Category: City

Little India, Ipoh, Perak.

Some shots of India Street that I took when I was searching for some traditional wear. I live in Sabah right now and it’s hard to find traditional Indian costumes. Normally we’d get them from home- Semenanjung, but in the year of not going home due to the travel restrictions I outgrew my old costume and didn’t even get a chance to wear it out. So this trip, getting new costumes was on my must-do list. My dedication to getting a new outfit paid off. The dress code for my graduation from high school this year is traditional costumes. The year before the pandemic, there was a best dressed competition for our school’s Deepavali celebration. I didn’t take the chance to partake because I assumed I would have my senior year to join. If only I had known how much things would change.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the person I was 2 years ago and how much I’ve changed since then. There are people whom I haven’t spoken to since those 2 years and seeing them in person again this year is scary. To be honest, I do post a lot on social media. From just my instagram you’ll find out what I do on a daily basis. But you really can’t judge someone purely based of their social media. Social media tends to just show the highlights of life. There’s a lot more to me than what you see on a screen. I’m scared I won’t live up to the person I am online. I don’t want Aly online to be different from Aly in reality.

where to? home

From KK to Sepanggar, Ranau or Sipitang, you can travel by bus, taxi, grab or even foot if you’re crazy. From KK to KL it’s a bit more than 2 hours via flight. That’s why home feels so far. Home to me is somewhere that is accessible. Somewhere where you can be yourself and do things you want. I spent a long time doubting my every step. Being at home for close to two years gave me room to figure out my next move. That’s why home here is so special to me. I’m still uncertain about where home actually is. I use the phrase so casually: “Hey let’s go home,” referring to the hotel we’re staying at for a week in Taiwan. “This feels like home,” being at the beach resort that I really do consider a second home in Sabah even though I’ve only been there twice. Writing this makes me realise that home is where my family is. In Taiwan, I spent a wonderful week in an air bnb with Tata and Patti. At the resort, we spent our Christmas away from family. Kl is home because family is there. Ipoh too. Often my inner battle is between Sabah and KL. I refer to our trips to Kl as “going home,” but when in KL I know Sabah is home too.

I hope you have a great holiday season where your home is.

lanterns at Labuan

2 weeks before my country announced a movement control order due to the Covid-19 outbreak, my family and I took a trip to Labuan Island. It was a 2 hour drive from our home to the jetty in a small town and then another 2 hour ferry ride to Labuan Island. It was not my first trip to this island but it was a first for my grandfather. He had visited all the states in Malaysia except Labuan Federal Territory. He had always planned to visit with my grandmother but unfortunately she passed away before he had the chance to. To fulfill my grandfather’s adventure across the country, we took him there on the weekend before his birthday. We spent one night there. It was a lot of fun to visit the small shops in town, the botanical garden, the beach and the Labuan War Memorial for the soldiers of WW2.

This photo is of lanterns outside of a Chinese shop open at 10pm. My family and I were headed to the shop next door to buy some snacks. These lanterns caught my eye as I was looking away from the glances of the tipsy men at the shop.

on the streets of Taiwan

My family and I preferred walking around Taiwan and only took Uber when necessary. It was almost winter and the weather was lovely. We often found ourselves walking through back roads that were known only to those living around that area. Ever so often, we would stumble upon quaint shops that you can’t find in the main city area, such as a shop that was solely selling everything to do with postage stamps.

I took this photo because I was attracted to the simplicity of this flower shop. This shops on this street mainly sold souvenirs for tourist. This dark flower shop really stood out among all the brightly lit shops. It showed a small part of the town’s everyday life. The gorgeous flowers caught my attention from across the street.