New mall in Kerteh

Hey! We have a new mall in Kerteh. Huh... who would've believe an actual shopping mall is here in this sleepy town of Kerteh? When they first started building it 3 years ago, I thought it would be some kind of bazaar or arcade where you would find small time traders selling kain batik, kraftangan and all the normal stuffs you would find in Pasar Payang in KT. How wrong I was... this mall actually resembles more like a mini KLCC with Starbucks, Giant, Body Shop and shops you would only dream to find in KL. Even the state capital KT takder Starbucks...

My friend Zach will be thrilled (or perhaps agitated) if he finds out that they've just opened a new Starbucks aka Kedai Peluru here. (Why Kedai Peluru? Zach told me, Starbucks actually funds Israel to purchase its weapons in combatting Muslims in Palestine... therefore, buying a Frappucino Caramel means helping Israel to kill our Muslim comrades in Palestine). Zach is boycotting products that support Israel and this means no Starbucks for him.... and MAC cosmetics too. I guess you will have to stick to that L'Oreal lipstick now, eh Zach? When he found out Amy Winehouse was a Jew, poor Amy was deleted from his iPod... hehe... I could actually hear Amy begging to Zach... no... no... no.... Eheh... enough about Zack lah. 

So this Mesra Mall we've been talking about had its opening ceremony yesterday. They brought some local celebrities to promote the mall. The turnout was huge! I heard people came from as far as Kuantan and Dungun (sbb nak tengok artis la tuu...). I tried to squeeze in yesterday in the afternoon, tapi jalan jam teruk sangat sampai tak boleh nak masuk. I had to come back at night just to check out apa yg besz sangat kat situ. First impression.... wow... not bad. Ada Toys R Us, Popular bookstore, Secret Recipe, Kedai Peluru, Giant, Kamdar, and also a Spa Centre (I am not kidding.... I could imagine makcik penjual keropok lekor Kemasik treating herself with a full body spa selepas seharian memasak and menjual keropok lekor di tepi jalan... aaa... "mokcik raser molek gok iyer wak spa kak sini... kek gi, pah leteh2 goreng kepok, bulih gok rehak2 ....doh mung ingak org KL jer boleh spa? kite nok raser teekkk....")

When the mall fully opens later on, there will also be a TGV cineplex, bowling alley and futsal courts. After years of waiting, finally dapat jugak org Kerteh merasa sumer nih. This mall can actually help boosting the economy of this region. But I'm worried about the social impacts it would bring to the young people here... mesti ramai remaja rosak nak melepak kat tempat nih. Budak2 ponteng sekolah lagi (there are 3 schools within 3 km of the mall). Hopefully authorities will have some concerns over this issues. Kerteh is a wonderful place... Having lived here for the past 4 years, I already feel like I'm part of it. I used to be homesick when I first came here, but now I actually felt like I'm missing Kerteh when I'm back home in KL. Who knows, I'll probably marry a local, have kids and settle here for good... heheh.... u think so?