Just came back from a quick trip to Kuala Lumpur with 4 friends who were also my former colleagues (plus 1 best friend of a friend) . It's interesting to know that some 3 years after they left the company (and ME!), we still go through the same issues albeit in different environments. It's funny how things change but not really. You grow up and move on but still deal with the same things. It even appears that they get to deal with worse than I do. You know why? Because my issues are pang totoy. The kind that you encounter in highschool. They've discovered that the hell of a boss portrayed in The Devil Wears Prada really does exist in real life. Aside fromt the terrorism and personal attacks, they've got work calling at 3 am, on weekends, on vacation, whenever. Sad, but everything is a matter of choice. Perhaps I can say that because I can't relate (to the boss part, at least I don't get hell in that sense!).
Anyway, Malaysia was a great choice for a quick escape. Not quite as nice as Singapore but visibly more progressive than the Philippines. We only stayed for about 2 days but it felt like 5 because we did so much. Extreme is the theme for Day 1 and I'm proud to say that I've already ziplined! I love zipline! I can't forget zipline! I keep on replaying the part where I step out of the platform, slide down, scream for a while, wave to people, and see the artificial beach beneath. Pure awesomeness! That's one thing I wouldn't dare do had I been in Malaysia alone without people egging me on. We spent the whole day at Sunway Lagoon and even had time to swim in the pool before dinner but the zipline was the best part. Best 45 seconds in Malaysia. Wooohoo! Natural high so true.
Day 2 was all about touring the city, visiting the chocolate factory, King's Palace, Batu caves, central market, and shopping. This guy approached me (I'm not surprised, I'm in a foreign country) and asked me if I was Australian. That is the lamest ever... because I sure know people from Australia don't look like me!
But three weeks before Malaysia...
I was in the UK. A different kind of fun, and a different kind of natural high. England is so beautiful. I was always in awe of what I saw everyday. I like that the city is so modern but the buildings and structures are old. The flagship Apple store was huge and so was the year-old Ferrari store on Regent Street. I almost spent a fortune on a notebook because I wanted a paperbag! Haha! Good thing I held back because although I like the brand and its history, I'm not a Ferrari fan this year... and if I got that notebook, I wouldn't write on it. I didn't want the apparel. It's just the same with what they have in Greenhills and Puma. And unlike in SanFo where photos are prohibited (at least during the time we were there that's why I didn't give a damn, eh), this one is a tourist spot so everyone took photos inside the store. I saw Kimi Raikkonen's signature on the counter (knew it because I saw the BBC coverage when they opened the store last year). In London, I was like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time. I was thrilled by the fact that I'm alone in a beautiful place, far, far away from everyone I know. I just got paranoid at one point after getting approached randomly by strangers. Hyde Park is desrted at night and I have to pass by it to get to where I live. Drunk men walk around, some of them young, some of them older with suitcases. It can get really freaky!
I love the tube. After seeing and being disappointed by the subway in New York, I got to appreciate Underground better. Mind the Gap! I also liked the music. Different genres for different stations. And the street performers were very very cool. There was even a band, about my age, who set up randomly in the street near Tottenham Court station complete with amplifiers and all. No vocals, though, but the way they played familiar tunes was amazing. You just have to stop and appreciate.
I have been to a lot of places in the past 9 months. New Jersey, New York, Washington, San Francisco -- 2 days after I got back, I was in Hong Kong. Three weeks after that, Singapore. And then in 2010, it was Singapore, Singapore, UK, Malaysia. Too bad Bangkok didn't push through because of the political climate. Everything was arranged, all we had to do was leave! After HK for my folks' wedding anniversary this June (and Father's Day), I think I'm done for the year. I will miss the smell of airports for a while. haha
*Blogging because I couldn't sleep. Sleep, where are you?
