New Element

If you go to the bottom of this blog screen, I have just added in a new feature ... book reviews from my days n nights here in Langkawi ... I am not a fan of TV (what with the limited channels available) ... so every month whenever I am off the island ... I will pop to the bookshop (MPH and Borders in KL) for something light to read ... as to what you can find in this thread in the future ... a bit of everything ...

Books that hit the best sellers this year ... 20 years ago ... horror, thrillers, fantasy and even chic-lit ... yup a guilty pleasure thanks to my cousin sister, Suan who intro me to the first book ... that Shopaholic series ... hehehehe

Airline neighbours 4

This photo is from Bangkok taken in Jun 08 - if you read this blog as it is posted - then you will understand why I post it - simply because it was the subject of much recent unrest and potential future unrest ...

Today's airline related stories is Qatar. I took this several months ago on the way out from Doha. This time it has nothing to do with my fellow passengers but more with the crew ... you know how in some airlines aside from serving you refreshments ... they try to hawk you duty free? Especially those budget airlines like Air Asia where everyone can fly ... and everyone can buy ...

Well if you find that annoying, feel free to choose Qatar ... there is nothing much to buy at the airport in Doha ... and I didn't grab anything from the local traditional markets ... so I thought to just buy off the catalogue in the plane since I needed 2 gifts for the family ... choosing what I want ... I signaled the first person after the meal service was over ... she was very nice ... sweet smile and all that ... and she said she will tell the right stewardess to attend to me ... so I went back to magazine perusal ... and perusing ... and perusing ....

After 25 mins or thereabouts, I looked around and decided against buzzing for attention ... so I waited until another air stewardess walked past ... again I told her what I need ... again I got the same answer ... she will tell the right person to attend to me ... and guess what? Again no one came ... although at one stage in the flight ... since I was seated near the end in the plane ... I could hear a gaggle of the ladies just chatting away ...

I decided to shop elsewhere after the plane landed ... but out of curiosity I dropped an email to the airlines to let them know of potential revenue loss ... guess what I got in reply? A short standard note to say they will look into the matter ... and that's it ... I have no idea if they are responding to my specific query/ email or it is a generic that they sent it ... talk about customer satisfaction and the airlines attempt to grow and be the best ... their tag is 5 stars in the air ... sigh ...

Airline neighbours 3

We all know airline food is nothing to shout about ... generally ... however, how else can you make airline food worse???





[Sidetrack: on the record, Emirates econommy class has a killer breakfast ... love it each time I am flying Maldives/ Dubai/ Seychelles ... thanks Emirates]





On one my the flights to Singapore ... I was fortunate enough to fly during high season ... high season not for vacationers but for workers ... I was seated in a compartment/ section of the cabin with construction workers from China ... nothing wrong as I had been to China several times and loved each trip ... except that just before the meal progressed ... during the peanut and drinks stage ... the chap in front of him took off his shoes and socks and began to massage the space between his toes ... and outcome the cumulative black blob of dirt .... I KID YOU NOT ... I only witnessed this because of the odor and the fact that he put the shoes on the aisle itself ...





But wait it gets better!





As the meal started, the chap next to me was fine ... but not his mate next to the window ... fellow hacked and coughed and spat out some phlegm onto a tissue and tossed the tissue to the ground ...





Honestly, I cannot remember what that meal was about that time ...

Airline neighbours 2

Sri Lankan Airways - if you ever need strict disciplinarians ... like those fierce tiger school teachers ... you cannot go wrong by hiring the air stewardesses from Sri Lankan ... they have a beautifully smile ... and dressed in oh-so-sexy sari for their uniforms ... but before you think they are fragile flowers ... beware ... they have been trained ...

I normally used them for Maldives/ Colombo/ Kuala Lumpur ...

Incident 2 - my seat neighbour on one trip was a rather large lady of African origins ... very friendly and we chatted until meal time came ... as it is a short flight (1 hr) the meals are simple ... we get 1 slice of white bread cut in triangle and stuffed with tune or ham etc ... wrapped in clingwrap ... put on a small plastic tray ... then you have a choice of tea/ coffee ... I am used to the flight and its offerings ... not my neighbour ... she wolfed down her sandwich and signalled the air stewardess ... asking if she could have some more ... scenes of OLIVER TWIST (please sir can I have some more) came to my mind ... as the stewardess gave her a cold glare, raised an eyebrow and asked MORE? YOU WANT A SECOND DINNER? in a rather loud voice until many people turned around to look ... talk about being embarassed ... my neighbour merely nodded in shocked silence ...

Of course on the plus side she got the meal but you can bet that is the last time she will choose Sri Lankan ...

Airline neighbours 1

Finally here is a photo that is actually relevant to one of my irregular postings ... I took this just a couple of weeks ago while still seated in the plane on the runway at the KL LCCT (that's the el cheapo terminal for those of you not from Malaysia) ... and yes I am aware it's been 5 weeks since my last posting ... procrastination is a habit I am trying to break ... and I guess that explains for the pathetic hit rate I am getting on this blog eh?

So without further ado, here I am, trying to impress and attract a legion of loyal subscribers to my online ranting and raving ... then again, that is not the intention of having a blog, right? Or is it? Hmmm ... anyway,YES, you have my commitment that ONCE A WEEK, I will update you with my most keen and insightful observations of life around me ... and I do live in an interesting world, I kid you not ... and all these will be couched in the wit that is my words ... heheheheheheheheehheheh!

Ok

I make 2 to 3 return air-trips a month since Aug 2008. One is inevitably KL/ Langkawi via MAS, the other is Firefly's Langkawi/ Penang and the third is depending on where I feel like spending my down time ... before this it is Sri Lankan, Qatar and Emirates airlines ... along with the occassional Gulf ... over the past 4 years

So the following incidents and all subsequent ppostings in this chain will highlight the more memorable occassions of these flights ... and in no particular order ...

MAS - Singapore/ KL - a very short flight - it was the first flight out to KL and to my surprise it was rather full - as I boarded, I took a copy of the papers offered and settled down to my seat along with my book (HP Lovecraft's The Whisperer in Darkness) ... as the flight took off, the chap in front reclined jamming my legs to the chair ... no this is not the odd bit as this is the norm ... the odd bit is that next to me is an Indian couple on honeymoon. They were all lovey-dovey ... until hubby decided to look for things to read ... he checked out the pockets on his and hers ... nothing ... then spying the paper and book in mine ... he started tugging away (my leg had jammed the pocket) ... without asking my permission ... I was stunned! I turned to him and asked if I can help him and he said he wanted things to read ... so I pulled it out for him ... he took it without a smile or acknowledging nod or word of thanks ... and after reading it, he put it in his own seat pocket without returning to me!!!

