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  • Kuala Lumpur’s Monorail and Pickpockets

    In addition to a train system, Kuala Lumpur has a monorail system.  It’s fun to ride, but it’s really slow in comparison to a train, which makes me wonder why they bothered to build it at all.  I suppose the answer is that the distance between the stops is so short that having a train run that route wouldn’t make sense.  Also, the route is very curvy.

    The stations are almost identical to train stations.  You have to get in line and buy your ticket, then you insert the ticket into the turn-style, wait for it to pop up from the center of the machine and grab it as you walk through.

    The ticketing system that Kuala Lumpur uses for its trains and monorail is absolutely ridiculous.  The lines of people waiting to buy a ticket are sometimes incredibly long to the point that they block other pedestrians trying to use the sidewalks outside the station.  They need to get with the times and do what Singapore does and just use a prepaid transit card.  It’s much, much more efficient.

    Anyhow, you go up to the platform, wait for the monorail to show up and then go about your business.

    The monorail cars themselves are nice.  There’s plenty of seating and space to stand.  It also has a lot of windows so you can see the area around you.  When the monorail takes a sharp turn, the track and the whole monorail tilts, which is a little unnerving.  Better than walking or taking the cab though.

    Some interesting things to note are that the train platforms don’t have what I like to call “dummy doors” around the tracks.  There is a waist-high railing, but they expect people to use common sense when it comes to standing to close to openings where the monorail doors open.  I guess they don’t have any issues with people trying to leap in front of the monorail to kill themselves.  The actual train stations, on the other hand, which are underground, do have the extra doors.  I think that’s more for keeping the air conditioning in the station than anything else.  New York City should follow that example.  It gets hotter than Satan’s anus in those train stations in the summer.

    There are signs on the platforms warning you to be wary of pickpockets.  As the monorail train approaches people have a tendency to push towards the openings where the doors will open.  When people start packing close together like that, it’s a great opportunity for people to get pickpocketed.

    I know that from personal experience.  Some little punk ass kid tried to pick my pocket while I was waiting for the monorail this past trip.  He was wearing a coat draped over his shoulders to hide the fact that his opposite hand was reaching from under the edge of the coat to try to get into my pocket.  Tough luck for the bastard that I’m not an oblivious idiot… and that I wore shorts with pockets that button.

    I knew something was up with the kid because when I moved he kept moving up next to me.  When I felt the tug at my pocket I pushed him away from me.  He should feel glad that I didn’t accidentally push him in front of the monorail while trying to get him away from me.  Even if the monorail hadn’t hit him it’s a long way down to the ground.

    So, ya, keep an eye on your belongings while you’re there.  Most of KL is pretty safe looking, but so is Singapore and people are getting stabbed in broad daylight here now.

  • Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers at Night

    This was our third visit to Kuala Lumpur but we’d never seen the Petronas Towers lit up at night.  We stayed in the mall below it late, browsing the book store, so when we were leaving we stopped by to snap a few photos.

    This was taken from the back side of the mall where the fountain is.

    And this is just a random tree that rings the fountain.  It has some strange looking fruit on it.

  • Chinese New Year 2010: KLCC Suria Decorations

    KLCC Suria Mall had some decorations set up for the Chinese New Year.  There were these neat looking decorations hanging from the ceiling:

    As well as a stage set up with a woman playing a song on an instrument.

    Also, near the rear exit by the fountain they had this screen set up.  Groups of people were posing in front of it to get their pictures taken.

    The decorations look nice, but they seem a bit sterile to me.  I think Singapore will do it better.  I’m looking forward to seeing the Chinese New Year festivities later this month.

  • The Truth About The McDonald’s Prosperity Burger

    When we went to the airport over the weekend we left the house kinda late, but our flight was delayed so we had time to get something to eat.  There’s a McDonald’s in the Budget Terminal, so we took a look at the menu and decided to try the Prosperity Burger.  I’ve never seen it anywhere else and it’s only put on the menu around Chinese New Year.  This will be our last CNY in Singapore so it made sense to try it at least once.

