Free Fall

It's time to plunge. Assignments and tests have been piling up at an alarming rate this few weeks, but I failed to notice the schedule. Tomorrow, more stuff are due, and I have only time to complete one.

In a nutshell, I have a set of Engineering Drawings to complete by tomorrow so that we can compile the materials for the panel presentation come Monday, a presentation on global warming and environmental issues, reflections for a module, and another set of slides for an E-learning assignment, all due on Monday. Tuesday's going to be really relaxed, and I'll take that chance to complete all my tutorials for a module. I'll have an open book test on Wednesday, and a last-minute scheduled speech presentation on Thursday evening. Finally, I'm skipping school again on Friday, since I had been skipping school for the past two years on the school day before National Day. Still considering if I should return to Secondary School in the morning.

After that, it would be a super long break from 7th August till 24th October.

I Don't Just Want To Spend Time With Them Subconsciously

This morning, I had 2 different dreams, lasting a total of 5 hours.

I started dreaming approximately at 2am this morning. I was walking through a forest with the California Challengers and members of the Dumaguete YEP Team in California, and we had to climb a hill to a lighthouse. It wasn't really a lighthouse in present times, but it had been transformed into a museum. Upon entering, there was an exhibit in front of us. At a glance, it looked like a living room. However, our guide told us to gather behind a sofa, and she pointed up at the ceiling, telling us to look carefully at the shadows. The ceiling was really high up, and there was hardly any shadow on the ceiling. I was beside Samuel, and after a couple of moments, I saw walls forming a perimeter on the ceiling, marking out the perimeter of the living room on the ground. Besides the walls, there were windows, and doors!

Our guide was explaining stories behind the separation of the walls from the room, when I spotted some of my friends and children playing outside. There was a swimming pool with a pavilion outside the window! We were let out to enjoy for some time. I can't remember what happened after that, except there was a small dispute between us and a group of youths we did not know.

The dream supposedly ended at 4am, when I found myself somewhere else, in a mall, on an afternoon. I received a phone call from a friend, who happened to be at the same mall as I was. She had brought along two others. I had never met the 3 of them before. A young man came to me, holding out three long metal bars at me. He was dressed in magician's garb, the standard hat, suit and shoes. Each bar seemed more of a magnified light stick, that was glowing white. He asked if I knew who was inside each bar. This dream might not make sense, but somehow it's of some sentimental value to me. In each bar, was a friend. The young man said he was helping them to find me. I thanked him for his help on their behalf, and he said we could go somewhere for a chat while he went back to tend to his booth. The 4 of us went to a nearby park for an afternoon conversation. We talked for 2 hours, about almost everything we could think of. Soon, before we knew it, the man came to reclaim his three metal bars. I woke up at 5am, shortly before returning to sleep, and unconsciously continued from where I left off.

Two of them returned to their human form as soon as I returned the bars. They became even more talkative as soon as that happened, asking all kinds of questions about how they looked, and whether I thought they were different from what I perceived them to look like, and why I felt as though nothing was wrong when I was seemingly talking to 3 light sticks in broad daylight, and how I was able to keep my composure even as all kinds of looks were given to me by passer-bys.

However, the third, requested not to be returned to her human form as soon as I returned the bar. Puzzled, I asked if we were to meet again in future, if we could see each other face to face. At 7am, I was woken up by my alarm clock. How I wish I could go on dreaming.

A possible deja vu in the making? Anything could happen.

Present-Absent Issue

Why, is it that we have to wait till we lose something or someone, when we start to regret our loss? When something is within our grasp, we tend to take things for granted. When its time is up, only then, do we start to realise something was wrong, missing, or left out since the first day it was there. Everyone has only one life. The trick is, to live every minute like there was no tomorrow, to savour every second, as if one might not survive to live the next. How is that possible? Faith, whether in oneself, someone else, or any other being out there, is what helps. Believe in oneself, and/or others. If you can't do it, you can always learn how to.

Failure simply means you hadn't tried hard enough. It's alright. You did not get the result you hoped for, but there would always be another chance to arrive at that result again, or, it could simply mean that a better opportunity to a better result was round the corner, waiting for you.

