2014

And there goes 2013. It is perhaps a nice time to reflect on what has happened throughout this very year. 2013 was a very special year for me. In particular, it was a time where I learnt to take responsibility for my own actions, including the path I choose. It was not always as rosy as I portray it to be, but life still had to go on. 

2013 was the year I started my masters in a foreign land, away from familiar faces and surroundings. It was a year where I had to step out and very much face the world on my own - I basically had to fend for myself. I think those around me saw that I was really eager to go, but deep down, I was as much afraid as I was excited. Settling down Zurich wasn't as easy as I made it seem. It was a time where I had to learn to look for housing myself, permits and all the little but terrifying details in life. It was a time where I had to learn another language and try to reorganise my social circle. In short, it was hard. And what made it harder was when I had to work on my thesis right from the start. The struggles I faced in handling my personal life was compounded by the ever so frequent hurdles I face at work. I remembered somewhere in June that year when I really felt depressed. It's probably because I lacked the courage to show my vulnerabilities that make it worst for myself. But what made it better was really my parents. I really have the most amazing and supportive parents in the world. I usually Skype with them twice a week. But during that period, I began skyping more frequently with them. And they sort of guessed that I just needed someone I'm comfortable with to talk to at such a time. We talked nothing about school. But it was really quite amazing how therapeutic that was. And I survived that period. And I survived it well.

And after those tumultuous times, life became a little better for me. The next semester was still jam-packed with work. My load of coursework (it was a hell lot of it), part-time internships, part-time research projects, job-hunting, etc. It really stretched me to my limits. All I can say is that throughout this period, I am very thankful to the many people that have actually made this hell of a semester really enjoyable to say the least. It was a lot of work, but I felt really happy. From the really lovely staff at the Buhler and Lonza, to my awesome research group, and my Chem. Eng. M.Sc family at ETH. They are the people that have really accompanied me through the rough times. And of course my wonderful family and friends in Singapore. And throughout this time, it became clearer to me who the real friends are. And I've learnt very much to treasure these people who really care for me. And so, I survived again! So what's left is to take my last four exams at the end of January 2014 and I'm done! :)

And all these hard work really paid off I guessed. Landed my dream job. What made it even more amazing was how perfect the job was - the scope of work, the plans that the company has for me, and of course, all practical aspects of things were flawless. As much as I am ambitious, I treasure my personal life as well. Life isn't all about work. I do want to meet my right half and settle down one day. That is as, or even more important than work is to me. And this job I was offered met all these criteria. I will be based in Amsterdam for the first couple of years working hard to earn my professional engineers licence. But in the long term, they have plans for me to transfer back to Singapore to further my career - this is just about right for me. Singapore is my home and will always be my home, no matter how far away I am.

And so that concludes 2013. Lots of amazing experiences - I had my fair share of ups and downs. But I guess that's life. We go through all the crap that's thrown at us only to emerge as a stronger person. So what will 2014 be like for me? Honestly, I don't have a clue. It will again, be a fresh experience, working and living in another foreign land. But maybe going into that, my experiences have made me a little wiser. There are a couple of things that I really want to do in 2014:

1. Give my parents an allowance - this is something that I have always dreamt of doing one day, although I parents wouldn't probably need it. It's a symbolic gesture of growing up. :)

2. Relearn German and pick up Dutch. In Switzerland, I really couldn't find the time or energy to concentrate on learning German properly. So maybe with more time once I start work, I can go to a proper language school like I did in Singapore to learn these languages. :)

3. Get and design my own apartment. I've always dreamt of how my home should look like and I've began looking at houses and furniture/interior design. And starting my life in Amsterdam would be a perfect time to work towards that. This time I will be staying for a significantly longer time, so I can spend more time, effort and resources into it. It's different from living short term in my small studio in Zurich. Just different.

4. Spent my holidays in Singapore! Visit and spent some meaningful time with my family and friends. I miss them so much. And the food. Oh my god. Haha. This may seem mundane to most, but living overseas for such a long time, this has become really important and meaningful to me.

And in general, to just live my life to the fullest like I've always tried to do. Live life without regrets. So that's just a short glimpse into what 2013 has been for me.

To all my family and friends, I hope that 2014 will be a blast for all of you as well! Life will only get better! :)

Time really flies. It's about half a year since I got an entry in this almost-forgotten blog. Now that I have a little bit of spare time at hand, perhaps it's timely for some updates. Yes, many things have changed in this short period of time. It's really amazing how plans that you meticulously come up with over months can just be thrown away just like that. But that's the beauty of life right? The surprises (and scares) that just throw you off your seats. But oh the excitement as well.

