Take Flight, Little One.

So my bags are pretty much packed, with all that I would need within the next few months at the very least. All these are actually considered a whole lot more luggages than those that my peers are carrying with them, seeing that they only have one hand carried luggage while I have four. And to think that my cousin has so kindly carried 13kg worth of stuff for me over to the UK on Monday; it makes me think twice about being a hoarder.

Cleaning up all my things at home was a lesson in itself. I had two options, to put them in the 'Give Away' box or the 'Sentimental' box. Knowing the person that I am, I could have placed almost everything into the 'keep-for-life-and-never-take-it-out-ever' box, but I didn't. I dutifully am giving away a whole lot of my things and keeping about 3 boxes of things with sentimental value which includes handwritten notes, cards and even copies of my first pay cheque.

Speaking of which, my clearing up efforts brought about a pretty interesting story. In the midst of sorting out things that were to be kept, I found a note that had a handwritten message in it by a lady who signed off as 'Agnes' back in 1999. There was even a photograph of her in that note. I vaguely remembered the name, but was not absolutely certain. At the end of the note, there was a contact number. I called, and a very lovely reunion unfolded. She was the lady I used to call 'Agnes Jie Jie' back when I was 8. I was very close to her back then when the elections were happening. Who knew that she'd remember me after all these years? We met up yesterday, catching up on the past decade and how everything has unwind into the 20-year-old girl who sat in front of her, who used to be only as tall as her legs, now standing taller and wiser (I hope). At the end of the day, I have to admit, clearing my clutter did pay off.

Leaving home, leaving the nest, leaving the country for a new chapter in life, pursuing a new field of study and seeking brand new adventures is exciting, until I realise that to take off and begin this new journey, I have to physically leave several people I hold so close to my heart. I have realised lately that all it takes is for a known departure to make everyone closer, particularly with WJ the brother. And I somehow felt as though there was this abundant amount of love all around in everyone, not that there wasn't any before, but it just feels somewhat different.

I did previously have a defense mechanism that screwed things up when I had to leave, thinking that it would make the departure easier, or I would keep my distance so that it would be easier to detach when the time comes. This time around, I have learnt that this was not the case. I disallowed myself to ruin beautiful ties, I made it a point to savour every moment I could with the parents, the brother, the God Mums and the friends. I feel ever humbled by their love.

This departure too is teaching me just how time doesn't define a friendship. A friend had called out of the blue from Australia just to check up and see how my emotions were doing as she too had been through it all when she had to pack up and leave. Another friend, way back from primary school days wrote to me after all these years just to wish me well before I take off, and all these reminded me that a friendship is never based on how much time you spend with each other, but rather where you are placed in their hearts.

The family joined me in my efforts to eat all the different types of Malaysian food that I wanted before I head over to the UK. They have been tremendously obliging, and I am truly grateful. I almost felt like a camel storing up all the food in my humps! If you are wondering, I did not pack any instant noodles. I did however bring along some 3-in-1 Milo, 5 packs of Bak Kut Teh powder, 2 packs of Herbal Chicken powder, Edmark's Ginseng Coffee and Edmark's Meal Replacement Therapy. That's about all the food stuff that I brought along.

I did silently wish there was a foldable version of Daddy, Mummy, WJ, God Mum and Mummy Jo just so I could pack them all in my bag, or a magical teleporting machine would do. Imagine attending classes in the mornings, teleporting myself home for dinner, and teleporting myself back to campus for the nightlife. Wouldn't that be something? A girl can dream. At the very least, the thought of it makes me smile.

I will be flying MH 2, Malaysian Airlines from KLIA to London Heathrow Airport. The flight departs at 11.40pm local time and am probably going to enter the departure hall 2 hours before the flight because of the sponsors. I am pretty sure there will be tears, and a few farewell letters to be given away, but I also know that this temporary departure is for a better tomorrow, an exciting journey and an abundant amount of new memories. With those thoughts, I will pull myself together. I promise.

Loves,

Ee Ping