I'm Back!

Melbourne was fantastic. Utterly charming, it exceeded all my expectations and more. Great architecture, deliciously chilly weather (yes, my parents picked Aussie to escape the Singapore heat), unbelievable food and overall, a very, very memorable holiday. I heart Melbourne. It's unreal that I'm back in Singapore, waiting for school to start in a couple of days. Ah me.

But I'll like to take a pause from recounting my Melbourne holiday to pay homage to Singapore Airlines. Good lord, after having endured the 3 budget airlines one after another (Bangkok - Air Asia; Vietnam - Tiger Airways; Taiwan - Jetstar), SIA was the breathe of fresh air that I so badly craved. Having dropped one position to 5th place on the list of best airlines in the world, I suppose SIA had to take a firmer stand with it's cabin staff and remind them that good service is not only for bloody ang mohs, but Asians too. The last time I took SIA, I vaguely remember encountering snarky service staff. Not so this time around. Smiles on all faces, indefatiguable good nature, attentive staff. Did I mention the awe-inspiring inflight entertainment? Who else would give you great movie selections, TV shows, games and even attempt to teach you a new language on a plane flight? Ah SIA, if there's one thing to be proud of Singapore, it's the damn bloody good airline we have. Pat yourself on the back.

Alright, back to the post. So why the sudden family holiday, seeing how the last holiday with all family members accounted for, was 11 years ago? Well, how could any of us miss the 30th wedding anniversary celebration of our parents? 30 years, can you imagine? By today's standards, that is probably equivalent to 3 serious relationships! It's mind-blowing, really. I think that's something people fail to realize today. Sure, women are more liberated these days and some may view relationships as fluid and replaceable. If a relationship fails, it's much easier to throw in the towel and move on because you learn from your previous relationships and everything would soon be better, right? But at the end of the day, nothing comes easy and quarrels do happen even to the best of relationships. If you do manage to overcome all the various hurdles (and more would come), life is just so much more... colourful. I suppose we all have the "Ultimate Ideal Mate" in our heads, but seriously, no one is that perfect. And that's the beauty of having relationships. The constant surprises, learning something new about your other half. If it was so perfect to begin with, wouldn't you get bloody bored awfully quickly? Yes yes, it was nice having the flowers and mini surprises and that first kiss, hug, touch. It probably felt like your other half cared more back then. But there's beauty in mature relationships too. I think sometimes, we take the comfort level derived from a long relationship of understanding for granted. It doesn't come easily, and when you do find it, learn to cherish it.

Sorry bout that, dunno why I suddenly went off in a rant.

Ok, photos will be up soon... enough.

School in 5 days' time. Ugh, ugh, ugh.