Sometimes we can't reach for the stars until we're brave enough to let go of the ground.

Time

Time

Only Human - by K
On the other shore of sadness,
It is said that there is a smile,
Finally we arrived,
But what are we waiting for?

The purpose is not to run away,
It's to chase after dreams
We should have gone out to travel,
On that summer day so long ago,

Even tomorrow, if you see it.
Thought there isn't a sigh either,
Like a ship going against the current flow,
Right now, go forward, move ahead

Even if it cuts through the rain and clouds
The wet roads shine,
Only the dark will teach,
A stronger and stronger light,
Be strong, go forward move ahead.

Time... there's not nearly enough to do everything I want to do. If I had all the time in the world, I would be able to do it all, I would be able to play ALL of my Playstation games and ALL of my PC games, become good at guitar and singing, pick up a new language, do well in my studies, have a huge circle of friends and maintain close relationships with them all. I would have time for a girlfriend. I think if we all had time, we would be nicer people too.

The thing is, no one realises what they've got till it's gone. You don't realise how valuable each tick is worth, how every day the sun comes up is a blessing from God Himself. You don't know this, until you find out your time on Earth is limited. Ask a 99 year old, ask a person dying from sickness how important is each day? How would you change your life if you knew that you were going to die soon? What would you want people to say at your funeral?

I guess that's why we have priorities in life. We determine what we give each priceless hour of our day to. How do we spend our time, and who/what do we give it to? Are the priorities right in my life? Are the priorities right in yours? Do we do the things that really matter in life? I guess that's what God put us here on Earth to decide.

Life is but a moment, don't regret yesterday, and live today so you won't have any regrets tomorrow. Don't let this make you feel depressed, instead, appreciate each and every rainbow in your life, appreciate the people who mean something to you, appreciate the good, the bad and the ugly.

Lamentations 3:22-23 says "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Thank you God for every chance I get to wake up, and every day that I get to live to glorify Your name. Thank you for every bad day, thank you for every good day. Help me to live life to the fullest till the day I die. But also help me to do the things that hold true meaning in life.

My TSCF 2006 Conference experience

I was at the TSCF Conference from the 4th-9th of July 2006 and although I wasn't really looking forward to it, somehow I just ended up there! However I'm glad to say by the time it ended I was wishing it would've went longer! The food there was good but of course not as good as homecooked malaysian food (phew, I won't be 'dibuang negara' now) but after a usual diet of KFC, BK, McD's, Wendys and Pizza's, I was glad to be eating rice and bread.

Also, the messages were just what I needed to hear. Thank God for His impeccable timing again. I was at one of the lowest points at my Christian walk in a while, and spent the first few sessions arguing with God (amazed I didn't get struck by lightning). However God won out [don't try arguing with an omnipotent God, doesn't work] in the end and I had to forgive myself for some things in my life. God also provided me with people that I could talk to, rather than what I've been doing which is struggling with it all alone.

However, the highlight was meeting the FUNNY CRAZY WACKY WEIRD family of God that I found out I had in NZ, especially Wellington but also from many other places!! Honestly it was just so good to meet new people with love for God, and were soo awesome to hangout with. It was so great just meeting the extended family of God!! I have a lot of memories with these people that I just met a few days ago, it's crazy! On the last night of camp we basically pulled an all nighter, driving around Auckland, drinking coffee and eating cake, lying in the middle of Symonds Street at 3 am in the morning, and playing games by Mission Bay. Definately memories I will cherish for awhile! :)

But camp, yeah! Some people said it was boring and not worth going to, but I give it a 9 out of 10!! Why only 9 you ask? Because you'd have to come to an AOCF camp to experience a full 10!!! But yes, I thank God for making it such a great week of my life, and for leading me back to Him, back to the Cross!

PS: it's only a ploy to get more people join AOCF Easter camp next year!

Well it's wednesday and my NZ Idol 3 Audition (only the first round, I'm not expecting to be crowned just yet! :P) is on saturday! I'm gonna see if I can grab a friend's camera and take some photo's of the experience, although I doubt they'll let me. Anyhoo, I'm still at a loss for song choice! Eeep I know that's bad! I've been busy studying for my tests though and haven't had much time to think about this. I had a research assignment due on friday, an equity test on monday, and a 50% jurisprudence test on thursday! Oh boy I'm in trouble!

