I wish I was a little more disciplined when it comes to studying.
)':

September's over, time to wake up.

Not that I didn't know what was going on for a large part of September, but it was a ... if I should say, boring one.
September's always boring.

There were little good things here and there though, like the fact that I finally managed to secure a TC. Thank God, really. (':

I guess my life's been really mundane because I'm in the last year of a chapter of my life. It did seemed like just yesterday I entered into university, but it also does seem like a long while that I've been in this. I'm not professing that working life is going to be a whole lot better, but I'm guessing it's gonna be a different kind of challenging once again. And if anything, I just wish that I would be able the face the challenges that may come my way.

I guess I'm starting to get used to being back in Singapore, and regularity is starting to pick up in my life.

Is this when school starts to get difficult? I guess it's time to wake up my idea now.

Nicholas Spark's new movie premiers this Fall,
I can't wait!
I've always been a Spark's fan, I guess that's the hopeless romantic in me.

Summers never looked the same;

I'd be lying if I said I've gotten used to living back in Singapore,
cos I haven't and it sucks that I keep remembering life during the last eight months.
I knew I was going to miss it, I just didn't expect it to be this soon.

It's September and I'm into the third week of school,
And I haven't gotten used to the rigor of SMU, that's what exchange does to you.

All I can think about are the days I woke up at whatever time I wanted to, the days I spent in front of the Mediterranean Sea thinking about life, the days I spent grocery shopping and cooking, the days I spent not going to school because I could, the days I spent in Hativat Alexdroni, the days I spent in Europe, the days I spent in Korea bumming around, the days I spent that's no longer around.

I hate this, I wish I could be less nostalgic, less emotional, then maybe I would miss less.
In the mean time, I can only wish the future would be better.

And so we're in Busan now and it's been exactly a month since I left for Korea!

Without a doubt, I've been enjoying myself tremendously. And I must give a million shout outs to Salad whose been the most patient and tolerant of me. To put it simply, I'm not the easiest person to live with, but she has been giving in so much to me. And of course, she has been doing all the planning and bookings for the trips. I'm clearly the deadweight loss on this escapade. Nevertheless, I am super thankful to be on this break with one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world.

Love you forever Salady.
xoxo

The year of many first;

So I'm back because I haven't been here for the longest time again. Sometime during the start of this year, I remembering Dayre-ing that this would be a year of many firsts. For starters, it was the first time I left home for seven months straight. It was also the first time that I had time just for myself and was completely free of any obligations. It was also the first time I went on a student exchange program to Israel (the best thing that happened to me in SMU). And also the first time I travelled Europe. Most importantly, it was also the first time I decided that I was matured (or ready?) enough to love someone (or rather, to believe in love). And for the first time, I am in love. And I am happy.

So Salad and I decided to go cafe-hopping today and I'm gonna try my very best to upload as many Israel pictures as I can. Wish me luck!

Eeks it's July and I feel like a horrible person for not updating in the longest time.

I'm in Korea with Salad now and we're having the time of our lives. Eat, shop, sleep, repeat. Is this even legal?

June.

So I'm down to my last month of exchange, how did time even pass by that quickly.

My calendar in less than 100 words.
13th - 19th June: The sister and aunty and cousins are visiting Israel = Road trips.
19th June: Consumer and Firm in the Economy examination.
23rd June: Law and Terrorism examination.
24th June: Israeli Constitutional Law examination.
2nd July: Leave Israel.
3rd - 6th July: Hong Kong.
8th July - xx Aug: Korea.
18th Aug: School Reopens.

I remember what made me blog so frequently a long time ago, studying. I always get so distracted when I have to study.

Tonight I'm missing my Europe travels very much, it doesn't even matter that I am still on exchange. I love Italy. It's one of the most beautiful, if not the most beautiful country I've ever been to. I wish I could go back to Florence, and maybe visit Cinque Terre. And I couldn't have asked for better company on my trip, I'm sure it also made all the difference.

22 feels different.

Or is it supposed to feel different?

To be honest, this was one of the most special birthdays I've had. It wasn't due to any over-the-top celebration or the usual surprise parties, but it was all about the new company, and being in a foreign place (but the best place) away from my familiar faces.

I've always said that the best birthday present I could possibly have this year is having the opportunity to go on exchange in His land. I know I've said this one too many times, but Israel has truly been nothing short of amazing. Looking back on the last four months, God really prepared a place for me here and blessed me with the best company ever. I shall save my shout-outs for another posts, but the Singaporeans living with me are one of the most earnest people I've ever met and I could never have asked for better company.

And so I'm 22 now, but I still feel extremely loved.

Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. My Israel family. 

