Funemployment Adventures

     Well I suppose I would like to think I am going on adventures, but alas, life has caught up with me and it is time to get back to business. There is really nothing too 'fun' about funemployment, now that my money has dwindled down to a few pennies and my travel days are over. However, I've chosen to use the word in order to make what is going to be inevitably painful less so.

     Well I suppose I would like to think I am going on adventures, but alas, life has caught up with me and it is time to get back to business. There is really nothing too 'fun' about funemployment, now that my money has dwindled down to a few pennies and my travel days are over. However, I've chosen to use the word in order to make what is going to be inevitably painful less so.

     Well I suppose I would like to think I am going on adventures, but alas, life has caught up with me and it is time to get back to business. There is really nothing too 'fun' about funemployment, now that my money has dwindled down to a few pennies and my travel days are over. However, I've chosen to use the word in order to make what is going to be inevitably painful less so.

     Well I suppose I would like to think I am going on adventures, but alas, life has caught up with me and it is time to get back to business. There is really nothing too 'fun' about funemployment, now that my money has dwindled down to a few pennies and my travel days are over. However, I've chosen to use the word in order to make what is going to be inevitably painful less so.

"Do you hear that voice inside your head? Whispering to live your dreams instead? Some people cling to what they know, but I woke up and now it's time to go"

     Have you ever ran and ran until you just collapsed? Until your legs felt as if they would give out? Until your mind enters a different place outside of your immediate reality? Until everything became, well, clear as mud? I go through this ritual about twice a month. The funny thing is I actually despise running whether it be on a track, the road, a trail, or a treadmill. However, for whatever reason the right string of songs pops through my headphones, the stars align, and I go. When it’s all over, my world becomes slightly less murky than when I first step foot into the gym.

     Have you ever ran and ran until you just collapsed? Until your legs felt as if they would give out? Until your mind enters a different place outside of your immediate reality? Until everything became, well, clear as mud? I go through this ritual about twice a month. The funny thing is I actually despise running whether it be on a track, the road, a trail, or a treadmill. However, for whatever reason the right string of songs pops through my headphones, the stars align, and I go. When it’s all over, my world becomes slightly less murky than when I first step foot into the gym.

     Have you ever ran and ran until you just collapsed? Until your legs felt as if they would give out? Until your mind enters a different place outside of your immediate reality? Until everything became, well, clear as mud? I go through this ritual about twice a month. The funny thing is I actually despise running whether it be on a track, the road, a trail, or a treadmill. However, for whatever reason the right string of songs pops through my headphones, the stars align, and I go. When it’s all over, my world becomes slightly less murky than when I first step foot into the gym.

     Have you ever ran and ran until you just collapsed? Until your legs felt as if they would give out? Until your mind enters a different place outside of your immediate reality? Until everything became, well, clear as mud? I go through this ritual about twice a month. The funny thing is I actually despise running whether it be on a track, the road, a trail, or a treadmill. However, for whatever reason the right string of songs pops through my headphones, the stars align, and I go. When it’s all over, my world becomes slightly less murky than when I first step foot into the gym.

I get by with a little help from my friends, I get high with a little help... from my friends, I'm gunna try...

    I'm sitting here in a hotel suite with a fancy desk lamp and a big 'ol official desk looking onto the Petronas Towers thinking, shouldn't I be commanding some line of people? Or making some powerful decision right now? Well, although I am working (still...albeit from a hotel instead of my desk with the not-so-comfy chair), I'm not making any big decisions or doing anything earth-shattering, just more layouts for yet another CF of a project.  The only big choice I will be making is whether or not I'm going to the gym in a few minutes. Penang was ill. Work makes me wanna smack a bitch, for lack of a better word (Q if you are reading this, that is your slang of the day).

Anyways, here is an excerpt from my hand-written sketch/journal. I've been writing a lot lately, for no particular reason...Sarah Kay gave me some inspiration I suppose...

I could write about Penang.
The colonial buildings and high rises
The mansions and street stalls.

I could write about the butterflies,
animal heads, spice gardens, batik silks
The little chendol stall crowded with people slurping up its offerings in the rain

I could tell you about the trip to the little palau.
about my wandering thoughts of just disappearing from the world I know
I could tell you about the deep conversations
About my violent concoction of impulse and honesty.

I can explain, I can explain
how these elements combined to rip across an ocean
to stop another's pulse.

I can tell you how to take the dog out of the fight
but can you really change the stripes of the tigress?

I could write about the food
About how I dragged my parents out for street food on the first night
how the cab driver and I convinced them to try durian
at a roadside stall
(you should have seen my mother's face)

I can tell you about how good it felt to fall asleep
to the sound of the ocean
or how my shower had jets that came out of the walls
about how good my body felt after taking a bath
or how I scribbled down my whims in a smoke-filled bar
made of tropical hardwoods
worn, dented, and laden with stories

I could jump on my soap box
speak about Bersih
describe my pride for a nation standing up for itself

However, today isn't the day
it isn't the day to be atop the soap box:
the people have spoken

Today is still yesterday across the ocean
my dirty laundry hasn't had enough time
to dry

Sometimes silence can be golden
Sometimes pictures speak 1,000 words

-M

    I'm sitting here in a hotel suite with a fancy desk lamp and a big 'ol official desk looking onto the Petronas Towers thinking, shouldn't I be commanding some line of people? Or making some powerful decision right now? Well, although I am working (still...albeit from a hotel instead of my desk with the not-so-comfy chair), I'm not making any big decisions or doing anything earth-shattering, just more layouts for yet another CF of a project.  The only big choice I will be making is whether or not I'm going to the gym in a few minutes. Penang was ill. Work makes me wanna smack a bitch, for lack of a better word (Q if you are reading this, that is your slang of the day).

Anyways, here is an excerpt from my hand-written sketch/journal. I've been writing a lot lately, for no particular reason...Sarah Kay gave me some inspiration I suppose...

I could write about Penang.
The colonial buildings and high rises
The mansions and street stalls.

I could write about the butterflies,
animal heads, spice gardens, batik silks
The little chendol stall crowded with people slurping up its offerings in the rain

I could tell you about the trip to the little palau.
about my wandering thoughts of just disappearing from the world I know
I could tell you about the deep conversations
About my violent concoction of impulse and honesty.

I can explain, I can explain
how these elements combined to rip across an ocean
to stop another's pulse.

I can tell you how to take the dog out of the fight
but can you really change the stripes of the tigress?

I could write about the food
About how I dragged my parents out for street food on the first night
how the cab driver and I convinced them to try durian
at a roadside stall
(you should have seen my mother's face)

I can tell you about how good it felt to fall asleep
to the sound of the ocean
or how my shower had jets that came out of the walls
about how good my body felt after taking a bath
or how I scribbled down my whims in a smoke-filled bar
made of tropical hardwoods
worn, dented, and laden with stories

I could jump on my soap box
speak about Bersih
describe my pride for a nation standing up for itself

However, today isn't the day
it isn't the day to be atop the soap box:
the people have spoken

Today is still yesterday across the ocean
my dirty laundry hasn't had enough time
to dry

Sometimes silence can be golden
Sometimes pictures speak 1,000 words

-M

    I'm sitting here in a hotel suite with a fancy desk lamp and a big 'ol official desk looking onto the Petronas Towers thinking, shouldn't I be commanding some line of people? Or making some powerful decision right now? Well, although I am working (still...albeit from a hotel instead of my desk with the not-so-comfy chair), I'm not making any big decisions or doing anything earth-shattering, just more layouts for yet another CF of a project.  The only big choice I will be making is whether or not I'm going to the gym in a few minutes. Penang was ill. Work makes me wanna smack a bitch, for lack of a better word (Q if you are reading this, that is your slang of the day).

Anyways, here is an excerpt from my hand-written sketch/journal. I've been writing a lot lately, for no particular reason...Sarah Kay gave me some inspiration I suppose...

I could write about Penang.
The colonial buildings and high rises
The mansions and street stalls.

I could write about the butterflies,
animal heads, spice gardens, batik silks
The little chendol stall crowded with people slurping up its offerings in the rain

I could tell you about the trip to the little palau.
about my wandering thoughts of just disappearing from the world I know
I could tell you about the deep conversations
About my violent concoction of impulse and honesty.

I can explain, I can explain
how these elements combined to rip across an ocean
to stop another's pulse.

I can tell you how to take the dog out of the fight
but can you really change the stripes of the tigress?

I could write about the food
About how I dragged my parents out for street food on the first night
how the cab driver and I convinced them to try durian
at a roadside stall
(you should have seen my mother's face)

I can tell you about how good it felt to fall asleep
to the sound of the ocean
or how my shower had jets that came out of the walls
about how good my body felt after taking a bath
or how I scribbled down my whims in a smoke-filled bar
made of tropical hardwoods
worn, dented, and laden with stories

I could jump on my soap box
speak about Bersih
describe my pride for a nation standing up for itself

However, today isn't the day
it isn't the day to be atop the soap box:
the people have spoken

Today is still yesterday across the ocean
my dirty laundry hasn't had enough time
to dry

Sometimes silence can be golden
Sometimes pictures speak 1,000 words

-M

    I'm sitting here in a hotel suite with a fancy desk lamp and a big 'ol official desk looking onto the Petronas Towers thinking, shouldn't I be commanding some line of people? Or making some powerful decision right now? Well, although I am working (still...albeit from a hotel instead of my desk with the not-so-comfy chair), I'm not making any big decisions or doing anything earth-shattering, just more layouts for yet another CF of a project.  The only big choice I will be making is whether or not I'm going to the gym in a few minutes. Penang was ill. Work makes me wanna smack a bitch, for lack of a better word (Q if you are reading this, that is your slang of the day).

Anyways, here is an excerpt from my hand-written sketch/journal. I've been writing a lot lately, for no particular reason...Sarah Kay gave me some inspiration I suppose...

I could write about Penang.
The colonial buildings and high rises
The mansions and street stalls.

I could write about the butterflies,
animal heads, spice gardens, batik silks
The little chendol stall crowded with people slurping up its offerings in the rain

I could tell you about the trip to the little palau.
about my wandering thoughts of just disappearing from the world I know
I could tell you about the deep conversations
About my violent concoction of impulse and honesty.

I can explain, I can explain
how these elements combined to rip across an ocean
to stop another's pulse.

I can tell you how to take the dog out of the fight
but can you really change the stripes of the tigress?

I could write about the food
About how I dragged my parents out for street food on the first night
how the cab driver and I convinced them to try durian
at a roadside stall
(you should have seen my mother's face)

I can tell you about how good it felt to fall asleep
to the sound of the ocean
or how my shower had jets that came out of the walls
about how good my body felt after taking a bath
or how I scribbled down my whims in a smoke-filled bar
made of tropical hardwoods
worn, dented, and laden with stories

I could jump on my soap box
speak about Bersih
describe my pride for a nation standing up for itself

However, today isn't the day
it isn't the day to be atop the soap box:
the people have spoken

Today is still yesterday across the ocean
my dirty laundry hasn't had enough time
to dry

Sometimes silence can be golden
Sometimes pictures speak 1,000 words

-M

TaDah!!!!

     Finished the competition and watched it as the parchment paper containing three weeks of nothing but work flew out the door at the last minute. It was crazy. Essentially the competition submittal is at about the level of a regular studio submittal (except the plans are slightly less detailed...well the sections are single-lined at least) done in a matter of 3.5 weeks. For those of you who don't know, that's three months of work crammed into three weeks, with only 3 people working on it until last week. Yesterday it seemed the whole office was in on it (granted I sit by all the 3d guys - and gal). Some had been there all night, I was lucky enough to leave by 9.30 or so. We all got a bit loopy the last final days, the situation resembled something like the last few nights before jury. I must admit though, it was quite cool to see the final products. Even cooler to not have to stare at them anymore and send them away.

    After the boards went out, a bunch of us went out for food. The place has no name, except for 'behind the parking lot.' They served Malay food. Although I wasn't exactly hungry for spicy food at 10:45 in the morning, I grabbed a plate anyway because I wanted to try what I could. I pretty much loaded my plate with bite sized portions of different sauces and curries, as well as a sweet ayam (chicken) drumstick. Of course, it all tasted yummy. I had some sayur (veggies) with a little bit of chili in it, but it wasn't supposed to be spicy. However, my luck proved to be, once again, surprising and I bit right into a chili seed. My mouth went aflame. Never had I eaten anything so spicy. The unexpected factor didn't help matters. My mouth hurt so bad I was tearing up. Of course, all my Malaysian co-workers were laughing at me. I found it funny as well, I mean here I am, this weird white girl sitting in this rinky-dink (just the way I like it) food stall in an old parking lot, behind a crumbling wall, putting things on my plate that I was told would be spicy and I bite into the one thing that even I know is not spicy and my mouth lights up with heat. Whatever, you win some you lose some. 

     I also had some sauce made from fermented Durian and I liked it a lot. The smell of Durian (albeit it smells like sewage meets wet newspaper) really doesn't bother me all that much. Maybe it's because I'm in a city and almost expect nasty smells at times. It isn't something I'd wear as perfume, but it isn't the worst thing I've smelled either. I'd still like to try some, I know my time will come, my room mate, F, loves it.

     Speaking of F, she took me out to Banana Leaf rice on Sunday night. Best meal I've had so far hands down. The place is pretty well known in KL. It was the first time I was hungry all weekend, and I thought that with a cold some spice might help decongest me a little bit. It worked like a charm and I've been feeling better ever since. Still not well enough to go to the gym, but I'm well enough to make it through the day without medication.

     I got the rest of the day off after lunch so I ran a few errands (cashing paycheck, buying stamps, buying my bus ticket to Singapore) and then did some reading up on travel. I'm not too sure where I'm going to go in late July. Maybe Seim Reap to see Ankor Wat? I keep getting mixed reviews about Cambodia though. Laos I think is out because I've heard too many negative things. I don't have time to see Vietnam or Thailand (unless i just went to one place, but is there really a point to that?) Korea is too expensive, and I'm not going to Bali or Borneo with MB (we will be back for that next year). I'm not too sure what will end up happening, but I'm open to suggestions.

   The only thing I have left to do is to head to Bukit Butang to Lowyatt in order to see if I can get my point and shoot fixed before the weekend. I've been told by enough people that I have a 'rip me off' tatoo stamped to my forehead so if I don't want to pay a lot to fix it I should go with someone who knows the place. The problem is, the one person I know just pulled an all-nighter so I'm not about to ask him. The other person who could help needs to help my roomie study for the bar so I don't want to disturb him either. We shall see what happens. 

     Anyways, I'm off, I'll try to post up some pictures on Flickr today. Going to talk to the fams tomorrow. 

Laters!

-M

     Finished the competition and watched it as the parchment paper containing three weeks of nothing but work flew out the door at the last minute. It was crazy. Essentially the competition submittal is at about the level of a regular studio submittal (except the plans are slightly less detailed...well the sections are single-lined at least) done in a matter of 3.5 weeks. For those of you who don't know, that's three months of work crammed into three weeks, with only 3 people working on it until last week. Yesterday it seemed the whole office was in on it (granted I sit by all the 3d guys - and gal). Some had been there all night, I was lucky enough to leave by 9.30 or so. We all got a bit loopy the last final days, the situation resembled something like the last few nights before jury. I must admit though, it was quite cool to see the final products. Even cooler to not have to stare at them anymore and send them away.

