MONDAY
Starship Troopers
Part Four of Sister-kind
Part Four of Sister-kind
That night after emails I say goodnight to Jeff and I head back to my room to take another shower, afterwards I try on the complimentary robe and discover that it’s almost child size, so I ditch it. Before closing the blackout curtains I stand by the glass windows naked with my dick out looking out onto Bukit Bintang. Perspiring in my hand is a cold can of Carlsberg, I rub my eyes, then working my hand across my face feeling the two day growth. I’m tired and certain that I probably over did it. I switch on Star Movies and Starship Troopers is starting up, I smile appreciatively, I make it up to the scene where Johnny Rico is given administrative punishment and after the third lash I black out.
Needless to say on that first day in KL we overdid it with the walking around Bukit Bintang.
My bones creaked and I had a slight buzz of a head ache. I blame the new bed and the unfamiliar pillows. I prop myself up and turn on the TV, what’s weird is that Starship Troopers is still playing and it’s picked up from a scene or two after I’d passed out. This pleases me and I start to get comfy but in less than 15 minutes my morning glory wood appears and it’s time to roll out of bed.
After urinating into the low height toilet bowl I manage to bundle myself into the shower and proceed to rub one out to earn the merit badge of – Masturbating in a Foreign Country.
By around 9-ish I’m dressed in a new shirt and pants, I call Jeff’s room and thankfully he’s been ready for the last hour just lying around watching TV, guess what movie he’s been watching.
We head up upstairs for breakfast and Jeff and I order a full cooked breakfast that comes complete with sunny side up eggs, some weird type of substitute for bacon, toast, sausages, baked beans, a hash brown and a fried tomato. I scoff it down quickly, guzzling huge portions of the orange and mango juice combo Jeff has introduced me to the previous day. I go to the side buffet table and choose a selection of fresh fruit. Looking around the club lounge this morning I notice that there is a few more guests and then I notice that Kiki is here. Kiki must be working a double shift, he’s here attending another table and see’s us both and smiles casually. He comes on over to say “good morning” and makes a special effort to clear our plates. While he’s doing this he asks if we would like some more? Jeff looks at me and says, “Do you want another helping?” I say, “Sure” and in less than 10 minutes another full cooked breakfast is in front of me. To my surprise by the time we’re done with our seconds of breakfast I wipe my mouth with a cloth napkin, thoroughly satisfied that I managed to eat the whole thing and now I am feeling nice and full.
We sit there for a little while; Jeff is full to bursting and needs a minute before we head off.
While soaking up the relaxation of the private club lounge I can’t help but notice a middle aged woman who is being escorted this morning by a handsome young African man. He’s possibly 18 or just in his 20’s, he looks as though he’s never shaven. My imagination goes wild and in watching the dynamic between the woman and the young man I suppose he’s there as her “guest”. This intrigue is further fuelled after the woman ducks off to the toilet and the young man is approached by the club desk concierge. I overhear something in their conversation like, “you were here last week with…” but I don’t get the other half of what’s being said. The young man’s body language seems to indicate that he’s been put on the defensive here and the concierge’s gestures seem to be somewhat accusing. A few moments later the woman returns and the concierge is abruptly startled and slinks away without making eye contact.
Needless to say on that first day in KL we overdid it with the walking around Bukit Bintang.
My bones creaked and I had a slight buzz of a head ache. I blame the new bed and the unfamiliar pillows. I prop myself up and turn on the TV, what’s weird is that Starship Troopers is still playing and it’s picked up from a scene or two after I’d passed out. This pleases me and I start to get comfy but in less than 15 minutes my morning glory wood appears and it’s time to roll out of bed.
After urinating into the low height toilet bowl I manage to bundle myself into the shower and proceed to rub one out to earn the merit badge of – Masturbating in a Foreign Country.
By around 9-ish I’m dressed in a new shirt and pants, I call Jeff’s room and thankfully he’s been ready for the last hour just lying around watching TV, guess what movie he’s been watching.
We head up upstairs for breakfast and Jeff and I order a full cooked breakfast that comes complete with sunny side up eggs, some weird type of substitute for bacon, toast, sausages, baked beans, a hash brown and a fried tomato. I scoff it down quickly, guzzling huge portions of the orange and mango juice combo Jeff has introduced me to the previous day. I go to the side buffet table and choose a selection of fresh fruit. Looking around the club lounge this morning I notice that there is a few more guests and then I notice that Kiki is here. Kiki must be working a double shift, he’s here attending another table and see’s us both and smiles casually. He comes on over to say “good morning” and makes a special effort to clear our plates. While he’s doing this he asks if we would like some more? Jeff looks at me and says, “Do you want another helping?” I say, “Sure” and in less than 10 minutes another full cooked breakfast is in front of me. To my surprise by the time we’re done with our seconds of breakfast I wipe my mouth with a cloth napkin, thoroughly satisfied that I managed to eat the whole thing and now I am feeling nice and full.
