Life as J

Sorry for the lack of updates. After returning from the trip to Asia, I attended my convocation, and have since been catching up on rest. Prior to the convocation ceremony, I was caught up in the excitement and anticipation of the event, alongside my family. I recalled little snippets of conversation I had shared with previous alumni about what took place and how they felt at the time. I was looking forward to showing my family the place I called home for five years, where I studied and created memories. When the day finally arrived, time became the most important factor. The ticking hands would dictate where we would go, what we could eat, etc. Instead of checking out the campus, extra time turned into frantic transit time. At least I was able to see some of my friends while waiting for the procession to begin, but I noticed that some things were missing. For example, we were never given hats. We didn't have the chance to move the tassel from one side to the other as we cr...

I know I promised to post pictures - so instead of creating new posts, I've edited the previous posts. Enjoy!

After the Penang trip, we headed back to Kuala Lumpur to celebrate a friend's birthday at the Shangri -La hotel. The buffet was as spectacular as the ones I saw in the other Shangri -La hotels - decorated with a modern theme and serving all different kinds of international cuisine. I myself went straight for the seafood, followed by dessert, then repeated that.. several times. Ensuring my stomach had all it could take, I proceeded to spend the rest of my brief time in Malaysia with family friends, shopping, and of course, eating some more. The last stop before we headed out to Singapore was the Pasa Malam in SS2, otherwise known as a night market. The difference between this night market and others is that it is much larger than normal markets and it has a huge variety of both shops and food. Pictured below are the shops, the covered eating area, and a freshly grilled plate of satay. On a satisfied stomach, we left for Singapore in style - that is, on an Aeroline coach. ...

I thought I had been eating a lot every meal until I experienced life in Penang . I've put major emphasis on food in Asia thus far, and I would say that I have now reached the climax of my trip. Each meal of the three days I spent in Penang consisted of sumptuous local specialties never to be found elsewhere. I know becoming civilized and developing a country is generally a positive thing, but in doing so, the culture is diminished. By culture, of course, I mean food. In Penang , thankfully, the law isn't very strongly enforced so generations of food-making can still be found on the sides of streets. Health officials don't disrupt the cooking process so the tastiest, artery-clogging ingredients are served to the hungry customers. It's a beautiful thing, trust me. It sounds terribly dangerous to your health, but the rich flavour of the food is worth a little bit of stomach pain. You could always cook your own food, but it would never taste the same. Almost every...