Looking back and looking forward

'Seasons of Love' from the movie Rent, (and also) from the musical Rent by Jonathan Larson

Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year

In daylight, sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee,
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strive,

In Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life

(chorus)
How about love
How about love
How about love
Measure in love
Seasons of love
Seasons of love

Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundrend twenty five thousand journeys to plan
Five hundrend twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

In truth that she learned
Or in times that he cried
In the bridges she curned
Or the way that he died

Its time now to sing out
Though the story never ends
Lets celebrate, remember a year
In the life of friends

Hmm... what did I do in 2006?

I wrote lots of essays, did lots of assignments, studied hard for my exams, I guess.

I did ok for my exams and could go into second year.

I went to London and did quite a lot of sight-seeing, all by myself, before meeting up with two friends for dinner.

Subsequently I also went to London with GH.

I went to Bath with GH and CE, and we all got ridiculously sunburnt before it was even summer! I still have a tan line on my upper arm to show for it (yes it has lasted for around eight months now).

I got a summer job in Singapore. Boring clerical job, but nice people (and some inspirational ones) there.

I met up with friends, but didn't manage to meet all of the section mates from secondary school band (who are also some of my closest friends even now) because some of us are scattered across the globe and we are in Singapore at different times. But in 2000, on a band trip to [undisclosed location], we made a pact to go there ten years later 'when we have enough money'. 2010... I wonder if we will make it? Three years from now, not too short, not too long... (ok, I shall try not to go into nostalgic mood)

I won the *Ahem* Price (name undisclosed to protect me heh), which is awarded to the top student or the top students in first and second years. £100... little, but not too bad la, still encouraging. To be honest, when I read the letter I was estatic!

I took my first solo flight back to UK. It was such a liberating feeling to be travelling somewhere, albeit somewhere I've already been before, alone (I love my freedom).

The happiness of freedom lasted until I reached my house and found out it was under major renovation so I couldn't stay there. I had to call II, a Hong Kong friend (who is also my closest friend here, more about her next maybe), and put up in her student accommodation. No man is an island. Sometimes we still need to depend on our friends, and in turn our friends need to depend on us.

I tried very hard to find a job but was unsuccessful. I kept losing hope and giving up. Only to decide to try again a week later.

My second year started. I was busy again with assignments, essays and activities.

I was still desperately looking for a job, anything, even just a temporary position for Christmas. I was lucky and was hired by my current employer(s) (husband heads the kitchen and wife helps manage the restaurant/cafe e.g. bills, lease, wages, hiring etc. on top of her day job and two kids).

I made lots of good friends at work... HD, AN, HN, AL.

I spent Christmas eve and part of Christmas being sick.

I went to the Boxing Day sales and had a good time.

That's about it, I think... the more major things I can remember.

And now, for the dreaded (only because I always don't seem to fulfill them) Resolutions for 2007:

1. Prioritise. Organise my time well. Because I'm so much busier now with work commitments. (Also, stop procrastinating!)
2. Eat better. I'm such a junkie and quickie (sounds so wrong), and I usually eat whatever's fast to cook e.g. pasta, freezer-to-oven stuff, microwave stuff, instant noodles (Koka at £0.17 per packet!), sandwiches (lots of it). But I think I should eat more healthy (mainly because I do want to lose weight), and that includes trying not to snack so much!
3. Put in 150% effort in all my essays and assignments (because the mark will only be equivalent to 80% of what you put in). I'm not competitive in grades and stuff, and heck care about the *Ahem* Price (although some money does help a long way), but still, I want to do reasonably well. And if I don't, I won't want to be blaming myself for not putting in enough effort.
4. Have fun! Let my hair down, chill, relax, once in a while. I believe in taking time to sharpen the saw (yes I read Sean Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, which was given to me by a very inspirational person when I was 14 and very lost).
5. Try to work out some sort of direction by summer. Should I join MOE as a teacher? Teach piano privately? Work in any job I can get, saving up, at the same time volunteering in organisations for people with disabilities, and then taking a Masters course in Music Therapy? I dunno... I really want to be a music therapist but I think it'll be hard financially and probably I'm not sure if I will be any good.
6. Exercise (???). Just a bonus. Provisional. I haven't exercised since I got to UK. Usually jog in Singapore (occasionally only lar), but it's a bit too cold for me here. Thinking of going to the uni's sports centre to use the indoor swimming pool. But getting a pool membership is a huge commitment and I wouldn't want to waste the money if I find out later that I don't have time. Yet paying each time I go in would be so expensive.

That's about enough resolutions for now. Maybe I might think of more.

Biggest divorce of the year

I'm really happy that this year, I only have one module in common with GH. Because of this, I interact more with other UK students / other UK students interact more with me. Whichever way round.