But I'm just gonna give it my best, have fun, hopefully not make a fool outta myself, and if i do, just pop out the "i've had no vocal training" line i guess (kidding!)! I know there will be a lot of talented singers there, but I'm just gonna give it the best I can. I decided to do a bit of research, and here were the songs that the top 10 of NZ Idol2 chose to sing for their Judge Auditions:

Rosita - NZ Idol - I Have Nothing - Whitney Houston
Nik - Runner up - You Should Let Me Love You - Mario
Rongo - Superstar - Carpenters
Keshia - (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin
Jesse - Be Yourself - Audioslave
Frank - O - Omarion
Ashley - When You Say Nothing At All - Ronan Keating
Steven - Tomorrow - 'Annie'
Teresa - Secret Song - Alanis Morissette
Shelley - ??

I've cut down the list of possible songs I'm going to sing, but I guess I might have to decide on the day itself!
I Can Go The Distance - from Hercules or Michael Bolton
Sukiyaki - 4pm
Eternity - Robbie Williams

Exciting stuff!!

Cockroaches aren't the Survivors we would be led to think they are!

Yikes, I have had a phobia of cockroaches ever since I was little! I remember it was one Chinese New Years Eve. Actually these were really fun times as we lived just opposite a field and people would shoot fireworks at each others houses (none actually caught on fire thankfully/woefully!). I was much too young to participate without blowing any of my limbs up so I was made to stand next to my mother underneath a tree. Here I was enjoying the spectacle when suddenly a disgusting little cockroach fell from the tree onto me. It was at night and I was only about 3 then. Imagine my horror (and its horror!) as it scrambled across my body. I think I was yelling and jumping and crying just trying to get it off, and no I did not create the Macarena dance that night! However, since then, I have always been a little wary of the little buggers!

New Zealand is not normally a place where you see too many roaches. The rare ones that you do see are tiny little creatures that wouldn't scare anyone. Imagine my shock when after taking a shower, I saw one crawling on my sink! This one was big for a New Zealand roach (not as big as a Malaysian one though). I freaked! I went around looking for something that could squash it. A book? No, i didn't want to stain my favourite toilet reading material. Some tissue paper? No, those roaches are quick as lightning and i didn't want to feel it struggling before I made it go squish! I then went downstairs and searched for some insectide which I remembered was around the house. Unfortunately I have the memory of an 80 year old goldish and couldn't find it, most probably it never existed! I quickly ran back up to the scene of the crime (or soon-to-be crime as I was gonna murder the poor little thing). It was still there on the sink, sneering and heckling at me!

Lousy Roach! Give you chance to escape and still you want to stick around!

I checked the toilet cabinet and voila, my weapon of choice was at hand! And so I took out the hairspray and aimed it at the arthropod. This was perfect! I would not have to get my hands dirty and there would be a fragrant smell after the deed! I pressed down on the button and let loose on the insect, covering it with hairspray! Eventually it died, a combination of drowning in hairspray and being stuck as a result of the hairspray drying, and was sent to a watery grave (flushed!). I then did a victory jig in celebration of my victory (No i didn't).

However, I was led to believe that Cockroaches would outlast humans because I've heard that even if there was a nuclear bomb that wiped out all of humanity, that Cockroaches would survive the radioactive fallout while we disappeared from the annals of history. However if they can be killed by simply hairspray (although I did administer a LOT of hairspray onto it), I wonder if scientists need to reconsider this proposition. Life lesson learnt that hairspray is an effective insectide if used in copious amounts. Kinda makes you wander what they put into hair spray??

Well I have pretty much decided to try out for NZ Idol 3 (hopefully I don't live to regret this!) and hopefully I do get around to sending in the registration form because Monday is the final date that it has to be received! However I have been at my wits end deciding what my audition piece should be, so I have come up with the brilliant idea (if it works!) to put up a list of possible songs that I would like to do and have you guys tell me which song I should do!

Now I don't think I'm the best singer out there, I am far from it, but I love to sing and I would definately love the chance to get some guidance from professionals (like Suzanne Lynch who trains the singers while they are on idol).

For an audition piece, it needs to be a piece that will impress the judges, that reveals the strength (and not weaknesses) of my voice, it needs to be memorable and I must be not wearing tight leather hotpants while singing it (or any other embarassing items of clothing, ie. spandex or a tutu). I would love further suggestions too if there are any songs you think I should consider, but here is the current list!

