalala...now is crunchyroll time:)

2007-05-22T09:41:00.001+01:00

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

2007-05-22T09:27:00.000+01:00

yippeeee.im so so so so happy:) No more two-way ANOVA table, wilcoxon signed rank test, regresssion coeffcients...maximising utility..shifting of IS-LM curves..basis..gaussian eliminations...balance sheet profit and loss accounts..cash flow statement..yipppeeee:) I'm done..:) Had a great afternoon with Good Old Dutch pancakes..shopping at Covent garden and Oxford street..walking until my legs couldnt take it anymore..but i din mind at alll...cos i was too happy:) Had a great and fun meal at Bankside which was so impromptu and getting to know more abt my flatmates..i really look forward to next yr now:) It will be fun..and I'm glad who im going to be with:) But on the other hand..i dont want next yr to start either..that will mean more work..harder stuff..more stress...oh well..i shant worry about that now:)..I'm going to enjoy my holidays...really really really enjoy my 4.5 mths of break..haha!!!:)yippeeee..im going to bake today..havent baked for so so so long..and the rest of the week will be spent visiting friends..watching brainless shows online..maybe watching a musical...floor dinner..packing...housemate dinner..and I'll be home in six days:)..Cant wait..yippppeeee...hee...Serene is definitely a happy happy happy to the power of infinity girl today:)

yipppppeeeee

2007-05-21T17:55:00.000+01:00

yippppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeee im done:) whhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Between stats

2007-05-19T13:15:00.001+01:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

one more to go!

2007-05-18T16:38:00.000+01:00

One more to go..hang on Serene!:)

Waiyin, I miss you girl!

blooming:)

2007-05-12T00:20:00.000+01:00

The flowers in my room are actually blooming:)..a good sign..hee..yes im still alive!!:)9 more days to freedom and 16 more days to home!:)

Study now, dream later~

2007-04-22T01:26:00.000+01:00

Saw this on my friend's msn nick and this shall be my motto for the next month:)

"~Study Now, Dream Later~"

Jiayo Everyone!:)

~primavera~

2007-04-16T00:05:00.000+01:00

Primavera, Spring is finally here!!:) Today London had a record high of 26 degree celsius in the mid of April:) The sun was so irresistable that I took my pasta, slices of cantelope and orange juice out to the terrace during lunch. Half way while I munching on my food, a guy came up to sun-tan. He just took out his shirt and directly under the sun! Guess Londoners are really deprived of the sun:) It's been ages since I felt so warm in London. Yesterday when I went grocery shopping at night, people were walking around in shorts and mini-skirts:)I miss wearing them!haha..it no longer feel so gloomy in London. yeah!!:) A pity i cant take any photos cos my camera is spoilt:( Oh, and I went running two times last week! I love to run in my neighbourhood especially when the weather is so nice! I love the feeling of being drenched in sweat:) It's as if all my toxics and fats are burnt away. I shall run more this week when I have the time.

hmmm...Somehow, I seemed to have lost the sense of urgency as exams get closer and closer, which is good in a way cos it makes me feel more relaxed and less stressful:) 休息是为了走更长远的路！I know my body must be preparing well for the final battle:) Having a happy mind is essential for efficient revision and I will stay happy and really enjoy the process of studying:)

Blessed!~

2007-04-12T01:09:00.000+01:00

I've really been blessed!:) No one loves me more than my parents in this world:) Thank you dad and mom:p I will be good!

50 more days to home!:)

2007-04-09T00:38:00.000+01:00

yeah 50 more days to home!!!:) I just cant wait!! When I was studying, I was imagining how it would be like when my parents and grandparents come to pick me at the airport :x..hee..i will definitely definitely be jumping with joy:p..yeah cant wait to see my dear too:) Cant wait to see everyone..waiyin shiqi peilin lingzhi lilian xinling ziye minling..everyone of my friends!:)...just 50 more days..i know i can do it! yes.i can!!!:)..and i was browsing through the photos just now..I miss Kim Sae Mee!! my korean student for two months last year..she's so cute and adorable:) Isn't she? I wonder if she still remembers me..well teachers come and go in our lives, but i really hope that i will be one of the special teachers she remembers.haha..i know this is really random..maybe cos i've been studying too much and please bear with me:p And i really miss being so thin...i've gained so much weight in London:(..and im waiting for the singapore sun to just melt away all the fats..haha..i think im really too bored..shall go read random surfing before i go to bed..and yes tomoro will be another day of studying..but that also mean im one day closer to home:) Good nite world!~

2007-04-02T20:23:00.000+01:00

Valencia-the sun, the sea and the sand

2007-04-02T20:21:00.000+01:00

Spain!!!

2007-04-01T22:48:00.000+01:00

¡Hola! Im back from Spain!!!:)..I'm happy and satisfied to be back home:p..this is the first time when i feel that london is actually my home..hee..really enjoyed my trip alot..and thank you so much Xiufang, Shimmie and Jasmine for being such great company!!!..Im already starting to miss you guys!!!...Jiayo for your muggings k..we'll all do well..yes yes yes!!!.HUGs....

and on an even happier note..im going back to singapore on the 28th of MAY!!..ooohhhooo..changed my airtix from 2nd of July to 28th of May cos my exams are ending on the 21st:)..yeah..and that means i only have 58 more days before i get HOME and my grandparents are going to Singapore on the 20th of April..and I really cant wait to see them in Singapore..YAY!! Now..I shall update on my Spain trip:)

Barcelona

We arrived at Barcelona on Sunday nite and stayed there for three nites:)..It's my fav place out of the three places we went:) Ian and Nic came to find us on our first nite in Barcelona and luckily we had them in Barcelona..if not we'll be so lost..hee...:)We did lots of shopping on the first day..ooohhhooo..cant believe we actually spent 3 hours at one ZARA and spending another hour at the next ZARA that is just two doors away...Jas Xiufang and me are really shopping queen man..haha..and we bot some stuff from other places too..shopping in Barcelona is great (if you have the money..shimmie and I were saying that when we earn lots of money..we'll go back to Barcelona and really shop till we drop...).

We went on a tour bus the next day and visited lots of places esp the Gaudi Architectures..they are so so so pretty and fairylandish!!!:) I really love all the colours..the designs and all his concepts..he is such a genius!! We went to Casa Batlló, Passeig de Grácia, Sagrada Família, Park Guell which are four of his famous architectures:) We also went to Placa de Catalunya and we wanted to go to Tibidabo which has a amusement and a cathedral and has a magnificient view of the city to watch the sunset..but sadly we missed the tram and the funicular (cable car)..:(.We got to try the famous Paella at dinner though!!:)It's a pan of specially made rice with seafood..yummy and it's like the traditional food in Spain:) We also tried Sangria which is red wine with mineral water, fruit juice and lots of fruits..The one we had in Barce is not authentic..we had a really good one in Madrid:) We went to a Jazz Bar after that..it only cost 3 euros for really good and authentic jazz..woohooo..we ended the nite on a high:)

On our last day at Barcelona, we went to the beach in the morning..it was so cooling (to the others it's cold..haha)..and windy..wanted to stay at the beach for long..but the weather was just not good enough...so we took a few photos and went to walk around near Las Rambla again (the famous shopping belt in Barce)..had a quick lunch and went to meet the guys at FC Barcelona stadium..although im not a particular supporter of soccer..but I was still very excited cos it is the stadium where so many famous players have played before..we got to go to the guest changing room..the grandstands..the media rooms..the commentator's box..and of cos we took lots of photos..hee..:)..there was also an photo and trophy exhibition:)..And next time when I watch any Barcelona match..I can tell myself that I'VE BEEN THERE!:)..hee..happy...and we caught a nite bus from Barcelona to Madrid which took 7.5 hours..and throughout the journey..the Spanish driver was playing really loud Spanish music:S

Madrid

And So we reached Madrid at 6am on the 29th of April..and we were really surprised that even though it is still pitch dark..Madrid is already so bustling with life...we see people having breakfast and drinks early in the morning..and the metro station was already working and so packed with people..and in Spain people have dinner really late at 9/10pm..and we concluded that maybe Madrid people dont sleep and it's really a 24hr city..We reached our hotel really early and we were welcomed by a really stern-looking old man..(our hotel was called Pension Retiro..haha)..who couldnt really speak English..and with my limited Español..it was really like ji1 tong2 ya1 jiang3..and for a moment he was telling us that we might be able to stay at the hotel..and he kept saying "not possible"...but we really liked the place...it's like doing a homestay in a traditional Spanish home....after we were "chased out of the place" (we put down our luggage and were told to come back at 12.30am..and we were "shoved" out of the door by our host), we went to the train station,hoping to get our tix to valencia..but they were sold out..so we had breakfast..yummy croissant and coffee..before going to the bus station to get our tix..and the tough test came for me when i had to speak in Espanol to ask for the timings, the journey and buy the tix...i was quite nervous and really relieved when it was settled..that i said a BIG "SI" to the ticket officer.."SI" means yes..hee..and when we left the bus station..three really fat and funny looking Spanish women were laughing at us..and we said "Ga-na-sai" in a funny way and cute action back to them..hahaha..it was really funny!!! After that we did some sightseeing around Madrid and luckily we got to stay at our hotel..although at a slightly higher price..We got a day pass and took metro to alot of places..we went to the Parque de Retiro (a park), Plaza de la Independencía, Plaza de las Ventas, the Real Madrid Stadium...(yes!! Real Madrid stadium where Beckham was!!!..haha..but we din go in cos it was too ex and should be similar to FC Barce..Puerta del Sol..we saw the famous el oso y el madroño(bear and strawbery tree).. Plaza Mayor..went into a couple more shops..and had our best dinner in Spain..kindly recommended by our host..actually he´s quite nice after all..very grandfatherish..hee..

our hotel!!

The next morning..I was having a bit of fever..and although we had really great chocolate with churros (it's like spanish you2 tiao2) and the chocolate was really like melted chocolate..but i had no appetite at all..so i went back to the hotel to rest while the rest did some last minute shopping and sightseeing..then something really unlucky happened on the metro to the bus station and that's one of the reason why i din really like madrid..

Valencia

We reached valencia on 30th evening..our hostel was really youthful and nice..we din feel like doing anything else so we just had pizza and watched tv on the couch..jas and shimmie went to a pub with our newly made friend from California Lilia..Xiufang and I had a good rest and I recovered the next day:)..yeah..so we went out with Lilia, visited some historical sites..oops..i cant really remember any of the names..cos we were just walking around and taking our time on our last day of the trip..and i got my dress that i wanted yeah!!!:)..madrid din have my size..and we walked for more than one hour to the beach..the weather was great..lots of sun and blue blue sky!!!:) The beach was the most beautiful beach I've seen in my life!!! It's bluish green, with soft and smooth sand and lots and lots of sun unlike london..and it's not over-comercialised..we just lied on the sand and fell asleep..i was humming to my favourite tunes while lying on the sand..it was such a relaxed feeling..feeling the soft sand with my hands..the sun and the breeze brushing against my skin..i want to go back to valencia..just for the beautiful beach!!! And it was 22 degrees!!!..We were walking with just our shirts..my camero spoilt in valencia..so i have to wait for the photos from my friends...

my only photo in Valencia

And today, we took our flight back to London..the feeling of coming back was great!! I feel recharged and ready to begin my mugging tomoro..there's only 6 weeks left!!! and seven weeks before i go back to Singapore..this period is going to be tough..but i know i can do it and it will be gone in a whizz....yeah..and i still have spain to look back to :)..the passionate people..the cute guys on the beach..the yummy breakfast at the hostels..the magdalenas..the beautiful sights..the great company..and i have HOME to look forward to!!:)..yes..58 more days..YEAH:)..Serene is a HAPPYYYYYY GIRL:)¡buenos noche!

