DAY 1458-1463

 Aug 29 - Sept 3

1) The past few days have been utter bliss. Since coming back, I've been very well cared for by my parents, and I've settled into my new routine back home. It genuinely is such a joy to be back in the environment that I am most familiar with, and to marvel at all the new buildings and shopping complexes. There have been some casualties from the COVID-19 pandemic though; both Syeun Hotel (where I used to go for piano examinations) and Heritage Hotel Ipoh have now closed. On the bright side, many new cafes and small eateries have sprung up, and you can bet your last dollar I wouldn't miss an opportunity to go exploring. 

2) Over the weekend, my parents took me to some of the usual eating spots we used to frequent whenever I return home. These include the stadium, Gourmet Square, and a restaurant whose real name I can't recall but which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory" because one of the stalls sells a similarly named spaghetti dish. On Sunday, my mom took us all to a newly opened cafe called HBR Cafe (Mandarin: 海南仔) which sells authentic Hainanese cuisine. These include kaya and butter toast, glutinous rice, and Hainanese-style chicken chop with rice. I really liked the owner's concept of converting an old single-detached house into a cafe, complete with decor from the 60's and 70's.

3) In addition to the food trips, I've made some short stops at all my old schools, from kindergarten all the way to high school. I stopped by Cator Avenue and Anderson Middle School (my primary and secondary school respectively), before hopping over to Baptist Kindergarten for a quick photo. None of the institutions were open as it was Sunday, but I still managed to get some nice photos in front of my past schools. The only school I haven't visited yet is Tenby International School (where I did my A-Levels in 2014/2015). I'll definitely be looking at making some trips back to visit my teachers, in the coming weeks. 

4) On Monday, my uncle invited my mom and I over for afternoon tea, at Kinta Riverfront Hotel. It was a Merdeka-themed meal, with a lot of local favourites such as roti jala and satay (skewered meat) replacing the usual sandwiches and scones. For just RM38 for 2 pax (or roughly 7 GBP for two), I'd say it was definitely good value for money, not to mention an excellent opportunity to reunite with all my relatives after one long year. In short, I had a really nice time.

5) That's about it for this edition of my blog. Hoping to create as many memories as possible before heading back to my medical programme in the Pearl of the Orient - Penang! Thanks very much as always for visiting, and enjoy the many pictures below. Have a nice day, cheers!

Afternoon tea with my maternal grandmother, my uncles and aunts, and my many cousin brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces - @ Kinta Riverfront

"X" marks the spot - three generations of the Chan family reunited after a year :)

Ten-Good Japanese Restaurant

Ardent followers of my blog will remember how I often visit this Japanese restaurant whenever I'm back on holiday

I tried something new this time - the hamburger steak set!

(as you can see, the set comes with many different side dishes, including miso soup, steamed egg custard, fried chicken (karaage), salad, and dessert)

A very enjoyable experience indeed

My mum brought back some food for lunch today - two different types of noodles (the thicker yellow egg noodles and thinner rice vermicelli) on the left, and some spring rolls (popiah) on the right, complete with some ice cold coffee

Iced coffee

Today my mum made some wonderful chicken rice to go with her equally excellent ABC soup (basically potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes)

Last Sunday, we went out to a restaurant which I've nicknamed "Morning Glory", as one of the food stalls sells a spaghetti dish named as such

I had my usual cheese and mushroom omelette - a staple of mine whenever I come here XD

For lunch, my mom brought us to this new cafe called HBR Cafe - which specialises in Hainanese cuisine

(case in point, this excellent "kaya" pau - sweet buns with coconut jam custard - delightful!)

This is glutinous rice with kaya - other versions serve the rice with chicken curry instead

My mom giving the thumbs up to the dish :)

I tried the Hainanese chicken chop - which infuses a bit of Eastern flair to a Western recipe, for example by marinating the chicken in soy sauce

My dad had the dry curry chicken noodles

This is kaya and butter toast - simple, but goes exceedingly well with a nice cup of coffee or tea!

Back to school! My primary school where I spent most of my formative years

Honestly the colour scheme seems a bit strange to me - when I was a student the school was painted in a nice beige tone

My secondary school - where I spent the better part of five years

With the famous clock tower in the background

The sign (in Malay) reads: To arrive with hope, and leave with success

Celebrating our nation's 63rd Independence Day (Merdeka)

Back to Baptist Kindergarten - where I spent my very early years

It's such a strange feeling to be back here after almost 20 years!

Dinner at Parkson Grand Food Court - this is Japanese style omelette with curry

Breakfast at McDonald's (or as we Malaysians call it - Mekdi)!

