Random

I'm finally back home! Too lazy to pen a proper post but I think these things are brilliant:

1. If you're at the Delhi airport T3 and sick of Indian food, check out Smoke House. Had a really yummy smoked tomato and brie sandwich and pretty decent mojitos there. Do not bother with Indian wines (they suck).

2. Have 3 drinks and pop a melatonin and you'll conk out during the flight. Best combo ever.

3. Ear plugs. Oh my, why haven't I discovered these before? Especially useful because flights to and from India are usually SO noisy. While I could still hear the high pitched shrieking of Indian girls laughing and chatting across the aisle, the ear plugs managed to reduce quite a fair bit of the noise.

4. If you're a parent, seat your children together and then take your own seat 10 rows behind. You don't need to look after the buggers but yet you're close enough if there's an emergency,

Stuff no one talks about:

1. OMG the pong. I didn't realise how badly I reeked till I landed in Singapore and was waiting for LGG to buy breakfast. I do not look forward to opening my backpack.

2. Hello, Sasquatch. Being all bundled up during winter and taking 2 minute long showers means that you tend to neglect certain grooming habits.

3. Airplanes have really, really dry air. I think my throat got dried out during the flight and now I'm coughing. Drinking two bottles of water during the flight apparently wasn't enough.

..

Anyway I'm lying strarkers in bed and trying to muster up the energy to get changed for work. 2 more working days till the new year!

Welcome to Delhi

After spending three idyllic days in a tea plantation off Siliguri (which shall remain unnamed to keep the place a secret), we are now back in Delhi. Ugh.

After the pristine, clean air that surrounded the tea plantation and the rejuvenating silence and peacefulness away from the hustle and bustle of the city, we are now surrounded by smog and the incessant honking and noises of Delhi.

One huge difference is that my snot is now specked with black. Gross.

The tea plantation was amazing, and if I had the chance to go back again, I would. What made it so special was that we went during low season, so we had the entire bungalow to ourselves. I'm not sure if our experience would have been so good if there were other guests in the house (probably not).

We spent our breakfasts in the garden, lying on the grass after, just basking in the sun. The only time we were actually hot in winter. Lol. I found a sofa in the house by the bay windows, where sunlight was streaming in, and that became one of my favourite spots.

When the day became cool, we proceeded to the living room, armed with blankets, books and hot tea. We read and watched tv and napped.

Our meals were all provided and we had the most amazing Indian food, probably the healthiest that any of us have ever had in India. Low salt, low fat, and yet still exceptionally tasty. How awesome is that?

We've now a couple more days to go before heading home, so gotta plan where and what to do. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

It's A Balmy Day

Who woulda thunk that we'd be using the word "balmy" to describe the 7 degree temperature in Delhi right now? Lol.

"It's -4 now, but a balmy 7 degrees in Delhi now." Lol.

Well I guess we are getting used to the cold.

So Cold

We got back from Pelling today and are back in Darjeeling, sitting in the dining room and watching the fire burn in the fireplace.

It's so cold. One night the temperature went down to -14 degrees celcius. But thank god for fireplaces, heaters, fleeces and sleeping bags.

Pelling was a little bit of a letdown. There weren't as much to do as we thought but we did get a spectacular sunrise view of Kangchendzonga from our room.

We also discovered chaang aka tongba- the local moonshine that was made by pouring hot water into fermented millet and drinking it through a bamboo straw.

Did a day tour around to various sights, and then headed back to Darjeeling today.

Waiting for dinner and then off to bed.

To Pelling

One of the downsides to traveling the way we do from town to town is having to pack up and travel to the next place. We're off to Pelling today, and apparently it's a 5-6 hour drive from here.

Better pee before we leave. Lol.

Day Two

Or is it day three already? It's so easy to lose track of time when you're in a place like Darjeeling.

Spent the evening yesterday in the dining room of our hotel where we had a lovely fireplace up. Plus, there was free wifi, so all of us managed to get our internet fix.

Didn't seem like we did all that much today but time just seemed to pass so fast. Took the joyride on the toy train to Ghum / Ghoom and back, went to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and had tea at the Windemere Hotel.

And that's about it. Bought a shawl from a tout at the train station who was trying to sell them at 8000 rupees. I told her I'd buy it for 150 rupees and ta ma de, eventually she agreed. So I had to buy it even though I don't need a shawl, and found out later that you could buy the same shawl at the market for 90 rupees. Ta ma de.

Ah well.

Off to Pelling tomorrow!

Darjeeling

Ok I know we're here during winter but it is so cold here in Darjeeling. OMG.

Was on the road yesterday, flying from Singapore to Delhi, and then from Delhi to Bagdobra. Then it was a good 6 hour and really bumpy car ride to Darjeeling.

Have I mentioned that it's cold? (It's really cold.)

Spent this morning unwilling to get out of the warm coccoon of the sleeping bag that we thankfully brought along. Walked around the bazaar, bought tickets for the toy train ride, got our permits for Sikkim, checked out the bookstore, had breakfast and lunch at Hasty Tasty and bought gloves and beanies.

Still deciding what to do for the rest of the trip but it's been chill (haha) so far. Probably will head up to Peling and do some trekking. But it's so cold. Lol.

India. Again.

For someone who professes to hate India as much as I do, it seems rather puzzling that I keep going back. First Ladakh in August, and now I'm heading there for another two weeks (aka 14 days aka 840 min aka too long.. and I think my calculation is wrong).

But how fitting that the first time LGG and I go to India together is also our "Indian finale". We've been to India somany times, and I think we're done. There are new lands to discover!

Ah well. I hope we have a good trip. Would always be good to end everything on a good note.

2011

This has been a hard post to pen, because the year didn't quite turn out the way I thought it would. It started off well enough, but my relationship with the grasshopper ended in April. While I wouldn't say it went all downhill from there (there definitely have been some awesome moments), it was a tough year.

Breakups are always hard, and this one hit me quite badly for several reasons. Firstly it was rather unexpected, coming at a time that I thought we were gaining ground and strength in the relationship (but obviously I was the only one who felt that way). Secondly, it was the sheer disrespectful way he decided to terminate it (By email. Man, I certainly deserve better). Thirdly,.. ah forget it.

But life goes on, and setbacks are a perfect time to witness the love and support I have in my family and friends. And I must say that I've got plenty.

I made my first trip to Perth in twenty years this June, and got to spend time with my brother and his family. Quality time getting to know him and my sister-in-law better, and plenty of hugs and kisses for the little ones. Also got to hang out with my cousins and aunties too, which was just awesome.

One of the things Jeanne said that really sunk in was that the money spent could always be earned back (I had been complaining about the exhange rates and comparing how little I used to spend in India cos everything there was just so cheap). The time and the love that you get from family is really quite priceless, and this was something I truly experienced once I got to Perth.

Went to India for work and crumbled several times, but msn is an amazing thing and everyone who was online was just an amazing source of support. CH even offered to fly in to Bangalore to be with me, which was an unexpected and very generous offer. *love*

Took some time off after my last India trip and extended my stay to head to Ladakh with TFP. While I wish I had the company of LGG and the posse, the scenery was breathtaking and I even managed to tick off some things off my list (camel shadow pic, plucking a radish, and what I thought was snow). Magical.

More work trips to Indonesia, and with a new and experienced boss on board, it was nice to be able to learn more about my market and discuss initiative and ideas on how to increase awareness and quality.

Went back to Perth again, this time with the entire Lee clan. More bonding with the family, my first visit to the casino, had my silly accident, and now it's already December. Phew! How time flies. (And yay I'm healing quite nicely. Thank god for awesome genes.)

One last trip in December. Finally going to freeze our asses off in Darjeeling and Sikkim. And then it'll be 2012. Gulp.

To be honest 2011 hasn't been the best year, but, whatever. It could have been worse and I did do a fair bit of traveling, so I can't really complain. I do hope 2012 is a better year though.

Let's see.

One Step Forward Two Steps Back

My skin seemed to be recovering well over the weekend after I ripped off all the dressings and left it out to dry. However, I accidentally ripped the wound open (was not careful argh) and it started bleeding.

Stupid me thought it was a good idea to cover up with dressing, but now the whole damn thing is wet and leaky AGAIN. Argh.

I need to get well soon! 9 more days till we fly off and I do not want to have to deal with this then. Gah.

OMG

Decided to rip off all the dressings and take a fucking shower. Feel so good now that I'm clean (and not just towel wiped). Wounds hurt like fuck though. Arm is numb but I'll live.

Thank god for mothers with gentle hands. My mom helped me apply some betadine on the wounds and cleverly thought of a way to cover them so I can go to bed without worrying. Moms are the best.

Skin

You don't realise how important your skin is until you lose it. Methinks our plans to go cycling at Rottnest Island today was just not meant to be.

Darwin booked our tickets, we got on the ferry to Rottness, picked up our bikes and headed to Dome for breakfast. We deliberately sat within sight of the bikes but conversation got in the way, and when we looked up, the bikes were gone. Apparently this is a common occurrence, cos when we went to the jetty to tell them what happened, they just gave us 2 more bikes.

Cycled about for about half an hour. I was going downhill when I realised I was going a bit too fast for my liking, tried to slow down, hit my brakes too quickly, and hit the pavement.

I must have skidded on my side cos I scraped the skin off my forearm, triceps, armpit, boob, belly, thigh and knee. Lol. An injury that only ten year old kids would get.

Ah well. Not looking forward to the recovery.

