WEDNESDAY
Boxes with Japanese Robots
Part Six of Sister-kind
The bedside phones rings twice, I fumble with it, finally getting the handset up to my ear and hear words mumbled that translate in my internal boggle as - Rise from your grave!
I answer back, “What time is it?” and Jeff says, “9.45, you wanna take a shower and do breakfast?”
All I can do is moan like the dead.
I lye there a minute more before making my move, I do this slowly, shuffling towards the bathroom, the sleep in my eyes, the piss horn in my Byfords, i’m reciting my mantra like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, “I’m not hung over, I’m not hung over, I’m not hung over”.
What I am, matter of fact, is just a bit sluggish, the beer the food sitting in my stomach like i’ve been punched. I wipe slag from the corners of my yap which traces back to the drool on my pillow, ew.
In the bathroom now and I stare at my reflected image like a mirage in the mirror, rubbing a hand through my stubble, running my fingers through my hair. I rinse out my yuck mouth and begin washing my face, smoothing the moustache out and while doing this I know i’m not rested, my feet are still sore, the two drumsticks I have for legs are chaffed at the thigh. I’ve never done this much walking in at least 18 months.
Part Six of Sister-kind
The bedside phones rings twice, I fumble with it, finally getting the handset up to my ear and hear words mumbled that translate in my internal boggle as - Rise from your grave!
I answer back, “What time is it?” and Jeff says, “9.45, you wanna take a shower and do breakfast?”
All I can do is moan like the dead.
I lye there a minute more before making my move, I do this slowly, shuffling towards the bathroom, the sleep in my eyes, the piss horn in my Byfords, i’m reciting my mantra like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, “I’m not hung over, I’m not hung over, I’m not hung over”.
What I am, matter of fact, is just a bit sluggish, the beer the food sitting in my stomach like i’ve been punched. I wipe slag from the corners of my yap which traces back to the drool on my pillow, ew.
In the bathroom now and I stare at my reflected image like a mirage in the mirror, rubbing a hand through my stubble, running my fingers through my hair. I rinse out my yuck mouth and begin washing my face, smoothing the moustache out and while doing this I know i’m not rested, my feet are still sore, the two drumsticks I have for legs are chaffed at the thigh. I’ve never done this much walking in at least 18 months.
I manage to lower myself to the toilet, the squat thrust getting easier every time I do it, I manage to snap which loosens the knot in my guts, I use the bum gun to wash my rissole and enjoy the luke warm water spray on my balls. After that I climb into the shower and adjust the water spout until the water is hitting me like needles, it feels really good against my neck and scalp, the roar of the water hitting me from the shower rose numbs the mind. I decide to go ahead and try out the hotel shampoo to wash my hair, something I’ve not done since leaving Perth on the account of missing my own brand, I dump the entire shampoo bottle contents into my hand before slinging it at my head. I work it into a rich lather, so much so that it gives me a foam Afro, I use the excess soap to wash the chest hairs and the hedge of pubes around my groin.
After showering I sludge forward to the wardrobe and select the imperial purple Lacoste shirt and the beige/tan chinos, I splash on some Caroline Herrera 212 and then I’m as good as I’m gonna be, call Jeff on the phone, grab my credit card room key and I’m done.
After showering I sludge forward to the wardrobe and select the imperial purple Lacoste shirt and the beige/tan chinos, I splash on some Caroline Herrera 212 and then I’m as good as I’m gonna be, call Jeff on the phone, grab my credit card room key and I’m done.
We meet in the hallway and my good morning greeting exchange is little more than a scowl. Jeff is rather chipper though, teasing me right away, but I know for a fact that he’s as tired as I am. Usually late nights fast food and booze doesn’t affect me this way, but this morning I wake up feeling rather crappy. We ride the elevator in silence while I concentrate on the task of getting breakfast into my stomach.
By the time we arrive for this morning’s breakfast buffet it’s already 10.05am the breakfast area closes at 10.30, unfortunately the restaurant manager Madsa isn’t here. Replacing Madsa is his female equivalent, though she has nothing of his graces or charms. She’s antsy from the word go, a clock watcher concerned with getting us in and out as quickly as possible.
Don’t get me wrong she’s polite enough about it, it’s like this is her general demeanour, some form of anxiety twitch.
While Jeff amuses himself with some fancy eggs, I go for a plate of fresh fruit and fruit juice, eating it with my hands like a ghoul.
With time slipping away the deceleration of my own fragile universe takes another turn, everything seems to have slowed down, i’m left feeling hung, trapped in limbo, waiting for the exchange of body and soul to return, for something to register or to finally click, but it doesn’t so I just sit there on pause, motionless, like a fly stuck in outer space.
Jeff hails a waiter who fetches me black coffee, he pours it out then carefully slinks away. I sniff at the coffee suspiciously and then with some sort of pattern familiarity begin to slurp at it like it’s something to do, then my internal boggle begins to play hide and seek with my mind. It whispers - Warm, warmer, getting close, until I get the full system ready green light, my expression begins to lift, the caffeine ignites dead thought code and runs a full start-up sequence that lights up the brain circuits, which boots up my taste buds and in nano-second the congealed pit in my belly goes pop! And my appetite has returned.
My smile widens, my face is brighter with the expression of having just arrived into the new day.
Jeff says, “Good Morning”, and all I can do is smirk, I straighten up, my caffeine machine body is all-go, ready for MSG, carbon monoxide and fast food a-go-go.
“Hmm”, i ponder, “let’s get something greasy”
With moments to spare before plates of unmolested food are returned to the kitchen cold storage, I go for a couple of pan fried eggs, two hash browns, no fuck it - three, then this substitute bacon which I grab in strips. I manage to top this off with sausages and baked beans plus a croissant.
Jeff has had the waiter top up my drink of coffee but I don’t overdo it, as early morning coffee binges are an expressway to a super shotgun shit.
When I’m done I’m feeling normal, happy with my belly full, the recognition of consciousness returned and I’m ready for the day.
By the time we arrive for this morning’s breakfast buffet it’s already 10.05am the breakfast area closes at 10.30, unfortunately the restaurant manager Madsa isn’t here. Replacing Madsa is his female equivalent, though she has nothing of his graces or charms. She’s antsy from the word go, a clock watcher concerned with getting us in and out as quickly as possible.
Don’t get me wrong she’s polite enough about it, it’s like this is her general demeanour, some form of anxiety twitch.
