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Level 3 Week 5

2012-02-11T01:39:00.002+11:00

Back in Melbourne and back at Pole!

Love how i constantly surprise myself!

So far nothing i can't do in my first time atempting level 3! The above is the bent legged princess (basic) and below the straight legged princess. I can do both =)

This week's trick is a shoulder stand, like a handstand from yoga but instead of against the wall, it is against the pole (no picture). On Tuesday i couldnt do it at all, didnt dare push because i've been on holidays for 2.5weeks!

On Wednesday, i tried a bit harder. Didn't get it UNTIL ONE MINUTE before class ended! Teacher asked us to just give it a go, one more time, and i tried, with no expectations... somehow i felt the pole against my back n kicked up as told.

The next thing i knew my butt was against the pole and my legs were in the air! For a moment i didnt know what was going on!! Teacher saw from the front and encouraged me! Then i realised, I managed to do it!! Hahah

I said i dont know how to get down! Everyone was probably looking at me but i didnt care, just focused on not falling! Concentrared hard on myself, just focused on teacher's voice, ignoring my surroundings, felt teacher's hand on my stomach and i got down safely! She said it was good! =) Yay!

The above trick is one of the most important moves in pole dancing, aerial hoop and silks. I can do it but i wouldn't dare do it on the street like her! So cool!

All the above pictures are taken off the net.

My snowboarder friend recently bought a pole! She's one level more advanced than me, look what she did in Thailand (below)!

Stole her pic from Facebook! Cant wait to visit her, maybe we can camwhore! =)

Pictures of ME pole dancing click here

Snowboarding pictures click here

I dont get it but I love it!

2012-02-07T23:37:00.000+11:00

Got my teeth cleaned, hair cut and colored

And also got myself a new pair of spectacles! I don't get the latest craze - the thick black rimmed spectacles, the nerdy look. But I love it!

Novelas

2012-02-01T03:22:00.002+11:00

Spent a few hours reading September 2011's National Geographic!

Loved the article on demographics and women in Brazil having less and less children because their soap operas, or "novelas" always feature women with small families of one or two children

Teeth whitening, perhaps during lunch break, judging from the patient's attire? And check out the Ms Dr Dentist's hot pink heels! Hahaha!

I agree with the article, consumerism and wanting to give the best to your one or two only children! Plus I dont wanna end up being a slave to the offspring, i want my own life! Loving my selfish mid-twenties tooo much!

Vacation!!

2012-01-24T05:40:00.004+11:00

I'm on vacation in Kuala Lumpur, will be busy with friends, family and stuffing my face with goooood foood =) Blogging will be put on hold for a couple of weeks! Will try my best to write a couple of short posts

Extreme Sports

2012-01-12T00:45:00.004+11:00

Been reading of one too many freak accidents lately! In the article copied below, i've inserted pictures taken by me and words in bold are my comments

------------- Begin news article -------------

Australian dies while tubing in Laos
BY ALICIA WOOD AND JONATHAN SWAN
11 Jan, 2012 09:45 PM

A Sydney man has died after leaping from a tower into a river, while tubing in Laos.

Lee Hudswell, 26, of Cronulla in the Sutherland Shire, was on holidays in the south-east Asian country, experiencing the popular river entertainment of floating along on an inner tube.

Brad Haigh, from New Zealand, saw the accident that occurred in the riverside town of Vang Vieng yesterday.

He said that Mr Hudswell jumped from a tower and landed badly in the river about 4pm.

That's me on one of the towers as that stated in the article. I went tubing over a year ago, that's why this article really got to me

"People put him on his side, and tried to resuscitate him. But nobody knew what was happening. He jumped into the river, which is what everyone does,

"but there was no first aid on the river and no one knew what to do," he said.

"He was taken to hospital in a tuk tuk. It was shocking.

Thats a tuk tuk, no replacement for an ambulance! Last year 22 people died here in the river.

"It was my first time tubing and I never want to do it again. Something has to be done – it's all good fun drinking and dancing by the river, but when you add the free whisky, tubing and slides, it's really dangerous."

One of the girls i met while tubing. She is British and was traveling South-East Asia for three months. She ran out of money after the first month and had to work in Laos as a bar promoter! She has worked in Cambodia too!

Laos' Whisky is special because they put things like bees or snakes or a tiger's penis in it. I quite liked the whisky and it was given free at the bars, true to what was said in the article!

There was pressure to drink but i was smart about it, when toasting with the shot glasses, i intentionally spilled as much of my whisky as i can, so that i would not be left with much to drink.

Water and alcohol don't mix: the Lonely Planet Guidebook did warn us.

It's really dangerous, i did note in Part 1of my tubing adventure

The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the death.

A doctor at Vang Vieng hospital, who asked not to be named, said Mr Hudswell arrived at about 5pm yesterday after a tubing accident, but died at 6pm.

A spokeswoman said consular officials in Vientiane were liaising with local authorities, and the department was providing assistance to Mr Hudswell's family.

Mr Hudswell's cousin, Kelsey Hunter, said his death was "devastating".

"He was known for his cheeky smile and his fierce loyalty to his family and friends."

Mr Hudswell's uncle, Ray Hudswell, said the family had heard he died after falling from a flying fox.

"He was a wonderful, energetic young man. Handsome, popular, and a superb athlete. He will be sorely missed," he said.

"He had a sense of adventure, he played cricket with Sutherland and rugby leage, and he enjoyed extreme sports."

Ray Hudswell said Lee's father would travel to Laos tomorrow.

Link
--------------End News Article-------------

Took a moment to be thankful that i am alive

I've done wild things and lived to blog it

with pictures of me all smiles

Will i be so lucky next time?

But what is life without living it to the fullest?

Whats your view?

Two days ago i read in the news about a bungee jumping rope snapping, the YouTube video below.

The girl survived crocodile infested water, she swam with her legs tied up, dived down to release herself when her rope got stuck in water. Amazing!

Article link here

If it is your time to go, u'll leave this world, nothing and no one can stop it from happening, i guess. If its not your time to go, u'll survive the worst of ordeals

Pole Practice

2012-01-07T01:11:00.007+11:00

Ready?

Get set

Go!

Get the leg grip right

Do the hand stand

Look !

No hands!

I'm flying!!!

And then . . .

BAM!

Haha, no, dont worry, i didnt fall
The above picture was from one of my other sequence shots

When i realised i got the grip wrong, i descend slowly. The camera, which i placed on timer took a shot of me that looks like i fell!

Mid step

Love this shot! I should have used the camera flash more. Turned out so well =) Give me a moment to praise myself: oooh my legs look so long, my waist looks so small - i must have tensed up so hard in preparation for the spin, most of all i love the expression on my face - serious dancer's face, so intensed and focused yet graceful and effortless

The Eye Candy spin

Goodbye 2011!

2011-12-31T23:20:00.000+11:00

Time flies! Started off the year as an unemployed graduate

4 months and 4 days into the year, after hopelessly job hunting and depressing interview rejections, i finally scored an accounting job with a Chartered Accountant in Melbourne! Continued working two jobs (in the chicken place at nights and weekends) for 5 months. Got too busy to blog consistently

I told myself that i would get an iPhone once i got a job, and that i did =) Also told myself that once i am employed i will join pole dancing classes again because the exotic dance costs a bomb. Discovered aerial hoop =) Fittest in my life, but not skinny unfortunately

Only hopped on the plane once (return trip) for a wedding in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was the first wedding of a friend my age, that i could attend. Travelled around the state of Victoria a bit, including Grampians, Ballarat, Lake Eildon, Mornington Peninusla and Mount Buller

Learned a bit of Spanish. Adios dos mil once!

Tubing in Vang Vieng

2011-12-24T01:14:00.004+11:00

A must do i've heard. So when in Laos, i did!

Tubing is renting one of those yellow rubber tube, which i read is the inside of truck tyres, and you sit in the middle part and float down the river!

The first bar. The traveler friend i was in Laos with does not swim and obviously didnt wanna go tubing.

I went alone, but the thing with traveling is you are never alone =)

Canadian girls i met on the tuk tuk from the town area to the first bar

Japanese guy i met while waiting for the tuk tuk to depart

The bar owners build slides

They also build... structures to make the river into a natural theme park

Climb to the top and then swing!

They give u really short instructions: let go in the deep area. Thats it.

Looking back at these pictures, it looks really dangerous! The shallow part is so near the deeper part. The kid is walking there!

Splash!!! Yup, thats me in the above four pictures =)

People just chilling out as if it was a beach. Nice and sunny, on holiday with no care in the world.

What day of the week is it? No one cares! I miss those times, this trip was in November 2010

When you are tired of one place, move on to the next!!

By hopping onto your floaty tube

That blue thing i'm carrying is my dry bag, specially made for scuba diving! Items in the bag such as my camera and phone stays dry.

I took my camera out when i was floating just to camwhore! Obsessed with blogging! Hahah

How do you stop at the next destination? Simple, there are men who will throw a rope with an empty bottle at the end to floating tourists. Grab hold of it and they will reel you in and to their bar! Primitive yet so genius!

Surprised

2011-12-19T00:00:00.003+11:00

Week 8 Hoop and Week 16 in Pole were fantastic!!!

Above: The Tease! The trick i had no problems with from the start of Level 2 =)

The Siren. I'm still struggling with this one. Supposed to straighten both arms and lean back but i havent been able to

And the trick that i didnt think i could do on week 16:

The Inside Leg Ballerina! Surprised myself =) =) Lots of room for improvement though. Take a look at how my teacher does it!

She's awesome!!! She promoted the studio in the Sexpo exhibition 3 days in a row, 8 hours of pole dancing each day. Thats insane!!!

In Hoop we didnt have a camwhore session, so back to the drawing board!

Tried the above move, also not expecting i could do it and whoaaaa, i did it! "Hello Abs, nice to meet you!". Its actually quite comfortable hanging upside down like that once u get your legs balanced: equal weight in front and at the back of the hoop!

The Waterfall next. I was so scared the first time !

1. You get into that position on the hoop, with both hands palm facing the back holding onto the pole beside your hips.

2. You lean forward, make sure you keep the bent leg bent, let gravity do the job and you end up like this

Dont ask me how it works but it just does and hey, i didnt fall!!! =) =) Hurts the back of the knee but its so cool!!!

Hoop Videos of Me!

2011-12-11T00:10:00.004+11:00

Put my name down for the Christmas Showcase, attended practice and ta-da!

Tell me what u think!

Pictures!

Ready to roll!

Look at my arms! I see muscles!

Check out the blond behind me, she has bven bigger biceps!

Swing swing on the Compass Spin!
.

Love the pink lighting and my silhoutte =)

My blog is a shrine, narcissist self worship!

You have to love yourself before u can love others =)

Chin up! Pole and hoop are related because both demand upper body strength. The first few times at pole classes this year, my arms ached from Tuesday to Saturday.

I cant believe i did pole and hoop four days in a row this week and my arms are only mildly aching now. My ribs/centre/core hurt though and the back of my legs are all bruised...

The Normal Flag. Look at my reflection in the mirror!!

Was shit scared the first time i did this! But at the same time i felt so graceful!

Feeling beautiful is intoxicating, addictive and empowering, that is why i love hoop!

It was also a childhood dream to be a circus performer! Hahahah

Felt awesome up there as The Lady in The Moon, i cant see anyone below but i could hear the crowd cheer as we extended our arms!

Nope, no fear of heights! Its just amazing!

This move is called Smokey Joe

Take a closer look, in the Smokey Joe, we dont sit on the hoop, one leg is hooked and i hold myself in place using the back!

In the midst of doing the Flip Switch. This picture has the most circus look!!! =)

Part 1 and 2 of the performance

Messed up some of the floor work so i cut out those bits! Hahaha

In total i attended 2 casual classes, 7 course classes and 1 performance practice before the showcase =)

Passed!

2011-12-06T22:49:00.000+11:00

Had my hoop class today. Week 7: assessment week! I passed!!! Yay!!! But I need to work on the rollover move.

Oh my god, next year I can take intermediate circus fitness aerial hoop classes! Unbelievable, never in my life did I think I could do this! :) At 25 years old!!

Exhausted! Goodnight!

Circus Fitness Aerial Hoop

2011-11-28T00:12:00.000+11:00

Thats what we are taught on the first class of Beginners! Single leg hook

Second class!

Unless u have wings, u need to have biceps to get up like tweety bird! We also did some fancy hand and leg switch thing that confused me. Can do it no problem now =)

Week 3 we did some... twisty thingie that can't be drawn and resulted in this big bad baby

Picture taken on the Sunday after a Tuesday class, if i took it on Thursday its much worse! You should have seen the panic on my friend's face when she saw it!

Week 4

One leg hooked and your back holding u in place!

In the following video, i've counted 5 to 7 things i can do!!! =)

Of course she does it and move onto more advanced stuff, i just learned to do the basic and then go back down to the floor. Soooo much fun! Empowering =)

It started to fade, can u see the C shape? Because the hoop is round

In week 13 of pole, i attempted the Nasty Girl.

8 weeks ago i was so frustrated i couldnt do it, now i am soooo much better. Still not perfect. The above drawing illustrates my mistake. The butt is too far away from the pole, in theory, its supposed to touch the pole.

