Bridging Fantasy & Reality

" You ever looked at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder, how many strangers have pictures of you, how many moments of other peoples lives have we been in. Were we a part of someone's life when their dreams came true, or were we there when their dreams died. Did we keep trying to get in, as if we were somehow destined to be there, or did the shot take us by surprise. Just think, you could be a big part of someone else's life, and not even know it." - One Tree Hill, Season 4

I'm completely beat. My slide took me almost four hours to be exact and I didn't even upload ALL the pictures i took. I uploaded the pictures while watching tv and while chatting with random people on msn....erm, windows msgr. So it didn't really feel like I had lost half a lifetime... I did get a scowling look from my mom every now and then though. So there! Finally, my terrificly terrifying BRATs journey...

Terrific coz it was. And terrifying, coz of it's rather revealing and honest approach. Here's a breakdown.

Day 1

Intimidating. It was rather unsettling to be staring and to be stared down by a group of people who you know you are gonna spend 4 days with. Impressions were being formed right from the beginning. The senior BRATs led us to our flight like we were sheep and they were the Sheppard. I think my obliviousness regarding the portrayal of seat numbers on the flight can be excused considering it was my first time in a plane, alone... So I just traipsed along with the future BRAT in front of me, who I late got to know as Lee Mei. A stewardess came to my rescue and pointed out my seat to me. Lee Mei sat beside me. After a brief introduction, we both held our tongues in nervous apprehension. Turbulence and pesky flight conditions, we were in it together... in silence that is.

We arrived at Kingwood Inn on our own accord. Three of us shared a taxi, yep, transport from the airport to the Inn was not provided. I got a fantastic view of the city along the way.. Kuching's very much like KL... People DONOT live in trees, there're no rumah panjangs to see and it is pretty developed. It's a lot like KL, minus the gargantuan amounts of cars that flood the road.

First up, was the ice breaking session where i successfully cauterized my name in the eyes of many as 'the pink' (....I was wearing a pink shirt) and 'the girl who hates orange'(in case ur wondering, i don't hate orange but people will say anything when they're put in the spotlight and pressed for words...) We played a couple of games to hike up the energy levels and then dismissed for lunch. The food there was awesome, and eating with my new found friends was even more awesome... Thankfully, I wasn't the only 19 year old there. There were a bunch of us actually... I was reunited with Pei Ying from CHS who was my computer lab partner in form one. SHe's Rapunzel now compared to those days when she used to scout a short boyish crop. Then there was Cheu Keat, i think, who was in CHS AND in Sunway College doing A Levels, who I never noticed before the camp.... Man, I'm such a prissy! He said he'd always acknowledged my existence, driving me burgundy with blunder almost immediately!

My point is, there were loads of us, 19 year old BRATs (ooh, love to say it!). I was particularly close to Alesha, Pei Ying, Eunice, Hui Jean, Jeanette and my group members throughout the entire thing although I did get along with most people.

The rest of day 1 was marked with workshops and more workshops. Only this time, we got to do what no BRAT had ever done, a standup-er. Sorta broadcast journalist type where you speak into the camera...

Day 2

Woke up early to go out on our first assignment - street polls! I particularly enjoyed this one. There's just a thrill about approaching unknown people on the street and quizzing them. Our questions evolved around the art of the traditional Sarawakian tattoo... We were split into twos amongst our group members and I ended up with Jing Wen. Together, we covered the whole of Carpenter Street and even went beyond our permitted zone, of course, unintentionally.

After lunch back at the inn, we had to complete our assignments. While doin this, we had another task. To make an edible meal outta Maggi products. I thought ours was pretty good la but we didn't win. Had loads of fun making it with the girls though.

Then workshops and games... Pssst, just so you know, i managed to figure out ALL the BRATs games. Some of them have the dumbest philosophies yet they can drive you nuts. Seriously? Bright? Not so much!

Day 3

Pepper Board day. Apart from wearing masks and trying to get the slightest bit of information amidst the blaring noises of the pepper ridden machines, I don't remember much...

The best lunch ever!!! We went to this place at Carpenter Street where they served awesome fish and chicken and some desert wrapped in pandan leaves which Alesha completely despised but I ravished.

We were given some time to shop after lunch. I think we managed to burn off the lunch good by speed walking and running in and out of souvenir shops with the limited time we had. BRATs are crazy shoppers. Seriously! We shopped til the very last second!

Presentation night. Big bummer. I was Oprah Winfrey. Our group was so unprepared. We changed the title thrice. We did an impromptu dance that went haywire. Total malfunction. You can just imagine how it went. Good times!

Day 4

Bubye day. We said our sad goodbyes and exchanged e mail addresses. Friendster is very functional when it comes to these situations. Anyway, will never forget the fun i had with all u Kuching BRATs out there. Journalism isn't all it's cut up to be and only a journey like this one will reveal the many skeletons in a true blue journalists' closet.

The highlight of day 4 though, was meeting up with Jacintha. I didn;t get enough of shopping at Carpenters street on day 3 so i forced Jas to hit the shops with me and like a true friend, she did. It was so good to catch up with her again, although it was just in between bargaining and while I stared in awe at the beautiful souvenirs Kuching was blessed with. (......still can't believe i didn't get a cat! PFFFtt!)

Anyhoo, she took me to her gigantic paradise of a house and there I met the bubbly and enthusiastic Tagals. Eldest brother Justin, future groom, eldest sis, Jemima-future doctor, the oh-so-famous Joyce Tagal, and little Jeanette... They are such wonderful, hospitable people who perpetually coaxed me into eating while i relentlessly turned down their offer. I felt like I was in a dream, just sitting there in her house and taking in the ambiance. I simply had to take a picture with her and her mom and her sister.

Jas drove me to the airport at tortoise speed (sry jas!) an hour before my flight. She chatted up a stranger while I instinctively dropped news that she was about to leave for Harvard. Even I took such pleasure in saying it, yet again.... It seems to me that God sends me friends who become famous, high achieving individuals - Esther Elizabeth, Jacintha Tagal, Adam Chong Szetho.... I've always remembered to thank him for bringing such exceptional people into my life and someday, i truly hope that I might become someone exceptional....

Although it's hard to feel like that day is around the corner with me bumming at home most of the time....

APRRC update coming soon altho i feel like I've run a marathon and deserve to put my legs up for the next one year. Sigh.

Comments (3) Full article