Aside from the sightseeing, there had work to be done of course. Afterall, this was what this trip was all about - to serve the Cambodian community.

The project required us to teach English and Oral Hygiene to Cambodian Children. So off we went to our first stop in this town - the rural Old Piek Snaing Village! This village was very far out from the main part of town, and due to that - supplies were hard to come by, which resulted in many being malnourished. Besides that, there was a problem of head lice infestation among the children. So we spent the afternoon killing the pesky head lice and cooking up a nutritious meal of rice-soup consisting of rice, carrots and pig's blood for them. Sadly, the kids only get to eat the same meal twice a week, every week.

With their tummies filled, we taught them how to brush their teeth next. It was difficult at first because of the language barrier as there was only one interpreter, but we managed to pull through. Then, we gave out toothbrushes and toothpastes for everyone of them.

After visiting that village, our next community service activity was at the Kompong Khleang, The Floating Village. This village was very special because the children there are able to maneuver a sampan to their desired places in the village. It was heart warming when we saw one of the kids, after eating, immediately went to try out his new toothbrush.

Here are some of the many pics I took:

Old Piek Snaing Village, kids all lined up waiting to be de-liced.

Girls of the village.

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: Boys in a queue, waiting to be scrubbed. 

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: Big smiles from Johnson and Nicholas. "Muay, Pi, Pai!" Which means, One, two, three! It's a countdown for the icy water to reach their skins, as they brace themselves.

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: Had to tie up my hair into my cap for I was afraid the lice could jump to my hair. I had fun giving them a good scrub and a free head massage. 

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: Keefe & Jonathan.

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: They enjoyed my free head massage.

Courtesy of Aaron Leong: Rice Soup, with carrots and pig's blood.

Singing as they await their meal.

Serving them slowly..

The Lunch Ladies.

Rachael Ho, distributing the bowls.

She was the last one to finish, because she savored every bite of the soup, while others had seconds. 

Cute isn't she? Pity she's malnutritioned. 

On our way to The Fishing Village, we stopped for a bite. That's glutinous rice with beans, Cambodian style of the Malay 'Lemang'. Our boys here said it tasted sweet. 

They set up their own stalls along the road, and all of them sold the same glutinous rice with beans cooked in a bamboo roll. 

Welcome to The Floating Village! 

We've reached their Floating Church.

Us teaching them the correct way to brush their teeth.

This cutie pie on the left fell asleep shortly after I took his picture. 

Applying what she's learnt.

That's one happy baby.

Precious

Sleepy boy.

Awaiting their meal.

Azira on their Sampan.

Very caring, they are. After they had their share of the rice soup in a bowl, they 'tapao' some soup into a plastic bag to share it with their family members.

Class dismissed! 

Like a boss.

Til we meet again! 

Our efforts paid off! 

Hope you enjoyed this one, and maybe one day you'll be able to travel to Cambodia too! 

Photos courtesy of Aaron Leong, Keefe Wong & Fatin Halina

Apart from experiencing the flood, we also visited one of the wonders of the world; Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat means 'Temple City'. Like it's name, it's the state temple in Cambodia and the country's prime attraction. It's also the world's largest religious building catering at first to the Hindu religion, then to the Buddhists.

It was raining when we visited all the temples, so we got to see Angkor Wat in a different light. Angkor Wat is HUGE. It's surrounded by a spectacular moat and it was simply amazing on the inside. Walls with carvings that are perfectly chiseled, each panel with a different story to tell.

The visit was also very special because the Ta Phrom Temple was used as a location for a scene in the movie Tomb Raider. As a film student, I felt very fortunate to be able to visit a famous movie location.

I shall leave you to the pictures now and let them do the talking:

Here's a ticket that you'll need in order to enter all the temples in Angkor Wat. They snap your picture and print it on the spot. Really cool souvenir.

The moat surrounding Angkor Wat.

And it was raining...

Stone carvings on the temple walls; Khmer soldiers marching to battle.

Such detail in the carvings..

Our tour guide for the day, Mr So Hun

Steps to go up and see the other side of the temple.

We saw this pretty lil darling on our way.

It was already flooded when we came.

Ta Phrom Temple

How efficient...

Can you spot a smiling face?

Faceless temple God.

Gates to Angkor Thom.

Spot any elephants?

A temple guard at the Bayon Temple. His head and part of his leg was stolen. So they replaced his leg. His head, I'm not so sure if he's going to get a new one..

