Tuesday, October 11, 2005

High on a highland

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

I find this tagline really catchy, though I fail to remember the product it is used for. Which makes me wonder what the point is if you remember the ad but not the product. But then I digress.

Yeah, so Sayesha's back in town. And unlike Starbreez's fears, I am not dead, but very much alive and kicking.

I went to Genting Highlands for a much-deserved mini-vacation over the weekend.

























And I did a lot of things for the first time.

I went to a casino for the first time in my life and gambled.

Oh dear. I gambled. Bad bad girl.

Highlights of my trip:

- Awesome weather. Though it got quite brrrr at times, but it was a welcome change from Singapore's tropical heat and humidity. And the general levels of stress I'd been facing lately.

- During the bus ride to Genting, they could find no other freaking movie, but they chose to play 'Speed'. And since it was a night ride, I found it really freaky when each time I woke up, I would hear someone saying frantically "There's a bomb on the bus!" Of all the millions of movies in the world, why would anyone choose to play 'Speed' in a bus that's speeding uphill? Why why why??

- The security guard at the casino entrance
asked to see my passport because he thought I was under-aged. Yeay!!!!

- Ok, I admit it. I was (still am, on most levels) totally totally clueless about gambling in a casino. Zilch knowledge. I think I made the dumbest statement of my life when I told my friend, "Let's go to the casino early in the morning. There won't be too many people so we can make a lot of money!"

- Did I ever mention how much I love the Malaysian people? Every time I visit Malaysia, I find new reasons to fall in love with the place. But the thing that remains constantly close to my heart are the smiles on the Malaysians' faces. So genuine, so from-the-heart. It's a lesson in life. Really.

- Orange flavoured ice lolly as I shivered in my jacket in the freezing cold weather. Outta-the-world feeling!

- The way words are spelt in Malay never fail to amuse me. Ice cream = ais krim. Ticket counter = tiket kaunter. Ambulance = ambulans. Lobby = lobi. Reminded me of the time I was working on some books for Malaysia and the reference books I received spelt 'Science' and 'Physics' as 'Sains' and 'Fizix'.

- An amazing conversation between my friend and the guy at the information counter.
My friend - "Where can we go horse-riding?"
Info counter guy - "Huh?"
My friend (trying to "clarify himself") - "Err... Riding a horse?"
Info counter guy (with a cry of recognition) - "Ohhh!"
Wow, some clarification that was, huh? Wonder how different 'horse-riding' is from 'riding a horse'. But who cares as long as it works!

- The guy at the information counter was trying to call up the ranch to book the horses. "No one picking up." He told us. "Maybe there are no horses." Suddenly visions of horses in uniform, sitting at the booking desk taking calls from customers filled my mind as I tried not to laugh in his face.

- We found a little horse ranch with a very sad-looking white horse. "Oh, let's bargain and get the ride really cheap!" My friend and I decided before we approached the guy. Our grand plans to bargain went outta the window when we were told that the ride only cost 3 ringgits. It made me incredibly suspicious. But my 3-ringgit horse ride, the shortest in the history of mankind, was totally worth it.

- The cable car ride down the hill was fantastic. The fact that you could not see the end of the cables because of the heavy fog, making you feel like you were just going to be swallowed by nothingness, just added to the thrill. I think my friend freaked out a bit because of that. And it did not help that I said, "Gosh, it would be so cool if we just died here."

- The Safari pub we partied at was pretty cool too. After a really good performance, the unbelievably friendly band members came down and mingled with us. It was awesome. I was totally high. And no, the orange juice I'd had had nothing to do with it. It was just the feeling.

-
But the greatest high? My friend's incredibly good fortune and gambling skills ensured that our entire trip ended up being fully sponsored by the Genting casino. ;)




37 comments:

virdi said...

me first... let me read the blog..

Young Master said...

awesome! your nice post made my lunch break sweet.

i miss malaysia and everything about it that you eloquently expressed.

and yes, congrats on the gambling payoff

virdi said...

aaha... i will start gambling from now on... ;-)

so how was the orange juice?? hehehe...

chalo u had the deserved break... shukar hai... :-)

Happy Dushehra to everyone...

V..

Anonymous said...

oh man, while I was reading it it said 0 comments !!!!
but actually was soo engrossed in the post that didn't realised virdi stabbing me in the back! good show man :D
Hey sayesha so now of all things you have taken up to gambling eh? wat are the other things following this;)

heyy me soo envious- you seem to have had a lovely time there :-? and robbing casinos is gr88888 ! good work lady, keep it up (gamble more, rob them more :P)

and this lovely pic! wow you seem to be great at shooting also :D .. i mean taking snaps!

virdi said...

aashih bhai... veeru se takkar mat lena yaar... ;-)

V..

Anonymous said...

@virdi: arre jai aur veru kabhi takker kyon lenge >:D<

Pi said...

Nice post... your post made me smile. :)

Word Verification: xaibr

Mallu spelling for cyber?

R said...

sounds like loads of fun

Anonymous said...