    After the boards went out, a bunch of us went out for food. The place has no name, except for 'behind the parking lot.' They served Malay food. Although I wasn't exactly hungry for spicy food at 10:45 in the morning, I grabbed a plate anyway because I wanted to try what I could. I pretty much loaded my plate with bite sized portions of different sauces and curries, as well as a sweet ayam (chicken) drumstick. Of course, it all tasted yummy. I had some sayur (veggies) with a little bit of chili in it, but it wasn't supposed to be spicy. However, my luck proved to be, once again, surprising and I bit right into a chili seed. My mouth went aflame. Never had I eaten anything so spicy. The unexpected factor didn't help matters. My mouth hurt so bad I was tearing up. Of course, all my Malaysian co-workers were laughing at me. I found it funny as well, I mean here I am, this weird white girl sitting in this rinky-dink (just the way I like it) food stall in an old parking lot, behind a crumbling wall, putting things on my plate that I was told would be spicy and I bite into the one thing that even I know is not spicy and my mouth lights up with heat. Whatever, you win some you lose some. 

     I also had some sauce made from fermented Durian and I liked it a lot. The smell of Durian (albeit it smells like sewage meets wet newspaper) really doesn't bother me all that much. Maybe it's because I'm in a city and almost expect nasty smells at times. It isn't something I'd wear as perfume, but it isn't the worst thing I've smelled either. I'd still like to try some, I know my time will come, my room mate, F, loves it.

     Speaking of F, she took me out to Banana Leaf rice on Sunday night. Best meal I've had so far hands down. The place is pretty well known in KL. It was the first time I was hungry all weekend, and I thought that with a cold some spice might help decongest me a little bit. It worked like a charm and I've been feeling better ever since. Still not well enough to go to the gym, but I'm well enough to make it through the day without medication.

     I got the rest of the day off after lunch so I ran a few errands (cashing paycheck, buying stamps, buying my bus ticket to Singapore) and then did some reading up on travel. I'm not too sure where I'm going to go in late July. Maybe Seim Reap to see Ankor Wat? I keep getting mixed reviews about Cambodia though. Laos I think is out because I've heard too many negative things. I don't have time to see Vietnam or Thailand (unless i just went to one place, but is there really a point to that?) Korea is too expensive, and I'm not going to Bali or Borneo with MB (we will be back for that next year). I'm not too sure what will end up happening, but I'm open to suggestions.

   The only thing I have left to do is to head to Bukit Butang to Lowyatt in order to see if I can get my point and shoot fixed before the weekend. I've been told by enough people that I have a 'rip me off' tatoo stamped to my forehead so if I don't want to pay a lot to fix it I should go with someone who knows the place. The problem is, the one person I know just pulled an all-nighter so I'm not about to ask him. The other person who could help needs to help my roomie study for the bar so I don't want to disturb him either. We shall see what happens. 

     Anyways, I'm off, I'll try to post up some pictures on Flickr today. Going to talk to the fams tomorrow. 

Laters!

-M

     Finished the competition and watched it as the parchment paper containing three weeks of nothing but work flew out the door at the last minute. It was crazy. Essentially the competition submittal is at about the level of a regular studio submittal (except the plans are slightly less detailed...well the sections are single-lined at least) done in a matter of 3.5 weeks. For those of you who don't know, that's three months of work crammed into three weeks, with only 3 people working on it until last week. Yesterday it seemed the whole office was in on it (granted I sit by all the 3d guys - and gal). Some had been there all night, I was lucky enough to leave by 9.30 or so. We all got a bit loopy the last final days, the situation resembled something like the last few nights before jury. I must admit though, it was quite cool to see the final products. Even cooler to not have to stare at them anymore and send them away.

    After the boards went out, a bunch of us went out for food. The place has no name, except for 'behind the parking lot.' They served Malay food. Although I wasn't exactly hungry for spicy food at 10:45 in the morning, I grabbed a plate anyway because I wanted to try what I could. I pretty much loaded my plate with bite sized portions of different sauces and curries, as well as a sweet ayam (chicken) drumstick. Of course, it all tasted yummy. I had some sayur (veggies) with a little bit of chili in it, but it wasn't supposed to be spicy. However, my luck proved to be, once again, surprising and I bit right into a chili seed. My mouth went aflame. Never had I eaten anything so spicy. The unexpected factor didn't help matters. My mouth hurt so bad I was tearing up. Of course, all my Malaysian co-workers were laughing at me. I found it funny as well, I mean here I am, this weird white girl sitting in this rinky-dink (just the way I like it) food stall in an old parking lot, behind a crumbling wall, putting things on my plate that I was told would be spicy and I bite into the one thing that even I know is not spicy and my mouth lights up with heat. Whatever, you win some you lose some. 

     I also had some sauce made from fermented Durian and I liked it a lot. The smell of Durian (albeit it smells like sewage meets wet newspaper) really doesn't bother me all that much. Maybe it's because I'm in a city and almost expect nasty smells at times. It isn't something I'd wear as perfume, but it isn't the worst thing I've smelled either. I'd still like to try some, I know my time will come, my room mate, F, loves it.

     Speaking of F, she took me out to Banana Leaf rice on Sunday night. Best meal I've had so far hands down. The place is pretty well known in KL. It was the first time I was hungry all weekend, and I thought that with a cold some spice might help decongest me a little bit. It worked like a charm and I've been feeling better ever since. Still not well enough to go to the gym, but I'm well enough to make it through the day without medication.

     I got the rest of the day off after lunch so I ran a few errands (cashing paycheck, buying stamps, buying my bus ticket to Singapore) and then did some reading up on travel. I'm not too sure where I'm going to go in late July. Maybe Seim Reap to see Ankor Wat? I keep getting mixed reviews about Cambodia though. Laos I think is out because I've heard too many negative things. I don't have time to see Vietnam or Thailand (unless i just went to one place, but is there really a point to that?) Korea is too expensive, and I'm not going to Bali or Borneo with MB (we will be back for that next year). I'm not too sure what will end up happening, but I'm open to suggestions.

   The only thing I have left to do is to head to Bukit Butang to Lowyatt in order to see if I can get my point and shoot fixed before the weekend. I've been told by enough people that I have a 'rip me off' tatoo stamped to my forehead so if I don't want to pay a lot to fix it I should go with someone who knows the place. The problem is, the one person I know just pulled an all-nighter so I'm not about to ask him. The other person who could help needs to help my roomie study for the bar so I don't want to disturb him either. We shall see what happens. 

     Anyways, I'm off, I'll try to post up some pictures on Flickr today. Going to talk to the fams tomorrow. 

Laters!

-M

     Finished the competition and watched it as the parchment paper containing three weeks of nothing but work flew out the door at the last minute. It was crazy. Essentially the competition submittal is at about the level of a regular studio submittal (except the plans are slightly less detailed...well the sections are single-lined at least) done in a matter of 3.5 weeks. For those of you who don't know, that's three months of work crammed into three weeks, with only 3 people working on it until last week. Yesterday it seemed the whole office was in on it (granted I sit by all the 3d guys - and gal). Some had been there all night, I was lucky enough to leave by 9.30 or so. We all got a bit loopy the last final days, the situation resembled something like the last few nights before jury. I must admit though, it was quite cool to see the final products. Even cooler to not have to stare at them anymore and send them away.

    After the boards went out, a bunch of us went out for food. The place has no name, except for 'behind the parking lot.' They served Malay food. Although I wasn't exactly hungry for spicy food at 10:45 in the morning, I grabbed a plate anyway because I wanted to try what I could. I pretty much loaded my plate with bite sized portions of different sauces and curries, as well as a sweet ayam (chicken) drumstick. Of course, it all tasted yummy. I had some sayur (veggies) with a little bit of chili in it, but it wasn't supposed to be spicy. However, my luck proved to be, once again, surprising and I bit right into a chili seed. My mouth went aflame. Never had I eaten anything so spicy. The unexpected factor didn't help matters. My mouth hurt so bad I was tearing up. Of course, all my Malaysian co-workers were laughing at me. I found it funny as well, I mean here I am, this weird white girl sitting in this rinky-dink (just the way I like it) food stall in an old parking lot, behind a crumbling wall, putting things on my plate that I was told would be spicy and I bite into the one thing that even I know is not spicy and my mouth lights up with heat. Whatever, you win some you lose some. 

     I also had some sauce made from fermented Durian and I liked it a lot. The smell of Durian (albeit it smells like sewage meets wet newspaper) really doesn't bother me all that much. Maybe it's because I'm in a city and almost expect nasty smells at times. It isn't something I'd wear as perfume, but it isn't the worst thing I've smelled either. I'd still like to try some, I know my time will come, my room mate, F, loves it.

     Speaking of F, she took me out to Banana Leaf rice on Sunday night. Best meal I've had so far hands down. The place is pretty well known in KL. It was the first time I was hungry all weekend, and I thought that with a cold some spice might help decongest me a little bit. It worked like a charm and I've been feeling better ever since. Still not well enough to go to the gym, but I'm well enough to make it through the day without medication.

     I got the rest of the day off after lunch so I ran a few errands (cashing paycheck, buying stamps, buying my bus ticket to Singapore) and then did some reading up on travel. I'm not too sure where I'm going to go in late July. Maybe Seim Reap to see Ankor Wat? I keep getting mixed reviews about Cambodia though. Laos I think is out because I've heard too many negative things. I don't have time to see Vietnam or Thailand (unless i just went to one place, but is there really a point to that?) Korea is too expensive, and I'm not going to Bali or Borneo with MB (we will be back for that next year). I'm not too sure what will end up happening, but I'm open to suggestions.

   The only thing I have left to do is to head to Bukit Butang to Lowyatt in order to see if I can get my point and shoot fixed before the weekend. I've been told by enough people that I have a 'rip me off' tatoo stamped to my forehead so if I don't want to pay a lot to fix it I should go with someone who knows the place. The problem is, the one person I know just pulled an all-nighter so I'm not about to ask him. The other person who could help needs to help my roomie study for the bar so I don't want to disturb him either. We shall see what happens. 

     Anyways, I'm off, I'll try to post up some pictures on Flickr today. Going to talk to the fams tomorrow. 

Laters!

-M

Sakit =(

     Getting sick sucks. Being sick away from home (abroad or in-country) sucks more. I am, of course, feeling a bit under the weather. Last night I had some tasty char keow teow (I'm almost positive I butchered that spelling, but that's how you pronounce it). After eating I noticed I got a pretty bad sore throat. No biggy, I thought, probably just the MSG. Well MSG induced sore throats do take some time to go away, but I awoke in the middle of the night with my throat still sore. Perfect timing of course. I awoke in the morning with a headache and sore throat. By mid-day I think I started to run a temperature, although it's quite hard to tell here. I also have the aches, but I can't tell if the pain is from sitting at a desk staring at lines on Illustrator/soreness of the back lingering from yoga, or an oncoming fever. I'm not dying, and there is no need to contact the embassy (trust me, I know what that feels like...), but it doesn't change the fact that I feel pretty crappy. I blame working long hours and not taking any down time. Today I was supposed to go to Chilis and meet up with G (my friend from Klang, who I've been wanting to see ever since I left, but we keep missing each other) and some new people from TB (Travel Buddy). Yes I know Chilis is an American restaurant, but it would be my first western meal out since I left so leave me alone =). Plus, it's a bumping place from what I've seen (always a line). Instead I got a smoothie and am currently eating some bread and brewing chamomile with honey. I've always known that a tablespoon of honey helps your throat, but I don't like honey plain (it's a texture thing) so G told me to mix it with hot water (genius). I'm hoping to get some rest and feel better tomorrow, as I have to work all weekend.

     I am going to make this post short because I don't feel much like doing well...anything. Hopefully my plans for the weekend don't get ruined. This weekend Diplo is coming to town and tickets are cheap so I planned to go with a good crowd of CSers after I went with A, my host, to her Eurasian club. However, if I'm still feeling crappy I won't be able to do much of anything, as work will suck the slightest bit of life out of me. I also have to figure out my Singapore trip this weekend. I've been talking to some TBs as well as some CSers in order to figure out what's going on. Plus, G will be there so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also trying to figure out a long-ish weekend getaway to Cambodia in late July early Aug to go see the Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Needless to say I've got some planning I need to make time for as well.

     Anyways, the water for my tea is boiling, so I best be going.

-M

PS...I know I've been bad with pictures, uploading is slow here and Flickr says I've reached my limit...so patience.

     Getting sick sucks. Being sick away from home (abroad or in-country) sucks more. I am, of course, feeling a bit under the weather. Last night I had some tasty char keow teow (I'm almost positive I butchered that spelling, but that's how you pronounce it). After eating I noticed I got a pretty bad sore throat. No biggy, I thought, probably just the MSG. Well MSG induced sore throats do take some time to go away, but I awoke in the middle of the night with my throat still sore. Perfect timing of course. I awoke in the morning with a headache and sore throat. By mid-day I think I started to run a temperature, although it's quite hard to tell here. I also have the aches, but I can't tell if the pain is from sitting at a desk staring at lines on Illustrator/soreness of the back lingering from yoga, or an oncoming fever. I'm not dying, and there is no need to contact the embassy (trust me, I know what that feels like...), but it doesn't change the fact that I feel pretty crappy. I blame working long hours and not taking any down time. Today I was supposed to go to Chilis and meet up with G (my friend from Klang, who I've been wanting to see ever since I left, but we keep missing each other) and some new people from TB (Travel Buddy). Yes I know Chilis is an American restaurant, but it would be my first western meal out since I left so leave me alone =). Plus, it's a bumping place from what I've seen (always a line). Instead I got a smoothie and am currently eating some bread and brewing chamomile with honey. I've always known that a tablespoon of honey helps your throat, but I don't like honey plain (it's a texture thing) so G told me to mix it with hot water (genius). I'm hoping to get some rest and feel better tomorrow, as I have to work all weekend.

     I am going to make this post short because I don't feel much like doing well...anything. Hopefully my plans for the weekend don't get ruined. This weekend Diplo is coming to town and tickets are cheap so I planned to go with a good crowd of CSers after I went with A, my host, to her Eurasian club. However, if I'm still feeling crappy I won't be able to do much of anything, as work will suck the slightest bit of life out of me. I also have to figure out my Singapore trip this weekend. I've been talking to some TBs as well as some CSers in order to figure out what's going on. Plus, G will be there so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also trying to figure out a long-ish weekend getaway to Cambodia in late July early Aug to go see the Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Needless to say I've got some planning I need to make time for as well.

     Anyways, the water for my tea is boiling, so I best be going.

-M

PS...I know I've been bad with pictures, uploading is slow here and Flickr says I've reached my limit...so patience.

     Getting sick sucks. Being sick away from home (abroad or in-country) sucks more. I am, of course, feeling a bit under the weather. Last night I had some tasty char keow teow (I'm almost positive I butchered that spelling, but that's how you pronounce it). After eating I noticed I got a pretty bad sore throat. No biggy, I thought, probably just the MSG. Well MSG induced sore throats do take some time to go away, but I awoke in the middle of the night with my throat still sore. Perfect timing of course. I awoke in the morning with a headache and sore throat. By mid-day I think I started to run a temperature, although it's quite hard to tell here. I also have the aches, but I can't tell if the pain is from sitting at a desk staring at lines on Illustrator/soreness of the back lingering from yoga, or an oncoming fever. I'm not dying, and there is no need to contact the embassy (trust me, I know what that feels like...), but it doesn't change the fact that I feel pretty crappy. I blame working long hours and not taking any down time. Today I was supposed to go to Chilis and meet up with G (my friend from Klang, who I've been wanting to see ever since I left, but we keep missing each other) and some new people from TB (Travel Buddy). Yes I know Chilis is an American restaurant, but it would be my first western meal out since I left so leave me alone =). Plus, it's a bumping place from what I've seen (always a line). Instead I got a smoothie and am currently eating some bread and brewing chamomile with honey. I've always known that a tablespoon of honey helps your throat, but I don't like honey plain (it's a texture thing) so G told me to mix it with hot water (genius). I'm hoping to get some rest and feel better tomorrow, as I have to work all weekend.

