Tuesday, October 09, 2012

Why I write...

pic from Facebook


I don't know when I began to think of all the stories locked up inside my head.  I wondered what would become of them if I didn't share them with anybody.  I suppose that some family member or friend would be able to recount an incident but it wouldn't be in my words nor from my perspective.

Some of the memories I've shared on STEEST about losing a husband and losing a child helped me to move on.   They also serve as a record of the events, from my point of view.

I don't know why I continue to write.  Some part of me believes that, in the distant future, my grandchildren may be curious enough to google my name and chance upon my blog and to read about me. It could also be that my son will have a piece of me, in cyberspace, when I am gone.  

Now that my grandmother is dead, I realise that there are so many things about her that I didn't know.  There are so many questions that I could have asked her, should have asked her but didn't think to do so.

While I am uncertain whether or not my descendants will even bother about me, I will, at least, know that a lot of my thoughts are in my blog.  If even one of them is curious, they'll be able to hear my voice.

They'll know bits and pieces about me that I wish I knew about my grandmother.  

And if Facebook still exists then, they'll see my project 366 of a photo a day for 2012.  I don't know yet if I will carry on with this project in 2013 and I'll decide on the last day of this year, that is, if the prophecies are all wrong and the world doesn't end this December!!!

pic from Facebook



PS
If you are not my Facebook friend and you'd like to see the project, let me know and I might just send you the link!  :D

8 comments:

  1. Only yday we were talking about the very same thing... to write for the generation to come..
    An uncle mentioned how his family n the extended family were all rounded up by the japanese soldiers and 'imprisoned' in pudu jail for 16 months.. their crime: his 2 older brothers had joined the british army and the japanese suspected the family of being spies..
    And an aunt (87 years old) said how she was introduced to a man. When next she saw him she found out they were engaged. And the 3rd time she saw him was on their wedding day. And that was life.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Precisely!!! So many of these amazing stories are going to be lost. Sandra, you must undertake to compile the stories!!!!!! You must!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      Delete
  2. It only just occurred to me that you have been posting new stories on this new blog rather than the old one. I was wondering how come there have been no updates from you in my sidebar. I've now changed the link to SFGEMS.

    You keep on writing, my friend. You have plenty of stories to tell and I'd love to read them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I first began blogging, I was caught up in the thrill of seeing 'views" and "comments". Well, I haven't become totally immune to it but I'm more interested now in just sharing my thoughts here for the next generation in my family.

      So I was really pleased to see your kind words. I'd forgotten how nice they can make a blogger feel.

      Thank you. :D

      Delete
  3. How many times have I felt a twinge of deep regret that the internet only became available to the general public in the late 1980s (in Malaysia the early 1990s, perhaps, I'm not sure when). I suddenly think of favorite aunt or some relative who died long before facebook become a raging phenomenon - and there are no traces of them online, no images to rightclick and save. Will this technology we're using be superseded? My guess is that fewer will be using cumbersome desktops while just about everyone will carry around some wristwatch or handphone sized device with which they can access data stored in virtual memory banks. There may even come a time when we can access the collective memory simply by focusing our attention for a few moments and locking onto some sort of akashic grid. But you are absolutely right in cherishing stories - because at the end of the day, each of us is actually a unique tale told by Creation Itself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Agree with you on this. :) We are all unique with our own story to tell. There is no way anyone can tell my story better than I can.

      xoxoxo

      Delete
  4. All I can add to what Sandra, Fadhil and Antares have written is this: when you write whatever you write, I'll be here, reading.

    I have lost the need to write - maybe it's because I have my painting and my doodles to keep me sane these days. But the written word has always had a special place in my heart - be they my words, or yours. It's all good :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Writing is just an expression of who we are. For you, you've found that painting and doodling gives you the better avenue to best express what you feel now.

      In your case, you've got a choice of three to choose from. In mine, there is only one, so far. :D

      Delete