Coming Back Again

Temperature: 28 c

Weather: Fair

The feeling was not real. It took me nearly a week before I could find enough energy to collect my flight tickets. A few hours before my flight to Shanghai, my wife and I were nonchalantly shopping at the Shaw Centre Point.

“Do you feel it now?” my wife asked. I said no. I told her we will only feel like we ARE leaving Malaysia once we have left Malaysia; we will only feel like we ARE going to Shanghai once we ARE in Shanghai. I was right.

My In Laws drove us to KLIA. Inside the car my wife was thinking what else she had forgotten to put into the luggage. For me, my only task was to ensure I have taken the passports, visas, flight tickets and cash, the rest were in my wife’s domain and I did not dare to question what she wanted to bring to Shanghai. However, I was concerned about the overweight luggage and the impending penalty. So I did a screening before we finalize the luggage. Oh my God! My wife wanted to bring a 1kg heavy English dictionary! “I want to improve my English in Shanghai” she said. Not only that, believe it or not, she put 2 pillows into the over-swollen luggage too! Fortunately I successfully talked her out of that. 2 pillows to Shanghai? I don’t really understand women and never will.

In KLIA, I was touched by the presence of my great friends, they were Tarnfu, Paula, Sam, Mrs. Sam, Lloyd and Lishun. They were there to bid me farewell. What more can I say? A free dinner and 2 nights free accommodation guaranteed when you come over to visit me in Shanghai, that’s for sure.

At 1.00 am both our names were announce via the PA system and the whole plane was waiting for 2 of us. Engtee was in the ladies and I was happily checking my mailbox using the public computer when our names were announced. I thought the departure time was 1.25am? Why they called our name was fast? Nevertheless we did not miss the plane. We flew to Shanghai in Eastern Airline’s super mini airplane and 5 hours later we landed on Pudong International Airport.

Once we checked into the hotel (pre-arranged by my future employer) at 8.40am, we immediately jumped into the bed and went into coma. We woke up at around noon and felt hungry. Don’t worry about getting food in Shanghai, it’s everywhere. We picked one which looked not so expensive and enjoyed our first meal in Shanghai.

My friend Bom’s girl friend, Stella is now in Shanghai. Stella was Engtee’s former classmate while Bom was my former classmate in Hin Hua High School. Stella came to see us in the hotel and after a few hours chat, we went to meet Bom (who was working at that time) to have dinner.

The dinner was great. I could not ask for more.

Well, now I am in my hotel room blogging while my wife is enjoying Chinese tv. The time now is nearly 11 pm. I think I’d better get some sleep because tomorrow I have arranged with one property agent to go apartment hunting. It will be a long day.

晚安啦！大马的家人及朋友。