Saw the FB messages

Thanks for the well wishes, folks! It has been an eventful trip thus far... yeah and it's only three days.

 

Maggie & Jessie - Twitter, Facebook and Blogger is definitely blocked. Thank God Gmail is in working order. But my uncle has been having trouble accessing Hotmail.

 

Alyssa, I'm in Chongqing currently. I'll be moving base soon. We'll see where my next stop is.

 

Eugene, yeah... the Great Firewall. Harmless sites (at least to me) are blocked and webpages outside China takes ages to load.

 

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We went on a day tour around Chongqing today. It was not as pleasant as I thought it would be. The good part is that  it took us to places which we wouldn't be able to cover in a short time. It took us to a temple, Ciqikou (磁器口-ci2qi4kou3), a couple of detention camps, the state assembly and a couple of tourist shops. For RMB 68, it was pretty ok as it covered an 8+1 course lunch.

 

The unpleasant part is that at the temple, they'd force you to get your fortune read. Oh well, even their own countrymen were conned. The only international victim - my dad -  was RMB 200 poorer when he came out from the chanting/fortune reading room. We could not hold him back in time and it was a very expensive experience to pay for curiosity.

 

The other unpleasant part was when the tour ended abruptly in the middle of nowhere. The tour guide just abandoned us at a place foreign to us as she has an engagement. The tour was supposed to end at 5pm but we were abandoned at 2.30pm. Wonderful isn't it? After a cup of coffee and a fruit platter, we started making our way back to our hostel. The further we walked, the more lost we got. And those taxis just wouldn't fetch us back to the hostel. Some said they were changing shifts or were closed for the day, others said it's out of their way. WTF???

 

We walked up the hill... through an old neighborhood and up endless flights of stairs. Then we finally managed to flag down a taxi which driver was willing to fetch us to our hostel. Phew~~ The whole journey back from the coffee place took nearly 2 hours.

 

To the people who are planning to come to Chongqing, I do not really recommend this place. I'd say it's the least pleasant city in China. Weather is very hazy and smoggy all the time, roads are not pedestrian friendly and pretty hilly, going to places of interest requires a fair amount of transport, and pickpockets are aplenty. Being on the guard at all times is just not fun.

 

Time for some Tsingtao beer (青岛啤酒-qing1dao3pi2jiu3)... cheers!

 

 

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Win 1 of 4 Sony home entertainment packs thanks to Yahoo!7. Enter now.

Posting from Chongqing

We safely landed in Chongqing at about 6.40pm yesterday. The flight was not very pleasant as we went into numerous turbulence. Not to forget a crying child who cried for almost the whole journey.

 

Flying with Silk Air...

 

The experience is comparable to Air Asia except that Silk Air is a full fare airline that serves food. Out of 10, I'd give them a 5. My request for water was not met the first time around and the stewardess who took my first order totally forgot about it! I'd to place a second order. Is absent mindedness a part of Silk Air? Food wise is not very good as well. MH, SQ and CA beats it hands down. One main meal, a fruit, a cup of drinking water and a drink of your choice. There is no dessert. What a let down.

 

Journey in Chongqing thus far...

 

Their dialect is weird. It's very hard to comprehend. Food wise, it's VERY salty. Nevertheless, it was tasty. The BBQ stick (RMB 3) was pretty delicious. We also had the sour & spicy vermicelli (酸辣米粉-suan1 la4 mi3 fen3) (RMB 5). That was pretty much what we had for dinner. Shops are aplenty and I have yet to find my pair of boots. Haven't got the time to return to Jiefangbei Square (解放碑).

 

This morning, we slept in until about 9am and left to hunt for breakfast. Weather was COLD but bearable with 4 layers of clothing and a thick scarf. We went into the local market street and walked and walked. Interesting but scary as we were all very cautious of pickpockets after being warned by a lady, a local, we met on our flight. We were exploring this old part of town without a map for about 2 hours. Our breakfast was mixed sauce noodles (杂酱面) or jajjangmyeon (짜장면) in Korean, beef noodles, wonton soup and some egg in rice wine. Our breakfast costs us only RMB 20 and left us almost breathless. After that, we did more walking along the old streets. I managed some shots and will upload it once I have time to sift through them. Very interesting scenes.

