Interns

My internship ended yesterday. In all, I'm very grateful for the experience. The exposure to real life corporate practice was insightful as it's just so different from everything that I learnt in law school. I also met some very fabulous people. :) my mentor and kw were extremely warm and patient with me. they took valuable time out from their hectic schedules just to talk to me every day- abt practice, the nature of the work, school and other light-hearted things like football and movies (when they took me out for lunch). it's really nice to know that lawyers are normal people afterall, despite looking so serious and stressed most of the time. then there was the secretary sitting next to me who became my friend. initially, like the rest, all she said was "hi" on my 1st day and then it was silence after that. the ice broke when i offered her cut fruits every morning. hahaha.. she told me she had some gastric prob and then from there, the conversation branched out into multi-faceted topics over the days, ranging from the anwar scandal, good dinner places, wakeboarding, life in a law firm, her near-death encounter with the 2006 tsunami etc. when she was on MC due to a leg problem on tuesday, i was really lonely. the next day, it was the end of my internship and i came back from lunch to see a packet of dried cranberries with a note on it on my workstation. i was so touched at her small gesture of kindness. it meant alot to me, because she remembered that it was my last day and got me something despite her walking difficulties and nausea. i asked her whether she got me the cranberries because she saw me eating fruits every morning and she said yes, she wanted to get cake initially but didn't know whether i'd like it cos she nv saw me eating cake in the office. hahaha.. i really liked the NUS interns too. there were only 3 of us at the new office, which i liked very much over the main one.

anyway, i'm thankful for the experience and for the people i met. i'm even more undecided abt corporate work now cos the hours are insane and they don't get better, but i have a few more years to make a decision. can u guys imagine me as a barrister, fighting in court???? wahahah...

another thing tt i gained through my internship was the stark realisation of the bounds that i've made in my confidence and perspective. and i credit the overseas experience for it. :) thanks esp. to cheh and mark for encouraging me to take that first leap of faith into a whole new world. and to my parents for supporting me. and of course, to God, provider of all things good. i think i've finally broken out of the herd mentality so firmly entrenched in the entire system and culture here. :) ask me personally if u wanna hear more!


at the cusp of adulthood and working life.



fellow interns who showed me around NUS law school. we were there because i had to borrow a book for a partner haha.

Welcome to the working world!

I'm interning now at a law firm. I really want to praise God and thank Him for His favour at my workplace. :) I don't wanna write in-depth abt my experience yet because I just got back home, am so tired and there's still work tmr. Gotta get up at 7am everyday! Ephraim told me tt adults who sleep less than 8 hours, as well as sleep more than 9 hours a day have shorter life-spans, ie they die faster. !!! Met up with him and Xin yesterday and I really enjoyed it. :) I love my friends- it has been wonderful catching up with all of u! :)

Today was an exception cos I went straight to the NUS law faculty to do some research for a partner, along with the other 2 NUS law interns! They showed me around (thanks guys) and it's very pleasant! Alot of greenery.

So many changes in my life.. How fast can I adapt? I've settled in pretty well into my new house I guess. Other than that, who knows how long it'll take?

homecoming

i haven't been blogging since i got back to singapore.. the long hiatus is due to the fact that i've been incredibly busy- overcoming jet lag, meeting people or sleeping in. haha. i really enjoyed the YA retreat! even though justina and i were chatting as we leisurely drifted on the reservoir instead of vigorously kayaking :) how can, when the boys kept splashing water at us!! haha
anyway, im so glad to be with my church friends again- joyful people who remember and genuinely care for me. i'm happy that i got to know some of the girls better during the YA retreat :)

it's wonderful to be home. the past few weeks abroad have been extremely debilitating. to everyone who has been asking, that explains why i've lost SO MUCH weight. haha.. don't worry, the weight loss is unintentional, i haven't been on a diet etc. through this period of high stress, sadness and suffering, i've learnt so much. i feel that i've seriously aged ALOT.

yet empowering at the same time, especially in Spain, where i played tour guide to my dad and sis despite never having been there before. :) notts was of course, home turf so bringing them around was no problem. london too, cos i'd been there before. this really is a huge personal development for me, because i'm renowned for my poor sense of direction, i always get lost!!! yes, england-spain 2008 gave me a much-needed boost in self-confidence, navigational and leadership skills. thank you daddy for giving me this opportunity, as well as for being so good natured and accomodating during the entire trip. and to my sister, for all the laughter, shopping and fun times! and of course, thank you God for all your blessings towards myself and my family.

