A little matter of familiarization

Naturally I’m as happy as Larry, but with the on-going International Book Fair in which my wifey’s heavily involved in, together with the age-old aching tooth I’ve been battling with till today, our honeymoon period has not been rosy so far.

Since we officially tied the knot, well-wishers frequently asked how marriage life been coming along. For one thing, my damned tooth still hurts like hell that the most noticeable difference is that now I have somebody to hear me moan at night!

Bed time tales aside, - even by default- I can now proudly claim to have a Kampong to call my own. Being a PJ boy my entire life the only hometown I can think of is the jam-packed Subang Jaya.

But not anymore.

A supposedly ‘long’ 2-night customary stay at her parental home back in Kuala Selangor turns out to be the shortest stay ever. All the initial worry at adjusting to a new environment were groundless, because as soon I’m in, I immediately feel its unnecessary to make a rush exit.

No, not up to the extent I feel the sudden urge to just surrender my status as a city dweller, pack all the things up, move up there and lead a laidback lifestyle for good but at least now I get to enjoy the best of both worlds.

It’s not a kampong house per se or I would have difficulty getting in and out of it for obvious reason, but with lush greenery surrounding their cosy bungalow, I know where exactly to retreat to the next time my brain’s in dire need of putting its feet up.

And that’s what I’ll be banking on; some peace of mind, especially with the up-coming project I’m about to embark.

To be frank, writing is never my passion. It’s always a struggle each time I need to come up with a piece. It makes it even worse that reading for me is a once – or at the most twice- a year affair.

Like many other things however, money is the major factor that keeps me in this writing business. It’s the same reason that pushes me to take up this new challenge. In putting it simply, it works like a dangling carrot.

Similar to my new experience of having a sneak peak of what living a kampong life is all about last week, I think I’m up for a bigger test ahead by charting in an unfamiliar territory – writing a book.

I’m game and its all systems go.

For now it is just a little matter of visiting another alien turf – the dental clinic.