Jalan Ipoh Ain't Going Away

Hey, my home street made it to the headlines recently. DBKL decided to change its' name to Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah on the 26th of November 2014, along with other 7 roads in KL. Very familiar names like Jalan Duta, Mahameru Highway and Jalan Semarak are all going to be changed to other names. Don't get me wrong by saying that I don't like those new names. Being a Malaysian, it is an honour to know that your home street was about to be named after a royalty. I understand the reason to uphold the names of our rulers. I also understand the reasons for the rakyat to express their disagreement regarding the change of names of the common roads in KL. It really will bring about change in our addresses, name cards and signboards.

Being someone who was brought up in Jalan Ipoh all her life, I feel sad that it would no longer be called Jalan Ipoh. It's just a name of a road but unknowingly, my feelings for Jalan Ipoh meant so much more than I thought. The people used to call it by its' Batu's or miles. Batu Satu till Batu Lima, that was how long the road was. Many places were also named after Jalan Ipoh. The girl school by the name of SMP Jalan Ipoh, the restaurant called Ipoh Road Yong Tau Foo and Jalan Ipoh Club are all going to cause confusion in people.

Maybe the road was too long to have the same name so now at this moment, only part of it remains as Jalan Ipoh. I think it's until somewhere along Batu Tiga. Batu Empat and beyond remains Jalan Ipoh. Still it is a sad thing isn't it? I still feel as if the name carved some sentiments in me. It's like taking away your childhood memory of the really long road you've known.

My family called it Ipoh Road. It used to be a small road with shophouses along the long road. Then, came the Mutiara Shopping Complex and not long ago, River City was established right outside of my home. The HSBC and KFC never fail to be the landmark of Jalan Ipoh since I was born. The ever famous Uma Rani chain of shops will remain as prosperous as usual. The Batu Tiga market will still be as busy as ever.

Despite the change in the name, the people and the food will stay the same. The delicious Hokkien mee, Bah Kut Teh and porridge will still stick around as long as the business is still running. The busy food street in front of red/orange building will keep lighting up the street in the dark. Pak Halim's nasi lemak is not something to be forgotten as well! Some people say the Dim Sum but I say otherwise. Lol.

And whenever anyone ask me where I live, I'll still say it's Jalan Ipoh. :)

When life is a cycle, the mind wonders

-picture taken in a restaurant between Atlantic City and New York, 2012- 

I have started working for almost 4 months. Getting to know how others work and trying to adapt to the working culture, I think I have a good start. For me, my work life is not as tiring and intense as my student life which is something I thought I will be happy with or at least satisfied with...until I realized that most of the fun is taken away as well.

Like it or not, I am starting to miss my life in Michigan. Even though I have to juggle between studies, projects, time with family (on Skype) in the weekends and my social life, my days were filled with excitement, anxiety, stress and discovery. Everyday is unlike the other. At that point of time, I didn't really like it because I could not be certain of what could happen next...but after having to work and knowing that my life is filled with the same cycle everyday, I realized that I didn't like it either.. In that case, I can only agree to the statement, "we just have to feel it, to know it".

I guess it is sort of a trade off (fun and stress vs. mundane and content). Work, work, work. There is really nothing much to look forward to besides lunch time and getting off work unless there is something interesting going on in work. Life goes on.. no complains, just thoughts :)

Silly Me Again

I have become the clumsy girl at home for my records of troublesome events and now, I made it even clearer for that title. It was a happy day for some and a busy day for some. For me, it was a day when shit just happened. Lost my wallet unknowingly until I found out the next day. Too bad, too late, some things can't be saved. Lost some belongings and lost the mood for the day because it happened in the morning. It was my first time making a call on the highway while shivering all the way through. I was panicking while speaking on the phone with the bank operator and broke down while speaking to my family. I didn't feel like talking about it even until now. :/

Not having anyone else with me when it happened taught me to keep myself calm. I was only trying to make it through the day on my own. I drove to the side to stop and calm down. Being an emotional person, I cried many times. Even when I was speaking to the police, I think I started panicking again. God save me from this mess.. The biggest lesson in this incident was to be more careful. 

Thanks to those who were concerned. I wasn't in the right mind to thank you all but I really do appreciate it. It was a long day. :/