When you know that some things are a lost cause.

Well, hello.

It’s been more than a year since I wrote here, especially since I’m more active on Instagram. Somehow the urge to write again has come back again, especially when it’s the festive season and it should be merry all round, as much as possible.

Somehow, a lot of things have happened in the SG end, and it has made me realize that some things have really become a lost cause, that it’s really no point to pursue things further, especially when you know that no matter how much you do, it most likely won’t be recognized well, and that people will still find fault no matter what.

On Friday night, Jem and I were driving in town because I said I wanted to see the Christmas lights. A drunkard Caucasian appeared in front of us suddenly when we were trying to change lanes to the left outside 313 Somerset, and it was a blessing that Jeremy  was the driver and he was alert enough to swerve out of the way just in time. It was an incredibly close call, and that drunkard tried to get into the car behind us (which wasn’t his, obviously – he was so damn inebriated he wasn’t even able to walk straight, much less recognize things around him!).
Fast forward to about 10 minutes later, we parked our car and we were walking opposite Centrepoint when we witnessed this drunkard being aggressive to another hapless chap (article link here: http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/two-men-in-altercation-along-orchard-road-police-looking-into-case-of), banging his car with his bag and whatnot, shouting vulgarities and flashing his middle finger. Obviously, the other chap was angry that his car was getting battered for no good reason and he stepped out to defend himself, and that was when the drunkard decided to throw punches at him. You obviously can’t blame the other chap when he took a stick out from his boot and tried to defend himself by whacking that aggressive drunkard.

To cut the long story short, the police came in. We observed how the incident unfolded, but eventually, THE DRUNKARD WALKED FREE. Like seriously, wtf has the world become?!
This made me lose faith in our system, and both of us decided to hand in a video that we filmed of the fight to the police eventually.

Through this incident, we realized just how good God had been to us, to protect us from harm. In addition, we also lost faith in the system. It’s a lost cause eventually, when you see just how the perpetrators can walk free like that when they clearly should have been led away in handcuffs.

 

Teacher’s Day.

Hello again.
Yes, it’s been a long time since I wrote here. Admittedly I’m more active on Instagram so yea.

I’m off today because it’s Teacher’s Day. And it’s my first Teacher’s Day as a full fledged teacher, so emotions are rather overwhelming. It’s a really nice feeling to be plied with presents/flowers/sweet treats from fellow teachers and parents :’) what topped it off was a very sweet gesture from a parent – a very unexpected and pleasant surprise which was really heartwarming. 

From the bottom of my heart, thanks :’)

 

#aaronxmich

Yiren and Mei Jun finally tied the knot after 8 years of dating, and Jem was 1 of the brothers for the wedding along with the other guys too since they’ve all been friends since their Tanglin days! 🙂 Really happy to see their union, and many congratulations to the both of you!

Much fun to be out together with all the guys and their other halves, and to chill out at the main bar at Pan Pacific after the wedding banquet! 🙂

Photobooth fun!

And somehow I found out that my ex-colleague Regina was attending the wedding too, as she was Yiren’s friend during NTU and bowling days! Good to catch up with you again after so many years! 😀

All of us couples – Jem and myself, Glendon and Melissa, Yvonne and Edmund, Shiyun and Khuan Loon 🙂

❤

 

Travelogue 5: Bali loving!

Over the Good Friday weekend, we hopped on the plane again – this time to Bali! This is going to be a pretty detailed post, as much as possible.
PS: Picture quality might not be as good as expected because everything was shot with my S5 and Jeremy’s HTC M8, since we decided that it was impractical to bring my DSLR along for the trip due to its bulkiness 😦

The thing about window seat view is this. It never, ever gets old 🙂

We touched down at Denpasar at noon thereabouts, and a man approached us, asking if we needed a lift to the hotel because prior to the trip, we didn’t book any drivers. So it turned out that this man is in charge of a car company, where its drivers will be dispatched to drive people around Bali to explore and whatnot. This turned out to be a good choice, as the driver that he assigned to us was friendly and really brought us around for food and massage 🙂

So we were headed to Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa – our home for 4 days. 1 of the most beautiful hotels ever, and Balinese hospitality is really warm and welcoming – more reason for us to come back to Bali in future! 🙂

DAY 1

When we got to Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa, it was around 1+pm, and check-in was only at 3pm, so we decided to explore our hotel for a bit. The concierge told us that all guests were entitled to have complimentary drinks at the bar, and it was really refreshing in this hot weather!

