Back on my feet, revitalised, ready to take on the rest

I didn't realise how much of a emotional boost returning to my secondary school can get, until I actually did return, hang around with my old chums, and come back, sitting on the bed blogging at this very moment. Sometimes, one has to still return to his roots, familiar people and emotional support from the very people you call family and friends.

There was celebration in college. Hell, there's celebration in every school, so that wasn't very interesting anyway. Except that in that day, you show appreciation for your teachers who build ignorant fools into wise, useful and productive members of society. Hard to come by, those days where you truly sit down and think about the significance of all these days of rememberance for people who contribute to the way you behave and think, and sometimes, that kind of impact that sticks with you for life.

In Chinese, this is how they put it:

一日为师，终生为父。

which simply means "A teacher for a day, a father for life." Amazing and neat.

Neat day for going back to Anglican High as well, to find a certain teacher that sparked off my interest in biology. One whom I saw the qualities of Christ in. However, she wasn't there - though she might still be there next year when I go back there again in the Chinese New Year period, I guess. Met old classmates, brought out some nolstagia here and there (silent nolstagia, of course. They might think I'd be still stuck in the past when I start blabbering all the flurry of old events in front of them...)

And, you settle for the entire day and end it with a meal. How fitting a place to do so too - at Popeye's at Terminal 3. After a good meal, laughs and sharing of different experiences at the same education system, we went back home, some realising their fortune and where they stand.

Possibly it's because of this that I'm now possibly re-motivated to do my best for the Promotional Examinations. I must do well. I was part of those who went to those top JCs at a time - doesn't mean that I can't do as well as them now, even though I'm in one of lower standards than theirs. Disadvantaged, but I'll press on.

And oh, after that bout of disease, I'm back on my feet thanks to God's grace allowing the medicine to course through my body effectively alleviating me of the symptoms. Praise be to God - I don't have to take medicine anymore! Whoohoo!

It sucks being on MC

And no, it isn't about Economics, in case you're wondering.

It just sucks being under medication and not being able to move around. It's been lingering around for more than a week already, with a runny nose and cough. If I didn't get this treated before next week I wouldn't be able to enjoy Teacher's Day anyway, so here goes nothing.

Maybe I should call it M-inefficiency, following some funny Schumpeter quote. Or maybe stuff a Greenwash Ball into the laundry - that'd do some help watching the stupid ball tumble around for some comic relief. Or maybe just roar and go around cursing and swearing at random people for no rhyme or reason. At least it beats being sick and not being able to do anything when you want to - the cursed medicine knocks you out completely, and doesn't care who it's dealing with, be it government officials, common people or animals.

But at least at home, you don't get someone scolding "Fuck you!" in your face without knowing why the hell he or she did that, and in the process spoiling the rest of the day. Or gloomy faces spelling enmity, and the like.

Bukit Timah Hill trek

Definitely not my cup of tea, but it'll do. At least it's an escape from urban stress, the way I see it.

The night before, everyone was making noise over why I wasn't sleeping by 12am. Hell, you've got a backload of homework, you wanna tackle them all? I want my sleep, I want my rest, I want SILENCE. Can't even go about my own business without getting disturbed, even for a minute. Project work woes - the references page were terribly done - I had to mark out dead links and do all the grunt work for them. Blame it on speed over accuracy - more haste less speed.

Now after all of this is solved, what now?

The trek-day has come. Usual stuff happens, sending morning greetings to a certain someone, rushing for school in time to catch the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve coach ferrying 30+ greenhorns there, including myself. Ah, finally a day just for chatting, bonding and doing almost anything apart from schoolwork. Whoohoo - a day of escape from all that sink-or-swim crap.

It was being at one with nature. No more smell of liquid paper - just leaves, fresh dew and bird chirps. And an occasional sight of monkeys...? A welcome sight - except that the law says not to feed these little fellas. Earlier, Jeremy was talking about some monkey-butt asshole running away with his spectacles after a monkey troop assault for peanuts in Malaysia. Cool as nuts - probably that's why they don't feed monkeys in Singapore.

The climb was nice and smooth for the first part, and we got to learn a lot of things on the first trip. For one, you had to bend forward while climbing uphill in steep areas to keep your balance, and that you had to keep your hands free all the time for convenience in grabbing stuff in case you slip and fall. Rocks are dangerous - watch out for those with moss. And oh, when climbing the steps do so sidewards if it is too steep to walk normally.

Sadly halfway during the climb my entire day was spoiled by some random phone call about Mission X-trepreneurs - change of topic. Nothing to do with it itself, but the fact that the call was made while going downhill. Did cause some distress halfway down, because it got harder to catch up while talking and holding onto the phone at the same time in a slopy area full of rocks. Got an extra hand? Not me. Lesson learnt - always inform people beforehand whenever you are doing any activity that may turn dangerous in an instant.

Ate lunch, and got lost. How to go back? I had to hunt the bus stop that could bring me back to Tampines. Cool thing I found a direct bus 67 back home, but the drawback was that it took me one and a half hour to reach home. Better that than not reaching home at all, but it screwed up my entire timetable. And there's still tests and the Promotional Exams to catch up before all hell breaks loose on 28th September...

Looks like I'll never get my peace and quiet until the Promos are over... For the first time in my entire life I'm appreciating the times where I don't get put down by others for no rhyme or reason...

Maybe it's time to take my mind off studies for a while.

Maybe I shouldn't put too much of my attention towards my studies after all.

I mean, yes, I've heard of successful people being hardworking and stuff, but I find that focusing all my energy on it is far too strenuous than what I'm able to take. Let's be honest - how long would you be able to spend sit down there and finish your revision without getting out of the seat? My highest record is only 1 or 2 hours. No more than that.

Also, I thank God for this testimony that I've heard off one of the church sisters whose sister went to take 120 sleeping pills just because she failed one subject. Now THAT's taking studies a little bit too far, but she's still fine, alive and kicking, though I bet she spent a bomb on hospital fees which she could've saved in the first place.

Ah, maybe He's telling me from this incident not to take my studies too far. Balance IS important.

National Day - much awaited holiday amidst desperation

Finally, it's National Day - which means a long weekend, to rest and recover from all the all-work-and-no-play curriculum time. It's affecting my mood and temper a lot - never before have I used so much vulgar language and aggressive words within such a short period of time.

Maybe I should attend some stress management courses or something to get my mind off all this stuff.

Anyways, that aside, I've got back my new laptop, which means that I'm now more active in project work matters now - and it allows for more mobility at school. Again, I now can enjoy "economies of time management" as and when I like! At this rate, more stuff can be finished within a short period of time, then I'd start having time freed for studying for the Promotional Exams. Of course, that's provided that the Exco responsibilities don't prove too hard to handle along with schoolwork...

Still, where things have to be done, it shall be done. This is Aaron here, signing off.