09 Jul 2008
:: Family first; Love always ::
Hard it may seem to be someone whom others expect us to be, the harder it actually is to accept ourselves for who we really are.
Betrayal – how would you handle it?
My hillarious solo adventure...
Thai? Mexican? Or Filipino?
The whole adventure has been a roller-coaster ride. From the planning to getting myself onboard, that is. Applied for the Visa, went for the interview. When I arrived at the embassy, it was total silence. Well, it should be. Who wouldn’t be after seeing those guards holding big rifles next to them? Everyone was looking so intense – just like how one looks like when he’s up for a job interview. Soon, my number was called and I walked to the respective counter. The consular officer asked me few questions, and one of it being the reason of my trip. I told him it’s to see Celine Dion’s show in Vegas, while touring LA. He looked at me in awe. “All the way across the region just to see her? You must be a big fan, huh?” I smiled. A moment later, he turned around and grabbed a blue card. “Here you go.” I was surprised, as I heard that usually there’d be lots of questions. “That’s it? No further questions?” I asked. “You want more? I could give you more, you know.” “No, no. I am good. Thank you very much, Sir. You have a nice day!” He smiled. And I walked out of the room.
I was supposed to fly to Los Angeles somewhere in October. It would be a 2-weeks trip, split between LA and Vegas. It was around 7 in the morning, on 6th October, when my elder brother drove me to the airport. I got into the queue to check in my luggage. The heart was pounding real fast. I guessed it was due to all the adrenaline rush of flying alone, and to watch Celine Dion, all for the very first time. The much anticipated flight and excitement had to come to a stop when the lady at the check-in counter told me that the flight would be delayed due to a typhoon hit in Taipei (where my stopover would be). But what really hit me was when my younger brother called to inform me that Celine Dion’s “A New Day” show which was on the 7th October, was also cancelled! It was like a double blow at one go! And so, I went back to office and cancelled my annual leave.
Just as my mum thought “that’s it” – and that I would fly some other time; I rescheduled my flight, made all the necessary arrangements, and most importantly repurchased the ticket to “A New Day”. I told her I would be taking off on 10th December 2007. She went ‘what?! You just won’t give up on Celine, will you? Goodness me.”
As I arrived at KLIA, I was praying hard that there wouldn’t be any more typhoons or twisters. I checked in. Finally, my flight took off smoothly at 1345 hour. And I spent the next (nearly) 20 hours up in the air. Just as I was busy wondering what I could do in the plane besides sleeping all the way through, a flight attendant approached me. “Sawaadeekaa” she said. I replied with the same greeting. The next thing I heard was a string of words, all in Thai.
My eyes were wide open. I was totally blank. ‘Arrhhmm, excuse me. I’ve got no idea what did you just say’. She repeated in English this time – asking if I wanted anything to drink. That little scene did add some spice to this solo adventure of mine, because at least 5 similar incidents occurred throughout the following 20 hours on board. The only difference was different attendants =) One asking me if I wanted any drinks; the other came to me to check if I had ordered the Thai meal; while the next asked if I would like to have some croissants. Yep, all in Thai! I was asking myself if I do look any like a Thai, because I would expect the same flight attendant to know I do not know Thai when I spoke in English after 2 or 3 conversations.
It wasn’t entirely about the flight attendants. My seat was a window seat. Sitting next to me was a middle-aged man, from Pakistan (of which I found out several hours later). He looked intense throughout the flight. He was very quiet, too. He looked at me a couple of times, filled with question marks in his head, when I snapped pictures of my meal sets.
And then, I was wondering if there was anything in his little blue hand carry, which he was holding on tightly to. As we were having our meals, I noticed that he did not eat anything, at all. Not even a glass of water. A few attendants did ask him a couple of times if he needed anything else. And he replied all with the same answer. Being someone who can’t sit still without talking to the person next door, I felt uneasy with the whole ‘I look out the window, you look up the ceiling’, but just won’t say “Hie” to the person next to you. I finally stroke a conversation with him. He really looked very serious. I was so scared but I couldn’t stop my mouth from spurting words. It wasn’t that bad, only it was a 1-to-1 Q&A. ‘1’ as in number of words. If you get what I mean. Somehow, I had to accept that not everyone likes to talk. As I thought this could be boring, the best has yet to come. It happened when the plane was about to land. The same flight attendant asked me if I wanted any drinks. Guess what happened? “Could I have some plain water, please?” I asked with a smile. She gave me a stare as though I did something wrong. I was giggling inside. I bet she was wondering why wouldn’t this lady (me, in this case) just converse in Thai? Why???