While Jeff amuses himself with some fancy eggs, I go for a plate of fresh fruit and fruit juice, eating it with my hands like a ghoul.
With time slipping away the deceleration of my own fragile universe takes another turn, everything seems to have slowed down, i’m left feeling hung, trapped in limbo, waiting for the exchange of body and soul to return, for something to register or to finally click, but it doesn’t so I just sit there on pause, motionless, like a fly stuck in outer space.
Jeff hails a waiter who fetches me black coffee, he pours it out then carefully slinks away. I sniff at the coffee suspiciously and then with some sort of pattern familiarity begin to slurp at it like it’s something to do, then my internal boggle begins to play hide and seek with my mind. It whispers - Warm, warmer, getting close, until I get the full system ready green light, my expression begins to lift, the caffeine ignites dead thought code and runs a full start-up sequence that lights up the brain circuits, which boots up my taste buds and in nano-second the congealed pit in my belly goes pop! And my appetite has returned.
My smile widens, my face is brighter with the expression of having just arrived into the new day.
Jeff says, “Good Morning”, and all I can do is smirk, I straighten up, my caffeine machine body is all-go, ready for MSG, carbon monoxide and fast food a-go-go.
“Hmm”, i ponder, “let’s get something greasy”
With moments to spare before plates of unmolested food are returned to the kitchen cold storage, I go for a couple of pan fried eggs, two hash browns, no fuck it - three, then this substitute bacon which I grab in strips. I manage to top this off with sausages and baked beans plus a croissant.
Jeff has had the waiter top up my drink of coffee but I don’t overdo it, as early morning coffee binges are an expressway to a super shotgun shit.
When I’m done I’m feeling normal, happy with my belly full, the recognition of consciousness returned and I’m ready for the day.
We talk about going to Mid Valley Mega Mall and Sunway Lagoon, Jeff is compliant and says, ”What ya wanna do first”, reflexively we journey to the elevator to head up to the club lounge to check emails.
Upon arriving at the lounge, we find that one PC is already occupied, Jeff says, “Go on” and I use the only free PC while Jeff plants himself on the couch watching the news headlines on BBC World.
I click Gmail and see that Kelly has responded to my email from last night. I check the hidden text and see that she has replied to the last email I sent before we headed out to The Ship, so now I know that she’s up to date.
She writes:
She writes:
Boo,
Yeah, john said imbi was crap. Lo yat is much better.
How did you like the ship?
Just so I can get jealous - what are you eating for breakfast?
And are the canapés still good at cocktail hour?
How did you like the ship?
Just so I can get jealous - what are you eating for breakfast?
And are the canapés still good at cocktail hour?
Xx
I don’t hit the Reply button like I should, instead I log off and look over at Jeff hand signalling that we should switch places. While he checks his email I hop, step, stagger like a gimp with a crippled leg to the toilet and take a super sexy chocolate slidey shit from hell.
And when i’m done sending hate mail by shit express i’m kilos lighter. The acidic gnaw to my stomach lining seemingly saved by grease and black coffee and when I return Jeff is back on the couch waiting for me ready to go. “Feeling better?” he asks, “Much” I reply. I could click my fucking heels I’m feeling so good.
I don’t hit the Reply button like I should, instead I log off and look over at Jeff hand signalling that we should switch places. While he checks his email I hop, step, stagger like a gimp with a crippled leg to the toilet and take a super sexy chocolate slidey shit from hell.
And when i’m done sending hate mail by shit express i’m kilos lighter. The acidic gnaw to my stomach lining seemingly saved by grease and black coffee and when I return Jeff is back on the couch waiting for me ready to go. “Feeling better?” he asks, “Much” I reply. I could click my fucking heels I’m feeling so good.
We head downstairs and the taxi rank manager see’s us both now as familiar faces.
“Where to Sir?”
I tell the taxi rank manager that we’ve decided on Mid Valley Mega Mall, he smiles and whistle’s with a hand jibe to move the next taxi up.
But our taxi cab is a small Proton piece of shit, it’s one of the red taxis, the budget variety and the thing that I’ve had to get used to is just how small they are.
To give you some idea this version of Proton is reminiscent of Mitsubishi Magna’s from 1989, squared off and boxed but shrunk down by a small percentage.
Jeff’s had me sit in the front on almost all of our cab rides, the thought being so that I have more space to move, but that isn’t the case at all. I climb into the front seat and my knees are instantly up around my chin. I barely managed to snap click the seat belt into place, it’s a relief because sometimes I can’t do this at all. I ask the driver to move the seat back, but it is back, fully extended as far as it goes, so much so I can feel Jeff’s knees in the back of the chair.
We head out of Bukit Bintang towards Mid Valley, it’s a decent car trip, the driver says that we’ll be 25 mins or less depending on traffic, as there are different times of the day where some parts of KL are almost impossible to reach even by car. Our driver points out various palaces that are used by the 15 separate Royal families of Malaysia. We pass areas of the city that look as though the jungle might reclaim them, the vegetation is so rich, thick and a bright fresh green. Our driver gets lost for a moment thinking he could manoeuvre around the freeway and get there by an alternative route, he immediately apologises saying that he’ll adjust the cost of the fare to compensate. But we don’t care, the journey is enjoyable, well for me at least, I’m seeing the suburbs, seeing how the normal folk live, but Jeff’s getting antsy asking our driver, “How much further is it?”
When we get there the meter says it’ll be 27 ringgits, but the driver says he’ll be happy with just 22, I reach for my wallet and instead of giving him 22 ringgits I give him 30, he’s reaching to give me change, but I tell him not to worry about it. He’s shocked and grateful at the same time, I realise that he’s probably one of the few decent budget cab drivers around here so the fact that he’d even offer to adjust the meter is a sign of respect. So in turn, I reward that honesty.
“Where to Sir?”
I tell the taxi rank manager that we’ve decided on Mid Valley Mega Mall, he smiles and whistle’s with a hand jibe to move the next taxi up.
But our taxi cab is a small Proton piece of shit, it’s one of the red taxis, the budget variety and the thing that I’ve had to get used to is just how small they are.
To give you some idea this version of Proton is reminiscent of Mitsubishi Magna’s from 1989, squared off and boxed but shrunk down by a small percentage.