We sit there for a little while; Jeff is full to bursting and needs a minute before we head off.
While soaking up the relaxation of the private club lounge I can’t help but notice a middle aged woman who is being escorted this morning by a handsome young African man. He’s possibly 18 or just in his 20’s, he looks as though he’s never shaven. My imagination goes wild and in watching the dynamic between the woman and the young man I suppose he’s there as her “guest”. This intrigue is further fuelled after the woman ducks off to the toilet and the young man is approached by the club desk concierge. I overhear something in their conversation like, “you were here last week with…” but I don’t get the other half of what’s being said. The young man’s body language seems to indicate that he’s been put on the defensive here and the concierge’s gestures seem to be somewhat accusing. A few moments later the woman returns and the concierge is abruptly startled and slinks away without making eye contact.
I realise Jeff has been watching too, I say, “What the fuck is going on here?”
We get up and then head over to the desktop computers and Jeff checks his bank account and I post another email home.
Dear P-Sissy,
We get up and then head over to the desktop computers and Jeff checks his bank account and I post another email home.
Dear P-Sissy,
This morning i got up lazyily and ate bacon and eggs in the lounge then went out front and got a taxi seriously cbf with walking, save the legs for the actual malls we went out to Times Square today, it's kinda pricey there
Jeff loved the model/hobby stores, he spent 530RM in one hit, but with the cost saving of around abut a few hundred AUD when we were on the taxi rank i went into the 7/11 and scored some Carlsberg cans for 8.50RM each we're planning on return to Lot 10 this arvo and also checking out Imbi Plaza.
Hopefully we can find a way of getting over to Fahrenheit again so I can pick up Dads Casio "Riseman" watch tonite we're going to try the international buffet here at the hotel after the arvo drinks
Right this minute it's almost afternoon tea for the 2.30pm snacks.
I did go to Bata later after writing that email last nite, got a pair of bata's for work at 59RM, so cheap. Okay i'll sign off now, I finally was able to use an ATM and get some dollars off my normal CBA savings account which was a tremendous relief.
I did go to Bata later after writing that email last nite, got a pair of bata's for work at 59RM, so cheap. Okay i'll sign off now, I finally was able to use an ATM and get some dollars off my normal CBA savings account which was a tremendous relief.
I gotta go, talk soon.
Regards,
Brosef
We go back to our rooms but don’t actually stay there for long and decide to head out to find an ATM cash machine. Jeff and I both need to cash up as our run of Aussie currency has been already exchanged and mostly spent. We head out onto the street and walk down around the back way into the Pavilion. I notice good looking well-dressed Asian teenagers hanging out on the stairs leading into the Pavilion, they smoke cigarettes and laugh amongst themselves.
We walk past a series of coffee stores and on the edge of this outdoor extension is a corner positioned bank, covered in clear glass panels making the whole space appear as transparent. The ATM’s for this bank are located on the inside, so as I reach for the door, a gun totting doorman retracts the door for me. I’m impressed at his candour, he’s dressed in a nice gray suit, his hair is similarly coloured in salt n’ pepper tones, slicked back into long streaks. His all white moustache is another feature that is marvelling, he wears it pointed at the corners like tiny antlers, whereas the main part of his moustache that covers his top lip is thick and full. He smiles and says, “Good Morning Sir” I smile back noticing the shotgun in his hand running up against the side of his leg and nervously return, “Good Morning” right back at him, while smiling bleakly. I use the ATM and decide to go for an even amount of 800RM. Cashed up once again I determine that a run of 800RM should be fine for today’s shopping. We wander through an alfresco area of the Pav which reminds me of the sunlit coffee shop arcades in the intersecting streets around Melbourne’s Bourke and Collins streets.
At this point my memory of the following events are a little hazy I know we wander around the Pavilion ever so briefly and then go about returning to the hotel, deciding to do so on the account of consuming two breakfasts. We go home to the hotel so Jeff can take a snap, the familiarity of using your own throne is prevalent for most people, we do some mild chillaxing in our rooms and after a short time we decide to go back out and head downstairs to take a cab over to Times Square.
Outfront the taxi rank manager is sort of in disbelief at our destination, he begins by suggesting to us,“Oh you can walk there, it’s not far” but Jeff and I are firm succinctly dismissive in our response – Fuck that. The taxi rank manager shrugs and whistles for a cab to pull up to the rank.
In a few minutes we pull up to the taxi rank at Times Square, we step inside and are both immediately wowed at what we see. If you’ve never seen it Times Square is a multi storey building with almost 8 floors of stores, needless to say it is pretty amazing. We wander around for a bit just checking out the stores, riding up and down the multiple escalators, towards the centre of the mall we spy a Baby Gap and decide on looking for the main outlet, when we did find it we do a quick rummage through their wares, I can’t find the classic GAP embossed zip up hoodie I want and am generally not fussed on not finding it either. We head back out into the main part of the mall to find the Factory Outlet Store (F.O.S), which I’d read about on Trip Advisor. At F.O.S I’ve heard that they manage to pull in name brands as seconds, so my hunt was for Polo tops and in doing so I did find some but they all ended up being ass-tight small in such bright shades of yellow or green they just seemed a bit yuck. I spend a few more minutes in F.O.S and look at some long sleeve shirts and can’t tell if they were Paul Smith or not and then looked at some shorts, but decide to buy nothing and leave to ride some more escalators.