What a complete A$$hOlE

Incident 2 - coming!

Bye Bye Makassar

And so it had to happen ... our trip is ended ... we woke up ... the one thing I disliked most is flying day because you want to do things but you worry about your flight ... that's why I prefer really early ... or really late ...

This was neither here nor there ... so I went out for a walk as far as I can for an hour or so in each direction ... before heading to the airport ... the airport is awesome ... large n modern ... and one has to wonder ... why???

Better than Jkt's airport that's for sure ... hahaha!

[This is typed from memory and passport dates on 5th Jan 2012 in GPT]

Day 3 Makassar ...

Okay the weather is still as bad as ever but we decided what the heck ... know what I mean?

So after another breakfast at the restaurant, we took a cab to our first stop ... it's this old fort that was used in the old days of the Dutch and many other things ... quite cool ... the old walls ... we walked in ... tunnels ... artifacts ... holding cells ... and a chap selling supposedly old relics ... yeah, right for Rp50k? I bought it just the same ... (Fort Rotterdam)

After that we waltzed around the area as the weather was cooling and nice breeze coming in from the sea ... then we decided to book ticket to the holiday island for residents of this area ... as it is supposedly beautiful and famous ... the jetty was old-world run-down charm ... I meant it sincerely ... but what was a rip was we had a loooooooooooong wait for the ferry ...

And when we arrived with a few other guests to our shock and horror ... the island resort is closed for the season ... everything was closed up so the island is tiny and we were all just wandering around ... what a rip off right? And we couldn't get off for a couple of hours until next boat and had no choice but to quaff down instant noodles and beverages ... ugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After that, we decided we needed a half-decent dinner and went to the mall ... no point in looking for cinema ... we tried and was unsuccessful ...

Day 2 Makassar

Quiet day as we walked out after breakfast ... the restaurant is small, trendy but average food ... weather is drizzling a bit though ... so we walked to the left then to the right ... and after that ... hopping on a cab to the few malls around here ...

The malls are kinda old ... and drab looking ... but that's because we have been spoilt by the malls of KL, Singaporea n Jakarta ...

My other half, CTH as usual found something to buy ... it was a Spyderbilt watch ... it actually looked nice ... and shockingly I have never heard of this brand ...

Hopefully we will have a better day tomorrow

HOLIDAY TIME ...

You know me ... it's time to travel ... and best of all going to a place I have never been ... so where am I headed today? Well it's a rush from one flight to another ... but I am now on the way to Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia with my other half ... hehehe ...

Never been there ... but since there is a route from Air Asia ... what the heck, right?

Flight was in the afternoon and we reached late with slightly bad weather ... nothing much to see at our hotel ... we just walked out on the roads and sauntered around ... then had dinner ... and back to our hotel ... room is small but nice and adequate ... hope weather clears up tomorrow!

Good night world!

[This is typed on 29/12/2011 in GPT Malaysia based on good old passport, digital photos and memory]

I am all sex-ed up ...

... or should that be sex-ed out? Anyway ... whatever ... not that I have been having any ... hahahahahaah ... sorry ... the reason for me breaking my vow of continuous, regular posting on this blog is because of work ... is that lame or what? But that's the truth ... sob sob sob ... since the last entry now I have gone on long periods (over 3 weeks without a break) and a few days I didn't even go home to sleep ... but hey hopefully those days are done ... and here's to brighter days ahead .......

Lots of people are bitching about the economy and what-not ... to be honest, I haven't been following it all that detail ... all I know is that moaning and over-reacting is gonna make a terrible thing worse ... worldwide financial crisis ... I guess the more we are all becoming inter-connected ... the higher the risks of something affecting everyone will be ... anyway that's not what today's posting is going to be about ... so what is today's topic? Well it's a Sunday and I am working ... hahahahaha ... I just needed to sound off ... and this is just a post TO WASTE YOUR TIME IF YOU ARE READING

Yup that's the truth ... but subsequent to this ... I will post stuff that are deep and meaningful ... philosophical something for you to chew on over ... hehehehe ... yeah right ... that's not the purpose of these blogs, right? It's meant to be a sounding off board ...

You may be wondering why I am using photos of comic book covers ... well I am trying to promote my LOVE of comics (since I was 10) ... here in my own little way and what better way than to use covers of comics that have recently had movies out ... my last blog was an OLD iron man cover and this one is Fantastic Four ... if you like the artwork ... it's Jim Lee ... and you can get it from Mile High Comics ... hey free plug ... wonder if they will give me additional discount on my next purchase?

I Am Starving ...

Not of food mind you ... I feel so bloated most of the time ... thanks to the fact that I have re-joined the wonderful industry of hospitality ... but that's another topic for another time ...

What I need is a good helping of movies ... here I am trying to be supportive of the copyright laws etc ... I try to go to the movies ... but there is only 1 cinema in the whole of Langkawi ... with 3 screens ... I drove there after work to check it out ... and they had 2 Malay films (both didn't look interesting) ... 1 Thai film and 1 English film (Death Watch) ... and the week before was equally weak ... sigh! As for buying original DVD and such ... to be honest I have no idea where ... there is one main DVD shop chain on the island ... they do sell what I think is original music CD retailing around RM40 upwards ... but then they claimed that the Blu-Ray DVD they are peddling at around RM25 is original!!!!

Are they shitting me?

So what are we left with to watch? Nothing. Seriously. I only have a pathetic receiving station of local channels 1 to 3 ... Vision 7 and the Disney Channel ... see? Zilch pretty much most of the time

Do you think I am buying pirated movies to watch? Do you? D-o Y-o-u???

Eid Mubarak Habibi

To all my Muslim mates and to all those who embrace the religion, a Happy Eid festival to you. In (once-upon-a-time) mild Malaysia, we say Selamat Hari Raya Puasa ... and a host of other greetings ... the coolest thing about Malaysia? The festivals. The country is made up of 3 main racial descent - Malay, Chinese and Indian (with a host of others including the Portuguese). So in terms of cultural festivities (read that as Public Holidays), we have tons and each is different from the next. As for religion, we celebrate the Muslim (Moslem), Buddhism (Wesak), Christian (Christmas) and Hindu. Again this means tons of different types of food

So is it any wonder that more and more people are getting overweight? At every occassion, we visit each other and stuff ourselves silly ... For those who read my blog, you will note that I am rarely if ever political ... at my ripe OLD age ... I am not even a registered voter ... but after being away for so many years ... now I am back to Malaysia and I find something really disheartening ... I read in the papers and online about people who are calling each other to be more tolerant of our differences ... people talk about the good old days of being united and non-racist!

