Eat and Be Merry

This year's Christmas week has been a pretty gastronomic Christmas for me.

Three days before Christmas I went to eat dinner at Cubes Pizza with Kai, Wilson, KW, Chia, Victor and Wee. They served us a three feet long pizza of two different flavours. I discovered the place via Groupon and the service there was really good. The pizza was great too! It was loaded with cheese and the toppings were generous. Definitely will go back. After dinner we wanted to grab a round two because Kai got lost and was late for the dinner. After going the wrong direction and going round and round Sunway, we found that A Pie Thing was closed, so we settled for Rock Cafe and ate satay and chicken wings while we just chatted and joked around.

Two days before Christmas, I did go back. This time it was lunch with Rachael, Debbie, Ryan Ryan, Hannah and Leonard. First we met up at Centerpoint to carpool. I then took Rachael's car and we headed to Cubes Pizza. We played a round of Saboteur before our food came and after lunch, Rachael, Debbie, Leonard and I went to Uptown DU to try out Softsrve. Their ice cream was so-so, it was just more of a wow factor with their dry ice presentation and the taste was just on an average. After dessert, we went back to Centerpoint and we went our own way home.

On Christmas Eve, I went to attend a Christmas party at Mae's house. I didn't quite know what to expect, and also I didn't know if I should have brought something because I don't celebrate Christmas and Mae's party was my third time attending a Christmas party in my life. When I got there, Mae was busy preparing dinner and Tecky was there. I didn't know anyone else there but I recognised Mae's parents and siblings. Her uncles, aunts and cousins were there also and they were all very friendly. But of course, I'm an awkward potato so I just sat around awkwardly and bashfully helped myself to the finger food when they offered. Mae first served us this amazing cheese loaf. It was a loaf of bread with melted cheese put into cuts topped with bacon. Shortly after Melvin arrived, dinner was served. For dinner there were spare ribs, spicy pasta, fried chicken (from KyoChon), potato wedges and some kind of salad. Mae's dad had us glasses of beer and we all sat together at the dinner table to eat. Mae's friend, Shen Yen and her sister came later and also helped themselves to dinner. I joined a small conversation with Kenny, Melvin and Tecky, and shortly after Kenny brought out his bottle of absinthe and we each had a shot. After that Tecky pointed out that the label on the bottle said we were not supposed to take it neat but we already did. Obviously I turned red really quickly but I didn't get very tipsy or high. After everyone was done with dinner, we sat down on the floor and played Saboteur. After three rounds, Shen Yen came out the winner and it was late so everyone slowly went home. Marcus was supposed to come so I waited for him to arrive after his family's dinner. While we waited for Marcus, William and I talked for a bit. Marcus came after everyone but me left. Mae, Marcus and I sat down to talk while Marcus and I helped ourselves to the remaining food. We didn't want to stay for too long so we went home after we were done.

On Christmas day, I went to meet up with Kai, Wilson and KW and we had dinner at Sushi Mentai in Sri Petaling. The sushi on the conveyor belt were really cheap and I helped myself to 15 plates of sushi and two cups of chawanmushi. After dinner we sat down at Wilson's place for a short while before we went home.

On Boxing Day, I went jogging with Marcus and Yati like usual, only I woke up really late because I was playing Team Fortress 2 until late and so I only walked one round and then we went for breakfast. After picking Kuui up from his house, we headed to Kaffe Cafe to have breakfast. When breakfast was done, we headed to play badminton with Melvin, Beng and Luke at Sports Planet in Kota Damansara. We played a couple of doubles for an hour or so before going our own way. Yati, Kuui and I went to Yati's house to rest for a bit before heading to 1Utama so I can do my last minute gift shopping for Ethel's Christmas party in the evening. I picked out a teeth shaped ice mould, went to buy drinks and snacks, and then we headed to Marcus' house to play games. Tecky was there and we played Naruto Shippden 2 on Marcus' PlayStation2. Tecky left before we played before we started playing Digimon Rumble Arena 2. After taking a bath and a change of clothes, we then grabbed the drinks I bought and we headed to Ethel's house.

Some people were there already when we got there. Most are same people I've met at last year's Christmas party. Surprisingly Hee Ching approached me, we are only acquaintances in high school, she asked me about my job which, Melvin had already told her about before I arrived and we both agreed that Melvin is a blabbermouth. Marcus, Melvin and Kuui started to help out in the kitchen and it was crowded so I sat out in the living room with the others who I barely know (Yati didn't want to mingle so he squeezed himself in the kitchen). I reintroduced myself to Jovian and vice-versa when he saw me sitting alone, we just chatted a bit and then Jason came over to talk with the guys. Luke and his girlfriend, Carolyn came and they joined in the conversation. I just sat there listening to the others and Yati came out to join me because there was nothing for him to do in the kitchen. Andrea soon came and she was the next person outside my close circle of friends at the party to joyfully greet me. Soon Chelsea came out and served everyone garlic bread with sauteed mushrooms, there was a name for it but I don't remember those fancy names. Shortly Ethel announced that dinner was served and Jason came out with the baked chicken while everyone gathered around the table to help themselves to the food. There was pasta, sushi (bought from somewhere, maybe AEON), quiche, the baked chicken and potato salad. Hou Yi came just before dinner started and Abby next as we started to stop eating. Ethel then got everyone to sit in a huge circle and we did an ice breaker by stating our names and a random info about ourselves; I noticed that I was wearing the same shirt last year. Right after everyone introduced themselves, we got into groups of four and we played charades. I was put together with Beng, Josh, Vikram and Woan. Our team was doing great, we were leading everyone by two points until the bonus round where shit hit the ceiling because Jason decided to make the game harder by not having a specific category for his words. Our team was spot on for the answers a couple of times but we were too wary to lose points so we failed to answer them as the other team got them right. In the end, Luke's team won. Shaun and his girlfriend came the last round before the bonus round started. Right after charades, we did the gift exchange. Jason got my gift and I got Hou Yi's, which was a colour changing mug. A few people went home but the rest of us were totally up for games. We split into two groups, one played Cards Against Humanity and the other played Mafia. Yati, Andrea, Abby, Derek, Kuui, Jerrica, Luke, Shaun, Keith and I played Cards Against Humanity, it was great fun but my cards were crap so I only managed to win one black card whereas Kuui was racking in black cards with the epic cards he got. When we finished it was already midnight and people started going home. Abby was not feeling well and I had to pick my sister up, so I thanked Ethel for the party, bid everyone farewell and wished a happy new year, and I chatted with Abby until I dropped her home. I has been a long time since I last actually chat with Abby.

So that was the end of this year's Christmas and 2016 is just around the corner. I must say that this Christmas has been by far the most eventful Christmas I've ever had. I not only attended Christmas parties, I also ate a lot of good food and met new friends and caught up with old friends. Unfortunately it seems to me that this Christmas is also the time when I lose my friendship with good friend, she decides to push me away and not open up her mind, it is something she's brought upon herself so I shouldn't interfere with her decisions because I've already used up my chances already anyway. But hey, it's life, nothing I should be bothered too much about. Merry Christmas everybody.

The Boat Resting Atop Three Skyscrapers

On the second week of December, Steven, Owen and I went down to Singapore as a business trip to help with the setting up of the new Hamleys outlet opening at Marina Bay Sands. On Monday morning, we met up at McDonald's in KLIA2. After checking in our luggages, we headed to the departure hall to wait for our flight but it arrived slightly late. Upon getting onto the plane, the pilot apologised and informed us that there was a minor problem with the plane's pressure thing or something like that. While we sat in the plane, the engineers solved the issue after over one hour and forty five minutes. I slept dozed in and out of sleep on the flight and we reached Changi Airport safely. Steven lead us out after the immigration gates and we purchased our EZ-Link cards, which are used for taking the public transport. We proceeded to board the MRT and headed to Dhoby Ghaut. Our first stop was not our hotel, instead we headed to the Hamleys store in Plaza Singapura to drop off some items from Steven's luggage that was brought over for the store. Steven introduced the Singaporean team to us, Kelvin, Daphne, Beng Chee, Chester, Shirley, Jeremy and Fazzila. While Steven settled some stuff, Owen and I toured around the store. Because I was in work mode, it wasn't long before I was itching with the urge to notify someone that there were issues with the displays but Steven told me not to do so because the store is in the middle of transferring stocks for the new outlet so it was unavoidable that the store would be in a mess. After Steven settled the issues, we then collect our luggage and headed down to City Hall to check in to our hotel, the Peninsula Excelsior Hotel. After settling down for a bit, Owen went out to meet some friends. Steven had to go back to Plaza Singapura and I had nothing to do so I followed him. We went to have dinner at Mos Burger before going to the store. Mos Burger is a Japanese fast food restaurant who's highlight on the menu are their rice burgers. Steven had recommended it and boy, it was really good. After the succulent dinner, we headed back to the toy store and helped prepare for the transfer of goods. After we were done packing up on our part, Steven and I headed back to the hotel to find Owen back there all ready to sleep. Our room was a two person room so I shared the bed with Steven. Before we went to sleep, I updated Feng and my cousin, Dominic about my status. I had already informed them that I would be going down to Singapore for work the week before so they were expecting to see me. After that Steven, Owen and I went to sleep, w all knocked out pretty fast, probably tired from the delayed trip down.