Anyway, one the academic side of life, things look pretty interesting at the moment. Decided to do something radical - I've completed my Master thesis before even completing my coursework! Sounds really risky, but somehow there was this little voice in me that just told me to give it a try. And it really paid off. Got my best Department Master thesis award for my work. Got a good grade in addition to that as well. So, that was cool. But definitely not as meaningful as something my supervisor said before my presentation as an introduction to my work. He told the audience that he was actually very skeptical of me doing my thesis in my first semester, and that he expected me to fail. That wasn't exactly what I would call a comforting introduction for a then nervous-wrecked me. But then he added "but I couldn't be more wrong. He's work was just... impressive. It's way above what I would expect from any Master student." To be honest, I was really touched by what he said. And it really just made the months of suffering all worth it. And somehow, my gamble paid off. Actually I wouldn't call it a gamble. I just followed my instincts and it turned out great.

And because of that, I actually re-organized my schedule - I will complete my Master a semester earlier than expected (So it's one year now). So that's good. I'm not sure, but I find myself aways going against the grain. I feel somewhat unsatisfied to stick with the norms imposed onto you by society. It's becoming a good/bad habit, depending how you look at it. But so far it has proven to be pretty... interesting to say the least.

So yes, one whole semester have passed. Somehow this semester has been really interesting. Stressful? Yes and no. Yes because the workload that I packed in is just overwhelming. But no, because I learnt the art of taking appropriate breaks to relief yourself once in a while. Had a really awesome Easter break travelling around Switzerland. And also through occasional (extended) weekend trips. Or just some short hikes and runs along the picturesque rivers around Zurich. It just helps to keep your sanity in tact, and add a bit of much needed colour to your life.

But on the social side, I haven't been as "sociable" as I would like to be. I've gotta admit - I'm quite an introvert. Not to the extent that I just live in my own tiny world, but more like I need quite a bit of time to myself. I actually feel pretty exhausted after social events, and I require my fair share of alone time to recharge myself. But from another perspective, I've come to a stage where I don't want to make tons of additional friends. I'm very satisfied with a few close friends than many acquaintances. Over the years, I realized that friendships need time to maintain and develop, and I just don't have all the time in the world to entertain everyone. I would rather keep that time for a few more special people. So that's what I'm doing. I avoid going for loud parties and stuff with the whole building of exchange students that I'm living with. On one hand I hate partying, and on the other, these are probably people that I will not see ever after half a year. So instead, I tend to mix around more with my classmates, and the Singaporeans here in Zurich. Feels more meaningful that way.

Anyway, took a week off my thesis in July to return to Singapore for my commencement at NUS. I think it meant so much more to my parents than it actually meant to me. It's like mission accomplished finally - putting me and my bro through formal schooling and then to university. They have served their responsibilities as parents. As I put on my gown and went on stage to get my degree, I could see, for once, a very light-hearted smile - a burden-free one. And I'm equally happy for them. I just told my parents to, for the first time, live their lives for themselves, and not just for me and my bro. Go ahead and explore the world - see and experience what they have missed out during the younger days. Seeing them frequently travelling all around the world makes me smile as much. Just looking back at how much my parents have sacrificed for the family, I just feel loved and blessed.

So I took the opportunity to meet up with as many of my friends as I could in that short week. I really appreciate how friends took time off their busy schedules to at least have a meal together and just catch up. Being away from home ever so often in recent years just made me realize how valuable such friends are. And also, who real friends are. True friends are really people that you perhaps only get to meet once or twice a year, but always makes the extra effort to turn up, and we've got endless things to talk about. People who love you for who you are, no matter where you are and what you are. It may seem quite a pity to lose contact with certain groups friends, especially those that used to be so close to you. But I guess that's life. When there simply isn't enough time for everyone, people tend to prioritize. And you don't always get on the list of others. It's harsh, but that's just life. Live with it. But just knowing that you have even that one friend that you can always count on is more than enough sometimes - feeling satisfied with one is way better than feeling lonely in a crowd. I like the former better.

Ok, so that's about it for now. No idea when I will have the time (and mood) to update this blog again. But it's really quite nice to just sit down and consolidate my thoughts and feelings once in a while. Re-energizing. So as always, looking forward to the new surprises that life my have installed for me! :)

(P.S. Oh and I got myself a part-time internship post next semester too! Really cool! The wonders of life and the surprises! :) )

What's Next?

Alright finally settled most of the administrative matters at hand for now, so finally time's on my side for once. Anyway, I have moved to Zurich to start the next phase of my life. 2012 has been a really fast year for me. Before I went for exchange at Delft, I applied for graduate school at ETH Zurich, and lucky for me, I got accepted with a small stipend. So that's really awesome. So after exchange, I just returned to NUS, wrote my thesis and completed the remaining credits required to graduate. I think the time I spent at NUS was perhaps the definitive time of my life - in the sense that I learnt so much and grew up as a person. I learnt to handle the shit the life throws at you and turn it into something meaningful. It's definitely no simple process - in fact, it was a harsh one. The one thing that I think everyone needs is that little bit optimism and hope. Many a time, we are left to drown in the abyss of the unknown. But most often we manage to get out alive and unscathed - but definitely much stronger. So that's the biggest takeaway from NUS.

