chang*

something happened today that marked a milestone in my life. for the very first time, i actually sat through a 2-hr econs lecture without falling asleep or daydreaming about me strumming a guitar and crooning to a bunch of acid-laden adolescents. in fact, despite ruiqi’s incessant (but futile, of course) efforts at distracting me, i listened intently to the lecturer. another fact, i was practically hanging off his words! in fiction, the others in the lecture theatre looked interesting.

here are what i’d credit for my attention just now:

-the lecturer was indonesian, and therefore had a charming accent.

-the lecture theatre has seven (yes, seven!) screens. i was expecting ‘big brother is watching you’ to pop up on those screens anytime. i did not want to incur the wrath of ‘big brother’.

-econs is actually interesting.

-i spent 2 years in army.

the last point requires a bit of explanation. for us battle-weary young men who have endured the rigours of national service, the phrase ‘rush to wait, wait to rush’ (cleverly devised by some chao-keng storeman) is all too familiar. i recall days when we left for the fields 8 hours before an exercise was scheduled to begin just to bingo! just to wait… i remember how days and nights seem to meld into days and nights, which in turn melded into days and nights. i remember having to deal with unreasonable superiors who made arguments so ridiculous i lost my train of thought. i remember… uh, i remember……… ok, i can’t reveal anymore, as i’m bound to silence under the official secrets’ act. i guess you just have to wait…

so you see how i earned my patience. no puny 2-hr lecture will get me down. it ain’t heavy, it’s my brother.

as you can see, i am positively zen-like.

nothingness.

for more on my college experiences, click here.