well, for someone who's stuck at home because of cramps, the telly becomes the bestest friend. That's my fate for today. Oh geez, what a couch potato I've become... but hey, I was in pain so what else would you expect me to do?! heh..
Anywho, I was doing my routine - channel surfing, this afternoon and I stopped at the Discovery Travel & Living channel. I must say that, as much as I love to travel and see the world, I'm not an avid fan of this channel coz 1)the hosts are usually old or at least middle-aged2)no hotbods or babes and 3)the commentary given is usually boring. So this afternoon was a really rare occasion where I DID put my ass on the sofa and sat there for one good hour!
For the first half an hour, I watched Bazaar:Miami. My prior impression of Miami stems from watching CSI:Miami... haha... yea, i know it's really mountain-tortoisey... just know it and shut ur trap! haha... But hey, that prior impression is so skewed coz Miami is THE place to be, man! It's really beautiful... nice beaches, fantastic shops, very cool nature reserve areas where u can actually see an alligator close up... I wanna goooooooo!!!!
After getting me all hyped up about Miami, they had to show Amazing Vacation Homes next. Argh! What's this man... trying to make me lament about how miserable my life is in SG?!?! Anyway, I managed to get a grip, just in time to see really fantastic houses. I mean, gosh, the houses that they show can only appear in dreams! A treehouse-like architecture on a hill overlooking the lustrious forest?? A house built over a hot spring (and they make use of that thermal energy to run the heating system within the house)??? A rustic-looking house with an open bathroom??? omg... totally took my breath away... when can I ever afford to live in such houses........ sigh sigh...
I desperately need a sugar daddy... Anyone with recommendations, you know where to get me...
Have you ever sat down and wondered how the guy (a.k.a. your boyfriend) who can make you really happy at times can turn out to be the biggest idiot you've ever imagined? The same person who is able to bring you to the highest point in your life can also be the one to drag you to your lowest. (i've heard of an explanation for this phenomenon - LOVE, believe it or not.)
Men, unfathomable creatures.... and they say women are the difficult ones.. pui!
Don't be mistaken. I'm not grumbling about Wei.. he's a nice chap.. this is just something that goes through my aimless mind once in a while.
Anyway, for a change of mood, i wanna go for an image revamp! I wanna go for a haircut, eyebrow trim, manicure, pedicure, remove defects from my face etc etc...
I have this impulsive urge to just snip off all my long hair for a cropped look... oh gosh, i hope i can keep that compulsive disorder in check before i do something really drastic and regret on convocation day when my hair doesn't grow back.. hahaha..
the girls are coming over on Saturday!! Yippee!! It's kinda like a farewell dinner for Geri who's gonna leave for Australia in July to pursue further education... Gosh, i'll miss her!! =(
Sob stories aside, we'll have fun on Saturday yea??? Please bring good food over ar... something edible k... hahaha
Kel ♥
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Saturday, June 24, 2006
Back from Hong Kong!
hey folks!! sorry for the sudden disappearance.. hee... I actually went to Hong Kong for a while, in fact, I just came back a few days ago! Been really busy since I was back on wed, thus I didn't really have time to update my blog. Flew back on Wednesday to go for my cousin's wedding dinner on Wednesday night! Boy, it was really tiring! But i'm not complaining coz I'm really happy for my cousin =)) So shuai ar!! hahaha
Hong Kong was okay... Shopping was so-so coz it wasn't the sale period yet.. I bought stuff but not as much as last year when I went during their shopping festival! hahaha... Yes yes, I'm a Hong Kong fanatic.. Going every year... haha.. but this time round, the highlight wasn't the shopping! It was DISNEYLAND!!!! hahahaha...
