These words were written for you

FOREWORD: I haven't written a single poem since I completed my Creative Writing module in school, back in 2015. My previous feeble attempts were deemed unworthy of even the second draft so I gave up poetry. Until now. This collection of poem was written on 3 March 2017, influenced by Ed Sheeran's latest album, Divide.

TO YOU: My senses were heightened and I was instantaneously alert to my surroundings. You. The things that reminded me of you were translated into words, then pieced into poems. If you read them, and if you read between the lines, you'll recognise yourself; these words were written for you, my dear.

 

i fell back into
penning poems
chasing moonlight

i learnt your secret
one by one, then the second
maybe | | - another - | |

then all at once
i knew i was either
lucky or screwed

she was a flower
living on stolen time

you, a buzzing bee
tasked with pollination

you'd never settle
you could saunter in your garden forever

because she wasn't
flower of the flock


SAFE


fight or flight
we took flight

never said
but i wanted
you to  s + a y


HIROSHIMA


four thousand, seven hundred and
twenty one miles away
my favourite city

if i told you —
there is warmth in winter
if i told you —
i found home in your coat


TAIPEI


footprints over the world
nowhere i belonged

home —
a country, a place,
a feeling, a person,
sometimes   y o u

little was known but
you were my safety net
little did i know
you were not my home to return to


A THEORY


That's it.


DOUSED


pizza for breakfast
movie stills, summer nights
shared Lycurgus Cup
— the poison, an elixir

.ignition {
her in you arms
flames crackling incessantly
you were deaf to her
misplaced comfort }

no hearts and flowers  
but love, she had it all
//// suddenly she was drowning /

ASHES


sparks in your eyes
blind to your lies

we might set fire to the town
so you burnt me down

no vowels
stillness at zero hours

dawn to dusk
done and dusted

she wears
strength on her sleeves
frailty in her heart

master of disguise
she is a beam of sunshine
she is also Achlys

I noticed the surge in visitors finding my blog via the Google search, "Greendale Secondary School" in recent months, probably due to secondary one posting exercise after PSLE. curious, I searched for Greendale Secondary School myself, and the first few results were... Appalling, to say the least. Call this a review of my four years in Greendale Secondary — today I'm defending my alma mater, this is why Greendale Secondary School is not as bad as forums made it out to be.

Look, I know parents are worried. Is Greendale a good school? Greendale is a new school, what are its achievements? Is Greendale a school filled with gangsters? How are the teachers in Greendale? Do they care about the students? Looking at the top few Google search results, I'd be worried too, if I were a parent.

I'll be honest, I wasn't the best student. The horror stories are true: as a student, I skipped classes, climbed out of school gates, I got into both verbal and physical fights, I never did my homework. Everyone goes through those embarrassing teenage years we rather not remember, and I was a real handful during my rebellious phrase. But something must have gone right for me to be where I am today.

My teachers in Greendale were that something right.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary only in 2016, Greendale Secondary School is new but the teachers certainly aren't greenhorn (pun totally intended HAHAHA). My teachers knew how to deal with students, and had their way with me.

There are bad students everywhere. But hey, news flash, you don't have to live with your mistakes if you turn over a new leaf. Did it ruin my life? No, because I learnt. How could I not, when I had incredibly persistent teachers who made it their mission to turn my life right?

I know I wouldn't have the patience to constantly listen to some lame puppy love woes of a student who never paid attention in class. It took a while, but my teachers' persistent care and concern eventually broke my walls down.


I'm sure all parents know you don't apply most of the lessons you learn in school when you step into society. Even some of the modules I took in Ngee Ann Poly's Mass Comm became obsolete information although I only graduated in 2016. The world is changing at a ridiculously fast pace and adaptability is now one of the most sought-after skills.

The most important takeaway in your teenage years, in my humblest opinion, is the skills you learn and character you develop. I wasn't an exceptional student from a top secondary school but with the values Greendale instilled in me, I learnt so much more that was applicable to real life, the working world.

Greendale Secondary is not Singapore's top secondary school. Ranking by PSLE cut off point, Greendale is not even in Singapore's top 100. So? Ngee Ann Poly's Mass Comm, the most established media school in Singapore, still wanted me. (With the encouragement of my teachers from Greendale Secondary, I went for an interview because my O Level score didn't make the cut, and got into Mass Comm through that interview.)

I'm still lousy at studies upon graduation. My GPA in poly didn't bring me to any of the three main universities in Singapore. I'm not good at this studying thing, I admit. I don't have a degree. So? I stayed resilient, I climbed my way up the old school method, and I'm a manager at 21. The skills and the values Greendale Secondary School imparted accelerated my path to success.