As the plane landed, I thought this whole episode would have come to an end, too. Just like other passengers, I queued up to get through the Immigration. While I was waiting for my turn, a middle-aged lady stood beside me and mumbled something. She sounded like she was angry with someone, or something. I looked at her. She looked back at me. “Sorry?” I said. “Oops! You’re not Thai?” She asked. I said “No”, and she walked away with a smile.
I met a nice couple while asking around for direction to get to my hotel. As they were also putting a night at the hotel where I would be staying, we waited together for the shuttle van to come pick us up. They were friendly, and kind. They told me where I could visit during my stay in LA. These are the things that we, travelers would truly appreciate when visiting a foreign land. The next morning, woke up fresh, I began my traveling in LA. I toured around Hollywood and Highland. I went to many places around this area. From Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to Kodak Theatre, from Santa Monica to the ever famous Rodeo Drive, and Universal Studios. From Sunset Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard. It was an eye-opening, certainly. After a whole day visiting various places, buying things, I thought it’s about time to head back to the hotel. I went to Union Station to catch the bus back to Inglewood. As it was past 11 pm, the bus wouldn’t come into the Station. So, I walked out to the bus-stop across the street. Another young lady was also waiting for the same bus. It was getting dark, and quiet, too. While we were waiting for the bus, a blue Mustang suddenly drove past us. The driver made a u-turn, and parked in front of us. At that point, all I could think of was how ‘Hollywood’ this was! It’s like what we watch in TV dramas, a guy tries to hit on some girls with his sleek-looking car. “Yo, babe. Where ya goin’? Lemme give yo a drive, baby” he said. And he was totally drunk. I wanted to laugh, but I thought the best thing to do was to just keep my mouth shut. The lady next to me told him off. “Just leave us alone! We are waiting for the bus!” After a while, perhaps he knew this was getting nowhere, he sped off. The tyres made some loud screechy sounds. A minute later, a police patrol was seen chasing his Mustang.
As I alighted at the bus stop at Inglewood, I dropped by Burger King for a bite. While I asked the waitress at the counter for more chilli sauce, she said they only have Taco sauce.
She then asked me something which reminded me of the plane incident. “Ma’am, are you a Mexican?” From Thai to Mexican - this was truly interesting. “No, I am from Malaysia. What made you think I am from Mexico?” She smiled and replied, “oOoh…because Mexicans love spicy food. They love chili. So, where is that where you come from?”
Thai? Mexican? I was thinking why not Singaporean? I mean, perhaps that would make more sense? The day to depart for Vegas has finally come. After a 6 hours bus-ride, it was truly exciting to see MGM, Luxor, Caesars Palace, the well-known Music Fountain of Bellagio, and many more. I thought this place was none other than a hotel city because you could expect countless of hotels along the street. And these hotels are designed in a grand scale. Check out those architecture. I checked in to Flamingo, one of the many hotels in the Sin City. As I was walking around the hotel, admiring the nicely-decorated lobby, a hotel staff came to me, trying to promote some hotel packages. Just as she was explaining the package to me, she popped a question. And if I were to have a ‘Trivia of Jade’s solo adventure” question list, this question genre would definitely top the list, by far. “So, ma’am, are you from the Philippines? You look like a Filipino.” I could not stop laughing. “Oh my. A moment I was Thai, and then Mexican. Seems like I have traveled back to South East Asia – and now, it’s Filipino. But, no one asks if I am Malaysian. No, I am from Malaysia.”She laughed after I shared to her the whole experience. Before she walked away, she turned and said “but, you do have that Filipino-look, you know”.
