Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Today's market day. For ppl from RI just think of it as Raffles' trail, or an opportunity for the clubs and societies to attract new members. Went around, joined overseas christian fellowship, Singapore Student Society, but not joining Table Tennis Club as of now since the fees are far from what I expected. Pretty much routine day I guess, other than the 2.5 hours of studying in the evening preparing for the lectures next week. Looks like I will be in for a tough ride, the contents which I have to study is... overwhelming, but I know I will get through this, since that's what we always do! =D
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
7:03 PM
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Well, I guess I am more or less settled in by now, with the luggage mostly unpacked, going back and forth between the college and the university for lectures.... Speaking of which, a mental note to myself: Make sure that I reach the lecture room 15 minutes in advance. Out of the 3 lectures I went to, all 3 were fully packed, even though I was 5 minutes early.
Well, there's something which kind of troubled me today, which was during lunch, when some of the more senior members of the college were telling us about how people can be "punished" when not obeying the dining rules, such as no "table surfing", having to fill up the tables before starting a new one and such, with the punishment ranging from staring at a painting to being forced to leave the dining hall itself. Looks like the dining rules here are even stricter than in army...
Pretty much nothing else happened today, apart from the fact that I massacred around 10 mosquitoes in the shower room. I have no idea how come there were so many, even though I have been killing them everyday. Tomorrow would be Market day, which I kind of look forward to exploring, and seeing what types of clubs and societies there are.
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
6:37 PM
Monday, February 22, 2010
Yes, it's week 0, supposed to be orientation week. Although there are actually places I have to go rushing for, I kind of like it, since it gives me a sense of purpose and keeps my mind off things. It's a welcome change of environment, since it is no longer the 100% locals around me leaving me feeling like the odd one out. The orientation for international students actually made me feel at home, with so many other people being in the same situation as me. Had a small talk with the Warden of the residential college (or hostel, but they don't call it that for some reason), and looks like they have high expectations of me, and apparently the room I currently have is set aside specially for me, since it is quieter and provides a better environment for studying. I hope that I won't repeat what I did during Sec/JC days and let them down =X
I guess today is a fruitful day after all. Got my bank account set up, met up some Singaporeans who are also studying law here, done my student ID, read up the online notes provided... It might sound kind of crazy, and I am sure that I would regret saying this in the near future, but I can't wait for the actual lectures and tutorials to start. Having something to do beats having nothing to do, stoning in the room and emo-ing. And... I got my internet quota extended! It currently stands at 30GB + 10GB the college will be providing me, as well as the usual 400MB per month as mentioned earlier. I guess that lifted my spirits too, since I can surf the net with the peace of mind without the quota running out on me. Maybe my stay here won't be so bad after all!
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
6:56 PM
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Yep, I am here again, and this time, I am not counting down the days before I return to Singapore, it would be simply depressing! The thankful thing is that I am living in a hostel, so the 3 meals a day, basic internet access (It's really basic! What can you do with a 400MB quota -_-) and a tiny room. Ok maybe not so much about the tiny, but hey, it's convenient!
Somehow, it seems like I am the only non-local (or if there are non-locals, then I am the only Asian) to be in this hostel. I thought I would be able to comprehend the English spoken by them easily, but apparently it's not the case, and I need to ask them to repeat a couple of times before I get it. This kind of prevented long conversations, and yep, it's kind of lonely here despite all the people around me. Hopefully this will change when I meet up with the Christian fellowship people from Singapore, as well as when the actual course starts.
I guess it's this kind of situation when you really appreciate the things you have around you, and never really appreciated. The simple greeting from friends, your family asking how your day had been, your parents' smiles, chatting with friends... But yep, I guess this is a necessary phrase in life, and I hope that I can get over this soon.
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
5:44 PM
Monday, November 23, 2009
Yep! From tomorrow onwards I will step out of this place, and hopefully I won't have to come back again! That's what I thought last year, but apparently I was wrong. Only one left in this place for today, since almost everyone opted for the extra day out... at a cost, of accomodation as well as dinner expenses. It will probably add up to around 60 to 70 SGD, and I rather spend that sum on gifts or anything that catches my eye tomorrow. Can't believe that I had spend 33 days here, finally it is over! Can't believe how much I miss Singapore, and I guess it is going to be a lot worse when I come here to study next year, since it would be stretches of 4 months before I have the chance to go back.
From this trip, there will be around 10 days off for me, but I really doubt if I can use them all. Have so many things to settle that I probably can use only 9 days. At least I can inofficially "Oscar Romeo Delta" after I go back! Don't have to step into office and do work for those people =P
Yep, and Caleb, if you are reading this, jiayou! All the best, and you better pray that you won't be returning to this place next year! (Tho honestly if you have to, good luck, 3 frames! Nearly 60 days!)
Singapore, here I come!
Days remaining: 1
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
5:57 PM
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Finally the days left can be counted with just one hand. 4 days! 30 days here, can't imagine how I got by all those days. The last "field trip" out was pretty good too, as the stars somehow seem super bright, and it was also a lot peaceful too! (No leopards running by us) Too bad I dozed off before I could see a shooting star, and only woke up at 4.30am (which the sky was super bright, Singapore's 8am equivalent.)
In preparation for the return I had already set all my watches/handphone timing to Singapore time, I wonder if that will actually help myself adapt to Singaporean time again.
Oh, I have one more day of shopping at the end of the trip, if you want me to buy anything do tell me beforehand!
Matt
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
7:09 PM
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Yep, although we didn't get to watch the meteor shower, it was really a great sight, with the stars covering the entire sky. Totally reminded me of the sight I had last year, with near total darkness, and shooting stars streaking across the sky from time to time. Never fails to remind me of the fact that the universe is indefinitely big, with so many stars and planets out there, and yet God cares for every one of us with his own unique way. Indeed, all the evidences point toward the fact that God is there. Had this heart to heart talk with a new friend I had made, and I had come to realize that there are so many things which I had been blessed, but never been truly appreciated by me. Perhaps there is some good coming to this horrible place after all, since we had so much free time, it doesn't hurt to use the time for some self reflection, as well as knowing more people.
1 more day left before returning back to our tents.
ANDDDD we would be back next wednesday! (Wahahaha finally I get to say "NEXT" wednesday!)
6 more days remaining!
ABUNDANT PEACE :)
5:05 PM
