Musings of a small town Texan gal living as an expatriate in Malaysia
Masochism = shopping for jeans in size sub zero land.
posted by Sarah @ 5:58 PM
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I am off to Hong Kong tomorrow. Matt has a business trip there and so I'm going up there for the weekend with him. Luckily, I have a colleague who grew up in Hong Kong and sent me all kinds of great tips. Of course, I'm probably most excited about the dim sum. Again, I love the snacky food. I'll recap when I get back.
Labels: expat life, nightlife, travel
posted by Sarah @ 7:08 PM
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I've been sort of gloomy and grumpy lately. It seems like these things come in cycles since we've moved. When we first got to KL, everything was so new and different that it was sort of a honeymoon phase. Then, after we'd been here a couple of months, things became more difficult. We had been here long enough to realize all of the little inconveniences and we would get more easily frustrated at being ripped off by a taxi driver, sweating all the time and maintenance taking two weeks to fix the leak in our bathroom.
Labels: blah blah, expat life
posted by Sarah @ 6:50 PM
1 Comments
I'm becoming more aware of the censorship that happens in Malaysia, not only in television and movies, but also books. I recently came across a list of recently "banned" books as well as "restricted" books.
Labels: culture shock, expat life, rant
posted by Sarah @ 6:51 PM
4 Comments
www.flickr.com
posted by Sarah @ 10:33 PM
1 Comments
Labels: cuisine, expat life, KL, nightlife
posted by Sarah @ 9:12 PM
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I know I'm a couple of days behind, but they don't show American Idol until the following night in Malaysia. That being said....What the hell? What are American Idol voters thinking? I can't believe Sanjaya is STILL in the running! We probably have www.votefortheworst.com to thank for that. I find him unnervingly creepy, not to mention he just can't sing...Oh well, I guess I'll stay tuned just to see what he does with his hair next week.
Labels: TV
posted by Sarah @ 8:03 PM
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On Friday night, we ventured out to Bangsar. Bangsar is an expat neighborhood on the outskirts of KL. Lots of nightclubs, restaurants, etc. A part of the neighborhood is set up like a grid, so window shopping (okay, bar hopping) is relatively easy. We had never been there at night, so we thought we'd give it a try. We waited until around 7 for the traffic to die down, but alas, it didn't. So...after a very hungry taxi ride of almost an hour, we finally arrived. (Note to self: Trying to venture to the KL 'burbs on a Friday night is like trying to get out of Houston on a Friday night. Never again.) We went to La Bodega, since the tapas we had had there on my salon excursion a few weeks ago were yummy, and one can never have too many tapas, right? I do love the chance to sample all sorts of yummy foods in one sitting and not have to unbutton my pants. Anyhoo, the tapas were tasty, the wine was tasty, and then we decided to check out some other nightspots.
Labels: cuisine, expat life, KL, nightlife
posted by Sarah @ 8:41 PM
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Recently, Matt and I started talking about how much our impression of KL, Asia, and just other cultures in general have changed over the past several months. For example, when we first came to KL, we drove through Bangsar, Ampang, the city center area, etc. and everything seemed so...foreign. So very different than what we were used to. A hodge podge of storefronts, new buildings, buildings that looked like they should be condemned, scooters, hawker stands, and the like. Now, keep in mind that that was our perception then. Neither one of us had ever lived outside of the US, had never even visited Southeast Asia, and both grew up in small towns. The closest that I had ever been to living in a big city were the occasional pub crawls in Sundance Square in Fort Worth, Greenville Avenue in Dallas and some brief outings in downtown Houston. But now we are realizing that all the things that had changed about our lives, that were once scary, foreign, intimidating, are starting to become more comfortable, familiar, and more appreciated. As we venture through Chinatown, or bar hop along Sultan Ismail, or even take a simple grocery trip, things that were once so "foreign" and different to us, what strikes us is how much our impression of it has changed. Now, I find a comfort in it being somewhat familiar, but still new enough that I am eager to experience more. I find tiny victories in habitually looking to my right first when I cross the street, in knowing the best place to find the best lunchmeat (quite a challenge at times), or even hailing a cab without getting ripped off.
Labels: culture shock, expat life
posted by Sarah @ 8:37 PM
0 Comments
I just got back from a quick jaunt to the office and once again, I was harassed on the way to work and then on the way to home. About 80% of the time, something happens when I walk by myself on the streets of KL. Many times, it's construction workers whistling and catcalling from the buildings that they are working on, but a lot of the time it's also from passing cars, trucks and scooters. I am so disgusted by it! Usually, the f*ckers that do it from a car or a scooter just either whistle or go "hellooo", but I would actually be less offended if they just grabbed their crotch or at least just said what was on their minds, because they ain't just saying hello when they are saying hello - they know it and I know it. Snively little perverts "pretend" to be nice by saying hello, but how many people just randomly say "hello" from a car to a stranger on the street? And it's not "hello" as in "hello, how are you?" but "heellloooo", all singsong-like. What do they think, that I will give them a big smile, a big wave and say, "Hi! How y'all doin'? Sure, I'd love to take a ride on the back of your scooter!! You know, I'm not from around here..." A woman just knows what they are getting at, you know? The least they could do is have the balls to just say it.
Labels: expat life, KL, rant
posted by Sarah @ 12:34 PM
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First of all, this would have been posted a couple of weeks ago, but I just now learned how to upload photos to my blog - yes, really. 
The next day we decided to go island hopping, as there are five islands that are just a quick ferry ride away. First we went to Manukan Island, where we went on a nature walk and then snorkeled. The snorkeling was great! However, we did learn about the sneaky little bastard known as the trigger fish. Trigger fish are very aggressive fish who really don't like it when you swim too close to their nest. That little discovery was made when one of them charged at Matt. Now, they are not really big or anything, but still. So Matt went to swim away and about three or four came at him and BIT him! We're talking, drew blood and everything. They were small bites, but when a fish actually bites you, it kind of freaks you out, no matter how small they are. So, after that, we opted to check out another island :) So we hopped back on the ferry and went to Manikan Island, which was just as pretty and a little more laid back. We rounded out the day with another visit to the Horizon Club and more lounging on our balcony.
Labels: expat life, travel
posted by Sarah @ 9:04 PM
1 Comments
The Husband and I were watching TV this weekend, and we always get such a kick out of studying what is censored and what doesn't make the cut. It's the same puzzlement I have when I see a local Malaysian woman in her traditional dress answering her mobile phone, the ringtone of which is Akon's "Smack That". Something just doesn't quite add up.
Labels: expat life, TV
posted by Sarah @ 5:17 PM
2 Comments
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