This is something of a shock to me ... I know we are of different background, culturally and religious ... but I never knew we had such deep-rooted problems. I have friends from many various backgrounds. When I was in school, my friends are predominantly Malay and Chinese. Religion wise, my dad works with Indians and Malays. So we always visit his colleagues' homes for the festivities and I always look forward to the cookies that you can get during then ... unlike today where you can just buy off-the-shelf

Even when I was dating way back then, I remembered "hanging" out with Malay ladies (no touchy-touchy lah) ... Indian lasses ... etc ... and we used to laugh about how people in the "kampung" would gossip ... so we always meet outside of the "kampung" area ...

I have no idea whether the current situation is just some people stirring up issues for the sake of publicity ... but I certainly hope it is ... as otherwise a lot of the joys of diversity is lost ...

And I DO NOT LIKE THE WORD TOLERANT. Tolerant is so negative. Why do we need to tolerate? We should learn and appreciate the difference and accept that it is part and parcel of life. And move on. Accept each other for who and what we are. None of us is perfect. So why be negative? UGH! What is this world coming to? Siiiiiiiiigh!!!!!!!!!!!

Ramadhan Feasting 3 - Awana

First is the photo - it is obviously a shot of Starbucks ... this particular outlet is located at the Kuah Jetty ... right smack in the city ... in case I didn't mention it earlier, the Jetty is about the only place that seems to have a "cafe" scene ...

Anyway for this round of review, I am presenting Awana ... a hotel in the famed Genting group. It is located at the end of Pantai Tengah ... you just drive along the road past the "famous" Unkaizen ... Japanese restaurant and onward until you see a huge guard post ... continue through and before you stretch an immense and usually empty carpark before you reach the main building

The hotel itself has been touched up a fair bit from what I recalled in 2001 when I used to go there to purchase "DVD" and "cheap eats" ... now it seems like a proper hotel ... I especially loved the outdoor seating where there is a plank boardwalk of sorts that you can sit or lean over and peer into the darkness ... a row of orange-y light bulbs give the place a sort of quiet carnival (is there such a thing?) atmosphere ... and you can actually see Kuah town from this place even though it is a good 20 to 30 minutes drive along winding hilly roads ...

So how is the food? Like Aseania they have a rotating menu ... unfortunately the price tag is RM38 per pax ... and what is shocking is the lack of variety ... I guess they were not expecting many guests and therefore prepared very little food ... unfortunately with this, it becomes a vicious cycle ... our table had 3 pax ... another table 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) ... another table of 4 adults ... and that was it ... all others walk through and walk out!!!

There is 1 type of soup and 1 porridge, no salads but only pickles etc typical of kampung Malay stuff ... less than 10 types of hot dishes/ main course and a smattering of desserts ... the action stands were deserted ... of 4 stands on the outside ... 3 had something to offer ... first up was an Asam Laksa (very delicious!) ... Tomato rice with beef rendang is in the next stand and then teh tarik on the third stand ... and that was it

They had less to offer than roadside stalls!

Sad really ... I won't be making a return trip, that's for sure ...

Ramadhan Part 2: Aseania Langkawi

To those who emailed me after the first posting on food - a big thank you ... for today, we moved on to the next hotel that is less than 5mins driving time from our first ... Aseania. The hotel is a pink monstrosity located near the intersection between Pantai Chenang and Pantai Tengah ... you cannot possibly miss it ...

Before we delve into the food, one thing that I thought was lovely (not the pink facade) ... was the location of the pool ... when you walked down the winding staircase to the coffee house ... the first thing you will see is the pool and right next to the pool is an immense chunk of rock ... a mountain/ hill is backing the pool ... as in really close ... as in you can reach and touch it ... gives it a nice sense of space and location ...

The price is RM28 per pax for the food ... and the menu changes throughout the week ... so before going do call and get a copy to choose what you like ... I must admit that this is lovely ... menus are predominantly local/ Malay recipes ... there is the usual drinks stall of teh tarik ... then 3 action stations with no one on duty (ikan bakar, bubur lambuk and Thai koay teow soup) ... for breaking of fast we had an array of hard dates and limp kueh (not good) ... followed by the main courses of 1 beef, 1 chicken (very nice), 1 koay teow goreng (too greasy), stir fry vege, rice, fish curry ... and a host of local salads and crunchies ...

Though the selection is not vast, the taste is more or less spot on ... the only problem is that because this is low season in Langkawi ... each chafing dish has a very limited quantity ... you better take whatever you think you like ... there are no seconds! To a certain extent, I don't blame them ... not many guests and they expect guests to be in before 7:30pm. Unfortunately for those of us who liked to linger and eat a little slower ... we were disappointed ... because they don't do re-fills

What was also odd is that they permit the staff to dine off the buffet carts right on the dot when the guests are permitted to eat ... we see a number of staff coming to take glasses of drinks and food and going through the door to eat behind ... they should have done this prior to bringing out the food

Ramadhan ...

What has Ramadhan got to do with me, a non-Muslim? The answer is very simple. I am Malaysian. So it is the FOOD, glorious FOOD. Ramadhan is really cool because this is the time when the entire Malaysia turns into a veritable feast ... from kampungs to cities ... in 5-star hotels (where you have to make reservations in advance) to roadside gerais ... you can sample everything and anything traditional ... even fusion (organic fried chicken) ... and it will suit any budget and palate ...

Since I am still in Langkawi (6 weeks and counting) ... I have taken the opportunity to put on a couple of kilos (I kid you not) and been busy checking out the local eateries ... so which eatery is up for the first bout of scrutiny?

Casa Del Mar - beautiful place but with only 30 + villas/ rooms ... they do not offer this (boo!)

Meritus Pelangi - about ten times the size of their neighbour, Casa and styled in traditional Malaysian village architecture ... unfortunately they do not have anything for breaking of fast as well ... justification? Not enough tourists and locals to partake so they maintain a normal BBQ buffet dinner (boo!)

Shrimps - the first 2 are hotels and this is a restaurant located next to a shrimp farm ... hence the name. I didn't even think there was a buka puasa (breaking of fast) offering ... but a few colleagues who had been in Langkawi for a fair number of yeas dialled them up and .. away we go!!!

