TiMeZoNe

ID: Jakarta Trip Day 4

2010-03-09T23:44:00.004+08:00

Our last day in the city. After breakfast, we walked to Plaza Senayan which is situated just behind our hotel. Since it was still early, the shops just opened and there were not many people yet. After strolling for an hour, we decided to cross the road to Senayan City Plaza. This mall houses another set of high end boutiques (Plaza Senayan also has lots of boutiques), so it sorts of complement those in Plaza Senayan. It seems that this is bigger than Plaza Senayan.

We just walked around and around noon, we walked back to Plaza Senayan for lunch. Had kebab at the food court for lunch. The food court was bustling with people from nearby offices. Seronok jamu mata hahahaha.....

Around 12.30pm, we decided to walked back to the hotel and checked out at 2pm. For our transport to the airport, we booked with the hotel at Rph150,000 per trip with Avanza. Considered as a good bargain since this includes toll and luggage (with no extra payment if we stuck in traffic jam). Normal cab will cost around Rph110,000 inclusive of toll. However, if the traffic is bad, the fare may go higher. In fact, the transport booked with the hotel is also from Silverbird group of companies, the only trusted taxi services in Indonesia.

We left the hotel at around 2.40pm and praise to God, the journey was uneventful. We reached the airport within 30 minutes. There is nothing much to do at the airport, so we decided to go into the check in area. Scanned our bag and walked to the designated check in counter. Unfortunately, the counter is not yet opened.

MH occupied counters 36 until 40. In fact, there were around half a dozen of passengers waiting in front of the counters. In the vicinity, other airlines in progress of check-in their passengers are ValuAir VF504 to SIN, AirAsia Indonesia QZ7716 and 7676 to BKK and BKI respectively, Shenzen Airlines to Nanning, SQ961 to SIN, EK357 to DXB, and EY471 to AUH (which was delayed from 3.20pm to 7.10pm).

MH check in counters opened at 4.05pm and within minutes, we were checked in by a new staff (in my opinion - since she is not that smooth in handling the check in). Immediately after checked in, we proceed to immigration and into the airside. Now, since there are some time to kill, we settled at Starbucks with a nice view of tarmac.

Our bird for the day, MH722 is an Airbus 9M-MKE. I have been in this metal before on my flight to DXB four years ago. The flight log for this bird can be found here.

The plane landed at CGK as MH723 at 5.25pm and will depart at 6.30pm to KUL as MH723. The push back was at 6.30pm and within 15 minutes, we were airborne via runaway 25R.

Flying at 40,000 ft above sea level with average speed of 900km/h, the route took us along the Sumatera coast line into Palembang, Singapore and over the city of Johor Bharu before descending into KUL. The ETA was 9.20pm local time.

We landed safely via runaway 14L at 9.15pm, 5 minutes ahead of schedule and taxied to Contact Pier at Main Terminal Building. Parked at A8 and within minutes, we were in the terminal.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ KLIA, Sepang

~~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~~

ID: Jakarta Trip Day 3

2010-03-08T23:16:00.007+08:00

Today, we decided to have breakfast at Senayan Cafe on the ground floor. The only reason is for a comfortable table suits for breakfast. Choices just a bit better that those offered at the Executive Lounges.

After breakfast, our jalan-jalan programme was to take busway to Stasion Kota, the last station for this route. Just a short walk from the station is Kota Tua Jakarta (Old Jakarta). This was used to be the centre of Jakarta and few colonial buildings still in existence, with couple of them are not being well maintained. After snapping here and there session, we walked to the harbour (Sunda Kelapa, if I am not mistaken), which was a long and not so pleasant walk.... the map shows the distance not too far, but we were wrong. With the bad traffic along narrow roads and unpleasant smells from drainage, we felt we had a wrong choice to walk.

My advise is, take a cab or do not visit the harbour at all.

For a quick quencher, we stopped by A&W at Jakarta Train Station, which is known as Station Kota. From there, we walked along Mangga Dua street, again a wrong decision to do so. Once we reached Mangga Dua, we were disappointed. The complex is not as what is portrayed in the travel guides on Jakarta in the internet. For me, not worth at all to visit this place.

Since we walked quite a lot for the half of day, we found one reflexology centre that offer only Rph30,000 for 1.5 hour. Wow! a bargain. And being bad customers, we did not pay any tips .... hahahhaa..... not that we didn't want, but the masseur I got was not good enough.

(Actually, after we left the place, I felt a bit guilty for not giving tips.... may be next time :-))

We took a busway in front of Mangga Dua which is a different route from our normal busway. This time, it is a grey route (based on the colour of the bus used). We have to change two stations in order to get to our normal red-orange route along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman. Worse, it was peak hours and the bus was cramped! So, lesson learnt, try not to take busway during peak hours.

On the way back, we stopped by Plaza Semanggi, looking for early dinner. Actually, it was lunch and dinner together. We tried this american joint there, cannot remember the name though. We also visited Planet Hollywood, around 15 minutes walk from the mall. Again, a wrong move since the rain just stopped and peak hours. To make the matter worse, Planet Hollywood was not as I expected at all. Actually, it does not look like Planet Hollywood at all (at least in my opinion).

Walked back to the mall and later to the busway halte for a trip back to the hotel.

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Senayan, Jakarta

~~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~~

ID: Jakarta Trip Day 2

2010-03-07T22:34:00.003+08:00

Woke up early for morning prayer and then, filled up stomach with breakfast at Executive Lounge level 12. In this hotel, there are two executive lounges; level 12 for non smoking lounge and level 16 for smoking lounge.

It is so unfortunate that the choices for breakfast are limited - and to make it worse, there is no proper table for breakfast. Patrons have to make do with coffee tables and we have to bend to eat or you bring the plate to you by putting it on your palm. Troublesome!

The view on Sunday morning was breath taking. A lot of city dwellers thronged the stadium areas for morning exercises. A lot of cyclists on the road as well as rollerbladers. It seems that on Sundays, the road around Gelora Bung Karno are reserved for cyclists and bladers.

A couple of hours later, we walked to the nearest busway halt, Gelora Bung Karno and took the bus to Sarinah station for a quite a long walk to Pasar Tanah Abang.

There is a standard fare for busway, Rph3,500 per pax for a trip. However, if you take the bus between 5am - 7am, it only costs you Rph2,000 per pax.

After a light shop at Tanah Abang, we decided to take a taxi back to the hotel. It is not far, but the traffic was not that good. We passed by the famous Hotel Mulia and enter teh hotel from the other side of the stadium.

In the afternoon, we took a busway again and now the destination is Plaza Indonesia (I cannot remember the station name).

My first impression once I stepped into Plaza Indonesia was "wow"!!!. I wonder who copy who i.e., Pavillion KL vs Plaza Indonesia. The set up has some similarities in terms of arrangement of shops within each floor and area.

After that, we walked across the street to Alun-Alun Indonesia within Grand Indonesia Shopping Town. It was like a maze to me, in which we actually got a bit lost in it. Tired of walking we decided to walk back to the busway station for a trip back to the hotel.

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Senayan, Jakarta

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

ID: Jakarta Trip Day 1

2010-03-06T23:09:00.003+08:00

Since I just completed my MBA, I decided to give myself a treat. Spending few hours on airlines website, I managed to secure RM245 per pax return trip to Jakarta on MH. After being in the country for quite a long time, I am venturing out again.

Before I continue on, I want to thank my good friend, BH for sponsoring this trip (inclusive of the hotel stay :-)) thanks a lot!!!

Our flight is to depart at 6.05pm from Gate G4. This time, it is 9M-MMS, one of MH's Boeing 737-4H6 fleet. Since we checked in from home, we only reached KLIA about 4.30pm for endorsement of our boarding passes. No bags to check in.

Since I have not visited KLIA's airside for so long, we decided to take the aerotrain to the Satellite terminal - just to get the view :-) Noticed quite few changes. Now, there is a Jungle Walk (I think that is what it is called) where passengers can experience tropical forests at the airport. The entrance is behind the Information Counter in the aerotrain station vicinity. Also, more shops are opened, but still these initiatives, in my opinion fail to attract more passengers or airlines to utilize the airport. M4HB may ned to be more creative :-))

Strolling around the Satellite terminal, I managed to spot few foreign airlines i.e., Air Astana (I remember this airline that I took to Almaty, Kazakhstan - however, it was via Bangkok), Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Emirates, Silk Air, KLM, Qatar Airways and Xiamen Airlines.

30 minutes prior to ETD, we took the aerotrain back to Main Terminal pier for our boarding. After security formality, we took an escalator down to holding lounge. Wow! Looks like this is to be a near full flight. Our seat were 8E and 8F with 8D was occupied by a guy going to Jakarta for business with the oil company there.

Since this is MH, we do not have to buy food :-) we were served dinner with a choice of beef rendang with white rice or kuzi chicken with tomato rice. This is served with fruit cake, Ferrero Roche chocolates and Spritzer mineral water. BH chose chicken, so I decided to taste the beef. (Not that I wanted the beef, but I took chicken as well, there will be no photo on the beef :-)).

After the two-hour flight, the 737 landed at CGK terminal 2 via runway 07L and decked at D4 at 7pm local time. Within 30 minutes, we were out at the arrival hall looking for Bluebird taxi.

There are many touts inside the arrival hall, so the advice is to find the Bluebird taxi logo outside the terminal and approached one of the staff. They are recognizable with their blue Bluebird vest.

The fare started at Rph6,000 and to reach our hotel at Senayan the fare costs Rph90,000. This excludes toll charges and the additional fare from the airport (which is set according to zone where Senayan is in Zone I). The toll is Rph11,000 and the additional charge for Zone I is Rph10,500. For information, Zone II is Rph9,000 and Zone III is set at Rph7,500.

The hotel looks decent with run-out facade and 1970s lobby design. More detail of my review on the hotel can be viewed here and here.

Our room was at Executive Level overlooking Gelora Bung Karno sports area (consists of stadium, softball field) and have a nice view of Jakarta.

After shower, around 9pm ++, we walked to FXtainment Centre around 100m away from the hotel (at the intersection of Jln Jenderal Sudirman and Jln Pintu Satu Senayan) for a quick bite and to buy some drinks. It is always my policy to request for the hotel to clear the mini bar so I can utilize the mini fridge).

Came back to the hotel an hour later, watched tv and said goodbye to Day 1 around midnight!

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Senayan, Jakarta

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: 28 February

2010-02-28T22:37:00.005+08:00

28 February, a date to remember.. today, at noon 28 February, 2010, I stepped out from exam hall signalling the completion of my MBA. Yes, I have completed my MBA...
Reminiscence this in March 2008, it has been a long way for me and time flies.... it has been two years. Every weekend back and forth from my home/office to the university. Doing assisgnments until late night and let me tell you.. every single second is worth it!

Although there will be no more weekend classes and for certain times, night classes, my quest for knowledge will not stop here.

A thank you to all my lecturers and friends who have been around for me, nights and days. A big thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Today is just a day to remember. The only event occured on 28 February that I treasure most is the landing of S4audi Ar4bian airlines at KUL five years ago, bringing me and my fellow KT56 from Haj.... what a coincident...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Stuck!

2010-02-17T20:19:00.003+08:00

Today, out of the blue, I decided to pay a visit to my gym after two months hiatus. Well, there is a reason why I didn't go to gym for the last two months.... and of course that reason is a typical reason given my every single one in my situation :-) Can anyone guess?

Yup.... it is "tak de masa la... busy...." :-p

Anyways, what happened at the gym was unexpected. After burning around 398 calories on stride machine, I went for a nice hot sauna.

While I was getting up from the sauna bench, my locker key detached from my towel and fell into the bench.

Arrgghhhh.... Clad in just a shower towel, went to the locker area and asked one of the patrons to go an called the gym staff to save me from embarrassing moment.

