Time With Siew Yoong And Family

I was in Singapore over the weekend for the Singapore Sprint Triathlon, well a long weekend actually, consider-ing I arrived on Friday morning and left only Monday evening. Racing the triathlon aside, I had a wonderful time with my cousins Siew Yoong and San, as well as my little nephews Tian and Jin.

Siew Yoong and I grew up together in Petaling Jaya and we share a special bond. That has now extended to her other half and sons as well. Now that they have been living in Singapore for the past few years instead of Auckland and Sydney, we've had a chance to get together more often, although we could do better. Sms-es, phone calls, emails and Facebook can never, ever come close to meeting in person and spending time together. So we made full use of my short trip. We trained for the race together, we did the swim leg for our teams, we had breakfasts, lunches and dinners, we went for a foot massage, we prayed at a temple on Wesak Day, we hung out at their home. We exchanged tales of recent happenings in our lives, we updated each other on the extended family. We enjoyed each other's company.

Staying in touch is a worthwhile effort. Seeing each other in person maintains the bonds that we nurtured from a young age. Thanks for a fab time!

Here we are having cakes and tea at K Ki in An Siang Hill, Singapore.

Australia Day

When you've lived in a country for a number of years, you have ties. Emotional and physical ties. I lived in Australia, Adelaide to be precise, for four years - one year of boarding school and three years at uni. After all these years, I still feel a bond. I have school friends whom I have reconnected with via Facebook. I have cousins in Adelaide and Melbourne, relatives in Sydney, good friends in Brisbane. Some clients even. To all of you, 'Happy Australia Day'!

I still remember taking my first Qantas flight to Adelaide (their ads are really engaging), my first tour of the city. I have fond memories of my year at Immanuel College. I have made some lifelong friends while at the Flinders University of South Australia.

I haven't visited in more than a decade but images of the Barossa Valley, Kangaroo Island and the like often come to mind. Once the Ringgit appreciates against the Australian Dollar, I'd very much like to head to Queensland or Western Australia for a holiday. There is still much to see and discover. And am happy I caught this on YouTube a couple of days back.

Photo of Year 12 boarding students at Immanuel College, Adelaide, Australia, courtesy of Thomas Brown.