This post is long overdue since i have been back from vietnam for almost a week.
all in all, Hanoi trip was pretty fun. got to spend 4 days with 3 friends from jc and we had fun poking jokes at one another, mostly directed at one friend (yiliang). but kinda like the good ole days when u have practically nothing to worry about, except probably how you are gonna get that extra half mark from Tan Lai Lin for the Biology test you took the previous day. and there were nice aunties and uncles who were part of the tour, and we felt pretty much at home, coz they are all pretty much very SINGAPOREAN, the typical way. shant go into details but suffice to say, they are very Singaporean in both the good AND the bad ways.
the most important lesson i took home from Vietnam was the importance of having and enforcing rules and regulations. Most of the Vietnamese just very distinctive blatant disregard for rules that were set. Traffic, for instance, was horrible, if you think Bangkok (pre-Red-Shirts-demonstrations) traffic was bad, Hanoi roads ll beat them hands down. Crossing the Hanoi roads just means having trust in that the motorcyclists swerving left right centre, wouldn't knock into you. else, you'll never be able to cross the road. and traffic was just one part of Hanoi not following of rules. Sometimes Singaporeans really complain too much about rules and regulations that are in place, and fines, but we often forget to think about what is gonna happen on the other end of the spectrum, if we don't have any strong enforcement of rules -- utter CHAOS. So let just count our blessings that we are born in Singapore. Well, I was feeling really good about being Singaporean right until i started trying to squeeze onto the town-bound train at 8 am the following morning when i was going to work again. the same morning rush was as always horrible, and it must have been the ten thousandth time i am complaining about that. cant really kick the singaporean habit of incessant complaining too i guess. hah~
and on the side note, i broke my cello on Saturday. :( had it since i was secondary 3, seven years already, and it has served me well. so since i can't bring it to london come september, its casing strap has decided to come loose causing it to tumble down the stairs while i was on the way home from orchestra practice at rjc. probably will have to use the school cello for my last concert in July with Raffles Alumni CO before leaving for UK.
OCBC contract's coming to an end. just 2 months left minus leave so i will try starting to adapt to being a student all over again. who wants to mug together? must have forgotten 80% of my chemistry
*and i hope i wont get into trouble for my vietnam comments... haha, i am guessing readership for the blog isn't high enough for any political backlash ala Danish Cartoons...*
Mervin