Halfway mark, checked

Just popping by to update with some extracts from slides I done up for my speech done today done for Korean speaking class! Had a busy weekend having just finished up a 8 page report on leadership, preliminary research and brainstorming for a group project and the korean speech. Nights like yesterday's I'll always remember, staying up till 4am sitting on my room floor tracing, trimming and cutting pattern paper as well as muslin for my clothing construction homework. Then pricking myself numerous times with the silk pins when pinning the pieces together -__- That feeling of accomplishment when you finally get your work done is really rewarding. But as an after-effect of it all, I'm exhausted right now and am all ready hop into bed at 8:50pm. 

Still left with too much more to complete by next Monday! After then, a week of break before the finals roll in~ I'll be home after exams and about 2 weeks of traveling. Time really does fly!!!

busy times

People might think that exchange students have it easy.... right??? What if I tell you that isn't true? Currently abit swamped with assignments, assignments and assignments. Since whatever grades we get here is only accounted for on a pass/fail basis at our home university, the amount of effort invested in work here is really our own initiative. We have all been trying nothing but our best though- and that is where I confuse myself a little. 

Why put in so much effort then? (1) KU is a prestigious university here and we wish to find out how we stand amongst the local students. Especially since Koreans are known to be extremely hard working. (2) Why do something half-heartedly when you are aware you can do much better? This constantly runs through my mind when doing 5% reading log assignments, 5% quizzes, as well as my weekly clothing construction homework. It's not about the grades here, it's what I want to learn, achieve and experience as a person staying and studying here in KU.

And as for the photo above, it's a reminder to myself that this upcoming week and a half is a challenge and I will get by it!! Once it's over and done with it will be like an exit from being totally brain fried, heh. Plus I miss the girls and the fun we had during #nigusweekendout. But for now,  onward with the assignments, gooooooooo~~

More adventures to come

Have been absent from this space for some time because.... Kings is here in Korea! It's his eleventh day here counting from the day the plane touched down but it sure doesn't feel as long. There's so much to see and do but not enough time to cover everythinggggg T______T We head out whenever there's pockets of free time before/after my classes and usually wind up being exhausted at the end of the day. Our laundry pile had been left aside to grow into a monstrous size. Tiredness and monster laundry pile aside, I can't be any happier. Was feeling quite down for a week or two prior to this so his arrival is a perfect timing. Time to head out for more adventures! Till next time~~

Twenty-three and counting

Last Monday, I celebrated my second consecutive birthday spent overseas. Last year, I was in UK heading towards the Lake District for a camp. It was truly a special adventure to be out there amongst numerous sheep where a lake, mountains and forested areas were. This was closely followed by a month-long backpacking trip around Europe before finally setting foot on Singapore ground again. It was easily the most memorable travel experience of my life. This year, the day was spent attending classes in a prestigious university in Korea, having Jajangmyeon (짜장면) for lunch and spending time with lovely friends. In Korea, 14th April is also Black Day or singles' day which explains my first bowl of jajangmyeon here. Kings and my family planned a little surprise for me through Skype as well, and it made me feel really happy and loved :')

I've always wanted to study overseas so these experiences are truly a dream come true. There are countless times where the realization of being overseas strikes and it feels rather surreal that I'm really here: living and creating new memories outside of sg. There's no greater feeling in me now other than thankfulness. Thankful to my family for the support, thankful for the opportunity to be out here, just so thankful for everything. And while there were important matters which made me seriously consider flying home for the weekend (but ultimately couldn't due to short notice), I'm glad that technology has allowed me to constantly stay updated and in touch with those back home. Let's stay strong ♥

cherry blossoms?

Mid-terms are fast approaching and we're starting to get a little busy with assignments and impending deadlines are starting to creep up. But since the cherry blossoms came slightly early this year, we made it a point to go enjoy them this weekend anyway! It all started on Friday at the War Memorial where we had a class excursion. Discovered several cherry blossom trees in full bloom in the area and we've not stopped the flower craze since :)

The weather's taken a slight turn these few days and I kinda miss the 20℃ afternoons. Was 8 degrees today but it felt much colder than that while strolling along the Hangang river. So many things to look forward to but so little time to just bask in the moment! 