SHOO!~

2007-03-16T16:58:00.000Z

SHOO!!!!! homesickness

I will be strong!!! Yes...I can do it!!!

growing up

2007-03-14T17:41:00.000Z

was reading my stats notes and i suddenly just have an urge to blog..had my last jap lesson today and luckily there were more people this time cos last week i was the only student..:S...my friend borrowed my notes to copy a few weeks ago and i havent seen her for three lessons. I was really worried that she will just take my precious notes and not return to me and there goes my whole year worth of jap notes..so i specially reminded her yesterday to come to class and return me my notes..So even before the Jap lesson, i was wondering if she will stick to her promise..After twenty five minutes into the class, there was still no sight of her..i really began to worry and think abt how irresponsible she has been...i dont know why..it just seems that as we grow up, we begin to trust people less and less..maybe bcos we have met so many irresponsible people who dont keep to their promises and this has caused us to have the assumption right from the beginning that everyone is like that...no one is really trustworthy and sincere..it seems like breaking promise has become the norm not the other way round...and when the clock struck 11.30..she finally appeared!! just when I gave up wondering where she is. She told me that she has torn her thigh muscles and couldnt come to class in time. And she asked me if I thought she was not going to come..i felt really guilty for doubting her especially when she has been so sincere and friendly during the previous lessons. And she even made the effort to come to class today when she couldnt even walk properly. Why have I become so distrustful towards others?? After all, the world is still beautiful and stop being so cynical and pessimistic!! Dont lose that child in you even as you even as u grow up!:)

silly blogging

2007-03-08T19:03:00.000Z

just have a sudden urge to blog..although there isnt really much to talk abt:)..yeah..thursdays are now becoming my fav days despite how i used to drag it for having to wait for four hours before one "not very useful" lecture which i've been skipping so often this term..but now i love it:) cos i get to do my fav thing in while waiting for the lecture:) I get to have lunch with my darling neng!!!:) And I get to sit down at a cafe, have a cup of yummy caramel mochhiato, a piece of heavenly cheesecake and read while waiting for the lecture:)..It is really a nice feeling!! Feel so relaxed:) And it is really interesting to listen to the things people chat abt (today two girls were debating abt princess diana:), observe passerbys walking by and smelling the aroma of the coffee..yeah i love thursdays! But sadly..next week will be the last week I can do that as holidays are coming which means preparations for finals start:S..but one positive thing to look forward is that my spain trip is in two weeks time!!! yeah..and i can walk around in shorts and slippers by the sea~!Cant wait..yeah:)Serene is a happy girl today:) oh ya!This is the 101 entry of my blog!!!yeah:)

photos!

2007-03-06T01:49:00.000Z

my housemates and I met up to exchange photos of paris and they have finally been uploaded on flickr:)...go find traces of arc de triumph, champs-elysee, the seine river, the lourve, notre dame, versaille, the eiffel tower, scenes of paris streets and buildings, our pigging out and bonding sessions....:) And here are some of my fav shots during our trip:)

Paris!!

2007-02-26T22:27:00.000Z

The Paris trip was great!!! Great Companions, Beautiful scenery, yummy food and lots of bonding:)..There are so much to talk abt and i really dont know where to start..but a picture speaks a thousand words:)..Here are some photos of Paris!!:) More to come when i get from my friends:)

Bonjour Paris!

2007-02-24T00:44:00.000Z

I'm going to Paris in six hours!:) yeah..Bonjour Paris!!:)

Happy Chinese New Year:)

2007-02-19T00:31:00.000Z

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone:)

新年快乐！万事如意！：）

Had an eventful week last week:)Decorated my room:

with decor stuff from hc nite:)

tada my noticeboard with all the photos!

and with the gramophone discs i bot from spitalfield markets:) loved them immediately when i see them:)

and Wed was V-Day and I had a hot date with Xiufang:) had lots of fun! eating at Four Seasons, catching up and pigging out in her room..hee..we bought this chocolate fondue thing from Sainsburys and it was so so so good!...yummy i can still remember the taste of it in my mouth:).hee we had lots of strawberries bananas and marshmellows..

friday was singsoc dinner oh and i bot a weighing scal which made me really depressed..really going on a healthy diet now!!!..the food was reasonably nice for 10 pounds..and sat was chu xi..and we had prep for CNY carnival..i ran to cantebury and we carried really heavy boxes to UCL..exercise makes me feel happy and had lunner with Yanneng..we bot pizza takeaway (quite an unhealthy choice after so much exercises!) and ate in the middle of Brunswick..it felt so good..then went home and called my parents, grandparents and relatives..:) chu xi was spent at home studying and cooking alone but i enjoyed the nite to myself:) And we had our CNY carnival on Sunday:) Loved the food and the atmosphere.hee..and it was followed by a family dinner at my mom's friend's place..we had dumplings and i helped to make them!:) hee..i really enjoyed it and i loved the feeling of sitting together at a proper dining table and just listening to the experiences of the adults:)..yeah..and i came back and finally booked our tickets and accomodation for SPAIN!!!!! I'm feeling really really excited now..haha..yeah..can't wait for next weekend too!!!..Bonjour Paris..well im going to work really hard during the week for my wonderful weekend trip..yeah..serene is a happy girl!:)..hee

angeline our sun

2007-02-12T12:56:00.000Z

today lse had power failure..so all the lectures and lessons have been cancelled..that gave me an extra free day..

Angeline left yesterday for NZ and like what qi mentioned in her blog..our sun has left...literally and figuratively..it's really amazing that everytime when we went out with angeline during the dec hol..it will definitely be a sunny day..it's always the sunny day after so many days of rain..and yesterday our sun has left..and even in London..it is raining:(...she's also the sun in our lives as she never fails to inject humour and laughter into our lives...every moment spent with her was filled with so much so much fun..thinking abt all these..i really cant help but feel melancholic..girl, although i cant be there to send you off at the airport..but i can picture how you walked through the glass door..the customs..carrying your heavy luggage..leaving all your friends and family behind...i can understand how you are feeling and i'm really really proud of you girl! Really proud of you for being so brave and persistent in pursuing your dreams..i'm sure you will be a very very good vet! Fly high and pursue your dreams! We'll always be here waiting for you to come back and we'll always love you girl:) hugs..take care!

friends forever:)

my first HC nite:)

2007-02-11T21:10:00.000Z

Sat was Hwa Chong nite!!:) It was really a very very memorable day and evening for me..after four months of preparations...buying and lugging back the styrofoams and the other decor stuff from singapore (finding them desperately at the airport when they were left behind on the taxi in Singapore)..painting..spray-painting..paper macheing..drawing..writing the same words 90 times on the photo-frames...yesterday was finally the day when we saw the results of our hardwork...tada!...here are some of the stuff which we made and hang on the ceiling:)

our lovely dolls..planets and stars:)

our decor team!! Huijie, Yanneng, me and OUR Calvin (so sad..cannot call him that anymore:()

My beloved partner and future housemate Yanneng..(this time cannot complain dont have your photos le)

The evening started with Shimmie singing same side of the moon by corrine may which is our theme for this year's HC nite..I was playing the violin..and I got my fellow violinist Justin from Excess Baggage to help me out:)..and Florrine also helped out by playing the flute:)

Justin and me

Florrine and me

Following the speeches by our guest-of-honour and our chairperson Andre..the first course was served..:) It was chicken with parmesan cheese..mashed potato..and some veg..it was quite yummy..or maybe we were too hungry..cos we arrived at the venue at 12pm to put up the decor stuff and do our door gifts without having any proper lunch

yummy chicken

our desser:) vanilla cheesecake with berry sauce..(the cheesecake tasted like cream though)

The performance was great:) with touching renditions of love songs by Yangwen and Yongbin..talent time..games..SPL play..and touching videos that brought back lots of fond memories in HC..they showed the 30th anniversary video as one of the videos..although i've watched it two times already..it is still very very meaningful and touching...and i teared when i was watching it..HC is really really a special place for me..where i've found my closest friends like Shiqi and Angeline whom I believe will be with me throughout my life..where i've found the special someone who shared so many so many memories with me..where i've had my best teachers..like miss wong and miss tan...where I felt most at home besides my own family..i really really love HC:) We had song singing sessions and mass dance after the programmes..and although i forgot most of the dance..we just followed andre and jieying and it was so so so fun!!..and I could never have enough of the songs..they will be my fav always:) Of cos..any event is incomplete without photos..below are the photos taken with my fellow Hwa Chongians:)

me and Vernon

me and Gerald (our honorary secretary and HC nite's chairperson last year)

shimmie darling and me:)

Renie (my stand partner in HC strings who came down all the way from Sheffield and stayed with me..i had so much fun this weekend!!)

(me yangwen and yongbin and yanneng:)

me and Jiayan

me and Guansin
Jiayan me Andre (our chairperson) and yanneng:)
And our special guests for the nite..haha..the excess baggage people to came down to support:)

Gerrard me and Xinwei

Kelvin and me

HC will always be a special part of my memories and this part will definitely be one which will last a lifetime:)

Let it snow..let it snow..let it snow...

2007-02-08T19:39:00.000Z

Let it snow..let it snow...let it snow...
sigh...i don't know why I can't upload photos to my blog these few days..and the previous ones which I uploaded isn't showing..go to flickr to see my snowy photos!!:)

Let it snow..let it snow..let it snow...

photos with yanneng!

2007-02-03T00:31:00.000Z

Here are my favourite photos with u girl!!:)

motherly yanneng!!

our thin sideviews:)

sleepy me??

happily ever after:)

Lovely midlands weekend:)

2007-01-29T00:26:00.000Z

we had a lovely weekend trip to warwick this weekend:) The companion was great..i really enjoyed the company of the people who went on the trip with me:) We visited Warwick university, Coventry Town Centre with the coventry market and cathedral, had yummy fudge (esp the rum and raisins ones), a delicious dinner at Nandos (which is a portuguese restaurant and Jo & me topped up our dinner with a yummy mango sherbert), a chilled out time at Glasshouse, a local bar which turned into a club eventually, "interesting" (*grinz) TV shows in the hotel room, ending the day with a comfortable sleep :) On the second day, we visited Warwick castle (yes a castle!!! I was so excited..haha), a small town called leamington and went back to Warwick uni and home sweet home:) I really really enjoyed my trip!! The places we visited were not say fantastic, the castle was rather small and not as grand i've imagined it to be, but the companion was what really mattered!! I could talk comfortably with anyone on the trip and it was really a rather chilled out trip, no rushing, but just taking our time and really enjoying the scenery. Warwick university is so so so different from LSE!! It's a self-sufficient campus university and I would love to study ina place like that..away from all the hustle and bustle..and hectic london:) The towns we've visited are all so laid back and it just made me felt really comfortable. Our hosts are really warm too and they really treated us very well:) As i've visited three universities and towns out of london, the feelings they give me start to get repetitive and maybe it is now time to venture out of UK! But I wouldnt mind taking more trips to other parts of UK too..hee just give me a break from busy London.

I've really enjoyed myself! A lovely midlands weekend, with great companionship, a chilled-out trip and a refreshing treat for myself:) I'm looking forward to more weekend trips!:)

Of cos...How can I go anywhere without all these...

The sad trees..aren't they?

excess baggage the musical!