Front view of the Nasty Girl, the right way to do it. The muscles in between my ribs hurt because of it!!!

BodyBalance at the gym today really helped! I also did extra floor stretching on my own =) =)

Dazzler illustrated

2011-11-20T00:25:00.002+11:00

Dazzler (an invert where u hang upside down on the pole, with your legs gripping onto the pole above your head)

To get into a Handstand, let go one hand and then the other so that both hands are on the floor with face and belly facing the pole

Both legs still holding on to the pole. Slowly descend, let go one leg and then the other.

In this drawing, i messed up the ankle work. Wrong grip, whoops!

The Tease! The only trick i had no problems doing =) My left wrist is stronger than my right wrist for some reason, so when i do this, i tend to put my left hand below my butt

Eye Candy, looks easy but trust me it ain't!

Late Night Shopping

2011-11-18T00:24:00.004+11:00

Went shopping alone today. I work soooo far away from the city, so far away from most of my friends. Had dinner alone in the food court too. But that doesnt make my evening any less fulfilling!

Spent ages trying on dresses! No one's opinion to listen to but myself! Sometimes u get friends who have bigger budgets and u end up spending more than u want to. Sometimes u have friends with extremely low budget and they talk u out of snapping up a bargain!

Umm, i bought 4 maxi dresses cuz they were cheap...

See the bruises on the back of my knees? Result of Hoop classes! =) They arent as dark and ghastly as they were a week ago! Well worth it, love love love my hoop classes!! What i struggled with on Week 2 of Classes, i can do with no problem in Week 4 =)

And in Pole, it took me 11 weeks to finally do the Dazzler into a Handstand (an invert where u hang upside down on the pole, with your legs gripping onto the pole above your head. Let go one hand and then the other so that both hands are on the floor with face and belly facing the pole, both legs still holding on to the pole. Slowly descend from there =)

All out of breath after doing the trick, scary too! I was thinking what if i fall??? I'd go head first =S

The Queen

2011-11-08T23:07:00.000+11:00

Queen Elizabeth of England... gave Melbourne and a few other cities in Australia a visit a few weeks back

I don't get why Aussies are so patriotic and fanatic about The Queen. They just refer to her as The Queen, as if she was Australian.

All over the radio, all over the papers

My Malaysian friend who is an Australian Permanent Resident genuinely likes her and lectured me about it! He said "She is Your Queen now" because i am a PR here too. Never thought of it that way!

I've been in Melbourne for exactly a year now. Though my initial entry was in March 2010, I left KL on 8 November 2010 to come here for good

Also, http://www.baybeetea.com/ is three years old! I've been blogging for longer than that, though i feel myself getting less and less disiplined to blog as often as i used to =(

Hoop

2011-10-29T00:56:00.002+11:00

I quit my job to join the circus!

Hahha, dont panic. I'm still loving my accounting day job. I've just stopped moonlighting at that chicken restaurant to make time for my new hobby! I havent had time to blog =( I didnt even have time to shop at all in October!

Absolutely LOVE it! When i was a kid i always wanted to join gymnastics but father said its dangerous. So, sheltered Sue never got the chance =(

As a 25 year old adult, i'm glad that this wonderful modern world offers me pole dancing for fitness and aerial fitness! =) Some of the other girls are sooo intimidatingly flexible, strong and graceful but really, as an adult, i am able to focus on myself and leave my insecurities at the door

Tried a couple of casual classes, the first time (17/9/2011) i couldn't lift my body up into the hoop without help from the teacher. The second time (8/10/2011), i managed to get up on my own! But i did cheat a little and hurt my back a little...

Signed up for an 8 week course that begun this week =) =) So much fun! Warm up, some strength training which focuses on shoulders and upper body, followed by 20minutes of tricks where we did what is shown in the picture above, a bit of pilates and then stretch to cool down.

It just makes me so happy! I was surprised at how well i managed =) Managed to get up onto the hoop with either my right leg first or my left leg first! =) I'm surprised at how much control i had in my arms to dismount from the hoop (to avoid injury).

The previous 8 week pole dancing course i did really helped with fitness. A couple of friends asked if i lost weight and upon weighing myself, i've lost 2kilos! 3kg more to lose!

Honoured

2011-10-15T02:59:00.000+11:00

Because i've successfully migrated to Australia, suddenly i'm valuable to Malaysia! They've realised they are losing talent to countries like UK, Australia and Singapore.

A government linked company (GLC) was set up and they planned a networking event for Malaysian professionals working abroad. I was honoured to get an invitation to the Melbourne event!

View from the 25th floor, the penthouse of the Langham Hotel, where the event was held. Taken by the iPhone 4. I was told that there was another event for non-Accountants, held in the Melbourne Aquarium the next day

Not knowing what to expect, i went with an open mind. They weren't pushing us hard, they werent trying to get us to go back. Its a pretty simple evening, just mingling and small talk with other Malaysians and a couple of ex-colleagues. Buffet dinner too!

A good friend i met through this blog was there too, and when people asked how did you meet, he'd go silent and i'd say "Friend of a friend", which is true. A friend's blog link!

The highlight of the night was chatting with the Executive Chairman of the company i worked for in Kuala Lumpur for 2 years

Chats were in groups of 3 or 4 people. I noted how he read each and everyone of our business cards and asked us about our work. Before he left the group i was with, he drirectly looked at me and gave me advice specifically related to my job! =) Never had that honour when i was in KL!

Grand Finals

2011-10-02T17:08:00.002+11:00

Colleagues, both men and women Aussies, were talking about it at 4.35pm Friday. Thai colleague n i were just listening

I figured out which footy team my boss was supporting and i figured out that bbq goes hand in hand for the weekend

Didnt wanna be left out, feels like a big thing so i kinda invited myself to a couple of friends' place for the afternoon to watch the game on tv! Hahahah, was good cuz i get some explanation on the rules n stuff.

Watched the first two rounds, 20 minutes each and was falling asleep towards the end! Hahahha, by the third they changed the channel and were watching Community! The girls, one guy and i started playing Monopoly deal and the rest switched back to the final round.

Before i knew it, Geelong Cats were hugging each other n i asked, is it over? My boss will be happy on Monday because Collingwood Magpies lost.

Woke up today at 1.30pm, with a sore throat and cough from all that bbq! Thats my first Grand Final weekend in Australia =) Daylight savings is here!

Sleepover

2011-09-25T23:56:00.000+10:00

I had a visitor this weekend =) Girly time!

We got along easily when we met ten years ago in high school, PMR examination tuition classes! Heheh. Cant believe we're all grown up and thrown into the big bad world

Her orange drink, with me in the background =P I was looking at the pictures we took, in a Vietnamese restaurant in Glen Waverley where selected shops close at 3am

On Friday night i organised a mini-BBGS-in-Melbourne-get-together for her, invited WCH and HWL and booked a table for four in Nachos Mexican Cantina. We were the first customers to walk in the door at 5.50pm and we were the lasts to leave at 10pm =) We talked and talked so much and forgot to take photos! I only remembered when i was at home, in the shower =(

PL is a savoury person and wanted to have breakfast at Hopetoun Tea Rooms. Even though we went to bed after 2am last night (we were chatting, Bumping photos and shooting Angry Birds =) we got up before 8am and headed to the city

Met up with her uni friend and her friend's sister, a second year accounting student, oh i feel so old! Its alright, i'm still young enough to wear my new 'mineral red' Forever New trench coat which i picked up on sale from Chaddy (Yesterday's shopping trip =)

My breakfast =) I have the tendency to order anything with avocado in it... salmon, poached eggs with caviar topping, bread and leetuce! Cost a bomb for freaking breakfast but its not everyday my dear PL visits so its alright to have a nice meal together =) The table was too small for all out plates, pots and tea cups!

The nutritionist/dieticians and I. They were talking about thir field a bit, interesting, and i hated to find out that dim sum (Yum cha as Aussies call it) is a big no no! M whom i just met says she told her dad no more dim sum!

Chocolate cakes, scones, macorons and more! Such a indulgence-filled weekend! Eating, shopping and iPhones before bed =)

Please please let there be more to come!

Aussie job world, please be kind to her so she can stay!

Rellies

2011-09-22T23:46:00.000+10:00

"Their rellies come over to look at the wreck", I was like what the hell is rellies? Then I guessed it means 'relatives' in Aussie slang! Hahhaah

My cousin's borrowed library book that i finished reading in one sitting instead of blogging or doing other stuff i should be doing on Tuesday night. Good stuff

I tried iPhone blogging but it didnt work and i didnt have time to check my own beloved blog till today! Will try again =)

Spring

2011-09-12T23:33:00.000+10:00

I've been questioning again, what do i want from life?

What is important to me? Do i do enough of what i enjoy? Do i do what i need to do to get ahead? Is what i do enough to get me where i want to be?

Photo taken along Mailing Road. One Saturday afternoon, i was driving by and decided to stop, walk, enjoy the sunny afternoon and take some pictures.

Spring in full bloom, and i havent even uploaded pictures from Autumn! Life's passing me by, will i make the most of it?

Shoe

2011-09-06T23:39:00.002+10:00

300 days in Melbourne and i've bought 4 pairs of boots, 4 pairs of heels and 4 pair of shoes. Lets not count how many pairs of flip flops i bought! =P

Wish i had time to do extensive shoe photography and blogging like i used to (Click here and here)

5 inch heelss!!! =) =) My latest. Never used to like the plastic bit but tried them on because they were discounted! Fell in love. It looks like u arent wearing any shoes from the front, gives the illusion that u are all dainty and on tip toes

Surprisingly comfortable! Wore them for my second class of Level 2 course. The first class was so hard! The other girls were soooo good, 6 out of 8 girls are repeating Level 2! I haven't been practicing for two and a half years and felt so insecure!

I told myself i can do this and just gave it a shot. And failed! I couldnt do anything taught in the first class =(

Doesnt stop me from loving the course! Today the instructor taught us a new trick and i watched as one of the other girls did it successfully, i didnt think i could do it, but tried anyway. Teacher came around to me and corrected my hand and then, guess what?

I did this!!!

Not as elegant as her. Still, cant believe it, omg!! =)

Does my head look big in this?

2011-09-02T00:42:00.002+10:00

My 11 yr old cousin borrowed a book from her school library. I picked it up and couldnt stop reading! Normal teenage stuff about boys, being self conscious, dealing with mean popular girls

Whats i love about this book is, its not American. Its really different reading something Aussie, set in Melbourne, places and roads i actually know and been to, slang words used here like wog, daggy and some others that i've noted. Its like experiencing the childhood i never had in Melbourne

Its intriguing because it highlights Melbourne's diverse cultural issues. In this book, a 16 year old Australian born Palestianian girl decides to wear the hijab... which is what Malaysians call the tudung or selendang.

I grew up in a Muslim country with many of my classmates and teachers wearing it so its not a new sight to me, yet the author describes her situation in such a way that i feel like u are in her shoes and how different it is in Melbourne.

I thought i knew alot about the religion but there is plenty i dont know. Its captivating. I love the way Aussies produce their own literature and tv shows! Good job Melbourne, overall i love that u are my new home

Snowboarding part 2

2011-08-22T00:40:00.004+10:00

Literally i jumped, screamed and squealed when they said they've found Kooper, the snowboard i lost in Snowboarding part 1. I dont have to pay for a missing board =) Money can stay in the bank! Heheh

I went up and down the mountain again, this time since no one was waiting for me, i chilled out on a beautiful spot and took in the breathtaking view of the mountains! Awesome random skiier caught in my picture. One day i must be as cool as Mr Green Pants!!

Fell on purpose again at the side of the slope to snap this view =)

The 2 hour lesson i took was really good! Its fascinating how true it is that to turn to the left, all u gotta do is LOOK TO THE LEFT! To help, just point to the left as if u are pressing the "Left" button! Hahah, makes no sense but it works! Seriously!

Snowboarding is really weird, once i found myself going too fast straight down (slightly to the left). To slow down i need to turn to the exact opposite direction and that means i have to look away from the front! As scary as it is, i had to force myself to look to the BACK, and magically i turned the other way and slowed down, just as stated in theory!

Went back to the cafe and guess who shouted out my name?

PL comes boarding by!

Candid shot of her expertly halting to a stop. With a big smile. So cool the way she does it!

To stop i need to fall, on my butt!

YN joins us soon after =)

Three girls reunite and that means: camwhore session!!! =)

So glad to bump into them! Company! And PHOTOGRAPHS for the bloggie!

Riding the chaiflift with friends makes the ride feel a lot shorter! They tried a different route and PL was so ethusiastic about it, she thinks i can do it too and of course your blogger agreed! =)

Really steep and it was marked black (expert trail)! I went slow and it hurts the knees to go slow so i was constantly resting by sitting on the snow. People on the passing chairlift overhead encouraged me to get up so as to not miss the last chairlift ride. I noticed there were less and less people around me... the sunset was BEAUTIFUL but i knew it was for my own good to keep on moving!

There was one Mt Buller staff that came around and started scolding me, saying that the chairlifts closed 20minutes ago and was really rude about asking me to hurry! Then he disappeared leaving me alone and a little bit in panic mode!

