I have a little reflection about what I am actually doing.

I am in my early 20s and still feel like I am in my teenage. How did the time go so fast? It makes me wonder about who I really am and what I always wanted to do. Just when I entered my 20s, I had the chance to travel and took control of every single detail of what I want to do and when I want to do them. I learned so much. And as I was listing down and researching about all those, I had this burning feeling to just write down every single thought I have about traveling, about what I did, how, when, where and with whom I did all the traveling. Then I realised, it was not a new feeling. I always have had that kind of feeling since young.

Growing up, my parents used to bring us to the mountains almost every month. We would go on Saturday afternoon after school, and back on Sunday afternoon. I always enjoyed those weekends. And I could remember most of the details that is distinct to each trip. The trips were not backpacking trip or camping and such. My parents preferred staying in the hotel or cottage and simply have a quiet weekend together with the comfort of good facilities. Some of the memories include flying my first kite, first billiard and golf, riding horses and getting bitten by one of them on the butt, the most boring fishing experience, a real picnic on huge grass field with real food, buying puppies and bunnies, playing lame games where the winner gets to choose a puppy or a bunny, getting a huge styrofoam plane and breaking it the same day, fighting with my siblings and cousins (I even hit one of them with badminton racquet on the head) and countless other.

I had this habit of keeping notebooks and write on them. I used to start writing with ‘Dear, diary,’ because who doesn’t. But it was not my style of writing. I tried other kind of styles just for the sake of writing because I enjoyed it so much. In the 90s and where I grew up, everyone around me seemed to be obsessed with anything that has their horoscope printed on them. I remember having this Virgo-themed diary with my likes and dislikes and hobbies and other interests. I would let people to write down their interests in the book. I actually passed it to almost everyone in my class. That was when I was in primary 2. Anyway, I collected quite a number of entries from my cousins, classmates, my maids and my parents’ friends. I loved reading and commenting on them. I lost that diary. But it was so much fun.

Then there were family trips to Jakarta and Bandung. I specifically asked my parents to buy me a notebook because I want to write about what we did during the trip. I wrote on it every night. I remember writing when my cousin and uncle were watching one of the world cup finals in the living room of the cottage. I was on my bed because I don’t like soccer. I lost that book too.

There was even times in secondary school when I isolated myself from my friends because I was writing on a fiction novel, which I did not get to finish. One teacher saw me writing at the school benches and asked which subject required that much writing as homework. One thing she should have known, if a homework requires that much writing, I wouldn’t be doing it. These writings were now gone too, because we moved houses a few times and I had not realise how special the urge of writing was.

Then I discovered blogging. I have a Blogspot account which I wrote regularly at first. I even had to tell my siblings, ‘Okay, I’m gonna write on my blog now, bye!’ and went to the room, typing away. I’m sure my sibling thought I was overreacting but I was not. I don’t regret a thing about writing on a blog. I could actually read myself growing up. From the most emotional to the lamest thing to write, I just laugh at everything I wrote from those times. This time around my writing won’t get lost. This time around I get to read about it again and again. And on this blog, I get to write about one of my favourite things: Travel.

The memories are priceless. I could only recall them in my head but sometimes they are too much and I don’t want to forget any of them. I am not a good talker, nor the best writer around. I’m not naturally equipped with moving writing skill that make people want to wait for my next entries. But I hope when people stumble upon my writings or sharing, they would enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing them.

I also realised that passion of writing has always been with me the entire time. And real life has always been a distraction.

Let me leave you with a picture of me with my explorer hat and my harry potter glasses.