2007 in a day

Time for the yearly reflections. I can’t believe all these happened this year! It seems like so long ago. I’m so thankful for what has happened, for the year started off awful, and i’m the happy girl I am right now. ^_^

January

· Things were settled, I was moving on. But it all takes time.

· School was mean to me, and I had problems graduating. Evil school! I hate rigid admin people who don’t care anything about their students.

· Return of the Chestnutties. I can’t believe it’s been a year since their return! Almost our 2^nd yr anniversary now.. wonder if we’ll gather that day?

· Attended a New Year’s lunch organized for grandparents! Experienced being a grandparent before I become a parent. Haha.

· Lost voice once again, and attended my first GIS Dinner n Dance without a voice!

· Picked up French in school. (oh man.. school feels so ancient to me. Was it this year that I was still an undergrad?)

· COOKED lunch at work

· First time getting paid to eat chocolate. haha

· Stood up with the help of many friends around me.. ^_^ I’ll always remember.. look at the people who are on your side, not those who had left you!! dun be wei3 da4, be yong2 gan3!! ^_^ (wonder if the person who said this still remembers?)

· Met jq in engine for lunch. Lunch in school never tasted so good before. And a shelter from the rain never felt so sweet. =P

February

· Bumped into steph n Jamie during a chestnutties gathering. And that was the only time I met her this year! How I miss those days in US when we’d hang out together

· My first few interviews for scholarship

· Experienced doing some volunteer work at YMCA with patients with cerebral palsy

· Still cannot get away from insomnia and disturbed sleep, albeit for different reasons from last year

· Dad decides to retire back to Singapore. ^_^

March

· Time with the FSC (and all other friends) helped me a lot. I finally found myself returning to my shutter happy self, and I even started to appreciate nice, happy things around me. True signs of the optimistic me returning

· Was suddenly like a teenage girl again, crazy over certain pop idols. I seriously don’t know what got over us that period.

· Thesis writing.

· I decided to extend my stay from March til april, to allow myself more time to think about where I want to be after I graduate.

· Skipped quite a lot of classes in school, as I was getting very tired.

· Rejected a scholarship to go to Alberta for 3 months. Summer in Alberta is not what I want. Christmas is the time to be there, walking along Candy Cane lane in Edmonton!

April

· My final lecture in NUS with weilin, and we sang a song (alongside a few others..9 gals and a guy) for the lecture class. First time I ever did such a thing! It was nice. (a lot of people took videos and pictures, but I never got any! >.<)

· Thesis presentation. OVER! Lalalala~

· Decided to stay yet another month til end of may to help my boss finish up some work before I leave for grad trip.

· First visit to Timbre. The beginning of many pubbing trips. Haha.

· Spent Good Friday differently this year. Attended a Chinese service with Bong instead. At her church Orchard Pres! ^_^

· Took my French exam with Pacey. I don’t know how I did it, but I think I passed. =P

· Attended what may be my brother’s last concert in RJC. It was my first time seeing him perform in RJC too. (missed the previous yr’ one as I was in US)

· Phantom of the Opera in Singapore!! My 2^nd time watching, this time with my sis ^_^

· More community service by painting murals for IMH! ^_^ Thanks bong for jio-ing us those times.

· Had lots of help from my boss to decide my future career path. Very helpful, she was

· Got freaked out by a fight that happened while I was at a bar.. but managed (unintentionally) to still look cool and glam, as bong described. Haha.

· First time pubbing with my MUM

· Free game at settler’s café with Singapore’s Mensa members. They’re pretty normal pple. LOL

· Graduation BBQ in hall. I miss hall. (even its gray walls)

May

· First time celebrating Mardi Gras in Singapore! ^_^

· Job offer by big boss. Happiness~

· Final interview and Scholarship offer. It all matches and my future is finally fixed! Able to do what I love. JOY~

· Took a day off work just to sit at borders and read. Learn to enjoy life ^_^

· Graduation dinner for all Life science honors students

· Graduation dinner @ haixiang with colleagues (my umpteenth graduation celebration with them.. just excuse to go out lah! Haha)

· Back to listening to online sermons by my pastor in Philly. I miss philly, I miss GCC, I miss pastor young, I miss listening to his sermons in school.

· Bora left Singapore, back to Korea. Will we ever meet again?

· I left the company. As boss said, it’s a farewell party but also a welcome party for me. That was the first time I was happy at a farewell. ^_^

June

· Timbre with weilin! First time seeing her high. It’s like my new hangout place to meet my friends..

· First Church camp. Can’t believe it? Yeah.. been in this church for 23 years and this is my first church camp (other camps were youth camps) Had a rocking time ^_^

· Grad trip to Shanghai, Tibet. Met new friends. How amazing it was to see mount everest in its true form.. feels good to be back to nature. Rocking on rough terrains for 12 days was meditative

· An encounter in Tibet that I would never forget.

July

· Passed my GRE!

· Grad trip to Taiwan. Met more new friends. I seem used to be going on holidays with people I don’t know. I’m lucky they are almost always wonderful travel buddies. ^_^

· Freaky encounter in Taiwan, with a person I met in Tibet.

· Even freakier encounter of the same person in Singapore

· Scholarship award ceremony. It’s official ^_^

· Finally no more sleep debt. 2 months of wonderful break and rest.

August

· Started grad school.

· Back to GIS! My second home~~

· Signed the deeds. Thanks roy.

· Started to feel to effects of lack of exercise. Atrophied muscles and clogged up arteries and failing heart. Bleah

· My final trip to timbre this year. Coz start of grad school means end of ‘life’. >.<

· Party with cell group DURING my 12 hour exam. Haha. My first exam for grad school

September

· Watched the musical ‘If there’re seasons’, and got all impressed by George Chan

· Lunch with what’s left of the chestnutties.. the chesnutties foursome! ^_^

· More lessons start, and I end up with no time to have lunch with my colleagues. (have to eat with my classmates coz of the difference in timing) I miss yong tau foo!!

October

· Decided to challenge myself to writing a paper on Brain Science and Religion.

· Selected to have lunch with the International Advisory Panel. My honor.

· I wrote a story, which got published. ^_^ My first publication, and it’s NOT scientific!

· School starts getting real busy, and I am glad I am not the only one in the lab doing a phD. So glad to have someone who understands. ^_^

· First time eating escargot.. what a ‘memorable’ birthday. Haha.

November

· My first conference! And a pre-conference workshop to come with that! Total entrance fees cost over a thousand dollars k.. so I went for 99% of the talks.. haha.. totally tired out after the 1 week’s worth of intellectual stuff. Utterly intensive.

· New table in the office! My hideout for the next 4 yrs~

· Finally, after 3 months of grad school, my phD project finally starts. Excitement! =P

· Krispy Kreme after 1.5 yrs of missing it! ^_^

· My first time having home-made tiramisu after I left US and there was no more Arzhou to make for me.

· Daddy decides that retirement is too boring and is back overseas to work. >.<

· Decided to serve in Sunday School. Thanks Stan for asking.

December

· Gone through a course and finally certified to do animal research in Singapore

· Jean n Kelvin got married! My first time as a ‘sister’ and a personal assistant for a bride. Fun!

· I finally succumbed to tong’s many efforts to drag me out. Another ktv session! This time his friends came along..

· String of meeting friends and catching up! It’s festive season, and everyone’s back home~ ^_^

All in all, it’s been a great year. It started off as a ‘hangover’ from last yr, and slowly I found myself again. Ends off on a very high note, just like what the festive season should be about. Happiness, time with family and friends. Life can only get better~ ^_^