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2005 June 1, Kuala Lumpur
(this entry is under construction...check back soon for further fleshing out of this particular episode)
I stopped for a cup of tea in the Westin and there I am just minding my own business when these folks come in and then invite me over to their table. Turns out the ladies are among the top fashion models of Malaysia. I, of course, was clueless, and for some reason got freaked out when one of them told me. However, for the rest of my travels through Malaysia, it was oddly comforting to spot one of them smiling out at me from the cover of a magazine or a billboard advertisement.
If you're interested, try googling these names (the results surprised the heck out of me when I did):
Wong Sze Zen (left front)
Tan Suwei (left back)
Carmen Soo (left middle)
moi (right center)
Jimmy Liu(right center, pink shirt)
Amber Chia (right)
I genuinely enjoyed my conversation with Tan Suwei and I actually consider this night to be the point where I first started making friends on the road. In retrospect, it was really quite stunning how friendly and down to earth they were with me, a random, raggedy backpacker who had stumbled into their world --- although, as I found out later, this "friendliness" may have had something to do with one of them probably wanting to get in my pants...and no, it wasn't Amber. Nor was it Carmen.
"Zen?"
Nope.
"...Suwei?"
Married.
"...but that only leaves..."
You betcha.
As it turned out, my metro-aura attracted several more admirers during my travels...and speculation by more than a few as to which team I bat for. I suppose this is what 7 years in Japan has done to the image I project.
Still, I guess you really can't ask for a more auspicious start to things.
And it was also partly to thanks to a suggestion from Carmen that I ended up going scuba diving in Borneo...and meeting my fiancee in the process.
...
Say what, Willis?!
1 comment:
Tatsu-- so first of all, I'll admit I just read 6 months of your blog entries all at once. I did keep up until May of last year or so but then my laptop was stolen with all my bookmarks.
Then when I got your zmail I was finally able to find it (not an easy task when none of the 700 matches for tatsu yamato on google were your blog). OK, enough excuses, I'm caught up.
What an amazing journey! The fact that you were able to write about it all along the way is equally impressive. Thanks for sharing your perspective and photos with everyone who followed along. Hope we can get together now that you're back in the states.
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