Glee! Glee! Oh yes indeed!

New Year is around the corner and it's that time of year that you would reflect on what you've done or achieved in the past year, and look forward for things to come in the coming year up ahead. And let me get straight to the point here that I will not be making up new year's resolution and you shall not be expecting me to write a blog entry titled '2010 Resolution(s)'. Why? For the simple reason that I don't believe in making resolutions once every year. For me, I personally feel that resolutions need to be done when and where needed and when clarity of mind is at its brightest. Plus, it's kinda pointless to make resolutions when you're planning to break it on the 2nd day.

But I must say that I have a lot of things to look forward to in 2010! It'll be massive. Life-altering. And you know what? I can't wait to get the new year rolling (except for that massive heap of workload. Do you see it? Oh... you don't? It's right there on top of that pile of ssss.... *ehem*).

One of the things I'll be most looking forward to is THIS. And I've already set the balls in motion, taking full-advantage of some new schemes introduced by HR. (Glee! Glee! Oh yes indeed!) I just need to get some paperwork done, one very (very) important signature and I'll be free to start making travel arrangements!

(Glee! Glee! Oh yes indeed!)

And I've been doing some thinking... pondering... questioning the meaning of life(??)... and it led me to ask myself: What motivates me to do this? And I was surprised that it's not a matter of discovering the world, exploring new cultures and making connections with other people. But it's simply because I want to do something that I've never done before. Because... really, that's where all the excitement are.

So, this led me to another question: What are the things that I have never done before but had dreamt of doing? And it became easy for me to recollect all those fantastical dreams I had when I was much younger, and the sort of things that I was very hard-pressed on doing. One of those was performing volunteering work under Raleigh International. Let's name this a call of fancy, which occured to me when I was in secondary school and dreamt of going to Africa and doing humanitarian work. And it was something that I held tightly close to my chest right till I was in university, and now I can't remember what made me gave up so easily. Oh wait... I know... it was because I needed to raise at least GBP2,000 to go on a 4-weeks expedition to Africa. That was a lot of money that I don't have.

And I'm not saying that I have that amount of money now, but I realize that I have been presented with yet another opportunity here, before it's too late (FACT: RI expedition programmes is intended for those aged 17-24. Guess where I'm at?). And even if I can't make it for Raleigh, there are tons of other charity organizations out there that will always need a helping hand. And here I was thinking... Hey! Why don't we just kill 2 birds with 1 stone?

So now I'm considering this: Open Mind Projects - a non-profit organization that helps communities across Thailand-Cambodia-Laos-Burma borders. I'm sure someone out there will be thinking,"Why not do something closer to home?" But hey! 2 birds? 1 stone? Plus... the value of community works transcends currency exchange.

And I want to help a cause that I'm passionate about - a topic that needs a lot of self-reflection - and an organization that is legit and can contribute the most value to a community. So further research is required.

PS: If I do decide to go ahead with this and wants to hold a charity drive, will you help out and contribute? Just curious...

A Break

I'm contributing to the nation's current standing statistic that a Malaysian reads an average 2 books per year. So, last Sunday, in the hopes of escaping textbooks and mock exam papers, I went to Kinokuniya and splurged on a few books:

I'm not a romantic but I'm such a huge fan of Jane Austen. Besides Pride & Prejudice, Persuasion is my next favourite and I just found out that there's a re-telling of the story from the male protagonist's point-of-view written by Amanda Grange. So I googled and found Captain Wentworth's Diary, and my luck... Kinokuniya has stock! At this point in time, I've already finished reading the book and it's such a refreshing time spent reading it from the hero's POV. Of course, nothing can beat Jane Austen... so I'm planning to re-read Persuasion again after this.

And you know... if I can't convince myself that I need to go to the gym tonight, I'm thinking of having a Jane Austen movie marathon. *sigh* I love english period movies...

Bad News Came Early

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprise when the one news that I've been trying to avoid has eluded me yet again. Everyone is moving on except for me. And as much as I had tried to convinced myself that I choose to be where I am now, it still pains me to not receive the news. I'm not bitter, but I'm just feeling horribly dissappointed and crushed. But I deserve this... right?

(yeah... yeah... yeah... I'm being totally cryptic today. But if you happens to be working in the same building as I am, then you'd know what I'm talking about.)

So... now what? My only option here is to look forward and move on. There is really no point for me to just sit here and sulk.  I've other things going on for me right now and I need to focus on that. Perhaps it is just simply my luck that career objectives are not top in my priority. I'm pretty much a hippie in the sense that above all else, I strive for personal achievements and satisfactions - be it getting myself tied down to only one man for the rest of my life or travelling the world solo. I want to make these happen to prove a point to myself. So... climbing the corporate ladder is not my thing. The more reasons for me to go out there and find my thing... something that I can be passionate about, instead of mulling over the various possibilities on how to avoid work.  

What does 2010 have in store?

New year is a long way away and my plate is currently full with THREE main agendas needing my immediate attention, but obviously my mind is not rooted to the 'Now' but rather thinking far-off to the 'Future'. Well... let's just say 7 months into the future.

And I'm aware that by saying what I'm about to say out loud - here, in a public space - I'll be stacking up people's expectations for what I've planned up ahead. And it's a toss-up between it being a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, it'll be more difficult for me to back-out of this plan when so many people are pushing and supporting me on it. On the flipside, the high expectations may lead to a 'stage fright' and a horrible (horrible!) untimely death of my plans.

But I'm just going to throw this out there anyways. I've built a momentum for myself this 2009 and I am planning to keep it going while I still can.

So dear friends and readers... I'm planning for another backpacking excursion this 2010!! The dates will be split between May (a short break before the exams) and July (the main event!), and I've roughly have the routes mapped out in my head but it's all still up in the air, depending on how much budget I have for airplane travel.

Will this be a solo excursion? Mmm.... that... actually depends on what my future hubby have to say about it. He's not entirely happy that I want to go backpacking on my own but I can be quite stubborn and very insisting. Plus, since my trip to Vietnam, I've been receiving quite a few requests from friends who wants to join in along. So....

I present to you....

Curious where all the green balloons are? Well, let me show you:

Getting my scuba license at Pulau Perhentian...

Scaling the heights of majestic Mt Kinabalu...