2007-01-21T17:17:00.000Z

last week was a really memorable week for me as i had rehearsals every night for excess baggage the musical and last thursday and friday were the actual performance nights..until now i still cant believe that it's over so quickly..and six mths have actually passed since we first met for rehearsals in singapore. It was really a dream come true for many of us esp gerrard and kelvin who came up with the idea and wrote the songs and scripts respectively..it was a dream come true for the main leads esp yangwen who cried at the curtain call..and i was there to witness the scene when she and kelvin, with tearful eyes, hugged each other. That moment was so genuine and touching..i guess i will never forget that moment...it was a dream come true for the swing casts, the sets, the director and us the musicians to be playing in such a wonderful musical. I guess most of us are probably suffering from withdrawal syndromes right now..haha..no more rehearsals and no more beng chye, shimin and elden...i missed the times when we were jamming in the jazz and rock rm in imperial college, when we sang alone with the music as others were playing their parts..every now and then, i still cant stop singing the tunes in the musical.:)

We celebrated the end of the musical with a late night supper at chinatown and a overly priced dinner at a singaporean restaurant called Kiasu. I heard that they are going to make a video of the musical..and i really cant wait to get the videos and the cast photos...i guess it's time to move on..but im sure everyone of us will remember excess baggage the musical.:) Here are a couple of photos taken before and after Friday's show:) Will put up more photos when i receive them:)

clockwise: florrine (the flutist) and me , yangwen and me (the female lead), xinwei (the male lead) gerrard and (the composer and pianist), natalie and me

gangwei (the guitarist) me and ivan (saxophonist) , florrine justin (my partner) and me

florrine and me, guansin and me, me and ian tan, me and shimmie

yiwen and me, ian tan yanneng me and ian cheng, winston and me, me and xinwei

me and yangwen, yanneng guansin and me, yanneng david (the bassist) and me, me and justin

next few weeks wont be free for me either as i have to do the decor stuff for hc nite..and yeah next weekend i'll be going warwick!:) hee..looking forward to the castle and shakespeare's birthplace:)..take care my friends!:)

new year-new start

2007-01-12T19:27:00.000Z

this is the first entry of the year..looking at the first entry i made last yr when i was so bogged down by the applications of uni, scholarships, internships, driving tuition, work and uncertainties..i should really be fortunate that now im already realising my dreams of studying overseas in one of the best colleges in the world and immersing myself in so much so much more that i could have never imagined last time...and after which i read all the previous entries in my blog..it's really interesting to read about the different stages of me and they really brought back a lot a lot of fond memories! haha..one entry was about how i was complaining studying has never been so difficult in the past during j2..and that's precisely the feeling i get now sometimes..but i often told my friends that A-levels seemed so much better. Perhaps after we've been thru that stage and looking back then, everything seemed so much easier. Perhaps in a few years time when I start working and when i look thru the blog entries at this stage of my life, i will also be smiling and having the same feeling:)

After reading my previous entries really made me feel very happy..hee..it's really good to reflect and reminisce about the past once in a while..only then can we know how lucky we are now and how much we have changed. I realised that I din blog alot during my A-levels..the number of entries in 2 years was only about 10...guess i was really too bogged down by studying and other stuff or maybe cos i had more friends to talk to in school. The number of entries grew last year when I became more free aft the A-levels...esp during my internship when I could blog nearly everyday cos i had so much free time and was feeling bored..haha..and when i came to london, blogging seemed to have become a weekly event. I guess I will keep it that way..unless i have more free time to spare. But i believe that blogging is really a good way for me to reflect on my life and to update my friends (and family) about me. So from now on, I will try to keep at least one night for me to reflect on what I've been thru the entire week and to remind myself of the beautiful and happy things in life:)

One thing which bothers me alot after reading thru my entries is that I have yet to really grow up. Becoming more mature and emotionally stronger has always been my new year resolution for the past years and yet it seems that I've yet to make it come true (esp the second one). I believe that I have become more mature these few years esp after I've seen so much more about life and have been thru quite alot of tests and uncertainties and life. But it seems like I am still a big step away from being strong (emotionally). ONCE AGAIN, this year I will put it as my new yr resolution and I really hope that by next yr when I look back, I can proudly tell myself that I have taken big steps towards it!:) I am confident it will esp since now I'm away from home.

Since I've mentioned new year resolution, well..i havent really had the time to think about my new yr resolution this yr..esp when I've been quite troubled over certain things at the beginning of the new yr (but everything is all right now:)...maybe i should list some possible ones here:

1. To be STRONGER!

2. To LOVE MYSELF even more, Be HAPPY and GRACIOUS!

(only when i love myself more then i can....)

3. To love those who LOVE me even MORE!

actually that's about all that i have cos I realise that with these 3, i will be able to achieve whatever i want:)

4. Oh ya one more TO STAY HEALTHY!

(im getting to unhealthy! must have more self-control:)

i was feeling really quite depressed when i first came back to london....really really depressed that i thought that my world is going to end...and now i know the reason for it....that is bcos at that point of time i've forgotten about how lucky i am and how so many people love me and treasure me...i've forgotten to be strong, to be happy, to be gracious and to love more!..so from now on...im going to put all the negative thoughts aside...i will constantly remind myself about all the beautiful and happy things which has happened to me and are happening on and around me at this moment. After writing all these.. my heart just feels really really light and happy and I'm smiling as I am typing..it seems like i've taken a big load off my heart and my mind...let's take a look at the beautiful things in life....

this

and of cos THESE!!

surprise surprise~

2006-12-17T06:03:00.000Z

Surprise Surprise!!

Happy cooking and preparing for the surprise!:)

The yummy food and the card:)

Shiqi and Me on the way to Xiaojun's house

And finally us and the birthday girl!:)

we've prepared I was so so so happy and touched that the surprise party for angeline went smoothly yesterday:) After two weeks of planning, checking out the prices of stuff at supermarkets, discussing and worrying about the food and the activities..it finally came true!..yeah..:)...The day began when Shiqi came to my house to bake cake and made the card for her. The cake was really ugly when it was first done..and luckily we managed to cover it with all the fruits and m&ms that it actually look real good!..hee..ego..after which we went to shop for all the groceries at bukit batok and went to xiaojun's house to prepare the food. We feel really proud of ourselves when we managed to cook the pineapple rice, boil and fry the dumplings, the seaweed chicken (with the help of her maid), cooked the veggie stir-fry and made the fruit salad and the almond jelly within 2.5 hours..hee..luckily xiaojun has a car and drove all of us to east coast. We blew balloons and decorated the pavilion. The wait was angeline was exciting and when she finally came, both me and shiqi took video of her and the whole class clapped and cheered.

To me, it was really touching that most of our class people managed to come down and this will be one of the very few times when we can gather so many people together, esp since angeline will be going to NZ next year and a few of the guys are also thinking of going overseas. I really miss all the times we've spent as a class and to me, the gathering was not only a surprise for angeline but a good opportunity for us to catch up with one another in the class.

yeah..after dinner and waiting for a few others to arrive, we went to nydc at suntec where we sat and talked. I totally enjoyed myself yesterday and I hope we'll still have more of such gatherings in the future even as we grow up. Although our paths will be split, but I believe there will be times when our paths will cross again and we will gather together once more:)

singapore here i come!

2006-12-10T16:14:00.000Z

I will be going back to singapore in less than 6 hrs..although the flight is going to take abt 13 hrs..which means 19 hours later..i will be able to see my parents!!..yeah yeah..im so happy..and i cant wait..london is getting really cold and im sick:(...i miss home a lot alot alot alot alot ALOT ALOT ALOT ALOT! I miss everyone of U!!!..hugs..see u all really really soon!:)

mambo jumbo

2006-12-04T00:05:00.000Z

last thursday was the clubbing event of Singsoc at Mambo Jumbo in Mayfair. haha..this is the first time i went clubbing!..xiufang came to my place before the event and she helped me straighten my hair using the hair-straightener..i miss my rebonded hair!:) and did my eyes for me..i really loved the eye colour she did for me!

me and xiufang

the event itself was quite boring in the beginning as we were the first few to arrive and people only started coming in at around eleven. After which, we danced and the guys bought me and yanneng beer..haha..i only drank two cm at the brim of the bottle..before i decided it was enough and shared my drink with the rest. Most of us din really know how to dance, so we were just swinging to the music and trying trying to dance something nice..haha..yanneng and i were twirling each other around!! One of my friends, Chih Chwen was super funny and he felt really dejected by a girl's comment abt his dance. And we discovered that some people really can dance! Come to think about it, the whole thing was really quite funny, how people just behave differently from when u see them in sch and one of my friend commented how i look so out of place with the beer bottle i was holding when i was dancing..i guess maybe clubbing just isnt the thing for me..can go occasionally though...:) And of cos, there was a lot of photowhoring....enjoy:)

pretty girls!...beverly, sukuen, jiayan, me, yen ngam, jennifer
more photos

more and more photos

Saturday I went out to get presents to bring back to Singapore and packed some of my stuff as I have to move out of my room during the holidays. And, I went to church for OCF Christmas Outreach. I really love the feeling of being in a church where it really allows me to quieten down and do some reflections. Maybe I should start going when I am not so busy after next year's Musical and Hwa Chong events.:) Oh ya do visit the website for the musical I'm playing in!:)
http://excessbaggage-themusical.com

sunday!

2006-11-27T02:09:00.000Z

sundays are usually rather boring for me as i stay at home and try to complete my hwk:) But not today! haha..went grocery shopping with my hallmates and haagen daz was having this offer 2 tubs for 5pounds!..and they have the special winter edition: Cappuccino Caramel Truffle which has huge chunks of truffle every bite i take..it's really really sinful! But really really yummy! I really must start exercising!..I love eating ice-cream in winter in my warm little room and the ice-cream here are generally quite cheap..i heard in winter ben & jerrys are priced at 1 pound each!!

After dinner, I met up with Xiufang and Shimmie at Covent Gardens...we were there at 7.30pm and all the shops have already closed:(...in the end..we took a little walk to chinatown, soho and Trafalgar's square before going to Shimmie's hostel to watch movie. The movie we watched is called Saving face. It is a show about a young lady who is a lesbian and her mother who loves a man twenty years old younger than she is and who is carrying the child of the man she loves. Both of them do not dare to show their feelings openly and suffer as a result of these. But eventually it was a happy ending as both got to be with the person they love. The actresses and actors are really good and the plot is interesting.

trafalgar's square

me xiufang and shim

strawbery traffle (one layer of cream, followed by one layer of custard, one layer of sponge cake and one more layer of strawbery jelly and strawberries! = 13.7g of fats divided among the three of us)

xiufang!

