Ok, so now I can elaborate about what we did this weekend. Earlier my friend Brigit was telling me how disappointed she was that I hadn't updated the blog all week because she's addicted to it, so now she will be happy especially since I've included pictures. Let's see, the reason I haven't written anything until now is because basically Mon-Thurs. I did not leave the block. Oh sure, I went to the grocery store and the other stores upstairs at Hock Choon, but no place else. For one, it was too hot, it's been high in the 90's and low around 75 and that's usually not until night time, two, everytime I did get ready to go somewhere, the afternoon rain would come and I would lose all motivation. Jim did go out during the week, he had a business dinner, his boss's boss was in town and they had a meeting until 8 pm and then went out to eat and then a club. He'll have to write in his own words what kind of club because I can't imagine a bunch of old business men paying a cover charge, getting their hands stamped, and hanging out at the bar. Let your imaginations run with it.
So finally on Friday I remembered that it had been 3 weeks since my encounter with David from England and decided to go back to Chili's in Bangsar to see if he would show up. As you all know I've been playing around with my camera and decided to take you all with me that day. The short video that I emailed did not include my entire day, I just wanted you all to see where we live now and where we will be moving to. Hope you all enjoyed seeing it, now when I mention something you can sort of visualize what I'm talking about. But anyway now I'll fill you in on what I did in between stops. After leaving from our house I went to Chili's and had lunch and waited to see if David would show up and he didn't. I spoke with the same bartender and had a conversation with him about where he was from which was Nepal, where Mt.Everest is located. He said he came to Malaysia just to work at Chili's which I found out later from Jim that a lot of people come from Nepal to work but they can only stay and work for 2 years and then have to return. Supposedly they can never get another work permit in Malaysia after that so just imagine what will happen if I go and apply for one. After lunch I walked around the mall looking for anything, I have had quite a few birthdays that I've missed and a lot that are coming up. I didn't really see anything worth buying and shipping all the way back to the States so I just got a couple of new books to read. Jim text me saying that he would meet me at the shopping center on his way home from work so I went to his favorite hangout George and the Dragon. He arrived shortly after me and we had a couple of cocktails and then headed for home. I do have some video clips of our time at the restaurant and the drive home so as soon as I get done editing them and put together a video then I'll email it out. I want everyone to get an idea of what I'm talking about when I mention the traffic.
Saturday, originally we had planned to go back to Bangsar and check out the flea market but Jim had another idea. On our last trip I got to go to Chinatown but he didn't so that's where he wanted to go. We could have taken the subway but he decided that he wanted to try and drive there. I must be getting used to his driving because not once did I feel scared in the car. We were supposed to be shopping for things for our house but I knew from before that the only thing Chinatown is good for is clothes, watches, shoes, food, sunglasses and knock off designer purses. So we walked around and he bought a Tagheur watch, and sunglasses and I got some bandanas ( because I'm tired of walking around with wet hair all the time) and a purse for my sister, hope she likes it. Jim isn't used to the whole "haggling" concept so everytime that he would ask someone how much an item was, of course they jacked up the price 3 times. I told him that when they look at him they think "big white American must have money" so he decided that I should be the bad guy and talk everyone down on their price. Usually when I bargain, whatever number they throw out, I cut it by at least 2/3 and then go from there and if they don't accept what my final offer is then I start to walk away and they usually concede. My mojo must have been off because everytime I gave my final price they let me walk away. I'm thinking because it was still early in the day and they figure they could rip off someone else later on.
Around the corner from Chinatown is a place called Central Market or Pasar Seni. It used to be an old fish and produce market and to avoid it being torn down, they converted it into like a craft bazaar. I really like this place and even though most of the shops sell similar items, the shop owners themselves actually create their merchandise or ship it in so it's still original. Batik prints are very big here, we visited a batik factory in October and got to see how they hand paint the fabric. I bought 2 silk batik print banners that I plan on using in the house. Jim really needed a haircut so there were several salons in Pasar Seni and he picked one and it was only Chinese women working there. Jim told the lady how he wanted his hair cut and someone else had to translate what he wanted so already he's scared that his hair is going to be all messed up. The odd part was when she was done she asked Jim if he wanted a shampoo and he said yes so he got up to like follow her to a sink and she made him sit back down. That's when I whipped out my camera, she put plastic around his neck and squirted what I think is shampoo on his hair and then some other gel like liquid, and proceeded to give him a head and neck massage while washing his hair. When she finished is when she took him to the sink and washed it out. She wanted to style his hair but by this time Jim was ready to go. He's the type of person who thinks that a haircut shouldn't take more than 1/2 an hour. It cost 28 Rm ( $9.25) which I didn't think was too bad considering it came with a massage, had I got mine cut it would have been 35 RM ($11.50). While in the area we found a place called UO Superstore that actually carried big and tall clothes so we might not need a tailor after all.
It was late afternoon by now and on the way into Chinatown we saw a sign that said Reggae Bar so we decided to go and check out. This place really should be called "The Bob Marley Shrine", because everything inside was Bob Marley but someone thought calling it "Reggae Bar" was quite creative. Inside was nice and cool but a little dingy, I could see this being the type of place that's really happening at night. My big thought was, the Jamaicans were a long way from home. We only stayed for a little bit but it will go on my list of places to take my friends if they come and visit. I'm slowly collaborating one just in case I have to become a guide.
On Sunday I really wanted to shop at some other places for furniture so we went to a place called Ampang Point because I heard that there was a Courts furniture store located there. I know that I've mentioned the Malay campaign "Aren't we courteous?" well that idea was pretty much left behind by everyone in this mall. People just walk in front of you cutting you off, then abruptly stopping for no reason. It continued when we went to Tesco where we bought a microwave, Jim almost got hit by a minivan speeding through the parking lot! Jim said he thought about ramming his shopping cart into the van which we both agreed probably would not have been a good thing to do. Plus the rain was coming down hard and it was raining for most of the day, everyone we've talked to says that the monsoon season started late which is why we're seeing more rain everyday but it should end soon. The whole day Sunday was worse than going into a Wal-mart on Sunday, you know you shouldn't do it but for some reason you do and you regret it later. Needless to say after shopping we were just ready to head home and get away from everyone else.
Tomorrow I will attempt to mail some packages, the post office is called POS and I've often heard people refer to it as Piece of S@#!t or Snail Mail so I'm curious to see how long it will take for my parcels to arrive. Also I'm determined to find the Courts furniture store. I'll let you know how it goes. See you!!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
March 30, 2008
Ok, Brigit this is for you. It's Sunday morning and Jim is out walking Oso while I drink a cup of coffee and try to wake up. I'll probably skip breakfast since it's already 10 am, I was up late talking with my sister Stephanie who is in L.A. for a job interview. We think that she'll get the job and she's pretty excited about possibly moving from Boston to L.A. She works with Pfizer animal health selling pharmaceuticals to veterinarians. She was an intern with them while she finished college and after graduation they assigned her to Boston. She's been there 3 years so far and is ready for a change. So she's hoping that she'll get this transfer and not deal with the cold anymore. After I got off the phone with her my brother Nicholas called from Germany. He is in the Army and lives there with his wife and their 4 kids. He is getting ready to come to the States to visit his other 2 boys by his first wife, my mom and dad and my brother because the Army is getting ready to send him to Iraq. It will be his second deployment there so he wants to see his kids before he leaves. They expect him to be in Iraq for 15 months and the rest of his family will remain in Germany. He says not to worry about him, that he knows exactly what he signed up for, but that's easier said than done.
I finally figured out how to make a short movie on my laptop and sent it out so if you all see an email from me titled "Where we live" check it out so when I write about where I am you can have a visual. I plan on doing more short videos but at the moment I haven't been out exploring as much especially the last week. It's been in the 90's and lows of 75 lately so needless to say it's hot and some days I just feel like staying dry so I won't go anywhere. Jim is back and I'll have to relinquish the computer so he can finish watching a game for the NCAA championship. Later on I'll fill you in about our weekend and try to include some pics that I took. Hope this keeps you going Brigit until my next post. Angela answer your phone and again sorry about the YouTube video!! Love you all...
I finally figured out how to make a short movie on my laptop and sent it out so if you all see an email from me titled "Where we live" check it out so when I write about where I am you can have a visual. I plan on doing more short videos but at the moment I haven't been out exploring as much especially the last week. It's been in the 90's and lows of 75 lately so needless to say it's hot and some days I just feel like staying dry so I won't go anywhere. Jim is back and I'll have to relinquish the computer so he can finish watching a game for the NCAA championship. Later on I'll fill you in about our weekend and try to include some pics that I took. Hope this keeps you going Brigit until my next post. Angela answer your phone and again sorry about the YouTube video!! Love you all...
Sunday, March 23, 2008
March 24, 2008
Well it's Monday again and I'm back being domesticated for the day. Friday and Saturday, Jim and I didn't do a whole lot. Friday we had dinner and then drinks in the hotel lounge. I stayed up late that night talking on the phone so I didn't get up until late on Saturday. We were supposed to go the flea market in Bangsar and get haircuts but neither of us were feeling it so we had a lazy day at home, watching B-movies on HBO. We did order pizza delivery from Dominoes. We tried calling Pizza Hut first and was told that they were too busy to do any deliveries at the time. I thought, isn't that the point? It was in the middle of a huge downpour and since most deliveries are done on scooters, it was probably more of a safety issue. So I called Dominoes and it took about 15 min. just to place the order. It was a combination of too many questions and the guy I was speaking to spoke English, just very fast so it was hard for me to understand exactly what he was asking me. I had to give him 2 phone numbers, the address, a cross street, suite number, the name of my first grade teacher and first boyfriend...you get my point, lots of questions!! After all that, it was time to tell him what we wanted to order and the questions started all over again. Jim wanted pepperoni & mushroom, beef or chicken pepperoni? I wanted the supreme, beef or chicken sausage? beef or chicken pepperoni? beef or chicken salami?green or red capsicum (peppers, I had to look that one up last time) and wings, I thought for sure he was going to ask me if I wanted beef or chicken wings at the rate we were going!! I wasn't sure if we were going to get what we ordered the way we ordered it, but eventually it arrived and everything came out right. I must say that not having the option of pork, make a pizza taste totally different, almost bland, definitely lacking in pork fat!! I'm discovering that the more we eat out, the more I enjoy my own cooking.
Sunday was the F1 car race I mentioned before, and because someone cancelled, there was a ticket available for me to go. I'm not really into car racing but if it involves a crowd, food, and drinking then I'm game. We got up early so we could go to Jim's work in Puchong to meet with everyone else and the clients. DHL arranged to have 2 shuttle vans transport us and also put together some "gifts", it was a DHL backpack that included ear plugs, a towel, a hat and a schedule for the races. There was about 20-25 people who went, some employees, some clients, I'm not sure who was who because the introductions were brief and not really informing. I know the guy who stuck with me and Jim for most of the day was named Nicholas and he was from Sweden, and I also know a couple of people who Jim works with but no one really engaged in any conversation and so I developed the mentality that it didn't really matter if I knew who everyone was because I was just along for the ride and would probably never see any of them again. The racetrack was located in Sebang by the Kuala Lumpur Int'l Airport and the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be considering the amount of publicity this race was getting. F1 racing is very popular, like the equivalent of NASCAR in the States but without all of the rednecks ( sorry). The track is not one big circle, it actually has several turns and the cars can go from 0 to 160 km back to 0 in about 4 seconds. The shuttles dropped us off at the front gates and immediately everyone who we arrived with went their separate ways, I thought this was odd, I thought we were a group, but everyone had their own tickets so it was more like do whatever you want, we'll meet up again eventually. Nichoas tagged along with me and Jim. One thing I can say about the whole day was it was hot ( not in the Paris Hilton sense), I mean it was HOT!!!! Good thing I had the towel so I could wipe the sweat out of my eyes, eventually Jim wet his and draped it over his head. Outside the arena they had vendors set up from all the luxury car manufacturers selling souvenirs. Ferrari seemed to be the favorite of most of the locals. I picked up a hat for my Dad to add to his collection, now I just have to mail it. Nicholas is an avid diver and most of his conversation steered toward that even though Jim and I have only considered taking a diving course. It sounds like he's been everywhere, he recently flew in from Thailand where he was diving. He bought a jacket to use for when he's done diving which I couldn't believe that they would even consider selling jackets considering how hot it is here. Eventually we found our seats where we were united with the rest of our group and watched a couple of preliminary races. I'm not sure what the appeal is behind car racing, I can understand the fascination between man and machine and the power involved, but as a spectator sport to me it can be boring. Number one, it's LOUD, thank God for the ear plugs, and since your ears are plugged you can't have a conversation, where we were sitting was decent, the cars passed by us twice and then disappeared to the other side of the track which we couldn't see so you had to watch the Jumbo-tron tv's to see what was going on especially if you wanted to see anyone crash or spin out. There wasn't any commentary going on unless you bought the transitter headsets so it was difficult to tell who was leading and after a while the sound of the motors started putting me to sleep. As a matter of fact, when the main race ended I had my head on Jim's shoulders with my eyes closed dozing off. The Ferrari car won, the driver was Scandinavian and he was cute! I think the most surprising thing about the day was I was people watching and even though there was thousands of people there it was very quiet, not sure if it was because no one could hear, but if it wasn't for the race cars it could have been mistaken for a day at the park, that's how quiet and civilized everyone was. There wasn't even cheering for the winning driver even though majority of the fans were rooting for Ferrari...weird, not like NASCAR where surely there would have been a fight. Still it was interesting to go to, next year it's supposed to be held at night, maybe we'll go again, I'll bring a book next time.
We all shuffled our way back out of the arena and our shuttles were waiting diligently by the front gate. The traffic leaving of course was worse than coming in, but not too bad, once we exited the main area, of course the driver had to weave between other cars and pedestrians, there wasn't any traffic jams. Since Nicholas had taken a taxi to the DHL office, Jim and I gave him a ride back into the city which by this time, the afternoon rain had started. I was told by a guy named Sanjay that the Malaysian government actually pays a witch doctor to perform a ceremony so that it doesn't rain during the race, something like 20k RM, and if it does rain then he has to give them a refund. Still not a bad days pay if it rains after the race. Even though we really didn't do anything at the race we were tired and a little sunburned and called it a night after finding a KFC for dinner.
