hazy kl and peter hoe and monsters.

last week was a rough one. KL, and all of peninsular malaysia and singapore, experienced the effects of crop-burning from indonesia. this is a yearly occurrence. there are a number of politics surrounding the issue, but basically, crops are burned in indonesia to clear the fields, the smoke makes its way across the strait to malaysia and singapore, we're stuck with haze. the air quality that comes with the haze is very close to everyday life in places like china or hong kong, and people live just fine up there. i believe they live just fine because their bodies adjust to it. it's not healthy, but they adjust. here, when we get it for a week or so, our bodies have no time to adjust and we're stuck with scratchy throats and watery eyes. it's just no good. this is what it looked on one of the worst days, last sunday:



there was a fear that since the haze came so soon this year, and in such a worse manner than previously (supposedly it hasn't been this bad since 2005), that this was going to linger on through the summer. fortunately, things cleared up toward the end of the week. on friday, it looked like this again. beautiful KL.



last sunday i went out in search of something for my friend that she had wanted when she was here, but wasn't settled on. unfortunately, it was out of stock by the time i made my way out there. still, i want to highlight the store, because everything in it is adorable. it's more expensive than what you'll find for some of the goods inside on average in KL, but the products are all unique to the store. and what store is it?


peter hoe!

peter hoe has two locations. the above is located between central market (you can see its blue exterior on the left of the photo) and the train station. it's smaller than the other location, but has more clothing and less housewares. it also only takes cards. how backwards is that? i learned this the hard way, as i only carry cash here, and so they had to write me up a receipt, which i then had to take the the other location, pay there, then take the confirmed payment receipt back to the original store to pick up my items. what a hassle! i'm sure they have their reasons for not accepting cash. i just don't know what they are. fortunately, the other location is just a block away. from the position the photo above was taken, you'll go to the right, turn right at the first intersection, and then stop at the chinese temple.




the chinese temple is on your left, and the old rubber building (a five-story building) is on your right. the second peter hoe store is located on the second floor of the building. the first time i went to it, i got really lost, because there are no indicators on the outside of the building for what's inside. i remembered it was five stories though, and just looked until i found a building that tall. luckily it was the only one!


excuse the photo quality, i only had my phone

inside it's filled with every kind of houseware you can think of: tablecloths, placemats, tablerunners, pot holders, pillowcases, votives, napkin rings, and on and on. the tablecloths/placemats get me the most: they change out the styles every so often, so if you see one you like, you shouldn't wait to get it. they've also got bags, jewelry, a minimal selection of clothing (at this store, as i said the other one has more), etc. the fabric is almost all done in batik style. there's also a cafe in this location, although i've never eaten at it. i love almost everything in the store, and it almost has an anthropologie vibe to it. if you're running around chinatown, i'd definitely recommend just stopping in to see what's available.



on a final note, monsters u opened up last weekend. along with it came tons of merchandise around the malls, my favorite of which are the t-shirts/pants/dresses found in giordano. i picked up a sulley shirt for my baby's brother's birthday in august. he's definitely monster-material! this is something else i love about living here: you'll get standard merchandise to go along with movies/tv-shows/whatever in america. here, we can find a little extra - like the disney line at uniqlo - and it's all great quality. it's just fun.

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this post is not about malaysia.

so, this blog is most definitely, first and foremost, about my adventures and time spent living in malaysia. that being said, part of living in malaysia is missing out on some pretty big and sentimental things at home. for example, this weekend my dear 30-year-old brother (and that’s to the DAY, people – his birthday is today!) and his sweet-as-pie young lady got married. i could write a book on that topic alone, but, to keep it brief (and because i’ve got other things to talk about), i’ll just say i’m incredibly happy for them. happy he gets to start a new adventure in life with someone genuinely kind and caring, happy our grandparents were able to be there with him, happy two of our four amazing aunts were able to be there with him, and most importantly – happy that my parents were able to be there with him. health-wise, things are not the best at home, and sometimes i’d really rather be there, but my mom continuously reminds me that my place right now is here, in malaysia. a bittersweet realization, but at the same time, it’s comforting. i have really supportive parents.

all of that gushy stuff out of the way, there IS something else happening in america this weekend that i would give my right foot to be at. well, maybe not my right FOOT, considering the topic to follow, but my right something.

in 2010, i decided to start running. i hated running. all throughout my school years, never once did i run a proper mile. physical fitness tests were my least favorite thing, for the mile alone. i just hated it. it continued into college. my dear best friend had to drag me to the gym or the running trail, and i never went happily. fortunately, she was patient enough with me to let me be a grouch about it.

so, in 2010, as a result of i don’t know what – probably a mixture of a major boy issue and needing better ways to release frustration, boredom, and a little bit of wanting to begin a healthier lifestyle - i started running. admittedly, my first 5k was a paws4people 5k (that which i previously spoke about months ago on this blog) – and it was bad. i’ll blame it all on WYATT and his unfortunate bathroom break at the beginning of the race until my last breath, but i MAY have had my own contribution to my slow time. still, it was a start. and when you start something poorly, the only direction to go is up (or down, in the case of run times).

