Legacy and Tradition

Attended the Pembroke College Formals at Cambridge yesterday. It was truly an eye-opener, to see how one of the world greatest education institutions practices the legacy and tradition it inherited.

-Table etiquettes are something you should not mess up with. Bread is on your left, and the water/wine is on your right.

-Stand up when someone rings the bell, to show respect to the Fellows who will sit at the High Table.

And, now I understand, what makes Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard great are not purely due to academics prowess. The tales, the legacy and the tradition are the subtle elements which empower them to become world leading institutes.

The rivalry between St.John's College and Trinity College at Cambridge, the rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, and Harvard athletic rivalry with Yale. All these may sound unimportant, but after my second visit to Cambridge, I think all these do play a part in making a university respectable and reputable.

History guides us to know who we are, and stories make us different, unique and special. Because what makes a person great is not where did he get to, is how did he get it.

Silence

Silence creeps into the mind, as I begin to type this post. It has been quite a while since I can really bring peace into my heart.

Your thoughts go wild, yet your emotions stagnate.

Thought of sharing a line with my readers,

"Embrace and respect your shadows, for only then you will understand why silhouette is magnificent. Only when you have accepted your own weakness, you will be able to face the challenges with hope."

Gloomy@London

Looking up into the sky, it reflects the gloominess in your eyes.

Saturday Night Thoughts

It is a lazy Saturday, and the day greeted me with a foggy morning and a chilly nightfall.

I have always been wondering, what if time passes slower?

It has been one and a half month in the UK, halfway through Autumn Term, and it's about to end in 3-4 weeks time.

And, I questioned myself, how have I spent my time here so far?

There was once, someone told me about this.

"You stand below a big tree. Close your eyes. Wait for the leaves to fall. Breath in and smell the fragrance of autumn."

Group projects, essays, homeworks are things that contribute to your future. Therefore, we tend to ignore those that are happening now.

Time is gold, that's what people said, because you cant buy the minutes that you lost. So, if we always live in the future, can we have the present, once again?

早晨

满城都是雾，清晨的空气，也特别模糊不清。

越是模糊，越想揭破。

清新的清晰，也不知道，会不会在这个冬天里冒现。

大道上，慢慢从少人，变成多人；慢慢从多人，变回少人。

其实，我也好奇，这样的早晨，会不会让人遐想？

或许，看不见的东西，更能够驱使你去看见。

说些

有时候，怀疑自己，是否把事情，分析地太过深入。

深入地让自己窒息。

寒冷的天气，让人怀念温暖的初夏。也许，我们都是矛盾的。当你手中握不住，你才觉得珍贵。

踱步间，你想起很多东西。有些是过往的经验，有些是未来的幻想，有些也是现在的问题。

所听得歌曲，也随着季节的转换，而变得不一样。

朋友说，应该是心情的转换吧。

很多时候，我还是比较容易分析别人的事物，而自己的事情，则钻进牛角尖里，逃不出来。

谈起

那天，朋友说，

“有些东西，就是那么的不公平”。

其实，我想说，有心栽花花不发，无心插柳柳成荫。最好的，或许并不是你一直渴求的；也许最好的是最适合，最自然发生的。

塞翁失马，焉知非福。这，并不是个傻乎乎的人，表现得太过乐观；而是，明白到有些东西，的确不是由你来掌控。

就好比，有时候，漂流在缓缓的河畔，等待日出的感动，也总好过，一直去追那不等你的飞机。

时间，是最好的老师。它让你了解到，安静的幸福，就像走路也会开心一样。

星期日

一个无所事事的星期日。

记载了一个星期的压力和课业，这一天，是时候，好好休养一下。

突然想到两个优美词句。

“冬天，是个既悲观，又没什么耐心的画家。因为，他每天都很早为天空，涂下黑色的颜料。”

“冬天，倘若他是个魔术师，他最擅长的就是利用黑布，把太阳变走。”

Sweetness of Doing Nothing

It's a beautiful Saturday morning. A glint of sunlight shines through the curtains and gently opens my eyes to a brand new day.

Nothing beats nothing. After a whole week of hell, what you wish for is probably just a time for rejuvenation.

I watched Eat.Pray.Love with a group of friends yesterday. And, there was this line, which caught my attention.

"Sweetness of Doing Nothing".

Somehow when the pace is too fast, you will only keep moving with the crowd, as you will not have the time to stop for while and think.

Just imagine that you are in a tube station at 6pm. Peak hours, people moving around, you will only get pushed around.

Same goes with my life here.

When I watched the movie, I recalled how I made the decision to go to Prague myself.

From booking flight tickets, arranging flight back to Malaysia, seeing what to be kept in the storage and what to be brought back, to handling delays in flights, sleeping in the airports, roaming around London from 6am to 8am.

Getting out from the comfort zone, that's what everyone says, but not everyone does.

Meeting up with people who are not within your normal reach, is thing that you ought to do once in a while. No great sparks will appear if you keep running on the same path.

I have never planned to go. All the decisions are made spontaneously. I decided to put my trust on my courage and guts.

Do you actually realise that, sometimes, (especially my friends in Imperial), when you have so got used to doing so much courseworks, tutorials and problem sheets, you will feel an awkward air of emptiness lingering around you if you happen to be free?

Stroll in the park. Laugh with friends. Sip a coffee.

You will probably find out that,

Life can be sweet, when you do nothing.

双重

朋友说，

“写作的你，和说话的你，是很不一样的人。”

当然，我也认同。因为，从很久以前，我就知道，我生活在冷静和疯狂的界线。

每个人，都会有自己抒发思绪、感觉的模式。而，似乎注定了，我要用文字来书写。

或许，人家会说，这是虚伪的。

但是，我只能说，我不擅长把里面的东西，放出来。

大二了，可喜的是，更能够放开心胸，对很多东西，都不再那么执著。

定下目标，全力以赴，输赢，已经是其次了。

宛如一个刚被裁退的员工一样，霎时间，失去了方向。原本，很想马上寻找回心中的指南针，可是，想了想，其实，给自己一些时间去思考未来的走向，也未尝不是件好事。

暑假工 （summer internships) 已经静悄悄地爬进了我们的谈话内容。

这，也说明了，年少的日子，会慢慢消失，甚至，连衣袖也不需要挥就走了。

原来，大二，才迈入第二个月。

的确想得太多了。

定时书写部落格，并不是要吸引目光。只不过是在紧凑的日子里，尽量提醒自己，要不时沉淀自己的思绪。

Happie Halo-win!

Pumpkin-carving. First time I did it on the Halloween Day, in London.

It was so amazing and funny. (Especially when one of my housemates put a plastic bag in and created a ":P" face for the pumpkin. )

And, it was also my first time, being drawn as a cat.

Small things like these lighted up your weekend.

Perhaps, sometimes, it's good to get relaxed and lean back.

When one thing ends, maybe it's ok to take some time to rest, so that you will be able to re-position yourself on which path you would like to walk on.

Happy Halloween! =)