It's the time of the year when we usually write a newsletter. So here it is:

A is for Abbreviated Version. If you're pushed for time, this is all you need: We've started a new, post-work life in the historic city of Kuching (in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo). We're well, enjoying life (most of the time anyway), and still completely incapable of taking sensible selfies... If you're up for more, read on:

B is for Blog. This blog. In fact, if you want to know anything (really, anything...) about our year, you'll find it here. Feel free to browse...

C is for not having Cancer. I guess it's more accurate to say that there's been no recurrence of the one I had last year. We're very happy about that, but not counting any chickens just yet.

D is for Dietary Restriction. Nigel now needs to watch his carbohydrate intake very carefully, so we've had to do a radical overhaul of our diet. This is a bit of a pain, as we've moved from not cooking at all to cooking a LOT. But it has also been an interesting challenge, and with a bit of research and imagination, it turns out it's not that hard to come up with a tasty, nutritious, and varied low-carb menu. As a result, Nigel's lost a number of spare kilos, and is busy buying belts for all his trousers.

E is for the Environment, and feeling guilty about it... We've flown less than last year, which is good. But we've still flown too much, and we hope to do better next year. It's tricky, though, when your family is a long way away...

F is for Finishing Off. You don't just walk out of academia. There's marking and admin to complete. There are projects to finalize. Over the year, I've also done some bits and pieces like PhD examining, reviewing, and acting as conference/workshop discussant. But essentially, I'm now Taking a Break.

G is for Grateful. The year has been grim for many, but for us it has turned out better than we had dared hope. Very thankful for that.

H is for "Haze". That's the euphemism for the ghastly smoke pollution that is caused by land-clearance fires. It is pretty much an annual occurrence in our region, but this year's episode was particularly bad. We escaped to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah for a few days, but were really glad when the skies cleared.

I is for Immigration. We were regular visitors to this Sarawakian department in the early part of the year, as we went through the process of applying for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) visas. There was a reasonable amount of effort involved in this, and not a little suspense, but -- thanks to our kind Sarawakian sponsor -- we were ultimately successful. Yay!

J is for Journeys. We've done a few regional jaunts over the course of the year (Pontianak, in the Indonesian bit of Borneo; Bangkok and southern Thailand; and a couple of the islands around Cebu in the Philippines). These adventures were all slow-moving, low-key, and budget-conscious (our travelling SOP these days), but still eminently enjoyable. Our Really Big Journey took us from London to Baku, using surface transport only, over a period of 10 weeks. We travelled through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and the trip is way up there with our Best Things Ever. It's hard to single out individual elements in what was overall an amazing experience, but Ephesus and Laodicea, Georgian food, Azerbaijan wine, Armenia's Lake Sevan, and the train trip from Ankara to Kars all massively exceeded our expectations, while Bari, Chios, Sighnaghi, and Sheki were especially memorable and relaxing places to hang out.



K is for Kuching, our new home. We absolutely love living here... It's a very relaxed city; people have time to talk; it's picturesque; there are plenty of walking opportunities (see W); and the food is fantastic.




Talking of food, L is for Laksa... This famous noodle soup comes in many different variants, and they're all delicious. But our favourite is now very definitely the Sarawak version. One of the world's top breakfasts (and surprisingly easy on the blood sugar levels).

M is for Middle, as in Middle of Asia. On the way to the UK (see N), we stopped off in Kazakhstan for a short while. Just Almaty and Nur-Sultan, two dots in a really big space. But it was a very rewarding few days, and this is definitely a region we would like to explore further.

N is for Newark in the English Midlands, where we stayed with Nigel's family for a few weeks. This was another highlight of the year, involving lots of catch-ups with family and friends, fun excursions, and way more Stilton than was probably good for us.


O is for Osteoporosis, which I discovered I had early in the year... Yeah, for a while, the good news just kept flooding in... But with the right food, exercise, and supplements, it should be possible to stop the rot. And I can still swing a rucksack, which is all that really matters.

P is for Jalan Padungan, one of our absolute favourite parts of Kuching, and an easy walk from our flat. It's chock-full of local shops and eateries, and oozes character.





Q is for Quietness, that precious commodity that we never seem to quite get enough of...

R is for Regrets. And yes, "I've had a few, but then againnn, too few to mentionnnnn..." Sometimes I look back over the last few years, and wish I could have managed it all better. But I couldn't. And that's OK. We're very happy doing what we're doing, and we really relish the greater flexibility that a post-work life offers.

S is for Sarawak, which is huge. HUGE. We're slowly starting to cover the ground, but we're not going to run out of targets any time soon.


T is for Time, of which there is never enough. Post-work life is extremely busy, we find... In order to do all the exploring, reading, researching, investing, blog-writing, software-writing, language-learning, and body-and-soul-maintaining we corporately want to do, we need MORE TIME.


U is for Uninsurable. Yeah, that's me -- on account of my "multiple medical adversities", as one company so kindly put it... Strictly speaking, I could still get insurance from one of those global insurers that serve the "expatriate" community. But I'm somewhat leery of these guys. They're expensive, and if anything happens, the onus is on you to prove that whatever you have is not a pre-existing condition. A bit like trying to prove you're innocent... So, going forward, this is something of a problem, and definitely casts a shadow over our long-term plans.

Meanwhile..., V is for View. Our little flat looks out over pleasant low-rise housing, lots of greenery, a big temple, and an impressive mountain in the distance. Always a prospect that brings perspective...



W is for Walking, of which we do a LOT. The step count so far this year is over 4.5 million (not including what we clock up at home). This adds up to approximately 2,927 kilometres. It's not the only exercise we need or do, but it's an excellent starting-point, and the organizing principle of our days.

X is for Plan-X. Next year is full of Plan-Xs. Travel plans, in particular, constantly morph, as we look for ways to do things more cheaply, more interestingly, closer to our family, and/or in more environmentally friendly fashion. My computer is littered with abandoned itineraries... But that's all right. We always end up doing something, and it's always enjoyable.

Y is for You, dear reader. We'd love to hear from you...

And Z is for Zzzzing, which is probably what you’re doing after this long ramble. So we’ll just wake you up long enough to wish you peace, hope, and joy in 2020.