1st Post!!

Apa Khabar? Hi! Ni Hao. Vanakkam. Updating requires a lot of editing and patience LOL so we'll update from time to time until on the very last day of submission! Haha! Hoping that Kak Mei will find it okay ^0^ BRB editing pics and vids which will soon be put up! :)

Introduction

As for our American Literature (Amlit) project, we decided to make a one-day sightseeing (DONT LAUGH) at Bukit Bintang and Pavilion KL. Well, these little thoughts might pop up in your head:

"Why Bukit Bintang and Pavi?" 

"OMG KL? Ugh.. boring" 

"I like beaches more than concrete buildings and endless traffic jams" 

Woah~ hold your horses because our blog has so much to tell that it would make you appreciate KL as it is :) Don't be so negative~ Take it out and throw it as far as you can!

Moving on, let us tell you a bit of what Bukit Bintang and Pavilion are about. (Via Wikipedia) Bukit Bintang (stylized as Bintang Walk or Starhill) is the name of the shopping and entertainment district of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the heart of Kuala Lumpur.  The area has long been Kuala Lumpur's most prominent retail belt that is home to many landmark shopping centres, al-fresco cafés, swanky bars, night markets, as well as hawker-type eateries. This area is popular among tourists and locals, especially among the youths. 

Meanwhile, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (via Wikipedia) is a shopping mall situated along the Bukit Bintang district in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This place was built on the site where former Bukit Bintang Girls' School, the oldest school in Kuala Lumpur that has been moved to Cheras as Sekolah Seri Bintang Utara on 2000. With over 450 retail shops spread across 7 levels offering some of the world’s most renowned brand names, you will be spoilt for choice!

Why Bukit Bintang and Pavilion KL?

1. All sorts of people can be found there. Kids, teenagers, adults, workers, policemen etc.
2. Malays, Indians, Chinese,  legal and illegal immigrants. You name it! LOL.
3. Easy access from Gombak. Roughly half an hour journey (by car and if it's jam-free!)

THERE YOU GO. So keep on reading! And to our dear, Kak Mei (our very own  lecturer who teaches American Literature) High mark 所，好吗？谢谢 ! (High mark, please? Thank you!) *Btw i did some Google Translate, sorry if there was any grammar mistake hehe*

Day 1: (Spot 1) Pavilion KL

So right after our American Literature class, we changed *transformed!!* and made our way safely to KL.. wohoo! KL, here WE come! :D

Aliaa was the one behind the wheels :) we were the passengers hehe!

A rm1.50 toll. Yep. Thank you Abang toll~

Rain, rain.. go away.. come again another day..

Too bad, soon after we passed through the 1st toll gate, rain started to pour. We were all having second thought "Should we do this another day? Or just go with the flow?" We could barely see the road due to heavy rain!! Well.. the 5 of us didn't like the idea of getting drenched from head to toe haha :P Out of the blue, Hamizah said, "Why don't we park the car right here and let's dance in the pouring rain! Yeay! Haha!" 

Just like in Hindustan movies:

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Hamizah felt like there were 8 pairs of eyes shooting laser at her.. which was the only the lightning! Aliaa, Eza, Farissa and Anis just LOL-ed~ Hamizah: "How about we take pics instead to kill the time?" So, Snap snap! *flashes* And here we are. Smiling for the camera~!

Tiga dara pingitan. 3 bachelorettes.  Left to right: Farissa, Anis and Hamizah

Spent about 20min looking for available parking space and voila~! We were now inside of Pavilion KL. *phew~* By the time we got in, Pavi was less crowded. Probably it was still during the working hours. Never mind that. Let's dig some food! Rain+cold=hunger!

We had no idea where to go to.. But first thing first, our growling stomach had to be filled. Only then we could work work work! :P

1st thing that we noticed-> Chinese (most of them) always bring their parents along wherever they go especially in malls and restaurants. Such filial children! Is taking your old parents out convenient for you? Is this some tradition.. or.. does it happens by nature? Hehe. A thing to ponder :) This could be a great example for others out there!

Aliaa and Farissa

Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC. Nomnomnom. There were less people, so the order was quick. We filled our stomach, and left KFC with happy faces! LOL. Those oh-so-yummy cheesy wedges and burger really made our day! *eh eh no drooling please* :P

.PLEASE CLICK ON THE VIDEO.

