Inspired by... an eraser
Time flows incessantly; a sure and steady current flowing ever into the direction of the future. The past cannot be once more; they are but memories to us. Markings fade, metal corrodes, structures fall into ruins; so must all physical objects degenerate with the passing of time. Souvenirs are but physical and will one day be gone. Perhaps, the best preserved items are our memories and the feelings associated with them.
These are the things which can be preserved for as long as a life time if we desired them to. A powerful impact leaves deep imprints on us all, imprints which are preserved despite the effects of weathering. When all that is physical that were once associated with the event is long gone, our memory of it still remains intact. Fond memories that bring a knowing smile regardless of the outcomes of those events. A smile reliving the happy times of old, or a bitter-sweet smile at the sad occasions. Bitter because the outcome was undesirable, but sweet because it was something dear to you.
I wish I could re-visit the past with the knowledge of the present.. haha.. who doesn't? Not so much because I want to change the outcomes of certain events, undo or do certain things; but rather because I would want to go about life in the past seeing things as I do now. To live in the time of the past, but to cherish it in a whole new way. It would be an entirely different experience. Alas, that time and life is as such. There are no 'stop, rewind, and re-play' buttons. That's why I always believe in making major decisions with my heart. To live without regrets; even if it means that the choice would, logically, be foolish and a hopeless endeavour. Hope is that little peep of light that drives us to do these irrational things. Things which we cannot hope to, rationally, be successful in. Nevertheless, we do them because we hope against all odds that tiny though the chance may be, we would still achieve it at the very end. It is that hope that causes us to attempt at something which we know with near certainity would close with a painful fall; but we trudge on anyway. I prefer it this way. If all goes well, great... if it does not, at least I can look back later and not be filled with the horrible itch to want to 'stop, rewind and re-play'. The fall may be excruciating, but I rather that than a life filled with regrets.
Speaking of memories and of the past, I cannot help but not mention the AC(I) Canoeing team.. haha. The place where I learn the many things which helped made me who I am today. I'm overwhelmed everytime I think about how far we have all came. You can practically see how far each and every individual of the team have grown and changed. From Sec 1 till now.. the various stages in which we all went through. Its amazing just how much we have all grown and changed.. and now, we are all in different walks of life.. in different schools, different enviroments... but the one thing that would never change, the one thing which still unites and bind us all is the fact that we were all once teammates under Sir. That somehow hit me really hard when I went back to ACS(I) in march this year. It was for the last time I would be back there for an official reason and as I walked around the campus, the memories just flooded back in. I could remember the feeling of having butterflies in my stomach as I wondered ahead about training and what we were going to do. The smell of the rubbery track and the hated 400m circuits. The basketball courts and the here-and-there circuits. The space in front of the P.E office where we used to did weights when we were in Sec 1... I particularly remember one training session in Sec 1 where Sir made us did 1 min weights. It was when the seniors were having their mid-years and it was a pure Sec 1 training. The programme was a killer and I remember being really thankful for the stormy but cool weather. Haha... back then, we were all doing naked bars or the heaviest being 2.5 kg weights. Still, I remembered it being insanely heavy.. haha. The smell of the gym which still somehow causes my stomach to churn a little at the thought of training in there. It all came back and I saw how far we as individuals all came... and its strange, but it was all rather emotional. As I thought over it at night before I slept, it moved me to tears... but they were tears of joy as I saw how much we have all grown. They were sweet, but yet bitter in a sense for I know that the team of 2004 can never be again save in our cherished memories. Time rolls forward as it always does, but history will always be history. Let us treasure it.
To all my national team mates, I haven't forgotten you guys.. haha. It was indeed an honour to have trained with you guys, to have fought along side you guys. Training with you guys always demanded the best of my abilities. The memories I have there are just as intense as those back at AC(I). It was a very different experience, but one that was memorable nonetheless. The fond memories of both morning and evening trainings are ever etched deeply in my mind... the smell of the grass in the morning, the sight of those old folks doing tai-chi, the setting of the sun in the evening, the red sky as the sun disappears below the tree-line, and the subsequent darkness. The experience of rowing in the dark under the countless stars, tired and exhausted after a killer programme. The deep Russian accent of Boris, the way he speaks. The board-walk in which our runs normally end off... the time when we were singing as we ran through the jungle.. haha.. and that Boris said it was good.. lol. Even the toilet... where we all had to share one hose and wash the toilet regularly.... and fix the locks.. haha. How we were wondering who came in to stole our shampoo and soap that we left in the toilet. The unavoidable rivalry that existed between us all when we tried to out-perform each other... but the friendship that still remained at the end of it all. The comical effects to which the PA systems were used. There's simply too much to type out... the good memories.. the bad memories... but they are all dear to me. Memories that will be preserved till my very last breath.
