Through 2011 II

14 Aug 11. 12:04AM.
Playing poker for the first time at Guofei's place. Won money!



25 Aug 11. 7:15AM.
Three pretty girls. DYT in yellow.



11 Sep 11. 2:38PM.
Emcee-d my best friend's wedding.



13 Sep 11. 7:27PM.
Unforgettable Hari Raya dinner at Ros' place with the Seven.



14 Sep 11. 10:54AM.
Working on the shoot for Behind Every Job 2 featuring NatSteel!



15 Sep 11. 10:40AM.
My first Bulletin! Editor for the first time in my life.



17 Sep 11. 7:51PM.
Red-hot student for shifu's birthday party.



23 Sep 11. 9:36AM.
Healthy lifestyle at NatCafe.



25 Sep 11. 10:35PM.
How chio lah!



3 Oct 11. 8:14PM.
Westlife sang on my birthday. With Edric. Tickets from my sister courtesy of SSC!



14 Oct 11. 2:11PM.
MBS Skypark for the first time, bringing the elderly of St Joseph's Home around.



21 Oct 11. 6:31PM.
Intelligence is sexy.



22 Oct 11. 10:22PM.
2nd time at USS. Both times in the dead of the night. Both times on Halloween. Amazing. Thank you Weetz!



24 Oct 11. 7:17PM.
Ridiculously good Jap restaurant at Ion.



5 Nov 11. 2:30PM.
The gorgeousNess. The Seven went to Group Therapy. Unforgettable yuppie brunch.



26 Nov 11. 3:13PM.
Puss in Boots, IMAX. Elected into the company's Sports & Recreation Club.



3 Dec 11. 10:49AM.
Bryan prawning. An activity with the Society for the Physically Disabled.



5 Dec 11. 5:44PM.
Chilling with Samuel at Sentosa on my day off.



9 Dec 11. 8:26PM.
First time here with Qiao Ping and Joyce, for great Italian dinner.



10 Dec 11. 8:50AM.
First "out-camp run" with Firus, Labrador Park.



10 Dec 11. 12:00PM.
Two of the best performers this year.



17 Dec 11. 10:53PM.
Mouthwatering breakfast at Coffee Bean after an awesome run along the river.

Gimme Something Good

NTU called me today, asking me to take part in the survey. They wanted to know if I was employed, how much I was paid, how long I took to find a job and whether my education prepared me for my job.

As I answered the questions one-by-one, I smiled. It gave me to evaluate my life as a student and my life up till this point in time. Is the nature of my work related to my degree programme? Yes. The extent your degree programme helps you to obtain your present job. A very large extent. Looking back, would you have preferred a different course of study at NTU? No. Please rate your overall experience as an undegrad in NTU. 4/5.

One chance to take one course in Uni and I chose the one that I've wanted to do all my life. Sure, it's soft-skills, mostly. But that's exactly how the survey evaluated education: the extent that NTU prepared me for written communication, oral communication, presentation skills (are you kidding me I'm in communications). Then there's ability to learn, interpersonal skills, personal effectiveness, working in groups. Of course!

Did my education get me the job I want? Definitely. I was at Fernvale Gardens School this afternoon. It's a school for the intellectually disabled kids and the work they do is really inspiring. And it's part of my job to come up with activities for the volunteering sessions, making sure that it's enjoyable and fruitful for the volunteers as it is for the kids. I feel grateful to be in a position where I can make a difference. It makes me happy.

And I guess this is why my job makes me happy. I get the chance to grow at my own pace. I get to do something I like - communications. I get to go home on time! I get a lot of job satisfaction, especially since in a two-person team, I can see my every effort amplified.

It's luck that the cards fell into place. With my limited experience in life, I've played my cards right. That, and an open heart, an open mind. A bit of quiet confidence and a bit of determination.

And a whole lot of optimism.

Lost Ship to the Lighthouse

Let us fly
Soar high up in the sky
Hand in hand we go
Heart in heart we grow

Through 2011 I

18 Apr 11. 11:52AM.
Printed FYP report for submission.



30 Apr 11. 1:17AM.
Thad on ST. Heat of the elections.



3 May 11. 9:29AM.
The moment before our FYP presentation.



3 May 11. 12:35AM.
Done with FYP forever. With the cranberry man.



11 May 11. 10:32AM.
Studying for exams at benches. Avocado shake and a banana. Feeling down then.



12 May 11. 7.04AM.
Henderson Waves with Rex.



22 May 11. 12:16AM.
Favourite chilling-with-friends activity. Possibly with Ivan, Guofei and Samuel.



22 May 11. 1:16PM.
Having lunch at Ricciotti. Rekindling flames.



24 May 11. 5:16AM.
Conquered a hill with Edric.



27 May 11. 7:30PM.
The Seven celebrated yet more birthdays, four years running.



1 Jun 11. 10:10AM.
When I still frequented SAFRA Yishun.



3 Jun 11. 12:43PM.
Somebody's wearing the same sandals as me, in such close proximity!



8 Jun 11. 4:04PM.
Bali with 3 awesome people.



17 Jun 11. 2:57PM.
Forever singing Kbox with the OGLs.



1 Jul 11. 2:51PM.
Signed papers and got employed.



15 Jul 11. 7:26AM.
Shocking factory fire.



16 Jul 11. 5:46PM.
With family at the fantastic Sentosa Beach Resort.



31 Jul 11. 3:26PM.
Graduation photoshoot with the Seven.



5 Aug 11. 9.07PM.
My brother's 21st.



10 Aug 11. 2:44PM.
Got my name card!

I've Learnt

2011's coming to an end so it's time to look back, reflect. I'm grateful for having the opportunity to grow up, for picking my own battles... something which I have been able to do upon entering university. And in the course of this year, I've gone from being an undergrad to a working adult! More paths to take, more to discover, more to learn.