To make the matter worse, the cutter was broken, hence they have to resort using hammer to break my Yale brand padlock. According to them, the existing cutter was broken (and according to one of the staff, the management sort of don't care i.e., not bother to buy a new one - knowing this type of case always happen).

About five of the staff trying to assist me, and at least.. the hero came....yeah..... the B4ngla cleaner..... after few tries (well around 45 minutes), he successfully managed to let me get my pants back... yippeee..... no need to hang around in towel anymore....

My advise for anyone who has to bring your own padlock to the gym: 1) bring the smaller one, 2) have a spare at other places (i.e., in the shoes - provided you do not put the shoes in the locker), 3) get the padlock with easily available master key, 4) if you go with your buddy, keep one spare key with your friend and vice versa.

Luckily the locker door was not damaged. Hence I was not charged.

Better be careful next time!

MT@ Malaysia

~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~

MY: Efficiency of Customer Services

2010-02-08T23:48:00.003+08:00

On 20/1/10, I provided feedback on MH Enrich related process provided by the check in counter staff via its website. Only today, 8/2/10 I received an email from Enrich acknowledging receipt of my feedback.

I wonder how long more for them to analyze my feedback and get back to me.....

Do you think AK is better? hmmmm...... wait and see... I have one case pending from AK since July 2009!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~ Ampang, Selangor

~~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~~

MY: Ramadan 1430H

2009-09-17T22:10:00.002+08:00

Ramadan is towards the end.... I just realized that being a student while having other committment is not easy.... insyaAllah I will survive...

Some photos from my flight KUL-KBR MH1396...

~MT @ Malaysia

~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Out....

2009-07-01T23:30:00.000+08:00

The results from last semester is out.. alhamdulillah.... it looks okay....

tak sabar2 nak habis kan course ni..... aaarrghhhhh.... 7 more subjects to go.....

~MT@Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: End...

2009-06-13T22:34:00.000+08:00

Today is my last paper.... pretty tough to take three papers in a semester while working... next semester I will be taking four subjects, two of them are my specialization paper...

Now I am thinking to resign and concentrate on studies for this semester.... only from mid July until end of October... I probably living without income for the three months.. can I survive?

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~

MY: Panic Attack

2009-06-06T22:16:00.001+08:00

Panic attack...... :-(

I hope Prof Dr. ASM is lenient enough to give good grade....

First paper this semester.... next is Thursday and lastly Saturday.. wish me luck!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Gombak, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~

MY: Al Fatihah

2009-05-31T08:14:00.002+08:00

My uncle passed way peacefully in his sleep early in the morning....

Al fatihah

~ MT@Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: First Day

2009-03-16T17:20:00.001+08:00

First day at the new client... in fact first day as freelance...

to early to predict anything.... let see how it goes....

Buzz me for lunch for those in KLCC vicinity.... :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Jalan YKS, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~

MY: The Day

2009-02-17T09:55:00.008+08:00

Today is the day I submitted my resignation..... got calls from the bosses to meet... want me to reconsider... I have to be firmed with my decision... prioritise..prioritise... I have to go back to my first intention of coming back to Malaysia.... and I want a fast result... if I stay, I may not able to reap the benefits sooner :-)

Bye team... I know you can do well without me!

~ MT@Malaysia

~~ Damansara, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

ID: Day 4 BDO

2009-01-27T19:23:00.001+08:00

Today is the last day. Actually, final day and our flight is in the morning. Had a simple breakfast and my bro's driver drove us to the airport slightly after 8am. We need to be early since my brother is going to work after that, so drop us first, went back home to pick up my brother.

The counters are not open until about 2 - 2.5 hours before departure. In fact, the morning shift for airport security just began. We have to wait outside for quite some times before being allowed into the terminal.

Checked in at 9am. It was a breeze since we don't have much things to check in. And we were second in the queue.

The flight to bring us back to KUL is PK-AWN, a Boeing 737-200 AirAsia Indonesia. It arrived from KUL at 10.45 am and supposed to depart for KUL at 11.20am.

Our flight number is QZ7597 and this aircraft will be in KUL for 30mins before continue back to CGK.

Boarding was called and it was done according to the section. Every passenger was given a departure card stated either "A" or "B". Don't really mind since all seats are assigned. It was a full board and the pushback was at 11.10am. 10 minutes ahead of ETD.

Landed safely at KLIA-LCCT at 2pm, 25 minutes earlier than scheduled. We were taxied to gate F66 and had a long walk to the international arrival of LCCT --> a new terminal which certain part till under constructions. Since it was a long walk, after clearing immigration, our luggage is already there.

We took a bus to KL Sentral and then LRT to Kelana Jaya. Thought to save cost however, we were doomed. The taxis there refused to use meter and all want to charge RM15 for a short drive to Tropicana area. really pissed off. Reported to the ministry via its website and hope action has been taken (since I didn't receive any acknowledgement from the ministry).

The taxi registration number was HB698o (#908) with "Upt0wn Ace Taxi" printed on the side doors. So folks, beware of this taxi driver. Don't get on unless he agreed to use meter.

Well.. thats the end of my journey to Bandung. It was a nice city and probably will go there again.

~ MT@Malaysia

~~ Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself~

ID: Day 3 BDO

2009-01-26T20:49:00.006+08:00

Third day in Bandung... nothing much to buy anymore... thinking of relaxing, but my younger brothers wanted to buy some jeans.. so off we went to Toko Tiga. This outlet is famous among Malaysians who want cheap original jeans, especially Levi's.

Toko tiga is not within the normal outlets area. This shop situated within the centre of Bandung city. If I am not mistaken, near the existing streets of Bandung (looking from the surrounding shophouses).

Since it was Sunday, and the driver is off, my elder brother drove us there. Lots of brands over there and before you buy, may want to check the offers available. Bought Levi's jeacns jacket on sale for around RM50. Pretty decent I would say.

Cashier would ask which tour bus you came with since the driver will get some sort of commission when their tourists spend there. So, no surprise to see lots of tour buses parked along the already congested narrow street in front of the outlet.

For the jeans, you can get the alteration done for free and for a small fees if you want to attached back the original hem. Good bargain!

After Toko Tiga, we drove to Jalan Riau area, another cluster of outlets such as Secrets, Brand, Heritage, Cascade etc.. Bought Liz Clairbone and GA pants... and i think I am done for the whole trip :-)

Tomorrow would be the last day and our flight is in the morning. No more shopping... just go back, packing and relaxing .....

~ MT@Indonesia

~~ Dago Golf Resort, Bandung

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

ID: Day 2 BDO

2009-01-25T22:39:00.003+08:00

My brother's driver dropped us at Victoria Outlet, our first stop of conquering the shopping streets of this Paris van Java.

Nothing to buy here, so we walked along Dago street where majority of factory outlets are situated. Stopped by one outlets to another, but nothing interest me. So, I am the less shopper compare to Izam :-)

Lunch time, we stopped by Kartika Sari. Wow, this place has changed a lot since my last visit. It is bigger and have couple of shops on the first floor. To my dismay the service for today's lunch was super duper slow. I ordered three dishes, "sup buntut", "kangkung belacan" and "sapi black pepper". The soup came first and followed by the other two 20 minutes later!

After lunch, need to burn those calories... so we walked to uphill (Kartika Sari was situated at the beginning of Dago lower part). Nothing much to buy along the Dago street, so we took a taxi in front of Episode outlet to go to Rumah Mode. Izam needed to change one of the shirts he bought for his nephew yesterday. The Guess shirt has a cross on the abstract printed on the back of the shirt. Getting taxi was not difficult, but to get the one that will use meter is not an easy task. The first two taxis were asking Rph40000 for that single trip. The third one, Taxi Putra was the saviour. It was raining at that time and the driver used meter, however the minimum is Rph20000, which is half than the first two taxis were asking.

When it rained in Bandung, there will be no fun. Shopping is not as great as a clear day. We were supposed to meet my brother and family for a dinner at The Valley, one of the restaurants near the golf course that offer a scenic view of the city. Another one is Sierra. Any visitors to Bandung must make a trip to these two (either one) for dinner and enjoy the view.

Since it was raining and "macet", my brother agreed to pick us up at one of the petrol station near Zenith outlet, not far from Rumah Mode. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and he was waiting at another station along the same road.

We did meet and drove to The Valley. It was situated half way towards our house, so, no worries if we were a bit late for dinner. The view was splendid and thank you Izam for the dinner.

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Dago Golf Course, Bandung

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

ID: Day 1 BDO

2009-01-24T23:59:00.002+08:00

Arrived in the morning and in the afternoon, time to go for shopping. Went out with my brother and sister in law to Pasar Baru. Bought some "pelikats" and Izam bought some "telekung" and cloth for "baju melayu" and wool for pants.

Spent couple of hours there and then my brother dropped us at Rumah Mode. One of the favourites for Malaysians. And I was correct. Majority of people I bumped in Rumah Mode are Malaysians :-)

We were out until around 8pm and went back home at the golf course. A beautiful view of Bandung city at night.

Half of day on the first day in Bandung. Not bad..... :-)

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Dago Golf Course, Bandung

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

ID: A Trip to BDO (KUL - BDO)

2009-01-24T23:30:00.003+08:00

Long Chinese New year weekend. I decided to join my family and brother in Bandung, Indonesia. My brother and his family have been staying there for nearly two years and my parents just joined them last week.

So this trip is a shopping trip cum visiting family :-))

Left Damansara around 6.30am to KL Sentral via a taxi.

Decided to spend less in transportation as possible :-). Took Aerobus to LCCT from KL Sentral at 7.05am. Upon arrival at the LCCT, rushed directly to the check in counter. Luckily the counter was already opened and no one queuing there. Good!

Once checked in, walked to LCCT Food Garden for a breakfast. The price is reasonable.

By 9a.m. walked back to the terminal. Surprisingly, the departure hall was not as crowded as I expected. This is Air Asia Indonesia, hence the seat was assigned. Cool.. no rushing to get the good seat.

The aircraft, B737-200 christened PK-AWC arrived from Jakarta on time. The boarding started soon after and by 9.55am, push-back started. Was assigned seat 19E and Izam at 19F.

Landed at Bandung 11a.m. local time. It was indeed a small airport (I was told about the airport before). In fact, the only international flight into Bandung is from KUL. It shows the high demand from Malaysians to spend money in Bandung :-))

The overall arrival is crowded due to immigration and baggage claim area at the same place. All bags must be scanned by the only X-Ray machine. So, once you have cleared immigration, you sort of have to do a u-turn to put your hand-luggage into the machine.

The bags will be delivered based on the checked-in tag. So better get it ready. Once you spot the bag, just go and take it. If necessary, you need to open your bag for manual inspection. No worries, if you are not carrying anything illegal, no problem with it.

I have to open my bag since I carried couple bottles of soy sauce :-))

Within 30 minutes, out of the airport to my darling nephew and niece outside the hall :-))

It was an uneventful flight!

~ MT @ Indonesia

~~ Hussein Sastranegara Airport, Bandung

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: It has been.....

2009-01-03T14:23:00.001+08:00

XX years I live in this world!

Happy Birthday to me!!!!!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Happy New Year

2009-01-01T00:13:00.001+08:00

Wishing all readers a prosperous New Year 2009!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: BKI - KUL

2008-12-29T20:00:00.003+08:00

We checked in at Counter 9. Only two counters opened for this flight to KUL. The gate assigned for our flight was Gate 2. ETD for this flight is at 1425, hence to boarding to start only at 2pm.

Today's bird is 9m-AHG, dubbed as "The 1st. Airbus at Kota Kinabalu". Cool.....

For this flight, it took off on time. At 1425, we were airborne with ETA at 1645 at KUL (LCCT). The flight was full with lots of families going home from vacation. In front of us, we have one family who can never stop talking. Only after an hour into the flight, it became quiet. Probably the talkative ones have dozed off!

We were flying atFL340 and landed into KLIA at 1640hrs. Five minutes ahead. Taxied to gate F81 by 1650hrs. Our baggage claim area was the middle carousel and our arrival was after a flight from Langkawi and followed us was a flight from Kuching.