The next morning, the three of us went to Raffles City to have breakfast. After inspecting the few restaurants, we settled for Nam Nam, a Vietnamese restaurant that had an attractive breakfast set on offer. I ordered a bowl of beef pho while Steven and Owen got a banh mi each. It was pretty damn good. After breakfast, we took the MRT and headed to Bayfront. It took us a while to figure out which trains to take but we got there just fine. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands was more than I expected. It was such a lavish mall, a majority of the shops there are expensive brands and there is a section of the mall that is dedicated to high class brands, so luxurious that I've never heard of the names and the items on display are so elegant, posh and extravagant. There was even a shoe shiner in that section. We were not sure where the new store is located so Steven brought us up to the ground floor to see this bowl shaped construct outside the mall. I later learned that this construct, called the Rain Oculus was an installation by some architect dude. Steven mentioned how the Rain Oculus can make sound travel through it from opposite ends so that if you whispered from one end of the bowl, another person on the opposite side can hear it. While we waited for Fazzila to come and show us the way to the new store, I walked around near the entrance to see the torch that was set up for the 8th ASEAN Para Games. After a while, Fazzila showed up and we walked to the new store together. It was located at the end of one of the blocks, and the first thing I noticed was the Christmas decoration set up right outside, before I noticed the massive DC Comics Super Heroes Cafe on the top floor facing Hamleys on the opposite side. I didn't get to go of course, we were working after all. Unfortunately, when we walked into the hoarding, we found that constructions were still in the middle of work. Workers were still installing the air vents, wiring and solving some plumbing issues. What's worse is that we found out that the stocks transfer that was supposed to be done the night before was not executed. It was postponed to Tuesday night and so we were left with nothing to do. We tried to make this trip productive so we fixed the height for the wall bay headers and started adjust them. After that we were left with absolutely nothing to do so I informed Feng that I was done for the day. Dominic had class so he had told me that he couldn't see me this day. Feng and I later arranged to meet up after lunch. Steven, Owen and I went to Plaza Singapura to have lunch at the food court before going our own way. Steven passed me the card key for our hotel room because I was going back to change first. Before we did go our separate ways, Steven and I went to buy some cans of beer for the few nights ahead of us. I took the MRT alone back to the hotel with a feeling of adventure because it was my first time going somewhere alone in a foreign country.

At the hotel, I took a bath, changed and then headed down when Feng messaged me that she had reached the City Hall station. I went out and before the pedestrian crossing I spotted her coming my way but she didn't notice me. I called out to her and she was taken by surprise because she thought I was another guy behind me. She said I had gotten skinnier and the first thing she pointed out was that I was slouching, something that she always tells me whenever we meet. It has been about three years since we last met and there were a few things we didn't quite remember about each other, like how I didn't remember Feng being taller than me. Feng however noted about how I'm still the same as ever. I barely explored Singapore before so Feng became my tour guide and we walked around the small section of the south of Singapore. First we walked past the National Gallery towards the Esplanade. We then made a turn and walked past the Victoria Theatre. I stopped to take some photos of these giant balls outside the Asian Civilisations Museum then we walked across the Anderson Bridge towards Fullerton Hotel where I told Feng that I've never seen the Merlion before. She then took me to see it which stood majestically facing Marina Bay Sands. It was less impressive than I had imagined it however. Feng then took me past the Esplanade towards Marina Square. She had told me about her favourite dessert place called Llaollao that serves frozen yoghurt with fruits and various toppings, it tasted way better than any of the frozen yoghurt desserts I've tried before. After the scrumptious dessert, Feng took me over to the Helix Bridge which lead into The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. She lead me up the longest escalator which took us up to the roof where we got a view of the bay. On the roof we walked through Marina Bay Sands towards the Gardens by the Bay. Feng told me about the light show that happens in the evening but it was still early, so we walked into the area and had a look at the Christmas decorations. Feng managed to convince me to climb up to the canopy walk but when we queued up to buy tickets, the management informed us that ticket sales have stopped because of the poor weather conditions. I was half relieved and half disappointed. We walked back to the vantage point of the Gardens by the Bay but we left before the light show because Feng was concerned about not making it in time for dinner unless we took the MRT, however I insisted not to take the MRT because I'd rather walk where walking is so safe (unlike in Malaysia). We walked back to the Helix Bridge and took some photos of the bridge because of it's beautiful night lights. Then we made our way back to Fullerton Road and towards Boat Quay. The whole street was lined with pubs and seafood restaurants. Eventually we made our way to Brewerkz at Clarke Quay. We got our table and we ordered a pizza to be shared and a pint of beer each. I got a lager and she got wheat beer when she actually wanted steamed beer but had at first ordered some kind of hop, basically she made her order wrong twice. Obviously I got tipsy and Feng was such a dear and guided me back to the hotel. We took the MRT but along the way I was already sobering up. I had a really good time catching up with Feng and I am thankful for her kindest hospitality. We chatted for a bit while she waited for her friend to pick her up outside the hotel. That night I knocked out after a bath on the sofa chair in our room.

The next morning, Steven had to rush to the new store because he was informed of some issues so Owen and I went to have breakfast together at Nam Nam again. I tried one of the banh mi this time and it was so good too. After breakfast we headed to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands and started working. The stocks were already transferred over so we could display some of the products on the wall bays. We split into three teams and we got to work. I started off by teaching my team on how to do product display, I was still nervous about talking to new people and I don't quite know how to translate the stuff that goes through my head when doing product display so I wasn't sure if those guys understood what I was saying. Steven called for an early lunch and a group of us took the MRT to Chinatown for lunch. We ate at a Chinese food court and I ordered a bowl of mee pok. Over lunch we got to know the staff better. We went back to the store after lunch and continued to do displays. We were done before 7pm so everyone else went home but Owen and I had to wait for Steven to settle some operational issues. We then went for dinner at the Plaza Singapura food court, however we didn't have a lot of choices to choose from this time because a lot of the stores had already closed at 9pm. I ordered a bowl of la mian which was the most appetising looking store of the ones that were still open. That night Steven kicked me off the bed in his sleep in the middle of the night. His leg was taking up my part of the bed so I had no choice but to sleep on the sofa chair again, it wasn't that bad.

Thursday morning, the three of us had breakfast at the Plaza Singapura food court because Steven had told us about the breakfast set there being good. It wasn't that bad but the egg tarts there were wet and gross. On the way to the store, Steven and Owen were busy on their phones so we made a few mistakes getting to Bayfront. We first got on the wrong platform, then we got on the wrong train on the right platform and finally we went the wrong direction to The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. Dominic came to find me during lunch and he convinced me to try the McDonald's there. We headed to Chinatown and I got the McSpicy, the Singaporean equivalent of our Spicy McChicken Deluxe, only better but slightly less spicy. I also tried the seasonal truffle shaker fries seasoning which made my french fries taste like mushrooms, it was amazing! After lunch Dominic walked me back to the store and we parted. Someone had bought Pizza Hut for the managers to eat and they had a whole pizza (put together with three different pizzas) left for me, along with garlic bread and chicken drumsticks. I only ate one slice because I wasn't that hungry. We continued to work until 8:30pm. After that we headed out to find dinner. It was late already so most of the restaurants are already closed. It was so odd to me because in Malaysia our restaurants close at 10pm and we also have mamaks that are still open in the wee hours of the morning. Steven and Owen had no choice but to go to McDonald's. I had the leftover pizza from lunch so I was good. They had their meals on takeout and we headed back to the hotel to eat. After my cold dinner, I drank my double can of beer and then we went to sleep.

Friday morning is my last morning. I was gonna be flying back to Singapore alone because Steven is leaving on Saturday and Owen is going to Johor Bahru. I had some plans so I left early with my luggage. My first stop was at Chinatown, I went to buy some souvenirs and I spotted a sex toy shop. I wanted to mischievously check it out but it was close so I abandoned the plan and took the MRT to Changi Airport. I went through the gates and walked around the departure hall. There were a lot of things to see. The airport was so much better than KLIA, I got to see a plane leaving after the passengers boarded it. After checking out the Social Tree, I went to look for the thing I had the full intention of looking for, gummy candy. I knew for sure that they would be selling the real deal which was non-halal, the one with pork gelatin instead of beef. I walked into one of the candy stores and found an isle of them, it took me quite a while to decide because they had a free gift if I purchased three packets of gummy candies but I only wanted two, and if I had purchased three, I wouldn't have been able to get the lunch I was aiming for. So I just got a packet of juicy gummy bears and a a packet of gummy aeroplanes. After that I headed to Burger King. On our first day, Steven told us that the Burger King in Changi Airport serves their burgers exceptionally big, compared to the retail outlets outside (no need to compare to Malaysia's) and so I went there to have my lunch, and sure enough, the burger I ordered was huge. It was bigger than my palm, as big as my face! I ordered their seasonal Gourmeji Mushroom Swiss burger. It was too good to be true. The burger was bursting with the delicious taste of mushrooms and cheese and beef. I kept wishing that I could stay in Singapore with each bite. The flight back home was smooth and fast.

The business trip down to Singapore has assured my indecision to go down there to find a job. Hopefully I can get transferred there after I enquire Steven about doing so. The transport system there is so organised and swift, getting one place to another is a breeze and because of that there's no need to drive. People in Singapore may not be as polite, but the food there is reasonably cheap. Also, for the dough, I'd go there so I can help my family with the bills and also support my two sisters' education.

Skylines and Nature in Miri

On the last week of November, Marcus and I went on a short trip to Miri to visit Mae because it was already the school holidays. When Marcus told me about it, it felt kinda spontaneous. It wasn't very well planned and when he told her that we'd be visiting, she informed us that she'll be going for a run on the last day we'd be there. One thing lead to another and she registered us for the run as well and that meant that there was no turning back. After a few days we bought our flight tickets to Miri.

I was lucky that I had a replacement off day at work so the Friday of our flight, I got to sleep in and take my time packing my bag. I still woke up pretty early and I double checked my inventory before heading out. My dad dropped me at Kelana Jaya where to took the LRT to KL Sentral and because Marcus was working half the day, he wasn't there yet. It was still early so took a walk around Nu Sentral.

When Marcus arrived, we took a bus to KLIA2. I was kinda sleepy so I slept on the journey there. We got to the airport and went into the boarding hall but then we found out that our flight was delayed so we reached Miri about an hour later than planned. Mae was waiting for us at the arrival gates at the Miri Airport. With the way she was dressed, she looked like when we were still in secondary school, in a shorts shirt and track pants, carrying a backpack, I almost didn't notice it was her until she greeted us (also because my astigmatism kicks in at night). We proceeded to have supper at McDonald's because Marcus and I missed dinner thanks to the flight delay. After supper, Mae took us through the town and headed towards our chalet. Mae had booked us a longhouse to stay for the two day trip. To our shock, the gate was closed when we arrived. Maybe it was because it was so late already, so we tried to call the number provided on their website. A guy answered my call and after waiting for a while, someone opened the gate for us and we went in. The person who opened for us was a worker there and it seemed like everyone has gone to sleep. Because it was so late already, the guy just gave us a key and told us that they'll settle the room tomorrow, so our room was temporary. Frankly I was surprised because the guys was so trusting of us as to just give us a random room before properly checking us in. After bathing, we all went to sleep.

