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Hangout for Students
Enormous surge of people at the Padang endured 6 to 8 hours of waiting in queue to pay their last respects to the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.
Condolence cards expressing sincere gratitude are posted on the walls leading to the Parliament House where the remains of the late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew lies in state.
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The Pain and Liberation of Hurt
“This is about relationships and the opportunities that arise from their failure. I think a lot of people go through it, and I thought it would be a good reminder to bring people's focus back on themselves and not allow relationship failures to take down their individuality.”
- The Catwoman
And there it is. The infamous ache in the heart and hole in the chest that haunts you for weeks, or months, or sometimes years. The sort of feeling that gathers every fibre of your being to attend the sorriest party of the century. Every alcoholic drink suddenly seem like cupcakes that you can’t wait to devour and feed that sad, sad monster who now lives in the depths of your head. You stumble around, drunk and blabbing like a fool. And when you wake up with such intense throbbing around your temples, you groan and think to yourself: What went wrong?!
That, dear readers, is what I call “The Aftermath”.
Before The Aftermath, however, is the period of what I call “Temporary Bliss”. You see, everyone at some point(s) in their lives would meet someone special. For instance, girl and guy are at a party. Being total strangers, they don’t talk to each other initially. But through the blessing of a mutual friend the Universe has bestowed upon the party, guy starts talking to girl. Jokes were cracked and numbers were exchanged. They had, unknowingly, fallen into the clutches of the Temporary Bliss. Guy and girl became obsessed with each other. Every truth to the mystery of each other’s lives had to be revealed as Temporary Bliss consumed their hearts and souls.
Before The Aftermath is Temporary Bliss. (Photo credit: stockfreeimages.com)
Now imagine another situation with the same girl and guy. They are sitting in silence as they eat their dinner. Guy gets irritated at everything. Girl sinks more and more into the ground. The exchange of words are now brief and sometimes harsh. One day, guy waves the white flag at girl and walks away.
How did the first situation transform into the second so quickly?
Temporary Bliss usually happens to both parties in such situation. The Aftermath, however, would only happen to one. This is because one party will always be left behind in the hems of Temporary Bliss while the other has taken off the clothes of Temporary Bliss completely. The party that has liberated him or herself from the shackles of Temporary Bliss usually transits into some other states that I will not be writing about because it does not matter. What matters here is the broken soul who has been left to wither and die (figuratively speaking) in the hems of Temporary Bliss.
The Aftermath is unpleasant, often nauseating and toxic. It is a state of absolute dread and misery. Anyone with a normal state of mind will steer clear of this path and wrinkle their noses in disgust. Well, until they meet Temporary Bliss and fall into this state sometime later.
Dear readers, fear not. There is a cure to The Aftermath.
The Aftermath is unpleasant, often nauseating and toxic.
But there is a cure to it.
(Photo credit: dreamstime.com)
Relationships are like boats. There are many boats passing through the river of life and each boat that you decide to ride on will take you to different places. Every boat is designed differently but are all made of similar, if not, same materials. Once you are on a boat, the ride ahead will seem exhilarating. There are so many places you can go! So many things to see and feel. This boat ride is akin to Temporary Bliss.
To avoid slipping into The Aftermath, you MUST drop “Temporary” from “Temporary Bliss” and adopt just “Bliss”. You do this through trusting that the boat will take you somewhere. Sometimes the boat takes a turn into an unknown cave where it is dark and steals nearly all of your courage.
However, you must never try and steer the boat yourself out of fright. The whole point of entering a boat is not to take it to where you want it to be, but rather, to let the currents of life steer it to where it has to go. If you fight the boat or the current, you will get thrown into the cold waters. This is where you enter The Aftermath.
Curing the Aftermath is not an easy task. It is at this point when you’ll start swimming frantically in the waters, splashing around like a dolphin without a tail. You have two choices. You either wait for the next boat and get on it, or use all your might to swim to the nearest shore. The next boat represents the next Temporary Bliss. Should you get on the next boat, you’ll either learn from your experience with the previous boat or you’d fall into the same waters and slip into The Aftermath again.
Relationships are like boats. There are many boats passing through the river of life and each boat that you decide to ride on will take you to different places.
