That's how long joannapokesyourarmpit has been away. To make up for its ultra long absence, it shall repay its blogders with an ultra long post (please read every single word and scan every single photo 'cos it took me damn damn damn long to type this post, whoo)!
I remember last month I was doing skipping and going all organic... and then it all came to a halt when Germ returned to Singapore and we started having loaded food every single day.
And I remember I was packing my room like mad crazy... only to have it return to its original state the next week. So I targeted on my room AGAIN, hahahhh.
This time round it was worse, omg.
I only had one spot to stand.
It's all better now. Thank goodness.
Say hello to cute Jojo!
Speaking about packing. I hate it. People come over to my place every other day and we have to clean clean clean. The guys in my house?
They don't help. Ultra useless.
And a few weeks before, Tofu and I went to watch YOG rehearsal (thanks to Yihan for the tickets, heh). We thought it'd be like NDP so we went early at 5pm and... It was practically empty. We ended up playing Tamagotchi and left shortly thereafter.
Oh, the device broke down and it restarted at the 2nd generation. After so much hard work. I was so upset that I stopped playing it altogether. @##$%&* Frustrating.
We went back to the YOG grounds at 9pm after catching "Inception". It was filled by then.
And guess what? WE ENDED UP IGNORING THE SHOW AGAIN AND STARTED TELLING GHOST STORIES. Hahahahhahahahahahahhh. It was pretty boring and had lots of awkward moments but I believe the actual one was much better.
(Omg, is this magic or what? As I type this, now Channel 5 is showing the YOG opening ceremony. Whoa. And yes, it's much better than the rehearsal.)
Okay, fast forward.
So we, The Ngs, went Phuket for one of our last family trips. IT WAS AWESOME, I tell you.
Trip's highlights...
One. Attracted to puppies instead of the shops.
Two. Eating fried bugs and scaring my mom with them.
Three. Heading to Phi Phi Island on a speedboat (thanks to Corrine, Isaac Lim and Wong for the tip) and lost a hotel towel due to the insane speed/wind. It flew away by itself.
Four. Befriended an Aussie who became our PPP (Phi Phi Pal).
Five. Snorkeled a little and the ocean-phobic Germ was forced to enter the ocean against his wish.
(In case you want to know how I took these photos, all underwater photos were taken by my old and reliable Fuji F50 using a Dicapac casing. Thanks to PB for hunting Lam for collecting it for me.)
Six. Had outdoors Thai massage (damn cheap, I tell you) and omg, whenever she knead my thighs I will laugh and squeal like crazy 'cos really damn ticklish. Imagine me elbowing your thighs. Ticklish, right?! How would anyone enjoy that? Plus it was super painful. I was like tearing and laughing at the same time.
The last move at the end of my 60 minutes massage session was the WORST - She suddenly put my hands together on my head and pulled. I screamed so loud I think everyone over at SG can hear me. Freaking painful! Aik see ah!
See. Living proof:
Credits to the best photographer on Earth, second to PB - Mother Dearest.
Mom didn't get to enjoy a massage so she had a manicure (which is dirt cheap as well) instead.
Seven. Massage aside, we went to various beaches by boat and decided that Karon Beach is the BEST beach in Phuket. Not only is it spanking clean and clear, it is very peaceful unlike Patong Beach. The Ngs hate noise and crowd.
Eight. Took a dip at our resort's pretty pool and snapped many underwater photos, many of which are super freaking unglam, hahahahh!
Sidetrack. Speaking of resort, I realized that it's very very very important to stay in somewhere nice even though we will spend a lot of time outdoors. It makes the entire experience a whole lot different - Showering was comfortable and non-yucky even though we had salt and sand stuck in our hair and underwear. The sheets are spanking clean and the beds are huuugggee. The air-conditioner was shioookk. The wooden decor and wooden flooring made our stay feel ultra cozy.
Awesome.
You already paid for the airfare, why not pay a little more for a better stay, right? I booked the tickets from Tiger Airways (it's our family's first time flying on budget air; and our conclusion is that it's awesome for its price) two months before so we had it cheap at $0 and only had to pay for the air tax. So yea, we can afford to spend a little more on our stay and upgraded our rooms to Superior rooms. It was the best decisions we made for the trip, really. Besides, it's low-peak period so prices are pretty low.
