Short Post On My Obsession & My First Trip To KL In 2009!

Grrrowl!!!

Huh! I realise this will probably my very first post on my many many KL trips. And i don't intent to make it complicated. I am proud to say that i survived the ordeal of having went through immigration and not get caught for using my mom's much less than desirable, unattractive luggage. Here is a photo of how it looked like:

And just to show off my new shoes, here is the photo of the luggage and me and my new Crocs Explorer Meebops got for me for just S$30 during an Expo sale. Schweet! ;)

Just to show off some pictures i took after my maiden flight on Silkair from Singapore to KL, here is my ride on the KLIA Express, which is my favourite mode of transportation to KL City Centre. Cheap (at only RM35 one-way), comfortable (most of the time you get the entire 'cubicle" for yourself), fast (they take you to Sentral train station in precisely 28mins) and best of all, i get to listen to my i-Pod and keep my peace. Of course, there are times when i ge lazy and just want to be driven from the airport to my hotel for RM 70; that's when a taxi comes in. Anyway here are the pictures:

The KLIA train. Picture is a litle blurry because i'm in one of its siblings, on my way to the city! hehehe...

This is a little of what the interior looks like. Clean, executive-feel (just lacks Wi-Fi services) and roomy. Per 'cubicle' sits 4 but you can only get away with 3 at most, unless you're a Hobbit (or a midget for that matter.. hehe!).

And of course, best of all is the view :)

The company put me up at the JW Marriott (like they always do anyway...) and i was quite pleasantly surprised that even though the room stayed the same (the bed is simply gorgeous), they "refurnished" the TV to a flat screen one (like about time!!!). A sampling of how their cosy rooms looked like:

This is the gorgeous bed at the Marriott:

And here's the working / relax area, with a nice couch for 2:

I didn't go out much at all when i was there. It rained all day (thunderstorms, lighting... the works) and there wasn't anything i was looking for in particular anyway. Here's what the weather looked like every day. It gets worse by evening. I have no complaints for the weather though, i love the rain (except when i'm expected to fly!) and cold weather makes me a happy, bouncy Cubby :)

So the first day, i had Subway - no pictures of Subway cos that's quite common, everyone knows Subway. Second night though, i got a little greedy and craved for something noodly and fried and hot, and at the same time i crave for rice, fatty chickeny duckie roasted skin type.

Torn? So i got both! from across the Marriott at Food Republic (Pavillion Shopping Mall). Its the foodcourt type of food - instant, usually laden with MSG but affordable and can be quite yummy at times. I think, i spent about RM 8 for the Thye Hong Hokkien Mee (near the escalator down and usually with long queue) and Roasted Duck Rice was about RM 9 or so. They satisfy my cravings but not as yummy as i'd thought they'd be. Anyways, this is the Hokkien Mee, which is basically stir-fried fat yellow noodles mixed with a pinch of rice noodles (laksa), with prawns and squid and and fish cake added in. This one tasted so-so (even though it received raving reviews from netizens in Malaysia). I've tasted better elsewhere but hey, food is subjective to the different taste-buds. You know your tongue better!

I kid you not. I finished the Hokkien Mee even though it was so-so cos i hate wasting food... OK OK, i'm just a glutton. Missing the prawns cos i think i'm allergic to it *scratch scratch*..

And that's that. Now after that's finished, i went on to have my roasted duck rice. This costed about RM 9 for a portion of the crispy roasted duck (not crispy :( ..) and white rice, topped with special "asam" sauce and soy sauce and whatever there was in there. I'd give this a pretty good rating because i love duck (since Din Tai Fung) and i was still only half satisfied with my cravings. ** Meebops don't quite fancy this though; said she didn't like the sauce... Anyway, here goes:

And the rice, which i must honestly say, looks gleamingly delicious and gorgeous in this photo:

And of course, i finished this too!

I bit and sucked and ate everything - right down to the very last morsel... Told you i eat a lot. Me likes! ;)

Latest Update! Haven't been to KL in yonks. I'm starting to miss everything :(

Pillow Talk...?

Grrrowl!!!!

