of noodle-uncle

as i walked towards my residence tonight, i saw the yih-noodle-stall uncle riding his bike, probably back to his home. i smiled and he waved at me. this is the first time i saw him not in his noodle-uncle attribute: the white apron and the strainer. it was almost 9pm.

i was really tired as i have been in the lab for the past 12 hours. i didn't do much physical work in there but i feel tired, sleepy, and all i want to do when i go home is to check my email and sleep. i don't even want to watch heroes or grey's anatomy before that. i don't want to go online on msn or talk to anyone. i want to grumble about my life, or the lack of it. but tonight, i got that "flick in the head"...

this man, worked for at least 10 hours every day; standing beside the heat of the boiling water, selling possibly the best noodles in NUS. he always greets his customer with his sincere smile and he always says thank you. he remembers me and what i always get from his stall. sometimes i will overhear him speaking in his native chinese dialect and it reminds me of my chinese class. i always remember him as the noodle-uncle, but today, as i saw him cycling back home, i saw him as a person, and my mind created an image of his life. and i know, i have a lot to learn from him.

i'm reminded that instead of grumbling, i could give myself a pat on the back and be glad that i have finished my grueling very-long-experiment day. instead of frowning, i could smile to familiar strangers as a smile goes a long way.

and i looked up to the night sky, and to my surprise, i saw the sky studded with stars, about 70-80 of them (yes, i actually counted them); a really pleasant surprise for a singapore sky. and i thought about my physics teacher who told the class some years back one of the most amazing fact that i've learnt in life... that when we're looking at the stars, we're actually looking into the past because it's a heavenly long journey, even light takes years to reach us.

good night, world. see you tomorrow.

Note to self: Latte isn't a coffee drink

I've known this fact for some time but I'm still fooled anyway.

By the way, this drink isn't bad. However, I'm not a fan of milk, even if it's a heavenly Belgian-chocolate flavoured one.

mandatory new-year post

I spent this New Year's Eve watching firework show in Esplanade. It reminded me of exactly 8 years ago, when New Year's Eve was first spent away from home, with new-found friends, on Orchard Road that was packed with people like I've never seen before. I love watching fireworks, it's one of the things that I never grow out of. And it's great to know that many people share this feeling too. The crowd stopped moving and looked up to the sky in wonder once the fireworks started. Each burst seemed to be in sync with the pumping heart, each streak of light mirrored in every eyes that watched. It's a celebration of life, of the present, of people.

Happy New Year, everyone.

***

2007 has been a very good year to me. It has been a great teacher through travel and school, a cozy bonfire around which new friends were made and old friends were reunited, a guardian angel that watched over me and led me to some of the beautiful places in the world.

2007 brought little joys that made me happy; not the exuberant joy from achieving something but a state of mind of being at peace with the world and myself.

And a rough reminder of one's mortality, dear starlight.

***

New Year Resolution:
1. To be a better person
2. Get a job (to be specified soon)
3. Live healthier (exercise more, less junk food)
4. Travel again (maybe to Beijing for Olympics 2008 :p )
5. Read more books and keep up with the news
6. Learn how to cook!