Some traditional Chinese biscuits

(we had egg tarts, coconut tarts, kaya puffs, and pork meat tarts)

all washed down with my mom's wonderful "pak kor yee mai" (barley and gingko nut dessert)

A close-up of the delicious snacks

Here at Kinta Rivertfront today for afternoon tea :)

The usual suspects have been replaced - we now have (from the bottom tier: roti jala with chicken curry, chicken and lamb skewers (not visible); mid-tier: grilled salmon  sandwiches, decadent brownies; top-tier: some sloppy burgers!)

Just noticed that the colour of my cup matches my shirt

Very happy to meet up with everyone again :)

Chicken rice @ the Stadium

Some satay (skewered meat - usually served with peanut sauce and accompanying cucumbers/onion slices)

Our very own version of deep-fried prawn crackers, served with dark sweet sauce and crushed peanuts

Lunch at Gourmet Square. I've had the opportunity to sample the chicken rendang set - which comes with two different vegetable sides, a hard boiled egg, and a heapful of pandan rice topped with a mix of curries. 10/10 would recommend

DAY 1368-1385

May 31 - Jun 17


1) This week, I was shocked to hear about the passing of my A-Levels Biology teacher, Mrs. Jeyaleela. Ever the eloquent orator, we were constantly reminded of her wit and sarcastic humour, in addition to her fountain of knowledge. She used to dole out snippets of extra information brought over from Form 6 (STPM). For instance, I recall fondly her explanation of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic equations, as well as the Meselsen-Stahl experiment of semiconservative replication of DNA. More than that, I remember her chastising me for being too "anthropocentric" in the field of genetics; and for her suggestion to convert D-glucose (dextrorotatory) to L-glucose (levorotatory) so that we could eat as much as we wanted without putting on weight. Of course, she had it all figured out - a 10% royalty for her idea once we had patented the non-absorbable form of sugar! On a personal note, I owe it to her for my excellent results in Biology, and for her glowing recommendation letter she wrote me when I left Tenby. My only regret is not being able to meet up with her during the Tenby Alumni Reunion last year. Rest in peace, Mrs. Jeya - you are sorely missed.

2) Since the last blog post, I have been quite preoccupied with my research. As the deadline for my thesis submission draws closer, the pressure mounts for me to finish analysing data and hopefully have something noteworthy to present. As it stands right now, I don't have a lot of interesting data to present, but I certainly have learnt a lot in terms of statistical analysis. Back in medical school, I did not really pay too much attention in stats class and instead chose to study to pass my exams. Only after conducting my own research have I realised the importance of good statistical acumen in guiding research output. Hopefully, I will be able to meet the deadline and finish my masters in time.

3) These past few days, I have noticed more food stalls sprouting up where I live. It is a welcome sight to see small businesses slowly but surely reopening, as it means more food options for me. From this Monday onwards, Transport for London (TfL) has made it compulsory to wear masks (or some form of facial covering) when using public transport. That is good news, as masks have been shown to be really effective in preventing the transmission of the virus. As it is, I've bought myself a reusable mask (KN95) for outdoors use, although I've not used public transport since before the lockdown began. Furthermore, I've heard news that those returning to Malaysia will no longer be required to quarantine for two weeks - instead they will undergo a rapid test and be allowed to self-isolate at home if the test is negative (with further monitoring for two weeks). This is obviously welcome news, as it means we won't need to fork out an additional RM1000+ for half the cost of quarantine at a hotel for two weeks.

4) This year has been a real doozy for us. Hopefully, the next half of the year will see a return to the "new" normal, as countries aim to bounce back from economic standstill. Until then, take care, stay safe, and stay healthy. Thanks very much for tuning in, and have a nice day. Cheers!

This was one of Mrs. Jeya's little brain teasers - what does the above diagram show?

DAY 1093-1096

Aug 30 - Sept 2

1)    It’s been a phenomenal past two weeks for me. In chronological order, I’ve picked up a brand new phone (a Huawei Mi9T) thanks to my dear mom, and it works really well. I really like the pop-up selfie camera, the long battery life and really fast charging time. In other news, I’ve collected the approved Tier 4 UK Student Visa from Wisma MCA, KL. I need the visa to collect my BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) card for the duration of my stay in UK (quite similar to the IRP (Irish Residence Permit) which I used while in Dublin, Ireland.

