I'm Just A Little Tea Egg

I'm moving

2009-06-14T16:53:00.002+08:00

new blog add will be
http://littlezen77.blogbus.com

It's in Chinese, because I figured I have to do something to retain the solid foundation I've built up over the years!

I'm done with India

2009-05-17T15:10:00.002+08:00

But I still have 9 days .
From now on, I'll focus on getting myself from west India to the east.
My dear Calcutta, I'm coming for your delicious wonton noodles!!!

五月的印度很热。

2009-05-13T23:17:00.000+08:00

五月的印度很热。

每每在路上走，会有很多印度人冲着我喊 “Konichiwa!” 或者 "Hey, Let's talk!"

已经一个半月在这个我不知道该爱还是恨的国家。目前为止觉得 “一个女生走走” 最有挑战性的国家。

新德里有朋友陪伴，天气太热可以躲在房间里看 Lost.

还碰巧有两场 Champions League Semifinal 消磨时间。

现在不管旅馆吃饭或者某个景点坐下休息，遇到的人，问的问题，总是

“你吸烟吗？” “No, I don't”

“你一个人吗?” "Yeah, sort of"

"走了几个月？" “half a year”

"wow, you are a brave girl!" "Thanks"

你们不知道，我现在很寂寞。

New Delhi

2009-05-06T02:06:00.002+08:00

First of all, its freaking hot. I feel immobile from 11 am to 4pm

Secondly, the backpackers area, aka Paharganj,has got bad traffic bad roads.
If they are capable of nice and beautiful roads like the Connaught place area, I do not see why they can't take the extra effort to renovate the Paharganj area a little. At least a decent road.

Well, who am I to complain, its INDIA

I'm getting tired of blogging~

2009-04-24T15:42:00.004+08:00

But anyway,
still wanna write a little to keep memories of this trip alive.

Day 155 -- Orchha -- Jhansi -- Lucknow
It's time to check out and leave Orchha. The guesthouse owner bidded me goodbye and told me to be "extremely" careful on the train. he was lika a father, only he is so much smaller in size than me !
Tuk tuk to Jhansi cost 20Rs (10rs charge for baggage which i din't mind). And amother 10 Rs to the railway station. The tuk tuk drivers were helpful and I'm grateful. Bought an afternoon general class ticket (again! I'm Miss cheapskate)and proceded to wait for the train. Part of my journey around north India had always been waiting for some type of vehicle and on the road. it can be tiring at times, especially I'm only spending an average of 2 days in every place and the constant come-see-sleep-go travelling attitude is wearing me out fast.
But i have to move, because I've reserved my tix 28th May out of India.

With my previous experience, I went into the sleeper berth instead of general class cabin, act blur when conductor came, and escaped without a fine (or bribe).

The train was SLOW and Ireached Lucknow 2 hrs late at 9pm. At the train door waiting to get out, the person in front turned over and again warnrd me "Be careful in the station." Nice.

Day 156 Lucknow
I did a short homestay in Lucknow, price was reasonale and the best thing they have wireless! Which got me hooked on the internet till the wee hours of the morning.
The mainreason I came to Lucknow was to see the remains of British legacy. Afterall, it was here that the British insurgency was at its most horrifying moments.

And I'm always fascinated with places that has been colonised by Western powers (British and French in particular), the buildings left behind, the stories of the local people struggle for independence etc

I splurge in Lucknow. i have no idea why but was sort of fed up with the frugal life and went to nice cafe for nice coffee. Bought a pack of barista coffee and a coffee plunger. Bought 3 bottles of contact lens solution ythat I seriously regret now, and a specs with no frame just for the fun of it.
Lucknow is burning hot!!
I couldn't really do much except to walk around.

Day 157 Lucknow
The highlight of the day is i went to the Residency. It was a sorry state and I feel sorry for myself that I could not capture the 悲凉 of the city with my lens. It was bad. I tried but I know the photos are not convincing. Once in a while I reached a bottleneck and i do not know how to breakthrough to find new angles and give new life to my photos, it's frustrating.

Day 158 Lucknowand night train to Haldwani
The best thing about doing a homestay is that checkout time is flexible. i had a train to catch at midnight and the owners allowed me to stay all the way to 11.30pm, which was good because you wouldn't get this offer in hotels.

I arrived at the train station feeling relaxed and happy only to find out.........

Day 158 Lucknow to Haldwani to Naintal
The train was delyed by 5 hrs, which means when I finally boarded the train, it was 5 am in the morning and the sky was bright... I didn't dare to sleep while in the waiting roombecause I was afrais i would totally miss the train. And it was a little impossible to sleep on the train too because it was bright and hot. That was the most painful day of the trip. It didn't help that it was the time of the month also.

I arrived at Haldwani station feeling toatally shagged and a total loser. i wanted to cry because it was not only tiring and the first time i felt traveeling solo as a female is not easy, esp in India. The harrasment, the "scanning" by men was a little too much and too intense at times.

Anyway, got on the bus to naintal, and the winding road up the mountain coudnlt provide me a good sleep. Alighting and finding my way to the hotel, I broke down and the hotel staff were humane enough to send someone to get me.

Day 159 Nainital
I was supposed to catch a train to Haridwar today, but my waist hurts so much just by walking I know i couldnt move today. So I stayed and basically stayed in hotel room. Watched man Uted vs Portsmouth, was happy with the results, and I really think Michael carrick is very handsome.

Day 160 Naintal to Haridwar
So I din't take my train yesterday and bought a night bus ticket to Haridwar today. It was twice as expensive but i din't care. Do not entertain the thought of dragginf my luggage 2 hrs to haldwani and squeezing in the dirty train. Its good to travel in a little comfort sometimes though money had been extremely tight. But Mr BF had promised USD 300 in state of emergency so I could sort of relax now, haha. Henry said earlier in facebook chat too that it pays to spend more for the comfort, which i didn't agree at that time.

So that's the end of blogging my not so interesting week.
Now I wished I could get into Delhi fast and chill.

Madhya Pradesh

2009-04-18T22:14:00.006+08:00

Day 152 -- Khajuraho
Tourists come to Khajurajo mainly for the temples and the exquisite erotic carvings on it. For me, I found myself landing in a land of harrasments, it wasn't a pleasant experience.
Which I do not which to eaborate. Am Blacklisting this place

Day 153 -- Leaving Khajuraho early in the morning by pre- arranged tuk tuk, I felt an immense sense of relief. ut bad news was to follow. I made it to the bus station at 9 am sharp and was told the 9o' clock bus was cancelled due to elections being held that has locked off some parts of the highway.

So ... i waited and waited and
had to answer numerous questions like
"Where are you from ?"
"Where are you going ?"
"Do you want buy some drinks?"

Bummer, I'm surprised I did not lose my temper and smile

Reached Orchha later than I expected, which means I have to stay one more night. But it was worth it because this is a beautifuk place with ancient ruins scattered all around, and totally blending in with today's India.

Saw a guy who went the same route as me from Khajuraho to orchha (except that he drove here), greeted each other and decided to go for beer. The beer wasn't good. And when I try to check the alcohol contents, the label reads "not exceeding 8% but exceeding 6%", so...what's that supposed to mean?

Anyway, the guy is from America, lost his job becauses of the financial crunch, and told me to go to Seattle to learn the business of coffee. Nice idea, worth considering.

Day 154 -- Orchha
Basically did te standard tourist thingy and baking under 40 degrees of heat. The palaces were not very huge or largely impressive, but they're still quite a sight as they dominate the skyline of tiny Orchha. There is nothing left of the former kingdom but just bare structures (I guess all the stuff are somewhere in a museum) but it was cooling to just walk around and enjoy the breeze.

Oh yes, and Mr America was staying in the posh hotel inside the palaces and invited me in to chill. Which I gladly accepted firstly for the air- con and secondly for TV. So I spent like a few hours glued to Fashion TV and got my brains stuffed with beautiful clothes that I have no means to buy.

Gonna leave Orchha soon. Tomorrow will be another ultra - long travelling day to Lucknow. Why does India have to be so big?

And today is also our 3rd anniversary, very happy that he called and we recalled a little of past events.

Day 151 -- Allahabad to Satna to Khajuraho

2009-04-15T22:23:00.002+08:00

So I don't like Allahabd. And I left early in the morning for the 8.30 train to Satna, from which I would catch a bus to Khajuraho.

I woke up half an hour later than I was supposed to, and rushed through my skincare regime (because Mr bf always complain I'm too dark, I have to apply loads of sunblock before leaving guesthouse every morning)

Went to settled the bill at the reception and they charge me 10% tax!! Which was unheard of in other hotels but I didn't have the luxury of time to argue. I was rushing to be in time for the train. Made it to the station at 8.10am and was real worried Imight not get a ticket. Well, in China, this is highly possible.

I went directly to the general class counter (unreserved seats) and bought a ticket to Satna , 181 km for 59RS. Sweet deal. But as I boarded the train, I did not go to the general class coach, instead I headed to the sleeper coach for which I'm very sure there'll be seats. If someone come around checking tickets, I can bribe him like giving 20 RS. (SOmebody taught me, I didn't pick this uo myself!)

And true enough, the conductor made his rounds and told me my ticket is a general class, I act blur and ask "So should i get off now?" And he just shook his head the Indian way and say "Sit, nevermind." I din't even pay him extra. Haha.

ANd the good thing about it is that everyone around me knows that I'm going Satna. so when we are nearing the station, they sort of simultaneously pointed to me that this is Satna station. Was grateful because the Indian trains do not have announcements and it would be terrible to miss the stop.

So i hopped off the train at Satna, took autocycle rickshaw to bus station and driver was hgelpful, I told him to keep the change. Bus to Khajuraho was jam-packed but it didn't really bother me since I got a seat.

And 11km from Khajuraho, someone jumped on thhe bus and came for me, the tourist, directly. Normally I would have ignored such touts, but he gave me a hotel card that says "Hotel Zen", aha I'm interested. SO that's where I'm staying now.

And just a note to myself, the food there is ultra expensive, never eat there again!!

Day 150 ~Allahabad

2009-04-14T21:44:00.002+08:00

I'm not a person who regrets. I always look on the bright side of things.
But now, with time getting a little tight (I have to be in Delhi by 3rd May to confirm my BKK flight), I started to actually plan my time.

My fifth train ride in India was the 897km journey from Calcutta to Allahabad, for which I have a ailse upper berth which wasn't too bad.

The train pulled into Allahabad station right on the dot which was pleasing, but what foloows wasn't!!
The next natural thing to do was of course to check in a hotel and "relief " my backpack, and most of the hotel I went to took a look at me, roll their eyes and said "we're full". It was damn irritating because I know they were lying and I have absolutely no idea why they would not give me a room. PLus it was extremely hot coupled by the deafening traffic and my temper rose.

Finally, I came to HOtel Milan that takes foreign guest, and the receptionist (or boss, I dunno) told me that most hotels do not take foreign guests because they could not guarantee safety.
Their rooms were nice, but expensive, so I'm going to leave tomorrow morning to Satna and take onward bus to Khajuraho.

After the hotel issue was settled, i took the auto rickshaw to Sangam, where the HOly Ganga and River Yamuna meets, as usual, full of touts and scams and pests.

I agreed on a 40RS ridr down the river that was way tooooooooooooo short, and the boat driver tried all his best to get me on the "holy spot" to do some puja which I vehemently refused and stay rooted on the boat. He must not have been pleased.

And the end of the boat ride , which was like 15 mins later, I gave him a RS 50 note, so I could still have 10 RS change to take rickshaw back, and he just happily took it and put into his pocket, no intention of giving change. Now I was angry at this. Indeed, 10 Rs is nothing to us, but when we agree on a price, we stick to it, don't we?

And I stood firmly on my ground to press him for changes. Normally I would just accept it as tips for his service if the boat man is good, but this one is too slimy and I want my money. He gave me eventually and as I walk away was probably cursing with his friends and laughing so loudly behind my back. Wtf, 40 Rs is extremely good money for that ride.

Which makes me a littlle miserable. Yes, travelling in India opens up to a whole new experience, but its also tough for a lone woman because sometimes, they just bully you. And I'll lose my cool. I've often hear ppl telling me, If i survive India travelling alone as a girl, I can probably do it anywhere else in the world. Now I firmly belief.

So its goodbye to Allahabad tomorrow, I will not miss this place.
Even, as I'm using this internet, when I came in the afternoon, the person says 40rs one hour, which is too ex for me, so I walk away. He then call after me and say he remember wrongly, should be 25. I thought it was okay but they require passport photocopy, which wasn't by my side so I couldnt use.
Now, as I come in the evening, the shopkeeper has changed, and he told me its 15. Talk abt double standards.

