Me shooting some guns last weekend.
One Day Pilot
Recently, I bought into a bunch of groupon-type of deals to spend an amazing out-of-the-ordinary weekend. There was this thing called One Day Pilot and I found the deal on JackCow.com.
The One Day Pilot tour covers flying above the KL city and one of us gets to the co-pilot the plane (yep, that’s me!).
So I went with my friend Elle and my sister Ashley last Saturday.
We arrived at 1:00 PM but there was a delay due to the morning haze, and that one of the previous passengers threw up in the plane. They had to clean it up before we board it hence the additional delay. LOL
2:30 PM and came our turn to climb the Cessna plane, the model I’m growing to be familiar with now. The pilot’s name is Hazim and small world indeed, he knows my skydiving instructors!
So we flew from Subang airport and made our way to the city of KL. The pilot handled the take off and landing, but while in mid air I get to steer the plane. 🙂
There’s a reason why pilots need years of training to fly a plane safely. And I was just the wanna-be pilot for a day – wait, more like an hour, lol
This was our first time viewing KL city from the top, not among the ridiculous traffic jam for a nice change!
Ashley recorded most of the journey – here’s the 4 minute version video I uploaded on YouTube:
The View Was Better From The Plane
So I finally did it! It took me one full year to be mentally prepared to do this… seriously!
When I learned from my friend Shaun Ng there is static line jump in Segamat, Johor I decided it’s time to go for it.
Immediately, I blasted a text message to all of my friends I thought would be interested on my iPhone. And only Nic answered my crazy skydiving offer. (he had a lot of second thoughts and ‘what ifs’ but unlike me, he sure didn’t take a whole year to prepare!)
So we both went for it. A couple of weekends prior to the skydiving activity, Nic and I went for theory training at the instructor’s house in Cheras. Learned how a parachute functions, what to do in case of emergencies, briefing on exiting the plane, working the parachute and landing on the drop zone, etc. That took about 6 hours.
Thus 16th April, Saturday came. And off we go…
I felt like Iron Man so to speak LOL okay seriously, I felt like I’ve conquered a new mental barrier and it was a personal breakthrough for me.
After the two successful jumps, all of the skydiving participants – 9 in all – received the certificate for completion of training and our own skydiving license!
This is something I’d love to do again in the near future. 🙂
Puncak Damansara
It’s been more than a month since I moved into my new place. I am so glad that all the dust has settled finally and end of this month, I’m throwing my housewarming party! 🙂
So what do I think of my current place?
Granted, Puncak Damansara is not as classy as Casa Tropicana. However my new place of stay made up a lot in convenience and to me, this carries a lot of points.
Let’s start with…
The Pros
Number one: I’m paying a lower monthly rent. 🙂 Today’s real estate climate in the Klang Valley has gone insane. Properties that used to cost RM350K last year is now going for RM450K.
While many reliable sources claim there will be a rest estate bubble burst, I didn’t have the luxury of waiting.
My real estate agents came back with disappointing news, telling me that rentals are now going for RM1800 a month – usually unfurnished. I might as well be buying my own property, only problem is I didn’t have the time needed to do so.
So my objective to was to find a place to stay for at least one more year, enough time for me to scout for a new property to buy and renovate.
After a series of disappointing results from my real estate agents, I decided to take time off my Internet Marketing projects and look for my own place. 3 apartments later, I found this deal through iProperty.com.my.
Now I am paying a few hundred RM less every month compared to my previous apartment I was renting!
Number two: convenience. This is of BIG, BIG, BIG importance to me. I live alone and while I enjoy great privacy, doing chores on my own make me wish I was staying with my mom.
But check it out… I’ve got a washing machine in the kitchen that I can use and wash my own clothes. And if I want to use the laundry service, it’s just downstairs.
I must add, I’m now staying at a lower floor here compared to back at Casa Tropicana! So going in and out is faster.
There is a wholesale market within walking distance where I get my groceries from. I am gradually moving towards cooking from home so I buy most of my ingredients and items here.
Car wash? Right outside my apartment for just RM8! There’s also a bay within the apartment area I can use to wash my car if I choose to do it myself, something that wasn’t available in Casa Tropicana.
And how about meals? There are mamaks and Chinese restaurants within walking distance.
Speaking of which…
Number three: location. Leaving this place is faster now since I’m only a few turns away from the NKVE. 🙂 I can just walk to Centerpoint (which I did on a lot of occasions by now).
Totally eliminates a huge need for driving around most of the time. 🙂
Oh, and an extra bonus:
The previous tenant overpaid the electricity bill so I don’t have to pay any of it for the next 2 – 3 months. YAY 🙂
Of all I’ve mentioned, this has got to be the most convenient place I’ve lived on my own to date. I feel so lucky to be able to get this place!
But of course, it’s not without its downs.
The Cons
Security. Now you would think this should actually belong to “The Pros” but I personally think security here is too tight beyond reason.
It was one week before I would get my own resident access card. Since I need the card to enter AND exit the building, I often had to wait for the security guard or a resident to open the door for me.
Security here is less friendly too, though for obvious reasons. The apartment is surrounded by squatter housing area.
This area actually has a high potential to become a prime land of properties, but prices here are hampered by the less flattering squatter houses. (which turned out to be good for me in getting this deal) However I suspect in a few more years, even that will change if not sooner.
The car park is small too. When I first arrived, I was so sure one day I would scratch my car. I didn’t realize it would happen so fast – Day 3, that is. I hit the side of my Toyota Vios when leaving the car park one day.
The turnings here are so small and ceilings so low. On top of that, I have to drive my car up 3 floors so I am not really compelled to drive out.
In response to the problem, I traded cars with my mom. I am now driving the Myvi, our first car whereas my mom took over the Vios. Had no problem since as I am now driving a smaller car.
The convenience of food, groceries and common necessities nearby really helped so I don’t drive out unless I have to or I want to go on a date. 😉
So yep, I’ll be here for at least one year. I wonder where I’ll be next!
Kura Paradise
Haha, great news! Mom and Ashley got a contractor to build us a grotto at the backyard in our Johor house 🙂 Took a few weeks to complete as the workers had to resume work before and after rainy days.
Finally our beloved Red Ear Sliders have a bigger home! We don’t have to keep buying a bigger tank from now on.
Mom also wanted to put a Mother Mary statue.
All the kuras need is a bigger platform for them to bask, as they cannot be in the waters all the time.
We had a problem though: the water level was high enough and surrounding rocks low enough for the bigger turtles to possibly leave the pond if they wanted to. Case in point…
So as a temporary fix, we placed the fences and plants surrounding the grotto.
Here are some more pictures of our kuras in their new home:
Am so happy the kuras have a bigger, nicer home in our backyard now! 🙂
PICTURES by Ashley