How do I live (without my check list!)?

I’m not exactly a spontaneous type of person. I like to be prepared for almost anything – thus, I’m a firm believer of ‘to-do-list’. For any occasion, be it work or outside work related, I will definitely grab a pen and a piece of paper and start scribbling what I need for that particular occasion dutifully.

If I have the luxury of time, I will even make small headings and compartmentalized all the details. And yes, that include listing all the stuff that I need to bring whenever I’m going for a trip, be it for business or for leisure. The list is a must. I remember my lists for the outdoor modules during my DPA days could be as long as 2-page-full, with subheadings like – clothes (plus the matching pants and hijab to go with it!), stationery, emergency, food etc.

So how would I react if I was caught off hand without my list? Well, this recent event showed that a little spontaneity can be a pleasant surprise, even with a check list-freak like me!

We had to cancel our initial year-end holiday as MH needs to go outstation during that time. So, last Friday he asked me to pack our bags for one-night-stay at my PIL’s in Kajang. This has been quite a fortnightly routine for me, so I do not need my list for this. I just throw in a couple of casual shirts, nightshirts and some other necessities for both of us that fit in one small backpack. Adeelia needs separate bag on her own as her stuff are more elaborate..hihihi. So they we were with 2-small bags for an overnight stay at my PIL.

Little did I know that MH had his own little plan. After having durian and manggis feast for lunch, he told me to pack up as we were heading for Port Dickson for our short gateway. I was like “What?!” It was Christmas-eve and on school holiday too, so the hotels must be fully booked. And what about our clothes and other stuff? I did not bring anything extra and so not prepare for the day in the beach! And how about the traffic report? I did not have any of those! Contrary to some popular belief, I did not shriek out. In fact, I was surprisingly calmed. We made a very quick stop at a supermarket in Kajang where the only few things that I manage to grab were Adeelia’s diapers and a pair of clothes for her. Then at the petrol station, I bought some snacks for us to munch on while we were on-the go. That was all!

We headed straight for the highway and as expected the traffic was so bad that we resorted to use the alternative road to get there that includes jalan kampung, pekan etc. It was quite adventurous because we never used most of the routes – takut juga kalau sesat in the middle of no where. The weather was gloomy/rain and from the numbers of cars that we had seen along the way, we knew that it would going to be the ‘survival of the fittest’ or should I say the ‘luckiest’? *grin*

After about 3-hours journey, we safely arrived at PD where the traffic was like in KL during the peak hours! So we managed to get there, but what about the hotels? We went through a few hotels and looking from the numbers of vehicles parked outside and some even at the road side, we did not even dare to stop and ask if there will be rooms still available. Owh, I'm the type of person who will do hotel booking in advance, with the exception of this one! So we went on until we came across this particular hotel that has its own private beach. MH went in to enquire while I waited in the car with Adeelia. It was the longest 10-minutes ever and a few moments later I saw MH walked out from the hotel. He showed no expression at all. Did we manage to get a room or not? I became impatient, “At least show me some signs lah dear”, I said to myself. He popped his head through the window and said, “Jom angkat beg masuk hotel”. Alhamdulillah!

We didn’t get the room with the sea view though, but the room was comfy, clean and equipped with everything that we need. It was good enough and as usual, as soon as we reached our room, Adeelia went straight to the phone and ntah call siapa ntah. So kenalah cabut wayar telefon tu cepat-cepat! We got a cute bikini and pelampung for Adeelia at the night market there. As for MH and myself, we bought a couple of simple T-shirts and beach slippers at the supermarket there. We had planned to spend only one night there, and guess what? We extended our stay for one more night and had fun at the beach for hours! It was Adeelia's first time at the sea and she loved it!

Well, I guess I could live without the 'list' once in a while. The adrenaline rush, not knowing exactly what to expect and where we will ended was super fun! The trick was to be very supportive of your partner, make decisions together and don't expect too much out of everything and experience true joy over the simple things you find along the way! And nothing would go wrong when you spend the time with your love ones! Oh did I mention that without my list, I totally forgot about the need to get ourselves sun block? Well, I guess the sun burnt is our keepsake for this vacation as we did not bring our camera too!