First week of classes

Just felt like popping by for awhile. School's started officially this week! Though it's the first few lessons and also the tentative period where we confirm modules to ultimately take or drop, it's been tiring. I've been attending extra classes just to get a feel of how other courses can be like, and also to see how other lecturers conduct lessons. All in all, it's been pretty fulfilling thus far. Apart from a food sciences module which I'll definitely be dropping, I'm pretty lucky that I have managed to get sufficient modules confirmed during registration period previously. So right now it's more of testing waters to see if I'm able to find other modules which I might enjoy more :)

The temperature these couple of days will dip, which makes me kinda sad. Rachel Livingtel only has floor heating (my room has an air-conditioner which I had turned on for the past week though) which isn't enough to keep me happily warm sometimes. So on colder days like today, I'll be wearing a three-quarter sleeved top plus a long sleeved sweater, as well as long pants indoors. It's already better than other places though. My other friends staying at Allive Goshitel had to purchase their own heater because their rooms didn't have any form of heating at all.

Oh and I finally brought my camera out for an outing the other day so there will be better photos to come! Pictures from previous posts were all captured using an iphone 4. Am off to get ready for classes (and the cold outdoor weather)! BYE~

** update at 7pm: It snowed light flurries for the entire afternoon today! First snow I've seen this year :D

Hanging in there

Spring's officially here and almost all the snow's gone. Experiencing winter and seeing snow for the first time in my life was lovely but I'm all ready to embrace slightly warmer weather and pretty flowers! Bright yellow daffodils have been growing in the vast grass patches in school and it looks beautiful. Been itching to go for a stroll or jog along the lake since the temperature's been great. It's now down to the last 4 or 5 days stay here in the hostel on campus ;( This coming Sunday, the entire batch of SG students will be off for a camp at the Lake District. Selection for next year's overseas study placement is due end next week too. In the meantime, there's still an assignment that's due on Sunday. Our stay in Birmingham is coming to an end soon but it'll be a mad rush till then!

I had a wonderful time during the Easter break, travelling to Edinburgh and Wales with the nicest group of friends. Travelling about so much does make one feel disillusioned after some time. In Singapore, people usually look forward to short breaks and overseas trip very much. Even trips to Hong Kong or Thailand for example, which are simply 3 to 4 hours away, are greatly cherished and anticipated. Over here, 5 day trips to other cities/countries feel so normal. 

Then again, I remember our lecturer Jon previously asking us during dinner if we preferred UK or Singapore. Everyone agreed that although we prefer Singapore (it is home, afterall) but UK's lifestyle is something we really love. [Side note: I loveeee the supermarkets here so much that I wish I can bring them all home] Somehow it feels as though there's a greater sense of peace and freedom. Moreover, it isn't as crowded. Plus the locals here seem more mild-mannered in the sense that they don't talk as loudly and complain as much.? Sometimes we joke as we are as much of annoying foreigners to the folks here as the foreigners are to us back home; chatting loudly (in comparison to them), clustering in groups and all.

And from 20th April follows an entire month of travels to:
LDN ➤ France ➤ Switzerland ➤ Germany ➤ Austria ➤ Italy ➤ Spain ➤ Amsterdam ➤ Netherlands

before returning back to UK again for several days before catching the flight home. It's going to cause a huge hole in my pockets but I'm sure it'll be well worthwhile :')

Live happy

With the whirlwind of events which happened lately, something I noticed about several of my friends here is that they tend to think. A lot. Like the kind where you spend quite an amount of time and energy delving deep into your thoughts in an attempt to find out the reason why a particular person chose to act in a certain manner. And they coincidentally happen to be of a younger age as well. This led me to think back about the days where I was younger and loved to blog a lot more. (I know you're probably going to look at my archives from 2008 to check and see if there's any evidence of such behaviour from those days! But nah, what I'm referring to dates way back before that).

