The Lamentation of a Wannabe Traveller

It is actually a very serious consideration to stop travelling. Planning for a trip is too exhausting a process and not to see it happening is just unaccountable in its waste and frustration. Two problems I have identified; the lack of independence to travel alone and the shallow pool of potential travel buddies.

My parents are generally happy to let me go anywhere in the four corners of the world but not without its precondition: That I must have a known travel buddy. Figuring out a new place on my own is deemed too dangerous to even be considered. This extends to joining an organised tour that comprises of strangers. I have their blessing but another recipient of this must also be recognised and to be an eligible candidate, he or she must be known by my parents.

Which leads me to the second problem. I have to admit that I don’t have a vast circle of friends. Worse, I can’t really call that many people as compatible travelling companions. But the biggest hindrance is my choice of dream vacations/destinations. They are either too prohibitive in terms of cost or too exotic that the safety quickly becomes suspect. Invariably, they are both. I’ve always wanted to go further afield, not limiting myself to the beaten tracks to too familiar places but nobody seems to see it that way. Unless I’m willing to go to Amsterdam or Barcelona or the ubiquitous favourite furthest-destination-for-UK-students, Turkey, I’ll never be able to find a travel buddy. I don’t mean they’re lousy choices but at the risk of sounding boastful, I’ve been to some of the places or they don’t really appeal to me that much (this actually works in the opposite way too. That, I must realise). Of course, I’ve attempted to use the formula by choosing the so-called safe destinations in my future itineraries but I think I’m too contemptible to travel with that the interest is yet to be seen.

This is an unwinnable battle for me as long as the conflicts remain unresolved. So, I should just stay at home, read a novel, or simply sleep until I lose track of the time. It’s not too bad an option, perhaps the wisest one as no expenses are incurred, no jetlag to be nursed away, no broken heart to be mended. The only exotic place I wish to visit now is the high street for some mindless shopping.

Plot bunnies, go away...?

So, I've been enticed by two plot bunnies. I know I should get my priorities right but the want to write is overpowering. Oh wait, I haven't even started writing anything! Anyhoo, I need help to decide on which one I should write. I have two skeletons of stories to consider.

1. Andrew's travelog

Andrew Smith, now 20-year old, is embarking on a trip of a lifetime. Fresh from graduating from MIT (summa cum laude), he's very excited to make his way around the world sans the comfort of first class flights, fine dining, and Hilton double duvets. He'll go to the most far flung locations, off the pesky tourists' track, and he'll do what locals do either to earn money or just for the heck of it. Will he get mugged on the streets of Colombia, or will he be eating exotic cuisines in China? Will he find voluptuous foreign girls or will he run into his mother in more than one occasions? And will he discover his true self at the end of his journey?

I'm thinking of writing this from the first person point of view. Like a proper travelog. There'll be side stories on the characters from the past like how Ryan is coping with the medical school or why Timmy takes the decision to drop out and does what he does now, which is a tad too unsavory...

2. The second one is a completely different story altogether. I get this idea from the recent/current volcano ash skirmish that saw/sees thousands of flights grounded and more people stranded.

Bill is a 42-year old man who is attending a business meeting in Shanghai. Towing him is his wise cracking, insanely gorgeous 16-year old daughter, Nicole. As he makes his way to Shanghai-Pudong Airport to hop on his scheduled flight to London, he finds out all flights into Europe have been cancelled. Normally, he won't mind the trip extension but he has an extremely important conference with his lawyer and his soon-to-be-ex wife's lawyer. The woman in question is Sandra, a fierce, aristocratic woman who eats men for breakfast. If he doesn't make it to the meeting, he's risking losing half of his possessions and also the custody of his children. But his biggest concern is not Sandra; he has a date fixed with his latest girlfriend, Maria who looks very much like Penelope Cruz. If he misses the date, the repercussion is dire.

He re-books his ticket and both of them are now flying back to London via Chicago and New York. This way, he has the chance to visit his estranged son who is now studying in New York City. He'll figure out a way to get back to the Queen's Realm once he gets there.

Little did he know that the journey he and his daughter (who also has her plans-to meet her secret lover in Chicago) is going to be more than what he has bargained for...

So, which one? Should I write both? Knowing my writing speed, it's highly unlikely.

