Time of day: Friday night, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon.
Location: The beach :D
The dinner turned house party turned drinks by the beach outing on Friday. I'm officially in love with the East Coast! Home made lasagna, red and white vino, and those yummy Swiss dark chocolate truffles.. Sticker hysteria, girl talk and boy crazy stories.. Black sheep boys, 1twenty-six and the sarong party swirls! And of course, the girls :D
And then the day of the Passion Run finally arrived :D After a late and lazy start, the three of us ended up at different times at the mrt, and then waited for 2 hours with 200 over ppl for the shuttle buses, and then were dropped 2km away from the starting point, which we couldn't find. And then we finally started running,45 minutes after the official starting time :p Made it back in 40 minutes though, through a gorgeous sunset and the evening air at ECP, though I was breathing too hard/focusing too much on not dying to take it all in :p I'm glad I had company though, among the thousands of yellow tees :) And 'twas the best finish line ever: imagine 10 headlights blinding you and you literally seeing stars when you reach the end of the track.. So glad I didnt crash into anyone before I collapsed in a red sweaty heap on the grass :p
Fire twirling, camwhoring, rehydration and drumming followed, and then we had to find our way out of ECP, except we ended at the seafood end of the place, walked by the beach some more and used the two iPhones to navigate out haha. The 401 finally pulled up, we piled in and hit Parkway Parade for the foodhunt, which ended up in salads and fries :D Trudged home and slept like a log, for a good 10 hours. Bliss :D
Two naps on a lazy Sunday afternoon, which was too sunny to waste indoors, so I hit the beach again, in the company of the resident DJ. The failed Ben&Jerry's attempt led to hotdogs and drinks under a coconut tree and a quick venture into the water before we had to head to Woodlands for the Stardust Finals. Siloso beach has 'natural' sectioning of the crowds that come there, and a new zip lining course and trapeze thingamajig :D And an overpriced flea market with customised carved flip flops :p
Stardust- a race to find the place, then to find the place in the place, get a ticket, and get inside before it all started. The sibling and his guitar solo did me proud :D Wish they'd won though. And some of the soloists were outta this world! Agung- you've a fan in me forever~! The drive around in the back of a cargo van followed- we got lost going to dinner, found dinner, and got lost heading back home, while sweating it out, singing and tumbling around guitars and what not at the back.
Then came the 4 day week.. :D The Ghostwriter + Kinokuniya + Pastamania on Monday, an airport hike to see the sibling off + a 100% discounted tresses adventure + Annalakshmi + Starbucks with the old gang on Tuesday, Villa Bali on Wednesday and the nugget splurge on Thursday. Too much good food, and not nearly enough sleep. Planning a weekend getaway with 4 people over gmail is hard, stressful and funny! But it happened in the end, and deserves a post of its own :D
Hijacked rainbows and pots of gold
A surprise drop in at work, and the giant bear hug and smiles :D Love you babe! You made my day :)
The Back Up plan and the hysterical two of us. That guy (I've no idea who he is) is gorgeous, and almost perfect in every way~! Aren't they all in the movies though :D
The vanilla candle was brought back to life, and kept the chocolate high good company. I was literally in the clouds, though I could barely walk home :p
The bestie, the scandalous stories, the reprimands and despair, the love :D She's miles away but we still act like the same 15 year olds who'd spend all afternoon in her room, talking about everything and nothing.
This is the story of a girl
Her pretty face she hid from the world..
5km, and then another 5km. It's getting easier, and I hope I make decent time come Saturday :)
I want to save all our conversations from the last two years! The happy ones, hysterical ones, the ones that made my day, the ones where I had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard I was crying, and everything in between.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
Every time I think I've made it out of the rut, I fall right back in. Or maybe I like just being there, and willingly let myself tumble back. It's a nice rut. But I know no good is going to come out of hanging around in it.
Checking things off the list, slowly. There's still so much left to do! It doesn't help that Murakami is keeping me engrossed these days. Good stuff though, a refreshing change :)
Credit card craziness, battles with the automated system and ATM hunts. Have you noticed how they have AXS machinese everywhere but Citibank ATMs are so much harder to come by? Thanks you guys, for bailing me out when needed :) I owe you one!
