Resolution this, resolution that. Accomplish this and that. Have I even have a resolution? Do I even have a list of accomplishments? Do my friends have their own list of resolutions achievements? Is there something wrong with me if I have none?
Well, with or without a list of resolutions or accomplishments, Life does goes on, minute by minute, day by day where eventually it will reach the 31st of December every year. If you needed a list of resolutions to get by, did you work on it early of the year or only thought of it before the midnight of 31st December? Do you get agitated and start to precipitate within the last half hour before the year closes? Will you be able to let go of 2017?
I don't have a list of resolutions for the basic fact that I almost always didn't manage to carry them out over the years and only thought about it within the last 30 minutes of 31 December. So, I've dispensed with the need for it and live Life by the day although I do have plans for the weekends in the year and enjoy the time I have. For the sake of making resolutions, let's keep it simple and mine will be : Enjoy Life! That's simple, right?
Enjoy Life! I did, with a trip to Khao Yai, Thailand early in the year. Located at the edge of the national park, 3 hours away from Bangkok, it was quite an isolated place with little choice of public transport other than renting a car and driving on our own, aided by Google Maps. A colourful place, with unique tourist destinations and a vineyard to boot, which sets it apart from the cosmopolitan city of Bangkok, with offerings of capitalist choices of the money spending variety. The theme of Life in Khao Yai is about nature. With its boutique foodie locations, there's also cows and goats for you to pet at the farm. Quite surroundings and cool temperature, it's an apt spot for relaxation for the family.
Back to the drawing board on the next adventure, and the bike came to mind. A 1,700 km two wheeler ride across the northern part of Malaysia. The journey over 2 days found us riding through Selangor-Perak-Penang-Kelantan-Terengganu, ending back in Selangor. The feeling of freedom on the bike can never be described in full to the uninitiated but you've got to try it at least once. On and on, we sputtered along albeit with a building sore ass due to the long hours of sitting. So, pit stops were the order of the day, with bites at good foodie locations to savour Penang laksa for example. Being in Kota Baru, Kelantan on the first day, we were fortunate to find good nasi kerabu at the local Pasar Siti Khadijah. I must have amused the local Malays with me wearing the baju Melayu, me being a Chinese and created an opportunity of rapport with them, coupled with my fluency in the Malay language.
What's a northern ride without it being complemented with a southern ride? A couple of months later found us on a 900 km ride across Pahang to Rompin-Mersing-Johor Bahru which was continued after bunking over at Skudai, that enabled us to savour good Indonesian satay for breakfast in Muar the next day. The amazing deep blue colour of the South China Sea had us stop over for lunch in Terengganu. A ride on the East West Highway from evening till dusk fall, from sunset till complete darkness was really one experience.
After the bike and food, more good food is on the cards as there were two wedding dinners months apart. Meeting up old friends and keeping up to date with each other, and not forgetting the requisite we-fie shots for posterity. It was like a mini gathering of ex-colleagues. With the luxurious food down the stomach, I will need a bit of exercise to work off the excess energy. Therefore, an 9 hours hike up the state's highest peak, Gunung Nuang, was in the works and reached the peak we did, after 4 hours trudging through muddy paths and up steep 40 degree inclines. And fed the friendly family of squirrels, we did too. After getting enough of the unadulterated fresh mountain air, we reluctantly left after saying goodbye to fellow hikers.
Goodbyes, there were many, as an old Hainanese village in Malacca was flattened to make way for development, 44 years after coming into being. A village where I had many childhood memories, with all the fun of growing up in this quaint seaside village. However, I was prepared for the eventual destruction of the village, with tons of photographs to retain the good memories of the place. And goodbyes too, with the passing 2 friends and a cousin in the final quarter of the year to heart attack. Life is completely unpredictable and all we can do is, enjoy it to the max while there's still Life in us. No matter what you do or how healthy you think you are, once your Life contract is up, you'll have to leave. But then, for some, Life continues with more adventures and my daughter completed her primary school and will be entering secondary school in 2018.
Not everything is negative as yet another adventure turned up. It was our wedding anniversary and off we flew to Sihanoukville for a quiet time to ourselves, savouring the pristine beach of Otres 3 and walked we did, down the 3 km beach line and back, to prepare ourselves for a good dinner with the sea breeze blowing and the sound of crashing waves serenading us. Of course, we're not selfish to have forgotten our kids and off we flew again, the following month, to Bandung for a short break to the volcanic land and taking in the beauty of the craters, in the comfort of the good hospitality of our Indonesian host cum Grabcar driver.
How can the year end without great family gathering, right? And gathered we did, in Penang over a great steamboat lunch where everyone caught up with our cousin who returned from Australia for a short break, to remind himself of his Malaysian roots and catching up on the array of local food that he missed while in Down Under. That all but summarizes my 2017 and hope that you've had a great year and if you didn't or haven't, you still have a few hours left today to carry out whatever you've missed before the countdown begins 10 seconds before midnight tonight. I've nothing left undone for 2017 and that's meaning writing this last blog for the year and hoping that 2018 will provide good fodder of adventures as I continue to Enjoy Life, my one and only resolution for this year and the years to come. Happy New Year, don't miss out on Life!
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