Sunday, March 30, 2008
Calm before the end.
I'm now in the clubroom, staying over for tmr (oops it's TODAY'S) FOODHUNT!
Everything's gonna happen in a few hours..
Hmm, I'm supposed to feel excited, but I think my mind is kind of a blank now, hence my msn nick, the calm before the end.
I remembered when I watched the second part of Lord of the Rings, just before the Battle of Helm's Deep, where someone pointed that the skies were calm, and there was silence in the atmosphere. "The calm before the storm", I remembered too.
Maybe this is the feeling I'm having right now.. Sometimes, the feeling of anticipation is so nice, so far away from reality, and when it becomes closer to reality, the feeling becomes totally different. The 'too real, too good to be true' feeling, make it seem ironically unreal.
(This happens before every David Tao concert as well hahaha)
It has been a long journey.. From the holidays since our first meeting, it has been around 4 months of preparation. From the initial cock-ups, dropping of comm memebers and inertia, to the wonderfully-detailed items: Very chio marketing certs, nice good food guides, great food vouchers, wonderful stalls list, excellent main sponsorship from Tong Shui Cafe, wonderful-looking banners and flyers, simple yet inexplicably-nice blog with rich content, having 30 teams of participants, making unprecedented profits, seeing the programmers really whack in their total effort to scrutinise things to the last detail in the final weeks, settling on the vehicles we need, getting the police permit needed etc etc, it is indeed a long list we achieved, thanks to the efforts of each and every one of us =)
Sometimes, people do ask me whether is it worth it. Well, to be honest, I can't put an answer to that. Just that sometimes, when cold, hard projects are results of your inputs and efforts, it becomes personal. Like Hillary Clinton mentioned how healthcare issues are personal to her, Foodhunt has become personal to me, more than just a project. That was why I insisted on doing certain things we didn't do before, or wasn't going to be done until I said it. Well, I'm glad that things finally turn out well, and I apologise for any anal demands from my side =)
Nowadays, birthdays in Art Club are really becoming a BLAST! Kaiwei's 21st birthday was truly special indeed. Haha, Tee Lim and I will attest to effectiveness of our kaopehing, guilt-tripping works eh? heh. It was wonderful how everything just came into pieces impromptuly from the sheares suppers we had, and that fateful night when Joshua magically strummed his guitar. The party was really, really fun and I liked it very much!
It is this kind of simplicity, in a natural environment (ok I'm converted by the Natural Heritage module), and with genuine friends that make me feel real good. I myself am never wowed by birthday cruises, magicians peforming, disco-like decorations, but totally by simple gestures from true friends.. And this was the case, everything that came came genuinely, and that itself is the most enjoyable!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!
GOT PICTURES/VIDEOS SEND ME HOR!
Ok, Foodhunt is in a few hours! Hang in there! It will be a roaring success!! =)
lowtide blogged @
12:59 am
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Update
Was really motivated to mug when I came back from tuition, after teaching the 'kids' things that seemed so hard then but so interesting now, like roots of a quadratic equation, integration, probability etc. I love maths!! hahaha
But upon reaching home, eating supper and reading some friends' blogs I've not come across for a long time made me wanna blog myself.
I'm in a sea of busy work this week, but let me sort out my thoughts before I move on =)
Beach Fiesta 08
It was great being able to participate in Beach Fiesta this year! After missing out on last year (not really shou with Arts Club peeps and it was straight after Foodhunt), it was great to see this LEGENDARY event come to live!
Personally I feel the event was a SUCCESS! I'm really happy to see so many people coming together on the beach to play sports, and the atmosphere around was carnival-like, at least from my point of view. As Jeremy said, it was a whooping 62 teams and it itself is an achievement!
The sand, sun and sea never fails to make me high, and despite not really sleeping comfortably on the stage the night before, I felt damn good once the games started!
It was fun being the programmer of captain's ball, it kinda reminded me of my days as Games Captain in TJC Delta House Comm, when I organised the intra-house captain's ball competition, providing fun for the CGs of our house.
Granted, this time, teams were much 'fiercer', much more competitive, but that was only to be expected. I really thank my referees for their hardwork, for enduring under the sun and being so responsive to my 'orders'. And I found 2 AHS juniors! hahaha
I took over the refereeing for the 'siong' matches, as well as the semi-finals. Haha it was fun! It was fun bearing the brunt of the players' KB, and putting that stern face to them. I hope I did a good job as referee, as being clear and decisive is the key, not giving out correct fouls =P
So for my side, I felt that I had a fulfilling day.
I'm really proud of Yingling, Adeline and Naga, as I know the struggles you guys faced during the whole course of planning. Well done.. You guys made it!! =)
Granted, the event wasn't perfect, but well, no event is and never will any be. So, looking at the fun the participants had, and the smiles and 'thank you's when they look into my eyes.. it's all worth it! =)
Well, this week's gonna be crazy, with the tying up of loose ends for Foodhunt, Natural Heritage test on Thursday, and the finalisation of my Malay presentation.
As Foodhunt approaches the actual day and its closing stages.. I recall the question Applie asked us during the introduction in our first Foodhunt meeting.. "Why do you wanna join the Foodhunt comm?"
I can't remember my exact answer, but what went through my mind was, "I loved Foodhunt and our comm last year, so to carry on the 'legacy' we've created from scratch, I'm wanna do my part to make it as good, if not better, than last year's."
Yes, this is my first Arts Club project, and this is what brought me into knowing so many wonderful people here. I have a passion for it, and I'm gonna do whatever I can to make it better, to carry on its legacy. I will make it a success again this time, and this is my personal promise to our Ocomm last year.
