SP Tourism & Resort Management | Why it is a good choice? What to expect?

DTRM Cruise Trip September 2013, photo taken from my classmate's Facebook account



My life as a DTRM student in Singapore Poly Business School

Upon writing this blog post, I find myself subconsciously thinking back on the day I submitted my JAE application. I was pretty sure that I would have no regrets after a long & hard debate between SP's Diploma in Tourism & Resort Management (DTRM) and Diploma in Business Administration (DBA) as my first choice. To console myself further that I made the right choice, I went down to SP's course counselling on the last day of JAE submission - after i've submitted my application with SP DTRM as my first option. Thankfully, I felt even more excited with my selected choice after listening to the lecturer's elaboration and prayed hard I would get it instead of my second option - SP DBA.
And so... I would say that I was on the lucky side to have been placed into the first choice of my desired course. 

DTRM is a course under Singapore Polytechnic's Business School. In my opinion it's a course that is really broad in the things you will learn regarding the tourism & service industry. What I mean is that, instead of learning a certain specialisation e.g. hotel management or integrated events (which are both courses under SP ABE school), you get to learn more about the different aspects in the tourism industry. The different aspects generally include hotel, food & beverage, airline, cruise, events and many more!





So what can you expect as a DTRM student in SP?

While my memories of the past 3 years are still fresh as recently student-turned-alumni of DTRM, I hope that this post will help students whose interests are leaning towards the tourism studies in SP after secondary school.  





In Year 1:

• You will be taking up modules that are business-related (this is standardised for all business students in SP)
• Cruise trip with your coursemates
• DTRM Retreat (Bonding Day for Year 1s)

Don't expect to be taught tourism knowledge right in your first year. It is just as fundamental for tourism students to have general business knowledge as a business school student. We all know that the tourism industry is a very important sector for most countries' economical development and is also a major contribution to the economy. Therefore it is also significant to have general business knowledge. If you're someone who has the least interest in business topics just like me, I feel you. It's gonna be a long year of boring business studies... But it'll all pass before you know it! 

To lighten up your mood, every September, DTRM year 1 students will embark on a cruise learning journey where you'll get to have fun and gain valuable knowledge on cruise operations. (What a good opportunity to bond with your coursemates right in your first year in DTRM!) Back in 2013, my cohort of students were required to make payment since the trip was not fully subsidised. However, from what I've heard, the cruise trips are now fully subsidised for DTRM students. Not sure if it was only for my juniors' cohort or it's permanently fixed... But still! You lucky kids.

Lastly, there will be a retreat day for DTRM year 1 freshmen students every year. I doubt that this culture will ever change. Again, you will get to bond with your coursemates, seniors as well as lecturers. You'll also make new friends, so treasure this opportunity!

In Year 2:

• 70% of your modules are tourism-related
• Experiential Learning Trip to Johor @ Le Grandeur Palm Resort
• Opportunity to be the facilitators or game facilitators for DTRM Retreat

Year 2 becomes slightly more exciting since it is the actual start of learning things related to your course. During your 2nd year as a DTRM student, you will have to be prepared to devote more time to your project work & presentations. But don't worry! The project works for the tourism-related modules are especially fun and encourages you to be more creative in your reports & presentations. 

Again, DTRM students are really lucky because we get to go on trips almost every year to enhance our learning. There will be a DTRM JELT Trip to Johor's Le Grandeur Palm Resort in Year 2. This trip is about a week long, and usually held in May. Trust me, it's a trip that you'll never forget. By then, you will be doing all sorts of fun things with your coursemates. In this trip, you'll get to learn more on resort operations as well as experience hands-on activities e.g. dining in a fine-dining setting, making of your hotel bed. But! Becareful not to be overly playful... You'll have to be really attentive or you'll miss out. The things you do during this trip are especially important for your grades, you'll know why in time to come ;-)

In addition, as a senior in year 2, you will find an opportunity to become the facilitator for DTRM Retreat. It is a good chance to for you to know your juniors better! Don't forget to make them feel welcomed as a member of the DTRM family when the time comes!!

