Mr Traveler ( An extra post from the Scotland trip)

This is a post which is solely consist of my imagination and the monologues i have in my mind when i saw this perfect stranger in this foreign land. I shall call him Mr Traveler.

I think i do have guitarist-fetish, i realized that my eyes always drawn to some lads wearing torn jean carrying a guitar walking on the street. The same magic worked on me that night the first instant i saw Mr traveler.

Mr traveler was sitting beside my double decker bedsit when i first check-in into the dorm. It was quite weird that a young man like him seems to have no place to go on Thursday night in a city like edinburgh. Lying on his bed, he was playing guitar leasurely, ignoring the blasting music and tempting neon light from the bars just beside the hostel. He was fully absorbed in his own world, not even realizing there were some chinese girls move into the bedsits beside his, or he just dont give a damn to the presence of any human being in the room.

"which country he came from? Why was he alone? what song was he playing?"

curiosity continue to flood me.

So here i am, sitting on my bed, wearing my comfortable pyjamas, stealing a look at Mr traveler who busied dwelling in his own dimension. The dim light shone on his back, even his shadows smell of loneliness.

I guess this the life of a traveler. No destination, no friends, no fancy clothes.... just a loner and a guitar. Arriving alone in some smelly dirty city on the far side of the planet where no one speaks anything even resembling your language, with no hotel reservation, no idea when will the next shower be.... It may sounded pitiful from that kind of perspective. However, maybe this is just the life they desired for, no string attached, no commitment, no relationship, no 8am to 5pm job a day... just the sky above and the solid ground underneath as their home.

Somehow he reminds me of Ray Lamontagne, singing 'trouble' under the street light.

Mr Traveler was already slept soundly the next day when me and the girls came back from late night Jazz bar. Again, me and Mr Traveler sleep in the same room with no hello, by the way my name is susan. I guess now you know the ending of the story of the traveler. (Anyway, if you still dont know what this story is all about, let me remind you this is a boring story of strangers in a foreign city which their life will never intersect with each other). Alas, I didnt worked up the nerve to approach him. I guess it takes two of a kind to get things sparkle. Deep inside, I knew I wouldn't be the one to approach a complete stranger. i am no traveler material, i am just a typical girl loves nice holiday and vacation but never loneliness.

When Susan met Susan

I met another me last summer. Her name is the same as mine, Susan. And she told me that it means the lily of the valley. We are not exactly the replica of each other, well, she is much older than me, 20-30 years older perhaps. But our characters are similar in a way that it was pretty obvious to friends around us.

To start of with, we both played guitar; we both have strong character; we both like to plan things ahead and reflect afterwards; we both think that sometimes face to face confrontation is not the best way to solve a conflict; we both like the song “in Christ alone”; and the list goes on. She always tells me that she saw the younger she in me, a bit paranoid, a bit workaholic and a bit perfectionism. What she doesn’t know is that how I wish some times I can be more relaxed and more at ease like her. “It came with experience.” That’s what she said. Indeed, I found that her greatest treasure (apart from Jesus), perhaps is her exciting, ups and down life experience and life lessons.

I didn’t know her that long to be truth, its even less than 2 years. It all started when she realized that I need something to boost my commitment in the church. Back then, I was always in a rush. Rush in and out of the church, leaving no trace, and that’s the way I prefer it to be. No commitment, no deep relationship nor feelings. “I will leave UK in 1 and a half year time, its better to leave everything on surface”. Well at least that’s what I have thought, but not her. That’s why she asked me to play guitar along with her, so that I can blend in the church community more, so that I will have a sense of responsibility for this church as well. I guess her plan did works. I grew more and more attached to this church, and at the same time I learned some life lessons that I would never have learned if I continue to stay distantly in my own world, my comfort zone.

The day before I left UK, we have twice heart to heart talk in some nice cozy bistro. Time spells no difference to us because for me, that few hours felt like minutes. And until today, some of the words she said still linger in mind. I am not sure will I have any chance to see her again in future, but I am always thankful that our life intersects at certain point and moreover, i get to know another me who stays at the other side of the earth.

God bless you, Susan Kam.

Hotter and hot

In UK, everyone is making a big fuss over the global warming issue.

"this year summer is the hottest in the history!"
"what are we expecting? warmer summer and colder winter?"
"thats the warning sign from our mother earth. Cant you feel it?? are you some kind of cold blood reptiles?"

In Malaysia, no one gives a damn about the hot and nothing but the hot 32+ degrees days. No one, except me. Someone please beat me If i am the only one to realize the fact that not only those western countries (where all the environmentalists habitating), Malaysia's weather also experience the bizzare effect of Global warming. And tell you what, i am not even an environmentalist.

Is it the fact that because its already hot, hence people don't really feel the hotter than the hot? walking on the street makes me felt like i am gonna faint because of the heat stroke or hot flush or whatever that you called it. even my cartilage felt likes melting. I stopped using deodorant for a year an a half in UK but the moment i stepped down from the airplane, i started to sweat like a pig and moreover, stink.

Ok, i admit i dont really wanna debate on global warming issue. I just miss the UK's weather dearly. Wrapping myself in the duvet like a big fat swiss roll after my M&S morning job felt like heaven, not sweating for a year and a half is just pure enjoyement (trust me).

Some people says that UK's weather is unpredictable, you can get 4 seasons in just one day. i heard a similar saying but more hilarious one from my cab driver last time.
"UK weather is like women's mood"
hmmmmm......*quite agree*
"it changes every seconds"
-_-

yeah whatever, i just miss UK's unpredictable weather.