Armaggedon Days Are Here (Again)
2007-05-20 00:58:58
Last week I wrote about my favorite songs from the year I turned 18, one of them was The Kingdom of Rain by The The. That particular one may be one of my favorites, but the whole album is fantastic - especially the lyrics.
This morning, a friend pointed me to this YouTube video mashup of another track from the same album, Armaggedon Days Are Here (Again
), which combines the power of the lyrics with pictures from our current political situation:
This particular album is from 1989, but the lyrics are so appropriate for today, don’t you think?
Photo Hunt: Cook
2007-05-19 06:01:59
I’ve mentioned before that I don’t cook much here in Malaysia. It’s both too convenient to eat out and too hot to cook, so I usually end up either going out, ordering take-out or preparing something that doesn’t require too much time by the stove. Basically, my goal is to prepare the food as quickly and effortlessly as possible - the least amount of actual cooking required, the better.
So, I thought I would share one day of meals from the “no-effort-required” kitchen of superkimbo:
Breakfast:
A total of two minutes preparation, consisting of:
Fruit smoothie with frozen strawberries, fresh bananas, and orange juice.
Whole wheat toast with Nutella. If you don’t know Nutella, you need to go to the store now and buy some. It’s a chocolate and hazelnut spread that I first started eating when I lived in Italy. I could subsist all day on Nutella alone. Try it!
Lunch:
Perhaps 5 minutes of prep required here:
Cranberry juice with ice. What
Read more: Photo
Prime Time
2007-05-22 06:28:50
In the US, “prime time” is the two hours of the evening when all the top shows are on TV. In the northeast, where I’m from, prime time is from 8 - 10 pm. Not that I ever watched that much TV (aside from Seinfeld) when I lived in the US, but at least there was the potential that I could actually watch something if I was interested.
However, prime time here in Malaysia appears to start at 10 pm. Actually, it seems like pretty much everything is pushed back a few hours according to my inner clock. When we leave the mall at around 9 pm, crowds of people, many with small children are streaming in. When we are finished with dinner at 8 pm, people are lined up waiting for tables. And, of course, when we leave the movie theater at 10 pm, we can see the families waiting for the next show as we’re on our way out.
I’m guessing that the reason people are up so late is because it’s so hot during the day that they’d rather go out later at night. But for som
Read more: Prime Time
Stir Crazy
2007-05-21 06:43:56
I’m pretty much a homebody. I can spend days on end just puttering around the house - doing chores, messing around on the computer, reading, watching TV, whatever. Basically, I don’t have any sort of natural compulsion to leave the house unless I have something specific to do.
However, there does appear to be a limit to my at-home self-entertainment. I think it’s 3 days. At that point I reach some kind of fever-pitch and start going completely stir crazy. I mention this because I’m at the 3 day point today.
Unfortunately, I have strep throat and two ear infections again (for the second time this school year) so I had to stay home from work today. I have this unofficial policy that if I stay home from work, I don’t go out at all. The only exception is to go to the doctor or pharmacy, and then, only if absolutely necessary.
Unfortunately this particular sick day has come at the end of a weekend of feeling sick and barely leaving the house. Now, at 7:41pm I
Read more: Crazy
Like Mother…
2007-05-26 06:12:36
Well, folks, it’s finally happening. I’m turning into my mother.
All those habits and behaviors I said I would never replicate as an adult. Yep, they’re all here. And they seem to appear when I’m least expecting them - they just happen, naturally. This was not in the life plan of superkimbo, all grown up. Unfortunately, it seems the only thing I didn’t get from my mother is her perfect figure&hellip
;
So, here they are, the good and the bad:
The frustrating:
My mom has the most annoying habit of approximating time. For example, at 6:38, she’ll say “hurry up Kim, it’s already 7:00!” Arg. I can not tell you how much that frustrates me to this day. But, guess who just started doing it this year? My friend Darby totally caught me out the other day when I said that 9:30 was already the end of our first block (which actually ends at 9:50). Yikes.
