I'm here in Kuala Lumpur for 4 nights and I have to say - this place is beautiful. I had a wonderful view of the Petronas Towers in my window. I'm staying at the posh Mandarin Oriental. I have a flexible schedule to enjoy the sites. But for some odd reason, I don't want to leave my room.

I always enjoy a quiet time alone. Whenever I'm back home, I look forward to going back to my solitary space in my room. Why is it now, where I am completely alone, I'm not having fun?

I took a chance and strolled outside the hotel. There's a park outside of Mandarin Oridental and KLCC, with a wonderful fountain. The weather was great. It just finished raining but it wasn't humid. But one can't enjoy the site without having to enjoy it with.

I realized the places that I've been to, the things that happened in my life were all great not because of the place or the actual instance. It's because of who I was with. Highschool was fun because of my former classmates. College was memorable because of people like Marc, Aye, Tian, Den-den, Kate, Janice. And so was the last two years because of the devas girls - reza, bun and shiela. Law school was wonderful because of my sisses and my blockmates. Maybe that's why law school is not so much fun and interesting as it used to because they're all gone.

Malaysia is wonderful. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to come here today the way I was welcomed here. But today, I wish I had my family with me here. My sister and I would have had a blast walking around the mall and checking out the sites. My dad would have loved the hotel room and the rest he could have gotten if he were here. My mom would just enjoy watching me, my sister and my brother walk around and have fun. My brother - well, he'll have fun with my dad.

It takes being with a lot of people around you to realize the importance of being by yourself sometimes. But the impact is much more apparent when you realize the importance of the people around you when you find yourself alone.

I remember a story I read the other day:

A warrior of light knows that he has much to be grateful for. He was helped in his struggle by the angels; celestial forces placed each thing in its place, thus allowing him to give his best. That is why, at sunset, he kneels and gives thanks for the Protective Cloak surrounding him. His companions say: He's so lucky! But he knows that "luck" is knowing to look around him and to see where his friends are, because it was through their words that the angels were able to make themselves heard.