Bimbotic thoughts

Having tame, fashionable hair even at 4am in the morning, considering that I woke up at 6.30am err...yesterday.

Yippeeee boarding now back to Singapore!

Freedom is...

...using the sea like my personal pee place;

shower with cool fresh water out in the open only in swimming gear.

Strangely, everytime I do this, it feels like the real me.

Unphotographable 2

Red-capped adidas toting Chinamen, about 25 of them queuing at customs flying to Singapore. Their collective red caps screamed for attention what their inner voices could not. All their expressions were mismatched - apprehension, excitement, fear, nervousness, hopeful anticipation - much like their clothes. What was familiar (and this was the part that had me depressed) was seeing a burly, hairy chested caucasian man give them instructions in fluent mandarin on customs procedure. Colonial past of workers at quarries working for East India Company to the present sweat shops. Different setting, same life. My guess was that they were going to be construction workers in Singapore.

Life can be extremely hard in China; resources and opportunities are scarce for those not living in first tier or industry-driven cities of growth. They just want a better life, those men. I just don't know what is a 'better life'. Going to Singapore and be looked upon as a second class citizens; even though, they are doing us a favour by filling jobs we wouldn't want to be seen doing. It's an honest life, albeit a grimy one. Ditto for our Filipino domestic helpers and nurses as well. Treat them with a little more respect. Your money though contributes to their family income doesn't buy their dignity. And stop looking at them like they are going to rape you any minute or take it up with strange foreign men. You know you're thinking about it.

Mysteries at airports while having flight delay

I've been getting constant beeps through those metal detectors. Either I've been getting more than my fair share of iron from veges (which I doubt it), or my hidden identity is the million dollar woman and I'm not aware of it. Though, both rule me out in saying this - balls of steel brudder, balls of steel.

Water is the main differentiator between class. Economy serves normal 2RMB water but business class lounge serves air-vee-ahn. Other than that, everything looks the same. How do I know this? Snuck myself into the business class lounge by dae-ng the SIA ladies, "no internet connection how?" Buahahahahha....they just gave me a nice blankie, wait till they discover I'm only economy. *update* Man beside me is drinking perrier! Absolutely abhorrent over the blatant decadance *mock horror* how can he be classier than me?!!!

Homeward bound

Am stuck in Beijing airport with full force of Murphy's law working. Plagued by bad weather, then engine problems. From 2am flight to 4am flight. 4am flight!!! This is even more frustrating than not getting what you want!

Disaster of the day: No contact lense case. Silly me forgot.
Solution: 2 lovely Beijing girls helped me to wash those dainty thousand-island/ mayo sauce containers for me; and in the process saved my eyes!!!

Don't mind the exaggerated exclamation marks. I am lacking self-expression here as people are sleeping in business class lounge that I managed to sneak myself in. Will catch forty winks soon, but somehow I don't think that will take away the sinking feeling in my heart. Whatever that is stemming from, I don't care to find out.

Snail mail!

Oh how I love them!

Packages big and small,
postcards with edges folded in,
letters plain or cutesy print,

as long as it is delivery unexpected,

or is it that they are delivered by an unexpected uniformed postman?

What's your packing style?

Stuffer & thrower. Mine's definitely that. All the boxes that are neatly packed are definitely not done by me. It's all a basketball game of stuff and throw, all my clothes land deftly into boxes. I score! But am defeated by the thought of folding them up to fit more.

Am irritated by efforts to pack for me or to suggest with what to pack first. So he's been relegated to providing supportive comments (I mean gentle reminders) when I get distracted and just start wandering around the house in my own imagination.

Linglong bags (red, blue, white checked) are not good for stuffing too many clothes. Now my apartments looks like I smuggle factory overproductions.

Truck is coming at 11am tomorrow. Another five hours to pack an apartment into a bag.

How do we save us, from ourselves?

Amazing, two commercial movies based on climate change & demise of the electric car.

Trailers are here and here.

By Catherine Lim

(AMUSES)
The horse's owner gave him a sweet zebra
By whom he had been quite smitten
The next morning the owner was shocked
To see him all scratched and bitten.
'Good gracious! Whatever happened?'
'Well, she was like three kicking llamas
I spent the whole night just trying
To remove those damn pyjamas!'

(MUSES)
'I love you because I need you'
His declaration touched my heart's core.
'I need you because I love you'
Wait – which declaration said more?

****

The Experiment

ETA: Controlling in real life

Bestie is arriving tomorrow upon my 'commands' last week.

SMS: How soon can you get a ticket? Next tuesday can?
Reply: Can.

Then something made me think twice today at 0200h.

MSN: I'm hungry.
Reply: Don't you dare eat ok. Control.

MSN: I'm gonna blog this, on how controlling you are.
Reply: As if I could stop you. I'M NOT (controlling)!! Humph.

More stories to come for sure...

Tears for fears

I teared when I won a ice-cream cake for my colleagues;

and also when my best friend and I had a huge fight;

and when I heard she got discriminated by our friends for being gay;

and I definitely tear at 'goodbyes'.

I spy with my slitty eyes in Shanghai...

A man on a bicycle at a traffic junction with 20-30 fat, fluffy, LIVE chickens hanging upside down. Some were still protesting by flapping their wings, trying to get as much attention for themselves, thinking they would be saved. Or not.

In the middle of the road, two women checking out their knees after getting into a mini-accident (did not see the crash). Oblivious to oncoming traffic streaming through mid-sized, but still narrow road. In usual Shanghainese style, everyone temporarily put aside their focused steps to get their 'street action' of the day.

Addictions (Part 2)

See, the problem is not the addiction, but you grew attached to the object of your addiction.

Peach Frenzy

They are here!

Peach compote, peach jam, peach slices with pancakes, peach puree, peach mush for drinking, iced-peaches after coming home from bearing over 30 degree outside temperatures.

What wonders to conjure up with peaches!

Sneaks of traipsing in and around Manila

Luking?


Alternative transport


Watching sunrise


Jerome the Jitterbug Jeepney


chaos

Passion at the back of a jeepney

At the back of a jeepney half-filled with bags of charcoal, wood and 'mystery'bags; in the heart of Nusugbu, just two hours away from Manila. She was sitting directly opposite me as we scrambled on the back of the jeepney before it drove away with our guts. While her companion was cheekily glancing at me from behind her, she remained aloof, insistent on gracing me with only a side of her, dark chocolate hair wispily falling around her melon-seed like chin and matching eyes. The sharp chin held such strong-willed defiance, there was not a part of me that wished to be fixated on another. Then a sudden stop, a small joke out of miscommunication, broke my unrequited fixation. For once the grin I gave was not reciprocatory from one stranger to another. My smile was equally shy. She had that effect on me.

Then, in sync with a bump of the jeepney, I fell back in love with life again.

SGD-RMB

You know you have stayed away from home long enough when you have to clarify on msn which currency you're referring to.