Heavy 重

Someone has been getting on my nerves. I've been asking myself if it's me (I admit at times it could be), but recently I realise it isn't so much of me. Everyone is flawed, however his behaviour has gotten far too much and I can't take it anymore. He has been taking me for granted just because I could tolerate him and his mood swings for so many years. I think he is expecting too much from this friend of his. I have only this much to give and I'm feeling the emptiness now. I dislike the feeling of being someone he could vent his frustration on, someone whom he could unload his burden of negativity and darkness... I want to be happy-go-lucky but with him around I'm constantly on my toes, worrying and watching out if I'll fall down next (together with him). I'm tired of feeling chained and I don't want this anymore. I am going to free myself, no matter how far this friendship has come to. I can't tolerate this shit anymore.

Loss

Singapore just lost one of us to the terror attacks in Mumbai, and the victim whom was held as a hostage is only 28 years old. How saddening...

Read more.

Eventful Bali (iii)

The days in Ubud seemed to pass very quickly... the happy days at Madrigal came to an end, and even though I couldn't bear to, it was time to bid farewell to Bill and his lovely dog.

We had another night in GreenField, just to take things slowly, before we moved on to Sanur (next destination). Sanur is another beach destination, but a world apart from Kuta. Here we saw a lot of older couples who wanted a cosy and "upper class" beach holiday. Not as high class as Nusa Dua but still a very peaceful place to really let go... do nothing, soak your feet in the clear waters of Sanur, read on the sun-bed while sipping a cocktail.

Now, that's a holiday.

Unfortunately it was a bit rainy and S didn't fancy the beach much... so we didn't really get to do what the others were doing. We walked about a bit, mainly just to look for places for dinner. S got around to some shopping (he reckoned he needed a new haversack), finally S and his shopping!!! I never grumbled because I wouldn't mind at all to accompany him! I went to Hardy's (a superstore with supermarket), and bought lots of stuff. No wonder my friends said I treat grocery shopping as an adventure too, but it really is... I don't know why but I can easily spend hours in a supermarket!

We stayed at Flashback's after walking miles and not finding a more worthy place to stay. Flashback's is a little paradise of its own, it's not too fancy but it's very charming with lots of character. We stayed in a wooden room (with our saviour, a mosquito net!), it was teeny but surprisingly it felt very comfortable and more than a lot of other bigger rooms we have had. There we shared a kitchen (with fridge, coffee/tea/water), bathroom & toilet (but each assigned room has their own bathroom!), a chill-out area with books and cable TV (yey! we watched movie and soccer) and also a tiny 1.5m pool (where I clung onto S as a float half the time.. hee!).

The owners (Peter & Jan) also opened their own "retro" themed cafe named The Porch, just besides our room. They do wonderful food as I read from online reviews so I was quite eager to try!! I finally did on the last day before we left for Singapore... only after the lady boss kindly offered me a discount on the red leather bag I had been eyeing on, else I wouldn't be able to buy my last meal at their cafe! I guess she got a good deal out of it too because the 10% discount she has given me ended up back in that steak burger I ate! LOL. Anyway, I was left with quite a lot of money which could last me another 2-3 days, so I decided to splurge it on that leather bag after failing to find a pair of leather gladiator in the shops. Happy purchase (because I have always wanted a quality bag and this one is designed by Flashback's owner Jan!). Thank you Jan!

So that's basically the end of my 12 days... I didn't write that much this time, not a lot of inspiration or much worth to mention about apart from these. The rest shall be kept as "Whatever happened in Bali remains in Bali" -- learnt from my friend, Marz. So all is history.

BTW anyone keen to drop a visit to Bali, it's a good time, Jetstar is now having a promotion and the ticket price is half of Garuda's (to go this December!). Book now! But reminder, it's rainy season!! Bring a raincoat!! Rp is now also weaker to SGD, even better time to go compared to the time I went! A little tip, change some money in your country but you can change the rest while you're there because the rate there are probably same or even better (BUT beware of small shops that gives you small notes because they will probably "miscalculate"!!).

Eventful Bali (ii)

The moment I stepped into our room in Ubud, I know this place is going to be heaven (I don't mean the room, but this place, Ubud). And I love this place. So much so that we decided to spend one more night on top of our 5 nights (initially planned).