Thankfully there were two little boys and their teacher. They were so cute, one of the was sliding down the snow on his butt, the other one was walking and carrying his board. Their teacher always waiting for them, i was so glad for company. And i followed them till we got to the cafe, where the girls were waiting for me! So sweet of them! =)

There was this other other staff who offered to carry my board and so i can walk! Haha, for parts of the journey i walked while he carried my board, then i decided to board! It was stressful with the staff constantly by my side, it felt a bit like a personal lesson!

He wasnt teaching me but with someone watching me, i had to draw on my memory of the morning's class and do it well! The pressure is on! I focused on doing the zig zag thingie.

At one instance i found myself losing control, i was going too fast down and towards the left again! I pointed to the right, hoping to turn to the right... i was looking down because i was scared. That didnt work. I ordered myself to LOOK to the right, and yes, magically i turned to the right, as desired and was back in control!

I rode the chairlift with the staff and we chatted, he said that he could tell its my first day snowboarding and said that i'm doing really well! Yay!!! Also said i did the Falling Leaf (zig zag thingie) which was good =)

This staff was really nice, unlike the earlier one i encountered! At the top of the chairlift, he arranged for another personnel to give me a ride on the Snow Mobil!

Soooo cool and fast! Its like a jet ski but on the snow!! YN also hitched a ride after me. PL was fast enough to snowboard down on her own

We managed to catch the 5.30pm bus back to Mansfield where we went to a pub and had a feast! Pork Ribs in Jack Daniel sauce rivals TGI Friday's, and the portion is 'man size' a.k.a HUGE!! Also ordered kangaroo meat, medium rare which was lovely! My first time trying it. As usual no food pix on this blog =P

Snowboarding!

2011-08-16T00:26:00.003+10:00

Received a What'sApp message inviting me to the snow for a day trip!

My friend PL's an avid snowboarder and so is her friend YN, so i decided to try snowboarding. Skiing was HORRIBLE. Snowboarding is much more easier!

Thats Burke Street Carpet, where all beginners take their classes. My class started off bad, i couldnt do one thing everyone had no problem doing. I was like, oh no, dont tell me i cant ski AND i cant snowboard too?

In the end the instructor discovered its because the stupid equipment shop gave me a men's L to XL sized board! I need S to M

I got it exchanged. This is Kooper and i. The equipment shop named the board, not me

The class ended at the middle section of the slope, the same slope i chickened out from in 2007 even though its a beginner's slope. I was simply atrocious at skiing!

With snowboarding, 5 minutes after my class ended i went down that slope alone! =) =) So proud and couldnt stop smiling!

Met up with PL and she lead me to where her friends are. I was so awfully slow that she was always sitting and waiting for me. At first i thought walking would be faster so thats what i did!

Wrong! It was so hard to walk down the snow, i gave up walking and just sat down and put on my board!

Rode down that slope successfully, with PL and her friends cheering me on at the bottom!!! =) =) So happy!

Then i got stuck, lost momentum at flat ground. PL said just take the board off and walk, so i did just that

Guess wtf happened....

The crime scene is so beautiful
My snowboard just slipped out of my hands, slowly at first, i tried to grab it but was an inch too far, i tried again but it got faster and before i realised what was happening, it was gaining speed! I shrieked for attention so that someone would help me! The stupid skiier just looked at my snowboard go pass him

...and i watched in horror as three hundred dollars flew off the cliff! Everyone at the cafe was looking too! I was lying flat on my belly on the snow in disbelief, hell i didnt want the first snowboard i buy to be a sacrifice to the mountains!

The wrong way to place ur idle snowboard. The bottom its slippery and that why mine went down the cliff! =(

I asked SL if he saw my board slip away. He said "yes, it was highly entertaining!" =( Couldnt help but laugh though! He said it happens to everyone... just that for them it slides a few meters, and mine went off a cliff!

The benefits of being with experienced skiiers and snowboarders is that they could go down the proper trail and look to see if my board was at the bottom

From left to right, me, PL and YN =)

Will write the rest of my snowboarding story in another blog post, need to sleep!

Hobbies

2011-08-06T02:38:00.002+10:00

What do u do when your boss, a Chartered Accountant, says he is a beekeeper on your first day of work?

I thought he was joking and didnt know what to say! Weeks later, during lunch, another colleague asked him about his bees. Then i realised it he wasnt joking! Hahahha, he really is a beekeeper! His has the suit and his own bee hive!

This other Chartered Accountant in the shared office is a dancer.

She dances for medals and competitions! She orders costumes and it gets sent to the office! She's really passionate about it and you can see it in her eyes, love the way she talks about it!

I'm proud to be surrounded with interesting people, who have a balanced life =) A friend commented in my old blog post

I miss those days soooo much. Got me Googling, got me excited seeing the classes and all the various levels!

Shall this be my hobby?

iPhone 4

2011-07-26T00:57:00.002+10:00

is coincidentally the fourth phone i've owned in my life

My pretty. White little piece of technology reconnected me with many friends. What's App has taken over msn in my life!

Pictures taken the first day i brought home my phone. I couldnt use it, so i posed WITH it

It was a bitch to get the phone running, microsim what the hell man.

Nah, what really happened wasn't anything like this comic strip. But after 6 days, i finally decided to cut the old regular simcard with a pair of scissors.

I love my iPhone, i love my skirt, i love my stockings, i love my red Supre top, i love my hair, i love my main job =) I love my 4 year old camera and laptop. Love my 16 year old Starlet

No i'm not always happy, its just that blogging brings out the best in me! =)

Kep, Cambodia

2011-07-17T23:48:00.000+10:00

WS and i decided to rent bicycles to go around Kep

From our guesthouse we walked to this place called Crab Market and grabbed a bike each. Three US dollars for two bikes till sunset if i remembered correctly

Along our ride we saw the beautiful seaside so we stopped to take some pictures (which didnt turn out that well cuz it was toooo sunny)

The Lonely Planet travel guide said that there is a town in Kep. We rode past a little place with shops and further away, i was following her lead. I said we should get lunch, and she said yeah we'll have lunch in the town. I said... i think we past the town! Hahah

Nice little restaurant on with balcony for u to dine in.

Orchids decorated the place

I ordered my favourite Cambodian fish amok, which she introduced to me on my first night in Phom Penh

We cycled around more after lunch

1. By the beach people had plastic bags of crabs, which they were trying to sell to us

2. The guy tore the live crab open and showed us how to eat it sashimi style
3. WS tried it but in this Cambodia trip i wasnt adventurous with food at all because the trip was shortly after the Bali trip which had toxic food

By the beach for a bit of sunset.

There is a mermaid statue there, not much else.

Just relaxed and took photos

I waited till the man rowed his boat there and i took this shot this way on purpose! Haha

Hammocks by the beach. We didnt hang around for the sun to totally go down because we needed to cycle back to Crab Market and we didnt want to do that in the dark

The guestroom we stayed in for that night! Each of my 3 night in Cambodia i slept in different guesthouses in different towns! That was my very first taste of backpacking

Cambodia

Cambodia in 2009 Backpacking

12 Best flight ever! On top of the world

07 Taxi Kep How many people can you fit in a car?
06 Fishing Village

05 Sihanoukville tuk tuk tour

04 Sunrise by the beach and breakfast

03 251km across Cambodia a long bus ride

02 Phnom Penh around the city

01 A night in Phnom Penh

Cambodia in 2006 Tour

Cambodia with family

I think i have a problem

2011-07-07T00:29:00.001+10:00

I am a workaholic. For a second i was glad they cut down my shifts at the restaurant that i have been working in for over 6months now (i also have a full time office job), it means more time to socialise!

Then it hit me, the pay cut that results is gonna sting!

Watched tv on Monday and Tuesday evening. Tonight i read a book called The Kiasu Traveller from cover to cover in one sitting. Some of the things they do are horrible, like keeping antic telephones from hotel rooms as a souvenir!

The book reminded me of how i took wayyy too many samples of Hazelin face wash in school when i was 14. It was raining and i was the only one who dared help myself to the box of samples. Hahah, the amount i took was enough to fill up a bottle at home. For about ten years after that i was a loyal customer to the brand, always buying their cleanser =)

Pictures taken on my first day on Koh Tao, Thailand. Love how my pictures depict fun loving, natural and carefree. So distant in my memory, puts a smile on my face, but it does not make me long for a vacation, i do not feel chained to the desk

Its a freezing winter in Melbourne but i do not yearn for the sun and warmth. Bare trees can look so pretty. At the moment i am thankful to be one of the 10% of people who love their job =) Hope things dont change later!

Deeply Shallow

2011-07-01T00:53:00.000+10:00

Reading through old sms messages reminded me of the tortured soul i once was. I took a huge risk and left. Took me 6 months to get back on my feet in a totally different environment

What i always told myself is true. It is all worth it. The depression i went through looking for work in Melbourne, the multiple rejections, demotivation, going to the gym where the sight of Asian women in office clothing almost brought me to tears, how i longed to be one of them. Six months felt like an eternity

Those who grew up here dont appreciate it. It's their right. There are countries in the world where humans have no rights. Over here cows have rights. Its amazing how much people care. At the Neighbourhood Centre where i take Spanish classes, there was a petition on the table for anyone to sign to completely ban cattle export to Indonesia.

In Malaysia something can outrage the public, but it'll be forgotten in a few days. Its been a month since the issue came up here and people actually follow it through!

Anyway, Term 2 of Spanish classes have ended! We did the same listening activity we did at the end of Term 1. Listen to a radio conversation of a family ordering food and u need to write down who orders what. Last term i was sooo lost and confused, tonight i understood the conversation perfectly well! =)

I should be learning Mandarin because of my skin colour... i absolutely HATE it when people speak to me in Chinese or ask me to justify why i cant speak Chinese, it is exhausting. Why MUST i be able to speak Chinese? So what if my roots are yellow, cant i have white flowers?

I dont want to be angry, i'll tell u about my end of financial year shopping on Sunday!!! =)

My purchases! =) =) Love!

Forever New dresses $20 each. Novo shoes $20 each. Accessories 3 for $10 (which is the same price as buying them from Thailand!) so i bought 6.

Undies (Aussie way of saying underwear) 5 for $10, i went MAD and searched for anything in my size. Only had time to buy 10 pairs before the shop closed at 6pm =(

Mountain Biking Part 3

2011-06-22T23:06:00.001+10:00

After the long photo and chat break by the valley in Part 2, we moved on

The journey was 25km, most of it was downhill but there was a slight bit of uphill which really killed us. We ended up just walking the bike up the hill!

At one point i remember that i was getting into the mood, was able to cycle confidently, felt so good and i was really enjoying the moment when it started to rain dammit. My camera was in my pocket and not in my waterproof bag so i stopped. Lost momentum after that

Just as quickly as it started raining, it stopped and the sun came out again! Towards the end, S fell right in front of me! It was like in slow motion, it was a really bad fall and her chin was bleeding.

S was brave about it, and she was apologetic for holding us up. When she asked how bad it was, we all said it wasnt too bad to keep her calm.

Around the same place she fell, there was blood stains...

Funny that there was a rainbow in the distance, took this pic while the guides were giving her first aid. After that she was noticeably less chatty, and cycling a lot slower and wayyy more cautiously.

Mmmmm... cycling by the lake was bliss, soooo beautiful, relaxing and calm. Just too bad it meant our trip has come to an end

Lunch was included in the package, simple rice+ meat + veggie, which we ate by the lake in one of those huts. S was back to her chatty self! Hahaha, she was complaining about her country and telling us how restrictive the government is

The other group finished eating and left, but we were still chatting! Hahah, i liked observing S and her much older Brit husband, how they make fun of each other, love their chemistry.

Camwhore time! The level 1 group =)

The guides and i =) Two thumbs up for them!

Definitely will sign up again if i ever head back to Chiang Mai

I didnt know they were making faces! Hence the out of place smile on me

The songtau to take us back to the city. At the centre, the owner told S she needed stitches =( We changed out of the cycling attire and back into our own clothes. All exchanged emails and Facebook details =)

Since AK was also a solo lady traveller, i asked her if she has a Thai mobile phone number. She did and we arranged to meet for dinner by the East Gate of the mote!

I asked the friend i made at my guesthouse, JK to join us. He did and he brought along his Panasonic Lumix which was good for night shots

The girls having a laugh! Good to have a photographer around. JK took the waterfall pic in my previous post =)

1. Pedal scratch on my thigh and the dot on the knee is the leech bite from Part 1

2. The pedal hit the back of my ankle

3. The middle bar of the bicycle bruised my inner thigh in one of my multiple falls

Wounds healed, scars fade, memories will remain, love! =) I wanna do it again!

Click here for more on my travels

Devilishly Selfish

2011-06-16T23:59:00.005+10:00

Love the freedom, the independence. Heard on the radio this morning that there were still tickets for sale to Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite concert. By lunch i was on ticketek.com and by 7.30pm i was in Road Laver Arena!

