Take a deep breath.
I like what I see outside of that window.
Feels like solitude. In the wild with nature.
No sound of traffic, clicking of keyboards,
only the sound of wind wafting and birds chirping.
I’m going home in a few days’ time. And it’s been one year.
I always look forward to celebrating Chinese New Year with the family. There’s just so much joy to be catching up with family members, old high-school friends, etc. Can’t wait. 🙂
Would also just like to attach a little story I wrote for Your Grandfather’s Road, a story that tells the tale of my little childhood road trip from Kuching back to Serian, where I used to live.
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I remember how safe I used to feel sitting in my Pa’s green Daihatsu Charmant cruising along with the constant and meditative buzz of its old air-con. My mum tells me that I used to be able to hum non-stop for the whole hour between our home and the most exciting city in Sarawak – Kuching. I’d make up my own tunes, warbling lyrics comprised of meaningless words. While my brother leaned into the corner immersed in the world of his gameboy, I would find pleasure in staring out the window watching the mighty rain-forest whiz by, fingers of heavenly sunlight poking through great fists of white puffy clouds, and occasionally, if I saw someone my age in an overtaking car, I would smile and make funny faces at them.
One day, in between the car seats I found a little hole from which I could see, and even touch (if I just reached down a foot or so), the road. From that momentous point onwards, a new game was born that brought my brother out of his fantasy world and me out of my dreamy stupor. In the beginning, we would crumple up a little piece of paper, push it through the hole, and on the count of three release it onto the road. We’d then pop our heads up excitedly to watch the piece of paper appear on the road behind the car and roll to a stop as our Daihatsu Charmant floated away into the distance. We soon graduated to pushing all sorts of mini objects through the portal of banishment, from stones to straws and once even my metal school badge (which I deeply regretted on the way back when the site of a car with a punctured tire on the way back filled my 9-year old mind with guilty thoughts).
But despite the scenery and activity (and not to mention the anticipation of Aunty Phua’s thick Sarawak laksa) that made the journeys to Kuching so much fun, nothing could compare to the surprises and adventures that awaited us on the night drive home. It was pitch-black most of the journey and our imaginations had a field day. And the occasional street lamps made for thrilling toilet breaks (avoiding both the gaze of on-coming traffic and the bites of creepy-crawly rainforest creatures). And sometimes, just sometimes, mother nature would award us a view of some random animal crossing the street – monitor lizards, rabbits, deer, and my own personal favourite, Mr Tortoise! When we saw Mr Tortoise, my Pa would stop the car, pick the little trotter and let it ride in our trunk with a fair share of road-side kangkung.
What were your childhood road-trips like?
Something that sounds so harmless like this phrase actually means a lot in a Malaysian context. 😉
Let me finally unveil the project that we’ve been working on for the past 5 months – www.yourgrandfathersroad.com
Slowly, I hope to tweet, facebook, and blog about it more often (if I can actually steal some time away from the load of work) – as it is a project I’m proud to be attached to and playing a part in making this groundbreaking crowdsourcing film project by the people, for the people.
It’s about time for a world currency. But will it happen this decade?
I do like fireworks. I do like to party and I do like to have lots of fun. But somehow, that wasn’t what I was really looking for on New Year’s Eve.
All I wanted is to have some quiet time with loved ones, have a good meal, walk around a little, catch a good show, and as the new year seeps in, say a little prayer for another hopeful and adventurous year ahead. That was pretty much what I wanted – and I got to do most of it… except finding “the” spot to view the oh-so-glorious fireworks, as was wished by my hubby Roshan.
Rosh and I drove down to KL and it was smooth all the way with no traffic surprisingly if not an unprecedented experience. I remember five years ago when we started dating, going to catch the fireworks in the heart of the city was the most happening thing to do, and we always got to do it. It was until the last two years that we spent it differently, in Czech Republic in a small village overlooking a castle with couple of fireworks – and that was definitely a wonderful experience too, as our first wintery new year overseas.
celebrating the new year and his birthday last year
For the first time in Malaysia, I saw cars parking illegally on the side of the flyovers with their emergency lights on. Why did they do that? Because these flyovers have some of the best spots to view fireworks along the city skyline! It was a very tempting place to park initially, but we didn’t. After awhile, we gave up and just drove back closer to home and as the clock struck 12, we saw from far some fireworks lighting up.
