It has been more than a month since I last blogged. I even lost count of how many days I’ve been away from Singapore. Before I carry on, a belated Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all, especially to my family!
December has been a month of mixed emotions for me. I wouldn’t even say that I’m emotionally starved but rather I’m emotionally drained. I remembered the last few days of school… everyone was a little upset that we all had to part with one another during the holidays as they were just around the corner. Neither did I expect myself to have felt that way nor did I think that I would feel a tinge of sadness when parting with my newly found friends while I was still in Singapore. It seems like so many things that I thought wouldn’t happen to me, or things which I never thought about would actually happen to me. Thank you, Dad & Mom, for giving me this opportunity to experience these life-changing instances (I sound like I’m giving a Grammy Award speech).
I spent my holidays traveling around Europe. My 1st destination was Dublin, followed by Paris, after which I flew to Glasgow and finally to Gothenburg. Each of the cities are unique, but I would say that Paris really made an impression on me, it pretty much “wowed” me as I stepped into the city of the lights. I really am unable to describe how magnificent it is as it would do Paris a great injustice. I would let the pictures speak for themselves. Glasgow was good for low to mid-end shopping, probably the nicest place to shop in Scotland. Boxing Day sales was amazing! I did a fair amount of shopping in Glasgow but I felt it wasn’t enough but I ran out of moolah! You can’t really find high end boutiques in just about any city, including capital cities such as Dublin. Only in places like London, Paris & Milan can you find such stuff, in a way I really miss the convenience of Singapore, where one can just about find anything one wanted regardless of the price. Gothenburg was nice as well. I spent a few days in the countryside at a friend’s place. Gosh, every night was like a wine drinking session thanks to the OLDEST man in our group, probably our father-figure since he’s 33 and married. Alas, despite his age, I taught him how to withdraw cash from an overseas cash withdrawal machine, thus giving me a sense of smugness!
Traveling with friends is an experience in itself, for one would learn how to compromise and tolerate one another. Even simple things such as a difference in budget can lead to squabbles which can be pretty damaging if not managed properly. I learnt so much from my European friends and they really made an impression on me with their wealth of knowledge and it’s really interesting to learn about the different cultures and behaviours. Without a doubt, one would not agree with everything one sees or hears, but it does broaden one’s perspective in all certainty. Traveling with my friends also bonded us subconsciously. Guess the time spent together, the petty squabbles and the good times we shared allowed us to understand one another better as well as oneself better. To all my Singaporean friends going on abroad or on exchange already, try not to just stick with Asians, mixing with people who are vastly different from us would really add meaning to your overseas experience. I think that being on exchange allowed me to not only understand, tolerate and be sensitive to others in greater depth but more importantly, it gave me a chance to understand myself better, providing me with an opportunity to grow and develop as a person and adult. Once again, kudos to my lovely parents!
While I’m typing this blog entry, I already feel like I’m a shadow of my former self. Despite the numerous wonderful times I had during the holidays, a part of me seems to have ceased existing. It would take a miracle to pen everything down in just plain words and I rather let memories tell our story. Hence, I would end with this…
终于还是走到这一天, 要奔向各自的世界, 没人能取代记忆中的你和那段青春岁月。要对你说再见真的很伤感，我真的很希望能够相信你所说的我们一定会再见，而你会再次回到我面前。那一天送你送到最后，我有千言万语，好担心好难过，却没对你说。我只能让眼泪留在心底，深深的祝福你最亲爱的朋友，祝你一路顺风。。。
December has been a month of mixed emotions for me. I wouldn’t even say that I’m emotionally starved but rather I’m emotionally drained. I remembered the last few days of school… everyone was a little upset that we all had to part with one another during the holidays as they were just around the corner. Neither did I expect myself to have felt that way nor did I think that I would feel a tinge of sadness when parting with my newly found friends while I was still in Singapore. It seems like so many things that I thought wouldn’t happen to me, or things which I never thought about would actually happen to me. Thank you, Dad & Mom, for giving me this opportunity to experience these life-changing instances (I sound like I’m giving a Grammy Award speech).
I spent my holidays traveling around Europe. My 1st destination was Dublin, followed by Paris, after which I flew to Glasgow and finally to Gothenburg. Each of the cities are unique, but I would say that Paris really made an impression on me, it pretty much “wowed” me as I stepped into the city of the lights. I really am unable to describe how magnificent it is as it would do Paris a great injustice. I would let the pictures speak for themselves. Glasgow was good for low to mid-end shopping, probably the nicest place to shop in Scotland. Boxing Day sales was amazing! I did a fair amount of shopping in Glasgow but I felt it wasn’t enough but I ran out of moolah! You can’t really find high end boutiques in just about any city, including capital cities such as Dublin. Only in places like London, Paris & Milan can you find such stuff, in a way I really miss the convenience of Singapore, where one can just about find anything one wanted regardless of the price. Gothenburg was nice as well. I spent a few days in the countryside at a friend’s place. Gosh, every night was like a wine drinking session thanks to the OLDEST man in our group, probably our father-figure since he’s 33 and married. Alas, despite his age, I taught him how to withdraw cash from an overseas cash withdrawal machine, thus giving me a sense of smugness!
Traveling with friends is an experience in itself, for one would learn how to compromise and tolerate one another. Even simple things such as a difference in budget can lead to squabbles which can be pretty damaging if not managed properly. I learnt so much from my European friends and they really made an impression on me with their wealth of knowledge and it’s really interesting to learn about the different cultures and behaviours. Without a doubt, one would not agree with everything one sees or hears, but it does broaden one’s perspective in all certainty. Traveling with my friends also bonded us subconsciously. Guess the time spent together, the petty squabbles and the good times we shared allowed us to understand one another better as well as oneself better. To all my Singaporean friends going on abroad or on exchange already, try not to just stick with Asians, mixing with people who are vastly different from us would really add meaning to your overseas experience. I think that being on exchange allowed me to not only understand, tolerate and be sensitive to others in greater depth but more importantly, it gave me a chance to understand myself better, providing me with an opportunity to grow and develop as a person and adult. Once again, kudos to my lovely parents!
While I’m typing this blog entry, I already feel like I’m a shadow of my former self. Despite the numerous wonderful times I had during the holidays, a part of me seems to have ceased existing. It would take a miracle to pen everything down in just plain words and I rather let memories tell our story. Hence, I would end with this…
终于还是走到这一天, 要奔向各自的世界, 没人能取代记忆中的你和那段青春岁月。要对你说再见真的很伤感，我真的很希望能够相信你所说的我们一定会再见，而你会再次回到我面前。那一天送你送到最后，我有千言万语，好担心好难过，却没对你说。我只能让眼泪留在心底，深深的祝福你最亲爱的朋友，祝你一路顺风。。。
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