Summary of 2014

I'm really excited to do this entry because I would be able to look back how 2014 has been to me. I'm gonna break it down into a few categories:-

Career
Most of you should know that I'm currently working in Democratic Republic of Congo as an accountant. Not a place for the faint hearted but by God's grace, He has sustained me throughout 2014.

I've learned many things from this job as I have a very good, helpful and knowledgeable COO.

I also learned how to apply Proverbs 15:1 ("A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger") at work as dealing with local Congolese and Indian expats can be a pain to the ass sometimes.

Family/Friends/Vacation
It's a little hard to separate these 3 together unless I'm backpacking which is something I really wanna do. Hopefully in 2016 as planned.

Democratic Republic of Congo - not a vacation of course. A country I'm working in.

Adelaide - was there for Sam's wedding and it was my first time being a best man. Thank you for the opportunity.

One of my greatest achievement in life is bringing my parents to Australia. It's a place where my mum talks when it comes to a choosing a country for a vacation.

Sydney - was there for Nic's wedding. Another beautiful wedding.

Bangkok - flight delayed for a day, so I managed to walk around for a day.

Johannesburg - had more than 14 hours in the airport, so I decided to get out and walk around. It was cold!

Perhentian Island - I just love beaches and crystal clear water!

Mount Kinabalu - this is something on my bucket list! Glad I did it with Jason.

Pulau Langkawi - was there for Reuben's bachelor party. One of the best planned party so far by Joshua. Keep it up!

Sports and health
I had the chance to run with an African. I was really inspired by the book 'Running with the Kenyan'.

I played football with the local Congolese here. But I only manage to touch the ball three times throughout the whole match. Bleh. Kena look down cause I'm Asian. Haha! Hello, I'm Asian David Beckham in high school ok.

I've been putting a lot of hour in my weight training. I think I've loaded at least 5kgs of muscle mass. Insanity cardio abs really helps define my abs but still a lot to work on. Have to consider a cleaner diet.

Others
Joining the Ultras
I think this is my first time watching a live football match. The memorable thing about this match is, it is the Suzuki cup finals between Malaysia and Thailand and we joined the ultras which was a crazy experience. The atmosphere in the stadium was ecstatic and full of energy.

Meteor Shower
It was my first time seeing meteor shower, the experience was priceless but I didn't get to share this moment with anyone special. The funny thing was, I received a flyer from a friend regarding this meteor showing sighting in USM. I only decide to go at 2am because I can't sleep but I'm glad I did it. In the span of one hour lying down in the middle of the field, I sighted 1 fire ball and 6 meteors. =)

Frequent Flyer
I've always wanted to be a pilot but I just don't have the grades to be one. But God has been pretty kind to me. For 2014 alone, I flew in 30 different flights. That's quite an insane figure for an accountant.

I also had the chance to fly in a private plane chartered by my company. I felt like a first officer.

City Hunter Treasure Hunt
It's a treasure hunt event organized by my church and I'm glad I joined it. I had a lot of fun partnering with Deriss and decoding those clues and questions. Winning this was a surprise! Wohoo...free starbucks!

Break the Code
First time playing this and I'm glad I did this with my close friends. Quite surprise that my brain comes in handy in times of need. Hehe!

Conclusion
2014 is one of the best and most challenging time in my life. It was great that I get to travel and share memorable moments with friends and family. Tough because I have to be away from them every 4 months. I wouldn't wanna be anyone else but me because 2014 has taught me to be wild at heart. The challenges I faced everyday has turn me into a better person, a more mature and patient guy who is ready to accept bigger and tougher challenges in 2015.

I really miss racing and competing in triathlons, marathons, floorball tournaments, etc. I hope to do more races when I'm back permanently in Penang and travel to more countries!

My Experience in the DRC Part III

36) Boys selling water in plastic bag and people here drink from the small plastic bag. I've never tried before because we're advised not to drink local water. We only take mineral water here and it cost $1.50 per bottle. We even use that to brush our teeth but now I just use local water for that. Trying to cut cost for my co.

Focus on the third guy from the right. A plastic of water cost 50fc (equivalent to RM0.15)

37) Did you know the one doing pedicure and manicure here are young boys. You usually see them carrying different coloured nail polish all tied up together. They will walk on the street and if they are lucky, those 'aisui' women will sit at the side of the road and get pampered. Really a funny sight!