The bar area, which was extremely airy and comfortable for guests to unwind in 🙂

The presence of a lot of wood in Balinese architecture really appealed greatly to us, because it added a warm and earthy vibe to the place. Our hotel was really roomporn worthy!

When we finally checked into our room, this was what we were presented – Deluxe Pool View Room, on the first floor *insert lovey eye emoticon* It was so beautiful, and we totally dig the bathtub with the screen, because we could slide it open to get a view of the TV to watch Channel V 😀

Here’s 1 of the man looking extremely with his beef  burger and fries at Chess Bar and Grill – the hotel’s beach bar!

1 thing about Nusa Dua though – it’s a pretty exclusive location (think of it as the Balinese version of Singapore’s Sentosa Cove), so it made getting around on foot to explore quite difficult. Plus in general, it would be easier for tourists to get around by hiring a driver 🙂 But that said aside, I love our hotel a lot!

Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa
Kawasan Pariwisata Nusa Dua North 4, Bali 80363, Indonesia

Our driver brought us to this massage place called @ease in Kuta, and we both did Balinese massage! 😀 First ever Balinese massage experience, and it was sweet relief for our muscles. It was so relaxing that I actually fell asleep!

@ease
Jalan Sunset Road No. 999, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday, 1000-2200

On our way back to the hotel, we were hungry and wanted to try a bit of the local food, so our driver drove us to this particular place. I forgot the name of the place, and unfortunately the food didn’t really appeal 😦 In part it was also because it was 930PM when we reached, hence the best parts of the food were all gone by then.

Jimbaran at night.

DAY 2

We decided to call in room service for breakfast, and what we got: Assortment of breads, cornflakes with cold milk and orange juice. I know this is going to sound weird, but this is the first time in my life I’ve ever ordered room service when on vacation/staycation. And the breakfast was comforting yet simple too! 🙂

Our driver drove us out to Gianyar for horse riding! 🙂 The view was absolutely breathtaking when we rode out to the beach, though I had to admit I was actually quite scared when my horse (mare) started to canter.

For those who aren’t aware, horses move in 4 ways: Walking, trotting, cantering and galloping. I guess you could say that cantering is the equivalent of jogging, and honestly I was quite worried that my horse would go wild and start galloping, because I wasn’t confident that I could ride a horse well.. Riding a pony in the past doesn’t really count!

This was 1 incredible experience though, and somehow it was quite therapeutic riding horses on the beach. My only gripe was that the sand on the beach was black, and that there was a lot of litter and debris all over the beach due to a recent festival there. If ever I’m back in Bali again, I’d definitely want to do horse riding too! 🙂

1 of the most awesome sights and sounds ever – crashing waves.

 

After horse riding! 😀

Next up, we did white water rafting in Ubud.. 1 of the craziest things I’ve ever done in my life and the whole experience was worthy of a movie scene when out raft crashed onto a low hanging branch and we all fell into the water, despite best efforts to hold on. So we ended up drifting down the rapids for a while before managing to get back onto our raft (minus 1 oar). Thankfully there were other teams doing rafting too!
My only regret was that we didn’t have a GoPro, because the view that greeted us when we hiked down the hill to get to the rapids below was incredibly beautiful. Imagine rice fields everywhere and cool breeze despite the tropical heat *insert lovey eye emoticon*

After the crazy experience of whitewater rafting, it was luwak coffee tasting next! This is 1 of the highlights of the whole trip, as luwak coffee is an Indonesian trademark 🙂 En route to the coffee plantation, this was the view that greeted us when we were in the car!

Background of luwak coffee: The origin of luwak coffee comes from the poop of the civet cat, so above picture is the dried up poop of the civet cat. The seed of the coffee is actually within the poop!

After the poop has been cleared off!

Vanilla leaves

  
The coffee beans are being roasted over burning charcoal.. Goes to show how the traditional methods of preparation really go back a long way! Picture on the right: Huge pestle used to pound the coffee beans.

And there you go – luwak coffee powder!


