"Dad, is that wild rice?"

"Wild rice? What wild rice?"

"There! On the hillside!"

"That one lalang!! How come you think it's wild rice. Silly girl!"

I blushed. "Cause it was in uniform lines? It doesn't look like grass! I swear it's wild rice."

"No such thing as wild rice."

My face turned an unbecoming shade of red. My father and my brothers laughed their heads off. "Okay, padi-lah. I didn't know okay. City girl, what."

"Wild rice. Hahaha. There, another patch of your wild rice. Silly girl."

There were rice fields in patches all along the State Highway in the Bintulu District. I sat at the window, peering intently forward to catch sight of rice field after rice field between uncleared areas of the Borneon jungle as the car whizzed past. The fields were green with life, lush and fertile. So much so, I expected each field to burst into golden ripeness right before my very eyes. It was cool.

"Look, che! Your wild rice!"

"Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"Haha! Che che city woman!!"

"Aku paluk kepalak dik, baru nemu dik. Anang ketawa!" I threatened to bonk Darren's head, hard.

Was I supposed to reflect on 2002, and outline my plan for 2003? It seemed like everyone is doing that. I can't be bothered. I'd rather tell you stories.