A year passes quickly!

Notes to Self

  1. In this warm, moist climate, always, always, always take out the trash when going away for the weekend! 
  2. The gestation period for a fruit fly is one day, larvae (a.k.a. maggots) turn into flies after 3 days. Maggots are not a fun coming-back-from-a-trip surprise and ants are really fast in finding the ones flushed down the shower drain. (see number 1)
  3. Large appliances should not be plugged into the same power strip. Chaos will ensue.
  4. Food poisoning will strike at very inopportune moments, especially when you don't have a barf bag at hand.
  5. Fish eyeballs don't taste like much at all, but beware that their gummy outer texture masks a nasty, hard inner core.
  6. Toilet bowl plungers live in a mythical plane of existence where they cannot be found when needed. Remember to buy what you don't need before you need it.
  7. Side view mirrors on vehicles are for decoration purposes only. Those in front impose right-of-way on all others, regardless of lane markings, speed or size of vehicle.
  8. By the time one wonders if some of the water you just swallowed is infested with gut-churning and malicious microorganisms, it's too late. 
  9. Queueing for things still occurs in the world. Just not here. Use of sharp elbows, deliberate avoidance of eye contact and a keen sense of injustice that the person in front of you is just not moving into the next open foot of space fast enough are life-saving tools of the 'Penang queue'.
  10. The most enthusiastic visitors often turn out to be the most unexpected.
  11. One's capacity for chicken rice at lunch does have an upper limit.
  12. Sadly, Mexican food is not prepared well (if at all) in Asia. During next stint in Penang, consider opening a Tex-Mex/Spanish tapas restaurant as it will totally dominate the market.
  13. Beware tropical weather near the equator. It is mildly addicting, especially in 'winter'.



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