After spending 2 weeks away from my usual schedule back in Malaysia, I have to say I am already missing the flight attendants, and that famous ‘question’. Going for a vacation to a new destination is definitely something we all anticipate and look forward to. Nevertheless, I must say it is these little encounters we experience from our starting point to the destination, which somehow, sometimes, complete our getaway. It is these funny, cute encounter with different people, different things, which enliven our vacation, eventually. And so they say, you will never know what’s about to happen, only when it happens to you. I am already looking forward to a new genre of questions I’d be getting in my next getaway!
02 Jun 2008
It was a strike of thought to finally kick off my long-awaited trip to somewhere far – alone. Well, initially it was not intended to be a solo adventure. Since I couldn’t get any friends to fly away with me, I decided to proceed, all by myself. Oh, and my mum still thinks I am crazy to do that.
The whole adventure has been a roller-coaster ride. From the planning to getting myself onboard, that is. Applied for the Visa, went for the interview. When I arrived at the embassy, it was total silence. Well, it should be. Who wouldn’t be after seeing those guards holding big rifles next to them? Everyone was looking so intense – just like how one looks like when he’s up for a job interview. Soon, my number was called and I walked to the respective counter. The consular officer asked me few questions, and one of it being the reason of my trip. I told him it’s to see Celine Dion’s show in Vegas, while touring LA. He looked at me in awe. “All the way across the region just to see her? You must be a big fan, huh?” I smiled. A moment later, he turned around and grabbed a blue card. “Here you go.” I was surprised, as I heard that usually there’d be lots of questions. “That’s it? No further questions?” I asked. “You want more? I could give you more, you know.” “No, no. I am good. Thank you very much, Sir. You have a nice day!” He smiled. And I walked out of the room.
I was supposed to fly to Los Angeles somewhere in October. It would be a 2-weeks trip, split between LA and Vegas. It was around 7 in the morning, on 6th October, when my elder brother drove me to the airport. I got into the queue to check in my luggage. The heart was pounding real fast. I guessed it was due to all the adrenaline rush of flying alone, and to watch Celine Dion, all for the very first time. The much anticipated flight and excitement had to come to a stop when the lady at the check-in counter told me that the flight would be delayed due to a typhoon hit in Taipei (where my stopover would be). But what really hit me was when my younger brother called to inform me that Celine Dion’s “A New Day” show which was on the 7th October, was also cancelled! It was like a double blow at one go! And so, I went back to office and cancelled my annual leave.
Just as my mum thought “that’s it” – and that I would fly some other time; I rescheduled my flight, made all the necessary arrangements, and most importantly repurchased the ticket to “A New Day”. I told her I would be taking off on 10th December 2007. She went ‘what?! You just won’t give up on Celine, will you? Goodness me.”
As I arrived at KLIA, I was praying hard that there wouldn’t be any more typhoons or twisters. I checked in. Finally, my flight took off smoothly at 1345 hour. And I spent the next (nearly) 20 hours up in the air. Just as I was busy wondering what I could do in the plane besides sleeping all the way through, a flight attendant approached me. “Sawaadeekaa” she said. I replied with the same greeting. The next thing I heard was a string of words, all in Thai.
My eyes were wide open. I was totally blank. ‘Arrhhmm, excuse me. I’ve got no idea what did you just say’. She repeated in English this time – asking if I wanted anything to drink. That little scene did add some spice to this solo adventure of mine, because at least 5 similar incidents occurred throughout the following 20 hours on board. The only difference was different attendants =) One asking me if I wanted any drinks; the other came to me to check if I had ordered the Thai meal; while the next asked if I would like to have some croissants. Yep, all in Thai! I was asking myself if I do look any like a Thai, because I would expect the same flight attendant to know I do not know Thai when I spoke in English after 2 or 3 conversations.
It wasn’t entirely about the flight attendants. My seat was a window seat. Sitting next to me was a middle-aged man, from Pakistan (of which I found out several hours later). He looked intense throughout the flight. He was very quiet, too. He looked at me a couple of times, filled with question marks in his head, when I snapped pictures of my meal sets.
