Cruising

I really like the Kerinchi and Penchala Links. They are two shining gems in KL's traffic management system, which in my opinion, is getting better all the time. Both are well built, cutting one magnificent straight path from what is actually the start of Kepong all the way till the Federal Highway. The exits are well designed, and recently they opened up the new exit that connects the highway directly to Damansara Perdana and Mutiara Damansara. KL is changing. Almost every month there is some dramatic new edition to the face of the city.

The exits are everything I dreamt they would be. Fast, smooth, and wonderfully dramatic. You weave thru the air, dipping and banking before you come out 3/4 of the way up the Damansara Perdana hill. I haven't taken the Mutiara Damansara exit yet, I'm really looking forward to it. Leaving Damasara Perdana is just as delicious. You almost feel like you are taking off when you get on the highway, when really, it is merely the beggining of the inevitable. The eventual, set by fate, unavoidable destiny of the tollbooth. RM2 please.

Strange eh, the planning? On the Kerinchi Link side of it, the exits take us to the Federal Highway heading North and South, but neglects the massive Pantai Dalam, Kerinchi, Kerinchi Dalam, Pantai Hillpark areas that are RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE HIGHWAY. Why is that? The Kerinchi Link was built first, and has many years of assimilation into the community around it. THe Penchala Link is not so old, but as soon as they finished it they tacked on some exits to Damansara Perdana. Yeah yeah early planning and selling point to the Perdanarians, but it still stinks of that (and what the hell is up with the stink around the Kerinchi Link tollbooths? It smells like a herd of Wild Damansara elephants decided to take a communal piss around that area, every night. It smells terrible, all the bloody time). Now us middle and upper class folk don't need to even drive on the local roads anymore. The Bukit Damansarians and the Sri Hartamites can go straight to Ikea, the Curve, or visit their cool graphic designer/ lady of leisure friends without any traffic whatsoever. I like the convenience and just enjoying the well builtness and good planningeration of the whole highway. Sayang thinks that it is a waste of money to use the Penchala Link but I'll gladly sacrifice Jln Damansara for a little slice of good driving.

That being said, the whole of KL is good driving right now. Now KL gets pretty empty other times of the year, but nothing beats Chinese New Year. It is the closest the economy comes to actually coming to a grinding halt. How is anyone going to make money if the Chinese folk are taking a break? It ain't going to happen, negro. That's the beauty of Chinese New Year. In fact, it's made even more beautiful coz it's Chinese New Year AND Federal Territory Day AND Awal Muharram which just means so many public holidays in a row, which means even more people can get the hell out of Dodge leaving the city to the night owls and the city slickers.

Parts of it are frustrating though really, and it hasn't even begun. My check isn't going to clear till sometime next month, the DVD seller's are closed till Thursday, and I went and watched all 5 of my movies tonight. "Good Night, and Good Luck", is brilliant. George Clooney is turning out to be a lot different from what you may have initially thought of him. I can't wait to watch Syriana.

Coming back home at the crack of dawn this morning, Coldplay's "Fix You" was on the radio as I was savoring the desolation that is the Penchala Link on a public holiday at 8.15am. The air was cool, crisp, and in the hills you could see fog. The sun was rising and the whole sky was a gentle, bleeding, bloody orange. The gradient crept from mild to the opposite of mild, but the sun was constantly blocked by the Kiara hills. The guitars were still building up in the song, preparing for the massive, happy feeling climax that is "Fix You". Chris Martin was telling me that lights would guide me home, and ignite my bones. I believed him about guiding me home but highly doubted anything in the Setiakasih region would ignite my bones, or even come near my body with so much as a matchstick. Finally the tunnel came about on the highway and the radio went dead. The Brit-pop is replaced with the sound of El Stormo Guapo bouncing against the walls. The soothing low grumbling of the turbo diesel engine and the slightly whistling of the tyres. As I came around the dark side of the moon and started to pick up the Mix FM reception again on the other side, the song had already climaxed and it was the end quietness. The guitars had given way to silence and Martin's earnest voice cajoled my ear drums and bought it a curry-puff. My ears were sorted out, and for my eyes, the misty hilltops of Bukit Kiara had given way to a view of the KLCC and the KL Tower, with a maginificently red and orange sun glowing behind them.

I'll leave you with a gem of an SMS I found stored in my phone, received on the 6th of June 2005. I've repackaged it for the times, but it is still as pertinent and I feel like it is imperative to share with the world, or at least the Malaysians.

Tronic's Pantun Berbilang Bangsa, sempena Tahun Baru 2006, Awal Muharam, dan Tahun Baru Cina (woof):

King Jung Il manyak perabot,
Mutu Kayu sangat tinggi,
Sasterawan negara manyak kasut,
Kalah Sex and the Siti.


Gong Xi Fa Cai.