Happy Thanksgiving...

This month has been pretty significant so far, hasn't it? In terms of politics, I think we've been seeing a lot of it in the news. Personally, I think I enjoyed a few memorable moments, too...

I was at Sentosa recently and boy, it was a breath of fresh air for me! It was only then that I realised how cooped up my army life was. I mean, I'm pretty sure I spend almost three quarters of my waking life in camp - per week! So you can imagine what it was like when I immersed myself in the beautiful setting of sun, sand, and sea...

It was almost like a purification of the soul. As if my soul just heaved a huge sigh of relief. I could feel myself breathing out all that unnecessary stress and just unwinding down from the hustle and bustle of mundane life.

My friends and I played a good game of frisbee, and the feeling for me was like, "My God, Oliver. When was the last time you actually played a game?" Yeah. Talk about feeling cooped up...

Anyway, I think I foresee some more events comin' up for me! We're coming to the end of the year, and the festive season is up and running. Since we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, I think we should take this time to appreciate all the good things and people in our lives. Because without them, our lives wouldn't be memorable...

"Make it simple to last your whole life long..."

Touch down! November! Things in camp have been pretty hectic, and it always happens at the end of the year. The seasons will affect different industries, that's for sure...

I like the slow life. The kind where you take your time to do things - things which you love to do. No deadlines to meet, no stress to endure; it's like a farmer's life, I guess. I remember spending a night at one of those farms in Australia and our hosts were so hospitable and so nice. But more than anything else, they were just so... happy. They had peace of mind, I tell you. They were experiencing heaven on earth...

Don't know why I suddenly brought out this topic. I guess most of us have been living fast-paced lives in our fast-paced world. Shouldn't we slow down a little? It'll do us a lot of good. The more we speed up our lives, the more impatient we become. And as a result, we get stressed up with the running of our lives.

So in order to slow down our lives, we need to simplify our lives. Make it less complicated. That's when we - almost unconsciously - stop having high expectations and start to lower them down. That's when we start being contented with the simpler things in life. Doesn't it feel so much better this way?

De-clutter your life. Simplify it. Make it less complicated. It helps...

I'm supposed to be living in the present...

October's ending soon. And I thought it'll be a very long month. October just feels long to me. But I can't wait for the end of the year!

Recently I was in town, and I saw some of the Christmas decorations in place. I guess they're still in the process of doing it, because I wasn't really impressed, haha! Anyway, whenever I see Christmas decorations, the Christmas spirit starts building up within me. Probably takes awhile to warm up, but I'll be in the mood eventually. I'm quite positive that this year's Christmas will be an enjoyable one for me.

Well, in the meantime, I can't wait for November to begin. Whenever we touch November, it's like a prelude to Christmas. That's when the festive season really begins...

October's retrospect...

What a pity. I only wrote one entry for September. Why? Because my computer was down. It's already the 1st of October...

We're now in the last quarter of the year. Everytime we arrive in October, I look back in awe at how fast the past 9 months have gone by. And I sigh...

All these memories that we've gathered, they're priceless. Let's not segregate them into good and bad. Let's just see them as... memories. They are the ones we have to face on our deathbed. Did you live a fulfilling life? Do you regret anything? Was it worth going through what you've gone through? Are you satisfied?

Powerful stuff, memories. Even now I look back and question why I had to go through what I've been through. They're all lessons, of course. Sometimes I wonder whether I've learned the lessons behind my experiences. It's so hard to grasp the lesson sometimes. But when you eventually get it, you'll realise that the lesson was right in front of you all along. You were just too blind to see it.

Or better yet, right now I can see the lesson behind what I'm experiencing, but I'm just too stubborn to accept it. What a feeling, really. Somebody knock me into my senses...

I wonder how October will fare. Should I be optimistic or pessimistic?

Yes or no?

Wow! It's September already! I didn't even have time to write one last post for August...

I've just completed another 1-week stay in camp. Felt like eternity, this one. But I'm glad to be back home.

Lots of planning going on recently. Things have been neither here nor there. I hate that feeling. Indecision. Why can't it be a yes or a no? Why leave things hanging in midair?

There's a transition going on. And it's taking quite awhile to settle. We need to be in the affirmative soon.

Well, I'll see how it goes. Funny thing, life...

The ebb and flow of life...

It's been a long time since I actually had a full weekend to myself. The past 8 weeks of burning my Saturdays are now over.

Well, the past week saw me getting back to business in camp. It's sort of a transition period now for everyone. We've recently taken in some new men, and so there are lots of reshuffling going on.

As we head into the Autumn season (as if we have four seasons here), it's a time for the culmination of things. A consolidation of sorts. It's a time to prepare and stock up for the Winter season, where what was once useful but now outdated, dies away.

We live through cycles in life. There's a time and place for everything, as they say. One moment you may be making a lot of money, the next moment you're not. One moment your social life is on fire, the next moment it's a lull period. We've just got to ride on the waves. When we flow like this, we flow with life...

Well, I guess I'll get down to enjoying my weekend. Tata!

The National Day Parade 2009...

IT'S OVER!!!

The National Day Parade 2009 took place last Sunday and I'm glad to say it was a success.

I think it was successful not just for our part but for everyone involved. Finally, after 8 weeks of burning our Saturdays, our hard work paid off on the actual day. All the performers were ecstatic after the show...

For me, I'm just glad I've successfully concluded a project. It was a memorable experience being involved in NDP 2009. Definitely a breather from work in camp.

Well, I guess life in the army still goes on. It's back to camp tomorrow, and I have a feeling it'll be as hectic as ever...

Wish me luck!