It's a start . . .

So I went home for New Years. Amma was back from Brunei.

Of course, I never really realise how much I miss her Until I send her off at the Airport.

Or until I am blogging.

haisy. . . Miss you mums!

New Years morning started off healthy.

Papa prepared a nice spread for us all by himself.

A nice Mix of Salad, Vegetarian Burger Patty, Hash Brown and Omelets.

And of course a visit back home is never complete without the Dragon Fruit Juice.

Ok, so this is something we tried in India.

I've yet to find out the name of it. It's a snack.

It's a mixture of these nuts/beans shown below, with onions, tomatoes thinly chopped and some other ingredients we're not sure of yet.

So papa experimented it, and we're almost there paps. Keep trying. :)

So far I have been eating healthy, well, almost.

I've taken up a challenge.

While I was in India, I overdosed on tea and coffee. Only because it's the best!! Seriously. There's nothing like it. The hot drinks at the Ashram was the best. But if you were to go to any retaurants (or hotel, as the Indians call it), the tea and coffee is pretty good.

Why? Because its fresh cow's milk. I tell you it's magic. That's why cows are sacret to us I guess. . . :)

Oh, back the the challenge. Since my dad and sister witnessed my OD, dad's become concern about my sugar intake and my sister seems to think that I'm an addict. to hot drinks (she doesn't take any by the way). And she teases me, by saying that if I didn't want to do something or go somewhere, I could be bribed with Hot Drinks! The nerve Chinni!

So I have decided that the only form of hot drink I'll have is Japanese Green Tea.

There!

So I'm on day 9 today. I read somewhere, that if you wanted to give up a certain habit, just go on not doing it for 21 days and that's that. The 1st seven days were a bit difficult. Or was it because I was at the office and that's the only thing that keeps me going when I'm hungry? I don't know. Feels like I was suffering from "Hot Drinks Withdrawal Symptoms" or something.

But I'll make it through this 21 days, I will.

Since the last few months of 2008 was hectic with me travelling back and forth, I will spare January for Penang. And we'll see what comes up in February!

My Brunei Experience

Well, as we arrived at the Brunei Airport. . . I was expecting something that would take my breath away.

Nope! Nothing very impressive, I still think our KLIA rocks big time. . .
Yes, with the Malaysia Boleh Spirit and What not!
But Seriously, nothing Grand.
I have already been warned about the reset of the country if not for the Airport at least.
So I wasn't expecting much when I stepped out of th eairport.


As we were in a long queue trying to clear the imigresen check, Chinni spotted Amma waiting for us..... Nun di sana! She was already looking out for us. . . Grabbed our bags and headed to the Exit.. There she was! Amma was all Smiles! Ear to ear. . . HUGGS for all of us... Could hear her excitement just from that smile.. Not see it.. But hear it!


Aunty T had loaned Amma her car for the time being. We headed straight for Dinner. An Indian Restaurant - Rangmahal located at Tutung. Close to where the Hotel La Galleria was. People running the restaurant were Indian Muslims from India.

Back to the Hotel, was nice place. Small and cozy.

As we entered, Amma who;s been there for 2 months close to 3, was already familiar with (I dare say) the entire hotel staff. Noor greeted us at the Reception with a huge smile, like she's known us for long. Then Adi came with smile and got all our bags. (I think I saw Amma actually give them some duit Raya in a green packets) Since they were off the next few days. She did it discreetly knowing well that we were going to nag her again for Unnecessarily doing the Mother Christmas thing.


Next day, though it was already Hari Raya in Malaysia and the rest of the Raya Celebrating countries, Brunei had to do it differently of course. They were celebrating it a day later.

Amma had to go to Uni. While Amma and Chinni went ahead, Papa and I decided to venture out a little. Discovered a Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant and had breakfast there.

Walked around and discovered, a supermarket that reminded me or a very run down version a Parkson Ria that once occupied a corner in Seremban.

But listen to this!

I was there for about 4 and a half days.

Not a single honk!

People just wait patiently in the car.

You want to cross the road? The car waits for you!

I mean coming from Malaysia, we tend to wait for the car to passby before we go, the few bold "The Road is Mine, You Can Wait" one would probably show their hands indicating that they are going to cross and go.

But here, in Bandar Seri Begawan, and the rest of Brunei, they wait !

Hello!!!

I'm not used to this! Not in an Asian / ASEAN country anyways.

Wait a minute! I could get used to this. . .

The Begining of a beautiful. . . And Boring journey , if I may say so myself.

So the next few days went something like this.

Aunty Eileen and Uncle Super, parents of my kindy buddy Adrian. They went to UPM and did TESL with Amma, moved here 9 years ago.

Aunty Eileen makes the yummiest Banana Chips! Not too salty or oily.
I told Amma, "Make sure she has them Chips for me!"
And she did. The next day, despite being told that we will visit them, she comes over with a tin full of her "Valakka Chips" (Banana Chips).
I was in heaven!
She looked at me and said, "Exact carbon copy of Sanda!" :)
But we already know that.


The next day, Uncle Super took us to Seria.
To go see the "Nodding Donkeys"
What?
What's that?
Why do we want to see Donkeys Nodd?
So it appears that the (oil) Pumpjack looks like the head of a donkey, well nodding. . .
That was an interesting tour.
The drive from BSB to Seria takes about an hour.

The houses surrounding Seria are mostly temporary structures. If they find oil there, then out you go. But this is the Brunei government we are talking about, and I am sure the residents will be paid well for it.

Later that afternoon, a short tour.

There was the Kampung Air (Water Village).. Ok - that's all I remember.

There's this mosque in Town that looks really beautiful.