Ubud is in centre of Bali. It has no beaches, but that isn't important. It has a LOT more to offer than Kuta or anywhere else (even Sanur which was our last stop). It is known as Bali's center for its arts and cultures which is why we attended two different dance here. The traditional Balinese dance held twice a month named Masters of Bali, and the Kecak Fire & Trance Dance which really got into me (chak chak chak...chak chak chak). It even got a toddler so obsessed that he was attempting to join in despite his parents holding him back. LOL. It was quite amusing but a few of us were looking out for him in case he got trampled by the taller beings.

In Ubud, you can't miss the famous Babi Guling in Ibu Oka... We had our first sampling in south of Bali during the daytrip, I spotted a Warung selling Babi Guling and it got deeply engraved in my mind. So when it was lunch time, I asked the driver if he could drive us there for a meal!! It was yummy for a Warung... and S swore he would want it a 2nd time. This one is Ubud did an excellent one - Gosh, I told myself I could have a 2nd helping there amid of finishing my 1st (how ambitious!!).

We stayed at GreenField Bungalows, my 2nd choice to Tegal Sari which happened to be just next door. And the reason I booked it was because we were probably sharing the same view but instead we're paying a third of the price! I will still love to try Tegal Sari's wooden house if I have a chance :) Anyway GreenField offered a lot for what we paid for, great service and filling breakfast... so we didn't have any complaint at all. The salt water pool was cool too but a little too deep for me (yeah depth-phobia!). We stayed besides the rice paddy and it was pretty and easy for the eyes in the morning!

Bali, surprisingly, does it own wine too. During the time there, I tried their Rose wine (not bad at all) and Brem wine which is like dessert wine!!

The streets of Ubud was filled with shops, but not as touristy as Kuta. There were shops with souvenirs, shops selling proper leather stuff (I'm impressed but not rich enough to buy any), a few massage places (I tried to go for one but the place was closed, in renovation! There goes my massage :(  There were some cool cafes and bakeries (KaKiang bakery does awesome cakes, Kafe has a super cosy ambience). We visited the Ubud market where we bought stuff not because we wanted them but because it was such a quiet time after the execution of the Bali Bombers and business wasn't good. Those people were so desperate to sell you anything even for a low price, so I ended up with a few things.

We were staying in Pengosekan, just south of the Ubud center. And after 3 nights, we moved up to Penestanan (renowned for artists' village). It was a little out of nowhere, especially if you want to get around... but best for chilling and staying in. The Madrigal guesthouse we stayed at was marvellous, it was basically a studio apartment (mini kitchen, open-air outdoor bathroom, a dining area inside and outside, a chilling out sofa outside and a 4 poster bed!). A God-send, except for the bathroom with lots of bugs. The owner, Bill, was a very friendly and helpful guy; we could borrow his phone to ring for delivery or make calls! His dog was our regular visitor too... but she got really angry when we went over to Bill's place to make a call. I got frightened once when she barked at me non-stop!

And it was also credits to Bill that we found the Warung with the best Indonesian cuisine - Bubu Warung!! I have the best babi sate (pork satay with super thick peanut sauce). Till today, I can't stop singing praises about it and oh my, how I miss the food!

During my walkabout in Ubud, I got chatted up by some random driver, and I decided to give him a call after discussion with S. We got him to take us to see the volcano - Kintamani (unfortunately we didn't go upclose to see the crater :( ), and rice terraces - Tegalalang, the mother temple - Besakih, Goa Gajah (elephant cave) and some things along the way. He wasn't that great a tourguide, didn't seem to know a lot but at least we had a fun time seeing places in other parts of Indonesia. We even got blessed during the journey, the lady put some rice on our forehead and an orange flower in my hair! Pity we didn't venture to the north or east, but there will always be a next time!

It was also in Ubud, me and S had a talk about how well we got along during the trip, and I was so glad it happened because the trip would have ended in a disaster if things weren't communicated properly. I went without much expectation but things gotten so bad at one point it was so unbearable and I didn't know how to deal with it anymore. We wouldn't speak and I dread waking him up in the morning... or asking him what he wanted for breakfast. I guess when you travel together, you see another side of the someone (a different color?). An online friend told me, people change when they are on holiday - do they really change or it's just a part of them hidden??