It's almost the end of May already.

I miss the days when I would have blogged about every single lame details of my life, I guess I just got lazy.

I spent the greater part of May in Turkey and Greece, it was a good get away. But I'm guessing holidays are always a good idea.

I'm down to the last month of my exchange in Israel and I'm not sure how time flew by so quickly, I'm going to miss this so much. I really don't want to return to Singapore but I guess that's not an option. At the very least, I've still got Hong Kong and Korea to look forward to. I keep going back to these countries, I promise it was unintentional.

Recently I've been hit with this bout of melancholy, I'm sure it's not home-sickness, but I'm not quite sure what it is. Let's just hope I get better soon.

Hello glittergurl-.

It's been a while. But I'm back from my 20-day vacation in Europe. And since I missed class this morning, I shall do a little update on my recent trip. And what better post to do but one on my Top 10 favorite food.

10. Duck Confit from Restaurant Bouillon Chartier

If you're looking for an authentic Parisian dining experience, this might do the trick. This duck confit did not have any sauce on it (and I usually drench my food in zhap/sauce) but that did not matter because it was still juicy and tasty on it's own.

Address: 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Price of dish: €9
Country: Paris, France
Price spent per pax: €15

9. Four Cheese Pizza and sausage from L' Antica Pizzeria Fratelli RICCI EST! EST!! EST!!!

We immediately fell in love with the texture of the pastry, because even though it wasn't a thin crust pizza (I don't normally eat thick crust pizza, think Pizza Hut and the like, in fact I only eat thin crust pizza these days) but this thick crust pizza won me over because the taste of flour was not too overpowering to make me feel gelat and it gave a good balance to the ingredients. I guess what really did the trick for us was that this pizza was cream/white sauced based which was a good change from the usual tomato based pasta.

Address: Via Genova, 32, 00184 Roma
Price of dish: €10
Country: Roma, Italy
Price spent per pax: €15

8. Squid Ink Pasta from Alfredo's Pasta

I might be a bit bias because I fell ill in Venice and could not really appreciate the flavor of this pasta, but the texture was crazily amazingly there. Nothing quite beats freshly cooked pasta from scratch, and from scratch, I mean even the pasta was made on the spot in the shop. And given that everything else in Venice is probably too expensive, this pasta scored points at only being €6/7. Tell me how can anyone not love affordable and good food?

Address: Calle De La Casseleria, 5324, 30122 Venezia
Price of dish: €7
Country: Venezia, Italy
Price spent per pax: €7

7. Pizza from Pinsere Roma 

This was the pizza that had to be good because we went on two occasions but it was closed and being the adamant people we were, we refused to leave Rome without having tried it. So I walked for a good 20 mins in the morning just to order 6 of these (one of each flavor) and I'm glad they did not disappoint. The unique thing about this pastry (The one important thing I judge a pizza is based on it's pastry, I might be wrong but it's preference) is that it neither tastes like thin crust nor thick crust pastry, to be exact it doesn't even taste like flour but it was so good! (And this was after walking home another good 20 mins before eating it) And if the pastry wasn't good enough, the flavor and ingredients on the pizza blew us away. Every single bite was bursting with flavor and my personal favorite was the potato one. It is no wonder it's the best pizza in Rome.

Address: Via Flavia 98, 00187 Roma
Price of dish: €4.50
Country: Roma, Italy
Price spent per pax: €4.50 

6. Bacon Cheeseburger from Burger AMT

I guess (for me and almost everyone else) what makes a good burger is the patty and this diner nailed it on all counts. The beef patty was super juicy and cooked to perfection. That's why the better burger joints claim that burgers are not fast food, and they really are indeed a work of art. And you have to go to this diner because the brownie points were scored in their fries! Everyone knows I'm a sucker for potatoes, but these ones were really good. And you have to order them alongside the chili cheese sauce, no other way.

Address: Krossener Straße 22, 10245 Berlin
Price of dish: €6
Country: Berlin, Germany
Price spent per pax: €8 

5. Duck Home Made Pasta from Vini e Vecchi Sapori

I like to eat at restaurants recommended by my brother because they never fail, and as expected, this one did not fail me. There were quite a number of mention-worthy dishes we tried, but the duck pasta was the best. It might be the fermented bean (we aren't actually sure if it was inside) but the taste was so unique and the texture of the pasta was just perfect (it seems like the only way to eat pasta in Italy is home-made, no processed ones whatsoever). The ambience was also lovely because it was a cosy italian restaurant, just like the ones you see on the television. And it probably was the best first meal in Rome.