Angels (by Robbie Williams)
Eternity (by Robbie Williams)
My Girl (by ??)
Your Song (from Moulin Rouge)
Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water (by Simon & Garfunkel)
If You're Not The One (by Daniel Bedingfield)
Let Me Entertain You (by Robbie Williams)
Sukiyaki (cover by 98 Degrees)

Please comment and give me feedback, I could be the next idol (or William Hung)!!

"That's How Mercy Saw Me"
The years had left scars,
And the scars have left pain,
How could he recognize me,
For I wasn't the same;
I knew I should pay and I knew the price,
For justice and law had demanded my life.

O but his tender heart heard my desperate cry,
And he saw all my past through merciful eyes!

Beautiful, that's how mercy saw me,
For I was broken and so lost;
Mercy looked at all my faults.
Justice of God saw what I had done,
But mercy saw me through the Son;
Not what I was but what I could be,
That's how mercy saw me!

For sin had stolen all my dignity,
And all my self esteem;
But I was made brand new again,
When mercy looked at me.

Beautiful, that's how mercy saw me,
For I was broken and so lost;
Mercy looked at all my faults.
Justice of God saw what I had done,
But mercy saw me through the Son;
Not what I was but what I could be,
That's how mercy saw me!

Not what I was but what I could be,
That's how mercy saw me!

That's how mercy saw me!

Backlogged To Bangkok

No sorry this post has nothing to do with any exciting adventures to Thailand and there are no Tigers (or Thai Girl's, depending on how you pronounce it *wink wink*) to see here. If you want to read up on stuff like that I suggest you go to www.kennysia.com (shameless plug! good read though!) However I happened to have noticed that my blog is seriously in need of an update!

And since I don't really have the time to write an entry, I found an entry that I was supposed to have posted when I was still in Malaysia. Many things happened then, my niece and nephew were a year older, a potential love was lost, amongst many other things, some things never mentioned will just fade into the fog of forgotten history and I'm alright with that. Anyways, here's the post!

Home is where the heart is… but where is my heart?
And just as quick as it began, it had come to an end. 3 months have flown past! The same sights, the same memories, the same people, the same place that I call home, and now was the time I had to return back to the ‘other place.’ Ironic that soon, this place would be the ‘other place.’ I don’t know which one is home, it is wherever I happen to be, and I am wont to shift. I guess home is where the heart is, and if so, anyone know of a place to donate one since I think I have two.

Leaving so soon?
Having stored up enough memories to make it through another grueling year of university and enough weight to survive the habit of laziness or ineptitude in cooking, it’s time to pack up my bags and leave this place. This feeling of non-productivity chews at my soul, I want to be learning or at least contributing, holidays don’t really suit me and thus it is time to leave. I must really be my workacholic father’s son.

The Linked Independent
I did not spend as much time with my family (especially my parents) as I would’ve liked, for which part I am mostly to blame. But thankfully there will be time when my mother arrives in NZ early March. Living in Malaysia in a house with my parents, my grandmother, my brother, my sister and her husband and her two children (not to mention 3 maids), I am not my own, it will be refreshing to be independent again, but also testing. Do I still have what it takes or has these three months changed me?

The End of an Era
Having spent 3 months in Malaysia, and having seen my friend Jackson almost every day in those months, it is impossible to not acknowledge his friendship and how much it means. The student has become the teacher, and I am now the student and even after many hours of DoTA tutelage, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a very good student. He still gets all the Godlikes and I get the Doglikes. Jackson leaves for America in March, and he is anything like you Matt, it will be 5 years before I see him again because of our differing holidays. And maybe it will bring change, or maybe he will remain the same, time will tell. However it is truly the end of an era.

Ever the same, ever different
Things will be different next year when I come back, we’ll be moving into a new house, my dear cousin will be married, and that new supermarket will be opening up. And these are only the things that I can foresee! How much more those which I cannot? But for now, thank you Malaysia, thank you Sitiawan, thank you Wesley Methodist Church, thank you friends, I will once again grace your shores next year. It won’t be too long till I start working and may not get the chance to come back for long anymore, I will cherish every moment.