Quiz

2009-04-12T17:23:00.001+08:00

测你在男人眼里是幼齿or熟女

测试结果：你在男人眼中是假小子

你做事是雷厉风行的那种人，有了什么想法就要马上的付诸实践，周围的人常常会被你搞得措手不及。但是你的兴趣通常只能维持很短的时间，过不了多久就会转移方向，所以，你有很多事情只做到一半就不再有心情继续下去了。要知道，成功靠的是长久的积累，像这样半途而废事不会受到任何效果的。

你给人感觉是一个大大咧咧，很容易相处的女孩，不管是同性还是异性，你都能和人家打成一片。你看上去大胆前卫，但内心却有着十分传统、保守的一面。你很会保护自己，对于真正喜欢的人反而会保持一段距离，牢牢的隐藏自己的心事，不被任何人发现。

Day 148 ~~Calcutta

2009-04-12T16:49:00.002+08:00

Wow time really flies and its been 5 days in Calcutta!

Well, Calcutta impresses at first with the beautiful boulevards, striking colonial structures and yellow cabs. But as of today,it is starting to irritate with the incessant honking, the frequent accostings and the freaking humidity.

So , I decided to spend the day like I would on any other day in Singapore. May re visit Victoria Memorial Hall again, love that place.

Cant wait to move on to next city.

Had been having only Chinese food in authentic Chinese restaurant that is burning a hole in my pocket.

Did aquiz, and thought it was accurate to some extent

测试结果：你的爱情年龄在23～36之间，处于爱情青年期，爱情“老化度”20%

青春正好，有冲劲，也比较懂得进退。不过，你最常犯的毛病是高估自己；以为自己可以不嫉妒；以为自己想要
的是自由……正确地说，你还不够了解自己爱情的长相，还需要一点历练来使你的爱情发光。你很容易被为你倾
倒的爱情青少年所吸引，他们以你为生活重心的虚荣感使你飘飘欲仙。但是，你可得记住，你也没你自己想像中
那么有办法，一起成长当然是好的，千万不要悲剧英雄似地自己一肩扛下所有情绪重担，到时候，你可能反而是
最先逃跑的人。

My Favourite Photos of Varanasi

2009-04-08T14:05:00.004+08:00

I know they are all on facebook, but I would like to share again~
Prayers is the life of Varanasitext-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_g_1SD10loKM/Sdw_jaBhS9I/AAAAAAAABag/e1UMIzg9lCI/s320/varanasi37.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322198737158753234" />
Holy Sunrise!
The peace and calmess of Holy River Ganga, I love this type pf picture, be it Mekong or Ganga or any ocean. Quiet

Day 144~~ Calcutta

2009-04-08T13:52:00.002+08:00

The official name of the city is now Kolkata, but I thought Calcutta still seems much more familiar.
Had spent the past 3 days in Bohdgaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodha tree and I like the place, especially after hectic Varanasi.
Bought a sleeper class ticket to Calcutta and I arrived 1 hr late (expected). The first sight that I saw as I stepped out of the train station was the sea of yellow taxis, they were cute! I would go back to take a photo and post on facebook soon.

A little about the train, it really isn't that impressive. Now I'm starting to appreciate Chinese trains more and more, if only the Chinese ppl have the basic etiquette like not smoking in enclosed areas.

So i boarded the train at around midnight, found my berth quite easily and hop on. I was earlier advised by many travelers to take the upper berth, which I obediently did when buying the tickets. Shedding my big bag pack and sliding it under the seats, I heaved myself up on the berth and poof! a cloud of dust encircled me...

Luckily, Fed had earlier passed me a bed cover that he brought along to use on the train, so i took that out gratefully. It wasn't the best night but I still managed to catch some sleep. Woke up felling sweaty and dirty and gross. Damn Indian Rail, clean your seats!!!!

Days 132-140 My Days in Varanasi Part 2

2009-04-06T22:09:00.004+08:00

Day 135 -- 30/03/2009 -- Varanasi
So I slept in till the sun shone directly on my butt.
Went to the railway station to buy tickets for the next day to Patna. Easy. I took the general aka unreserved class seats again. I never mind squeezing with the locals, its fun. Umberto commented I'm a real traveller. Well, i don't have the big money like them to splurge.

Met a taiwan aunty who was travelling solo as well. It feels good to be speaking Mandarin after such a long while and we visited Sarnath together. Sarnath is the pace where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon, and the 3rd of the 4 religious Buddhist sites I've visited. I like the place very much. Such stark contrast from the madness that is Varanasi. Serene and quiet.

Went back to Varanasi, walk with TW aunty back to her guesthouse that has a nice rooftop overlooking the Ganga. Perfect afternoon.

Had a long chat with Umberto and Federico on the rooftop, it was noteworthy because they are both Italians and they have to converse in English because I was there. It was funny to see Fed struggle with his English.

Day 136 -- 31/03/2009 -- Varanasi
I should check out early and head for Patna today. Rise early I did, and decided to take a walk around holy Ganga. Mesmerised was I by the spiritual and colorful Varanasi that I decided to stay. So stay I decided,and moved into a cheaper room.

Umberto was nowwhere to been seen and Claire had gone to Agra, so I went to find Fed and we decided to go a Japanese restaurant (recomeded by Lonely Planet) for lunch. The daily meals were becoming boring there was just too little variety.

So we head out to I:ba, sat down and place our orders. In this part of India, you take the menu and you write what you wantm, the quantity and price on a piece of paper before handing it to the waiter. The waiter came to take pour paper, read and said "Sorry, this we dun have (strike out the first order), this we also dun have (strike out 2nd order), this also no (strike out the last order)".

Me and Fed look at each other baffled and I burst out in laughter. What is India without all the daily pleasant surprises in store for you. It's amazing...Like the slogan for tourism in India : Incredible India! This is one adjective we would use so often to describe all the various irrelavance that happened in the following days. Believe me, Varanasi has everything, from the strangest touts to the quirky rickshaw driver.

Lunch was a good change and we enjoyed it. Then we decided to have Espresso. As I've mentioned earlier, Fed is an Italian who loves Espresso, I've never tried Espresso, I always go for Cappucini. So he told me to try. The espresso came in one big cup.. faint again...

It was fun though in the later days as we would walk around all the different shops trying to find one good espresso, so much for introduction to Italian food. I told Fed I would want to open my own coffee shop in the future and he got excited and told me I must visit Italy for the best coffee. yeah, maybe, we'll see. But your advice on learning Spanish was useful.

Walk north of the Ganga at night, far away from the tourist and enjoyed it. Though no lack of holy cows and holy shit and holy men and the holiness of the air, there wasn't much touts or people which make walking with a European decidely comfortable. Fed always got aimed by the young girls selling candles and the young boys asking if he want something, which literally means drugs.

And we stopped at Dolphin restaurant for dinner, it was a nice rooftop as well. I ordered plain white rice, and discovered, they are the best thing on earth!!! That meal was a changing point to my diet and I've always ordered plain white rice with veg soup later.

Days 132- 140 The Days in Varanasi Part 1

2009-04-06T18:58:00.003+08:00

Day 132 -- 27/03/2009 -- Varanasi
So I said I arrived at half past midnight at Varanasi station. By the time I'm done negotiating and searching for guesthouse, it was 3 am when I arrived at the door of Elvis Guesthouse. It was such a long day but I force myself to go for a ultra hot shower to cleanse myself of the dirt accumulated on the train.
Woke up to a pleasant morning and went upstairs for breakfast, where I met Umberto and Claire. Decide to meet them 3 pm to go to the silk factory , for which I bought two wonderfully woven scarf. I was feeling so tired when my breakfast of cheese pratha came, I didn't have the energy to eat...
Went with U and C again at night to the main ghat for the puja ceremony which was spiritual, but gets boring after awhile since its the same repeating of steps.
We then walk on to a nice German bakery. Claire and me ordered beer, Henry had told me before coming to India to try Kingfisher, for which I did, but didnt really like it. Beer is prohibited in India and so it never appear on the menu. We had to whisper to the attendents that we want beer and it come in cups, not in bottles.

I had started loving Varanasi and texted Henry to make him feel jealous, he retaliated by a facebook msg telling me he is going trekking T_T

Day 133 -- 28/03/2009 -- Varanasi
I was supposed to meet C and U and a polish couple for an early morning boat ride, but things didn't turn out as it was supposed to and I went back to sleep.
Was starting to feel the beginning of a bad diarhoea and I was very much afraid. Went to the Benares Hindi Univeristy to check out on Hindi courses. I was very much interested because I could read the Hindi (and coincidently Nepali ) script very well, so I decided I should go for speaking courses. I vetoed the idea later anyway .
The university was big and I thought I would melt under the acorching sun with my bad stomach. Was in a desperate need of water at some point of time and drop by the canteen.
"Excuse me, can I have 2 coke?"
"Sorry ma'am, no cold drinks allowed in the university."
"Okay , so 1 litre mineral water?"
"Also dun have.."
...I was screaming wtf inside me....

Locals claimed this is the best university in India, wirld ranking just after Cambrigde and Oxford, biggest campus in Asia (I wanted to say i think ZJU is bigger..) , if they have added best canteen in Asia, i will laugh right in their face, honestly...But I met a nice guy, Bhanu . who was a second year finace student in BHU. He seems to know the world of finace as he start telling me about the economy of train rides, the crisis etc. Sorry boy, I would be more interested to listen if your school serves cold drinks..

Went to the rooftop again, was feeling bad so I didn't take any food. Sat for a long time fliiping through newspaper, totally ignoring Federico. I know it was rude, but wasn't in the mood to talk, he must have sensed that too. Anyway we became good friends later. Arranged for boat ride with Ukranian couple and F the next morning.

Day 134 -- 29/03/2009 -- Varanasi
Drag myself out of bed at half past 5 in the morning and got ready to meet other people for a boat ride. It was a refreshing one hour that force all sleepiness out of me. We then went up to the rooftop again for breakfast, for which the Ukranians teased abouth the black coffee being served is not coffee, is just black water. Federico , an Italian, start saying about how much coffee for how much water which was interesting to me. It turned out he is a cook, and is now on holiday.

Went back to sleep after breakfast because of the god- damn stomach. Then I went to nearby Ramnagar fort which houses an interesting museum.
Found F by the computer of our guesthouse when I went back at night and talk him into walking to the main ghat for dinner, for I suspect it was the rooftop's food that cause my stomach problems... He was game enough and brought me to a quiet place, and I gave him the name "Mr Camel" because he just cant stop smoking...

Aiyah getting tired of writing, continue next time

A Train ride to Varanasi

2009-04-04T15:57:00.000+08:00

Day 131 -- 26th Mar 2009 -- Kushinagar to Gorakpur to Varanasi

Kushinigar is a small town and I only came to pay my respects to Buddha, so I only stay one night and moved on the next morning.
Stopped the bus to Gorakpur along the high way and made my way to the railway station. Couldn't make up my mind whether to bus down or train down to Varanasi at first, but decided that if not now to start the tain journey, then when?

So I wandered into the train station, found the tourist window and told them I want a train ticket to Varanasi. The lady told me there are two trains, one leaves at 2 and reach Varanasi at 9.30pm, another one leaves at 4.30pm but will reach Varanasi at 9.30pm too. I decided to take the cheaper aka slower train since 2 hours doesnt make much of a difference if I'm going to arrive at the same time. Ticket price was 33 INR for a 2nd class unreserved seat, too cheap too be true. Little did I know what I've got myself into.

I got on the train at 12, found myself a decent seat and waited paitently. This was to be my first encounter with the Indian rail and i was looking forward to it. Since I was very much early, the carriage was prety much empty, I did a quick scan around and admit I didn't really like what I see. The chairs were dusty and in desperate need of a major 大掃除,but c'mon, I've seen much worst in China

The train got off to a slow start after a very long wait and that got me worrying. Thank god it sped up soon enough and I relaxed in my big wooden uncushioned seat.

We whizzed past countryside of golden wheat fields. The golden sort of shimmers into my eyes as I try greedily to take in everything, from the sari- clad women busy with daily chores to the naked little boys playing by the rivers to the occasional rickshaw trying to compete. The guy opposite treated me to cucumber which was refreshing. The locals stare good- naturedly and I basked secretly in the attention.

And the train kept going steadily. At every stop, vendors would hop on the train and with their food which are very Indian, a stark contrast from China, where you always see people going to and forth with their tea and maggi mee.

The first train passed by us and I saw it! Scenes you would normally see in movies portraying India, men hanging out from the doors, faces poking out of the windows. I felt a sense of adrenalin rush, for this is the India I had imagined, pulsating with life.

2 hrs later, I have decided to conclude that the Indian train is better than the Chinese one. When....
the train arrived at a who-know-what station, and OMG! the influx of people squeezing up the carriage, I thought I would faint for a second!!

Quickly, all available seats or space were taken up and filled by people. I watched in fascination at the transformation of a quiet carriage to a noisy boisterous one. A rough hand grip mine, jerking me out of the daydream amd plomb! an elderly twice my seat force herself on my seat, tactful, I mused.

Arriving Varanasi at the touch of midnight and 4 hours behind schedule, I was all weary eye as I tugged my luggage out of the station to much exhaustion. Then I heard a greeting "Namaste! Welcome to Varansi, the land of Lord Shiva. do you have a hotel ma'am?"
Aha, the touts, I thougght as I braced m,yself for the bargain war that is about to erupt.

My Life, My Friends

2009-04-03T14:36:00.000+08:00

My Days in Nepal.
My 2 most cherished friends.

