a story in progress

In retrospect, through out this month, it has been sort of a roller coaster ride. There are the up and down moments in it. Moments – where you just want the ride to end, so that you can get your two feet rooted firmly to the ground. Moments, where you really wish for the ride to last forever, so that you need not face the reality that awaits you as soon as you step foot on the world below.

It will always seem easier to quit then to finish what you started. The same goes for finding reasons on why you shouldn’t carry on then to carry on.

But I believe, if you are able to overcome that self-imposed barrier, you would survive anything else that life mange to throw at you. In a more scientific term, Ea (activation energy) is needed to do so. And in our case, the Ea would most likely be your friends, family and so on. But if it's up to me to decide, I would say cash. After all, what serve as a better driving force than the big M itself?

Anyway, the last day of January is a well spent day indeed. The Sukantara event was surprisingly a smooth sailing event. Even with those minor turbulences in between. Well partly because, my usual sense of rational and yelling have failed me amidst the adrenalin rush that I am experiencing within my blood vessels.

However, with the passing of today’s event; once again I am forced to remind myself how time flies. It has already been a month since school reopen. Hard to believe, eh? And Chinese New Year is around the corner as well.

Yet somehow, the mood isn’t really there. But at my rate, I doubt I can recover my former enthusiastic-ness for all these reunion and socializing stuff.

But then again, just talking bout it won’t make a difference right? So why bother in the first place? Well simply because, I can. =P

Today has been by far, my most frustrating day-to-date for the year 2008! Why? Well, thanks to the incompetent bunch of people running my House and not to mention the useless, spineless, pathetic, blundering bunch of idiots I have for Housemates. Never in my 5 years of secondary education, have I encounter such apathetic students. Why on earth do they even bother to turn up for House practises, if you are just gonna sit under a shade? Why don't all of you just go back to your houses and take care of your precious, delicate little complexion? It will safe me the trouble of having to yell at the top of my lungs.

It really makes me wonder, do you guys enjoy being at the last position?

Do you guys even know the meaning of team morale? I doubt any of you do. Go look it up at a dictionary for god sake.

At this rate, I will be pleasantly surprised if we don't end up last on the actual day itself.

*huge relief*

Finally, I managed to finish my Commonwealth essay!! If everything turn out as plan, it should reach Putrajaya safely together with the other three essays by this weekend. *wink*

I have to truthfully admit, writing an essay for a competition ain't as easy as I thought it would be, in the first place. Nonetheless, it's for a worthy cause - even if it means putting my life on hold just for the sake of rushing through it. =)

All thanks, to a bunch of red tapes imposed by our local competition coordinator. *cough*

Other then that, for the past few weeks, been kinda busy with the house practices. But what I don't get is why have they decided to throw in 2 sessions of it per week this year?! What happen to the good old once in a week session? If the school is so naive to believe that, the more the better, then I suggest the school administrator to take a better look at the daily house practice. Most of the school athletics don't even bother to show up for it. I will perform hara kiri if you tell me it's to train people like me to become the school athletic. (considering the fact that, only fools like me are foolish enough NOT to skip it)

For those out there who know me well enough, will also know how much 'talent' I have in the field of sport. So nuff' said bout it.

However, the only thing I enjoy going for such afternoon practices is that I get to lie down flat on the field staring at the sky above at the end of it. No matter how tired or exhausted I am; somehow looking at the sky manage to sooth me. It gives you the very calming effect by just staring at it. Never mind bout all the dirt and god-know-what stuff that crawls in my school padang. Every year, I try to make a point to recite this weird ritual of mines. Grown use to the yelling and and laughter that I manage to draw from the crowd even after all this years.

And to think that this year might most likely be my last, (unless I continue doing my Form 6) kinda make it more nostalgic than before. =P

(Disclaimer: Long post ahead!)

Due to the nature of today's post (being long and tedious that is) I have decided to split today's post into two part. The first part will be about the events that took place around me today. Where as the second part will be about my impression about it.


First-hand Experiences

Went to Penang yesterday night, as soon I finished my Bahasa Melayu tuition. Well, the purpose? To attend my aunt's wedding over there. Before you get any wrong idea, I would like to clarify that, my aunt ain't some desperate 40 years old spinster who have finally managed to find another desperate guy to wed as well. (not that I have any problem with that though) The only reason I call her aunt is because her father is my mum's uncle. Which automatically makes her my mother's cousin. Therefore, it's only formality that I call her as my aunt. She is in fact about 20 years old ++ (exact age is not to be reveal, at least not in public).

Anyway, the wedding took place at the bride groom's house this morning. You know, the whole modern contemporary Chinese style sort of wedding - a mixture of both the old and new. All of us gather at the bride groom's house at the crack of dawn to catch up/meet up with the other relatives. It's been quite awhile, since we had such a big reunion. From the different corners of the world to the different states of Malaysia. All of us were here on this momentous occasion for the wedding cum reunion.

