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By Kelly Ng
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Jan. 27 2012 |
As the December holiday comes around, most of us just want to slack and chill. But not all of us – last December, some of our peers spent their holidays in rather unconventional of ways.
Seizing It Up!
If you ever thought the five-week December school holiday far too short to even recover from the past semester (let alone charge up for the one ahead), fourth-year Tan Si En will prove you wrong. Determined to make the most of what's probably the last "December school holidays" in her lifetime, Si En certainly left no second un-seized. Penciled onto her cluttered calendar for the month were back-to-back trips and camps. In fact, Si En spent a good half of this holiday away from home! She eventually returns from her final escapade to Korea on 8th January; only a few hours to catch her breath before the new semester (also Si En's last) commences. Phew! Really, we are no more envious of Si En's holiday itinerary than of her seemingly everlasting flow of energy!
Holiday in the Tropics
In this concrete jungle, city slickers abound and shopping is touted the "national pastime". Unlike many of us, who spent a good part of the December school holiday hanging along the Orchard belt checking out another of the "new" (but not really) shopping centres, Amanda Tan decided to ditch the malls for nature's call. As part of her final year project, this life science enthusiast spent her holiday out field, in local forests such as the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment nature reserves, hunting for small mammals. Besides spending hours out in the sun, she had to fight this year-end’s terrible bout of monsoon rain. Despite the feat, Amanda felt this was a December well-spent - amongst other reasons, she can now take pride in proclaiming herself as having braved the elements of the local forests! "Not many girls can say that of themselves right?" proclaimed Amanda with a beam on her face.
Ringing the Yuletide Joy
Christmas is undoubtedly the hallmark of every December school holiday. For many of us, this festive season holds spiritual significance; others await parties with friends; yet others look forward to a time of quiet with their loved ones. Whereas for Li Jiahui, a fourth-year Pharmacy undergraduate, the past three Decembers were spent bringing ringing the Christmas cheer to the local community. Jiahui picked up handbells since her primary school days, and has been ringing with Ministrie of Bellz since 2009. The sheer number of shows (in 2010, MOB took on 52 Christmas shows, the highest number ever) translates to intense practices, but Jiahui willingly puts in the effort for her audience's enjoyment. "It is enjoyable (for me) when people enjoy the songs we ring, and even sing to them. Everyone loves Christmas songs! The smiles on their faces are what makes it meaningful for me."
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