We had a gathering for Prissy's belated 22nd birthday party. Most of our friends were scattered across the globe-China, Spain, Denmark, India and what have you. Even those in Singapore were just lost in the sea of work and hectic schedules. We finally had the opportunity to meet up again and this time round at my place. Some of us whipped up a dish from the country in which we had spent our internship/exchange/holiday at. My Danish version of Chicken Quesadillas, which looked rather promising at the start, turned out a big flop as the juice soaked right through the wrap=/. Well, the idea was there, and most importantly, the Taste was very fine. Prissy said she liked it. Though she rated it a Fail. She liked my Tzaziki-cucumber sauce! Whee! haha. Khar Hao and Jem concocted a bowl of Sangria for us to drink and it ended up as a forfeit bottoms up for our number game. The funniest thing was that Elgin, who was so sweet as to prepare a cake for HL, didn't realised that HL was turning 22 years old and not 21! The cake wrote 'Happy 21 Birthday!' Hahaha!! and there were 2 big candles and 1 small one.
It's amazing how the bunch of us will forever be this candid and zany. It's all these memories that will always bring a smile to my face when I think of SMU. I think without these peeps, I wouldn't have had such a good time in university. It all started with our boat sinking during OBS. And now looking back, it just seemed like yesterday, doncha think?

More photos of the party-professionally taken by Phoon Phoon. My brother -don't say I didn't warn you about!

http://links.smu.edu.sg/home/kelvin/sv/?album=Personal_HLs_belated_birthday_2006

Do you know that this is our final year? Which means that we must live our time here to the fullest!!
I'm sooooo going to treasure this and make it a blast to remember!

i think this comes as no big deal to some of us who have worked in Ernst and Young. But to me , receiving an offer of employment to be an associate at their Transaction Advisory Services department at the second last term of my time in SMU is terrific! I never expected myself to be part of the 90% of SMU students who will get a job offer before they graduate. It almost sounds unbelievable! Sure, getting a job at one of the big fours is really not that tough, because after all, their turnover rate is really high and they need alot alot of help. But surely, why would they want to choose me--a person who is so slack in her CCa, and have GPA that is far from honours or something even decent!I can only thank my God and my lucky stars for having the opportunity to meet people at the career fair and landed myself an internship at TAS. And from there, as long as you do the minimum work required, u can be sure you are secured of a job at EY. I'm happy. But as humans, we are always seeking for greener pastures. Let me do my researching, and soul searching, and all else i can do to find out more, before I make my decision. Meanwhile, Cheers to all who have gotten the job offer!

Zhexian...

This is a snapshot of zhexian while we were resting our tired limbs at a cafe in London. I remembered we wanted to head towards some gallery and gave up along the way as it was just too late to make it in time. We plonked our arses at a nearby cafe and had the sweetest hot chocolate I've ever tasted in my whole life.

I snapped my camera at him, capturing most of the time, his side views. He frowned. So typical Zx. And he went'whey, don't take already la. I don't like taking photos..'

Further pursuing the reason why he didn't like taking photos... because after all... he's so damn drop dead gorgeous, he quipped-'people shy what.....cannot meh?'

But look at him, just look at him...isn't he just so darn cute?????

Heee...

Happy 22nd Birthday ZX!

A toast to our 6 years of friendship! It's been a long way...and future to come!

New beginning of the semester. It's my final year and I feel like an old dinosaur. People around me were bursting with life and energy. Stark contrast to the Year 4s. Walking around like zombies. Waiting for their impending death and desperation to get out of the war zone. Ok..Well, the school began with a lot of bustling and hustling. ...the underground had several road shows and couple of MCs vivaciously advertising their stuff. I saw that Maybelline has taken over Biotherm. Well, I always thought Maybelline was so much classier*winks*. Anyway, it was great using the spanking new gym. I ran 2 click today and I almost saw stars! I mean i did! It just goes to show how unfit I am=/ Also, I hung out with my usual gang, jeremy, hl and cheryl..and also saw alot of other people whom I havent seen in a long time. It was kinda nice to start the school in such a relaxing manner. Gene cell class was kinda crappy today. Nothing too difficult. Just that I answered wrongly a question about the number of gene cells one has in the human body-well..i said 16 pairs making a wild guess. The prof began minicking a mongoloid walking around like a hunch back of notre dame. Apparently the normal human has 23 pairs of chromosomes and those with less than 20 are usually physically impaired.
Hope to start this term with a healthy beginning-loads of exercise, neat and organised life and extra focus and fun!

