How I met my new Me in Johor

This is the encounter that I didn't plan for.

I heard about Johor quite a few times but never really put it on my list. Yet one day, when I eventually set my foot in this city, I felt blessed that I did make it.

To my impression, Johor does not have that many places of interest. Mostly people will come here for shopping. And this is also the first time I experienced the saying 'Shop till you drop'. It would be uncommon to see anyone leaving the shopping malls here without carrying bags and bags, and more bags.

But that is not what I meant.

Being an introvert, I always feel awkward to handle a conversation with strangers. I will do it if I have to, but if I have a choice to say no, it'd definitely be a big 'Nah'. However, during my short stay at Johor, I found myself enjoy talking to two 'strangers', one Wanton - Mee lady and one Starbuck guy.

Wanton - Mee stall across from KSL Resort Hotel

Ms. Nguyệt, the Wanton - Mee lady, was eager to talk to the six of us, simply because we are all Vietnamese. It turns out to be a lot of fun when you run into someone coming from your country while you are abroad.

With only a bowl of Wanton - Mee soup, we killed a good amount of time chatting about living and working in another country. Life is never easy, it's a matter of choice. Rule number 1 is to work, work hard, work hard enough, work harder, and it will pay off.

It was not her stories that intrigued me, it was more about her attitude and her sincerity that clicked.

What else do we need in this life other than honesty and generosity?

Latte at Starbuck - KSL Resort Hotel

Haiqal - the Starbuck guy - was the second one who proved that talking to someone I don't know can somehow be enjoyable. I do not favour his hand-writing that much, but his lively vibe and decent English. Rule number 2 is no matter what your job is, make sure your English is comprehensible, and that you can manage a conversation in English smoothly, then it may lead you to anywhere in the world you wanna be.

I was amazed at how I felt during these conversations, and it reminded me of Jennifer, a teacher at my school, who once told me that she enjoys meeting new people. Well, maybe it's my turn to say the same thing now.

The highlight of the trip was my decision to visit Popular Book Store in KSL City. While I was rummaging through the shelves, a book came to my attention, and I was so glad that I picked it up and brought home, after paying, of course lah!

My inspiration 

The book apparently serves as a source of inspiration for me at the moment. I like the way Cheesie - the author - expresses herself in the book. There are so much I can relate to myself while reading all those lines, and magic happened, in an unusual way, I finished the book within the first week after purchase (well, for someone lazy like me, it feels like a huge achievement, I know, right)

This sounds so me.

I must say although this is not the best trip I have had, but it's the first one where I am this contented. 

Thank you Ms. Nguyet, thank you Haiqual, and big thank you to Cheesie, the owner of cheeserland.com

Farewell Johor, see you again :)

DT