A Timeline for The Belgariad and The Malloreon

http://kalten.sandwich.net/eddings/timeline.html

Our Eddings Casting

Hehe was watching LOTR this afternoon and chatting with LGG at the same time. Somehow we started discussing who we would cast if someone were to make an Eddings movie. Here's what we got:

Belgarath- Ian McKellen
Polgara- Angelina Jolie
Beldaran- Kate Bosworth
Belgarion- that Bourne guy
Durnik- that blonde Thor guy
Ce'Nedra- cheerleader from Heroes
Silk- we haven't decided. Maybe Antonio Banderas

Then we got distracted and started chatting about other stuff. But I do think it's a pretty good list. Hehe.

EVIL!

After hearing about my new-found freedom to have a TV in my room, babycakes looked at me and asked "Why get a TV? You should get an iMac. Then you can play all your games PLUS use the computer, all from the comfort of your bed."

Then I stupidly tell Alf what babycakes told me, and he said "No, you should get a 40" TV + mac mini. Bigger screen + games + use computer from your bed."

My friends are evil.

Two More Months Till My Social Life Goes Extinct

All of you who know me in real life will probably know that I don't have a TV in my bedroom. And it's not because I believe in having quality sleep (or sleep at all) at night, but rather because my dad simply did not allow me to have one in the bedroom.

I used to think that it was because TVs emitted unhealthy (insert type- X? ultra violet? gamma? micro?) rays which were bad for you. But I was wrong! Apparently the no-TV rule was only applicable for my school-going days because we needed to STUDY.

So I've been needlessly without a TV in my room for the past 8 years! Wah lau eh.

But anyways, the truth is out. The possibilities are endless.

Went out with SF yesterday to get a second controller for her wii. Many of the shops had demonstrations of the Xbox Kinect. My eyes were open to stuff that I never gave a shit about before in the past because I could not have them. Spent the entire afternoon playing wii dance and it was hilarious fun.

OMG.

All I need now is a TV, game console thing and a media player and I can say goodbye to my already non-existent social life! The only person I'll ever need to meet is LGG cos she is my BFF plus she gets a steady supply of movies and TV shows from Chris.

TV in room + media player + game console thing = extinct social life. Wah I better start meeting all my friends this year.

Music Moods

It's interesting how music can affect and enhance the mood that you're in. Soothing tunes relax you, quick beats perk you up, and depressing songs make you feel like it's the end of the world.

Strangely, I've been experiencing a deeper funk than I've felt in a while and listening to Adele's album definitely does not make things any better. Of course, the logical thing would be to stop listening to her songs and play something more chirpy- but.. her songs just resonate and maybe I'm being a sadist.

What A Waste Of A Perfectly Good Rainy Night

It's raining and this is perfect weather for sleeping. I'm wrapped up nice and snug in my blanket but instead of enjoying a blissful night sleeping, I'm wide awake. Argh.

This is what happens when you fall asleep watching a boring horror movie at a friends house and end up getting back home at 3am and then sleeping in till noon. And glugging a cup of coffee immediately after waking up because you'll be in photography class for who-knows-how-long (turned out to be 6 hours).

And to think I so proudly exclaimed on Friday that it was ok to screw up my sleeping cycle since I had a 4 day long weekend. Note to self: No it's not ok to screw up sleeping cycle. Ever.

Time to start counting sheep.

Stressed? Me?

The lady who I go for massages asked me if I'm very stressed at work. Apparently my back and neck muscles are really tight, and as soon as she manages to get them fairly pliable, the tension comes back again.

I don't know. I certainly don't think I'm stressed at work, at least not now. Peak period only starts next year. Perhaps it's all the traveling I've done, perhaps it's just poor ergonomically designed furniture in the office. Maybe it's time to get a new bed and pillow.

Many people have said that I ought tp get into yoga. All the sequences will help with posture, strengthening and stretching the muscles, but it's just so boring la. *pouts*

Oh well, let's see. Plus I'm rather averse to large classes and prefer to have lessons in small groups where you get a better instructor to student ratio. So if I am able to find a studio that I like, maybe. In the meantime I guess I'll have to practise being a rubber band at home and do my stretching as often as I can.

4 Day Weekend, Yo!

Decided to take today off, even though I didn't really have any plans. Might go for a swim, and a session of tuina, and then meet the girls for a drink.

Tempted to skip out of town for the next couple of days, but don't know where to go and it's a bit last minute to plan something. Malacca? Penang? KL? Batam? Bintan? Hmmm. Maybe.

Waiting, Waiting

Sometimes I catch myself waiting for an email or text message that I know will never come. I take a deep breath, and continue what I was doing before.

2 more months to the end of the year, and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly time just passes. While we wrap up 2011, I can't help but wonder what 2012 will bring.

The Bliss Of Sleeping In

I hadn't realised that today was a public holiday till Monday, so was very pleased to get a much needed mid-week break.

C mentioned that I neither look nor behave like a 30 year old, but I certainly do feel like it occasionally, especially when it comes to bedtime. Gone are the days of late nights and sleeping for only 3 hours before having to get up for work the next morning. These days, a "late night" is if I sleep at midnight. Oh, the shame!

Anyways, I indulged in a little mid-day nap today and how glorious it was! The clouds had started rolling in, the temperature was dropping with the gusts of wind that blew in through the window. Snugly wrapped in the warmth of my blanket, I drifted off to dreams of pies and lego men.

An hour and a half later, I'm on my way to get my muscles kneaded and my back pounded. Might head to Bishan Park after and enjoy a rainy day with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. Bliss.

Catching Up

Had a lovely time catching up with C tonight, the last time I saw the boy was probably 7-8 years ago! Dinner was at Sushi Tei at East Coast, and one of the advantages of driving (him, not me) is being able to go to out of the way places for food.

Not that Sushi Tei can't be found in town. Lol. (But East Coast is so nice now! I really need to go there more often.)

We had more than 10 years of conversation to catch up on, and updated each other on various aspects of our lives. Our families, marriages, kids, careers, and random childhood memories.

And it was very nice being able
to talk to someone who knows how it was like growing up where I did, and we had a right laugh when we remembered the poppy incident. *grin* Happy times.

Mid Month Updates

Ah, I've finally had time to take a breather after a hectic past couple of weeks. I'm finally done with the bulk of my work trips, one more at the end of the month and then it's HOLIDAYS!!!

Had an awesome birthday party, and much love to LGG and Metamorphoenix for organising everything. We had a tonne of food, even more booze, and the wonderful company of a bunch of friends who made me feel very, very blessed. And a party is not really a party if you don't end up singing Queen songs, which we did aplenty. I don't even remember how we got started, but suddenly everyone was belting out the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody and Killer Queen. Lol.

Managed to squeeze in a side trip to Borobudur during my last work trip as well, which was great cos now I can strike it off my list. It was quite an adventure too, with us waking up at 2am to take a car there, only to find that the driver thought he was supposed to come in the afternoon, and then finding a cab who was willing to drive for two and a half hours and back.

Borobudur at sunrise is beautiful, and I can understand why the photography teacher keeps emphasising on the right timing to take beautiful pictures. The lighting at such hours is just amazing, and with fewer tourists around, the pictures are also "cleaner" with no random people in the shots.

Had a lovely dinner with my sister at Lawry's and I can't stop gushing about how delicious their steaks are. Om nom nom nom. She also bought me the Baker's Edge brownie pan from when she was back in the States (I've been eyeing it for YEARS) so maybe I'll bake something for Matt's bbq later this evening. Heehee. Other birthday loot included a tonne of booze from the party (everyone came bearing gifts of vodka and wine), a lovely rose solid perfume (brilliant stuff!), a brand new army bag, and a camera bag to house my new baby. Oh! And the free birthday meals. *burp*

Anyway, there's no significant change in turning 30. Life goes on as usual- I'm not suddenly wiser (actually on the contrary, I think I've gotten a little dumber haha) and there are no life changing epiphanies. But what I do know is that life in the 30s will only get better, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

Almost There

I'm so glad I'm on the last leg of this trip and going back home tomorrow. I realised the other night that I've been working every single day since 19 September, Saturdays and Sundays included. How depressing. No wonder I'm exhausted!

Semarang is uninspiring, food-wise. We made our way to Kampong Laut last night for seafood, and it wasn't very impressive. Decided to have cake at the hotel lobby since we were so unsatisfied, and it was just as bad. Sigh.

Anyway. One more work trip at the end of the month and I'm done. Yay! Then 2 holidays (wheee!) in November and December, and then it'll be 2012. Wow. Time really passes by so fast.

Alright. Time to finish up breakfast and head on out for my appointments.

长大了

Somehow one usually equates turning older with getting wiser, but that's not necessarily true. Judging by how I managed to leave the house today with dripping wet hair, I'd say my IQ might have dropped a couple of points. (Yes, dripping. The back of my shirt is actually soaked now. Not damp. Soaked.)

Anyways. I'm finally in the same age band as LGG, and cannot officially use youth and it's accompanying stupidity as an excuse to, well, do anything stupid. I could, but then everyone would just roll their eyes. So I have no excuse for the wet hair, really.

Ideally I'd take the day off, but I have to be in the office as my event is tomorrow. Bummer. But that doesn't mean no celebrations tonight.

The girls have planned a party for me. My first! I usually just have dinner at home with family and meet friends for dinner and/or drinks. But I 长大了, and according to them, deserve to have a party to welcome me to the ranks.

A party! With food and booze and more food and even more booze (Apparently there will be 8 bottles of bubbly, red wine and white wine- each. 2 bottles of vodka. And a giant 1.8l bottle of sake. I'm scared). And all my friends. I feel so loved. *grin*

Of course, one of the advantages of hanging out with older friends is that I can never complain that I'm old (cos they are older hur hur) and I have seen how wonderful life can be. Not that I had any doubt, but it's exciting nonetheless.

So bring it on! I'm ready.

Random Toilet Observations

I just realised that I don't think I've ever seen a clean public toilet in India ever. Hmmm maybe at their airport.

