Hello Gift

"I come bearing gifts", he says and i received the gorgeous ipod nano. I've been spending time famliarising with iTunes and uploading my music on nano. It's the coolest thing! and now i have my music with me where ever i go. I've dressed nano in a little cute pink fitting outfit and got a matching armband too.

Thanks for gadgetising me with them all, gadgetboy!

Goodbye Gift

I got a great goodbye gift from my fabulous fabulous friends. Is it goodbye already?

It's a new Casio digital camera. I guess I've been talking about getting a new camera for awhile now. My old sony, which apparently has all these cool functions which i don't know how to never use, is chunky, heavy and bulky and could never really fit into my smaller handbags. My new casio is slim, sleek and light! I'll be carrying it with me everywhere i go.

Thanks alot, babes! Hopefully, i'll be able to show you all lotsa great pictures of a different life. And hopefully you all can be in those pictures too, once in a while. That would be fantastic!

Now and then

And just like that, another year is flying past. It's mid december now. Time to reflect on what has happened throughout the year, and time to think of possible new year's resolutions that we can possibly keep. As whatever precious days that are left in 2006 fly by, i'm trying to enjoy every bit of 06 left. And i'm also looking forward to the days that will soon be here.

6 days till he comes back

8 days till Christmas

15 days till 2007

2o days till my best friend's big day

21 days till i say my goodbyes and get on that plane

Wedding in Penang

Last weekend, I was in Penang for my ex-colleague's wedding (two-degrees of separation now, since we are both no longer at the place where we met). It was a great trip ... the food was yummy, the party places were fantastic.... the trip was great except for the place where we stayed - Bayu Emas... that was really sucky but we couldn't find any alternative accomodation.

Thanks for the pictures Leesh!

Drinks @ Soho

Us on the broken and stained couch @ Bayu Emas

Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving

Do the Jung Typology test!! I first did the test a couple of months back, and i just did it again today (*after forgetting all the 70++ questions*). And it's freaky to know that on both occasions, i was classified as an ENTP. What is the ENTP "Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving" is here.

So here's some bits about me being an ENTP.

"Clever" is the word that perhaps describes ENTPs best. Hehehe... I won't try to argue with this!

ENTPs are usually verbally as well as cerebrally quick, and generally love to argue--both for its own sake, and to show off their often-impressive skills. They tend to have a perverse sense of humor as well, and enjoy playing devil's advocate. They sometimes confuse, even inadvertently hurt, those who don't understand or accept the concept of argument as a sport. I know some people who will agree with this. Totally! Do i really love to argue? I'm wondering, if i am the ENTP as they say, am i really meant to be in the profession that i'm in? And is my sense of humour that perverse? But it's good to know that i do have some sense of humour. ... And devil's advocate? me? and at least i play some form of sports :)

ENTPs are as innovative and ingenious at problem-solving as they are at verbal gymnastics; on occasion, however, they manage to outsmart themselves. Really?! So why do i still have sooooo many problems???!!! And I'm still waiting for me to outsmart myself.

ENTPs are basically optimists I don't think i am a real optimist. i mean, i'm not the eternal pessimist but i do sometimes believe that only the pessimist will survive.

ENTPs are also good at acquiring friends who are as clever and entertaining as they are so if you're my friend, you are clever and/or entertaining!

Hanoi - the Hen and the Chicks

Not so long ago, a Deejay, with her entourage of a mommy, a singer, a model, a night-time golf instructor and a socialite took a trip to Hanoi.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam located at her north. In the words of the Lonely Planet "The capital of Vietnam is a city of timeless grace, a grand old dame of Aisa who is ageing better than most of her contemporaries. Hanoi lay in a deep slumber after Vietnam's partition in 1954, until the effects of economic reforms began to kick in four decades later. THe city and its inhabitants survived American bombs and Russian planners to emerge relatively unscathed in the early 1990s as a superb example of a French colonial city. Hanoi's centre today is a quixotic blend of Parisian grace and Asian pace, an architectural museum piece evolving in harmony and its history, rather than bulldozing through it like many of the region's capitals."

