The Great Malaysian Blackout.
I was in Kinokuniya KLCC when the lights failed.
It started when the lights flickered, while I was looking for a travel book (it was an errand for someone). I had found my book the minute the lights failed.
At first I thought it was, just, you know, a normal power outage — one shop, or a part of the building at most. Turns out that the whole building was out.
As I took a cab back to Bangsar (I had learned not to park in Suria KLCC's car parks on weekdays the hard way), I realized that I was in what seemed like a city-wide blackout. Wow. We haven't had one of those since Paka.
On my way to Bangsar, I observed that the amount of pedestrians had doubled. Figures. KL is a city built on air-conditioning and artificial lighting. The minute the lights and artificial ventilation failed, no one could be persuaded to stay in their offices as their cubicles become dark, stuffy hothouses.
When I did get back to Bangsar (after paying an exorbitant fee for a fare ride, and sitting through a massive jam at Jalan Bangsar), I settled into my car and drove back home.
That took a while. The roads, thanks to the screwed-up traffic lights and general disorder, were clogged with vehicles. Spent a good part of an hour stuck in what was only a few hundred metres of road, near the Rothmans roundabout.
Lucky for me, at least the MacDonalds drive-thru I went to had power, and PJ, for the most part, still has electricity. The power outage, though extensive, didn't touch Hitz, Mix, Light and Easy or Radio 4 KL. It got RED 104.9 for a while, though. Pity. I kinda liked them.
They're back now. And I'm home. Saw the Wan (my maid) waiting outside, in vain, for a bus. Told her what happened, and she was surprised and peeved off, to say the least. She wanted to go to Ampang today. Anyway. Will take her tonight, if I have to.
Oh, well. That's it.