I heard a lot about the Hong Kong Disneyland before I went.. Things like, "aiyah, nothing much one lar...", "Ocean Park is better and cheaper", "the place is polluted by people-from-the-neighbouring-country (you get who i'm talking about)!" etc etc... Nonetheless, I decided to go with an open mind. Afterall, I've never been to Disneyland though I always long to go to the one at L.A *dreams*
So yea, off I went to Disneyland and I really did enjoy myself! True that there weren't as many rides as other Disneylands and the place was pretty smelly (half the time, I kept smelling this saliva smell, which my mom suspected was spit smell.. eewww) but overall, for a first-timer, I felt it was fine.. My favourite ride was "Buzz Lightyear's Astro Busters"!! You go around spinning and shooting targets with this gun that has an embedded laser pointer.. Fun! haha.. I did pretty well in that one! haha.. Also, I totally enjoyed all the shows/musicals - The Golden Mickeys, Mickey's Philhar Magic, Festival of the Lion King... The lighting, sound effects, acting, dance choreography were all very good!!!! For Mickey's Philhar Magic, we all had to put on 3D glasses coz the show had 3D effects. Not only that, when the screen showed a cherry pie, they actually sprayed a cherry pie scent so there was really a cherry pie smell going around! And when Donald Duck fell into a tub of water, we were all actually sprinkled with water!!! Hahaha... how cool is that?!?!
Finally, for the finale, we saw a beautiful display of fireworks over the famous Disney castle.. Very majestic, pretty and romantic!! Really loved it =)
Though it's said to be not as nice as the other Disneylands, I felt that it was good enough for a first-timer like me =P
I'm typing this with one of my eye covered (think: Captain Hook). Just came back from a minor surgery to get the chalazion outta my eye. Eeewww... Thanks sis for the company and the very explicit description of the entire surgery.. hahaha..
Anywho, I always thought that bump under my lower eyelid was a stye but apparently, it turned out to be otherwise. It was a chalazion! For the benefit of all, a Chalazion is a lump in the eyelid that is caused by inflammation of a gland within the skin. Typically, this lump grows over days to weeks and is occasionally red, warm, or painful. Gross! In layman terms, it's a pimple that's growing internally.
So after months of procrastination, I finally went to see the doc. I wanted a fast remedy coz i'm leaving for HK on Sunday so he recommended a minor surgery. I love my doctor, he's a really patient and nice man who actually takes the time to explain what a chalazion is, what are the various methods of curing it etc etc.. So when i told him I had to be fine by Sunday, he joked that I was putting him under a lot of pressure.. hahaha..
After believing that little white lie which he told (that it was gonna be painless), I agreed to undergo the minor surgery immediately. As it turns out, it wasn't painless! It was painful (even with the local anaesthesia) but bearable.. As it was a really huge 'pimple', he had to slit it thrice to get all the pus out. THAT was painful... But of course, as a big girl, i can't be wailing and stuff right? heh.. there was a lot of blood in the affected eye that i couldnt see. Scary experience! I promise not to procrastinate anymore when it comes to things like that... =(
Not to worry though coz now i'm fine.. There's still pain where the slits are but I'll distract myself somehow... Gosh, just glad that I got that darn swell outta my eye once and for all... argh!
To those who might be suffering from the same predicament, hesitate no more and seek treatment immediately! The smaller the chalazion, the less painful...
Self-confidence always comes in handy for a cool cat like you. You've got a strong sense of self and don't like to do things just because everyone else does. It's your willingness to take risks and experiment that makes you the envy of your friends.
Let others play by the book and follow the path everyone else takes. You know what you want in life, and you aren't afraid to take the steps to get you there — even if others think you're different. You're a true original with a sense of conviction. And it doesn't get much cooler than that.
Kelly, your movie star double is Cate Blanchett
An intellectual like you needs to be played by someone who understands how to be deep without being boring, someone who can grasp complicated subjects and make them seem clear cut, someone like Cate Blanchett. Whether bringing to life Elizabethan stories or playing an undercover WWII courier in Charlotte Gray, Cate has shown the world that being smart can be sexy.
