Pets for a day

We all went to the zoo as kids. It went downhill from there, didn't it? Familiarity with the animal kingdom causes us to take creatures for granted. That is, until we encounter new species unlike any we had seen before. (Hello, Animal Planet.)

I remember all of our childhood pets: dozens of dogs, at least three kinds of birds, various fish, exactly three goats, and even chickens (it is quite traumatic to see your pet beheaded to become your dinner). The memories seem so distant now. I sometimes have to remind myself that we used to have them at home because we don't have pictures of all of them.

And then there are the pets we've never had and never will. Ostriches, anyone?

Port Dickson Ostrich Farm

 

Such big flightless birds. Kids can go for two rounds in the pen, but adults can just sit for a photo op. We missed the ostrich race but they put on a two-bird run for the families that came at about the same time as us.

There were various types of fowl, from native chickens, black chickens, quails to a type of turkey I cannot identify. I don't think I'll go back to raising poultry. I still feel iffy about eating animals you yourself raised.

Ostrich satay has fibrous texture

Kitties should not be caged

Say hi to the rather tame John Dragon the iguana. He won't stop eating as long as there is food.


Not as cold and slimy as I expected

There are also dogs, ponies, snakes, turtles, and monkeys. I'd like to have a dog or a cat in the studio, but that may be a while from now. Pets need a good deal of care.

Seeing similarities

Do you see what I see? There's something very similar about these orchids at Sofitel Philippine Plaza (left) and this Malaysian dessert (right).

Port Dickson

Do lower expectations make people happier? Perhaps.

I had written off Port Dickson as a place I probably wouldn't go to. If you wanted the beach, you'd go to Langkawi. But it was an impulse trip: don't expect anything, just be game.

PD is one of the closest beaches to Kuala Lumpur, just an hour and a half away from the capital. You can see offshore oil rigs from the shore. Many abandoned or dilapidated buildings line the road, left over from the Asian financial crisis. But tourists still come, including some foreigners. And there are some fine places to stay.

I didn't swim. (Then again I've only gone swimming once or twice in the past two years and I've been to more than a handful of beaches over that period.) I did have a bathing suit, but hardly anyone showed any skin (including the men). Think a full banana boat of veiled women. Suddenly I felt like I had nothing decent to wear. I did think about getting a maillot. But when did I last have a one-piece? High school?

 

I purposely shot these to make you think there was nobody at the beach. There really were people. 

The sand was fine. The smell of the sea was faint. There was a little wind. All I wanted to do was sit still, offer commentary on passersby and let time fly.

Do lower expectations make people happier? I guess so. Not that I'd lower my standards for everything, but if I want to remember the weekend fondly, I think I should just go with the flow.

The routine

It's been a month since I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. I have settled into a simple routine.

My day starts at 550am, right when the nearby mosque's call to prayer starts. My breakfast is muesli or granola splashed with either a yogurt drink or Vitagen (a Yakult equivalent). I prepare my Nutella-and-jam sandwich to take to work before taking a shower. At 650am, I am ready to leave. Since I live in the last building of condo, I take the long and winding road to the gate. It is still dark by this time. The lights of the 120-plus steps down are turned off early, so I dare not take it.

The 15-minute walk downhill is an interesting one. The covered walkway is dotted with food vendors with tables of viands, sandwiches or curry puffs. I pass by school children waiting for their buses. Most of the women I walk alongside are fully covered, except for their hands and faces. I take the LRT to KL Sentral, where I ride the bus for the hour-long trip to LCC Terminal, where I work. I try to take a nap on the way to the office.

I leave the airport sometime between 630pm and 8pm. It's hard to fall asleep on the bus when my mind is still active, so I usually check social media on my phone. Seeing KL Tower and Petronas Twin Towers in the distance as the bus pulls into town never fails to makes me smile. Then it's back on the train, which is efficient and often just as cold as our freezing office.

I take a cab uphill from the station if it's late, raining heavily or if I am carrying groceries. Otherwise, it's a climb up to the condo. I like to describe it as going up Batu Caves, only the slope is gentler and longer. On most nights, I pass by mamak stalls and tables of diners. I feel safe having people out. Our area is quite mixed, with low-class flats and a high-end condo not far apart (ours is somewhere in between). But with the ongoing construction, property values are sure to rise soon.

So that's my routine, which I wanted you to imagine. It's pretty tiring, but I'm happy with it. I get to do some walking that actually counts as exercise and I have quiet time for reflection. Will tell you more soon. Stay tuned.

Genting Highlands

"Want to do some out of town exploration in Malaysia?" Paolo asked via SMS. Of course I did, but being not-so spontaneous, I wanted to plan well. I had not seen Paolo in 20 years but our dads met pretty often. Since both of us are working in Malaysia, it made sense to meet.

We settled on Genting Highlands, an easy day trip from Kuala Lumpur. Think Enchanted Kingdom in the clouds.

The journey began at KL Sentral, where there is a package (RM58) for return bus, cable car, and either a buffet lunch or a ticket to the outdoor theme park. Naturally, we opted for the latter. After the 45-minute bus ride, the Skyway was a treat.

We happened to be in the cable car with an Indonesian and his family. He knew a number of Filipino phrases, which was quite nice.

Indoor passages lead to the indoor (RM30) and outdoor theme parks. Although the facilities aren't new, they are pretty well maintained for their age, with the addition of newer rides.

 

 

It rained for most of the day, so some of the attractions were closed. We would have gone "skydiving" (a drop in a wind tunnel) if not for the weather. Opted for glow-in-the-dark bowling instead.

First attempt at archery

 

 

The Chinese gamble away their money at the casino. For some reason, almost all (except fastfood) food options are Chinese.

While waiting at the 4D theatre, Paolo solved one of the brain teasers on the wall.

Clearly, if the solution is this long, a problem should not be on the wall of an amusement park.

We took the last bus to KL from First World Hotel, content with our full and fun day outside the city.

Sentul Park

I caught the final performance of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's comedy Boom at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Art Centre last weekend. As it was my first time at KLPAC, I wandered around the grounds after the show. Here's what I saw.

KLPAC entrance

 

Rest areas and wire sofas

 

An abandoned building in the complex