i have no shame in admitting my disney obsession. i’ve traveled all over the world, and still my #1 vacation spot is disney world. so, when i discovered that i could combine disney and my new hobby of running, of COURSE i wasted to time in signing up for my very first half marathon – the 2011 Disney Princess Half Marathon. i had no idea what i was doing, but i was gonna do it. and much to my surprise, my darling 29-year-old (wink, wink) aunt wanted to do it with me! we picked out separate training plans and set in for several months of winter training. i want to say we signed up in about august or september, and the race is held in february. cold runs awaited us!

we did it, and it was done, and we were so ecstatic, we wanted to do it again. when i initially had orders for malaysia, i was supposed to move the weekend of the 2012 race. pixie dust was sprinkled upon me, and i had reason to push back my moving date two weeks – perfect! i was then able to sign up for 2012 and start training again. and then we did that one, and it was done, and we were ecstatic. it’s really an accomplishment. it may not feel like it’s that special when you’re around thousands of people who just accomplished the same thing as you – but then when you’re alone and realize what you’ve just done and what that means to YOURSELF, it’s an accomplishment.

so, if you’re still with me after all of that, this weekend is the 5th anniversary of the WDW Princess Half Marathon. it’s supposed to be amazing and special. how can it be amazing and special if I’M not there?? just kidding. but it is a bit of a bummer – this is another one of those moments that i have to sit down and re-accept that i made the choice to be here, and that includes missing out on some opportunities and fun times in america. the many opportunities i’ve had here and the places i’ve been since moving here have definitely made it crazy amounts of worth it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t miss what you are missing. the PHM trips not only served as running accomplishments, but also some pretty valuable time spent with two of my aunts, one of my cousins, and my sister and nephew.

i actually signed up for a half marathon here, in penang, last fall, but never went through with it. running in malaysia is hard. running outside is nearly impossible due to the heat, humidity, exhaust from cars and busses, etc, and yet that’s my favorite place to run. i can do about 3-4 miles on a treadmill before i become bored to tears. running in the KLCC park is also only good for 3-4 miles, any longer and you’re just running circles. circles are annoying. added to that, i lacked time to actually dedicate to training because i was trying to spend as much time as possible with that boy before he had to leave here.

boyfriend distraction gone, and plenty of free time, i’ve signed up for another half marathon in phuket in june. i’m pretty excited for this one. i’m about 1/3 of the way through training already. i’m forcing myself to do the treadmill runs, and only doing the long runs outside, and so far it’s all good. i’m crossing my fingers that everything will work out for this one and i’ll be able to make it. even if i just go up friday and come back right after the race on sunday, it’s worth it! and hey, maybe without character stops every .5 miles or so, i’ll be able to get a REAL half marathon time!! my time in 2011 was just over three hours, and my time in 2012 was just under three hours. kind of amazing for the 2012 one, considering that i don’t think i did any runs over five miles in the months leading up to it – life was way too busy then.

so, in sum, this is another weekend where i kind of wish i were not here. another weekend where i remind myself this was completely my choice, and it was a choice made with the knowledge that i’d sacrifice some things. from the deeply important, such as my brother’s wedding, to the silly, such as a disney race, i can’t run back to america for everything. at least i know when i return to america for “good,” i have a boyfriend in close proximity to disneyland that i can experience all of THEIR runDisney races as well!!

but really – wouldn’t you miss a run through here? happy weekend ☺

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week three: the smelliest and lowest yet.

i cannot believe today that i have been here for three weeks. sometimes i sit and think how i really only have two FULL years here (as in january - december years), and that doesn't seem like that long. i conveniently forget i have from now until december 2012, and january until march 2015. for some reason the broken-up time doesn't seem like time to me. that's weird.

anyway. i have still been resting and taking it easy. by "taking it easy" i mean i take a lot of naps and don't work out. it's like the world is giving me a giant refund on the past two years, wherein i had no naps and a lot of working out. i like it. at least i like it until i'll start gaining weight.

tuesday evening we had an officeandfamilies going away dinner for my predecessor at din tai fung. everyone said i had to try the xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings, but i was nervous, as usual, because the meat was not chicken. but then there on the menu, there was "xiao long bao" and "xiao long bao chicken. i win. so we ordered those for me, with a backup of sweet and sour chicken. also spinach with garlic.



and wouldn't you know, i loved the dumplings. i didn't love the sweet and sour chicken. i suppose when you go to a place that is known for one thing, you should expect everything else to be subpar. but they were so tasty, i ate the whole thing (i think six)!

the next day, or maybe the day after (every day runs together now), we went out to lunch at kelab aman. it is a very old club (aka older than me) and the name means "club peace." there is a field for sports, and while we were there menly men were playing cricket. the food is northern indian. we ordered butter chicken, rice, naan, another kind of chicken, spinach and cottage cheese, and something else. mostly i don't remember anything else because all i ate was the butter chicken, rice, and naan.





