Snow

                                 Pictures taken from the front of my son's house in Calgary


When the snow falls, it changes the atmosphere and energy of your surroundings. Even the acoustics change. It just feels so different!

I mean, besides being FREEZING COLD, there's this strange new feeling introduced into every day living. And there's piles and piles of white stuff suddenly in the way, on your car, all over your back porch, under your tires and accumulating on everything.

Unlike what I have seen in the past in Ontario, the highways here in the Calgary area are thick with a deep layer of snow and where the snow has been pressed down, a thick layer of ice. This is actually something I didn't see in Ontario during the winter. The highways there were hastily cleared with ploughs that also put down a layer of gravel and that quite effectively.

Now, whether the snow was just falling too quickly to be cleared away fast enough, I don't know but I have been told that the snow ploughs don't even enter the residential neighbourhoods! How odd.

So, how does this affect driving?

In one trip to church and back, I saw half a dozen cars pulled over and several collisions. And backed up traffic.

My son said,
"You have to drive as though you have no brakes, because you actually don't. If you step on the brake, you'll slide sideways, so instead of using your brake, you just gear down."

It seemed some people were not aware that they had to keep a greater distance from the car in front of them and so, as we saw, there were rear-enders going on.

Sunday, the snow came down constantly all day long! I started thinking it would be easier to drive a snowmobile on the highway than a car. And,  four-wheel-drive would be a great help.

Notable Differences

Besides not getting my fingers and toes warm enough, there are other noticeable differences in my surroundings since returning to Canada. For one thing, Where are all the bugs?

Take the kitchen for example. There is no struggle for dominance over uninvited critters! You can leave the sugar uncovered and never see a single ant. Yes, my friends in the tropics, not one ant approaches the counter. At most, a lone fruit fly may show up if there's a really old banana sitting out. (All the fruit is generally inaccessible to them being in the fridge.)

So, now, this is a good thing. I mean, it's a great thing that I never have to scope out the bathroom for a cockroach before entering. There are none. There are not even small cockroaches, much less the stretch-limos we're used to seeing in Malaysia. And forget about seeing a cloud of termites all over your living room floor, dropping their wings like dry leaves that dissipate into every crack and cranny.

That's not happening. Not here in Calgary. No bugs!

For that matter, neither are there any snakes nor lizards scooting around. And definitely, no RATS. Believe it or not, it is said that Alberta has eliminated all rats from their province! Go figure THAT.

What we do have here are basements. These are rarely if ever seen in the tropics. In the cold North, a house must have a basement. That's to anchor the house solidly through the freezing and thawing of the ground, something that's not a problem in a consistently warm climate.

Sidewalks are also something we take for granted here. If you happen to spend time as a pedestrian, you'll appreciate the pristine condition of Albertan sidewalks. You'll also appreciate the consideration of drivers here who will immediately bring their cars to a dead stop should you even look like you might be heading out onto the road.

Something that has impressed me here is the rich blue colour of the sky. It's just a lot bluer than in other places for some reason. And the clouds are fluffier, too, it seems to me. No kidding!

And, last but not least are the autumn leaves! The trees just burgeon with red, yellow, orange and gold at this time of the year! Pretty!

Calgary Accomodations

Just as a personal reflection, I'd have to say that Calgary is "dry". I mostly notice it at the skin level. After having lived for the past two years in Malaysia where water sits on the surface of one's skin 24/7, probably one of the first things I noticed after arriving here is that my skin is not wet anymore. In fact, it's cracking up! I became a little obsessed with finding natural hand creams, face moisturizers and body lotion.

The second thing I took note of is the "cookie-cutter" housing. (Watch out cuz I think I'm going to get a little negative here and quite possibly over exaggerate by expressing my own opinions.)

Because the landscape is mostly flat with only a little gentle rolling to it, entire housing developments can be seen with the naked eye from quite a distance. And they all look the same.

