Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012

的一年, 的开始, 的希望!
***HUAT AHHH!***

2011 has ended and 2012 has started. youdon'tsay.jpeg

2011 has been an O-K year for me. Not a fantastically good year but its not that bad as well.
Here's a summary of my 2011...


January: -

@ Downtown East NTUC Chalet


It was a fun gathering and even though I feel extra because all of them are Jz's classmate, it was fun!
The people there are very friendly and even though I am not their batch, they're all very nice to me :)




Celebrated advanced birthday for Ash and Gr because my birthday celebration would be with Jz. Hehehe.
It was a simple dinner at Buangkok Tze Char but the food is really da bomb! I'm missing the Mango Prawns now :p


 Driving License! :D


I FINALLY GOT MY DRIVING LICENSE!
Ok not really like finally as in I failed a lot of times.
In fact, for all my test - BTT, FTT and TP, I pass on the first try.
I know right, very sat sat right? ^^
You've no idea how nervous I was because I tell myself I must pass before Jz's 21st birthday to surprise him.
And I think God is on my side. In another 18 more days, I'd be removing my P-plate :)


(as well as my 19th Birthday surprise from Babies hehe)
@ Aloha Loyang Garden Terrace


I guess this is the most exciting part of the year. Because it was Jz's 21st birthday and I organized it (partly).
I am so glad that everything was a success and I have so many friends - Babies, V.Stars, all helping us out. 
Thank you guys once again! Thanks for making it happen. Unforgettable 3D2N chalet.
Oh btw, this is also the first time I stayed overnight in a chalet. I swear to God. In my 19 years of life. 


@ Downtown East NTUC Chalet


A surprise birthday chalet for Marcus by his sweet girlfriend, Gloria.
I was so excited because Jz and I was the main character in the surprise crew.
We've to crack our brain to think of a good story to trick that smart Marcus into coming into the chalet.
Overall, I am glad that the surprise has been successful and everyone had a great time :)


 Our Birthday Celebration
@ Keppel Bay


On Jz's actual 21st birthday itself, we went to Vivo City to have Sakae Sushi for dinner and chill at Keppel Bay.


On the next day, which is on my actual 19th birthday, we went to Keppel Bay again.
We wanted to go to Henderson Wave but somehow we can't get up there so... anyway its quite good.


w/ Ashley, Boohui, Guanrui, Jingzhong, Layhoe, Limei and Rachel


Babies bought Jz and I USS tickets for our birthday! I was so touched ttm please!
USS tickets leh! You know how expensive or not!??
So we went together with the people in the picture above and we had a great time though it rained the whole day -.-"



February: - 
w/ A9L03 @ Danny's


I think this is the first time A9L03 celebrated CNY together. The other time was Hari Raya I think.
But anyway, we went to Danny's house (kindly offered) and it was a great experience. We played games and all.


@ Underwater World Singapore


It was *ahem* MY idea of going to UWS because... I haven't been there since a very long time.
And don't you think its very sweet? Like, Valentines Day and couples go there, watch dolphin perform etc. Lol.



March: - 

@ Downtown East NTUC Chalet


Darling Glor organized a chalet for her 19th birthday and invited us and her friends over.
It was a great time for me catching-up with the rest of my secondary school friends from the same batch.
I am sure the rest of the people there had as much fun as I do.
Oh crap, suddenly remember the salad Marcus made. DAMN nice!


@ Brewbakers


Babies celebrated Jo and Lh's 19th birthday at Brewbakers. Jean recommended it.
Ambiance was good and the service was not bad. Still remember the manager who's so enthu to serve us. Lol.




Sissy's 21st birthday at our house! Wah, suddenly feel like she's so old.
If she's old, means I'm also getting older. I'm hitting the digit 2x this year :(
I hope she had a great day that day with all her friends over at our house. It was a drink party.
I also hope she like the present that I got her. A necklace from SK Jewellery and a book I decorated.