    Well, it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped but it had a nice taste to it.  I think I enjoyed the curly fries more than the burger though.

    The “truth” I mentioned about this burger is that they do in fact sell it in the US.  Well, they sell the patty anyway.  The Prosperity Burger is nothing but a McRib sandwich with black pepper sauce instead of barbecue sauce.  So… good job at marketing, but bad job at creating a unique product.

    The other “truth” about this burger meal is that it’s a serious gut bomb.  It felt like I had a lead weight in my stomach for the rest of the day.  Maybe we just weren’t prepared for the amount of grease involved in that kind of meal anymore.

    I’ve heard some of my family and friends say they wouldn’t mind seeing those curly fries at McDonald’s in the US.  They make me miss Arby’s.

  • California Pizza Kitchen at KLCC Suria Mall

    California Pizza Kitchen at KLCC Suria Mall

    While we were in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend we decided to go down to KLCC to look around and have dinner.  We weren’t sure what we wanted to eat but as we were looking at the electronic store guide I saw that there was a California Pizza Kitchen in the mall.

    Neither of us had ever eaten there before so we gave it a try, with mixed results.

    The ambience is very, very nice.  The place has a clean, uncluttered, modern look that was refreshing and relaxing.  Also, the service staff was incredibly friendly and helpful.  No complaints there.

    The food wasn’t too bad, I guess, but what bothered me about it is that everything was incredibly oily.

    The first thing we ordered was an appetizer.  I think it was called an ‘avocado turkey bacon roll’ or something along those lines.  It’s the first item on the menu under appetizers.  It was described as a fusion between Eastern and Western flavors and was basically a cheesy, gooey, extra greasy egg roll.

    While eating the thing the hot grease was running out of the roll all over my fingers and forming a small puddle on my plate.  That’s a definite no go.  Also, the taste of the oil was a bit overpowering, to the point that I couldn’t even distinguish the taste of the avocado.

    In fact, in this second photo you can actually see the grease dripping from it.

    Shortly after finishing the appetizer the pizza showed up.  We got a thin crust ‘Sicilian’ pizza.  Thin crust pizzas are usually less greasy than full crust pizzas.  Unfortunately that’s not the case with CPK’s thin crusts.  It was oily as well.  We went ahead and finished the pizza, but after the second slice I could’ve walked away from it.

    My wife and I have changed our eating habits over the last year and we’re consuming less and less oily foods.  It’s better for us, and less oily foods taste better anyway.  I was reminded again of how good Trattoria’s pizzas are in that 313 @ Somerset mall in Singapore.  CPK’s offering wasn’t even in the same league and cost nearly the same price.

  • The Best Way To Get From LCCT (Or KLIA) To Kuala Lumpur

    This is assuming you care about how thick your wallet is when you do get to the city.  If your only concern is speed then your best bet would be to just get the RapidKL train that goes from KLIA to KL Sentral.  I don’t think that train stops by the LCCT, but if you’re flying into the LCCT I doubt you’re going to want to ride that train anyway.  The last time I checked I think the tickets were 35 RM per person, per trip.

    So, if you’re looking for the best way to get to Kuala Lumpur without paying excessively high fees, just use the bus.

    LCCT

    As you’re walking out of the LCCT terminal, just past customs, you’ll see some booths on the left with people selling tickets.  If you go through the sliding glass doors and see the sign for the toilet, you’ve gone too far.

    You can get a round trip ticket, good for one month, on the Aerobus for 14 RM.  That’s a damn good deal and the ride isn’t bad at all.  The train gets you to KL Sentral in about 20 minutes.  The bus does it in 50 minutes for a fraction of the cost.

    After you buy your tickets, exit through the sliding doors, walk forward until you see the McDonald’s, then make a right and follow the sidewalk down past the Mary Brown and the Coffee Bean (or Mr Bean?  forget which).  You’ll see buses pulled up along the sidewalk.  You need to find berth number 4.