Mae had class in the morning so when Marcus and I woke up, she was already gone. Mae's class was something about self reflection or something like that so she was hoping that her class would end earlier than expected. After getting dressed and ready, Marcus and I went to the canteen to settle our room. There was a lady there who we assumed is the lady boss of the chalet. We informed her of the situation last night and she offered us a better offer for our accommodation and somehow we got back RM3. The worker who attended to us last night came and the lady boss and him talked. Then they approached us because there was a misunderstanding. The worker thought we didn't have a booking and the lady boss thought we paid for the room last night. After showing the lady boss our Agoda booking number, she informed us that we actually had booked for the more modern longhouse with fan room but because of the misunderstanding they decided to let us keep the discounted air conditioned room. After the confusing episode, we ordered breakfast (Maggi mee) and after that we walked around the compound to look-see. The place was very close to nature, there were a lot of chickens running around, huge lakes and a jungle around the place. A longhouse in the middle of construction stood beside the one we were staying in and a modern looking longhouse, which was where our supposed room is on the other side.

After sitting in our room for a bit, Marcus and I decided to walk out and see what there is to do. Near the entrance, we asked the worker what there is to see and he told us that there is a beach on the opposite side of the road. So Marcus and I walked out and sure enough, there was a beautiful, empty wide beach accompanied by the beautiful bright sky. There wasn't another one else besides us on the beach. The beach stretched out endlessly on both sides and the sea goes out into the horizon, with one or two oil rigs far off into the distance. There were tens of thousands of holes in the sand, made by tiny little crabs which skitter away swiftly like they're carried away by the wind when we approach them. We came across three jellyfish that got washed up onto the beach. One of them was massive. As an obligatory act, I picked up a stick and poked one of the jellyfish with it. It was harder than I thought, like a thick gelatinous blob, it felt icky. We spent some time walking around on the beach under the hot sun and then soon decided to go back when Mae messaged us, telling us that her class has ended early and that she will be with us soon. We walked back to the chalet and turned on the television in our room. After flicking around the channels, we came across this show about the police force but it seemed more like a love drama than a police drama.

Mae finally arrived with her change of clothes for the next day and we headed out after she changed out of her baju kurung that she wears to class. Mae took us to eat Dayak food at a zhapfan shop. The cooking style is similar to Chinese food but it has a different taste to it. I enjoyed the dishes I picked but I had close to no idea what I was eating. After lunch, Mae took us to Canada Hill to see the Grand Old Lady. She was really old, at 105 years old, standing tall in front of the Petroleum Museum. If you're not catching my drift, the Grand Old Lady is the first rig for the first oil well in Malaysia. Canada Hill seemed to me like the vantage point of Miri, you could see miles and miles into the distance beyond the city, and the amount of sky you get to see from up there was stunningly beautiful. After walking around the Petroleum Museum, Mae showed us the hiking trail she occasionally takes which was just opposite the museum.

After that we got back into the car and we headed to the Imperial Mall, next to the Imperial Hotel so that Mae can show us how lousy the malls in Miri are compared to the ones we have in KL. The mall wasn't as bad as described, but Mae was right when she said that half of the mall is like 1Utama and the other half is like Sungei Wang Plaza. We walked around and we went to Super Save, it's this shop that's like the combination of Tesco, Econsave and Fun and Cheer. You could find just about anything there and buy it cheap. We bought some bottles of water and I saw a guy buy an electric drill there. I guess that tells enough about what the shop is like. We went out with our water and as we walked by a similar shop, Marcus pointed out that he saw baseball gloves in the store, I quickly turned around and went in to inspect. Sure enough, there were an assortment of sport equipment in there, and I found baseball gloves, balls and bats and they were really cheap too! But the same can be said for the quality. We then walked around the store and looked around. Mae had a good laugh when we were trying to lift some weights and I hurt my back doing so. Before we left, I thought of looking for the phone pouch that runner wear when running and when I told Marcus and Mae about it, Mae mentioned that Super Save has them, so we went back in and I bought one. Before we left the mall for good, we passed by a bag shop and I remembered about the flat pouch that can expand, it was useful for runs so we went in to look for it but unfortunately they didn't have it. Mae said that she remembered seeing it at Super Save so we'll try and find it the next time we go there.

I was evening already so we were getting ready to go for dinner but before that, Mae needed to exchange cars with her friend because Mae's car can't travel long distances. We needed her friend's car so that we can go to Gua Niah the next day. It was raining by the time we got to her friend's house (the house her friends' are renting) so we had to do the exchange in the rain. It was a peculiar and funny feeling meeting new people while getting soaked in the rain. After the exchange, Mae went to her house first (the house she's renting) to grab some stuff. After that we went to this place called Rumah Asap (which translates to Smoke House). The reason it's called Rumah Asap is because the place is like a hawker centre but every stall is selling barbecued or grilled food, so there's all the smoke, hence the name. We sat down in front of one of the stalls that Mae said is her favourite and then she went and order the food for us. The dishes that came were delicious, first came grilled fish, it was crispy on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside. Together with the sauce provided, it was so delicious. The second dish that came was the grilled pork, like siew yok. It was really damn good too! The skin was beautifully crispy, the meat was tender and the fatty layer was easy to chew. What's more was that the fish and the pork both has this exquisite smell and flavour to them, it was a beautiful glaze of sour over the juicy meat that seemed to melt in my mouth, just remembering it as I type this out is making me salivate, just like how I did when I absorbed their aroma into my nasal cavity. Not the best way to describe that but damn it was too damn palatable to resist.

After the mouthwatering dinner, we went to the Super Save opposite because Marcus said he wanted to buy the phone pouch I got as well. While Marcus went ahead, Mae went to ask one of the staff at the restaurant where we can buy tuak. Mae said that because we're in Sarawak, we had to get tuak. After getting advice to find it at the night market, we headed to Super Save to catch up with Marcus. We walked round and round the shop but we couldn't find the phone pouch but before we gave up, Marcus suddenly found it and Mae also spotted the expandable pouch I was looking for. So we made our purchase and headed to the night market. The night market was just nearby so we walked over and Mae started scanning from stall to stall looking for the bottles of alcohol. We finally found a stall that sold them and she had a taste before buying one. She mentioned that it had a masculine taste to it and that we should like it so she bought one and I got a comb of bananas. After that we headed into the complex right next to the night market because Mae wanted to find some cups for us to pour our tuak into. While we waited for her outside the supermarket, Marcus and I watched this disgusting cannibal themed clip of a movie being played on one of the DVD shops. A guy was getting revoltingly dismembered limb from limb and head after having his tongue and eyes gorged out by some generically portrayed native people lead by a witchdoctor type, all while his caucasian friends watch in horror. This brought upon some memories from the depths of my head from my childhood where I remember watching gory B-type horror movies outside DVD shops. This terrible trend has stopped in KL but I guess it hasn't in lesser areas. I wonder why DVD vendors find it fine to play such sickening films for people to see, what sparked them to do it. When the clip replayed, Marcus and I turned away to not see the stomach churning scene again. Thankfully shortly after that, Mae returned with some small paper cups and we made our way out back to the car.

Before we made our way back to the chalet, we dropped by a shop that sold tau fu far to have some dessert. The shop was run by the parents of one of Mae's students, who was at the counter. The place was like a cafe, it had coffee tables, cakes on display and soft music playing. The atmosphere was really nice. Mae helped us ordered the tau fu far, including one black sesame flavoured tau fu far. The tau fu far was different from the one we know in a way that it was prepared and served. Marcus got a slice of cake and he let us have a taste, it was pretty good. After the dessert, we went back to chalet and we played the card games I brought with me. We played Coup and Saboteur while drinking the tuak. After a few rounds we went to sleep because we had to wake up early for the run in the morning.

The next morning, we went to Beach Republic for the Miri Beach Run. It was a 10km run along the beach. After we parked the car, we met up with Mae's friends who are also in Teach For Malaysia. We did warm ups and then headed down to the beach to get ready to run. The run was absolutely scenic but it got boring and bland fast because it was just a straight run and the way and back. There was nothing to see but trees, the sea and the sky. It was beautiful but while running, it wasn't very motivating. Also, running on the sand is different from running on the road, pavement or grass. After the run, we met with more of Mae's friends from TFM. We all went to take a group photo and then headed for lunch. Mae recommended that we try the Sarawakian laksa at this restaurant called Lolita which was located in a housing area. Sarawakian laksa is like Hokkien mee, a lot of prawn taste but in a curry based soup or something like that. While we ate, the others were chatting and from that Marcus and I could learn about them. Mae sure has got some good company with her. I can tell that everyone there were friendly and welcoming.

