Seremban

The last leg of our trip was to Seremban, a city struggling to catch up but refreshingly non touristy. It is the hometown of my mother's side of the family. This is where my grandmother or "popo" lives. Aaron had met Popo before, for a very short stint, at my sister's wedding in Oregon. I was excited to visit Seremban with Aaron as this was the Malaysia I grew up with. This is where all my favourite foods are and nothing taste the same outside of Seremban. My Popo is very traditional in some respects, she would prefer for us to marry into the Chinese pool. (That's only the tip of the expectation crust) However, she is superficially accepting. She is civil. She knows she can not change how things are. This, does not mean she can't vocally nit pick on Aaron. Oh, she did. She did alot of it. Aaron, however, won her heart.. at least in the food catergory. Aaron loves to eat. Perhaps that is an understatement. This man loves to try new and different kinds of foods which is awesome but what is more awesome is that, most of the time, he actually truly enjoys the taste and texture. He likes alot of foods that most "Gwai los" does not appreciate. Over the 5 days we were in Seremban, Popo oooo-ed and ahhhh-ed at Aaron as he consumed with feverish delight: Fish head, hair fungus, mini plates of pedas chilis (People only dip their food into the soy sauce soaked with chilis but he ate them), Chinese tonic soup, Ice Kachang, Chicken with bones intact, Bak kut teh, roti canais, mee goreng, satays and an array of other yumm local foods! Popo took pride in telling relatives Aaron's insatiable appetite. There is no better way to a chinese woman's heart than to LOVE to eat, especially what she cooks. Thus, despite the fact that Popo can not stop nit picking on Aaron, whenever he sits down with his chopsticks and says "Ho Sick" (It's delicious!), Popo has a big smile on her face. We can expect too much of acceptance from her and for now, this is fine. It is a different world and as long as she is civil and keep those prawn crackers coming, both parties are happy.

Popo's house is a beautiful shade of grey blue and with items sitting here and there, it makes for a lovely photo collage.

Behind the stairs is my Grand father's place for tools. He is missing alot of tools.
A colourful door in Penang.

The blues continues with a bit of sneaky peach. Due to the hot and humid weather, most of the living room and gathering is done in the outside portion of the house. (There is a roof over but no walls per se)

Rambutans from Popo's tree on the cement floor. Dutch red buildings of Melacca. Aaron feeling not so good.( He had seafood poisoning.. from a hotel)

Perhaps the most cheesiest thing we did alllll holiday long. Riding in the trishaw with plastic flowers sewn into every corner of the bike and loud Shania Twain music blaring from the radio.

Aaron and his first snake around his shoulder.
There are no snakes in NZ.

Ice Kachang (Shaved ice with syrup, condense milk, beans, corn and cendol). A lizzard on the wall. They are everywhere in your house in Malaysia.

Aaron playing with Bengal at Popos

The Petrona towers.

A lady cooking Char Kuey teow. Chicken rice. Lanterns and Chinese new year gathering with family.

A beautiful building only time can create.