August 31

Now at 2100 words and I am only 4 paragraphs short of completion of my HP assignment. Just a short post dedicated to this particular date.

August 31 means a lot to my country, to me, and to many people around the world...

• This year, is my first Merdeka day overseas. Stuck with assignment, and many coursemates are back to exam mode. Saw many online MSN contacts who are overseas, they all bear “Merdeka Day” on their screennames. I don’t really know why we don’t even feel like watching the National day parade on the TV, but we celebrate National Day in the cyberspace by unspoken words. Maybe that’s what we call the oversea-student dilemma, the search for identity in a land of strangers...
  
  
• Last year, I was in Shah Alam, trapped in the grim city, doing nothing in the hostel. For some reasons, I was down. Very down.
  
  
• Two years ago, I was in Shah Alam, guess so.. Remember I joined a MARA Merdeka Celebration, where Dato Seri Mahathir, the then Prime Minister gave a speech. We watched fireworks, and we were in awe. Beautiful, still fresh in my memory. Besides, Swee Sing and Meow Joo left for Korea on the National day. I remember when Swee Sing last came to my room, we were playing Michael and Victor’s “Friends” (光良品冠-朋友）.
  
  
• Three years ago, I went to a celebration in Alor Star, together with Winson, Yee Pin and Jason (don’t remember if there was anyone else). We said that it was probably the last time we could spend time celebrating Merdeka together. It really was, at least, until today.
  
  
• Four years ago, I was on a St. John Ambulance uniform, serving my duty as the event first-aider. I thought I looked smart, but looking back my pictures at that time, I was actually quite chubby.
  
  
• Eight years ago, the radio broadcaster said that Princess Diana died in an accident in Paris. I told my mum, “Haha, how come people can create rumours like that?”
  
  
• Forty eight years ago, Federation of Malaya was born. “Merdeka” reverberated through the heaven, lifting elated spirits.
  

In every year, August 31 never fails to capture my memory and freeze it in the passage of time. Different time, different place, different people, different people.

Happy Independence Day, fellow Malaysians. Let it not be a routine holiday to display our flags and to revere our Agong on the TV. Let it be a day of reflection, of our own, and of our country.

So that we will march on.

p/s: And today is the last day of Winter. Welcome, spring!