Where does it end?

Hah! It's December already. See what I mean? This year is gonna vanish any moment now...

2011 has been one of the quickest years that have happened to me. I enjoyed 2010, but I don't remember it coming to an end so quickly. Or maybe I did. It's just that 2011 began in a snap and now it's gonna disappear in a snap too!

Oh gosh. So what have I achieved this year? It's the ol' looking-back-through-the-year question.

This year has been quite a fruitful one, I believe. I graduated from my course, and am now working. I am grateful to have pursued something that I always wanted to pursue six years ago. The wait had been long, but my days at school were one of the best periods of my life. Period.

I've gained skills which I didn't have before, knowledge which I was ignorant of before, and friendships which I haven't been blessed with before. All of these have produced memories - sweet memories - which I will hold dear.

And now as I set my eyes on the future, I can only guess what will be in store for me. As each stage of our life is completed, we create new goals and aspirations, hopes and wishes that we would like to see ourselves achieving in the near future.

It's hard for us to be satisfied, huh? It's hard for us to just stay put, to be happy with our lot, to stop struggling, to stop climbing the ladder of life. Only natural, we would say. When will we be satisfied, then? Or will we ever be satisfied?

The never-ending wheel of life, huh? The Buddhists call it samsara. Will we ever reach nirvana? Total satisfaction, total detachment, total bliss. It seems a far-off dream.

I can only wait and see... and the wait shall be long...

Where do I go from here?

Ahh... I am finally back in familiar territory after such a long hiatus.

And with good reason too.

The last post I tried publishing by clicking the "publish post" button just couldn't be published. It was as if the button wasn't working any longer.

I decided to wait till the next day to try again. And the same thing happened: the button couldn't work.

I waited yet another day, and another, and another. And still my post couldn't be published. After awhile I decided to give up.

And so my blog was left hanging in limbo. The months passed. I checked back now and then, viewing its simple facade without logging in.

Until just recently I decided to tackle the problem. I "googled" the problem - as I'm sure anyone would've done - and there were so many solutions I could try to see if the problem could be solved.

My eyes fell quickly on one of them. It was about some compatibility button at the end of the address bar; someone said all he had to do was click on it and the problem was solved.

I did exactly that.

Four months have passed now. I'm about to complete my course and looking for a job at the moment.

Ironic, huh? Everyone's talking about escaping the rat race. And look what I'm doing? Eagerly getting myself into it.

I guess it arises out of a sense of security... a sense of wanting to be self-reliant. I mean, for a person my age, I can't go talking about escaping the rat race when I haven't even started earning my first proper paycheck, right?

Perhaps I need to experience the rat race for myself... its highs and lows. And see if it's really all that bad... is there really no end to it? A vicious cycle? Or if there's really no escaping it? Once you're in, you can't get out?

Or... what if I took a different path from the very start? The path less travelled. Do something totally different - the unconventional route. I can only imagine eyebrows raised... or are they frowning?

Ah well... I wonder what my next step will be. What new chapter is in store for me. In times like these I really wish I could predict the future...

I'll no longer be a virgin this Saturday!

And the month of May has arrived.

I'm in the midst of my study week for the coming exam.

School's been pretty fast-paced and intensive. But I'm hoping I'll be able to pull through.

It's been pouring heavily these few days. And always in the afternoon hours. But I love the rain. A nice change from the lethargic heat of the sun.

My country's up for elections this Saturday. And I'll be casting my "virgin vote", like how a friend puts it.

I've been trying my best to follow election-related news, if not for my heavy workload. I already can't help feeling guilty if I blindly cast my vote on Saturday without knowing any of the proposals put up by the contestants. Definitely not how I want my "virgin vote" to be.

And then suddenly another big story emerged on the world stage: Osama bin Laden was shot dead.

Oh boy, I was ecstatic. It was better than watching how the bad guys die in a movie - this time it was real! But I felt they wanted to temper the story a little. I mean, why can't we see Osama's body? The statements were all very brisk and a little hushed up. Maybe it's because they don't want to provoke the remaining terrorists by blatantly celebrating Osama's demise.

Either way, world leaders have also warned about a possible retaliation from the terrorists. So we're back on alert, no doubt.

Anyway, that's about all I can say for now. Here's to an uncertain future...

An opportunity I'm glad I took...

So... Happy April Fool's! Forgive me, I had no other way to begin this. So yes, it is April already. I'm done with my graduation project. Now it's somewhat the holidays for me. I'm thankful I have this break. But I've spent it simply. Not much extravagance of any kind. I still go back to school every week, though. I have weekly radio broadcasts that, for now at least, I can put a lot of effort into. I just recently hosted my school's Earth Hour concert and I must say, it was milestone for me. Learnt a lot about compering. To tell you honestly, I just threw myself into the deep end to see if I could stay afloat. And I could! Heck, I could swim! Well, that's about all for me. I hope April would bring a few pleasant surprises as well. Bye for now!

And now for my long, relaxing sigh...

March! Wow!

The exams are over. And I've just finished my graduation project too. Great feeling, no doubt.

Now it's time for a short reprieve. Rest, relaxation, enjoyment - all those words which convey a sense of lightness are in my dictionary at the moment.

It's been a great year of study. I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again: I am thoroughly grateful for it. Learnt a whole lot of things, tried a whole lot of things, experienced a whole lot of things.

I don't really want to mention what's going to happen in the future because I don't want to tempt fate, so to speak. I prefer to let the events unfold for themselves, and then I'll mention about them.

So then, I guess it's off to my little holiday I have in mind. I'll send you a postcard...

A Mixed Love

Well, it turned out that January was one busy month for me. But it culminated well.

This video is the result of all that hard work. We had to produce a short video for our class assignment, and this is the end result.

The video was recorded entirely on a single camcorder, so do pardon the mediocre quality.

We're not professionals, of course, but I hope you'll enjoy the video in your own way.

And now it's February.

The next upcoming event? Chinese New Year.

The next upcoming but not-looking-forward-to event? The exams.

Gosh. And Chinese New Year falls on my study week. Great timing.

So it looks like I have to juggle collecting red packets and revising my books.

Well then, I guess that's pretty much it. Here's wishing you a happy, prosperous, and successful new year...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Did er, 2011 just ring the doorbell?

Ahh! 2011 is here already?

Aww, I really miss 2010. It was a great year for me, so thank you so much, 2010.

Now then, 2011. I sure wonder what this year will bring.

According to some sources, it'll be quite a tumultuous year in terms of global issues. Personally, though, I don't want to predict or forecast anything. Because if I do, no matter how much the mind tries to convince itself it's a changeable forecast, it has a very high chance of becoming an outline for the year's happenings, thereby leaving no room for change to take place.

I just had to put it that way. Don't mind me.

So well, it's a brand new year. I'm already in the middle of my school term, ironically. The Christmas and New Year celebrations have whooshed past; I didn't even have time to comprehend what had happened.

So here's my fervent wish for 2011 to be a happy, smooth, and successful year ahead. For me, and for all of you. Happy New Year...