Friday 26 July 2013

trying my best...

I must admit since my trip to the museum, I haven't really done a similar excursion. Yes, I've been going to numerous places around Singapore, but I haven't really documented these experiences and haven't really immersed myself in them because I have just been so busy.


Since crossing the 'month left' line, it seems like there are so many things to complete and so little time left to complete them. I plan to go to the Peranakan Museum with my mum sometime next week, and hopefully to Chinatown to have my last egg tart (my last supper) before I leave for the UK. We also plan to go to Raj (located at Biopolis, it has been the restaurant for quite a few family dinners) to savour some Indian cuisine. 

Hopefully I will then have a few more interesting posts about Singapore before I leave. I must admit that I am rather disappointed that I will only manage to visit such a limited number of places to blog about. I had really hoped to cover many more places but lately, I've been everything but free. 

But I know that though I feel rather upset, 'it's too late to apologize' - Apologize, One Republic, and instead I should 'always look on the bright side of life!' - Eric Idle for Monty Python's Life of Brian (;

P.S. I have been reading a book called Time: A User's Guide by Stefan Klein. No, I did not deliberately pick it to be able to 'cheesily' relate the title of the book to that of the blog! I haven't finished it yet, but already I feel it is a rather remarkable book. As the title suggests, it is about time, but fret not, it is not too scientific in any way. Rather it is a wonderful window into the mystery of time. I definitely recommend it for anybody who can't find much time in their lives to do what they want to and for those who just want more of it (:

Wednesday 17 July 2013

Princely Treasures

The sunny little island of Singapore did not really live up to its name today. This morning it was raining. Luckily for me, to mark the start of my country expedition, I had chosen something indoors - the National Museum of Singapore. This was the perfect choice because by the time I left the museum, the skies were clear and blue so I managed to get some shots of the roads leading to to the museum and shots of the building itself.
the road to the left and right of the museum if 
you were to stand facing its main entrance
The exhibit I went to was 'Princely Treasures - from the House of Liechtenstein'. As the name implies, the exhibition was displaying art pieces owned by the aristocratic Liechtenstein family. 

It seemed appropriate to start at that exhibit as it was there that I first had the idea of exploring Singapore before I left. Yes, you read it right, I had gone to the same exhibition just two Saturdays before with my dad. However, because I had enjoyed it thoroughly and felt like there was still 'more to be seen', I decided to head back.

I must admit at this point that this is the third exhibit I have been to (that I remember) at the National Museum in my entire lifetime! The other two were an exhibit on Egyptian mummies and the lost Italian city of Pompeii.


the front of the museum
(to the left of the photo you can see the banner
promoting the 'Princely Treasure' exhibit)

I am not sure if it's just me, but I feel that we often forget about the many things our own city has to offer, something else I hope to change about myself before I leave.

What I enjoyed the most was the Baroque Art on display. I'll include the link to Wikipedia's pages on Baroque Art and the Princely family of Liechtenstein below for anybody interested in finding out more about either!


I am a fan of Greek mythology, and though I have yet to pick up a book by Homer, I have spent many nights scouring through online Greek archives and reading the stories of different characters. Many of the pieces on display are based on famous Greek characters and stories as well as biblical characters. If you were to read more about Baroque Art, you would see how religion, more specifically Roman Catholicism, greatly influenced this style of art. Thus many of the bible's characters are the subject matter of the pieces. 

different Baroque pieces all based on Greek mythology
Judith and the head of Holofernes

I also managed to speak to June, a staff at the museum. She said she was a 'bench sitter' and basically was a security guard who had to "make sure no one touches the paintings, kids don't run around screaming and that people don't use flash when they take photographs". I assumed she was an art student and she said she was one on break. She shared that she enjoyed being able to work there as she could view the paintings/ displays free of charge and all the time, but was also sure to add that there was no need to see the same exhibit everyday for 2 months! 


more Greek inspired paintings
Christ on his deathbed
a wide variety of subject matter from fruits to cherubs...
my attempt at using the panorama function on my iPod Touch

Being a Wednesday, there were not many visitors. That meant that I could take my time at each art piece, reading the description and taking a good long look at each and every painting! It was rather surreal to be able to stand alone in a whole room of art - as though I was truly in the moment with the characters in the painting. I am not sure if that sounds enjoyable or creepy, but it was definitely a more intimate way to experience the art. 
the bronze statue is watching you...
portraits of aristocracy

Another thing I greatly enjoyed was taking photos of the pieces and the people looking at them. I managed to get most of the photographs with other museum goers in the shots. I enjoyed watching how they reacted to the paintings. Some leaned closer to scrutinize the details of the pieces, while others took steps back to better see the picture as a whole. It was fascinating to see how different people reacted to what they saw, especially with some of the more graphic paintings. 

sharing thoughts and opinions (:

My favourite painting was one called Il Consiglio alla Vendetta or Vengeance is Sworn. The two women in the picture are painted in such a 'human' fashion it was not hard at all to imagine they were really in front of me. 