And then, I was wondering if there was anything in his little blue hand carry, which he was holding on tightly to. As we were having our meals, I noticed that he did not eat anything, at all. Not even a glass of water. A few attendants did ask him a couple of times if he needed anything else. And he replied all with the same answer. Being someone who can’t sit still without talking to the person next door, I felt uneasy with the whole ‘I look out the window, you look up the ceiling’, but just won’t say “Hie” to the person next to you. I finally stroke a conversation with him. He really looked very serious. I was so scared but I couldn’t stop my mouth from spurting words. It wasn’t that bad, only it was a 1-to-1 Q&A. ‘1’ as in number of words. If you get what I mean. Somehow, I had to accept that not everyone likes to talk. As I thought this could be boring, the best has yet to come. It happened when the plane was about to land. The same flight attendant asked me if I wanted any drinks. Guess what happened? “Could I have some plain water, please?” I asked with a smile. She gave me a stare as though I did something wrong. I was giggling inside. I bet she was wondering why wouldn’t this lady (me, in this case) just converse in Thai? Why???
As the plane landed, I thought this whole episode would have come to an end, too. Just like other passengers, I queued up to get through the Immigration. While I was waiting for my turn, a middle-aged lady stood beside me and mumbled something. She sounded like she was angry with someone, or something. I looked at her. She looked back at me. “Sorry?” I said. “Oops! You’re not Thai?” She asked. I said “No”, and she walked away with a smile.
I met a nice couple while asking around for direction to get to my hotel. As they were also putting a night at the hotel where I would be staying, we waited together for the shuttle van to come pick us up. They were friendly, and kind. They told me where I could visit during my stay in LA. These are the things that we, travelers would truly appreciate when visiting a foreign land. The next morning, woke up fresh, I began my traveling in LA. I toured around Hollywood and Highland. I went to many places around this area. From Grauman’s Chinese Theatre to Kodak Theatre, from Santa Monica to the ever famous Rodeo Drive, and Universal Studios. From Sunset Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard. It was an eye-opening, certainly. After a whole day visiting various places, buying things, I thought it’s about time to head back to the hotel. I went to Union Station to catch the bus back to Inglewood. As it was past 11 pm, the bus wouldn’t come into the Station. So, I walked out to the bus-stop across the street. Another young lady was also waiting for the same bus. It was getting dark, and quiet, too. While we were waiting for the bus, a blue Mustang suddenly drove past us. The driver made a u-turn, and parked in front of us. At that point, all I could think of was how ‘Hollywood’ this was! It’s like what we watch in TV dramas, a guy tries to hit on some girls with his sleek-looking car. “Yo, babe. Where ya goin’? Lemme give yo a drive, baby” he said. And he was totally drunk. I wanted to laugh, but I thought the best thing to do was to just keep my mouth shut. The lady next to me told him off. “Just leave us alone! We are waiting for the bus!” After a while, perhaps he knew this was getting nowhere, he sped off. The tyres made some loud screechy sounds. A minute later, a police patrol was seen chasing his Mustang.
As I alighted at the bus stop at Inglewood, I dropped by Burger King for a bite. While I asked the waitress at the counter for more chilli sauce, she said they only have Taco sauce.
She then asked me something which reminded me of the plane incident. “Ma’am, are you a Mexican?” From Thai to Mexican - this was truly interesting. “No, I am from Malaysia. What made you think I am from Mexico?” She smiled and replied, “oOoh…because Mexicans love spicy food. They love chili. So, where is that where you come from?”
Thai? Mexican? I was thinking why not Singaporean? I mean, perhaps that would make more sense? The day to depart for Vegas has finally come. After a 6 hours bus-ride, it was truly exciting to see MGM, Luxor, Caesars Palace, the well-known Music Fountain of Bellagio, and many more. I thought this place was none other than a hotel city because you could expect countless of hotels along the street. And these hotels are designed in a grand scale. Check out those architecture. I checked in to Flamingo, one of the many hotels in the Sin City. As I was walking around the hotel, admiring the nicely-decorated lobby, a hotel staff came to me, trying to promote some hotel packages. Just as she was explaining the package to me, she popped a question. And if I were to have a ‘Trivia of Jade’s solo adventure” question list, this question genre would definitely top the list, by far. “So, ma’am, are you from the Philippines? You look like a Filipino.” I could not stop laughing. “Oh my. A moment I was Thai, and then Mexican. Seems like I have traveled back to South East Asia – and now, it’s Filipino. But, no one asks if I am Malaysian. No, I am from Malaysia.”She laughed after I shared to her the whole experience. Before she walked away, she turned and said “but, you do have that Filipino-look, you know”.
