Today, there is an important event. At lunch time, the VN boss drive all of us to the supermarket to have lunch and buy some thing for us such as: fruits, vegetables, shower... and he paid for the goods we bought. There are many food shops at there. The especially at this country is at the normal food shops, there are many kind of foods, it’s sell by many owner and they earn the money with the food they sell. If you want to eat something, you must go to their stall and order the food, after they made it, they bring to your table and you must paid the money at this time. The main owner or we call the landlord had the space for this area is the person sell the beverages. And this person must go to each table to ask the custom which kind of drinks you want, and we must paid for the beverage at the time they bring it for you.

After that, we come back to the office have a meeting with him for summary what we work at here and discuss about our passport. After that the HR manager goes to the boardroom and tells us about the passport status. He has a bad attitude when throw our passport on the table and ask us who want to take it can do it now, but he don’t have the responsibility after this time. We so angry but try to calmly. We just want to take it back for see the visa expire. But he misunderstands and become angry. It’s not good with the HR manager.

After he go out, the VN boss say apology with us and promise everything will better, and he will tell the director about everything happen.

This evening, the VN boss invites all of us go to have dinner together with Network manager and Sales manager. All of them say sorry about what happen this afternoon. We go to the Western restaurant, its look so nice and elegant and so expensive. We decide to pay for the dinner but they discover it and return for us.

Tuesday 30/09/2008

Today all of them must finish our first work at ML because next 2 day is holiday. But at the end, we must stay at office until 7:00PM and come back for dinner. Cause tomorrow is holiday of ML people, so that some shop is closed and we find a shop still working. But many people are waiting and we must do the same. More than 30 minutes after, we have dinner food and try to eat so fast for come back because it so late.

Wednesday 01/10/2008

Today is New Year holiday of ML people, we have break time. We get up so late and go by bus to the Asia Jaya Station again to Digital Mall near it. Yesterday I saw the map to the shop, but I forget the map and we lose the way. After few minutes waiting for any person to ask and calling for the boss but he don’t hang on the phone, we decide to go by taxi. We ask him to drive us to Digital Mall, but maybe he doesn’t understand I drive me to KL to the shopping center have the name: the Mall. At there, we have lunch in mc Donald shop and go around for shopping but today is holiday so that many kiosks closed. It’s so boring.

After that we decide to go back to 1Utama. And we still go shopping at there. We go to watch the film at the cinema have the name: Mamma Mia. It’s a funny film like opera. Everything the actors want to say, they said by the music with the change lyrics.

After that we come back and still chatting, play game like every time we stay at here in the free time.

Thursday 02/10/2008

Today, we go to the Digital Mall, because yesterday we were to miss this schedule, but just only 4 people go to there, 1 person must stay at home for chatting with family.

The Digital Mall open at 11:00 AM, so late, we go to there at 10:30 AM and we must go to mc Donald for waiting. Today I choose Milo Milk because from the time stay here, each day I drink 1 Coke, it’s not good for my health and I decide to change the drink.

When it opened, we go there. It has 4 floors with many kind of digital accessory. But we disappoint because they sell the goods like imitations but the price is same with the branch goods. There are many mobile and digital camera at there but nothing look good, just only the MP3 player is look so good and like iPod. 2 people decide to buy it with price 99RM (=500K VND) 4GB MP3, FM, Recording... look like iPod suffle. We just spent more than 1 hour at there and come back have dinner and sleeping all day. Finish the boring day.

Friday 03/10/2008

Come back to working after 2 day with break time. We spent a lot of money so that now we empty. The bank account is still empty; the salary is still out of account. We ask boss about it and he said that money come to VN already, but it still at another place. But he prepaid for the next week allowance. Good!!!

Saturday 04/10/2008

Normally, this day is for relax or go some where. Today we decide to go to Lowyat Plaza. This is a digital and computer shopping center. It is bigger than Digital Mall. Like last time, have breakfast in Mc Donald, go shopping, have lunch in KFC, just about 10RM (=50K) for each meal.

