Hello, I blog!
I share all my sporadic and toilet thoughts in here, because I am random like that.
The people is what makes a good trip
When it comes to travel, I always felt what makes a vacation awesome is always company first, destination second. And so far, my thoughts has yet to be proven wrong. Memories are made not from the places we visit (well, perhaps to a certain extent), but are largely curated by the moments spent with friends – the conversations, laughter and in our case, random outbursts of singing.
In this case, we went to Genting Highlands. The place itself was nothing new. (To me, at least – considering I’ve been there countless times.) But this trip was special. It left me feeling absolutely high, and that ‘high’ feeling still remains until now … even though I’ve already returned for a good four days.
Prior to the trip, I knew that Genting Highlands always had a sentimental spot in my heart despite being same old, same old. Most of my travel memories there had been with my extended family and cousins, although it’s been a while since we’ve done a family trip there so all these memories had already begun to fade, leaving me wondering what exactly was so sentimental about the place. As a result, my interest in Genting Highlands as a travel destination also began to dip. (Well, I go there largely for sentimental value than anything else – so when the warm fuzzy feeling fades, it pretty much becomes pointless for me to go there again.)
But this trip was just way too awesome. Granted, Genting Highlands is not the best travel destination in the world. It was nothing new to me either. But somehow, I feel as if this trip has so far, been the best trip I’ve ever been on.
At Genting Theme Park with Terry, Dayna and Cherlynn. (Left to right.)
It wasn’t only because of the wonderful moments spent with Dayna, Cherlynn and Terry. (More on that in a later blog post.) But also, as I went from one familiar place to another (from Genting Theme Park to First World Plaza to Genting Hotel), the memories from the past slowly returned. As in, hey, this place reminds of the time where my cousins and I blahdeeblah ….
Needless to say, my emotions were in hyperdrive throughout the three days I was there – from extreme happiness, to OMGIcan’tbelieveyoujustsaidthat HAHAHA, to nostalgiac, to pensive.
If anyone were to suggest Genting Highlands as a trip destination again in the near future, I will readily agree – so that I can go back and relive moments from the past, as well as build fresh memories with new people.
I think I practically have a location-based repository/timeline of memorable moments for nearly every corner of Genting Highlands in my head now. If only there is some way to document it. I don’t want to lose all these memories, ever.
It’s a small world after all
When I first started blogging in 2001, I always thought that it was just an outlet to vent and basically talk about my day. Blogging wasn’t big back then, but existed within what we called the “teen web scene”. Within this “scene”, blogging was big – although it was mostly filled with angst-filled teenage whims and ramblings. It was totally different back then as compared to now.
I received my first comment in November 2001 and it made me shout aloud with glee. It was the “wow, there are people listening to me?!” kind of feeling, and it just spurred me on to write more.
So, write more I did. I started writing about my day in full detail, emphasizing on the funny and interesting bits. The number of comments and readership grew. Soon, I began to spot a few familiar names appearing over and over again in my comments. Out of curiosity, I checked out their sites and was hooked.
We became blogging pals, familiar to one another on the web but still strangers offline. Some were based in Singapore and some, overseas. They knew almost every bit of information about me (thanks to my blog entries). Likewise, so did I.
One thing for sure, I didn’t expect back then that we’d actually meet in real life.
Dayna, Cherlynn, Terry and I meet regularly now. And just last weekend, Chien Yee from Brunei happened to be in Singapore and we all decided to meet up.
First stop, Chinatown. Terry, Chien Yee, Dayna and I.
I think I’m a lucky girl
Call it luck or the outcome of hard work (for some) – I am actually really happy with where I am right now.
1. I’ve an awesome Dad who supports me 100% in any career I choose to do, and every decision I make.
2. I’ve an extremely patient Mum who is willing to tolerate all my shit, my mood swings, and patiently bringing me for my frequent doctors’ appointments.
3. I’ve really supportive friends who – even when we don’t meet or contact for a short while – still keep me in their minds, and I know they love me as much as I love them.
4. I’m working in a really awesome company, with bosses (who also happen to be my friends) who took me on despite knowing my medical history, in full faith that I can bring value to the team. Also, I’ve colleagues who care for me, cheer me on when I’m down, and remind me gently to slow down when I’m go on full-workaholic mode.
5. All the past opportunities I’ve had: Enrolling in and graduating from a university that I love (and enjoying almost every single course and module that I took – in contrast to most other students who faced each school day with dread). Having previously worked at another startup company with people who are elites in their field, and gained invaluable experience in user experience design and web programming.
6. My natural myriad of interests in computers (since young – I first touched HTML code when I was 11), reading, writing, photography and human-computer interaction design which gave me much insight and help in my work. This also allowed me to combine work and pleasure at the same time.
It’s a mixture of of all the above factors that led me to where I am now. There are times where things go downhill, but everything happens for a reason. Ultimately, there will always be people who care (despite the well-known perception that this is a cruel world) and the fact that you have to be the one who stays in control despite all the events that fate swings your way.
With all the upsides, there is still one downside – my poor health.
But looking at it from another perspective, I’m happy I’m still alive after the past 4 years of struggles, and that I’m not dead yet. :P
How about you? What are you happy for?
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