Labels: song

You know, there are so many things I really, really want to do.

But sometimes, I just want to forget about everything and feel the texture of time through my fingers.

Is it procrastination?

Or is it something else?

And then, there are times when I can get so excited about everything, and wish for that moment to become a never-ending continuum.

Is it wishful thinking?

Or is it something else.

Work has started for my new template! It's actually quite exciting haha

Anyway, I found a treasure trove of my old templates recently. It's actually quite interesting to deconstruct the perspectives, thoughts and ideas that used to make up my self and identity. After all, every new template is often a manifestation of contemporary inspiration and desired expression.

Alright, shall have a mini 'hall of fame' when my latest is done!

If we ask a kid, “What are you doing?” the response you will get is something like “playing”, “reading”, “watching TV”, etc. The time horizon for kids is very short. If we ask “What do you do in school?” again the response will be about what they will do on that particular day in the school.

When we grow up, unfortunately (for most of us) the time horizons don’t extend very far. When we ask, “What do you do?” to someone, most often the response will be related to their job and their role in the company. Very rarely, will you hear a passionate answer about how someone is going to change the world. Very rarely will you hear an answer that will cover the time horizon of a lifetime.

I continue to believe that we are becoming a world of “short-term thinkers”. My good friend Vallal told me a few months ago that “we overestimate what we can achieve in a day and we underestimate what we can achieve in a year”. This is so true. Take a look at some of your daily “to-do” lists. Very rarely will you check off everything you planned to do that day. Now take a look at your annual plan (if you don’t have one, please create one right way) and see if that’s the best you can do in a year. You will be amazed at what all you can pack in a year with some discipline and commitment.

We can distinguish ourselves just by refusing to give in to the temptation of “short-term results”. Next time, when someone asks “what do you do?” think of your lifetime as the time horizon and try to answer the question. Again, if you have not thought this through, please don’t try to answer this question in the next few minutes (short-term) as it may take awhile to figure this out (long-term).

Rajesh Setty

Labels: quote

Man is often found wistful - wishing for the hopeful future to become a harmonious conception of regretful pasts. Everyone lives through life carrying an ever-enlarging baggage of regrets, and for every opportune occasion which we let go, it will only get heavier. Regrets and failures can be seen as brethren terms, for regret often follows after failure.

Failure, as I see it, is the lack of courage to do something you actually want.

And is it not true that life is not about how many successes we have achieved, but, rather, it is about how few failures we have committed?

Labels: nickilosophy

Visiting the OCS guys was an interesting experience. In summary...
Nette was late (confirm overslept); Ye Wei and his magnetic studs; the mirror that makes reflections look slim, which got Mandy and Jiening REALLY excited; Cheo and Ngiam looking like Rapunzels as they could only talk to us through tiny, prison-like windows; met Jean and caught up for a while; met other depressed boys shuffling through their time in NS.

Had Japanese cuisine for lunch with Jiening, Nette and Yelin, though my choice of Black Pepper Teriyaki Chicken set could hardly be called Japanese. Anyway, we flitted through different topics in our conversation as a butterfly would - in a sporadic and unpredictable manner. Of course, the theme of relationships inevitably predominated the conversation for a while since the girls are about to enter the next phase of education, which also coincides with the phase whereby it is likely that The Love Of Their Lives might be chanced upon!


(Actually, I just grabbed some random photos.)
After that, we shared with Yelin the crazy, stupid and hilarious stuff we did back in J2 while trying to study for the As. Looking back, that period was really one of the most memorable moments of that year. I can still remember how nice it was to see the same few faces every day as my legs took me along the familiar path to the Council Room; or the time when Mandy brought her laptop and we decided to make a talk show of sorts; or the wonderful nights where we would share those stories about ourselves and feel the spell of familiarity and intimacy weaving us closer; or the comical creation of the Cok Family; and the many other magical moments. Yelin also told us about the activities his group of friends engaged in during those mugging periods, playing stuff like Royal Rumble (damn amusing, seriously) and shooting one another with ice using straws.

The conversation took on a more reflective tone when we talked about the friends we used to be really close to, and of how the unforgiving passage of time have shredded away those treasured ties so easily - leaving behind a shadow of what those relationships used to be, leaving behind shadows of our memory.

Oh well, let's not feel so sad about it. There is a season for all things, and where our relationship used to be bright and sunny like the summer, winter would eventually come to pass. But let's just be positive and view the approaching chill as a reflective period that will help us appreciate the warmth of the sun better.

Wine by ~nigelt on DeviantArt

Are dreams a medium through which the avoided truth confronts us? Or are they simply a manifestation of our subconscious desires? Recently, I have been experiencing these vivid dreams that linger in my memory long after being awake. What is more surprising is the believability of the dreams – which, I would think, is uncommon since dreams are characteristically abstract, convoluted and incoherent. They seem so real that I could actually believe these incidents to have happened. Perhaps our dreams are, in fact, somewhat linked to our hearts. But this theory is only loosely supported by patches of personal experiences – for these wholesome dreamscapes seem to occur in greater frequency when the heart is involuntary plunged into an unexpected anarchy.

Anyway, I came across a sad but reflective quote and thought to share it:

The loss of friends is a tax on age!
Ninon de Lenclos

It may be a little dramatic, but sometimes it does feel as if growing up has this enfeebling effect on friendships that are based on incomplete foundations. While we were in school, it was easy to believe that friendships last forever – or at least for the friends who you have been fortunate enough to share a large fraction of your time with. After all, the frequency of meetings (I still remember the spontaneous greetings across the canteen, along the corridor and even while running on the track!) with one another, coupled with what feel like a continuous stream of outings, enforced the belief that this cloak of invincibility which we have wrapped snugly around our friendships could easily weather through the unforgiving terrains and unpredictable elements of life.

Yet, as we progress in life, ideals eventually become tempered by realities. Disappointment after disappointment only succeed in picking apart the stitches of picturesque memories that once aligned with one another to form those cherished and special embroideries, whose velvet touch would easily infuse in us a kind of warmth and happiness unlike any other.

I think of myself as an idealist, and I guess I am lucky that the ideals I live by have yet to evaporate completely under the merciless heat of the vicissitudes in life. Even so, I am no longer the wide-eyed, naive boy I used to be, who (actually) believed that God would grant me my One True Love if I prayed really hard (lol, don’t remind me). In addition, shifting priorities accompany the process of growing up, and where I used to appreciate fun in company more, I now prefer quality in understanding. Of course, I still like hanging out with friends, which is why I do not stop organising spontaneous gatherings. It is just that once you have realised what you really need, the things you want seem to matter less and become less rewarding.

In any case, to conclude this post, here’s a thought on friendship:

Friends are like wine – some turn into vinegar, but the best improves with age.

Labels: nickilosophy, quote