I went to my Grandmother's last week. Revisiting that place where I grew up, I decided to take a stroll in the evening since I've nothing else much to do anyway considering the programmes on TV these days. So I went downstairs and walked the places where my cousins and I used to frolic and have plenty of fun when we were still kids and when Facebook and Twitter didn't exist to steal our social lives (that is irl, see, another online acronym) away. Ah, childhood memories. Everybody has them, be it good ones or bad.

The problem starts here, you see. While trying to reminisce and take in the sights of what have changed and what have not, I realized that I have lost the ability to stroll. That is, to walk at a decently slow speed. I guess this has got to do with growing up. As we start to have more activities lined up other than school, we try to squeeze them as much as possible so that we end up having an activities-filled day. This usually means more transportation time and also less sleeping time. So we sleep less, wake up tired, do things slower and end up rushing for time so that we don't screw up our schedules. The end result being having to walk at a faster pace so we that won't be late. Sadly, this rushing about has evolved into part of my lifestyle. To add to that is our nation's obsession with being the best and not missing out on things. And of course our live fast, live dangerous, live on the edge, and try not to die young mentality.

 

#1. Have something to live for.

One of my resolutions this year is to take things down a notch, what with all that hardcore partying and stuff, and to enjoy life's little things, pretty much Zombieland inspired. I've been trying consciously to do that, and it's not easy to break from going goal to goal. However, I think being able to slow ourselves down to take things in is important, lest we forget what the goals are really for, and then we'll slowly but surely lose ourselves. Losing our souls, that's equivalent to death. What's living if we've nothing to live for.

#2. Have something to die for.

To add to the point of living, I'd like to talk about something else. I always have concerned friends (and meddlesome strangers) coming up to me and say "Come on, Nov, stop your drinks, fags, parties and late nights. You'll die soon." Well, yeah, it's true too much of all these are really bad for the health, and with a poor body we can't survive to live our dreams. However, this also set me thinking about this thing about the age old pursuit of longetivity. To me, every second that we are living, we are also dying at the same time. Isn't it true? I guess that is why, on top of the point I mentioned in the last paragraph, being alive also means having something to die for. Nope, not the alcohol and fags, of course.

#3. Live like you're dying.

Seize the day. This is easier said than done. Well, I think a living example of somebody who lives by this code is Mr. Jordon Ng. He's many things, but a soulless barren capsule he is not. Carpe Diem, he always says. So clichéd, but so true! It's good to be safe, but don't be too afraid. I've always stand by my view that the best things in life costs only blind faith. And by standing by it, I mean taking the leaps. In the movies, they did it, didn't they? You can be a Casanova who takes and breaks heart so your own wouldn't be broken, or a shy kid who closes his heart to the world so that he wouldn't be let down. However, what would that give you? Vision gives you the ability to see opportunities, courage gives you the ability to go and get it despite the potential obstacles that your vision can't get pass. On top of that, you'll never learn what you really have until you lose it. So don't be afraid of getting something in the fear that you may lose it. That is stupidity.

 

That was quite the bohemian speech, eh? Speaking of bohemian, I'd recently re-watched Moulin Rouge. I've always told people when asked (or not!) about my beliefs, that I believe in Beauty, Freedom, Truth and Love. I don't know was it because I was subconsciously influenced by that movie. In the show, it spoke about these four things that make up the bohemian spirit. So I would like to think that I've an inner streak of boho-ism in me because that would be really pretty cool, ha! I hope this is the reason I went ahead to buy a headband last year. So, to wrap up this entry, I'm going to share a really awesome quote from Moulin Rouge.

"The greatest thing that you'll ever learn is to love and to be loved in return."