It's THAT time again

Time to think.

I am sitting in my office drinking cold coffee at 6.26pm. Done almost all that i can do work-wise.

Now, I confess that I am knowingly shutting the world out and putting the planning of my career on hold.
How did i do that?

By watching lots of mundane TV series, movies & reading lots of books. Anything to stop me from thinking about what my future entails. It got me so tired at night that when it's time to sleep, i am already half asleep when my head touches the musty pillow.

I need to force myself to get my own place to stay and bear all the responsibility that comes with it.
Even if it means giving up on my love for traveling. Boohoo~~.

Well, provided if any of the banks is willing to approve my home loan.
The loan installment repayment shall not exceed 1/3 of my net salary. Yeah right, if the monthly installment is 2K. There is no way of getting an approval. There won't even be any condo with RM300K price tag.

I do entertained the thought of having my mom/ family/ relatives & friends over to stay with me. And i wish that this dream will someday be possible.

UPDATE: 21-2-2013

I just signed the bank loan offer from RHB. BLR-2.4%.
Under my name.
Problem is-> the insurance does not cover in case of abandonment of project.
Meaning, i have to continue paying even though the project is abandoned.

ON FIRE

Last sunday night, the house almost burnt down.
I was in my room watching some tv series on my pc when i smelt burnt plastic. I thought that it was coming out of my CPU. I sniffed around but the smell was not as strong there. I remembered last time when my cousin was boiling water with a kettle on a stove and we went out for dinner and she forgot to turn off the gas. Luckily we got back in time. The plastic on the kettle handle all but melted off. And the water was completely dry.


So, I dressed decently and open my room door. I stopped short on the first landing of the staircase looking down on the dark smoke at the ground floor. It was really scary. I can't see the first five steps to the stairs. I called out to my cousin twice while I was going up a step and down a step, contemplating on braving the smoke and just turn on the lights and ceiling fan to clear the smoke. My imagination ran wild that if I go down, i will see that the whole downstairs is on fire and there's nothing i can do about it.
My cousin is still not coming out of her room. So i carefully ran down and look over to the altar, IT WAS ON FIRE!!

I ran pass the altar to get to the kitchen and somehow managed to actually made out a proper sentence and shouted 'THE ALTAR IS ON FIRE!!'.. The fire even dripped to the tiled floor. Luckily there was nothing beneath and no electrical stuff nearby. I ran to the sink and saw a small cup. I filled it with water, feeling ridiculous. As i turn around with the water, I saw my cousin in the bathroom filling up water in a much bigger container. I dropped my cup and saw my in law running in to the kitchen saying 'Do not panic.. Do not panic..'.

He took the container and stood on a stool and started to rinse the altar with water.
The ash is the worst. I just changed the cover to my mattress and pillows and even with the door closed, the ashes still managed to get it and darkened everything. I can actually see it floating effortlessly.

Our hair, skin, feet, the furniture and not to mentioned the floors was blackened by the floating ashes. My cousin and her husband cleaned all night. I went up and shower once more. My hair was really stiff, my nostril is all black with ash.

My hand was actually shaking after the small fire. The rooms were filled with smoke and my room only cleared when i turned on the a/c.

JUMP Show- Seol, Korea

Have you guys ever heard of JUMP Show?
This is a LIVE comic, martial arts performance we watched while on vacation at Seol, Korea.

 It is really something i've never expected it to be. I thought that there would be a lot of  Korean traditional dancing & singing. BORING. But it was funny, exciting, romantic and there were lots of action! I loved it! I laughed a lot!! And i would watch it again if i could! The actors/ performers were all interesting in their own way.

Unfortunately, i don't know what is the ticket price.
This is one of  my recommended things to do while is Korea.

The show was performed in Korean language i suppose, but don't worry they don't really talk much and the action speaks louder than words.
And i understood it! :)

Seol Garden or Best Western Premier Hotel

We stayed at Seol Garden or Best Western Premier Hotel. Not really sure which name they go by. Tonight is the last night we'll be staying the night here. I've got to say that the breakfast here is really good. I really like the french toast. And they also provide vitagen like small bottle drink and yogurt for breakfast. The hotel is also 2-3 minutes walk to the MRT. I couldn't actually call this entry a hotel review because i did not even bother to check out the price and other significant details needed for a review. Anywho, do not expect any friendly faces among the Koreans because they are not known for a land of smiles. No offence.