2006-11-27T02:01:00.000Z

xiufang came over on Friday night to bunk in with me:) we cooked lots and lots of food, played hilarious heart-attack and truth or dare with my hallmates, looked at past photos of friends and singapore and talked about our homesickness, school and everything under the sun..i really really enjoyed myself alot alot! Thank you girl:)..hee..and i really look forward to more of these sleepovers:D xiufang cooking
us with piggy:)
purplish shot
and of cos all the yummy food we had! The chocolate cake is really yummy, with overflowing hot fudge after it's warmed:) yumyum

homesick:(

2006-11-19T22:56:00.000Z

hyde park in autumn
walked past hyde park yesterday and it was really beautiful! Pity I couldnt take any photos cos I had too much things with me and I couldnt possibly put them down right in the middle of the road. So, I searched for some photos online. I would really love to spend an afternoon at hyde park, walking amongst the fallen leaves, feeling the wind across my face and smelling autumn. And all by myself, to spend some time with myself, to do some soul-searching and to have a beautiful retreat from the bustling city. I wish I had more time, perhaps I do, but there just seemed to be so much on my mind...so much that it gets on my nerves..so much that makes it so difficult for me concentrate or even to breathe some times. I hate the feeling which I'm getting right now and I really really hope that it's just a occasional mood swing...like those days out of a million other days when I just dont feel right. I know I am lucky to be blessed with so many things, to be able to study in a place which I've never dreamt of. I should really cherish what I have now and feel happy. Serene is really a lucky girl. I know..but I just cant help feeling down. Perhaps, all those whom I'm closest to are not by my side, the bug of homesickness is attacking me, but on the bright side:) only 3 weeks more till I return to my cosiest home, my dearest family and friends. I will be counting down each and everyday...

beautiful nottingham

2006-11-12T22:31:00.000Z

this picture look like a painting..nottingham is so so so so pretty!
a group of student walking around the beautiful campus (haha..And we were trying to sell milo and sandwich along the way)
artistic tree
me beverly and charmaine:)

nottingham is really one of most beautiful uni in uk..i really love the fresh air, the green grass, the blue sky and the autumn leaves..fallen leaves are really very romantic..but the sad thing is that i had to wake up at 330am..after only 2 hours of sleep..and we got trashed really badly for the netball tournament:s..haha..well we had fun playing and i exercised..yeah:) after which i went to help out at the hwa chong nite stall where we were selling choco-coated peanuts and cornflakes..baked chicken..sausages..fried rice and teh terik..haha..and i kept eating while iwas selling..haha..patronising our stall and the raffles& singsoc stall beside us:)..hee..the choco coated stuff are really yummy...i will make when i go back to singapore hee..after which i went around with some of my rj friends to sell milo and sandwiches along the way to the sports centre..and took lots of pretty photos. At the sports centre i watched the basketball finals together with yanneng..we were talking more than we were watching..haha..and we spent half of the time trying to figure out whether one of the players from ucl was our friend, xinwei who looked different when he was not wearing specz..and i stayed thru the prize presentation and talking to xiufang...felt really proud for her when she got FIRST for squash!..she's as pro as usual..hee..after that we went back to portland building for dinner..and the queue was super long..we were one of the last lucky fews who got the dinner..dinner was great or was it bcos I was too hungry..haha..then we bid goodbye to Nottingham and our friends from other UK colleges and embark on our 3.5 hours bus ride back to London..by the time i got home it was 12.30..super tired:s..and i slept all the way to 10 plus..i wished i had more time to go to the city centre and explore more parts of nottingham..and look at more beautiful things in life:)

nottingham

2006-11-12T22:19:00.000Z

zhi-an who was with me on the 6 hour bus ride! to and fro:) hee..found out lots of interesting stuff abt her (her dad trained her and her sis Wu Shu every weekend and she took Jap for A-levels! must really learn jap from her..hehe)..and got to know her better. And her eyes are so big! I'm envious heeour netball team
manu xiufang and me..so happy to see them! and lots of old friends like jasmine, ke xian, shihan, nicholas...
yanneng me vernon and winston at the sports centre..all squashed...haha

Video from the fireworks:)

2006-11-05T01:42:00.000Z

here's the video from the fireworks, enjoy!:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXIsWyyxGm8

~such a eventful day~

2006-11-05T01:20:00.000Z

i love my saturdays!! As it is the time when i really get to play, relax and enjoy london:)..hee..played netball in the morning in track pants and a jumper at a low temp of 7 degrees outdoors..but it was not too cold cos of the sun and the heat when running..hehe..after which i tried jogging back to my hall to keep myself warm:)..i really feel happy after exercising..hee..then had oats with milo (nice combi!) before i set off to meet Candy, my pri school classmate. And it is so amazing that we bearly spoke to each other in class and in the last seven years but yet we are now going out together in London!! And we had so much to talk abt and i really enjoyed all the gossips about each other and our classmates..haha...im so glad that we got to spend a great time together and i really hope there will be more..hehe..

photo we took at Mango

After which, I met up with the cast of the musical at South Kensington and we took our ultra long trip to Battersea Park. We nearly waited half and hour for the bus cos we missed 3 along the way :S..luckily we didnt miss any part of the firework

the photo we took while waiting: me shim jiayun and yong bin

After which, we got to Battersea and met up with Yang Wen who cycled there. She is really such a cute senior! Her laughter is contagious..hehe

me and Yang Wen

The best part was of cos the FIREWORKS! it was the most beautiful and exciting fireworks I've seen in my entire life. It was half an hour long and there were really alot of varieties, like my fav was the one which looked like fireflies flying all over the sky, it really looked very cute!! And there were others like coloured stars dropping from the sky, curly snaky ones, raining gold glitters and lots and lots more...it's really hard to describe in words..haha..after the fireworks, we went to tour the food stalls at the carnival, but didnt buy anything cos it was too crowded. Then, we walked along Albert Bridge to get to the other side of the Thames. Along the way, Jiayun and Shimmie bought piping hot hotdogs that tasted really good! And we took a photo with it..haha..shimmie was as usual very very high and we were entertained by their singings all the way to South Kensington tube. After which, we went to Chinatown for supper. I had this egg and duck crispy noodles and I am really full now. When I came back to hall, it was nearly twelve and I could still see fireworks out of my window..think they were still setting off more fireworks by the Thames..I love Guy Fawks aka Bonfire night!:)

me, jiayun and shimmie

more photos of fireworks

2006-11-05T01:13:00.000Z

bonfire on bonfire nite (it look like sunrise right?)
one of the clearer photos i took
speckles of light with loads of people
albert bridge at nite..look so glassy!

chef serene

2006-11-04T00:08:00.000Z

Salmon with ginger, garlic and a tinge of orange
Pek Chai, Tofu, Seaweed, Egg and dried scallop soup
Stir fry diced chicken breast with capsicum, chilli and mushrooms
tomato, egg and mushroom noodles

chef serene whipped up a really great meal for herself today after her first trial last weekend with salmon (which gained the approval of her neighbours) and healthy veg soup...and for dinner today she made yummy homely noodles and stirred fry diced chicken (with the recipe from her neighbour) and it tasted superb haha according to chef ser:) She topped up her dinner with a Cadbury Lolli ice-cream and one whole bowl of grapes.

haha..felt really proud of myself that i can make decent meals now.:)Guess the hands-on experience with my cooking group really helped and now im inventing my own dishes..hee..and i am really getting piggy now with the cold weather...think it's 1 degree outside now and my heaters are not working..cold cold cold..im in a fridge!! I like the feeling of wearing thick layers of clothes but i dont like it to be so cold. I really cant imagine how it would be like in January and luckily i will still have one month of sunshine and warmth in Singapore.:)

Yeah..i love weekends! I always try to finish my impt hwk during the week so that I can really relax and enjoy myself during the weekends. Tomoro I will be having netball in the morning, followed by lunch with Candy (my pri sch classmate), then shopping with xiufang and if im not dead by then, I may be going to watch the fireworks at this place called Batterson Park. 5th Nov is Guy Fawkes Night which commemorates the failure to kill a protestant king in UK. Every year, there will be a splendid display of fireworks and I heard it is really beautiful and long. Well, that all depends on how it goes tomoro...

i really miss all of u girls in singapore..hugs..i really need them!!..i need the WARMTH when it is so so so cold:s....

more photos:)

2006-10-31T09:47:00.000Z

jo, sharon and me
jonathan, shim, me and jiayan
rachel, eva, charmain, me and eva's friend

me, beverly and yanneng (scared look)

fright nite~

2006-10-31T09:39:00.000Z

went for fright nite yesterday nite..it was fun..hee..although the waiting time was quite long..and my original partner apparently backed out..so i nv got to know who this mysterious guy was (each girl was supposed to pair up with a guy)..and joanne's partner also din come..so we ended up pairing with one another..and we were the most freaked out pair of all i think..haha..we nearly screamed at all the stations..and Mervin who was in the group before us scared us for two times..the first time he just slid out on the ground when we opened one of the doors on the corridor..it was super super scary!!...The whole fright night we had people scaring us from behind, grabbing our legs and hands, screaming at us while wearing a white dress(shimmie!!), making us eat disgusting stuff like eyeballs and bits of banana in red syrup..haha..the other option was coffee liquorice which was even worse!...making us find broken body parts in the toilet..and scaring us in the process dressing up like a geisha...and in the last station, we were blind-folded and had to cross obstacles and endure "spirits" grabbing us and that finished off with andre wearing a white mask and scared me until I was off-balance when i took out the blindfold. haha..after that was a whole lot of photo-whoring..took photos with some of the ghosts..hee..and that marks the end of my nite...enjoy the photos:) hee

triston, yanneng, me and johnathan

me, yanneng, chi chwan, ian tan, simon and ian cheng

me, andre, yanneng and jiayun

yanneng, me and bo jing

my pretty coat

2006-10-24T22:06:00.000+01:00

hehe..shall put a picture of my pretty coat according to angeline's request:) haha..i'll take a photo of me wearing it the next time:)..hee.it will look nicer..haha..ego:x

full view

the frills

my neighbours

2006-10-21T23:10:00.000+01:00

wow..it's really fast that a week has passed!!...hee..was really happy today when i got my coat from topshop..have been looking so long for a short black coat that's sleek and nice..hee..im so excited when i got it finally at last..although it really cost a bomb!!!..nearly 60 pounds...:S..i promised myself after that that im not going oxford street (equivalent to orchard road in singapore) ever again..except perhaps to buy christmas presents before i go back to singapore..and i really must start and seriously start to be more focused on my work...went for netball training in the morning for nottingham games..it is an annual sports event organised by singsoc of different universities in UK..and it will be held in nottingham..hee..that's another place in uk..yeah..which means i can visit another place in uk..hee..it will be held on 11th nov...oh ya and yesterday nite my neighbour elizabeth cooked for us and we had a mini get-to-know party with the rest of the people on our floor..hee elizabeth was from ghana..but she stayed in new york since she was 16..and now she's doing her masters...the spaghetti she cooked was really delicious..she added basil instead of the usual tomato sauce we add..and carler, one of the other girl on our floor made salad for us..and this is the first time in my life that i tasted beetroot..hee..it's sweet!!..haha.i din know...we had really great dessert..with a large fruit tart, chocolate cake..chocolate cookies and crunchies..hee..and strawberries..yum yum..we chatted all the way from 8 to 10..it was really a great get to know session..and i got to discover a lot of secrets of my neighbours like adam from taiwan used to weigh 100 kg when he was in secondary school...and now he's like 60 plus..wow...and his story about how he doesnt eat for 5 days consecutively every week and only ate during the weekends..so that he can lose 1 kg per week..and it's out of his own will..not under the advice of any doctors wor!!..that requires so much self-control!!..and there's ghiom..hmm dont really know how to spell..from paris who lives on coke..he can just drink coke for lunch!!!..there were so many interesting stuff...haha..and both of them showed us their childhood photos..although they are all much older than me..about 6 years..but we still have a lot of common stuff to talk about..hee and we were talking about ben and jerrys ice-cream too..haha..i like my neighbours:)...

clockwise: carler serving food, yummy spaghetti and salad, me with carler, from right: Ghiom, me, Elizabeth, Zheng Lei, Adam:)

Cambridge!