My mom has a bit of the “tough love” attitude and has seriously high expectatio
PhotoHunt: Colorful
2007-05-25 18:53:50
One of the benefits (or disadvantages, depending on your opinion) of living overseas is automatically being a member of a community of expats. Depending on the size of the city you live in, there may be just on small expat community, or, like here in KL, there may be so many expats that there are different small communities all around the city based around where people live.
Working in a school, you always have that instant community of students, parents and teachers, but overseas the boundaries are much more gray than the black and white “no socializing with parents” attitude of working in your home country.
Personally, I always have a little trouble with those blurry boundries. I know many teachers that spend time in parents homes, go out to dinner with students and their families, some even go on vacation with their students. Although I think it’s great that those teachers and families enjoy spending so much time together, I usually try to keep work and social li
Read more: Colorful
An Insider’s Guide to Malaysia’s Best Beaches
2007-05-23 17:58:49
The truth behind the title:
The “insider” is me. And the “guide” is my newest article on the Viator Travel Blog. Check it out! It’s even on the front page of the blog today (though I’m sure that won’t last long)!
You know you want to learn all about these Malaysia
n beauties (technically, both from the same beach: Redang, my personal favorite):
Read more: Insider
, Guide
, Beaches
We’ll call you
2007-05-29 17:56:36
A typical adventure to the tax office:
After several hours of waiting in various lines and speaking with numerous “people behind a counter” I finally get my chance to go into the little office where the magic happens (which, oddly enough, is vaguely reminiscent of a karaoke booth). We have a little chat, photocopies are made, papers are stamped, and then I am told that the lady will call me when my paperwork is finished, probably in about a week. I repeatedly request for a specific date when I can come back to pick up my paperwork. “Everyone else got a date! Why can’t I get a date?” I get a little anxious in these bureaucratic situations…
Eventually, after I realize there is absolutely no way I am getting a date out of this woman and I’ll just have to wait for this mysterious phone call, we painstakingly write down my phone number on the little scrap of paper with my account number. Already feeling quite let down, I finally start gathering my
The Waiting Game
2007-05-28 18:06:02
Ah, the joys of leaving a country and moving on to a new one… Somehow you manage to forget the hassle as soon as it’s over (kind of like giving birth, I imagine) but when you’re going through it, it’s all-consuming.
In the last few weeks, I have:
Waited in various bureaucratic offices for hours on end. Anxiously watching the little numbers tick by, while I sadly look down at my own ticket realizing just how long it’s going to be.
Talked to numerous government officials with dubious English. Thankfully, everyone here speaks a little (or a lot of, depending on when and where they were educated) English (after Germany, I’m in communication paradise here), but their level of understanding varies greatly.
Filled out form after form after form. I think I know all of my “numbers” by heart by now - passport, all my bank accounts, everything!
Photocopied so many pages I probably killed an entire forrest by myself. Every office requires multiple
Read more: Waiting
Join the Club!
2007-05-27 18:10:14
For the last three months or so, I’ve been attending a (very small) travel club at work. Basically a group of us get together every Thursday and share travel tips and advice, and then ask questions. Most of us have been abroad for a number of years, so we have lots of travel experience - especially when we all get together. The group is run by our high-school counselor who is an expert traveler and therefore full of all sorts of helpful advice.
So far the best thing I’ve learned is the Priority Pass - essentially a credit card sized pass that allows you access any of the first class lounges at almost all of the airports in the world (which, of course, you must pay an annual fee to join). I’ve never had the privilage of spending time in any of the fancy airport lounges I’ve hauled my exhausted body past on the way to the crowded, loud, waiting room for regular people, but I think I would like it. This may be one I have to invest in, considering all of the trav
Blown Away
2007-05-26 18:32:38
Even though we live in a tropical climate (read: 90+ degrees Fahrenheit with 98% humidity every day), we have barely used the aircon in our mid-level apartment over the last two years.
