Day 2: Back to college and Meet-the-juniors Day

"Eric! You got to wake up! You got a nice treat waiting for you!!!"

I reluctantly got up, got change and caught a bus to Orchard Road. Headed to Elizabeth Hotel behind Paragon where my good friend, Nick was waiting for me to go for a buffet breakfast at his hotel. It's been ages since I last ate a nice Continental buffet breakfast at a hotel and the best part of all - BACON STRIPS!!! (You can't get bacon in Malaysia because of ... You-know-whos) I ate to my heart's content and it was just superb!!! Thanks Nick! *Thumbs up and gleeful smile*

After breakfast, I made my way to Boon Keng MRT, where I changed into my old school pants and a Saints tee and waited for my friends to take the MRT to Potong Pasir. It's been half a year since I left St Andrew's Junior College, but it felt so good 'to be home' and feel part of the Saints family again, it's an indescribable feeling that only a fellow Saint will understand. Soon, I was walking through the familiar corridors again, and met a few friends and lecturers who were shocked and happy at the same time to see me again, we talked a bit and it felt as if it was just yesterday that I left St Andrews. I continue to meet a lot of familiar faces and finally, I made my way to the classroom where my ex-class was having their tutorial. Didn't want to disturb them in the first place, but they spotted me and told Mrs Cheng (my ex-Chemistry lecturer) that 'Eric's outside!!Look, look!!'. So I went in, sat down and joined my ex-classmates for a tutorial session and a Chemistry lecture in the Cultural Centre later on. I blended in with my old cohort of JC peers, took out my non-existent notes and experienced a routine lecture in JC. (I know it sounds funny, but I really do miss those lectures and tutorials that I used to fall asleep in last year. Should have paid more attention and stayed on, but that's too late now..sighs)

After the tiring lecture, I made my way to the Cafe (it's pronounced 'Caf' by Saints) where I enjoyed a lychee milk ice blended drink (it's really milky and heavenly, my usual drink in SA last time) and catch up on old times with my ex-classmates and friends who were also there. It was really nice seeing my fellow Saints again, and I was accompanied by a good friend of mine from student council, XinYing, as I was leaving college and heading towards the MRT to go back to my old hostel. She was telling all the things that happened in council and college while I was gone and it was also lovely talking with her again, just like old times.

Back in the hostel, most of JC2 peers were still in college, but my old roommate and good buddy, Ricky was there to chill with me in the hostel canteen and introduced me to our Malaysian juniors who were also in the canteen. I met Ravjit, Aaron, Carey, Caesar, Nicholas, Adelyn and Shao Wen. (Hope I didn't leave anybody's name out)

We (my newly acquainted juniors and I) continued chilling out in the canteen until night fall (it's amazing how you can just sit there and chat and stare at things until the time passes by so fast) and then, we decided to grab some food. First, we took a peek at the hostel food (if you have stayed in the reputably bad hostel of mine, you would have known that the food sucks so bad that you would rather die of hunger than eat the food, literally) and then we decided to go where all Malaysians love to hang out! (Let me give you a clue, it's starts with 'M', LOL!)

We went to this old Mamak joint near the hostel called Yassin and fluently ordered our roti prata and teh tariks in Malay (because we are proud to call ourselves 'anak Malaysia'! even though you know how bad our G_V_R_M_N_ treats us XD), we had a ball of a time talking and laughing about all things Malaysia and also how college and school life is so different as compared to Malaysia until it was close to curfew time and my juniors and i needed to go back to have some shut eye. It was an eventful day, nonetheless, and this is where i shall end. More to come! Nitez! :)

*Point to note: The Roti Canai as we know it is called Roti Prata in Singapore and it's more buttery than our Malaysian one. The Singaporeans have no clue as to what is roti canai and there is no point in trying to explain it to them, so just give Singaporeans some glory in their 'national food' and call it Roti Prata the next time you're in Singapore!