Our stay was at the Melia Hotel, right at the fringe of the Old Quarter. The bustling and lively Old Quarter is a area of 36 streets, traditionally with each street having a different trade or product on sale. Today, the Old Quarter is abuzz with activity and opportunities to blow your tourist dollar at almost every step you take.

An evesdropped compliment on his beautiful eyes and a right guess on his nationality by ally & lis probably resulted in an upgrade to suites for all of us! Well done! Happiness is ... having a luxurious suite to come 'home' to for 4 days!

Hanoi - Food Alfresco & Beyond

Our first night out, we went in search of local street food. We stumbled upon this place filled with locals sitting on tiny chairs around tiny tables on an alleyway outside a shop front. All of us being tired and hungry thought that in a place bursting with locals enjoying the food, the food must be great! The shop attendants didn't speak any english. So to order our food, we had to communicate in sign language. Alto an experience, we didn't enjoy the food. I felt that the pork smelt, well... much too porky!

A fastfood cart - Doner Kebap! It was pretty yummy.

A decent place to have Vietnamese food is at the chain restaurant Pho24.

We came across a street stall selling balut eggs. None for me, thanks! The Balut is a Vietnamese delicacy - it is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell.

The locals seem to eat all the time and everywhere! At every street you can see people cooking, selling, eating all kinds of food and drinks.

Hanoi - Her Sense of Style

I've always thought that the people of Vietnam, it being a socialist country and all, placed no importance on the sense of style, and that style and fashion remained very much in the realm of (and the downfall or joy of, depending on your views) capitalist societies like ours. And before my arrival, i thought that Hanoi would be saved from the infiltration of luxury and all things expensive and esthetically pleasant. But i was wrong!!!

Hanoi does have a sense of style. She has opened her arms to Louis Vuitton!

Yes, LV is everywhere... even on motorcycle seats!!

In Vietnam, the average age is 26. So maybe love is in the air amongst the Hanoians. And maybe that's why florists like this is everywhere around town... so guys can go kau lui in style!

In Hanoi, the locals get around in motorbikes. The streets are littered with them! No Harleys or superbikes. Mostly kapchais. But yet, some Hanoians ride some pretty stylo ones. I couldn't resist posing with this pretty white one. I think it's a Vespa.

Some of Vietnam's exports are cashew nuts, coffee and manufactured goods. My Nike trainers are made in Vietnam (*just to make sure my Nike's weren't the only pair to be made there, I googled it, and came across this interesting read, ... sometimes we just forget these facts*). Anyway, one fabulous Hanoian homegrown product is the fashion label Ipa-Nima. The bags are gorgeous! All pretty, funky and trendy, it is a definite must buy when visiting Hanoi!

Hanoi - Honky Honky Tonks

The cyclo (pronounced sic-clo),the bicycle rickshaw is a common form of transportation for tourists. However, we cabbed everywhere as they allowed all 6 of us to fit in a cab. An average ride to anywhere around Old Quarters and Central Hanoi would costs USD1. Except when once we were taken for a ride by a cabbie who most probably tampered his meter. He kept singing songs to us and telling us stories "Ho Chi Minh veli good!!". In the end we were forced to pay him about USD4!

Hanoi roads are chaotic and filled with motorcycles (and some cars) going in every direction possible. It is the practice of all who operate vechiles to keep their fingers on their horns and honk at all times. Basically, it is a MUST in Hanoi to horn at every other vehicle or pedestrian in sight. And don't just honk once. You need to honk-honk-honk for a couple of times. Somewhat like morse-code.

Crossing the busy roads is an acquired skill. Well, it's actually not skill but guts and a strong conviction that you won't be hit by the 10 motorcycles that are heading your way from all possible directions. The trick is to just cross the road. Look confident, look ahead. Do not look left or right. The vehicles will honk and avoid you. The Melia pocket travel guide advised "When crossing the street, do not change your speed of pace, do not run, do not step backward".

With all the din on the streets of Hanoi, it's amazing to see her sleep so soundly on a bike behind her man.

Having a haircut amidst all the motorcycles!