We have enough windows and doors throughout the apartment to let the air flow freely with just the use of our ceiling fan. Plus, we have the added advantage of having screens on every window and door - including our second balcony, which is all screened in - so there’s no danger of the dreaded Dengue mosquito pestering us.
Most of the time, I just prefer fresh air anyway. I hate that feeling of being all sealed in. The first thing I do every morning is open all the windows and doors “to get some air moving” (yet another trait I get from my mother).
But, lately it has seemed so hot (though I doubt the temperature has changed very much at all), that we are turning on the aircon almost every day. I’m not sure I like it…
What about you? Are you all about the fresh air, or th
Photo Hunt: Colorful
2007-05-25 18:53:50
One of the benefits (or disadvantages, depending on your opinion) of living overseas is automatically being a member of a community of expats. Depending on the size of the city you live in, there may be just on small expat community, or, like here in KL, there may be so many expats that there are different small communities all around the city based around where people live.
Working in a school, you always have that instant community of students, parents and teachers, but overseas the boundaries are much more gray than the black and white “no socializing with parents” attitude of working in your home country.
Personally, I always have a little trouble with those blurry boundries. I know many teachers that spend time in parents homes, go out to dinner with students and their families, some even go on vacation with their students. Although I think it’s great that those teachers and families enjoy spending so much time together, I usually try to keep work and social li
Read more: Photo
, Colorful
Photo Hunt: Art
2007-06-01 18:21:00
I love art! All kinds of art. I wish I could create my own art, but unfortunately, I do not have the talent….
Alex and I used to have so much fun exploring all the art museums in Europe - especially because they are almost always free. Very often we would spend a Sunday just hanging out at Munich’s Alte Pinakothek - the “Old Painting Museum” - which had mostly Renaissance art, our favorite (due to the fact that I learned pretty much everything (which is not much) I know about art during my study abroad in Florence, Italy in 1997).
I also lived in Washington, DC for a while and I absolutely loved visiting the Freer and Sackler Gallery which houses Asian and African art (the two museums are connected). It is probably my most favorite museum ever.
Half of the museum is actually underground (on the Mall, part of the Smithsonian) so almost no one ever goes there, but everything is just beautiful. There is Islamic art on one end, in the middle is East Asian art, a
Read more: Photo
Let the spending begin!
2007-06-01 09:18:16
About two or three weeks before I go home in the summer I start my online shopping spree.
Nothing too crazy, usually just some books from Amazon and some clothes from the Gap. But just the thought of being able to shop online (no lines, no shuffling, no flinging through racks and shelves) and that mini “Christmas morning” waiting for me when I arrive home for the summer is worth the year-long wait until I get to do it again!
I guess it’s a good thing I can’t shop online all year long…
Image: http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/12/27/myersale_wideweb__430×286.jpg
Read more: begin
One Word
2007-06-02 18:42:19
I was tagged again by George for this “one word” meme.
In all honesty, I’m not really a big fan of memes. I’m very flattered when people think of me when they are tagging, but it’s not really my favorite thing to do. They remind me of those dreaded chain letters from when I was in middle school, and e-mail forwards. They have that implied expectation that I have to do something. I think I’m just a little too lazy, for these kinds of expectations…
At least this one only requires a one word answer. That’ll do.
Where is your cell phone? mini-chair
Relationship? married
Your hair? wavy
Work? school?
Your sister? home
Your favorite thing? travel
Your dream last night? stressful
Your favorite drink? water
Your dream car? hybrid
The room you’re in? living
Your shoes? off
Your fears? spiders
What do you want to be in 10 years? vacationing
Who did you hang out with this weekend? husband
What you’re not good at? politeness (see above)
Muffin
Read more: One Word
De-clutter your life
2007-06-02 07:49:22
In a recent issue of one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, there was an article about de-clutter
ing your mind.