Jeff’s had me sit in the front on almost all of our cab rides, the thought being so that I have more space to move, but that isn’t the case at all. I climb into the front seat and my knees are instantly up around my chin. I barely managed to snap click the seat belt into place, it’s a relief because sometimes I can’t do this at all. I ask the driver to move the seat back, but it is back, fully extended as far as it goes, so much so I can feel Jeff’s knees in the back of the chair.
We head out of Bukit Bintang towards Mid Valley, it’s a decent car trip, the driver says that we’ll be 25 mins or less depending on traffic, as there are different times of the day where some parts of KL are almost impossible to reach even by car. Our driver points out various palaces that are used by the 15 separate Royal families of Malaysia. We pass areas of the city that look as though the jungle might reclaim them, the vegetation is so rich, thick and a bright fresh green. Our driver gets lost for a moment thinking he could manoeuvre around the freeway and get there by an alternative route, he immediately apologises saying that he’ll adjust the cost of the fare to compensate. But we don’t care, the journey is enjoyable, well for me at least, I’m seeing the suburbs, seeing how the normal folk live, but Jeff’s getting antsy asking our driver, “How much further is it?”
When we get there the meter says it’ll be 27 ringgits, but the driver says he’ll be happy with just 22, I reach for my wallet and instead of giving him 22 ringgits I give him 30, he’s reaching to give me change, but I tell him not to worry about it. He’s shocked and grateful at the same time, I realise that he’s probably one of the few decent budget cab drivers around here so the fact that he’d even offer to adjust the meter is a sign of respect. So in turn, I reward that honesty.
We walk into Mid Valley Mega Mall and it’s immediately massive, we wander aimlessly down from the entrance until we get to the middle, the middle ring separates the 3 floors that sit above us.
There are four connecting wings that feed back into the centre, these wings climb from ground floor all the way to the third, they are wider than any typical shopping centre wing i’ve seen at home in Perth. So by the time we get into the middle it feels like an achievement and then the realisation hits us both that we won’t even get to see half of this place before we are feeling fucked.
There are four connecting wings that feed back into the centre, these wings climb from ground floor all the way to the third, they are wider than any typical shopping centre wing i’ve seen at home in Perth. So by the time we get into the middle it feels like an achievement and then the realisation hits us both that we won’t even get to see half of this place before we are feeling fucked.
Jeff goes towards the store directory, he scans for hobbies and casually mentions stuff I might also be looking for. He asks what else is on my list and what else is wanted out of this shopping trip.
A big part of me just wants to wander around and see what comes my way, but Jeff like me, is an all purposeful male who always walks with direction. So we set out to find a hobby store chain we had visited in Times Square, they are called XL Shop.com. We find the store in a short time, along the way I window shop at Tissot and another jewellery store that has a collection of mens and ladies Ellesse watches. I see a silver sports watch, I recall this shape and size being termed as a tennis watch and I give serious consideration to buying it, but I don’t.
While wandering I walk past a Clarks store, I go inside and speak to one of male attendants about Clarks Wallabees. To my shock he knows what they are and leads me towards a pair of Wallabees on the wall display, he says that these are a sample pair, he only has a few, I mention my size and he then tells me that the ones he has left are in child sizes. I become bored and leave the store quickly and in a few moments we just keep on wandering the length of one of the wings. I tell Jeff I want to check out the Reject Shop for seconds by Ralph Lauren. I eventually find it but end up doing a quick lap inside the stores, rummage through a few clothing bins but find nothing I like and find absolutely nothing that would even fit.
A big part of me just wants to wander around and see what comes my way, but Jeff like me, is an all purposeful male who always walks with direction. So we set out to find a hobby store chain we had visited in Times Square, they are called XL Shop.com. We find the store in a short time, along the way I window shop at Tissot and another jewellery store that has a collection of mens and ladies Ellesse watches. I see a silver sports watch, I recall this shape and size being termed as a tennis watch and I give serious consideration to buying it, but I don’t.
While wandering I walk past a Clarks store, I go inside and speak to one of male attendants about Clarks Wallabees. To my shock he knows what they are and leads me towards a pair of Wallabees on the wall display, he says that these are a sample pair, he only has a few, I mention my size and he then tells me that the ones he has left are in child sizes. I become bored and leave the store quickly and in a few moments we just keep on wandering the length of one of the wings. I tell Jeff I want to check out the Reject Shop for seconds by Ralph Lauren. I eventually find it but end up doing a quick lap inside the stores, rummage through a few clothing bins but find nothing I like and find absolutely nothing that would even fit.
I come out of the Reject Shop and we decide to just find the store Jeff has been looking for.
After returning to the central point and looking at some more floor directories we figure out where the store is at and go looking for it and in about five minutes we find it and isn’t Jeff elated.
Inside XL Shop Jeff picks out Gundam kits that he did not find at the mom n’ pop hobby shop in Times Square. He’s chuckled, he says to me, “they didn’t have these kits at the other shop” he’s so pleased that he’s practically salivating. He picks out 4 large boxes and while he does this I find a small Maschine Krieger kit, a Luna Prawn, it’s a resin kit so it’s not all that cheap when I ring it up at the counter, it’s around $30 AUD, but since I really wanted some ma.K stuff just being able to find one of these kits in the flesh is a total win for me. I ask the guy who served me whether or not he can get any more Maschine Krieger kits, he says the only one that they have in stock at their main branch is another Luna Prawn. He asks where i’m based this week and says I can get it on Friday from the Times Square store if I want to, I tell him sure and that i’ll definitely grab it from there then.
After returning to the central point and looking at some more floor directories we figure out where the store is at and go looking for it and in about five minutes we find it and isn’t Jeff elated.
Inside XL Shop Jeff picks out Gundam kits that he did not find at the mom n’ pop hobby shop in Times Square. He’s chuckled, he says to me, “they didn’t have these kits at the other shop” he’s so pleased that he’s practically salivating. He picks out 4 large boxes and while he does this I find a small Maschine Krieger kit, a Luna Prawn, it’s a resin kit so it’s not all that cheap when I ring it up at the counter, it’s around $30 AUD, but since I really wanted some ma.K stuff just being able to find one of these kits in the flesh is a total win for me. I ask the guy who served me whether or not he can get any more Maschine Krieger kits, he says the only one that they have in stock at their main branch is another Luna Prawn. He asks where i’m based this week and says I can get it on Friday from the Times Square store if I want to, I tell him sure and that i’ll definitely grab it from there then.