Ok, to be fair, I have to specify that these are recent housing developments. You can go back as far as two decades and find that the same-looking siding was used on hundreds of attached homes as well as the same roofs, windows and doors. Talk about cookie cutter. And every home situated in the same neighbourhood has the exact same layout inside.

I prefer random.

Ha! My grandsons like to use that word "random" in ways that I never would have imagined. And, in many cases, it sounds like they're using it to describe something that was either annoying, disgusting or generally unpleasant. (What does random mean, anyway?) To these kids, things are either "random" or "cool" and it seems they can't be both. Right?

However, when it comes to housing, I prefer something unique. Let's use that word instead. You know, a home that looks like it's a bit different than all the others, in a neighbourhood with houses that are all a little unique in some shape or form. Either the front door is a different colour, or there are different shaped shutters besides the windows. Possibly an awning or front walk stands out as being (God forbid) different.

Perhaps the housing that has sprung up so quickly in Calgary attests to the "big boom" that made Alberta famous for having the strongest economy in Canada. In essence, I believe it still does have. The oil industry is still alive and well and enticing newcomers from all over the country and the world.

And, as long as there are people willing to rent or buy a house that's identical to their neighbours', these type of dwellings will continue to proliferate. And any exceptions will just be "random".

Canada

Maybe I'll just skip over the airport fiasco involved in getting me back here to my old digs. Suffice it to say,

"When booking a flight online, always, (I repeat) always make sure to use the exact same name as the name in your passport."

Otherwise, you may be refused your boarding pass and then have to cancel your flight losing most of your money on the refund. And then, you may have to book another flight and spend the night sleeping at the airport on two hard chairs.

On a more positive note, the first thing I noticed about landing at the Seattle airport was the delightful smell all around. Just lovely. I can't put my finger on it, but it was a lovely smell.

Then, of course, there was the smell of coffee. And something cooking. (Western food.) And there were the tall, tall people who could speak very quickly in perfect English.

By the time I landed in Calgary, I was happy that I hadn't actually thrown up in the "sick bag" provided on the back of the seat in front of us while the plane went into a roller coaster turbulence that threw us around like bucking broncos.

Safe on the ground again with my suitcase and (thank God) my guitar, I discovered my cell phone worked enough to send a text to my son who showed up soon after.

Driving to the mall, I was overcome with that "reverse culture shock" they tell you about. There was that feeling that everything is just too clean and organised and perfect. But, I reasoned that that was really not going to pose any problem or threat to my survival. Just a little hard to adjust to at first.

My son's house in Calgary was like many others. It was just big enough for his little family.

 

One fine week-end we headed off for the Rockies in Banff. The mountains were magnificent, just as I remembered them. Although the trees did seem even greener than before.

Then, off to Jasper and the Athabasca Icefields!

That's ice-cold glacier water. And, although the glacier is lightly covered in silt, there's a huge, thick bed of ice underneath that is receding little by little every year.

One More Illegal Alien

In order to comply with my transit visa, I quickly packed a heavier suitcase to be able to stay out of the country for a few months this time. Man! Was it ever heavy! But, mercifully it had wheels.

So, I decided a sleeper on the train would be a nice way of easing into the two-day journey to Bangkok. Then, if I decided to take the bus in Thailand, at least it was only the one day. (Maybe my ankles wouldn't swell up so much.)

I took the commuter to K.L. in plenty of time for the train, visited the mall, had a coffee, tried on some perfume (Victoria's Secret was nice) and ate my packed squished peanut butter and jam sandwich. (It's an addiction since childhood. My comfort food I guess.)

While waiting for the train, I met an interesting fellow from Australia who now lives with his wife and kids in Japan. He expounded on life in Japan which surprised me to find out has lots and lots of regular earth-quakes. It sounds like they get them more often than California. And they drill the kids on survival tactics. (Never, never go outside in an earthquake. That sort of thing.) I asked him my usual sarcastic question,

"So, do they teach them to put their head between their knees and kiss their ass good-bye?"