Initially when we looked through the menu of coffees and teas for sampling, we thought we had to choose from the list and that we’d have a hard time choosing because everything was free – except for luwak coffee, which we had to pay 50000 rupiah. Imagine our surprise and joy when our guide told us that he’d prepare 1 of each drink for us to sample! 😀

Luwak Coffee – the real deal when in Indonesia! I’m no coffee connoisseur, but I have to admit that its taste was really strong, and it has to be paired with chocolate to enhance the experience further. The cinnamon stick provided is meant to be stirred into the coffee in order to make its scent better 🙂

We saw a lot of cows outside the coffee plantation when we were leaving!

So we found Starbucks in Kuta!

Behold, this plate of BBQ pork ribs costs ONLY S$12. This place was recommended by my mum’s friend, who is an Indonesian. Naughty Nuri’s was really good – Jeremy and I ordered so much food and we finished up all the mains, it was really that good and the meat was succulent!
In fact, our driver also recommended us this place when we asked about good food around the Kuta area too, and so that was how we ended up there 🙂

Naughty Nuri’s Warung
Jalan Batubelig No 41, Kuta Utara, Bali, Indonesia
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 1030-2230

DAY 3

Jeremy was absolutely determined to conquer Waterbom Bali on this trip,  and boy was it a whole ball of fun! 😀 Best Monday ever with zero Monday blues! We managed to tackle a number of slides, save for those that were under construction and 1 ride that we chickened out from because the drop looked pretty crazy.

Waterbom Bali
Jalan Kartika, Tuban, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 0900-1800

We found A&W in Discovery Shopping Centre, Kuta! 😀 Childhood memories galore too! Needless to say we wanted to go in and have their root beer floats!

After Waterbom Bali, this was where we ended up for a quick bite before going to Jimbaran as it was already our last night in Bali. Fast food will always be fast food somehow, but the root beer floats were absolutely awesome!

Horse carriages apparently are quite common in Bali too!

What Jimbaran is like – rows of seafood restaurants along the beach! (Y)

BBQ corn.. This definitely is something that one must try when in Bali!


Jeremy and I saw this pony on the beach while we were chilling at Jimbaran, and needless to say we wanted a chance to pet the pony! 🙂 It had such a gentle temperament too!

This was at New Moon Cafe.. We ordered a red snapper and 6 king prawns for dinner, and it came in a set of a small pot of Balinese rice, sambal kangkong and peanuts *insert lovey eye emoticon* It was so good and fresh too, and we had never had such sweet-tasting snapper before in our lives!

New Moon Cafe 
Jl. Pantai Kedonganan, Indonesia
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, 1000-0000


The sunset was beautiful too, and we were incredibly lucky and blessed to be able to witness it on our last night in Bali, especially because it had rained earlier in the day :’)

This string quintet came around serenading the customers when nightfall came, and afterwards they asked for tips.. Even if they hadn’t asked for tips, Jeremy and I would gladly have given them because their voices are really good! 😀
It was Jem who noticed them first and told me ‘Hey it’s a Robbie Williams song!’ (Better Man). Soon I started singing along and they came by our table upon noticing me looking at them with that big smile 😀 They asked where we were from, and when we told them  that we were from Singapore, they immediately launched into 小薇! 😀 Obviously they don’t understand the language, but the fact that they could memorize the lyrics based on hanyupinyin is more than good enough 🙂 They asked us for song requests, and we asked for Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are.. They started singing it right in front of us.. And I recorded it down too. What more could I ask for!? 😀

Back in our hotel after that crazy awesome night, and we decided to unwind with some drinks at the bar 🙂

DAY 4

Our last day 😦 We had buffet breakfast at the hotel and it was pretty decent! 🙂
      

Goodbye Bali, it was lovely while we were there. We’d be back 1 day once again! 🙂

 

There’s No Other Name, than Jesus Christ :)

HIllsong’s No Other Name Asia tour swung by Singapore on 12th April!

Being in church for many years exposed to Hillsong’s praise and worship songs always made me wish that I could actually see them live, and get to listen for myself just how powerful their praise and worship was.

Especially because I used to be from City Harvest in the past, I was already used to very intense praise and worship sessions (read: siao on!).

Honestly speaking, while I was used to the hype and energy of CHC’s praise and worship, it paled out in comparison to Hillsong’s praise and worship. I’ve never heard such powerful and anointed praise and worship before in my life. Growing up listening to Hillsong’s songs being sung in church, I already knew a number of them. But it’s just so different to hear that it’s actually really them singing live.

