Tres Fabuleux Bangkok - 12th July

i don't even know how i'll go about making this blog entry on the recent bangkok trip i had with dora and david.

it's frigging massive considering the fact that i snapped over 400 pictures on my trusty cheapskate digicam.

many a times, while walking along the backstreet soi of bangkok, i'd ask dora, "eh how ah? i've got way too many pictures leh... then hor, i also want to include ALL the pictures onto my blog but i know cannot lor, sure too many... then how?"

i've figured it out: be selective and do short captions for each image that i will choose to upload.

and so i shall start from the thursday evening we flew out of singapore to bangkok...


dora was cramming her brain to the very last word on her english-thai dictionary before we boarded the plane


she made it... the whole english-thai dictionary... we will never be lost in bangkok for the next 4 days

we boarded the plane. it was a budget airline that we took. and that was my first time on a budget airline. ever.

i was horrified petrified. it was the smallest airplane i've ever been on board in my entire life. and everything went bumpy in mid-air.

mid-air conversation with dora ensued:

me: hey, it's kinda like shaking all over the place, this plane i mean, i've never had anything like this on way bigger planes i've been on, pretty bumpy for a small plane huh?

dora: do you wanna change seats with me? you don have to be next to the window you know... do you have valium on you? you might wanna pop one right now. or you want candy? i've got candies.

me: nah it's okay, i'm okay, just that... like wow... my first time on a budget ya know... and the seats are like... 3 seats, then the aisle, then 3 seats... kinda small doncha think? i'm used to either 3 seats, then the aisle, then 4 seats, then another aisle, and followed by 3 seats... big... ya know... big... or even business class which i took when i travelled in my previous job... big planes... really big planes.... not small like this....

at this point during the conversation, i had a strong suspicion dora really wished i had valium on me.

we eventually touched down, safely; at suvarnabhumi international airport.

and we headed straight to mister james' (our kind host) condo apartment situated off ratchadamri road.

and we both fell asleep amidst conversations over what to eat the next day...

Welcome Back To Sickeningly Singapore

budget airline
air asia
sawadee
wat phra kheaw
bangkok grand palace
soi mahatlek luang neng
hyatt erawan
mitkorn mansion
macaroons
99 bhat kfc meal
pad thai
tum ga khai
lumpini park
polyglot
monoglot
central @ chidlom
food loft
starbucks' staff
a&w
vertigo
amaltery
food hall @ siam paragon
unicef
humane career
mister james
dora
david
chao phraya
suan prakad
river taxi
suan lum night market
langsuan
dim sum @ hai tien lo
greyhound cafe
parfait
raspberry pudding
fish maw soup
alarming eating behaviour
boots
toiletries
toiletries
toiletries
etc.
etc.
etc.

the restive south is brewing

watch this space for that upcoming entry on winter of discontent in bangkok

We Were Sailing Along...

if only everyday's lunch holds a view like this for me... i'll be blissed out even if it means eating chicken rice from a plastic takeaway box

i wanna be back there for lunch again... or a sunset dinner... or a sunrise breakfast... or an afternoon of earl grey and pisang goreng... i could live there


location - sentosa golf club, il lido restaurant, sentosa island

The Splendour On Sunday At The Grand Hyatt

i started my sunday frantically helping pavithra pick the right saree to wear for the pre-wedding dinner at hyatt later in the evening.


i convinced her to wear the off-white georgette saree with bead-works. the electric blue and red sarees are saved for the jakarta lag of the wedding.

by 6pm, we got ready. pavithra was stunning!


and i had my fully embroidered black kurta suit with an organza gold shawl to match pavithra's saree.

at 7pm, we arrived at the grand hyatt in *ahem* our full splendour and regalia.

me: i can't believe how gorgeous we both look

pavithra: that's an absolute given dean, everyone knows that

me: we're just being honest right?

