Sharon, Sotong, TH, Shadow and I are supposed to go Cameron Highlands for Christmas. There are no more bus tickets to there from Singapore. We decided to try our luck at JB. We were supposed to meet at Kranji MRT at 10am. After having go KTV until 3am the previous night, we pushed the meet up time till 2pm.

Just as I was all set to go meet them, I realize I forgotten to do something. Bath! Of all things that I can forget... Anyway, I was late for 30 minutes when I met them. My reputation for being late is getting worse. People only remember when you are late, and not when you are early. Sigh.

The Singapore custom is full of people when we reach there. I suggested that we forget about this and try other ways to get the tickets. Maybe I can come back on Monday where the queue is shorter or something. Sharon whipped out her phone and started calling the agencies to check if they have any tickets for going to KL on Christmas Eve morning. We can try to make our way to Cameron highlands from there. She kept the agencies numbers in her mobile! She is missing about 2 numbers, so I checked it up in yellow pages using GPRS. None of the agencies have any seats to KL in the morning except for 1. They wanted us to go down personally immediately to place a booking. In the end we chose to cross the causeway instead. We are quite near to the front of the queue at this time.

After clearing the Singapore customs, we reach another queue. It’s for the bus. It’s really very long. We queued for some time to find a whole big bunch of people behind us, and we are still quite far from the front of the queue. I estimate at least 3 buses before we can board. Probably more. So I suggested we walk across the causeway. If the walking crowd is so jammed the driving crowd should be similar. Walking across may be faster.

[IMAGE: Pathway to causeway]

And walk we shall. This is the pathway to the causeway.

[IMAGE: On the causeway]

While on the causeway, we realize there's not much cars, meaning there's no jam on the causeway! The bus frequency is still slow. I see only 1 bus go by us on the journey to the Malaysian custom.

[IMAGE: Nearing the custom]

There's no queue at the Malaysian car custom! I hope that that customs for those on foot to be as empty. Fat hope! :P As expected, the queue is very very long. We managed to queue at a fast moving queue, and we managed to clear the queue in a relatively short time. Except for Shadow. She's not Singaporean, so she's in a different queue from us. That queue for some reason is moving very slowly. She's still got quite a number to go when we cleared ours, so we left her alone there. She'll come looking for us when she's out. :P

We go get the coach tickets to Cameron first. We can't find any there either. But there are tickets to a place (Can't remember the name) that is about 2 hours car ride to Cameron Highlands. The agency people say it's quite easy to find a transport up there. And we have not booked our accommodations yet. Have to go there and find. And it's a 1 way ticket. We have to buy the return trip from there. Sharon, Sotong and TH are coming back on the 27th, which is a working day. They should be fine. Shadow has to work on the 27th, and I got a gathering with the 433 guys on the night of the 26th. So the 2 of us leaving on the 26th, which may be a problem because so is most of everyone else. Pretty exciting for a holiday?

Anyway, my gathering is cancelled. But I am coming back on the 26th anyway. Shadow is afraid of traveling alone. :P

And we have managed to book accommodation as well. 1 less excitement. :P

[IMAGE: Prata TH]

TH has not eaten lunch yet and has a craving for prata. We managed to find a pretty big kopitiam there selling prata.

This is about the time when we first lost contact with Shadow. She stopped replying to our sms and can't get through to her when we called her. We later found out it's due to her mobile not getting any reception. I've got no reception when I go inside the City Square building too.

After that we went into City Square. I saw a stripped shirt that I thought is quite nice. Did not get it on the spot, 'cause TH say he will come back later to get another shirt he gotten a fancy with. Thought I'll get it later with him as well.

Sharon wanted to send her shoe back to the shop for repair, and we walk around a bit before going to get the tickets to the movie Chronicles of Narnia. After this is when we start getting concerned that if we cannot find Shadow, waste the ticket worried that we cannot find Shadow. I told Sotong to just sms her and tell her we wait for her at MacDonald’s, and we wait for her at MacDonald’s. Hopefully she can receive the sms and come find us. After awhile, it doesn't look like it's working, so TH and I go look for her while Sharon and Sotong continue waiting.

I went in the direction of the custom. After I left the building, I called back my Telco and activate the auto roaming. Easier for communication. Going to cancel it the next day. :P Then I walk back. No point going back to customs. She should have left long time ago. This is about the time that TH found her leaving Mango Shop after having bought a winter sweater. Us looking all over for her, and she's shopping...

[IMAGE: Chronicles of Narnia]

Click here to show short review.

By the time we found her, it's pretty near to show time. This movie is typical Disney movie. Safe story line, no good guys die. Those who died are bad guys, and most of them died in battle.

It's about the growth of 2 boys and 2 girls. How they learn about what being a family means.

The special effects are nice. Aslan the lion is magnificent. So are the fantasy creatures like Fawn, Minolta, Griffin, Centaurs, etc.

[IMAGE: Bak Kut Teh]

The movie started at 7pm. By the time we came out, it's almost 10pm. The shops and restaurants in City Square all closing, except for MacDonald’s. Don't feel like having Macdonald's so we went to a Bak Kut Teh(bkt) shop nearby. I thought the bkt is not bad, but Sharon says it's not the type that she likes.

[IMAGE: Jam]

After dinner, we made our way back to Singapore. As we were crossing the bridge from City Square over the road to the custom, we see a huge Jam. The cars with red lights (brake lights) are the cars from the bridge to the custom. The cars with white lights (headlights) are the cars from the bridge and beyond. Scary queue there.

There are not much people at the walk through custom, so we cleared it very fast. The bus ride to the Singapore custom is quite bumpy, don't know why. The queue there is longer than in Malaysia, but still ok.

By the time we reach Kranji MRT, it's almost 12. I realize by the time we reached Jurong East station, that there's no more connecting train to my place. So I have to walk Sharon back to her place, and take a night bus from there.

I got home at about 12:40 and sleep soon after.