My First Blog Post in a Long, Long Time

My blog has been stagnant and considered 'closed' for a very very long time and I never had the time nor the drive to restart my blog (I know it's a bad excuse)And today, on the first day of June, a brand new day in a brand new month in the middle of the year, I shall 'reopen my blog for business'. I don't know why I have this feeling, but the 1st of June feels like a significant day to me to blog again, an important time for me to reflect upon the half a year that has passed by in a blink of an eye ; to reflect on how much and how well have I accomplished my goals set for this year and either continue motivating myself or giving myself a big slap on the face, to 'wake me up'!However, before i dwell into that reflection of the past half year (I'm procrastinating again...sighs...got to change this bad habit of mine!), do allow me to have a small opening ceremony to officiate and resume this personal blog of mine!

*DRUMROLLS*

Eric's Window of the World is officially reopened!!!



As for the content of my first blog post in a long, long time, I would like to write about the first day of my holiday trip down to that tiny little red dot at the bottom of the Malaysian Peninsular
---Singapore.

I arrived at Singapore at 5am in the morning after taking a midnight bus that sped through the North-South Highway like mad, thinking I could fully utilise my holiday time in Singapore. But, to my disappointment, I was trapped outside the locked down Harbourfront MRT station as the first train to leave the station was only at 6 in the morning! Hence, an hour of wasting my time away and chit chatting with strangers who were trapped with me and didn't want to pay the exorbitant prices of taking a taxi home.



Finally, the long awaited 6am came and I rushed to the station to topped up the value in my Ezlink card (similar to the Touch n' Go card) and I was off to roam the Singapore that was my 'home' for the past 5 years.

First stop: My good friend, Victor's house. Reached his house at 7am in the morning and settled down as I would be staying there for the next few days, had a simple breakfast in his dining area and catch up on our life's happenings so far.

Then, I was off to Orchard Road to meet up with Nicholas, my classmate from Taylors, who so happened was in Singapore for holidays with his family. Since it was his first time in Singapore, I did what I do best and brought him around Singapore on a half day tour as his free tour guide (Hey! There's nothing like a free lunch nowadays...So Nick, I guess you know what to do then...Hahaha).

Took him on a double decker bus ride which gave us a clear view of the city as the bus went through downtown Singapore, and did my usual tour-guide-kind-of-explanation about Singapore (The Singapore Tourism Board should pay me for being their free ambassador!), went to a hawker centre in the heartland for a simple hawker fare, went to Vivocity at the Southern tip of Singapore (the LARGEST shopping centre in Singapore)(Which is only one and a half the size of a football field, not that BIG actually)


Bought chocolates and nice candies at my favourite shop there, Candy Empire (imagine, stacks and stacks of chocs and candy spreaded all over the shop, with discounts!)



From there, we went back to the centre of the island where Plaza Singapura (a hotspot with many students and youngsters) is located and toured around even more.

And then, it was time for.....LUNCH!

We went to this favourite restaurant of mine called Aston's in the Cathay Cinneplex Building where the chicken chops and Western cuisine is awesome and never fails to impress my taste buds and my wallet :D

After completing this half day tour with Nick, we went our separate ways and I headed for the hostel that I lived in last year. Coming out of Boon Keng MRT and walking through that very familiar pathway to Mcnair Lodge, the nostalgic past of the good ol' times last year came flooding back to my mind...Met the same old guard and hostel manager, talked them into allowing me to enter Mcnair again...

Ahh...The wonderful memories I had there, had the funnest time of my life there so far, and i got to relive it all today, by meeting up and chatting with all my scholar friends and peers (All shocked to hear familiar thunderous laughther of mine and actually see me sitting there in the canteen after my half a year absence) and having a fun game of Murderer and Captain's Ball by the pool. Never had so much FUN and EXERCISE in a LONG, LONG TIME!

Tasted the sucky hostel food and went out to Carl's Jr to indulge in gastronomical delight with a senior friend, Chen Kim who so happened was in Singapore too. It's been ages since I last ate a Carl's Jr meal and it was simply lips-smacking delicious to me...Mmm mm!

Finally made my way back to Victor's house to have a good rest. A big thanks to Victor and his family for their friendly and warm hospitality, allowing me to stay in before I join my mates and nice juniors (that i just had the privilege to know today and want to get to know more) on wednesday.

Alright people, it's been a very tiring yet fulfilling first day on my one week Singapore getaway holiday. Hope the remaining six days will be as fun as today! :D