?

Whatever happened to this space?

I'm sorry for neglecting you but I've never been this apathetic before. There was one time when sharing the most mundane of happenings seemed rather cool. Now, even the biggest events are not worthy of reporting.

I've been kinda busy of late. But not that busy that I can still spend at least hours on Airline Manager everyday. Which is dumb. Really. Dumb. And now I'm foraging through the jungle of information for tomorrow's PBL. Maybe I should be the scribe so I'll appear occupied with the task of jotting down points pitched by other members in the group rather than looking like a Law student who had stumbled into an operation theatre.

It's killing me, this pathetic feeling of apathy. I honestly don't know what's happening to me nowadays.

Maybe I should be a scribe...

Anger preceeds hate right?

Just so you know, you've caused more hurt when things were sweet between you and him...

I desperately need a Hoover before Monday!

So I spent close to one hour wandering around the Waverley Station. Exams? What exams?

The Letter Y

Why do we do things we do?

Why wake up before 9 knowing that you'll fall asleep in lectures anyway?

Why read on so many things for additional coursework but end up saying nothing during discussion?

Why spend more than 2 days on Facebook yet still feel very much lonely?

Why buy tickets to a gig of an obscure band?

Why watch Twilight even though the concept is funny? Why want to watch the sequel despite the knowledge that most sequels are bad?

Why buy Tesco salad when there are more filling food out there? Conversely, why buy arteries choking food on daily basis?

Why buy the non-diet Alpro soya when there's a healthier option? (Honestly, 2%)

Why stare at an unconventionally pretty girl in a red jumper across the road while trying to black out the view of her boyfriend walking next to her?

Why buy another jumper when there's already 10 in the closet?

Why go to the gym if only to feel better about self?

Why look at a guy and sometimes think, "Hurm, he's kinda cute or hot", wondering if it's queer to think so after all?

Why curl up in the bed until noon arrives, reading a novel?

Why have plot bunnies jumping around but too lazy to 'capture' them?

Why waste money on Tesco reductions or buy-one-get-ones?

Why read lecture notes when they're simply repellent?

Why stall doing homework, even if the repercussions are dire?

Why bother going to bed early at night but still can't wake up early in the morning?

Why go to a friend's party, only to whip out the cell phone to defuse any awkwardness?
Why try to mingle with them when it's obvious they don't want you?

Why learn sign language at all?

Why run an event that is clipped with mountainous expectations?

Why play console games when it's not the best of distraction?

Why walk back from the GP practice when taking a bus is much more convenient?

Why cry in the dark, sensing everything is caving in and the haplessness can't be helped?

Why put on a happy façade when it's all shattered inside?

Why?

Why?

How come?

How come?

Why.

Video of the Year, no?

So it's not wrong to refresh your Facebook homepage, like, in every ten seconds. Had I not done that, I wouldn't have come across this really interesting posting by one of the friends. He uploaded a video that's almost 20 minutes long, covering his journey on a double decker in London. I was speechless at first. Bemusement took over really soon. For the life of me, the thought that you could chart your daily journey in a video and post it for the world to see never crosses my mind. It's understandable that he's all giddy with his newfound status as a Londoner but to shoot that video? It must have taken him a lot of patience (and energy) to hold whatever device he used to make the recording in position. I didn't watch it in its entirety, otherwise I would've wasted 20 minutes of my life but the video, as far as I had seen, was pretty good. I really salute him. Ahahaha.

Remind me to make a video of myself traversing down Fifth Avenue...

Midnight in the Afternoon...

I've been blighted by a new disease recently.

An extended afternoon nap is not good especially when you have a backlog of things to do.

I always tell myself to wake up after half an hour or at most, 60 minutes but that doesn't seem to happen. Every time I'm on the precipice of waking up, the stronger force to keep me asleep yank me back into the Slumberland.

This is definitely NOT good!

A Research on Research Papers

The medics read research paper but can't make the head or tail of its content.

The GPs have a stack of research papers on their desks as scrap papers.

The consultants keep an update on any new research matters for the purpose of finding if they've been cited by their peers.

The retired practitioners subscribe to medical journals as a habit but fare no better than us wee medics in understanding them.

