Travelz And Eatz!: December 2020

2020. 365 days of it. Wandering here, wandering there. Meeting this fella, meeting that fella. Do this, do that. There's just so many things to do throughout the year. I have to. I need to participate in Life. I wouldn't want to miss living my Life and letting Life slip past me. Every day I'm living, I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue enjoying Life. And therefore, I will participate in all that Life has to offer, within my capability and ability.

January : And so the activities for the year began with me volunteering to distribute oranges to the community, representing Pakatan Harapan before it fell to the traitors. Never done this before in my life. Meeting strangers and giving them packets of oranges. One resident returned a packet to me. Interesting experience. But no worries. Kept on distributing to the rest of the folks who were just happy that they were remembered during the festivities. Bringing joy to others, brings joy to the soul.

February : Contacted by Alexander Yeoh, a fellow resident, inviting to join a bike group which he created. Why not? We have a common cause, which is to roll the wheels on the road. And so, Ronin group, I joined. Earned my patch after the third group ride with them, awarded at the cafe at Gohtong Jaya. Welcome to the team! A mix of personalities, this group, as is every other group. Good to know you all. It was fun. I've always enjoyed the exchange of Life's experiences.

March : After the traitors caused the fall of the Pakatan Harapan government, COVID-19 decided to drop by and caused the entire country to be on stand down. It was an event that no one was trained for and it affected the entire world. Borders were closed, Movement Control Orders were implemented. Among the chaos, community work still proceeds. And meeting the Councillors and related people to resolve issues, is an exciting experience for me. Carpe diem!

April : The country had to prevent the pandemic from spreading further. We were forced to stay home, going out only to buy food. Only one representative from each family was allowed to leave the house. Many of us had to work from home, a very alien work culture to many of us. Having to face the computer at home, pretending to work (Oops!) because there's no way the office is able to keep track of employees. But don't worry. I did my share of work at home and supported the factory's operations. So, there's no photos to represent this lock-down stage.

May : Since I had a little more time at home and was approached on social media, I got involved in Network Marketing. The almost infinite online meetings and trainings via Zoom 4 times a week really made me wonder whether I'm made for this. And the work to expand the network, kept me really busy. Lasted till August where I decided I'll get my life back and so that's it. My friend, Lawrence Low, was appointed the Chairman of Port Klang Free Zone. A congratulatory note was sent on the appointment. A friend of 16 years and the friendship continues. Relationships needs constant effort and this, I've no trouble with. I'm grateful to have many friends around me. I appreciate the good Life I have.

June : Always eager to try out new foodie outlets, we found ourselves driving to Tanjung Malim to seek out Mani-Thai Restaurant. As the name suggests, it offer excellent Thai cuisine and for those who intend to stay back, rooms are available for rent. A friend invited to participated in an online interview on FB Live. I took the challenge and shared my passion - photography. There's no rehearsal, just to sort out the photos and just talk with him online. No time for nervous breakdown or anything of that sort. Just Do It!

July : The annual Penang trip was calling and so, a trip was planned. This ferry ride turned out to be my final journey with the car. My trips to Penang always has to meet this condition - one ferry ride, one bridge drive. From 1.1.21, the ferry will only carry motorcyclists and pedestrians. I've no regrets. Also joined Earth Warriors to collect rubbish at the local lake, an activity carried out fortnightly on Sundays. Glad to be able to do my part to keep the place clean.

August : There's two trips this month. Once, to Malacca where I visited my auntie who sells the popular cockles at Jalan Bunga Raya, Malacca. You should go experience sitting at the low tables, enjoying the boiled cockles, BBQ squid and sotong kangkung. Next, we drove up to Kuantan, Pahang. First time entering the mine and appreciating the cool and damp tunnel passages which extends to a couple of hundred meters underground.

September : My birthday month. An invite from the councillor to participate in the free drone sharing workshop at the lake. Met up with a fellow resident (have you noticed that I've been meeting people since the beginning of this year?), who shares the same interest - photography. I was in two minds about getting a drone (it costs about RM2,200 for a branded unit) and not sure whether I'd use it to its fullest potential, so gave it a skip. Need a video camera more than a drone, me thinks.

October : Now, how else could I advertise my personal brand other that Instagram? Aha! Why not print and display the brand on the car? And so, I spent about RM50.00 to print the text and photo labels to be pasted onto the car. It's always exciting to work on my personal branding although I don't have any products to sell. Satisfying to expand creativity this way. What else will I do? Not sure yet but surely, there'll be something coming up soon.

November : Heard about this senior pilot who was laid off from MAS and after a few months resting, decided to open a curry laksa stall in USJ. So, this calls for a trip to meet him up and he turns out to be a humble and cheerful chap. This is also a month where I purchased a webcam and started to speak on FB Live and also had fun with Youtube. The punching video with my son garnered 10,000 likes in 2 days. Wonder what the viewers saw in the video. The sound from the punching, perhaps?

December : The close of the year. A drive to Malacca to send parents home as the inter-state travel was permitted. Tried out a foodie location at Rembau where they served good daging salai masak lemak, a local delicacy. Come Christmas, we were hidden away in a resort deep in the jungle where the smartphone was rendered useless as there's no phone signal but we were saved by the free Wi-fi service provided. 3 days after that, the final activity of the year had to be this scrambler ride at Moto Maniac, Gamuda Cove. The son who had just learnt how to cycle in July, is now able to handle a motorised 2 wheeler. Amazing fast learning, this chap. With that, the year 2020 comes to a close and I am excited to anticipate new adventures in 2021!