Carvings of Muslim Soldiers

The Smiling face of Buddha.

There was a photoshoot going on while we were visiting.

This place is great for hide-and-seek. 

After the rain...

It's like a boardwalk through the temples..

Replicate statue of Buddha right there, with the golden yellow sash. The real statue was stolen, unfortunately.

That would be all for this post. If you're interested in checking out other pictures of Angkor Wat, drop me an email! Stay tuned for my other posts about Cambodia! 

Til then! Toodles, my noodles! 

I am back. Two weeks later, I am flood-trained. Yes, I am flood-trained from spending time in Siem Reap, Cambodia where water-levels were thigh high. It was an eye-opening experience for me and 14 others from the School of Film & Media Studies who came along for this Youth Expedition Programme.

It happened day four into our trip, when we were all snuggled up in our pyjamas and pillows getting ready for bed when our lecturer made the dramatic announcement that we had to evacuate! We thought he was pulling our leg, but he was dead serious! So in the next 20 minutes, we were all packing our things really quickly and made our way to a church nearby that was on higher ground.

It was pitch black and we had to rely on our torchlights, and this point some of the houses were already flooded up to the knees. As walked deeper in, the water got higher. On the way to the church, we passed by the river bank and saw water spilling speedily into the village.

We camped in the church for the night, and the next morning were told that BBLC was flooded up to the knees. But our luggages, thankfully, were safe. All our activities in the village and BBLC were suspended for they were expecting another wave of flood to come but we had to make our way back to BBLC to collect our luggage.

And off we went to a hotel, for the next three nights!

Here're some pictures that were captured in the floods:

Leaving our first hotel for BBLC.

Flooded houses in the city.

Flooded up to the knees in Siem Reap.

Finally reached the entrance to the village, where BBLC is located about 500 metres in.

We had to carry our luggages in because the bus couldn't drive inside to drop us off.

The river in the day.

Our flooded journey began at our ankles.

Later, it was up to our thighs.

The overflowing river bank.

Church playground.

Overflowing river dam.

The village river.

Embarking to back to BBLC.

Villager's house.

Flooded up to out butts.

One of the kids found a fun way to entertain the flood.

He built a raft! 

A flooded BBLC.

Our flooded dorm, where we were supposed to have nice dreams..

This is Smey. (Pronounced Smai) One of the kids who goes to school at BBLC. Please ignore my very glamorous pyjamas.

Here comes the Land Rover to rescue our luggages! 

He too found a way to entertain himself with the flood.

Walking out of the village.

Finally out! 

Flooded roads.

One of the streets in Siem Reap.

A flooded church in Siem Reap.

Locals playing in the flood.

Swimming..

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Marching out of the flood in our pyjamas.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: The flood's not that bad.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: A flooded boys dorm.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Mr Hsien, one of the lecturers for the trip.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Walking back to BBLC for cleaning up.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Scrubing the donated towels, t-shirts, to be given away to villagers.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Lots of work to do! 

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: The library got flooded too, so we sorted out the books that were still in good condition for reading.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: Mrs Sng, our other lecturer, hanging up the towels for drying.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: That's Nicholas, cleaning up the store room

Photo courtesy of Aaron Leong: What Nicholas & our other friend Johnson came up with during our 2-night rebound to BBLC.

Don't forget to check out FMS YEP CAMBODIA PART II & III for more exciting stories! 

Now that I’m back (safely) in Singapore after spending 6 weeks in Wuhan, Hubei China, and started a new semester back in school, there are some things that I miss about China.

You may have seen my previous post on the food in China. If you haven’t, check it out here!

Yes, I miss the huge food servings. The mountain of fried rice that costs only a dollar.

Of course, I’ve learnt through talking to the locals that while their food is cheap, their pay is lower compared to Singapore. What we consider a meager salary from a fast food restaurant worker is higher than what they can get for a similar job.

On the trip, we also went sightseeing to the Lulin Forest, Three Gorges Dam, Yellow Crane Tower, Hubei Provincial Museum, East Lake, Wudang Mountains and so on. The scenery was a shutterbug’s galore, and we also learnt about the rich history of Wuhan, of Hubei, and of China. Here are some pictures:

One of the artifacts on display at the Hubei Provincial Museum.

The beautiful scenery onboard a boat tour of the Three Gorges Dam.

This Overseas Immersion Programme was definitely a good experience. I learnt to adapt to the dire conditions of China, and in the process appreciated how fortunate I am to live in Singapore.

