She speaks. Or rather, she writes.

1. The pollution is very, very real. I got off the plane and could not speak because not only the air was thinner (Kunming is elevated) but there was so much dust particles in the air! Very reminiscent of our 97 haze horror where the school made us wear masks all day long in KL.
2. Because of the pollution in the air… the people constantly suffer from an itchy throat, which they need to clear out ever so often. So hearing the kkkkkkhhhhhrrrrr aaaakkhhhhh tttuiiiii! sound is all too common here, and seeing people spit on the streets while walking, running, cycling is no longer bothering me. It’s not really their fault, it’s the pollution you see..
3. Ever heard of people telling you there are no doors in the public toilets out here? Well I’ve yet to verify that, as all my public toilet adventures have had doors. Only thing is.. people don’t seem to know how to use them doors! Maybe they get a little claustrophobic, I don’t know.. Or maybe they enjoy the breeze? Hahahaha.. so I think it’s pretty clear that the doors are recent additions to make Kunming more tourist friendly, and I’m bound to run into more ‘interesting’ public toilet adventures in Dali and Lijiang.
4. The buildings here are devoid of any colour. It’s all dreary stones, very 1970 old picture feel. Nippon should seriously consider brightening it up :p
5. Things are cheap here.. Had a hair wash, cut, blow dry and a massage to boot all for 20 yuan! (RM10!) Not the best job in the world, but hey, it’s better than the RM10 barber equivalent back home hahahaha.. Massages were RM25 for 90 mins, food was cheap (we’d order 8 dishes and it’ll turn out to cost each of us RM15) and cabs were more reasonable than back home.
6. English is.. mostly unknown. If you’re heading to China it’s a good idea to bring along the Chinese Msians (Malaysian Mandarin is very much understandable– contrary to what my Chinese friends believe hahaha) just roll out the R’s more hahahaha (or do what I do– carry a dual language mandarin dictionary– it’s a bit slow process but it’s much better than sign language)
7. With the travel hype the world is caught up with, this part of China can do more to be tourist friendly– from the buses they provide, to the itinerary they plan, to the food they serve, all could seriously be made better. Although I have to say, perhaps it’s such poor quality because I’m joining the tours meant for China people, and they’re perhaps not as fussy.. Maybe the white man’s tours are a lil better.. I don’t know..
8. Kunming is famous for Pu- Erh- Tea– don’t leave here without giving it a try!
9. The internet cafe is awesome! Huge screens! Just no English words hahahahaha.. 3 yuan an hour! 20 yuan upfront as an advance! (i know all that from pointing in the dictionaty hhahahahaha) The speed makes me embarrassed on behalf of streamyx!
10. 3 years ago this whole area was nothing but plantation fields– they really are growing fast!!

Day 1: Walked the whole city

This was one day where I failed to plan ahead.. So I missed a trip to perfume pagoda :( But nevertheless, made our way to the usual sights and places of Hanoi.. On foot. Totally doable and fun, just make sure you get a map from your hotel. In my case, I got it from highly recommended Hanoi Guesthouse that is raved about in tripadvisor. I arranged for a trip to Halong Bay through them too, which turned out to be one of the great experiences in life… right there next to Cape of Hope and Ulu Watu and Grand Canyon!

- when I pointed this place on the map and asked what building this was, the hotel lady said “Ho Chi Minh dead people” hahahhaha for some reason I imagined skeletons scattered all over in the building hahaha..

- my mom trying to earn some extra cash.. (we forgot to keep some for airport tax)

Navigating through 3000 little islands…

..in a Chinese junk boat. That’s pretty much the closest I’d ever come to a cruise hahaha.. All for 58 amelican dola.. You get awesome meals on board, get to jump off the roof of the boat into the lukewarm green water, get to witness breathtaking sunsets, get to see “floating markets” up close, get to karaoke the night away.. and really just enjoy one of many God’s beautiful places on earth.

- the cave in one of the tiny islands

-i loved the perspective, colouring and the effects of this pic!

