Just had an enlightening phone conversation.

I like talking on the phone. Well, with people that I want to talk to, that is. -_-

I vaguely remember how Pam and I could talk for hours about absolutely nothing at all in secondary school, haha. And that was before MSN was the "in" thing. Geez, that makes me feel old now.

There's something about hearing a voice and somehow being able to imagine another person on the other end of the line, which makes a phone call a warmer kind of interaction than MSN. But I digress, once again.

So I realise a few things now.


I think my people reading skills aren't too bad.

Comes from those long years of being a semi-outsider throughout my secondary school life; I've had plenty of practice observing people. As a result of that, I often see some of my secondary and JC school mates around in NUS; sometimes they notice me, and from their facial expressions, I know they can't place me. But I know exactly who they are. ;)


There are always limits.

Sometimes authority means nothing. Sometimes you want to make a difference. And then the world turns the tables on you like it's wont to do when things are going well, and nothing turns out like it planned. Because sometimes no one will listen. Because even among those who have power, there are those who have more. Because everything has a history to consider before it can be understood.


Not all silences are about holding their peace.

Sometimes they're about biding your time, waiting for the right people who will listen. Sometimes they're about waiting for things to swing in your favour. Sometimes they're about waiting for the departure of those who would stifle dissent. Waiting, always waiting, and about patience, knowing that the other side cannnot always be there to pin you down.


Don't push too hard or too much. You might not like it when there's a push back.

Human beings aren't saints. Sometimes when you hurl abuse, that abuse gets stored somewhere. It's waiting for a return address.


I understand now, more than ever, the meaning of sacrificing the minority for the majority.

Sometimes, yes, "it's not always about who is right, but the one who is more sensible to give in and salvage the situation".


It's a strange feeling to be both an insider and outsider at the same time.

It seems to be my lot in life, always neither here nor there, always somewhere in between. I always end up seeing the whole picture. And never being able to really do something about it.


"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." (Lord Acton, 1887)

I wonder if those it corrupts realise it.