Once again the weekend rolls around. Actually it's Friday morning and after a session online I realized that I haven't posted anything since Monday. I was able to see my mom on a video call but as I've said before the internet connection isn't great when it comes to phone calls so our visit was brief, good to see her but brief. Jim is going to have to work on that. This week has been close to normal considering we are in another country. The first couple of days I worked on finding a doctor and received good responses from the Yahoo community as well as my new friend Janet who I met last weekend. After Tuesday I was just feeling completely unsociable so I stayed close to home with the exception of going to the grocery store. I played around on the internet and watched tv mostly. I was really happy to find Oprah and the Ellen Degeneres show airs here. They are old episodes of course, probably about 3 months but they're episodes I haven't seen so they are new to me. Because everything on tv is behind here it gives me a chance to watch shows I normally would never have watched in the States. Like right now I'm enjoying the O.C., season 2 of Prison Break which I stopped watching at home because it conflicted with another show I liked, Last Comic Standing, Friends, and How I Met your Mother which Jim and I used to watch and loved but somehow got too busy to watch. So hopefully I won't turn into a couch potato...that is if I had a couch!
Janet had sent me an email earlier this week giving me advice on several things. One that I thought was interesting but never pointed out to me was the use of Hippos. I've mentioned several times about the humidity and apparently you have to take steps against it when it comes to your clothing and shoes. Janet said that when her and her husband moved here originally they lost a bunch of clothes and shoes due to moisture building up in their wardrobes and their things getting moldy so someone told them about Hippos. They are like disposable dehumidifiers, you place them where ever there is danger of something becoming moldy like your closets and cupboards. So I found them at the grocery store and they come in a 3 pack and look like quarts of ice cream. I had to get several because in our bedroom I have 3 wardrobes and in the spare room Jim has 2 plus he keeps his shoes downstairs in a cabinet. But you just put them inside and keep an eye on them and after 2-3 months they should have collected water and you throw them away and replace them with new Hippos. Thanks Janet for the advice because if we weren't made aware of this we would be calling home for everyone to send us new clothes as we can't find anything that will fit us here.
The highlight of my week was getting my new washer/dryer delivered. I told Jim that I was not going to any laundromat to wash clothes especially walking so we bought one last weekend. It's the coolest thing! It's a combo unit which means that it's a washer/dryer all in one. You don't have to wash your clothes and then put them in the dryer, it starts drying when the spin cycle ends. It's great because I can put in a load of clothes and go shopping and when I get back they're dry. This is one thing I will be bringing home with me whenever we move back. I did have a scary moment this week and it involves Oso. The other day when I was leaving the house I noticed that there were pieces of wood leaning up against our security gate on the outside and at first I thought Jim put them there so Oso wouldn't sneak out. Come to find out, our neighbor across the street put them there ( the one with 20 cats and 1 dog ). Jim was leaving one day and the neighbor stopped him to let Jim know that Oso had gotten out of the gate and was in the street, almost got hit by a bus. Instead of getting hit by the bus, apparently the bus just drove over Oso!! So he put up the wood against our gate to prevent Oso from squeezing through again. I was shocked and thankful that Oso had gotten out but wasn't hurt. I was inside the whole time and thought I could trust him out in the front yard by himself so needless to say Oso has lost his priviledges and has to be chaperoned. I haven't had a chance to thank our neighbor but will make a point to go and visit.
The other thing I experienced this week out of the ordinary was the neighborhood fumigation. I was sitting upstairs in our office and I heard a truck go down the street with a guy talking on a bullhorn announcing something but I couldn't understand what he was saying so I ignored it. Several times during the day this happens, usually in the morning there's a truck that just drives down the street honking its horn 3 times as it goes, still haven't figured out its purpose, so when I heard the guy on the bullhorn I didn't pay it much attention. Shortly afterwards I hear this noise and it's loud! So out of curiousity I go look out the window. There is a lot of construction going on the neighborhood, at the mall and also at my next door neighbor, so I just expected to see something related to that. Instead I saw a man walking down the street holding something that looked like a leaf blower and wearing a gas mask. He was blowing white smoke at each house on the block. So I rushed around the house to close all the windows and doors as fast as I could! I made it in time by the time he got to our house and good thing too because before you know it our house was engulfed by white smoke. It looked like the neighborhood was on fire it was so cloudy. I managed to take a video of it but I'm having problems downloading my camera to my computer so as soon as I figure out what's wrong I'll forward it. One thing I thought was weird was that people were actually coming out of their houses instead of staying in and I thought maybe I was wrong in closing all the windows but after I got a whiff of the air I decided that I was right in closing them. There is an issue here with mosquitoes. Sometimes if you get bit you can contract dengue fever which can be fatal if left untreated. Supposedly you get flu like symptoms and there have been more than 26 deaths already this year so I'm assuming that the fumigation is a precaution against dengue fever. Don't worry everyone we are being very cautious especially if we get bit by something which seems to happen often to me.
I have a contractor coming this afternoon to take a look at one of our air conditioner units. Everytime we turn it on, it blows the fuse for the whole house. It's the one in our office so it hasn't been a priority considering the way our house faces we hardly ever get the sun shining directly into the house. Surprisingly if I just turn on all the ceiling fans it stays cool inside so the only time I have an air conditioner on is when we are sleeping at night. Later on tonight we are going to check out a place called Brewballs. I think it's located in Mid-Valley mall ( isn't everything inside a mall ) and Jim found it on the expat website. Hopefully we'll enjoy ourselves and possibly meet some new people to play pool with.
I was able to mail my Dad's package successfully on the third try and it just made me realize how far away from home we really are. There are some things going on at home that I wish I didn't have to miss. My brother Justin in graduating from college soon and my brother Nicholas is being deployed for the 2nd time to Iraq from Germany and he went home to visit with everyone before he leaves. Congratulations Justin and Nick I'll continue to pray for your safety and well being. Until next time...Cheers!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Monday April 21, 2008
Good morning!! or for the majority, good evening. I am up and about today and trying decide what to do with myself this week. I'm about sick of shopping and not really in the mood to wrestle with a local for a cab. So I've decided to turn my efforts to finding myself a doctor. My insurance company doesn't have a list of participating doctor in Malaysia like they do at home, we've actually been told that we will have to pay out of pocket for all medical and then file for reimbursement. This stumps me because I've spoken with our insurance company and have been informed that our Cigna plan currently doesn't cover us outside of the States and that Jim's HR person would have to switch us to Cigna international for coverage. Jim informed HR and was told to pay out of pocket and that HR would file reimbursement forms. To me it just doesn't make much sense, why wouldn't they just switch us to the international plan. I told Jim just imagine if I did in fact get run over by a scooter, how much that would be in hospital bills and then have Cigna deny reimbursement because we're in Malaysia. I guess I just have to trust that HR knows what they're talking about. In the meantime I've been looking for any resources to help me find a doctor and have struck out. So I have to use the public for answers. I have a yahoo account but I only use it to participate in Yahoo answers. You can post questions and the web audience gives you answers. This has come in handy for me because they have a Malaysian forum. Some of the answers I receive are helpful and some are just down right stupid and that's because when you answer questions you receive points which build up so you can reach different levels. Currently I am level 2, I try to answer questions when I know what I'm talking about and I know what it feels like to receive a stupid or rude answer. So hopefully I will get a person out there who thinks like I do.
We had fun this past weekend. From my last post everyone knows that I was able to get my internet hooked up. I do have some problems making phone calls through Skype because sometimes the connection is very slow so when I talk there is like a 10 second delay before the other person hears what I'm saying, so everyone thinks that I've hung up. Jim thinks that installing an external antennae should remedy this problem but one thing at a time. Friday, Astro came out and hooked up our satellite tv so now I have something else besides the internet and reading to help pass the time. We chose several programming packages but I still can't find anything to watch. We'll have to have Astro come back out again because they only installed one decoder box that's in our spare room and once Jim buys his tv for the living room they'll have to install another one plus wire our master bedroom so we can move the smaller tv once we get our bed...how I love moving!!
