Updates: Phantom, Mugging and Burgers

I caught Phantom of the Opera last Thursday night. It was absolutely amazing and breathtaking. From the intricate crystal chandelier to the bluish-green mist covering the candlelit phantom's lair to the hair-raising operatic voice of Christine Daae and the haunting spine-tingling voice of the Phantom and the sweetly strong voice of Raoul to the LSS (Last Song Syndrome)-worthy songs, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical and the Lunchbox Theater Production's performance truly TRULY made my second musical a beautiful and unforgettable experience.

I am currently in a Phantom phase. All the songs are stuck in my head and I keep humming along to the theme of the play.




Esplanade theater


One of the sets (the only shot I managed to sneak in)


With Stace and Kaypee


Filipino and Thai Singapore Scholars 2006





--
After the play, we took a walk along the route by the bay from Esplanade to Fullerton Square to Raffles Quay. It's one of my favorite routes to take in Singapore. Very very ro___tic. It's no secret place. There were so many couples doing couple-y things along the benches but like most other couples, they didn't really care so much.

If there's one thing I love about being in Singapore, it's the independence I've got. I'm not just referring to the I-don't-need-to-ask-permission-from-my-mom kind of independence -- it's that plus the I-don't-need-a-driver-or-a-car-to-get-me-around mobility and the it's-that-safe-that-i-can-actually-walk-around-at-night-and-not-get-scared-of-being-raped-or-kidnapped feeling.


Favorite view of financial district from Esplanade


Fullerton Hotel


Collyer Quay (I think)

I can't wait to go back to Manila to be with my family and friends, but I'm not looking forward to getting used to the lifestyle back home. Not that I wouldn't mind having maids again and not having to do laundry or clean my room -- it's more like the hassle of having to ask permission every time I go out, having a curfew, having to fix transportation issues and all. If only Manila were as safe as Singapore and if only its public transportation system was quite decent.

I was talking to some Singaporean friends about the lifestyle back home and it only struck me then how pampered and spoiled my lifestyle seems back home. By Manila standards, I definitely do not consider my family to be extremely wealthy nor do I think I'm pampered or spoiled. It just seems like it compared to the Singaporean lifestyle. We've got maids, our own house, 3 cars...which seems luxurious to the average Singaporean. After all, this is the country where cars are expensive, where HDB flats and condos dominate over houses, and where stay-in maids are luxuries.

--

My free day, Friday, was extremely productive. I went running and swimming then rushed for a quick breakfast and a shower then proceeded to spend the whole day studying in the library. Got stuck in the rain for a bit during lunch after my debate exco meeting and had to hide out in the shelter of the bus stop while waiting for Hian Yi to come save me and my Macbook with an umbrella. Funny how the umbrella served to protect the two Macbook babies and not us. Never mind if we got wet, as long as the Macbooks were dry.

Student companion websites are awesome. Seriously. I felt like I learned more from the website than from my Physics lecturer. I'm starting to enjoy Physics again now that I'm finally understanding the concepts.

--

I had my first lazy Saturday today! My last few Saturdays have all been booked by debate -- NCS, Dorothy Cheungs, and AUDC tryouts. I was...unproductive today. But hey, it's fine since I spent yesterday studying and I'm gonna be studying the whole day again tomorrow. I met up with Chaya and Neil in Ginza for lunch and finally FINALLY caught up with them. Even though they're both in JC and I'm already in Uni, it's nice to know that some things don't change. The ICA-Xavier connection is amazing really. Oddly, it rained a bit in Ginza but when I hopped on the bus to go back to hall (note: bus ride takes about 5 minutes), it was bright and sunny along Heng Mui Keng Terrace. Weiiird. Got back to do my laundry and almost got stuck in the lift again. I swear, I now have lift phobia. After getting stuck in it for about a minute (the longest minute ever), I'm scared of getting stuck again.