    The buses you’re looking for will look like this:

    KLIA

    There are similar buses going out of KLIA.  It may be the same operator, but I don’t remember for sure.  I’ve only flown into KLIA once, whereas I’ve gone through LCCT twice.  I can’t remember exactly how to get to the buses but there are signs.  The costs are nearly the same as well.  I think the tickets are 9 RM apiece.  I don’t know if there’s a deal for getting a round trip ticket.  Regardless, it’s still cheaper than a train and definitely cheaper than a taxi.

    Bus Service Quality

    If you’re wondering about the bus quality, they’re in good shape.  Depending on what countries you’ve been in you might be used to seeing beaten up buses.  That’s not the case with the buses shuttling between KLCC / KLIA and KL Sentral.

    The buses are clean.  There’s no eating or drinking allowed onboard.  The seats are pretty comfortable and they recline.  It’s a luxury type bus with cushioned seats, rather than a city bus with hard plastic seats.  So, you get to really relax.  There’s no TV or radio in them but they are air conditioned.

    KL Sentral

    The buses all drop you off on the lower level of KL Sentral.  That’s good because most hotels / hostels / etc. are along the train or monorail routes and you can easily get to the train or monorail from the drop off point.

    For the train, you just go up the stairs and into the building.  You can’t miss it.

    For the monorail you have to go around the block that’s adjacent to KL Sentral.  Depending on how soon you go (relative to this post) you’ll notice that the area you have to go around is under construction. It’ll be to the right of the bus as it pulls in.  Your best bet is to just follow the crowd.  A lot of people will follow the sidewalk around to where the monorail is as they get off the bus.

    Here’s a map to give you an idea:

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=KL+Sentral&sll=1.352083,103.819836&sspn=1.022803,1.245575&ie=UTF8&hq=KL+Sentral&hnear=&radius=15000&ll=3.134088,101.686696&spn=0.071946,0.071946&output=embed
    View Larger Map

    (Zoom in to the see the building and the train, monorail and RapidKL drop off points.)

    The bus will drop you off on the road that’s just below the RapidKL marker on this map.

  • Marina Square Mall (Pictures)

    Well, I didn’t take photos inside the mall exactly.  There was a courtyard area that I saw through a set of doors as we were walking through the mall so we stepped outside to look around.  It was a pretty cool looking spot.

  • Mini Marble Is Back In Action

    Mob Photo 05-Feb-2010 AM 04 00 55

    Mini Marble is back in her territory enjoying life.  After going jogging on Thursday night we walked by where she lives and called her name.  Right away she ran to us to say hello.  We went ahead and gave her a little something to eat, played with her a bit and then went on our way.

    It was good to see her back in her usual spot.  It was kinda lonely walking through there and not seeing her the past week while she was at the vet getting spayed.  It seems like everything went well.  They kept her a few extra days to make sure she was ready to play outside again, which was really nice of them.

  • Bicyclists Vs Pedestrians, Battle For The Pavement

    Practise Zero Impact pavement riding, meaning you ride with minimal disruption to the pedestrians walking there. By the way, pavement riding is illegal in Singapore, but it is not enforced strictly.

    On the Tampines Pavement Riding Scheme, an experiment where cyclists are allowed to ride on widened paths together with pedestrians, they have started to enforce penalties for dangerous cycling.

    via mrbrown.com

    The above quote is taken from a July 2008 post on the popular mrbrown.com blog. Since then, cycling on the pavement seems to have been extended to Pasir Ris, where I live now, though I’m not completely sure how it works. You see, there are separate riding paths for bicycles in some areas of Pasir Ris that are clearly marked by bicycle symbols painted on the pavement. These paths are very easy to distinguish from regular sidewalks.  However, cyclists seem to be trying to monopolize all sidewalks in Pasir Ris.

    The reason I pulled that quote from his blog is because of his great advice.

    Let me repeat it: “Practice Zero Impact pavement riding.”