The article recommended throwing away 50 things that weigh you down or have negative memories attached (magazines and catalogues only count as one thing no matter how many you throw away). The idea is, only once your home is devoid of the physical clutter, can you clear away your mental clutter.
I’m not sure that I have too much mental clutter, but I freely admit that I am a major pack-rat and that I absolutely hate throwing things away. However, given the fact that we’re about to have everything we own packed and shipped to Bangkok, I figure we might as well only go with the stuff we really want.
So, I’ve decided to challenge myself and make an effort to get rid of all the things around the house I know (very, very, very, deep down) that I will never need. I’m going to donate them to charity instead of throwing them away, but I figure the conc
Non-stop
2007-06-06 18:03:53
Phew! I’m on a whirlwind of “last weeks in Malaysia” craziness! We are moving in less than two weeks and trying to make sure we fit it all in before we go. Over the next week and a half I need to:
Finish out the school year - grading, writing report card comments, clean out the classroom, organize everything for the new teacher.
Complete an entire grad level course for my Ed Leadership Certificate (the last course, woo hoo!)
Sort out what I need for both my summer vacation and the first few months in BKK before my shipment arrives, so I can take it all home to the US for the summer and then bring it back to Asia in August.
Pack up our home and make sure everything goes smoothly with the movers.
Attend a friend’s wedding in Malacca (a beautiful town about 2 hours - with no traffic - away from KL by car ).
And the worst part: say goodbye to all of my friends and to Malaysia. I’m not looking forward to that…
There is so much I will miss after living
Dinner on top of the world
2007-06-09 20:22:13
My first time in a revolving restaurant! On the top of the super-high Menara KL tower!
Last week we had a (very expensive) dinner at the Menara KL Tower restaurant with our wonderful friends Darby and David (who are moving to Taipei, Taiwan in a few weeks):
In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting much. These kinds of things are usually tourist traps - totally overpriced with nothing to show for it, but this was pretty cool. The food may have left a little something to be desired (considering the absolutely outrageous price), but it was edible - and totally worth it for the amazing view!
We still haven’t been to the skybridge on the Petronas Towers, so I’m especially glad we had time to go up to the top of the Menara Tower. We could see the Twin Towers pretty clearly from waaaaay up there:
And, of course the rest of the city:
It really makes you realize how beautiful KL is… And, of course, how much we’re going to miss it here…
Read more: Dinner
The Perfect Malaysian Souvenir
2007-06-09 10:22:39
With only one week left, I’m trying to find the perfect Malaysian
souvenir - for myself, of course! Something extra special that I would not normally buy, but also something that I could actually use, and proudly say “it’s from Malaysia!”
When we left Germany, my school gave me two beautiful Villeroy & Boch crystal decanters (which I picked out myself) so I want something that will look good with these beauties:
Basically, I’m imagining a perfect dining room with extravagant souvenirs from all around the world. I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to afford the room (or even the table), but I think I can manage a few special pieces here and there.
So, I thought I had decided on this beautiful four-arm candelabra from Royal Selangor (an iconic Malaysian company):
but today I saw the two-arm version, and it’s quite nice as well:
And now I can’t decide! Which do you think is better?
Read more: Perfect
, Souvenir
Photo Hunt: Shoes
2007-06-09 00:32:43
One of my favorite things about living in a tropical climate is never, ever having to wear “real” shoes. Just sandals and flip-flops will do. Here’s a cute pair I bought in Bali last October:
What kind of shoes do you like?
Read more: Photo
Goodbye KL
2007-06-22 14:53:25
Sadly, the time has finally come to say our official goodbye to KL…
The movers came and packed our entire house just about a week ago. The house went from this:
to this:
to this:
in record speed thanks to the fabulous work of the Asian Tigers Transpo relocation team.
I wasn’t there for any of the packing because I was finishing a course across town, but thankfully Alex did an absolutely fantastic job, including cleaning the apartment to an entirely new level of spic and span never before seen in Malaysia.
