Heavy and grey, a long chain of them, almost neverending like The Hedge that popped up overnight on Hammie's homeland. Taking position.

I spy dark clouds. I feel cool wind in my face.

I go to the window, and take a deep breath.

How I've missed this smell, this wind, this feeling. My affair with storms.

It almost never rained in HK, but after I left, it rained and rained and rained. It's just as well. I never wanted a long-distance relationship ;) .

Coming home after 5 months feels very weird. I am so used to sights like the soot-covered streets and black-and-white roadsigns in Hong Kong that Singapore's green signs and surgical cleanliness looked very foreign to me.

And, of course, I felt the heat the moment I stepped into the arrival hall. Hahaha. It's hotter than in HK, but at least it's different, a kind of heat I'm used to.

Now, I will start the inevitable recount of the sequence of events.

7 AM, 19 May: Sent Chi Hei and Si Hui off to the bus stop. Went for favourite breakfast (honey chicken + scrambled eggs) with Sara-Jean and Sheryl.

The rest of the day was spent sweating bullets while trying to squeeze everything into my luggage and manually expel the air from my vacuum bags (since there is no vacuum cleaner). My initial plans to do some final shopping for my own things was utterly foiled because the final round of packing took much longer than expected. Oh well.

Had a final dimsum lunch with my HK friends at CityU's restaurant. Although we didn't get to meet up as often as I'd like cos everyone is busy, I am grateful to them for bringing me and my friends around and taking good care of us. :)

Sara-Jean and Sheryl arrived in my room promptly at 3 PM, helped me throw away my copious amounts of garbage and each took one of my heavy lugggages. I had 4 pieces of luggage in total - 2 hand-carry, 1 backpack and 1 gigantic wheelie one. They've got to be like 40 kg in total.

And then it was time for the trudge uphill to the bus stop. I'd probably have died trying to carry all my stuff without them. They sent me all the way to the airport, too! So touched. THANK YOU SHERYL AND SARA-JEAN!!!

At the entrance to the boarding gates, I bade goodbye to my comrades.

At the boarding gate, I heard many Singaporean voices. By habit, I turned around each time I heard one. It was then that I discovered how much I'd associated the Singaporean accent and Singlish with friendship. In a foreign land, you do not need anything else but this to identify fellow citizens and friends. All we had to do to find each other was shout or talk loudly in our language. I will cherish those days.

I was served chicken and potatoes on the SIA plane, and somehow that felt like the first taste of home in a long time. Probably because I didn't get to eat as much potato (my favourite food!) as I'd like in HK cos it's just not as popular a dish. Watched The Reader. Beautifully directed and written.

Landed at long last on home ground. At the arrival hall, I first spotted only my parents. And then! Isabel and XY came out from behind the plant they were hiding in. Hahahaha. I was sooo happy to see everyone and to be home! THANK YOU FOR COMING ALL THE WAY, YOU TWO! =D 你們讓我感動不已，感激不盡。

After exclaiming at the foreign scenery on the way home and reading all the nice messages sent by those who knew I'd already touched down (THANK YOU FOR YOUR WARM WELCOMES!), I was greeted by familiar and heartwarming sights in my house. My mum arranged my teddies so that they looked like they were saying "welcome home!".

A belated birthday gift from Everett was waiting on my desk.

I'd forgotten how comfortable my bed was. Slept like a log for 12 hours that night. =)

---

The past 5 months have been both long and short. At times, I really wanted time to pass faster. But whenever I looked back, I was proud for having survived so long and that time was passing reasonably quickly.

One's thing for sure, though - I've learnt ever so much during this period of time. Some lessons I can't even put into words. It's just a really unique experience, and I'm really glad I went. I'm also very thankful for the friends I made there. I know I am very lucky.

All of you back in Singapore didn't disappoint, either. Although I only got 1 snail mail in the whole of the 5 months, I regularly received emails from many of you who bothered to take time out from your busy work or school schedules to sent a note of concern. I am always cheered up by talking to you all on MSN. It's a good cure for homesickness. To be honest, I would never have known how much some of you care if I had not gone on this trip. AND it's always nice to know that your absence is missed. Haha. SO THANK YOU!!

