I am back in the UK after a 10+ hour uneventful flight from Male' to London Gatwick on Monday. I even managed to pass through immigration and customs without any problems despite the presence of the large number of electronics components and circuit boards - items that had caused me much trouble at Indian and Sri Lankan airports recently.

However, things managed to kick up into storm thereafter and I had to forego rest and sleep till early morning on Tuesday! Disaster continued on as I ended up oversleeping, then going through the hassle of catching two trains to land me in Reading city in time before the end of working hours. The next task of moving into my (new) home for the year also had me shuttling between the city center and the letting agent on a mix of travel on bus and foot. It took a while before paperwork was over with and I could move my old stuff in and finally set my butt down.

The place isn't too far from the university and is quite cozy. It is still in the process of being whipped into liveable shape but I reckon that will take a teeny bit more time 'coz I'll probably be in deep slumber out this sheer exhaustion that is setting on me!

Toodles.

Phew! I am back in Male' tonight after a tiring week in Malaysia. My schedule was quite tight and consuming and didn't leave me with extra time to explore the place. I didn't even get the chance to climb up the world famous Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur as I had hoped to

Time to snore...

Selamat Datang! I am in Malaysia at the moment after flying into Kuala Lumpur yesterday. I am here on a business trip and plan to stay put for a week.

This is one country I hadn't been to before and so was quite surprised by the sights. I quite like the looks of the things around here. The city is landscaped amazingly well and gives the impression of being well developed. The airport, the public transport system (LRT) and the buildings are very admirable.

The shops are vast in number and there seems to be quite a lot of range - in quality and variety - available here. Most noticeably of all, the price of things are very much affordable (especially compared to the UK!).

Apparently the only food outlet (allowed to be) open in the buzzing city of Male' past 1am is the joint at the first floor of the Fish Market. I have no idea WHY it is the ONLY place allowed open, however, I certainly appreciate having atleast one such place open past the normal times. Afterall, even the shops are all closed after 11pm

Going all the way to "hotaa" above "mas maarukeytu" in the rain is a bother but the place certainly proved itself useful again tonight when me and my buddies found at a loss for a place to grab some chow after hours of work into the night. I am all for having more places open at night. I am sure lots of people who, like me, usually live on a 180 degree out-of-phase pattern compared to the conventional work/sleep schedule, will greatly appreciate the presence of extra choices!

I was going through one of my photo albums when I stumbled across this photo of a doll clad in the Maldivian traditional dress - the "dhivehi libaas" with black and white striped "kandiki". The dress also has authentic "kasabu" decoration around the neck of the dress. The doll even has a model "fahtaru bai" (necklace) around its neck to complete the attire. My mom, who is an avid craftswoman, made this doll as a present for the host family that I stayed with when I attended the Asia Pacific Children's Convention in Fukuoka, Japan in 1994.

This lady in red (dhivehi libaas) makes for a eye catching item on a mantelpiece and probably would make a popular souvenir if someone were to start producing these locally...

I am back in Male' after spending almost a week in White Sands Resort & Spa on the third leg of the "honeymoon".

The place was, like all of the resorts, a great break away from the noisy, stuffy and bustling life in Male'. The people there were a friendly bunch and service was awesome. The turquoise lagoon around the resort island was enormous and spread far into the horizon. Snorkelling was very enjoyable inside the lagoon and the reef. Both the reef and the shallow lagoon was thriving and littered with many splendid fishes - eagle rays included! They even have a half a dozen of rays that regularly visit their "feeding point" every evening.



A couple of photos to share...

I am now a married man!

The marriage ceremony took place at Kalaafaanu School, Male' at 20:15 last night. Close family members and friends were present as the "gaazee" carried out the marriage ceremony. My friends Nishan and Mugay served as the two legal witnesses for the entire marriage process. The wedding celebration dinner was held right afterwards. Much of our family and friends attended the gathering and contributed to a friendly and fun time together. Apart from the inconvenience of having to stand at the entrance for over 2 hours, we were thrilled with the events of the night. There certainly was an interesting mix of emotions on display - happiness, sorrow and a lot of excitement...

The night was the successful culmination of almost two tiring weeks of hard work on preparations; marriage application and processing, preparing dinner invitation lists, creating invitation cards, securing a venue for the party, hiring a caterer and a lot more of countless other details. My brother and M flew in to Male' and contributed a sizable chunk of the work that went into the event. Nishan with his photography workplace ProStudio, generously provided the backdrop creation and photography services. Above all, I really appreciate all the extra effort that mom and dad pulled in to get everything smooth and enjoyable.

Anyways, the day marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Wish us the best of luck in the journey ahead!