I went out again to accompany Charles for lunch in the afternoon and wound up hanging out and Friendster-facebook-stalking and comparing our standards of beauty and attraction. Conclusion? We just both don't have the same taste in guys and girls. Funny how afternoons can fly by so quickly by talking. I swear, that's how my time runs out these days -- I'm a sucker for good conversations.

I finally FINALLY got my juicy burger craving satisfied. Kaypee, Charles and I went to Vivo City and ate at Carls Jr. The burger was great to eat in the first few bites, but Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility soon kicked in. Halfway through my burger, onion rings and iced lemon tea, I was feeling somewhat sick. I managed to finish 3/4s of my burger though. Any more and I would have thrown up. Bleh. I actually felt a bit nauseous after my combo meal...it's been a while since I've consumed that much grease, oil and calories.

When we got back to hall, Kaypee and I went for a long walk and just talked and talked while the burgers digested in our stomachs. What was supposed to be a quick 30-minute walk turned into a 2-hour stroll. Again, time, time, time.

Okay, hair is now dry and I must now retire and sleep.

Reasons to be Happy

Roughly an hour to go before math lecture. I've finished my tutorial already (well, HALF of it at least) AND I don't have physics lab anymore! I never have to take a physics module or have a lab session EVER AGAIN and that, my friends, is reason enough to celebrate. Lab in high school was tolerable merely because of my favorite lab mates and all the gossip-kiss-and-tell sessions we'd have. Oh, the carefree days of high school. The Xygenz batch just had their graduation and grad ball recently and looking at pictures and blog entries on Multiply made me all nostalgic that I couldn't help but dig up my own grad and ball pictures.



ICA Graduation 2006



ICA Grad Ball 2006: With my best friends, the Breakfast Club :)

I feel so bloated and fat this week that I've increased my exercise load given that my work load is relatively free (no more debate training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, no more lab!) I did the usual run/swim routine with Hian Yi on Monday and swam with new swimming buddies last night and this morning. Went with Kai Juan to the pool last night cause the heat was just killing us and went with Esther this morning so she and I could finally go swimming together. I did 12 laps each on both sessions because I'm lazy like that. Sigh. My stroke is all wrong and I'm hoping Saturday morning's swim session with Neil and Chaya will help improve it. Tomorrow till Sunday will be swim/run or plain swim sessions. I'm beginning to get addicted to exercise. Endorphins really really help. Plus I get to sleep better which is always ALWAYS a good thing.

Speaking of sleep, I had the WEIRDEST dream (nightmare?) yesterday while I was napping after my Econometrics lecture. I dreamt that I was in Zouk with my friends from hall and get this: my mom and dad went clubbing with us. *shudder* Imagining my parents drinking, dancing and *horror* grinding is just plain disturbing. The weirdest part of the dream was that my gums were bleeding to the point that my whole mouth was full of blood and my teeth were blood-stained.

March is quickly coming to an end and it'll be April in a few days. I just realized that I've always spent a part of my summer (well, summer by Philippine definition is March/April/May) in Singapore for the past two years. Two years ago, it was to visit my sister who, at that time, was still working here. That was a horrible vacation as I was entering my teenage my-family-is-controlling-me-too-much rebellious phase. Last year, I came for a scholarship interview at SMU and also to visit my sister. A lot of things happened in those two summers that contributed significantly to who I am now. They weren't happy experiences -- in fact, I remember breaking down and crying incidents both times I was here. (And if you know me, you'd know that I rarely RARELY cry so if I do cry, then it must be something big.) One thing I've learned from those experiences is that you make mistakes, and life DOES move on, and you do get over those things. At that time, the world might have seemed to come to an end, but guess what -- the Earth goes on turning and turning, and you'll see that things usually turn out okay in the end. Things may not go as planned, but it's fine - it gives you an opportunity to think on your feet and figure out where to go from there.



Singapore: May 2006 - With Jayme, one of my fave SMU friends :)



Singapore: May 2005 - At Bugis with my mom, dad, and then still single sister

And one last reason to be happy -- my sister is coming to visit her boyfriend for a week so I get to see her on Tuesday! Can't wait to catch up with her :)



With Achie on Christmas Eve Mass

insomnia.