At less than RM20 per pax, the offering is traditional fair but boy was IT YUMMEEEEEEEEEE! The drink for the day was jagung (corn) ... something I didn't have since school days. Then there is the usual dates and local kuihs (more than 6 different varieties). Fruits of papaya and pineapple are sliced and arranged side-by-side placed within the shelled out husks of pineapple. It was very nicely done and we took one of these to share. For those who need their carbo, aside from steam rice, there is fried koay teow and fried rice. Next comes the soup - a fragrant Thai tom yom that is sour and spicy and oh-so-heavenly! For the side dishes or rather main courses, from my memory, there was more than 15 dishes. 2 types of shrimps (naturally) that was sweet and juicy, sotong, cuttlefish, fried fish, ikan bakar, raw vegetable salad, stir-fried vegetable, beef, lamb and a variety of chicken

What more can you ask for at that price especially since it is Langkawi where some roadside tandoori chicken can rake up to RM7.50 a piece???

What more can one ask for???

Why seconds of course ... which is what all 4 of us did ... and thirds ... and ... heheheeh

Ummm in terms of atmosphere, you have a choice of sitting in the little pondoks/ huts overlooking the beautiful village scenery or nearer to the food chafing dishes in a canteen like environment. Being the greedy gluttons that we are, we chose the latter (HAH!)

Settling into the Rhythm ...

... of life in Magnificent Malaysia ... yeah for those of you who know me in Bahrain (the Beautiful) ... I am still kind of lame with these types of phrases ... sort of like a pathetic 13-year-old trying to sound smart ... actually upon reflection as I grew OLDER I noticed that I get swamped with lots of inconsequentials like ... work, relationships, outing obligations, small talk, reading the news, etc ... to the point that the personal things that are important to me in my younger days, that I felt most proud of, that I actually cultivated on, that drove me ... have disappeared.

Amongst these include writing (yes I used to write for the university magazine in Australia, to the English dailies like NST and STAR and even kept the clippings whenever I got published and to some fan-zines in the States) ... my weak-assed sketches using mechanical pencils ... a while back I spent a few weeks brushing up on this and posted them somewhere on the 'net ... paintings in watercolour ... etc ... things that are deemed to be "creative" ...

Sad, isn't it? Maybe that's why I am doing this blog. Maybe I am hoping that if I do this consistent enough, I can finally pluck up the courage to complete the novel that I had drafted and carried with me wherever I go since ... 1997 ... if memory serves ... all 600 over pages of the damn thing ... I even had hardcopy ... I even checked out the agents and publishers to send it to ... but I never got around to polishing it up ... sigh!

Perhaps if I can settle down into a job for a good 12-months I can get around to this as well ... perhaps ... but whatever it is, I will definitely share it (and bore all of you who read this) with everyone on this blogspot ... hahahahaah ... did you realize that by reading this I have taken the most precious possession of yours? Time?

Mwa-ha-ha-ha ... I am indeed the thief of time ... but hey, bear with me ... I am so tempted to spill out all the bitchiness of life here ... without censorship ... give me time ... I am sure it will come ... hahahahaah!

In case you are wondering, today's photo is taken in Langkawi during sunset when I was here on holiday in Feb 2008 ... little did I know I would end up working here in Langkawi ... hah!

Apologies for the silence ...

First up, thanks to all those who sent me emails etc and wondering what the heck happened ... I have been away ... sorting out the swirl of confusion within my tiny little brain ... I had anger, frustration, etc going on ... in fact, I was so tempted to brain someone ... a number of sabotage ideas came to mind ... but in the end, I am glad I flew out of Dubai for a couple of weeks ... it was what I needed to cure me ... after all, what's the point of sticking around in a company wherein Directors are screwing up millions, right?

I was fortunate. On the day I touched down, I was contacted by a recruitment agent for job openings. In the space of a week, I had so many interviews ... but after a couple of days' pondering ... I decided that after the whirlwind relocation of the past 9 years ... it's time I headed home for a while ... it may be short or otherwise ... but what the heck ...

You see, I left home before internet and handphone technology became so pervasive ... so this is my opportunity to play catch up ... re-establish friendships with ex-colleagues, family and childhood friends ... and hopefully when the time comes for me to move, I can continue these relationships ... and for this I have to give a SHOUT OUT to FACEBOOK ... I actually located so many old mates through this ... thank you thank you thank you ...

Anyway, back to the story ... of my life ... after the 2 weeks at home ... I packed it back to Dubai to sort out matters ... 1 week and I wrapped up matters ... there were some frustrations still ... but I decided to just grit my teeth and get things over with ... time to move on with my life ...

For those who helped me through during this period in Dubai, here are my thanks:

1. Carlos - thanks for taking time out. Hope Suzie gets better soon. I appreciate your time especially in view of your personal challenges

2. She Chen - tied down with work but still squeezed out those precious hours. Thanks!

3. Dang - for keeping my spirits up during that week and being so positive

4. Chung - thanks for putting up with me especially when I surrendered my apartment. Hope things go well for you and your family ... moving to Dubai with you, bro?

So I left with money in my pockets and a future to look forward to ... and that's where I am ... after managing a quick stopover in Hanoi, Halong Bay, etc ... naturally ... I am still that much of a wanderer at heart ... hehehehehe ...

I will be a regular poster here ... Insyallah ... and I will try to put photos that are more appropriate ... this posting's photo is taken in the Dubai dessert ... during my safari there ... thank goodness I managed that before I left ... it was enjoyable ...

To everyone who reads this, THANK YOU.

Holiday in Hanoi Day 2 : on to Halong Bay

[This is typed on 04.03.2012 @ GPT Sepang based on photos and memories]

As we are not meeting Ad and his wife for a few more days yet ... we had decided to book a few excursions ... and the first is an overnight trip on Halong Bay ... yup Halong ... I was there about 8 years ago when I was with SC ... and we did sail through ... but we never had much chance to actually see and enjoy the Bay itself ... so this time with Eds, I decided to go

It was nice ... the bus came ... pick us up ... and pick up a few more people along the way ... before doing the usual tourist stuff by stopping by other places such as lacquer ware factory ... some awesome pieces there though ... and would have loved to buy it ... except the prices ... the prices are typical that of these tourist traps ... so bloody expensive ... even though we get to see how they helped the community

At the jetty ... we had to hang around waiting for our turn ... and it was hot hot hot ... sweating hot ... but once we started on our way down the narrow path to our waiting boat ... excitement was PUMPING ... adrenaline that is ... and I was finally in a boat again ... I was worried about seasick ... but then the thrill of being on a boat was just great ... there are 3 options : 1) Sailing in Halong; 2) Overnight on the boat; 3) Overnight on a fisherman island - we picked the third option

We had a simple lunch on the boat ... listened to some loud youngsters from KL or Singapore ... and sailed all over the Bay admiring the rocky islands ... and how on some rock outcropping or other ... life abound

We sailed past some areas where there are fish breeding programmes going on

And ended up at this base where loads of people got off for a bit of hiking into the mountain to admire the limestone stalactites and stalagmites ... awesome view too from the top of the cave before we headed back to the boat ...

