Skip to main content

Midnight jogs no more

It's a big change having to adjust to living with my parents again.

Basically having to uproot and move everything back to Skudai. Of course I'm no stranger to Skudai. I work here and go to my parents' house every other day after work before I left for home in Kulai.

But living here and dropping in every other day are totally different things.

I have still to adjust.

Right now I have no fixed schedule. There is still a lot to unpack. I do not know when I get up and when and where I can go for my usual walks. There is still no rhythm, no routine.

One of the things that I realise that I have taken for granted was that my old house was in gated and guarded, in a very nice neigbourhood.

It used to be that I could do just about anything I wanted to at any time I wanted to, though that may not be a good thing to some people. What I mean is, let's say if I felt like I hadn't exercised in a particular week, and the feeling hit me at 12 midnight, all I had to do was put on a pair of running shoes and I would jog around the neighbourhood, past the guardhouse, past the driving range, past the clubhouse, right down to the bottom of the hill to the gate of the Club compound, turn round and head back up again uphill and straight home.. that would usually rack up a nice sweat... About 2km give or take. Or I could just walk to the the basketball court about 100m away and shoot some hoops. Or just take a leisurely stroll, taking care to avoid the houses where there were big dogs of course. They are such a pain in the ass when they bark incessantly just because you walk by their master's houses.

But I can't seem to do that here (except for the dog part I mean. That you can get anywhere).

A bit too dangerous in this neighbourhood at night.

Mum once got her handbag nicked while she was still in the car.

Little brother once got mugged by a group of Indian thugs on motorbikes.

Another brother once got into a fight between two rival gangs here.

Although nothing bad has happened yet (and I'm not thinking it will) it's still like a whole different world here, away from the sheltered confines of my beautiful home, gated and guarded, where a nice Singaporean family has taken residence as my tenants.

Yes, I'm definitely still adapting.


Memories of home.


SHARE THIS


Comments

Cat-from-Sydney said…
Here's praying you'll get to live in Christchurch soon. Crime is something very rare indeed. Though, after the hustle and bustle of JB you may find it very very quiet. purrr.....meow!
Anonymous said…
Just wondering bro, how does it feel to be back in the nest, with your own family in tow?
Cat - that makes the 2 of us!

Ed - That's a very interesting question. The truth is, the family has only lived in this present house for almost 2 years now, so it's not so much of what we generally know to be a 'nest'..more of a collection of nests if you know what I mean. For us home has always been where my parents are, no matter which state or even which country... And even though there are many adjustments I have to make, nothing beats being able to see your parents every day :)

Damion - ur welcome

Popular posts from this blog

Help is always far away

Help is never far away. That is the old adage that has been drummed into us ever since we were young. No matter where you are, and what difficulty you are going through, someone will be close at hand to help. Except they aren't. Many a time no one in your vicinity gives a rat's ass. Or could be in a mess of their own to even think that someone else may need the support. Just that little bit of assurance to show that they care. Sometimes it can be in the smallest things. A kind word. A check up of how one is doing. Yet help does come. Someone takes the time to respond, in short messages, all the way from across the Pacific Ocean. Someone does take the time to relate, and share their own experiences, and offers words of comfort from across the country. Yes, help is at hand, but it is always far away. *picture credit here

The Forbidden Kingdom No More

Yesterday is a day that would forever go down the sands of time as... "The Day I Fed Two Hundred Ravenous Mouths with Bottomless Pits" Oh the horror!... The Pain!... The Suffering!!! Like a swarm of locusts they came, wave upon wave upon wave... Like a farmer protecting his crop I could only look on and stare, as they darkened the sky, before zeroing in for the kill... Tears streamed down my eyes as I watched them strip every last grain of maize and corn that I had planted at the begininning of the year... My knees thudded to the ground, as I numbly watched the carnage around me, my tired brain barely registering what my eyes perceived. "So this is what it feels like"... I thought in my brain... "This thing called Open House" . .. ... Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I'm just being dramatic here ;) Yesterday was actually a day that I'm going to remember for a long time, simply because it was graced with the presence of those eager young minds I he

My nightmare come true

This is it. It's finally happened. The stuff of bad dreams for many language teachers has today materialised for me, rearing its ugly head, scoffing at my abilities as a language professional. This is an actual letter from one of my students as part of their coursework. Final year student. Soon to graduate and meet the workforce of the nation. Read it and weep...