Back in SG

Had a good sleep last night. Mum bought me those egronomic pillows supposedly to enhance sleep. Guess I was just very tired. :)

I was a brave girl yesterday. Only cried at the departure gate. It's a massive improvement from 2 years back! Maybe the alcohol Hubs made me drink during our wait really did help to calm my nerves.

The warm humid Singapore air greeted me as I stepped out of the airport and the sneezing begins! I'll have to clean out the room over this week for the sake of my poor nose. I miss the clear air in Brissie!

I'm not going to think of counting down to Hub's return at year end. Sounds too pessimistic. I am going to look forward to new phases in my life from this point onwards. For now, we promised each other that we will be happy in our "freedom" for this short period. I will enjoy my work, my time with mum, bro and friends. He will enjoy his final leg of his studies.

I guess I can say, I'm a happier girl today than yesterday!

Righto, off to have a haircut and crazy shopping to prepare for work tomorrow, followed by dinner with the gals to celebrate MP's birthday.

Anniversary Trip @ Whitsundays

We splashed on our anniversary this year...literally, at the Whitsundays - 74 islands in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef. Only 8 of these islands are inhabited, and we managed to visit 5 of them.

Day 1
Arrived at Airlie Beach around 3 plus and by the time we checked into our accommodation, Waters Edge Apartments, we were sooo really hungry. So down we went to the main street and stocked up on instant noodles, juice and pizza to last us through the night. Olympics was still on..so there's loads to stay up for. :)

Day 2
Woke up bright and early for our trip to Whitsunday Island, where the famed Whitehaven Beach is. Things didn't start too well though...the guys forgot about our booking and the boat went off without us. But thank god they weren't too far out when we called. So they turned around the picked us up...nearly an hour late. Surprisingly, we weren't the least annoyed. Maybe the beautiful environment made us felt really gooood.

After a choppy 2 hour boat ride (thank god for sea-sick pills), we reached the Whitehaven Beach and a local resident, a cute turtle, popped its head out of the crystal clear waters to say hello. This beach is made up of 99.4% pure silica. Means, it is near white sands and makes funny squeaky sounds when you walked on them.


Next stop was a nice little bay off Hook Island for snorkelling. The visibility was good as we got closer to shore. There were really pretty soft corals - purple, green, yellow and red, and teeming with schools of fishes. We had a good time, albeit we found it too short. The rest of the group weren't the snorkelling type, so by the time only 2 of us were out in the water, we were called back earlier. It's a pity.

The ride back was horrendous. The waves were high and our little boat rocked like roller coaster and those who know me well, should know that this is my worst nightmare. The sea-sick pills worked wonders. If not, I would have left an ugly trail in the waters. Hee...

Day 3
It was another long day on the waters as we island-hopped. First to Long Island, then to Hamilton Island before stopping at Daydream Island for lunch. On the way back, we had a short stop by South Molle Island. Not too bad, 4 islands in one day, despite the short shower of rain in the morning.



Day 4
We had almost half a day before our flight, so we went another round at the main streets of Airlie Beach, and yes, I had my jam and scones for brunch. Yum! We had a pleasant surprise when a looong limo came to pick us up to the airport. Posh end to our trip!

The story of "red and black"
The red came from an insect bite I had onboard the plane. It was REALLY painful. I didn't even see what insect it was. I just crushed it to bits under my pants and saw 2 bite holes. For the next 3 days, the swelling was red, itchy and the size of my fist.

The black came from the nasty bump I had onboard the boat. Remember the horrendous boat ride on the first day? We were changing seats to avoid being drenched by the waves, but I knocked my leg against the seat and got a big bruise as a momento.



Finally, our story
I went on this trip with mixed feelings. Yes, it's a celebration of our 11 years of courtship and marriage. But it's also a "farewell" trip for me. It'll be nearly 4 months before Hubs will be home for Christmas. I jokingly told Hubs that maybe if we had a big fight before I fly, we will not miss each other so much. Nah....

I'm grateful that we are able to spend so much time together for the past 2 years. We've laughed most of the time except on rare occassions when we fought over silly stuff. It's a precious period that we will both miss as we prepare ourselves for the next phases in our lives.

4 Sep 1997 to 4 Sep 2008....for now. Looking forward to more.

Home is where the heart is

This time next week, I'll be packing my bags to go home.