pavithra: of course we are, without a doubt

me: and without feeling all too self-conceited too

pavithra: get over it, we're both truly gorgeous lah


it was also a college reunion of some sort, with all the familiar faces from NUS. damn, i still have a crush on mark (4th from left)! *grin*


karishma the bride and pavithra

and the traditional punjabi welcoming party started to usher guests into the grand ballroom regaled with percussion music, dance and lots and lots of intoxicating singing... i can't help but feel amritsar at this moment must have been a very happy city in the whole of india.




and the dancing and ushering continued into the grand ballroom, with the womenfolk taking turns to carry the happy looking pot (literally, a pot with lit candles atop it, not the other sort of 'happy pot' ya)


and the dining table we were seated at...


and the couple was formally declared as husband and wife during a civil union ceremony, flanked by their respective families on stage


followed by FOOD... it was a supremely sumptuous long buffet spread of punjabi and north indian cuisine... absolute culinary heaven, and i totally busted my diet plan that night with 3 full helpings followed by a salmagundi picking of indian deserts like rasmalai, gulab jamun, saffron and pistachio kulfis and loads more... i may have gained 3kg right now...


pavithra and i were... well... totally stuffed after several rounds of deserts and gallons of wine and spirits




bhavna and the rest of the girl friends... damn... i love their sarees and salwar khameez!


oh-so-sweet-and-totally-in-love couple... george and radha... and oh, they're having a baby boy soon... sweet.


the newlywed kick started the all time favourite song-and-dance routine...

and soon after, it was bhangra-beats and bollywood boogey all the way for the rest of the guests


while for the rest of us, it was photo-opp time with the couple




and it was most disturbingly evident that, like krispy kreme, the full on buffet spread of good food and desert had an immediate effect on my face... a startling one kg found its was to my cheeks and chin and elsewhere...

the gang from our university days...


and they danced...


and danced...


till 1am... and my lens caught two helluva cute brothers in black and fuschia coloured kurtas... arghhh! HOTTIES!!!


damn... they're super HOT!!!

by 1am, the bride and some girl friends of ours made our way to the martini bar at the mezza9 for our last of many night caps - lychee martini


and karishma and sister rosie were all obviously pooped out...


pavithra and i made our way back home to the village at 3am...

it was one helluva night

i will so totally miss out the second lag of the sangeet and wedding in jakarta although pavithra and porcky will be there... you have fun on my behalf there girlfriends!

a day after, on monday, pavithra flew to HK to be with porkcy before they fly to jakarta for the final lag of the wedding.

i am so jealous.

but i had loads of fun on the weekend.

i'll miss you pavithra.

perhaps i'll come visit you in berkeley. i'll bring hindi music albums and dvd films by mira nair.

and to charanjit and karishma, all the best in the new phase of your lives and God bless.

Karishma's Hen Party

i am ranting.

no men allowed at karishma's private hen party at pooja's place?

but... but... i'm ghey!

and get this this: there was no male stripper!!!

it was only vodka and cakes! and no male stripper!

but... the following party at attica rocks!

of course the endless flow of moet et chandon was extremely helpful

and an indecent proposal from a gorgeous looking straight couple in the club who were total strangers who struck an acquaintance with me stroked my ego big time

karishma (left) and girl friend

with dahling pavithra

at 3am, pavithra and and i came back to the village, and stuffed our faces with cheese pratas. i totally busted my diet that weekend. but i don't care cos it'll prolly take a long time before i can go silly on carbo-loading with pavi in the dead hours of the morning with pavithra again. or with lichelle. or with porcky.

all in all, that was ballistically fun!

Charanjit & Karishma's Wedding

and so it was the engagement ceremony according to sikh rites this morning at the gurdwara on wilkie road.

i got up at 8am, shaved, powdered my nose, and put on a champagne coloured kurta suit, and headed for the gurdwara. and they gave me a pink scarf to have my head covered, as per sikh rites and custom upon entering the gurdwara. so totally my colour!

pretty much a free and easy morning. the day started with yummy breakfast in the communal kitchen - think samosa, halva, semolina, sweet cakes, tea and the works.


groom-to-be charanjit - pink turban and pink shawl - that's him alright, campy!


