My beginnings: Two Alternate Universe's Part 2

KLCC Photo by The Star's Glenn Guan

              My alternate parallel universe began in the city. I am and always will be a city girl living in the bustling streets, terrible traffic, and soaring skyscrapers that form the landscape of my hometown. The Klang Valley is home to four million and two hundred thousand people according to the most recent census. Who says city life stifles the imagination? That city kids are too sheltered and protected for fear of abuse, kidnapping and a tad too much emphasis on literary education. The left side of the brain is overworked but the right side is severely under-developed. There are shopping havens at every corner, sly street vendors selling anything under the sun, twenty-four hour eateries to further raise the count of obese Malaysians, overcrowded schools and a lot of competition. Cities are the urban jungle, just as much inspiration and creativity can be found here as anywhere else maybe even more so because your scratching and clawing your way to the top to be heard. After all, it is a jungle out there.

             In my parallel universe, I played outside every day after practice. My friends did not care how talented I was or how fast I could twirl. We just played made up games of action and adventure.

Concocting our 'evil' plans...

 Thrilling dinosaur chases, searches for the glittering pirates treasure, blistering Harry Potter duels with makeshift wands, Formula One car races on coconut tree leaves where we pulled and dragged the ‘cars’ to the finish line only to find the ‘exhaust’ burnt a hole through someone’s underwear.

I played on graffiti sprayed slides, swung on half-broken swing sets, organized clean ups of the trashed playground (someone actually stopped to ask who put us up to cleaning the playground), and lectured the teenage boys at the park on the dangers of smoking. I cannot imagine myself as I was then. A pretentious seven year old who could actually persuade seven of her girlfriends to clean up the playground while lecturing older boys (in a snooty voice I might add) on smoking. In a way, I have not changed. I might not be cleaning the playground anymore but having that experience just paved the way to the person I have become.

The cRazy Crew.. spot me!

             

       People say that kids in the city do not have room to play and grow but I beg to differ. My friends and I were holding court room battles before any of us knew what a lawyer was. I was making treaties even before I had a history lesson. We would tell wild, crazy, far-fetched stories to one another to pass the time. 

            

My Bestest Friends havin a crazy moment on Farah's B'day!
 (Forgive me for the photo!)

               There was never a dull moment. Every evening without fail there would be a wolf gang of girls waiting outside my gate for my sister and I to rush out and join the festivities. This was my second world that ran seamlessly alongside the other one. My world had to have begun with both because I could not have started out in this world without them. They ran hand in hand balancing each other out. They were so different that I needed to have different boxes for them in my mind yet they were one and the same.

              Both taught me about life and the lessons learnt are ones they cannot teach you in class. Books might get you so far but you need to experience these emotions and roller-coaster ups and downs to truly know what you are made of. I realize now that it is the bad moments that I am truly proud of. I can stand tall and say I went through hardships and I survived. At the time, you curse your misfortune and tough luck but there is always, always a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to hold on and grit your teeth. Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Receiving a scholarship with Sunway University from
Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah  

       I am a pre-university student-athlete now (CIMP Sunway College) June 12' and can proudly and honestly say that I have an over-active imagination and hail from a bustling metropolis. Four million and two hundred thousand strangers did not stop me from getting to where I am now and thanks to where I came from; the places my world began....

I am Here.

                             Childhood World 2 Memories

My beautiful mom and me (2yr)

Me, Aisyah, Farah and my beloved dad

Me, Aisyah and Farah

Elly's B'day?? since she seems to be the one wearing the mask... hehe
(Left: Aisyah, Farah, Elly, Me, Sara, Ika, Amira, Nazim)

  

My Birthday, From left: Elly, Me, Aisyah, Farah, Ariff

The Bestie Group:
(Clockwise) Sara, Me, Elly, Aisyah, Amira, Farah