I miss the elephants

It has been 10 months since I was at the Elephant Park in Chiang Mai. I miss the gentle giants. They are actually so loving and warm, not like the stinking image everyone has of them. I bathed them in their pool of dung, yet I didn't feel dirty at all. I felt so comfortable in their company, the elephant assigned to me (arghh, I forgot her name) sat so quietly and let us scrub her. While the baby elephant was having fun spraying water with its trunk, I recalled splashing pails of water at him and he did it back to me!

I saw this photo in Facebook and it touched my heart. I want to be hugging an elephant!

Starry night

I used to paint for mum, but she didn't fancy it recently. And the sister did! Hehe. I need to grow my nails a little longer before I get my colors out again.

Ganbatte, Marisa

Mummy dearest was there at the hospital, giving moral support to Marisa whose is still having an operation  (a biopsy). I am not sure how old my cousin is. Maybe 16 or 18? I have too many cousins, some nearly 12 years older and others 12 years younger.

It reminded me of the time mum was in the operating theatre. Now I hear mum talking all over again about her story. She just loves to relate her hospital stay to us over and over again. Even though that was only a minor operation, our hearts were heavy and we were pacing up and down. Mum's health hasn't been the greatest, so we were worried having the operation would weaken her further. Now 4 months later, she's healthier than before. She has even put back the weight she lost. Even though old age has caught up with her but I think we all now cherish the time with her even more.

Marisa was admitted over a month ago due to a high fever. She has been in a coma since and now they are doing a biopsy. We aren't updated about her condition as her distraught mother insisted we do not ask anything about it. Whatever it is, I'm sure they are going through a rough time and I hope any of you whom chanced upon this, please say a little prayer for her.

Raspberry pink

Rumour: Glitter on the edge will prolong the manicure.

And so I tested it out. Not too bad, but its the other edge that's wearing off now after a week :P

By the way, this is one of the pinks I got from USA. Very good quality polish for only USD2!

30s

I laughed and cried while I read through those emails. Things that I wrote 4 years ago. I have aged. Now I am able to laugh at the person I used to be, now I can see why women in 30s are more attractive to men. I think when we reached 30, we began a new perspective of life. Maybe not we, but just me? I became more rational, less impulsive, more confident and I have better control of my emotions. Some years ago, I cared about how people look at me, I cried over silly things, I lost my patience over various things and I accomodated people who were obviously in the wrong! Now, I show my dissatisfaction and of course using my rational side. I get more "Sorry" than getting screamed right back and I know that's because I am able to prove they are in the wrong. For once, I'm so thankful that I have hit the 30, and this is only the beginning.

August, you're wonderful. Thank you for waking me up!

New URL

Just a note that I will be changing my blog URL. If you know me personally, ask me for it. I am not certain that the former one will be re-directed to it. If not, I think GOOGLE will be a great help in finding me ;)

BRB

I am having writer's block on blogging the USA trip... So give me some time! It's a long one and I'm trying to recall and look back at those memories.

My nail art projects

And so I unleashed my creativity on my nails...

Waiting for ...

And so sure enough, my friend is on her rebound relationship (job). She texted me today, telling me of her desire to leave the job she barely started for a month! What was my response? "Why start something when you do not even like it (enough)?" Isn't it true? They always say that the one is worth waiting for. Now this better be true :)

BKK: Shop, shop and shop

This trip was booked months ago. A 3D2N free and easy package in Bangkok for the 6 of us. An all girls' trip. We never travelled before, but we did have a number of lunches together. Have you ever heard someone saying,"Travelling with a girl can be a chore, can you imagine x 6?" Haha. How true! I still like the feeling of travelling solo, but once in a while, having a company can be fun.

We stayed at Le Meridien Bangkok. A world apart from the places I usually bunk at when I travel budget. About time to indulge myself I reckoned, even though in America, we did stay in hotels too but not a 5 star. The service was friendly and amiable, especially when it came to arranging for a birthday cake surprise for HQ whose birthday happened to be the second day we were in Bangkok. Our bathroom is huge, with a corner for toilet, shower and bath tub which sits by the sliding door! If only I was alone, I would be watching the TV with a glass of wine, soaking in the tub :D We also got to stay on the highest floor, 24th storey (not sure if that's because we have a birthday girl or I happened to be using my new Starwood Preferred Guest membership). The housekeeping didn't meet our expectation, they did not tidy up our room. We chose to go green, meaning skip changing of towels and sheets, but not everything else. Oh well. The location is near the seedy bars in Bangkok, but we still felt pretty safe.

The first day started about 4pm saw us rushing through Platinum Mall and Naraya at Central World. It was enough to starve us till 9pm before we started looking for food. As one of the girls is a vegetarian, we had to split into two groups. I joined the vegetarian as I wasn't a steamboat fan. It was a bit of a disappointment as we agreed to have Thai food but somehow the "leader of the pack" changed her mind without asking us. I guess this was when things became a little rough. Some of us had some sort of friction with her due to her domineering and hostile behaviour. So the second day, we decided to split into two groups again as she had her own itinerary which not all of us wanted to follow. When you travel, you often can see someone better through all the little things that happened. So keep your eyes peeled!

The following morning past 9am, we arrived at Chatuchak weekend market. (Whoever said 6am?? Well the leader of the pack did, coming from someone who has just been to Bangkok a few months back!) It was barely open, so we grabbed a bite. I had never came here before, my last trip to Bangkok back in 2003 was tagging along my uncle, visiting temples and sightseeing. It was new for most of us, Zen, Andie and me spent almost half a day there, taking a break in between. We did get some good deals, but also skipped a lot as the heat was unbearable and we were not in the mood to bargain. Unfortunately for the other group, they did not get to see Chatuchak as they left in a cab shortly after breakfast (not sure why as one of our intentions was to visit Chatuchak). Poor HQ, I hope she gets to come back again! It was lucky the 3 of us got on quite well and were very accomodating to each other, we managed to survive Chatuchak and Central World before settling for a late McDonalds' dinner. That night, we celebrated HQ birthday with a cake from the hotel. After that, HQ and me went out for a drink at the 24 hours Tom & Toms nearby.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HQ~

The last day, HQ decided to join me, Andie and Zen for some last minute shopping while the two of them went for massage. We spent the morning at MBK, which was a letdown. It was said to be a heaven for mobile accessories but things were way too overpriced for tourists, Andie and me did not manage to buy anything except splurging them on food instead. I spent 1500 bahts just on food souvenir, and Andie beat me hitting over 2000 bahts. We must have gone crazy!! The food like pork floss rolls and durian chips aren't really cheap, they cost about S$6 for a pack, but I guess they are still worthwhile compared to buying overpriced mobile accessories :)

We missed Siam Paragon and the rooftop bar which I initially wanted to give it a go. I want to re-visit Platinum Mall for accessories, it wasn't fantastic for clothings as you need to buy in bulk for wholesale prices. Chatuchak market, yes, definitely again. I guess, it means I have to go back again!! 3D2N is seriously too short but just nice enough to indulge in a superior hotel I think! After the trip, I think we have also realised who we can travel with and who not to ;)