Took Skybus to KL Sentral at 5.15pm and from KL Sentral, took a taxi home.

It was a wonderful trip!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day 5 BKI

2008-12-29T19:51:00.000+08:00

Last day in the Land Below the Wind. The plan is to drive to the market for lobster. A friend asked us to buy. Unfortunately you need to order the lobster at least a day earlier. So, we were not able to get any.

Had breakfast at one of mamak's in the city, Restoran Maimunah. Drove back to the hotel, packed and checked out at noon.

Reached airport and returned the car to a friend. Checked in at 12.40pm and then had a light lunch at KFC. Prayed Zohor/Asar before proceeding to departure hall.

Say good bye to Kota Kinabalu. God willing, I will visit his wonderful state again....

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ KK International Airport, Kota Kinabalu

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day 4 BKI

2008-12-28T23:12:00.002+08:00

Had a coffee at Starbucks 1Borneo. Could not find any restaurants open yet early in the morning. Even Dome is opened at 10a.m.

Sunday, so the plan is to go Pasar Tamu in the city. Was told the best is Kota Belud, but didn't feel like driving all the way there. Apart from Pasar Tamu, the plan is to visit some interesting areas in the city.

After Pasar Tamu, drove a short distance up hill towards Observatory Hill for a view of the city. Then on way down stopped at Atkinson Clock Tower. Apparently this old clock tower still ticking. Drove by so-called Australian Place area, but don't really know the exact spot or what to see :-)

Then, went to the State Museum, yes... I did the boring stuff.. visiting museum, mosque and also stopped by at the airport (the new terminal) and Tanjung Aru beach. Had lunch at Tanjung Aru beach hawker centre, stall #41. Lesson learnt --> don't eat here. Slow service and not good food.

At night, had dinner at Rainforest and once got back to 1Borneo, had supper at New York New York. You should try their gigantic burger! Enough for 4-5 pax sharing :-)

So, tomorrow is our last day in Kota Kinabalu.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day 3 BKI

2008-12-27T22:39:00.007+08:00

In the morning, felt like to eat Nasi Lemak. The only place in 1Borneo for Nasi Lemak is either Old Town White Coffee or one small stall at the basement near the Giant Supermarket entrance. Since Old Town open at 9a.m., that was our best option.

After breakfast, we drove to the Jesselton Jetty to catch a boat to Manukan Island. In addition to the boat fare plus tax, we were also required to pay an entrance fee to the Marine Park. This is a one -time payment if you decided to islands hop within the Marine Park.

We did enjoy half a day at the Manukan Island Beach. And it is good if you can bring your own food from the mainland. It is quite expensive on the island.

On the way back, there was some commotion at the jetty. It was around 3pm and there visitors were leaving the island. The jetty was packed and luck was not on our side, we could not find our boat. Lesson learnt --> NEVER buy the ticket from the first counter once you entered the Jesselton Jetty (on your right once you entered the ticketing area at the jetty). At the island, there was no one to assist us and every time we asked people there, they either don't know or simply brush off and said "That's not our company". Hell!

We managed to find our boat by recognizing the same people that came with us. Luckily we got back to mainland around 4pm plus. So, to enjoy the Marine Park, use the proper managed company i.e. SeaQuest. This is not an advert for them but the good thing about them is they jotted down the name of passengers for each trip. So, you know which boat and when. Moreover, they have lots of staff around to ask. Identified by their t-shirts.

We had Nasi Padang for late lunch at the jetty. Pretty expensive. It cost us RM50.40 for two pax. Don't think both of us eat that much :-) We drove back to our hotel and before going back to our room, we stopped by at YogurBerry to enjoy some delicious yogurts.

For dinner, we drove back to city centre to enjoy another round of seafood :-)

What a day!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day 2 BKI

2008-12-26T23:12:00.002+08:00

Woke up as usual per timing in KL. However, 6.30am in Borneo seems to be the same as 7.30am in Peninsular Malaysia. So kind of losing an hour. Since the hotel room uses black-out curtain, we did not realize how bright it was out there in the morning.

Had breakfast at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, then we drove to Kundasang.

1Borneo mall, although has lots of restaurants, none open for breakfast in the early morning except Starbucks and Coffee Bean at 8am while Old Town White Coffee open for business at 9am. Others, around 10am. So, for those who are staying in the four hotels, better arrange for breakfast at the hotels (with exception to Tune Hotel - don't think they offer breakfast).

Kundasang is popular for the Mount Kinabalu view and the War Memorial. However, we did not stop at these two places but instead drove straight to hot spring. The hot spring was crowded. Probably due to extended weekend. And the public area, which is free of charge was full as well. So we opted for the private cabin.

Even if the public pool is available, I don't think I want to dip myself. Apparently, most Malaysians, as usual, become possessive and sharing is not part of it. Even though they know it is available free to all. They eat inside the pool thinking that if they stepped out, someone else will take the place. What a selfish behaviour!

Overall, it is good to dip yourself in the sulphur rich water :-)

On the way back, stopped by a town called Ranau. Had a lunch and the only recognizable restaurant was KFC :-) my favaourite. Unfortunately the air-condition was faulty, hence pretty hot in the restaurant.

Stomach full, time to move on. Visited the War Memorial at Kundasang. Very nicely maintained as compared to the surrounding area. The view of Mount Kinabalu from the memorial was wonderful. If you happen to be in the area, do stop by at this memorial.

Since we had some more time to spend, we did a bit of detour. From Kundasang, instead of driving the same way back to Kota Kinabalu, we decided to take the by-pass road to Kota Belud. Reached Kota Belud after driving in the rain on an unfamiliar road. Nothing much to see there (or is it me don't know what to see there? :-)), so we planned to drive to Kudat - visiting the most northern-tip of Borneo. From the map, it looked not that far. However, just a kilometre from Kota Belud towards Kudat, we saw the mileage marker that states more than 100km to Kudat. Oppsss..... better turn back. We will never reach Kudat before the night and then need to return to Kota Kinabalu. So, cancelled the trip and drove back to the city.

Dinner for the night was near Likas, by the sea-side. There is a place called "Anjung Selera". The food was so-so and expensive (compare to the night before). So, better go to the city for the seafood.

Feeling tired, retire a bit earlier. Tomorrow's plan is to laze at Manukan Island :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day 1 KUL - BKI

2008-12-25T23:14:00.002+08:00

A night before, I spent a night at Izam's place. It is easier this way since he is travelling with me to Kota Kinabalu.

Called the taxi 30 minutes before the requested pick up time. The journey to KL Sentral was smooth. No heavy traffic.

Took Skybus from KL Sentral to LCC-T KLIA at 8.20am and reached the "Puduraya Plane Station" an hour later. Proceed directly to check in and went for a quick breakfast at a Asian restaurant near the entrance.

The flight was delayed first time due to late arrival of the aircraft from Medan. Then, it was further delayed due to technical problem. A common reason used to inform passengers of the delay.

We finally took off at 12.50pm, around 1hr 40 minutes late from the original schedule. Around 30 minutes later, when the food was being served, the aircraft hit an air-pocket. Wow!!!!..... It was a wonderful experience... :-) Drinks spilled all over :-))

We landed at BKI Terminal 2 at 3.05pm. The flight was at 37,000 ft with speed of 850 km/h (average). Went to the hotel immediately after that and it cost us RM40 from BKI T2 to 1Borneo. We have booked Novotel 1Borneo via internet for RM173 per night excluding breakfast. I thought it was a good deal.

Checked into room 0926 and this will be our home for the next four nights. Pretty new hotel and the whoel 1Borneo is yet to be fully constructed. Only the hotels (Novotel, Mercure, Tune and Courtyard) and the shopping mall are competed. So constructions are still in progress.

Izam managed to get a car from his friend. This saves us some cash from renting a car. In fact, if you are planning to stay at any hotels at 1Borneo, it is highly recommended to rent a car. It is further away from the city and to move around, definitely need a transport. A taxi will do, but how much you want to spend on taxi?

After changing, we walked around the shopping mall. Pretty huge and there are mixtures of locals and visitors from neighboring country, Brunei.

In the evening, we drove to the city for a seafood. Original plan is to have a dinner at Port View Seafood, however, this place is too expensive, so we settled for dinner behind Handicraft market (if I am not mistaken). A lot cheaper and "hawker" style. In fact, few foreigners were seen enjoying the seafood there.

With one medium size fish (can't remember the name), a prawn, one big squid, five small squids and a crab, altogether cost us RM60. Not too bad considering two plates of rice, a seaweed ulam and three cans of drinks.

So far so good... tomorrow's plan is plan to drive to Kundasang.....

~ MT @ Malaysia

~ 1Borneo, Kota Kinabalu

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Travelling Again

2008-12-24T23:51:00.000+08:00

Yes... MT is travelling again.... :-)

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it...

MT @ Malaysia
~ Ampang, Selangor

~~ To Travel Is To Disocver Oneself ~~

MY: The Sacrifice

2008-12-03T22:21:00.000+08:00

Am planning to go back to my hometown for this Eid-ul-Adha. The planned date is on 6/12 and returning to KL (via SZB) on 9/12.

Three days before the departure date, my younger brother suddenly wanted to go back as well. His exam scheduled on Tuesday (9/12) was cancelled. No more tickets available, so be a good brother (ehem..) I changed my name to his.

So, my sacrifice, celebrating Eid in KL... quite a long weekend for me... 4 days in a row.... let see how I survive :-)

Selamat Hari Raya Korban...

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T18:17:00.000+08:00

peace...............................

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kg Attap, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Anniversary

2008-11-27T19:35:00.003+08:00

Today marks one year I am with my current firm and also a year with the current client.

Time flies.....

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kg Attap, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Wallet

2008-11-22T11:13:00.002+08:00

This morning, I went for a "nasi dagang" breakfast at Kemaman Kopitiam, near Damansara police station. The breakfast was good, except that the portion is small for the price.

It is not about breakfast I want to talk about, but about honesty. While walking to the kopitiam from the car, which is parked three doors away, my wallet dropped from my pockets. I never realized it until I went back to the car, about 1.5. hours later.

Went back to the kopitiam to search for it, and asked all the other three shops whether any of their staff found my wallet. Negative answer.

Walked to the nearest police station for a report, and alhamdulilah, the policeman told me there was one "hamba Allah" submitted one wallet to the police this morning. And it happened to be my wallet. Praise to Allah...

And to Panil, who found my wallet, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. May God bless you and your family.

There is still honesty in this society.. and I am glad to experience one today.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: End of Syawal

2008-10-29T19:21:00.002+08:00

Today is the last day of the month of Syawal. So, no more Hari Raya greetings from tomorrow onwards. However, my client's IT Division is having its "DeepaRaya" gathering tomorrow and so does my firm's division, which is planned on Friday.

Today, I interviewed a potential candidate for my division. Sound promising, so notified the Partner to proceed to hire her. Hope that I made a right decision.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Birthday Wishes

2008-10-28T00:28:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday ....... :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Colors of Ramadan

2008-09-13T09:46:00.000+08:00

.... in Kelantan

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: A Frog....

2008-09-12T21:38:00.001+08:00

in my Crocs

:-)

well, I took the photo after I "pull" the frog out :-))

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Ramadhan....

2008-08-31T23:59:00.000+08:00

Ramadhan Kareem to all readers!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Merdeka Eve

2008-08-31T12:38:00.001+08:00

BH got a voucher at Crown Princess Kuala Lumpur. So, since tonite is a Merdeka eve, we grabbed a chance to stay at the hotel. The hotel is a bit run down compare to other hotels that I have stayed around Kuala Lumpur.