If you ever have the chance to go for such a trip, I encourage you to apply for it!

Hi! This is Clara, with the last blog post on my 6 weeks spent in Wuhan, Hubei China!

So, as the title suggests, what makes a country?

If you guessed that it’s the people, you’re right! This post will be about some of the interesting people that I met during this trip.

周阿姨 (Aunty Zhou) is the caretaker of our hostel. The 43-year-old has been working and living in the hostel for three years, and has seen four batches of our NP students so far.

During the day, she will read the newspaper or watch drama shows on her computer.

What struck me the most about Aunty Zhou is that she is always so friendly and welcoming with her smile. She goes the extra mile; once, she helped us to keep our laundry that was in the sun, because we were out over the weekend for sightseeing.

严阿姨 (Aunty Yan) operates a noodle stall in the school’s canteen with her husband. The stall operates throughout the week, from 7am to 8pm.

Aunty Yan, who is 42 years old, has never heard of nor been to Singapore, so it was interesting for her when she found out that I was Singaporean. Ever since then, I have a friendly chat with her every time I patronize her stall.

To me, Aunty Yan is a motherly figure that truly cares for all her customers.

When night falls, the street outside my university comes alive. Food stalls line the place, and everyone flocks the place for cheap yet good food.

Some of the stallholders knew that we were Singaporeans. For this uncle (picture below), it was because we always bought the chicken wraps from his stall.

However, I didn’t manage to talk to him more, because he was always busy serving his customers.

That’s all I have for this post, and this wraps up my 6-week stay in Wuhan! I leave you with some of my pictures of the people I met on the streets. Enjoy!

Hi! Once again, this is Clara, a second-year Mass Communication student from the School of Film and Media Studies. After spending close to five weeks in Wuhan, Hubei China, I have a list of ten things that you (probably) didn’t know about Wuhan.

The list is a compilation of my personal observations, as well as interaction with the locals.

1. McDonalds does not deliver to all areas

In Singapore, we take it for granted that McDonalds will deliver to wherever we are at. In Wuhan, however, the place is so spread out that they do not deliver to all areas. I tried calling McDonalds once, but they told me that they did not deliver to my university. So if Ronald fails to deliver, try Kentucky instead.

2. Military training

All students (even the girls) have to go for military training, starting from as young as primary school level. The training lasts for about one or two weeks before school starts, but can vary according to the school's system. In our university, freshmen will be required to go for a month of military training before they head back to school.

3. Walmart and Carrefour

This trip is my first time to China, and I didn’t expect to find hypermarkets like Walmart and Carrefour. In fact, there are many of such hypermarkets sprinkled across Wuhan. During our first week here, we swamped these hypermarkets to get our snacks as well as housekeeping items, and whatever we forgot to bring from Singapore.

4. Cameras and Locals

Walking around with our chunky DSLR cameras, we certainly attracted a lot of attention. People knew immediately that we were not locals, that’s a given. But what intrigued me more was that they stopped to pose for our camera; moms with babies, pet owners and their pets, or just ordinary individuals on the street. Some even came next to us to look at our photos.

5. On the road

When we travelled on the road, impatient drivers would honk excessively, which can be very jarring to the ears (they even have areas marked with signs that restrict honking). However, going up the mountains for sightseeing, we learnt that they will honk around bends to warn incoming vehicles coming from the other direction, because there are no convex mirrors around the corner.

6. Dance

People would gather in groups and dance in public places. After talking to the locals, I found out that the people could be dancing for personal wellbeing, or to create hype for events.

7. Public Transport

In the middle of the road when we were stuck in a traffic jam, I saw people alighting from the public bus. Everyone. According to our taxi driver, this could be because the passengers were within walking distance to their destination and didn't want to wait, or because the air-conditioning of the bus was spoilt.

8. Toilets

In China, most public toilets have squat toilets. So while I was delighted to find a toilet with toilet bowls, I was shocked to hear a lady saying in Chinese, "Oh why is it all seat toilets?"

9. National Day
China's National Day falls on a Saturday, but most people get about a week of holiday in commemoration of the National Day. Our university thus became very quiet because most students went back to their hometowns.

10. Fireworks (no, not the song)
In Singapore, we only experience fireworks during events like National Day and New Year. But in Wuhan, fireworks can be set off during celebrations (even during the daytime…when you can’t see the fireworks) like a wedding, a newborn baby, or even to wish the elderly longevity.