Address: Via Dei Magazzini 3R, 50122 Firenze
Price of dish: €8
Country: Firenze, Italy
Price spent per pax: €20

4. Florentine Steak from Antica Trattoria da Tito 

This does it for all meat lovers, 1.2kg of beef just simply can't go wrong. And one thing I've learnt about having steaks in Italy is that you can only have them rare, no other way. And it is the best way. This steak was so tender that even the fats literally melted in my mouth. Forget Lawry's or Morton's, this is by far the best steak I've tasted in my life. You have to try this in Florence, and even if you wanted to, they might turn you away if you don't have a reservation. 

Address: Via San Gallo, 112r, 50129 Firenze
Price of dish: €42
Country: Firenze, Italy
Price spent per pax: €30

3. Savory Crepe from Au P'tit Grec

I might be bias because I'm a sucker for crepes, but this crepe was definitely the best I tasted in Paris. And if Paris is the home of crepes, then it has to be the best in the world. Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but it really was so yummy. I guessing it's due to the overload of ingredients it was stuffed with but that doesn't matter because it was perfect to me. I love cheese and overloaded cheese just means overloaded love. Quite apart from being stuffed with goodness, the crepe itself was cooked to crisp. My only regret would not be eating it once more before leaving Paris.

Address: 62 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris
Price of dish: €6
Country: Paris, France
Price spent per pax: €10

2. Black Volcano Rice from Cera 23

Hands down, the best squid ink risotto I have ever tasted in my life. I wouldn't even mind getting my teeth stained and dirty if I could eat this for the rest of my life, it's that good. There's something about the chefs in Cera 23 that they have the ability to only deliver the best. This restaurant was so good that we had our dinner here for three nights straight and I wouldn't leave Barcelona until I had the black volcano rice for one last time.

Address: Carrer de la Cera, 23, 08001 Barcelona 
Price of dish: €14
Country: Barcelona, Spain
Price spent per pax: €28

1. Donor Kebab from Mustafa's Gemüse Kebap

Trust me, I was so conflicted between deciding whether the black volcano rice or the kebab should top my list, but I think I have to give it to the kebab only because it offers just about the same satisfaction as the black volcano rice at a third of it's price. This wrap was so filled with goodness and flavor that I could not stop exclaiming "This is so good!!" with every bite that I took. The 3:2:1 ratio of meat to roasted vegetables to sauce and wrap was perfect. And if a dish has the power to bring me back to a country just to have it, it definitely has to top my list.

Address: Mehringdamm 32, 10961 Berlin
Price of dish: €4
Country: Berlin, Germany
Price spent per pax: €4

Special mentions...

1. Patatas Bravas from B Burger

Jon and I had such a disappointing experience at B Burger because the burger patties were dry and unappetizing but their potatoes with salsa cheese sauce was their only saving grace. It might be the hint of truffle that was in the cheese sauce but it was so appetizing I could have ordered another bowl just for myself. If you could, you should stop by just to their patatas bravas.

Address: Carrer d'Arago, 36, 08015 Barcelona
Price of dish: €3.50
Country: Barcelona, Spain

2. Currywurst 

I won't pinpoint a specific place to get this but you can find it everywhere in Berlin. I love Currywurst even though, in actuality, it's just tomato ketchup with curry powder. But it's so good, you just have to have one every meal.

Price of dish: €3
Country: Berlin, Germany

3. Zucchini Fritters from Cera 23

This could easily qualify as one of my top ten favorite food but it was a daily special so you probably won't get it when you get back to Cera 23, but it was perfection that it's worth a mention. It's basically Zucchini fritters with a super special lobster lisque inside. The fritters were so delicate that they literally melted in my mouth.

Address: Carrer de la Cera, 23, 08001 Barcelona 
Price of dish: €8
Country: Barcelona, Spain

4. Cod Fish from L' Antica Pizzeria Fratelli RICCI EST! EST!! EST!!!

It bore an uncanny resemblance to Harry Ramsden's Fish & Chips. I used to have them all the time when I was really young, something like 5 years old. My parents would always bring us to Kallang to eat this good old fashion British battered fish and chips. Quite frankly, I haven't tasted anything like that in a while.

Address: Via Genova, 32, 00184 Roma
Price of dish: €5
Country: Roma, Italy

Okay, that's all folks! I hope I didn't make you too hungry with this post! (:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 
Jeremiah 29:13

According to my Instagram, it's been 51 days since I've arrived in Israel. That's about one third of my journey here, and I guess it would be good to do some stock keeping.

While there has been one too many things I've learnt and grown here, there still remains that one thing that I wanted to do on coming here, that is to grow closer to Him, to seek Him more than anything else, to fall completely in Him. Maybe I've already done it, unknowingly.