After lunch, we headed back to the chalet and we showered a bit and changed into fresh clothes for our next agenda. Marcus took the wheel this time to let Mae rest and we headed to Gua Niah. The journey to the cave was long and when surprisingly to me, there wasn't a lot of people there for a Sunday. There were like only two groups of us there to see the cave. After we got our tickets, we took an extremely short boat ride across a moat (was it a moat?) to get into the forest areas outside the cave. The three of us walked in as Mae told us about her experience going there for the first time. The walk towards the cave was a beautiful exhibition of greenery that seemed to stretched out endlessly into hills and swamps. The journey took about half and hour before we reached the cave entrance. There we could see what remained of the settlement of the families of bird nest collectors. We continued inward until we reached a huge opening, there we could see what remained of an archeological site and also the place where bird nest collectors climbed tall poles connected to the cave ceiling to reach the bird nests. It was such a marvel that only we could wonder and imagine how bird nest collectors could climb up such tall vertical poles without tire or fear. I was in constant state of fear just looking up at the cave ceiling and also the tall poles that hang motionlessly. We proceeded deeper into the path of the cave following the railing into the dark depths of the cave. Mae and Marcus had brought torchlights and I got my headlamp. Through the darkness, you could still make out the cave interior and also with various openings of the cave, the place was really scenic. Water fell from places I couldn't see, bats squeaked overhead and the smell of guano and limestone mixed in the air, the whole experience made me feel so close to nature despite the manmade structures for easier access into the cave. We made it to the exit of the cave and we continued our journey through more greenery towards the Painted Cave. The Painted Cave wasn't very big. It was like the side of a hill where sunlight touched almost every section of it. A section of the cave had a huge fence with a lock on the gate preventing people from entering it, along the gate were images and a information regarding the cavemen paintings that were present on the walls behind the fence. Mae pointed out that the cavemen paintings inside were the ones we had seen in a history textbook during secondary school, thought neither of us could remember it. However, what we could see on the wall was barely anything, only little smudges of what had been the cavemen paintings. Mae said it could be because people trespassed it to touch the paintings. Tired from out long walk, we sat down on some makeshift benches and ate some of the snakes we brought with us. While she took a rest, Mae told us that further into the cave was a dead end because the location is still under archeological excavation but we'd get to see a small portion of the archeological site where archeologists found a corpse in a boat coffin, the burial methods of the cavemen there. Some boat coffins were left on the cave floor near the other exit which was blocked off by greenery. Made went back shortly after looking around to find Mae had fallen asleep on the makeshift bench. It's no wonder because we had a tiring run in the morning and the cooling breeze blowing from the outside was so calming. We sat around for a while absorbing the tranquil atmosphere. After a while, Mae got up and we headed back out. The journey back felt shorter and faster.

Mae took the wheel again and we headed back to the chalet. Marcus fell asleep at the back and I felt that since I was in the passenger's seat I felt obligated to stay awake and keep Mae company, so we talked about various stuff. I think it was the first time I've had such a long conversation with Mae. We usually had other people around so conversations were shared, also even though we were in secondary school together, we were only in the same class for a year, and I used to be so shy and nervous around her, so it felt good that we could finally hold a proper conversation together. We got back to the chalet and we took a bath and packed our stuff up. After checking out, we went to have dinner at a place Mae had recommended from the day before, the highlight was this vegetable which were leaves like the one from the soup of of a bowl of pan mee, I forgot what it was called again. We also had curry fish head. After that we headed to 7-11 to grab some ice-cream for dessert.

Mae dropped us off at the Miri airport and we exchanged farewells and hugs. Marcus and I headed to the boarding gate and waited for our flight but then we were informed that our flight was delayed by two hours, as an apology by AirAsia, we got ourselves a free meal from Marrybrown. Marcus and I got our meals and we rested until our flight arrived. That night we returned to KL at 3am and so we waited for the first bus back to KL Sentral which was at 4:30am. I went to sleep at Marcus' place before he dropped me off at work. It sure was a tiring morning but the whole experience and journey was totally worth it.

I'd love to go back to Miri again, it's beautiful skies full of clouds is something I love to see everyday. When I checked the photos I had taken in Miri, most of them are of the sky. I think it's not enough thanks to say to Mae who planned out the whole itinerary, hosted and guided us through Miri. Her hospitality is really good. I enjoyed myself a lot and it was great first experience in East Malaysia.

It Was Blank

I've been pretty busy recently with settling into my job steadily and a few other activities.

Just to summarise what happened the past two months;

I attended Victor and Kar Wei's engagement lunch. There was also Kai, Wilson, KW, Chia, Wee and Cardin there. We caught up with each other over the Chinese seven course meal.

I participated in the Lite A Lif3 Charity Run with Rachael. The run is like Spectrum Dash, we had to be in pairs and we were tied to each other. Rachael doesn't run a lot so she can't really run, hence I walked more than I jogged or ran during this event.

I helped at an event job with Hannah. It was a corporate team building event and we were the marshals. Ryan Ryan was supposed to be there but he had exams so he couldn't go. Lydia and Kayla too, but they had a last minute call to meet their dean so they couldn't make it. The event was supposed to be like the Amazing Race kind of event but because of the hazard haze condition, the event was changed into an indoor team building activity in the ballroom of DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. I forgot the name of the company but it's German and the employees (and employers) are these people of different ethnic groups from Kazakhstan, France and many more that I failed to take notice. I made friends with Jia Han, a friend of Hannah's. After the event was over, the client was gracious and grateful so they invited us to join their dinner later in the evening. It very generous of them because the dinner was fine dining. There was a free flow of beer and wine, and I ate these exquisite French dishes that had stuff like caviar (which I learn that I dislike) and made from French culinary technique terms that I'm unfamiliar with. It was pretty good and I had my fill.

I went to my company's annual dinner at SOULed OUT at Sri Hartamas. The buffet dinner this year is smaller though the food was better. The dinner theme was James Bond and everyone had to dress like the gentleman spy so I borrowed Ryan's blazer, slapped a few of my clothes together (I can't wear my slacks so I wore black jeans-like pants), a bow tie and somehow I got nominated for best dressed, though I didn't win, I was quite ecstatic (and a whole lot nervous). After dinner we drank beers down at the bar of the restaurant until late. There was a band performance and through a request, Far, KeShan and Ryan got Iman to sing on stage with the band. She didn't want to but went to do it anyway. What a night it was. Thankfully my alcohol tolerance improved so I was only tipsy and I manage to get myself sober before driving home. Luckily I rejected taking the unusual bombs Far and Steven ordered or I might have gotten smashed.

I started playing Quidditch. It started when I saw a Quidditch tournament on Halloween that was open for anyone, experienced and first-timers to join. Yati and I went for it and now I go for Quidditch practice almost every week. The sport is really fun to play, it's like two games going on at once, one is like rugby and the other is like dodgeball.

I went to the Foodgasm Fest with Lydia, Audrey, Kayla, Ryan and Yati, along with a friend of Audrey's who's name I forgot and this guy with Kayla who she didn't introduce. The location was very muddy thanks to the monsoon season bringing in the rain on a daily basis. The food was pretty good and we had quite a good time. During this time I caught up with Lydia, who I haven't talked to in the longest time.

I went to the Gunpla Expo & Builders World Cup 2015 with Saw, Rachael and her brother, who's name starts with R but I forgot. I was really damn lucky getting my hands on one of the last few sets of limited edition Neon Beargguy III and getting Kawaguchi Katsumi's autograph on it. Kawaguchi-san is the inventor of Gunpla. After that we went to check out Mr Gunpla Studio & Cafe in Kota Damansara.

I went to an event job with Ryan, Lydia and Kayla. It was the TLC Festival Malaysia 2015. The whole thing was quite the experience but it wasn't completely in a good light for me. The whole place was muddy, once again thanks to the monsoon season. I was layered with mud and I got a terrible sunburn, which is now a really dark tan on my skin. I can't wait until I become fair again. I heard that Lydia has got a new boyfriend quite some time ago and so I confirmed it with her about it after the event job. She actually didn't want to tell me about it because she was afraid I might ask a lot of questions but I assured her that I won't because there's no reason for me to. I felt happy for her and I took the news better than I thought. Looks like it's time for me to move on.

For the few weekends of November, I went jogging with Yati and Marcus around Bukit Kiara Park and Trail. I don't really know what's the name for the trail but we call it the Park and Trail respectively. The times when I go jogging alone, I got adventurous and I went on to juggle trek in the forest and the mountain bike trails. I got lost twice during both adventures and it wasn't such a bad experience. The first time I got lost I bumped into Xiau Fong. I'm surprised she remembered me because we only knew each other for two days at a scout camping course when we were 16 or 17. The best part about juggle trekking there is how I get to see nature so nearby.

As usual, I'm spending a lot of my money on food. I have to control myself somehow. It's making me constantly broke. Thanks to Groupon, I've been trying out new places. My interest in cafes have also increased. That's pretty bad news for my wallet though.

I somehow got conjunctivitis. It probably started when I accidentally rubbed some aloe vera gel into my eye while applying it to help recover from my sunburns. At first it was only in my right eye, after I went to see the doctor, my left eye got it too. Now it's gotten better and it's not so bad to the point I can't work properly, it's just minor.

Christmas is around the corner. I can't wait.

Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!

Last Sunday, on the 11th of October, Yati and I participated in the Spartan Race Malaysia 2015. The best part, we both got in for free! Yati won his entry from a Facebook competition, while I got in for volunteering for the preparations for the event. Because we had to be on location early, I invited Yati over to sleepover in my house. The race location is near my house so it made things more convenient for him.

I admit I was completely unprepared for the race. I thought I wouldn't be participating because the fees were pricey to me, to my surprise, after I did my volunteer work, the organisers informed us that we get to participate for free. I had only two days to prepare and of course, I didn't.

The day came and I had to register myself on location. Yati's flag off was at 7:45am so I thought I'd join him but when it was my turn to register, that time slot was full. In a state of panic, I registered myself into the 7:30am slot, which was by the time I finished registering, starts in three minutes time. When I reassembled with Yati to drop my bag at the Bag Drop counter, the MC was already calling for my slot so I had no time to do my stretches. Bad. Very bad. I quickly got to the starting line, put on my timing chip and did some light warm ups minutes before they flagged us off.

Now about the obstacles, they were pretty difficult to do but not very. I easily did most of the obstacles, only struggling with two and failed three. I lost count of the number of obstacles but the website said 25+ so yeah, I don't know if they count slopes as obstacles. The first few obstacles were wall climbs, wall climbs are easy for me because I rely a lot on my upper body strength so as long as I can get my hands on the top, I can get over it. After a series of wall climbs and a wall where you had to crawl under, there was a pyramid net, honestly I don't know what to all these obstacles. It was fairly easy as well, I paid attention to the obstacle so I didn't feel any fear from the height. After that was wall scaling, kinda like rock climbing to me, I got over that carefully and swiftly. After some running there was the first one which I needed help with, the objective of the obstacle was to carry a 50kg weight in the shape of a sphere and do five burpees, if you can't carry it alone, you can team up with another person and do ten burpees each instead. I manage to have a guy help me and we passed that obstacle. Right after that was to climb over a negative inclined wall, I thought it was difficult while I was watching other people do it because almost all of them needed help and nobody looked like they were willing to help me, but when I tried it, it was really just like rock climbing, I passed it easily and quickly, to my surprise.