Being a Muslim state, that's probably the only structure they think is worth spending the B$ on I suppose. Oh, and the Palace. Gold Plated Dome! That's where the rest of it goes to.

The People in Brunei.
In someway, I think no one place and be refered to as the Melting Pot anymore.
This place is full of foreigners.
Philipinos, Indonesians, Indians, Chinese, and more . . .they are all here.

Back at the Hotel. . .
There were people from various countries waiting to meet Madam Sanda's family. Yeap, they call Amma that.

Dr Khairuddin, lecturer from Indonesia.

Dr Sugumaran, skin specialist from Kerala, India.

Another Lecturer from Kenya. And a bunch of other people, I've lost track of who's who.

That whole floor was occupied by foreign workforce brought in by the Brunei Government.

Probably at some point in the future, people like these might end up with citizenships and eventually become locals, or at least their children would be.


Visit to Uncle Super and Aunty Eileen's.

They invited us over for lunch. Nice home cooked meal with Paavaka Poriyal (mine and chinni's fav)! It's fried bitter-gourd.

Got to see tons of Photos of Adrian, who is an Engineer in Australia with an Australian fiancee now. My mom and his dad would always tease us about that 1 photo of us in Kindy Uniform. Tadika Ho. The only memory I ever had of Adrian at that Kindy was this. . . He would cry like a girl not wanting to go! :)


A little shopping at Yayasan, somewhat Mall - like, but according to Uncle Super - It's not a mall.

Shopping. Nothing you cannot get here in Malaysia. If you earned in B$ it might be a little cheap. But if you were to convert, I'd rather shop here at FOS :).


The last night, Aunty T was back from her New York Tour. Took us to Gadung Mall to do some last minute shopping. aka Big clothes Shopping for me.

Then dinner at Tandoor.com. Nice posh looking place.
Was like a nice reunion, with Aunty T, Uncle Super and Aunty Eileen.

The next day was lunch at Aunty T's. Doesn't matter what all the other dishes were. She had some nice Big Juicy Prawns!
And to top it all up was Amma's Chicken Rendang.
This was our Deepavali for this year. The 4 of us together. This Deepavali, Amma won't be here and I won't be going back home. And the chicken rendang is a once a year Deepavali dish. Right there at Aunty T's flat was our 2008 Deepavali.
Amma packed some back for us.
I just finished the tupperware she gave me today, savoured every last bit!

So that's that. Not much about Brunei really.
But that doesn't mean I wouldn't go there again.

If you want a laid back life, and make $$. Brunei is the place.
As long as you have a good circle of friends with you, you can survive!

No. 6 Jalan Kuala Garing

That's the home I grew up in while papa and amma were in Uni.
That's the house I learnt to speak tamil at from appupan and ammuma.
That's the house I went to every single school holidays.
That's the house I rode my trycicle at.
That's the house I celebrated almost every birthday for the 1st 10 years of my life.
That's the house I went home to every Deepavali for 17 years.
This is the house I grew up at as the only child, the only grandchild, the only niece.
This is the house I grew up at as the pampered kid, loved and adored by my grandparents and uncles.

So so many sweet memories I've had with this house.

Always waiting to have my lunch and dinner, only when ammuma was would eat. She never ate the same time as appuppan and papa, if he was there.

In the evenings, I used to braid ammumas hair because amma wouldn't let me grow mine. I always fell sick when I was a kid.

Appupan being the prod Mallu that he is, would praise my "Royal Eyebrows", because back in the days only the Maharaja's had it. Of course if he told me that when i was 18, i would tell him "Yes appupan.. it's the Maharaja's and not Maharani's who had the Royal Brows" :)

Helping ammuma to make chapathis in the evening. She even let me make baby chapathis. I miss that.

How I would Help Ammuma for Friday Prayers.

The evenings, I would sit on my small chair outside the house with Ammuma while Appupan walks around the Compound with puppy. All the dogs that came to the house were called Puppy and nothing else.

How Appupan would take 2 cream Crackers for Puppy and talk to Puppy while feeding it to him.

How Puppy would fight however many snakes that came to the house and eventually kill them. Brave Puppy!

How Ammuma had really soft skin and always smelled really good.

Appupan would make paavaka juice and drink it just like that every evening for his diabetis.

How Amma, Chinnu, Ammuma and I would take our afternoon nap in the huge hall. And when Ammuma came up after lunch, she would usually bring a piece of chocolate for us.

How at nights, I dont really get to watch anything other than what Appupan wants to watch on TV.

How I got scared after watching the EXORCIST, and Ammuma would sleep with me.

How Ammuma would mix all of us Milo after dinner everynight.

How Ammuma still makes the best ever Mallu Sambhar, even when she wasn't Mallu.

How Papa made that little Sarung Thothi (Swing) for Chinnu and we used to rock her to sleep there.

How Every Deepavali I would be in charge to fill up the palagaram (Cookies) tray.

How the 2 bathrooms in the house are really as big as my bedroom now and another is even bigger.

How Appupan took his driving license when he was in his 60s.

How Appupan would dye his hair black and dress in his long sleeves, white pants and white shoes and his Golfer cap when he goes out.

How Appupan would cut the grass for the entire compund and sweep it himself.

How Ammuma would spring clean the entire house by herself without any help.

How Appupan would pluck all the Rambutans during season and sell them.

The best childhood memories were all at this house.

With the Passing of Appupan and Ammuma, we manage to keep this house in the family for 6 years now. But it's too much work to keep the house. I guess I don't blame my Uncle for selling it. Things will never be the same.

They were the Glue that held everyone together, and we kept coming back home.

This time next month the house will belong to some other family.

And these pictures as well as some videos will be whats left of this dear house.

I will miss you, just as I miss Appupan and Ammuma..