Silent Night

Tonight is one of those nights when things are very quiet. There is only the music from the radio that fills the emptiness in the night.

Strangely I found this soothing and peaceful. It has been a while since I wrote in this blog. The daily activities and schedule simply take up one's mind and energy, leaving little to reflect and ponder.

I have always hated writing. I have never liked to write a diary or journal. I find the task of just finding the right words too cumbersome and exhausting and I often abandoned the task before I was through. Yet these days, I look forward to writing in my blog. Especially on an extremely busy day, I just want to sit down and write, finding the peace amongst the chaos. It allows me to relax, pause for a moment, recollect my thoughts and to touch base with my emotions.

Quite an irony... The act that used to stress me has become the tool I used to destress these days. I guess nothing is ever predictable in life. Even when we think we know ourselves and we are in control of our lives, things change and sometimes it can be so subtle that we don't realise that it is happening...

Patience

"Patience is a quality that is most needed when it is exhausted."

The Village

In our pursuit for an utopia, does it mean that we must have absolute control in our environment and people? There must be rules to determine what is socially acceptable, what is right and what is wrong. The boundaries of our lives are pretty much set in that sense. We were often taught about how important it is to behave in an acceptable manner in our well defined limitations. Exploring beyond that limitation will hence require great strength and courage. Should we try to embark into a foreign territory, to enter unexplored grounds, we are often consumed by our own fears .... and to some of us, the fear can be so great that it can cripple us and stop us from pursuing the unknown. To some of us, we may try to overcome our fears by placing our faith and beliefs in some things that may only have a placebo effect. Fear is however a two edged sword. When we fear that we will lose the very thing that matters to us, fear then becomes the force that drives us to go beyond our comfort zone into the unknown.

Yet having said that, there will always be someone amongst us who is a non-conformist and does not see the boundaries in his life. He does things as he desires , he displays no inhibitions in his manners and his dealings with people around him. He is not governed by rules and has no fear in exploring beyond the limitations and his desires. He is often deemed by others to be beyond control and crazy, punishment is often used to manage his undesirable behaviours. The existence of this person or persons could threaten the existence of this utopia.

In our schools, are we encouraging curiosity and passion or are we instilling fear? How often we were challenged by pupils who have no regards for rules and regulations, who are good natured people but do not understand why we must abide those rules. In meting the punishment to reform undesired behaviours, are we conditioning them to what we believe to be "social norms"? Are we better than them? Are we imposing our "conditioned" thoughts and beliefs to the pure and curious minds and in the process setting limitations to their lives?

The Journey Home

After a long and relaxing weekend at Tioman with some friends, we finally had to make our way back to Singapore.

The return trip was a bumpy one. First of all we had a not so smooth ride on the speedboat from Tioman to Mersing.... I was counting the minutes when we would finally reach land.... It was hot and stuffy and we had a splashing not-so-good time. Anyhow I thought it wasn't so bad... and treated ourselves to an ice cream.

We had a good start on our drive back from Mersing to Singapore. Traffic was light and everyone was in a happy mood including the baby. Our friends' baby then got restless.. She isn't too happy sitting in the car seat for such a long time. Nothing seemed to pacify her and she definitely made her unhappiness known.

As we approached the Causeway, it turned out that we were unable to cross it as there was a huge pileup in traffic and the roads were closed. The guys immediately said to head back and make way to the Second Link and got to reading maps and getting their bearings... It was already 8.30 pm.

We suggested taking a break and grabbing a bite somewhere and stretch our legs. We found this Pizza Hut by the road side. It turned out to be a delivery outlet and there were limited tables. All were taken and there was no other eatery in sight. Well, we thought, heck, we shall buy our pizzas and eat somewhere outside. What were we thinking??? The restuarant manager wanted to come out and chase us away. However, he was stopped by some customers who were dining in the restuarant, who offered to combine some their tables and let us use one of theirs.

We were touched. Such a generous gesture... especially that they combined their tables with a couple of strangers so that we can have one. We had definitely not expected this and felt the warmth that was shown by them. Such a warm welcome on the foreign land.

It had affected us. There was more laughter and light moments on our remaining journey despite the heavy traffic...

To the family and the couple, we are grateful. .. They have shown us that in our lives, this is what that matters.... the humanity to others regardless of our nationality, our race and our culture.