Christmas Merry Making'08

A Gift to be Remembered (X'mas'08)

When I was still a kid...Christmas was about presents. Time passes and for the past couple of years...the day was spent with my family sans the presents. I hardly spent the day with friends...except for that very fateful day my choir mates and I went for dinner after our last caroling session.





Yet for the first time in ages....I felt being young again. This year...I spent my X'mas with my NIE friends and being immersed in the very joy of merry making once again. Though presents were not being deemed as important as in the past...the very gesture of giving and receiving one certainly completes my day. The presents per se were not important...though with exceptions....but rather the act of giving and sharing one's joy is what that matters now.





I really do appreciate all the goodwill and wishes of my friends. Presents need not be confined within the premises of a physical entity...a simple X'mas greeting could just be the bridge to share the joy.

Anyway....I was glad BK became my guide and showed me the way to Books Actually. I had always wanted to visit the place in person ever since I read about it in the papers a couple of years ago. A quint little bookstore that houses a collection of much interesting reads with a certain strong air of literary comfort. It is certainly a little haven for all bookish fanatics....especially if getting a X'mas present for one. Alike its location....I bought a little red notepad of sorts made of moleskin...i think. Though inconspicuous at first glance....there reside an unmistakable classy charm upon further inspection...handmade and limited in stock..or at least was what I was led to believe from the online description. It being the last red one also helped....haha

X'mas came and past.
I wonder what holds in store for me the new year ahead.

Ps: Hope Uncle Sam gets better soon.

Life goes on.

Reunion

Some believe that only through tough times would one be able to see who their friends are...some treasure friendships only when it is lost...

I believe in cherishing the present....

I finally met up again with my army pals and I finally got to watch Cape No. 7....though the plot was rather contrived...the music, humour and acting were nevertheless top notch. The song kept swirling in my head....a simple song to go with the simple mantra of being true to oneself. A tinge of simpleness and complexity encased within a song....probably it is just something I could identify with....

We had dinner at Timbre thereafter. Generous portions of food.....great music from the live band( "Goodfellas") but most importantly the sharing of the juiciest gossips amongst our social lives.

Some look at the past for comfort.
Some look at the future for hope.
I'm just happy that some had looked at the present and had found what they had always been looking for.

As a friend advised me on not losing hope......guess I never should.






And maybe more......


Life goes on.

Growing up too fast anyone ?

It is kind of funny that when there I was slogging along during the semester meeting datelines and (attempting to or at least it seems) passing my tests, which finally culminated in the cramming and mugging madness before the exams, my mind were crowded with thoughts of the holidays instead of the formulas and concepts that were expected of me.

Ushering in the holidays and there I was thinking how life feels so empty and hollow without all the hustle and bustle of work. It starts to dawn on me.....whatever happened to all those grand and magnificent holiday plans I had festered in my mind during the exam period. Guess it truly is unfathomable the things one desire in life.

I had dinner with one of my close buddies, one whom I knew through Secondary school and JC. Then, we were always cracking lame jokes, talking about computer/X Box games, fighting it out over who was the best character in the Lord of the Rings movie/game series ( for the record, I still think Gimli is not as useless as he is portrayed to be). Essentially, we revolved around what most "geeks" would tend to immersed themselves in.

However, it seems that the times of mere "teenage talk" may have faded into the background but instead topics I would have deemed boring in the past are foregrounded. Lame jokes were replaced by our views on the present dire global economic plight; gaming thoughts were replaced with our ventures/proposed ventures ( or in my case the lack thereof) in building portfolios and investments of stocks and shares. We shared our philosophies of investments and the entire debate on the pros and cons of which. The "His Go-getter VS My Conservative (read Kiasu)" debate when it comes to investing in stocks. We talked about our views on marriage and the whole economic liabilities it promises to ensue. We speculated ,hypothetically at least, despite factoring in a stable income and promises of less extravagant expenditure, we realised that we would still be in debt when or if we choose to eventually get married.

Well...least he looks a more likely bet to start constructing his marital plans. Not that I am being envious or anything.

He remarked that whilst we are only in our early 20s, sometimes life forces you to grow up. I could not agree more. But at what expense ?...

Or perhaps.....are we growing up too fast to really enjoy what life truly promises due to the pragmatic realisation of facing up to realities ? It is not the case that I appear not willing to "grow up"....but rather...are we truly happy with the kind of life we apparently are slated to lead ?...Could true happiness be derived from pragmatism ? Is happiness in fact what we are seeking in life ??

I do not know.

Questions I continue to seek answers for.

Life goes on.