John Mayer – “Wheel”
And airports see it all the time
Where someone's last goodbye
Blends in with someone's sigh
Cause someone's coming home
In hand a single rose

And that's the way this wheel keeps working now
That's the way this wheel keeps working now

I believe that my life's gonna see
That love I give returned to me

A sidenote: the search begins again, I am all alone, only God is my sole companion. It stings, but it is for the best for now, God will make a way

I've been blogging on my community blog mostly. It's URL is http://citya1.blogspot.com feel free to check it out if you want but I'll warn you it's full of Manglish and may be detrimental to the educated English speaker! :)

Anyways, I was just reading http://www.kennysia.com as I do sometimes for entertainment. And on it was this post about http://www.myheritage.com. (Wow, there's a whole lot of plugging going on in this blog!) Myheritage.com has this cool feature which checks the characteristics of your face and matches it up against those of celebrities and presents you with the best results! Check his webpage for some hilarious results.

But yeah, being who I am, I couldn't wait to try it out myself. Who would I look like? Orlando Bloom? George Clooney? Maybe even Brad Pitt or good ol Tom Cruise himself. I was sorely disappointed!






Hahah I obviously have a very asian face. Except for the last one! MAN! gotta get rid of my tan :P I'm now very jaded about this service. haha!

~Keep Smiling!

Note to self: I need to realise, more likely, i need to accept that nobody in this world is perfect, not even me. I need to change myself to be more accepting of others, including myself. Not in the little things, but in the huge parts of my life. Being a perfectionist sucks~ :)
However, I do worry that if I let myself slip, the world will not be accepting of me. Ahh.. the conundrums of life certainly do tease and antagonise the mind.

Haha what fun times we had then :)

Really sad song, I cried a little while watching, haha am I too feminine? Doubt it :P Plus, it's cool to be feminine these days.

Uhm the singer is Michael Wong Guang Liang, and he's a very famous singer in Taiwan, and he's born and raised in Ipoh! Which is only one hour away from Sitiawan. Hahah it's not impossible to reach the stars even though you were once in the gutter. Gives me hope :)

The song is called Tong Hua or Fairytale from the album of the same name.
Enjoy (or cry rather!) :)

Well blog I haven't really been in touch with you for a couple months now. I dunno why? I guess there's nothing to write about when everything is smooth sailing. Or that I just wanted to enjoy the moment without having to write it all down.

But i will try to sum up what i've felt, what i've seen, what i've learnt, and who i've lost in a blog soon enough. I just thank God for everything and everyone back in Malaysia. I pray to God that He will continue to teach me to walk in His ways, and to teach me the error of mine. I've still got a lot of growing up to do, must never get complacent.

Keep me close to you Lord Jesus, because sometimes I feel so far away.

 
 

December 7 1AM

My grandmother is one of the people I admire most. She was born in China, went to a missionary-run school as a teenager, and caught a boat to someplace called Sitiawan with a friend and her friend’s uncle for God knows what reason. She was never married, she adopted my mother from my blood grandmother because my mother was the 8th child. My blood grandmother could not afford another baby and couldn’t do anything but give her away, but she could do even less to prevent a pregnancy because of a lack of contraception in those days. Those were the days where you would work 40-60 hour weeks and count yourself lucky if you had meat on your plate twice a week.

My grandmother was also a pastor of a church that survives even until today, and in those days, where gender equality was unheard of, a female pastor was probably even more so a peculiar sight. She is still referred to as Nguriengan which is a sign of respect by many people. She also provided many people refuge with her as they hid in makeshift huts in the jungle during the Japanese invasion and occupation. I still remember as a small child, she would always come and tuck me into bed, she would read me a Bible story and pray for me before I go to bed. She would take care of me when my mother got sick and tired of my naughtiness.

I would love to write a book on her to journal her life, but living in a small town there are no records, and since my grandmother is 94 not many of her peers are around any longer to give testimony on her life. But what is most tragic, is that my grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease. Although we have not had her diagnosed medically, the symptoms are clear. It can be somewhat heartbreaking at times.

She forgets my name, she calls me Anthony which is my brothers name. And after telling her my name, she feigns a remembrance but within 10 minutes my name is forgotten again. She knows that I’m studying, and since the one week I’ve been back, she has asked me how much longer I have to study and if I’m going away again to study at least 30-40 times, she’ll repeat the same set of questions every 10 minutes. She’ll also keep trying to offer me food which I reject, and brings it to me too. I hate to see her strain her frail and gradually weakening body to get me food, so I try to discourage her from getting me food and saying that I’ve already eaten, but in the next 10 minutes she forgets and does it again. She can’t even read anymore, a favourite past time of hers, because she no longer remembers what happens after she puts her book down, this makes her not able to enjoy television either. She can string basic sentences together, but if attempting anything more, she tends to stutter something incomprehensible. Most days all she can do is sit and wait for time to pass, time for Jesus to come and take her home again,

