My trip to Mexico...my summary

Mexico
Today at a beach i have not found out teh name as yet. Here i understood it to be near the gulf, next to the Caribbean sea. And we took a boat from a dock thrn moves out of the laguna towArds the sea. It is very much tropical, similar to Malaysia in all its vegetation but the only difference is the weather. During this time it is cool, and not humid at all. I was informed it rained like 280 days per year...at this moment it is like 20 degree C under shed. What is special about the beach here is that it is misty...may be because of the temperature difference between land and sea.
For one boat taking us 5 people only cost 600 pesos, return. Fruits they hv everything we have, like mango, jackfruits, banana and soursop...even flowers anc other plants are the same and sea food except preparation...it could be different.
People in the south I think are poorer in terms of income and anyway, Mexico is still a developing country...hence still way to go...most people work very hard for a living but they are nice n happy lot.i mean they look contented n simple. majority here are Catholics, hence Easter was widely celebrated throughout the country...n coming during this period of time is fun as you just see how local celebrated this festive season. One thing making this or most parts of Mexico interesting is because they hv many food n other vendors,,,,moving around the places...hence you hv an option to choose economical or expensuve stuffs. As i hv told my Mexican friends, it is like Thailand of America may be but since i have yet to visit many parts of America continent, it is hard to make direct conclusion as yet, may be a tentative one.
Puebla
Going out for this trip with Jose, Ivan and their friends, enrique and Hoke is very fun....i mean u do not know so much of them but traveling for the first time n exploring places n food together was very adventuruous event.
Pueblo is am old city... So all u do is just walking around. But the key highlight is the breakfast we had, i think it is quite a nice experience.
And buying some gifts dinner at another city nearby is altogether a new experinece. There is the fiesta....easter holidays n people are just all the way to enjoy n to dance.
Mexicans like chilli a lot, they put this in everything they eat...fruits..food..meat..seafood...almost everything.
They dont tea....hard to find tea leaves
Tips are a norm here
Spanish is widely used...English some of them dont use it at all
They like to smoke a lot
Loca fruits are aplenty..papaya, coconut, jackfruits, soursop, peneapples, orange, grapefruits, good mangoes.....simply delicious and cheap too. Limone or local lemon is small size n green in color.
Subway ticket..5 pesos only, irrespective of distance. Before that was 3 pesos.
Taxi from airport to city centre is expensive..yellow taxi is considered a better one. From airport to city can cost 237 pesos, from city to airport..called in taxi os fixed at 150 pesos...for meter running taxi...less than 100 pesos.
Playa Del carmen
The first name to come is Maya, then Cancun...then only i know Playa Del Carmen because Jose' friend, Roberto has a accomodation here.. Reasonable price with very basic facility.
But the key highlight is the visit to the Maya pyramid, and u hv lots of them here, or in Guetamala or Cuba...but the best part is, it is your first experience of this kind n it was a wonderful experience.....fulfilling a childhood dreams...when i first saw the pic in readers' digest....and close to 30 yrs later...here i m.
Meeting Roberto was really nice but meeting another friend, From Venezuela was even more meaningful. Separated from his wife n children, i think he is very lonely but deep inside, i think he is superbly a nice person, and before i left, he gave me a little souvenier...thx..would remember this always....
And one nite when they were celebrating world earth day...there were many performances...and also trying their beer...sol, victoria...and Negra ....
And drinking cheladas...n micheladas...going to their pubs n bars...oooo,
Vera cruz n southern parts...it is very much similar to our place...the vegetation....except weather...quite chilling in the evening because it is near the gulf.
Here i think i tried the best food..be it fruits...they hv plenty of fruits here..pineapples, jackfruits, banana..soursop....
The seafood cooked with tomato juice is simply enjoyable...delicious.
The desert...jelly, the bread...yummy.
It is kind of another new experience n drinking beer when we hv excursions...simply exhilirating.
Final part was just touring the city...i would say there are plenty of colonial buildings, mainly with spanish influence are everywhere. I like the musuem of fine arts, the castle, the basiica..they are impressive.
Please also gay legal rights are recognised here though not throughout the Country. But im Mexico city...gay couples are very open. Kind of surprise for me as they are mainly catholics.
Oh yes, do also take note that if u were flying out of Mexico city via LA or SF, you hv to go through, all over again, their immigration n custom, hence there must be an additional time allocate for this.