Paid for the $159 tickets with my own credit card =) Drove home from work for a shower, dinner, change and to grab my camera. The concert was a blast! Even though i went alone

Happy, comfortable in my own skin. I dont need anyone to accompany me, i dont need anyone to hold my hand. If i want something, i go get it. No children to feed or cook for. No home loans to repay. Yet

My parents do not depend on me, all i gotta do is make them proud, which i have done =)

After the concert at 11pm, i walked to the train station and upon alighting from the train, i hopped into my car. Dont need to wait for husband or relatives to give me a ride. Oh, i heard on the radio that women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive. Thank god i was born in Malaysia. And that i am now a Permanent Resident of Australia.

Being twenty five is LOVELY! Living in Melbourne is safe. And working here is fair. Devine =)

Picture taken when backpacking in Thailand.

junio

2011-06-06T00:29:00.004+10:00

From driving along the four lane Jalan Loke Yew to work at 30kmph with hordes of motorbikes driving in between lanes, they will honk you and give you death stares if u so much as turn on your signal to change lanes. 10km journey takes 45minutes at best (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

To driving on the four lane M1 highway here at 90kmph. I dont see ANY motorbikes at all =) And if u change lanes people give way. Takes 35 minutes on average to go 25km (Melbourne, Australia)

From listening to Hitz.fm and Mix.fm to listening to Fox and Mix.fm. There is a Mix.fm in both countries.

Then i started listening to B.fm in KL... where they talk interview CEOs and financial people.

Lately i've been listening to Triple J in Melb. Love the issues discussed. The condom advertisement on a billboard featuring a gay couple. An employee was suing the employer for being sacked via sms. Live cattle that is exported to Indonesia are inhumanly slaughtered there. Arguments for and against the ban of live cattle export to Indonesia have good points

Today as i was enjoying my walk along Bourke Street and noticed a campaign! People approached my friends and i to sign petitions for the ban on live cattle export! I know these things are common here, even in my short visit to Perth in 1999 I witnessed some of it. But still, the voicing of opinions surprised me!

Pic 1: Hardware Lane
Pic 2: Yum cha (Dim sum) in Rainbow Restaurant. Food is cute but taste is just average
Pic 3 & 4: A black girl was trying on the dress in a shop, it looked so good on her, i tried one on myself. We both bought it!

In Spanish, junio means June. And you are supposed to write the days and months without a capital letter =)

Smiley Sue

2011-06-01T00:04:00.001+10:00

The last six months have been tough on me. Friends think that i am always happy and carefree because that is the image i project. Why rant on my Blog? One day when i am 70 years old, i'd wanna read about my happy times, not bring back rage and waves of negative emotions

Before i got my current job, i was applying for jobs and attending interviews unsuccessfully for what seemed like an eternity. The process was excruciating, i felt like the ultimate failure. So glad that its over and in the past now! There are new things to worry about though, like paying taxes =S

And having no time to blog or upload new pictures! Picture above was taken in March, before i cut my hair! Hahahah

On top of the world

2011-05-24T23:44:00.002+10:00

I was daydreaming while driving and i missed my turning. Ended up having to drive through a different street which had rows and rows of pretty shedding trees

Colours like that just make my day! I parked and skipped to the train station, smiling like an idiot. It was cold yes, but it was like ecstacy!

I was so happy that i am in Melbourne now, that things are finally going the way it is supposed to be, that i was wearing a scarf, jacket, knee high boots and a tee that says No Fcukin' Worries =)

Picture above was taken in High Sky Mt Dandenong in the Dandenong Ranges early this month. I might wanna make it a yearly autumn trip to the area when temperatures dip. Loved the breathtaking drive!

New Job =)

2011-05-17T00:50:00.000+10:00

It happened so fast. Wednesday i was doing an aptitude test. Called on Thursday

What i wore to my 9am Friday the 13th interview before my restaurant shift at 12pm. Shortest interview i ever went to. Offered the job on the spot!

Accepted =) Started on Monday. There was a rainbow on my drive to work =) The day flew by. Boss is really nice, he said he wants me to look forward to coming to work =)

What i'll wear Tuesday =) =) New boots ($89) and bag ($30) from Novo, its intoxicating spending Australian dollars I earned, feels soooo good

The real beginning begins

2 minute post

2011-05-12T10:50:00.000+10:00

Just a short one to say i am alive and well
Just busy as hell

Love my Blog and will never give up blogging.
Thanks for visitng, i'll be back =)

Night Dive

2011-05-04T02:40:00.001+10:00

As part of my advanced scuba dive course, i picked Night Diving! =) The same day after the afternoon dive, my instructor told me to get a bite to eat for dinner and told me to be back at the dive centre shortly

Pic of me while waiting for my panang curry in this little shop called Coffee Boat. Love my meal, its red and sooo spicy hot, i immediately ate it instead of taking photos of my food. By the way, thats me with no make up whatsoever =) Fresh out of afternoon diving

The doorway of the equipment centre of the dive shop. Leads straight to the sea =) That square thing at the bottom of the picture is a little puddle of water for u to wash your feet to get rid of sand

Oxygen tanks. On the wall: BCD devices, its the thing u wear like a vest for you to carry your tank and it helps you descend or ascend by pressing buttons. You'll be like a submarin when diving =)

Regulators. The stuff that connects the oxygen tank to your BCD device and to your mouth. There is also a spare mouth piece in case your buddy runs out of air and u need to lend them a hand (it is a must to dive in pairs)

The orange thing are scuba face masks. On the right, the blue ones are bags for the equipment and the lower shelve is for flippers.

Wetsuits. Short sleeves and covers up to knee length to suit the tropical weather. The one i wore in Tasmania is totally different!

Sunset a.k.a. Time to head out to sea!! =)

Thats how we get on the Long Boat which will take us to the bigger dive boat. So fun, u'll have to walk in the water and climb into the rocking little boat! =) The instructors will put the equipment onto the boat for us but we do help unload after the dive

View of the beach from the long boat as we head out to sea

Silhouette of dive tanks!

The blogger camwhores =)

You see the plastic thingie on the left tank? It is placed on tanks that have been filled with air. After you've used the tank, do not put it back on to show that it needs a refill =)

Another dive boat in the distance. We achored at our dive location, far off from the shore and my instructor took out two torch lights

He asked "are u taking a photo of these?", i went "hehe" and then quickly put away my camera and paid attention to instructions

Night dives are scary. Because it is pitch black, I got disorientated once, somehow i felt like i was upside down and started to panic. Instrutor tapped on my shoulder and when i saw him and realised i wasn't upside down and calmed down. Its weird!

A couple of times, i floated to the surface without intending to. Hate it when that happens. Cuz i hate descending and everytime i float up, i'll have to descend again... and its not good to go up and down too many times because of nitrogen levels in the body (can kill you)

Saw lots of fishes but nothing memorable. No barracudas. Some people saw turtles! But not me =( I've swam on top a turtle before in Redang and it was awesome, i wish to get that opportunity again

August is peak travel season in Thailand, wayyy tooooo many divers. Chased away marine life =( Got back onto the boat disappointed. Went to pee, the toilet has no lights and i got locked in there!!!

Was stuck for some time till my instructor came looking for me! Hahah. Listened to the debriefing and there wasnt much time left to take pictures. Why la did i have to get stuck in the toilet? Hahahha. Made a good Facebook status update anyway =)

One of the torchlights went missing. They werent numbered so it could not be detected who lost it. My instructor was really pissed because that meant all instructors wont get paid for the night's work/dive...

Koh Tao, Thailand
05 Advanced Dive Course is the obvious next step =)
04 Certified Diver Completion of my Open Water course =)
03 Orange sunset after 3 weeks of gloomy evenings
02 Koh Tao during the day & at night
01 Open Water Scuba Diving Day 1 on the island

Lucky

2011-04-30T00:55:00.000+10:00

Every Friday, i'm going to think of something i should be thankful of and blog about it
Lets start with something simple for the first post =)

I am lucky that i never need to shave my legs or underarms. I've blogged about this before, click here

I choose Friday because if i ever run out of things to be thankful for, i can just Thank God Its Friday! Hahah

Ash

2011-04-25T12:29:00.000+10:00

Cousins were looking for dog but its expensive to get them in pet shops (Australia) and its not like u can pick puppies up from the road side like you do in Malaysia

ET's classmate has kittens she wanted to give away so we decided on a cat instead! She was such a frightful scared little thing the first day we took her home, we were trying to get her to not hide under the bed.

At first we kept Ash in the house. When i went to the toilet one morning, thats what i saw behind the door

"I'm Ash"

She jumped on the kitchen table and ate the fresh loaf of bread and my aunty caught her licking the pots. So we had to keep her in the backyard from then on

Little LT feeding Ash. My mom says LT loves animals since she was really young and that she wasnt afraid of our German Shepard Dickie

Pretty Ash

Sat evening, I bought 1kg of chicken neck from the supermarket and boiled soup because there was homemade dumplings in the freezer. OMG its soooo good!

I had the same thing for lunch and dinner on Sun as well! Hehe! So simple, chuck the whole packet of chicken neck in a pot of boiling water. Dump in two carrots, two tomatoes and two chilli padi. One onion.

Of course, please cut the vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste. Boil and boil, the longer the better. Add in some chicken breast and the dumplings.

Love!!! I ate up almost ALL the chicken neck (but not the bones). Gave a few pieces to Ash (she ate the bones). She likes my cooking too =)

Mountain Biking Part 2

2011-04-16T02:05:00.005+10:00

There are three different cycling routes according to difficulty. Our guides said that all three will stop at this tea house, about one fifth of the journey. So we could decide to change to a harder level or to an easier one

I was already covered in mud, bruises and cuts by the time we got here!

I had ginger tea... which came with sugar in it! Everything in Thailand has sugar in it, i wonder how the girls remain soooo thin!

I looked at my wounds and gasp! Makes my skin crawl just thinking about it as i blog!

There was leech on my right knee!!! Eeek!!! I ran to my guide Lek, who just flicked it away like it was nothing because it was tiny...

We continued on our journey... stopping every now and then. We realised S had a flat back tyre!

For us 5 cyclists, we had 2 guides. They took really good care of us. Both of them fixing S's flat tyre

When we are not cycling, just dump the bike on the floor!

It does not have the stand thing

I started to take photos of my muddy knee guard and wounded shin

AK decided to join me. She's smart to wear jeans, and she's the best cyclist, the only one who didnt fall!

S is from China and she made a joke about the bicycle tyre being of low quality and that its must have been made in China! Funny girl!
Almost done, and then we were on our way!

Some parts of the trail was smooth and some of it was a lot more bumpy

Stretches and stretches of these orangy earth, really bumpy ride. I tend to sit on the bike rather than stand... so my butt hurts

This has gotta be the worst!

Hate it! I couldn't stay on the narrow tarmac part, but the orange earth in between was no better. I felt down four times! The back wheel of my bike actually flew up a couple of times when i used the brake!

Awful awful, i was going so slowww, cautious. I was left farrr behind, while AK and S were well ahead. Neither one of them fell. Each time i fell i'd get back up and go again

The guide told me to keep my eyes on his butt and not follow too closely! Hahah, and it actually works. In terrains like that, what u are supposed to do is look far ahead and not look in the near distance.

If u look far ahead you will be able to judge and better control your bike. I know, theory seems simple but it was hard putting it to practice! Later got the hang of it =)

Like kindergarten bestfriends on this trip! We were inseperable, just clicked

Rode past a few paddy fields, it was sooo beautiful but many times i didnt stop to take photos, barely had time to take in the view as i cycled by. We did stop every few km to regroup and wait for the British couple

And to camwhore!!! =) Photos taken by our guide Lek

Chinse S, Japanese AK and Malaysian me

My bike on the floor again

While listening to S complain about China's political issues and how Facebook is banned over there

British B, S, me, British M and AK hidden by plants! Hahha.

Another part i hated is when we had to cycle uphill. Just. Not. Fit. Enough. Most of the trip is down hill though thankfully

Click here for Part 1
Chiang Mai, Thailand. Click here for a list of Thailand blog posts

Chocolate Sundays

2011-04-11T23:19:00.003+10:00

Never knew Hopetoun Tea Rooms existed. Ignorant me, its famous. Full, no seats available and there were people queueing to get in!

Had Chocolait on Little Burke last week where we talked for hours around a little coffee table just like they do on the sitcom Friends. This week we headed to Lt Collins

Impressed by the interior. We didnt wait though, instead we headed to Ganache, another chocolatier nearby

Brownie, tripple chocolate mousse and almond something cake! Devine! Combined with hours of endless chatter and laughter. Perfect Sunday afternoon.

$7.50 for my cake, dont convert to Ringgit, it kills.

Sooo glad to be earning Australian Dollar! Not the ideal career, I'm a waitress, who cooks burgers and wraps, cleans the kitchen and handles the cash register too. Hourly wage, i probably might not even hit the lowest tax bracket this year

But i'm happy, i love the job i do. Its like a hobby. It wont buy me a house, but for now its okay; i can spend AUD 20 on lunch, tea and cake on a Sunday afternoon, just live a little =) I am able to buy a birthday present for my little cousin =)

Its a start, the start of my life in Australia =)

Paparazi

2011-04-03T01:55:00.001+11:00

Spotted on French collonial Sakkarin Avenue

Sue Lin entering her luxury ride...