Then it was onward to Cat Ba Island ... and this was odd ... we landed on one side ... the bus took us to the other side ... and deposited us at our hotel where food was waiting for us ... the rooms were simple ... and everyone sat and ate the same touristry food ... then we decided to join the gwailo at our table and some others and went for a stroll of the sea front ... it had a pasar malam of sorts ... not sure if it was a special festive season ... for the group from our boat ... they split us into 3 hotels and we ran into the rest here as well ... it was a quiet night ... just to chill and soak up the atmosphere but it appears popular for local tourists

After that, it was night night ... end of Day 2 ... and Day 3 will be looming up shortly

Holiday in Hanoi Day 1

[This is typed on 12.02.12 at GPT using passport and old digital photos]

After all the work, what else is there to do but to go on holiday, right? And this time I am going back to Vietnam to finish the last few segments that I missed the first time around when I was with Nguyen Thanh Loi ... hehehe ...

I am leaving Malaysia with cousin E ... and in a few days we will be joining up with my best bud from KL, the Ad man and his wife, the Aid woman ...

Well, we decided to do nothing specific ... so when we touched down at the airport everything was kind of like a surprise! We got out of the airport, waited for our luggage which was not that long and had a good first few of the residents. The locals seemed to dress in very 70s to 80s fashion of slippers, plain trousers and stripped or plain shirts ...

The airport is surprisingly modern and large ... different from my last visit to Ho Chi Minh City ... so I guess it is time for me to go back to Saigon eh? Hehehehehe that's for the next trip!

We grabbed one of the licenced cabs and then it was a straight drive to the city ... we passed by surprisingly beautiful green landscapes ... brighter and more vibrant than any I have seen in a long while ... and as we reached the outskirts of the city ... we came across something that I have missed ... narrow 3 to 4 storey Vietnamese house ...

Our hotel was definintely in a great location ... typical Vietnamese house look too but for the price of about USD25 ... we got an AC room with queen sized bed ... old fashioned heavy safe ... small but satellite channels TV ... minibar and even a bath tub with hot water ... they said in the morning there will be choice for breakfast too!

But for today, as it is almost lunch time, we headed out and walked around and found a small kopitiam and had our first taste of Vietnamese food ... Chinese descent flavoured ... Yu Cha Koay ... and giant fried wanton with noodle soup!

The rest of the day ... the heat got worst ... and we sweated as we walked down street after street just absorbing in the local culture and flavour ... and I loved every second of it ... sigh ... loved Vietnam ...

We thought at first we were lost or that our hotel chap gave us bad instructions but actually we took a wrong turn ... once we found it ... it was very quick to reach the focal point i.e. the lake at the center of Hanoi ... and lots of people are there ... we did a walk around the lake and then cross this bridge ... to a sort of temple or some fort in the center ... it's a nice idea to have this place to chill out for the people ... and all around the lake ... there are buildings with coffees, souvenirs, ice creams, western and local food and even KFC ... hehehehe!

Well enough for Day 1 ...

What it takes ...

.. is a little shopping to make the world a better place? HAHAHA

This photo is taken in one of the many malls of Bangkok. Yup I have actually not been there since the early 80s when I was a kid with my folks and during the past month, thanks to Fabrice and Yana, I actually dropped by and found the city to be as charming as my memories of the place ... lots of good shopping and eating too ...

And that's what one can expect here in Dubai ... this is the city wherein I actually started to go shopping ... aggressively ... I became a mallrat ... is that the right word? Going to Mall of Emirates twice to three times a week was the norm during my first month here ... subsequently this was interspersed with Ibn Batuta Mall, Madinat Jumeirah and of course, Bur Juman and Festival City ... of course going to Malls does not mean buying things. This Carlos and She Chen will easily attest to I am sure ... we had an in-joke where when salary comes we will go on an indulgence ... instigated by yours truly, natch!

And then when we are there, I somehow could not bring myself to splurge except on music and movies ... and they would bitch that they ended up buying more than me on each trip ... hehehe ... thanks guys for joining me though. I liked window shopping, looking at people and things ...

I promise I will learn how to splurge one of these days ...

Moving On ...

This is such a beautiful place in Dubai that I just have to stick it here ... even though I am now back home in KL, Malaysia ... I have just collected the keys to my new apartment (my first ever purchase) yesterday ... and I learnt all about the rights to get minor defects fixed! Thank goodness for helpful parents who have experience in such matters as I am generally non-confrontational ...

Anyway the title of this posting is moving on ... and that's precisely what I have decided upon ... something happened to me in 1998/ 1999 ... and no it is not the worldwide crumbling recession ... since then I have said no more regrets ... and recently over the past 12 months ... I guess I got swept up in the hysteria of making more $$$ ... I was surrounded by people who had clear objectives and needs and they are so driven ... so when I compare myself to them (never a wise thing to do), I realized that though I am capable of so much more, I have been an underachiever never going out to tax my mental capabilities or physical abilities much ... not that I have a terrible life, mind you

So I went overboard always looking for the next job that pays more and more and more ... forgetting my principle of no-regrets ... the truth is that we have one life to live ... and while working, we must ensure that we enjoy doing what we do ... then at the end of it all, it will have been a life worth living

Do I have regrets going to Dubai? No. It's not the job that I will remember 20 years from now ... although I may recall being employed there ... but what I will remember most are the people I met along the way ... the people who matters ... and here is a quick roll call (I may missed some ... please don't get mad!):

Carlos & Chung - my first friends from our days staying in Nuran - they are the people I call up to chat when something pisses me off at work - always important to have folks who are there for you when you move to a new place

Dang - a genuine brilliant chap who goes out of his way to share what he has with people

She Chen - she makes the phrase a small world really real. We come from the same neighbourhood, in the same state in the same country of the same age group and working for the same company in Dubai. How about that, eh? And best of all, she has a patient ear for all my unending tirades against the ills of the world. HAH!

Laur - who learnt a thing or two about what it means to be non-judgmental to the people around you. I am glad you are able to see and value my contribution to your working life however brief it may be

So although some unpleasant things happened, yet for all these relationships, I am so glad I was in Dubai ... ummm I may still be in Dubai or I may not ... but for the rest of my life, I am grateful for this brief interlude ... otherwise I will never have the opportunity to meet these wonderful people ... and my life will be a little less bright for that. I may move on to elsewhere but you guys and gals are always welcome in my life

(I decided not to rant my frustrations here after all ... hehehe!)

