Even after the advent of smartphones, public commutes (especially buses) continue to serve as my sanctuary for downtime and me time. It allows my mind to process the series of events during the day, to sit and gather with my thoughts when they are far remote from noise and let my mind wander and entertain whatever it wants. I look forward to reading in buses and trains and even coming up with ideas, or use the time to recharge mentally and physically.
Since private cars have become an increasing commodity, I look forward to my solo commutes even more than I ever did before. It takes a lot more effort lately in face of the continuous promotion by Grab and Uber, the fact that my office is closer to home now and the irresistible need to sleep longer. But these commutes are necessary as they serve as that space for nothingness, that blankness to just be, lest I want to move without pauses from one task to another, like running on an autopilot. This is how I view my walks, cycling trips and plane rides too. Cycling isn't only a form of a recreational activity but it compels me to be mindful and present just by being disconnected from my phone. Long plane rides are rewarding after the amount of hectic work (including the packing)
I wonder why is it that sadly, I'm relying on my commutes in order to steal some downtime when I could make time for it more consciously and conscientiously. It got me thinking about how technology and the quick-fix hacks have changed the way we live and influenced the already fast-paced societies we are living in.
But perhaps personally, there's really something beautiful about commuting. It's symbolical of the importance of enjoying the journey besides being focused solely on reaching the destination. This brings me back to the time years ago when someone commented on our experiences commuting together vis-a-vis one driving the other. The company was more enjoyable and meaningful in the former.
So life is a journey. In such a fast paced and overly wired world, I'm still holding onto my commutes as one of my sanctuaries. Perhaps this could be my first step towards disconnecting in order to be truly connected, firstly with myself.
This is difficult to write, but it's definitely an important one amidst all the conversations we've been having lately. Growing up being brown/Malay wasn't easy, especially when it became ingrained in me that having a darker skin tone by default, is less desired than fairer skin tones. In childhood, I couldn't recall having to endure comments about my skin colour. Thankfully amongst children, these values ascribed to lightness and darkness didn't yet come to the fore. This consciousness became more obvious since secondary school. And it was tough and painful. I've been in a sports CCA since secondary school and I couldn't really avoid not becoming tanned. What hurts the most was even my peers at that time would make comments about my skin colour without even realising the damage caused from these words. These comments I recall, were sometimes made under the guise of humour. I was called 'budak hitam' (literally means 'black child') and even ...
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