My week traveling through Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and BKK

Much as I wanted to go to work today, I kena food poisoning. You couldn't tell when I got off the plane cuz I was just so excited to see JW and my parents. But during dinner, I started having a lack of appetite. Towards the end, I rushed to the toilet. Walked out and puked on the shiny airport floor. So embarrassing. Came back home and puked my whole dinner up. Then more diarrhoea and my period had to pop by today, leaving me rather weak in the knees and I had no choice but to call in sick. :( I don't understand what I ate. My last meal was in the BKK airport. Or it could be because I drank a bit of the tap water in the plane. In any case, I slept my day away.

Here's a short summary of each destination and some tips.

Siem Reap was very nice and worth another visit. We stayed at the Golden Temple Villa which offered us free bananas, Khmer coffee and tea. Explored temple after temple, climbing through ruins after ruins. Angkor Wat and the Tomb Raider temple are must-visits. Our tuk tuk driver was damn dependable as well. :) Pub street and cheap-ass Angkor beer made the nights delightful. Only downside, being "scammed" at the floating village, child touts and Khmer food being a tad too sweet.

Some prices:
Temple pass per day US$20
Temple pass for three days US$40 (worthwhile to get. Lets you into clean toilets and any of the temples)
Angkor draft US$0.50

Phnom Penh is a been-there, done that place. We took a long bus ride down from Siem Reap. The hotel we stayed in Frangipani 60s Villa was great, offering us free laundry services and boutique style accomodation. Key highlights include: S21 (USD2), Killing Fields (USD2), Central Market, River Front and Street 240. S21 and the Killing Fields are must-visits, if only to see first-hand the tragedy that once befall Cambodia and how they have risen today.

Cambodians are really warm people and we love the hospitality that they have shown us.

BKK had delicious, wondrous food that tickled our tastebuds. We loved the seafood noodles in Chinatown. The Grand Palace (350 Baht) is definitely worth a visit. Our hotel, First House, was nothing to shout about. But at least, it provided us comfortable enough lodging and was in a prime location with breakfast provided each day. Key shopping areas: Siam Square and the streets surrounding it, Platinum Mall, Chatuchak, Baiyok. Get a cheap manicure at Siam Square as well. BKK is worth coming back for the shopping. Prices range from disgustingly cheap to alright, so it's really a trial and error kindof thing, with a lot of bargaining involved. Take taxis and ask them to charge by the meter. Tuk tuks quote ridiculous prices and if you are thinking of taking a tuk tuk, never accept his first price. Always bargain.

Even though it's pretty hot in both Cambodia and BKK, try to bring pants that are at least 3/4 long and shirts that cover your arms partially. Both countries are pretty traditional and some places will even reject tourists who are inappropriately dressed. Take it as a form of respect to the temples and places of worship and memorance.

XLBs... again

You probably think that I eat xlbs on a weekly basis. Well, you are probably right. Queued for over half an hour last night for Qun Zhong again. Haha. This time I really queued, cuz without the backing of HW, there was no choice. Chinese pizza was finished by the time we got in. But everything else tasted downright delicious. I could queue for this every week.

It's amusing to blog surf and fb surf now and then and look at the different facades of people and how they change over the years. I remember there was this girl in Cedar, who looked like a man/aunty. I think she had a moustache and her hair was always tied back in a slack, aunty go market ponytail. But now, looking at her fb photos, she's like the girliest girl ever, with make-up, curls and all. And there was this senior in hall 9, who some say was getting quite despo and who fionne and I striked a good relationship with over microwaveable myojo. He wasn't handsome or rich or tall and I thought that it might be quite hard for him to get attached. But I just saw his MSN pic. Pretty, dimpled girl beside him and just to be sure it wasn't a random starlet, I went to check his fb page as well. Congrats, man.

I spied a certain blog post that left me a little sad. Things might have changed if you never did first got attached. To the first one, not the now one. Haha. Perhaps we would have been closer. Come what may. I'm glad you found your best friend, like me. Somehow, when some of my friends diss all men, I don't know what to say. Sure, JW has a lot of bad points, but he's my bestie through and through and hopefully we make each other better. Here's to everybody finding not just your soul mate (cuz soul mate is so cliche), but your best friend.

And if I shall die in Cambodia/Thailand, please take care of my bestie for me. Flying off on a jet plane with the vj girls, hui and min...Whoo!

Kose White

Today... was a bag of emotions.