Leaving Nepal Entering India

2009-03-28T19:43:00.005+08:00

Day 126 -- 21/03/2009 -- Kathmandu

It was Nasib's birthday, and the primary reason why I stayed till end of March. A pretty good decision ever since meeting Henry.

I invited Shreejana and Henry to lunch on Thamel's highest rooftop restaurant to say goodbye to my dearest Shreejana. She's helped me alot during my stay in Nepal. It was a strange lunch though, as Henry described it. But I saw the biggest rain falling down on KTM city after a dry spell lasting 4 months.

We got pretty drunk at night thanks to the Europeans and I stayed over at the Pandeys -- in a mattress of my former bedroom.

Day 127 -- 22/03/2009 -- Kathmandu

With the arrival of New intern Holland girl, we head outto Thamel for my last night in Kathmandu. It was pretty messy affair and I regretted for drinking with a empty stomach, i should have better self discipline in the future.I was feeling very bad when they went to the pub to dance and I can only stay rooted to the chair because I know any violent movement I'll probably vomit all over. Henry was pleading to do one dance just for him but I told him apologetically I can't. And I was in real bad shape suffering from cramps ==|

We left when a fight broke up, landing in heavy bill and Henry was generous to fork out my share. I feel guilty actually. Everytime I went back to Kathmandu, we would go to Thamel to chill but he alwayts foots the bill.

"I work 6 months to come to Nepal, we should enjoy"
"I spent nothing when you are away, Its only when you coe back that I start spending money, but i enjoy it." was his reason, but I promise if you ever come to Singapore or China, It'll be MY treat.

We hug each other goodbye as we step out of the pub and I saw them got onto the taxi back to Baluwatar. I made my way slowly back to my hotel and collapse into deep slumber.

Day 128 -- 23/03/2009-- Kathmandu to Lumbini
I struggled to get out of bed by 5.30 am in order to not miss the 7.10 bus to Lumbini. The bus station was a good few kilometers away from Thamel and I've yet to finish packing. I don't know how I did it with the hangover, but I managed somehow, to find my bus and got on the very first seat. The winding route out of Kathmandu was thw worst -- and the first I suffered from motion sickness so bad I vomitted right out the window. Yucks!

Day 129 -- 24/03/2009 -- Lumbini
My original plan was to leave Lumbini today and get into Inida, but as i woke up, I could feel the lingering headache and the weakness of my arms I know I will not make it today. So I stayed another in Lumbini, nursing myself on the bed and thinking about Kathmandu.

Day 130 -- 25/03/2009 -- Lumbini to Saunali to Gorakpur to KushinagarWoke up feeling energetic at last and made my way to get a bus to Bhairawa, from which I will get another mini bus to go to the border. Met the German lady from yesterday and she was on the same bus with me.
Actually she had arranged for a rickshaw driver to bring her to the next village and board a bus a bus to the border, which I know is absolutely impossible because there is NO direct bus to the borders, or the locals would have known. I do ot even kow how she came up with the idea to go to the next village when Lumbini is clearly the bigger town. Maybe pastures are greener elsewhere.
And we hop on the bus as I saw the most beautiful sunrise in Lumbini. I bid goodbye to Nepal and charged forward with anticipation to India.

The border was messy and cramped with all sorts of bus. Immigrations offices n both sides were tucked away in tiny corners, if you don't look hard enough, you'll miss it. We breeze through customs and was on thje India side. That was where I fall prey to the first tout. Dont wanna elaborate on it since its only a few ruppees but has thought not to trust these guys, no matter how convincing they are, they lie straight in your face.

The road to Gorakpur was goo and the view along the way, a golden blend of wheat fields I feel instantly at ease. We met a good Nepali guy who brought me to the Kushinagar bus station and see me hop on the bus. Gorkpur astounds to the first taste of Inida as I survey the hecticness of everything.

And arriving in Kushinagar, the sacred site where Buddha breathe his last breath, was the last stop of my first day in India. I drag my heavy backbag wearliy across the streets of the small town, checked into a monastery and relax.

More updates to come, stay tuned, will try to write everyday. India is madness, but its terrific.

Day 118~ I' ve retired

2009-03-13T12:21:00.003+08:00

What? Are you tired? xxxxxx Just a joke by Didi
-----------------------------------
I've officially moved out of Baluwatar and staying in the tourist ghetto of Thamel now. It's good to be a tourist once in a well after so long of pretending I'm not

Tripped in Thamel the day before, right in front of the rooftop cafe i was sitting in 2 hours ago...it was so embarassing!!
Maybe it's the beer that got me a little tipsy. But it was only one bottle!
Ever since the arrival of British guy no 2, I've been drinking a lot more than I usually would. I know its not a bad habit, but it was fun to sit outside the balcony and monitoring the situation of the hinese embassy, and cracking silly jokes.
Hobbled all the way to the bus station yesterday for the ride to Bandipur, which is where I'm now, relaxing in a quaint internet cafe with no energy to walk. My right feet is still swollen from the fall. Bandipur is a nice little town, albeit more tourist than I prefer, still, it's a perfect escape from chaotic and hazy Kathmandu.

Counting down the days left when I'll officially leave Nepal. Im kinda looking forward to India, and kind of happy I'll leave behind the 16 hours gruelling load- shedding hours. But it'll be sad to say goodbye.

Life

2009-03-01T16:45:00.005+08:00

On Load Shedding: I was promised (from articles in newspapers) that the current power crisis will end as the weather gets warmer. My host family gave me further hope when they say load shedding was reduced to only a few hours a week the same period last year. Well, its getting real hot in the afternoons now, but the load shedding hours is still 16. Looks like my whole internship will be eclipse in darkness, but what can we do?Teaches me not to take things for granted though. Invaluable lessons of life.

On Work: With the new UK intern reporting officially to work tomorrow, I'm feeling pretty much relaxed. Probably he'll take over from me and I can seat comfortably in the office while he does the mad run everyday around town. Probably ponder on my next step in life?
January sees Kathmandu a frenzy hotspot with major political events and protests unravelling faster than I can keep track. February was lax. Things are starting to get exciting again in March, with the run - up to the 50th anniversery of the failed uprising led by Tibetans against China.
I feel the tension because I live next to the Chinese embassy, and starting two days ago, I see army of security officers being sent here to buff up security. Nothing has happened yet though. The soldiers spent their time sitting around chatting, maybe checking out girls, like me and Mariah do on our way to work.

On Holiday: I've plans to take a short tour of 10 days again after Holi. Then maybe wander into India?
But my father wants me home and take a rest first before setting out again. I don't really think its economical to spend money on two air tickets, when I could go into India so easily (and cheap) from Nepal. Not tht it's me forking out the money. I guess I'll stay firm on my plan to enter India overland. I've sort of map out my route.

On Relationship: I admit I swayed once, but since back on the steady track with him. Yes, I think we are rock solid at the moment.
I am very and extremely grateful for his trust, his love, and for the way he handled the mess. You don't always come across guys like him, for which I'm thankful. (Somethings like this, I prefer to write in Chinese,but the computer doesnt support )
It's amazing that I've not seen him for 7 months, but it never felt like we are really apart. We have our fair share of quarrels and stuff, but were lucky that both of us are mature enough to end those silly squabbles amicably. I was delighted when I received his package in Kathmandu. I hope my letter reaches him fast, it seems to take ages. Love you honey~

On Friendship: The majority of friends come and go, don't they?
Perhaps its my character, but I'm never someone who likes hanging out in groups or cliques, as they call. Introvert at home, but I love the world so much.
Ther's one point of time I think some friends are plain stupid. When they ask things like " So they have MRT in China?" or "What? You need 24 hrs to travel to XXX place?!" or " They have supermarkets there?" . Ignorant bastards so insulated from the outside.

On Travel :For me ,travelling is not about trying to cram your whole wardrobe into a suitcase, nor wearing nice makeup and adorning nice clothings to pose for photos.
Why do you travel? You want to experience life and culture different from your own, don't you? So don't cringe when there's no water available, enjoy the sunlight when ther's no power, and smile. That's such an important element of life, to lift your lips to a stranger, something I've learnt only when I'm on the road. Felt bad when someone in Pokhara reminded me "You've lost your smile?"

I love the world. So much. I knew I'm destined to be a globetrotter the first trip I took solo.
Are you not afraid? Are you never lonely?
Why should I be afraid? Why would I be lonely?
Travellers on the road thought me important lessons, some inspire me.
And I know with my heart still wandering, there's no place I want to call home now.

On Life : What do I want to do? That's a question I find it so hard to answer. Really, I hope I'll have an answer on my birthday.

A dose of red~

2009-02-24T13:29:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was Shivaratri, or Shiva's birthday and marks one of the most important festivals for Hindus.
We made our appearance at Pashupatinath, one of the holiest Hindu temples, in the late afternoon to avoid the crowds as we are bringing little Muskan, and I dressed myself in a bright red sari~

Day 98~~ I'm back from a 10 day tour

2009-02-21T14:38:00.002+08:00

And I feel so extremely tired >_<

For the record, I started from Kathmandu to Nawal parasi for the PLA anniversary with Zak on 11th Feb.
Then I set off alone for Lumbini , and onwards to the peaceful hill station of Tansen, before finishing my trip at Pokhara and heading home.

I will write more when the dizziness is gone, but believe me, I feel good to be at home, though Kathmandu seems like hell compared to the other parts of Nepal. I'm thinking of leaving for other parts again, but I miss didi's food~~had been living on unhealthy diets of chocolates and cookies everyday, and the one time i went to a Chinese restaurant, the food was so salty I got sick right away!!

初一十五

2009-02-10T19:49:00.001+08:00

2.3
大年初九是暖洋洋的粉红。
听见我说我爱你吗？
用最真诚的心让爱变得简单。

2.4
我套上毛衣拉起牛仔裤把几张纸币塞进口袋里。在吃过早饭后穿着拖鞋屁颠跑到家对街的cyber café 给你打电话。如果顺着电话线就能摸到你的脸。

2.5
加德满都没有地址。
在简陋的邮局拿出事先准备好的卡片写下当时我的心情，小心翼翼贴上邮票转身伸手投进邮筒。期待她被盖上邮戳，然后飘洋过海，带着我的思念到你身边。

这一刻开始她要经历多长的旅程和多少时间？可靠的消息说是一个月。但也许小小卡片上情感的深度能让她加快步伐。

180天。
我流浪在亚洲的大地上尽情挥霍我的青春，而你在大洋彼岸为我们的将来打拼。
异地恋辛苦，我们相隔太远仍努力守着许多人渐渐放弃的诺言。

2.6
XXXX XX XX XXX XXXX XXXX XX XXXXXX
你的成长历程与我截然不同，却偶然我们聊了起来。
其实也不算偶然，我一步步找过来的，为着了解你们的故事。
从你眼神我感觉你的真诚，但我也知道你害怕。
你滔滔不绝说着，我静静地听。
我从来没动笔写下任何笔记，我靠记忆把所有牢记在心。
我的灵感在飞。我的心跳同我的问题同我的好奇。
我打开电脑前敲下键盘的欲望蠢蠢欲动。

那么多故事，我却不能讲。

The 2 rascals I love dearly

2009-02-06T18:27:00.004+08:00

The two of them on my bed with Mcdull
Paparazi shot of little Mussy
Mussy posing for the camera
Mussy hiding so she doesn't need to take dinner. But we found her eventually and I took the dejected look on her face.
Goofy Nasib in his punjabi hat

Solely Me in Pink

2009-02-05T00:06:00.003+08:00

I was waiting for the other reporters to finish their discussion in Nepali, and decided to snap a photo.
My lovely Pink sweater, with love from USA.
on the motorbike to work~vroom vroom

Day 72 大年初一我们在山上~Nargakot

2009-02-02T21:32:00.003+08:00

又一年春节。不同的国家，坐同样破烂的小巴绕蜿蜒的山路。同样的目标，只为逃避大城市喧嚣的繁华。
Nagarkot 论景色不及泸沽湖，唯一优势是从这里可以看到世界屋脊喜马拉雅山脉。连绵不尽好几座。
这三天Nagarkot 是24小时供电的，我一时还真无法适应。

忍不住思绪回到我熟悉的加德满都。
很多个晚上我们一家人围着微弱的烛光吃看不见的晚饭。很多个醒来的早上盼望今天能有足够的水刷个牙洗个脸，很多次我们都失望了。很多个走去公司路上的上午我坚信有一天我会被埋在那些快比我还高的垃圾堆中，或者被各种交通工具排放的浓浓黑烟熏死。

这座城市充满问题，不过每天，大家仍快乐的生活着。却似乎人人都发着美国梦。似乎他们以为同个白人聊天就能拿到美国签证。似乎一旦出了国所有问题就都解决了。似乎。。。我可以是他们的跳板。

太多的考虑可以让友情变复杂。但又似乎。。。有时我多疑了。

日子似乎指尖晃晃就呼啸而过。

我漂在亚洲的大地上。进出东南亚如同地铁上下站, 可是哪里都不是家。家是那坐落在东南亚最小的岛国东边的一幢小楼。

Day 72 CNY in Nargakot

2009-01-31T17:58:00.009+08:00

The roof the world
Wow~~Do i have to say anything
Nasip the good brother carries Muskan
The Sunrise on 2nd day
The Sunrise
The Sunsets as we reach nagarkot
Me with the Himalayan muntains as backdrop
tibetan bread on the morning before we leave for Kathmandu
Me, Nasip and Muskan
reminds me of red swastika

Nepal..Happenings ...