And so we have come to the end of the week - the day every working person looks forward to. I was on my "school bus" this morning, feeling just a little groggy because of a viral fever i had the night before and i seriously wondered why everyone else on the bus was in Jeans and Khakis and T-Shirts today... Oh hey, its that day... its casual Friday. So hooray hooray! Its Frrriday!

Anyway, this week has been awfully busy week for me because of several "bear" conventions that i had to attend to, handover of old projects and "welcoming" new ones - I guess the strenuous days this week has finally taken a toll on my beary body. Bleargh... (Didn't even finish my breakfast sandwich this morning! Bah!!).

My groggyness and night fever aside, i will once again have the pleasure of being outstationed in the next couple of weeks, shuffling between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. There are a lot of things that i need to do before my departure and one of them, is "choosing the pillow".

Ahh yes... The pleasure of being put up at a World-Class Hotel. I like it (and am not complaining...) but i just marvelled at the audacity of having you choose the type of pillow you will need during your stay. I always thought the hotels purchased them in bulk, and no choosing - what we give, you take. In fact, we are so used to that concept that having to choose one makes me uncomfortable.

And so i thought i'd give it a shot, so i went this morning looking for the perfect companion, googling the perfect pillow...

There are of course, all kinds... But distinctively, there are only 3 types of sleepers - The Back, The Front and The Side. Cubbies happened to be a side sleeper (and a naughty one too, since i "travel" even in my sleep!). According to a website, "a firm pillow is good for thos who sleeps on their side" and of course went on recommending their whole range of speciality pillows.

"Duck Down" pillows are one of those that was recommended - which i really liked, because feathered pillows are fluffy and ultra-comfortable in an air-conditioned room. It sinks and cradle your head in for the super comfy sleep. Me likes a good night's rest! :)

So that is what i chose, ahh... and it comes with a "sleep inducing" herbal sachets - chamomile or lavender - both of which are perfect for relaxation. While i usually do not have a problem with sleeping, i do have a hard time relaxing (how to when your mind travels at 300km per second!), so chamomile would do this just nicely ;)

Well, i can't wait for my trip then. This is living in the true nature of the Goldilocks...

Except this time, Goldilocks is meee! A Cubbie Bear ;)

The Dilemma of A Travelling Journal

Grrrowl!!!

Just thought of getting myself a small journal. Something small enough (but not too small for my fat paws...) for me to write my thoughts on during my travels - leisure or for work. It will be my travel companion, when Meebops (my travelling buddy) is not with me.

It does help to gather your thoughts during your journeys; the experiences, your thoughts, feelings, encounters... that you'd probably forget when you return home.

I met someone who gave me the "undeserved" credit of having passed on the traveling "fever" to her. An associate i met last week for an assignment here in SG, she came from Boston and had never thought that she would get bitten by the "travel bug" until she met me (so she said...). And i am honoured, of course :) Never knew my influence on the "religion of travel" is that strong to begin with and yet to have someone thank me for it, really made my efforts worth (not that i was seriously preaching anyways...).

As a small gesture of appreciation (as well as in the spirit of giving this Christmas), i got her a 2009 Calendar Journal - which featured a nice, thick and heavy set of brown recycled paper, hard-bounded by a shiny, globe and compass motif. Its actually quite pretty and serves the function of both a calendar-diary as well as a travel journal. She absolutely loved it of course! :)

Got me some pictures of the journals i intent to get... preferably one that comes with a slot for me to keep a pen or pencil in.

Okay, here's Travel Journal #1...
Meet Travel Journal # 2...
And finally, my Travel Journal #3!... Aren't they all pretty?

Yes... Yes... So they're all leather-bound journals and look very similar to each other. But aren't they adorable? Very rugged and rustic all the same. Mmmm... Me likey!

Gonna get me some of those but in the meantime, i will be posting my long-due entry on The Temples of Angkor, my day at the Singapore Zoo, as well as my "fantastico" journey to KL with Meebops to celebrate my coming of age... 2 Years Old! Hah! We had a blast!

And we are off to KL again next week, for a day of celebration for the coming 2009!

As they say, if you start off the year on the right foot, everything will follow suit! :)