Friday night we went out to dinner at a place called La Bodega at the mall. It's a spanish style place that mainly serves tapas. I would not recommend going here except to have cocktails and a small bite to eat. Jim thought we would have enough for the two of us but not with our appetites. Later we went upstairs to City Golf, the golf simulator club. I had been inside once before, they haven't officially opened yet but Jim has managed to get to know the staff so they let him in whenever he wants. The simulator itself is pretty cool, Jim was swinging his club and hitting the ball just like he would on the golf course. I took a couple of swings and have to admit that I am pretty terrible, half the time I wouldn't even hit the ball. You won't see me appearing in the LPGA anytime soon!! I'd definitely try it again but with Jim as my teacher it's frustrating and embarrasing. Golf is not easy! I do better playing it on a video game.
Saturday afternoon we were just plain lazy!! We had stayed up late Friday night because after golf we went downstairs to George and the Dragon and closed the place. Jim did get up Saturday to go and check out a golf course he is thinking of joining and then we just laid around, ordered Pizza Hut delivered and rested. We had plans to go to dinner with Jim's boss Harald and his wife Susan who I've met before. Dinner was at the mall at a place called W.I.P. that stands for Work in Progress. The decor is supposed to be like a construction site although it doesn't look anything under construction, it's actually a little chic. The floors are concrete and the walls looked stripped, the staff wear brown overalls with bright yellow shirts and bandanas. The lighting is dark in some places so the waiters wear mining lights on their heads to help you see the menus which are papers on a clipboard. They have 3 kitchens offering different cuisine, one is western, the other asian and lastly indian. Another couple joined us who were friends with Harald and Sue, Barry and his wife Janet who are Australian and this is the second time they have lived in Malaysia. Barry works if I can remember correctly in the oil industry with a German firm. They were a lot of fun and easy to get along with. They enjoy Kuala Lumpur so much that they have bought their home and plan on retiring here. Jan also gave me some tips on how to deal with the people here. All of our food was good, I ordered a North Indian dish that consisted of chicken in a slightly spicy sauce served with rice, a mixture of peas and mushrooms, grilled flatbread, and crisps which are like tortilla chips but I think are made out of rice and are thinner. Jim had vietnamese beef noodles. The only awkward moment and this is one thing that I've noticed is quite common, everyone's food doesn't arrive at the same time. It's like whenever it's done in the kitchen they bring it out and if you order soup or salad you have to specify that you want to have it first otherwise you'll get your main meal and then your soup. After a chat with our waiter everyone finally had their dinner. After dinner we all headed to George and the Dragon and Sue got to watch her soccer team win ( Sue is originally from England and an avid fan as well as a lot of fun to be around ). Eventually everyone left us and once again Jim and I closed the bar after making friends with a guy from Puerto Rico but who also lived in the States, New Orleans to be exact. We exchanged phone numbers and made plans to get together.
Sunday we made the trek back to Ampang to pick up a table that I purchased there but for some reason was never delivered and then came back to Bangsar. We went to Mid-Valley mall to buy a washer/dryer and got a wonderful surprise. We were looking for a place to have lunch and low and behold...a Long John Silvers!!! You can barely find them in the States, never would I have thought I'd find one in Malaysia!! This trip just keeps getting better and better.
We had fun this past weekend. From my last post everyone knows that I was able to get my internet hooked up. I do have some problems making phone calls through Skype because sometimes the connection is very slow so when I talk there is like a 10 second delay before the other person hears what I'm saying, so everyone thinks that I've hung up. Jim thinks that installing an external antennae should remedy this problem but one thing at a time. Friday, Astro came out and hooked up our satellite tv so now I have something else besides the internet and reading to help pass the time. We chose several programming packages but I still can't find anything to watch. We'll have to have Astro come back out again because they only installed one decoder box that's in our spare room and once Jim buys his tv for the living room they'll have to install another one plus wire our master bedroom so we can move the smaller tv once we get our bed...how I love moving!!
Friday night we went out to dinner at a place called La Bodega at the mall. It's a spanish style place that mainly serves tapas. I would not recommend going here except to have cocktails and a small bite to eat. Jim thought we would have enough for the two of us but not with our appetites. Later we went upstairs to City Golf, the golf simulator club. I had been inside once before, they haven't officially opened yet but Jim has managed to get to know the staff so they let him in whenever he wants. The simulator itself is pretty cool, Jim was swinging his club and hitting the ball just like he would on the golf course. I took a couple of swings and have to admit that I am pretty terrible, half the time I wouldn't even hit the ball. You won't see me appearing in the LPGA anytime soon!! I'd definitely try it again but with Jim as my teacher it's frustrating and embarrasing. Golf is not easy! I do better playing it on a video game.
Saturday afternoon we were just plain lazy!! We had stayed up late Friday night because after golf we went downstairs to George and the Dragon and closed the place. Jim did get up Saturday to go and check out a golf course he is thinking of joining and then we just laid around, ordered Pizza Hut delivered and rested. We had plans to go to dinner with Jim's boss Harald and his wife Susan who I've met before. Dinner was at the mall at a place called W.I.P. that stands for Work in Progress. The decor is supposed to be like a construction site although it doesn't look anything under construction, it's actually a little chic. The floors are concrete and the walls looked stripped, the staff wear brown overalls with bright yellow shirts and bandanas. The lighting is dark in some places so the waiters wear mining lights on their heads to help you see the menus which are papers on a clipboard. They have 3 kitchens offering different cuisine, one is western, the other asian and lastly indian. Another couple joined us who were friends with Harald and Sue, Barry and his wife Janet who are Australian and this is the second time they have lived in Malaysia. Barry works if I can remember correctly in the oil industry with a German firm. They were a lot of fun and easy to get along with. They enjoy Kuala Lumpur so much that they have bought their home and plan on retiring here. Jan also gave me some tips on how to deal with the people here. All of our food was good, I ordered a North Indian dish that consisted of chicken in a slightly spicy sauce served with rice, a mixture of peas and mushrooms, grilled flatbread, and crisps which are like tortilla chips but I think are made out of rice and are thinner. Jim had vietnamese beef noodles. The only awkward moment and this is one thing that I've noticed is quite common, everyone's food doesn't arrive at the same time. It's like whenever it's done in the kitchen they bring it out and if you order soup or salad you have to specify that you want to have it first otherwise you'll get your main meal and then your soup. After a chat with our waiter everyone finally had their dinner. After dinner we all headed to George and the Dragon and Sue got to watch her soccer team win ( Sue is originally from England and an avid fan as well as a lot of fun to be around ). Eventually everyone left us and once again Jim and I closed the bar after making friends with a guy from Puerto Rico but who also lived in the States, New Orleans to be exact. We exchanged phone numbers and made plans to get together.
Sunday we made the trek back to Ampang to pick up a table that I purchased there but for some reason was never delivered and then came back to Bangsar. We went to Mid-Valley mall to buy a washer/dryer and got a wonderful surprise. We were looking for a place to have lunch and low and behold...a Long John Silvers!!! You can barely find them in the States, never would I have thought I'd find one in Malaysia!! This trip just keeps getting better and better.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Thursday April 17, 2008
Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!!! I have been without technology for the past couple of days including tv, and today I finally got an internet connection at the house! It feels so good to be able to use my laptop again. This week I have been hanging out at the house and doing what I can with it. I must say that my efforts for pest control have been paying off because I haven't been visited by any "friends", no bugs, no lizards, and no bats at least what I can tell. I'm also getting used to the neighborhood. Like I mentioned before they are doing construction at the mall around the corner so during the day I enjoy the sounds of hammering, drilling and welding. Jim's boss told him about a park around the corner and down the street so I think it's ok for me to take Oso there and let him run around. It's been difficult walking him because people park on the street everywhere and they block the grassy areas where he likes to sniff and mark his territory which is half the fun for him, so the park may be a good alternative.
I have been to the mall a few times for various things, mostly lunch and cocktails with Jim. I've found that most of the stores inside are useless to me and my needs. I mean I don't go shopping all the time for clothes or shoes. There is the grocery store, but until our things arrive I don't really have the tools to cook much. I bought a cheap set of pots and pans and I've figured out how to turn on the stove ( after a good scrubbing, whoever lived here before us must have fried everything because the knobs were caked with grease! ) without blowing up the block but really haven't had a chance to cook a meal yet because Jim has been getting home late almost every night this week. Plus I got paper plates and plastic silverware ( Jim would kill me if I bought another set of dishes ) but there are no tables in the house yet or chairs so there really isn't anywhere to eat comfortably. In due time that all will be forgotten and I'll have my things.
