Werhaps

38 hours without sleep. The people have vanished into the storm, theirs which begin this week. It looks to be imminent that I will be swept into mine soon. A small window in time, a small glimmer in the sky. The throttles of a helicopter descend upon the ridge. A man appears from the metal bee asking if I needed anything. He hands me a black moment bearer, replacing the one that I had slowed down in my passage: With time on the mark, perhaps you would be reaching camp and not staying out here. Godspeed.

Leopard's Pass

Dazed, eight days separate us from the wake of the Storm. I claw my way into Leopard's Pass, a steep jagged ridge, known for its sightings of the nimble cats. Its a mystery how they would find sustenance up here. Thick fog shrouds the area, its hard to see any persons by eye, much less hope for anyone to come along and bail you out of any pits. I'm not for any surprises, not here. A longing for home.. and hauntings in distant lands that I would do without. I need to find my sherpa again soon, only then can we get through this unscathed. He's nearby. Good weather comes in good faith. 

Kaspia

Like the strained silhouette of a distant hawk, the meandering days are quick to pass. Crossing paths with mountaineers trekking the range to other peaks have served as the few living reminders to my reason for being here. While amidst the blistering gale, we once set camp reasonably close for supplies. But I appear to have broken away from the pack, make no fuss of a storm in a teacup. There's a blizzard approaching! Outside! Fend for yourselves! And I'm no one's shadow.

Progress is slow, yet with everything to lose, one must focus ahead. No boggers! Like an ocean of waters smashing against the rock, the mind is your strongest element but also weakest composition. Scale scale!!

starsights

A thin light streaks from beneath the door, hinting that someone else is still awake. 

But I'm elsewhere, far removed, and the air is cold tonight. Night has settled upon the whiteout, purveying instant void of warmth, you would wish for someone there to cuddle with. Yet vast spaces separate me from those distant faces hours ago. My fellow traveller nearby shines a beam of endurance at me. There's no turning back, only summit.

Last Day

Six years have finally culminated in this day. This final final final day, no more extensions like EE or TOK. Taking the train at the usual time as I now do, I didn't know what to make about it being the only person wearing this IB tie in the cabin and the empty bus-stop. My iPod had been on shuffle mode, and thankfully it wasn't Vitamin's Graduation that it picked but Do As Infinity's Yesterday and Today. I have liked that song but never really felt it in perspective, but for once I did.

We had the entire school campus to our level today, so exclusive. Morning, I met Alice and Yuan at the bus stop, and when you start to get together talking about this being the last day, it does get touchy-feelly of sorts until someone suggests taking a picture for memory's sake. Once I took off my lens cap, there was no stop to the day's cam-whoring.




Ferd and Bill Pill gave us some pep-talk about NS. After that, it was the start of more cam-whoring and freak antics that people would only do on the last day without fear of consequence. Three hours it lasted. We took a photo with Haoyi.

Then everyone else became convinced that they should too, for future's sake. He could start a booth charging people for it, all proceeds to IR.




Shawn decided to taunt out RC with an fire extinguisher outside the toilet, she didn't care come out. There is no stopping a mob. Counting the people behind me, there were 50 in total, many with cameras in hand for the showdown.



Luckily, the incident was resolved without much issue.

Part two came with the use of a putty knife, quick hands and a tall guy.



So happy to be at the wrong place!

Eagle and I wanted some respite from the cam-whoring and also to escape the table shifting, so we headed to check out the IB Art Exhibition put up by the art students. We wandered to the old block green level to find the exhibition room void of persons and light, so hanging around back to our old classrooms to check out the interiors. Nothing has changed! Spotted Rong Xin ushering Tan Kheng Hua (the channel5 actress) to the exhibition and we tagged in. Had the chance to talk to her about IB, they find the concept fascinating. That was the 3rd time I ever stepped into the Art Gallery, but the exhibits definitely took the show. Song Yun's works have an immensely profound abstraction, Rong's packs many layers into her drawings and they jump out like 3D, you have to see for yourself to really appreciate it. There's one of brush that paints dreams, amazing. The general quality of work is truly professional.



I returned in time to class to catch this amazing feat.

Then it was off to the final talk and send off with the usual affairs and emphasis being said. Just before we left, Arthur took the mike and everyone burst out into the school anthem. The atmosphere was forlorn, and one of the times singing this song that you actually felt like crying. For the know that it will be years later after this and prom before...

The !nk people met but it suddenly became more than an !nk photo.