And the moment I step foot into Zurich, I can just sense the difference. Zurich's very much your typical European city - filled with beautiful classical European architecture and culture. But the difference lies in language. Coming to Zurich alone with my very limited knowledge of German's a really bold thing to do. Although it's not my first time in a non-English speaking environment, it's the first time being in one alone. There's even greater levels of uncertainty and fear. I have to handle every little thing in my life on my own. And more importantly, getting out of an environment where I'm constantly surrounded by the comfort of friends and family, it's as if life starts from zero again. The troubles of getting to know new people and getting comfortable in a new environment. Perhaps in the first place, I'm not used to constantly meeting new people in Singapore - like no one ever says hi to a new student in class. I really have to do that here and establish my "life" here. Alright, Only being in Zurich for 3 weeks, I haven't been able to experience much of what Zurich has to offer. But I'm pretty sure that this 1.5 years in Zurich will be another valuable chapter in my life. Perhaps a period where I look back in the future, and smile and say that that's something definitive in my life.

Looking forward to what life's got installed for me. :)

Delft!

Haven't blogged in quite a while. I have just moved to Delft, the Netherlands, and I will be staying here for my exchange till mid-July. So I have been super busy settling down and stuff. Finally, after a month or so, I have the time to blog about my life thus far. Here are some pictures of my life in Delft:

My first day in Delft! Omg DAMN COLD! The weather forecasts are pretty much a fluke. Just a week before they reported that the temperature was 2-7 degC. But that very day, it was -10 degC! Crazily cold. Anyway it was really  first day to remember. The weather, the many 30kg+++ luggage, and the long arduous walk in the snowy place. One word describes it all - miserable! Haha. Oh well I guess that was part of the package. Lol.

Anyway, the weather remained awfully cold for the next 4 weeks, till 2 weeks ago, when some pretty nice happened. One evening, I look out of my window and this is what I saw...

The next morning, when I woke up I saw this!

It's amazing how fast the snow cleared up! Just one night and all the white is gone. Anyway, that's just one of the many amazing things that happened in Delft.

Alright, so what exactly does Delft look like?

These are perhaps the most prominent buildings in Delft. The one on the left is the Cityhall and the one on the right is the old church, and they're all situated in the central square. In winter, you can just imagine the place to be like an ulu street in Joo Chiat. Super quiet and lonely streets with barely any buzz. But just last weekend, winter sort of officially ended and suddenly, Delft central came to life!

There's a flea market in the central square every Thursday and Saturday. All the streets are filled with endless vendors selling everything from food to clothes and electronics! (Think Pasar Malam) Really cool! And there's this seafood stall that I loved! They sell lots of different seafood , raw or cooked (see below). But there is one thing that stands out - THE fried mussels! Omg just thinking about it make my mouth water. It's super fresh and pretty decently priced, at 3.50 Euros for a gigantic portion of it. I would definitely buy a portion of it whenever I pass by. A definite must-try when you come to Delft.

Oh and there is also something distinctively European - Raw Herring! This is what it looks like. I know, you can just imagine the raw fishy taste and smell. But trust me, it's not that bad. In fact, I kinda liked it. It tasted pretty good to me! =)

Anyway, yummy seafood aside, there are also other specialties that Delft have to offer. There is a cheese store (left) in town that's pretty good as well. The chilli cheese is damn shiok. Not that spicy, but has the nice chilli flavour - a nice consolation away from home.


Oh and not forgetting, there's the famous Delft Pottery (right) - the distinct blue and white porcelains that we commonly associate to the Chinese, is actually from here! That's something I learnt here too! Lol.

And there are a few funky buildings that I kinda liked:

The cinema on the left and public library on the right. Nothing really special about this town, but it's definitely very livable. A good place to retire actually! =)


Anyway, I'm done with Delft city centre. Now back home. This is my room!

Of course, this is the neater state of it at the start of my stay. Now it's much messier and too embarrassing to post so I shall give that a miss. Anyway, it's really nice - spacious, warm (good heater) and just plain comfortable. The only complains I have is that the shower is not in the room, and there's no white light - it's all warm light. =( It makes me sleepy.