Then my first nightmare came. As I was jogging over to the next obstacle, my left calf started to tense up. I could feel it cramping up so I eased a little and continued but after I scaled a steep slope, my left calf immediately crammed as I got to the top, I fell over in pain and some runners quickly came to my rescue. After they helped me ease my cramp, I quickly made my way to the next obstacle because it's my most favorite obstacle, the vertical rope climb. I do rope climbs at least once a year at scout camps. I pass this one so fast, not even the people who reached before me were done. I noticed a girl, who saw me had my leg cramp earlier, was watching me and had her jaw drop at seeing how fast I went up the rope. However my left leg was cramping up again so I quickly got down and hastily move over to the next obstacle, which was a barbed wire crawl, on mud, sticky, smelly mud. After that crawl I pushed on to the next obstacle but my left leg started to cramp up once again, while I struggled to ease it, the toes in my left foot cramped up instead. I however kept pushing on while I stamped my left foot, trying to ease the cramp which did after a while. The next obstacle was a vertical slope climb where you had to climb up using a rope. Most people I see struggled with it but I saw no problem with it because all you have to do is pull the rope until it's straight, lean back and walk up while keeping the rope in tension.

Right after that obstacle, my right calf started to tense as well, I pushed on and started on the next obstacle which was to carry a sack of sand (I think it was 30kg for guys) up some slopes and back. As I tried to get on the first slope, my right calf cramped up and I fell to the ground. This cramp was so bad I couldn't move at all. Luckily there was a RELA tent set up next to this obstacle so a RELA member monitoring the sacks quickly came to my aid. He then helped me to my feet and helped me walk over to outside the race path, near the tents to rest. Worst part was that while we were going over, my left calf cramped as well so I was stuck with both legs cramped. The RELA guy and another got me two chairs to sit on and gave me their bottle of water. They told me to rest and wait for the medics to come. So I sat there hopelessly, feeling disappointed in myself while I watched people pass by. Eventually Yati arrived at this obstacle. After I told him what happened he continued on while I waited for the medics but they were taking a long time. I sat there for about 45 minutes until a group of media personal came to take photos. One of them offered to spray my legs with his muscle cramp spray (what's that really called?) and after resting for another ten minutes, I pushed on. I thanked the RELA members and the first RELA member who helped me. He said I can just skip this obstacle but I told him I can do it and he cheered me on, "Berusahalah!". After I passed this obstacle, I met my impenetrable wall. It was a pulley where you had to pull an attached weight up to the top of the tall pole. I had cramps in both legs and I am close to underweight, it would have been a stressful feat for me to pull it off. I only manage to pull the weight up to half the pole and I could raise it no more and so I failed, so I had to do my first penalty of 30 burpees.

Feeling defeated but still determined to complete the course I started to limp to the next obstacle. This is the part where everyone got really really dirty. It was a series of  mud hills and mud pools. I slid into the smelly pool and helped boost the people before me up the slippery slope, which in turn helped me up the slope as well, this became a chain as I also helped the people behind me and we all got over this obstacle together. During this time, I felt like it was a moment when teamwork and unity was at it's strongest in the whole race. After our muddy bath, the next obstacle, we had to carry a bucket, fill it with stones from a pit to near the brim and carry it around the course before pouring it back into the pit. This wouldn't have been a problem for me, not for how muddy and sticky everything was. Rocks and sand stuck everywhere and carrying the pail hurt because of the sharp ends of all that mineral. I had to make several stops and when I got back to the pit, the marshal helped me pour the rocks back into the pit when he saw me limping.

Disappointment part two came along, after drinking some water and trying to wash the mud off my hands (which didn't work because, mud everywhere) at the water station right after the last obstacle, was the multi-ring obstacle (that's what everyone calls it), it's like monkey bars except there are a variety of hanging supports that can swing. There were polls, rings and ropes to get across. I am very sure I could have passed this but the starting poles were covered in slippery mud, my palms were covered in slippery mud and so I slipped off the obstacle before I could get to the rings. I was sure I would have passed it if only I had a good grip on the ring. I went over to do my burpees but my leg cramped at number twelve. Some media personal came and helped me and told me to skip the burpees.

Right after the multi-ring was another set of wall climbs. This time the walls were much higher but still it's within my range of capabilities. Unfortunately when I jumped up to get over the wall, my right calf cramped up as I was going to use it to hook myself to the top of the wall and I came crashing down in pain. I didn't feel the pain in my left arm when I landed on it because the pain in my calf was overwhelming. Some guys quickly carried me aside and a marshal told them to leave me after they helped me a little and got me to stand for myself and do stretches. Right after I went over to get more muscle spray from the medics nearby, I went back to face the obstacle. A group of tall foreigners had come to the obstacle and one of them was trying to impress a girl in the group to see him do it but he failed at his first attempt. I was right behind him so he let me go next and when I went up and over in one go, they all cheered for me. That boosted my confidence in completing the obstacle course.

After going over some hills, we met with another wall, this time the last one. It's an eight feet wall and many people started to need help with it. The marshal there told us to help each other or find help if needed. After helping some people up, a guy offered to boost me up but I said that I was confident that I could do it by myself but I may need some help. When I my hand on top of the wall and before I can swing my legs up, my left calf cramped up and I let myself down, this time slowly because the cramp wasn't that painful. Two guys helped me ease the cramp and I got back to my feet. With the people who were helping others earlier over the wall already, and my confidence up because I know I can reach the top of the wall, I went over it without help and pushed on into the trail that leads into the hiking track that goes into the hill. I didn't know we had a hiking track here in Setia Alam, when I find the opportunity to, I'll try to hike this hill.

The track in the hill went on for quite a distance, I was struggling most of the time because of the uneven grounds and the cramping in both my legs. With my left leg feeling much worse than the right, I had to limp on my right leg all the way to the end of the obstacle course. When we got out of the hill, the next obstacle course was a javelin throw. I failed this horribly because of my limp and I totally suck at throwing javelins. Before I did my burpees, the marshal there saw my condition and told me to skip the burpees. I am grateful for that. I could have gotten another cramp attack. Right after this the obstacle was to slide down into a pool of mud (which is less thick compared to the previous mud pool), here the thick mud stuck to my shoes came off and I manage to wash off some of the mud along my arms and hands. I proceeded to the next obstacle which is to climb up a metal slope using the rope, like slopes earlier, out of the pool and down the bars on the opposite side. With the finishing line in sight right after it, the last obstacle was a row of burning logs and all we had to do was jump over it to victory.

I limped across the finishing line and got my medal put around my neck for me. I quickly made my way to the refreshments and drank some water before collecting my finisher shirt from the counter. I quickly spotted Yati who had already showered and changed and we went to collect my goodie bag. After I hit the (open air) showers and changed out of my muddy attire, we head back, after taking some commemorative photos.

Spartan Race Malaysia is by far the best obstacle course race I've experienced so far. It was well organized, the obstacles were fun and I had a great time, minus all the times I had my cramps and those feelings of disappointment in myself. I can't wait for the next obstacle course I can attend and next time, I will be ready!

Undefined

While I'm in the middle of another period of self loathing and acute depression. I learned yet another thing, I most likely don't know myself that well yet.

You learn about other people, what their habits are, their likes and dislikes, their personalities and attitudes but do you really know yourself? I figured out today that I probably don't know myself yet.

Sometimes I get irrationally upset over some things or situations and in that moment I just get frustrated because of that issue and it never occurred to me that it was because I didn't understand why I felt that way about said issue that made me upset. Looking back at numerous moments in my life where I behaved out of character made me realise that I simply didn't understand where my emotions were coming from and I just snap at that unnoticed uncertainty.

Mostly this kind of situations happen when I experience new or unfamiliar experiences, emotions or feelings. I admit had been quite a sheltered kid, I didn't have a lot of behavior problems and I often had rules and principles that restricted me from experiencing new things that are deemed 'bad'. So when I start to explore these experiences, emotions and feelings and I don't understand it like a wild animal seeing it's reflection for the first time and I get terribly upset, all without knowing why I was upset.

Another main reason that supports my irrational sourness is how I am such a coward. I know for a fact that I'm cowardly, I'm always afraid of changes, big changes especially. When my surroundings take a turn for a change I get jumpy and upset because suddenly there are things that are not going how it should be or how it used to be. Hand in hand with my fears is envy and jealousy. While I may not be that much of a jealous person, I'm often green with envy, afraid of losing what I want to someone else, and the result is getting gloomy over the fear of losing what I need to someone else. So with me, fear and envy come hand in hand to produce my reasons for sorrow, which builds up to despair or depression.

I think of depression as a ball with inconsistent density that sinks and floats in a pool of water. It comes and goes like the wind, one day you're jolly and the next day you're not. Whenever my depression coils around me I get feverish and sickly, I feel tired and dejected, I get hungry easily and I will want to wallow in all the negativity that builds around me. While I can momentarily distract myself from it with hobbies, work and music, it always comes around like a shadow, impossible to escape from. Without a doubt, depression isn't good, but I find that every time I feel depressed, I will unearth small bits of information as to why I feel so down and dishearten by everything around me and I learn and understand myself a bit better by putting them all together. Be the result right or wrong, learning about oneself is a discovery for a lifetime, hence the fact that people always change. The you today is not the same as the you tomorrow.

With all that said, I'm glad I have friends who treasure me for who I am. The me who never fails to disappoint people, the me who is always awkward, the me who is always a nervous wreck. It's thanks to my friends who tell me about my personality, attitudes and behaviors, that I get to know myself better. Cheerio.