Anyway I'm still friends with S now, but has things changed... I can't say for sure.

p.s: Ubud is frequent by the Japanese. I notice the sales staff can speak fluent Japanese and there are lots of them willingly to spend and lavish on themselves.

Eventful Bali (i)

Preface: To Mr. Smith (if you happen to be reading these chronicles), it is with no offence to you that I'm writing them, I wish to record how I felt at that moment and even if you might not have agreed or at some point see the same from my point of view, I wish to point out that nothing here is written to deface the kind of person you are.

Bali.

After a few months of proper scheduling and discussion, it finally happened. There wasn't any cheap flights, there wasn't any bargain. But a wish is fulfiled - a trip to Bali, Indonesia. I booked the tickets on Garuda, them being a better deal than most others I could find at that time. And believe me, their service isn't that bad... some actually dread their name when it comes to flying. Their crews aren't young and pretty like most of Singapore's airlines, but what's more important is they can deliver :)

My mate S arrived in Singapore a couple of days before our flight together to Bali (Denpasar) - BTW Bali has only one airport and it's not in the "town/city" Denpasar, it's only named that as a name for their international airport. Our flight was brought forward to 7am and so we decided to spend the night in the airport since we had to check in around 5ish.


Arrived.

We took a metered taxi outside the airport but I have a serious suspicion that the driver took us on a bit of a winding route to get to wherever we were going! Well, what to do, when you newly arrived, are tired and lugging heavy bags. So F it, just get it outta the way and since we haven't book anything for our 1st 3 night accomodation, we had to do some work. I got Su's Cottage in my shortlist for places to stay in Legian, unfortunately they aren't the cheapest and we decided to seek a cheaper place (probably in Kuta). S collapsed on the bed not long after we arrived, he suffered from lack of sleep from the night before... so we had a nap before walking down to Kuta.

And there we saw Kuta/Legian in Bali... the street was filled up with shops and only shops. Taxis and drivers everywhere on the road, asking if we needed transport. Beach was stunning, especially during sunset, it was full with tourists laying on the sun-beds for a tan or being pestered by the "beach hawkers" to get a necklace, fake branded watch or even a manicure/pedicure/massage. My mate didn't enjoy this place because there was nothing for him, no surfing and no shopping. He was practically annoyed with shopping (even window shopping), so I went without him. I went out alone the 2nd night and it started to rain cats and dogs, I ended up buying an umbrella and had to walk miles along the badly flooded roads. It got so bad that I hopped onto a cab which stopped for me!! But the driver was unexceptionally rude... until I started to chat with him, he got a little friendlier.

Food wasn't really cheap or awesome in Kuta, I wasn't impressed at all.

Before I went, I had a few freelance drivers' contacts and so we could ring any up if we decided to make a daytrip. But we also found a better deal online, S had apparently sent a request and they quoted us something very reasonable. Unfortunately we couldn't find the place, ended up chatting to a local man who offered to recommend us a driver. We went back happy and to our dismay (and darkest nightmare) the driver didn't turn up the next morning. We looked the guy up and things got worse, price he quoted wasn't including a driver and worst of all, it was doubled. Nasty nasty, we sure weren't very happy.

After some haggling around, it was almost noon time we found a driver whom would take us for the price we offered. We hadn't much time to waste as it was the last day in Kuta, the following morning we would leave for Ubud! The daytrip turned out very pleasant, even though it was a short one to two places - Tanah Lot and Uluwatu, but we were almost pleased to get out of Kuta (which is boring us to death!). Tanah Lot is overrated in my opinion, I guess everyone was there for a photo or two, that was it. But Uluwatu turned out to be much more fun, with aggressive monkeys accompanied by a very beautiful scenery. The monkeys were trying to pickpocket S's camera or even tried to open his bag... but only ended off with his bottle of water. Some tourist got their sunglasses flung over the cliff and the local picked it up for them (of course receiving a tip in return). Now hearing from my indonesian friend saying that the monkeys might be trained to do that, now that's just nasty. I was snapping a close up shot of the monkey, and it actually tried to grab my camera (very quickly after the shot)... this is how naughty it can be!

