All About Speed

Justin, on his 15th birthday, at the Dubai Autodrome, Motor City (which is walking distance from our house). See, he’d rather spend his birthday watching a race in the autodrome, than doing other birthday things that normal people do, sigh. We didn’t even know there was a race happening, until he told us about it, a Formula 4 race, if I’m not mistaken

Did a recap of Jayden’s 10th year recently, now it’s Justin’s turn. A recap of his 15th year (he turned 15 in December). He’s in Secondary 3 on a scholarship in Singapore. That means a whole lot of pressure on him to do well, …or he’d lose his scholarship, and more. Does that bother him? Not a bit, from what we see! We’re the ones worrying our heads off, while he dreams of racing, and skiing, and mountain-biking, etc… but mainly, racing. Justin, STUDIES COME FIRST! REMEMBER THAT! Oh God, please help.

Here's the recap.


Starting off with Dec 2023, right after we celebrated his 14th birthday, we were off to Central Asia! It’s the first overseas trip we did with Justin, after he started his schooling in Singapore. At the Bibi Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Why do all the minarets have flat tops? Somebody chopped ‘em off? Or they dropped off, or something, bcoz of earthquakes?? Some little domes, or spires on them would be nicer, wouldn’t it? But what do I know?


Next stop, Bukhara, Uzbekistan. That’s the Ark of Bukhara. Friggin frigid cold when we were there, as you can see… (-13C, real feel -21C). Brrrrrr…


Next, Khiva, Uzbekistan. In our guesthouse inside the walled Inner City of Khiva. Hey kids, mind the place, OK? The owner’s a bit of a stickler for orderliness… Boyjon Ota, Itchan Kala, Khiva, Uzbekistan


Crossing borders now, into the closed-off ‘hermit kingdom’ of Central Asia, Turkmenistan. With our tour guide from Owadan Tourism, Ms Aygul who met us at the border. (Everyone, and I mean everyone (from whatever country you’re from), needs an Invitation Letter and a Visa to enter Turkmenistan. Don’t believe me, try going! It’s fun!) At the Bay Town Restaurant, Dashoguz, Turkmenistan. She doled out a lot of friendly and wise advice to young Justin during our lunch there… Which we hope didn’t fall on deaf ears


Back to Uzbekistan. Skiing in Amirsoy Mountain Resort. His first skiing trip. And he loved it. He nailed it on his first try (alright, he couldn’t stop, but he managed to ski all the way down! By the second round, he could already stop!) (Unlike, yours truly, who rolled himself down, literally. I lost count of the number of times I fell, and got back up. And it ain’t easy to get back up, OK? With the stupid, long skis sticking on your feet! Even on a friggin beginner’s slope!) At the end of the day, he was crying on why we didn’t let him go on a more advanced slope! Duh, how would we know that he’d like skiing?!? So, we took only a half-day package!


Time to go, on a train in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, heading to Samarkand, to catch our flight back to the UAE. This was the first trip which we used trains as our main mode of transportation! We tried all the different trains in Uzbekistan, the Afrosiyob (the fast train, the best), the Sharq (slightly slower, older, which is the one in this photo), and the night-trains (for long distance, buy in advance, or you may have to share cabins, or sleep 3rd class, which we did on one of the legs of our journey!)


Back in the UAE. At a sand pyramid in Abu Dhabi’s Fahid Island’s Kite Beach. It was a temporary art installation by US Artist, Jim Denevan, who created hundreds of sand pyramids and cones arranged in a concentric pattern in the barren beach. It was made with natural, available materials and was meant to disappear over time… This was right before, he flew back to Singapore to start Year 8 (Sec 2), Dec 2023


It’s the mid-year break already?? Back to Dubai for a holiday, Jun 2024. A treat at the Dubai Indoor Kartdrome, Motor City, near our house. His second time go-karting (after the time at the RAK Track, in Dec 2023). (He’s been bugging us ever since to let him go again). How you doing, son? Can you please stop thinking about racing for a while, but study hard, and stay focused?


Back to Singapore. Here’s a photo I nicked from his phone. One of his outings with friends in Singapore. I only recognize the friend on the left of Justin in the photo, Garren Tang, a fellow Malaysian scholarship recipient


Another outing in Singapore, this time with family (a photo I got from WhatsApp, hehe). In the middle, is my uncle (in blue, dad’s youngest brother) and Aunt Betsy, his wife (with walking stick). On the left, is Carol, their daughter, my cousin, whom I’ve not met for more than ermm… 20 years, at least. She and her family (white man in the middle, daughter and son) reside in Adelaide, Australia. (I’ve never met them, by the way). They were in Singapore to visit Carol’s parents. Flanking Justin is my brother Jason, and his wife Fang. Jason and Fang’s daughter, Stacey (with glasses) is on the right side of the photo. On the far right, is my cousin June, who was in Singapore for a short visit. Accompanying June, was her son, Mark (behind Stacey) and daughter, Jamie, who works in Singapore


Receiving a visit from his parents, Aug 2024. Here’s Justin with Mommy in front of his hostel, St Andrew’s Hall (the building on the left), beside the Kallang River, Singapore, Aug 2024. “Your exam’s coming up son (in September & October), study hard, we’ll see you back in Dubai soon, OK? Love you.”