Visiting the Golden Triangle of Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Mae Sai

Discovering Vientiane...

Tubing down river with the beautiful backdrop of Vang Vieng...

Falling in love with tranquil Luang Prabang...

Cycling through the rice terrace of Ubud, Bali...

And soaking up the view of breath taking Lombok.

Let me emphasis yet again, that this is all in my head for now. I'm not even sure if I can save up enough money to go to all these places but... I really really do want this to happen. And if only I could squeeze in the Phillipines into my schedule, I'd be able to realize my dreams of travelling the entire SEA countries before I shift my eyes on Europe and USA. Crossing fingers!

Breakfast of Champions

Wish I could share with you all a picture of my breakfast this morning, because it is made of total awesome-ness that I deserve a nobel prize for coming up with such a combination. In fact, it is so good that it now comes in 3rd in my list of 'All-Time Favourite Breakfast of Champions'. Yes. There is such a list. Somewhere. (And you get a cookie if you could correctly guess the first 2)

I may not have a camera or a phone camera to share this exact moment, but I'll make do with whatever stock photos I've got.

A tall skinny double-shot latte, nice and warm in my tumbler.

(In all honesty, I only drink coffee in the morning when I'm desperate.

Only had 3-hrs worth of winks last night.)

+

Oreo cakester!!!

Two of these badboys are crammed with 250cal and 23g of sugar.

If I can't get my sugar fix with these, I don't know what will!

Is it worth all the hours I need to compensate at the gym? Definitely!

Temptation Island

I've been staring at this page for too long now...

5 days/5 nights Phuket trip to start off my leave. I'm sooo tempted to go but I feel like I should save money for ... err... this. What say'est you, dear friends? I'm desperate for some tender, hard-loving opinions here!

500 Days of Summer (Part 2)

Reasons why I love this movie - after watching it:
(kinda makes you wonder when do I have the time to watch it since the last entry. *wink*)

1. The voice-over

Oh yes... it deserves a second mention just because I can. Seriously though. Wouldn't it be awesome if I have that voice inside of my head, trying to talk rational sense into my (mostly) irrational puny little brain? I know I'd definitely listen to it a lot more than the current (annoying) voice in my head.

2. Non-linear storyline

It's not something new, but at least it's not something of the norm either. And when you have 500 Days of Summer to go through, there is just sooo much to filter through. I really like how they just skip back and forth as they please (which kinda reminds me of a movie but I can't remember which one... ). Sometimes, there's a connection between the scenes. Sometimes it's just something random. But despite the jumping around, you do get the progression of the movie - because at the end of the day, you're watching it in Tom's POV (that's Joseph Gordon Levitt to you) and he's just filtering through his memories to find the bright spots... or the bad ones as well.

Because that's just how our memories works - everything is just a jumble of scenes and people and conversations and things and events, meshed together through a sieve, and randomly conjuring at any given point of time.

3. Music

Awesome! Need. To. Go. Find. The. OST.

I love movies where music plays a big part of it. Some of my best finds normally crops up from movies, and I'd google the band online and voila! This one is of no exception although... looking at the tracklist, I have absolutely no clue of who they are (for the exceptions of Simon & Garfunkel, and Wolfmother) - which is a good thing! Cuz only You-Know-Who knows how tired I am of my playlist.

I'll try and dig-up some Youtube clips of a few songs once I have the time.

4. Joseph Gordon Levitt & Zooey Deschanel

By right, both of these names should have their very own bulleted point, but I wanna save the last one for something else.

I love Zooey simply because she's quirky and pretty and I adore the combination of black hair-blue eyes. She's such a sweetheart, and she's been quite consistent with the type of characters she's good at playing at. But it doesn makes me wonder though.. if she's capable of playing other than that quirky, out-of-this-world kinda girl.

Gordon is adorable, and it's a pity I haven't seen him since Brick. He plays the bumbling, nerdy, half-loser/half-nerd persona that is Tom like the brother I've never had. You can easily sympathise with him, with those doeey eyes and downturn mouth, yet also feel like bashing him in the head for being so naive and optimistic. It's a love-hate relationship that you can cherish.

... ONE Reason Why I Dont.

5. "This is not a love story."

I should've taken the voice seriously when he opened the movie with that line. I assumed that it was 'a-love-story-that-is-not-a-love-story'.... but in reality... it actually is 'not-a-love-story'. Watch the movie and you'll know what I mean. All I can say is, I'm not a big fan of the ending but I'm sure there's a valuable lesson in there somewhere that is so totally lost on me on the grounds that I can't relate.     

500 Days of Summer

Reasons why I love this movie - even without watching it yet:

1. Ok. Watch this trailer first and stop at 0:38.

Do you get it? Dude! It has awesome voice-over! The best I've heard this year! (shove over Up!) It makes even the most cliche opening ("This is the story of boy meets girl.") sounds awesome! In fact, that same voice is telling me to write this list in the first place! That same voice is what made me sit-up and pay attention in class. Don't you ever wish you had a lecturer with this sort of voice? I'd ace that class for sure.

2. Ok. Now rewind and watch the trailer again, and this time stop at 0:32.

Did your heart leapt to your throat at the very same moment the Boy (most probably) does to? - or was that just me? Now that is what I call 'A Moment'. And I'm pretty sure every single person who has ever been in love has had such moment(s) before. I know I do. Now doesn't that makes you want to root for the Boy to get the Girl?

3. "You should know up front that this is not a love story."

Yes. The voice is speaking to me again. But doesn't that line catch your attention enough to be curious? Plus, I'm a sucker for a 'love-story-that-is-not-a-love-story'. 2009 have been ridden with bad (on the verge of crappy) love story - be it romcom or drama. Let's have a change of pace for once!

4. It is Sundance approved.

Not that it matters much anyway, but hey! If the cynical critics would have a go at this, I'd say "Why not?"

5. It's like an Arthouse Movie.... but not really.

We get a lot of that nowadays - big budget movies made in such a way to make it look 'artsy' or 'indie'. It get's confusing but I still like to pretend like I am one of those movie snobs who only watches Casablanca, old black-n-white movies, foreign films and indie production - just so that I could wear all fitting black clothes and smoke with a long filter and talk with a French accent.

