JANUARY 2012

This wonderful year was ushered in with campcomm friends at Marina Bay and I remembered seeing Ms Huda (my Upper Sec Form teacher) and her family just beside us. I caught my first concert of the year, 张惠妹 AMeiZING 世界巡回演唱会, which set a really high standard for concerts in 2012. Thankfully, all the 4 concerts I watched in 2012 didn't disappoint. This month was a frenzied scramble to finish my FYP report, and it included many continuous late nights in school and at home, with very little sleep. The moment I submitted it on deadline day, I was filled with huge euphoria. I caught the musical Wicked at Marina Bay Sands, and was totally wowed by the cast, their vocals and the stage effects. This was also the month when we welcomed the Year of the Dragon, and our maternal relatives had a simple gathering at a restaurant in JB.

 

FEBRUARY 2012

Amidst CNY celebrations and gatherings, the Design Project was one thing I fretted this month. One thing that kept me looking forward, was the preliminary planning of a graduation trip, which had just been tentatively fixed to be Europe, and I began research on the country I was assigned. The local political scene got hyped up this month, with the dismissal of a WP MP, which provided quite some excitement. The month ended with watching my 2nd concert in 2012, 五月天 诺亚方舟世界巡回演唱会, which was one of the most well-themed and longest concerts I've enjoyed.
  

MARCH 2012

It's usually the month that undergraduates hate, and it did once again. I did my FYP poster presentation early in the month, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. I pulled off a nerve-wrecking stunt: churning out 35-pages of Design Project report in 42 hours (less than 2 days!) from absolutely zero pages before that. The day I submitted it, I attended a 怀念凤飞飞 singalong at 爱琴海 with friends from NPCC, which was memorable because we were the youngest people there. I also attended 2 Ministerial dialogues at 2 very different settings, where although I wasn't convinced by some of the things the Ministers said, I was inspired by them to contribute to the community.
 

APRIL 2012

I attended the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum and it was the last of the 3 Ministerial forums in weeks, and enjoyed a 1 second of fame on RazorTV. The last day of school came and it felt surreal to know that I won't be listening to lectures ever again. Examinations came, and I was struck by the "Year 4 Syndrome", where I didn't feel a single tinge of worry for the papers, knowing very well that no matter how good/bad they were, nothing will be changed to my grades. But one thing that dawned on me, was that I will never ever see many acquaintances again.
 

MAY 2012

Graduation Trip! In Rome, I slept with bedbugs but totally enjoyed the monuments. In Venice, I was blown away by the possibility of running a city without a single road/car. In The Vatican, I was thrilled to be standing on St Peter's Square. In Salzburg, I heard the best Mozart pieces in a museum. In Vienna, I watched and enjoyed a world-renowned opera, La Traviatta. In Prague, I did the best marathon I've ever done in my life, attaining a Personal Best at the same time. In Munich, I loved the nightly beers and food and Bavarian culture. In Berlin, I felt as if I walked into a live history class. In Amsterdam, I experienced an eye-opener watching a live sex show. In Rotterdam, I can't forget the beautiful memories of cycling for 2 full days, and visited a windmill village. In London, I caught the musical Les Miserables; met up with 4 friends; and also followed the rallies and developments of the Hougang By-election. In Paris, it was back to childhood memories at my 2nd visit to Disneyland Paris after 18 years. You know what, too many experiences, I suggest you read my photobook. Or at least, THIS.  

JUNE 2012

I busied myself this month with the above-mentioned photobook, which satisfied my childhood wish of being an 'author'. This blog turned 7 this month too. We went back to DHSNPCC's 50th anniversary, and I was a little uneasy with how 'angmoh' they've become. I went Batam cable ski with some of the campcomm guys on a weekday and we had the luxury of having the entire facility to ourselves. And I left the country again, for Bali, for a teambuilding assignment which was pretty enjoyable and luxurious actually.
 

JULY 2012

A simple yet happy birthday it was. I officially graduated this month with proud parents witnessing me at the Commencement ceremony. Post-graduation, apart from job-hunting, I allowed myself to read my afternoons away at a nearby cafe outlet with a cuppa. London Olympics opened at the end of the month, which started to keep me very very excited for the weeks ahead.
 

AUGUST 2012

2 weeks of Olympics action, and I caught all of it, FULL TIME. Not a bit of exaggeration, because my body was tuned to London's timezone and stayed up every single night. I enjoyed it so much that after the spectacular Closing Ceremony, I felt lost and empty. My Europe photobook arrived and I was both relieved and excited. I created an account with Postcrossing, and began my new hobby of exchanging postcards with total strangers in other countries.
   

SEPTEMBER 2012

I did my 6th Army Half Marathon, but posted a 3rd consecutive year of declining results. I planned a Taipei trip, not for me, but for my parents, and I think they pretty enjoyed it. More importantly, they brought 赛德克巴莱 back for me. I completed my first book this year, 东京铁塔。I also watched 转山, the closing film for "THIS Buddhist Film Festival 2012", and it further encouraged me to go Tibet one day.
 

OCTOBER 2012

Amidst job-hunting and interviews, I also tried to be a 'local tourist', visiting certain places of interests alone. I caught  “当我们一起走过” 苏打绿巡回演唱会, which became one of the best concerts I've ever enjoyed, and will definitely pay to catch them again.
 

NOVEMBER 2012

The month opened well with the chance to attend 第12届全球华语歌曲排行榜颁奖典礼 free-of-charge, which was good but not the best that I've watched. In a year of TVB dramas watching, there were notably 2 local dramas that could beat any of the HK shows this year: one was 最火搭档2 earlier this year, and the other was 千方百计。I remembered getting pretty excited about the plot twists in the latter. America re-elected Obama and he gave one of the best speeches I've heard this year. I went overseas for the 6th time this year, to Japan, in a first-ever solo trip, which was booked 5 days before flying. Great experiences once again, all documented in yet another photobook. This exciting month ended with another high quality concert, in 林宥嘉“神游”演唱会, where I came out from The Star Performing Arts centre with a sore throat.

DECEMBER 2012

A happy Singapore Marathon results I had, with the best timing I ever achieved within Singapore. After confirming my job offer, I left the country for the 7th time, to a short Kuala Lumpur getaway with squadmates. Doomsday didn't come this month, and so I got my own printed postcards on time, to be given away in the year-end festive gatherings with friends. It was heartwarming to know most of them will cherish my 'effort'. On the last day of the year, my 2nd photobook (Japan) arrived and I really loved how it turned out.

----------------------
In so many ways, 2012 had been a great year, no less. Here's wishing 2013 to be as great, if not better.