Life's a Mockery.
When It arranged for me to catch This Is It on Thursday.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Other Side
Felt left behind? How about leaving behind?
Felt wronged? How about being righted your wrong?
Felt depressed? How about letting yourself down?
You must have been pushed to the end too.
You must have gone thru ur struggles too.
You must have also thought of the millions what-ifs, perhaps, maybes too.
You must have felt lonely. You must have felt you were wronged.
Thankful that at sunset, Chub's still able to recognise and empathize.
That Chub is no longer 17.
That Chub is no longer just Chub.
Chub loved, loves and will continue to love.
Felt left behind? How about leaving behind?
Felt wronged? How about being righted your wrong?
Felt depressed? How about letting yourself down?
You must have been pushed to the end too.
You must have gone thru ur struggles too.
You must have also thought of the millions what-ifs, perhaps, maybes too.
You must have felt lonely. You must have felt you were wronged.
Thankful that at sunset, Chub's still able to recognise and empathize.
That Chub is no longer 17.
That Chub is no longer just Chub.
Chub loved, loves and will continue to love.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Waiting
Whether something is worth going or waiting for depends on your own set of values and priorities.
I will go for Waipo's birthday dinner certainly, over going for yoga.
Nothing much to think about here basically.
Even when I know it may be too long a break, I think it's worth it. At least according to my value system now and then. And my feelings.
I'll do it.
Whether something is worth going or waiting for depends on your own set of values and priorities.
I will go for Waipo's birthday dinner certainly, over going for yoga.
Nothing much to think about here basically.
Even when I know it may be too long a break, I think it's worth it. At least according to my value system now and then. And my feelings.
I'll do it.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Light
Vladivostok is serene.
It's 4pm Singapore time, but 7pm here.
The sun is setting.
Hotel Amursky Zaliv is located right beside Amur Bay - the same bay that Hotel Vladivostok was located from my last trip.
It must be a blessing in disguise that standard rooms are full in HV. AZ is even closer to the bay. You can see the water glistening.
And the mini theme park beside it.
With the Yacht dock by the side.
I do not know how to describe it better nor is my camera powerful enough to capture what I am looking at now.
I see an overcast sky full of clouds but with tiny openings where sun rays pore through touching the water surface. The mist in the air made clear lines of diffused light. Like there are flood lights attached in the sky shining down.
Close your eyes and imagine.
How beautiful...
Vladivostok is serene.
It's 4pm Singapore time, but 7pm here.
The sun is setting.
Hotel Amursky Zaliv is located right beside Amur Bay - the same bay that Hotel Vladivostok was located from my last trip.
It must be a blessing in disguise that standard rooms are full in HV. AZ is even closer to the bay. You can see the water glistening.
And the mini theme park beside it.
With the Yacht dock by the side.
I do not know how to describe it better nor is my camera powerful enough to capture what I am looking at now.
I see an overcast sky full of clouds but with tiny openings where sun rays pore through touching the water surface. The mist in the air made clear lines of diffused light. Like there are flood lights attached in the sky shining down.
Close your eyes and imagine.
How beautiful...
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Yes, I washed my face.
Chub was bathing and couldnt remember if she has washed her face. Chub reached out for the cleanser and that action triggered images of recall - of her pale short arms holding the plastic container. Chub has washed her face.
The above may be a negative side effect of Chub's intense effort to condition her brain cells to discard memories that shouldnt be there. To remember only things important to her.
Chub is puzzled though. As washing her face IS important.
Chub was bathing and couldnt remember if she has washed her face. Chub reached out for the cleanser and that action triggered images of recall - of her pale short arms holding the plastic container. Chub has washed her face.
The above may be a negative side effect of Chub's intense effort to condition her brain cells to discard memories that shouldnt be there. To remember only things important to her.
Chub is puzzled though. As washing her face IS important.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Moments.
The ground shook and Silly Chub tot it was renovation.
Until everyone's left their seats with her remaining.
If the building collapsed then, Chub still has many things left to say and do.
*********************************
The last letter typed in and ready, only to get a forced distraction.
but the moment's past.
and the courage's gone.
The ground shook and Silly Chub tot it was renovation.
Until everyone's left their seats with her remaining.
If the building collapsed then, Chub still has many things left to say and do.
*********************************
The last letter typed in and ready, only to get a forced distraction.
but the moment's past.
and the courage's gone.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
CCXF Meets Bockie
The affair has always been a joyous one. I love his guy who's been in my life since I was 17.
I so thank him for going against his better judgement then, seeing through my outer superficial Ah Lian facade and taking that first step to talk to me, all the while taking caution not to go too near the pointed end comb in my pure white Espirit shoulder bag and ducking precariously when I flip my brown streaked long hair.
Bockie doesnt mind me calling him Bockie. Bockie doesnt mind me adding Pig to Bockie at times. Bockie doesnt mind me driving his car, which I will certainly consider now that it's a selfish Audi so unfitting of clumsy shortie (legged) me.
