People and Oceans

#introvertstruggles

The Last Lecture

“Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.”

Getaway to Bintan – Day 2

On our second (and last) morning there, we planned to wake up at 5.30AM to catch the sunrise.

So Mum’s alarm rang at 5.30AM, home time.

Which translated to 4.30AM in Bintan.

By the time I figured out why the sky was not getting any brighter by the minute, it was around 4.45AM.

Laughing, we decided to use the extra time to shower and freshen up anyway.

Good story for memories ;p

India 2016 – By The Sea (Hello 2017)

Welcoming 2017 with memories of 2016.

For 2 weeks in December, the parents and I spent time at the “usual spot”. Kerala, India. Between a stretch of backwaters and the Arabian Sea.

I am convinced that only when we disconnect can we truly connect.

 

Kusu Island 2016

So comforting to know that we still have peaceful corners in our midst.

Theatre State

An installation art piece at the Jendela Gallery, Esplanade.

The Meeting

Last night, I attended a meeting within a local professional body.

I am unfamiliar with their structure.

Unfamiliar with their relations, their dynamics with each other.

I have never worked with any of them before.

I’ve not even stepped into my role as one of them.

I’m still establishing my identity as one.

Still searching for that part of me which is sure that she will be a good one.

I was looking at them, and thinking that they are nice, committed people, but also wondering how deep could our relationship go, remembering the fact that we are just connected professionally, after all.

And because of all that unfamiliarity, I was Quiet.

I think what was most disappointing was me thinking that it’d be ok for me to be quiet this once.

Thinking that they’d accept me being myself this once, because it was my first time after all.

But the prick came when, at the end of the meeting, when we were closing by answering a question and going around in a circle, the nice chair of the meeting quipped to me: “You’ve been so quiet!”

And suddenly all other eyes in the room were on me.

Deer in headlights mode on.

And I remember feeling disappointed, thinking: “Not here, too?”

But I guess Life has been a pretty good teacher, and I’ve found myself in enough situations like that to know how to react and respond.

So I simply smiled, put on my Teacher voice, and responded to the question which we were discussing.

Everyone laughed at something I said, and the moment passed.

 

But the process sure felt like it took out a lot of me.

 

Sounds like a few more hours of solitude is in order.

Music Collage

At a session one evening, we did something called a Music Collage. The process involves participants choosing a theme, actively listening to a recorded piece of music, selecting images from a range of pictures to fit the theme, depending on how they interpret and think about it, and sharing which aspects of their collage stood out the most for them.

The theme we chose was Movement vs Stillness, and the music selected was Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st movement.

“The person on the wheelchair… because it seems like he is still, but at the same time I realised the wheelchair is also about movement.. and I realise… it’s all about perspective. There is no full movement or full stillness. It is all how you look at it.”

“I feel that my collage represents my… character. Like, sometimes I can be really active and loud and outgoing, but other times I will just be quiet and still. So there is no picture that stands out for me.”

“I feel like the music was describing something bad about to happen. So I chose the picture of this crab… the music is describing the journey of the crab as it’s about to be killed and cooked and eaten… from movement to stillness..”

Through their insights and sharing, I have got to know this group of people over the past 2 months. Their personalities, sense of humour, quirks and what means the most to them. And with the time that has flown by, we are also on the brink of parting ways. It has been a blessing to be with them on this journey, one I will always be thankful for.

SoloTrip to Taipei – ShiFen

My first time to this old town along the tracks.

Touristy, with still some surreal magic left in its derelict buildings and shoe – worn paths. Glad I made it there.

When words fail, drawings speak.

The friendly one who came and just plonked himself there.

When you want to take a self-timer picture and a fly buzzes near your ear, causing you to freak a little.

 

 

Rainy in the Heartlands

Scenes from an old estate, Singapore.