It has certainly taken a while for me to update, but anyhow, I am back in Singapore now after spending about 10 days in Jakarta and Bali. It was a very relaxing time back in Indonesia and I really enjoyed the slower pace of life there. I played tennis once, and I was exhausted pretty quickly after about 1 month of not exercising at all, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to play more tennis because I fell sick with pretty bad sore throat combined with headache and stomachache. I seem to get sick whenever I go back to Indo and I still have no idea why. I was able to recover in time to catch up with close primary school friends and eat a little of the spicy and delicious local food.
We spent about 3 days in Bali for another family reunion, although it was a much smaller reunion this time round. If the highlight of the 2006 reunion was the water sports, the highlight of the 2007 reunion was the food! And shopping too. We spent an entire day to travel to Ubud just to eat the 3 famous dishes there - bebek bengil (fried duck), babi guling (suckling pig) and ribs. The food were really really yummy - I especially like the ribs and couldn't get enough of them - no wonder I couldn't recover from my sore throat quickly! We also went water rafting, but it was less exciting because there were fewer people. Still, the current was probably stronger than last year because of the heavier rainfall and there were much more rapids as well. We were fortunate that it only rained at nights and that we didn't have to deal with the rain when traveling during the day.
For me, what I really appreciate the most of my time in Indo was spending time talking with my mum and my youngest brother. My brother has really matured a lot and I am really quite impressed with the way he is handling things in his life now. My mum took us to Dunkin Donuts one day for breakfast and we tried the green tea there (which is very very good!) and talked quite a bit over breakfast. It was a really good time catching up and it was then I realized that both of us have grown up and changed so much ever since our childhood days in Jakarta.
I had plenty of time to reflect on the past year as well. 2007 was definitely a significant year in many aspects. In short, I have certainly learned a lot, gained new experiences, grown up and matured, and learned to use my time more wisely. I'm not sure how the coming year is going to turn out. I have a feeling it is going to be another happening and learning year for me, but one full of uncertainties as well (read: graduation and my first job). I have often said and I will say it again that I am not looking forward to graduation and having to deal with more responsibilities after leaving school. But one can't always be stuck in one place all the time and I guess it is time for me to leave my comfort zone and move on to the next phase of my life. Perhaps it is a good reminder for me that I can never get too comfortable with life and that He is in control of my life.
I tried to find the list of my 2007 resolutions to see whether I have really accomplished (at least) some of the things I had set out to do, but I don't remember where I have written them. I guess it is a habit for me to make new year resolutions and I have again made my resolutions for the coming year. In short, I hope that I will be able to find a better balance in my life, be less insecure of myself and be more faithful in my Christian walk.
It has definitely been a good break for me so far, a little slow perhaps but it's a nice change from all the hustle and bustle of the past semester, and I'm looking forward to catching up with more friends in Singapore.