- jumping off the roof with some of the fun people on board (i was 2 seconds too late to be in the shot hahaha, and mom was never quite able to capture another shot as awesome as this)

Met some pretty awesome people.. there was this group of New York nurses that quit their jobs to do the whole ’see the world’ thing.Totally jealous hearing about that, makes me wana do it too. Then there was the cute Vietnamese who couldn’t speak a word of English but insisted on talking to me.. in sign language. So he’d say something in Vietnamese, I’d repeat it, then I’d say something in English, and he’d repeat it. Not too sure what we accomplished at the end of the day though, considering I already forgot how to say 1-5 in Vietnamese. The one thing I remember is people pointing to my teeth.. apparently its white! Hahahahah.. Wanted to tell them its probably the same colour as theirs, just that the background colour of comparison helps with the contrast.. But those were too many words to say in sign language hahahahaha…

- the mini floating market around the boat

- the gorgeous sunset

- the chilly foggy sunrise (5.30 am!!) Hahahah can’t believe I managed to wake up!! It was soo cold, camera lens got all fogged up and this was the only shot I could take!

- day view of the bay

Before I knew it, it was time to get to the airport and make my way home! It’s been one of those trips where you get a lil amazed at the experiences you went through, a lil humbled at the poverty that was apparent, a lil thankful that you’re not in the generation after war, a lil proud for planning & backpacking through it all, a lil sad that you didn’t get to see & do more.. and a lil happy to be going home.

It’s been a great trip and all I want to do is jump off to another!

So we took a train from HCMC to Hue, which was roughly 18 hours trip.. Amaaazzzzing views there.. Here are some of my favourites..

After settling in the hotel, we went for a recommended place on tripadvisor.. Lac Thienh (or next door, Lac Thanh) loonnnggg history on how one place was successful and bla bla bla and then copycats came up, confusing tourists and all, copying to a point where the staff pretend to be mute and dumb like the original shop owners. Anyways. not that I cleared up which was real and which was not, I just picked one and had the food. (go consumerism!! haha) OK-la, but didn’t quite jive with my taste buds. But still. Good vietnamese food for cheap when having the same thing in a VNmese restaurant in Msia would cost 20 times more.

After that we went to see the famous Hue bridge- apparently something everyone must do. So I got a night shot! Very reminiscent of NY’s backdrop pics I had last time hahaha.. Though this one had a mirage of colours, I just picked the most pretty :p

Day in Hue

1 word to sum it up : Motorbikes!!!!!

Really wanted a ‘feel’ of Vietnamese traffic, but was too chicken to try in HCMC cus I just didn’t like the statistics of one foreigner dying a month, and at least 30 Vietnamese hospitalised in ONE HOSPITAL from a traffic related accident. Plus I was living on the edge with no insurance (gasp! omg! tsk tsk!) yeah i know hahaha.. So begins the tale of us seeing the whole of Hue in a day on motorbikes!

-some temple (forgot the name- but again, its the usual touristy thingy)

- The Monks studying at the above temple. Food prepared for (not at all yucky okkkk), place to live in provided (twin sharing basis, fineee the bed’s a lil… basic), clothes free from all fashion pressure, and here’s the kicker.. people adore and adulate you to a point of hollywood stature. I think being a monk is awesome! And not to mention a damn easy life! Except for the part where people expect you to perform miracles and all hahaha..

- On some American shelter on a hill, there was a carcass of some tanker, but being alpha female at that point the sceneries were more interesting hahaha

- in another temple… me and mommy :p (YES she’s my MOM) get over it hahahah

- i LOVE this picture! It’s everything a city girl would be jakun about! Hahahahahah.. Below is the same picture, but with my camera having develop the expensive blur capabilities hahahah

- here’s everyone with their respective motorcycle drivers! It really was a great experience in terms of seeing a beautiful place in a very short time, and also being exposed to interaction with local people. One thing that struck me hilarious was that Vietnamese people say ‘my’ when they mean ‘you’/ ‘your’. So the conversation with my motorcycle guy goes:

Him: That’s my mother?