Vengeance is SWORN... to the left (;

After spending three hours at the gallery, I left. I felt that it had been a fulfilling three hours spent at the museum. Not only did I manage to enjoy some good Baroque Art, I was also able to witness human curiosity in action. Before I left, I took a few more photographs of the architecture of the inside of the Museum. Hope you enjoy them! 


walkway to the exhibit hall
STAIRS! My worst enemy...
juxtaposition of classic and modern

To end off, here's a song about the Greek character Icarus. (I'll include a link on his story for you)

'Icarus is flying too close to the sun. Icarus is life, it has only just begun. It's just begun' - Icarus, Bastille


Wiki page on Princely Family of Liechtenstein: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princely_Family_of_Liechtenstein 
Wiki page on Baroque Art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baroque

Wiki page on Icarus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarus









Tuesday 16 July 2013

In a City like Mine...

When I first started this post, I said that it was going to be about how I spent the time in my life, a.k.a., not only about UWC Atlantic. So for the next few weeks I'll not be talking about UWC (or not much at least) and instead have set a little project for myself to complete. 

I don't have much more time left on the little island of Singapore, and so I have decided to make the most of my time here. What I aim to do is to visit different places in Singapore - some of them must-go tourist locations, others not as well known except to Singaporeans, and some of them are just places that have a very special place in my heart. 

I have actually written out a list of these venues, but I won't list them out here for two reasons.
  1. I don't want to spoil the little bit of suspense you have of not knowing where I plan to go.
  2. I don't want to disappoint anyone if I don't end up going to a certain place!(;

I will try to go to these places and will then write a blog on the experience; the place, the things I saw and did and the people I met and hopefully talk to! 

Let me warn you first that this is not some kind of travel review blog. I am not going to become a TLC (TV's The Learning Channel) travel guide with advice on where to spend your holiday... I don't want to steal some poor soul's job! I just want to share my experiences (hopefully you will them interesting enough) at so and so place. 

What I WILL do is add in a little of 'my crazy' and try and show (pictures will be included!) you how I see my island home. Well wish me the best of luck and we'll see how it goes!(:

I START TOMORROW! 'Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow. You're always a day away' - Tomorrow, Annie the Musical





Sunday 14 July 2013

The first step(s)...

I have decided to call this post 'The first step(s)...' You might be wondering why, especially because of the weird (s) thing I've done. It's because this post is going to be all about that 'first step' in many different situations throughout my life, which all contributed to getting me into Atlantic College and impacted the person I am today. Let's start this story of firsts shall we?


The first time I ever heard of UWC was when my senior, role model and friend, Germaine, shared her experiences of studying at UWC with me. Being the oldest child in my family, Germaine was someone I admired as an 'older sister'. She was studying at UWC Adriatic (in Duino, Italy), and whenever she was back for the holidays, she would leave me in awe with the amazing stories she had to share. Her stories fascinated me as I tried to imagine the possibility of having classmates from all over the world and being able to learn about so many different cultures and countries. I remember I thought to myself that I would be so overjoyed to have the chance to have the same experience, and I still can't really believe that I am going to! So I really owe Germaine a big thank you because I am quite sure that without her, this post would never have been written and I definitely would not be waiting in anticipation for my time at UWC!


The next very important piece of this jigsaw is my O' level Chinese Exam. In Singapore, we have a few national exams and the GCE O'level exam is one of them. I had been preparing to sit for it at the end of 2012, as I took Higher Chinese and for that reason would take the Standard level Chinese paper a year earlier. We've all heard of the great unsolved mysteries of the universe, like if there was an Atlantis and spontaneous human combustion. My getting into Higher Chinese is another of them. But back to the exam, when I realized that I was about to take A NATIONAL EXAM PAPER that (with no exaggeration whatsoever) was about to impact me big time, I started to think about my aims. By that I mean what school I was hoping to enter and basically what I wanted to do with my life. One of the things I came to realize while I was reflecting is that I did not just want to get into a school to get good grades. I wanted to do more with my life especially to help other people. I think that this life is too short to be selfish and too long to spend solitary. We all need one another and I wanted to give something back to the world, be it big or small. Out of the blue, UWC came into my mind and out of curiosity I decided to do a little Google search. This is when I found UWC Atlantic and a new love bloomed! 

I then decided to apply. I was unsure about whether I would get offered a place, and remember thinking at that stage that well, if anything happened, it could only get better. So with that in mind, I called the lovely admissions registrar, Ms Bishop. She was so helpful and friendly and before I knew it, I was sending her my complete application. 