What's she up to?

Just a camwhore session =)
That's the Lonely Planet Southeast Asia in her hand. Its Th Sakkarin, not Sakkarin Avenue and its just a car parked on the street in Luang Prabang.

More blog posts on Laos soon-ish!

Devonshire Tea

2011-03-27T00:48:00.002+11:00

First time i heard of it was when C wanted to rent a car to dead to Dandenong Ranges for it. Back then i was busy and couldnt go

T who attended my 7year old birthday party was visiting Melbourne and mentioned she wanted to go to Dandenong Ranges

Sassafras town. We planned a spontaneous trip! Haha! I Facebooked R one day before and the night before the trip she decided to join us!

Mrs Marples is the place to go for Devonshire Tea in Sassafras.

The restaurant was full at noon

Every seat was taken except for the waiting area

They took down our names and told us to come back at 1pm sharp. So we went somewhere else for pies first. We got back to Mrs Marples right on time =)

We were given a cute cosy little table at a corner by an un-lit fireplace. Took pictures.

The lady at the table next to us plays the part so well in my next picture

Love her expression... looking out the window, relaxed, while her partner went to the toilet. Will i be like her at her age, spending a simple Sunday afternoon with the one i love in a nice little cafe like this?

T and I. Thanks to an old school photo uploaded, she and S planned a primary school reunion. Since then the two of us have been in touch and closer over Facebook. We are both avid travellers =)

R and I. Not in touch for years until another friend told me over Facebook that she'll be in Melb, so i met said friend and the friend told me R is here and through Facebook we discovered we are living near each other!

Small world that R and T used to take the same transport to school a long time ago! That makes three of us for that day =)

No idea why scones in Mrs Marples are more like cakes. We took original and fruit. OMG i love the jam and the whipped butter. Heaven! =)

I'm waiting for more girl friends to come visit Melbourne, would love to have a Sex And The City moment with girls in Mrs Marples again =P

The whole place is decorated with teapots! Reminded me of Duck Inn in Mt Buller where it was all decorated with ducks!

A backward glance and a snapshot of our cosy seat as we left Mrs Marples

Blue skies, it was such a lovely splendid day

Haircut ! (Concave)

2011-03-20T02:58:00.002+11:00

My Spanish teacher told us about a Spanish event in Frankston. On the spot i decided to go! Alone!

On my way to get there, i passed by a hairdresser. I've walked into so many since the beginning of 2011. The Aussie girl with red and black hair in the cut i wanted, served me. She put down an appointment for me at 4pm even though i told her i'd think about it

I called up my teacher to know where she is but spotted her just as she was reaching into her pocket to answer her phone!

She was happy to see me, greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. Chit chat, and talked to her colleagues as well. They are from Argentina.

She then pulled me over to go see some dance that was taking place. She doesnt know which central American country its from, but it was fun watching

Love how so many people wore hats like that. My teacher told me she needed to go back to her booth and thanked me for coming

The next show was Zumba

They welcomed the audience to try. Shy at first... and told myself i have no one to take care of my handbag as an excuse

No idea what got into me, but i decided, why not just put ur bag on the floor where u can see it and try the dance! U know u wanted to! Thats exactly what i did! Conscious at first but totally did not care in less than a minute. My long hair was all over the place when doing the highly energetic dances!

Thats when i decided. This is it. A nice classic ending to my long hair. I'm going for the hair cut!!! =)

I went to visit my old boss in a restaurant in Frankston, chat a bit =) Still had 30 minutes to spare after that, so i grabbed a bite to eat. Sat at one of the tables and just observed the people around me

Watched the way the old Spanish couple greeted their friends, loved hearing Spanish. Listened to the Aussie tell his friend he practiced his Spanish by saying Gracias when he bought his food

Then it was time! The 4pm appointment

I look so scared! Hahahah. 10 years since i last had a drastic haircut. Even though the hairdresser is a Caucasion man, i felt comfortable. There were many women in this shop unlike another place i previously enquired (looked like a barber, $20). And cheap too $27.50. A mall hairdressing place quoted me $80, another was $45

With another place, i dont know if she said $50 or $15, it was an Asian lady, most of friends would say caucasions dont know how to handle Asian hair. But i was worried of the Asian lady... scared i couldnt communicate with her.

Told the white guy what i wanted, he said its called a concave cut, not the bob cut. He snipped off some of my long hair before i asked "I think its too late but do u think it'd suit me?". Hahha. He said he wouldnt cut it if he doesnt think it suits his customers =)

Shocking when i look at the amount of hair on the floor!!! Even when its fallen, my hair looks so pretty. Look at my highlighted bits... Poor locks.

The cut brings out the highlights i did in Thailand

Exactly what i wanted =) From the front it looks similar to my long hair. Because the front is the same lenght. The back used to be longer than the front. Now the back is shorter than the front =)

Freaking hope no one gives me the dreaded "you look the same" comment

Went to the Frankston beach to feed seagulls leftover bread. It was relaxing =) Treated myself to some caramel churros (Spanish doughnuts) and then headed to the train station

While waiting for the train, i tried tying up my hair. OMG! 3 inch pig tail! I'll definitely miss my comic-book-like one foot long wavey black hair flowing out of the cap i wear at work (i look at myself on the CCTV...)

It'll grow back. But for now, i'm happy. Really happy to have some change =)

Went for fish and chips in Port Phillip Bay after that. Shop named Hunky Dory

With a couple of my Malaysian friends in Melb and a couple of their Indonesian friends =)

Love them!

Appreciate this wonderful Saturday! =) Going to bed tonight smiling!

Earthquake in Japan

2011-03-15T07:51:00.008+11:00

Upon hearing the news, i searched Facebook for AK, the Japanese girl i went mountain biking with

Relieved when i read what another one of her traveller friends wrote on her wall: "So glad to hear you're OK..."

"Thanks Sue!!! At first I felt I had a bloodless, for instantly I realized it was swinging. It was quite long term to shake, so scary :( "

She lives in Aichi, Nagoya. I checked her Facebook from time to time over the past few days

"... I still can't get touch with my friends who live near the hit point :( "
Friday at 8:41pm

Sue Lin: "Have u heard from your friends in the area???" Yesterday at 7:38pm

"yeh, luckily i could. nobady got hurt!!! thanks God and Sue :)"
Yesterday at 8:00pm

"today is the worst since japan has been began... i can't stop crying..still don't want to accept this disaster :((( "
Yesterday at 1:01am

"What the hell... the sun rose again, we can see all over the stricken area. which is sea or land side? It made rubble of everywhere... where is my loved Japan..."
Saturday at 11:56am

This reminds me about the time i was worried about a friend who was in Cambodia during the stampede... After travelling, world news affects me in a more personal way

Advanced Dive Course

2011-03-11T00:05:00.001+11:00

My diving instructor talked me into doing the advanced course. Wanted to dive more anyway so might as well take classes!

Day 5 in Koh Tao, i got up early to walk around before classes start, i tend to twist the phrase "live everyday to its fullest". When on holiday i try to make the best of it, stretch every minute!

Someone's puppy poodle was running about on its own. So cute!

Took photos of myself and my surroundings

Wonder what is the significance of the cloth at the front of those boats...

Saw another girl walking around with a DSLR camera.

We smiled at each other and spoke a bit. We ended up taking pictures for each other and with each other. Chris from China. Her friends are sunburned and sleeping in the room! Haha

One of the pictures she took for me =) She liked the pix i took of her too, i'm good with cameras =P

Would have been nice to walk around with her and camwhore more but i had to head to dive school!

For Advanced Dive Course, deep dive and navigation dive is compulsory. And then u get to choose another 3

Dive computer, expensive shit. Some places they make u rent it or buy it, but in Scuba Junction, they let u use it for free.

The dive computer shows u how deep u are and how long u can stay underwater, based on calculations of nitrogen levels in ur body. I loved doing the manual calculations part of the course =) I'm such a geek, ahaha

I did buoyance first which teaches u how to control ur movements in water. U have to swim through a hoop underwater. Also did somersault which scared me... after its done the instructor told me that was for fun and not part of the course! Hahah

I scrapped my elbow on the sand in this course... on my first day my left ankle was scratched... and on the second i hurt my right knee on a coral. Have got little scars from those now.

All good and all smiles anyways =) In the afternoon, i did navigation where u use a compas and try to swim underwater in a perfect square. 90degrees each way. And then in a triangle of 120 degrees each way. Also timed how long it takes me to swim 100meters underwater and counted how many flipper kicks i used

Rock formations. Somewhere on the south of the island. What do u think it looks like???

Did i mention that my Advanced Dive Course was done entirely one-on-one?! Full attention! Haha. And i took SSI for advanced because its cheaper than PADI... no need to buy the book and less theory. My open water was PADI

Seargant fishes, loads of them. Visible from the surface. I saw a little seahorse on the ocean bed too, its was black, soooooooo cute and tiny. It didnt move, everyone looking at it formed a circle around it

Starlet

2011-03-06T00:14:00.003+11:00

She's been with me for over two months now =)

My new baby. My first car in Australia

She's a pretty little thing. Manual, just like my old baby Kancil i had to left behind

The salesman called her Purple, i guess to capture a sale like me. But mechanics call her Blue. Spoiler! =(

The insurance company called me to clarify the colour of my car. I had to explain that its between blue and purple and the lady put down purple for me! Hahahahha
What a girl wants! =)

Okay, now Serious Sue comes out to play. Owning a car is no joke, let me lay it down for ya.

1. Rego, short for Registration, like Malaysian road tax is AUD624 per anum. Over here it doesnt matter if u drive a 3.0 four wheel drive or a little 1.3 Starlet. It is freaking 624 for all private vehicles. Car rental companies pay 800. Dont ask me how i know
2. Insurance. Its not compulsory here. An entirely different ball game. The policy i took is AUD308 and if a tree falls down on my car, or if it floods in Melbourne, i cant claim a cent. I can write a long description now but i still make mistakes
3. E-tag, like a Smart Tag for tolls costs $50
4. I havent started servicing yet... so dont ask
5. 8L of petrol takes me 120km, about $10.50

Lets move on to my Victorian Driver's license
1. AUD668 paid to driving instructor for 8 x 45mins lessons and for him to accompany me to the exam x 2 (because i failed once).
2. Paid $34 to VicRoads for the rules knowledge test
3. $30 for the hazard test
4. Two on the road exams at $51 each time
5. Also i had to pay for them to issue my license (valid for 10 years) $162.20

Got it from my mama!

2011-03-02T00:27:00.004+11:00

What crosses your mind when u see this!?

Run screaming? Shudder in fear?

Not me, i immediately went "Soooooooooooo cute!!!!!!"

Thats exactly what my mom thought when she saw the snake while gardening! Hahaha.

I'm just like my mommy! =) =) Love her for giving me good genes! Check out my mom's blog on her new pet snake here

Baiyoke

2011-02-25T00:46:00.003+11:00

A common tourist attraction to Malaysians in Bangkok is the Baiyoke Tower

Since we lived within walking distance, and since i missed it on my first trip to Bangkok, i was glad the girls wanted to go! =)

The first time i saw such pictures was on other blogs and i had a feeling Bangkok is bigger than KL... maybe because its been over 10years since i went up the KL Tower?

The four of us playing around in at the top =)

Rubber stamp for u to stamp post cards or notebooks as souveniers

Included with the entrace ticket costing 250Baht, is a cocktail

Drinks and the view

In the open air deck. Its similar to the Alor Setar Tower, where u are caged in this revolving thing

Love the lights on the top of the tower. Love the wind in my hair !

The capital city of Thailand. I'll be back!

Hablo español en poco

2011-02-20T01:05:00.000+11:00

Love love love learning Spanish. Second class is tough but its still fun!

Last week in our first class, the teacher asked us to introduce ourselves and briefly share why we are learning the language

I said "I've finally done with all my accounting degree and graduate diploma, so i'm here!". The class laughed!

At the end of the class, one of the other students said to me "You must be enjoying the class, u were smiling the whole time"

First time learning a language i am not forced to learn =)

Mountain Biking Part 1

2011-02-15T00:19:00.003+11:00

Solo traveller me made small talk with other travellers: European, Canadian etc

The girl that really rocked my trip walked in the door with a burst of energy, she was smiling, she had mascara on and she looked Thai. I found it rather weird for a Thai girl to go for these sort of activity alone

A Google map view of different routes down Doi Suthep hill!! 25kilometers of downhill cycling!

I later spoke to the girl, AK and found that she is Japanese! There was another Asian chick, 30 year old S from China who is married to a Brit. The three of us were like kindergarten bestfriends on the ride! Hahaha
After the short briefing by the owner, a white guy, we were off to the mountain! In the picture above, is S and her hubby

AK on the right and me on the left of the picture above =)

The other songtao. We drove through the city and then to the mountains, windy roads!

Hold on tight!
The driver drove fast, i had to camwhore despite the speed
We went past the temple on Doi Suthep, our ride is even further uphill than the tourist attraction!

They did tell us to go to the toilet in the centre at the city. I asked if there was a toilet later on and the guide said 'everywhere' is the toilet!

