Lawatan Sambil Belajar

I had to go to the Malaysian High Commission, so I duly booked a seat on the 6.50am flight to Canberra and accordingly another one on a flight coming back to Melbourne at 5pm . Having done the trip before, it wasn't so daunting this time around. It sort of became a leisurely excursion, like one of those day-trips I used to go on during school, except instead of getting on a bus, I got on a plane, and instead of wearing baju outing and kasut PVC with white socks,I got to wear skinny jeans and a cardigan and the really nice purple scarf my mom got for me. Glamorous sungguh sejak dah tak sekolah ni.

Virgin Blue have several flights to and from Canberra throughout the whole day. Who on earth creates the demand for these flights? Business people. Show up at the domestic departure terminal at 5.30am and you'll find the place overrun with people in suits, either carrying just a laptop bag or small, very sleek luggage. Occasionally you'll see a mother and young child, or an unemployed bum like me, but passengers are mostly comprised of professionals, which makes sense, because Canberra isn't exactly a fantastic getaway destination, if you get my drift.

The passenger demographic was reiterated once I'd arrive in Canberra and was queuing up to get a taxi. As I lined up, two things caught my attention. One was the fact that about 4 buses full of military personnel had pulled up to curb next to where the taxi rank was, and I enjoyed a good 15 minutes staring unabashedly as the soldiers spilled out and unloaded their gear, standard-issue army-green duffel bags. The other thing was the realization that I may have indeed been the most exotic creature in the line of people waiting for a cab, such that I was the only one wearing clothing that wasn't gray or black. Amidst the various work attire, my blue cardigan and purple scarf combination was alarmingly conspicuous, like I was a red-bottomed baboon amongst a sea of koala bears.

High Commission of Malaysia. Oh, High Commission of Malaysia.

Suffice to say, I came out of the place at 11.15am with nothing to do and 5 and a half hours before I had to be at the airport for my flight back to Melbourne. What does a girl do when she has 5 hours to kill?

a)She meets an intriguing stranger and they go on a whirlwind tour around the city with a Lost In Translation scene at the end.

b)She kills it. Literally. With a knife, bloody stab wound and all.

c)She joins the Canberra Hare Krishnas.

Oklah, I took the embarrassingly less interesting option and just took a cab to the city center and headed for the shopping mall.