Big Yellow Taxi

“Big yellow taxi.”

On more than a few occasions, I’ve said this phrase to friends.

“Big yellow taxi” – when one friend told me that he misses his ex-girlfriend for 6 years, who he dumped, then he saw holding hands with another guy in Makati after a month.

“Big yellow taxi” – when another friend told me he has difficulty letting go of his long-time fling. That jerk!

“Big yellow taxi” – when a college friend lamented that she sorely misses her grandmother who recently passed away, but who she neglected to visit for the last 4 years.

“Big yellow taxi” – when I, myself have this longing for something or someone who I’ve neglected and brushed aside.

How many times in our lives have we experienced this “sayang” moment. It is indeed excruciating when we know that this thing or person that we dearly want to have cannot be ours anymore.

That is what I call a “big yellow taxi” moment.

Why “big yellow taxi”?

There’s this song entitled Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows. The only line I can distinctly remember from this song is “You don’t know what you got, til it’s gone”. It talks about converting paradise into parking lots, and using DDT (pesticides) in your food. This song was incidentally used in the movie 30 Days Notice, starring Sandra Bullock, an activist fighting against the demolition of an old building in their community. Ok, my interpretation of the song may be inaccurate, but interpretations are always subjective hehehe.

Cliché as it may sound, this line is so true! We take things and people for granted, until the time that they decide to leave and move on, deciding not to take things sitting down, and finally stand up for themselves. We push in the backseat things and individuals because we think that they will always be there. But when fate decides to play a trick on us, and makes the wheel turn, our world comes to a halt, or worse, spins the opposite direction.

I would not want to say this to myself one more time. So before I get another “big yellow taxi” moment, I would like to say that I will miss Penang – or at least some things about it.

If you’ve been following my blog entries, you will notice that Penang hasn’t “grown on me”. Unlike Julia Campbell (bless her soul) in her blog entries (www.juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com) about her life as an expat in the Phillipines, I haven’t got too many kind words about Penang. All I wrote about are how trapped I feel here, how my life went on pause, and how I’m longing for my life in the Philippines.

The truth is, the past 2 weeks, I’ve been looking at Penang with fresh and kinder eyes. Now that I know that I’ll be leaving soon, I suddenly realized how beautiful Penang is.

So, I decided to make a list of the things that I will miss about Penang:
1. Mr. Hanifa, our trusted driver and friend. He is our grandfather-cum-driver-cum-tourguide-cum-pimp. (He set me up on a blind date with a Chinese Malaysian!).
2. Popia, the Chinese version of the fresh lumpia. This is made special by Auntie Popia or Grandma Popia (we don’t know her name), who meticulously prepares each piece that we order for ta pao (take out).
3. Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Asia, which still amazes me until now
4. Bak-kuah, the ultimate pork experience. Sweet and salty, this marinated pork is so tender and tasty, I can eat it every meal!
5. Pretty, charming and grand colonial houses which dot the Georgetown area
6. Cheap call and sms rates – the best in the region, I think.
7. No traffic and pollution – need I say more?
8. Blue skies – I think Malaysian sunsets are always beautiful because of its clear skies.
9. Trees and birds, still plenty in this part of Malaysia.
10. Komtar, that hideous monster of a building, towering over the quaint Georgetown.

I’m sure that when I go back to the Philippines, I can make this list grow tenfold. But for now, this is enough… enough for me not to bang my head in the wall and say “big yellow taxi”.

For my favorite photos of Penang, visit:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/norlygrace/album/576460762400401286

For the complete lyrics of Big Yellow Taxi:
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/lyrics/big_yellow_taxi.html



04 May 2007
Friday
11:01 pm
Penang (re-run of AI is on the local channel. Blake rocked!)