Ever so often am i reminded that it is the most simple and spontaneous things that are the most enjoyable. Like spending time with your mates after a fast paced session of football, doing boy stuff mostly...like smoking which i had no part of, and playing PSP. Awesomely enjoyable in all its simplicity. For the better part of today, i suffered from fuzzy eyes and an irritated nose. After soccer, i felt so much better. Normally i suppose it isn't recommended that one should be prancing around the football pitch while inflicted with flu symptoms...in this case..i totally recommend it as a cure because after tonight, my mind is the sharpest it has been in the last three days. I feel so alive and alert... To live life is to enjoy it in all its vigour. Very uncharacteristically, i have taken a rather big fascination with my 1 year old niece. She's just really entertaining to observe. Especially so when she spits out a fiery phrase of baby babble and flings her arms about in intense ferocity so surprising for one so small whenever somebody is irritating her or when she doesn't want to be carried by somebody other than her "chosen" one at the time. I have fortunately not been at the receiving end of her tigress-like fury because i simply don't want to carry her or irritate her with silly faces and goo goo gaa gaa noises like all the other adults and teens do. The best parts i like about her is the way she responds to music by waving her hands or stamping her feet in a baby attempt at following the beat and the huge fascination she's developed for fish. Needless to say it is the latter which has me the most pleased... It's wonderful that she recognizes the animal and can even mouth the sound "ish" whenever she sees one and start pointing at it. Given that the other words i've heard coming from her include ball and a few other things you would expect from a one year old. This unusual affinity she has for fish is clearly quite special.
The A-league's profile has been rising in recent times. It's wonderful what a strong international showing can do for the standard of a country's league. They have some really interesting old players flocking down under to have one last go at it before they end their careers. Granted this has been the case for MLS as well, but there's just something about the A-league that's gotten my attention. Probably part of it is down to australia being much closer to singapore than america. Players like craig moore, juninho, bobby petta, stan lazaridis, mario jardel...and till last season dwight yorke. These marquee players, signed to improve the club's standards of football and give it that extra glitz and glamour to attract a crowd truly make things a lot more interesting...if they're playing well that is and not spending too much of their time drinking and having sex.
A few more days and i'm off to serve the nation. I must admit to a growing trepidation, for while i had always looked forward to enlistment, i had never envisioned enlisting under the current circumstances. The one bit of good to come out of it is that it's put to bed permanently whatever delusions i might have had of becoming a dangerous killing machine. Childish day dreaming that comes as part of the package when you're a testosterone charged young man.
I made an attempt at baking a cheesecake. It didn't fail miserably. It turned out quite edible actually. To be critical, the cake's center sank...because i'd beaten the mixture for too long. The base made from digestive biscuits is too sweet for my liking. Definitely have to try an alternative there. May have baked it for too long as well or at too high a temperature. The temperature on the recipe stated 160 degrees centigrade, i left it at 170. 10 degrees is quite a big difference.
The past few days have been all about waiting. Just allowing time to play itself out.
There's not much to be done. Not much to be said either.
A few more days and i'm going in. Most probably anyway. The interesting thing about this injury is that it actually opens up options...within certain boundaries at least. This is rather pathetic. It's been 4 bloody months since i got it and the one thing i choose to commence the entry with is an issue regarding the injury. The truth is, it's really been one of the main things on my mind in recent days. Usually it ends in my brooding over something i can't control anymore. Utterly pointless and yet i choose to indulge-if the word indulge could possibly be applicable-in it on such a frequent basis. OK. i don't have a clue what route this entry is going to take. Everything in my head is sort of fragmented. Let's say you throw a huge glass mirror on the floor and the shattered pieces carpet the entire room that is your head. Light shines and you get these glaring reflections bouncing of numerous different shards and in all directions making it difficult for you to focus on anything at all. I think that's the state my mind has been in for a while. A few days ago, i had yet another crap bottle of wine with Jonathan. I'm beginning to think that we will never truly enjoy wine the company of one another. We can't even open a bottle that's decent to drink. Beer on the other hand is an entirely different matter. I've been planning to get a 4-pack of that new local stuff called Archipelago for some time now. Better get it before i go in.
Yesterday was the first time i'd gone cycling in 4 LONG months. I had no idea my fitness had dropped to such a low level. My legs were feeling the burn even before i got to east coast park by the usual route i take. Normally they don't even feel tired till i'm on my way home. It a bit disappointing that when i finally get to cycle again, the only mode of private transportation that i possess...i only have slightly over ten days to do it.
I just learnt that women have better peripheral vision than men...go figure.