The boss introduces about LowYat and the street near it has many shopping centers famous and biggest in ML. It’s look like the center area of HCM.

LowYat is biggest digital center in ML. They sell everything relate with electronic and computer, especially computer and laptop and their accessories. The goods sell in here have 2 kinds: 1 is branch good and other like local good. But the price in here is the same, or different from 1 to 5RM with each goods. I focus to the digital camera Canon 80 IS, but from the ground to the highest floor have the same price 999RM (~295 USD), cheaper than VN.

After lunch time, we go to Sungei Wang Plaza, it is the shopping complex center and like 1 Utama, it has Parkson inside. When we go around for looking, we see the bag shop and 1 guy want to buy a wallet. At here, I saw the handbag Valentino is look so good and have promotion, I decide to buy it for my sister and try to find another one for my mom, but is just friendly with young-age.

Today, we go back early and at night I talk by YM voice chat to some people in our pagoda’s group.

Sunday 05/10/2008

Like last week, today is sleeping day. Sleeping, eating, sleeping again, finish day. Next week, I stop writing for everyday because I became lazy and another reason is everything is the same in each day. I just write something specially and about our weekend in ML.

The first day of the week, we walk to the office just about 10 minutes. Today we come back to the Chinese restaurant for breakfast. We still our work from VN. The employee in here go to work so late, they go to office after 9:00AM. At lunch time, we go to have lunch with 4 persons, 1 girl go to shopping with boss to buy something. We back to the restaurant at the end corner of building. Surprise, they have buffer lunch and look like VN food, but don’t have soup.

The girl comes back with some news, but maybe it is not good, just about the treated.

The afternoon, we come back with some accessory and get back the clothes from the laundry. Go to the night market for dinner.

Tuesday 23/09/2008

Now we decide go to office by foot. The girls get up early and call us prepare for walking. 8:00AM they go to the guy house and bring together with breakfast. They buy from the mini-market, the sand width and canned fish.

Today, the boss gives us the real project. I get 1 difference with the other. First time, I don’t know more about it because I have not enough time to read the spec. After the discuss, we back to the sit and still reading the spec. My project is so easy.

At lunch time, we go back to the restaurant last time, it have name MIX. Have 2 main seller look like Muslim people. The food in this restaurant is similar with VN food, but it so expensive than other. Each person is spent nearly 9RM for lunch.

In the afternoon, I try to finish my project, it so easy and I complete as soon as possible. I ask the boss to check it and have free time to read news on the web. I want to help my co-worker but they can do it, and they want to do by themselves.

Today, the main manager come to the office and invites all of employees to have dinner. There is a meeting of technical department so that we must wait until 8:00PM. Our group decides to go to the opposite of our company office. See in the picture, have a bridge from the office side to the opposite, the especially is it have 2 gas-station side by side. 1 is Shell and 1 is Petronas. In Petronas station have 1 Duckin shop. On the way, we take many pictures and come back for waiting.

In our office have 1 game console of Nintendo. Its name is Wii. It’s every funny, people can play game with a remote, don’t have any wire. Just stand in front of the TV and the game console, if you play tennis, just take the remote in your hand, and strike like in the real, the TV will show same at your act. We play the game while waiting for the dinner.

Everybody so hungry and we go to a Chinese restaurant. About 20 peoples go to the restaurant. We eat so much. The main food is rice, rice with sea-food, chicken, a big fish and “rau muống xào chao”. From the day we come here, this is the first time we see the vegetable. We are eating so much.

We come back home nearly 10:00PM.

Wednesday 24/09/2008

Today is my free day, I had finished my work before, so that today I just review it and do the old exercise. Today is so boring with me, I feel sleeping. The main event of this day is the lunch time. We decide to change to another restaurant in building area. It had the name: Streaming Bananas. It looks like foreign restaurant; customer in the restaurant is almost Europe. We choose French fried rice with beef and some kind of fruit. When the waitress bring out the food, some body can’t eat it and so expensive. Five peoples spend 95RM for lunch without feeling full.