So while I’m pretty happy with what i’ve found thus far, Jeff on the other hand is just getting warmed up. By the time he is done he has picked out 8 kits but can only pay for four with the cash he has on him. I offer to give him some of my cash but he says No and that he’ll be right with just four kits. And mind you these kits are huge in size, they are easily the length of box that you’d rent a tuxedo in, massive. So we come out of the shop and I can immediately tell that despite his tuff talk Jeff is still not satisfied. After walking no more than a few metres away from the store, he stops and turns to me and says, “Hold these and wait here”. Jeff also tells me that he’s off to find an ATM and like that, he’s gone. In less than five minutes he returns and then goes back into the store and purchases the other four kits he’d picked out.
He comes back out of shop loaded up with bags galore, there are two in each hand and then I offer to help him carry the bags i’m already holding. He’s thankful as he knows that he’s kinda overdone it. He then turns to me and says all glib, “so what you wanna do now?”
I look down at the bags i’m holding and roll my shoulders, shrugging with indication to our present carry load and realizing even as Jeff ran off to the cash machine that we’re not going to be able to do much, not now.
He comes back out of shop loaded up with bags galore, there are two in each hand and then I offer to help him carry the bags i’m already holding. He’s thankful as he knows that he’s kinda overdone it. He then turns to me and says all glib, “so what you wanna do now?”
I look down at the bags i’m holding and roll my shoulders, shrugging with indication to our present carry load and realizing even as Jeff ran off to the cash machine that we’re not going to be able to do much, not now.
So yeah, I’m pissed off, Jeff knows it, but I don’t say anything as we still have a few days left together. So I tell him I want to find F.O.S and along the way I also want to go to Metro Jaya and i’ll grab some socks and jocks and tell him that he can take a seat over at this coffee shop and i’ll swing by on the way back to the taxi rank. But No, Jeff’s insistent on not making fuss and not causing trouble and says all too reassuringly that he’ll be fine and that he’s happy to come along.
So off we go, on a hike of self interest and retail therapy, but after walking the length of just one of the wings of the shopping centre and after going up and down a few times to find the men’s level of Metro Jaya Jeff is obviously tired. But me, i’m not tired, I still have the passion to walk for an hour or more but with this arm load of hobby kits that’s all but been ruled that out.
So off we go, on a hike of self interest and retail therapy, but after walking the length of just one of the wings of the shopping centre and after going up and down a few times to find the men’s level of Metro Jaya Jeff is obviously tired. But me, i’m not tired, I still have the passion to walk for an hour or more but with this arm load of hobby kits that’s all but been ruled that out.
At Metro Jaya I leave Jeff to rest on a bench that is next door to a busy hairdresser salon and I go into Metro Jaya and spend the next 15 minutes hunting around for a pair of boat shoes, socks and jocks. I don’t find a lot of good stuff, one pair of Byford’s, some socks by Hush Puppies, these are cool as they have individual toes sewn into the socks, I buy a three pack and then choose another pair of business socks by Jockey. And come out of there frustrated that might be all I have to show for this shopping trip, oh and the small resin hobby kit.
After Metro Jaya I pick up Jeff from the bench seat by the salon and he’s fuming, a lot of kids were running around and obviously all this mayhem gave him the shits. He’s even more pissed off when I say let’s press on towards the other end of this wing as there is a F.O.S (Factory Outlet Store) that I want to see. At this point Jeff can barely conceal his frustration, all he wants to do is go back to the hotel and i’m not letting him off the hook as all i’d really wanted to do here for the best half of the morning was to wander around and discover cool shit as we go, but there’s zero chance of that happening now.
After Metro Jaya I pick up Jeff from the bench seat by the salon and he’s fuming, a lot of kids were running around and obviously all this mayhem gave him the shits. He’s even more pissed off when I say let’s press on towards the other end of this wing as there is a F.O.S (Factory Outlet Store) that I want to see. At this point Jeff can barely conceal his frustration, all he wants to do is go back to the hotel and i’m not letting him off the hook as all i’d really wanted to do here for the best half of the morning was to wander around and discover cool shit as we go, but there’s zero chance of that happening now.
By the time we get to F.O.S Jeff’s grinding his teeth, I ignore this and go inside looking and hoping to find some Ralph Lauren seconds. This time I don’t even bother searching the bins and ask a store attendant for the Ralph Lauren and I’m pointed towards this rack in front of the cashiers area where I can find a small polo’s. And the layout is exactly the same as it was in the F.O.S at Times Square and
it’s certainly no surprise that the RL Polo’s here are again in bright awful colours and at least two sizes too small for my figure. I’m pissed off, I walk out and find Jeff and tell him let’s go.
it’s certainly no surprise that the RL Polo’s here are again in bright awful colours and at least two sizes too small for my figure. I’m pissed off, I walk out and find Jeff and tell him let’s go.
Jeff’s tired as am I but he knows I’m pissed off and he knows that a part of that his doing, so he stops me and says, “let’s sit down for a second”. So we sit down and he asks what else I felt like looking at before we leave and I say that all I really want to see is the top floor before we go and despite as tired as what he obviously is Jeff is happy with this arrangement and we go.
We trudge up escalators and then find the top section that seems to be littered with sports stores, I see a Nike store, similar to the one I saw at KLCC, I see Adidas similar to the one I saw at Pavilion and other sporting stores that are the Jim Kidd variety like we get in Perth, a mixture of many sports brands all mashed together in one store chain. But I don’t go into any of these. I know that from our experience in going into Adidas at Pavilion that nothing here besides footwear will fit, so I don’t even bother. We wander until we’re almost at the end of the top floor and then we find a series of toy and hobby stores we’d not even seen listed on the store directory. Jeff claims that he’d seen these on the floor map but I certainly didn’t. I go into one that sells tonnes of Manga anime and then one directly next door which turns out to be cheap imported Chinese toys. We saw heaps of these types of toy stores in Times Square, they sell a lot of cheap crappy fighting remotes and really badly made remote control cars. We wander in and we wander out in a heartbeat. I’m going my fastest until I see a reasonable looking toy store across the corridor. As a part of the signage there is a large picture of a military diorama that serves as a border running across the front face of the store. I love this signage as it looks exactly like a diorama I’d like to build someday.
