"Most convicted felons are just people who were not taken to museums or Broadway musicals as children." - Libby Gelman-Waxler

Happy Friday the Thirteenth! :)

According to Wikipedia, today is considered a "bad luck day" in most English, French and Portuguese speaking countries around the world. (Unless you were born on Friday the 13th, in which case, it becomes a "good luck day"!) However, in Italy, it is Friday the 17th - and Tuesday the 13th is the "unlucky day" in Greece, Romania, and Spanish-speaking countries.

Whether or not the superstitions about today are true, yesterday - Thursday the 12th was a fun day out! :) Despite Shaun and Cheryl being wet blankets and "releasing the plane" at the eleventh hour (Cantonese "fong fei kei" for standing someone up or backtracking on previously agreed plans), Leila was a trooper *unlike some others, eheh* and went with me anyway! :D I shall include all the prices I can remember here, as tips for all other interested travellers out there. :)

First, we took a taxi from the Shell petrol station in Damansara Jaya, Petaling Jaya to Muzium Negara in Jalan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. It cost RM9.20, contrary to Shaun's foreboding prediction of "it's gonna cost you RM30-40 man!". Hahahahaha. But I despise the taxi drivers we find at the petrol station, they're always so grumpy and rude. The taxi drivers we flag down are always so much more fun and friendly! That's my personal experience so far, at least. (:

The Museum compound was simply beautiful. The place was so well-cared for, and despite the sticky weather, there were just photo-opportunities everywhere! We spent as much time outside the museum as we did inside. :D Even the toilets were spotless - but I guess that's what the 20 sen entrance fee for the washrooms are for.








Below is a photograph of me with a hibiscus tree. The hibiscus is Malaysia's national flower. Leila was fascinated when I told her. It was fun to tell Leila more about my country! :) With my other friends, we usually just assume we all know things like this. There's no wow-factor anymore.


There's also a gorgeous photo of Leila with the hibiscus, but the 100+ the photos we took on her camera are with her - so they won't be in this blog entry. :( And her sleek red Sony camera took much better pictures than my trusty but old Casio one somemore. :/ Her camera alters the colours a bit - so they're not the same as the original thing, but the pictures turn out clearer and sharper. Mine works great outdoors, but once it's used indoors in dim light, I can just make out the gist of what's going on. Hahahaha.
In the picture below (left) is a statue of Frank Swettenham. I remember his name from my Sejarah (history) textbooks back in secondary school, but I have zero recollection of what he did, other than that he was a big shot in the British administration of Malaya. His was the only proper statue we saw. I read on the information tablet that it was moved here from another state museum, and that he studied Malay Language in university.

In the picture above on the right, is a real-life display of old vehicles used in Malaysia. It was like an evolution of transportation. There was also an old model of the Proton Saga (you can see a bit of the white car behind me) that, according to Leila, Proton no longer makes.
After we had finished converting the museum compound into photographs, we went into the museum. :) Entrance fee is RM2 per person. A guided tour was also available, free of charge (also a few languages to choose from) - which we joined for about 30 seconds, before getting bored and deciding to go around by ourselves. :D
And below are some pictures that are proof that you should never let your camera get in the hands of someone who likes to laugh at your slip-ups/funny faces. :P
Pictured above: I was talking to Leila when she snapped this photo, trying to tell her about the ufti that people gave to the kings. :) Hahaha.

I look like that because I was stumbling on the uneven floor and was trying to keep from falling flat on my face. :S Hahaha.

Leila couldn't stop laughing for five whole minutes.

In the photo above is the actual old "money" people used in this country centuries ago - after Barter trading, before coins and notes. Leila asked me what they were, and I explained that this was what people used here to buy things. :)
Then she told me something even more interesting: she went to this museum in Malacca, and they had old coins there - coins with an old Iranian king's face carved on to them! So she was like, "That's OUR king!" and pretended to argue over whose king it was. HAHAHA.
We figured that it was probably because the Kesultanan Melayu Melaka spread its power so far and wide that Muzaffar or somebody must've gotten hold of Persia at some point. :D





Picture above - at that point, I told Leila the story of how the Japanese invaded Malaya, by cycling right into our country from our treacherous neighbour, Siam (now known as our friendly neighbour, Thailand).




After an hour or so inside the museum, we had finished exploring it! o_O To my disappointment, upon asking the personnel, it turned out 2 of the galleries had been closed for "renovation". So we only got to visit 2 of the museum's 4 galleries. Information like this should be posted up on their website... But anyway, I was reminded then that before going all the way to places like these in future, I should always call first! My bad.
Anyhow, we're happy people - and happy people don't let anything get in the way of their happiness! Chrishandra, Leila's classmate and my still-somewhat-new friend, invited us to watch a movie with her at Berjaya Times Square. :DDD
So Leila and I flagged down a taxi to go to KL Sentral (cost less than RM4), then took a short walk to the Monorail station (also walked through a bazaar of sorts, like an all-day pasar malam, it was really fun!) and took the Monorail to Imbi Road. The Imbi one stops directly inside Times Square, so it was the perfect one to take. It cost RM1.60 per person.
Unbelievably, it was my first time on the Monorail. It was nice, clean, and not crowded at all at that time. We also had a great view of the passing scenery of KL. :D

Me: Are we on the KTM?
Leila: No, this is the Monorail.
Me: Is that like the LRT?
Leila: Yes. Like the LRT.
Me: So it's the LRT.
Leila: No, it's different.
Me: KTM is the train right? The one where the wheels go chugga-chugga-chugga?
Leila: *can't stop laughing*

At which point did Iranians have to start explaining Malaysian public transportation to a born-and-bred Malaysian?