 Pulau Ubin 
w/ Vasantham Stars


This was quite a random idea because Mel and I suddenly thought of having some outdoor thingy with V.Stars.
And what's better than spending a day on another island riding bicycle and being our usual crappy self? :)



April: - 

w/ Daniel, Jingzhong, Melissa, Nigel, Shane and Weien


2nd time being at WWW because I-forgot-who got free tickets. So we all went together and it was fun!
First time was the start of this year right after Jz's 21st birthday chalet together with V.Stars.


w/ Family


Dad's company organized some company retreat thing and ALL of them went to AFamosa to 'party'.
Our whole family drove into KL to attend it and it was also a good time to spend quality family-time.


@ Pasir Ris Park


Our frequent class BBQ usually during every semester break.
But over time, we invited our friends from other class to join us as well. The more the merrier :)



May: -

@ Changi Airport Terminal 3


Ju sweetly planned a surprise birthday for Zu and asked us to help her.
I think the surprise was a success because Zu really looked surprised. Lolol.




Once again, invited to another birthday party of Jz's classmate. Enjoy hanging out with these fun people.
And we somehow also have the same topic to talk about. Girls what, will run out of topic meh!


w/ Daniel, Jingzhong and Melissa


Jz and I planned to go to the RSAF Open House only to know that Dan wanted to go too.
So 4 of us went on a 'double-date' to RSAF Open House. Lolol.
But it was really interesting and also an eye-opener to me as well when I see those jet planes.
Though I know I'm a little annoying because throughout I kept asking Jz stupid questions about the planes etc.


@ Chinatown Yum Cha


Our dearest Nigel's 21st birthday! It was a simple dim sum breakfast in Chinatown.
All of us made the effort to wake up early that day to take public transport to Chinatown for breakfast.



June: -

@ Arirang Korean Restaurant


Zomg, don't remind me about the food we had at Arirang. It was SUPERB! I ate like a cow.
With Jo beside me being a bimbo and everyone else was just chatting and laughing. I miss my girls...


@ Stanwin's Condo


Yet another class gathering and this time it was a Stanwin's house again.
BUT, this time round we own the BBQ pit at the private pool side! So awesome!
The whole night all of us were just sitting by the pool and even bringing our BBQ food into the pool to eat.




Yea, I joined the SYE in hopes of going to Philippines for FREE.
But my main objective is to be able to help those foreign students in Singapore to have a better life here.
I attended this 3 day workshop and I really learnt A LOT and made A LOT of friends. They're all nice people.
And even though I am not able to commit further due to my OSIP, they're all very supportive and encouraging.


 Car Accident :(


Unfortunately, met the first car accident of my life. Actually no, in 2011 I met 2 accidents.
One was when I was in the bus with Jz on the way home from school when a lorry hit our bus.
But this time was a car accident involving OUR car and MY parents and I. So scary please.
Thankfully it was just a minor accident and only I suffer from bruise.


 The Lion King Musical :)))
w/ Daniel, Fershila, Jingzhong, Melissa and Weien @ Marina Bay Sands


Thanks to Jz for bringing me to watch the musical.
I have been wanting to watch but he kept saying it was a waste of time and money.
But in the end, he bought tickets and surprised me. Others wanted to watch it too, so we went together :)
This musical was nice and it was very interactive. Animals will just walk down the aisle and you can touch them.



July: -

 Batu Layar 
w/ Dad and Mom


I 'tagged' along with my parents to Batu Layar, Malaysia for a 2D1N stay in a chalet.
It was yet another function organized by Dad's company to allow the workers to relax and bond. Not bad not bad.
This place was BEAUTIFUL but the chalet we're accommodating is crap. What to expect.


 Marcus and Weien's Pre-Enlistment Farewell
@ Punggol Marina Sakura Charcoal Grilled and Shabu Shabu


So fast, the boys in our clique are enlisting into army one after the other.
It would be harder for us to meet up now and organize gatherings or birthday celebrations.
But I'm sure with the brotherhood bonds between the guys, they'd still stick with each other strongly.