     I am going to make this post short because I don't feel much like doing well...anything. Hopefully my plans for the weekend don't get ruined. This weekend Diplo is coming to town and tickets are cheap so I planned to go with a good crowd of CSers after I went with A, my host, to her Eurasian club. However, if I'm still feeling crappy I won't be able to do much of anything, as work will suck the slightest bit of life out of me. I also have to figure out my Singapore trip this weekend. I've been talking to some TBs as well as some CSers in order to figure out what's going on. Plus, G will be there so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also trying to figure out a long-ish weekend getaway to Cambodia in late July early Aug to go see the Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Needless to say I've got some planning I need to make time for as well.

     Anyways, the water for my tea is boiling, so I best be going.

-M

PS...I know I've been bad with pictures, uploading is slow here and Flickr says I've reached my limit...so patience.

     Getting sick sucks. Being sick away from home (abroad or in-country) sucks more. I am, of course, feeling a bit under the weather. Last night I had some tasty char keow teow (I'm almost positive I butchered that spelling, but that's how you pronounce it). After eating I noticed I got a pretty bad sore throat. No biggy, I thought, probably just the MSG. Well MSG induced sore throats do take some time to go away, but I awoke in the middle of the night with my throat still sore. Perfect timing of course. I awoke in the morning with a headache and sore throat. By mid-day I think I started to run a temperature, although it's quite hard to tell here. I also have the aches, but I can't tell if the pain is from sitting at a desk staring at lines on Illustrator/soreness of the back lingering from yoga, or an oncoming fever. I'm not dying, and there is no need to contact the embassy (trust me, I know what that feels like...), but it doesn't change the fact that I feel pretty crappy. I blame working long hours and not taking any down time. Today I was supposed to go to Chilis and meet up with G (my friend from Klang, who I've been wanting to see ever since I left, but we keep missing each other) and some new people from TB (Travel Buddy). Yes I know Chilis is an American restaurant, but it would be my first western meal out since I left so leave me alone =). Plus, it's a bumping place from what I've seen (always a line). Instead I got a smoothie and am currently eating some bread and brewing chamomile with honey. I've always known that a tablespoon of honey helps your throat, but I don't like honey plain (it's a texture thing) so G told me to mix it with hot water (genius). I'm hoping to get some rest and feel better tomorrow, as I have to work all weekend.

     I am going to make this post short because I don't feel much like doing well...anything. Hopefully my plans for the weekend don't get ruined. This weekend Diplo is coming to town and tickets are cheap so I planned to go with a good crowd of CSers after I went with A, my host, to her Eurasian club. However, if I'm still feeling crappy I won't be able to do much of anything, as work will suck the slightest bit of life out of me. I also have to figure out my Singapore trip this weekend. I've been talking to some TBs as well as some CSers in order to figure out what's going on. Plus, G will be there so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also trying to figure out a long-ish weekend getaway to Cambodia in late July early Aug to go see the Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Needless to say I've got some planning I need to make time for as well.

     Anyways, the water for my tea is boiling, so I best be going.

-M

PS...I know I've been bad with pictures, uploading is slow here and Flickr says I've reached my limit...so patience.

Definitely a case of the Mondays...

     Today was not my day. Actually, the last two days at work were quite like this. I got home today a little earlier than yesterday which was nice, but it has been frustrating. Essentially, I just don't see eye to eye with my boss for this project. This situation, as I'm sure you are all aware, is quite normal. However, this being my first official office job, figuring out how to deal with it has its ups and downs. Don't get me wrong, she's a good designer; it is simply a classic clash of form vs. function. I'm more of a function person, she's more of a form lady. It makes working on this competition quite difficult. You have good days and you have bad days, today was a bad day. Tomorrow will be easier. I think I'm just going to try to focus on getting the presentation ready because designing just isn't working out for me right now. But why you ask? Aren't you an architect? Well, technically no, I'm an intern, and yes I do like to design, but we are at a stage where things need to get done and my ideas just don't co-incide with the design. So in order to contribute in a positive manner I'm content with making diagrams and getting a coherent presentation together. I also don't mind sitting back and observing the rest of the design in order to learn a viewpoint different than my own; contributing where I feel it is absolutely necessary to discussions. Just got to take it one day at a time and stay positive. The deadline is in a week. I think the core of the team feels quite the same way, a little on the burnt-out end of the spectrum. Both of the new helpers on the team commented on the low team morale. At least I know I'm not alone.

     This weekend (aside from working Sunday afternoon/night) was spent being a tourist. It actually helped me settle in a lot better. I feel like I know a bit more of what goes on around here and I'm starting to meet more people. On Saturday I went out on my own. It was the king's birthday and I tried to find the festivities in all the wrong places, but I saw quite a bit of touristy parts of the city. I went down to Chinatown and Pasar Seni (Central Market...it might be Sini...I'm too tired to look it up). I got one of those fish massages, where you dip your legs in a large fish tank and the "Doctor Fish" as they are called eat all the dead skin away. It tickles like crazy (and I'm not very ticklish) for the first few minutes and then it feels like soft scratches or something along those lines. A totally unique experience. Afterwards it feels awesome. Your feet and legs feel so refreshed and surprisingly clean. I'd do it again and highly recommend it. I window shopped for a bit, got some fresh mango at a fruit stand, and then went to Chinatown to find MB a present. I bargained my way to what I wanted which was exciting. It's pretty easy. The price they initially offer is quite tempting if you convert it to dollars, so I probably could have done better, but I only ended up paying a Ringgit or two more than I wanted to. After this I went to the food stalls and sat down to journal for a bit. I ended up talking with these two British girls and had lunch with them. It was some amazing Peking duck, although I'm sure the real thing in China is better still. I didn't care, because nothing beats crispy skin and duck fat over rice.

    After lunch I wandered around a bit more and visited a small Buddhist temple. I made an offering and sat there in meditation for a while. I'm currently learning about the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment so it was kinda cool to start to recognize symbols and meanings in the temple. Plus, I saw it as a chance to get in touch with the world and the present. Literally right across the street and maybe 10 meters down there was a Hindu temple. I am fascinated by the ornate-ness of the Hindu religion, as well as the colors and beauty that surround the Hindu culture. It was my first time actually inside a Hindu place of worship. Although it was quite small I did spend a lot of time staring at the statues. Shiva was depicted with quite large boobs, which I am assuming is a symbol of nurturing, but I found it rather distracting (I know I know, I'm like a 10 year old boy). You can't wear your shoes in Hindu temples, so I left mine outside and of course I stepped in pigeon poo. Fortunately there was a place to wash your feet. I guess I'll know in a few days if I get some type of weird infection or something.

     After that I tried to get a taxi to go to Independence Square because I couldn't gage how far it was by my map and there is no city grid here so navigating is quite hard. I should have known when the taxi driver refused to use his meter that I would be ripped off, but at this point I was sweating like crazy and sitting in the air con left my don't-rip-me-off attitude out in the heat. I got totally ripped off, which made me a bit upset, because I know better, but whatever, at least next time I will know how to walk there. It was completely dead (it used to be the place where most of the political activity was, but most of it has been moved to a new city called Putrajaya - coincidentally where my competition project is). Aside from the old buildings and large flagpole it was kinda blah. I was going to go to the national mosque after that, but the cabbie had aggravated me so I left the area. Plus, I want to go national mosque with an actual Muslim so they can explain things to me, so I'll explore that part of town another time.

     I decided that it was still too early to return home, even though it was the hottest part of the day, so I headed over to Little India. That area is a complete CF. Crowded, people everywhere, people shouting at you, no room to move in between street stalls, and nothing really that special. I was going to sit down and get a snack from the Mamak stalls, but it was hotter under the tents than it was outside, so I window shopped in the colorful Sari stores instead. There are also a LOT of gold jewelry stores, which was quite interesting to see. Also, and like Chinatown, there were a LOT of knock offs/junk/un-identifiable chochkies (or however you spell it). Consumerism is a funny thing. The only thing I got there was a much needed bottle of water. I sat around in the shade/air con of the LRT station before heading home.

     I quickly took a shower and then headed back out to explore my neighborhood a bit more and then grab some groceries. I stumbled upon a Carrefour and I was curious to know if it was a grocery place or what so I went it. Carrefour is essentially a Wal-Mart on speed/steroids with a much better food selection. It was a bit overwhelming, but since I had walked through an entire parking lot (they are LARGE here), a parking lot market (random?) and circled a small mall to get there I got my groceries and a few household items there. It was actually pretty entertaining. They blasted peppy top-40s music and I found it a bit funny to see all of these women covered up while tapping their feet to that S&M song. They also had a live fish section (for food, not pets) and half a cow hanging from a hook with the other half chopped up into various cuts on a table on the side. The store had very little organization aside from the aisles, but things like toys were sandwiched in between storage containers and rat poison. I managed to make it out of there spending very little money. Just grabbing some pasta, breakfast items, beer, and food containers.

     That evening F, my roomie, graciously cooked me dinner and I ate with her and her boyfriend D. D is such a gentleman. Seriously. He served us food, refilled our food and cleaned up. He says he does it because he can't cook, but I have never had a guy I hardly met fill up my plate for me. He is Hindu, and the next day I was going to the Batu Caves so I was asking him questions about the festival that goes on there (Google it, I'm getting sssssuuuuuppppppper tired and it takes a while to explain, but don't say I didn't warn you, it's quite gory. Guys pull heavy blocks to shrines of different gods through hooks pierced throughout their bodies).

     The next day I went to my first CS event to the Batu Caves. It was a blast. I met a lot of cool people from all walks of life. I really look forward to hanging out with them more as the summer goes on. The hospitality here is quite amazing and the Malaysians who are a little more outgoing really make an effort to make you feel at home. Those that are shy (which is normal here) are just as nice, you just have to make the effort to get to know them. It was fun to hang out with people from all over, and all over KL as well. I hope to travel and go on more adventures with them in the future. The Batu Caves are a sight to behold. It is obviously very touristy, but at the same time, it is the most sacred Hindu site in Malaysia, so there were a lot of people there to worship as well. There were a few weddings, where it is considered an honor (to the newly-weds) if you are from far, far away to get your picture taken with the bride and groom (see Flickr in the next few days, I'm uploading soon) and wish them a happy marriage. The colors and ornate nature of the wedding outfits are breathtaking. Batu Caves are high up, about 300 and something narrow, steep steps up the side of a mountain. Be prepared to be attacked by monkeys on the way up. I brought the end pieces of my bread to give to the monkeys (because I don't eat them and I don't want to waste food). Being around monkeys is not a new thing for me (I've been to the Amazon) and I know how clever/rough they can be so I engaged in a friendly tug of war with one.

     After sweating it out up to the caves, we headed down. As we were debating where to eat lunch we got to witness someone on a religious pilgrimage who was asking the gods for a favor. In order to do this, you roll down the main entrance, then crawl on your hands and knees up all the steps and pray the whole way there. Trust me, this is NOT an easy task (don't forget the climate conditions), and you could see in her face her determination and dedication to the task at hand. Truly an amazing thing to witness.

  We were waiting for a couple to come back down, so we had some fresh coconuts, then headed to lunch at Teman Melati. We ate at a place called Virgin Chicken (which is the way they cook it I guess), near where my host family lives. I had a great time eating and exchanging travel stories and suggestions. I've got some travel plans in the works, which is something to look forward to after all of this competition business is done. I found out that there are a few other people I know heading to Singapore the same weekend I am, so hopefully I can meet up with them.

    Anyways, this is getting WAYYYYYY too long, so I'm going to get going to bed. I have made it my mission to take at least a half-hour out of my overtime day tomorrow to do some yoga. Hopefully it will keep me centered and refreshed for the long week ahead!

-M

Batu Caves

News paper article...

Monkey...obviously

True dedication - after the first stage of rolling

     Today was not my day. Actually, the last two days at work were quite like this. I got home today a little earlier than yesterday which was nice, but it has been frustrating. Essentially, I just don't see eye to eye with my boss for this project. This situation, as I'm sure you are all aware, is quite normal. However, this being my first official office job, figuring out how to deal with it has its ups and downs. Don't get me wrong, she's a good designer; it is simply a classic clash of form vs. function. I'm more of a function person, she's more of a form lady. It makes working on this competition quite difficult. You have good days and you have bad days, today was a bad day. Tomorrow will be easier. I think I'm just going to try to focus on getting the presentation ready because designing just isn't working out for me right now. But why you ask? Aren't you an architect? Well, technically no, I'm an intern, and yes I do like to design, but we are at a stage where things need to get done and my ideas just don't co-incide with the design. So in order to contribute in a positive manner I'm content with making diagrams and getting a coherent presentation together. I also don't mind sitting back and observing the rest of the design in order to learn a viewpoint different than my own; contributing where I feel it is absolutely necessary to discussions. Just got to take it one day at a time and stay positive. The deadline is in a week. I think the core of the team feels quite the same way, a little on the burnt-out end of the spectrum. Both of the new helpers on the team commented on the low team morale. At least I know I'm not alone.

     This weekend (aside from working Sunday afternoon/night) was spent being a tourist. It actually helped me settle in a lot better. I feel like I know a bit more of what goes on around here and I'm starting to meet more people. On Saturday I went out on my own. It was the king's birthday and I tried to find the festivities in all the wrong places, but I saw quite a bit of touristy parts of the city. I went down to Chinatown and Pasar Seni (Central Market...it might be Sini...I'm too tired to look it up). I got one of those fish massages, where you dip your legs in a large fish tank and the "Doctor Fish" as they are called eat all the dead skin away. It tickles like crazy (and I'm not very ticklish) for the first few minutes and then it feels like soft scratches or something along those lines. A totally unique experience. Afterwards it feels awesome. Your feet and legs feel so refreshed and surprisingly clean. I'd do it again and highly recommend it. I window shopped for a bit, got some fresh mango at a fruit stand, and then went to Chinatown to find MB a present. I bargained my way to what I wanted which was exciting. It's pretty easy. The price they initially offer is quite tempting if you convert it to dollars, so I probably could have done better, but I only ended up paying a Ringgit or two more than I wanted to. After this I went to the food stalls and sat down to journal for a bit. I ended up talking with these two British girls and had lunch with them. It was some amazing Peking duck, although I'm sure the real thing in China is better still. I didn't care, because nothing beats crispy skin and duck fat over rice.

    After lunch I wandered around a bit more and visited a small Buddhist temple. I made an offering and sat there in meditation for a while. I'm currently learning about the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment so it was kinda cool to start to recognize symbols and meanings in the temple. Plus, I saw it as a chance to get in touch with the world and the present. Literally right across the street and maybe 10 meters down there was a Hindu temple. I am fascinated by the ornate-ness of the Hindu religion, as well as the colors and beauty that surround the Hindu culture. It was my first time actually inside a Hindu place of worship. Although it was quite small I did spend a lot of time staring at the statues. Shiva was depicted with quite large boobs, which I am assuming is a symbol of nurturing, but I found it rather distracting (I know I know, I'm like a 10 year old boy). You can't wear your shoes in Hindu temples, so I left mine outside and of course I stepped in pigeon poo. Fortunately there was a place to wash your feet. I guess I'll know in a few days if I get some type of weird infection or something.

     After that I tried to get a taxi to go to Independence Square because I couldn't gage how far it was by my map and there is no city grid here so navigating is quite hard. I should have known when the taxi driver refused to use his meter that I would be ripped off, but at this point I was sweating like crazy and sitting in the air con left my don't-rip-me-off attitude out in the heat. I got totally ripped off, which made me a bit upset, because I know better, but whatever, at least next time I will know how to walk there. It was completely dead (it used to be the place where most of the political activity was, but most of it has been moved to a new city called Putrajaya - coincidentally where my competition project is). Aside from the old buildings and large flagpole it was kinda blah. I was going to go to the national mosque after that, but the cabbie had aggravated me so I left the area. Plus, I want to go national mosque with an actual Muslim so they can explain things to me, so I'll explore that part of town another time.

