Life as Yang Tells It: Back to Serenity and Other Thoughts

So fast, the first half of the semester has passed. It feels like just the other moment I was carrying a heavy-load of equipment taking the bus back to IH from the airport, yet now we're already in week 7, anticipating mid-terms and major assignments. How did Time manage to pass by so fast? Is it because of the insufficient capacity of our brain to remember the every second passing of time? Not that it matters. Why question the passing of the past when the current moment is here for us to live? Perhaps that's why Time passed like we didn't live it -- because we question the passing of the past.

Anyways, for the past week or so, it's back to serenity. A daily routine of going to classes, studying, Facebooking, taking naps, reading, and listening to music. Every day is pretty much the same. Friday nights? Meh, it's the same as a Monday night. Not going out, not doing anything special. Just staying in my room. At most I'd watch a movie or two. Or chill with Kevin and Han with some late night snacks, drinks, and jokes. Is it boring? Well, sometimes it can be. But it's not boring in a negative way. Somehow I enjoy and appreciate it. It's predictable, and I feel like I have control over what I do. I feel proud for being disciplined; I feel proud for not conforming to short-term pleasure.

Over the past week, I've been extensively working on the IHMA newsletter/magazine. I actually spent quite a bit of time on it, but I don't mind the least as I enjoyed the process very much. I like the fact that I have full creative control over the magazine as it allows me to work freely without any pressure of having to satisfy anybody. It reminded me that back in high school, I used to want to study media and communications. Despite the final decision to change my university pursuits to economics and psychology, I still hold a high regard for communications and perhaps in the future I might revise my decision and go back to that field. Who knows? I certainly do enjoy it. But again, that could just be because of the creative freedom I was given in working on the magazine, something that I wouldn't get if I were working in the commercial world. If you want to take a look at my final product, here's the link to it.

Just the other day (last Tuesday), I went for a long-distance run with Kevin and Han to Coogee beach via Bronte beach. We ran a total of approximately 11-12km. But the highlight for me wasn't the run. When we arrived at Bronte, Han suddenly had the most absurd idea to jump into the Bronte beach pool for a swim. It was chilly at 15 degrees Celsius or so, we didn't have any proper attire -- no towels, no extra-change, no swimming trunks even -- but Han just took his shirt and shoes off and jumped into the pool (soaking his bus ticket in the process because he forgot that he had it in his pocket). Initially, Kevin and I were reluctant to follow suit because it was cold, we didn't have towels/spare-change and we didn't want to fall sick. But in the end, Han pulled Kevin into the water while I took a deep breath and dived in as well. And man, it was an awesome feeling, swimming in that pool of salty water without caring about anything else in the world. In that instance, I felt like a little kid again, just enjoying life in its purest form without having to consider the consequences of my doing. It was a state of bliss. I was living in the moment. I was on top of Time. I was alive. Despite only being in the pool for 15 minutes or so because we had to leave early to get back for dinner, I experienced living the way that life was meant to be lived. After the short swimming break, we got our shirts back on and continued our run to Coogee drenched with sweat, rain, and saltwater. Oh, and that night we missed our catered dinner by 5 minutes and ended up going to a nearby Chinese restaurant Golden Fang. Hungry from our run, we ordered 3 large plates of dishes. Our hunger made everything taste amazingly tasty and by the end we were all walking home satisfied with over-stretched stomachs.

Thinking back on that day, I really want to thank Han and Kevin. I learn so much from the two of them, and they have always been by my side this semester. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to spend such quality time with both of them. The fact that Han has a high possibility of leaving Sydney next year after he graduates and Kevin will move out of IH with his girlfriend Rui Yi makes me all the more appreciative of the limited time we have left together. May the rest of the semester be more awesome time left to spend with them!

I think this pool on the left was the one we had a swim in...

Over the past few weeks I've also been more involved with Sydney Tzu Ching's people. We went to a nursing home last Saturday where I got to know a lot more volunteers better. Just this past weekend, I went to a housewarming party of two new young twin friends of mine. I had a lot of fun and very much enjoyed myself. I appreciate their invitation despite only having met me just the week before. This coming Friday, I'll be going to Boorowa (a rural town in NSW) with Tzu Ching for some tree planting initiatives. It's going to be a 3 day trip and I'm hopeful that it'd be a great experience. And yes, going away this weekend will mean that I will skip the annual IH Harbour Cruise event. I actually enjoy the Cruise large year very much, and this year's ticket price at $25 for IHMA committee members was extremely appealing. However, in the end I decided to go on the Boorowa trip mainly because I've already been on the Cruise before and I don't exactly see a point going, especially without a proper date.

A screenshot photo of me visiting the nursing home last week; while you're at it, read my description too.

Anyways, speaking of the housewarming that I went to, I totally love Riverwood, the suburb that the house was in. It was quiet, it was peaceful, it was clean, it was fresh, it was everything that I thought my parents would like if they come to Australia to retire. It was also a good distance away from the city, if they ever wanted to go back to the 'busier' side of life. The suburb was also relatively flat (ie not hilly), which I also liked. I even wondered how it would be if I were to live in a suburb like Riverwood. Perhaps one day I would, when I come out to work and have to rent a room somewhere in the suburbs. My friends' house was cosy and bright, with a spacious yard. I guess many Australian houses in the well-developed suburbs are similar in style. I find my friends to be relatively lucky to experience this kind of upbringing. If I were brought up in Australia, I wonder how different my life would be.