My decision has been questioned repeatedly by many. I guess if you aren't at least a little bit afraid of what you have to lose, it means you have nothing to lose. Which really, isn't a favourable position to be found in. And if you're so comfortable where you're at and not striving to make something more of your life, then you're not really living, you're existing.
I want to live.
Update: I popped out for some fried chicken and realised I left my flip flops at home. The asphalt was about 40C and I parked about 500m away. X will have a field day reminding me I'm a moron when he finds out.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
That photo
I ♥ this photo. Whilst in KL, KJ and I hung out and did many random things over 2 days, including an impromptu photoshoot on the rooftop of Lot 10. This is my favourite and has received many compliments (more than any other picture that actually shows my face in it, sadly). In return, I feel obliged to pimp his ride. Seriously, I've known him for 7 years now and he has always been a good friend and an even better photographer. So for any event/ wedding shoots, contact him on his website
Thursday, January 14, 2010
The In-house Mad Hatter
Jan: *chuckles*
X: What's so funny?
Jan:
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a teatray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
X: Where on earth is that from?
Jan: The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
X: Did you know where that came about from?
Jan: What?
X: The chemicals used to hold the shape of felt hats. That contained something that made the hatters mad.
Jan: Didn't you used to be a hatter?
X: ...
X: What's so funny?
Jan:
Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a teatray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle little bat!
How I wonder what you're at!
X: Where on earth is that from?
Jan: The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
X: Did you know where that came about from?
Jan: What?
X: The chemicals used to hold the shape of felt hats. That contained something that made the hatters mad.
Jan: Didn't you used to be a hatter?
X: ...
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Indecision
I'm standing in the middle of the forks of forks now. Road-wise I mean. You that poem by Robert Frost? Think that in a kaleidoscope. There are so many factors to weigh, so many people and things to consider. Should I, or shouldn't I? All my life, I've prided myself in making the right decisions (or at least the wrong decisions, in good conscience). 2009 had proven to be The Year of Making Bad Decisions That Cost Me Many Sleepless Nights and Tears. Perhaps it was a lack of consistency in my life. Or the lack of witnesses and unsolicited (read: maternal) advice. I don't know. I used to think I was reasonably wise, but I have been proven wrong. Yet I can't continue this half life anymore. Even the unwise deserve to be happy.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Penang/ Ipoh December 2009
IL, JK, WKS and I had decided to go to Penang. Due to a lack of time, they were also to drop me off in Ipoh on the way back, as I had a wedding to attend.
MYR31,000/ month cousin's gorgeous wedding, where some people turned up looking like mechanics straight after work and random old women walked up to my mother asking why "your daughter so dark, last time she was so fair". The bride was adorable and most relatives seemed to have aged significantly. Bro had booked us into this hotel which had a Men's Only spa (very questionable), but excellent service in spite of the aged facilities.
The tallest Buddha statue in the world, apparently. It looked way more impressive on the poster. The cable car ride up there is a bit of a gimmick, me thinks. I mean, it went on for all of 1 minute.
A view from the top of one of those temples in Kek Lok Si (see below). We developed a theory that the Asam Laksa became popular due to the hungry religious hordes that frequent the temple.
WKS and IL. I think the four characters mean Sea, Sky, Buddha, Earth.
The MYR2 paid to that grumpy nun at the gate was worth it. This place is gorgeous. This lousy picture does not remotely justify the intricacy of the carvings. When I do finally manage the Eurotrip, I'll probably be overwhelmed by a similar sense of wonder looking at church ceilings over there.
Turtles galore!
We meant to stay there, but indecisiveness left us with Shangri-La instead. The interior was gorgeous. Minimalistic luxury. I heard the rooms are equipped with iPod docks, which would have been handy. Try surviving on one full charge for four days with iPod Touch.
I especially loved the pool. You get these private lounge areas which are only accessible by swimming.
This band was awesome. They owned every song. I had a massive girl crush on the vocalist, whom I pounced on after their first set. You see, people hug and kiss random strangers in Australia, and well, they don't in Penang. AWKWARD. But we talked briefly anyway and I told her she was awesome.
Ultraman. I would so go to this kindergarten, if I had a say in the choice. Instead, my mother sent me to Villa Maria, where the principal had hairy curls on her legs and those of us who pooed our pants were washed by village-y women. Not that I did. No sir-ree.
At the Shang looked pretty festive. The availability of wifi was very limited though.
Driving into the Penang Bridge. WKS suggested we stopped to admire the view, but then we decided not to since it was frequent suicide joint and we didn't want to raise any unnecessary alarm.
The Shang. I'm happy to report that the Batu Ferringhi pasar malam is still thriving. Look out of the Chinese guy's DVD stall. It's packed though, so watch your valuables. MYR3 (AUD1) per disc.
Within the parameters of the hotel, it was very civilized and resort-y. The moment you take one step outside, onto the beach, you're assailed by men asking if you want to parasail/ jetski/ get a massage/ make friends. Needless to say, I didn't leave the hotel grounds alone again.
IL, JK and I squeezed onto the king-sized bed. WKS had the extra bed, since he was the tallest of us all (not that we set very high standards). Thankfully, there were no snorers.
MYR31,000/ month cousin's gorgeous wedding, where some people turned up looking like mechanics straight after work and random old women walked up to my mother asking why "your daughter so dark, last time she was so fair". The bride was adorable and most relatives seemed to have aged significantly. Bro had booked us into this hotel which had a Men's Only spa (very questionable), but excellent service in spite of the aged facilities.