The writings may disappear, the medals rusty and the training gear worn out; but the feelings, emotions and memories will never.
These are the things which can be preserved for as long as a life time if we desired them to. A powerful impact leaves deep imprints on us all, imprints which are preserved despite the effects of weathering. When all that is physical that were once associated with the event is long gone, our memory of it still remains intact. Fond memories that bring a knowing smile regardless of the outcomes of those events. A smile reliving the happy times of old, or a bitter-sweet smile at the sad occasions. Bitter because the outcome was undesirable, but sweet because it was something dear to you.
I wish I could re-visit the past with the knowledge of the present.. haha.. who doesn't? Not so much because I want to change the outcomes of certain events, undo or do certain things; but rather because I would want to go about life in the past seeing things as I do now. To live in the time of the past, but to cherish it in a whole new way. It would be an entirely different experience. Alas, that time and life is as such. There are no 'stop, rewind, and re-play' buttons. That's why I always believe in making major decisions with my heart. To live without regrets; even if it means that the choice would, logically, be foolish and a hopeless endeavour. Hope is that little peep of light that drives us to do these irrational things. Things which we cannot hope to, rationally, be successful in. Nevertheless, we do them because we hope against all odds that tiny though the chance may be, we would still achieve it at the very end. It is that hope that causes us to attempt at something which we know with near certainity would close with a painful fall; but we trudge on anyway. I prefer it this way. If all goes well, great... if it does not, at least I can look back later and not be filled with the horrible itch to want to 'stop, rewind and re-play'. The fall may be excruciating, but I rather that than a life filled with regrets.
Speaking of memories and of the past, I cannot help but not mention the AC(I) Canoeing team.. haha. The place where I learn the many things which helped made me who I am today. I'm overwhelmed everytime I think about how far we have all came. You can practically see how far each and every individual of the team have grown and changed. From Sec 1 till now.. the various stages in which we all went through. Its amazing just how much we have all grown and changed.. and now, we are all in different walks of life.. in different schools, different enviroments... but the one thing that would never change, the one thing which still unites and bind us all is the fact that we were all once teammates under Sir. That somehow hit me really hard when I went back to ACS(I) in march this year. It was for the last time I would be back there for an official reason and as I walked around the campus, the memories just flooded back in. I could remember the feeling of having butterflies in my stomach as I wondered ahead about training and what we were going to do. The smell of the rubbery track and the hated 400m circuits. The basketball courts and the here-and-there circuits. The space in front of the P.E office where we used to did weights when we were in Sec 1... I particularly remember one training session in Sec 1 where Sir made us did 1 min weights. It was when the seniors were having their mid-years and it was a pure Sec 1 training. The programme was a killer and I remember being really thankful for the stormy but cool weather. Haha... back then, we were all doing naked bars or the heaviest being 2.5 kg weights. Still, I remembered it being insanely heavy.. haha. The smell of the gym which still somehow causes my stomach to churn a little at the thought of training in there. It all came back and I saw how far we as individuals all came... and its strange, but it was all rather emotional. As I thought over it at night before I slept, it moved me to tears... but they were tears of joy as I saw how much we have all grown. They were sweet, but yet bitter in a sense for I know that the team of 2004 can never be again save in our cherished memories. Time rolls forward as it always does, but history will always be history. Let us treasure it.
To all my national team mates, I haven't forgotten you guys.. haha. It was indeed an honour to have trained with you guys, to have fought along side you guys. Training with you guys always demanded the best of my abilities. The memories I have there are just as intense as those back at AC(I). It was a very different experience, but one that was memorable nonetheless. The fond memories of both morning and evening trainings are ever etched deeply in my mind... the smell of the grass in the morning, the sight of those old folks doing tai-chi, the setting of the sun in the evening, the red sky as the sun disappears below the tree-line, and the subsequent darkness. The experience of rowing in the dark under the countless stars, tired and exhausted after a killer programme. The deep Russian accent of Boris, the way he speaks. The board-walk in which our runs normally end off... the time when we were singing as we ran through the jungle.. haha.. and that Boris said it was good.. lol. Even the toilet... where we all had to share one hose and wash the toilet regularly.... and fix the locks.. haha. How we were wondering who came in to stole our shampoo and soap that we left in the toilet. The unavoidable rivalry that existed between us all when we tried to out-perform each other... but the friendship that still remained at the end of it all. The comical effects to which the PA systems were used. There's simply too much to type out... the good memories.. the bad memories... but they are all dear to me. Memories that will be preserved till my very last breath.
The writings may disappear, the medals rusty and the training gear worn out; but the feelings, emotions and memories will never.
posted by Jun Yi at 11:16 PM
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