The amazing baked potato + chicken sausage + sauteed onions + melted cheese pasta lunch. Sinful even for a Friday, just the way I like it ;)
Dinner with the girls tonight, and cocktails by the beach. Can't wait :D Have a good weekend y'all!
The Back Up plan and the hysterical two of us. That guy (I've no idea who he is) is gorgeous, and almost perfect in every way~! Aren't they all in the movies though :D
The vanilla candle was brought back to life, and kept the chocolate high good company. I was literally in the clouds, though I could barely walk home :p
The bestie, the scandalous stories, the reprimands and despair, the love :D She's miles away but we still act like the same 15 year olds who'd spend all afternoon in her room, talking about everything and nothing.
This is the story of a girl
Her pretty face she hid from the world..
5km, and then another 5km. It's getting easier, and I hope I make decent time come Saturday :)
I want to save all our conversations from the last two years! The happy ones, hysterical ones, the ones that made my day, the ones where I had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard I was crying, and everything in between.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results
- Albert Einstein
Every time I think I've made it out of the rut, I fall right back in. Or maybe I like just being there, and willingly let myself tumble back. It's a nice rut. But I know no good is going to come out of hanging around in it.
Checking things off the list, slowly. There's still so much left to do! It doesn't help that Murakami is keeping me engrossed these days. Good stuff though, a refreshing change :)
Credit card craziness, battles with the automated system and ATM hunts. Have you noticed how they have AXS machinese everywhere but Citibank ATMs are so much harder to come by? Thanks you guys, for bailing me out when needed :) I owe you one!
The amazing baked potato + chicken sausage + sauteed onions + melted cheese pasta lunch. Sinful even for a Friday, just the way I like it ;)
Dinner with the girls tonight, and cocktails by the beach. Can't wait :D Have a good weekend y'all!
2 years, 9 months and worlds apart
A year ago, the day began in Berlin, on the overnight train back to Sweden. The train rode a ferry across the channel, and we hopped off at Malmo to meet the awesome Jorge and Britmary. After the traditional Swedish lunch and whirlwind tour of the town, we hopped back on the train to Stockholm, and then back to Uppsala. Captain Morgan's in the mug from Prague that night, celebrating the end of that crazy wonderful journey across 11 cities in 15 days. And celebrating the milestone twenty-one.
A year later, the day began with rain, a library rendezvous, and the diverted McDonalds breakfast. Topped up with a chili con carne melted cheese burger, a cajun chicken wrap, a pina colada, a long island ice tea, a hug mug of dark chocolate + whipped cream, and a melted chocolate marshmellow crepe. Complete with the disappearance of the mane, the discovery of a bridge in the dark, threats of getting off the bus ridden too many times for the day, basketball, cocoa induced insanity and waking up in Jurong West instead of Kent Ridge :D
Happy 22nd dude :D And here's to many more! *clinks glass*
A year later, the day began with rain, a library rendezvous, and the diverted McDonalds breakfast. Topped up with a chili con carne melted cheese burger, a cajun chicken wrap, a pina colada, a long island ice tea, a hug mug of dark chocolate + whipped cream, and a melted chocolate marshmellow crepe. Complete with the disappearance of the mane, the discovery of a bridge in the dark, threats of getting off the bus ridden too many times for the day, basketball, cocoa induced insanity and waking up in Jurong West instead of Kent Ridge :D
Happy 22nd dude :D And here's to many more! *clinks glass*
Fire & ice
It's been a good week :) Lots of love, hugs and happiness, long walks and laughter. Inner peace, outer calm and the warm comfort of friends and family.
From up here the city lights burn, like a thousand miles of fire. Work avalanched due to last week's hiatus, but I enjoyed watching the sun set at my desk and night slowly envelope the city. It's a different world out there after sundown- darkness creeps in, headlights come on and the heat fades away. A couple of late nights and things got back to normal though. And the usual madness that makes our day ensued, with us venturing as far as a tour of Lavender, only to come back to Keypoint for subs. Crazyness.
