*This is a collection of stories that I love.
SHORT STORIES OF MY LIFE
This is the story when I kayaked from Lumut to Pangkor Island during my OBS in July 2009.
In the nineteen years of my existence, I can sincerely say I was never caught red handed for crime or anything as remotely interesting as that. So I will not relate any disciplinary misadventures but instead, will simply highlight the experience of a young teenage boy stranded in the middle of the sea. Getting ‘caught’ in the middle of such an extreme situation is no doubt the most character (and muscle) building experience I’ve ever had.
I was a sixth former in college at the time and we were all required to take part in a program called Outward Bound School in Perak,Malaysia. One of the activities was to kayak across the sea from Lumut to Pulau Pangkor, an Island in the state. So we all geared up with our respective partners and braced ourselves to face the unforgiving blue waters. I realize now that it is impossible for me to accurately illustrate the raging waves and scorching sun burning the back of my neck at the time and I hope my account will be as close to giving justice to my experience as possible. Caught in the middle of the sea, all we had was literally each other and yet all I had time and strength to worry about was myself.
The heat was excruciating as my female partner and I pedaled our way across the water, depending on sheer strength and willpower alone to cover more than 18 miles of sea to get to the island. So we were indeed, caught in the situation with nowhere else to go but onwards. The ocean was vast and the both of us were merely specks amid the foamy waves threatening to capsize us the instant we lost control. Our instructors had warned us beforehand to keep pedaling no matter what or we would surely drift off course. This was a feat easier said than done. As I pedaled furiously, I found out that the saying, mind over matter, really does ring true. Even when your whole body screams of exhaustion, it is not impossible to carry on if your heart wills it. Not unlike a mother’s adrenaline rush at seeing a threat upon her child, I surged on with the strength of a desperate man. But this was a slightly different kind of rush, a stronger one perhaps, seeing as the immediate threat was looming upon my very self.
At the risk of being pompous, my partner and I were quite surprisingly the first among equals, the reward for our relentless determination. We led the way briskly, stopping now and then to recuperate and wait for the others to catch up. My arms were aching and my legs numb from the tension as we waited, the clear water shimmering like crystal and momentarily blinding me every time it reflected the sun above. Then, out of the blue (literally), another friend, Sarah, caught up with us and I was shocked to see that she was sobbing terribly, her chest heaving from fatigue. Her voice was hoarse and brittle with panic as she cried to us for help. She sounded almost delirious as she related to me that she just could not go on any further. Upon noticing Sarah’s partner, I understood immediately. Her male partner sitting behind her was just too heavy for her and due to his weight, he tired easily and she was nearly always the only one pedaling.
Sitting there looking at her, I tried to overcome my own doubts and fears as I knew there was only one thing for me to do. When you get caught in the middle of the ocean and you see a girl on a kayak crying, there’s nothing to it but to take over. As simple as that. So after a brief discussion, the four of us linked hands to bring our kayaks close together and I exchanged places with Sarah. I guess I should have braced myself as I was immediately caught off guard when I took my seat. The kayak was dangerously off balance with the back side dipping deep into the water due to my new partner’s bulk. Inhaling deeply, I had to push my pedal deep into sea to propel us forwards and with each stroke, I easily realized why Sarah couldn’t possibly hold back her tears any longer. The sea remained formidable as I forced my way across, willing myself to carry on. One false move and we would careen over for sure. Pretty soon, the mass I had to carry was proving impossible to bear but before I could set my ego aside and give way to tears, as luck would have it, a friend of mine, Khairil pulled over beside me.
I could never fully express my relief to see him at the time. See, Khairil was an avid gym member and I guess you could say he was the college’s resident body builder. The island’s pale white shore was mercifully visible to my tired eyes, strained to the limit by the bright searing sun. So close and yet so far. I inhaled the warm salt-laced air deeply with every ounce of strength I had left but I knew even with the promising view of land ahead, I couldn’t make it. Khairil agreed to trade places with me and with the grim silence of soldiers in battle, we plunged our pedals deeply and forced our way forwards. The effort was incredible.
Needless for me to say, we made it in the end. Even Khairil admitted to nearly giving up from the pressure. The last night we were there, as we all gathered for barbeque dinner, a pleasant surprise greeted us. Khairil and I were announced as ‘heroes’ for so valiantly rescuing our friends and for our honorable courage and self control in such a difficult situation. The memory of that fateful day will remain close to me and I can safely say that it was one of the best experiences I ever had.
Credit: Ainul
Captions
Popular Bookstore- 11 years old
The tall dark men next to me took out large sums of money to give to the cashier. He was willing to pay all of my R.L Stine’s Goosebumps and Michael Lee’s Midnight’s Story series although he did not understand much what the books are all about. But my father did understand my passion for reading, and he knew it was good for his son. Being in standard five, I have not much to care about the world around me, only my Goosebumps and evenings filled with Disney Channel time.
SMK Sultan Ismail II- 15 years old
“Wow that is such a great camera! How did your father allow you to buy it? ” I asked my friend when he brought his own DSLR camera. I was stunned by the images captured by the small-but-heavy black thing! I could not care less but to surf the internet and looked for the best camera.
“NO, the final answer is no!” my father said.
“It’s okay, I’ll buy the camera using my own money” I replied. My father just smiled and walked away.
I knew I could not get enough Ringgit Malaysia to buy the camera which was my passion and so was my father. I looked for ways to develop my passion in capturing moments. I studied independently on how to capture my own best photo using my friend’s camera and from the internet. Digital Camera magazines were my in my list of things for camping.
In one evening in January, I came back to school and found a yellow-framed magazine. It was on the table. National Geographic? Yes, it was. I was so glad that my mother subscribed the magazine as my birthday present. Until now, it is still my favourite magazine. Nothing could compare my pleasure of drinking a cup of coffee while engaging myself with the photos in Visions of Earth section in the magazine. Canadian Oil Boom, Yellowstone National Park and recently published Indonesia Facing the Fanatics are the journals portraying the real world natural phenomenon and human-made crisis. The stories were told beautifully made myself deeply sink into the world.
Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar- 18 years old
“How much is too much?” the voice of Oprah was vibrating in my ears as I was reading my favourite author’s new book, Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly of Everything. My mother was doing her daily routine; watching Oprah while I always accompany her while reading a book. I found it was intellectually engaging to watch Oprah although my mother just anxious waiting whether the audiences were going to get surprises from the show. While watching the show, I develop my passion for the physique of our Earth. The book I was reading truly brought interest in me for our Earth.
I went to boarding school and away from my father’s care and my mother’s guidance. My Sunday mornings have been replaced with time for reading The Star, the leading nation’s newspaper. Zainah Anwar’s column, Sharing the Nation was my favourite together with Dzoff Azmi’s Contradictheory. Being an activist, Zainah Anwar has always inspired me with her thoughtful and critical views.
Growing up, I found memoirs to be inspirational. ‘Tis a Memoir and Angela’s Wishes by Frank McCourt truly stirred my heart with his moving stories while my favourite author’s memoir, The Life and Times of the Thundeborlt Kid made myself to discover that my life is full of beautiful things to do!
I came across a book one day that grabbed my attention. ‘Outliers: The True Story of Success’ by Malcolm Gladwell. I just picked up the book and read it. I skipped dinner and finished the book in one and a half day! I was so captivated by the stories, analysis and arguments presented in the book. Those who are successful are outliers, and they are successful because of accumulation of success. Well, truly interesting when I reflected my own chronological stories. Without my father’s will to spend so much money for my books, without my mother’s daily routine, without my 15th birthday present and without my passion for photos; how would I be today?