DTRM JELT TRIP 2014, Classes 01, 05, 07

Fine-dining activity DTRM JELT Trip 2014

Hotel room bed-making DTRM JELT Trip 2014

DTRM Retreat for Year 1s in 2014; Taken as a facil

In Year 3:

• 90% of your modules are tourism-related
• spending a semester at internship
• Loads of time invested in doing projects  

In your final year, majority of your modules will be tourism-related and are heavily dependable on projects. The modules will require a lot of time and effort in your projects, and you will expect consecutive presentations for a couple of weeks towards the end of the semester. However, in my opinion these were the best projects I've ever done. I had so much fun doing the projects! In addition, you will definitely learn a lot in the process. It may possibly be the most tiring semester, yet the most enjoyable one in terms of academics.

For tourism students in SP, our internship lasts at least 24-weeks. It is a huge advantage for us since we get to go out into the real word and meet different people from this industry. For us, first-hand experience & exposure is most significant, especially when it comes to dealing with customers. Having a 5 to 6-months long internship benefits us in gaining real & practical knowledge which we can't get in class, and it is a good duration for an internship since we will be adapted to the environment. (Good to have a break from school too!)

To visit SP's website on what you'll study in this 3-year course, click here.
(Wow future DTRM students are so lucky, new modules are added which weren't offered to my seniors' and my own cohorts!)




Other wonderful things to expect 

• Joining the course chapters known as DTRM Chapters
• Being a part of a closely-knitted course
• Helpful, fun and extremely caring lecturers
• A chance to go for a 1-year long internship programme
• Overseas internships
• Regular out-of-classroom learning trips
• Regular guest talks
• Generally fun tourism modules & project works compared to other business courses

In business school, every course has our own chapters community. In year 1, you will get the chance to sign up to be a part of our course chapters, DTRM chapters. As for myself, I did not do so since I prefer to be a part of the business school in general rather than being course-oriented, so I was a part of SBA (School of Business Ambassadors). In my opinion, DTRM is by far one of the most enthusiastic and closely-knitted course in business school. (It's as though it's a tradition that most DTRM students are full of enthusiasm). This is definitely not a biased opinion. Over the three years, be it my seniors' cohort, juniors' cohort or even my own cohort of coursemates, I've noticed the bond & enthusiasm between all of us. This opinion is obviously supported by the fact that DTRM has many various bonding activities throughout our 3 years. The population for each cohort is just nice too! Hence, joining the chapters is a great thing to do so for those of you who may want to contribute more to the course.

Another significant observation as a DTRM alumni now, is that our course has few but very caring lecturers. In school, our lecturers play a big part in our learning journey. I am proud to say that DTRM has very helpful and fun lecturers who genuinely care for their students. They are also lecturers whom you can feel comfortable with and have great little talks too! Their lessons are always fun to attend and definitely, presentations were fun to do as we look forward to seeing their reactions most of the times. Oh ya, they are also the kinds who would never forget to take a group picture at different events or other school activities. As long as DTRM is there, we'll never fail to take a DTRM photo! 

Internship-wise, several new things were introduced to my juniors' cohort. Currently, about 11 of the students are on a 1-year internship programme. I believe this is something that will go on for the subsequent batches of DTRM students, though I am not exactly too sure about it. With that said, it means gaining more exposure in the real world than in school! DTRM also offers overseas internship; There are disney internships (which unfortunately wasn't offered to my batch), but I trust that this offer is valid again for the upcoming batches of students. On the other hand, a few of my coursemates had their internship at Mauritius.

Generally, DTRM students get to have local internships at companies such as JetStar, Experia Events, Changi Airport Group, Wildlife Reserves ZOO/JBP, USS, Chan Brothers, and hotels such as Novotel, MBS Hotel and many more. There's a wide variety of local internship opportunities in the various tourism industry offered by our course.

