Wednesday, July 8, 2009

KL

I'm missing old days. I'm missing KL. Its one of my favourite places in the world....it takes me back to some precious days...a few years back..

In 2007, from Feb to June, I lived in KL. I had my apartment in Singapore but my case took me to Malaysia, and within a few days I figured I'd be happier getting an apartment there rather than moving in and out of hotels. The idea was to spend 5 days a week there, but soon I stopped going back. I would stay back on weekends. Or often I would fly out to other parts of South East Asia. I didn't have much in Singapore- its a plastic, lego city. Its orderly, but its like a board game- easy, mechanical, sanitized. KL is real, like me. It isn't always beautiful. Its filled with extremes. It is not always classy, but it isn't always trashy either. It has its flashy manifestations of progress, but it has its quaint, underdeveloped pockets. It is not comfortable, but it is real. It isn't exactly visitors' paradise. It has no beaches, no mountains....its not a party town, its not as touristy...but its incredible!

My time in KL was incredible, for all that it gave me....

...for the cozy apartment at Bukit Ceylon- facing the towers, yet not too close to them

...for the golden triangle that always buzzed with activity. It wasn't packed with shoppers and club-goers. It had normal people, like you and I, hanging out, for coffee, beer, food

...for Finnegans, the Irish pub, and my poker buddies I met there

...for allowing me to fit in to the city as if it were my own

...for making me realize, for the first time, I love solitude and found unbelievable happiness in being alone

...for Papa's 4 hours stop-over at the airport, stuffed pizza and beer, and the bottle of Cognac

...for Papa's four day visit, and how much I cried when he left

...for making the F1 race with AZ and Rohit happen

...for Mukri, the loyal cabbie, who would find me regardless of place or time or accessibility

...for the wonderful evenings spent with the best case team ....ever!

...for the massive amounts of food at China town, when friends visited

...for the towers that I was practically in a relationship with

...for helping me not get hurt by pfaff lovers (Delhi runied it!)- remember the 'Sorry, I slept with some girl crap', that didn't hurt me, because I was too much in love with how I was living my life

...for making me love the firm (Delhi runied it!)

...for enabling me to see that part of the world

...for how innocently scared I was to spend more than a certain amount on an outfit, because I hadn't been brought up to visit malls 'for fun!'

...for how BB and I became good friends around the same time, co-incidentally (people do like me more while I'm away)

...for the beef paranthas and noodle soup available for less than 10 RM at Mamak stores

...for so many lonely, but beautiful nights spent staring at the sky from the balcony

...for phone cards

...for several dinners, had alone, at the sushi place downstairs

...and for how thankful I was, every time Mukri drove me to the airport, that it wasn't the final departure.

And then one day, I left. I thought I would be back, but it hasn't happened ever since.





2 comments:

Miss M said...

Just like you're missing KL, I am missing singapore.


Nice post!
Made me nostalgic. :)

The White Phoenix said...

take a vacation to KL ;)