With the boyfriend and the best friend! 🙂 What more could I ask for? (Okay please excuse my cui look here – I really think I look horrible due to the continual lack of sleep )

A number of old favorites (to me at least!) were sung too, and it sure was a trip down memory lane for me :’) 

I expected praise to come first before worship, so it was an unexpected surprise when it turned out to be the reverse.

1 of the songs at the praise part was ‘One Way’, which was 1 of their much older tracks, and I vaguely remember hearing it before from the days of children’s church too.. I didn’t expect to jump like crazy at the praise segment, simply because I’m just not the type of person to do so, instead I’m usually the one who’d bop my head along to the music with my feet planted. But Jeremy actually started jumping too and we just lost our composure and leaped along together, all 3 of us. It really made for an awesome night in His presence, and to worship Him altogether in such a special moment 🙂

Not our first concert together, but certainly our first worship concert together :’) Hopefully there’d be more to come in future, and that we’d get to go to Hillsong Sydney/Melbourne in the near future!

 

Travelogue 4: The Penang Foodscapade (Gastronomy)

I’m really very behind on my posts of late, because being on practicum lately really does take up a lot of time, especially when lessons and many materials must be prepared beforehand too.

So here’s the real deal when it comes to Penang – their street food is really awesome, for lack of a better word to describe it. Not to mention cafe-hopping – it’s 1 thing that many people do, so much that it in a way has become a worldwide culture. The best part about cafes in Penang is that everything is so cheap there! Imagine paying the same digits in Penang and Singapore (RM36 and S$36 really is hell of a difference!!).

This post is going to an image-heavy one, and will be in chronological order as best as possible. But most importantly, it’ll chronicle the addresses of the various places we went to as much as possible, so that you guys will be able to find them easily should you be planning a trip to Penang in the near future! 🙂

Best. Damn. Chendol. Ever. It was the first thing we raced out to hunt for the moment we left our luggage in our hostel! So worth the queue, really.

 
On Day 1, Jeremy and I found the best Penang char kway teow and oyster omelette at Lorong Selamat, Kafe Heng Huat. I was never a fan of char kway teow in Singapore because the dark sauce used in cooking it made the whole dish look extremely oily, unhealthy and unappetizing to me. But as I think most people would know, char kway teow is a must eat when in Penang. So we ordered 1 plate of oyster omelette and char kway teow to share, and the moment I tried the char kway teow here I was sold. We loved it so much, that we actually made another trip back just to have it again. The kway teow literally melted in my mouth, the prawns were huge and fresh to my standards (especially considering that it’s street food!), overall I really loved the roasted scent of the char kway teow. And the oyster omelette.. Perfection!!

Kafe Heng Huat
108, Lorong Selamat
Opening Hours: 11:30am – 6pm

Best prawn mee I’ve ever eaten – the broth was so flavorful and good! 😀  Now I’m kicking myself because I forgot the name of the shop this was at

Jeremy’s lor mee – pretty good too!

We chanced upon a street side stall selling flavored ice balls at Armenian Street, and because this was something that we never saw in Singapore, obviously we jumped at the chance to get one! 🙂

My joy was complete when we chanced upon a lok lok streetside stall. And the thing was that the restaurant kind aren’t the real deal; the streetside stall one is. Love the feeling of streetside stalls somehow – the experience is always more authentic!

Wanton Mee at a streetside stall just outside Love Lane – we couldn’t finish these as Jeremy mistakenly ordered the large portion, and we were so full. The char siew and the wanton.. (Y)

Bacon egg cups!! *lovey eye emoticon

This place is called Mugshot Cafe, and they’re apparently well known for their bagels. I found out about this place via Miss Tam Chiak, and Jeremy’s colleague also recommended this place too. Their cream cheese bagels were so good, and in total, for the coffees, bacon egg cups and bagels, we only paid RM36. So. Damn. Cheap!!

The Mugshot Cafe
302, Lebuh Chulia, Georgetown, 10200 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Opening Hours: Monday – Sunday (Daily) : 8am – 9pm

We took time to chill a bit at Brew Thirty Two with a cuppa, before heading to visit Penang Time Tunnel! 🙂 Love the ambience there, and the fact that the sound system was playing Westlife songs too scored brownie points with me!

