As far as things are going currently, there is much to write about. First off, driving on the left side of the road is taking some adjusting in my mind before I’ll even attempt it. Another thing, rules of the road have no meaning to these drivers. I have never once seen anyone consider something called a speed limit. And those dashed white lines on the road? Well, that is apparently considered a general guideline for when you are driving in very heavy traffic to know which person to yell at. Eating is a very large part of everyone’s social lives. Our first day, we ate roti canai, a staple Malay food. I would describe it as a doughy flatbread that is filled with egg and onions, then dipped in curry. It is wonderfully delicious!

     After eating to our fill, all under $12, we relaxed back at the condominium while we finished packing away our things. The following day, we did our best to rid ourselves of jetlag. I got to eat the fascinating, different fruits I had never tried before. Starfruit is strangely enough a little more like a vegetable than a fruit. Rambutan is a sweet fruit, but nearly translucent and hard to peel away from the almond-like pit.

     That night we also went to the youth group at their church here. It was interesting being bombarded with questions that were hard to understand under the thick accents, but also a fun time learning about everyone else’s cultural background. The main groups of people here seem to be, of course, Malay, but also Chinese, Indian, and Japanese. A few rare white people stick out in the crowd—people such as me.

    Saturday, we went to a place where usually only the locals would be: the town called Chow Kit. It was my first time getting to ride on the LRT and the monorail. I have never had to experience so little personal space before in my life as I did when we came home on those same trains. People would crowd in as much as they could shove you into the mass of sweaty bodies. It was a funny experience since we went with our Japanese neighbor, Minako. She was very familiar with the push-and-shove, despite being a very small and petite woman. I hope that I can get pictures again next time we go, because we forgot the cameras at home.

     Once we arrived in Chow Kit, the heat and humidity blasted us in full force. I was more than thankful we would never decide to drive downtown. I have never seen so much traffic jam in my life! People, including us, would just walk right through the conglomeration of cars and natives in the streets. No one took notice of the honking horns (or even buses coming right at them at full speed!). We got through the streets and walking and arrived in the midst of Chow Kit. An assault of scents greeted us: the smell of sweat, sweet food, spices, pollution, and sewers. The tents of vendors that lined the maze of streets puzzled me entirely as we maneuvered through the crowd, trying our hardest not to be trampled by the buyers and sellers on their missions. Every type of merchandise you can think of was sold there. Pushing through crowds for several hours in the heat of the day was exhausting, to say the least. After Chow Kit, we headed for Low Yat Plaza, a gigantic mall filled with many floors of stores of electronics. Then we went to the Pavilion Mall, the largest mall I have ever been in. Following that adventure, we headed to the “Times Square” Mall, which was filled with more clothes and accessories, and less techie gear. Once we finished all of our shopping, we finally headed back to Subang Jaya to eat dinner at DoReMi. We had chicken satay, sweet-and-sour pork, Chinese garlic greens, fried rice, and several other dishes that filled the table. Minako and her husband Takashi joined us for the meal, and we had a great time as Minako taught us a few things in Japanese.

I will hopefully stick all the other recent adventures in another blog since it took me longer than expected to get this one out.

     So as it happens, I’m on the first flight to L.A. I thought it would be interesting enough to write as we fly. We have are having an interesting time as Adrian sleeps, Glenda reads, and Chris and I have fun. Most importantly though: the hot chocolate, despite not being hot (bummer!), was delicious. I gotta get me some of that stuff! (…boy!!) My mind still isn’t fully aware of my surroundings due to the lack of a good sleep. Four hours just doesn’t give me any alertness. Turbulence feels wonderful! It’s almost like being a kid again. You are playing hide-and-seek and hide in the dryer; only problem is that your mom now decides to turn it on with you in it. Talk about living life to the fullest. I did say I wanted to experience it all! Now that Los Angeles, California will be coming up soon, I must turn off my computer and prepare for the extreme madness of LAX. A wonderful description of that will be given shortly after we board the international flight.

     Here I am on the flight to Shanghai. It was quite the experience in the international terminal! It took one and a half hours to get checked in. Then the security check was just as wonderful as the times before. So after we finally got boarded after an hour of chill time at the gate, our wonderful bilingual flight crew served us drinks. The orange juice had a very unique flavor. The seats were really cool! They had outlets right in the back of the headrests to plug in laptops, which of course is what I did. But the best part was yet to come (after watching an hour of videos on our computers): the dinner! People always complain about airplane food, but I must say, it wasn’t bad at all! A nice dinner of sweet pork, rice, carrots, bok choy, shrimp, potato salad, a roll, and a blueberry cake. For being airplane food, it was top notch. It should be expected; after all, we did pay a lot of money for the flight. Glenda spent the time sleeping… And I do mean the almost all of it. We are currently about four hours into the flight and she has only woken once, but it wasn’t for dinner.