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives. Finally checked out Chillies with the old gang on Wednesday, and caught up over ribs, mushroom fajitas and that amazing jug of Jamaican something. So many shifts coming up, but it feels like we're in it together somehow, though we're all heading out in different directions. Dinner with the boys on Thursday, cereal prawns and butter squid that disappeared too quickly for the 4th one to taste much, the hilarious mango sago/almond paste tryout and the hidden bar with the Hoegaarden jugs (that were really buckets in disguise :D). Back to conversations over ginger tea at the good ol' prata shop on Friday, Pakistani cuisine on Saturday night, with that amazing buriyani rice and kebabs and half a chicken, and supposedly different but identical pizzas and sugarcane juice on Sunday, out of the rain. Good food and great company always makes for the best of nights :)
Make it through all the rest with, someone I'll always laugh with. Wandering about Siglap and East Coast with the girls on a sunny Saturday afternoon, complete with brunch and free flowing apple juice, and ice cream in the park with some crazy bikers and rollerbladers. And in a moment of insanity, all three of us clambered up the reef in skirts and sat by the sea in the afternoon heat. Got accosted by the Bare Your Sole group on the back, bared our soles and cracked up about the pedicures we should've got :D Drama and theatre after ages, with the fille who's got an exclamation in her name :) What would I do without you girls ♥
And there I go, turn that page. I caved in the end and wound up at Borders. It's amazing what that place does to me- I walk in, time slows down and I fill up with wonder and inspiration and joy, all at once :) I resisted and didn't buy anything, but contentedly book browsed and came across a couple of new interesting reads- Yann Martel has a new one out called Beatrice and Virgil, and Mark Haddon's is called 'A spot of bother'- worth checking out soon! And then I went to the library and found Catch-22 :D
He tells me about his night, and I count the colours in his eyes. It's so hard to find, but when you find it, love, the solid unwavering kind, can drive you crazy but still keep you sane, all at the same time. And in the space of 10 seconds, you go from being a composed rational being to a complete wreck, and back again.
There were choruses and sing-alongs, and that unspoken feeling of knowing that right now is all that matters. Two hours of stardom, and a drum lesson in between. The bean bag lie down, the 'uncontrolled' voice and the iPod turned karaoke mixer :D Sometimes it feels good to just let yourself go and jump around like craaazy :) A definite high on a purple Sunday afternoon, and the amazing chocolate milkshake hasn't changed one bit. Gonna miss that place..
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky. A Friday evening with fire twirlers clad in black, a Sunday evening in a park on fire. Hot stuff, in every sense of the word. I want to date a fire twirler now! It would've been nice if they had put a couple of floating candles in the river as well :D After umbrella manouevers, messing around in the dampness, the complete fails at graceful dips and dance moves and lots of attempted glamour shots with a tissue paper and the flash, we headed home, warm and happy, in spite of the rain.
From up here the city lights burn, like a thousand miles of fire. Work avalanched due to last week's hiatus, but I enjoyed watching the sun set at my desk and night slowly envelope the city. It's a different world out there after sundown- darkness creeps in, headlights come on and the heat fades away. A couple of late nights and things got back to normal though. And the usual madness that makes our day ensued, with us venturing as far as a tour of Lavender, only to come back to Keypoint for subs. Crazyness.