He was only slightly amused. He commented that people get used to the quakes and that they are far enough away from Fukoshima. And, besides, to go back to Australia now would mean taking the kids out of school where they are learning to do Math so amazingly well.

(How will Math skills help if you're dead? Ok, that's just negative.)


Japan. That's a story in itself and I don't think we should go there or even ever go there under the circumstances. Things just seem to be getting worse and worse all the time and the economy is in the you-know-what...

So, I got on the train and started chatting with a lovely lady across from me. Then sat on the comfy sleeper with the comfy pillow behind my neck. Later on that night, I almost dozed off a couple of times but whenever the train stops, it wakes you right up!

The next day, we're travelling along. I'm enjoying the scenery and wondering when we'll pull into Immigrations. I thought,

"Please don't let them give me a fine for overstaying my visa for a few hours!"

But, what happened next never entered my conscious mind!

I was queuing up behind an Indonesian girl who was having a bit of a sticky time. She looked at me and I gave her the look. You know that look that says,

"WTF is their PROBLEM?" That look. And she shrugged.

I'm up. He takes my passport and gets this really ugly look on his face, then calls his supervisor. She calls me aside.

Bother.

So, after lots of gibberish which I cannot understand, they tell me,

"You cannot leave the country on the train. You must go back to KLIA and fly out."

By this time, I'm too tired to argue. Besides, nobody is listening. So, we get my bag off the train. The young officer calls a taxi and I go! It costs 100RM to get to the bus station!

On the way back, the bus breaks down. Three times. But, somehow I get back to Seremban.

My friend said to me,

"Now you are one more illegal alien in Malaysia."

Funny. But true. But I got a flight to Canada. So, I hope I don't get arrested before Thursday!

Can Immigrations tell you how to leave the country? And WHERE to go when you leave? I never would have believed it, but apparently THEY CAN. (Malaysia boleh.)

Sage Advice

Well, there's no better way to gain some hard-earned lessons than by making huge mistakes, right? It just so happens that I'm really good at that. Making huge mistakes, I mean. In fact, over the years, it seems I have developed a skill for it that surpasses human ability. But, here's the thing:

When it comes to Malaysian Immigrations, there are "rules". They're not exact. They're not always the same. They are tricky. AND, they are mysterious. But, alas, fear not for you can discover them... eventually. That is, IF you make enough mistakes. Alternatively, you could read this blog. You know or talk to a foreigner who has managed to live in Malaysia for more than two years.

Ok, I've been here two years this trip. It'll be two years at the end of July. So, what's my secret?

TENACITY.

No, it's not a city where everyone plays tennis.

Seriously though. You must have brass balls to get through Immigrations these days. NOT that I do. I was thoroughly intimidated this trip. I mean thoroughly.

You know the drill: You show up at the little window, waiting behind two guys and watch the Immigrations officer behind the little window. (He's smiling!) Yes! Heck, he's practically enjoying himself stamping those guys passports so quickly.

Now it's my turn. The smile evaporates. Poof! Just like that. He's frowning now. Uh, oh. No! Don't turn your back! Don't... Too late. He's turned around and talking to someone else. I hate that. Back to me.

"Eskoos me, ma'am? You mus' follow me please."

I hate that, too. Off to the back room for the fifty questions. But, first, wait until the last person finishes her high-pitched rant and rave, begging for her visa. Ahyo.

Immigrations Officer: (first question, as usual) "What are you doing in Malaysia?"

It really doesn't matter what you tell her. It really doesn't matter how much money you're earning online and bringing into the Malaysian economy. So, don't even bother with that line of arguing. Sooner or later, she will say,

"You must have a 'proper visa'."

That's the buzz word that rings in my head over and over as I visualise the Grim Reaper standing over me with his curved thingy. (What is that, anyway? A parang? Or what? It's pretty sharp.)