Jeju

We are leaving Jeju island.. Jeju airport is so crowded..

We are flying off to Seol and start our tour there. We will be going to Everland Themepark. Can't wait to try the extreme ride.

Late

I knew this is going to happen. So i did not went to my colleagues house. And guess what.?? She's late. The taxi and i have been waiting for a good 20minutes.. And i am getting anxious by the minute.. I am also worried that there will be extra waiting charges. Argh~~

Hanoi or Hanok?

 It seems like the locals pronounce Hanoi as 'Hanok'.

At times, we just stood around near the traffic light and watch the traffic and beautiful ladies riding motorcycles in their pretty/ sexy dresses& high heels while waiting for my cousins shopped their asses off.

Tips: This is the tips I’ve gotten from a couple of friends and family members that is not to spend the night at Halong Bay because it is not worth the money.

Excluding the flight tickets & Hotel accommodation, I have spent USD90 for:-

- Airport pickup from and to the airport

- Halong bay bus/ van transport, boat ride to Heaven Cave inclusive of seafood lunch on the boat (1Day) with a very competent tour guide- Ms Jong. She can speak very good English and Mandarin. She can even advise you on the local food.

- A City Tour to the Museum, a couple of temples, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake c/w lunch (Our tour guide are a couple of kids with no tour guide experience at all). This time we actually skipped a couple of place i.e: the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum due to a million people waiting in line just to go in. couldn’t stand to wait in-line under the hot morning sun. I thought we were early enough leaving the hotel at 8am. I now think that we probably need to start queuing at 7am. We also skipped the Cultural Village.

Tips: If you plan to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, turn up early to queue. 

Comment on our Asia Hanoi Hotel

Cousin U & I are considered lucky as we got the 3^rd Floor bedroom facing the street. I can still handle the honking noise. We watched ‘The Voice- Vietnam Version’ and were appalled by the level of singing that went through to the next round. The ceiling is very high. It is a little dusty and you can tell that the toilet has never been properly cleaned since the last occupants left. The door to our room and toilet also are a bit loose. The hotel is considered to be a run-down hotel. HF got the 1F bedroom where they have the creepy bathroom and ceiling with a few man holes opening. We were taken aback when the hotel insisted that we surrendered our passport to them in case of theft while walking the street. We let them have it for half a day and collected it back at night.

Halong Bay Trip

I was expecting our bus ride to Halong Bay to be a 3 hour journey.

It turns out that it took 3-4 hrs from Hanoi to Halong Bay with 20minutes halfway stop at a souvenir shop. We left our hotel at 8am and reached around 1pm.

It took 4-5hrs from Halong Bay to Hanoi with the same 20minutes halfway stop at the same souvenir shop.

This is probably because our bus is super slow. The bus is going at 60km per hour and less with no traffic. My butt was sored from sitting so long. We took off from Halong Bay around 4pm and reached Hanoi around 9pm! We were edgy and hungry. Not a good combination. People were about to blow their tops from hunger and frustration of finding and deciding on a good dining place. 

Anyway, to be so near to these natural wonders the view of Halong Bay is breath taking. We paid another USD5 each person for a row boat that fit 6 people. The rower just took us through the opening of one bay and that was it. He then turned the boat around and went to the other bay. This is not really worth it. You do have a choice of kayaking and you can go and leave whenever you want. The water is filled with jelly fish. Urgh..~ Scary.. The bay was once where one of the James Bond movies was filmed. I cannot recall which though.

We had our seafood lunch on the boat. The USD90 package is including the seafood lunch but exclude drinks. They even sell pearl on the boat.

After lunch, we went to the Heaven Cave. I thought we were going to climb far up just to get to the entrance of the cave. I was already having trouble catching my breath. But just around the corner, I saw the entrance and out came a sigh of relief. The cave was beautifully decorated with colorful lights. It was mid July, the interior of the cave is naturally ventilated but we were all still sweating bullets.

I was already expecting the weather to be hot and humid. So, I was lucky that I took an umbrella with me. We had to wait on the docks to board our boat with hundreds of other people. There were people standing around with large umbrellas for the visitors.

Fascinating Hanoi

A few unknown facts TO ME about Hanoi

1)       Hanoi actually has four seasons.

2)       It is very hard to find overweight locals.