Brew Thirty Two
32 Jalan Green Hall, 10200, Georgetown, Penang
Opening Hours: Sunday- Thursday (1030-2230), Friday-Saturday (1030-0000)

We tried mee goreng at a ferry terminal.. Not worth our money, and there was a funny aftertaste that made me stop eating as I didn’t want to risk a stomachache.

Gurney Drive! THE real deal for good street food!

The curry mee.. Brings back a huge lot of memories of my primary school days as the soup was exactly like that! 😀

All the eats at Gurney Drive.. Sinful yet satisfying! 🙂

We chanced upon this little bar behind our hostel, which is called Behind 50. Apparently their food is not bad, and we found this on the menu – Hot Honey Milk! The moment we tried it, it was an absolute comfort, and we loved it so much that every night we would stop by here for this, before going back to our hostel to shower and sleep 😀

Behind 50
Muntri Street, 10200, Pinang George Town, Pulau Pinang
Opening Hours: Closed on Thursdays, Fridays-Wednesdays 1800-0100

We explored the jetties too, and there was this hawker place near the jetties that we decided to grab a bite at. Their handmade noodles were  so good, that we actually made a second trip back there to eat it again! 🙂 This place holds memories because they were playing a lot of underrated Jay Chou songs on the sound system, and it so happened that just a day before Penang, we were rocking it out at Jay Chou’s concert! 😀

We stopped in at Downtown Art Heritage cafe for some unique cakes and drinks. Interesting tastes, which blended surprisingly well together!

Downtown Art Heritage

No. 149, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling,

10200, Georgetown, Penang.
Opening Hours: Daily, 1000-2200

I sat in this cafe called Wheeler’s Coffee just a few places down from our hostel for iced earl grey tea, and it turned out pretty decent 🙂

Wheeler’s Coffee
67 Love Lane, 10200, Georgetown, Penang
Opening Hours: Closed on Tuesdays. Monday, Wednesday-Friday 0900-2200, Saturday and Sunday 0900-0000
       
Our last day here, and we decided to stop by Kaffa Espresso Bar for breakfast! 🙂 It’s very near to Brew Thirty Two and Penang Time Tunnel, and we had noticed it earlier when we were trying to find Penang Time Tunnel.

Their breakfasts honestly weren’t fantastic to me, but I quite liked the ambience there in general, plus prices were way cheaper compared to Singapore. Seriously, I’d never had so much fun cafe-hopping when I was in Penang because everything’s just so cheap!

Kaffe Espresso Bar 
22, Green Hall, 10200 Pinang George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

So yep, this rounds up my very long overdue Penang travelogue, especially because I had been so busy wrapping up practicum, and all the reports.

Next up, Bali travelogue! 🙂

 

Furious 7, in memory of Paul Walker.

Jeremy and I had a movie date night together after not catching a movie for a while, and he decided on Furious 7.

The feels were really strong, especially in light of the fact that Paul Walker’s very untimely death was right smack in the middle of filming Fast and Furious 7 back in 2013. His presence in the movie doubly highlighted the fact that the Fast and Furious series will never ever be the same without him 😥

I’m not an overly huge fan of Paul Walker, but his acting is enough for me to be convinced of his legacy in the series because his role as Brian O’Conner is a very significant one, right from the first movie. It really can’t be denied that his acting is actually really quite good, and his death came as a great shock too because I had watched some of the movies in the Fast and Furious series before in the past. Not to mention that he’s the co-lead alongside Vin Diesel right from day one, and with their partnership and friendship on and off screen very strong too, it makes the impact of his death felt very strongly in the last scene of Furious 7.

The last song in the original motion soundtrack for the movie is enough to set the waterworks off – so much that at the end of the movie when the words ‘For Paul’ appeared on screen, I nearly cried and I heard someone behind me sniffle too 😦 Just 2 words, but the meaning behind is so poignant.
And to all who’re wondering if the movie is worth the watch, I’d say it’s a yes.

The lyrics to the soundtrack are a very fitting tribute to Paul Walker.