I didn't realize until this morning that we completely missed Easter. I knew that it was coming up but in all the excitement of going to the race I totally forgot. I guess since it's mostly Muslims here, it really wasn't advertised although I know that some hotels sponsored a brunch and there are a sprinkle of Christian churches in the city. So Happy Easter everyone, I know I missed out on the ham, more than you'll ever know!!
Sunday was the F1 car race I mentioned before, and because someone cancelled, there was a ticket available for me to go. I'm not really into car racing but if it involves a crowd, food, and drinking then I'm game. We got up early so we could go to Jim's work in Puchong to meet with everyone else and the clients. DHL arranged to have 2 shuttle vans transport us and also put together some "gifts", it was a DHL backpack that included ear plugs, a towel, a hat and a schedule for the races. There was about 20-25 people who went, some employees, some clients, I'm not sure who was who because the introductions were brief and not really informing. I know the guy who stuck with me and Jim for most of the day was named Nicholas and he was from Sweden, and I also know a couple of people who Jim works with but no one really engaged in any conversation and so I developed the mentality that it didn't really matter if I knew who everyone was because I was just along for the ride and would probably never see any of them again. The racetrack was located in Sebang by the Kuala Lumpur Int'l Airport and the traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be considering the amount of publicity this race was getting. F1 racing is very popular, like the equivalent of NASCAR in the States but without all of the rednecks ( sorry). The track is not one big circle, it actually has several turns and the cars can go from 0 to 160 km back to 0 in about 4 seconds. The shuttles dropped us off at the front gates and immediately everyone who we arrived with went their separate ways, I thought this was odd, I thought we were a group, but everyone had their own tickets so it was more like do whatever you want, we'll meet up again eventually. Nichoas tagged along with me and Jim. One thing I can say about the whole day was it was hot ( not in the Paris Hilton sense), I mean it was HOT!!!! Good thing I had the towel so I could wipe the sweat out of my eyes, eventually Jim wet his and draped it over his head. Outside the arena they had vendors set up from all the luxury car manufacturers selling souvenirs. Ferrari seemed to be the favorite of most of the locals. I picked up a hat for my Dad to add to his collection, now I just have to mail it. Nicholas is an avid diver and most of his conversation steered toward that even though Jim and I have only considered taking a diving course. It sounds like he's been everywhere, he recently flew in from Thailand where he was diving. He bought a jacket to use for when he's done diving which I couldn't believe that they would even consider selling jackets considering how hot it is here. Eventually we found our seats where we were united with the rest of our group and watched a couple of preliminary races. I'm not sure what the appeal is behind car racing, I can understand the fascination between man and machine and the power involved, but as a spectator sport to me it can be boring. Number one, it's LOUD, thank God for the ear plugs, and since your ears are plugged you can't have a conversation, where we were sitting was decent, the cars passed by us twice and then disappeared to the other side of the track which we couldn't see so you had to watch the Jumbo-tron tv's to see what was going on especially if you wanted to see anyone crash or spin out. There wasn't any commentary going on unless you bought the transitter headsets so it was difficult to tell who was leading and after a while the sound of the motors started putting me to sleep. As a matter of fact, when the main race ended I had my head on Jim's shoulders with my eyes closed dozing off. The Ferrari car won, the driver was Scandinavian and he was cute! I think the most surprising thing about the day was I was people watching and even though there was thousands of people there it was very quiet, not sure if it was because no one could hear, but if it wasn't for the race cars it could have been mistaken for a day at the park, that's how quiet and civilized everyone was. There wasn't even cheering for the winning driver even though majority of the fans were rooting for Ferrari...weird, not like NASCAR where surely there would have been a fight. Still it was interesting to go to, next year it's supposed to be held at night, maybe we'll go again, I'll bring a book next time.
We all shuffled our way back out of the arena and our shuttles were waiting diligently by the front gate. The traffic leaving of course was worse than coming in, but not too bad, once we exited the main area, of course the driver had to weave between other cars and pedestrians, there wasn't any traffic jams. Since Nicholas had taken a taxi to the DHL office, Jim and I gave him a ride back into the city which by this time, the afternoon rain had started. I was told by a guy named Sanjay that the Malaysian government actually pays a witch doctor to perform a ceremony so that it doesn't rain during the race, something like 20k RM, and if it does rain then he has to give them a refund. Still not a bad days pay if it rains after the race. Even though we really didn't do anything at the race we were tired and a little sunburned and called it a night after finding a KFC for dinner.
I didn't realize until this morning that we completely missed Easter. I knew that it was coming up but in all the excitement of going to the race I totally forgot. I guess since it's mostly Muslims here, it really wasn't advertised although I know that some hotels sponsored a brunch and there are a sprinkle of Christian churches in the city. So Happy Easter everyone, I know I missed out on the ham, more than you'll ever know!!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
March 20, 2008
Jim is off from work today because it is a national holiday. As Christians mark Holy Thursday, the day Jesus Christ had the Last Supper with his apostles, Muslims will celebrate a major feast day, Maulidur Rasul, the day Prophet Muhammad was born nearly 1500 years ago. According to Islamic history, Abraham, the governor of Yemen attempted to destroy the Kaabah in Mecca with an army that included a large number elephants. The raid was unsuccessful, but because it was customary to name a year after a major event, the year became known as "The Year of the Elephant". It was in this year that Prophet Muhammad was born. Most Muslims use the day to remember the prophet's good deeds, teachings, wisdom and how he forgave his most bitter enemies according to the Dept. of Islamic Development. It's observed with recitations of praises, blessings and salutations to the prophet held mostly in the mosques, they also prepare lots of food and distribute it to the poor as well as give out awards to those who have served their community. Non-Muslims celebrate by taking the day off from work and sleeping, or perhaps shopping which is what we did.
We weren't sure what would closed due to the holiday so Jim drove. Yes, I was terrified because this time we went on the highway to try to go to Petaling Jaya to find the IKEA store. The signs on the highway are very confusing to follow and we really did not know if we were heading the right way. Somehow we ended up in Shah Alam, all the way out by Jim's work, that's how we knew that we had gone too far. So we back tracked and found a place called Sunway Pyramid. If you will, picture the Sphinx in Las Vegas, this mall had a lion in the same position and just as large if not bigger indicating where the mall was, there is no way you could miss it!! Sunway is a town in and of itself. There is a resort, hotel, and the mall which also has an indoor theme park including water rides, thousands of stores, and Malaysia's only ice rink, needless to say it is massive. Jim wanted to stop and get something to eat so we looked for parking space, after reading a pamphlet about the mall we found out that its garage holds 10,000 parking spaces and we passed everyone because that's how packed it was. 1/2 hour later we finally found some place to park and went inside. I wasn't really interested in exploring this huge complex especially after it took so long just to find a place to park so we just looked at the directory and discovered that there was a Carl's Jr. located in the mall...Hooray!! For those who don't know, they make the best hamburgers anywhere!! Better than McD's, Burger King, Wendy's, anybody!! My favorite is the low-carb burger that's just wrapped in lettuce but unfortunately this location did not have it on the menu nor did they have Coke Light so I had to settle for a Guacamole Bacon ( chicken bacon, remember no pork ) cheeseburger and an iced tea. It hit the spot for both of us and since we had sort of walked around one section of the mall looking for the place, we decided that it was definitely too crowded for us to stay ( it was a national holiday so everybody and their grandkids went to the mall ) so we headed back to the car and tried once again to find IKEA.
We had one of our trusty maps in the car and figured out which way to go to get there and were successful after a few U-turns. IKEA was just as crowded as the Sunway pyramid!! I'm not sure what the maximum capacity is for the store but Jim is definitely going to look into getting some stock because it was packed!! We figured that it took us 3 hours to find the place so we might as well go in. Their parking is also underground but more organized, they had guards directing people to where spaces were available but me and Jim just "created" our own and parked next to a pillar ( everybody does it here ). Anyone who's been in Ikea knows that they have psuedo rooms set up so you can get an idea of how your room would look if you bought their stuff, I almost felt like I was at a museum exhibit with all the people inside. We picked out some furnishings that we thought would like nice in our new house and are going to do some comparison shopping just to make sure that's what we really want. I picked up a few little things in the meantime like lamps, bath rugs and shower curtains, and a wok. My main reason for going was to find area rugs, I think I'll need about 5 of them and found a couple that I like but I'll still look around some place else just in case I find something better.
We spent about 2 hours inside Ikea and when we left it was going on 6 pm so we decided to head home and try to get there without getting lost. We didn't too bad, only 1 U-turn and we were home. Oso was happy to see us because he had been locked up so he had a nice long walk after dinner. I'm glad to hear that so many people are enjoying my journal, it's giving me incentive to write in it everyday, although don't be disappointed if I miss a day I may just not have anything going on that day. This weekend, we are going to the flea market and getting haircuts, I'm kind of scared about the haircuts only because I don't know anyone here who can refer me to someone good. Who knows, maybe they'll cut my hair like the Chinese men and then I can look like I just stepped out of a Pokemon cartoon...I'll let you know!!
We weren't sure what would closed due to the holiday so Jim drove. Yes, I was terrified because this time we went on the highway to try to go to Petaling Jaya to find the IKEA store. The signs on the highway are very confusing to follow and we really did not know if we were heading the right way. Somehow we ended up in Shah Alam, all the way out by Jim's work, that's how we knew that we had gone too far. So we back tracked and found a place called Sunway Pyramid. If you will, picture the Sphinx in Las Vegas, this mall had a lion in the same position and just as large if not bigger indicating where the mall was, there is no way you could miss it!! Sunway is a town in and of itself. There is a resort, hotel, and the mall which also has an indoor theme park including water rides, thousands of stores, and Malaysia's only ice rink, needless to say it is massive. Jim wanted to stop and get something to eat so we looked for parking space, after reading a pamphlet about the mall we found out that its garage holds 10,000 parking spaces and we passed everyone because that's how packed it was. 1/2 hour later we finally found some place to park and went inside. I wasn't really interested in exploring this huge complex especially after it took so long just to find a place to park so we just looked at the directory and discovered that there was a Carl's Jr. located in the mall...Hooray!! For those who don't know, they make the best hamburgers anywhere!! Better than McD's, Burger King, Wendy's, anybody!! My favorite is the low-carb burger that's just wrapped in lettuce but unfortunately this location did not have it on the menu nor did they have Coke Light so I had to settle for a Guacamole Bacon ( chicken bacon, remember no pork ) cheeseburger and an iced tea. It hit the spot for both of us and since we had sort of walked around one section of the mall looking for the place, we decided that it was definitely too crowded for us to stay ( it was a national holiday so everybody and their grandkids went to the mall ) so we headed back to the car and tried once again to find IKEA.
We had one of our trusty maps in the car and figured out which way to go to get there and were successful after a few U-turns. IKEA was just as crowded as the Sunway pyramid!! I'm not sure what the maximum capacity is for the store but Jim is definitely going to look into getting some stock because it was packed!! We figured that it took us 3 hours to find the place so we might as well go in. Their parking is also underground but more organized, they had guards directing people to where spaces were available but me and Jim just "created" our own and parked next to a pillar ( everybody does it here ). Anyone who's been in Ikea knows that they have psuedo rooms set up so you can get an idea of how your room would look if you bought their stuff, I almost felt like I was at a museum exhibit with all the people inside. We picked out some furnishings that we thought would like nice in our new house and are going to do some comparison shopping just to make sure that's what we really want. I picked up a few little things in the meantime like lamps, bath rugs and shower curtains, and a wok. My main reason for going was to find area rugs, I think I'll need about 5 of them and found a couple that I like but I'll still look around some place else just in case I find something better.
We spent about 2 hours inside Ikea and when we left it was going on 6 pm so we decided to head home and try to get there without getting lost. We didn't too bad, only 1 U-turn and we were home. Oso was happy to see us because he had been locked up so he had a nice long walk after dinner. I'm glad to hear that so many people are enjoying my journal, it's giving me incentive to write in it everyday, although don't be disappointed if I miss a day I may just not have anything going on that day. This weekend, we are going to the flea market and getting haircuts, I'm kind of scared about the haircuts only because I don't know anyone here who can refer me to someone good. Who knows, maybe they'll cut my hair like the Chinese men and then I can look like I just stepped out of a Pokemon cartoon...I'll let you know!!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
March 19, 2008
I've reread some of my posts and I've filled everyone in on what we've been doing so today I figured I'd let you know about some of my observances. I've mentioned before that the government here is run by the Muslim-based party and one of their campaigns is "Aren't we courteous?" I am assuming that because Malaysia is such an ecletic mix of races and religions, the government trys to stress being nice and tolerant to one another. Is this true? In some cases this is true, I mean there aren't people walking around speaking to everyone they meet with huge grins on their faces- it's not Willy Wonkaville- but the general idea is "If you don't bother me, I won't bother you". Courtesy is completely forgotten of course when you're dealing with traffic. Whether it be if you're driving, riding a scooter, a bus, or even getting on and off the subway. It's every man for himself. They have no concept of forming " a single-filed line" or queue as it's called here. Where ever you fit in, you get in. I've already mentioned my adventure riding in the car with Jim and how the other drivers are, but the people on motor scooters are worse. They don't abide by any traffic laws, they dart in and out between cars, ride on the sidewalk, and run red lights. I may have mentioned this story to some, but I got nailed by a guy on a scooter last week. I was crossing the street in the pedestrian crosswalk, and as I was about to step onto the sidewalk, the guy on the scooter just ran right into me because he was about to run the red light. He looked at me like it was all my fault and I wasn't hurt, I was more angry and shocked if anything. So now when I cross the street I look like a squirrel running in traffic dodging anything and everything. They really don't enforce their traffic laws, the only time a see a police officer pulling anyone over is when there is a really bad accident, mostly involving scooters. So much for courtesy!