*Notice when Aliaa wasn't responding to the staff, she called for Aliaa's attention by addressing her as 'Miss'. The staff was nice and she smiled a lot too. When you're serving someone, it is best if you put on a smile and use appropriate language. We as UIA students have always wonder why some of the staff at UIA are kind of grumpy all the time? =/ So much for an attitude! But not you, Kak Mei! You are always happy 24/7 :)

While walking, we saw two odd looking men passed by. They made such an entrance that people had to look at them twice haha! As you can see from the pic below:

• Tall guy (the one on the left) wore an LBD (long black dress) and a pair of sky-high platform shoes! How could he walk with those?! Uh-oh Malaysian Lady Gaga? Or perhaps, Man Gaga? Hehe
• Short guy, whom we presumed as his BFF (best friend forever) wore normal long sleeves and bright red pants. Nice handbag, by the way ;)

We could bet people were thinking "What in the world..??" "Is that a she or a he (tall person)??" Because we were having that kind of thinking as well! KL might be in the list as one that is devoted to fashion but sorry to burst the bubble.. some of us Malaysians aren't a big fan of so dramatic fashion.  Advanced, bold and daring aren't our cup of tea. Oh! Oh! And parents' too. Right?  "Should a male be dressing like that?" We giggled like some 16 y/o teenagers and then.. Anis and Farissa came up with an idea that we should follow them! The rest of us said "What???" Haha! 

Look at Aliaa's mischievous smile haha!

Hamizah (the one who took the pic) had to pretend recording the area in order to snap a couple of Msian Man Gaga shots. Hehe! Oh, couldn't get a shot of his face. He probably knew we were stalking him!! We wanted to ask him few things especially "how on Earth did he wear those platforms" and "where did he buy 'em". Too bad, we were too chicken to do so hahahahahaha. Um, awkward? Plus he looked like he needed some "me time" so we thought of not bothering him~

Day 1: (Spot 2) Bukit Bintang

Walking out from Pavilion, we soon reached Jalan Bukit Bintang. It's only a 5 min walk hehe! Let's explore BB! Farissa and Anis led the way while Eza, Aliaa and Hamizah tailed from the back. And, Hamizah who was busy snapping pics, found something that was worth to be laughed at (well.. kind of hehe) Can u figure out what the funny thing is? 

BEHOLD THESE THREE GUYS....

 Hm.. Guess what these three guys were looking at..?

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AHAHAHAHAHAHA busted!!!!!!!! 

Perhaps they were wondering why in the world were these ladies doing on the streets ~ Mark Twain, have you ever did this when you go across countries and countries? Checking out the ladies or shall i say, maidens? Man is a creature that is full of curiosity, eh ~ lalala* Don't you feel uncomfortable when someone is staring at you with no absolute reason? Especially when there is a group of men and you are alone! Uh-oh. Mayday! Mayday! 

Being a woman, one can never simply turn a blind eye on when she sees something that makes her pretty. SEPHORA!!! Look at that beauty! Hahaha

What is Sephora? 

"Sephora is a combination of "sephos", which is Greek for "beauty" and the name Zipporah, the exceptionally beautiful wife of Moses in the Book of Exodus. HOW FASCINATING! Anyhow. Sephora is a chain of cosmetics stores founded in France in 1970 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH (Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy) in 1997. The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 17 countries. Carrying over 250 brands, including Sephora's own private label, the store offers cosmetic and beauty items that include makeup, skin care, fragrance, bath and body, hair product, and hair and make-up tools."<-THANKS MR WIKIPEDIA

Tails of taxis waiting for passengers.

 About to cross the street. Can't wait to get inside Sephora~

The way the Sephora was built, was enough to catch a woman's eyes LOL! We went inside the store but unfortunately, taking pics wasn't allowed, so no pics were being taken. SORRY GIRLS T____ T there were several sales assistants (SA) who attended to us. And.. like in any other cosmetic stores, you could find a couple of 'beautiful' she-males working. Hm.. And to be honest, they were far better than those stuck-up female SAs! Ugh! Glad that the she-males were making a good living out of their job. Even though it is wrong for a man to dress up as a woman, at least they weren't roaming on the streets.. you know.. doing that kind of stuff.. God forbids! >.<* 

Half an hour later, we got out and headed to a costume rental store for Amlit's exhibition. Hey, "if we wanna get good grades, so we'd better dress up looking good!" Hohohoho! The store was located in a building at Jalan Bukit Bintang, on the 2nd floor. A s.e.x.y mannequin dressed in red vampire-ish dress welcomed us by the door. SORRY! NO PIC OF THAT SEXY WOMAN HAHA! I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING. Na-ah~:P 

Look at those hanged-costumes!! Hundreds of them! 