Justin’s finished his year end exams! Back in Dubai, just in time for Diwali! Oct 2024. He nearly missed his flight, because he only remembered about his passport at the last minute! The night before his flight, he was on an overnight school camping trip, and he got back to his hostel after midday on the day of his flight (which was at 9pm that night). When he was about to head to the airport from a restaurant where he was eating with his friends, he suddenly remembered that he had to get his passport from the hostel administrators. It was all a rush from that time on, and we kept praying… and waiting for his updates (what else could we do? Jason was in NZ). But he managed to get back to his hostel, get his passport (after a bit of a wait), and got to the airport’s check-in counter, just before it closed, exactly 1 hour from departure time! Whew, nearly gave us (and himself) a heart attack!


Racing again! First time in the Outdoor Kartdrome, near our home, Nov 2024. He was so much looking forward to this! "It ain’t cheap, OK? Next time, bring back some money!" (he didn’t, because he nearly missed his flight, so he travelled with whatever money he had in his wallet & pockets…)


A bit of tea at home with his little brother, Jayden, Nov 2024. No, it’s not his birthday yet. There’s no big occasion actually. His mom just like to do treats like this, once in a while!


And this was his 15th birthday treat, which he arranged himself! A go-kart race at the Dubai Kartdrome with his Dubai friends, ex-schoolmates Shaun (left) and Matei (middle). He asked us not to get a birthday cake (but we got one, anyhow, hehe. What?? We also wanna have some fun, duh?)

Anyway, we wish you all the best, Justin. Stay focused, study hard, play hard, always be kind, righteous and brave. (And put that racing away for a while!) Love you!

Gong Xi Fa Cai à la Dubai

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Koung Hey Fatt Choi! Keong Hi Huat Cai! (As you can see, this was from years ago, 3 years to be exact, when Justin was around, the last CNY Justin spent with us. Miss you, our son! Enjoy your CNY in Singapore!)

Here’s a super quick Chinese New Year Post! Busy day today, lots of work, plus errands, before the Reunion Dinner tonight. Busy times ahead (for the time being). I’ve been asked to help out with a new Project ‘temporarily’. Yes, temporarily! Because my name isn’t even in the friggin org chart. So, who knows what happens when all the supposed team members are mobilized? Guess I’ll go back to being a recluse holed up in some dingy god-forgotten office. Hopefully, I’ll still be employed. For the time being, Huat Ah! (As they say, “teen did log ley, dong pey kum” …When the sky falls, use it as a blanket!)

Meanwhile, here’re some photos of our CNY from the past few years, to welcome in the new year! It looks like we’ll be having another quiet CNY, all by ourselves, just the 3 of us. Family, minus Justin, because he’d be celebrating in Singapore with Jason’s family!




Happy Chinese New Year, from the Year of the Tiger (2022), in DragonMart, Dubai




Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year, from the Year of the Rabbit (2023), in Dubai Expo City




All this for our family of 3?!?? (CNY 2023)


Gong Xi Fa Cai, from the Year of the Dragon (2024), at my company’s event in the Burj Park, Dubai


Meeting an old colleague whom we’ve not met for a long time, Xu Zhiyuan. Thanks to him, I started speaking Mandarin. Because, he would speak to me only in Chinese, whether I understood or not, or whether whatever I said was nonsense or not (I wouldn’t know, coz way back in 2008, I knew next to no Mandarin!) That’s the best way to learn a language, you gotta speak it! Burj Park, Dubai, 2024


Ummm… this is not strictly CNY decoration, but that’s what we did on CNY day last year, a visit to the Cityland Mall, Dubai. Isn’t this just nice for CNY?


Another place, just right for CNY (because of the flowers). Make the best of what you have, right? An Arabic breakfast on the 4th day of CNY 2024, at Tara Café, Business Bay Dubai. (It happened to also be 2 days away from Valentine’s Day, hah!)


CNY at our home, 2024. Wishing all a happy, successful, healthy and prosperous Year of the Snake! God bless!