     I am enjoying this flight thoroughly. Granted, the seats aren’t as comfortable as the ones on Southwest Airlines, and it is a considerably longer flight. What is really sad though is that the seats won’t recline, but it is something I shan’t complain about. I have thoroughly enjoyed the random bouts of turbulence though! It’s a jolt of adrenaline like being thrown on a roller coaster. It actually gives the same feeling too. For those who didn’t know, this is the second time in my life getting on a plane. So my excitement is much similar to a child’s… After all, we are flying through the air over a gigantic ocean! How cool is that! I can tell you this though: sitting for a 15(?) hour flight is not easy. After watching several movies on our laptops, as well as anime, and doing other random things, it’s really freaky to see someone open the window slide occasionally just to see that the sun hasn’t moved. It was like a time warp! I shall continue the adventures of our flight travel probably after we get to the condominium.

In order of picture: Glenda reading, pictures of Adrian sleeping, Sierra Nevadas, practicing Asian-style pictures, LAX international terminal, lunch, dinner, Shanghai Pu Dong.

     So here I am at the condominium, rehydrating so I can get some sleep. It is nearly 4a.m. and I can’t sleep until I get my body relaxed. Shanghai was quite the frightening experience though… with only two and a half hours until the next flight left, we came to find out that they do not allow carry-ons, only one personal item which had to be 10kg. Our carry-ons then had to be shoved with books from our backpacks into our carry-ons, and added four extra checked baggage to our concerns (of which there was twelve originally). This of course was paid for at an exorbant price that cannot be named. Then after finding out our gate changed for departure, waiting for a delayed flight, and getting eaten by mosquitoes, we finally boarded the small China Eastern flight for the last plane. This was going to be a long five hour flight from Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur. I skipped the meal because I was not hungry. They put on a few Chinese movies which I didn’t watch as I attempted some rest. I didn’t get much because it seemed someone decided to smoke on the plane, which of course is not legal. Whether or not someone actually did, I’m not sure. But it did smell like a cigarette and I woke up gagging. The rest of the flight was spent trying to rest and not feel sick. I was very ready to be on the ground.

     We arrived to a very empty airport at 1a.m. KL time. After getting a total of seventeen pieces of checked luggage, we rented a taxi to get us to the condominium—this last leg of the journey. Finally, we arrived at our destination. I can say now that going thirty-four hours with only sleeping three hours, and four hours the night before, is one stint I could go without doing again! This is just the beginning of the fun…

     Today marked the closing of a chapter in my life, although not the end of the important characters that played their roles in this unfolding novel. It would be ridiculous to say that I will not miss those people who made such enormous impacts in my life, but I still hold on to the truth that those who really love me will not leave. It was not a farewell as much as a "see you later." I can leave that up to God because I know that even if I do not see them again on this earth, there will be an eternity to share their presence.
     It was a party to treasure indeed. Unfortunately, the little time that was distributed among each individual in attendance was not enough. It never will be. But their coming was more deeply appreciated than was probably expressed. So even then, I will say again to all who came, "Thank you!" That stands not just for coming, but also for the countless time and significant efforts you have made into investing in my life and allowing me to be in yours. I don't think it would be possible to list each and every person who has done that much for me in these past four or five years. I would hope that I have showed my gratefulness throughout the time. I don't regret knowing any of you, and only wish for our relationships to grow through the years ahead.

     Since many have asked, I have decided to start a blog to keep everyone posted on my travels. It very well may serve as an electronic, online journal to help me keep track of the adventures and opportunities that await on the other side of the world, but also serve its duality in letting the people in the United States know what I am up to. This is the first time I have attempted to maintain a blog, and time will tell how well I will accomplish that task. So it is my hopes that it will satisfactorily please the diverse audience that will read this blog. To all the people who would like to contact me on a more personal level, I am sure you have my email and such.
     I am counting down the days until departure... All that remains between me and Malaysia are nine days, a crazy mess of suitcases and belongings, and a very large Pacific Ocean. Keep in touch, everyone!

P.S. All times and dates will be posted on Malaysian time. This current post is of July 31.