An action results in a reaction. We all know timing is important as well. By playing one's cards right, one could attain his or her predicted results? Isn't leaving that to luck, leaving it to others to decide what move one should take next? No one is able to clap with one hand. No one can survive from cradle to grave alone without any aid. That's why we have friends and family to turn to in times of need. If all else fails, there's always a home to turn to. None of the above? Just keep walking. Soon, you'l find yourself reaching home, a place where you can find comfort, warmth and a group of people you would come to know as your family, a group of people you'll enjoy being with, who you would gladly live with and care for, till the day you breathe your last breath. Everyone has a home. It's just a matter of where it is, and whether one has already found it.

A person who is sure of the outcome, would dare to do something that gives him or her the chance, or better still, bring him or her that outcome. To live a life of happiness without regrets, is everyone's dream. My life is piling up with moments of different feelings, thoughts, emotions and memories. However, I have only 3 big dreams. In each of the 3 dreams, are a long list of goals helping me to fulfil the dreams. Just let me fulfil these 3, and I would have accomplished what I want in this life.

If I'm too afraid to communicate with them from behind a screen, I don't deserve to communicate with them in person, as it would only become even more quiet(unless they're fine with that, or I'm able to open up more).

Just A Coincidence?

This afternoon, I saw a different view on an opinion of mine, that sometimes, it's simply a coincidence that certain things happen. You go out on the streets, and you meet someone by chance. You get involved in something simply because you were there seemingly at the right time and at the right place, whatever the reason might be. What would you do, if you received something unusual that's a gift that's given to you, for seemingly picking the right choice, and doing what you view as the right thing?

Went to watch The Sorcerer's Apprentice at Jurong Point with Andy, Randall and his friend this afternoon. We had wanted to watch Inception, but we decided to switch to that movie as Andy was afraid he might fall asleep during the movie in case he did not understand the plot of the 2-hour long movie.

It's kind of predictable as for any other movie where the main character gets bestowed a power, and uses that power to achieve something after having self-doubts before accepting his/her fate and stepping up to the task, not forgetting the main dish: duels. Lots of it.

In our present day life, everyone wants to live a simple, normal life whilst accomplishing tasks and feats that would set them apart from the rest. However, only a small minority would dream of doing something many wouldn't do, since it's said that "leaders don't do different things, leaders do things differently". If you're leading a simple, scheduled life that's average and enjoyable, would you do something to make it better? Taking small steps, yes. Making one giant leap to achieve greatness, most would stop, procrastinate, and think at least twice. Working one's way to the top to earn a 5-figure sum, or biting that bullet to buy that potential winning lottery ticket that's worth a dollar, that could make you a millionare in one night? It's your choice. However, whichever path one chooses, there's no turning back, although it is possible to change the future, with the right set of decisions made at each junction in life, to return to the other path one could have taken much earlier on.

Whether one could ever change the future to enjoy what he could have enjoyed if he/she had taken the other route, it's all at the mercy of time, and the decisions of others. The end result of that route, is a miracle, the best result fate could reward one who makes the right choices. The more decisions one make for a miracle to happen, the greater and more valuable the miracle would be for the individual, and possibly, two or more individuals who might or might not be related.

However, what makes a miracle, truly seem like a miracle? Some associate it with luck, a coincidence. That's what make a miracle special. Even winning the lottery, might seem a great deal, simply because the many balls in the machine are pushing each other, generously inviting their numbered pals to take their place. Whichever ball gives in and takes the spot, provides a ticket containing its number the chance to win a prize, provided a certain number of digits held by its other ball pals accept their places in the remaining spots.

In the end, it's still about decisions, feelings, timing, ethics and people. So does something happen because it's a coincidence? It's just so difficult to tell exactly how things happen, because the Earth doesn't revolve around a single human, being or organism.

Fate: Your Next Stop In Life

When an opportunity comes, you either take it, or have let it go, in the faith that a better opportunity might just come your way later on. The decision, the choice of choosing the better path to take at a crossing, to help you reach your next destination in life, leads you to your fate, the next stop on your 100-year or so journey, that seems endless, even at death.