(Photo credit: hdwjpg.com)
The shore represents your innerself. Finding a shore to swim up to is no easy task. In fact, waiting for the next boat would have been easier. However, finding a shore would mean you have a place all to yourself where you can build comfort and acquire more survival skills. The Aftermath, in this case, will quickly transcend to Unbreakable Fortress. The castle you build on the shore becomes so mighty and strong that people on boats passing by are struck with inspiration to build their own castles.
One day, perhaps a boat of your liking will pass your castle. You board it like you did before, some time ago. While you’ve learnt from that bad experience and are now more aware of not steering the boat, there is no guarantee that you will not topple into the waters in other ways. The boat could capsize and sink, or hit an iceberg and tear into two. Whatever it is, this time you know you won’t have to be swimming around frantically in fear and pain. Because this time, you know you have an Unbreakable Fortress that will always be waiting for your return.
THE WRITER
The Catwoman
(Photo credit: 123rf.com)
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Feature:
Tranquility behind the concrete jungle
By Krysten Angela Limso Chan
Have you ever felt so tired and burned out that you just want to disconnect, leave your desk and go some place quiet? A place to breathe, think and release all the negativity that has been going on in your life?
In a country like Singapore where everything is fast paced and technologically available, we sometimes feel that it gets really crowded already. The MRT’s (mass rapid transit) are packed with people; the queues for lunch seem to get longer everyday, and everywhere you look there are people talking loudly that get into your nerves. Wouldn’t it be nice to find a space where you could be alone with your thoughts and be away from it all?
Not a lot of tourists know about the hidden gems that Singapore has. Hidden behind the concrete jungle of the central business district and the integrated resorts that they are known for, Singapore offers a number of parks and reserves that you can visit. Some of the reserves I’ve visited are MacRitchie Reservoir Park, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Mt. Faber and Henderson Waves.
The first time I heard about these parks, I didn’t quite believe that they would be up to my expectations. Knowing Singapore has been all about buildings and skyscrapers, I never imagined they kept places like these. For a nature lover like me, it felt like I found my haven that I can run to when I’m stressed or burned out in the city. Going out for a hike or a run removes stress and gets your blood pumping.
Krysten Angela doing yoga at the MacRitchie Reservoir Park, enjoying the tranquility of the surroundings, being one with nature.
The thing I like about these reserves is the feeling of seclusion and stillness. It's like you’re not in Singapore. You don’t hear the sound of traffic jams, the taps of the ez-link cards, or the beeps you hear when the MRT doors are about to close. These parks take you away from the urban jungle that we know, even for just a little while.
So, what are the things that you can do in these parks and reserves? Aside from taking a breather from work or school, you can enjoy a leisurely walk or hike the 10-km trail at the MacRitchie Reservoir Park. You can also bring your bicycle if you are the cycling type. You can also bring your camera and shoot the scenery, which can be amazing. A little bit of yoga and meditation is also a great way of spending your time there. Some people go there for bird watching; it’s quite fascinating because you see people bringing in their bazooka-like camera lenses, taking time, and waiting for different species of birds. You can go with a few friends if you’d like, bring some food and have a small picnic. Just make sure to clean up after yourselves.
Bending over as far as she could, Krysten Angela tries other routines in her personal yoga session.
If you are bringing food in the area, be careful of bringing plastic bags. Our little monkey friends in the reserve love looking into people’s plastic bags. These little critters know where you keep the food. They don’t bite; they just sometimes steal your food and sunglasses. Quite playful little things if I may say so. ;)
As you can see, there are plenty of things you can do in these parks and reserves. It’s just about taking some time off from the city and having time for YOU. No amount of stress or work should keep you from enjoying life and taking care of your body. Being relaxed is one way of staying young, so why not use the resources you have around you? Singapore, as we all know is a small city-country. But it offers a number of serene spots you can spend your quiet days in. So make the most out of it, be fit, be relaxed and stay young. Namaste…
What a wonderful site to adore. This is only one of the many similar nature sites that one can enjoy in the many parks like Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Mt. Faber, Hendson Waves, and the MacRitchie Reservoir Park, all in Singapore.
The Writer
- Krysten Angela Limso Chan
Masters student, Singapore
International Hotel Management
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