回去宝岛

一趟知性之旅，即将启航。
引颈期盼的一刻，终于到来。
尽情期待，相逢聚首的时刻。

Jacky to Medan

Time really flies. Jacky will be leaving for Medan this coming Sunday. He will stay there for the next 2 years, teaching English to the rich and affluent. He will also bag an income that an average Singaporean would covet. He is the man in black:

It has been 4 years since I know Jacky and my other USP friends. For Jacky, I knew him from my YEP experience in Thailand. A group of us went to a rural village in northern Thailand to promote AIDS awareness via forum theatre. We were trained to act and stage our performances to a village audience. Little did I know at that time that a juicy gossip awaits us. Jacky and his love-distance friendship. It came to nought. Personally, I had a great time there conversing with the locals in simple Thai and enjoying authentic Thai cuisine. I could understand what the cabby was saying to Boredin, and had built up my endurance for spicy food. Which reminds me: Yuting was a native of Chongqing. She had soup noodles and deemed them too tasteless. Right before us she threw in a potful of chilli sauce and the broth became a red, thick gravy. I applaud her powerful taste buds. That was my most memorable bowl of pork noodles.

Our USP clique with Jiayi and Jane met up last evening to gather with Jacky before he goes to Medan. He owes Boredin and Jiayi a treat for having been too smart a year ago. The gathering had been fun. We had dim sum and porridge. Jacky recently had his wisdom tooth extracted and bearing with excuriating pain, joined us nevertheless. We admire his tolerance and friendship. Jiayi and I had some drinks with Jacky at TCC before we could bear to part. Parting is hard, but our friendship will be "harder", more "solid"! As I swallow my last bit of tears, allow me to wish Jacky Bon Voyage and all the best to his teaching stint in a foreign land. We shall meet again. :-)