A Hazy Shade of Winter
Time, time, time, see what's become of me
While I looked around for my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around,
Leaves are brown,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside's bound to be a better ride than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around,
Leaves are brown now,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say but if your hopes should pass away, simply pretend
That you can build them again.
Look around,
The grass is high,
The fields are ripe,
It's the springtime of my life.
Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time
Funny how my memory skips while looking over manuscripts of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime,
I look around,
Leaves are brown now,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Look around,
Leaves are brown,
There's a patch of snow on the ground...
"A Hazy Shade of Winter"
by Simon & Garfunkel
----------------------------------
I was reminded today that it's been 11 months since my last post. Time really flies, doesn't it? 5 more days, and I'll be on my way to New York again for this year's NCTTA tournament. Looking at my second last entry, I still remember what a great time I had with the table-tennis team. Things have changed since then -- my teammates are no longer strangers, and my ping-pong skills have improved a little -- so I'm anticipating lots of fun and hopefully better results too.
Of course, my TT life isn't the only thing that's changed. Reading some of my oldest posts, I feel a strange sense of detached familiarity. The words are mine (I probably still write in the same preppy, pompous style), and I can distinctly recall what the old MJ was like. Yet, I know we are very different people now. As Ms. Phillipson said to me, "You've blossomed."
It's hard to describe, but I guess I've always been a talkative kid (one of my primary school teachers actually wrote that on my report card XD). Over the years, I gradually withdrew into my own world, and the sudden move to Canada sped things along. I learned to be independent, and grew to love solitude. Of course, I was never the real loner I wanted to be -- my friends wouldn't allow it -- and this journal is proof of that. My LJ became one of the few ways I communicated with other people, and luckily, I was blessed with friends who cared -- friends who took time to read and respond to everything I wrote. FM, JW, MC, NS, PY, AL, ZT... thank you. <3
University then came 'round the corner, and I moved out of my parents' house for the first time. Residence life was a whole new world. I was so amazed (and still am) by how much interaction goes on amongst people. Phrases like "How are you", "What's up", and "How's it going" were exchanged between EVERYONE, friends and strangers alike. Before res, I'd never even used any of them in my life!!! If I met someone I didn't know very well, I would avoid eye contact and pretend I didn't see them. I didn't care what they were up to -- none of my business, man! If I met a good friend, such phrases were redundant because we'd know how each other was doing just by looking. If there was anything we wanted to talk about, we'd say it without being asked. Why bother with niceties?
Well, living in res meant that I could no longer get away with ignoring people (although I still do it sometimes... old habits die hard XD). The whole friendly atmosphere forced me to talk outside my comfort zone, especially when facing customers at work. The old "never talk to strangers" rule had to be broken. More importantly, though, I've made some good friends whom I now chat with regularly. Not just MSN, but mainly face-to-face. They've taught me the importance of conversation (which isn't as painful as I once thought), and I've realized that even trivial, everyday things can be shared between friends, not locked up.
It hasn't been easy, but I feel that after a year of res, I've become more open and easier to talk to. Even conversations with old friends come more naturally, and making calls to cable companies has become less intimidating too. I've lost my dependence on written communication (or lack thereof?) -- more precisely, this very journal has lost its purpose. I've now outgrown this place. It's time to move on.
I want to thank everyone again for reading my blog, and for staying with me throughout this 3-year journey. I shall treasure every word and memory that's been left here.
While I looked around for my possibilities
I was so hard to please
But look around,
Leaves are brown,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Hear the Salvation Army band
Down by the riverside's bound to be a better ride than what you've got planned
Carry your cup in your hand
And look around,
Leaves are brown now,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Hang on to your hopes, my friend
That's an easy thing to say but if your hopes should pass away, simply pretend
That you can build them again.
Look around,
The grass is high,
The fields are ripe,
It's the springtime of my life.
Seasons change with the scenery
Weaving time in a tapestry
Won't you stop and remember me
At any convenient time
Funny how my memory skips while looking over manuscripts of unpublished rhyme
Drinking my vodka and lime,
I look around,
Leaves are brown now,
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter.
Look around,
Leaves are brown,
There's a patch of snow on the ground...
"A Hazy Shade of Winter"
by Simon & Garfunkel
----------------------------------
I was reminded today that it's been 11 months since my last post. Time really flies, doesn't it? 5 more days, and I'll be on my way to New York again for this year's NCTTA tournament. Looking at my second last entry, I still remember what a great time I had with the table-tennis team. Things have changed since then -- my teammates are no longer strangers, and my ping-pong skills have improved a little -- so I'm anticipating lots of fun and hopefully better results too.
Of course, my TT life isn't the only thing that's changed. Reading some of my oldest posts, I feel a strange sense of detached familiarity. The words are mine (I probably still write in the same preppy, pompous style), and I can distinctly recall what the old MJ was like. Yet, I know we are very different people now. As Ms. Phillipson said to me, "You've blossomed."
It's hard to describe, but I guess I've always been a talkative kid (one of my primary school teachers actually wrote that on my report card XD). Over the years, I gradually withdrew into my own world, and the sudden move to Canada sped things along. I learned to be independent, and grew to love solitude. Of course, I was never the real loner I wanted to be -- my friends wouldn't allow it -- and this journal is proof of that. My LJ became one of the few ways I communicated with other people, and luckily, I was blessed with friends who cared -- friends who took time to read and respond to everything I wrote. FM, JW, MC, NS, PY, AL, ZT... thank you. <3
University then came 'round the corner, and I moved out of my parents' house for the first time. Residence life was a whole new world. I was so amazed (and still am) by how much interaction goes on amongst people. Phrases like "How are you", "What's up", and "How's it going" were exchanged between EVERYONE, friends and strangers alike. Before res, I'd never even used any of them in my life!!! If I met someone I didn't know very well, I would avoid eye contact and pretend I didn't see them. I didn't care what they were up to -- none of my business, man! If I met a good friend, such phrases were redundant because we'd know how each other was doing just by looking. If there was anything we wanted to talk about, we'd say it without being asked. Why bother with niceties?
Well, living in res meant that I could no longer get away with ignoring people (although I still do it sometimes... old habits die hard XD). The whole friendly atmosphere forced me to talk outside my comfort zone, especially when facing customers at work. The old "never talk to strangers" rule had to be broken. More importantly, though, I've made some good friends whom I now chat with regularly. Not just MSN, but mainly face-to-face. They've taught me the importance of conversation (which isn't as painful as I once thought), and I've realized that even trivial, everyday things can be shared between friends, not locked up.
It hasn't been easy, but I feel that after a year of res, I've become more open and easier to talk to. Even conversations with old friends come more naturally, and making calls to cable companies has become less intimidating too. I've lost my dependence on written communication (or lack thereof?) -- more precisely, this very journal has lost its purpose. I've now outgrown this place. It's time to move on.
I want to thank everyone again for reading my blog, and for staying with me throughout this 3-year journey. I shall treasure every word and memory that's been left here.