Cambridge

Punting!! Our boat was named "Bunny". :)
Something unique to Oxford and Cambridge, so I definitely had to try it. I paid 2 pounds because I was in a group of 6. However, I would have paid more to get a guide who tells you the histories of the various riverside colleges while he rows the boat. I felt quite bad/nauseated after punting because a middle aged Chinese man was "rowing" our boat with the completely wrong technique, plus he wasn't strong enough so our boat went bump every 5 seconds, either against the banks or other boats. at least he always warned us" yao chuang le!!". thanks to the constant bumps, it was a very long journey, which took around 2 hours!! his young daughter was in our boat too and i was getting very annoyed with her because she kept whining to paddle the boat and laughed everytime the paddle splashed water all over my legs. and then she threw a tantrum because she couldn't see the ducks in the river anymore. -_-

at the start of the journey i went crazy taking photos, especially of the boats and the river.
after a while, i decided to stop and just sit back and relax, ignoring the periodic bangs of "Bunny" and the girl's behaviour and imagined myself studying in Cambridge.... every morning, when i rise, i look out of the window to see the peaceful river flowing beneath the arched bridges that Elizabeth the Virgin Queen herself glided through on a boat. i am surrounded by grand, intricate architecture which have stood for centuries and i walk through the very halls that brilliant young idealists strolled through, unknowing, perhaps, that they would in time become great men who will one day shape history. i lie on "The Banks", beneath the shade that the willow tree provides, its umbrella-like canopy fluttering in the gentle breeze. i read, i think, i become refined in all aspects.

what a supremely lovely and awe-inspiring environment to be in. one tour guide remarked "how do students here study, it's soo romantic!". it's the very picture of the romanticised overseas college life that i used to fantasise about during A level literature and history, when we watched classic English films and read novels set in Oxbridge like "Decline and Fall".

of course, notts is beautiful too and is widely held as one of the most attractive campuses in the country. but i'm disillutioned with student life here, as well as the citizens of nottingham in general. just go to the city centre at any time of the day, or simply stay in on a friday/weekend night and be prepared to throw off any preconceived notions of england as cultured and refined. then again, this is probably true of other uk cities too.

and a mighty piece of bad news: I LOST MY PHONE IN CAMBRIDGE.
sighhhhhhhh and i'm really not feeling well- stomach and head, the usual problem areas are feeling weird. it seems as though i have a 101 things to do. my room's still in a mess because of the packing!!! :(
anyway, i have a new number cos i've an extra SIM card so will email family and close friends.

Cambridge

Clockwise from top left: The bridge of sighs, St. John's College, new friends made outside King's College, unsecured bicycles outside King's College.


Cambridge is beautiful.. I think it's my favourite town in the UK. I definitely wanna go back again! A day trip isn't enough. :)

Summer love

Yesterday and today, we glimpsed a faint rainbow after a long period of storm. Thank you God.

Here's favourite Thornton's ice cream with my favourite person! :) Double scoop of strawberry, pomegranate and blueberry sorbet (new flavour)
Tres bien!

We're all really busy now because of packing. Planning to transfer our stuff tmr. Lots to blog about. Just a short update on what I've been up to midweek:

1) Ensuite rooms are full- I'm on the waiting list.

2) I've bought a Lonely Planet guidebook on Spain and travel insurance. (Dazz you don't have to bring the guidebooks!)

3) Went for Home Group last night. Cat & Andy gave us a lift. It was very good!

4) I spontaneously introduced Liz, a lovely English lady who works with the chaplaincy, to Picasa and blogging! She was looking for her pictures of Cambridge to show me, but couldn't find them on her computer. So I asked her whether she heard of Picasa- things just started from there. It culminated it me helping her set up a blog for Globe Cafe that does outreach to international students. :) It was a joy teaching her, listening to her marvel at the simplest things in technology that we all take for granted. Also, her appreciation was so genuine and heartfelt; it made me feel so valued and happy. I was even praising God, "thank You that I can meet the needs of others and contribute, in a small way, to Your work!" It's common knowledge among those who know me that I'm rather computer illiterate. James Pang my IT teacher has teased me mercilessly on the "recycle bin" story! I never thought that my rudimentary IT skills would ever be useful to someone else, more so an organisation. But God proved me wrong. He showed me that He can use my skills, however limited I think they are. And I guess it's the same for whatever I invest my time and effort in- God can use my intellect, knowledge, legal training, interpersonal skills, healthy body and maybe even basic cooking ability for His glory! :)

accomodation

i've so much time on my hands now i can finally sit and do what i love most. write.

thus the sudden spurt of long blogposts instead of the usual short ones with lots of photos. :)

i've been thinking of moving out of my studio room, into an ensuite room! the difference is tt a studio is comprehensive- it has a kitchen, toilet, study area in a bedroom, whereas an ensuite has the same things minus the kitchen, which is communal. there are really nice names for the different flats- studio flats are called redwoods, hemlocks or larches, while ensuite flats are called mulberries or laurels.