For now, some first-timers (I'm abit assuming here ah, paiseh) might not feel as strongly as me, but I'm sure that after the actual day, after seeing the smiles on the participants' faces, and how Foodhunt is brought to a fulfilling close, you guys will feel the same way too =)
So, please pardon and forgive me sometimes for my over-passionate response and arguments, as all I wanna do is not to build on my personal thinking, but really to let the participates enjoy themselves, and make this event a huge, roaring success, with participants smiling and praising us when the curtains are brought down.
We've come so far, so let us jiayou for the final lap!! I'm sure that at the end of the day, at the final destination, the memories and sense of satisfaction will forever be etched on our hearts.
Jiayou people!! =)
lowtide blogged @
12:12 am
Monday, March 17, 2008
Stone
I keep complaining about being busy, yet when I stone, I do the most unproductive things, especially late at night.
I actually watched all 20 parts of the final tv debate between the two Taiwanese presidential candidates, Ma Ying Jiu and Xie Chang Ting on youtube.
Just as I saw something I was not 'supposed' to see (nothing sleazy if you're thinking so), suddenly everything links, and creates this intertwined mess in my head.
Suddenly, everything links.
Master Khor's words. The content of the presidential debate. My own experience and self-discovery.
"You love with all your heart, and hate with all your guts."
"You cannot resist temptation."
By conventional interpretation, these sentences are funny, and carry a certain undertone suited only for a certain category of things.
But now, I totally get the new light of it. It's not physical. It's mental. It's not active. It's passive. It's that kind of defence mechanism everyone sets, and through it, passive defence or avoidance appears as hate.
At both sides of the Taiwan Straits, people ask: "How are we ever gonna solve this 'dispute'"?
I support Ma Ying Jiu for President, and he roughly said, "Perhaps even in our lifetime, we'll never see this 'dispute' resolved. So, now we should put our focus on the urgent things, establish back dialogue, and build ties."
How true, how true. 60+ years ago, Taiwan is considered a part of China. Viewed from the 'status quo' of that era, it's a pity the Taiwan got politically seperated from China.
But as time goes by and the seperation continued, it's always harder to re-concile the two sides of the Straits, as people get used to what changes to become 'the status quo'. When the Taiwanese are used to them being 'independent', they no longer feel a strong sense of kinship to China. They understand, and perhaps sentimental to the fact that Taiwan was once part of China, but through a magic potion called 'time', the feelings involved simply eroded.
No matter how one respects and tries to remember history, once the feelings attached to that era was gone, no amount of reading and referencing will influence the current sentiments. Hence, instead of being stuffed with that unreachable portion of history, it's time to create a fresh sense of identity, free from the burden of the distant past.
People will only remember the recent past. The Taiwanese would not remember how they are Chinese too, linked by a common history. Instead, what they remember and still experience is how China try to restrict its sovereignty, by 'snatching' diplomatic relations and restricting entrance into world bodies.
This is the new reality. And both sides have to face it. The Taiwanese have broken free of the sentimentality of the old era, and China, in wanting to build new ties, has to 'forget' the distant past, and focus on how do you go on from the current status. Everything has to be viewed from the current, and not the past. The past has passed. It's kind of impossible to ask for a full-blown re-unification as per the distant past. So reconciliation has to have the take of two seperate, sovereign entities trying to work closely, rather than that of a close re-unification as per the distant past.
And even that takes time. A hell lot of time. Plus, a lot of goodwill from both sides. Given recent history, would it be easy? I'm afraid not. But Ma Ying Jiu's willing to try, without sacrificing Taiwan's sovereignty. That's why I support him.
Perhaps it's good I chanced upon it. Even as the issue remains unresolved, one has got to study history to understand history.
lowtide blogged @
1:17 am
Friday, March 14, 2008
I'm still alive
Well, haven't been updating this blog because I'm really busy with stuff, or I've simply refused to use any rest/stoning time I have to blog, as I really need to well, rest, or stone.
Have been busy with Foodhunt, it's a different experience this time round being a DPD, despite not needing to do the ground work like contacting stalls, producing programmes, designing posters, handling registration etc, you'll always need to be at the forefront of stuff, especially mentally.
When people 'forget' that they are supposed to call someone, or plan something, you'll need to remind. When things do not go as smooth as planned, you would need to think of solutions and troubleshoot, as people look to your leadership, rather than providing them.
It's not physically tiring, but mentally it is.
Oweek'08 is another thing that requires lots of preparation, really thanks to Huimin for getting the whole comm, Remmy for doing the rough yet detailed theme outline out, and Kaiwei for tolerating my nonsense and the agreement when we discuss, despite me being overbearing, I feel, at times.
As I've said to some people, I feel uneasy whenever study has taken a backseat, and this semester, it really has. Gone are the days I'm able to really sit down and absorb what I study. People who know how I study will not that I'm not exceptionally smart, it's just that I take the effort to 'stare' at the notes until I understand things.
This time round, the 'luxury' of time in 'staring' at the notes has been at a premium, and this adds to my uneasiness. I'm not one who is satisfied with superficial understanding of stuff, so this superficial browsing of notes has made me not confident of what I studied.
As rest time has been at a premium, I am very sorry to friends whom I've not been able to go out with. 4D, 08, soccer gang. And specially sorry to Rayner, whose birthday celebrations I've not been able to attend either. When I decline gatherings with you guys, it's not because I've put old friends down when compared to the new. It is just that I need to rest in my free time, or I'll simply become exhausted and not having the energy to go through a new week of turbulence. Got so busy meh? Nope. But after the busy week, in my spare time, I need to rest. So for now, just let me be, give me the time to rest. When I'm free, normal service will be resumed.
Well, I hope for Foodhunt to go smoothly, and after that I'll really try to fly. I really hope it wouldn't be too late by then.
Until then, byebye blog.
lowtide blogged @
10:50 pm
