Holiday Triple Bill - Hong Kong

Remember in one of my earlier posts, I said that I had lost my laptop bag in Hong Kong and CCTV showed that the bell boy had forgotten to take it out of the car booth?

Well, just when I was about to be paid my insurance claim for the lost items, a call from Hong Kong came in, saying that my laptop had been found and was residing happily and safely at Wong Tai Sin police station. In a way, that was far from good news - I had already set my eye on a particularly cheap model I had seen at Challenger but more importantly, how was I to get my laptop back?

And then this opportunity and brainwave struck. Even better, the gracious people at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong extended me a free nights stay for the inconvenience experienced during my last trip and even made arrangements to retrieve the laptop from the police station. So my lodging in Hong Kong, at a 5-star hotel no less, was taken care of.





To me, Hong Kong is Hong Kong and some scenery looks good no matter how many times you snap it. After a value-for-money of made-to-order beef noodles (you choose the ingredients, they make) at Wellington Street....




We made our way across the channel from Hong Kong Island to Tsim Sha Tsui...




Whereupon we visited the former Marine Police headquarters, now turned into something of an upmarket mall cum restaurant area. Think Chijmes, only more uppity.



Don't ask me why, but we walked all the way down Nathan Road to Mongkok, where the lights were still blazing at midnight.




Lan Gui Fang is some sort of a pilgrimage so of course we went there. You can see that lots of people felt the same way too.



We woke the next day when the hotel delivered complimentary morning tea, which was of a high standard.



Check out the view from our hotel room. It would have been quite good if not for the pervading mist...



I don't know why my friend insisted on going all the way to Causeway Bay to get cookies from Jenny Bakery. They're good, mind...



Lunch was a pork platter (ie. almost everything that was once part of a pig) that caught my eye. It was not the cheapest thing around but it was satisfying.



That done, we got out by tram and were ready for the next leg of our journey...

Holiday Triple Bill - Malaysia

Hello everybody...

Where do I start? First of all, I would like to say that I had intended on giving continuous, contemporaneous updates of my travel, but try as I might, I could not get through to Blogger.com in China. Apparently, neither can one get through to Facebook. I might have just been my laptop but I had no accessibility problems in Hong Kong.

But first, back to the start....

As mentioned in my previous posts, we started on our expedition to Malaysia on the night of the 4th, the eve of Deepavali. I'm glad to say the expected jam at the Causeway was better than expected because the night before, I had to persuade, threaten, beg, cajole and plead with my friend to not only set off on the 4th, but also to take leave on Monday.

She was still skeptical as to why we needed to spend 4 days in Malaysia, but acquiesced very, very reluctantly.

Our journey commenced at Johor Bahru, where we strolled around the bustling streets which were teeming in anticipation of Deepavali celebrations at midnight.



The bus, however, got held up at Larkin for almost an hour and we only hit the North-South highway around 2am, which was no bad thing under the circumstances, since despite the delays, we arrived at Bukit Jalil, KL at 5am, far too early to go anywhere else.




All in good time, however, the station opened, and we were on our way to the city centre, where we stopped at the Petronas Towers to take pictures. I know I already had some pictures of the Towers a few posts back, so I won't bore you with more of the same, save for one picture which shows them up close.



Much more interesting in my opinion would have been the curry-laksa we had for breakfast at Petaling Street (Chinatown). Containing chicken, tao pok and hum, it cost RM 3 (less than S$2). We also had Mee Cheng Kueh, freshly baked - I can't remember the cost but it was cheap.




Now, remember I said that I told my friend we were going to spend 4 days in Genting but that there was a twist? When she didn't seem that surprised that we were heading Southwards towards the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) instead of Northwards towards Genting, I was the one who was a little taken aback. "I wonder whether we will be heading anywhere from Hong Kong," she commented.

"B-but.. How did you know? As in- "



P.S:- Oh and Jac, if you are reading, you are now officially the only one left who respects privacy. Well done!!!

Holiday Triple Bill

It is now 1 am in a land far, far away from Singapore. I am tired, only having slept fitfully and sporadically during the last 2 days, so to summarize I will say that in the last 24hrs, I have gone from here...



To here...



To here....



To here...



To here...



I hope to give a more complete update and running commentary when the dawn breaks...

