Journey of Tofu

2009 is quite a topsy turvy year for me. There were some random and unexpected events happening here and then, there's also some great and superb memories to be added into the memory album up there in my brain.

March 2009 is really one month I'll never forget. 21st March is the day I got my beloved Honda City, it was also the day it got banged by my salesman into the showroom door, on left and right side of my car. So all in all, my car was damaged before I even got it into my hands! I still am a bit speechless till today about this "memorable" event. Probably I'll be speechless bout this till I die, unless someone else tells me bout how their salesman manage to dump their brand new car from showroom to a nearby ditch, then I'll shup up for the rest of my life about this accident.

Then comes summer of 2009, where most of our Kepong gang members residing at foreign countries return to Malaysia not to reunite with family, but to eat char kuey teows, nasi lemak, Manjalara grilled chicken wings, play pool and gather with friends. Some returned late, some early.

No summer is complete without a grand outing with the Kepong gang members. This summer, we initially planned to go some island on the east coast, like beautiful white sand beached Redang Island or Lang Tengah. We even thought of going to Sabah, but Voon Yuan beat us to it by going with his UK mates. So in the end, we settled for Sungkai Hot Spring in Perak, thanks to Yiew Wen's suggestion.

Sungkai definitely left me with a memorable 2009 summer. Our closest to complete Kepong gang outing ever since secondary eras. Attendance includes Yiew Wen, Ai Woon, Zhen Khai, Voon Yuan, Jacklyn, Kim Hung and me. The trip also includes gf/bfs of our gang member, which includes Sue Lynn and Han Sin =) Missing gang members were Aaron, then residing in Langkawi to fly some planes and Tsi Ngar, who just couldn't make it in time for the trip. Hopefully next trip they'll be able to join us.

This is the place where I developed some steamboat phobia. We had steamboat for dinner, supper and all the way to breakfast for the next morning. Then we also played angels and demon in the wet wet pool in our villa, in which...Mo Kim Hung was so busy texting some Perak girls he didn't bother talking in the game, but rather jumping in and out of the pool to grab his phone all the time. Wet hands + an electronic device as fragile as a phone is a bad combo Kim Hung. His phone in the end got shot! It sort of went cuckoo due to water entering the keypad. Sad case for him. It also lead to him drying his phone with the hair dryer...hahaha.

Next, come a great news! ( I can't remember, if this comes first or Sungkai first) I was informed by our Nottingham staffs I was approved for UK exchange study programme!!! I was very happy as my results is definitely off the mark to join the programme. This news realised my dream of going to UK. It is my favourite country in the whole world, with great football, transport, all english speaking.

Not long after, come the frenzy of preparation for everything I need to bring over to UK. Documents, clothings, food, stationaries and the other neccessities. After that, we had plenty of tea sessions at either Spicy or Murni to ask two fellow members at UK on what is needed. One always tells you what should be brought while the other tells you "There's everything in UK".

Within a blink of an eye, comes September, Yiew Wen and Tsi Ngar were gone for almost two weeks, and its my turn to fly. Final meetings with extended family members were in procedure. I still remember how it feels. At first, it was a great bubbly joyous feel inside me when I knew I am going to UK. After a while it subsided, and I just felt normal, then, I'm starting to feel split. Part of me does not want to leave Malaysia, part of me shouting out, "I'm going!!!"

But I relented and I flew towards a totally foreign country, fate unknown.

We arrived safely, and soon settled down.

Soon came December, almost the end of another half great half sad year. I still manage to grab some time off studies to do a final big journey to Austria and Budapest, Hungary with my fellow housemates. All in all, that was another great adventure in my life, experiencing many new things on the horizon, a different european country, real skiing experience and many more. Tiring it might be, but it is worth it.

Landing back in UK, I headed straight for London, where I regrouped with the Kepong gang again for a Christmas reunion. Where you lost a friend, you shall gain a new friend. And this time, we lost Tsi Ngar to exam, but we gained Chai Earn from Bristol. Hehe. Made some 7 star dinner, beating many restaurants and hotels in London. We had (this is over a few days)

Bak Kut Teh

steamed fish

home roasted char siew

duck confit spaghetti (10 stars dish)

roast chicken

white wine mussels (Ai Woon's babies)

steamboat

fruit pie, honeydew sago, teh tarik, caesar salad, butternut squash soup,. I hope I didn't left out any great dishes there.

Then another Boxing day in my life, where I bought plenty of stuffs, though still ultimately failed to beat Ai Woon the shopping queen.

Finally, its time to return to reality, and my day came on the 27th, when I finally return to Nottingham to continue on my studies.

And so, I shall end my year 2009 with Differential equations and other materials for exams. Today, will be the first time I'm counting down with my friends over Skype.

Happy New Year all! =D