My next observance is all about fashion!! Now I know that I've mentioned the number of malls that Jim and I have visited and it's not because we are shopaholics, it's because of the number of malls present here. A mall in Malaysia is not only a place to shop, it's a place to be seen, congregate, socialize and it offers free air-conditioning which draws a lot families. The malls differ also by what they offer. I've noticed some malls where the shops are mostly individually owned stores so each store can be completely different, whereas the other malls are all designer. I've been noticing the women lately and designer seems to be the route that most of them take, and here I am looking for common practical clothing and shoes. Indian women seem the most practical of the 3 main ethnic groups here ( Indian, Chinese, & Muslim Malay). Typically they wear sandals, loose pants and tunic tops, and of course their hair is usually a long braid and then they wear their bindi on their forehead ( little red dot, possibly accommpanied by a rhinestone). Chinese women are all about brand names: Gucci, Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabbana, Tods, you name it they have to have it. Whether their knock-offs or not is really hard to tell. The demand for brand names here is very high so it's really easy to find either the real thing or a very well made fake. Why you would buy the real thing when there is a comparable knock-off that's cheaper is beyond me, yet the malls are filled with designer stores everywhere. The last group of Muslim-Malay is the most surprising to me. When I was riding the subway I noticed that 2/3 of the people riding with me were Muslim women. Now I know when I lived back home, my idea of the Islamic garb that they wear was very drab, usually black from head to foot. That's usually what's depicted in the reports that we see. Oh so not the truth!!! Here's what I know: Women's dress in Islamic culture is based on a principle of female modesty. Customs of the time, place, and social class of the women might influence what she might wear. Some options include hijab, that is to say the head scarf must be worn at all times no matter what, but the women can wear a variety of clothing elsewhere. Some wear loose flowing clothing, a lot of teenagers wear jeans and a blouse but the head scarf is always present. Others may choose the traditional burka, completely covered head to toe. Here's what surprises me, Muslims women take great care in what they wear. I've seen some of the best dressed Muslim women ever!! If they chooses just the hijab, it's a very pretty, ornate scarf with something sparkly on it and it usually matches their shirt. The ones that choose the burka look very elegant and poised, the fabric is usually something soft like silk or organza and it also coordinates with their head scarf and probably has a print. And the whole world unites with...SHOES!!!! If you ever visit and you weren't already shoe crazy you soon will be by the time you return home. Very few women wear gym shoes, that's mostly reserved for the teenagers and if you're actually going to exercise. It's mostly sandals, kitten heels, high heels, espadrilles, wedges, mules...you name it I've seen it. I don't see how they walk around all day in them but everyone appears comfortable. The busiest store this past weekend at Mid-Valley mall was a shoe store having a 50% off sale, there was literally a line going out the door of either people trying to go in or people going out. I wanted to look but I highly doubted that my size would have been available. If I could give out any advice to the women that live here, it would be PLEASE please, please, go get a pedicure!! The number of shoes that I've seen equals the number of raggedy toes I've seen. LOL!!! As for men's fashion there are an equal number of men's stores to women' s stores although they are more conservative. The only exception being young Chinese men, they may primp just as much as their women counterparts. I'm actually envious of some of their hairstyles although when it comes to dressing themselves I think they may do it with the lights off because some of their combinations are ridiculous! I saw a guy wearing plaid pants that were dark with stripes of burgundy and blue in them wearing a bright green and yellow soccer styled shirt...c'mon!!!
The only other thing I want to comment on is the amount of discipline here. 5 times a day you can hear the call to prayer ringing around the city. All muslims must pray 5 times a day no matter where they are and on Friday's around 1:30 pm there is the mandatory prayer that I think most perform in the mosques because people will park anywhere and everywhere around that time even double, triple park. The children are also very well behaved, occasionally in mall we would see one get spanked for acting up, but even their spanking would cause someone at home to get reported to the police. The exception being expats kids who I assume are using the "time out" method. Also I've been reading the paper and when I read how someone was recently found guilty in a criminal matter there's usually jailtime and a certain number of strokes with the rotan, commonly known as caning. I've watched a video on line of a caning and depending on your crime determines how many "licks" you will receive. The video I saw involved a guy getting 20. They stand you up against a wall naked spread eagled like you're about to be frisked and then they put this canvas like material over your butt only it has a piece cut out to expose it, the executioner has a couple of trial swings and then he just has at it, each stroke about 15 sec. apart and each one producing cut-like welts. By the end of 20 strokes he was bloody and then they take you to an infirmary and patch you up. They say that 20 strokes is probably the maximum anyone receives and it's probably because the person did something really heinous like child rape. There was a man who smuggled in 3 lbs of marijuana into the country and he received the death penalty. The government states that it's a deterrent to crime and makes people think twice before they actually commit the crime. Too bad hitting a pedestrian on a motor scooter isn't a crime...yet.
Well those are some of the things rattling in my head for today. I was interrupted because the power went out on the block due to thunderstorms today so I haven't adventured anywhere in 3 days, tomorrow will be different.
My next observance is all about fashion!! Now I know that I've mentioned the number of malls that Jim and I have visited and it's not because we are shopaholics, it's because of the number of malls present here. A mall in Malaysia is not only a place to shop, it's a place to be seen, congregate, socialize and it offers free air-conditioning which draws a lot families. The malls differ also by what they offer. I've noticed some malls where the shops are mostly individually owned stores so each store can be completely different, whereas the other malls are all designer. I've been noticing the women lately and designer seems to be the route that most of them take, and here I am looking for common practical clothing and shoes. Indian women seem the most practical of the 3 main ethnic groups here ( Indian, Chinese, & Muslim Malay). Typically they wear sandals, loose pants and tunic tops, and of course their hair is usually a long braid and then they wear their bindi on their forehead ( little red dot, possibly accommpanied by a rhinestone). Chinese women are all about brand names: Gucci, Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabbana, Tods, you name it they have to have it. Whether their knock-offs or not is really hard to tell. The demand for brand names here is very high so it's really easy to find either the real thing or a very well made fake. Why you would buy the real thing when there is a comparable knock-off that's cheaper is beyond me, yet the malls are filled with designer stores everywhere. The last group of Muslim-Malay is the most surprising to me. When I was riding the subway I noticed that 2/3 of the people riding with me were Muslim women. Now I know when I lived back home, my idea of the Islamic garb that they wear was very drab, usually black from head to foot. That's usually what's depicted in the reports that we see. Oh so not the truth!!! Here's what I know: Women's dress in Islamic culture is based on a principle of female modesty. Customs of the time, place, and social class of the women might influence what she might wear. Some options include hijab, that is to say the head scarf must be worn at all times no matter what, but the women can wear a variety of clothing elsewhere. Some wear loose flowing clothing, a lot of teenagers wear jeans and a blouse but the head scarf is always present. Others may choose the traditional burka, completely covered head to toe. Here's what surprises me, Muslims women take great care in what they wear. I've seen some of the best dressed Muslim women ever!! If they chooses just the hijab, it's a very pretty, ornate scarf with something sparkly on it and it usually matches their shirt. The ones that choose the burka look very elegant and poised, the fabric is usually something soft like silk or organza and it also coordinates with their head scarf and probably has a print. And the whole world unites with...SHOES!!!! If you ever visit and you weren't already shoe crazy you soon will be by the time you return home. Very few women wear gym shoes, that's mostly reserved for the teenagers and if you're actually going to exercise. It's mostly sandals, kitten heels, high heels, espadrilles, wedges, mules...you name it I've seen it. I don't see how they walk around all day in them but everyone appears comfortable. The busiest store this past weekend at Mid-Valley mall was a shoe store having a 50% off sale, there was literally a line going out the door of either people trying to go in or people going out. I wanted to look but I highly doubted that my size would have been available. If I could give out any advice to the women that live here, it would be PLEASE please, please, go get a pedicure!! The number of shoes that I've seen equals the number of raggedy toes I've seen. LOL!!! As for men's fashion there are an equal number of men's stores to women' s stores although they are more conservative. The only exception being young Chinese men, they may primp just as much as their women counterparts. I'm actually envious of some of their hairstyles although when it comes to dressing themselves I think they may do it with the lights off because some of their combinations are ridiculous! I saw a guy wearing plaid pants that were dark with stripes of burgundy and blue in them wearing a bright green and yellow soccer styled shirt...c'mon!!!
The only other thing I want to comment on is the amount of discipline here. 5 times a day you can hear the call to prayer ringing around the city. All muslims must pray 5 times a day no matter where they are and on Friday's around 1:30 pm there is the mandatory prayer that I think most perform in the mosques because people will park anywhere and everywhere around that time even double, triple park. The children are also very well behaved, occasionally in mall we would see one get spanked for acting up, but even their spanking would cause someone at home to get reported to the police. The exception being expats kids who I assume are using the "time out" method. Also I've been reading the paper and when I read how someone was recently found guilty in a criminal matter there's usually jailtime and a certain number of strokes with the rotan, commonly known as caning. I've watched a video on line of a caning and depending on your crime determines how many "licks" you will receive. The video I saw involved a guy getting 20. They stand you up against a wall naked spread eagled like you're about to be frisked and then they put this canvas like material over your butt only it has a piece cut out to expose it, the executioner has a couple of trial swings and then he just has at it, each stroke about 15 sec. apart and each one producing cut-like welts. By the end of 20 strokes he was bloody and then they take you to an infirmary and patch you up. They say that 20 strokes is probably the maximum anyone receives and it's probably because the person did something really heinous like child rape. There was a man who smuggled in 3 lbs of marijuana into the country and he received the death penalty. The government states that it's a deterrent to crime and makes people think twice before they actually commit the crime. Too bad hitting a pedestrian on a motor scooter isn't a crime...yet.
Well those are some of the things rattling in my head for today. I was interrupted because the power went out on the block due to thunderstorms today so I haven't adventured anywhere in 3 days, tomorrow will be different.
Monday, March 17, 2008
March 18, 2008
Well I have received confirmation today that we are getting the house in Bangsar. Now the paperwork just has to be filled out and signed. Looking over the contracts, it's typical legal jargon and seems to protect the owner a lot, we will be liable for a lot of things should anything go wrong whether caused by us or acts of God. The rental payment is arranged through Jim's company so if for any reason the owner does not receive payment, it will have to be an error in the accounting department and we could find ourselves out on the streets and the landlord could confiscate our things in lieu of rent. I was surprised at the total move-in costs. You know typically in the States they ask for a deposit, well that's the same here except it's the equivalent of 3 months rent plus a deposit for utilities, almost a total of $4k U.S. just to move in. Anyway I'm still excited about being in our own place finally although it won't be until mid-April. We found out that our container won't arrive until April 11th and then the contents have to pass through customs and then everything will be delivered so were thinking by April 15th we should have our things. I'm already thinking of how I will decorate the place and make it feel more like home.
The last couple of days have been uneventful, I've pretty much been a home-body and doing things around the hotel like grocery shopping, laundry and taking care of Oso even though he's not much work. This coming weekend is a big event here in KL. They are having their F1 car racing event. I'm not a big car racing fan but would still like to go and check it out, however that won't happen. The tickets are all sold out and even though Jim's work is one of the sponsers and has to attend on Sunday I'm not able to go. He says that he doesn't really want to go but I think that he will have a good time even if he is entertaining clients. We'll see. I'll probably go to some flea markets and look for things for the house ( which honestly I don't mind shopping at all).
The last couple of days have been uneventful, I've pretty much been a home-body and doing things around the hotel like grocery shopping, laundry and taking care of Oso even though he's not much work. This coming weekend is a big event here in KL. They are having their F1 car racing event. I'm not a big car racing fan but would still like to go and check it out, however that won't happen. The tickets are all sold out and even though Jim's work is one of the sponsers and has to attend on Sunday I'm not able to go. He says that he doesn't really want to go but I think that he will have a good time even if he is entertaining clients. We'll see. I'll probably go to some flea markets and look for things for the house ( which honestly I don't mind shopping at all).
Sunday, March 16, 2008
March 17, 2008
It's Monday and so starts another week in KL. Today is St. Patrick's Day and even though I'm not sure they celebrate it like we do, it has been advertised in a lot of the restaurants and bars that we've been in so I'm sure there will be some expats out partying today. Jim and I have had a long weekend so I'll try to remember everything that we've done.
On Friday, Jim took the day off from work so he could go around with me to look at houses, one being the house I viewed on Thursday with Lina. We took the train into Bangsar and then a cab to Bangsar Shopping Center and then walked around the corner to the house. Jim seemed pleased that it was so close to the mall much like I was. Lina met us at the house and Jim seemed to really like it. He noticed a closet outside the house by the front door which is used to store shoes ( a lot of people remove their shoes before entering a house) and decided that he would remove the shelves inside so he could store his golf clubs in there. I also suggested he could clean his clubs outside too since there is a faucet nearby and I could keep my 2 kitchen sinks clean. Lina also arranged for us to view anothe house nearby Bangsar Village, an area that ideally we really wanted to live in, so after we were done at the house on Jalan Pudina she drove us over to the other one. When we arrived the outside looked very nice, a big lot with lots of room outside for Oso however not so much grass. It was owned by 2 Indian guys who met us there and seemed excited that Americans might possibly rent their home. Inside it was the same old story: they claimed it was renovated but not really. It was huge home, about 4000 sq/ft and it was unfurnished and I can't imagine us needing that much space let alone buying furniture to fill it plus the bathrooms were God awful!! Jim went into all 4 and he doesn't think that he could fit into any of the showers plus the fixtures were all from the 70's, all the bedrooms had built-in's which included desks so it took up a lot of floor space which made them look small, the walls were painted funky bright colors, I couldn't live in a house with a turqoise living room!! That was the only other house Lina had to show us so we had her drop us back off at the first house so Jim could explore the neighborhood. The shopping mall offers lots of things to do including a grocery store, several bars and an indoor golf simulator restaurant where Jim could play virtually any golf course in the world. After finding this out, it pretty much made up his mind that the house on Pudina is where he wants to live. So I text Lina and we started the negotiations with the owner for us to move in. The house doesn't have hot water in the kitchen, and a washer/dryer, those were the only 2 things that we could see we would need long term other than the initial cleaning, pest control ( I did see some critters, but was explained that since the house has been vacant it was the reason for their presence...will see) and cutting the grass. The owner wanted to raise the rent an extra $500 Rm p/month for the hot water and washer, so we agreed to purchase our own washer/dryer and so the rent was only increased $100 Rm p/month for the hot water. We did the math and for an extra $500 p/month for a washer we could buy a set for cheaper. The only thing we have to do now is determine when our container with our things will arrive so we can agree on a move in date.