It's 7:03 AM, it's raining hard, and I've only slept for 2 hours. I got up half an hour ago to pee, started to toss and turn, toss and turn, until I couldn't stand it anymore and I got up because I couldn't stand the restless feeling. I've got a lecture in 5 hours and I really wish I can sleep but I can't so I choose to blog.

Last week was fun, erratic and frustrating all at the same time.

Fun because of new friends, late night conversations that last till the wee hours of the morning, coming up with crazy ideas like the X-rated version of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (Naughty, Sleazy, Pervy, Flirty, and 3 other names I can't remember right now...you get the picture), condom-related conversations, new running buds and long everything and nothing conversations, camwhoring, dressing up and fancy parties, drinking and alcohol, property-sighting and evaluation and plans of skydiving, bungee jumping and hang gliding.

Erratic because of sleeping at 4 AM, waking up way past into noon, 2 AM fong seng suppers, instant noodle craves, early morning showers, and 4 round of debating for tryouts.

Frustrating because of politics, disillusionment, nostalgia, and loneliness.

***
Photos of the week:
SHollywood: Sheares Hall Dinner and Dance 07



Crystal Ballroom



With Adrian



Me, Kaypee, Esther



The boys: David, Charles, Qijun



With Ming Feng



Charlie's Angels

***

I'm going home on May 19. Friends, that's 1 and a half more months. Can't wait to see you all :)

Exhaustion.

7:30 AM.
Wake up. Go down two floors. Wake Hian yi up (not an easy feat). Go back up. Change into swim wear and running gear.

7:50 AM.
Hit the road. Jog to the pool via PGP route -- i.e. go up the slope, reach pgp, go up another slope, swing through NUH, go down to science, then up another slope passing by University Hall, the tennis courts, YIH before reaching SRC. Unable to finish the route cause of bloody stitch on the side by the time you hit Science. Walk to the pool instead.

8:00 AM
Swim 8 laps of freestyle straight on a pristine Olympic-sized pool in icy cold water. Pause and take a breather then swim 8 more laps.

8:45 AM
Get out drenched and quickly throw on running shirt, shorts and shoes and jog back to hall.

9:00 AM
EAT. Two soft-boiled eggs + bread + lots and lots of soy milk.

9:30 AM
Shower. The water soothes your aching body.

10:00 AM
Prepare for tutorials and lessons.

12:00 PM
Lunch with Esther. Girl talk. Nuff said :)

1:00 PM
Econs tutorial. Sat next to two guys who kept making fun of the girls who were, admittedly, quite bimbotic. But still, I feel the indignation of someone belittling the ability of fellow females.

2:30 PM
Back to hall. Talk to Kaypee for a bit.

3:30 PM
Hello, bedddd.

4:30 PM
Realized that the alarm clock has been snoozed TWICE. Drag myself out of bed and stumble out the door and head for the bus stop.

4:45 PM
Reach YIH and meet with Alex and talk to him about some concerns.

5:05 PM
Round 1 of debate training

6:30 PM
Quick dinner

7:00 PM
Round 2 of debate training

9:30 PM
Round 3 of debate training

11:30 PM
No more buses. Walk back to Sheares. Grab supper.
Talk about a lot of stuff. Feel bad about politics and unfairness.
Idealistic self gets massively disillusioned and disheartened by a couple of realizations.

12:30 AM
Back in room. Tried to sleep. Couldn't. Wound up writing. Catharsis.
Felt a bit better but still bothered.

Today.

Woke up and still disillusioned. Wondering what to do now.

So.

Physical exhaustion brought about by maybe too much exercise.
Mental exhaustion brought about by the usual school routine + 3 rounds of debate + hyper think mode.
Emotional exhaustion brought about by PMS and hormones.

Yup.

I'm tired.

The Weekend and the PIle of Thoughts that Came Along with It

My weekend started off with surprising Kaypee at midnight on her birthday. I managed to round up a couple of folks to come up to the Block D rooftop and wish her a happy birthday.