2009-01-23T18:35:00.004+08:00

cameras and cameras
more cameras
fenale army
non pollution city?
throw of the bus
me in action
me in a rally

They touch my hearts, but what can I do?

2009-01-20T22:27:00.001+08:00

My first news features I got more response than I expected with strangers wanting to add my msn or facebook.
Which is why I lock my blog,have o differentiate between public and private right~
And some response touched me, yes, i feel your pain, I know what its like, esp now that I'm sick, to live and eat in darkness. But what can I do? Could a mere words and a very articulate article essay change everything?

"Personally, I really like your views on the recent hot topic: a power cut. However, being a citizen of Nepal, this is not new for me. I strongly believe power cut is in my blood and it helps to continue my life cycle. To be honest with you, if there is no power cut, I can’t even digest my food. I am so used to with it. I feel I am the luckiest citizen in the planet because I don’t hesitate to crown myself as “a nocturnal human being”. Realistically, it is untrue.

People from advanced countries (e.g. Singapore and Yingchan Yang) hardly see night because of no power cut. Their cities dazzling like stars. On the other hand, people from fourth world countries (e.g. Nepal and xxxx) struggling to see light hardly couple of hours in the evening. Dear friend, this strikes several questions in my mind."

Flying Into Nepal~

2009-01-16T19:31:00.003+08:00

I made a horrible mistake by daydreaming in the check-in counter.I forgot to request for a right seat window for my flight into Nepal. Then I can get a clear aerial view of the Himalayan mountains.
The English couple I met in Bangkok specifically reminded me to do that, and I forget.
I oly remembered when i was on the plane, which was only 50% full. But not surprisingly, all seats on the right side window were taken. So ppl, if you are flying into Kathamndu from, say, Singapore or Bangkok, remember my advice!!
Regretting and regretting

Bangkok~~In pictures

2009-01-15T12:34:00.011+08:00

Great Swing~~
Me posing with coffee~it was a little ex for such a small cup, must make the most of it, haha
Details of wats in Bangkok, they are alwas so lavishly decorated, i'm impressed

Devotees on the Golden Mount~
Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn ) by day
Wat Arun (Temple of dawn)by night
I wished all the gold were mine~~I probably won't have to start thinking about work then

Salute 2009~~

2009-01-14T00:10:00.003+08:00

Nepal Happenings in a day~Jan 11

2009-01-13T23:41:00.005+08:00

Day 61~ A Week in Nepal~About daily Life

2009-01-13T19:23:00.004+08:00

Hey to all,

Its been a week (9 days to be exact)since i arrived at this beautiful country call Nepal. The breathtaking sights of the majestic Himalayan Mountains greeted me as a sign that i'm nearing the tiny country enveloped between two Asia Giants. I'll never forget all the mountains. The flight was a little rocky though.

My host was waiting for me outside the airport. Sorry i made him wait for one whole hour beacuse the queue for the visa wasnt too short and the officers werent too efficient. Visa prices are up to USD40 for a month, and USD 100 for 3 months. I'm still angry at myself for not going for the 3 months one, i didnt know i'll be liking everything here i wanna stay as long as i'm permitted to.

I live in a pretty house in Baluwatar, overseeing the Chinese embassy, and brief walks in either direction to the Prime Minister's house and Police headquarters. Day and night, you see armed soldiers patroling the area, rifles pointing out right at you, fingers not always on the trigger though. Sounds safe? so don't worry about me.

And i've just learnt one interestng fact about myslf, that i'm a true chameleon because i adapt so well when i had to. I never eat spicy food, but that was on the basis that i had so many other choices to choose from, be it travelling in other Asian countries or at home. What happens when you had no other choices(other than spendng a fortune on expensive restaurants) but to eat pickles, potcurri every single meal of the day? I thought i would fall sick , I thought i'll be visitng the supermarket every single day for food i'm more accustmed with. But i didnt. Every meal by Shila Didi was delicious enough albeit the lack of variety. I never did the things i thought i will do. I'm no longer the picky and fussy eater, i'm eating food as it comes and i'm eating spicy food, after 23 years.

It may seem trival to you all,but this is one achievement i am so proud of.

Meat was a rarity on the dinner table, we have it once a week. And with all the walking i'm doing at work, i'm rapidly slimming down again, i can feel my pants dropping everytime i run. I do not feel like buying belts yet, my butt is big enough to hold my pants in place.

So in 9 days, I was ripped off twice at expensive restaurants
Bathe twice
Got a tika by a traditional doctor
Lost 2000RS (SGD40) due to my own carelessness
am in the process of getting a sari
Bid farewell to a Canadian intern
Started learning to draw the Nepali characters
apreciated daylight as the most precious thing in life

This is a post about my life as it goes from Kathmandu, wanna know about work and daily happenings in Kathmandu? stay tuned~
To my friends, do feel grateful how blessed you are living in cities like Singapore. I will never want a second place to call home.

Train Ride to Bangkok~~

2009-01-10T20:40:00.002+08:00

This is going to seriousy affect me --

2009-01-09T13:41:00.001+08:00

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) officials have said that they could increase the daily load shedding hours from 12 hours currently to 16 hours from as early as Sunday.

Sixteen hours daily load shedding likely from next week

Earlier the NEA officials had been saying that they could impose 16 hours of daily load shedding only after one month. But, they have changed their tone now.

“We thought we could gradually progress the load shedding hours from 12 to 14 to 16 hours a day. But it looks like we have to jump to 16 hours very soon,” said Sher Singh Bhat, chief of system operation department of NEA.

Bhat said the primary reason for the scaling up in load shedding hours is due to receding water flow in rivers, which has severely limited the generation capacity of most of the hydro projects.

The NEA has said that while the peak demand has risen to around 800 MW, it is able to supply less than 300 MW. nepalnews.com Jan 09 09

Do log on to www.nepalnews.com, its where i'll be stationed at for the next 2 months

Penang~

2009-01-08T16:59:00.003+08:00

Nepal

2009-01-06T13:47:00.000+08:00

Day 48 - 51 Bangkok. the City of Angels

2009-01-04T02:17:00.004+08:00

So here i am, bidding a short farewell to Bangkok soon.
4 days isn't really enough for this big and sprawling and bustling and crazy and lively city. I really have to come back again, not only for the shopping (okay i admit that's got me hooked), but also for the shopping, and more shopping... haha!!
Not much was prepared for Bangkok, it was supposed to be another resting stop before my main trip into Nepal. Not that any preparations was needed though. Nevertheless, i've got all the necessary info i need from Penang through 3 veteran travellers and that was enough to get me into the Banglamphu area from the train station without being "chop".

"Since its your first time there, just take a taxi. Its not going to cost you more than a hundred THB anyway"
"Nah. and you want her to suck in all the traffic the moment she arrived?"
"She's arriving at noon, its not the peak hours anyway..."
"What i recommend is, take a tuk tuk to the nearest pier, then jump on the boat and alight at Pier 13, easy and cheap, best part is there won't be any jam."

Easy enough, and so said,I arrived at the cockiest capital of SE Asia at noon on the last day of 2008.

The Hualamphong station was big enough to tame me, as i step out of the train and immediately got buried among hordes of other travellers, many with big bags like me.

Maze
The streets of Bangkok were confusing for a first-timer, especially one with a poor sense of direction. I easily get lost in big cities, just as however familiar i am with Shanghai's streets, i sometimes cant find my way from one point to another.

Day 45- 47 Penang

2008-12-30T12:12:00.003+08:00

I love Penang!
Arrived here from KL by train in the wee hours of the morning and checked into the lovely Old Penang guesthouse on Love lane.
I liked it the moment i saw its exterior. Beautiful 2 storey mansion ,simple decorations and very airy. Just that the dorms are a little dark. I slept till noon on the second day thinking its still 6 in the morning.
Walking around Penang somehow reminds me of Singapore. After all, we are both part of the Straits Settlements a century ago. When I saw the E&O hotel, i was reminded of Raffles Hote; Chinatown is similar though theirs looks more authentic and bustling with life, ours is just plain touristy. One particular church is strikingly similar to St Andrew Cathedral, and their local hor fun, wan tan mee etc taste the same, albeit much cheaper.

Georgetown seriously needs to take serious consideration into constructing padestrain walkways! I don't like dodging motorbikes as they come whizzing round the corner. Or to be on the constant lookouts for cars when stopping to admire the beautiful Chinese shophouses.
Yup, i like it here, i'll probably be back in the future again.

Right now, i'm preparing to go to the Butterworth train station for the 20 hr ride to Bangkok. Hello Thailand!!

Variations on the Canon by George Winston

2008-12-27T00:25:00.004+08:00

------------------------------------------------
过了那么久，我才看到这篇日记。
为什么那么不愉快从来不和我说一声？
------------------------------------------------
2008-12-07
版权声明：转载时请以超链接形式标明文章原始出处和作者信息及本声明 http://xxxxxxxx.blogbus.com/logs/32226404.html

有人问我，说音乐是不是带给我很多快乐。
快乐当然有，但是音乐带给我的痛苦与悲伤要远远大于快乐。
当然我说的痛苦与悲伤不是指从小被逼练琴不能出去玩儿，或者手风琴压得大腿痛，或者夹小提琴夹到脖子酸，或者刚学吉他练F和弦练到崩溃。
我一直强烈的认为，绝大多数的优秀音乐或多或少的都在表达忧伤的情绪。原因很简单，太多东西可以带来和表达快乐，阅读，足球，酒精等等。但如果你要表达你的悲伤，除了音乐，还可以用什么呢？
当然，这是对我个人来说的。因为我对舞蹈、绘画一窍不通。如果没有音乐，对于悲伤的文字我也无动于衷。
这两天一直被抑郁的情绪笼罩。贴一首Canon。

----dunno how to paste music... yieng help me!!

这是George Winston对Pachelbel的Canon的改编，几天前一个朋友传给我的，我土了。

仁者见仁，智者见智，悲者见悲。所以我不理解为什么有人说这是一段轻松明快的旋律。难道是因为《我的野蛮女友》里面那个男人在这个音乐声中给那个女人献花？我从中听到的只有忧伤。
让我佩服的是，George Winston把原来的D大调版本改编成了C大调。而且全篇没有用到一个黑键。用一个大调和两个半音就可以让我如此忧伤，不知道是因为他水平太高了，还是我最近太悲了。

Let's Travel!

2008-12-27T00:10:00.002+08:00

ps. put photo here so u can come and collect when you back, haha~~
Enjoy snow and winter in Korea!!
Snowy white start to 2009~

Aiyoh....

2008-12-26T11:38:00.002+08:00

A. Each player of this game starts off with 10 weird things / habits / little known facts abt yourself.
B. At the end, you will need to choose 10 people to be tagged & list down their names.
C. People who get tagged need to post 10 weird things / habits / little known facts as well as state the rules clearly.
D. No tag back.

(1) I'm not always friendly when i travel, sometimes when i'm in AP mood, i give fellow travellers a look that tells them to not disturb me.

(2) This is because i spent alot of time thinking when i travel solo. But i still dont know what i want, no aspirations whatsoever.

(3) I'm not good with directions at night

(4) The one thing that goes everywhere with me is the jade around my neck

(5) I like to collect notebooks, i have so many unused notebooks in my room, some dating back to more than five years...

(6) I never never went on a diet to make myself skinny, i discovered that i lost 5kg in China when i saw the stretch marks on my upper thighs.

(7) I think sometimes i have weird logic that no sane people can understand.

(8) Despite having gay friends, i still cannot understand their mentality.

(9) The thought of travelling Africa alone doesnt scare me, i just need money..and consent

(10) My ideal plan for the future is to find a job in a foreign country and stay for a few years, then move on to another country. I dont really like the idea of "settling down". But maybe that will change

Merry Christmas -- and the familiar road home

2008-12-25T16:25:00.003+08:00

1. Prayers in the mosque at 5am

2. The road i used to pass by everyday to go to school.

3. Red Swastika is no longer familiar

4. but the "长城" of Anglican High still remains

5. The end of the 1.5 hrs walk from Bedok Reseroir to home. Its a long walk that got me thinking about alot of things. About friends. 我以为我挺懂你，但其实我一点也不懂。Maybe all these years i'm too engrossed in my own life i failed to take note of changes around me. I remembered a letter written 2 years back "...听着他们说那些事情，我感觉像进入所谓的 "成人世界"，很抗拒..." . That's exactly how i felt yesterday, kapoh ppl plese dont ask why, just that i'm suddenly totally exposed to another world so different from mine.

也许，应禅你真的要勇敢长大。

我还能单纯多久？

Cambodia in Pictures --Part 1

2008-12-24T19:14:00.011+08:00

BEWARE !! Lengthy picture-ridden posts ahead!!