At night, had dinner at Cosy House Ampang Park adn had a strolled at KLCC. The Merdeka eve concert was held nearby Famil's office. Watched the show for a short while before it starts drizzling. This is my first time ever going out on the Merdeka eve. Hoping to see patriotic Malaysians on the street, but what I saw were couples "dating" and lots of non-Malaysians... :-)

~MT @ Malaysia
~~Crown Princess, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: A Friend From Far Away

2008-08-30T21:38:00.001+08:00

Received a call from my ex-colleague in BearingPoint Doha. He is now in Kuala Lumpur with his wife. I took this opportunity to meet him at The Curve. Had a light lunch at Marche.

Nazar left BearingPoint few months earlier than me and went back to Chicago for a year. He later get married to soon-to-be-dentist, Sarah. Right now, they settle down in Abu Dhabi - another favourite city of mine.

Thanks Nazar for the gift!

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Mutiara Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Priority

2008-08-11T22:32:00.003+08:00

This week, I am supposed to be in London for a week. I declined to attend the training there due to my MBA classes and also too short notice to plan for a trip. Another reason to decline is to give a chance for my colleague to go. If I take this slot, she has to attend a session in Sydney in September. Unfortunately she is unable to travel next month due to her husband prior travel plan.

So I kira baik lah ni.. bagi "can" kat kawan... :-)

And last Friday, I declined another offer to be in London for two months - part of the methodology development team. Again, the reason is my class. What to do.. I have to be objective here, especially when the reason I came back from Middle East is to continue my study. I cannot deviate from my original intention - just not fair for myself.

Priority.. priority.. priority....

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

TH: The Meeting

2008-07-25T22:28:00.010+08:00

Today is the last day of he meeting. It has been a tiring four days for me. The meeting starts at 8.30am in the morning and finish just before lunch and in the afternoon, it's my turn to be one of the trainers for the staff.

Luckily I have been to Bangkok before, hence, I don't have much grievance if I didn't manage to discover the city. On the second night of the meeting day, I joined my office mates at Lebua Hotel (State Tower if I am not mistaken), at its open bar on 64th floor. Nice view of Bangkok. The fact that I went at night, I just see buildings with lights, without knowing much what I am looking at.

Overall, it was an eye opener for most of the staff since this is the first time ever the office fly them out of the country for a meeting. They also have a chance to meet their counter part from other Far East area offices.

Some people left today and most will leave tomorrow morning. As for me, I will be leaving on Sunday. Extend one more night since Izam is coming to join me for a weekend.

~ MT @ Thailand

~~ Plaza Athenee, Bangkok

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: KUL - BKK

2008-07-21T23:54:00.002+08:00

This is my first time flying Thai Airways. Am going to Bangkok for my firm's Far East Area meeting. This is our first meeting since the area integration on July 1 this year.

The flight was so-so with turbulence after one hour took-off from KUL. The flight was pretty empty, so I opted for last row in that TG heavy, hoping that I can relax a bit. However I was wrong. There was one Arab family with three kids. One of them crying as loud as she can 15 mins before landing.

Overall flight was not that bad. Food was great compare to MH meal box (TG still serve hot meal). But the crew was not as I expected, meaning, what you see in the advert is not what you see in flight :-) Well, I guess same goes to other airlines as well......

Landed on time in BKK and was greeted by the hotel representative. There are four of us and we are driven in a luxury Toyota MPV to the hotel, Royal Meridien Plaza Athenee, a place to call home for the next six nights......

~ MT @ Thailand

~~ Plaza Athenee, Bangkok

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Another One..

2008-07-19T00:11:00.001+08:00

H a P p Y b I r T H d A y I Z A M....

May you have prosperous year ahead....

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: It's Out!

2008-07-09T19:19:00.002+08:00

Today is the day my semester result is out. And praise to Allah.. grade for both subjects are beyond than I expected...

Two subjects completed and this weekend is a start of semester two. The next two subjects to take are Business Economics and Marketing Management. Let see how "good" the two new lecturers :-) hehehe...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ UIA, Gombak

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Happy Birthday

2008-05-05T22:53:00.000+08:00

Happy 60th. Birthday Mama.....

Yup.. today is my mum's birthday. Since I am back in KL and she also here visiting me, I brought her out for dinner. My dad was around as well. Knowing my parents are not into "outside" dining, I figured out the best place would be any Thai restaurant. Chakri Palace KLCC was our target.

My dad, as usual, is the hardest to please with outside food. He has warned me "makanan mesti sedap dan memuaskan kalau harga mahal"... a real challenge for me. Although he tasted whatever I ordered, he still could not finished his food. Different from my mum....

Anyway, happy birthday from your son.... :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ KLCC, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Little Army

2008-05-04T18:34:00.002+08:00

Today, my brother had an aqiqah and birthday for his kids. 2 in 1 events for 3 kids' birthdays combined together.

Happy 3rd. birthday Raouf

Happy 2nd . birthday Sophia

and "selamat beraqiqah" Harith...

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ TTDI, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Labour...

2008-05-02T21:14:00.003+08:00

Labour Day was assignment day for me. Need to complete two accounting assignments. How I hate assignments! Luckily for the final exam, only managerial accounting will be covered. Pre mid term module, Financial accounting will not be part of the final exam. A relief to me....

Management mid term result is out tomorrow. I know I didn't do well. I wrongly answered one essay question and got mix up on the BeeCeeGee matrix. What to do, too late already... Hope I can cover my marks from the term paper and final exam.. insyaAllah.

On Sunday, there will be aqiqah for my nephew. My brother and his family are moving to our neighbor country for at least a year. A chance for me to visit the country more often... not that expansive these days considering the choices of airlines plying the route.

Got to go back to my assignments... costing..costing... any management accountant out there can give me private tuition? :-p

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: The Mid....

2008-04-20T21:51:00.003+08:00

Today was my mid term paper for Financial Accounting. Was not really prepared. Altogether there are 11 chapters to cover. The class finished all the chapters in 5 days - with each day 3 hours lecture.

Not really confident with myself in answering the question. As usual, since I started learning accounting, my Balance Sheet never balance :-)) And it seemed like the rule of exam, the more you read the question, the more you are not confident with your answer.. or is it just me?

It was a 2-hour exam and there supposed to be a lecture for another one hour. Majority rules.. the student decided not to continue with the lecture. All were exhausted..

This mid term carries 20% of the final mark for the subject. I need to get overall 70% to graduate (total for all 6 semesters). InsyaAllah I will finish my MBA with good result.....

Next weekend, mid term exam for Management, submission of Accounting term paper and a summary for an article review... and also next week will be another hectic day with my client.. (actually I am thinking of giving up this job with this particular client...)...

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Life so far

2008-04-15T22:31:00.002+08:00

Since I joined this company and been put in charge of this system implementation project, my life has never been the same. Adding to my hectic weekdays is lectures during the weekend. There goes my (social) life and the whole week.

The project is demanding with client who does not know how to appreciate system implementation project. Apparently I just found out today, out of ten senior management in the Steering Committee, more than half do not know why they are in the meeting. Lousy!

Everyday, the minimum working hours are 12 hours for the team. Pity my team... well, why should I pity my team... they never done system implementation before and I have to train them.. but it is a good investment. Hopefully they will learn something for themselves.

This weekend would my Accounting mid term exam. Aaarrghhhhh... have not done any revision yet. In 5 weeks, we covered the whole financial accounting. After the exam, Managerial Accounting lectures to start and it will take another 5 weeks before the final exam. Time flies.....

Got to pen off... need ot finish my accounting term paper... yup... this weekend is a mid term exam and a term paper is due.....

wish me luck...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Semester 1 Plan

2008-04-12T22:48:00.003+08:00

Starting from next week, there will be more assignments due in addition to mid-term exam. Thought that being part time student, the home work/assignments are also "part time". But I was wrong.

I hope I can cope with this.... Anybody wants to polish their accounting knowledge? Do contact me.. maybe can assist me in reviewing some articles :-))

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Hmmm...

2008-04-07T23:06:00.000+08:00

Hmmmm.. too long have not update my blog... Currently, I become student again.. yup.. a part time student or rather weekend student :-)

This is my fourth week of lecture and in two weeks time, my mid term exam.. tough to be a student again after more than a decade leaving that life...

Too bad my Sony cyber-shot broken. Else, I can share some photos... so, for time being, the entries will be photo-less...

~ MT @ Ampang

~~ Selangor, Malaysia

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Tuesdays with Morrie (II)...

2008-02-24T18:11:00.004+08:00

Here are more points to ponder... :-))

We Talk about How Love Goes On

"I believe in being fully present," Morrie said. That means you should be with the person you're wih. When I'm talking to you now Mitch, I try to keep focused only on what is going on between us. I am not thinking about something we said last week. I am not thinking of what's coming up this Friday. I am not thinking about doing another Koppel show, or about what medications I'm taking.

"Part of the problem, Mitch, is that everyone is in such a hurry," Morrie said. People haven't found meaning in their lives, so they're running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running." Once you start running, I said, it's too hard to slow yourself down.

We Talk about Marriage

"there are a few rules I know to be true about love and marriage; If you don't respect the other person, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you don't know how to compromise, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. If you can't talk openly about what goes on between you, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. And if you don't have a common set of values in life, you're gonna have a lot of trouble. Your values must be alike.

"And the biggest one of those values, Mitch?"

Yes?

"Your belief in the importance of your marriage."

We Talk about Our Culture

"People are only mean when they're threatened," he said later that day, "and that's what our culture does. Even people who have jobs in our economy are threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, because they worry about losing them. And when you get threatened, you start looking out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is all part of this culture."

"Invest in the human family. Invest in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you."

We Talk about Forgiveness

"There is no point in keeping vengeance or stubbornness. These things" - he sighed - "thee things I so regret in my life. Pride. Vanity. Why do we do the things we do?"

"It's not just other people we need to forgive, Mitch," he finally whispered. We also need to forgive ourselves."

Ourselves?

"Yes. For all the things we didn't do. All the things we should have done. You can't get stuck on the regrets of what should have happened. That doesn't help you when you get to where I am.

We Talk about the Perfect Day

"As long as we can love each other, and remember the feeling of love we had, we can die without ever really going away. All the love you created is still there. All the memories are still there. You live on - in the hearts of everyone you have touched and nurtured while you were here."

"In business, people negotiate to win. They negotiate to get what they want. Maybe you're too used to that. Love is different. Love is when you are as concerned about someone else's situation as you are about your own".

I heard a nice little story the other day," Morrie says. He closes his eyes for a moment and I wait.

"Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air - until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore.

' "My God, this is terrible," the wave says. "Look what's going to happen to me!"

"Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, "Why do you look so sad?"

"The first wave says, "You don't understand We're all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't it terrible?"

"The second wave says, "No, you don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean." '

I smile. Morrie closes his eyes again.

"Part of the ocean," he says, "part of the ocean." I watch him breathe, in and out, in and out.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Tuesdays with Morrie (I)...

2008-02-23T12:25:00.003+08:00

Although I have been back in Malaysia for quite sometimes, I still keep in touch with my friends in Doha. I normally chat with Zal via Skype (if he is not chatting with his other half ... muahahhaha) and emailing with others. Really hope they will contact me whenever they are back in KL. Really miss them.

There was one day when Zal suggested me to read this book.. "Tuesdays with Morrie". Morrie was a teacher for the writer. This book is like Mitch's (Mitch Albom is the ex-student) thesis - thesis about life.

What I like most about this book are the wonderful points to ponder. Reflecting our daily activities and events as well as feelings. Here are some of them.

We Talk about Regrets
'On the plane ride home that day, I made a small list on a yellow legal pad, issuese and questions that we all grapple with, from happinessto aging to having children to death... But there still seemed to be no clear answers. Do you take care of others or take care of your "inner child"? Return to traditional values or reject tradition as useless? Seek success or seek simplicity? Just Say No or Just Do It?'

