I'M A GRADUATE

i'm back for good. well, at least for the next two years. i've successfully completed my 3 year commerce degree, majoring in accounting and finance. one major phase in my life is over, and i guess i'm moving on to the working phase that will probably last for decades.

i'm currently thinking of taking a break for half a year before i start work. during this time, i will look out for job opportunities (most likely, being an auditor), take up lessons such as baking and sewing, sign up for yoga or gym (haha!), do charity, and travel!

i just want a good rest. doing absolutely everything i want to do.

mum, dad and kailin specially flew up for my graduation. sadly, yenlin couldn't come as she's currently having her exams in st louis university in washington. before this, my brother and i met them in new south wales for our annual family holiday. we spent 10 days in sydney and new castle. it was such a relaxing trip, i hope to blog about that soon.

they got me a really huge bouquet, a university of melbourne teddy bear, a card and a sliver plated leaf necklace. they all looked so happy to see me in the regalia. & i love the candid shot of my dad with the teddy, charming! i suggested that as his new profile picture. :)

i'm really thankful to have known rachel and her family. throughout the past four years, they've helped me in many different ways. her family is always so welcoming towards me. i've received so many gifts from aunty jean, i can always randomly pop by at rachel's house to chill whenever i'm at orchard, join them for family dinners, and our mums occasionally meet up even without rachel and i being present. its really amazing how two random girls who were "forced" to share a room together for a year to become so close. i really hope all these won't stop, though rachel and i won't be studying together anymore.

i blew and framed up this picture as cindy's 21st birthday gift (aside from the sewing machine). will definitely blog about her crazy 21st birthday celebration 2 nights ago, just wait. cindy has always been and probably will be my best studying buddy. somehow we study the same way and we get our assignments done real quick together. we all can have many close friends, but how many are actually similar to you? for me, cindy's the only one i know thus far. so many people say we look alike, really? i don't see the resemblance.

i stayed with merrie for the last 2 years, she's really the best housemate i've had. i'm a neat freak, and thank god merrie's one too! we share almost everything in the house, and she's always helping me with household chores and errands. i'm not exactly the best person to live with, and i wanna thank her for putting up me. she's also my listening ear, and definitely the one who heard most of my ranting! oh, and i know who to call if i've korean bbq cravings. she's definitely up for it!

the above are some of the hundreds of photos we took. i felt like some film star, with numerous cameras pointing at me. big thanks to cindy, dad, and wernie for taking all the pictures! i have yet to get my hands on all of them, and i really can't wait for the studio shots!! :)

it was one of my happiest days in melbourne. so great to have your family and close friends all around you on one occasion. graduation ceremonies for the commerce faculty were held over a period of two days. everyone were beaming in smiles as we were not only celebrating graduation, but for the friendships we've made over the years. i hope these friendships won't die, even if we don't get to see each other often.

my graduation dinner was at Jacques Reymond, one out of the two three chef's hat restaurants in melbourne. needless to say, food was really good and expensive. most expensive meal i've ever had in my entire life! i made reservations 3 months in advance, and they called me one week before the actual date to confirm the booking. they are really high in demand. however, the portions were entree sized. for that money, i think we could have eaten better at other lower hatted restaurants. anyhow, it was for my graduation celebration and the experience. :)

no idea how to thank my parents for everything they've done for me.

Smiles on a Sunday

went out with sister, yenlin, for lunch at strictly pancakes on sunday. i'm not really a fan of pancakes as i find them dry, and i usually just eat one. i prefer waffles anytime, because at least they have some crunch! but to my surprise, the 'lemon curd for the nerds' pancakes i had were awesome. chocolates pancakes were moist and they were topped with lemon zest, custard and cream to balance the sweetness. sister's 'strawberries & co.' pancakes were great as well. however, having a medium stack is just way too much. we couldn't finish them, jelat.

guess where was i? yes, the railway tracks near railway mall! whenever i drive past railway mall, the amount of people standing on the bridge just amazes me. i keep thinking to myself, what's the big deal about it? little did i know, that i would be actually walking on the tracks on the last day that it was opened to public.

to some, it might be the significance of the place. it could be meeting their best friend there (a reason yongbin gave?), taking their wedding photos there, or prolly for the elderly, a route that they have always travelled on since young when entering the neighbouring country. but for cixian, yongbin and i, we simply wanted to hang out before i fly back to melbourne tomorrow. so... yongbin suggested taking a walk there.

among all the trips that i've been back since trinity. this is the most amount of times i met up with this girl. random jogs around our estate, bali planning, bali trip, bali 'de-briefing', group gatherings, shopping, eating, and sleepovers. couldn't have been better!

same applies to yongbin. not forgetting the numerous long phone calls i have with him whenever i'm at home and he's in camp!! the funny thing is, i realised that i've only started to become real close with him after studying abroad. i guess the distance doesn't matter when someone means so much. it just depends on whether you wanna keep the friendship going. right?

some 'artistic' shots that yongbin randomly took with my camera.

to the fellow kumaleh members, don't get jealous huh! you guys mean equally as much to me though you're not specially mentioned in this post. my holiday back here would have been so dull and boring without meeting up with you guys, i had so much fun!! :)

Delicacies To Me

steamed custard bun

aloe vera, jelly, and sour plum dessert.

out of the many delicious dishes we tried out at taste paradise during monday's lunch, these are my must-orders (please don't forget the rest!). it was my first time at taste paradise, and i must say that the dim sum there beats royal china as well as crystal jade palace, ngee ann city. besides the good food, the atmosphere's lovely, especially when we had a private room with a view. get the membership, pretty good perks.

Pearl White

the cappuccino i had 3 hours ago, how cute. love the smooth car ride.

Ain't the Last Goodbye

aunty jean has been back in the Phillippines for nearing 2 weeks already. she has been with my family since i was seven years old. 13 years, that's how fast time flies. finally, she has decided to return home and embark on a new chapter in her life. hearing all the business plans that she has really makes me happy and excited for her. i'm sure she'll succeed in whatever she does, as she's a very clever lady!

we had a farewell lunch for her two sundays ago at osia in resorts world. the food was good, especially the bread, bluefin tuna tataki, and the hot chocolate soup! we invited aunty rose, our previous helper who was with us for 10 years since i was born, as well as our current helper, aunty lyn who's a relative of aunty jean.

us and our second "mothers", we four share a really close bond with them. to them, we are like their babies, since they watched us grow from toddlers to adults. i don't know if its luck, or fate, or both, but i find it really amazing how we can get along so well to two random women from another part of asia. i really appreciate all the things they've done for me, the sacrifices they've made in order to take good care of us. i will always remain grateful to them.

amongst us all, mummy's the one who's most affected by jean leaving. she couldn't stop crying throughout the entire day on jean's departure, despite knowing that she'll definitely return to singapore to visit us.

as much as we all hate saying goodbyes to the ones we love, remember that not all goodbyes are the last.