Repertoire - in the works

A lot of times I make mental notea to myself, and sometimes verbal comments with others on what to blog IF i had a blog. Here are some topics/ issues/ things I had previously thought of before:

• spoken Bahasa Malaysia vs. spoken Singaporean Malay Language - lol!
• getting around in KL - yikes!
• observation: everyone drives (or rides) in KL, except me - :(
• how (bloody) long it is taking me to study for my basic driving theory test!
• observation: differences in youths (i.e. shuffling?!)
• thought: racial integration in Singapore is actually not that bad after all.
• question: how often does a typical Malaysian get their car washed?
• etc....

Director's message

I have always wanted to blog my working & living experiences here in Malaysia since I first flew here (haven't flown here from Singapore since then actually as it makes much more economic sense1 to take the bus). Despite not having much of a social life (or to be more precise - out of work/office activities2) here, it's rather difficult to sit down and blog as I still have yet to have proper internet access3 at the condo after one year!

I think I'm pretty settled down now - today marks by one year annivesary living in KL! (technically i'm residing in Selangor, and my office is in KL but they're much closer than most Singaporeans may think). I generally have a lot of time to myself thus i think it's probably a good idea to blog so that I can one day relive and recollect memories of the past in an organized way. Hopefully this will also be a good way for me to express my observations (and in research terms - insights!) and thoughts.

So I shall dedicate this blog to sharing, especially with my future self, on my experiences, thoughts and observations of my expat journey here in Malaysia! Please feel free to share your thoughts!

1 economic sense - possibly more fashionable compare to saying "i can't afford it"?
2 out of work/office activities - generally revolve around enjoying solitude at the mamaks (refered to as indian muslim coffee shop in S'pore), Salsa social, clubbing, finding other things to do, etc.
3 internet access - didnt feel like committing to internet at the condo, despite suggestion by housemate: Mainly because I didnt intend to stay for more than a year in the condo and wouldnt feel good if i left my housemate to pay for the internet which he probably wouldnt need.

The Overture

Singapore Management University. graduation. searching crunched numbers in MB Singapore. yawns. application to RI Malaysia. success. inspiring qualitative research. Ampang Prima Condo, Selangor. searching. salsa. clubbing. 2 round of auditions. realization of a dream. Ismail - the musical. juggling rehearsals and work. one year in Malaysia. missing Singapore(ans). searching...