Friday, December 17, 2004
Vaction (KL/Geting)
as much as i used to detest detailing of events chronologically, i think i'm gonna do that now cos i can't find any better way to describe the trip...
first, early in the morning on monday went to golden mile centre to take the bus to kl. it was there where my utter hatred towards smokers rekindled... so many people smoking, polluting the air around (at least the buses' exhaust was bearable) and maing breathing so difficult for non-smokers around. it got even worse in malaysia, esp genting where non-smoking signs were largely ignored and almost everyone seemed to smoke... may all smokers die a horrible, horrible death coughing uncontrollably or whatever is more gruesome... i know i might be cursing some of my relatives and loved ones as well but if there's anything i hate most it's smokers... i'm still reeling from all the smoke i've breathed in (probably a packet's worth of it already) these few days...
so there's the bus trip next. gameboy, sleep and some thinking was enough to tide me through the 6 hours or so and i soon got to kl. next checked into the hotel and probably for the first time in my life i paid decent attention to a rainbow... somehow it managed to invoke some thoughts and i still cannot believe how i've never really looked at one until then...
'have you ever reached a rainbow's end
and did you find your pot of gold...' and slowly the i belive lyrics started to sink in...
then for the rest of the day and the next we were basically shopping. isn't as relaxing as i'd like a vacation to be but maybe that's just because i don't exactly dig shopping and my shopping style's different from my family's. they tend to like walking around rather quickly, settle on a few shops and stay very long in them, trying out diffent clothings, taking their time to choose etc while i prefer walking around and browsing through everything that's available, make decisions on what i want pretty quickly and get my goods. and i was hoping to get some clothes there so that i don't need to go shopping back in singapore anymore but turned out nothing fit my liking or wallet.
saw a few electronics shop (^^) but turned out electronics there were more expensive than in singapore. the ipod mini cost bout S$550 there when it's available for 400+ here; the nintendo ds costs bout 265 in japan, 399 in singapore and 430+ there... grrr... so ended up buying nothing in kl at all (i gotta get someone to get me a ds from japan...) but instead became the 'servant' for my mom and sis who went on a buying spree... oh, so i got a jigsaw puzzle in the end... a 3000 pcs one. to think i forgot bout my jigsaws this holiday when i used to spend late nights previously on them... wanted to buy a really nice 6000pcs one with a very beautiful scenery but it was too expensive so had to settle for that... can't wait to finish that...
later in the day got a li'l unhappy over the adults making decisions by themselves but got over it. and the sore throat thanks to swensens + burger king + macdonald's + kfc in consecutive days was spoiling this trip a li'l...
on tuesday night went to kl's chinatown/night market. i never really enjoyed visiting chinatowns/night markets (san francisco's one felt really weird, thailand's one sold too many useless stuff, australia/perth's one stank, etc) and didn't enjoy this one either. it was just too squeezy and like almost all chinatowns/night markets things were all going cheap but for cheap rip-offs, visiting bout 5 stalls were as gd as visiting everyone, smokers aplenty there, have to be wary of pickpockets... sure, some people enjoy the 'thrill' of bargaining while others might like fake gds but i dig neither of those so it was a li'l boring to say the least.
went genting on the next day. took a taxi up this time round so no more need to contend with korean obasamas at ur back in the cable car queue pushing u... (i've had lots of bad experiences with them the last time i went genting, in korea itself and in bangkok last yr... they really know how to push people...) and kinda cool how the taxi drive actually practice the out-in-out driving up the hill as well (the first time i saw that outside racing)
always enjoyed genting's weather of low 20 degrees (it's the perfect temperature without the need for a jacket and the feeling of wind blowing in ur face is just wonderful) and the mist which makes everything look so dreamy (and romantic?)...