Eh... no? I thought that's what most theatre people do?

But for real though.. it does have that 'artsy' quality to it and the narrative of the storyline reminds me of 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - which happens to be the 'love-story-that-is-not-a-love-story' in my list. Hmm.. I wonder if this movie that top that?

Ok. I definitely have a date with Zooey and Joseph this weekend! If you're interested to join me, do drop me a line. But if not, it is currently on limited (and exclusive) viewing @ TGV KLCC till 28th October 2009.

New addition to the family!

I've set-up a new blog! This is what you would refer to as a classic case of 'itchy-fingers'.

Random day-to-day entries will still be posted here, but I'm thinking that I need an entire space to vent to ... ehem... a certain future event. Do read up all about it @

Of Apples & Lemons

Bangkok: Condoms and err... where's the Cabbages?

On the 5th day of the month of Syawal, I packed my (relatively) empty bag (yes... singular) and headed out to Bangkok for the long weekend with a few friends from office. And our purpose of this trip is for one thing and one thing only: SHOPPING!! (Are you surprised?)

It's not hard to narrow down places of interests once we've set out our agenda for this trip. And even then, 3.5 days is still not enough! Sure... we covered Suan Lum Market... Chatuchak Market... Siam Square... MBK... and walked till our feet swells and turned purple and blue and violently protested every alternate step we took and till our purse begged(!) to be put down. But we still didn't get to a chance to go through the wholesale area of Pratunam or stroll down the streets of Chinatown or just soak up the atmosphere of Khao San Road. And this is already my 3rd trip here. Even if given a week, I don't think I'd be able to fully experience Bangkok.

Anyways....

I  managed to get hold of Nancy Chandler's Map of Bangkok (after a few recommendations) and it is heaven-sent! Full of colourful crayon doodles of the streets and river and shopping malls and markets and restaurants (etc... etc...) of Bangkok, it also includes useful tips of note-worthy places to go. I find it especially useful when trying to decide places to eat.

My friends and I went to the legendary Cabbages & Condoms on our first night...

 It was such a great place for a dinner - tables lined up in the gardens, overlooked by shady trees twinkled with fairy lights...

Rice served square...

Of course, it aint a complete meal without a serving of tomyam. This one was quite good, although not the best I've had in Bangkok.

Deep-fried fish which was fresh and not overly cooked, topped with mango salad...

Lukewarm red rubies was not the highlight of the night.

Oh look! They gave us mint with our receipts!

What? You're telling me this is not edible??

They named it 'Cabbages & Condoms' for a reason...

... although I'm still not sure about the Cabbages. Hmm...

Spied this picture in the halls on our way out. It's too cute not to be given a mention.

And of course, a night here will not be complete without a presence with the infamous Captain Condom!

(yes... he is wearing nothing but condoms and pills)

Well... it is an educational restaurant after all. So we took a moment to do some self-learning.

(notice that the pictures includes girl-boy, boy-boy & girl-girl examples)

Hang on there. More of Bangkok coming soon!

Hare-brained

Okay. You know what? Call me crazy but I swear there's a hare-brained scheme hopping around in my head, making a dent in my rational (rational!) skull. And now I can't think straight. I need help!

Here's the deal: I've a study leave due this November for 5 weeks - 2 weeks of studying + 2 weeks for exams + 1 week of free & easy. Now, my hare-brain of a scheme is suggesting that I take the first week of studying elsewhere. And I'm talking about just spending 7 days in a Quiet-Place-that-is-not-KL and actually study. Ok. I was thinking of doing both studying and a teeny-bit of travelling. But I'm serious when I say that I want to study! Only 'You-know-who' knows how much I need it.

My criteria for the place in mind must be quiet. It must not be that interesting of a place that would make me feel compel to travel the entire time I am there. And the cost of living must be cheap - including airfare - because I'm setting a budget here.

The few places that came to mind happens to be beachtown areas, which includes....

1. Krabi, Thailand

2. Phuket, Thailand

3. Bali, Indonesia

4. Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (just keeping my options open)

And I've looked up AA and the air tickets for these places are quite reasonable. Trying to look up some homestays/hostels that would be reasonably cheap and comfy enough for me stay in for a week. But... I dunno... do you think I should go ahead with this?

Morning Coffee vs Late-Night-Cuppa

Do you know one of the things that I miss most during the fasting month? Having a good cup of coffee in the morning. It just drives me crazy (bordering on lunacy!) whenever I pass by a Starbucks or SF in the morning on my way to office and the smell of freshly ground roasted coffee permeates through the air, provoking my senses in more ways than one, and with no absolute consideration to my addiction - seducing me with its full bodied aroma - that just makes me sigh and melt into a puddle of goo with just a whift.

Today, I crumbled. Right down to my knees, (almost) begging the barista for:

"Onegrandelowfatvanillalatteextrashot."
**blink**blink**
"Please."

Sure. It satiates that greedy monster in me and guilt that conscience of mine for downing a cup full of empty calories (and skipping the gym - again). BUT it's still not the same as having that particular brew of coffee first thing in the morning. It doesn't evoke that same brand of courage that makes it bearable enough to pull you through the day. Instead, all a late-nite-cuppa (LNC) does to you is to be your only companion as you try to work through the night shift, a small badge of courage against that dreaded feeling of having to meet a deadline. And LNC tends to not be a loyal friend, especially when you need it the most. It'll abandon you without much of a warning, to fend for yourself against that feind - sleep.

A Baking Project

You see... I had this "P.R.O.J.E.C.T." that I had made up in my head - to bake my own cookies and unearth the ever elusive domestic goddess in me and everyone will bow at my feet by just a simplest lick of my cookie crumbs. That's how good I was expecting my cookies to be. I had poured over my Green&Blacks cookbook and scavenge through sosososo many foodblogs for recipes. And now, 4 days and 2 batches of cookies later I've come to a simple conclusion.

FACT: I hate roll-out cookies.

(and roll-out cookies hates me)

I'm not even going to bother sharing pictures more or less cookies with you. And I don't want to re-live those moments - those precious precious hours slaving in the kitchen! - by recapping it here. So there. I shall leave it buried and gone. Out of sight, out of mind. I think I should just stick to cupcakes and muffins and drop cookies.

