Sunrise Quest at Angkor Wat

Our quest for the sunrise at Angkor Wat started off when my alarm went off at 4.15am.

We were considered lucky to be able to witness the sunrise considering now is the raining season in Siem Reap.

Sunrise ** Phase 1

Sunrise**Phase 2

Sunrise**Phase 3

Sunrise**Phase 4

Sunrise**Phase 5

In the name of Charity

Charity. This term is sometimes being abused by people.

Went on this trip to the so call Floating Village. Where people live on boats.

They have their MaMa Shop, Police Station, Barber, School and even tanks that sell clean water.

On board the boat, the driver and the "guide" were very friendly. Especially so the "guide". Enthusiastically explaining to us about the lives of the people in this village. The highlight was to tell us how poor the people are, especially so the kids. Some of the kids lost their parents and are living in the small school. They depend on donations from people.

He asked us to buy rice, books or pencils for the kids. We buy the stuff from the people, they earned and gave to the community too. So it work both ways. Direct and Indirect.

I would be more than willingly to buy for the kids. But 75 US dollar a bag of 50kg rice. Isn't this a bit too much? But we did still paid for it. It's for the kids.

Well, that's not all.
Though we had already paid 15 US dollar each for our boat ticket, we still have to come up with another 20 US dollar for the driver and the "guide".

All in the name of Charity.

Sunset Quest at Angkor Wat

The first and only attempt on the sunset of Angkor Wat. I had wanted to take on the hot air ballon but it was closed on that day. Thought since there's no hot air ballon for me in Australia this year so the next best thing is this. But looks like I am not getting any.




See how narrow and high each staircase is. We literally crawled up.

Concidential Geeks

28th June 2011

It's not about seeking the best matched but seeking contentment.

How to repair a self-confidence that has been damaged.

Me and my new geek specs?

After finishing her counter duties, Sartha came to me saying "Bee Keow, I am toooo bored so I drew this!"





Me, is a glum face and her, a pimpled face.

I asked her why is her tongue sticking out.
She said joker lah.
If not, Thani coming back over the weekend and so she is vomitting blood.

I just told Sartha this:

" You know, I feel so cold today. (pulling my cardigan closer to my body).
My heart feels so cold today too.
Can someone please come warm my heart"

Upon hearing this, She rolled her eyes and started laughing.

I want to hear only what I want to hear.

I want to see only what I want to see.

I want to feel only how I want to feel.

I want to love only who I want to love.

Sometimes, the issue is not whether you believe it or not.
It's just that if what's said wasn't what you wished for, it is very much very demoralizing and dampening on one's spirits.

Sigh of relief~ ....menses is here.

One of the reasons why I love my section is because on either Sartha or my bad days, we would spend hours mocking at our pathetic state of life.
Apparently, if you ask me, that's the best remedy.
We don't laugh it over. We mock it over.

We would be laughing, cursing and swearing. Yes. We curse and swear.
The moment we stop laughing, there would be pin drop silence spreading across the room.
I believe the whole office know what's going on in both our lives.

They probably know her ex boyfriend still calls her.
They probably know I got dumped last year after Japan trip.
They probably know Thani went sailing now and is making a stop over this weekend in Singapore.
They probably knows Thani wants to marry Sartha.
They probably know my boyfriend's name is Sean.
They probably know Sartha is going through mid-thirties crisis.
They probably know I am going through late twenties crisis.

Only time will tell.

I am feeling exactly how I felt months ago.

The feeling of losing grasp of things.
The feeling of helplessness.
The feeling of frustration.

A woman is at her most vulnerable when she is having her PMS.

I know I am in deep shit when I miss being around him when I didn't get to see him yesterday.

I don't deny she spotted on my weakest point. The most vital point. Or rather the most feared of all.
That was why my boat was rocked and sent me all jittery.

I know I did recovered. But the scar remains.

But I know somehow, my confidence will pick up.

Faith will be back in place where it belonged in me.
It just got lost. It will found it's way back to my heart.

And I know, things will fall in place eventually if they are meant to be.

Northern Lights

Northern Lights. My Iphone 4 couldn't capture any of the breathtaking Northern Lights shots. This is courtesy of Ruby's camera.

This is definitely not the only Northern Lights quest for me. I want Mr Facebook 101 to see the Northern Lights too. See what I had seen in Norway, Tromso 2011. I think I told him we shall go on a Northern Lights quest in 3 years time.

3 years. Only God knows.

Like I said before.
Seeing is not believing.
Experiencing only then is believing.