     I decided that it was still too early to return home, even though it was the hottest part of the day, so I headed over to Little India. That area is a complete CF. Crowded, people everywhere, people shouting at you, no room to move in between street stalls, and nothing really that special. I was going to sit down and get a snack from the Mamak stalls, but it was hotter under the tents than it was outside, so I window shopped in the colorful Sari stores instead. There are also a LOT of gold jewelry stores, which was quite interesting to see. Also, and like Chinatown, there were a LOT of knock offs/junk/un-identifiable chochkies (or however you spell it). Consumerism is a funny thing. The only thing I got there was a much needed bottle of water. I sat around in the shade/air con of the LRT station before heading home.

     I quickly took a shower and then headed back out to explore my neighborhood a bit more and then grab some groceries. I stumbled upon a Carrefour and I was curious to know if it was a grocery place or what so I went it. Carrefour is essentially a Wal-Mart on speed/steroids with a much better food selection. It was a bit overwhelming, but since I had walked through an entire parking lot (they are LARGE here), a parking lot market (random?) and circled a small mall to get there I got my groceries and a few household items there. It was actually pretty entertaining. They blasted peppy top-40s music and I found it a bit funny to see all of these women covered up while tapping their feet to that S&M song. They also had a live fish section (for food, not pets) and half a cow hanging from a hook with the other half chopped up into various cuts on a table on the side. The store had very little organization aside from the aisles, but things like toys were sandwiched in between storage containers and rat poison. I managed to make it out of there spending very little money. Just grabbing some pasta, breakfast items, beer, and food containers.

     That evening F, my roomie, graciously cooked me dinner and I ate with her and her boyfriend D. D is such a gentleman. Seriously. He served us food, refilled our food and cleaned up. He says he does it because he can't cook, but I have never had a guy I hardly met fill up my plate for me. He is Hindu, and the next day I was going to the Batu Caves so I was asking him questions about the festival that goes on there (Google it, I'm getting sssssuuuuuppppppper tired and it takes a while to explain, but don't say I didn't warn you, it's quite gory. Guys pull heavy blocks to shrines of different gods through hooks pierced throughout their bodies).

     The next day I went to my first CS event to the Batu Caves. It was a blast. I met a lot of cool people from all walks of life. I really look forward to hanging out with them more as the summer goes on. The hospitality here is quite amazing and the Malaysians who are a little more outgoing really make an effort to make you feel at home. Those that are shy (which is normal here) are just as nice, you just have to make the effort to get to know them. It was fun to hang out with people from all over, and all over KL as well. I hope to travel and go on more adventures with them in the future. The Batu Caves are a sight to behold. It is obviously very touristy, but at the same time, it is the most sacred Hindu site in Malaysia, so there were a lot of people there to worship as well. There were a few weddings, where it is considered an honor (to the newly-weds) if you are from far, far away to get your picture taken with the bride and groom (see Flickr in the next few days, I'm uploading soon) and wish them a happy marriage. The colors and ornate nature of the wedding outfits are breathtaking. Batu Caves are high up, about 300 and something narrow, steep steps up the side of a mountain. Be prepared to be attacked by monkeys on the way up. I brought the end pieces of my bread to give to the monkeys (because I don't eat them and I don't want to waste food). Being around monkeys is not a new thing for me (I've been to the Amazon) and I know how clever/rough they can be so I engaged in a friendly tug of war with one.

     After sweating it out up to the caves, we headed down. As we were debating where to eat lunch we got to witness someone on a religious pilgrimage who was asking the gods for a favor. In order to do this, you roll down the main entrance, then crawl on your hands and knees up all the steps and pray the whole way there. Trust me, this is NOT an easy task (don't forget the climate conditions), and you could see in her face her determination and dedication to the task at hand. Truly an amazing thing to witness.

  We were waiting for a couple to come back down, so we had some fresh coconuts, then headed to lunch at Teman Melati. We ate at a place called Virgin Chicken (which is the way they cook it I guess), near where my host family lives. I had a great time eating and exchanging travel stories and suggestions. I've got some travel plans in the works, which is something to look forward to after all of this competition business is done. I found out that there are a few other people I know heading to Singapore the same weekend I am, so hopefully I can meet up with them.

    Anyways, this is getting WAYYYYYY too long, so I'm going to get going to bed. I have made it my mission to take at least a half-hour out of my overtime day tomorrow to do some yoga. Hopefully it will keep me centered and refreshed for the long week ahead!

-M

Batu Caves

News paper article...

Monkey...obviously

True dedication - after the first stage of rolling

     Today was not my day. Actually, the last two days at work were quite like this. I got home today a little earlier than yesterday which was nice, but it has been frustrating. Essentially, I just don't see eye to eye with my boss for this project. This situation, as I'm sure you are all aware, is quite normal. However, this being my first official office job, figuring out how to deal with it has its ups and downs. Don't get me wrong, she's a good designer; it is simply a classic clash of form vs. function. I'm more of a function person, she's more of a form lady. It makes working on this competition quite difficult. You have good days and you have bad days, today was a bad day. Tomorrow will be easier. I think I'm just going to try to focus on getting the presentation ready because designing just isn't working out for me right now. But why you ask? Aren't you an architect? Well, technically no, I'm an intern, and yes I do like to design, but we are at a stage where things need to get done and my ideas just don't co-incide with the design. So in order to contribute in a positive manner I'm content with making diagrams and getting a coherent presentation together. I also don't mind sitting back and observing the rest of the design in order to learn a viewpoint different than my own; contributing where I feel it is absolutely necessary to discussions. Just got to take it one day at a time and stay positive. The deadline is in a week. I think the core of the team feels quite the same way, a little on the burnt-out end of the spectrum. Both of the new helpers on the team commented on the low team morale. At least I know I'm not alone.

     This weekend (aside from working Sunday afternoon/night) was spent being a tourist. It actually helped me settle in a lot better. I feel like I know a bit more of what goes on around here and I'm starting to meet more people. On Saturday I went out on my own. It was the king's birthday and I tried to find the festivities in all the wrong places, but I saw quite a bit of touristy parts of the city. I went down to Chinatown and Pasar Seni (Central Market...it might be Sini...I'm too tired to look it up). I got one of those fish massages, where you dip your legs in a large fish tank and the "Doctor Fish" as they are called eat all the dead skin away. It tickles like crazy (and I'm not very ticklish) for the first few minutes and then it feels like soft scratches or something along those lines. A totally unique experience. Afterwards it feels awesome. Your feet and legs feel so refreshed and surprisingly clean. I'd do it again and highly recommend it. I window shopped for a bit, got some fresh mango at a fruit stand, and then went to Chinatown to find MB a present. I bargained my way to what I wanted which was exciting. It's pretty easy. The price they initially offer is quite tempting if you convert it to dollars, so I probably could have done better, but I only ended up paying a Ringgit or two more than I wanted to. After this I went to the food stalls and sat down to journal for a bit. I ended up talking with these two British girls and had lunch with them. It was some amazing Peking duck, although I'm sure the real thing in China is better still. I didn't care, because nothing beats crispy skin and duck fat over rice.

    After lunch I wandered around a bit more and visited a small Buddhist temple. I made an offering and sat there in meditation for a while. I'm currently learning about the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment so it was kinda cool to start to recognize symbols and meanings in the temple. Plus, I saw it as a chance to get in touch with the world and the present. Literally right across the street and maybe 10 meters down there was a Hindu temple. I am fascinated by the ornate-ness of the Hindu religion, as well as the colors and beauty that surround the Hindu culture. It was my first time actually inside a Hindu place of worship. Although it was quite small I did spend a lot of time staring at the statues. Shiva was depicted with quite large boobs, which I am assuming is a symbol of nurturing, but I found it rather distracting (I know I know, I'm like a 10 year old boy). You can't wear your shoes in Hindu temples, so I left mine outside and of course I stepped in pigeon poo. Fortunately there was a place to wash your feet. I guess I'll know in a few days if I get some type of weird infection or something.

     After that I tried to get a taxi to go to Independence Square because I couldn't gage how far it was by my map and there is no city grid here so navigating is quite hard. I should have known when the taxi driver refused to use his meter that I would be ripped off, but at this point I was sweating like crazy and sitting in the air con left my don't-rip-me-off attitude out in the heat. I got totally ripped off, which made me a bit upset, because I know better, but whatever, at least next time I will know how to walk there. It was completely dead (it used to be the place where most of the political activity was, but most of it has been moved to a new city called Putrajaya - coincidentally where my competition project is). Aside from the old buildings and large flagpole it was kinda blah. I was going to go to the national mosque after that, but the cabbie had aggravated me so I left the area. Plus, I want to go national mosque with an actual Muslim so they can explain things to me, so I'll explore that part of town another time.

     I decided that it was still too early to return home, even though it was the hottest part of the day, so I headed over to Little India. That area is a complete CF. Crowded, people everywhere, people shouting at you, no room to move in between street stalls, and nothing really that special. I was going to sit down and get a snack from the Mamak stalls, but it was hotter under the tents than it was outside, so I window shopped in the colorful Sari stores instead. There are also a LOT of gold jewelry stores, which was quite interesting to see. Also, and like Chinatown, there were a LOT of knock offs/junk/un-identifiable chochkies (or however you spell it). Consumerism is a funny thing. The only thing I got there was a much needed bottle of water. I sat around in the shade/air con of the LRT station before heading home.

     I quickly took a shower and then headed back out to explore my neighborhood a bit more and then grab some groceries. I stumbled upon a Carrefour and I was curious to know if it was a grocery place or what so I went it. Carrefour is essentially a Wal-Mart on speed/steroids with a much better food selection. It was a bit overwhelming, but since I had walked through an entire parking lot (they are LARGE here), a parking lot market (random?) and circled a small mall to get there I got my groceries and a few household items there. It was actually pretty entertaining. They blasted peppy top-40s music and I found it a bit funny to see all of these women covered up while tapping their feet to that S&M song. They also had a live fish section (for food, not pets) and half a cow hanging from a hook with the other half chopped up into various cuts on a table on the side. The store had very little organization aside from the aisles, but things like toys were sandwiched in between storage containers and rat poison. I managed to make it out of there spending very little money. Just grabbing some pasta, breakfast items, beer, and food containers.

     That evening F, my roomie, graciously cooked me dinner and I ate with her and her boyfriend D. D is such a gentleman. Seriously. He served us food, refilled our food and cleaned up. He says he does it because he can't cook, but I have never had a guy I hardly met fill up my plate for me. He is Hindu, and the next day I was going to the Batu Caves so I was asking him questions about the festival that goes on there (Google it, I'm getting sssssuuuuuppppppper tired and it takes a while to explain, but don't say I didn't warn you, it's quite gory. Guys pull heavy blocks to shrines of different gods through hooks pierced throughout their bodies).

     The next day I went to my first CS event to the Batu Caves. It was a blast. I met a lot of cool people from all walks of life. I really look forward to hanging out with them more as the summer goes on. The hospitality here is quite amazing and the Malaysians who are a little more outgoing really make an effort to make you feel at home. Those that are shy (which is normal here) are just as nice, you just have to make the effort to get to know them. It was fun to hang out with people from all over, and all over KL as well. I hope to travel and go on more adventures with them in the future. The Batu Caves are a sight to behold. It is obviously very touristy, but at the same time, it is the most sacred Hindu site in Malaysia, so there were a lot of people there to worship as well. There were a few weddings, where it is considered an honor (to the newly-weds) if you are from far, far away to get your picture taken with the bride and groom (see Flickr in the next few days, I'm uploading soon) and wish them a happy marriage. The colors and ornate nature of the wedding outfits are breathtaking. Batu Caves are high up, about 300 and something narrow, steep steps up the side of a mountain. Be prepared to be attacked by monkeys on the way up. I brought the end pieces of my bread to give to the monkeys (because I don't eat them and I don't want to waste food). Being around monkeys is not a new thing for me (I've been to the Amazon) and I know how clever/rough they can be so I engaged in a friendly tug of war with one.

     After sweating it out up to the caves, we headed down. As we were debating where to eat lunch we got to witness someone on a religious pilgrimage who was asking the gods for a favor. In order to do this, you roll down the main entrance, then crawl on your hands and knees up all the steps and pray the whole way there. Trust me, this is NOT an easy task (don't forget the climate conditions), and you could see in her face her determination and dedication to the task at hand. Truly an amazing thing to witness.

  We were waiting for a couple to come back down, so we had some fresh coconuts, then headed to lunch at Teman Melati. We ate at a place called Virgin Chicken (which is the way they cook it I guess), near where my host family lives. I had a great time eating and exchanging travel stories and suggestions. I've got some travel plans in the works, which is something to look forward to after all of this competition business is done. I found out that there are a few other people I know heading to Singapore the same weekend I am, so hopefully I can meet up with them.

    Anyways, this is getting WAYYYYYY too long, so I'm going to get going to bed. I have made it my mission to take at least a half-hour out of my overtime day tomorrow to do some yoga. Hopefully it will keep me centered and refreshed for the long week ahead!

-M

Batu Caves

News paper article...

Monkey...obviously

True dedication - after the first stage of rolling

     Today was not my day. Actually, the last two days at work were quite like this. I got home today a little earlier than yesterday which was nice, but it has been frustrating. Essentially, I just don't see eye to eye with my boss for this project. This situation, as I'm sure you are all aware, is quite normal. However, this being my first official office job, figuring out how to deal with it has its ups and downs. Don't get me wrong, she's a good designer; it is simply a classic clash of form vs. function. I'm more of a function person, she's more of a form lady. It makes working on this competition quite difficult. You have good days and you have bad days, today was a bad day. Tomorrow will be easier. I think I'm just going to try to focus on getting the presentation ready because designing just isn't working out for me right now. But why you ask? Aren't you an architect? Well, technically no, I'm an intern, and yes I do like to design, but we are at a stage where things need to get done and my ideas just don't co-incide with the design. So in order to contribute in a positive manner I'm content with making diagrams and getting a coherent presentation together. I also don't mind sitting back and observing the rest of the design in order to learn a viewpoint different than my own; contributing where I feel it is absolutely necessary to discussions. Just got to take it one day at a time and stay positive. The deadline is in a week. I think the core of the team feels quite the same way, a little on the burnt-out end of the spectrum. Both of the new helpers on the team commented on the low team morale. At least I know I'm not alone.

     This weekend (aside from working Sunday afternoon/night) was spent being a tourist. It actually helped me settle in a lot better. I feel like I know a bit more of what goes on around here and I'm starting to meet more people. On Saturday I went out on my own. It was the king's birthday and I tried to find the festivities in all the wrong places, but I saw quite a bit of touristy parts of the city. I went down to Chinatown and Pasar Seni (Central Market...it might be Sini...I'm too tired to look it up). I got one of those fish massages, where you dip your legs in a large fish tank and the "Doctor Fish" as they are called eat all the dead skin away. It tickles like crazy (and I'm not very ticklish) for the first few minutes and then it feels like soft scratches or something along those lines. A totally unique experience. Afterwards it feels awesome. Your feet and legs feel so refreshed and surprisingly clean. I'd do it again and highly recommend it. I window shopped for a bit, got some fresh mango at a fruit stand, and then went to Chinatown to find MB a present. I bargained my way to what I wanted which was exciting. It's pretty easy. The price they initially offer is quite tempting if you convert it to dollars, so I probably could have done better, but I only ended up paying a Ringgit or two more than I wanted to. After this I went to the food stalls and sat down to journal for a bit. I ended up talking with these two British girls and had lunch with them. It was some amazing Peking duck, although I'm sure the real thing in China is better still. I didn't care, because nothing beats crispy skin and duck fat over rice.

