the weekend with indonesian connection

another few hours, my first weekend in newcastle will be over.... with such weather, i did think my weekend will be like... me, kenneth tan spending 20 hours on the bed and the remaining hours to shower, eat and check mail.

but hey... it was totally a different story! maybe the title will give a clue... yes! i was with a bunch of indonesian students! i have never talked to so many indonesians (around 20 of them) at the same time until last friday night and it continued till saturday night. more than a few thousand indonesian words flown around me but only a few of those words succeeded in getting into my brain. bahasa indonesia is totally a headache but thanks god for created a language called english! english connecting people!

after 5 days over here, i met more indonesians than malaysians... weird? yes.... a bit! where are all the malaysians? i dont know how to answer... anyway, the first friend i got to know over here is called deric, a truly malaysian (a hot and spicy food lover... eat sambal... drink "kau kau" milo... speak english, malays, mandarin, cantonese, hokkien etc.).

how did the indonesian connection get started??? for this, i gotta thank kt, an indonesian chinese (the housemate of deric). man... kt is a very friendly person and a pr god (okie... his pr skill is a lot better than mine... i think i need to get some lessons from him). on friday night, kt and deric took me along to a gathering. those indonesian girls can really cook... they cooked some called dinding aka indonesian"bak kuah". f**king loving it (sorry for using that word but dinding is damn yummy)!

the indonesians gathering didnt end there... it was continued at kt/ deric's place on saturday night. at their place, i was so touched! after 20 hours of journey from kuala lumpur to newcastle, i was still able to eat nasi lemak with rendang and it tasted damn good... salute to kt, chef of the night!

well! i have started to love newcastle. for my new found love, i need to thank deric for it! deric, if you are reading this..... a million thanks to you! if not because of you, the last few days will be like hell on earth... no friends, no rice and alone in a strange land... scary!

Farewell Parties!

sarina and pooisan... they are still sexy as 3 years back!

deakin girls and guys... guys, i did feel like we were in uni again.... like old time, gathered at my house for steamboat! miss you guys....

yeeyin and thuanyian... both getting prettier! yeeyin, you have to find another travel partner, sorry about that!

okie.... why is maurice so damn cool?? david... thanks for arranging the dinner and guys, thanks for used your precious time to meet! very appreciated! and thanks for those gifts....

some fellas at kopitiam.... before clubbing session!







housemate (miss his voice and crap talk) and friends at starhill gallery! thanks for the lunch, alvin!

with ex colleagues at sushi zanmai, the garden! gosh... i hate to use the word ex! i miss technip! i still wanna be the travel desk, pr guy, tour leader, "yum yum sik sik tuen" (drink drink eat eat group) organizer, dried seafood supplier, dirty talk initiator, health/ beauty products supplier, fashion consultant and many more.... lcy (dont know should thank you or curse you!)

leaving again!

three more days, i will be leaving malaysia again... this time, i'm not leaving for a week or two for another backpacking adventure but will be away for a year or more to pursue my master degree in a far far away land. is not easy to leave a place which given me so many great memories...

the past two and a half years, kuala lumpur have been amazing to me. i gotta know many new friends, experienced love and became an engineer. back in nov 2005, i was a silly little boy who just graduated with a degree in engineering and came back from the land of kangaroos and koalas without knowing what to expect.

after stayed in melbourne/ geelong for more than two years, i really didnt know what kinda life i can get in kl. before i came back from the land down under, i have never experienced kl before. but after more than two and half years here, im proud to say i hate and love kl.

yes, i did hate kl before. the place where i found and lost love. i used to believe that love is the thing we all need in order to be happy but i was so wrong. in fact, i was taught that love can be in many forms and not just between two souls. it was a great lesson! im now distributing love to everyone around me.

my friends in malaysia.... if i need to list them one by one, it will take me forever to end the list! anyway, if you guys are reading this.... i just want you guys to know that i really appreciate each and everyone of you. i love you guys! i have even started to miss some of you guys... my colleagues who always make funny statements, my best friend (sean) who always think of becoming rich, my shopping mates (sam & kin) - shopping wont be fun without you guys, and my housemates... okie! my eyes are wet! i really wish to bring you guys to uk with me!!

a big thank to technip too! the place where i spent two and half years as a pipeline engineer and a place where i gotta know many great souls. guys, i promise, we will go for more eat eat, drink drink trips in the future... all the best to you guys!

i dont know whether i have made a right decision but let's pray.... we will see each other again and thanks kl for given us an oppurtunity to unite and share!