And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives. Finally checked out Chillies with the old gang on Wednesday, and caught up over ribs, mushroom fajitas and that amazing jug of Jamaican something. So many shifts coming up, but it feels like we're in it together somehow, though we're all heading out in different directions. Dinner with the boys on Thursday, cereal prawns and butter squid that disappeared too quickly for the 4th one to taste much, the hilarious mango sago/almond paste tryout and the hidden bar with the Hoegaarden jugs (that were really buckets in disguise :D). Back to conversations over ginger tea at the good ol' prata shop on Friday, Pakistani cuisine on Saturday night, with that amazing buriyani rice and kebabs and half a chicken, and supposedly different but identical pizzas and sugarcane juice on Sunday, out of the rain. Good food and great company always makes for the best of nights :)
Make it through all the rest with, someone I'll always laugh with. Wandering about Siglap and East Coast with the girls on a sunny Saturday afternoon, complete with brunch and free flowing apple juice, and ice cream in the park with some crazy bikers and rollerbladers. And in a moment of insanity, all three of us clambered up the reef in skirts and sat by the sea in the afternoon heat. Got accosted by the Bare Your Sole group on the back, bared our soles and cracked up about the pedicures we should've got :D Drama and theatre after ages, with the fille who's got an exclamation in her name :) What would I do without you girls ♥
And there I go, turn that page. I caved in the end and wound up at Borders. It's amazing what that place does to me- I walk in, time slows down and I fill up with wonder and inspiration and joy, all at once :) I resisted and didn't buy anything, but contentedly book browsed and came across a couple of new interesting reads- Yann Martel has a new one out called Beatrice and Virgil, and Mark Haddon's is called 'A spot of bother'- worth checking out soon! And then I went to the library and found Catch-22 :D
He tells me about his night, and I count the colours in his eyes. It's so hard to find, but when you find it, love, the solid unwavering kind, can drive you crazy but still keep you sane, all at the same time. And in the space of 10 seconds, you go from being a composed rational being to a complete wreck, and back again.
There were choruses and sing-alongs, and that unspoken feeling of knowing that right now is all that matters. Two hours of stardom, and a drum lesson in between. The bean bag lie down, the 'uncontrolled' voice and the iPod turned karaoke mixer :D Sometimes it feels good to just let yourself go and jump around like craaazy :) A definite high on a purple Sunday afternoon, and the amazing chocolate milkshake hasn't changed one bit. Gonna miss that place..
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky. A Friday evening with fire twirlers clad in black, a Sunday evening in a park on fire. Hot stuff, in every sense of the word. I want to date a fire twirler now! It would've been nice if they had put a couple of floating candles in the river as well :D After umbrella manouevers, messing around in the dampness, the complete fails at graceful dips and dance moves and lots of attempted glamour shots with a tissue paper and the flash, we headed home, warm and happy, in spite of the rain.
All in a day's work
Why life at work is hardly ever 'dull':
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e) He calls back when I'm halfway up, but we can't hear/understand a thing being said.
f) The lift door opens at the 17th floor and I get out, while lunch buddy frantically tries to get in, fails, and the proceeds to jam the elevator button in a panicked attempt to avoid the drones on the way out for their lunch excursion.
g) The lift finally arrives, we rush in and start heading down, only to realise that lunch buddy has brought only one umbrella with him.
[4:07:24 PM] A says: : *raised eyebrow emoticon*
[4:07:28 PM] A says: its 7 mins now..
[4:07:33 PM] A says: does this not bother you?
[4:07:38 PM] A says: and have you forgotten the muffins?
A goes off to make coffee in the pantry, while QJ tears his hair out trying to get RefMan to work with Mabuk on the line and Seh Kin missing in action. The muffin remains untouched on his desk.
A little later...
QJ says: there's only 1 blueberry in this muffin
QJ says: false advertising
A says: has Garuda cut her hair?
QJ says: dunno
QJ says: she might have been in a fire or something
A says: in a fire? :p
QJ says: yeah
QJ says: maybe her house burned down...
QJ says: and she singed her hair
QJ says: that's what it looks like from here..
A says: aahahahaha :D
1) The story of Angel, Seh Kin and the brown Cambodian boy they've adopted. 'Nuff said.
2) a) It rains at lunch time. The lunch buddy and I go down without umbrellas.
b) We stand in the foyer, look at the rain and the sky for 2 minutes, take a chance and walk out in the drizzle, realise I have a puny umbrella with me, try both walking under it for a good 50m while drizzle turns into torrential rain, and fail miserably.c) We then decide to go back up again and get another umbrella, but lunch buddy walks faster and ahead of me, and gets into the lift first thinking I'm waiting downstairs for him.
d) I try calling him to ask him to bring one more umbrella, but the call doesn't go through while he's in the lift, so I take another lift up. e) He calls back when I'm halfway up, but we can't hear/understand a thing being said.
f) The lift door opens at the 17th floor and I get out, while lunch buddy frantically tries to get in, fails, and the proceeds to jam the elevator button in a panicked attempt to avoid the drones on the way out for their lunch excursion.
g) The lift finally arrives, we rush in and start heading down, only to realise that lunch buddy has brought only one umbrella with him.