 

About one and a half hours after our breakfast, we adjourned for lunch. We had soya bean, onion oil biscuit (葱油饼-cong1 you2 bing3) and xiao long bao (小笼包). This meal cost us RMB 12 I think. Then we continued walking in search of Chaotianmen (朝天门). That was when we got lost and walked along the highway. Very torturous. We got through by asking for directions which took us through endless steps up an old housing area. *breathless* We found ourselves at Chaotianmen and got on to Xin Hua Road (新华路) to take the cable car (长江索道 - RMB 5 per way) across the Yangtze River (长江) and back.

 

After that we came back to Tina's Hostel to rest. I found my favorite instant noodles of all time - 康师傅. Haha! Had that for tea and yum yum!

 

Gotta run... ta...

On the move again

It's the time of the year again when I take a few weeks off work, pick up my backpack and head off to somewhere for my long awaited break.

Bumming in Changi airport not knowing what to do. I did not want to go on the Internet but the Internet stations are so tempting. I've finished covering this terminal and there is nothing left to do.

 

This time, I'll be heading to Chongqing, China. Weather there is a freaking 6 degrees. Many of you may think it's nice... honestly, I think it's only refreshing and not totally nice. I hope I can do quite a bit of exploring despite the cold.

 

Gosh... this computer terminal sucks. There are limitations to the shortcuts that I can use. CTRL+ arrow key does not help me skip from word to word, I've to move over letter by letter. Anyway, why should I complain when it's free and fast?

 

Alright, signing off for now. Gotta start heading to my departure gate soon.

나는 슬퍼요

오늘는 정말 슬퍼요. 행복이 어디있어요? 그룹을 교한해 싫어요. 그래서 슬픈 기분이야.

몰라요.

하느님, 도움 주세요.

Are you invited or not?

Overheard someone whispering, "So, we have a wedding to attend on XX date." That was after I announced that a friend is going to have her wedding on the said date. Maybe I should just stay quiet and not share any good news in the future.

Question marks were flying in my head......

Inside of myself, I wondered "Are you inviting yourself to the wedding?" No doubt, we're sharing our friend's joy with you but how could you just assume that you are invited and expected to attend the wedding?

Call me traditional. I'd only consider myself invited if the organizer sends me an invite. For weddings, I'd expect a printed matter as for the others, a phone call from the organizer.

This is not so much about pride. It's more of being courteous and showing respect. When I say respect, it's both ways. The inviter respects the invitee and sincerely wants the latter to attend the event. As for the invitee, by attending with an official invite, you are respecting the inviter and it will also save you a lot of trouble in case someone questions your authority.

No matter how modern you are, I believe that it's the good manners that have been instilled in you that make you courteous. It'll be awkward for both inviter and invitee if the latter turns up uninvited. Imagine the logistical chaos that the inviter will face. It's not polite to turn away someone who came to share your joy but who is not invited. Especially in the Asian culture.

This incident taught me to be extra cautious of the words that fly out from my mouth. I guess I'll stay quiet and quit yakking crap and become the boring and snobbish me. This will save everyone all the trouble of worrying whether they are invited or should they be invited.

Face to face with a road bully

Driving is enjoyable yet annoying. Not that I've driven anywhere else but I really hate Malaysian drivers and motorcyclists. They are an irresponsible lot.

I can't tolerate driver's who cut queues without putting on their indicators, same goes for drivers who swerve in and out of lanes as if the roads belong to them. I absolutely hate those who tailgate, road hog, drives on emergency lanes and do not give way to emergency vehicles. I've got many more pet peeves on Malaysian roads.

I've had close encounters with road bullies but what I experienced today was the scariest. My heartbeat was very rapid for a good few minutes.

The whole episode started at a Y-junction when that road bully tried to cut into my lane without putting on his indicator. I honked and flashed at him after he managed to squeeze in front of me. I thought it would end there and then but heck no. He showed me hand signs and drove on two lanes on a three-lane speedway. I waited a bit and I turn on my indicator to tell the drivers behind that I was changing to the slow-mo lane. That f*cker blocked me and continued driving on two lanes so that I could not overtake him. This 40 something-year-old is one heck of a selfish man. I lost my cool. The traffic lights ahead was red and we had to stop. I could not help showing him back the hand sign he showed me as I stopped next to him.

