Within & WIthout

“In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.” 

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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I recently caught up with a dear friend C, who is currently studying journalism & English literature in the dreamy city of Paris. We talked like how old friends often do: naturally & unabashedly & sometimes absent-mindedly & so it was shocking when she suddenly stopped in her tracks & scolded me for the way I blogged. C, one of the few loyal readers left of this forgotten online space, told me to blog about something concrete, & not to be so vague & nebulous (a word we are fond of throwing around lately) as I 'always' am. It was puzzling to me at first, but it's true. Many writers do feel an obligation to always write about a compelling issue, to publish a review on an art film or an electronic product, or to update his/her readers on a life-changing moment, but the thing is that life isn't always about great, big stories like that. Life isn't just made up of momentous events; it's made up of a million minuscule occurrences too.

So here are a few 'concrete' things that have been happening in mine lately. For starters, the entire office spent an entire Saturday celebrating Alarice's & Calvin's wedding union two weekends ago. What can I say? The chapel was resplendent, the ceremony was lovely & the dinner after was intimate & special. It was a wonderful way to spend an evening, getting drowsy with beer & sleep with friends under fairy lights & flags. I couldn't be happier for Rice, who's been like an older sister to me the past couple of years, at my workplace & elsewhere. The journey is only beginning & I'm so stoked to see how God uses this amazing couple in his kingdom :)

Have been meeting up with the girls (& a couple of dudes) from church often too, for meals or movies or just pure conversation. It started out with a strict sense of urgency, where the ending of sophomore year made me realise how quickly I would be leaving this country for exchange in Sweden & well, I really did want to meet everyone at least once before that. This quickly changed though, with teas turning into dinners & shopping trips turning into 4 hour-long talks at the nearest coffeehouse. I love spending time with these friends & mentors & younger youth. These are the people I've taken for granted for more than 15 years but I am certainly grateful for every one of them.

There are so many more things to write about. Books I've been reading & music I've been listening to. Art exhibitions & time spent with S. The Great Gatsby film. Secret tea sessions & bizarre socials. Work & my hilarious colleagues. I love writing at this time of the night, where the air is still & the world stops, if only for this twilight hour. It's as if God reserved this time, or created midnight at all to let people think & write. But for now the hour is late & that will all have to wait till next time.

P.S. I hope this is concrete enough for you, C. Love.