Season's Greetings 2014

Merry Christmas! (Carrefour, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai)

I’m putting a very short post as there is so much work to do before I take a short break for the year end. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!! See you again in 2015!


Christmas 2013, Mall of the Emirates


Mirdif City Centre, Christmas Season 2013


Family Christmas Eve Dinner 2013 at a Chinese restaurant in International City, Dubai


At the amusement park, Dubai Festival City, 2014

Justin Year 5

Yes, that’s right, our monster is 5 years old now. Here’s a quick rerun of his 5th year, in chronological order.


Serving us food (for a change) at his classroom in Uptown School, Dubai


Justin, with ‘good boy’ hair at an Uptown School function


In Malay attire, with his Pre-K teacher, Ms Janet Ayeni on …was it International Day??


At church, …first time he actually volunteered for a photo.


Posing with his Chicken Rice at a highway rest area food court in Malaysia


Caught in the act of accepting a bribe from his chau-ko-poh


With his ji-pek-kong at Jack’s house, Kota Kemuning, Selangor


At the Canning Garden Market, Ipoh


Taking a bath at the Barak River with his mama (uncle), Fulertal, Assam


Posing as a fish, or a plane, no it's a fish, while waiting for his school bus to come


Justin, bald again, for the summer


First day at his new school, GEMS Royal Dubai School for Foundation 2


With his new born little brother, Jayden


Justin and our car, at International City, Dubai


In a suit, at church again – photo specially requested by Justin


Justin’s 5th year birthday – no party, just ourselves

The Submerged Rainforest

Lake Kenyir, Terengganu, Malaysia

A quick picture post again. Busy time at the office. Always seems to be the case here, towards the end of the year, for tendering work anyway. It’s like a punishment for those in Tenders. When everyone’s thinking of Christmas and New Year, you’re holed up in the office, at night, pounding away on the keyboard. Shite!

Still on Malaysia, this is Lake Kenyir, a lake made by damming up the Kenyir River to form a hydroelectric power station. That act effectively flooded 260 square km of rainforests, wiping out scores of trees (and I suspect not a few animals), making it the largest man-made lake in South East Asia. The trees are long gone now, but there was a time when the lake was an eerie maze of dead trees poking out of the lake surface. That was what one fellow visitor told us. I wouldn’t have known since this was our first visit to the lake.


View from the Lake Kenyir Resort


A boat chugging quietly on the lake


A fishing boat / lodge i.e. a house boat where visitors stay to fish, cook and eat – popular with fishing enthusiasts


This was where we stayed – chalets at the Lake Kenyir Resort, but don’t ask me which one


There’re as many as 340 islands in the lake which were once hilltops. Here’s the ‘Waterfall Island’! Dunno the real name, just know that it had a waterfall in it!


Waterfall at Lake Kenyir (see a picture of Justin bathing at the waterfall in my previous post)

Then there’s ‘Herbal’ Island, where you can get tongkat ali, …to boost your male libido! (This’ll be a favourite among some of the friends I know!!)


The Harmony Hut (Pondok Harmoni) (don’t ask me why they name it this) at ‘Herbal’ Island, where the tongkat ali, kacip fatimah, etc brews are prepared for sampling by tourists – bitter to the core, whatd’ya expect? These are …potions, OK?


A shelter on the lake at ‘Herbal’ Island


Another view of Lake Kenyir, with the Lake Kenyir Resort on the left


A view of the Lake Kenyir Resort main building, from the swimming pool, yes there’s a swimming pool there. Dunno why people don’t just swim in the lake. Didn’t see anyone do that, actually, strange!


The road there, from Ipoh – just past Gua Musang, Kelantan. We decided to take the never-before-travelled route to Terengganu this trip, across the spine of Malaya, through hills, forests and plantations. The route will take you from Ipoh, uphill to Cameron Highlands, then downwards to Gua Musang, Kelantan. From Kelantan, we drove across Felda estate roads (government planned palm oil plantations) straggling the boundary of Taman Negara (National Park) into Terengganu and Lake Kenyir.


Just past the Terengganu border, from Kelantan

When Love Was Younger

A tea estate in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia, 2007

This November marks our 8th year together as a couple, and a family. And I’ve never been happier. I wish it’ll last forever …really! This year also saw an addition to our little family, our red baby, Jayden (coz he turns bright red at the slightest irritation).