It was our last time partying in Aarhus at Social Club.

Look what I'd found on their website again? Our photos! Sure brings back electrifying memories!

Nagore and I.

I was wearing a real funky top from H&M which I only managed to wear it once. I returned it the next day coz its quality was so bad!

Joelle and Aline partying before their daddies came to pick them up from brussels.

Word somehow got around waywards that we were all suppose to go down to Sleepy Sam's hostel at Arab Street to meet our buddies. When Sharleen and I got there, we were put off by the organiser of the BBQ get together who told us to buzz off arguing that the party was only meant for exchange students. Was totally rankled by her attitude. Nevertheless I finally got to meet the swedish meatball-Alexander Svensson. A regular jork; very independent it seems as I had gathered that he had worked in New Zealand at the age of 19 doing odd jobs; doing economics and finance; I had an inclination that he was a little bored by our conversation as he excused himself as soon as the opportunity came....oh well...a little disappointed not just because of the looks, but also the general connection ...we just couldn't really clique=/ ho hum...Friends of mine told me to pardon his culture; or maybe he was a little frustrated by all the house keeping he had to do upon arrival and what have you to excuse him. We'll see in time to come.
Placing myself back into the time in which I had to force myself to talk to people from all walks of lives...I find it all natural during my conversations with other exchange students. It felt somewhat strange as the environment this time was in Singapore rather than Denmark. Moreover I felt a little intrusive in this exchange group as obviously i'm no longer one. Being a thick skin that I am, with 3 metres thick rhino hide on me, I braced myself and talked to those around me starting with a simple cliche 'hi im serene, im from singapore'. The people were really friendly and many were eager to ask me typical questions about singapore such as where's the best place to club; why the grotesque social advertisement on cigeratte packets etc. Somehow the decision to leave in half hour's time stretched till a good 3 hours!! I have no idea how it happened. Some mexicans also started sharing salsa tasting sweets with us. Very exotic indeed! Well, I'm glad I gave myself and others a chance. But it still felt really weird...
Things just got a little different.
It's a long journey to crystalising our new selves with the old.

A couple of years ago, I remembered watching a television show in Melbourne while lounging around at Joyce's hostel at College Square. This television show was a live debate between stand up comedians and their topic of the day was something like 'God is funny'. One of them said 'God is so funny, he made everyone at the traffic light wait for the damn old woman to cross the road'..I can't recall everything that was in the show, but it sure made me laugh like nobody's business. Some might have been a little offended by the titilating blasphemy but I thought that God must have been laughing together with me.

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that God played a little joke on me yesterday. I was suppose to pick up my swedish buddy yesterday at the Changi Airport at 6.15pm. Little did I know that the plane arrived earlier than expected and I missed him totally! I did take the neccessary precaution in checking up the arrival timings on the internet but looks like it wasn't that updated either!Holding onto my placard which had his big name on it and 'SMU'written on the side, a lost exchange student from France spotted me and asked me if I had seen her buddy. So it was kinda a funny situation-me lost my buddy. she lost her nanny. haha...Anyway, in the end I took her in and we all went out to holland v for tze char and she loved it so much! We had such an enjoyable time together and I learned that she's from Paris and she had learnt chinese for one year...She spoke great english for a french-totally comprehensible and very fine indeed. The next day she even sent me an email to thank me for everything. It made me smile.

You were very very sneaky ....but you blessed me with a new found friendship=)
***
Last day of internship tomorrow!! Hooray!!!
***
Jeremy, you are my marketing Guru. But it's a pity it went haywired. Sigh. will talk about this soon...

It's great to know that hongyi, yuting and caryn are all safe and happy in Aarhus. I feel somewhat envious that they're going to have the time of their lives, just like how I had mine as well;). Denmark is such a familiar home to me. A place filled with memories, friends for life, its idiosyncracies, and so have you. I missed it so much. I'm also glad to provide as much help to those who wanted to go to Aarhus because simply I want them to have a great time as much as I did. I also hear that Yuting is very pleased with her room because it's sooo colourful!! Basically with all my very sleep inducing and cosy stuff like my duvet, pillows, rugs, bath robe...brings back fond memories of myself always boasting to others about my room...heehee...Huiling can vouch for me and I can almost hear her say...'eeeeritating'!But really, having a room to yourself having to live and take care of yourself is one of the best experiences i've ever had.


