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I Think in life, things happen for a reason. Like how pieces of a puzzle fit into place to give you a picture that is worth a thousand words. But to get there,you'll need persistence, tenacity and above all, hope that at the end of the long arduos Journey, your reward will be justified. Like a puzzle, this year has been one of waiting and perservering.
I started out with the puzzle box, the end product shown to you in all its full glory. You envision it hanging by your room, being proud about it and wanting to show it off to your friends. That was in bmt, where i envisioned myself as an officer by the end of the year, maybe even in overseas training like how my brother did. I carefully unwrapped the box from its wrapping and slowly began piecing it together, one by one, till i formed what i tought was the vague outcome of my aspiration.
Then the heartbreak of my puzzle journey, as it began to shatter unwittingly, crashing to the ground, the pieces flew everywhere and all that i was left with were remnants of what was to be my dreams and hope for the year. I cried, i struggled and i fought. But i held on, slowly, one by one, i picked up the pieces, going to places that i never knew existed to find some remnants of the puzzle and in the mean time, some remnants of a new me as well.
I persevered, i stayed tenacious, i became stubborn. I wanted to complete the puzzle, i had to, i wanted to. I wanted to have my puzzle the way it was, the way its supposed to be, all done up majestically and hung up high on my wall. But it was not to be, for along the way, the puzzle shattered a couple of times and i had to once again.....pick up the pieces.
But with each time it shattered, i grew stronger, i knew where to find them and i found them fast. I picked up more values and skills to further improve myself. After repeated failures, i found myself a stronger person, a better person, but most importantly, a person that turned out different through the hardened experiences of failures. At least through repeated failures, i knew where each piece fitted into, i recognised the shapes and the colours on each piece to know where it is supposed to go to. I emerged more confident, even if it is to shatter again, i know for sure that i'll be able to recover my puzzle fast enough, ready to take on the next challenge.
Finally, after a year of hardwork, i'm finally left with the final piece to my puzzle. The puzzle is now worn out, tattered and faded, but nonetheless, it still turned out fine. Though not the way i thought it would be, it still turned out alright. =) Sure, it may have lost its glistening power, it may not be as colourful as it is supposed to be. But apart from all these aesthetic value add-ons, what makes the puzzle special is that it is painted in my tears, blood and sleepless nights. My struggles to fulfill my dreams have been translated into a tangible result.
As i hang my completed puzzle above the wall, i will always remember my struggles of this year, to prove my worth, my diginity, my integrity and tenacity. This puzzle is more precious than anything else in the world, for it has given me a ticket to self-discovery about who i am, what i am and what i really want in life. I'm grateful for the experiences, the struggles and the pains, for it has made me a better person, a stronger, fitter person, mentally, physically and emotionally.
Without this journey, i will never have known the feeling of failures over and over again, i will never have come into contact, a conceited, bitter and angry Alan. Without which, i will never have been able to know the true me.
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Now that the puzzle is completed, i'm able to enjoy the benefits of my hardwork. 1 guards, best Trainee in GCC, Platoon Sergeant Course, all these will not have been possible if i had gone to OCS. By now i'll most probably just be a normal infantry officer, or maybe even a non-combatant one. Something i totally deplore. So what use does the one bar atop my shoulder have if i cannot do something useful with it? Unlike now, i'm respected, have the ability to change lives and be recognised for my efforts and vision to want to better myself among my peers. The end result may never look the way you want it to, but with perseverence, tenacity and fortitude, you will get there, somehow, someway, someday.
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Happy New Year everyone. =)
Alan gagged and reeled at
1:48 PM
0 people shizzled my nizzle
..:: Semper Paratus, Sine Mora ::..
