rediscovery

old buildings and back alleys fascinate me.

i remember this one time when i was on-location for Time Out Penang, i had decided to walk to my next destination instead of taking the bus and i stumbled upon a quaint coffee shop on Stewart Lane. it was on the ground floor of a postcolonial shop lot and i noticed that there were a bunch of foreign backpackers huddled together and watching a foreign movie, coffee cups and cans of beer in hand.

and then i walked along the intersection that connected Stewart Lane to Love Lane, once known as the lane that housed underground brothels where rich Chinese merchants or British officials would take on "lovers" while off duty (hence, the term "Love Lane"). i remember running my fingers on the dilapidated pillars, skipping along the drain and just breathing in the scent of a past that was once lively but had now been forgotten.

the strip connecting armenian street 

i share the same feeling when i'm walking along Jalan Tun H.S. Lee and Jalan Sultan in KL, as well as Heeren Street (now known as Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lok) in Malacca and Muntri Street in Georgetown. There's just something about beautiful, once-forgotten ruins that enrapture me. it's amazing when you're stuck in time while at the same time, you watch the present time continue on like how life does. i love hearing stories about the past, i love hearing about adventures and monumental events that have shaped a place (or a person).

maybe that's why i've always had a soft spot for art history, postcolonial architecture and old people. 

when i was living in bukit damansara, i used to jog along Jalan Beringin right up to Plaza Damansara where huckleberry/skullduggery are, and there was a really old, abandoned bungalow that i normally would casually jog past at night because it was too dark and i couldn't see it. 

But one Sunday morning, when i decided to go for a jog, it shocked me how beautiful, ancient and broken that bungalow was amidst the light. i noticed the green vines that graced the roman pillars, mirrors hung along the corridor and the swirl of the main staircase that connected three floors. it was an extremely eerie feeling but i couldn't help wondering who lived there, what was their story and how did this place came to be. it was only after i realized that i had been standing there for a good five minutes that i decided to carry on with my jog and ever since, i've never failed but to stop at that spot whenever i was jogging around the area. 

i've always loved exploring. being a curious cat by nature, there was always something in me that just wanted the thrill of exploring and learning about new places and people. my opportunity at Time Out Malaysia opened those doors for me and the lovely part about it was that i could write about it. i could express my thoughts in the way that i knew best. i lost so much of that spirit when i left that life for a new experience in digital marketing where everyday, i feel like my soul is being sucked out by demanding clients, the long hours, office politics and drama. 

maybe that's why i'm really excited for the semester break. i finally know what i'm going to do in the next three months. and while riding along my renewed spirit ever since the election, i hope that this new journey will be something beautiful. 

i'm just really excited.
and i think it's time to revive my old Nikon.