It was at Times Square where we first noticed that the Xmas decorations were already out and the Xmas jingles were already flooding the internal speakers. I suppose that Xmas music is ok, that is, in exchange for the countless Katy Perry and Rhianna songs i’d heard when visiting every other mall. By now i’d heard so much of Rhianna’s “Only girl in the world” it’s like it’s my theme music. With the chorus – “Want You to Make Me Feel like i’m the Onleeeeee Guuuurl in the WORLD!!!” stuck in my head, I catch myself singing it out loud. Jeff likes this, he starts changing the lyrics to tease, “I want to make bird feel like he’s the only girl in the world!”
We walk past a series of coffee stores and on the edge of this outdoor extension is a corner positioned bank, covered in clear glass panels making the whole space appear as transparent. The ATM’s for this bank are located on the inside, so as I reach for the door, a gun totting doorman retracts the door for me. I’m impressed at his candour, he’s dressed in a nice gray suit, his hair is similarly coloured in salt n’ pepper tones, slicked back into long streaks. His all white moustache is another feature that is marvelling, he wears it pointed at the corners like tiny antlers, whereas the main part of his moustache that covers his top lip is thick and full. He smiles and says, “Good Morning Sir” I smile back noticing the shotgun in his hand running up against the side of his leg and nervously return, “Good Morning” right back at him, while smiling bleakly. I use the ATM and decide to go for an even amount of 800RM. Cashed up once again I determine that a run of 800RM should be fine for today’s shopping. We wander through an alfresco area of the Pav which reminds me of the sunlit coffee shop arcades in the intersecting streets around Melbourne’s Bourke and Collins streets.
At this point my memory of the following events are a little hazy I know we wander around the Pavilion ever so briefly and then go about returning to the hotel, deciding to do so on the account of consuming two breakfasts. We go home to the hotel so Jeff can take a snap, the familiarity of using your own throne is prevalent for most people, we do some mild chillaxing in our rooms and after a short time we decide to go back out and head downstairs to take a cab over to Times Square.
Outfront the taxi rank manager is sort of in disbelief at our destination, he begins by suggesting to us,“Oh you can walk there, it’s not far” but Jeff and I are firm succinctly dismissive in our response – Fuck that. The taxi rank manager shrugs and whistles for a cab to pull up to the rank.
In a few minutes we pull up to the taxi rank at Times Square, we step inside and are both immediately wowed at what we see. If you’ve never seen it Times Square is a multi storey building with almost 8 floors of stores, needless to say it is pretty amazing. We wander around for a bit just checking out the stores, riding up and down the multiple escalators, towards the centre of the mall we spy a Baby Gap and decide on looking for the main outlet, when we did find it we do a quick rummage through their wares, I can’t find the classic GAP embossed zip up hoodie I want and am generally not fussed on not finding it either. We head back out into the main part of the mall to find the Factory Outlet Store (F.O.S), which I’d read about on Trip Advisor. At F.O.S I’ve heard that they manage to pull in name brands as seconds, so my hunt was for Polo tops and in doing so I did find some but they all ended up being ass-tight small in such bright shades of yellow or green they just seemed a bit yuck. I spend a few more minutes in F.O.S and look at some long sleeve shirts and can’t tell if they were Paul Smith or not and then looked at some shorts, but decide to buy nothing and leave to ride some more escalators.
It was at Times Square where we first noticed that the Xmas decorations were already out and the Xmas jingles were already flooding the internal speakers. I suppose that Xmas music is ok, that is, in exchange for the countless Katy Perry and Rhianna songs i’d heard when visiting every other mall. By now i’d heard so much of Rhianna’s “Only girl in the world” it’s like it’s my theme music. With the chorus – “Want You to Make Me Feel like i’m the Onleeeeee Guuuurl in the WORLD!!!” stuck in my head, I catch myself singing it out loud. Jeff likes this, he starts changing the lyrics to tease, “I want to make bird feel like he’s the only girl in the world!”
Then he comes to a halt when he see’s the hobby store he’s asked about earlier, we go inside this mom and pop owned store and Jeff starts to salivate. Funnily enough we don’t stay long, because Jeff has just been told of another hobby store 6 doors down from this one, so we take a quick look around and then head six doors down to the other hobby store and see what they have for sale. They seem to have a little bit of different stuff but the focus tends to be on 12 inch action figures, movie heroes and some other anime that’s not pushed nearly as hard as it could be in Australia.
