Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i got home.

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i prepared for prom night. 

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i played in the soccer finals. 

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i had my first break up.

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i took my driving test. 

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i rented my graduation gown. 

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only you were there when i celebrated my birthday.

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

If only i wished harder that you were there.

Maybe things will not be the way they are now.

Just maybe.

Will you worship, will you bow down

Before your Lord and King?

Will you love Me, will you give Me your heart, Your everything?

Right here and now
I make my choice
With all my love
I will answer You:

I will worship, I will bow down

Before my Lord and King

I will love You, I will give You my heart

My everything

Then things started to change. I got rather close to Chin Hock as we often took the same taxi home. So we helped each other quite abit at work. When i started school in late August, i always went to the area outside my workplace pantry to study for a few hours before work. And that studying time really kept me on schedule with my school work. Starting work was not as dreadful as before cos i was more or less familiar with the type of cases that will happen. I also got to finally found out who is KokYiang, Char’s friend, as he helped me to sent my resume to Juliana. And also got to know a few other people who were seniors there. I still remember that Sylvester was the first one to approach me and ask me if i needed any assistance. After that, i felt so much more relieved as there were many more people i could turn to. My colleagues were all real nice to me, and i started coming to work with a lighter heart.

At home, my mum kept wanting me to quit working because she thinks that its really hard for me to cope with school and work. But it’s really not as difficult as it seems cos i only have 3 modules this sem and cos having work at night motivates me to study in the afternoon before work. Without work, i’ll probably just go home and sleep instead.  As much as i try explaining that to her, she still asks me to quit every week. Haiz. My mum and i never seem to reach an agreement on anything. anw that’s beside the point.

And so, as soon as i start feeling contented with my study-work lifestyle, i found out that i had to quit work. Darnz. It all happened when i was talking to my school mate on the way home from school one day in the MRT about my work. And she said she thinks that there is a statement in T&Cs of the MOE scholarship that mentions that i am not allowed to work without permission granted by moe. And i was like ‘are u serious?’. She continued to warn me against moonlighting for the whole train ride that i couldn’t have just ignored her statement. Went home and read through my contract again and found that portion. Clenched my fists and mumbled ‘argh!’ to myself.  i did debate on whether i should just ignore it and continue working, but my spirit,soul and mind clearly told me that it was the wrong thing to do. So i unwillingly drafted my resignation letter and handed it in at work. Totally unwilling to do so. I do firmly believe however that God has great plans in stored for me.

Sylvester heard about my resignation, and came to talk to me. He told me that my last day of work is his first day of becoming a TL. I felt so bad that i couldnt stay on and support him cos he has been soo nice and helpful to me, plus he is an orange lover too! (he has an orange room!!jealousx1000) Also, another TL Chee Wei was also leaving that day. He is also another great and helpful guy. So saddedd. I also felt bad towards Kok Yiang that i had to leave cos he introed the job to me.

The team had supper at sempang bedok after Chee Wei’s and my last day of work. I got to know them abit more that night. And found out that Qisong and Kok Yiang are from Anglican High too!! Kool stuff man. Made cookies and brownies for them. When i reached home that night, my heart sank. Lord, why is it that i have to go at the time that i got closer to them? I promised myself that i wouldn’t forget them and to make sure that i meet them for supper or meals in the future.

Went back to my workplace on thurs to clear my cases. My fingers actually cramped as i was closing all my cases! I took 3 hours to complete closing my cases – it was crazy. Handed over all my work materials to Sylvester after that – i could feel his sadness at the moment ,and my own too of course. He walked with me to the overhead bridge. He wished that he had more time to know me better, and i assured him that we will definitely have the chance to do so. I would want to know him better too. He seems like someone i would like to be close friends with. Kok Yiang too.

So that was how i ended my work at starhub. I joined without expecting much, but left with tons of valuable customer service experience and skills, many new friends made, and many precious memories that will last a lifetime.

Lots of Love,

Little Miss Orange

Managed to send Ryan and Wenbin 10 packets of Old Town Coffee from Singapore to China. Wasnt cheap at all. But our friendship is worth much more. So bobian.haha. Got 10 meal vouchers for Old Town Coffee in return. and each voucher has breakfast, lunch and dinner! so i got 30 meals for free. Shiok! hahaha..can save money..food always takes up most of my money..im rather concerned on the way i spend nowadays cos i always evaluate it in terms of how many hours i have to work for it..Money really not easy to earn..haha..I miss them anws..Happy Brithday Kor btw..