Like I said Jim has been coming home late the last few nights. Tuesday he had a LG function to go to. I think it was like a launch for their new products coming out. He said that they had a Chinese set menu with fish, chicken, soup and various other dishes put out on a lazy susan for each table. They also gave out gift bags, I know what you're thinking, there should have been something cool and electronic inside but no, only a pair of wine glasses. LG doesn't even make wine glasses! He didn't get home until almost midnight and he said when he left the function they were still serving the meal so he didn't get to finish. He had to get up early on Wednesday so that he and his boss could catch a flight to Penang which is in Northern Malaysia. DHL has a warehouse up there that Harald wanted Jim to see and sit in on some meetings. Penang is also known for the tourist that frequent there so I was interested in hearing about what it was like. Because Jim was working, he didn't get to see much and all he really had to say was that there was a lot of water around. I already knew this because I have been researching places we could go for our 2nd wedding anniversary next month. You can take a ferry from Penang to the island of Langkawi which is tropical and filled with resorts. A lot of people go there because of diving spots, snorkeling and of course because the entire island is duty-free so you can stock up on alcohol to bring back with you. I've mentioned before how expensive alcohol is here even at the warehouse. We priced a fifth of Cap'n Morgan and it was around $50 U.S. normally at home it would have been about $23. Because Langkawi is close we'll probably end up there for our anniversary.
Today I am on the hunt for a vet for Oso. He has skin allergies when he's bitten by bugs and lately he's been scratching up a storm. I had heard that you could purchase prescription animal drugs over the counter here but haven't found anywhere. So I think it's just safer to take him to the vet. Problem is, I don't have a car ( and don't care to drive here ) and Oso isn't allowed on the subway or taxis so to take him anywhere has to be walking. He's also stopped eating his dog food so earlier this week I made a batch of ground chicken with rice and peas for him and he's been eating that. Jim says that he'll never eat dog food again. What have I done!!
I'm looking forward to the weekend only because Jim will be here with me. A person can only spend so much time alone. I have been reading a lot and fortunately there is a bookstore at the mall. I got a membership so I can get discounts, I figure I'll be shopping there a lot. I'll catch up with y'all soon. See you!
I have been to the mall a few times for various things, mostly lunch and cocktails with Jim. I've found that most of the stores inside are useless to me and my needs. I mean I don't go shopping all the time for clothes or shoes. There is the grocery store, but until our things arrive I don't really have the tools to cook much. I bought a cheap set of pots and pans and I've figured out how to turn on the stove ( after a good scrubbing, whoever lived here before us must have fried everything because the knobs were caked with grease! ) without blowing up the block but really haven't had a chance to cook a meal yet because Jim has been getting home late almost every night this week. Plus I got paper plates and plastic silverware ( Jim would kill me if I bought another set of dishes ) but there are no tables in the house yet or chairs so there really isn't anywhere to eat comfortably. In due time that all will be forgotten and I'll have my things.
Like I said Jim has been coming home late the last few nights. Tuesday he had a LG function to go to. I think it was like a launch for their new products coming out. He said that they had a Chinese set menu with fish, chicken, soup and various other dishes put out on a lazy susan for each table. They also gave out gift bags, I know what you're thinking, there should have been something cool and electronic inside but no, only a pair of wine glasses. LG doesn't even make wine glasses! He didn't get home until almost midnight and he said when he left the function they were still serving the meal so he didn't get to finish. He had to get up early on Wednesday so that he and his boss could catch a flight to Penang which is in Northern Malaysia. DHL has a warehouse up there that Harald wanted Jim to see and sit in on some meetings. Penang is also known for the tourist that frequent there so I was interested in hearing about what it was like. Because Jim was working, he didn't get to see much and all he really had to say was that there was a lot of water around. I already knew this because I have been researching places we could go for our 2nd wedding anniversary next month. You can take a ferry from Penang to the island of Langkawi which is tropical and filled with resorts. A lot of people go there because of diving spots, snorkeling and of course because the entire island is duty-free so you can stock up on alcohol to bring back with you. I've mentioned before how expensive alcohol is here even at the warehouse. We priced a fifth of Cap'n Morgan and it was around $50 U.S. normally at home it would have been about $23. Because Langkawi is close we'll probably end up there for our anniversary.
Today I am on the hunt for a vet for Oso. He has skin allergies when he's bitten by bugs and lately he's been scratching up a storm. I had heard that you could purchase prescription animal drugs over the counter here but haven't found anywhere. So I think it's just safer to take him to the vet. Problem is, I don't have a car ( and don't care to drive here ) and Oso isn't allowed on the subway or taxis so to take him anywhere has to be walking. He's also stopped eating his dog food so earlier this week I made a batch of ground chicken with rice and peas for him and he's been eating that. Jim says that he'll never eat dog food again. What have I done!!
I'm looking forward to the weekend only because Jim will be here with me. A person can only spend so much time alone. I have been reading a lot and fortunately there is a bookstore at the mall. I got a membership so I can get discounts, I figure I'll be shopping there a lot. I'll catch up with y'all soon. See you!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Monday April 14, 2008
Well folks, last night Jim and I stayed the night in our new home and everything went ok. Even though there aren't many furnishings it's comfortable enough for us, for now. We went through the house thoroughly to make sure that everything worked and that we knew how to work everything and so far with the exceptions of a few burned out lightbulbs and we don't know how to turn on the stovetop, everything looks good. I am still a little spooked by a couple of things however. When I looked at the house for the second time, I noticed creepy crawly critters so I requested that pest control come in and they did but when I turn on a light switch I prepare myself to see something fleeing, so far, haven't seen anything. We do have a couple of reptile friends that like to come and visit. I had to have Jim flush a dead Gecko and shoo away his still alive friend. I'm not scared of the Gecko, after watching so many Geiko commercials who would be? The other thing that sort of terrifies me, and I haven't witnessed it yet, is last night we were sitting on our patio and I was facing Jim when he said "You didn't see that did you?" and at first I thought he was talking about a bug because he knows how terrified I am of bugs. I told him I didn't want to know what it was that I didn't see, but my curiousity got the better of me and I asked anyway. Bad idea!! Jim said that while I was talking to him, a bat flew onto the patio, stopped then flew away. OMG!!!! ( that's Oh My God! for those over 30 ) I am so glad that I did not see it with my own eyes, I would have ran into the house, shut all of the windows and doors, and been completely paranoid for the rest of the night! We also met one of our neighbors last night, she is a Chinese woman and that's about all I know. I asked if she had a cat because there was one in our backyard the other day feeding off of a fallen papaya from our tree, but she said that our other neighbor across the street owns like 20 cats! and it was probably his. Sure 'nuff, Jim was spying on him and Jim said that he saw like 7 cats sitting next to the guy on his couch. So in one night I've discovered that we have our very own zoo in the neighborhood, in addition to the dogs, there's cats, bugs, lizards and bats!! Oh my!
So we decided to stay at the house last night because I was expecting a furniture delivery early this morning and Jim wanted to test how long it would take him to get to work from the new location. When I talked to him, he said it only took him about 15 min. to get there so I'm sure he's happy with that compared to the 45 min to an hour it's been taking him. Oso is still getting used to the fact that there is a yard that he is allowed to go in whenever he wants. Several times this morning I had to tell him to go outside and when I walked back inside he would follow, I'll give that a week, pretty soon I'll have to drag him inside. Down the street from us is an international school and when I woke up this morning it was to the sound of kids. Specifically, there were about 6 teenagers sitting in the alley that runs behind our house and even though I had the windows closed and the air conditioner running I could hear every word they were saying. I'm not too worried about that because right now we are sleeping in the spare room and once we move into the master bedroom we'll be facing the front of the house. Plus I could always get up and let Oso out back so he can bark at them, maybe that will deter them from congregating in the back of our house. But overall we're looking forward to living there and getting settled into a routine of sorts. Jim has already scoped out City Golf which is located in the mall and offers big huge golf simulators so I'll know where to find him on the weekends if not on the golf course. I'm going to join a yoga class and take cake decorating classes so I can improve on my baking skills and when I get back home look for a Tiff's Temptations near you.
