Monday, April 21, 2008

Back with a vengeance

I was in KL for a short business trip a couple of days back. The magazine was launching the M'sian edition so my whole office went along for the party. We flew there and back, which left me in great discomfort becos I was having a bad flu and the changes in air pressure caused my ears to be semi-blocked. The amusing thing was that the flight only took 35 mins, but the bus ride from the airport to the hotel took us 1.5 hours.

We stayed in a five-star colonial-styled hotel called Carcosa Seri Negara. It's on top of a hill. And may I add, it's the only thing on top of that lonely hill. So you can imagine how quiet it gets at night. I only found out when I got there that the building was built in the 1800s - withstanding world wars, British rule, and many generations of kings and prime ministers. My boss was excited becos he got to sleep on the same bed that Queen Elizabeth slept on when she visited KL sometime ago. Apparently, the people working there have reported unnatural sightings, if you know what I mean. But the only unnatural thing I saw was how ridiculously big my room was. Thank God though, I got to bunk with one of my colleagues.

Anyway, the launch party went well. I met with some of Malaysia's wealthiest people, including their first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, whom all the girls went gaga over. You can try google-ing him to see how he looks like. But don't get your hopes high becos according to my sources, he's g-a-y.

The next day, we had a few hours to spare before heading back to S'pore, so we got on a cab and went to Sungai Wang for some retail therapy. It's like Far East Plaza lor. And the only thing I bought was a pair of gold earrings and a dress, which cost me a grand total of S$25.

On the bus ride back to the airport, The Beatles kept me company and sang songs I didn't wanna hear, but I listened anyway. I'm gonna put the lyrics here to remind myself. Three simple words, yet so difficult to follow. Sigh.

When I find myself in times of trouble,
Mother Mary comes to me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be.

And when the broken-hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer,
Let it be.

For though they may be parted
There is still a chance that they will see,
There will be an answer,
Let it be.

And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine until tomorrow,
Let it be.

Anyway, here are some photos of my trip.