Category Archives: Flashbacks

Being Human, Flashbacks

Pretty Eyes!

Last week, I sent a snail mail to England. The content of the envelope was a scanned and printed old photo of 1-year old me, my parents and our then resident priest. I wrote a few sentences around the photo, not giving this action much thought nor expectation.

Imagine my surprise when I received an envelope containing a beautifully handwritten letter from Father Monaghan! The priest who baptized my mother before she married my father, and then baptized me in 1971. I have been wondering about Father Monaghan and his whereabouts my entire life. My mind is absolutely blown!

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Being Human, Flashbacks

Charlene…

You are two years older. We spent a lot of our early childhood together until you moved away in the 70s. We did what kids back then do and had so much fun. Oh the crazy hide-and-seeks we played in grandpa’s house!

You are only two years older. How it is that you are gone so soon? Farewell my dear cousin. You will be missed.

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Flashbacks, Food & Drinks, Travels

Cosmo & World Cuisine

Last evening’s gathering of friends was fun. I drank a very good Cosmopolitan made by the host. Food was a delicious and interesting range of world cuisine. The dishes consisted of pan fried gyoza in cucumber salad, quiche filled with chorizo, labneh with all the trimmings, and herby baked breads.

The cocktail brought me back to Las Vegas and New York City. The food transported me around the globe and back. 🙂

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Belgium, Flashbacks, Travels

Vilvoorde

The first time I went to Vilvoorde was in 2022, for the art and music festival known as Horst.

Yesterday, D and I went to almost the same location to pick up my passport, which now contains a tourist visa to the United States. Yeah!

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Belgium, Events, Flashbacks, Travels

Gentse Feesten ’24

The last Gentse Feesten that D and I went to was in July 2018. We were occupied with visiting friends in 2019 and then the pandemic happened. And just like that six years have gone by?!

Yesterday in the evening, D and I went to Gent, parked at a P+R and took the tram to the city centre to enjoy the festival. The weather was lovely (it was rainy the day before) and there were a lot of people. Because D could not find a food stall that sells things he likes, we sat down at a restaurant to drink beers and had a pizza to share. After a few hours at the festival, we got home safely by one thirty in the morning.

We are older now, do not live in the city, and have learnt how to enjoy things in a mellower manner…

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Flashbacks, Numbers, Wealth & Creativity

Pause & Propel

If memory serves me correctly, the first pause period in my life would probably be the couple of months that I have after my SRP exams at age sixteen. I spent that time re-reading the books I love. When the second life pause came two years later, I ransacked my parents’ home library and read almost everything I can get my hands onto. After that, I propelled out of my home town Lahad Datu and was going to upper secondary in Kota Kinabalu. Not knowing at that time that I will be going through these sort of launch sequences several more times in life.

1992 was a year-long pause for my sister and I. Then, the two of us propelled to college and university lives for the next few years. In 1994, my sister took her biggest step forward in life. We did not know it then but she left Malaysia for good 30 years ago.

I spent 1995 till 2000 in a personal semi-pause, while propelling my mother’s life insurance business ahead and launching my youngest brother off to university. Then my life got on to the fast lane from 2001 till 2007. The first three years were filled with design school activities. After graduation, I moved from Michigan to California for work and ultimately ended up in Nevada. Those were interesting years…

And just when things started to become familiar and a bit settled, I made the decision to up and move to Belgium!

Are my European years a very long pause? Not really…

In the past decade, I have steered events, built foundations, built launch pads, and changed lives. When and where will I propel my life to next? 😉

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Flashbacks, Numbers, Travels, Wealth & Creativity

C2 to DS4

Yesterday afternoon, D and I went to pick up the car.

The entire replacement process of the trusty C2 to an almost new DS4 has taken about two and a half months! I am pleased that the papers are finally in order, that the car is in our possession, and that D is adapting and driving this beautiful machine…

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Being Human, Flashbacks

7th Grand Aunt

Today, my seventh grand-aunt’s funeral took place in Singapore. She was the sister-in-law of my beloved maternal grandmother. My ties to the first generation Foong family ends with her, and with sending the 白金. I do still have a good connection with my mom’s cousin, which is a second generation Foong.

Now, I wonder what happened to that black and white photo of grand-aunt and I sitting at the bottom stairs of my grandparents house in Lahad Datu?

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Being Human, Flashbacks, Numbers

No Bullshit Era

When I turned fifty in peak COVID-19 year of 2021, I congratulated myself for having reached the No Bullshit Age.

My self-invented free pass for no longer tolerating just any bullshits in life gave me the courage to demand, nag, and stand on my own.

Nevertheless, I am always prepared to have my mind and opinions altered, when presented with undeniable facts. One may not be too stubborn to the point of blind stupidity. I for one refuse to turn into an old idiot.

Learn new things. Do not believe in every single opinions you come across on the internet. Sleep well. Eat well. Be calm. Be brave. Laugh. Spend your money. Compost those kitchen scraps. Do not waste food. Future proof yourself. Plan and take action. Travel and see the world – be it physically or virtually. Read. Tend to your ikigai like it is your only child.

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