The sister, the brother and I went on a dolphin watching cruise in Port Stephens. We were on a boat with perhaps 200 other passengers. It amused me that I could pick out the Singaporeans quite easily. It’s usually their use of Singlish and whinny, teh voices, their stupidity, their terrible casual dress sense and bad posture or their horrible manners.

I love Singapore. I loathe Singaporeans.

—

In Melbourne, the brother asked me what I gained from studying overseas as opposed to spending my time in a local university. I couldn’t really answer him. Frisbee? I could have picked it up in Singapore. Uh, white friends! I told him I learnt to be more independent. Really? What stopped me from being independent in Singapore? I am an individual and things like social class or upbringing or ‘Singaporean’ culture shouldn’t ever stop me from breaking out of my Singaporean-ness.

No more complains about things I can change about myself.

—

I will miss having a casual job that pays me $17.79 an hour to make sandwiches and put dishes in the washer. I like the idea of 9 to 5 jobs in Australia and the closure of many offices over Christmas and New Year, even the “late night shopping” that runs ’til 9pm. (Yeah, that’s early in Singapore terms.) Oh, the cafes and weekend markets… I’ll have to find an alternative.

When I start work in Singapore, I’ll have to learn to switch off at 6pm and enjoy my weekends wholly.

—

I don’t recall many incidents where the people around me freaked out. Even when we broke the uni’s van window reversing out of the parking lot, the driver said, “Lame” and continued driving. In a situation like that, a lot of Singaporeans would start blaming each other or panic. It was very amusing.

I need to learn to keep calm and not freak out.

I think I’ll take a nap now.

I’m not sure if its the sugar rush, the looming deadlines or the pent up adrenaline for next weekend, but I’m fidgety with excitement!

Or maybe its just my favourite verse, Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This is the best verse for someone who is as anxious as me!

Is my last semester. Perhaps the last few months of my student life.

It is also my last semester to play Frisbee at uni level. Second and last uni games. Last semester to make use of the library’s awesome DVD collection.

But this semester I am also taking not one, but two classes with weekly screenings. This should be fairly exciting, although I have seen some of the films already. I anticipate final essays to be extremely interesting.

And final projects will probably be camera operating a few productions - potentially tiring, but usually a few days long. I might have a slack semester so I can fit Frisbee tournaments and other touristy things around uni work.

(Taken in the city, point and shoot snap, with surprisingly artistic lens flare! What we thought were numbers, 58, probably meant SB - Super Bowl, where this tree is right outside of.)

I feel like a time traveller. Everyday I feel like I am in a different place, like I’m not sure if I’m in Sydney or in Singapore. Perhaps it was the night before hanging out with Singaporeans. Sometimes its because I dreamt of home. The other night, I dreamt I was at my class presentation and I announced to the group, “It can’t be, because I am in a dream.” I feel like that movie Waking Life. It feels like everytime I wake up, I find myself in another dream. Maybe it’s because I spent 3 weekends away from my Sydney home - Central Coast, Canberra, Northern beaches.

I can’t believe its April already. 91 days into 2008. I feel like I haven’t done anything yet. My new year resolutions are long forgotten. I look forward to the parents visiting. Maybe their impending trip is making me anxious? Like how I looked forward to summer. Yet there’s so much to do here.

Let’s play Where’s Melly!

(I kept up the whole night wondering what to post, since it’s been a week and I’ve been reminded. This is the easy option.)

1. Run at least twice a week
I want to say daily, but I’ll be getting ahead of myself.

2. Cover my breakfast list
10 on the list provided by SMH. Although I am told the list has been updated and 5 of them have been booted off and replaced, so now it’s 15 places.

3. Work
Look for internships and casual jobs.

4. Uni
Excel, ’nuff said.

5. Collect more Frisbee discs
Currently at 5.

So far, I’ve failed at #1. I woke up at 7am, went back to sleep until 8.30am, changed, went out and realised it was raining, turned around and came here. :D