the smallest things can trigger memories of ancient times. ok, maybe not ancient, considering i'm just shy of turning 21.

small things, like taking a walk in a familiar park i used to frequent with my family when i was younger. bishan park. on weekends, we'd go there. my brother/s and i would try to outbeat each other and be the "leader" on our 4-wheel bikes, which we would spend time choosing carefully at the bicycle kiosk. and we'd make stopovers at the 2 different playgrounds and when we ended our journey and reached the bicycle kiosk, we would wait there for papa to finish his jog. and then, i also recalled the time when papa first taught us how to ride a 2-wheel bike. i remember the adrenaline rush and the fear. but most of all, i remember how he ran alongside us, holding on to the bike, sweating like mad but determined that we ride that bike. i wonder how he felt when he first saw me ride that bike without him having to hold on to it. i know that after that, riding a bicycle was never the same again. it was a whole new experience, one that was worth every fall and drop of fear.

you know, small things, little things like drinking this bottle of lime juice now. not just any lime juice but "RIPE" lime juice (RIPE is a brand by the way). it brought me back to those evenings when i'd just suddenly decide i wanted to go for a run. and just like that, i'd get off the couch or away from the window i was staring out from for the past hour, change into some running attire, put on my shoes, stretch a bit and be on my way. i didn't run for health reasons, though it may have been a side-effect. i ran because i wanted to, because i needed something to hit me and wake me up, something to make me feel alive. the aches, the panting, the sweat, the mental and physical agony. i wasn't sure where i would run to but i knew i would get somewhere. i'd take my buscard along with me in case i ran too far or got lost or injured. sometimes i just put a few coins in my shoe or in my shorts pocket. and when i thought i had run far enough, i would usually take a very slow walk back, looking at life and all the living going on around me as the day drew to a close and the sun was setting. and the lime juice. i'd usually run various long-winded, exciting routes that ultimately brought me to serangoon gardens. and when i reached, i would buy RIPE lime juice from NTUC or Shell's Select and savour it as i walked back home. you can't imagine how good RIPE's lime juice tasted at those points in time. like little drops of heaven to my parched mouth. but that whole experience of the run, the walk, the lime juice, the thoughts, the things i saw, the things i heard, the tiredness, the exhiliration, the....they were like drops of heaven to my parched soul then...funny how a sip of lime juice can rekindle so strongly those days. i'd still like to do it again sometime.

and as i started this post, funny how a familiar song in a foreign language started playing from my media player...

vaase to
ghade ye bargam
pishe to
razi be margam

...bringing back soooooo many beautiful memories, but mostly in the form of words, cos that's really all that kept it alive, whatever it was. will there be just one more word? or was that the last? i really don't know.

it was the last day of lessons for the term today and we were the last group to present in class. it's not over yet though. there are still at least 3 reports to complete and there are the exams coming up. and immediately after, i'll be leaving on a jet plane. my bed at home will not be slept on for about 4 months as i hop from place to place...germany, czech, hungary, US. it all seems like such a blur now. this sunday's party will go by as fast as it comes. the study break will come and go. then holy week will arrive, bringing with it the agony and excitement of exams and 3 days later, i'll be watching the street lights of singapore shrink to little specks and disappear as the plane carries me away. i can't deny i feel a bit sad because i have been recently overwhelmed with a wave of love for all the people in my life, old and new. but i am thankful, always thankful. and i would rather leave drenched with this love than the lack of it. i will carry it with me and i hope i never forget it or leave it behind.

this term has been amazing, nothing short of. with all my heart, thank you.