Vivid in Static and Grain

The other day, my manager, Steven walked me through some assignments to work on based on the London management representative, Stuart's comments on the store in 1Utama. He was telling me about rearranging some of the displays and the categories when I felt a familiar feeling. Steven was passionately telling me about what to do with the merchandising issue we were having, just like how he used to do it when I was working as a floor staff last year. That feeling in turn sparked a vivid image of Lydia in my mind. Over time of not seeing someone, my memory of people always fades out or blurs, I still remember people, just not as clear as when I see them everyday. Steven's behavior made me remember Lydia so clearly I could almost smell the scent of the shampoo she uses (I'm not a creep, she said so herself that the shampoo she uses gives off a strong scent). I also recounted the days when Steven would behave so when telling specifically Lydia and I what to do at work, be it merchandising or setting up stores. I haven't seen or talked to Lydia and I wonder how she's doing. I sure do miss her a lot. I've been thinking of calling her to meet up but I have so many doubts and worries, I'm just waving it off by focusing on work and other things. When my job starts to settle down I'll do that.

Banana Split

On the 9th of September, a Wednesday, Wilson, KW and I met up to go to the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) to support Kai's first ever stand-up act. Kai had told us about him going to try stand-up before and the curtains are finally drawing.

In the afternoon, my dad dropped me at Wilson's house where I chilled and read his Spider-Man comic books while he worked on his assignment and played some games. When it was 5pm, we headed over to KW's house where we chilled again and played with KW's hamsters while KW did his work. After that we headed out to the Malay night market and bought dinner. After dinner we headed out in KW's car to KLPAC.

There was a traffic jam on the way so Wilson and KW wondered if we should call Kai to buy us the entry tickets first but then decided not to, but as they already have made their decision, I pranked them for a while two minutes plus by pretending to call Kai and asking him to buy the tickets.

When we got there, I quickly made my way to the piano in the lobby because Kai hid the free ticket there. There was a lady already there and a ticket was on the cover of the piano. I wasn't sure if that was it because Kai said it was inside on the keys. I asked the lady if it was her's and she said 'no', I still wasn't sure so I lifted the cover up and checked the keys to which, I confirmed that the ticket on top is for me. When I put the cover back down, I caught a glimpse of my ticket sliding into the piano behind the keys. Genius, I didn't hold the ticket when I lifted the cover. My large fingers couldn't fit into the gap so I went to the information counter to ask for help. Luckily this skinny guy could fit his fingers in and helped me get my ticket. What a save.

The show Kai was participating in was called Short and Sweet Malaysia. They have many categories and for this particular night, it was Stand-up comedy and Song. So it was a two hour show of song and stand-up comedy by local newcomers and veterans. While it was a show for budding artists, it was also a small competition at the same time.

The three of us got a show schedule that doubled as a feedback and voting form before we entered the hall. It was small hall just nice to fit everyone and still have space. The shows that night was entertaining. There were good performances by the comedians and the musicians as well as some bad and unentertaining ones. We've heard Kai's rehearsal before but it wasn't that impressive while it was a rehearsal. On his actual performance though, it was pretty good. However, we saw how uncomfortable Kai was while he was performing and after the show we went to a mamak and we gave him feedback and suggestions on how to improve his act over supper.

The show was for four nights long and the award ceremony was on Saturday, unfortunately we couldn't make it to see if Kai won anything. Kai didn't, but it was a good first experience for him. Kai made new friends too in this field and he got a lot of tips and advice from a seasoned performer and scriptwriter. Kai now has a dream to do another stand-up, the next time with me. But I don't know, I'm not very outspoken and I don't know what kind of stand-up I can do that other people can relate. Well when it happens, it's worth to try.

New Job, Same Place

After a stressful month of finding a job, I finally got one. I went to GRV and asked if they needed a visual merchandiser and after a week, I was informed to report to work at my station, which is in Hamleys 1Utama. Yes, I didn't want to go back to work at the toy shop, I had no choice, this was my last resort if I were to not get hired by the end of August.

I was actually gonna get a different job. I got a call from this preschool called The Odyssey as an art teacher, which they call an "Art Specialist". They saw my application on JobStreet and called me in for an interview with the director, Petunia and then I was showed around the building. It looked really nice, I had never seen a preschool so well equipped with all the facilities a child needs. From low wash basins to tiny toilets and safety precautions along the staircases, I could hardly imagine a kid getting injured here, besides a fist fight between kids. They had a whole area for arts and music and it was so awe inspiring. It was just before the holidays when I went for the interview so there were only two kids in the building. Petunia scheduled me for another visit to see what it's like in a day at The Odyssey. As I've learned on that day, The Odyssey is a Singapore based preschool that focuses on child personal development and it's heavily art based. They have a lot of artistic programmes.

On my second visit, I was introduced to the whole work force at the preschool in groups. First I was directed to the toddlers room where I watched  the teachers started the day for these kids with songs and then cooking class. The way all the teachers teach in class is that there is a teacher who speaks English the whole time and another who speaks Mandarin the whole time so the kids will learn both languages at the same time. After that I joined the class for a class with older kids where they sang some songs to remember the alphabet and did some art work. Then I went to the art room to watch how the present Art Specialist deals with the kids, after that it was lunch time. The class teachers helped serve the lunch made by the preschool chef and then they went for nap time. During this time all the teachers sit together and eat lunch provided by the chef as well. After lunch, Petunia called me and we talked a little. Apparently I was shortlisted into a group of three people and they were gonna make their final decision from the three of us. Petunia said that she'll inform me if I'll get the job or not in a few days time. It appeared to me that I was going to get the job despite the fact that I don't have a lot of experience with preschool kids so I had really high hopes.

Exactly the night after, I was informed that I didn't get the job because they really wanted someone who more experience with kids. That really let me down but I decided to get a job by the end of August because I don't want to sit around at home as I was running out of money.

The whole of August, I spent my time on JobStreet looking for a job and sent applications to ideal locations based on either location and position. I even started to look for jobs that required writing like copywriting and content writing, but no one, not a single one called me back.

After that one month, I went back to my manager at Hamleys and he was more than delighted to hear that I wanted to work with them again because he had been asking me to go back to work with them a couple of times. He wasn't as happy after hearing that I didn't want to work as a floor staff but he was excited when I asked for a position as visual merchandiser because they didn't have one and the marketing executive who was going to resign soon that filling in for the position wasn't doing much progress with the artworks they need.

So I this was my first week and the number one problem I face is how poor the computers are. It's so damn slow and it crashes a lot of times. I've never had that problem since 2011. Working withe Adobe CS3 is okay, not so bad, it's just the computer. I've never felt so frustrated sitting in front Adobe Photoshop in a long time. Also, most of the files are Illustrator files and I hate Adobe Illustrator because I didn't learn how to use it and it's so different from Photoshop. Also, the people who did the official artwork for the company are very messy. They don't group, layer and name their artworks properly, just finding a single stroke in an artwork is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But I won't lose hope. I'm sure adapt to this job, as long as I can get around the software problems. I'm also sure I'll get used to sitting in the office. I can't sit still in the same place where I used to walk around continuously. I have to make frequent visits to the selling floor to get a breather. Just seeing the people I used to work with go in and out of the office makes me wanna do it too, only I don't wanna work on the selling floor, the store room is great.

One thing I noticed getting the office job in the store is that there is a clear boundary between the office staff and the store staff. Which makes a lot of sense because I never dared to communicate with the office staff when I was working as a floor staff before, not until I became a senior staff back then but still, there was formality in the air.

Well, here's to another year at Hamleys Malaysia and GRV.

Burnt

I tried to make grilled bread, I got cancer on a plate instead.
The black was not charcoal bread, it's the equivalent of eating lead.

Lyngering

Though the sunshine is not always in picture,
there is a lining of it glimmering in the matter.
Though it is true the sunshine is an important factor,
there is still possibility it will change be it or be it not be better.

The silver lining of sunshine linger.

About Caves and A Hill

Last week I went on a holiday trip to Ipoh with Rachael and Saw. Saw was going back to see his parents after his resignation and he invited us to go to Ipoh for a trip. The trip was actually planned by Lydia, she wanted to go on a trip and we thought of going to Gua Tempurung but after Saw planned the dates, Lydia said she can't go, so Saw invited Rachael since the three of us were gonna be free during those dates.

The trip honestly wasn't very well planned. We just knew where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. On the first day, Saw picked Rachael and I up from Centerpoint and we headed straight to Gua Tempurung but first we stopped in Tapah for lunch. After the meal and dessert (Cendol! Yum!) we headed for the cave. After we paid for the entry fee we went into the cave without a guide because the guide said we didn't need an escort. We could only go up till the third part of the cave just before the water part. Only big groups of eight lead by a guide can go further into the cave. Taking pictures in the cave was difficult because it was so dark. At some point of the cave, it smelled of sulphur and guano (and bat piss, is bat piss called guano too?). We exited the cave and we walked a little outside. I later soaked my feet in the cooling river outside the cave. Rachael and Saw didn't want to go in because they didn't bring their slippers. I didn't either but being in scouting, this much is not a hindrance to me.

We got back into the car and headed for home, Saw's parents' home. Saw's parents live in Station 18 and it was kinda like in the middle of everything. Saw's parents welcome Rachael and I and we had dinner not too long after settling down, I settled in Saw's room and Rachael settled in Saw's brother's vacant room. Because it was Gwun Yam Tan (Guanyin's birthday) Saw's mom prepared a vegetarian dinner. I have to say, Saw's mom's cooking is really good. The three nights she cooked dinner, it was delicious. After dinner, Saw, Rachael and I went to the Station 18 Aeon to watch Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation. The movie was good, it was comedic and hell yeah, Simon Pegg was in it, of course it'll be good. After the movie we went back home and slept into the night.

