Oh, did I mention that I need to perfect my Media Arts assignments as well? I've tried recording the peer tutorial video for the class and well, let's just say that it sounds like I was rushing.
Anyway, on to the subject of outings.
Day 16
Oh, wow, time really flies fast, don't you think?
We'll be flying off to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow but please don't think that we took things slowly because we didn't. Instead of being cooped up in the hotel room and packing the luggage, we actually went on our last adventure.
At the crack of dawn, I was chased off the bed as Mama Carrie insisted that we swing by Centro Galleria for the final time to pick up whatever items that we wanted to bring home. Growling and cursing inside my heart, I dragged my feet and followed her out the hotel room to catch the bus - obviously after breakfast and a change in attire. Now, I'll tell you why I wasn't keen at the trip. How are we to successfully shove everything into the luggage when there's a weight constraint that threatens to burst the seams?
Credits to Galleria 220 | Wikipedia for the image
As we walked into the mall from Morley Bus Station, I don't know how and why I missed the first time but the seconds bookstore suddenly came into plain view. The book lover in me diverted in that direction and browsed through the aisles just for the fun of it and ended up walking away with two romance novels (bought at AUD$3 each).
See, if only I went again Mama Carrie's words and paid for a higher baggage allowance.
When we were in the fruit store, being sandwiched left, right and centre by the amount of shoppers who decided to bring their trolleys inside with them, the way she bought the fruits was rather scary and it looked as if Mama Carrie was going to purchase the whole shop and bring it home with us.
Mind you, that shows how luscious the local fruits were.
When her goal was accomplished, she suddenly turned to me and whined that she was growing hungry. I shot a glance at my watch; it was almost 1pm. The only place we knew in Galleria was the cafe, and that's where we ate again as we kind of came to the notion that if an eatery has loads of Western diners patronizing it, the food must be delectable and mouth-watering during our previous trip.
Not wanting to throw our money on the same dish that we had, Mushroom and Steak Pie, which was a savory dish, we chose something totally different, something really sweet.
Apple Pie and Apple Crumble plus Cappuccino
As the exhaustion took its toll on me, we decided that it was time to call it a day as we were uncomfortably lugging the rather heavy bags of fruits. My shoulders were extremely sore, so sore that I thought it was going to snap because there was another stretch of road that we needed to pass before arriving at the hotel.
I was just so lifeless that night.
Come to think of it, the daily exploration on foot was a blessing in disguise because some of the excess weight actually melted away without me even being aware of it. It wasn't until my dear friend and Mama Carrie pointed it out to me that I realized it.
Day 17
Kuala Lumpur, here we come!
Guess what? I'll be in the comfort of my home tonight! Inasmuch as I am relieved and anxious to face the new semester, I am a little hesitant on leaving this serene and breathtaking area.
I don't know whether it was a sign, but while we were packing the coffee machine, the coffee filter was accidentally thrown away with the box and the Styrofoam protective cover. It wasn't of my doing, though. Mama Carrie somehow figured that if she brought the item in its original packaging with her onboard, two things would happen: either it wouldn't fit in the cabin or we'll be heavily taxed on it seeing that it is an electrical appliance.
With a couple of hours before our departure to Perth International Airport, we hit the road and explored Murray Street Mall for the one last time. Can you imagine that the temperature neared 36 degrees Celsius and that's actually the average we get in Kuala Lumpur?
The carry-on luggage was a pain in the neck, I have to admit. Because Mama Carrie figured that we wouldn't be buying anything, I went for the minimum baggage allowance of 20kg, which turned out to be a disastrous event when we checked in. Judging from the amount of bags we had with us, I should've paid for the 30kg allowance - or even the 40kg one. Carrying it onboard was a struggle; almost dropped the bag on an innocent fellow passenger's head.
I was rather surprised that the aircraft departed Western Australia 30 minutes prior to its scheduled departure time because knowing this particular company, it's already sheer luck if it leaves the airport ground on time. As it picked up speed and took off, I thought that I'll be home earlier since an old friend would be there to drive us home, which, sadly, turned out to be the total opposite.
You'll know why shortly.
Screw it, I'm skipping whatever happened on flight because I feel that publicly relating it won't bring any good; in fact, it'll only make the entire post emotional and sad.
Taken during the Taipei flight in boredom
It was 9.30pm on a Friday night that we arrived at LCCT. Just as the airplane was finding its spot to stop and allow its passengers to make their way to the airport building (which was some walking distance away), my heart smiled with happiness as I switched on my cell phone, texted the two close friends that guys, I've landed safely. Up until now, I still don't know why Mama Carrie chose this airline when the one that I'm accustomed to provides more comfort in terms of seats and transport.
The airport was a different scenario than our arrival from Taipei during Deepavali. This time around, there were long queues at each Immigration counter (even though we were lining up at the ones specially dedicated to Malaysian passport holders, it was just as long). I need to bring this fact up: the Immigration officers in Perth were so tactful and friendly but the ones in LCCT look as if they want to rip your head off and take pleasure in eating you alive.
Not even a heartfelt word of "Hello"!
Immigration Minister, you might want to do something about this. It'll leave a bad impression of us on the tourists even before they explore our beautiful country.
Okay, there are exceptions like that officer who attended to us when we flew back from Taipei; he was truthfully friendly from the bottom of his heart.
The baggage carousel resembled an overflowing river with the amount of travelers - from Nanning, Cebu and Jakarta among other countries. Some of the passengers from the Perth flight (including us) were forced to patiently wait for an hour before we could collect our bags and even think of heading home.
This is where things turned slightly sour.
When I was able to successfully connect to the airport's wireless portal, I received a Whatsapp message from the old friend that he couldn't pick us up because his car broke down earlier that day. Oh well, that pretty much meant that we'd have to rely on the cab to get home and even though friends and associates said that the airport cabs are reliably safe, it's still rather petrifying.
I know Kyle wouldn't mind doing me the favor if it was a day flight. He almost told me as much before.
Same random artwork that I did
We arrived home safely and in one piece at the late timing of 11.30pm but to a sandy and smelly house. Most of the tiled floor in the living hall and in the kitchen was stained with water from where, we didn't know at that moment. As we later learned the next day, the workers working on the neighbor's renovation left the roof exposed for many days. That probably allowed the rain water to enter our house, which would've been fine if it hadn't revealed another rude surprise - an invasion of rats! Yes, rats!
Poor us practically spent the next 90 minutes cleaning the house. I couldn't care less about throwing some spice (because sleeping to children's tantrums and the ear-piercing yells of my back neighbor, the one from Johor Bahru, is far worst) and actually vacuumed the rooms at that hour before proceeding to the mopping. By the time I was able to relax for a moment and enjoy a warm cup of oats with milk to satiate the growling stomach, it was 1 am on a Saturday morning.
What time did I eventually retire for the remainder of the night? An hour later.