↓ Arrival!!

↓ By far the best guesthouse i've stayed. and value for money as well

↓ monks in their colourful saffrons

↓ Did you see Singapore Hotel?

↓ Turn 90 degrees at the same junction and i saw "Singapore Optics"

↓ First sunset in Cambodia, over Boeng Kak Lake

↓ Killing fields

↓ S21 Prison

↓ The sunset at Boeng Kak

↓ The breakfast i ate before leaving on the bus for Kampot

↓ Lovely Kampot

↓ i actually woke up so early for an enexpected sunrise!

↓ Street scene of Kampot

↓ Monks receiving alms early in the morning

↓ Kampot is small, and i spent a great amount of time in front of the computer. I decided i must take a picture.

↓ Hey hey why are u staring at a ladies fashion store?

↓ The advertisement

Cambodia in Pictures -- Part 2

2008-12-24T17:40:00.009+08:00

↓ On the road to SIhanoukville, as promised, no Khmer loud music, no crazy overtaking of cars, no loud beeping of horns..haha, but theres a price to pay of course. I paid like USD11? for 2 hrs ride

↓ The modest room that i stayed in.

↓ Small beach, it was damn hot i went to sleep after less than five mins there.

↓ you may have read my story previously about being taken for a ride by some silly driver, but my anger subsided instantly when i stare into the sky...wow!!!!!!!

↓ and the calmness of everything had a soothing impact. I thought of many things while standing there till it was too cold and getting way too dark.

↓ I like rice!!

↓ Monks receiving alms from local villagers. My driver was also a monk before, and he said it was a very special part of his life.

↓ The friut bats, kudos to my driver who drove them flying around so i could take pictures.

↓ I was suffering from cramps after so many "dancing roads" that i had to ask my driver to stop. But i didnt say i was feeling bad, i said i need to take photos of this little boy.

↓ My driver whom i did a day trip woth in Battambang. By far the best driver i've met.

He's studying part time at a local university and his income from being a driver helps pays off his school fees. He's 25, and has been driving for 9 years, feeding himself and his mother back in their village. His father was killed when the truck sending him and other soldiers to the war front drove into a big landmine. I saw his eyes a little watery, and i didnt press further. Instead, i asked him about his future, and he was a little shy when he said he wanted to try to enter a NGO. It was a little sad when he say "In Cambodia, not much job, everyone is driver". I've always believe travellers to such countries can helo make a difference, but i've travelled for long enough, have i changed anything? can i change anything?

↓ He says the hammock is the " Cambodian sport "

and everytime when we are going into a very bumpy road, he would say "get ready for dancing road", sure i was bouncing up and down on my seat, not that i want to.

And when a big vehicle passes us kicking up a whirlwind of sand and dust, he would squint his eyes and says "Cambodian Snow!!"

↓ To see the bamboo train was the main reason for visiting Battambang. Really clever idea by the locals

↓ all set and ready to go! vroom vroom!!

↓ closere look at the ingeniuos invention

↓ Now what happens if we meet another train going in the opposite direction on the same track?

In our case, we had to give way as they win in numbers. >_<

↓ Okay, so the other train has passed, time to reassemble ours and get back on track.

↓ The locals were gesturing me and i didnt know what they want (they dont speak english). Then i realized they wanted me to pose with the motor of the bamboo train, which i gladly did

↓ There were no proper lighting in the market, so candles were used.

↓ If i have as little as them, would i be as happy as them?

Cambodia in Picture --Part 3

2008-12-24T17:04:00.012+08:00

↓ I was in bad shape that day and the short climb up the little hill was exhausting. But the sunset was beautiful! and the people were ..... many....i think its by far the most crowded place i went in Cambodia.

↓ The sunset, its not famous and crowded without a reason

↓ Angkor Wat seems to be a hot spot for wedding photographs

↓ Full view of Angkor

↓ Beautiful carvings

↓ I do love the beautiful ladies of Angkor!

↓ I named this photo "Polished Angkor", can you see why?

↓ Bayon is my all time favourite. too bad the weather wasnt fantastic, so no fantastic pictures

↓ Big faces supported by small ones

↓ Side view, my fav pict of the pack

↓ no more petrol on the way Banteay Srei

↓ The pink stones of Banteay Srei

↓ We were invited to palm wine by the locals. They are soldiers who just came back from the borders after conflicts with the Thai side ended. The boy in red had most of my attention. He is only 15 , speaks very good english and is so patriotic of his country.

↓ The children of Sra Srang

↓ Ta Phrom is distinguishable from the rest of the Angkor temples due to the gigantic trees. Its one my favourites actually. The trees destroyed some parts of the temple resulting in more mazes and "hidden getaways". We actually found a small resting place that divided us from the rest of the outside world, even the sounds of other tourists cant be heard at all, good! But we got lost on the way out though >_<

↓

↓ The view from my guesthouse's balcony. Hosei actually came up around the same time as me but he sat far away from me. I guessed he knew i didnt want to be disturbed and i was grateful for his understanding. Slept 24 hrs the day before and got him wandering if I'm dead. haha

↓ Tea was welcoming on a slightly chilly morning in Kg Cham, esp when they gave me cold coffee when i want it hot...okay my fault for not emphasing HOT coffee, but isnt it common sense?

↓ On the bus to Stung Treng. It was a long and overcrowded ride,but the mood on the bus was lively.

↓ The overland crossing from Stung Treng into Laos is easy to navigate without a guidebook.

↓ Done with immigration, and now into Laos!

第 33 天~厦门

2008-12-16T18:43:00.002+08:00

杭州几天都是匆匆忙忙，第一晚在汉庭苦苦等候上海的同事，她被客户放了两小时鸽子。晚上我们到体育场路吃烧烤，很美味。第二晚去玉泉找一帮理工男吃饭。小猴和老王说话，我依旧半懂非懂。大牛那晚很骚。第3晚我和老爸到一茶一座被坑。四年来第一次进去这个“小资”餐馆。第4晚我们同小霞去老地方川味观。然后第五天我就走了。每天感觉忙忙碌碌，却没见着自己班的同学。杭州好堵。这座“旅游休闲之都”，已快成虚号了。
厦门已经是中国的第五站了。终于来到一个自己逛着蛮开心的城市。去了厦大了解了一下林文庆这个人对厦大的贡献。Lim Boon Keng,在新加坡有以他命名的路，却从来不知道他是何方神圣，只知道一定很有钱。

第三次去厦门。第一次15岁跟团，第二次大2乘搭南航，第三次还是南航，票价三折，只要400。
我喜欢厦门。
可惜明天晚上又要上路了。

第28天~杭州

2008-12-11T20:50:00.002+08:00

深圳、广州、上海、杭州。回到这些熟悉的大城市，没有旅游可言。
很累。
中国，我爱你，可是我不想回来了。

第26天 ~上海

2008-12-09T21:39:00.003+08:00

几番周折，总算顺利在今天早上到达上海。原本应该从深圳乘坐火车，却因为本小姐的疏忽误了点，贸然跑到广州，事实再次证明广州是我的福地。重新买了T100九龙始发的硬座票。意外的是车厢空的可以，心里小高兴了下。
坐我对面的是一个江西人，要去上海批发服装。他自一上车开始就猛吃个不停，还邀我一起。于是我们小小的开了一个水果宴。
上海算是我熟悉的城市之一。下火车后轻而易举把自己送到香格里拉酒店。这次住的是旧楼，而且还是很矮的9楼 >_<。
晚饭因为能报销，自己一个人吃了76大元，好久没吃那么饱了。就对比今天的消费和之前三个星期的生活，我之前简直活得像个乞丐。
今晚上海外滩的灯都开了，很漂亮，待一个星期回家后，传照片。

第24天~~深圳

2008-12-07T23:10:00.004+08:00

只在吉隆坡待一晚，又启程前往中国。第一站是深圳。
明天将坐上天让我怀念多时的中国铁路，17小时，第二站是上海。
从老挝到马来西亚到中国，这三天仿佛一直处在赶路状态，终于可以在上海稍喘口气。
期待香格里拉的大床！

Day 23~Kuala Lumpur

2008-12-06T18:34:00.003+08:00

I forced myself to step into the VIP bus bound for Vientiane yesterday. Its a 12hr journey bus ride and i certainly know what to expect. Endless stops along the mountains, music non-stop through the night,constant on-off of the lights...so much so that i really hand it to you if you can sleep peacefully on the bus at all. and its VIP, which means its the better version.
Obviously, i barely caught a wink on the bus. I contented myself to staring out at the darkness through the night and daydream about the rest of my Asia trip in the upcoming months. I envisioned gping to Japan and then sailing by boat to Taiwan, I thought about Nepal...
The bus arrived at 6 in Vientiane and i hailed a tuk tuk to bring me directly to the airport. Just a note to those who may be going to Laos, Vientiane intl airport is not very far from the city centre or the bus station, do not get ripped! I paid 30,000 kip . (I USD= 8500kip)

The flight to Kl was alright but the seats on this flight is TINY. Normally for my size, my bag and me would fit perfectly in a seat, but the seat today could only fit me, and the legroom is suffocating...bleh, it really was an uncomfortable flight.But i still have to fly budget becuz i'm on a budget T_T

As i stepped out of the airport into sunny KL, i felt i've suddenly returned to the modern world of civilisation. Never had the sights of KFC, Macdonalds, Watsons, Starbucks ...felt so familiar. I feel at home!
Well but the sunshine is shortlived for me though, tomorrow i'll be taking the flight to Shenzhen and its the start of the harsh winter for me.Grr...i'm not really looking forward to that actually.

Day 21~Phonsava (Xieng Khuang Province)

2008-12-04T17:21:00.004+08:00

I am now in the tiny town of Phonsavan and just did the Plain of jars tour. Pretty good just that is still angry at being scam...welll...nvm
a i never felt so lucky i my life...this computer is crap...i will update later
-------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, continue from yesterday.
I arrived at Phonsavan bus station at 5am in the morning and it was freaking cold!!I estimated the temperature to be around 13 degrees but my driver later told me its around 10. I had no socks on and my pants are 3 quarter which means the wind can enter from anywhere..and worst, there were no tul tuk around and no one spoke English..Wtf..i stood for 20mins in the wind wandering what I should do...

But i was lucky to meet a guesthouse driver who was sending his guests to the bus station and got on his minivan. Naturally i stayed there.

Then was the painstaking task of bargaining for the Plain of Jars tour which was the main reason why i came to Phonsavan. The man wanted USD80...i said thats impossible i don't even have that much money with me.(I came with only USD25 worth of kip). He paused and suggested he could lower the price to USD50. No way!Seeing i'm not going to budge, he finally said that there was a tour of 7 persons going and i could join them. He quoted a price of USD25(220.000kip).I knew it was expensive. LP says it only cost USD10 - 12 for a group of 8 and i'm believing that. But it was tiring bargaining and negotiating with him. I finally agreed on 200.000kip. It was pratically all the money i have. But i figured it should be easy to find a money changer to change Chinese yuan, so i paid him in full.

Then the frustrating part. The banks dont change Chinese yuan!!. i really learnt a lesson. When u travel, carry USD, euro, british pound, not some other currency....and i was really desperate as i walk along the streets i wanted to find those illegal moneychangers loitering around (the ppl in the GH suggested the idea to me anyway). But luck was on my side when i saw someone watching Chinese drama on a TV. The volume was loud and it caught my attention. I ran to her and asked f she knew where i can changed RMB. She told me she could. And she gave a good rate (100 yuan=125,000kip). Oh man, i've never realised how good it is to be able to speak Chinese. Naturally i told her i'm fom Guangdong(haha) and bought a pair of warm socks. Saviour of the day.

And i want to write about my only night in Vientiane. I met 2 Japanese guys. We were seated at the same restaurant and one of them came up to me speaking Japanese. I shook my head and said "Singaporean". And he said he lives in Sinagpore! Further cinservation and he says he is a S league player from XXX ( i didnt catch the name of the club, but its mainly Japanese he says). And he has retired due to a broken knee. He's played in Germany before, and 23 like me. The other guy was equally interesting as well. He studies kimono design in university and is in SE Asia to study the clothes and design. He is learning weaving and dyeing in Vientiane. He hopes to open a shop that caters to movie costume in the future.

And i'm the only one with no aim...always wandering aimlessly T_T

Day 19~Vientiane

2008-12-02T17:30:00.004+08:00

Arrived in Vientiane at the wee hours of the morning. Bus ride was pretty smooth and i had a good sleep on it. But one thing that gave me a shock was that i thought we each are gonna have a bed to ourselves, but it turned out that its 2 persons to a bed. So i shared my bed with a girl from Scotland. I'm not kidding but she is damn lucky to have me as her "bed"mate, i cant imagine 2 person of her size squeezing on that bed!

Negotiating with the tuk tuk driver on prices was hard and i was in sleepy mood. Settled on 15.000 kip and the group of us drove into misty Vientiane (the bus station is again bizzarely far from the city centre) . Finding room was difficult! I walked around the whole area for 2 hours before settling down for a single room that fits my budget. The good thing is it even has hot water bath, good good~~

Did the usual sightseeing of the wats. There wasnt really anything specatcular that caught my eye, just that Pha That Luang is really golden and shimmering under the sun. Couldnt resist but started snapping photos ferociously with my camera.

