The Bike Shop

Mahmud or Bob was a schoolmate from almost 30 years back at MRSM Terendak. I used to catch a ride from him to KL those days, as well as hanging around at his house during holidays, spending hours playing computer games. Those were the days.

After SPM, he joined a flying school and now with AirAsia, captaining an Airbus A320. He married a Sabahan, and had settled in Kota Kinabalu for many years. His parents still lived in KL.

I tried to hook up with him on Saturday night, but he had to fly to Canton, returning in the early hours of Sunday morning. The only way we could meet would be if he we can have breakfast on Sunday morning before I catch my flight home. And that was what we did.

And on the way to the airport - which was only around 10 minutes from my hotel - we stopped at his bicycle shop. He only opened last months and some of his orders had yet to be delivered. All the fittings should be ready in a month or two. None the less, the place was impressive. And the bikes weren't cheap!

I don't think I can afford this ...

We spend about 15 minutes at the shop where I had a nice look around. In fact, I might just buy a bike or two from him. A particular hybrid bike caught my eyes. Maybe taking up cycling may not be a bad idea after all. There were a few of my friends organising weekly night ride in Bangsar. It was also a good way to get fit, and to do other things outside work.

Returning Home

Three nights away initially seemed long, but with the talks and other stuff, the rest was limited. Maybe I should've returned on the Saturday evening rather than stay until Sunday. I had to wake up early still and the transport for the airport came at 8.30 in the morning.

But I had other plans that morning. Mahmud, an old schoolmate from MRSM came to pick me up to the airport, stopping over at his new bicycle shop - although he is a pilot actually - before another spot of breakfast after checking in.

Ready to leave the hotelWaiting to boardI slept very early last night, practically falling off to sleep the moment I reached the hotel after dinner and quick walk in town to get some gifts. The sun was already up by 6, and I got up at 5 in the morning. I did all the packing then before going down for breakfast, and later check out and waited for Mahmud at the lobby.

I reached KLIA just after 1 in the afternoon - hungry as I didn't really enjoyed the meal on the plane. Took the KLIA Express to KL Sentral before being picked up to the apartment. Anita and the boys were out for a birthday party at Kidzania, so I had a shower and headed out to town for some food.

Landed at KLIA

The big but empty bagNice to be back homeBack to the usual routine I guess. Good thing I cancelled my clinic tomorrow. The boys would be on their last day of holidays and they were keen to watch the Avengers. Better get that organised I guess.

A Long Day

It certainly had been a fruitful day. Started early with breakfast, followed by the opening ceremonies and plenary session which was excellent. I then spent the next few session doing live blogging and taking notes.

I took a bit of a break at noon to go to the mosque nearby, taking a cab both ways with a few of my colleagues. We ended up hailing a cab in the rain for the ride home.

These are time bombs. They are juicy in the middle! Beware!I reached the hotel in time for lunch. Another Chinese seafood affair. Then came the afternoon session.

The day haven't stopped yet. Right after that, we had the MSH Annual General Meeting followed by another talk organised separately by a Pharma company. This was followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. Again more seafood.

We finally reached the hotel at 10.30. Time for a shower and then settle down for the evening. Tomorrow should not be that bad as the session should finish by 4, although there would be another symposia in the evening. I might just give that one a miss and go and see the town instead.

Avengers are Back

Age of Ultron would be the next instalment of the Avengers series. And it was coming out in a couple of weeks. Looks like the media hype was at full swing.

There was plenty of adverts going out on billboard, but the most cheesy one was definitely the exhibits and memorabilia at Mid Valley Megamall.

There was plenty of merchandise as well as games, all for good fun. Apart from giant replicas of Hulk and Ironman, nothing really caught my fancy. They only had a small Loki doll on show. If Tom Hiddleston were to make an appearance, then that would be something else. I would queue for that...

Even Idlan didn't find the exhibits to be that interesting. But he was looking forward to watch the movie. So, I guessed mission accomplished as far as the organisers were concerned. ‎

Reaching KK

The flight to KK was a smooth one although there was a warning from the pilot that there would a stretch which was cloudy. But it was smooth enough that I managed to each one whole movie.

Taken 3. Not a bad movie. A nice one to pass the time and took my mind off wondering about terbulance. We landed just after 7 pm and were taken to the hotel in town by a waiting van.

A quick drink before heading to the gateTime to move ...Now, waiting to boardChecked in followed by dinner. And when it came to KK, it must be seafood. So, I was taken back into town, had a superb dinner and back to the hotel for a nice shower. More about the food later I supposed. It was time for me to catch some sleep. The conference starting tomorrow, and it would a long day.