3)      The shops/ houses are narrow, due to the width regulations set by the king.

4)      Houses with 3 stories- people only stayed at the GF level, the 1F is for storing their belongings, and the 3F is for praying.

5)      The cleanliness of the food prepared is highly questionable. I had instances where the sellers just recycle used chopstick & wipe the plate with dirty tissues before serving the next meal to the next customer. They even place back the un-eaten green veggies (witnessed near our hotel). This is because the set up where they sell their food is only the sellers with her coal & cooking stove, and 5 kids’ size chairs facing her.

They also scoured the dustbin for reusable plastic cup to re-sell sugar cane juice (witnessed in Halong Bay near the Heaven Cave).

6)      Hanoi is not like Siem Reap, Cambodia where the US Dollar is widely used. Vietnam Dong is still a much better/ convenient choice for small scale shopping on the street. As 90% of the price tag is still in Vietnam Dong. They don’t even have small change for a USD10, and we were lunching at an upper scale restaurant- Avalon Lounge & Cafe. Chances are, you’re giving them USD100 and they will return Vietnam Dong to you.

7)      Durian is a delicacy there, some people lived their whole life only tasted the fruit twice because it is too expensive. While we are taking it for granted here in our country.

8)      Hanoi recommended food:-

-          Sticky Rice with chicken/ beef etc.

-          Pho- Noodle soup made from rice. There is a famous shop just around the corner from Cuo Dong Street. Vietnamese from other parts of the country love this.

-          Fanny Ice-Cream- very fancy Ice cream restaurant

9)     Walking around Hanoi Old Quarters is a nightmare. The traffic is crazy. Crossing the many street leaves us screaming trying to avoid cars & motorcycles that does not seem to be following the traffic rules. Most of the times we could not even walk on the sidewalk because all the motorcycle were parked there, hence more screaming and looking behind our shoulder for motorcycle when walking on the road.

    The motorcycle helmet is not like a safety helmet at all. Boy, their helmet is an art on its own. No padding on the inside to cushion any blows and it is not covering the ears. This is explained by the motorcyclist not being able to hear the honking of warning from other motorists. Thus the bowl shape helmet. Some helmet for the ladies even have a hole at the back for their ponytails!

    

    There is a significant history between Hanoi & Moscow. I just didn’t get the chance to know what because our museum tour was so brief. There were even direct flights from Moscow. I thought there was more history with France.

Let’s Go Hanoi

A few things happened during this trip that spooked me out a little. It started a mere hour before the trip officially started which was at home before our journey to the airport.

Even though I did said that I am a believer, however I am a skeptic towards this happenings with my aunt. Or to put it bluntly, I don’t believe her.

I set my alarm. I was to wake up at 3am to get ready to go to the airport.

I was woken up by the sound old people make when they brush their teeth i.e.: a lot a gagging and coughing. It went on for about 15minutes, up to a point where I felt disgusted. Huh~.  After it stopped, it was my turn in the bathroom.  I didn’t think anything of it.

Only when we were in the taxi and on our way to the airport that Cousin U told me that her mum was channeling and was blessing her and her husband but didn’t thought of calling me over for a blessing. 

Old Quarters Hanoi City Tour

First thing we did after checking in had lunch at Avalon. We had ice-cream at a fast food joint Lotteria to escape from the outside heat, just a couple of shop next to the puppet show place. Lotteria have a hamburger with rice as the bun but we did not try it.

The water puppet show was quite interesting at the beginning of it all, especially with the traditional instrument performance. DSLR/ hp cameras were clicking away and people were leaning forward in their seat. But it started going down-hill when the narrator was narrating everything in Vietnamese language. They did provide a piece of paper summarizing the performance but I dozed off more than 5 times.

Tips: Be prepared to pay for DSLR Camera fees when entering the theater. 

Tips: Buy the ticket earlier if possible because the place is always fully booked. We had a member of our tour rode a motorcycle with our hotel manager to go and buy the ticket right after we reached the hotel and told her of our intention to watch the show.

