Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Singapore to Tokyo. Tokyo to London. London to Paris. Paris to Miami. Miami to The Indians, back to Miami. Miami to London. London to Paris. Paris to Brussels to Paris. Paris to Singapore to Kuala Lumpur.
I left on May 11th and was back on June 28th.
It is always Friends, Food, The Far East.
There are some very good quality friends here in KL but the main draw without doubt is my best friend, MC. Every person deserves and should have a friend of the caliber of MC, at least a similar relationship whereby so much of emotions, hopes, aspirations, learning and knowledge are shared and not to mention Food.
We are lucky to have her sister ML, who has excellent taste in Chinese food. I shall write down a list of restaurants and their food. More importantly, it is the time afforded for chats and discussions.
Yoga
This is of course something new for us. Yoga in its classical form arrived with a teacher from Bombay VY in February 2010. MC went to India and she has become an excellent teacher, able to precisely impart the philosophy behind Classical/ Raja Yoga. I have not learned many Postures but have been able to integrate Yoga Philosophy into my lifestyle. For those of you who think that Yoga consists of competitive sweating with many others in the same room, Classical Yoga enables you to cleanse your mind of deep problems. It is difficult to explain how to use the various aspects of Yoga to cleanse your personality complex but it does help to have a teacher like MC. Even my friends in France commented that they had noticed a change in me which they couldn't pin point. I have felt much calmer within myself and was not unnecessarily getting upset at small and silly things, especially during the many flights and travels.
There have been other intangible benefits. My cholesterol levels had gone down, especially the Bad one. There has been an improvement in my hydration.
There has not been any great change in my nutrition since I eat French food when I am in France and always try to make sure that I eat as close to good quality as available in the country. No great fan of Fast Food or Soft Drinks. In France, an average meal consists of many courses, including a glass of wine or two, cheese, baguette fresh from the bakery and predominantly fish based dishes and vegetables. On this occasion I was twice in London and it is probably the best place to eat the so called “Indian” food, as defined by the Colonial Masters, such as Chicken Karahi, Rogan Josh etc. It is interesting to note that the majority of the “Indian” restaurants in England are owned by Bangladeshis and in particular from the district of Silhet. An excellent Indian meal at Emperor of India at Maidenhead….. and of course London is London.. a Friend was visiting Paris from Miami so it was nice to show her the beauty of the French capital and also invite her to a good Moroccan Couscous..
Many of our diseases are caused by dysfunction and imbalance between our mind and the body, and many a times, dictated by the mind. Peace of mind, eating with friends and laughter are far more important than calories and the contents, of course always leave room in your stomach so that it can lazily inform the brain that it has had enough.
A glass of wine with your meals, especially if you can get hold of an Argentine Malbec or a south African Pinotage and any of the good varietals from Australia, is good, definitely for your heart. France has an immense variety of wines, varietals and vineyards so that one can only hope to skimp the surface. But it is nice to carry a short list of wines you wish to drink in your pocket in case you happen to pass a vinotheque!
I am at the Thai Golden Lounge at KLIA, my friend left me, for the fifteenth time, yet another contended departure from Malaysia which has become a home away from home for me. I am sure I will be back soon..
I left Malaysia nearly 40 hours ago and still have not reached my destination yet but I enjoyed NH flight BKK to NRT and the CO flight NRT to IAH, both served excellent Japanese food. was able to watch The Counterfeiters a german film about the jewish prisoners who were treated well under the threat of death trying to forge money for the Nazis, and the other movie was the last Almodavar one Besos Rotos the Broken Kisses....
