Just to let you know how I am doing. ..

It is not everyday that there are vacation journals and mesmerising sceneries to share.

It is not everyday that there are thought-provoking philosophical discourses to give.

It is not everyday that the heart is moved to write little poems.

And that is why, once in a while, a post like this appears. With no other purpose, but to let you know how I have been doing.

In a month's time, I will be packing my bags, emptying this tiny room of mine, and returning to Singapore, after close to 5 months away from home. I will miss this tiny room, and more than anywhere else in the world has ever been, it has been 'my' space. In here, I have absolute freedom. To different people, freedom may mean different things, and at different stages of our lives, it may differ greatly still. There will be a time where freedom means being able to watch a movie or going to a party with friends after school without having to inform parents, or being able to drive around yourself in your car, or having a holiday with no exams or work to be worried over. But to me, freedom, is simply, the choice of being alone, and undisturbed.

A few days ago, I put on my MSN nick 'everyday is a holiday'. Indeed, this past year thus far, everyday has been a holiday to me, albeit a very different kind of holiday at each time. In Cardiff, it really is a 'retreat', where I can sit back and think and contemplate about issues that seem so important to the rest of the world, but which I cannot put a single face to, where I can evade from all the thoughts and problems of personal human relationships. Vacations like North America are 'éxplorations', where the heart is thrilled by the different sights and the mind takes in the vastness and diversity of this world. And finally, to go home to Singapore, after an extended period away, brings the subtle expectations of experiencing the 'familiar' once again. I call it the 'homecoming'. Obviously, each of these holidays have their own unique problems, during 'retreats', I worry about not worrying enough about home, during éxplorations, I worry about getting lost, and during homecomings, I worry about all the delicate relationships I must balance through. But these problems are reduced to a minimum when there is always something to look forward to in a few days, or in a month or two.

For my final month as a fresher, I have one more coursework (project) due on the 11th of May. This is a presentation for a group work we have done, a neighbourhood masterplan for a site in Newport, Wales. Our concept strategy is 'a hospital within a park and leisure wonderland', where the chirping of the birds, the blooming of the flowers and the laughing of the children will provide the best surroundings for recovery and rest. About a week later on the 21st, I have an economics examination, and another two weeks after that on the 1st of June, an examination in the key ideas of social science. The masterplan actually worries me more than the examinations, and it is also a greater challenge. During this time, I also need to finalize my accomodation for next academic year, which has been delayed for quite a while but seems almost certain to be settled next week. You will know why I took so long when you see my apartment next year, it is quite brilliant. And finally, from the 1st to 3rd of June, Hiu Yeung who is studying in John Hopkins will be visiting from the US. He will be the fifth and final person to visit me in Cardiff this year, after Qihui (Cambridge), Yun Ching (Warwick), Ping Khuan(Carleton), Jieming (Singapore). Closer to the date, I will plan something interesting for us to do.

And at 1125hrs on 3rd June, I will depart Cardiff Central Station on rail to London Paddington, from which I will take the tube to London Heathrow for my 1805hrs flight to Frankfurt onboard Lufthansa. Thereafter, I will take the connecting flight to Singapore and on 4th June 2007, at 1550hrs, I should touch down in Changi Int'l Airport. And that rounds up my little update.

Oh yes, Happy Birthday Papa on the 6th!