Am fighting sleeping mode. I am so proud of my organising skills and ability in juggling 20 000 things at one time that I failed to enjoy the pleasures of sleeping.
I got back from KL in one piece. The days leading to the trip were filled with resentment and irritable attitude towards the kids and The H who can really move the ratings on the patience lever to the maximum possible position. Must be the hormone imbalance as my period is late and I know I'm not pregnant.
So after planting the idea of "Adventure in the Train" to the kids who are on a constant "Thomas and Friends VCD" diet, The H declared that we're not driving up to KL afterall. We're taking the old school route by sitting quietly for 7 hours in Express Rakyat from Tanjong Pagar. I wish!!.
We ended up sitting for 9 hours on our butts and repeated attacks of Tom & Jerry cartoons.
When I first stepped into the train, I was taken aback by the dirty curtains hanging limply fom the grimy windows. Tiny roaches (the ones you see in buses) scurried about. The seats were old and frayed, toilets a thousand years old and the doors separating each cabin did not automatically slide back so someone sitting in front has to constantly close the door to minimise the noise because people with itchy backsides keep going in and out of the doors and never close it back.
Thank goodness the air-con is working and the air is fresh enough.
I thought I could get my sleep in the train after getting through the Woodlands checkpoint passport stamping-stop-at-toilet amazing race because prior to waking up at 5 am, I actually watched True Lies (I can't help it, I just loved the part when Jamie Lee Curtis does the hooker striptease) and went to bed at a quarter past midnight.
I didn't get my sleep in the train really. Matin kept walking around barefoot and switching seats just to irritate Danial and I keep looking out for signs of abnormal rattling/shaking of the train. I mean, the coaches have obviously seen better days.
We arrived in KL at 4:07pm. Nine hours after leaving Singapore because the Engine stopped somewhere in Bukit Panjang and have to be pulled back to the switch points where another Engine could replace the malfunctioned one.
Upon arrival at KL Central, I headed straight for Subway to satisfy my craving for an Italian BMT with lots of olives. Something which I can only swallow my saliva at in Singapore.
Hotel was great although much can be said on the Customer Service front. The malay guy on the counter apparantly thought we're some lost village people who just needed to use the toilet. I mean, I don't think he expect much from a bunch of stragglers dragging their worldly belongings in a trolley bag up the steps of the hotel lobby from the LRT station nearby instead of making a grand entrance in an airport limousine.
He was almost smirking when I handed in our bookings via a crumpled piece of A4 paper printed out from their website where we already made a $20 deposit. Maybe he certainly didn't expect me to hand in the ringgits in cold hard cash upfront to pay for our lodging which is what I proceeded to do next. If that humbled him, he didn't show it but the slight change in attitude was obvious enough to give me that twitch of satisfaction.
We got the executive floor with chandeliers at the lift landing. Chandeliers!!! The kids spent one hour in the lap pool before we make one trip to Suria KLCC to tapau dinner. Once we stepped in, it's like meeting an old friend. Everything is just the same. Even Kinokuniya's format is the same.
We managed to slot in a whole day at Genting the next day but the queues are a real turn-off. The trip up was a totally different experience from the one I remembered in 1981 (I was only 7) where I puked all the way from Subang Jaya (my aunt's place) to the top. Things are much more different and better now. It was not that cold and the place is not much different than that of Downtown East but I managed to take pictures at spots where there are mists and everyone in the office actually thought I was in Alaska over the weekend. Apparantly, no one missed me.
That night, after packing amidst the snore of The H and the kids sleeping soundly, I thought I'd better get enough rest and sleep early. I ended up watching Pirates of the Carribean - At World's End on Star Movies. It was the only chance I got because if I watch it at home, anyone would just interrupt me and The H would just take the remote and change the channel without consulting.
I did not like the ending though. Will Turner is cursed to spend 10 years at sea and 1 day on land to see his wife. So by the fifth trip, I don't think Will will like it when Elizabeth Swann is a 70 year old hag while he's still a ravishingly handsome swashbuckling pirate. Disturbing.
All in all, the trip was not that bad. Seeing the kids so contented with the hotel pool and the simple pleasure of just walking around in the cold air at Genting and spending time with them just makes me so happy. Nevermind that The H can really get on my nerves at times.
For now, I desperately need another holiday to de-stress from this holiday.
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