Checking my inbox for my emails one day, I then saw an email from Ms Bishop - a request for an interview with the Vice Principal! I was so happy that day that despite getting a facial cramp, I continued to smile my way through it! (:(:(:

The next first was the first time I was on the UWC Atlantic campus. After I got the offer for an interview, I caused a bit of logistical chaos. My family had decided to take a nice long holiday to England at the end of 2012 (after my Chinese O's and before the other O' level papers I would be taking in 2013). This meant that having an interview over the phone or through Skype would be rather tricky. Moreover, despite Wales being wonderful, we had never included it in the rather packed itinerary. Yet, after some logistical adjustments, I found myself on the road to Llantwit Major where the school is! I am not one to be superstitious, but I am a literature student and so there was definitely some pathetic fallacy at play. The day we were in Wales, Stratford-upon-Avon (where we then staying) flooded while we got lovely clear, picturesque skies in Llantwit! That's nature talking(; 

When I got there, I had my interview with the very warm and open Vice Principal, Mr. Nick Lush. We had a lovely conversation spent mostly on the topic of the wonderful Shakespeare! I say conversation because the stereotypical understanding of an interview is basically a prison interrogation that takes place in a room that's not barred. I must say though that I was slightly worried after the interview having said that the gas in the atmosphere with the greatest percentage was HYDROGEN!!! That's what happens when Chemistry and you are not friends... It comes to bite you in the butt! Luckily, everything else must have been fine since I was offered a place. Phew! My dorm room joke must have worked... 

So that is basically my UWC story till now. I have started a countdown timer so that I don't have to keep counting dates on a calendar. I know I have 33 more days to go... Till then though, my UWC journey is in abeyance!

But before I end, I want to share this with you. Always believe in yourself and take risks. I think that that is the main lesson I have learnt from all this. Life works in funny ways and sometimes only many years down the road do we see the connections in the little things that happen over the course of our lives. Since nothing is immediate, sometimes we just have to take a leap of faith. Because without it, we might be compromising or even completely closing a huge opportunity that is waiting with open arms for us. 

To use the words of another because they put it so much more elegantly, "Don't stop believing, hold onto that feeling..." - Don't Stop Believin', Journey






Monday 1 July 2013

what Wikipedia told me about UWC

I can't believe that in less than 2 months, I'll be leaving the sunny little island of Singapore for the coast of Wales. Despite the fact that I've known I'll be leaving since the end of last year, I don't think my brain has really processed it yet. What's even scarier is that half the year has already flown by... EEK! 

Anyway, evident from this post title and as mentioned in my last post, I am going to tell you more about UWC Atlantic, the the school I will be studying at in Wales. Before I had access to my computer to type this out, (in this case, before I mustered up the energy needed to retrieve my laptop and log into my blog account) I wrote out my whole experience thus far in my little Shakespeare notebook (I'll attach a picture of it at the bottom of this post, it's pretty essential to this blog after all!). After using up four pages and knowing I would need a lot more, I realized when I typed this out, I was going to need serious edits to keep it short and sweet. I then tried to cut out different parts of what I had written, but the hacked up entry I was left with was not something I was pleased with; rather like watching a play with a storyline so pathetic that you actually feel like leaving midway. Therefore, I have decided to split up what I have experienced so far into different posts, so that like watching an awesome gig, with each song the band plays, a new rush of adrenaline pumps through your veins and you're dancing like a lunatic all over again(; 

This one will be focused on the general overview and a bit of the history of UWC. So let's start shall we? I've been using the acronym UWC quite a bit. What it really stands for is United World College. You might think that's not quite appropriate because it's bit of a stretch to consider Wales or even England, as the world. Actually, the name is fitting, because under the UWC movement are 12 different schools (UWC Atlantic is just one of the many) and even more (140) national committees worldwide. Moreover, due to the great number of national committees, students at each college come from all corners of the globe! Hope that explains the name(: 

Now just a quick history lesson: 'The first UWC college, the United World College of the Atlantic, located in a 12th Century castle set in 90 hectares of grounds in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales, United Kingdom, was founded in 1962 with the initiative of Kurt Hahn, a German educationalist. Kurt Hahn's vision was based on his post-war experience at the NATO Defence College, where he had observed discussion and collaboration between former enemies. He wanted to transmit a spirit of mutual understanding to young people to help them overcome prejudice and antagonism through living and working together.' Another fun fact, Kurt Hahn also started the Outward Bound program! 

What I have given you so far is a very skimpy explanation which does no justice whatsoever to what I feel is a remarkable organization. Nevertheless here is an attempt to summarize its core belief. 

"UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future."


I think I'm going to stop here because this post is already getting pretty lengthy. If you would like to find out more about UWC though, I am going to include some links for your reading pleasure, so do check them out!

Official UWC website: www.uwc.org/
Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_World_Colleges

I hope that with this basic understanding that when I write in the next few posts relating to my own UWC journey (though it is still a rather short one) that it will be easier for you to read as you will have a bit of background context. 


Also, I have decided to end all my posts with quotes from music, films or plays I have heard/watched because I am a nerd when it comes to these things. It will also make this blog truly mine. SOOO today something about how I kinda feel at this very moment thinking about my imminent departure...

" Time's moving really really slowly. My heart's beating really fast. I swear to God, it feels like... it feels like it's beating like three times as fast as it should be." - Aron Ralston, 127 Hours


*as promised my little Shakespeare notebook