We Talk about Death
' "Everyone knows they're going to die," he said again, "but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." '

We Talk about Family
' "This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there's someone who is watchinf out for them..... knowing that your family will be there watching out for you. Nothing else will give you that. Not money. Not fame." '

We Talk about the Fear of Aging
.. I'm wondering how you don't envy younger, healthy people. "Oh, I guess I do." ... "I envy them being able to.... But envy comes to me, I feel it, and then I let it go. Remember what I said about detachment? Let it go. Tell yourself, "That's envy. I'm going to separate from it now." And walk away."

We Talk about Money
"We put our values in the wrong things.And it leads to ver disillusined lives..."

"These were people so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material things and expecting a sort of hug back. But it never works. You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship."

"Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I'm sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you're looking for, no matter how much of them you have. "

"There's a big confusion in this country over what we want versus what we need." " You need food, you want a chocolate sundae. You have to be honest with yourself." "The truth is, you don't get satisfaction from those things. You know what really gives you satisfactions?" - Offering others what you have to give.

"Remember what I said about finding a meaningful life? - Devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose adn meaning."

... to be continued...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: After a Hiatus

2008-02-03T19:28:00.000+08:00

I know I have not updating my blog as frequent as I used to be. For this long weekend in KL, I was occupied in managing the system "go live" for one of the financial institutions. It was a tiring with limited number of staff and client users who refused to understand the importance and the urgency of the project.

Alhamdulillah, last night was a cut over and this morning, no major hiccups. Hope to stay that way. A week after Chinese New Year, another cut over for another product.

I have been working long hours with unofficial over time. It is so unfortunate that the more senior you are, you lose the benefits of overtime :-( Anyway, I was blessed with three good staff who strive to make it happen.

Will update more frequently from now on. This coming Chinese New Year holiday, I am going back to my hometown.

Selamat Hari Wilayah!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Welcome to the World

2008-01-24T17:07:00.000+08:00

Today, officially I have three "anak buah". The latest is a "giant" boy... Borne at 12.05PM.. 4.78kg..

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Getting wiser each day...

2008-01-03T05:01:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday to me!

:-))

Thank you to all the wishes and presents :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Happy New Year

2008-01-01T05:05:00.000+08:00

Wishing you Happy New Year 2008....

am getting older by one year in couple of days...

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha

2007-12-20T21:03:00.000+08:00

Wishing all readers....

"S E L A M A T H A R I R A Y A A I D I L A D H A "

Semoga pengorbanan kita akan meningkatkan lagi ketaqwaan terhadap Allah s.w.t.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: MH in Kazakhstan?

2007-12-07T20:03:00.000+08:00

When I was in Almaty, my hotel has four channels of PayTV. Two are normal channels (all in Russians) and another two are not for underage (I think you know what I meant here). This is one of the movies available.

Do you notice that the actress is wearing MH ground staff uniform? Glamer jugak MH ni ye... sampai Kazakhstan... cuma I tak sempat jumpa Borat (?)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Almaty Trip Summary

2007-12-06T19:54:00.000+08:00

Landed at KUL couple of minutes before 11pm local time. Taxied to contact pier at KLIA. By 11:40pm, I was on the train to XKL where BH was waiting for me.

Now, let me give my view and conclusion on my trip to Almaty.

Overall, Kazakhstan is bored if you are stuck in the cities like Almaty or Astana. In fact, I was told living in Astana increases your boredom meter. However, translating this into “money management”, then it is good since you don’t have many things to spend your money on.

Here are my observations for the last four days during beginning of winter in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Working: Not favour of this. You feel alienated since all businesses are conducted in Russian. So do the workers. Only handful of them speaks English. All signboards are in Russian. No English words at all. I know the same in Middle East where majority speak Arabic. However, the feeling is different.

Moving around: Pretty hard since Almaty is not a “city center”. Meaning, there is no down town. You must know where to go. There is no such thing as I want to go to Mall A then walk around the area. There may only be Mall A there and nothing else. Not many taxi around, however there are “private cars” where you have to negotiate the fare and must know the exact place to go. Bear in mind these “private cars” can slaughter you as foreigners easily. Literally, if you are behind the wheel, you are licensed to pick and drop passengers wherever and whenever you want. Driving your own car may not be a good idea unless you have been in the country for quite sometimes.

People: Kazakhstan has more than 100 nationalities/ethnics. There are local Kazakh (looks like Mongolian), ethnic Russia, Tartar, Korean, etc. Therefore, the tolerance level towards foreigners are high. You may experience positive encounter with the locals and may also have negative view on it.

Food: The country may have majority of Muslim people. However, be careful when eating at the restaurant because some Muslims here do eat pork and drink alcohol. Ramadan is not respected (I dare to say this since I was told by people who have been here long enough) and you will not see any or very minimal Islam being practised as a way of life. The best thing is to go to the restaurants that serve no pork at all. All restaurants that I have been do serve alcohol. There is no international fast food chain like KFC, McD or any of those international brand coffee shops (Starbucks, Coffee Bean etc..).

Surrounding Area/Travel: This country is rich in natural beauties. Apart from Almaty, Astana and petroleum cities around Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan has lots to offer for nature’s lovers. However, the tourism industry is not being aggressively marketed. Only those people who are in the country would know the untouched area in the country. Everybody needs a visa in advance before entering the country. This is a negative point for tourism. There is a railway system connecting Almaty and Uzbekistan (not sure about other countries). One of the company staff does a once in fortnight trip from Almaty to Tashkent (overnight train from Almaty to Uzbek town for 3000 tenge and another 3000 tenge for a taxi from the Uzbek town to Tashkent). For info, USD1 = 120.5 tenge = RM3.45.

Standard of Living: This is very high. Basic meal for small soda and a plate of kebab costs around 700 tenge. Kebab seems to be cheaper than burger. Rental is quoted in USD and a semi-dee house within a gated community can fetch USD4million. The average two rooms apartment in Almaty costs circa USD3500 – USD4000. You can get a cheaper rate for old Soviet-era apartment building.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Sunway Damansara, Petaling Jaya

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

TH: ALA-BKK-KUL

2007-12-06T00:10:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 6am to freshen up and had breakfast. By 7am, I was already at the lobby and the driver was already there. I was with another candidate who is traveling back to Jakarta. However, she was to stop overnight in Bangkok to visit some friends.

We reached the airport around 7.35am and immediately approached by the “baggage handler”. This is the same concept as you experience when you arrived in Jakarta airport (at least, based on my experience). I could not have a chance to say no and our luggages were already on the trolley. These people are quick. At first there were two of them and inside the terminal, another guy joined. They asked for 5000 tenge. I said no tenge. Then, they asked for USD5. We disagreed. Later, my colleague just paid USD2, one dollar each.

Almaty airport is small with 20 counters for check in. Six counters are dedicated for Air Astana, and the remaining for other airlines plying Almaty routes. This morning, there were flights to AMS with KL, FRA with LH and a chartered to Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt. Although there are no passengers at all at the Air Astana counter, they cannot checked us in. The reason – you have to wait at least two hours before boarding time. It took me around ten minutes to get the answer because they were busy talking to each other. We managed to checked in at 8am with no problem at all. Luckily the check in agent that I dealt with was polite and friendly.

We went through the immigration and soon, find ourselves in the duty free area. This duty free area also play a role as a holding lounge. You cannot go to the gate until your flight is being called. There was one drink outlet, an open bar concept with a very long queue. I wonder why and I walked towards the counter. Apparently, there were two bar tenders, and one of them was sleeping at the counter. Yes sleeping… The same goes to the duty free shops. When changing the shift, the outgoing staff will close the outlet and the new shift staff will open it later.

On the last day in Kazakhstan, I successfully connected to internet. At the airport. Chatted with my friend, AAH in Doha for a short while.

At 9.30am, the boarding started. Three security counters were opened. Do not worry if you bring any liquid or two big hand luggages. They didn’t care. If no issue to you, bring it on board. This time the flight was pretty full. The aircraft used is Boeing 767-300 registered as P4-KCB. I believed this is ex-KLM flight based on the interior. We pushed back on time and in seconds, we were air borne. The bar service started about an hour after take off. Lunch was served and I opted fish with potatoes instead of beef. The food was just so-so. Moreover, I was so hungry. There is no PTV and I was not seated at a good seat to watch the front screen. They showed Just for Laugh, I Didn’t Know That – both are 30mins show, then two movies, No Reservations and Transformer.

This time, the path taken from ALA to BKK brings us via Tashkent, Lahore, Delhi, Varanasi, and Yangon.

I managed to get a short sleep in between movies. One and half hour before landing, a sandwich was served. We landed at BKK at 6pm, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I was so happy because this will give me ample time to shop for duty free. Some top brand outlets are having sales.

Checked in for MH flight soon after I disembarked. Said goodbye to my Indonesian friend and I off for prayer and shopping. Boarding for MH flight to KUL started at 7:30pm. This was a light load, 50% of economy class only. Flight is boarding now….

~ MT @ Thailand
~~ Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

KZ: Last Day before leaving

2007-12-05T04:35:00.000+08:00

According to agenda, I am supposed to be in the company office at 11am. However, the head of the unit would like to see me before he leaves for Astana, thus I have to be in earlier. Met him for 15 minutes and he briefly mentioned his plan for me and the package I might be offered. I would say it is not that attractive.

In the afternoon, I went to another building to have lunch with the country head. A New Zealander who has been in the country for the last couple of years. Pretty interesting story from him on the country development.

After lunch, Lyazatte came to fetch me and another candidate for a city tour. We decided to enjoy both the city and the mountains. Original plan is to go to Chimbulak, a ski resort. However, we cut short our trip and stopped only half way there. Around 1500ft above sea level. It was a breathtaking view. Then we went down town and the first stop was Post Office. I needed to post a postcard to myself. I always do this whenever I went out of the country. Buy a postcard and post it to yourself.

Then, to the Green Market where a lot of cheap stuff including souvenirs are sold. Actually, other things are cheap, but not the souvenirs. It is known as Green Market because the area is full with vegetables and fruits stalls. Then we moved to the Central Mosque. The first ever mosque I found in Almaty. People are not really religious. Met few Muslims Kazakh. Unfortunately they do not speak English, so unable to converse well with them.

Since it was already dark and our tour guide needed to go back to the office, we decided to call off the day. The traffic was so bad. Reminds me of Kuala Lumpur during peak hours.

Had dinner with David and Gary at the Namaste Indian Restaurant nearby our hotel. Although this is Indian restaurant, they also serve Thai and Chinese. As per other restaurants in Almaty, pork is also served.

After dinner, I went back to pack and dozed off after packing, Tomorrow pick-up will be at 7am form the hotel. Need to wake up early in this cold weather.

At last, I am going back home.

~ MT@Kazakhstan
~~ Astana International Hotel, Almaty

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

KZ: The Day

2007-12-04T04:31:00.000+08:00

I woke up early in the morning for breakfast and get ready for my official interview. Originally, I promised David to meet him at 8am and go to the office together. Unlike me, David already joined the company and his first day is today. Apparently, he has to go to Office 1 and mine is Office 2. Slava, the company’s driver, picked me at 9am and from the hotel, it took me around 30 minutes to get to the Office 2. The traffic was bad. I thought the driving skills in Qatar was worse, but this is terrible. The way they structured the traffic light junction coupled with the bad driving skills make the driving condition in Almaty bad. I would not dare to drive at this point of time. Based on the experience by people I met here, driving can be harmful to you.

When you park your car, make sure there is ample space between the cars. Else, you will find our car dented. Also, the driver here do not use back mirror. Same as drivers in Qatar who seldom use the signals. Over here, when they want to reverse their vehicles, they just reverse them. Should you happen to be behind them, too bad. Expect collision.

In the morning, I met three top management from the company. One partner and two directors. So far so good. I have met one of the directors on Saturday at the party. Had lunch at Guinness Bar – a buffet spread of the local dishes. By the way, if you see names that are the same with international brand like in this case, Guinness, it does not mean the establishment is the international chain brand. It is merely a name. I was a bit concern of what to eat there since the food labels are in Russian/Kazakh and I didn’t know what pork means in the language. Bear in mind over here, very very few practice the religion. Muslims seldom pray or never pray. According to my friends in the company, majority Muslims that they know do not fast in Ramadan and they do drink alcohol and eat pork. Hari Raya is not known here. So forget about getting public holiday on that day.