August: -

 Mom's Birthday
@ Universal Studio Singapore Hard Rock Cafe


It was quite a last minute thing to celebrate Mom's birthday at Hard Rock Cafe.
But it was recommended by Bro and it was a great experience. The NDP ambiance is there too.


 Xinyi's 21st Birthday


Yes, another birthday party I was invited to and this time round, more familiar faces to me
because Xinyi was from TP BMS and there're seniors I known of during OLTC.


 6th Year Anniversary w Jingzhong
@ Waraku and Marina Bay Sands


August is one of my favourite month because its when our anniversary lies!
We just wna keep this celebration short and sweet. So we had dinner at Waraku and stroll along MBS.



September: -

 PHS Chalet 
@ Aloha Changi Halton


This would be our final gathering before our SIP kicks in. So we combined all 3 classes and booked a chalet.
It was at a very spooky spot, right behind Old Changi Hospital, but that's alright :)
We had a great time eating, playing games, drinking and chilling.
I'm glad to see that every class plays a part in helping out in something to make this a success.


 Hilarie's 19th Birthday


A simple birthday celebration for Hilarie. Steamboat at Limei's.


 Melissa's 21st Birthday
@ Downtown East NTUC Chalet


MEL'S 21st BIRTHDAY!
I was still a little worried that I'll be missing my darling girl's birthday if I fly off for my OSIP in Sept.
But well, maybe I should be thankful that our visa got delayed and hence I got the chance to attend the party.



October: -

 Cheryl and Jean's 19th Birthday
@ Marina Barrage


Picnic at Marina Barrage with the girls. That evening was oh-so-fun and we had a lot of bimbo moments.
Food was great too. Pot-luck and I made Mango Pudding, which everyone loves :)))


 Grandma's 92nd Birthday!


My Grandma's 92!
I feel so fortunate to be able to attend the birthday celebration right before I fly off to Australia.
Imagine how much I'd be missing if my OSIP starts on September 12th.


 Overseas Student Internship Program 
@ Queensland, Brisbane


Finally I get to fly to Australia for my internship!
You've no idea how much I've gone through within these period of 3 months in order for it to be a success.
First was securing a position, then applying visa, then wait for visa to approve etc etc etc...
This gave me SO much stress that I almost give up. And when my visa wasn't approved in Sept, I lost hope.
Everyone already started their SIP yet I was left hanging in the air, with no where to go.
But thankfully, good news came just a few days before the deadine we set for ourselves.
Hence this trip was pretty last minute. No time for goodbyes, but I was prepared.

However, even if I wasn't able to fly to Brisbane for my internship,
Ms Chua has gotten a position for me at Glaxo Smith Kline.
One of the top manufacturing companies in the world! Not bad too!





I was quite fortunate to be able to be under a good supervisor and my project supervisor and team was great too!
Everyone was so friendly and patient in guiding me through and always taking good care of me.
I am also very glad that we're able to meet such nice people like Faith who kindly offered to bring us around.
Also, our Liaison Officer, Mr Nelson, who's very responsible and nice as well.
In other words, we're really a very fortunate bunch of interns, making our stay here so wonderful.


At King George Square in front of the Casino with Faith, our Singaporean friend who's so nice to us :)


Faith brought us to the weekend West End Market and we've already been there twice so far :)


Taken in front of the Art Museum/Gallery where we've been there on another day.


One of our very first places visited in Australia. Surfers's Paradise in Gold Coast.
The beach was BEAUTIFUL! I've never seen such wide coast and clear blue ocean before!


November: -


Farewell dinner for Faith at FunnyFunny.
Faith is going back to Singapore for her summer break and we'd probably meet up again when we're back :)


Australia Zoo!!! :DDD
Since young I've been dying to go to Australia Zoo and I can't believe I was SO close to my dream!
In fact, my dream came true! Imagine if Australia Zoo were to be in Perth or Sydney or Melbourne. No chance.


