A final spell in KL

Morning meditations

There is something magical about waking up early in the English countryside. I lay in bed this morning after a weird dream with a lingering image of Robert Carlyle (i.e. Begbie from trainspotting) shouting at me aggressively in his thick Scottish accent with a cup of tea in his hand...  no doubt it was a distorted remnant from the movie last night but it left me feeling slightly bemused. As his voice slowly faded from my consciousness it was replaced by the soothing sound of bird song; mm, I love Devon. I glanced over at my phone to see that it was only 7.20am. Hmm... to sleep or not to sleep? My thumb automatically moved towards the seductive blue 'F' on the screen and my mind soon began to reel with the speed of my newsfeed. F indeed, what a suitable acronym; instant stimulation, brain.activated. I decided not to sleep and instead made the most of the morning with a meditation. It's quite nice when you can finally zone into holiday mode and feel rested enough to actually enjoy an early start...

J's graduation

Dad, J and I officially left Kuala Lumpur 2 weeks ago; my dad's mission at the Red Cross came to an end after what seemed like an eternity, my brother graduated from high school and I completed my internship with the UN. It was a full on 6 months. I moved back to KL after uni with the intention of re-grounding around family and luckily, my unpaid internship was perfectly timed to coincide with moving home. Working with child refugees was seriously tough and the layers of reality that began to unearth themselves initially hit me quite hard; listening to their stories about fleeing genocide, trafficking, rape, abuse and every other form of suffering a child should never have to experience. It was heavy but I hardened up fast to the reality that I was to engage with. I found my release through physical exercise, teaching yoga, jamming with C and sharing the stories with those who would listen. I became part of the ebb and flow of my child protection team and I grew to understand the natural therapeutic method they employed to handle the stress of the work; constantly talking to each other, sharing dark humour and the regular Friday mash up at Kubur, the graveyard bar (yes, it was actually at a graveyard). I also began to truly understand how the pressures of full-time work so easily lead to a culture of alcoholism.

The legend behind the sound

Last day of recording

In a funny turn of events, I also found a release through my alter-ego, Chloe. I managed to land myself a completely unexpected gig as a 'hyperactive, super happy, sugary sweet and absent minded' cartoon poodle named, Chloe. I adapted quite fast to my character that I have a funny feeling was typecast and I found myself speaking in an American accent to emphasise the 'super happy' vibe as I felt the slightly posh, English accent didn't quite cut it. Over 4 months we recorded 4 seasons of the English dubbed 'Bodhi and Friends' that is soon to be released. The cartoon was already a hit in China and the creators commissioned a production of the English version that was to be completed in a very limited time frame without changing the actual animation; therefore, the sound effects mostly consist of infantile Chinese-like squeals, the characters lips are slightly out of synch and the process was completed so fast that I don't even know the actual plot line. It was however, a very entertaining experience during which my childhood fantasies came to life. I am intrigued to see what the final product will be given that my understanding of the plot is based on random scenes like jumping off spaceships or fighting away dystopian cats with my wind power, if they dare threatened to ruin my flower garden...  

Finally making it to C's game

Life was busy but I loved having a routine and a stable base. New friends from abroad blew in like breaths of fresh air and old friends from high school passed through regularly, bringing moments of sweet nostalgia as we reminisced on the glory days and saw how far into adulthood we'd all come. Everyone was on such amazing, diverse paths. It's a beautiful thing, watching your friends succeed. Those 6 months passed like the blink of an eye and before I knew it, I was going to leaving dinners and the movers were packing our life into boxes, again. Mum and I sat on top of T's truck, ferrying the remnants of dad's furniture to her apartment with tears in our eyes. We spent our last few nights in Lanson Place, the serviced apartment that we had stayed in when we'd first moved to Malaysia, 8.5 years ago. 

KL Sunrise from our apartment

Reunion dinners at Suzy's

The change was inevitable and on the whole, we were prepared but J was experiencing the major shift of leaving school. The great upheaval, inherent to the international lifestyle that has you excited for the next step while grieving the loss of your greatest friends, as they disperse to all corners of the globe; the preparatory phase for a life of adaptation. The moving process was interestingly synchronised with the Sagittarius super moon; an energetic time of transformation and putting ideas into action. It couldn't have been more accurate; I was watching it play out all around me and feeling the metamorphosis internally as my long unwanted habits naturally fell away in favour of healthier pursuits. I was growing up and moving on, ready for the next phase of life in London.

We all flew away from the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur; mum and T went off to celebrate summer solstice Kundalini style in New Mexico while J, dad and I opted for some good ol' British R&R in the patchwork quilt of the English countryside..

Aaand we're back

Song of the Day: 
Beautiful Escape (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QLYXPto0w4)