Final Post before leaving

Dudes and babes, I am one hour away from departure, and I just wanted to say this before leaving: I will miss a lot of you, and some of you I will miss a lot.

Keep in touch,

Cheng Fai/ Zach

A word on Nostalgia...

The term nostalgia describes a longing for the past, often in idealized form. The word is made up of two Greek roots (νόστος nostos "returning home", and άλγος algos "pain"), to refer to "the pain a sick person feels because he wishes to return to his native land, and fears never to see it again"

So when somebody is nostalgic, they are in other words, homesick. That's strange considering I have considered myself nostalgic by yearning for the past. But the past I yearn for is not something I have personally experienced. I yearn for the 'good ol' days', when the air was cleaner, the education better, less worries, better lives etc etc... But that type of yearning is not nostalgia. It is merely a yearning for something I can never achieve.

If that is the case, then I am definitely most 'unnostalgic', or as some put it, I have wanderlust, or the strong desire to leave home, which is also untrue. I think in my situation, I am just very able to leave something/ put something down without looking back. Without regrets. Without feeling a nagging pull to my conscience. A new world awaits.

Right now, I'm preparing to leave for my studies in USM, Penang. Granted that it is not very far from home, the logistics involved in such an undertaking as moving off for studies are very complicated. And for the first time, I am feeling a little twinge. I am going to miss some people in Ipoh. Something I have never felt when I am leaving a school, institution, or center...

Anyway, I'll be leaving on Friday, 8 15 A.M. to Butterworth. The time is short. There is almost no time for farewells. No closures. Just like every time. Maybe the lack of closure is the reason I can just put something down, leave it and never look back. Maybe. Just maybe. But I do want to look back this time. I want to remember your faces, your names, you. Even if I don't get a chance to say goodbye.

My bags are packed, my tickets bought, my heart is almost set. We shall meet again. I hope we can be friends again. Put all these behind us and be friends, when we meet again.

Camerons Solo Adventure Part Two

This is part two of the Cameron Highlands solo adventure series, and I hope to cover the time tunnel in this part..

This was taken at the front... A whole wall of old stuff... One man's trash is another man's treasure??


In the beginning, there were primitive life forms??? What were their lifestyles like? Their way of life??



Ancient Racquets...


Transportation...

And ancient bike/scooter thingy

a tram???


Old motorcycles..


A mini-mini....


A driver's license from the days of the Federation...


Ancient brands that are still available today...

Milo and Cadbury... Milo was marketed as a tonic food drink in those days



Darlie toothpaste, aka DARKIE in those days...


LOL Darkie is WANTED!!! If you do have one, you can claim a reward!!!


A Darkie coaster


Hacks sweet


Seven Up poster


A variety of posters and paraphernalia..


Ancient Pepsi cola still in the bottles! One sip and you really won't ask for more!!


Really really old old newspaper!!!


Another couple of bottles of old drinks.... Tasty??


Old electrical stuff...

And old fan... It looks more efficient than some of the ones we have today (4-blades), but fingers beware!!!


And old gramophone...


This comic was placed near an exhibit:


Wonder if they'll ever make a handphone that has a rotation-dial...


Old batteries, Eveready and National



Money Matters

An old register/calculator combo. Wonder how they made these things to work... This was pre-electronic calculator days lol.


Another one of those things.


This one actually looks like a toy.


Some old coins...


And paper money. I'm sorry it looks like this, i tried rotating them but it doesn't work!!!


More money...



Miscellaneous...











The admission fee was RM5, which i think is justified under the circumstances.... This place is like a museum, but one that lets you touch most of the exhibits... And as museums go, the things on exhibit actually relate to our lives. So it was well worth it for me!

Thanks for reading, I will post the third part soon...

On another note, I will be entering USM on the 28th June for my orientation. So right now I'm just tying up the loose ends and cleaning up my stuff in preparation...

I'm Ecstatic!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that I have been accepted into USM's English Language and Literature Studies course!!! Enough said.

I think I am one the few people who actually got their first choice.

Condolences to those who were not given theirs.





USM, here I come!!!

Solo Camerons Part One

Just so you know, I had another solo Cameronian adventure recently and i just found the time to post up some of the many pictures I took. This is going to take a few parts to finish so please bear with me.

I started my adventure at the junction leading to the tea factory. Decided to walk all the way up and down again....

The view on the way up to Sungai Palas Tea Factory.



A turkey. I hate turkeys. They chase me...


At last, I've reached the Tea Factory!!!



Isn't the background scenery fantastic?



The BOH sign. 'Best Of Highlands'


Another view of the plantation!

After the hike down, It was only natural to visit the Butterfly garden, where I took plenty of pictures...


A large beetle...Chalcosoma atlas. or Atlas beetle


Creepy beady eyes!!


Ugly frog




Snakes!! Too bad I don't speak Parseltongue.


More snakes.



Big scary butterfly. Or is it moth? Can never tell..


A weird looking bug caught my attention.


Large lizards!

Another ugly frog


Does this lizard look like a velociraptor?

This is the end of part one, Part two will have pics from the time tunnel!!