When it was all over, my aunt was feeling sick. She kept asking her daughters to hit her back real hard a few times. Her eyes are getting watery as well. She said that there was ‘something’ in there. It started right when one of the performers started beating away the drums. She said that was the part where they are calling on their deities. And she was instantly affected by it. We almost took a taxi back to our hotel. Instead, we continued walking and the further we were away from the theater, the better my aunt felt. We (my colleague-HF, her sister & dad) walked all the way to our hotel street ‘Cua Dong’. We got separated from my aunt because I was trying to stick with HF. I was worried that they wouldn’t be able to find their way back since the dad was making stops along the way to buy hats and this is actually her first time being on a holiday without having any tour guide.

Tips: Be prepared to run or show a don’t-eff-with-me facial expression to fend off traders on the street. They are ruthless and can chase you down blocks of building to sell you stuff.

Complaining again

So, i will be going to Korea next Friday. I was under the impression that i would be going to my colleague's house to wait for the taxi to the airport together. Then she told me that instead, she and her brother would drive over to my place because it would be nearer to the airport. So, i agreed.
I booked the taxi online stating my home address for the pickup point and told her about it. Then she told me that if the taxi can do two pick up points because she is worried for her car. I mean i should be more worried for my car if i parked at her apartment! So i asked the taxi service if they can do two pickup points and there will be another RM45 extra charges to the RM65! Then she said it is not worth it and if i didn't mind, i could park my car at her place since her housemate won't be around and there is an extra parking space inside.
I am tempted to say ok, because she is always late and i hate to think that it runs in the family. So i better wait at her place instead.
If so, i would have to cancel the booking that i just made and let her handle the rest since the rate is still going to be the same at RM65.

Life

I  don't know how i feel about the notion of what life after death means.

The Buddhist belief that we will continue to walk the earth after we are dead does not sit right with me.

Aren't people suppose to go straight to heaven/ hell?

Currently, i have been introduced to the possibility of staying 'alive' after death in a different dimension. That we will continue to roam the earth sort of in the realm of the living but among the dead. Sometimes, we could also try to get messages across the different dimension.

I have always wonder 'what if the soul is stuck and continue to haunt the place where the body perished? And the person couldn't find their way back to their love ones.?
And recently, i have also been exposed to the possibility that the soul of the dead will follow the body home where it is buried. This has really put my mind at ease.

Picture taken from my April-May trip to Japan

I am not a spiritual person. However i do believe in a chance of life after death.

Anger management

Omg. I think my temper is gettting to everyone nowadays. I cant' handle it with my other boss. Now the other one is also starting to get to me.! I don't know if it's because i'm about to get my period or something. But as i am writing this i am pissed. Should i start to attend an anger management class?

Friends- We play well together

On a personal note, I really appreciate the 2 weeks I spent with my university ex-housemates. This is the 2^nd time that the 3 of us ever spent the holidays together. The 1^st one was in Bali. Great times too. As we complement each other so well, we always had a great time together. We have loads of things to talk about but we seldom ask about each others’ personal love life. And when we were bored while waiting for our food to be served, the silence were not awkward at all. We just stared at the pictures on the restaurant wall or stare at each other. This resulted in the ‘what-do-you-want?’ face and ‘nothing, I-just-like-smelling-my-upper-lips’ face. 

To be honest, spending 24hrs together, er…. except the private bathroom & shower time that is, for the whole trip did affect us (sometimes). And LP who’s always the calm one was the one who defuse the situation before it gets any uglier. I made it sound serious but it is actually a minor thing. Clashes in personality I guess. I.e: I want to study the maps carefully while G wants to take a more proactive action of asking for direction. LP just lets us do whatever we want. And when that happened, the usually quiet LP stepped in and do what she does best- to keep us in line. 

I really like the picture I had of LP and Gale holding hands while walking up the street of Tokyo.

Another favorite is the one where we were all crammed on my bed while we were all doing our own thing. 

G doing Sudoku, LP editing her pictures with her i-phone and me reading my e-book. They do have their own bed but it seems like my bed is a lot warmer than theirs.

The above is one of the 'Must Do' thing when you go to Japan. According to Charlie that is.

Sometimes my face shows that I wasn’t happy, but that is not true. It just means that I am tired. This is when we were climbing up the hundreds of steps at Fushimi Inari Shrine. I mean I need training for that 2-3 hrs climb to complete the route. Or more time without it (training). But it was already 6pm and the bus is only available every hour. We were lucky that the bus driver in Japan is very good. He waited for us for a good couple of minutes as we were stuck at the other side of the road and the traffic light won’t let us cross. ‘Arigato-gozaimasu’.

