So it's been nearly two weeks since returning from Singapore. Adjusting back in terms of culture and what not hasn't been too big of an issue considering that as far as Asian countries go, Singapore is pretty modernized. I mean, it's cleaner than Toronto.

Things are of course different now. New house, and new faces. Heck even Oakville Transit is changed their bus routes last week.

I had been busying myself with unpacking and cleaning my room last week, and should have been working on my work report over the past week. On top of the work report, however, the next few days will also find me busied with gathering whatever provisions I need for returning to Waterloo. I will be moving in this Saturday.

4A is a bit of a surreal feeling in a way. I'm almost done. UW's Daily Bulletin is the default page opening in my email client, and today's top story is of arrival of all the new frosh. The headline photo depicts a mother carrying a box with presumably her son behind her returning to the car to fish out another load. The location of the photo is clearly V1, judging from the reddish-brown bricks with narrow windows visible at the fringe of the photo.

It is a photo of an event that is familiar to nearly every Waterloo student who otherwise lives in southern Ontario. A lot of me can't believe that it had been exactly four years ago since I was in the exact same situation.

And now looking at myself, I am nearing the end of my career at Waterloo. And having completed my exchange to Singapore is even more significant since it was just over four years to the date that I first ever envisioned going away for exchange while sitting at a general engineering info session somewhere inside RCH.

Now it's all over. Those four years of anticipation for the date that I'd fly off to study in a foreign country are now something of the past. The hope and fear of whether or not I'd be able to hold an average to be accepted into the exchange. The question of whether or not I'd be able to be selected given Singapore's popularity. The uncertainty of the application process. Using up a weeks worth of lunch breaks at Raytheon in order to gather all the required approval signatures required for the application. With respect to my application to NUS, the last minute fear of my renunciation of Singapore citizenship. All these were seemingly major steps in my eventual departurIt has been two weeks since I returned from Singapore. Eight months since I arrived in Singapore. One year since I received confirmation of my exchange. Nearly two years since I ran for UWCCF committee. Three years since I first stepped foot into UWCCF. Four years ago since I met my current housemates. Five years ago since I received my acceptance offer into UW. Six years ago since I submitted my OUAC application online to the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier University. e for Singapore. But perhaps lingering in my mind a bit stronger however, is the actual time that I spent in Singapore. Never at the beginning of my career in Waterloo could I have imagined studying in Singapore, let alone working in Singapore. And yet it all came to pass as I was blessed with such an opportunity. I still remember sitting on the ground after a KEVII IHG volleyball practice suddenly realizing, that I had made it.

So here I am, back in Canada, left currently with primarily photos and Facebook contacts. Perhaps still quite naive about life. Yet probably not as naive as before. Hopefully not cynical.

Waterloo has pretty much been a blur.

A lot of pride has been shaken out of me. And perhaps I'm still trying to piece different thoughts and aspects of my life, both secular and spiritual, together.

It has been two weeks since I returned from Singapore. Eight months since I arrived in Singapore. One year since I received confirmation of my exchange. Nearly two years since I ran for UWCCF committee. Two years since I applied for exchange. Three years since I first stepped foot into UWCCF. Four years ago since I met my current housemates. Four years since I first planned to go on exchange. Five years ago since I received my acceptance offer into UW. Six years ago since I submitted my OUAC application online to the University of Waterloo, the University of Toronto, and Wilfrid Laurier University.

I cannot even begin to imagine how different things would be had I accepted U of T's offer for Engineering Science, as opposed to UW's offer for Systems Design.

And it's strange to see that my sister is about to embark on her own journey soon. OUAC and college applications are always due before the end of the year.