this time round i tried to enter the casino walking into it with a swagger and a scowl trying to give my most mature look but the security guard still asked for my passport (sigh... guess i still don't look old enough ^^) so had to settle for the arcade instead while my parents and my father's colleague gambled away. i originally set out to win a big teddy bear (it was worth 2000 tickets!), intending for it to be a christmas gift (^^) but after RM49 spent i only had bout 400 tickets and i decided to give up. but fate as usual is always up to something and on my last token i struck jackpot and got 300+ tickets (;D), making me kinda itchy to go for the bear again... but in the end settled at that and exchanged the tickets for a smaller bear for my sis. then wanted to play the japanese drum game but it was spoilt! (it was fine the night before!)... played some gun games in the end and realised that my shooting skills still suck as always. too bad there ain't any puzzle bobble there.
at night went to watch a magic show (called h20 was it?)... actually imo i think it was more of a magic show cum dancing show cum artistic performance. i'm not a connoisseur in arts so wasn't too impressed when there were more of those dances than magic performances themselves. the dances were fine at first but got a li'l boring... and one thing to note for all organisers: never place the special effects light behind the screen (esp when u're using water for that) or u'd blind ur audience (like me ;P) the trepezists were nice to watch and there were three 'statues' displaying incredible strength and agility balancing in different poses which was pretty gd as well but i'd describe the overall show a unspectacular. the magic acts were pretty standard (what with the woman inside a box, the box gets divided into very small ones and she pops out again after they're joined back, etc...) so i didn't really enjoy them. but what i have to commend is the vigour the performers and magician displayed... i can't imagine myself performing so many times but still with so much passion and zest...
sadly my dad got a li'l sick on thursday so i didn't go to the outdoor theme park (taking rides alone just isn't fun) went bowling instead with my mom but the balls was horrible with sharp edges in many of their holes and the shoe was so worn out it couldn't slide. played two games with terrible sub-100 scores and left with sore fingers and feet...
while my sore throat was healed by then thanks to the lozenges i took my cough was getting worse and worse, probably cos of all the sumptious continental breakfasts i took and not limiting my diet during other meals either... one thing i've learnt: never stifle a cough cos u'd just end up making weird grunting sounds and get stares from other people. at night couldn't sleep thanks to a bad coughing fit (don't think i can sleep well tonight either)... hope it heals up soon (i'm gonna start taking care of my body now) or i'd start coughing out blood or break my throat thanks to alll this coughing....
eventually all things had to end and i came back to singapore by rail... first time but didn't feel that special or something. just kinda weird why the passengers sat opposite to the train's motion... spent some time thinking again during the 6-7h and thought i made a decision, only for fickle-minded me to have a different one now that i'm back in the comfort of my home... before i left lymon kept listening to the reason cos he said it was situational and now i think it kinda spplies for me as well... that one line that said it all ;P... the more i listen to it and try to sing (going off tune most of the time...) i get more and more ideas and thoughts... hmmm...
EDIT ONE: only realised the posting results are out today after reading other people's blogs... i must be one of the last to know where they're posted... i've made it to tj it seems... gonna start asking around tml
EDIT TWO: i'm gonna get myself the garfield movie dvd probably tml after seeing them in malaysia (hopefully singapore's version is without the unsightly subtitles...) i'm just a sucker for garfield (^^) and as much a i thought it was a poor movie it would be the fourth time i'm watching it if i get it (and the only movie i watched more than once, at that). i watched it the first time downloaded from the internet cos it was released in the us earlier, then watched it in the cinemas (and alone :<... the second movie i watched alone in theatres after the final fanatasy movie) before watching the downloaded version again after i returned to try to get every li'l joke in it... i'm still a li'l unhappy how nermal only got a bit part (and a stray even...), odie was adopted (when he's actually from lyman, jon's roommate), how jon actually suceeded in love hwne he's supposed to be a dead loser and how the characters don't look like their counterpart in the script...
but i still love garfield... i have a week of archive of the strips to catch before i can proclaim i have seen every strip available from its start (^^), and i still remember the last time i tried to search for a nermal plushy (shops only seem to sell garfield and odie), taking me so many trips around singapore and a few days... now i want to get a whole collection of plushies of the cast but i don't think i can find them... i want jon, lyman, arlene, the rat (now what is it called?), the mailman and even those bit characters like jon's mom, the dog next door, the two cranky senior neighbours, the stray cat (now what's his name again?) and everyone... i also want another nermal, no doubt my fave character... but enough rants i guess...