Stream of Consciousness

Too many serious blog posts ... this is something different ... typing anything that is on my mental plate now ... kind of like bloody psychologist shit ... know what I mean?

My parents are going to Singapore this weekend ... finally ... meet my dad's other relatives ... I am here in dynamic Dubai ... hear that you beautiful Bahrain people? Dubai = Dynamic ... Bahrain = Beautiful ... Manama = Magnificent ... Me = Pathetic ... thanks!

I am flying home 19th June via Sri Lankan airways ... Going to Bangkok for a couple of nights ... then back home with some friends for a couple of nights ... then parents n clearing of stuff for another couple of nights ... then back to Dubai again ... sigh! I LOVE to be on the move ... I need a break after my break ...

Sex & The City is in the cinemas ... Indy Jone 4 was on a few weeks ago ... more of the same ... good same though ... Why does Jet Li's voice sound so odd when he speaks English? ALmost like someone else ...

Reading a ton of comics ... Mile High shipment came through ... no novels for 2 weeks now ... rot my brains ... to all those I converted to comics ... sorry ... not really ... there are some amazing stuff out there ... try Moonshadow (about a kid whose mom was a 60s hippy and got impregnated by a globe of light ... I kid you not this is the true storyline) ... Books of Magic ... a serious take on Harry Potter ... came out in the early 90s ... first 75 issues were dead brilliant .. British kid with potential to be greatest magician on earth ... everyone after him ... Or Sandman ... about 7 ... I don't know what ... representing different aspects of reality ... Sandman, Destiny, Dream, Delirium, Desire, Despair, Destruction ... good stuff ...

I am NOT trying to be arty farty

Feeling guilty ... should be working on my own novel or artwork ... procrastination ... I am champ! Same shit with those old world diaries ... and every time I will buy a new book ... every time I said I will keep at it .... hahhahahaha ... 20 years .. not once successful!

Having another bout of gout attack ... never gonna be successful at weight loss ... damn! Go wikipedia ... check it out ... what gout is ... TB is contagious ... scary shit too ...

Depression coming ... hope it won't last more than a few minutes ... I need a COCA COLA ... no zero, no light ... just sugar bomb me! Yeah ... gotta go buy one now ... damn it ... I am so full ... glutton ... gluttony is a sin right?

This is all rubbish this post ... if you are reading this, it means I have wasted a chunk of your life ... something that is gone forever ... time ... sigh ... sorry ... I will end this post here ... now ... next one is better ... promise ...

Death

Why is the title DEATH? Because I wish to share this piece of really personal news with everyone who will eventually drop by and read ... some day ... and even if no one ... well that's fine.

Since I came to Dubai, I got to know a wonderful person who coincidentally works in the same company as I and is from the same country, state, home town and neighbourhood where I grew up ... Pulau Tikus, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. If this isn't a small world, then I don't know what is. Anyway ... she went home for a well deserved vacation last month. A couple of weeks ago, she received the disturbing news that her grandma is not doing so well. So she rushed home to be with the grandma. Originally it was meant to be this past Monday but due to ticketing she left on Tuesday reaching home Wednesday. Today she sms me that grandma has passed away. I don't know the dear old lady ... but I still feel for my friend ... at least her grandma fought to the last bit waiting for her to be home before letting go ...

And this got me to thinking once again that life is so fleeting. We never know when it ends. Sometimes we are afraid to try things, to do what our heart yearns for ... instead we keep on delaying, procrastinating ... how many of us have read those chain emails about the friend who lost touch ... and when he has his best friend's phone number ... decided not to disturb ... waiting for another day ... and when he finally called ... he found out his friend had just passed away?

Well, that is true. Life is unexpected. We never know the number of years we all have. So to all of you out there, try to live your life ... to the max. Plan for the future, yes, but also live for the present. Remember lessons from the past but do not let the past scare you from acting in the present

HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THIS LIFE YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH

I know this sadness since last year ... when a friend I know since 2000 ... I lost touch with in 2004 ... late last year ... we contacted each other through friendster ... we chatted on line and exchange emails ... and we are planning to meet up end of last year or early this year ... only to my surprise ... after Christmas I received a note on my friendster ... that this friend had passed away! I thought the sender was nasty ... I replied that she shouldn't send such messages. She told me to verify with anyone else I may know. So I did. I sms a mutual friend who checked and to our surprise she passed away on Christmas day. She is in her early 40s, slim, energetic with a young daughter. It was a shock to all of us who knew her. I wish I could say I knew her well. The truth is I didn't. But for all that I know of her, I treasured her honesty and integrity best of all. And I value the friendship we shared, those precious moments

Although I am saddened that we never kept in touch more ... I am at least thankful for the past 3 months of contact ... I learnt a lot from this woman ... in her life and in her death ... and for that I am grateful

May God bless you always, Yap Lai Choo!

Bitchin' Safari

I have been bugged since I arrived here in Dubai about the need to experience a safari .. and the only safaris I know are basically those done in the jungles of Africa. Since everyone says it's an experience ... and my company was so kind to organize a freebie event ... well, how can I say no, right?

Aside from the fact that it is free, it is a social activity ... there is the bonus point of getting to know people ... and potential @$$ kissing opportunities ... hehehehe ....

Anyway .. it takes about an hour of cramming into these 4WD station wagon type vehicles before we reach the dessert proper ... then it was all about going up and down sand dunes ... funny incidents are when some of the cars got stuck ... everyone comes out to help each other ... funny for us to watch ... but you can appreciate the potentially life hazardous risk ... i.e. if no one around, you will die of hunger and thirst!!!! Ok I know I am being a bit melodramatic ...

So after the first few minutes had passed by ... it was pretty much the same throughout ... the next highlight was when we got the chance to do sand boarding ... hopping on and sliding down the slope ... the bitching part was when you had to march back up the slope ... because this ain't no ski resort with lifts ... after 30 mins of this in the 45 degree heat ... trust me ... you want the AC in your bloody car

We decided we had enough and told the driver to head to the final event ... now this was actually cool. They had camel riding on the outside ... and lots of traditional lamp on the walkway ... right up to this huge simple looking fort ... within there is a flat area for performances etc ... we can sit around there ... and on the perimeter are more sitting area but with tent-like structures ... tons of traditional food are being cooked right there and then ... with all the trappings of Arabian culture ... you can try on the dish-dash or abaya .... falcon ... henna painting ... sand sculpture ... seesha smoking ... and we ended the night with belly dancing!

