Thursday, December 19, 2019

Life Must Go On

I'm at a place where I used to love coming to - a book shop. Perusing the latest books, the intellectual side of me wants to devour all them all. 

As a girl growing up alone at home, I once dug up a crate full of Enid Blyton books, possessions of my siblings who were then either working or in a flying school. Books were my constant companions; and that was how my love for reading began. I was fascinated on how mere words on papers could transport one to another land, or affect one's emotions (like what Rohinton Mistry's book A Fine Balance did to me). And I wanted to affect other people's emotions too, so that was how I started to write. 

In Sekolah Seri Puteri, we were encouraged to read, and hours spent in the school library and the English library helped to mould the reader-cum-writer in me. I was chosen to work in the school's English bulletin called Grapevine, and soon i started writing short stories. It was a fun time for me to explore my talent. Oh, to to hear someone tell me they enjoy reading my story was the greatest compliment.

My years while studying TESL and  English Literature further enhanced my reading and writing, especially when I was doing my postgrad studies, as I learned to become a critical reader and writer - I had to write papers on analysing writers' works. Just before I graduated from UKM, I received an offer to become a journalist, but because of the then circumstance I was in, I had to reject the offer. With such remorse, i should add. But life goes on. I went on to better myself as a reader, and enrolled in an MA programme in UM. Though daunting at first, the course helped me to come out of my shell and argue in class. It helped me to think and become a critical reader. However, just as the course helped me to become a better Literature scholar and writer, I was also aware of my ignorance and self-criticism. Which is not good, actually.

Fast forward to my life in the city, I discovered, much to my dismal; that I could not read a book anymore. Not if it's for pleasure. As I was preparing to do my PhD (which never materialised, because of this important issue), I realised that I could not finish reading a Booker prize winning fiction. I really don't know why. May be my love for reading just fizzled out? 

And whilst I was undergoing this phase, I was into baking. At the time, my mother would find me in the kitchen with all the utensils and ingredients and asked me what I was baking on that day. Once, she got so tired of eating my oh-so-filling bread that she jokingly took a few RMs from her purse and told me to buy her a Gardenia (okay, my bread was good, it's just that it's soo filling).15 years later, I have so many cake and bread pans in my cabinet, but not the passion for baking. It comes once in a while.

My next endeavour would see me dive into the world of gardening - roses, to be exact. I was a mad rosarian who would buy Austin and Tantau roses as well as collecting Old Garden Roses. All these babies of mine had taggings on them - their names, and my badge of pride. Unfortunately though, the microclimate at my house wasn't helping, as roses cannot thrive in shady areas. Despite my optimism in buying and caring for the plants, I had to end my hobby.

Recently, I was appointed as the Director of the school magazine, a post that I took seriously. I love working with kids in producing the magazine, because it reminds me of the Grapevine days when I was in SSP. Nothing beats the satisfaction I get when I see the students become better writers or photographers or graphic designers, because I know these skills will help them in their future. Until recently though. As much as I wish to stay on as the director, the ultimate decision was not in my hands. And just like the rest of my passions, I have to let this go. 

And now, I'm sitting on the steps in Kinokuniya, surrounded by thousands of books, thinking that every episode in our life is transient. We're changing; or change is forced upon us. But whatever it is, we have to accept the changes, and go through the process of self-transformation ourselves. Because the wheel of life must go on.

Friday, December 06, 2019

Panggilan Pulau

Any P Ramlee movie fan will tell you about this film. But I'm not going to talk about the film today. 

I made a trip to Jeju-do on the 28th November till 2nd December 2019. I was thrilled as I love anything Korean (well, not literally all) and knowing that Koreans love going to Jeju for a vacay excite me more.

Salina and I joined a group tour and thought this was going to be that kind of "sit-back-and-relax" kind of vacay. Boy, was I wrong. 

We reached the island in the afternoon, and after checking in, we went to Woljeongri coast. By the time we reached the place it was dusk. The wind was fierce and cold. 
  
  As we were walking, clutching our coats tightly, Salina mentioned a woman performing on the street. The woman was young, and we started chatting with her. She's a Russian psychologist who now travels around Korea, and earning some money by dancing using some pyro techniques. Must be nice to be able to just quit your job and follow your heart's desires. I envy her. 

All throughout my stay, I sampled Korean s traditional 한식, and because of halal concern, we had a lot of seafood. Alas, I'm allergic to them. So, I did not really enjoy the food except for the halal dakgalbi at Cheonhaechon shabu shabu restaurant in Jeju City. I did try the braised saury and mackerel, dried haddock soup and the acorn jelly, as I often see the Koreans eat them on TV. 

Koreans love to hike. You can say that it's their national favourite pastime, like playing badminton or soccer is for us. As I went to Jeju, I forgot about this, and suddenly I found myself hiking like a Korean (I normally avoid hiking like the plague, and this, my running groupmates know very well) going 산에 타요. It was actually very interesting, really, if only I had prepared myself for it. We went exploring the Manjanggul Lava Cave, and I had a hard time to walk as the ground was uneven because of the hardened lava. It was dark, as well, as conservationists do not want further corrosion or ecological damage to occur due to lighting. 
 We went to Seopjikoji as well, hoping to see haenyo 해녀 performing a dance and then dive into the sea, but the waves were high, and so we had to settle for the sight of them selling their catch.
 Next, we went to a folk cultural village called Seongup Folk Village, and despite not being in the itinerary, I persuaded the tour guide to talk to a hanbok rental tauke, and voila'
I think the highlight of my tour is this, I've been to Korea 3 times, and this was my first time trying out a hanbok. So exciting!

We also walked into a cedar forest, and this was what i envisioned my Jeju tour to be. 

We even went tangerine picking (which was in season) afterwards. Such joy! 

We went to 2 other places - a waterfall and a clif which reminded me of Game of Thrones - all in the rain!


And we went to the teddy bear museum, and as I just finished watching 궁 drama, I was ecstatic to see the teddy bears in their likeness

Jeju-do is a nice place for a visit especially if you are a nature lover and love hiking. It is a beautiful island, with beautiful people who are thrilled when they hear you speak their language albeit a handful phrases.