A Trip to the North...I am coming home

My childhood place: Tunjang,, a small & beautiful town, 30 km from
Alor Star, quite near to the Thai border.

This old coffee shop, after all these years, still not much changed. When
I was a child, used to wander here...

All in one shop! What do you want? From hardwares to
selling chicken! It is better than hyper market! Can you
buy live chicken at Carrefour?

Oh, I still remember this shop, my sister used to buy vegetable
here, then she took hours to chit chat with 三姑六婆, forgetting that I
was waiting for her. When back kena scolded by mum! 活該!

My primary school. Reminded me of how naughty I was! When
teacher wanted to punish me for not doing homework, I ran away
from class, never returned on that day! Teacher also scared and had
to report to my father. Ha, that is the kampong boy's life! That time no
computer's games, playing with nature was my computer's games!

See, that is Bukit Tunjang, our house at the foot of hillside! So scenic
and beautiful, with green and hills surrounded this little town, Tunjang.
It is really memorable to spend my childhood days here, enjoyable, and
simply blissful, on those years! The happiest days in my life.

This site here was a swampy area where I caught and played with
'fighting fish'- 打架魚. Now it is a paddy field.

Crossing the border, reaching Hatyai, Thailand. Our favorite morning
market, near to my brother's house, where you can buy all sorts and
varieties of things, including breakfast!

Time for lunch? This is our favorite restaurant, in Hatyai, we always end up here!

Photo session. A cozy restaurant, with unique and traditional
Thai food, and some old sentimental photos that attracted customers.
One of the photos- this one is the birth certificate of the King
of Thailand. So cute when he was a baby.

I am coming home, I've done my time. Now, I've got to know what is and isn't mine... That is the lyrics of another song, namely 'Tie a yellow ribbon'.

But no one to tie a yellow ribbon 'round the old oak tree' to set me free!

I am free, not from prison, but free from worldly entanglements: like a rhinoceros freely roaming in the jungle. No attachment, alone ... but blissful with readiness to detach from worldly things.

Out of sudden, I decided to make a trip to the North, to Alor Star, but unexpectedly ended up in Hatyai of Thailand! This is how life unfolds without knowing for the next step, it leads, but always leads to happiness!

Just for the sake of enjoying the Thai food and catching up with my brothers in Alor Star and Hatyai. A relaxed and pleasant journey, especially tasting traditional Thai food, it is always pulling me back again and again. As Alor Star is my sweet and memorable home town, but further to the North, a small town, called Tunjang, 30 km away from Alor Star, is my childhood's wonderland. All the pleasant unforgettable memories started from here. The recollection to all the happiest days in my life happened in this small town.

As the old sentimental song of Bee Gee, that describes well; 'When I was small, the Christmas trees were tall...' Also the 費玉清's one; '當我們小時候...'

Ha, here it goes, the nostalgia of the past happy moment starts... At least something worth recalling in the process of life. Those happy and innocent days are inspiring, the source of blissful feeling. Adding some positive energy to life especially facing the ups & downs, and the vicissitude of life. That is a momentary refreshing, with the pure heart and happiness.

That is life for, the living is to seek happiness, right? Be happy, always! What a wonderful world!