And the nomad takes off again...

A break from my Cambodia t-logs to bid my cousin, Zing, a safe and meaningful journey to South Africa. Amazing as it is, we share the same birth date and ironic as it is, we celebrated our birthday together for the 1st time only when we were in college, away from home. Ask any of our family members, and the common derivative is we're One Heaven, One Hell. One well-behaved-one mischievous, One studious-one playful, you get my drift.. we're not exactly two peas in a pod.

Although i'd like to believe we're similar in subtle and funny ways, our nature of independence will never match. 3 years ago, she left Singapore with a backpack for South America. On her own, for 3 whole months. She spent her time whisking from:

(.All Photos by Zing.)

Rio de Janeiro to


Natal, Brazil to

Fernando de Norohona, Brazil to

Iguazu Falls, Brazil & Igussu Falls, Argentina to

Bueno Aires, Argentina to

Bariloche, Argentina to

Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile to

Fitz Roy, Argentina to

Perito Moreno, Argentina to

Easter Island, Chile to

Santiago de Chile to

Iquique, North Chile to

Colca Canyon, Peru to

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia to

Inca Trail, Manchu Picchu, Peru to

Cuzco, Peru to

Nazca Lines, Peru to

Ecuador

.Photos by Zing.

2 years ago, she took off to India, and yet again... alone. Read this.

This time, she left her position in Ernst & Young, enough she said. Not sure what the future holds at this moment, she left for Kenya yesterday. 3 weeks of Safari and then she's on to Uganda for a life-changing experience. She will be volunteering at a non-profit organisation on a malaria project. Firstly, to improve their accounting internal control system, provide training and later to rural areas to dispense medicine.

Zing, you're an inspiration and my window to the world.
Take care, dont stay there too long!
I cant wait for your posts and send me many, many postcards!

.Much love to you.

P.S: Make sure you're back in Brunei next year to strike diving off your to-do list.

SJ's post for Zing here. More of Zing's adventures here.

My Honey Ma

"Honey, y w dinner at home?"

"My swtht, y w dinner 2nyt?"
"Sweet head, y w dinner?"

Sweet what??? Sweet heeeeeaaaaaaaad???
After a few attempts, she got it right...

"Sweetheart, y w dinner?"

That's my sweethead mum, almost without fail at 4-5ish every afternoon.
.Old man's somewhat best shot after xth number of time. Who's the munkey!!.

Sweethead ma, wo ai ni pao pao...~

Weekends

with my Old Man... Partly. Hee Hee.

.@ ICC for the Majlis Ilmu.

He, who has the most amazing creativity for modifications and fascination for the nuts and bolts finally put it to substantial use, when no one else could put the nuts and bolts back together.

.Reel-to-reel galore.

.1970's Nakamichi 1000, the world's first three-head cassette deck. At $3000 a piece back in the 1970's, this is one hellavu bomb.


.(L): Akai VTR. Vintage early to mid 1970s - Dubbed by some as the Extinct Akai Video Equipment. (R): The late Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Damit's tape recorder, 1950s/1960's. When the reel spins, you're like 'Damn, i want one of these!' (R)

.The late Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien's player. Late 1970s - two head deck which takes 7' reels and has mechanical controls.
It was pretty cool chilling in the canteen with the old man gossiping about family matters and how much longer we have to wait....
Behold, my favourite pose... tadaaaaaa.
.Respect. Peace out.

While mama is away...

my old man automatically assumes the role of father and mother. Whilst my mama is enjoying the cool sunshine with family in China, my old man is busy buying fruits, walking our dog, plucking the odd sprouts, making sure i have my face towel in the bathroom and calling to check if i want any tapaos. 

.He just cant sit still!.

He is obsessive about cleanliness and he must spend every free time he has doing something productive... well, 'cept for early mornings when he has to watch those stupid taiwanese patpor debates that always end up in fist fights and a plateful of foul language, cracks him up he says. 

Sometimes parents can really get on your nerves, sometimes they are simply amusing.

Last Sunday.

Me: "Mama, where are you?"

Mama: "We are at Shenzhen airport, waiting for transit to Hang Zhou."

Me: "Ok. Shenzhen nice?"

Mama: "I m at airpot lah! Not outside. But airpot very big. I message 1 time 0.80 cents. I have $4 only. You tell daddy oh."

.Faint. I laughed like a nut.

On Monday.

Me: "Pa, forgot to tell you mum is already in Hang Zhou"

Old man (while ironing his shirt to pass time): "Ohya, she sms me today. I asked her if Hang Zhou women are beautiful."

Me: "Hah.. crazy fool.."

Old man: "You know what she replied me? She said i dont know about Hang Zhou women but Hang Zhou men are very handsome. Looks like she's learnt my style. Wahahahaha.."

Me: "Behhhhh tahannnnnnn u!!!!"

.I laughed all the way to my room and i can still hear him giggling.

I have a clown at home. A clown who has a gawd-damn sarcastic sense of humour but i like. =)

My pumpkins

yMilo, who used to watch tv with me when i was back for holidays, left for the four-legged heaven last year. My mum made my old man promise her "no more dogs".
One day during dinner, he unconsciously brought up the sensitive topic "Beagles are so cute, u know, those one they have in Perth airport.. Maybe we shld get a companion for bobo hoh..(At this point his eyes lit up, his smile turned from me to my mum) or..or Jack Russells from The Mask movie? bobo's so lonely, followed by a *deep sigh*". My mum shot him the 'dont-you-dare' look, pouring out all the heartaches and sleepless nights she went through. *dead silence* and dinner went on.

Hunky dory blue-eyed bobo has no one to hump now; they're both males but bo2 somehow thinks trying eases his urge. So once in a while, you see him clutching all fours on my old man's leg.


After a stressful day, the first thing that puts a smile on my face when i reach home is seeing my old man taking a walk with bobo, bobo taking a crap and cleaning his bum on the grass.