In the past, I used to believe that fate was simply determined by time, nothing else. This was one of the million things I had never realised in detail till after my O Levels. Since the day I stepped into campus as a full time student, I never expected my life was going to sky rocket, with experiences I used to think that were impossible, unfolding before my eyes. The result of a simple, yet important choice which I made, and a journey I was fated to travel, at the cost of 1 grade point at the 2007 General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level Examination. I only have those around me, close or far, to thank, for helping to give me the confidence to make the life changing decision, and helping me reach where I am today.

Just a day ago, I was given an opportunity to help in a charitable operation by helping a team of 2 friends to go to a couple of secondary schools to pick up used clothes donated by students today, but I decided that it was a bit of a risk, as I was going to miss a whole day of school. However, it turned out the day's activities in school was kind of unproductive, with me returning to the realm of gaming with some classmates, though I managed to catch up with the class, and our Final Year Project(FYP) team managed to come up with a list of things to do leading up to the third panel.

Something amazing about fate, it employs the economic theory of opportunity costs. You can either have one way or another, but each time, you can't enjoy the best of both worlds, since no one can be at two places at any one time. If I had gone for the collection(a rare opportunity), I would have missed school, and the introduction of The Christieara Programme(YES I FINALLY HAD THE RIGHT SPELLLING) for the first year students, coupled with introductory speeches and sharing sessions by representatives from the California Challenge and Dumaguete (Philippines) Youth Expedition Project. The TCP sure is becoming more geared to providing students with a holistic education during their stay in NP!

Met lots of people, friends and saw over 700 students beggining a new chapter in their 3-year journey with NP. I returned to the days of being an event photographer. Thanks to Joel for giving me that little push to go forth and take up the role. Reunited with about half of the Cebu team of 2009 who are now members of the Overseas Merit Fellowship: California Liberal Arts Challenge 2010.

Helped to transport the collected clothes at 8pm when Danial and his partner arrived with the clothes. How I wished I were 2 years older today, so that I could help the Operation Juvi team with their collection, to be able to hire and drive a van without difficulty, to be able to collect all the donated clothes from the participating instituitions around the island, and helping the team to save precious time and manpower on travelling around to collect donated clothes. Before that, a small group of us went to Makan Place for a late dinner. This evening was the first time I dared to reach out to a toddler who found a temporary comfort by my side. I wonder if it's the same for all young children, or if I had something in me that never failed to invite them to stand beside me. Somehow, it fills me with joy inside, calming my senses, making me feel as if I were floating in the air..

"Luck favours a prepared mind" John Chng, TCP manager

7 nights later, though I could not remember the plot, I was still able to go places with them.

Taking Things Easy

It's halfway through the 3rd week of the 2nd term of the 5th semester, and I seem to be slowly regaining my vision of the final.

Math today was surprisingly, good. I did not fall asleep during the lecture today, and I was able to solve 2 questions during the tutorials with almost no assistance! Hopefully there'll be more stuff to put up tomorrow night.

6 consecutive nights, and counting. Each night saw me going to a different place, having a different experience with them.

Day 15-A faulty Phone Helps, Sometimes

"It's been a day since my phone suddenly gave me problems with the messaging function. Today, I was in school and had my second panel presentation for my Final year Project(FYP). It went really well, and the phone's fault helped make it possible too, as I had received a couple of messages during the time where we had our presentation. Although it was set to the Silent Mode, it's still better not to receive messages or calls during the period of time, for it could disrupt my train of thought during the presentation, especially while I was thinking of how to answer a question posed by the panel.

Alright, although it's one day extra, I doubt this would foil the project of a group of students I'm helping?"

At least, I found out the issue lies with the fact that I had an overloaded inbox, due to the fact that I couldn't bear to delete my older messages. Thus, I had to reorganise my inbox by moving all the messages to a different folder. Too bad my phone and laptop would not allow me to transfer my messages to the laptop.

Day 14-The Last Day?

"It's the last day of the programme, and I sure am glad I was able to return to blogging. The 14 days has helped to reinstate my old pastime of posting small portions of my memories on the net, to help myself, and friends to know about my experiences in life. I'll be able to continue posting more news and reflections, for that's what helps an individual develop greatly over time. Sometimes, expressing thoughts and feelings in words could make things alot easier to think about, and helps one plan ahead for the future."

