Holiday, Where Art Thou?

It’s that time of the year when we are closing next year’s issue of weddingsmalaysia. The 2010 edition will be our 5th issue and whilst we always contend that the work process will be smoother and easier to navigate, it never really is. Somewhere, somehow, something crops up that throws a spanner in the works.

Still, we soldier on. We take note of the errors, correct them. We acknowledge what is sub-par and elevate them. We receive last minute requests from advertisers, consider them and then politely remind them that deadlines are long gone. We check, counter-check and when we are finally as sure as we can be, the files are sent to the printer.

A huge weight is off our shoulders; for a while only. In a week or two, it will be time for the factory visit to inspect pages that have come off the press. And when all goes well, the pages will be collated, bound and the publication will be shipped to our distributor. And if all goes to plan, weddingsmalaysia 2010 will be in bookstores and newsstands early December. Come to think of it, I still haven’t decided on the cover ........ OMG! Definitely need a holiday soon.

Photo of Sapi in Sabah, Malaysia.

Back Together On Holiday

You know a friendship is strong when after not having been on holiday together for more than 10 years, you still hit it off and do not get on each other's nerves. I'm on holiday with 3 of my friends from my undergraduate days at The Flinders University Of South Australia. We are in fact in Kota Kinabalu and the trip is to commemorate our friendship that has spanned 2 decades. We were supposed to be a clique of 6 but only 4 of us are making this celebratory trip. Still, it is rather quite an accomplishment considering that we have barely been in regular touch for the past few years.

So far, we have island-hopped to Sapi and Manukan and got sunburnt in the process, pink as lobsters we are. We have trekked at Mount Kinabalu National Park and marveled at nature's bounty, luckily for us including the Rafflesia, not only 1 but 2. We have witnessed sunsets that only Kota Kinabalu can accord. We have feasted on the freshest of seafood and sampled much of the local fare. But what really makes this holiday meaningful is just spending time together with those whom we came-of-age with. The transitional years from teenager to adult are etched in my mind and these friends of mine - Ken Lin from Penang, Yean Mun from Petaling Jaya and Elsie from Hong Kong (I know that Ken Bin and Cordelia would have joined us too if they could have) - form most of my memories of that chapter in my life. And whilst we may not be as close as we were before, they will always remain part of who I am.

Holidays always pass too quickly. We are midway through ours. We have had a wonderful time up to now, but realisation will soon set in that we will be parting ways again in 2 days. We will of course say how much we enjoyed our time together, which is true, wish each other well and promise to keep in touch more often. I will try to keep my end of the bargain and I hope my friends will too. Friendships like these do not come by easily and they certainly ought to be cherished.

Photo shot at the jetty on Pulau Sapi, Sabah.