Retro Blog: Success let's Freerange It!!

Success! (8 April 2018)

As far as getting my 360 card reinstated, it was successful. I really wanted to hype it as being very successful, but success, in this case at least, was an on or off prospect.

I got through to Jeff at Capital One via Skype, and it was a very clear connection. After the verification process he reset my card and I went out immediately to "test" it.

The mall across the street is the Mahkota Parade, not Arcade, as I believe I referred to it previously. Anyway. I went straight over there and picked up an SD card for the new phone/device. I got a 30 RM break on the price, which came out to around $30 USD, fair price I say. I am generally ok with paying a dollar per gig, as a rule of thumb.

Then the big test, coild I get cash out of the ATM?

Success!

I believe I have enough to complete my goals. I went straight to the reggae shop and picked up a couple trinkets. Then to this Bob Marley inspired bar called Exodus. The girls sitting outside worked there, well one of them did, the other may have been a friend. The guy sitting inside was the dj.

The young lady from outside followed me in, and prsented a menu. I asked if she was the bartender. She didn't understand. "You make?" And I pointed my choice. She indicated "Yes" then went across the street to an equally empty bar and the bartender came over and mixed my cocktail. All perfectly normal it seems for this side. Or for Melaka.

Maybe it's off season.

While I was there I asked the kid when he went on. I think he understood that I was interested and he got on the rig and revved up a set. This kid has skills. By that I mean taste, I liked what he played and he blended it well. No need to mention that he was on laptop. I showed him my appreciation - the thumbs up sign means "good" here.

Then I walked down the desolate streets until I came to the Geographer Cafe, which so far is the best non-commercial, meaning not the Hard Rock Cafe, around here. I stopped through one afternoon before the cash crises and dug it.

Over all this establishment gets props if at least because one of the main characters speaks english.

I'm learning and using a little Malay. I asked the guy at the reggae spot where the boss was. He knew what I was asking and I understood that the boss wasn't there, although I didn't get the exact words.

Malay, or something similar is spoken here, in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore so it's good for me to pick up at least a few basics. A bit of Mandarin Chinese won't hurt either. People feel closer to each other when we at least try to speak their, (each other's) languages.

Admittedly, I feel a bit more on sokid ground now that the cash access has been restored. In the last fews days I felt what the gloom-n-doom guys have been describing when the economy collapses. I can spin this off into another direction, but I won't. For now I'll just pay the tab for the pina colada I just drank and make my way back to the hotel.

It's Thursday night and I have four more nights here. I think I'm going to free-range it. Get a cab to Melaka Sentral, get a bus to Kuala Lumpur, get a hotel on the spot and then a flight to Bangkok.

Well, maybe I'll plan a little bit. Not planning as I've recenty experienced is... uncomfortable, and time consuming.