Weekends are the one time when Allen Solomon Chong experiences any semblance of family life. The Sabahan, who’s at the moment working in Kuala Lumpur, would make weekly journeys again house to Kota Kinabalu to be with his spouse and 4 daughters.
In truth, the undertaking supervisor lately booked 39 flights in simply the span of a month. The flights – that are unfold all year long and the subsequent – are all for his journeys house to Sabah.
On what spurred the choice to guide so many flights in such a brief period of time, Chong, 39, says it boils down to the love for his family.
“I love my wife and kids. I travelled through the lockdown periods too. Swab tests and home quarantines become stock standard,” he says.
Chong stresses the significance of journey subscription plans too. In his case, he used AirAsia’s Super+ plan which he says helps with his journey budgeting. The plan affords Chong limitless redemption flights all year long.
The actuality, although, is that it takes severe monetary dedication for Chong to be with his family each weekend.
“I ate into my savings to buy the tickets and just try to save up more in the next few months to pay for them. I force myself to stick to the discipline of a weekly travel life,” he says.
Making a dwelling
Boarding a flight to return house has been a part of Chong’s weekly routine for a few years. — Photos: ALLEN SOLOMON CHONGChong’s state of affairs is a actuality that many Malaysians from Sabah and Sarawak who work in Peninsular Malaysia are all too acquainted with. Searching for greener profession pastures typically means being separated from family members at house. In Chong’s case, he has been working in KL since 2018.
“I fly back home on the weekends, every week. It’s tiring, but it’s a luxury a lot of Sabahans simply don’t have. I tell myself I’m blessed to be able to do this,” he says.
Chong was beforehand a combined martial arts (MMA) exponent. He received the light-weight champion title on the inaugural Malaysian Invasion Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Championship in 2013. He was additionally the primary South East Asian athlete to qualify for UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter China.
“I also organised the first-ever Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in Malaysia – all from a small village near Kota Kinabalu,” he says.
However, it quickly dawned on Chong that it’s exhausting to make a dwelling within the combating ring.
“The prospects in Sabah have dwindled significantly in the last 10 years, and sports doesn’t pay bills in Malaysia. Coupled with challenging economic conditions, this necessitated a move to secure employment in the capital city,” he shares.
Chong – who’s at the moment working within the property growth sector – determined to transfer to KL alone as he needs his kids to be shut to family.
“I want my kids to grow up with my extended family back home. If I cannot keep my grandma company, at least my kids will be there to entertain her. And they love the life in Sabah better,” he says.
The man simply hopes that connectivity will be additional improved between Sabah/Sarawak and the Peninsular.
“We need more airline companies servicing this sector. AirAsia started with Sabah and has grown that much since then.
“Competition breeds excellence. With the rise of Nusantara (the planned future capital of Indonesia in East Kalimantan), it only makes sense to direct more logistics in the direction of rapid growth,” he says.
Broadening horizons
Today, Chong is hoping to make up for misplaced time throughout the pandemic when the family couldn’t exit a lot. Now that journey restrictions have eased, he hopes to journey extra with his family.
“I’ve not taken a real holiday for over three years now. It’s all staycations with the family recently. I hope to go on a holiday to Singapore with the kids one day. Let them see what a developed nation looks like. The savings will have to be substantial to make up for the weaker ringgit,” he says.
Some individuals may nonetheless be hesitant to journey, however Chong says it’s vital to recover from journey anxiousness.
“I fake a cough sometimes to get people to back away (from standing too close). Seriously though, I just worry about the things I can control and block out the rest. It’s like a fighting competition, don’t worry about what your opponents will do to you too much,” he says.
Chong, a former MMA exponent, makes weekly journeys again to Sabah to be reunined with his spouse and daughters.
At the identical time, he additionally needs to expose his kids to the world after an prolonged interval of being caught at house. Chong’s 4 kids are aged eight, six, 4 and one respectively.
“I feel it is important to bite the bullet and bring the kids out to travel internationally. Broadening their horizons and perspectives improves their ability to think laterally and be true problem solvers and futurists.
“I’m hoping the airline companies will offer more international flights during school holidays so we can make use of the term breaks. Otherwise, we may have to skip school to catch the peak flights,” he says.
The want to familiarise his daughters to the enjoyment of journey additionally stemmed from his personal childhood experiences. One of Chong’s kin labored for an airline firm and took him on many flights when he was a child.
“The excitement of travelling and always being in transit and experiencing new things gave me a wanderlust that carried strongly in my travels, especially for international fight events,” he says, including that he loves to uncover native structure and tradition whereas overseas.
Granted, a flight as of late is admittedly extra of a commute for Chong.
“Though now I fly more to have a semblance of paternal life on weekends, I still reminisce the better days on every flight. The glory days are over, but I soldier on because there are better things to live for now. I live vicariously through my kids and hope for a better future for them,” he says.
And whereas he might be working full time in KL, he will get probably the most satisfaction when he’s collectively with his family – be it at house in Sabah or whereas on vacation.
“It’s no fun without the ‘unit’. Being a dad is the best job in the world,” he concludes.