Around noon, the groom's delegation finally arrived. (another one of those Chinese traditions where the groom isn't suppose to see the bride till that "auspicious time") From that point onwards, the real fun begins! The bride aka my aunt's friends have laid out a series of trials for the groom before his able to meet up with his bride. To name a few, they (the groom and his delegation aka best friends/mates) were forced to sing songs, dance, passing seaweeds mouth to mouth, eating up a tub of ice-cream and so on. Of course, the guys took the challenges with much stride and gut. I actually pity the groom's friends/mates. For you see, they "suffered" the most during those trials. To take on the unimaginable!

After much hustling and jokes, the bride managed to "survive" and meet with the bride. And then next, were the tea drinking ceremony, where the bride groom has to serve tea to their elders and parents. Who says the jokes end at there? My aunt and my uncle being the sensible couple that they are, decided it was time to get back at the others. So even amidst the tea drinking ceremony, there were still more pranks and jokes going on.

There weren't any events after the tea drinking ceremony save for the dinner later that night at a hotel. Well, even as I took my first step into the ballroom that night, I wasn't impress at all at the entire ambiance of the allegedly "grand ballroom". With six massive huge pillars obstructing the view and cheesy helium filled balloons, there is very little to be impressed about actually. And another huge bane of that night's dinner was the cliched karaoke stage where they hired 3 singers to "entertain" us throughout the night by belting out songs (mostly on love songs). Don't get me wrong or anything, those singers are much musically talented than I can ever dream of becoming. But nevertheless, considering the event that night, it's actually a nuisance to have them singing all the way. Somehow, I feel they should give the hosts/hostess/bride and groom the opportunity to deliver some speeches and perhaps some intro as well. But that never happen, though. The food weren't much to brag as well. After the 8 course banquet and much valedictions being exchanged, all of us managed to return to our home in one piece(s).



Impression

Today will forever be marked by these three key words - wedding bells, reunion and redemption. You have already heard about the process of the wedding, not humbly allow me to state my impression based upon those events that transpire.

Now for those who know me well enough, they will do well enough to know that I am most certainly not your average bona fide filial and benevolent relation/cousin/nephew to have. Call me arrogant, call me stoic or anything else for that matter, but I never really see eye to eye with most of my relations. May it be the paternal or the maternal side. (but if I have to pick, I would go for the maternal side of my family) Well, why on earth do I not see eye to eye with them? Tons of reasons to do so actually. But I will just save it for now. Perhaps someday, I write about it in some other post. Anyway, the fact is, I'm not that close with them. Nuff said.

But throughout the day, I have to say, my first impression on most of my relations are mostly proven correct. Yet, at the same time, I get to see another side of them. One which is not that familiar with me. I have to truthfully admit, I really admire their family togetherness spirit albeit all the shortcomings/infidelity/backstabbing and so on. If they were to make a drama out of of my family (both paternal and maternal sides) I believe it will give all those so-called-Tvb-dramas out there a run for their money. Heck, I think it can even beat The Drive of Life. But that is an entire issue by itself. I wonder, if it were to be made into a drama, will it have a happy ending in it like most of the the drama out there? I suppose the word "happy" is very subjective, as each one of us have our own interpretation of the word "happy". SO being different, doesn't automatically means that you are wrong. It's just a different point of view.

Besides that, I get to see another humorous side of my family. Not to mention, their open mindedness. I mean how many people (people being the older generation before us, the Y generation) out there, who actually give bikinis as wedding gift and display their public affections to their spouse amidst the crowd of people ? Apparently, not many.

Overall, I have to say the wedding was a success. Not in the sense, that the food was exceptionally good nor the wedding was conducted in such a grand and royal manner, but it did achieve it's objectives - bringing people closer together and bridging the gap in between. For me, that's all that matter at the very end. Perhaps someday, I might tread upon this very same path, but it would be great to know by then, I would have compassion, redemption and even love with me.


Love has a hem to her garment that reaches to the very dust. It sweeps the stains from the streets and lanes, and because it can, it must. - Mother Teresa

Did I mention school? Well, as a matter of fact I did. Today is officially the first schooling day out of the 207 schooling days that we have in the year 2008 (which also includes the public holidays). Anyway, the first day of school was a dud. Not much going on. Unless you count cleaning up a dirt covered classroom as an enjoyable activity. There is also this air of awkwardness in the atmosphere. Then again, has the school always been like this? Or did I just imagined all this up?

Honestly, I have no idea. The only thing I am so sure of, is that there are a lot of pointless, unnecessary and superficial stuff going on. Yet being aware of that doesn't help you much. It's like knowing you are a rat in a rat race and still you have no choice but to participate in it. I think it's phrased as human nature. Intriguing, eh?

Speaking of human nature, I did a very pointless (and not to mention nonsensical) calculation yesterday. It hit me so spontaneously that, I had to jot it down on a piece of paper. For you see, I did a rough estimation on the average time I spend in my daily activities. Well basic activities which a human would normally do in a year time. Such as eating, bathing, sleeping and so on. Guess what did I uncovered at the end of it? Below is a summary to it;

1. Sleeping - 25% (on an average of 6 hours daily)
   
2. School - 21% (on an average of 7 hours daily excluding stay backs and co-curriculum)
   
3. Traveling - 15%
   
4. Studying - 9%
   
5. Bathroom - 8%
6. Eating - 6%
7. Entertainment - 5% (including watching Tv, blogging, cinema and so on)
   
8. Tuition - 5%