I go into this toy store and things are looking promising when I see a few hobby kits on the wall, but sadly not one of these are military, they are all either cars or modern planes, but nothing military. I walk out after a quick scan and as I’m looking around I see another store tucked into the corner of this row of stores with a huge Warhammer 40,000 poster in the window. On closer inspection this store gives up it’s secrets to reveal itself as some reclusive RPG store. I go inside and notice role play gamers crowded around card tables talking high level strats and snickering about geek stuff. I overhear some of it as the game they are discussing is another role playing game that i’ve heard of but not bought into as of yet which is called – Flames of War. It’s a WW2 based RPG and it seems to be getting more popular year to year.
I wander around the store, casually scanning the cabinets for rule sets, hoping to find some vintage WH40K or Shadow Run, but instead i’m drawn over to the Flames of War rules and infantry sets. The Flames of War infantry kits are scaled in 15mm, they come in variety of troop allotments depending on the type of army you’re wanting to build. I examine a few different kits closely and even while I’m not sure that I wanna get into 15mm RPG, as I’d only just started collecting 28mm earlier on in the year, I decide that I’ll take the risk but promise myself that I won’t spend a lot. I choose a British paratrooper regiment; the box boasts over 150 pieces so for my money’s worth it’s not such a risky venture. I can’t recall the exact price but I don’t lose an arm or leg over it, I make my purchase and the store attendant offers advice on building my first army and I listen while he bags it up and hands me a catalogue for their 2010 range. I say thanks to the RPG store owner and my interest has been met, Jeff meets me outside the store asking me what I settled on, I show him the box set, he says “Cool” and then I say, “let’s get the fuck outta here”.
I go into this toy store and things are looking promising when I see a few hobby kits on the wall, but sadly not one of these are military, they are all either cars or modern planes, but nothing military. I walk out after a quick scan and as I’m looking around I see another store tucked into the corner of this row of stores with a huge Warhammer 40,000 poster in the window. On closer inspection this store gives up it’s secrets to reveal itself as some reclusive RPG store. I go inside and notice role play gamers crowded around card tables talking high level strats and snickering about geek stuff. I overhear some of it as the game they are discussing is another role playing game that i’ve heard of but not bought into as of yet which is called – Flames of War. It’s a WW2 based RPG and it seems to be getting more popular year to year.
I wander around the store, casually scanning the cabinets for rule sets, hoping to find some vintage WH40K or Shadow Run, but instead i’m drawn over to the Flames of War rules and infantry sets. The Flames of War infantry kits are scaled in 15mm, they come in variety of troop allotments depending on the type of army you’re wanting to build. I examine a few different kits closely and even while I’m not sure that I wanna get into 15mm RPG, as I’d only just started collecting 28mm earlier on in the year, I decide that I’ll take the risk but promise myself that I won’t spend a lot. I choose a British paratrooper regiment; the box boasts over 150 pieces so for my money’s worth it’s not such a risky venture. I can’t recall the exact price but I don’t lose an arm or leg over it, I make my purchase and the store attendant offers advice on building my first army and I listen while he bags it up and hands me a catalogue for their 2010 range. I say thanks to the RPG store owner and my interest has been met, Jeff meets me outside the store asking me what I settled on, I show him the box set, he says “Cool” and then I say, “let’s get the fuck outta here”.
We trace our way back to the same taxi rank which is at the same entrance we came into the shopping centre from. We decide to sit down on the bench seat in the shade. A few budget taxis pass by but we don’t even bother to hail one, we’re holding out for a premium taxi, a blue one, as at this point in the day I really can’t be fucked having my knees up around my chin in a confined space.
After waiting for about 15 minutes there seems to be no other choice but to ride in one of these red taxis, though this time I manage to climb into the back seat and sit in the middle with the seat beat off. I’m feeling kinda out of it, I look out the window watching the world slide on by, the jungle, the urban sprawl, the way it all comes together, the rich palaces and the slums, the tall trees and apartment towers, the juxtaposition is both tragic and beautiful all at once.
When we pull up onto the driveway of the hotel Jeff pulls out his wallet all too eager to pay, he pulls out a fist of $1 bills and immediately begins counting this off slowly, like a child counts numbers for hide n’ seek, “one, two three...” as he does this I watch the cab drivers face, he’s captivated by it, almost salivating as Jeff continues to count. At this point I’ve managed to slide out of the back seat and I need to get the bags out of the booth, I call out – “lil’ help?” and reflectively the cab driver hits the boot release button but doesn’t shift his posture or gaze from the roll of cash Jeff is counting off for him. I shrug, saying to myself, “fuck it” and I go to the boot and take out all the bags, as I do this i’m also fucking seething. I’m watching Jeff through the back wind screen, watching him sitting there with the money, watching the cab driver drooling at the sight of it, and then when he’s almost at the end of his big fat roll of one’s Jeff also says, “fuck it” and hands the driver the entire roll of money. The cab driver can hardly believe his delight, he begins counting off the money, as he does this Jeff climbs out of the cab carefully.
When we pull up onto the driveway of the hotel Jeff pulls out his wallet all too eager to pay, he pulls out a fist of $1 bills and immediately begins counting this off slowly, like a child counts numbers for hide n’ seek, “one, two three...” as he does this I watch the cab drivers face, he’s captivated by it, almost salivating as Jeff continues to count. At this point I’ve managed to slide out of the back seat and I need to get the bags out of the booth, I call out – “lil’ help?” and reflectively the cab driver hits the boot release button but doesn’t shift his posture or gaze from the roll of cash Jeff is counting off for him. I shrug, saying to myself, “fuck it” and I go to the boot and take out all the bags, as I do this i’m also fucking seething. I’m watching Jeff through the back wind screen, watching him sitting there with the money, watching the cab driver drooling at the sight of it, and then when he’s almost at the end of his big fat roll of one’s Jeff also says, “fuck it” and hands the driver the entire roll of money. The cab driver can hardly believe his delight, he begins counting off the money, as he does this Jeff climbs out of the cab carefully.
He steps over to me wrestling with all of the bags, he says, “here let me get those” he takes more than half of what I’ve got. We walk over to the sliding doors which is the entrance of the hotel, one of the door concierge’s says, “a big day gentlemen” indicating towards the shopping bags and Jeff smiles with delight and then turns to me and says, “look” while pointing back towards the cab driver. The cab driver stops counting the ream of money and his facial expression then twists into a horrible grimace like he’s been punched in the gut and it’s then that I know that he’s just received a business card from dear Jeff.
