Rants

An Escapade

9:46 PM
For the first time in my life, my passport is stamped with another country's immigration stamp, besides Singapore. I went to Thailand.

And it's not Bangkok. I went to Thailand's Maldivian paradise, Koh Lipe. It's indeed one of the most beautiful islands I've been to (within my travel experience that is).

After visiting Koh Lipe, I think I left my heart there. I couldn't help it but to be my own world these few days, remembering the beautiful blue and emerald hue Andaman Sea, as well as the fine, powdery sand, that's oh-so-cool beneath my feet. Not to mention the amazing sunsets that fired up the sky in blazing red and orange hues.

There are lots (and I mean lots) of cute dogs on the island, ranging from Siberian huskies (they've shaved off their fur due to the hot weather) to labaradors. All of them are so friendly and would love you to pet them (and feed them, haha)!

The Thai food is amazing, as expected. Fried fish in meam sauce, barbecued squid, and tom yam goong was some of the delights that I had on the island. The 7-Eleven doesn't disappoint too, offering lots of snacks, frozen or ready-to-eat, all sorts of beverages and more! They even sell their Thai branded smartphone there too. I really wish the 7-Elevens here in Malaysia can offer such service.

One of the most unique experiences I had was snorkelling in the dark. Why would you go to the middle of the sea and lower down yourself to the dark waters beneath you? There's only one answer; to swim with the hundreds of glowing plankton beneath the dark surface. Once you're in the water and wave your hands and shake your legs, these glowing creatures just appear, like how fairies wave their wands and a sparkling trail soon followed after. It's amazing to know there are such beautiful creatures on this Earth. And I'm very glad I had this experience! 

I'm so engrossed in relaxing and enjoying myself to the fullest that I did not take much photos, but I'll post some soon. If you haven't been to Thailand, I think Koh Lipe is a good way to start your journey to the Land of Smiles.

I think this 2015, there's another resolution; to visit another island besides Koh Lipe. I've been to Redang, Langkawi (twice until now), Penang (it's still an island), and Koh Lipe, so might as well round it up to the number five.

Islands to visit in my bucket list:
-Tioman
-Pangkor
-Mabul
-Sipadan
-Maldives
-Boracay
-Bali
-and much more to be discovered in the future...
Travels

Holiday

12:32 AM
To be in tune with the last post, here are more pics about my trip to Langkawi, which I should have posted like months ago.

 

This was my very first time that I'm on a plane. I'm very excited that day, and it will be even much more enjoyable if I was 10 years younger. First time being that close to a plane, you know? :D

 

I felt there were butterflies in my stomach when it first took off. But when it did, the view is amazing.

 

Blue skies and white fluffy clouds! The child in me is very fascinated with these kind of breathtaking views. Although skies were very clear when we're on the way there, it rained when we reached there. Nothing's better to ruin a holiday than rain.

 

We checked in to our hotel, which is literally inside a zoo. There's an elephant in the courtyard and a tiger at the far end, with deers too. I'm not joking. Fortunately, no bears are in sight. I mean real ones! 

Geopark Hotel is just at the base of the Langkawi Cable Car station and is also very near to the Seven Wells Waterfall. I did not visit the falls because we're running out of time. The hotel is clean and very cool in the morning, since it's surrounded by a forest.


 

We went for an island hopping the next day and still the weather isn't any good.

 

When we reached Tasik Dayang Bunting or the Lake of The Pregnant Maid, it rained. The motorboat wasn't covered so I'm soaked to the bones. That really put me off a bit. I'm on a holiday and it's raining??? Anyway, you can see the outline of the hills that look like a pregnant woman lying on her back.


 

Here's the outline of the hills again with the lake in the foreground. The lake is refreshing to swim in and life jackets are provided for a fee to those who'd like to swim but don't know how to.

 

The views at the lake are very beautiful too. Clear blue green waters flanked by vertical cliffs and forests.

 

This looks a bit like Guilin in China. Also at the lake.

 

The trip that we had includes eagle feeding. Although it is amazing to see eagles right in front of you, I do recommend that you select island hopping trips that do not include eagle feeding. They use chicken scraps to feed the birds which is very unhealthy. I only know this after coming back from the trip.

 

Last stop is at Pulau Beras Basah. Not as beautiful as Redang due to the weather that day, but it's clean and well maintained. There were eye candies on that day too! 

 

Remember a post back then that I tried to blackmail myself into exercising? It didn't work out that well. But here's a pic of me (well, not exactly, it's my butt) to adhere to the agreement.

I hope this doesn't scare you away from reading my blog. LOL
Food

That Lobster!