Off To Not Mt Bromo

I'm still feeling kinda bummed that I don't have enough time or energy to go to Mt Bromo during this leg of the trip. According to everyone who has been there, it's spectacularly beautiful and is a must-see if you're in Surabaya.

Unfortunately, it requires an overnight stay- so that you can wake up at 4am (or whatever ungodly hour) to see a stunning sunrise. I'd have tried to squeeze a trip in by flying in a day earlier, but the back-to-back trips and the many concurrent events have left me with no choice but to leave a visit to the volcano on my to do list.

One more work trip, then back on 4th in time for my birthday (heh at least I will be in Singapore this year), my event on the 8th, then one more trip 9th. *gulp*

Ah well. Time to check in.

Huat Ah!

This is a bo liao post cos I'm in the office waiting for my temps to finish up and I've got nothing to do. (Or do I hmm..)

Anyway, was browsing around on FB and a friend posts a print-screen of an SMS he gets, saying that he won $2,000,000.00 USD in the lotto. And naturally, being the cock person that I am, I post a congratulatory message saying how lucky he is. A couple more people post similar comments, telling him that he needs to buy us dinner and basically celebrate.

Somehow in situations like this, there is always that one person that just Does. Not. Get. The. Joke. So this person basically tells us off and warns us that it's a spam message. And our "reaction"? One of fake shock and horror. And he still Does. Not. Get. It. and basically replies to say that we have to be careful in the future.

Lol.

Well, I'm sure it's all good intentions. But give us some credit la.

My New Baby

Whee! LGG and I bought our cameras today! We decided on getting a Nikon D3100, and a Tamrom 17-50mm f2.8 lens.

Happiness!

So the three grandmasters are heading to the zoo tomorrow and we're going to test out our new babies. I'm so excited!

Lovely

The past couple evenings in Jakarta have actually been really pleasant, with me catching up with SF over dinner on Monday and Tuesday at the Opus Cafe and Kitchenette (in Plaza Indonesia). I'm still tickled at the novelty of meeting up overseas, even though we didn't plan on being in Jakarta for work at the same time.

As usual, conversation about family, work, relationships and life in general just flowed and I think we must have scared some people off with our incessant cackling. And it was nice to people watch and just enjoy being there.

Bought some more fruits from the supermarket- pomelo and honeymelon, which saved me the trouble of having to go downstairs for the hotel breakfast buffet. I think it's wonderful to have breakfast in bed, I really ought to consider doing this more often.

Couple days more in Jakarta. Feels like I've been here forever though. Can't wait to get back home.

Eeks! Too Much Negativity

Ok, I'm going to counter my last few negative-y sounding posts with a positive post about dinner on Saturday.

Anyway, I posted on FB that I was going to be in Jakarta for the week, and Anthea pinged me to say that she was going to be in Jakarta too, and wanted to check if I had time to meet up. I had 2 presentations on Saturday, but was free in the evening, so made plans to have dinner with her.

After finally deciding on a meeting place, we had a lovely catch up over a healthy fruit salad (fruits + granola + yogurt = brilliance) and pasta. It's been ages since I last met her, and we had plenty to talk about. She updated me on her trip to Italy (I wanna go too!!!), I updated her on what happened the last time I was in India (OMG), and basically got each other up to speed.

Did a spot of grocery shopping where I bought some pomelo (OMG so good) and mango (meh), a pack of seaweed to munch on, and some hot chocolate (which came in very handy when I was too sick to go out for a meal). Already, all the fruits are gone (have I mentioned how good the pomelos were?) and I'm down to my last couple of packs of seaweed. I need to stock up. Heh.

Anyway, one more week in Jakarta and then back home for a couple of days before setting off for Surabaya again. First work trip with NewBoss too (need to think of a nickname). Let's see how it goes.

Sick

I'm quite sick of myself falling sick everytime I leave the country. Seriously, is my immune system so shite now that once I leave the relatively clean and sparkly lands of Singapore, my body starts to shut down in protest?

Bleh.

Destruction of choice over the weekend: migraine coupled with a cough. Imagine having a constant throbbing headache which only got worse each time my throat decided to tickle. Each cough left me feeling like my head was going to explode, and my eye balls pop out. Gah.

Thank god for painkillers and more painkillers.

Ah well, a week more to go and I'll be back home. (Dear Universe, please make me well again ASAP. Thanks!)

I Hate Packing

If I had to choose between packing my bags and taking a nap, I'd go for the nap. Unfortunately, I don't have enough time to take a nap and actually need to head to the airport soon. Blech. And of course, instead of packing (or napping), here I am blogging about how I don't want to pack. Amazing how much of a procrastinator I am, isn't it? Then again, on the flip side, one could say I work very well under pressure. It's all a matter of perspective.

Anyway, I suddenly remembered a blogger I used to follow in 2006 or 2007- Debutaunt- and did some searching around online. I was sad to read that she passed on in 2009, although it wasn't that big of a surprise, considering she had been diagnosed with leukemia. It made me think about all the blogs I used to read last time, and I wonder what these bloggers (ex-bloggers?) are doing now.

It's funny, reading a blog. After a while you feel like you know the blogger, especially those that write about stuff that goes on in their lives. You feel happy for them when they fall pregnant, you feel indignant when they write about cheating spouses, you ooh and aah over pictures of their children and pets.

And sometimes I wonder who reads this little space of mine. Based on the comments I get occasionally, it's definitely not just me. Lol. So hello there, whoever is reading this, and thanks for stopping by. Maybe I should pack my bags now.

Woah

Was just reading a private blog entry from September 2009. This was during a time when my frequent trips to India seemed to be a mirror of what had happened recently to LGG. The whirlwind intensity of it all. Even the stuff we said and did. It was quite uncanny.

"... I refuse to believe that it will end the same way. I refuse to believe that he will be a callous bastard who wants me there at his convenience, unwittingly breaking my heart when he refuses to commit."

Wah. I guess I was wrong. Was too optimistic back then.

Anyway, it's so interesting to read my old blog entries (and I have *so* many blogs?!). So many things that I don't remember anymore. Amazing how the brain conveniently forgets things and how the written word is like a time capsule- capturing the thoughts and feelings of that specific time.

Almond Butter

I've been talking about making nut butters for the longest time (think peanut butter but with other nuts) and today I finally did it. This is what happens when a planned photoshoot gets cancelled because of rainy weather, and you're too lazy to go out or do anything else.

Making your own nut butters is ridiculously easy. And the best part is that it's 100% natural, so you know that no preservatives go in it. A perfect excuse to finish it all up quickly. Not that you need an excuse, it's that yummy.

You get to control the amount of salt and oil that you use (I didn't use any, and yet my almond butter glistens oh so deliciously), and also the consistency. Do you like it chunky or creamy?

Anyway, here are the ingredients for the almond butter.

Ingredients:
Almonds

I kid you not. Ok, as mentioned above, you can add some salt to taste and use a bit of oil to make the whole thing smoother. But all you need are almonds (or the nuts of your choice) and a blender.

Instructions:
Put almonds in blender. Blend until the almonds become almond butter. Listen to November Rain in the meantime.

Yup, that's it. No fancy steps. Just a press of the button, the occasional opening of the lip to scrape down the sides, and the lyrics to November Rain so you can sing along while waiting.

When the song is done, you're pretty much about done. Stop if you like the consistency, keep blending if you like it smoother and creamier. Ta da!

Wanted: BFF

Applications are open.

This Will Pass

It's one of those days.

Things seem bleak, and one gradually sinks into melancholy and despondence.

There's no trigger, nothing I can pinpoint to explain this dark cloud over my head. There's no logical explanation either. None that comes to mind anyway.

Ah well. It will pass. Sooner than later, I hope.

Photoshop?

Apparently HY thinks that I photoshop my pics. Grandmaster Macro don't photoshop no shit, yo!

(Mostly cos I don't have photoshop. And I'd probably be too lazy even if i got it. Haha.)

The pictures that are up on my flickr account are straight out of camera, so what you see is what you get. No touching up, no colour management, not even cropping. Yeh my composition is that awesome, yo!

It would be interesting to see how much more awesome my pictures can get if I did decide to do some photoshopping. Bet they will blow your mind.

Oh Hai. I Has Flickr Account.

I'm so pleased. I've finally managed to figure out how to convert RAW format files to JPGs and how to upload the pictures onto flickr.

My shots aren't that impressive, but as the teacher likes to say, we are all here to learn. Get the basics right and worry about everything else later.

Anyway, still haven't decided what camera to buy. Hmmm. Will do more research when I'm in the office. Maybe I should put a camera and lens as part of my birthday request? Heehee.

Stressed

Argh! HY and LGG have uploaded their pictures on flickr already! So fast, dammit.

Personal Ads?

Since alkee are now perpetually joined at the hip, LGG and I have taken to looking for a new BFF (see previous post).

LGG says:
maybe we should also do it like a personal ad

bon says:
LOLOLOL

LGG says:
YOU ARE an adventurous independant chef who loves to spoil your friends
WE ARE two lonely hearts looking for companionship
HAHAHHAHAHAHAAA

bon says:
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LGG says:
wah i bet if i put an online personal ad i sure get a lot of responses
so clever i am

bon says:
wats our old account

LGG says:
what old acct
we have an old acc?

bon says:
for craigslist

LGG says:
OH
crap
lol aiyah just use one of our numerous email adds
looking4chingaling@
HAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAA!

Wanted: New BFF

Requirements:
Cooks well and enjoys cooking alone in the kitchen while LGG and I watch TV.
Likes watching random reality TV shows.
Likes eating vegetables.
Enjoys traveling and is not a fussy traveller. Able to pay for own expenses. Loves the mountains.
Loves Zoolander and can quote verbatim while watching repeatedly with LGG and I.
Does not require the company of BFFs when shopping.
Able to withstand non-stop caffeine-laden conversations and still love LGG and I after.
Ability to hold multi-party whatsapp and MSN conversations an advantage.
Ability to booze not essential, but must be willing to learn. Access to free booze, a distinct advantage.
Access to the igloo hotel


Apply only if you know what we are talking about. Please submit photos of self on holiday, plus an updated CV on friends and hobbies.

