到最后来坦白一次
Today is my actual last day in Singapore and while I am sad to leave, I'm refusing to let myself linger in nostalgia or regret the way I left Beijing and Seoul in 2009. These were an amazing four months of food and travel and overseas living, but, more importantly, of getting to meet and spend time with people I never thought I'd have to chance to meet in person. People I am happy to have met, am thankful to have in my life, and whom I will miss but hopefully will always retain close relationship with through the wonders of modern technology.
Yesterday I met up with thundersquall, thelastroads, and htenywg (along with two of Gwen's friends) for KTV. We did ridiculous amounts of BSB and Jay Chou, a random assortment of kpop from SJ to SHINee to SNSD, old Chinese pop (e.g., 宝贝对不起 & 甜蜜蜜), 90s Western pop, and so on. It was silly and fun. It was followed by dinner and dessert, all with increasingly ridiculous conversations and my endless expressions of my desire to punch Cho Kyuhyun in the face. Be good to Mimi or else, you bastard!
Previous to that, I had dinner with out_of_words24 and her boyfriend earlier this week, and I love them. We had delicious Japanese BBQ and then chocolatey desserts (I had hot chocolate with rum, yum). I also hung out with my hallmate, who'd I gotten to know this semester, and she made me a sweet little goodbye gift. Today, I had a last lunch with Fiona, a friend I'd met back at school in the U.S. when she was there for her LLM, and oh - bonchon! So good.
Before this busy last week, I spent time with the other exchange students I'd traveled with this semester, some of whom have left Singapore already and some of whom are traveling right now, endlessly. I am not an extrovert and I don't make casual acquaintances easily; apparently I aim only for good friends and above. I will miss everyone, but I hope we can always stay in touch. Being back in States, I'm telling myself, will at least make it easier to call and see the friends I've left behind for the semester. I won't bore everyone and list people off, but just knowing there is a list of people who want to know when I'm back safely in the States, who want calls and texts, who have faithfully kept up email exchanges with me, whom I have plans to see this summer, reminds me again how lucky I am.
I'm getting disgustingly sappy, but with at least three friends sappily professing their love these past few days, I am entitled to be sappy right back, aren't I? I'm not always happy and I''m not always secure in myself or my friendships, but the objective truth stands that I have a lot of amazing people in my life, wherever I might be in the world. And, wherever they might be in the world, I'm sure it will not make the bonds of our friendship any weaker. I'm sure, because I will work hard to make that true.
I don't talk a lot about personal things on this journal, but suffice to say that, like everyone else, my life is not perfect and I am far from perfect. But I know I'm blessed in so many ways.
In particular, ch_ar_me, conspiire, danii06, forochel, htenywg, ky_rin, mardigrasmaven, out_of_words24, thelastroads, and thundersquall, thank you for the awesome times, as brief as they might have been.
To all of my friends: I love you guys. Thank you. ♥
Singapore (and surrounding areas, haha), it's been fabulous. I will cherish these memories for a lifetime. I hope I can be back one day (soon!).
Yesterday I met up with thundersquall, thelastroads, and htenywg (along with two of Gwen's friends) for KTV. We did ridiculous amounts of BSB and Jay Chou, a random assortment of kpop from SJ to SHINee to SNSD, old Chinese pop (e.g., 宝贝对不起 & 甜蜜蜜), 90s Western pop, and so on. It was silly and fun. It was followed by dinner and dessert, all with increasingly ridiculous conversations and my endless expressions of my desire to punch Cho Kyuhyun in the face. Be good to Mimi or else, you bastard!
Previous to that, I had dinner with out_of_words24 and her boyfriend earlier this week, and I love them. We had delicious Japanese BBQ and then chocolatey desserts (I had hot chocolate with rum, yum). I also hung out with my hallmate, who'd I gotten to know this semester, and she made me a sweet little goodbye gift. Today, I had a last lunch with Fiona, a friend I'd met back at school in the U.S. when she was there for her LLM, and oh - bonchon! So good.
Before this busy last week, I spent time with the other exchange students I'd traveled with this semester, some of whom have left Singapore already and some of whom are traveling right now, endlessly. I am not an extrovert and I don't make casual acquaintances easily; apparently I aim only for good friends and above. I will miss everyone, but I hope we can always stay in touch. Being back in States, I'm telling myself, will at least make it easier to call and see the friends I've left behind for the semester. I won't bore everyone and list people off, but just knowing there is a list of people who want to know when I'm back safely in the States, who want calls and texts, who have faithfully kept up email exchanges with me, whom I have plans to see this summer, reminds me again how lucky I am.
I'm getting disgustingly sappy, but with at least three friends sappily professing their love these past few days, I am entitled to be sappy right back, aren't I? I'm not always happy and I''m not always secure in myself or my friendships, but the objective truth stands that I have a lot of amazing people in my life, wherever I might be in the world. And, wherever they might be in the world, I'm sure it will not make the bonds of our friendship any weaker. I'm sure, because I will work hard to make that true.
I don't talk a lot about personal things on this journal, but suffice to say that, like everyone else, my life is not perfect and I am far from perfect. But I know I'm blessed in so many ways.
In particular, ch_ar_me, conspiire, danii06, forochel, htenywg, ky_rin, mardigrasmaven, out_of_words24, thelastroads, and thundersquall, thank you for the awesome times, as brief as they might have been.
To all of my friends: I love you guys. Thank you. ♥
Singapore (and surrounding areas, haha), it's been fabulous. I will cherish these memories for a lifetime. I hope I can be back one day (soon!).