Mexico City. .as I see it..

I took a pic of this teenager...he is performing in the bus...to get some tips from fellow passengers.  He said he needs some support financially hence his performance. I miss out un giving him the tips...as I could not understood fully what he said n secondly I assumed that he will follow the bus until our final destination n that would be the time to give him the tips. I m sorry about this and I hope he will have a better support n live better, esp having better education.

Later on in the subway. .I saw something similar.  In every stop, there is a sales man or sales lady, coming up to the car with a dark plastic bags carrying items they are wanted to sell, like books, toys, supplements,  etc, and start explaining in Spanish. ..at veru fast speed before the next station. I guess they hv between 2-3 minutes, to explain n sell,  not sn easy task.

And I think life in Mexico city is not easy. .big population. .the say the biggest city in the world.  As you are about to land at the airport at nite time, you can see little tiny dots of neon lights. ..lighting the hilly city n tgst itself to me is a scenery to remember.
Back to the population. .I think with the size n current economic situation is USA, jobs are lesser...hence you can see more hawkers and stall along the road side...but my personal comments. ..at least they arw working hard to make a living. Salute them on this.

Life is not easy yeah but has to go on....

Choong

A book to read...Hero.

A lot of experience sharing. In short, do good, do share, do give, be positive,  trust what your inner self is telling you and care for others.

A simple n easy to understand book. Go for it.

Choong

My Journeys for the last 5 months....meaningful, and I am thankful....

For the last 5 months, since I came back from Beijing, I have been traveling to around 10 countries and 20 cities in total. Traveling, of course is not for the first time, but this time around, traveling to meet friends, to new places, to explore new things, and to find out about myself, about my life, and about the places I went to, about people I do not know, strangers I met on as I  walked along some streets, and many things more...just follow the flow…..and explore things in more natural and relaxed manner...

I have some answers to the things/points/issues I am searching answers throughout these meaningful journeys (I have come across a Buddhism book that encourages one to visit, at least, one place per year, that we have never visited before, that is new, that we are not familiar with...purpose is not to be attached to the environment that we are familiar with).

And I want to thank the following friends, new friends....and all that I have met along the journeys...

my sincere thanks, my gratitude. Terima kasih, thank you, 感恩，

Nishen and family,  Suguntha, Morthi, Natish, Jayjay, Htwehtwe, Judy, Joe, Ivan, Enrique, Jan, Jorge, Satoshi, Jesus, Roberto, Emiliano, Andy, Ahmed, Jeff, Lucy, Abang Rumi (and two more friends I missed out their names here), Madelon, Rodney, Julio, Big Joe and partner, CheeSoon and family, Bharat, Jothi, Gautham, Sunil, Rajesh Kumar and family, Amb. Sergio, My sister and family, Mary and family, My 2^nd sister and family, SHioling and family, and all my friends in Beijing.。。。。and some I have to chance to know their names, but passer-bys that I had the opportunity to talk to.

Choong

Summary written at Shinagawa Prince Hotel

Younger Generations

Nowadays, I think besides my higher expectation as always, I find younger people, like those born in the mid 80s or 90s.....they are not working as hard as our generation. And I am not sure if that has anything to do with the type of education system they have, they are not resourceful, do not think beyond the needs of the job and like SOPs a lot. If you ask them to think out of the box, it is hard.....I am not sure why.
And for the last 5 months, having travelled for more than 18 cities and 10 countries together, I can see that in general, that phenomenon is happening, and taking a real place in our society....


Just a kind of my on remark, have to investigate further.

