It’s one of those times in the year when I seem to feel groggy throughout the day. I have a light, nagging or annoying perpetual headache that does not seem to go away.

So, I know it is that “time of the year” or period. I seem to get into this situation at this time, every year. I don’t know why, really. There are no snow blizzards here where we are hemmed in or holed out at home or any place we are at. For me, it is the raining season. Though it rains throughout the year in Malaysia due to its tropical climate, from this time in November, right though to January or February each year; this dull mood, sense of dej-a-vue sets in.

At times. or most of the time; it sets off the sinus problem I have. Most of the time, pain accompanies it. So, you know, it can be miserable. Several trips to the doctor during this period to get medication to soothe me or lessen the pain or even remove the pain. But cure does not seem to be available.

Maybe, it’s something in the air.

As I write this, I can hear the rumbling of thunder in a distance. It is raining, a soft-to-slightly strong, drizzle. The time now is 1.07am.

It can’t be the cooler temperatures in general that we usually experience annually this period of time. I have climbed Mt Kinabalu in Sabah (also known as “The Land Below The Wind”), Malaysia; twice. It is the tallest mountain in South East Asia at 4095 metres high. Temperatures are single digit Celcius cold. Accompanied by the winds, colder still.

On my first trip up; it was heavy rain and super strong winds with visibility at about zero due to the low hanging clouds, which made the climb to base camp challenging; and that’s putting it mildly. No issue then, except for the unnerving cold, the strong winds and the rain. But no sinus issues then.

On an occasion, when we were in Perth, Australia; my cousin, Brendon Surin and his wife, Ruth; thought it’d be fun to go to the beach just out of Perth. They took my late brother, Nigel his wife Shirley, my wife Jeannie and I there, but at midnight, in the middle of winter. Duncan, Brendon’s youngest brother (my cousin brother. Well, in Malaysia; that is how they describe [My] your cousin’s brother, literally.), joined us, too.

Isn’t my cousin’s brother my cousin as well?🤨 Just saying.

That night at the beach, where we sat with our backs against the ocean to block the blizzardly styled winds from blowing onto our faces; we hardly spoke. We were too busy chattering and shivering. These Aussies have a weird sense of enjoyment. Haha.

Well, with all that bad weather (at least to us, it was); I did not had any sinus issues. Maybe, it was because it was in the month of August?

Italy was in winter when we on holiday there. It is a beautiful country with lots and lots of postcard sceneries. The cold winter was fine with me. We spent time at Bormio, a town in the north of Italy with the picturesque southern part of the Swiss Alps as its backdrop. Bormio is 3 and a half hours away from the Swiss border.

Winter in Bormio, North Italy.

Bormio, Northern Italy; from our hotel.

Winter in Vactican City

In all these pictures, you see me having a good time, no indication of the suffering soccertash…er, I mean sinus.

I have come to deduce that it is not the cold weather or even the wintery weather that affects me and sets off my seasonal sinus. And it is not in any other country, except here, in Malaysia; during this monsoon season….I think that the monsoon winds and rains that blow over this part of Malaysia brings together with them, something in the air, that affects me. That “something” has not been identified… yet.

Does anyone else have this issue? Please let me know in the comments.