After spending 2 weeks away from my usual schedule back in Malaysia, I have to say I am already missing the flight attendants, and that famous ‘question’. Going for a vacation to a new destination is definitely something we all anticipate and look forward to. Nevertheless, I must say it is these little encounters we experience from our starting point to the destination, which somehow, sometimes, complete our getaway. It is these funny, cute encounter with different people, different things, which enliven our vacation, eventually. And so they say, you will never know what’s about to happen, only when it happens to you. I am already looking forward to a new genre of questions I’d be getting in my next getaway!
Off we go!
21 Jan 2008
10th Dec 2007 – off we go!!!
The flight was at 1305 hour. Kor kor had come to see me off. This time, I reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hoped there’d be no more typhoons or whatever it was out there. Let’s just let me take off peacefully. Checking in was smooth, and so was the boarding. Yep, all set to go. I was sitting next to the window – the wing. My seat was 41A.
Sitting next to me was an Indian man, from Pakistan. It was a 3-seats-row. So, he was basically sitting between 2 ladies. Since it was a short haul, we arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport about 1410 hour (Thai time is 1.5 hour behind us).
Lunch was served. The air stewardess approached me and checked if I had ordered the seafood meal. “Sawaadeekaa…”she said. I replied with the same greeting. And hmmMmm, I have no idea if it’s me or anything else, all the air steward/stewardess who approached me throughout the flight spoke Thai to me. It was pretty awkward; especially they thought I was a Thai. And even I replied in English every time, they still spoke Thai to me. Well, whatever. And the Pakistani man did not have any food throughout the flight. Perhaps, he didn’t like the food. Of course, me and my camera – snapping pictures the moment they plane took off. I think that scared him a little. I found my lunch set pretty delicious. I love the dessert, especially. I think it’s made of coconut milk, and water chestnut. Back to our Pakistani friend. He looked really serious. I didn’t even dare to strike a long conversation – every question was answered with a single word. So, you see…The flight was about 11/2 hour.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport – Sawaadeekaa
The airport was hugeeeeee. Since my next flight would only depart at 1930 hour, I decided to explore the airport. Also, because I had nothing else better to do ^_^. There were 3 floors, if I didn’t remember wrongly. On the 2nd floor, you could expect some boutiques, souvenir shops, and restaurants. One thing which I found awkward was the fact that some passengers were sitting on the floor. I guess there weren’t enough benches or seats to cater for all. It’s not really something nice to see; especially this is an international airport. Oh, I checked out the washrooms, too. Cleaaaaaannnnn.
After exploring the airport, I got a little bored, so I just sat on the floor and waited for the time to board; 1930 hour.
City of Angels, here I come!
After 17 hours, finalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly, I arrived at LAX – Los Angeles International Airport!!! It was around 7.30 pm when the plane landed. I walked through the Immigration. The officer wasn’t that friendly. He was so *urrrgghhHHh*. I had to wait for about 20 minutes or so to collect my luggage. Long queue.
After collecting my luggage, I walked out to catch a cab to go to the hotel. Initially, I asked the airport ‘information counter’ for directions. Fortunately for me, there was a couple who was heading the same direction. They were staying a night at the Adventurer Hotel. So, while waiting for the hotel shuttle to come to the airport, we had some chats. Their little girl, Jessica, was so cute. The husband is James (I think?), and the wife is Gai, from Chiang Mai. It was cold, windy. And there were also many people waiting at the airport. We waited for about an hour. And finally, the shuttle came.
@ Tradewinds Airport Hotel – let’s check in!