But yes, I wanted/want to build up my faith. A couple of days ago I was reminded of Matthew 5:13-16, on being the salt and light of the earth. I find myself wondering if I've been that salt and light for Him, have I?

Even as I continue to journey through the next 100 days or so in Israel, it is my prayer that I would continue to seek His face and discover His will in my life, to continue to be the salt and light for Him, to yearn more for His word and to grow in His love.

I just got my tickets for Turkey and Greece booked!

Skype date with the brozies.

An Afterthought;

It's not a secret that my friends are one of the most important people in my life, and because of that I really really miss my closests and I wish they could be here with me to enjoy the beauty of Israel.

Being in Israel has taught me that whether I'm around or not, life still goes on and people's lives continue as they always do. Sometimes good things happen, sometimes not so pleasant things, but I always wanted to be in the know/part of every moment. (I used to/(may still am?) very domineering/controlling) and always thought that I knew what's best for someone. But in recent years, I'm glad I've learnt to let go of a lot of things. And it really has made me a better/matured person as a whole.

My airplane tickets for Germany, Italy, France and Spain are finally booked!

So thrilled.

(":

It's 1.38am right now and I couldn't get to sleep because it's too cold and I'm hungry, and so I decided to make myself a cup of hot milo.

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name.

There's something about this picture that keeps me wondering, I'm not quite sure what it is. Do you?

This is my Father's world;

It's been 17 days since I left Singapore and I'm actually enjoying every single moment that I'm away.

As I've mentioned before, Israel has been nothing short of amazing. Whether it is the walks along the promenade, or to school or from school to home, or the long bus rides from one city to another, watching the sunrise/sunsets, I'm actually enjoying the excess of me time that I have and having to really worry about absolutely nothing (okay, maybe a little about course registration for now, and occasional training contracts worries), I'm just enjoying every minute soaking in the beauty of His creations.

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears,
all nature sings, and round me rings,
the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought,
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hands the wonders wrought.

I'm still getting used to having nothing to do, like absolutely nothing to do. Well I should be editing my pictures but they don't interest me.

We're having a cook out at a church member's place tonight. That means I should get some rest now so I can prepare a spread later.

It's 1.17pm where I am and I promised to update here more regularly, but my SD card reader just won't work and hence I've got no pictures to upload.

It's been a good one week in Israel, and if you've been following my Dayre and Instagram, I've had endless praises for this country. Everything is just perfect, and I wonder how perfection can even exist. But this really IS IT.

Today's the first day of school, and I'll be on my way soon. I'll blog about my trip to the Old City in Jerusalem when I get an opportunity to do so. I've also had random trips around the city.

I'm actually getting used to the laid back lifestyle here, not too sure if it's a pretty good idea because this is just temporary. But regardless, I'm still extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here. I'm only just beginning to soak in the wonders of Israel.

Greetings from Israel everybody!!
(:

I arrived safely, albeit a three hour stop at the customs.
I am ashamed at my lack of updates,
but I promise to clear as much backlog as I can.

Initially I was contemplating whether to publicise my Dayre,
but I guess it would be better since I update way more on Dayre than here,
though my allegiance is still very much with Glittergurl-.
(:
Anyway for more undetailed, short, quick updates, hop over to my Dayre at:
dayre.me/aileenstephanie.

Okay we're hopping out to run some errands so I'll be back in a bit.
(:

I am absolutely tired.

This Chinese New Year has got to be the most tiring one till date,
signs of aging.

Been having really bad sleep nights as well,
woke up every other last night.

In other news,
I've been rushing for pre-exchange meet ups.
My schedule's sort of filled to the brim.
):
I've got at least 5 errands/meetings to do every day til I leave!
/:

Will blog in proper about CNY sooon,
good night world.
(:

Still feeling under the weather and I slept for 10 hours on Monday night.

It was a better Tuesday because I met Cheryl Koh for lunch,
(':
Friends are like my instant remedy.
Baked some Peach Tarts last evening.

Been feeling really tired and jaded over the week so here's to better days ahead!
I like how Chinese New Year gives me a "chance" to have two New Years,
so if the first wasn't as good,
you can start again.

But yes I know my true beginning of 2014 is going to come when I leave for Israel,
and I'm not saying it's gonna be the best,
but I know it's gonna be a good kind of different.
(:

Tired-est Weekend;

So busy that I sort of fell ill over the weekends.
Or it might also be because I've been having one too many Chinese New Year goodies and that I almost always fall sick during the Chinese New Year.

Spamming effervescence, jujubes, lozenges and the like.
):

So anyway I'm down to the second last week before exchange,
and that could also possibly be the source of my angst.