*sigh*
We then trudge aimlessly through the rain for the next 20 minutes, wondering where to go and what to get for lunch. And in the middle of it all, he has to stop and show off his i am-a-lame-Phone's photo taking ability:
3) Skype conversation at coffee time (~4 pm):
[4:05:35 PM] A says: duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude
[4:05:46 PM] A says: its 5 mins past!!![4:07:24 PM] A says: : *raised eyebrow emoticon*
[4:07:28 PM] A says: its 7 mins now..
[4:07:33 PM] A says: does this not bother you?
[4:07:38 PM] A says: and have you forgotten the muffins?
A goes off to make coffee in the pantry, while QJ tears his hair out trying to get RefMan to work with Mabuk on the line and Seh Kin missing in action. The muffin remains untouched on his desk.
A little later...
QJ says: there's only 1 blueberry in this muffin
QJ says: false advertising
A says: has Garuda cut her hair?
QJ says: dunno
QJ says: she might have been in a fire or something
A says: in a fire? :p
QJ says: yeah
QJ says: maybe her house burned down...
QJ says: and she singed her hair
QJ says: that's what it looks like from here..
A says: aahahahaha :D
The second nucleus
And we sat there in subdued lighting, the five of us, discussing our dreams.. Talking about the big changes coming up, the challenges we'd have to overcome, keeping our fears in check and taking comfort in the fact that things do work out for the best in the end...
The tree lined walk, traffic and the lunch hour rush. The off-hand admission, the happiness, the surprise and excitement. Smiles all around, with laughter in between and sadness just under the surface.
The airport, the kids screaming in the background, blending into the shrieking on the phone. The happy kind though. Warmth and bubbly joy transmitted over the line, in those few moments, amidst the raging chaos all around.
Back on the steps again, just after the rain. With the usual 7-eleven beer and juice in hand. Reliving the moments and highlights from the last few weeks, a slow revelation of hidden inner thoughts and trying to piece together a broken heart in the light of a reconstructed one..
Parallel worlds, on the other side of the window, across the miles but only a few seconds away. Reassurance, thrill and reluctant hope, coupled with the sense of loss and shock, and the temporariness and transiency of it all.
With the friends who matter, the ones who've always got your back, you know without a doubt that 5 years down the line, you can pick up exactly where you left off- regardless of time, distance, change and circumstance. They might not be there at the exact moment you need them, but they're with you for life.
The tree lined walk, traffic and the lunch hour rush. The off-hand admission, the happiness, the surprise and excitement. Smiles all around, with laughter in between and sadness just under the surface.
The airport, the kids screaming in the background, blending into the shrieking on the phone. The happy kind though. Warmth and bubbly joy transmitted over the line, in those few moments, amidst the raging chaos all around.
Back on the steps again, just after the rain. With the usual 7-eleven beer and juice in hand. Reliving the moments and highlights from the last few weeks, a slow revelation of hidden inner thoughts and trying to piece together a broken heart in the light of a reconstructed one..
Parallel worlds, on the other side of the window, across the miles but only a few seconds away. Reassurance, thrill and reluctant hope, coupled with the sense of loss and shock, and the temporariness and transiency of it all.
With the friends who matter, the ones who've always got your back, you know without a doubt that 5 years down the line, you can pick up exactly where you left off- regardless of time, distance, change and circumstance. They might not be there at the exact moment you need them, but they're with you for life.
Compilations
It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going okay, another falls spectacularly to pieces.
— Bridget Jones’s Diary
Scare the world: Be exactly who you say you are and tell the truth.
—Unknown
Well-behaved women rarely make history.
— Laurel Thatcher UlrichWanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.