When I was younger, it seemed that emotions easily overwhelmed me and my brain loved to go into overdrive doing what it does best- thinking. At times it's pretty much over-thinking. This is what one would call "emoing" which was a common term used back in secondary school. You know, those times where it seems like the entire world is against you, your friends and family don't understand you, so much inner thoughts but no one to express them to, yadda yadda yadda. But right now, it feels like my mind is so carefree and happy at times, there really aren't much unnecessary thoughts which run through it anymore. This led me to wonder if I became too detached from situations in which I couldn't care less about the world and what went on around me :/

So anyway, I asked someone about it and came to a conclusion. It's not because I've became insensitive or thoughtless about things. Nor is it because empathy has became absent in my life. The reason this has happened is because I've grown up and matured. Simple as that.

And I've found that I'm much happier and at ease with myself nowadays! It's hard to describe in words right here but I'd say that the closest thing it can be likened to is inner peace. Not the "ohmmmm and sit in a cave like master shifu in kungfu panda" kind of inner peace, mind you. More like being aware of and knowing that little things don't bother you anymore. Or looking at the big picture instead of the minute details which don't matter. When attention's directed towards the right things in life, good things will result as well :)

Reflection time

It's now March, time for a belated update! Almost two months in UK and this month has presented so much to be learnt about about life and its lessons. I can now honestly say that whatever life presents you with, be it challenges, happiness, or pain, there will always be something to take away from it. All you have to do is to embrace the lessons learnt from it all. Ultimately, one will stand to gain if you approach life with a positive and rightful attitude.

And right now, I can finally say that I'm happily at peace with myself and my surroundings. Each passing day is 24hrs closer to being back home and meeting with my loved ones again (yes nuns, this includes you all. i know you're reading this!). Plus at the same time, it's also another day's worth of memories experienced in beautiful UK! So why not make it a good one that's as enjoyable as possible? That makes two things to be happy about every day :)

travels

Am suddenly feeling a tad nostalgic and craving for a bit of something familiar. It always seems to be the case. When one's home, wanderlust sets in and new experiences, sights and sounds is craved. And when away for extended periods of time, a wee bit of nostalgia can set off an entire search for something which seems familiar and comforting. For me right now, it's a little of both. It was especially hard to leave Singapore when something new had only just begun. While I'm here taking in brand new views, I can't help but wish that the special someone is here to share these memories together.

true blue

People say that you shouldn't look back to the past too often and I guess they're right. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to make myself believe that I was truly happy then. Looking back, I think that when one's in the situation, you just get so caught up by whatever's going on (emotions, new things happening, etc) that you get blinded and lose your sense of judgement. This is probably why it's important for those around you who aren't looking at things through rose-tinted glasses like you are, to keep you grounded and to remind you of who you really are.

Do I regret it? Yes, and no. Yes because I find that I had spent a good amount of my time, efforts and emotions on something that wasn't worth it in the end and that I did not realize it at that time. There are many things which cannot be undone and experiences which could have been much, much better. But oh well.

And no, because it at least taught me a very valuable lesson or I may otherwise commit the same mistakes again. I would also be lying if I said that there weren't times when the emotions weren't real.

Anyway, it's high time that I move and forgive myself and others. I can only hope that my heart doesn't allow history to repeat itself and that my brain makes better decisions this time around. :) Can't say that I'm not still afraid of making a mistake though.

where am I headed to?

Fake specs are great for small-eyed folks!

These couple of days, I've been going about my life wondering if things could be better. Many things that I do nowadays are based on a routine and I'm not too sure if I particularly enjoy it. I even believe I could possibly have forgotten what real excitement and happiness is like. :(

To add on to this feeling of detachment, there have been those dreams. Odd dreams so real, you wish that they are reality and somehow even start believing that they can be real. I wonder if it's my subconscious signalling that I'm not truly happy with the way I'm running my life at the moment or if it's a matter of simply thing too much while I'm awake and conscious. One thing's for sure, I can't keep letting these odd emotions rule my head.

Oh and school's gonna start in a month. It took me an entire year to decide on taking up this course of studies and I sure hope that this decision's the right one. I am looking forward to it though, and to put a stop to my work life for now. It's really tiring to handle trouble customers when all you can think about is how the matter shouldn't even have arisen in the first place.

Please pardon my "Bah, humbug" mood. Have been too much of a scrooge recently. And I hate it! :(