Think Tank Traveling Post Mortem

  

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind. - Seneca 

We all love things the way it is, most likely because comfort zone gives us a certain contentment. Something like a safety net. What we tend to forget is that, comfort zone tend to make us complacent, accept things as static as the Statue of Liberty.

Even snails make a point to move, no matter how slow it takes to do so.

Change challenges ourselves to get the best of what we can do. It gives us better understanding about ourselves and build our confidence even more.

The same thing I noticed with blogs of this new era. I come from what I would like to call the dinosaur era of blogging. Back in the '00s, blogs were personal window to our souls. We make friends through blogs because we were truly connected with each other through opening up our minds and hearts. We had such a personal relationship with other bloggers to a point where we would write to each other, send packages; heck, one time an old blog friend was a victim of the Katrina Hurricane and all of us supported each other by doing whatever we could to help. We were like a family in our own world. At times, they know more than we tend to let out to others in our lives.

That was what blogs has meant to me. A personal experience, a personal life I've built with strangers.

While participating in the MySelangorStory, it opened up my eyes to accept how different the blog world has become today. It's so different, I felt like an alien. Despite blogging for 7 years, what blogs of those days and today talk about are so varied, it's like being in another lifetime.

Whenever I meet blog friends of mine, we'd catch up about each other like any normal friends would. Bloggers of today talk about which event to attend, what competition makes good write up or how ads help increase income. Of course all these are good but I just felt so..out of place I guess?

Being paid to blog was unheard off then, now; so many people are such, to a point I felt like blogging is an extension to advertising. Well, in a way it is.

So it was an eye opening experience indeed to learn about what people blog about today or how they got to know each other. :)

One thing's for sure, I still want to keep that personal feeling intact in anything I do. That way, it feels genuine and a ticket to be connected with other people. Losing this part of me will only make me be like a robot. It didn't matter what my blog idea is about, at the end of the day, you'll be able to intercept bits and pieces of me in every entry I write.

The traveler sees what he sees.  The tourist sees what he has come to see.
- G.K. Chesterton

The Beginning

The Future may seem terrifying if we are to ponder it right now. It is less intimidating when we make the most of the present and embrace the future for whatever it is. People tend to worry about the past and future. They rarely think about being in the moment.

The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances. - The Alchemist

What happened in the past 6 days has been the result of that. Of living in the moment, freeing myself from any ridiculous expectations of how people should be, what the places are like or why we do things a certain way. The future to this is up in the air and to be honest, I forgot it was a competition from day one. All we did was enjoying ourselves, opening our minds and hearts to new things, experience the dream we never thought of and laughed because that's how we were feeling.

If it's any consolation, the entire MySelangorStory trip itself is like a grand prize on it's own. One you'll have rare opportunity to have again. So, whatever I wrote in my previous entries were purely how I felt not because it was competition and I had to do it. Instead, it was my way of giving back to others and hope it keeps spreading around. That way everyone will be able to have their own version of MySelangorStory.

Since Amelia extended a little bit of time for all of us to finish up our posts, I had some time to experiment with iMovie after 6 years of not touching after college ended. Indeed, I had to go through the tutorials to learn how to make one. Ah, the noob in me has finally emerged again.

I used the theme from iMovie thinking it fits with the look I've been achieving and I must admit, it is cheating so it's ok that I don't qualify for a video category :) I had a blast going out of my comfort zone making it for fun anyway.

I tried (and failed miserably) at keeping the video under 3 minutes. This one lasts 3:18 minutes instead. Ok so this is the result of a noob's work. You're welcome to laugh XD

Day 6 actually ended after our dinner in Haven because the morning after, everyone didn't get to say goodbye to each other as one was sound asleep *stares at Victor* or have an early flight to catch like Alid, Kemal and Citra. Followed by Chia Li, KK, Fadli and Sy. Others were either hitching rides from their family, friends or Tourism Selangor's crew. So there wasn't much to report except for feeling somewhat sad for MSS to end.

Oh, Chia Li stayed up late making origami stars (I used to love collecting when I was a kid) with a message inside. That was really sweet of her, this roommate of mine :)

Quite the eccentric bunch we all were during this tour. A giant family moving about together. One that will be told for many many many years to come I'm sure.

Somehow, I feel this trip is only the beginning to something more.

And it would've have been what it was without Tourism Selangor, Amelia, and the many sponsors who supported us throughout this journey. Everyone deserves a bigggggggggggg hug :)

Voice out, I'm all about sharing thoughts and if this deserves a vote - simply click MySelangorStory/TheBeginning.

Projection

A few days ago, Black Tomato had this interesting weekly competition and I got inspired with it and made this wallpaper of the thoughts I want to project out to the world. I think if each of us got around to fill in the blank canvas with thoughts and emotions, then stick it anywhere we always spend most time looking; we'd all be more positive and happy.

It's just a theory but I really do think it would work because we will be able to to see our own state of mind laid out in front of us rather. That's when you get to analyse yourself, see yourself for what you are than *think* about what you may be. You can't disregard it, nor make excuses and delete it because it's right there..in front of you.

Each and every word in that canvas are linked to each other one way or another. And a lot of them would not have been the case if it weren't for traveling. It made me grow a lot in terms of being more humble and laid back. We know all things don't happen the way we want it to be but if you go along with the journey to getting there, you'd learn a lot more when arriving at the destination.

The journey not the arrival matters. – T. S. Eliot

So I can't imagine what it'd be like not to travel at all. Not able to see, smell, touch, talk and love while traveling would be absurd to me. Then again, even those who travel and not able to experience those little things are just as pointless as each place we go (even the places we already know) is capable to teach us something we can apply to ourselves.

:) If you think you have not enough money to travel, I'd say bogus! Travel is just a state of mind - even the city you live in has a lot of hidden secrets you don't know about. Go, discover your roots and have lots of fun while you're at it.

Final Destination

I always wanted to have a travel blog for the longest time (and many have been nagging me to set one up) but I never got around to do it for many unknown reasons. Perhaps it was the low self esteem or maybe I was waiting for the "right" moment to do so. Honestly, I don't have a clue.

So..

I guess now is just about as right as it can get, I guess?

Two days ago, I was planning on setting one up but it never materialised. Yesterday, after having a long talk with Michael who knew of my tendencies to travel around had talked me into this. He was one of the big people in my first company I worked with who actually granted me a month of unpaid leave to go backpacking around Europe in 2006 (after only worked for a year). Such a thing was almost unheard of.

And it took place exactly 4 years ago.

That decision simply changed the entire course of my life. Literally.

I can't imagine what it would be like to not do it back then and I find this quote by Mark Twain very fitting.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover

          - Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer


Alright, we'll see what I can come up with from here and out. There's just too many stories, photos and thoughts to go through!

*Takes a deep breath*

Until then, have an open mind. There is always something new out there in the world we can learn from.