radha and hubby... negotiating who gets the first bite on the samosas

and the ceremony started proper on a very free & easy note...


i presume that's the priest, reciting verses from the guru granth sahib. on intervals, he'd take out a gorgeous looking fly whisk and he'd whisked it all around him in the air. oh-i-so-wanna-do-the-same-too!


lots of kirtan (hymns) followed suit, three dudes (extreme right) did the gig on tabla and the whatchamacallit accordian thingy... trippy! on hindsight, it sounded very much like ghazal.

after almost an hour of trippy hymns, the ceremony came to an end, and charanjit was formally declared as engaged to karishma...


and some warrior looking sikh dude (and he had a dagger slung across his chest i swear!) offered us a lump of warm sweet milky semolina... i reverently accepted and chowed it down there and then... lest he finds an excuse the draw his dagger.


the blushing groom-to-be...


and families of the groom and bride-to-be


and the rest of us - i looked pregnant in this shot lor... damn irritating can!

and then...


the langar lunch followed at the communal kitchen again... sweet rice, yellow rice, chapatis and vegetarian fare... one's gotta love sikh ceremonies for all of its trippy hymns, pink head dress and lots and lotsa food!

i like!

oh by the way, karishma was not present at the ceremony... due to some customary requirement i guess.

she's having her bridal shower tonight but no men allowed... but i'm ghey! dang!

meanwhile, pavithra touched down in singapore from delhi for the wedding and she's staying with me for the celebrations.

gotta go get ready for the big partaaay for the lovebirds at attica tonight... another posting to come for the traditional sangeet pre-wedding celebrations at the hyatt tomorrow evening.

what to wear? what to wear? what to wear?

Pret-a-Problem

aishwarya rai
hrithik roshan
madhuri dixit
lara dutta
zeenat aman
lata mangeshkar
asha boshle
amitabh bachan
jaya bachan
ranee mukherjee
vivek oberoi
prety zinta
shilpa shetty
sharukh khan

and the list goes on...



it's charanjit and karishma's wedding party this saturday and sunday.

two of my favourite people on this planet.

charanjit makes the best fag stag for every 'behind-the-velvet-rope parties'.

karishma amuses me all the time when she reports on latest business news every morning on TV on BBC live from mumbai.

yeah sure, i have lots of kurta suits and ring shawl shaminas and pashminas to match.

but i feel totally inadequate somehow.

you guys had to do the 'dean & partner' on the wedding invite.

what 'partner' may i ask?

it's okay, i'll walk into the hyatt ballroom with Pavithra in tow, my exotic chennai beauty with brains and a PhD from berkeley to boot.

but i don't know what to wear.

Super Illegals' Ghosts

ian, the head honcho of super illegals, played his band's track entitled 'Ghosts' in the office.

immediately, the mat motor-void deck in me exclaimed "eh i like! so emo like i want to slit my wrists like that! i likeeey!"

and so here it is, embedded in my blog for posterity.

thanks ian.

enjoy.

happy friday by the way.

and yeah, i'm a mat and i hang out at the void deck and pluck my guitar too.

Those Damn Addictive Calories!

so, what's with watching your calorie-count when you actually have nice sweet cute interns bringing you home-baked muffins to your desk for breakfast in the morning...?


so that was like what? 10,000 gazillion gazooboollion calories? but hell it was damn good! macadamia and white chocolate in that mound of all things sweet!

and a pommey followed suit... yeah ok, that was just my way of saying "i'm redeeming myself with a healthy super packed anti-oxidant fruit..."

Bang! Bang!

t-baton defense tactic- PASS
tactical defense & unarmed defense- PASS
revolver shooting- FAIL - DAMN IRRITATING CAN!

nabey...!