DTRM also offers opportunities for regular learning trips & visits to hotels, exhibitions and etc. These make learning fun and enhance your out-of-classroom learning experience! Our lecturers also often invite guests from well-known corporations in the tourism industry to give us talks, and these talks are usually advantageous to our in-depth learning of the industry.

In addition, compared to other business courses, DTRM has the most interesting and really practical projects. Just to keep your interests in check, our modules' projects usually require us to "build" a new restaurant/hotel or organise an event in relation to the modules. What I am trying to emphasise on is that you get to experience many real-world related learning and conduct necessary research. Like i've mentioned, the projects encourage creativity too. This means that our presentations are usually full of creativity, and we have the opportunity to dress up according to themes and conduct various role-plays. (Pretty much different from the typical business presentation and black/white formal attires) Other fun-filled project works involve experiencing customer service first-hand for our projects, e.g. visiting a restaurant, a hotel, etc. Definitely, DTRM projects are not typically boring but uniquely exciting!




Overall

As a DTRM student you'll have to understand that most of our modules are project-based and will require you to have loads of teamwork. In addition, time management is important since there will be several deadlines within the same period of time (especially in year 3). Presentations are also another significant part of your projects, but you'll gain loads of fun and valuable learning experience after 3 full years of project works. However, knowing that there will be many projects and presentations shouldn't be a reason to turn off your interest for DTRM. In poly, it's all about group work, projects and presentations along with your own independence and integrity to do your work. Nothing comes easy, and no course should be deemed easier than the other. I believe that all courses require the same amount of time and effort and that what matters most is your attitude towards learning. But still, on top of all the other opportunities for learning outside of class, DTRM is generally a fun-filled course!

Lastly, why is SP DTRM a good choice? 

Here are the summarised points.

• Many opportunities to learn - in and out of class, locally/overseas
• Fun projects & modules
• Valuable internship experience
• Valuable knowledge on the tourism industry in various aspects
• Opportunity to forge wonderful friendships with your classmates and coursemates
• Opportunity to forge close relations with helpful, caring lecturers
• Gaining better qualities as a person and EQ that will benefit you when working with people, especially in the real world 
• Many great opportunities for a successful career in the tourism industry
• Having a sense of belonging to a closely-knitted course
• Opportunity to have fun & learn at the same time
• Opportunity to forge wonderful memories that are valuable for life!

BUT!

If you are a girl hoping to see many boys in your course (tsktsk you shouldn't even think of this!), kiss your hopes goodbye because the ratio of girls:boys in DTRM is probably 1:9 or sometimes 3:7. Most of the times, 70% to 90% of DTRM students are females. So if you are a male... it's paradise for you... Hahaha!

As a DTRM alumni I would say that my life as a DTRM student was pretty fun and enjoyable! I may not be really keen in business-related topics, but tourism was a special kind of business to me. Can't imagine how much I would have suffered if I chose Business Administration instead. 

Though I may possibly not pursue a career in this industry since my true passion is elsewhere, I do not regret spending my 3 years in SP as a student of this course. I may regret not chasing my passion right from the start, but I do not find it regretful to be a part of such a wonderful course and family. 

However, if you are truly passionate for the tourism & service industry, I would definitely recommend SP's DTRM. 

Thank you so much to my classmates, coursemates and DTRM lecturers who made me feel like i'm truly a part of the DTRM family & gave me such a memorable journey in Singapore Polytechnic!

I am proud to be part of the DTRM Family.

WE'VE GRADUATED!!

DTRM on Graduation Day, 09 May 2016

B.A.P Comeback 2015/2016; 25 Things I look forward to

*P.S: I do not own any of the photos, videos or GIFs here except for the screen shot below. All of the images, etc. were sourced from google and belongs to the rightful owners who own them.*

Singapore SMRT train service breakdown | Appreciating the little things

Just like how us, human beings are not perfect, we can't expect anything else to be But for every flaw there is, we can find a good in it

(I have no idea if this post would offend any readers, but please note that no criticism or harm was intended or directed to anyone, and respect that all contents are solely my personal opinions.)