Were you sometimes the kid in class who realized when the teacher made a mistake — even if you didn't always point it out? Now that you're grown up, it wouldn't surprise us if you still liked the challenge of banter or enjoyed staying up late talking about the latest in political, social, or celebrity circles. Your glamour comes from your head first and radiates out through your looks. Cate's a natural to star as you because she, like you, has a good head on her shoulders. And she isn't afraid to use it.
yes yes, I know I'm 21 going on to 22 and I ought to know better than to go all boy crazy.. but, i really like RAIN!!! hahahahahaha.... I think he's really cute and talented =P so please just let me indulge myself in this cutie pie craze for a while, yea?
I like his dance moves, rather husky singing voice, his acting in Full House etc etc... oh gosh... he's just so yummy!!!!!! *dreams*
Hmm, come to think of it, I dun think people at my age are still in contact with their primary school friends.. but yea, i still am! And it's pretty cool! 13 years of quality friendship (since primary 3)!! hee... it's always fun when we meet up and reminisce about old times, how everyone of us has changed etc...
So anyway, we had a bbq last night at Shawn's place. It wasn't a really big gathering but it was a blast! It was kinda drizzling so we were all wrecking our brains on how to go on with the bbq. Eventually, we set up this canopy-like thing on top of the pit (kudos to the guys =)) and we began our bbq!! In the process, we were all laughing, joking, making a fool outta ourselves.. haha..
It's always interesting to catch up with what goes on in each other's lives and we'll always have issues to talk/discuss about. Last night's topic was on homosexuals. Well, i'll just say that we all have our own views on that rather controversial topic =P
Shawn's now learning pastry-making skills under a chef and I totally loved his mini chocolate chip muffins last night.. gosh, I think I ate like 70% of what he made! hahaha... and the chocolate cake was so divine! hey, he's good and where to find a guy who can cook nowadays??? Shawn, if you're reading this, share the recipe ar! heehee...
So, we all went back after a fun night. Gilbert sent Lihui and I home. I must say that his driving is not for the faint-hearted.. hahaha... he makes turns like a racer (think: the kind where one side of the car will be lifted up and the tyres will make screeching sounds)! Exciting, man! Dun worry though coz he's a safe racer (oxymoron, i know, but it's true)... haha... I got home in one piece! haha
what better to do on a lazy and rainy afternoon than to lie on the sofa and watch a good movie? well, i was just doing my usual channel-surfing a couple of hours ago and I came across this show called "Tropical Snow" on HBO.
If you're a HBO subscriber, u'll know that they show boring oldie shows in the afternoon coz it's presumed that most people dun watch HBO in the afternoon. So initially, I was quite turned off my the movie scenes on the telly - everyone had big hair (think the 80s) and the setting was in Columbia. But since there was really no other shows to watch, I decided to read the synopsis (the one that comes with the Digital Cable TV thingy). It kinda seemed intriguing so I carried on watching the show even though the English spoken was heavily accented with Espanol and there weren't any good looking leads. haha..
The story is actually a very sad one. It's about this young Columbian couple who had to resort to swallowing drugs so that they can make enough money to leave poverty and start a new life in New York. The movie showed the sad truth about how poverty-stricken Columbia is and how the young people there had to do things they dun wanna do just to earn meagre wages to put food on the table and shelter over their heads for them and their families. Such things include prostitution, waitressing with 'extra' services, learning how to be a pickpocket (yea, there are actually lessons..)
K, so back to this couple. Actually swallowing drugs was their last resort. Initially, the guy tried to enter a border state illegally by hiding in one of those cargo planes. But as luck would have had it, he got caught and was thrown into prison where he was tortured. So his gf agreed to swallow drugs and carry them to NY for this drug middleman in return for money to hire a lawyer and get the guy outta prison. When in NY, they'll start afresh, find jobs, send $$ home etc.
Gosh, the swallowing of drugs looked REALLY painful and torturous. She was gagging and stuff.. Initially, she had to practise by swallowing grapes as a whole. Then only did she progress onto swallowing little bags of drugs (similar sized compared to the grapes). Both she and her bf had to swallow 130 bags EACH!! it's really terrible... But eventually, they both did it and flew to NY. Once there, the girl got caught but the guy managed to go past the customs. Sensing something was amiss after not seeing her at the baggage collection (coz they acted separately) , he made the rash decision to go back to the immigration counters to look for her. There, he was caught and got sent away in a police van.