A successfull attempt: flourless chocolate cupcake

(recipe courtesy of Donna Hay)

Ramblings @ 07092009

Okay. Here's a few facts that you should know about me: I have been recently engaged (okay... not so recent if it's been almost 2 months now) and the wedding is set for early next year.

Now. My problem: I don't want to think about the wedding. It makes me nervous like... umm... a heavy lead inside my chest, hammering against my ribcage. I had a stressful time dealing with my engagement to the point that when my future mother-in-law finally slipped on that ring on my finger, I felt like I could finally breathe. As if a huge weight had been taken off my chest, and I was just so relieved that I had made it to that very moment without much incidence that I - okay, and I'm very embarrased to say this but - cried. Wept. Shed tears. Sob. Blubber. Snivel. You get the point right?

And the thing is, I'm not an emotional person in the first place. Ask any of my friends. They often get frustrated at my lack of facial expresion (which is something I've been improving on for the past few years). And you know the first thought that crossed my mind when I cried during the engagement? I was thinking like... "Am I gonna cry like this for my wedding day as well?" Okay. Some people would say, "Hey! It's happy tears! No shame on that." But... I don't want to start crying on my wedding day too. It's embarrasing.

And yes. The wedding is like an impending anvil hovering over my head, just waiting for the cue to crash on my head. It's not the idea of marriage that scares me. It's the wedding itself that I'm afraid off. Being the first wedding in the family (O.M.G.) both of my parents (and aunts... and cousins...) have already formed different ideas and expectations of what they want the wedding to be like. The father wants something that is acceptable enough to share with his (present and future) business partners. The mother wants something whimsical and fun and ... sorta grand. Me? I just want the solemnization ceremony, and a small private dinner party for those closest - which I'm aware will be the least likeliest to happen.

*sigh*

Would it be bad of me to say that... I hate weddings? The more people talk about it, the more I see the elaborate plannings (and yadda yadda crap stuff) that goes into it... the more nervous I get. And the more I feel like running away. And no... you cannot have an opinion on this if you are not getting married, or have a wedding planner, or do not have an absolute aversion to wedding details.

PS: Huh. Would you look at that? My first honest ramblings on this blog!

Ramadhan is here!

What do you do when you're hungry, you're counting down the hours till iftar and you happen to have plenty of time on hand?


Do you.....

... look up pictures of food, imagine what it would taste like melting on your tongue whilst trying to look absolutely unaffected and hope against hope that you won't start drooling all over your keyboard?

... or do you read up other people's description of eating and enjoying food (that you most probably can't afford), all the more tempted by pictures of the seductor - elegant, strikingly bold and simply plated and ready to be devoured?

... or your sense of curiosity and adventure beckons you to search for that one place (or two. or three.) that could take your senses of taste.sight.smell beyond your realm of imagination?

... or do you sit and ponder of your own abilities to recreate that taste - something akin to happy thoughts that made Peter Pan soar to the sky?

... or maybe you just want to find a place to share all of the above with beloved families and cherished friends? (yet still be able to not cringe when the bill comes up)

>Yes? No? .... Any of the above?? Mmm.... well, I guess it's just me then.

Have a Blessed Ramadhan everyone!

[PS: For links of the above sites, do check up the column on the right.]

Current desktop

I'm admiring my new desktop. Wanna see?

Ignore all those other... err.. stuff on my desktop. This is company's property afterall.

This picture was taken during sunset at Lak Lake, Lac Thien town - situated somewhere along Highway 27, between Dalat and Buon Ma Thuot (BMT) of Vietnam's Central Highlands. Isn't it gorgeous? I have to admire my own photographic skills, considering this was only taken with a compact digicam, and minimal natural lighting. (^__^)

More on Vietnam to come!

Music of the Week: 17082009

I'm in a sharing mood here and I want to share my top 5 favourite songs that has been on a constant repeat on my playlist for the past 2 weeks. I have to apologize to my fellow colleagues for subjecting them to the same songs over and over and... over again. o(^___^)o

Getting back in the grooves of work, these songs helps me a lot in easing that kink in my shoulder and lighten things up in my work space. And even outside of office, I'd like to plug my ears into my mp3 and blare up the volume until all the world fades around me. Use it as you wish.

#5. Nick Lachey - Run to me

Okay... I'm pretty sure this song is a few years old, and I'm going to get stoned for listening to an ex-member of 98degrees but I overheard it somewhere in one of the shops in Pavilion and the rest is history. It's easy on the ears, so you really can't judge my taste in music for this.

#4. Matt Nathanson - Come on get higher

I'm pretty sure I heard this song in a movie earlier this year but now I can't remember which one. Google aint helping, so if someone could shed a light on this big puzzle in my head, it'll be a great help... because I'd like to watch that movie again. ;]

#3. The Rescues - Break me out

A friend recommended me this song since I enjoy folk rock so much, and obviously I love it. I'm pretty sure I heard this from Grey's Anatomy somewhere... but anyway, another great easy listening song. Everytime I hear this, I imagine myself running the last stretch of a marathon.

#2. David Archuleta - Touch my hand

I was in neither Davids' camp during the finals of AI..7(?) , but Archie got me interested when 'Crush' came out. I heard this song in the radio a few weeks back, and it got stuck in my head ever since with no signs of budging! It got so bad to a point that I was humming it out loud during lunch one day, to the dismay of my colleague. And, like a fever, it spread. I'm sorry Joey!

#1. Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling

I can't help it. This song is just sooo infectious. Despite producing one of the most annoying song of the summer, the band redeemed themselves in my eyes (or should you say.. ears?) with this tune. Everytime something stresses me out or drags me down and I'm in desperate need of a pick-me-upper at the end of the day/week, this song just does it for me so easily. Best listen to celebrate TGIF!!!

By the way, I'm all ears for something new. So if you got that song in your head, and just can't get rid of it, I don't mind sharing the burden with you.

My next big adventure?

Oh! Look! I saw this and now I want to do THIS:

pic courtesy of nicolekiss... with some minor changes.

