The Nightlife

'How often have I lain beneath rain on a strange roof, thinking of home'  
- William Faulkner

 I've been away from home for about three months now. Though I wouldn't describe it as hell, but it does come pretty close to it. This place is different, considering I lived in KL previously. Okay, so technically I lived on the outskirts of KL, the very extreme outskirts till they called it Shah Alam. Fine, I didn't live in KL at all okay, just let me comfort myself pls. So technically I have kept that pretty much extremely low profile, since I am a ninja and would not want to scream out my location to everyone. For about two years, I lived in a place where dinner is at 7pm. Somewhere which I go grocery shopping at 8pm. Sometimes I'm even still hanging around KL city at 9pm. And I can technically go out and eat at any time of the night, even 3am. Technically I can, but I don't, because I have a curfew boo. So my point is, Malaysia has a nightlife. Which I miss. A lot.

  Sometimes I feel like I moved out into the countryside, except it's a really advanced countryside with actual bus schedules. But I really hate the fact that stores close at 4 freaking pm. 4pm back home, I'd just be finishing classes and I could even go to malls or something. But here, nuuuu, you wanna buy a new shirt? Lol no, it's 4pm I have to close up.  On weekends, it's even worse, 3pm. You need to buy groceries to make dinner? Oh gosh sorry I have to get home at 3pm. Great huh. Nothing is open at night, really no malls open past 7pm. Unless it's Thursdays, in which case metro malls would stay open till 9pm. Note metro only, not including malls in the suburbs like where I live now. Don't get it, you don't want to do business meh close so early for what? Or is that just the Asian way of thinking. Oh, no wonder chinese areas stay open till midnight. Except one of the chinatowns here is a red light district urg. Honestly, I never realised this but I'd really want to live in a city in the future. I always thought that I'd like the slow country life more but then aiya kampung very boring. Like Bukit Bintang in KL at midnight is still super bustling. Well because Pavillion doesn't close at 4pm. It's too quiet here. When I walk home from the bus stop at 7pm, there is a 98% chance that I will not see anyone. And even better, all the houses have their lights off. I don't know if they're saving electricity or are asleep. Wut. I don't even hear any tv sounds or people talking. Occasionally some houses would have the smell of food. But after 8pm, it's a dead street. No cars. No people. No sound. Except from turkeys running around. Gawd I'm living in a kampung. Ha ha, I keed. 

  Note, people here take electricity saving very seriously, like seriously serious, or maybe it's just my house idk. But I'd get told off if I left my laptop on for too long, or turn on both lights in my room too often, or even not turning off all the lights when I sleep, no night light allowed. I'm not even allowed to turn on any lights in the living room when I'm watching tv, super painful on my eyes. And not a single light is left on in the house when everyone is asleep, not even the porch. In Malaysia that's like sending an invitation, hey my house nobody home now come rob me pls you are welcome to take everything. Hm, or it might be because electricity costs are super high or something. IDK, I have never seen an electric bill ever in my life. I don't know how much SESB charges my house in KK either. But I've never had to save electricity to that extent, the most was only using the air con in my room at night, or not using three fridges at home. My mother would scream at me if I watched tv in a dark room because it's bad for my eyes, supposedly. 

  It's weird saying this, but I miss KL, or even better I miss KK. But recently I don't know why but I've been really nostalgic about my college days. Those days when we ate dinner together, watched Running Man together, went on super last minute trips, go crazy going out to malls on weekends, or even weekdays sometimes, spent the last day of exam talking till 3am because we don't have to study anymore. I realised I put my effort in the wrong places, or specifically place, singular. Can't believe I wasted so much time, didn't even get to enjoy my college days much. Though it was still pretty awesome, this is the first time I ever said that haha, I'm pretty anti-college back then because well uhhh I uhh was uhh stressed (?). But I'm lucky that I had a carefree high school life, I'm glad my high school memories weren't tainted or stained with roller coasters. Worst thing I ever had was forgetting to study for test. 

  I'm glad I have such great friends along the way. Because the people who weren't great, would have already left.