Homecoming made me rediscover the joys of many things I'd come to take for granted. For example, I love being able to sms everyone whenever I like without it costing a bomb, and knowing that I won't need to fly four hours before I can meet any of you here. Can't wait to eat all the food here that I've missed, too!

我是一個又幸運又幸福的人！

P.S To those who are not back yet, HANG IN THERE! I'm eagerly awaiting your return! :D

Yesterday was my first birthday in a foreign land without the usual suspects celebrating with me. Although it felt extremely weird without said people, I still did not feel lonely because some people bothered to send a costly global sms to me :) . And wish me on msn and on my tagboard. And some people made a video for me. And these people here celebrated for me. Heehee.

Surprisingly, my dad was the first person to sms me. 12.09 AM: Happy birthday and take good care of yourself. My mum sent me a cute and hilarious email the next morning: Happy Birthday my dear girl. *random emoticons including a camera* I have open your parcel (I shipped back my jackets) N intend 2 wash all your jacket 2 kill all the H1n1 ha ha !

*Photos from Joycelyn's Facebook. Thanks for documenting my birthday for me! =D



At 12 something, I heard a ghostly knock on my door and went out to find these.

Pressie!

Close-up of one of the love notes.

The next day!

Two sleep-deprived girls plus Joycelyn strutted out of their exam hall within 45 minutes from the start of the paper (such is the life of us exchange students ;p), and headed down to start my birthday celebration at the dimsum restaurant in our school. Nothing like a delicious and gut-busting dimsum lunch to start a birthday in HK.

Eggy tarts, o eggy tarts! Wherefore art thou so fattening?

My favourite XO carrot cake! Apparently we have it in Singapore too but we were not destined to meet just yet.

Munch munch gobble blob!

Hilariously, the restaurant happened to be having a promotion for birthday people! Free longevity buns!!!

After we had finished pigging out, it was time for KTV!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!

Note to self: Next time, practice the 宇宙小姐 dance before throwing face in front of everyone. Luckily, I'd been made queen for the day and no one dared to 吭聲 snigger. Muhaha!!

Compare my expression with Sara-Jean's. I wonder if we were singing the same song.

For once, we got an extended amount of time in the ktv but we had to rush on to the next item on the schedule - Wolverine: X-men Origins. So it was not to be.

Every girl/gay is in love with Zac Efron and my friend here is only human. But not me, no sirree! I prefer Gambit.

The movie was surprisingly good! Somewhere between E for Exceeds Expectations, and O for Outstanding.

Upon reaching the hostel, the three girls loitered around the cafeteria. Need you ask why?

Kudos to Sheryl for being able to hide the cake in her gigantic bottomless glittery silver bag for almost the whole day.

Look at the weird candles! We still got some left, you want?

I just put this picture here because I look good in it.

And now, for my 得獎感言 gratitude speech. Thank you everyone who remembered and wished me. Thank you for the videos, and the on-the-way gift. Thank you NTU exchange friends who bothered to spend time, energy and money with me and made my birthday special, when it could have just been a lonely sad one on foreign soil. Hearts! =)

Naruwan - 第一天

Naruwan: "Welcome to Taiwan", in the language of the 原住民 (Taiwanese aboriginal tribes).

13 to 18 April 2009. A journey of outstanding proportions, to the paradise that is Taiwan. Undertaken by 5 Singaporeans - Chi Hei, Si Hui, Sara-Jean, Sheryl and I - and 1 Vietnamese-born-but-Australian-citizen. Hang on to your hat and sit tight. Ready?

Here. We. Go!

The day began with much excitement. Lunch was eaten at the hostel cafeteria, which offers a lacklustre variety at a barely acceptable (for HK) standard. I purposely dined there so that I can have the ultimate contrast - from gastronomical hell to heaven. Gahaha.

I barely made it till 2.45 pm without spontaneously combusting with excitement. At 2.40, I wheeled my luggage onto the ground floor to meet my fellow travelers.

After some last-minute-running-upstairs-to-get-hp by Sara-Jean, we waved goodbye to Joycelyn (the only Singaporean left behind), successfully got on board the bus and arrived at the HK International Airport, bright and early.

Grabbed the all-important boarding pass, and proceeded to kill time.

Couldn't resist the lure of Popeye's cajun fries despite my gastronomical hell-to-heaven strategy.

