Somehow I found myself here on a Saturday afternoon when I'm supposed to be doing something else, like counting the number of lanterns I have so that I can bring them down for the mooncake fez tonight. Somehow, here I am!

Anyway, I have a draft blog to complete. Wrote the draft half-way between my intensive course during the first week of last month, and I have left it there, dangling. What an awful sight, what a shame to me! The draft goes:

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I told myself that on the first day that I embark into my Masters course, I wanted to keep a record of what I learn. Well, not literally, of course. I just want to jot down some reflection. In fact, passing my 28th year has caused me to realise that I have very little memory left of what went on for the past few years. Truly said, I have lived and yet have lived not if I remember them not.

So...

Day One - 4th August 2008


I sat down for a lecture after almost 4 years of absence from this scene. It was familiar, yet bred a certain unfamiliarity. I was unprepared, as I had the premonition a week ago when I matriculated and I absentminded forgot the actual day for matriculation.

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Sigh... anyway, better late than never. So let me start with today:

6th Sept 2008

I went to FK's sister's wedding. Now I recall, I stand corrected as it is not my first Catholic wedding because I attended my friend's one in KL, but it is still very much my first one in Singapore. The feeling of being in an old establishment is so different: the stained glass, with depictions of Mother Mary and possibly one of Jesus; the curved ceiling with the paint peeling off; and the voluminous choir singing filling the empty spaces. I was transported into the old times in a monastery, possibly in Spain. I felt at peace. I usually have this feeling when I'm in the sanctuary, a Catholic sanctuary. Or even the Anglican Cathedral.

4th Sept 2008

I had a run after class today. And of all days, I received an email from the Campus Security warning people of a molestor who attacked someone on 2nd Sept. Just merely 2 days ago. No matter, I had made up my mind to run on the tracks anyway. I ran close to 9 rounds. They closed the lights at 10pm - a sign for me to go home.

3rd Sept 2008

I woke up with an sms in my handphone that says I was late for breakfast. I forgot, I was on leave that day. Apologized. Things seemed to be flowing out of place lately. Keeping appointments and getting things done are not in order. It was my mother's birthday, so I decided to take a day off to be with her. We went for facial and then a body spa. Sadly though that the facial did not work for her. It left her with a bitter taste in her mouth, and I wished, how I wished that did not occur to her. Sigh. My family and I had dinner at CDANS, quite an expensive meal.

1st Sept 2008

The first day of fasting for my Muslim friends.

30th August 2008

I slept at 5am this morning. All because I got caught up with watching a Japanese drama called Nodame Cantibile. I like the classical music fused with the storyline. And the animated acting reminds me so much of anime. Well, the show is adapted from manga/ anime. Chiaki-senpai wa kakkoi ne! And I begin to miss Japanese a lot.

24th August 2008

My countless times of joining the SAFRA 21km run. I did not do well. I fell sick during my first week of intensive course, and I had not been able to run since then. Excuses, I know. My timing was close to 3hours. I'll need to work on that, really hard. My next chance to show that I'm still fit is during the NB Real Run, coming up in October. I want to do well. At least for myself.

23rd August 2008

Together with my Cross Cultural team, we went for a hike from PGP to Vivocity. It took us 4 hours, which was way above my estimation of 2 hours. Well, it was raining, and we started late. But more than that, we took our time at each points to take pictures, chat, so I'd probably need to put that in my calculations next time. Overall, it was a good time, of being together.

21st August 2008

I went for a dinner buffet with my friends at work. We thought that it has been a tiring week, and we'd need to de-stress. Our first choice was to go Carousel at the Royal Park Hotel, but that place was fully booked. So my friends searched hard to look for an alternative. In the end, we went to a nearby place at Clementi Woods, known as Sakura. It was an impressive restaurant with layers of buffet trays. One layer for Japanese sushi and dessert, another layer for Chinese dim sums, other dishes. And there were many many tables, up to 100 odd tables!

17th August 2008

Wei Lit and I sat down for our last session with our pastors in regards to our marriage preparation. Finally we set a date. However, it was sobering day, to realise so many things. Even the sermon was sobering, to be reminded of my past achievement if weighed in God's eyes.

15th August 2008

I sat down for my first exam paper after such a long time. I'm not sure how I'd perform, and I know that I did not write a very sound and concrete answer to the main question. Still I hope that I have conveyed my thoughts. After all, that was what Prof Lim said was important - our thinking. Yet I can't help but feel that my thoughts are quite shallow. I'm aiming for a B, at least.

4th - 8th August 2008

My one week intensive course for my first module in my Masters course. I fell sick in the middle of this week, most probably because of the incubation from morning to evening in the lecture theatre, and also because of late nights.

[note: i'll edit and add more, running out of time now. Need to really count lanterns, and get going for today]