it was really very tasty!!! i liked that chicken. i feel as though i was confronted with the most serious, intense, native chickens at the beginning, and now i am finding normal-katelyn-chicken is not so hard to find. and then, i saw my very first monkeys!! unfortunately, it was while we were in the car driving away, so i did not get a photo of them. i was so excited though.

now, i will talk about today in reverse. the world should know by now that i am one of those people who is crazy about disney (seriously, i told my mom earlier this week i think we should plan a family vacation to disney world while i'm home on my r&r. a time when most people would want to relax, i want to go to disney world. and you know i'm going to make my way to as many of the parks in asia as i can). attached to that is my affinity for chip n' dale. maybe it's because we speak at the same high-pitched level, or maybe it's because i think most people overlook them. i don't know. but i love them. i have always loved them. see?


pure love.

so anyways. you can understand why when i saw these cookie cut-outs at isetan (a japanese department store/grocery), i had to have them.



i also found a recipe to make cheese-nips from scratch (here), so i thought that would be the perfect thing to use them on! however, as with most things i bake, they did not come out as they did on the website i got them from. the dough was pretty sticky, and that was ruining my munks' faces, so i only made a few. they are tasty, but really very greasy. i might try to find a butter substitute and see if that cuts out the greasiness. i don't even know if butter substitutes exist here. you have to go to each of the different grocery stores to truly find everything you want if you want specific things. for example, my rainbow chip is at one grocery store. it isn't at the others (that i have found). my oatmeal is at another store. for this reason, i have to figure out a grocery-shopping-plot. this will come in time!


see, they're not the prettiest things. but i tried. it just needs tweaking. i bought parmesan so i can try to make some parmesan/garlic ones too.

before i did that today, i went for a run outside. i have been avoiding working and running out because i have a sick feeling in my chest/stomach/body, but this morning i was determined. it was sprinkling outside, but it wasn't so bad. one thing about walking around in KL is that you have to look at the ground while you walk. the reason is that there are things like this all over the place:



in fact, on the route from my apartment to KLCC park (where i ran), there are 2"x2" holes with nothing over them. they're just there. so i did fairly well to run there and run back and not fall down or get stuck in a hole. the running path in KLCC park is only 1.3 km, so i am anticipating i will not like running there for very long because i hate repetition and even four loops to make 3+ miles is too much looping for me. still, it's a very nice path, and you smell the flowers the entire time, so it makes for a very peaceful run. my nose was so happy while i was running.

then. i returned home. i watched my path the entire way, until i reached my apartment gate. i let my guard down. suddenly i felt something splash my leg as i walked down into the garage. i looked down and saw two brown specks, which i tried to wipe away thinking it was mud. it. was. not. mud. a quick smell of my hand confirmed it was not mud. it was from an animal. an animal with an inconsiderate human (at least, i assume it was one with a human and not a stray, because there's no way to get in without going through the gate). i did not see the real damage until i got up to my apartment and noticed it covered my entire right running shoe. how did it splash onto me? i have no idea. i don't want to think about it anymore. i cleaned it and showered and now the bathroom needs to be cleaned also, but at least my shoes are clean and i am clean and i don't need to think about the bathroom until tomorrow. i suppose because i haven't seen any dogs around my apartment building, i assumed they just were not here. this was really an unfortunate event after my lovely smelling run in the park. i guess now i have learned i must not only be on the lookout for holes and random things on the ground, but also for animal excrement. just as you would anywhere else in the world, though.

but, on the topic of dogs (i mean this is really the only reason why i included that lovely tidbit of my day), this weekend is a very big weekend for my very dear best friend's non-profit organization, paws4people. paws4people is a wonderful organization in so many different ways. the dogs are trained by federal inmates and placed with adults/children with physical and mental disabilities, veterans with ptsd, volunteers who take their dogs into classrooms/hospitals/nursing homes/etc. it's just all around wonderful. and founded by my best friend! so anyways. it's a big weekend for them. they are having their first "family reunion." they are having their fourth annual 5k race on UNC-wilmington's delightful campus tomorrow, and clients and volunteers from the past and present will all be getting together for a weekend of fun. today they are holding a conference to talk about paws4people's development and graduate a whole new class of service dogs! i am so very proud of kyria and all she has accomplished. i am only (as the title indicates) very upset that i am not by her side through it like she has been by mine for so many big events.

i think that is why this was a little bit of a difficult week. it is finally hitting me a little bit that there are going to be a lot of big events like this one in the next three years that i cannot make it home for. i won't be there to see my new nephew once he is born. i can no longer call my best friends when i just need to talk to them, because they are likely asleep or doing their own work. that is difficult. but if that is going to be the most difficult part of being on the opposite side of the world, then i am not too very concerned. things will adjust, we will work out phone/skype schedules, things will be fine. overall, i am still very happy and feel so lucky to just be here.

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