This other hobby store isn’t as catered to what Jeff likes so we go back to the mom and pop store and it’s here that Jeff has found true happiness. While I busy myself checking out Kubrick Bear-Brick’s and other Medicom toys, Jeff finds Gundam kits in massive amounts. Meanwhile, I look at some reissue GI Joes and see a tonne of Transformers that I don’t recognise which are probably from the recent movies. What is apparent is that there are no military model kits being sold here. This pisses me off, but I am kinda cool about it because i’m content that at least Jeff has discovered an element in the shopping expedition that he really likes and this gives me some relief as I worry constantly about whether he is having a good time or not. Jeff gets Pop to hand me a military jet in 1:72 scale and after bearly a second in my grip I hand it back politely, now I am truly frightened at what he says next, “Oh we ordered this 2 years ago for some guy”, this fear comes over me and I’m starting to really think that there are no military kits to be found anywhere in KL.
This other hobby store isn’t as catered to what Jeff likes so we go back to the mom and pop store and it’s here that Jeff has found true happiness. While I busy myself checking out Kubrick Bear-Brick’s and other Medicom toys, Jeff finds Gundam kits in massive amounts. Meanwhile, I look at some reissue GI Joes and see a tonne of Transformers that I don’t recognise which are probably from the recent movies. What is apparent is that there are no military model kits being sold here. This pisses me off, but I am kinda cool about it because i’m content that at least Jeff has discovered an element in the shopping expedition that he really likes and this gives me some relief as I worry constantly about whether he is having a good time or not. Jeff gets Pop to hand me a military jet in 1:72 scale and after bearly a second in my grip I hand it back politely, now I am truly frightened at what he says next, “Oh we ordered this 2 years ago for some guy”, this fear comes over me and I’m starting to really think that there are no military kits to be found anywhere in KL.
After Jeff has amassed a selection of Gundam kits he heads off to find an ATM to take out some cashish, he comes back, pays for his first lot of Gundam, a massive amount that fills two large plastic bags with at least four kits. I buy a pot of by Hobby Color which I plan to use if I do end up buying a kit over here. But Jeff is a sight to see, he is literally grinning from ear to ear, I ask him if he needs a hand and we wander around for another 10 minutes before deciding that we’ll come back here again but just not today. We take some escalator rides down and around and I make a mental book mark reminder to visit Borders when we’re back here next on Friday or Saturday.
Before leaving Times Square we purchase a taxi voucher and then I leave Jeff for a sec and go hit up 7-11 for more Carlsberg and chips and a odd style Red Bull that has a kick 5 times stronger than the gear sold back home, at the counter I ask for a pack of Lucky Strikes and a pack of Marlboro Lights, I promise myself that if I get shit faced I’ll smoke these and avoid clove cigarettes which seem to be equally as popular.
Before leaving Times Square we purchase a taxi voucher and then I leave Jeff for a sec and go hit up 7-11 for more Carlsberg and chips and a odd style Red Bull that has a kick 5 times stronger than the gear sold back home, at the counter I ask for a pack of Lucky Strikes and a pack of Marlboro Lights, I promise myself that if I get shit faced I’ll smoke these and avoid clove cigarettes which seem to be equally as popular.
So we head back to the hotel, Jeff comes into my room for a bit, I switch on a movie and Jeff plays with his kits and I open Carlsberg and in between guzzling the beer munch hand full’s of chips. After a while he heads back into his room basically to drop off his kits and then we head back out to Bukit Bintang to find Low Yat Plaza. We decide on taking another taxi and Jeff agrees to pay for this one since I got the last one from Times Square. We get stuck in the afternoon traffic and the taxi driver is deliberate in fucking this up leaving us in a back street saying oh it’s just around the corner. Thankfully it is and Oh my! isn’t it amazing. You see folks Low Yat is what we nerds think of when we go to heaven, this place is so unreal, every shop across 7 floors is dedicated to some kind of technology, whether it’s phones, cameras, laptops, PC parts wholesaled it’s all there. We look for the infamous RAT 7 mouse I’ve been hankering for every since my mate Jason bought one, but I don’t see it. We head upstairs to check pricing of video cards, the prices are almost on par with Aussie prices but the keen difference here is that PC peripherals seem to be a lot cheaper, especially Logitech brand. I decide on a no name gaming mouse to use while staying in KL as using the scratch pad on ASUS e700 pisses me off. Along the way we pass up the deals on various Razor mice, headphones and keyboards by Logitech, we make our way out of one stores as it bleeds into the next and somewhere towards to the middle floors we find time to ogle & ah over model stores that seem to have a strong lean towards stocking mostly Macross and Gundam products. And these seem to rule Jeff’s attention for the time being while I side step to look for a camera.