Being Beng

for the first time, i had fun today during my reservist in-camp training course. we had to learn and demonstrate a new move during our tactical unarmed combat and defense tactic class.

we played pretend. an assailant attacks a police office from the back. police officer immediately drops to the ground and curls his body and rolls on his shoulder and butt to a safe distance away from the assailant. police officer jumps back into defense position and authoritatively commands "stand back sir!".

wasn't an easy move to be honest. but i gave it a shot anyway.

assailant attacked me from behind. i dropped to the ground and curled my body and rolled on my shoulder and butt to a safe distance away from assailant. i recovered pretty fast into defense position and the unthinkable happened.

i instinctively blurted out the line "nabey cheebye! hong gan!"

the whole troop descended into chaotic laughter and delirium. the instructors dropped on their knees and guffawed their guts out while clenching their stomachs.

for the rest of the day, the troop addressed me as ah beng.

reservist training has never been this fun. i love the day i had today.

Back To Paradise Gulag

okay, here's a quick one.

i'm back to reservist gulag training camp from monday till friday this week.

i'd usually ceremoniously brandish my middle finger and all manners of profanities in the hokkien and cantonese dialect will be directed towards the gahmen for forcing me to serve a conscripted, undignified, regimented and a total waste of time during the duration of reservist training period.

but after a total bollock of a weekend spending saturday and sunday working my ass off from 7am; giving up my almost non-existent social life and my gym routine on both days; and only to bear the brunt of extreme senselessness - i admit this: all hail to reservist training. this is my short reprieve from it all. my chance to regain my sanity. my much needed space to rethink the next route i must take from here.

gotta go now and ready my damn uniform... dari kiri, cepat jaaaa-lan!

That Wounded Friday Afternoon Feeling

one of those dreary late friday afternoon conversation with my girl friend al on yahoo:

Porn Star: sat n sun must work full day

alubah: hayoh!
alubah: at the office or out?

Porn Star: i'm just ranting

alubah: ohhhh
alubah: poor thing

Porn Star: it's a friday now
Porn Star: at this time in KL, i'd be paying up for my purchases at the supermarket in KL at Plaza Damas, with you in tow, then u will be calling Almir to check if he can help send me back to Lanson Place
Porn Star: i always fall asleep in the couch while waiting and the TV will be playing until you know...
Porn Star: sigh...

alubah: then he'll come and wake you up
alubah: awwwww

Porn Star: and what am i doing right now? frigging writing strategy/concept paper in the office...

i need a big break out of this whole thing here...

Those Damn Q&As Again

i decided to post this draft that i had saved from last night. i get this sorta thing all the time via e-mails or friendster or whatever... it's stupid but heck, i thought this will be fun.

1. What are you doing now? (apart from answering these questions)
Pan-frying 4 marinated skinless chicken drumstick

2. Where are you at now?
Home, Willyn Ville, Holland Village, at the dining table in the living room

3. Where were you at before this?
California gym, Orchard Road branch

4. What were you doing there before?
Boxercise class and weight training, trying to lose weight off my frigging face and my ass

5. Who was the last person you spoke face-to-face with?
That same cute guy from the gym lah; I don't even know his name! Aaaargh!!!

6. What was the content of the conversation mainly about?
If we both may should go for spinning (cycling) class on Thursday night; yeah we're going!

7. Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
Chris whom I am lusting after but I have no guts to ask him to bed with me...haha!

8. What was the content of the conversation mainly about?
Asking me what I was doing until his mobile phone battery died out on him

9. Who was the last person you chatted with via online instant messaging?
Al, my girlfriend who lives in KL

10. What was the content of the conversation mainly about?
That this low fat, low calorie, low everything diet we're on sucks BIG time!!! And that we miss deep fried food and more good stuffs like that... sigh...

11. Who was the last person that you corresponded with via SMS?
Andy... hum sup Andy

12. What was the SMS content mainly about?
That his bf Jake is away on a business trip and he wants to meet me for supper but that was just an excuse to get into my pants because he's horny... buwahaha! (sue me!)

13. What was your last meal? (breakfast, lunch, tea-break, dinner, etc)
Apart from my dinner which is not ready yet? That has gotta be the snack I had before gym

14. What did you have during your last meal?
A Quaker-oats with raisins 90 calorie, zero fat, zero transfat snack bar... sigh...