Choong

The Flight to Narita Today

Wow, in the many years of my flight, last nite, the flight with SQ11 from LA to Narita was one of the "scariest"....we were flying I think around 35000feet, and suddenly, the turbulence was very strong, it was very bumpy. I was in a very tired and exhausted state, the time difference, not having enough sleep, only manage 1.5 hours of sleep before my departure....etc, and I can hear the captain updating us the status...I mean it was quite nice for the captain to update, and since I am in the semi awake state, it is like half-hearing the explanation, the "afraid" feeling has also been reduced....you can hear the wind, the turbulence, and it was very bumptious, I guess crossing the Pacific sea. You can just feel it, a bit like roller coater. And I also heard the captain was trying at higligher altitude, at 40,000feet if I am not mistaken, and it was feeling better for a while, stable, then after a while, it became again, bumptious. And I heard the captain apologising....as he has tried his best to find the right altitude and to minimise this problem, a very considerate approach.

And for me, in the semi-awake state, I was like thinking what happen if it is really ....you know, but then again, what can we do...I only pray......meditate, and if that is destiny, then it is destiny, you can only remain as calm as possible.....Life is really fragile, haha.


Choong
Tokyo

For my own record:
SQ11, date 27 April 2014, from LA Tom Bradley airport to Narita, Tokyo.

Mexican Food

There are many nice food to try out here, but so far two caught my attention.
One is their gelatin jelly and the other is their tomato soup...with seafood.
And also their fish fillet cooked with tequila.
Will try to make these when I am back home.

Choong

Happy Easter, and Mr. Karpal Singh...

To me, it is just another day but being at Mexico City where this day meansa lot to the local, and since I am here, it is better to join in the event and I feel good having the chance to be participating. Fun and meaningful, with friends like Jose, Ivan,  Enrique and Hoke.

But at the same time reading news of the passing away of our beloved politician, Mr. Karpal Singh is quite sad for me....
To me he is a good politician and fights a lot for fairness for all Malaysians....you are one of the best politicians I have seen, Mr. Karpal Singh....  Thanks a lot for all your contributions. May you rest in peace.....

Choong
Mexico

好开心。。。

Very happy to meet up with Jianwei n his Mrs. In Irvine after close to 4 years after our last meeting in SF, and 6 years after our meeting in Beijing.
They say sometimes, it is not easy to explain about friendships but when it happens, it happens n last for a long time.....hopefully.

Wish they have a blissful life ahead n may all their wishes come true. Thanks for taking care of me when I am here.
Sincerely,

Choong
28 umbria
Irvine
CA

Jet lag

Is one of the most horrible things...

You cant sleep when u want to,
When everyone is, and you are eyes are wide..opened n fully awake
And you try to pretend that u are sleepy....
Forcing yourself to sleep
And after a while, u turn ur body to another side,
After a while u check in your mobile for messages, on fb...like what i am doing now,
And after a while you see another hour passes by,
And you think you need to visit the toilet another time, u think u need to pee,
And you start feeling hungry too...
And then u feel sleepy, the sun is then rising, and everybody is awake,
That is jetlag.....

Sleeping soon or wake up soon?

Choong
Irvine, LA

I am traveling again....

Woke up very early due to the messages sent in by friend in LA....I am on the way....to a few cities...excited....you know when u are going to places far away and a lot of unknowns...kind of adventure.
Shall write more.

Choong

Myanmar Trip-Mid March 2014

I wanted to write a summary of this trip, but simply has been delaying this, one day after another, which is bad, haha.

But I think I out to write something.
It was nice to be back to Yangon, after a lapse or 6-7 years since my last trip there. Many changes taking place, for a start, now they have a better tarred roads, many cars (they have traffic jams, sky are not as blue as before, more new restaurants mushrooming, and things are getting more expensive. Taking a taxi from the airport to city centre now cost about USD 8 per single trip.
Mobile SIM cards can be bought at airport, and cost more than USD 25 which to me is rather expensive.
People are still very nice in Yangon, but I think, in my opinion, has slowly gone more materialistic. I guess no body can ever run away from the trap of wanting more, materially. I hope I will be able to see very innocent, very down to earth, very nice  Burmese still, 10 years down the road. I hope to see this, really, that development does not change them much.....only my personal wish.
The good thing was meting old friends in Yangon, and spending sometime hear going around with Htwe-htwe and Judy was good, as we talked about a lot of topics from the past.....we good reminiscing as you are getting older, and our next plans...,may be together....haha.