Kaypee cutting her cake.

The folks who came to wish Kaypee happy bday :)

I woke up Friday morning at 7:30 for the usual running/swimming routine Hian Yi and I have fell into. This time, we ended up in McDonald's after the swim. Ahhhhhh sausage mcmuffin + orange juice is love. Breakfast is really the best meal of the day. I've always had good memories associated with breakfast: Sunday family brunches, Pre-CAT Friday morning breakfasts at Jollibee with the Breakfast Club, 2-hour-road trips on the quest for the best breakfast food out of the city, and hotel breakfasts with friends and family.

I'm starting to miss Filipino breakfasts :( I hate the breakfast food here in hall. While I've always been a fan of fried rice, I can't stand the MSG-drenched taste. I miss Mom's fried rice cooked in extra virgin olive oil and filled with the best ingredients: Chinese sausage, ham, eggs, green peas, onions and lots and lots of garlic. I also miss Rodic's tapsilog, Pancake House food, corned beef, spam (mah ling just doesn't cut it) and garlic rice.

We celebrated Kaypee's 19th birthday in Cafe del Mar. I've heard people rave about it so much that my expecations weren't met to their fullest extent. The place itself is nice -- Mediterranean-inspired, at a prime strategic location and with a great chill ambience. It had lots of little pools, beds, lounge chairs and even a pool bar for the total chill-on-the-beach-on-a-hot-summer-day kind of feel. My problem with Cafe del Mar was the horrible music they were playing that night. I was looking forward to hearing some chill ambient Spanish Bossa Nova kinda music. Instead, what we got was techno, trance, techno all night long. Sigh. Drinks were decent although pretty watered-down (but then again, it's the same everywhere) and not too pricey. Company was great and it made the horrid music more bearable.


Jacuzzi

Pool

View from the beach


Charles, Jen, Stace, Kaypee, Ryan


I miss my best friend :)


Clarence, Kaypee, Ryan


Stace, Charles, Jen

Walked back to Harbourfront from Sentosa and passed through a very ro_ _ _ tic (romantic without the man -- thanks Jo!)route. We passed by the Merlion, in its huge and domineering glory, the Musical Fountain, and a bunch of other stuff that I wasn't quite sure of given that it was pitch black and we only had faint lamp posts, the moon and the stars to guide our way. I got to take some great shots of Vivo City and the Sentosa Boat terminal from the Sentosa side this time. I got home at 4 AM and pretty much crashed into bed. It's been a while since I've stayed out that late and an even longer time since I've touched alcohol. In spite of my independence, Singapore -- its steep prices, strict rules, and all -- has kept me in check. Either that or I've outgrown that phase in life.


View of Vivo City from Sentosa

Caught Pursuit of Happyness Saturday night at Plaza Sing. It was a great inspiring movie that evokes emotions and makes people connect to the movie. Hard work is always important, but the circumstances you are born into matter a lot. Watching the movie made me realize how fortunate I am to have lived a relatively sheltered and comfortable life. It made me wonder how I would have handled the situation if I were Chris Gardner in the movie. I'd like to think that I'm a hardworking and determined person...but in the face of seemingly hopeless circumstances, would I have garnered the same strength and determination that he had given? Or if I were the kid in the movie, would I have been as mature as to understand and bear the life that he was forced to lead? Maybe not. But then again, human beings are made to adapt. You learn to deal with your cirumstances and you wind up changing (either for the good or the bad) when faced with a new set of circumstances.

Lots of other thoughts in my mind but too sleepy to write about it. Will find time this week to unload the pile of thoughts.

Hodgepodge

I've been such a major klutz this week that I'm beginning to get annoyed. I keep hitting walls, kicking shoes accidentally, and spilling food. Awhile ago, I almost fell down the steps on the bus. Talk about a lack of poise. I seriously hope I get my sense of balance soon because my body can't stand any more bruises or scars.

