Picking up my "backlogs"

I subconsciously pushed everything possible to after my JLPT exams. Not that it gained me a lot of time but the fact that I postponed things to post exams conned the stupid brain that in such way, I actually spent more time studying. The theory is like where you would pack your very thick textbooks into your bag, lugged it to Puduraya, walked from the Star LRT through the long walkway to the bus station, bring it home to your hometown and leave your books in the bag, not bringing it out even once nor flipped a single page but it somehow comforts you that at least, you brought it along.

Ok.. that sentence was a little too long, anyways, you get my point. So... here I am blogging after a while cos blogging falls under the category of "things to be done after JLPT". The list goes on ... (not in proper sequence)

1. Look for new accommodation as I foresee my landlord going to raise the rental again after 6 months
2. Buy christmas presents
3. Write christmas cards and post it
4. Look for Japanese class
5. Clean the place up
6. Watch the piling up Naruto and Bleach
7. Reply some emails
8. Contemplates if I should make some handmade cards
9. Downloads pictures from the SD card

Let me know if you've asked me to do something and I replied you "after my exams" and I'll put it to the list :P

Side note: I hate moving...

A little place in North Sydney

My current accommodation after being kicked out the temporary accommodation expires. Would most likely go house hunting again after the lease expires, an unfurnished one I suppose, or maybe partly furnished. Anyways, after putting off from doing it for a bit, I decided its time I post this up (Read: Mostly because a few people has been asking).

Side note: The mobile reception has been HORRIBLE in this place, it was like 017 in Sg Long in earlier days...

Cleaning the invisible "drawer"

Have been a slug (again!) on updating... but here's a short one... deleted a couple of the posts. Sis is right, why keep the ones those that bring bad memories. After a while, you'll forget, why leave it and remind yourself? :)


Side note: Time really does heal... and I'm glad it does :)

'Nuff said

There's a point in your life when you get tired of fixing everything &
trying to make everyone happy. When you finally decide to quit, it's NOT giving
up. its realizing you dont need certain people and the bullshit they bring in to
your life.

~ Dr Izzie Stevens, Grey's Anatomy


Side note: *grumbles... I so hate the time difference, why on earth do you need to go gym every night...

Medina Harbourview, King Street Wharf

I'm starting all these in a wrong side. Anyways, this is my first accommodation in Sydney :)
It is a really good place to stay, even up till now, going to Darling Harbour gives me a certain feeling of going "home". :P

from balcony

lounge

note the hanging TV? Love that!

Of course, all these pictures are taken before I unpack...haha.. I won't want to clean up before taking pictures :P


Side note: I'm just procrastinating on studying... hence the 2 posts in a day :P Anyways, shall be good and start it off... wish today is Saturday though

Happy Moon Festival

I refer it as Mooncake Festival, but figure the proper one could've been Mid Autumn Festival as in chinese, it is call 中秋节. In Sydney, it is known as Moon Festival. One of the things that I might not have the opportunity to do is experience some different kind of festivals at a different country. Reason being it may have been too crowded or expensive to travel in such festivals or that the travelling time just doesn't coincide.

Given the fact that I am fortunate to work in another continent in the world, and me being me, the ever curious one, would love to see how it is like to celebrate a festival in another part of the world. I have not really consider celebrate Mooncake Festival after left home for studies and work, the memories I had were probably when I was small where I played with lanterns and we would have mooncakes and tea, sitting outside the house, chatting.

I was really looking forward to visit Cabramatta for the Moon Festival celebration, but lost my "battle" with Mother Nature. It rained last Saturday, the whole day, killing every single bit of my hope to travel to Cabramatta. Oh well, there's always next year... I suppose. Anyways, I went for a walk to Chinatown yesterday, needing to get a hair clip from Paddy's Market (hair has been in a mess, as usual) and there were lion dance in Market City and other places in Chinatown. So, lion dance is the thing for Moon Festival in Sydney :)

The rest, I figured is about the same... the mooncake, the lantern.

Walking in Market City itself, there was this lady and a costumed-bunny giving away lantern :)

Happy Moon Festival :)


Side note: Someone remarked that why am I want to see how Moon Festival is celebrated considering I've just came from an Asian Country... to me... it is just different. Maybe I'm weird... :)

Someone says...

... one day I'll die of guilty conscience. And in a crude way, I believe her. Have you ever feel like being bog down guilty conscience, not because you have done something bad, but probably you told too much of a white lie.

I know I don't make sense, but when someone tells a lie, he/she may need to tell more lies to cover up the first lie. One after another. The thing about telling a lie is... you will have to remember what you told so that it is not found out. To prevent from being found out, one leads to another. Regardless if it is a white lie, or not.

The other is... doing the wrong thing. Have you ever feel the feeling of I-should-have... but it was all too late, cos once you think of "I should have..." means it is all too late, isn't it?


Side note: I should be studying, I should be studying, I should be studying, I should be studying :P

Google.com.au and Google.com.my

Have been meaning to blog this up, on the 2/9/08 itself actually but laziness got the better of me. Feel like a slug lately.

Anyways, office google is defaulted to google.au or rather google.com will somehow detect your location and default it to respective country. Don't ask me how, I'm IT illiterate. However as my laptop was brought over from Malaysia, and Google has been the defaulted homepage since I got my lappie, the one defaulted is Google.com.my instead.

Interestingly, logo for Google is different on 2/9/08 for the 2 countries.

Google Malaysia

Google Australia

I have always thought its the same throughout the world...


Side note: I love google's logo whenever there is an occasion.

Sigh of the Heart

Winter has passed, ending the same day as Malaysia's National Day. Today is officially the first day of Spring... and you just hate it already. Funny huh, people hates winter but ... suddenly vice versa, you just hate spring. Oh well... it just happen that today is a bad day. As Daniel Powter's Bad Day playing to your ear, it just hit the chord, right to the base of it.

