the year 2011 in a nutshell

instead of the usual setting of new year resolutions and examining the old ones, i figured this year i'd leave behind of post of a different sort.

its new years eve and im counting down at home, not what i expected having seen the movie 'new year's eve' where everyone somehow had something awesome to do and something awesome happening to them. not me. im home counting down with channel 5 with my parents. but as mom puts it, better home than in camp. she's been a super positive figure this year and never fails to cheer me up.

2011 has changed me alot, not a really life-changing drastic change but it has certainly shaped my perspective on life, how to live it and the importance of just being thankful for being alive.

landmarks: graduating from SCS as a full-blown infantier, conquering 4SIR, surviving brunei, getting a place in NTU

biggest regret?

not being able to give up hope in C even at the end of 2011, and i swear, in 2012 this will not be the case. im so stone-cold numb to it i really don't give a shit anymore. i spent a day in korea looking for the perfect gift only to find it and give it to you for your 20th birthday but you never wore the amethyst necklace and you didn't even remember what it was. such an effort wasted on my part and im deeply disappointed. with myself and with you. 2012, if this is indeed my last year on earth, please let it be c-free. ty.

not finding a gf even though mom has pestered me for the entire year, i feel a little useless. oh well. somethings just can't be helped.

should have made more use of life during the salad days.

biggest truimphs?

after losing 400 bucks in a single night and then 200 later, i decided that enough was enough and took the first step in quitting my gambling addictions for this year. its been more than 2 months and i've been poker and singaporepool's free. even i am surprised!

seeing my men appreciate me for my effort, its nice to be appreciated sometimes.

swallowing my pride on several occasions and taking the first steps of ammendment even though every part of me didn't like it at all. (crow-bar incident)


on these dying minutes of 2011, i'd like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a better year ahead!

you have no idea how long i waited to give that to you

or how long i took to buy that

or where i bought it from

or the meaning behind it

'we bought a zoo' was pretty awesome, its my dream!

wanting to bring ethan along was a bad choice though.. kinda ruined the night.. oh well

how could i possibly give someone advice that i don't even follow?

stupid me.

wake up your bloody ideas and get your priorities right pls..

WASTE YOUR HOLIDAYS ALL YOU WANT, YOU'RE NOT GETTING THEM BACK FOR THE NEXT 4 MONTHS.

YAY!

you are right, i was such an idiot for loving you all those years back.

Its 630 in the morning and my alarm rings but I hit the snooze button. 15 minutes later mom comes in and rushes me.

"645 already!!! You want to be late again?"

I take 10 minutes to change up and gulp my cup of milo. It takes years of practice to be able to achieve such record breaking time. I run to the bus-stop. Its already 7.

945 is finally here, with a swift switch to 941 at the interchange I might just make it in time for school.

7.18 is exactly the time I step in, basketball court users slowly filing out to the main carpark for flag raising. Today, I shall serve no detention and there's no need to trick the junior prefects.

One of the senior prefects gives the regimental orders of the school. I mean announcements. Doesn't really concern me, my mind drifts to the events of the day that are yet to come.

"Dismissed."

I rush to my locker to grab my textbooks, wary of Mr Lee who is forever catching students who use their lockers only after the morning assembly. I pile a handful into my sling bag and hurry up the stairs to the classroom.

My awesome secondary school life begins.

there was this girl i liked in secondary school, but well, i was young and i didnt really care for anything other than basketball and bros

fantasies about the salad days..

if only we could turn time round

visited grandma today at bedok. had a really short conversation with her. it went sth like that. (translated from teochew to english of course)

me: how are you grandma?

g: im good, how old are you this year?

me: 22

g: time pasts really fast, how long more to ORD?

me: yes time flies, 8 more months to go

g: good good, you have adapted quite well to military?

me: yes i have

g: how old are you again this year?

me: u guess?

g: i think you're 20 something

me: im 22.

*after 10 seconds*

me: how old am i grandma?

g: i dont know, i think you should be 20 plus?

hitting the dreaded 90 soon and taking more pills a day then i drink cups of water. i couldnt stop myself from thinking: "for how long more will i still be able to see you as you are?"

the 10 minutes was well worth the 2 hour journey to and fro from west to east. just so i could have a slice of memory of my grandma while she was still living.

me? i may be selfish but i do not wish to live that long. but thats not a choice, it all boils down to fate.

welcome december, you have finally come. i have waited a long time for you.

its time to do the things i have wanted to do all year long in these short 3 weeks.

maybe even asking the apple of my eye out.. hahahahahahahaha.. i reminisce too much about secondary school days..

a more detailed update soon.

-RomE