The empty apartment was starting to bug me so I found a plant shop and it's amazing what a few plants can do. Already the vibe / feng shui / oxygen levels are a lot better. The young guy at the local equivalent of Waldecks assured me that I won't be able to kill them - hah! Little does he know that I've killed cactus. He also assured me that everything I bought is "lucky" - hurrah. Now that I've succumbed to international adoption (6 beautiful plants), and that I'm going to be very lucky, I guess I'll be staying awhile!
I've now discovered how blunt some Malaysians can be. A girl at a club we were at the other night (QBa) asked me excitedly "Wow - how tall ARE you exactly?" and the plant vendor was determined to find out why I haven't got married. If it happens a lot I'll print a t-shirt that say "6 foot tall and NOT here with husband".
Went to a fabulous "food court" the other night on the ground floor of Star Hill shopping centre (I think?). I was a bit horrified at being taken to a food court on my first Friday night in KL, but it was like no other food court I've ever seen. Great restaurants and bars 360 degrees around. I had a Singapore Sling and wasabi icecream at the piano bar (both yuk but I've ticked them off the list now!). The toilets were ridiculously posh. There was a staff member in there who rolls the hand towels and turns a large wooden wheel which powers the taps.
And I guess I'm here for work not holiday...so this is what's happening...I'm currently translating a technical report from manglish to english - right up my alley! The clients don't talk to me much yet, which is actually a bit of a relief since I'm trying desperately to get the hang of their names and roles before being thrown in deep end when Jimmy leaves.
We went to a workshop today at the Mines Beach Resort & Spa, at the site of what used to be the world's biggest tin mine. The tin mine has been converted to a huge lake with huge and imposing buildings all around (apparently there is talk of something similar happening with the Supa Pit at Kalgoorlie eventually?). I love the architecture here even though it would probably look a bit silly in a developed country. The resort we went to has a gorgeous "beach" and a lagoon for swimming and a day spa. For a 25RM taxi ride (A$8), the Mines looks like a good little half day getaway from the big smoke. Naturally there's a huge adjacent shopping centre too ..."The only shopping mall you can sail into!" - but really, how many giant shopping centres does a 3 million population city need? - not that I'm complaining of course! Shopping (along with eating) is a national pastime, although lots of people don't actually buy anything. A new friend has coined a verb for it - "malling". I'm staying away from the night club called the Beach Club where apparently there's an expat equivalent called "mauling"...:)
On our way back from the meeting, I was delighted to meet a taxi driver named Viknes who has a taxi with seat belts in the back (including the buckles to clip them into!!). He also used his indicators occasionally, didn't drift in the middle of 2 lanes very often, didn't complain about the traffic one bit and didn't drive at terrifying speeds either. I asked for his phone number and he looked very chuffed when I explained that I liked his driving. He told me proudly that he used to drive for the Czech army.
Time to scoot - there's my room service!
I've now discovered how blunt some Malaysians can be. A girl at a club we were at the other night (QBa) asked me excitedly "Wow - how tall ARE you exactly?" and the plant vendor was determined to find out why I haven't got married. If it happens a lot I'll print a t-shirt that say "6 foot tall and NOT here with husband".
Went to a fabulous "food court" the other night on the ground floor of Star Hill shopping centre (I think?). I was a bit horrified at being taken to a food court on my first Friday night in KL, but it was like no other food court I've ever seen. Great restaurants and bars 360 degrees around. I had a Singapore Sling and wasabi icecream at the piano bar (both yuk but I've ticked them off the list now!). The toilets were ridiculously posh. There was a staff member in there who rolls the hand towels and turns a large wooden wheel which powers the taps.
And I guess I'm here for work not holiday...so this is what's happening...I'm currently translating a technical report from manglish to english - right up my alley! The clients don't talk to me much yet, which is actually a bit of a relief since I'm trying desperately to get the hang of their names and roles before being thrown in deep end when Jimmy leaves.
We went to a workshop today at the Mines Beach Resort & Spa, at the site of what used to be the world's biggest tin mine. The tin mine has been converted to a huge lake with huge and imposing buildings all around (apparently there is talk of something similar happening with the Supa Pit at Kalgoorlie eventually?). I love the architecture here even though it would probably look a bit silly in a developed country. The resort we went to has a gorgeous "beach" and a lagoon for swimming and a day spa. For a 25RM taxi ride (A$8), the Mines looks like a good little half day getaway from the big smoke. Naturally there's a huge adjacent shopping centre too ..."The only shopping mall you can sail into!" - but really, how many giant shopping centres does a 3 million population city need? - not that I'm complaining of course! Shopping (along with eating) is a national pastime, although lots of people don't actually buy anything. A new friend has coined a verb for it - "malling". I'm staying away from the night club called the Beach Club where apparently there's an expat equivalent called "mauling"...:)
On our way back from the meeting, I was delighted to meet a taxi driver named Viknes who has a taxi with seat belts in the back (including the buckles to clip them into!!). He also used his indicators occasionally, didn't drift in the middle of 2 lanes very often, didn't complain about the traffic one bit and didn't drive at terrifying speeds either. I asked for his phone number and he looked very chuffed when I explained that I liked his driving. He told me proudly that he used to drive for the Czech army.
Time to scoot - there's my room service!
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