As told by the drug middleman, both of them were told to vomit out the drugs by that night coz if not the little bags will burst in their stomach and they'll die. As the girl got caught at the immigrations, they sent her to get her stomach washed out. For the guy, he died in the police van. It is a really sad ending and apparently, i think it's a true story.
It just made me feel how fortunate I am to be who I am today. Can't imagine what my life would be if i were one of them. Treasure what you have, my friends..
Kel ♥
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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
...Mauritius Part II...
finally.. i'm back with Part 2.. haha.. pls dun blame me.. there have been so much stuff to do ever since i got back! heehee... K, i've got complaints that I ain't putting enough photos on the blog. my sincere apologies for that but i've got 200 over photos on my comp!! hard lar to put a lot of photos.... so i'm trying my best =)
anywho.... *drum rolls*
Day 3
On our 3rd day, we woke up exceptionally early coz it was the day of our scenic tour.. Wondering what was in store for us, we managed to finish out breakfast in a record speed of 20 mins so as to meet the bus timing at 750 (breakfast only starts at 730)!
As we were situated on the East Coast, we had to travel for about 1 plus hour to get to the central area, where we would then change bus to go on our scenic tour. To be absolutely frank, the bus ride was horrendous coz as I've mentioned in my previous entry, the roads are really bumpy and all.. But anywho, we all survived the ride... haha.. my threshold for bumpy car rides has increased!!! heehee
So our first stop was to Trou aux Cerf. This is actually an extinct volcano of about 700,000 years old. As it is so old, by now, the crater is filled with rain water. But, it was still a breathtaking sight. Btw, we were so many miles on top of a hill that it was really chilly!! So that's us trying to act all brave in the cold.. hahaha
Our second stop of the scenic tour was to this town called Curepipe. This was the ONLY place where we could get some serious shopping done. However, much to my disappointment, not a lot of shops were opened as it was still early. In any case, I still managed to get some shopping done somehow.. haha.. sorry, i'm a shopaholic.. it's a habit that I can't kick.. haha.. There was this really beautiful cathedral in the town too: The third stop was to a ship modelling factory. Apparently, Mauritius is well known for its ship models. This factory actually buys the blueprints for the various famous ships - like the one Napolean travelled on (sorry, i can't recall the name!) etc. Everything on the ship model is hand crafted and done to perfection.. I'm really amazed by the excellent workmanship. In fact, I bought a small ship model home! heehee..
After everyone got their shipmodels, we left for Ganga Talao, better known as 'The Grand Bassin'. This is a sacred lake for the Hindu Pilgrims. The water that you see below, is regarded as the holy water to the Hindus.
Most of us got this red bindhi-like thing drawn on our foreheads while we were at the Hindu temple. It symbolises the end of a blessing ritual (if i recalled correctly). =) So next, we headed for the Black River Gorges! It's a mountaineous area with a really scenic view of a waterfall. It is believed that if you managed to spot a white bird amidst the dense forestation, you could make a wish! Well, i spotted 2 white birds!!! YAY!!!! hahahahaha....
Yup yup, so that's us.. all trigger happy... haha.. so much so that we forgot the time and the whole bus was waiting for us to go for lunch! heehee...
Lunch was at this beautiful place on a hill top. It's a pity, I can't recall the name of the restaurant. The view from the restaurant was superb!! Very romantic too... While we were there, there were 2 models on a photoshoot. The choice of place for the photoshoot just serves as a testimony of how beautiful and picturesque the place is... It's kinda dark but you can just see how beautiful the background is..... *dreams*
After a sumptuous lunch, we trudged on to the last destination of the day - Chamarel. There, we were going to witness a majestic natural waterfall and one of the geographical wonders - 7 coloured earth.