Bockie doesnt mind my loudness. Bockie doesnt mind my embarrassing chuckles.
Bockie doesnt mind my yawns, whines and public-cry.
Just like I don't mind Bockie's coining the tongue-twister initials CCXF.
The affair has always been a joyous one. I love his guy who's been in my life since I was 17.
I so thank him for going against his better judgement then, seeing through my outer superficial Ah Lian facade and taking that first step to talk to me, all the while taking caution not to go too near the pointed end comb in my pure white Espirit shoulder bag and ducking precariously when I flip my brown streaked long hair.
Bockie doesnt mind me calling him Bockie. Bockie doesnt mind me adding Pig to Bockie at times. Bockie doesnt mind me driving his car, which I will certainly consider now that it's a selfish Audi so unfitting of clumsy shortie (legged) me.
Bockie doesnt mind my loudness. Bockie doesnt mind my embarrassing chuckles.
Bockie doesnt mind my yawns, whines and public-cry.
Just like I don't mind Bockie's coining the tongue-twister initials CCXF.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Fly the Fiendish Skies - by Matthew Lynn, a columnist for Bloomberg.
This article was published in the Jakarta Globe on 12 August in the Comments Section. I am reproducing it manually because I love how it summarises how I feel in general about air travel, though I have not YET switched to budget airlines. But my full fledged airlines arent that much better either.
Caught a plane recently? How was the flight? If you're honest, it was probably a horrible experience.
The airports are packed to the rafters, now more than usual with the holiday season. The checkin desks are overwhelmed. The staff can be bossy and the rules ridiculous. The additional charges range from the baffling to the infuriating. Allocated seats have been abolished along with the meals. It is hell 30,000 feet above the ground.
There is no question that flying is a less pleasantexperience than it was 30 years ago. Economists tell us that most products get better over time in a free market. The airlines have managed to rip up that rule book. The question is whether other industries will follow the same path or whether the airlines will find a way to make flying fun again.
In the last decade, most carriers have stripped out just about everything that made flying a tolerable, sometimes even pleasurable experience. Cattle on the way to the abbatoir receive better care than most passengers do on the new breed of budget airlines. The North KOrean postal service probably knows more about putting the customer first than most airline staff.
People have noticed. Two of the biggest hits on the Internet this year have been from exasperated air travellers. There was a letter to Richard Branson, the president of Virgin Atlantic Airways, complaining about the 'culinary journey of hell' on a Virgin flight. United Airlines was expertly dissected by a country singer aggrieved that his carrier had damaged his guitar. His song, "United Breaks Guitars," has had almost five million views on Youtube.
The trouble is, it is about to get much worse.
Ryanair, the Irish budget airline that prides itself on not caring about service, is now thinking about charging to use teh toilets. It is already getting rid of check-in desks and the company plans to make passengers carry all their baggage onto the plane. They will probably get us to bring along a few liters of jet fuel pretty soon.
The Chinese carrier Spring Airlines is contemplating selling "standing-only" tickets to pack more people onto its planes, according to a report on MSNBC. Even British Airways, which used to boast about the quality of its service, is joining the rush down to cattle calss. Last month. the airline said free meals were being abolished after 10am for flights less than 2 and a half hours. It won't be long before they put you in your suitcase and charge you for breathing.
On one level, we know what is happening. The no-frills, budget business model has triumphed. Passengers always take the cheapest possible flight, forcing all the airlines to cut costs drastically.
Flying used to be an exciting, glamourous event. When I was a kid, friendly flight attendants would take you up to the cockpits to have a chat with the pilot and see how it all worked. These days, they don't even let parents sit next to their children unless the whole family runs like crazy onto the plane elbowing aside everyone in front of them.
Of course, it's true that flights are cheaper and there are more of them. Yet, that isnt quite the explanation.
In most industries, products are both cheaper and better. Computers are loads faster and cost less than they did 10 years ago. The same is true of cars and televisions and just about any consumer product you can think of.
NOr do consumers normally opt for such a dramatic decline in quality even if they do get lower prices in return.
Thank about what would happen if they did. We would all be staying in spartan hotels right next to the highway. Restaurants would be serving us ready-made meals from cans - awful but very cheap. The barber would just get out his sheep shears and give us a trim.
Only when it comes to air tickets have consumers decided that price is the sole thing that matters. The choice between price and quality in most other industries doesnt matter.
Airports may be giving us a glimpse of the future. In 20 years' time, perhaps every industry will be run ont the Ryanair model: Drive down prices to the minimum and tell the customer to take a hike.
Alternatively,perhaps the airline industry is still in a period of transition from old state-run monopolies to a free market. That process has gone crazy, allowing companies to a period of freedom in which they can be as rude to the customer as they like and get away with it. Over time, a better compromise between price and quality will emerge.
Something needs to be done about air travel. Otherwise, we might be tempted to chuck ourselves from the emergency exit, even if there is an extra 10-euro charge for doing so.
This article was published in the Jakarta Globe on 12 August in the Comments Section. I am reproducing it manually because I love how it summarises how I feel in general about air travel, though I have not YET switched to budget airlines. But my full fledged airlines arent that much better either.