A Chain of Unexpected Events

Yesterday held for me one of the worst nights of the year where everything that could go wrong did. Because of that, my best friend concurred that I would perhaps do well to recover from the trauma by getting out of the country. To that end, we will be heading North across what is sure to be a crowded Causeway, towards KL (again!!?!?)

But there is a twist... All those of you who regularly read my Blog (thanks so much both of you!!), watch this space...

Weekend Jaunt To KL

I was talking to one of my friends a couple of weeks back and mentioned off hand that I wouldn't have minded getting out of the country over the weekend and added tongue-in-cheek that it would be a pleasure to have somebody as pretty and intelligent as her as a travelling companion. To my surprise, she said "Where?"

"KL? Hong Kong?," I played along.

To my astonishment, she said, "I prefer KL".

And so we were on our way....

I must say the trip didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts. For one, I was held up and arrived close to an hour late. And then during the flight we entered a pocket of turbulence which caused the most violent pitching and shaking that I have ever experienced in my years of travel. On hindsight, that was a scary thought, considering that my life jacket had heretofore been dislodged from my seat.



I'm happy to say, however, that things improved somewhat hereafter. We stayed at the Radius International at Bukit Bintang, which is like the closest hotel to like the happening-est pub place in KL. It was close to midnight when we arrived but as usual, the entire stretch was teeming with patrons, including the Western seafood place that we ate at.



I had eaten here almost a year earlier with Jac and we had then both reckoned that the food, in particular the butter fish, was real value for money but my friend didn't really think so. I'll admit what Jac and I had was better, however, as on this occasion, the fried butter fish kept crumbling such that the meat detached from the batter, making savouring the full flavour of the dish difficult.




I was surprised when my travelling companion wanted to visit the Museum of Islamic Art the next day, but oh well, I guess it's always good to broaden one's horizons with, well, knowledge of Islamic Art.

Before that however, we managed to catch some historic landmarks, courtesy of me getting my bearings wrong. There was the old Court house standing stately in front of a large field (was that Merdeka Square?). Notice how it mirrors our old Court house standing in front of the Padang? British influence no doubt.



And the National Mosque...



And what I think was the old train station... I hope we preserve ours too...



But right... The Museum of Islamic Art....



Where my friend spent the greater part of an hour just reading every single word of every single placard describing every single photograph depicting historic Muslim monuments in India. Scary lady.



From historic we went to ultra-modern as we headed to KLCC...



And the Petronas Towers, where we sat down in the fading light...



You know how Leonardo da Vinci tried to paint objects over and over again to see how they looked when exposed to different kinds of light? Well, he didn't have a digital camera, did he? Notice how artistic we are?



The next day, I wanted to show her how well-acquainted I was with the Malaysian capital and so suggested we take a train to Kelana Jaya and then a taxi to go to Subang so as to take a Firefly propeller plane home. I got my bearings right but my price estimation wrong. So taxi it was therefore to Bukit Jalil at the other side of town - a different State (Federal territory as opposed to Selangor) actually - to take a coach. She didn't complain - was touched.

The ride was ok and it got even better when we were upgraded to a VIP coach containing such amenities as movies-on-demand. Cool ride, cool companion, cool trip...

The Invitation

I read this prose-poem for the first time exactly three years ago on this date. It meant a lot to me at that time and I hope it strikes a chord with you too.

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love, for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day.
And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me to know where you live
or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Perspectives and Possibilities

My best friend just came back from Korea. In showing me the pictures, she cooed about how wonderful the place was and how nice it was to go somewhere different for a change, a less-than-veiled reference to my recent 'pilgrimages' to Hong Kong and the surrounding cities.

"It's so boring to go to nearby places all over again. Don't you want some variation and adventure in your life?" she said.

I pondered that statement for a while and believe that the answer stems not only from a difference in perspective, but more fundamentally, in the ways we live our daily lives.

Since I got to know her 8 years ago, I have been consistently telling her that in my opinion (and to be fair, it is only that) she needs to have more variety, more drive, more spontaneity in her life. I've implored her to step out of her comfort zone and embrace changes (when necessary) and to seek new challenges even if that undertaking would cause initial discomfort. Most importantly, I told her she needed to be able to, when the situation called for it, break out of unchanging routines and be comfortable (even look forward to) encountering and adapting to new people and situations.

