Flip that Switch!

Earth Day is this Saturday, March 28th and part of the worlds first global election between Earth and global warming, 2,712 cities, towns and municipalities in 83 countries have committed to switching off their lights for one whole hour. Check out the official website.   

Kuala lumpur is part of this initiative and for earth hour they will be switching off the Petronas Towers!  I have to say I'm a little bummed that I wont be in town to see this but David and I will make sure to turn off our lights in Adelaide.  8:30PM local time, wherever you live on planet earth.  Saturday 28 March 2009.  Pass on the news! 

Girl Talk

Anayo and Kanibo, my new Japanese friends from Batik Class invite me and Vanesa to join them for lunch at an Italian restaurant in Bangsar Village today. 

We sit down in a nice corner of the restaurant and discuss our lives prior to our move to Malaysia and find out that Vanesa and Kanibo are both Kindergarten teachers and Anayo used to work in cosmetics.  From there we get advice from her on skin care in this humid climate. And ladies, just a heads up,  don't use lemon juice or cucumber on your skin. It really isn't that great for your skin. 

I also find out that Kim is an extremely popular surname in Asia, which means that people probably think it's weird to call me Kim because it's like calling me Smith or Johnson.  I told them they could just call me Princess Kim if they liked that better.  I'm not sure if they thought it was funny?? 

 

We go around the table and ask each other about the stereotypes of each others countries. We ask Vanesa if everyone in Argentina knows how to dance the Tango?'  That's a "no", just in case you're wondering.  We also ask our Japanese friends about sushi and when it's A.O.K to wear a kimono.  

And finally it's my turn. They ask me if I just love to watch baseball?  I have to remind them that I grew up in The Netherlands and somehow after living in the U.S for 10 years I still haven't figured out the rules of this complicated game. Innings, Outs and Home Bases. That's just way too much to figure out! : )  Anayo and Kanibo look disappointed and tell me that today is the World Series and that Korea and Japan are playing against each other in L.A for the finals.  Huh?  The Japanese and Koreans play baseball?  That's news for me!  I thought it was just an All American thing!  I ask them if the Japanese drink lots of beer and hotdogs while they watch the game.  They tell me that they do drink beer, but replace the hotdogs with a healthier choice of salted green beans!   

As Anayo explains to me that she really wants Japan to win because her husband is Korean,  

I look up at the TV screen and guess what's on?  The Game!   So, during our Italian lunch, the four ladies from all different backgrounds cheer on the Japanese and scream out loud when they finally win the World Series!

Where in the world am I?

I'm enjoying my time here in Adelaide. It is the first time in 5 months that I've left SE Asia, and you forget a lot of those little things. The weather in really cool here (major plus) and the sun is shiny!

Now, if you will please open your GoogleEarth application, we can get the tour underway (Make sure to activate your "Streetview" layer!)

First things first, let's visit "129 North Terrace, Adelaide Australia" Pop into the street view bubble and look north. Behind the big tree is the Hyatt where I'm staying, and behind there is a river that I'm about to go jog down.

Next we move to "100 Gawler Place, Adelaide Australia" If you look directly West you can see the entrance to the office where I'm working. I had a Ham and Cheese sandwich at the café for lunch. Very good! Coffee is bitter though.

Now head over to "123 Gouger Street, Adelaide Australia" Look South and you will see The Bar on Gouger. Massive beer list! Malaysia has the worst beer selection, which is my only beef with the country. I had a La Fin du Monde, followed by a Little Creatures Pale Ale, then washed it all down with a local IPA. Man I missed that crispness!

Last night while passing "198 King William St., Adelaide Australia" (look west) there were 2 skinheads bumming around. As I approached, the alpha male walked over and spit on the ground about three feet in front of me, then stared at me. I looked back at him with a warm smile…partly because skinheads need a caring smile in this cold world, but mainly to dissuade him from punching me in the head.

Finally, we are going to visit "220 Rundle St., Adelaide Australia" Right there on the corner is Cibo Espresso, where I will take Kim when she arrives. Good coffee and atmosphere. Please note the stereotypical "Aussie Bloke" on the corner. Leather hat and all!