2)   They often say things get worse before they can get better. Recently, I decided to take part in a “Virtual Run” – where you would run a certain distance (authenticated with a running app using GPS tracking) within a certain time period, and if successful, you’d receive a nice finisher’s medal. So the virtual run that I took part in was called the Merdeka Run (commemorating our country’s 62^nd Independence Day), and I chose the half marathon distance (21.1km). Also, I’ve recently gained quite a lot of weight, thanks in no small part to reduced exercise, increased stress, and terrible sleeping times (preparing for my exams).

3)    So in an effort to shed some pounds and net myself a nice finisher’s medal (and appear patriotic), I took part in the run. I woke up one fine morning, and began running. Remember what I said about things get worse before they get better? Well, my newly downloaded running app (on my new phone) didn’t work so well, to the point that I had been going for literally 2.5 hours and the distance still showed only 6km! Now I’m by no means a “fit” runner, but 2.5 hours to cover 6km is truly unbelievable. I had just spent the last 2.5 hours running for absolutely nothing… and at the rate I was going I would have taken at least 10 hours to finish the 21km.

4)    And so my effort that day was wasted. Later I decided that I would go back to the old running app that I was familiar with and use that instead. Lo and behold, the app worked perfectly fine – and so it was time to prepare myself mentally for another shot at 21km! But before that, I had an important alumni reunion with my teachers and friends at Tenby International School, Ipoh. It was indeed a privilege to be invited back to give a TED-style talk about my alma mater, as well as provide some inspiration to the future generation of leaders. More importantly, I had the opportunity to meet up with my old A-Levels teachers, my cohort mates and my friends. It’s really unbelievable how everyone has gone on to different paths in life, just a few years after graduating from Tenby.

5)    The second day, we went on a trek up Bukit Saiyong – just next to our school. It was a 1800m trek on uneven ground, but what surprised me most was all the teachers went along with us! Again, another perfect opportunity to catch up with everyone, and for some nice group pics. At the end of our journey, we had a nice lunch at the school canteen, thus capping off our first alumni reunion at Tenby. Much appreciation to the Sixth Form for coordinating such a successful event for the alumni, and hoping to return again next year! That’s basically it for this edition of my blog post, do look forward to the next one coming real soon. Thanks for reading as always, and enjoy the pics below. Have a lovely week ahead, cheers! 

Group photo time - with fellow cohort mates (Cohort 10), Mrs. P, and Madam Lau - at Saiyong Eco Forest Park!

Ice-cream at Marrybrown - right after getting my new phone :)

 Photo with mummy :)

Smiling outside but a bag of emotions inside - my botched (first) attempt at running the 21km

Tenby alumni reunion - with Brendan (from Cohort 12) and Mrs. P - who taught us A-Levels Physics

Breaking the ice over a game of "Splat"

Mr. Louis welcomes the alumni back for the first ever reunion - ft. Quest University Perak (QIUP)

Alumni including past students and teachers/staff alike

Hard to believe the size of the current A-Levels batch - nearly double our cohort (Cohort 10), and ours was by far the largest cohort at the time!

 Merdeka celebration about to begin...

I certainly wasn't expecting such a huge turnout

Primary and secondary students alike, along with former and current teachers and alumni - all under one roof - celebrating our country's independence

Mr. Davidson officiating the Opening Ceremony

And away the balloon goes!

Until it's reached the ceiling...

We heard poems in different languages from the talented Tenby students - chronicling our leaders' struggle to obtain independence for our nation

Really wonderful seeing the enthusiastic students performing!

The Chinese fan dance

Indian cultural dance

Reenactment of the "Tugu Negara" (National Monument) that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom, particularly during World War II and the Malayan Emergency

The Malaysian Army March

Choral speaking

Lunch with fellow Tenbians of Cohort 10, and Madam Lau (who taught us A-Levels Mathematics)

From l-r: Kai Feng, Wataru, Bryan, Maiko, Madam Lau, and myself

Fast forward to next day - trek up Saiong Eco Forest Park - right next to our school

Mr. Louis briefing us on what to expect

From l-r: Merisha, Wataru, (I'm so sorry I really have forgotten your name), San Jet, Alia, Dhipan, Myself

From l-r: Mrs. P, Wataru, Alia, Myself, Madam Lau, Maiko, Bryan

Getting ready for our group photo

Lunch after a long hike was fab! :)l

Farewell photo just before I left!

l-r: Myself, Merisha, Dhipan, Alia, Ivan, Wataru, Ms Chong (who taught us A-Levels Chemistry), Maiko, Madam Lau, Bryan, Brendan

A United World At Peace - Through Education

Pizza time with family ^^

Durian cheese pizza - at Pizza Hut