Home is Where the Sea and Jungle Is...

On the first day of my return to Penang I took my children and one of their cousins to the latest Star Trek movie at Prangin Mall. This has always been our family family thing to do as we like zillions of others on the face of this planet like to go to the movies together. The same night I found myself not able to sleep a wink till morning, Masha'Allah! problem! So I thought to myself that I need to chill out or I will have a nervous breakdown or loose my cool. For the rest of the day I definitely will need to find a hole to crawl into and pass out. Where in Penang could I go to where I can find peace and quiet,

Pulau Jerejak!

So I threw a change of cloaths into my duffle bag and some art materials and drove to the Ferry Terminal where I used to work and boarded the ferry boat (sampan) and headed for the "Forgotten Isle". While the dawn was slowly creeping into the skies with dark grey clouds ready to burst with rain I took a walk along the beach on Jerejak Island, with Leekhai's camera slung over my shoulder. My intention was to have a cup of Nescafe at the Babariba Cafe where the locals hang out along the way but it was not yet open. So I kept on walking my meditation walk allowing myself to drift into the environment around me,centering.

A soon as there was enough light I started taking pictures utill it started to pour. I took shelter form the rain by creeping into a clump of trees by the beach where i found a tarp washed in from the sea and used it as my raincoat. I was most concern about the camera getting wet but I nmanaged to sit out the rain among rocks and floatsam from the sea while my mind began to settle into the here and now.

I decided to return when the rain ceased and on the way bakc stopped at the cafe and had my nescafe and mee goreng. The family running the place all knew me from the days of my employment with Jerejak resort and SPA. I felt at home and spent my morning answering questions as to how i was, where I have been to and how my family is and so on.

The morning walk along the rain drenched beach of Jerejak was just the cup of nescafe i needed to clear away the cobwebs in my head and get my self back on track into creativity. Sitting and chatting with the simple folks in the coffee shop was what the shaman ordered to anchor my soul from all the activities of the past few weeks in Dubai,. Welcome back to yet another reality.

I decided to stay at the resort for the day as I needed the sleep and the quiet and away from my so called responsibilites.

I needed to recuperate from yet another journey to find out, the journey to the Sea of Sand and blazing sun.

I needed to file away all the events and experiences I have had encountering my number one son 'the pilot' whom I have not seen for the past fifteen years. My second son from Switzerland who I found that I had a son when he was already seventeen.

I needed to needed to step back and take another closer look at my two younger children and what to do with them now that they are fnishing their secondary school and their fate with the residency issue, will they ever be accepted to become malaysian citizens or will they remain citizens of the US in name only.

This is what the Buddhist practicioners call taking a retreat. A retreat from the burdens of life, to catch a breath and be prepared to ride the next wave when it comes.