sri lanka pt.I

i’ve had 2 flights to colombo in sri lanka. From Dubai to Colombo, we do a transit stop to Malé in the Maldives, so you can imagine how many honeymooners there would be on board. Which is both lovely and disgusting as the same time when i’m trying to give them food yet they insist on displaying their affections in public. If gobbling up each other fills you up, don’t come back to me complaining you’re hungry.

Someone once told me to request a seat in the flight deck if we were ever flying over the maldives, so naturally when i had the opportunity to; i did. and it was mind-blowingly beautiful. i refrained from taking any photos (the flight crew aren’t supposed to allow me in in the first place) just so the pilots don’t get into trouble, but imagine seeing little islands dotted around clear blue sea with little brown chalets and a variety of white yachts.

photo credited to justpasteit

sunny all year round, unspoiled beaches and incredibly touristic; i can understand why newly wed couples would come here for their honeymoon to do nothing and make sweet lovin’ on the beach (there really is nothing else to do anyway).

on my airline we always strive to make someone’s day a little more special. hence on occasions when travel agencies actually informs us that they have honeymooners on board, we surprise them with a free cake with a big ‘congrats’ written on it and 2 glasses of champagne.

most of the time passengers turn up delighted from the little extra attention. however we had this one japanese couple that looked at us quietly unimpressed and said “but we’re not married”. then there was the few seconds of awkward silence between the couple and the crew.

before i replied; “you can have the cake anyway!”

okay so we landed in colombo airport which is actually almost an hour away from colombo city. we the crew get put into this lovely hotel in the tropics which is 5 minutes away from the airport. there’s nothing near the hotel but a main street, a couple of mini markets and fruit stalls, and the jungle…

yes it was naturally really beautiful tho. after putting up with so much of sand in dubai, i never realised how much i missed the greens until we touched down to be greeted with the lush green jungle. oh yea and the mozzies as well.

we landed during dinner time, and most of the crew decided to stay in for the night, wake up early (like 5am) to take a 2 hour bus ride to visit the elephant sanctuary and ride on elephants. Imagining waking up at 5am for a 4 hour return bus ride made me think twice if i really wanted to join them as i’ve already done some elephant riding in bangkok. So this male purser managed to convince me instead; “don’t bother with some stupid elephant ride, by the time you get back you’d be so tired and you have to do the flight. come with me and i’ll bring you somewhere fun and cheap”

so guess where he brings me to; a casino. now before you judge my senior for his destination of choice for my very first colombo layover, i have to admit, i did have a lot of fun. absolutely random but eye opening at the same time.

 

“ballys” and “balenciaga” were part of the same group of casinos in colombo. it wasn’t a huge one compared to the ones i’m accustomed to in melbourne or singapore, but they still had the normal tables of poker, roulette, pontoon, baccarat and more. however as long as you were a patron of the casino and you spend a little money on the tables, there’s a buffet table ready for you and unlimited drinks to be ordered. alcoholic or non. oh my how happy i was. there was a live band, free food, free drinks on the price of whatever you lost in the casino (or win as a matter of fact)

 still early, the crowd has yet to arrive.

so we ate drank and won some money which paid for our taxi ride there. i was sooo glad to sleep in the next day, instead of waking up at some ungodly hour. i thought the hotel was pretty cute; as they had a yoga channel and a yoga mat in the wardrobe. so i woke up at midday, did an hour of good stretching and yoga before heading down for the breakfast buffet.

 

it seems like that’s what i’m living off right now; hotel breakfast buffets. anyways i did skip this one in colombo and ordered a lamprais/lampreys/lumprice from the alacarte menu instead.

so what is a lamprais? you may ask. i asked the same question after my new found hotel chef friends recommended me the dish. Its a very traditional sri lanakan meal where spiced rice is wrapped in a roasted banana leaf with sides of curries, vegetable masala and chutney. it had a boiled egg and fried mashed potato in a little ramekin on the side, but to my knowledge, some places don’t. the banana leaf-wrapped-meal is then baked in the oven allowing all the flavours and spices meld together. it was certainly very yummy and flavourful but its not something i would eat everyday as it can get a little dry. well worth a try though, if ever you’re in sri lanka or come across a sri lankan restaurant.