We stop at the lounge bar downstairs for a beverage, Jeff buys beers and we nibble at snack foods and don’t say much. Jeff mucks around with his boxes and I drink taking huge gulps. And in this moment the tension or whatever ill-conceived feelings I have felt that earlier that morning, feelings that might have left me feeling hung, pissed off or whatever are lifted, gone.
When we finish our drinks I feel more relaxed as we ride the elevator up to our rooms, I help Jeff with his bags to his room, where he asks me what i’m going to do now and I say, “i dunno” and then cross the hall to my room. I go to the mini bar and look for the Carlsberg that isn’t there, I’ve got the taste for it so I decide to do a 7-11 run, so I grab my room key and go back into the hall, I think to knock on Jeff’s door but I don’t and instead go back down stairs to the 7-11.
We stop at the lounge bar downstairs for a beverage, Jeff buys beers and we nibble at snack foods and don’t say much. Jeff mucks around with his boxes and I drink taking huge gulps. And in this moment the tension or whatever ill-conceived feelings I have felt that earlier that morning, feelings that might have left me feeling hung, pissed off or whatever are lifted, gone.
When we finish our drinks I feel more relaxed as we ride the elevator up to our rooms, I help Jeff with his bags to his room, where he asks me what i’m going to do now and I say, “i dunno” and then cross the hall to my room. I go to the mini bar and look for the Carlsberg that isn’t there, I’ve got the taste for it so I decide to do a 7-11 run, so I grab my room key and go back into the hall, I think to knock on Jeff’s door but I don’t and instead go back down stairs to the 7-11.
Upon my return from the 7-11 I don’t go back to my room and instead head upstairs to the club lounge to check my emails and write a reply to Kelly from this morning’s email.
Hi Kel,
Hi Kel,
I've left this email until pretty late today, kind of a mixed day.
The shopping today was over at Mid Valley Mall, we saw a fair amount of it.
To my regret we didn't get to see 1Utama or Sunway Pyramid Mall, or the Sunway Lagoon.
The shopping today was over at Mid Valley Mall, we saw a fair amount of it.
To my regret we didn't get to see 1Utama or Sunway Pyramid Mall, or the Sunway Lagoon.
The reason for that I suppose came out of Jeff's enormous greed for model kits, which i wholly endorse. He bought 8 big big boxes of models and i had to help cart them around.
He did this before we really got started so it killed the expedition.
He did this before we really got started so it killed the expedition.
When we came back to the hotel we had a few drinks downstairs in the lounge and he could tell I was frustrated. I was kinda pissed off, not at him entirely, more so that if you're going to grab big boxes please do it last.
I did get to go into Metro Jaya department store and I bought more socks and jocks.
I saw some great hobby stores but still didn't find a lot of stuff that took my fancy.
I saw some great hobby stores but still didn't find a lot of stuff that took my fancy.
It's 4.40pm and the arvo drinks haven't begun as yet.
But yeah, in answer to your question the canapés are still fantastic.
But yeah, in answer to your question the canapés are still fantastic.
Planning to hit BB plaza either Friday or again tonite.
I'm going to pester Jeff to come out tonite to Lot 10 so I can check out Istean a bit more and maybe we’ll find Star Hill.
I'm going to pester Jeff to come out tonite to Lot 10 so I can check out Istean a bit more and maybe we’ll find Star Hill.
Tomorrow (Thursday) is planned for Petaling street and China Town.
Friday, my last day, back to BB Plaza and Sungai Wang. (For your beans, no problem)
For dinner tonite we're going to have the international buffet here again, that will make twice now.
We started going downstairs for our breakfasts over these last two days, so many more good choices.
So all in all this has been great, I came here to shop and I'm doing it but the stuff I’ve gone after is more accessories and stuff I wouldn’t normally go after as keenly.
Still it is a lot of fun finding cool stuff. Upper body garments and pants are best left to purchase in Australia I think, though the two Lacoste polo’s I got made me really happy as packed very lightly so it help balance out my wardrobe.
Friday, my last day, back to BB Plaza and Sungai Wang. (For your beans, no problem)
For dinner tonite we're going to have the international buffet here again, that will make twice now.
We started going downstairs for our breakfasts over these last two days, so many more good choices.
So all in all this has been great, I came here to shop and I'm doing it but the stuff I’ve gone after is more accessories and stuff I wouldn’t normally go after as keenly.
Still it is a lot of fun finding cool stuff. Upper body garments and pants are best left to purchase in Australia I think, though the two Lacoste polo’s I got made me really happy as packed very lightly so it help balance out my wardrobe.
Oh yeah we went to the Ship last nite, we went to the one across the road from the hotel.
The steaks were cool, I ordered tiger king prawns and they were fantastic.
We also drank 1 litre pints of Carlsberg which was cool.
The steaks were cool, I ordered tiger king prawns and they were fantastic.
We also drank 1 litre pints of Carlsberg which was cool.
I'd better go, my drinks I just bought from the 7-11 are prolly getting warm.
I'll write you tomorrow,
Take care.
After completing my email I head back to my room for a bit of rancho relaxo, I stretch out on the bed and switch on the TV. I watch some local TV program which bores me so I flick over to Star movies and catch the ending of some teenage sorority horror flick. I grab a semi-cold Carlsberg from out of the mini bar and spend some time mucking about with my new Samsung camera. I take photos from the window and snap off other pictures of the room itself. I hear the phone ring but I ignore it. I think we need some time apart. If he asks later I’ll say I was dozing. I work on my list of things to get and I’m pretty pleased with what’s been found so far and less disappointed in the things that aren’t.
The thing I was hinting at with my email to my sister was that the list of things that I wanted to find here are certainly items of clothing I would someday like to own, but in the process of not finding these things so many other things that I could never have imagined have come my way, there have been so many new things discovered that I could never have found any other way than by the method of discovery I have undertaken on this trip. I am so grateful for all this cool stuff, things obviously I always wanted to pick up back home back couldn’t afford.
So far I’m enjoying the change from the routine of work, chilling out every day, eating healthy and eating new food, showering for more than ten minutes at a time, clean sheets every day, afternoon eye openers with dinner in restaurants with money to spare. Oh and love the 7-11’s, I used to be a fan of these when I lived in Melbourne, so handy and so cheap, these chaps have kept me in a steady supply of beer and crisps, god bless ‘em.