But alas, little has changed. The strict regimen by which her life is ordered persists. When we are hanging out, she needs to leave by 9:00pm, at the most 9:30pm, and will vociferously defend her right to be 'home early'. That is about the only time she is vocal, for she still eschews making friends of her own and talking to mine. My parents wonder why she is the only one of my friends unable to hold a sustained conversation. Quite naturally, she is reluctant to do things that are out of the blue, too extreme, random and/or on the spur of the moment. Nothing wrong, it has to be said.

But I cannot help thinking that the holiday such as the recent one in Korea was more an avenue for escape, a chance to try something new, an opportunity to break out of the cocoon which, back home, she allows (and often encourages) to envelop her. To make doubly-sure she would get the most out of the holiday, she planned for months, did her research and listed down all the places she wanted to visit and things she wanted to do.

The holiday was a chance for variation, but more importantly, it was safe variation. Safe in the sense that she would get to see something new without the danger of being put in an awkward position. It was a chance to see a new place and new people without having to step out of her comfort zone.

But in Singapore... "This drama episode is exciting, let's finish it... - No way, you know I leave everyday at 9pm..."
"Go talk to my Dad, he looks bored... - But I have nothing to say to him..."
"Why don't you introduce yourself and make conversation with my boss... -But I don't know him. We have nothing to talk about..."
"Hey, the emcee is asking for female volunteers. Why don't you go? There's a free prize... -What, you want me to make a fool of myself?"
"Let's try something different today and audition for a TV Game show... -Don't want to. We won't get in anyway."
"Let's get out of the country for the weekend... -You crazy? At such short notice?"

I suppose that when one knowingly snuffs out every risk of awkwardness, of not being in control of the situation, of breaking from one's well-established routine, then a trip such as that to Korea would be a dream come true.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against going on long trips to see and experience different places and cultures. Indeed, I hope to one day, when time and finances permit, travel far and wide to soak in the wonder and diversity of what humanity has to offer.

But in the meantime, while temporal and fiscal constraints still subsist, I would like to explain why I do not think it necessary to fly far away to generate excitement in life. I think there is lots of room for dynamism in the daily grind if we would only embrace the opportunity for new experiences and seek out new challenges. I am by no means obsessed with the rat race but I do think that it is important that we give off our best in all our endeavours and always look for opportunities to develop and to experience and to learn.

My trips away from Singapore nowadays are, therefore, attempts to get away from familiar scenery and daily routines so as to recharge and reflect. That is why I enjoy nothing more walking down the streets of Hong Kong or KL, immersing myself in my immediate environment and just soaking in the atmosphere of the place. That contrasts quite starkly with all the hurried rushing about in a bid to see everything of interest when I do travel with my friend.

"But we've seen everything there is to see over there," my friend used to say when I wanted to revisit Hong Kong or KL. She never understood that the reason I returned was not to see, but to think, and more importantly, to feel.

*********
Rabbit, if you are reading, you will know that, ironically, I first experienced this feeling on what was suppposed to be one of the saddest days of my life. When, years ago, on the day you went from being my girlfriend to my best friend, I took a half day's leave and went to Johor Bahru. I didn't know what to do so I took a bus to KL. When I reached there, I didn't even know what to think, so I took a taxi to Ipoh.

On the journey to Ipoh, I noticed that just when the sky was darkest, the stars came out. And I suddenly realised that although I felt sad and scared that the future was uncertain, building up inside of me was a feeling of excitement and exhilaration. There were possibilities!

Once again, I was the architect of my own fate and the engineer of my own destiny. That is why, Rabbit, I want to tell you that things cannot work out as they are. I cannot squeeze nor hope to fit into the cocoon nor within barriers that you have built to keep yourself safe. Aeroplanes are safest on the ground. But then they are also useless.

If you would just open your eyes - No, close them at first if you have to - but just step out into the unknown and experience life in all its splendour, take risks, you will find that the possibilities for someone as sweet and nice stretch far greater than you ever imagine.

And then, if after everything, we are still meant to fly together, I will once more feel the exhilaration that I first felt while heading towards Ipoh, because amidst all the wonderful certainty there would truly be possibilities.

For now, more than anything else, I ask you to take some time to decide what is important to you, what you truly believe in, and most importantly, what you feel makes life worth living.