Another month of firsts!

I'm into my second week of university! Trimester 4 and just 1 more to go! How time has flown.

So this trimester break, I had about three full weeks to gallivant but I decided to take it easy and do short trips instead of back to back trips like the last break. I needed to work more anyways and I wanted to spend more time at home (lazing haha).

Even though I wasn't travelling around as much, in true Desiree fashion, I made sure I was doing shit! And do shit I did!
 
It was yet another holiday break of firsts. I see a pattern forming with my school breaks. I'm always pushing myself to experience new things whenever I get the chance to. Last holiday it was filled with some good Malaysia loving, volunteering at a turtle conservation centre for a week on Tioman and tripping from place to place for 11 days around Malaysia .

When one travels, it is basically doing stuff for the first time and gaining new experiences and feeling alive. I guess that's largely why I love it. Waking up in Juara/Ipoh/Penang/Langkawi, finding street art on your own, exploring places without your parents, ziplining through Langkawi's forests, rockclimbing on granite walls, beach patrols for turtle nests at 6.30am in the morning, snorkelling alone.

This holiday I didn't pack my 3 week break as much as the last and it was exactly how I wanted it to be. I had just any many first experiences though.

For starters, I am officially an Open Water Diver! Woohoooo. Spent 10-14 October with Lynette on Salang, Tioman and got certified with B&J Dive Centre. We really lucked out with a great instructor - Faizal! He was super chill, knowledgeable, clear in his instruction and he was hilarious. So thankful we got him and so glad I got to do this with Lynette! Travelling with her is easy and always so chill and fun.

I now know why people get hooked on diving! It truly is a completely different realm for one to explore. I said to someone, "It's like a blessing and a curse because now you have this whole new world to explore but that just adds on to your already long list of things you want to do before you die." Haha. We got lucky and got to see a turtle twice during our first fun dive! Unfortunately, no photos of us diving but here are some other photos!

 

 Oh and something else I did for the first time! Beer funnel!! They called it the "Snorkel Test" and said it was something we had to do after we passed. Haha. I downed a bottle of cider and some weirdass mixture and within 5 minutes, I was not able to function normally. It was quite an experience. Haha. Not sure if they're laughing at me in the photo below but I love it because it captures how ridick that evening was. In my semi-functionable state, I actually managed to take photos of people with my horrid phone flash. Haha.

 
Next on the list of firsts - rockclimbing and tree climbing at Dairy Farm Quarry! I rockclimbed on a natural rock wall for the first time in Singapore! That was a pretty awesome day with Nina. I joined a 3 in 1 rockclimb + tree climb + trek activity with the Singapore Adventure Nature Lovers group on Meetup. We got to explore Dairy Farm - a place I had not been to since I was a child during dad's SHHH Family Day. It was great fun experiencing a new place in our own backyard. I did not think I would ever get the chance to rockclimb at Dairy Farm but alas, I now have that under my belt! Also tried tree climbing, the professional arborist way - something I'd always wanted to try ever since I started working with NParks.

24-26 October! Kayaked 36km around Pulau Sibu and Pulau Tinggi!