We got to Times Square in less than 15 minutes, and met up with the uber-skinny Chris. :) Speaking of skinny, I was with Tse Mun the other day and at one point I said, "You're soooo skinny" - and she said, really mollified, "Thanks!". She was so happy. Hahahaha. And I thought the saying was that fat people are jolly. Tsk tsk.



Chris wanted to watch Jack Black's critically-acclaimed "Kung Fu Panda", so we bought tickets at GSC (with student cards, tickets cost RM7 each) and had lunch at Secret Recipe. :)

Chris wanted alphabet fries, so she ordered Kid's Meal Fish & Chips. Leila loves their Fish & Chips, so she ordered the same thing. I don't like fish that much, so I decided to try the Chicken Cordon Bleu - and also to see what something with such a fancy name would sound like. I also was hungry as hell, not having eaten anything except 2 bananas the whole day. :D "Kids meal" just sounded ridiculous. Hahaha!
Prices: Mine was RM15.50, theirs around RM11. Leila's 2 drinks cost about RM5 (for the apple juice - water, I think and hope, was free). And tax itself were about RM10 altogether.
It was delicious, and tasted fresh with the salad so it didn't feel so "fried": but they should've just called it "Chicken Chop". Hahaha.

Chris was practically hyperventilating 'cause I was selamba-ly making her late for the movie. :D I kept telling her, "Don't worry, there're like, previews and everything." Leila and I were pushing all her buttons, saying stuff like, "Let's go toilet first!" or "Let's buy POPCORN!"

Hahahahahahahahaaaaa.

But y'know, I used to be a total sucker for going into movies early or on time - until I started watching movies with another BFF, Vanessa, and grew immune to strolling in casually after the first scene or just as the movie's starting, etc. :D :D :D

With Chris, we went in after the previews had started, but with plenty of time left to irritate all the other movie-watchers by taking photographs of ourselves before the movie started. :D


When the movie started ... and the first scene wasn't too great, more like a tacky Nickelodeon cartoon (but rest assured, the second scene onwards was brilliant):

Leila: Is this what we came to watch??
Chris: Yeah!
Leila: Is THIS what we came to watch??
Me: Yup.
Leila: A CARTOON??
Me: Don't worry! I heard it's a really good show - got a lot of good reviews!
Leila: *groans* I am going to sleep.

But the movie was GOOD - and it was SO GOOD that even a cartoon-sceptic like Leila loved it. :) It was so FUNNY and heartwarming and FUNNY!! The entire cinema was constantly wobbling with laughter. Seriously great movie to watch! :) Jack Black's best - even if he was just the panda, Po's voice.

After the movie, Chris wanted to wait until the end - like the serious END, to see if there was anything interesting after the credits rolled. Like how there was some scene after the credits rolled at Iron Man (which I didn't wait for, because Vanessa and I only finished watching that movie at like, 2am) about the next instalment.

So we waited. :)

We were the only ones who waited:

And ... I won't tell you what happened at the end. You'll just have to go see it for yourself! :D

Chris left at about 5.30pm to meet her sister, Chris (same first half of name, hehe) the lawyer whom Leila and I met at Dome last month. :) Chris said that next time, we'll go to Times Square just to go on the rollercoasters. Woooooh. Apparently this is so that I can use the time before that to work up the courage to do it. Hahaha.

Leila and I went shopping! :D Times Square is GREAT for shopping. There are a gazillion cool T-shirts for RM10, and lots more pirated goods. Not like 1-Utama at all, where things are pretty expensive. And definitely not like KLCC, where things are super-expensive.

All right now, see the picture below? We look a bit alike right? HAhahaha, I know my mum laughed when I asked her that, but what do you think? I mean, I have Persian blood, even if it was half a dozen generations ago - but that blood still runs deep deep deep within my veins, eh? :D So this makes Leila, like, my long-lost cousin or something. :) A distant relative. Hahaha.

The downside of me looking slightly un-Malaysian, though, is that people constantly try to con us. :( We almost got conned twice (first by an asshole taxi driver who was totally sarcastic with us, Leila got so mad at him - then by a shopkeeper who just threw prices at us thinking we'd pay out of our shitholes "RM49" "OK RM25" "OK RM20" - Leila shouted "Now FREE" after him, HAHAHA), and the 3rd time, we actually got conned. Leila bought a watch for RM50 when she could have paid RM20 just a few shops down. The scene turned a bit ugly, but no harm done.

All in all, exciting experiences. :)

Dinner at KFC for two hungry, tired-from-walking lasses:

Then a very, very crowded Monorail ride. The Monorail was SO packed (and we had already waited until AFTER rush hour) that we didn't even make it in the first one. We had to wait 2-3 minutes for the next one. :P But it was better - not so full. The first one was like a sardine can about to burst. Much worse than sitting in Economy class on the airplane, hahaha.

On the walk back to KL Sentral from the Monorail Station, Leila and I did more shopping at the bazaar strip. We found one really cool stall that did those name-carving things on wood or plastic (your choice), so I got one for myself! :D It cost RM8 for 6-8 letters (mine had 8 letters). Leila also bought 2 of their paintings - beautiful Malaysian scenery painted on thread sewn and framed with carved wood. RM15 each.

I love my new keychain. <3

Finally, we took the LRT back home to the Kelana Jaya LRT Station. Tickets cost RM2.10 each.

So, that was my Thursday the 12th! How was your Friday the 13th? :)