I was surprised that we just stopped there by the road. Both songtaos and this is it, the location, the beginning of our ride! The guys peed by the roadside!

For some reason it got all misty and gloomy! Like a movie scene!

Took lots of pictures in between putting on our equipment. They assigned a bike to each of us

Though the Mountain Biking company is owned by a white, the actual activity is totally run by local Thais. Very professional and good Thai people =)

They lined us up and briefed us. And told us to each practice!

Ride over those branches! Wont lie to u, i was a little scared! But did it anyway! Hahaha, it was really bumpy!

The girls on route 1: M from Britain, AK from Japan, yours truly from Malaysia and S from China

AK took a picture for me =) And off we go!!!

Through the muddy puddle and beyond! Adventure of a lifetime!

Poor Elephant

2011-02-09T23:00:00.001+11:00

In a restaurant toilet, on the bathroom stall was a flyer explaining that it is illegal for elephants to be on the street. Its not their natural habitat

Didnt take a photo of the sign because this is my 4th time in Thailand and i've never seen such a thing. Guess what i saw later that very same night?

The poor poor elephant looked so frightened by traffic and all the people surrounding it. It kept on trying to walk up the sidewalk and the owner tries to 'steer' it onto the road =(

There was a phone number to call to report, so disappointed i didnt take the phone number!!! My friend from Holland told me that years ago, Bangkok city was full of elephants too, thankfully no more now!

Change

2011-02-06T23:41:00.000+11:00

The old blog header picture was created in late 2007

The shadow picture was taken sometime mid 2007 and the Ball picture on the right was taken in Sep 2006. I've never had the time to create a new one since

Finally i found an afternoon to put what graphic design skills i have to use =)

Photos by Sue Lin herself. Hmm come to think of it, even the old blog header pictures were all taken by myself. Only i am patient enough for me! Haha

New header photoshoot location: Koh Tao, Thailand

Chinese New Year in Melbourne

2011-02-02T23:52:00.001+11:00

Last night i had to Google it to get the date right. Got up today, went out, came back and told cousin ET that its CNY eve and she was like "Really?"

Hahahah, almost forgotten. Two of my cousins started school today. Totally not feeling the season at all

We went for Chinese buffet for dinner. The restaurant was full with the ever growing Chinese population in Melbourne. Just as the restaurant staff replenished the plate of pink salmon, a queue of about 5 people formed, i followed suit, last in line

I watched as they pile on their plates with salmon. There were only 3 more pieces left for the lady in front of me. She knew i was waiting behind her from the beginning, i'm not invisible, but she did not even leave one piece for me!

Chinese people suck! Hahaha =P

Happy Chinese New Year!

May happiness, wealth and health hop onto your lap in The Year of the Rabbit

Locked Out

2011-01-31T17:10:00.001+11:00

Isya requested i Blog more about whats happening in my life these days. What better time to start than now, when i'm locked outside the house?

No, i did not forget my keys, Sue Lin never does that... Except when i was in Chiang Mai, i did that 3times in a row! Anyway i'm locked out now cuz there aren't enough keys.

Awful day to get locked out. Its an extremely hot afternoon n i forgot to bring a rubberband to tie my hair!

Thank goodness i found a pin on the ground, now my hair is tied in a bun. Thank goodness for mobile internet, i Facebooked n emailed for 2hours.
Thank goodness for the water cooler too.

But dam i need to pee now. And damn my phone's battery is low...

Bin Da Bat

2011-01-25T23:50:00.000+11:00

The monks and novices do a daily walk around Luang Prabang's Old City at the crack of dawn every morning, receiving alms.

Our Slow Boat friends decided to meet at 5am, when it was still pitch black, to wait for them to come out

We were stalked by Laos ladies trying to sell us rice and biscuits... they'd run to any guesthouse that opens a door!

Some of us bought the stuff, while some of us were firm in saying no. We had a morning cup of coffee while waiting.

We werent the only ones waiting

They'd come from up the street and head down the next street

So many of them, that i was able to take photos from different angles

We dont understand why the nuns in white are the ones who will give food to the long line of novice monks in orange...

Tourists would buy the food from those morning lady stalkers to give to monks

Guy in the cap, GS is one of our friends, from Austria. He and sister were backpacking greater Mekong together, very inquisitive people, showed a great deal of interest in the locals and in foreigner friends too!

I like the French colonial buildings in the immediate background and the misty mountains in the distance =)

Rolled out of bed, groggy me. We were all hanging out till late the night before!

The Slow Boat Crew hanging around! Haha, i went walk to the other corner of the street

A little different on this part. Tourists - check. But over here, there are poor people, begging for food.

On this part, the monks receive the food and then subsequently donate some...

Some tourists are so rude, he was really in their face. Even put in his camera in between the monks to take a picture of the baskets they were holding! Do u really need to do that?

Good pictures, if i say so myself, can be taken from behind one of those Chiang Mai songtao thingie - those 4 wheel drive with modified backseats... but in Laos they just call it tuktuk

New Shoes

2011-01-20T23:50:00.001+11:00

Used to be a Nike girl but switched to Adidas in 2007 =) My old pairs failed me after a good 3 years of work. Time to get a new pair but ended up with two !

Fell for the buy-one-get one-half-price gimmick! Love!

I wore the dark pair to the gym and the Aussie Chinese girl next to me said "We have the same pair of shoes!"

I was like, "Heyyyy yeah, we do!!!" =) Hahha

Day 2 in Chiang Mai

2011-01-15T23:32:00.001+11:00

My elephant ride was part of this 800Baht (RM 83 or AUD26) day tour package i took

Not in the exact order. More pictures of that day

Old camera new tricks. Playing with the macro function, pretty good for a 3 and a half year old piece of technology =)
Butterfly farm and orchid farm before the elephant ride and after the elephants, this

You cross the river using this cage thing!

Its fun! Lasts only 3seconds long? And then it was a hike to a waterfall

Nothing special, we had lunch there and because i was so slow eating, i didnt get to do more than take a couple of shots

I noticed that the forest in Chiang Mai had a lot of bamboo...

They provided a tongkat (walking stick for the hike) which i used a little when crossing little bamboo bridges. After that was a very mild white water rafting

Headed back to the city, where i moved into my new cheap-ass room

Backpackers rule no.1 NEVER ever ever pay for a room you have never inspected, even if it is 100bht a night. The bed is lumpy and there were a few black stuff on the bed near the wall. Floor was dirty so i had to wear slippers in the room.

The toilet was full of lizard shit everywhere!!! I spent a good hour or so spraying water everywhere to wash down the shit. I paid for a room and washed the toilet for them!

The guesthouse is run by the tour agent i bought some packages from, she sweet talked me into it. She and her sons live on the top floor and the four rooms on the ground floor with ensuite toilets are to be rented out

I decided to rough it out for one night, or maybe two, since i paid for 2 nights. Then i walked to get dinner, when i spotted this!

Jonadda Guesthouse! The place i was looking for on Day 1 in Chiang Mai! Recommended in the Lonely Planet book!

This is the street where i go for my internet, also has the 7Eleven i frequent. I called it my street =) A friend called it Sue Soi which means Sue Street, good times =)

Hungley curry, the waitress said its a Chiang Mai specialty, so i gave it a go. Lots of ginger in it. Not bad

After dinner, i decided to check out Jonadda. I saw an Asian guy at the front of the guesthouse alone, engrossed with his iPhone. Thinking he works there, i asked "Do u have any rooms available?"

He looked up and gave me the most confused, blank stare and eventually said "I don't work here", pointing a the other guy inside watching tv

"Oh my god, i'm so sorry!!!", embarassed i went to ask the correct person, who gave me the keys to room 301 for a look

When i came back downstairs, the two guys were chatting. To return the key i approached them and ended up joining their conversation! The guy is JK, a Korean American who's travelling for a year.

Prior to this trip, my mom n i watched Eat, Pray, Love where Julia Robert's character puts her stuff into storage and goes off travelling to Italy, India and Bali. Ironic actually meeting someone who did the storage thingie! Just like the movies!

We decided to see Doi Suthep together and exchanged Thai numbers. Chat for quite a long while before i had to call it a night

Returned to my crappy room and realized that the lights became blinking disco lights. With no one to complain to in Thailand, i smsed my new friend! =)

Appreciated =)

2011-01-12T01:21:00.000+11:00

Thats about me!!!

My exact designation was not Senior, but he was new to the firm then, so i appeared senior. I remember my first Senior ever very well too =)

I told him, like i'd say to everyone: You can travel too =)

Certified Diver

2011-01-07T01:13:00.001+11:00

One of the reasons i chose to do my Open Water Dive course in Thailand was because the whole course is done on the island. This is our 'classroom'

Outdoors, in the morning sun. British instructor on the left. Only two students per class =) Diving regulation says that an instructor can have up to 8 students but Scuba Junction is cool cuz they have small classes of up to four.

I was surprised we were allowed open book exams, discussion is okay too! So my dive buddy (you cannot dive alone, u must be assigned to a dive buddy if u go diving) and i had brunch while doing the exam

We had lunch at this place like... 3 days in a row, through the whole course. With views like this, not far away.

Good restaurant but i could never see its name, its the restaurant that plays movies at night on Sairee Beach

Some of the exam questions really made me laugh!
Check out the answers i marked with an X. Hahahha. Do u know the right answers? =) Loved the calculation part though i dont remember much now =P The next time i go diving i am sure they are going to make me take the refresher course.

Since it was the last day of the course, i took the risk and brought my camera on the boat!! Dont know what was i thinking, if i lose my camera i would go to Vietnam without a camera!!!

In my wetsuit =) Air tanks in the background... they have special names that i cant remember. And the blue blue sea =)

Post card picture perfect stretch of beach called Japanese Gardens. Would love to go there again. So pretty, we went there on the first dive day's 'confined dive' which is normally done in a swimming pool if u took the course in Malaysia.

Our instructor made us do the fitness test in paradise, it was hell swimming 3 rounds around the boat, especially when i had to swim against the waves! Haha, then we had to thread water for 10 minutes!

There was a bit more underwater tests after that, one of them was to remove your mask underwater and put it back on. The other is removing your air supply underwater and putting it back on. Won't lie to u, i was scared but needless to say i passed it all anyway =)

Like almost half the people on the boat are instructors or crew in Scuba Junction

They have to load and unload the equipment after each dive. While they were doing so, i took pictures!

Scuba cat, his name is Meow!

A photo with my instructor

Didnt realize he was wearing the Oceans Below t-shirt. He arranged for a videographer to film us diving on that day.

A photo with my videographer below, she's British. She's doing an underwater documentary course, filming underwater. She filmed us on the final day and made a video we could purchase. I didnt buy it cuz it was RM250. Awww, it was fun, i remember climbing to the roof of the boat and jumping in the water twice for her to record!!!
It was cool, the next night, her videography coursemate, my dive buddy and i went to Hippo Bar to watch the video on projector and chit chat! I loved the ambience and badly wanted to photos but i forgot my camera =(

Another instructor who briefed us on the first day.

Italian guy who can speak some Malay! You dont find many people interested in Malay!
L, another instructor who checked me in the first day, and M, a sweet friendly Thai girl who showed me to my bungalow

That night, my dive buddy n i went for BBQ dinner since we didnt have to study anymore! Yay!!!

Most restaurants in Koh Tao are this pretty =)

Irish, T and i, waiting for our food, watching fire dancers and enjoying the cool seabreeze. Sipping mango slushie for me and Chang beer for him while surfing the net, exchanging stories and looking at pictures of Ireland and Malaysia.

Chang Beer is one of Thailand's two local beers. The catch phrase for this one is, you'll get a 'Chang over' instead of a 'hang over'. The other Thai beer is Singha.

Monumental 2010

2011-01-02T01:45:00.000+11:00

Plenty of changes, new things and new sights

and flights =)

Started the year weighing 59.7kg and ended the year weighing 56.5kg =) Sold my first car ever, the little white Kancil and bought my first car in Australia, a little purple Starlet

Obtained my Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accounting (GradDipCA). It wasn’t fun but the success is one of the sweetest =)

I posted the following lyrics of a song on Facebook in July: “Certain things turn ugly when you think too hard And nagging little thoughts change into things you can't turn off”. Painful time with thousand “Why?”s. So glad I have finally moved on.

When one door closes, another opens. Some of them didn’t lead anywhere. Some of them gave me hope =)

What will 2011 bring???

Kisses 2010 goodbye!

Happy New Year!

Elephant Ride

2010-12-29T18:08:00.001+11:00

Not knowing what to expect from the tour i booked, i was surprised to board this... four wheel drive with a modified back

It was just me and a couple from China. Good to have a tiny tour group

At first i felt cheated to tour in a vehicle with no aircond. Then i realized a four wheel drive is needed for the kind of terrain we travelled through. Later learned that this vehicle is called a songtao and that its common in Chiang Mai

Slept most of the journey but once in a while i'll get up to look at some sights. Got up to see people riding elephants! Went back to sleep and when i got up, its my turn!

Baybeetea smiles, she's got her own elephant! Hehhe. No, wait, I shared my mine with the elephant trainer's son

The cute little kid in the blue cap just climbed up and sat on the elephant's neck without a saddle. There was a stream along the path and since it was such a hot day, the elephants took the liberty to stop and chill out for a while

Hot day = great pictures =) Glad i brought my hat.