after lunch was just enjoying the green green jungle and some cheap grocery shopping; but that’s part two =)

st. petersburg pt.II

After a session of cam-whoring at the winter palace, we ran into the nearest restaurant for food. the meal was pathetic really. but what do you expect from a joint along the main street meant to attract tourists. however, we did try the russian beer; Baltika, and that was good.

as i waited for the restaurant’s bathroom, i did met the proprietor of the restaurant and his friend a street photographer. from first impression i was intimidated, because the owner looked like part of the russian mafia. instead they were friendly, and started speaking to me in russian. A lot of them don’t know english, so we were having a little trouble communicating to one another. when all fails we use sign language and gestures. i’m pretty sure we looked like dancing monkeys.

 

the photographer showed me his camera and collection of photos which were pretty rad. as i said bye he offered me one of his signed prints in exchange for a photo for him. of course i gladly obliged. how random. hahah.

 
baltika russian beer; the photo now sits on the corner of my dressing table right ;D

so now imagine 5 happy drunk crew making a ruckus in the middle of a foreign country. on a wednesday night. so we skipped hopped and sang in the middle of saint petersburg. then we came across an underground go-go bar! and of course we paid a visit to watch sexy (but not the most good looking) ladies dance on table tops!

so that was my first night and i got back to the hotel drunk and passed out on the bed without taking off my makeup. the next morning however i did manage to wake up really early (think 7am). i reckon i was probably just too excited being in Russia and wanted to explore. spoke to the concierge and found out nothing opens till 10am. what am i to do till 10am…

i found myself in Tepemok (Теремок), a fast food chain to try their blini. Blini is in plural. there's no such thing as blinis; and they are little Russian pancakes made of buckwheat flour.

the menu looks exactly like McDonalds and everything was horrendously in Russian. however when the waitress noticed me staring at the menu for a good 5 minutes, she whipped up an English menu beneath the counter for me. i went for the basic set meal; costing 280Rubles/USD9 which came with a cup of tea, borscht soup and a simple mushroom cream bliny. my it was yummy! Borscht is a traditional Russian soup filled with cabbage, minced meat and beetroot; hence the reddish color. The bliny isn't much different to a French crepe except it has a spongier texture having used a leavening agent. also the fact that the presentation is more of a dumbed-down meal compared to the French crepes. really, anything that has to do with french just has to be more sophisticated than the world.

i then took a stroll to the church of the saviour on spilled blood (Церковь Спаса на Крови). isnt that such a sadistic name. just saying the name gives me the chills. it’s built on the site where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated and the church it meant to be dedicated to his memory. while walking along the main street, it’s hard to miss the church as you’re crossing a certain bridge as its towering domes peek out between the promenade of buildings along the river. unless you’re staring into the ground while walking of course.

I’ve seen the beautifully marbled renaissance churches in rome, the tall intimidating gothic spires of the french and the rough masculine ones in england (not forgetting barcelona’s gaudiness); so this was a nice introduction to the elaborate mosaic tiled russian church. walking towards it, it was so picturesque it felt almost magical; like a page out of a fairy tale book.

of course i couldnt help but pay 300Rubles/USD10 for a ticket inside, and guess what. more mosaics. they really beautiful though. its not a very big church; it is however really overwhelming due to its tall spaces and detailed mosaics. church is open everyday except wednesdays; 1000-1900 during summer and 1100-1900 during winters.

okay hoo-haa; the visit to the church is done. time for more food and some souvenir shopping.

marhaba

i’ve landed in dubai 3 days ago. the first thing my employers did was to have escorts waiting for me at the arrival gate to guide me through customs, immigration and any other legality. man, i felt like such a big VIP being able to jump the queue and have someone handle these things for me. also, it is mandatory for everyone when they land for the first time, to go through a biometrics scan (for security reasons i’m guessing).

immigration officer: open your eyes please maam

me: *opens eyes*

IO: open them wider maam

me: *tries AS HARD AS POSSIBLE* that’s as big as it gets!

he had to repeat it 3 times; until i decided to use my fingers to pry my seedy eyes open. i’m asian dammit.

you make my smiles brighter each day

done as a print for a dear friend.