When we finish work, 1 guy goes to the girls’ house to take the clothes from the laundry, because he was forgotten before. 2 guys stay at the house and online. We think that this evening will eating instant noodle for save money because of the lunch. But in the guys house we can’t cooking. I and another guy go to the hostel to have dinner. It’s so cheap, 3RM for 1 dish with rice, 1 cook with brine food, 1 fry food and other food. It’s selling for student. We buy the box and come back to the house for eating. The problem is we don’t have spoon. We decide to borrow from the landlord without saying with her.

Thursday 25/09/2008

This is a normal day like everyday.

Friday 26/09/2008

This day has an important event, the HR manager gives us the photocopy of passport, and everybody have feeling not good, because there is not reason for them to keep our passport.We afraid of it is make by Photoshop.

Saturday 27/09/2008

Today, we go to KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center). This area had Twin Tower (TT - another name is Petronas Tower). First, we go by bus to the train station. The especially is the bus ticket can use for all time of day; just buy 1 ticket and go many time in the day on the ticket. The bus number is T628 from our area (section 17) to Asia Jaya Station. From this Station, we go through 11 stations to KLCC station, this station is beside KLCC.

In front of TT have a park with water-bed; we take many pictures at there. But everybody knows that it is more beautiful at the night. And we decide waiting until night to take more pictures.

At lunch time, we go to KFC shop to have lunch. And go to shopping at Suria KLCC. This shopping center is behind the TT and behind it have a big park. We discovery it and take many pictures at the park. At there, we meet some Vietnamese traveler. Because when we take a picture, they understand what we say and they smile and answer us.

We go to Suria KLCC at the 3 floors, have a game with name Petrosains, it like a science game. First, it’s introduced about ML country, after that, the game teaches the gamer about the science, how the motorbike work, how the petroleum and gas complex station work... Its have many model of car, helicopter, petrol station... for people can know how it works in live.

After that, the girls come back to the Suria to shopping and the guys go to the park in front of the TT to wait for the night. At night, the TT looks like the crystal, so nice.

When we come back, I make the instant noodle for 2 guys because we have not eaten for dinner and they so busy for chatting with GF. Just only I have free time to do it. Poor them!!!

Sunday 28/09/2008

Today we stay at home and sleeping. At the lunch time, we go to the market near the girl house for eating and come back for sleeps continue. Finish day.

10:00 PM We arrivals LCCI Airport, this airport just for Air Asia Airway. We have a trouble with the custom, he said that we go to ML for study and still waiting until the sponsor come to the airport. We don’t know why but I guess that they want money, but we don’t like that and try to call the boss, we use Internet phone call to call him and he go to the airport 1 hour later. The ML airport is so confusion than our airport. When he comes to the airport everything is ok, but the custom try to make everything lately. He look at everyone around him, see our passport and open the pen, put it down on the table and typing to the computer. I don’t know why he does that.

The boss and a co-worker pick up all of us leave the airport at 1:00AM. On the way, we go to mc Donald to eat in the middle night; the shop is beside the gas-station. I chose a chicken budget about 8RM = 40.000 VND. After, we go to the rent house. Because we come to the house so late and we must quiet. We live in 2 houses, 1 for guys and 1 for girls, the distance is about 1km. We go to sleep at 3:00AM.

First day 18/09

8:00 ML boss come and pick up to company, 5 people and a driver on a small car. First, we go to the company office at the 8 floor in a building group. After that, we come to the ground to have breakfast in a Chinese shop. The food is make by Chinese and easy for eat. I look like a buffer breakfast with nearly 10 foods. I chose Cantonese, grilled chopped fish, meat and 1 Coca.