Home? It's confusing for me to say this word now.

I do have a home in OZ. And is a home that I treasure very much.
Not that the property belongs to us, but every piece of furniture, decoration and nick nacks were placed by our very own hands. We laughed at our IKEA and KMart furnishings that we love alot. We've had very nice gatherings here and is a place filled with laughter, peace and joy. It's a little piece of earthly heaven that Hubs and I have built over the past 2 years. So if you ask me, yes, I am sad to now have to leave this home and head back to Singapore.

There's a home there as well. My mum, bro, and my closest friends. Nothing can ever change that and I missed them dearly.

So now I have 2 places that I call home. And that's where my heart will stay.

Onboard the MV Doulos

The MV Doulos: World's Oldest Ocean-Going Passenger Ship

Was in Brisbane for her final voyage around the world before her glorious journey ends in 2010. Her life began in 1914 as the SS Medina, a steam cargo vessel carrying onions. In 1948, she was transformed into the Roma to carry migrants from Italy to Australia. Next, she turned into the Franca C in 1952, a luxury cruise liner for passengers. Her most notable phase started in 1977 when a German charity "Good Books for All" saved her from the scrapyard and modified her into the Doulos that we see today.

Given the age of Doulos (94 this year), our guide said something at the beginning of the tour, "They say even God can't sink the Titanic. We say only God can keep Doulos afloat."
Since 1977, MV Doulos has visited 104 different countries with more than 20 million visitors. 350 volunteers from 50 countries work onboard to serve as her crew: doctors, nurses, engineers, deckhands, kitchen helpers, laundry assistants - all you need is a willing heart and a pair of hands and they will train you.

"Doulos" is a Greek word for "Servant". The Douloids (ship crew) see themselves as servants of God, bringing hope, knowledge and help to the people of the world. As we toured the ship, listening to the stories of the ship and her crew, walking along the aged decks and planks, it's like walking into history itself. This is as close as you get to Titanic.

But what touched me was more was the spirit of the crew whom we met during the tour. Many of them were professionals in their own way. They committed themselves to serve, and humbly took up jobs that are dirty, mundane. Imagine working in a hot kitchen everyday, peeling potatoes and preparing 1000 meals a day, ironing clothes for the entire 350 crew or getting greasy hands maintaining the engines. Yet, everyone of them had so much joy and peace. They were there to serve the people, and they are happy about it.

Well, the MV Doulos is scheduled to be in Singapore from 17 Nov to 8 Dec. Apart from going to the famed book fair onboard, it's a must to simply take the tour and soak up the experience. Here's the link to their website: MV Doulos

The "multi-cultural door"

A menu from the Franca C - luxury liner (1952-1977)

Mei and I with our tour guide, Hi-Me. He's from the Phillippines

One of the 6 life-boats onboard

In the Captain's Deck. These 2 magnetic compasses are still in use!

They replace the wooden wheel with this "modern" one

That's the actual Captain's hat!

The book fair

Your Graduation

12 August 2008

A milestone to remember.

You are a step closer to your dreams.

Only 10 more weeks to go.

I believe you will put your all into it and in 6 more months,

we'll be back again for the second graduation.

I'm so proud of you.

Happy 43rd Birthday Singapore

Today's National Day and as usual, we stayed home and watched the near perfect (couple of still frames here and there) NDP webcast. We sang the national anthem, recited the pledge and chorused along with the nostalgic NDP songs of "Count on Me Singapore", "Stand Up for Singapore", "We are Singapore" and "One People, One Nation".

There was a section where a video clipped showed what this little island went through and achieved in the mere 43 years. From a fishing village, to a bustling cosmopolitan city. It's just amazing watching those historic images.

After living overseas for 2 years, people ask me what changed most for me. It would definitely would be having a renewed sense of appreciation for the things that I have taken for granted for so many years. Indeed, I still complain about the rising living costs, still sarcastic about the million dollar salaries our top civil servants are getting, still unhappy about the work stress and lack of work-life balance.

But amidst all this, Home is still where my family and friends are, and the freedom of walking the streets without fear; the hustling and bustling of food courts and markets; the diversity of cultures; and the years of memories. Even just by looking at the beautiful nightscape of Marina Bay and the CBD, it brings waves of thanksgiving and praise for the place that I will always call Home.

Am I proud to be a Singaporean? Always.