525,600 minutes

The year finally coming to an end in 24 hours, I decided to rework my very first blog entry which was on the remembrances of past years. Two months ago when I started it, I had taken the wrong bus and was walking the kilometre back home in the humid Singapore night when it suddenly hit me: I am 25 - and the clock is ticking away.

At that time, in a panicky attempt to account to myself how my years have passed, I decided to signpost my recent years as follows:

2005 - (Let's get past this first)
2004 - Year of ALOT of travel
2003 - Year of finally learning the cello
2002 - Year of Yale and tango
2001 - Year of Japan
2000 - Year of the Freshman 10

A few weeks later, I watched Rent and one of the songs really caught my fancy - lo and behold, I was actually able to hear most of the lyrics in spite of my notorious deafness (!):

525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?

It is funny, but I have never thought it in that way. But now that the song has mentioned it, I do know of someone whose life would, on one count at least, be measured in cups of coffee. And for me, miles would be a very apt measure for 2004 indeed. (Although I must admit that I am still trying to figure out whose / how / why life would be measured in inches... Hmm.)

I found out later that the song is named a rather run-of-the-mill »"Seasons of Love". What a shame; I had liked the song for its introduction, i.e. non-love part actually.

So, that leaves me with the miles / minutes / coffee / laughter / tears of 2005.

Well, honestly, many of those 525,600 minutes in 2005 have been chaotic. But since the year has been winding down nicely for me these few months (other than recent crazy dreams of flying crabs and python and ape!), I feel like I should give it more credit than term it the Year of Chaos. (Yah, it was chaotic, but not to the extent I am counting down every minute for the year to be over.) Perhaps it is just because 2005 is still too upclose and personal; more distance and hindsight should help give it a better signpost soon. I will fill in the blank here when it comes to me.

Onwards to 2006 instead. It looks good for now - more travel and Gigi's wedding in Hong Kong - so I am looking forward to it. January trips to Pakistan and Laos are already scheduled, so look out for more entries to this traveblogue. Incidentally, I went to donate my blood platelets today and the poor nurse had to look up ALL the countries I have been to in the past 4 years. (It was compulsory to declare and I had already tried to shorten by summarizing them as "US, Europe, ASEAN, Central America".) I cleared the hurdle today - almost didn't because of Cambodia - but will have to check for Laos and Pakistan for malaria clearance the next time I donate. Humbug.