Abrupt ending to this blog. :)

My J-Hoppers Osaka Hostel Reviews

In total, we have stayed in 4 different hostels during our 13days trip to Japan with another 2 days of flying in and out of Japan.

• Oak Hotel- Tokyo (3 nights). The wi-fi is only available at the Ground Floor Level.
• K’s House Mount Fuji- Kawaguchiko Mt. Fuji (2nights). Wi-fi available all over the building. There were 2 shoe dryers with timer available if your shoes ever get wet.
• K’s House Kyoto- Kyoto (2 nights). Wi-fi available all over the building. The people at reception are very well informed about which bus to take to all the places of interest. Maps of foods, bus route etc also available. We really like the Special Ramen on their recommended list. However, we don’t feel safe walking around at night. There were homeless people and the mentally unstable roaming the street.
• J-Hoppers Osaka- Osaka (2 nights). Super slow Wi-fi available all over the building.

We took an overnight bus to Kobe from Tokyo and stayed over at a couple friends’ house in Kobe for a 3 nights.

In my personal opinion, K’s House Mount Fuji is the best Hostel that we have stayed in. And K’s House Kyoto ranked 2^nd in my list, Oak Hotel ranked 3^rd and the 4th is J-Hopper’s Osaka. Unless all you ever wanted in your trip is a convenient place to stay to get you to the airport. Then by all means, stay at J-Hoppers. Other than that, steer clear from this hostel.

J-Hoppers Osaka:-

Strike 1:
There is no elevator we have to haul our luggage up 5 floors to our room. But the girl at the reception did asked if she could help out with our luggage.

Strike 2:
Our room door is fitted with a grille at the bottom, and we can hear all the slightest movements outside. I.e: people brushing their teeth, coughing, hair dryer etc. The door to the room next to ours is a freaking metal sliding door. So you can imagine hearing all the dragging noise coming from the opening and closing of the door.

Strike 3:
The wi-fi is sooo~….s..l…o…w….~~ The slowest one yet.

Strike 4:
This is the only hostel that is not equipped with a flat screen TV.

Strike 5:
The rubbish bin is not emptied during our stay there.

Strike 6:
You cannot expect us to drag our entire luggage from the 5^th floor to the Ground Floor and put all our linen in the Ground Floor linen basket. Suggestion, put the linen basket at each floor (I do understand that space is limited).

Strike 7:
It seems like the reception is always close. Remember to get your room key deposit back if you are checking out early.

Strike 8:
The shower rooms are only available on the 2nd and 3^rd floor.

Strike 9:
The shower with the bath tub smells moldy. Probably because of the wood they put as an anti-slip on the floor.

Strike 10:
You have to keep pushing at the shower button for the water to come out. Because the water will stop like every minute. This is the shower without the bath tub.

Strike 11:
There is only 1 toilet available at our floor. I’m not sure if it’s the same for every other floor.

Strike 12:
We think that Fukushima used to be the place to be, along time ago. But it has become quiet in day time and night time. All the shops seem to be close all the time. Again the review of the hostel about it being a busy/ happening place is so wrong. But you can see a lot of people and cyclists passing by this road to catch the train to work.

Anyway, the good thing about this hostel is:-

• It is very near to the Fukushima train station (Osaka Loop Line). Only 3-5minutes walking distance.
• There are restaurant there if you know where to look, the recommended food map from the hostel is a pretty decent reference.
• If you are into Japanese bar, there is a fair amount of bars around the area but not really sure if they have English menu since all the outside promotion board is all in Japanese.
• There is a Yoshinoya Restaurant just next to the Fukushima exit. There is only 1 exit for Fukushima Station.
• To get to Kansai airport. You can take the 1^st 4 cars of the train straight to Kansai Airport from Fukushima train station without changing trains. ¥1160.
• It is only 1 station away from Osaka Station.
• It seems like the only good thing about this hostel is the location. The other 'Good' reviews about this hostel are all bullshits.

Day 9 Kobe

Jumped to day 9 Kobe. Explored Kobe on our own without Charlie today. Didn't encounter any problem.