While Jeff is doing his thing i’m half way around this level checking out cameras in the next row of stores adjacent to the hobby stores, the pricing is almost the same at every store we’ve visited so far and after a while I decide that i’m going to get the Sony 10 megapixel Cybershot that I’ve been lusting after and head in to a store to buy one. But after a few minutes of talking with the salesperson has got me turned around on buying it, he offers a Samsung 12 megapixel for slightly less and will offer a 8Gb SD card to go along with it. He takes a few snaps of me and then does a huge features and benefits spiel until we manage to agree on a price. To cement the deal he also throws in a case and a spare battery and a plastic shield for the front face of the camera for a bit of extra protection when it’s put into your pocket. The price ends up being a lot less than I would have paid in Aussie stores like JB Hi-Fi and while I had no serious intentions of buying a camera I decide I’m better off with the purchase in order to take the few random happy snaps that I did.
We wander back to the hotel, we decide to walk there, which is almost the last amount of walking we will do like this. Instead of going back to our rooms Jeff suggests an afternoon drink, so we head into the hotel lounge room, Jeff says he’s paying, I’m too infatuated with my new gadget, he orders some frosty cold Carlsberg’s and these come to us with a serve of finger food, nuts, wasabi peas and other soy based snack foods dusted in curry powder. We drink, snack and I mess around with my Samsung camera, I take a few snaps, shoot some footage of Jeff calling me a bastard with a thick Indian accent. Then the conversation turns serious, it’s filled with a certain realness that encompasses change, attitude, perception, you, me and what parts we play in this lil’ olde world, how we see others and to thyself be true. Jeff’s giving me a head check, not nasty like, but as said it’s more real, it’s more personal and honest conversation I’ve had with anyone in such a long time all I can do is sit there, shut the fuck up and listen.
But since it was a personal conversation and the advice shared is something I’d rather not publish I’ll keep this part of the blog completely dark. Instead what I can share with you is the general theme of it by para-phrasing a conversation I had with Chappy, who is a member from my gaming clan. Anyway it’s a conversation we had around early November and Chappy says, “I know you’re an emotional fella and mate you personalise everything”, It’s true, I do. He goes on to say, “What you need to do is compartmentalise your emotions, your thoughts or bias and to detach them from any given situation completely, then you’re able to absorb what’s being said rationally, professionally.... but the real strength is that if you can do this well, master it, nothing will faze ever you”.
Chappy’s a smart guy and his word means alot, hearing Jeff’s slant cover as much ground as what I’ve shared here makes me think that him and Jeff have probably shared ideas, the best one being - “the ability to let all things slide and not give a fuck is a beautiful thing”.
And as deep as this conversation that Jeff and I are having his point the essence of what he’s saying to me is on par with Chappy’s comments to me in private last November. You need to understand that it’s not a question of becoming selfish or self centred or developing a self reinforcing belief system and ego, please don’t misjudge the intent, it’s a matter of not letting certain people in life, who are only ever really out for themselves, get you upset with their behaviour, get you down with their callousness, their fucking ignorance of the world and yes their selfishness.
I took all this in, I made myself some promises, not to be judgemental, not to be bothered by weak petty shit and basically not to give a fuck every once in a while.
Hearing it is kind of a shock, Jeff is obviously a mate, he’s offering his thoughts on a change of my own personal outlook on life, he’s wise beyond his years, he knows I’ve been distressed, stressed and pretty fucked up lately, I’ve told him about the anxiety attacks and no matter how harsh it might seem to be hearing all this said right now, believe it or not...I think he’s trying to help.
At the end of my Carlsberg I’m ready for another and we order another round and the conversation returns to comic funny shit which is a part of our routine. The drinking puts a soft touch on the heavy shit spoken before, Jeff is in his element, he offers to pay for dinner tonite and encourages me to go with him to the international buffet downstairs, we have some time before that’s ready to happen and decide to head upstairs to the club lounge and get a few drinks tucked under our belts before doing anything else. Inside my head I’m berserk, loving the booze, I knock back three G n’ T’s and watch a trio of U.S. marines get into it as well. They’re maybe a little too boisterous for the private lounge but my new frame of mind says fuck it and fuck ‘em. We pull ourselves up out of the bamboo lounge chairs and head to the elevator and cruise past our rooms for a quick slash and then head off towards the downstairs buffet.
When we get to the International Buffet we’re met by Madsa who is one of the hotels Managers, he’s working a double shift and we’ll see him the next morning. His service region seems to be around the International Buffet and the staff that he picks for his shifts are usually the best. He seats Jeff and I in a private corner that is close to his workstation so that he can attend to us personally. Jeff does a lap around the buffet and goes for a few cuts of pork at the carvery, me – I end up trying three different curries on the same plate, serving myself a decent helping. For the second round Madsa comes over and takes Jeff’s order for a serving of a bowtie pasta dish and carbonara sauce that’s to be made fresh while I try out the roast.
In fifteen minutes out comes a dish fit for king and Jeff tucks into it without prompting. I’m barely able to finish my second plate, Madsa does his best to encourage me to try for a second serve and I opt to go for the Asian dishes from the other buffet pontoon. I try a soup that tastes almost cold and some other bits and pieces that just can’t be appreciated right this minute.