Too much to blog

Blogging, such exhausting work! Haven't posted a blog in a while not because things are slow, but they are running so fast that it is difficult to take stock (i.e. blog). I'm a fan of lists so here are a couple that will recap:

Top 5 Events Since Last Post

1. 1 year anniversary! - Who said marriage is hard? This is a piece of cake!


2. Dad's visit! - We haven't seen family in 5 months now, so this was a treat. Mary was definitely missed though!


3. Wicked Wizards - This was a fantastic comedy/magic show we saw last weekend. These guys had the same sense of humor as me, and I was on the floor the whole time laughing. Fantastic!


4. Mixt Rice - We hadn't had the classic Malaysian mixt rice from a stall in a while so this was a treat. After dinner we washed it down with a few pints of beer at Finny's


5. Right Now - It's 7pm, Friday night and I'm wrapping up work. I'm listening to Matisyahu and watching the sun set at the edge of the Klang Valley. I'm very calm.

Top 5 Dad Visit Stories

1. Laying in the hammock on the porch, watching an Eagles DVD while Dad drummed away on the coffee table.


2. Rocking up to Sri Penaga at 2am, feeling fine...until the next morning that is!


3. Dad eating banana leaf with his bare hands like a champ.


4. Eating fruits off a stick while cruising Petaling street.


5. Relaxing in the Buddhist temple, smelling the incense, soaking up good energy.

Top 5 News Stories

1. Ryan and Amy having a baby shower! yeeeeeeee!!!! Amy and the baby doing great!


2. Ma and Pa olden had a anniversary party for us! (sorry we couldn't make it)


3. Kenai almost got a cat


4. Approaching the 6 month mark and officially getting homesick, just like the transition guy said we would. Actual phenomenon or self-fulfilling prophesy?


5. Andrew still missing at sea, but we have hope he'll come back soon! (i.e. write more little brother!)

Top 5 Up and Coming Events

1. Headed to Australia for 2 weeks tomorrow!


2. Kim headed to Australia next week to meet me!


3. Plans for annual leave coming together, looks like May/June in Nederland!


4. Next violin lesson I will learn Adelvice!


5. Kim is starting to change the apartment up a bit. Hopefully we'll have new drapes by the time I get back!

OK, time to head home! I have roughly 24 hours to goof off before I have to pack and make that trip to KLIA again!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

On our weekend trips around SouthEast Asia, I tend to bring a book to read.  I had a problem last weekend though, because I finished my book on the two hour flight over to Cambodia!  When we got to front desk of our hotel, I noticed that they had a bookshelf with numerous books in all sorts of languages that previous travelers to Golden Temple Villa had left behind.  I looked hard for a Dutch book, but the closest to that was in German. (My German in not that good.)  So, I traded in Rendez Vous by Esther Verhoef for my fellow Dutchies, and found a book (written in English) by Khaled Hosseini called A Thousand Splendid Suns.  At first glance I didn't recognize the authors name or the books title but on the top of the front cover it said International Number One Bestseller By the author of The Kite Runner.  I read The Kite Runner right before they made the movie, and I really loved it, so I gave it a try.  I read the 402 page novel in two days, it was that great.  Compared to the Kite Runner which starred two young boys, this book is about a friendship between a girl and a woman.  I would definitely suggest this book to whoever has read and enjoyed The Kite Runner and is up for another great story by Khaled Hosseini.  That's it! My first book review. He He

**It seems that Columbia Pictures owns the movie rights to the novel, but production has yet to begin. 

*** I absolutely love the warm colors and design of the books front cover 

Another DK Masterpiece

Cambodia

One of the best things about Kuala Lumpur, is not just the close proximity to all of SE Asia, but the multitude of 3 day weekends that make travel a breeze! I should also mention AirAsia who will pack you in a sardine can and slingshot you to practically anywhere you want to go for whatever you have in your pocket!

So this long weekend we put down a map weighed our options:

"Hong Kong sounds cool...nah we live amongst the bright lights and big city, we need fresh air."