Lights, Camera, Action!

We've finished our basic photography lessons and have now moved on to learning about various aspects of art photography. So far, we're learning about realism photography and landscape photography.

Had an intensive full-day class today, starting with a photo shoot outing at the Guan Yin temple, and then theory lessons on landscape photography. (We had our theory lessons on realism photography last week.)

The photo shoot was very interesting, and I got to learn a lot more about exposure and lighting today. Also got to play around with Alvin's cameras- his Olympus dslr and pen. I likey.

It's amazing how much more control you get when you use a dslr. Coupled with my new found knowledge in adjusting exposure and the like, I really got a chance to experience first hand why people would opt for this instead of a normal point-and-shoot camera.

The landscape theory class was also very eye-opening, especially when the teacher showed us various pictures that he has taken over the years. Respect. His pictures are ridiculously beautiful and it really humbles and makes you feel honoured to be taking lessons from him.

Although his class dragged on for six hours (yes, six), he gave very good pointers on taking landscape photographs. And his passion and enthusiasm for photography is quite contagious, you leave the class tired and drained but so excited to practise what he has just taught you.

Now all I need to do is figure out what camera and lens to buy. Hmmm.

Of A Time Now Past

Ooh one of the wonderful things about finding my old HDD is that I now have all the music that I saved from the past. I've not heard these songs in years!

Funny how you associate music with certain memories. Listening to these songs bring me back to a time when life was simpler. Everything seemed to be so innocent, carefree and hopeful. What happened?

A Judge Of Character

Was IMing with Z today who was telling me about this girl he had gotten engaged to. He showed me her facebook profile page, and based on her pictures and some comments she left on his pages, I "summarised" what I thought about her.

Mind you, I've never met this girl and I've never met Z in person before either. Although we have known each other since 2008 or 2009, all of our communications have been purely online. We do chat quite a fair bit though, and have the occasional long conversation about life and love.

Anyway, I said she looked like a nice and sweet girl, but seemed prone to having inreasonable tantrums that came as and when, depending on her mood. And I said he was probably really patient with her, and was probably able to reason things out with her, so it works out well for them. And I think he was surprised at how I managed to accurately deduce all that, just based on a couple of pictures.

Hmm, I guess I've always been able to quite accurately tell what kind of person one is by looking at their pictures. Perhaps it's being able to read certain facial expressions or body language? I don't know.

Interestingly, I saw a recently uploaded picture of someone this afternoon and commented to LGG that I didn't think this particular guy was good looking anymore. In fact, after my chat with Z, I relooked at that picture, and realised that not only did he cease to be good looking, there was also a slight touch of deceit or untrustworthiness there.

Anyways. Maybe I'm just psychic. Lol.

Grandmasters, We Are

After 2 weeks of basic photography classes, LGG, HY and I have decided that 1) we will hold our photography exhibition next year 2) we'll eventually be Grandmasters so might as well own the title now.

So LGG is now Grandmaster Realism, HY is now Grandmaster Landscape, and I am Grandmaster Macro. Just like how there are different Iron Chefs, ya'know. Lol.

Of course, first we actually need to buy our cameras. Haha.

And that's what GMR and I have been obsessing about these days. With our new-found knowledge, we now understand what those pesky little numbers mean whenever people start talking about cameras and lenses.

F stops, focal length, shutter speed, depth of field, exposure, metering.. The phrases roll off our tongues now. (Usually in a question like, "What f stop and shutter speed should we use ah?" But at least it's photography-speak!)

We've been doing our research, and will probably buy second-hand DSLRs for the time being. It's exciting though, exploring all the possibilities that await us. We're gonna take the photography world by storm!

Flashback!

Wah I just found my old HDD which stored all my pictures from Way Back When. Including my wedding pictures. I haven't seen them in yonks and I thought I deleted all of them.

Looking through all the albums, I've realised that something about me hasn't changed: majority of the pictures that I keep are food pics. Lol.

Happiness Is Planning A Family Trip

Whee! Just got an SMS from my mom saying that my dad has agreed to go for a holiday in Perth this November!

Since my sis will be moving to the States at the end of the year, she really wanted to make a trip to Australia to see my brother and his little ones. And the only time she is able to do so in between work trips is in November, so we thought it'd be nice to have a family holiday together.

The last time we went on a trip with my dad must have been ages ago- when we did a trip to Ipoh. Eating all day long and visiting the stables. Lol.

How exciting! November may not be the best time for my brother and his wife (it's still school term) but ok la. We'll take what we can get.

Yay!

Om... Nom Nom Nom

Lol I'm so tickled. Decided to also change the subheader of my blog.

Mobile Template For Blog

Enabled it. Just because.

Heh.

Gulp

Was reading my old blog and came across this entry- http://bunnygoeszen.livejournal.com/6744.html

That was written in 2006.

Have I been working for 8 years already?! I feel so old.

More Bo Liao Conversations

Was chatting with babycakes today and somehow decided to start comparing medications. We both fell sick after the Malacca weekend, each happily blaming each other for falling ill.

"You lah! You sneezed on Friday night!"
"No but I only sneezed once! Your nose was dripping the whole day on Saturday! And you started coughing too!"
"But if you didn't sneeze, I wouldn't have caught anything from you!"
"Eh you ate two bowls of laksa in a day!"

Lol. So today we whipped out our plastic bags full of different pills, and had this exchange:

"Paracetamol for fever?"
"I also have."
"Hmm this one is to open up the airways."
"Mine is for sorethroat."
"Oh I don't have. What about antibiotics? Mine is xyz (I forget now)."
"Have, but mine is abc (another kind),"
"Ooh this one is to stop running nose. It makes you drowsy."
"Yup, but mine is different colour."
"Wah yours looks nicer. And my last one is cough syrup."
"Oh my last one is lozenges. No cough syrup."

Super bo liao. And of course it only just occurs to me now that blogging about this bo liao conversation is even more bo liao. So I think I shall end. Heh.

Happy Teachers' Day!

Wow who would have thought September would roll around so soon? Time really flies. The year has really been a roller coaster one for me, but I'm glad things are pretty much settling down. I hope.

And it's teachers' day today! Could have been my day if I had accepted the offer of a teaching contract with MOE way back in 2004. Imagine how much different my life would have turned out! Lol.

(Somehow an image of a frazzled me wearing food stained clothes and chalk marts on the butt of my black pants come to mind. Hahahaha.)

Anyway, to all you teachers out there, have a great day and keep on doing the good work!

Trust

Why do I always end up with people who break my trust in them? Is it me? Do I subconsciously choose or seek out a certain type or pattern?

At least in some relationships, romantic ones for example, you get to choose the person you want to be with (or do you? The heart doesn't choose who to love. Hmm). But in other relationships, you don't always have that choice.

Yet time and time again, I find the trust I place in certain people just get misplaced and abused.

It's quite annoying, really. People suck.

Photography 101

Can't seem to fall asleep despite taking the drowsy meds, so shall blog about the photography class that I've been going for.

Alvin has apparently been learning photography from this guy for the past three years or so, and has been waxing lyrical about how skillful his teacher is. Since LGG and a couple of friends were interested in going for class, I decided why not.

We were warned, though, that lessons would be taught in Chinese. *gulp*

Got the contact number of the teacher and somehow I was tasked to make arrangements for the class. Me? Speaking Chinese?! Here's how the conversation went.

me: Hello, 请问你是 Alvin 的 photography 老师吗？(so far so good) 我是他的朋友。我们想跟你学... (pause cos I didn't know the word for photography)
teacher: 哦！你是 Alvin 的朋友！对，他有跟我说你们要来学 (dammit I didn't catch the word for photography! He is speaking too fast!)
me: 是的
teacher: bla bla bla (something about how he doesn't normally teach basic photography cos he usually teaches advanced stuff.. but cos of Alvin he will teach us..)
me: 哦！谢谢！(pause cos I could not think of anything else to say)
teacher: bla bla bla (something about how the students he teaches are winning awards..)
me: 是吗？很好啊。(OMG this conversation seems to be going waaaaay off tangent.)
teacher: bla bla bla (still going on about ... hmmm I stopped listening)
me: 哈哈哈 (polite laughter cos I have absolutely no idea what he is saying)
teacher: bla bla bla .. 上课..
me: (oh did he say something about class? I try my luck..) 我们想在下个星期四上课,可以吗？
teacher: 星期四？让我看一看.. 应该没问题。我还有 bla bla bla (something about other students who will be joining the class too)
me: 可以 (what did I just agree to?!)
teacher: bla bla bla (again I think he is telling me about him not teaching basics.. but I'm not sure)
me: 是吗？哈哈哈 (the only response I know)
teacher: bla bla bla (he talks a lot)
me: 哈哈哈，可以。(again, not sure what I'm agreeing to)
teacher: bla bla bla .. 你给我你的 email, 我再给你我的地址。
me: 好的，我现在 sms 你。(yay! conversation finally over!)
teacher: bla bla bla (?!?!?!)
me: 哈哈哈，好的，我现在 sms 你。BYEBYE!
teacher: ok, byebye
me: *phew* (I survived!)

Anyway, that's how I fumbled along trying to arrange for the class. The entire conversation took a good 20 minutes. A lot of "哈哈"s and "好的"s and "可以"s from my end. *hangs head in shame*

Later, the teacher sends me a looooong email (written in Chinese omg) to confirm the dates and times, and all I could come up with to reply was "可以". Lol I even forgot to thank him, where have my manners gone?!