how i got the idea of staying in an ensuite room was really silly. the bf and i were out on a post-dinner walk to digest the food (mum will be proud of me! i did not sit in front of the TV/computer straight after dinner!) .he pointed out the ensuite rooms on the top floor of mulberries, which look like attics because they have windows on the slanting roof that open up to the sky. sooooo nice right!!! i saw the photo of such a room in the Broadgate Park (the student residence village where i stay) accomodation brochure and i'm in love with it. so he's been telling everyone tt i only want the ensuite room because of the window! -_-

apart from the window, the pros of staying in ensuite is that the kitchen is shared between the corridor mates, so at least there is more human interaction, as well as physical space. a studio is completely self-sufficient and therefore self-contained. my belief that it's designed for anti-social hermits who can't mix around with others or don't like doing so. the people on my corridor are very unfriendly without exception- be it the french girl next door or inconsiderate korean boys a few doors away.. i've a singaporean junior who hates his overseas experience in notts mainly because he's staying in a studio- there was once, during the exam period that he didn't see anyone at all for 3 whole weeks. poor guy, and it's his first year too. simply put, staying in a studio is extremely lonely. i've vincent, but i wanna socialise with alot more people, just like hall last year. i also want alot more physical space where i can walk around- a studio is too confining. although i loved it when i moved in, i think i need a change of environment.

as for the cons,
1. noisy
because i'll be in closer proximity to more people
mulberries is also supposedly known for its partygoers

but- discussing this with xuanee, she made a good point that redwoods can get noisy too. i totally agree. the worst thing being the rude, annoying people coming back from clubbing wayyyyyy past midnight who scream, holler and sing at the top of their voices in their drunken stupor. i feel like shooting them every time. i never knew i had this vindictive side to me. :(

2. i may get uncooperative or noisy flatmates who don't bother to wash up etc.

but- i guess i can make a special request for quiet flatmates though. or request to stay with another friend from law school.

3. i'll be further away from vincent, who is bent on continuing to stay in a studio cos he's very fussy about his kitchen.

but- that may be a good thing, because i want more personal space, which he has firmly promised to give me next year. as for meals, i can just go over to his place when i don't feel like cooking.

that's about it.


May I have your opinions please? Where should I stay next year? Studio (redwoods) or ensuite (mulberries) ?

Thanks lots! :)

home alone

the bf has at the last minute left me home alone again. tonight's the 2nd night that i cooked and ate dinner on my own. i got a shock when xuanee told me he's in london now and tt he may not be coming back for a few more days. !!! then i checked my phone and saw his messages. asking me to pray for him tt he can go back to notts tmr. london and/or bath??!! i'm confused, i've no idea where he's going. bleahhhh

so i'm very grateful for xuanee who took the initiative to go up to my room for a chat and to present me with a box of 12 krispy kremes!! :) it's really so nice and generous of her. we went out to the city later and it was fun shopping with a girl for a change. we bought colourful GAP boxers for our respective malaysian bfs and Zara kids clothes for her sis and my niece. i'm really glad that i could confide in her about the recent issues that i've been facing. it's very refreshing to hear a 3rd party perspective. something in particular which struck me was how she said "vincent is such a good guy!" "he treats u so well and loves u so much" "talk things through with him first". it's just comforting to know that ppl who know us can see for themselves his love and care for me; that i'm not harbouring any delusions about the relationship. i should be more appreciative and not so discontented. i've been really grumpy and mean to him. sometimes i wonder, why does he love me so much? why is he so sure? i really don't see myself as that special.

anyway, we had a long, serious talk last night and he told me alot of revelations which he had over the past 2 days, when he was going through alot of stress and suffering. thank you God. you really do answer prayers, in your time. i'm over the moon. so proud and happy for vincent that he's finally convicted of all the stuff i've been telling him over the past 1. 5 years!! :) he's matured so much since we first knew each other. he's been listening to my Christian music repeatedly, voraciously reading the Bible and alot of my Christian books and surprise surprise, asking me to pray and study the bible together almost every night! i would never have expected this from him. the ex bad boy. God, You are amazing, You do change and convict the mose unlikely people.

so vincent told me that he wants to:

1) be a serious christian and love God again.

2) make sure that we go to church every sunday- no excuses of waking up late or of tiredness.