The tallest Buddha statue in the world, apparently. It looked way more impressive on the poster. The cable car ride up there is a bit of a gimmick, me thinks. I mean, it went on for all of 1 minute.
A view from the top of one of those temples in Kek Lok Si (see below). We developed a theory that the Asam Laksa became popular due to the hungry religious hordes that frequent the temple.
WKS and IL. I think the four characters mean Sea, Sky, Buddha, Earth.
The MYR2 paid to that grumpy nun at the gate was worth it. This place is gorgeous. This lousy picture does not remotely justify the intricacy of the carvings. When I do finally manage the Eurotrip, I'll probably be overwhelmed by a similar sense of wonder looking at church ceilings over there.
Turtles galore!
We meant to stay there, but indecisiveness left us with Shangri-La instead. The interior was gorgeous. Minimalistic luxury. I heard the rooms are equipped with iPod docks, which would have been handy. Try surviving on one full charge for four days with iPod Touch.I especially loved the pool. You get these private lounge areas which are only accessible by swimming.This band was awesome. They owned every song. I had a massive girl crush on the vocalist, whom I pounced on after their first set. You see, people hug and kiss random strangers in Australia, and well, they don't in Penang. AWKWARD. But we talked briefly anyway and I told her she was awesome.
Ultraman. I would so go to this kindergarten, if I had a say in the choice. Instead, my mother sent me to Villa Maria, where the principal had hairy curls on her legs and those of us who pooed our pants were washed by village-y women. Not that I did. No sir-ree.
At the Shang looked pretty festive. The availability of wifi was very limited though.
Driving into the Penang Bridge. WKS suggested we stopped to admire the view, but then we decided not to since it was frequent suicide joint and we didn't want to raise any unnecessary alarm.
The Shang. I'm happy to report that the Batu Ferringhi pasar malam is still thriving. Look out of the Chinese guy's DVD stall. It's packed though, so watch your valuables. MYR3 (AUD1) per disc.
Within the parameters of the hotel, it was very civilized and resort-y. The moment you take one step outside, onto the beach, you're assailed by men asking if you want to parasail/ jetski/ get a massage/ make friends. Needless to say, I didn't leave the hotel grounds alone again.
IL, JK and I squeezed onto the king-sized bed. WKS had the extra bed, since he was the tallest of us all (not that we set very high standards). Thankfully, there were no snorers.Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Jetlagged
And so 2010 begins with the announcement over the plane speakers, the stilted English of the non-English speaking flight attendant. Adjacent to my seat, the lanky, brown-haired man/boy folded into his tiny seat like origami, unfolds. He pulls a shiny blue party hat onto his curls and blows on his noisemaker several times.
I remain awake in my seat, as I have been and will for the next eight hours.
Truth be told, going back to Malaysia was a shock to the system. For the first week, I was overwhelmed with the number of people (Gold Coast has only 500,000 inhabitants), the human and traffic jams. The humidity was suffocating. My folks had moved to a new housing development, far far away from where I had grown up. My friends were miles away. The shopping centres (read: meeting places) were no longer within a 1 kilometre radius. The extra car had been sold and this new area was completely off limits to any means of public transportation.
But then, I grew accustomed to it. Having my family around, having Matt Matt call me Koo Koo, having to rely on others for transport. Joking around with my brother about our impending (and dreaded) resemblances to our parents. Trying to read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (accidentally stolen from Wendy's House in Bangkok) through my mother's talking, Korean soap operas on the computer, Barney-the-purple-dinosaur on the TV and the dogs' barking. Seeing friends through scheduled meet-a-thons at delicious (4 times), Dome (twice) and other cafes I'd missed so much.
And so a month passed much too quickly yet much too slowly. Quick, because I hadn't had the chance to meet so many other people; slow, because there were people in Gold Coast I missed.
"How are you doing there?" A friend asked.
"It's crazy," I confessed. "I have no privacy. I'm surrounded by people all the time. Yet I know, when I'm home, I'm going to miss everyone."
The prophecy held true. I really miss everyone.
I remain awake in my seat, as I have been and will for the next eight hours.
Truth be told, going back to Malaysia was a shock to the system. For the first week, I was overwhelmed with the number of people (Gold Coast has only 500,000 inhabitants), the human and traffic jams. The humidity was suffocating. My folks had moved to a new housing development, far far away from where I had grown up. My friends were miles away. The shopping centres (read: meeting places) were no longer within a 1 kilometre radius. The extra car had been sold and this new area was completely off limits to any means of public transportation.
But then, I grew accustomed to it. Having my family around, having Matt Matt call me Koo Koo, having to rely on others for transport. Joking around with my brother about our impending (and dreaded) resemblances to our parents. Trying to read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged (accidentally stolen from Wendy's House in Bangkok) through my mother's talking, Korean soap operas on the computer, Barney-the-purple-dinosaur on the TV and the dogs' barking. Seeing friends through scheduled meet-a-thons at delicious (4 times), Dome (twice) and other cafes I'd missed so much.
And so a month passed much too quickly yet much too slowly. Quick, because I hadn't had the chance to meet so many other people; slow, because there were people in Gold Coast I missed.
"How are you doing there?" A friend asked.
"It's crazy," I confessed. "I have no privacy. I'm surrounded by people all the time. Yet I know, when I'm home, I'm going to miss everyone."
The prophecy held true. I really miss everyone.