Last Weekend

Yesterday and Saturday were very tiring but very enriching. I met a person whom I have not met in 15 years. I have not written about anyone for a long long time now but this person just compels me to do so.

His life is so colourful. I have never met a person like him before. I am so proud of him and am really moved whenever I think of him. He was 16 (Form 3) when he decided to leave his broken life behind him and follow the things he has been daydreaming about. With RM80, he took the boat to India, went through Pakistan, Karachi, Iran, Turky, hitchhiking all the way to England. There he joined the British Army for 9 years, posted to Germany, learnt German in the nights, met his German wife, studied photography and now retired as a renowned photographer in Germany. His son is continuing his legacy while he travels to fish in Norway, to eat durians and meet up with his Penang friends.

He loves dreaming and without dreaming, one dies. He says to keep on dreaming. He says never to give up and never think that anyone else is better than yourself. He says to keep the faith. He says to be humble at all times. He says that one has to be positive to achieve the dreams. He says cease the day and live for the moment.

I knew him as a really fun character. Very jovial and will go an extra mile to keep you happy. He is still the same, just older and wiser. This time around, it was special. I was so teary eyed when he went onto the bus back to Penang and then to Germany next week, I could see that he felt the same. I don't know why I feel this way. Perhaps seeing him 'making it' despite of his difficult beginnings has been inspiring to me. I don't know why. I am an emo bag now.