Right now i am actually more worried about the situation tommorrow. I wanted to take the night bus to Phonsavan but there is the problem of tickets being sold out, it certainly isnt fun to go to the bus station only to buy no tickets and to return. And its costly to go to the station just to buy tickets. In real dilemma now >_<

Yeap, and i actually splurge on LP guide to Japan, i'm serious about going there now. I really think i have an overdose of wats, dusty roads, crazy motorbikes...i wanna see a strong asia, i will set foot on Japan.

Day 18 Pakse

2008-12-01T12:15:00.003+08:00

Shit, i feel bad after eating the bowl of noodles... really really bad now....feel so dizzy sitting here in front of the computer.
--------------------------------------------

Okay, feel much better now.
Yesterday i woke up to a bright Laos sunshine and said to myself this is a good day for outing. (Book boat tickets to Champasak the day before). Then the bad news came that the boat has stopped for the day. So i had to do the travelling myslf T_T. Changed 2 tuk tuks to get me to the bus station, i wonder why the bus station in Laos are located so horrendously far from the town.

The trip was smooth enough, and today i'm back in Pakse. There's nothing to do! I have like 7 hours more before the night bus departs for Vientiane. And i'm happy, look like i may have time for Luang Prabang? or maybe another place in Laos after all. I'm so under prepared for Laos, i came with absolutley no information. But i'm thinking of visiting Laos again, maybe 2 months later?

Day 16~ Hello Laos!!

2008-11-29T16:54:00.003+08:00

Yesterday when i bought the tickets to Pakse, i asked "how long is the journey?"
"Oh, about 3 hours~"
I happily paid the very exp[ensive $18 tickets and started my counting. If the bus comes punctually at 8am, i'll be in Pakse by 11~~even if its like an hour late, i still be there by 12 noon..good good~~~
And here i am, in Pakse, at 4pm.

The bus ride from Stung Treng to the border was surprisingly smooth, in fact i think its the best road i have seen of Cambodia so far. And the overland crossing was so easy. 3 mins each, and i'm out of Cambodia into Laos.

Then the difficult part, we were on this dirt road (there were only 3 passengers on the minibus at that time, 2 cCambodians and me), and the bus was simply CRAWLING. Then we stopped in the middle of nowwhere (i figured it was a bus station later) and waited. And waited and waited. And suddenly there appeared a huge group of angmohs, i have absolutely no idea where they came from and we got onto another minibus together bounded for Pakse.

Then the ride goes on. and on and on. and then a flat tyre. and we wait and wait.

And finally in the town of Pakse. It was strange, when we got down the bus, there was no haressing of motorbikes drivers at all. not even one. I was so used to the beckoning of motorbike drivers and tuktuks. The men in Laos have other jobs!~~

Had my first taste of Beerlao today, but i didnt like it, it was a tad too bitter for me.

Day 15 Stung Treng

2008-11-28T18:45:00.002+08:00

Okay,i thought i'll be in Laos today, but i'm stuck at the tiny town of Stung Treng in Cambodia for tonight. That's for not researching beforehand. And one of the yuckiest thing hapned to me today when i alight from the bus. My bag was coveded in mud!!(we store our bags in the lower bus compartments), and it isnt just mud!!!!My bag is wet and has this stinky pungent smell i almost vomitted!!!! What the fuck!!!!! I'm still reeling from the aftershock of the horrible smell till now. >_<

It was embarrasing enough to be cleaning my bag in public with all those motorbikes gawking at me , and it absolutely drives me crazy that some of them kept pestering me on where i want to go. When i didn't respond to "konichiwa", they switched to "ni hao ma?", then was the usual "hello". I stayed muted all along becuz i was fuming at the state of my bag, and if i open my mouth, i'm afraid all the foul words will come spouting out.

Lucky for me was that there was a guesthouse just opp the road, and i was glad to settle down for $3 a night. Guess what? its room no 14! And there are two big beds in the room which makes for a comfortable queen size single bed. For a moment, I secretly hoped that Baptiste(is this correct?) was here.

And the people in the guesthouse were kind enough to proviude me with soap, a basin and a scrub when seeing the sorry state i am in. (They must have smelt the pungent smell too). I've never scrub so hard in my entire life! Now my things are all over the bed and i certainly hope my bag will be dry tmr. I'm leaving at 8 in the morning. I think i will consider buying a new bag when back in Singapore..and i wanna go find a water bag!

Okay, not very much happened today since i was on the bus from morning.Will update when I'm in Laos (hopefully tomorrow)

Day 14~~Kampong Cham

2008-11-27T17:13:00.004+08:00

Well, me being in this city means i'm ending my Cambodia trip soon. In fact, tomorrow if everything goes smoothly, i'll be in Laos.

Just to sidetrack abit, i'm kinda worried about the situation in Thailand now. I have a plane due there in a month's time and i certainly wished its all peace again. I do not want to miss the much anticipated trip to Nepal.
And another admission, i ****ing wish to travel Europe now, haha~~

I left for Kampong Cham yesterday morning from the lovely Garden Village gusthousein Siem Reap. Lovely because i spent 4 nights there and has developed special feelings for it. Room no 14. The funny music that starts playing at 5.30am which always woke us up, the mosquito net with a hole,the insects flying in and out, the two bathroom besides our room and the numerous conversation we had at night before sleeping. I still think the funniest one is the kissing one, where the french guy told me that in school, he has to kiss all the girls in his class everymorning. Maybe he could kiss a hundred girls a day..wahaha so romantic.

But all good things come s to an end eventually, and after 4 good days of companionship, we have to part.
I dont know why am i suddenly tired in Kampong Cham. I think i slept 24 hrs (from yesterday afternoon till today). And there is suddenly not a strong urge to be in Laos so fast, wanna spend another day in Camodia, in lovely and sweet smiling faces of Cambodia.

copied from somewhere:世界上最残酷的事情，也许不是爱与恨，而是擦肩而过却彼此"相忘于江湖"。
世界上最遥远的距离，也许不是生和死，而是站在你面前却不能说"我爱你"。

Day 12 and done with Angkor ~~

2008-11-25T19:25:00.005+08:00

Ended the three days tour of Angkor with a bang~~Except that the weather wasn't fantastic today and i did not have many good pictures T_T. Well, but i'll still remember all the smiling faces in the temples, the many stones i stepped and jumped, the scorching sun, the occasional rain, the coconut drinks,the "la sieste" on the hammocks, the " Sir! you want buy cold drinks? ", the Mr Khim tuk tuk , and the never too smooth rides to the temples.

Our plan was to start with the smaller temples before gradually building up to the Great one. Day 1 we did three temples of the early Roulous Group which includeds Preah Ko, Bakong and the last name i couldnt remember.Then we went to the faraway Banteay Srei and visited the Landmine Museum.As it was early when we finished, we decided to stop by Sras Srang(it used to be a royal swimming pool) for a little stroll. The "little " stroll took an unexpected 3hrs..haha~~

What happened was we met a group of Cambodian teenagers playing in the water as we walked by. They saw us and invited us to drink their palm wine. "Drink this! you be strong man..."~~ãnd they were so friendly it was hard to resist and so...the next 2 hours were spent on drinking the palm wine. Yup, i'll remember this group of rowdy guys.

Day 2 was the grand circuit tour in order of Preah Khan, Preah Neak Pean, Ta Som, Eastern Meabon and Pre Rup.It was a relatively short day and we were in town by 3.30pm.

Today we did the small circuit tour with Angkor Wat in the morning (there wasn't a crowd! it was good to take a nap there~~haha), then Bayon (i absolutely love the enigmatic smiling faces), drove past the Terrace of Elephants, followed by the smaller temples of Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon, and then the bigger ones like Ta Keo, Ta Prohm (powerful trees!!) and ended with Banteay Kdei.

Tomorrow me and the french guy will be going different ways, I'll be in Kampong Cham while he'll be making the trip to the capital. He had been good companion these three days from the boat rides onwards to the end of Angkor trip, i've even pick up one or two french words (but think i'll forget soon.. haha). It was so interesting how we were surrounded by the whole gang of tuk tuk drivers and motorbike who try to be our drivers..the whole group was behind us and i think we look like royalty from afar..haha

Oh ya, and i learnt the correct pronunciation (hope i'll remb them though) of some words like Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent and blah blah blah.. cant rem..

Ok, time for dinner....

~Day 9~!~in Siem Reap~~

2008-11-22T19:50:00.002+08:00

suffering cramps from the time of the month~~not exactly in high! mood but is getter due to ample rest yesterdy~was getting up every half hour to drink water. and climbing out of bed every hour to pee. But the highlight of the day is the coincidental meeting with a french guy~~ promise to update tmr~~gonna sleep soon~~long day tmr~~

Day 8 I'm sick~~

2008-11-21T19:48:00.002+08:00

~I've officially come down with the fever and a not very serious sore throat~~makes me listless the whole day...i'm too tired to continue updating~~i'll go upstairs to finish the 1.5L of Evian. I juz wanna whine here

Day 7~~In Battambang

2008-11-20T19:46:00.003+08:00

Whooping 7 hrs ride from Phnom Penh and am now in Battambang! My butt hurts!!
Basically did nothing except to travel on the road, and the scenery isn't half as nice as those enroute to Kampot or Sihanoukville~~~'Sky was gloomy and bus broke down twice.
I'm actually a little tired after the bus ride, but i still choose to stay longer in the internet cafe cuz dun really want to go back hotel..luckily i'm gonna change another one tmr...

....

2008-11-20T10:13:00.001+08:00

http://ayuschka.blogspot.com/2008/06/im-just-little-tea-egg.html

juz dun like the refrence "from a korean blog" leh, where she get the assumption one

Day 6 Its back to Phnom Penh and i have a sad story to tell

2008-11-19T18:50:00.003+08:00

As i've mentioned, Sihanoukville is far too globalized and all tourist affair. Loud music and jam-packed with westerners out for a cheap holiday. I stationed myself at the northern end of Victoria Beach where the old backpacker area is, and strangly, its the first time i even feel soooooo out of place. As i walked down the main street packed with bars and guesthouses (basically operated by foreigners), i had this feeling that i was constantly being gawked at...i hate this feeling!! Its like in China how the locals gawk at angmoh like everything they do is funny.

And the first time i felt a little insulted when the owner of the bungalow which i was staying stare at me with his wide round eyes and asked me where i was from. "Singapore" i replied, and he asked "so are you here with your mother?" ..wth....i know he meant no implications when asking but it so highlight the typicla ang moh stereotype on asians. Like "we are the richer ppl, only we can afford to travel to holiday." And another scenario i met here and everywhere "Are you japanese?"..hello! Asia is not just Japan, and Japan is not the only rich country where only her people can travel. There are the Koreans, the Chinese, the Thais, the Malaysians, the Singaporeans, the blah blah blah.

Another significant that happened in Sihanoukville was the motor driver who don't know where i wanted to go but acted like he knows and got me fooled. I wanted to go the little hill top to see the whole view of Sihanoukville, showed him the map, agree on price and he keeps nodding his head...and he took me for a jayride happily to the southern side of town (i'm in the north) and when he finally realizes he doesnt know where he's going after half an hour, stopped to ask hios friend. And his friends tole me in simle english that he went the wrong way and were laughing at him. Fustrated (becuz the sun has set), i asked him to drive me back. Pay him fifty cents more since the initial trip should be only a 10 mins ride from my place. And appreciated the effort that he constantly pointed at the sun on our way back since he thought i wanted to see the sunset on the hilltop.

----------------------------------------------------
Day 6 is back to Phnom Penh

Remember the deiver i arranged with the other day to bring me to the killing fields but overslept? He is actually a "security guard" at the GH i'm staying and since i'm in PP at 1pm, went with him on a motorbike today. The ride was a good 40 mins and he acrtually was thouightful to find me a smaller helmet which is still too big for my head.~The ride was a good 40mins but the strrets of PP are oh.. so dusty... i can see the dust and sand and dirt flying in the air under the strong sunlight. The chaotic and unsightly street scenes are a stark contrast to PP's blue sky.

The killing fields are..uhm.. if you are interested, google yourselves. The mass graves didnt look like mass graves anymore with all the greenery, but as you walk around the not-very-big compounds, you see pieces of clothing strewn here and there as if they were only there yesterday. And its such sights that is so heartwrenching and gruesome reminders that this dirty history that destroyed Cambodia happened not so long ago.

I think i came out with a sad face, cuz my driver was patting on my shoulder and telling me its all over. I forgot what i asked him but the story of his family was a sad tale. In the recent war where Vietnam enetered PP to liberate Cambodia of Pol pot regime, three of his family members were killed by bombs of the Vietnam army.
He told me he actually had a twin brother and he is the elder one. His younger brother did not survive when the bomb hit him and his father, so did his elder sister, and grandfather.

