World Of Unknowns

Wow, time sure flies. It is December 24th already. I don't even want to know what the malls are going to be like. I have been a lucky gal, since we don't really believe in gifts, so I have been spared all the horrible stories I have heard about Christmas shopping in the malls. Phew!

I am happy today, as the weather is not as cold when I walked to work, and I am bringing my hubby out for the movie, Avatar, tonight! We will be watching it on IMAX 3D! I think he is excited! =)

I redeemed 1,000 Scene points for one ticket, and paid $17.50 for the other ticket. It seems like it will cost me the same number of Scene points for a regular movie or an IMAX movie. My strategy from now on will be to use my Cineplex movie passes for regular movies, and only redeem my Scene points for IMAX 3D movies!

Okay... enough rambling. I promised to post the essays I wrote for my Toastmaster speeches. So, here goes!

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World of Unknowns

We humans have this amazing ability to lull ourselves into a state of comfort. All through our lives, we work at building walls to house ourselves in this little space, called our comfort zone, and even when this so called comfort zone gets too suffocating, too cluttered, and just plain unlivable, we are so familiar with it that we refused to venture outside of those walls.

Are we really that comfortable in the little space that we’ve trapped ourselves in? Are our lives not worth expanding beyond those 4 imaginary walls that we’ve put up? Or are we just afraid of the unknown?

Ladies and Gentlemen, in the next 5 minutes, I am going to share with all of you parts of my journey of traveling in the world of unknowns. I have always pride myself as a person, who has lived a couple of lives.

I had a previous life, a life before I met Wayne, my husband, and moved to North America. A very sheltered life, where everything was provided for me by my lovely parents. Like all parents who meant well, mom and dad gave their best, and provide the best for me, and they never fail to always stop me from “committing” mistakes.

I could have followed my parents’ wishes, and live my life according to their plan. I could have had my destiny all planned out for me, and lived a very comfortable life. But then I would not be here today.

Instead, I chose to live my life on my own terms. I was not going to have my life lived out for me!

I had no idea at all how my life will be like outside of my comfort zone. All I had was this burning desire to have a fulfilling life, a life that will resemble my dreams, a life that I will be proud of to share with my loved ones, a life that will leave a blazing trail in the wake of my journey.

My first leap into the unknown started in December 1998. I just got out of a very painful 3 year relationship, and was depressed for the longest time. It’s strange how the best of human nature always rise up in moments of darkness and crisis. After deciding enough is enough, I gave myself a break, and took a trip to North America all by myself. By the way, up till then, I have never been out of Asia.

It was an amazing 2 weeks! I took in the sights of New York City, fell in love with Niagara Falls, and had a grand time in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Incidentally, Halifax is the place I met Wayne, and that was the start of the turning point of my life. Now, Wayne and I started off on the wrong foot, and how we eventually got together is enough material for another speech. =)

Suffice to say, by December 1999, we decided to give long distance relationship a shot, a journey not many people enjoy. Let’s just say it’s not fun.

On Valentine’s Day 2000, Wayne said he had enough of the long distance relationship, and asked me to join him in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he was working. I followed my heart, and by April 2000, I moved to Charlotte.

No one could fully comprehend my decision. Why would Denise choose to give up a comfortable and good life in Singapore, and move to Charlotte? Where is Charlotte, anyways? Some say I was blinded by love… But the romantic me prefer to think that I was blinded by my passion to live my life to the fullest. =)

Wayne and I lived in Charlotte for 2 wonderful years.

However, in February 2002, he decided that he had enough of the corporate world, and wanted to take a year off to backpack.

I was very hesitant at first, as I had just started to get comfortable with my life in Charlotte. But something in me told me not to be afraid, and to pounce on this opportunity! Something told me that it was time to move out of my comfort zone again, and go on the adventure of a lifetime.

So, by mid March 2002, we sold most of our stuff, packed the rest of our worldly belongings, and drove back to Halifax.

Once we deposited our belongings in Halifax, we set off on a year of backpacking. We did not have any idea where our journey will take us. All we had were 2 Lonely Planet guidebooks, one of Southeast Asia, and one of China.

In that year, we took in the culture of Germany, and the windmills of Netherlands. We walked along, and swam in the beautiful white sand beaches of Redang, Malaysia. We took a walk with a tiger in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, stood in awe, and marveled at the mysteriousness of the Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and learnt about the sad history of Vietnam.

We drank in the breathtaking scenery of HuangShan (Yellow Mountain) in Anhui, strolled along the Bund in Shanghai, climbed an unrestored section of the Great Wall of China in Beijing, and visited the famous Terra Cotta Warriors of Xi’an.

It was an unforgettable journey in a world full of dazzling sights, and unmatched beauty.

Standing here now, I shudder to think that if I had been afraid to venture into unchartered territories, if I had been afraid to come out of my comfort zone, and if I had given in to the many naysayers around me who mean well, I would not have been able to experience this world in all its splendor.

My fellow Toastmasters, if there’s anything I have learnt in this short life of mine, I have learnt that just as we have the ability to lull ourselves into a state of comfort, choosing to live within the imaginary walls we’ve erected, lying dormant in all of us is also have this tenacious capacity, and enormous will to break through our normal paradigms, to venture into the great wide unknown world, and to choose to live a life that is filled with passion and wonderment.

I do not know where my journey in life will take me from here, but what I do know is that I will not stop traveling out of my comfort zone. But most importantly, what I do know is that I will have lived my life knowing that when I look back, I will choose to live my life the same way all over again.

Madam Toastmaster.