— Kurt Cobain
Life can be wildly tragic at times, and I’ve had my share. But whatever happens to you, you have to keep a slightly comic attitude. In the final analysis, you must not forget to laugh.
— Katharine Hepburn
You know, it’s been said that we just don’t recognize the significant moments in our lives while they’re happening. That we grow complacent with ideas or things or people, and we take them for granted, and it’s usually not until that thing is about to be taken away from you, that you realize how wrong you’ve been, that you realize how much you really need it, how much you love it.
— One Tree Hill
Sad thing is, you can still love someone and be wrong for them.
— Elvis Presley
I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone.
— Bill Cosby
After all, computers crash, people die, relationships fall apart. The best we can do is breathe and reboot.
— Carrie, Sex and the city
People often say that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder,’ and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves.
Life’s disappointments are harder to take when you don’t know any swear words.
And that’s the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too.
— The Kite Runner
The comeback post
So I had this grand entrance planned after I temporarily dropped off the face of the blogosphere, but I've been so drugged up lately I honestly can't remember what it was. It was going to be good though, that much I know.. *sigh*
Anyways after 5 days of lying in bed doing absolutely nothing with minimal brain function (yes admittedly, not very different from the usual), an H1N1 scare, endless pills and some lethal cough meds, and no physical energy due to the darn flu bug, I'm slowly making my way back to normalcy. Still tired with the 'seksy' voice back for a few days, but on the road to recovery :) I can't remember ever sleeping so much in my life; I did when I was 6 months old apparently, but like I said, no recollection.
I actually missed being at work (please note this is different from 'missed working'), and blogging, and meeting my buds, and riding the bus to go places, and eating normally. I swear I can't look at another can of Campbell without a severe gag reflex..
Now onto the interesting stuff.. Ti-O-Maaaaan! 3 days of utter bliss and the gorgeous blue ocean. Sun, sand and snorkelling with Sid and the beachy weekend getaway I've been aching for. For a trip that came together in the space of 3 hours, 3 days before the holiday, I think it was beyond amazingly great- and riddled with the usual insanity in the form of the Chinese chick at immigration, the inescapable chipmunks who showed up everywhere, Sid-sensitive bats in coconut trees, the bus that literally rocked and swayed, the fan and air con orchestra, the delayed ferry and the missing couple who turned the 5 hour return journey into a 9 hour endless stretch of road! There was also the crazy 2.5 hour trek up a mountain across the island, which had me convinced I'd die of a heart attack before I reached the top, the butterflies that kept us company due to our 'aroma', the discovery of Juara and the harried 4WD ride back before the snorkelling trip, and the leaky mask saga :D
And the food~! Gosh we went all out, in spite of budgets and cash exchanges. Lunch on the first day had us hitch a ride on the Berjaya tour bus to a random Malay restaurant for two helpings of the best fried rice ever, and Sid caved in for an omelette after :D Trekked back and got picked up on the way by the same guy haha. Dinner was an overpriced affair due to the indian hooligans across the street, but beers by the beach, a nice long conversation and the monkey tied to its own neck made up for the food- though the buttered squid was pretty good. Then came breakfast- picture two girls eating enough for five people, within the space of an hour :D You gotta love the continental spread- and we even packed a muffin! Lunch was at Juara, which took forever and disappeared in 5 minutes~! And the meal of the trip- dinner that night. Back to the malay place at the top of the road- and Chelsea happened to be playing Liverpool haha (There's just something about football matches whenever I head to Malaysia!) 3 hours later we staggered out, after consuming BBQ prawns, cuttlefish, pattaya fried rice, an entire foot long fish cooked in three different types of sauce, drinks and two cups of amazing tea... Yup, we showed them all right :D And yeah, we hit breakfast the next morning with renewed passion!