Right now I am back at the hotel packing up the last of our things so Jim and I can clear completely out of here by tonight. We have already started the ball rolling to get our tv and internet hooked up. Until I get my internet connection I will probably be off line for a while unless one of the restaurants at the mall offers wi-fi that I can get on. So that means no phone calls, no emails, no instant messaging after today unless you hear from me otherwise. Jim is working on getting it done as soon as possible because he knows right now my computer is my salvation and as long as I'm happy, he's happy!
So we decided to stay at the house last night because I was expecting a furniture delivery early this morning and Jim wanted to test how long it would take him to get to work from the new location. When I talked to him, he said it only took him about 15 min. to get there so I'm sure he's happy with that compared to the 45 min to an hour it's been taking him. Oso is still getting used to the fact that there is a yard that he is allowed to go in whenever he wants. Several times this morning I had to tell him to go outside and when I walked back inside he would follow, I'll give that a week, pretty soon I'll have to drag him inside. Down the street from us is an international school and when I woke up this morning it was to the sound of kids. Specifically, there were about 6 teenagers sitting in the alley that runs behind our house and even though I had the windows closed and the air conditioner running I could hear every word they were saying. I'm not too worried about that because right now we are sleeping in the spare room and once we move into the master bedroom we'll be facing the front of the house. Plus I could always get up and let Oso out back so he can bark at them, maybe that will deter them from congregating in the back of our house. But overall we're looking forward to living there and getting settled into a routine of sorts. Jim has already scoped out City Golf which is located in the mall and offers big huge golf simulators so I'll know where to find him on the weekends if not on the golf course. I'm going to join a yoga class and take cake decorating classes so I can improve on my baking skills and when I get back home look for a Tiff's Temptations near you.
Right now I am back at the hotel packing up the last of our things so Jim and I can clear completely out of here by tonight. We have already started the ball rolling to get our tv and internet hooked up. Until I get my internet connection I will probably be off line for a while unless one of the restaurants at the mall offers wi-fi that I can get on. So that means no phone calls, no emails, no instant messaging after today unless you hear from me otherwise. Jim is working on getting it done as soon as possible because he knows right now my computer is my salvation and as long as I'm happy, he's happy!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sunday April 13, 2008
I am pleased to announce that I have keys again!! Weird thing, everyone has a set of keys for something, either your car, home, garage, storage shed-something, well I haven't had a set of keys since I left home. You never really think much about keys until you can't find them and then all hell breaks loose and panic sets in either because you're going to be late getting somewhere or you're locked out of something. Me, I was feeling loss of ownership. I didn't lose my keys, I had to give them up so in a sense I didn't have those things anymore, no car, no house, no garage, not even a storage shed. I now have a set of keys to my house and it feels wonderful!! Now it's going to take some readjusting to having them again, even right now I'm not sure where they are, either in the bottom of my purse or in the car. No worries, Jim has a set too. Never ever would I associate keys with a security blanket, but just try not having any and see what gypsies feel like.
With that said, we have taken occupancy of our house, even though we haven't fully moved in yet. As previously mentioned, our container has not arrived and is not due to arrive until somewhere around April 29th. So in the meantime, the last couple of days we have been moving the items that I've purchased into the house including having deliveries of the big furniture pieces. I am more convinced now that we chose the right place in the right neighborhood. The house is going to be very comfortable for us and Oso, he's already explored the neighborhood. Yesterday as I was attempting to record another short video of the interior of the house I turned around toward the security gate and who did I see on the other side of the gate? The dog! Somehow he managed to squeeze himself under it and decided he was free! I was barefoot so I scrambled to find my shoes, find the keys so I could get out of the gate, and find his leash. I got outside and saw him down the hill so I called his name and ran after him, well he was ducking and dodging me in between cars and I'm looking and looking. A Chinese guy pulled up in his car and asked if I was looking for my dog ( you think?!, I am running down the street holding a leash in my hand! ) He tells me that Oso ran back towards the house, back up the hill so I head that way and I still don't see him. I get back to the house and I call his name and here comes the little bugger running out of the kitchen and outside like he didn't do anything wrong. At least he had enough sense to know that he did and he should probably get back home. We're going to have to do some training so he knows that he's not allowed outside the gate without his Mommy.
Even though we don't have all of our things we are going to "rough" it anyway until they arrive. So we are preparing to check out of the hotel by Tuesday. By "roughing" it, I mean we're going to have to eat out until I get my dishes and pots and pans, not sure when our satellite tv will be installed, not sure when my internet access will be available and there's not a chair in the house to sit on, only the bed in the spare room. I'll fix that problem today when I go get some chairs. I'll be sending off the short video soon so Angela, Keith, you can preview your room and let me know if I need to do any changes to it. I think once I'm done putting my final touches on the decorating that it will be a very stylish, comfortable home. Well I have to pry Jim away from the replay of the Masters so we can get some stuff done before Tuesday. Until next time...
With that said, we have taken occupancy of our house, even though we haven't fully moved in yet. As previously mentioned, our container has not arrived and is not due to arrive until somewhere around April 29th. So in the meantime, the last couple of days we have been moving the items that I've purchased into the house including having deliveries of the big furniture pieces. I am more convinced now that we chose the right place in the right neighborhood. The house is going to be very comfortable for us and Oso, he's already explored the neighborhood. Yesterday as I was attempting to record another short video of the interior of the house I turned around toward the security gate and who did I see on the other side of the gate? The dog! Somehow he managed to squeeze himself under it and decided he was free! I was barefoot so I scrambled to find my shoes, find the keys so I could get out of the gate, and find his leash. I got outside and saw him down the hill so I called his name and ran after him, well he was ducking and dodging me in between cars and I'm looking and looking. A Chinese guy pulled up in his car and asked if I was looking for my dog ( you think?!, I am running down the street holding a leash in my hand! ) He tells me that Oso ran back towards the house, back up the hill so I head that way and I still don't see him. I get back to the house and I call his name and here comes the little bugger running out of the kitchen and outside like he didn't do anything wrong. At least he had enough sense to know that he did and he should probably get back home. We're going to have to do some training so he knows that he's not allowed outside the gate without his Mommy.
Even though we don't have all of our things we are going to "rough" it anyway until they arrive. So we are preparing to check out of the hotel by Tuesday. By "roughing" it, I mean we're going to have to eat out until I get my dishes and pots and pans, not sure when our satellite tv will be installed, not sure when my internet access will be available and there's not a chair in the house to sit on, only the bed in the spare room. I'll fix that problem today when I go get some chairs. I'll be sending off the short video soon so Angela, Keith, you can preview your room and let me know if I need to do any changes to it. I think once I'm done putting my final touches on the decorating that it will be a very stylish, comfortable home. Well I have to pry Jim away from the replay of the Masters so we can get some stuff done before Tuesday. Until next time...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Wednesday April 9,2008
The word that describes this week so far is frustrating. Frustrating on many different levels, mainly because I'm realizing that certain little things are done differently here than what I'm used to back at home, things that I've probably taken for granted. When I tell you all how my week has been I am expecting no sympathy, I'm not expecting anyone to be surprised. All of my incidents are pretty insignificant but nonetheless has contributed to my frustrations.
On Monday since I figured out how to get to IKEA by subway that was the plan. I had read on their website that they also offered a free shuttle bus from the subway station directly to the store. So I had to take the subway to the end of the line to Kelana Jaya a little further away than Bangsar, in total it probably took me 30 min. to get there...not bad. So I find the stop where the shuttle picks you up and I wait...and wait...and wait. Finally I hailed a taxi because whenever you need one, there's one there to pick you up. Ikea is quite a distance from the subway station so the taxi driver was happy to take me. I already had a list compiled from me and Jim's previous visit and I was ready to buy!! That is until it dawned on me that everything is self-pick and I was getting things like a desk, chair, lamps, rugs, matress set etc. So I asked someone regarding home delivery only to be told that I would still have to self-pick everything that I wanted, pay for it, then take it to the home delivery desk and make arrangements. I left the store. I spent 2 hours in there and was not in a good mood when I left. I found the free shuttle bus to take me back to the subway and I waited...and waited...and waited. Apparently the bus only departs once an hour and vice versa if you're at the subway station. I made a mental note of the schedule so the next time I go I will plan my trip accordingly, either that or bring a book.