I still remembered I was forced to abandon my room because my housing contract expired. It was such a poignant moment for me. It was too fast, too rushed, too haphazard, too stressful..too incongruent.
And I was sent off packing. It felt like an empty shell.

My internship is finally coming to an end. Come to think of it, it wasn't all that bad. I think I had definitely reaped quite a bit this time round despite just an ostensible short time of 4 weeks. I learnt alot about private equities; solar energy industries; did quite a bit of research on the Sri Lanka stock markets and various of its local companies.etc..It was really interesting! I also decided to end my internship by attending a creditors' meeting in regards to the winding up of a company involved in an all time corporate scandal. I will definitely consider this job as an option for my career. The people are unbelievably nice...well of course there were who didn't score in my list, but that's alright. I think i've been very blessed to be in this department and at my previous work place at Singapore Mediation Centre because you may find it hard to believe, but there's absolutely zero work politics in there. I've also observed that this whole thing is a popularity contest and not always the matter of how much you know. And indeed, those who are at the top, were those who do not play politics and are well....sincerely nice. I've even heard of a partner who failed his FA 101!. It's really inspiring to know that one can learn in a culture that encourages one to pick up him or herself despite a mistake made and not making one feel bad. Of course there's a pressure to perform and you should strive hard to prove your worth nevertheless...
***
ok...the next week will be spent catching up on alot of beauty rest and exercise. Help i've slugged into the lethargic and sedentary corporate lifestyle. I suddenly wuna be a New Yorker!!!

Happy national day Stinkapore....

Not too long ago, my old-is-gold girlfriends back during the days of primary and secondary school, decided to head out for a night of girly fun. The girls, Hoiwen and Pat, (yes, we're missing Mag who's still dim suming in Hong Kong) and myself decided to leverage on the all time favourite day of the week ---some call it mambo night aka ladies-will-get-free-entrance/drinks Wed night to look pretty and glamourous for the evening without getting our pennies dried up. Excited about the evening, I headed off early for my internship carrying a big bag of 'barang barang' which had my party dress, shaving gel, make up, earings, and what have you to doll up. That evening, after a pretty cheap and scrumptious meal at some Japanese restaurant at Raffles City basement, we adjourned to a fancy pub called the scu bar which was located at a very strategic area where big time stressed up rollin moola bankers would pass by. Yes, we're talking about millenia walk's Scu Bar. Right smacked at the corner near citibank, by the romantically litted up fountain, were girls sipping tall champagne glasses of Cosmopolitan. We heard that the bar was serving free flow of cosmo cocktails to all ladies at their bar on every Wednesdays. Kudos to Carrie Bradshaw revolutionising the whole sexy Cosmo drinking culture. There we were, three girls sipping down 4-5 glasses of cosmos enjoying the atmosphere, music and people watching. Our conversation that began with light hearted well wishes for Hoiwen's soon to embark exchange program in the US, gradually turned into random meaningless musings, bitching and laughing till our stomachs ached for no rhyme or reason. The grogy sensation at my head and heavy eyes confirmed that I was simply Drunk. We all were. Getting our asses out of the bar, I was told that I blabbered loads of nonsensical stuff throughout the journey heading towards Zouk. Vaguely remembering much, all I could remember was Jeremy, hoi and pat fetching plastic bags for me to puke..and some familiar faces looking at me pretty much amused. Oh fuck it. So my reputation went down the drain. All because I swear I was alcohol poisoned. And before I could have any fun, I was already puking in a very unglamorous manner..probably and surely scaring all the hot mamas away...Damn!Really, this is the first time my body had ever experienced such adverese reaction towards alcohol. Luckily Hoiwen brought me home safe and sound despite her being drunk and unwell herself.
I winded up the evening sleeping and waking up to puke at several intervals throughout the night and skipping work the next day because i was suffering from diarrhoea , throat pain, stomach ache, headache and basically feeling like CRAp. Worse than my puke.
Moral of the story:
Always be wary of free drinks. There's no free lunch in this world. they're usually made from cheapskate alcohol that is not suitable for anyone to consume.
When ur drunk, make sure you've friends who don't mind wiping off your puke for u.
Thanks for all who helped me survive that torturous night.
I think I have developed a phobia of alcohol-scu bar-cosmo-ism overnight.