I epxerienced it before. That's why I had to believe.

Twitter

Yes. I know it's kinda late.
But I just created a Twitter account last night. Haha.

Growing Tummy

These two pairs of Levis Jeans were brought before I went on the Norway Trip which happened in March. This year. 2011 March. I have to be specific.

I wasn't really a huge fan of jeans. They are thick and makes the sunny and humid weather even unbearable. I only buy skinny jeans and I believe everyone should know how tight skinny jeans can be. Diffcult to put on and diffcult to take off too. At least for me.

So, after the Norway trip, I hardly touched the two pairs of jeans. Workdays are all filled with skirts and dressess. Shorts are my best companion during the weekends. However, last week, I decided to try out my new white shirt with jeans and see if it would be a good combination for Friday.

All right, if I were to say to my horror, it would be too exaggerating.
Then I shall say...To my horror still. I can hardly button up the jeans!

I have been hearing Sartha complaining about not being able to fit into her jeans and her tummy's growing. I just console and hee hee ha ha along with her.
I have never dreamt that I would have to deal with simiailar situations too.
I am skinny beyond words. My hands and my legs, especially.

Too skinny to take it for granted that my tummy won't grow out of the proportion that it is not supposed to.

I know I only have myself to blame. I don't exercise. Had wanted to run. But not much motivation.

It didn't help matters, when after lunch is back to another 4.5hrs of glueing my butt to the chair.

I have been thinking for the past few days about taming my tummy by doing stomach exercise in bed. But I don't think that will help much though.

Does Yoga helps in trimming growing tummies? Anyways, I decided that Yoga is my first step to mind and my tummy well being.

Mango Shorts

Tears of Fear.

19th June 2011

T

It's the Queen card again.
Twice, I got the Queen card.

I can safely say it's not concidential at all.
This is what we call fate. Can't run away from it.

This time is worse.
There's no strength.

Celebration isn't celebration for me.
It is unhappiness for me.

It's a battle to be lost.

:'(

Shhh...........................
Please don't tell my bf that I miss him.

I am very upset by my horoscope reading this morning. It didn't say anything good.
Though people always say not to believe in horoscopes or stuff as your fate is controlled in your own hands blah blah...
But it will definitely makes one feel good if it says something nice about you isn't it?

It is only the prediction of those things that matters dearly to me, that is why I could be affected by it.
After being "told" by the "terrible" things or events that will unfold itself today, I went on search for other horoscopes sites.
In search of a better prediction, better reading.

Or rather, in search of HOPE.

Upset by the prediction this morning, I deleted the horoscope app in my iPhone.
Never give myself a chance to be affected by it's readings again.

I am a firm believer of fate and destiny. I think I am.
I believe things happens for a reason.
I believe maybe there are somethings in life that have been prearranged.
However, at the same time, I am a firm believer that I have to make reasonable efforts or my best efforts to achieve or get what I want.
Because if all fails, at least I could answer to myself at the end of the day that I did all that I could and things were maybe just really not meant to be.
That's is why I am a firm believer too, that what's meant to be mine, will make it's own way to me. It will stay with me. No matter what.
Xiao Hui taught me this 是你的就是你的.

Yes. Despite saying so much. I am still silently hoping that the prediction will not come true.
Never ever come true.

We went to the new office this morning. On the way back, Mr Yeo dropped Loo Ying at a temple near our office. Today is the 15th of the month, accordingly to the Chinese Calender.

I asked Peck Sia if Loo Ying is a devotee to her religion. She said she sort of is. On the 1st and the 15th of every month, she will be vegetarian and will go to the temple. She had asked or prayed for something before and it came true.

Upon hearing this, it strike a similarity in my case. I immediately told Peck Sia, "Me too!"

I have been going to Novena Church since December. Don't get me wrong. I am not converting to another religion. I never will though I am not a devotee of my own religion. I was born with this religion and it will remain with me still.

I go once in a while. Try to at least once a month. I will take the take the last row. To say things. Tell about my uncertainties, my insecurities, my happiness, my worries. And to pray.

How did going to Novena Church came about.
After the split, during that November and December period, as all will know how depressed and devestated one could get. Hopeless as well. I couldn't find peace within myself. I couldn't see hope. There were questions surronding me, emotions that overwhelmed me.

Actually, Sartha has been going to Novena Church a while back. She told me she would just go in, say what she has to say, and go. She told me, she went and said a couple of things and prayed for me too. I was so touched.

Out of desperation and wanted to seek peace badly, I decided to drop by and say out things that have been bottling in me.