So, when I finally got home from class on Friday evening, and saw just how empty and sad the apartment was without all our things, we decided to splurge and spend a few nights at the Westin KL. Talk about luxury! I don’t think I’ve ever stayed in a Westin before, but those beds certainly are heavenly! Plus we had a great view of the Petronas Towers - the perfect way to end our stay in Malaysia!
For the next few weeks, we’ll be living out of our lu
Read more: Goodbye
My New Best Friend
2007-06-28 00:52:55
I finally did it! I bought a digital SLR! I’ve been pining over the Nikon D40 since it came out in December, and this weekend, I finally bought one.
Thanks to the advice of the wonderful Sijbrich, along with some other friends, I had settled on the D40 quite a while ago (but I will admit I was briefly tempted by the D80 simply because it’s a higher-end model). However, I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, given that I’ve only had a point and shoot camera for my entire life. This will be my first foray into the world of manual focus, ISO, shutter speed, apature and a whole dictionary of strange vocabulary I’m going to need to learn.
At this point, I’m still suck on trying to convince myself that I got a good deal since I bought it in Oregon, which has no sales tax, (but I’m obviously still going to relentlessly seek out the cheapest price I can find everywhere else I go and then berate myself for buying it when and where I did). Ah, the joys of
Read more: New Best Friend
Photo Hunt: Sweet
2007-06-29 14:55:29
One of my all time favorite holiday sweets is salt water taffy. It always brings back fond memories of driving up to Cape Cod with my family when I was a kid. So you can imagine my joy when, on our recent trip to the Oregon coast, we found a little candy shop in Florence that sells these tasty treats:
I bought a whole big bag of peppermint which is my all-time favorite salt water taffy flavor. Of course, I then proceeded to eat myself sick for the rest of the car ride. But that’s what a road trip is all about, right?
What’s your favorite sweet?
Read more: Photo
, Sweet
Home Sweet Home
2007-07-08 10:56:57
After two weeks on the west coast, Alex and I returned to Redding, Connecticut (where I grew up) this week. I’ll be spending the next three weeks in my childhood home with my parents and my sister. Since my parents are retired and my sister is also a teacher (finishing up her degree and living at home), we’re all home - every day, all day. As you can imagine, this can be a recipe for disaster, but so far things are working out well…
I am always amazed that every time I come home (even though it’s only once a year), it’s pretty much like I never left. Sure, things change a little every year, but for the most part, seeing friends and family feels like just yesterday. I love that feeling!
This summer has been especially lucky for us - we’ve been able to see so many of our friends (several of whom we haven’t seen for three or four years!). First, in San Francisco, I had dinner with one of my best friends from college, Heather:
Then, while in Ore
Read more: Sweet
, Home Sweet Home
Photo Hunt: Fake
2007-07-07 09:46:39
As Alex and I were winding things up in KL a few weeks ago, we emptied and closed our Malaysian bank accounts. Thinking that we could live on a cash-only basis this summer while we traveled in the US, we changed all our leftover Ringgit into US Dollars - all in hundreds. We always travel with cash in Southeast Asia since you can’t always count on an ATM being nearby.
So, you can imagine our surprise when, on our first day back in the US, we tried to buy some food with those hundred dollar bills. Not a chance. If Alex’s parents hadn’t been there with a US$20 to save the day, we would have had to give the takeout back and walk away hungry. So much for our cash-only idea. We are guessing that most places are concerned that these “large”bills are fake(and, frankly, I use the term “large” quite loosely… it’s not like we were trying to spend a $500 bill).
Have you ever encountered a fake bill?
Read more: Photo
The Daily Grind
2007-07-11 10:51:34
Remember when you were in middle school with mouth-full of braces, a retainer or, worse, a headgear? Do you remember being called “metal mouth” and being totally unable to sleep at night with all those contraptions on? Do you remember dreaming of the day when you could finally call it quits and just walk around with only your teeth in your mouth, letting them chomp and chew on whatever your stomach could desire?