In the afternoon, I am supposed to meet with two senior managers, and both of them are local Kazakh. However, one of them could not make it due to client commitment. Met with HR Manager who explained that once the company offers you a job, you have to wait for three to five months to get your work permit ready. This means that you can only be officially hired into the company once your work permit ready. Business visa will no longer work for this case. The HR passed me the check list of the work permit processing.From the look of it, it is not much difference from Qatar except there are no medical check-up and letter of the good conduct from the police. Additional documents needed include reference letter from previous employers proving your work experience at least for the last five years.

The country is making difficult for expatriate to come. It is a good move to ensure qualified locals are given proper chance.

Attempted to connect to internet from the company, but failed although there is a successful connection made. Diagnostic shows there was connection, but I wonder why I could not get into internet.

At night, had a team dinner at the Uzbekistan restaurant. First time ever in my life I tried horse meat. Yup.. you read it right… horse meat. I tried the cold horse meat, thus a bit tasteless.

This Uzbekistan restaurant, I think it is known as “Alasa” has a very distinctive Uzbek deco. There were also few birds chirping once in a while. The food was good and the best part was the entertainment. Ranging from traditional Uzbek folk fore and finish it up with belly dancing. Before the end of the show, these belly dancers will move from one table to another. As a patron at the restaurant, you are expected to slip some monies to their waist. Luckily they don’t strip like that club :-p

That’s wrap up my day….

~ MT @ Kazakhstan
~~ Astana International Hotel, Almaty

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

KZ: Sunday in Almaty

2007-12-03T04:28:00.000+08:00

I went to bed quite late last night. Around 3 o’clock in the morning. We stayed at that club until late. Woke up just in time for breakfast and continue sleeping until noon. In the afternoon, I had lunch at Promenad (again) and later went to Ramstore. This time, I was with David, an Australian who just joined the company. I was told this particular Ramstore is where majority of people go. Apparently, Ramstore is just like Carrefour / Tesco and Ramstore is a Turkish chain. Bought few fridge magnets for myself and some friends. Haven’t found the key chain for Zal yet.

The weather today was cold and the best thing to do in this weather is cuddling with the loved one sipping hot chocolate or coffee. Hehehe… However, I am alone here and there is no coffee place like Starbucks or Coffee Bean. So, forget about it. I was told the first Starbucks in the region (Russia and CIS) was opened in Moscow couple of months back and it was a great success. I think it is time for Kazakhstan to have one.

After Ramstore, I joined other two colleagues for drinks at Soho Almaty Club. This club is not the same as the club I went last night. It is a dining palce with live band. Although it is not the same, it is similar. A place where you can pick up “overnight partner” for around USD200 per night per partner. The band was pretty good I would say. We stayed there until 1am, which is the club closing time on Sunday.

Went back to the hotel and started packing. I need to pack just in case I have to move to another hotel since I was told the current hotel is fully booked. I hope that the company can extend my stay for another two nights. Too lazy to move out – although the hotel is not a great hotel. The breakfast is lousy and the internet connection is expensive.

Tomorrow is the official day. I will be seeing few top management and I am not pretty sure whether I should do my best…. :-p

~ MT @ Kazakhstan
~~ Astana International Hotel, Almaty

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

KZ: Jalan-Jalan in Blizzard

2007-12-02T04:46:00.000+08:00

Once I reached the hotel, changed and went straight to bed. I woke up at 8am after a short but good sleep. I was thirsty and needed to get some food. I thought KC to serve light refreshment before landing, however, I was wrong.

Went down to Sulu Restaurant for a buffet breakfast. Basic breakfast i.e. omelet, yogurt, choices of fruit juices, coffee, tea and bread. Nothing interesting. Enough to fill me up until lunch. After breakfast, I planned to continue my sleep, however, I guess I can cover my sleep later. So, I took this opportunity to walk around the hotel. One thing bad about this country in relation to tourism industry is the lack of map and information. Although there is a copy of Kazakhstan yellow pages in the room, the map is in Russian. If you asked the front desk staff (I am talking about this particular hotel I am staying), they were not any good. One question will be responded with one useless answer. No voluntary information. My observation is that the Soviet era mentality still persists. I think it takes time for people to appreciate freedom.

Without any guide, I stepped outside the hotel under the blizzards. It was cold and the roads were covered with thin layer of snow. Thanks to a friend for lending me his winter jacket. My indicator for my walk was the crowd. Watched which direction they were walking from and which direction they were going. Snapped few photos along the way and after 15 minutes walking, I found a small mall, Promenad. This is a pretty small mall and fair to equate the Promenad with the Center in Doha. There is a supermarket, Gros and also a King Burger food court. Bought few drinks to bring back to the hotel and had my lunch at the food court. Lunch costs me 725 tenge (RM20) for a plate of grilled meat, oily rice and a coffee.

Later in the evening, Andrew called me saying that he will be picking me up at 5pm to go to one of the company’s top management house. There was a surprise party for his boss’ wife. This was a top management social gathering (which I heard that they normally organize this among themselves) and frankly, I was not that ready to blend into it. This was also a surprise to me since it was not part of the itinerary. The crowd was a mixed blend of world nationalities. Malaysians, British, New Zealanders, Colombian, Indonesians, Filipinos and Australian. All of them are directors and partners. And they are pretty young.After the party, we went to Lime Brew for dinner. The restaurant reminds me of Blaubart in Frankfurt/Main since it shares the same concept. A bar/restaurant in a medieval set up. Good food. Over there, I met another two people who I will be working with should they offer me the job. These two are based in Astana, so will I if I being offered and accepted the job. Astana is 1:30 flight north from Almaty and a capital city of Kazakhstan.

After the dinner, majority decided to enjoy themselves at this “Sweet and Spice” club. Since I am new, I just followed them. This is one of the many exclusive men’s clubs in this city. A country where I was told majority is Muslim having many such clubs are quite surprising. I let you figure out what it is :-)

~ MT @ Kazakhstan
~~ Astana International Hotel, Almaty

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

KZ: Heading North

2007-12-01T04:00:00.000+08:00

At noon I took LRT from Setiawangsa to KL Sentral for check in. After checked in, I rushed to Burger King Masjid Jamek where I promised BH to meet him for lunch. Then, I took a train back to KL Sentral for connection to KLIA. Reached KLIA around 2:15pm and directly went for a prayer. There was a long queue at gate C14 where 9M-MKR is bound to depart for BKK. Among the crowd were the Indonesian cycling and gymnastic teams flying to Thailand for Korat SEA games. It looked like the flight is 95% full in economy. Don’t know the Golden Club class load factor though. The push back commenced at 15:16 and soon we were on our way to BKK departing from 32R.

After 30 minutes air borne, “Meal box” was served and I think this is a pretty good idea for a shot haul flight less than 3 hours. The box consists of sandwiches, an apple, mineral water and a Cadbury candy. This is the same concept by KLM on flight from KUL to CGK. The plane landed at BKK Suvarnabhumi at 17:15 local time on runaway 01R. Immediately, it taxied to gate D7 and soon I am at the international transfer desk for KC – Air Astana.

While waiting for the transfer counter to open, I bumped into another Malaysian who was heading to Almaty as well. He used to work in Azerbaijan before in oil and gas industry and just like me, this is his first time to Almaty. Great to see a “familiar” face.

Since I have 3 hours of transit and my first at Suvarnabhumi, I took a chance to walk around this gigantic airport. Structured wise, it looks “heavy” and the fact that it was not painted or tiled makes the airport looks dull. Very grayish.

Duty free shops are scattered across three floors – level 2, 3 and 4. Level 3 houses the airline lounges with few shops.

What I liked most about this airport is Level 4, the departure level. This level has most of the shops and along the way, there are islands of restaurants for the passengers to wind down after shopping.

Boarding for KC starts at 18:40 for flight to depart at 19:20. At the holding lounge, met two

girls going to Almaty to see their family who are working with Malaysian Embassy there.

The aircraft, Boeing 757-200 christened P4-GAS will fly me to Almaty tonight. The flight hours from BKK to ALA, according to the captain are 7hrs 30mins. Pushback on time and soon we were air borne from 01L. The flight path is a bit weird. It took us from BKK towards Dacca, then Delhi all the way to Kabul and turned back east towards Tashkent and soon Almaty. Wonder why we are not flying across the Tibetan Plateau, which should give us shorter route and shorter flight hours.

In-flight service on KC was not a good one compare to all other airlines I had flown before. The crew were “cold”. Seldom smiles. I think there were six cabin crew on board, 4 stewardesses and 2 stewards. What amazed me is that all the liquid leftover, i.e. drinks, were poured into the toilet sink. And just before landing, one of the lavatories was used as a dumped for garbage bag.

Landed at Almaty Airport at 02:00am with temperature 3 degrees celcius. It was a cold night and I really needed a sleep. Immigration was not difficult since the only flight arrived during that time was ours. All visitors have to get their face taken by the camera. Right after the immigration, there is a custom lane where you have to scan your hand luggage. You need to do this before you went to pick up your checked in luggage. I guess if you carry prohibited items in your checked in luggage, they will never catch you. But then, what are the prohibited items?

Before leaving the arrival hall, make sure you have the luggage tags for each of the checked in luggage ready. These tags will be checked against your luggage before you are allowed to leave the airport. For me, everything went smoothly. Outside the hall, met with the pick up person from the company and within minutes I was on way to the hotel.

The journey from the airport to the hotel took around 30 minutes. When I was first time in the US, I feel “just like what I see in the movie”. The same thing here. You feel that the view and environment are just like those you have seen in James Bond movies or any movies involving villains from Russia.

Let see what’s in store for me in the morning in this cold city.

~ MT @ Kazakhstan
~~ Astana International Hotel, Almaty

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: First Day

2007-11-28T03:18:00.000+08:00

Another first day... hehehe... this time, is my first day of work since I resigned from my Singapore company.

Originally, I agreed to join on 13 Dec, giving ample time to relax (nak relax lagi ke? tak cukup2 dua bulan eh? :-)) after I come back from my trip. However, the ED of my new company insisted me to join earlier for transition. The existing PM is going for a family vacation. Little that I know he misunderstood the dates for my trip which coincide with the current PM vacation. So right now, he ended up with no PM for the first week of December.

I don't know how to classify my first day. During the interview, I have informed them I am not interested in SI work any more, but now, I ended up managing one. And worse (I considered it worse), it is the same thing that I did before I left for Qatar. Urrgggghhhhhh........

Since I have accepted the work, I hope to do the best for it. Morever, the ED put high hope on me to lead this project.

I pray to be able to execute this successfully.....

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Kg Attap, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Next Trip

2007-11-27T23:02:00.000+08:00

I just received my ticket today for my trip up to Northern Hemisphere.... :-) the only problem now is I don't have any winter clothing. Anybody wants to lend theirs? Am leaving this Friday afternoon.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: House Warming

2007-11-24T11:34:00.000+08:00

My friend, SY invited me to his house warming party this afternoon. Since BH went back to Perak for his cousin wedding, I went to SY condominium with Famil. This was the second time I went to SY's place.

I found out later that he only invited those people that know he moved to a new place. He planned for around 25 people and ordered the food to cater triple of it. That's SY.... :-)

As a result, lots of left over. I hope he didn't throw the food away without attempting to give them to others. Famil and myself didn't take any since we were going somewhere else after that.

Thanks SY for inviting. It was a pleasure to see you again.... You look slim a bit although I expect slimmer (ye lah kan... dah jadi unofficial ambassador for one of fitness centers kat KL ni...)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Lapan (-1)

2007-11-23T19:27:00.000+08:00

My last day of detox. As expected, nothing changes or improved. So, I think I have to agree with majority that I talked to about detox. If you are a Muslim and fast during Ramadan, I don't think any detox programme will work. Fasting itself is a form of detax. Dapat pahala lagi :-)

It is good if you continue with six days fasting in Syawal and even better if we can dedicated ourselves to fast on Mondays and Thursdays. Isn't Islam great?

