Melaka

I now know what it is like to arrive in a place with nowhere to stay and panic and think "shit!"
But it all ended up okay in the end...how were we to know tomorrow was a national holiday and Melaka would be booked to the gills.
More depressingly, we have ended up with a lovely room (with balcony, costing only 700 yen a night!) in a guest house run by the guys 14 year old daughter. I mean she runs the place from the giving out of the keys to the laundry service. And she speaks perfect English. Different accent? No problem. She has bought into sharp contrast just how much my students can't speak English. I shouldn't moan because the poor use of English in Japan means I get a job there. With a salary and nenkyu to go to Malaysia...
So tonight - night market in Chinatown, get a bite to eat, some beers and bargain down the prices. I am trying to convince Dan to stop for another reflexology foot massage. My goal is to have one daily. So far, so good.

Kuala Lumpur

We are here and settled into the Lonely Planet (thanks Megan) guide's top pick for budget accomodation. The people are friendly and speak English. I regard this suspiciously as I'm just not used to it. But it is a refreshing change to see women in saris, women in headscarfs, broken down cars, people randomly smiling at strangers, garlic naan....

Miscellaneous facts so far:

*We have spent less so far in a day and a night in KL than we spent on our hotel room in Fukuoka.

*You can get real beer, pies and fish n chips at Finnegans.

*The pharmacy sells real brands that we have at home.

*The Petronas Towers may not be THE tallest in the world but are beautiful and really amazing up close. Plus you can go on a shopping mish in the depeartment stores inside.

*You can get a foot massage anywhere.

We are booked into our hostel for one more night and then hopefully tomorrow we'll be on a bus down to Melaka. Watch this space...

Get Some Hot Cross Baby This Evening...

Guess who...

Got accepted to be an RCA in Kobe!!!!!!!!!!! Double yosh!!!!!!!!!

YOSH!!!!

Easter Eve

Well, tomorrow is Good Friday. For me this stirs up memories of every year making hot cross buns from scratch (Alison Holst recipe), Mum dividing the dough into 3 equal portions so my brother and sister and I could pound the yeast into submission. Jesus of Nazareth would always screen around noon on TV1, and just as I would be really freaking out watching what Jesus had to go through, Mum would announce the buns were out of the oven. So I have come to associate the suffering of Jesus with the goodness of something hot and buttered. Probably not what was intended.

I have to work in the morning so there won't be time to double rise the dough for hot cross buns. Instead I am going to make date scones - thanks to Matt's family bringing me gorgeous Tesco's omiyage and my Mum sending me a huge box of yummies including muscovado sugar! It is all prepped and on the bench (along with the coffee mugs) so I can whack a batch in the oven while still half-asleep tomorrow morning.

I'm planning to make a couple of batches of hot cross buns over the weekend. I wonder if my local video shop has a copy of Jesus of Nazareth...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Christine for the yummy Black Forest birthday cake. We barbequed and had several bevvies under the blossoms - thanks everyone for coming!

On My Desk At Work Today....

Sakura cha - cherry blossom tea.
Looks beautiful right? Took a sip and tried to concentrate on being Zen.

Tasted like really strong seawater. I made a "pleugh*&^$(#" sound.

Ah well. Looks nice.