After that we did a little bar hopping in the mall and Jim has decided which one will probably be his hangout, it's called George and the Dragon. It's like an old British pub. I think for now he will be happy with it until he finds his usual dive bar with pool tables that is...he isn't as good at darts as he is at pool and I just don't think he'll be happy unless there is a pool table nearby. We headed back home on the train because we realized that we had been gone for a while and Oso was locked up in his kennel. When we got home, Jim's phone rang and it was a guy from his work inviting us out since he was down the street. We got dressed and really I don't know the name of the place we went. He said he was at the DePalma hotel but when we pulled in to park and starting walking toward the hotel, David came out of a restaurant that was in the alley. He was there with his pregnant wife, a guy named Logan also who works with Jim, Logan's wife and another guy who works with Jim but I can't remember his name because really he didn't say much other than "Hello" and then later "Good night". It was definitely a hole in the wall but interesting. The food was good, I had fish, Jim had chicken ( I'm about sick of chicken), there were pool tables and also live entertainment. At first it was awkward, I didn't know them, they didn't know me and anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a tomboy and getting along with other women isn't part of my nature. They didn't initiate any type of conversation and being the polite one that I am, I did most of the talking, maybe it was the wine that was doing the talking although they were not drinking. It did turn around at some point because the band was playing mostly American music, mostly oldies from the 70's and 80's ( and for some reason they assume that since we're Americans, we know who sings every song) we decided to break the ice and go and dance which led to everyone else joining us on the dance floor. After that the tension was cut a little bit. There was a guy working in the restaurant who reminded me of an Asian Bon Jovi. He was tall, slender with rocker styled long hair and who sang really well. Later on I found out he was the manager of the bar and was from Portugal, something I never would have guessed because he really did look Chinese. He said he should have known we were Americans because at one point me and Jim went out on the dance floor and did the "Electric Slide" although Andrew called it line dancing. Leave it to the electric slide to unite everyone...you know what I'm talking about. My last uncomfortable moment was when it came time to pay the bill and everyone was willing to pitch in because there was a lot of drinking on the guy's part but David wouldn't let Jim help out so while I was talking to the manager Andrew ( who allowed me to get one more beer even though it was past last call ) David paid the bill to him but I don't know if he was drunk and didn't count right but it was short so I was going to go for my wallet and he insisted on us not contributing, so he went to his pregnant wife and asked for their credit card and you should have seen the look on her face!!! If looks could kill, he would have been lying dead at my feet. The bill was a little over $700 Rm ( about $230 U.S.) and she was not happy one bit. I didn't think it was all that bad considering 7 people ate, and 5 people drank for most of the night. All in all it was fun and when we move into our house I will have everyone over for a BBQ.
Saturday was a wasted day. Jim was spent from Friday so he napped on and off all day and I watched B-movies on HBO and Cinemax. I received a package from Keith with the Kool-Aid so the only time I left the hotel was to go and buy a pitcher and some sugar so Jim could have some when he got up. Later on we went up to the hotel lounge and played some pool
Sunday we went back to Bangsar and explored a megamall called Mid-Valley. They have a free bus shuttle from the train station and we hopped on then waited for about 20 min. because the driver was no where to be found. I'm assuming that this is common because we appeared to be the only people questioning where he was. At the mall we walked around and explored the shops looking to price appliances that we're going to need. Before we left home, I pretty much either sold or gave away anything that plugs in since I won't be able to use them here without an adapter. So we looked at tvs, washer/dryer, coffee pot, crock pot, irons and furniture since we will have to purchase some furniture in order to fill our house. The prices were reasonable, Jim wrote down the model numbers since one of his warehouses is LG he can receive a discount on the TV and washer/dryer. I bought 2 new pair of sandals that hopefully are comfortable to walk in. I've been wearing my gym shoes a lot because the shoes I packed don't do well when I'm out hiking around town all day. Jim got a new baseball cap and we also bought a cordless phone that can plug into our computer so when I make phone calls instead of talking to the laptop I can walk around and talk on a regular phone.
So that was our weekend and now that we've found a house I really don't have any plans for this week. There is a flea market every Saturday at the mall around the corner from our new house that I will probably check out to look for furniture or maybe find the IKEA store to look for some area rugs.
Happy St. Patty's Day everyone and don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!
On Friday, Jim took the day off from work so he could go around with me to look at houses, one being the house I viewed on Thursday with Lina. We took the train into Bangsar and then a cab to Bangsar Shopping Center and then walked around the corner to the house. Jim seemed pleased that it was so close to the mall much like I was. Lina met us at the house and Jim seemed to really like it. He noticed a closet outside the house by the front door which is used to store shoes ( a lot of people remove their shoes before entering a house) and decided that he would remove the shelves inside so he could store his golf clubs in there. I also suggested he could clean his clubs outside too since there is a faucet nearby and I could keep my 2 kitchen sinks clean. Lina also arranged for us to view anothe house nearby Bangsar Village, an area that ideally we really wanted to live in, so after we were done at the house on Jalan Pudina she drove us over to the other one. When we arrived the outside looked very nice, a big lot with lots of room outside for Oso however not so much grass. It was owned by 2 Indian guys who met us there and seemed excited that Americans might possibly rent their home. Inside it was the same old story: they claimed it was renovated but not really. It was huge home, about 4000 sq/ft and it was unfurnished and I can't imagine us needing that much space let alone buying furniture to fill it plus the bathrooms were God awful!! Jim went into all 4 and he doesn't think that he could fit into any of the showers plus the fixtures were all from the 70's, all the bedrooms had built-in's which included desks so it took up a lot of floor space which made them look small, the walls were painted funky bright colors, I couldn't live in a house with a turqoise living room!! That was the only other house Lina had to show us so we had her drop us back off at the first house so Jim could explore the neighborhood. The shopping mall offers lots of things to do including a grocery store, several bars and an indoor golf simulator restaurant where Jim could play virtually any golf course in the world. After finding this out, it pretty much made up his mind that the house on Pudina is where he wants to live. So I text Lina and we started the negotiations with the owner for us to move in. The house doesn't have hot water in the kitchen, and a washer/dryer, those were the only 2 things that we could see we would need long term other than the initial cleaning, pest control ( I did see some critters, but was explained that since the house has been vacant it was the reason for their presence...will see) and cutting the grass. The owner wanted to raise the rent an extra $500 Rm p/month for the hot water and washer, so we agreed to purchase our own washer/dryer and so the rent was only increased $100 Rm p/month for the hot water. We did the math and for an extra $500 p/month for a washer we could buy a set for cheaper. The only thing we have to do now is determine when our container with our things will arrive so we can agree on a move in date.
After that we did a little bar hopping in the mall and Jim has decided which one will probably be his hangout, it's called George and the Dragon. It's like an old British pub. I think for now he will be happy with it until he finds his usual dive bar with pool tables that is...he isn't as good at darts as he is at pool and I just don't think he'll be happy unless there is a pool table nearby. We headed back home on the train because we realized that we had been gone for a while and Oso was locked up in his kennel. When we got home, Jim's phone rang and it was a guy from his work inviting us out since he was down the street. We got dressed and really I don't know the name of the place we went. He said he was at the DePalma hotel but when we pulled in to park and starting walking toward the hotel, David came out of a restaurant that was in the alley. He was there with his pregnant wife, a guy named Logan also who works with Jim, Logan's wife and another guy who works with Jim but I can't remember his name because really he didn't say much other than "Hello" and then later "Good night". It was definitely a hole in the wall but interesting. The food was good, I had fish, Jim had chicken ( I'm about sick of chicken), there were pool tables and also live entertainment. At first it was awkward, I didn't know them, they didn't know me and anyone who knows me well knows that I'm a tomboy and getting along with other women isn't part of my nature. They didn't initiate any type of conversation and being the polite one that I am, I did most of the talking, maybe it was the wine that was doing the talking although they were not drinking. It did turn around at some point because the band was playing mostly American music, mostly oldies from the 70's and 80's ( and for some reason they assume that since we're Americans, we know who sings every song) we decided to break the ice and go and dance which led to everyone else joining us on the dance floor. After that the tension was cut a little bit. There was a guy working in the restaurant who reminded me of an Asian Bon Jovi. He was tall, slender with rocker styled long hair and who sang really well. Later on I found out he was the manager of the bar and was from Portugal, something I never would have guessed because he really did look Chinese. He said he should have known we were Americans because at one point me and Jim went out on the dance floor and did the "Electric Slide" although Andrew called it line dancing. Leave it to the electric slide to unite everyone...you know what I'm talking about. My last uncomfortable moment was when it came time to pay the bill and everyone was willing to pitch in because there was a lot of drinking on the guy's part but David wouldn't let Jim help out so while I was talking to the manager Andrew ( who allowed me to get one more beer even though it was past last call ) David paid the bill to him but I don't know if he was drunk and didn't count right but it was short so I was going to go for my wallet and he insisted on us not contributing, so he went to his pregnant wife and asked for their credit card and you should have seen the look on her face!!! If looks could kill, he would have been lying dead at my feet. The bill was a little over $700 Rm ( about $230 U.S.) and she was not happy one bit. I didn't think it was all that bad considering 7 people ate, and 5 people drank for most of the night. All in all it was fun and when we move into our house I will have everyone over for a BBQ.
Saturday was a wasted day. Jim was spent from Friday so he napped on and off all day and I watched B-movies on HBO and Cinemax. I received a package from Keith with the Kool-Aid so the only time I left the hotel was to go and buy a pitcher and some sugar so Jim could have some when he got up. Later on we went up to the hotel lounge and played some pool
Sunday we went back to Bangsar and explored a megamall called Mid-Valley. They have a free bus shuttle from the train station and we hopped on then waited for about 20 min. because the driver was no where to be found. I'm assuming that this is common because we appeared to be the only people questioning where he was. At the mall we walked around and explored the shops looking to price appliances that we're going to need. Before we left home, I pretty much either sold or gave away anything that plugs in since I won't be able to use them here without an adapter. So we looked at tvs, washer/dryer, coffee pot, crock pot, irons and furniture since we will have to purchase some furniture in order to fill our house. The prices were reasonable, Jim wrote down the model numbers since one of his warehouses is LG he can receive a discount on the TV and washer/dryer. I bought 2 new pair of sandals that hopefully are comfortable to walk in. I've been wearing my gym shoes a lot because the shoes I packed don't do well when I'm out hiking around town all day. Jim got a new baseball cap and we also bought a cordless phone that can plug into our computer so when I make phone calls instead of talking to the laptop I can walk around and talk on a regular phone.
So that was our weekend and now that we've found a house I really don't have any plans for this week. There is a flea market every Saturday at the mall around the corner from our new house that I will probably check out to look for furniture or maybe find the IKEA store to look for some area rugs.
Happy St. Patty's Day everyone and don't do anything I wouldn't do!!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
March 13, 2008
It's Thursday morning here and for the couple of days I have transformed myself into a real estate agent. There is a website that I've been using to find properties and so I've been emailing people, responding to emails, phone calls and texting ( I'm actually getting better at it now that I do it several times a day). After the adventerous afternoon with Kenneth on Monday I'm taking a hands on approach in finding us a house. I've found that I have to be adamant with the agents about what I'm looking for so as not to waste my time looking at something that I know I will absolutely hate. I finally got an agent to send me interior photos of a property in Bangsar and by looking at them, I decided that it be worth taking a look at.
So I ventured out alone on the subway and took it to Bangsar, where I took a cab to the Bangsar Shopping Center and called Lina because we had agreed that she would pick me up there. While I waited I remembered that there was a property that was right around the corner so walked there to take a look at the outside. Usually I can tell from the outside whether or not I want to see the inside. The agent for this property named Judy said that it was rented out to expats all the time so I had expected "tah dah!!" instead I got "so so". It looked like it had a lot of room, with 2 storys but the outside had been neglected some and needed a coat of paint. I called Judy to see if she was nearby so I could see the inside but she wasn't so walked back to the shopping center to wait for Lina. I found a Chili's restaurant and it had an outdoor patio/bar so I had a beer while I waited. When she arrived, we took a short drive back around the corner but on a different street to the property which surprised me because before I left home I checked my maps and was under the impression that it was located further up the hill. I was really pleased with the location because that meant I would be able to walk to all the shops and restaurants if I wanted to. Inside was modern and clean, so far so good but what about the kitchen? I had seen lots of houses described as having a wet and dry kitchen but wasn't sure what that meant. So when I walked into the kitchen I was slightly disappointed because even though there were lots of cabinets ( a very pretty mahogany wood) and the countertops were renovated, there was only a sink. So I'm thinking that I have to negotiate for a fridge and a stove...right? No because adjacent to the kitchen was another kitchen where the appliances were, apparently the wet kitchen is where you actually cook and the dry kitchen is where you would prep, clean up and store a lot of your kitchen goods. The wet kitchen also had a sink, if only I could knock out the wall that separates them, but it was still nice and renovated. All of the bathrooms were renovated as well and the bedrooms were a nice size. I have moved this house to the top of my list and will be taking Jim back to see what he thinks, we could have a winner!!
