yayy

Yayy! My annual leave has been approved! So Laos is a pretty sure thing :D

Let’s see, I’ve booked my bus ticket to Butterworth and my train ticket from Butterworth to Bangkok and I will get my train ticket from Bangkok to Vientiane later. I’m so excited! I’ve never travel by train before. And from the travel logs that I’ve read, it’s quite an experience. Especially at night where all you can still is bright shinning stars swimming in the sky.

Though I am quite fond of going with the flow but it’s no harm having a rough itinerary as a quick guide.

So here it is.

21st December:
11.30pm bus to Butterworth (Reach Butterworth at 5am)

22nd December:
2.20pm train to Bangkok

23rd December:
Reach Bangkok at 10.50am
8.45pm train to Nongkhai

24th December Vientiane:
9am, reach Nongkhai. Get a tuk tuk, cross the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge and get my Laos Visa.

Get a minibus to Vientiane
10am, check into hotel and lepak with beer lao.

25th December
9am bus to Luang Prabang (6 hours)

26th December
Luang Prabang

27th December
Luang Prabang

28th December:
Bus to Vientiane

29th December:
Vientiane

30th December :
Flight back to KL

do or stay stagnant

What a week! Though nursing a fever and a very bad cold, I did still made it to Marissa’s wedding dinner on Saturday at Mandarin Oriental. Was great though to catch up with ex colleagues and friends from the Microsoft Malaysia days :D

I somehow feel that I had my best 3 years then where my career path is concerned. I was eager and willing, I was a self taught designer, programmer and project manager. Damn, I could have been a self taught everything! Nothing was impossible then. Well, nothing is impossible now as well…but I detest the fact that I still do get dragged into this shit hole called ‘expectation’.

Someone once told me that if we have the passion, we will excel in anything. Nothing will come between us and our dreams then. Everything will be possible. I believe that, I truly do.

And I only have one thing that is constantly in my mind now. That is to take a year off and go travel. Never mind that I am probably too old to do that – I honestly think I would be able to appreciate more when I do it in my 30s. Never mind if I don’t have enough cash to support me when I am back from traveling – I can always start over.

Yes! I will now wait for the right time. When the heart says so. Which will be very soon.

stop it

Today, I heard the most absurd statement today when I told a friend that I am going to backpack alone in Laos.

‘Are you sure? But it’s not safe!’ She said.
‘Says who?‘ I asked.
‘Everyone! The newspaper, the media. But if it’s in Europe then it’s ok‘ She replied.

No wonder the world is such a mess! People just don’t realize the impact to the condition of the world when they start broadcasting all the negativity. And as if there is no mugging, killing, raping in Europe??!

I mean, I know she has my best interest. But instead of telling me how unsafe it is, she could have used a different approach. Like telling me to take care, stay in groups, get acquaintance with fellow backpackers etc…

But I supposed she is not to be blamed. We all do that. All the time…what matters most is how we reverse negativity into something positive.

Loas here I come!

After days of contemplating, testing my parent’s reaction on backpacking in the most bombed country alone, I finally accept the calling that Laos would be the next country I am setting my foot on!

Yes! Laos! The land where the ubiquitous and tasty Beerlao(US$0.30 a can) greets it’s visitor in the early mornings as much as while watching the sunset of Mekong! The land where I can bask in the laid-back lifestyle with fellow Laotian enjoying my glass of lao-lao (rice whiskey). If I am lucky I might be able to get my hands on the infamous ‘Happy pizza’?? ( I hope!)

I only wished I have more than a week to explore Lao, there are too many caves and historical sites to explore, too many tribal groups to ‘home-stay’ with.

Anyway, I will be traveling by train this time round: Butterworth-Bangkok-Vientiane-Bangkok and flying back from Bangkok to KL.

Why traveling by train? Because I don’t believe in paying so much for flight ticket! And also because I’ve always love mingling and getting to know the locals. Especially those who can teach me a thing or two about life and giving it a brand new perspective. One that has been long lost with us as a result of chasing the unrealistic dreams in this materialistic world. And how bes to do it but travel like the local does, eat where the local does and sleep not hotels with ’stars’ but guest house and home-stay.

And since I only have 1 week to spare, traveling will be done at night. That way, not only will I save on traveling time but hotel charges as well hehe.

In all, still have some pages to read on Lao and get myself familiar with some phrases in Lao. Attempt to speak in local language always works with the locals! :D

lost we are

Every country has a way of presenting itself. And I am particularly drawn to those who has not been contaminated with her people naively believe that the only true model of success is by copying the west – building concrete jungle, allowing fast food chain to mushroomed , the uncontrollable number of vehicles on the road, spending thousands on brands that could feed 10(s) of families in Cambodia and the polluted state of *everything*.

It is a monstrous deformation the west has planted in our minds. Are we really independent or we are still being ruled – through the cloths we wear, the TV programmed we watch and the music we listen to?

Have we all lost our instinct for what life should be – The opportunity to be happy, the opportunity to live for what we were made of? Our uniqueness that defined what we truly are, as Chinese, Malay or Indian…

a blast

I decided that by the time I woke up this morning, all the negativity and ill feelings should disappear into thin air. Indeed it did and I ended up having a blast!

My day started off with my weekend ritual of ‘old town’ coffee and hainan toast in Suria KLCC, followed by movie watching before heading to Amcorp mall for dress hunting. God know why Amcorp mall for all the places but I did ended up buying 2 dresses, a tunic and 4 very antic looking pendents from the flee market. Happy-lah!

bad day

Had a bad day today, the irritation on the right eye and the fucking sinus doesn’t make it any better. Sometimes, I wonder when is all these gonna end. How many more scolding do I have to shoulder, when the responsibility is not mine to owned but because I was conveniently there?

awakening

When you are young and fresh from the protective wings of your educators – the only source of first hand knowledge from the ‘real world’ out there, be careful of the advice you take and the opinion you absorb as a part in your life experiences. Also, be careful of the books you read because what’s written is based on one person’s interpretation of life. It does not have the final say on how life should be lived.

You get to determine what works for you. Because this is your life you are living. Not his. not her’s. And certainly not theirs.

I concluded that what we are today is very much how we were brought up. We are as though a microchip that has been preprogrammed with all the information that was available by whoever that came into contact with us from the day we were born. Then as we aged, we absorb more information about how life should be lived, what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s acceptable and what’s not.

We aspire to live like those whom we admire – fancy cars, branded handbags and whatever fuck. We start believing lies because it’s convenient and it gives instant access to acceptability.

I admit that sometimes, I am a part of all these poison. It’s sick. And it makes me want to vomit. Especially when I am doing it with full conscious.

But I am constantly doing what I can. To believe what my heart wants to believe. I try. To object and say NO when I know it’s not right. Sometimes, it’s a worthless fight but I know, at least I still have my conscious intact.

I owe it to myself, to understand the true meaning of living life the WAY I want it.

For me, and not anybody else.

‘F’ u

Don’t you sometimes wished that you could be less sensitive and bombard every single person who has done you wrong just to get even – when the opportunity is there for your taking?

I wished I could be like that at times. The meanie, the bitch or even the loudspeaker for a change. But you see, I wasn’t being bought up like barbarians without manners.

Lucky bastards.

pig

Did anyone ever give you the impression that their existence must have been a joke done by well…I don’t know, the universe’s second helper?

Anyway, I shall restrain myself from commenting on chauvinist pigs with peanut size brain. It’s such a waste to get all worked up at this time of the hour, when slumber is so inviting.