After the mini-meal, we hurriedly boarded the plane. It was our first time on Dragonair (HK's airline)! I like it. All the seats are red! That's me and Sara-Jean, whom I was assigned to sit with. Weirdly, there was someone on my seat and they don't go by the seating arrangement when the flight is not full.

Our comrades Sheryl and Chi Hei were calmly perusing the broadsheets.

Mealtime! They managed to squeeze in a meal even though the flight was less than two hours only. But everything was quite rushed...you would see your tray being whisked away within minutes after finishing.

Black pepper pork + rice. Delicious!

Yummy sesame cookies.

They even have red cups (and trays), bless them.

Paradise ahoy!!! I actually shouted "老公，我來了！" after landing.

Decided not to take Freego bus (one of the companies that offer airport transfer) this time, but a public (I think it is, anyway) bus that cost less.

The bus is here!

While the bus was reaching its destination (Zhongshan MRT station), a lady passenger boarded the bus and had an amusing conversation with the driver. She asked if the bus driver would be so kind as to let her get down somewhere which wasn't an official bus stop (in Chinese, of course). The driver agreed, and the passenger said something like "I will remind you in case you forget", and the driver said "你那麽美，不會忘記的啦！= You're so pretty, how to forget!" So cute!! We totally felt the warmth of Taiwanese people right then.

At the huge Taipei Main station, we tried to be inconspicuous as we wheeled our luggage into the lift (which takes forever to close because it's automatic and for the wheelchaired passengers), because wheeled luggages are not allowed in the MRT station. But the station staff whom we got directions from still noticed it ("你們就是那班拿行李的人嗎？") and mentioned it while giving directions to Chi Hei. Hahaha. But she never catch us or what.

I will forever be enthralled by the people patiently queuing to board the trains at Taipei's bigger MRT stations.

We then took the MRT to Zhongshan, where our accommodation - a youth hostel - was. Got a bit lost (the hostel was at a rather ulu corner and it was already quite late at night), so we only managed to find the place at around 10.30 pm.

After some time, Chi Hei and I walked down the correct road , and found the place at last.

It was then that I suddenly heard someone shouting my name.

And there, outside the hostel on the ulu and dark and slightly creepy road, having waited for the past two hours, was Becky!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She'd decided to give me a surprise outside the hostel, and lied to me earlier that she was going to meet us at the night market, the first item on our itinerary. We had no means of contact (I had her Taiwan number but she didn't have my Singapore one), so she just waited and waited at that cold and creepy place for TWO HOURS!!!

I was so freaking touched and happy and excited.

Then, with her signature dazzling smile and a big hug, she exclaimed "Welcome to Taiwan!" and placed my very first 22nd birthday gift in my hands.

And what a gift it was! The sneaky old devil knew exactly what I wanted, and pre-ordered it before I even knew it existed! More about this precious present later.

The first drink that touched my lips.

They still have these cute token single-trip-passes.

友情萬歲.

Did you think we were going to waste our first night in Taipei? We may have got a crappy time slot (it was a promotional air ticket), but heaven forbid us to waste any time! We hurriedly hurried to 師大夜市 Shihda Night Market, my favourite night market since my first visit two years ago.

The reason why Shihda is my favourite night market is this stall! The beef is as tender as chicken, I swear!

For about S$9 you get this...

...and a sizzling plate of heaven! This is the beef steak.

And that's the pork. Or maybe it's the other way round. In any case, both are heavenly! Even though we got them cold because two very friendly Taiwanese came by and had a very long chat with us just when our orders came.

This time, I found another reason to love Shihda night market! Arnold's crepes!

Their crepes are DAMN BIG AND DELICIOUS!!! And cheap!!

Time to show you our hostel room! We got a 6-bed dorm with an attached toilet, which was better than we expected. There are 3 double beds that look like this one, and a tv, and a microwave. And a payphone.

The top bunk was my bed for three nights.

The bathroom was the most luxurious part of the room! It looked like a hotel toilet.

After the exciting goings-on of the night (which just involved eating fantastic food, come to think of it), I went back to the room and unboxed my lovely present. Besides the t-shirt, there's a pack of Post-its and my dear friend was so 貼心 that she even put the pre-order form inside (which I remember her saying she got for me a few months ago).

And so that night, I fell asleep with a great big smile, knowing I am loved and in love with this place - my idea of paradise.

Labels: Memoires of Dimsumland