"Oh! But what about Hanoi? Shikes, no flights la. hmmm..."

"Bali? Not ready for that, sounds like the Cancun of SE Asia"

"Cambodia? What is the food Like there? What kind of money do they use? Actually, I don't know much about it at all...Let's find out!"

This was last Tuesday. So the research began, and with every bit of information we have learned, the draw to visit this wonderful country grew. I don't want to bore the world with a 10 page blog, so please use the following itinerary as a discussion guideline the next time I buy you a beer! I'll fill in all the detail then!

4:00am - Wake up! Kim went to bed a 9:00 like a normal human being, David stayed up till 1:ooam reading and playing with his new congas (to be introduced in a later blog).

4:30am - Cabby meets us downstairs for the long haul to the LCCT (low cost carrier terminal) at KLIA.

7:00am - David and Kim board flight with Egg McMuffin in their bellies. For some reason it is acceptable to eat McDonald's at the LCCT before early morning flights...still not sure why.

8:00am - Siem Reap! Visa process takes a while, and we didn't bring photos for the Visa. A bit of the "dumb tourist" act and a couple fines later and we are home free!

8:30am - Mr. Piyep picks us up in a Cambodian style Tuk Tuk, which is basically a rickshaw attached to a moped. With the wind in our hair and our lives in Mr. Piyep's hands, we navigate towards our hotel!

9:00am - Checked into the Golden Temple Hotel (Highly recommended)...breakfast time! The waiter chats to us the entire meal, and I get the proper pronunciations of all the Khmer words I have been destroying all morning. Kim gets the best banana pancake I've ever tried (after posting I will go have another!). After breakfast we decide to have a beer...why? Why not!?!?!

10:00am - Back on Mr. Piyep's rickshaw, we head to Angkor Wat. Roughly 38 seconds after leaving the rickshaw, Kim drops the water bottle in the moat. David fetches the bottle of water and the smell reminds him of Huntsville State Park.

10:00am to noon - Angkor Wat has made it's impression. It is absolutely stunning. We walked all around the complex, took breaks in little alcoves and read aloud, as tourists do, the meanings of the chambers and artwork throughout.

noon to 3 - Visited Ta Prohm temple complex. Now we're talking! This was found not long ago, and the jungle was in the process of reclaiming it! We had free reign the the entire place and crawled through the entire complex. We were Indie and Lara! There were these massive trees with roots snaking through the ruins, and I couldn't tell whether they were supporting the fragile structure and tearing it down. Stunning, magical, like nothing I've ever seen. It's in my top 5.

3:30pm - Mr. Piyep takes the adventurers home. David was fading so he grabbed his book and a beer, and beat feet to the hammocks. Roughly half a beer later he was out cold!

5:00pm - Kim read about "Happy Special Pizza," a local shop that puts a local herb in their pizza that produces a satisfied customer. The pizza was happy, and no doubt special, but I'm pretty sure the herb is a marketing ploy.

7:00pm - Stop by the the "Lounge Lizard" for a drink and some hookah. Yum! Beers are $0.75!

9:00pm - We make it home, and fall into bed after a cold shower.

It's been a long day and we need to conserve our energy for our big day tomorrow. We plan to...well actually there is no plan. We'll play it by ear again; seemed to work today!

P.S. Sorry for no photos. I added a few links here an there to help visualize!

What Business?

I picked up my new business cards today!  After I uploaded the image to the computer I noticed that Www.dianakimkaiser.com is capitalized.. ahhh..!!  It's not that obvious, right?  You can tell me the truth, or else David will!  He he!  : )

P.S.  We're leaving tomorrow for a long weekend to Cambodia!  YEAAAHHH!! Life is GREAT!

Tuesdays Batik Class with Sam

This is a picture of me and some of my fellow classmates at the Fine Art batik Training Center.  I realized later on that I should've taken a picture with Sam the teacher as well.  Next time!  On Thursdays I'm going to teach Vanesa (sitting across from me) how to paint in oils.  We found out in class that our husbands work together!  They recently moved to K.L. from Argentina.