After a terrible-yet-exciting day in the Malaysian town of Johor Bahru last fall, returning to my room at the Hyatt was the highlight of my visit. Malaysia’s second largest city had not treated me well. Worse, I missed dinner. It was late, and I was hungry. So why, even under duress, did I waffle about ordering room service? Don’t worry, I did—and I didn’t hesitate to remove several Tiger beers from the mini-bar while I waited—but I felt guilty about it anyway.

For years, I saw room service as a luxury for people with too much money or not enough inclination to explore the city they were visiting. Why bother to stay in when so many other options were outside the front doors of the hotel? In Johor Bahru, though, I was glad to have it. As my writing career has progressed and I’ve found myself holed up in towns where bringing a laptop outside isn’t such a bright idea, room service has come in handy. It’s never very good, but that’s the price you pay. Literally—food on a silver platter doesn’t come cheap.

So what does room service mean to you? Is it utility food or a time to splurge when getting dressed is too much to ask?

Last week marked the first long-haul flight by a low-cost carrier—99 pounds for a 13 hour flight from London to Kuala Lumpur, anyone?—and the Guardian went along for the inaugural ride. Maxton Walker sets the scene: “As we budget guinea-pigs join the queue at check-in, horror stories swirl about non-reclining seats and the lack of legroom. There’s even a suggestion that if you don’t book a meal in advance, you’ll just have to starve. I haven’t, needless to say, booked a meal in advance.” His full review of the Air Asia experience is heartening, and surprisingly entertaining.

Young sea gypsies sit on their boat outside of their family hut in their neighbourhood in Sulawesi Sea in Malaysia's state of Sabah on the Borneo island.

Two different "wardrobe malfunctions" occurred during the Pussy Cat Doll's recent performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and they've earned the LA-based group a $3,400 fine. Carmit Bachar suffered a nip slip, while Ashley Roberts "was accused of revealing her private parts after her tiny pair of shorts left little to the imagination." As a result of the two skin-shows Malaysian officials deemed the Pussy Cat Dolls' routine "sexually suggestive" and subject to fine. One question: had anyone ever seen the Pussy Cat Dolls prior to booking them? "Sexually suggestive" is their collective middle name. [via]

Chinese New Year started with a bang (literally) on Sunday, with firecracker ceremonies to ward off evil, and runs through the beginning of March. This year is the year of the pig, and not just any old porker, but the golden pig! The piggly portion of the chinese 12-year zodiac is supposed to bring prosperity, luck and fertility, especially so during the once-in-60 years arrival of the golden swine. For the next few weeks Chinese cities and chinatowns everywhere from Beijing to London will be a riot of all things gold and red and elaborate light displays, as everyone tries to amp up their luck for the year to come. In Boston’s chinatown, all the local dim sum palaces are visited in turn by lion dancers to make sure that any nasty spirits are scared away. User Indietrekker just uploaded a clip of the proceedings:



Get extra lucky by checking out New Year happenings in any of these cities around the world:

– New York
– San Francisco
– Los Angeles
– Vancouver
– Hong Kong
– Singapore
– Kuala Lumpur
– Shanghai
– Beijing

Gung hei fat choi!

Alternative Israel
- “Had Your Fill of the Ancient Charms of Jerusalem? Relax in the German Colony.” (Washington Post)
- “An Arty Oasis in Old Tel Aviv” (NYT)

Malaysian Cooking
- “In Malaysia, Take Many Peoples and Ingredients, Mix, Enjoy” (NYT)

The Ajanta Caves
- “In the Holy Caves of India” (NYT)

Cologne/Köln, Germany
- “Fun amid the splendor of spires” (Houston Chronicle)

Pre-Ski Season Special
- “Canada: The Best of Everywhere” (Chicago Tribune)
- “From resorts to ski reviews, it’s online” (Chicago Tribune)
- “North America: It’s a big continent, with lots of snow” (Chicago Tribune)