After viewing the house, Lina dropped me back at the mall and I went back into Chili's to get some lunch. While I was sitting there I met a couple from England, well not really a couple, they looked more like Grandmother and grandson. I learned that his name was David and hers was Morie. David has visited several times, he says he leaves for 3 weeks and then comes back because he has a "partner" here and Morie just happened to come along this trip. He went on to tell me how this trip for him was disastrous because he found out that his partner has another partner that he didn't know about who happens to be his partner's ex and somehow his partner's ex ex was involved, it became very confusing at one point because that's how he referred to them, the ex, the ex ex etc. I was having such a good time that I lost track of the time and the next thing I knew Jim was texting me asking me where I was. I admit I did get into a little trouble and I can completely understand that he was worried but I really was having a great time with David and Morie. When his partner called to find out where he was (apparently they had a dinner engagement that David missed on account of meeting me) I was truly surprised that he went off on him and said he never wanted to see him again and that he was going back to England and to lose his number! I was secretly cheering him on. See, it's just like back home, drama and miserable people everywhere. David shared with me that he had found someone else on his recent trip and would actually be coming back in 3 weeks, he is considering moving here because his mom died last year and he says that there is nothing for him in England. We made a date to meet again at Chili's 3 weeks from Friday. I may have found my 1st friend in Malaysia.
So I ventured out alone on the subway and took it to Bangsar, where I took a cab to the Bangsar Shopping Center and called Lina because we had agreed that she would pick me up there. While I waited I remembered that there was a property that was right around the corner so walked there to take a look at the outside. Usually I can tell from the outside whether or not I want to see the inside. The agent for this property named Judy said that it was rented out to expats all the time so I had expected "tah dah!!" instead I got "so so". It looked like it had a lot of room, with 2 storys but the outside had been neglected some and needed a coat of paint. I called Judy to see if she was nearby so I could see the inside but she wasn't so walked back to the shopping center to wait for Lina. I found a Chili's restaurant and it had an outdoor patio/bar so I had a beer while I waited. When she arrived, we took a short drive back around the corner but on a different street to the property which surprised me because before I left home I checked my maps and was under the impression that it was located further up the hill. I was really pleased with the location because that meant I would be able to walk to all the shops and restaurants if I wanted to. Inside was modern and clean, so far so good but what about the kitchen? I had seen lots of houses described as having a wet and dry kitchen but wasn't sure what that meant. So when I walked into the kitchen I was slightly disappointed because even though there were lots of cabinets ( a very pretty mahogany wood) and the countertops were renovated, there was only a sink. So I'm thinking that I have to negotiate for a fridge and a stove...right? No because adjacent to the kitchen was another kitchen where the appliances were, apparently the wet kitchen is where you actually cook and the dry kitchen is where you would prep, clean up and store a lot of your kitchen goods. The wet kitchen also had a sink, if only I could knock out the wall that separates them, but it was still nice and renovated. All of the bathrooms were renovated as well and the bedrooms were a nice size. I have moved this house to the top of my list and will be taking Jim back to see what he thinks, we could have a winner!!
After viewing the house, Lina dropped me back at the mall and I went back into Chili's to get some lunch. While I was sitting there I met a couple from England, well not really a couple, they looked more like Grandmother and grandson. I learned that his name was David and hers was Morie. David has visited several times, he says he leaves for 3 weeks and then comes back because he has a "partner" here and Morie just happened to come along this trip. He went on to tell me how this trip for him was disastrous because he found out that his partner has another partner that he didn't know about who happens to be his partner's ex and somehow his partner's ex ex was involved, it became very confusing at one point because that's how he referred to them, the ex, the ex ex etc. I was having such a good time that I lost track of the time and the next thing I knew Jim was texting me asking me where I was. I admit I did get into a little trouble and I can completely understand that he was worried but I really was having a great time with David and Morie. When his partner called to find out where he was (apparently they had a dinner engagement that David missed on account of meeting me) I was truly surprised that he went off on him and said he never wanted to see him again and that he was going back to England and to lose his number! I was secretly cheering him on. See, it's just like back home, drama and miserable people everywhere. David shared with me that he had found someone else on his recent trip and would actually be coming back in 3 weeks, he is considering moving here because his mom died last year and he says that there is nothing for him in England. We made a date to meet again at Chili's 3 weeks from Friday. I may have found my 1st friend in Malaysia.
Monday, March 10, 2008
March 10, 2008
Yesterday I went out with Kenneth from YY Properties and I was really excited at first. We met him on our last visit to KL so I thought for sure that he would have some nice properties for me to view. So after locking Oso up in his kennel I headed down to the lobby to meet him. I waited for half an hour and he wasn't there yet, so I called and left him a voicemail and then I checked my texts ( texting is very big here) and the confirmation said Monday March 12 but it was Monday March 9 so I was confused. I called Jenny in the office just to make sure and she assured me that the appointment was for today. A few minutes later he showed up and was very apologetic about being late, and even though I filled out a questionnaire stating exactly what I was interested in seeing, he had a list of condos for me to view. I did not want to waste anytime looking at condos and he seemed disappointed that I was not interested but with Oso we really want a private yard for him. So he switched to plan B which was let's drive to Bangsar, explore the neighborhoods and look for houses with for rent signs on the gates. Had I been able to drive myself I would not need his help! It wasn't all that bad, I actually had fun, had Kenneth been a girl and named Angela I would have considered it another adventure! So that's what we did for about 2 1/2 hours, I was able to go into a couple because the landlord was onsite and what looked promising from the outside was disappointing on the inside. Kenneth has explained to me that landlords don't put much thought into kitchens and bathrooms because it's not where most locals spend a lot time whereas in the States the kitchen has become a place of gathering. A lot of the fixtures are outdated or just downright primitive. Here partly furnished means that there are airconditioners, kitchen cabinets and light fixtures, unfurnished means a bare unit, fully furnished means that there is some furniture present...not what I was thinking but I'm getting used to it. The hightlight of my day was when we were driving through a neighborhood and I spotted a for rent sign, Kenneth pulled into the driveway and the front door was open so I walked right in. There were some workers in the house and they allowed me to come inside. It was HUGE!!! It was the Malaysian version of a mansion, it had 2 kitchens, marble floors (which I'm not so fond of), chandeliers, a koi pond with a fountain...it was awesome, but definitely out of our price range, it was 12k RM p/month about $3700 U.S. p/month. It was up for sale for 4.5 million RM about $1.38 million U.S.
After that Kenneth suggested a different part of the city called Petaling Jaya. I know that it is closer to Jim's work and because I'm starting to lose hope that we will find anything nice in the Bangsar area, I'm willing to see anything. He shows me a house that is owned by an Indian family, completely detached on a large lot with a fence around it, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths ( well technically 4, there was a bathroom outside for the gardener), the bathrooms were recently renovated and I almost thought we had a winner until I saw the kitchen. Not saying it was bad but it wasn't great, I could possibly work with it. All of the cabinets and countertops were new but there was not oven and only a 2 burner cooktop. The refridgerator was located in the adjoining dining room something that seems to be common here although I can't get used to the idea of going into another room to get something out and the entire kitchen including the walls was tiled with bright yellow and orange patterned tiles, something I'm sure they find decorative but to me overwhelming. I opened one of the cabinets and a gecko jumped out at me, apparently they are everwhere. Now I don't like bugs let alone little lizards running around getting into my spaghetti!! I keep picturing Oso trying to catch them, maybe I should do some research and see if they're poisonous.
After that I came home and looked for some properties in Petaling Jaya and found that the rent is much cheaper than Bangsar and because it's up and coming a lot of the homes are brand new and in gated communities. When Jim finally arrived home from work (yes, he got lost again coming home, he left work at 6 pm and didn't walk in the door until almost 9 pm) he said that if we could find something in PJ he would be a happy man because he knows his way there plus it's closer to work for him. So this weekend we are going to set up some appointments to view some villas, bungalows, and townhouses. Even though I have 2 real estate agents, I find that I'm doing most of the leg work in our house hunt.
After that Kenneth suggested a different part of the city called Petaling Jaya. I know that it is closer to Jim's work and because I'm starting to lose hope that we will find anything nice in the Bangsar area, I'm willing to see anything. He shows me a house that is owned by an Indian family, completely detached on a large lot with a fence around it, 5 bedrooms, 3 baths ( well technically 4, there was a bathroom outside for the gardener), the bathrooms were recently renovated and I almost thought we had a winner until I saw the kitchen. Not saying it was bad but it wasn't great, I could possibly work with it. All of the cabinets and countertops were new but there was not oven and only a 2 burner cooktop. The refridgerator was located in the adjoining dining room something that seems to be common here although I can't get used to the idea of going into another room to get something out and the entire kitchen including the walls was tiled with bright yellow and orange patterned tiles, something I'm sure they find decorative but to me overwhelming. I opened one of the cabinets and a gecko jumped out at me, apparently they are everwhere. Now I don't like bugs let alone little lizards running around getting into my spaghetti!! I keep picturing Oso trying to catch them, maybe I should do some research and see if they're poisonous.
After that I came home and looked for some properties in Petaling Jaya and found that the rent is much cheaper than Bangsar and because it's up and coming a lot of the homes are brand new and in gated communities. When Jim finally arrived home from work (yes, he got lost again coming home, he left work at 6 pm and didn't walk in the door until almost 9 pm) he said that if we could find something in PJ he would be a happy man because he knows his way there plus it's closer to work for him. So this weekend we are going to set up some appointments to view some villas, bungalows, and townhouses. Even though I have 2 real estate agents, I find that I'm doing most of the leg work in our house hunt.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
March 9, 2008
So begins another week in KL. Jim got off to work ok this morning hopefully without getting lost thanks to his GPS on his Blackberry. Today I am off with another real estate agent named Kenneth whom I met last time we were here. He is a pretty easy going, funny guy who likes to negotiate so it should be fun.
Yesterday Jim and I ventured out together in the car and needless to say we did get lost. Not too bad. We were looking for certain stores that we had heard about. Carrefour is a larger grocery store that also sells household goods and electronics and Tesco is like the Malaysian version of a Super Wal-mart. Jim has definitely adapted very quickly on his driving skills. He was speeding, cutting people off and tailgating people on their scooters, all the while telling me that this is how everyone else drives and not to worry. I finally couldn't bear to look out the front windshield and kept my eyes to my side of the road. At one point I thought for sure that we were going to be toast. Jim was trying to pass a city bus as it was trying to merge into our lane and other cars coming up behind us, somehow we ended up not in a lane but in between lanes and then traffic came to a standstill...we almost became a sandwich between a bus and a car!! Later on he admitted that he probably should have not tried to pass the bus-you think!?!
At Tesco it's half and half. One half is like a 1-story stripmall and the other half is Tesco. I was able to find some tank tops and capri pants even though the sizes are not what I'm used to. Everyone here is petite so the pants I bought were XXL and the tank tops were XL. Jim was happy to see that there were some clothes that he could possibly fit. We're thinking of finding a tailor, we hear it's very cheap to have clothes made instead of buying them along with shoes, which I may have to do because the largest size shoe that I found was an 8, not going to work for me unless I buy men's shoes.
After yesterday I am more convinced that it will be a while before I consider learning to drive here, I am content with walking and riding the subway for now. This morning I am having curry flavored ramen. They are ramen crazy here!! In the supermarket there is an entire aisle dedicated to just ramen. You can buy it in bowls, cups, packets, 50 different flavors, in every convenient store they have a ramen counter so you can prepare it yourself, it's like ramen died and went to heaven!! Oh and if I haven't mentioned it yet, McDonalds has McDelivery, you can get your quarter pounder with cheese delivered right to your door 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, except for national holidays. Imagine how fat Americans would be if we had McDelivery!?!
Yesterday Jim and I ventured out together in the car and needless to say we did get lost. Not too bad. We were looking for certain stores that we had heard about. Carrefour is a larger grocery store that also sells household goods and electronics and Tesco is like the Malaysian version of a Super Wal-mart. Jim has definitely adapted very quickly on his driving skills. He was speeding, cutting people off and tailgating people on their scooters, all the while telling me that this is how everyone else drives and not to worry. I finally couldn't bear to look out the front windshield and kept my eyes to my side of the road. At one point I thought for sure that we were going to be toast. Jim was trying to pass a city bus as it was trying to merge into our lane and other cars coming up behind us, somehow we ended up not in a lane but in between lanes and then traffic came to a standstill...we almost became a sandwich between a bus and a car!! Later on he admitted that he probably should have not tried to pass the bus-you think!?!
At Tesco it's half and half. One half is like a 1-story stripmall and the other half is Tesco. I was able to find some tank tops and capri pants even though the sizes are not what I'm used to. Everyone here is petite so the pants I bought were XXL and the tank tops were XL. Jim was happy to see that there were some clothes that he could possibly fit. We're thinking of finding a tailor, we hear it's very cheap to have clothes made instead of buying them along with shoes, which I may have to do because the largest size shoe that I found was an 8, not going to work for me unless I buy men's shoes.
After yesterday I am more convinced that it will be a while before I consider learning to drive here, I am content with walking and riding the subway for now. This morning I am having curry flavored ramen. They are ramen crazy here!! In the supermarket there is an entire aisle dedicated to just ramen. You can buy it in bowls, cups, packets, 50 different flavors, in every convenient store they have a ramen counter so you can prepare it yourself, it's like ramen died and went to heaven!! Oh and if I haven't mentioned it yet, McDonalds has McDelivery, you can get your quarter pounder with cheese delivered right to your door 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, except for national holidays. Imagine how fat Americans would be if we had McDelivery!?!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
March 8, 2008
Well it's Sunday morning and we're well rested from our excursion yesterday. Jim has been posting the last couple of days so I'll fill you in on what I've been doing.