Suitcase Rummage and Finder's Keepers Flea Market
Faith brought us to these flea market where we got good deals at dirt cheap prices!
It was also an eye-opener for us as we see the variety of things Australians sell compared to Singapore's flea.


Sea World w/ Joanne, Rina, Shalom and Waikin! :)
It was a fun fun day! Definitely worth going!


Movie World w/ Joanne, Rina, Shalom and Waikin once again! :D
Yet another awesome theme park in Australia. I love their rides!


December: -


Celebrated Weien's 21st Birthday via Skype. Haha.


Spent our Christmas Eve in Wet 'n' Wild having fun with all the wet rides.


Made Gingerbread Train on Christmas day itself because we're 3 loners.
But in the night thanks to Mr Nelson who invited us over to his friends, we had steamboat for dinner :)


Traveled to North Stradbroke Island for sight-seeing and this place is even more beautiful than Surfer's Paradise!


Visited the Ginger Factory which is right opposite the Macadamia Nuts Factory and tried Gingerbread ice-cream :)


Mr Nelson drove us to the top of Montville. Beautiful scenery.


He also drove us to Mount Coot-tha which overlooks Brisbane.


Spent the last few moments of 2011 along Brisbane River watching the fireworks and welcoming the new year.


This just about sums up my 2011. And I am glad that my year is revolved around people I love. 
This year, I am so glad that I have achieved a few of my goals;
  • I have been spending more time with my family members and over the weekends, I'll stay home just to spend time with them, have dinner together with my parents on Saturday nights and visit Grandma.
  • I have also been very thrifty and managed to saved $1000 (I think) in 2011. But I think after this trip, I'd be heavily debt :(
  • Studies wise, I have achieved the highest GPA in Sem 3.1 ever in my entire poly education. Even though it is still not good enough to enter NUS or any local Us, I guess I kind of expected it. Haha.
Even though the above are not the resolutions I set for myself for 2011, but I am glad that at least I achieved something. And I will continue to keep the effort up or at least try to maintain it. 

2012 would be a year of great change for me. In April, I'd be graduating and bidding good-bye to tertiary level.
And I have not really decided what to do next. I have a few ideas, but I've not come to a conclusion yet.
It's so stressful thinking about the next step, and as we grow older, decisions made are tougher and at higher stake.

I set resolutions for myself every year ever since I was young. Its a habit cultivated by my Dad.
And as I grow older, I still have the habit, but we all know resolutions are hard to keep, unless with great discipline. Still, at the end of 2012, these are the things I hope to achieve...

1. Spiritually - Be a saint.
    Avoid committing the 7 deadly sins - Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Pride, Sloth and Wrath.

2. Health and Beauty - Keep a healthy lifestyle.
    Eat well, eat healthily and exercise often to stay healthy (not to lose weight).

3. Time - Good time management.
    Prioritize. Spend quality time with my family, friends, boyfriend, as well as to keep aside time for myself
    (me-time).

4. Finances - Be thrifty, and generous at the same time.
    Do not splurge and spend money unnecessarily. Actually I don't have to worry about this because 
    I am quite a thrifty person and I am very kiam. I find it hard to part with my money.

Yep, that's like always the usual 4 main things that people will think of.
Actually, these are not really resolutions because I have been doing them all along. But still...

In another story, I counted-down to 2012 Brisbane time together with V.Stars via webcam.
And I counted-down to 2012 Singapore time together with my family via Skype.
Time really flies. Its another 2 more weeks and we'd be returning back to Singapore. Mixed feelings.

I hereby wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and may 2012 be a better year for all of us.
Actually I'm not sure if I want 2012 to be end of the world or not but, let's just make every second count ok? :)


We should all look forward and embrace the brand new year ahead, 
but once in a while, don't forget to look back and smile when we see where we've came from :)

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