More on the actual class in another post. Lol.

Eid Mubarak

It's that time of the year again where Muslims around the world celebrate the end of Ramadan.

I was on my way back home, and got into the lift with a family who was probably visiting some relatives in the same block. Just watching them made me feel a slight tinge of nostalgia- I do miss the house visiting, matching bajus and gorging on goodies all day long.

(Actually I probably just miss the food. Lol.)

Ah well, to all my Muslim friends: Eid Mubarak! May your year be filled with many blessings. And, let me know when your open house is so I can go makan, boleh?

Health Is Wealth

Haiz, my immune system is shite, judging by the increasing frequency and severity of each bout of illness.

In just the past three months, I've had a chest cough / infection while I was in Perth, a stomach infection leading to delirium-causing fevers when I was in India, and now post-Malacca I'm battling an adult onset asthma attack.

Is it even possible to get asthma so late in life? *shrugs*

I wonder what I should do to help improve my health. Umfortunately good health has always been something one takes for granted. Might need to go see a TCM doctor and see what he says.

But anyway, as JM so aptly put (6 years ago): I'm not getting any younger, you know.

Burp

OMG I think it's a uniquely Singaporean ability to constantly be able to stuff one's face.

We arrived in Malacca and headed to some roadside shop to have satay celup- various skewers of fishballs, meat, fishcakes, seafood, you tiao etc cooked in a simmering pot of satay sauce. OMG sedap sia!

In the morning we had nonya laksa, then A&W for lunch (coney dogs, how I've missed you) and assam laksa for dinner with a bit of rojak and chendol. Slurp.

Did the touristy thing and headed to a'famosa, and also took neoprints at the mall. Ended the day prowling Jonker Walk for knick knacks to buy.

All in all a tiring but highly satisfying day. Chicken rice balls tomorrow!

Leaving On A .. Bus

Whee! We're off to Malacca tonight! Chicken rice balls and chendol, here I come!

But first I've got to survive the countless meetings and appointments that plague my day today. It's inhumane, I say, to make people work on Fridays.

Anyway, babycakes (new nick! no more slutty lol), XY and Mich will be heading up tonight and crashing at Mich's aunts place. Free accomodation is always da bomb. Imagine an entire weekend of stuffing face.. oh wait, I do that most weekends already. Hehehe.

We'll be back on Sunday night, despite Tuesday being a public holiday. Don't think a leave application for the 4 of us on Monday would be approved. Plus I have my photography class (which I'll blog about later).

Happiness!

This Is Why I'm Not A Doctor

Was telling EYS about my snow-not-snow moment and he used the word "precipitation". Me? I just call it frozen waters from the sky. Lol.

Whiskey Appreciation 101

Ok I'm officially turning into an uncle.

Met up with Alfred to have dinner and check out cameras at Funan. The camera I'm eyeing only costs $629 with free 8GB memory card, extra battery, camera casing and mini tripod! I was going to buy it but Alvin suggested I borrow Rod's camera and play around with it first before deciding on a purchase, so I guess that's wht I'll do first.

Then met up with EYS and had some beers and shisha and had a nice evening chatting and dispensing advise (me not him) about not worrying too much about screwing one's kid's life.

Conversation went on to how I've not actually learnt to appreciate whiskey (bleh) and somehow we ended up back home and sampling some of the whiskeys in his collection. Something about peaty whiskeys vs non-peaty whiskeys. Yawn.

Spent more time playing with Vanilla and Caramel, his two retriever-poodles.

So the whiskeys he let me try were smooth and easy on the throat, but I don't think I'll be stocking up on my Glenfiddichs or wadyacallems any time soon.

But man, am I turning into an uncle or what?

Sibeh Bo Liao

Sometimes I think the conversations that we have are seriously bo liao lor. Was chatting with Rod and disussing how "old" the collective sexual experience that he, LGG and I have. So we did a count.

me: OMG our collective sexual experience is 55 years!!
Rod: Fark! Our sexual experience can take CPF liao lor!

Lololololololol.

Being Carefree

One of the happiest feelings in the world, I reckon, is that carefree joy that you feel while lolling about in bed, knowing that you don't have to go to the office and have the rest of the day ahead to do absolutely nothing.

I was in that state of pure bliss, literally rolling from side to side in my bed, silly smirk and grin on my face when my mom walks in.

mom: It's 8am
me: Yep!
mom: You're on leave today?
me: No? ... Oh. It's Friday huh.

*cue sinking feeling*

Lol. So anyway, here I am in the office, experiencing what must be the second most happy feeling in the world- the rush of caffeine to the system. Slurp.

I Want, I Want, I Want

Oh no. Is it that time of the year where I start hankering for new toys? My latest obsession- digital cameras. Yikes. I have a perfectly fine digital camera that takes decent pictures, but yet I still want to get a new one.

Plus, we'll be going for photography classes soon so I might as well get a new toy and learn how to use it, right?

*breathes*

About Ladakh

I know, I know. I said that I'd write more about Ladakh, but I'm just so lazy. So everyone, please just head over to TFP's page and read his account there. He has a better description anyway, and I've already uploaded the pics and blogged about the important (to me) bits of the trip. Lol.

Malacca next weekend. Mmm chicken rice balls.

It's Just A Technical Difference Lah

After showing everyone a picture of what I thought was snow, I've been told that it wasn't snow, but probably sleet. Apparently snow is soft. Chey.

Same same, I say. Frozen water from the skies is frozen water from the skies. Pfft!

Home Sweet Home

After one and a half months of traveling in and out of India, I'm so glad that I'm finally done. Phew.

One of the best feelings in the world, I reckon, must be taking a shower immediately upon reaching home, and giving myself a good thorough scrubbing to get rid of the accumulated India-dust on the skin. My skin feels like it's finally clean again, and soaks up all the moisturiser that's been slathered on.

Spent the entire day at the Delhi airport yesterday. Arrived from Leh at about 8.20am and my flight to Singapore was at 11.30pm. Since I was already OD-ed on India, I decided not to join TFP as he made his way around Old Delhi.

Watched Community (both seasons of) and filled my tummy with coffee and cake. It was actually quite pleasant to just sit back and do nothing. Lol.

Alright. Time to zzz. Will update more later.

Soon!

At the airport waiting to board the plane back. Omg I can't wait to get back home.

Last Day In Ladakh

Spending a lazy day just nua-ing and doing absolutely nothing. How pleasant.

Happiness!!!

1. Plucked a radish. One of  the advantages of having a garden at the guesthouse. Sure it's not a tapioca, but it's bigger and I reckon much harder to yank out of the ground. Wahey!

2. Took a camel ride shadow pic. Went on a camel safari in Hunder and managed to get a snap. Whee!

3. I SAW SNOW!!! There was a traffic jam near the Khardung La. My window was open and I noticed these little white balls (that looked like mini melts) falling in through the window. Stepped out and IT WAS SNOWING!!! :D:D:D:D:D

.. More on my trip when I'm back in Singapore.

Ladakh

Yippie!!! I'm here!!! To do list for today- explore bazaar (done), explore old town (soon, after it stops raining), book taxi for trip to Nubra Valley and Panggong Lake (in progress).

Happiness is being on holiday. :D

Done!

Ahh I'm finally done with all my work trips in India, and now getting ready to check out of my hotel in Dehradun and head to the airport. Flight to Delhi and stay there for a night, and then onwards to Ladakh!

I do hope I have enough money with me. Yikes. I didn't really think through carefully about how much money I'd need, so I don't know if the money that I've got on hand will suffice. Will probably call the guesthouse when I'm there, and ask her for an estimate.

I'm excited. How often does one get to go to one of the world's most beautiful places?

Food Cravings

Having been traveling in and out of India for the past month and a half, each time I'm here, I just crave non-Indian food.

Reading Sus' blog and how she had chilli crab and Jumbo, and my mouth waters. I waaaant. Plus I've not had my previous durian craving satisfied (why ah?). Sigh.

I'm not normally so whiny when it comes to food, and am usually quite easily pleased. As long as it's tasty, I'm a happy camper. And Indian food is definitely high up on the tasty list. It's just.. bad associations? Who knows.

Spent the day in the hotel today playing this game. Could have gone out for a walk but I've seen most of Dehradun in the couple of days I've been here (it's really a small town) and it's too hot out to walk around.

Back to Delhi tomorrow. I'm doing my research online for some nice restaurants to eat at (haha, non-Indian of course) and then off to Ladakh on Sunday. Woot!

One Day In Dehradun

And so far, I like it.

Dehradun is rather undeveloped, compared to the other cities that I have travelled to. The plants along the sides of the roads are overgrown, there are cows and monkeys and dogs running on the street (well, not the cows), it's crowded but has a simple and blast-to-the-past vibe to the place. Sort of reminds me of Goa, minus the beaches and throngs of ang moh tourists.

Checked in, took a quick shower, and left the hotel for my appointments. After I was done, I drove to Clement Town and visited the buddhist monastery there. There were quite a number of Tibetans there, walking around the stupa chanting with their prayer beads in hand. It also seemed like a place for Indians to hang out- you could see couples sitting here and there on the grassy patches. (No Amorous Activities Please, said the many signs around the place. Hehehe.)

I spoke to a Tibetan guy who was sort of a caretaker for the temple. I said the only Tibetan I remember (tu chi chieh- which means thank you) and he was so happy he took me on a mini tour of the place. :D

Got back to the hotel with every intention of exploring the area, but zzz. I took a shower, got into my sleeping clothes and now I'm all ready for bed. It's still early in India, only 9pm, but my body is in Singapore time (11.30pm). My allergy is flaring up and my lips are all red and swollen now, I wonder what I ate.

Think I'll log off and go to bed. Zzz.