 An Amish guy talking on the phone! :)

He was just a staff helping us out with our costumes. They provide catalogs for you to choose from! THEY EVEN HAD COSTUMES FOR BABIES~!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS! How adorable!

AREN'T THEY THE CUTEST! ;)

TIGER AND DEVIL BABIES. Awwwwwwww. Someday we'll be back and dress our babies as cute as she/he can for his/her 1st birthday! Yeayyy!! Moving on..

Coffee Club. 

LOVE THE LOGO and ITS SIGNBOARD! Very eye catching and posh-esque:) A place where people take time sipping their hot coffee, chit-chatting, Ipad-ing etc..haha of course. See those orange-y cones? They were put along the street so it was open for passerby only. No vehicles were allowed in this area. Well. Who would want their coffee being served along with smokes coming from cars? Haha:P

Waiting for green light~

What the..?? Thank goodness all of us were wearing shoes. What if our feet stepped on this still-burning cancer stick??? =_______= Malaysia should do something about this. And people should always bear in mind to toss away their selfishness for the society. This might look meh..but hey it could cause harm to others! Say, a child? 

At least there's a mobile police station nearby. Boy oh boy BB needs proper surveillance from time to time. It isn't safe to walk around the area at night! Parents won't let you anyway. Women and kids. Big NO. *shivers~

Sorry, the pic wasn't rotated rightly. Please tilt your head to your right. TYVM.

Inside of Pavilion again. We stood in front of the escalator. People should stand in a line (on their left) to make way for others who are possibly in a rush or something. Malaysia hasn't really improve on this matter. Hamizah had been to Korea and Koreans took this seriously. They would stare at you if you block others LOL. And the elders, pregnant ladies, kids were their priority. 

After hours and hours, our journey had come to an end~!! Ours might seem less-adventure and less-thrilled, but Kuala Lumpur had so much to offer.  It felt like wandering around KL had opened our eyes to appreciate what you have. Just observe your surrounding and you will eventually find what you really need. Be considerate. Be kind to others. And be bold! Till we meet again. 

Ta-ta!

Day 2: (Spot 3) One Utama

As girls, we have no qualms in going anywhere that screams "shopping boutiques". heee. We  were super excited when we went to a shopping mall. So, we have reached a consensus (is that so eh? hehe) that we would go to One Utama as our third destination. As we were on our way to One Utama, there is this one car that has a full decoration on the back window if her car. Notice the sign in yellow? It reads : Devil in Car. hehe, nice one. But, was there really a devil inside? Nah, only mortals haha! 

The said car.. uuu... there's a transformers sign behind her car..

does that means that this car can transform into a robot? hmm... 

(=.='')

And now............ (drumroll please) Behold!!!!! we've finally arrived inside of One Utama.Yeay for us!! This was where we parked the car. This picture was purposely taken so that we won't stray from our path of lovely window shopping time, and forgotten all about where we  had parked the car...LOL~

Its Level 3, and block number 26. REMEMBER that guys!! 

As we were walking along, window shopping from shop to another, we encountered this shop that sold all sorts of statement t-shirts. But...the statements on the t-shirts is... lets just say, its for 18+. it was a trend nowadays that youngsters opted for.. really uhh, how do we say it? Urm...Kind of vulgar? =/ huu.... What had happened to those little innocents kids that did not wear this kind of t-shirts? Sigh.. How the world has changed...this is Malaysia, and not the United States of America. The values from there, how the people dressed..was taken as a model rather than the what defined morality. As Mark Twain had stated in The Innocents Abroad, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness and many of our people need it sorely in this accounts."

See the statements on those t-shirts *covers eyes*

Now... what can you see as you look below?

A number of people that are lining up in a straight line as they are waiting for an artist to come. Apparently.. we forgot to take a peek at who the invited artists~sorry! As always, if there is any event that is being conducted at the ground floor, people upstairs would be looking downwards with fascination. As for us however....instead of being interested on the event that is happening downstairs, one of us... decided to stray from the pack and paid a visit to a store..LOL :P

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Ah huh.... there she is. Hehe. At this age, she is still interested in Girls?!

After a very serious and awkward tug of war, Farissa and Aliaa managed to tug Anis away from the said shop and we proceed to walk into Jusco. There, the sales were everywhere. 10%, 50%, 70%, and 80%. You name it. Its there. Uh well, mostly will be there. hehe. Oh as always.. Malaysian women, when they're in their shopaholic state, there was no fatigue to be felt. Haha! Anyhow, that was not the case of these poor husbands/boyfriends who were tired of waiting for their respective other-halves that they decided to rest on some of the benches provided there. 

