Traveling Solo, Again!

I now have the chance to go for a proper long holiday on my own, again. Unfortunately, due to a small budget, I can only plight around South East Asia. The ideal destination will be somewhere exotic, less-traveled by Malaysians and non-metropolitan. Shopping is not part of the deal. I want to experience nature, culture, village life and good food. The more interactions with locals and fresh air, the better.

I thought of Sulawesi - of Toraja, the land of the living dead in particular. The  nearest airport is in Makassar, where I can spend a few days. I googled and found a few highly recommended tour guides. However, one corresponded with me back and forth, but still didn't share his rates, where else the other tried to cheat me by quoting 5 times the average fee on Lonely Planet. My mother also stressed that I should not expect ,much as it is a poor country.

I continued my research and alas, it rekindled my memory of a trip during my varsity days. This Tagalog song, 'Manila' by Hotdog, kept coming to me. I attended a student conference there. Our host, a local student took us around and let us stay in the attic of his father's 3-storey bungalow in an elite area. So, now it looks like I'll be returning to the Philippines after 16 years! To the outskirts and historical sites, this time:D

Down the Ladder

Just when I thought that I knew what I was doing, fate had another surprise in store for me. Like a dream, this job offer came with less reponsibility and no subordinate, but with a significantly higher pay. However, lesson learned ~ Being Number 2 is no easier than being Number 1. In some ways, it is harder as you have less control and little flexibility to move things around, not to mention, a narrow scope of work. It has come down to a production line, the focus is on churning out outputs - volume and quality. No more strategising, creative thinking and steering.

Such rigidity tires me out and robs me of crucial energy for fiction writing. But, to answer a very popular question, 'why don't you just pack up and leave?' Well, this is not the worst that I've been through. I don't want to just flee, but rather, take my time to explore and plan my next move carefully. What I do know, I am now ready to go back to being Number 1. I am relief to learn that my leadership skills and values are not as un-developed as I thought.

Hot-Wiring Brains

I was reunited with an old friend from school, he is a psychiatrist now. I shared my drafts of short stories with him. A few catching-up sessions followed, all of them were inspiring. He said the association welcomes help to communicate, it is time they reach out to the general public and increase awareness of mental illness. I have always been interested in the topic and how patients and their loved ones cope. The best way for me to volunteer is by assisting with publicity and copywriting.

Suddenly, it occured to me that I could churn out a whole anthology on the theme of mental illness. My friend got excited with the idea and managed to get his colleagues and patients excited too. He said his manic depressive patient can't wait to talk to me. I look forward to attending their activities starting from next week.

Artsy Iftar

Six of us turned up for our Arts class iftar during the last weekend of Ramadan. Our sifu got everybody excited with his idea of setting up an art studio. He envisions it as a place for us to hang around and paint 24 hours a day. We can kick off and leave our half-filled canvases there. The luxury of space and not having to clear up our work after every session sounds heavenly. The fee he has in mind is minimal. Now, he needs to source for the venue and raise money for a 3-month deposit.

He also gave me an interesting suggestion. Why not study arts management? I would love it, it is my thing and in several years, the qualification will be much in demand. I have always wanted to do my Masters, just cannot decide on what. Pursuing it on a thesis basis at a local university seems do-able. After a bit of research, I found out that Uitm offers the course.

Starting Afresh

The month of Syawal and another 9-11 is the ideal time for me to start afresh. My life has changed significantly since I first started swimming in the deep cyber ocean in 2005.

I was climbing up the career ladder too quickly when a superior I respected stopped me and pushed me off the track. That triggered a new beginning where work no longer became the centre of my life. I have written a book, opened my world to strangers, revisited my childhood dreams and traveled abroad on my own eversince. I met a simply too-good-to-be-true guy who turned everything upside down and inside out. The most recent development was taking a new job two levels below at a higher salary. In short, I have grown up a lot.

Welcome to my world...