If you aren't interested in personal development — academics wise, my teachers magically turn my horrifying L1R4 of 39 in secondary three to 15 for O Levels. That was reduction of more than half, in a year. Although I take a credit for my hard work that got me to where I am today, it wouldn't have been possible if not for my teachers woke me up and rooted for me.

One instance was when I struggled to speak in Chinese four months to O Level, but Greendale didn't give up on my or my classmates who were just as horrible in our Mother Tongue. Instead, my class had two Chinese teachers instead of one.

My strong-willed Chinese teacher, god bless her, pulled out some of the weakest students and gave us tuition two-to-one and even one-to-one. I went from F9 to B3. If grades don't say anything, please remember these Chinese blog posts were written by a girl who couldn't read a word of Chinese beyond Primary 2 level.

Honestly, there's not a lot of huge success stories behind Greendale graduates simply because most of my peers or seniors are still in universities. Trust me, we're working hard to change that.



The name of a school doesn't matter. The environment — the teachers who define the environment — does, and I can safely vouch for the passionate teachers in Greendale Secondary School.

P.S. I can't believe the rebellious teenager stayed up till 3am furiously typing this post because of the infuriating Google search. Shout out to my stalker teachers — I bet y'all can't believe it too.

Due to bad sitting posture and long hours of sitting down, I faced severe neck and shoulder aches ever since I started office jobs in 2015 — cured only by constant massages but massages are always a hit or miss, depending on the skills of your masseuse. I enjoy going for massages in Malaysia, Thailand or even Taiwan but haven't found a massage parlor to my liking in Singapore, so I was delighted when Stella Wellness Centre offered me a full body massage session!

Stella Wellness Centre is situated in Village Hotel Changi, away from the hustle and bustle of city life in Singapore. While I heard from the masseuses that most of their customers found Changi a deserted area, I actually enjoyed my short travel there! It helped that Village Hotel Changi is near the new Changi Point Ferry Terminal, making my short massage trip feel like a relaxing staycation or weekend getaway instead.

The receptionist quickly attended to me when I stepped into Stella Wellness Centre. After registration, I was led to a private room for me to change while my masseuses prepared a drink — hot ginger tea — for me.

Cosy private massage room in Stella Wellness Centre

After a short discussion with the masseuses at Stella Wellness Centre, we decided on a 90-minute Aromatherapy Full Body Massage, which also consisted of a hot stone massage.

Shower facilities at Stella Wellness Centre

I showered before I reached the Stella Wellness Centre, but if you haven't, you can take a quick shower there!

Room in Stella Wellness Centre lighted up by fairy lights and lamps

Other than loving the relaxing vibe in Stella Wellness Centre, I have nothing but praises for my masseuses, Soda and Keke! They were extremely professional and skilled in helping me alleviate some strains that have been haunting me for years.

A few minutes and Soda and Keke identified the biggest issue I had: stiff neck and aching shoulders. I was beyond impressed, because even some of the massage parlours and spas I visited in Malaysia, Thailand and Taiwan didn't identify my problems right away.

Private locker with key to keep my valuables

After a short traditional body massage, Soda and Keke started applying the essential oil to begin my aromatherapy. I didn't want to fall asleep and wake up missing a large part of this relaxing experience with Stella Wellness Centre but it got increasing difficult to stay awake as the full body massage carried on.

Hot ginger tea provided by Stella Wellness Centre

When Soda and Keke finished my aroma massage, they began using hot stones on my body to soothe my muscles. I was initially worried about the heat being too much for my body, but the masseuses were professional, and they made sure that I was comfortable with the temperature, checking with me every now and then.

Relaxing massages at Stella Wellness Centre

Soda and Keke of Stella Wellness Centre

Stella Wellness Centre at Village Hotel Changi

After a dramatic day, I decided I wanted to relax against the calming backdrop of Tamsui Old Street, famous for its sunset at Fisherman's Wharf... Only to be greeted by darkness when I step out of Tamsui MRT station because I didn't know skies get dark quickly during winter! It was only 5pm but it felt like Singapore's 8pm so yeah, no sunset for me. I frolicked around Tamsui because I'm already there anyway, so why not?

Strolled along Tamsui aimlessly without the help of Google Maps since I didn't have anywhere in mind and I was in no rush. My wandering eventually led me to Tamsui Old Street.


Tamsui Old Street

Address
Zhongzheng Rd, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251

Nearest MRT
Tamsui station, Exit 1     

Opening Hours
9am to 10pm daily



Got myself a serving of Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage, which was basically Taiwanese sausage wrapped in sticky rice sausage, then grilled to piping hot perfection — apparently a must-try of Taipei night markets. I'm not a fan of rice so this street snack was quite meh for me, but I guess most Singaporeans love it since I always see food bloggers raving about the Big Sausage Wrap Small Sausage.

