Manchester United 2 Liverpool 0
Hell yeah. It was an amazing match! Watched it over at Jasper's place, along with Chengwei Harish and Sadu. Oh and Jasmine, Jasper's sister. Pizza, soft drinks, lotsa cheering and heart-stopping moments! It was great 'cos I usually don't talk that much to Harish and Sadu, and it was really great to catch up with them. Besides the obviously-great match, the conversation I had after the match with Harish was particularly thought-provoking. He said he wanted to quit school, and start learning. Now, Harish is a smart responsible guy. He was our class monitor for 2 years running (Sec. 3 and 4), went to VJC, and did well to get into NUS Engineering. So why? Well, he said he's not learning, he's just mugging and doing what he feels is needed to just get a certificate/degree at the end of his tertiary education, just so that he can get a job. A job which he'll probably find not much satisfaction in, because its not what he wants to do. I thought he was joking at first, but apparently I was wrong. He's still making plans, exploring options, but he's dead serious about it. I didn't have much time to probe further, but he did mention that he'd rather do something he likes, and something that he deems meaningful, rather than "join the rat race, the working world to put it nicely". I'm not sure how he's intending to do it, but even just considering this option is courageous enough. He's actually thinking for himself, deciding his own future, making his own way into uncharted territory, and not just following the usual education pathway that Singaporeans, in general, take. Of course, I'm still left pondering on how he'd go about making this work. Without official qualification, it is difficult to get employed in Singapore. You don't get money without a job, and without money, you can't do your own start-up. I hope he thinks through carefully before making his final decision.
I had this friend of mine messaged me via MSN last night. He's currently studying in Australia, and he's a friend I made during my army days in 30SCE. Apparently he's feeling rather isolated there, and he spoke to me about it. To cut things short, he's having problems with his group of friends. There's been some political bullshit going on, and now he's being backstabbed. Unsure of what is exactly going on over there, and not wanting to aggravate the situation further, I told him to stand firm and stay positive. Just be yourself, I said. Those who see you for you are will eventually come through for you. Those who don't, well, they're not worth bothering over. Throughout the whole conversation, I could feel the despondence on his side. I mean, you're already in some faraway land, and whatever close friends you have here, you can only talk to them via online chatting or perhaps the occasional short phonecall. Which isn't much. You share a room with roommates, and you hardly have any privacy. Living with other people is stressful, I'm telling you. Any stay-in NSF will know how it feels. You just can't do anything you want freely, gotta be considerate and be sensitive towards other people's thoughts and feelings. That isn't much of a problem, but what if the other people go overboard? And you gradually feel like you're giving in all the time, and that's where all the frustration starts. So you have all that nonsense going on, and now your friends decide to backstab you, and perhaps start bad-mouthing you to others. I guess I can understand why he's feeling the way he is. He says he's gonna go solo for now, and stay away from people. I gave him my best regards, and told him that if he needed to talk, I'm always free. Not as if I have lotsa stuff going on in my life anyway. Mind you, this guy is quite a pleasant person, and I always thought he was a rather determined, strong-willed fellow in camp. Its disheartening to see him in this state... People can be such evil creatures.
It seems to me that quiet people can be easily misunderstood. Some of my friends mistake me for being offended when I'm not at all, far from it. Of course, those who know me really well, those I'm comfortable with, know that I'm this crazy talk shit guy who can talk non-stop, but to others I'm less familiar with, I could seem cold, seemingly distant at times. Its not that I'm acting this way on purpose, its just that I'm like that, its me.
Just ate the slice of choco fudge cheesecake that The Bead baked. Tasty stuff man. Usually one to point out the flaws quickly, but this time I really couldn't find anything wrong it. It's just right. Not one for diabetics though.
In this masquerade which we call life, it is often exhausting and stressful to stay true to one's self. To those who believe in doing so and are putting their utmost effort, I say kudos to you, because more often than not, people tend to get alienated for doing just that: being themselves.