The ride from the airport to the hotel, at Inglewoord, took about 30 minutes. And when we got there, only to find out that a few hotels which were known by several different names over the net were all under the same address. Here, you could find several hotels within the same row. Once I have checked in to my room, 245 – it’s time for some unpacking! The room was pretty nice & big. A queen-size bed, a couch, and other basic necessities. Seriously, it was getting really cold at night. I noticed this air-con, but I didn’t know it was also a heater. So, I basically slept through the freezing night. I realized how to use in only on the 2nd day ^_^ (thank god, not till I was about to leave LA)
Sitting next to me was an Indian man, from Pakistan. It was a 3-seats-row. So, he was basically sitting between 2 ladies. Since it was a short haul, we arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport about 1410 hour (Thai time is 1.5 hour behind us).
Lunch was served. The air stewardess approached me and checked if I had ordered the seafood meal. “Sawaadeekaa…”she said. I replied with the same greeting. And hmmMmm, I have no idea if it’s me or anything else, all the air steward/stewardess who approached me throughout the flight spoke Thai to me. It was pretty awkward; especially they thought I was a Thai. And even I replied in English every time, they still spoke Thai to me. Well, whatever. And the Pakistani man did not have any food throughout the flight. Perhaps, he didn’t like the food. Of course, me and my camera – snapping pictures the moment they plane took off. I think that scared him a little. I found my lunch set pretty delicious. I love the dessert, especially. I think it’s made of coconut milk, and water chestnut. Back to our Pakistani friend. He looked really serious. I didn’t even dare to strike a long conversation – every question was answered with a single word. So, you see…The flight was about 11/2 hour.
At Suvarnabhumi Airport – Sawaadeekaa
The airport was hugeeeeee. Since my next flight would only depart at 1930 hour, I decided to explore the airport. Also, because I had nothing else better to do ^_^. There were 3 floors, if I didn’t remember wrongly. On the 2nd floor, you could expect some boutiques, souvenir shops, and restaurants. One thing which I found awkward was the fact that some passengers were sitting on the floor. I guess there weren’t enough benches or seats to cater for all. It’s not really something nice to see; especially this is an international airport. Oh, I checked out the washrooms, too. Cleaaaaaannnnn.
After exploring the airport, I got a little bored, so I just sat on the floor and waited for the time to board; 1930 hour.
City of Angels, here I come!
After 17 hours, finalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly, I arrived at LAX – Los Angeles International Airport!!! It was around 7.30 pm when the plane landed. I walked through the Immigration. The officer wasn’t that friendly. He was so *urrrgghhHHh*. I had to wait for about 20 minutes or so to collect my luggage. Long queue.
After collecting my luggage, I walked out to catch a cab to go to the hotel. Initially, I asked the airport ‘information counter’ for directions. Fortunately for me, there was a couple who was heading the same direction. They were staying a night at the Adventurer Hotel. So, while waiting for the hotel shuttle to come to the airport, we had some chats. Their little girl, Jessica, was so cute. The husband is James (I think?), and the wife is Gai, from Chiang Mai. It was cold, windy. And there were also many people waiting at the airport. We waited for about an hour. And finally, the shuttle came.
@ Tradewinds Airport Hotel – let’s check in!
The ride from the airport to the hotel, at Inglewoord, took about 30 minutes. And when we got there, only to find out that a few hotels which were known by several different names over the net were all under the same address. Here, you could find several hotels within the same row. Once I have checked in to my room, 245 – it’s time for some unpacking! The room was pretty nice & big. A queen-size bed, a couch, and other basic necessities. Seriously, it was getting really cold at night. I noticed this air-con, but I didn’t know it was also a heater. So, I basically slept through the freezing night. I realized how to use in only on the 2nd day ^_^ (thank god, not till I was about to leave LA)
Back to work...for some surprise
21 Jan 2008
8th Oct 2007 – back to work …
Here I am, back to office. All of my colleagues who knew about my trip was shocked to see me that morning :D Earlier I had SMSed Puspa to collect my car park tag. She thought I was pulling her leg to send an SMS from LA. Until I called. And that’s how the LA=Lebuh Ampang joke became a topic for that entire week ^_^
Though I didn’t get to kick off my adventure, I continued to try. My folks thought I have already given up the plan. In fact, most of them thought the same, too. Certainly, the show tickets were all sold out at this point. I was still surfing the related websites to look for tickets. And just when I thought “does this mean it’s not meant to be?…does this mean it’s not my time yet…”, I saw a posting over in Celinedionforum.com. A girl from UK, Rebecca, wanted to sell her tickets for the Dec 13th and 14th show. I was in Kluang when I read read the message. Jean (my youngest sister) would know how excited and happy I was. I was so happy that I was about to cry. Seriously! Yea, I know. Sappy, right? The price she was asking for was USD 750. Now, the question was should I go for it?