This concludes the list of ten things you (probably) didn’t know about Wuhan. I hope that you’ve learnt more about Wuhan through this post. Next week, look out for my post on “Interesting People I met in Wuhan”, as well as many photos of the people I met on the streets.

Do you have any facts about Wuhan / China? Share it with us!

Hi! I am Clara, a second-year Mass Communication student. I am currently on a six-week Overseas Immersion Programme with the School of Film and Media Studies. Over the next few posts that I will be writing, I will share with you my experiences on this trip to Wuhan, Hubei China were we are currently staying in the hostels of Wuchang University of Technology. 

Let’s start off with the food! The food in Wuhan is really value-for-money. The portions are really huge! Here are some pictures:

First up, we have fried rice. This mountain of rice only costs 10 yuan, which is equilvalent to about S$2! 

 Next, we have dumplings, which cost 6 yuan (about S$1.20) for 25 pieces. 

For noodles, they have many varieties of noodles. This plate of beef noodles costs 10 yuan (S$2), and it is such a huge serving of noodles with ingredients!

Of course, we had to try their local delicacies too! This bowl of hot dry noodles was bought from the school’s canteen, and only cost 3 yuan ($0.60)! Again, there is a huge portion of noodles. Who says canteen food can’t be good and cheap?

Another local delicacy would be Tang Bao (汤包), which is what we call Xiao Long Bao. 10 Tang Bao cost 12 yuan (S$2.40). It is very hot, and best eaten when the weather is cold! Currently, it was autumn here, so the weather is slightly chilly.

In general, the food in Wuhan is more salty and oily than what we are used to back in Singapore. After a week or two, we have adapted to the food here. Also, if the food portions are too big for you to get used to, it’s good to share with a friend!

That’s all I have for the first post! I will leave you with more pictures of the good food:

I can fondly remember entering the gates of Ngee Ann Poly for the very first time in July last year, to attend a Direct Polytechnic Admissions (DPA) talk as part of Poly Experience 2010. 

It was a very interesting experience as it was the first time in my life that I had ever seriously considered taking the poly route. After much deep-thinking, II’m not the JC-material and I want to do what I love. This was why I’ve set sights on NP’s Diploma in Mass Communication. I’ve heard many people sing praises about the School of Film and Media Studies (FMS) in NP and even my teachers supported my choice. So I wanted to find out more and came down with my mom to the talk. It was wonderful as I got a chance to speak with the course lecturers and I brought home valuable tips that aided in my DPA application. With everything in place, I took a brave step, which was to send in my DPA application.

All my prayers were answered when I finally got the phone call I’ve been dreaming for days from FMS. I prepared some of my past works and testimonials from my teachers as part of my portfolio. But I must say, the interview was indeed nerve wrecking :/ but I came to a realisation that I’m making a life-changing decision. Nonetheless, I think I’ve made a right choice when I clicked on the big blue button on the DPA portal that read, “Accept offer”.

As a DPA student, I attended the Ngee Ann Preparatory Programme (NPP). It was a foundation programme specially tailored to give DPA students a headstart in the poly journey. It was truly an amazing experience and made my DPA application one of the best choices I’ve made so far. To kick off, we had a 3D2N orientation camp in the beginning of this year, which focused on team building and breaking of boundaries. We were guided by fellow DPA seniors and they have provided valuable insights into poly life as well.

Having a ball at the 3D2N NPP Orientation Camp!  (I'm the one in orange!)
(Photo credit: Lim Guo Hao) 

We literally started school in NP the following week, right after we have received our O level results! The 27 of us who enrolled into FMS via DPA took classes together and it was epic.

Building a rollercoaster model for Idea Jumpstart!

We have forged lasting friendships and shared much laughter together. We had such a great time together and we even had a ‘Uniform Day’ on the very last day of our NPP.

Our last day of lessons together T.T

The highlight of the NPP was our 3 day overseas leadership trip to Bintan. Through all the fun and games, we picked up valuable lessons such as leadership styles, team formation and conflict management in our leadership module.

Cheers to DPA! (With orange juice!)

All good things will come to an end eventually :( For us, its the end of our NPP journey. We had a NPP Graduation Ceremony on 6 May 2011 to mark our completion of NPP 2011:

As a result of the NPP, I have earned credit exemptions for the modules I have completed and I’m able to devote more time now to my projects and CCAs. My classmates are envious of all the free time I have now :P 

It’s been a year since my DPA application and after 7 months in NP, I’ve almost forgotten how it has all started. It all started with a dream and the courage to take the first step. As I continue my journey in NP, I will remember the wonderful friends I’ve made and the memories we all share in the NPP.