God knows how many times, KS would accompany me to church and pray with me. Poor KS. He is a Buddhist.

I prayed. Concidentally or what, my prayers were answered.
I am utmost grateful for that.

I believe in God. Just don't ask me which God I believe in, like how Emmeline asked me before.
I just believe that there is God which I think is enough.

I would usually go, say the things I want to say and just leave.

Anyone who knows my mum reads this, please don't tell her that I visit Church. She will have the misconception that I am converting which I never will.

I prayed in my own way. The nights when just before I sleep, I will just pray in my own way. The way I am comfortable with.

That's how it should be. Isn't it. Whichever one feels most comfortable with.

It is a burning question haunting me.
Does God wants me to learn lessons the hard way again or is he really being kind to me.

Insecurity

Malacca Trip

Well, this Malacca trip was just the very next weekend after the KL trip.
This isn't just another Malaysia trip. This was the trip that I got to know Mr Facebook 101. To be exact, accordingly to them, I had met him years ago in a cable skiing trip in Batam. I could recall Jeremy and Jun Xiong but not him. Probably because he didn't talk to me then. Haha...

Actually, in this Malacca trip, I didn't think too much of him at that time. I was probably too depressed to see other man as man. Haha...

***The Stay***

Majestic Hotel. Every decoration seems to be done in detailed. It has this very nostalgia feel which I like.


















Love the bed, a four poster bed!







***The Food***




We queued for close to 2 hours for this satay steamboat.
The verdict, they think it's kinda overrated.
The pot wasn't changed after each round. New sauce was just simply added to the pot. You taste your food, realised it wasn't cook to perfection, put it back. How very hygiene isn't it. The thick satay sauce took rather long to cook the food and that explains the looooong queue.



The famous chicken rice balls. This, we had to queue too. But relatively faster than the satay steamboat. The loose rice was actually much fragrant than the rice balls.

This KL trip was in Nov 2011. Yes. That exact month that I got dumped. Haha...
Rather than crying and mourning over being dumped, Xiao Hui suggested that we hit KL for a short trip.

All the food is just so delicious in KL. I stuffed myself crazy with all the food. We were constantly eating.

I had to eat. REAL Lot. To make up for the two weeks loss of appetite.






The person behind this LONG Prata is Qing Hao, Xiao Hui's friend in KL.
He is a reporter for a local newspaper. A nice chap and very knowledgeable. Told us stories that sent me "huh!" "really or not".






Another version of the KL Hokkien Mee. Apparently, accordingly to Qing Hao is much nicer than the one below.
Personally, I prefer the other than this.






This is the unbelievably nice KL Hokkien Mee. It's different from the Singapore Hokkien Mee and is SO MUCH NICER! This was my staple dish for my 3 days 2 nights stay in KL.



We actually arrived KL in the very early hours of the night. Too early for check in. But it's rather unsafe to roam around the streets of KL, so we went straight to the hotel and check the prices for a half day's stay. It was too much for us so we took it despite that the room available was of a better catergory.

We were astonished when we saw the room. Rather, it was a apartment! Fully equipped with washing machine, dish washer, stove and fridge. Xiao Hui even thought of having steamboat dinner there.

Good thing was, we were able to keep this room throughout our stay.

This card is very dear to me. For a whole 2 months, this card followed me everywhere I go. It came along with the basket of flowers which Xiao Hui and Emmeline sent to me when I was crying day and night.

Siem Reap

Zapping to Cambodia, Siem Reap this June for a short trip. Angkor Wat is the highlight of this trip. Had always wanted to visit this historical site.

Heard from Xiao Hui that it will be extremely hot during June. And that there will be alot of climbling and walking. Climbling up the high and narrow stairs. It didn't help matters as I would be getting my menses that very week in Siem Reap.

The good thing is that I will be travelling by SilkAir. Thank god that its just a $50 difference between Budget and SilkAir.

I was told that it will be energy and physically consuming.
So I have been gearing myself up these 2 weekends in a way to prepare for the Angkor Wat trip.

Last weekend was to the Night Safari and that ended up with weakling legs till now.
This weekend would be the Jurong Birdpark.

Hopefully by the next weekend, I will be able to take Angkor Wat!

Japan Goodies

This bag of Japan goodies has been sitting behind me in the office since Nov last year till now.

Though I did distributed some of them out, however after the split, it has just been simply sitting behind me. I thought it was rather sinful of me to throw them away but I simply can't be bothered with their future.

Everytime I sees them, it would remind me how wasteful of my money spent in that Japan Autumn 2010.