The day the aliens came into town and took over Chow Kit

The day they took over Chow Kit……..

Ha, it sounds almost alien like. The day they came from a land far away and imposed their views upon the locals, but in many ways, it was exactly what they did and hence, today’s blog will be known as the day the aliens came into town and took over Chow Kit. The place which had become my home for around two weeks now.

 

Perhaps it is because I have been battling an illness, but the last few weeks have been hell for me in many ways. My work at the pusat has suffered, I’ve left many social engagements early or I’ve had to cancel and I’ve spent many an hour in some low budget hotel in a notorious part of town, known as Chow Kit.

Many of my friends have questioned my choice of locality and many, many more have questioned if I would be safe, but ironically, as years of crime have left an indelible imprint in this area, there are even more security guards than anywhere else I’ve been to in KL. They are outside every hotel, place of business and heck, there is even one positioned right in the middle of the pedestrian overpass. In fact, I’ve never felt safer.

There is actually something more real about this place than in parts of Bangsar. At least here, I know who I am dealing with. In Bangsar, the façade is refined and those who feel the need to prove their self-worth, surround themselves with the sycophants who will dutifully prove their value.

So, as I battled my flu, I’ve found myself struggling to write, but as I began my battle with the aliens, I discovered my breakthrough and as I watched these aliens wield their magic sword, I found the cynic within, begin to grow and the words began to swirl in my head until I found myself back in my hotel haven, writing this blog.

AND who are the aliens who came into my haven and took control? They are the dreaded International film crew.

The day began much like any other, I went to the pusat, coughed my way throughout the morning until I eventually succumbed and took leave in a taxi back to my haven. The little budget hotel with a fairly comfortable bed, a TV with limited channels, but a never-ending supply of tissues, a restoran which eventually stopped charging me tourist rates and a bunch of locals who will always greet me with a smile.

There is a little bottle shop on the corner and the local drunks sit in the street drinking their cheap ales and they always give me a high five and a smile as I walk past. One day, one asked me where I came from and upon answering Australia, he began to discuss the political contrast between Australia and England, and as I walked away, I remember thinking that one never knows what can happen to someone in life. This man, who was obviously highly intelligent, was some drunken bum, sitting on the footpath in the notorious part of KL. He told me how his daughter now lived in Melbourne, but he was yet to visit, and then he wished me well.

It’s an aspect I’ve always enjoyed about the less savoury parts of a town, when you interact with the characters, there are usually no hidden agendas. They just talk with you and enjoy the interlude. Honesty rarely found in amongst the so called elitists of society.

So, perhaps in some way, the day the aliens came to town, I found myself rather annoyed, because suddenly my haven had been taken over by a group of people who believed they had the right to be treated like some deity.

I don’t know, perhaps the short period of time I spent in drama school and working in films, have left me jaded. Or perhaps I just knew the way we acted, no pun intended, but the hierarchy, the egos, the sense of entitlement had left me wanting more substance in life and that belief that all because someone looked good, acted well or worked in films gave them the right to believe they were the beautiful people and better than others, has always left me confused.

Even in Sydney, we had the right to enter certain clubs that those less fortunate would never be allowed to frequent. I remember, well, I actually cringe, at the time we all got on the dance floor and danced the same dance that we had learnt that day in class……..oh, puhlease. :p

It was possibly the same time that I decided that I really didn’t want to be an actress. I’m sure if you find some old film from the early eighties, you may see me in the background, or I could tell you about the actors I dated……..but this isn’t about that.

It’s about the day I found my haven invaded by the false people.

So, as I semi laid in the back of a taxi waiting to curl into bed and sleep, the taxi was stopped from entering the little lane which would eventually turn into the road where my budget hotel was situated, because the powerful people had come to town.

The bums had been moved off the footpath, the hawkers had been stopped from selling their wares and the place was swarming with the police.

After a lengthy detour, I put my laptop into my room, grabbed my purse and headed off to get something cool to drink and I was faced with a roadblock. Too annoyed to be stopped, I walked straight through. Perhaps because I am a blonde white woman, the police stupidly assumed that I was with the crew and allowed me through.

I remember being somewhat cynical about the fact that if a crime happened in KL, the chances of such a police presence being in existence, would be fairly remote, but get in an international film crew and the world comes to a standstill.

And I came ‘home’ and slept. I was hoping to get back into work this evening as they had a training session that I really wanted to attend, but I slept and slept and slept and upon eventually awakening, it was too late to attend.

So, I headed downstairs to my favourite restoran which had finally stopped charging me tourist rates and there they were. The aliens who had taken over.

I approached the cordoned off area and I came across a sign which I photographed with my usual anti-authoritative stance. The sign was telling me that I was not allowed to take any photographs and this set me off on my mission. I was just curious, how many photographs could I take as I walked through the cordoned off area?

 

I don’t know, sometimes I think I like to see how far I can go before someone eventually tells me, “enough”, but as I snapped away, I was still surprised when a hand reached out to stop me. As I questioned what he was doing, he told me that I wasn’t allowed to take any photographs. “Why not”, I questioned and began some tirade on property rights which I knew left the local cop completely confused.

AND I continued to take photographs again and again and again.  

I don’t know if they just didn’t know what to do, but they kept asking me to stop until the ‘boss’ of the film came up to me and asked me to stop taking photos. I challenged him too and he told me that I had possibly ruined the last half hour of filming with my flash and walking into scenes I shouldn’t have been in. Oh, well. They had stopped the locals from enjoying their freedom and making a living.

I told him that I was amused that they had the ability to have a group of police as security when the locals struggled to get assistance. He told me that they were paid to assist. I replied, “this is Malaysia, they are always paid off” and he laughed and said that they had just been in Indonesia, they had cost even more.

Bored with my antics, I went in and ordered at my favourite restoran until filming finished and the crew came in to eat.

I suppose in some way, this group of locals will be compensated. As I watched the huge crew order their food, I was pleased in some warped way………they will be charged as tourists.