Skip to main content

Day 1: VYR - KUL

 4:00 am, Shah Alam, 27 degrees Celsius

Should be sleeping but I will make it a point to 'journal'.

That was not a very pleasant trip, but I am grateful and relieved that I made it in one piece. Apart from in-flight service which was sub-par at best, I didn't get much shut eye. So, I caught up on my reading but still felt extremely exhausted once we landed in Pudong, Shanghai.

My first impressions of the airport was a good one - gleaming panels, immense concourses, expansive architecture. Once you're in it though, I can't say that I've had a bigger hassle as a transfer passenger. I am glad China blocked Blogger, I don't have many kind things to say about my experience there.

First, why do transfer passengers have to line up at an immigration checkpoint upon arrival? As far as I know, passengers-in-transit head straight to their gates and have a short security check before entering the lounge. I had to stand in line for about half an hour just to clear the FIRST checkpoint.

Then came the SECOND checkpoint. Then the THIRD. I am starting to think either the Chinese Big Brothers are paranoid; or perhaps they want to flex their bureaucratic or policing muscles; or maybe dressing up in military uniform or official dress lets males feel less impotent and women more empowered. Or maybe they just want to create more jobs, paperwork and experience for the mostly adolescent security personnel stationed there.

Okay, maybe carrying a suit bag, bag pack and laptop case makes me more irritable and agitated. But, mineral water that costs 5 USD? Unsuitable outlets for laptop, dying ipod - yes, maybe I wouldn't want these things to happen on my honeymoon. Flight to KL delayed for an hour because of unsuitable weather conditions.

Arrived in KL unceremoniously at 2am, long walk to Bus Terminal to get to Arrival Halls. Sweltering heat plus fatigue did not make matters better. Straps of my backpack dug into my shoulders and my suit bag weighed as much as a body bag.

But.

The sight of my relatives changed all of that. They were there waiting patiently in the wee hours of the morning. Talk about being grateful. As I type this entry in the comfort of my air-conditioned room, a heavy tropical thunder storm raging outside, I feel as if I am in the best of hands and hospitality here.

You can say that I am exhilarated to be home.

p.s. Two people I sat next to on two consecutive flights chatted me up. I did not even make eye contact, but I didn't know I was that approachable. According to many, I look intimidating. Maybe this time around I resonated a different aura.

Selamat Malam.

Comments

  1. typo: its YVR
    and sorry! i forgot to loan you my plug adapter. oh well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dennis Kam you crack me up! I am glad you had a safe flight, and I wish you had this blog around when you went to the VICTORIA Regionals event...Anyway, enjoy yourself!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To grandpa,

I write this to proclaim my love for my beloved grandfather who has passed from this realm not two days ago. My grandfather and I enjoyed a close relationship since I lived not far from him when I was in Malaysia. Grandpa lived a very healthy life well into his twilight years. Since I was little, he would take me to the city park almost every other morning just for a morning stroll, and I was always treated to a good breakfast with soy bean milk with grandmother after. Grandpa's house was large- my family and I would visit everyday to eat lunch with them. For many years, it was the hub for festive occasions, be it Chinese New Year, Christmas, relatives visiting, funerals and so forth. I have chosen the house as a setting for countless essays during my primary school years, when I had to describe happy memories or celebrations. Indeed, Grandpa's home was such a collection of merriment and was very much an integral part of my childhood. Grandpa was always there a...

3 Months in Malaysia: The Feeling of Belonging

Have you ever experienced leaving a place for many years and, upon your return, feel that you've never left? Unfortunately, it feels that I've been gone a long time from my home country, Malaysia. I feel some form of friction at the workplace, with the language, culture, sensibilities and norms. This is expected and what I perceive to be a natural process of re-acculturation and re-assimilation - re-settling myself into this place I call home . However, the stakes are a lot higher for me and I've got a set of goals for myself. I'll try to highlight one aspect per entry, so this post will be about the process of 're-learning' and 're-education' here in Malaysia. Having worked at a law firm for two months and now in a political party as a researcher, I've got some serious catching up to do in terms of catching up to speed with the pulse and current affairs of this nation. As I devour books, articles and writings that shed light on the many events t...

Give Me Some Space

Give me some space. Give me just some space where I can spend my Saturday afternoons, a retreat from the sterile, air-conditioned corridors of those shopping malls. Give me just some space where I can enjoy a picnic with my friends. Give me just some space where I can be sheltered from the scorching sun. Give me just some space with trees, green grass, benches and pebbles, to watch others play softball or throw a frisbee. Give me just some space with well-lit pathways and snaking lanes which lead nowhere, just to explore in the evening breeze. Give me just some space with a canopy, so that bikers can enjoy the shade once in a while. Give me just some space so that I can look up at the clear blue sky, lounging as time goes by. Give me just some space so that I can feel that I live in a place.