When we came back to the office, we introduced with all colleagues in ML Company and meet the ML boss for company policy and other thing to live in ML. After that we go to our sit at office and prepare for work.

At lunch time, the boss and some person drive all of us to a Chinese market, look like VN’s market and eat, have some food but the best is chicken rice and noodle with grilled chopped fish. I chose chicken rice and eat to empty.

After the lunch time, everybody come back to office, on the way; have raining, so heavy rain.

In the afternoon, after a trip, everybody become so tired, 1 girl feel not good and maybe come to stress, she go to toilet and cried. I ask the boss for come back earlier. ML boss drive us come back, we decide to go to the girl house for talkative. We eat chip and VinaMit and some other and talk about the trip and the life in ML for 3 months.

8:00 PM the boss and some guys go to our house to pick up for dinner, they drive so far, maybe nearly 50km to the restaurant. This is a Chinese restaurant and 11 persons eat 2 sukiyaki / steamboat / l?u like Chinese style. The table has the gas cooking fire on it and the gas bottle under the table. The steamboat has many foods such as: to-fu (d?u hu) the main thing in the steamboat, vegetable, cabbage... All food is always in status had been grinded make like the ball (quenelle) (ch? viên), beef, crab, fish many many kind of them. We just eat them without noodle or rice because it so many. The sauce is so easy for eating but something is so spicy. The boss paid for the dinner. The first day in ML is free for food.

We come back and take a bath, talking to family and I sleep at 12:00, same in VN.

Our rent house

The gas-station opposite our rent house

Friday 19/09/2008

A normal day but today we must do by ourselves. At the morning, we go to a restaurant for foreign customer. It has both breakfast for Europe and Muslim people. We choose a breakfast set with sand width, sausage, egg... about 5.90RM. At lunch time, it’s difficult for us to choose a place for eating. The boss tells us that at the end of building have many restaurants. But many of them are for Muslim and a little is look so luxurious. After 1 round of the building, we come back and choose a Japanese restaurant. It look so nice and also expensive, I choose a Sushi set with the price 20RM. Just I and a girl can eat Japanese food, another person feel not good.

Today, the company celebrates the birthday party for 2 people from VN. The cake looks so beautiful with chocolate. It is so surprise when a guy searches a happy birthday song by Vietnamese.

In the evening, we go to a night market, they sell same with VN. We eat “hu tieu”, it’s cheaper than other place and nearly our area. Just 5 minutes walking.

Saturday 20/09/2008

It’s a free day; we sleep so late and get up very late. At 11:00PM, the guys go to the girls’ house and eat instant noodle. This is the best food from the time we go here. After that, we decide to go to a shopping complex have name “1 Utama”, we choose it because it nearly my house, go by taxi just about 15 minutes.

1 Umata is so big, they call it is a shopping complex. Have many sale goods at there. We spent nearly 1 day but just go for about a half of it. It has 5 floors, and especially the highest floor is car park. It looks like Parkson in VN but in here, Parkson just a small area inside. 2 girls like shopping and spent more time for clothes, fashion. I just go around and looking for anything, at the end, I decide to buy and camera accessory. It is the foot for camera with price 58RM = 300K VN. I have dinner in KFC shop with a combo just 9RM = 45K VN with a guy, another eating at mc Donald. We go to a Japanese gift shop and each person buy for the girl have birthday 1 present, and she can choose in the shop.

In the evening, we decide to go to the cinema inside 1 Utama. The ticket is so cheap, just 9RM / ticket (about 45K VN), a combo food and drink for 2 person is 8RM (40K VN) with 1 big pop-corn and 2 water bottles. We watch the film “Wall-E”, it is a cartoon film but very funny and a big lesson for everybody.

I never go for shopping as long as today. We spent all day in 1 Utama. And go back to the house at 9:00 by the taxi. At night, when we use taxi, the driver give them the price first, he don’t use the meter. After all day go for shopping. We feel so tired and go to sleep early.