Best moments of the trip: Lying on the beach that night, listening to the waves and looking at the stars with our feet in the sand and trying to keep Sid awake by talking, snorkelling at Coral island and Renggiss and seeing the barracudas, sea urchins and sting ray, and those huge deep sea coral formations, the boat rides out and in, reaching the top of the mountain and gaping at the blend of sea and sky in the horizon, walking on the beach early morning and watching the sun come up and tide rise, and just hanging out in the water all day.. We need to do this all over again one day, soon :)
Then we came home and got sick the next day :p Sadness, because Chica's gone. I missed her last day, and I miss her craziness everyday :( But I'll see her soon, and she was the second person I called when I got the news~! Speaking of, things finally pulled through and happiness rained down in torrents, together with the tears and hugs and whoops of joy :D It's exciting and scary and daunting all rolled into one, standing on the brink of a whole new adventure.. but I'll save all this for another post :)
Anyways after 5 days of lying in bed doing absolutely nothing with minimal brain function (yes admittedly, not very different from the usual), an H1N1 scare, endless pills and some lethal cough meds, and no physical energy due to the darn flu bug, I'm slowly making my way back to normalcy. Still tired with the 'seksy' voice back for a few days, but on the road to recovery :) I can't remember ever sleeping so much in my life; I did when I was 6 months old apparently, but like I said, no recollection.
I actually missed being at work (please note this is different from 'missed working'), and blogging, and meeting my buds, and riding the bus to go places, and eating normally. I swear I can't look at another can of Campbell without a severe gag reflex..
Now onto the interesting stuff.. Ti-O-Maaaaan! 3 days of utter bliss and the gorgeous blue ocean. Sun, sand and snorkelling with Sid and the beachy weekend getaway I've been aching for. For a trip that came together in the space of 3 hours, 3 days before the holiday, I think it was beyond amazingly great- and riddled with the usual insanity in the form of the Chinese chick at immigration, the inescapable chipmunks who showed up everywhere, Sid-sensitive bats in coconut trees, the bus that literally rocked and swayed, the fan and air con orchestra, the delayed ferry and the missing couple who turned the 5 hour return journey into a 9 hour endless stretch of road! There was also the crazy 2.5 hour trek up a mountain across the island, which had me convinced I'd die of a heart attack before I reached the top, the butterflies that kept us company due to our 'aroma', the discovery of Juara and the harried 4WD ride back before the snorkelling trip, and the leaky mask saga :D
And the food~! Gosh we went all out, in spite of budgets and cash exchanges. Lunch on the first day had us hitch a ride on the Berjaya tour bus to a random Malay restaurant for two helpings of the best fried rice ever, and Sid caved in for an omelette after :D Trekked back and got picked up on the way by the same guy haha. Dinner was an overpriced affair due to the indian hooligans across the street, but beers by the beach, a nice long conversation and the monkey tied to its own neck made up for the food- though the buttered squid was pretty good. Then came breakfast- picture two girls eating enough for five people, within the space of an hour :D You gotta love the continental spread- and we even packed a muffin! Lunch was at Juara, which took forever and disappeared in 5 minutes~! And the meal of the trip- dinner that night. Back to the malay place at the top of the road- and Chelsea happened to be playing Liverpool haha (There's just something about football matches whenever I head to Malaysia!) 3 hours later we staggered out, after consuming BBQ prawns, cuttlefish, pattaya fried rice, an entire foot long fish cooked in three different types of sauce, drinks and two cups of amazing tea... Yup, we showed them all right :D And yeah, we hit breakfast the next morning with renewed passion!
Best moments of the trip: Lying on the beach that night, listening to the waves and looking at the stars with our feet in the sand and trying to keep Sid awake by talking, snorkelling at Coral island and Renggiss and seeing the barracudas, sea urchins and sting ray, and those huge deep sea coral formations, the boat rides out and in, reaching the top of the mountain and gaping at the blend of sea and sky in the horizon, walking on the beach early morning and watching the sun come up and tide rise, and just hanging out in the water all day.. We need to do this all over again one day, soon :)
Then we came home and got sick the next day :p Sadness, because Chica's gone. I missed her last day, and I miss her craziness everyday :( But I'll see her soon, and she was the second person I called when I got the news~! Speaking of, things finally pulled through and happiness rained down in torrents, together with the tears and hugs and whoops of joy :D It's exciting and scary and daunting all rolled into one, standing on the brink of a whole new adventure.. but I'll save all this for another post :)
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