Yesterday was a good day, and I’m getting the feeling that today might be even just as good. I had some tough days around the weekend, so I really like the idea that things are getting better. I’m not going to go into why things are better, but just the fact that they are, is a great thing.

I’m sitting in Starbucks right now doing the ‘hipster’ thing. I’m sipping a soy latte and writing in my blog. I love the experience and have been doing it at least twice a week since I’ve been here in Johur. What makes that significant is that I have to take a taxi nearly twenty miles to get to the Starbucks that I like. When I get here most of the people that work here know me and like this morning, we chat for a few minutes before I even order. They know me as the professor from Dubai…

Malaysia has been really good to me. I am getting to the point that I may try to live here because it’s been that good. It has its problems, but the people are great and the environment that I’ve been in is very relaxing. I have never been somewhere where I have felt so welcomed before. Most of the places I go I’m just another person on the metro, or just a tourist walking down the street, but in Malaysia it seems that I’m more. As I was leaving my apartment this morning the security guard gave me a salute, he’s done it before and I usually give him just a half-assed salute back. This morning though I gave him a real one, like I had to do in the military, and he busted out laughing and comes towards me to shake my hand. The whole thing was just funny… but very good.

Anyway, I don’t know where in Malaysia I’ll live if I do decide to stay here, but for now I think it’s a huge step forward to know (almost) what I want. I’ve also been told about some of the universities in the area and it may be worth the effort to try to get a job here as well. I get the feeling that if that happens instead of just living somewhere, I’d have a home.

I’ve got a friend from Taiwan that I haven’t spoken to in quite some time, well yesterday I decided to contact her. No lie, it was kind of awkward at first, but in no time we were chatting back and forth like long time friends. I like when I take a step that I usually wouldn’t and it works out. It reminds me that I have to be more outgoing. This is a trait that I seem to be able to do more and more easily lately.