A little bit of geography lesson: The different colours of the soil are actually caused by sunlight reflecting off the soil which contains oxides. It's a natural phenomenon! Unbelievable... So our activity-packed Day 3 ended after the 7-coloured earth. By the time we got back to our hotel in the East coast, we were dead beat...
Day 4
So fast and we were already at Day 4. This is effectively our last day as the 5th day would be spent on the plane. We got up pretty early as well coz we were going on a catamaran!!! Paid good money for it, man! hahaha... So off we went on a Green Dolphin Catamaran cruise!!! =) Fabulous, I tell you!! It was really the sun and the sea... The weather was good, the sea breeze was blowing at our faces, we got a nice tan on deck, the lunch served onboard was good... wow, it was really very relaxing and enjoyable... Now I know why those actors who play rich kids on TV like to go out to sea on their private yatchs for leisure/relaxation. It's darn shiok.
Pre-departure photos (look at how clear the water is from the 3rd pic):
Onboard the catamaran/Scenic shots:
Once everyone was onboard, we set sail for Grande Riviere Sud-East. It is a smaller waterfall compared to the one at Chamarel but it looks much more "forceful" - as in, the waters seemed to carry more energy as they were all coming down in big gushes.
Grande Riviere Sud-East:
After the Grande Riviere Sud-East, we headed for the main attraction/highlight of the day - Ile aux Cerf!!!! Man, I LOVE the place!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's an island off Mauritius and the beach is just stunning... actually the word 'stunning' doesn't do it justice. It just can't be described! *dreams* and yes, LOADS of photos were taken here... hahahahaha... hey, we're girls!!! heeheehee
Ile aux Cerf:
And yes.. *bites lips* the photo whores (hahaha...):
Well well, we had so much fun on the island and were really reluctant to leave... Gosh, good times fly by so fast! Cliched but so true... But anywho, it was really time to leave and we took the catamaran back to Mauritius where we would wash up, pack our stuff and leave Mauritius...
Oh, how I hate to say Goodbye.... =( Miss the place so so so so much... wanna go back again!!!
Yes folks, here's the long-awaited account of my fantastic Mauritius trip!! =)
Day 1 We flew by Air Mauritius and had to do a transit at KL. This resulted in a 9hours plus flight... totally gruelling!! BUT, being young and crazy, we decided to be photo whores on the plane! hahaha.. much to the amusement of the guy sitting behind me. look: We touched down at about 1.35pm Mauritius time. Btw, Mauritius is 4 hours behind Singapore so that's like 5.35pm Singapore time. By then, we were all super shagged from the journey, but i managed to snap a shot of the airport. We got up the airport transfer shuttle bus and began a 1 hour and 10 mins drive to our hotel. Yes, it's that far.. haha.. but I guess usually beach resorts have to be far from the city, isn't it? hee.. so along the way, we all got bored again and starting snapping photos of our surroundings. Sugar is one of Mauritius' main exports and hence, everywhere you go, you'll see sugar cane plantations. It's a really beautiful sight coz I've never seen a real sugar cane plant. The ones that I see are those in the hawker centre waiting to be made into sugar cane juice. haha.. that's one of the perils of living in the city... u'll miss out on such naturistic stuff.. These sugar cane plants actually flower and the flowers look very much like lavender plants (the 3 of us were unanimous on that! haha)
Mauritius is still a very much undeveloped place. There is only 1 main road running around the island. This main road has no street lighting and the roads are "treacherous"... haha.. sharp turns, steep slopes, bumpy roads etc... you need REALLY good driving skills man! So we finally reached our hotel, Hotel Ambre, on the east coast after a long and bumpy ride. After doing the necessary check-in stuff, we caught a cab to the nearest town called Belle Mare to have a look and to stock up on drinking water. Cabs there don't work on a meter system. You negotiate the cab fare outside the cab and when both parties are happy, off you go! While at Belle Mare, all 3 of us did some shopping and we eventually lugged a 5 litre bottle of mineral water back to the hotel for our 5 days water supply. hahaha...