On the way home I stopped at a stand in the subway station to buy a prepaid cell phone card. I still had money on my phone but for some reason every 30 days you have to buy more whether you need it or not otherwise you won't be able to make phone calls or send text messages. You can still receive calls but that's it. I got a card for 30 RM and as I was walking home, Jim spotted me while he was sitting at a red light and gave me a ride the rest of the way. I looked at the card that they gave me which has a label on it that you scratch away and it reveals a code that you have to enter in order to redeem your credit, ok, no problem. However the rest of the instructions were in Malay so after an hour of cussing, getting my phone barred and locked by the company for entering the code incorrectly, talking with customer service, and surfing the Hotlink website, I finally figured out what it was I was supposed to do. I will definitely remember this bit of information because in 30 days I'll have to do it all over again.
Tuesday I went to Ampang Point for 2 reasons. One was to go back and speak with guy I met last week about an area rug I wanted for our living room and the other was to find the Post office to mail some packages. First of all let me tell you that it took me 2 days to figure out where the post office was located. It took some creativity searching their website for locations. Attention!! Malaysia needs web designers!! Now my extent of speaking Malay is limited to street signs but it hasn't been a problem since everywhere I go most people speak English. This was not the case at the post office, every sign in the place was in Malay and I swear it took me 5 minutes to figure out how and where to get a number so I could wait my turn. My number was 1340 and they were on 1285, there weren't even that many people in the post office! So I sat down and I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally my turn! I go to the window, which isn't big enough to fit my packages through, and I tell the lady I want to ship to the U.S., now my things are in boxes with the addresses just like home, but she tells me that I can not ship unless the packages are wrapped in paper. AAAGGHHHH!!!! I ask if she has paper I can buy-Nope, I ask if she knows of any place in the mall where I can buy-Nope, AAAGGHHHH!! So I leave, packages in hand. I go to the carpet store and the owner does not have the rug that I want, but he does have it at the warehouse and could I come back tomorrow?AAAGGHHHH!!! Sure, why not, I have to come back anyway with my brown paper wrapped boxes!
Which brings us to today. I get up, go downstairs, I have the porter call for a cab for me so I can go back to Ampang Point, packages in tow. The reason I had a porter call for me is because had I gone to the street and gotten my own cab, I probably would have had to stop 4 taxis before someone agreed to take me. I have been to Ampang Point several time and have never paid the same fare either time. Some taxis have meters, some don't and those you have to negotiate the fare before you leave. Even the ones with meters have charged me different prices even though they always pick me up in the same place and drop me in the same place. I never tip any of them because I figure they're making money off of me somehow, someway. The guy has my carpet and previously he has offered to deliver it for me, not today, he convinces me that he can fold up a 10'x7' rug and it can be easily carried on top of raising the price 100 RM from his previous offer, something about different material than the others...whatever. I want to pay credit and he's constantly asking me to give him part cash that way he can avoid bank fees, sorry buddy, you screwed me, this is my way of getting you back! He made some rude comment about Americans which I didn't pay attention to so, I left, carrying my 10'x7' rug and my nicely brown paper wrapped packages...not fun! So back at the post office, I take a number, I've been through this before, luckily not that many people are waiting and my turn comes fairly quickly-Score one for the Tifster! This time there are no problems until I gave the lady my second package. Their server was down so anything over 2 kg they can not process AAAGGHHHH!! So I left. with my 10'x7' rug minus one package, got refused twice by cabbies, the afternoon downpour started, got overcharged by the taxi driver who finally agreed to take me and so ended my day...until
Jim came home and said he was contacted by our movers and apparently our container has not arrived yet, it's somewhere in China, which means that it hasn't cleared customs, which means that when we move into our house this weekend we will only have the things that I have purchased so far, AAAGGHHHH!!! This should be ok since I did buy a bedroom set for our spare room but I'm putting money on something happening to that delivery!
On Monday since I figured out how to get to IKEA by subway that was the plan. I had read on their website that they also offered a free shuttle bus from the subway station directly to the store. So I had to take the subway to the end of the line to Kelana Jaya a little further away than Bangsar, in total it probably took me 30 min. to get there...not bad. So I find the stop where the shuttle picks you up and I wait...and wait...and wait. Finally I hailed a taxi because whenever you need one, there's one there to pick you up. Ikea is quite a distance from the subway station so the taxi driver was happy to take me. I already had a list compiled from me and Jim's previous visit and I was ready to buy!! That is until it dawned on me that everything is self-pick and I was getting things like a desk, chair, lamps, rugs, matress set etc. So I asked someone regarding home delivery only to be told that I would still have to self-pick everything that I wanted, pay for it, then take it to the home delivery desk and make arrangements. I left the store. I spent 2 hours in there and was not in a good mood when I left. I found the free shuttle bus to take me back to the subway and I waited...and waited...and waited. Apparently the bus only departs once an hour and vice versa if you're at the subway station. I made a mental note of the schedule so the next time I go I will plan my trip accordingly, either that or bring a book.
On the way home I stopped at a stand in the subway station to buy a prepaid cell phone card. I still had money on my phone but for some reason every 30 days you have to buy more whether you need it or not otherwise you won't be able to make phone calls or send text messages. You can still receive calls but that's it. I got a card for 30 RM and as I was walking home, Jim spotted me while he was sitting at a red light and gave me a ride the rest of the way. I looked at the card that they gave me which has a label on it that you scratch away and it reveals a code that you have to enter in order to redeem your credit, ok, no problem. However the rest of the instructions were in Malay so after an hour of cussing, getting my phone barred and locked by the company for entering the code incorrectly, talking with customer service, and surfing the Hotlink website, I finally figured out what it was I was supposed to do. I will definitely remember this bit of information because in 30 days I'll have to do it all over again.
Tuesday I went to Ampang Point for 2 reasons. One was to go back and speak with guy I met last week about an area rug I wanted for our living room and the other was to find the Post office to mail some packages. First of all let me tell you that it took me 2 days to figure out where the post office was located. It took some creativity searching their website for locations. Attention!! Malaysia needs web designers!! Now my extent of speaking Malay is limited to street signs but it hasn't been a problem since everywhere I go most people speak English. This was not the case at the post office, every sign in the place was in Malay and I swear it took me 5 minutes to figure out how and where to get a number so I could wait my turn. My number was 1340 and they were on 1285, there weren't even that many people in the post office! So I sat down and I waited...and waited...and waited. Finally my turn! I go to the window, which isn't big enough to fit my packages through, and I tell the lady I want to ship to the U.S., now my things are in boxes with the addresses just like home, but she tells me that I can not ship unless the packages are wrapped in paper. AAAGGHHHH!!!! I ask if she has paper I can buy-Nope, I ask if she knows of any place in the mall where I can buy-Nope, AAAGGHHHH!! So I leave, packages in hand. I go to the carpet store and the owner does not have the rug that I want, but he does have it at the warehouse and could I come back tomorrow?AAAGGHHHH!!! Sure, why not, I have to come back anyway with my brown paper wrapped boxes!