I try not to think about this because I get sad when I dwell on it, I can only begin to wonder what goes on in her mind. I know I love my grandmother, but sometimes it can be so hard to be patient with her and not get frustrated and all the time I wish I could help her get better or not be bored. I question why she has lived such a great life and been reduced to such an anticlimactic fate, I wish her mind was sharp and we could have conversations, I wish she was strong and could still participate in normal activities of life. I wish that she could remember my name. But we all grow old, don’t we? And I know I have a lot to be thankful for. I know Jesus has a great reward stored up for her in heaven when she will never forget anything. And most of all, I know that I will keep loving my grandmother until the day she dies and beyond.

Because once, I didn’t know her name, but she knew mine,
And whenever I was hungry, without asking her, she would feed me,
Whenever I had a question, she would answer it,
Whenever I was in need of help, she would give me a hand,
And whenever I needed prayer, she was there already kneeling and crying out to God.

I owe her much more than just filial duty, I owe her so much of her love that she poured out into me… and when she needs my help, I will not get frustrated and try my best to repay her while I can. I love my grandmother.

“Yet He loved us, while we were still yet sinners”
I love more, because I was first loved most.

I’m sitting in my dad’s car right now, they came to pick me up and it’s a straight 3 hour drive till I’m back in Sitiawan. The flight itself wasn’t too bad, only mild turbulence here and there but like I said, nothing too bad. The movies were great, I got to see 3 movies, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bewitched, and Bob the Butler, all 3 were pretty good but I’m not much of a critic.

Got a buzzy bee for Caleb, because every kiwi kid needs to have a buzzy bee, it was expensive but I thought that it was the least that an uncle could do, that is spoil his niece/nephew. Got some nice jewellery for Kaitlyn, I hope she likes it, I feel bad missing her birthday but I’m hoping that’s not how kids think and they are more forgiving than adults. In about 2.5 hours I will find out.

Met Ben and Lakshmi in the airport before we took off. Met and had a quick chat with Ben on the plane before the flight attendant told us to bugger off because we were near the emergency hatch and he was worried we were terrorists and going to release while flying at 40000 feet above sea level. Bet I could’ve found more people I knew on the plane if I tried but I wasn’t feeling too sociable, much happier reading my gaming magazine and watching movies. Fell in and out of sleep, but was mostly awake for the flight. Have to thank Abigail Ann Rutland for taking me to the airport and being so awesome, if you ever read this, thanks!

Abby asked me today, isn’t it hard living two different lives? Frankly, yes it is. I’m not living completely different lives, I’m just living separate lives. I said that just because you’re at one point of your life doesn’t mean you should ignore the past. Malaysia is and will always be home to me in some way, althought NZ is becoming home too. That is why when we were going out I absolutely wanted her to come to Malaysia to see this side of me. I wasn’t going to get into any serious relationship without them knowing the “whole package.” At the same time, I guess once you know me in my capacity in Malaysia and New Zealand, you will have gained so much more of my trust because you know where I come from, and can probably understand me better.

How do I feel right now? Disjointed I guess. Familiar smells, views and sights are like a smack in the face. I’m still on the highway but I’ve seen the typical Malaysian terrace shops and already felt the grit in the air sticking onto me like metal to a magnet. I can never believe how far we can travel in one day nowadays. Kinda suspicious that it’s just like the Truman Show and I’m just sitting in a pod while all the workers are changing the scene for me. I’m hungry…. I can never really eat on airplanes, I end up getting sick. I don’t like the air in planes, it’s not natural. We’re going to stop on the way home for a bite to eat.

Tomorrow we will continue the tradition that always occurs when I get back to Malaysia. In the morning, I will follow my family out for breakfast to eat the local delicacy, “kono mee” or “kampuang mein” or just black sauce noodles. Then I’ll hang around until it’s time to start daily bball sessions at church, normally around 5-5.30. And probably be busy for the rest of the week saying hello to old, but constant friends. Times have changed, but still so many things remain the same. It’s comforting to have my parents in the front seat again just like when I was little. Thanking God for airconditioning, and feeling sorta hungry.

I’m home.

Time : 1.48AM 29/11/05
Place: Home, as always.
Event: Coming home (wherever that is)

He sits there. Having spent the last 2 hours entertaining his friends and as the last one left the door, it starts to sink in.