    After lunch I wandered around a bit more and visited a small Buddhist temple. I made an offering and sat there in meditation for a while. I'm currently learning about the 8 Fold Path to Enlightenment so it was kinda cool to start to recognize symbols and meanings in the temple. Plus, I saw it as a chance to get in touch with the world and the present. Literally right across the street and maybe 10 meters down there was a Hindu temple. I am fascinated by the ornate-ness of the Hindu religion, as well as the colors and beauty that surround the Hindu culture. It was my first time actually inside a Hindu place of worship. Although it was quite small I did spend a lot of time staring at the statues. Shiva was depicted with quite large boobs, which I am assuming is a symbol of nurturing, but I found it rather distracting (I know I know, I'm like a 10 year old boy). You can't wear your shoes in Hindu temples, so I left mine outside and of course I stepped in pigeon poo. Fortunately there was a place to wash your feet. I guess I'll know in a few days if I get some type of weird infection or something.

     After that I tried to get a taxi to go to Independence Square because I couldn't gage how far it was by my map and there is no city grid here so navigating is quite hard. I should have known when the taxi driver refused to use his meter that I would be ripped off, but at this point I was sweating like crazy and sitting in the air con left my don't-rip-me-off attitude out in the heat. I got totally ripped off, which made me a bit upset, because I know better, but whatever, at least next time I will know how to walk there. It was completely dead (it used to be the place where most of the political activity was, but most of it has been moved to a new city called Putrajaya - coincidentally where my competition project is). Aside from the old buildings and large flagpole it was kinda blah. I was going to go to the national mosque after that, but the cabbie had aggravated me so I left the area. Plus, I want to go national mosque with an actual Muslim so they can explain things to me, so I'll explore that part of town another time.

     I decided that it was still too early to return home, even though it was the hottest part of the day, so I headed over to Little India. That area is a complete CF. Crowded, people everywhere, people shouting at you, no room to move in between street stalls, and nothing really that special. I was going to sit down and get a snack from the Mamak stalls, but it was hotter under the tents than it was outside, so I window shopped in the colorful Sari stores instead. There are also a LOT of gold jewelry stores, which was quite interesting to see. Also, and like Chinatown, there were a LOT of knock offs/junk/un-identifiable chochkies (or however you spell it). Consumerism is a funny thing. The only thing I got there was a much needed bottle of water. I sat around in the shade/air con of the LRT station before heading home.

     I quickly took a shower and then headed back out to explore my neighborhood a bit more and then grab some groceries. I stumbled upon a Carrefour and I was curious to know if it was a grocery place or what so I went it. Carrefour is essentially a Wal-Mart on speed/steroids with a much better food selection. It was a bit overwhelming, but since I had walked through an entire parking lot (they are LARGE here), a parking lot market (random?) and circled a small mall to get there I got my groceries and a few household items there. It was actually pretty entertaining. They blasted peppy top-40s music and I found it a bit funny to see all of these women covered up while tapping their feet to that S&M song. They also had a live fish section (for food, not pets) and half a cow hanging from a hook with the other half chopped up into various cuts on a table on the side. The store had very little organization aside from the aisles, but things like toys were sandwiched in between storage containers and rat poison. I managed to make it out of there spending very little money. Just grabbing some pasta, breakfast items, beer, and food containers.

     That evening F, my roomie, graciously cooked me dinner and I ate with her and her boyfriend D. D is such a gentleman. Seriously. He served us food, refilled our food and cleaned up. He says he does it because he can't cook, but I have never had a guy I hardly met fill up my plate for me. He is Hindu, and the next day I was going to the Batu Caves so I was asking him questions about the festival that goes on there (Google it, I'm getting sssssuuuuuppppppper tired and it takes a while to explain, but don't say I didn't warn you, it's quite gory. Guys pull heavy blocks to shrines of different gods through hooks pierced throughout their bodies).

     The next day I went to my first CS event to the Batu Caves. It was a blast. I met a lot of cool people from all walks of life. I really look forward to hanging out with them more as the summer goes on. The hospitality here is quite amazing and the Malaysians who are a little more outgoing really make an effort to make you feel at home. Those that are shy (which is normal here) are just as nice, you just have to make the effort to get to know them. It was fun to hang out with people from all over, and all over KL as well. I hope to travel and go on more adventures with them in the future. The Batu Caves are a sight to behold. It is obviously very touristy, but at the same time, it is the most sacred Hindu site in Malaysia, so there were a lot of people there to worship as well. There were a few weddings, where it is considered an honor (to the newly-weds) if you are from far, far away to get your picture taken with the bride and groom (see Flickr in the next few days, I'm uploading soon) and wish them a happy marriage. The colors and ornate nature of the wedding outfits are breathtaking. Batu Caves are high up, about 300 and something narrow, steep steps up the side of a mountain. Be prepared to be attacked by monkeys on the way up. I brought the end pieces of my bread to give to the monkeys (because I don't eat them and I don't want to waste food). Being around monkeys is not a new thing for me (I've been to the Amazon) and I know how clever/rough they can be so I engaged in a friendly tug of war with one.

     After sweating it out up to the caves, we headed down. As we were debating where to eat lunch we got to witness someone on a religious pilgrimage who was asking the gods for a favor. In order to do this, you roll down the main entrance, then crawl on your hands and knees up all the steps and pray the whole way there. Trust me, this is NOT an easy task (don't forget the climate conditions), and you could see in her face her determination and dedication to the task at hand. Truly an amazing thing to witness.

  We were waiting for a couple to come back down, so we had some fresh coconuts, then headed to lunch at Teman Melati. We ate at a place called Virgin Chicken (which is the way they cook it I guess), near where my host family lives. I had a great time eating and exchanging travel stories and suggestions. I've got some travel plans in the works, which is something to look forward to after all of this competition business is done. I found out that there are a few other people I know heading to Singapore the same weekend I am, so hopefully I can meet up with them.

    Anyways, this is getting WAYYYYYY too long, so I'm going to get going to bed. I have made it my mission to take at least a half-hour out of my overtime day tomorrow to do some yoga. Hopefully it will keep me centered and refreshed for the long week ahead!

-M

Batu Caves

News paper article...

Monkey...obviously

True dedication - after the first stage of rolling

Tall Tiger and instant noodles...

     Once again, it's been a while and once again, to no surprise, I've been busier than ever. The competition is in full swing, and to be honest, I need a break from it. Granted this is me coming off of a 10 and 12 hour day, a 6 day work week, and another 6 day week to go. Being thrown into the deep end of the lop-sided frying pan is not only beginning to take its toll on me, but has also begun to wear away at my enjoyment of architecture. It's kind of like the week before jury week...for 3 consecutive weeks. Not to mention the principal in charge of the project is a night owl (when it comes to working, surprisingly, I am the complete opposite). On the plus side, I can say I am getting to know AutoCAD inside and out. For those of you who may be surprised that I didn't know CAD, my school (and firms in Colorado) teach/require Revit. Basically, I'm reversed in the sense that I know Revit but am relatively shaky in CAD. We have a new intern, Q (phonetically it should be a K) although he mainly builds models because he is a first-year in undergrad. Some may find it depressing that I'm staying in, eating instant noodles, sipping a Tiger beer, and blogging on a Friday night; but honestly, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now. I'm dead tired from the week and it just finished raining, so the humidity is at an energy-zapping high.

     Anyways, enough about work, there is more to life than the office (although it hasn't seemed that way quite yet). I finally met my third roomate - C. She's from South Africa, which is quite cool in my opinion. Every South African I have ever met has been super awesome and a lot of fun to be around. She is here with her mom (who is on holiday) and although I showed her around, she won't officially be moving in until Sunday. Yesterday I went out for Lebanese food and shisha (Americans usually call it: hukah), in Asia, with her (a South African) and my co-worker S, who lives a train stop over, from Columbia. If that isn't a sign of the times I don't know what is. In KL, such situations are quite typical. 'International' almost seems to be an understatement. The food was amazing, some of the best falafel I've had in ages.

      A few days prior I went to yoga with a group of gals from the office. It's a Tuesday tradition, something not to be missed. I'm not too good at yoga, but I love it anyway. After a 2 day journey to Malaysia, it was just what my body needed. I also stopped by the REAL Chinatown (not the touristy one near the National Mosque), a small strip of streets in the district of Wangsa Maju to go to a Chinese hawker center. A hawker center is basically a large strip of street vendors selling various food items at low, low prices. I got some spicy pork, spicy fish balls, some type of vegetable, and rice all for $1.20 US. The rule is to pick the most packed stall and go for it. Don't ask what you're eating, follow your nose and figure out what it is when you eat it. It was a leap of faith on my part, the first time I ventured into an adjacent neighborhood (I really don't live in a touristy part of town, but where actual locals live) and went for it. Given my past experience in Mongolia, food still remains a point of nervousness, especially street food when no one is there to re-assure me about it. These places are definitely not Halal, and as much as I appreciate the cleanliness of Halal, the smell of pork was a welcomed familiarity (and one I couldn't pass up). I was going to stick around and eat there, however mosquitos (colloquially called mozzies) were happily gnawing away at my ankles so I returned to the safety of my 19th floor apartment. I plan on taking C and S there next week for some tasty authentic Chinese (complete with MSG and all).

     Today, as it goes with every Friday, I got to enjoy a long lunch (we get more time so the Muslim community can attend Friday prayers). I was invited by M, a co-worker, to go to this Japanese restaurant for lunch. It was soooo so so good! Japanese food is my favorite kind of food (tied with several other Asian culinary delights) so I had a great time. It was also kinda cool because I was the only true foreigner. It was good to get to know some of the other people I haven't really spent a whole lot of time with in the office. They also gave me some confidence to speak more Bahasa Melayu; meaning they admitted they could understand me. They also asked really cute questions like if I'd eat raw fish or if I was 'suffering' from eating Japanese food. Granted there were things in my lunch I hadn't tried, but who can complain about Udon noodles and tempura fried soft shelled crab? I explained that sushi and Japanese food is quite popular in the US, and pretty un-typically of your average American home, my boyfriend and I loved cooking Asian food. They suggested I try Durian, which I have been told is in season. Of course, I would love to try it, but I think I would prefer to eat it with someone who likes it as well, just in case I don't like it. It is considered quite rude to waste food here, which is something us Westerners could learn from.

     I talk about food a lot, mostly because lunch and dinner are my only breaks from work as of yet. Fortunately I have the excuse of a visa run coming up after my 14th deadline for the competition so I should get some much deserved time (and weekends) off for a bit and be able to report on more exciting things than just work work work work. I have made some plans for the weekend aside from an almost full day at the office on Sunday. I'll report back if those things go as planned.

     Anyways, I can smell myself, which is always a bad sign, so I'm going to hop in the shower and settle down to bed with a good book until I pass out from exhaustion. With any luck, I'll update at the end of the weekend. If karma really acts in my favor, I'll have pictures from the weekend (I've posted others from my adventures on Flickr...although I must admit they aren't my best).

Good night (or good morning)

-M

     Once again, it's been a while and once again, to no surprise, I've been busier than ever. The competition is in full swing, and to be honest, I need a break from it. Granted this is me coming off of a 10 and 12 hour day, a 6 day work week, and another 6 day week to go. Being thrown into the deep end of the lop-sided frying pan is not only beginning to take its toll on me, but has also begun to wear away at my enjoyment of architecture. It's kind of like the week before jury week...for 3 consecutive weeks. Not to mention the principal in charge of the project is a night owl (when it comes to working, surprisingly, I am the complete opposite). On the plus side, I can say I am getting to know AutoCAD inside and out. For those of you who may be surprised that I didn't know CAD, my school (and firms in Colorado) teach/require Revit. Basically, I'm reversed in the sense that I know Revit but am relatively shaky in CAD. We have a new intern, Q (phonetically it should be a K) although he mainly builds models because he is a first-year in undergrad. Some may find it depressing that I'm staying in, eating instant noodles, sipping a Tiger beer, and blogging on a Friday night; but honestly, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now. I'm dead tired from the week and it just finished raining, so the humidity is at an energy-zapping high.

     Anyways, enough about work, there is more to life than the office (although it hasn't seemed that way quite yet). I finally met my third roomate - C. She's from South Africa, which is quite cool in my opinion. Every South African I have ever met has been super awesome and a lot of fun to be around. She is here with her mom (who is on holiday) and although I showed her around, she won't officially be moving in until Sunday. Yesterday I went out for Lebanese food and shisha (Americans usually call it: hukah), in Asia, with her (a South African) and my co-worker S, who lives a train stop over, from Columbia. If that isn't a sign of the times I don't know what is. In KL, such situations are quite typical. 'International' almost seems to be an understatement. The food was amazing, some of the best falafel I've had in ages.

      A few days prior I went to yoga with a group of gals from the office. It's a Tuesday tradition, something not to be missed. I'm not too good at yoga, but I love it anyway. After a 2 day journey to Malaysia, it was just what my body needed. I also stopped by the REAL Chinatown (not the touristy one near the National Mosque), a small strip of streets in the district of Wangsa Maju to go to a Chinese hawker center. A hawker center is basically a large strip of street vendors selling various food items at low, low prices. I got some spicy pork, spicy fish balls, some type of vegetable, and rice all for $1.20 US. The rule is to pick the most packed stall and go for it. Don't ask what you're eating, follow your nose and figure out what it is when you eat it. It was a leap of faith on my part, the first time I ventured into an adjacent neighborhood (I really don't live in a touristy part of town, but where actual locals live) and went for it. Given my past experience in Mongolia, food still remains a point of nervousness, especially street food when no one is there to re-assure me about it. These places are definitely not Halal, and as much as I appreciate the cleanliness of Halal, the smell of pork was a welcomed familiarity (and one I couldn't pass up). I was going to stick around and eat there, however mosquitos (colloquially called mozzies) were happily gnawing away at my ankles so I returned to the safety of my 19th floor apartment. I plan on taking C and S there next week for some tasty authentic Chinese (complete with MSG and all).

     Today, as it goes with every Friday, I got to enjoy a long lunch (we get more time so the Muslim community can attend Friday prayers). I was invited by M, a co-worker, to go to this Japanese restaurant for lunch. It was soooo so so good! Japanese food is my favorite kind of food (tied with several other Asian culinary delights) so I had a great time. It was also kinda cool because I was the only true foreigner. It was good to get to know some of the other people I haven't really spent a whole lot of time with in the office. They also gave me some confidence to speak more Bahasa Melayu; meaning they admitted they could understand me. They also asked really cute questions like if I'd eat raw fish or if I was 'suffering' from eating Japanese food. Granted there were things in my lunch I hadn't tried, but who can complain about Udon noodles and tempura fried soft shelled crab? I explained that sushi and Japanese food is quite popular in the US, and pretty un-typically of your average American home, my boyfriend and I loved cooking Asian food. They suggested I try Durian, which I have been told is in season. Of course, I would love to try it, but I think I would prefer to eat it with someone who likes it as well, just in case I don't like it. It is considered quite rude to waste food here, which is something us Westerners could learn from.

     I talk about food a lot, mostly because lunch and dinner are my only breaks from work as of yet. Fortunately I have the excuse of a visa run coming up after my 14th deadline for the competition so I should get some much deserved time (and weekends) off for a bit and be able to report on more exciting things than just work work work work. I have made some plans for the weekend aside from an almost full day at the office on Sunday. I'll report back if those things go as planned.

     Anyways, I can smell myself, which is always a bad sign, so I'm going to hop in the shower and settle down to bed with a good book until I pass out from exhaustion. With any luck, I'll update at the end of the weekend. If karma really acts in my favor, I'll have pictures from the weekend (I've posted others from my adventures on Flickr...although I must admit they aren't my best).

