;

at the age of 0,

i kicked and bounced around

with no afterthoughts.

i could do all sorts of things

in my Mother’s womb.

at the age of 3,

i joined my first-ever school.

it was a big place, now sized like a dollhouse.

suddenly, there were so many people in my life.

there and then, i did not fear anything;

i could do anything.

however, like a sunken Titanic;

there are many faded recollections of these days — deep down, unreachable.

at the age of 7,

still pure, innocent.

no doubt, primary school was daunting;

new adventures, new people.

in the niche co-curricular activity of my school,

i had the privilege of donning the dark green jersey as

we toured out of our then “stressful curriculum”

on the 20-seater *comp-bus.

we represented the school at numerous inter-school tournaments,

usually finishing our seasons fourth though.

at the age of 16,

i feel old and matured.

dark eye circles formed around my once brilliant eyes.

i’ve learnt that some friends simply come and go.

as i sit in my navy blue plastic chair,

at my grey “SLIFF” desk,

my mind trails off into the yonder;

maybe it’s been a wonder, we’ve made it pretty far.

although we do not wish to be reminded at this point in time,

it’s our “O” level year.

Stress.

there’s still so much more to explore and experience in the coming years.

just a mere 5 years ago,

laughter was a familiar tune.

we were a little more carefree

than what it seems to be now.

in another 5 years,

we’ll soon turn 21;

the age we’re legally acknowledged as an Adult,

bearing the weight of adulthood responsibilities.

Stressful, as it continues to be.

nevertheless, i hold onto hope that laughter will never leave us behind.

i hope that you do too.

may we find the little things

to be grateful for,

to hold onto,

to give us strength,

when life gets too heavy to carry.

*comp-bus: competition bus