Good News

Congratulations Alkee!!! Finally hold hands, no need to wait till year end. Wheee! So happy for you both. :D:D:D

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go

2 hours before I have to leave for the airport. My bags are packed (amazingly), and I have a sticky date pudding in the oven. I'm still undecided on whether I should take a nap now, or just stay up till it's time to leave.

Crazy schedule for the first day of my trip. I fly at 2am Singapore time, land at 5am India time, reach the hotel at 6.30am, leave at 7am for a 2 hour drive to my 9am appointment. Gah.

Anyway, highlight of this trip is finishing all my work visits to India and rewarding myself with a quick getaway to Ladakh. Whee! Will be meeting TFP in Delhi and taking the flight to Leh together.

Don't really have much expectations of the trip, except that I think Ladakh is going to be breathtakingly beautiful. Hope my camera can do the place justice.

Ok. I think I'm going to take a quick nap. Zzz.

Shoot Me, Please

I'm off to India again tomorrow night, and I'm wondering if I should do a Daren. Based on my last trip where I constantly ordered pizza for dinner, I'm quite certain that I'm off Indian food. I still think it's tasty, but perhaps all the negative association I have with India has made me feel rather meh about their cuisine. I certainly wasn't able to finish my idly for breakfast the last time I was in Bangalore. Lol.

So what's doing a Daren?

During one of my first work trips to India in 2009, I traveled with a colleague (the aforementioned Daren) who brought bei bei mian and luncheon meat and canned sardines. He refused to eat anything outside the hotel (in fact, the only hotel food he ate was the hotel breakfast) and even with all his Singapore-brought instant foods, he fell sick. It was rather embarrassing.

Knowing that I'll be in India for a full two weeks now feels like more of a chore (despite the fact that half of it will be my holiday, lol) and I'm worried I'll be miserable about the food situation. So I'm contemplating bringing a stash of bei bei mian, in case I get sick of the food.

Who would have thought I'd come to this, eh? Lol.

I Have The Most Awesome Friends In The World!!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaah alkee are coming to bring me lunch!!! lovelovelovelovelove

Bored

Am at a school fair today at the faaaaaar end of Singapore and it took me forever to get here by cab. By the time I arrived I was 40 minutes late (of course, I left 10 minutes before I was supposed to be here haha) but thankfully I'm alone so no one to tell on me.

It's only 11am and I'm bored. The fair started at 9am and supposedly ends at 4pm. O M G what am I going to do for the next 5 hours? Thankfully, I have my laptop so I can entertain myself by surfing the net and chatting on MSN.

Yawn.

In God's Hands

I heard about your loss today. And I cannot imagine the amount of pain and the immense sense of grief that you and your family must be experiencing.

I don't know what to say, but I wish you strength to get through this difficult time, and to come out of it with grace and hope. It's hard to understand why your little one was taken away so soon, but trust that she is in a better place now.

Al fateha.

Not Again

Sick. Again.

Have a flu which means running nose, watery eyes and non stop sneezing. Argh.

It's Not Just Me!

Ah ha! Here's the extended video of the AHS school song, and at the end bit everyone said they didn't understand the school song cos it's so cheem. Ha! So it's not just me. Wahahahaha.

And a tribute to the old principal, Mr Moo. Yep, AHS is damn cheena. I have absolutely no idea how I survived. Hehehe, but survive I did! Nostalgic sia.

Free Wifi Is Always A Good Thing

At the airport in Bangalore waiting for my flight home, and I can't wait to leave this place. Actually, apart from the sobfest when I arrived, things have been quite alright.

Went to Peco's, Harry's, Couch, and Koshy's, and also discovered a new coffee place (which I forget the name) that has free wi fi. Did a bit of shopping too, and got me a pair of jeans and 4 t-shirts for cheap, so that was pretty nice.

Decided it was quite pointless to meet up with him. He got in touch, saying he read my blog and knew I was in town, and asked to meet up and maybe explain.

Explain? What's to explain?

And later, he said it would be good to get some closure. And when I asked, closure for you? He said yeah. Wah lau eh, self centered much? He also made a comment which made me just go wide eyed, saying that he knew I just wanted to punish him. Lol. I'm not that bo liao leh.

Perhaps if he had said something along the lines of, let's try to be friends or let's both get some closure, I might have been compelled to meet up. But.. he didn't. In fact, he came across as someone who felt guilty and just wanted to make himself feel better. Sigh.

Wanting closure or wanting to explain came three months too late. If there was any sincerity in what he was saying or doing, he would have gotten in touch earlier, rather than when I was conveniently in town.

So I chose a lazy evening in bed instead, chatting with my friends on MSN and generally being amazed at how he thought everything was about him.

.. Anyway, one more work trip to India and I'm done. Phew!

15 More Days!

Countdown. Ooh yeah.

I Dream Of Liu Lian

OMG what's with everyone having durian last night? While chatting, TFP was happily stuffing his face with at least 5 whole durians (me: 5 durian seeds? TFP: no, 5 durians).

Then later on, Jeanne tells me she was so so so so full cos she had just come back from the Ion of durian places. Plus, a couple more FB status messages about durian, durian, durian. Is it durian season now?

Well, whatever the reason, all this talk of durian is making me crave it so bad, I actually dreamt of eating durian last night. Yum. Food dreams are the best. Lol. So everyone, wait for me!!! I waaaaant!!!

My Dog Died

That's what I told the driver as he looked at me with great concern. He was wondering why I was crying in the back of the car, concluded that I was not feeling well and wanted to bring me to the hospital.

Sigh.

Being back in Bangalore is tougher than I expected. Much tougher. I feel like I'm smack at the beginning. The pain is so raw. Everything triggers the waterworks. It's hard to breath. And I just want to disappear and fade away.

As the car drove down the highway, I see the familiar sights. The billboards. The cafe coffee day. The petrol kiosks.

Random thoughts fill my mind. I want to tell the driver to take a detour. I want to drive to his place and see if his car is parked there. I want to call him. I want to meet him. I want..

I just want the pain to end.

But it's pointless. Logical-me knows it won't achieve anything. And what will I say anyway? Thanks for breaking my heart. Thanks for lying about everything. Thanks for making me believe that what we had was special. Thanks for shattering all of that.

Ah well. Life goes on. It does. I just wish I didn't have to be here right now.

Guess What's Baking?

I've got a nutella bread pudding baking in the oven now. So pleased. Got the idea when Carol posted a picture of someone's bread pudding, and since I have made bread pudding before (well my mom has, same same), how could I resist a nutella version of the stuff? Slurp.

Recipe was easy enough to modify, less sugar and coat the bread with nutella. Let's hope it turns out well. Lol, so instead of packing for my work trip, I'm at home baking. How efficient. Heehee.

[ETA: OMG MY HOUSE SMELLS SO DELICIOUS.]

Boys And Their Toys

Ooh was chatting with TFP who was telling me about a nifty little toy he had just purchased over the weekend (or was it last week). It's a portable wifi router thingamajig, and from what I gather, all you need to do is plug it in to a LAN cable and ta da! Wifi in the room!

How exciting! Wifi! In the room! And since I was going for another work trip, I asked if he would lend it to me so I could try it out. If it was simple enough to use, and if it worked, I'd probably get one of my own.

I read the manual and while it wasn't as simple as I thought it was going to be (TFP used the word "configuration"; whereas I thought it was just plug and go), I'm sure I'm smart enough to figure it out. So if I'm on whatsapp tonight, you'll know it works! (Or that the hotel room already has wifi haha).

So wish me luck, and connectivity. Whee!

100 Day Cough

Oh man, I'm still coughing and it's been SO long. Not sure if this is the 100 day cough, but if it is, then I've got a really long time to go before I'm totally well.

*cough*

Anyway, now I'm tempted to ask Rodney for some of his magic cough mixture. Apparently it's really good. But till then, I guess I better get some rest. Being sick sucks.

Delhi Summarised (Really Badly)

Am feeling a little lazy so shall write in point form.

- driver took me to a place called 1 Cafe Lounge so I could have my lunch. It was a nice place, with club-y music, a crowd that looked like they were college kids, and relatively decent food. Oh and shisha too (although they called it hookah). Not one of the cheapest places, but it was decent, and it allowed me to have a couple of hours on my own.
- started writing. In a journal. Pen on paper. And it was interesting. Might want to keep that up.
- could barely finish my meal though, nothing seemed to sit well in my tummy.
- the next day, a different driver takes me to THE SAME PLACE for lunch. Methinks they get a commission bringing customers.
- had another shisha and wrote some more.
- managed to finish my lunch this time.
- eventually made my way to Terminal 3 to check in for my flight. The new terminal is huuuuge and pretty impressive. The only thing lacking was that there was no free wifi- you'd need to have an Indian mobile number to get 20 free minutes. I was tempted to try it with my local sim card, but it was late and no one I wanted to chat with would be online anyways.
- plus I wasn't sure if I could get free internet again when I come back in August- so decided to save it for later. TFP might want to blog at the airport so can always let him use my sim card to log in lol.
- lots of food, lots of shops, lots of wide open space. Probably the first time in Delhi that I didn't feel how densely populated the country was.
- T3 reminded me of Changi Airport and I found out later it's because they poached all the CAAS folks to work there. No wonder la.

.. Next trip to Bangalore. Bleh.

Bombay Bombings, Getting Lucky and Utter Lies

I'm back in Singapore and thanks to everyone who was worried that I might have been in Bombay during the bombings yesterday. I guess those worried do not read this space (otherwise they would have known my destination haha) so the thanks here is actually quite pointless. Hur hur. But anyways.

Took the red eye flight back from Delhi and was lucky enough to be seated near an empty row. As soon as the announcement that all doors were locked, I pounced on the empty seats and smugly waited till the plane took off.