Lunch at Wah Chee and on to Hoe's house with Poh, got to chat with Vanessa Tok, Ben Lay, Amelia. Haha, she actually was Fish's childhood friend of sorts.


Catching the bus back from 6th Avenue, I was taken aback by the driver's arcade-like maneuvering that involved overtaking about 5 buses and sudden torture brakes, one could smell the rubber burning. But I realized he was impatiently rushing back to the interchange to break his day long fast. As with the past few years, I reached home finding that my generous Malay neighbor has given us pots worth of authentic Malay cuisine, which is an order higher than coffee-shop economical muslim store fare. How the spices get blended so well still perplexes my mum. I have half an idea of learning to cook from my neighbor after exams.

School as we know, has ended. The exams are still waiting for us, and we will see each other still. Yes, but I shall miss 6.4, one of the most harmonic classes I have been in despite Fish's retarded jokes mixed in with Bong's farting and Mark's lateness. Staplets! I don't really deal with loss well, just in disbelief preferring not to think about it. Live well and mug, see you guys soon!

Tau

Let's just say I'm coping fine. I have re-discovered stress and work anxiety, which were non-existent before or during prelims. I'm a better worker (mugger) outside the classroom, that place is suppressing. Plus there are people I rather not see now.

Alas, the last ever assembly today, I can't remember how many times I have seen the national flag hoisted upside down or raised in successive panics like the stock market. I probably will miss sniggering with everyone.

How do you treat text like art pieces?

There isn't much time to find out.

I was amused by a short episode in class today between my classamates over what it meant to be Singaporean. This wasn't social studies class, nor was it instigated by a teacher. Slap in the face conclusion, be you a Penang-ian, HKer, or 2 generation migrant: you are still a friggin migrant.

I cleared my locker out before the prelims, but it was only today that I was permanently removing my faithful Masterlock from its resting place of the last 2 years. Its a momentous feeling, symbolic of the culmination of 6 years. At last you are free...

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save."

The Condition

State your terms.
Nay, no negotiation.

Mighty king plummets to lowly wages
The sun casts its rays onto the earth
Transmission of power
In between...
Much is lost and waste.
To what purpose?

Have had what was lost
Gives purpose
To regain that which was lost.
True purpose?
Through purposed.
Un-thorough.

Wind walks, thunders stray
Eyes topple
That is true vision
Visage is the condition.
Ponder my rendition.
Swell, it is lowly well.


No, of course I haven't had time to write this recently. Its from last December. Call it a sense of deja vu and open bleu. Day 270, the timers are switched around. No more shotgun opera... just rocket science.

Ecko's Pass

Ahead lies the highest peak into the long beknownst valley. Your thought I held so desperately, I cannot carry beyond here. Here at the cliff of certain hanging, my fellow traveller of passage tugs me through the mountain tundras to find our sherpa. We have developed a great thirst, mountain and us shall take turns.

With the exception of the Almighty and IBO, no entities shall hold me hostage in this period of absence. This much, Ecko speaks.

GUM

The paper mess across the tables are back with a vengeance. Clear them up I must.

Haven't mustered the time to read the books Deborah lent me, or finish the one I'm on. My first reading renaissance in years moves swiftly to a standstill. Novels and mug go better than notes and mug.

This 2006 PBS documentary on Burma makes up some lost context before the recent events. Aung San Suu Kyi is apparently the daughter of the original independent movement leader of Burma.

Saffron

Over the weekend, I was contacted by a librarian from National Library who had wanted to use my videos in an internet chat sharing session of life in Singapore with teens from Germany next month, and invited me to go give a talk on short film making. Had to decline the chat offer due to reasons well looming. But as a reward I was given 3 GV ticket passes which expired on Sunday (yesterday), but were only valid from Monday to Wednesday. Thus begs the question of how such passes with obscure validities are ever issued. The librarian was quite apologetic about it and offered me freebies if I ever dropped by the library. Not too concerned about that, at least the content I make has some uses.

I had originally wanted to write an entry on the situation in Burma. I recall once having a classmate from Burma, I wonder how that person is doing now. Seeing the stories trying to link this country's inaction to their suffering, it pains me that such modern day attrocities can go unpunished. How do they put on those protests of non-violence when the rod is repeatedly used on them, some beaten so badly till their skulls are cracked. And the most unsurmountable task in the world is to love your enemies.

There's still work which I haven't completed over the weekend, stuck in mundane-ness. Keep the Burmese people in prayer.