Train of Friendship ~ Part I

There is a Chinese saying that goes “You rely on parents when you’re at home, but you count on friends while you are away from home”（在家靠父母，出外靠朋友）; I couldn’t have agreed more.

I left home (which is a small town with limited job opportunities) for the big city since I was 19, moving from one city to another, and finally reside in Kuala Lumpur, the heart of Malaysia.

Over the years, countless people walked into my life -- hi and bye friends, friends I go on vacation with, friends I hang out with…and most importantly, bosom friends that witnessed the ups and downs of my life, they are the ones whom I can count my life on; and that’s what I really grateful for.

On the journey of life, everyone is heading towards the same direction, the only difference is whether you are going to live your life to the fullest with rainbows in it, or turned it into dully black and white, only realized you never really live at the end of your journey!

As for me, I treasure my life and I treasure friendship, I try to make friends whenever possible; however, when it comes to closed friends, I'm choosy. To me, when it comes to someone to count on, I owe it to myself to be selective.

        At the moment I feel sad, or some joyful moments to be shared, I always know what number to call, that a pair of ears will be listening; anytime, anywhere...

        "You're damn lucky," some friends told me that, for they don't have such a pair of ears in their life. Indeed, I always consider myself a very lucky person, for I not only have one pair, but few pairs of ears, and helping hands whenever I need them.

        In life, there are certain things you just couldn't simply share it with anyone, even family. Often than not, it's even harder to share it with your family members; when this happens, bosom friends would fill up that empty space, allowing us to release our feelings and perhaps, secrets.

        That's the beauty of friendship, is it not?

AmoRY ~ a beautiful encounter

 

     You hopped on my Train of Friendship during my trip to Koh Samui, Thailand.

     Taking our time off from the hassle of work, embarking on our solo journey of rejuvenation, we crossed path on the foreign land. Perhaps, little did both of us knew that a smile on the bus to Surat Thani Airport will lead us on such an amazing journey!

     We spent some time together while you were in Kuala Lumpur, sharing some good moments and laughter around the city.

     You are young and energetic, and a dancer who can twist some beautiful dance moves anytime, anywhere. "I have it here, all the time," you pointed your finger to your head, telling me that music exists in your mind all the time.

     You walked into my life as a messenger from God, making me realize that I need to take a pause and reflect on myself.  When you dance in front of me, I can almost see a pair of wings sprung from your back, telling me: "Girl, don't hesitate, just do it!"

     Yes, because of you, I now appreciate life more and do what I like, without bother how others think of me. The beginning of this blog was an inspiration by you, I can't tell where it will lead me, but I think what matter the most is I'm doing what I like and I'm happy about it!

     You hopped onto my train as a stranger, but the relationship has soon developed into a feeling of "family"; I feel comfortable being around you, that I can just be myself, sharing stories which I don't normally share with other people. Sometimes, it's kinda intriguing to see how at ease we can share our feelings with strangers, than someone we care and love.

     I truly treasure every moment we spent together, I will always remember our journey which was full of Schoko-Bons, flies, bees, mosquitoes, a new dangerous species called "keluar"; oh ya, and all the foul language that we shared in a joking way! :-)

     Thanks for walking into my life and painted a rainbow in it, I hope you will be on my Train of Friendship until the end of my journey, will you?

Touched by an Angel

24 July 2012 -- definitely marked a special spot in my Calendar of Life. On that day, I crossed path with an angel, which brought great meaning to my life, eventually led to a deep self-reflection in me.

It was mid-July, after living a busy and hectic working life for more than six months of the year, I decided to give myself a break. That saw me landed in Surat Thani Airport on a fine July afternoon, catching my ferry to the magnificent Koh Samui of Thailand, the paradise for the sun and sea lovers! 

With the intention of having a real break to relax and rejuvenate, I wasn’t expecting much from the trip, but to lie on the beach reading a good book or bathe in the sea water enjoying the good moments!