2006-10-15T20:25:00.000+01:00

A collage of pretty cambridge

I arrived at cambridge at 2pm on Sat, after which I followed Jiechao, my family friend, to her college. She's at newhall and on the way I got to know that we can pratically walk to everywhere in Cambridge..hee guess it's really a small town..after which she brought me on a college tour to some of the most prominent colleges like Kings, Trinity, Trinity College, Caies, St John..all the colleges seem to have this rule that all students should not step on the grass, they will be expelled if they do so. And I heard they trim the grass everyday or so and that's why they look so pretty in every college. ALso, the architecture in every college is different, some colleges have the river Cam through them while some do not. I like trinity the most and i heard it's the richest out of all, their meals and accomodation are heavily subsidised and they give out scholarship generously. But well, it's very hard to get in too. Oh ya, I also fed the ducks along the way hee..so fun!

After the college tour I met up with Grace, the one I went with to Cambridge. She went punting while I was doing my college tour. Punting is a game whereby u use a very long stick to manoveure a boat down river. You have to stick the long stick into the river bed to move the boat. It seems really fun but pity I din get a chance to try it. The tour was nice too..hee..After which we went to her friend, Andre's room at trinity. His room is about two times the size of my room, im so envious. hee then he brought us to Trinity's dinner. It is not the formal kind whereby all the diners have to wear their academic robes, but it is held in that kind of harry porter hall (maybe not so big) and the food is sumptous! We had french onion soup for appertiser, im sure there was red wine inside:) pork chop with broccoli, cauliflower and potato for main course and bread and butter pudding for dessert. hee yummy yummy. I couldnt take a photo of the place and the fruit as it was not allowed in the dining room. After feeding ourselves, we went to the trinity bar where they played a game on the quiz machine, so me and grace just watched with everyone else who crowded around the machine. Everyone was so smart and there are bound to be someone who knows the answer to any of the quiz. After that we went back to Andre's room while I had to wait for Jiechao to come pick me up to go back to her hall. We listened to music, chatted and drank fresh apple juice made in an apple farm owned by trinity. It is the nicest apple juice I've ever drank..hee..The guys who stayed on the same floor as Andre popped over and they are all doing math at cambridge except for one. They are fun people and they cant stop discussing math prob no matter whether they are at the dining room or Andre's room, guess they are really enthu and passionate about what they are doing.

After which Jiechao finally came to pick me up at Trinity and we walked back to her hall. It was colder in Cambridge then in London. Jiechao has a lot of work to do, pity she's doing Bio Natural Science, so she had to finish two physio essays by 3pm on Sunday. And she has tons of homework from Cellular BIology, Chemistry and Math. That's like doing trip sci without physics. I'm so glad Im not doing them anymore. I think I've made the right choice hee..so we din really have time to talk much and we slept at about 12 pm. And this morning, we got woken up by the fire alarm! I thought it was her alarm clock haha They seem to have fire drills very often at Cambridge and it is super irritating that it kept running for about twenty min maybe cos no one bothered to get up except a few. I heard they must see enough people b4 they will stop the alarm.We forced ourselves to get up but by the time we were ready to go out, it stopped..oh well..haha..Then, we made breakfast together with Shuanglin, her senior, and Chen Yu who's doing Math. SHe was from S3 in hwa chong. hee nice to meet familiar people around. Although we din talked to each other at HC but we hit it off quite well and she's a cute and friendly girl. After breakfast, I used her laptop for a while and I left for the coach station, and of cos doing some window shopping along the way. hee and the coach left for london at 12.45 i reached london victoria station at about 3pm. SO thatmarks the end of my cambridge tour.

Well my feelings about cambridge: I feel that Cambridge is really very very different from LSE. In cambridge, you feel that you are in a university town, well it is, and sort of away from all the rush and fury of a city, the peak hours, the working crowd. Most of the people there seem to be students or tourists. It is really a very good place to study, very quiet and serene hee..but at the same time. Students there are really enthusiastic about what they are studying and they really have a lot alot of homework and lecture hours..maybe it's just jiechao I'm not sure. In a way it's good as it keeps you off from the temptations of the bustling citylife like they probably only have the city centre to do their shopping, and it really helps you to concentrate on ur studies. BUt in another way, I fear that they may lose their contact with the real world, the world that is moving so fast and happening. That's the feeling I get and I'm definitely not criticising them. It is just completely different from london. In london, there may also be the possibility of losing oneself in such a happening place. It is really up to the individual I guess and we really have to know our reason for being here and we have to exercise self control. Which is what I have to do now. I feel that I've been spending too long cooking everyday. Maybe it takes longer in a group and perhaps I should only join them on certain days like Friday and when I'm less busy. I really should be using my time wisely as there is so many opportunities here and there is so much to learn. There are talks happening in lse everyday and I would really like to attend them. Tomoro lessons will be starting in full swing :S...Ganbatte neh Serene..hee..

in library

2006-10-11T09:53:00.000+01:00

well..i'm sitting in the library now waiting for lecture to start..had to come to sch earlier cos i've got an interview..well hope it's ok...went for faith the musical orchestra practice on mon..the name of the musical has been changed..it's called excess baggage now cos apparently someone already copyrighted the name faith the musical..yest went grocery shopping with my hallmates and we formed our cooking group...gonna try it out for a week first cos i'm super lazy to cook everyday..and their budget is apparently only 50p per person per meal...that's 2 pounds in total as there are 4 of us...really quite miserable i think..later will be having AGM for SingSoc..and on weekends, I'm going to CAMBRIDGE! yeah..im super excited to see the place..the scenery is so nice from the photos!! Gonna stay at my friend's room..hee..will take lots of photos and show u all:) I have to go for lecture le..tata:) happy..hee

sweet waiyin!!

2006-10-08T19:21:00.000+01:00

It's really really really super duper sweet of waiyin to send me such a big parcel in london! I was super shocked when i see the parcel at the reception. It's nearly one metres tall and 50 cm wide!!! And when i opened the parcel, three sweet balloons flew out of it:) Thank you girl! You are my sweetest friend ever!!!:) Thank you for specially making this arrangement for me in london and you really made me feel very loved. I should have received the balloons on my bday but guess i was really blur that i didn't know how to check the white board which states the room no of those with parcels and registered mails. But anyway, it is still such a BIG BIG BIG surprise and i guess you are the only one who has sent me such a BIG parcel and it's definitely going to be a memorable note of my stay in London. THANK YOU GIRL! I was really touched, REALLY!

Mom left yesterday, there were tears in my eyes when I bid goodbye to her on the Heathrow express, but i guess after a while, I'm begining to get used to it, walking home alone, cooking, taking the bus and eating alone. I dont feel very sad now, because from yesterday until now I've felt so loved talking to mom, dad, my dear, shimmie and waiyin on the phone. They really made me feel so much better and I know that I'm not alone. It is also really nice to see the class photo taken on MAF, it really brought back fond memories of every single person in class and our teachers. It is really great to see everyone looking so well, healthy and happy.Although I cannot be with u all, my heart will always be with u guys.

Today i went for the Hwa Chong night meeting. Hwa Chong night is an important event that is held every year in UK to allow Hwa Chongians to get together and also to ask friends of other colleges to join in the fun. This year is the 10th anniversary of Hwa CHong night, it is going to be a Prom cum MAF event. I'm in the committee organising Hwa CHong night this year, me and Yan Neng will be the Decor I/C. THus, we'll be in charge of decorating the place, making banners and also sourcing for door gifts. Guess it will be pretty exciting.hee although both of us cant really draw that well, but we'll seek the help of our friends who can do so. I believe it will be a good chance for fellow Hwa Chongians to bond together while working with each other during the preparations. I also heard there will be a mini-MAF celebration organised by Hwa Chongians that's coming soon..yay:) While I really hope to contribute to the SIngaporean group in LSE, I'm also eager to meet friends and join in activities with friends of other nationalities, guess I'll really try to strike a balance bet these two:)I guess my stay in UK will definitely not be boring, I believe that it will be fulfilling:)

Once again, thank you Waiyin for everything:) Hugs..Miss you lots!

my birthday:)

2006-10-05T21:57:00.000+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME:)

today is my birthday:) my first bday in London:) guess i'll be celebrating my next two bday in london. Actually i didn't really do anything special today, but u know everytime when it's your bday, u just can't stop feeling happy and lucky, that's the feeling i had for most of today..hee..a lucky bday girl..today is just special although it may seem ordinary like any other days. In the morning, I woke up pretty late cos I only have one lecture (which is one hour) at 4pm. And i have completely no mood to study although things are already piling up cos mommy is here and i really want to spend more time with her before she will go back to spore on sat..so i will leave all the studying to sat..i have to! cos my assignment is due on sun:x..we did laundry in the morning..There are washing machines in the laundrette which costs 1.60 pounds per wash..i've kind of stop converting it to Sing cos it's scary...there are also dryers which cost 20 pence per dry since london doesnt have much sun..but my clothes are still damp after 2 rounds of drying in the dryer..pretty sad right..after which, mommy helped me iron my clothes and vacuum my floor..i'll have to do everything myself next time!:( in the afternoon i went for my statistics lecture which is really very boring and the lecturer spent 3/4 of the lecture telling his long story abt statistics..not very useful..after which, mom and i went to china town..we bought lots of food from the supermarket there..they sell a lot of singaporean food, sauces and mixtures..even Magi Mee and Yeos just tea! hee..after which we went for dinner at a chinese restaurant called 翠屯亭（cui dun ting ）the tofu seafood claypot is yummy but the chinese hotplate beef was quite disappointing..but i still enjoyed the dinner..yummy..and i was telling my mom how i used to celebrate my bday every year in a western restaurant but this year in a chinese restaurant in london:) I guess u really start to treasure things more when u don't see them everyday. Well, i'm one year older..this year is going to be special because i will learn to be more independent and really take good care of myself when i'm in London..i believe i will do a good job:) Really thank my dear (who is always the first), Waiyin, Peilin, Zi chao, Yu jie (whom I've nv seen in HC but have become really good friends with when we came to london. She gave me a packet of cashew nut covered with yogurt which is yummy) and Han han (my new Taiwanese friend) and of cos my Mommy, Daddy, lovely grandparents, my aunts and my cousin who wished me happy birthday. Love u guys lots. Thank u:)

LONDON photos!