Somehow, today I felt as though something was missing in my life. Lethargy, loss of interest in whatever I did(extremely short interest span). I could be doing something for just 5 minutes, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my bed. It's weird. Just a day ago, I was doing fine, feeling great, and I was able to get lots of things done. Perhaps, my mind needed a break badly due to my tendency to think too much, to recover from the excessive death of brain cells. The answer, might have been staring in front of me the whole time, but I am afraid. Afraid to confirm if that was really the answer to my questions.

Day 13-Cousins' Visit

Here's celebrating my 300th post!

This morning, I had 2 dreams, the first was set in pure darkness until toward the end I started to see light. The second was a continuation of the first after I woke up at 6am, and tried to sleep to continue dreaming(Lots of Deja Vu moments from today were from that dream).

The first dream probably started at 4am this morning, maybe earlier. I can't determine the time, or place in the dream, as my surroundings was pitch black. It started with me hearing a friend's voice, telling me,"Hey, wake up. She's online."

"Huh? Oh oh! But so early?"

I saw her profile flash at the bottom right of my sight. I wasn't seated in front of any screen. I looked around, it was pure darkness. The only thing I could see was a small tab showing her profile name and picture, stating she was online. I got up and went to the computer, and started a conversation. She asked about the school I was studying at, about the courses offered there. Suddenly she said that she was planning to make a trip to the school with 2 other friends to look around, as they had never been there, and would arrive between 11am to 1pm.

After she went offline, I could see the cabin, and my room mate behind me. I woke up at 6am.

I tried to sleep again, to continue with the dream. Somehow I wanted very badly to see how the day developed. At around 6.30am, I found myself waking in the cabin again. I saw her still online, and went to chat with her. However this time, we were talking about the times we had feelings for each other, and though I could feel she was hesitant to start over with me, I was hinting to her I would like to start afresh. She was refusing my hints in a sweet tone. Her message had the word "Auttthhhhiiiiinnnnnnnggg", which I stared hard at, trying to decipher the meaning. Did it mean "outing"? Her last message before going offline was asking if I was interested in her close friend, 'Alanor'(the name isn't spelt that way, though it sounds the same).

At 10am, I got changed, and went to the school. The crew was at Makan Place, so I went there to join them for brunch at 11am. I saw a group of 3 girls. I went to them, and invited them to join us since we had some extra portions. The captain invited them to join us on the short voyage to Orchard Road after lunch, as we were going to relax for the afternoon, before preparing for a battle at Mount Faber in the evening. They agreed, and decided to tag along, and return to look around the school when we return in the evening.

At Orchard Road, the 5 of us went to a department stall at one of the top floors of a shopping mall. We met another 2 friends there. One was teasing her, while another, was teasing the both of us, asking how the both of us were getting along.

Just then, the captain and 4 other comrades came, and told us to look out the window. It seems that the battle had started way earlier than we had expected, and we were mobilised to take part in the defence as well. As the ship was docked somewhere far from our location, and the 5 of us had no choice but to head over to the site first, since we could summon our crafts, also known as mobile suits(something like a super sized suit, but it's armed with weapons) from our present location. She held on to me, asking to follow me on board the craft. Somehow, without even thinking, I simply allowed her to follow. However, the both of us had to get to somewhere else before we could summon our crafts. I brought her all the way to Vivo City, so that I could prepare her to join me on board the craft, which could only seat a pilot. I was able to modify my craft at a secret workshop there by configuring the craft. Before I pressed the button to summon the craft, I told her to prepare herself for the flight to the battle site. I woke up at 8.45am.

Once again, I tried to fall asleep at 8.45am, and at 9am, I saw myself seated in a circle with the crew and with her seated opposite me on the floor outside the entrance of Makan Place. Her friends, and two of our friends who we met at the department stall, were not present. We were having dinner, talking about all kinds of stuff. Although we were not seated beside each other, I felt as though we had reconciled.

She was about my shoulder height, and her voice seemed to have gotten a little higher pitched.

I woke up at 9.45am, but my head felt really heavy, as though it wanted me to sleep on to continue dreaming. However, I did not want to go back to sleep or I might sleep till 12, and might not be able to remember my dream upon waking, as that heavy feeling in my head wasn't a good sign. If I had fell asleep, I would go into a deep sleep almost immediately and would wake at least 2 hours at 12pm, unable to remember whatever I had dreamt.