Which brings us to today. I get up, go downstairs, I have the porter call for a cab for me so I can go back to Ampang Point, packages in tow. The reason I had a porter call for me is because had I gone to the street and gotten my own cab, I probably would have had to stop 4 taxis before someone agreed to take me. I have been to Ampang Point several time and have never paid the same fare either time. Some taxis have meters, some don't and those you have to negotiate the fare before you leave. Even the ones with meters have charged me different prices even though they always pick me up in the same place and drop me in the same place. I never tip any of them because I figure they're making money off of me somehow, someway. The guy has my carpet and previously he has offered to deliver it for me, not today, he convinces me that he can fold up a 10'x7' rug and it can be easily carried on top of raising the price 100 RM from his previous offer, something about different material than the others...whatever. I want to pay credit and he's constantly asking me to give him part cash that way he can avoid bank fees, sorry buddy, you screwed me, this is my way of getting you back! He made some rude comment about Americans which I didn't pay attention to so, I left, carrying my 10'x7' rug and my nicely brown paper wrapped packages...not fun! So back at the post office, I take a number, I've been through this before, luckily not that many people are waiting and my turn comes fairly quickly-Score one for the Tifster! This time there are no problems until I gave the lady my second package. Their server was down so anything over 2 kg they can not process AAAGGHHHH!! So I left. with my 10'x7' rug minus one package, got refused twice by cabbies, the afternoon downpour started, got overcharged by the taxi driver who finally agreed to take me and so ended my day...until
Jim came home and said he was contacted by our movers and apparently our container has not arrived yet, it's somewhere in China, which means that it hasn't cleared customs, which means that when we move into our house this weekend we will only have the things that I have purchased so far, AAAGGHHHH!!! This should be ok since I did buy a bedroom set for our spare room but I'm putting money on something happening to that delivery!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Monday April 7, 2008
Hey y'all!! Just having my Monday morning coffee enjoying listening to the sounds outside. As usual it's sunny and humid but the birds are chirping rather loudly today. If it wasn't for the sounds of the cars and motorbikes I would think I was in a Disney film. We found out late last week that our things would be arriving into port early so I was happy about that. Everything still has to pass through customs which I don't see any problems with. The only thing that concerns me is Jim's sports collection. Anyone who has ever visited us knows that he has an extensive collection of sports "dolls" and memorabilia ( he likes to call them action figures ). He has about a total of 140 figurines and I'm afraid that the Malaysian government will think that he is importing them to sell and tax us on them. It's a slight possibility one that hopefully will not happen. We were hoping that since our things arrived earlier that we would be able to move earlier but that's not the case. The landlord did not start to do the work I requested on the house until he received the deposit which wasn't until the end of last week. So now hopefully when we get the keys later on this week, our stuff will also be delivered on the same day. I have managed to shop and buy most of the larger items that we will need. I got a bedroom set for the spare room, some end tables for the living room and bedside tables for our room. This past weekend I bought a new patio set which was a first for me. Not that I've never bought a patio set before but when I picked out the one that I wanted, I was told it would take 3 weeks for delivery, little did I know that it would have to be custom made! I had to pick out the color for the rattan and fabric for the seat cushions. Needless to say I've never had a custom made patio set before and the cost wasn't bad at all, around $400 U.S. for everything including delivery. So now Jim has to get on the ball and get us some tv's and washer/dryer.
So that's what we did on Saturday, Jim was in a good mood because he finally got to play golf with his boss on Friday. No, he did not let Harald win. He didn't play great but he did beat out his two other contenders. Funny thing, I noticed this in Shanghai too, all the golf courses have caddies and they are all female. Jim said on one hole he asked his caddie for a certain iron and she just looked at him like he was out of his mind for choosing that particular one, so he went with her advice and still overshot the hole but just not as badly as he would have had he gone with his first choice. Maybe if he has a caddie all the time, he might improve his game...look out Keith, Brian, Ric, and Clarkie!!
Sunday, Jim got up really early so he could watch NCAA basketball and we had a lazy afternoon watching more B movies before we decided to get motivated. Jim wanted to drive to Bangsar and test out his "divedar", his knack for being able to locate hole in the wall bars to hang out in on a regular basis. I knew that George and the Dragon wouldn't be his normal place after we hung out there one Friday night. So after getting lost for a little bit we ended up in Bangsar Village, the area down the hill from our new house and we looked for a place to have dinner. There is a culinary row here called One Bangsar and it has a variety of restaurants to choose from: Japanese, Vietnamese, N. Indian, Moroccon, French, Italian, Arabian etc. We chose to eat at the Italian restaurant Vincenzo's because we've had a craving for lasagna. I'm not able to make it where we are now for lack of a lasagna pan. It was pretty good, they were individual casserole lasagna and we also had our first "chunky" soup. Most of the soups here don't have chunks of vegetables or meat, it's just more like flavored broth or creamy broth. We sat outside since it had just finished raining and it was cool, still humid, but cool.
After dinner we put Jim's divedar to the test. There were restaurants and pubs all around all having happy hour but nothing sparked Jim's attention until we came across a place called The School. Not sure what the owner was going for when it came to a theme of the place. It was like part dance club, part sports bar. It was very dark with blacklights but then had gates up that looked like batting cages and a couple of pool tables. I honestly don't think Jim would have given it a second look if it hadn't been for the little Chinese girl who approached him on the street telling him about the happy hour specials. So we went in and popped a spot at the bar and as I tried to order a couple of beers, Jim got money for the pool table. We actually recognized someone from our last trip to Bangsar Village and Jim started to talk to him. As I'm talking to the Chinese girl, something catches my eye, and I immediately get goosebumps, I have a phobia of bugs, ANY kind, ANY size, ANY shape, ANY color, you get what I mean. Now I don't care where you live, where you visit, a roach is a roach is roach and I spied a baby roach crawling right on the bar top as I'm talking. The girl sees it too and does not react at all. I calmly picked up a coaster and flicked it away from me. I didn't freak out, just got it away from me. I can handle seeing one. Jim comes back and I tell him about it, I look down and there is another one! He kills it and then starts to play pool. Right next to us is a like a desk-top lamp and I can see that there is more movement at the bottom of the lamp so I walk away, to me if I can't see it then I can't be afraid of it. Jim walks back over to it and another waiter comes up to him and when he does Jim is killing another roach so the guys solution to the bugs is...wait for it...to turn the light OFF!! I'm sorry but isn't the darkness supposed to draw them out! not make them go away! We finished playing pool and left. Jim says that The School is a possibility for a hangout but I'm not going back unless I bring a can of Raid with me. I still felt like something was crawling on me hours later. I've been in some seedy places but nothing ever like that!
We headed home after that but not before a woman gave me flyer for a spa treatment. I don't know how many of you watch Ugly Betty but there was one episode where Wilamena (sp?) played by Vanessa Williams is trying to whoo Daniels' father Mr. Mead and she finds out that he has a foot fetish. So she hears about these fish that nibble at the dead skin on your feet to make them smooth and soft, well the flyer I got is for the nibbling fish. I'm definitely going to try it out!! It's called Garra rufa Fish Therapy, soothe your "sole". The Doctor fish, as they're normally called are found in the river basins of Northern and Central Middle East, mainly Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran and the treatment has been around for over a century. Basicly you put your feet in a warm pool and the finned 'staff' exfoliate your feet, of course there is a filtering system for the pool and the water is changed daily. I can't wait! And it's pretty cheap, for 1/2 hour it's 38 RM, a little over $10 or for an hour 72 RM or $22. That will be another post at a later date.
Hope everyone has a great week, See you!!
So that's what we did on Saturday, Jim was in a good mood because he finally got to play golf with his boss on Friday. No, he did not let Harald win. He didn't play great but he did beat out his two other contenders. Funny thing, I noticed this in Shanghai too, all the golf courses have caddies and they are all female. Jim said on one hole he asked his caddie for a certain iron and she just looked at him like he was out of his mind for choosing that particular one, so he went with her advice and still overshot the hole but just not as badly as he would have had he gone with his first choice. Maybe if he has a caddie all the time, he might improve his game...look out Keith, Brian, Ric, and Clarkie!!
Sunday, Jim got up really early so he could watch NCAA basketball and we had a lazy afternoon watching more B movies before we decided to get motivated. Jim wanted to drive to Bangsar and test out his "divedar", his knack for being able to locate hole in the wall bars to hang out in on a regular basis. I knew that George and the Dragon wouldn't be his normal place after we hung out there one Friday night. So after getting lost for a little bit we ended up in Bangsar Village, the area down the hill from our new house and we looked for a place to have dinner. There is a culinary row here called One Bangsar and it has a variety of restaurants to choose from: Japanese, Vietnamese, N. Indian, Moroccon, French, Italian, Arabian etc. We chose to eat at the Italian restaurant Vincenzo's because we've had a craving for lasagna. I'm not able to make it where we are now for lack of a lasagna pan. It was pretty good, they were individual casserole lasagna and we also had our first "chunky" soup. Most of the soups here don't have chunks of vegetables or meat, it's just more like flavored broth or creamy broth. We sat outside since it had just finished raining and it was cool, still humid, but cool.
