News from Kuantan

I bought myself an ipad4 and I've been neglecting the laptop ever since. Poor laptop. As a result, it's been a while since I posted. So it's time for some updates.

• We are watching with interest the war that is being played out in Lahad Datu, East Malaysia, between Malaysia and the invading Sulus. The Sultanate of Sulu is a long and historical saga of an island of the Philippines and their sultan who was given the land of Sabah long ago from the then-ruling Sultan of Brunei as a gift for helping him in war. Despite Malaysia's independence, which includes Sabah, the sovereignty of this portion of land has now been brought back into the spotlight by these invading Sulus who claim it still belongs to them. Whether it's all a political ploy with the Malaysian general election coming in a month's time, is debatable, but nevertheless, we are keeping updated with the latest news as Malaysia has rejected the Sulus proposal of a ceasefire and are now on the attack.

• The rainy season seems to have finally gone for good. Yay! But now we are facing the familiar hot and humid afternoons as life beside the equator heats up once more!

• Lauren is enjoying kindergarten. She wakes up with a smile, goes to school with a smile, and comes back home with a smile and many stories to tell. So that makes us happy :)

• I got myself a 4-year visit pass from the Kuantan Immigration! That is amazing news for us! Once those 4 years are up, I can apply for PR (Permanent Residency). It means I no longer have to worry about making those frequent trips to Singapore and back just to get my passport stamped. I can't begin to tell you the degree of freedom I feel now that this is all sorted out. Living and working in Malaysia for our own business is the best possible life I could have dreamed of and I feel thankful to God each and every day for this life He has given me.

• I'm feverishly working on the A-Z April blogging challenge. With under a month to go, I'm busy preparing two separate A-Zs. One is for this blog and the other is for our Horne Learning Services blog. I decided to do the second A-Z as it will help attract more visitors to our business, via both our blog and our facebook page. I'll be taking you through the alphabet including some of my favourite words, English language grievances and other associated thoughts.

Well, you are all updated. Sorry that there are so many words to read, and so little photos! Here is one recent picture showing the lovely weather we are enjoying right now. Have a great day, and thanks for reading!

Fidelia's Friday - Route to Kuantan

I am a small woman born in a city called Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak. Sarawak is situated on Borneo and it is a multiracial state. So, I am so used to being around a lot of races. I come from an Iban family, which is the biggest race in Sarawak. To learn more of the Iban people click here.

I grew up with four of my other siblings. We are all girls. I am the second one and the one who always gave my dad a big headache when I was a teenager. I was a tomboy for a good couple of years during my teenage years. I played football with my neighbours (not that I was good at it) and most of my friends were boys. I never missed watching live football when my state team called the "Bujang Senang" (otherwise known as Sarawak) played at the stadium. Back then they were good with a few  foreigners playing but now they are quite rubbish. Sorry to say! I am more interested in Manchester United now after I got married. My husband got me into English football and taught me everything he knows about his favourite team. To my surprise, I was a fast learner! So, I have been supporting Manchester United for more than 5 years now!

Anyway, after I finished high school at the age of 17, I continued my studies to pre-university. There I was learning foundation in Science. I spent a year on an island called Labuan. This beautiful but small island is not far from a state called Sabah, which is also on Borneo island. I loved my time there! The only memory that I don't want to conjure up is the frequent shortage of water! I had to get up at 5am to fill up a bucket of water from another hostel. We had to walk down our stairs and up the stairs of another hostel. One good exercise after we filled up our buckets! 

After I finished my pre-university, we were given 8 choices of universities we wanted to apply for. So, one of my choices was University Malaysia Pahang which is here in Kuantan. I got that offer and I studied here for 2 years before I met Duncan in Kuching during my semester break. We got married during my 3rd year of university and he came to Kuantan to be here with me! After 6 years of hard work and ups and downs with my studies, I finally graduated. 

After graduation, I don't feel like being a chemical engineer because it is a very demanding job. It has tight schedules as well. I chose that career before I was married because I didn't think I was going to get married at the age of 21. Things changed along the way. I have other commitments now. My highest priority is being with my children and taking care of them. I want them to have the memories of me being with them when they were young. Something they can tell their friends when they are older and say "my mother was always there for me whenever I needed her!"

So, here we have been living in Kuantan for more than 5 years already. I thought we would be moving out after I completed my studies but no, we didn't. Kuantan is our home now. The home to both our children because they were born here.

So, have you ever thought about moving out of your hometown to settle somewhere else? I never thought about it but here I am! Born in Kuching, settled in Kuantan!