Here’re some photos of a time when our relationship was younger, right after our first anniversary. Then, we’re free birds, without kids. Kinda miss the freedom of those times. We could like, hang out anywhere, have some drinks at a pub, watch a movie whenever we like to, go on a backpacking trip or a hike… Longing for those days. Maybe when our kids turn 20, …not too long to wait, 2034…




No, this is not Assam, nor Sri Lanka. It’s Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. This is Anu’s first time there, and my err… 80th time?! (I honestly don’t know – have been going there since I was a teeny toddler).

Ever wonder how plantations and farms become an attraction? I do. What’s so cool about visiting a tea estate? Call it whatever, but it’s essentially a farm. Maybe it’s because the world’s become so advanced and urban, that a little bit of rustic rural farm is just the thing you need to unwind and relax. Never mind the buzzing flies, the muck that you have to wade through and the fresh smell of fertilizer, which I suspect is made of shit (it sure smells like it).

But tea estates are different! No muck, no flies, no signs of fertilizer. Just acres and acres of green stunted trees, pruned to perfection (by the constant picking of their leaves), growing on slopes. And the cool weather, and fresh air!

If you’re thinking of visiting Cameron Highlands, do so before it’s too late. Last I heard, it’s no longer cool. Global warming, and the indiscriminate clearing of forests will surely put an end to its charm. Heck, just the other day, there’s a story in the Malaysian papers that a landslide killed 3 people in Cameron Highlands. I’m not surprised, with the way people are chopping down trees. Don’t believe me? Just drive from Cameron Highlands to Gua Musang, Kelantan. Horrendous sight, hill after hill of bare brown earth, devoid of trees, miles and miles of ugly plastic sheets strung up as shelters for the new vegetable farms… That was what we saw in 2013.


Family picture, Cameron Highlands, 2007


Anu and Hazel at our hotel (forgot the name) in Cameron Highlands

New Kid on the Block

Meet Nitindihong alias Jayden, Justin’s brother, born 17 October, Friday morning. Signs of labour (the childbirth one, not the labour workforce) started on the night after I posted my last blog entry. Smart kid, waited for his father’s 2-day weekend break to pop out – labour started early Friday morning 1.30am, went to the hospital at 4am, he was out by 8.30am! Pity his elder brother! 2-day weekend, but spent the whole time in the hospital and at home.

Baby’s name should be Jayden Nitin Dihong Ong to match Justin’s, but the Dubai Birth Registrar, for some unknown reason, now allows a maximum of 3 names, and asked me to drop one of the names. I combined them. So thank you Dubai, for the absurd, one in a million name, Nitindihong! Awww, what the heck, it’s just a friggin Birth Cert, right?

Looks like Dubai and China State Construction are lucky for having babies. This is my second. Wanna have a baby, come join me here!


1 day old


3 days old


Having a sun tan at 11 days old

Journey to a Sea Arch

The Marina at Al Jissah, Muscat, Oman

Here’s a quick update while waiting for baby to arrive. …These few days have been a real suspense. Anu’s pregnancy is past Week 40 now, and there’re still no signs of labour. This kid is definitely taking his time unlike his brother, who was 2 weeks early, and gave us an advance warning a month before he was due (leaking of amniotic fluid).

Did I not mention that Muscat has some pretty interesting beaches also? But don’t expect coconut palms and budget hut-type chalets. There’s not a tree in sight, and the only hotels here are spanking 5 star hotels, which I guarantee will put a dent in your wallet. They do have trees actually, the ones that they plant artificially and water through a network of sprinklers and irrigation pipes, at the hotels.

Ooops, I forgot about the beach at Seeb (west of Muscat). Seeb actually has some cheaper hotels, but don’t hope for chalet huts. Or trees.

Here’re some pictures of Qantab / Al-Jissah on the eastern part of Muscat. (Nah, didn’t take any pics at Seeb, just did a drive by thing to see whether there’s anything interesting. Didn’t help when both son and mommy wanted to head back to the hotel for a rest).


Journey to a sea arch at Al Jissah – boats are available from Qantab Beach, but be prepared to haggle your heads off. Notice how the area here looks like a flooded quarry, …but a beautiful quarry at that.




Papa and son returning from the sea arch, Al Jissah, Muscat


Mommy and son at Al Jissah


Road to Al Jissah


Qantab Village, surrounded by barren mountains


Qantab Beach


What’s a ship doing in a roundabout? Al Bustan, Muscat, Oman