3:24 AM
This is certainly a very long overdue post. It was supposed to be posted in May!

After all the men in the previous posts to feed your natural desires, why not feast on something real and substantial. I mean food. Scrumptious ones that will whet your appetite and fill your belly.

Remember I posted somewhere back about going to Pulau Langkawi? Well, that went very well and I had the time of my life with my friends. I would really love to go back there some day again. It's beautiful and a real paradise on Earth, with all the cheap beer and cheap food that you can eat.

If you are heading there soon, try Sawadee Thai Restaurant that serves delicious Thai cuisine. And, they have the most expensive item going for a song, which is.... drum roll please! *tram tam tam tam*.....LOBSTER!


This is a medium sized one that costs around RM150, if I'm not wrong. Compared to another famous restaurant on the island, which is Orkid Ria, a lobster like this over there costs RM360. That's around half the price!

 

Another view of the wonderful lobster. It's grilled with melted cheese on top, and is absolutely a delight. If you haven't tasted lobster, imagine a cross between crab and chicken. That's what it tastes like to me. 
Simply divine, albeit sinful. :D

 

Besides the lobster, we also had Thai Curry Crab. This is also very delicious, especially paired with rice!

 

This is not exactly Tom Yam, but more like a Thai kind of seafood soup. This is a bit bland although it's rich in spiciness and the taste of the sea. The Tom Yam should fare better.

Overall, the pricing here is fair. Not exactly a cheap lunch, but compared to KL, you will certainly feel it's worth it, with all the fresh seafood that you can have.

It's certainly a very good restaurant in it's category.

Sawadee Thai Seafood Restaurant
Jalan Pantai Tengah, Mukim Kedawang,
07000 Langkawi.
(It's actually very near to Pantai Cenang.)

Now, for very cheap seafood in Langkawi, head to this place called Wonderland Food Store in Kuah town.

 

Kam Heong lala! I've forgotten how cheap it is, but we order like 5 dishes (all seafood), with white rice, drinks and another plate of fried mee, overall it costs us not even more than RM80. 

As they say in Cantonese, dai dou lan! (Worth it till it's rotten! Or something like that.)

 

Sambal sotong! Another wonderful dish to pair with white rice. It's so fresh that it has a bit of a crunch when you bite into it.

Here's the address of the place. I think it's near to this hotel called Bella Vista.



Wonderland Food Store
Lot 179, 180, 181 Pusat Perniagaan Kelana Mas,
Jalan Trimula, Kuah,
07000 Langkawi.
 
If you do visit Langkawi in the future, do go to these places to have a meal. It won't disappoint.  

Normal programming will resume soon. This is my first blog post about food, but it won't be the last. :)
Inspirations

Heartlander II

2:00 AM
This post is about my last trip to Singapore, the random stuff that I did.

So the other day when I was at my aunt's place, I went and have a look at Blowingwind, a gay forum that is opened to all, discussing everything that is happening under the Singaporean sun. Saunas, army stories, travelling and hooking up in other foreign lands, etc.. and most of all, erotic stories. The usual. 

Amidst all the piled up of stuff (and sometimes even junk) that you see, sometimes there are gems around.

So the other day I stumbled upon Adam's Stories. Search it up on the forum. It's worth your time reading how it was back in the 50's for Singapore.

Because of the nostalgia that's so appealing to me, the story just got stuck in my head. Then in the story, there's this mention of Gay World, an amusement park way back then. And back then, "gay" has only one meaning instead of two.

So the story just lingered around in my head, making its way back and forth, when suddenly, during a trip to Orchard on a bus, I saw remnants from the past. The Gay World amusement park is certainly no more, but the hotel opposite of it still has its signboard, Gay World Hotel.

That's when I learn Singapore is a city that still has memories from its past. I used to think that Singapore is like ultra developed with all the systematic public transport, cookie cutter HDB flats and malls. Malls, malls and malls.

But it's not going to be there for long. Like what my uncle said, "They're all going down systematically, just like someone trying to erase a bad memory."

Just go read it when you have the time. Then you'll understand the kind of melancholic feeling I have now.



*****


On a happier note, I did went to Abercrombie & Fitch. Well, not exactly happy. More like "oh-so-this-is it" kind of feeling.


Let's just say the interior is like some kind of a men's sauna or spa, with Roman mural influences and Greek statuesque poses. But the dim lighting and pumped up music is just so out from the decor that it made you wonder how come they came up with this concept. 

Oh I know. Gay clubs. Yeah. That's it.

Also, there's this incredibly heavy scent just lingering in the air. Are they trying to sell their latest fragrance? I don't know. But it is a bit annoying when your nose just doesn't agree with you. 

