Taking a break

I thought I should update this blog since I have already sent out the instructions for the hols homework and finished marking all the submitted tutorials =)....

The unexpected political instability in Thailand brought waves of concerns and headaches in the management of airtickets, lodging and transport for the softball competition in Chiang Mai at the end of the year. Although, like my teams, I was keen to head down to the northern territory to visit friends from my YEP project last year, I felt the relief when the school decided to cancel the trip for safety reasons because there were too many uncertainties and I was troubled daily in trying to monitor the development and to make appropriate arrangement.

But still I did have a great holiday with my friends in Bali just last week, coming back with a good tan and glow, although the cloudy weather in Singapore promised it to be a short-lived phenomenon. =)
I brought my parents out in the last 2 hols but this time, I was glad to be able to enjoy the company of my friends again because there are something that you just wouldnt do with your parents - we went whitewater rafting on day 1, negotiating the bends and passing through waterfalls for more than an hour. A level 4 experience and it was great fun and a great drop towards the end! =)
The very next day was survived on minimum sleep as we woke up at 2am to travel and climb a volcano in the dark for more than an hour in order to see the sunrise. It was quite an exercise, firming the butts and challenging our balancing skills and I must concur that wearing sandals was definitely not the way to go. But still we made it in time to be rewarded with a glorious sunrise and monkeys who tried to snatch my breakfast! At the top, we could see the devastation made by the last eruption and how the lava cut through the land mass. Lying dormant now, the land is still hot enough to cook eggs buried within.And for the rest of the day, we were just wiped out. =P
One more day in Bali and two of us chose to take on the waves and learn how to surf. It was a dream fulfilled for me because it was a sports I had always wanted to do after reading the "The Three Investigators" when I was young because the protagonists live by a beach in California and will surf occasionally.=) 2.5 hours of surfing and it was a tiring affair! - not the actual wave-catching but to go against the waves after each attempt in order to get to the spot where the waves usually break. My tummy muscles and deltoids were sore for 3 days...But it was fun! And I was not too bad because I got the hang of it after about an hour to manage 3 consecutive nice maneuvers for a beginner. =)
But I also managed to bruise a rib while scrambling up the board in order to catch a good wave, making it painful to continue with my exercise regimen in the holidays now. =P - the perfect excuse :)
And for the last three days, we spent them in Lombok, an island close to Bali where we just unwound and devoured the books we brought in an idyllic setting. A peaceful retreat from the outside world....especially good for some cheem read.

Back to school again for CCA...feeling fresh and fit for now :)

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