Official beginnings.

So I've graduated - the official proceedings have been attended and the caps have been tossed. It doesn't feel any different though, perhaps because I've been working for almost two months now. I do think the entire process is a tad overrated, but it did wrap up my final four years of education very nicely and provided my academic pursuit with a closure of sorts. I've never been a fan of NTU, but it is the place where I forged several unforgettable friendships. And the school did offer me many opportunities, some of which without I wouldn't be where I am today. So yes, it has been a tediously long but nevertheless fruitful time.

The safety net that comes with being a student has officially been whipped away, but I like feeling the ground beneath my feet. :)

The end of school and all that.

The end of school and all that.

Soooo... school officially ended (minus exams) with Monday's FYP presentation. There's been quite a bit of fanfare going on about the campus and on Facebook, and quite a show of school spirit. I don't quite feel it but it is a little surreal, as it felt just like yesterday that I was a clueless dope at the orientation camp. I've made new friends, drifted from some and got really close to others, over the four years, but as D said, we probably wouldn't keep in touch with many. But I am grateful nonetheless, for those whom have become family over time.

Most of my week's enthusiasm and nerves were instead channelled towards my first days at the office, where I'd gone to help out during production. Turns out the journey to the office isn't as painful as I'd made it out to be, and while it may be a little too early to say, I think I've joined a fabulous team. It was however a little tough being thrown into the grind of production right after school, but I think it made last night's glass of sparkly that bit more satisfying.

TGIF? :)

Bright colors grow weary from years of neglect.

Bright colors grow weary from years of neglect.

The somewhat slow-moving break culminated in a weekend jam-packed with lots of writing and brainstorming. After sitting on our behinds for a good part of the break (despite having a morning presentation first thing Monday and a one-pager outline to hand up), my International Public Relations team sprang into action so efficiently we nailed both in under two days. I'm a huge fan of efficiency - why would you want to work hard if you can work smart? - and I've been riding on the high of our turbo-charged turnaround progress these two days.

It felt like polytechnic all over again.

I'll be honest here. The project work groups I've been in throughout my university education rarely (though not never) possess the group chemistry I have been spoilt with during my poly days, and I have indeed missed working with like-minded people. So this, you see, is quite a treat and a breath of fresh air especially after the year-long drag of FYP (which does not even classify as project due to its sheer scale and resultant complexities).

On an entirely different note, I managed to see quite a bit on Saturday evening, under the pretext of food research.

 

Two late nights, a morning presentation, two meetings and a tennis game later, I'm officially pooped. I'm gonna snuggle and go on a quick armchair vacation with Simon Majumdar before caving in to sleep. Good night world. It's been quite the day. Ooof.

Ramen respite.

Ramen respite.


picture from here

It's the first day of a craaaaazzzy week with a pile of project work waiting to be settled. Juggling exams and FYP really ain't easy - not so much with time management but with mental compartmentalization - but we can't say our seniors didn't warn us. I guess I didn't expect just how much energy a project can actually require, but it seems like we're on track for now so I'm thankful for that.

My last paper of the semester, and my second last paper of my school life (I hope!) is scheduled for Wednesday, but the eight-day break between my papers has made me all jittery and I keep having nightmares about completely missing the paper. Silly, I know.

Anyway, we took a short respite from the gloomy Monday with The Ramen Girl on dvd. I've come to expect little of movies fronted by Brittany Murphy, but this was actually quite enjoyable, possibly because it's about food. The Aussie grad trip is in the works, but I may just snap up those Tokyo tickets if they're ever on sale and pay Ran and those ramen shops a visit.

Slurp.

Hello, hello.

Hello, hello.

It's the official start of the week-long studying break, which means I can no longer do non-revision stuff without feeling that painful tinge of guilt. And media law, in all its intricate glory, sure does make me want to do anything but study it.

What seems like a luxurious week stretched out ahead of me to cover two measly modules will pass way too quickly I'm sure, especially when I've got this much catching up to do.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm sure we'll get there soon.

P.s. Despite all my unabashed anticipation for the end of school, the anxiety of entering the working world for good in six months' time has finally caught up with me. Aish.

School trip for adults.

School trip for adults.




The thing about traveling with 12 other almost strangers is that you have no escape route. "Sorry I've got an urgent meeting and I have to go now" no longer works as a valid excuse when you're all on foreign land, and this was what the control-freak-Monica-from-Friends in me feared. Thankfully, hanging out 6 days, 24/7 with the gang was bearable at worst and it certainly helped that my roomie's one of those chill, anything goes types.





Our lecturer joined us for a spot of Vietnamese cooking at Hoa Sua School, where we cooked up a dish of grilled fish, Hanoi style and sticky black glutinous rice for dessert. Cooking, to me at least, is messy and chaotic and somewhat haphazard, and the mechanical steps and stainless steel worktops just didn't do it for me. It was however still a morning well spent insulated from the chaos of the city.