***

Interesting sights of the day:

As I was walking along Bukit Timah Road coming from the Law Campus in the hopes of catching bus 151, a Caucasian dad passed by me. He was jogging (and damn was he fit!) while pushing his kid on the stroller. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. I wonder how the baby felt going at such an accelerated stroller pace.

I also saw another Caucasian in business attire climbing a fence. Enough said.

***

Dorothy Cheungs came and went and it was absolutely tiring. Like any other debate competition, it was one of those tiring-yet-absolutely-fulfilling events that made crashing into bed a welcome and sweet treat. Wee Jian, Vignesh and I didn't break (only 4 teams could break) and it sucked that we missed break by 2 places. Oh well, there's SMU Hammers and AUDCs of course.



NUS B: Me, Vignesh and Wee Jian



NUS C: Daniel, Chi Hoong, and Kaypee



NUS Debate Team in Pizza Hut



5 girls squished at the back of Daniel's car

***
Caught Music and Lyrics last Friday night at Vivo City. It was soooo cute. Sigh. Hugh Grant is love. It's one of the better chick flicks/romantic comedies of this year. I'd say it's as good as The Holiday (which I really loved as well).

Experimented with my new camera and took some shots of Sentosa from the third floor balcony of Vivo City.



Sentosa from Vivo City




View of the bridge



Vivo City from the third floor

***
I've been eating and eating like crazy this week. So much for the no supper/no eating after 9 pm rule. I've had supper TWICE this week and had ice cream and chips and cookies all week long. I even had McDonald's breakfast this morning. Okay fine, so I swim and run so technically I'm not gaining any extra calories. Maybe I should start adopting Len's policy. I work out to eat.

I went running and swimming three times this week though and twice of those were done at 7:30 AM. Nothing like starting your day on the right note. I love the pool temperature in the early morning! Immersed in icy cold water, I could just stay in the pool and soak in the morning sun. Swimming is therapeuthic. When you're in the pool, the rest of the world gets drowned out by water and you're immune to all thoughts and actions except for your stroke. Pull, stroke, breathe. Pull, strok, breathe. Before you know it, 12 laps are over and it's back up to reality.

***

Of Childish Idiots

Sometimes, I cannot believe how stupid some people are. What person in his right frame of mind calls someone up, tells her that he's going through some major emotional problems that he ABSOLUTELY needs advice on from you, wakes her up from her nap, urgently tells her that he HAS to see her NOW and then starts pouring his soul out about his new girl who apparently has all the qualities you didn't possess and who he's putting so much effort on which he has never done before for any other girl including yours truly?

Seriously, what kind of a person has a brain the size of an infinitesimal speck? Are some people really that tactless, selfish, insensitive and idiotic? When I called Kaypee up afterwards, she told me that I should've walked away. I didn't because I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being affected by his childish antics. I acted nonchalant and just plain emotionless about it. But of course, I'm human and I wound up ranting like crazy to anyone who would listen to me over dinner.

Last night, I told Adrian about it and he said that this was something you wouldn't expect to happen to you. These are the dramatic things you see in movies or soap operas. Although a part of me was pissed off by such cruel behavior, a part of me was also amused and even glad to have experienced it. At least now I've seen the true colors and I'd know better. You make mistakes, you pick yourself up, you learn from them and you move on.

Special shoutout to all the guys in the dining table who patiently listened to my tirade and backed me up. Thanks to Adrian for offering to beat him up for me. And special thanks to Hian Yi, my running/ranting buddy (because those two seem to be going hand in hand these days) for highlighting the fact that all boys are smelly, that all girls are stupid and that this stupid girl should smell harder.

----

Apart from that short soap opera stint, this week has been fairly good especially in comparison to last week's. I patched things up with a good friend and that is always one of the best feelings in the world. I got to see Last King of Scotland last Monday night after weeks of postponing and cancelling movie dates. I also got to run and swim and I didn't feel that tired afterwards which means that my stamina has improved! I also got to strengthen relationships with new friends in Singapore as well as old friends from home. Thank you Skype for your amazing free technology.