The next morning, we had a light breakfast at home and we headed out together with Saw's parents. Saw's mom wanted to take us to this new attraction in Ipoh called Qing Xin Ling Leisure and Cultural Village. It was a nice place housing various antique styled houses with antique displays in them, a small lake, a memory lane housing various antique goods, some animals namely dogs, ducks and geese. There was also a boat that in the middle of construction. There were bicycles of all kinds (old types like trishaws, wagons, etc) everywhere that were free to use, entrance was free to so this place was great! As it was surrounded by hills and mountains, the place was cooling and it felt very refreshing. We walked around the lake first and then headed into memory lane that goes up into the hills. Saw's dad can't go up the hill so he waited for us by the lake. We got to see a lot of old stuff that we've had or seen before, there were vinyl record players, the old fat televisions, old soda bottles, motorbikes, a telephone booth, old children toys, old food carts and more. There was also a place for hikers behind the memory lane that we went to see but Saw's mom can't climb it so we went back down. After that we headed to some temples around the area. These temples are built into caves so the main attraction were actually the caves. We first stopped at Ling Sen Tong. Saw's parents were tired so they sat at the benches there and read newspapers while they waited for us to explore around. There wasn't a cave we could go into in Ling Sen Tong, so we proceeded to Nam Tin Tong which was right next to Ling Sen Tong. There wasn't much to see in this cave, it was very dark but small. We then exited and went back. Turned out there was another cave next to Nam Tin Tong but we decided not to go, we then got back into the car and went to Gwan Yin Tong. It wasn't much either. There were left over stuff from Chinese New Year. Saw told us that during the Chinese New Year holiday this year, this Astro channel held an event here and apparently they didn't completely clean up. Because there wasn't much to see here, we left. Along the way out, I could see that that wasn't just it. There were really a lot more temples among the foot of the mountain, so many it's probably a norm here.

After visiting those temples/caves, we headed for lunch at this renowned kopitiam. Saw said this kopitiam was very old and Saw's mom said she went to this place as a little girl so that much is very impressive. We had Ipoh's specialy, kai si hor fun and pork satay. Because of the massive crowd in there, we had to wait about half an hour for our food to come. This place was brimming with tourists and locals alike, it was so lively to the point I was glad that the food tasted really good. After lunch, we walked over to Concubine Lane and looked around the place. Saw's parents stopped at this tau fu fa shop while the three of us walked around to see the shops and the wall paintings. Saw pointed out to us the famous Plan B restaurant in Ipoh and after one round, we went back to the shop and ate a bowl of tau fu fa, the traditional way, which is basically eating while sitting on a really low table and stool, to point you were really kinda squatting. After that we headed to see the first ever Oldtown White Coffee restaurant and then we headed home to drop Saw's parents off to rest.

Saw, Rachael and I then continued our journey to Kellie's Castle. Unfortunately for us, as we were approaching the mansion, it started to rain. That didn't stop me however, I convinced Saw and Rachael to stay and take umbrellas with us to see the supposedly haunted mansion. The place looked completely different from how I imagined it. When I was a kid, my parents had told me about Kellie's Castle but we've never went there together before so I've never seen it and because there was the word "castle" in it's name, I imaged it to be like a medieval like actual castle. Turns out the "castle" was just a nickname for the whole place, the actual thing was called the Kellie's House and the Kellie's Mansion. While Kellie's House was bombed during World War II, Kellie's Mansion still stands and while there were no spooky things to be seen (duh), the place had an eerie feeling crawling in it's old dusty atmosphere. I had the chills while walking around, it could have just be my mind playing tricks on me because I know about the tales of it being haunted. We walked around the whole place taking photos. After looking at every nook and cranny of the mansion and house. We lead Saw and Rachael out into it's spacious field where a remain of a gate or something of it's kind stood. There was nothing there but the single old gate and lots of fertilizer sitting around like landmines. It felt really creepy so we quickly left the place and hit the road. We made a stop at the Station 18 Aeon for a drink at Chatime and I saw that Wendy's was having a ten piece nugget promotion so I got twenty and we headed back home for dinner. That night we watched a Thai horror comedy movie titled Pee Mak on Saw's laptop. When we went to sleep, I was kept awake by Saw's loud snoring so I went to sleep in the room Rachael was sleeping in.

The next morning, we got up pretty late. Our objective today was to go to Taiping, see Maxwell Hill, go to the Taiping Zoo and maybe, the Taiping Night Safari and a karaoke after that. The last time I went to Maxwell Hill, I was thirteen and it was a combined scouts camp. The memory is fuzzy but I remember that there was a cafe up there so when we were told that there were no more jeeps going up, I thought, heck, we can still walk up because I remembered that the trip was short, we could also hitch a ride back down if we were too tired on top of the hill, it would be a breeze. So I let my adamant desire to go up the hill rolling and I convinced Rachael and Saw to climb the hill even though they didn't want to. How wrong I was. It was probably because I was younger that I remembered that it was a short walk, time passed much faster back then. The dreadful and tiring walk up the hill took us three and a half hours. We didn't have food and water, Rachael and Saw had "dead tired" written all over their faces. I participate in a lot of runs this year so my endurance was solidified and I could push on and encourage Rachael and Saw to keep going. Really, it was a big mistake. Thankfully we stopped at some rest stops made by some locals and had Chinese tea. When we got to the top, we thought we could get some food and drink and maybe hitch a jeep down. Unfortunately, that hope was crushed by the fact that everything on top of the hill was shut down and the last jeep left as we were at the entrance to the tourist area. There were some people still on the hill and Saw went to talk to them. A friendly uncle told us details about the hill. When the authorities say there are no more jeeps, it's because of the time limit, the jeep services are until 3pm; We reached to the top of the hill at 3:40pm. The cafes around were shut down because the foreigners who ran them left, all that's left are the houses for rent to stay the night. The three of us were devastated. Luckily the uncle offered us a big bottle of water and advised us to go back down before the sun sets. After taking some photos, we quickly went back down, the journey down was faster, we reached the foot of the hill in two hours. We were exhausted and famished. We quickly left the place in search of food and we got to a small food court and ate our late lunch/early dinner. Because of my bad judgement, our plans for the day was thrashed. It was already late and we were too tired to go to the zoo or sing karaoke. We went straight back home and had dinner that Saw's mom had prepared. That night I went out like a light.

The next day is rest day. Saw had some errands to run and he actually planned to drop Rachael and I at a shopping mall for us to chill in while he and his mom did their stuff but Rachael and I decided to just follow them because more than going to a mall, we just wanted to sit down and rest from the fatigue the day before. After going to the Digi Center and TM Center, we went to this Tzu Chi center where Saw's mom works at. The building was an old preserved house and it was getting ready to be serviced. After Saw's mom finished her errands, we went downtown to buy some Ipoh specialty heong peng. We wanted to buy fah sang tong as well but the shop selling it was focused on selling mooncakes for the upcoming Lantern Festival that they didn't make their other specialty confectionery. after that we headed to an Aeon mall that I have a feeling I've been to before (I fell asleep in the car so I don't know where we were). Saw's mom shopped for some groceries for dinner and then we headed back home to rest for a bit before going out again. I was really tired so I nodded off a couple of times in the car. Rachael and I were going back to KL before Saw so we had to go back by train. Before going to the Ipoh railway station, we stopped by at a Oldtown White Coffee restaurant and had tea (toast and coffee actually but you don't call that snack time coffee do you). After buying our train tickets at the station, we proceeded to go back to Concubine Lane to see the Plan B restaurant. We didn't eat there but we went to Bits & Bobs to have their ice snacks. Rachael had an ice-cream potong while Saw and I had the ice ball. After our chilling dessert, we went back to Saw's home where I crashed on my mattress and knocked out until dinner time. Saw's mom cooked this amazing tom yam fish for dinner. It didn't taste like tom yam, rather it tasted like asam when you put it in your mouth and then a bit later the tom yam kicks in. After dinner, Rachael, Saw and I went back out to the renowned SPPK pasar malam. There we walked around to see what to get. Rachael and I also agreed to get Saw's parents a gift as thanks for hosting us at their home. At the pasar malam we also got to see this elderly man perform with his snakes. He talked too much without showing us his snakes (to get people to stay and watch his show of course) so the three of us left after seeing only one snake in the span of almost what felt like half an hour. After buying some jambu air for Saw's parents, we got ourselves some ice-cream (I tried fried ice-cream for the first time!) and I got myself some chau tofu. After that we went back home to bath and then we watched Ted on Saw's laptop before hitting the sack.

We had to wake up early the next morning because our train back home was at 8am. After packing our bags, we went to the Ipoh railway station and had breakfast in the station's cafe. Saw saw us off as Rachael and I got onto the train. After finding out coach and seats, we settled down and I snoozed almost immediately, not before I got to see us leave the station. I love trains after all. The 2008 film, Journey to the Center of the Earth was playing on the train's television but I couldn't stay awake because of how tired I was. I was sleeping through almost the whole ride, waking up only a couple of times when my head was rocking too hard because I was sleeping while sitting straight up, I didn't want to recline the chair as there was an elderly man sitting behind me. We got to KL Sentral after the two and a half hour ride and we stopped by Nu Sentral to have brunch. Rachael wasn't feeling hungry yet so only I ate at Hoagies Houz, a bahn mi (Vietnamese sandwich) restaurant. The staff there were genuine Vietnamese who could speak and understand very little English. They got my order wrong before another who could who had a better command of English came. After brunch Rachael and I headed for the LRT and rode to Kelana Jaya where Rachael's mom picked us up and dropped me at 1Utama where my dad picked me. Hence the end of our Ipoh trip. I'm having holiday hangover now. I don't wanna stay at home...

Red Moon Rising

The time of the month has arrived! After a long time waiting, BloodRunner 2015 had finally come on the 31st of July. A month earlier, I had chased down the RedRyders in my housing area to get free tickets to the run. Thanks again Red.fm. The werewolf themed night obstacle run was located in Putrajaya and I was going with Lydia, Kayal and Ryan, our usual group.

A week earlier, I went down to the TTDI community hall to collect my race pack and participated in the blood donation that was held in conjunction with it. I also bought a Tikkina head torch there. I met with Lydia and Kayla there by coincidence but they were there earlier so I was alone to collect Ryan and my race packs.

