JYSim for jobless-yokel Sim

Time literally flies. As summer comes to a close I slowly come to realize that the many things I am doing now might be the last I will be doing in Malaysia. People at my age are flying away to all corners of the globe pursuing their future, and soon my summer back home (if any) might just end up being a driver for the family and chaperon for aunties shopping for groceries. Though the timeless Penang will still embrace and captivate me every time I come back, the past Penang will not be the same Penang in 2 to 3 years’ time. The lack of old friends made all the difference.
This summer is the firsts of many things for me - my first foreign friend came, being host for the first time, driving so much for the first time, first time being an education counsellor, writing a short story for a competition for the first time etc. The whole experience was exciting and rewarding. I am glad I had a summer well-spent. Many years later, I know I’ll look back on today and probably mention this summer to my friend while we reminiscise knowing it’s difficult to find slots to visit Penang. On the other hand, this summer also marks several lasts for myself - probably the last time meeting Zi Yi in Malaysia, last time seeing the good people in Form 6, last time having Mum beside me to slash the prices from the cunning Indian shopkeeper, last time seeing my cousin who’s migrating to New Zeland on November, last time sharing a single plate of O-Chien with 11 people, last time spending 5 hours in McD with Soon Khen and Jieyang with just one cup of Coke (refillable). The adults will tell you it’s a process of growing up - leaving some things you think precious, and embracing more of the future (though it might not necessarily be nice). I remembered one text message Ms. Lon Eng sent me on my eve of graduation - ‘this is life, to leave the good old things so that you can reminiscise it later in life, and to welcome the new challenges so life becomes more meaningful with each passing day’.
Looking back, there are so many beautiful things to appreciate and enjoy in simple everyday life - Tham Min teasing Beng Hong and Zhi Ming during free periods, the McDonalds’ Big Breakfast which comes with a HUGE cup of tea and it’s refillable, ‘The Star’ everyday with it’s witty Kee’s comics and Starscope, the library of pirated DVDs at home, Mum’s car which easily gears up to Gear 4 (on a bumpy urban road), and the sun shining through the bedroom windows everyday at 9am exactly. While there’s no certainty saying I’d be robbed of all these in the future, the prospect of having to savour these little everyday enjoyments seems bleaker as I approach 19 years of age. I will have to find little everyday enjoyments in my secular home, and slowly switch my definition of ‘everyday’ to ‘holiday’ as I stand more rooted to Taiwanese soil - the unknown guy shooting behind the dorm every evening, the beautiful, towering mountains behind the school, the glassy seas of Hualien coast, and the excitement of being included in a little class outing.
Home will always be something a wondering traveller seek. At Popular today I was randomly browsing, but my eyes will unconsciously rest on titles related to being to a foreign land, i.e. ‘Home’ by an Indian writer whose name I couldn’t remember, ‘Sister Swing’ by Shirley Geok, and Amy Tan’s. Homesickness is something unawarely tattooed on our souls.
I have a Chinese New Year to look forward still, the Form 6 people are still here, Soon Khen will be here, Kee Wai too, and it would be another holiday to remember, I think. However, as Dad gave the initial approval for me to participate in a medical conference in Tokyo next summer, I wonder if I’d want to come back next summer - Soon Khen is flying, the Form 6 people will be in their respective universities - hardly anyone left I think.
Home is a nice place to be during the holidays, but the turmoil and heartache one has to go through during each end-of-holiday is something enriching yet agonizing. At least we get to gain something every homecoming - for me it’s to appreciate things around me and to try out new firsts while I still have the might, and friends to accompany me.

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