RM 1 = USD 3.45. You do the numbers.
I thought it was a crazy thing to do. A lot of struggles between ‘necessary’ and ‘desire’. And even if I managed to go for her other concerts in the future, perhaps, they might not be of the same concept as “A New Day”. I even asked Trissy (my pen-pal from the Netherlands) for his opinions. He was one person who understands me real well. He knew I actually had the answer in me. It was just about me getting assurance and agreement from someone that the decision which I was about to make was the right thing to do. Yea, that’ me. After ding donging here and there, I finally decided to get the ticket! I checked again with Wayne if he would be able to join me this time. Too bad, he wouldn’t be coming along. So, it’s going to be really ‘solo’. Just as how it was initially, planned - solo. I decided to negotiate the price again with Rebecca, and managed to bring the price to USD 430. Even that, I was literally living on oats everyday.But, the dream continued to sail. Yep, let’s get movin’!
Let’s get some actions!
The next thing to do was definitely getting the plane tickets. This would be my first time flying alone, and I totally overlooked the fact that it’s peak season in December. Once again, all the ups and downs despite having a confirmed show ticket. I called various travel agencies, airlines – all the same answer, “I am sorry, there are no more seats left. Even if there is, it’s business class. And it’s on waiting list, ma’am”. Every morning when I reached office, the first thing to look at will be the travel agency/airline list. Calls after calls, emails after emails, faxes after faxes. All on quotations, but on waiting list.
FINALLY… we saw some hope… And it’s Thai Airways. Oh yes, Sawaadeekaa ^_^
Kak Rizi (my colleague) would know how EXCITED and relieved I was!
The air ticket was more expensive, obviously. But, it’s all worth the price. The service was very good. The staff, Julie, who assisted me in getting some good seats on the plane, was very friendly. I couldn’t believe when she said she’s married with 4 kids! She was so energetic, and you could tell she has passion in her work. She sounds excited when we were going through the arrangements for the flight.The ticket was RM5400. And the flight was on 10th Dec, returning on 18th Dec.
Next was accommodation. I browsed through some websites on hotels in LA and Vegas. Also, I needed to calculate the distance between the hotels and the bus pick up point to Vegas. After doing some research and calculation, I decided on Tradewinds Airport Hotel, at Inglewood. I made the purchase online, it came to about USD 700. Also, I managed to purchase the bus ticket from Bravo (GotoBus.com), it was USD 45, to and fro.
All seemed right on track ^_^ And just when I was about to search for hotels in Vegas, I saw another posting over Celinedionforum.com. Antoinette was asking if anyone wanted any rooms during their stay in Vegas for the show. I contacted her, and asked her how much would she be charging for those rooms, if I were to stay from Dec 13th-15th. She said it was free. I know exactly what’s running through your minds now. Me, too! For free? You serious? Then, I came to know she got the rooms as complimentary, as she’s a Diamond member in the casinos. I spoke to my mum on this. She was kind of worried. “Did you check her background? Is it really a ‘he’ or ‘she’? You know, you better check all this out.” Then, Meera was also worried. “hey dude, you know, it’s just not safe. I think you better not go for it, dude. What if he/she is a psychopath and kidnaps u?”. After doing some thinking, and some calculated risk, of course, I decided to go for it!