Nine. Anyway the best highlight is that we ate a loooootttt of authentic Thai food from various places of different classes.
From al-fresco high-end restaurants...
...to resort buffet...
...to street stalls...
...to hidden dirt-cheap food stalls at only 40baht (SGD1.70) for a huge bowl of noodles; we ended up eating a bowl of beef noodles each + pad thai + fried rice + thai seafood salad + green curry + tom yum + giant pork balls.
Ten. But this trip and all the above highlights won't be as fun if we don't have each other. You guys are the best company on Earth and all five of us unanimously agree, no? :-)
After rambling on and on about my summer holiday musings, reality now hits in --
Germ have to fly back to the States. And this time round it'll be 13 years of studies (he's studying medicine), although yes, he will visit us now and then.
Now this is the key of my post (wordy, but I urge you to spend a little time to read).
If you read the book "John" in the Bible, you'll learn that if you glorify and have faith in God, he will bless you bountifully. I have always believed that and now my family's really experiencing it. Everything is really in His own perfect plans. You may not see it now, but you will see it in due time.
Big bro Germ is a good example for it. It goes all the way back to when my parents got married. Daddy decided to fly to U.S to take his doctorate in Psychology. While they are studying there, my mom decided to have babies. All she had in mind is that she's already close to 30 so she shouldn't wait any longer. Little does she know that such simple thoughts would give her first two kids a U.S citizenship.
Now. Germ was a smart kid. He knew every single name of the dinosaurs (and he knew very well how to scam me of my candies). However, he struggled in school and always end up in one of the last few classes. My mom worried that he'll end up in EM3 but decided that she should trust in God instead. Besides, she thought that childhood is more important than mere studying so she didn't hire any tutors. Well. Germ didn't score well for PSLE and could only choose between a neighborhood school Unity's express stream v.s Bukit Panjang Govt High's normal acad. He chose the latter as he lovvvvvveeee the school.
And one day, a switch in his brain suddenly ticked and he suddenly became good in his studies. He constantly came in Top 3 and scored pretty well for his Os. Loving medicine, he chose to go Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Biotech instead of JC as he thought that since he knew what he wanted in life, there's no point to waste 2 years studying textbook stuff.
He became a little lazy, though, and didn't score very well in school. Eventually he can't enter any of the local universities. The only option? Overseas.
Just then, he had to serve the army. He went into Pes C, Clerk (however you term it) and I don't know why, but they posted him to Brunei and he stayed there for 1.5 years till he ORD. My mom was really really really depressed about it 'cos the thought of him being away for so long, and once he comes back, he'll be leaving for the States already, is heartbreaking. However, he earned a pretty sum throughout his service there. And instead of wasting the money away, he saved it up for his studies.
While he's in Brunei, my mom went to look for a suitable university for him. To cut a long scenario short, God showed his signs very very clearly and gave us a clear answer - To go to Grand Valley. And he got scholarship from the school and being a citizen there, he can study at a local fee.
We sent him off this morning at 5am. Although we were feeling a little queesy in our hearts, but we were all very very very happy for him. My mom didn't get upset like how she did when he left from Brunei.
Now now, God knows best.
If my parents hadn't give birth to Germ in the U.S, he won't get a U.S citizenship and he wouldn't be able to study there.
If Germ had scored very well throughout his schooling in SG, he wouldn't go to BPGH which leads to NP which then leads to GV at U.S.
If Germ didn't have a crazy eyesight and low-blood pressure, he wouldn't be a Pes C clerk. Now he don't have to suffer for 2 years.
If Germ hadn't gone to Brunei, he wouldn't be able to save so much money. And my mom would be even more upset now; Brunei really prepared my mom mentally and emotionally for this 13-years-long separation.
Don't you see God's perfect plan for Germ? :-)
P.S. I hope you really read every single word here. This is one of my most sincere posts ever, hahahh, really!
P.P.S. Xiang and Ted's aqua photos up next post!