Home-bound to Alor Star...

Am now at Changi International and flying Singapore Airlines...

Feel good to be passing through here as this airport was a little bit like my old 'hideout' for over three years in the 80's when I was under the employ of Singapore Airlines...

These days, no matter how many times I come to Changi International, I always leave impressed...

Imagine, according to the information leaflet, this airport has about 500 internet terminals... free for use for travellers...

Compare this to our Kuala Lumpur International... pathetic...

Anyway, am now on transit to Penang, after which we shall take a taxi all the way back to my village in Kedah...

Was at Bali for about 10 days, scuba diving at Tulamben...

Did almost twenty dives, of which about half were at the Liberty Wreck...

Good as it is, was getting a bit sick of the same dive site and the herds of divers...

Good that our dive guide suggested Kubu and Seraya...

Muck diving at Seraya was particulary fun as there were lots of unusual creatures that I saw for the first time...

Overall, Bali was very nice... the general atmosphere, the friendliness of the local folks... the local food...

And we were lucky to stay at a very private and rather luxurious 'villa'... the pool and views of the morning sun was like, just ours to enjoy...

The weather was just marvellous, dry, and cool... compared to the un-earthly temperatures of Japan at the moment...

Spent 2 days or so at Kuta before departure...

But this place is... ooh, not too good a place to chill out... too many touts and taxi drivers honking to offer you a ride...

Our last trip to Bali was in 1983, about 25 years ago...

If we live long enough, we shall be back in 25 years' time...

Hellfire at Takamatsu

As in all Japan, there's hell burning at Takamatsu, where I live...
Today, the mercury shot up to 36 degrees... wooh...
Am now in my office, clearing all 12 years of gomi (rubbish)...
Have to be careful not to cool the room too much, or I shall risk catching 'summer' cold...
Many buildings in the university are now undergoing renovations...
Part of the plans to strengthen the buildings against earthquakes...
It has taken me days and I hope to have almost all the packing done today...
Shall be moving to the a room two days later (23rd)...
As expected, was wondering why things that I should thrown out years ago, they are still here in the room...

Been keeping up with the happenings in Malaysia, of course...
As usual, am knocking my head trying to understand what the fish the Malaysian police are doing...
The ruling politicians seem to be pancking and running out of ideas...
Who really believes that Anwar sodomised that fellow?
All these are actually good, as I think the ruling politicians are really tightening the noose around their own necks...
Would love to see them hanged... the sooner the better...

Gib me piptee...

Yours truly turned fifty today...
What more can I ask for... as work is fine... and family life is, should I say, still exciting even after all these years?
Am thanking my lucky stars to be here as I am... in one piece...
In less than an hour's time, shall be congregating with my work colleagues at a beer garden by the sea...
Wooh, nice... only that I cannot drink because I am driving... dei!
Anyway, isn't it lovely to be around and still kicking up dust?

Daegu, Korea

Am now in Daegu University, Korea...
Man, am very impressed with the size and the green of the campus...
Compared to the tiny campus of my university, that is...

Japan, for all her wealth and her economic prowess and position...
I always wonder why her (national) university campuses are almost always so shabby looking...

Except for a handful of exceptions, most of the buildings in the (national) university campuses are greyish and without character...

Private Japanese universities are not so bad... so I can console myself somewhat because Daegu University is private...
Its dormitories can house over 1000 students... wooh, a dream for universities in Japan...

Am here to sign some agreement papers and also to negotiate over some exchange programs...
We had five Daegu students at our university last season and we hope to have a new bunch coming again soon...

While it is fun to visit this beautiful campus, my stomach is also having a jolly time churning away at the local delicacies...
Hmmm... Korean food... my mouth waters just to think about it... and I just finished dinner a while ago...

Shall be moving to another university tomorrow to offer my greetings...
After that, shall be free for about two days...

While I have to catch up on work (which I brought with me), I am looking forward to absorbing the sights, plus, of course, the 'bites' too... wooh...

View of garden from dining table

Hmmm... looks like this is the first image I am posting in the year 2008...
What happened?
Was actually not my normal self for the past three months or so...
Body was going bonkers...
Blood pressure shot up the roof...

Brain was playing tricks on me...
Not sleeping well at nights...
Body refusing to wake up in the mornings...
It was pretty scarry...

The cause of it all? Work pressure, and yours truly trying to work too hard (ahem...)
Even my gold fishes became sick...

Luckily, am recuperating quite well now...

Oh yes, the picutre above...
That is the garden view that we enjoy each morning as we chew on our breakfast...
The hills are in the background...
Except for the house on the left, it is all flowers and green...
Quite a paradise, I should say...

Of course, birds come by frequently, singing...
The other day, we saw a wild rabbit in our garden for the first time...
Cute, said my missus...
And yesterday, a meter long snake resting up those pillars... woaah, said I...

Anyway, thank god I am sleeping quite well these days...
And life is good...