she's a dentist if you didn't guess already. and having her look into my teeth which i obviously do not take care enough of is odd.



we framed it up, and now sits on the wall of her practice. wonder if i made this into a print, if anyone would get it for their other dentist friends? ;D

mornings

lately i’ve been practising a technique to wake myself up in the mornings;

my cricket starts singing at 6am. you know that option in the iphone? makes me believe as if im waking up in the middle of a serene paddy field.

then i automatically go into my favourite half tortoise yoga pose. at this point i’m probably flashing my ass into the wall with my inadequate PJs.

tuck your arms in and you get into the self named rock pose.

where i proceed to fall into another nap in this unnatural position. 5 minutes later my legs start cramping. haha what a way to force myself to wake. time for work!

you make it happen

as the new year arrived, i’ve had alot of people go:

“oh another sad boring year”. or

“i dont believe in making new years resolutions”

=_= wtf. why so negative. its a fabulous new year, time to let go of the past, anything you’re unhappy about, set some new goals that you’d like to achieve and bloody stick to it. its true we don’t need this to be the only occasion for change, but is it not a chance for us to look back and see what we improve with ourselves?

anyways, heres my resolutions for the year to come. just so i’ll know in 365 days, if i achieve none of them, i deserve to receive one big slap on the face for failing myself.

1) LOVE MYSELF MORE

haha. how hard can this be right? its freaking not. im not talking about buying material things (i actually hardly do this. half of the time im shopping for family and friends; depriving myself of luxuries on the pretext that i really DO NOT NEED it), but more about taking care of my health, going to the gym more consistently, not stuffing myself silly with sugar, getting enough sleep, do things that i enjoy more often. you get the point.

2) BE MORE ANAL

im so messy its annoying. i vow to make up my bed every morning. i vow to clean up the plates RIGHT after i eat. but i also promise to not take myself too seriously.

3) CREATE.

i’ve got a whole list of things. just do it.

 

happy new years peeps.

HAPPY 2012!

i promise not to be a silly drunk on this new years eve.

but life is too good not to party.

end of year

wtf, another year is coming to an end. i’d probably say the same thing a year from now.

then again, from the way predictions say that the world will end next year, maybe i wont get the chance to. HAHA

 

two o eleven has been an emotional roller coaster for me. was forced spluttering from graduation into the work force, and the rejection from countless potential firms just made me doubt myself.  found reassurance from the unlikeliest sources, special people that make you realize how wonderful you are. started a career, found myself in limbo, discovered what it takes to be a good leader. close friends moved on, yet never found myself lonely. got lied to, stupid enough to feign oblivious, but never felt freer when the truth came out.

how cryptic. this year i’ve dabbled in so things that i have never done, loved it, and yet im back to where i was before.

 

here’s to another year. and more happy wrinkles around my eyes.

creature beanies

There’s this store in the shopping mall, that sold the cutest beanies ever in the shape of animals; only for AUD10. I wanted one so badly, until my best friend told me i looked like an idiot in one.

That’s what friends are for. They tell you the truth, especially if it hurts.

all i need is you

Happy valentines to all you lovebirds.

home sweet home

i’m back in my home country, malaysia for the holidays. Being the thrifty (or should i say; scrooge-like) me, budget airlines is always my preferred choice. The flight was packed, and it was the worst ever flight i had in my years of traveling. I should’ve taken the advice of my dad; not to save the 200bucks for a bigger seat instead of enduring 7 hours of pure torture.



I get mixed feelings everytime i come back to here. One is happy to once again see my family, my friends and my home that i grew up in. The other is sad; sad to see so much dishonesty, corruption and inequality that plagues my country so.



politics; is all about how well you can brainwash your people. that’s what propaganda does. and the easiest way to get people on your side is when they’re dumb and naive. Education here is a sham. They don’t actually teach you things, they just force feed you into memorizing things without asking why, and somehow this becomes a way of life here. politics is so depressing. i hate it so i choose to ignore it. so if i don’t choose to do anything about it, it will only stay the same.

On another note, the Malaysian news is like a huge drama show. An opposition leader charged with sodomizing a male aide, a mongolian model blew to bits with a C4 explosive (wtf isin’t that just sick), and a journalist cum political secretary who fell out of the window of the anti-corruption office. Isn't this even better than what screenwriters can think of.





