the people in malaysia, the people in hk

the more people i met, the stronger feeling i had in the coldness in HK people.

HK people are, sometimes, too self-oriented and suspicious.

they seem to forget about the well-being of humans and care too little about the world around them.

nice things happened here seldom, or never, happens in HK.

the people in HK will never chat with you randomly on buses, never borrow you a phone when your phone run out of credits, and never drive you back home when the last bus is gone.

the environment here is not as good as HK, the transport system is inefficient too,

but I love the people in Malaysia.

they are passionate, helpful and pure.

whenever they ask where we are from, they will immediately ask how we feel about malaysia.

and it isn't just a greeting, but they really care about how we think.

it is much easier to meet people and make friends with them.

i just love this kind of casual but meaning chat with random people.

singapore - the unexpected

we spent the last week in singapore.

we lived in a friend's home and they were really nice.

though they had to work during the day, they tried their utmost to tour us around and take us out for dinner at night.

we ate a lot, and karrie could contentedly cross out all the items on her must-eat food list.

we went to the newly opened Universal Studio on the second day!

we had so much fun with all the attractions and took a lot of funny yet interesting photos.

it was a total pity that i lost my camera on the other day.

on the third day, the most unexpected happened.

Belinda, the Kenya intern, had to make a sudden leave for Kenya.

the reason was hilarious. she had to do her exams due to some political issue between her school and the students.

And the worst of all, they were leaving Singapore in two hours' time.

Time was running out.

after a short lunch, we departed for, probably, ever:(

there was too much to absorb all in a sudden, and my brain could not function properly.

then we had a day of visiting tourist spots.

we went to the newly opened casino in Sands.

and very sadly, according to the singaporean law, people under 21 are not allowed to enter the casino.

this is the first time i hate myself for being so young after 18.

so karrie went by herself and won S80.

it was her first time and she got the luck!

the fourth day was a cultural day.

we went to Chinatown and Little India.

let's look at Karrie Yip's must-eat food list:

1. tian tian hananese chicken rice

2. ya kun kaya toast and coffee (love it so much)

3. 肉骨茶 + curry fish head

4. bubble tea (i think the sweeter ones in hk is better)

5. pandan cake

6. black pepper crab (cooked by her uncle!)

the extras we ate:

7. taiwanese xxl fried chicken and cheese and mushroom crepe

8. shrimp noodles on a leaf that folded like a shoe

9. fried shrimp cake

10. sushi!

...

trip and trip - penang and cameron highland

the past week was trips, trips and trips.

during the weekend, we went to penang for 3 days.

yup, the first time we traveled in accordance with our plans.

i loved the sandy beach with the sky so blue and the sea so calm.

though i'm never a beach-lover, i can't help saying, it's truly a paradise:)

immediately after our short vacation, we went up to the cameron highland the next day with our lovely OCs.

we've autie shin, cutecute monkey (well--), old-song cyrus and smiley elene here:)

we went jungle trekking in the morning. the track was steep and slippery. I walked with extreme caution, it was tiring but fun. I loved the moment when we got onto the hilltop and admired the beautiful scenery downward, it is worth for all the sweat.

then we went to a strawberry farm. the strawberry products there were delicious.

my companions:)

it has been almost a week, and all the interns have arrived.

firstly, there's Belinda from Kenya.
she's passionate, witty and talkative.
oh yeah, she's a perfect trip planner and a good map reader.
i love chatting with her.
we talk about kenya, food and everything.
her view on marriage and relationship, as well as the kenyaian wedding, was remarkable.

then, we've a pretty kazak intern called karla.
she has a tall and slim firgure, with envyingly long eyelashes.
she loves travelling and has been to a lot of places.
she turned down what the others called a 'dream job' to come to work,
i appreciate (well, a bit envy too) her courage.
this is the life I want to live, yet I dunno if i could take up the courage to live.

next, there's a funny guy from vietnam, Nghia.
He forgets things in three days, so he writes every little thing in a little notepad.
he wears a journelist's jacket, which he bought it especially for this trip, everyday.
he only celebrated birthday twice, once in 1 and the other when he was 15.
so we're gonna celebrate his birrthday with him today.

the fourth intern was Karrie from HKBU.
it feels good to have a company from your own city.
we've only met one day but i have a feeling that we're gonna be good friends.

lastly, the canadian chinese intern called Annie,
who had just arrived yesterday aftter twenty hours of flight.
and unluky for her, we got up early for Penang today.
she must be totally worn out.

so these are my lovely companions for the coming 40 days.

we're good trip planner!

after a few days of relaxation, there's gonna be something really exciting.
we're planning trips, and there're a lot of places to go!

