ALEX&DRIA

I would like to dedicate this incredibly long post to serve as a solid reminder for what I have accomplished in 2013 and what I would like to achieve in 2014. Time FLIES, like literally. On New Year's Eve, I met up with some of my friends for our own Countdown session and it really struck me that TIME JUST FLEW PAST LIKE THAT. Especially whenever I meet my dear girl friend Cheryl (who I have known since Primary 2), I always get reminded that I have known her for practically 10 years. TIME REALLY DOES FLY HUH.

2013 wasn't my year.

I bet it was hardly anyone's year. It had more downs than ups. However, those downs made me a stronger and better person, in the aspects of health, mental well-being, will power and maybe maturity. Those downs would constantly affect the way we see things, the way we choose to do things and also the way we handle the consequences. But the bright side is that we never stopped learning. I did have my "up" moments in 2013 and they would have been the BEST up moments ever.

There were too many events that happened; be it a series of fortunate or unfortunate events. So I tried my best to do a basic summary of what I have accomplished so far in 2013. :)

Here's to hoping that my year wouldn't bore you so much.

1. I practically started school with this face in the morning.

(This would have to go)

Rating: Neither down nor up.

2. DACP Induction Day

First ever event that I co-organised in SP. :) Had a really great and fun-loving team to work with me for this event. Besides that, I got to meet so many juniors and I am surprised they still recognised me around campus :)

Even got to make these one-and-only wristbands/bracelets for the winning teams. :)

Well, I was definitely involved in another event-planning for my course again with the exact same team of people. We co-organised the Combined Sports Meet with other student chapters. It was quite a success and we received good feedback and responses to making it an annual event. Sad to say that I wouldn't be planning the next year's meet anymore

individual rating: down

Second installment of the LEAP camp. (The first one I went to was in early March 2013. It wasn't a good camp for me but that is another story)

So I attended this camp in June @ Ipoh, Malaysia. Definitely the most eye-opening camp and I had so many take-aways for this camp. Unlike the Foundation camp, this camp required us to travel on an 8-hr ride train bound to Ipoh. That's almost half a day gone. This camp also had participants from other faculties (Engineering school, Business school, Comm Arts School..) Which means, I made quite a number of friends :) The camp also pushed me to explore my boundaries, to step out of my comfort zone and to be extra daring.

We had to do high elements which means passing through and conquering obstacle courses high in the air, on ropes and planks. I was such a HUGE COWARD. I had a fear of heights actually, but when I was up there I realised that it wasn't height that I was afraid of. I was afraid of falling instead. And guess what, my buddies sabotaged me to lead the whole team in this obstacle course. I would have killed them (mentally) a million times over but hey, I was glad they sabotaged me back then. I was glad they helped me to conquer my fears :) It wasn't easy but it was doable. One of the best experience I had. Haha.

The camp was really packed with strenuous activities. After the high elements course, we had to head over to swift water rafting safety lessons. And the very next day, we really went for WHITE WATER RAFTING.

It wasn't as fast as those I've watched on TV, but it IS VERY FAST TO ME. I guess I had so much epic moments that I was hanging on for dear life while paddling. I couldn't remember what was the longest vertical drop we had but I guess it was 2.0 metres? Oh and we also witnessed someone bleeding from the head. That was really scary.

The most fun part was when we reached our pit-stop and we started dunking people with water using our helmets. It carries a lot of water, cold FREEZING water.

So here's my team. TEAM 6. :)

And a group shot with everyone else :)

Basically, on the 2nd last day of the camp, after our crazy water-rafting session, we were given the evening & night off to walk/shop/eat at Ipoh town. So my group hung around the town and had the famous Ipoh Hor Fun. IT IS SUPER GOOD FOOD.

We even tried to ton the night back at our camp-site. Played all kinds of mind-effing games and rounds of Truth-or-Dare. Star-gazed and gossiped about. But fatigue got us in the end and we all crashed in our bunk beds.

We got to bond with each other more on our 8-hr ride back to Singapore.:)

So far, It was definitely one of the best camps I have ever attended. Made so many new friends. Even though we seldom catch up with each other, but hey, once memories are made there's no going back right? Well to be honest, some of the campers were quite good-looking too *wink* Not gonna disclose who but they should know for themselves :)

4. Internship in the UK.

One of the best things life has ever offered me was the opportunity to go to the UK for my 6-weeks internship. In fact, it is the BEST thing of 2013.

