The Blog Post You've All Been Waiting For (I hope.) PART 1

I would like to think that this blog post is most anticipated. If you are my friend and have been talking to me on a regular basis (don't worry, one statement does not infer the other...) you'll know that I finally felt like I was living my ASIAN DREAM because I took two weeks to travel around Thailand and Vietnam!

Not only did I get to travel around these two AMAZING countries but I was lucky enough to get to travel with my very good friend Bilal! (Shout out to Bilal!) Finally - I could SHARE some of my Asian experience with someone from home. This means 20 years from now I can discuss Asia with someone from home (rather then discuss Asia to myself, in my head, on my own when all my Malaysia friends - whom I DID get to share this experience with - are living all around the world). 

Anyway so let me tell you about my trip. You may want to get comfy, get yourself a snack, because this is going to be a looooonnnnggg read (And only part 1 of 2)... and I apologize in advance. 

First Stop: Bangkok, Thailand. 

Happy reunion on Khao San Road :)

What it's like to live in a fire place

Maybe some of you at home (in Canada) have been reading about the toxic haze slowly creeping into Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Just so y'all know... it's affecting me over here. What is the reason for this hazey grossness you ask? Sumatra is burning. Apparently some people believe that setting everything on fire is the cheap (and ideal?) method for clearing the crop fields so that they can grow crops again next year. The only (MAJOR) problem is that the smoke from the numerous forest fires is carried by the wind over to Singapore, up to KL and it's heading even further north, consuming and destroying all mucous membranes in it's path. I guess this is one of the problems with living on the side of the world that is still developing. Some countries just can't afford/use the technology/have the technology to do things in a clean way that doesn't make the air into one giant cigarette. 

Kuala Lumpur: a confluence of muddy waters

It's been six months (?!?!?!?!) since I moved to Asia and 5 months since I moved into my apartment and really started living in Kuala Lumpur. I got into the habit of leaving KL every 2 weeks sometimes due to bordem and cabin fever,  sometimes due to my desire to travel Asia in this short 1 year. But there were weeks where I felt like I was spending too much time outside of KL and not really embracing the city. In the beginning I didn't really care because to me, KL was a crazy, overwhelming city without a grid system and it really just confused me for various reasons (the lack of logic re: everything, the roads, the transport system) and so I didn't mind leaving so often.

Malaysia in May: Stories of Landlords, Cousins and Amy Winehouse

Hey guuuuuys! I'm back! I hope you missed me. I've been super-duper busy with everything going on in my life: My choir, my new (and amazing) yoga classes twice a week, my travels, all the new projects that I've been given at work, and of course, all the "socializing" that I have been doing. Actually, the only reason why I have some time to sit down and write again is because my body has basically forced me to sssssssllllloooooowwwwww things down by picking up a lovely pair of viruses. Yes, a pair. Two. So please, send me some healthy vibes so I can get back to my regular (but maybe a little bit more toned down) lifestyle.

As always, I have lots to update you on. Since the elections, I travelled to Langkawi for my company's annual Team Retreat, I was treated to a visit from Devesh, and I renegotiated my lease with my landlord (which was probably one of the biggest challenges I have faced since moving to Malaysia). And the best thing that's happened to me since we last saw each other is that Henna came back to KL for summer holidays and began working with me at Mindvalley as an intern AND Sumira also decided to come visit home (for an all-too-short 10 days). It's a full house (plus one more - I totally crashed it, being the baby that I am, so that I didnt have to be a super woman and take care of my sickly self).

Okay. Where do I stat?

Langkawi. Once a year, my company takes advantage of the fact that we can get to a beautiful beach in approximately one hour by airplane and moves all 120 of us to a place where we can chill out, swim, party, build sandcastles....and work :-P. This year, the team got moved to Langkawi which is an island off the northern west coast of Malaysia which is known for its beautiful beaches, jungles, waterfalls, mountains, and tax free alcohol :) When you look at pictures of this place, it is totally spectacular. When we finally reached there on Thursday afternoon, Langkawi did not disappoint. We stayed at the Berjaya hotel where we had a beautiful view of the ocean from our rooms.

