Bitten by the Travel Bug

I've been bitten by the travel bug and hence felt the need to explore more potential leisure destinations. Lots of gems are waiting to be discovered. They need not be super far, perhaps an hour's drive away at furthest, yet they're good spots for relaxation, food, leisure etc.

The trick is knowing when to be there and how to get there. Sometimes it involves getting out of one's comfort zone where everything's familiar. Often a spontaneous discovery leads to another new place and so on.

For the first half of this year, I've covered Tanjung Sepat, Hulu Yam, Bentong, Broga Hill, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kuantan, Sungai Lembing, Cherating, Kemaman, and Kota Kinabalu, not to mention numerous small destinations within the Klang Valley.

First Day of July

TGIF = Thank God It's Friday. It's also the first day of July in the year of our Lord two zero one one. Officially the second half of the year 2011 begins and before we know it, summer's over, autumn's here, winter's around the corner and the New Year 2012 begins.

LG = Life's Good. I appreciate the good things I have, the people around me, and am thankful to be in good health.

The Treachery of Humans

Some people by nature are treacherous. They manipulate, incite hatred, sow discord, do all kinds of nasty things to others. They go back on their word and use unethical means to get what they want from other people.

Fahmy told me to beware of "friend hijackers". In his words, they meet people through you, get their photos taken together with you and your friends, get into your Facebook friends network, and hang out with your friends. Before you know it they have influenced your friends to ditch you and join the hijackers' group. Now I really despise this kind of devious people, and I wish my family and friends will be able to identify and cut them off before they cause any damage.

Beware of those who can't keep their mouth shut. Some people may not be treacherous by nature but they're prone to accidentally revealing other people's personal matters, or inadvertently divulging things that should remain under wraps. I've seen that happen too often and the consequences are horrible to say the least. Certain people also like to bring up other people's private matters or personal lives as talk topic material. So, everyone should be careful of what they tell others.

If there's one type of treacherous human I really can't stand, it's those who use their knowledge of you against you. This kind of people I consider worse than dirt, they're despicable scum. Better they know nothing about you. That's why you must always be careful of what you say and to whom you're talking to. As always, prevention is better than cure. All the best.

Summer Solstice 2011

I've always heard about Tung (Chinese Winter Solstice Festival) but never about Ha (the corresponding summer solstice). All I can think of about Tung is eating Tong Yuen, although there's really much more to the tradition.

The summer solstice passed by with no fanfare a couple of days ago. As Tung marks the shortest day of the year, Ha marks the longest day of the year. Where I am three degrees north of the Equator, the differences aren't that big, but the further north you go the greater the difference.

Three and a half weeks. So far so good. At some point I have to re-enter the drift, but for now things are smooth sailing. The negatives will fade away into the sands of history, the positives shall remain close to heart.

Weather's been harsh. Nearly fell ill from the intense heat and had no choice but to switch on the AC. Yes, that's how they refer to the machine in India. Better don't get sick otherwise can't do anything.

I feel happy. Or should I say, relieved? I tell myself to accept that in life there will always be supporters and detractors. It's true, not everybody will be able to get along with everyone for whatever reason.

A lesson learned some years back tells me to cherish, nurture, appreciate, and enjoy the journey taken. Treasure those who are nice and kind to you, take positive action for a win-win situation, and learn to anticipate and do what ought to be done.

More Road Trips Taken

Back in December 2009 I wrote down a list of road trips taken. That post is available at:
http://ujoelee.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trips-to-date.html

Since then, I've achieved the following visits from that list:

01. Port Dickson (twice)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach & several other beaches)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (thrice, all including Historic City, visited Portuguese Settlement but not yet Umbai)
05. Sungai Lembing (Lembing Mee, Tin Mining Museum, but not yet sunrise)
06. Seremban (to attend the funeral wake of a friend's father)

Also revisited Bentong twice and Tanjung Sepat thrice. Went to Penang once, and stopped by Ipoh on the way back. Went to Singapore thrice.

Taiping (Wild Boar Temple) and Kampar (Food, Waterfall) have not been achieved yet.

Kota Kinabalu can be considered a local overseas trip, as the only way to get there other than by ship is by aeroplane, a 2½ hour flight. The distance is roughly equivalent to that of Philadelphia to Miami, i.e. a journey of a thousand miles (1600 km).

