moving on...

the connotations associated with the above title seems infinite and almost in an abstract manner.

9/11 - the day which etched firmly in my mind 5 years ago till today. i remember i couldn't sleep that particular night, probably of insomnia or because the weather was too hot. so i switched on my mp3 player's built-in radio and went thru the channels. then i came across 88.9, or more commonly known as the BBC channel. so there it was that i heard the first news about 911.

shortly after the 2nd plane had crashed into the WTC BBC already had reporters on the scene interviewing the witnesses of the event. the impact of the crashes did not hit me until very much later in the morning. there, i saw on the zaobao, a picture and the entire front page devoted to the attack. then, i knew it was no simple matter. i was back in JC 1 then when 911 struck.

so it was generally a big piece of news, and especially with the general paper as part of the curriculum, i read up on it alot. frankly, i couldn't remember what i studied then, but i will definitely remember the night when the news were broadcasted, over the atlantic till a little island we live in.

5 long years. graduated from JC, completed NS, and now into yr 2 of uni life. going by numbers, that is about 1/16 of my life down. as of date, 5/16 of my life is down (avg. life expectancy of sg males is 78 years as i learnt a few days back). which brings me to the next point. moving on has another connotation. it simply means moving on to the next stage of life.

i received a call from a friend the other day. i will not go into details about what we talked about but in general it was about relationships. BGRs, in other words. often in our lives we come across people whom we think "is the one." however, the word "often" suggests that we do not come across just one. several come, mostly go, and what is left is never a 100% "the one." i'm sure all who have had relationships before, or now, will understand this very simple logic.

this universal truth depicts a picture that we are always searching, always looking. yes, everybody has hopes. we have expectations. and while we put in our very best, we still cannot control circumstance... however, circumstance, being a product of human activity, can be geared to a certain degree, and that i believe, is the crux of the issue: choice. the reaction to any circumstance leaves, usually, the protagonist (not sure if this is spelt correctly) several choices in which one must eventually be decided upon.

let me explain this using an analogy. As a fisherman who catches fish for a living, let's assume that the only tool available is the fishing rod. whenever a fish is caught, circumstance forces the fisherman to keep the fish so that it can be sold on the market. however, the fisherman can also let the fish go, if it so happens that he feels exceptionally benevolent that day. note that forcing is not akin to the extinguishing of resistance totally. he still has a choice but he must choose.

however, the problem i think with relationships today is that people in general do not appreciate what they have. this applies to both guys and girls alike. when you see this person who you know is a good catch, we tend to say: hmmm, this is a good one, but i can always get better. or: i know this person has feelings for me (and i do have for him/her too). it doesn't matter what i do, what i said, what i promised - love is undying.

please, for goodness' sake, when you know that somebody is the one for you, please grab the chance and strike while the iron is hot. don't wait till the time when it is all too late. and for your info, no love is undying. with the exception of fairy tales, of course; but as always, if you stop your writing at the happiest point, everything will appear well, right? "happily ever after." rings a bell?

in this case, my friend is undoubtedly a very good catch. the thing now is that guys who have had to chance to cross her path somehow didn't capitalize on it. the only thing i can say is that: please dun follow the footsteps of these guys. good girls are not very easy to find nowadays. same thing for guys.

you know, don't leave it till to a point when you start having thoughts like this:

that person is a really good catch. why didn't i hold on to him/her then?

somehow second chances don't really come as you hope they would.

people move on, even the most patient ones. and when that happens, my friend, is the time you will regret.

for me, i moved.

have you?