3) be involved in house group (bible study) and help out in church

4) let go of his bitterness towards God. he realised instead that God has been good to him despite all the setbacks that he has faced this year! the key is not to focus on the self, but on God. it's not about us, it's about Him! and then one's perspective would be set right again.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will go strangely dim
In the light of Your glory and grace"
- From a Christian song

5) he apologised repeatedly to me, for various reasons. and then he promised to give me my own space next year, as well as his encouragement for me to meet my friends and new people without tagging along. yes he's almost always the only guy whichever group of friends we hang out with! hahaha. since he has no close guy friends after jason went back, he said that he will get to know more Christian guys in church because he wants their friendship and advice! most importantly, that he will not try to do everything for me, but instead, guide me and let me learn it myself. a good example being cooking. he realised that doing so would retard my personal growth in different aspects and impede my quest towards independence, contrary to one of the main reasons i'm studying overseas.

6) work very very very hard next year and excel in his studies!


praise the Lord! to those who have been praying for him/us, thank you so much. :)


p.s while i was typing this, i received a text from xuanee, stating "vincent wants me to tell u he loves u very much :-) very rou ma". hahaha aww

Reborn bookworm

I've always been a bookworm. I was weaned on Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Carolyn Keene's (spelt correctly?)Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes and illustrated classics such as Little Women and The Count of Monte Cristo. I remember going to Popular bookstore as a 6 year old to buy my beloved Enid Blyton books that had wonderful stories which let my imagination soar. Teenage years' reading moved on to Sweet Valley (I'm ashamed), The Babysitter's Club, fantasy books for a short while and many recommended literature texts outside my syllabus such as The Silver Sword and To Kill a Mockingbird. I also had the privilege of reading many Christian books, such as "The Diary of a Teenage Girl" series, lovingly given to me by Cheh for birthdays and other special occasions.

As a child / pre-teen, I would read all day, even in the toilet, in the garden and at night in my room under the blanket with a torchlight. My mum always scolded me for reading so obsessively. My favourite haunt was the 2nd floor of Marine Parade Library, which had glass panelling and large black leather chairs and couches. I met like-minded book lovers in Secondary 1 and 2- dearest Hazel, whom I still remember said without hesitation, that her hobbies were "reading, reading, reading". But when I went into Secondary 3 & 4, I stopped reading fiction entirely. Firstly, there was simply not enough time. Schoolwork was alot heavier than lower secondary days and there was the introduction of incomprehensible Physics which tortured me to no end. I failed every test except the MCQ one. :( Secondly, the group of so-called friends I hung out with weren't inclined to reading or study at all; their attentions more focused on other more frivolous stuff. As such, I too got distracted by all sorts of stupid things. Thirdly, I had my first relationship which was a complete mess, leaving me a wreck. It is probably no surprise that I didnt do as well as expected for my O'Levels although I'd always been a top student. By God's grace however, I still managed to get into VJC. :) Fourthly, I was told that reading fiction was useless. Better to read current affairs or non-fiction, at least you'll learn something useful! Which at the time, I thought was true to a large extent. With that, my reading fiction was extinguished completely. On hindsight, so was my love for art and craft.

I finally rekindled my love of reading recently, thanks to Oxfam Books & Music, which has a shop in the small neighbourhood I live in. Over the past few months, I've bought about 10 books and given back 2. The best thing is that they stock all the bestsellers, albeit 2nd hand, at great prices ranging from 1.50 - 3.50 GBP. I'm sooo happy it's my favourite shop in Beeston after Sainsbury's.

So far, I've read, in descending order:

1. The Pianist
(Unforgettable, moving autobiography about the Holocaust set in Warsaw's Jewish ghetto . It portrays human nature at its most raw. I like the inclusion of diary extracts belonging to the Pianist's German saviour- a rare insight to his motivations and beliefs, which helps to explain his extraordinary acts of bravery and kindness. Watch the movie too!)

2. Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
(One of my fave authors! A powerful, haunting book about love, alienation, meaning, war and the supernatural. Widely regarded to be Murakami's masterpiece. I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a night and the next morning. Reading this and The Pianist has partly contributed to my melancholy mood.)

3. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian
(A Ukrainian tart marries a 80+ year old Ukrainian man living in Peterborough, whose daughters are up in arms against the marriage. Most enjoyable. Very witty and funny!!)

4. The Time Traveler's Wife
(Wasn't worth the hype; I didn't really like it. Too much dialogue. The ending was touching though)

5. Norwegian Wood, by Haruki Murakami
(Well-crafted, evocative writing. Very sad though. A constant theme in his works is the alienation and loneliness of living in an urban society)

Other unread/or half-read books on my shelf include:

6. Life of Pi

7. Fasting, Feasting

8. The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

9. On Chesil Beach

10. God's Lavish Grace

11. Glory Days