Anyway, we were quite ready to leave Kuta after 3 nights and a very uncomfortable last 2 nights being bitten by bugs and insects in our poorly facilitated room!! Thank God! My legs now look hideous from all the itching bites :(

Post Bali thoughts

One of my friends just commented something along this line,"Even though they can be your really good friends, it doesn't mean you'll get along great on holidays."

And yes, she is right. I have had quite a few holidays now, solo, with relatives & cousins, with friends, with acquaintances. They are all very different experience, something I'll never get sick of trying... I went to Bali with a long-time friend I have known over 7 years (well we live in different continents, so we never really know if we get along that well except that couple of times we hooked up over the course of 7 years). We went to Krabi together the first time, it was horrid at certain points and I just couldn't talk to him anymore at one point. Then we were in Siem Reap at the same time, each with our own friend and we hooked up. It was unexpectedly fun, perhaps as the phrase goes "The more, the merrier". So this time in Bali, I was hoping it would be a good time like in Cambodia...

Read on if you like to find out more...

Note: My impression of the British haven't been that good so far, and it didn't help that I was traveling with another one of them.

Homecoming

It was just on the telly...

An interview with Singaporeans whom have lived abroad for years and reasons they have decided to head back. I wonder why didn't they do the reverse, interview those that have left and never wanted to come back. But again, why would they want to do that, right? Anyway, I was watching... and some things they mentioned did ring a bell inside me. Even though I wasn't living out there for as long as they did (6-7 years), I felt that the things we have learnt to appreciate are all very similar. Most of them came back because of kinship (mainly their parents), I guess filial piety in our culture remains a very important virtue of us Asians. Of course, who knows what the main reason is... except themselves.

One of them actually said,"We are always looking for greener pasture. But when I got out there, I realised the pasture is actually greener back home."

It actually got me thinking...


On my flight back from Bali, there is this little Indian-mixed-American boy who chatted me up. His mum is Singaporean Indian, his dad American. He's a chatty little fella, though a little weird (from the things he said). He told me his mum refused to give up her Singaporean passport so the whole family except her are holding American passports. I wonder why, but I do think our little red book gives us a much easier life, especially traveling in Asia.


I'm looking for a place called home, but is it here?? I have no clue for now. We'll see...

Tour guiding isn't my profession but...

What a year...

This year I have had quite a couple of friends coming by and I had to do the tour guide thingy... not saying I'm not happy to do it but I have done it for at least 6 times... Though they are all different, and for some I only managed to show them the minimal...

It's a bit tiring... I'm exhausted today!! But my mate of years finally made his first trip to Singapore, so I couldn't possibly not be a host! I brought him to his hostel from another hostel, got him checked in... Our walking journey started from River Valley --> Clarke Quay --train--> Little India --> Bugis --> City Hall (and almost there to Raffles Place!!) --> Dhoby Ghaut. It wasn't that bad, but under this humid weather, I swear we both almost died and he got to get himself a pint of beer to cool himself down! LOL, I got my stupid 7-11 freeze which was disappointing.

I'm gonna be sleeping very well tonight, because I am so so dead tired!!!!!!!!

I wanna work 'daz I gonna love

The economy is bad. The world is having a global crisis, slowing down, and a recession is coming up. Companies are cutting jobs. Job market is bleak. People are being retrenched.

All these bad news. So????

Does it mean we should take whatever shit that is shoved in our face???

Maybe most people will say yes... but no, I'm waiting. I had taken too much shit in the past; now I have decided, for once, I WILL WAIT. The right opportunity will knock, and that's what I am going to do - Do something I enjoy and not something I slave my life for the money. I looked back and saw me slowly losing myself... I did some work to survive, to pay my living expenses, but in the long run, I wasn't happy. Plus the pay was shitty too. I sometimes despised myself for doing that. But it did make my parents happy.

At the end of the day, I am the one who needs to be happy. So yes, I'm waiting... and at the same time, I know I'm being the envy of some others... but hey, no money's coming in is not fun at all. I'm taking my time... go chill out in Bali with one of my best friends (less than a week now YAY, geezzz, pray for me that nothing goes wrong with the Bali bombers being executed around the same time eh). One of the best things in life some people couldn't take the time off to do.

I am so proud to say I turned down a 'crap' offer (I used to give in easily, because I felt the pressure of money, from parents, from the society...). They even offered to wait for me with my 2 weeks holiday in tow but sadly the package couldn't compensate the con (negation) of the working environment.