I shouldn’t say more. As if i’m THAT politically informed.

vintage ghosts

I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a obsessive disorder in thrifting, but i’m experiencing it. I pounce on any warehouse sales i come across to and visiting old musty shops with people’s junk just seems.. exciting. haha. in other words, im a cheapo. refusing to pay full price for high end fashion brands i would really much rather buy off pre-loved items. isin’t it much more special when you actually discover something that other people simply overlooked?

these are just some things i’ve found in the past few months; most of them from camberwell market in melbourne. a hint for shopping there; go when the stallholders are being forced to leave, they would rather just sell it near to nothing than bring back their stock with them.



my boyfriend thinks otherwise. he gets freaked out that i’m wearing some stranger’s pre-owned clothes.

and no. so far i’ve not encountered any unnatural occurrences.

action packed november

i’ve been missing in action for the past month. if you’ve been wondering what happened to me, i was the walking zombie at the university campus, the one holding the UHU glue in one hand and a cutter in the other. dangerous? very much so. but i have this aura where people tend to steer away when i come near anyway.
The final review went alright. In the end i think the guest critiques didn't know what to comment on. How would anyone comment on the design of a war bunker that is highly impractical, abstract and will never be built? but.. im SO GLAD THE SEMESTER IS OVER BWAHAHA. i didn’t make a physical model (it would be impossible to build) but made a book instead.



pretty happy with the outcome. Lots of people had fun flipping through the spaces at the GRADEX exhibition (too late. the exhibition is over and done with). And now comes the next chapter in my life. A career. Stay tuned.



oh. my older brother and his 2 chicas came to visit me too. you’d think that it would be easy bringing 3 adults that are actually older and wiser than you around melbourne, but i was so exhausted at the end of each day. now they’ve gone and the apartment crammed with 8 people back to 3… its getting a little quiet =(


here in australia, november is the month for MOVEMBER! grow a mo to spread the awareness of men’s health! while men with moustaches are many now, chivalry is still, hard to find.

feel my eyes on your back

I admit it, i stalk people online. HAH. Everyone does it. That's why you've got an account on facebook isint it? To stay 'connected' to your 'friends' which is.. basically everyone you've met in your life. Sometimes you don't even know that person in real life, or even their names.. but you would find them and stalk them.. all in the name of entertainment. Follow their every status update, picture comments, photos they've been tagged in or wall-to-wall conversations that are meaningless.

Ok, i don't think i'm to that extent. But really, how would i know who-married-who or who-broke-up-with-who if not for the largest social network on the net? Not so sure if it really works in terms of 'social networking' tho. =/



Booyah. i'm obsessed with taking photographs of everything i see too. I'm going for a short trip to Sydney this weekend. Wait for the photos on facebook!

or maybe not.

the week in august

emo post just bear with me. i feel so mentally and physically exhausted these days. As life throws more rocks at me, i get irritated at people much easier, seriously demotivated to do anything and the sleeves of my sweater gets wet too. I'm living by Barney Stinsons's motto though:  

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be AWESOME instead".

Being awesome isint easy. But heres a peek into 5 good awesome things, just as a reminder to myself.

1) the thicker folder cost me more than 3 times cheaper than the thinner one. wert?



2) oh i got my coffee fix. Coffee in the nederlands was horrible. and horribly expensive. Then theres the exception when the italian boy made espresso. Divine.



3) got my sushi fix too. come into my mouth you little critters.



4) participated in the superstudio design competition for my 2nd year in a row. it was great fun to be working with hong again this year and wk where loads of random and (most of the time) nonsensical ideas were tossed about. the brief this year was to rejuvenate invisible spaces in the city through the theme of play. we took inspiration from the ted talk by jane mcgonigal (watch it and LOL! with me) and had the citizens of melbourne embark on their own epic adventure. let's just say we're one step away from an epic win. pray for us =D





5) the class is designing conceptual bridges for the semester. at the moment mine is less than awesome but just being able to attend such a challenging and interesting class conjures rainbows in front of my eyes.





Whats keeping us from being awesome? i can tell what's mine but why cant i just overcome it?