And as usual in all A&F stores, there are handsome staffs all around, tall and muscular. There's even a shirtless greeter on the front door. But all I can say is eye candy is just eye candy. Literally. I am looking at a piece of lollipop but I'm certainly not sucking it.

Anyway, it is a new experience. You certainly will not buy anything, unless you have spare change for a winter jacket that costs SGD1000+. 

Will I go again? Considering the dim lighting, athletic styled clothing and sky high prices, nope. Considering friendly staff who are all very handsome and muscular, still nope. I just don't understand the branding. I'm grown and bred in my university to look past all these advertising stuff and hype, so that's why. Do forgive me if you're a fan of A&F.



*****


Then about the malls in Singapore. It's a bit funny to know that a certain mall can represent a certain group of foreign workers. Like the mall somewhere around the Peninsular that are full of Burmese people, selling Burmese food and Burmese ingredients.

While my aunt and cousins went to have Burger King, I went to have Burmese food with my uncle. He recommended mohinga, which is rice noodles with fish soup. It is a national dish, like pho for the Vietnamese.

I don't know whether it is originally like that or it is suited to last longer, but those noodles are certainly oily to an extent that I feel a bit uncomfortable. Taste wise, it is something that you expect in Burmese cities. A very raw, distinct taste, which I think is due to the condiments like fish sauce and chickpea flour. "Raw" here means unrefined, not "raw" as in uncooked.

It is certainly an eye opener for me, a Burmese national dish. It's not something I'm very fond of, but I am curious to know what's more on a Burmese menu.


That's about it on my Singapore trip. 
Travels

Heartlander

5:33 PM
This post is from Singapore. I'm staying a few days here to run some errands before heading back where I belong again.

Talking about this small island down south which was once part of Malaya, there's one big change in my life that's related to it. But I think most of you have heard this story before, and some of you even did it before.

I'm coming down to Singapore in around 10 months time to find a job.

My feelings now are a mix of each; frightened, excited, sad, happy... All sorts. I'm not saying that I don't like the environment here, I even have the privilege of having a roof on my head with food on the table, all ready with welcoming arms if ever I'm here to work.

But then, there is someone I'll sorely miss. LDRs are not exactly easy and certainly not something we both want. Though I said so, there are responsibilities that I need to take on. I'm not exactly rich, see.

But being in a typical Asian family, selfishness (or if you put it in a more positive way, self loving) is not a well applauded thing.

And when once reality sinks in, you somehow get some kind of a withdrawal symptom. And then the tears start to roll.

D, I'll miss you very very much. We said before we want to make it happen. I will make sure it happens for you and me. I love you very very much, but I think mere words couldn't describe what I'm feeling right now.

We still have around 10 months left before it starts. I promise to you that these 10 months will be the most memorable time for you and me.

This ugly duckling is willing to swim through the throng of heartlanders to get to you.  Remember that even after it happens and things may fizzle and dry out, remember that my key will forever be yours to open.


I love you.
Travels

A Holiday

1:16 AM
Oh mai God.

Actually I have a plan to go to Langkawi this end of Sept with this bunch of friends. Though I may be a bit like an outcast from the group that they themselves created, I don't mind at all. I just want to go there, soak up some sun, drink some Chivas, and just enjoy. And about the drinking Chivas part, some of them are very willing to join me so at least it won't be so awkward, rather than drinking alone. 

That's the reason why I bought those swimwear! 

Then, while I was chatting with a friend just now who just came back from Bangkok, he says that he'll be going there again for another vacation this Christmas. I asked whether if I can join and he gives the thumbs up.

The problem is, if I am to follow him to go Bangkok, I have to cancel my trip to Langkawi, due to financial constraints. And, I'm actually taking a risk if I'm going to Bangkok. My university has this very weird way of arranging the timetable for the year end exams, that it'll end on the 24th. If I'm lucky, it'll end earlier. 

My friend here wants to go on the 22nd, which makes it impossible if it clashes with my exam timetable. 

If I go ahead and take the risk, book tickets and such, and then the clash happens = bin dou dou em sai hui (Canton: no need to go anywhere)! 

The other thing which makes going to Bangkok so appealing is: 

1) I've never ride an airplane.

2) Besides Singapore, there's no other country in this world I've stepped into. 

3) And, my friend looks like this. 


Ok, that's Keichi whom I posted before, but nevertheless, he's my type.

Unless I can truly confirm my exam timetable waaaaaaaaaaaaaay before, which is like virtually impossible. 

I want to go to Bangkok. :(


Yes, it's just a wish, a rant. Hopefully God hears me out.