That picture is totally awesome :). The blue is so cool. The picture itself says that you had a great vacation !! Malaysia nice kya ? seen only in movies :|. I am still happy with

Malaysia ka sehar
thru Sayesha ki nazar :p.

Show us some more pics. Oh yea I know this will have a full featured Day1 - Part 1 to n kind of posts on hop-scotch ;).

U into gambling ?? :O that too in the morning hours ?? .... whats happening to the nice people in this world ??
tu tho brasht ho gayi re :O

Rays Of Sun said...

Hey Sayesha,

Cool to have you back!That was an awesome picture..winding roads and fog..and clear skies...Wowie..Purrfect vacation..so have you let you steam out in the cold weather??

Ciao
ROS

Sayesha said...

#Virdi,
Gosh you're crazy! :D

#Ro,
Pata hai? Malaysia never fails to remind me of you and how much we both love it. :)

#Virdi,
Gambling ke liye dimaag chahiye hota hai. (And a travelmate who knows what he's doing.) Tere bas ki baat nahin re! ;)
ps: Dushera? It's dushera already? Wow, so you guys have like a 10-day public holiday??!! Waaaaa!! ;'(

#Ashish,
Joining Virdi's ranks in general insanity, are you? :)

//wat are the other things following this ;)

Yeh toh Sayesha bhi nahin jaanti. Aage aage dekhiye hota hai kya! ;)

//wow you seem to be great at shooting also

Yeah man! Kahin mil jaao toh I'll give you a demo! :)

#Jai & Veeru,
What is it with guys bonding at Sayeshaz man? ;)

#American Pi,
Thanks! :)
ps: Leave the Mallus alone yaar! Bechaare! :)

#Mr. Quipster,
Yeah, it was one of those unbelievable vacations. :)

#Keshav,
Malaysia is AWESOME! I'd highly recommend the beaches too!
ps: And naah, this one's not gonna go on Hopscotch yaar. I will try and wrap up the pending bits on Hopscotch by the end of this year. That's the target as far as Hopscotch is concerned. Too much on my plate to take on any more stuff.

#ROS,
Yeah! I feel totally relaxed. Am actually looking forward to having a productive day at work today, and get started on next week's three damn assignments! :D

oxymoron said...

good to see u back soon! i thought u were taking a long break, and wont be blogging for days!

Sahil said...

//When was the last time you did something for the first time.

Catch-line/tag phrase from Emirates. Beautiful ad.

You know something? I think what I most enjoyed reading about the post was how much fun you had. And when you're on holiday with someone like you, it doesn't matter where you are, everyone will just have a blast of a time. Coz they'd always be laughing. If not with you, then at you ;)

//"Let's go to the casino early in the morning. There won't be too many people so we can make a lot of money!"

hahahahahahahahaha. Can't believe you said that.

When are we doing Koh Samui man?

Sayesha said...

#Oxymoron,
No yaar, I don't have enough leave to take a long vacation this year. Scraping the bottom of the barrel already. :(

#Sahil,
Hmmm... looks like Mr Arora wants a holiday with Sayesha so he can have a blast of a time laughin' at her! What the..??!! :@

I'd have said "In your dreams, buddy!" but I'm actually planning a holiday for pple who frequent Sayeshaz. I think it'll be damn fun! And being one of the oldest (quite literally) of my readers, you're obviously invited. :)

And yes, it's gonna either be Koh Samui, or something in India, Andaman maybe. Depending on where pple who're serious about this wanna go.

And by the way, did I mention Virdi is the self-appointed vacation officer. ;)

Ravi said...

nice title, nice picture, nice place, nice comedy.

I always love travelogues. Thanks for sharing it with us.

One needs to go to such places to refresh the mind & body. Good for you. Now I need to plan something for myself. Dusshera & Diwali holidays are to be used.

Happy Dusshera

Jay said...

Some high octane action on the lines of 'Speed', would have made ur mini vacation any more memorable? :p

Hey, U have an interesting weblog out here.

Rays Of Sun said...

hey Sash,

I am dead tired at 2:00 AM..just wanted to post..Welcome back!
ROS

ritzkini said...

hey..looks like u had fun...good for u..

cheers

captcha word :fcuknig

hehehe...i dont want to say what it resembles...
:)

Anonymous said...

man ..u r so lucky....i mean for winning at the casino..

Kroopa Shah (Kr00pz) said...

Ok, there are too many people taking a vacation!! I want one too!!! Sounds like you had fun, girl!! :-)

Anonymous said...

That tag line is of Emrates Airlines..I will never forget teh day I saw two Africans run out into teh silently falling white snow and the glow of joy on their faces. This scene faded into the tagline and that kept me going through one of the toughest phases of my life..
Genting Highlands with rolling fog sounds good. I am currently enjoying some cool weather and the company of fn cousins in South India :)

Thanu said...

Awesome picture, glad to have u back. I love mini vacations, it is like being away from reality for a while.

Anonymous said...

@virdi: "Joining Virdi's ranks in general insanity, are you? :)"

hey man she is calling you names publicly!!! go get her!
. . . wait. me too coming. Come lets strike her down ;))

Sayesha said...