Good night (or good morning)

-M

     Once again, it's been a while and once again, to no surprise, I've been busier than ever. The competition is in full swing, and to be honest, I need a break from it. Granted this is me coming off of a 10 and 12 hour day, a 6 day work week, and another 6 day week to go. Being thrown into the deep end of the lop-sided frying pan is not only beginning to take its toll on me, but has also begun to wear away at my enjoyment of architecture. It's kind of like the week before jury week...for 3 consecutive weeks. Not to mention the principal in charge of the project is a night owl (when it comes to working, surprisingly, I am the complete opposite). On the plus side, I can say I am getting to know AutoCAD inside and out. For those of you who may be surprised that I didn't know CAD, my school (and firms in Colorado) teach/require Revit. Basically, I'm reversed in the sense that I know Revit but am relatively shaky in CAD. We have a new intern, Q (phonetically it should be a K) although he mainly builds models because he is a first-year in undergrad. Some may find it depressing that I'm staying in, eating instant noodles, sipping a Tiger beer, and blogging on a Friday night; but honestly, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now. I'm dead tired from the week and it just finished raining, so the humidity is at an energy-zapping high.

     Anyways, enough about work, there is more to life than the office (although it hasn't seemed that way quite yet). I finally met my third roomate - C. She's from South Africa, which is quite cool in my opinion. Every South African I have ever met has been super awesome and a lot of fun to be around. She is here with her mom (who is on holiday) and although I showed her around, she won't officially be moving in until Sunday. Yesterday I went out for Lebanese food and shisha (Americans usually call it: hukah), in Asia, with her (a South African) and my co-worker S, who lives a train stop over, from Columbia. If that isn't a sign of the times I don't know what is. In KL, such situations are quite typical. 'International' almost seems to be an understatement. The food was amazing, some of the best falafel I've had in ages.

      A few days prior I went to yoga with a group of gals from the office. It's a Tuesday tradition, something not to be missed. I'm not too good at yoga, but I love it anyway. After a 2 day journey to Malaysia, it was just what my body needed. I also stopped by the REAL Chinatown (not the touristy one near the National Mosque), a small strip of streets in the district of Wangsa Maju to go to a Chinese hawker center. A hawker center is basically a large strip of street vendors selling various food items at low, low prices. I got some spicy pork, spicy fish balls, some type of vegetable, and rice all for $1.20 US. The rule is to pick the most packed stall and go for it. Don't ask what you're eating, follow your nose and figure out what it is when you eat it. It was a leap of faith on my part, the first time I ventured into an adjacent neighborhood (I really don't live in a touristy part of town, but where actual locals live) and went for it. Given my past experience in Mongolia, food still remains a point of nervousness, especially street food when no one is there to re-assure me about it. These places are definitely not Halal, and as much as I appreciate the cleanliness of Halal, the smell of pork was a welcomed familiarity (and one I couldn't pass up). I was going to stick around and eat there, however mosquitos (colloquially called mozzies) were happily gnawing away at my ankles so I returned to the safety of my 19th floor apartment. I plan on taking C and S there next week for some tasty authentic Chinese (complete with MSG and all).

     Today, as it goes with every Friday, I got to enjoy a long lunch (we get more time so the Muslim community can attend Friday prayers). I was invited by M, a co-worker, to go to this Japanese restaurant for lunch. It was soooo so so good! Japanese food is my favorite kind of food (tied with several other Asian culinary delights) so I had a great time. It was also kinda cool because I was the only true foreigner. It was good to get to know some of the other people I haven't really spent a whole lot of time with in the office. They also gave me some confidence to speak more Bahasa Melayu; meaning they admitted they could understand me. They also asked really cute questions like if I'd eat raw fish or if I was 'suffering' from eating Japanese food. Granted there were things in my lunch I hadn't tried, but who can complain about Udon noodles and tempura fried soft shelled crab? I explained that sushi and Japanese food is quite popular in the US, and pretty un-typically of your average American home, my boyfriend and I loved cooking Asian food. They suggested I try Durian, which I have been told is in season. Of course, I would love to try it, but I think I would prefer to eat it with someone who likes it as well, just in case I don't like it. It is considered quite rude to waste food here, which is something us Westerners could learn from.

     I talk about food a lot, mostly because lunch and dinner are my only breaks from work as of yet. Fortunately I have the excuse of a visa run coming up after my 14th deadline for the competition so I should get some much deserved time (and weekends) off for a bit and be able to report on more exciting things than just work work work work. I have made some plans for the weekend aside from an almost full day at the office on Sunday. I'll report back if those things go as planned.

     Anyways, I can smell myself, which is always a bad sign, so I'm going to hop in the shower and settle down to bed with a good book until I pass out from exhaustion. With any luck, I'll update at the end of the weekend. If karma really acts in my favor, I'll have pictures from the weekend (I've posted others from my adventures on Flickr...although I must admit they aren't my best).

Good night (or good morning)

-M

     Once again, it's been a while and once again, to no surprise, I've been busier than ever. The competition is in full swing, and to be honest, I need a break from it. Granted this is me coming off of a 10 and 12 hour day, a 6 day work week, and another 6 day week to go. Being thrown into the deep end of the lop-sided frying pan is not only beginning to take its toll on me, but has also begun to wear away at my enjoyment of architecture. It's kind of like the week before jury week...for 3 consecutive weeks. Not to mention the principal in charge of the project is a night owl (when it comes to working, surprisingly, I am the complete opposite). On the plus side, I can say I am getting to know AutoCAD inside and out. For those of you who may be surprised that I didn't know CAD, my school (and firms in Colorado) teach/require Revit. Basically, I'm reversed in the sense that I know Revit but am relatively shaky in CAD. We have a new intern, Q (phonetically it should be a K) although he mainly builds models because he is a first-year in undergrad. Some may find it depressing that I'm staying in, eating instant noodles, sipping a Tiger beer, and blogging on a Friday night; but honestly, this is exactly what I want to be doing right now. I'm dead tired from the week and it just finished raining, so the humidity is at an energy-zapping high.

     Anyways, enough about work, there is more to life than the office (although it hasn't seemed that way quite yet). I finally met my third roomate - C. She's from South Africa, which is quite cool in my opinion. Every South African I have ever met has been super awesome and a lot of fun to be around. She is here with her mom (who is on holiday) and although I showed her around, she won't officially be moving in until Sunday. Yesterday I went out for Lebanese food and shisha (Americans usually call it: hukah), in Asia, with her (a South African) and my co-worker S, who lives a train stop over, from Columbia. If that isn't a sign of the times I don't know what is. In KL, such situations are quite typical. 'International' almost seems to be an understatement. The food was amazing, some of the best falafel I've had in ages.

      A few days prior I went to yoga with a group of gals from the office. It's a Tuesday tradition, something not to be missed. I'm not too good at yoga, but I love it anyway. After a 2 day journey to Malaysia, it was just what my body needed. I also stopped by the REAL Chinatown (not the touristy one near the National Mosque), a small strip of streets in the district of Wangsa Maju to go to a Chinese hawker center. A hawker center is basically a large strip of street vendors selling various food items at low, low prices. I got some spicy pork, spicy fish balls, some type of vegetable, and rice all for $1.20 US. The rule is to pick the most packed stall and go for it. Don't ask what you're eating, follow your nose and figure out what it is when you eat it. It was a leap of faith on my part, the first time I ventured into an adjacent neighborhood (I really don't live in a touristy part of town, but where actual locals live) and went for it. Given my past experience in Mongolia, food still remains a point of nervousness, especially street food when no one is there to re-assure me about it. These places are definitely not Halal, and as much as I appreciate the cleanliness of Halal, the smell of pork was a welcomed familiarity (and one I couldn't pass up). I was going to stick around and eat there, however mosquitos (colloquially called mozzies) were happily gnawing away at my ankles so I returned to the safety of my 19th floor apartment. I plan on taking C and S there next week for some tasty authentic Chinese (complete with MSG and all).

     Today, as it goes with every Friday, I got to enjoy a long lunch (we get more time so the Muslim community can attend Friday prayers). I was invited by M, a co-worker, to go to this Japanese restaurant for lunch. It was soooo so so good! Japanese food is my favorite kind of food (tied with several other Asian culinary delights) so I had a great time. It was also kinda cool because I was the only true foreigner. It was good to get to know some of the other people I haven't really spent a whole lot of time with in the office. They also gave me some confidence to speak more Bahasa Melayu; meaning they admitted they could understand me. They also asked really cute questions like if I'd eat raw fish or if I was 'suffering' from eating Japanese food. Granted there were things in my lunch I hadn't tried, but who can complain about Udon noodles and tempura fried soft shelled crab? I explained that sushi and Japanese food is quite popular in the US, and pretty un-typically of your average American home, my boyfriend and I loved cooking Asian food. They suggested I try Durian, which I have been told is in season. Of course, I would love to try it, but I think I would prefer to eat it with someone who likes it as well, just in case I don't like it. It is considered quite rude to waste food here, which is something us Westerners could learn from.

     I talk about food a lot, mostly because lunch and dinner are my only breaks from work as of yet. Fortunately I have the excuse of a visa run coming up after my 14th deadline for the competition so I should get some much deserved time (and weekends) off for a bit and be able to report on more exciting things than just work work work work. I have made some plans for the weekend aside from an almost full day at the office on Sunday. I'll report back if those things go as planned.

     Anyways, I can smell myself, which is always a bad sign, so I'm going to hop in the shower and settle down to bed with a good book until I pass out from exhaustion. With any luck, I'll update at the end of the weekend. If karma really acts in my favor, I'll have pictures from the weekend (I've posted others from my adventures on Flickr...although I must admit they aren't my best).

Good night (or good morning)

-M

I ate spicy noodles for breakers...I don't know what else to call this post

              Before I get started on this post I would like to take a moment to express my sorrows for those affected by the recent tornado in Joplin, MO. As some of you may know, I lived in the small town of Joplin for two years back when I was little. My dad also lived there for a bit as a kid. My brother was born there, and the hospital he was born in is now a pile of rubble. It is a small community, but the key word here is community, everyone is very close. My family will be going back to help clean up later this summer. Our old house is ok (the twister missed it by 2 streets). Everyone we know that still lives there is fine (one family’s house had lifted off of its foundation by 6 inches!). However, please keep the family and friends of those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

                I know I have been bad at updating this recently. This is mostly because I have started work and find myself with little free time. We are supposed to work from 9-6 but I have not left the office at 6 nor come in at 9 yet. Tomorrow I move into my actual apartment (I am sad to leave A’s house, her and her family have been nothing but the best to me). I will probably start getting in later and leaving earlier now, at least until the competition I am working on gets into full swing. Yesterday, I was writing a post and got swept away from my computer to go on a site visit/client meeting/model shop visit. I will post pictures from this at some point (hopefully this weekend). The model shop was intense. Absolutely amazing. For those at my school, imagine completed slice models (ie 1:4 scale), except a whole complex of high rises…it’s amazing. It had a sweat shop feel to it, except without the borderline slave labor (the worker conditions were fine, there was air-con, but the level of activity was intense, just please don’t think this place is actually a sweat shop, keep in mind I’m sarcastic), just an old buiding with materials everywhere, lazer cutters humming, music blaring, basically imagine studio with no windows and no maylines.  

                It was an exceptionally hot day (even for here) yesterday. I went with my boss Z and he picked up another architect working on the project from another firm, N from South Africa. He had some interesting things to say about the place. Their economy is much like ours (USA) from a job market standpoint, but he commented that it is even worse because if you have graduated from school in the last 5 years and are white, you can’t find work. This is, of course, very hard for me to wrap my head around, but interesting none the less. The site, albiet just like any other construction site has its issues, but here in Asia things are done a bit differently. First of all, the workers live on the site (although the worker’s homes were somewhat out of view, I had a pretty good idea of what they were like and I’m sure you could imagine as well). Furthermore, they work around the clock, in two shifts. Most of the workers are actually unskilled and learn on the job. As one could imagine, this makes it difficult to meet the already seemingly impossible deadlines because they are literally being trained on the spot to do some rather difficult tasks (bricklaying is an art my friends). They mostly come from Indonesia and Bangladesh. America obviously has a similar migrant workforce population with the Latin and South American immigrants (no, contrary to popular belief, even in America, they are not all Mexican). However, you would never get an American migrant worker to work the way these people do. My knee-jerk reaction is one of uncomfort. To us, this seems like poor conditions, unfair hours, no proper housing, ect. However, here it is a way of life. They obviously get paid less than they would in the states (just due to differing economies) so to live on the job actually saves them a lot of money. I also noticed a clean water source and proper drainage in the glipse I got of the workers quarters. I also did not smell any open sewage, so at least they had basic amenities.  I really do not know how I feel about the workers’ situation, because this is just the mentality of work here. It goes even further than that. From what I have gathered from talking with people is that in Asia a client considers everyone his workers, regardless of the labor involved. Thus, we architects, as the ‘paper workers’ if you will are considered to be like the construction workers. Unless you flat out say it, you are expected to work just as hard as those laborers (granted we have air con). For example, yesterday in the meeting Z had to explicitly tell his clients that he would not take meetings past 6pm. In the west, unless it is a some type of corprate ‘crisis’ or you are a doctor, you would not meet with clients at odd hours such as this. Needless to say I learned a lot yesterday, although I’m still trying to piece together what exactly to make of it.

                Anyways, it’s about time I get back to work. I’ll catch up later, I still obviously have lots to say and lots to share.

Missing everyone back home. Finally sleeping like a normal human being. I hope everyone is safe and sound.

-M

              Before I get started on this post I would like to take a moment to express my sorrows for those affected by the recent tornado in Joplin, MO. As some of you may know, I lived in the small town of Joplin for two years back when I was little. My dad also lived there for a bit as a kid. My brother was born there, and the hospital he was born in is now a pile of rubble. It is a small community, but the key word here is community, everyone is very close. My family will be going back to help clean up later this summer. Our old house is ok (the twister missed it by 2 streets). Everyone we know that still lives there is fine (one family’s house had lifted off of its foundation by 6 inches!). However, please keep the family and friends of those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

                I know I have been bad at updating this recently. This is mostly because I have started work and find myself with little free time. We are supposed to work from 9-6 but I have not left the office at 6 nor come in at 9 yet. Tomorrow I move into my actual apartment (I am sad to leave A’s house, her and her family have been nothing but the best to me). I will probably start getting in later and leaving earlier now, at least until the competition I am working on gets into full swing. Yesterday, I was writing a post and got swept away from my computer to go on a site visit/client meeting/model shop visit. I will post pictures from this at some point (hopefully this weekend). The model shop was intense. Absolutely amazing. For those at my school, imagine completed slice models (ie 1:4 scale), except a whole complex of high rises…it’s amazing. It had a sweat shop feel to it, except without the borderline slave labor (the worker conditions were fine, there was air-con, but the level of activity was intense, just please don’t think this place is actually a sweat shop, keep in mind I’m sarcastic), just an old buiding with materials everywhere, lazer cutters humming, music blaring, basically imagine studio with no windows and no maylines.  