Met Annabella, Sharon, Edwin, Grace, Darren, Isabella, Kenny in school today. So exciting to see all the lighthouse people in NTU. Really hope we can meet up more often from today onwards. I love fellowshipping with my dear bros and sis in Christ.

Thats all for now!

Lots of Love,

Salome

it seems all natural that i should teach since im going into a teaching industry, but i beg to differ. i have recently joined the StarHub team and oh my, i’ve learnt soooo much! i’ve never seemed to bother about how the whole purchasing of hp and mobile plan and mobile bill thing worked until i undergo training at StarHub. After learning about it, i’ve made it my own responsibility to make sure that i am holding on to the most suitable plan for myself and have transfered the ownership of my number to my own account so that i can be accountable for my own mobile usage and bills. I’ve made many new friends at StarHub and really learnt alot from everyone’s life experiences. Thank you Lord for this wonderful opportunity.

And so i was saying, i want to learn more about the different types of industries there are out there, and see how all these industries work together. Its really another wonder of God’s creation that everything is interlinked and all in His plan.

Sent Kor and Wen Bin off to China at the airport about 1 week plus ago. Already missing them. haha. Kor say the living conditions there quite jialat. But good thing they have each other to rely on over there. Come to think of it, i really quite brave to go to Canada all alone sia..lol..Thank God for safety..It seems from FB that they are enjoying themselves so i guess there’s nothing to worry about..they havent told me their address yet though..stop it lar salome..its only been a week lah..

Went to visit my friend in SGH yesterday..he’s still in abit of pain after his operation so he cant talk much but i know he’s happy that we went to visit him..probably going to visit him again on monday night since i have nothing on at the moment.,

that’s probably all for now..i NEED to start reading my fyp book soon..

Lots of Love,

Salome

i’ve got only 16 Academic Units left to clear to finish my honors degree.

option number 1: Do my FYP (8 AU) and another major prescribed elective (4 AU) and another UE (4 AU) next semester.

This is the best plan, except for 2 things:

1. the fact that i only have 1 major PE that i can take next semester (Abstract Algebra 2- how exciting right..and i tried it before but struggled so much that i dropped the course) and it is of no interest to me AT ALL! so the other option is to do my major PE in semester 2, but that would mean that i’ll be doing only 1 module for the whole semester! wat a waste of time!

2.FYP seems soo daunting!the topics that i browsed through under the proposal list – 3/4 of them dont apply to me cos i didnt take the relevant courses!i feel really inadequate and unprepared for it..but im really willing to try and learn..but im very afraid that i would be able to do a good job…

option 2: Do fyp and the other 8 AUs  in semester 2. means i have now till december to work.

its a risk to take, cos i’ll be so out of touch with academics by then..fyp will be even more daunting. and what if i cant get the UE i want in sem 2? im taking a psychology UE because im taking a minor and im left with one module to clear. Sem 1 has the module i want.

option 3: Dont do fyp at all and do all 16 AUs in sem 2.

this is also a risk. what is the probability that i can get 3 major PEs i want in one semester? really low.

option 4: Do internship this sem and do 8 AUs in sem 2.

According to the school, internship is supposed to be done in the vacation after year 3 sem 2. so im really not sure if they will allow me to do it the coming semester, and whether i am able to find one in the first place.

How???My brain is gonna burst soon thinking of this..and i need to find work soon..im slacking too much…and in debt..lol..need money for my new car…dunnoe if i’ll get one soon though..

Lots of Love,

Salome

From New York, we headed to Boston. took a student-led Harvard tour. my friend felt that the students were a little over their heads, but i guess they have every reason to. im not saying they should though. From Boston, we took the bus to Washington DC. Its such a beautiful and proper city.A little bit too proper that it seemed like a fascade. i enjoyed all the huge monuments and museums though. they were definitely an eye-opener for me. felt so intellectual after all the visits. From DC, we headed to Miami!It was a relaxing time suntanning at miami beach and having dinner at south beach. we got really burnt after that though. we were suffering in pain.haha. aloe vera gel was being applied on everyone and we had such a hard time wearing our bras!lol..chanced upon some nude beaches too..haha..and no we didnt stare!the patrol officer came up to us and told us that the regular beach was on the other side..did we look like we won’t dare to go naked?i wonder..its probably cos we looked asian..

