Friends and Moving on

Just came back from Pahang. Have been visiting some of our friends there once a month for the past many years.

I remember when I first visited them with Charles. I am more than glad that their lives have become much better over the last decade.

And I told them about the family's going.

There was a tinge of sadness there and then.

After the church service, on the way back, I had to fight to hold back tears.

What keeps me here is not the food - yes, char koay teow is nice, nasi bryani is great, and mee mamak is superb. Not to mention beef noodle, Hokkien fried noodle, Penang Prawn noodle, nasi lemak ...

Yes, the place is great. The Klang valley has more than 3 million people, about the size of Melbourne, but it is as as green as Melbourne. I have visited Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Bangkok, Jakarta, Dhaka (in Bangladesh), Vientianne (Laos), Tokyo, Lyon, Paris ..., I still prefers the Klang Valley. Honestly, even Paris and Lyon are not as green as PJ/KL, believe it or not.

But what holds us back is the people. Colleagues. Relatives. Family. Friends.

I shall miss them. I told them if and when we come back, we will try to make a trip. They smiled. They knew better. That once life has torn our paths apart, there is barely any chance for us to meet again. And time will ensure that we move on with our lives.

Suddenly, the phrase "move on" seems so ugly.