6 days and counting...

...to World AIDS Day that is.

I have a media statement to be drafted, approved and faxed out in time for the commemoration.

It is also 6 more days before I go on a 1-month leave from work.

Wow! you say? Well, it would not be such a 'wow' thing if it is UNPAID leave. Bummer huh? Well, it is a leave that I need to take for so many reasons. Reasons which are another story yet to be told, at another time, at another space.

Pretty intriguing? Maybe. Maybe not. Or if I have my (literary) way, I would call the the 'Why?' of life. And that's another story too...

So back to the work at hand...

media statement for WAD2009...

its nearly there...50% done, just need the approval from Mdm President and it can be off to the presses on Monday next.

That said, I am looking forward to my leave. I need to chill...

...and start putting up my Christmas decorations.

Starting it off with my table-top (paper) Christmas tree.

tree.

i need a tree.

a Christmas tree to be exact. To replace the current one we have, which is almost 10years old. Yeap, that long. I still remember that it was bought at Parkson in Subang Parade. That long!

but then again, should I get another tree, I do not know what to do with the present one. Do I burn it? Naturally, that is what happens to all Christmas tree after they have served their purpose. But I can't do that with mine becuase you see, mine is plastic. So burning is would probably see me getting myself arrested for air pollution.

so, here's my plan. I shall make my own tree. No, it would be the 6foot tree. I will just make a table-top tree from papers.

And there are a lot out there.

For example, these...

the leaves of these are made from curled papers and glued on paper cones

a beautiful tree, but no instructions on how it was made

simple cones glued on top of each other makes this an ideal project for kids

my personal favourite, and probably the one which I will make. the leaves are made of strips of patterned paper folded end to end and glued/stuck on paper cone.

So, once I have my tree up and ready, I will post a picture here.

Woohooo!!! I am excited already and its not even December!

How-to...Get into KL from LCCT minus the highway traffic...

Take the KLIA Transit! It's all in here.

But although the website tells it like it is, nothing beats having experienced the service yourself. Here's a step-by-step:

From LCCT, you need to look out for the purple buses.

of course there were no pretty ladies such as these when I boarded one at LCCT...lah

Usually, the bus will stop at the far end of the stop, platform number 8. There should be an attendent on duty; he should be able to tell you when you can expect the bus to arrive and what time the next ERL will be.

If the bus is there, you can board it and wait inside. You need not worry about missing the ERL because the bus driver will depart fromLCCT in time to catch the next train, whether he has passengers or not. When I took the bus, it was only me and a Chinese gentleman, plus the bus driver and the attendant.

Tickets?

The ticket counter at Salak Tinggi Station.

No need because once you reach the Salak Tinggi train station, the price of your ticket is inclusive of your bus ride. So, you ride first, then pay. Of course, if you eventually end up at theSalak Tinggi Station, you would know how isolated it is from anywhere else, and certainly no chance of you NOT paying for the fare because really, where else would you go?

So, if you are going to KL Sentral, you need to pay RM12.50, that is RM10.50 for the train and RM2.00 for the bus ride. Or something like that.

this is the ticket. You need them both to show the attendant (top) and to insert into the station barrier (bottom) when you reach your destination

The Salak Tinggi Train Station; cool huh?

Reminder: be sure you inform the Ticketing Attendant where you want to go because the train stops at Putrajaya & Cyberjaya Station and Bandar Tasik Selatan enroute to KL Sentral. These stops costs different charges and you do not need the hassle of explaining to the attendants at KL Sentral about your mistake should you bought ticket for another stop.

So, at Salak Tinggi Station, you purchase your ticket for KL Sentral (or whichever stop you want) and head to the correct platform. I have to stress on this because you do not want to end up in the platform for the train TOKLIA.

Just read the electronic information board; it normally runs a message on whether the platform that you are on is for the train toKLIA or to KL Sentral.

Something that goes like this "The train to KL Sentral will arrive in ( ) minutes. This platform is for the train to (final destination)" or vice versa.

So unless you are deaf and blind and illiterate, you cannot miss it.

I waited for the train for about 15 minutes. While there, a mother with her 2 young kids (about 3 and 6) were also waiting for the train. I asked her where she was going. "Sentral," she said, to meet her husband for lunch.

Hmmm, how nice, I thought. As least, I also have a friendly face with me when I board the train later.

So your train arrives and you hop on to it. And do enjoy yourself. It's a good 45minutes ride. I spent my time looking at the scenery;Cyberjaya was interesting because of the many modern buildings and the 'Presint' signagaes. Putrajaya is nice because of the lake.

The train should have the word KLIA Transit written on it. Otherwise, it is not the train you should be boarding.

Clean and quiet is how I would describe the train.

So you arrived at KL Sentral. But wait. Do not expect to disembark at the usual ERL platform. Nope. Instead, you will disembark at the platform opposite it. This platform, once you make your way to the exit, emerges at the eastern part of the building, not the usual KL CAT arrival hall.

You emerge at the purple-shaded area (Bottom of the building plan), not the light blue shaded area on the right side.

So if you are being picked up by someone, make sure the person knows which entrance to wait for you.

So there you are, in the centre of Kuala Lumpur. Welcome to Hazy City. Oh, if you wish to go to LCCT from here, just re-trace your steps and you will be fine.

This is the ticket counter for the KLIA Transit train at KL Sentral.

So there! A clean,comfortable and fast journey into the city. I highly recommend one to try use this mode of transport whenflying into LCCT and wanting to go into the city.

The bus might be a dab cheaper at RM9.00 per trip but it is a long and winding journey, and should you enter the city during rush hour, expect to be held up at certain places because of traffic jams. Also, using the bus, you would end up at the bus terminal, which to me, is always noisy, smelly and dirty.