Note to Self:

The Mee Siam at work is poison. And not in the vodka-is-my-poison kind of way.

A pleasant reminder that I practically have a 3-day week, with just 2 days left! Quick, Friday arrive.

"You could spend your whole life holding on/Don't look back, just go"

This shall be a frivolous post about What I Did This Weekend, but it is meaningful because it had many significant moments that, in some way, represent the space I occupy right now.

1. I met Paul and Sean for dinner at Holland Village, and we talked about so much. We admitted things too, for me some already known, some always known but never aired, and others.

2. I attended a YAM Committee meeting.

3. I participated in a closed-door dialogue with Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi.

4. I visited Zixian at a Flea Market at 8QSAM.

5. There was no cell group for once in a very long time, and I also didn't attend service for the first time in many many many weeks.

6. This was because I was at a meeting with Colleen, Daniel and Sophie to witnessing the recording of our new YAM Camp Theme Song. Excite.

7. I had Sunday Lunch at Popeye's and had conversation, which included a little about school mottos which was sorta reminiscent.

8. I spent the longest time in one single afternoon going through frisbee drills with Adriel and Louis (who helped out even in jeans; sorry for all the sweat) and Gavin. Adriel teaching me frisbee reminds me of Jake teaching me to play pool.

9. We played frisbee at Tanah Merah, our new field of choice.

10. I'm not having dinner at Timbre or watching the Chelsea-ManUtd match with company. I shall do so this evening only because I've got the luxury of leaving the house at 8a.m. tomorrow morning. With a bit of luck I should be back in front of this computer screen again no later than 4p.m. Crosses Fingers.

Flea (The Market Variety)

When one chooses an activity to pursue all-out, one immerses oneself wholly, bandying about its lingo as if the world should know what you mean. Take for instance an Ultimate Frisbee Player; things like grabhuckscore and insideoutoutsidein throws come as naturally as breathing (it was either frisbee or the flea market craze, and it seems I know slightly more about the former than the latter, hence my choice of example). More so than that, one is defined by the activity, especially to those in the same social circles (people like you or me). So one could, say, be an SA rugger, be from RJ badminton, or like me, an AC debater. Even if one has a second, equally heavy commitment something else, or picks up something in later life, there's always the easily identifiable tag to fall back on when one is talked about in said social circles. Yet very often in our pursuit of the highest standards of our activity of choice (and believe me, people like us don't do it any other way; "recreational" is very much taboo), when we leave it is with a strange feeling of not knowing what else to fill one's time with. Yes, we can very ably become coaches, play for clubs or, very rarely, make it a profession (because of a. the lack of avenues in our sunny island and b. sometimes going pro ruins the thing itself completely), but I have always wondered what I would pick up that is completely separate (and tuition or driving or applying for uni don't count; neither does church or ministry work (or ad-hoc charity/community work) really count either.). I've been asked to learn soccer from scratch (trust me, it will be from scratch; I have zero experience), or really put myself out there in frisbee, or master french or spanish, or volunteer in a full-time capacity at a major ethnic self-help group. It's not as if I don't have things to occupy my time with; and the idea of a job of any sort seems rather demanding. What can be my in-between?

Morning After Dark

This post could be, like others, a sincere but poor jotting down of the significance of having exactly a year of NS left (exactlytoday'sdatenextyearnobutit'stomorrow'sdaytobepreciseohwhattheheck).

But I think I've gained a little more perspective than that. A few early days that stretched from yesterday till Monday, with a little normality at work (TGIF at that) means that I'm in a same-but-different space around this time, so much more so when it's 2010 version rolls around. It's nice that I'm not a 1-year NSF, but already I have only a year left. 'Only', you say? But that is such poor representation and I accede to all incredulity with which this post is read. 10 months of this behind me have done nothing but make me think of better times past and better times to come.

I think I'll not look so far down this 1-year (though, as I've been told, round figures of such wholeness appeal to the mind, and so a nice appreciable number like 1 year can be bandied around this time, but not for long) as time passes it by and nibbles it up. Instead, as with the second parenthesis in the update, the weekend's much more grasp-able, don't you think?

Vestiges From A Longish Weekend

1. Friday leveling-up, with the outstanding issue of finding an electric guitarist

2. This Is It in place of a stay-over which never materialized; it's OST still remains un-updated

3. Prologue discounts let slip intentionally because of Borders 20%

4. An unexpected 4musketeers photo and an amazing night ending with weird horror films

5. Leaving the tan question for another week, but still getting to talk

6. Dinner and discussion with a bruised thumb and the need for rethinking its purpose

7. Wow, it's the 2nd of November tomorrow. This calls for commemoration some time this week. I expect good company. It had better be 'cos I feel I'm owed.