Made myself comfortable and lay down, cancelled my in flight meal and got ready to take a nap. Managed to catch a couple of zzzs but woke up midway and watched some episodes of The Big Bang Theory in between dozing off. And I must say I was very, very lucky as I think I was the only one who got to lie down on the flight back. Not including first class people I guess.

What tickled me, though, was that none of the air stewardesses covered me tenderly (or otherwise) with a blanket as I prepared to settle down for the night. What happened to all the ads that I've seen? Were they all lies? Lol.

Ah well, it's good to be back. Now all I've got to do is collect my luggage and I can head back to home sweet home.

Will write more about Delhi and the pretty awesome Terminal 3 later.

Some Positivity

Apparently people are complaining that I'm being too whiny. On my blog. My happiness blog. Lol. So I have decided to write a blog entry with a little bit of positivity, and also to help pass time (it's too early to sleep).

One of the plus sides to having a non-stop fever is the flushed face. No need to use any blush! And it's all natural too. And you physically exude warmth. Lol.

When you look as miserable and sick as I do (but still cute, thanks to the flushed face), everyone treats you that much nicer. The waiter at the breakfast place this morning offered to bring food up to my room, because I barely finished the slice of bread on my plate.

And the shivering and aching pains aside, it's actually quite trippy to be sick. Wobbling down the corridor to my room was an adventure, and trying to recognise my door was a challenge. At least it put my brain to good use. Lol. No more taking my (already pathetic) sense of balance for granted!

36 more hours to endure and I'll be home, sweet home. Always nice to have something to look forward to. :)

Why Having A Doctor Friend Can Be A Good Or Bad Thing

Just spent the last 5 minutes chatting to EYS about how my fever isn't subsiding and asking him if I should go out and get more meds (yes). It's so convenient having a doctor friend, all your medical needs answered via MSN!

However, doctors being doctors, he warned me that if I'm still not getting better I should get a blood test done for malaria or dengue fever. And when he said that, I looked at the 10 mossie bites on my arms that was a welcome present from good ol' humid Kolkata. Argh.

So please, don't be dengue or malaria cos that would suck big time. Having battled chikugunya way back in 2008, I know how horrible it is. The fevers, the rashes, the aching, Argh. *pray pray pray that I get well today*

Why I Love Travel Insurance

Being sick while on an overseas work trip sucks. You're all alone in a foreign land, and you still need to have enough energy to survive hour long car rides to your appointment and back. Add a fever to that, and you've got one really sick and miserable bunny.

Called a doctor to the hotel, and man, do they overcharge for house calls. I paid 20 times what I would have paid if I had dragged my ass out to the pharmacy to stock up on meds (by the way, LGG, I got tonnes of aspirin. We can do facial! Lol.)

But thank god for travel insurance. At least I can claim on whatever medical bills I incur while I'm overseas. I have half a mind to check myself in to the hospital because my fever won't go down, despite finishing up the entire strip of Crocin that was prescribed. I want my mommy. Of course, who knows about foreign hospitals. I'd rather stay in the hotel room and sleep. At least I know I'll be safe.

Anyway, one more day to go and I'll be on the flight back to Singapore. Hopefully I'll be allowed on the plane.

Oh No

Bleh. I'm sick. Been having a dry cough for the longest time and the coughing is so bad that when it starts I can't stop, and eventually end up gagging. And I think I am having a fever now. *whine*

Was thinking of looking for a pharmacy and drugging up, but I wouldn't know what to get and EYS is not online. So I might have to head to the doctor.

Haiz. FML.

Small Comfort

At least the internet is working.

Seriously?!

How hard is it to comprehend a simple instruction as "please send my luggage and box up to my room now, thanks!"

Obviously it's too complex cos 2 hours (probably more) after I check in to the hotel, I get back up to my room and guess what? No bag and no box!

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH EVERYONE HERE?! Hate hate hate hate hate.

India Hates Me, I Swear

I finally land in Delhi and the airport is a vast difference from the chaotic mess at Kolkata. It's much larger, much more orderly, and so much more cleaner. Lol. Plus, it helps that I called for the hotel to send a car to pick me up. So no need to hustle with cab drivers trying to rip you off.

It was a pleasant ride to the hotel, and the driver was quite chatty, happily pointing out temples and monuments and the like. I get to the hotel and checking in is a breeze (I have breakfast included- YAY!) and I ask about the internet.

"Oh ma'am there is internet in the lobby. But internet in the room is not working. Sorry ma'am."

W.T.F. For a business hotel, wadya mean there is no internet in the room?! How am I supposed to get any work done?! Does India hate me?! :(

So here I am, sitting in the restaurant (thankfully I've not eaten), having a kingfisher beer and doing work (ok I'm blogging) while having my dinner. I hope the internet in the room works when I get back up.

Kolkata

Didn't venture too far out over the weekend as the weather was unbearingly hot. Decided to keep within the Park Street area and explore that various eateries that Kolkata was famous for.

During my stay here, I had lunch at Bar-B-Q with my students, and had the usual Indian fare- naans, butter chicken, some dahl thing and hmm I can't really remember what else. Also tried the Indian Chinese food (there is no such thing as Chinese food in India) at Flavors of China (which was right next to Bar-B-Q).

After reading up on recommended places to eat, I walked over to try the sizzler at Peter Cat, and had to wait for a seat for almost 20 minutes (it was a crowded Saturday night). Bought a rum ball and also had a meal at Flury's too and also bought a book at the Oxford bookstore.

India ceases to charm as much and I feel oddly detached when I'm here. I look at the people milling around on the streets, the cars honking on the roads, the endless hustle and bustle of the city- and I feel nothing. My many trips to India has armed me with the necessary experience to navigate around without being cheated by touts or being harrassed by beggars, but the sense of excitement and anticipation that I used to feel doesn't exist anymore.

Sure, the food tastes as good as always and I'm always happy to chomp into an eggroll or a neatly wrapped paan. But I don't feel connected to the country like I used to.

Ah well, perhaps this is just part and parcel of what one has to go through.

Be Still My Heart!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! I just noticed that the hotel breakfast actually serves mishti doi AND fresh mango!

Happiness! I'm grinning from ear to ear and everyone is staring at me as I laugh to myself each time I take a mouthful. Heeheehee.

Thank god I brought my laptop down with me for breakfast. At least I can take my time and enjoy my food. Except I think the guy next to me just farted. Eww.

But back to me. I wonder if there is such thing as too much mishti doi and too much mango. I wiped out half the tray's worth of mango cos this is the small sweet one. Slurp. OMG I'm in such a good mood now.

And Now I Remember Why I Love India

Just had breakfast. Mmm Indian food.

India: Thoughts On Being Back Here Again

I hate India. Hate hate hate hate hate. Can't remember what it was I loved about the country.

It started on the plane, where I realise that almost every single passenger got up to use the loo at least once. It's only a bloody 4 hour plane ride, does everyone have a bladdar the size of a 5c coin? It's especially annoying when the passenger with the window seat does it. Fuck you asshole, next time get an aisle seat can?

After landing, everyone crowds at the baggage carousel, and seriously, why does everyone have to shove their stinking bodies right smack in front of me? Fuck you assholes, obviously they have never heard of personal space (I guess it's hard in a land full of a million billion people.)

Everyone does the little dance of the baggage carousel, bobbing your body sideways to see if the luggage has arrived. And when it does? No one gives way. Fuck you assholes, I think to myself as I swing my 23kg luggage in a large arc.

I get out, and pay for a pre-paid taxi. They don't take credit cards in Kolkata. Got my receipt and hunt for a taxi. Someone grabs my receipt and says "taxi taxi" and walks towards the car park. A boy "helps" me with my luggage, and at this point I'm too exhausted to care. Hop into the cab, boy asks for a tip, which I refused to give. Fuck you asshole, I didn't ask you to carry my luggage.

Cabby then passes me a laminated piece of paper with the names of various hotels and a list of really exorbitant (for India) prices. "You go to hotel? Pay booking charge." At this point, I snap. WHY SHOULD I PAY SOME MORE WHEN I HAVE ALREADY PRE-PAID? And he tries to tell me that the pre-paid chit that I have was for the first booking, and now this is the fee to get to the hotel. Fuck you asshole, I think to myself for the umpteenth time that night, storming out of the cab.

I finally get to the right cab, yelling at anyone who tries to even touch my luggage. LEAVE IT ALONE! (And, fuck you assholes.)

After confirming with cabby2 that I would not need to pay anything extra, I settle in the cab, and ignore everyone who stands by window asking for tips / money / Singapore coins. I'm too tired to even think. The cab drives off and I break down in sobs.

Everything about India makes me feel like a knife is piercing through the heart. The crowd. The dusty roads. The posters on the walls. The incessant honking and weaving through traffic. The overgrown plants on the side of the road.

I'm exhausted, and emotionally drained. Too tired to even muster up an ounce of sympathy for the many homeless people sleeping on the streets.

I reach the hotel, and a new battle ensues. My travel agent made a wrong booking and breakfast is not included in my booking. I check in to my room and wait for 30 min for them to deliver one of my boxes. Another 30 min to get a pair of scissors to open the box. After a billion calls, I take a shower, shoot off a couple of emails to my travel agent, and settle to bed. And the only English channel on the telly? Sellavision.

Seriously. FML and fuck you assholes.

Happiness Is

Happiness is getting my leave approved for my Ladakh trip..

Happiness is downloading an app on my iPhone that allows me to take panaromic pictures..

Happiness is cutting off all the dried, damaged hair and having smooth, healthy locks once more..

Happiness is eating mee siam for lunch..

Happiness is having friends who care about my erm, wellbeing..

Happiness is being shortlisted for job interviews..

Happiness is.

Say, What?