Backtrack to Fuji. The trip to Mt. Fuji was great. The 1hr 50min bus ride to Mt. Fuji was surprisingly comfortable. Even though it rained everyday we were there. We couldn't even see Mt. Fuji until the very last day and we were at the Kawaguchiko bus station that we saw parts of it. There weren't many foreign tourist like us walking around in the rain there. We actually thought that the place would be crowded with tourist. But the places of interest was mostly visited by the locals from other parts of the country. We went to the Lava Cave. We thought that it will be warmer inside like Ngilgi Cave in Perth WA but the Lava Cave was freezing cold! It was also called the Icicle Cave. We were not prepared for it. My phone died from extreme cold. I am not even kidding!

The 5hr bus ride to Kobe is so uncomfortable and it seemed like they stopped every hour at bus stations. We took the Sakura bus, they did provide us with a blanket each and the chair reclined. But the padding is so hard and chair is too small. We visited a couple of interesting places as well but i will get back to it when i'm back in KL. I am currently typing with my phone.

Anyway, we will be heading to Kyoto tomorrow for a 2 nights stay. I am preparing myself mentally because i am predicting that it is going to be a very tiring day.

This is Day 3 in Tokyo

Just came back from a whole day of shopping at Ginza.

As always, the legs are hurting.

Tomorrow is another long trip to Kawaguchiko Lake so that we can be nearer to Mount Fuji.
I hope we can make it in time tomorrow for our bus ride.

Should have polished my Japanese language before coming over.  O.O <-- me when bombarded with Japanese Language.

Day 1 and Day 2 in Tokyo

Day 1

We went to Asakusa Temple which is within walking distance from our hostel.

Day 2
We went and scout around for our bus ride to Kawaguchiko Lake at Shinjuku Station. It was so hard to find the correct place and even harder to communicate/ understand the locals' English.
We managed to get around by asking around in broken Japanese and English. Let me rephrase that. GALE asked around. We just nod our heads at the background and smile.

We started our sightseeing knowing that we are heading to 'a shrine'. When we reached, only then we realized that it is Meiji Shrine. I am starting to think that there is nothing to see in temples and shrines. No relics.

Next, we headed to Harajuku to shop a little and straight to Shibuya to have a look at the busy Shibuya crossing. And then without fully realizing it, we were right where the reconstructed Hachiko Statue is placed.

So that is the end of our day 2 in Tokyo. Tomorrow i think we will be going to Ginza to shop again.

Whoaa.. So excited!

The time is near for yet another big adventure.
Will it be more challenging than the previous one?
Or is it going to be Lost in Translation!? 
This time with 2 of my besties. I bet it's going to be epic!



We will be leaving for Tokyo on Saturday 28th April for an overnight plane ride to Narita. I already applied for 10days leave. So my admin arranged for 5 days annual leave and 5 days unpaid leave. Not that it makes any difference.

All the hostels booking is done. Gonna be in Tokyo for 3 nights, Mt. Fuji for 2 nights, Kobe for 4 to 5 nights and then Osaka for 1 or 2 nights. We will be flying back to KL from Osaka via MAS on 12th May.

 I wonder if we can sneak in the Japanese Public bath with towel or swim suit on without being completely naked. People with tattoos aren't allowed in. We might need to get a private one.

Charlie said the weather is getting warmer. So that will lightened our luggage load.

Ho wants Slam Dunk iphone4s housing (2 if cheap if less than RM50 each, 1 if more than RM50 each).
SY wants Burberry handbag.

I am a little fortunate that my current workload is not as heavy as the previous years. But there is still other work related things that needs to be settled.

On other note, i am so glad to see that Lil' Bro is having the time of his life in his company. I got a text from him on Sunday saying that he just reached Bali and for me to let MamaRoach know. I was really surprised because he never mentioned about Bali when i was texting him. He did mentioned about a trip this April. Oh well, MamaRoach knew about it though, I forgot that the baby is really close to PapaRoach and MamaRoach.

2010 Lake Toba Trip

After hearing about the Tsunami warning this afternoon and watching the new videos on Youtube.

I was reminded of the day we spent in Lake Toba, Medan, Indonesia a while back.

But that time it wasn't a Tsunami. It was a minor eruption on Mt. Sinabung 25miles from Lake Toba. It happened on the 29th of August 2010.

I remembered that LP and I were having a quiet time by the lake after a swim (if you call splashing around in one spot 'swimming'). And the atmosphere changed from a beautiful sunny day to an eerie dark sky accompanied by sound of the wind blowing. The wind kind of made waves on the lake. We actually commented how weird it was but never thought anything else about it.