2006-10-04T00:02:00.000+01:00

yeah i've finally posted my photos on flickr..alto not all of them (cos i really took a lot)..but I chose my favourites:) Enjoy my friends! hee

the link is http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinklebells/ just in case the flickr badge doesn't work:p

in london

2006-10-03T10:15:00.000+01:00

woah..this is the first time i'm updating from london..so sorry haven been able to do so cos i was really busy with orientation..registering for this and that..going to the banks the telcom shops and of cos lots and lots of sightseeing with my parents..i've taken so many photos but have yet to have the time to upload onto flickr..i promise i will definitely upload soon in the next few days and u all will be able to share with me the sights and sounds of london:) last week the first day when we arrived, we were having jet lag so badly that we slept from 5pm in the evening to 6am the next day..then we went to the buckingham palace the westminster church, trafalgar's sq and the national art gallery:) then lse for registration and school induction..after that we went to chinatown for dinner..the food in london really really sux..they sell sandwich everywhere and they are not nice!..plus the western food is so oily that the sight of it gives me distaste:( on the third day, it was the lse day..i went to lse for departmental induction..following it is the fresher's fair..it costs 1/2 pounds to join every society but for sports it cost 10 pound each..that's really ex so in the end i din join any sports..but joined others like music, dance, finance, business, japanese club (where they are going to provide free jap lessons!) hee..and some others..it's not compulsory to join and i dont have to go for all their events..which is good..i can just go for those which i enjoy:) yup then on the 4th day we went to the london eye and the river cruise..it's the most enjoyable moment i've had..the river cruise travels down thames river, passing by all the impt attractions along the way..like the big ben, london tower,tate modern, st paul's cathedral..and lots more..really so much to see..and so beautiful! i really love the architecture in london...then after which we went to tate modern, st paul's cathedral and the british museum..i love british museum..it really makes me "wow" when i first stepped in..it has alot of treasures from all over the world..asia..europe..america..ancient egypt..middle east and so on..again so much to see yet so little time..after which we head on to chinatown again for seafood horfan which is yummy..then on the 5th day...went to the camden passage market which sells antiques and jewellery and chapel market which sells fresh fruits with my mom..which are both near my place..my place is nearby to the tube station, three supermarkets, a large shopping mall with cinema and two markets and there's chi buffet too..im going to try it someday!:) then afternoon daddy left for singapore...we sent him to the paddington station where he took the heathrow express to the airport..i really miss him a lot alot now..on sunday we went to the British museum again cos mom and I both like it alot alot..after which we went shopping at oxford street and Harrods!..they really sell a lot of things but they are very expensive..so in the end we bought some chocolates and pastries which are yummy..yesterday school started..i like econ lecture as the lecturer is funny and interesting but the accountancy lecture was kind of boring..hope it will get better..and today im having three lectures aft that at 12pm to 3pm..hope they will be enjoyable..

there are eight other singaporeans staying at my hall..some of us walk to school together..and i've visited them in their rooms..it makes me feel safe to have ppl from the same backgrounds..but at the same time i would like to know people from other countries..my neighbour was from ghana but she stayed in new york since she was 16..she's a postgraduate..actually most of my neighbours are postgrad as most of the undergrad are at the other wing of the hostel..but i believe there are plenty of opportunities for me to get to know them more..like for the music society..i met a hall mate from vienna austria.vienna it's like the city of music..i talked to her along the way back to hall and found out alot about the country which i would nv have known from my textbooks..everyone in vienna plays at least one instrument:)...i've also talked to people from taiwan hongkong france thailand of cos england..hehe..i guess that's the thing about studying overseas..there are plenty of chances to meet people from all over the world esp at lse where 70% of the student population are international students...i'm really looking forward to meeting more:) I really miss all of u back home...and all the thing about singapore..we are really pampered in spore..my girlfriends in spore are the ones whom no one can replace even as i meet new people..i know it will nv be the same..u girls are whom i can always cling on and i feel comfortable with..love u and miss u all lots! hugs...must keep in contact:) i will upload the photos soon

last day in singapore

2006-09-25T07:20:00.000+01:00

today is my last day in singapore. Will be leaving tonight for London in less than 10 hrs...i'm having mixed feelings now..excited about living and studying in a new country..sad about having to leave my dearest and my close friends..and although my parents are going with me..i will be leaving them too in a short time..scared about being in a new environment, having to be the minority in the country and stepping out of the safe and and comfortable singapore..perhaps it is really the time for me to grow up, to be more independent and to see the world on my own. I am really fortunate i must say..how many people actually have such chances to pursue their dreams..and i have felt really loved during the past few weeks...hanging out with my closest friends..catching up and reminising the past..going out with my dearest who has left me with so many memories and showered me with so much love..and of cos spending time with my parents and they just left a very meaningful note in my notebook which i'm going to carry with wherever i go (of cos there are also all the neoprints of my dearest friends!) I can tell that my parents really cant bear to leave me but they have to let go now that their one and only daughter has grown up..i'm sure this will be a very difficult time for them too..To lessen their worries, i must really take good care of myself and work hard:) the parting will be painful but it is sweet too because i am on my way to pursue my dreams with the love and support of so many people. To my all the important people in my life: Don't feel too upset, instead feel happy for me for I am now living my dreams :D I will treasure you guys and look forward to my return wor..hugs:)

Bye! Keep in contact and remember my smile:)

happy bday dear:)

2006-09-22T17:33:00.000+01:00

happy birthday my dear..thank you for such a memorable day:)

my oldest friend:)

2006-09-21T16:06:00.000+01:00

spent a day with my oldest friend waiyin:) it was really fun!..shopping..chatting..gossiping..laughing..taking neoprints and photos..visited her dorm too..haha it was messy but quite cosy..hehe..and helped her to stick her photos on her wall..next time must stick mine in the middle of the heart k girl:)..im really happy that we are still so close after so many years...yay no one will ever replace u in my heart girl..u have been there throughout and we've grown up together and seen all the different faces of each other..our most embarrasing moments..our first crush..first love..blind worshipping of idols..making prank calls to u-know-who..haha...i still remember..helping out at BSC..taking lots and lots of neoprints together..thank you girl for being there at all these memorable moments..love ya!

i am blessed

2006-09-20T17:20:00.000+01:00

was packing my room today..put away all my A-levels tys into boxes and sealed it with masking tape..perhaps that signifies a new beginning for me..perhaps it's time to move on and stops clinging on too much to the past (besides my dearest friends) hee..yup so what if i have performed well in the past..it's all in the past..i have to look ahead and start to prepare myself mentally to work hard..it's not going to be easy esp since now im diving into something which i have nv done before..it's not going to be easy having to fulfil the requirements of my scholarship provider..it's not going to be easy when i have to cope with all these all on my own..it's not going to be easy..i have to be mentally prepared for all these..as the parting become nearer..it suddenly dawn on me that i'm going to leave everything and everyone i have been so familiar with..i haven't really felt sad since i knew that im going away..until today this morning..i started to feel melancholic..i started to worry..but well being the optimistic girl i have always been, i'm not any near the verge of breaking down..i'm still happy and excited at the same time..like what my mom was telling me yest..i am really fortunate..i should be really thankful for everything i've been blessed and i am..really i am..i am blessed with such wonderful parents who are willing to give everything to me..i am blessed with such great friends who are always there for me..i am blessed with such caring teachers who have been so encouraging and willing to help me..i am blessed with the opportunities of having been in such good schools which have moulded me into who i am today..i am blessed with that special someone who has been supporting me always..i am really a blessed girl..i am really thankful for everything..i have made my choice and i have already walked my first steps...now it's time to take even bigger steps...start running and even flying...i will put in my best..for myself and for all which i've been blessed:) thank you all and thank you god:p

friends forever:)

2006-09-19T11:11:00.000+01:00

was reading qi's blog just now,im really touched by the things she said:...( really miss all the times we've had together in jc..alto it was only two years, i'm so glad that i managed to find such a great friend who is always there for me encouraging me along..helping me to tide over the most difficult times and sharing all my joy and sorrow with me..i really miss all the bus journeys back home..all the loitering around west mall before our community services..all the studying and food hunts before Math S papers..all the exam preparations..the shopping sessions..the nail painting and makeover before prom..all the phone calls..msges..and alotalot more..all the times we've spent together...i'm really thankful for all these...and u and angeline will definitely be one of my best friends always:) I believe we'll always think of one another wherever we might be:)

To all my dearest friends, each one of you have been an important part of my life, i really cannot imagine life without anyone of you, hope the flame of friendship will continue burning..always and friends forever!

my fav mooncake:)

2006-09-19T11:02:00.000+01:00

went shopping with mommy just now and bot my fav mooncake from raffles the plaza:) yummy champagne, crunchy chocolate, bailey's cream and rum & raisin chocolate:) tried every single flavour and they are all superb compared to the all the rest i tried at taka..yumyum can't wait to eat..and i love taka during the mid autumn season cos we got to try all the mooncakes from different hotels. After the mooncake sampling, mom and I were quite full, but we still got egg tarts from crystal jade and the hokkien mee & beef noodles from food republic..yummy yum..im really becoming quite a glutton...:x

i love swensons' ice-cream

2006-09-17T17:00:00.000+01:00

went to swenson's with my parents for dinner:) I really love the ice-cream at swensons..think it's even nicer than haagen daz and of cos much cheaper..the flavours i love are cookies and cream..mocha almond fudge..malted chocolate..lime sherbet..yum yum..hehe..im really turning into a greedy pig..then went to watch the banquet after that, it was quite good i think..alto the emperor really and seriously looks comical..my dad kept laughing everytime he appeared..if u have watched before the shows the actor has acted in, it's completely different from this..he's such a great comedian but definitely not a great emperor to be..zhang ziyi or should i call her ziyi zhang is as cool and professional as before, somehow she's really able to portray each character well and her martial art and dance skills really can wow the crowd..wu yan zu is very handsome and i'm really amazed at the improvement of his chinese..he couldnt speak well last time but now he pronounces every single word accurately..zhou xun is quite pretty and she's able to act very well too..her character is a girl devoted to the prince (wu yan zu)..i like her voice although my mom doesnt..it's low and husky..:)..really had a great evening with my parents..i will definitely treasure the time i have with them..really gonna miss them a lot a lot alot...:)..hugs

farewell party!

2006-09-16T11:35:00.000+01:00

had a really great party last night at east coast:) it's really very touching to see all my friends whom i've invited coming down all the way from the nus/ntu/toa payoh/driving centre/fort canning despite the long journey and the inconvenient location:) Thank you ALL everyone of you. Hope you have enjoyed yourselves yesterday and really hope we can keep in contact when im in london and i will definitely come and bug you all when i come back to singapore! really gonna miss you all a lot a lot a lot, hug hug. i've uploaded the photos to flickr, do take a look at them:)

still in a happy mood:)

2006-09-14T16:04:00.000+01:00

Serene is again in a happy mood today:) Jamming session was fun!!! It was really great to get to know so many talented seniors who are so passionate about music. And they are really helpful to me, the youngest member of the crowd, helping me with the scores and melody, hope I didnt give them too much trouble:p. I really enjoyed myself today and we did recordings too. Now I really look forward to forming the whole orchestra in London and having more jamming sessions. Here's the link to Faith the musical's website:) Feel free to take a look: http://faiththemusical.blogspot.com/

I'm looking forward to the party tomoro:) shall rest earlier..night night

~control My appetite

2006-09-13T15:42:00.000+01:00

im having a huge appetite these days, seriously huge! ate nearly a whole packet of M&Ms for breakfast, 3 slices of pizza for lunch, 6 midjoints for dinner after which finishing up my M&Ms, a whole big peach and bah kua! oh my, what's happening to me? I can just eat and eat non-stop without feeling a tinch of fullness, though my face seems to get rounder:(

well wanted to do something constructive today, like reading a book and playing my violin, in the end, i spent the whole afternoon receiving songs from lin, browsing thru the london tourism websites and printing photos of my dearest friends, mommy daddy and relatives. I will bring all these photos with me to london, it's just like carrying their love for me everywhere i go:p yeah..hehe..and after which i helped my mom to teach her student and watched tv till 10pm haha..well, how many more days of such life will i have? not much, hee so gonna enjoy them:)

the next few days will be fun:) will be having jamming session for Faith the Musical (it's a production by Singaporean students from University of London to raise fund for the Singapore Children Cancer Foundation which will be staged in London in next February) tomorrow, my first jamming session with the music group, couldnt make it last week because i was sick, well hope tomorrow will be fine, although i haven't touched my violin for long and i guess i really have a lot to learn from the seniors. Well, I'll go in with a positive mind set and like what my senior it's faith that bring us together and pushes us to move on:) I'm quite excited about it as this will be the first time I'll be involved in a musical and I have a chance to perform in London! and Moreover, last time my combined strings concert with RJ was also to raise fund for the same group of children. I will put in my best and hope I will be able to put in my part:)