When it comes to desert I can’t manage it, I go for some fresh fruit which always seems to be in abundance and by now the booze has almost worn off.
I sit there half asleep with a belly full of food and a skin full of piss, when Jeff says, “Did you still wanna go out for that stuff?” I say, “Hell yeah”, we wipe our mouths on the fresh cloth napkins and head over to the cash register and Jeff, true to his word, pays for the whole thing.
We jump into a cab and head over to Lot 10 and ride to escalator up a floor to Birkenstock where my London’s are waiting. I try on a few different sizes and the attendant is not happy about the buckle on the side, she asks me if I’m 100% certain I want these, I say – of course, then she offers to punch a hole further down the strap so that these will fit tighter, she says that I won’t need to wear thick socks and that with the extra hole these will be fine even with business socks. And it’s a steal at the price I manage to pick these Birki’s up for. In Garden City, Perth, they were going for $230AUD and here they are like 270RM, which is nearly a third of the cost.
But since it was a personal conversation and the advice shared is something I’d rather not publish I’ll keep this part of the blog completely dark. Instead what I can share with you is the general theme of it by para-phrasing a conversation I had with Chappy, who is a member from my gaming clan. Anyway it’s a conversation we had around early November and Chappy says, “I know you’re an emotional fella and mate you personalise everything”, It’s true, I do. He goes on to say, “What you need to do is compartmentalise your emotions, your thoughts or bias and to detach them from any given situation completely, then you’re able to absorb what’s being said rationally, professionally.... but the real strength is that if you can do this well, master it, nothing will faze ever you”.
Chappy’s a smart guy and his word means alot, hearing Jeff’s slant cover as much ground as what I’ve shared here makes me think that him and Jeff have probably shared ideas, the best one being - “the ability to let all things slide and not give a fuck is a beautiful thing”.
And as deep as this conversation that Jeff and I are having his point the essence of what he’s saying to me is on par with Chappy’s comments to me in private last November. You need to understand that it’s not a question of becoming selfish or self centred or developing a self reinforcing belief system and ego, please don’t misjudge the intent, it’s a matter of not letting certain people in life, who are only ever really out for themselves, get you upset with their behaviour, get you down with their callousness, their fucking ignorance of the world and yes their selfishness.
I took all this in, I made myself some promises, not to be judgemental, not to be bothered by weak petty shit and basically not to give a fuck every once in a while.
Hearing it is kind of a shock, Jeff is obviously a mate, he’s offering his thoughts on a change of my own personal outlook on life, he’s wise beyond his years, he knows I’ve been distressed, stressed and pretty fucked up lately, I’ve told him about the anxiety attacks and no matter how harsh it might seem to be hearing all this said right now, believe it or not...I think he’s trying to help.
At the end of my Carlsberg I’m ready for another and we order another round and the conversation returns to comic funny shit which is a part of our routine. The drinking puts a soft touch on the heavy shit spoken before, Jeff is in his element, he offers to pay for dinner tonite and encourages me to go with him to the international buffet downstairs, we have some time before that’s ready to happen and decide to head upstairs to the club lounge and get a few drinks tucked under our belts before doing anything else. Inside my head I’m berserk, loving the booze, I knock back three G n’ T’s and watch a trio of U.S. marines get into it as well. They’re maybe a little too boisterous for the private lounge but my new frame of mind says fuck it and fuck ‘em. We pull ourselves up out of the bamboo lounge chairs and head to the elevator and cruise past our rooms for a quick slash and then head off towards the downstairs buffet.
When we get to the International Buffet we’re met by Madsa who is one of the hotels Managers, he’s working a double shift and we’ll see him the next morning. His service region seems to be around the International Buffet and the staff that he picks for his shifts are usually the best. He seats Jeff and I in a private corner that is close to his workstation so that he can attend to us personally. Jeff does a lap around the buffet and goes for a few cuts of pork at the carvery, me – I end up trying three different curries on the same plate, serving myself a decent helping. For the second round Madsa comes over and takes Jeff’s order for a serving of a bowtie pasta dish and carbonara sauce that’s to be made fresh while I try out the roast.
In fifteen minutes out comes a dish fit for king and Jeff tucks into it without prompting. I’m barely able to finish my second plate, Madsa does his best to encourage me to try for a second serve and I opt to go for the Asian dishes from the other buffet pontoon. I try a soup that tastes almost cold and some other bits and pieces that just can’t be appreciated right this minute.
When it comes to desert I can’t manage it, I go for some fresh fruit which always seems to be in abundance and by now the booze has almost worn off.
I sit there half asleep with a belly full of food and a skin full of piss, when Jeff says, “Did you still wanna go out for that stuff?” I say, “Hell yeah”, we wipe our mouths on the fresh cloth napkins and head over to the cash register and Jeff, true to his word, pays for the whole thing.
