Recharged!

After a 10-day break from work, I feel a whole lot better -- recharged and ready for the challenges ahead. Don't give me too much stress, though. That was why I took the break -- I was stressed to bits. Anyhow, as I was driving along Jalan TAR on the way to work today (it was stress-free driving too, being a school holiday), I saw a group of primary school students in the process of crossing the road to where a couple of buses waiting across the street. An adult (I'm presuming their teacher) was pressing the knob at the lights and a few other adults were gathering other children from the back. The teacher pressing the knob was smiling away. I couldn't help feeling good witnessing the scene. I have respect for these teachers who dared take charge of the young children on their excursion. It is an undertaking that requires dedication and passion. A whole lot of planning had to be done to ensure everything goes well. It is no mean feat. Bravo to them.

The Best Parking Place in Town?

A couple of weeks ago, AHS and I went to MAS building on Jalan Sultan Ismail. Was I glad AHS was with me as the parking place was deserted. I forgave the building for its age. Visitor parking was almost unavailable, the roof was rather low and the whole place very, very quiet. We even missed the exit (it is rather hidden) and had to make another round, adding to the carbon monoxide in there.

What prompted me to write about car parks is because they may seem inconsequential, but they are the most important entity to many like me. If I were to go anywhere, it's one of the first considerations I needed to weigh: easy parking? (availability/ safety/ payment system/ accessibility). I have lately developed a mild phobia of parking spaces. I have gotten 'lost' in Mid-valley, especially when alone. The last time I was there, I made sure I stayed in the car for awhile to take in my surrounding, took extra notice of the shops around the escalator of my entrance. To me, at least, all their entrances from the basement seem the same. I had, at one point asked for the assistance of the security guard to locate my mean machine.

I wonder what has made me such a scaredy cat about basement parking lots. Could it be from the time when I was a teenager and went with my brothers and sisters to Kompleks Teruntum? My sister drove us in my mother's 1.2 red Honda Civic. As we alighted from the car, we saw two men running, one chasing the other, the guy at the back holding a pistol. Could it be the many gory stories of people getting robbed or raped in car parks? The Canny Ong episode scared me to bits. I stopped going to BSC (I think many others did so) for a long while. The next time I went, the basement was better lit.

Once, I had to make a trip to visit my ENT doctor at a hospital. Visitors have to drive to basement level 3, passing all the spaces for doctors and staff. The whole place was entirely quiet, gloomy and the aisles rather narrow. I sudddenly felt utmost fear. Heart pumping, my shoulders stiffened, my eyes darted from left to right. I had to go round and round for a parking space which I finally got. Getting to the almost hidden lift was a nightmare. The fact that the lift was very slow didn't help either. My blood pressure must have increased then. After the visit, the fear came back again, for the exit trip. I swore I would get a taxi next time -but I've had not so rosy experiences with taxi drivers before. Well, I simply have to be healthy.

I like Ikea's parking best. It is well-lit, well-ventilated, has a high ceiling and very, very open. One can't help but feel safe. The layout is not confusing -- really user friendly. A friend mentioned Sunway Pyramid's parking is pretty user friendly as well. I haven't been in about 3 years, living at the opposite end of town, now. It seems they have lights (green ones would light up) to indicate availability of parking spaces. I've only been to KLCC parking a couple of times, both times with others. Nowadays, whenever I go to KLCC, I'd take the train -- very convenient.