On Friday I met with 1 of my real estate agents, Billie, she is Chinese but born here in Malaysia. She had arranged for me to see some properties in the Bangsar area that we prefer. I found her to be very nice and spunky (if anyone uses that term anymore). The first place I looked at was ok, it was located in a compound specifically for expats and if offered several amenities like swimming pools, restaurant, mini market, squash court (not that Jim and I play) and 24 hour security. The inside was about 1100 sq/f but the bedrooms were on the small side and very close to the living room so if Jim is sleeping he could still hear me in the kitchen banging around. Even though the outside was nice, the inside felt like some sort of government housing and not very homey. I scratched that one off my list immediately. The second place was very nice, about 2000 sq/ft and completely renovated so it was modern and clean although very white. This place also has amenities though not as many as the other place and it had hot water in the kitchen and an oven (something I'm finding out is considered a luxury). It's still in Bangsar but a little bit further away than what we want. The couple of places that I looked at Billie had already gotten a sense of what I liked and as soon as we walked into them, she turned me around and said "NO, this place is not for you!" So out of 4 locations, I only liked one and it was a condo, we really want something like a townhouse so Oso can have some kind of private yard. I had a nice conversation with Billie, she filled me in on the Malay way of life and the rife between Malay and Chinese and I filled her in on the Americans. She has been to L.A. and said that the best time she had was when she was driving the L.A. freeways, something I did not accomplish until after I lived there for over a year. I could see having her as a friend, she seems like she's a lot of fun.
On Saturday, we had an appointment to view a townhouse that we've viewed online and I really had my hopes up because the photos that I've seen were promising. The neighborhood was nice and close to where we want to be and the outside was well maintained with a private yard for Oso. Inside everything seemed nice, only slightly outdated but when it came to the kitchen and bathrooms is when it started going downhill. The kitchen had new cabinets but no oven or hot water and the stovetop was a portable one with only 2 burners. On average I use at least 3 pans when I cook. They say everything is negotiable but I think if I requested a new stove, hot water and a dryer (because there was only a washer present) the price would definitely be increased. It was a big space I think 2300 sq/ft with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths but the only bathroom that I liked was the master bedroom. The other ones were painted funky pastel colors and the fixtures were primitive, like the downstairs bathroom, if you took a shower, the toilet would get wet because it's just a shower head attached to the wall next to it and the other bathroom was a jack and jill style connecting 2 bedrooms but the tile was awful!! No amount of decorating could have improved it. Not to mention that all of the windows that faced the back of the house had bars on them which made me question the safety. As we were leaving we noticed the house next door had a for rent sign on it so I'm going to research it because from the outside it looks as if it would be nicer.
Yesterday was election day here so as we were walking around campaigners were out in full force. Much like at home there are 2 main parties. To put it simply, one is Muslim based and the other is non-Muslim. There are several states so whatever party wins the most states basically controls the country, not surprising the Muslim party won the most states. Jim's boss called this morning to say that even though they won, the opposition actually won more states than expected so there is a slight possibility that there will be some demonstrations and we should stay off of the subway for the next week and if we see a large group of people to walk away, not towards them. I think that I will take this advice seeing as how I haven't registered with the American embassy yet that we are here. I will take care of that within the next couple of days. When I was walking Oso one morning I ran into a lady who was from Texas and she told me where it was. I want to make sure that our government knows that we're here so they know where to find us if they have to!!
We had lunch in a place called the Canteen. When we walked in, if you could picture some dive Mexican restaurant with dark lighting and a dingy bar, but they served seafood, steaks and chicken. Jim got roasted chicken and I got a stuffed fish fillet. This thing looked like a deep fried fish burrito! It was stuffed with cheese, peppers, onions, and tomatoes and it was really good but I think we'll go back there if only for the chicken wings, we didn't get any but someone else had some and they looked delicious. The only other odd thing about this restaurant was when I went to bathroom there was a sign on the back of the door that said "Please do not wear shoes when squatting on the toilet" I don't know if anyone remembers the photos I sent out from our last trip here but there are 2 kinds of toilets, one you can sit on and one you can squat over. Apparently if there is no squatting toilet then there is a drain in the floor with a hose next to it people can use or according to this sign you can mount the toilet and squat over it. Needless to say after reading that sign I'm not putting my bum on any public toilet again!!
We were gone for a while so we came home and walked Oso and later Jim went up to the lounge to watch a rugby game with his new friend Alad who is really from Wales not Australia like Jim said in his last blog, the one with the jealous Chinese girlfriend/wife? who if I never see again will be fine with me. She kept giving me dirty looks because Alad and I were discussing politics, he seems very interested in our presidential election and is actually an Obama supporter. It was nice to talk to an ally however I could have done without all the drama that she brought. I was glad to see her go.
Today I plan on venturing out with Jim in the car. It's the first time I've been in his car with him driving so yes, I will wear my seatbelt!
On Friday I met with 1 of my real estate agents, Billie, she is Chinese but born here in Malaysia. She had arranged for me to see some properties in the Bangsar area that we prefer. I found her to be very nice and spunky (if anyone uses that term anymore). The first place I looked at was ok, it was located in a compound specifically for expats and if offered several amenities like swimming pools, restaurant, mini market, squash court (not that Jim and I play) and 24 hour security. The inside was about 1100 sq/f but the bedrooms were on the small side and very close to the living room so if Jim is sleeping he could still hear me in the kitchen banging around. Even though the outside was nice, the inside felt like some sort of government housing and not very homey. I scratched that one off my list immediately. The second place was very nice, about 2000 sq/ft and completely renovated so it was modern and clean although very white. This place also has amenities though not as many as the other place and it had hot water in the kitchen and an oven (something I'm finding out is considered a luxury). It's still in Bangsar but a little bit further away than what we want. The couple of places that I looked at Billie had already gotten a sense of what I liked and as soon as we walked into them, she turned me around and said "NO, this place is not for you!" So out of 4 locations, I only liked one and it was a condo, we really want something like a townhouse so Oso can have some kind of private yard. I had a nice conversation with Billie, she filled me in on the Malay way of life and the rife between Malay and Chinese and I filled her in on the Americans. She has been to L.A. and said that the best time she had was when she was driving the L.A. freeways, something I did not accomplish until after I lived there for over a year. I could see having her as a friend, she seems like she's a lot of fun.
On Saturday, we had an appointment to view a townhouse that we've viewed online and I really had my hopes up because the photos that I've seen were promising. The neighborhood was nice and close to where we want to be and the outside was well maintained with a private yard for Oso. Inside everything seemed nice, only slightly outdated but when it came to the kitchen and bathrooms is when it started going downhill. The kitchen had new cabinets but no oven or hot water and the stovetop was a portable one with only 2 burners. On average I use at least 3 pans when I cook. They say everything is negotiable but I think if I requested a new stove, hot water and a dryer (because there was only a washer present) the price would definitely be increased. It was a big space I think 2300 sq/ft with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths but the only bathroom that I liked was the master bedroom. The other ones were painted funky pastel colors and the fixtures were primitive, like the downstairs bathroom, if you took a shower, the toilet would get wet because it's just a shower head attached to the wall next to it and the other bathroom was a jack and jill style connecting 2 bedrooms but the tile was awful!! No amount of decorating could have improved it. Not to mention that all of the windows that faced the back of the house had bars on them which made me question the safety. As we were leaving we noticed the house next door had a for rent sign on it so I'm going to research it because from the outside it looks as if it would be nicer.
Yesterday was election day here so as we were walking around campaigners were out in full force. Much like at home there are 2 main parties. To put it simply, one is Muslim based and the other is non-Muslim. There are several states so whatever party wins the most states basically controls the country, not surprising the Muslim party won the most states. Jim's boss called this morning to say that even though they won, the opposition actually won more states than expected so there is a slight possibility that there will be some demonstrations and we should stay off of the subway for the next week and if we see a large group of people to walk away, not towards them. I think that I will take this advice seeing as how I haven't registered with the American embassy yet that we are here. I will take care of that within the next couple of days. When I was walking Oso one morning I ran into a lady who was from Texas and she told me where it was. I want to make sure that our government knows that we're here so they know where to find us if they have to!!
We had lunch in a place called the Canteen. When we walked in, if you could picture some dive Mexican restaurant with dark lighting and a dingy bar, but they served seafood, steaks and chicken. Jim got roasted chicken and I got a stuffed fish fillet. This thing looked like a deep fried fish burrito! It was stuffed with cheese, peppers, onions, and tomatoes and it was really good but I think we'll go back there if only for the chicken wings, we didn't get any but someone else had some and they looked delicious. The only other odd thing about this restaurant was when I went to bathroom there was a sign on the back of the door that said "Please do not wear shoes when squatting on the toilet" I don't know if anyone remembers the photos I sent out from our last trip here but there are 2 kinds of toilets, one you can sit on and one you can squat over. Apparently if there is no squatting toilet then there is a drain in the floor with a hose next to it people can use or according to this sign you can mount the toilet and squat over it. Needless to say after reading that sign I'm not putting my bum on any public toilet again!!
We were gone for a while so we came home and walked Oso and later Jim went up to the lounge to watch a rugby game with his new friend Alad who is really from Wales not Australia like Jim said in his last blog, the one with the jealous Chinese girlfriend/wife? who if I never see again will be fine with me. She kept giving me dirty looks because Alad and I were discussing politics, he seems very interested in our presidential election and is actually an Obama supporter. It was nice to talk to an ally however I could have done without all the drama that she brought. I was glad to see her go.
Today I plan on venturing out with Jim in the car. It's the first time I've been in his car with him driving so yes, I will wear my seatbelt!
Friday, March 7, 2008
The Real March 7 2008
Yesterday completed my first week of work in Malaysia. In my opinion work is work anywhere you go in the world, I have to adjust to some of the idiosyncrisies of Malaysian culture but other than that there have been no problems so far.
Driving to work I corrected the mistake that caused me to become so lost the day before and was doing great and feeling very confident when I knew I only had one more exit to naivigate and I would be at work. I was thinking I was going to get to work in about 25 minutes which is what the cabs had done so I was very proud of myself. However that is when it all went wrong. At the exit I was supposed to take the right fork and instead took the left fork which put me on a road heading out into the boon docks. Highways in Malaysia are not like highways in the US where if you make a mistake you can simply get off at the next exit turn around and go back. In most cases if you get off the highway you can only get on in the opposite direction if you know the local streets and which ones you need to take to get on the highway in the opposite direction. You actually have to look for a U-Turn exit much like they have in Dallas to get on in the opposite direction. So I found one of these and then find the entrance for the highway I had been on before the exit and got on going the correct direction. (No small feat in its own right). So I have reset myself and am coming up to the exit with the fork again and what do I do???? I take the left fork again and have to retrace my steps again. If I could have I would have kicked myself in the butt. I was very frustrated but on the third try I was able to remember to take the right fork and got to work in time to immediately leave for a meeting.
I had lunch at a North Indian restaraunt today and ate an appetizer called pomdom (not sure about the spelling) but they are like Tortilla chips you might get at a Mexican restaraunt only they are "puffier" and I think made of rice. Then we had shrimp and chicken with rice which was very good. Apparently South Indian is much spicier than North Indian. Something Tif and I will have to remember if we decide to go to an Indian restaraunt.
Coming home today was not really a problem. I made one wrong turn but got myself heading back in the correct direction right away. The blackberry I have has GPS navigation on it so this helps out tremendously in knowing whether you are going the right way or not. But it still does stop you from making mistakes since it does not tell you what ramps to take or roads to look for in the map screen. Though I am starting to recognize areas and landmarks so this is going to help with me getting more familiar with the area. Though I have taken so many wrong turns that I also recognize when I have made the same mistake on different days.
We went to a steak place around the corner from our hotel Fri night and it was all right....they cut there prime rib alot thinner than they do in the states. The waitstaff was very friendly and I do not think this is the norm in Malaysia but they hovered around us and were right there when we needed anything. With drinks and everything the bill came to 181 RM which is about 60 dollars so I did not think was bad when you consider I had prime rib, tif had surf and turf and we each had 3 beers.
After dinner we went up and found the lounge in the hotel. There is a pool table, bar, tv and couches in the lounge. It is pretty nice. When Tif and I arrived the only people in the lounge were employees so we started to talking to them and playing pool with them. Then a couple of other guests showed up. One was name Senna I think and he was from Bosnia and June who was from the Phillipines. June was the party animal of the two. Anyway the pool table was not like a US pool table the table was about the same size but the balls were about the size of a raquet ball, the pockets were much smaller and the pool sticks were very thin and the tips were about the diameter of a bic pen. Tif and I lost our first 4 games and then we started playing singles and I went a winning streak. An Australian named Alad (yes a d not an n) arrived with his Asian wife/girlfriend. Alad was very outgoing and fun, I think I will be joining him to watch a rugby match in the lounge at 9 pm tonight. I am hoping he can explain the rules to me so I can use rugby as a surrogate for football. Alad's wife/girlfriend was very clinging but supportive of him while he was playing pool. She hugged him after almost every shot and was hovering around the pool table all the time. After playing Alad started talking to Tif about politics and the US out in the smoking area. I don't think his date liked this very much because towards the end of the evening she came out and wanted the key and wanted to leave. I think she wanted the attention on her. During this time a couple more people came up to the lounge. One was a European biologist who was very quiet and reserved and though I did not talk to him very much he reminded me of what you think about as a Jehovah's witness. Tif will probably talk about the next guy more but I did not catch his name but he was a short stature man who almost looked right out of a comic strip. He had bushy hair, a handlebar mustache and wore suspenders. His walk and his actions were all in line with his appearance. A very nice man but it was like having a caricture walk right off the paper and into the lounge. Tif for some reason starting teaching the bartender spanish. We closed the bar at 11 pm and paid our 200 rm bar tab and we ended our first friday.
Now we are getting ready to head off to look at a town house so you will more tomorrow I am sure.
Driving to work I corrected the mistake that caused me to become so lost the day before and was doing great and feeling very confident when I knew I only had one more exit to naivigate and I would be at work. I was thinking I was going to get to work in about 25 minutes which is what the cabs had done so I was very proud of myself. However that is when it all went wrong. At the exit I was supposed to take the right fork and instead took the left fork which put me on a road heading out into the boon docks. Highways in Malaysia are not like highways in the US where if you make a mistake you can simply get off at the next exit turn around and go back. In most cases if you get off the highway you can only get on in the opposite direction if you know the local streets and which ones you need to take to get on the highway in the opposite direction. You actually have to look for a U-Turn exit much like they have in Dallas to get on in the opposite direction. So I found one of these and then find the entrance for the highway I had been on before the exit and got on going the correct direction. (No small feat in its own right). So I have reset myself and am coming up to the exit with the fork again and what do I do???? I take the left fork again and have to retrace my steps again. If I could have I would have kicked myself in the butt. I was very frustrated but on the third try I was able to remember to take the right fork and got to work in time to immediately leave for a meeting.