We all know that none of us are perfect (in this world, nothing is). If we are, there would be no rooms for improvement, and we'll always expect everything to be handed to us on a silver platter. In life, we are always learning and making continuous efforts to become the better of best. Definitely, we'll never be satisfied with being just "best". 
What's exactly the best? Don't ask me though, I am not sure too.


The SMRT trains in Singapore may not be the best to us, since I've seen people complaining often about how it gets disrupted easily. I'll admit, at times at certain moments, I probably complained about it too. It is understandable, running late and having the train disrupted is no good for us. What's worse when we started off our days early, and ended up being late because of a train fault? 

We're all humans anyway - it is in our nature to complain, we all have feelings. 



However, I often feel that we should also think about the good sides of something instead of complaining all the time.



Many of us tend to forget that the trains don't work on a miracle.  We have the engineers and workers out there, putting in hard work and extreme efforts just so that we, the commuters, can have a pleasant journey. Placing myself in their shoes, I don't think I will be able to handle such difficult work.  Even in other countries, there are bound to be train faults as well, not just Singapore.
In everything, there's always an effort being put in - like I said, things aren't handed to us on a silver platter. 



Just yesterday, there was a train fault during the evening peak hours which was pretty serious (and possibly one of the worst breakdowns in Singapore). It affected both the North-South and East-West lines which caused many much inconvenience. 

In order to help us get home safely, there were free shuttle bus services and bus rides the whole night as a compensation. I'll be truthful about how I was pretty upset last evening, since I was rushing off to meet a customer to hand over the handicraft she had ordered. The buses were really packed that I had to take a cab down to Woodlands from Yishun instead.

When I was returning home, all the bus queues at the interchange were crazily long - but I am thankful that I managed to board the bus after some time and got home safely. No doubt, the bus ride was one of the slowest I've experienced (I believe), but I truly appreciate how the driver tried to let as many passengers as possible to get on board because it was getting really late. (It was close to 10pm)

I scrolled through Twitter, and obviously, many were ranting about the train service (AS WELL AS FREE BUS RIDES). 
I was upset about the train service before that, but that annoyance soon went away.  That annoyance came back when I saw that there were people complaining about the "useless" intention of free bus rides because they were all too packed to pick up other passengers at the bus stops.
I can't deny - I felt disappointed that there were people unappreciative of the little efforts being put in..  At least they tried.

But clearly, I have no rights to say much since I was complaining about the train disruption earlier on, right? 


So I woke up this morning and reflected. 

These were my thoughts after reflecting:

No matter how bad the train service disruption was, I honestly can't put the blame (or should I say we) on SMRT and complain further. 
I know, this is not the first time. However, it is definitely not something that the train service staff , SMRT, LTA or whoever related expected or even wanted to happen. Such things are unavoidable after all. I believe that they all felt really guilty about what happened. 
To think that they tried to compensate us with free bus rides, it clearly showed that they were putting in efforts to find a temporary solution as well. We should at least be grateful that we got home safely with the help of the bus drivers, or even taxis - some with their own personal cars. 

Unlike us, the workers and engineers had to stay out all night, putting in extra hardwork and efforts to solve the problems just so that we can have a peaceful transport experience the next morning. 
They were concerned about us, and how we would face much inconvenience while heading off to work or school.  At least they cared.


I read this news article awhile ago and I felt nothing but gratefulness. 

Firstly, Mr Lui apologised although it really isn't anyone's fault. 

I honestly feel that having a train breakdown is unpredictable. Sometimes, it just happens. Especially when train services are stopped in order to investigate the situation and cause of problem, if you look at it in a good way, it was done for our safety. 

(after all we can't expect a train to operate when it's faulty because it is extremely dangerous)

It clearly showed that Mr Lui felt really sorry for what happened and is taking up responsibility. 

Secondly, he was present since early morning to observe the situation and ensure that everything is okay. 

I really appreciate such a gesture, at least he is making the effort. Honestly, it is not easy to solve such problems. 