The Kid Who Wouldn’t Grow Up

Jayden, 9.5 years old, at Bilad Sayt, Oman

Jayden’s 10 years old, for a few months now (since October). He’s in friggin Year 6 at school! (That’s the equivalent of Standard 6 in Malaysia). He’s basically a senior in his primary school!?! I just can’t imagine it. (Why? Because, he doesn’t act anything like a Standard 6 kid!) OK, he started school a year younger than Justin, and 2 years younger than I did, but that doesn’t mean that he should behave like a baby. Which he does. Which drives us up the wall. Maybe because he’s the youngest. Sigh, when will he grow up?)

Anyway, here’s my annual recap of the kid’s year. It’s only 3 months late, but what the heck. There’re so many photos to look at. Jayden’s 10th year photos coming up. Enjoy.


Jayden, on Diwali, Nov 2023, just a month after his 9th birthday, with his elder brother who was back from Singapore for his winter break, and Dyuti, daughter of Bhavna and Umesh Agarwal, one of our neighbours, in Motor City, at their apartment


Spending the Christmas season of 2023 in Central Asia! Jayden at a restaurant (Bay Town Restaurant) in Dashoguz, Turkmenistan, the hermit state of Central Asia, where internet does not exist… unless you know which wheels to turn…


Let’s have a snowball fight! At Chimgan, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023


Back to school, back home, to Motor City. Here at the Grid Walk of the 24-hour endurance race in the Dubai Autodrome. Revving up, the race’s starting, Let’s go! Jan 2024


Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year! At our company’s CNY function at the Burj Park, Dubai Downtown, to welcome in the Year of the Dragon! Feb 2024


It’s picnic season, and his mother is a camping fanatic! On one of the hill trails at our favourite wadi, Wadi Shawka, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE, Mar 2024


Spring Break! And Ramadan. How nice! A 3-week Spring Break due to spring break combining with the Eid holidays. Here he is, with Mommy at our hotel in Bilad Sayt, Oman, Apr 2024


Baking bread. Rushing to complete his Junior Duke tasks before the deadline. (Junior Duke is an award that helps children develop confidence and competence in life skills). He’s got from October 2023 to do all the tasks, but no, he has to wait till the last minute! That bread turned out pretty nice though. Well done! Apr 2024


Yippee, he got the Junior Duke award! Here with his Koko, who was back from Singapore for his mid-year holidays! No, I don’t have a photo where the award’s the right side up.


Finally, the end of Year 5 and the start of the summer break. Where shall we head to? First stop, Gujarat, India. Here’s Jayden, inside the tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity, Jul 2024


Next stop, Malaysia, to visit his grandpa (partially visible) and renew his passport. Having an ice-cream treat at Haagen-Dasz, Penang, Malaysia, Aug 2024. Heck, Malaysia’s a whole lot cheaper than Dubai! Go ahead, eat! I don’t remember how much this was, but I remembered the Krispy Kreme doughnuts in Butterworth were half of the price of its Dubai equivalent! No wonder we become fat every time we visit Malaysia


Continuing in Malaysia, a strawberry farm! In Cameron Highlands. Strawberries are one of his favourite fruits! Lavender Garden, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia, Aug 2024


A Singapore stopover to visit his Koko, before going back to Dubai. Jayden and Justin at Changi Airport, Singapore, Aug 2024


Back in Dubai, starting Year 6. Here he is, in the old part of Dubai, Bur Dubai where the Hindu Temple used to be, before they shifted to their premises in Jebel Ali. Look how narrow the alleys are. These used to be jam-packed with people (devotees) during the old days when the temple was here. Sep 2024


Finally, Jayden’s 10 Years Old!!! Happy Birthday. We love you. Even if you grow up. We’ll love you more actually. Guaranteed.

A Northeast Christmas

On the grounds of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Shillong, Meghalaya, India

It’s way past Christmas, but what the heck, here’s a glimpse of our recent trip, a Christmas in Northeast India, with family and friends. "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la…" Enjoy, and may peace be with you.


Smile! Anu with her sister, Rekha (right) and niece, Sonia (left) at the Catholic Church of Mary Help of Christians in Shillong

We decided this time, to take the long way home, i.e. by road (as bad as it may be) from Guwahati (main city of Assam) to Silchar (South Assam) via Shillong (Meghalaya). Not really recommended at a time like this, with the ‘amazing’ conditions of the road between Khliehriat, and Malidor on the Assam border. I’ve driven on this road (on return trips) twice before, first in 2006 and then in 2013. This time, we took a taxi, and the road was just horrendous (not that it was good in 2013, but that’s nothing compared to this time) especially from Lumshnong all the way to the Meghalaya-Assam Border. The potholes were humongous. None of the stretch had anymore asphalt on it, and it was road dust all the way (pity the villagers). Many of the bridges had their steel reinforcement bars exposed, heck, there was even a bridge with a friggin hole thru it! And trucks were clogged to the brim on both sides of the road, wherever they were allowed to linger. Numerous stretches were under maintenance, no, make that under construction. (There’s no way it could be maintained). Heck, this road could have won the World's Worst Highway if there was such a category in the Guinness Book of Records. Hopefully, construction would complete soon…


