The Most Spontaneous Trip of My Life

Recently, the most important matter is my visa application. Submitting the application doesn't guarantee a visa. All that remain is to wait for their reply and get whatever documents required prepared.

Before the application, the final step was getting the IELTS test report form (TRF). There is a unique number in the form that I need to complete my application. The catch is that we have to either personally go to British Council office in KL to get it, or complete a form to officially grant a person to take it on our behalf. They have offices in Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and KL. Why do they not set up an office here in JB?

I sent two emails to them asking whether it is possible to get the TRF by post. I sent the first email on 23 May. It took them two working days to reply. My question was simple: Can I get the TRF by mail? Yet somehow, the person misinterpreted my question, saying that they do not email TRF to candidates, a fact which I had already known even before I sat for the test.

I never waited for their second reply. I realized that I could not wait any longer. On the night of 29 May, I bought a return bus ticket to KL. The next morning, barely 10 hours later, I was on a Causeway Link Express bus at Larkin Terminal. This is the first time I take a bus trip to KL.

Larkin Terminal was a mess of travelers and drivers. Early in the morning at 7am, there was already a huge crowd of people and vehicles. Cars and buses were going in and out of the terminal. Since I had booked the ticket online, all I had to do was go to the specified counter and redeem my ticket.

Fancy bus ticket

Anyone in Malaysia knows that traveling in this country can be dangerous. For this reason, I decided to travel light. I carried only my phone, wallet, and a worn sling bag containing nothing more than my spectacles, water bottle, and a small umbrella.

Carrying the ticket, I went to the specified bus bays to wait for the bus. I didn't know Causeway Link has express buses to KL.

They look pretty

I was the first one to board the bus. The seat I selected - or rather, the seat selection I was given - was the first row, just behind the driver. The bus driver and co-driver were middle-aged Chinese. I think I have seen the driver before, perhaps during one of my bus trips to Singapore. As the time approaches 7.40am, more people boarded the bus. The departure time was 7.45am, but there were two more passengers yet to board the bus. Eventually, the drivers decided to depart at 7.50am without waiting for the two.

Nobody seems to prefer the first row. The person next to me switched to the empty seats left by that two passengers shortly after departure. The bus stopped at Sri Putri to pick up more passengers before finally hitting the highway to KL.

The trip was rather uneventful. The drivers were talking about cars, phones, traffics, etc. I overheard them talking with the headquarter about a broken bus somewhere at KM178. Indeed, they stopped there to check out a stalled Causeway Link bus. Something about burst oil pipes. We stopped at Tangkak for a short toilet break before continuing to Terminal Bandar Selatan (TBS), the bus terminal that replaced the old Pudu terminal.

We arrived at TBS at about 11.30am. TBS is a lot nicer than the messed-up Larkin Terminal. The terminal is huge and clean, with an integrated shopping mall inside, though I didn't have the time to visit. Straight after alighting the bus, I walked to the adjacent KTM station. TBS is a hub that provides transit options for KTM and KLIA express.

KTM is notorious for being slow and crowded, and it lives up to its name. I waited until 12.00pm before the first train arrived. It was a short trip to KL Sentral, but still it took about 30 minutes to reach.

I walked around KL Sentral and calculated the time. It was about 12.30pm and I had to travel to KLCC via LRT, which could take about 30 minutes. I had to be back at TBS by 4pm, which meant I would have 3.5 hours to get to KLCC, walk to British Council office, and back. I decided to skip my lunch and get to the office as soon as possible. The TRF was my main priority.

The wait at the office was ridiculous. For some reason there were a bunch of teenagers and families waiting to be served. They looked younger than me, possibly students. They looked rich, and I dislike rich kids. Don't ask me why.

I obtained my TRF at about 2pm. It was in an envelope which they provided on test day. I remembered that we were asked to write our name and candidate number on it. Without wasting more time, I walked back to KLCC and went to Kinokuniya to buy a plastic folder. I didn't want the TRF to get wet. I had always thought the books in Kinokuniya are more expensive. The stationery was no exception. RM3 for a simple plastic folder? No way! I could get it at 50 cents.

KLCC was crowded too. There were youngsters (school holiday) and working class people (lunchtime). I dislike crowded place. With nothing more to do, I traveled back to Sentral and had my lunch. Sentral was crowded as well. I wanted to grab some McDonald's but the queue lines were too long, plus there was no more seats. So I went to KFC instead. Queue lines were not as long, and there were seats. Good enough for me.

Departure/Arrival board ala Airport

I finished lunch at 3pm, waited for KTM until 3.30pm, reached TBS at 3.50pm. TBS was, as expected, crowded with people queuing to buy tickets. Luckily I booked my ticket online and boarded the KKKL bus at 4.20pm. Another uneventful trip.

We arrived at messed-up Larkin at about 9pm. My parents were soon there to pick me up.

And that is how I went to KL and back in one day without any planning.

The Waiting Game

May 31, 2014 marks the day I submitted my application for an Australia temporary working visa; specifically, the Skilled - Recognized Graduate (subclass 476). I should have done this last year, before I finished my study, but something has been creeping inside me.

I went to Australia full of spirit back in 2011. It was the first time I boarded a plane and left Malaysia. The first year in Australia was good; I managed to make a couple of new friends and was all excited about the new experience.

6 months (1 semester) later, one of my new friends left the school and migrated to the USA along with his family. The next semester saw another friend of mine graduating. They were the ones I always stuck together and they were leaving the school one by one. By the end of 2012, I was alone. I still had my group members, and they were a nice bunch, but they somehow felt distant. Perhaps the problem lied not on them, but me avoiding a close relationship with them.

2013 was my final year at RMIT. At the start of the year, I was hit with a great disappointment. We were given 5 preferences for our final year project. I had always thought I would get my first choice (Object Detection). In fact, I was so confident that I started brushing up my object detection programming 3 months before the decision was made. Eventually I was given the third choice of making a digital hourglass. From that moment, my life went downhill. Figuratively.

2013 was an uneventful year. I could have completed my study mid 2013, but due to differences in semester period, I was forced to study for 2.5 years instead of the required 2 years. Naturally, my final year was very relaxing, with 4 subjects to study in a year.

But I noticed something. I started to get distant. I didn't mix with any friends anymore. I became a loner, preferring to stay in my room than going out. I became lazy and laid-back. I lost interest in many things in life. This continued for a year.

Eventually, it evolved into a habit. It crept into every corner of my body and mind. After graduating, I had no goal, ambition, or direction in life. The idea of working scared me. All I wanted was just rot at home, so to speak.

This is why I sat for IELTS and applied for the visa in May. It's already mid 2014. I have wasted 5 months doing nothing productive and decided to change, even though I do not know where this path will lead me to. It is a blind bet.

Today I received an email stating that the immigration office has received my application. They requested for a long list of documents. Some of them require appointment (such as medical check-up) and long processing time (I am looking at you, PDRM Certificate of Good Conduct). It might take them few months to approve my visa, so I set a deadline: if there is no progress by the end of July, I will start searching for jobs in Singapore.

So start the engine and let the Waiting Game begin. I have wasted enough time already.