The Code Of Hammurabi
It's been a long time since I've written here. But now that I'm barely a month away from leaving Singapore and starting a whole new life, I've somehow decided to return. I used to think that blogging was redundant, that it wasn't any useful to keep track of what happen during your day on the internet for everyone to read, that people who are interested in your life will find out about you anyway. But recently, when I started to read the archives of regular bloggers, i found a trove of memories, things long forgotten, buried deep at the back of my mind. these things came back to me in waves and waves, and suddenly, blogging seemed like something useful. Moreover, now that I'll be heading away real soon, this place will help ppl who are interested to keep in touch with the happenings of my life.
The Past 10 Months of My Life
And so since I've ORD-ed in Novemeber last yr, a lot has happened. Looking back at it there were a lot of things that I might have done differently, but from everything that has happened, I think I have learnt a lot.
I came out of army like most ppl, feeling relieved that all the regimentation and lack of freedom we endured in army has come to pass, looking forward to a good long break before school starts, and basically not knowing what I wanted in life. The key consideration then was not to waste too much time, earn some money to get by, try new things and basically enjoy myself.
So I agreed to help Allan with his business. It was something exciting, different from a normal office/data entry kinda job, and although the pay was meagre, I tot it was worth shot, especially since I was also enrolled in NUS Biz and I wanted a feel of the environment. Got in there for a few months, and I realised I didn't really enjoyed the whole hustle bustle of business. There was also a general lack of excitement on my part to start school, because i knew then that i was embarking on a journey that i would not enjoy, and have absolutely no interest in. I had to take a closer look at what i wanted out of my life, and even if it meant taking a step into the dark, i had to do it. Wasting 5 years of my life chasing a double degree which bores me holds no meaning to me.
And so I applied to study Anthropology in UK. I was aiming to get into LSE then, because Seb and Elson had already gotten into Econs then. In the end I got accepted into all my choices- UCL, Manchester, Saint Andrews and SOAS, except LSE, which was quite sad for me. But looking back now, SOAS is actually a more specialised school and i guess the environment would be different to something we are all familiar with. I'm actually so so stoked to start school (:
Lessons learnt: I have dreams of my own, and these dreams belong to me, and me alone. I had to make decisions for myself, and dreams are there to be chased. I have to be brave to take the first steps, and then keep moving.If achieving what you want is easy, it means you are not challenging yourself, and that you have settled in a comfort zone. I want to wake up everyday to a new challenge, a reason to jump out of bed and get going. I dun wanna dread school, look forward to a life of rat race, and then nothingness. I needed to live, and feel alive.
I am also extremely thankful that in these last 10 months, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the people around me. Increasingly I've started to see that everyone around us are put in our lives for a reason, part of a greater plan that we perhaps can never comprehend. I like to believe so, for it's more romantic an idea than just saying it is coincidence, but yes, i'm grateful that when i needed them, i always had friends and family to count on. From choosing my course, application process and even when i was struggling with the decision to sign on, there was always someone there for me, and i can't possibly say how thankful i am for that.
I've also enjoyed all the overseas trip since i've ORD-ed- six self-funded trips in total haha. From Bangkok to Taiwan and even the short trips to malaysia, I'm happy that i got to escape Singapore for awhile each time. If anything this 10 months has whetted my appetite for travel, and i realise how much there is out there in the world to see and explore. Of course Sua Yu's one man expedition around Asia has been one hell of an inspiration, and getting to spend 2 magical weeks with him was a crazy eye-opener, and im now just really really thirsty for more (: if only i had the courage and will then to do something like that. i realiesd that life dun always present us opportunities more than once, and the moment we miss something we can lose it forever. The Carpe Diem we learnt in school isn't bullshit; we really need to seize the day and be brave enough to take chances.
So, people come and go in our lives, but those whom we want to stay, we will make an effort to reach out to them, and for those that want you to stay, they will likewise make an effort to keep connected. In time to come when everyone starts settling into their new lives, head off in different directions and find new friends, staying in touch might become even more trying. C'est La Vie.