And as I am writing this on my blog, I know, the risk was worth taking ^_^
Here I am, back to office. All of my colleagues who knew about my trip was shocked to see me that morning :D Earlier I had SMSed Puspa to collect my car park tag. She thought I was pulling her leg to send an SMS from LA. Until I called. And that’s how the LA=Lebuh Ampang joke became a topic for that entire week ^_^
Though I didn’t get to kick off my adventure, I continued to try. My folks thought I have already given up the plan. In fact, most of them thought the same, too. Certainly, the show tickets were all sold out at this point. I was still surfing the related websites to look for tickets. And just when I thought “does this mean it’s not meant to be?…does this mean it’s not my time yet…”, I saw a posting over in Celinedionforum.com. A girl from UK, Rebecca, wanted to sell her tickets for the Dec 13th and 14th show. I was in Kluang when I read read the message. Jean (my youngest sister) would know how excited and happy I was. I was so happy that I was about to cry. Seriously! Yea, I know. Sappy, right? The price she was asking for was USD 750. Now, the question was should I go for it?
RM 1 = USD 3.45. You do the numbers.
I thought it was a crazy thing to do. A lot of struggles between ‘necessary’ and ‘desire’. And even if I managed to go for her other concerts in the future, perhaps, they might not be of the same concept as “A New Day”. I even asked Trissy (my pen-pal from the Netherlands) for his opinions. He was one person who understands me real well. He knew I actually had the answer in me. It was just about me getting assurance and agreement from someone that the decision which I was about to make was the right thing to do. Yea, that’ me. After ding donging here and there, I finally decided to get the ticket! I checked again with Wayne if he would be able to join me this time. Too bad, he wouldn’t be coming along. So, it’s going to be really ‘solo’. Just as how it was initially, planned - solo. I decided to negotiate the price again with Rebecca, and managed to bring the price to USD 430. Even that, I was literally living on oats everyday.But, the dream continued to sail. Yep, let’s get movin’!
Let’s get some actions!
The next thing to do was definitely getting the plane tickets. This would be my first time flying alone, and I totally overlooked the fact that it’s peak season in December. Once again, all the ups and downs despite having a confirmed show ticket. I called various travel agencies, airlines – all the same answer, “I am sorry, there are no more seats left. Even if there is, it’s business class. And it’s on waiting list, ma’am”. Every morning when I reached office, the first thing to look at will be the travel agency/airline list. Calls after calls, emails after emails, faxes after faxes. All on quotations, but on waiting list.
FINALLY… we saw some hope… And it’s Thai Airways. Oh yes, Sawaadeekaa ^_^
Kak Rizi (my colleague) would know how EXCITED and relieved I was!
The air ticket was more expensive, obviously. But, it’s all worth the price. The service was very good. The staff, Julie, who assisted me in getting some good seats on the plane, was very friendly. I couldn’t believe when she said she’s married with 4 kids! She was so energetic, and you could tell she has passion in her work. She sounds excited when we were going through the arrangements for the flight.The ticket was RM5400. And the flight was on 10th Dec, returning on 18th Dec.
Next was accommodation. I browsed through some websites on hotels in LA and Vegas. Also, I needed to calculate the distance between the hotels and the bus pick up point to Vegas. After doing some research and calculation, I decided on Tradewinds Airport Hotel, at Inglewood. I made the purchase online, it came to about USD 700. Also, I managed to purchase the bus ticket from Bravo (GotoBus.com), it was USD 45, to and fro.
All seemed right on track ^_^ And just when I was about to search for hotels in Vegas, I saw another posting over Celinedionforum.com. Antoinette was asking if anyone wanted any rooms during their stay in Vegas for the show. I contacted her, and asked her how much would she be charging for those rooms, if I were to stay from Dec 13th-15th. She said it was free. I know exactly what’s running through your minds now. Me, too! For free? You serious? Then, I came to know she got the rooms as complimentary, as she’s a Diamond member in the casinos. I spoke to my mum on this. She was kind of worried. “Did you check her background? Is it really a ‘he’ or ‘she’? You know, you better check all this out.” Then, Meera was also worried. “hey dude, you know, it’s just not safe. I think you better not go for it, dude. What if he/she is a psychopath and kidnaps u?”. After doing some thinking, and some calculated risk, of course, I decided to go for it!
And as I am writing this on my blog, I know, the risk was worth taking ^_^
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