I had lunch at a North Indian restaraunt today and ate an appetizer called pomdom (not sure about the spelling) but they are like Tortilla chips you might get at a Mexican restaraunt only they are "puffier" and I think made of rice. Then we had shrimp and chicken with rice which was very good. Apparently South Indian is much spicier than North Indian. Something Tif and I will have to remember if we decide to go to an Indian restaraunt.
Coming home today was not really a problem. I made one wrong turn but got myself heading back in the correct direction right away. The blackberry I have has GPS navigation on it so this helps out tremendously in knowing whether you are going the right way or not. But it still does stop you from making mistakes since it does not tell you what ramps to take or roads to look for in the map screen. Though I am starting to recognize areas and landmarks so this is going to help with me getting more familiar with the area. Though I have taken so many wrong turns that I also recognize when I have made the same mistake on different days.
We went to a steak place around the corner from our hotel Fri night and it was all right....they cut there prime rib alot thinner than they do in the states. The waitstaff was very friendly and I do not think this is the norm in Malaysia but they hovered around us and were right there when we needed anything. With drinks and everything the bill came to 181 RM which is about 60 dollars so I did not think was bad when you consider I had prime rib, tif had surf and turf and we each had 3 beers.
After dinner we went up and found the lounge in the hotel. There is a pool table, bar, tv and couches in the lounge. It is pretty nice. When Tif and I arrived the only people in the lounge were employees so we started to talking to them and playing pool with them. Then a couple of other guests showed up. One was name Senna I think and he was from Bosnia and June who was from the Phillipines. June was the party animal of the two. Anyway the pool table was not like a US pool table the table was about the same size but the balls were about the size of a raquet ball, the pockets were much smaller and the pool sticks were very thin and the tips were about the diameter of a bic pen. Tif and I lost our first 4 games and then we started playing singles and I went a winning streak. An Australian named Alad (yes a d not an n) arrived with his Asian wife/girlfriend. Alad was very outgoing and fun, I think I will be joining him to watch a rugby match in the lounge at 9 pm tonight. I am hoping he can explain the rules to me so I can use rugby as a surrogate for football. Alad's wife/girlfriend was very clinging but supportive of him while he was playing pool. She hugged him after almost every shot and was hovering around the pool table all the time. After playing Alad started talking to Tif about politics and the US out in the smoking area. I don't think his date liked this very much because towards the end of the evening she came out and wanted the key and wanted to leave. I think she wanted the attention on her. During this time a couple more people came up to the lounge. One was a European biologist who was very quiet and reserved and though I did not talk to him very much he reminded me of what you think about as a Jehovah's witness. Tif will probably talk about the next guy more but I did not catch his name but he was a short stature man who almost looked right out of a comic strip. He had bushy hair, a handlebar mustache and wore suspenders. His walk and his actions were all in line with his appearance. A very nice man but it was like having a caricture walk right off the paper and into the lounge. Tif for some reason starting teaching the bartender spanish. We closed the bar at 11 pm and paid our 200 rm bar tab and we ended our first friday.
Now we are getting ready to head off to look at a town house so you will more tomorrow I am sure.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
March 7, 2008
Yesterday, our son Oso arrived. When I went downstairs to get him he was very calm inside his
crate and as soon as he saw me he started whining. The lady who dropped him off was very nice and suggested the name of a vet (who does housecalls) and a kennel should we need one, I thought that was thoughtful, most people in the States would just leave him and be on their way. I found out quickly that the family pet is not as endeared as back home. I have to use the service elevator to transport him in and out of the hotel and if for some reason I have to leave him alone in our apartment he has to be crated, something Oso is definitely not used to. He is the prince of the house, first comes Daddy, then Mommy, then him. He has explored the apartment and has made himself at home, although our apartment is right by the elevators so when he hears someone in the hallway, he becomes protective and makes a little noise, something we have to work on. When I took him out for a walk is when the culture shock set in. I had more stares from walking a dog than wearing a tank top. Some people veered to the right to try and not come in contact with him, some people just crossed the street to avoid him altogether. I am being polite and when I see someone approaching I make him stay as close to me as possible until they pass, but that does not stop the staring. Jim has told me that the locals view a dog as a filthy animal, much like the pig, so disapproval will be high. It makes me feel better though, because if they won't eat pork, then they won't eat Oso...so save your "dinner" jokes. Pets also are not allowed in a lot of areas like a public park...I know! That is the one place you would think would be safe to take Oso. So I can't take him to the park, on the subway, for a walk to the corner store to get milk because I'm afraid to leave him outside, avoid all people walking on the street and lock him up in his own house...poor Oso, he'll survive, he has us.
I will start my house hunting on Friday, I'm so excited! The sooner we can get into a permanent place, the sooner we can get back to normal. We are working on it in stages. Jim is braving driving (even though he got lost going to work this morning) I am tackling the shopping and struggling with the european appliances but am able to produce dinner so far every night. I have 2 real estate agents who I'll be working with. I had to fill out questionnaire's for both so they would know what I'm interested in looking at and where we would like to live. I set up an appointment on my own for Saturday to view a townhouse that we have been interested in since November and chances would have that it is still available and accepts pets. Everything here is negotiable, which is why the office suggests using an agent. Whatever the posted rent is, that can all be changed to include tv, broadband, certain furniture even maid service. I know that we are to be immersing ourselves into the culture but there are some things even I need. Like this morning, I am planning on having fajitas for dinner tonight but they don't sell grated cheese. Even at home I never bought grated cheese because it was more expensive and I could grate it myself but I don't have a box grater here, so I had to improvise. I found that a vegetable peeler works just as well and makes pretty strips and if I want it finer I just chopped up the strips. But at home I would have bought grated cheese. I'm sure that once we get into a neightborhood the grocery stores will offer more selection that Hock Choon market who now recognizes me.
crate and as soon as he saw me he started whining. The lady who dropped him off was very nice and suggested the name of a vet (who does housecalls) and a kennel should we need one, I thought that was thoughtful, most people in the States would just leave him and be on their way. I found out quickly that the family pet is not as endeared as back home. I have to use the service elevator to transport him in and out of the hotel and if for some reason I have to leave him alone in our apartment he has to be crated, something Oso is definitely not used to. He is the prince of the house, first comes Daddy, then Mommy, then him. He has explored the apartment and has made himself at home, although our apartment is right by the elevators so when he hears someone in the hallway, he becomes protective and makes a little noise, something we have to work on. When I took him out for a walk is when the culture shock set in. I had more stares from walking a dog than wearing a tank top. Some people veered to the right to try and not come in contact with him, some people just crossed the street to avoid him altogether. I am being polite and when I see someone approaching I make him stay as close to me as possible until they pass, but that does not stop the staring. Jim has told me that the locals view a dog as a filthy animal, much like the pig, so disapproval will be high. It makes me feel better though, because if they won't eat pork, then they won't eat Oso...so save your "dinner" jokes. Pets also are not allowed in a lot of areas like a public park...I know! That is the one place you would think would be safe to take Oso. So I can't take him to the park, on the subway, for a walk to the corner store to get milk because I'm afraid to leave him outside, avoid all people walking on the street and lock him up in his own house...poor Oso, he'll survive, he has us.
I will start my house hunting on Friday, I'm so excited! The sooner we can get into a permanent place, the sooner we can get back to normal. We are working on it in stages. Jim is braving driving (even though he got lost going to work this morning) I am tackling the shopping and struggling with the european appliances but am able to produce dinner so far every night. I have 2 real estate agents who I'll be working with. I had to fill out questionnaire's for both so they would know what I'm interested in looking at and where we would like to live. I set up an appointment on my own for Saturday to view a townhouse that we have been interested in since November and chances would have that it is still available and accepts pets. Everything here is negotiable, which is why the office suggests using an agent. Whatever the posted rent is, that can all be changed to include tv, broadband, certain furniture even maid service. I know that we are to be immersing ourselves into the culture but there are some things even I need. Like this morning, I am planning on having fajitas for dinner tonight but they don't sell grated cheese. Even at home I never bought grated cheese because it was more expensive and I could grate it myself but I don't have a box grater here, so I had to improvise. I found that a vegetable peeler works just as well and makes pretty strips and if I want it finer I just chopped up the strips. But at home I would have bought grated cheese. I'm sure that once we get into a neightborhood the grocery stores will offer more selection that Hock Choon market who now recognizes me.
March 6 2008
The big event today was that I got my rental car and started driving around Malaysia. The biggest difference between driving in the US and Malaysia is that I tend to drift a bit to the left I believe because I am adjusting to the steering wheel being on the right hand side. You have to be very aggressive driving on the highways and roads becauase otherwise you will not get anywhere and will be trapped in a lane. Another issue is that the levers for the blinkers and windshield wipers are reversed. Many times I went to signal a lane change and instead of the blinkers coming on the windshield wipers came on instead. I still do not know if I got lost on my way home or if traffic was really bad...(I am pretty sure that I got lost) but I found my way home and am excited to try and get to work tomorrow. I was informed when I got the car that if I had an accident that I was to find out if the other driver was going to inform the police and if not than we just drive away and forget about the matter but if the other driver is going to inform the police than I have 48 hours to notify the police as well. Basically as long as the damage is less than 1000 rm than it is better just to fix it yourself and move on because the insurance does not kick in until that amount. The other thing is I have no idea how fast I am going because the speedometer is all in KM/H and I don't know the conversion factor.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
March 4th 2008
Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. I got shown my new office and we talked about what my responsibilities would be in the for the first month. Basically I am to learn the operations and get the contract managers on my side. The office is in a place called Puchong and the main operation for me right now is in Shah Alam. I still feel lost without a laptop or cell phone but that will be rectified on Weds or Thursday.
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday just getting an overview of the operations and how things are done in Malaysia. It is kind of different from the states because here we lease the warehouses whereas in the states the warehouses were always paid for by the clients. The most interesting thing happened today was that I was taken to lunch at an open air restarurant where I ate chicken and rice had some soup which had 2 grey balls in it. I ate them but I still do not know what they were and frankly I really do not want know. They didn't taste bad but they also did not taste like anything I had eaten before.
I will get a car tomorrow so that ought to be very interesting. Will write more about that experience later.
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday just getting an overview of the operations and how things are done in Malaysia. It is kind of different from the states because here we lease the warehouses whereas in the states the warehouses were always paid for by the clients. The most interesting thing happened today was that I was taken to lunch at an open air restarurant where I ate chicken and rice had some soup which had 2 grey balls in it. I ate them but I still do not know what they were and frankly I really do not want know. They didn't taste bad but they also did not taste like anything I had eaten before.
I will get a car tomorrow so that ought to be very interesting. Will write more about that experience later.
Monday, March 3, 2008
March 3, 2008
Ok, so it's really March 4th here, but I've already received flack for not posting anything for yesterday. It was really uneventful for myself, but Jim may have some things that he would like to post. When I got up yesterday I was really sore from all of the exercise from the weekend and I decided to get myself in "domesticated" mode. Jim started his new job this morning so he left around 8 am, I think he got some breakfast first and then hailed a taxi to take him to work, what happened to him you'll have to wait until he posts to find out. I refused service from the maid because really I am organised enough not to have a maid everyday. I always get online first thing in the morning because it is an ideal time to get in touch with everyone back home because it's morning here and nighttime there. Skype is really a wonderful thing especially if you have usage of a webcam. All of the calls are clear, probably clearer than we lived in the States and the best part is that if I call a Skype customer then all calls are free. I have called landline phones and the cost is very inexpensive, about $0.02 p/minute. I talked to my friend Jayson in Chicago for 1/2 hour and it was only $0.60. If I still lived at home I would probably switch all my home phone service to Skype because for only $3 p/month you can make all your domestic calls. Hopefully after that explanation, more people will be convinced to sign up and call me.
So after "reaching out and touching someone" (remember that used to be the slogan for the phone company) I decided that I needed to do some laundry and go grocery shopping for more supplies. The other night I decided to fry chicken for dinner only to discover that even though the hotel supplies kitchen supplies, it doesn't give you things like seasoning, flour, sugar etc. Nothing like pan sauteed chicken with no salt or pepper...YUM!! Let's just say not one of my best dishes. I could get groceries delivered, but on the list you have to indicate quantity and weight and really I'm not familiar with grams vs pounds, so it's just easier for me to go to the store and eyeball it. Eventually I'll know exactly what I'm buying. Because of the size of the appliances here everthing is sold smaller and you have to shop every couple of days because the refridgerator doesn't hold much. Jim had mentioned that maybe there was another grocery store in the opposite direction of where we're staying so I ventured that way. I think I walked about 1/2 mile before I decided that if I did find the store there was no way I was going to haul groceries back that far so I turned around and went back to Hock Choon market. I did find another mall, there seems to be no shortage of them here, and there was a drug store inside where I bought shampoo and soap and out of curiosity I asked the pharmacist about my medications. All of my prescriptions in the States are available over the counter here at very reasonable prices. There are some that you need a prescription for most everything else you don't. Back at Hock Choon I got what I needed, interesting was that when you buy your produce you have to pay for it in the produce department and if it's pork you're looking for there is a special place in the butcher that you have to buy it from. They call it halal, something like kosher, I'm assuming because Muslims don't eat pork and the majority of the population is Muslim they keep the pork separate and only non-Muslims can handle it or even ring it up for you at the register.
On my way back I experienced something familiar. Apparently no matter where you live, construction workers will "cat call" if you're a woman walking by yourself. I was surprised at first and then it dawned on my that any other time I've been out it was with Jim and with his size I can't imagine anyone would be so bold. I got back to the hotel a hot mess so I took a shower and yes, there was hot water. I did some laundry, Jim got home from work about 7 pm and we had dinner and crashed out for the night. Jim will probably add to March 3rd when he gets a chance but for now...peace!
