Home again, home again ...

It's been about 7 years since I last stepped on Malaysian soil. I would have liked to return home on my own terms, but that's ok. Home is where I was at, and a trip is a trip. The house itself is...home. It's basically the same, albeit it need some repairs. There's even more stuff everywhere now, and some stuff has moved around. But otherwise, it is the same old, same old. Same with the office.

The weather hasn't changed. Hot as ever. Mosquitos at night. Warm rain almost everyday I was there, unusual for this time of the year. The food was the same as always: delicious. I had something different every meal. I even managed to get YeeSang (YuSheng), which is a Chinese New Year specialty dish. The city certainly has changed, though many parts remain very familiar (just the structures around it changed). New roads added everywhere, as expected. For the first time, I visited the completed Petronas Towers. Well, at least, the Suria KLCC part of it. There's some familiar stores such as Parkson and Kinokuniya (which I absolutely love!!!). There's also a ton of stores and brands that were previously not available in Malaysia. Well, I guess that's progress for you. Nice job.

One area of interest to me that I wanted to do was visit Genting. It has been quite awhile since I was last there (obviously), and since I now work for the gaming/resort industry, I thought it would be quite an interesting detour. Well, what was improved was the 1.5 hour trip (as opposed to the previous 5-hour rides up there). The rest was a dissappointment. I remember Genting being the epitome of class, glitz and glam. Carved glass, marble floors, extravagant shows...the works! Well, not anymore. Its kind of a sorry state to see what it has progressed to. Yes, its expanded, but for me, they've also taken a huge step backwards. It just looks cheap and tacky to me, and poorly maintained.

I also managed to visit Malacca (or Melaka, whichever way you prefer to spell it). That changed too, some for the better some for the worst. I did enjoy going to the open air night market, which was a nostalgic experience. Also, I caught sight of a group practicing their Lion Dance routine. After all, Chinese New Year was a week ago. Sadly, I was unable to stay for the actual event, which was February 7 and 8 this year. I didn't go to Singapore. In fact, I've never cared much for Singapore. By chance, I also managed to squeeze in time to meet with 2 old friends of mine. The third has gotten married and moved to Singapore. I was great to catch up with them. Perhaps next time, I'll visit Singapore for a bit.

I don't know when my next trip home will be, but I certainly hope its not 7 years later. And I'd like it to be because I want to visit home, not because I have to. Better timing would be good too.