As I sit on my backyard, looking at the white puffy clouds ease by, listening to Mayer, I think it is apt to reflect back on the months and even year that went by.
The trip away was great, sorta the first big break after uni. Seeing familiar faces back home, things that brought back childhood memories, food glorious food that is truly incomparable, you wonder why you left, the comfort of home enveloped.
Then you flew to the first independent adventure (sorta, with mom in tow but hey, that adds to the challenge!) Unfamiliar grounds called for new-found navigation skills. Each day ahead brought new experiences, some good, some bad, some better, some worse but all the more enriching.
My favourite moments are:
1) The moment I walked through an opening into a lookout of the breathtaking Vltava River at Vysehrad;2) The chiming of the bells at the top of the La Sagrada Familia tower;
3) The atmosphere at Park Guell with the lazy afternoon sun beaming against the backdrop of beautiful Barcelona with different music by buskers all around.
Other highlights include:
- Cultural escapade at Granada with the visiting of the Moorish influenced Alhambra in the morning, followed by a traditional tapas lunch and yumcha at an arabic Kasbah tea house, followed by a massage at the Arab baths and finally, a Flamenco performance to end the night;
- Sitting in a very bumpy train ride over cobblestones through Toledo to see the view of the old capital of Spain which retained most of its charms til today;
- Seeing old friends, new friends, all very much missed;
- AND The top would be hanging with the bro and the sis after 2+ years apart :)
But of course, the biggest adventure would be the stolen passport and having something taken from you without your knowledge/permission not once, not twice but freaking THREE times! The incident at Madrid unveiled the very thing that I'm most afraid of, that I'm unable to survive or be independent on my own. Emotionally, I was a wreck but at the same time, it forged a bond with the brother whom I had so often not taken the time to get to know better. Together, we roamed the streets of Madrid, with me often teary and him getting dirty glances from old ladies.
From there, more anticipation and nerve-wrecking anticipation just in case they don't let me into London, the theft on the plane from Bahrain to KL, the major hassling and begging in the Immigration Dept, the worry of not being able to catch my postponed plane back to Melbourne, the guilt of goyang kaki-ing in Msia while my colleagues cleaned after my mess.
On the other hand, it was the first CNY back home in 2 years, hanging with the Poo at her brand spanking new house so overall, I wouldn't say its entirely a horrific experience to lose one's passport. At the very least, it taught me to be a little less dreamy and a little more realistic. And it did make me really want to come back to work. Yes, work! The craving for routine and stability after all the uncertainty. There's a new-found calmness as well, maybe it's maturity but sometimes it fades away amidst the busy, trying-to-juggle-everything gain life! But ultimately, the person that you have to beat is yourself. The one who challenges you to be the best that you could, not your peers, not your family, not anyone else.
And it did put me off travelling for a while but the itch is coming back again. Lol.. If you ask me, am I still up for Africa, I'm not entirely sure anymore, I am still very very keen but the fear of misfortune, the unforeseen, will loom closely but will that be enough to stop me, I seriously doubt so!
From there, more anticipation and nerve-wrecking anticipation just in case they don't let me into London, the theft on the plane from Bahrain to KL, the major hassling and begging in the Immigration Dept, the worry of not being able to catch my postponed plane back to Melbourne, the guilt of goyang kaki-ing in Msia while my colleagues cleaned after my mess.
On the other hand, it was the first CNY back home in 2 years, hanging with the Poo at her brand spanking new house so overall, I wouldn't say its entirely a horrific experience to lose one's passport. At the very least, it taught me to be a little less dreamy and a little more realistic. And it did make me really want to come back to work. Yes, work! The craving for routine and stability after all the uncertainty. There's a new-found calmness as well, maybe it's maturity but sometimes it fades away amidst the busy, trying-to-juggle-everything gain life! But ultimately, the person that you have to beat is yourself. The one who challenges you to be the best that you could, not your peers, not your family, not anyone else.
And it did put me off travelling for a while but the itch is coming back again. Lol.. If you ask me, am I still up for Africa, I'm not entirely sure anymore, I am still very very keen but the fear of misfortune, the unforeseen, will loom closely but will that be enough to stop me, I seriously doubt so!