If not for his and the others' efforts, where would we have gotten transport in Singapore?

The complains going around probably made him even more guilty, but we can see that he is really concerned about us. 

Let's just appreciate the efforts Mr Lui and the others are putting in.

He could have inquired about the incident further, but he was flexible in deciding what's more important in such a difficult situation. 

Mr Lui surely wanted to be able to find the cause in order to solve the problem quickly, just so that train service can resume for the commuters.

There, he said it too. Of course, he is concerned about the commuters!

Look, he even apologised on his Facebook. And clearly, he instructed SMRT & LTA to work through the night so that train services can resume the next morning. 
For who? For us of course! 

Imagine having to stay out all night, sweating in such a humid Singapore even at night times. Imagine them being tired and sleepy... (and hungry), and yet having to work through out the night. They could choose not to do it overnight, but they were doing it for us. 

So we should at least be thankful for being able to get home - even if it was late - to rest, have dinner and be comfortably sleeping after a hot shower. After all, we really can't blame anyone all these for happening. Nobody wanted it to, and everyone tried their best to solve it. There was also no way better to transport everyone quickly and conveniently at the same time, we just have to be understanding. I definitely know that there were engineers, technicians, train service staff running about helping out stranded commuters. I saw how they were all sweating and tired, but still greeted everyone with a smile whenever they were thrown with tons of questions. Definitely, not all areas of Singapore would have had enough manpower, and of course.. That requires our understanding as well. I am truly & deeply grateful for what they did,

(All images and information above were taken from Straits Times online)  (You may read the full article here)

We all tend to look only at the negative side of everything. Even if there were faults, we could at least try to look at the little things that we can be thankful for. 
We would be happier, in a society full of love and warmth.



In life, instead of trying to find fault with everything, we should try to be grateful for the hardwork, effort and concern from others. 
In every fault we find, there are also things to be thankful for. We just have to learn to look at things in a positive perspective.

I also read an article regarding the kind acts from others amid the train disruption. My heart really melted when I read about it, and it shows how Singaporeans come together as one during difficult times.  (Click here to read the article)

Truthfully, I am proud of what they did and I hope that these kind acts would never stop.




Appreciating the little things in life makes one happier, and makes the world a better place. 



Posts related to transport: Why Singaporeans should stop risking their lives to catch public transport

20 Reasons to be Thankful for our Grandparents

A photo taken at my grandparents house when I was a little kid

Very often I may not have the time to visit my grandparents, 

but little did anyone know how much I think about and miss them - more than anyone else can assume. 


Seeing little kids with their grandparents these days made me feel nostalgia for my childhood days. However, the young children of the current generation although seemingly well-mannered, can still be rather rude towards their grandparents. I've noticed how disrespectful they can get, and no doubt that I felt really sorry and sad for their grandparents.
I understand that we all have our bad days once in a while - we are all humans. There are also times when we'd actually get annoyed with our grandparents when they show "too much" concern and bombard us with questions. I've went through that phase when I was in my early teens a few years ago, and you can't imagine how remorseful (and ashamed) I am whenever I look back at those days.


Our grandparents deserve nothing but great respect and love from us. We should always be thankful for them and appreciate the things they do for us - be it in the past, present or future.  We should never take them for granted.

I've been thinking a lot about my grandparents lately especially after my recent trip back to their house. I looked back at the things they did and still do for me, and there's no other things I can say except that I am truly grateful for them.



Here's a list of 20 good reasons why we should be thankful for our grandparents.  I don't know about anyone else, but most of these are the biggest things I can ever thank them for.



1. Firstly, their existence.  Without them, your parents won't even be here - including you.


2. At some point of time, they babysat us.  Remember those days when our parents were busy and hard at work to earn money for a living? Our grandparents were very often the ones who babysat us when they were not around. Who else would babysit us without any hesitation and genuinely take care of us? We all know how hard it is to take care of a child - changing of diapers, feeding, keeping a lookout 24/7.  There's no other people more willing than our grandparents. (especially at their age, it's a very tiring job...) 


