“I love you, and because I love you, I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies.” - Pietro Aretino.
Everybody wants to find that special someone that they can hopefully spend the rest of their lives with like a Disney fairytale ending. But life, however, works rather differently. Falling in love and being in a relationship requires more than just Cupid's arrow and a damn good shooting arm.
I'm finally back in school after three years of non-academic activities (ie. NS + Work + Idol). It's definitely a fresh start and I've never ever looked forward to studying so much in my life. Going through so much in the past couple of years has definitely helped me grow as an adult and it's given me quite a different perspective about school-life in general. I really appreciate it more now.
Although it's getting colder every day, I'm beginning to get used to it. The 30-minute walk to school, the botak trees by the roads, the buying of groceries at Whole Foods, the quirky teachers and students in school, the mucking around in the bookstore, are all very refreshing and exciting for me. My professors really make my day. I have a quirky Physics instructor who has an odd tic of saying "...here, ok" at the end of every sentence. And my English instructor who grew up in a circus used to be dressed up as a clown as a child.
I can't say that I don't miss being home and being close to my family and friends, but I've decided to embrace my new life here. I know that I still have people who care for me, who'll miss me and who'll welcome me back with open arms, but the time is now for me to embrace my present, and to secure my future. I miss you all, but I will be back very soon. Even before you know it.
And so we've said farewell to the crazy, amazing, heartbreaking, exhilarating, unpredictable year that was 2009. We've all had our triumphs and failures, but through it all, we've definitely learned and grown wiser from all that has happened.
Personally, I've taken so much out of it without actually expecting to. In the beginning of the year, I managed to land myself a job at a recruitment firm, without which I would've never have experienced life in a back-stabbing, hypocritical yet educational corporate landscape. There's really more than what meets the eye.
After I left my job, the next highlight of my year was the Singapore Idol experience. Going into it with a "let's see how this works out" frame of mind, I somehow managed to beat the odds and made the Top 12. The friends that I've made, the love that I've been shown and the priceless experience that I've gained through the process has been nothing short of amazing. Yes, I may have had to defer my studies for awhile for the show, but in retrospect, I wouldn't have had it any other way. There are some things that money can't buy and this was definitely one of them.
I know that I usually don't stick to my resolutions (like 99% of the people I know), but here's mine for the 2010. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to it this time round.