After short stint of chillaxing in my room, I call Jeff and ask if he wants to come back up to the lounge. On the ride up he asks, “Did you hear me calling before”, I lie and say “No”, chuckling to myself, paybacks a bitch. We go up to the Club lounge and are lucky enough to get on the PC’s straight away. When I click Gmail I notice that Kelly has already responded to my last email.
So far I’m enjoying the change from the routine of work, chilling out every day, eating healthy and eating new food, showering for more than ten minutes at a time, clean sheets every day, afternoon eye openers with dinner in restaurants with money to spare. Oh and love the 7-11’s, I used to be a fan of these when I lived in Melbourne, so handy and so cheap, these chaps have kept me in a steady supply of beer and crisps, god bless ‘em.
After short stint of chillaxing in my room, I call Jeff and ask if he wants to come back up to the lounge. On the ride up he asks, “Did you hear me calling before”, I lie and say “No”, chuckling to myself, paybacks a bitch. We go up to the Club lounge and are lucky enough to get on the PC’s straight away. When I click Gmail I notice that Kelly has already responded to my last email.
Boo,
ha ha, how inconsiderate of Jeff :) .... its like buying your showbags at the Royal Show the MINUTE you get there, and then lugging them around all day ...
ha ha, how inconsiderate of Jeff :) .... its like buying your showbags at the Royal Show the MINUTE you get there, and then lugging them around all day ...
As for thing for coffee bean i want - it is french vanilla POWDER - it is not coffee. there are many coffee beans around KL but the one in the basement of BB plaza is the only one i have found that sells this. it is in a purple-ish container. i love it, and since i am growing a foetus, i can't have coffee OR booze (bloody hell), so the vanilla power would be great, if you can get it. promise i will make you a milkshake with it if you get it for me - it is GRRRRRRRRRRRR amazing.
have you been to parkson grand yet at the pavillion? i have bought quite a few things there.
glad to hear you are enjoying downstairs breakfast ......mmmmmmmm..... am so jealous!! have a waffle for me please with extra maple syrup and cream
i always get the chicken kiev at The Ship, but john gorges himself on steak every time ... ha ha
when you go to china town tomorrow (petaling street), try and go at night. it is very hot, and is much better at night. you get the true feel for it. just chill tomorrow, and save your energy for tomorrow night
glad to hear you are having a good time.
you have probably heard by now that celeste had her bub last night?
you have probably heard by now that celeste had her bub last night?
Xx
I don’t write back immediately and instead we skip the canapés and sundowners and head down stairs to the buffet but when we get there we discover that the restaurant doesn’t open for another hour and half. We’re caught in the situation of what to do, do we go upstairs for a few drinks or do we go back out, we opt for the later but instead of cabbing it, we walk.
The sun is sitting low and soon twilight is upon us, we get to the intersection of Bukit Bintang and watch a trio of street performers dressed in different shades of glitter, they’re covered in it, their clothes and faces, all the same tinge of metallic glitter, they sing in wiry ebbs of electronic and are popping body moves to the beat. We don’t stay long but it’s long enough to be able to appreciate the effort.
The sun is sitting low and soon twilight is upon us, we get to the intersection of Bukit Bintang and watch a trio of street performers dressed in different shades of glitter, they’re covered in it, their clothes and faces, all the same tinge of metallic glitter, they sing in wiry ebbs of electronic and are popping body moves to the beat. We don’t stay long but it’s long enough to be able to appreciate the effort.
We head towards Fahrenheit 88 walking the past Lot10, sidewalk cafes and stop every once in a while to ask locals if they know if we’re heading in the right direction towards Star Hill. By the time we get there we’re in sort of disbelief, the whole building is covered in scaffolding and green tarp. We walk half way down a connecting side street to see if there’s another entrance that might be open for late night trading, but there isn’t and it’s a disappointment that this place is undergoing renovations as I’d badly wanted to see it. I sigh and say, ”Ah well maybe next time”
We walk back to the hotel, restaurants that dot the connecting streets to the hotel have women plying menu’s out the front, these gals ain’t too bad, they try to lure us inside promising beer and all the food we could want, but we smile waving their menu’s politely away.
We don’t go back to our rooms, instead we make a pit stop to the lounge bar and see if Emma is around, to our immediate surprise she calls out to us, Emma is tending bar and she waves us hello. We stop and have a Carlsberg and she comes on over for a friendly chat but doesn’t linger. We only have one round and then we’re off to the restaurant for the international buffet.
Dinner this evening is a casual affair, I’m laid back in a Lacoste polo and my greasy denim jeans, my carefree devil may care attitude in check, the world is right with me and I with it….. or maybe it’s the beer talking.
When we get to the international buffet we’re greeted by a different restaurant manager and we’re immediately disappointed to find that Madsa is not here tonite. Regardless I’m feeling good, I circle the pontoon buffet and try out some roast meat and jacket potatoes and a side plate of fresh fruit. I should mention how the fruit is always available in such large abundance at every meal and since I’m largely unaccustomed to having as readily available I take every opportunity to eat it in lavish amounts.
I head back to table and Jeff has gone for pasta and has ordered a glass of Coke on the side, he asks me if I want a Coke but I don’t like fizzy drinks during my meal. Convinced I’m onto a good thing I take a few bites into my meal and quickly discover that the meat is cold and that the potatoes haven’t been cooked right. I push the plate aside, get up and go for three different curries with yellow Jasmine rice. I come back to the table and find that my plate has been cleared, Jeff has let the waiter know that the meal was not cooked which is why it is wasted. I tuck into the curry and it’s almost as good as it was two nights ago and I’m glad I went for the curries as they’re always so satisfying.
We walk back to the hotel, restaurants that dot the connecting streets to the hotel have women plying menu’s out the front, these gals ain’t too bad, they try to lure us inside promising beer and all the food we could want, but we smile waving their menu’s politely away.
We don’t go back to our rooms, instead we make a pit stop to the lounge bar and see if Emma is around, to our immediate surprise she calls out to us, Emma is tending bar and she waves us hello. We stop and have a Carlsberg and she comes on over for a friendly chat but doesn’t linger. We only have one round and then we’re off to the restaurant for the international buffet.
Dinner this evening is a casual affair, I’m laid back in a Lacoste polo and my greasy denim jeans, my carefree devil may care attitude in check, the world is right with me and I with it….. or maybe it’s the beer talking.