3. They still treat you like a baby even when you're older. In our grandparents eyes, we will always be that same little boy or girl no matter how old we are.


4. Apart from our parents, they love us the most. Just like our parents, the love we receive from our grandparents will forever be unconditional.


5. They are always thinking about you. Even if they don't show it, just know that they are the ones who will never stop thinking for us.


6. They care about you a whole lot. More than you thnk actually. They worry for your safety, your health, your well-being. The first thing they'd always ask you everytime will probably be "Have you eaten?", and if you've not.. they'll most likely come out of the kitchen with a mountain of food within seconds.


7. With that, they love stuffing you with food - especially declicious ones. Our grandparents are always worried that we starve ourselves or whether we have enough to eat and stay away from hunger..  They will always go the extra miles just to make sure we have our tummies filled (happily).


8. They try to give you the best of everything. One (good) common example would be the times at the dinner table:  They are always placing tons of dishes on your plate to make sure you eat, to make sure the food are reachable to you..  If there are dishes like chicken or duck, they'd always find the best meat - with no bones - for you.  (Or should I say, the best part)  Observe and you'll see how they'd always eat the parts with more bones just so that you'll get all the juicy meat. (How selfless!!!)

 9. When you visit them, they will never fail to ensure extreme comfort for you at their house. They will always treat you as though you are their VIPs.


10. They try not to trouble you. Our grandparents are too selfless that they tend to keep things to themselves. Even if they need help with any house chores, they will never seek for yours. So remember to take the initiative and ask, or don't even bother asking - just do it. (They will be very happy!!!)


11. You'll just feel pampered around them. Not all parents pamper their children, but I know most grandparents does.  If their actions aren't considered pampering, I don't know what is.


12.  They are the ones who will hardly (or never) scold you.  Because they just can't bear to, unless you made a very serious mistake.  (Of course our parents too, love us like our grandparents do, but scoldings are always for our own good).


13. They will usually speak up for you. We all know how our grandparents would sometimes side us when we make small mistakes and get scolded or even punished by our parents...


14. They worry about your pocket money. You'll remember the days when you're still a little kid, they'd give you some pocket money just so that you could buy an ice-cream. When you're older, they worry about whether you have enough money to spend. They'd never hesitate to offer help if you ever face financial problems.


15. They put up with the annoying things you do - because they enjoy your silliness.  I am sure that we were all once that annoying little kid back then who can get a little mischievous at times..


16. They genuinely appreciate your presence and love your companion. They will always greet us with a warm smile when we meet and are genuinely happy to see us.


17. Our grandparents are like our mentors They will give you good advices and a place to seek comfort if you ever need them. (We even learn new things too!)


18. They put in the effort to get close to you. Our grandparents will always make the efforts to talk to us and keep the relationship close.


19. They are always there for you. If you ever feel alone with nowhere to go... You know where or whom you can turn to!


20. You will always be their precious grandchildren. Even if you treat them with no respect, no matter what, they will love and care for you the same until the end of time.




The list of reasons of course, does not stop here at just 20.  But these are definitely few of the reasons why we should be very grateful for our grandparents. Despite their old age, they are willing to do anything just to make sure that we are happy.



So if you've not been giving them the respect they deserve.. It's still not too late to change your attitude and show them that you love them!

I may not be someone who is very affectionate towards my grandparents in terms of physical actions, but I do show them that I love them in other ways! 

If you are a person who is shy like myself, try doing other things that can express how you feel. Love can't be seen, but they can definitely be felt.

My grandparents are very amazing people who are forever kind and selfless towards me.. I really thank them for being alive.
I earnestly hope for them to stay healthy & happy even many years later down the road. 


It is unavoidable that there will come a day when our grandparents will leave us... 

But they will always be the ones who will stay in our hearts forever. 

Why Singaporeans should stop risking their lives to catch public transport

It is undeniably a natural instinct for us to chase after the public transports most of the times. 
However, are they worth risking our lives?

