Work-in-Progress

[Hunting for a good quote]

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Power of Words

In the thick of data analysis, here's what one of my respondents said when asked about his life in the halfway house:

"We wake at 630, then 7 we do our own bible study. Then breakfast and then have chapel for worship. Then we do our own duties until 430. And at 430, we'll exercise. Then 730, bible study again, then sleep or do our own things."

In trudging along, I don't think our lives are entirely far flung or different. There's rest to the bones, waking to new mornings, and a whole lot (or lack of ) activity in between.

I remember some time last year I championed for a Sociology of So What? So what do we make of all these knowledge? So what do we make of being anti-establishments when we end up cogs in the machine? So what do I make of his life, summarized into 10 pages of transcript of Times New Roman Font12?

I guess the least I could do is to write something that could effect some change.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Who would have thought-

My moment of epiphany today came when I took a deep breadth of wednesday-afternoon-rain air and realised that God has such a funny way of working in our lives.

Who would have thought-

Never would I have imagined that-

So all that happened so that I would learn to.......

This is such a Westlife-Flying-Without-Wings afternoon- the rain, the gloom, the thesis. My impending graduation has left me nostalgic, not over the school/institution but over the passage of time over the last four years. The things that happened, those that almost did, those that never did, the things I avoided, those I ran away from, altogether they make me feel older and somewhat less energetic. In other news, I am actually looking forward to working (never thought I'd feel this way because I have always loved, and still do, what I study), to a lifestyle change.

But first, I need a strong dose of the arts after I'm done with my thesis to make up for the drought in the past three months.

Friday, March 19, 2010

"they will run and not grow weary"

I know I am getting worried when I start copying down every quote and verse that I see onto Post-Its and crowd my calendar with them.I guess there is something in the act of writing it down that makes me believe that whatever is said will come true for me.

"When tough times arrive, you should work as if everything depended on you and pray as if everything depended on God, peace and grace."

I wish I could spew such words of wisdom like A. R. Bernard.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

My Inversed Bio Clock

Writing has taken a hiatus with the impending thesis deadline looming ahead. In the depths of the night, Lady Gaga keeps me up. She is so bizarre. At twenty-three, she performs for millions. At twenty-three, I revolutionise the world with my earth-breaking thesis that three people (supervisor + 2 examiners) are going to read.

Well, we all start somewhere huh...

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Obama is The Man!

Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.
-Barack Obama

Thursday, March 4, 2010

the passing of time

I think it is fascinating how we're always channeling our energy and emotions on different people/subjects/objects with the only constant being the perpetual search for an outlet for this energy release.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Onto another phase in life.

Reading testimonies is always such joy, surprise and occasionally joke. Teachers have a fantastic way of making people sound so terribly good on print (imagine "the Horror, the Horror" in real life). Finally gotten down to taking one of those mug shot passport photos, digging up result slips so that I can spam companies!
"Zhi Qi has the energy, empathy and enthusiasm to touch the people around her."

I love how the world can be so kind.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Best Time of the Day

Be ready in the morning, and then come up.... Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you.

Exodus 34:2-3