#30daychallenge Day 10

#30daychallenge
Day 10 : Write a Short Poem 
16th August 2013

This is completely random. Gonna challenge myself to come up with a poem on the spot. Honestly, I used to write lots and lots of poems a few years back, it was a way of expression and the words would come freely. I haven't done it in a long time, so the poetic chamber of my brain is undoubtedly rusty (and sleepy because it's 1am!). Gonna give it a shot anyway!

Dark is her surroundings, and silence is heightened
She glances out the window, the vast sky comes into view
Stars are twinkling, because of their company the moon seems to brighten
The constructed thoughts filled her mind
And as quickly as they came, so away they flew. 

When a pebble hits a water's surface
So do ripples form
They spread out in circles, floating out in gentle waves 
When a pebble is thrown at a tree, it's leaves rustle wildly
As if to protest in anger 
The disruption that invaded their moments of serenity.

When thoughts occupy a person's mind
It is difficult to erase away
This time they caused her pain and worry, 
But on the outside, she had to pretend to be fine. 

Those thoughts once brought her unending happiness
She felt like dancing around barefoot across the empty room
When reality decided to act out it's own plan, 
Sunny days came and gone, the impeding rain brought with it a face of ultimate gloom. 

Looking up at the stars,
She realized it was midnight, the clock had struck twelve
Holding the delicate dreams in her heart, she closed her eyes and made a wish
Whispered to the stars what she yearned for, a secret only to herself. 
She hoped one day the wishes would finally come true
Them maybe her dark grey skies would transform into a bright sky blue. 

I know this is cheesy, but hey, its the middle of the night. Got inspired by the scene outside my window (which is nothing more than darkness and street lights now). I have got to emphasize again, that I have not attempted a poem in ages. Do bear with me, and I'll be back with a post very soon. Happy weekends everyone! :D

#30daychallenge Day 9

I'm back after a crazy week of events! So sorry for going missing again guys, I've really been busy, what with a brand new semester starting and all, but I promise not to neglect this space for too long at a time! I know I have been lagging severely behind, and I honestly intended for this to be a one-shot-30-days kinda project, but I guess I have to modify that slightly because of the lack of time. ):

Anyway, here's Day 9 of the #30daychallenge! I hope you all enjoy reading hehe. :D

#30daychallenge - Day 9
If you've owned pets, list them here. If you never did, list pets you would like to have
12th August 2013

Since young, I have owned a variety of pets. Hamsters, rabbits, fishes (the most gorgeous blue fighting fish with a fancy swishy tail), a dog, guinea pigs... You name it, you have it. I loved them all and developed a connection towards each and every one of them, and as I grew older, the attachment to each pet grew stronger as well. 

I must say I'm fortunate enough to be able to afford so many pets, and the experiences I have with each one of them have been joyful ones for me, precisely because each pet was different and special in my eyes. Cliche, right? I don't know what other pets I will continue to have in the future, but the pet I would like to have would be the same one I once had and once loved with all my heart. 

                                          My incredibly handsome boy. 

I first got Cola when I was really young (like, 8 years old?), and when he first stepped into my house and into my arms, my young self promised I would never let him go. He was by my side for a good 12 years, before he finally grew old, passed on and left this world. I'm gonna dig up a post I wrote about him, because I don't think I could have expressed myself better than that. 

Listening to the radio now, this familiar song is playing once again.
I miss you waiting for me to come home, I miss the smell of your fur when I hugged you close every time I was sad, I miss how you were always the one to catch my falling tears.
I know you have departed from this world, so many years ago, but the time when you were there for me was one of the periods in my life I wouldn't forget.
You gave me the strength to approach others, to have confidence in myself, just knowing you were there to support me gave me all the courage I need.
But now you're gone, I have lost that special buddy I used to turn to when I was lost.
I know you are up there somewhere looking down at me, still wagging that golden brown tail of yours, wishing that I will be happy in whatever decisions I make.
I too, hope you are well. You taught me to give my all and be loyal to The people around me. And after all these years, you still hold that special place in my heart. No one or nothing will ever replace you, that is for sure.

