After 2 excruciating weeks of working in ITNM (Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia), a long weekend has arrived. It feels soooo good to be able to stay up late at night watching movies and waking up at 2.30pm for once. What a bliss! hahaha...
Just for you readers' info, I'm now staying with Michelle in Angkasa Condo, Tmn Connaught, Cheras (Anyone in KL wanna meet up?). And coincidentally, Vincent is also staying here, with his friend Kevin. In fact, he's in the same block, just 3 floors above me! Both Kevin and Michelle are studying in UCSI, hence the same condo. hehehe.. Staying nearby and going to work together is really wonderful. At least there's someone to give me a wake up call in the morning, which I desperately need and Michelle can attest to that. haha.. =D Oh, and we are also interning in the same department in ITNM! Both of us are in the Interpreting and Courses Dept, while 3 others in Book Translation, and 2 more in Documents Translation Dept.
For the record, i'm really glad i chose Courses & Interpreting. Compared to their workload n work scope, our job is pretty relaxed and interesting. We stay mostly in the office doing nothing much, except help the staffs with some chores. And sometimes when there's events, like the recently ended MIHAS (Malaysian International Halal Showcase) and World Halal Forum, we get to attend these events to observe professional interpreters do their thing. It's really an eye-opener. Many of them have vast experience in their 3rd language n interpreting. I really hope to brush up on my third language. Which i'm still wondering should it be mandarin or german? Speaking so-so Mandarin but unable to read it is stupid. And being able to read German but with super limited vocab is equally idiotic. Damn.. Which one should i focus on? Sighs...
Staying in Cheras and working in Wangsa Maju promises a crazy adventure everyday. My working life in a nutshell is waking up at 5.30am, returning by 7pm (the earliest) daily. And my working hours is only from 8.30am-5.30pm!! Wat a boring life. About 2-4 hours are spent on the public transports to n from work. Sighs.. If you've observed my msn nick recently, you would know i hate Rapid KL bus T407. It SUCKS! Rapid KL kononnya. When we first reached KL, vince n i went to explore the route to work. The first bus, T407 arrived at 6.30am. And so we thought it would be at least a little punctual, so that we would arrive to work on time. It ended up coming later n later day by day. And so my waking hours changed from 5.15, 5.20, 5.25, and eventually 5.45am. hahaha.. But waking up late in the morning nowadays really doesn't mean i get enough sleep. All because of T407's fault. Aarghh.. The going to work part is quite easy cos if the bus doesn't arrive by 7am, we'll take a cab to the lrt station. But if you come back late, the buses come late and the taxi line is endless! Sighs.. And fyi, i'm disappointed that chinese cab drivers are cheating chinese passengers! Charging RM3.50 ride for RM5 just because u noe that we're in a rush n sleepy in the early morning! wth?!.
Anyhows, in KL, if you miss any LRT during peak hours (peak hours meaning anytime before 11am and after 4.30pm), the next train coming in will definitely be packed like pickles (term coined by Ellen Degeneres) and worse than the one before it. Just within 3 mins, the amount of ppl getting onto the lrt is crazy!! That's why i'm kinda thankful my work starts early. But i'm really really puzzled on the Rapid LRT authorities' decision to use the SHORTEST trains for the BUSIEST line??? Plain idiocy isn't it? Sighs.. Malaysia Boleh.
Compared to the buses and KTM Komuters, LRTs are way much better. At least they're consistent and "rapid" (especially when it comes to closing the doors). The stupid T407 on the other hand, is a nightmare! When ppl are tired after work, they expect buses to come at LEAST every 30 mins. But NO.. T407 only comes 1 hour 1 while T424 (i seriously dunno why) comes every 5 mins!!! Stupid isn't it?? Ppl stand waiting for buses to come only to see the same T424 returning time and again to pick up less than 3 ppl from the ridiculous Bandar Tasik Selatan bus stop which only has seats for 8 ppl!!! (While taxi stand seats have space for more than 20 ppl!) The ppl who designed this bus stop has definitely got to be a guy. Cos they have no bloody idea wat it feels like to stand on heels! It bloody kills u inside, so much so you'd wished you'd chop off your own legs! Sadly, this is one terrible agonizing experience that taught me never to wear closed up heels if u have big feet like me. Sighs.. The price girls are willing to pay for beauty's sake. For whatever it's worth, it made me feel beautiful for that 3 short-lived days. And tht's all that matters. hahaha.. Oh and i'm complaining about the seats because i see that most of the ppl standing there are working women in heels. So i feel the pain for you too, ladies.