After Vietnam, I had set my heart on Laos simply because it's the tubing capital of SEA. What's tubing, you ask? Do your own wiki search... so lazy to go dig up a link for you lots. (^___^) But basically it involves fitting your butt on a huge rubber tube and go off 'floating' down the river. And among the backpackers community, it is the thing to do if you're in the Mekong Delta Triangle. If you've been in backpackers district in Hanoi or HCMC or maybe even Bangkok, you'd see people proudly showing off their t-shirts. And goodness, everytime I saw one, I wanted to earn the right to be able to wear one as well. Yeah... yeah... call it 'peer' pressure. Whatever. Pfft.

And for the longest time, I've been raking my head thinking of how I'd be able to travel through Laos because... honestly? It's not exactly the most accessible country in SEA - second only to Burma. And travelling through one country alone is... mmm... But... yeah, nicolekiss's travel blog had inspired me to try out this route, but instead of going off to Cambodia, I'd shuttle myself some sort of transportation to Luang Prabang in Laos. Make my way over to Vang Vieng, go further south to Vientienne and... well, we'll see how it goes from here. I might just as well drop by to see some friends in Dalat, Vietnam!

I have that wicked grin on my face already, rubbing my hands in utter glee. This sounds fantastic, and I can't wait to try it out soon. Although.... if I were to mention to certain somebodies of travelling solo again, I'd never see the light of it.

Bump..

I feel like I've hit a road bump, and my car is a dying old and rusty Daihatsu, and fresh out of fuel, and it won't budge another inch further. And I've no desire to get out of that car and just walk or make any effort to solve the problem. I'd rather sit, stew and grumble and wait for my fairy godma to fly in and rescue the day with a 'bippidy-boppidy-boo!'... and Voila! A brand spanking, ultra-shiny new Suzuki Vitara Sports! (hush you! don't judge my dream car!)... with (gasp!) a full fuel tank!

DramaQueen aside, have to admit that I'm finding it ever difficult lately to motivate myself... for gym, for running, for a good eating habit, for my studies... Ever since I hit that first 10k run, I'd stop training in the park. Tried running on the treadmill but I find it so dull that I have to stop after 10 minutes. And I just started working again, so it gets a bit difficult nowadays to find the time to go to the gym. And when I do make time, I'm just so tired that all I want to do is either go home or sit back with a double chocolate Frap (with whip cream!).

I suppose it's nice to just... relax and not do anything that could make me sweat after all the bunny-hopping activities I've been up to since June. I'm almost fully medicated from the travelling bug.. especially since Ramadhan is around the corner and it's that time of year to just meditate for yourself and well-being but... I still have that craving to go on a trip. Still raking my head on where to go next. Even a weekend trip would suffice.

But for now... I'm very much grounded in KL for the next few weekends. Paintball and wedding this Saturday, shopping spree on Sunday... MTV World Stage concert next Saturday... and going for SkyTrex the following weekend. And in between... well... reality beckons me, and I have debt to pay-off. Bargh!!

JULY: a review

Can't believe it's already the end of the month! Where have my JULY went to! Firstly, I have to apologize for the lack of updates. I know I had promised to do the write-up on my Vietnam trip but I find myself lacking the time and patience to actually sit down and start writing. Plus, I'd figured that I'd upload all my pictures on Flikr first, but the uploading process is long and trecherous!.. which made me give-up eventually. If I'm on your Facebook friends list, you can view it there. It's open to all, so I'll try to post a link to my photo albums here soon. And... yes... Vietnam will be coming your way soon enough. Just.. bear with me for a little while. Ok?

On the other side of the spectrum...well... after 6 weeks of study leave + 3 weeks of courses... I am back at work. Surprisingly, I do not grumble as much as I had expected. In fact, I - for once - like my work. It's nice being back in the thick of events, meeting clients and learning more about their business. And there's a power of being at work that I, at times, relish.

But now, I am back to being unproductive. **sigh** No more jobs until next week and I don't know what to do with myself anymore. There's just so many times that a girl can play truant! And it's not much fun when I'm doing it alone. I've also been neglecting my runs and gyms. I have actually been forced to miss out Siemens Run and Shape/Men's Health Night Run, due to other commitments, which bums me out. I was honestly determined to make it for Siemens Run but my friends threaten to tie me up in bed just so I won't go. Bargh! I've Adidas King of the Road run in Shah Alam this Sunday... and I haven't been training. I'm worried I might not make it to the end... or more specifically... not make it within the qualifying time. I think KoR have one of the most challenging qualifying time out of all the runs I've registered for. I'm wincing just thinking about it. Btw... orange?? O-bloody-range??!! I suppose it's good enough that it's an Adidas vest.

All in all, I suppose JULY have been an eventful month. And it's time to hit the brakes for Ramadhan in August. Actually, I am itching to go on another travel but have to see if I can get any weekends free-up.

An Ode to a Friend

I'm in a reflective mood today, and my thoughts turned to an old friend whom I hardly talked to anymore. And I find it a pity because I remembered having such great conversations with the person, simply because both of us have a lot in common. Music and movies played a significant role and we bonded well discusing over new music, up-and-coming musicians, debating over which movies are classics in the making and which are not. It was an easy friendship that had ended abruptly when emotions get tangled-up.

It was not easy for me to recover from such a loss. It's been a year and I'm still pining somewhat. But for what it's worth, at least it did not end in bitterness, for which I am thankful. I may have lost a friend but I've gained such wonderful memories and had the chance to have known such a person in my life.

~It doesn't take much to make me smile

But you made me happy when it mattered most

Thank you~

Desperate

I feel like I'm grasping on air here. Clawing desperately at something intangible, yet expecting something tangible to appear in my hand. After having an eventful June, I suddenly have stretches of days of... nothing. And I am uncomfortable and uneasy with this. I feel like I should be doing something, instead of stewing away in last night's pajamas and flailing around the house like a wingless duck (and no... I don't mean a headless chicken). I want to get back out there and travel, even if just for a short weekend. I want to go hiking. I want to go camping. I want to go out and play futsal. Just... anything! Something!

BUT... I also know that my attention, energy, presence and credit cards need to stay put at home to handle some... 'details'. And yet, I chose to be ignorant of these 'details' and go about as I please. I am, after all, a fully-fledged licensed Procrastinator. Ack! Somebody should put a leash on me and drag me around KL to do my chores!

PS: Vietnam write-ups are one of the 'details'. Forgive me but I will work on it this weekend!