first, early in the morning on monday went to golden mile centre to take the bus to kl. it was there where my utter hatred towards smokers rekindled... so many people smoking, polluting the air around (at least the buses' exhaust was bearable) and maing breathing so difficult for non-smokers around. it got even worse in malaysia, esp genting where non-smoking signs were largely ignored and almost everyone seemed to smoke... may all smokers die a horrible, horrible death coughing uncontrollably or whatever is more gruesome... i know i might be cursing some of my relatives and loved ones as well but if there's anything i hate most it's smokers... i'm still reeling from all the smoke i've breathed in (probably a packet's worth of it already) these few days...
so there's the bus trip next. gameboy, sleep and some thinking was enough to tide me through the 6 hours or so and i soon got to kl. next checked into the hotel and probably for the first time in my life i paid decent attention to a rainbow... somehow it managed to invoke some thoughts and i still cannot believe how i've never really looked at one until then...
'have you ever reached a rainbow's end
and did you find your pot of gold...' and slowly the i belive lyrics started to sink in...
then for the rest of the day and the next we were basically shopping. isn't as relaxing as i'd like a vacation to be but maybe that's just because i don't exactly dig shopping and my shopping style's different from my family's. they tend to like walking around rather quickly, settle on a few shops and stay very long in them, trying out diffent clothings, taking their time to choose etc while i prefer walking around and browsing through everything that's available, make decisions on what i want pretty quickly and get my goods. and i was hoping to get some clothes there so that i don't need to go shopping back in singapore anymore but turned out nothing fit my liking or wallet.
saw a few electronics shop (^^) but turned out electronics there were more expensive than in singapore. the ipod mini cost bout S$550 there when it's available for 400+ here; the nintendo ds costs bout 265 in japan, 399 in singapore and 430+ there... grrr... so ended up buying nothing in kl at all (i gotta get someone to get me a ds from japan...) but instead became the 'servant' for my mom and sis who went on a buying spree... oh, so i got a jigsaw puzzle in the end... a 3000 pcs one. to think i forgot bout my jigsaws this holiday when i used to spend late nights previously on them... wanted to buy a really nice 6000pcs one with a very beautiful scenery but it was too expensive so had to settle for that... can't wait to finish that...
later in the day got a li'l unhappy over the adults making decisions by themselves but got over it. and the sore throat thanks to swensens + burger king + macdonald's + kfc in consecutive days was spoiling this trip a li'l...
on tuesday night went to kl's chinatown/night market. i never really enjoyed visiting chinatowns/night markets (san francisco's one felt really weird, thailand's one sold too many useless stuff, australia/perth's one stank, etc) and didn't enjoy this one either. it was just too squeezy and like almost all chinatowns/night markets things were all going cheap but for cheap rip-offs, visiting bout 5 stalls were as gd as visiting everyone, smokers aplenty there, have to be wary of pickpockets... sure, some people enjoy the 'thrill' of bargaining while others might like fake gds but i dig neither of those so it was a li'l boring to say the least.
went genting on the next day. took a taxi up this time round so no more need to contend with korean obasamas at ur back in the cable car queue pushing u... (i've had lots of bad experiences with them the last time i went genting, in korea itself and in bangkok last yr... they really know how to push people...) and kinda cool how the taxi drive actually practice the out-in-out driving up the hill as well (the first time i saw that outside racing)
always enjoyed genting's weather of low 20 degrees (it's the perfect temperature without the need for a jacket and the feeling of wind blowing in ur face is just wonderful) and the mist which makes everything look so dreamy (and romantic?)...
this time round i tried to enter the casino walking into it with a swagger and a scowl trying to give my most mature look but the security guard still asked for my passport (sigh... guess i still don't look old enough ^^) so had to settle for the arcade instead while my parents and my father's colleague gambled away. i originally set out to win a big teddy bear (it was worth 2000 tickets!), intending for it to be a christmas gift (^^) but after RM49 spent i only had bout 400 tickets and i decided to give up. but fate as usual is always up to something and on my last token i struck jackpot and got 300+ tickets (;D), making me kinda itchy to go for the bear again... but in the end settled at that and exchanged the tickets for a smaller bear for my sis. then wanted to play the japanese drum game but it was spoilt! (it was fine the night before!)... played some gun games in the end and realised that my shooting skills still suck as always. too bad there ain't any puzzle bobble there.
