Happy New Year Everyone!

Chinese Temple at Genting Highlands, Malaysia - in keeping with my blogging tradition of posting things a year late or so, here're some dragons to welcome in the year of the Snake. Just check out my last year's Chinese New Year's post and you'll see some rabbits welcoming in the dragon


Dragons on the roof top of the temple, amidst the thick jungles

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a happy, prosperous, and good beyond your wildest imagination, New Year of the Snake!

May there be success and wealth, peace and good health. May there be abundant happiness and harmony in your relationships!

We will, unfortunately, not be seeing any of the usual CNY fanfare again this year, being in Assam. But I'm planning to make the best out of the situation. Going out later to the local bazaar to get some new clothes for us, and to get some firecrackers to light up on the New Year. Yup, firecrackers are easily available here hehe, at least, there's a one up over Malaysia. Let's see whether we can get some red packets or not...

Leaving some photos of Genting Highlands, the closest I can find to some semblance of CNY, to brighten up the day. These are, as usual, taken quite awhile back, in 2007 & 2008.


Genting Highlands, Malaysia - Genting Highlands is a highland resort, theme park and casino near Kuala Lumpur, nestled in the mountains of the Titiwangsa range, the main mountain range of Peninsular Malaysia. It was the brainchild of one Malaysian Chinaman named Lim Goh Tong, who invested everything he had in the 60's and 70's to develop the resort from scratch, transforming the once virgin thick jungle into one of Malaysia's main tourist attractions, and what was once the main (& only) gambling destination of South East Asia. Looking back, I will say that Genting was THE gambling destination of the entire Asia previously (to me it was surprisingly better than Macau in 1997 when I visited HK, Macau & Southern China). Of course, Macau & Singapore might have caught up since. Needless to say, Uncle Lim died a very rich man in 2007 (or so) for the gamble that he made.






Chin Swee Caves Temple, Genting Highlands, the bane of gamblers, or so my uncles and aunties used to call it. Gamblers are an unusual lot (and we've got a fair share of 'em in my family). They'll blame their bad luck on anything that crosses the mind, and they'll absolutely avoid this temple, which is located just before you reach Genting Resorts proper just because of the name of the temple. Chin Swee, which in the local Cantonese dialect means 'clear water', also means 'clear money' in colloquial Cantonese. I remember that when I was a kid, my gambler uncles and aunties used to swear by their lives (or more like their money) that Uncle Lim named it that way to clear the loot from the potential gamblers on their way up to Genting.


Anu, at the First World Hotel, the world's largest hotel (once upon a time, I'm sure someone would have broken the record by now). I'm not kidding, there is a plaque with the Guinness Book of Records embossed on it, at the lobby of the hotel proclaiming that. 6000 over rooms, just imagine.




One of the theme parks at Genting Highlands

Valley of the Newars

A view of Kathmandu, Nepal from the Swayambhunath Stupa

Wow, time flies! I’m intent on squeezing 1 or 2 posts in before the end of the month (which is today)! This post on Kathmandu has been in my mind since last Jan, right after my post on Nepal some time after New Year last year. (Somehow, New Year always brings back memories of Nepal since we spent the New Year there in 2011).


Around Kathmandu’s Durbar Square

Anyway, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is traditionally inhabited by the Newa people. The Kathmandu valley used to be the base for 3 Newari Kingdoms, Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur until the Gorkha Shah Dynasty (last ruling dynasty of Nepal) defeated the Newars in the mid eighteenth century.




Patan’s (aka Lalitpur) Durbar Square, note the Newari multi-tiered pagodas

The Newars are a mixed race. They were said to be originally of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity but have somehow evolved into a mixed race due to intermingling with the Nepalis of Indo-Aryan descent over the past few centuries. The most unique aspect of the Newars to me, is that they seemed to have developed an entirely separate architectural and art style. So much so that some people say, its influence is actually the basis for the multi-tiered pagodas that we see in so many East Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan today.


Bhaktapur’s (aka Bhadgaon) Durbar Square, Nepal


Somewhere in Bhaktapur, if I’m not mistaken, this is the Dattatreya Temple

The Newars, who are mostly Hindus, are surprisingly crazy about buffalo meat (or buff as it’s known in Kathmandu). While the Hindus in India are completely shocked at this idea (buffalos, cows, they’re the same aren’t they?), the Newars are openly proud about their love for buff. Our taxi driver who took us on a tour of the 3 Newari ancient capitals told us that they slaughter 2000 buffalos per day in the Kathmandu valley! I dunno how true that is, but the buffaloes should seriously think about migrating to India.


The Svayambhunath Stupa, Kathmandu


The Bodhnath Stupa (aka Boudha)


Walking around Boudha


Shrines near the Pashupatinath Temple (the two-tiered pagoda behind), the main Hindu temple in Kathmandu, Nepal

Justin’s Other Vocabulary

Celebrating Justin’s third birthday, with his favourite jellies in place of a cake (which he absolutely dislikes by the way)

Before it is erased from our memory for good, here’s more of Justin’s current vocabulary – Maya, Ofa, Pamphoon, Lolo, Tractra, Obody, Gether, Pam-Pam, Blathoon, Cummer, Popai, Barm-Barm, Chicken (respectively Mommy, Sofa, Perfume, Roller (and all construction equipment), Tractor, Everybody, Together, Pampers, Bathroom, Cucumber, common word for Tomato and Potato, Donkey (from the word Big Barn Farm, which used to air on TV), Kitchen)

His extinct vocabulary includes – Bainya, Shwight, Fweet, Cow, Torchai, Cockoch (respectively Banana, Light, Sweet, Elephant (which he insisted on calling Cow previously), button or beads (from the Cantonese word for belly button), Chocolate (and also cockroach)


Justin, the artist


Justin with my PD, Warren at Pune

We Survived!

