May 23: On Raya Open Houses, Boys' Trip and Others

June brought the "joyous" occasion of Hari Raya open houses. And in my company, just about every unit, department and division needs to have one. I usually skip most of these but was summoned to be a liaison officer for the big one this year. Did not do much "liaisoning" but was heartwarming to reconnect with friends and acquaintances. 

During a journey to Sabah for work, I had an unexpected encounter with the Perak football team. They had just returned from a 1-3 defeat (also at Sabah). Managed to grab a picture with Wei Xian, the goalkeeping coach and Luciano Guaycochea, who's Alexis Mac Alister's cousin. 

That was probably the highlight of my trip. The real reason I was in Sabah was to be a presenter for an internal training session. Public speaking has never been my forte, and it continues to be a challenge. However, it was good practice. 

After many years, I finally embarked on an overseas trip with friends, heading to Hat Yai. On a bus. All-in-all, we probably spent 30 hours in the bus, which was an experience in itself. I'll never forget the time we stopped for subuh prayers at a mosque in Kuala Nerang having been on the move all night, or the grumpy Thai immigration aunty at the Banprakob customs house, or queuing up for hours at the Sadao border checkpoint (which is enough to make one yearn for Malaysia's relative efficiency). 

Hat Yai itself was OK. The food was good and the shopping is decent but since we were on a tour we didn't really have a chance wander off on our own. One unique experience was trying cannabis water and air ketum, but other than that, Hat Yai will be remembered mostly for the stuff they sell at their 7-Elevens. 

As a footnote, it will be remiss of me if I neglected mentioning the demise of my two favourite YouTube channels Bitwit and Brandweer Lunteren. Bitwit discussed all things computers and has(d) a room filled with all types of processors, mobos and graphics card imaginable, while Brandweer Lunteren followed a Dutch volunteer fire crew on their missions, offering a thrilling and behind-the-scenes look at their courageous work. Not ashamed to admit I spent too much time on both channels. It was fun while it lasted.