Peranakans always "come back" (Koh, 2004)
The reference is true, you know.
Excuses for my absence for any event or function as of late has always been to the refrain, "well, you know, being in the army...", a phrase that has gotten stale (and a little bitter).
I've got to stop using it.
The main reason why I'm bringing it up is because a friend of mine is leaving Singapore and returning to her homeland in Hong Kong. Yes, its for good. It's likely that I'll never see her again.
What saddens me most about Xiuxin's leaving isn't just that she's going and not coming back. It's not even that army has made it difficult to find time off to meet with an old group of friends to have one last dinner with her.It's because somehow, someway, I'm always in a position where I'm out of sync with everything else around me.
If that confuses you, trust me, it's hard to put it in any other way. It's just that I find myself constantly in terra incognitio and can't seem to stay long in any familiar surroundings. The moment I get comfortable, I get ripped out and planted somewhere else. Its been happening since primary school, and has only gotten more chronic as of late.
Coming back to Xiuxin (who I think has one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard), even though I have known her for some time, I can't help but feel detached from the entire situation. I don't know if I can call it apathy, but I'm thinking it's close.
Well, dear friends, if I can offer any advice, it's to forget about enemies - keep your friends close, keep close friends closer. Sometimes, other people are the only ones who can keep you sane.
Excuses for my absence for any event or function as of late has always been to the refrain, "well, you know, being in the army...", a phrase that has gotten stale (and a little bitter).
I've got to stop using it.
The main reason why I'm bringing it up is because a friend of mine is leaving Singapore and returning to her homeland in Hong Kong. Yes, its for good. It's likely that I'll never see her again.
What saddens me most about Xiuxin's leaving isn't just that she's going and not coming back. It's not even that army has made it difficult to find time off to meet with an old group of friends to have one last dinner with her.It's because somehow, someway, I'm always in a position where I'm out of sync with everything else around me.
If that confuses you, trust me, it's hard to put it in any other way. It's just that I find myself constantly in terra incognitio and can't seem to stay long in any familiar surroundings. The moment I get comfortable, I get ripped out and planted somewhere else. Its been happening since primary school, and has only gotten more chronic as of late.
Coming back to Xiuxin (who I think has one of the sweetest voices I have ever heard), even though I have known her for some time, I can't help but feel detached from the entire situation. I don't know if I can call it apathy, but I'm thinking it's close.
Well, dear friends, if I can offer any advice, it's to forget about enemies - keep your friends close, keep close friends closer. Sometimes, other people are the only ones who can keep you sane.
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