Next up, school. TU Delft campus is beautiful! =)

The left is the entrance to my faculty - Applied Sciences. Actually it isn't really my school, coz Chem Eng is housed in another building. But most of my classes are here. And the right is the signboard for my school (which makes navigation so much easier) with the EE, Math and CS building in the backdrop. Anyway, school's not that near my place, so I have to cycle to school. Speaking of cycling, Delft is big on bicycles! Almost everyone has a bicycle and there are special lanes everywhere in Delft for bicycles! I bet there are more bicycles than cars around! And this is my trusty blue bike. Got it for 80 Euros, which was quite a bargain actually!

I can't cycle the Dutch bicycle. Yes you heard it right. There are Dutch bicycles. There are 2 main differences - they are awfully tall and there are no handbrakes! You have to back cycle to slow it down! It's really counter-intuitive, so I would give that a miss as well, lest I become a permanent road hazard. Lol.

Having stayed in Delft for exactly a month, thinking back, I really wondered where did I find the courage to do so many thing's I have done? It's actually pretty scary to move overseas for extended period of time, away from you family and friends that you're so familiar with. But it's really something that I have grown to accept and take it in my stride. Since entering  university, I traveled so much that I'm kinda getting numb to this kind of fear.

Anyway, fears aside, I'm really enjoying the lifestyle here. It's really miles away from back home (in every sense of it). It's pretty hard to describe it, but I feel that life here is more balanced. In Singapore, we just study all day and yeps, that's about it. Over here, I have to learn to be independent - wash my own clothes, cook my own food, etc. These are things that my mum and maid do on a daily basis and I really salute them for that. It's no easy feat at all! Speaking of cooking, this is my first attempt at cooking a meal for 4!

I'm actually pleasantly surprised that the meal turned out fine! I guess all the nights watching the Asian Food Channel did help somehow. Haha. But yea, this is something that I would never have to do or even learn how to do back home. And I'm proud that I did it. =)

Anyway, cooking is definitely essential here, coz having a meal outside will easily set you back by 20 Euros at least! Cooking will cost only 3-4 Euros for a good and sumptuous meal. So you do the math and decide which is better if you're gonna stay for half a year. But that's not to say I cook every single meal. Some days are plain lazy days and I just simply prefer to have someone prepare the meal for me. For such days, there's IKEA! Haha.

IKEA provides perhaps, the cheapest and most tasty meal out! Really yummy and awfully filling food for under 10 Euros =O. So yeps, I have pretty much covered most aspects of my life here in Delft. So that's about it for this post! I have travelled quite a bit during this month in Delft - Den Haag, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Tromso, Stockholm. I shall post more when I find more time for it! =D

Last Week

Ok, so it's confirmed. Will be leaving Singapore in exactly a week. It's gonna be a long way from home and yea, it's gonna be a pretty long period of time. It's not the first time I'm leaving home for extended periods of time, so yea, the excitement's not as overwhelming as my first time abroad myself. It's more of thinking about adapting to a new environment all over again. Haha. It really takes effort and yea, hope it goes smoothly. But at least it's Europe that I'm pretty familiar with. So it's not as scary. Haha.

Anyway, amid all the festivities and stuff, I found some time to meet my regular khakis for k and dinner before I fly off.

They're probably the easiest and most fun bunch of people to hang around with. Haha. =D

Chinese New Year '12

It's the time of the year again! A time to eat, visit, eat, visit, ... , eat visit. Not too much of the CNY buzz this year. I guess it's probably due to the shorter CNY holidays. Anyway, this CNY is really just about eating. Ate reunion dinner on Sunday. Visited most of relatives on Monday, which meant snacking (impossible amounts of CNY goodies) all the way. So much so that I sort of skipped breakfast and lunch all together. Haha. Great-grandpa's anniversary today. So coincidental coz my great grandpa passed away then. But it's good in the sense that everyone will remember and will have the time to gather together to pray and munch on good food. So it was family gathering as usual at my house. Home-cooked buffet for breakfast and lunch. Really remarkable effort by my mum and maid to whip up all the food for like 30 people.. and they're all damn AWESOMELY YUMMY! Bet I gained at least a pound or more from just that meal. Haha.

Anyway, food aside, today's the first time I got to see my nephew since he was born 2 months ago! DAMN CUTE OMG. Haha.

The innocence of a child. All he need to worry about is eating and sleeping. Damn envious of him. Haha. Oh another boy to the family. My entire generation were all boys, and it looks like the next one's gonna be all boys again. Haha.

Anyway more food coming up. Tomorrow's gonna be another home-cooked, buffet-styled family dinner with all my maternal relatives. After which, a short break, before more food on Saturday and Sunday! Looks like I have to exercise a lot harder once all the festivities are over. =P

New Year Resolutions.

I haven't really taught about them since eons ago. But recently, time was on my side, and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this. Reflecting on my life thus far, there are definitely things that I want to change in my life. And I've sort of set certain goals that I hope I can achieve by the end of the year. Let's see how it goes from here. =D