Back on the grid

(From January 8, 2012)

Hello all and greetings from tomorrow,

I have managed to safely cross the Pacific Ocean and arrive in Kuala Lumpur (KL), although some may say that the pilots had more to do with that than me. I’ve spent the last couple of days settling in and getting setup with what I’ll need while here such as a phone and more visa pages for my passport. I also got this nifty wireless router device that picks up the 4G signal in the city and allows me to get internet on all my devices. Before that I was pretty internet-less as I didn’t want to pay the $15 a day to use the hotel internet, hence why this email is coming now.

Tomorrow is the first day of my new job and I’m anxious to get going. Actually I’m anxious to be several weeks in. You know, the point where you have things better figured out and not everything you do is brand new and you can actually remember the names of most of the people you’ve met. But one step at a time I suppose.

My experience in Kuala Lumpur so far has been pretty favorable. The people are nice and there is a wide variety of delicious food that is also cheap. I’ve been happy to find that my body still has its “Singapore” setting so I can walk around outside for a decent amount of time without breaking into a full sweat. I’ve also been happy to find that my hotel has a nice gym in it. Maybe I can get back to pre-PwC shape.

My tasks for the next couple of weeks will be to get situated with work and find an apartment. Sadly the company will not pay to put me up in this hotel indefinitely. There are a lot of apartment buildings in the area that cater to expats and the like so they come fully furnished with all the amenities one would need and are reasonably priced. Once I get one picked out and move in, I’ll send pictures out for all to see. If/when some of you are able to make it over to KL I’ll hopefully have a spare room for you to stay in for free. There is one condition though, you’ll have to get alcohol from the duty-free stores in the airport first as Malaysia has like a 50-100% import tax on alcohol. : (

And now as I wind down this email I’ll get to what you were all waiting for. That’s right, my review of Season 2 of The Walking Dead. Or maybe not (for those who watch the show, all I have to say is “what an ending”).

Well that’s about it for now. Hope you all are faring well and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Regards,
-Chris