By the way, if you're still unsure about the DPA route and need some advice - come down for course counselling and DPA talks today at Ngee Ann Poly's Convention Centre (11 July: 3.15pm, 4.15pm, 5.15pm) and tomorrow (12 July: 3.15pm, 4.15pm), and hear from our friendly lecturer representatives from the various faculties!

For more info on DPA: http://www.np.edu.sg/ngeeanndpa/documents/dpa_why.html

Guess where I went to recently on an overseas study trip? To…WUHAN, CHINA!!!

Why would I go there? Well, to study and play of course! When you're in Year 3, you could either specialise in a particular field of work, or mix and match the electives offered according to your preference. And in my case, my chosen electives was Photo Journalism and the History of Chinese Culture. Soooooo, they pack all of us up into one plane and off we went to Wuhan on this study trip!

Here's some pictures on the day of setting off:

Sherlene kissing her mum goodbye.

Oh the dazed out face of 6am in the morning.

Some of us were pretty reluctant to leave...

and there were some of us who were happy regardless of where they were going.

You wanna make a guess who are the teachers bringing us on this trip?

Yes, it's our beloved Mr Felix, he teaches Photo Journalism

And of course the oh-so-very-nice Mr McTurk, who's accompanying us on the trip.

After sitting on the plane for what seemed like forever, we finally saw the great land of China....Well no....It's actually a bridge........

At the airport transiting to Wuhan from Shanghai, we stopped at Macdonalds to grab a bite. And I found this delightful dessert:

STRAWBERRY OREO MCFLURRY. Can anybody say Strawberry Oreo McFlurry Ice Cream in Chinese?

So after a few days of staying at Wuhan University, we went out on a few trips to practice our photography skills. Even though we are serious when it comes to work, we have fun taking pics of each other as well!

Your day will never fail to brighten up with Nicole around :D

However, Valerie will always seem so sad. =/

Somewhere near the school canteen, we spotted this mother and her child,

Although she didn't look so happy…

Here's me trying out Mr. Felix's fisheye lens, which didn't seem so distorted on my camera.

When you're bored, you try to take artistic model-wannabe shots.

One of the famous places in Wuhan you absolutely have to visit would be Hu Bu Xiang (we call it Food Alley). Why? It's just a loooooooooong alley with food stalls on both sides of the alley. It's like heaven…food heaven.

And being a fan of smelly tofu, I had to locate the best of the best, which led me to…

The signboard says "The world's most smelly"

The owners of the store were descendants of this man who made smelly tofu for President Mao before

At the end of the street, there's this man who carves dolls for a living since he was a child.

To end the day off, here's me sneaking a picture of Matthew:

The other sightseeing place to went to was Red Cliff (You know, the one from the movie?) What you find there would be beautiful sceneries surrounded by lots of statues, telling the history of the era before the war of the Three Kingdoms.

Also, I can proudly say I climbed the treacherous road up to Mt Wudang. The weather was not only harsh on us, but the crowd made it tougher, since little movements were made every minute. But nevertheless, the trip to Wudang was worth it because of the wonderful view and experience I got from it. My journey in pictures below:

Squeezing in the tiny stairs up to the top was no easy feat.

At the warmer area of Wudang, we went to different temples and had our share of fun.

That's one of those wishing trees you see in the Chinese drama serials.

And here's one of it after editing:

Going to China also means you get to eat good food, by that I mean scrumptious dumplings. And by that, I mean those that keep you warm on a cold weather. Warm, full, and satisfied.

That's a typical day in their kitchen.

Wrapping the dumplings with the vegetable fillings.

The whole family works very hard for their small little shop.

And their baby brings them the joy needed in the house.

Oh, such wonderful, wonderful, wonderful dumplings they are!

On a side note, here are some the adorable people/animals I found during my stay:

Isn't this toddler just soooooooooo cute!!!

Do you want a pug? :3

A heterochromatic cat! I never thought I'll get to see one of those alive.

When the time called for it, the flowers started to bloom and then it came. The season of the cherry blossoms. Pardon me though, for I do not have many pictures of them.

The red lens filter which I decided to test out on Amanda! Isn't it beautiful!