After dinner we put Jim's divedar to the test. There were restaurants and pubs all around all having happy hour but nothing sparked Jim's attention until we came across a place called The School. Not sure what the owner was going for when it came to a theme of the place. It was like part dance club, part sports bar. It was very dark with blacklights but then had gates up that looked like batting cages and a couple of pool tables. I honestly don't think Jim would have given it a second look if it hadn't been for the little Chinese girl who approached him on the street telling him about the happy hour specials. So we went in and popped a spot at the bar and as I tried to order a couple of beers, Jim got money for the pool table. We actually recognized someone from our last trip to Bangsar Village and Jim started to talk to him. As I'm talking to the Chinese girl, something catches my eye, and I immediately get goosebumps, I have a phobia of bugs, ANY kind, ANY size, ANY shape, ANY color, you get what I mean. Now I don't care where you live, where you visit, a roach is a roach is roach and I spied a baby roach crawling right on the bar top as I'm talking. The girl sees it too and does not react at all. I calmly picked up a coaster and flicked it away from me. I didn't freak out, just got it away from me. I can handle seeing one. Jim comes back and I tell him about it, I look down and there is another one! He kills it and then starts to play pool. Right next to us is a like a desk-top lamp and I can see that there is more movement at the bottom of the lamp so I walk away, to me if I can't see it then I can't be afraid of it. Jim walks back over to it and another waiter comes up to him and when he does Jim is killing another roach so the guys solution to the bugs is...wait for it...to turn the light OFF!! I'm sorry but isn't the darkness supposed to draw them out! not make them go away! We finished playing pool and left. Jim says that The School is a possibility for a hangout but I'm not going back unless I bring a can of Raid with me. I still felt like something was crawling on me hours later. I've been in some seedy places but nothing ever like that!
We headed home after that but not before a woman gave me flyer for a spa treatment. I don't know how many of you watch Ugly Betty but there was one episode where Wilamena (sp?) played by Vanessa Williams is trying to whoo Daniels' father Mr. Mead and she finds out that he has a foot fetish. So she hears about these fish that nibble at the dead skin on your feet to make them smooth and soft, well the flyer I got is for the nibbling fish. I'm definitely going to try it out!! It's called Garra rufa Fish Therapy, soothe your "sole". The Doctor fish, as they're normally called are found in the river basins of Northern and Central Middle East, mainly Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran and the treatment has been around for over a century. Basicly you put your feet in a warm pool and the finned 'staff' exfoliate your feet, of course there is a filtering system for the pool and the water is changed daily. I can't wait! And it's pretty cheap, for 1/2 hour it's 38 RM, a little over $10 or for an hour 72 RM or $22. That will be another post at a later date.
Hope everyone has a great week, See you!!
Friday, April 4, 2008
None in particular
I have a friend in Cali whose life has come to a standstill and anyone out there who possibly believes in the power of prayer, I call upon you to pray for her, Yvonne, to pull her through and to help her family especially in their time of need. I firmly believe that everyone has Angels and most of the time they are just waiting patiently for us to call upon them for their help and guidance. So send your Angels to Yvonne in California, they'll know who you're praying for, and ask them to help bring her back to her family who is anxiously waiting for her. Ask to give her family strength to bring them together, united to help their mother since they are in so much need. So shall you ask for it, it will be done, Amen. Thanks...-T.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
April 3, 2008
Today's topic is interesting things I've read in the newspaper.
On April Fools Day, a man who has 2 wives received a summons to appear in court for divorce. He thought it was a joke but went to court anyway. Both his wives filed for divorce and were serious. They lived next door to one another and he in anothe house down the street. He has 4 kids by the first wife which he has been married to for 22 years. He has 2 kids by the second wife who he has been married to for 16 years. He also married a third woman and had another child by her back in 2004. The reason why this is interesting is because it is the first recorded double divorce in Malay history. The judge granted both motions for divorce contingent on and I quote: "He gave them an "eda" timeline of three months so that they could have their menstrual periods, as was required in such proceedings and to attempt reconciliation" Apparently it is a requirement of divorce for women to have their periods before the divorce is final. Why? Not sure, I can only speculate, either to make sure she is not pregnant with the husband's baby or pregnant by someone else which I'm sure if this is the case there will be other consequences.
Also on April 2, there were heavy thunderstorms. The newspaper reported flooding in a lot of areas and also there were stories of hailstorms. Now everyone knows how hot it is here and I just can't imagine balls of ice landing anywhere. One lady ran outside and collected them to eat because she heard that it was healthy eating, too bad we can't check on her in a year and see how she's doing. Also because of the rain there was a report of a python seeking shelter in a restaurant in a city called Ipoh, not far from where we are, I've included a picture of the snake and the men who caught it, bet they had a wonderful dinner that night!!
The Ministry of Health in Bangkok has ordered a ban on castrations unless it is medically necessary...the procedure which is popular among transsexuals needs stricter monitoring. The ministry's move came after a complaint from a leading gay activist who states that action needs to be taken against clinics that perform the procedure on underage boys.
Vacation gone wrong!! Three Chinese women visiting Malaysia had the worst time of their lives after only 3 days. Two of the 3 women went out one night while the other stayed at the hotel. When the 2 returned they found the hotel surrounded by police and ambulances which is where one of the ladies reported that while they waited to find out what happened at their hotel, she was abducted by 2 policeman, robbed, molested and raped. After the incident, she returned to her hotel to find her friend only to find out that the reason the police were at the hotel in the first place was because the friend they left behind had mysteriously fallen to her death from the 5th floor! She reported the rape the next day and the poliemen were remanded but after a physical exam she showed no signs of an attack. The rape and death are still under investigation.
A cult in Moscow has finally left their cave. The group believed that the Apocalypse was to arrive in May had to evacuate their hideout due to the fact the cave caved in and water was seeping in threatning to drown them. Interesting point, this group also believes that the devil inscribes his message in the barcodes of products found on grocery store shelves.
Speaking of barcodes, yesterday Chinese and Malays of Chinese descent, celebrated Qing Ming or Chinese All Souls Day. Families return to their hometowns to visit and clean gravesites of the dearly departed. They conduct prayers and burn offerings to honour their ancestors. Some things that you can buy and burn as offerings are toy cars, laptops, cell phones and houses as if the dead need a car in the afterlife or a laptop! There's even a "pop-up" house complete with cars, boats, and swimming pool. But back to the barcodes, a Japanese company offers tombstones embedded with a barcode that can be scanned by using a mobile phone and the user can then view information and photos regarding the deceased. Cost? 31k RM or $9800 U.S.
So those are some of the more interesting articles this week in addition to lots of post-election news and a huge article detailing the life of lap dancer. Hope you enjoyed. -T
On April Fools Day, a man who has 2 wives received a summons to appear in court for divorce. He thought it was a joke but went to court anyway. Both his wives filed for divorce and were serious. They lived next door to one another and he in anothe house down the street. He has 4 kids by the first wife which he has been married to for 22 years. He has 2 kids by the second wife who he has been married to for 16 years. He also married a third woman and had another child by her back in 2004. The reason why this is interesting is because it is the first recorded double divorce in Malay history. The judge granted both motions for divorce contingent on and I quote: "He gave them an "eda" timeline of three months so that they could have their menstrual periods, as was required in such proceedings and to attempt reconciliation" Apparently it is a requirement of divorce for women to have their periods before the divorce is final. Why? Not sure, I can only speculate, either to make sure she is not pregnant with the husband's baby or pregnant by someone else which I'm sure if this is the case there will be other consequences.
Also on April 2, there were heavy thunderstorms. The newspaper reported flooding in a lot of areas and also there were stories of hailstorms. Now everyone knows how hot it is here and I just can't imagine balls of ice landing anywhere. One lady ran outside and collected them to eat because she heard that it was healthy eating, too bad we can't check on her in a year and see how she's doing. Also because of the rain there was a report of a python seeking shelter in a restaurant in a city called Ipoh, not far from where we are, I've included a picture of the snake and the men who caught it, bet they had a wonderful dinner that night!!
The Ministry of Health in Bangkok has ordered a ban on castrations unless it is medically necessary...the procedure which is popular among transsexuals needs stricter monitoring. The ministry's move came after a complaint from a leading gay activist who states that action needs to be taken against clinics that perform the procedure on underage boys.
