036 Preventive Maintenance

In our modern fast-paced, ever-connected world, it takes an increasing amount of discipline to disconnect. Taking a bus ride, walking around the city, almost everyone me was glued to a screen or rushing off somewhere. Walking slowly in the light rain, aimlessly exploring places that have changed since I last walked through them is a rare luxury. So rare is free time, I cannot remember the last time I indulged in this hobby of mine.

Maybe it is the high speed of life in Singapore, maybe I chose to just coast along without thinking, maybe I chose to put too much on my plate at times but now I realized what I missed. I have always needed my personal space and time to rest and recharge. While gaming and books may bring me to a different world and afford me an escape from the mundane everyday, the urban hikes give a chance to find wonder in the everyday, to connect deeply and give meaning to the reality around me. Urban Hike, a term I coined for this hobby of mine. A city boy at heart, I simply cannot be too far from creature comforts such as air-conditioning or a clean rest room but I still like the part of exploring. Maybe to many, there is little to wander in the mundane places around us but I feel with a little observation and curiosity, there are plenty to keep me interested. Take for example today, I observed an interesting event going on. Firemen, going around fire hydrants, testing if they're working. It is probably a boring monthly occurrence but this simple job is essential for keeping the areas safe when a fire occurs.

Preventive maintenance, so essential to ensuring the systems around us run smoothly without issue. Yet the most complex system of all is usually lacking in maintenance i.e. the users. I have neglected my own maintenance for far too long. Haven't had the time to process and consider everything that has happened or are happening to me. It is time for me to stop, think before I continue on this journey we call life.

Royston Tan
Maintenance prescribed, once a quarter

035 Many years later.

It's been a while...... I have written less and less over the years. Taken less time to sit and reflect on the events of my life. Many things have changed in this past 2 years yet I never had the impulse to sit down and pen my thoughts. Perhaps nowadays, there are too many distractions and the internet is so prevalent, we can no longer easily cut off from the grid. It has brought many benefits like how it brought me here, to nice cosy cafe in Taiwan just based on instructions from my phone. However, it has made an addict of me as well. To internet news, to facebook, to 9gag, to reddit. There seems to be endless possibilities and for a person like me, addicted to learning all things random, it is a drug that pulled me from many things in life. I am determined to change that. It will take a deliberate effort and it will take a while but I will get there.


Motivation is at a high for me recently. I've got my running routine down, I'm going to start on my gym routine. I am going to live life as healthy as I can. Why? Why the sudden motivation to make such big changes? Well maybe it is the end of one phase of my life and the beginning of the next. I just broke up with Fiona. I loved her and in a certain way, I still do but I realize now, we cannot be together. Many factors come into play, many personal ones that I will not mention here. During this trip, I have thought about many things but she was always in the back of my mind. I thought about us, the times we spent together, about Cory, the good times and the bad times. I thought about them all. I did not want to forget because everything that happened was still a beautiful memory to me. There are many lessons that I learnt but perhaps the most important one is one of letting go.

Royston Tan
Rebuilding in progress