15. What was the last thing you did before you went bed last night?
Prayed for mom's restful soul

16. What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?
Walked to the bathroom and took a piss while brushing my teeth with my new Oral-B Braun electric toothbrush... heaven... I don't even have to move my arms vigorously anymore!

17. What was the first thing you consumed this morning?
Blended quarter of a watermelon and 4 celery sticks... drank it all up... sigh...where's my egg prata?

18. What did you wear this morning to wherever you were going?
Blue jeans, printed short sleeved shirt, sneakers

19. What was the last song you heard?
Siren by Tori Amos

20. Describe the bed you sleep in (type of sheets, bedlinen’s colour, etc)
Decadent! Very decadent! :P 440 thread count sheets and quilt-cover and pillow casings from Cressendale; one bodymate pillow, four pillows, colour scheme - dark brown and dark gray

21. Describe the state of your bedroom currently
Ultra messy, I need to re-organize my work-station-desk and vacuum the floor, it's been more than a week since it was vacuumed!

22. Describe the state of your bathroom currently
Sparkly, dry and fresh! I fcuking love Mr Muscle bathroom and tile detergent man!!!

23. Describe the state of your kitchen currently
Free from those damned roaches which came out of nowhere last week until I installed roach bait-poison... other than that, it's pretty okay and it smells of 4 marinated chicken drumsticks in a frying pan cooking slowly on a small flame

24. What is the latest big ticket item you purchased? How much did it cost?
Supplements and stuffs like that. $320 bucks after major discounts.

25. Where did you purchase it at?
GNC along Orchard Road

26. What big ticket item do you want to purchase next?
Tough... but it will probably be a new laptop

27. What items are you wearing or do you have on you almost every other day that makes you think you’re a brand whore?
Uhmmm... my Energie belt and wallet? Or my Etro keychain? But I'm no brand ho' lah!

28. When was the last time you had an alcoholic beverage?
Last Sunday night

29. What sort of an alcoholic beverage did you consume? How much did you consume?
Guinness Draught, 2 pints

30. Where did you consume it at? With whom were you with when you consumed it?
Holland Village's Tango, with CY and his girlfriend

31. When was your last holiday/trip?
Way too long a time ago, end of January 07

32. Where did you go to on your last holiday/trip?
KL, Malaysia Truly Asia

33. Who did you go with on your last holiday/trip?
Alone as usual

34. When will your next holiday/trip be?
Cross fingers, mid July!

35. Where will your next holiday/trip be at?
Nearby lah, Bangkok

36. With whom will you be going with on your next holiday/trip?
Ah eh with Dora!!! Aaaah! Wait we both can take same pictures and blog about the same things! Aaaah!

37. What do you normally do on Saturday mornings?
Either (i)boxercise class and weight training in the gym or (ii)run from home to the Botanical Gardens and meet Dora and David and sometimes together with the rest of the friends for brunch at Tanglin Mall's Cafe Beviamo

38. What do you normally do on Saturday evenings?
Ok this is sad... I stay home and watch DVDs and drink wine alone despite Colin coaxing me to come out with him and Roy

39. What do you normally do on Sunday mornings?
Either (i)i sleep in late or (ii)i meet whoever for early morning breakfast

40. What do you normally do on Sunday evenings?
Head to the gym and dinner thereafter with Alex

41. What is your most watched TV programme/show?
BBC's World Report

42. Name five TV channels you cannot live without?
Cartoon Network, Discovery, National Geographic, HBO, BBC

43. What was the title of the last book which you have read?
Muhammad by Karen Armstrong

44. What is the title of the next book you will want to read?
Hitler's Pope - The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwell

45. Name three movie titles you can watch over and over again
Romy & Michelle (here's to us Sean darling!!!), Amelie, The Lords of the Ring

46. Name three book titles you don’t mind reading for the second time
All titles by Roald Dahl, Rumpole of the Bailey series by John Mortimer, all titles by Stephen Fry

47. Name a friend who you meet most of the time
Alex lor! And his parennial SMS: "you do what thing? tea/dinner later?"

48. What is the one thing you’ve always wanted to do for a long time but you have yet to get round to it?
Pierce my nipples...at least one of my nipples lah... but the thought of it... YOUCH!!!

