Reaching for something in the distance,
so close you can almost taste it
so close you can almost taste it
It's been awhile, and to be completely honest the urge to write has been creeping up on me slowly, although it's mostly drowned out by a stronger instinct to 9gag or download shows. But I'm writing this now because in a few months, when I'm pulling yet another all-nighter or stressing over an assignment, I'd want to remind myself that I did have fun, once upon a time :) and that Master's won't last forever, and pretty soon I'll be packing my bags and (hopefully) embarking on another journey somewhere, anywhere.
I reckon starting small is the best way to go. Singapore is only a 5-hour bus ride away, but still you need a passport to get out of the country, and that was good enough for me. The morning of Day-1 was not the greatest start for any trip, but in retrospect I'm just glad that everything worked itself out in the end. God really does come through, even if it's at the latest possible minute. Anyway, after what felt like a pretty brief journey on the bus, YS & I touched down on glorious, clean Singapore soil. We parted at Novena, where I was greeted by familiar and well loved faces. A nourishing round of fish noodle soup later, I went home with D & J, where I could catch a quick breather and unload before meeting L to go to PQ's house.
I think my fear of getting lost coupled with my (pretty) useless sense of direction is always crippling, but I'm so thankful for:
1) Very brightly colored and well-explained MRT maps that give you clear directions
2) Extremely patient friends who care enough to painstakingly explain every little detail of what you need to know/do when traveling, even though I ask the same questions over and over again
So, I spent Saturday night with a belly full of popiah and porridge, topped with a decadent round of desserts comprising fruits AND a fruit tart. Needless to say I was stuffed, but I'd like to think I walked off all that food just by..well, walking. everywhere!
While Saturday was a pretty exhausting day, I gladly slept in on Sunday, heading out in the afternoon with D to grab some lunch across the road. In this humid country, I was pretty much perspiring everywhere I went, silently hoping I wouldn't be greeted with disgust at my lack of "presentable" appearance. Sunday afternoon gave me the opportunity to kick back and read my page-turner of a book before getting picked up to go back to PQ's house for the night.
It's such a blessing when you're blessed by others, and how this wonderful family blessed me to no end :) we walked to East Coast park to indulge in what I had been waiting for all this while, chillicrab! and mantao! and prawns! We finished off the night with a round of chinese dessert and a nice walk back home.
Early Monday morning we had a quick (but delicious) breakfast before PQ's dad dropped me at Harborfront where YS and I reunited. We then made our way to the well-anticipated USS! Although the crowd was pretty disappointing, because i was expecting it to be EMPTY, i had to say we really did enjoy ourselves that day (: loved the rides, didn't love the humidity+sweating, also loved the little gingerbread man souvenir YS bought for me (: we left USS that evening and took the bus ride back, where I collapsed the minute I reached home.
I realize this has become a longer post than I anticipated, but typing out the little details of the trip helped me relive it all over again, and I'm now typing this with a smile plastered all over my face. It was a short, but pretty great, trip. I think more than anything, I enjoyed the talks, catch-ups, heart-to-hearts, and just the amazing company to no end. For that I am so thankful.
I can't wait for the next trip! (:
