The whole part of me volunteering and doing duty proper did not last more than a month, but I felt that it had been a very fruitful learning experience. Despite all the things which I have gone through in university, there is still a slight difference when you see it happening in the real world which is indeed interesting and enriching. And it all started because I decided for once not to be my usual self, to step out of my comfort zone & do things that I will usually shun in the past. This is going to be a freaking long post, if you are not interested in YOG then I suggest you stop reading from here on. :p

It all started with friends talking about how they have volunteered for the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games and the interviews they have plus the roles they are doing. It never occured to me at that point of time to be apart of such a huge scale national event actively. And then the NUS email came asking for more volunteers which was the spark that ignited my flame for YOG. It was super random. I signed up on my own not asking around if any of my friends are interested, all set to go forth and just make new friends if need be.

It was not as easy as I thought, having to go through all the briefing and training sessions and sacrificing some of my other priorities. There were some parts of me initially that thought it might have been better if I had went off to teach and start earning, or if I had more personal time to meetup and hang around with more friends during this very precious long holidays. Seeing and hearing friends giving up their YOG volunteer stint even before it started swayed me a little. And having other commitments and responsibilities constantly weighing on my mind certainly didn't help things much. But I am so very thankful I stood to my ground to be apart of this meaningful event, if not I may have regret for life already.

And so I decided to just stop being distracted by all the noise and just concentrate on making my YOG journey the best that it can get. Because I want to be able to share it with many others (my own children, nieces & nephews, students) who were not as lucky as me to experience it for themselves. I volunteered my services, time & energy for around one month, being a torchbearer host, city celebrations host, torchbearer, random logistics helper here & there, even merly the mascot. I witnessed alot, felt alot, thought alot, enjoyed alot, made alot of friends. Like what Soon Leong say, this is the most memorable holiday ever. Indeed, it sure is.

I am blessed to be able to undergo this once in a lifetime experience. As per life, there are ups & downs, good & bad, nice & ugly sides. There maybe times when I wish I can just turn a blind eye to the things that I hope never to see in life or in people. But as one grows up, we can no longer be so idealistic and childish, and I am glad to still be learning. And after this whole journey, I will be more daring to venture out into the unknown if need be to reach for what I believe in. :)

A simple flame passed hand to hand
Not by the fastest or the strongest,
But by people whose greatest gift is what they give of themselves
Because, it’s not just what you do for the record books,
It's what you do for others.

My JYOF journey deserves a longer & more detailed post but shall use the vision in the meantime as it is very meaningful and sums it all up very nicely. :)))

Finally managed to catch some proper sleep yesterday and in a few moments' time need to head back to YOV and start preparations for the remaining 4 days soon! Many thoughts, emotions & feelings evoked but that will have to wait until after JYOF. If you happen to be in the area, come down and cheer the flame on, you wont regret this most probably once in a lifetime experience! :)