I still have one more month before I leave for school. It doesn't seem all that long, but if you live it day by day, you'll realised that I have quite a bit of time in my hands. I'm not sure wad i'll be doing with that time, but i think volunteering somewhere looks like an option. Like i told Mel Wan, if i dun have the time and money now to travel and explore places, i might as well spend some time interacting with people to explore life. I still am thinking about a lot of things, no less about leaving Singapore, but at the end of the day, I think i am very happy with where i am now in life (:
PTL!
The Past 10 Months of My Life
And so since I've ORD-ed in Novemeber last yr, a lot has happened. Looking back at it there were a lot of things that I might have done differently, but from everything that has happened, I think I have learnt a lot.
I came out of army like most ppl, feeling relieved that all the regimentation and lack of freedom we endured in army has come to pass, looking forward to a good long break before school starts, and basically not knowing what I wanted in life. The key consideration then was not to waste too much time, earn some money to get by, try new things and basically enjoy myself.
So I agreed to help Allan with his business. It was something exciting, different from a normal office/data entry kinda job, and although the pay was meagre, I tot it was worth shot, especially since I was also enrolled in NUS Biz and I wanted a feel of the environment. Got in there for a few months, and I realised I didn't really enjoyed the whole hustle bustle of business. There was also a general lack of excitement on my part to start school, because i knew then that i was embarking on a journey that i would not enjoy, and have absolutely no interest in. I had to take a closer look at what i wanted out of my life, and even if it meant taking a step into the dark, i had to do it. Wasting 5 years of my life chasing a double degree which bores me holds no meaning to me.
And so I applied to study Anthropology in UK. I was aiming to get into LSE then, because Seb and Elson had already gotten into Econs then. In the end I got accepted into all my choices- UCL, Manchester, Saint Andrews and SOAS, except LSE, which was quite sad for me. But looking back now, SOAS is actually a more specialised school and i guess the environment would be different to something we are all familiar with. I'm actually so so stoked to start school (:
Lessons learnt: I have dreams of my own, and these dreams belong to me, and me alone. I had to make decisions for myself, and dreams are there to be chased. I have to be brave to take the first steps, and then keep moving.If achieving what you want is easy, it means you are not challenging yourself, and that you have settled in a comfort zone. I want to wake up everyday to a new challenge, a reason to jump out of bed and get going. I dun wanna dread school, look forward to a life of rat race, and then nothingness. I needed to live, and feel alive.
I am also extremely thankful that in these last 10 months, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the people around me. Increasingly I've started to see that everyone around us are put in our lives for a reason, part of a greater plan that we perhaps can never comprehend. I like to believe so, for it's more romantic an idea than just saying it is coincidence, but yes, i'm grateful that when i needed them, i always had friends and family to count on. From choosing my course, application process and even when i was struggling with the decision to sign on, there was always someone there for me, and i can't possibly say how thankful i am for that.
I've also enjoyed all the overseas trip since i've ORD-ed- six self-funded trips in total haha. From Bangkok to Taiwan and even the short trips to malaysia, I'm happy that i got to escape Singapore for awhile each time. If anything this 10 months has whetted my appetite for travel, and i realise how much there is out there in the world to see and explore. Of course Sua Yu's one man expedition around Asia has been one hell of an inspiration, and getting to spend 2 magical weeks with him was a crazy eye-opener, and im now just really really thirsty for more (: if only i had the courage and will then to do something like that. i realiesd that life dun always present us opportunities more than once, and the moment we miss something we can lose it forever. The Carpe Diem we learnt in school isn't bullshit; we really need to seize the day and be brave enough to take chances.
So, people come and go in our lives, but those whom we want to stay, we will make an effort to reach out to them, and for those that want you to stay, they will likewise make an effort to keep connected. In time to come when everyone starts settling into their new lives, head off in different directions and find new friends, staying in touch might become even more trying. C'est La Vie.
I still have one more month before I leave for school. It doesn't seem all that long, but if you live it day by day, you'll realised that I have quite a bit of time in my hands. I'm not sure wad i'll be doing with that time, but i think volunteering somewhere looks like an option. Like i told Mel Wan, if i dun have the time and money now to travel and explore places, i might as well spend some time interacting with people to explore life. I still am thinking about a lot of things, no less about leaving Singapore, but at the end of the day, I think i am very happy with where i am now in life (:
PTL!