Of Short Skirts and Big Pottus
Somewhere in the middle of this planet earth sandwiched between the great civilizations of the east and the west, lies a tiny strip of land I call home. Here is where the world truly meets. Everything is a wonderful aromatic blend. We know where we come from yet we know we don't belong there. We aspire to be modern yet our traditions keep pulling us back to its familiar shores and comforts. No this is by no way a 1 Malaysia Post. Nevertheless it is a post about my home. No one can really understand us, Big pottu's and short skirts ... Aglio Olio with "chili padi" ... Wan Tan Mee and Sambal .... mridhangam and Jazz ... we are trully one big serving of the Worlds " rojak" .We cannot be understood with logic yet logic is not the way to understand us.
Why this sudden burst of patriotism you ask? Well ... a situation in my life arose lately where i had to ask myself the question of will I be ever able to move, live somewhere else... start afresh... call another place home. I asked myself this question and allowed my mind body and ultimately my inner voice to answer. The first i heard was " im not gonna leave my parents and go anywhere" I thought to myself that alone cannot be the reason. So i put on my pink running shoes and head out the the only place in the city my brains breathe allot better in - Lake gardens or "Taman Tasik Perdana"
As I ran in the park, that familiar sense of freedom began to engulf me, the feeling of my ponytail bobbing up and down, the sound of my feet against the road, the glorious feeling of the first signs of sweat appearing on the back of my neck... "Ahh... how could i have missed this all my life" I continued running, the park was abuzz with runners today.. people must be training for the upcoming marathons lined up from next week onwards.
As I ran to the clearing where the lake opens up to the city skyline I looked at it and I saw why i wont be able to leave this city. It was beautiful .... the sun setting behind the Hilton as the fountain in the lake frames the whole picture. The tranquillity of the park and the buzz of the city that surrounded it. I loved the blend... I loved the mix... I felt a terrible overwhelming feeling of love for everything around me today I felt the breeze and I knew it was Swami .. I told him You are perfect and I love you ... The trees so green and beautiful I looked at it and professed my love. The birds were everywhere today... the beautiful swans and ducks in the lake. It was like there was a festival... a dance... like in a hindi movie and it was all choreographed around me.
After the run I sat down in the spice garden and closed my eyes... almost instantly I was in peace...I could not stop breathing in the wonderful smells I was surrounded with...
Suddenly a voice behind me said
"Excuse me ..." I was startled... I turned back .. there was a Malay guy standing behind me ... He had also just finished a run I could see.
" Adik... just be careful ye.. its not so safe here after 7... " he said
" thank you bang .. I replied.. I'm just leaving also" I thanked him for his concern
He turned and started walking away... As I saw him walk away... I saw the most amazing thing... he had only one leg... The other was a prosthetic one.
I stood up... Thanked Swami for his Dharshan and started walking to my car in the sunset... Tears involuntarily rolled down my eyes.
We might not have the best government... our election systems may be unfair... almost all of us are racist on the inside ... yes we aren't the most advanced country in the world and we are capable of much more... Yet this is home ... and its nothing but beautiful .... Indeed To know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia.
Why this sudden burst of patriotism you ask? Well ... a situation in my life arose lately where i had to ask myself the question of will I be ever able to move, live somewhere else... start afresh... call another place home. I asked myself this question and allowed my mind body and ultimately my inner voice to answer. The first i heard was " im not gonna leave my parents and go anywhere" I thought to myself that alone cannot be the reason. So i put on my pink running shoes and head out the the only place in the city my brains breathe allot better in - Lake gardens or "Taman Tasik Perdana"
As I ran in the park, that familiar sense of freedom began to engulf me, the feeling of my ponytail bobbing up and down, the sound of my feet against the road, the glorious feeling of the first signs of sweat appearing on the back of my neck... "Ahh... how could i have missed this all my life" I continued running, the park was abuzz with runners today.. people must be training for the upcoming marathons lined up from next week onwards.
As I ran to the clearing where the lake opens up to the city skyline I looked at it and I saw why i wont be able to leave this city. It was beautiful .... the sun setting behind the Hilton as the fountain in the lake frames the whole picture. The tranquillity of the park and the buzz of the city that surrounded it. I loved the blend... I loved the mix... I felt a terrible overwhelming feeling of love for everything around me today I felt the breeze and I knew it was Swami .. I told him You are perfect and I love you ... The trees so green and beautiful I looked at it and professed my love. The birds were everywhere today... the beautiful swans and ducks in the lake. It was like there was a festival... a dance... like in a hindi movie and it was all choreographed around me.
After the run I sat down in the spice garden and closed my eyes... almost instantly I was in peace...I could not stop breathing in the wonderful smells I was surrounded with...
Suddenly a voice behind me said
"Excuse me ..." I was startled... I turned back .. there was a Malay guy standing behind me ... He had also just finished a run I could see.
" Adik... just be careful ye.. its not so safe here after 7... " he said
" thank you bang .. I replied.. I'm just leaving also" I thanked him for his concern
He turned and started walking away... As I saw him walk away... I saw the most amazing thing... he had only one leg... The other was a prosthetic one.
I stood up... Thanked Swami for his Dharshan and started walking to my car in the sunset... Tears involuntarily rolled down my eyes.
We might not have the best government... our election systems may be unfair... almost all of us are racist on the inside ... yes we aren't the most advanced country in the world and we are capable of much more... Yet this is home ... and its nothing but beautiful .... Indeed To know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia.
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| My Favourite Part of the Run |
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