Me: No, that’s MY mother

Him: My mother?

Me: Errrrr…. Yeah. Maybe. Hahahahahha

Another one (before I caught on)

Him: What is my name?

Me:Eric? John? Jacob?… ?!???!?.. How would I know?!?!??!?

So after a while I caught on, and told him my name. Then I wanted to know his name

Me: So what is my name?

Him: Your

Me: No, MY name (What the hell?!? He’s correcting my ‘grammar’ now?!??!)

Him: Your

Me: Okkkkk (thinking I might’ve got it wrong after all).. What’s YOUR name?

Him: …??!?… Blurr… Your..

Me: OH. You mean my name is Your? (Of all the names.. What are the odds of THAT!?!)

Hahahahah.. Language differences is really a source of entertainment everywhere I travel. Apparently it’s like that in Sabah too, and the conversation can really take a turn towards ridiculousness before one side catches on.

ANyways.

Was in the station by 5 to catch a train that was late (only 2 hours late so we were fortunate) and because I bought the tickets a day earlier, I only got hard sleepers! O.M.G! A thin slice of cloth is your ‘mattress’, and there are 3 bunks on one side, so siting up is impossible, and getting up/down is a gym workout on its own. To make matters more insanely funny were our coachmates! 3 brothers who shook the train coach with their snoring! Complete surround system! Hahahaha..

-the real size of the Cu-chi tunnel, it was too muddy to try out (hahaha yeah right i had a feeling my girly attributes would’ve gotten stuck if I did) hahahahah

So I just came back from this 4 day trip to the east

Malaysia

,
and for some reason, the events that happen seemed to have thrown me into a
contemplative mode with sudden bouts of emotionalism.

1. My job.

One of the customers asked me something along the lines of “What
the fuck is a woman doing in this field” OK, not so crude, and definitely in
more flowery language than that. More importantly, he really was just making
conversation as opposed to being antagonistic.

But he got me thinking. What AM I doing here? It’s not cars,
it’s not bikes. It’s HEAVY EQUIPMENT. Where, the tiniest of spare parts would
not fit into my handbag. Where after meetings in offices, you might have to
take a trip to the jungle, heels and handbags be damned. Where, if your truck
gets stuck in mud, you first thank God you buy cheap heels, THEN you step in
the mud and try creating fraction for the wheels to move. Where your PR skills
mean nothing, where your practiced English becomes more of a hindrance than a
conversation starter. Where, you being female make things uncomfortable for the
men. Where, for you to be of any value, you’d have to be in the industry for at
least 10 years.

I really am struggling to find how I can be of contribution
here.

2. The meaning of life.

Whoaaa!~ I know. And yes, all religious people will have a
field day explaining this to me. But really, I work the corporate ladder, I
find a good man, I make good babies, I bring them up to refrain from
questionable behavior until they’re at least 18, I get sick with some illness,
I die. Some variations in there perhaps, but the beginning and end remain the
same. So what does it matter what we do in life? And for some, heaven and hell
can be answer enough why what we do in life matters, but I think this same line
of questioning will still exist for me even when I’m in heaven. (Or hell, but
hey, why jinx it)

PURPOSE. What’s the purpose of life? (And those reading,
yes, I’ve heard about the book “Purpose driven life” and I’ve even read some
parts of it. I think it’s great creative writing, and I think the guy that
wrote it has enough millions in the bank for him to see his ‘purpose’ in life)
Doesn’t quite help me find mine.

Sigh. Was my brain always this complicated?

3. Having a man.

Some (read: many) have commented that having a man in my
life will magically cure me of all these questions in my head. So maybe, just
maybe, the women of the yesteryears had it right. Find a man by 20, get
married, and life’s great mysteries will work itself out. Oh. And don’t get a
job, that only creates more questions, be a good girl and work the house (and
your hubby).

Problem is, I don’t buy into such nonsense. (And I know
those that are in love are shaking their heads and going tsk tsk on me) But
really, I want a long term solution. A man, like a roller coaster ride,
provides temporary distractions. After the 6 month deadline (some even 3 months
or less), life’s reality and queries come crashing back. Going on and searching
for another distraction is how I’ve been living life, and I probably would
continue doing so after this bout of confusion passes by.