While I lied on the beach admiring the gorgeous sunset, little did I know that the best part of the journey is yet to emerge. All I know was a vacation with -- no work, no deadlines, no calendar, no time, no pressure…nothing but me and the sea!

While I indulged myself with the freedom far away from the hassle of life, the clock ticked by at an equally high speed. One day, I heard a little voice whispering : “Hey, it’s time to pack the bags!” Oh, My 1-week holiday has come to an end, without me noticing it!

That again saw me carrying my haversack, hopping on the bus heading to Surat Thani Airport, catching the afternoon flight back to Kuala Lumpur. Perhaps it was not the peak travel season, when I walked up the double-decker bus, there were still ample of empty seats available. I chose a seat close to the exit and sat down. 

After settling in, I looked around the bus; on the seat to my right, sat a young White guy clad in a red Paul Frank T-shirt and a pair of red Asics walking shoes; he gave me a smile (without showing his teeth) while my eyes contacted with his, I replied with a smile. Then, the bus went on to pick the passengers from the next hotel before heading to the airport. When the bus stopped in front of the hotel, he smiled at me again (this time showing his teeth); so, what did I do? Returned with a smile showing my teeth of course!

There were not many crowds at the airport, hence, it didn’t take long for the check-in process. After gotten my passport stamped at the immigration, I walked into the waiting hall. There, I saw the White guy sitting alone eating a can of potato crisps. I sat in front of him, giving him a smile and breaking the ice by asking: “Where are you from?”

Well, I know that’s kinda lame but seems like that's the common way to start a conversation on a vacation.

And little did I know, that simple line will eventually led to wonderful memories, and directly brought to the beginning of this blogspot of mine…

So, before everything starts, I dedicated the first article to you -- AmoRY; for walking into my life and being an angel in my life journey.

Thanks for everything, it has been my pleasure to have met you!

감사합니다! (^-^)

An Awakening Call

     "I'm from France." The White guy answered me with a smile.

     

     With that simple line, the conversation opened up with exchanging of words and laughter. He offered me some potato crisps and we continued to share more of our travel stories.

     "But I live and work in Seoul," he said. Aha...then he reassured that statement by uttering few Korean words to me.

       Then, it's boarding time and seems like there were still lots to be talked about between us. Unfortunately, we were being assigned with different seats on the plane; so, our conversation stopped there.

       One and a half hours later, the plane landed safely at LCC-T, Kuala Lumpur. He waited for me and together we walked into the terminal. After collecting our luggage, he asked: "What's your plan for the day?"

     "Going home," I said. Then I asked him, "Maybe you would like to have a drink before catching your next flight?" (He will be flying to Langkawi, his next holiday destination)

     "I was about to ask that," he smiled.

     So, we ended up sitting in Starbucks, continued on our conversation. "What do you do?" he asked me.

     "I'm a writer, and I'm now working on my first book," I told him.

     "Aha...that's interesting. Where do you normally get your inspiration from?" he asked.

     "Well, me and my publisher sat down and brainstorm on the subject to be written, then we done our research and interviews to come our with the manuscript," I said.

     "That's marketing. You are a commercial writer," he told me in my face.

     You’re a commercial writer!

     Aaughh… That statement really hit me in my face!

     As much as I want to deny it, but I simply couldn’t; I’m a commercial writer.

     Since young, my passion has always been in writing, I did writings during my free time and contributed it to the magazines and newspaper. Now, eagerly wanted to have the first book of my own, instead of writing from my heart, I slowly turned myself into a commercial writer, without me noticing it!

     “You should write from your heart, there might not be a lot of people will read what you write, but the point is, you write from your heart,” he continued to share his view.

     After giving me a hug, he flew to Langkawi and Penang for his holiday. While taking my shutter bus home, a question kept surging in my mind: “Do I want to continue to be a commercial writer?”

     Arghhh… and the weather seems like not too welcoming…gloomy…