Dr. Ling Liong Sik had held onto the ministeral post as Transport Minister for approximately 16 years, only to resign and let his sons continue his legacy. Has he given up and moved on? Or his sons are the manifestations of his power in the world of politics?
How am I going to be versatile with friends? I must balance my social life so that it will not replace my individual and personal time and space. How about astrology that I always wanted to delve deeper into? How am I able to study it while there are so many other activities to deal with? How about books that have been kept in the drawer for ages? When are the ideas of the century going to germinate in my mind? When am I going to start picking up one and read until the very last page?
Owing to being over-ambitious, I never get to be the real deal in any field. I am Jack of all trades, master of none. I am a jester of all tricks, king of none.
It took 7 times of sprained ankles, collectively on both legs, to slow me down in basketball. Yet, this year I made my comeback as a substitute. During my sophomore year, I was almost the star player in my team. In my first year in Monash, I was one of the lead players, shooting outside the parameter. Then, in the following year, though wearing the old no. of Kobe Bryant- 8, I was a mere substitute, warming the bench, yelling like a cheerleader (Actually as one because I am one), and pacing up and down, not contributing to the outcome of the game. I popped five eggs everyday and hit the gym very often before this year’s game and the only glory I had, was the last few minutes before the last game, gripping a ball at which the opponent threw me, trying to get it bounced off me so that I would be called out. I got a slap in the face at the time he flung the ball in. For all the rigor and vigor of the week, like I was training for a 12 round boxing match, my time in the court lasted for less than 2 minutes.
Then, in the MABA tournament, I got shoved by an uncle. I made a shot and the opponent gave me a ’steamboat cover’. People gazed at me wherever I roamed because of my mohawk. But during the match, I was a warrior struggling to bring what I had inside. I never gave up and moved on. My comeback was an embarrassing one, like Mike Tyson who got thrashed by an unknown opponent, forced into retirement.
The god of accuracy is history. That was the name I took pride in when I was young, making shots like a walk in the park. But today, I am slow, weak and inaccurate. Are my days over?
Now, ‘giving up’ and ‘moving on’ from basketball, I will only play for fun. My dream to get into the national team was long shattered, when a beans stalk stopped growing too soon. But I am not going easy whenever I get into the ring for I do not back down and back off from a challenge.
Nevertheless, another opportunity cost has been cancelled off my list. I have gained more time and energy to do other things. I am swelled for my ability to excel in anything I want to do but I am not a machine which can handle all hobbies and pursuits with efficiency and effectiveness. I always have to sacrifice something if I want something else.
Rome was not built in a day but to build rome it took everyday. It is a new motto for a new King. I will always do my best, headstrong, penis erected, teeth clenched and muscles flexed.
At last, my only concern is with giving up on and moving on from the notion of ‘giving up’ and ‘moving on’. Once people have achieved something, they would ‘move on’ to a bigger challenge. Task by task, one by one, I will get them accomplished. Getting all tasks completed with excellence at once is not easy. I do not have a grenade to cast to explode a group of people or a C5 to blow up buildings. I am also not Bruce Lee who can fight a gang of ubiquitous people surrounding him- A jab, a back thrust, a block, a side kick in continuous rhythm. I am not a scorpion which can sting and crush a prey with my pincers simultaneosly. I crush a snake, eat it, I crush another, I move on. I am a simple one-by-one-take-it-down machine.
I am ‘giving up’ on and ‘moving on’ from the these three entries. But again, who ever gives up? Who ever moves on? Soon, I will make my comeback to a topic similar to this, maybe in another form. My friend once said that over the years, after reading my blog, I am still me. My style is still mine. Jer Huan is still Jer Huan, however different he may be. People may have moved away from a particular context, mindset, perception or ideology but some old patterns are still traceable in a changed person. Breaking out of one’s destiny? It is fucking tough for every stage of the process- Thoughts, speech, actions, habits, lifestyle and eventually our destiny must be taken into account. In order to change our fate, we must begin with our thoughts.
At the mention of ‘moving on’, moving on does not seem to just cut off like that. The conclusions above seem to still flow nonstop, into a cup which cannot be filled up. Because again, who ever gives up? Who ever moves on? If one is to slice off the past just like that, maybe he or she is just avoiding, which many people actually do. They just let those pain or memories sink in their unconscious.
Given up and moved on at last.