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009

Standard Chartered KL Marathon (SCKLM) 2009 began early Sunday morning of the 28th of June. Hazlind came for a sleepover and basically we were up till 2-ish am. And even then, I was too excited to get any proper sleep. Set the alarm clock at 5-ish am... blearry-eyed got ready... had a quick oatmeal breakfast (fiber for long lasting energy!)... and we were out of the house by 6-ish am to catch the LRT. I've never been up so early taking a public transport before, but there were already a crowd - which, I noticed, were mostly fellow runners donning the SCKLM uniformed white vest.

There was already a huge crowd at the starting point, all raring to go. We hung around at the back, fearing of being trampled by the rush of the shoot-off, and watched in quiet earnest at the clock tower, joining the crowd in counting down the seconds to 7am. And then... we were off!

For a first, I find the entire experience quite exhilarating. Being one of THE marathon of the year, SCKLM had garnered a lot of popularity and coverage locally. Many virgin runners (mua included) and fellow gym-bunnies have decided to take the plunge and test out their endurance here. For me, it was the perfect venue to kick-start a running habit (which I have a horrible aversion to) as well as to challenge myself - mentally and physically. And I do not back out of this challenge so easily.

As you've noticed (or not), I've been training. And I've been keeping track of my runs in KLCC Park as a note of my progression (see RIGHT column). Some people say that I'm being competitive, and I take that as a compliment. But in honest truth, it's just a coping mechanism to ease my anxiety of the probability of failing to finish the run. And I do want to make a good first impression, mostly on myself, for my debut on the running circuit.

So.... how did I do? What do you think?

I am more than pleased with this result, although I felt that I could've done better. My favourite part of the circuit was most probably after we got off the highway, and was passing in front of JKR Building and along the green-topped roads of Jalan Sultan Salahhudin, heading back towards Dataran Merdeka. The visualisation of the finish line, coupled with the view of green trees, blue morning skies, and the city skyline matched to the perfect song on my mp3 (which I now can't remember), gave me the strength to pick-up my pace and lengthen my strides.

My least favourite? After passing Bank Negara and realized that instead of going straight to Dataran Merdeka, the route took us along Jalan Raja Laut for the biggest U-turn in my life. It was a killer because I'd spent my energy prior to this leg, assuming that it was the last. I was not expecting this. To make it worse, the path was straight, with only concrete buildings in sight, and not much else to inspire me. But once I rounded the last corner and knew that the road ahead will take me to the finish line, I suck up my gut, pick up my pace and forget the pain that was thudding bluntly at my sides.

And crossing that finish line made it all worth it. Finishing it within the qualifying time just made it even more worthwhile. I am more than elated and proud of myself for this achievement. I also have to mention than Hazlind finish the run too!! For someone who only had 1 week to train, I am very proud of her for sticking it out to see the end - even without her 'energiser bunny' next to her.

Yay! We did it!

And a huge CONGRATULATIONS to all runners!! May we meet again in the next run!

A Quick Update

Just a quick update! I'll try to do some write-ups on my Vietnam trip when I have some time. Right now, I just want to laze around the house and do absolutely nothing! Never knew the whole travel would take so much out of me until I came back and all I could manage to do is sleep.

I'm still on my (forced) annual leave. There's no new jobs waiting for me in office anyway, except for some courses for the next 3 weeks. Plus, the situation in office looks bad, what with the economic downturn and all. Not much new jobs coming in, so us poor associates are left bumming around. Not that it's a bad thing, but sometimes it just makes me feel redundant.

I was in Port Dickson for the past 3 days, right after my homecoming from Vietnam. It was a reunion-cum-bachorellete weekend with my ex-classmates from BBGS days. One of them are getting married later this year, and as she'll be the first in our class, it's a big deal for most of us. And it's just soo good seeing them again after so long! We stayed at Avillion PD for 2 nights, and spent most of our time either in the room or in the pool. We only ventured to the beach once, and that was only to go on a Banana Boat ride (my face is all calar-balar now from being thrown off the boat!). But it was great! Catching up... playing monopoly and Superman... TruthorDare & "I never.." games... eating junkfood and being lazy... midnight bbq by the beach... Definitely memorable and I hope we'd get to do this again soon!

But I also feel kinda guilty for not being home so much for the past 2 weeks. My family have been doing a lot of travel lately, and more in the coming month, so it's difficult to get everyone together at one time. The parents are away on business trips at the moment, and they'll be back Tuesday only to be flying off again to Melbourne on Wednesday with my sister to visit the brother. An important event is happening this July, so it gets a bit more complicated when we can't get everyone together at the same time. But I'm trying to manage... my aunt is helping out, so hopefully things will work out by themselves.

Other than that... well... we've got the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009 this weekend! Super excited, but since I havent been to the gym lately, have to buck-up my training this coming week. And... I've also registered myself for 4 more runs this July! Anybody wants to join in and run with me?

Vietnam: Last (live)Update!

So... it's my last night here in Vietnam. And I've mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I'd terribly missed the good friends I had made here, esp those biker dudes in Dalat (miss you guys!). And I still feel that there's so much more to Vietnam that I've yet to see... Muine, north of Central Highlands, Northwest of Vietnam (Sapa, etc)... But on the other hand, have to say I'm quite looking forward to just go back home.

I'm tired. Hanoi exhausts me. The city is chaotic at best, and horrifying at its worst, and I don't think I have the energy to keep looking where I'm walking every step of the way. Keep getting harrassed by xe om drivers at every corner of the street, keep getting myself lost in the streets of the Old Quarters (ok... that's my fault) and everytime I take out my cash, I feel like I'm being cheated off my money. Hanoi is not a city I would like to return to. Phnom Penh and Bangkok... yes. But not here. Not again. If I'd known things would be as it is today, I would've skip it entirely and spend the day elsewhere and just come back in the morning to make sure I make that flight home.


But I can never regret taking this trip. It's an eye-opener, and it showed me what I am capable of doing, even when I doubt myself. And all the experiences and new friends I had gained will only enriched me further, and at this point, I can't be thankful enough. So... Mr Bin, Mr Vu, fellow biker dudes, Mrs Quyen, Bao... thank you for your hospitality and friendship. I will definitely come back to see you guys!

