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Good bye Thessaloniki and the ICTVC conference
Post Date : 2023-03-17
Thessaloniki, Greece
July 3 - 10, 2022
The Covid-19 pandemic has put the entire world on a grinding halt, and it affected my plans to travel. With many travel bans and concerns over safety, I didn't get the chance to explore different parts of the world. However, as soon as the world reopened, I made plans to attend the ICTVC International Conference on Typography and Visual Communication in Thessaloniki, Greece, which took place from July 5 – 9, 2022. It was my third time attending and it would be great to meet up with Dr. Klimis Mastoridis, the organizer and professor extra ordinaire! Before leaving for the conference, I had ordered a bunch of Ring cameras to install in my apartment as I had asked my renter to take care of my five-year-old bulldog, Yang-Yang. In addition, I could be monitoring the progress Christopher Shaw from Core Construction had been lagging behind. One of the biggest financial risk I took was paying him $22K to put a new roof, remove the vinyl siding and replace the façade and three-sides of the building with Hardie planks. So far, he had stripped the building bare and it was just exposed to the elements.
My headache was only starting as my economy ticket had two stops, and the last one was at Gatwick, which was far away from Heathrow. I decided to use the opportunity to check out London's Chinatown before heading to Gatwick. I boarded a subway train to Piccadilly Circus at 7:35 AM, and after paying 6.30 pounds using my Chase credit card, the machine swallowed my card on my way out. I asked the station master for directions to Gatwick, and I was told that it would take about 1.5 hours. Since it was only 9 AM, I walked around the square to check out the beautiful surroundings, architecture, snapping pictures of things English, even getting ideas for my research. Afterward, I headed to London's Chinatown, and I was pleased to find that most of the restaurants would open at 11, but Sha-Xian, a modernly designed restaurant, was already open. I ordered some pork congee, egg custard buns, and soy milk for 21.73. At Gatwick airport, I went through customs, which required everyone to put their toiletries in a clear plastic bag and remove laptops out of their bags or sleeves. Surprisingly, almost nobody was wearing masks at the airport. Although the Makedonia Palace wasn't my preference due to its high price, it turned out to be a five-star hotel but I was glad I had picked it.
I was in Thessaloniki to celebrate America's 246th birthday, and before the conference, I visited the Aroh of Gelerius (arch), Rotonda historical sites, and Agia Theodora Monastery. The latter looked fairly new, and later research revealed that it was rebuilt in 1935 in place of the older main church, which was destroyed in the fires of 1890 and 1917. I also visited Kapani market, but from the surveillance camera I had installed outside the hayloft, it didn't seem like any progress was made. On the 6th of July, I ran into Purba and Mandar, and it was great to see them again. We hadn't planned on how to meet up in Thessaloniki, but Purba spotted me because I was carrying an umbrella. I joined them to walk to their Airbnb, and I was impressed with the door, which had bolts that went around all the edges. The last time we saw each other was 3 years ago when they accepted my invitation to conduct a workshop at Indiana University Southeast.
On July 8th, I presented my research, titled The Red Wok: A Visual Analysis of European Chinatown Restaurant Signage that Contributes to their Gastronomic Identity on Friday, at the convention center. The presentation was successful, and during the break, Klimis and I distributed fortune cookies, which brought some laughter. However, after the break, I decided to explore the city with Mandar and Purba instead of returning to the convention center. Purba suggested that I should change my flight, but I ended up accidentally canceling it due to a confusing interface on the booking website. Luckily, with Purba's help, I was able to check my reservation on American Airlines and confirm the cancellation. After some panic and assistance from the concierge, I was able to call the booking agency and sort out my flight.
Before Mandar and Purba left, we enjoyed a boat trip together with drinks, which was a lovely way to end the evening. On the day before my departure back to the States on the 11th of July, I visited the White Tower, an old fortress with a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and the sea. I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to travel again and explore new places. We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the city, trying different street foods and soaking in the vibrant culture. On my final night in Thessaloniki, I sat on my hotel balcony, overlooking the city and the sea. I couldn't help but feel grateful for the experience and the memories I had made. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, I was able to travel again and learn more about the world and its people. It was also memorable that I was able to contact Thanasis whom I met when I attended the conference for the first time years ago. As I packed my bags and headed to the airport the next day, I knew that Thessaloniki would always hold a special place in my heart.
