Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Week 1

I’m back home, Malaysia!

Please excuse my sudden whip of insanity. I believe it’s the scorching heat that has been piercing through my skin.

Anyhow, what a great holiday … away from Canada’s freezing winds and snow storms! I’m happy to be back! Most certainly feeling pampered with healthy homemade food, and excited with new shopping havens!

Although, I’ve discovered the perils of shopping at 1utama. That place can no longer be patronized during holidays and weekends. There are too many human beings at any one place at any time! (Mind you, even the ladies washrooms are lined up long). And seriously, what’s up with the way people walk here? It’s as though you are invisible! These people need to get their eyesights checked. I can’t imagine how they can bump into me when there is plenty of walking space ahead of them. They must have their medical check-ups soon. Either a balancing act gone wrong, or just pure eyesight problems.

On a more positive note, things are cheap to buy! Great variety in clothes, stationery, girly things, cutsie things, household items, shoes (oh, man … those wedges, sandals, high heels, tootsie toes … you name it!) and the list goes on!

I have not braved the roads in KL yet. Although I have driven before … I am still culturally shocked at the aggressive and this-is-my-fucking-road-who-cares-about-you attitude.

One word.

Scary.

I’m pretty sure if I take my hands on the wheel … I’ll be on the wrong side of the road sooner than you think (you see, I’m used to the left-hand drive in Canada).

On Christmas eve, my parents invited my cousins over for dinner. It was to be a savory turkey dinner, of course … but my mum was a little stressed over the fact that my cousins might not know how to appreciate this dish. We also had to cook spaghetti and fishballs for the little kids (my niece and nephews). Mum was also worried we had too little food. We then cooked extra food, and after that she had to worry about serving too much food *faint*

Moreover, my cousin’s wife brought tiramisu cake and a huge gingerbread candy house. Another cousin brought donuts.

Fortunately, my cousin brothers had big appetites (otherwise, I would have smacked them for bringing extra food, LOL). It was a fun night, especially when my cousin brothers were half drunk. They became interestingly silly. I think the kids enjoyed it the most. Each of them had 2-3 three presents altogether.

What more can you ask for when the night had 5 bottles of wine and half a bottle of whisky consumed?

I traveled back to my grandparents place in Malacca too. Seriously, home cooked food is the best … and Hainan chicken rice balls!

I have been away from home so long that I missed the simplistic life styles such as having dinner with relatives, as well as Chinese cultures of celebrating the arrival of a newborn and wedding occasions.

Natalie here is the bright star of the year!

I need to write something!

Okay. I have a lame excuse for not posting anything so far.

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I was kidnapped!

No. Just kidding.

I guess you can say I was held “hostage” at work for the longest time. I will be moving on to my next rotation at a different department next year. Hence, the packing and moving, and reports to finish up … Moreover, I am heading home to M’sia this Friday! As expected, minimal effort into packing for travel has yet to be noticed.

As I recalled the past few days, I can’t remember what I have been doing. I come home from work feeling really exhausted. At that point, the only thing on my mind is dinner. Honestly, I need a holiday. Thank goodness my meeting tomorrow is cancelled! It was an unexpected suprise. Although I wanted to do some work around it, half of my team members have left for holidays. I guess this is something to scream in glee. But, I still have one more report to complete.

It’s amazing how one’s mind can be so distant when holidays are counting down in the calender. I would imagine all things related to work just gets stored at Open-Only-After-Christmas compartment in the brain. The deparment (plant) that I am moving to is E1. I told the associate three weeks in advance that I have to move my stuff on the week of 17 December. She said she will handle everything, and now that I think of it … she did not ask me for any details at all during the first phone call/email. Then, I decided to check back with her … again she said she will work on it. At least, this time she asked for details. Horrors of all horrors, on the Friday of December 14, PE2 associate informed me that the movers only work on Tuesdays, and their last working day for 2007 was 18 December!! I immediately tried to contact the E1 associate, but she was in an all-day meeting. I was fortunate to have PE2 associate to help me out, and so we made a few phone calls here and there … and finally managed to squeeze me into the schedule for 18 December. But damn, I found out that I wasn’t even booked for anything beforehand, which means … the E1 associate wasn’t doing her job properly!!! And surprise, surprise … yesterday I moved my LCD monitor to E1, and I found out that the E1 associate was on holidays since the 17 December. @*#$! What was she thinking?? The PE2 associate told me that all associates should know the movers only work Tuesdays. It was odd that she agreed to book m my request for 21 December (Friday) — at that time I wasn’t aware of the movers work schedule.

*Breathe*

Anyway, it’s all settled. My stuff is all there, safe and warm. So I won’t keep it at heart. I’ll just have to be more careful if I ask her to do anything next time.

I walked by the lunch room yesterday and found a huge pile of toys on the table. Apparently, they were for this year’s adoption family. I think every year PE2 adopts a family and donates food, clothes, and presents any children. I got pulled in to help wrap the presents. It wasn’t so bad, I have to admit I was pretty good at it. I don’t know when exactly I learned the technique to fold the wrappers, but I think I always observed how those service workers at Metrojaya (or Jaya Jusco) wrapped gifts for free. One of my collegues commented (a few times) that I’m so good at it. I felt quite embarassed, and not knowing how to respond … (and as dumb as I can be) … I replied saying that I worked part-time with this type of job before.

Seriously. It was a total lie. I don’t know why I said it! Then again, I don’t care if they believed it or not. It was just my way of getting out of an awkward over-complementing situation. I was thinking to myself this morning … The inspiration to be so meticulous with wrapping presents actually came from my dad. When I was much younger, I was always told by dad to wrap all my textbooks with clear plastic wrappers. And because I was too young to do it myself, I would watch him do it … so meticulously. I had to do it myself when I grew old enough though. I think learnt the same wrapping skills when I observed my dad wrapping presents too. Just a random thought, I guess.

Man, I should get back to writing my last report. I haven’t even started a sentence.