Although it seemed like an uneventful evening, I enjoyed the cruising on the roads of Kuala Lumpur, the Japanese dinner with close friends in a tiny undistinguished restaurant, saw Sherlock Holmes which was entertaining… overall, despite not having any big parties and or any bing bang boom welcoming the new year, I find a little calmness in the serenity of life amidst the frenzy of work and routine of life.
I pray for peace in 2010. (happy birthday dear! 🙂 )
We drove down to Singapore for a dear friend’s funeral.
Aunty Anula has been a vibrant and dynamic servant of the Cause who has fought very hard when she became unwell. The news of her sudden passing shocked us… but we all know that she is now at a better place in the Abha kingdom.
Having served in many different countries from Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, I first met her in Sarawak itself, Kampong Triboh to be precise. It was one of the musical workshops that Aunty and Uncle Murray facilitated and it was also my first trip leaving my hometown Sibu to attend a youth camp. Her joyful spirit and energy were so contagious and I believe it was then I picked up those energy that carried me forward. I remember both of them singing a duet song ‘Three wives of Abraham’ and harmonised so beautifully.
The funeral at her lovely home was dignified, with a soft tone of lightness. No heavy tears, nothing overwhelming. Fresh white flowers covered the hall with sweet scents as she lied peacefully in the coffin. At the burial ground, we started sharp at 2pm with the prayer for the dead. The clouds suddenly moved in to give shade as we all took down our umbrellas, just in time to pay our last respect under the tree. When the coffin was finally laid down, we each walked up to toss in flowers to accompany her leaving. When finally the ground was covered again, the sun came back almost instantly, as though telling us to cheer up and move on.
It was a beautiful Christmas day.
Every end of the year, I look back and see what are some of the things I’ve done and if I’ve made any progress in life.
2009 hasn’t been the most productive year in terms of work (especially the first half), but it’s definitely one year that I’ve truly enjoyed with ease and comfort. Although ‘wealth and prosperity’ weren’t quite knocking at my door as what I expected it to be, but countless blessings have befallen me that does make me realize that, oh well, one can really live very minimally if one wants to. 🙂
So I achieved some of my resolutions, with some additional surprises.
1) Travel to new countries – as usual, Rosh and I want to expand our number of countries visited. Although we stepped foot to at least 8 countries this year, none of them is a new conquer. 🙂 Hopefully next year! But our trip to Lapland and the North of the Arctic Circle is just absolutely mind-blowing and I can say it was one of the best travels in my life.
Spending my birthday in Wales
Lapland and Summer. Kids and games. Boat and fishes.
2) Complete a documentary and a drama short film – well, I edited two one-hour long documentaries this year, both are very meaningful to me. The Moving Pictures also came out with Denial and our almost-10,000 hits-made-for-fun mamak video. 🙂 We have one more documentary in the bag that’s yet to be completed. Soon, I hope!
3) Study. I did an online course – It was almost excruciating but it was definitely worthwhile and rewarding. Constructing a Conceptual Framework for Social Action gives me a deeper look at our social reality and helps me reflect further what my course of actions are.
4) The Moving Pictures & Sunny Stories. TMP was a little collaborative that we embarked on and will still continue to keep it alive for future projects. Right now, it’s Sunny Stories – our new brainchild, giving birth to yourgrandfathersroad.com/ This project is pretty much going to define what our 2010 will look like.
the London experience made lovely by good friends
Few months ago, I interned with the coolest bunch at DFG.
August. Malaysia.
5) I started Tuesday Muse, and it hasn’t been very regular. But surely hope to liven it up again in 2010.
6) The Happening Futsal Group happens every Wed evening and I’m proud to say that we’ve been playing quite consistently every week since we came back. With the addition of Ping Pong recently, we hope to resume more basketball games too.
It’s been a fun year I suppose, lots of reflections, lots of changing of mindsets. The best part, I never stop meeting cool and lovely friends and people that continue to inspire me.
Catch us flying! 