Another Shillong church, the All-Saints’ Cathedral, Shillong


The interior of the All-Saints’ Cathedral, Shillong


Putting up Christmas decorations in the Church of Epiphany in Mawlynnong, the so-called Asia’s Cleanest Village! It was coined by an Indian magazine called Discover India. I dunno how they measured cleanliness, but Mawlynnong was indeed neat and nice! And peaceful, and worth a visit. Bravo, keep it up!


Inside the Church of Epiphany, Mawlynnong, where just 10 days after we visited, some numbnut of a social influencer, went into the church and shouted out ‘Jai Shree Ram!’ (a chant celebrating Lord Rama, an Indian god) and posted it on video. Of course, it created outrage, which I think was just what that jackass wanted. (Publicity, you know?) If he’s so gung-ho, let him do it in a more prominent church, or a mosque, in Pakistan…


Christmas back home! In Fulertal, Anu’s home village in Cachar District, Assam. Anu’s mother and sister, Rekha on the main road in Fulertal on Christmas Eve


Merry Christmas!!! Jayden with his Boju (grandmother) at Fulertal’s main road, on Christmas Eve, 2024. This place is a melting pot of people from the North East. There’re no clear dominant tribe or race. Each village is different. For example, in Fulertal, Anu stays in Nepali Basti, a Nepali or Gorkhali village. Directly adjoining it on the east, is Hmarkhawlein, a Hmar (a Mizo subtribe) village. Further down the road are Naga, Kuki and Khasi villages. On the west of Anu’s village is the urban part of Fulertal which are Bengali, Naga and Manipuri. Right opposite Anu’s mother’s house is a Manipuri Shiv Temple, and directly adjoining this, is a big mosque, with a shrine of a Muslim saint, revered by Muslims and Hindus alike. The Hmars are mainly Christians, and therefore there’re churches. With such a mix, people here have learnt how to co-exist with one another. Although this is part of Assam, Bengali is the official language here, not Assamese. I hope this peace prevails continuously.


One of the 2 churches at Labac Pailapool’s Christian Basti (Christian Village). This is the Presbyterian Church. We visited the other church (the Baptist Church) on Christmas Day. Pailapool is the next big town away from Fulertal, 4km away, towards Silchar


Christmas Day service and performance, Labac Pailapool Baptist Church. The sermon was in Bengali, and the dance performance was in Nepali, nice! The pastor is the one holding the phone on the right of the photograph. The performers were all from the house of Anu’s college mate and friend, Moni. The church asked us to stay for a Christmas feast after the service, but we decided to visit Anu’s friend instead. Thank you so much for your invitation!


At the house of Anu’s friend, Moni (right most, with baby in hand) at Pailapool’s Christian Basti. The family who are Christian Nepalis did not attend church on that day, as they had a really young baby. Anu telephoned her friend to find out which church they attended, and we headed there for Christmas. Moni was a Hindu Manipuri, but converted to Christianity after marrying into a Christian family. Her husband is Manoj (third right), and the two young girls in the middle of the photo are their niece (in green), and elder daughter (in pink). They're the ones who performed a dance at the church, earlier on


At Anu’s elder sister’s Manju’s (left) house. Anu’s family is Hindu, but what the heck, what’s wrong with having a Christmas tree for Christmas! We were eating chhangban, a traditional Christmas treat of the Mizo and Hmar tribes, which Anu loves (sorry, forgot to take any photos). It’s made of slightly sweet sticky rice, wrapped in leaves and steamed. Anu’s mom is half Mizo, by the way


Boju (meaning grandmother in Nepali) – Anu’s mom, surrounded by some of her grandchildren, Justin, Jayden, Sonia and Mahi. Let’s see, she now has umm… 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren! (She herself had 8 children by the way)


Christmas decorations at the Asapalli English School. That’s the school at the end of the road where Anu mother’s house is. Many of the English medium schools in Fulertal are missionary schools


Finally, a family picture. Smile! At a random church in Cherrapunji (Sohra), Meghalaya, India. Cherrapunji was once the wettest place on earth. It’s lost that to its neighbouring village, Mawsynram, which is also in Meghalaya, India

That’s all for now. There're so many other family pics, but that'll have to wait. See ya soon.