Onwards
Saturday December 24, 2022
My time in Malaysia has come to a close, and with it, just over three weeks of what I consider the best cuisine in the world. I’ve enjoyed constant 25C to 30C weather, much preferable to the horrendous snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, freezing wind and weather bombs back home in Toronto that have grounded several flights across Canada and the US. I do not miss that one bit. There’s been a fair bit of rain and thunderstorms here, but nothing has prevented me from enjoying my holiday.
I’ve been successful in my decadely clothes revamp too, with bargains to be found everywhere thanks to the strength of the Canadian dollar. On Thursday, I had the day to myself since my parents were invited to a lunch, so I started the day at Pasar Seni, the Central Market, before heading to Sungei Wang, Lot 10, Pavilion and KLCC. There, I walked around the gardens, admiring the gigantic Christmas trees and the even more gigantic Petronas Twin Towers. I spent some time catching up with a family friend in Cheras before finishing off my last bit of shopping at KL Sentral’s NU Sentral shopping mall. It was a great opportunity to do some touristy sightseeing as well as get some exercise - I clocked 25,500 steps that day!
With all my newly acquired clothing, I was worried that my luggage would be marked as overweight but thankfully the check-in process was quick and they didn’t even bat an eyelid at my 24.6kg bag, or my giant laptop backpack. Customs and security were a breeze as well, almost as if no one cared. In New Zealand, I’ll be offloading all my maple syrup and trading it for every kind of Whittakers I can possibly fit in my bag.
I continue to be thankful for the hospitality of everyone I’ve seen this trip, especially those who gave me a place to stay, took me for delicious food or drove me around the city. Can’t wait to be back!
Posted by Jeremy at 5:19am on Saturday December 24, 2022 :: 0 comments :: 
Gluttony
Saturday December 17, 2022
Just over two weeks of being in Malaysia and I'm loving it. Normally I'm quite flustered by the heat and humidity but for some reason this time, it's been quite pleasant. I wonder if the intense Toronto summers have trained me for this? Certainly don't get that kind of heat in New Zealand. It has been pretty wet here though, a consequence of the convectional rainfall that occurs almost every day.
My time here has basically been eating, sleeping and seeing family. I have a lot of family to see. I have a lot of things to eat. There's been a little bit of time to do shopping as well, which is great because the CAD to MYR exchange rate is so good at the moment. A few days ago, I bought four pairs of shorts and three t-shirts from Sunway Pyramid for less than CAD$100. Food, of course, is also cheap after conversion. I've had my share of nasi lemak, char kuay teow, curry laksa, assam laksa, yong tau foo, Hokkien mee, prawn mee, wan tan mee, banana leaf rice, cendol, ice kacang, nyonya kuih, apam balik and more. CAD$30 can feed four of us easily. Almost every day is an exquisite reminder of why Malaysian cuisine is so special.
In amongst all the eating, I've been trying to go to the gym as well. I haven't found anyone to play badminton with though, but my days have been busy anyway. I've definitely put on a little bit of weight around the tummy but surprisingly little for the amount of food I've been eating, which pleases me because it means my metabolism is still pretty good.
In another week or so, I'll be on a plane again, bound for the land of the long white cloud.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:03am on Saturday December 17, 2022 :: 0 comments ::