So why am I rifling through Medline now?

Ballad of a Sick Boy

I'm sick but I'm happy
I'm sick but I'm kind
I'm sick but I'm grounded
I'm sick but I'm overwhelmed
I'm sick but I'm hopeful baby
I'm sick but I'm friendly
I'm sick but I'm laughing
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby.


Oh!

Plain idiocy...

It's official! I'm a tool. This is my third pilgrimage to the cyber cafe to refill the bloody EVAF form. It seems that I'm incapable of filling out a relatively simple form. Or perhaps it's plain paranoia. Maybe I can get past the bureaucracy with my botched forms but the thought of dealing with the American Embassy makes me slightly more neurotic. I sincerely doubt that they'll put my application under a microscope for a scrutiny. My mother portended bleakly that more troubles lie ahead of my application process. I'll be damned!

Fingers crossed, knock on the wood and all that jazz for this one to fall through. I don't want to brave another unholy visit to the Internet cafe.

The Countdown!

Everyday is a winding road
I get a little bit closer
Everyday is a faded sign
I get a little bit closer
To... Oh, never mind that.

So many things are ending rather soon.
My stay at home, my current love (work), and hopefully my US visa app.

Trust me, there's no specific emotion I'm able to express now. It's all a muddled cocktail.

Life, as we come to like and get acquainted with...

“Our lives are shaped by opportunities, even the ones that we missed”

- a quote. Not my usual stuff. But I like it to bits.

A Contemplation

Look around you. And think for a second. Have you attained enough in your life? You probably think you haven't. But is that really the case? Sometimes we don't have to look further to see a world filled with miseries. It might exist right at your own backyard. Maybe it's a place you pass by everyday. Maybe it's around the corner where you get your favourite 'roti canai'. But in our frenzied chase for a loft facing KLCC or a slick Mini Cooper or a walk-in closet brimming with Armanis and Pradas, we don't stop to see that others are deprived of even the most basic needs. Will you slow down and drink in the scenes around you? Probably you would. Probably you would not. If you do, will you try to introduce a difference in their lives. Tricky business this is. You might think that they're condemned to suffer the cycle. You might think that there's nothing that can be done to cause the remarkable shift in their lives. You might forfeit any hopes for them to lead a different story.

You're wrong if you do. Life's arduous but that doesn't mean it's thorns and barbwire along the way. A simple deed might touch their lives forever, setting them on a completely different course. All you need to do is to open your eyes and open your arms. Embrace their faults and try to turn them around. Daunting it might sound but however little you do might mean a mountain in the hereafter.

You can't get too much on your plate!

Life has a funny way to sneak up on you. 

I have to be contented with the fact that nothing eventful had taken place in my life. But that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful. Last week saw me spending more time in the haze-chocked KL. I was in a considerable scare when I had a temperature on Sunday night. It was pretty bad what with badly parched throat and slight dizziness. Mercifully, after taking two tablets, the fever went away when I woke up the next morning. But it doesn't mean that I'm clear from that vile virus. I could be harboring them without me realizing it.

I also went to school to speak to the Form 4 students. Had it not been for Raiz's invitation, I would never come round to give a talk on scholarships and whatnot. My only regret was that we didn't talk to the Form Fivers who, in my view, are in a greater need for the information. When I was in Form 4, I didn't even think about the future let alone trying to get myself abroad. Sorry, I was not that ambitious and still am not!

The highlight of the two trips is the chance to catch up with old friends. I particularly take delight in meeting Lawi after a year of separation. It seems that time really do fly when you're having fun.

The new abode promises a properly working Internet connection. I'm majorly elated!

A-Levels results were also announced last Monday. As usual, surprises were abound. Not making the grades is now a staple news every year. For those who managed to get the desired grades, felicitations. For those who didn't, don't be sad. Plenty of opportunities are still available for you to pursue. When a door closes, another opens.

But what shocked me the most was  the news of a certain group of juniors who were involved in an automobile mishap. What threw me was the victim in the said accident. I must fess up that he's not exactly my most favourite character. Hence, some really backtalking, if you get my drift. Now, I'm ridden with guilt. It's difficult not to if the said person is knocking on the Death's door. I pray for his safety. 

