Time in Winnipeg
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Sunday, November 23
looong update 8:46 PMPeople back home are surprised my blog hasn't been updated over the past 10 days, and I can't believe it either; it feels like I haven't written in the longest time ever! But it was a hectic week with the Small Business exam and Personal Financial Planning presentation, the latter which went quite well - I think it might be the best finance presentation I've ever done in my undergraduate years! Haha.
So well, this is just a shout-out to everyone that I'm surviving; and just a couple of things that'd caught my thoughts and attention that I'd like to share. :)
Weather Report
I figured it makes complete sense to first chart my progress in the battle between all-summer-Singaporean and colder-than-cold-Winnipeg, haha. I know it's raining alot in Singapore now that the NE monsoon's arrived, and it's prolly cold on some nights I guess. But eh, I think that just means 20 degC the most (least), whereas I'm standing at -20! Haha.. I just think it's amusing somehow, and maybe after this stint in Canada I no longer have to wear jackets in class, heh.
So well, the cold is really as usual, just cold beyond description. Brr.. it stands at around -25 everyday now, and frankly I'd never have imagined myself to survive in such a climate. The thing is, the temperature itself is bearable, it's usually about -12 or -15, but the wind is what's making it really bad. With Winnipeg located on Manitoba's flat prairies, we experience the strongest and chilliest of winds, and a typical day at -15 can easily "feel like" -28! The weather forecast always has separate "actual" and "feels like" columns, by the way. Haha.. last week I tried walking to another building one night in the -17 cold, without a down jacket cos it wasn't with me - felt okay at first, but halfway through it got so bad I was chattering and couldn't think nor talk coherently anymore! Omg.. it's quite an experience really. But somehow I'd felt proud of my dare-devillish act thereafter, haha. :) I think an average Singaporean would cringe even at the thought of -10 la.. and that day I laughed at Vicki for wearing a ski mask in China last time (it makes you look like a robber cos it covers up everything except your eyes), cos I bet I'm going through something worse than her without any beanie, toque nor ear muff - I only wear 1-2 normal tops with my scarf and jacket! Heh.
The sun hasn't been shining these days too, not just for the fact that it sets at 5pm and leaves us all in a bleak dark state. Cloud cover has been slightly more than usual, affecting sun activity even in the daytime! So it's kinda miserable and gloomy at times when everywhere's a bluish-grey slate when you're out, and worse still when you're trying to do work in the late afternoons and it just feels like it's already 10pm! So I end up nua-ing most of the time instead, my brain tricked into thinking it should be preparing for bed. Rah. :(
Snowfall hasn't been abundant either - we've only had 2 nights of snowfall thus far, though temperatures are sufficiently low for it to stay on the grounds without melting. But Canada's winter has been weirdly fluctuating in recent years - according to locals, it's supposed to snow heavier now with optimal sunshine. Bleah.. I do hope it'll snow again soon. I've yet to make my first snowman, snow angel, and even an ice kachang in the open (which my friends were surprised was a dessert back home, cos they'd only suggested pouring food colouring in snow to be a pretty thing to do..)! I also want to go tobogganing and skiing before I leave Winnipeg..
And finally, I want it to snow too cos I like to watch flurries. They'd caught me unawares on a couple of occasions now, and it's such a dreamy comforting feeling to gaze out of the window, just marveling at the beauty of falling snowflakes while sipping on a cuppa in the Starbucks at Dafoe Library. :)
Thoughts on a Pod
On Relationships
Recently several couples have sprouted amongst the exchange students; true love blossoming for some, and perhaps for some others a mere surge of feelings and flings, which kinda sparked off some thought in me. From a cultural standpoint, it seems Asian societies aren't as liberal as Europeans/North Americans in the way they regard love and sex. But it probably remains true that every one, Asian or not, longs to have someone to call his/her own at some point in life. But if this solace were to come in the form of a fling, would or should one accept it? Perhaps the answer boils down to personality and the way one handles emotions and relationships, but yea.. it was a whole night of thought and reflection for me, understanding my perspectives towards matters of the heart and branching that out to bigger issues in general. I'm thankful Christine was around to be my engaging discussion partner too; we were sharing views and firing emails so spontaneously in the unearthly wee hours on a Winnipeg morning, haha.
On Friends and Graduation
In the past 10 days there was a period of time when I felt rather nostalgic and started revisiting Facebook profiles of friends from NY and HC, just to see how everyone's doing and erm, maybe kaypoh abit la haha. I remember having told Kaykey about it (while entertaining her during her boring Knowledge Management class), and suddenly I felt like just meeting and catching up with everyone when I return home! Haha.
While doing so I also came across many NTU Convocation pics, and I wondered how my own graduation will be like. Where I'll end up, and the whole revelation about job-hunting, what-ifs and what-nots. I remembered asking myself back in 2005 when deciding between SMU and NTU, whether I should go for an attractive accelerated 3-year program - and of course if I'd done so I'd never've been set to graduate into a recession.. Still, I don't regret having come to SMU; I believe in whom I've turned out to be, and I know I've definitely become a better person as such. I must cherish my final semester as a student before I set foot into the corporate world in less than 6 months!!
P/S: I may have many things to take on next sem, and many people to catch up with and bring around, but I won't neglect anyone I promise. :D
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Wini’s pfingo number: 31501405
Call me at only local (Singapore) phone charges when I’m online!
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Winifred Lim
Arthur V Mauro Residence, Box 436B
120 Dafoe Road, Winnipeg, MB R3T 6B3
Canada
About me
You are an enthusiastic innovator, always seeing new possibilities and new ways of doing things. You have a lot of imagination and initiative for starting projects, and a lot of impulsive energy for carrying them out. You are stimulated by difficulties and are most ingenious in solving them. You can get so interested in your newest project that you have time for little else. Your energy comes from a succession of new enthusiasms and your world is full of possible projects. Your enthusiasm gets other people interested too.
Your feeling preference shows in a concern for people. You are skillful in handling people and often have remarkable insight into the possibilities and development of others. You are extremely perceptive about the attitudes of others, aiming to understand rather than judge people. You are much drawn to counseling and can be inspired and inspiring teacher, particularly where you have freedom to innovate. With talent, you can succeed in almost any field that captures your interest.
A difficulty for you is that you hate uninspired routine and find it remarkably hard to apply yourself to sometimes necessary detail unconnected with any major interest. Worse yet, you may get bored with your own projects as soon as the major problems have been solved or the initial challenge has been met. You may need to learn to follow through and finish what you have begun, but are happiest and most effective in jobs that permit one project after another, with somebody else taking over as soon as the situation is well in hand.
Hearsay? Say here.