Have YOU been to Northampton?

If you are either a member of Mr and Mrs Kong's family, or a friend who has had the opportunity to visit UK in the last 18 months, AND you have NOT visited Northampton by now, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED of yourself.

What IS in Northampton is the warm and cosy home of Mr and Mrs Kong; The hospitality (we hope); our willingness to show you a snap shot of our daily life. Also the fact that if YOU were living in Northampton, and we came to visit England, we would come and visit you without doubt. What you have missed out on is an overall great time!!

Here is a list of Friends and Family who have managed a visit to Northampton since our arrival in April 2005:

(in the order of appearance)

1) Yee Fun, Mrs Kong's ex colleague from Leeds who came over for lunch!

2) Hsiu Pin who drove all the way from Egham to (a) drive us to Milton Keynes in search of a chinese supermarket and (b) drive us to Comet (UK electrical chain store) to buy our first kettle. We discovered Taipan on this trip, whilst being mistaken as Chinese students/ immigrants by a chinese shop cashier.

Hsiu Pin, we still have that kettle and will be bringing it back to Malaysia with us!!

3) Susan and Jeremy, Mr Kong's friends from Oxford, who managed a quick stop on their way home to Reading. Susan and Jeremy were in the midst of errands in preparation for their move to St Kitt's. but managed to make it anyway!!

4) Ling, Mike and Harry who dropped us home, on their way to Manchester. Harry loved running up and down our house, and also managed to call Mr Kong "Uncle Kit"! Harry was not talking much then.

5) Lisa and Kok Loon, who visited us in Sept 2005. It was the first week we had our new car and we went to Stoke Bruene Canal for the first time with Lisa and Kok Loon. No visit was complete without a trip to our "favourite" chinese restaurant in Milton Keynes.

6) Dennis and Wai Wai, who came to visit in November 2005 - Dennis having to drive all the way from Cardiff after work on a Friday and Wai Wai who had to endure a three hour bus ride from Heathrow while being jet lagged after a long haul flight from Hong Kong (not as a passenger but a flight attendant!!) And Wai Wai who went home ill from quite possibly too much fun at our place!

We had a humongous cook out!! and exchanged x mas presents of course. Wai Wai's first words when she came through the door if I remember correctly were "I am ok, I am ok... lets cook ..!"

7) Eugene, who came not knowing anything about Northampton except for the fact that Alan Moore, whose comics he reads, lives in Northampton! Eugene got the opportunity to savour the gastronomic delights in Mr and Mrs Kong's home cooking plus a little sight seeing and more than paid his dues by fixing Mr Kong's wireless connection (and set theft safe password!)

Thank you Eugene!!

8) Papa and Mummy Kong who came in May 2006, to see us, and to check out our place. Mummy complained that she struggled to fit into her trousers after the trip - the food must have been too good!!

Fantastic memories!!