A reunion trip after COVID-19
Post Date : 2024-06-13
Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia
June 27 - August 8, 2023
Hatyai, Thailand
July 5 and July 19, 2023
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
July 9 - 11, 2023
Singapore
July 21 - 23, 2023
The last time I went home was in the summer of 2019, and it would take another four years before I could return. Living in the Midwest, the best way to get back to Malaysia was to first get a domestic ticket to fly from Louisville to San Francisco, to avoid making the trip too hectic. Even after the domestic flight, it would be about 24 hours of transit and flights with two stops in London and Singapore before finally landing in Penang. From there, it would be another 1.5 hours of travel by road before seeing my aging parents. I decided to make the most of my time in San Francisco by staying at my friend's house for about a week. I had a chance to meet with Amy, my first part-time employer, who hired me in 1992 after I graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design. I didn't expect Amy to take me to the columbarium where she had paid $32K for a spot to put her ashes, with space for her son Charles, who wanted to join her when his time comes. It was also great to catch up with another dear friend from Malaysia, Khee, who has been living in San Francisco since I met him in 1993 or 1994. Khee has been fighting cancer, which is currently in remission, and has now retired from his job as an engineer with the city of San Mateo.
The theme of this trip was reunion, first with friends and then with family members. When my flight left San Francisco on June 27 and arrived in Singapore two days later, I not only looked forward to reuniting with my family but also tackling some unfinished financial business, such as closing an old account from 2003. Since leaving for the US in 2015, these accounts had become obsolete. I watched "Everything Everywhere All At Once" starring Michelle Yeoh on the flight. Unfortunately, when I arrived, it was a public holiday, and I couldn't handle the financial matters immediately. My wheelchair-bound mom was unable to visit me at Penang International Airport, but my 98-year-old dad, still strong, made the two-hour trip to meet me with my brother. At home, my nieces received many gifts I had accumulated over the past four years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic that had delayed my visit. While in Malaysia, I also busily planned the logistics of opening my store, named Slyck. I started an Instagram account and bought some merchandise, such as label pins and stickers, to sell at the store. I indulged in my love for durians, mostly by crossing the border to Hatyai in southern Thailand since Alor Setar was about two hours away. This trip took place on July 5th. Additionally, I enjoyed a variety of traditional Chinese Malaysian breakfasts, such as Hokkien mee (prawn noodle), dim sum, and family-cooked dishes.
Other fun activities with my nieces included running 5 km around Darulaman Stadium as part of the Run for Peace event organized by the Soka Gakkai Malaysia organization on July 8th. The guest of honor was HRH Tunku Intan Shafinaz, daughter of the late Sultan of Kedah. The next day, together with my brother and his family, we drove to Kuala Lumpur. After checking into Hotel Olympic, we grabbed lunch at a kopitiam, where everything seemed overpriced. I had another reunion with a friend from middle school, Devaraj. It had been years since we last saw each other, and I was thrilled to see that he hadn't changed much. We visited Pasar Seni (Central Market) for souvenirs on July 10th and stopped at Mid Valley Mall, Bukit Bintang, where I found a souvenir for Devaraj. He was pleasantly surprised to receive the chocolate from me. I also learned about his two condos, one equipped with three bedrooms and another rented out to an academic institution. On July 11th, we checked out and drove to Genting Highlands, where the temperature was a pleasant 23 degrees Celsius, before returning to Alor Setar. Another important mission was to pay respects to family members who had passed during my four-year absence, such as my mother's elder sister, her husband, and my mom's younger brother. My cousin helped me visit two separate places to pay my respects. I also reunited with Jo Kee, a junior from my college years, and Pam, a former colleague from the late '80s, who seemed to look younger, possibly due to some procedures.
I visited Singapore on July 21st via Scoot, a budget airline. There, I reunited with Henry Lim, a former subordinate from LaSalle-SIA College in 2003, and Dr. Suwichit Chaidaroon, a colleague from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information before I left in 2015. Another unexpected face-to-face reunion was with Yulius, another subordinate from LaSalle-SIA, who was in Penang with his wife, Nicole. They drove to meet me at Aman Central mall on August 2nd. The final reunion was with Husseini on August 7th, my fling from when I was 15. He hadn't changed much except for completely shaving his head.
The flight back home on August 8th took me from Penang to Singapore (1.5 hours) and from Singapore to London (13.5 hours) via SQ 322. The experience with Singapore Airlines was great, but the real torture began with United Airlines UA949, which was delayed, extending the journey by another 10 hours before touching down in San Francisco. Due to changing my flights to leave for Louisville from August 12th to 15th, I forgot to meet Alice Chong, a former classmate's aunt I befriended when I came to San Francisco as a student in December 1989. With so much on my mind, it felt like my subconscious was telling me enough is enough.
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