The last breathe of 2008

I caught up with a secondary school friend last evening. We generally kept in touch via MSN and there were always occasional updates of how each of us is getting along with our lives. While he returns to Singapore every year, this' also the first time i met up with him in the last 6 yrs. There were bouts of the conversation that drifted to how other ex-classmates are getting along, who's who is the mum of 3 kids, who's who married so & so etc.

The month of December never fail to inject a dose of nostalgia. It was thru my conversation with him that struck me that hey, i know this guy for a good 10+ years yet, distance and time didn't seem to drift us apart. I have absolute admiration for his bloke. His application to NUS Chem Engineering failed becoz of a dull GP grade. Yet, he persisted and got into 1 of the top Engineering schools in the UK. Hailing from a less-than-average family, his mum slogged to put him thru undergrad studies & our friend topped the class to be awarded a research scholarship to pursue his PHD studies. At a grand old age of 28, he has already obtained his doctorate.

Sometimes in life, while we constantly wonder how we'll be 5 years, 10 years later, in a blink of an eye, that day is here. U think about how u have spent all these time since they simply slip by u so easily. When i was 18, i thought how will my life be when i am 28. When u head to interviews, u receive questions such as "how do u forsee yourself in 5 years". Sometimes, life is simply beyond what u expected. While i tend to agree that u are the master of your own fate, i also can't deny that there are junctions and twists in life that are beyond our expectations. Looking back, i can't recall how i'd forsee my life when i was tender 18. Now, i also ask myself how i'd be when i am 38. I suppose we'll know when that day comes.

Tommorrow is the last day of 2008. Let's wonder how will 2009 be.