27 January 2007: Finale

This shall be my last blog entry, after almost a week since I left Taiwan, and I thank all friends for reading my blog amid their busy schedules in the past months. Besides Hogzilla and Shan who had always left comments, I know that many others simply read because they could relate to me on MSN what I had done in Taiwan, and I'm grateful for their interest in me as it means that I was not forgotten in Singapore! This has been a remarkable journey for us all, not becuase I have a very interesting blog narrating some exciting adventures and fanatical readers anticipate my everyday post in earnest, but the fact that I had started this blog to communicate with my loved ones and ending it now symbolizes a new phase of my life. There shall be normalization of ties with my friends in Singapore, and I will make it an important point to keep in touch with my peers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other foreign lands (notably the States) via email, MSN, and postcards. By the way, I had just received a postcard from Marvin who is currently in Japan on holiday, and I am gald to see that he is fine and enjoying Japan! Wear more in the harsh winter, dude.

As promised, here's a list of thanks to my foreign friends:

Ansel, Benben, Debby, Elvis, Kieron, Paul: Thanks for taking the time off your calender to show me around Hong Kong. Here's special thanks to Debby who had looked into every trivial detail of my stay painstakingly! Please come to Singapore again ar~!

Bing: Thanks for the Singapore postcard, and for displaying more patriotism than I do! Glad to see a foreign friend so passionately supportive of Singapore, and please keep our friendship going!

Marvin, Joshua, Shingo, Yasushi: My buddies in the NTU dormitory!

Qifang: Truly glad to have fulfilled a mutual pledge made months ago by seeing you fine and well in Taiwan! Enjoy your tour in Europe and stay in touch! Hope that you had already passed your auditions when you see this post!

Peggy and my Taiwanese friends: Thanks for so much concern and the gifts showered on me! In particular, I would like to thank Albert (I want to stay at your place again when I return to Taiwan for whatever reason!) for driving me to the airport when he was not at all obliged to, the Soochow University gals led by Gao Pin who had spent much time bringing Bing and I around parts of Taipei and even to the extent of giving us presents upon our respective departures from Taiwan, as well as Peggy and her NTUMUN club friends who had committed themselves to the mission of allowing me to experience the best of Taiwan and the warm hospitability of the Taiwanese. To Peggy especially: Thanks for the Converse shoes; I like the design very much! Thanks again for organizing our trip to Yilan, and I would deem it one of the best trips that I had ever embarked on in Taiwan!

I love Taiwan, and it was there that I had taken pictures with 2 of my favourite idols. More importantly, it was there that I had forged enduring friendships and ties that I will hold dear to my heart for many years to come. A sense of loss now lingers in me, and I hope that it will translate into strength that can propel me further in my life ahead. Last but not least, a very sincere thanks to my bike which had suffered much from my mediocre cycling skills, and I believe that your new master Ryota will take patient care of you when I am gone.

P.S. I will only write on this blog once in every few months, just to maintain it for the next few decades. Everything I write is consigned to posterity. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your kind and undivided attention.