A few days before the night of the run, the four of us arranged so that we would meet up before the race in the afternoon, after little debate and discussion, we decided to go in the afternoon to beat the traffic jam that would take place in the early evening. However I had other agendas to attend to.

In the morning I had to go to The Odyssey preschool to have a half day tour of the place for evaluation if the teaching job is right for me. I spent the morning there with the kids and the teachers there to learn about a day in the preschool. It was nerve wrecking and I had to constantly keep my anxiety with the whole lot of new people in check. After the eye opening event, I headed down to my secondary school after dropping my dad and my sister at The Curve because (I almost forgot that) the troop's Skills Camp was happening. I wasn't able to engage fully for the camp this time round because of my other priorities. About twenty minutes after dropping by to see the scouts, I had to leave to pick Ryan up from 1Utama and then head down to Lydia's house to pick her and Kayla up and we were on our way to Putrajaya.

After the long drive, we located the event location and headed to Alamanda to have an early dinner and to spend the time because we were two hours early (just to avoid the traffic jam). After dinner we walked around the quiet mall and I bought myself a pair of sneakers at Bata because I saw that the model I wanted was on sale compared to other places were it's not. Before we leave to go back to the race location we played a round of bowling, Ryan sure has got a good knowledge of a range of sports. He can really spin the ball but his aim isn't good. As for me, I haven't been playing bowling in a really long time so I totally lost it (I beat Kayla by two points earning third place).

I drove back to the race location and we can see that a lot of people has gathered already. After parking my car and getting our race bibs and equipment ready, we walked over to the gathering point. There were food trucks and stand around. We were kinda worried about having to go to the toilet because of our last run, all of us had to use the bathroom, so we didn't get any food besides the bananas I brought beforehand from home.

After dropping off our bags (and a short panic episode when Ryan left his race tag in my car), we headed out to the starting line and got ready for the exciting run. Before we started, I thought maybe I'd just run ahead and we meet up later but Lydia said it's better for us to run as a group, her reason was that it's an obstacle course and we don't know what obstacles we got ahead of us so it'll be better if we run in a group to help each other out, teamwork; Also, Ryan didn't have any torches to aid him so we had to by his side to support him. I reluctantly agreed to that (I wanted to run fast real badly, like I always do) and we headed for the starting line. We were in the second wave so some time after the first wave started, the horn was blown and we jogged out into the race track.

However, things didn't work out the way Lydia planned. Before reaching the first obstacle, we ended up splitting into two groups, the faster ones and the slower ones, that being Lydia and me, and Ryan and Kayla. Later in the run when we wondered how far Ryan and Kayla were behind us, Lydia commented how Ryan and Kayla has a habit of running together slowly in all the runs we've been to. To respect Lydia's wishes, I slowed my pace down to run with her and we went through all the obstacles together. Neither one of us wanted to do the punishment for not making through an obstacle, that was twenty air squats. Lydia kept saying how air squats make your butt bigger. Hahaha.

The first obstacle was carrying those large Chinese tin biscuit containers full of water for some distance, I don't know how long. The girls got to carry lighter ones. To me it was normal, like working at Hamleys, so Lydia and I got through easily. We then continued to jog together while making small chat. Mostly it was Lydia talking about her Broga Outback camping trip, I just listened most of the time and talked a little about related stuff. The second obstacle was a climbing over a wall, we made through that easily, though I had to give Lydia a boost because she just doesn't know how to jump, like really, she flops when she tries to jump, like a flamingo tangled in it's own legs. The third obstacle were tires followed by the fourth, a window wall thing where we had to swing through a small window atop a wall. After that, the sixth obstacle was the hill. The track goes into the hills of Putrajaya like jungle tracking. It was dark and unlit besides some reflector strips and glow sticks, we had to use our head torch to go through the track safely. Lydia and I worked together to help some of the participants who didn't have light to go through the long, winding dark path. After getting out, the seventh obstacle was wall scaling. It was similar to rock climbing combined with climbing a gate so it was really easy for me. Lydia and I continued to keep the pace and we reached the eighth obstacle which was monkey bars, another obstacle which proved easy for me. It was long stretch before the next obstacle and halfway there, I got muscle cramps in both my calves, which was a surprise to me because I've never gotten leg cramps in the previous runs. Luckily there was an ambulance nearby so I stopped to get some ice to help relax my calf muscles. After my legs got better, we thanked the nurses and we continued to jog to the next obstacle, balance beams. I got through it with slightly some difficulty but we did good. The two of us then continued on to the ninth obstacle, a net crawl over a bus, which was damn cool. The final obstacle was a series of pyramids that we had to run or climb over. This one was scary for me because it was pretty high up and my legs were not long enough to help me. I managed to get past it however and the two of us made it to the finishing line. Here we were handed our finisher medals, refreshments and finisher shirts.

After collecting my bag from the counter, Lydia and I waited for Ryan and Kayla to finish. It didn't take long and after taking photos we headed back to my car. Ryan and I ate supper at the mamak near Lydia's house while Lydia and Kayla took out from the mamak because it was late and they wanted to bath and wash their hair. After dropping Ryan home, I went back to the school to bath and sleep. Suppose I was to help out at the camp but I had to work in the morning. I didn't contribute much to the camp (rather I didn't contribute at all) so I'm not gonna write anything about it. I was very tired however, there was the obstacle run, then I went to work and did the mascot twice and then the camp. I was dead tired and it appears that it was very obvious because the others didn't want to wake me up because I literally knocked out from the moment I went to sleep on Saturday night. So there it is.

Times Squared Day Out

Last Wednesday, I went down to KL with Saw and Rachael. It was my first time in Berjaya Times Square and I was blown away by it's structure. There were so many floors and the escalator going up to the mall we took was so many floors up! I've seen pictures of the theme park inside the mall but actually seeing the roller coaster zipping around the insides of a shopping mall was just wack! There were other interesting interactive attractions like the piano staircase and the liquid tiles on the floor. I was like a little kid introduced to a brand new environment (because duh, I was in a mall I've never been in before). The reason we came all the way out here was simple. Saw wanted to look for this Gunpla (Gundam model) and he invited Rachael and I to come along, to which was both a good and bad decision I made.

On one of the highest floors in the mall was a Gundam shop that just sold Gunpla and I was like a kid walking in a candy store. There were so many types of Gunpla stacked along the walls and the shelves of the small, brightly lit, quiet store. The best part? Everything was dirt cheap compared to the ones sold at Hamleys or Toys"R"Us or any other departmental store that retailed Gunpla. I was so overwhelmed by the variety and price that I almost couldn't decide what to take. When Steven saw me admiring the Gundam Origin movie's Guntank Early Type, he recommended it. At first I was to take buy a Hi-Mock but then I ended up buying the Guntank and a Z'Gok.

After my facepalm-worthy purchase, we headed to Sungei Wang Plaza because Saw couldn't find the model he wanted. Sungei Wang Plaza was like the opposite of Berjaya Times Square. The ceiling was low and the place was small and cramped. Saw took the two of us to walk around and then we headed to the Litt Tak Hobby Shop on the top most floor. Once again I was swooped off my feet by the collection of build models of various brands. One that caught my attention was the Evangelion, EVA Unit-13. Rachael and I were fascinated by the four little colored Petit'GGuy. With hesitation, I bought all four colors. Another facepalm for Rachael and Saw.

Saw still couldn't find his Gunpla and our agenda kind ended for the day already. What's left is our board game night with other friends. After lunch at a wanton mee shop in the mall, we headed back to the parking lot in Berjaya Times Square and we headed to Sunway because I brought up the Gundam shop Saw mentioned before and that I wanted to go see it as well as ride the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) before they start charging for riding it.

Saw parked his car at the outdoor parking lot outside Sunway Pyramid and we took the BRT. I was excited as if I was riding a locomotive (I assume I would be excited like that because I've never ridden a locomotive before, also I love trains). The BRT was like an LRT only it was a bus, a really nice and clean bus, a really nice and clean bus that ran like an LRT, only it was a bus. We got off at Mentari and Saw guided us to the Gundam Hobby Shop. It was a quiet shoplot on the top floor also flooded with various Gunpla models, only unlike the one in Berjaya Times Square, this one is in more variety and less quantity. They even have really old models that are hard to find, to which this was where I found probably the last ever Beargguy. I proceeded to buy it along with an Acguy to complete my Beargguy collection. With that purchase, I had amounted a total of nine Gunpla models in one day, which was by far the most insane shopping spree I have ever done. Rachael bought her four Petit'GGuy here which was cheaper than the ones I bought at Sungei Wang Plaza. I mentally gross sobbed over this.

After making my satisfying but financially painful purchase, we took the BRT again and rode it to every stop to see where it goes. Saw and Rachael actually didn't want to but I was adamant about riding it and at the last stop in USJ7, Saw was glad he rode it because we got to see how convenient the BRT proves to be to the public. (Recently the price of riding the BRT was released and it proves to be discouragingly and ridiculously expensive. I'd rather walk than take the BRT.)

After we got back to Saw's car, we headed to 1Utama to pick up our remaining comrades, Ryan and KK to go play board games at a board game cafe in Damansara Jaya called All Aboard. We decided to have dinner first so after walking around Atria and visiting the Hamleys store there, we had chicken rice at this restaurant I recommended. After dinner we walked over to the board game cafe.

KV was joining us later so we went ahead and started playing first. I straight away found Coup. It was a card game I watched on Wil Wheaton's TableTop (by Geek and Sundry on YouTube) and with guidance by the store keeper, we played the game as a warm up. After KV arrived, I picked up Gloom, I've played this card game before because Kar Loke has it. The store keeper got busy so he taught us halfway and I taught the remaining parts to the others and we played a round. KK had a genius idea and he asked if they had Cards Against Humanity. The rest of the night was a series of loud laughs and teary eyes (and questions asking what some of the cards mean). We went home late that night. I'm definitely going there again. (There as in the Gundam shops in Berjaya Times Square, Sunway Mentari and All Aboard)