On Friday, I'm going to have my farewell party at East Coast Resort. I have invited my closest friends and really hope that it will be fun and we can all catch up with one another before I leave.Life is beautiful:)

happy

2006-09-11T18:48:00.000+01:00

just finished editing the template of my blog:) just felt like playing with the html and adding stuff..and i'm really proud of my new layout..think it's 100 times nicer than the old one..went out with qi for dinner at west mall..really din see her for very long time le...we did a lot of catching up and i really enjoyed the time spent together..it brings back fond memories when we used to linger around at west mall before community services..love you girl:)
yeah tomoro will be going ice-skating and watching little man..better go rest earlier so that i'll look pretty and fresh tomoro..hehe..tata..good nite my darling blog:)

~sick~

2006-09-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

have been sick the past three days..so have been staying at home...watching full house..sleeping and eating..wanted to cele bday with peilin today de....feel so guilty not being able to go..it's like we've planned for such a long time and kept delaying it also..then now when the day comes for me to appear..i'm bitten by the stupid flu virus..wanted to do a lot things like spending time with my best friends..and eating all the nice food that i wanted...today serene is really touched..thank you yin!..you are definitely my oldest closest and best friend..although we may not go out or talk to each other very often, but i believe that deep in our hearts..we care alot about each other and we are all irreplaceable in each other's hearts:) and we'll always be there for each other.. love you girl and will miss you lots de..hugs my dearest friend:)

since i cant do anything..shall continue to watch my show le...Full house is very nice..tata

~Happy girl~

2006-09-02T15:14:00.000+01:00

Serene is a happy girl these 2 days, she was showered with gifts from her dearest:p thank you mom, thank you dear for such a sweet and wonderful day:) the hotair balloon was memorable and all the food we ate!!! yum yum..though we have a long time deciding which bierks to get, i love my blue small flowery print..yeah..although you liked another one...oh and mom just got me a super cute rice cooker..haha..looks like all the moms are getting that for their daughters who are going away..i love you mom:)

The stuff i got:)

and i had a super huge appetite today and i was thinking about how little chances i'll have to enjoy the food in spore before 25 sep and how i may have to live on disgusting western and self-cooked food when i get to london..wantan mee actually costs 5 pounds!!..

here is my favourite (at this moment) mango ice from ice monster

i passed!

2006-08-30T15:24:00.000+01:00

yeah i passed my driving!!!! i can't believe i'm a qualified driver..lalala..all i need is a car..haha..Serene is a happy girl again (at least in the morning) I love tester Moh.:)

thank you!:)

2006-08-22T14:20:00.000+01:00

i'm much better now, dont worry k my friends, thank you waiyin and shiqi who have shown that you girls really care for me:p hope we can meet up next week!! yeah really very long nv go out with both of u le:) i'm better with my mom le, guess there's really not much ican do now, i can force her to accept him, i guess it all depends on me myself, how i really feel and how i should not go too overboard with my requests..

today went to buy stationeries with my cousin, bot alot of coloured pens..yeah nice nice..shopping is such a good therapy..yest i also bot alot of cute stuff when i went to daiso..tomoro i have driving in the morning..(hope i can pass on the 30th...:)aft which will be going to escape or wild wild wet or somewhere fun with my cousin.yeah i'm so looking forward to this and next week.will be having the lse camp next week..driving test..and cele bday with peilin...going out with my best friends..yeah no more sitting in front of the laptop for me!..yeah today serene is a happy girl!:)

~where is my smile~

2006-08-20T05:21:00.000+01:00

where is the old serene with the smile, the vibrancy, the enthusiasm? is this me..the person who have been lazing around..sitting in front of the computer..not doing anything constructive for the entire morning..having tears welling up my eyes every min or so..why do i feel so down..so depressed..when i should be happily enjoying the few moments i have with my parents before i leave..why is this so? Gone were the smiles that naturally radiates from my heart, gone were the days when i have no worries but my studies when everything so neatly falls into place, gone were the days when my parents and i happily having lunches, dinners and heart-to-heart talks. I thoroughly miss every single bit of these..my mom has just walked into the room, passing me $450 to buy my ipod nano..it's not all these that i want..recently i've been spending a lot of money on my preparations for uk..laptop, air tickets, makeup, watch..it seems like the more i feel detached from my parents, the more stuff i tend to request from them..even those that i do not require urgently..i have let my emotional side climb over my rational side...i dont know why i just have the tendency to do all these..perhaps to feel that kind of attachment i still have with them..why is all these happening??

I'm really feeling very tired..emotionally drained..saddened by the fact that everything is happening this way. My cousin has told me that even dad doesn't give his approval, all along i've thought that he is actually ok with it, as long as i do not let it affect my studies..but i'm wrong, actually he also minds alot..now i begin to understand the sadness in his eyes..the disappointment he shows when he sees me on the phone..perhaps he's not like my mom who shows everything openly, who just utters her opinions directly..although he seldom (in fact almost never) scolded me before, I feel more guilty when he treats me this way..just had a conversation/argument with my mom for two hours, i can really feel her love for me and how much I have hurt her, how much pain she had to suffer because of me, it's really heartbreaking, i love her, really love her yet i am still hurting her this way, all my words, all my arguments with her, i feel so miserable..yes i do agree with most of what she said, yet i have my own opinions too, i just cant bring myself to do what she suggested..i simply cant, but i dont ever want these kinds of arguments to happen anymore..how many times have that happened? 10, 20 times or even more..im really tired..i need the courage..i feel so lonely when i think of myself as the only one...argh! why is this making everyone so miserable, so tired, am i doing the right thing?

假装多好
我只要只想要再拥有一秒
去相信你的拥抱
一直会让我依靠
继续等待心甘情愿不想逃

假装多好
依然是依然是暧昧的tone调
一个人无理取闹
两人世界的煎熬
我被自己困在自己设下的圈套

~the unpredictabilities of life~

2006-08-15T14:47:00.000+01:00

Life is really very unpredictable, i've just received the news that one of my fellow scholar's brother passed away last Sun car crash. He is only 21 years old. I really can't imagine how miserable his/her parents will feel, losing their son and esp when he has just stepped into adulthood, a new phase of his life. He must be bursting with life, with dreams about the future, with love for his friends/ girlfriend and family members..yet memories were the only things he has now left for his loved ones.

We are lucky, being alive already makes us a lucky person. Stop all the complaints about not passing your driving tests, not getting the pair of shoes that you have desired, not being able to get into the dream school of yours when so many opportunities still lie before you, right before your eyes or at least the possibilities are still there. Be thankful for the morning rain that cools your day, the caring reminders from your parents, the fact that you are still alive, breathing and feeling the love of your loved ones. Tell them how much you care for them, how fortunate of you to have them around.

Very often, it is only when we have experienced losses, when we have come across it in the movies, a book or from someone's experiences that we learn to treasure our loved ones more. We should change from now on, to constantly remind ourselves how lucky we are. To treasure those around us.

i love my friends!

2006-08-11T10:39:00.000+01:00

I have been chatting with friends whom i've not met up for a long time. it's really a great feeling to be in contact with them once more, especially when now everyone is going to embark on an all new journey. Chong: I will def try to visit u in Japan some day, maybe i can try to appeal to IE for an internship in Japan.:) then I'll be able to stay there for two whole months. Imagine feasting on sumptous Jap cusines and going shopping (even window shopping) at Shinjuku everday.hmmm:P

Haven't been doing much today, just figuring how to use Skype and chatting with my good old friends..oh yes!! I ran in the morning!..I have told myself to start exercising this week and so far, I've not let myself down. Tues: Running, Wednesday: Hiking at MacRitchie, Today: Running and not forgetting to do situps everyday. I should really get into the habit of exercsing as it really makes me quite happy and fit after I have done so.　Hope I'll be able to keep up with the good habit!:)

~may DREAMS come true~

2006-08-10T16:31:00.000+01:00

received a msg from angeline that she withdrew from architecture..i guess i should congratulate her as she has finally made the decision and garnered the support of her parents to follow her passion and her dreams:) thinking abt these mths after the a-levels and the ultimate choice of all my friends around me esp my close friends..i really feel very happy that almost everyone has got what they wanted and what they dreamt abt..be it dent..vet sci..business..economics..accountancy...life sciences..architecture..now i really realise the importance of following one's passion..no matter how you detoured along the way..how many rounds you have to take..how much deliberations..how much uncertainties..eventually we came to where we wanted to be at the very beginning...i remembered someone who once said..we have to be interested in what we do before we can do well..we've all taken the first step..and i really hope that we can all do well and take more steps closer to realising our dreams.:)..and to a very important person in my life: hang on to your dreams, put in the effort and don't give up! I believe in you:)

this few months have also made me realise the support we get from my parents...they are the people who were always there as we went through these days which felt like travelling on a roller coaster..so many rounds of hope..disappointment..anticipation...uncertainties...and finally reaching our destinations...our parents are with us at the most important moments when we make our decisions..despite numerous differences and disagreements with our parents, they are always supportive of the decisions we make..they are willing to let us pursue our dreams..willing to support us both emotionally and monetarily...each parent wants the best for their children:) Thank you mommy and daddy. was talking to them yest and it's really sad to think about leaving them having lived comfortably under their wings of tender loving care...i will work hard and try to put all these uncertainties away as it's time for me to show them that i have grown up..to lessen their worries and to not let them down..thinking abt how others younger than me leaving their parents to seek a better living, entering a future full of greater uncertainties..i am really fortunate as at least i know where i'm heading towards and all i have to do is to study well and to enrich myself in the european culture..

well there are still many preparations to be done..but i will try to face everything with a positive mind and view this time as a valuable opportunity for me to learn to take charge of my life and to learn how to be a responsible adult:)

miscellaneous

2006-08-08T09:59:00.000+01:00

have been doing a lot of miscellaneous stuff these few days such as checking on bank account, mobile phone plans, taxi booking from heathrow in london...and today went to the ICA building with my cousin to extend her social visit pass..and calling travel agencies to book my return trip to london from singapore..and most travel agencies either said the flights were fully booked or the schedules were not available..can u believe it?? booking for a flight in jan in aug..and having most telling me that they are fully booked..and the prices they quote were scary! S1900 or even $2000 without tax..luckily managed to find one which is cheaper and available..so i made the booking..hopefully it will turn out right..

wanted to read books..but just cant seem to have the discipline when i still have so much miscellaneous and admin stuff to do...zzz...so the result is i have 5 books waiting for me to read..not counting the economics stuff...when will all the stuff be done??

as i was saying i was in the shopping mood...so again this weekend..i spent 100++ on cosmetics..a shiseido foundation cost me 60 bucks after 20% discount at metro..i wonder what they put into the powder..but was comparing bet all the rest..this seems to be the most natural and smooth powder..and i bot the esprit special edition summer palette..$39..quite worth it as it has eye shadow..blush...eye liner and lip gloss all in one and it's cute..and 12 bucks on an eye makeup remover..and have yet to getmy mascara..well not as if im going to use them often..but just had the urge to buy...oh ya!!..i bot my watch!!..finally it was a birthday present from the previous 2 years..it's pink and has a heart shape inside..nice nice!;p..well my dear mom paid for everything..thank you mommy!! ~still feeling a bit guilty..

well shall go exercise now..yes finally!! today..after nearly one yr without exercising..i have to be disciplined!..i have to!!;pwish me well

at home

2006-08-01T11:28:00.000+01:00

stayed at home today for the whole day...spent the early afternoon talking to my mom abt insurance and london...was feeling a bit blue this morning as today is the 1st aug..which means i only have 1 month and 25 more days in sspore before i fly away to the far away and cold london..alto my parents will be going with me but they will only be there for five days before i'll be alone in a completely new place, with friends who at most only amount to the no of fingers on my hand..well i'll def get to meet new friends..but that will take some time..there's a LSE induction this sat..should be able to meet alot of singaporeans going to lse...the camp is on the 28 to 30th of aug..so sad i cant go cos i have drivin test on the 30th...so sad..it will def be a good chance for me to get to know more and to bond with the singaporeans going to lse..just hope that the transition will be smooth...and everything will be fine..i will be strong enough to tide over this period of change...