Vietnam: Update 2!

Hey good people! I'm in Hoi An!! Mr Bin had delivered me on his promise and he had gotten me here in plenty of time. We went through the Central Highlands for the past 2 days... and it was amazing. My words are insufficient to describe it at this moment, so maybe once I get back and have time to properly write, I'll tell all about it.

Yesterday was our final leg of the bike tour, and he was trying to rush me along so that I'd be able to catch the overnight bus to Danang. And at the bus station, I can't believe that I'd get soo emotional having to part ways with Mr Bin. It's only been 2 days, but he has been nothing but a great guide and a fantastic friend. I miss him and his crew of biker friends already. =(

The 14 hours bus ride, was surprisingly not so bad - except for that damn perv sitting next to me. While we were trying to make a conversation (as he speaks very little english), he tried to kiss me!! and who knows the horrors I'd faced when I was trying to sleep. Everytime I scold him, he'd sit still for awhile, pretended to sleep and went at it again. Let's just say I was so glad when the bus finally pulled in to Danang at 6am.

I hopped on a motorbike almost straight after getting my backpack and some haggling with the drivers. The english-speaking ones were asking for VND200.000 for an-almost-hour drive to Hoi An. I haggled with this one fella (non-english speaking) for VND80.000. I'm not sure if I should still feel cheated (a local bus would get me here for VND10.000) or if I was cheating him out of perfectly hard-earned money. But.. oh well...

I'd gotten a hotel, right next to the Confusious Temple, but there's no room available yet until afternoon and My Son's tourbus will only get here in another 10minutes. So I had the time to clean-up a bit, changed clothes and ... tada!! Here I am!

Am gonna have another rushed few days. Imagine: PACKED. I'll be back from My Son in the aftternoon, walk around town for the rest of the day. If I have time, I'd most probably rent a bicycle and cycle out to the beach. Tomorrow morning, am off to Hue for 1.5 days, and after that, will be taking a night train to Hanoi. Then HOME!

At this point... not really looking forward to going home. Well... at least, not yet. I feel like going back to the Central Highlands and join Bin, Vu and the boys go further up north. Ahh... next time? Perhaps?

Vietnam: Update 1!!

Finally! Internet!! Yup... am writing this all the way from Vietnam!! And guess what? I'm still in one piece! And even better news, I'm absolutely enjoying my solo travel here so far! I've finally shaken off my jelly legs, and embraced this trip as it is.

I'm in Dalat at the moment, a hilly resort town set at the southern tip of the Central Highlands. It's cold and I'm trying to survive with only a cardigan. It's been a hectic trip up to this point. Arrived HCMC at night (yet another delay with AA), and following my tightly planned itinerary, I only had one entire day in the city before moving up north. So... yeah... still managed to squeeze in Cu Chi Tunnel, 8 city landmarks, Indian fare for dinner, Fanny for ice-cream and tons of walking all and around the city streets - all in one day. So yeah... you could imagine my exhaustion when coming back to the guesthouse last night.

And all bright and early this morning, had board on an opentour bus to Dalat. What was promised to be a 6hrs bus ride ended up to be an 8hrs nightmare. The seat was narrow, roads were bumpy and my butts were getting numb. By the time I reached Dalat, it was 4pm, I have yet to see anything as listed on the Lonely Planets and I am suppose to headout to Nha Trang first thing tomorrow morning. And to make matters worse, its the school holidays here in Vietnam, and Dalat being such a popular attraction, almost all the hotels I went to are either full, or just wont accept a single traveller like me.

But... it's the people that I meet - the locals mostly - in the restaurant, on the streets, in the hotel, that are slowly changing my trip day by day. I am so lucky to have met Mr Bin this evening. After hearing out my predicament, he took me up on his motorbike and we went straight to the waterfalls, the lake, the Buddhist Monastery and the Crazy House. It was getting dark by the time I came out of the Crazy House (yes... the owner is crazy) and it had just started raining. So we pulled to a side cafe, he treated me to hot local coffee... and he pulled out his briefcase. Ahh... always the salesman.

We started talking, and he showed me some of the places that he took his 'customers' too and their testimonials (3 notebooks full). And I have to admit that it is way, way more interesting than the places that I had planned on going. Travelling throught the Central Highlands on motorbike? Visiting the minority ethnicities? Sleeping in longhouses? Trekking through the National Park, and taking a dip under the waterfalls? Tell me you're not as swayed by this idea as I am. And I was so so tempted to take him up to his offer. But... I have another problem.

As you well know, I had planned my trip on a very tight itinerary. And this itinerary allows me to sufficiently discover Hoi An and Hue, yet still able to get me back to Hanoi by the 17th so that I can actually catch my flight back home. So I showed him my crazy-assed itinerary. And he showed me an alternative. Skip Nha Trang (which will be infested by tourists anyway), and he promised me that he'll get me to Hoi An by 14th, and I will still be able to enjoy a fullfilling trip there. Hmmmm.... this is getting tough. We went back and forth negotiating the price, and before you know it, we were shaking hands and signing contract!

But really... Mr Bin is such a lovely character, and he had been nothing but gracious to me the whole night. He even got me a perfectly decent room for $7!! Dude!

Ok. Shop is closing and I'm being kicked-out. Will try to update if the opportunity comes. Wish me luck!!

The Brothers' Blooms : A Review

Up to this juncture, I've heard nothing but good praise for this movie. I saw the trailer a few times but I thought it looked maybe too cheesy and comedic for my taste. Really. Using a mute Japanese Harajuku Girl as a prop for all the randomness? Hmmm... let me consider that idea. But... I'm a fan of Mark Ruffalo (really, that guy don't get enough credit) and Adrian Brody have yet to dissappoint me with any of his movies (well.. maybe The Darjeeling Ltd was a bit too random for me). And... yes... I've heard nothing but good things about this movie, and I am nothing but a sucker for a good movie.

This movie is basically a con-movie. Think... Ocean Eleven (and Twelve... and Thirteen)... minus George Clooney (and the other 10, 11 or 12). The Brothers Bloom are perhaps the best con-artists in the world, renowned for their elaborate and dramatic ploys in order to syphoon money off innocent rich tycoons. And their latest 'Mark': Penelope Stamp - an epileptic pinhole photographer, well-known for her huge amount of inheritance, as well as collection of hobbies.