As if the 1 hour waiting for a bus that never comes is not enough, Rapid buses play dirty tricks on their passengers. The bus that passes by the Tmn Connaught bus stop in the morning is sometimes T405. So, thinking tht i should be a bus-wise passenger from the past 9 years of taking buses in JB, logically, i thought T405 which also comes hourly to Bdr Tasik Selatan station SHOULD pass by my bus stop after going one big round isn't it? How wrong was i. After taking a risk getting on the T405 one evening, i swear i shall not act like a smart-ass anymore. The stupid bus took us one big round and before reaching the end of it's destination, it decided to stop at some bus hub, 3 stops away from the end point. The driver told us, we shouldn't have sat his bus, cos they're now going for dinner and they actually wait for signals before driving back to the LRT station!!! WTF??! Wat kind of system is that? Signals? Wat about the most obvious signal that there are still passengers on your bus off?? How the hell would i know that you guys operate by some idiotic signals? Who's the one giving the signals? Is that why u only come one hour once?? Bloody hell!
In the end around 9.30pm, after all the drivers had had their drinks, and received "the signal" we took another T404 to Cheras Leisure Mall and was told to switched to T407. We were so happy that we're back on the rite bus. However, the bus didn't left immediately. The bus driver was taking his own sweet time at the stop, presumably waiting for a signal too. And then, to our shocking horror, he switched the bus plate to T405!!! We quickly got down the bus, afraid to go through the arduous journey again. But we saw there's BOTH T405 & T407 in the front! Asked the driver, he said it's actually T407, and thank god, he IS passing by our place. I tell you, if it was T405, i was so going to kill someone that nite! But i never did understand, why wanna put T405 n T407 together? Anyways, it's too complicated for my small brain. Just glad that we found out that's how they tricked us. Damn idiots. That nite, i reached home at around 10pm. Sweats.
Life in KL has been a hectic one so far. And i agree with Vincey that KL is only suitable for visits, definitely not a good place to stay permanently. Everything is so hectic, and food here is very expensive yet terrible! Even though the public transport system has improved tremendously, there are definitely still some major flaws in its system. I really hope someone would do something about the bus frequency and the LRT's length expansion perhaps? But the one thing i like about Rapid KL is their monthly travel card! Just for RM135, i can take unlimited bus n LRT rides a month. haha.. Although it seems like a lot, but if u were to count the exact prices to n fro wangsa maju alone, it's gonna cost me RM8.60 daily!
Conclusion:
Living in KL without a car is costly and dreadful. With lousy food and high cost of living, you'll die of stress n hunger pretty soon. Even if you have a car, you'll die of high blood pressure. Did i tell u how distressing is KL traffic jams? Even 11pm at night, traffic in KL Pudu area is jammed without any movement. At times like this, i've come to appreciate JB more and more each day.
Just for you readers' info, I'm now staying with Michelle in Angkasa Condo, Tmn Connaught, Cheras (Anyone in KL wanna meet up?). And coincidentally, Vincent is also staying here, with his friend Kevin. In fact, he's in the same block, just 3 floors above me! Both Kevin and Michelle are studying in UCSI, hence the same condo. hehehe.. Staying nearby and going to work together is really wonderful. At least there's someone to give me a wake up call in the morning, which I desperately need and Michelle can attest to that. haha.. =D Oh, and we are also interning in the same department in ITNM! Both of us are in the Interpreting and Courses Dept, while 3 others in Book Translation, and 2 more in Documents Translation Dept.
For the record, i'm really glad i chose Courses & Interpreting. Compared to their workload n work scope, our job is pretty relaxed and interesting. We stay mostly in the office doing nothing much, except help the staffs with some chores. And sometimes when there's events, like the recently ended MIHAS (Malaysian International Halal Showcase) and World Halal Forum, we get to attend these events to observe professional interpreters do their thing. It's really an eye-opener. Many of them have vast experience in their 3rd language n interpreting. I really hope to brush up on my third language. Which i'm still wondering should it be mandarin or german? Speaking so-so Mandarin but unable to read it is stupid. And being able to read German but with super limited vocab is equally idiotic. Damn.. Which one should i focus on? Sighs...
Staying in Cheras and working in Wangsa Maju promises a crazy adventure everyday. My working life in a nutshell is waking up at 5.30am, returning by 7pm (the earliest) daily. And my working hours is only from 8.30am-5.30pm!! Wat a boring life. About 2-4 hours are spent on the public transports to n from work. Sighs.. If you've observed my msn nick recently, you would know i hate Rapid KL bus T407. It SUCKS! Rapid KL kononnya. When we first reached KL, vince n i went to explore the route to work. The first bus, T407 arrived at 6.30am. And so we thought it would be at least a little punctual, so that we would arrive to work on time. It ended up coming later n later day by day. And so my waking hours changed from 5.15, 5.20, 5.25, and eventually 5.45am. hahaha.. But waking up late in the morning nowadays really doesn't mean i get enough sleep. All because of T407's fault. Aarghh.. The going to work part is quite easy cos if the bus doesn't arrive by 7am, we'll take a cab to the lrt station. But if you come back late, the buses come late and the taxi line is endless! Sighs.. And fyi, i'm disappointed that chinese cab drivers are cheating chinese passengers! Charging RM3.50 ride for RM5 just because u noe that we're in a rush n sleepy in the early morning! wth?!.