So after "reaching out and touching someone" (remember that used to be the slogan for the phone company) I decided that I needed to do some laundry and go grocery shopping for more supplies. The other night I decided to fry chicken for dinner only to discover that even though the hotel supplies kitchen supplies, it doesn't give you things like seasoning, flour, sugar etc. Nothing like pan sauteed chicken with no salt or pepper...YUM!! Let's just say not one of my best dishes. I could get groceries delivered, but on the list you have to indicate quantity and weight and really I'm not familiar with grams vs pounds, so it's just easier for me to go to the store and eyeball it. Eventually I'll know exactly what I'm buying. Because of the size of the appliances here everthing is sold smaller and you have to shop every couple of days because the refridgerator doesn't hold much. Jim had mentioned that maybe there was another grocery store in the opposite direction of where we're staying so I ventured that way. I think I walked about 1/2 mile before I decided that if I did find the store there was no way I was going to haul groceries back that far so I turned around and went back to Hock Choon market. I did find another mall, there seems to be no shortage of them here, and there was a drug store inside where I bought shampoo and soap and out of curiosity I asked the pharmacist about my medications. All of my prescriptions in the States are available over the counter here at very reasonable prices. There are some that you need a prescription for most everything else you don't. Back at Hock Choon I got what I needed, interesting was that when you buy your produce you have to pay for it in the produce department and if it's pork you're looking for there is a special place in the butcher that you have to buy it from. They call it halal, something like kosher, I'm assuming because Muslims don't eat pork and the majority of the population is Muslim they keep the pork separate and only non-Muslims can handle it or even ring it up for you at the register.
On my way back I experienced something familiar. Apparently no matter where you live, construction workers will "cat call" if you're a woman walking by yourself. I was surprised at first and then it dawned on my that any other time I've been out it was with Jim and with his size I can't imagine anyone would be so bold. I got back to the hotel a hot mess so I took a shower and yes, there was hot water. I did some laundry, Jim got home from work about 7 pm and we had dinner and crashed out for the night. Jim will probably add to March 3rd when he gets a chance but for now...peace!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
March 2, 2008
Well, after the fiasco with the bedsheets last night and a visit from concierge, we got up bright
and early this morning- I mean early, between the 20 hours travel time, arriving at 8 am, realizing that we entirely missed Friday because we're traveling into the future, purchasing cell phones,and getting caught in the daily afternoon downpour, we should have slept for 2 days, but no we we're up before breakfast was being served in the dining room. I made myself a cup of instant Nescafe ( which isn't bad) using an electric tea kettle thingy. You fill it with water, plug it in and in a few minutes you have hot water. The hotel sent us a welcome basket filled with "goodies" such as Coke, Coke Light, water, coffee, coffee mate, crackers, ramen noodles (my favorite), and tons of sugar ( I had to send Jim downstairs to steal every pack of Equal off the tables). One thing that I've noticed here is to ask for something "sugar-free" is unheard of, Coke Light is about the only thing diet that you'll find, that's right Coke, not Pepsi. There is no such thing as skim or 2% milk. So we made our way downstairs to the breakfast buffet and it wasn't bad although I can tell you from our last visit to now, no one knows how to scramble a proper egg, it's either too watery or it's undercooked, the only way to eat it is to pile it up on toast otherwise it will fall right through your fork!
We decided to play our adventure card and ride the subway. Jim has never been on a subway train let alone use public transportation so already I'm thinking today is going to be interesting. We had already located the train station from our walk to find cell phones yesterday so we started there and in true "dumb tourist" fashion tried to figure out where we were going and how to get there. I highly recommend that if you visit Kuala Lumpur and want to try this, there are a lot of websites that offer direction in using public transportation unfortunately we did not think of this before we left. We remembered that we liked the area of Bangsar and luckily one of the stops on the transit line was Bangsar so that's where we started. Most of the subway stations are very clean, they have strict rules: NO: smoking, drinking, eating, chewing gum, littering, or profanity or else it's a 500RG fine. Jim was impressed that it only cost us 2RG each to get to Bangsar considering a cab would have been at least 50RG and it didn't take long to get there. There is a mix of people here, mostly Malays, Chinese, Indian, and a sprinkle of other nationalities and everyone seems nice to one another so we didn't feel like we stuck out like a sore thumb. After our train ride, we purchased a map and decided to take a city bus to Bangsar Village, here is where the modern, not so hard to figure out public transportation ended. There is nothing to tell you what buses take you where and where to catch them at or even the price. We stood at a bus stop and tried to read signs that were posted and if not for the map that we bought I think we would still be standing there with "duh" written all over our faces. We finally got on a bus and it was 2RG each and surprisingly the driver makes change. We made it to Bangsar Village and we walked around and realized that this was the neighborhood that we had dinner in back in October and were able to find the restaurants and bars that we went to. The Village is very popular with expats, foreign visitors, and wealthier natives, there are restaurants, bars, every kind of store imaginable, doctors, clinics, hair salons-everything you can imagine all within a 10 block radius. This is the area that we are interested in finding our permanent home and going there today reaffirmed that idea. We had lunch at an italian restaurant and walked around the neighborhood looking at different properties and then decided to try and figure out how to get back to the train station. We couldn't figure out how to get the same bus that brought us to the Village back to the station to save our lives, again thankfully we purchased a map and we ended up walking back to catch the train. Whenever we decide to return home we are going to be in good shape.
By the time we got back to our hotel we were so hot and sticky that all we wanted were showers...that is until we discovered that there was no hot water in our room. So I call concierge-again-and report this and they say that a repair guy will be up. Jim took a quick, cold shower and I decided to wait. About an hour later, I'm still waiting so I have Jim call concierge and that's when they inform us that there is a switch, it looks just like a light switch, on the wall outside the bathroom that needs to be turned on in order to get hot water, just another one of those things that you would never think "This switch looks important, maybe I'll leave it on" so problem solved. Hopefully concierge will remember me for my charming personality and not the number of times I called because that's not what I'm used to.
Tomorrow is Jim's first day of work and today's exercise has exhausted us so stay tuned, it's only going to get more interesting knowing us.
and early this morning- I mean early, between the 20 hours travel time, arriving at 8 am, realizing that we entirely missed Friday because we're traveling into the future, purchasing cell phones,and getting caught in the daily afternoon downpour, we should have slept for 2 days, but no we we're up before breakfast was being served in the dining room. I made myself a cup of instant Nescafe ( which isn't bad) using an electric tea kettle thingy. You fill it with water, plug it in and in a few minutes you have hot water. The hotel sent us a welcome basket filled with "goodies" such as Coke, Coke Light, water, coffee, coffee mate, crackers, ramen noodles (my favorite), and tons of sugar ( I had to send Jim downstairs to steal every pack of Equal off the tables). One thing that I've noticed here is to ask for something "sugar-free" is unheard of, Coke Light is about the only thing diet that you'll find, that's right Coke, not Pepsi. There is no such thing as skim or 2% milk. So we made our way downstairs to the breakfast buffet and it wasn't bad although I can tell you from our last visit to now, no one knows how to scramble a proper egg, it's either too watery or it's undercooked, the only way to eat it is to pile it up on toast otherwise it will fall right through your fork!
We decided to play our adventure card and ride the subway. Jim has never been on a subway train let alone use public transportation so already I'm thinking today is going to be interesting. We had already located the train station from our walk to find cell phones yesterday so we started there and in true "dumb tourist" fashion tried to figure out where we were going and how to get there. I highly recommend that if you visit Kuala Lumpur and want to try this, there are a lot of websites that offer direction in using public transportation unfortunately we did not think of this before we left. We remembered that we liked the area of Bangsar and luckily one of the stops on the transit line was Bangsar so that's where we started. Most of the subway stations are very clean, they have strict rules: NO: smoking, drinking, eating, chewing gum, littering, or profanity or else it's a 500RG fine. Jim was impressed that it only cost us 2RG each to get to Bangsar considering a cab would have been at least 50RG and it didn't take long to get there. There is a mix of people here, mostly Malays, Chinese, Indian, and a sprinkle of other nationalities and everyone seems nice to one another so we didn't feel like we stuck out like a sore thumb. After our train ride, we purchased a map and decided to take a city bus to Bangsar Village, here is where the modern, not so hard to figure out public transportation ended. There is nothing to tell you what buses take you where and where to catch them at or even the price. We stood at a bus stop and tried to read signs that were posted and if not for the map that we bought I think we would still be standing there with "duh" written all over our faces. We finally got on a bus and it was 2RG each and surprisingly the driver makes change. We made it to Bangsar Village and we walked around and realized that this was the neighborhood that we had dinner in back in October and were able to find the restaurants and bars that we went to. The Village is very popular with expats, foreign visitors, and wealthier natives, there are restaurants, bars, every kind of store imaginable, doctors, clinics, hair salons-everything you can imagine all within a 10 block radius. This is the area that we are interested in finding our permanent home and going there today reaffirmed that idea. We had lunch at an italian restaurant and walked around the neighborhood looking at different properties and then decided to try and figure out how to get back to the train station. We couldn't figure out how to get the same bus that brought us to the Village back to the station to save our lives, again thankfully we purchased a map and we ended up walking back to catch the train. Whenever we decide to return home we are going to be in good shape.
By the time we got back to our hotel we were so hot and sticky that all we wanted were showers...that is until we discovered that there was no hot water in our room. So I call concierge-again-and report this and they say that a repair guy will be up. Jim took a quick, cold shower and I decided to wait. About an hour later, I'm still waiting so I have Jim call concierge and that's when they inform us that there is a switch, it looks just like a light switch, on the wall outside the bathroom that needs to be turned on in order to get hot water, just another one of those things that you would never think "This switch looks important, maybe I'll leave it on" so problem solved. Hopefully concierge will remember me for my charming personality and not the number of times I called because that's not what I'm used to.
Tomorrow is Jim's first day of work and today's exercise has exhausted us so stay tuned, it's only going to get more interesting knowing us.
March 1st 2008
Tif and I arrived in Malaysia today to start our new adventure. It got off to a very good start when all of our luggage arrived, unlike when we went to Shangahai. We were picked up at the airport by Harald, my new boss, and I should have known everything had gone too smoothly. After getting to the parking garage (and let me tell you when they talk about heat and humidity Malaysia has it in spades) and loading up Harald's car with all of our luggage, and yes I had 3 suitcases and Tif only had two, Harald misplaced the coin showing he had paid for the parking. Well unlike in the states where it could have been cleared up fairly quickly this coin must have been an important artifact because it took an exceedingly long time and I think that Harald had to promise his first born to get a new coin but finally we were cleared to leave the parking lot. On our way from KLIA we discussed possible travel options for holidays (just a note Australia although close is still a 10 hour flight from KL) and the difference between Rugby and Australian rules football.
We arrived at Lanson place and checked into our room, which is a very nice 1 bedroom with a full kitchen. The AD of sales, Roweena, even though it was her day off called to see how everything was going and actually came in to see if we needed anything. I thought that was a very nice touch and got our stay off to a very good start. After Tif unpacked everything, a habit she has anywhere we go is to immediately unpack, we wanted to get lunch but the buffet did not start for about an hour so we decided to check out the grocery store around the corner.
Pasraya Hock Choon was a small corner store but it was still an experience. Small carts, narrow aisles and bunch of products we had never heard of before. Tif was able to purchase items for three meals and we picked up some neccessities such has diet coke, snacks and of course beer. Note: beer is very expensive over here.....a 12 pack cost 57 RM which is about 18 US dollars. I will probably have to cut down on my drinking. After that we went back and ate lunch at the hotel. I tried a little bit of everything including noodles called Aglio and Olio. When I tried this I could not believe how spicy it was. Tif looked at me like I was crazy and then I gave her some and she agreed that it was too spicy for her as well.
After resting for a little bit we decided to venture out to Ampang Park to look for cell phones. In my head I thought how hard would it be to get cell phones, well I found out it is not as easy as in the States. We went to several different vendors and tried to understand how the phones work and the pricing plans, there are no contracts only pre paid. After all of these different explanations I just broke down and picked a phone that was reasonbly priced and got 2 50RM cards to start. We will have to wait and see how they work.
After getting back from Ampang park we were quite exhausted and crashed on the couches until ordering dinner through room service. Then I went to bed and that is when I found out that the comforter we had would not cover half my body and there was nothing but a bottom sheet. When I told Tif about this she just started laughing and then called down to the desk to request a sheet. This was delivered and we ended day one.
We arrived at Lanson place and checked into our room, which is a very nice 1 bedroom with a full kitchen. The AD of sales, Roweena, even though it was her day off called to see how everything was going and actually came in to see if we needed anything. I thought that was a very nice touch and got our stay off to a very good start. After Tif unpacked everything, a habit she has anywhere we go is to immediately unpack, we wanted to get lunch but the buffet did not start for about an hour so we decided to check out the grocery store around the corner.
Pasraya Hock Choon was a small corner store but it was still an experience. Small carts, narrow aisles and bunch of products we had never heard of before. Tif was able to purchase items for three meals and we picked up some neccessities such has diet coke, snacks and of course beer. Note: beer is very expensive over here.....a 12 pack cost 57 RM which is about 18 US dollars. I will probably have to cut down on my drinking. After that we went back and ate lunch at the hotel. I tried a little bit of everything including noodles called Aglio and Olio. When I tried this I could not believe how spicy it was. Tif looked at me like I was crazy and then I gave her some and she agreed that it was too spicy for her as well.
After resting for a little bit we decided to venture out to Ampang Park to look for cell phones. In my head I thought how hard would it be to get cell phones, well I found out it is not as easy as in the States. We went to several different vendors and tried to understand how the phones work and the pricing plans, there are no contracts only pre paid. After all of these different explanations I just broke down and picked a phone that was reasonbly priced and got 2 50RM cards to start. We will have to wait and see how they work.
After getting back from Ampang park we were quite exhausted and crashed on the couches until ordering dinner through room service. Then I went to bed and that is when I found out that the comforter we had would not cover half my body and there was nothing but a bottom sheet. When I told Tif about this she just started laughing and then called down to the desk to request a sheet. This was delivered and we ended day one.
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