I bought a comb of bananas to feed the elephant for 20Baht. Even before i got on the elephant, it snatched the bananas from my hand!!! The trainer tried to save some of the bananas, only managed to save four!

The elephant ate the rest of the bananas in one bite, with the skin on. I kept the remiander next to me while on the ride. The elephant will curl its trunk up this way for u to feed it

Being a blogger, i didn't let go the banana till i got a few shots of the process =P

Three bananas was enough for me to take photos for the blog, yay! =) The last banana fell from the saddle seat...

The little boy's father took this photo for us! =) And i took a picture of the other couple
Thats the stream that the elephant has to cross

Some of the Thai people mistake me as the couple's daughter. Sigh, just because we're of the same colour. And maybe also because it is rare for an Asian girl to travel solo

The end of the elephant ride. The view was awesome, the sunshine doesnt bother me. One hour ride didnt feel long to me

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-25T01:47:00.001+11:00

On the 21st December i went shopping for presents. Last minute but i managed to get all six gifts i planned to get.
On the 23rd I spent a few hours sitting on the floor wrapping them up =) Giving feels good.
On the 25th, i'll watch...

Alone in Chiang Mai

2010-12-22T02:06:00.001+11:00

The girls and i had a flight ticket from Bangkok to KL booked. Only 3 of them went back, i burned mine and flew to Chiang Mai instead! Alone, without any hotels booked!

In the airport, i did some research and decided to stay at Jonadda guesthouse, so upon arrival in Chiang Mai i took a cab to my destination. The taxi driver dropped me off at a main street, he said he cant drive in the little Soi (street), said that i had to walk in.

There were no signs for the guesthouse and i wasnt sure if i wanted to go through narrow lanes at night. Plan B: walk along main road to look for accomodation. With my bags weighing a total of 17kg!

Tired of walking with all my bags in the scorching Thailand afternoon sun, i picked Rama Guesthouse for 300Baht a night. It has a nice garden

Took a shower and read the Lonely Planet. Felt like staying in but dragged myself out to get my tours booked =)

The tour agent told me about the Sunday Walking Night Market

Followed the directions i was given, walked along what i thought was a river. Later i looked at the map and it was weird that the river is a perfect square!

Couple of days later, i was told that it is a man-made moat and not a river! Hehehe

Rachadamnoen Road, where the night market is located. A long street from the East Wall of the Moat all the way to Wat Prasigh, just before the West Wall

The East Wall, it has a name, later became the landmark for meeting new found friends in Chiang Mai =)

Twilight that day was absolutely awesome!

Just after sunset and before dark, my photos turned out to die for!

I loved the atmosphere, locals outnumbered tourists, temples lined the street.

Local Thai girls bought a skirt, unique Chiang Mai tribal design i presume. The saleslady charged her 150Baht although it was written 180 Baht. I was pleasantly surprised that they saleslady let me buy the skirt for the same price, no special tourist rip-off inflated prices

Ancient stone carving

Scarfs! Cheapie cheapie!! If i wasn't backpacking, i'd love to buy more and sell online !

Brass earrings. Stupid me thought it was 5 Baht a pair (RM0.50), so i spend a long time looking through and selecting so many many pairs!

The old man was nice and packed them neatly for me. Its a proven theory: a crowd attracts a crowd. There was no one at his stall, but because this blogger was standing there looking at the earrings, more people came to look, a few people were buying the earrings as i chose.

I got a shock when it was time to pay for my earrings, i missed out a zero, it was 50Baht a pair = RM5 per pair or AUD 1.60 =( I dont want to buy anything at that price but because i stood there for a long time, i just paid for one pair!

Goods and craft sold in the Sunday Night Market is a world of difference from what was offered in Bangkok markets. The daily Chiang Mai bazaar on a separate street is as boring as Bangkok night markets though.

I also noticed that Thai people love their little toy dogs. The sellers bring their toy dogs to work at the market. Each one of them had a little bed and blanket for the pampered little dog

I spent three whole hours at the night market! =) Loved it. Then i went to an internet cafe to email and update my Facebook status

More on Thailand, click here

Shopping in Bangkok !

2010-12-17T23:26:00.002+11:00

The girls and i stayed in Pratunam. While Kao San Road is the Western tourist district of Bangkok, this is the Asian section! Walking distance to many malls including

Platinum Fashion Mall

In Feb 2009, my senior at work recommended this mall. I have a hard time remembering name places so i wrote it on a digital post it note and looked at it everyday... Most Malaysians who's been to Bangkok, have been there

Rows of street stalls everywhere! Clothes, souveniors and food. A picture from the overhead bridge, much like my first trip to Bangkok (where i happened to stay in the Middle Eastern tourist area of Bangkok, Nana)

Daylight
&

nightfall

According to AN, Platinum used to be dirt cheap. Now its just mildly cheap, since the sellers know there'll always be tourists, you cant get much bargaining done

Day 2 was a temples and palace day, we nearly got cheated which was hilarious. By 4pm we were already templed out, went back to rest and eat before heading to Suan Lum Night Market, where i did the Fish Spa

There were some Black American girls there and one of them was screaming like mad... Oh, someone else told me about Suan Lum market, i cant remember who, but i wrote it down on another digital Post-it-Note on my personal laptop

Day 3 was another shopping day! Walked to Central World to look for Naraya, recommended by Valdez Lisa

Three of us went crazy, looking at almost everything while the fourth lady got sick and tired of the merchandise! Yeah, the only people who shopped here are Asians!

No idea much time we spent in there, but it was LONG! Hahah. Followed by MBK =)

Day 4, Friday was assigned to the floating market and on Day 5, Saturday, its gotta be

Chatuchak Weekend Market!

Another "Must Do" when you are on The Shopping Vacation. Honestly, i hated it. At first. I didnt want souveniers and i didnt want decorative items and we were stuck in those areas for hours before we found the clothing area =)

The open air area of the market can look quite appealing but let me tell u, it was chaos! The scorching heat makes it no better

Chatuchak is HUGE and endless yet i managed to bump into an ex-colleague there in the clothing section!!! She was also on a Shopping Vacation =)

After Chatuchak, the 4 of us were so beat and tired, exhausted and dehydrated we went back for a shower and an afternoon nap!

Rabster

2010-12-14T14:18:00.000+11:00

In July i've mentioned that the cousins i live with in Melbourne have a pet rabbit. Two Saturdays ago, my cousins noted that Rabster was unwell. They were going to Perth for holiday and so i said i'll observe Rabster and take him to the vet if he didnt get better

He used to be very active, hops in circles around u when u go into the backyard but the day i brought him to the vet, he was hiding behind some bicycles and he didnt move much, i had to move stuff to get him. Normally doesnt stuggle when carried but this time he did.

Above, skinny Rabster. Below, taken a few weeks back, my little cousin playing with a fat fluffy Rabster

At the vet, there was a trainee vet and an experienced one. The senior one asked the trainee what sympthons are visible. She said them out and diagnosed Rabster with maximatosis, the senior vet said she was right.

Clueless me thought it wasnt a big deal... until the senior vet looked at me and started saying "There is nothing u could have done....", immediately i realised what was happening! Nooooo

Poor Rabster, tears formed in my eyes, i asked them if Rabster could survive till my cousins came home. They said no. A wild rabbit virus, spread by flies and mosquitos, treatment costly and unlikely leads to recovery. They said Rabster is one very sick rabbit =( They recommended euthenesia as the best option. I called my aunt to make the decision...

I took a few last pictures of Rabster. And gave him a goodbye kiss, it was so sad seeing the vet wrap him up in a towel, he looked so tiny and helpless. I started to carry an empty cage out

The vet was very sweet and sympathetic, she surprised me when she said "You go home now, we'll send the bill later". I went back to the car and cried...

A few days later, i received a mail from the vet.

I thought it was the bill for the consultation and euthenesia but instead it was a card

Soooo sweet, they dont do that in Malaysia!

Eating in Bangkok

2010-12-10T23:05:00.001+11:00

On our first night in Bangkok (Oct 2010 trip), we ordered different things from street stalls along the way home and shared just to get a taste of everything. While waiting for our food at one of the stalls, we noticed their electricity supply

Maximum utilisation!

We ate at restaurants in the mall too

My tom yum wasnt good and it was expensive =( Dinner in the food court sucks as well. Never bother trying Thai food court food.

KFC green curry is good. McDonalds... i liked the spinash pie, weird since i am not a veggie person!

Street stalls are the best to me =)

This lady cooks really good food, we had a feast! Had to wait long for a table but it was worth it, we came back the next day but she was closed =(

I wanted to order a coconut but was worried, how do you hold them while eating? YY knew better, because of where she was sitting, she saw this

To be used this way

Hahah, we laughed so much! Each coconut costs 20Baht. Cool and so so sweet, only RM2.10.

In KL you'll need to pay RM3 at the very least =( About 9 years ago i used to get coconuts on the way home from school. Back then it costs only RM1.80

Another favourite of mine, noodle soup!!!!

Love it love it love it! Usually 40 Baht. And the stalls that sell them always have various types of chilli and SUGAR (the white powder in the picture below)

Such a sinful trip, so much shopping and eating =)

Profile Picture

2010-12-07T11:01:00.000+11:00

The Making Of (TMO) my previous Facebook profile picture started off when i noticed the beautiful sunset after hoping off the boat on the second dive day

Washed the equipment assigned to me, fetched my camera from the locker with CCTV and started snapping away!

Lucky for me, its a dry day and with many flat surfaces for me to use as a camera tripod =)

Second 10 shots, zoom in as much as my camera could. A little bit sengek / slanting because the wall was not straight

Some simple computer adjustment and there u go =) Facebook profile picture

Many people were also taking pictures of the sunset. Someone from my dive school saw me trying to camwhore and offered to take a picture for me

Specs guy, i saw him having dinner with the Thai receptionist on my first night there =P He said that there hasnt been a nice sunset like that in 3 weeks!!!! I'm lucky to catch it on my 3rd day. August is Thailand's rainy season

My laptop desktop wallpaper =) For as long as i can remember, i have never used anyone else's picture as my wallpaper

Love love love the sunset that day

Was so engrossing in taking photos that i didnt realize it was getting dark!

Good thing i took out some cash and my phone from the locker because by the time i got there, it was closed! I need my phone as my alarm clock!

Last pair of flip flops at the dive school

KL friends

2010-12-03T17:13:00.001+11:00

SY invited me to join her friends for a night out, it was fun! We had round 2 and 3. And then i joined them for their Sunday morning hikes. Soon enough, i was joining her friends even when she was busy!

Taman TAR with YC and EC on 12/9/2010. Imagine how shocked i was when YC asked me to carry that little packet because i had a backpack with me. Looks like drugs!

He said its said it is salt. Without tasting the white powder, i was trusting him with my life (death penalty for anyone carrying drugs in Malaysia)!

The sign on the car says "No parking"! Hahah

Unless you are familiar with the area, you wouldnt guess what lies nearby

One Sunday, KP stopped and looked at me, asked the others if we were going there. I was like, what????? If u go through in between those two houses in the picture above, there is a little trail up, along a waterfall, to a huge resevoir and from there there is a deeper, advanced trial! Whoa!

Another favourite place of theirs is FRIM. I love it too =) Once we took the path less travelled and were rewarded with the beautiful waterfall

Freelance photographer MN always carries his DSLR with him. That day he was snapping away

Shot him shooting =)

Came across some people doing Taichi

Stole a picture of them =)

Fallen leaves. I joined them every single Sunday in September and on the first week of October... then i went backpacking in South East Asia. Joined them once more the first week of Nov before i flew to Melbourne

SY's really into jazz, so one night we planned a trip to No Black Tie in Changkat Bukit Bintang!

Loved it!! If only it wasnt so expensive. RM30 for entrance and the waitress is really persistent with trying to make u buy a drink

Only 4 of us that night, a portion of the big group.

In the bar called Gypsy... where we hung out before No Black Tie

Great people, definitely friends i'd like to keep for life =) YC, EC, KP, MN, SY, S & S. Dont have pictures with them regretfully, i keep missing their cook in dinners =(

Stampede Kills 345

2010-12-02T21:43:00.000+11:00

Flipping through the free newspaper on the Melbourne train, i noticed that headline. Its a huge number. I read it... and then i realised one of the friends i met when travelling was headed to Phom Penh in Cambodia for that festival !!

Oh my god! Worried the whole ride home. When u meet people while travelling, u dont know who to contact in case of an emergency. The other mutual travellers friends would be as clueless as i am. Felt so helpless.

I came home and checked my email, hoping my friend has written.

Thankfully, there was an email! =)

Some articles on the tragedy here and here

Cai Rang

2010-11-28T12:09:00.000+11:00

Just for comparison, i'll blog about the south Vietnam floating market right after the Thai one

The river is a lot wider and a lot deeper with bigger boats

The floating markets were scarce and few, made to look even lesser by the wide river. When i complained to one of the tour agents, they said its because i went there late, at about 9am...

Lots of them sold the same thing: pineapples!

