Australia Panic

A Walk To Remember....

The morning sun and its ray are making me feel sleepy. It is the third morning of the school camp and this will be the last day of the 4 days camp that I signed up for. It had been tiring for me as for the past few night, I had been sleeping on the wooden floor from the school hall. This is the first time I stayed overnight away from home and I am missing my bed dearly. Well, I am wondering where the teachers are bringing us too for our morning exercise. The place around us is so greenly and thick. We cannot blame the teachers for that because our school after all is located at the foot of the nature reserve.



Well well well, it had been one year since I visited this holy place. Should I called it holy? I had been thinking about this place as one that i have to visit once a year. But is alright, since it is so inaccessible, I might as well call it and make it unique. After I took some pictures from the signboard with my new N70, I decided to climb up and slope.



The teachers are enjoying themselves; they decided to play a game even after we moaned. We are now staring at an endless stretch of road which is slightly inclined above sea level. When I tilt my head to see the top of the hill, as if I was watching a movie while seating at the front row, I could see a communication tower stretching towards the sky. For a moment, I am wondering whether the teachers are bringing us to the tower for sightseeing. I am sure that they are enjoying themselves because they suggested for the whole cohort of students to run up the hill. As no one dares to defy the teachers whom we worshipped as gods for the past five years, we grumbled and waited for the signal.



This place really didn’t change since the first time I visited here. Well, I can see they don’t call this a nature reserve for fun. As I walked up the slope, I realized how short this road is compared to the first time I had climbed up the hill. A nostalgic gust of wind blow passed my face which tells me how long it had been since then. When I looked to my right, I could felt my heart slightly contract that tells me I may never run up this hill with her again. The only person I can see is the bangla sweeping the leaves away from the road. But the thing that took my interest away is the monkeys that are lying beside the road. I am very certain they are damn hungry and bored. I immediately hide my phone and mp3 player before I lose them to these thieves which I can’t even make a police report to.



The sight of about a hundred kids running up the hill must be quite a view. I had been panting hard even before I am halfway up the hill. I should not have act garang and sprint up the hill from the start. As I continued to run up the slope at walking pace, I turned and saw her running as hard as I do, just beside me. I am surprised, yet unable to describe what the feeling is, I ignore her and sprint my way top. How, can I lose to her!



At the top of the hill, there are more people hanging around the car park. I just realized these people drove up instead of taking a stroll up the hill. Damn, if only I have my license, I do not need to spend ½ an hour to reach here. There is really nothing much here, a flight of stairs will bring me to the WWII memorial and another path will lead me to the other side of the hill where the communication center is. There is a third path though, I have to admit it is rather hard to find. Last year, I actually spend 30 minutes trying to find it. I only found that path, which is behind the carpark, after went through the flight the stairs and going round to the communication center.



OMG, I am going to die after this. I am now looking at the stairs right in front of me. There I am standing, holding on to my knees, trying to catch my breadth. As I slowly raise my head, without my knowledge, I am looking at her.. there she is, bending her body too, trying to catch the same amount of oxygen that I am trying to breadth. I immediately keep my body straight, stretch up my hands and take a deep breadth. After the third one, I find myself pretty good, not as breathless as just now. Haha, this really does works. I shall give it a name so next time I will remembers it. What should I call it. Ok, I made up my mind, “The Lili Way”



As I walk down the path which is moving down the hill, memories flood through my mind. It had been so many years and yet this place hasn’t change abit. A couple walked past me as I continue to listen the music from my mp3. A chill went through my bones when I thought I am alone walking these stairs. I finally reach the first lookout point, and soon the second one. There are some tourists standing at the second lookout point looking down at the quarry. I walk pass them and continue to make my way down.



The teachers quickly gather us up and bring us towards a path. I am pretty relieved because the flight of stairs is behind us. As we walk into the jungle, I wondered where the teachers are bringing us again since we already comb Bukit Timah Hill just yesterday evening. I am glad that it is downward sloping and no more going up the slope. Very soon, we reach a stand overlooking a quarry. Oh my, is so beautiful, the teachers quickly organize us and we continue down the trail to the bottom of the hill...



A ray of light blinded my eyes at the end of the trail. At the end of the trail, I find myself at a T-junction. Just in front of it, a bench and direction sign stand. Before I turn to the right, I took a picture of the bench where I find it pretty artistic. Is this bench for people to rest as they ponder which direction to walk towards to? As I walk towards the quarry, I was wondering will I find her here..



The quarry is just in front of us, I am pretty excited because it has been some time since I see some thing so beautiful. I guess the remoteness of this place makes this place more special. Hidden behind the hill, only accessible through a trail, and behind a bunch of tall trees, it is pretty hard to find. After a tiring walk up, it is nice to see something refreshing, majestic too.. it makes this place so unique. As I stand near the pond admiring the view of the quarry, I take a peek beside me, she is looking at the quarry as well, with an expression that i will remembered forever... With mixed feelings that I am unable to express, I continue to gaze at the quarry….



Deep with thoughts, I was trying to hope she is here every time I step into this place. Surprisingly, I find quite a number of people here. There is even one guy who is swinging his fishing rod into the pond. I am wondering is he fishing at a quarry or practicing his swings with the rod. How long it had been since I saw her, at this place where she is standing. It had been ten years.. How fast time had past, I wonder how she is doing now. There is a saying that there are only a few chances in a lifetime. Once it passes, there is no going back. It is just like the clouds in the sky, it is up to us to grab hold of it before it flew past. Once it is gone, you will never see the same shape of cloud again.



I just want to delicate this entry to my friend, Lili. We were once friends, and I started to ignore her when her grades got higher than me. When I think back, I am wondering what the hell I was thinking back then. Did I get jealous or actually being ashamed because she had better grades? Well, I am only 8 years old then. It is only after I graduate from primary before I realized that I have feelings for her. But still, it is the most and only regretful thing that I had ever done. I know I will never see her again.



The words in italic are the moments that i have 11 years back, when i am still having my primary 5 camp. While the words the i wrote in normal font is the moment i collect last year's fall. Most probably i am going back there this holiday too...

I pray that she is smiling now.

posted by Gabriel Chan @ 3:38 PM