38) You can't walk at the streets after 10pm. The locals told me that the crime rate in Kindu is rising, a lot of robberies. So the soldiers will patrol the street after 10pm. They will put anyone who is on the street in prison for one night. Weird.

39) Bicycles are modified to carry goods. They carry bags of charcoal, thick ply woods, groceries, etc.

40) The internet cafe is cost a bomb! It looks like a classroom with wooden tables and chairs. Used laptops are given and your time is written on a piece of torn paper.

Busy Face-booking

Feels like going back to school

$4 dollars/hr and the speed sucks

41) Currently they are quite a number of photostat and printing services on every corner of the street. They will use a car battery to power up their mini photo machine or printers.

42) Their heat tolerance is high. They can sit under the sun for hours. Amazing.

43) Their cold tolerance is low. They will wrapped themselves in thick jackets and wind breaker when it rains.

44) Bugali taste like mud! When they cooked it, it smells like shit. Really terrible smell. This is their staple food here.

The flour used

Mama Rebeca mixing the flour with water and palm oil

 Mama Leki and Mama Rebeca having a happy meal together

Bon Apetite!

My turn to try

Close up shot of Bugali. 

45) Their hand signal have a different meaning. If you want something to be filled to the brink. Show this sign...

This means full in DRC.

46) DIY screen protector. They used plastic to wrap their mobile phones. Can't find the pic. =(

47) They cut the grass with a parang which is really time consuming and taxing to the lower back.

48) People don't carry powerbanks here but they bring their charger along with them.

Taking every opportunity to charge their phones

49) The usage of toilet paper here is very different from back home. It cost $6 for a dozen of low quality toilet paper which hurts your (_x_) after cleaning it.

It is used for one of my company's official ceremony

Yea, the VIPs are gonna cut that 'ribbon'

It is also used as a wedding deco

Bride and bridegroom seated inside a tent during their wedding ceremony. Will blog about this experience in another separate post. 

50) They look very similar if you don't know them. There was once I mistaken this guy as my worker in Kindu when I was in Kinshasa. Both places are 700miles apart and it was darn embarrassing.

I'm still not finish...to be continue.

My Experience in the DRC Part II

The list continues, click here to read the first part of what I've learned, noticed and experienced after being here for more than a year.

23) Don't expect to have a good night sleep. The no.1 most annoying thing is the mosquitoes, they feast as if there is no tomorrow and you could hear them buzzing like they're in an orchestra.  We don't have stable electricity and I would wake up sweating and scratching in the middle of the night.

The small little bulb on the tree is an indicator whether we have electricity or not

24) You can do a lot with one pail of water. I now can bathe and flush with just a pail of water. And there is a technique to flush your poo down the toilet bowl. If you fail to do it in one go, habis la.

25) Always carry a torch with you. Refer to 23.

26) Don't expect to eat whenever you want. If you have cravings for Maggi in the middle of the night, you've to get your guard to start a fire for you. By the time the charcoal is all heated up, you might lose the mood for supper.

Mama Beloti preparing lunch

27) Be prepared to eat the same dish over and over again.

Rice & dhal

Rice & curry green beans

Rice & beans

Rice & dhal

Chapati & red beans

Rice, ikan bilis & egg

Rice & dhal

Rice & spinach

Rice & red beans

Rice & beans

Rice & beans

Rice & spinach

Rice & beans

28) Your drinking water comes is all sorts of shapes. Courier service here is the shit. It cost us $300 to transfer a 16kg package from Kindu - Lubumbashi.

Drinking water

29) Picking your taxi driver is like buying a lottery ticket. Sometimes you strike a clean ok smelling rider, sometimes not.

30) Finding new spots/scars on your body is normal.

Look like I got stapled 

Scratch scratch scratch 

31) They clap their hands and cheer joyfully when the plane lands.

32) They put soap on their body after shower and let it dry. This is to make them smell nice.

33) Mothers breastfeed openly here. (no pics, sorry)

34) They put most things on their head; i.e umbrella, pails, handbags, broom. There was once I saw a man cycling with a basket of vegetables on his head!!!!!!

35) Taking photos publicly is prohibited.