comfort hotel

i really need to get away.  i was talking to a friend yesterday, and the analogy for the past few months was the power bar in the HUD while paying a video.  i smiled and realized it captured how people are feeling.  the stacked lines have disappeared from repeated hits without finding the health packs needed to recharge.  the sides of the screen are fading, the sounds of breathing from around the corner let you know the fight is still on, but the lack of ammo and health points also let you know that finding the hidden space with the recharge packs are a must if you are going to keep playings.  the issues are the time and ability to find that hidden door.

as i type this i am sitting in a cafe, trying to find a sandwich to match the comfort food desire i am feeling.  i spent the morning at a six year old's birthday party.  watching kids play in large plastic tubes and swim through pits filled with multi-colored balls both made me happy, and stoked the fires of missing home.  the feeling that a sandwich would be a good idea before going back to the condo took hold as the party broke up.  standing high in the midsts of expat-land, i searched my options for a simple sandwich.

as per usual, the solution does not match the demand.  the seriously delicious burger is not, the "classic" reuben is actually a rachel (substituting pastrami for the truly classic corned beef) and the    "classic" hotdog is a sadly chickened sausage that has none of the bite, snap or flavor of a truly a real hotdog.  all of this is acceptable by the those who do not believe that something described as classic should actually be a reasonable example of the original.  i went with the chicken avacado sandwich, which is not described as open faced, but comes that way.  i ate the chicken and ignored the brick-hard toasted piece of bread.  the comfort of enjoying the mingled flavors of meat and bread a lost-cause.

this lunch is the smaller example of the issue i am really struggling with.  how can i do a quick get away to allow myself to relax and recharge, while actually having the flavors that will help me feel relaxed.  i was almost in singapore this weekend, and that may have been close.  the san diego run by disney vibe would have helped.  the library-sized book stores, genuine-feeling hipster-staffed starbucks and non-sambal infused western restaurants would all have given comfort.  the taxi queues and casino-culture would not have.  low blood pressure delayed the trip, so i won't know if it would have given me a chance to relax.

which leaves me in not-so-truly asia.  as i was driving home last night i began to consider my options.  where can i slip away to, sleep in a big comfortable bed, have room service that is non-halal comforting and relax by the pool with a drink in my hand.  much of this i can get, sure alcohol is not a problem, hotels exist and have comforting beds.  there are hotels in KL that i have checked-in to check-out before, no flights and room service, but they do not deliver the "classic" feel.  they are weak examples of a truly 5 start hotel, as though polish and badly designed parking garages are enough to make the trip worth it.

i live in a minor city, that tries to believe it will be major within 8 years.  when i got here there were 15 years to go on that goal, and there was some chance of it happening.  but with each year that passes its clear that it won't happen.  to become a major-city you need to be able to attach the top talent, the best and the brightest and make them want to stay.  this is what hong kong and singapore, new york and london have done.  they allow the communities who move in to feel welcome inside their own enclaves.  they allow them the comforts that enable the newcomers to feel welcome, and overtime make those comforts part of the larger single community.  note that although the "big breakfast" is here, the british have left.  my point is that if malaysia had known how to keep outsiders happy the brits, japanese and even locally born chinese would not be heading for the doors so quickly.

this isn't meant to be a flame or to turn into a bitch-session about the lack of comfort i have felt for a long time.  but i am tired, i need a break, one that will not have anything to complain about. i can get on a plane and go to indonesia, thailand or vietnam and have a short break.  but i don't want to the flights.  or i can hang in there, and wait for the next trip to the land of smog and exports.  i know there i can slip off to NOLA or home plate and find some moments of non-halal happiness.  but why do i need to?  can a community building itself on diversity not support a single hotel that does nothing more than provide the same as other world-class hotels.

no wonder i am tired.  the same issues stay out there, i can hear the scraping steps and raspy breathing around the corner.  the bullet count it low, the energy meter is flashing red and i am staring down the corridor wondering what is hiding; ready to take more shots.

fight or flight; when neither is really an option it really is the time to check in and hope the room service menu is good.