"This evening, my cousins came over to visit, and to pick up some pills as one of my cousins would be going overseas on a back packing trip in the coming week. Had my dinner late this evening as I had just returned from an evening run, while everyone sat at the table and chatted about our overseas experiences. I can't help, but feel the warmth. The conversation has fuelled my desire to go on a long trip with a group of close friends."

Day12-Celebrations

"Today, I celebrated a birthday, and a gathering with fellow TCP(The Christiera Programme) students from the Mechanical Engineering Division. Things did not turn out to be as bad as I had expected, and instead, I went home with lots of great memories instead!

There were lots of clashing plans, but somehow, we managed to coordinate our plans in such a way that I was able to attend both events back to back, which was great. The first was a friend's birthday, where I, together with friends from the YEP team, helped to surprise her at the underpass leading to the bus stop in the evening. It was so well planned, that we got down to business only 30 minutes before the scheduled surprise time! Next, I went back to the barbecue pits to help with the gathering, which was a smashing success, considering the time and effort we took to organise it. I had attended at least 15 barbecues, but I guess I'm making this the 17th one. My cooking skills had improved once again!"

Though I didn't have the chance to say it, thanks for the chat this evening. Enjoyed it thoroughly.

Day 11-First official Speech

"Three years after I joined the Ngee Ann Student Toastmasters Club, I gave my first speech this evening. Somehow, I just felt that it was a 'sooner or later' kind of thing. Though it wasn't prepared, and I was kind of nervous on the outside, but on the inside, I felt really calm, thinking of what to say next. The only issue I had, was to come up with points to say, fast. It wasn't unexpected, for I always gave my speeches and spoke of my thoughts right to the point, short and sweet.

Not my best speech, but definitely one that gave me the motivation to start planning for my next."

Day 10-Pen and Paper

"Today, I finally decided to return to the old fashioned method of record keeping. I would type out logs of traces of what I could remember from each dream on my laptop's desktop, which started late last October, when I started dreaming frequently about someone who I had never known or met in life before. Soon, I realised there were just too many logs, and limited room to paste those digital post-its.

Thus, I decided to return to the old fashioned way, which is reliable and safe. I wouldn't have to worry about my laptop's battery life, or whether there is a wireless hotspot available, since I might have blogged about it instead of putting it on the desktop.

In future, I can trace my dreams with ease the next time I get that usual sense of Deja Vu."

Day 9-Revisiting The Past

Nothing much to talk about today, so... ya..

"Met up with a small group of my YEP mates today. It's been 2 weeks since we had sat together for lunch. Spending time with them never fails to remind me of the 14 days we spent enjoying our meals together, as a family."

Had been 'seeing' the same character for 3 nights now, though the total count stands as 8. Still I find it intriguing being able to dream of people I have never seen before, nor met once in life, only to see the other party face to face somewhere unexpected, at a pre-determined location and time. It has happened many times, but likewise, I can't be 100% sure this could be the next one.

Day 8-Feeling Youthful

"Happy Youth Day!

Today I had a great run in the evening. I completed 5kilometres in 30 minutes with a total of 3 forced stops(traffic light crossings). Before the start, I told myself something that I had not thought of for a long time. "It's going to be a good one!" In addition, I had the urge not to go fast, but just fast enough to feel myself running slowly. Before I started to feel tired, I was nearing the end. Sure felt youthful again this evening!

It's been a long long time since I had been able to run like that, and hopefully, I'll be able to regain the stamina and speed I used to have last December."

Since there's nothing much to talk about today except about my dream from the night before, here it is.

Setting is at The Central, somewhere in the evening, Somewhere between 7 and 9pm. Was there alone, but I was supposed to be supporting someone piloting a fighter jet, involved in a dogfight in the limited airspace overhead. Surprisingly, both pilots involved had the same name. Helping me were two others, one back at some headquarters, and another in a cone-shaped craft with 4-legs, standing upright on the side of the glass wall of the mall, which was facing the Singapore River. I was at the opposite side of the river overlooking the craft, informing the pilot about the other plane's positions and what strategies to use.

I was woken by my alarm at 7am, this not knowing what happened next.

Day 7-Going On

This morning, I had 2 dreams, one of which was the best dream to start off the week, revolving around intuition and telepathy. Such a feeling sure feels great. Not a need for a phone, no need for a map to tell where someone is. Everything is in the mind.