Caught a plane recently? How was the flight? If you're honest, it was probably a horrible experience.
The airports are packed to the rafters, now more than usual with the holiday season. The checkin desks are overwhelmed. The staff can be bossy and the rules ridiculous. The additional charges range from the baffling to the infuriating. Allocated seats have been abolished along with the meals. It is hell 30,000 feet above the ground.
There is no question that flying is a less pleasantexperience than it was 30 years ago. Economists tell us that most products get better over time in a free market. The airlines have managed to rip up that rule book. The question is whether other industries will follow the same path or whether the airlines will find a way to make flying fun again.
In the last decade, most carriers have stripped out just about everything that made flying a tolerable, sometimes even pleasurable experience. Cattle on the way to the abbatoir receive better care than most passengers do on the new breed of budget airlines. The North KOrean postal service probably knows more about putting the customer first than most airline staff.
People have noticed. Two of the biggest hits on the Internet this year have been from exasperated air travellers. There was a letter to Richard Branson, the president of Virgin Atlantic Airways, complaining about the 'culinary journey of hell' on a Virgin flight. United Airlines was expertly dissected by a country singer aggrieved that his carrier had damaged his guitar. His song, "United Breaks Guitars," has had almost five million views on Youtube.
The trouble is, it is about to get much worse.
Ryanair, the Irish budget airline that prides itself on not caring about service, is now thinking about charging to use teh toilets. It is already getting rid of check-in desks and the company plans to make passengers carry all their baggage onto the plane. They will probably get us to bring along a few liters of jet fuel pretty soon.
The Chinese carrier Spring Airlines is contemplating selling "standing-only" tickets to pack more people onto its planes, according to a report on MSNBC. Even British Airways, which used to boast about the quality of its service, is joining the rush down to cattle calss. Last month. the airline said free meals were being abolished after 10am for flights less than 2 and a half hours. It won't be long before they put you in your suitcase and charge you for breathing.
On one level, we know what is happening. The no-frills, budget business model has triumphed. Passengers always take the cheapest possible flight, forcing all the airlines to cut costs drastically.
Flying used to be an exciting, glamourous event. When I was a kid, friendly flight attendants would take you up to the cockpits to have a chat with the pilot and see how it all worked. These days, they don't even let parents sit next to their children unless the whole family runs like crazy onto the plane elbowing aside everyone in front of them.
Of course, it's true that flights are cheaper and there are more of them. Yet, that isnt quite the explanation.
In most industries, products are both cheaper and better. Computers are loads faster and cost less than they did 10 years ago. The same is true of cars and televisions and just about any consumer product you can think of.
NOr do consumers normally opt for such a dramatic decline in quality even if they do get lower prices in return.
Thank about what would happen if they did. We would all be staying in spartan hotels right next to the highway. Restaurants would be serving us ready-made meals from cans - awful but very cheap. The barber would just get out his sheep shears and give us a trim.
Only when it comes to air tickets have consumers decided that price is the sole thing that matters. The choice between price and quality in most other industries doesnt matter.
Airports may be giving us a glimpse of the future. In 20 years' time, perhaps every industry will be run ont the Ryanair model: Drive down prices to the minimum and tell the customer to take a hike.
Alternatively,perhaps the airline industry is still in a period of transition from old state-run monopolies to a free market. That process has gone crazy, allowing companies to a period of freedom in which they can be as rude to the customer as they like and get away with it. Over time, a better compromise between price and quality will emerge.
Something needs to be done about air travel. Otherwise, we might be tempted to chuck ourselves from the emergency exit, even if there is an extra 10-euro charge for doing so.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Self pity is Despicable.
So what if you have no friends to watch movie with.
So what if you travel alone, carry luggage alone, sleep alone and eat alone.
So what if you go to a squat toilet with no hooks on the door and a wet floor and you are carrying a heavy laptop bag.
So what if you have to climb hills, step mud and travel in a car for 3 hours before reaching a destination.
So what if you have to wake up 5 hours before work.
So what if you have 7 datelines in 7 days.
So what if you work 18-hour days and 7-days week.
So what if the haze caused you swollen eye and the food caused you to laosai.
So what.
There are people with so much worse to bear.
They just don’t say and you just don’t know.
Think Again. Don’t be despicable.
So what if you have no friends to watch movie with.
So what if you travel alone, carry luggage alone, sleep alone and eat alone.
So what if you go to a squat toilet with no hooks on the door and a wet floor and you are carrying a heavy laptop bag.
So what if you have to climb hills, step mud and travel in a car for 3 hours before reaching a destination.
So what if you have to wake up 5 hours before work.
So what if you have 7 datelines in 7 days.
So what if you work 18-hour days and 7-days week.
So what if the haze caused you swollen eye and the food caused you to laosai.
So what.
There are people with so much worse to bear.
They just don’t say and you just don’t know.
Think Again. Don’t be despicable.
Friday, July 31, 2009
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