    Over the past few months I’ve noticed a trend in how cyclists use the pavement that’s annoying and often dangerous. Cyclists will often zip by you, going so fast that were something to happen, there would be no way for them to stop in time to prevent a serious accident. Despite the relative lightweight structure of a bicycle, it can cause serious harm to a pedestrian. A cyclist should take care to maintain a safe speed and watch out for pedestrians who may not be paying attention.

    That leads me to my next point. Bicycles need to have bells on them and those bells need to be used.

    Do not expect pedestrians to realize you’re there, especially if you’re approaching them from behind. Even if you’re approaching pedestrians from the opposite direction, you need to ring your bell. Bikes move fast, and a pedestrian may not have noticed you the last time they looked up to orient themselves.

    Most of all, be courteous. Understand that you’re the newbies on the pavement. Keep in mind that sidewalks were made for pedestrians and because of concern for the safety of cyclists, the government is allowing you to share that sidewalk with them. Even if you’re on a dedicated bike path you have to keep it real. People are by nature going to take the easiest path and if that includes walking on the cycling path, they’ll do it. That doesn’t mean you should run them over and nearly clip them as you go by. You should still show courtesy and ring your bell to alert them to your presence. Who do you think will take the blame if you hit them and cause them injury?

    The past few months I’ve been experiencing more and more instances of cyclists nearly running me or my wife over, or seeing it nearly happen to other people. I’ve seen cyclists swerve and nearly crash because they weren’t watching where they were going and almost hit someone. It really pisses me off because if a bicyclist slams into my leg with their pedal and breaks my shin, chances are they’ll get up and cycle away quickly to avoid having to pay what will be an excessively high medical bill. Where does that leave me, the pedestrian, who was simply walking on the pavement as I should have been?  What will I do?  Write to the forum?  I certainly can’t pay a hospital bill with ideals or popular public opinion.  I can’t say it wasn’t my fault and get a free fix.

    photo via electricbicycle.wordpress.com
    photo via electricbicycle.wordpress.com

    Complicating this matter even further is the fact that motorized, electric bicycles are becoming more and more popular in Singapore. These cyclists typically travel at greater speeds than a person on a regularly pedaled bike would and, because what they’re riding is considered a bicycle, they’re not obligated to use the roadways. This poses a big risk to pedestrians.

    Also, in this same category of potential disaster, why are motorcycles regularly driving down sidewalks in Pasir Ris? Ya, seriously. I’ve seen motorcycles make turns up the ramped curbs at pedestrian crossings and then use the sidewalks as a shortcut to get to their HDB parking area. The problem is even more serious in front of the hawker and food court area located at block 443, Pasir Ris Dr 6.

    Motorcyclists regularly drive onto the sidewalk, shooing pedestrians out of the way as if they were the ones in the wrong place, so that they can then block pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk by using it as a motorcycle parking lot.

    New Curb

    Speaking of block 443, over the past few days there has been construction in that area. I was really happy with it… at first. I thought they were finally going to do something about the congestion on that sidewalk between the pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists. I thought they were going to widen the sidewalk. There’s certainly plenty of space for it, given the 7 feet deep bushes on one side and the grassy area on the other. Instead, someone, in their infinite wisdom, decided to put a heavy, high curb along the edge of the sidewalk which makes the usable space even smaller and creates an even higher risk for physical injury. I’m sure they meant well. Perhaps they thought that putting the curb there would discourage cyclists and motorcyclists from using that area, but that’s definitely not going to be the case. This is a rather central area that sees a lot of bicycle traffic and this food court is a big gathering area for watching football (soccer) games and drinking at night.

    Something needs to be done to regulate the use of sidewalks. Motorcyclists shouldn’t be riding on them at all, and if cyclists are going to continue to be allowed to use them, there should be a better level of policing going on by plain clothes officers lounging in highly trafficked areas, like along Drive 1 in Pasir Ris.

    I shouldn’t have to worry about my physical safety every time I use the sidewalk, constantly looking over my shoulder to keep an eye out for reckless cyclists.