Here's a picture of hardworking Xanthe studying and writing notes:

As for the fun we had, they included playing sports,

getting your hair done,

eating at a wonderful restaurant,

Posing like a family portrait in the olden days:

and acting like a strict teacher with geek specs:

Here's Guo Wei, he was our tour guide!

The caretaker of the student dormitories was also extremely hospitable, and I managed to get a picture of his lovely grand daughter!

Here are some of my works from this whole trip:

Ngee Ann Poly really does guarantee every student the chance to go overseas at least once, so this is something you'll get to do before Graduation Day. And for me, this IS that trip.

At the end of this whole journey, I've really learnt a lot about photography, Chinese history and culture, as well as about myself. I doubt I will ever let myself forget these 5 weeks I spent in Wuhan with my friends and teachers. It was truly a memorable experience going on this trip with them. And I can sincerely say, I have never regretted this decision to go there!

Adios, I'm out.

Entering the Mass Communication course was my dream come true. I've had my eyes on the course ever since I was 15. Even though the amount of workload was heavy throughout my last 2 years here, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Year 1 didn't feel easy at all. Being thrown into a different studying environment than what you've been used to for the past 16 years - you start to panic. Especially when you've had the close guidance and strong support of your teachers for so long and this is your first time being "independent".

Luckily, I survived! With capable friends and lots of hardwork, I enjoyed myself!

From the days of learning how to direct and shoot a film,

to the day I joined a CCA (can you guess which CCA I'm in?)

to the last few days of my first semester (CELEBRATION!!!)

Then when Semester 2 arrived, we learnt about being a radio deejay…

and went around scouting for places to study during the study breaks, only to resort to Starbucks...to end up not doing so much work (haha)

Along came Year 2, which seemed pretty ok except for the hectic and tight schedule we were on. Year 2 was definitely not the year for anyone of us to slack, because we knew that our overall GPA was at stake! And if you have your eyes on a certain scholarship or university, it's time to step up your game!

So, being the hardworking students, we travelled everywhere to write stories for our Journalism modules…

Here's one picture I took while covering a story for my assignment. This was The Imaginary Story Land (by Tay Bee Aye) exhibition at The National Museum of Singapore. It had a wall of velcro and toys and pillows all around for the children to stick them on the wall. It was basically a play area where they could design and create what they want, on the wall.

Another one: This was the Night Festival 2010. I went to the Singapore Art Museum with a bunch of friends at night and were awed by the crowd. The theme that night was like a torturous carnival of some sort. You had to enslave yourself at the Slave Trader to earn Abusement Money (from the Abusement Park) and there was a cave where you could enter to try and open a treasure chest.

I also learnt how to take photos in a photography class, starting with the basics:

And we had a talk conducted by 98.7FM DJs Shan & Rozz, where we learnt more about the radio industry.

Now? I'm in my 3rd year of my polytechnic, where before I started school officially, I went overseas to take the modules: Photojournalism and the History of Chinese Culture in Wuhan and we learnt about their lifestyle, culture and some of the festivals they celebrated there. I went to Mt. Wudang, The Three Gorges and also visited Wuhan's most famous 5 bridges. And let me just say, it was magnificent.

It's the 4th week since school started and I've been attending events and movies with the purpose of writing reviews for as part of my assessment for the module Online Journalism. Oh, the perks of being an Online Journalism student - super exclusive events, meet and greets with celebrities, freebies such as gadgets/beauty products/CDs/concert tickets/restaurant vouchers for the sake of writing reviews, and have it published on The UrbanWire! Some of the past exclusive events that we've been to includes The Star Awards 2011 and movie premieres like Beastly and Priest! And for this upcoming weekend, I'll be going to Show Luo's concert!

Pictures of my one of my editors, Tan Ding Xiang, at The Star Awards with some celebrities:

In case you're wondering, the latest event I've been to is…THE BLACK STAR TOUR with AVRIL LAVIGNE.

To me, these opportunities for writing means a lot because it goes towards my portfolio. So I'm especially grateful whenever I get to go out on these events to meet wonderful musicians.

I've changed a lot in these past 2 years - in terms of my personality, work attitude, friendships and skills. And I have learnt so much in my course from my lecturers, that I cannot be more than thankful for. Without them, I would not even know half the stuff I know today. Without them, I wouldn't be inspired to work hard everytime I get struck down by obstacles. On top of that, my friends were always there for me whenever I needed them through those late nights rushing for assignments and those terrible Mondays (Monday blues!). So, have I enjoyed myself in Ngee Ann Poly? It's a definite YES!