Had quite a number of pre-exchange meetups over the weekend,
I think I mentioned it in my previous post.

Time to clear up the loose ends and start packing for exchange!
I haven't even shopped for Chinese New Year clothings.
):

Pre-exchange meetups and the start of Chinese New Year dinners;

Sometimes I don't know why I bother to keep myself so busy and be so exhausted after that.
The downside of being an extrovert,
you're bursting with energy and then die when you reach home.

Dinner at Timbre with Joel Lai, Nathanael and Salad this evening,
Dinner with Jacqueline and Joel Tan tomorrow evening,
SGM Zone 4 retreat on Saturday morning, rush off to ballet in the afternoon and steamboat with the S28 girls in the evening,
and steamboat dinner with God's People on Sunday evening.

The weekend isn't even here yet but I'm packed.
):
No choice, need to meet up with all the people that matter before I fly!

"Sometimes I wonder what lies ahead, how long til my hunger is fed."

This is going to sound very exaggerated,
but it's the first day since last Christmas that I've finally got some me time alone to sit down and blog about my happenings.

Yes, I've unfortunately been that busy.
):
This also means that I've to blog about Christmas which seems very ridiculous since we're already half a month into the New Year.
But heck, here's one for the memories.

The first Christmas celebration was at the extended family's.
It's always an annual event to gather at Aunty Maureen's house to celebrate christmas!
Good start to the festive season.
(:

The next Christmas celebration was with the 4D/'92 Fairfield people,
I would actually say this was the best christmas party I had last year.
(':
Could possibly be due to the fact that I actually planned it a month in advance,
but we all know it's because Nathanael's cooking was so darn good that everybody couldn't stop eating.
Really my favorite Chicken Wings in the whole wide world.
Okay credits to the company as well.
(:

The third Christmas celebration was with FACT,
though it was a celebration for Cheryl Koh's birthday as well.
It was a simple meal but I really really appreciate my girls very much,
if you don't already know now,
they were the first best friends I made in secondary school and it's the tenth year of our FACTship this year!
(:

The fourth Christmas celebration was with God's People,
and the default place for all our small group gatherings are at Yaanmeng's place!
Really thankful for him,
and you guys will just be super shocked to know that Yaanmeng was even at the party but he kindly let us his place to use for the party.
God's People's really blessed to have him,
not only for his house of course.

The fifth Christmas celebration was with my favorite group of girls/the '91 Fairfield girls/Netball girls.
In the past it used to be a yearly affair with Juls, Nics and Corinne,
but we stopped doing that for a long time now,
and I miss it very much.
But it's definitely better with everyone else too!

Stayed over at Jul's and we managed to heart talk quite a bit.
These girls are very important to me because they really make me a better person and who I am today, not that my other friends don't, but they really really teach me a lot of things in life and I dare say that I wouldn't be who I am today if I didn't have them.
(':

The sixth Christmas celebration was just with the family because this time round Timmy and the Parents were back from Kuala Lumpur.
As much as I always rant about how my family loves to annoy me,
I guess I would have been half as independent if they had spoilt me since young.
So I'm really blessed to be in such a huge ass family.

The seventh Christmas celebration (Okay, I promise this is the last one) was with my S28 girls.
Random note: I'm really glad how my celebrations goes in a chronological order on how long I've met the people.
But also very thankful for my JC girls who made the two years go by so quickly and always being my silent pillar of support.
(':

Apart from the Christmas celebrations, I also had random meet ups with Grace and my Sunday Bests and by the time I knew it, it was the end of the year already!
I also helped the Brother bake at his kitchen on the days that I was free.
Anyway if you guys are interested in ordering tarts or cakes please find me!

Oh yes and the most important part of Christmas was meeting two strangers,
who I believe were God's christmas gift to me,
if you're interested you can ask me about my testimony!
But it was the craziest and most amazing experience in 2013.

Finally ended the year with God's People Retreat at Yaanmeng's (again).
I'm glad that the retreat went well and it's always a good time with the small group people,
but I guess it's always been my heart's desire that we can grow more spiritually together.
But I guess it's not something I can do on my own and it's ultimately God's small group,
so we'll just have to wait and see the plans He has for us!

Ushered the new year in at church with God's People,
It's been this way the past few years and I really don't see myself celebrating it any other way.
(:

And yes fast forward a little bit and it's already mid January,
thank you for bearing with me if you bothered to read all the way til here.
But I guess this is really just for my own record purposes.

I'm currently on a short internship stint now and it has been nothing short of amazing.
A lot of random meet up with friends after work as well,
just a few more meet ups before I finally leave for exchange.

Three weeks more til Israel,
til then!