And maybe it'd be apt to look at what I've learnt this year.

I've learnt that music is not what I thought it to be. I've enjoyed stuff that's less mainstream. It doesn't matter if other people don't listen to the same thing. But that's not to say I've neglected Pop. Was still singing to almost every song that charted on Billboard during mahjong yesterday!

I've learnt that I'm a team-player. I surprised myself earlier this year by being able to pull my weight in the project. It gave me confidence to get things done and was a really great experience because of how tough it was. I'll never forget packing endless goodie bags, or staying up for 48 hours to finish the report!

I've learnt that I'm not the most hardworking person. I'm not the most creative person. Inspiration and effort comes in spurts. With some focus I can channel it and maybe something great will come out of it! I can be hardcore when I need to!

I've learnt that as much as I enjoy sports and exercise, I've plateaued no thanks to the fact that I haven't been very adventurous nor extremely dedicated. But I'm thankful that I've found people who'll motivate me to take it to the next level. I foresee that next year will be more exciting, with events such as the Urbanathlon lined up. Not getting any younger and this will be the most physically fit that I'll ever be. I only have now. And I'm going to make sure that now = my best.

I've learnt earlier on how to manage money and time. I've always been big on planning and scheduling. Packing lots of activities. Purchasing lots of stuff with my tuition money! I haven't achieved it yet, but I'm on the cusp of the next step - prioritising. Knowing that I don't need to have it all. Knowing that doing nothing is sometimes, everything.

I've learnt that relationships are tough. There're people whom I were inseparable with earlier in the year that I don't talk to now. There're new people that I enjoy getting to know. Yes, relationships. Sometimes, it's about being persistent. Maybe being together is never knowing when to let go.

I've learnt that I've a lot to learn. I've been pushing for myself to see the world, to understand cultures, to accept a different way of life, to find out different perspectives, to realise that what I know is not enough. It's important to be like a sponge, to put yourself in the best position to learn - to not get comfortable, to not be overconfident.

More often than not learning is painful and frustrating. But it keeps you on your toes. That's what life's about. And it's that's what I want to continue to do in 2012.

Being Whole

Before you fall in love, you need to be whole. You've got to have your own hobbies, you've got to take time into your own hands. You need your own friends, you need to have your own dreams.

When you fall in love, you take someone else into your life. It's a duty to make the other person happy, but it's also your duty to make sure you don't lose yourself. You're not there to make the other person complete. And you shouldn't need someone else to feel complete either. You must be able to live with the new rules that you come up with together.

Sure, there is compromise and you might find new hobbies together, having less time for yourself, your friends and even adjusting your dreams to fit two, instead of one.

But relationships are always haunted by doubt, fear and insecurity. One can only overcome that when he has got something to share, when he is whole and not finding a quick fix for the gaping hole in his life. So don't throw yourself at others and more often than not, we're not impressed with people throwing themselves at us.

When faced with love, step forth cautiously and get to know what you want. If there's chemistry, it'll see you through.

Focus

"Listening to the song Brandon mentioned in my mind, thinking of the article Ros shared on Dhubai in my head, dreaming of the places Dylon wants to travel to... Focus, avoid excess, don't believe all the bullshit you see, sometimes the lie of the truth is the most honest."

Wrote this on my Facebook yesterday and was motivated to blog but the feeling escaped me. So I'll put this here, just to give me a feel of what I wanted to say.

Music's a huge part of my life. Brandon talked about Paradise by Coldplay being so haunting that he had to delete it from his iPod. I heard Ode To My Family by The Cranberries on the bus today. I had shivers down my spine and it felt like I was getting stabbed by glass deep inside but I listened to it anyway. Music moves me in a special way.

The article about Dubai was beyond amazing. I have to read it again! It's what good writing is about - bringing the reader to a new place. Exploring unknown land, new ground. But at the same time, to take a stand. Take a stand against the injustice that's happening around the world and persuade others to do the same. This article was widely shared on Facebook and I guess it deserves a re-read and if I can, another entry.

Dylon wrote, "Seattle, Christina Yang, Space Needles, Miranda Bailey, Starbucks, Dylon, Destination, Trip, Cheap Tickets, 2 weeks, Alone." Culture. TV. Travel. Things that I hold close to me, that make me who I am. And yes, getting to know of different places makes me want to travel there to discover them for myself. And discover myself. I crave the adventure. I want to document, to take photos, to write, to let people see the world the way I see it.

I need to cut down on the excess. Distillate. Find the essence of what I need to become. And work towards that.