The Monsoon rain welcome me with a thunderous applause, hammering on the roof of my parent's house when I set my foot for another timeless visit to the charming and mystical land of my rightful birthplace, the Keropoklekor land. It marked the end of dry a season and the beginning of a wet season. It also marked the start of another cycle to my endless life journey. Fate is gradually stretching its finger and touches my conscience - it is time to pack and go back. It is time to go home. I've finally decided to settle down and later spend my golden years in a secluded corner of the Keropoklekor land. I am going to open another chapter in my life. It is not a new chapter but a reincarnation of time that fortify the umbilical connection between yours truly and a place where my childhood memory lingers happily waiting to be romanticize again and again. This time I am leaving my ghost behind for good, chained and chastised onto the world that I'd never want to look back.
In my homeland, I saw many things are different now, but yet many things remain the same. The intimate feeling and the connection with the whole place and its people are as strong as ever. The fondness to having mankind favorite past time- a leisure siesta under a coconut tree watching the horizon has never changed. When I first felt in love with the salty breeze of the sea, it haunted me for life. This is my destiny, prescribed by the Almighty. In fact this coincides very well with my planned life milestone, except a year earlier. Most of my childhood friends who we used to play police sentry and ikan skila are nowhere to find, probably struggling and joining the rat-race army somewhere in the big city. I need to pick remnants of my previous life though to make a good compliment to spearhead and jump-start my new future.
As I am about to start my new journey, I can no longer ignore the inconvenient fact that I'm am also laving part of my colorful history behind. Many lessons had been learned. During my short alliance with that superficial life, many friends are made and friendship are forged. True friends are hard to find but upon finding one, they are a gem to be grasped upon. I hope that portion of my life journey has made me wiser and even stronger.
An old friend of mine used to utter this lines to me when I was looking for an answer during one of our soul searching escapades in Ayer Keroh, Melaka more than two decades ago :
Setinggi manapun sang helang terbang
pabila senja menjelang
hinggap dan kembali lah jua ia ke sarang
That wisdom speaks directly to my soul.
I am really looking forward to my new life. I hope the Monsoon, the whole critters of Keropoklekor land and the seafarers from the South China Sea will welcome me with their open heart. The world seems to stuck here in the Keropoklekor land for now. This is home. This is a place where I belong.
Timeless and beautiful vista like this is a trademark of Keropoklekor land. It will be forever engraved in my heart. This time it won't be a distant fatamorgana featured only in my dream. I just open my window and the reality is revealed before my eyes day in and day out.
The face of Keropoklekor land has changed a lot. This gloomy and lifeless spot used to be a bustling jetty full of activities for small diesel-engine boats to shuttle people from Kedai Payang to Seberang Takir and other kampung along the Terengganu river. These makeover and other modernization are now creeping into the life of local people. Oh yes...I almost forgot. Keropoklekor land is now a bandaraya.
These two lovely soul, my parent is the biggest motivation to me. The big decision to relocate myself to the Keropoklekor land is mostly inspired by them. They had done their best part to bring me up and put me where I am now. It is my part now to carry out a son's duty - to serve them well.
