Author: jan anne

Yunnan Day 1: Miaozu

feelings, travels

Currently waiting to board the plane to Kunming, and it seems like we have been delayed another 15 min. Reached the airport at 2345 and now it’s 0342. 4 hours helpppo. Oh guess what in the time that I’ve typed this, it’s time to board!

Update

The views here are sick and the weather is brilliant. Very comfortable even though I am just wearing a T-shirt and jacket most of the time. The cuisine here is spicy and sour (and at the same time very salty and oily too!!) The accommodation we have here in Miaozu is not bad too. The beds are really clean and comfortable which is such a plus to keep me warm as it gets way colder at night. First day of engagement was very fast but it was mainly just playing ice breakers with the students. They are super cute and friendly so it’s easy to approach them, despite the language barrier.

May ripples make waves

feelings

Sunday marked the end of Project KaHU and it felt truly bittersweet. I was so relieved to have completed this 5 month journey of ups and downs. The final sprint was complete. And at the same time I know that I will really miss this batch of mentees and I can’t imagine how much we have impacted them, but I’d like to think that we made a difference even in the slightest.

This experience was a first for me. At the start, I was so overwhelmed and I kept telling myself, “This was not what I signed up for.” But I’m glad that I got to work with this KaHU team and I couldn’t have done it any other way. They pushed me to explore things I’d never imagined I’d do. And if you told me that I’d be in pulau ubin again, I’d never believe you. I’m happy and fulfilled with what we have achieved together.

Project KaHU 2018, signing out.

McDonald’s Big Breakfast

feelings

And so look who finally manages to redeem the obnoxious looking plushies from Giant supermarket!!! I’ll give it to them for achieving the balance of making the plushies ugly to the point of cute.

Hmmm so I guess it’s been an eventful two days. I’m not sure if it was the best decision but I know that if I’m to follow down this path I need to do the things that I know to make things work. I can’t keep making excuses for myself like I’ve done before. The taste of charred buns and pseudo meat patties make me dizzy and intoxicated. There’s a lot of uncertainty but the only certainty I have is that God is with me through this all. I can’t lose myself.

Snackeroonies: Lau Pa Sat and Spinelli @OFC

feelings, food

Today has been great; not that crazy productive but time was well-spent. Rest is good but time to hike it up a notch. Lunch was at Lau Pa Sat, Japanese udon and ramen!! Sweet udon is always better on a hot day like today. But the ramen was just as good too.

Afternoon coffee break was at Spinelli Coffee Roasters, the Ocean Financial Centre branch (10 Collyer Quay). It was so worth the effort walking around and getting lost. The coffee there is 10/10 and so is the customer service! If you’re looking for a place to sit after buying your coffee, you can head over to the seats across Spinelli (Daily Grind) because the cafe there is under Spinelli too. The place is really comfortable but can get a bit distracting especially once it hits the off-hours and everyone is heading home, and there are so many people in the lift lobby area where the outlet is.

Snackeroonies: On a (sugar) roll

feelings, food, university

Get it? Sugar roll? HAHA. Second food post in one day! That’s a record. Okay but seriously, I was pleasantly surprised today when someone left a bottle of Traditional Cooked Barley drink from Hockhua Tonic and a piece of chocolate at my door!! Thank you dear kind soul for helping me recover from my super bad cough. Tonight’s supper was cookies and doughnuts again. And I guess it can’t hurt to get some free food eheh.

Snackeroonies: getting fett

feelings, food, university

Guess who’s back?? Love at first bite, as Hansel would put it— Chipotle bae chicken sandwich is back in the vending machine! Had a productive night yesterday and ended it off with this lovely surprise. This morning’s breakfast was at Ghim Moh, not too far away from UTown I might add. Only took us about 25-30 Minutes to get there. And there’s quite a lot of stalls to buy from and try in the near future.

Danger will follow me

feelings, university

Now everywhere I, I’m constantly looking for something to pull my attention to. It’s been interesting to pay more attention to what’s going on in the real world, with my eyes taking in the primary source. After being in Prof Greg’s Beyond Seeing module (UTC2408), I’ve started to look at art and pretty much everything around with a little extra thought. Why did he/she decide to create it that way? Was the creator inspired by anything/anyone? Can anything be called an original nowadays? Random thoughts but let’s type this down.

Week 13 has come to an end and we’ve come to the final sprint. The last 100m. It’s definitely been an exhausting semester, but I think I’ve gained many precious experiences. Now’s the time to really hit hard or go home. Of which the latter doesn’t feel like a favorable option. As I take the bus home from today’s trip to the Parkview Museum, I’m thinking about the work that has to be completed. I’ve got several goals for today:

  1. Complete the venue booking forms and submit them
  2. Get all the necessary documents printed for visa application
  3. Book an appointment at the visa centre
  4. Upload the photos for graduands party
  5. Create the study plan for the next two weeks
  6. Look at KaHU ExCamp proposal

Everything seems very daunting but I guess just as what I had shared during CG this morning, know how you prioritize and make decisions in your life. I want to put God in the centre of my life, and to do that I have to be more intentional with my time. There isn’t really a point in trying to power through this alone.

On another note, I have to be more cautious of my choices and my actions. I’m easily tempted to do things which distract me from God. Time to stay focused. It will be a difficult 2 weeks ahead but it will all be worth it.

Danger will follow me now everywhere I go,

Angels will call on me and take me to my home

“Everywhere I Go”, Sleeping At Last

heyder

feelings, university

so just taking some time off today to write down some thoughts. Today was special because I got to go over to com where I don’t usually go and listened to a few presentations which were really super interesting! At night I had a very good meeting/dinner/reflection with my EXA committee and I realized the importance of bonding and bringing people together in a committee. Despite the fact that this semester has been super busy for me, and I didn’t feel like I was the most present in the comm, I still felt very motivated to do my best because of the supportive and fun comm members. My OGL meeting is later and I really hope that it’s gonna be a sigh of a good start to next sem in CAPT as a good senior to my future juniors! Tonight is not gonna be an early night for me but I will try my best. Will finish things one step at a time.