The first dream took place at 10am on a Sunday morning. For some reason, I had to go for Chinese tuition class. Reminds me of the secondary school days where I had tuition for the Chinese Language every Sunday. In the dream, I had to get there by plane, before boarding a bus to the tuition centre, at Jurong East I guess? Reaching the second floor where the entrance was, the inside was like a maze, with a narrow corridor. Reaching the classroom, I realised the tutor was different, though I was in the right class, but with students I did not recognise. Even if they looked like someone I knew, their names were different.

The second dream, I had no idea where, or when it took place, for everything took place in complete darkness. I could see anyone nor myself. I could not hear voices, but I could only imagine a girl's voice. I couldn't see my palms, but the only thing that I could see was my handphone in my hands(yet I could not see my palms not my fingers). All I had to do, was to look into the screen, search my feelings, and ask a question in my thoughts, without typing out any messages on the phone, and without saying a word. Out of nowhere, I would hear a voice in my head, answering my question. I asked another 2 questions, but this time, I saw the answer appearing on the screen. Next I asked 2 more questions, and I heard a voice speaking to me, answering my question each time, though I did not know her position, nor how she had looked like. Upon asking my last question, I found myself sitting upright, seeing light. I can't remember all the questions that I asked, nor could I remember the answers, but I could only remember the last question vaguely.

"Can I see you face to face?"

My first reaction was to reach out to my phone, but there were no notification of any message, which was when I realised I had been dreaming.

"Today was the first time our WISP team met to plan and prepare for our group presentation together. It wasn't the most productive meeting, but we worked well as a team. Throughout the 4-hour meet at the National Library from 3-7pm, we were able to agree on, or improve one another's ideas with regards to the questions being raised to help us on our research."

Walked all the way to the Esplanade at 7.20pm to take a bus home. On the way, I thought I saw a few familiar faces, but later realised they were not the people I knew upon taking a closer look at each of them.

I had forgotten that service 106 now went to Shenton Way, which explained why it was really crowded when I boarded the bus. But it was a good ride home, and since now the fares were calculated by distance, I realised that on 1st January 2009, I had walked at least 20 kilometres for a total of 4 hours from the Merlion Park(the distance could be more as I did not include the distance I covered during the period I got lost in the CBD) to Clementi before I reached home at 4.40am! The distance from the esplanade to my home is about 15.6 kilometers.

An extract from a post I had, documenting the journey home:

Thursday, January 01, 2009

"Simple Goodbye to 2008, Challenging Introduction to 2009"

"At 4.40am, I reached home. After waking up at 10am, I did some calculations, estimating that I covered a distance of at least 14 km from Raffles City to Clementi, taking my average speed to be 6 kmh and total time spent of walking as 2hours(excluding resting time)."

Day 6-A Little Reunion

"Today, I went to Clarke Quay for a small, last minute reunion with 5 of my friends from Primary School. It's been sometime since we last met, but at least, some of us were able to make it this time round. Learnt lots of army stuff from the guys who enlisted earlier this year, and it sure helps to get me prepared for the next 2 years in life.

Though the 6 of us met for solely for dinner, the time spent together was worth it, though it was 2 hours. Just seeing one another, brings back lots of memories." Today, while spending time out with Yong Jie, Bryan(took me a few days to realise 'Lau lau' meant Bryan.), Ryan Ng, Andy and Nicole, helped me recall I had forgotten for 8 years, that I had once said my ambition after leaving primary school was to enter the Chinese High School(now known as Hwa Chong Instituition). I could only remember we had a Primary 5 camp at the hostel of the Chinese High School, but I could only remember faintly that we had a small sharing session one night, with us sitting in a circle. And I thought in Primary 6, after receiving my results, feeling glad I had never once dreamt, nor aspired to enter an elite school in the country(a thought which I lived by for the past 8 years).

After dinner, Nicole went off, while Bryan, Yong Jie, Ryan Ng and I walked around, had a small preview of the National Day Parade's fireworks, and went for some drinks at Boat Quay. I realised I shouldn't drink, for it makes my mind go into a state of overdrive, thinking lots of thoughts that contain the words " what if", which would only make me worry more about unnecessary stuff, which would make me sleepy.