at night went to watch a magic show (called h20 was it?)... actually imo i think it was more of a magic show cum dancing show cum artistic performance. i'm not a connoisseur in arts so wasn't too impressed when there were more of those dances than magic performances themselves. the dances were fine at first but got a li'l boring... and one thing to note for all organisers: never place the special effects light behind the screen (esp when u're using water for that) or u'd blind ur audience (like me ;P) the trepezists were nice to watch and there were three 'statues' displaying incredible strength and agility balancing in different poses which was pretty gd as well but i'd describe the overall show a unspectacular. the magic acts were pretty standard (what with the woman inside a box, the box gets divided into very small ones and she pops out again after they're joined back, etc...) so i didn't really enjoy them. but what i have to commend is the vigour the performers and magician displayed... i can't imagine myself performing so many times but still with so much passion and zest...
sadly my dad got a li'l sick on thursday so i didn't go to the outdoor theme park (taking rides alone just isn't fun) went bowling instead with my mom but the balls was horrible with sharp edges in many of their holes and the shoe was so worn out it couldn't slide. played two games with terrible sub-100 scores and left with sore fingers and feet...
while my sore throat was healed by then thanks to the lozenges i took my cough was getting worse and worse, probably cos of all the sumptious continental breakfasts i took and not limiting my diet during other meals either... one thing i've learnt: never stifle a cough cos u'd just end up making weird grunting sounds and get stares from other people. at night couldn't sleep thanks to a bad coughing fit (don't think i can sleep well tonight either)... hope it heals up soon (i'm gonna start taking care of my body now) or i'd start coughing out blood or break my throat thanks to alll this coughing....
eventually all things had to end and i came back to singapore by rail... first time but didn't feel that special or something. just kinda weird why the passengers sat opposite to the train's motion... spent some time thinking again during the 6-7h and thought i made a decision, only for fickle-minded me to have a different one now that i'm back in the comfort of my home... before i left lymon kept listening to the reason cos he said it was situational and now i think it kinda spplies for me as well... that one line that said it all ;P... the more i listen to it and try to sing (going off tune most of the time...) i get more and more ideas and thoughts... hmmm...
EDIT ONE: only realised the posting results are out today after reading other people's blogs... i must be one of the last to know where they're posted... i've made it to tj it seems... gonna start asking around tml
EDIT TWO: i'm gonna get myself the garfield movie dvd probably tml after seeing them in malaysia (hopefully singapore's version is without the unsightly subtitles...) i'm just a sucker for garfield (^^) and as much a i thought it was a poor movie it would be the fourth time i'm watching it if i get it (and the only movie i watched more than once, at that). i watched it the first time downloaded from the internet cos it was released in the us earlier, then watched it in the cinemas (and alone :<... the second movie i watched alone in theatres after the final fanatasy movie) before watching the downloaded version again after i returned to try to get every li'l joke in it... i'm still a li'l unhappy how nermal only got a bit part (and a stray even...), odie was adopted (when he's actually from lyman, jon's roommate), how jon actually suceeded in love hwne he's supposed to be a dead loser and how the characters don't look like their counterpart in the script...
but i still love garfield... i have a week of archive of the strips to catch before i can proclaim i have seen every strip available from its start (^^), and i still remember the last time i tried to search for a nermal plushy (shops only seem to sell garfield and odie), taking me so many trips around singapore and a few days... now i want to get a whole collection of plushies of the cast but i don't think i can find them... i want jon, lyman, arlene, the rat (now what is it called?), the mailman and even those bit characters like jon's mom, the dog next door, the two cranky senior neighbours, the stray cat (now what's his name again?) and everyone... i also want another nermal, no doubt my fave character... but enough rants i guess...