  • Sometimes A Dog Just Has To Go, Unfortunately

    Owning a dog in Singapore, as in any city, has to be a real pain in the butt.  It’s something that I intend to never try myself.  If I don’t have a yard I don’t want a dog.  In fact, even with a yard, I wouldn’t want a dog because I’m sure that involves hours of scouting the yard and cleaning up dog turds.  That’s just not something I’m willing to do.  Cats area easier for me.  You just clean the litter box every day.  Sure, it’s still scooping turds but at least I don’t have to play hide-and-seek with them in a lawn.

    Anyhow, I often wonder how it is that people in Singapore can maintain dogs.  They have to be walked regularly and the messes they leave are supposed to be cleaned up, though I’ve seen personally that sometimes that’s not the case.  Most dogs are large and the HDBs are small relative to their size.  They can be incredibly noisy when barking at people or noises that they don’t like.  They eat a lot!  Still, I see quite a few people with large dogs in tow walking around the HDB estates and I think it’s great that some people have the patience and love for dogs that allow them to keep up with them and offer them a home.

    I also think it’s admirable when someone takes on the responsibility of a grown dog.  That offers a unique set of a challenges.  In addition to the normal routine of caring for the dog, you have to try to integrate the dog into your household.  Dogs have a pack mentality and, having been raised elsewhere, the person they recognize as the Alpha Male won’t be present in your home.  That requires a new person to assert authority and let the pet know who’s in charge.  Personally I have no idea how to go about that, but I do have some experience with what can happen when things go wrong.

    I room with a local family that adopted a grown dog.  When the dog arrived everyone was very thrilled to see him.  He was treated well.  Time was taken to play with him and walk him.  He wasn’t scolded when doing something wrong.  He was allowed to have fun.  Somehow, things went bad.  The dog became overly aggressive not only towards people outside the house, but towards people inside the house as well.

    After a while, the family stopped walking the dog.  I don’t know the full story behind that, because it wasn’t any of my business, but given the later track record I imagine it’s because he was prone to trying to attack unfamiliar people.  He was so bad about trying to attack outsiders that the front door had to be kept closed because he would stick his head through the front gate and try to get at the people walking by.  Instead, they would keep him in his kennel until he used a tray for his business and then he was allowed out to run through the house.

    Later, he started going after people in the house as well.  It seemed to me that as long as you let him do whatever he wanted, things were fine, but the moment you tried to shoo him away, or take something from him that you didn’t want him to chew on, he would attack rather than comply.  Some of you may remember my post where he attacked me and bit my arm for trying to take a work shirt away from him that I didn’t want chewed to shreds.  I wasn’t the only one that had this experience with him.

    His behavior became more and more … touchy… I guess you’d call it.  He would glare at people as they walked by in an evil way that gave me the creeps coming from a dog.  Eventually it got to the point that no one wanted to closely interact with him for fear of being bitten.  It was even a harrowing experience walking past his kennel at night to get to the trash chute.  He had to be kept in the kennel at night or he would urinate and defecate all over the house.  I wound up trying to avoid him as much as possible.  I didn’t really want anything to do with him before, and I certainly didn’t after he bit my arm.  I told him, “[Dog], we can’t be friends anymore.  I’m afraid our relationship is over.”

    So, in the end he made himself into a menace, a threat to health and safety.  There’s nothing fun about having an animal in your house that is more likely to bite you unexpectedly than not.  There’s also nothing fun about getting to know an animal and then having to send it away because it couldn’t integrate properly into your household.  Despite his rather aggressive personality, I guess I’d gotten used to him being around.  The house seems quiet without him here.

    If you’re wondering, the dog was picked up by the SPCA.  I came home one day and was alerted by the maid as to what had happened.  Even though I really don’t like the dog, I’m sort of glad I gave him an ice cube the day before he was hauled away.  I don’t know why but he really liked ice cubes and would come to the kitchen whenever he heard the rattle of the ice tray.

    Hopefully someone will find him there and have better luck with him.  If not, I hate to think of the alternative, but I suppose there was little choice.  How can you, in good conscience, give away an aggressive animal to another person, since it may harm them?