Went next to the S21 museum, i was in and out in half hour becuz i do not have the courage to venture deep. The prison cells are so eerie...and I felt like i was disturbing the tortured souls by staying in the compunds any longer. Make my way swiftly, i did my bit okay, i pay the entrance fee and i buy the brochures.

My driver dropped me of at the S21 museum at 3 and told me he has to go to the bank to deposit money, will pick me up at 4.30pm. But i was out of the museum by 3.30 and bought a bag, sat in one of the nice bars to wait. And the other drivers around the bar are so funny they make me wanna L-O-L..=) One of them actually recgonised me and he was like "Oh! I know you! you stay at lakeside! Simon!!" and i was surprised..haha ~~Then my driver was late by 15 mins and they keep "pestering " me to let them drive me home. haha~funny guys leh~~I turned down their invitation for drinks at night cuz you know, wanna steer clear of trouble.

okay~~6..34pm PP time (7.34 SGP time)~shall go find something makan.

Kampot --> Sihanoukville Day 5

2008-11-18T14:32:00.004+08:00

The ride from Kampot to Sihanoukville is pretty smooth on a well constructed road and i'm happy! Looks like i've to bid goodbye to dear Kampot and everyone around here whom i've befriended over just two days. I really like Kampot , the people there warms my heart =)

To the little handsome of Little Garden GH: hey i didnt get your name, but i'll send u the photos we took together k? though ur friend (the photographer) has yet to improve his skills and both photos of us are blur =(
Do you know on the first night when i arrive at the doorsteps of the GH, the happy smile in your eyes when i said "yes, i'm staying" was what prompted me to stay put for another day without searching for cheaper options. And yesterday night ur simple gesture of concern touched me. You were waiting for me outside the fences of the bar i was dining to escort me back cuz you said to walk home alone is dangerous. I smiled back when i saw you outside and you are so cute when you flash your darlie-white + ultra radiant smile at me, but I didnt know you were waiting for me. sorry i took my own sweet time in the bar. I really wish i could do something to help you. I hoped you can go back to school. You are only 13! I wish you could follow the good examples of your much older friends around you and start learning conversational english like them.

To the hardworking guy of Little Garden bar: Everytime i walk past you, you are memorising that little english vocab book bought by your australian boss. Keep it up!

To the mambo guy who is getting married on the 31st Dec: sorry but i cant attend your wedding~~but best wishes to you and your soon to be wife!! haha~~i like all the khmer music you play everynight in the bar! And you write perfect english, stop feeling insecure about yourself.
----------------------------------------------------
I'm now in Sihanoukville~~nothing much to write yet but this place is definitely much more touristy than Kampot~~If you want true laidback cambodian stuff, its beeter to stay in Kampot (but i don't wanna take the bumpy road from Kampot back to PP, which is why i opted to go forward to Sihanoukville).

The motorbike driver who biked me here from downtown was from Kampot as well, and like he said,"more business here"~which is why he left his hometown.

Actually i'm not a big fan of beaches and holiday resorts when i'm travelling alone simple becuz: (1) Its impossible to go down for a swim when i have my camera with me. (2) You probably see loads of Westerners and the cambodians you meet are basically those eager to squeeze a dollar or two out of you. (3) I dun wanna get a charcoal black tan!

Day 3 Day 4 Phnom Penh / Kampot

2008-11-17T15:21:00.003+08:00

Greetings from Kampot!!~~this lovely city on southern Cambodia that i'm falling in love with rapidly.
Day 3 at PP was a failure again. I actually arranged with a tuk tuk driver the day before to bring me to the killing fields early at 8 in the morning of day 3, but i woke up at 11 am..... not bad considering that its 1 hr earlier than the previous day. Mar rush to pack my thins and check out of the room lest they charge me USD5 extra. Slack around in the compounds of the guesthouse to wait for the bus bringing me to Kampot.

The bus journey is !#$%âbcdefg~~ The first hour or so was smooth enough i drifted into sleep. Then the heat set i and i was sweating. Nevermind that its supposed to be a "fully air-conditioned" ride, i do not feel any cool breeze in the bus at all. As we go deeper into the copuntryside the scenery was breathtaking albeit the ride gets more and more bumpy. NH3 (New Highway 3) which we were travelling on transformmed into a tiny dirt road. But the vast spread of luscious green along the countryside and the azure blue sky lifted my spirits as i took in everything greedily with my eyes. (cannot take photos, bus ride too bumpy sia)~~~

Then i saw the most tragic thing of the day. The bodies of two young girls lay along the dirt road, body covered with blood. Not far ahead were two big cement mixer surrounded by a crowd of curious villagers and a lone policeman. Underneath the cement mixer i saw a motobike. Two coconuts and a bag were beside me. Life suddenly seems so fragile and i pray fervently that our driver would take heed and drive carefully. At that time i have been on the course of rock and roll for 2 hours straight.

The neverending journey continued on i began to wonder when i'll ever reach. The skies were getting dark and i started to worry if i could find accomodation at all. Then we reached Kep, the tiny city 25km away from Kampot. Omg u should have seen the sunset over the river: stuuuuuning, beauuuuutiful!!!amazing colours!!! Ground zero is Kep, it was totally destroyed during the war and i see pecies of life coming back together as the little town busy itslef with touriostes. But i heard its still minor affair compared to Sihanoukcille, where i'll be going tmr. The reason why i didnt visit Kep today is the simple reason: I can't afford it. The tuk tuks are charging around USD15 for a one way ride and i did not want to go the cheap way of riding the motorbike. Not after witnessing the tragic accident yesterday.

--------------------------------------------------------
Today i woke up to a wonderful and welcoming sunrise, and spent the first half of my day strooling along streerts in Kampot that evoke days long gone. The many dilapidated French style buildings, the charming river thats looks clean and sparkling from a distance , the many palmn trees and the quietness of the city all appeal in the most positive way to me. I love it!! And i think i love it more than Hoi An, the Vietnam version of a quiet quaint old town, simply for the reason that here in Kampot, its not overridden by tourists, yet.

Phnom Penh Day 1 & Day 2

2008-11-15T19:33:00.003+08:00

14.11.2008 They say travel a city at your own pace to savour it to the fullest and i really did. The touchdown at the airport and the ride to the Boeng Kak lake area as well as the finding of accomodation was smooth. I especially like the room i'm living in right now. Its a beautiful 2-storey mansion and i'm in one of the single rooms. The layout is in a lovely shade of pink and its spacious. I wanted it right away when the owner showed me. Bargain down to USD 8 per night. Once done with registration, i drifted into deep slumber right away.
When i woke up, it was like half a day gone and i only managed to visit Wat Phnom for day 1 .Pathetic considering that i touch down at PP at 8am. Wat Phnom is where the capital takes it name and i rendered it must be some spectacular affair but no, it is just a simple temple built on a small mound in the city not far from Tonle Sap. A family of cats caught my attention and i think i spent like half an hour capturing shots of them.
Then i wander off to the nearbt Central Post and as a longstanding travel tradition of mine, sent postcards back home and to him. Next was Tonle Sap, the wind at the banks were so cooling i didnt want to move anymore!! so i spent the rest of the entire afternoon watching ppl fishing and thoroughly enjoying it.
Realized the Royal Palace was closed for the day when i reached...bleh...took a tuk tuk back as it was drizzling.
Then i started to sleep in the comfy room of mine..and when i woke up, it was pitch-dark, so i continued sleeping..

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
15.11.2008 Woke up at the most unfashionable time of 12noon!! Decided to take a little walking tour of PP today since the Royal Palace only opens again at 2. Thought i had alll the time in the world as i stroll leisurly down the streets. It was freaking hot and i really thought its a great weight-losing campaign. Anyway i gave the Royal Palace a miss again as by the time i reached it, it was near closing hours and i didn't want my USD 3 to go to waste. Gains of today are that i've probably seen more of PP streets then other passing tourists. The neverending beckoning of motorbike and tuk tuk drivers to take you for a ride for a dollar. Three words to decribe: dirty dirty dirty; crazy crazy crazy; smelly smelly!!!
I was on one of the main blvds hesistaing if i should cross against the strong traffic of motorbikes (though it doesn't measure anywhere near Vietnam's standard) and a local shouted at me : can cross already la!!!
Cool, thanks for reminding i'm no longer in Singapore man.

23 in Vryn style!! ~~

2008-11-13T02:09:00.007+08:00

pss add words later...too braindead now

no, its not written by me...

2008-11-12T12:46:00.003+08:00

just that when can i write such a long long analytical essay after my thesis...

牌子！奥巴马
2008-11-12 09:38
前几天中午走进办公室，看见同办公室的女生在youtube上看Obama的胜选演讲。下面场面很热闹，用白云大妈的话说就是锣鼓喧天鞭炮齐鸣，红旗招展人山人海。很多人热泪盈眶，好像又打赢了一次civil war一样。看来美国人真是选出了人民的好总统。

中国人也好像普遍对Obama有好感。不管是因为他是黑人还是因为他骂了小布什吧，见到很多的中国人都很支持这个年轻黑人，而那个古板无趣的白人大爷就没有这么招人待见了。Obama赢了以后，到处也都在流传着Obama的演讲文章。

既然这四年一次的规模堪比春晚的盛会如此的被广大群众所喜闻乐见，我也搅趟浑水。虽说来美国这两三个月，大选的气氛一天比一天浓，可我一直没有怎么往心里去。放个马后炮，我一早就知道民主党会赢，不论是Hilary还是Obama还是Edwards。小布什成绩是有的，但是一些错误和一些辩不清的成绩是共和党的致命伤。这个扯得有点远，我一直以为别的中国人也像我一样不怎么关心这个，因为我经常上的几个中国人成群的网站（曼联球迷联盟撇开不算）都没什么讨论。没想到选举结束之后，大家都开始关心这个事情了。而且都一水儿的给奥巴马叫好（并且很多人并不知道Obama的对手是谁。。。我可不可以把这个看作是对Obama的对手的蔑视，囧）。

中国人这么支持奥巴马，我想很大程度上是因为这是一个黑人吧。大家都盼望着有色人种扬眉吐气的那一天。但是不要忘了，你可以说这是一个黑人的胜利，但这是一个美国黑人的胜利。你可以说这是Obama的胜利，但这更是民主党的胜利。

民主党一向是反对自由贸易的。Obama在演讲中也一再强调这一点。体现在对华政策上，就是希望中国进一步拉动内需，少tm往美国卖东西，给美国的制造业工人们留条活路。全球经济萎缩，中国和美国的日子都不好过，Obama上台之后的经济政策调整很可能会让中国的情况雪上加霜。

经济政策是影响中美关系的最重要的方面（请允许我不在这里说国家安全和台湾问题）。如果要研究Obama的对华政策，还会找出很多让他的中国支持者不爽的地方，比如说平权法案对在美华裔的教育、福利等方面的不利影响之类的。

说了这些，难道Obama就没有能讨好国人的地方了吗？有，当然有。他承认了美国对全球变暖现象要负的领导责任，囧。

说完中国人，在来看看美国人。虽然Obama当选在意料之中，但我还是觉得他的宣传有不高明的地方，或者说美国选民有不高明的地方。减税和仇富是Obama的两张王牌。他说要给95%的美国人减税，只给5%的美国人增税。这种言辞很煽情，当然有吸引力，但是有没有说服力呢？

由于种种退税政策，有40%的美国人本来就不用缴纳收入税（而我一个第三世界国家的穷学生居然要缴纳，艹）。相反的，他们还从联邦政府领取各种福利。Obama怎么给这部分人减税？

有减税就要有增税。只增5%的美国人的税？要知道，这5%的美国富人的收入比例是37%，可是他们已经在缴纳60%的联邦收入税了。Obama还要给他们继续增税？想到自己增加的税收要抵消掉那些不上税的人的“税收”，这已经够让那些富人烦心的了，更烦的是除了抵消掉那部分“税收”，你还得交税。为什么？Obama在竞选过程中已经承诺出去1.3万亿美元的政府开支了！你总不能让那95%的人来承担这1.3万亿刀吧？相比之下，Bush的减税政策比Obama老实的多，也实在的多。

Obama的竞选策略使美国人分成了两种，一种是5%，一种是95%。看来，全球经济不好过的年头，连美国也变成了中国。只要你在大街上喊一句：他是富人！那你什么都不用做，就达到报复他的目的了：自有革命群众来收拾他。

说完了中国人，说完了美国人，再来说说人。

人有太多弱点了。比如说，容易浮躁；比如说，在社会经济形势不好的时候更容易大面积大批量的浮躁；再比如说，浮躁的时候就容易被煽情，被煽情以后就容易失去理智。如果放在民主社会，失去理智之后还容易被政客煽情的演讲迷惑而投票。这些情况，历史上都有先例。比较著名的一次发生在二战前的德国。

我当然不是说Obama等同于希特勒。但他的宣传攻势，他的竞选策略也绝对不是天衣无缝。可是选民已经做出了自己的选择，他也以不小的优势当选了。反观他的对手，演讲糟糕，举止古板，这种人放到古希腊是肯定成为不了政客的。现代西方的情况也不比古希腊好多少。观众们一样容易被煽情，煽情一样容易传染。当Obama不停的说着“Yes, we can change……” 的时候，台下的观众已经很难再保持理智了。这不怪谁，这是没有办法的事情。你我都是普通人，被煽了情也不是我们的错。说句题外话，如果一定要被煽情，我宁愿被一个左翼分子的黑人煽了，也不愿被春晚开头的盛事歌舞或者什么“海岛军嫂”之类的狗屁小品给煽了。

扯淡许久，其实我还是没有说出什么东西。因为我本来就不关心这个么。McCain的败选，是不是说明了保守主义思潮在美国的统治地位再一次的告一段落？Obama的当选，是不是说明美国迎来了一个新左翼时代？我真的不算关心。因为有这个闲心，我还不如去关心一下国内的奶粉，以及下台了的李长江，和还没有下台的牛根生。

A Game of Mahjong~

2008-11-09T01:57:00.002+08:00

Those itchy hands at work~

Out of boredom...