We jump into a cab and head over to Lot 10 and ride to escalator up a floor to Birkenstock where my London’s are waiting. I try on a few different sizes and the attendant is not happy about the buckle on the side, she asks me if I’m 100% certain I want these, I say – of course, then she offers to punch a hole further down the strap so that these will fit tighter, she says that I won’t need to wear thick socks and that with the extra hole these will be fine even with business socks. And it’s a steal at the price I manage to pick these Birki’s up for. In Garden City, Perth, they were going for $230AUD and here they are like 270RM, which is nearly a third of the cost.
We come out the front of Lot 10 and the telecom company has issued a team of Stormtroopers to help drum up business under their Yes campaign. I watch tourists walk up to the Stormtroopers and ask them to pose for photos. Jeff looks at me and says, “Go on, you know you want to” and I do, so I turn on the camera and hand it to him, I go up to the stormtroopers and ask them if they will pose, they say nothing and just nod their heads. I stand flanked by either side of the two stormtroopers, i’m in a gangster pose with my arms folded. The stormtroopers copy my pose and there we all are, three happy G’s looking absolutely bad ass.
I’m gushing afterwards, so pleased at having the courage to do this, we ask a policeman if he knows where Star Hill Gallery is, but he can’t speak English but he understands what I’m asking and he points further down the street. We walk towards Fahrenheit and I decide to go back to the G-Store for Casio’s that I was scouting out earlier. I ask the girl if she remembers me and she does, she has the Riseman that I’m buying for Dad and she asks me what G-shock did I want for myself, the all white one or the large safety orange one I tried on earlier. I um and ah for a second and decide to go for the orange one. She rings these up on my credit card and I’m a little dubious about using it and then say, fuck it, composed in the thought that banks have got me insured.
Meanwhile Jeff has been a few stores down looking at sunglasses and he’s just bought a pair of wrap around RayBan’s which look great. I’ve been thinking of updating my aging Morrissey’s that I bought prior to leaving Melbourne. The sales girl is so cute, I have a real bad case of yellow fever, I’m really attracted to Asian girls and these whippets’ are so nice. So, I follow Jeff back into the store and look around at the various brands, I notice there’s a lot of Diesel, Armani, Prada plus a tonne of RayBan’s and Porsche glasses. I try on a few pairs of Porsche glasses and as tuff as they look they’re not really my thing, plus they’re really expensive. I look at RayBan’s. My sister and my brother in-law have two Optometrist stores, they know eyewear pretty well, the designer gear they stock is fairly high end and while I bought my last pair of RayBan - Wayfarer’s through my sisters store, I just know that she’d shit knowing i’m about to pay retail for a pair of gold rimmed RayBan – Aviators. But I do.
I’m gushing afterwards, so pleased at having the courage to do this, we ask a policeman if he knows where Star Hill Gallery is, but he can’t speak English but he understands what I’m asking and he points further down the street. We walk towards Fahrenheit and I decide to go back to the G-Store for Casio’s that I was scouting out earlier. I ask the girl if she remembers me and she does, she has the Riseman that I’m buying for Dad and she asks me what G-shock did I want for myself, the all white one or the large safety orange one I tried on earlier. I um and ah for a second and decide to go for the orange one. She rings these up on my credit card and I’m a little dubious about using it and then say, fuck it, composed in the thought that banks have got me insured.
Meanwhile Jeff has been a few stores down looking at sunglasses and he’s just bought a pair of wrap around RayBan’s which look great. I’ve been thinking of updating my aging Morrissey’s that I bought prior to leaving Melbourne. The sales girl is so cute, I have a real bad case of yellow fever, I’m really attracted to Asian girls and these whippets’ are so nice. So, I follow Jeff back into the store and look around at the various brands, I notice there’s a lot of Diesel, Armani, Prada plus a tonne of RayBan’s and Porsche glasses. I try on a few pairs of Porsche glasses and as tuff as they look they’re not really my thing, plus they’re really expensive. I look at RayBan’s. My sister and my brother in-law have two Optometrist stores, they know eyewear pretty well, the designer gear they stock is fairly high end and while I bought my last pair of RayBan - Wayfarer’s through my sisters store, I just know that she’d shit knowing i’m about to pay retail for a pair of gold rimmed RayBan – Aviators. But I do.
Pleased with my purchases this evening Jeff and I wander out front of Fahrenheit 88 and notice a crowd has massed around a Ferrari 599 parked in the driveway of Fahrenheit and people are taking turns of posing standing in front of the Ferrari. I turn to Jeff quoting from Star Wars, “You’ll have to sell your speeder”, Jeff laughs out loud then points towards the cross walk and starts up with a gunslinger wah-wah-wah whistle from Western’s. Picture this, the cross walk filled pedestrians on either side, and in my head they’re getting ready to throw down in a Mexican stand-off.