                It was an exceptionally hot day (even for here) yesterday. I went with my boss Z and he picked up another architect working on the project from another firm, N from South Africa. He had some interesting things to say about the place. Their economy is much like ours (USA) from a job market standpoint, but he commented that it is even worse because if you have graduated from school in the last 5 years and are white, you can’t find work. This is, of course, very hard for me to wrap my head around, but interesting none the less. The site, albiet just like any other construction site has its issues, but here in Asia things are done a bit differently. First of all, the workers live on the site (although the worker’s homes were somewhat out of view, I had a pretty good idea of what they were like and I’m sure you could imagine as well). Furthermore, they work around the clock, in two shifts. Most of the workers are actually unskilled and learn on the job. As one could imagine, this makes it difficult to meet the already seemingly impossible deadlines because they are literally being trained on the spot to do some rather difficult tasks (bricklaying is an art my friends). They mostly come from Indonesia and Bangladesh. America obviously has a similar migrant workforce population with the Latin and South American immigrants (no, contrary to popular belief, even in America, they are not all Mexican). However, you would never get an American migrant worker to work the way these people do. My knee-jerk reaction is one of uncomfort. To us, this seems like poor conditions, unfair hours, no proper housing, ect. However, here it is a way of life. They obviously get paid less than they would in the states (just due to differing economies) so to live on the job actually saves them a lot of money. I also noticed a clean water source and proper drainage in the glipse I got of the workers quarters. I also did not smell any open sewage, so at least they had basic amenities.  I really do not know how I feel about the workers’ situation, because this is just the mentality of work here. It goes even further than that. From what I have gathered from talking with people is that in Asia a client considers everyone his workers, regardless of the labor involved. Thus, we architects, as the ‘paper workers’ if you will are considered to be like the construction workers. Unless you flat out say it, you are expected to work just as hard as those laborers (granted we have air con). For example, yesterday in the meeting Z had to explicitly tell his clients that he would not take meetings past 6pm. In the west, unless it is a some type of corprate ‘crisis’ or you are a doctor, you would not meet with clients at odd hours such as this. Needless to say I learned a lot yesterday, although I’m still trying to piece together what exactly to make of it.

                Anyways, it’s about time I get back to work. I’ll catch up later, I still obviously have lots to say and lots to share.

Missing everyone back home. Finally sleeping like a normal human being. I hope everyone is safe and sound.

-M

              Before I get started on this post I would like to take a moment to express my sorrows for those affected by the recent tornado in Joplin, MO. As some of you may know, I lived in the small town of Joplin for two years back when I was little. My dad also lived there for a bit as a kid. My brother was born there, and the hospital he was born in is now a pile of rubble. It is a small community, but the key word here is community, everyone is very close. My family will be going back to help clean up later this summer. Our old house is ok (the twister missed it by 2 streets). Everyone we know that still lives there is fine (one family’s house had lifted off of its foundation by 6 inches!). However, please keep the family and friends of those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

                I know I have been bad at updating this recently. This is mostly because I have started work and find myself with little free time. We are supposed to work from 9-6 but I have not left the office at 6 nor come in at 9 yet. Tomorrow I move into my actual apartment (I am sad to leave A’s house, her and her family have been nothing but the best to me). I will probably start getting in later and leaving earlier now, at least until the competition I am working on gets into full swing. Yesterday, I was writing a post and got swept away from my computer to go on a site visit/client meeting/model shop visit. I will post pictures from this at some point (hopefully this weekend). The model shop was intense. Absolutely amazing. For those at my school, imagine completed slice models (ie 1:4 scale), except a whole complex of high rises…it’s amazing. It had a sweat shop feel to it, except without the borderline slave labor (the worker conditions were fine, there was air-con, but the level of activity was intense, just please don’t think this place is actually a sweat shop, keep in mind I’m sarcastic), just an old buiding with materials everywhere, lazer cutters humming, music blaring, basically imagine studio with no windows and no maylines.  

                It was an exceptionally hot day (even for here) yesterday. I went with my boss Z and he picked up another architect working on the project from another firm, N from South Africa. He had some interesting things to say about the place. Their economy is much like ours (USA) from a job market standpoint, but he commented that it is even worse because if you have graduated from school in the last 5 years and are white, you can’t find work. This is, of course, very hard for me to wrap my head around, but interesting none the less. The site, albiet just like any other construction site has its issues, but here in Asia things are done a bit differently. First of all, the workers live on the site (although the worker’s homes were somewhat out of view, I had a pretty good idea of what they were like and I’m sure you could imagine as well). Furthermore, they work around the clock, in two shifts. Most of the workers are actually unskilled and learn on the job. As one could imagine, this makes it difficult to meet the already seemingly impossible deadlines because they are literally being trained on the spot to do some rather difficult tasks (bricklaying is an art my friends). They mostly come from Indonesia and Bangladesh. America obviously has a similar migrant workforce population with the Latin and South American immigrants (no, contrary to popular belief, even in America, they are not all Mexican). However, you would never get an American migrant worker to work the way these people do. My knee-jerk reaction is one of uncomfort. To us, this seems like poor conditions, unfair hours, no proper housing, ect. However, here it is a way of life. They obviously get paid less than they would in the states (just due to differing economies) so to live on the job actually saves them a lot of money. I also noticed a clean water source and proper drainage in the glipse I got of the workers quarters. I also did not smell any open sewage, so at least they had basic amenities.  I really do not know how I feel about the workers’ situation, because this is just the mentality of work here. It goes even further than that. From what I have gathered from talking with people is that in Asia a client considers everyone his workers, regardless of the labor involved. Thus, we architects, as the ‘paper workers’ if you will are considered to be like the construction workers. Unless you flat out say it, you are expected to work just as hard as those laborers (granted we have air con). For example, yesterday in the meeting Z had to explicitly tell his clients that he would not take meetings past 6pm. In the west, unless it is a some type of corprate ‘crisis’ or you are a doctor, you would not meet with clients at odd hours such as this. Needless to say I learned a lot yesterday, although I’m still trying to piece together what exactly to make of it.

                Anyways, it’s about time I get back to work. I’ll catch up later, I still obviously have lots to say and lots to share.

Missing everyone back home. Finally sleeping like a normal human being. I hope everyone is safe and sound.

-M

              Before I get started on this post I would like to take a moment to express my sorrows for those affected by the recent tornado in Joplin, MO. As some of you may know, I lived in the small town of Joplin for two years back when I was little. My dad also lived there for a bit as a kid. My brother was born there, and the hospital he was born in is now a pile of rubble. It is a small community, but the key word here is community, everyone is very close. My family will be going back to help clean up later this summer. Our old house is ok (the twister missed it by 2 streets). Everyone we know that still lives there is fine (one family’s house had lifted off of its foundation by 6 inches!). However, please keep the family and friends of those affected in your thoughts and prayers.

                I know I have been bad at updating this recently. This is mostly because I have started work and find myself with little free time. We are supposed to work from 9-6 but I have not left the office at 6 nor come in at 9 yet. Tomorrow I move into my actual apartment (I am sad to leave A’s house, her and her family have been nothing but the best to me). I will probably start getting in later and leaving earlier now, at least until the competition I am working on gets into full swing. Yesterday, I was writing a post and got swept away from my computer to go on a site visit/client meeting/model shop visit. I will post pictures from this at some point (hopefully this weekend). The model shop was intense. Absolutely amazing. For those at my school, imagine completed slice models (ie 1:4 scale), except a whole complex of high rises…it’s amazing. It had a sweat shop feel to it, except without the borderline slave labor (the worker conditions were fine, there was air-con, but the level of activity was intense, just please don’t think this place is actually a sweat shop, keep in mind I’m sarcastic), just an old buiding with materials everywhere, lazer cutters humming, music blaring, basically imagine studio with no windows and no maylines.  

                It was an exceptionally hot day (even for here) yesterday. I went with my boss Z and he picked up another architect working on the project from another firm, N from South Africa. He had some interesting things to say about the place. Their economy is much like ours (USA) from a job market standpoint, but he commented that it is even worse because if you have graduated from school in the last 5 years and are white, you can’t find work. This is, of course, very hard for me to wrap my head around, but interesting none the less. The site, albiet just like any other construction site has its issues, but here in Asia things are done a bit differently. First of all, the workers live on the site (although the worker’s homes were somewhat out of view, I had a pretty good idea of what they were like and I’m sure you could imagine as well). Furthermore, they work around the clock, in two shifts. Most of the workers are actually unskilled and learn on the job. As one could imagine, this makes it difficult to meet the already seemingly impossible deadlines because they are literally being trained on the spot to do some rather difficult tasks (bricklaying is an art my friends). They mostly come from Indonesia and Bangladesh. America obviously has a similar migrant workforce population with the Latin and South American immigrants (no, contrary to popular belief, even in America, they are not all Mexican). However, you would never get an American migrant worker to work the way these people do. My knee-jerk reaction is one of uncomfort. To us, this seems like poor conditions, unfair hours, no proper housing, ect. However, here it is a way of life. They obviously get paid less than they would in the states (just due to differing economies) so to live on the job actually saves them a lot of money. I also noticed a clean water source and proper drainage in the glipse I got of the workers quarters. I also did not smell any open sewage, so at least they had basic amenities.  I really do not know how I feel about the workers’ situation, because this is just the mentality of work here. It goes even further than that. From what I have gathered from talking with people is that in Asia a client considers everyone his workers, regardless of the labor involved. Thus, we architects, as the ‘paper workers’ if you will are considered to be like the construction workers. Unless you flat out say it, you are expected to work just as hard as those laborers (granted we have air con). For example, yesterday in the meeting Z had to explicitly tell his clients that he would not take meetings past 6pm. In the west, unless it is a some type of corprate ‘crisis’ or you are a doctor, you would not meet with clients at odd hours such as this. Needless to say I learned a lot yesterday, although I’m still trying to piece together what exactly to make of it.

                Anyways, it’s about time I get back to work. I’ll catch up later, I still obviously have lots to say and lots to share.

Missing everyone back home. Finally sleeping like a normal human being. I hope everyone is safe and sound.

-M

KL Bound

     I've recently accepted my first internship on the architectural stage. I started my master's program fresh out of undergrad thinking that once I'm out (a mere 3 and a half years later) the economy will have suddenly and magically bounced back to its former self. Ahh...the naiveté of the young college graduate. Needless to say I passionately, boldly, or - as some professors have mentioned - stupidly entered a business that is notorious for being the first to crash and the last to recover. Without going into too much detail, there simply are very few, if any jobs in the States. Despite the fact that there are several massive construction projects going on all around my apartment, Denver does not seem interested in hiring architectural interns at this time. Their loss I suppose. Fortunately for me, I have my eyes set on a bigger horizon. Travel and world culture is half the reason I became interested in architecture in the first place. Furthermore, while the west struggles to figure out what the hell it did wrong (although most of the educated youth could probably give you a better answer than the media or the White House), the east is experiencing an economic boom. Economic boom = building boom. What better way to get one's feet wet in the industry than to dive right in - no swimmies. Thus, I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with Veritas, a Malaysian based firm, for the summer. So come this May I'm packing my bags and moving to Kuala Lumpur or colloquially known as KL.

     It would be an understatement to say that I am excited. With excitement comes many other emotions. It isn't going to be all happy glitz and picture snapping like a casual holiday, but I'm going to actually have to live here, figure out how to squeeze by on very little money, and hopefully be confident enough to communicate with Malaysians...in Bahasa Malayu. However, this ain't my first time at the rodeo folks. I lived in Denmark for 4 months and I've at least been to Asia; which is enough to say that I can expect a long flight with multiple day changes. My first trip to Asia, despite its messy story, changed my life forever. There is something about the east that absolutely intrigues me to know more and more about a place so different from anything I've ever been exposed to. One could argue a lot of places in the west are like this; however much of east Asia operates on a completely different set of core values. It is a 'we' society, with the western world being a 'me' society. You aren't a gringo and you aren't a stUpEED AmericAn. They've got something entirely different going on over there and it seems to actually be working for the most part, at least in terms of longevity (there are obvious human rights abuses, an enormous wealth gap, various environmental issues, and don't forget our dearest friend Kim Jung Il...but I will save you from those rants). So why not learn a few tricks from a different trade? Maybe it could help us figure out why we do the things we do as a western culture or even help to bridge the massive communication gap between the two. It definitely can't hurt.

     It would be unfair not to mention my first experience in Asia, a trip to Mongolia (and I was supposed to end up in China) last May. I know many of you who actually know me will be rolling your eyes at this one, but I promise to refrain from getting into the whole violent, death-threatening food poisoning ordeal that happened there. Although it ruined my trip, and (compounded by traveling alone), undoubtably, had a permanent affect on my psyche there is really nothing more to mention about it other that I am concerned for my digestive system in Malaysia as well. If it happens again, so be it. Although in a large city like KL I'm less likely to be immediately confronted with a hot plate of late May's mystery meat and noodles at some Mongolian roadside cafe where the road is simply a series of hard-carved ruts on a dirt path (also known as a Mongolian super highway...if you don't believe me buy yourself a ticket to Ulaan Baator and see for yourself). Plus, I am too much of a food enthusiast to let a sensitive stomach ruin an amazing meal. I'm not going to miss out on the finer parts of Malay cuisine and its wide range of influences just to avoid heart burn. No pain no gain I say.

     Despite the end of that trip, what I really took away from my Mongolian adventure wasn't about being a lone patient in a hospital in the least densely populated nation in the world. It was about the journey. I made 2 lasting friendships (I will hopefully be able to meet up with one of my friends, an expat living in South Korea this summer - fingers crossed). There is something to be said being in a place where nomadic life has ruled for centuries and if you want (and you really should, cuz it would be a damn shame if you didn't) get out of UB and live life out on the steppes for a bit. Unlike many a Disneyland-esque places that exist because of mass tourism, you can actually participate in it. I can sometimes still close my eyes and remember what it feels like to stick your head out the window like a happy lab; wind blowing across your face, maybe even your tongue hanging out while you bounce around on a so called 'road' (aka a small set of dents in the grass where someone drove 5 days before you) and literally look out and see vast expanses of open space. No fences, no property lines, the occasional white ger and massive amounts of herds of yak, camel, sheep, goats, and horses off in the distance or crossing your path constantly. It is here where I truly learned the power of the journey.

     The roots of ancient Malaysian culture are also embedded in the concept of the journey. Personal journeys are present in the traditional art of tattoos in tribal Malay cultures. Furthermore, KL and the rest of Malaysia have something to teach the world about co-existance. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country (60%) with Islam being the national religion. However, the law allows for freedom of religion,  therefore alcohol, and even goes one step further to include the other major practiced religions (Buddhism, Hindu, and Christianity) in the public holiday calendar. Yes, women have rights, and aside from PDA, you can dress how you want and come and go as you please. So with that whole issue aside, I am excited to learn, and hopefully be able to report how exactly these four major world religions have co-existed here in a peaceful manner since Malaysian independence back in the 60s. It is an example, especially given today's events and what is going on in the Middle East/North Africa, that everyone could benefit from.

     Well enough questioning of the world's problems and the so-called meaning of life. What the hell do I know anyway? I've got some logistics to figure out. I've gotta see one of those travel docs again. Last time I visited one I got poked in the arm 4 times in order to be allowed to venture into the Peruvian Amazon. Apparently, that wasn't enough intimate times with the needle, so I've got two more on my list and I need to make an appointment. Not to mention I've been procrastinating my Systems homework all week (hurray for reading about fire suppression systems and phone lines!).

Until next time.

-M

     I've recently accepted my first internship on the architectural stage. I started my master's program fresh out of undergrad thinking that once I'm out (a mere 3 and a half years later) the economy will have suddenly and magically bounced back to its former self. Ahh...the naiveté of the young college graduate. Needless to say I passionately, boldly, or - as some professors have mentioned - stupidly entered a business that is notorious for being the first to crash and the last to recover. Without going into too much detail, there simply are very few, if any jobs in the States. Despite the fact that there are several massive construction projects going on all around my apartment, Denver does not seem interested in hiring architectural interns at this time. Their loss I suppose. Fortunately for me, I have my eyes set on a bigger horizon. Travel and world culture is half the reason I became interested in architecture in the first place. Furthermore, while the west struggles to figure out what the hell it did wrong (although most of the educated youth could probably give you a better answer than the media or the White House), the east is experiencing an economic boom. Economic boom = building boom. What better way to get one's feet wet in the industry than to dive right in - no swimmies. Thus, I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with Veritas, a Malaysian based firm, for the summer. So come this May I'm packing my bags and moving to Kuala Lumpur or colloquially known as KL.