First ever sunset in Norwich. :) The climate there was pretty chilly and dry.

My favourite type of climate. Hardly get any pimple/acne breakouts.

During our weekend visit to London, we went the traditional way of catching a show at Her Majesty's Theatre. We caught the Phantom of the Opera. :)

Mandatory shot at one of Trafalgar Square Lion Statues.

You can really climb on top of the Lion :)

Buckingham Palace :)

King's Cross Station

YES, its King's Cross Station. We went to the Platform 9 3/4 fan-site at King's Cross for a few mandatory tourist photos :) It was really a pretty place to be :)

Visited Cambridge and tried out their famous tourist activity: Punting.

Mind you, really hot guys will row the boat and tell you stories about the colleges alongside the banks of the private river. Our punter was really hot and fit. Oh and a plus point was that he was our age. :)

Their carnivals and funfair looks so tempting. It was a pity we didn't join in the fun :(

We visited all those landmarks over the weekends. And on weekdays itself, we had to travel to the University we were attached to, to complete our research assignments. I was being assigned to probably the best PH.D supervisor (in my opinion)

Went to UK with 9 other course mates of mine ^^

We had so many arguments, conflicts and disagreements with each other but we still stuck with one another and together no matter what.

Rating: INFINITELY UP!

Guess what, I had to survive the torment of having 2 papers on my Birthday. And these two GENIUS papers have an intermission/interval/break of 6 hours apart. I practically wasted my whole day studying away.

Well, on the bright side, I was showered with gifts and surprises and I felt so much better :)

And before you know it, New Year's Eve arrived. (so fast)

It was pretty epic cause my friends and I planned a super last minute meet-up session for the Countdown and the fireworks display. We had so much time to gossip and spill all our secrets around. So, we camped right outside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Which afterwards, we moved further up front (near the Louis Vuitton floating shoppe) for a better view of the fireworks :) It was 8-minutes long. And it was definitely a very beautiful 8-min long display of colours.

It was expected that MBS will be flooded with people. I almost missed my last train home. AND IT WAS 1.30 AM.we were still stranded at MBS. :( We had fun trying to squeeze through the crowd to the train station. WE HAD A LOT OF FUN.

In other words, the rating for the Countdown, Fireworks, catch-up session:Rating: up!

And for the "trying to get home" period of time: Rating: down!

New Year, new start, new beginnings, new goals, new resolutions, new me.

A new year marks a brand new start :) OBVIOUSLY

Which also means I have a lot of resolutions I have to strictly adhere to this time round.

because... I would be starting to work when school resumes. It's more like an "after school part-time" job. And I sincerely hope my grades will not be affected.

First of all, I have been scrolling through Tumblr these days and I have always admired Tumblr cars, rooms and houses. In fact, I could have them if I WERE TO WORK HARD NOW RIGHT!???

So my first resolution would be to WORK HARD.

Second resolution would be to stay fit and healthy. Just exercising and working out wouldn't do the trick. Eating healthy and eating right would :)

Really do hope that my lunchbox would be more like this instead of fattening food :)

NEXT WOULD BE TO SAVE MONEY according to this money plan.

Why? Because I have been planning on a Graduation trip to Korea with my friends.

With the help of my pay from my "after-school part-time" job, i hope I will be able to make it when I graduate in March 2015. :)

There are possibly many more resolutions to fulfill and achieve but here's one of the more important ones to me:

I decided that I haven't been really happy with myself in 2013. Constantly letting the opinions of others get to me, constantly trying to starve myself to get thinner and constantly putting unnecessary stress and pressure on myself. I guess its time to learn to love myself and really be selfish with the love I have to give. SO I'M GIVING IT ALL TO MYSELF FOR NOW.

And lastly, I have been hooked on to the korean drama: The Inheritors, for the time-being.

Really admire the couple relationships between Kim Tan and Cha Eun Sang. How they always turn their backs on each other, how they end up in each other arms again and how they weather through thick and thin.

Its really sweet kind of relationship. Like how Bo Na can be super clingy but her boyfriend Chan Young finds it really cute and does not judge her based on what she always do.

I know its near impossible to have such relationships in real life and if I were to come across any (this year hopefully haha) I would be really glad :) but no pressure. HAHA there's no point in forcing it to happen anyway :)