When we get to the international buffet we’re greeted by a different restaurant manager and we’re immediately disappointed to find that Madsa is not here tonite. Regardless I’m feeling good, I circle the pontoon buffet and try out some roast meat and jacket potatoes and a side plate of fresh fruit. I should mention how the fruit is always available in such large abundance at every meal and since I’m largely unaccustomed to having as readily available I take every opportunity to eat it in lavish amounts.
I head back to table and Jeff has gone for pasta and has ordered a glass of Coke on the side, he asks me if I want a Coke but I don’t like fizzy drinks during my meal. Convinced I’m onto a good thing I take a few bites into my meal and quickly discover that the meat is cold and that the potatoes haven’t been cooked right. I push the plate aside, get up and go for three different curries with yellow Jasmine rice. I come back to the table and find that my plate has been cleared, Jeff has let the waiter know that the meal was not cooked which is why it is wasted. I tuck into the curry and it’s almost as good as it was two nights ago and I’m glad I went for the curries as they’re always so satisfying.
The waiter is making laps of our table as we seem to be the only people seated on this side of the restaurant, he manages to top up my glass after a single gulp each and every time I do so. It isn’t annoying as you might think, it’s a game to me and I let him do his thing. Out of the corner of my eye I see one of the duty managers here tonite hovering, this doesn’t bother me too much, I only wish they had as much class as what Madsa does. Madsa is one customer friendly & savvy gentleman, he knows how to look after a person, how to treat them well and how to make them feel special.
By the time i’m onto seconds my bladder is full, I walk to the toilet which hangs off behind the restaurants cashiers desk, the manager watches me with suspicion and is certain I’m about to do a runner, she tenses up and she’s ready to pounce, that is until I hang a right and walk to the toilet.
The toilets are ok, no piss trays to my relief, instead individuals ceramic piss bowls hang off the wall with auto flush sensors that activate as you walk away, nice. There’s a few stalls and the lighting is subtle with dark marbled titling from the floor to the ceiling. I mention the toilets for aesthetical purposes only, you’ll find out why later.
When I return I hover around one of the pontoons checking out the two soups they have on special, I go for a Tom Yum soup which isn’t too bad except that it’s cold. I get half way done and then start with the mini deserts. The mini deserts have been placed into small glass cups that are slightly less than half the size of a tumbler glass, it’s a good portion as I’m able to try more than four of these without feeling like I’ve overdosed on sweets. While I’m getting into a chocolate mousse Jeff mentions how he’d like to upper decker the buffet toilet, and I nearly gag at the thought.
He’s got that look on his face that reads, “Challenge accepted” and off he goes to do you know what.
By the time i’m onto seconds my bladder is full, I walk to the toilet which hangs off behind the restaurants cashiers desk, the manager watches me with suspicion and is certain I’m about to do a runner, she tenses up and she’s ready to pounce, that is until I hang a right and walk to the toilet.
The toilets are ok, no piss trays to my relief, instead individuals ceramic piss bowls hang off the wall with auto flush sensors that activate as you walk away, nice. There’s a few stalls and the lighting is subtle with dark marbled titling from the floor to the ceiling. I mention the toilets for aesthetical purposes only, you’ll find out why later.
When I return I hover around one of the pontoons checking out the two soups they have on special, I go for a Tom Yum soup which isn’t too bad except that it’s cold. I get half way done and then start with the mini deserts. The mini deserts have been placed into small glass cups that are slightly less than half the size of a tumbler glass, it’s a good portion as I’m able to try more than four of these without feeling like I’ve overdosed on sweets. While I’m getting into a chocolate mousse Jeff mentions how he’d like to upper decker the buffet toilet, and I nearly gag at the thought.
He’s got that look on his face that reads, “Challenge accepted” and off he goes to do you know what.
When he returns he’s ever so keen to get the fuck outta there and so am I. He tells me that he’s paid for our meals already which was thoughtful and unexpected and we head over to elevator to ride the lift up to our rooms. He asks me if I want a beer, but I’m too stuffed from dinner and after the day we’ve had I really can’t be fucked. As we ride the elevator to the Club Room floor our journey is interrupted by some kids who are running about. While I’m not looking Jeff points at my belly and makes the kids laugh, I roll my eyes knowing this is deflection for his own enormous girth as he’s as fat as I am and he bloody well knows it.
I say goodnight as we get back to our rooms, he asks if I wanna come over and drink beer in his room and watch him build a Gundam kit and I say, Nah, and walk to my room.
I say goodnight as we get back to our rooms, he asks if I wanna come over and drink beer in his room and watch him build a Gundam kit and I say, Nah, and walk to my room.
Inside my room I throw off my polo and kick off my shoes. I open the black out blinds from the parting down the middle and open them half way across the span of the windows. While doing this I notice that the bed is already turned down and I smile appreciatively. I love room service and these little things. While stripping down to my Byford’ss I take a bottle of water and guzzle a mouthful and then go off in search of the beers i’d brought home earlier in the day. Along the way I grab some Pringles and make it over to the single sofa seat with the TV remote and from the bureau I grab my lists of wants and a pencil.
I switch on the TV and tune into some movie that i’m sure i’ve seen before and i’m instantly relieved to find out that this movie is thankfully Nicolas Cage free. I guzzle Carlsberg from the teeny weeny little green cans, I smash handfuls of chips and skim todays newspaper which is on a small marble table by the window. In this position I have it all, the night sky with a view out onto Bukit Bintang, some straight to video movie on the tube, a beer in my hand, chips, the newspaper and a list of desires and dreams. I’m happy, so happy I decide to have another beer and consider a valium chaser for a little extra twist. I get half way through the second beer and I’m full again and now I gotta get up and piss. I saunter over to my bedside table and put down the beer. Inside the lav I perform a decent squat thrust over the toilet bowl which produces a number 2# on the Bristol stool chart and suddenly I’m reminded of what might be floating in the cistern of the restaurant downstairs.
I stumble back to my bed switching off lights as I go, I leave the TV on and slide into bed easily. I manage a few slurps at the beer that is warming with beads of condensation making puddles on my bedside table. A single yellow D5 pill sits there waiting for me as a reminder if I want to dose up, it’s an afterthought as I sip beer and try working out the plot line of the movie I’ve walked half way in on, but it doesn’t matter, I won’t need any assistance falling asleep or relaxing anymore tonite and soon I roll onto my side with my head propped up by pillows and fall asleep to the sounds of a car chase and desperate criminals.
No comments:
Post a Comment