Anyhows, in KL, if you miss any LRT during peak hours (peak hours meaning anytime before 11am and after 4.30pm), the next train coming in will definitely be packed like pickles (term coined by Ellen Degeneres) and worse than the one before it. Just within 3 mins, the amount of ppl getting onto the lrt is crazy!! That's why i'm kinda thankful my work starts early. But i'm really really puzzled on the Rapid LRT authorities' decision to use the SHORTEST trains for the BUSIEST line??? Plain idiocy isn't it? Sighs.. Malaysia Boleh.
Compared to the buses and KTM Komuters, LRTs are way much better. At least they're consistent and "rapid" (especially when it comes to closing the doors). The stupid T407 on the other hand, is a nightmare! When ppl are tired after work, they expect buses to come at LEAST every 30 mins. But NO.. T407 only comes 1 hour 1 while T424 (i seriously dunno why) comes every 5 mins!!! Stupid isn't it?? Ppl stand waiting for buses to come only to see the same T424 returning time and again to pick up less than 3 ppl from the ridiculous Bandar Tasik Selatan bus stop which only has seats for 8 ppl!!! (While taxi stand seats have space for more than 20 ppl!) The ppl who designed this bus stop has definitely got to be a guy. Cos they have no bloody idea wat it feels like to stand on heels! It bloody kills u inside, so much so you'd wished you'd chop off your own legs! Sadly, this is one terrible agonizing experience that taught me never to wear closed up heels if u have big feet like me. Sighs.. The price girls are willing to pay for beauty's sake. For whatever it's worth, it made me feel beautiful for that 3 short-lived days. And tht's all that matters. hahaha.. Oh and i'm complaining about the seats because i see that most of the ppl standing there are working women in heels. So i feel the pain for you too, ladies.
As if the 1 hour waiting for a bus that never comes is not enough, Rapid buses play dirty tricks on their passengers. The bus that passes by the Tmn Connaught bus stop in the morning is sometimes T405. So, thinking tht i should be a bus-wise passenger from the past 9 years of taking buses in JB, logically, i thought T405 which also comes hourly to Bdr Tasik Selatan station SHOULD pass by my bus stop after going one big round isn't it? How wrong was i. After taking a risk getting on the T405 one evening, i swear i shall not act like a smart-ass anymore. The stupid bus took us one big round and before reaching the end of it's destination, it decided to stop at some bus hub, 3 stops away from the end point. The driver told us, we shouldn't have sat his bus, cos they're now going for dinner and they actually wait for signals before driving back to the LRT station!!! WTF??! Wat kind of system is that? Signals? Wat about the most obvious signal that there are still passengers on your bus off?? How the hell would i know that you guys operate by some idiotic signals? Who's the one giving the signals? Is that why u only come one hour once?? Bloody hell!
In the end around 9.30pm, after all the drivers had had their drinks, and received "the signal" we took another T404 to Cheras Leisure Mall and was told to switched to T407. We were so happy that we're back on the rite bus. However, the bus didn't left immediately. The bus driver was taking his own sweet time at the stop, presumably waiting for a signal too. And then, to our shocking horror, he switched the bus plate to T405!!! We quickly got down the bus, afraid to go through the arduous journey again. But we saw there's BOTH T405 & T407 in the front! Asked the driver, he said it's actually T407, and thank god, he IS passing by our place. I tell you, if it was T405, i was so going to kill someone that nite! But i never did understand, why wanna put T405 n T407 together? Anyways, it's too complicated for my small brain. Just glad that we found out that's how they tricked us. Damn idiots. That nite, i reached home at around 10pm. Sweats.
Life in KL has been a hectic one so far. And i agree with Vincey that KL is only suitable for visits, definitely not a good place to stay permanently. Everything is so hectic, and food here is very expensive yet terrible! Even though the public transport system has improved tremendously, there are definitely still some major flaws in its system. I really hope someone would do something about the bus frequency and the LRT's length expansion perhaps? But the one thing i like about Rapid KL is their monthly travel card! Just for RM135, i can take unlimited bus n LRT rides a month. haha.. Although it seems like a lot, but if u were to count the exact prices to n fro wangsa maju alone, it's gonna cost me RM8.60 daily!
Conclusion:
Living in KL without a car is costly and dreadful. With lousy food and high cost of living, you'll die of stress n hunger pretty soon. Even if you have a car, you'll die of high blood pressure. Did i tell u how distressing is KL traffic jams? Even 11pm at night, traffic in KL Pudu area is jammed without any movement. At times like this, i've come to appreciate JB more and more each day.
Johor Bahru rules!!!
Actually, Penang is not that bad either. =P
