Feels Like Home

I'm aimlessly walking around the store looking for those darn labels.  Where are they?  Do they even carry them?  Paper everywhere, all different colors, sizes, textures, but no labels?  I'm getting dizzy here.  I need to get out, SOON!  The papers are closing in on me!   I would do anything to walk into a Walmart, Best Buy or Target.  At least I would know for sure that they would be waiting for me.   I stop for a moment because my brain picks up an all to familiar tune playing on the radio.  No way, 89.3 KSBJ!  With a big smile on my face I'm thinking, could my sister in law, Liz Jordan, be on air at this very moment?  I calculate in my head the time difference.  Noon here, 10:00 p.m. there. Awe, too late.. but still, the owner of this store is listening to KSBJ!  In my little corner that I stopped at to listen, I look up and guess what's the first thing I see?  Labels!  

Jam Sesh

The Air is Cool

This is the view out of the laundry room this morning. It has been raining a lot lately and the storms have been so refreshing. The air drops about 5-10 degrees, the wind picks up and everything gets washed away. I was riding home with Kim last night and I felt so happy to be here in KL.

Potential New Hobby...

One big question on our minds since we moved to KL is, "what are we going to do as an active hobby?" Kim and I have always been into some kind of sport, mainly revolving around the outdoors. We mountain biked in college, hiked and Geocached in New Mexico and adventure raced in Houston. So when we got to KL it didn't take long to get antsy about getting into the outdoors.

I first looked into swimming. I bought some goggles and proper swimming trunks and actually kept up a good schedule (still do a bit). I was able to rotate 500 meters and 1000 meters each day and my technique was looking good. The pool at our temporary apartment was pretty out of this world as well...But it didn't take...Too much repetition and not enough scenery; I was bored to death in no time.

Next were "Hash" runs. Essentially a group meets on the weekend for a race through the jungle and/or palm oil plantations, after which copious amounts of beer is consumed. I immediately liked the idea as it was a lot like the adventure racing group we ran with in Houston. However the hobby didn't take, because it was only weekly and we didn't have a car to get out of town for the meet ups.

Then there was mountain biking. I figured I should stick with what works, right? I was literally one debit card swipe away from buying a new bike, but I knew I was trying to apply an instant solution to this problem, and I hadn't thought it through. I walked out of the bike shop and it was a great decision. Again, we ran into the problem of transport. I would need a car if I had a bike, because the trails, although only about 10 kilometers away, were not accessible by bike. I would have parked the bike in the store room and only used sparingly.

I was hard up, but then the clouds parted and we learned of Camp 5! Camp 5 is the largest indoor climbing gym in Asia, and I don't doubt it for a second! Kim and I went last weekend for a 4 hour basic wall course and now are official members. It is only a 10 minute scooter ride, and it's open late.

So no issues with transport, or time and the cost of starting up is really low. Best part of it all is Malaysia is a gem in regards to outdoor climbing. There are limestone cliffs in every direction and we are planning to climb our first outdoor route in a couple weeks. Sweet!

I think this one will stick...I have that gut feel!

Curious George

Being that David and I live on the 17th floor and our elevators are extremely slow, at times I read the current posts on the community message board.  Last week management notified residents of several upcoming renovations, someone posted an American size van for sale, and then there's the weekly schedule for the aqua-size class.

Now, here's the latest news.. Had a good laugh with David about it.  We have so many things to worry about.. 

What would you do if you found a monkey in your home?

K.L. Experiment 101.

O.K.  This is the deal, and I'll be completely honest.  Until recently we got hooked to  the expat lifestyle of wanting to escape your new home (K.L. for us) , especially during the weekends.  We noticed this unique behavior with our expat friends while we lived in Houston.  Every weekend, they just HAD to take a break from "city" life.  So did we as soon as we moved to K.L. We took a flight to Borneo, a quick train ride to old colonial Melaka,  and then across the border to beautiful Thailand.  But then you have to ask yourself.. what about your own home?  What about your own town?  So, this weekend we decided we would take a break and explore more of  K.L.   We have two guide books, and in both of them they recommend a reserve called the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia.  On saturday we took the KTM commuter train from K.L central to Kepong  and arrived just in time to walk across the 200m forest walkway, suspended 30 m above the forest floor.  This gave us beautiful views of the forest as well as the KL towers rising behind.  After our exciting forest walkway, we found a waterfall.  Kim sat on a comfortable rock, contemplating life while she ate her pistachios,  and David explored the surrounding area by jumping from one rock to the other, which eventually lead us to a cafe for lunch.  It's interesting how close nature is to your home when you really look for it.  A  good weekend it was.. What's next? 

 

Attention!!! Attention!!! Attention!!!

Today I introduce to you my latest blog, dailydrawingsbykim!!!

This project was inspired by my extremely creative sister-in-law, Liz, and her talented boyfriend, D.K.  Last year they started their 365 project on FLickr, which involves them taking a photo together every day for a whole year.  What interested me about this daily process is the evolution of the image.  It changes from week to week, month to month and finally a year passes in no time. The result:  you learn, create, play, test, inspire and evolve.  

I decided before our move to Kuala Lumpur that I would start one of my own, with a twist,  and have succesfully kept up with it since November!  Hope you enjoy!  Please leave me your comments (good or bad).  Anyone should be able to comment.. even you Oma!  

p.s. I changed the settings on Durian Delights to where everybody can comment on this blog as well. : )