A scene from the recent apocalypse, ...just kidding hehe, this is I think the Christmas decorations in 1 Utama Shopping Mall, PJ, Malaysia in 2007 (yeah, a long time back!)

Looks like we had a pretty peaceful apocalypse this time round. On that particular day (21/12/12), there was hardly any breeze in our area, it was not too cold, not hot. There were no tsunamis, earthquakes, or volcano eruptions in the world as far as I know. There were no accidents in our stretch of road that day. A few dogs might have died, which is more or less a daily event.

Anyway, congratulations to all of mankind! Let’s try to make this world a better place so that Armageddon will give us a miss for a few more millenniums to come.

Leaving some photos of Christmas past to reflect the festive mood of the season (because, as usual, the photos of our post-apocalypse Christmas, are still in our trusty camera).


Our little Christmas tree in our living room, Daund 2011


A picture of our neighbourhood church, the Disciple Church of Daund where we spent the Christmases of 2011 and 2012 in. This particular picture was taken not on Christmas itself (as yours truly forgot to bring the trusty ol camera on both times), but on one of the normal Sundays when we decided to pop by


Christmas season at the Four Squares Hotel, Pune 2011


Another Christmas picture from Malaysia in 2007 (the decorations in India ain’t much to shout about). This one’s from the Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, I think...

Kuala Lumpur for the Tourists

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building (which used to house the Federal Court of Malaysia), at the Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square), Kuala Lumpur

Being Malaysians, these are places that we don’t really bother to visit or photograph, but act like a tourist, and Kuala Lumpur can actually be quite fun, ...if not for the crooked cab drivers, and some dishonest shopkeepers, that is.


Tugu Kebangsaan (National Monument), Kuala Lumpur, I betcha there’re many Malaysians who’ve never visited the place


Anu, near the National Mosque (Masjid Negara) with a view of the Railway Station buildings


The spanking new Pavilion Shopping Mall, Bukit Bintang at the heart of Kuala Lumpur


Just outside the Sungai Wang Plaza, Anu’s favourite shopping place in Malaysia, at Bukit Bintang


The Petronas Twin Towers (how can you not have a picture of this when doing a post on KL? ...but the view's nicer at night, check out my old post)


Another view of the Twin Towers, from the exit of the Aquaria at the KLCC Convention Centre


Jalan Alor, rejuvenated and jam packed with restaurants. In my personal view, this is a better bet now than the gangster den called Chinatown (Petaling Street). Don’t believe me? Go see for yourself

Anyway, today's supposed to be the last day before the end of the world (according to 2012 Doomsday followers), so let's see...

The Adventures of Justin - Year 3

Taking after his mommy, cooking up something at our kitchen in Daund

Justin’s 3 years old now, time flies huh? Leaving a few photos of his adventures of the past year: -


Justin at his second birthday, in Daund, with a horde of neighbourhood kids. Successfully made the house into a complete mess. Helluva time cleaning up for his poppa and momma, sorta made our minds up then, not to hold a similar birthday party this year. That explains the lack of pictures this year. We just took him to the local market for a walkabout and back to the house with a bonus 3 jelly sweets (his favourite, for the time being) as his birthday cake.


Posing with the Bear Man, and the ...God knows what that is, at the Phoenix Mall in Pune. That flower bedecked thing is an Indian rickshaw, decorated to mimic a Malaysian one (thanks to the Malaysian themed restaurant Malaka Street, whose Malaysian food is only as close to the real thing as how the rickshaw is... nuff said)


A cold spell during winter, in front of our Silchar home, Assam


Chinese New Year in Silchar, complete with Chinese attire


Justin’s imitation of a crocodile (or 'die', as Justin calls it), at Jalan Alor, Kuala Lumpur. 'Die' also refers to monsters, dinosaurs, zombies and things of that ilk. His vocabulary now includes Ophant, Oplane, Oly, Funner, Pamer, Popai, Duntin, Kly, Cared, Pysi, Levav, Dikar and Umplet. (elephant, aeroplane, already, thunder, power, potato, Justin, cry, scared, spicy, giraffe, guitar and trumpet respectively)


Justin and his Ji-pek-kong, Ipoh Swimming Club


Having a swim, Ipoh Swimming Club


Justin and his ‘child-bride’ Purva, just kidding. It's our neighbour's kid and one of his closest friends for now


At the Manipuri Shiv Temple opposite his grandmother’s house in Fulertal, Assam


Nepali Temple, Silchar


Having a cup of chai (tea) with our driver Pawan, at a ramshackle roadside stall at Sinhagad, a hilltop fortress near Pune


Enjoying a doughnut, one of the few foods he’ll take, at the Kumar Pacific Mall, Pune


On his way to becoming a connoisseur, wine tasting at a local winery at Roti, about 5km off our Project road


Justin in a choo-choo train, Phoenix Mall, Pune, till we meet again, Ta for the time being!