So the end was great ... many people ask me if I want to go again ... ummmmm ... the safari? NO If straight to the tent ... YES Sorry I am not that outdoorsy type a chap ... oh and the photo accompanying this blog ... it's from Bahrain, not UAE ... more of my misleading stuff hahahaah

What is Good

Somebody sent ... well not sent but rather many somebody-s commented that I always complain n complain n complain ... what to do ah ... that is my nature mah ... but anyway ... they ask me if I have something positive to share with people who read my blog ... of course lah I have ... so here is a quick run-down of all the good bits n pieces about living in Dubai ...

Religious Freedom - first country I have been to where the government, during Easter, knowing the crowd, blocked off the roads to the church compound in Jebel Ali, have police re-direct people to a flattened ground for carpark, then provide free AC buses to shuttle churchgoers to the church of your choice ... not only that but the police are really nice and friendly and they helped old people up and down the buses!!! Like I said, this doesn't happen in all the other countries I lived in ... Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, Japan, etc. Cheers to the government of Dubai ...

Malls - since 2003 I have been hiding out in Maldives, Cambodia, Maldives, Seychelles - and suddenly to be smacked into Dubai is like ... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not a shopaholic ... I don't even shop ... but since coming here ... what started out as a lark ... pretending to be a mallrat ... has actually become quite enjoyable ... only my wallet is bitching ... otherwise in my first month ... I was going to the mall every other day ... and always coming back with something small ... always!!! Now I have restricted myself ... one big purchase after payroll (last month was a Swatch) ... and the rest ... window shop ... hehehehehe!!!!

So that's 2 positives, 2 thumbs up ... for dynamic dubai ...

Banking in Dubai

If you are wondering what this image has got to do with the title, the answer is .... drum rolls please ..... drrrr .... drrrr ..... NOTHING! Yup absolutely nothing ... so there ... HAH!

I want to talk about the wonderful banks here in Middle East and their unmatchable service ... I mean it ... I am not slagging local banks but rather the wonderful international institutions ... Citibank ... Stan Chart ... and the world's local bank, HSBC ...

Did you know that in Bahrain, if you give them your TT form ... it can take up to 8 working days for the transfer to be effective? Once on a lark, though we had the HSBCNet services ... we decided to go on an evening to submit the TT form manually ... the counter bloke assured it will be done first thing tomorrow morning ... every day we log in to check ... after 5 working days ... the money vanished from our account ... thanks to HSBC, the world's local bank

Next, let's take Stan Chart in Dubai ... if you open an account with them and supply them with all the info, you can get your account number within one working day ... this is subject to the officer handling your case not going on vacation ... I kid you not ... the lady handling my case asked if I need it urgently as she was going on a week's leave!!! So no one covers each other ...

Anyway, after you get your account number ... note that it takes another 2 to 3 days for the account to be active ... because they didn't want to accept my cheques ... that's how I know ... And then sometime during the next 10 days, you are supposed to receive you pin number, atm card and cheque books ...

I received via courier ... PIN number and cheque books separately ... but no ATM card ... after a few days ... I called the branch ... twice ... before someone finally tracked it down and said the card is not with them ... nothing they can do ... they give you HQ number and asked you to call yourself ... I called a few times ... until finally someone again tracked it down and the answer was .. can you guess ... it was not with them ... nothing they could do ... they gave me DHL number ... and I was asked to call myself ... I think the banks must have a very strict budget issue on phone calls permissable ... so the tellers are probably saving their quota for personal calls only ... HAHAHAH ...

So I called and found that DHL decided not to deliver to me ... why I have no idea ... they wouldn't tell me ... and I have to go to the Mall where DHL counter nearest to my office is located to collect my ATM card!!!

When I was there ... the guy wanted my ID ... and my bank account number ... when I asked why the latter ... he sullenly gave me the envelope ...

Well talk about wonderful service! If you want to get annoyed, better not. Otherwise your blood pressure will shoot through the roof! Better to just shake your head and walk away ...

Coffee Money

I thought I had seen a lot of different scenarios where "coffee money" are being utilized since I have made my way around Asia from home of Malaysia through Thailand and Indonesia rounding out China, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, Bahrain and a few other places thanks to my work of the past years ...... but Dubai has certainly something of its own ... just like a lot of its attractions ... here is probably one of the biggest downers ...



If you go to Google or Yahoo or any other search engine, just type words like corruption, bribery along with Dubai and driving and/ or license and you will see what I mean on other people's blogs ... and I kid you not ... they are real ... I don't have a licence yet ... in this country ... but I have driven here on tourist visa and driven in most of the other countries I have worked in ...



Why haven't I gotten a licence? Well because my Malaysian licence is not convertible unlike Singapore or some European country ... in some countries, we are required to do the theory part which is understandable ... but not Dubai ...



We have to sign up in driving schools (all of them are huge chains), pay a hefty chunk of fees ... and pray ... why? All the basic packages begin with a waiting time of anything up to 4 months before your lessons start ... lessons can take about 5 weeks to finish ... then you have a few exams ... and if you pass ... chances are they will ask you to do a few more lessons ... before the final road test ... and for that, no one can answer when you will get it ... waiting time can be up to 2 months ... so worse case scenario, if you pass everything at once, you should be able to get a licence after about 7 to 9 months in the country ...



Of course along the way there are many options wherein you can opt for express or vip or super-vip packages ... mind you ... these are legit ... cos you pay more you get to start lessons first ... you pay more you get tests first ... these the driving schools actually tell you ...



I asked colleagues and friends ... they said as the years go by it is getting harder and harder to pass ... because there is a quota ... and each time you fail the real cost can be about aed1000 ... so people who can afford it are "buying" the quota ... I have no idea how much ... like I said I am new ... and I rather not comment on something I cannot prove ... but you can guess where I am driving this towards .... hah!



Anyway just based on actual costs ... if u factor in the taxis you have to use to driving lessons, taxis to work, taxis on weekend ... a normal licence without any extras thrown in will set u back for easily AED5k to 9.5k ... that's like nearly USD3k ... I kid you not ... you go to all those driving schools on the web and email them about their rates and do the math ... shocking isn't it?



And with that quota system it is not helping to improve the skills of licenced drivers but to assist in ever rampant coffee money situation ... I heard that the inflation on this is astronomical ... up to as much as 50 to 100% year on year ... sigh ... the joys of living in Dubai



Or as the expats here love to say ... Welcome to Dubai!

