Andrea Tan Yehua’s Neighborhood

I was intending to keep this post till tomorrow night but since my hair is still not dry, I thought I'd just give a small update.

For all who know, I'm finally back from Taiwan after a long 13 days. The feeling of leaving Taipei just about 10 hours ago was similar to 4 years back in 2006 when I left Taiwan after 30 days. But flying over the night lights of Singapore streets and finally walking out onto Singapore land, breathing Singapore air and hearing Singaporean accents everywhere really lifted my spirits. I didn't know I missed Singapore that much. I'm just glad there's no more sharing bathrooms, no more using Chinese all day long and no more long walks to MRT stations.

Touching down into the new year is new for me. 2010 sounds really scary to me. Having a digit in the 3rd spot was not something I was expecting to happen so quickly. 2003 was PSLE and 2009 was A levels. Wow, I wonder if 2020 will come as fast. The new year represents the beginning of adulthood - army, work and paying adult fare for ez-link card. I think more importantly, it's not just the new year but the new decade. The next 10 years are probably the most pivotal. College education, army, the first few years of work are going to happen within this decade and it's scary to know that I'll be 28 years old in 2020. (haha and my sisters will be 32 and 37)

New years always bring ambivalence with it. Hopefully I've done enough good things in 2009 to gather some good karma for 2010. Tomorrow's a long day at Comfortdelgro and CAAS tea session. Off to sleep, but I'll definitely update more on Taiwan soon.

Happy 2010. 

I just got a few more documents dumped on me, so with two weeks of presumably intensive work, it doesn't look like I'll be reading The White Man's Burden. I'm done with Dead Aid, moving on to The Malay Dilemma, which I may also skip. I think I shall try Stephen Hawkings instead. My sister borrowed The Universe in a Nutshell. I'm done with the first chapter, and I'm pretty intrigued. Too bad she's returning it tomorrow.

Damn, I should have paid more attention in Physics.

On other things, I got myself a pair of table-tennis bats! :-D Also thinking of going back to sailing. I need more money.

With the frenzy of essay-writing for college applications finally over, I can now take a breather.

And do some reflections.

The years I remembered most were the ones which, in some way or another, signified an end to something. Secondary 2 was memorable, so was Secondary 4. (I hardly remember Secondary 1, while Secondary 3 was lost to DotA.) Indeed, J2 proved to be no different.

I know I matured a lot in 2009. I don't know how to put it in words but I just feel it. I guess it's a natural evolution—every year building upon the previous one—and I think that's great. It means that I'm growing as a person and developing as an individual. Though I would to add that most of the life lessons I've learnt came from outside the classroom.

Anyway, if I had to give a term for 2009, I would say that 2009 was my year of introspection. I thought a lot about stuff. Maybe it's the prospect of leaving the protection of them school environment—and the hopes and fears it entails—that made me finally ask myself: What is my purpose in life? I still do not have the answer, but at least I have started on the journey to look for one. 

Moreover, mulling about and writing college essays proved to be a great way to consolidate some of the lessons I've learnt in my life as well as to spell out my hopes and aspirations for the future. Going about doing it was tedious, but the end-results left me more than satisfied. Even if I am rejected by all the colleges I've applied to, I will be glad for the fact that I've at least gained something out of the process—understanding more about myself.

At the same time, I have rekindled a reading habit this year that was dormant for many years. And I realised just how much I've missed out on the simple pleasures of reading a book. I guess the army period—more specifically, the off-periods during my army period—will give me a great opportunity to become a bookworm.

Speaking of army, Pulau Tekong beckons in slightly more than a month. I'm not really thinking about it though; just taking it as it comes along. Hopefully, I will not get to eat a lot of shit there and that I can at least learn some essential life skills.

All in all, I can say that after twelve years of formal education, I've grown a lot as a person. Yet, I know that I still have much to learn and I am certain that 2010 will prove not only to be a muddy, dirty and wild year but also an enriching and fruitful one at that.

anw omg forgot to sat.. i think me and yile almost died from h1n1 symptoms, but thanks to mummy wen we're much better. okay though we both are still dying wtv. srly luh. nvr felt so much like dying b4. :X like suddenly damn hot suddenly super cold. and then your head just feels like it's going to explode any moment. super gross. :X but haha, i finally got to experience the cold patch thing today! omg quite fun acty, always see my niece use. heehee. okay my vox has some problems eeps.