From Miami, we went to Orlando for Disney World!went to two out of four of the theme parks. The Disney Kingdom and the Hollywood one. i enjoyed myself tremendously there. took tons of photos too. watched alot of cool stunt shows. it was really like a world of its own. From Orlando, we flew to Las Vegas. We took different flights cos i booked a seperate flight due to some price issues. My flight was the last to reach cos of some delay. but we managed to meet at the airport. Las Vegas was fabulous. The amount of lights there made it hard to differentiate day and night. there were lots more things to do in the night than in the day. We watched the free shows by the Las Vegas Strip and enjoyed all the extravagant lightings and costumes and performances. real cool stuff. I loved the Bellagio fountain show. real splendid. Oh and of course, how can i ever forget the Grand Canyon!We took a day tour there from LV, and it was sooo worth it. Grand Canyon is sooo amazing. I loved it to the max. it is the most grand thing ive ever seen, and its makes me wanna praise God for all that He has created over and over again. Amazing place to be with the one you love. From Las Vegas, we moved on to Los Angeles. Visited the Universal Studios Hollywood there, the Hollywood walk of fame, the famous pier. Universal Studios was fun!Loved the crazy rides. Hollywood wasnt a real big deal. Just lots of names and hand and footprints.

Next up was San Francisco. Oo i loved San Francisco!!it is really a beauty!the pier was really nice with all the seals, the bridges were majestic, the hills gave us an amazing view of the city, the lombardi street ( the world’s crookedest street) was real kool, the grafatti drawings were so pretty,the trolley ride was quite a thrill and the seafood was delicious. Even though we stayed on the sith ave, where there were the most homeless around and we had to walk real quick every time we left the place or returned home, which i though was kinda exciting, haha, i enjoyed san fran alot. Following that, we flew to Vancouver. I was sooo delighted to be back in Canada! i have no idea why. Maybe its because it made me feel nearer to Kingston (even though its not at all). Vancouver is so beautiful. I loved it too! all the mountains and greenery made me feel so relaxed and calm. We went trekking at Whistler mountain, at the huge Stanley Park, went to the English Bay Beach, Granville island (it was lovely). Wonderful city. i would recommend every Canadian to visit there at least once. And then, back to Toronto!

Stayed with Sara’s friend, Robert, in Toronto for two nights before heading back to Singapore. They brought xq and i toeat at this jap restuarant  at bloor street that was cheap and good. It was really good and filling!the set meal had sashimi, sushi rolls, tempura, salmon terriyaki, rice, soup, salad, ice cream!i was struggling to finish it!and it wasnt expensive at all! met Leandra at Chinatown the next day to buy my luggage and walk around. My old luggage was spoilt ( the wheels came off) and so i got a new one for a rather reasonable price of 26 CND.

Took a cab to the airport, weighed my luggage and found out that i had to pay extra for the extra weight. 200 CND!freaking expensive lar!i was trying to avoid paying but i guess i couldnt.so bo bian. pay lor. Actually right,i could have asked Sara to bring back some stuff for me..ahhh..i never thought of that..And as usual, UA stood me up again. I missed my connecting flight from Chicago to Singapore because of a thunderstorm at Chicago. My next available flight? 24 hours later!!!i was so drained by the time i heard the news that i didnt even think of asking for compensation. i just went to grab some food before sitting down to weigh my options. called my mum and told her the situation. she asked me to stay over at the airport. i did. but i kinda regretted not getting a hotel. cos it was only 3pm then. so it could have worked out, and i could have strolled the streets of chicago for half a day before returning to the airport. but i guess i didnt. maybe there’s a reason i didnt. it may nt be as safe as i think it is. anyways, i slept at the waiting area and a guy came over and offered me a blanket. i felt like a homeless then. and i got a glimpse into their lives. its not fun at all. At least i gained a new insight from that experience, so it did not go to waste. So you could imagine my relief when i finally sat down in my plane seat back to Singapore. All i could think of was reaching Singapore asap.

