A Malaysian in Nepal

This Merdeka day, as I'm sitting in my cozy room away from my home, family and country..I ask myself this question-one that is asked a thousand times over; What is it to be Malaysian?

I was watching the Discovery channel and ironically or perhaps coincidentally it was about all things Malaysian. It showed the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, a Lion Dance competition held in Penang and then moved on to show a restoration programme on the Merdeka Stadium.

During the programme, they showed clips of how Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on the dias and shouted "Merdeka, Merdeka, Merdeka..seven times while the Malaysian flag wa hoisted. At that very moment..tears welled up in my eyes, I began to feel emotions never felt before in my life!

I am in general a patriotic person, but being this emotional is something so foriegn to me.

Maybe it was because I was in a different country, I begi to cherish my own even more! So I kept asking myself, What is it like for me to be Malaysian?

To me being MALAYSIAN is knowing where I came from. Being Malaysian is knowing, understanding and appreciating the diversity of my country. It is knowing that there is no other place I would rather be than in a place that I am familiar with-be it culture, language or people.

Being Malaysian is knowing that my forefathers paved the way for me to live in a place where there is peace, racial harmony, stability-even though there are tough times. I am grateful and proud to say that I'm a Malaysian.

There is certainly no place like home, and it has taken me a trip to the other side of the world to appreciate this fact!

So to Malaysia-A Happy Independence Day-may you continue to prosper for years to come!

Happy Anniversary to me...

It's finally arrived!!! I've touched the 1 year mark here in Nepal. Right about now, I had arrived at the hotel, tired and excited with a tinge of nervousness. Boy, how time flies. I wonder what the next year will be like. As a gift to myself, I went out and did some shopping..in a way it was some sort of therapy too. The day before was the most nightmarish time ever as a Duty Manager. I had an encounter with the MOST HORRIBLE Couple of the Century!!! They practically harrased me all the way till the end! Geez, I hate them, truly!!

They really tormented me and in the end,my GM had to intervene and gave them 10 pieces of his mind!!! YAY, to my GM!! I had nightmares last night and could'nt sleep soundly at all!

I learnt my lesson too, I suppose. I have to be firm and think first before making a decision. I havent been exercising enough lately, I have to do it tomorrow. Need to get myself organized as well..be more productive on weekends. Turing into a couch potato....READ a booklah...that works!

hmmm......

Gai Jatra

Wow!!! What a day!! Today is marks one of the many festivals here in Nepal. This one's called Gai Jatra..Gai (is Nepali for cow) and Jatra ( is journey). There are many reason for this "celebration". This all began when king Pratap Malla & his queen lost their son. The queen was so grief stricken that in order to console her, the people decided that one person from each household that had lost a loved one that year come before the queen.

It is also said that to make the queen laugh again, the people came up with creative ideas, like cross dressing, poking fun at politicians or highly ranked people,wearing costumes,etc. So, during the procession, the cow or a symbol of the cow leads at the front and the others carry a long bamboo pole adorned with Black cloth for the women and white for male pictures of the dead and anything that can make the journey for the dead comfortable. Much like the Ching Meng back home!

It is truly a remarkable spectacle, I've never seen anything like it ever! And to top it off, throngs and throngs of people all over Bhaktapur...so amazing..the colours,sights and of course the sounds!!!

The more I am here, the more I discover how this country is still somewhat untouched by modernity.

God's little piece of heaven

As chaos surrounds us,

As we breathe in the dust and smell those foul ordours,

There is also somewhere on God's earth,

That's a little piece of Heaven.

As you watch the sun peaking from between the mountains,

A sense of calm washes over you,

As you gaze at what uncovers before you,

It reveals God's little peice of Heaven.

In a little place called Nagarkot,

Untouched by all that's bad,

You can always count on one thing,

And that's God's little piece of Heaven.

Rum Doodle..40,000 1/2 feet...

Well....what a night y'day was!! We were at Rum Doodle ...a place like no other I've seen! It's where I had my Visa party...yup..that's it! I finally got myVisa and I was out celebrating wz my buddies from work!!

Well not all Nepali's are party poopers...they also know how to have fun! The best part was that I had to get on a motorbike to get ther..and as much as I dislike R-A-I-N...I also have an aversion to bikes..of any kind. Looking at them from afar is quite ok...getting on one is the worst part...but I had no choice..that was my only mode of transportation!..mmm...my driver...God bless her soul...was patient enough with me...and took all my whining....she told me not to hold on to her..what!!! the monster of a bike was certainly going to throw me off..I could feel it...what to do??? I prayed and prayed..and the best part was that the passenger went without a bloddy helmet!!!! How could this happen? Did no one care about the pillion rider...as it was..the roads are a killer here..and sometimes there werent any street lights...Oh the pure agony!!!

Anyway we made it safely and in 1 piece...my knees were wobbly from the whole ride...

I went straight up to the restaurant cum bar..it was soo cool...there were footprint shaped paper stuck everywhere...from trekkers who had been there...the place was really cozy...so we went ahead and sat ourselves down for food and drinks..waiting for my other buddies to arrive...they came trickling in ....we had our resident all rounder ( self appointed photog/barman/entertainer) who kept us in stitches while poking fun at my expense no doubt!

We had our rocker mum too..and our party animal as well..all in all it was a riot!!! One thing about the place is that it's clean,affordable and the toilets are smartly identified..for the men it states" For those who stand"and for the ladies" For those who sit"..hmmm....interesting I thought!

I also managed to come across a team from Malaysia who left thier mark on a footprint!

All of us vowed that we would make this a monthly ritual...soo till the next month...

Here for another year.....

I finally got my Visa...after 1 whole year of waiting..it's finally come!! Boy ,what a relief! To commemorate this monumental event...I'm throwing a party...hahahha...well not really sure how it will be..tonights the night!!
It's been a hectic 2 weeks too, preparing for our Annual Business Plan,lots of presentation and such..in front of the Management Team..it;s a 1st for me...am a little nervous..but I just read a book by TonyRobbins that instead of feeling fear we should associate the feeling with excitement! Hmm....interesting...I shall remember that!!
Now all I have to do is practice my presentation speech and stuff....

It's raining outside,..sheesh!!