If you are not one of those who dashes across the road just to catch a bus or MRT train, then you must have seen how many people actually risk their lives often in order not to be (I assume) late.
Lately, I have seen so many people doing just that - so many that I have to blog about it.
Ever since I've started on my internship a few months back, I noticed on a daily basis how the pedestrians around me tend to dash across the roads just to catch a bus - or simply saying, some are just (i'm sorry to put it this way) "impatient" to wait for the traffic to clear. I've noticed that not only working adults - but students (especially), and (occasionally) elderly do so. It is a definite that being late for work or school can leave our bosses and teachers a bad impression of us, but are they really worth it? 
Being a student, I have to admit that sometimes it can be a very fearful situation to be late for school in terms of punishment or whatever consequence there may be. Whereas as a current intern, I am also able to understand exactly why the working adults try not to be late. However, at times, it is just our natural instinct to chase after the buses or MRT trains. 
Nevertheless, I honestly feel that by risking our lives and dashing across the roads, where cars can be driving at a fast speed,  is totally not worth it. You may think that you were lucky to avoid them on time, but what about "what if"? 
The recent accidents that occured - be it in Singapore or overseas - has taught me that life is definitely unpredictable. Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime and to anyone. What if (touchwood) the cars were unable to stop on time? 
It is also scary to imagine how dashing across the roads can also possibly cause further harm to others on the road especially if the car(s) swerved, in hope to avoid running over the pedestrian. 
Frankly speaking, I can't imagine losing my life because of any fear for the consequences of being late, or just to catch a public transport. Being late is like a mistake you can learn from and make up for, but losing your life takes away that chance to learn from your mistake. It takes away everything. What comes next would be the never-ending tears of sorrow from your loved ones.  I definitely do not want that.
If you can afford the time to catch the next bus or train (or be a few minutes late), why not? Hold back your instinct to dash across the road and kick away this bad habit of risking your life to avoid being late. You can always find ways to fix your punctuality, but you can't find your way back to life if you lose it. You can be lucky, but like I mentioned, not all the time.
The least you can do is to practice good punctuality habits. (But sometimes, it is unavoidable to be late due to certain circumstances) 
You can start by arriving at your bus-stop or MRT station earlier, so that you won't have to worry about being late - and of course, practice a good habit of crossing the road in a proper manner safely.

Everyday, my heart drops each time I see pedestrians risking their lives across the roads. They seem to cross without hesitations that even if I wanted to stop them, it's impossible. Rather than shaking my head at them, I often find myself being worried for them. I truly hope that these people will actually stop to think before they dash across the roads and think of the possible consequences.
The post title may say Singaporeans, but I think that this applies to everyone in general, even the foreigners.
If you are one of the pedestrians who often risk their lives to catch the public transport by instinct or because you're running late... 
Stop and think again. 
It is better late than sorry.

 Now, don't forget to let your loved ones know that you care! Always remind them to be cautious when they are crossing the roads and to keep a lookout for their own safety everyday!

Angels & Reincarnations, do you believe in them?

Following my previous post, I was actually browsing through youtube today with the curiosity of the natural disasters which occurred over the past few years in other countries.

Being an emotional person, it took me a lot of courage to look up those news and videos that would break one's heart just by reading or watching.

Over the past few days, I also ended up researching on some very cruel and tragic incidents that took place in Singapore in the olden days - murders, bombings, cable car snaps etc. It was upsetting but nevertheless, it was really great to gain knowledge on the past in Singapore. We are definitely fortunate that the current Singapore we live in, is in a way safer than before.


After which, I chanced upon videos regarding Angels & Reincarnations on YouTube. I found them really amusing and interesting, perhaps you would like to watch some of these here.


The one I felt most fascinated by was the first one, regarding a boy who is believed to have lived as the man who lived during world war II era.






Here's a one more.







And then here's a few videos on angels.
















