Family Fun

Terima Kasih= Thank you
Makan= Eat

I've been learning some Malay, the above two words being of utmost importance as the maid doesn't understand English. I realize how hoighty-toighty that sounds, but every family home I visit has help of some sort. I'd like to take this moment to thank all the housekeepers who have helped me along my journey. Daniyavad, Swadee Ka, and Terima Kasih.

Day 2.5 of my Malaysian adventure. I'm staying on Penang island with relatives...it's my cousins family, and the kids range in age from 21-27, so I guess they are my second cousins, but I'm insisting that they call me "Auntie"... and the one that's a month younger than me tells me where to go. Oh, kids these days. My cousin (their father) sadly passed aways a couple of years ago, but it's very nice to see how well adjusted the family is, the 2 sons are looking after their famiy business and go jet-setting around the world (one is in China right now) and they live very comfortably in an area called Bayan Lepas. They're quite entertaining and get all my jokes. What's not to love!

I've been out and about frolicking with the kids, we stopped by Penang Road yesterday and I met my dad's youngest sister for the first time at her shop, that was nice, she looks exactly like my Vijay Uncle, a bit uncanny really.

Puja (the 27 year old) took me to her health club at a hotel yesterday and we spent a couple hours swimming in a lovely outdoor pool and talking about the trials and tribulations that we indo-malaysian/canadian girls face in this day and age. She used to take care of the family business when her father passed away and told me some great stories about how the lawyers/accountants tried to take advantage of her newbie-ness...I would not want to get on the girls bad-side in the boardroom. She's got a lot of sass...I can understand why my parents told me I'd get along with her.

Last night, Sonia (21), Manoj (23), and Puja took me to a shopping area and we had a great dinner at a place called Passion of Kerala, which specializes in Banana Leaf cuisine. I don't particularily know what that meant, but instead of bowls and plates, our food was poured on a banana leaf. And I had a very exquisite glass of mango lassi. And the best chicken I've had all trip (deep fried don't ya know!). Then we went to the beach and the water was very warm and pleasant on my barefeet. I'm savouring each moment as I know the first great snowstorm happened this week in tdot...note to family, please bring me a coat at the airport, all I have is a backpack full of tshirts and flipflops.

I've been taking pictures of all the crazy signs around the area...they are all quite humourous and I hope to set up a page of insane asian signage that will be featured on digg.com one of these days.

What else, what else...oh, I'm planning on going to Cherating Island on the east side of the malaysian peninsula, I understand the surfing is quite good there...it's a toss up between that or getting tickets to see Whitney, but I figure I'll let her work out the kinks first and let her wow me in Toronto (if she makes it there). Wanted to go to Bali, but dont' thihnk there's enough time for that. Oh well, next time. And I assure myself there shall be a next time!