Old (and new!) friends

Aunty Jo Jo catching up with Jin Hui and her family in Perth

Most of you know by now that one of my favourite things about travelling is the opportunity to catch up with friends who are scattered across the globe. This time in Perth, I caught up with Ong Jin-Hui, a school mate whom I haven't seen for 23 years! Jin Hui migrated to Perth in 1986, married Michael Ho and they have 3 beautiful children. They were kind enough to take me to a cozy little restaurant in Shafto Lane called Durty Nelly's for the T-bone steak special...sigh...I love steaks in Australia!

3 smiley faces: Alessandra, Isaac and Lucas / Watch out, Lucas!

Jin's 3 children - Alessandra (10), Isaac (8) and Lucas (5) - are the friendliest funniest kids I've met in a long time. They were just so bubbly and hospitable that by the end of the evening, they had invited me to stay at their house for 2 weeks, and asked if they could spend the night in my hotel. Sweet Alessandra is clearly brilliant in school and strives to be the best in everything she does. Isaac, whom I think has the potential to be a handsome film star, is very perceptive and funny. When I said I loved to borrow other people's kids to have fun, he said "Oh, you mean like walking a dog?" LOL! Little Lucas is everyone's darling with a very sweet tooth. You should have seen him rummaging for lollies before dinner and how his eyes sparkled when I offered to buy them ice cream for dessert.

Boys providing entertainment during dinner with their Karate Kid moves

The evening came to a lovely end with a nocturnal trip to King's Park to catch a view of Perth by night. It's a beautiful city made even more memorable with the presence of old (and new!) friends. Thank you Jin Hui, Michael and the kids for showing me your hometown. I'll be back...I promise!

Impressions of Perth

Last week, I was given 36 hours notice to prepare for a trip to Australia to conduct some workshops. First stop, Perth - a city I wanted to visit while living in Sydney but never got round to because it cost the same to fly there as it did to fly home to Malaysia.

(L-R) London Court Mall and Town Hall

The city centre is a lovely mix of quaint old buildings and chic modern structures. It's very pleasant to walk around and enjoy the sights and weather although one must be careful to do all your shopping by 6 p.m. because that's when ALL the shops shut. On my first evening, I had to eat at Burger King for the first time in over a year because that was the only shop with the lights still on. What a shock to my Singaporean shop-till-you-drop system! But you needn't feel too sorry for me. I did find the Harbourfront Factory Outlets by Day 3, where my credit cards got a good workout. In fact, I had so much fun shopping, I forgot to take photos :-)

(L-R) View of city from Stirling Park and Bells Tower

The one thing that always strikes me when I set foot on antipodean soil is the blue cloudless sky. It makes for beautiful days and brilliant photos. The fact that it was winter didn't bother me at all because it was just so refreshing for body, mind and soul. In fact, Perth is known to have the best weather in Australia and is surrounded by lakes, parks and beaches, which makes it an ideal playground for sports-mad Ozzies. Running marathons and participating in triathlons are run-of-the-mill activities here.

Aunty Jo Jo enjoying the beaches at Fremantle and Cottesloe

Birthday Barn Dance

This evening, I was invited to a birthday party with an unusual theme - Scottish and English barn dancing! Alison Clarkson Webb, whom I met on a training course, celebrated her birthday by treating all her friends to a healthy dose of her heritage. We gathered at the Overseas Mission Fellowship grounds on Cluny Road for a fun-filled evening of dancing and food (the ham & chutney sandwiches were so yummy). The last time I did any folk dancing was back in school and it was just as fun :-)

Thanks again for a lovely evening, and Happy Birthday Alison!

Aunty Jo Jo with Alison (the birthday girl) and her husband, Martin

My little princesses

I've been a proud godmother to a pair of beautiful twin girls for almost five years now, and I never tire of them calling me "Mama Jojo"! On a recent trip back to KL, we trooped off to a modern photo studio at the Gardens Mid Valley for a photo shoot.

The girls were so excited when they saw the princess dresses and couldn't help parading in them. Here's a series of photos starring Kiersten as Beauty, Katelynn as Cinderella and Mama Jojo as the (what else!) Fairy Godmother!

Catching up with the Family

In April 1994, I graduated from university and started my career with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. In a tiny office nestled among the immigration offices of Plaza Damansara, I met a group of people with whom I've been friends for over 16 years. Never again have I met another bunch of colleagues who are so united in spirit and laughter and so supportive on the career and personal front. We're known as The Family.

Since then, we've all moved on to different companies, careers and even countries but take every opportunity to stay in touch, thanks to Facebook and celebrations. We met up again during one of my recent KL weekend stopovers.

Family reunited to celebrate 16 years of friendship

We met for Sunday brunch at Delicious Cafe in the upscale enclave of Bangsar Village.

Representing the"seesters": Lee Lee, Manjit and Joanna
Representing the "braders": Rajen and Deva
Missing in Action: Li Ki and Yee Siew Meng

Pretty seesters all in a row...oops...sorry Deva!

The words and laughs came fast and furious as we traded stories and updates about members of the family. From work to romance to kids, no detail was spared from the relentless curiosity of all present. The chemistry is still alive and kicking and the 3 hours whizzed by leaving me on a high. A big thank you to Lee Lee for organising and can't wait to catch up again!