I think i have a problem

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

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 always 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

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

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

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 =)