driving to freedom

taking our first road trip in malaysia was an eye-opener. not the first that we have travelled to other cities and towns in this country but the first that we have driven there ourselves. over the past two years, we have made numerous trip down south, whizzing past oil palms and rubber trees, rest stops and open blue skies and most of the time we were catching up on our z's whilst someone was behind the wheels. last weekend, i finally took the steering wheel into my own hands and made our way to the east coast.

the feeling was exhilirating, taking over control of your life rather than passively sitting around until the destination is in sight. this time, the whole journey was an adventure, from start to finish. music blasting away, kids dozing off in the back, a polite robotic-sounded lady reminding us constantly that a police speed trap was ahead, screaming our heads off in unison to the music, the picture painted was at once warm and beautiful. this is what family memories should be about. i was reminded of the times that i took long journeys during my university years, during the times when i was dumb and fearless. i wonder at the audacity of the youth, when you do things because you wanted to, when you don't have to ponder, calculate, plan and strategise, when execution was too long a word and you have gone before you finished saying the word. things were simple. life was simple. you wanted to go someplace, you rent a car, you pack some clothes and you were there. the freedom. that was what i was reminded of on this trip.

when the highways opened into clear blue skies, filled with palm trees and fields on both sides, my heart opened with it. not knowing what lies beyond the next corner, flying past at 130km/h, sceneries so beautiful but i couldn't take my eyes off the cars in front of me, not even for one second. it doesn't matter. i couldn't see with my eyes, but i saw with my heart. perhaps the sceneries were the same as those journeys down south, but the feeling was different. so dramatically different. i was taking control of life in my own hands. i don't seem to have much opportunities for that nowadays. this time the holiday didn't only start when we reach the destination, it started when i laid my hands on the wheel.