The Destination Matters

The destination matters more than the journey. That is the truth. A 200 km drive on the expressway with only the view of oil palms, rubber trees and secondary forests is not exactly one that can keep bored minds awake. The excitement of driving long distances has worn off. Only what awaits at the other end beckons – family and food.

Sunset over the E1 North South Expressway
Sunset over the E1 North South Expressway.

To keep ourselves occupied and awake on those long journeys, we have a stash of our favourite CDs stored in a shoebox. It is ironic that we listen to most of them while driving and very seldom at home. I should really convert them into MP3s to save space and also reduce the need to change CDs so often.

Night shot of the E1 North South Expressway
Night shot of the E1 North South Expressway.

The camera comes in handy when we get bored listening to the music. But how do you take nice sharp photographs through tinted windscreen with the car bumping up and down at 100 km/h? The failing light of dusk makes it even more challenging but I like the drama such shots evoke, especially the chains of headlights from cars in the opposite direction. Those were the times when I found joy in the journey.

Sunset At Bayan Baru

View of Bayan Baru from Taman Pekaka at sunset
View of Bayan Baru from Taman Pekaka at sunset.

Wuan and I were in Penang over the weekend and yesterday to look for a restaurant to host our wedding banquet. I spent some time enjoying the view from my apartment. The panorama at dusk is still an amazing sight to behold now as the first time I looked out that window ten years ago.

So many memories, so many different emotions all swirled in my mind as I recalled the days when Mum would rest her elbows on the window frame and looked out to the orangy sky and beyond. She had so many dreams for me, none that I could fulfil when she was alive. How I wish she is still here to oversee my wedding banquet, to share in my joy on one of the happiest days of my life.