2008-11-08T22:29:00.001+08:00

I click the tickets to Nepal~~yeah! i am going to Nepal on 4th Jan next year from Bangkok!!

短短四天，感受黄山~

2008-10-28T23:56:00.005+08:00

1.住的宿舍 2。到的时候一直下雨~有点小不爽~

3。不是故意点这么多的>_< 努力吃~

第二天放弃爬山，到附近的歙县转~

4。我是大学士阿~

5。渔梁古镇依水而建，还有个千年古坝~

6。棠樾牌坊群有点坑人~

爬山只为强身健体，日出是其次~

7。好一大片乌云嗯~~

走路不看景，看景不走路

8。在我看来黄山只是秀，感觉不到华山的险~~

9。太阳照得真舒服~

10。这么蓝的天空下山后就没了~

下山后去了西递~本来想西递宏村都去，事实证明我很不自量力，只去了西递~

11。到了门口其实腿软得不想进去，可是买票了~硬着头皮上~

12。还算美的~

13。似曾相识~~象极大理的白族建筑~

有些小遗憾。。。不过旅游为了什么？

只为那路上遇到的人和碰到的事~若干年后慢慢品味~

14。Don't Stop Travelling!!~~

大理我又想起你了~

2008-10-28T10:02:00.004+08:00

从万恶的丽江逃出来后，继续前往大理~
美丽的，我住了一个礼拜还没舍得走~~~
便宜的物价，一顿1块钱可以把自己吃撑的~
天空的蓝，夜晚的风，鲜艳的茶花~~到处都是风景，都是热情的白族人~~~
哎呀真是太喜欢了~~~~

pls ignore spelling mistake...

丽江 “看上去很美”

2008-10-25T20:59:00.003+08:00

为符合这两天心情，贴我最不爽的一次旅游吧：春节的丽江
2008.02.10 - 2008.02.11 丽江大年初四的早上，依依不舍告别泸沽湖落瓦村的好朋友们，由杨二车龙布一路护送我到去往丽江的汽车上~翻山的过程有点晕，大冬天的阳光却异常刺眼。我开始头疼的厉害，沿路的风景也没有心情欣赏。从下车的地方走进古城的时候，更是头痛的想当场晕倒，成群的游客把小街小巷的每一个角落挤得满满的。无数声的“请让一让”后，才终于踏进青年旅舍。。
丽江确实太让我失望了，对比之下，我更喜欢凤凰了~

2008寒假 -- 成都，心中的遗憾

2008-10-24T23:09:00.012+08:00

2008.01.27 - 2008.01.29
成都（其实全中国都是）正值春运高峰，费了好大劲买到了卧铺票（虽然自己比较想尝试硬座，不过昆明满足了我）第一次在火车上度过了两个晚上，火车广播上的歌重放了好多遍。成都比想象中冷，我甚至觉得比济南还冷 >_ <

放下行李兴冲冲地出门，却被第一碗担担面给毒死了！

此后就一直死气沉沉，再后来竟然飘雪了，全身冻僵的我跑进最近的 starbucks 避寒。

在这里和人聊天时发现从西昌去泸沽湖比从攀枝花走容易，于是改变路线。

第一天还拍了一点，之后就重感冒一直躺床上了~~

随便放点~塞车是每个大城市的特征。

在锦里拍的，这个叫什么？

春节就要红红红~

在成都很不愉快，因为病了，因为不吃辣，因为天气空前的冷，因为都是我不熟悉的四川话口音，因为没有传说中的美腿如林，美女如云~这是我以后想要弥补的遗憾。

走火入魔

2008-10-23T12:02:00.002+08:00

==TH R EE==

2008-10-21T21:58:00.003+08:00

The three of us sat in coffeebean with 3 different drinks and went home at 3 am~
The three of us came from the same class in sec3/sec4, then our lives started diverging. But two of them ended up in the same course in uni and not-so coincidentially same jobscope upon graduating~
I'm always weirdo taking paths different from others. Like i shoot off to China and have no plans for work till next year.

其实不是不想工作，只是想把握最后的“自由”。不能想象自己给人打工看着别人脸色自己回头丧气愁眉苦脸的日子。我想我大概被宠坏了。买了机票到柬埔寨/老挝，心里已经盘算着接下来尼泊尔/印度，甚至大胆的想到美国。我又一次，忘了要知足。

Happy Birthday Yating!!!!

2008-10-20T22:29:00.006+08:00

This post is slightly late,but better late then never right~~haha~am so busy with revamping my room and clearing all my rubbish i barely have time for anything else (except canon marathon ,hee)~Treated the very fortunate birthday girl to a nice (but not very full) dinner at Ma Masion. You know I don't always comment on food but this one got my thumbs up, like what Yating says "应禅，终于听到你说食物好吃了"

appetizer is escargots~~nice, but hor we finish the whole plate in like 5 mins?

we finished the escargots before the next dish came ,and the clam chowder is equally delicious ~
my main course came first~chicken steak~i cant remember the full name, its too cheem~

then Xilian's~~beef something

Yating's~~i have no idea what this is already~~

Beacuse the three of us are still hungry after our main course, we decided to order cod rod pasta~~it was nice but as i eat, i picture myself eating char bee hoon ~~sorry lah i really dunno how to appreciate food~

the dinner came with a hefty bill~~heh

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Food aside, this outing is also the first official use of my newly bought 450d.

Yating making a wish. (actually she is only closing her eyes so i can photo her mascara~)

oh man u look stunning at this angle~and your eyes have a rather sophiscated feel~~i love it!!

Must say again, u look gorgeous in this angle~very natural posting~~i like~

Nice eyes!!

Fantastic capture by Xilian~

Next are the very important calefares beside the birthday girl~~

希望心是快乐的~

2008-10-15T02:49:00.001+08:00

透明是什么颜色的
如果风儿是快乐的
叶子的眼睛是透明的
心是快乐的

记忆是什么颜色的~

2008-10-15T02:40:00.002+08:00

爱情是什么颜色的
如果记忆是模糊的
渴望是什么颜色的
如果时间是静止的
永恒是什么颜色的
如果呼吸是短暂的
我想我只好沉默
因为这问题地球它也在思考着

爱情是什么颜色的？

2008-10-15T02:27:00.001+08:00

爱情是什么颜色的
如果忧郁是蓝色的
快乐是什么颜色的
如果寂寞是灰色的
天空是什么颜色的
如果汪洋是蓝色的
我说天空也是蓝色的
因为他们彼此相爱了

深深的爱——隐藏式心形咖啡杯

2008-10-13T14:47:00.002+08:00

Saw this in my schools forum, wonder if they sell here in SGP.~

将杯口做成心形，让倒在里面的咖啡呈现出独特的造型已经是一种比较常见的设计了。而且也的确是一款不错的用来表达爱慕之情的礼物。但是有很多人更倾向于含蓄的表达爱意，所以也就有了这样一款隐藏式心形咖啡杯。
它其实就是将原本的心形内凹做成由上到下逐渐增高的斜坡，当咖啡是满杯的时候看不出心形，而只有慢慢将咖啡喝完，才能逐渐显露出来，剩下的越少，心形也就越明显。就像是将爱深深的藏在了咖啡杯里。

New camera!!

2008-10-12T23:29:00.004+08:00

I love shopping and buying lotsa things, but nothing beats the excitement of having another new camera~~After much intensive snooping around and doing our homework diligently, we decided that Harvey Norman has got the best deal and went down today~~I'm also quite impressed by my bargaining skills. I hope by my next buy they are willing to give away their lens as freebies, haha ~~

from my 校内~

2008-10-12T00:39:00.001+08:00

anyway the add is www.xiaonei.com if ur are curious~~ haha ~~very copycat~

我要活在空中~ 2008-10-11 15:37

我的后毕业旅游生活总算有了点头绪。

14.11.2008 新加坡 --> 金边 S$99
06.12.2008 万象 --> 吉隆坡 USD 97
07.12.2008 吉隆坡 --> 深圳 391.50 MYR
8 号火车去杭州/上海
17号火车去广州
18.12.2008 广州 --> 吉隆坡 924.50 CNY
19.12.2008 吉隆坡 -->新加坡 S$45.94

我好喜欢飞在空中的感觉~

A post A day~

2008-10-06T13:10:00.000+08:00

我是自拍女皇~哈哈~

Bustling Shanghai~~

2008-10-05T13:03:00.000+08:00

想念上海疯逛逛街的日子~还有布满梧桐树的街道~

staring into mirrors~

2008-10-04T21:39:00.001+08:00

感谢你陪我900天~希望镜里镜外，我们一样开心~

Magnified at AMK

2008-10-03T01:32:00.002+08:00

First experiement with my new magnifying glass~~gonna explore more ways to take interesting photos with it!! Yieng, u are the only one whom i can do such idiotic things with...make urself extremely free in Oct!! forget that XB whilst i'm here, haha ~~~

一起开始~

2008-10-02T20:26:00.000+08:00

为你一句话“i need your support , it makes a difference”,义无反顾陪你到上海办签证。
沿路风景很美，我紧张，你自在。

排队是早料到的事，可怜天下父母心。谁真正希望儿女到那么远的地方呢？
其实我也不想你走， but everyone has aspirations and dreams to fufil~

轰隆隆火车，一起开始的旅程，我们能一直走到底吗？

So Cool~~

2008-10-01T02:59:00.005+08:00

It's definitely ultra tiring to be arranging 26GB of photos at one go...have been at it for the past 3 hours and still not half way through...well, i can only blame myself for my laziness...
Anyway, dug out this photo of him with his trademark smile ~so nice~he doesn't smile that brilliantly for the camera unless its me holding it~haha~so glad things are back to normal~
Time Taken: July 2008 our grad trip, Suzhou

and another one of me ...taken by our class photographer this june~I think its one of the few "presentable " photos he took of me..
The shades aren't mine, but maybe I should get one? I don't look too bad with it right?~~ And don't think its sunny since i'm wearing shades...i was shivering...

And there are so many other travel photos that i want to share!!

But the computer clock says its 3 am!! Better sleep...

So young~~

2008-09-30T13:53:00.001+08:00

You always take terrible pictures of me~this is one of the better ones.~

I had u in mind when taking this photo~

2008-09-23T23:42:00.002+08:00

Reminscing the crazy - roommate- cracking - walnut - days~~
I do miss them in Shanghai~

关于那48小时 ~

2008-09-20T01:32:00.002+08:00

是不是每个冲动的行为背后就得付出惨痛的代价~

这样的夜晚你是不是也从来没想过我？

2008-09-18T20:36:00.009+08:00

中秋晚上自己爆走上海街头，欠下累累的移动债。

思念是多少？伤害是多少？

2008-09-18T20:36:00.005+08:00

翻完了手机短信，里面的承诺，你能给多少？
抑或，你记得多少？

胶卷一张

2008-09-12T10:04:00.000+08:00

偶尔翻出一张~

2008-09-09T15:19:00.001+08:00

看着还不错~2008 冬，大理

is this accurate?

2008-09-02T02:31:00.001+08:00

Your view on yourself:You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.
Your views on educationEducation is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.
The right job for you:You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
What are you most afraid of:You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.
Who is your true self:You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

我在上海的那些日子

2008-08-28T08:43:00.000+08:00

仿佛自己处在围墙中，进退两难~

幸而硬邦邦的凉席上有麦兜陪我~

无聊有时

望着窗外的夜景发呆是常有的事~

偷懒想睡觉也是常有的事~
墙里墙外看风景，是什么样一种滋味~

我还有多少青春任我挥霍

2008-08-23T05:45:00.000+08:00

大学时代，提行李回家最兴奋的时刻莫过于上网查机票，然后到各个地方飞。
我从萧山走过，从上海走过，从广州走过，从深圳走过，从香港走过，从河内走过，每每都很兴奋都很期待。
可为什么这次向着从海口走却感到力不从心呢？
是心态已经不再年轻？还是精神不比当年？
这些困惑使我很是害怕，说不出来的一种感受。
很多人说我不务正业，毕了业却一心想玩
我只想说，人生一辈子只有这么一段黄金时段，我选择多经历。

Something Singapore in Shanghai

2008-08-21T07:57:00.000+08:00

Frankly, the last time I met him was ages ages ago....Tiger was good, hehe