And I am most happy when I was in Mandalay for the first time, meeting Thiha as my tour guide, a young chap just over 22 years old, and also meeting That Jhi was very nice experience, esp the latter. even though first time meeting him, he invited me for lunch and bring me to his friend's place, who makes jade jewelleries, and I really appreciate his kindness (note.--he is of course financially quite rich to afford, but this is not the key issue, I think important is, his courtesy and friendship. He even offered to send me to the airport in the morning, though I have already arranged an airport transfer.
And I really like Myanmar, or Mandalay, they are really safe in the sense that you do not feel like someone is following you, no one is snatching your bags or wallets, and it is safe to be around. And when the younger friends greet you, they address you as "brother". which is very nice. I really hope to go back, may be for a longer term, and if there is something nice there, for me to work or having a biz joint venture, I am willing. At least for a few years, I do not mind. It is like going back to your childhood, where everyone will treat everyone well, and you do not need to worry about your neighbourhood, worry about safety, and food is still good.....I wish.

Thank you Myanmar for giving me this feeling, for making my short-trip so meaningful.

Choong
BM

                                         The famous teak wood bridge

English and in General

This morning, I was informed by an acquaintance that his probation has been extended, reasons are:
1) His product knowledge is quite limited for the banking industry he is in... this he can attend further courses to improve himself.
2) His communication skills are lacking, and this was partly because of his poor command of English language.....

Here you are....For our generation, our English has already dropped to quite a low level compared to those who studied in full English medium schools, and I was quite lucky that for my tertiary education, I went to TAR University college (at that time only TAR college), and we use fully English medium for all our lectures and assignments. Sometimes, there is always a reason for things taking place or happening (Anyway, this is not the key point now, but the command of English language our younger generations are having). I have highlighted a few times, in general, most cannot speak good English, some use a mixture of 3 languages to communicate, Malay, Chinese and English, or two languages, sometime, a mixture of Malay and English. This is quite worrying I think.
When I was in overseas attending exhibition or seminars, Malaysians in the early 20s, when they speak English or communicate in this language, you will have a problem to understand them, if you are a foreigner , not unless you understand their background, and what how they think, and you interpret in that manner. Like 15 years ago, when I was travelling to Japan for biz, I often need to translate their Japanese English to other friends, because Japanese will first, translate, in their mind, from Japanese to English and this will be reflected in their spoken English.

I am not sure, but for me, though it is not easy and I do speak more than 3 languages, esp when I was in Beijing, to use 100% Mandarin was very hard for me, because my vocabulary was limited and I have to be persistent, not to mix with English language in my conversation, and I have managed to overcome that. I think learning language, besides having a bit of talent, you must be very persistent.

Last month when I was in New Zealand, local friend's aunt, who speak quite close to Queen's English has complimented my English, saying she was surprise I speak without "lah" or very much like SEA ways and my diction was very clear, huhuh......I think my persistency in using proper language (though I cannot say I speak very perfect English), but at least I think I am better compared to most people, simply because I am persistent in using the right way of speaking English from day one. And English is not my first language, and to speak it well is not easy.

And with the younger generations, those born after 85s. I think they will use 3 languages when they speak, if they are of Chinese origin, and you will be a confused lot if you do not really listen to what they are saying, or writing. And they cannot write or explain themselves well, using only one language.
Many people say mother tongue language is important, yes I do agree, as it is helpful as a 3rd language, but look at what we are having know. If this so called Chinese educated (I am not sure about those from Tamil school and when they go to India), and if they were to go to China (esp Northern China), I think that is when the challenge comes, and I think most of them cannot speak Mandarin well.
Hence, I think Sporean school model, where your 1st language  in school is English, and at the same time, you learn your mother tongue, and you can pick up a 3rd language in my opinion, is quite a good model to use.
Malaysia may consider to use this, Malay and English as compulsory subjects, and learning a 3rd language in school, be it Mandarin, German, Tamil, etc etc......

Just a point to ponder, otherwise, I think we will be getting worse, and going no where esp, if we were to  become a developed country, esp for us, where we are very much dependent on international biz relationship more than others.

I hope this acquaintance will pick up and improve his English language skills as soon as possible.

Choong
BM
1 Apr 2014