Sunday 21/09/2008

Today I get up so late, nearly 12:00PM. Because today is a birthday of a girl so that she paid for the lunch. We eat in a Chinese restaurant. Once again, each day I drink 1 Coke, it is not good for my health, but I can’t choose tea ice. After that, we go to a laundry.

In the afternoon, we change the direction and go to the opposite of guy house. This area same the hostel for student, have a canteen for student with cheap price. After dinner, we go round this area and go to the mini-market at the gas-station opposite the guy house. We buy something for eating and drinking.

This is the free day and so bored day. We go to sleep early prepare for the next day.

The word Kula Lumpur itself came from the word kuala ( place ) and lumpur ( mud ). because kuala lumpur is the place of thin mining in the past, so there are a lot of mud around of that place because of the mining. So,according to its history,Kuala Lumpur has its own legend.

I have a beautiful room with a very nice background at the Grand Continental Hotel. I can see the sun rise behind the twin Petronas tower... ( I think the other's room don't have this beautiful view ).. Check it :

Nice right...  I take this from my hotel room.

Me , Andy and a nice lady sit next to him is Sabrina. She is the head of Interior Design Department of NAFA. I take this picture during breakfast time at the hotel before we go to city tour.

These are Indonesian girls. Most of them are my junior ( diploma 2 ) in Interior Design at  NAFA. This picture was taken at the new komuter and train station at KL. This station is a multi layers terminal that cover the whole transportation from and to KL.

Andy -"the laughing Budha" and me at Jonker Street ( now Jalan Hang Jebat - Chinatown of Melacca )

We're going to Malaysia yesterday. It's really a nice trip. Especially Melacca. It 's really amazing ..... a place with exotic historical sites and architectural heritage... For, me this town is a little bit like Jember in east Java, but for us this town seems very rich in order to trace back South East Asia History, especially history of its architecture.

Buah Melaka, where was the word Melacca came from.

At Melacca, we are visiting a lot of interesting places. the first night, we are going to Kampong Portugese, the place where the Portugeses stay at Melacca. As we know in history, European, including Portugese came to Melacca to seek for spices. Some of them stayed adn married to local people and make their own community here. Papa Joe, the owner of the Portugese restaurant ( the place of where we had dinner that night ) sang a song for us.

Andy, Me, and Papa Joe

And at the second day we were transfering to... Amsterdam! hehe, no, It's still in Melacca. But without the sign of Melacca in this picture, you must be think that it was in Netherland. because it has the windmill, too!

** Click the pictures to enlarge.

At that night, "Mr. Neo" who is our "funky lecturer" introduce me to the local delight call lok - lok, which is the speciality of Melacca. It was satay celup. I told him that this satay celup in Indonesia would probably similar to our "batagor" which also have fish meat, beancurd, and eggs that being eaten with satay sauce.

Bahasa Indonesia ( sorry who don't understand ): Ya ampun, ...orang malaka jualan sate celup aja bisa buka restoran. Ngetop lagi. terus opor ayam sama pepes ikan dicari - cari orang Singapore. Gimana kalo pulang gue investasi bikin restoran "batagor' aje ye.. atau buka restoran " opor ayam" sama garang asem. Rasane podo ae bok ! Gitu ae dicari - cari orang Singapore.Terus takkasi nama restoran peranakan bibik christine atau bibik ratna ...adoh jelek amat. Soale di sini menurut brosur ada resto bibik neo ngetop banget jualane: semur!

The old city of Melacca. We can feel and trace the history from the sense of this place. They try preserve the Portugese ship ( its a replica ) to remind people about the coming of western people to this region.

Cheng Hoon Teng Temple -Mixed style of Hokianese and Teochew Temple. The oldest temple in Malaysia. The signature of the arrival of Admiral Cheng Ho to this region.

  ** Click to enlarge

* under construction