I will remember you

This picture deserves another post in itself..lol. It's my favourite!

The End is Just Another Beginning

3 months have come and gone just like that. The time had finally came for me to leave. I'm going to New York tomorrow! Wooohooo!


To say that I'm totally happy to be leaving here is a lie. It's sad to leave. But I can't say that I want to stay here forever either. It's not fun at all to be the last one to go when everyone else has already left.
















The best doesn't come until the end it seems. My last week here has been nothing short of amazing! I went on a picture-taking spree, take part in a crazy (and hell embarassing) all Asian party and played pool for the first time!















And I found my twin soul...all in one week. Do you know how liberating it feels to let go of all your inhibitions and self-consciousness and just have fun, go with the flow? Very!














Unfortunately, most of the time, I just went back to my old, timid self...sigh. But I am trying.

Well, good luck to me. I'll post more when I get to New York (hopefully). If not, I'll see you when I get back to Malaysia. That's on April 19, 8.05 AM, KLIA Airport, International Arrivals. Don't forget that date! See you then!

Angels in DC

I found them through a website called the CouchSurfing project. We were going to DC for our Japan visa application and we needed a place to stay for at least 4 days, all 4 of us. They took us in.

She arrived on time to pick us up from the train station in her bright red car. Within 10 mins, we arrived at her home and were greeted by her husband and their 4 beautiful (and a little too excited) dogs.

Everything was prepared for us. Clean linens in the bathroom, freshly-made beds in the guestroom and home office. The big atlas book in their living room was turned to the page where Malaysia is.

The next morning, after a nice American breakfast, she drove us to the Japan Embassy. The application process was not as easy as we thought. All my friends gave up on the spot and changed their travel plans to HK. But I refused to give up without a fight. Not after all the things that I have done.

They let me use their printer and fax machine so that I can get the documents I need to apply again the next day.

The next morning, she cooked rice for us after learning on the internet that the typical Malaysian breakfast involves rice. It was delicious. She took pains not to have fruits or any fruits-related products on the dining room table because I don't eat fruits.

The rest of the week was like a dream.

They brought us to a Malaysian restaurant downtown called Malaysia Kopitiam and insisted that it was their treat. I saw for the first time what an open mic session looked like when they brought us to Busboys & Poets. We went to the Lincoln Memorial at night and I felt like I was inside a Hercules movie. I stood at the exact spot where Mathin Luther King Jr. made his "I Have A Dream" speech and where President Obama addressed all of USA and the world on his inauguration day.

It was truly magical, in every sense of the word.

They supplied us with maps, directions and a Lonely Planet book on Washington so that we can plan our trip. When it rained or when it was too cold at night to walk, all we have to do is make a phone call and they will be there to pick us up. It was the first time that I have ever felt so at home in the US.

Our train back to Hot Springs was on Friday morning. On that fateful day, we had a very wonderful breakfast. Probably because we spent too much time on breakfast, we were soon running late. She sped us to the train station and we arrived 3 minutes before the train was due to leave. After some quick hugs and kisses, we arrived at the gate just in time to see the train leaving the station.

We were devastated. We went to the nearby McDonalds and sit there for almost an hour, trying to figure out what to do. In our scared and confused minds then, the most comforting thing to do was to give them a call. That was what we did. She arrived promptly to pick us up after getting our voicemail. I was so happy and relieved to see her. They made dinner for us that night to comfort us. It was a nice candlelight dinner.

The next train was on Sunday. On that day, he made sure that we were ready to leave the house one hour before the train was due to leave even though their house were just a 5 mins drive from the station. We managed to get on the train this time.

It was not a happy occasion to be back. We knew that our bare "hotel-like" rooms could never conjure up the warm feelings that we felt while we were staying in their house. I even love the fact that my clothes still have dog furs all over them because they reminded me of Jessie, Cassie, Jaselle (is that how it's spelt?) and Mr. Maxi. I missed being woken up in the morning by Cassie or Maxi's big licks on my face. He told us that if we ever come back to Washington, we will always have a "place to stay". They were so so so nice.

I don't know how I could ever thank both of you enough, but I am going to say it anyway. Thank you very very much, Toni and Sam, for making our trip to DC one of the most memorable and wonderful trip of my life! :-)

Last night

Tonight is my last night in NEC...
I had a great time tonight...went out with my last 2 remaining roomates to eat dinner at McD...and then went window shopping at Giant and Metro Kajang.
It was the first time in ages that I felt this free...without anything to worry about at all.
I was holding hands with Jun Jun the whole time :-)..I am sure going to miss her a lot after this.
After that, I went out to yum cha with the Performing Arts gang. It was so fun being with them.
But it was unfortunate that this was the last time I am going to see all of them. I probably would not have the opportunity to go out for late night drinks again with a large group of friends after I left NEC :-(

Last night here have to be spent in darkness because of Operation Kill Bees. Tomorrow going to have porridge breakfast with my roomates. for the last time.