I would like to revisit Sekinchan, and also explore other places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. I have several other potential holiday spots lined up in mind, but as per my modus operandi I'll only talk about them after I have personally recceed and evaluated the places first.

What to Write

Once upon a time I wrote anything that came to mind. Now I think and rethink everything before publication. It's because not everything can be published; certain writings can land the writer or other people into trouble. So better to be on the safe side and keep a stance of reticence.

Or just stick to so-called safe topics. Stuff that doesn't get controversial or polemical. Stuff that pretty much stays G and PG-13. Boring perhaps, but probably a tad too common. Maybe stuff on wordplay, learning languages, observations on the characteristics of non-living, non-human beings.

Those were the days I could write just about anything spontaneously. Today, so much thought goes into the production of a written piece, and even that is no guarantee of reaching the finished, published product. Burned out, perhaps? Meanwhile the world goes on, things move as they always have.

Reasons to be Proud of Tamil

Tamil produces great thoughts. The likes of Thiruvalluvar and Tolkappiyar. Thiruvalluvar wrote Thirukkural, a summary of Tamil wisdom covering lifestyle, ethics, and guidance in 1330 couplets in 133 chapters. Each couplet has 7 words, 4 on the 1st line and 3 on the 2nd line. Tolkappiyar wrote Tolkappiyam, the oldest surviving Tamil grammar book that prescribes the pronunciation and spelling of Tamil letters.

Tamil achievements that stood the test of time: Banana leaf rice, world's oldest buffet spread, environmentally friendly too. Olaichuvadi (palm leaf manuscripts), ancient Tamil publishing and SMS technology. Thaipusam, longest-running festival celebration. All these have been around for more than 2000 years. And yes, Tamil was spoken way back then and is still spoken today.

Last day of May 2011

Last day of the month and last day of a chapter that began in the same month of 2005. It's time to move on, having said all goodbyes in the days prior to this one. Feeling kind of nonchalant, neither happy nor sad, more like looking at it as one of those things in life that has to happen.

Meanwhile a lot of things have come to the end of their economic life. Toner cartridge running out, motherboard going cuckoo after seven years, car air conditioner temperature going on strike every now and then to name but a few. Seems that everything's dying at the same time. How convenient. More errands to run during the daytime. A fitting end to this day in May.

Ten More Days

Yes, ten more days and "that's all folks" to a chapter that has lasted six years. Times change, things change, people change. Change is inevitable, said a wise man ages ago. When time's up, it's time to go. That's the way. Time for a fresh start, a new beginning.

Welcome to May 2011

April's over, May's here. The sun now shines directly into my bedroom and it shall remain so until September. This translates into hot, hot air temperatures from 1:00 pm onwards all the way till sunset around 7-something pm.

Since Labour Day fell on a Sunday this year, Monday's a public holiday. As I write this, it doesn't feel like Monday, it's as if the weekend's still here. The day draws closer, and I feel like a paradigm shift is about to occur. An event that has not happened in more than five years.

I had the opportunity to catch up with old friends from college, non-salsa friends, and relatives from overseas in the past few weeks. For that I'm glad. Although separated by distance, when there is destiny we will be together. Conversely, if there is no destiny, even if we live in the same city, the same housing estate, we will not even be talking to each other.

My recent spoken interactions with people have taken me through the English language world, the Chinese language world, somewhere in between, back and forth. I don't belong strictly to either one. I just float between the worlds although I'm more towards the English side. The intricacies of the Chinese written language especially the formal Mandarin style continue to elude me, whereas the colloquial spoken Cantonese feels more familiar and easy to pick up.

Photography continues to be something I enjoy doing. I can't say I'm easily satisfied with my pictures, I feel that I could have done better each time. Shutter count for the Canon EOS350D already passed the 20,000 mark. Considered low for a 4½-year-old camera but considering I only started using it regularly in late 2009, that's understood.

花奇 has been a recurring theme since last month. It's irrational, it doesn't make sense, it's obnoxious, and it's imposing. And if there's something I don't like, it's something that can't be reasoned with. Keeping away from unnecessary complications is still the best policy.