When that thought came to mind, I checked the website on juvanex detox again. An I reckoned all those success stories are from non-Muslim. And I am not surprised if they are not true. Not to downgrade the product, but for marketing gimmick, anything is possible.

Anyway, bottom line - for a Muslim, forget spending money on this. for non-Muslim, do practice fasting. For all, eat right and know your limit. Stop when you nearly full and eat on scheduled. Actually, these are all the teaching of our beloved Prophet (S.A.W)...

Islam.. what a great way of life..

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Tujuh (-1)

2007-11-22T12:09:00.000+08:00

Suppose to be the last day of detox. However, I skipped one day, so today is Day Six. Still the same, nothing happen.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Enam (-1)

2007-11-21T12:06:00.000+08:00

As per previous days, nothing on detox. Tomorrow supposed to be the last day. But since I didn't take juvanex when I was in Singapore, today is considered day five.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

SG: A Day trip

2007-11-20T21:30:00.000+08:00

I left Kuala Lumpur last night at midnight. Took Transnasional from Puduraya. The coach was not in a good condition, but reasonable for Transnasional standard. Moreover, this is the only bus company I found that meet my criteria:

1) To arrive early morning in Singapore, just nice for me to be in the office before 9am

2) To use a trusted transportation company.

Other companies/mode:

Aeroline - do not meet #1

Flights - do not meet #1

Other transportations - do not meet #1

Other bus companies - do not meet #2

So, at the end, I settled with Transnasional for RM30.10 one way.

BH dropped me at Puduraya around 11:15pm. The place still busy with people. The coach was ready thirty minutes before scheduled departure time and we left Puduraya on the dot. It was a bit difficult for me to sleep since the seat was not that comfortable. By 2:30am, we exited North South Highway at Machap for a 25 minutes stop.

Few minutes before 4am, we were already at the immigration check point at SecondLink. The immigration was fast since we were the only visitors to Singapore at that time.

Transnasional terminal in Singapore is Lavender Terminal, nearby the MRT of the same name. I know there is an MRT station there but do not know which way from the Lavender Terminal. Luckily there was an Indonesian guy who was on the same coach from KUL that knows how to get to MRT station.

I was at Suntec City by 6:30am. The Christmas lights in front of Suntec is beautiful at dawn. Singapore is getting alive very early in the morning.

I thought that the few coffee shops at Suntec to open by 7 am or 8 am, however, I was wrong. None of them was open, so I decided to go up to the office at Tower 3 and settle few things. By 9am, I handed over my EP, passport and disembarkation card for dispatch to MoM to cancel my EP. By 11:30am, everything was settled. I returned all items loaned to me and thanked the staff (in fact, out of all staff in the office, I only know two of them :-)) before make a move back to Johor Bharu.

Had a lunch at Raffles City Plaza and took an MRT to Kranji station for transfer to Johor Bharu via the causeway. I reached Johor Bharu at 3pm and due to my own fault, I ended up at Larkin instead of Kotaraya Plaza... This is what happened when you are not familiar with the city and asked a wrong person for direction. :-)

Walked around City Square (in fact I still could not figure out the Kotaraya Plaza despite the signboards everywhere) and nearly fell asleep at Starbucks.

By 6pm, my friend picked me up and we went for a drink. Later at night, had dinner at Senibong and then some drinks at Danga Bay.

My flight to KUL was next day at 9am. Thanks very much NH and his housemate, ZT. It was a pleasure meeting you again.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Johor Bharu, Johor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

SG: Day Lima

2007-11-20T21:27:00.000+08:00

No detox today since I am in Singapore. I didn't bring juvanex with me...

~ MT @ Singapore

~~ Suntec City, Singapore

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Empat

2007-11-19T21:22:00.000+08:00

Still nothing changes... however since I already bought that stuff, better finish them up... if, not rugi lak...

Leaving for Singapore tonight....

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Tiga

2007-11-18T11:47:00.000+08:00

Today is the third day into my detox programme. So far, no obvious improvement. My sleep last night was just same as previous nights.

According to the booklet in the juvanex packaging, taking words by words, user may feel a bit weak at the start of a detox. In the first three days,user may experience unpleasant short-term reactions such as:
- Mild diarrhoea
- Excretion of pungent dark faeces or yellow faeces which floats on water
- Frequent urination
- Extreme fatigue, sleepiness, irritability
- Coated tongue, metallic taste in mouth, mouth ulcer
- Headache, nausea, vomitting

Based on the above, although I do have couple of the predicted symptoms, I don't attribute them to the programme. Frequent urination for example, I always have this everytime I drink water. Apparently my bladder cannot keep lots of water :-) I did experience a metallic taste in mouth, but for a very short time.

So, third day, still don't feel that I am under detox...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Dua

2007-11-17T14:34:00.000+08:00

Second day of juvanex detox. Still the same. Nothing extra ordinary. So, I am still pessimistic on the effectiveness of the detox. According to Zal, this is either I am clean or too much toxin even juvanex can't help it.

I am still to continue with the detox until completion. According to the label on the packaging, the first two days of juvanex detox are the most crucial. These two days will see you experience all the symptoms of the detox.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Day Satu

2007-11-17T00:11:00.000+08:00

While enjoying the cartoon strips in The Star today, I came across this Starscope for Capricorn "Despite it being a Friday, todayis a good day to start something new".

Today, I start my very first detox programme. Juvanex detox programme. In the morning, with breakfast I took two scoop of juvanex and until evening, I didnt feel anything. In the evening, during dinner, I took another two scoop. At this I can feel one of the symptons as prescribed, metallic taste in the mouth. But it was brief.

After dinner, I went to see Zal at his apartment before he left for Doha. Bid farewell to him and went back to Ampang around 2am. In the morning, I was already up around 7:15am, without any alarm. I guess that is the only improvement I experience during my Day 1 of juvanex detox programme.

Now, I am a bit skeptical about this programme. Let see what happen in Day 2.....

p/s: Guna Mac ni, takleh nak upload gambar lak...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: It has been a while...

2007-11-13T17:07:00.000+08:00

yeap... it has been a while since I last update my blog. Busy?.. nah... not really.. those people in Doha do not really need my help. And since I have tendered my resignation, my office does really care what I am doing now. I have to go down to SIN next week to return my laptop and cancel my employment pass. Hope everything can be settled within a day since I am not looking forward to spend a night over there. Moreover, everything is on my own...

I am thinking to take an overnight coach or train and reach SIN early morning. Striaght to office and do the necessary. After that, come back to KUL. I spoke with officer from IRAS and Ministry of Manpower and it seemed that everything can be settled within one day.. I hope my office will be efficient enough to complete all procedures on time.

My new employer asking me whether I can star earlier i.e. end of the month. At the beginning, I am planning to start only in December, so give me enough time to rest (I will be on probation for 6 months!), but when I think about it again, I got nothing much to do. So, might as well start early and get paid.

Deep insight me, I hope that I make a right decision. This is a very hard decision to make since I am accepting only one third of what I used to earn in Doha. Pretty tough life I would say to maintain the lifestyle that I have used to. I keep telling myself this is an "investment"... yup.. an investment that I hope to reap the benefits within three years time maximum. I have stayed in Doha for three years and time flies... so I gues another three years will not make any harm to me... finger cross....

My family supports my decision and in fact they are happy with it.. Blessing from both my mum and dad is crucial for me.. may Allah guide me and enlighten my life with His nur.......

MT will not travel (extensively) again, at least for the next three years... I will try to travel domestically whenever I got chance...

Wih me luck, all my friends out there... insyaAllah we will meet again.....

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Yesterday

2007-11-06T10:10:00.000+08:00

My day yesterday.....

- it took me 30 minutes driving from Ampang Park to KLCC along Jalan Ampang... the traffic was at its worst yesterday evening!!

- reached KLCC, went straight for maghrib at the surau. Joined the congregation that already started praying. After praying and offering the doa, I extended my hand to next persons for salam. None of them actually looked at you with a smile. Are they not sincere? I have been noticing this lots of time in the mosques in this country.

- had dinner at Signature Level 2 food court. Bought myself "Pad Thai" from Rama 9. I miss "pad thai" from Thai Snack in Doha :-). Next customer came and ordered the same. She gave RM50 note and the cashier responded "Tak de duit kecik ke?"... errr... if I were the customer, I would just cancel the order. That kind of question should never been asked to the customer. The onus is on the cashier to go and find the change. It happened to me couple of days ago at La Bahome Jusco Mid Valley.

- and I tendered my resignation yesterday! :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Get Well Soon!

2007-11-01T11:35:00.000+08:00

Zal was admitted to Selayang Hospital two days ago for Retinal Detachment. The operation procedure took around an hour yesterday afternoon.

Get well soon Zal... people in Doha are missing you.

I went to visit him with NN and later, Rafi and Boboi joined us. While waiting for Rafi and Boboi to arrive, I had a "rojak" at the public cafeteria. This area really attracts me.. do we really need this?

Later that night, without Zal, all of us have some coffee at Starbucks The Curve.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: New Toy

2007-10-29T14:42:00.000+08:00

Haven't written anything in my blog for quite sometime... anyway, I just bought myself a new toy.... hehehehehe

I never bought a laptop fro myself before. This is the first one. I am proud with it even it is a bit expensive compare to others. I hope this is a right investment for me.

So, anyone out there are Mac users? Maybe can connect and teach me to familiarize myself with my new toy :-))

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Puncak Serambi

2007-10-24T12:25:00.000+08:00

Last night, I went for dinner with BH at one of the restaurants located along Ampang-Ulu Langat bypass. M-P-A-J has a tourist spot called Puncak Serambi with few restaurants. The area provides a bird's eye view of the city. It is beautiful. No need to go Genting to experience the view KL.

The food was just so-so. Not that great and not bad too... Recommend to go there to enjoy the view.

p/s: Apologize for the blurry photos... :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Open House Abe Zu

2007-10-22T22:43:00.000+08:00

Just got back from Abe Zu's open house. Met Zal/Razi and Nizam/Sha over there. I was late since BH was invited as well and he was working.

The food - mee goreng was good.. hot from Abe Zu's kitchen.... There were also satay, bubur kacang hijau, kuih koci, pasta, bihun goreng, and tomyam.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: From Singapore...

2007-10-21T14:48:00.000+08:00

Today, when I arrived from my more than one day journey from KBR to KUL :-)), my neighbour gave me a package. Apparently, it was delivered during my away and my neighbour has received it on my behalf.

It was from the wonderful couple, Pato & Pearl. Thank you very much...

My collection of fridge magnets..

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Birthday Karaoke

2007-10-21T03:36:00.000+08:00

Zal organised a karaoke session at Redbox Ria Sogo to celebrate Sha and Abe Zu birthdays.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: KUA-KUL via LPT

2007-10-20T23:04:00.000+08:00

Woke up around 8:30am. The weather was gloomy. Syok tido... :-) Had breakfast at Garden Terrace and then walked along the beach. Checked out at noon and drove to Teluk Chempedak.

The beach at Teluk Chempedak is better compare to Pantai Balok. The sand is whiter and the area is livelier. Spend few minutes snapping some photos... well, BH did.. me, just sat there enjoying McD fries.. :-))

It was nearly 1pm already and we planned to stop at Restoran Zaman to buy Nasi Lemak for lunch. This restaurant is a well known restaurant for Nasi Lemak. It is situated near the airport. It is along the road at the end of runaway.

We entered LPT at Gambang interchange around 1:40pm and exit at Karak an hour later. Then, we entered Karak-Kuala Lumpur highway few minutes after that. It was raining quite heavily and we reached TTDI around 4pm.

