In her new column, this Starstruck! 2011 writer journeys into a new land, occasionally wandering into trouble, and scratches her head over life’s beautiful chaos.

Sure, we all know how to do nothing. Laze around staring into space. Wander around on Facebook. Go on 12-hour Glee marathons. Waste time.

Or at least, we think we do. But think again: when was the last time you really allowed yourself to relax, silence your mind and simply be still?

Like the large majority of the teenage population, I have always been a busy person. There was always an assignment to finish, another class to attend, one more meeting to plan…

“I don’t have enough time!” was the line that I constantly wielded, my glittery heroine’s shield, in my frenzy to get to the next item on my agenda.

But here in Singapore, as school has yet to start, the pace remains pretty slow to say the least, with only the occasional medical checkup or orientation programme.

Just last night, a fellow idle comrade spluttered, “I’m so bored of being bored!”

And with a strict curfew, there’s only so much time you can spend going to malls and museums.

Which leaves me with a lot of free time on my hands, so much so that I actually have to sit down every night and think, “Hmm… what do I want to do tomorrow?”

For some strange reason, I have taken to crawling out of bed early in the morning, climbing on top of my shoe rack, sitting there and watching the sun rise over the school compound.

Through this bizarre interesting practice, I find that I can access an inner voice and inner peace that I never knew existed within myself. Contemplate thoughts about life. Friends. And how I miss Malaysian food.

For someone who is far from calm and spiritual, it’s pretty good progress, wouldn’t you say?

The rays of sunlight pierce through the air and light up the pastel clock tower, although the stillness is sometimes punctuated by the sound of bagpipes (yes, bagpipes) from a certain hardworking boarder.

You should try it. Getting up early to watch the sunrise, that is. Not honing your Scottish musical skills at 6am and waking up the entire campus.

What I’m trying to say is, no matter how busy you are, set aside some alone time for yourself every day to be still. Watch the clouds go by. Stare at trees. Meditate. Whatever suits your fancy.

And don’t you dare tell me that you “don’t have enough time”, not even that five minutes.

Because I’ve been there, done that. Being constantly on-the-go from one appointment to the next (and calling watching videos of flying, nya-ing cats relaxation) is no way to live.

Even the best Energizer bunnies have to be recharged from time to time (although my scary peers in this new land seem to run on some futuristic, inexhaustible fuel 24/7).

Doing nothing is not a waste of time, but rather, an art form that everyone should be able to enjoy. Rest is a gift that does not need to be earned; it is actually needed by all of us.

So, as the school year kicks off for real, here’s my challenge to you, a simple one at that: Receive that rest you deserve, and embrace it.

To echo the words of Lao Tzu, at the very least, doing nothing has got to be better than being busy doing nothing.

And maybe then, you’ll find that it’s not so pointless after all.

 

Still wondering how she became a “scholar”, Amanda NYC, 18, finds physics and fashion equally as fabulous. She lives with her head in the clouds, and believes she can see a better tomorrow from up here.