Living fast, moving slow

(by Jordan Chark)

The swift flow of papers, the quick transit from one lecture theatre to another, the brisk steps that only get brisker as the days become increasingly hectic. Harsh is the life of a JC student.

I'm living life so quickly. I find myself always either picking up my pace or handling a number of situations at the same time. Pressing decisions stream in with every new day, and they just add on to the load over my shoulders, as if it already isn't heavy enough. But in the midst of all this chaos, I do try my best to set aside time for myself whenever I'm in school, even if it lasts for a few mere moments.

As such, I've been frequenting the college library after school on days when I have a half-hour break before practice lately, at times to catch some sleep, and at other times, to do some last-minute work. It's pleasant there (save the extreme air-conditioning) — there's not too many students, and the environment there is conducive for both napping & studying. The place itself is spacious, too. I won't deny that it's my favourite spot in the college. But I'm just glad to at least be able to regain my composure after every arduous school day.

Besides the mental turmoil, I guess all's still fine in school. Entertaining conversations with my classmates keep me awake during lectures and tutorials. Antics like Rebecca Black sing-along sessions & quirky greetings keep the class bubbling with enthusiasm despite the mounting pressures.

Unfortunately, though, I wasn't able to fully enjoy school today. I barely got any sleep last night because I was rushing three projects all at once, only to learn that I didn't have to present any of them today. To think that I even had a mini freak-out session in the computer lab during the lunch break with my group members in preparation of our supposed presentation. It was hilarious, though — we jammed the printer and messed up quite a number of handouts because we were just too hasty.

I was also supposed to turn up for the water polo girls' match against the team from Hwa Chong JC at Anglo-Chinese School this afternoon. But after I considered these factors — the water polo match starts at 4.30pm & lasts less than half an hour, school ends at 5pm today & ACS(I) is practically at the other end of Singapore, I didn't go support (much to my regret). They won anyway, but according to Gloria the team "didn't play very well". Honestly, I beg to differ.

On another note, I've also been trying to involve myself in various college activities. Signed up for plenty of community involvement programmes. Along with Sheryl & Sean, I also applied for Outward Bound, but I'm currently having second thoughts. I hope it's not too late to withdraw the application should I decide not to join.

Oh, and remind me to confiscate Hannah's penknife whenever I sit beside her during tutorials.

Saturday night

(by simply stardust)

Starbucks' green tea latte speaks of brilliant ingenuity. If not for the existence of bubble tea & also, its exorbitant price, it would have jolly well emerged among the top of the list of my all-time favourite things. What a pity, though, for it's still a rare gem that warrants indulgence only occasionally (and I believe it will remain that way).

Digression aside — I finally got myself a cup on Saturday night. But of course, it wasn't the sole reason behind my optimism. That fateful Saturday night, too, marked the move of my church to its new building at Suntec City, and that alone was enough to stir all the excitement in me.

Thankfully, the events progressed very smoothly, despite the fact that the move was obviously under massive speculation by the mass media due to its involvement in earlier controversies. But just how much does that amount to, compared to the presence of God that has flowed so abundantly & richly in His house that night? I believe that Saturday was truly a new dawn for the church, and that more has yet to come for the congregation that has so valiantly stood by its ideals of loving God wholeheartedly & loving people fervently. We should never cease to encourage ourselves in Him.

Also, like any other church night, there was a fellowship session among the cell group members after service. Frankly it wasn't a very productive one; it was rocky, even. At least managed to find a place to eat at. I suppose that was good enough.

Over dinner, I also met Jiayu, a cosplayer ex-classmate Rashid told me about. Our meeting further unfolded more revelations. It's amazing how peoples' lives can get so intertwined. But then again, Singapore's nothing more than a little red dot.

On the train ride home, I picked up a little bit of Cantonese — with much thanks to Jonathan. Had some fun translating Mandarin to Cantonese, especially those phrases which sounded funny in the dialect. There was even one that sounded like a rap, but I'm not exactly sure of what that phrase is already (my memory seems to always fail me when I need it most). All I know is that it has got something to do with buns.

Starbucks, church, dinner, buns. Guess that succinctly sums up my Saturday.

Plans, plans, plans

(by tepidsloth)

As of right now I have Chemistry, GP & Chinese assignments yelling to be completed. Needless to say, I'm nowhere close to completing them. I need a plan.

I have a lot of materials to read up on for school, especially for GP, Economics & Chinese. I doubt I'll even have the time to lift the daily paper at the rate I'm handling everything that's under my belt. I need a plan.

Compared to my fellow teammates in swimming, I'm lagging behind by probably an entire yard. I need to practice my techniques on top of turning up for the training sessions. But will I ever manage to even get off the chair? Not without a plan.

Life is currently a major obstacle for me, probably because I have no plan for anything whatsoever. It's sad to say that I've grown so used to my spontaneous, comfort-loving lifestyle.

But you know what? I keep telling myself that I have to discard old habits (the aforementioned in particular) and invite new & improved ones, but ironically, I'm also being pulled back by sloth. Needless to say, that's another bad habit that has yet to be conquered.

I'm anticipating the day when I finally get that good knock in the head which, hopefully, does not only knock it physically, but also causes me to come to my senses.

What a difficult nature of mine I have to acknowledge.

Night-rider

(by imvern)

I enjoy being a night-rider — a fact of me I unveiled just recently. I would hop on a bus after a long day out, press play on my iPod and cruise through the expressway serenaded by soothing ballads. I would gaze, through the windows, at the fleeting landscapes that only move farther & farther away. And right then, I would reflect. Past moments would resurface on my ocean of thought, and they would appear in such sheer clarity it was as if they formed a symbolic scene in a film. That particular memory would seem to only grow clearer and clearer, even morph itself into something almost tangible, under the accompaniment of the music.

That's just one of the plenty of moments in life I've grown to revel in. I doubt my weak description would even form in your head the correct picture, but to me, it's a moment worth remembering and writing about. I believe that it can only be so significant because of all the changes that have occurred in my life the past four years.

In the midst of all this turbulence, where all I can ever seem to do is move forward, I should tell myself to stop and look back occasionally. To reflect on how far I've walked and how much I've grown, yet at the same time, have my arms opened wide to embrace change.