It’s starting to rain and we cross the street with the crowd and walk up half a block and Jeff manages to hail a premium taxi, it’s a blue Toyota SUV of some kind, possibly a top of the line RAV4. Jeff gets into the front and I hop into the back, I’ve had enough sitting in the front for one day I’m always cramped with my knees up to my chin, but in this I’ve got so much leg room, the car is spotless, the interior clean beige leather with a pine tree dangling from the rear vision mirror. Then I notice that our taxi driver looks a lot like Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies, he’s sporting the white moustache, bald spot on his head but he’s a lot friendlier and immediately gets in on the jokes with us.
We’re stuck in traffic and the rain is really starting to come down, people are either running for cover or are armed with umbrellas weathering the downpour. But then along one of the sidewalk cafe’s is some dude wearing a white suit that’s so bright it’s like neon, he’s wearing sunglasses with his hair slicked back and trying to act hard. I point this out to Jeff and our driver, “Look at this poser!” and we all roar into raucous laughter, the driver winds down the window and we’re all pointing all laughing at this guy who only glares back at us, his chest all puffed out trying to act like he’s on the set of Miami Vice.
Getting back to my room I say goodnight to Jeff who is still giggling from the cab ride with Mr Miyagi. It’s been a fun day out, plenty more to come, I drink beer from the mini bar I’ve stocked with Carlsberg I’d bought from the local 7-11. I flip on the TV, dim the lights and watch local news.
I go to sleep with a mischievous grin, my bags of shopping scattered all around the room, happy thoughts in my head and dream dreams of wish fulfilment.
It’s starting to rain and we cross the street with the crowd and walk up half a block and Jeff manages to hail a premium taxi, it’s a blue Toyota SUV of some kind, possibly a top of the line RAV4. Jeff gets into the front and I hop into the back, I’ve had enough sitting in the front for one day I’m always cramped with my knees up to my chin, but in this I’ve got so much leg room, the car is spotless, the interior clean beige leather with a pine tree dangling from the rear vision mirror. Then I notice that our taxi driver looks a lot like Mr Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies, he’s sporting the white moustache, bald spot on his head but he’s a lot friendlier and immediately gets in on the jokes with us.
We’re stuck in traffic and the rain is really starting to come down, people are either running for cover or are armed with umbrellas weathering the downpour. But then along one of the sidewalk cafe’s is some dude wearing a white suit that’s so bright it’s like neon, he’s wearing sunglasses with his hair slicked back and trying to act hard. I point this out to Jeff and our driver, “Look at this poser!” and we all roar into raucous laughter, the driver winds down the window and we’re all pointing all laughing at this guy who only glares back at us, his chest all puffed out trying to act like he’s on the set of Miami Vice.
Getting back to my room I say goodnight to Jeff who is still giggling from the cab ride with Mr Miyagi. It’s been a fun day out, plenty more to come, I drink beer from the mini bar I’ve stocked with Carlsberg I’d bought from the local 7-11. I flip on the TV, dim the lights and watch local news.
I go to sleep with a mischievous grin, my bags of shopping scattered all around the room, happy thoughts in my head and dream dreams of wish fulfilment.
Hey Kels,
Yesterday was pretty cool, though I thought we over did it on the Sunday in terms of how much walking around we did.
I finally got to take some cash out of my CBA account, my normal bank account, and then I was all set for the day.
We went to Times Square and explored that up and down, Jeff found an anime/hobby store and bought a suitcase worth of Gundam model kits, so he is happy.
I found nothing there I really wanted so we headed back the hotel.
Before we left Times Squares I went into the 7/11 and bought four cans of Carlsberg and had an early afternoon eye opener while Jeff toyed with his kits.
Then we found renewed energy and went to Low Yat Plaza, Dad & John would be in heaven here.
I bought a 12.2 pixel Samsung digital camera and so far have taken only a few shots.
We came back to the hotel and went to the downstairs lounge and drank a couple more Carlsberg’s and ate nuts while we waited for the international buffet to open.
Okay I know you're going to tease me here Kels, so we ate at the hotel last night and had the international buffet which was fantastic, I almost cried. I was positively beaming at the choices, i had curry, chinese, roast and then no room for desert, Jeff shouted us, was 202RM.
We waddled out front and hailed a taxi and went to Fahrenheit and there I bought two Casio watches, the one dad wanted, the Riseman is the same featured colours he showed me.
I bought a massively huge G-Shock in safety orange, it's really techno.
At Fahrenheit I replaced my aging Morrissey sunglasses, ( i did want to lose the Wayfarers) and bought a pair of Ray Ban - Aviators, though in hindsight I should have waited until I was home to do that.
Then we walked up to Lot 10 before it was closing, I got to pose with some guys dressed up as Storm troopers, it was cool. At Lot 10, which I haven't seen much of, I went directly into Birkenstock and bought a pair of "London’s" as these were the ones I had wanted from Garden city. They were very cheap in price comparison.
Then we taxied home and again i drank a couple of Carlsberg’s while watching the cable channel movie then passed out.
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