Since the boats are bigger, u cant see what they are selling in a glance

Each boat will have a stick with their fruit on it. Really gloomy day, love the picture above though, with the silhouettes of those people on the boats...

So few 'markets' i keep taking photos of the same people. I'd like to buy some fruits but its difficult to have a whole watermelon when u are travelling

Bought a pineapple. A bit more manageable, they'd cut off the skin, cut it into half and you hold the stem. Really good, sweet pineapple, not like sour ones in Malaysia

The tour guide said its 10,000dong which is RM1.90... but when i wanted to pay a 10,000dong note the lady didnt accept it. Instead she showed me a USD1 bill (RM3.15), dumbfounded but unsuspecting i paid what she asked.
I sat there on the boat and started to eat half of the pineapple while holding the other half. Other people from the tour wanted to buy some and also prepared a 10,000dong note.

The pineapple lady kept on insisting that it costs a dollar. Since it was happening in front of me and i couldnt finish mine i offered it to the guy from my tour. Upon noticing what i was doing, the desperate seller immediately the lady grabbed his 10,000dong and shoved the pineapple at him!!

I gave the other half of my pineapple to an Italian girl also on the same tour...

Floating Market

2010-11-24T14:20:00.001+11:00

Everyone's seen pictures that look like this

I really wanted to see it first hand, was excited in south Vietnam but it was a let down.

So when in Bangkok with friends, i was happy to go Damnoensaduk floating market with them. The first tour agent tried to cheat us, charging an exorbitant RM50 or 500Bht per person for the boat ride alone. The second agent charged us 500Bht for transport from Bangkok AND a motor boat ride.

Hopped on the boat happily... only to be disappointed again

Only saw a few floating "stalls" and not much else before the boat docked and let us off at a piere!

I got off, upset... tried to make the most of my situation: took a picture of this lady selling noodles from her boat

The tour guide offered row boats for another 300Bht per person. Thats blows my budget =(

I envied those tourists on the row boat... but i was sick of being ripped off. Coconuts looks so tempting...

Friends decided to just walk around and take shots from above

Pretty good view actually =)

Coffee addict decided to get her morning fix

The lady smiled for my picture! =) If someone was to kick my ass, i'd fall in! Hahah

Longed for a bowl of noodles but the weather was so hot, it would be a torture rather than a treat to have steaming hot noodle soup

Walking around, there were people offering row boats, asking "How much you want?" We talked to a couple of different places and managed to get 300Bht for four people!!! (or 75Bht per person=)

All smiles on the little row boat

It was Thai school holidays and there were lots of school kids on school trips to Damnoensaduk floating market

Cool huh, there is no such Malaysian school trips =(

Camwhoring, the others watched as LY bargain for a guitar

Besides taking pictures, i love observing my surroundings and looking out for little details

The water is only ankle deep. The sellers wear 'Phua Chu Kang' construction-like boots and just walk in the water

They sit on little stools/chairs in the water like that. Damn am i craving a bowl of noodles as i blog...
The shops are probably government planned and rented out or licensed out. Standardised structures built along the river. Love the coconut trees in the background =)

I was posing for my camera, i dont know what my friends were doing but it makes the picture look good though =)

Sun shiny day that day.

Walked around and lost my friends for a bit. Oh well, carried on walking =P

One of the vendors helped me take this pic =) I bought rice from a boat, which wasnt so good. As i was eating it, LY and YY 'found me'!

LY bought some snacks

How goods and currency is passed between seller and buyer

Three of us happily snacking. The fourth lady sat around somewhere under the fan, she didnt want to walk around, she said she's had enough. Realised thats her style, to just sample sights... we like to immerse ourselves! Hahha

That's Damnoensaduk Floating Market. Loved it. Two thumbs up =)

For more travels, click here

Taxi Kep

2010-11-20T21:24:00.000+11:00

About a year ago, Bestfriend and i took a 'taxi' from Sihanoukville to Kep

Yeah, thats four people in the back seat of the car, which is the 'taxi' introduced to us by Sa

We were thinking that it is a lot more luxurious sitting in the front seat

Oh we were so wrong, the driver went to a village to pick up a monk who squeezed in next to the capped guy in front!

Okayyy, thats weird but not as bad as whats to come next

The driver picked up another guy who squished himself next to the driver!!

Bestfriend burst out laughing and everyone looked at her!

Panorama shot of the 4 people in front! How does the driver drive???

Thats not all, the driver stopped along the way to pick up items

Some wood thingie that sticks out of the car

The driver dropped off some people along the way and then went to deliver the wood. He later told us that is his house

Not a bad house, nice big compound, he works hard by overloading his car

Finally in luxury, the two of us have the whole backseat to ourselves

It was USD 8 per person for the taxi. 100km drive

Pine Trees

2010-11-17T00:36:00.002+11:00

Sometime in April 2010, we got confused with the different time zones between Australian states. Plus there was the change of day light savings. Ended up waking up at crazy 4am!

It was the last day on our road trip, so we started off the day before sunrise. Misty and dark, we felt like we were in a horror movie. Of course, no photos cuz all photos just turn out black

Shortly after, Bestfriend needed to go to the toilet. By then it was bright and there were toilet signs that led us to this pine tree orchard

Having grown up in Malaysia with only tropical rain forests, these pine trees were a beautiful sight to me. The effect of the mist makes it even more special

The toilets and some people camping nearby

Oh so pretty! =) Better than miles and miles of our rubber trees whenever driving the North-South Highway in Malaysia

I walked around to take some shots and Bestfriend snapped a few candid ones of me, which turned out really well =)

Just shouldnt have left the car keys dangling out of my back pocket like that...

The two of us =) Russian was sleeping in the backseat of the car

TIme Management

2010-11-16T03:46:00.002+11:00

"Your job search can be a full-time job and will require a lot of self-discipline. While you will have more freedom in the way you spend your day, the majority of your time will be best spent doing productive work on career transition. A period of transition between jobs may give you more time to spend with your family or friends, but becoming a full-time child minder, housekeeper or socialite will delay your re-entry into the workforce"

When i read that today, i was like shit. And then i got my resume draft no. 2 done!!! Super happy now!

Treating myself to a short blog post, albeit a wordy one. And i am finally going to get to take a look at some of my 31-day-travel pictures =)

Melbourne Again

2010-11-11T22:57:00.002+11:00

Another real time blog post, no time for picture posts. I'm in Melbourne now

Melbourne is reality for me, i have started draft no.2 of my resume. And soon its time to start sending them out =( 8 months of not working. Flew by.

I saw a car i like. Its manual, just like my old baby. Test drove it today but still unsure... Hmmmm...

Going camping with aunt and cousins tomorrow! =)

KL stopover

2010-11-07T05:04:00.002+11:00

As i unpacked in the house i grew up in, i realised i didnt buy anything for my mom. I apologised and she said that she's just glad i'm back in one piece. Awww =)

In my room, there was a letter from ICAA. My exam results, i opened it in front of my father. He said its the best present i can ever give him. He went around telling all relatives i've passed and they congratulated me during dinner =)

On top of the world!

Tuesday Travel Post

2010-11-03T01:25:00.004+11:00

Spray painted on my left leg, in pink, are fading stenciled words saying "I love Vang Vieng"

I also had a lock of hair spray painted pink =)

There'll be lots to blog about! Took tonnes of pix, i slipped and fell in mud with my camera. Its still working thankfully. My butt hurts though =P

Definitely wanna come back! The only thing that might stop me is time

5 minute travel post

2010-10-27T01:21:00.002+11:00

I'm in Luang Prabang

Laos!

Yeah, haha, first time i'm doing a real time blog post

Feels like a smalll town. Got here from Thailand via Slow Boat.

We keep bumping into people we met on the boat along the streets. Its always like hey, someone's waving at us and it just happens to be someone from the slow boat!

Koh Tao Day 2

2010-10-19T18:26:00.001+11:00

That's my dive school =) The staff who work there drive motorbikes to work. Its such a small island

From the side view, there's this wooden area, always under a lot of sunlight, with many people. I normally sit inside, on one of the free computers with internet to update my Facebook =P

When u are on long term travel, u have to do the laundry for sure! Send my plastic bag of clothes to a shop nearby for 40baht a kg. The front row of clothes with the pink tee and the red dress is mine =P

2nd day on the island, walking back to the dive school after morning theory and lunch =)

Lots of stalls selling beachwear. I bought 2 sarongs =) one "red and black" and and one "blue and green"

After dinner with my dive buddy, i went to the dive school to do some reading for the Open Water Dive Course. My room's lights are dark so i chose to study outside

Ended up camwhoring before reading! Hahaha

Love this shot =) Read up a bit and the noticed something in the distance!

Hahah, i left my books on the table there and went for a stroll along the beach! Watched the fire dancers in awe!

Walked further and observed the crowded restaurants. For a moment i wished i wasnt alone but after a while, i started to enjoy my 'me' time =)
Also the camera makes a good companion

Stood and watched more of the fire dance after my long stroll to the end of the beach. The fire dancer, Kuzo (ahaha, i know Thais have weird nicknames, wait till i tell u about my white water rafting guide's nickname), so the fire dancer was nice and asked if i wanted to try!

I did, but without the fire, hahaha! I practiced for quite a long time and didnt finish my reading for the next day. Oops, i got scolded by my dive instructor!

Chiang Mai

2010-10-11T00:55:00.003+11:00

Came out of the travel agent's shop 3,300Bht (RM350) poorer

But happier =) So glad i got most of my week sorted out =) With 2 nights accommodation at RM11 a night =)

Walked around the Sunday night market from 5.30pm till 9pm! Crazy! Its huge and its fantastic! So different from Bangkok and what more Petaling Street. The best part is there were plenty of Wats along the way, i probably did the Lonely Planet's walking tour without even knowing it =P

Koh Tao ! ! !

2010-10-07T04:32:00.000+11:00

So I left Bangkok on my own 12/8/2010, the bus ride took 7hours, i slept almost the whole way. Arrived in Chumphon at 3-freaking-am. The management said anyone can sleep in this room

Wrote in my daily diary and summed up my Bangkok spendings. Set my alarm and picked a spot with the fan. Kinda cold! Haha, but i fell asleep and woke up with the room all empty!

I woke up before my alarm and everyone was already boarding the boat! Rushed out without brushing my teeth or washing my face, didnt get to pee either, so i used the toilet on the boat

Different from the boat i took from Port Klang to Pulau Ketam... The boat was full and the seats are tiny, i slept the whole 3 hours on the boat. There were dive school touts selling dive packages on the boat. The ang moh couple a few seats from me was purchasing a package...

I've booked mine online after spending 3 days researching and comparing dive package prices in Malaysia and on Koh Tao. Upon arrival, i saw many people holding up signs for pick up to their dive school, many dive school names were familiar from my research... i looked for mine and felt so relieved when i saw:

Scuba Junction, for Sue Lin =) Yay! Hahah
The main road goes through villages that resemble Malaysain villages, after all Koh Tao is 500km south of Bangkok

Koh Tao is halfway to the border of North Malaysia so there are plenty of resemblences

Look! There's even a Kancil! (Malaysian made car, the same model i own =)

Checked in. The receptionist showed me to my bungalow (Malaysians call it a challet but Thais and Cambodians call them bungalows)

Mine's the first one up front =)

Cute huh? Like a little kampung house

Only 400 Baht a night normal rates but becuse i took a dive package, i get it for 50% off =) Only RM21 a night

Cosy, just the basics =) If i had someone to share with it will be only RM10 a night!!! That's AUD3.4, USD3.3... less than 2 British pounds, about 2.50 Euros?!

Just nice for two. Two towels. Since i was alone, i used one towel for 3 nights and the other one for the last 3 nights. Hahha

My toiletries take up a lot of space in my bag. They're important! I had some acne breakout in Bangkok, huge pimples on my forehead but just after 24hours on Koh Tao, my skin cleared up! Pleased that my skin stayed clear even 2 months after my dive trip! =)

My dear cousin from Singapore would say no to this basic toilet without hot water. Crazy me on the other hand, loved it so so much, the cold showers were refreshing, especially on my first day, after the overnight bus and boat ride.

And yes, there is no flush, u need to pour water down manually, but wtf, its f*ing RM20 a night =) =) =) Sorry but i get excited and thrilled with cheap good places!

There's a table outside, i brought it in, and cleaned it, it was really dusty. My sports shoes, slippers and heels! My PADI Open Water Dive Course manual on the table =)

I was starving and headed out for lunch! Picked Sairee Cottage not far from my accomodation

Had Thai Green curry and rice for 110bht, drank mango lassi (icy milkshake) for 90bht (expensive!)

Self timer shot before my food arrived =) It was blissful

Bought my return bus ticket to Bangkok for 700Bht and strolled along Sairee beach
This is exactly how holidays should feel like =)

Stepped into one of the shops and walked through to the other side, really cute with the beach view and rocks.

Reported to the dive school at 4pm for a briefing and to watch videos as part of the course =) I almost fell asleep watching the videos. After that i went for a walk on the beach

A couple of Thai girls were on the beach taking photos, they spoke to me in Thai, mistook me as a local. Hahha, they asked me to help them take photos and in return, i have this awesome pic! =)