Well, I do. And I have to say, it’s been a glorious 17 years of a contraption free mouth. After taking my braces off early because my orthodontist died (long story, we’ll save that for another time) and wearing a retainer for a few months before I gave up in frustration, I’ve come to terms with my crooked smile. Everything was just dandy until one fateful evening at a sushi restaurant (of all places!) in Mont’Kiara this past June.
We were out to dinner with our lovely friends from the IT department: Darby and David (who are in the middle of m
Read more: Daily
, Grind
Photo Hunt: Shadow(s)
2007-07-14 08:40:51
Those of you with granite counter tops (or those of you with friends and family that installed granite counter tops), will know the saga of choosing the right granite. There are so many to choose from that when my mother did her counters over it took months, perhaps close to a year, to choose exactly the right granite. Ever since that endless span of time when I would get a daily update about granite colors (that I had never seen, given that I was living in Germany at the time), I have had an “eye” for granite.
So, a few weeks ago, while we were staying with Alex’s parents in Oregon, I noticed the absolutely stunning granite that his mom had put in their kitchen. Kind of a gold and silver flecked with slightly blue overtones. Just beautiful. Of course I had to show my mom, who has a darker, mahogany and terracotta based granite to go with her natural brick flooring.
While I was taking my photos of the granite, I noticed the shadow of a drinking glass on the counter
Read more: Photo
, Shadow
Moving to Thailand: Stage Two: The Visas are In!
2007-07-13 10:42:57
In order to legally live and work in Thailand
, we needed to obtain non-immigrant visas before we arrive in Bangkok at the end of July. As you may remember, this entailed obtaining “security clearance” from the US government to confirm that we are not, in fact, wanted criminals.
Having received our official Letters of Good Conduct (US$25 each) back in May we were able to apply for our visas last week. Thankfully, the Thai consulate allows you to apply by mail because the idea of standing in line at any sort of government office while I’m supposed to be on vacation was, shall we say, less than attractive to me.
So the FedEx envelope went out last Monday (has anyone seen those new re-usable envelopes? Someone over at FedEx sure is smart!) and returned with our passports and visas safely inside yesterday. Success! No little red ropes dictating where I can and can not stand, no angry gesticulating or arguing over the proper forms, no resigning myself to the fact that I hav
Read more: Moving
, Stage
, Visas
Night Swimming
2007-07-17 20:52:05
I always used to think the best thing about summer was swimming at night (and of course the fireflies).
But this weekend, at our annual family and friends BBQ and pool party, we topped it: night swimming in the rain! After a sunny and warm day, it started pouring just as day was turning to dusk (not exactly night swimming, but towards the end it was pretty dark. Close enough to night time for me). It was that perfect kind of rain with no thunder and lighting (an odd experience for me after two years of tropical storms in KL).
As soon as the rain started coming down a bunch of us jumped in the pool, which, ironically, was much warmer than the air outside. The sound of the rain while underwater was amazing. Almost like rain on a tin roof, but different (same same but different for those of you that have lived in southeast Asia). Either way, I highly recommend it (as long as there is no lightning - don’t go telling people that I recommend swimming during a lighting storm. I bear no
Read more: Night
, Swimming
No soup for you!
2007-07-20 11:10:38
In an effort to continue my seemingly endless spending spree here in Connecticut, I decided to buy a new pair of glasses yesterday. I’ve had the same pair for just over two years and I still love them, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit and throw in a new look - which would be the first time in my life that I have owned more than one pair of glasses at a time.
So my mom and I went to Lenscrafters in the good old Danbury Fair Mall. We spent about an hour picking out a pair of glasses (which of course turned out to be the first pair I tried on). My mom even picked up a new pair and I was looking at prescription sunglasses as well.
After a while, one of the ladies came over to give us some advice (read: secure her commission) and asked me about my prescription (my eyes are so bad I actually can’t get certain types of glasses because the lenses would be too thick). She took one look and told me that they can’t sell me any glasses because my prescription is 2 year
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