Update from Penang

I'm back in Penang. And it's great. You'd think it'd be easy to come back home, but returning home after having lived on your own, not just at college, but also in Paris, and traveling... returning home is challenging in its own way. Still, true to the adage: there is really no place like home. Here's an update in a nutshell of some of the things that's been going on since Paris.

When blessings overtake you...

Coming home from London, my grandaunt and I got upgraded to Business Class! What a dream come true! Nothing like riding in business class with the airlines that has the Best Cabin Crew in the world!

Look at that leg room! I'm not going to be able to go back to Economy after this. Even more so on Northwest. Sigh.

And video on-demand. 200 CDs on demand. Oh man. I SO didn't want to sleep. But I did.

Of family...

It was like a belated Chinese New Year celebration, which was great for me because I haven't celebrated Chinese New Year for two years in a row already! But my mom's sisters and their families from Perth, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand came home for a holiday. So together with my mom's brother's family, we had a big "lean lor" (steamboat)... a reunion dinner of sorts!

True to Penang culture, there was a durian feast that ensued thereafter...

And when I say feast, I mean feast. Look at that. Too bad I don't like durians all too much.

This is my uncle and the youngest cousin on my mom's side of the family, his daughter, Alyssa. Isn't she a cutie?

And while the grown-ups feasted, the kids... played Nintendo.

And a certain aunt let loose on the drums! Heh heh.

...and friends

Meeting up with friends was also very fulfilling! Had a superb seafood meal with some of my closest friends. It was great!! The crabs, fish, mantis prawns, squid, satay, chee lay... oh yes, and the company wasn't too bad either! hehe. Here are Mace and Pin..

Fran was there too. But he has his own blog. So I won't post his picture here. Haha. Just kidding. This was the view we got to enjoy while feasting. Yup, dinner ON the beach. What more could one ask for?

The Malaysian reply to the French escargot... chee lay! Yum.

Of birthday celebrations...

We celebrated Aun Nar's birthday at Edelweiss, a Swiss restaurant that wasn't really Swiss at all. But oh well. Here's the happy birthday girl.

And her friends, Yee Ting and Mandy.

And we celebrated my birthday. First with a bunch of friends... at a Japanese restaurant. I was sick unfortunately. But I'm all better now :) Had Sukiyaki! MMm.

Then we hung out at Coffee Bean. Ran into an ex school mate. Here are Cheryl, Pin and Mace.

And Praeme, Eunice, Yee Ling, Fran and Cheryl's twin sister, Cheryl.

Then I celebrated with my parents. And took Fran out to make it a sort of double celebration since I'm never around for his birthday. Went to E & O for a yummilicious buffet.

This place is the coolest! It's so echo-y.

And it had great gardens!

Then the "real" celebration. Had a great celebration with friends and family and a wonderful bbq... thanks to my brother the chef! :) Here are Ian, Euodia, Sarah, Rachel and Bboy!

And my long time school buddies Sui Lay and Sue Ann...

And the birthday boy... man... hey I AM 21!!

Happy birthday to meeee...

And after the party. It was picture time. Because my aunties were leaving the next day... at 5 in the morning! Haha. So we took some great shots. Here are two of my cutest cousins haha.. Zac and Daniel. Both wannabe Human Torches. :) Er.. apparently Francis wants to be the Human Torch too. Sorry, there can only be one: me.

So Zac decided to be Batman instead. Oh yeah that was pretty cool... the whole bunch of us also went to watch Batman Begins and the Fantastic Four. It was great! Going to the movies with all the kids hehe.

And here's Grandma Lucy with all her grandchildren except Koo Koo's and Ee Ee Doris' kids.

And the three sisters. Ee Ee Christine, my mom and Ee Ee Diana. Cha cham booong!

Adam, the swimmer cousin, and my bro... who is smiling for once!

And finally, a big dinner feast at the seafood place before Ee Ee Christine and Ee Poh Margaret left for New Zealand and England. It's been great!! Thank God for family and friends.  

Odds and ends

Other things that Josh is up to:

• Lai Lau Juak: A Peranakan Experience. Celebration Sunday on the 7th of August at Fort Cornwallis! I'm so excited. The choir sounds awesome. So do the musicians. It's going to be a lot of fun.
  
• Leading worship this Sunday at church. Church is so fun. Church is great! :) I love FGAC.
  
• Apparently, some cranky pastor of a small church in Penang has predicted Thursday to be "doomsday" for Penang. We're all going to be wiped out by a gigantic tsunami. Well. All my bags are packed. Bye bye world. Hahaha. Sheesh.
  
• I want to go to Lakewood Church! Wow.
  
• Going to visit Fran in Singapore. Hopefully will meet up with Vin and Alex and... whoever else is in Singapore.
  
• Gotta go down to KL at some point too...
  
• Have to prepare for our trip to the US! Woohoo. We're going to Niagara Falls. And Cape Cod. Can't wait to have my friends meet my parents. It'll be sweet.
  
• Have to start shopping. :)
  
• iPod!!