Stairwells

I suppose that if I’ve spent enough time in stairwells that they have associations for me, then I’ve probably stepped into the weird zone, although if you consider how much of my life has been spent in camp or in school, it may only be natural. Where else is one as effectively hidden from view? Perhaps the toilet, but one usually doesn’t want to linger there. On the other hand, stairs are natural chairs. Also, if you want even more quiet, just move further up. There are sure to be fewer people. Stairwells are public spaces that people only pass through, and I’ve found them to be useful when I had to be around school or camp but I didn’t have to be at somewhere at a particular moment. Stairwells are echo-ey, though, so they’re not good places for private conversations, and they’re only private if you’re going to be quiet.

[Note 070909: I think this is quite surely a ‘weird zone’ post. Perhaps being packed with so many people in a confined space for so long activated my instincts for fading away and disappearing into myself.]

Remembering My Country

Oh, how I wish I could go wandering around the city area like I’ve been doing so often this year, or that I could be anticipating braving the crowds around the bay area tonight with friends. I don’t remember ever having spent National Day overseas before, but here I am spending my first National Day in National Service confined to one floor of a building with forty other guys in the same cramped room with the windows closed because of the typhoon.

But I have prayer, my notebook, and a little space for musing. I also have canned coffee (acceptable) courtesy of the vending machine, and, very happily, some excellent chocolate. I suppose I’m actually feeling rather fortunate and grateful here on my upper bunk bed, despite being in some danger of hitting my head on the ceiling.

On days like national day, I like to try to remember what I was doing the year before. I don’t have access to my blog now, but a glance through the earlier pages of this notebook seem to suggest that I was preparing for IOC. (Ye-es, I remember that.) Further dredging of my memory stirs up some vague impressions of a rather emo MSN convo, so I think I spent it at home. So much for remembering. [Note 070909: Looks like it was quite a happening month after all.]

Today also happens to be Sunday, and according to my buddy’s watch, I would be in church now if I wasn’t in Taiwan. The temptation to vegetate in the bunk is an easy one to succumb to, but I am compelled to do otherwise, and now I shall attempt to fulfill my intention.