Math midterm results turned out much better than expected, and Econometrics midterm is finally over. I felt pretty good about the test -- thanks to the days and late nights spent isolating myself in Sheares Library. I will not step foot in said library until Reading Week.

I just finished my Physics take home test (thank you Ming Feng for the help!) and after a math lecture, a math tutorial, a physics tutorial and debate training, I'M FREE. I can't wait to go to Suntec tomorrow to buy my new camera.

The week of unfortunate events

It hasn't been the best week for me. Actually it kinda sucked. You know the feeling of waking up and wishing the day would quickly pass so you could go back to sleep and be in sweet oblivion for a few hours? Yup, that's how I've felt all week.

The bad luck started kicking in Saturday night. I was tired from NCS, but I felt like running that night. I haven't ran in a while so I was looking forward to it. I messaged Keith and it turned out that he wanted to run as well so...we ran. I couldn't keep up with him because he was damn fit and fast. Moreover, my nose was runny and my head was so stuffy and I was feeling somewhat weak to the point of feeling light-headed after coming down a hill. After one round around campus, I told Keith I wanted to head back and he accompanied me back to hall and I got back to my room and showered and thought about how nice it would be to collapse into bed and end the day.

I was about to sleep when I suddenly felt thirsty. I got out of my room and stupidly forgot to put a door stopper. Never mind that though -- after all, my door wouldn't be locked right? WRONG. For some reason, my door was locked (and no, we don't use keys to open our doors...we use our school matriculation cards) and I stood outside my door in disbelief, wet hair, ratty clothes, glasses and all. I go down and tell Keith what happened and we try to figure out how to get my room unlocked. Colin, the RF was already asleep (this was around 1 AM) and I didn't want to wake him up cause that would be really rude. Keith attempted to climb up to my room but I refused to let him do that because I didn't want to be the reason for his possible death (or permanent spinal injury or whatever). In the end, I just decided to stay up, study and wait until Colin got up. Luckily, some of my books were left in the Sheares library and so I headed there and tried to study for Statistics. Keith was nice enough to keep me company and we decided to go to McDonald's to eat and study instead. So there we were walking to McDonald's at 2 AM in the morning in ratty clothes, lugging around school books. We camped out there till around 5 am and went back to hall. After much argument, I eventually agreed to sleep on Keith's bed while he slept on the floor. Gah. I felt majorly guilty for that. Colin finally unlocked my door around 8:45 AM and I crashed into bed and slept for a few hours before studying for the math midterm.

Math midterm wasn't that great. I love math and I just hate it every time I don't ace a test -- especially when I've studied hard for it. Multiple choice for math is just...absurd. Never mind your solutions, never mind if you guessed your answers -- in the end, it's only the final answer that counts. Sigh. I don't think I did horribly, but I don't feel like I've aced it either. I screwed up on one number that was so easy and that ticked me off a bit. Careless,careless.

I was also horribly sick this week. I was battling colds, cough, headache and an overwhelming feeling of physical weakness. Being sick meant that I couldn't run which bummed me out.

I thought after those two events, the week would pass by relatively smoothly. Well, to be fair, there were fine points in the week. I got to catch Little Children with Song last Tuesday night. Watch it -- it's a good movie. I liked the simplicity of the plot and the way the movie was filmed. Chinese New Year dinner in hall was good too. Steamboat, camwhoring and hall spirit and all.

But the fine points were hardly enough to overcome the horrible feeling of saying goodbye to a pseudo-relationship that admittedly was going nowhere and to getting into a horrible misunderstanding with a really good friend. Cold shoulders and silence treatments on both ends (the giving and receiving end) suck big time and can drain one's spirit. Silence is beautiful sometimes. But it also has its dark side: it can wreck relationships as well.

When you're on your own in a foreign country, you realize how alone you are when things go horribly. I was feeling homesick all week. I wished that my mom would be around to take care of me. I wished that I could be in my room, under my covers, content with the knowledge that my family and my friends are there for me. I have friends here but nothing beats the familiarity of friends and family who know you inside out.

Let's hope that next week becomes much better.