I hope you are happy, Cola. I will always miss you, always love you.

- June 25th, 2012. 

You were once there for me, through every single up and down I faced, I knew I could tackle all the problems that were staring at me just because you gave me the strength to. Every day when I came home, I would feel so much better because of the way you looked up at me, every day I was reminded that there was somebody on earth that loved me regardless of how lousy I felt. I remember the day you left us, I refused to go send you off, because I was stricken with grief and crying under the covers at home. I blamed myself for not going to see you one last time, but I knew I couldn't bring myself to. Like I have said probably a thousand times, you are special to me, and even if you aren't physically here anymore, you will always be Cola to me, the dog that brought so much happiness to my life. Blogging about you makes me cry every single time, because deep down, I really, really miss you. I miss having such a steadfast companion, I miss the times when I could scoop you up and cuddle you close whenever I wanted, and how you were always that happy recipient of my affections, but not only that, you were an excellent giver of your love as well. 

I know you're in a better place now, and I am happy for you, Cola. 

Sending my love from earth. 

I love you. 

Oh goodness, this turned out to be such an emotional piece of writing, I have tears in my eyes now. Dogs are like humans in so many ways. To those who have dogs of their own, give them a hug and a kiss today alright? I don't think we can find better friends who stick by us through the good times and the bad. Hope you didn't get bored reading my (quite) long, sappy post. A happier one next time! 

Treasure Trove of Gold.

One Tin Soldier - Coven (1970)

Listen, children, to a story
That was written long ago,
'Bout a kingdom on a mountain
And the valley-folk below.

On the mountain was a treasure
Buried deep beneath the stone,
And the valley-people swore
They'd have it for their very own.

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

So the people of the valley
Sent a message up the hill,
Asking for the buried treasure,
Tons of gold for which they'd kill.

Came an answer from the kingdom,
"With our brothers we will share
All the secrets of our mountain,
All the riches buried there."

Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away.

Now the valley cried with anger,
"Mount your horses! Draw your sword!"
And they killed the mountain-people,
So they won their just reward.

Now they stood beside the treasure,
On the mountain, dark and red.
Turned the stone and looked beneath it...
"Peace on Earth" was all it said.

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Was reading an article on treasure hunting (Forrest Fenn's hidden treasure), and I was really fascinated. You can read it here. 
As humans, we always daydream to stumble upon a pot of gold one day, the key that unlocks the secret to riches, fame and everything materialistic one could ever imagine in the world. It is so funny that people go to such great lengths and possibly give up all they have to search all their lives for something that may never truly exist.

Treasure? 

I was reminded of the song above (click the video, someone illustrated it really well in picture form), which is a story about how people are so greedy for fortune that they killed the people who so generously offered to share the treasure, just because they wanted it for themselves. Is human greed something normal?

What if the treasure turned out to be something intangible, something that isn't physically present, yet could still mean the world to the person who hid it, hoping one day that the people who found it would finally understand that riches weren't the only asset they had gained, but the process that came with it was humbling enough to change their lives forever? 

Must treasure always be something that glitters, that can be sold for money, that can turn a nobody into an important person instantaneously? 

Not a post with much original content, but food for thought on a lazy, sleepy Sunday afternoon. Good day guys!

One Day

Pain seems to magnify a thousand times during the time we are experiencing it. That's why they say minutes feel like hours when we encounter negative situations, no? Dull aching, coupled with complete silence, makes it seem as though time will drag forever, or has already been frozen for a long time. 

"One day, after the countless tears that have fallen before, you will eventually wipe away that last tear, blink back the rest, and learn not to cry because of sadness again. 

One day, you will finally remember how it feels like to put a smile on your face, a genuine one, not forced, not false. And while you look cheerful on the outside, so will happiness be radiating from deep within your heart, like ripples on the water after a stone has been thrown, so infectious that people around you start smiling as well.