GH has been a school mate of mine since we were 13, but we have only ever been in the same class for two years. Except for one subject (the one we're studying now in uni), in which all its students from different classes come together for lessons. The first two years I knew her, I hardly knew her at all. The next two years we knew each other a little better, and the next two years we knew each other even better since the number of students taking this subject were few in junior college.

And I got to know GH quite well last year, since we were practically together most of the time. Although we had only two modules in common, we had quite similar timetables and we were staying on the same accomodation site. It was great to have someone from your country (someone whom you've known for six years too!) going to the same uni, and doing the same course as you. There's company when we slacked around, had more-than-and-hour-long dinners (food preparation took longer with two cooks than with one), and it was great when we supported each other through the hectic last-minute rushes to finish our essays and assignments.

But the downside of it was that since we were so often in the company of each other, we seldom interacted with the rest of the students in our course. When I was on my own of course I did have short conversations with certain people, but not much anyway. Or at the very least, I think by the end of this term I'd have spoken up enough to be on par with how much I actually did last year. Questions put forth by professors are not taken into consideration, though I've been questioned much more this year actually.

Maybe it's because I'm beginning to get to know people by playing in a module, which I'm not taking but participating unaccessed. Or maybe I've changed somewhat after the summer holidays back in Singapore, working? I mean, I've worked before this, but somehow this summer's experience was different. It was not particularly as exciting as some previous jobs, but the people were rather more engaging and I started to gain experience in maintaining a conversation with people. Yes, I think I was that bad, I am quite aware that I only spoke up if anyone specifically directed a question or statement or whatever towards me.

Or maybe I've just matured a little more since the past year. Guess I'm a bit of a late bloomer, but I realised that this year I've been able to sometimes strike up conversations without feeling awkward or stupid for asking stupid questions as a way to do it.

I've seen very little of GH this year, except during the module we have in common, a rehearsal in which we both participate, and occasionally bumping into each other in school. This year, I'm staying with four housemates in rented accommodation (cheaper rent), whilst GH is staying in the uni's accommodation. Someone has told me this is the biggest divorce of the year. That's the extent to which some people have thought of us, as twins, as a couple even. GH has her own reasons for staying on in uni accommodation, some of which I don't know and some of which I know. I don't think her worries are unfounded, but I still think staying in rented accommodation is not such a hassle and fuss as HS has made it out to be. To each her own I guess, GH seems to believe and trust that HS is always right, but I'm willing to give rented accommodation a try.

It's been decent enough so far, other than having to put up with the loneliness of seeing two of the housemates bringing their girlfriends home and hearing another singing to his girlfriend over the internet (aw, so sweet). Oh, and having mould growing in a corner of my room, waiting for a week for whoever-is-supposed-to-come-take-care-of-it, calling the landlord, and being told that they will come this week. We shall see. But all this is another story for another time. Got to get more sleep to make up for last night, and also to pull me through a long tiring Tuesday tomorrow, as always.

Why I started this blog

Despite already having a blog, I decided to start a new, and (hopefully) anonymous one. The simple reason for doing this is that it is quite frustrating having to hold my tongue (or, in this case, fingers) when I really feel like bitching about people but know I can't because they'll probably be reading my blog. While I may feel disappointed with their behaviours and characters, I am definitely not looking to make any enemies. As such, I'll very much rather remain friendly towards these people (and at times, they can be pleasant company if they chose to) while keeping any rantings against them confined within this blog.

Also, I'd rather not let on about certain details of my life since these people have the tendency to spread the word quickly and in the process, often stretch the truth a bit too much. Generally, they have a superior complex and tend to bitch about anything anyone does because, to them, they are the only ones who do things right. To date, I don't think these people have actually been nasty towards me, but I don't think I want to wait around for them to start. Starting a new blog just because of a couple of irritating people might seem like a nuisance and all, but there are other reasons as well I guess.

Mostly, I'm quite a private person who doesn't talk about herself to anyone, not even to my closest friends or family members. It's just how I've always been. So what am I doing writing a blog open to anyone and everyone to read? If I'm just looking to rant and rave why not start a private diary, or talk to some object, pet, or to the empty room even? I'm not too sure about this myself either, but being the private person that I am, sometimes too many things go on in my head and I just need to air my thoughts and feelings. How ironic.

Blogging sort of gives me the platform to do this, to communicate with anyone who comes across this blog, without me feeling uncomfortable about letting someone into my thoughts. Well yes, by blogging I am doing this, but in a sense I'm not doing it either since the reader doesn't know who I am, and vice versa. Hmm, that's about it I guess, stay on and read my incessant ramblings if you like.