Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Saturday was probably the most tiring day for this month as I played soccer in the hot afternoon from 2pm to around 6.30pm without having my lunch at all. This is due to the fact that I woke up late after switching off my handphone alarm. Set my alarm at 12.30pm and told my a little more snooze won't hurt. Little did I realize I woke up 1 hour later to find myself a bit late for soccer. The time we start is around 1.30pm to 2pm because nobody is early and people like me have problems waking up in time. Shocking isn't it? It's not even in the early morning but in the afternoon. That's just us, everytime it comes to the school holidays back then, any soccer has to be arranged in the afternoon so that everyone can come. Was hungry without having taken lunch but didn't want to risk cramps in the stomach if I had lunch. No matter how light it is.
Let's just say army has given me the power of the mind and body to forgo lunch and engage in physical activities. If I were to do this before I enlist, I would be pretty worried that I might faint from the lack of energy in my body but skipping a meal or two ain't gonna harm your body. However, it's not good to practice this often. It's amazing how strong your mind can be, it allowed to forget your hunger and at that point of time, I was more thirsty to even bother about any hunger. When you're thirsty, you just keep gulping down more water so that you won't be dehydrated. In a way, it fills up your stomach. When you're outfield in the army and when faced with inedible combat rations, water is the best alternative. Consider how hot Singapore is, it never hurts to drink more water. The worst thing is to fall victim to heat exhaustion.
So when soccer ended in the evening, the hunger pangs start to hit you and your stomach is calling out for food. As I was going to nus guild house to catch tong and the uncles who used to play at bt merah in some squash action. Not that I was planning to play squash also, just wanted to visit that place. It's been years since I was last there for a dinner with my family. So I walked from acjc to jumbo to have the usual fried rice with egg. Acsians will know what jumbo is while for the people who're reading my blog, it's not that seafood restaurant but some zhi char stall situated in a coffeeshop opposite of acs(I). Been having my meals there since I was sec 1 and now, even my family likes the food there. They don't just serve affordable and tasty food but also the service is good. As there is a large population of foreigners living in the dover area, they even customized one of their menus with korean meanings of their dishes. It's pretty smart and convenient for their korean customers.
Took bus 33 to nus and the bus stopped at the kent ridge bus interchange and walked up the steps to the front of fass. Since it was late at night and it's been ages since I went to the guild house, I had no idea how on how to get there. The map doesn't make any sense to me no matter how long I looked at it. I half thought it was the nus alumni clubhouse and guild house on the other hand. I followed my instincts and walked straight up the slope. I had no idea why I walked into the nus presshouse where courses like southeast studies and theatre studies are located. Though it was only like 8pm, the whole place is deserted and pretty dark and creepy. Yet, you could still see students studying on the benches all by themselves. Seriously, I can't imagine doing that myself. You wouldn't be able to get help if you it. Since I realized I was going nowhere, I got back onto the main road and walked all the way up the slope before finally arriving at the guild house. It was like night navigation in the army, just that you know there are people around to give you directions if you need any.
Fass is indeed located in the more deserted part of nus. When you travel along the aye expressway, you get to see the more prominent structures of nus while fass is tucked away in one corner. I'm not saying this just because i'm a ntu student but it's pretty ironic that ntu is somehow more crowded and there's more people walking around and studying no matter which faculty you may be in. The main reason is that the hostels are located fairly close to the faculties. Even at 10pm to 11pm, there's still people walking around even though ntu is surrounded by the jungle. Considering how near bt timah is to nus, I would certainly prefer to study or hang out there rather than fass.
I happened to have a good conversation with shaun marc's father aka uncle kenneth while waiting for tong to finish up with his match. It's amazing how we could connect so easily despite being strangers just moments ago. Certainly a articulated man who is not just a dentist by profession but also oc in the army when he goes back for reservist. It helps that being from the ac family helps to break down any barriers between us and gets the conversation going. I'm proud of the fact that I'm from ac but not to the extent that I look down on others. I'm certainly not like those people, my friends would have known by now. Being from ac is like a double-edged knife. For a man in his fifties, he is surprisingly young and his squash isn't that bad for a man his age. It's a common response when I asked him how often he plays squash with his son. "Once a week if time permits". That's how "often" you get to exercise or indulge in your favourite activity when you start joining the corporate world.
For a man of his abilities, I cannot help but deny the fact that I was in awe of him as I spoke to him. For a person who has achieved so much in life, you cannot help but realize how humble he is. It's true to say that a teacher will never earn as much as a doctor or dentist but it's the path I chose. It's a career that makes my life more fulfilling and more rewarding, something money cannot buy. I have this seemingly ability to interact with people, both the old and young, it would be great to incoporate this into my work next time. It's not just gonna help me but also make my work life easier and more interesting.
If I were to be a money-grabber, I would have taken on a course in business. I'm glad I didn't. It's good to stay true to yourself and know what you want in life. Stick to it.