There's another time I had this phone interview on a job which I was pretty keen on, however there was a big communication problem between me and the "Hong Konger" interviewer. Her grasp of English wasn't bad but the way she phrased her questions totally lost me, I had no idea half the time what she was talking about. Fortunately, I have gotten over that now. If it's not meant to be, then it's not.

Tomorrow I've an interview coming up... fingers crossed for me please (but no big expectation!).

It was fun!

Lots' been going on... and I haven't been able to write as much as I would like. So I'd like to use this chance to link you to my friend's entries as we shared the same activities :)

Makeover Contest - A NEW YOU
Actually they didn't do a great job in creating a new me, I didn't feel like I have had an image change. The make up service was too basic and horrible (I didn't think they were that good). The hair styling was slightly better but it was so packed you couldn't even have a discussion of how you wanted it to look... so they did whatever they thought was the quickest. 163 contestants, so what can we expect eh. Nevertheless, it was great fun & free shopping (with Adeline whom also got selected) but I seriously have stage fright (to be photographed in front of all the passer-by).

Wild Wild Wet - WET FUN
Seriously I never been there since it has opened... made me felt a little "mountain-tortoise". So when my company invited us (alumni) to come join its family day I bought the tickets at a special price. What luck, it turned out that I was pretty sick that day; fortunately we were given a grace period to utilise them. So me and Adeline went. I felt like a big kid, but there were all the families there so it wasn't too bad since all the parents were doing it too! Some things, you just need to try it once ;)

An element of risk

It always does it for me...

The other night, I went drinking with the guys (my bunch of local boys). It was very entertaining and they asked me all sorts of questions. Some questions which they categorized as "These kind of questions, how many girls can we get to ask?!", in simplicity it means embarrassing ones or the ones which they secretly wish to know but couldn't open their mouth to ask. But as I ponder about them now, it actually provokes me to think deeper... and I realised I am the kind of person who likes life with an element of risk...

I want my life a little different, I want it my way :)

知足常乐。。。

Today I'm feeling a little philosophical. So.... I would like to touch on the topic of Happiness.

One of my best friends asked me the other day, I couldn't remember exactly what was the question... but it was something along the line of "What's my goal in life??" I replied without hesitating,"To be happy." She then again asked me,"So are you happy now?" I told her,"Well, kind of, am contented with the way things are at the moment, though it could be better." So well, I know, I am happy but not 100% contented yet. Contentment is like climbing up that never-ending flight of stairs now, I can never reach the top unless I find something which does complete my life. So yes, I say I'm happy but not 100%, just contented with things at the moment. I think that's good enough - for now. And then she said,"She will be when she feels more settled (more money, a stable job that she likes, not so much hardship) in life." It raised again a question, so she's not happy with life at the moment... I think sometimes happiness can't be derived from the environment itself, they do have a part in influencing, but at the end of the day, if you're on the receiving end and you're not contented, you wouldn't be happy. Am I right??! There are inevitable obstacles and things going wrong in life (whoever have a smooth sailing life, probably deserved it from their good karma in their past life, lol), so I still believe that, unless one finds contentment within themselves, they won't find the route to happiness. Poor people can still be happy!

Some people reckon having financial security is a form of happiness, while others are thanking God for the blessing of good health and longevity. I have seen others whose life and happiness revolves around being with their loved ones (it doesn't have to be a spouse, for all you know it could be the nan, parents or nephew/niece). There are also some who get them from work, how many of us are so lucky with a job they are passionate about and getting all that money they want... I hope, for most of us :)))

Happy Halloween, Pumpkin-Peeps.

Strange... I just approved a comment and it didn't appear, wonder where did it go... But I'm pretty sure it's written by Alex, you monster! Ha ha ha. Probably something a year ago huh... well, whatever since I can't find which post is it now.

I know I have been missing in action for a bit, which I really didn't mean to... But things slipped off your mind, sometimes it's a good thing in fact. It's already November, a day after Halloween... How did you guys celebrate it??? I envy those whom are able to dress up and make-up themselves like some" ghostly thingee", but there is just not much atmosphere here and friends aren't up for it - Maybe one day. One day, I will be in town where all the crazy people will put fake blood on their faces. Or maybe have some fun action like Joy's - the pumpkin carving...!