I wasn't sure when we left for KL but i knew someone (G) was already getting worried and trying to get a hold of us but couldn't. But we got out of there without knowing that the volcano erupted until we were safely in the comfort of our own home.     

         

Badminton

I used to think that badminton are for sissies. Boy..was i wrong.

Waking up this morning, it felt like i have pulled every muscle in my body.
The two and a half (2hr 30min) of hitting the shuttle cock, running and jumping around is enough of a work out for me.

The pain after is even worst than what i felt after going for a jog.

I guessed that i really am getting old. While playing, i pulled my left hamstring. Rested a while till it felt a little better. Then continued again. And then i pulled the other hamstring!

Hah..i really should warm up before going at it. My right arm is also hurting right now.

But it was fun. Played from 8.30pm till 11pm.
Will be going again next Thursday. I hope we can book at 6.30pm.

Worst Day Ever (topped this if you can)

Am I driving an invisible car? I sometimes wonder about that. And am I psychic?

I was having a really crappy day at the office last Saturday 24^th March 2012. First, my boss bailed on me after having promised me that he will go my Shah Alam site. Then my fan guy bailed on me after also having promised me that he will check on the belt pulley of one fan. Then my sub-con couldn’t get the material ready for my Nilai site. I ended up having to call my main-con to apologize and postponed the installation work for the 3^rd time after having promised him it would be done that day.

I have been waiting/ fidgeting in the office for half the day waiting on my boss. I was thinking that he might be waiting for my other sub-con to come and arrange the rectification work on our office. But when it’s already 12noon and I got another call from my sub-con at Shah Alam who’s doing some work there, asking how and what to proceed next. I really snapped and packed up my things roughly commanding all the attention in my office and left. I didn’t bother to take CK with me because it was already 12pm and only 30minutes left till we go back. So let me just handle it and he can go back to his wife or whatever it is he had planned that day.

I didn’t even take leave from my colleagues like I normally would and just stormed out. I was already wiping my tears away while walking to the car. I really can’t handle it. See I’m not so tough after all. I put my phone on silent mode because I know that people will start calling and I am not in a state where I can talk sanely with others. CK did call I think after boss tell him to (and I was right).

I pumped my car with fuel and paid with credit card to avoid eyes looking at me. I reached the guard house and took quite an effort to talk to the security guard there. My sub-con called me up that morning to tell me that they can’t get into the building. I tried to call, text, email all the people/ phone numbers that I know but to no avail. So I was already on edge that morning. I told my sub-con to ask the guard for the keys. He said that they don’t have it. So I was pissed to find out that the guard could just ‘walkie-talkied’ a guy with the key to open the door. I swear I should put a swear word somewhere in this sentence. So I drove to the building and the door is already opened.

Another shitty thing happened after that. One of the fans tripped and I am really at a lost when it comes to electrical work. But I always saw my electrical sub-con pushed on the small red trip button right next to the main switch. So that’s what I did and it freaked me out because I can’t turn the switch back up again. So I called my electrical guy for help, after one didn’t pick up. I called another and followed a step by step guide. Settled!!

I pulled myself together just so that I could show them what is there to do next and went to my car to reply some of the text from my colleagues. I didn’t want them to worry. When I was having a moment alone with my feelings in the car my sub-con came over and gestured that he wanted to talk to me. Asking if I’m sick and if I want to go for lunch? I said “with this face? I don’t think so” (pointing to my crying face). Then he ask me to go back and he can settle everything there. And so I went to USJ to take lunch at SUMO Japanese Restaurant near the place where I booked my acoustic guitar Seven Tone. Ate, took my guitar without the promised complimentary guitar pick and left. Bought an instrument tuner as well, need it for a new guitar string. Nifty little thing. 

I was already thinking that the day could only get worst if I got into an accident. So I was already really careful while driving. But what happened afterwards?

Some guy bang my car from behind!! Can you believe it?! It’s like straight out of a “Worst Day Ever” movie if there is one.

“You have got to be kidding me?!”

I was at a lost for words when I went out and inspect the damage. 

“You didn’t see me is it?”- I asked in a small voice that almost cracked. I already stopped for a good minute at the traffic light. And I was lucky that I stepped on the brake hard and didn’t hit the other car in front. The guy kept asking me what I want to do. I said I don’t know. And then I said go to a workshop and fix it now. Um..  I cried again..! Really can’t help it. Those two guys looks like the type who would hit and run. They kept asking me to calm down. This is not a big deal and that they are reasonable guys. I’m suspicious though. They asked me not to cry ‘coz they are scared seeing me cry like that.