49. Who do you really want to see right now?
Al but she's in KL... and another in KL... oh well... I'm stuck here

50. What are you thinking right now?
I can't believe I am doing this! On a serious note, I need greener pastures. Enough said.

State the time and date at which you completed this list of questions:
10.10pm, 6th June 2007

Haiku

while i was rummaging through my old notebooks looking for some work-related information, i came across something which i scribbled last year... penned down in between some old and tattered pages of an almost forgotten notebook which i thought i had lost it and i never stopped blaming myself for losing it.

it was a lame attempt at writing a haiku... and die hard traditional haiku fans will gladly burn me at the stake for willfully ignoring the rules of writing a haiku. oh what the hell... i mean it anyway. but i'm so glad to have found it again.

and hence, i'm posting this for posterity:

12-14052006

vascillating mind
wrist watch beckons
time at standstill

journey between hills
the eyes closed
when will it be over

same receptionist smiled
her mischievious thoughts
key card to room 914

cold beer in alexis
and the sky poured
smoking and waiting

came thru the door
the smile again
enveloped in an embrace

rivers gushing wild
oceans forming wide
who's to stop them?

between the bedsheet
and the pillows
his murmurs seeped into the night

hazy petrol filled day
never beyond the hills
it shall remain here

to depart day after
the face must be brave
for the night

the night dies out
the key to morning
must be lost but it did not

silence marked
the departure
a kiss and embrace dominates

back home
the spot next to me
you're back there again

For My Suaku Girlfriend

i'm doing this for al. i cannot believe she's not heard snow patrol's chasing cars.

it's so uber emo... how can you totally miss this song off your radar girl?!


okay you may slit your wrist now... heh!

The Doctor Is In... To Play!

i cannot believe i actually went to 'play' for the first time on saturday night. oh well, that was because louis flew in for the weekend and perhaps it'll be a good excuse to hang out... plus alex and darius could sign us in.

and kwun ho caught me in 'play' while i was trying to act cool although the searing heat and humidity was making me look totally uncool... i was perspiring although all i did was to stand at the bar counter, looking all too lost.

kwun ho: "oh my gawd... wot's wrong with you, first the gym, and now the clubs? what's next? circuit parties?"

kwun ho you ho!

but all and all, never mind 'play'. don't like it at all. at least it was good to be able to hang out with louis this weekend.


buh-bye and catch you again louis... taipei, chicago, vancouver, wherever, sometime, somewhere!

note: i was aghast when i saw my own face in the picture above... i just don't get it, i lost 4kg since the may day holiday and my face is still fat? it's folding everywhere... like the michelin man! arghhh!

All White, Fluffy & Ginormous

another posting on clouds! shot these amazing massive fluffy cloud formations while i was walking out to lunch with ian. i was totally bowled over! my trusty nokia n80 caught all these shots.








and this is one massive huge ass formation... and it looked extremely near right above your head when you stand under it


and that's harry pothead on a game of quidditch... is that how you spell it? only managed to painfully complete one chapter before i decided it was way too pedestrian... like the da vinci code

but yeah... awesome clouds... nice

The Morning Coronation Of Jordin Sparks

hey jordin girl
i got home last night
and i skipped boxercise class
just to watch you belt it out in the finals
when you sang
you made my tasteless zero carbo dinner meal
a joy to chew on
when you sang
you teared
and i teared on my couch in the living room too
you sparkled
but i was afraid for you
that teenyboppers all across america
who have no inkling of a clue what a singing competition means
will instead vote
for the one who kept beat-boxing
for it irritates the hell out of me
whenever i hear stunted and contorted staccatos
infused into one of jon bon jovi's sacred classic
that's music assasination
but this morning at 10am singapore time
you were enthroned
as the american idol
i can rest now

and you
yes you
you who kept flogging the dead horse with your tiresome beat-box
your can take a back seat now
you got canned