When the lights turned green, he tailgated and flashed at me until we came to another traffic light stop. That f*cker got off his car and walked up to my window and started screaming at me. "IF YOU HAD NOT BEEN A YOUNG LADY, I WOULD'VE BASHED YOU UP!! HOW COULD YOU SHOW ME THAT VULGAR HAND SIGN? I'VE GOT A BABY IN MY CAR, DO YOU KNOW THAT???!!!" After that I just turned a deaf ear to him and let him continue shouting. I was on the verge of driving to a police station and at the same time tempted to hit on the loud honk while he was screaming at me. Other motorists were looking at the scene.

F*cker, if you have a baby in the car, please drive responsibly and not go into a road rage. Having a baby in the car does not mean you can switch lanes or cut queue as you wish. You also should not expect other drivers to bl00dy KNOW you have a baby on board when you are driving like a maniac.

Should I just forget this close encounter or should I report this to the cops?

Emotional Trauma

How I wish emotional trauma was widely recognized in the society I live in. Everything trauma-related, people would say, "You will get over it." and shrug it off. Then, life goes on. Never would they consider the emotional scars that trauma would cause.

Honestly speaking, my grandpa's death has traumatized me. Even though it has been three weeks since he passed on, I am still trying to come to terms with it. Having to see him dead on his bed with my very own eyes, the feeling of being helpless when I could not wake him up, the failure of reviving him when his body was still warm... those images kept running through my mind. I can't get them off my head.

My way of forgetting those images was to avoid talking about grandpa but with grandma around, I could not. She'd start talking about him every now and then. That's when the images of the motionless him comes to my mind.

My mind would play a psychological game with me whenever the house becomes quiet. I could feel him around but physically he is no longer. The image of the setting of his room is carved in my head. I remember each piece of furniture that's in it. My mind would make me feel uncomfortable.

I wonder how long would it take to completely get over this episode. I can't grieve openly. I can't talk to anyone in the family openly about it... time... let time do its magic once again.

Bendera postponed attack on Malaysia

I just have to share this foolish story with the world. How foolish can these people be? Thinking that they have a 100 million plus population and they could conquer a country with 26 million people by using bamboo spears, samurai swords, and bow and arrow. Come on, dreamers... WAKE UP!! 

Cukuplah, tak payah bermimpi lagi. Sila gunakan otakmu yang dikurniakan Tuhan dengan sebaik-baiknya. Tak usah menyerang negara jiran yang macam adik-beradikmu. Ya ya... memang ada rakyat negara jiran yang mendera rakyat kamu yang bekerja di sini. Akan tetapi, tahukah kamu kenapa orang kamu didera? Jawapannya sama dengan motif kamu yang hendak menyerang negara jiran dengan lembing buluh, pedang samurai dan panah - Fikiran yang purba ataupun kuno tapi nak menunjuk-nunjukkan kehebatanmu, kepandaianmu.

Perihal tuduhanmu yang negara jiran merampas kebudayaan negaramu. Tahukah kamu bahawa nenek moyangmu dan nenek moyang negara jiran adalah orang yang sama? Kan kamu sekeluarga dengan negara jiran? Patutlah nenek moyang nak menghukum kamu dengan gempa bumi dan tsunami. Sebab kamu hanya tahu nak merampas kekayaan orang lain dan tak mahu bekerja keras. Setiap kali kamu ditimpa malang, negara jiran akan segera menghulurkan bantuan tanpa diseru ataupun diminta.

Saudara-saudari yang berkenaan, sudahlah kerana orangmu didera dan kebudayaanmu dirampas. Pernahkah kamu berfikir untuk negara jiran? Pernahkah kamu fikir apakah kesusahan yang rakyat negara jiran hadapi kerana kewujudan 2 juta rakyat kamu yang sampai di negara jiran secara haram? Pernahkah kamu fikirkan kenapa rakyatmu hendak mendapatkan status kewarganegaraan negara jiran? Biar aku beritahu.