It was a fun drive and quite tiring. Not a lot of cars on the road, probably due to most of the city dwellers have returned to the city earlier.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: KBR-KUA via Coastal Road

2007-10-20T01:47:00.000+08:00

My friend, BH came to KBR for Eid and we decided to return to KUL via TGG. Our plan was to use Coastal Road or Jalan Pantai from Jertih to Kuala Terengganu. We were to meet Abe Zu and his family at Cherating and spent a night at Kuantan. This time, our choice of hotel is the newly renovated Swiss Garden Resort & Spa at Pantai Balok. Originally, we wanted to stay at Hyatt Teluk Chempedak, however, BH got a better corporate rate at Swiss Garden.

We left my parent's place around 10.30am and drove to KB Mall to meet BH friend. Then, around 12pm, we left KB Mall and drove towards Pasir Puteh, then continue to Jertih. At Jertih, we turned into an alternative road to Kuala Terengganu, Jalan Pantai. The drive along the Coastal Road brought us along Penarik, Merang, Batu Rakit and we reached the town centre around 2:30pm. A bit longer than usual, however since we were not in rush, we decided to enjoy the scenic view along the way.

At Kuala Terengganu, I bought a batik for Sha's birthday celebration and another sampin songket for myself. We were a bit disappointed because we could not find a decent restaurant opened for lunch. At the end, we ended up having K-F-C at Pantai Batu Burok for lunch. :-))

We continued our journey towards Kuantan soon after our late lunch and met up with Abe Zu and his family at Chukai (Kemaman). Abe Zu was staying at Impiana, Cherating, 10 mins away from Chukai. BH suggested a Chinese restaurant for soft shell crab, however, Abe Zu and family was a bit was-was since the restaurant is a Chinese restaurant without halal certificate :-) We ended up having dinner at Selera Timur restaurant.

We reached Pantai Balok at 10:30pm and checked in immediately. This is my first time at Swiss Garden Kuantan.

The weather was not really nice with rains intermittently. Looking forward for the next day trip from KUA to KUL.

~ MT @ Malaysia
~ Pantai Balok, Kuantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Birthday Wishes

2007-10-18T05:32:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday to Abe Zu (16-Oct) & Sha (18-Oct)!!!

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Selamat Hari Raya

2007-10-13T09:12:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri…. Maaf Zahir dan Batin…

First day raya. Prayed Solat Sunat Aidilfitri at the nearby madrasah. A lot of changes to the madrasah… two noticeable changes are the replacement of wood with bricks and the madrasah is now conquered by the current party ruling the state of Kelantan.. Yup.. the political division of villagers here is obvious if you mix around them.. very unhealthy, but that is what they chose to be.

Before the prayer, I had a light breakfast of laksam kelantan …have not eaten laksam for quite some time.

What in store for our guests, Satay/ Roti Jala with Kuzi Ayam / Laksa and Laksam (a bit of Laksa Penang too, courtsey of my neighbour) / Nasi Himpit and Kuah Kacang.

Tanah Perkuburan - stopped by en route to my aunties' houses to offer a prayer for the deceased family members.

Food for guests at one of my aunties' house.

At my cousin's place, Nasi Tomato.

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Last Day Iftar - Kelantan Style :-)

2007-10-13T01:03:00.000+08:00

On the way back from the airport, I stopped by at "Pak Wi Satay" to pick up satay that my mom booked for tomorrow's Eid.

Satay is synonym with a place called Baung in Pengkalan Chepa. The airport is situated in Pengkalan Chepa area and along the way to the airport, one will find lots of satay stalls by the roadside.

Pak Wi Satay is situated few hundreds meters from the main. The access to Pak Wi's pace is via a narrow road next to Shell petrol station (the first petrol station if you are coming from the airport to the town centre). Most of the satay bought in Baung have similar tastes. The only different is the price and the kind of beef used. Pak Wi uses local beef while most other stalls use imported beef. The price for Pak Wi satay is RM40 for 100 sticks while other stalls charge around RM45 - RM47 per 100 sticks.

Later in the evening, after paying my zakat at the nearby mosque, I went to the Pasar Ramadan at Kedai Mulong. Lots of mouth-watering Kelantan desserts like jala emas, tahi itik, etok (I think it is officially spelled as "etak") etc... Yummy..yummy.... I don't really eat "etok" anymore... justwant to take phot and put it in my blog.. muahhahahaa...

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: KUL-KBR with AK

2007-10-12T20:36:00.000+08:00

I flew back to my hometown today with AK. As much as I wanted to avoid flying AK (especially when the only fare available is the top end range), I have no choice this time.

BH picked me form my house in Ampang around 8am and he supposed to drive me to KL Sentral only. However, since I was a bit grumpy that morning (hehhehe.. don't ask why), he decided to drop me at LCCT directly... Thank you very much BH...

Reached the terminal around 9am plus, and the check in counters for KBR were not yet open. All AK check in counters are based on destination and they are open 2 hours before the departure and closes 1hr 15 mins later. I was a bit lost since this was a second time using the terminal (the first time was when I went to DPS with BH).

Check in as a breeze since I was second in line. Total checked-in luggage was 14kg and my hand luggage was only 6kg. Just nice for the low cost carrier requirements.

Boarding was called 30mins before the ETD. As ususal, the moment AK staff greeted "Ladies and gentlemen..", everybody started to rush in front of the gate/door. Typical. It was a bit of walk to the A320 (apparently, AK is now using Airbus for all its destinations) but now, they have built a covered walk way. Cool....

I boarded via the aft door and took my seat at the last row. Seat 31A. The flight was nearly full. I only noticed one seat vacant. Through out the flight, I kept myself busy with the in flight magazine, Travel 360degree (if I am not mistaken).

The flight was uneventful and the weather is clear. Upon flying over Kelantan air space, I noticed how dirty the Kelantan river is.. it is really really dirty.... too much logging I believe. The state government and the federal government should have done something.

We landed 5 mins earlier than ETA. Picked up my luggage and my brother already waiting for me outside the arrival hall...

Welcome home MT! It has been nearly a year since I last stepped my feet in my kampung :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kota Bharu, Kelantan

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Adding to Collection...

2007-10-10T08:39:00.000+08:00

Tiffany n Co. .. I never stepped in to the outlet. The only reason is in my mind, the cheapest would be at least RM1000. However, last night, it was different. With fashionable Aidid and RES around, I went to Tiffany n Co. for the first time.

The first visit to Tiffany n Co. cost me nearly RM700. So, what did I buy? :-)

What do you think?

~MT @ Malaysia
~~ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

~To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Iftar @ Pavilion

2007-10-10T03:15:00.000+08:00

Had iftar with RES and Aidid at Madam Kwan's Pavilion, KL. Zal was there as well. Supposedly, another ex-MIME, Rafi to join us, but decided not to. This is my first time meeting Aidid. All these while I get to know him via his blog and my friends in the U A E.

Surprisingly, Madan Kwan's at Pavilion was not full house. When I walked in around 6:55pm, less than 10 minutes before iftar time, there were still seats available. Probably Pavilion is still new and not fully operational.

I had char kuey teow, Zal indulged in Nasi Ayam, RES enjoyed Nasi Bojari while Aidid looked satisfied with Nasi Lemak.

After iftar, we walked around the mall. Nothing great, and in my opinion, Pavilion is not really "posh" as what I expect it to be. Went into AIX (yes, I found the shirt that Kak Diva/Abe Zu & Sha/Nije bought for me and now I KNOW how much it cost... thank you sooo much :-)), then Thomas Pink (I like the shirts collection there but just too expensive... anybody in London can buy this for me? :-)), Aldo (apparently I found few Aldo outlets when visiting few malls for the last few days), Tiffany & Co. (want to know what I bought here, see the next entry) and lastly Parkson.

Zal and myself left for KLCC to meet another friend, and later on to Kota Damansara Uptown (actually I don't know there is another Uptown after the one I know in Damansara) to meet Nije & Sha...

It was a very tiring day rushing from one place to another with bad traffic - but it was fun!

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Sunway Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Iftar @ Putrajaya

2007-10-08T03:50:00.000+08:00

Went to have iftar with my brother at Putrajaya today. Since we didn't do any prior reservation, the best bet is to go to the shopping mall. And the nearest mall is Alamanda. So, around 6pm, we drove to Alamanda.

Within minutes, we reached Alamanda, however, all the restaurants and food court seats were fully booked. So we decided to do some groceries at Carrefour first and bought drinks for our iftar. Later, after Maghreb prayer, we had dinner at Johnny Steamboat. I am not a fan of the steamboat, but my brother is. This was his choice, so I just followed.

Alamanda,in my opinion, is a community mall, rather than an upclass shopping mall. I would say majority of shoppers are from Putrajaya itself and its neighbour, Cyberjaya. You can sense most of the crowds are either students or the government servants. How? hmm... hard to explain.. or is it "sterotyping" since the area is a government administrative capital?

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan

~ To Travel Is to Discover Oneself ~

MY: Jalan-jalan

2007-10-07T00:16:00.001+08:00

Today, I went jalan-jalan to The Gardens and Mid Valley at the Mid Valley City and later in the day, on the way to TTDI, I stopped by at Bangsar Village II.

The Gardens - one of the latest up-class shopping malls. Anchor tenants are Isetan and Robinsons. Walked into Robinsons.... not to my liking. Prefer Isetans and local Metrojaya.

Bangsar Village - Never been here since it opened its door. I just want to see Ted Baker.. nice clothing but too expensive for me. Waiting for Thomas Pink to open at The Gardens.....

Mid Valley - everybody knows the place. Nestled within the Mid Valley City, it shares the same parking area with The Gardens. So pay close attention where you park your car and where do you want to go. Else, you will end up walking quite a distance.

Sunday - probably Pavilion KL :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Sunway Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: More Presents

2007-10-06T04:50:00.000+08:00

Thank you very much to Ruby & Family as well as Titien & Family. Zal brought back their tokens of appreciation for me with him yesterday...

thanks a lot...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Kota Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: Beginning of Weekend

2007-10-06T04:46:00.000+08:00

Since I arrived back in KUL on the October 1, I have not been having a proper iftar as per like "sit down and facing the food" during the iftar time. It was either a sip of water inside the car or at home then, went out for dinner or a delayed iftar - which is not really encouraged in Islam.

In the evening I managed to go to the Bazar Ramadhan at TTDI. Joining me were Zal and his housemate, RY. Zal just arrived back from DOH in the afternoon. It felt like you want to buy every single thing there when you were buying food on empty stomach!

We ended up with mutton and chicken beriyani , and few local kuih -> popiah basah, popiah goreng, tepung pelita, putu piring, cucur udang, and tofu fah. Drinks to quench our thirst were air buah mata kucing and air soya.. hmmmm ....... yummy...

Unfortunately, I left my camera in the car. Hence, no photo of the bazar ramadhan itself... but I do have these photos for The Yummylicious Family and other friends in Doha... :-))

p/s: Thank you for the polo tee. I like it.. :-)

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Kota Damansara, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: The Boxes are here

2007-10-04T22:36:00.000+08:00

Tracked the shipment via FedEx website this morning... and the status of the shipment is "On FedEx vehicle for delivery".. yey.. my fourboxes are on the way... luckily no issue with Customs.. well, it should not be anyway.. all are used items... :-)

Out of four boxes, one was delivered Thursday at noon while the remaining three were delivered 6 hours later. The one that was delivered at noon came from Shah Alam facility while the remaining three came from Kota Damansara facility. I dont know why they splitted. Anyway, all the content were not touch although one of the boxes was badly ruined (the one from Shah Alam facility).

~ MT @ Malaysia

~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~

MY: My First Kad Raya

2007-10-04T13:03:00.000+08:00

Today, I received my first "kad raya". It is from Shah.

Thanks Shah.... Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir & Batin to you too...

~ MT @ Malaysia
~~ Ampang, Selangor

~ To Travel Is To Discover Oneself ~