Now, here again, I'll give you some advice. DON'T ask her what a proper visa is. Just accept the fact that the so-called visas you have been getting stamped into your passport (by who? Oh, yeah, by Immigrations) is, in fact not proper. It's just not... "proper".

She told me I had "abused my social pass". Now, I guess that means I haven't been smiling enough?

Ok, so next question.

"Why don't you go back to your own country?"

Me, "Um..."

"You keep going to Third World countries and then returning to Malaysia. You should go back to your own country."

(Gosh, I thought it was a free world. Have I ever been mistaken. But... did she just use the word "Third Word"? Aren't these the "Developing Nations" or something, now?)

I am told to wait. So I sit. Then a man comes out with a really sober face (unlike the jokers who were enjoying a good laugh behind the counter while I fought for my three months) and he says,

"I'm sorry ma'am but we have decided to refuse you entry into Malaysia. You must go back to Singapore. Is that ok?"

" Um, NO!", I'm thinking, but I say, "But, Officer, all my belongings are in Malaysia. I don't even have a change of clothes with me." (Singapore? Are you mad?)

He says, "Ok, well, we can give you one week to go back and pack up your belongings." He disappears and comes back. "We can give you two weeks. Is that alright?"

Me, (relieved) "Yes. Thank you."

Somehow, you come out of there feeling abused, accused, exposed, incriminated, humiliated and totally brow-beaten, yet GRATEFUL for only two weeks!

Beaches in Malaysia

In one month, I had the privilege to visit three beaches. It's unusual for me to go to any beaches because I live in a land-locked town. But, I found myself visiting Malacca one day and on the way home, went to a beach. It was night time, so I don't know whether the water was clean or not. I didn't go in!

 

Then, a friend of mine and I drove to another beach the same week. It seemed to be very out-of-the-way. We drove through villages and palm tree groves and on and on. But, it was worth it! The beach was astounding! And there were free inner tubes in a pile right on the beach, so I grabbed one.

The water was just so warm and the gentle motion of the tides was so soothing. I wanted to live there forever.

But, the best part was when we were leaving! We saw herds of the cutest monkeys you can imagine. One of them had a teensy baby on it's stomach, clinging to it. Oh, my!

Some people who seemed to be locals were giving them junk food. The monkeys loved it. One of them had a big pink round piece of junk food that he was treasuring and showing it off in front of his peers. Next time, I'll bring some peanuts.

Then, there was Port Dixon.

I always thought that beach was filthy, but this time, we found a nice, clean white sandy beach. Although I didn't go swimming, I did go to visit the seaside resort there called the Grand Lexis. It was inspiring. We just walked around it and sat down in one of the airy dining rooms for a coffee.

Port Dixon is fun. It's got all the mod coms.

Reflexology

While I was living in China, I got into getting foot massages. Once I got a full body massage but I did not respond well to it. Maybe my body didn't like being pushed into new positions or something. It caused a bad neck for a while. But, foot massages were just the ticket. It seemed they'd massage you from the waist down anyway.

So, when I came back to Malaysia, I went for a Reflexology treatment in Kemayan Square. It hurt! But, afterwards, I felt like I was walking on air. That was a few years ago.

Well, a couple of days ago, I was in the Tesco here in Seremban and I happened to walk past a sign in front of a massage clinic. It said "Reflexology 20RM for 30 minutes", so I went in.

The people were very nice. The gentleman was from Myanmar and the woman who gave me the treatment was from Indonesia.

Man, was she strong! I wanted to cry out a few times as she worked on my toes. But, it was a good pain. I'll definitely go back again. I think she pushed a few pints of blood back up to my waist. Maybe next time, I'll get a full body massage. There's a first time for everything.

So far, January has been a victory in the health department for me, as well as for the two friends I jog/walk with. We have been walking our butts off lately. I hope. One of my friends measures the kms and at an average of 4 per walk, I think we've done well over 50kms just this month! Good for us!