One day, you will dig out all those angst-y letters you have written all those times you felt like there was no more meaning to life anymore. A whole stack of them, tens of them. One by one, you open them up, re-read them although you already know what's imprinted on each and every piece of yellow paper. You will scoff at yourself for being an over-dramatic drama queen, laugh at how silly you were to have been tormented by those potential life-changing issues, which now look foolishly trivial. With resolution, you tear them into little pieces, ripping them apart until the memories begin to fly away, just like the hundred tiny pieces of paper, stained with blue ink, fluttering into the wastepaper bin. 

One day, you will find the energy to press the play button on that long-forgotten playlist of songs you absolutely loved. You will dance and sing along as loudly as you can to those familiar tunes, straining hard to listen to how the acoustic guitar and the drums were being played, counting each beat like you used to do so often, a habit that can't be gotten rid of. You look at the pile of CDs that are the sappy love songs, depressing and heartbreaking compositions, the music you listened to in the darkest moments. You can't throw them away, because they mark a point in your life that you once considered important, just not significant now. You stash them in the furthest corner of the cupboard, the melodies imprinted in your mind permanently, but the feelings attached to them slowly but surely fading away. 

One day, you will look around you and realize every single person who loves you, and has always been there to encourage you. And you will surely know, that it's time to give back some of your love, and care for them in return. 

One day, you will find yourself not tied down by the past anymore. That will be the day that you are free."

#30daychallenge Day 8

Since today was a really slack day, I shall post something a little less philosophical (if my earlier posts could be categorized as that) and more fun!

#30daychallenge Day 8

10 things that make you feel warm and fuzzy

Here goes the 10 things right off the top of my head!

1. Cuddling with Maomao, my Panda Pillow Pet

2. Staying up late at night, with only the glow from the computer, listening to the occasional car zoom past on the highway beside my house. Other than that, total silence really gives me a comforting feel. 

3. For now, falling asleep listening to classics, old school pop songs, and Chinese emo-nemo but thought-provoking songs, and waking up to them in the middle of the night. 

4. Thinking of all the countries I will travel to in the near future and roughly planning out itineraries really give me cheap thrills and something to look forward to.

5. Chilling with the people I love at random, tiny rustic cafes and eating Carbonara. Fun fact: If I have no idea what to eat at a restaurant, I would probably pick Carbonara because I have a knack for tasty white cream pasta that looks pretty. Or chilling with the people I love practically anywhere, even if its at the hawker center, I really don't mind. 

6. Sleeping the day away especially when it is raining and I can hear the wind howling and the trees swaying right outside my window. I remember a particular day when there was a light drizzle, I peeked out my window and saw baby sparrows being blown about by the wind, yet they flapped their wings twice as hard and managed to roost safely on a tree branch. I don't know why, but that gave me a really fuzzy feeling.

7. This is unhealthy, but recalling the past and feeling a wave of nostalgia rush past me every once in a while. I tend to over-think at night, and somehow reminiscing in the night magnifies that warm, familiar feeling by tens of times. 

8. Being with my grandmother, anywhere, anytime. It doesn't matter if I'm just chilling at her house (where I am most of the time), watching decade-old Pokemon videos with her and helping her prepare the most delicious home-cooked dishes, or outside eating at slightly pricier restaurants, as long as she's there, I feel right at home. 

9. Cuddling in bed with a book and finishing it in one sitting. Absolutely appreciate good books and can never tear my eyes off them if I don't need to. 

10. Watching classic movies. And rather than finding new movies to watch, I always go back to those classics. One case in point: Titanic. Never grows old. And even though those popular movies make me cry every single time, I feel a deep sense of fuzziness every time I watch them. 

Hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing this post! Something more light-hearted (: Posting this in the morning cos my computer died on me last night. Good morning everyone! x.

Screw all that.

Tonight, I don't want to think explicitly about what I want to write on this space.

I don't want to go through what I have written, again and again to ensure my punctuation, sentence structures are perfectly in place and are coherent.

I don't want to vet my post to make sure it looks visually appealing and digestible to whoever is reading this.