It’s been a long day without you my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

Damn who knew all the planes we flew
Good things we’ve been through
That I’ll be standing right here
Talking to you about another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn’t last
Had to switch up look at things different see the bigger picture
Those were the days hard work forever pays now I see you in a better place

How could we not talk about family when family’s all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gonna be with me for the last ride

It’s been a long day without you my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
when I see you again

First you both go out your way
And the vibe is feeling strong and what’s
Small turn to a friendship a friendship
Turn into a bond and that bond will never
Be broke and the love will never get lost
And when brotherhood come first then the line
Will never be crossed established it on our own
When that line had to be drawn and that line is what
We reach so remember me when I’m gone

How could we not talk about family when family’s all that we got?
Everything I went through you were standing there by my side
And now you gonna be with me for the last ride

So let the light guide your way hold every memory
As you go and every road you take will always lead you home

It’s been a long day without you my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again

 

Remembering Lee Kuan Yew, 1923-2015.

The nation was in mourning ever since the news of our founding father, MM Lee Kuan Yew, passed away in Singapore General Hospital at 0318 after a bout of pneumonia, aged 91. Though the news didn’t exactly come as a shock, because it already had been reported that his condition was deteriorating despite best efforts from his medical team; when the news officially broke, it was still saddening to hear about it all too, and the impact of what he has done for our nation is something that not many can do within the span of 50 years.

He was our first prime minister, from 1959-1990. He came up with many policies to shape Singapore into where it is today.

In secondary school days, we had to do social studies as part of our humanities. For me personally, I didn’t really like social studies because I had a hard time trying to do well in source-based questions, and it always dragged down my marks during exams. But in every social studies textbook, MM Lee would be present in it, in the history of Singapore, the many economical policies as well as childbearing policies when it became clear that some families were having too many children, hence the Stop at Two policy. This policy, will somehow be one that I will remember because of the number of times we had to read through it in school.

Not to mention the time in 1965 when Singapore had to be separated from Malaysia. Seeing all the documentaries of his past and events now makes me sadder, and makes one realize just how much of a legacy he has left behind. From a 3rd world nation, he has shaped it into its current 1st world country state today within the span of 50 years. It’s no mean feat, and yes, there might be some of his viewpoints that we may not agree with, but what can’t be changed is the fact that he slogged himself out for Singapore, to boost its economical growth into where it is today. It is also through him, that we have our current education system.

I admit, I’m not really into politics. But as a Singaporean, if one doesn’t know who Lee Kuan Yew is, I really have no words to say.

Through MM Lee’s long life, he has taught us the importance of frugality, and being down-to-earth.

It is you, who has taught Singapore so much about life’s core values; placed Singapore on the world map; and about going all out to do things for the welfare of others.

For the week of mourning, hundreds gathered outside the Istana on Monday afternoon, when his hearse came in at around 1300. Many, including me, left messages of gratitude outside Istana. And many as well, went to Parliament House to queue for grueling hours to pay our last respects.

Shi Hui and I went on Friday night at around 9plus, after work, dinner and a good shower to combat the humidity first, and got flowers to pay respects. I think florists all around Singapore had booming business this period, besides Valentine’s Day. We were very lucky that we managed to enter the Padang before the queue had to be suspended for the night, from 11PM onwards due to safety issues, as the crowds thronging City Hall were absolutely insane.

We were already prepared for the wait, in any case we were ready to pull an all-nighter wait, and boy was it the longest wait of my life ever. Yes, we even laid our ponchos out on the grass so that we could sit properly without getting too dirty. But this, is an experience I’d not exchange for any other, because after all MM Lee was our founding father, and if I had to wait for many hours just to pay my respects to him, I’d gladly do it. It’s a historic moment after all.

Without MM Lee, we would never have bilingual education, HDB to stay in, clean rivers, Marina Barrage.. The list goes on, but the education aspect was most prominent. I’ve never been so thankful in my life for my education, that I was able to finish university. Even though studying can be a pain sometimes, it’s true that we are better off, compared to many 3rd world nations who don’t even have access to clean water and food, much less education.

Throughout the night, Shi Hui and I talked, played with our phones, scrolled for updates, I dozed a bit. Around 2+AM, in the distance we heard a group of people singing Home and We Are Singaporeans. Both of us needless to say, joined in too. It was heartwarming :’)

The view of the opposite of Boat Quay. Time check then: 0659. Magnificent sight, as the colourings of the sky lightened up.

Time check: 0705. Outside Parliament House, which also meant that by then we were able to go in and pay our last respects to MM Lee.

It was honesty a very surreal moment being in Parliament House, because prior to this I always saw Parliament House from the outside, so going inside was an eye opener. Obviously the mood was very somber because of the occasion, and it made me realize just how much of a legacy MM Lee has left behind. I nearly teared when I saw the casket and his portrait, as the reality of it was slowly starting to sink in.

Fast forward to Sunday, the day of the state funeral. Li Ying and I decided to meet up together for breakfast, and to head down to Padang to see the missing man formation and the 21 gun salute. It was lucky that we decided to change our plans and head to Padang, because the initial plan was to go to NUS, but we later found out that security at NUS had been tightened tenfold because of the state funeral being held at UCC.

1130 – the heavens opened up. It was as though the heavens were mourning for MM Lee too 😥 needless to say, the areas where the procession would take place were crazily packed, even more so at Parliament House and Esplanade area. We both ended up at the exit outside the underpass that led towards Esplanade, and it was packed beyond belief. Many donned umbrellas and ponchos, and there were also many who didn’t have either and ended up drenched, because not many anticipated the sudden change. As a result of the downpour, the missing man formation couldn’t be performed due to safety and visibility reasons 😦
By 1200, some people around started to watch the live stream of the state funeral on their phones, me included, because it was a sure way to gauge how long it would be before the cortege passed us..

1245 – the 21 gun salute started. We all heard airplanes fly above, but when we looked up we couldn’t see any formation due to the heavy downpour 😦 And soon before we knew it, the cortege arrived and drove past us, amidst sobs and cheers of “Lee Kuan Yew! Lee Kuan Yew!” It was honestly a very surreal feeling, I nearly teared up too when I saw the gun carriage drive past, because it now became very clear that this was really it, the final day. Even the heavens cried for a great, selfless person like him, just as how the whole nation wept for him.

50 years ago, he wept for Singapore. 50 years later, Singapore weeps for him. 😥

It really would have been very fitting if he was able to hold on until SG50, to witness our NDP, to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Unfortunately, as life would put it, when the time is up, it’s time to go.

To sum up everything, thank you MM Lee, for all that you have contributed and sacrificed for Singapore. For fighting for the rights of people, for planting trees, cleaning the rivers, just so that we could have a cleaner and greener Singapore. For all that you have done, Singapore is eternally grateful for you, for you have taught us the importance of frugality, for being appreciative and knowing how to show gratitude, and above all, how to carry on your legacy after you have passed on. Rest in peace MM Lee, for you have fought the good fight. It’s time for you to rest, and to be reunited with your beloved wife at last. Singapore will miss you, and we will continue to live your legacy.

 

So I’m back.

Well, hello again.

It’s been almost 2 months since I updated this space. So much has happened, mainly work, Valentine’s Day, happy moments together, being on practicum. And I’ve backdated posts about past events, but just no time to do proper updates.

Sometimes I feel like everything has been so busy, before I know it’s already the 2nd half of March. And I have 3 assignments due, of which 1 is completed, my FP3 report is almost complete and my FP4 still in the drafts. Not too shabby I guess..?

Too much has happened at work, I don’t even know where to start. The happy moments with the kids, the stress of being on practicum almost immediately after Chinese New Year. Practicum technically ended on 18th, but somehow I didn’t feel the relief until Friday night.

It struck me hard, how much I’ve neglected myself, and the time that I very much needed to myself to do some self-reflection, to have a breather to my own. It’s honestly tiring. But the joys of seeing the children run to me the moment I step into the centre is something I really enjoy. Work can be tough, but that’s life in general.

It’s tiring as hell to go through practicum after Chinese New Year, the only thing I’m thankful for is that my field prac supervisor is a really nice kindly lady who gave me lots of advice and guidance along the way to manage and nurture children. Imagine rushing 10 activities out within the space of 4 days, in addition to drafting out lesson plans and activities to carry out during lessons. It’s pretty killer. I’m trying to tell myself that it’ll get easier, but in working life, some days it can be shit, other days it can be really enjoyable. Hard to get the best of both worlds, I guess.

The one thing that I know for sure is, I’m very tired. Physically rundown, feeling as though I haven’t seen my friends in a while even though it’s not that long.. Maybe it’s just PMS blues. But it really sucks when you wake up thinking it’s Friday, and upon checking your phone for the time you realize it’s only Thursday. That feeling is 1 of the worst ever.

I really, really hate feeling tired.

 

Travelogue 4: The Penang Foodscapade. (Cultures and Sights)

28th December 2014 – 1st January 2015

It was a quick and much-needed getaway for us, especially after the hectic natures of our work over the past months. Fun was an understatement to describe the whole trip. It was.. FULL-filling for our stomachs, literally. But on this post, it’ll be about the sights and museums that we came across.. Food post shall be done separately! 🙂

Though the beginning of the trip proved unnerving, especially when we were in the departure lounge waiting for our flight and the breaking news about AirAsia QZ8501 going missing made me feel extremely uneasy. Thankfully our flight wasn’t on AirAsia!

We booked Red Inn Penang to stay in for our trip via Hostelbookers, and I’m really glad to say that what we saw in real life was also what we saw on the website when we were checking it out!

*Photos are not going to be in any chronological order, because admittedly I can’t really remember which days we went to what places, so I’d be sharing about where we went instead!

Pre-flight excitement! 🙂

  

Red Inn Penang – where we put up for the whole trip. First ever backpacker’s experience for me and it was fun! The main area was a big wooden platform with beanbags, low tables, power outlets and even a flat-screen TV! It’s a common sight to see the guests chilling on the beanbags with a novel, or with their laptops doing work/planning their next travel destinations 🙂

  
We went to Sun Yat Sen’s mansion (if I didn’t get the term wrong), and were wowed by the intricate architecture, and the many different escape routes that he used back in his days when he was trying to carry out plans for his revolution. And all the furniture that was in the house are the exact ones he used.

  

1 thing about Penang – they’re known for their street art, and in general they’re quite cute. Needless to say it meant that there were many tourists doing all sorts of poses too!v

   

We went to explore the jetties too and were pretty impressed at how laid back the life was there. Sure indicates a sharp contrast, comparing it to the hectic lifestyle Singapore has. Not to mention that it was quite an interesting sight to see people riding on their motorbikes/scooters on the jetties to get home too haha!

 

 

1 of our favorite places just behind our inn – Behind 50! Yes, it’s a little cafe/bar that’s really just behind 50 Love Lane – hence its name. And we chanced upon the most unique drink there – Hot Honey Milk. It became our favorite the moment we took the first sip and it was absolutely perfect as a wind-down drink before bed time too 🙂

Fort Cornwallis, where we saw the various cannons and structures that were used as a shelter of sorts during the war.

      

Penang Camera Museum – somewhere that I was really excited to explore because I do my fair share of photography in my free time. And the number of vintage cameras in the galleries.. *insert lovey eye emoticon* For those who’re really hardcore in photography, this is the place to visit!

The Camera Museum
49 Lebuh Muntri
10200 Penang, Malaysia 

 

 
Armenian Street, where it’s 1 of the more touristy parts of Penang. And yes, that’s a flea market that’s really going on there, with clothes displayed on top of the car and all.

    
  

       

         

We checked out Penang Time Tunnel too – 1 of the must-visits when in Penang! It’s pretty similar to Trick Eye Museum and Images of Singapore (Penang version of course!) come together, and it was our first time in this kind of place, so we had fun taking photos there too and being silly 🙂

Penang Time Tunnel 
Jalan Green Hall, Georgetown, 10200 Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

We checked out Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion – also known as Blue Mansion because of the colors of the walls inside the mansion. Very unique architecture, and the place itself is so rich in history. n fact, parts of the mansion have been converted into hotel rooms for guests too! The story of Cheong Fatt Tze and his life has been made into a theatre production in Singapore before too, and the place itself has been used for many filming productions. The blue-ness (is there even such a word?) was something very unique and Western, which is something you wouldn’t really expect to see in an oriental styled house. Within the mansion itself, is a restaurant so beautiful that it took our breaths away when we saw it. The amazing fusion of oriental and Western influences within a dining setting was one so intricate, that not many would have imagined pairing them together. Imagine oriental styled crockery laid out together with Western style cutlery and tablecloths, Western styled lighting with oriental walls. Such a great beauty, indeed.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion 
14, Lebuh Leith, 10200 Georgetown, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

  
These metal street art sculptures are everywhere in Penang too! Makes for interesting photo spots and also a great way to find out about the early histories of Penang, and how certain traditions and places came about.

Somehow, while the backpacker’s experience left me with a bad case of hives on my legs (dammit!!), it was an experience that I loved because it was something I’d never done before previously, and it was an interesting one because we explored a lot of places on foot, which is our favorite thing to do because we learn much from being like the locals in that sense 🙂