To kill the time, I've read a number of novels. It's only recently that I discovered that I hadn't been reading too many of new things. My personal faves are Life of Pi, Spud (already bought the sequel on Amazon), Trainspotting, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I ought to get more books to be read. In the meantime, I'm working on my project. Am glad that it's really shaping up. 

Swine-y!!

So,what would result from a toxic combination of lack of rest and being in a massive crowd? Sore throat and a temperature. I'm chickening out now! How to impose a self quarantine when you're hundreds of miles away from home?

You are what you eat

There's bound to be a day when you go to a restaurant, the waiter is nowhere in sight or the person sitting in the next cubicle gets his order first even though it is apparent that you are already there before him. Indeed, such travails that include the waiter mixing up our orders or the food comes ten minutes too late that it's now lukewarm draw ire out of us. We'll shoot daggers when the unsuspecting waiter finally comes with our food while fumbling for apologies and drown him in sarcasm. Worse, we'll be more than obliged to pull the strings as irked consumers and have the waiter's lackluster performance reported to the power-that-be.

I cannot deny that I sometimes become irritated by this poor show of service, which, if happens, I'll walk out. But most of the time, I tend to symphatise with the waiters. The restaurant could be packed to the capacity or the floor could be understaffed. There are plenty of reasons to explain why the standard of the service is not up to scratch. I could clearly envision myself rushing to take orders from costumers, cleaning the table, and bringing the food to the table and in the process, getting myself all confused and burnt out. Mixing orders would only become natural after such ordeal.

Maybe it's all down to luck.   

Killjoy.

I thought the local public library would be my salvation after being deprived of this luxury called the Internet for such a long time (at the thought, I winced). In for a disappointment I was. There's no mistaking that this blithering cut-off from the World (Wide Web) is killing me slowly. I have no other (cheap) means to keep tab on my friends. I have no idea how to keep informed on the development of H1N1 in Australia. I can no longer sate my appetite for some mindless Internet trawling. This is a fecking killjoy. If I can't find anything decent to read or something worthy to while the time away soon, I fear that I might rot. It seems that I'm pretty much booked on that doomed ride.

P.S: I did manage to scrape a couple of postings with this pathetic Internet connection. Indeed I should be grateful with whatever that's conferred to me. I am now more than thankful for an existing Internet connection, never mind the speed.

A Treacherous Swine

The days seem to plow on in a neck breaking speed yet there is no sign of it letting up there. The plan is not born out of slapdash idiocy, not even from fatuous mind darting. Instead, it is very much deliberate. I guess that's the danger of planning ahead. They should nix it out from any self-guide manuals. Let us all adopt spontaneity like there's nothing else to spare.

Of course, nobody should take the fall. If any heads ever were to be rolled, that would be fearfully mine. Laundering money for a no cause is one thing, trying to shift it to a later date is another. The only weapon that I can wield is my prayers, together with others'.

One of any number of my sins is a constant yearning for globetrotting. If I have the means, I would definitely turn the world to my oyster, whatever it entails. Without a doubt, studying abroad has granted me a passage to explore different localities. It's like a door has swung open for me that behind it, new vistas emerge for me to savour. I wish to enjoy the different ways people live, the different points of view they hold, the different food they consume. After each journey, I would be obliged to proffer my stories to the ones I love, retailing them with renewed vigour. Another secret that I feel compelled to let you in is I take pride in where I have been to. Surely getting lost in an unknown Eastern European city is tempting but if it doesn't have its own Big Ben or Statue of Liberty, I won't consider it as an option at all. Hidden gem is not meant for me to find; tourist traps attract me like a moth to a lamp. I want to embark on a journey through the sparse wasteland of the Egyptian desert, climb Kilimanjaro after a self-filling work in Tanzania, conquer the Far East (Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo), suffer the arduous trip to Machu Picchu, and pretend that I'm a true New Yorker. I pick the essential, in a nutshell.

I think I should start considering a career as a travel guide writer. Maybe in a parallel universe. But now, I must worry about my Australian adventure, which is close to being thwarted.

Huis

A very chaotic and cluttered hall, a bunch of seemingly aimless kids loitering around in front of the house (now manning a  burger stall. They're not that hopeless), and scorching environ. 

Indeed I'm home.