A Long Lost Me

I had to make origami for work the other day and was rummaging through my shelves when i stumbled upon these:






I'm not good at drawing really because all these drawings are something i've replicated from drawings seen in my Enid Blyton books, comics and whatnot. Nothing that i created on my own but still, i think i make a rather okay copycat back then. I remember spending nights in my room secretly drawing when i was supposed to be studying.

I miss that.

I miss the creative energy i used to have. Not only did i draw, i also enjoyed playing the piano and singing simultaneously. I attended auditions (sing, dance, host - i've done it), i performed during school events, i agreed to coach my class for our inter-class choir competition...then somehow all these started to stop one by one.

Self-conciousness hit and i guess i am no longer as confident as i once was. I think i'm too fat for showbiz. Too ugly for TV. My voice is mediocre for the singing industry. My drawings are well, not technically my own creation. I suck at piano and my dancing, well, who wants to see a hippo dance?

It's really sad because doing those things really did make me happy.

Old Lea, i hope to find you again.

Lend A Hand If You Can

What do you do when you are given free flight tickets, free accommodation, free meals and an opportunity to do charity at the same time? You take it.

Along with a group of strangers from my workplace, we flew to Sabah. Our mission was to help build a school canteen at a remote village school in Semporna. And when i say remote, i mean you-live-in-wooden-shacks-in-the-middle-of-a-friggin-jungle remote. Every morning of our 4D3N stay, we had to wake up at wee hours of the morning for an over one-hour long journey from our hotel overlooking the sea to Kampung Sungai Tuhok.




Initially, i had doubts about going because i knew no one amongst those who got selected to participate in this voluntary project, but i'm so glad i did it. The experience was eye-opening!

Most of the school is made of wood. It's only one-storey and they have a few different blocks, including a tiny little make-do canteen (it used to be a store where they keep sports equipment) that is probably the size of my living and dining room put together. It really does make you realise how blessed we are in the city to have big schools with good amenities.

While the men were assigned to build a shaded pathway from the classrooms to the new canteen, the women received painting duties. And interestingly, the locals bought pink paint (i can hear the boys boo-ing already) for us. I swear, we the ladies, had nothing to do with their colour choice. It was a funny coincidence.




I am so glad to have been a part of this. To know that i'm contributing a teeny bit to make their lives better feels good. And best of all, i befriended a bunch of kids who i adore. My fellow volunteers kept laughing at me because i had a crew of school girls and a trio of school boys following me around!

Even though i struggled to understand their language, we still had a ball. We learnt how to give flying kisses, we learnt how to say thank you in Mandarin, we learnt how to make silly faces while taking pictures, and we learnt that rain makes the field really muddy.




Awesome holiday? Check. Befriended new colleagues? Check. Discovered new culture (at the Kampung, they serve curry puffs with fried mee hoon stuffed in em!)? Check. Charity work? Check. Put smiles on the little ones' faces? Double check.

Daddy Cool

I love my daddy because while having dinner yesterday...

Me: Eh, that lady looks familiar.
Dad: Which one?
Me: There, the one sitting behind our table. Oh, i remember! She's my high school teacher! Did you know i once slept in her class?
Dad: *Looks at my teacher then looks at me* I don't blame you. I'm already sleepy looking at her.

Haha! Happy Father's Day pa!

Operation: Recharge

Some time in early May, i packed my luggage and got together with a trio of friends for a beach retreat in the little island of Perhentian Besar.

Fully expecting to be dropped off at a jetty, i was stunned when our speedboat stopped a few metres from the shore. Thoughts flooded my mind: do they expect us to swim to shore?, oh shit my luggage is going to get wet!. Then came a smaller speedboat and all of us had to move into it, while clumsily lugging our luggages along. Thank God nobody fell into the sea!

Interestingly, that was not the only surprise of the day. The island was so small, there was practically only 3 things to do: get in the water, eat, stay out of the water. Worse, there is no electricity from 12pm to 3pm and the scorching sun (i swear, the sun there is ten times hotter!) surely didn't help. After a couple of hours, i was bored and secretly wishing for the 4D3N vacay to be over. You can take a girl out of the city, but you cannot take the city out of the girl.

Then, the next day came and i started to get a hang of the lifestyle. For the coming days, it was a cycle of sleep, eat, snorkel, eat, chill, swim, eat, sleep. It felt good. It was unlike my other beach getaways where entertainment and technology were easily accessible. It was nothing but private moments between yourself, your thoughts and Mother Nature. It gave me a sense of belonging. It felt like i was 'home' and at one with the trees, sand, water and marine creatures surrounding me.

Everything was so simple, it's special. Even if you had nobody to talk to and could only sit by the beach and look out at the horizon, it would still be okay. Nobody cared if you carried a Gucci or a Cucci, nobody bothered about how little cloth you have on and nobody gave a rat's ass about you because there, it felt that everybody was on equal grounds. Even if you wanted to show off your wealth, there was nothing really you could buy or dress fancily to, to flash your cash. There were no false pretense and expectations to live up to. You just had to be.

We stayed at Mama's Chalet and although it didn't have the best beach of the lot, the staff were amazing. The smaller size of the Chalet (compared to bigger, resort-like accommodations at the island) meant that you received more personalised treatments. People remembered you. They were constantly up for a chat. They said hi and a smile was never hard to find. It was honestly like one big family, if you allowed them to be.




KL is a great place to live in but after Perhentian, i do wonder if city life really is all that. Yes, we get comfort and the occasional pampering but it's also a more complicating world. And when it comes to life, i reckon less is more.

License To Shop

Since i've submitted all my articles for the month and am free, my editor sent me on a last-minute assignment to get a gift for our secretary who is retiring. I wanted to head straight to Mid Valley after work but editor said to do so the next day, before coming in to work. Are you kidding me? I don't have to wake up early (because shopping malls only open at 10am), I get to spend lesser hours in the office that day, and I'm being given the permission to shop rather than sit at my work desk? Heck yes!

And what made the deal even sweeter? While walking about, i managed to do some shopping of my own! Guess who's the proud owner of an insanely cute top with pictures of kittens on it? Meow! Totally in love with my collection of animal tees!