Since it was two hours to my check in time and my hotel, Orange Hotel (Kaifong), was a short 10 minute walk away from Ximending. Ximending is still as full of character as I remembered it to be — vibrant, lively, filled with tourists and locals of all ages.

Ah Zong Mee Sua

Ah Zong Mee Sua (Mian Xian) / Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodle

Address
No. 8-1, Emei St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108

Nearest MRT
Ximen Station, Exit 6           

Opening Hours
9am to 11pm daily

Price
NT 50 to 65 (SGD $2.50 to $3)

Ah Zong Mee Sua

I always lament that I fear falling in love but Taipei makes me fall in love, over and over again every time I'm here. I don't know if it's remotely possible to declare my love so quick, but I fell in love with Taiwan's lively capital since my first visit there in May 2016. Setting foot again in Taipei after a mere six months was a dream come true.

Although I was only in Taipei for a couple of days before jetting off to Japan, the two days were just enough for me to enjoy the serenity Taipei provides. I planned for a slow couple of days since I knew my Japan travel was going to be jam-packed with activities, and I needed a respite from work before beginning my hectic Japan itinerary.


Sweetest girls who cabbed all the way from Pulau NTU to Changi Airport just to take photos with me and hug me for five minutes before rushing off to club with their uni mates.


Not forgetting my favourite people in the world who are always there to send me off on every flight, however late my flight is.

Checked in with a 16kg luggage when I only have 20kg baggage allowance for all my flights. Pack light, I said. I should have known that it's impossible to pack light in winter.

The last month saw me being helpless, lost, and confused. A gradual transition that happened to an unsuspecting victim: me. It's 3:42am. I'm lying in bed, avoiding messages and wondering how the hell did I get myself in another sticky situation. I'm not deliberately making anyone worry, but there's nothing I can say that wouldn't give my show away.

I spent my last teenage years demolishing my depressed personality and establishing a spirited, zealous and determined self. Soon, the world came to know me as a feisty young lady, a tiny girl who remains unfazed by the massive number of unknowns this tremendous world could bring. And I'm too damn proud to admit otherwise.

Adamant and purposeful, I never wasted a single second in achieving my goals, never failed in getting what I wanted, and also... I never saw this coming. Of course the gentle change didn't escape my eagle eye. I was obsessed with being in charge of my life, and at once I knew this uncertainty didn't belong. It's not like the territory was unprecedented — I have stepped in, and out — but the mystery was redundant.

"Give yourself a break," my heart screamed. That bastard. I was overconfident, on the brink of arrogance. I thought I was insusceptible to this impracticality known as feelings. I let the exhilaration rule my clumsy mind, and I forgot to watch my step. Then it happened.

I fell.

Ironically, it happened at 3:42am as well. Battling insomnia, I jumped in bed, doing my daily routine of recalling the day's activities. Except I paused three seconds too long at a specific memory.

His smile.

I knew when I lay in bed thinking of him. Just basking in the radiance of his smile, then breaking into one myself. I knew then that I wanted to be the reason for his smile. It started being impossible to fall asleep. It was impossible to fall at all until he came along.

Falling for him wasn't like falling at all.

Falling for him was like finally stepping into Taoyuan International Airport again after six months. It's not where I belong, but the sense of familiarity was far too overwhelming for me to ignore.

Falling for him was like walking into the airport of my home country after my longest trip away. Even though my blanket of security was never entirely lifted, I relaxed and felt safe again.

Falling for him was like seeing the words plastered across Singapore's automated immigration clearance: "Welcome home, Pek Yi Tsing."

Falling for him was like realising that I was in a dark tunnel, not a deep hole.


(Written February 2017)

When I travelled to Taipei recently, I discovered that some bus terminals have been moved due to the recent renovations at Taipei Main Station and most online guides I found on Google aren't updated to reflect the change so here's an 2017 updated guide on how to get to Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) from Taipei City. The five main ways are highway airport bus, Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR or HSR), Taoyuan International Airport MRT, taxi, and private airport transfer.

1. Bus


Get to Taipei Main Station (blue and red line), then follow the sign that says TRA / HSR, not Taipei Bus Station. Taipei Bus Station, Taiwan's largest bus transfer station, is where you can buy bus tickets to other places in Taiwan (Taitung, Yilan etc).

If you're asking for directions, remember to mention that you're going to Taoyuan International Airport, not just Taoyuan or they might lead you to the bus interchange for a bus to Taoyuan City.