Malaysian Elections - A Canadian's Perspective

It's May 5th and 4:00 pm and I'm sitting at my Aunt's house waiting to hear what the results of the Federal election in Malaysia will be (which we be known in a few short hours).

It has been a pretty intense process for me to take in everything election/politics related over the last month here in Kuala Lumpur as I am used to living in a country where your political alliance is a vey private matter and a private decision. It is not a topic of discussion during parties (at least among my friends), nor appropriate conversation for a nice sit down dinner, or part of the useless banter/small talk with your taxi driver. It is here. This year is a year unlike any others when it comes to politics in Malaysia. The Malaysia government can call an election when ever they desire within the 4 years that they are in power. This year, the ruling party (called BN) waited till the end of their 4 years to call the election and refused to tell the public exactly which day the elections would be placed on.

Signs that an election was coming started with strangely flags scattered along the roads about 3 months back. At one point, I asked if there was a festival going on! Then BN started handing out ...well...handouts and things to certain racial groups in Malaysia about 2 months ago (around the time that I went to Ipoh) and this eventually resulted in a build up of political discussion and a hugeeeeeeeeee build up political flags.

This year, there is very little certainty regarding who will win the election. For the last 50 years, the country has been under the control of BN. There has been no change for FIFTY YEARS and in the last few years the party has even stopped trying to hide the corruption going on within the government. After 50 years the population seems like it is ready for change and it seems that there is A LOT of talk in support of the Opposition party.

Let's talk about some ways that the Canadian elections differ from the Malaysia elections.

1. There is political signage EVERYWHERE.... and it seriously appeared over night on every sign post, on every street where ever space is available (not just on people's front lawns). I don't really know what BN thinks is going to happen if they put up more and more flags but...whatever.

A day in the life of....

Hey guys.

I've wanted to put up this post for some time now. I just took a bunch of pics as I went through my weekly routine to show you what it looks like where I live and do my work. The last pics that I put up of my apartment were pretty depressing so I wanted to share what my room has transformed into since I moved in about 4 months ago. As you can see, I am settling in :) 

My bed with my bolster pillow that I love... everyone's really into bolsters in Asia... imma bring one home. 

The Bangkok Experience: Shopping, Eating & Soaking...

Okey dokey.... It's been WAY to long since my last blog post. I hope yall missed me :). I've started uncontrollably adding smiley faces to everything I type due to working with customers all the time, and constantly leaving them little :) :) :) even after firmly telling them off. So..... if there is an excessive number of smiley faces in this post, I'm sorry. I can't tell. I don't even think it's weird any more.

In the last 3 weeks, I travelled to two places! First, to the Perhentian Islands, located on the East Coast of Malaysia, with a bunch of AIESECers for a mini vacay. We left KL on an overnight bus on Thursday and came back on an overnight bus on Sunday (which was an "adventure"/scene out of my worst nightmare), after which I went home, napped for 2 hours, showered, and went straight into work. I AM HARD CORE FRIENDS. So. hard. core.

More recently (about two weeks ago now), I went on a lovely 5 day trip to visit my roommate from first year, the lovely Chollawan, who is currently living in Bangkok. And, this is what I'm going to write about in today's edition of my bloggity blog blog.

First, I have to say that Bangkok is an incredible! There is so much culture, so much to do and see, such good food and SO.MUCH.SHOPPING. In the 4 full days I spent in Bangkok, Chollawan took me all around the city to get the full Thai experience.

So Bangkok is located in kinda mid-way up Thailand (and Thailand borders Malaysia to its south). Bangkok is in a really safe area of Thailand but right by the Malay-Thai border is a civil war going on in Thailand were many people die every day. Even though it is not even something I think about in my daily life while living in Malaysia, or even all that often while in Bangkok, this is constantly being talked about on the news in Thailand. It's weird that a civil war is occurring so close to me and since I don't follow any Asian media channels regularly, the war does not even cross my mind on most days (FYI there is also a war going on in Malaysia in Borneo with the Phillipeans...).