beach.

  And these remind me of the beach. The blazing sun baking mercilessly on your back, the grains between your toes, the larger than life canvas spread out before you and all you needed was a good old stick which you could pick up from somewhere about that place -it could be anywhere, that place was so vast you would surely find something, and even if you couldn't, your fingers would probably do just fine. Then lingering about the water's edge, getting your feet wet and sticky before the next wave comes in and washes it clean again. And if that weren't enough, we would decide to soak our whole selves in the saltwater.

  This vast sea stretched out so far, but I swore that I could see its edge. Trips to the beach were joyful events; it either meant that my cousins were staying over at our house, or it was a trip out with family friends. Other than that, although I had lived on that island almost all my life, we hardly ever 'just went' to the beach; like eating those famous cookies -my mum always tells us that 'We live here. We can eat it anytime.' But we visited the shop only when relatives and friends from outstation came.

  My dad would usually forbid us as little children to go and meet the water, but I remember quite vividly these two times, when he didn't seem to mind. We ended up with sand in between us inside our clothes where we could feel it but could not shake it. But I guess that it was worth it. Lying upon the saltwater, allowing it to hold you, lifting you up in intervals... It cooled the sun even though the rays still shone through.

  When we came out, there would be food with the rest of the adults who sat gathered under the shade, be it a tree or a shelter set up on the beach. We would wash our hands with fresh water brought from home in large mineral bottles, before we were given sandwiches -I think they were usually sandwiches.

  Sometimes we scrambled over boulders three times our height and explored a new world. A pair of sunglasses I'd had with me since I was one slipped off and fell with hardly a splash into the water below, lost to me forever.

• • •

I guess I'm just writing this just because I felt like writing it. Well, I've had been writing all that I wanted to write, but not what I had been assigned to write -these nights where sleep comes slow, there was one where I just got up after an hour of trying to quiet my mind, and filled up six pages of my journal. Guess I'll go back to my project now.

ps. I joined the StopSOPA thing, which means that my blog will be blackout on the 23rd of January. Can't believe that that bill thing is proposed to be passed on my birthday. But still, if you do follow my blog, it'll show you the significance, since I've been hoping to write something on 'nineteen'. Well, let's just focus on what we want, anyway. Because positive emotions triumph negative emotions every time. And as that's from 'Inception', it reminds me yet again -back to work. ;)