WhiteCarrotCake

As for me, I'd start to appreciate the year that is coming to an end, but I don't usually set resolution. I think there are already too many targets to meet at work, so I'll just take it easy for my personal life.

So I shall begin with my 21st birthday... at the airport.

Turning 21 was a major event for many of my friends. Elaborate and extravagant birthday celebrations. I longed for such celebrations when I was young, like a McDonald's birthday party. But as I grew older, I dislike attending birthday parties, let alone having my own. So my 21st was just a simple cake cutting with my family in my house, ate a slice of cake, and then rushed off to the airport.

A small birthday gathering with dear eugene, linda and cally.

This is the first time to Amagertorv, Copenhagen (Denmark).

The moment I reached Denmark, I became like a ignorant villager. Everything mesmerizes me. Wow! The snow! The castle! The statue! The European building! EVERYTHING just looks so cool to me. And Europe continued to wow me throughout the entire 6 months.

And then I went to Sweden Lappland. I just wanted to see the Northern Light, happens that Yanli wanted too, and so very impromptu, we travelled up north, without ourselves realising that we are already in the Arctic circle until we saw the postcards. It was certainly the most memorable trip in 2010.

We rushed back to Denmark, just to attend laboratory work and the very same night, we rushed off to the airport and this time to London! London! OMG it always seems so far to me. Like always in the books and movies but I can't believe I'm going there, in less than 2 hours flight! And the main reason we're rushing to UK is because of the following...

We managed to buy tickets to Liverpool match! OMG! I really couldn't believe how good my life was. Northern light in Arctic, down Stockholm (another place that seems so far & cold & never thought would ever reach there), and after London I'm sitting in Anfield, watching what I always see on TV. Everything just seems so surreal. Having Gerrard and Torres in front of me, cheering on Liverpool (even though I don't watch football) with the random stranger beside me. He asked where I'm from and I told him I came from Denmark. He was astonished by how far we came to watch this match, he'd be more shocked if I said Singapore. Haha.

And so why did I do this, all the troubles to go Liverpool when I'm not a fan? Well, it's all for my brother :)

We then chose to travel to Edinburgh instead of joining the guys to Manchester, all because we miss Justin and Denzyl so much! And I must say I was very very touched by how nice they were to us. They cured my homesickness.

Well after all the travelling, we sure did some work. At least I did my lab diligently (so as to complete it sooner!) 

Us, NTU students, at work. It was funny how the entire lab consisted of 8 foreigners (4 Singaporeans, 2 Chinese, 1 Norwegian and 1 Russian) and only 1 Dane! Haha. And because the 5 of us (majority) can speak Mandarin, so we turned the lab into a chinese environment. Even the Russian teacher said he learned much Chinese from us! It was pure fun!

We also had the time to explore new recipes (since we didn't study) and we whipped out some chicken rice to curb our homesickness.

And it wasn't long till we started travelling again, this time to Italy. Italy was filled with adventures and dangers (I'd have probably shared with you!). It didn't go smoothly initially, because of the volcano eruption in Iceland. Thank god we were just grounded in Denmark, and not stranded  in Rome like our friends. We were shocked as it was our first time to hear all airports closed! This never happen in Singapore!

But we managed to get things going and we even slotted in a trip to Poland!

We were quite lucky in the sense that we hit the holidays in each country. This time it was constitution day in Poland :) We even gotten a free flag along the streets.

Happy days pass fast, and soon exams are approaching. This also signified that our exchange was ending :(

Although I wish to get back home sooner as I miss my family a lot, but I really have no wish to leave this happy place. I "locked" myself in my container, trying to study hard. Fortunately I passed all the modules despite the very last minute work! And up till now I still wonder how did I pass...

After the exams, we went straight for a month of travelling around Europe. It was tiring yet an unforgettable lifetime trip filled with excitement, disappointment, and adventures. I did Prague and Vienna alone, and it was my first time travelling alone. I must say I learned a lot from that. I shall let this Eiffel tower represents it all :)

And so I came back to reality on 30 June 2010. Within a week, I went to attachment in a secondary school. It was a rather nerve wrecking experience initially as I didn't know what to expect from the class, especially the transition from Europe to Singapore was too sudden. But I must say it turned out well. Tiring yes, but enriching and fulfilling.

I didn't manage to take a break, as soon as my attachment ended, I did lots of decluttering for my room and painted the walls. Soon after, NTU started and I'm back to a real student again. No longer a traveller, explorer nor teacher.

And the last semester in NTU just zoomed passed me. Just like that. It was the most stressful one I must say, because I wanted myself to do the very best for the very last。

And so we fly high.

I only had about 2 weeks after exams to settle everything before I embark on another journey. I'm glad I get to have my whole birthday to myself this time, not having to rush to the airport.

But time is still very tight. I wonder what is waiting for me in Shanghai. I'll be all alone this time, in a new environment, and working instead of being a full time student. I don't know how it will turn out, I'm getting homesick already (yes even though I'm in Singapore) but yet I am very very excited! :)

I don't know why but as I'm getting older, birthday presents don't matter as much, just like how I've a drawer full of ang baos accumulated from past chinese new years. Am I the only one who don't open ang baos? (Sweetie, I haven't use the ang bao money you gave me last year!) I don't really care about presents, maybe because I don't know what I want. I didn't buy any present for myself last year. So I just assigned the flight to Copenhagen as the birthday present. Then this year I shall assign the flight to Shanghai as my present. I thought of getting a DSLR, but the owner won't justified the quality of the camera. The things I truly want (a car, an apartment of my own, Birkin, Kelly, Constance, 2.55, classic flap (x2), alma, celine box, lady dior... ), are way beyond my capabilities. So I don't even wish for them.

2011 will be another very different experience. Working for the first half, and then back to student life for the second half. I look forward to convocation day too (keeping my fingers crossed that I can maintain my honours), because I'm sure Papa and Mama will be very proud. And nothing can be more satisfying than seeing them being happy. It's sad, that I have to leave them but I had to, to return as a stronger person so as to better protect them. Because you mean so much to me.