Got a very loving (not to mention, very random) SMS from CH today which put me in an absolute non-stop laughing fit. Was a little undecided about whether I should blog about it, but it's too priceless a gem not to share.

"Anyhow, got a dildo for you. Shall I pass you before you go India? :D"

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

And The Downside To My Job

Was packing up the brochures that I'll need for my work trip to have them sent to the hotel. Had to pack a box for each city I'll be heading to, which meant a total of five boxes.

When I was done, my hands looked like I had spent the afternoon playing pattycakes with Edward Scissorhands. Argh.

Papercuts, though tiny, inflict so much pain. It's annoying. I feel like slathering my hands with aloe vera and just will my skin to heal. Lol.

Let's see if I can summon up my inner Wolverine..

Happiness Is Getting Approval For Work Trips

So pleased. My work trips have been approved! Well, I kind of knew they would have been, except that Oscar spoke to me on Friday. He said he wanted to discuss my strategy (my only strategy was to go to cities that were fun and also to new places that I had never been to before) and perhaps I didn't need to go to all the cities I had planned.

Cue major panic cos my Ladakh tickets had already been booked.

But of course, I R CLEVER and VERY SMARTS. So I went to speak to him this morning, and discussed my strategy (without actually having to write it down in a proposal. Wahahahah I IS SO BIG BRAIN.)

Identified problems, nay, challenges. Proposed ideas on how to tackle these challenges. Gave him feedback. Actually had a dialogue and engaged him. Without rolling my eyes too!

I think what he wanted to know was that I wasn't blindly following routine. That I wasn't just going for the sake of going (erm actually..). And yes, I managed to convince him that I had a plan.

Wahahahaha.

Half Down, Half To Go

It's the last day of June! 6 months of 2011 have just whizzed by, and another 6 more months before it's 2012. Eeks! What happened to the days in school when filling in the dates would start with 198_?

Anyway, things are looking good. I start my work trips next week, and will be going to India again. Admittedly, I was a little apprehensive about going back to India, but I'm actually quite excited now.

And that's because I have mini-holidays tagged on to my trips! Well, sort of. Have plans to ride a boat (?) along the Ganges while in Kolkata (I think that's what's happening anyway), doing a day trip to Pune, and *drumroll*... I'm going to Ladakh!!!

*dance*

Everything just seemed to fall into place. From meeting someone who stayed for 3 months in one of the guesthouses last year, to booking the last available room at said guesthouse, to finding a travel kaki since LGG and Ching couldn't confirm the trip. Happiness!

Yummy went a little mad when she found out who I was traveling to Ladakh with. Phrases like "I am buoyed by hope" and "I knew this was going to be a good day", "I'm rooting for you" and "Hope is a beautiful thing" peppered her chat with me. Finally ran out of ways to tell her that nothing was going to happen so told her not to hold her breath waiting. Lol.

So I think the rest of 2011 looks set to be quite awesome. Whee!

Wipeout

A couple of months ago, I decided to do some digital spring-cleaning. I had hundreds of people on my msn list, and almost (or was it more than?) 600 friends on my facebook account.

My msn account had the weirdest names on the list, most of which I did not recognise anymore. Probably ex colleagues or work contacts or old school mates that I barely kept in touch with.

And because the email IDs were so random (very few people use their real names), it was hard to figure out who raincloud or pinkprincess or wizard or shoebox was.

Facebook wasn't as bad, I actually knew every single person I added to my account. (I don't add any ol' random person who decides to add me on facebook. That's what my fake facebook account is for. Lol.) And with their photos and mutual friends, even if you didn't quite remember, you could sorta figure it out.

Plus, I had set up my privacy settings so that mere acquaintances couldn't see my personal stuff like photos and updates.

However, having 600 people meant a barrage of videos and links and photos that I didn't really care for. Sure, it was nice to stalk old school mates and such, but do I really care about what that exchange student I snogged in 2002 does today?

(In the random event that you're reading this, Cordy-boy, you'll always be my favourite German boy.)

So, off with their heads! I went about culling my facebook and msn list mercilessly, deleting people based on the following criteria:

For msn:
Do I even know you? (Yes you, the raincloud / pinkprincess / wizard / shoebox. Among many others.) No? Delete!
Have I chatted with you in the past year? No? Delete!

For facebook:
Are you an old school mate or ex colleague that I've actually not contacted since the time we were in school/work, if not for facebook? Yes? Del... Hang on, are you cute or have interesting posts? Yes? Mmm I'll keep you. If not, delete!
Are you living in India? Yes? Delete!

And sure enough, I managed to trim my facebook friends' list down to a hundred over people and deleted the random contacts on my msn account.

Of course, the downside is having to decide what to do if a once-deleted contact has made a friend request. But not a big deal, I'll figure it out.

That Nap Was A Bad Idea

Took a nap this afternoon from 4-7pm. Bad idea. It's now 3.30am and I'm wide awake. And hungry.

*whine*

And ordinarily, I'd be fine heading to work feeling like a zombie, but I have a meeting tomorrow and dinner plans too. How am I going to keep awake?

Happiness and Being Thankful

LGG saw an exhibition during the happiness conference in Brisbane. This lady took pictures of things that made her happy, everyday. And what a brilliant idea it is!

So the both of us have decided to do just that, and upload our pictures online. 2 days in, and I'm beginning to suspect that a majority of my pictures are going to be food related. Lol.

http://bunnygoeszen.posterous.com

Anyhow, it's important to be happy with what you have and always be thankful. :)

Don't Worry, Be Happy

It's wild, huh, Bona, how many happy people there are in the world who claim to be otherwise.

Admittedly happy,
    The Universe

The secret to being even happier, Bona, is feeling all of it that you can now feel.

Google Translate FTW

Decided to plonk the lyrics of the AHS school song into google translate, and this is what I got. LOLOLOLOL

Weather mighty towering male Hongxue homes confrontation, Lion Island
Holy justice Road were Zhaoxi Jia name Anglican
Counseling Erduo Shi Shenmolongwei God linru bow
Chunxian Mo calm dry summer cloud chant from verdant trees
Jinde they fail the tree into the wind the three religions on the four virtues
John Christ's elite forever Bangguo of the city dry

And the original school song:

浩荡嵯峨气象雄 黉舍峙，狮岛中
圣洁公义道之宗 肇锡佳名号圣公
咨�多士慎磨砻 维上帝 临汝躬
春弦夏�莫从容 干云之木自青葱
进德修业树风声 三教就四德成
永为基督之精兵 永为邦国之干城

Heeheehee

Happiness Is Discovering That Koufu Sells Chee Cheong Fun

Whee! Subject header says it all. All this while I've been buying breakfast from Wild Pot and keeping to a staple of kaya toast and soft boiled eggs (and now the occasional bowl of mee siam). But yesterday I was buying kopi from Koufu and decided to see what else they sell for breakfast.

To my very pleasant surprise, they sell chwee kueh and chee cheong fun! Happiness! I don't know why I never explored Koufu before, but YAY! Better late than never!

OMG I'm Such An Uncle Now

Interesting evening today. Had dinner and drinks with Amit tonight after work. Shisha, wine, kebabs, debunking myths and a whole host of giggles. Sometimes, it's nice to just chill out at home and just nua.

Had a short nap, and then went to meet EYS, Kenneth and SH at the Serangoon Garden Country Club. Walked into the pub and I must say, being the only gal = head turner. Plus it helps that I was actually formally dressed and looking really good because I had an interview today. Hehehe.

Beers, more food, dai di, and... cigars. Lol for someone who is my doctor, he's actually quite a bad influence, what with all the shishas and now cigars. Tsk tsk.

So the three men took my virgin cigar experience, and I must say it wasn't as unpleasant as I thought it would be. Stopped when I found out there was nicotine in the damn thing though. Lol. What kind of doctor do I have?

Told EYS about my afternoon discovery, and he says men are stupid. How true. He also agreed when the words "piece of shit", "desperate asshole" and "morally lacking skank" came out. Hehehe. Gotta love my friends.

Anyway, the cigars were more expensive than I thought, and cost 40 bucks a pop. Need to tell Amit that they don't cost a dollar or two, or ten bucks for a decent one like he says.

It was a good evening though, but now I'm ready to take my melatonin and zzz. Plus I taste like a smoker now. Ick. Goodnight world!

That's That

And with that discovery, I now conclude all my posts about Mr Iwdyveaiaacsbf. Not worth my blog space. Not worth my time. Not worth my brain cells. Not worth a single iota of me.

It's amazing how a single moment can just change everything you think. But better late than never, I say.

Can't Let Go Of Her Huh

Seems like you never could and went running back the moment you could.

Good to know that everything was just lies lies lies.

I should have known.

==

Simple Together - Alanis Morissette

You've been my golden best friend
Now with post-demise at hand
Can't go to you for consolation
Cause we're off limits during this transition
This grief overwhelms me
It burns in my stomach
And i can't stop bumping into things
I thought we'd be simple together
I thought we'd be happy together
Thought we'd be limitless together
I thought we'd be precious together
But i was sadly mistaken
You've been my soulmate and mentor
I remembered you the moment i met you
With you i knew god's face was handsome
With you i suffered an expansion
This loss is numbing me
It pierces my chest
And i can't stop dropping everything
I thought we'd be sexy together
Thought we'd be evolving together
I thought we'd have children together
I thought we'd be family together
But i was sadly mistaken
If i had a bill for all the philosophies i shared
If i had a penny for all the possibilities i presented
If i had a dime for every hand thrown up in the air
My wealth would render this no less severe
I thought we'd be genius together
I thought we'd be healing together
I thought we'd be growing together
Thought we'd be adventurous togheter
But i was sadly mistaken
Thought we'd be exploring together
Thought we'd be inspired together
I thought we'd be flying together
Thought we'd be on fire together
But i was sadly mistaken