A Life Far Removed from Durian Trees

Arggghhhhhhhh! Internet has been very slow these last few days and this is why: Undersea cable breaks cut Internet in Mideast, Asia

- Malaysian restaurant found! - Shipment has arrived! The Malaysian restaurant. Oh yes, baby! Tucked away somewhere near the Old College, with no sign outside yet (“waiting for that licence”), this is like a Malaysian gerai . Opened in March. Authentic Malaysian food (more northern because the cook is the owner’s Thai wife); local prices; outdoor setting; can do takeaways; most of the customers are Msian students (all guys so far), Indonesians, Yemenia staff, Msian businessmen in town, and locals who’ve been to Msia. It’s basically a villa with the restaurant in the compound. The owner, a guy from Sarawak who used to work as a trader, lives on the upper floor of the house with his family – wife and two kids who are studying locally. They rent out the lower floor to students and someone gives English lessons. They grow kai lan and strawberries in the garden. Lots of ‘Visit Malaysia’ posters and brochures – donated by the tourism board because after all, it’s the ‘Malaysian Tourist Rest...

I recently joined Facebook, after years of being wary of leaving an e-trail that will forever be cached somewhere. What the heck... I must say, it's an excellent way to look up people from the past. I spent hours looking at friends' profiles, their friends, and their friends, etc. and found SO many people that I know/knew/completely forgot about! Most of my friends are married with kids. A few have passed away. It's funny how people from different circles know each other from elsewhere. All that browsing and catching up with long-lost friends have made me somewhat pensive, thinking about the past, present and future all at once. Would I let people who've hurt me in the past into my life again, and vice versa? I've certainly changed - at least, I think so. With past regrets, how would I have done things differently? Would old friends look at me now and expect me to have achieved more/less in life? Where should we be now, as thirty-somethings? If I were to compare my ...