Travellers used to take buses from the west side of Taipei Main Station but it has now been changed to the east side. To get to the bus, you have to find the East 3 exit (東3出口). The exits are really nearby each other though, so all you have to do is find the east side of Taipei Main Station and you'll be able to spot a large ticketing banner.


The queue is usually for boarding the bus to Taoyuan International Airport. Go straight to the ticketing booth to get your tickets to Taoyuan International Airport then join the queue.


Before boarding, you'll be issued a luggage number when you store your luggage at the trunk of the bus. The trunk is separated into Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 so make sure you know which terminal your flight is at. Generally, Terminal 1 is the main terminal and terminal 2 is for free-fledged carriers like Singapore Airlines, EVA Air etc.

Cost
NT125 (SGD $5 to $6, depending on the exchange rate)

Duration
45 minutes to 1 hour, subjected to traffic conditions

Frequency
To book
Buy on the day itself, at the station. You're not allowed to buy advance tickets at the station.

2. Taiwan High Speed Rail

(KKday)

Similar to Japan's Shinkansen, Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) — as the name suggests — has trains that can run up to 330km/hour, providing travellers a quick way to make transfers from city to city. I've personally only taken buses and private airport transfers so I cannot vouch for THSR but from what I heard from my colleagues, THSR popular with tourists who wish to get to the Taoyuan International Airport quickly.

Note that you still have to take a shuttle bus from Taoyuan HSR Station to Taoyuan International Airport. The shuttle bus ride costs NT30 (around SGD $1.50) and it takes about 20 to get to the airport.

Cost
NT160 (SGD $7 to $7.60, depending on exchange rate. SGD 6 if you purchase your tickets online)

Duration
30 minutes

Frequency
To book

• Taiwan High Speed Rail (From Taipei) E-ticket

3. Taoyuan International Airport MRT


The MRT line that will bring travellers from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City, Taoyuan International Airport MRT (purple line), will be launched on 2 March 2017.

• Everything you need to know about Taoyuan International Airport MRT before its launch on 1 March 2017.

Cost
NT$160 (SGD $7 to $7.60, depending on the exchange rate)

Duration
Frequency
Every 5 minutes

4. Taxi

If you're in a group, getting a taxi might be a logical choice. I typically don't go for a taxi despite the convenience because I don't fancy the tedious booking process. Firstly, you'll have to call a specific number and they have different numbers for different fleets of taxi. Then you have to provide your address, usually in Chinese. Taiwan's addresses are also filled with different numbers — misread one and your driver will be on an entirely different road.

Although Taiwanese are a friendly bunch and your hotel receptionist / Airbnb host will usually be more than glad to help you with this, I prefer not to trouble them so I usually book private airport transfer online prior to travelling.

Cost
Generally NT1000 to NT1200, excluding highway tolls (SGD $44 to $57, depending on exchange rates

Duration

To book

• Terminal 1: +886-3-3982832 
• Terminal 2: +886-3-3983599

5. Private Airport Transfer

I prefer booking chartered transport to getting a taxi only when I've reached Taiwan because I like having the assurance that someone's going to pick me up for sure. Besides, I'll be able to key in my address beforehand and the driver can contact me should he not understand the English address I keyed in.


I previously utilised the Taoyuan International Airport Private Transfer to/from Taipei for 3 when I travelled alone, and used it once again with two other colleagues when we were in Taipei for work. My other colleagues who travelled in a bigger group tried Taoyuan International Airport Private Transfer to/from Taipei for 8.

Both services were quite typical — the driver picked us up at our stated destination, helped us with our luggage and got us to our destination.

Cost
$40 to $55, depending on your flight arrival / departure time

Duration
To book

• Taipei to Taoyuan International Airport Private Transfer for 3
• Taipei to Taoyuan International Airport Private Transfer for 8

Love can cause you lots of pain and tears, but love can also bring you joy and put you high up in the sky. That's life. There are ups and downs, but you can't experience either without the other. What's the worst that can happen? You get your heart broken, you cry a few nights, but you pick yourself up, you get over it and you move on. You've been through that, you can get through another round of that.

Embrace love instead of fearing it. Life's too short to be constantly cowering in fear because of one bad thing one bad person did to you. Lose your inhibitions, let go of your insecurities, go out and have fun, and live your life the way it should be lived.

It might end in a heartbreak
It might not be what you envisioned things to be
But love is worth it
Love is worth you giving it a shot

01/

因期待换来痛
原来当时的你
和那时候的我
已经不太可能
你却一话不说
让我默默等待


02/

这一切到底是怎样
是我错，是我不好
全怪我，看错了人


03/

原来你跟他们也没差
一切都是你塑造谎言
我们都以走到这地步
我却依然不舍得怪你


04/ 

是真的爱你
或不爱认输