I just got back from a really busy, hectic, holiday. Seriously, I have never been this active during any previous holiday season. I suppose it is a good thing, although, in retrospect, there are many things that I was supposed to do but failed to-namely, applying for University in the States. I did initially intend to use this semester break to apply, but with all the happenings and trips that came about, it was almost impossible to find time to do much else. Anyway, the holidays proved to be something of a mixed bag. I do not really know exactly where to start because there is just so much to talk about, so I will just go with the spur of the moment.


Hmmm.... this just occurred to me. I will list down the activities and events that took place this past month by order of impact on a personal level-as in, which ones had the greatest significance to me. Here goes:

1. R.AGE - I have been pondering the idea of becoming more active in the world or journalism and editorials. The more I think about it, it seems like a good idea. Writing articles does give me the chance to talk about the issues and topics that concern and interest me, and I have to admit that I do not really find a lot that is unappealing about journalism. Well, independent journalism, anyway. A big reason for this has been R.AGE, the editorial that is published specifically for the higher education student body by local newspaper giant, STAR. By good fortune, I have been able to become an active participant in several activities conducted by the R.AGE staff. My new-found interest in photography was sparked off by a workshop that I participated conducted by R.AGE, after all. I have also had several other opportunities to make a mark in the editorial, and I have to say that the experience has been nothing short of thoroughly enjoyable. I would not mind delving even further at all.

2. Hometown blues- I made some very uncomfortable and saddening discoveries these past few weeks about my relationship with the rest of my 'blood' kin. For most people, family is
something they treasure more than anything in the world, and they would sacrifice anything for their blood. When people go for family reunions and such, they usually feel as though they are coming home to a place where they truly belong. I went back to my hometown a couple of weeks back. A huge number of my family on my mother's side had gathered there as well, for a reunion of sorts. I usually enjoy going back to my childhood home. The place has a special meaning to me. It is not only physically beautiful with its lush and majestic geography, but the fact that I spent my childhood there has made the place something of a safe haven for me. However, when I went back for that reunion, I immediately realized that things were no longer the same. I still loved the place that remained. But it no longer felt like home. It was not the place, but the people. That trip revealed to me with start clarity just how different I had become from the rest of my relatives, so much that we seemed to have opposing views on EVERYTHING (Well, to be honest, it was mostly them talking, me nodding and not bothering to argue). The thing is, I just felt SO isolated and alone, an outcast. I am talking about people who brought me up, whom I used to look up to and respect and love. I still love them, but I no longer feel like I am one of them. Instead, just listening to them talk about their irrational prejudices, their misguided values and beliefs, their frightening racism...it just makes me feel so angry and sad. It was during this time that I realized that, my place is no longer with them...that I had to move on to somewhere new, where my own experiences and knowledge is much more at HOME. I guess this is what it means to grow up and forge your own identity....I just wish it did not have to come at the price of having to lose touch with your heritage. I wish it upon nobody, yet I myself am forced to bear this burden.

3. Ok, that was pretty serious, so I shall bring about something a bit more positive. I went on several pretty good holidays trips. The best one was the trip to Genting Highlands. There are several reasons for this, but the two main ones are a) the other holidays were not quite as good and b) the company. Genting Highlands is this little hilltop resort sort of place, with a theme park, hotel and malls. The place was heavily misted, and it was raining and the conditions were as awful as it could possibly get. If you're wondering why I put this as the best of the trips, I will explain later. The second trip was to Malacca, a historical town down South with my family. This was a decent trip, and I got to see the town at night, which was pretty cool. Then I went on a day trip to this crappy little waterpark in this dump of a place called Pedas for a family day. The reason I liked this trip was because my little niece was part of the group. She makes any trip worthwhile. The last of the holidays,was to Cameron Highlands, another hill resort. Even though it had its good points, this last one was a let-down of epic proportions. All these trips gave me the chance to think about something very important. What is the key to a great holiday? Is it the place? Perhaps, I guess, to a certain extent. For one thing, if it indeed was the place that mattered, then Camerons should have been my favorite and Genting the worst. Camerons was a treasure chest of panorama, beauty, nature and beauty. The place had sweeping, awesome valleys filled with tea plantations and beautiful jungle treks-its beauty was simply unmatched. Yet, for some reason, I did not really enjoy my stay there. So, the place is not the most important thing. Then, I started to consider the key differences between the trips I enjoyed and the ones I did not. To my shock, I realised it was not the place at all that mattered. It was the company. It was who I traveled with. My two favorites by a mile had been the trip to two pathetic places- Genting and Pedas Wet World. Why? Because in the case of Pedas, I went there with someone I really care about and enjoy being with, my five-year old niece. It made me so happy watching her play in the waterslides and floating around a pool on a tube with her, chattering away like a noisy cricket. Surprisingly, I see myself in her more than anyone else, and she respond to me better than anyone else. In the case of Genting, well, again, it was the company. The wonder and sweetness of traveling with a best friend to someplace far and different is something everyone would enjoy, regardless of the destination.
The trip was supposed to include three of us, but even though there were only two, it was still quite nice. Now that I think about it, despite the soggy weather and the rip-off, crappy, food, and the long queues at the rides, there was not a moment of it that I would have wanted to forget. It is so different from what happened in Camerons and Malacca. In both these places, where the natural beauty of the place far outshines the first two, I had a not-so-good time. It hurts me to say his, but I have to be honest. I did not enjoy it because I went to these places with my family. It is not that I do not like my family...it is the opposite, actually. The problem is that my family just does not click together as a unit very well.
We do not hate each other, and we are very supportive and loving. It is just that all four of us are just so damn different from each other that we simply cannot spend too much time together without quarrelling. I have no idea how we ended up like this. We are not dysfunctional, just extremely incompatible, which is a hilarious thing to say about a family. I honestly would love to be able to go on trips with my family and have fun, but seeing things as they are, I doubt that it is going to be remotely possible. Maybe, in the future, when I have my own family, I can come back and start fresh, as a different person, with my current family. I don't know...maybe it is just simply the nature in which all things happen. Children moving on, people changing.....Alright, then, I think I have written quite a lot for today. It covers the important stuff I think. Oh, and how could I forget. KING KONG ROCKS and so does PETER JACKSON!!!
Till next time.