As swift as this year has begun, it has come to an end. A tidal wave of gray has swept my life, as it always does and as it seems to have been doing so for the past couple of months, for good reason. We’re leaving another year behind and with it, memories that we cherish and banish forever seared in our minds, words we regret or reflect upon forever changing our paths, people we lose and keep in our hearts, as we do every day every week every month every year. It’s a never-ending cycle that never fails to remind us that life is as short as we make it, and as full as we want it to be.
What have I accomplished in the past 364 days? I can only think of one thing I am proud of - graduating on top of my class. That particular day, June 28th, I remember standing in front of the Wanganui Royal Opera House looking at its tall gilded doors and wondering how the hell did the one year I spent studying in NZ just vanish so quickly. On that day, however, everything else made sense. I was happy. My parents were ecstatic. Even Grandma, resplendent in her warm winter jacket, couldn’t stop grinning. I’d gotten somewhere, at least in their eyes.
Other singular days of significance slash highlights that I can remember was that farewell party we had on January 26th, where things only ended at 10am the next morning and was such a mad blast that we’re still talking about it, my birthday, February 11th, which was spent in Wellington with my friend Lai Min. We had a really nice dinner in one of my favourite restaurants there before heading to the Jet Bar for the requisite round of vodka shots. April, Easter, when Garret came to visit from Canada and we did the Great North Island Tour with Greg and finished all 1000mls of our Absolut Vanilia in shots one night.. all good times. Not forgetting Design Camp and the Great South Island Tour with my parents after graduation. Looks like I’ve covered 80% of New Zealand by road/foot. And who could miss out the fantabulous Cat Empire and Anthony Robbins? And Ferrari’s driver-constructor win? Dr. M’s retirement? My (in retrospect, stupid) game of Russian Roulette? Stressing during my final 2 weeks before graduation? And my first job interview in KL today?
2003 has been a great year so far, although it’s proportions remind me that of a storm. It came too fast, turned everything upside down (in a good way, of course) and is now about to dissapear forever.
Rather than bore you with my introspections (I noticed my last few attempts at posting has been rather full of self-examination) I have good news awaiting to be typed out..
An old classmate, Foong Yin, SMSed me today. I sent her a Christmas card to her last known address and left my mobile number on it and it turns out that she’s been in Melbourne all this time and finally graduated as an engineer and is now back for good. It’s great to be in touch. Sharon (seldom-mentioned best bud of mine), Foong Yin and I used to make up the BBB trio in school, which (giggle) stood for our nicknames, Bong, Boing and Bo. Needless to say, we used to be very close. I was Bo, as in Bo Peep, having had curly frizzy hair which resembled that of a sheep. Heh.
I also finally got the all-clear from my parental units about this holiday I’m about to be taking with Nik.. it looks like yours truly is about to go on a cruise this Sunday! I’m excited.. it’s about time I got that damned tan. Whee! It also means I’m going to Singapore again, because the ship leaves from Singapore, and I’m also looking forward to Saturday in Sentosa Island. Not a bad way to start the new year indeed.
I haven’t been doing much these past couple of days except for reading. I managed to plough through three novels and am on my fourth, which happens to be the boringly kitsch The Devil wears Prada I bought ages ago but never got round to finishing. It’s so painfully exaggerated and achingly cliche that I’m wondering why I’m finishing it this time round. At least Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic books were funny. Don’t bother reading it unless you’re a fan of Cruella DeVille and you live in fur-lined Prada. I liked the book Tiff loaned me though, it’s called Drop Dead Gorgeous by Katie Agnew which has enough sex, drugs and rock n’ roll to keep me happy. At the rate I’m going though, I think I’ll need to shop for more books to read on the cruise while I bake in the sun. Have been eyeing Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series and his translation of a foreign book about this South African story that I don’t know the title of. Might be a bit tricky to locate then, no?
Before I catch up on my sleep, I’d like to wish everyone who reads my blog a very happy 2004. May the new year be better than the last!
Adieu