last week..spent a lot of time revamping my blog..wanted to create a new blog on msn space..so that my relatives in china can access my blog(blogspot is banned in china!!! CAN U BELIEVE IT?) well..i did create one..but not going to use it as my main blog..cos it's so user-unfriendly..i cant create my own template which is rather sad...and i cant add all the videos..songs..tag board..which i want..so i decided to only update the msn space blog when there is special events and also when i go travelling..so i will still be using my darling blogspot..which will prob be very impt to me when i go to the faraway place..i will def update more often:p

last weekend i spent quite a lot of money..im in the retro mood..bot a very retro polka dot hairband..black with white polka dots..a bronze..beady necklace and big golden earring with nice floral engravings..at diva in marina sq..then i bot a white dress..for only 30 buck!!..it was originally $59.90 but i asked the sales girl to give me a 50% discount as there was a minor tear at the side..hehe...it's very nice..and quite formal..like a cocktail dress..it's quite flowy at the bottom and it tightens at the waist...i love it!..and a pearl necklace comes with it...fits my retro mode..hehe....and i bot three very cute and pretty files yest at bugis..im in the spending mood now...i must try to control myself esp with the meagre amount of money im earning from just one student!!!

shall go and cook dinner now:)..tata

Firefly Scholarship ceremony

2006-07-20T08:34:00.000+01:00

yest was an impt day of my life..just like all the fellow scholars present at the ceremony..it was the time that commemorate all these mths or maybe even yrs of hardwork...did my first violin solo on that day..alto it was not very professional...but im glad that it was well-received by the audience..when we were singing our finale song.."passing on the passion", i cld feel my tears welling up in my eyes..and when i looked at my parents...im very certain that my mom was crying and she was wiping her tears...she must be thinking that her precious daugher has finally grown up and she is going to embark on a new journey in her life..while she is happy..she must be really worried at the same time abt the prospect that i'll be in a new country alone by myself...i feel the same way too..im happy yet apprehensive abt the future..but i have told myself..i really have to learn to be more independent..my parents will not be my "shield" forever, the only way for me to really grow up is to go out there and face the world myself..

mom and dad..thank you for being there always supportive of me...bearing all my indecisiveness and udergoing these years of ups and downs with me..i will really work very very hard..and be really thankful for all the opportunities you have provided to me..i will ensure that both of you will lead a comfortable life when i return from my studies..thank you..you will be my dearest always!

i am really thankful to my friends too:p

waiyin..whom i've known since dont know when..who have always been there...growing up with me...sharing so many of my precious memories..ups and downs..many of our first times..heart-to-heart conversations at your hse..the trip to hongkong..

shiqi for always being such a good listener..and encouraging me along the way..providing useful suggestions...and all the time when we used to go home to gether..i really enjoyed your company..and all the times when we complained to one another..

angeline for having gone thru so many impt moments with me..rem all the time when we used to be the last two in class...the interviews we have met each other..and thanks for always cheering me up when im sad...girl..rem dont give up on your dreams k!..keep going..and you will have my support..

peilin for all the times when you listened to my troubles..provding advice..nv failing to turn up..to take my call when i need someone to talk to..all the feelings i have shared with you...for helping me so much so much along the way

lingzhi for the times when we were classmates for four years...always being there for me..having gone thru the difficult times with me..the great company you have provided me..

shim, minling, xiufang, lingzhi, lilian, xinling...for nv forgeting me..for being such great pals who have shared so much memories with me..

To all my friends..sorry if i did not mention your names...but you guys will always be in my heart..hope we will keep in contact always..and forever...hugs..i love you people!

To all my relatives..esp my dearest grandma and grandpa..for having educated me and taught me so many impt moral lessons..for being my harbour whom i can turn to..my cousin who has grown up with me..my xiaoyi..who has taken care of me since im very young..my gu gu..whom im very alike..who shared so many similarities and always showering me with your love..and all my relatives thank you!

And also not forgeting someone who's a very important person in my life..my pillar of strength for the last two years..for always listening to me..giving in to me..taking care of me..loving me..encouraging me all the while for every test, exam, interview, uni app, family prob and every other thing..who have shared so much with me...thank you!..dear, dont give up on your dreams too! keep on trying...be more daring to show your strengths..your maturity..and work hard! you will have my support..thank you...i love you:)

Below are some photos of the ceremony:p and the meaningful lyrics of the opening and finale songs which we have sang...First Step and Passing on the passion..they are really very meaningful!:)

First Step
Composer: Jireh
I cannot explain the feeling that’s within me
I know I’m in my lane, but my doubt is still before me
The future’s painted beautiful, I cannot be more content
But uncertainties they seem to have no end…

Chorus:
Only when I take the first step out
My dreams will come about
Then I’ll run my fastest to embrace the calling…
I know when I have made the first step out
I’ll find my way somehow
There’s fire in me so I’ll fly and see
The magic that lies ahead of me My destiny…
I cannot be sure, of where this road will lead me
Yet something’s very clear, there’s nothing to deter me
So here I’m at the starting line, spirits high and standing strong (high/low)
Gotta put my cares behind me and go on

Chorus:

Chorus II:
So I’ll take the first step out
(an awesome silence)

I know when I have made the first step out
I’ll find my way somehow
There’s fire in me so I’ll fly and see (high/low)
The magic that lies ahead of me

Coda:
1) My destiny……… I believe………
2) First step, first step or never
Never put, put out the fire
Keep going, keep going stronger

I will find my way………

Passing on the Passion
Composer: Nicholas

When we met There were clouds of doubt As life unfolds

Our steps were weak Our hearts were heavy As the journey began

Friends were found Togetherness as one Our spirits united

BUt then came the spark The fire within Began to burn in love

Chorus:

(Believe in yourself Believe you can Live the dream like you've never dared before

A friend can only start a spark You must kindle the fire on

We must remember to keep Passing on the passion)

As we sang as one hugs of love Tears of joy Touched our hearts forever

When we remember This time of change and hope Our heart melts

And passion burns As we cry tears of joy

Chorus*

The IE people

Everybody

dreams

2006-07-13T17:27:00.001+01:00

What if you slept?
And what if, in your sleep, you dreamed?
And what if, in your dream, you went to heaven and
there plucked a strange and beautiful flower?
And what if, when you awoke,
you had the flower in your hand?
Ah, what then?

-Coleridge, English Romantic poet

Such beautiful words, evoking a light and yet soothing feeling, so pleasing to the eyes and the imagination. It's amazing how the English man can put his random thoughts in a such an elegant way. I wonder if English people are that romantic and carefree, but definitely not in the hustle and bustle of London.

This is taken from Sophie's World, a book which I have taken months to read since the beginning of this year. Skipped quite a no of pages, got a conclusion that Philosophy just doesnt appeal to me. Was reading the final pages of the book at Starbucks, Bugis Junction while waiting to meet shim, lin and zhi. I find the ending pretty strange, i was expecting something to happen but it just ended there. Some parts are rather absurd, esp the fictional part of the book..in the end Sophie and Alberto are just characters in someone's book..perhaps the book is a reminder of the lives we are living, it seems to suggest that we are similar to characters in someone's book...it seems that everything is already destined and controlled by this "someone"..perhaps it is god whom we have faith in..or whoever a person believes in...however, we should also try to carve out a road of our own...to try to escape from the "book" in which we are trapped..perhaps the book is suggesting the importance of the knowledge of philosophy and enquiries.. i'm sure there is a deeper meaning to the book...but i really could not understand the book fully...

actually it is really nice to spend some time on my own..sitting down at a nice place with a nice book, sipping on mocha and having a small pastry...it really made me feel very relaxed and carefree..perhaps in london i will have lots of opportunity like this to spend time on my own..but i heard English coffee is horrible..perhaps i'll be sipping tea there:)...

I really find myself addicted to mocha these days.tried the mocha at Coffee Bean and Starbucks..i love it!.. I shall try those at some other places..mmmm..yummy!..so far I guess the Mocha at Coffee Bean is nicer..the one at Starbucks has a burnt taste somehow...but it is still nice!..rich..chocolaty and yummy:p

dreams

2006-07-13T17:27:00.000+01:00

be strong!

2006-04-03T09:25:00.000+01:00

life has it's ups and downs...being strong and relying on myself is probably the only way to get out of the downs...i have to be strong and i should really really stop feeling miserable.

disheartened:(

2006-03-08T14:24:00.000Z

I've tried my best...it seems like things are still the same...after close to two years...i've worked hard...i am still working very hard...but...im disheartened...what should i do? Even if I continue trying...is it going to change? I'm afraid to think about the future...I'm afraid one day i no longer have the courage to go on...will u give me the courage to go on? Will miracles happen?

hoping4ebest

2006-02-28T03:10:00.000Z

tomoro will be the release of A-levels results..I'm sure everyone has put in a lot of sweat, blood, tears and hardwork...juz hope that everyone will be able to get the results they have wished for..good luck!! :) Friends forever!!

think about me

2006-02-24T04:00:00.000Z

Hey..im feeling better already...do tell me what u think of me:)..thanks!

http://kevan.org/johari?name=ser:)

workaholic??

2006-02-23T06:53:00.000Z

I dont want to be a workaholic...but im afraid im turning into one....zzz....it seems like im rushing everyday...work...interviews..tuition...driving...i dont even have a time when i can really enjoy life...do sth which i really really like..spend some quality time with my friends and my parents...im worried that i may just drift apart from them....but i really have no time..and i'm already trying my best...i am starting to dread this kind of life...i really need a good holiday...i wanna go travelling...i wanna have a time when i can put down everything...and just let my hair down...i dont like the feeling of waiting...of worrying...if i have done well in this interview?...if i have said something wrong?...if i did not do a good job?...did not grasp my chance?...i really hope that everything will be fine soon...i'm just hoping for the best...im feeling blue...:(

bored

2006-02-16T05:36:00.000Z

hey..juz came back from lunch...today din get to play cards during lunch time..cos my tj fren had to come back earlier to work...while my nus fren had to come back earlier to book his accomodations during his tour of europe...i really envy him...can go so many places in europe at one shot...hope next time i will have the chance to do so too...and really go out to see the rest of the world....i can't wait to do so....

hai..today got no mood to work again...i know i shouldnt be slacking since i still have so much research to do...at least can go home earlier to watch my qian jin bai fen bai today...it's really quite nice...:)...i've been coming home at ard ten everyday...it's fun to do the stuff which i like..like tuition..driving lessons..and dance which i'll be starting next week...but it can be a bit tiring too...but i'd rather be busy...and keep myself occupied...sometimes i feel a bit guilty as i've been spending really little time with my parents...but im sure they understand..i really want to make use of this period of time to do something which i enjoy...which i din have the time to do last time...i'll promise to spend more time with them...after my internship which will end in march...and i prob won't take up any permanent jobs..just tuition..driving...and maybe a bit of waitressing at haagen daz or some temp jobs at a hotel....that's what i've been wanting to do also...

the results will prob be out next week...i really hope tt i will do well...:)..i mean after so many yrs...and so much effort put in...and i don't want to let my parents, my teachers..and those who care abt me down...i really hope that everything will be all right...and i'll be able to get my desired results...and enter my dream school....:)....There's always dreams and hopes in life...and that's what keep us going, isn't it?