Nostalgia

What do you get when you mix a village boy who has lost contact with his rural legacy for two years and a serene, peaceful tropical island setting? I finally got to know the answer when my friends and I embarked on a holiday escapade to Pulau Redang, a small island surrounded by fringing coral and separated from the Peninsular Malaysia mainland my a long stretch of deep blue sea.

To boy whose first 17 years of life was spent in a beachside village that has none of the towering skycraper, sprawling shopping malls and ornate architecture to boast, the visit was absolutely nostalgic. Threading on the fine, sun-bleached coral sand of Pasir Panjang beach reminded me of the a 10-year-old Ryan who used to chase ghost crabs on the sandy beach in his front of his house. When I immersed my whole body in the crystal clear water of the Shark Bay, the first thing that popped up in the my mind was me piggy-backing my uncle while we floated in the sea that flanked one side of my village.

A child-psychological analyst would point out that my anecdote lacks a crucial factor - other children to play with. Yup, I rarely had the opportunity to play or hang out with other kids save in school. When I got back home from the half day worth of dozing off in classroom and shouting at other kids during recess, I was left with only one playmate - Nature. Somehow, I have been unnaturally bold to do all sorts of funny things like falling off the balcony. During free flight, I thought I was a cat and would land on all four without any trace of injury. I was wrong but it didn't matter. The less painful, more rewarding activities that I had engaged in were to keep pet, grow vegetables,build sandcastle and collect seashells at the beach. All these were done alone under the benevolent auspice of Mother Nature. Hence, it is no wonder to see me doing this when I got to Redang:

Mother Nature is very much a teacher to me as those who have taught in school. Any close encounter with Nature has never been boring for she has many things to show and tell. Building the dam, as shown in the previous photo, is a nostalgic moment of me returning to my alma mater, practicing what I could not have done in Singapore.

Two years in Singapore studying A-Level had changed me, but not to the extent that I have lost contact with my past. The natural instincts that has been honed through many trials and errors i.e. doing wacky things and getting injured had not failed me. When I decided to strip off the safety jacket and dove down into a 10-metre deep sea water of Redang, I was unafraid for I knew Mother Nature was there to look out for me. Another four years of study in Singapore awaits me but I have a feeling that these four years would not do much to change me into a city person. The attachment with nature is omnipresent, unhindered by forces of any sort.

Ultimately, the trip to Redang Island was a journey of rediscovery. I am happy that my identity i.e. my behaviour, demeanour and attitude has not been compromised during the two years of city life. The "sixth" sense perceives strongly and keenly. To best capture this meaning, I have no other words to offer but a plagiarised section of shean's post:

"i was always impressed by ryan's incredible familiarity and passion for the nature"