Of course, this would NOT be your basic straight-off-the-mill con job. We're talking about the Brothers Blooms here, and Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) is nothing but a good, dramatic narrator. And from the moment they made contact with Penelope, you know things aren't ever as they seemed, and you are dragged into this flurry of web, tangles and lies, and into the twisted and warped made-up world created by Stephen, and acted-out with sublime perfection by his brother Bloom (Adrian Brody), and... random Japanese chick, BoomBoom (Rinko Kikuchi).

It's a con in a con in a con being conned. Up to a point, you can't even trust your own instinct on what is real and what is not. Which, I think, lies the beauty of this movie. Being such an elaborate narrative, it's easy to mess it up and make the storyline very confusing for the audience. But what this movie did was... well, hell yeah you're confused! but you get the heart of the idea... the executions... the relationship between the brothers, as well as the blossoming romance... so basically, that confusion is anchored to something.

And other than the storyline itself (of a con in a con in a con being conned) , the movie is nicely packaged with a neat red ribbon. It's funny. Yet subtle. It's dramatic. Without being corny. It's an adventure... that is well executed by all players. And the characters are all lovable. Even the random Japanese chick grows on you.

A Logistic Nightmare

So here's a dilemma: I'm flying out to Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday. What was supposed to be an afternoon flight has now become an evening flight, which basically means that my half-day in the city is gone! Which means that my one-day excursion to Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple have to be compromised... somewhat (to what extent, I'm still unsure). And I just realised that I'm flying back to KL via Hanoi on the morning of 18th. Which basically means that I've to be in Hanoi, AT ALL COST, by 17th. The cities that I planned to cover are: HCMC, Dalat, Nha Trang, Hoi An and Hue. If I plan to cover all of them sufficiently, I'd have one hell of a packed itinerary.

To ease myself a bit with the time management, there's the option of travelling by train and airplane. I'm alright with the train bit, but I'm worried that if press comes to shove and I have to get a domestic flight to connect between the cities, I'd blow my budget.

And here's a breakdown of my budget: USD500. I'm estimating roughly USD10 per nite at a hostel (although I found out that there's not much dorm rooms in Vietnam). I want to try and get a night train for either my Nha Trang - Hoi An (via Danang) leg or Hue - Hanoi leg where I can save on accommodation expense. Train travel is estimated at roughly USD40 from HCMC to Hanoi. I'm gonna throw in USD20 for bus travel as well. I expect the food to be dirt cheap... so that's roughly USD50. Err... shopping?... USD50? Out of city excursions? another USD50? Okay... I'm just gonna throw some numbers here but the bottom line is USD500. AND... I need to allocate roughly USD60 just in case I need to board an emergency domestic flight in order for me to go home!

So... amidst all these logistical nightmares... I found my solution in this:

A pair of brand-spanking (on sale) new loafers!

(Err... is that the sound of my travel budget shrinking?)

I spied these at Isetan while innocently window-shopping in the afternoon. Of course, I've been meaning to get me a pair once I'd realised that I've outgrown my sneakers. Well... more like the world forced me to outgrow them. Apparently I can't be taken seriously anymore if I'm walking around in Nike sneakers (people would assume I'm a school kid). So... yes... I'm trying on a more 'mature' ... outlook(?)... and these babies are my first step into... The Mid-20s Club! Now... the next step would be to try on dresses/skirts. (OMG!)

PS: Okay... okay... I've decided to throw caution to the wind and not worry myself too much on the logistics. Time and place will unravel itself in unexpected ways and the point of this trip is to challenge myself, and to create my own unique experiences. This is a time to enjoy, and relax, and chill-out and take things as they come. I figured... worse comes to worse... I'll just get a later flight home. =)

Breakfast @ Chinoz in the Park

Vietnam is clouding my head. I can't think straight anymore. I can't even think about exam tomorrow (yikes!) when I have Vietnam in my head!! But... yes... I am trying to navigate around that problem by distracting myself with the internet. (hint: not studying) Do you think I can sue Facebook and Youtube for compensation if I fail my exams? ... *silence* ... I figured not.

The familia balik kampung today to Alor Star (fka Alor Setar), leaving me home alone yet again. And after Monday's 'incident' (no... it's not an accident) I don't trust myself alone, unsupervised, with the car. Who knows what I'll do to it next?

But of course, Sunday is a compulsary family day no matter what. So, with the promise of Chinoz in the Park @ KLCC for breakfast, I made the extra effort to wake up early (translation: 8am!) this morning.

Never had breakfast here before, simply because I find difficulty waking up early on Sunday morning (translation: 10am and beyond only!). Apparently they have a buffet spread for breakfast, starting from 8am - 11am. @ Rm15 you'd get free-flow of fruit juice, pastries, muesli, yoghurt, cereals and a local specialty dish (today: lontong). For an additional Rm6, you can add any ala carte choices available in the menu, which consists mostly of egg-based breakfast set (ie. omellette, sunny-side up + full english breakfast, poached eggs + cured beef strips, scrambled eggs + smoked salmon) as well as a pancake set. We skipped the buffet, and jumped straight to the ala carte items instead (which comes with complimentary coffee/tea).

Poached eggs + cured beef strips + english muffin + hollandaise sauce.

This was quite good, although I wished they had balanced it with some greens or something, because on its own, it was a bit salty and the sauce was very rich and creamy. The yolk wasn't runny though - which would've made it a trademark perfectly made poached eggs.

Full English Breakfast = 2 sunny side-ups + sausage + beef strips + mushrooms + roast tomato + baked beans + toast

The serving was quite big, and although I didn't get a bite of everything else on the plate, I thought the roast tomato was nicely done: sweet with a hint of garlic.

Omelette (with a choice of turkey ham, cheese, mushrooms and/or herbs for fillings)

Again, another huge serving. Best shared between 2 people.

Overall, it was quite alright, although I find it rather frustrating that the coffee/tea was not refillable. But it was so nice sitting outside by the park, embraced by the still quiet of early morning, before the hussle and bustle of the day begins. I really need to start waking up early more often to enjoy this sort of moments. An excuse to try the pancake set next?