I just want to type, type until all these feelings go away. I absolutely hate feeling uncertain and unsure about nothing in particular at all. It is indeed strange how a feeling that you have felt hundreds of times over can spill out once again, presenting itself as an entirely new package, and tricks your brain into thinking that it IS a different, unique raw emotion. I know this sounds like pure nonsense, I know everyone goes through periods of time when their feeling seem to be all over the place, but I just need somewhere to lay all of these out, one by one.

Sometimes, there's someone on your mind, you want to pour out every single detail of your life to them. But when you turn around, you realize they just aren't there. Not physically, not emotionally, they're not even nearby. And then when you finally realize that you are helpless to change anything that's happening around you, you feel the crappy feelings starting to sink in. And that's exactly how I feel tonight. I will be back with a proper, thought-triggering post soon, but tonight, let me use this space to seek a certain solace.

Thank you.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

#30daychallenge Day 7

HELLO EVERYBODY!
I am finally back from a week's summer break in Taiwan, and I am thinking of doing a sole post on my experience. Still need to gather and categorize all the thoughts that are swimming around in my mind right now, but to put it in the most simplest of terms, Taiwan has been amazing, even with a daily dose of unhappiness along the way. I wouldn't trade that one week for anything else in the world, really.

Anyway! I did promise a post when I got back, and here it is! I don't really know whether anyone reads my blog, but I choose to believe in the positive, so a big hello to all of you that bother to click onto this space once in a while! I know that I have been really behind in writing, and I apologize for that. Will try to fit in more posts here alright?

I brought along a journal on my trip, in case my fingers started itching, and right when I boarded the plane, I started scribbling in my horrible handwriting already. I couldn't sleep because the plane's machinery was too noisy, and the seat space was too cramped, so I spent that few hours in the dim lights with my pen and paper. I'm just gonna transfer whatever I have written onto here, so here goes!

Day 7's topic for my #30daychallenge was to describe a feeling that never goes old a.k.a a feeling which you wouldn't mind experiencing over and over again. I really thought long and hard about this, because on a daily basis, we already feel a myriad of feelings right? This one struck me the most in a special way. Enjoy!

2nd July, 2013. 
1.31am

I once wrote somewhere that there were 2 feelings I loved to experience, yet I don't get to do that on a regular basis. They are the feelings that come when a plane takes off and when a plane lands. It is currently 1.30am, and I am currently on an aircraft bound for Taipei, Taiwan. I'm actually having mixed feelings about this trip somehow.. but for now, anticipation is at an all-time high. I miss everyone back home already, but that's another story for another time. 

Let's come back to my main point, shall we? Barely 25 minutes ago, the plane I'm on took off from Singapore's renowned Changi Airport. When I was a kid, I used to be really scared of planes, so the minute the plane I was on started taking off, I would squeeze my eyes shut, pop some sweets into my mouth, imagine I was somewhere else and willed the time to go faster for the plane to stabilize itself in the air. This time though, I kept my eyes open. I could see everything around me. 

I saw the plane rumble onto the runway. 
I saw the people around me doing what I did when I was a small child, all of them had their eyes closed and most of them had even fallen fast asleep. 

I felt the plane pick up speed as the wheels dragged along the tar road. And the moment when the plane's wheels left the ground, I tried to suppress my fears, and I peeped out the window. 

What greeted me was beautiful. We were flying above the sea, and there were countless ships and boats, strewn like litter across a wide expanse of water. Their lights were on, and they looked like toy lanterns scattered on the floor. Like the ones I saw in Phuket, Thailand, when it was the Loy Krathong festival and hundreds of lanterns were let go into the dark sea. I looked behind me, and the sunny island, which was engulfed in a blanket of night darkness, was lit up by a million tiny lights. I could make out buildings, roads and even tiny vehicles that were driving on the streets. Where were they headed to? 

5 minutes passed, and I could see the lights no more. Even now, as I look beneath me, all I see is darkness. Lights, to me, are a compass, guiding people to their destinations. But at least for this moment, I can't pinpoint my bearings at all. Yet, I feel surprisingly calm and peaceful. I love being in the air. 

See you in 3 and a half hours, Taipei. 

Thank you for reading, all of you. It's really much appreciated. (: