Sky High

You may wonder what one does in Kay-El when not working, eating, sweating, shopping, sweating. Well the answer of course is we are chillin' out maxin' and relaxing all cool, sitting by our rooftop swimming pool.

We've got stunning city views from our chaise lounge.

Ahhh, the good life!

Are You Qualified to Read This Post?

When I moved to Dubai, I was shocked by the classified ads. Sure, people are specific about what they are looking for in the personals, but in Dubai they were specific everywhere. Job ads would call for a "Western educated woman in her 20s," apartments were available for "professional men from Kerala." Following Eid, a Muslim gift giving holiday, the paper would have an entire section dedicated to "Unwanted Gifts for Sale."

In KL, it's pretty much the same thing. Equal opportunity is more of an after thought, if it's a thought at all. Today, I met some friends for lunch and, as we cruised the hawker stands, we came across this doozy of a help wanted ad at a pancake house.

They actually have a minimum height requirement to work there! Woman must be at least 5'3" and Men 5'6". If you want a management position, add on an extra inch! These people aren't operating heavy machinery. They aren't even being taken for spontaneous rollercoaster rides. They are making pancakes! Maybe, maybe, there are extraordinarily high counters back in the kitchen.

One vertically gifted worker posed for a photo for me. He was pretty tall, I think he will make pancake president one day.

They also request you send a recent snapshot with your resume. Don't short, unattractive people deserve the chance to earn a living? Not in the pancake industry, my friend, not in the pancake industry.

Lazy Sunday

We tried to have a relaxing Sunday in preparation for Mr. Happy's trip to Singapore. We headed down to Butik Bingtang where we treated ourselves to a Thai massage at the newly opened Ancient Thai Bodywork Therapy on Jalan Tong Shin. They are running an opening promotion. Our Thai massage was 45 minutes for RM40. It was well worth it. They do a foot massage for RM33 and that looked divine as well.


We planned to head to Chinatown for dinner, but passed this restaurant on our way. We skipped their food, but Mr. Happy requested a photo before we walked away. Can you guess why?


Chinatown was CRAZY! Completely packed and bustling. I couldn't believe the number of wallets and purses available on Petaling Street. I can't imagine there is enough business for all of those people to earn a living. As I was in the market for neither a wallet nor a purse, I just felt a little overwhelmed. We managed to make it onto a side street where we ordered a mushroom hot plate RM10, soup dumplings RM 1.90/each, and BBQ Port noodles RM 9. As I suspected, it turned out to really be BBQ Pork. Yay for non-halal restaurants!

Friday the 13th

Is it just me, or has there been an unprecedented number of Friday the 13ths this year? Somebody get this girl a calendar!

Received a Telegram...Stop

Today we received a telegram! I feel so last century. WHO would be sending ME a telegram? I didn't even realize one could still send a telegram in today's digital age. Malaysia is the base for numerous electronics companies, so it isn't as if it's behind the times in terms of technology. Though I was thrilled that we received a true blue telegram, I wasn't impressed with its efficiency.

The telegram informed us that our boxes had arrived at the airport cargo terminal. I had already picked up said boxes more than twenty-four hours before the message reached us. Mr. Happy called two days before using Mr. Alexander Graham Bell's handy invention. We got the information faster and the phone call was cheaper than the telegram. But a few extra ringgit were probably worth the novelty factor. STOP.

Landing in KL

Hellllllllllo Kuala Lumpur, or KL to those of us in the know. KL is the capital city of Malaysia and it is fantastic. Whenever I stepped off the plane in Dubai I felt like I was taking a giant step back into the past. In KL, I feel like I'm leaping into the future. The city is vibrant, the people are nice - they smile, laugh, and are helpful. It wasn't until I arrived here that I realized I never heard people laughing in Dubai. A lot of people move to Dubai out of necessity. They are earning money to send back home or to create a nest egg. There's very little sense of community and most people can't wait to get home. In KL, people are here because they love it. I love it!

But I have no time to run through the streets with my arms opened wide. We must get down to work and my job is to try and find an apartment. I spend days apartment hunting. My husband and I don't want a place that will be a hassle, so condo living is for us. We are hoping to take lots of long weekends and breaks so we can explore this part of the world. We don't want a big place we have to clean or a garden we need to look after. I see lovely flats in the suburbs of Bangsar and Mont Kiara, but it's obvious pretty quickly that it's necessary to have a car to get around. We want to stick to mass transit, so I limit my search to KLCC - Kuala Lumpur City Centre. There's a lot to choose from. The economic downturn has reached all the way to Malaysia and a lot of expats have left or have found their housing budget slashed. That said, after living in NYC, London, and Dubai the rent here is peanuts! You can get a nice 2 bedroom apartment in the suburbs with a pool, gym, and tennis court for around RM 3000. The exchange rate at the moment is RM 3.7 for $1 US.

The apartments in the centre of the city are a little smaller and the amenities aren't quite as nice for the price, but we compromise. We take a place in the Parkview. The location is excellent. We can walk everywhere. It's a little noisy due to some nightclubs nearby, but our landlord Mrs. Chong is working to soundproof our place.

Just outside our door is a row of hawker stands. You can fill up on a buffet lunch for RM4. That's less than $1.10!! The food in Malaysia is unbelievably delicious and I plan eat it all!

Missing In Action In Dubai

I've neglected to post for a number of months which is a shame because they have been very eventful months indeed. My husband, who I married twice this past summer, and I moved to Dubai in August. We were there for seven months and a lot of things happened -- of which I've made no written record. We are now living in Kuala Lumpur where I've vowed to become a more regular blogger. Let me give you a recap of life in Dubai.

I am not Muslim, and women do not have to wear burkhas. Dubai is considered liberal for the Middle East. On trips to surrounding areas, I did make sure my knees and shoulders were covered. During a desert safari the staff encouraged my friend and me to get down in traditional garb we call this pose "Arab Homies".

Dubai is a land that celebrates its past.

But it's also a land where petrol is cheap and cars are not taxed, so must people opt to drive about town rather than going for a camel caravan.

The food is opulent.






And so is the jewelry. Got Gold?


But it's also a very classist society. It's difficult to live there and enjoy the luxuries offered, when you're affronted by the worker exploitation that takes place. Legal due process is still in its infancy, and no matter how long you've lived there you will never be able to become a citizen.





I'm glad I lived there for a while, but Dubai is not a place that I would ever want to call home. I'm really excited about setting up house in KL! Like the UAE, Malaysia is a Muslim country, but it has a completely different energy to it!