Where the Hell is Matt?

I was introduced to this video today, and I think it is fabulous.
hope you enjoy!

wish you were here.

we have arrived in Malaysia!!! My apologies for not explaining that I would be away for a couple of weeks in Malaysia.. I ran out of time before I left..

We flew down to Singapore on Tuesday? the 13th, and spent Wednesday wandering around the city. This place is so interesting.. I was expecting Singapore to be this sterile environment with no life due to the strict laws (you cannot even chew bubble gum) but it was surprisingly full of life and energy. Our hostel was in the middle of Little India so we were able to take a stroll in the markets and look at all the cool architecture. When we arrived at our hostel around 12:30 AM, the vegetable stands were still open.. and selling OKRA! I wanted to buy some to remind me of home, but I don't have anywhere to cook it. oh well. We spent the rest of the day just wandering around looking for interesting things and buying stuff.


some interesting things to note about this fascinating city/state/country:
- so many laws... no gum, no public speeches, no urinating in elevators, no durian on subways, no honking.. if you are caught with ONE single bullet.. you will be hanged. Same with drug trafficking - zero tolerance.
- the dollar bills are PLASTIC and some spaces are transparent.
- they use the standard measuring system.
- everyone is SO friendly and wears really great shoes.
- the official language is English, but everyone speaks another language.
- you must be "pure singaporean" in order to drive a taxi. oh, and to be the minister.
- just so cleannnnnnnn and it doesn't smell :D


So, right now I am staying in Johor Bahru, Malaysia at this fancy pants resort, and let me tell you I am in heaven. It is so warm that I have completely forgotten what it feels like to be in freezing temperatures (sorry Cindy!). Today we had a free day to relax, so I spent it by the pool eating a hamburger and fries. it was glorious. This place is so lush with plants.. it feels like a completely different world than East Asia, and from what I have seen of Malaysia so far, there is a ton of jungle and tropical plants to get lost in... I can't wait for jungle trekking! (minus the leeches... I'm not too excited about that.)
The rest of my trip will be broken down into 4 parts: city, beach, jungle, train. And so far, I have acquired 8 new passport stamps and will get 6 more and a travel visa on my way back.. YAY!
will fill you in on more excitement when it happens, but for now, I will return to my spot on the porch over-looking the jungle.

the forecast.

today's weather report from weather.com...


yes, you read that correctly... smoke.

now, the question is... does pollution really count as weather?

introductions.

I watched Amelie the other day and one thing I really appreciate in movies is character development. In Amelie, the characters are introduced to the story by stating their likes (or little things that bring them joy) and dislikes. I was thinking... if I were to be introduced into Amelie's story, how would I be introduced....?

This is Jena. She dislikes the last sip of any drink, grimy feet and feet on or near her pillow, and when protective films are left on electronics.
She sleeps best surrounded by pillows, her favorite toothpaste is Aim... only the green kind though, not the blue. When she finds a store that carries the green kind, she will buy all they have in stock. Because she has never lived in a place with freezing temperatures, she likes stepping on patches of ice on the sidewalk.


now, its your turn.. if you are reading this, you MUST answer these questions:
1. How would you introduce me?
2. How would you be introduced? What are some little things others may not know about you?

research.

In about a little over a week, I will head over to Malaysia for a few weeks during our winter vacation. We have our flights in and out of the country planned, but nothing in between.
Therefore, we are spending the majority of today researching hostels, hotels, transportation and sites to see around the country.

I just wanted to share with you a note at the bottom of one of hotels we found while looking for accommodations on the island of Pangkor...

Note:

The Resort shall not be liable for any cancellation and casualties due to strike, lockout, civil commotion, force majeure, exceptional inclement weather, loss or damage by fire, flood or tempest act of Gods or war or other like cause beyond the control of the Resort. We trust the above arrangement stipulated herein are in order and should you required any further assistance, please do not hesitate to call us. We also look forward to welcoming you or all your valuable guests to Sea View Resort and assuring you of our very best service & pleasant stay.

snow.

snow #3

sorry about the sides being black, i filmed portrait style :/ bad idea.

also, i sound like a child.

also, when I walked out of the door this morning, our gate man ran out and yelled at me, "MAOZI!!!" which means hat. I couldn't find it this morning!

the dance.

For the past few weeks, we have been practicing. Not for something useful, but for our school’s End of the Semester/Christmas/New Year extravaganza. Apparently, I like to dance, so I was awarded a position in this weird Scottish folk dance with a smoke machine and flashing lights.

Did I mention that I am too big for any of the costumes? Apparently my body was not made to fit into tiny asian red-sequined-ruffle skirts. So I look like… I just look ridiculous. I don’t know who thought that this would be a good idea.

Anyway, this past Tuesday was a hectic day. First we had our final exam, which was stressful. Then, we had rehearsal and an impromptu performance (that NO ONE told us about until about 5 minutes before) at the German students’ graduation (a ridiculously embarrassing moment), 4 hours of make-up, and finally the show that evening.

I have assembled some rare footage of our infamous hoe-down above. So you too can laugh at the absurdity that is my life. The first part is a speech that Aubs and Kristin took part in, and Kathryn, Steph and I are in the dance.

At least I got to try on some fake eyelashes.