Rakyat kamu yang sampai tanpa izin itu mendatangkan banyak masalah yang memburukkan kebudayaan negara jiran. Yang jelas, masalah sosial. Merogol gadis-gadis muda yang tak berdosa, meragut beg tangan kaum wanita lalu menyebabkan kematian mereka, merompak rumah-rumah dan kedai-kedai, membunuh bos yang memarahi mereka, dan sebagainya. Oleh sebab rakyat jelatamu ini, rakyat jelata negara jiran kehilangan kebebasan. Tidak berani bersiar-siar sendiri dan selalu mengkhuatiri keselamatan diri dan keluarga walaupun di dalam rumah sendiri.

Kaum wanitamu yang berkerja sebagai pembantu rumah pula ada yang cuba untuk membunuh tuan/puan mereka, mendera kanak-kanak atau orang tua yang dijaga, mengencing dalam air minimuman keluarga tuan/puan, melari dari rumah tuan/puan lalu mereka cerita bahawa mereka didera padahal tidak, tidak membuat kerja rumah dengan baik dan tidak mengikut arahan, tidak tahu menggunakan peralatan rumah yang moden dan sebagainya.

Fikirkanlah kesusahan yang negara jiran hadapi kerana kelakuan dan perbuatan rakyatmu.

Here's the article from The Star about the so called planned invasion:

PETALING JAYA: Volunteer vigilante group from Indonesia Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) has postponed its “plans” to wage war with Malaysia by a day.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, its coordinator Mustar Nona Ventura said that around 1,300 volunteers, including 50 medical personnel, would be departing for Malaysia between today and Oct 22.

The group, which had conducted a “sweeping” for Malaysians recently in Menteng, Jakarta, originally planned to attack yesterday.

“They will enter through pathways that will be unexpected for Malaysian security,” he said, adding that they would not be deterred.

Mustar, however, did not give any reason why the “invasion” was postponed by a day.

The Thursday attack was to wreak vengeance on Malaysia for “stealing” their culture and abusing their maids. The group planned to attack with “primitive” weapons like bamboo spears, sticks and parangs.

In Putrajaya, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said security forces, namely those guarding the coast, had been put on alert following threats of attacks by the Indonesians, adding that the Government took the threat seriously.

“We are on alert. Security personnel are ready and prepared to meet whatever threats that come our way,’’ he told reporters yesterday.

However, he said there were no reports of Indonesians entering the country with sharpened bamboo poles.

Police have also stepped up security at all entry points from West Kalimantan to Sarawak as a precaution.

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohmad Salleh said patrols by the General Opera­tions Force had been doubled, especially at the Tebedu and Serikin border posts, and several illegal trails at the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

“So far, we have not received any report of moves by the group to enter Sarawak,” he told reporters after the Sarawak police contingent’s monthly assembly and Aidilfitri open house at its headquarters here.

Malaysian Consul in Pontianak M. Zairi M. Basri said the situation in Pontianak was calm and there were no signs of anti-Malaysia activities.

He said that based on surveillance yesterday at the Pontianak main bus terminal, which provides transportation services from Pontia­nak to Kuching, nothing unusual happened.

[Source: The Star, 9 October 2009]

What's going on?

Earthquakes...
Typhoons...
Tsunami...

They just came and went one after another. They made human lives volatile.

Perhaps, Mother Nature is really angry at all the bad things that are man-made. I don't blame her. People are ignorant and they don't give a damn to things that don't benefit them. Can't they see things in a bigger picture?

On the other hand, I've been laughing heaps over this "invasion" rumor/news. This shows how shallow those

On Sept 28, The Daily Chilli reported that Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) had amassed bows and arrows, samurai swords and bamboo spears for an invasion of Malaysia.

Their mission is to “avenge” all alleged wrongs committed against Indonesia.

What wrong has Malaysia done to Indonesia? In this case, should Malaysia retract its 1Malaysia earthquake fund for Padang?

Honestly, what's going on in this world which used to be very beautiful and peaceful.

SIGH~~~~~