Today was another lazy day.
We headed to Mid Valley Megamall in the noon.
It was the first time I took Malaysian trains after the arrival,
And honestly, I don’t really like it.
Like its name, the mall was huge and we sort of got lost.
It was so modern that it served international cuisines and sold designer’s brands.
We were being international today, we had sushi (Japanese) and donuts (western) for lunch.
Japanese food is more than common in HK, but actually it isn’t for other people.It was the first time Belinda, the Kenya intern, ate sushi, and she doesn’t eat raw food.
But she tried sushi anyway and she fell in love with salmon.

at night, we went to another town called Klang, which took us two hours by train.
It’s because we're going to hold a workshop in a local secondary school tomorrow.
and we tried some local food, probably Indian.
Indian food is delicious, despite the spice.
I liked the bread that dipped into cheesy curry.
And I loved the milk tea they served, it was so HK.

For the plan at weekends, we're going to penang for 3 days
It’s a must-go in Malaysia, famous for its beaches I guess.
We didn’t plan to go there at first cos’ it’s too far away.
But then the local AIESECers are going there, we could join and have fun tgt.
And we’re planning something big at night, exclusively for nghia, the intern from vietnam
21^st May is his birthday, and surprising enough, he had only celebrated his birthday twice in his lifetime.
i mean, come on, birthdays should be one of the most important day for a person.
so we're gonna make some life-changing experience for him, and hopefully life-changing habit too!

so that's our wonderful plan for the weekend:)

p.s. we planned something else initially, but just like the other times, they’re never realized because of our rapid-changing planning habit.

the first day in UPM hostel

it has been quite a day.
I mean, physically I was just unpacking stuff,
but mentally, I had already experienced ups and downs.

the moment I opened the door of my dorm,
I was, frankly speaking, disappointed.
and the malfunctioned wireless pissed me off.
I felt so disconnected from the world, and I dunno how am I gonna survive.

then I went to the library and surfed on the net for a while.
the worst thing happened.
I took the wrong bus and went out of the campus.
initially, I wandered around the city and enjoyed this direction-less walk.
however, when I hopped onto the bus and tried to get back,
I got onto the wrong bus again.
fortunately, the driver and students on the bus helped me.
it was the biggest relief so far when I got back to my room.

I met two other interns at night.
we chatted a bit and then we were friends:)
we talked about our countries.
we planned for trips, probably going to singapore after the conference.
it's already very exciting just to think of travelling, relaxing and socializing.

on the plane

i'm now thousands meters above the ground, alone.
the clouds are floating just next to me, in the sky a bit too bright to look at.
there is a number of things running through my mind, yet too shattered to wrap them up.
it has been strange, after a year's studying of business, to write.
not only my english level has been declining, but also the thinking mode has been changed.

after the stimulating goal setting 'chat' with delton and alvin,
I have been thinking deeply, about university, goals, and life.
some of the questions are clearly answered, some vaguely answered,
and the rest remain unanswered.
hence, this journey may be a little bit more than work and travel.
i perceive, there will be some sound answers pop up at the end.

I am anticipating, yet not very exciting.
Malaysia is not an unfamiliar city, but living in it is different from just travelling.
there are places I want to go, say, rain forests and national parks.
not that I'm an environmental person, but still,
these are the very unique things about the country.
I am not that looking forward to the food,
in fact, I am worried. haha.
I want to walk alone in the city, looking at the lives of the Malaysians.
I want to wander around the streets and lanes, feeling the spirit of freedom.
I want to take snapshots of random stuff, capturing the moments of the truest.

it feels good, just to think about the things I will be doing.
perhaps what makes travel fascinating is the pure anticipation before the trip.
and what makes it more appealing, is the reality actually seen.