Just one year ago, I was euphoric. Today, I'm kindof nonchalent, and maybe just a tad too nostalgic. It's not my game anymore, no more battles left to fight. How and when do you ever truely let go? But I'm really glad I came back...there is some hope, and some shades of myself in other people.

I'm a totally different character here... with a different personality - one that's selective, rude, stubborn, passionate and damn annoying. But well, screw you...I can afford to. Haha.

Today, after everything...it was just a comfortable Saturday date with JW. Ate dinner at Wild Honey, bought fries from Best Fries Forever and collected my free frozen yoghurt from Frolick. I love the feeling of being so comfortable with each other, no matter what you are wearing, or what you are doing... The only person that I really wanna just nua together with forever and ever...

Last Friday night, I had the most awesome xlbs ever!!! Really melt-in-your-mouth kindof xlbs. Thanks to HW, who knew the boss' son and thanks to Jessie who recommended, we had a good Friday night dinner and managed to skip the queues. Ended the night with B&J at Dempsey.

Wednesday night, JW brought his granny out for a movie and after that, we had dinner together at Sushi Tei. Sushi Tei's standards have really really dropped. I expected better.

Eh, anybody wanna go anywhere or do anything in March??? Short one also can.

TCC

Am slacking at work. Haha. Just kidding. Taking a break, cuz I'm a hardworking slave who finishes my work at home.

I was really really tired on Sunday, but still I dragged myself out to meet the girls and Thong. Am glad I did so. If not I wouldn't have the chance to hang out at TCC (I love the place!) and chit chat talk cock with Thong and the others.

I guess Thong is right. I am pretty lucky, with a lot of things going well for me so far and well, life's just almost all peachy for me. I just need to learn to be more contented with what I have.

Can't wait for next weekend...when I will be jetting off to Cambodia.

I just looked at my calendar. Whatever am I going to look forward to in March? Anybody wanna go holiday? Anybody except Jessie - that is. :( Boohoo. The bad thing about working together is that we think (nobody really said so) that the both of us can't go on leave together.  

Raffles City

Of late, I've been hanging out at Raffles City quite often. That's twice this week and I don't even live near the place. Neither is my office near it. It just happens.

There's DTF here and we all know JW's favorite food. There's Gongcha here so that's awesome too. JW and me can probably spend hours looking at Kate Spade bags and Billabong berms. Hahaha. Looking long and hard at the Kate Spade website has led my bf to recognise Kate Spade bags with one look. Unfortunately, due to some problems with vpost, I might not get my Xmas cum VDay gift just yet. And it's not that I'm a huge fan of Kate Spade just that if I want a MiuMiu, it might take more that one Xmas and one VDay, much much more. We'll see.

Met on the rare weekday last Tuesday for a quick dinner. I don't like to stay out too late on a weekday. Can't enjoy myself enough just cuz there's always the post-work blues. :(

I have some writing to do. But I can't psych myself up for the writing. Hahahaha. Feeling oh-so-lazy...

Spent Saturday first at hall, watching volleyball, badminton, playing scrabble and then eating DTF (again!) with XueShen and JW and ending with MJ which lasted till 6 in the morning. Should have ended at the first round. Hahaha. Sian. Really really tired now.

Sure makes you wanna go back to school again

Happy New Year, peeps!

The last day of 2010 was spent at a bbq and the last hour of 2010 was spent at JW's place watching the countdown show on TV.

The fireworks looked brilliant from the television. Sure am glad I wasn't there, crowded with the masses of people.

The first hour of 2010 was spent eating dim sum supper at 126. The day was spent playing mj with Hui, JW and HW.

And then on the 2nd, JW and me trooped down to Nex for Freshness Burger, Teadot Strawberry Tiramisu (the lightest thing ever. :)), Meet the Parents: Little Fockers and The Ship.

Now, I have pre-Monday blues which are made worst by the extended holidays and office closure. Can only look forward to Jan 23. And then after that, I don't know what to look forward to. :(

2010 started off with a bag of worries from FYP. In the midst of all that, there was the added apprehension of getting a good, first job... choices, decisions...the new start and shift from student to full-time employee. And in the middle, inspiring and exciting trips abroad. Ending with an awesome road trip in Western Australia.

I'm not going to ask what 2011 will bring me cuz I guess it's more about what I can bring to myself. Life is really about looking forward and embracing each and every change and bump. Cheers to a fulfiling 2011!