Vacation gone wrong!! Three Chinese women visiting Malaysia had the worst time of their lives after only 3 days. Two of the 3 women went out one night while the other stayed at the hotel. When the 2 returned they found the hotel surrounded by police and ambulances which is where one of the ladies reported that while they waited to find out what happened at their hotel, she was abducted by 2 policeman, robbed, molested and raped. After the incident, she returned to her hotel to find her friend only to find out that the reason the police were at the hotel in the first place was because the friend they left behind had mysteriously fallen to her death from the 5th floor! She reported the rape the next day and the poliemen were remanded but after a physical exam she showed no signs of an attack. The rape and death are still under investigation.
A cult in Moscow has finally left their cave. The group believed that the Apocalypse was to arrive in May had to evacuate their hideout due to the fact the cave caved in and water was seeping in threatning to drown them. Interesting point, this group also believes that the devil inscribes his message in the barcodes of products found on grocery store shelves.
Speaking of barcodes, yesterday Chinese and Malays of Chinese descent, celebrated Qing Ming or Chinese All Souls Day. Families return to their hometowns to visit and clean gravesites of the dearly departed. They conduct prayers and burn offerings to honour their ancestors. Some things that you can buy and burn as offerings are toy cars, laptops, cell phones and houses as if the dead need a car in the afterlife or a laptop! There's even a "pop-up" house complete with cars, boats, and swimming pool. But back to the barcodes, a Japanese company offers tombstones embedded with a barcode that can be scanned by using a mobile phone and the user can then view information and photos regarding the deceased. Cost? 31k RM or $9800 U.S.
So those are some of the more interesting articles this week in addition to lots of post-election news and a huge article detailing the life of lap dancer. Hope you enjoyed. -T
April 2nd 2008
Posted by Jim...
Today was a fairly normal day at work today until it was time to go home. Right as I was getting on the highway to go home it started raining. This is not unusual because it rains here all the time but this time it was what I would classify as a monsoon. I made the decision to drive in the slow lane and just follow the driver in front of me. This was not a good idea as I soon found out that when it rains and you can not see that Malaysian drivers are no less impatient in the rain then they are when it is bright and sunny. As a matter of fact since I guess they can not see the lines marking the lanes that they assume the lines no longer exist and drive where ever they want. So instead of having 3 lanes of traffic you end up with 5-6 lanes and people trying to switch in order to get in the lane that is going the fastest which as soon as someone tries to move over causes the lane to slow down. Then we hit the toll booth...now I have to tell you something about Malaysian toll booths: they have the manual pay lanes, the touch and go lanes and the smart tag lanes. There is no rhyme or reason to where these lanes are that I can tell and for some reason all toll booths are approached at an angle and therefore it is virtually impossible to line yourself up properly until you are about 50 yards from the toll booth. Now put a traffic jam in the mix with heavy rain and you have about 20 lanes trying to merge through about 8 toll booths but to make matters worse you need to be in the right lane because there are 4 manual pay lanes, 2 touch and go lanes, and 2 smart tag lanes. So I am a touch and go user and am trying to navigate my way to the proper lane which has 5 lanes trying to get into the two lanes. This was slow moving at best and it is really amazing that nobody hit anyone while I was there because at times there were cars on both sides of me that if I had been able to unroll my window I could have touched very easily. I was very worried about losing a mirror. Also they are still changing lanes and making new lanes and everything was just slowing down even more. Finally I got through the toll booth and thought things would pick up after this however this was not the case after passing through the toll booth I was confronted with what looked like a parking lot in front of me. Suffice to say after the 8 lanes of booths everyone figured that it was a great idea to make 20 lanes of traffic again and see who get in front of who by a car length while showing they could get the closest to car next to them. After everyone got into an actual lane, well for most of the time anyway, traffic started moving again and I was able to get on the elevated highway I take home. Normally this highway has absolutely no one on it because there is a 2.2RM toll and Malaysians will do almost anything to avoid paying a toll. Well apparently when it is raining and the roads are almost at a standstill more people will are willing to pay the toll. This was not too bad because there were still not that many cars on the road the part that struck me as odd was the fact that it is an elevated highway I figured there would be no way the road could hold water. I was wrong there were several places where the road had water that must have been a half an inch deep. The most frustrating part however occured where I normally experience a back up on my way home but today it was worse because the no lane picking started again. It was ridiculous because you have 3 roads all converging at once but now not only are people making their own lanes but when lanes are actually established people will drive half in one lane and half in another waiting to see which lane is going to go faster. I just wanted to get out of the car and scream "Pick a F-ing lane you morons". Of course it goes without saying that the freaking motor bikes are weaving in and out of lanes at will just waiting to get hit. And to top it all off when I finally get to where I can turn into the hotel another idiot is coming out of the hotel and has decided that they are going to be right in the middle of the entrance and took forever to pull out. All I know is that it is a good thing that guns are outlawed in Malaysia because if they were legal I think there would be more road rage shootings here than there has ever been in the United States.
Today was a fairly normal day at work today until it was time to go home. Right as I was getting on the highway to go home it started raining. This is not unusual because it rains here all the time but this time it was what I would classify as a monsoon. I made the decision to drive in the slow lane and just follow the driver in front of me. This was not a good idea as I soon found out that when it rains and you can not see that Malaysian drivers are no less impatient in the rain then they are when it is bright and sunny. As a matter of fact since I guess they can not see the lines marking the lanes that they assume the lines no longer exist and drive where ever they want. So instead of having 3 lanes of traffic you end up with 5-6 lanes and people trying to switch in order to get in the lane that is going the fastest which as soon as someone tries to move over causes the lane to slow down. Then we hit the toll booth...now I have to tell you something about Malaysian toll booths: they have the manual pay lanes, the touch and go lanes and the smart tag lanes. There is no rhyme or reason to where these lanes are that I can tell and for some reason all toll booths are approached at an angle and therefore it is virtually impossible to line yourself up properly until you are about 50 yards from the toll booth. Now put a traffic jam in the mix with heavy rain and you have about 20 lanes trying to merge through about 8 toll booths but to make matters worse you need to be in the right lane because there are 4 manual pay lanes, 2 touch and go lanes, and 2 smart tag lanes. So I am a touch and go user and am trying to navigate my way to the proper lane which has 5 lanes trying to get into the two lanes. This was slow moving at best and it is really amazing that nobody hit anyone while I was there because at times there were cars on both sides of me that if I had been able to unroll my window I could have touched very easily. I was very worried about losing a mirror. Also they are still changing lanes and making new lanes and everything was just slowing down even more. Finally I got through the toll booth and thought things would pick up after this however this was not the case after passing through the toll booth I was confronted with what looked like a parking lot in front of me. Suffice to say after the 8 lanes of booths everyone figured that it was a great idea to make 20 lanes of traffic again and see who get in front of who by a car length while showing they could get the closest to car next to them. After everyone got into an actual lane, well for most of the time anyway, traffic started moving again and I was able to get on the elevated highway I take home. Normally this highway has absolutely no one on it because there is a 2.2RM toll and Malaysians will do almost anything to avoid paying a toll. Well apparently when it is raining and the roads are almost at a standstill more people will are willing to pay the toll. This was not too bad because there were still not that many cars on the road the part that struck me as odd was the fact that it is an elevated highway I figured there would be no way the road could hold water. I was wrong there were several places where the road had water that must have been a half an inch deep. The most frustrating part however occured where I normally experience a back up on my way home but today it was worse because the no lane picking started again. It was ridiculous because you have 3 roads all converging at once but now not only are people making their own lanes but when lanes are actually established people will drive half in one lane and half in another waiting to see which lane is going to go faster. I just wanted to get out of the car and scream "Pick a F-ing lane you morons". Of course it goes without saying that the freaking motor bikes are weaving in and out of lanes at will just waiting to get hit. And to top it all off when I finally get to where I can turn into the hotel another idiot is coming out of the hotel and has decided that they are going to be right in the middle of the entrance and took forever to pull out. All I know is that it is a good thing that guns are outlawed in Malaysia because if they were legal I think there would be more road rage shootings here than there has ever been in the United States.
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