#Ravi,
Thanks man. Dusshera & Diwali holidays... now I'm homesick... :'(

#Rinku,
Thanks! I take it as a huge compliment that my blog accompanies your morning tea :)

#Jay,
Haha! I had enough high octane stuff happening to me already! :)

#REVerenD,
Thanks! :)

#Hey hey ROS,
Thanks for the warm (and sleepy) welcome! :)

#Ritzkini/Tarzan,
Yep I had a blast! You should go there man. Lotsa tropical rainforests for you to swing from! :)

#Spammy,
I did nothing yaar! Was just sitting there, writing numbers, pretending to know what was happening! It was my friend who did all the magic at the casino! ;)

#Vikram,
I was wondering why you removed your comment. Then I went into my gmail and checked up what you'd posted. And now I know why you removed it! Haha! :D

#Kroopz baby,
Come to Singapore, girl! Free accomodation guaranteed! ;)

#Naari,
Hey welcome back! Tu kahan kho gayi thi re? :)

#Thanu,
Thanks! :) I think mini-vacations are compulsory for happiness! :P

#Ashish,
Hahahaha! It takes two mushtandas to take on one frail li'l Sayesha??!! Tch tch! :D

PuNeEt said...

Hi dear…
Nice post…nice pic

I thought u r going on a long vacation… and was happy to see ur comment on my blog…

U gambled that’s soo cool… I always wanna try once

Underage
Hmmmm lolzzzz

Horse ridding too…..
Now I’m envying you…

U seem to have loads of fun…great

Take care
Cheers

Anonymous said...

Didn't you go to GH during the IIFA awards there coupla years ago? Man, how we wished and wished we were there in that beautiful place, eyeing all the scenic spots via the tv....sob!

Was disappointed to hear hopscotch is not gonna be updated :(

A Jane

Sayesha said...

#Puneet,
Nahin yaar, leave hi nahin bacha hai... ab lambi vacation next year hi hogi :(

Yeah, you should gamble at least once! :P

#A Jane,
IIFA awards in Genting Highlands??? What??? I don't think there's enough space there you know! :O
ps: Will work on Hopscotch right after exams, babe. You're my inspiration, girl! :)

Anonymous said...

Ah...anything to prod you back onto hopscotch...which btw, was my fave game as a li'l kid.

As for IIFA, haan yaar, tha! I think the very first or second event was held there. Wasn't that long ago...IIFA is prolly not more than 5 years ago if my memory serves me correctly...someone do a google search...am too lazy :P

A Jane

Sayesha said...

#Lazybum A Jane,
Yeah I googled. 2002 mein hua tha. :)

Anonymous said...

Yaar, tu soti bhi kya?? Am trying to book tkts online...its maddening!!! today of all days my comp has chosen to play slowcompcoach and catch my ram if you can. sheeesh....planning a mini diwali vacation :)

A Jane

Sayesha said...

#A Jane,
Where you off to?? Coming to Singapore to visit me?? Or going to Mumbai for a rendezvous with the jungle king? :P

Anonymous said...

Ha Ha Ha! You one funny gal, S! Didn't you know Tarzan is supposed to come to Chennai, after all, where Jane goes, Tarzan must follow, varnaaa......

I love Singapore, man!! The 18 days I spent there were sheer bliss. My friend has a beautiful apartment overlooking the Indoor Stadium and the lake adjacent to it. I had so much fun taking the MRT and buses on my own. Trains and buses we would never step into in India!! I had a few adventures also but all turned out well. I'd visit again in a heart beat :)

A Jane

Anonymous said...

hi sayesha

firstly i really appreacite your thoughts about my country M'sia

for your information,there are so many places to visit in m'sia
i suggest you visit malaysian tourism website for further information

and pluz..this is not a spam

navin doshi

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Sayesha. Thought you'd be gone for a longer time, but was a pleasant surprise to see you back. Yet to catch up with your other posts after this! :-)

The first thing that caught my eye was the fantastic snap. It's absolutely beautiful. Makes me wish for a getaway too!!

And that tag line has made its way to my long-term memory :-)

Very interesting to read about the spellings there in Malaysia. Never been there. Great to learn tid-bits like this from another part of the world :-)

Take care...!

Anonymous said...

hmm...AJ and OJ chatting up...hmm...mere peeth peeche mere baare mein baatein ?(ohmigod,i dint know where that came from !never knew i was that good at hindi !:)
tarzan is impressed that he was the subject of conversation for 2 young dudettes...and unfortunately/fortunately a topic for female bonding..but would like it more if they were to have an intimate conversation with him rather than talk abt him..

Sayesha said...

#A Jane,
Hey, you must visit again! And you can stay with me! We'll have girly talks about Tarzan! ;)

#Navin,
Thanks a lot. I've been to Malaysia several times. I love the place. :)

#Harshi,
Thanks, girl! :)
And yes, you should totally visit Malaysia. The beaches especially, are simply heavenly!

#Tarzan,
AJ and OJ recently discovered something about you and they haven't stopped laughing since.

Psst... AJ, should we tell him what we know? ;)

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