But right now I worry, 5 years down the road, when my little
distractions don’t work anymore, I’ll be having the same issues, and an added flavor:
I’ll be 30 and still confused.

Maybe life is meant to be this way, who knows. If I’m 30 and
still confused, I’ll just take up some dangerous sport to keep the adrenaline
pumping and the questions subdued.

Cheerios y’all. Hope the mood is not infectious.

This time it was to Phuket! For New Years!

Day 1 (27 Dec 07)

Blindly stepped out of the hotel and groped around for
things to do. Found them (the things to do). The usual KL stuff on a Saturday night,
except it was in a completely different language that made no sense. At one
point DJ said something and we went ‘Wohoooooo’… and the guy next to me says “DJ
said those of you who are heartbroken raise your hands”.. Now ain’t that sad..
A bunch of people traveling together, all heartbroken! Hahahaha

Phiang na kroop, sian
no no phriii…!!!

Day 2- Bad corals, great people

Phi-

phi

Island

Decided to fulfill our roles as tourists and visited Phi Phi
island. Funnily enough the day was awesome not because of the place we went to,
but the people we met:

Marla- the British pilot suffering a mid life crisis and
dealing with it in style (6 months off work and traveling around the world)

Sam- the Aussie 21 year old who (thankfully) does NOT sleep
with sheeps, traveling for 5 weeks around S.E Asia

Sebastian- The French cum Asian wannabe who swam with the
sharks

And a woman from

Bangkok

,
staunch supporter of Thaksin and recommender for good seafood for dinner.

And then we got conned 600 Baht while getting there.

Why take pictures if
you’re not gonna share em?? Hahahaha ~ runaway model wannabe

Day 3- New year’s eve!

Beach. Sand. Fireworks. Crazy people. Near- death misses.
Lanterns in the sky. Friends.

And the kicker.. hitching a free 40 min ride to the hotel.

Best New year so far.

How it can go sooo
wrong. We’re sitting there, chilling. And we get attacked by lit lanterns gone
wayward.

Waiting for fireworks
gala

 The whole stretch of
beach was alight (firework + lanterns = pollution! Hahaha)

Day 4 (1 Jan 08)

I’m working tomorrow??!?? Hahahahaha.. Happy New Year y’all!
Cheers to growing up!

I think it’s a good philosophy, really. In every aspect of
life. Think about it, it’s probably true in your case too.

1. Dating

The guy in your department that send shivers down your spine
when you see him, but he doesn’t see you? The girl next door that you’ve had a
crush on since you were 5 but she thinks “any girl would be lucky to have you”,
just not her?

And then think of the times when you had men wanting you
desperately, or when the girl was literally at your feet and following you around
like a good little puppy. And then imagine what life will be like if you had
settled, and gotten into a relationship with that person.

Now which feeling sux more? First or second? All my votes go
for the second. Settling is never fun. Not getting something you want, well,
you can just find other things (read: men) to want :p

2. Job

This is a lil harder to substantiate, but I’m gonna go ahead
and whack only.

I think being in a job that you like gives you a whole lot
more motivation to do better.. Although almost invariably you’d be restless for
more.. A higher pay, a better promotion, a nicer boss…

And then there’s the case of being stuck in a job you hate.
Man if that was the case for me I’d be suicidal every single day of my life.
Waking up each day would be a drag, and I would be counting the seconds til it
was 530 and I could leave.

So yeah.. in that case I’m quite ok… I want my job enough to
like it, but in the same breath I want so much more from it.. More excitement,
higher pay, bla bla blaa.. It’s a good place to be in when you consider the
alternative.

