The right write

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - For a great length of time, I had been thinking about why I actually write. For many, it would probably not serve any meaningful purpose other than for the sheer pleasure of the writer to let thoughts flow into a written (or increasingly in today's world, typed) form, without care or worry who, if any, reads them. Personally, I had never enjoyed writing as a kid, it was an absolute bore to write narrative essays and the like, and without fail, I would pick an argumentative topic if given a choice, believing (misguidedly maybe?) that was where I could excel. As the years pass, and experiences accumulate, that perception has morphed into something a little more unreal. Retrograde aging maybe? But it seems that the powers of imagination have grown that much stronger as opposed to it supposedly being at an almost hyper surreal level during childhood. Hopefully with more regular writing, and a little help from various sources, and more importantly inspiration from the one whom I have come to call my muse, I can start churning out entries and articles that are a little more substantial than mindless musing and more entertaining for the readers here.

That time of the year again

Adisucipto Airport, Yogyakarta - As we go into D-minus countdown to this year's Idul Fitri holidays, once again the transportation networks and hubs of Indonesia, much like the arteries, veins and heart of an extremely unhealthy man bordering on a fatal cardiac seizure, are once again put to severe test as the masses begin to make that, for some, once a year journey back home. For this Singaporean who is fast starting to look and speak (if not already, ha!) like a local, I made myself no exception and joined in the madness to return home for the holidays.

How time flies, it has been almost 3 months since I last saw home, and yet it only just seem like yesterday I was packing to embark on my KKN trip, but yet seem to feel like forever. The whole relativity of time never ceases to amaze me as I reflect on the happenings of (gasp!) the past year. Hey, it IS the coming of the new year right, according to the Islamic calender... But anyway yes, so I was just looking back at the events that had happened since September last year, and I can happily conclude that it has indeed been an excellent year, filled with happiness, new experiences, and perhaps, just perhaps, an entirely new outlook on life.

All good things must come to an end?

Rowo, Petungkriyono - This would probably be the final post (for now) from deep within the mountains as the pull-out date is a little under 48 hours. As I reflect upon the activities and all the programs carried out over the last 7 weeks and type up the summary report, I am acutely reminded of something a senior officer always used to say during course closing ceremonies "Well, I'm sure you all had a good time, but as all good things must come to an end, so must this...". Indeed it has been a good time, and also an extremely enlightening journey of self-discovery in my time here. And as the time to leave draws nearer, there is a certain amount of sadness. Would I be back again? In the past week I had been seriously contemplating on the possibilities of carrying our research work here in future. Perhaps... Perhaps... Perhaps.