"Wow, I can't believe it's that time of year again" he thinks to himself.

He isn't over the moon yet neither is he reluctant to go, he just feels... conflicted. So full of emotion yet neither one overtaking the other and leaving him just smack dab in the centre which makes him confused about whether he actually cares whether he's going or not? But deep down he knows he does care, but right now it is a dead stalemate and he knows that in the next few days, both sides will boast victories and losses over each other, leaving him in the rollercoaster ride.

He has had his life change at least twice on this day on prior occasions, both times for the worse (or so it seemed). Twice he had a girlfriend the day before and by the time he stepped onto the plane, for all intensive purposes, he was single. But he was never one to linger on such thoughts, "it's all for the best, it always is" he thought.

This was Catalyst Day, the day where everything changed. And like everyone else, he was afraid of change. Yet change brought the most growth and produces maturity, and yet maturity was something he thought he had yet lacked at the same time. It was what everyone wanted and what everyone hated, "what a contradiction" he thought, but this wasn't new to him, the world was a contradiction unto itself anyways.

Yet, he was single this year, having already beat the plane so that didn't bother him. He had a lot of things going on for him, friends to spend time with, something that he rarely got to do on more than a superficial level while he was studying; computer games to finish, music to write, and oh, that book he borrowed and had yet to finish.

Yet it wasn't all bad, he knew that he only got to see his family once or twice a year, and that he was missing out on his niece's and nephew's childhood. And it was always the last time that he thought he would see his grandmother, a 94 year old tender thing that was strong as an ox but yet senile as a mule. It usually was the other way round with elderlys. He would visit her as much as he could while the opportunity was still available, it was the least he could do. He knew he would once again understand what it would be like to have a family, something he would forget living alone sometimes.

He would miss his freedom, to do things whenever they needed to be done, yet he would appreciate having other people pay for dinner, or driving him around. The economist in him knew all the advantages and disadvantages, but the realist in him knew that in the end it was all equally balanced and in fact, it really didn't matter anyways. Home was where the heart was, and there were pieces lying around both in New Zealand and Malaysia.

"Ah well, there isn't any time to sit and ponder anymore, it was 2.23am now, and the plane would leave in about 12 hours. A smile or a tear could wait, he needed to go through and make sure he had packed all he needed for the next 3 months of change."

Change My Heart O God,
Make It Ever True
Change My Heart O God,
May I Be Like You

I'm coming home

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu <--- longest name of a location EVER!

Old girl-winner quote: "I love beautiful sunsets by the beach"


Thank goodness these crabs tasted better than they looked (jk, we don't eat local wildlife.. much!)

 
  A nice swimming pool for the 'tamer' ones who're afraid of swimming with the crabs, fishes, man-eating walruses, poisonous sea rats, explosive jellyfish etc etc

 
  Very picturesque and soothing, especially when there's a gentle seabreeze.

 
  But the most valuable? Good times with good friends of course!! :)

The day before my criminal law exam, I've been dreaming of home. I come from a small little town close to the sea in Perak, tropical Malaysia. So small and so little, yet such a big part of me.

It is something that I'm quite used to and think nothing of living in a small tropical town but I could imagine it being a whole different world to others out there. I think I could still possibly be a 'kampung boy (village boy)' through and through, I'm quite proud of it really. I have always been proud to be HockChiew/FooChow, a Christian, and to be from Sitiawan.

I've always wanted to show some of my New Zealand friends this part of me, but none of them have made the effort to visit me yet (I was especially disappointed when my ex-gf didn't want to come, but it does cost a bit). But that doesn't stop me from spamming you guys with pictures!

The little jewel in my backyard, Pulau Pangkor. Very small, very secret, but some of the best coral reefs and beautiful beaches!
http://www.pulau-pangkor.com/

And where I'm going to spend a considerable amount of time in Malaysia, Marina Cove. Lovely little beach and great fun for a game of beach volleyball, or a swim in the pool, or catching the crabs and fish in the sea, or lazing around getting a tan (not that you want one in malaysia, it's much better to look fair in malaysia), or watching the packs of monkeys that come to the seaside, or just enjoying a nice dinner at the japanese restaurant. Sigh... dreaming of home...
http://www.cuti.com.my/hotel/info.php3?id=1804&hotel=Sherwood+Marina+Cove+Lumut

Back in paradise in a month's time.... Can't wait :)