New car

Perhaps, there are certain sparkle appears in my eyes when asked about my first car. First car is probably a landmark in life, and often I associate it with exciting dates, day trips, or merely showcasing it on the street.

July 2011, the day came after half a year I moved out from the university campus. I realised my own transport has became a necessity and I want to stop relying on public transport for rides here and there. My visit to the Larke Hoskins in Homebush ended up with a brand new Honda Accord Euro 2.4 luxury. While taking the ride home, I remembered how many hours I have to work to save up for my car and how accomplished I felt when I bought it.

Everything was feeling great. I remember those moment, I was so certain that obtaining a first car is a very important milestone in one’s life. It not only gives you the independence to drive wherever you want, but it also gives you a sense of freedom. It felt even better that I was rushing out to the street and getting into my new car. Each time I started up the car and headed to work, I remember those waiting period, idling hours I spent and how I deserved this rite of passage. Also, I felt lucky that time based on the fact that I did not receive a single penny from my parent for my first car which granted me the feeling of being a truly independent teen.

Upgrading my first car recently was probably a big leap in life. I would treasure it for as long as I have it. This trip back to Malaysia, I witnessed a cousin brother of mine upgraded his Kia Forte to Peugeot 408. More importantly, there was this nice Audi A6 replacing the Honda Accord 2.0 on a very important person in my life. I told myself that I would like to keep the same pace with this person despite that we are leading the different path now. I did have some negative feelings, more like my incompetency towards this person. Negative feelings must be released directly by some kind of process based on a sophisticated way. It was then I decided to visit Audi Centre upon my arrival in Sydney.  

There I go, a brand new Audi Q5 TDI. 

Home country food

I find myself becoming quite nostalgic about the hometown/country food that I used to take for granted now that I have been residing abroad. These are snapshots of food taken between periods 4 Dec - 14 Dec 2013, 19 Dec -25 Dec 2013, 1 Jan -13 Jan 2014. Sorry that my comments are mostly negative, but I did enjoy them during my stay in Malaysia. I have a bit of difficulty in remembering those restaurants in Chinese name, lol. 

A simple dinner in Sekinchan. 

My favorite crab, but taste really so so. 

Steamed fish head in 168 Restaurant, Lorong 6 Site B, taste really so so and I doubt I will ever go back

This steamed fish head was much better, consistent as it used to be- Ah kua restuarant

A horrible dried wonton noodle, diagonal to the post office in Sekinchan. I will never go back for sure. 

Mom's cooking, always the best! Wish I could have more. 

A 'drunken' prawn soup, somewhere half way to Genting, Batang Berjuntai I guess?

Bird nest in Genting Highland, nothing special other than dumping cash for this. 

Fish in Batang Kali restaurant, reasonably good!

Back to Sekinchan, these were taken in Dua Mui at Bagan, Sekinchan. The food quality dropped significant this trip, quite disappointed. 

Crab with fried Meehoon and Pomfret congee, not bad.  

Beef ball and Green curry noodle, nothing special other than with someone special. 

Another steam fish head in Sekinchan taken opposite red cross medical center. I would prefer the Ah Kua one shown above. 

Taken somewhere at Changlun, north of Peninsula Malaysia.

A family dinner at a restaurant opposite market in Sekinchan. 

Scampi and shrimp paste in Tony Roma, but where is the scampi? What a disappointment! 

Very poorly served fish. Taken at restaurant next to the temple in Sekinchan. 

Maggi goreng in Zam Zam. No comment on its taste, it was more like memory recollection after so long. 

Surprisingly good, opposite to the post office in Sekinchan. 

Taken in one of my favorite restaurant in Tengkurak, the fish head dish was good but the rest, so so. 

Another dried wonton noodle, taken next to market in Sekinchan. Its consistent taste, did recall my childhood memory. 

Sashimi in Niyjimaru, Permas Jaya Johor, quite good but priced at RM59. 

Charsiew and siewyok at Tun Aminah, nearby Sutera Mall in Johor Bahru. I have to say good because my lawyer fren paid for this.  

Nasi ulam something in Plan B, Bangsar village. Too dry! 

Father Hunger

My voyage has almost come to an end. I soon found that I had overtaxed my strength, and that I must repose before I could continue my journey. There are always things that I would like to write about, for this time, my father, one whom I carry the family name but not further.

My relationship with my father can be seemed as complex. Our male tendencies to not communicate feelings are compounded as both want a better relationship but neither one quite knows how to go about it.  My father was largely irrelevant in my life. I was left to be floundering around not knowing what to do with such problematic and disoriented masculinity.

Father hunger, could it be the terminology I should use here? I guess life for most boys is a frustrating search for the lost father who has not yet offered protections and modelling. I went through my adolescent rituals day after day waiting for him to anoint me and treat me as good enough to be considered a man.

It was a series of personal and family trips hopping around Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand. It was this trip that made me aware that my father's care and attentions do exist and could be indefatigable despite the fact that he did not know the origin of problems, and sought erroneous methods to remedy the incurable ill in most instances. Sometimes, I abhorred the face of this man.

After marathon of trips, I fell sick. While I appeared to be an offspring of delirium, he bought me a take-away noodle soup along with the bowl and chopsticks plus spoon sent to my room. This would certainly, become a remembrance of which I preserved in my convalescence despite that I avoided gratefulness and maintained a continual silence being the wretch I had practised all these while.

Also, there was something remarkable happened this trip. With the holiday session in full swing, my father bought a new car in conjunction with my return. I have genuine appreciation for such convenience that would certainly minimise the stress of a long to-do list. 

As part of the resolutions for 2014, I shall focus more on my father, spending positive time together and perhaps talk about life lessons, scattered with a large doses of quiet and engaged listening, in the aim to develop nurturing and meaningful relationships allowing us to develop into men in the richest sense of that term.