I can't say the same about the baking class in the afternoon, which seemed to last an eternity. The only good thing was downing the profiteroles we baked in lightning succession, and of course the end of class.

It was the same day that I heard about the typhoon believed to be headed towards Hanoi. P, M and DX were in a mini frenzy back in Singapore, with DX calling up the embassy to check on evacuation procedures. I returned to the hotel that evening with an email notifying me that I was registered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I don't know what I did in my past life to deserve these people...







The highlight of my trip to Hanoi however had to be dining at Restaurant Bobby Chinn. I am an unabashed fan of the celebrity chef but (and I am saying this without any biasness) the food at his restaurant was undoubtedly the best I've had in Hanoi. But I admit that the Buddha statues greeting me from nooks and crannies, and the petals in the toilet bowl, had me well won over before we even sat down to lunch. The Lotus Salad in Chilli and Lime Vinaigrette was sour and spicy on all the right levels, and the Mac & Cheese came interestingly served in a claypot. While the Pulled Pork Sandwich was only slightly above average with a distinctly smoky flavour, the fish curry was tangy, spicy and the best I've had in a long, long time. And it helps that their waiters speak the best English in what I believe is the whole of Hanoi.




Attempting to sleep on an overnight train has to be one of the oddest experiences ever. I am someone who finds it impossible to keep my eyes open once I'm lulled by the rocking motion of a moving vehicle, and I found myself waking up each time the train came to a stop. Falling asleep was also a tad difficult as lying horizontally atop rickety moving train tracks had the cheese crackers we munched on before bed rushing upwards towards my chest in a very uncomfortable way. And yet I slept.







I wasn't looking forward to navigating the hills in Sapa, and my deepest fears came true when we were faced with slippery mud and a steep descent about an hour into the trek. The local Hmong women ended up holding our hands and carving tracks for us with our walking sticks, and I swear my heart gave a mini lurch when a 50-year-old Hmong lady gently took my hand. Embarrassing as it may be to admit this, I honestly don't think I would have made it through those death hills without her help. I know they were helping us in hope of us buying souvenirs from them, but I gave away a tiny piece of my heart nevertheless when she kissed me on the cheek as we parted.

So there, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, and this trip has ascertained that Vietnam will never be at the top of my travel destinations. That said, I've developed an inexplicable liking for trekking/sliding around in mud and P has gamely agreed to my plan to conquer Gunung Batur on our trip to Bali next year. Me, willingly trekking? Now who would have thought!

The pursuit of knowledge.

The pursuit of knowledge.


image from inmagine.com

1.5 hours to go before the first media law test. Thank goodness it's multiple choice.

Tomorrow I will wake to the Bali sunshine.

Tomorrow I will wake to the Bali sunshine.
feeling: excited
music: india arie ft. musiq - chocolate high

The wait is finally over, and in four hours, I would be boarding the flight to Bali. This week-long trip would be my longest Bali trip so far, and contrary to misconceptions, this is only my third trip to the island, not my 30th!


I'm almost packed, and I've sent my hamsters off for a week with their new Godma, who is currently spoiling them silly with carrots.

More than a year ago, I read half of Fragrant Rice by Janet DeNeefe, an Australian who married a Balinese, and I've wanted to visit the Casa Luna Restaurant and the Honeymoon Guesthouse she runs with her husband ever since. (For those with whom I shared Bali - A Love Story, Ketut's character was semi-inspired by DeNeefe's husband.) You can visit the site at www.casalunabali.com but turn your speakers down because the gamelan music can be a tad jarring.

Early planning has secured us a stay at the Honeymoon Guesthouse, and I've booked Ceci and I for a Balinese cooking class tomorrow morning. I'm pretty psyched to try my hand at preparing Gado-Gado and Balinese satay. Perhaps the next new year's eve gathering I host would not involve tasteless pad thai and soggy green papaya salad? :)

A week frankly isn't enough to do many of the things I want to (do yoga, learn painting, visit the western part of the island, ride a horse along Kerobokan beach...), but I'm glad I'll be exploring more of the island than I'd done on previous trips. I don't think I've gotten a holistic perspective of Bali so I'm hoping to return with a better idea. Maybe then I would be able to explain my fascination with the island.

My dad gave me a bit of grief about my gypsy lifestyle when I told him about my Bali trip on Sunday. Granted, I have indeed been traveling a lot this year, and I probably shouldn't have waited until two days before the trip to inform him. We had a talk and he said that he would respect my way of life ("if you would rather scrimp on the everyday for this"), and that I was old enough to make my own decisions. Jinli says it's the empty nest syndrome. Still, he offered to accompany me to the airport today, so that cheered me up significantly.

On a different note, I met up with the babes last night for an early Christmas dinner at Blue Basil. We literally walked around in circles trying to locate the place, and the food didn't exactly make us feel like all that working was worth it. Heh heh.





The Christmasy mood has eluded me this whole holiday, and I almost forgot that it will be Christmas Eve tomorrow.



Merry Christmas in advance. :)