After watching these videos, I have to admit that they were really, really, fascinating. I was pretty surprised, and I thought to myself - it's not 100% impossible anyway. I do believe in such supernaturals to a certain extent, and the encounters with 'angels' in the videos as described, were positive issues, hence it's really nothing bad. In this world, there are definitely many mysteries that all of us are unaware of. There are way too much to know, and honestly, I am very curious about such supernaturals. They're pretty amazing, isn't it?

In one of the footage of the tsunami in Japan from a few years back, it actually captured a mysterious creature that could swim, walk on land, and 'disappear'. Not that I believe it, but majority of the original footage showed the same scenario. Of course I may be being very naive, but I'd rather choose to believe in all these mysterious supernaturals because they are what contributes to the greatness of living on this earth. Without them, life would be boring in a way. No doubt, some may say that not all supernaturals are positive ones. However, if you look at the bright side of it, there are truly many things undiscovered in this world, left to be discovered some day.


So, after watching those few videos, do you actually believe in that angels and reincarnations exist? Because after watching, I am pretty much certain that I believe in them more than I'd usually do.



On a side note, here's a video of a 911 phone call by a 4 - 5 years old girl. Heartwarming, yet funny and cute in a way. It made me laughed so hard!!!!







That's all for this post, have a nice day!

Mount Kinabalu earthquake: Heaven's new Angels

Hey everyone, I'm sure all of us know, and are saddened by what actually occurred at Mount Kinabalu last Friday morning.. I know it has been almost a week since it happened, but I believe most of us are still deeply upset about such an unfortunate happening done by Mother Nature.


It's very upsetting to know that many lost their lives through this incident, especially the young children. To think that they had a very bright future ahead, with dreams they must have had set to fulfill some day really broke my heart. Without fail, tears would well up in my eyes as I read all the news about the earthquake which were circulating around on the internet. What really hurt me was reading all the stories of the little children, description of their personalities by their families and friends, how talented and cheerful they were.. I may not know them, I may not be related, but it is undeniable how hard it is to accept that such unfortunate incidents actually happened. Neither can I, even imagine the pain and trauma felt by the victims' families, friends, even the survivors of the quake are having it hard. Can you imagine yourself, being a 12-year old & having to witness all that unbearable scenario and occurrence of the earthquake? I definitely can't. It hurts me even more to imagine the fear & pain which the perished probably felt during the last moment of their lives.

I was sincerely touched by the selflessness of the teachers and guides who actually sacrificed themselves by using their bodies to shield the young children, as well as their guests. It was said that one of the mountain guides was found dead, hugging two other (dead) guests, in the attempt of protecting them from falling rocks and boulders. Many of the children who survived said that they were protected by their loving teachers. It gave me much warmth that such people existed, but it is heartbreaking to know that Heaven took them away.

These people with a beautiful heart and soul, are definitely worth every single respect, which however - no matter how much of an amount given - will never be enough than what they truly deserve. Together with the pure & young little children, they are definitely what I'd call Angels, which Heaven has proudly gained. May these Angels now protect and watch over the survivors and their fellow loved ones. I really thank them for being alive once & many proved true selflessness. They will definitely continue living in all of Singaporean's hearts, rest in peace.


An unexpected occurrence like this makes me recall the heartbreaking feeling I felt when one of my junior/friend passed away a couple of months ago. It was honestly hard to accept, even though I wasn't very close to her. All I remember was the beautiful smile of a bright, cheerful girl who would always greet me with a hello, without fail each time we bumped into each other in the school campus. Reality was harsh, and it only felt real when I attended the funeral. An unforgettable scene like this made me realise how unpredictable life can be, and reminded me to treasure the people around me at all times.

Until today, I still miss that pretty smile of the angel in heaven right now, in a better place that is probably beautiful and peaceful.


Relating back to the earthquake incident, it really proved a lot on how, unexpected things in life can really get to an extent. I am sure and sincerely hope that the family and friends of those who passed away will feel better soon, maybe not now, but some day.

"A person we love & dearly miss who passed away never really died, because they'd always continue living in our hearts."