Wanting for a conversation, yet knowing I have to make the first move. However, my feelings tell me to wait a little longer, so that I would be able to carry things well when the time comes. Since they've been right twice already, regardless of whether the outcome was going to be good or bad, I shall trust my feelings once again. Patience had always been the key to miracles.

Day 5-Sleeping In Class Could Be Good

"Had a bad sore throat this morning, so I took some medication before going to school. However, I forgot about the side effect, which would cause me to feel drowsy after awhile. Made worse by my sleep debt incurred on Wednesday morning from watching the world cup match, I couldn't take it and fell asleep during the first 2-hour lecture for the day, and slept right through. It was kind of good, as I was facing the on-set of a mild fever shortly after arriving in school at 8am, for my tutorial class.

Something which I noticed after that, I was able to concentrate really well on the lessons which came later, and I felt as though I had fully recovered!"

Decided to post normally from tomorrow onwards, once I'm feeling better..

Day 4-Another Great Competition

"Being a photographer sure is great! One gets to capture the highs and lows of every event, scenes and places to bring home to tell young and old about one's travels, and best of all, remember the unforgettable moments.

This evening, I went to the Convention Centre at 4.30pm, to help with Speechcraft, an annual speech competition organised jointly by the Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of Interdisciplinary Studies Reading Committee and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic Students' Toastmasters Club. In its 4th year running, each year showcases a different group of the school's best speakers going head to head with one another.

This sure was a good experience for me, the others who were helping out, and the audience to watch and learn. Truly, we had seen the best tonight.

As a photographer, I felt comfortable going around taking those pictures, but most of all, I was enjoying the best of both worlds! I could go up close, and yet learn from the skills each speaker had. What's more, I was able to train up for a running event held at the end of the year, since I was constantly moving around swiftly."

Day 3- Bad Decision?

"Woke up super early this morning to watch the world cup with my two brothers. I watched the first half alone,since which got really boring without any goals being scored. However, after my brothers joined me for the second half, a goal was scored! What's more, we had pop corn while watching the game!"

Went back to sleep at 4am, and the rest of the day went rather badly though. I was extremely sleepy moving around between lectures (my schedule for Wednesdays are extremely heavy), but I was surprisingly wide awake for the lectures. Except for Further Calculus, where I had my first fail grade for a common test paper in 3 years.

Went home straight after that, but as I tried to sleep, my brother was watching a new Japanese serial, which got me interested as well, costing me my 3-hour nap, where the time could have been spent on a 15km run.

That's about all I guess?

Got the feeling the time for us to meet is just round the corner.

Day 2-New Experiences

Here's the second of the 14-part series:

"Today probably was going to be just another day, up till 1pm this afternoon.

During the World Issues:a Singapore Perspective(WISP) module, we were scheduled to visit the Dialogue in the Dark(DiD) exhibition. Did not really had any expectations, other than to lose my sight temporarily.

Our guide for the day was Wesley(wonder if I spelt his name correctly). We went in at 1.30pm, but it did not seem that bad when we entered. It felt as though things was going to be about the same as back home at night, where I usually went down the stairs to the kitchen from my room, in near total darkness(it would have been total darkness if not for the day curtains back home).

The experience felt rather normal, the good thing it gives, are heightened senses. In a trade off for the sense of sight, the senses of touch and hearing increased substantially. If you had ever wondered how being blind felt like without being blind, this is the one place you wouldn't want to miss! Today, I experienced a small part of the life of a visually impaired individual. Today only made me want to stay in complete darkness in times of trouble, where I don't have to worry about anything, feeling a kind of calm, being alone, feeling relaxed."

Somehow, this evening during the usual run, I lost all reason, motivation and stamina to continue running all of a sudden. It's funny how things can change so rapidly, within a matter of seconds. It started from a minor stitch, and escalated till that state 15minutes into the run. Not very bad, as things would have been worse if I had reached the 3rd crossing and turned left, for that would mean I would have to travel an additional 5 kilometers home. Usually, I do not turn back after I begin on a run. Today's run was the worst I had experienced for the month. With slightly more than 5 months to go, I wouldn't make it beyond the 25km mark with my current physique.

Slowly, it's starting to take shape, but all things take time, whether sooner or later.