ten years ago
When I was fifteen, I fell in love with a girl who already had a boyfriend. She was on the verge of breaking up with him, and for a while she left him for me. Then he cried and begged her to take him back. I felt what it was like to be on his side when she left me. I learnt a lesson that day, don’t fall for a girl who’d leave her boyfriend for you.
I used to listen to Third Eye Blind, Matchbox Twenty and Collective Soul. 90s alternative rock is a great way to wean off boy bands and pop music. Eventually, I got annoyed by top 40 radio, and the music charts, which sounded more and more inane to me. It annoyed me that most people wouldn’t explore music beyond what’s on the charts. It annoyed me when people say “if everybody likes it, it must be good”. From that , I learn that what is popular, isn’t necessarily the best.
I was in form 3, which was the so called important year of the PMR (mid secondary exams). I put some effort into it, and I had straight As. I learnt that if I put my mind to something, I could do well. (I don’t know why I didn’t try as hard the next few years, cause good results would actually get me a scholarship and save my parents some money) I hate to admit it, but I now know my parents are right most of the time.
I was a librarian in school. I was in charge of playing the national anthem tape in the office, while everyone had to gather in formation in the school yard. That meant that I always skipped the checks they performed on each student for contraband (such as liquid papers, cigarettes or whatever). Which meant that I could smuggle things for my friends and also grow long hair and long fingernails.
Later that year, I met another girl in church camp. She was pretty, cute, charming and best of all, she’s so into me. Unfortunately, my best friend at the time was into her. It must have been horrible for him to see her treat me that way. It was pretty akward for me too, so I tried to talk to him about it. He said he didn’t care, but never really talked to me after that. Me and that girl never really worked out anyway, and I lost a best friend. Regretablly, I didn’t learn the lesson that day, and did the same thing 2 years later.
Yes, I was still going to church at the time. I tried very hard to believe, and prayed every night. Eventually, I realised that I was staying on in church because of my friends. Oh, and I got to play electric guitar with the band (that really got the girls). So after a few years I stopped going altogether, when the answers I seek couldn’t be found from the good book anymore.
Ten years ago, I would have been dissapointed in the person I am today. Responsible, risk-adverse, agnostic and I don’t fall so easily anymore. I look back at the boy I used to be, and I’d just smile and say:
“Boy, you have many more lessons to learn”
Yay! Me First! *cough* Nice post again, makes me ponder for awhile.. ah.
Hehe, you’re first cause you were chatting with me when I was blogging this
the JP ten years from now will say exactly the same thing to the present JP.
great post, but i was really pining for a comic! haha
is that julian??? JULIAN??? JULIAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!
You’ll get your comic soon enough ! hahah.
Besides, Julian won’t call me JP, or call himself Jules ….
soon enough is too vague!
& unfortunately (or fortunately..depending) i am not julian. =)
boy have we come a long way! but if we didn’t, then we wouldn’t have grown, and that’d be sad. is it sad that i still listen to third eye blind though? but… they’re classic! haha
oh yeah , I met you about 10 years ago too!
Isn’t Third Eye Blind what you call a person who pisses all over the bathroom floor?
“90s alternative rock is a great way to wean off boy bands and pop music.”
…Uh…why would you even want to wean yourself off boy bands?! What’s your problem?!
hahah , I used to like it. Then they got awfully cheesy for me .. lol.
I have a question, when you say to yourself, “Boy, you have many more lessons to learn”. What is at the back of your head when you are saying it in your mind?
How do you see yourself from now and the past? Meaning, is there any relationship between your past and your now?
Where do you see yourself in the future? Or what to you hope to do / achieve / become, or something to happen, etc?
Think if your past and identify at least 2-3 key events which you remember that has a big impact on you i.e. freaked you out, touched you, impacted you in some way, change your view about something, etc…
There seems to be 2 events happening re-occuring – your lost your best friend because of a girl-incident. What do you think was happening inside the mind of your best friend before you realise he has ignored you? What about yourself? If you look at it now, would you have notice anything different from how you perceived the event the last time? (Its just my thoughts – to understand and appreciate your thoughts, cuz its possible people can have 2 different lessons from the same event at a different time).
haha good post man. After you left, i took over to play the national anthem tape and I got to keep my long hair too. Not till they decided to check the librarians as well. Luckily, I knew a few of the prefects back then and they were sweet enough to let me go with my long hair.
Which also reminded me why i went to church last time also, because my friends were there. I got to play the drums though!
you player in school, right or not ‘cousin’?
what player ? you mean Joshua ?
Hei hei… this post is off topic, but heck… jst want to celebrate…
I got my 485 visa approved today!! Woo Hoo!!!
^^
Congratulations ! gosh , you could’ve emailed me or something …
Great Post Mr Phoon…It makes me wonder sumtime…