Typical Malaysian women; if they see any sale tags from a mile away, All around them would suddenly disappear and then.. there's only the discounted items are in front of them.. Women are unique... 

Malaysians likes or more accurately, the LOVE to buy discounted things. So, if there was a a piece of cloth that was put aside as discounted items, women would attack that first and started rummaging around for any items that look nice on them. The ugly side of this was that, in the beginning of the sale, the discounted items would be arranged in a neat order, but when these discounted-items-crazed-women started to attack and rummage the clothes through the discounted items, they would leave a huge pile of messy items behind. So uncivilized lah these people...

Look at all of those messy pile of discounted items..

We continued our window shopping for a while until we came across the Jusco's food corner. We suddenly craved for some sushi. The look on our face when we saw in the counter that sushi offered tomyam and sambal flavour. So much for Malaysian taste~

Everything else was sooo Japanese. but then... TOM YAM? SAMBAL FLAVOUR? hontonni (really)? (=.=")

As we were walking in order to window-shop at ZARA...

We coincidentally look to our right and there.... The woman... my my.. what an interesting stoking she had..or is it a legging? uhh... (@.@)

Nice leggings amoi.. hehee

After hours and hours of window shopping and clicking away on our cameras, we decided to call it a day and we were hoping to go and view the "scenery' at Jalan Haji Taib". Right when  we're trying to take a corner right to enter Anis's house area, there was a traffic jam and this one VERY INCONSIDERATE driver decided to stop right in front of a junction in order to pick up his son. He depended on the power of his hands; trying to stop traffic merely using his hands. nice one ya uncle.. the drivers are all honking at you! Unfortunately for us, we can't get the camera on time as we were at the opposite road, and the traffic was moving. And suddenly, there was this one Chinese uncle, who parked his car in the yellow box. How nice of him... (notice the sarcasm here). This Chinese uncle just look at us as if what he was doing was a legal thing.   

T.H.E  E.N.D (....)

Day 2: (Spot 4) Lorong Haji Taib

After resting for a while at TTDI, we decided to move on to our 4th spot for our Travel log, Lorong Haji Taib. There's many debates among our group members saying that whether we should, or we should not travel to this place. However. after we reasoned that we will only do the safe stuff: observe and write down our experience by walking through there. The famous Lorong Haji Taib is considered by most as the red light districts of Malaysia. this is why, our group, being an English Language and Literature student, we are curious to see how these "kakaks"- as Eza decided to called them- in action and we decided that we will pursue our initial plan, but take no pictures. awww... but its the fun thing to do. huu. our bad.. 

As we reached our destination, we parked at the end of a road that has a small parking lot where visitors who would like to go to Plaza GM would normally park. We decided to take a stroll and survey the surrounding areas. The surrounding areas have a lot of old shops that sold things ranging from tinned biscuits, toys and leather goods.  oohh, the old tinned biscuits.. where you buy all sorts of traditional biscuits, that has a sugary top, cream crackers, you name it! It sure brought back memories from our childhood. Especially Anis, "Ni mmg zaman sekolah menengah punya ni.. makan waktu tea time after prep." (This is from my secondary school years... we ate it as a tea time condiments right after our afternoon prep). We decided to look around some more before going back to the parking lot. It turns out, not two blocks away, there's a "pondok polis" nearby. But the police looked sooo~~less energetic? Hmm. That's devastating.. If ever some accidents happened, can the policeman be at the accident 's scene on time? Ah well, we'll never know unless we tested it right? Alas, we're not that eager to test how the policemen will respond to us, so we abandoned the mission (The truth is, we're quite scared..hehe).

Luck was on our side because the moment we reached our car, we saw "two ladies" -(or were they men? We're not sure of which one, but the transgenders certainly looked more to a HE because we could see his Adam's apple~!) Searching the parameter for new targets? Alas, they saw a man, alone in his blue Kancil. One of the transgenders suddenly advanced towards the unfortunate man and knocked on the driver's side window.  The new victim were quite petrified that the transgender had come to him because, if we're not mistaken, he's waiting for his wife/girlfriend at the time. He refused to whatever service she was offering and he drove his car away with a blink of an eye when she finally let go of her at the window~

WOW. We're quite thrilled and uh.. taken aback? That's the first time that we saw a uhh..transgenders trying to lure men to their HUMBLE ABODE.. (=.=")

After we regained our motor skills -which is not functioning well because of the shock- we decided to call it a day, and went back to IIUM. What a day, huh~