Hanoi - Halong Bay - A Cave and Some Rocks

After 2 days of the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, it's time to head out for a road trip out of town! We were off to the spectacular Halong Bay, Vietnam's natural wonder inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Halong Bay consists of approximately 3000 incredible limestone islands rising up from the calm crystal waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. And hidden inside some of these serene undisturbed islands lie limestone caves waiting to be discovered.

Morning call came bright and early at 5am and our private van departed Hanoi quite promptly at 6am. The drive to Halong Bay took about 3 hours.

It was raining cats and dogs when we got to Halong Bay! And yet there were already hoards of tourists all waiting eagerly to get on the boats that would take them out to sea. I was a little disappointed ... and hesitant as well, since Halong Bay was hit by killer hailstorms the week before. But still, with the protection of just a raincoat we were packed off into our very own private boat and shipped out to sea!

Thankfully, shortly after we left land, the weather cleared up and the rainbow came out!

Our first stop was Hang Dau Go (Cave of Wooden Stakes). There, again we met with heaps and heaps of tourists (many of them sounded like they're from mainland China) all rushing eargerly up the 90 steps up into the cave. The cave opened into an amazing display of 'colour lighted' stalactites and stalagmites (*i can never remember which one refers to which*). We wondered if these power lighting and tromping tourists are slowly destroying these thingys that have taken thousands of years to form.

tourist boats waiting at the foothill of the Dau Go cave. The many many boats in this area did cause a traffic clog. We had to trespass across another boat just to get to ours.

After exploring the cave, we were off to enjoy the views Halong Bay has to offer.

We paid a 'visit' to this fishing boat... Our guide informed us that a family of about 15 lived on this boat. They had a few varieties of seafood for sale on board. We bought a cuttlefish as an extra for lunch for USD10 and our boatpeople would cook it for us. At USD10, it was obviously a 'tourist' price.

bon appetit!

Hanoi - Her Past Remembered

Hoa Lo Prison Museum

The Hoa Lo Prison Museum is a stone's throw away from our hotel. Originally built by the French, the prison was nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton' by American POWs imprisoned there during the war.

Ly Thai To

This is Emperor Ly Thai Tho, founder of Hanoi around 1010AD. Man, he looks like a bronzed giant and yet confucius like.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

A strange thing about tourist sites in Hanoi - Most museums and places of interest with an entry fee opens early at 8am. They close at 11 or 11.30am and reopens at about 2 until 4pm. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum however, opens at 8 and closes at 11. The last entry is at 10.15am.

Imagine the difficulty in getting up early and going to the Mausoleum on time! We managed to hurry to the Mausoleum at about 10am but the cab driver dropped us off at a different entrance point. And like in the Amazing Race, we rushed into the huge grounds of the mausoleum complex. There were no signboards to lead the way and directions given by the guards standing around were wrong.

When we finally got to the Mausoleum, we had to handover all our cameras, phones and bags, and proceed to queue to enter the complex. We had just made it just before closing time! Tourists and locals were all made to walk in a single file line into the mausoleum and up the stairs where Uncle Ho sleeps. More guards everywhere ensuring that no one makes a sound. The square room was cold and quiet. Uncle Ho is embalmed and resting in a glass coffin surrounded by 4 guards looking ahead with another 4 guards ensuring that the single file of visitors walk quickly by - they won't allow anyone to stop to talk or gaze, so there can be no waving or saying hello to the man who established communist Vietnam.

Apparently Uncle Ho wanted to be cremated. He wrote "Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene, but it also saves farmland." I wonder how he feels, having his embalmed body on display to everyone... from the who come to pay respects to their hero to those who come for curiosity's sake.

Hanoi - Reflections

Hoan Kiem

At the heart of the city lies the Hoan Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword). I think this is a place where the locals come to hang out during their free time and during their long lunch breaks. The Hanoians appear as a laidback lot. Most come to the lake and sit on the benches staring out into the lake..

The Ngoc Son Temple is on an island in the middle of the Hoan Kiem lake.

Lunch at a cafe by the lake. We would leave Hanoi shortly after lunch.