3. Life

See at this point I think everyone is beginning to get the
concept of what I am saying. Everyone wants more in life, that’s an OK way to
go through life, makes you be a better person mostly. But the day you hate your
life, and wish it wasn’t yours, I think it’s time to seriously work out an
action plan to change it. Because living a life in a way that you don’t want to
can possibly be the most depressing thing on earth (except if the world ran out
of coffee- then it’ll be the second most depressing thing on earth after coffee
extinction being first)

I think I’m gona go chant the topic over and over again just
for fun :)

It’s been ages since my last post. I yearn to bitch about well, work. But I have a sneaky suspicion it’ll come back and bite me in the would-be promotion i deserve hahahahahahaha.. So I’ll keep it humorous instead. I’ll talk about the men vs. women issues hahahahaha…

So i recently was educated about how sometimes when men give statements out of the blue, it is not because they are retarded, but they actually are implying something. Sheesssshhhh like communication with another human being is not already hard enough. Like if someone says "the Bee movie is out" it is implied that they want to watch it with you. Or if they say "there is a concert this weekend" it means you’re probably invited. I dunno whether I’m just slow, but heck NO I do NOT see that as an invitation! Hahahahaha..

And I thought only women did this ridiculous communication.

Nways. I decided to put this new found theory in action. Monday morning as I was making coffee (the conventional coffee+sugar+milk mixed on ur own) I was chanting "Please be ok please be ok". Retarded, I know. Hahahahaha.. Dad thought so too, so he asked "whats up" and I innocently replied with a STATEMENT "I ran out of 3 in 1 nescafes"

I’m still waiting for the 3in1s to be bought by dearest daddy.

So I think we should all save ourselves a whole lot of trouble and just say what we want/ mean. Tomorrow I’m telling daddy I want him to buy the 3in1s for me. Living without it is wasting a good 3 minutes of precious rushing- off- to- work time.

Adios people, I’m a lil rusty in writing, I don’t think I make sense hahahahahaah..

So here’s the deal : They want send us to some jungle to break into my head so that they can
"build it up again". And if you think you’re one of them who would
never succumb to such shameless brainwashing, trust me, it’s pretty easy to do.

1. Sleep

No self respecting student can graduate without having experience 3
days of no sleep, and walknig around deliriously caffeinated. You know
what it does to you. If you never can imagine how a mom can shake her
newborn baby to death, then you should try not sleeping for 7 days. If
you’ve never watch the X-files series of the guys that go around
killing people because they haven’t slept for 38 years, go download it. Sleep is a funny thing. When you have enough, its no biggie, when you don’t, it’s all you think of.

2. Food

Why do you think models/ gorgeously thin people are such B.I.T.C.H.E.S?
It’s cus they are always hungry :) Don’t agree with cannibalism? Don’t
eat for a month, n then go meat a friend.

3. Comfort

Like your aircond room? Your comfy bed? Your hot water shower? Your
clean toilet? I do. Been to places that don’t have those things? How
long do you last? I lasted for 2 days in the remotest area of India
before I became a complaining monster when I was nine. Salwa’s SIFE
project, some didn’t last even for a day. But then again I survived
hostel deplorable conditions for 5 loong years. Hmmm…

4. Personal space

Ever had to babysit 3 young boys who were total brats and worse still,
had parents who condoned brat-ism?? Short of beating the crap out of
them, there’s nothing that would make them behave. And you can’t do
that cus, well, then your uncle would beat the crap out of you in
return. After you finally get them locked in a room for bed, all you
want to do is be ALONE. Any idiot dumb enough to ask you questions at
that point would be a) suicidal or b) dumber than you originally
thought.

5. Survival instincts

Watch the movie SAW, and you’ll see the length humans would go in
hurting others when it comes to their own survival. Or when it comes to
protecting their loved ones. Some people tell me that they do not fear
death, I think the ultimate test will be when you have a choice between
your life, and some total stranger who happens to be a jerk.

Point is, the human nature is a fragile thing. Take away number 1 to 4,
throw in number 5, and all you get is the worst side of human nature. I
know the following week is not going to be as horrible as my
exaggerated examples, but all the same, finding my worst side is not
something I relish doing. Hopefully I find out that my worse is still
much better than YOUR best. Muahahahahahahaha… (Stop rolling your
eyes!)