     It would be an understatement to say that I am excited. With excitement comes many other emotions. It isn't going to be all happy glitz and picture snapping like a casual holiday, but I'm going to actually have to live here, figure out how to squeeze by on very little money, and hopefully be confident enough to communicate with Malaysians...in Bahasa Malayu. However, this ain't my first time at the rodeo folks. I lived in Denmark for 4 months and I've at least been to Asia; which is enough to say that I can expect a long flight with multiple day changes. My first trip to Asia, despite its messy story, changed my life forever. There is something about the east that absolutely intrigues me to know more and more about a place so different from anything I've ever been exposed to. One could argue a lot of places in the west are like this; however much of east Asia operates on a completely different set of core values. It is a 'we' society, with the western world being a 'me' society. You aren't a gringo and you aren't a stUpEED AmericAn. They've got something entirely different going on over there and it seems to actually be working for the most part, at least in terms of longevity (there are obvious human rights abuses, an enormous wealth gap, various environmental issues, and don't forget our dearest friend Kim Jung Il...but I will save you from those rants). So why not learn a few tricks from a different trade? Maybe it could help us figure out why we do the things we do as a western culture or even help to bridge the massive communication gap between the two. It definitely can't hurt.

     It would be unfair not to mention my first experience in Asia, a trip to Mongolia (and I was supposed to end up in China) last May. I know many of you who actually know me will be rolling your eyes at this one, but I promise to refrain from getting into the whole violent, death-threatening food poisoning ordeal that happened there. Although it ruined my trip, and (compounded by traveling alone), undoubtably, had a permanent affect on my psyche there is really nothing more to mention about it other that I am concerned for my digestive system in Malaysia as well. If it happens again, so be it. Although in a large city like KL I'm less likely to be immediately confronted with a hot plate of late May's mystery meat and noodles at some Mongolian roadside cafe where the road is simply a series of hard-carved ruts on a dirt path (also known as a Mongolian super highway...if you don't believe me buy yourself a ticket to Ulaan Baator and see for yourself). Plus, I am too much of a food enthusiast to let a sensitive stomach ruin an amazing meal. I'm not going to miss out on the finer parts of Malay cuisine and its wide range of influences just to avoid heart burn. No pain no gain I say.

     Despite the end of that trip, what I really took away from my Mongolian adventure wasn't about being a lone patient in a hospital in the least densely populated nation in the world. It was about the journey. I made 2 lasting friendships (I will hopefully be able to meet up with one of my friends, an expat living in South Korea this summer - fingers crossed). There is something to be said being in a place where nomadic life has ruled for centuries and if you want (and you really should, cuz it would be a damn shame if you didn't) get out of UB and live life out on the steppes for a bit. Unlike many a Disneyland-esque places that exist because of mass tourism, you can actually participate in it. I can sometimes still close my eyes and remember what it feels like to stick your head out the window like a happy lab; wind blowing across your face, maybe even your tongue hanging out while you bounce around on a so called 'road' (aka a small set of dents in the grass where someone drove 5 days before you) and literally look out and see vast expanses of open space. No fences, no property lines, the occasional white ger and massive amounts of herds of yak, camel, sheep, goats, and horses off in the distance or crossing your path constantly. It is here where I truly learned the power of the journey.

     The roots of ancient Malaysian culture are also embedded in the concept of the journey. Personal journeys are present in the traditional art of tattoos in tribal Malay cultures. Furthermore, KL and the rest of Malaysia have something to teach the world about co-existance. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country (60%) with Islam being the national religion. However, the law allows for freedom of religion,  therefore alcohol, and even goes one step further to include the other major practiced religions (Buddhism, Hindu, and Christianity) in the public holiday calendar. Yes, women have rights, and aside from PDA, you can dress how you want and come and go as you please. So with that whole issue aside, I am excited to learn, and hopefully be able to report how exactly these four major world religions have co-existed here in a peaceful manner since Malaysian independence back in the 60s. It is an example, especially given today's events and what is going on in the Middle East/North Africa, that everyone could benefit from.

     Well enough questioning of the world's problems and the so-called meaning of life. What the hell do I know anyway? I've got some logistics to figure out. I've gotta see one of those travel docs again. Last time I visited one I got poked in the arm 4 times in order to be allowed to venture into the Peruvian Amazon. Apparently, that wasn't enough intimate times with the needle, so I've got two more on my list and I need to make an appointment. Not to mention I've been procrastinating my Systems homework all week (hurray for reading about fire suppression systems and phone lines!).

Until next time.

-M

     I've recently accepted my first internship on the architectural stage. I started my master's program fresh out of undergrad thinking that once I'm out (a mere 3 and a half years later) the economy will have suddenly and magically bounced back to its former self. Ahh...the naiveté of the young college graduate. Needless to say I passionately, boldly, or - as some professors have mentioned - stupidly entered a business that is notorious for being the first to crash and the last to recover. Without going into too much detail, there simply are very few, if any jobs in the States. Despite the fact that there are several massive construction projects going on all around my apartment, Denver does not seem interested in hiring architectural interns at this time. Their loss I suppose. Fortunately for me, I have my eyes set on a bigger horizon. Travel and world culture is half the reason I became interested in architecture in the first place. Furthermore, while the west struggles to figure out what the hell it did wrong (although most of the educated youth could probably give you a better answer than the media or the White House), the east is experiencing an economic boom. Economic boom = building boom. What better way to get one's feet wet in the industry than to dive right in - no swimmies. Thus, I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with Veritas, a Malaysian based firm, for the summer. So come this May I'm packing my bags and moving to Kuala Lumpur or colloquially known as KL.

     It would be an understatement to say that I am excited. With excitement comes many other emotions. It isn't going to be all happy glitz and picture snapping like a casual holiday, but I'm going to actually have to live here, figure out how to squeeze by on very little money, and hopefully be confident enough to communicate with Malaysians...in Bahasa Malayu. However, this ain't my first time at the rodeo folks. I lived in Denmark for 4 months and I've at least been to Asia; which is enough to say that I can expect a long flight with multiple day changes. My first trip to Asia, despite its messy story, changed my life forever. There is something about the east that absolutely intrigues me to know more and more about a place so different from anything I've ever been exposed to. One could argue a lot of places in the west are like this; however much of east Asia operates on a completely different set of core values. It is a 'we' society, with the western world being a 'me' society. You aren't a gringo and you aren't a stUpEED AmericAn. They've got something entirely different going on over there and it seems to actually be working for the most part, at least in terms of longevity (there are obvious human rights abuses, an enormous wealth gap, various environmental issues, and don't forget our dearest friend Kim Jung Il...but I will save you from those rants). So why not learn a few tricks from a different trade? Maybe it could help us figure out why we do the things we do as a western culture or even help to bridge the massive communication gap between the two. It definitely can't hurt.

     It would be unfair not to mention my first experience in Asia, a trip to Mongolia (and I was supposed to end up in China) last May. I know many of you who actually know me will be rolling your eyes at this one, but I promise to refrain from getting into the whole violent, death-threatening food poisoning ordeal that happened there. Although it ruined my trip, and (compounded by traveling alone), undoubtably, had a permanent affect on my psyche there is really nothing more to mention about it other that I am concerned for my digestive system in Malaysia as well. If it happens again, so be it. Although in a large city like KL I'm less likely to be immediately confronted with a hot plate of late May's mystery meat and noodles at some Mongolian roadside cafe where the road is simply a series of hard-carved ruts on a dirt path (also known as a Mongolian super highway...if you don't believe me buy yourself a ticket to Ulaan Baator and see for yourself). Plus, I am too much of a food enthusiast to let a sensitive stomach ruin an amazing meal. I'm not going to miss out on the finer parts of Malay cuisine and its wide range of influences just to avoid heart burn. No pain no gain I say.

     Despite the end of that trip, what I really took away from my Mongolian adventure wasn't about being a lone patient in a hospital in the least densely populated nation in the world. It was about the journey. I made 2 lasting friendships (I will hopefully be able to meet up with one of my friends, an expat living in South Korea this summer - fingers crossed). There is something to be said being in a place where nomadic life has ruled for centuries and if you want (and you really should, cuz it would be a damn shame if you didn't) get out of UB and live life out on the steppes for a bit. Unlike many a Disneyland-esque places that exist because of mass tourism, you can actually participate in it. I can sometimes still close my eyes and remember what it feels like to stick your head out the window like a happy lab; wind blowing across your face, maybe even your tongue hanging out while you bounce around on a so called 'road' (aka a small set of dents in the grass where someone drove 5 days before you) and literally look out and see vast expanses of open space. No fences, no property lines, the occasional white ger and massive amounts of herds of yak, camel, sheep, goats, and horses off in the distance or crossing your path constantly. It is here where I truly learned the power of the journey.

     The roots of ancient Malaysian culture are also embedded in the concept of the journey. Personal journeys are present in the traditional art of tattoos in tribal Malay cultures. Furthermore, KL and the rest of Malaysia have something to teach the world about co-existance. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country (60%) with Islam being the national religion. However, the law allows for freedom of religion,  therefore alcohol, and even goes one step further to include the other major practiced religions (Buddhism, Hindu, and Christianity) in the public holiday calendar. Yes, women have rights, and aside from PDA, you can dress how you want and come and go as you please. So with that whole issue aside, I am excited to learn, and hopefully be able to report how exactly these four major world religions have co-existed here in a peaceful manner since Malaysian independence back in the 60s. It is an example, especially given today's events and what is going on in the Middle East/North Africa, that everyone could benefit from.

     Well enough questioning of the world's problems and the so-called meaning of life. What the hell do I know anyway? I've got some logistics to figure out. I've gotta see one of those travel docs again. Last time I visited one I got poked in the arm 4 times in order to be allowed to venture into the Peruvian Amazon. Apparently, that wasn't enough intimate times with the needle, so I've got two more on my list and I need to make an appointment. Not to mention I've been procrastinating my Systems homework all week (hurray for reading about fire suppression systems and phone lines!).

Until next time.

-M

     I've recently accepted my first internship on the architectural stage. I started my master's program fresh out of undergrad thinking that once I'm out (a mere 3 and a half years later) the economy will have suddenly and magically bounced back to its former self. Ahh...the naiveté of the young college graduate. Needless to say I passionately, boldly, or - as some professors have mentioned - stupidly entered a business that is notorious for being the first to crash and the last to recover. Without going into too much detail, there simply are very few, if any jobs in the States. Despite the fact that there are several massive construction projects going on all around my apartment, Denver does not seem interested in hiring architectural interns at this time. Their loss I suppose. Fortunately for me, I have my eyes set on a bigger horizon. Travel and world culture is half the reason I became interested in architecture in the first place. Furthermore, while the west struggles to figure out what the hell it did wrong (although most of the educated youth could probably give you a better answer than the media or the White House), the east is experiencing an economic boom. Economic boom = building boom. What better way to get one's feet wet in the industry than to dive right in - no swimmies. Thus, I was fortunate enough to get hooked up with Veritas, a Malaysian based firm, for the summer. So come this May I'm packing my bags and moving to Kuala Lumpur or colloquially known as KL.

     It would be an understatement to say that I am excited. With excitement comes many other emotions. It isn't going to be all happy glitz and picture snapping like a casual holiday, but I'm going to actually have to live here, figure out how to squeeze by on very little money, and hopefully be confident enough to communicate with Malaysians...in Bahasa Malayu. However, this ain't my first time at the rodeo folks. I lived in Denmark for 4 months and I've at least been to Asia; which is enough to say that I can expect a long flight with multiple day changes. My first trip to Asia, despite its messy story, changed my life forever. There is something about the east that absolutely intrigues me to know more and more about a place so different from anything I've ever been exposed to. One could argue a lot of places in the west are like this; however much of east Asia operates on a completely different set of core values. It is a 'we' society, with the western world being a 'me' society. You aren't a gringo and you aren't a stUpEED AmericAn. They've got something entirely different going on over there and it seems to actually be working for the most part, at least in terms of longevity (there are obvious human rights abuses, an enormous wealth gap, various environmental issues, and don't forget our dearest friend Kim Jung Il...but I will save you from those rants). So why not learn a few tricks from a different trade? Maybe it could help us figure out why we do the things we do as a western culture or even help to bridge the massive communication gap between the two. It definitely can't hurt.

     It would be unfair not to mention my first experience in Asia, a trip to Mongolia (and I was supposed to end up in China) last May. I know many of you who actually know me will be rolling your eyes at this one, but I promise to refrain from getting into the whole violent, death-threatening food poisoning ordeal that happened there. Although it ruined my trip, and (compounded by traveling alone), undoubtably, had a permanent affect on my psyche there is really nothing more to mention about it other that I am concerned for my digestive system in Malaysia as well. If it happens again, so be it. Although in a large city like KL I'm less likely to be immediately confronted with a hot plate of late May's mystery meat and noodles at some Mongolian roadside cafe where the road is simply a series of hard-carved ruts on a dirt path (also known as a Mongolian super highway...if you don't believe me buy yourself a ticket to Ulaan Baator and see for yourself). Plus, I am too much of a food enthusiast to let a sensitive stomach ruin an amazing meal. I'm not going to miss out on the finer parts of Malay cuisine and its wide range of influences just to avoid heart burn. No pain no gain I say.

     Despite the end of that trip, what I really took away from my Mongolian adventure wasn't about being a lone patient in a hospital in the least densely populated nation in the world. It was about the journey. I made 2 lasting friendships (I will hopefully be able to meet up with one of my friends, an expat living in South Korea this summer - fingers crossed). There is something to be said being in a place where nomadic life has ruled for centuries and if you want (and you really should, cuz it would be a damn shame if you didn't) get out of UB and live life out on the steppes for a bit. Unlike many a Disneyland-esque places that exist because of mass tourism, you can actually participate in it. I can sometimes still close my eyes and remember what it feels like to stick your head out the window like a happy lab; wind blowing across your face, maybe even your tongue hanging out while you bounce around on a so called 'road' (aka a small set of dents in the grass where someone drove 5 days before you) and literally look out and see vast expanses of open space. No fences, no property lines, the occasional white ger and massive amounts of herds of yak, camel, sheep, goats, and horses off in the distance or crossing your path constantly. It is here where I truly learned the power of the journey.

     The roots of ancient Malaysian culture are also embedded in the concept of the journey. Personal journeys are present in the traditional art of tattoos in tribal Malay cultures. Furthermore, KL and the rest of Malaysia have something to teach the world about co-existance. Malaysia is a predominately Muslim country (60%) with Islam being the national religion. However, the law allows for freedom of religion,  therefore alcohol, and even goes one step further to include the other major practiced religions (Buddhism, Hindu, and Christianity) in the public holiday calendar. Yes, women have rights, and aside from PDA, you can dress how you want and come and go as you please. So with that whole issue aside, I am excited to learn, and hopefully be able to report how exactly these four major world religions have co-existed here in a peaceful manner since Malaysian independence back in the 60s. It is an example, especially given today's events and what is going on in the Middle East/North Africa, that everyone could benefit from.

     Well enough questioning of the world's problems and the so-called meaning of life. What the hell do I know anyway? I've got some logistics to figure out. I've gotta see one of those travel docs again. Last time I visited one I got poked in the arm 4 times in order to be allowed to venture into the Peruvian Amazon. Apparently, that wasn't enough intimate times with the needle, so I've got two more on my list and I need to make an appointment. Not to mention I've been procrastinating my Systems homework all week (hurray for reading about fire suppression systems and phone lines!).

Until next time.

-M