Why so late

For those of you who actually read my de-virginized first post, thanks, much appreciated. I am so happy to have wasted precious minutes of your life. I actually have something precious of yours that can never be repaid ... hahahahaahahhah!!!!

And why so late this follow up? Well for some weird reason, my blog site was not "open" and I received this note that says it may be spam unless I submit for review yadda yadda yadda ...

That's so boring, right?

Today ... let me share with you the joy of how I finally have internet access in my home

I am living in Dubai since Mar 08. Here there are 2 telco companies: Etisalat and Du. You cannot choose. If a building has been cabled with Etisalat, you have to subscribe to them. Mine is Du. I went online, got all the info and to my horror, I have to go all the way to their main sales office to buy the service - not available via online - already a bad sign, right?

The sales team was great. They told me next week, for sure, they will come

Thu - I rushed home at 5:00pm and waited. No one showed up. I called customer service 4 times until 8:00pm. Each time it was please wait they are on the way kind of excuses ... the 4th time ... chap said their technician dont work after 630pm!!!! Can you beat that shit? He asked me to call the next day for alternative appointment

Between 9:00 to 11:00am, I called and each time they said they will get back to me. By 11:00am, they said the system is down. There is nothing they can do. They asked me to check back before 8:00pm. As usual at 8:00pm no one has a record of my calls

Saturday I called twice and this time they said they logged in my details but nothing they can do as the technical office is closed and they don't know what's wrong ... why the technicians didn't show up ...

In the afternoon, to my surprise, I received a call that I must go to sales office to re-register again ... I grab a cab and was there ... waited for my turn ... only to be told that there was nothing they can do as the technical office was closed!!!!! Again they promised to get back to me tomorrow i.e. Sunday

Naturally no one could do anything on Sunday or Monday ... no replies to emails etc ... until I had enough I wrote in to the main office ... and voila ... instant service ... within one working day I have the report in hand on what happened, promises to get things done, etc and the following weekend a Saturday someone came and fix my line

Total number of phone calls - 18
Total $$$ for taxis - AED87
Total hours wasted - 12hrs

Talk about good customer service! UGH!

Hi all - my first time creating my online blog space ... or whatever the heck it is called! If you haven't already figured it out yet, I am a f*** tech-dinosaur ... still .... there is a time and place for everything, right?

As I said above, this is my first entry. So I will keep it brief. For those of you unfortunates ... mistakingly checking this out ... if you are wondering what you can expect to find in the days ahead?

Well if I actually gain some confidence and fill up this space with the "truth" ... then it will be a non-stop bitching journal ... in real life ... I bitch all the time. Sure folks call it gossip ... and I don't mean to be crude for crude's sake ... but ... it's really a non-stop bitching session. And what will it be about???

Ummm ... I live my life without much planning ... in my 30s and have worked all over Asia and now started making in-roads to Africa (Middle East) ... no it's not because I am wanted or anything ... I am just trying to do the zen-shite ... discovering myself ... while working

Why do I need to discover myself? Because ... at my grandfather age ... I am even unsure of my sexuality .... yup ... this is one of "those" kind of blogs ... did you have a good laugh at the 40-year-old virgin? FYI people like that do exist in this world. HAHAHAHAAHAH!!!! Cool that I can admit it here (I am NOT 40 ... yet) ... hehehehe

Yes, so that basically sums it up ... you get to read about my challenges in always changing jobs, changing countries, over-eating, trying to lose weight, getting hard n horny at all the wrong places, and totally screwing up my relationships ... minus the actual screwing that is ... and somewhere along the line ... maybe I will actually grow up

O yeah ... and I will bore you with my amateur photography and sketching skills too!

Bottoms up!

PS That is a post-tsunami pic of a resort in the Maldives ... taken in late 2004 ... the resort no longer exists! Sad but true ... I am not making this up for pity points

Celebration Day!!!

After the first harried week of running around on medical, looking for housing, meeting new people and getting all stressed out ... at least one thing came through ... on this day, the 12th of March 2008 ... I got my visit pass cancelled and my full work visa STAMPED in my passport ... thank you wonderful people in-charge of these ... you guys are the best!

I am legit now! Finally! After Bahrain, this is my greatest worry!

[Typed from memory recall on 29.12.2012 in GPT]

NEW JOB NEW COMPANY NEW COUNTRY ...

Yup it's that time again ... for me ... hahaha ... I seemed to be doing that more and more frequently eh? But hey, as you all know, it's not my fault, right? Thanks Banyan Tree Bahrain! It's YOUR fault ... hehehe ...

Anyway as you know I had my new passport and then within 2 days (less than 48 hours actually), it's time for KLIA ... it's time for Emirates ... it's time to fly to Dubai ... the city that gushed forth from the dessert like a surprising spring giving life to a mountainous group of individuals and families!

The flight as always is pleasant ... it's Emirates, after all ... one of my fave airlines ... and no surprising oddities this time in terms of fellow passengers ... well, when I saw odd, I meant encountering people and their actions I have not seen nor expected before ... and boy I can tell you there are quite a few eye openers .. sometimes charming like the couple who did a little snogging on their seats using an airline blankie ... sometimes disgusting like the china man who took off his shoe, dug his toe nails and then placed his fee on the arm rest ... and sometimes downright rude and nasty!

So ... I arrived ... I took a cab ... and I reached Nuran Residences where I was given a tiny studio apartment ... still it was adequate and nice with a half decent view ... great bed and TV and complete shower and bath facilities and small cooking area ... not that I will do full cooking as otherwise the room will smell ...

[Typed on 28.12.2011 @ 6:52am in my room in GPT Malaysia]

NEW PASSPORT ...

[This entry is typed on 27.12.2011 - based on memory recollections - yup I kid you not!]

Why is this day so special? Well, I have a few more days before I changed jobs and changed countries for jobs and that's why this is important because my passport is expiring within the year and to get new job with visa ...

I need to end job in one country ... Banyan ... Tree ... Bahrain ... rushed home to Malaysia ... worked out this new passport ... send details to next company ... Dubai ... for visa and flying over ... hehehe ... that's my life since ... maybe end 1999?

I liked it like that ... keeps me busy and less time to wallow in self pity or melancholia ... hah!

Again, I stayed at my sis place in Ken Damansara ... and with Johnny Lee's kind help ... went to Subang and got my passport done in the same day ... loved this new type of arrangments where we did not need to wait early morning at crack of dawn like in my childhood and then get passport days, if not weeks, later!

So I got this within a few hours and headed home for some great eating and shopping!

Thanks Mr Johnny Lee - you have been a gem since 1994 when I had the incredible fortune of having you be one of my first superiors in the working world!