RIGHT ALL THE BEST TO WORK TML :D WE CAN DO IT:D

ytd was the mega farewell freedom party! :D went sentosa with ning, meil and yile! sat in the sea and had heart to heart talk! then played bridge on the beach and had picnic! omg ate so many jellies and kisses and twisties and wtv! haha. oh then we played at the children's fountain too! :DDD the cold was so nice but cold :X hahaha

then we went to the top of vivo to continue bridging and picnic-ing. the breeze was super nice and the night scenery was really really pretty! the lights of the ships in the dark was super super pretty! anw then a bunch of passerbys gave us 15 packets of cheeseballs! :DDDDDDD heehee omg damn nice! and we ate 12 packets in just less than 1hr :X and that was after dinner :X

hahaha, anw then bright ning had a wonderful idea of crashing wen's house and so we did! continue bridging and HTHT until 6am! omg heard so many stories and pov! so much for the heart to take acty in just one night. but itwas qutie useful i think. decided that as much as blind courage is required sometimes really, some things are just not worth rushing into bah :X eeps

haha, i think god really answered my pleas lol... wanted to get an ans and stuff and so i did! (:

it's you, it had always been only you.

i'm like in a freakin' dilemma?

anw anw! went countdown ytd!:D

damn sad didnt get to literally countdown, like 5 4 3 2 1! okay wtv haha but anw the fireworks were really pretty! :D so it's a nice start to new year whee :D what else?

oh then me, ning, and meil went clarke quay! haha, but the central square wasnt fun enough, and we didnt bring enough money to go clubbing again): so we had to continue walking. then we did something cough cough cough, wldnt be surprise if we bcame gangster girls this yr hahahaha, friends with the underground world lol! oh drank honey! haha according to meil then you will have a sweet year ahead! so meil im believing in you to have a sweet yr ahead kae haha. then anw we went to buy snacks and lychee mogu mogu is my latest craze!<3

okay then we went home to eat and died totally lol.. apparently meil did plenty of stuff to wake me and ning up but we just cldnt be revived. lolll anw finally had a good long slp! :D then went central to buy food while koping free popcorns and balloons! :D okay wtv i sound like an auntie but anw then we watched final destination 3! haha, daaaaaaaaaamnn gross :X ohwells.

and today feels like chinese new year! i'm dreaming of my pineapple tarts alr!

I WANT CHINESE NEW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRR((: i think it's bcoming my fav festival too! hahaha

to make new year resolutions!

okay let me see hmm... acty i really dont know what else i would like to change now really. kinda like the status quo. ohwells. but it's a new year so i shall type sth! hehh

1. i shall try to spend more time with family!

2. i really really hope TA would stay as close((: we can last okay! :D

3. i shall not slack during work! and i shall love working!

4. i really hope i can get along well with my colleagues :X and even more, superiors :X

5. i shall try to stay contented and be really really happy!

6. i want to get into a good course/uni and get along well with schoolmates!

okay what kind of resolutions are these. but im really quite contented with my life now..okay maybe in all aspects except one. but then again, I DONT KNOW I DONT KNOW I DONT KNOW.

ohh i thought of more alr

7. BE SKINNY! let me slim back down please once i start work

okay now comes the last one but i realise it cant really be a resolution...more like a wish... i really really wish someone up there would help me make a decision... IM TOO INDECISIVE)): help! i cant decide): and I DONT KNOW!

It's 2010, but that's unimportant; for now at least.

Houston, we have a problem.

How do I describe my "intellectual interests" in contemporary history when I have not taken History since Secondary Two?

Disclaimer: I don't want to come across as a fraud, but I do know my stuff; those related to the Second World War at least. (The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot anyone?)

saw people at rebel HAHA.the bouncer, or whatever he's called, was like 'wow this one 31dec, then you 30dec!' meaning our birthdays haha cos we were OFFICIALLY LEGAL (:

anw i had a madglad 18 really (: thanks to my classmates honestly who started it off with a damn big BOOMZ!

and today is reflections day, the day i coop myself up at home FINALLY and just reflect about my life and all and how i hope my 2010 will be!

and i think i'm quite fascinated by the buddhism. FOR REAL! i think it's what i aspire to be like.