KL emptiness

finally, chinese new year is here, it's not a moment too soon.  

the first full-year here, i took a trip to hanoi and halong bay during the lunar new year.  true to form, i traveled to place with limited plans or research completed.  i found that town largely shut down, the fact that vietnam had been run by the chinese for hundreds of years, and their political grip on the country was only eliminated by the colonial investments of the japanese and french were not clear to me until i got there and experienced the country.  later return to hanio was done during hari-raya, and i found the bohemian city fully open and energetic.  

that year i was warned about KL and how it empties out during CNY.  the people of KL, chinese and other, balik kampung during this long holiday break.  most of the mat salleh stay in the city and enjoy the quiet times that an empty city permits.  the chinese owned shops are mostly closed, but the expat hang-outs are open and operating with the non-chinese staff at the ready to serve.  as i type i am looking at jalan talawi tiga midday and with open parking spots.  the pace is slow and comfortable during this holiday.  the noise level is even lower, the larger and more vocally demanding voices have elected to leave the city behind for less demanding of us.

what surprised me this weekend was that there were so many people still here.  this is my third CNY in the city, and i had expected less people.  i asked around yesterday and was told it was the economy that was keeping people in the city.  i laughed and had to point out that only in malaysia would people decide to stay in the most expensive city in the country to save money because of a declining economy; and then spend all weekend shopping in overpriced malls, eating in cafes targeted at those with EUR and USD based incomes and generally continuing the conspicuous consumption lifestyles of normal KL.

one of the changes i have enjoyed this weekend was waking up and listening to the sounds of birds in the jungle bukit outside my window.  normally i do not hear these sounds, they are drowned out by city sounds that encroach into my edge of the city.  with the city in low-gear it is moving slow enough to allow these lessor sounds to come forward.  being alone to just enjoy the sounds of simple life have been one of the easiest enjoyments of this weekend.

the second has been the fact that i have been able to write.  not only do i have the time, but i have the ability to let the words flow from head to fingers to web.  the past few weeks have been focused on things other than sleep and releasing thoughts.  dealing with situations from outside, preparing to execute on choices i had no decision in making and bracing for the new year have been consuming.  the emptiness and quiet of this weekend have allowed me to pour myself into the void this has created.  removing the block has given me the chance to drain off the fluid of the purulent cyst that has been growing un-managed for weeks.

the relief is welcome and comes when most needed.  relief is the first step, recovery is the next.  the risk is of course that things will simply go back to normal.  recurrent relapse could occur as the city and life both return to normal.  but this CNY has shown, even if things are not as empty as we had hoped for, you can make room for recovery and relief.

one step at a time, finding the empty space and moving to it.  that is the plan for the rest of this year.