When i touched down in Singapore and walked out of the plane, i felt the humidity at that instant. i was wondering whether the air conditioning broke down in the airport. I was perspiring while waiting for my luggages!haha..i knew i must be back home. Leaving the arrival hall, i saw Charity and Joseph,and then my parents. and then Rachel, Darren, Wilbur were there too. Wilbur was so horrible! the first thing he asked was where is my present. lol. the rest kept commenting that i looked the same and stuff. They expected me to be carrying a LV bag and wearing high heels and make up. haha. sorry to disappoint you guys.

Ever since im back, im growing fatter even though i have not much appetite. i have no idea why. didnt like the food i ate as much as before. i feel tired really easily too. slept for almost 22 hours on the first day i was back. then i went back to the regular sleep at 11 and wake up at 8 routine, except that i often woke up at 1 or 2am unknowingly. im having huge eyebags now, and i get real sleepy after 11pm if im not doing sth energetic. Eric say that theres gonna be withdrawal symptoms. Maybe these are part of it. i enjoyed the meeting ups with my friends, but it doesn’t feel the same. i mean of course i need some time to get back into the loop, and so i hope thats just the reason why i feel quite out of place. But i still love all of them as much as before. maybe even more, considering that they didnt forget me during these five months. haha.

Welcome back to Singapore, Salome. Try not to think about Canada so much. Even though i know you will.

Lots of Love,

Salome

On the first day of new york, we went to eat at a thai restaurant near our hostel, and then went to check out the museum of sex. haha. it was…interesting i suppose..then we went to meet leandra’s relatives at chinatown to have malaysian/indonesian food..i was kinda tired to socialise with her aunties actually..dont really like to be all courteous and stuff..you know what i mean..that’s why i never liked chinese new year visitations..its so on the surface..so i was really quiet that night..but they are real nice people..treated us to the dinner..

On the second day, we went to Central Park. it was soo beautiful and green!there was a lake and a few ponds and a nice castle, turtle pond, sculptures, and we also walked through the mall (real famous scene in movies), saw many many pretty horses..leandra, kylie and i spent like the whole morning there before walking to museum of modern art..i loved it..the museum was hugh and there were alot of beautiful paintings..the most cool part was, people could take photos! but my battery died so i went there to enjoy the art..there was this cool exhibition called ‘the artist is present’,and the public is challenged to sit in a chair across her and don’t move for as long as they want..i think that it is really interesting to see the reactions of passerbys, to wonder what the two people on the chairs are thinking etc. cool stuff. Then we took the subway to brooklyn to check out the museum there. it was real hugh and awesome looking..too bad that it was closed..so we just took pics outside..walked to botanic gardens but it was also closed due to an event..

along the way, i was contemplating on whether or not i should buy an ice cream cone, so leandra went up to ask the person how much was it..the guy told her that it was 2 bucks and 250 with the sprinkles..and we decided not to have it cos ben and jerry’s is only a dollar more expensive. And the guy asked us why we are not getting it, and is it because we cant afford it..and leandra answered yup and that we are on a budget..hahaha..so funny..

we walked down washington ave and ate at this real american restaurant..i had fish and gritz..you must be wondering what is gritz..its pratically congee..but without any flavour..i had to add butter,salt, pepper and syrup to finish it..haha..but i liked the meal..it was good..leandra had fried chicken and belgium waffles, and kylie had chicken wrap with salad..all is real nice..

we then went to times square to meet xq and ruth..and thats when i started feeling like we are really in new york..the lights and shops were real kool, and i saw where america’s next top model was filmed..and all the broadway theatres were there too..went to the big toys’r'us and m&m and hershey’s store..made my day..bought an orange m&m t-shirt =) and a spongebob squarepants tshirt for rachel kee..

Today, we went to madam tussauds in the morning but decide not to go in cos it was expensive, and we could go in hollywood..so we went to empire state building..the building king kong climbed..it was real pretty to see the whole landscape of new york..we went all the way to the 102nd floor!!!awesome huh! then we went to grand central station, the place that there was a flash mob that i saw on youtube before..really cool! i cant believe im actually there..then we went to wall street..dint really like the street because it was soooo smoky..everyone was smoking on the streets..i couldnt really breathe..then we went to where the twin towers were..and then back to times square area to catch our broadway show mary poppins! Oh My!!MARY POPPINS ROCKED!!!i loved it to the max..can really describe, but it was just spectacular..i love broadway..and guess how much the ticket was? $30 usd!! freaking worth it..

will update soon!