By then, we were all very hungry.. but dinner will only be served at 730pm Mauritius time! That's 1130pm Singapore time! To forget those hunger pangs, we munched on biscuits and played 'dai dee' and 'join bones' (this is a new game I taught the girls.. haha). Time really crawled by... but eventually we got our dinner and went to bed early in preparation for tomorrow!!
Day 2 We woke up at a decent time (considering the fact that none of us will be awake at 7am when we're in Singapore.. haha) and headed down for breakfast. After which, cameras were all whipped out to capture nice scenes of the hotel and the beach. The hotel is really beautiful and the beach is pictureque! Gosh, it might as well looked as though it's being ripped outta some travel magazine.. my camera isn't that pro and my photography skills are lacklustre.. so here's the best that I could capture and it really doesn't do the place justice: These are photos of the hotel itself. Beautiful, isn't it?
We spent the entire day at the beach, just relaxing and soaking up the sun. Something really memorable happened though: Alicia signed us up for some mini olympiad on the beach while Geri and I went back to the room to call up the tour agency regarding some matter. When we got back, Alicia told us about the mini olympiad thingy and handed us this green ribbon for us to tie on our wrists to symbolise that we're from the green team. Together in our team were 2 guys from France and 1 other Italian guy. Starting to look like fun! haha.. we lost some games and we won some games. It was really fun, laughing and cheering others on. The most memorable game was the tug-of-war. We came out champs!! hahaha... All 6 of us pulled with our might and the climax came when the referee starting chanting, "Singapore! Singapore! Singapore! Singapore!" We felt like we have become part of Team Singapore (hahahahaha...) and all 3 girls pulled like crazy albeit the images we were portraying (hair all over the place, fats wobbling from the stomach, falling hard on our butts when we got thrown off etc)... haha.. it was a funny sight and i suffered from rope burns but it was all in the name of fun and well worth it! We won and after that, almost everyone on the beach knew that the 3 of us are from Singapore. One couple even went up to Alicia to ask how was Singapore as they were planning to go there for honeymoon! hahaha.. funny!
After the mini olympiad, we changed from Team Singapore to Singapore photo whores.. hahaha! We couldn't help it, the sand and the sea were just so inviting! The waters are so clear and blue!
Various shots of the beach... The green stuff that you see in the photo on the right is actually seaweed. The beach cleaners sweep them away each morning but they never stop forming on the beach...
Yup, that's us.. the photo whores.. hahaha...
So that's just what we did on Day 2 - nothing but relaxing, lazing and photo-taking.. haha.. i know you folks are envious of us.. the beautiful beach, breath-taking scenes and the carefreeness... just dun tell me to wipe that grin off my face.. haha.. it's a well-deserved summer break!! Part II coming up next..
Kel ♥
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Yup yup, so that's us.. all trigger happy... haha.. so much so that we forgot the time and the whole bus was waiting for us to go for lunch! heehee...
It's kinda dark but you can just see how beautiful the background is..... *dreams*
We touched down at about 1.35pm Mauritius time. Btw, Mauritius is 4 hours behind Singapore so that's like 5.35pm Singapore time. By then, we were all super shagged from the journey, but i managed to snap a shot of the airport.
We got up the airport transfer shuttle bus and began a 1 hour and 10 mins drive to our hotel. Yes, it's that far.. haha.. but I guess usually beach resorts have to be far from the city, isn't it? hee.. so along the way, we all got bored again and starting snapping photos of our surroundings. Sugar is one of Mauritius' main exports and hence, everywhere you go, you'll see sugar cane plantations. It's a really beautiful sight coz I've never seen a real sugar cane plant. The ones that I see are those in the hawker centre waiting to be made into sugar cane juice. haha.. that's one of the perils of living in the city... u'll miss out on such naturistic stuff.. These sugar cane plants actually flower and the flowers look very much like lavender plants (the 3 of us were unanimous on that! haha)
These are photos of the hotel itself. Beautiful, isn't it?