Ah Yun (the driver) offered to drive my car to the workshop and I let him afraid that he will run away. He told me to calm down again and I told him it wasn’t about the accident, it’s because I had a really rough day and him banging my car just made it so much worst. Long story short as if it’s not long already, we dropped off my car at the workshop near my house and he drove me home. Una was saying that it would take her 1hr30min to come get me. I think so that she can time it perfectly for our 5pm mani-pedi. It was only 2.30 or 3pm when I called her. I don’t get it, because if it were her and I was at home, I would drop everything and fetch her back first. To think that before the accident, I already told her that I will be going back to fetch her for the mani-pedi. I didn’t pay anything on the car.

To summarize:-

• Car is fixed, as in bumper is pulled out and reverse sensor replaced (although one is black the other silver), I had no paintwork done because I need my car for the next day.
• Car still looks ugly.
• Got an orange colour classic manicure, toe nail art with black background.
• Ate pizza with Una (her treat).
• Was in an almost collision twice, one with a parked car and one with a pole.
• Washed my delicates and didn’t machine wash my clothes till Sunday (the next day).
• Had major headache and went to bed at 10.30pm.

My First Toe Art

DARK AND MOODY ME

I still remember while I was in high school and in a very dark place; I was imagining that I am wielding a machine gun and get around shooting everyone. But then, I can’t stand to live without my family. So, that’s where it stopped.

I love it that Meredith & Yang (Grey’s Anatomy) portrays it perfectly while saying that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being myself. 

Sometimes, I just want peace and quiet.

I wrote a mystery short story once (incomplete).

About a girl and her cousins that went into a haunted house. No idea where it ends though.

Genting

A week after CNY, the older Dragon brother came to visit. Called SY up at 5pm to get the direction to Lil’ Bro’s office, instead I ended up inviting her along for the trip. Well, she kind of hinted that she hasn’t been up for quite some time. She made up her mind at that one phone call then went home to pack up her things.

SY thought that Lil’ Bro’ was a girl seeing him walking over to us from his office building. He stinks of smoke when he’s in the car. We all kept mum about it. Pretended that the smell isn’t making us sick.

I missed a turn getting to Genting with the sign (Genting, Institut Aminuddin Baki) on the left and (Genting Highlands) on the right/ straight. I took the straight road, but all the same, it takes us to the same road up to Genting after having to do a U-turn and pass through McDonalds.

It was pretty intimidating driving up with 4 person in my compact car. But with shouts of instruction to change to low/2L gears from them brothers, we managed to reach Genting First World parking in one piece. The brothers were making fun of my driving skills and I yelled ‘Turuuuuun…!!’ Then everyone was like “Aaargh…. Haha... ”. We were all joking and kidding around which SY found endearing. It had gotten very foggy when we reached the top around 11.30pm. It forced everyone to drive slowly, because it was very difficult to read the signboard pointing the way to the carpark.Luckily, there was plenty of empty parking spaces on that Friday night. The KIOSK Check-In Machine can’t process us, since we have already exceeded the Check-In time. And luckily for us as well, it only took us 15minutes to complete our counter check-in.

SY was sporting enough to join us since all of us will be sleeping in the same room. She tried to converse in Mandarin with the elder bro,but he seems to always be ignoring her or pretended not to be listening. His spoken English is of an English educated person with the ‘right..’ at the back of his sentences. A proper one. I had goosebumps just listening to him speak with the hotel’s receptionist on the phone. While my English is of Chinese Malaysian style complete with the ‘mah’, ‘meh’ and ‘lah’ in my sentences.

He was out till early morning between 5am- 6am. I was getting worried and had to text him and ask him to come back. The little one just sit at Starbuck till 3am-4am wearing my cardigan and making it smell of smoke. Euwe~!! I had half a mind to let him freeze himself.

I also managed to lose RM20 gambling, take Lil’ Bro back to his house, take Elder Bro to airport (with plenty of time to spare) and take SY back home safely. Yay me! I wasn’t too worried driving up because I have my boys with me.

Will there be another trip up with me driving?

Yes... With the right group of people.:).