I'm back from Kuala Lumpur and...

Tomorrow, I'm going to Johor Bahru! Well, actually, my trip to Kuala Lumpur during Christmas Eve was unexpected. My mother told me about it only a few days before Christmas Eve. I told my mother that I am busy tomorrow too and she was like "Never mind! It is definitely OK!" Fine, so we went to KL and stayed over at my uncle's new house in Tiara Kemensah (at Kemensah Heights just somewhere behind the National Zoo), and had the most filling barbecue dinner!

There isn't anything very special to mention about my trip to Kuala Lumpur. It is the usual go-visit-and-return trip. I had half the intention to go to KLCC if I could, but unfortunately that was not the case. Anyway, I enjoyed myself thoroughly in my uncle's new house. It is a semi-detached house, which is two-and-a-half storeys high, has a nice backyard where the children could have a game of badminton, and as it is located on a hill, it is always windy.

The houses at Tiara Kemensah have no gates. Instead, they have a security guard house as the main entrance. It is like an entrance to a condominium; it is just that condominiums are replaced with bungalows and semi-detached houses. Though there are no gates, the security guard is not to be trifled with; he has a Rottweiler with him, and takes him for rounds at night. The concept of this residential area mimics that of the Americans; there are no gates therefore there is a stronger community bond among neighbours. Security is not an issue here, although there were a few attempted break-ins. All houses are equipped with an alarm system that is provided by the residential area developer.

I enjoyed staying in my uncle's house by enjoying the view of the mountains behind his house. And as there is a lot of wind at the backyard, I sat in a lazy chair for as long as I wanted. When it gets too warm, I would go to the first floor and sit under the fan in a couch (and would almost fall asleep if my young cousins had not been running up and down the stairs).

The return trip wasn't interesting either, except that I got to drive the car home myself! Although I have driven for about one-and-a-half years now, I never had the opportunity to drive on the highway for a very long distance (we're talking about 200 kilometres here!) because we rarely travel out of Ipoh, much less to KL, unless it is to fetch me back to campus!

My father drove all the way from the city centre of Kuala Lumpur up till Rawang when he stopped by the roadside and asked me to drive. I was astounded for a moment, and my mother protested, saying that she could drive if my father feels tired. My father, on the other hand, asked her to just stay where she was and got out of the car so that I could go to the driver's side.

I was expecting my mother to be nagging me every now and then, telling me to "Be careful!", "Watch the car behind!", etc. However, thankfully, that was not the case. I drove at about 90 to 100 km/h. Initially, I didn't realise that I went too fast, to about 110 km/h (I was driving a Proton Saga Iswara - it's a car not meant for speed) and my mother was the first one to tell me about it. For a while, I also thought that it was too fast so I reduced my speed gradually to 90 or 95 km/h. Then I continued driving from Rawang back to Ipoh at that speed.

We started off at 5.30 p.m. The journey back took about two-and-a-half hours, so it became dark while we were almost at Ipoh. Unused to driving in the dark on the highway, I reduced my speed to 80 km/h. I must admit that for a first-timer like me on the highway, it has been quite an experience; cruising at that speed certainly is fun (and I might have gone much faster had my mother not been with us - hehe...) although quite dangerous because all of us were travelling at high speeds.

Long-distance driving is indeed very tiring. I'd better pack now for my trip tomorrow and have an early rest.