And suddenly you'll realise that sh*tty things are easier to swallow when you have a friend with you. There isnt a need for consoling words but just someone sitting next to you, even not utter a word, it would have made your day. And you know the first person you thought of, must've weigh something in your life. You felt equally saddening when you know you are not in the position to call the person nor have him/her at your side when you most need them. Of course, it will passed, but at that very moment it would've lift you up.

Side note: I wish I know a bartender or something where I can go to, ask for a drink and say, "I had a bad day..."

What I notice...

1. Fork is the utensil to go in Australia. Even when you eat "chap fan", it comes with fork instead of spoon. Spoons are only given if you are eating food which cannot be lifted with a fork, of course... soup.

2. Bolster is unheard of here. Hence, I have to settle with another pillow, but I still find it a tad too short.

3. You greet people with, "Hey, how is it going?" or "Hi, how are you?" instead of "吃饱了吗?"


Side note: Just a short one. I almost burst my upload/download quota, so no pictures

认真的男人最帅

Lost my flow of thoughts. But there’s just some time when some things happen and this phrase crops up in the head. There are not many moments that happen, but in rare few instances…

A couple of days ago, chatted with a friend over MSN and that thought crept past my mind again… nay, I shall not elaborate but… don’t you think so… ?


Side note: Don't crack your head over it... just one of my rambling...

冬の花

Tempted to post it up after seeing my sis's blog

Somewhere along the way to Blue's Point

Outside Milsons Point train station

By the road side

In Lavender Park

Lavender Park with Lavender Bay in the background

Random bush in Milsons Point

Random home garden

Along Lavender Bay

Also along Lavender Bay

From the same garden as the yellow flower

Side note: Had to go back second time to take pic of the tulips... cos the owner came home the first time and I not in time to take... didnt want the lady of the house to think I'm crazy :P

Temporary "backyard"

My first residence in Sydney is at Harbourview Medina situated in King Street Wharf and it has a great "backyard"... which is none other than Darling Harbour.

from outside of the apartment's balcony

Side note: And of course... it's one of the first places I went for a walk... its like a bigger version of Clarke Quay, in a way :P

Forgive and forget?

Forgive and forget. That’s what they say. It’s good advice, but it’s not very practical. When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back. When someone wrongs us, we want to be right. Without forgiveness, old scores are never settled… old wounds never heal. And the most we can hope for, is that one day we’ll be lucky enough to forget.

Quoted from Grey's Anatomy - The Heart of the Matter, narrated by Meredith Grey

Somehow I realise, I have this thing for shows with narration. Be it Grey's Anatomy or Macgyver (have been catching up with this old show for a bit) or even HK drama. Maybe, in some ways or another, those narrations do hit a chord or two.


Side note: Will terminate the phone line & internet later in the morning...

最美丽的第7天

Just finished watching this HK drama 最美丽的第7天. In one of the episode, there was this narration that when I heard of it, I paused the show, and start googling.

没有他的日子
黑夜的每个角落，都充斥着他的身影，弥漫着他的气味，残留着他的笑声，她与他的感觉渐渐失去，虽然失去了，至少你曾经拥有，和他一起笑着走过的一段路。。。。。。

No... it doesn't have any special meaning to me, but it is indeed a good phrase.


Side note: I learnt a new medical condition from the show - Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). It is a rare autosomal dominant hereditary disorder which greatly increases the susceptibility to cancer. The syndrome is due to a mutation in the p53 tumor suppressor gene which normally helps control cell growth.
Source: Wikipedia

Break from cleaning up...

Was looking through the cluttered files in my HDD and found this media file. I got a bit distracted from the organizing... its easy to be distracted from cleaning & organizing anyway. It was this media file prepared by Little P for Moomoo gal for her last day at work, dated back in August 2007. Time sure flies. In a few blinks, from frolicking in paddy fields, she is now running marathon in the lion city.

Reminded me when I was deleting mails from my lotus notes in office a couple of days ago. There were mails from friends that I have forgotten that I've wrote all those long emails, to people whom I have not emailed to for a while. I guess once in a while, we ought to remind ourselves to stop for a while, to take some time off, write some long winded emails or letters. Keeping in touch with long lost friends. At least for myself. I think I ought to. A short sms may lead to adding of a friend in the instant messengers and daily chats to keep my sanity.

To the one faraway tuck in the middle east, or the ones having lunch time now in the lion city down south, or those in expensive lands further north, or the ones hopping with kangaroos, or the ones I have not been writing to for a bit... I shall be good. I shall pick up my pen or start typing emails... :)


Side note: Time to buck up on packing, cleaning...

My Pathetic 作文

ホイアン　(Hoi An) 　は　ベトナム（Vietnam）の　小さくて、古い　町　です。小さい　町　ですから、空港　と　電車の駅　が　ありません。でも　ホイアン　(Hoi An)　へ　いったら、簡単　ですよ。まず　ハノイ（Hanoi） から　電車で　フエ　(Hue) 　へ　いきます。フエ　（Hue） から　ホイアン（Hoi 　An）まで　バス　で　４　時間　かかります。

ホイアン　（Hoi An）は　きれいだし、静かだし、それで　有名　です。いくら　便利じゃない　でも、多くのい　人　は　ホイアン　（Hoi An） にへ　旅行します　に　いきます。　昔、ホイアン　（Hoi An） は　大切　な　港です。たくさん　の　船　と　商人　は　いっきました　いったんです。中国　や　日本　など　からきました。それわ　日本と中国　の　古い　ビル　が　あります。有名　な　日本の橋　も　あるんです　あります。その橋　は　１５９０　年　できました。

いま、ほかに　旅行　場所、旅行者　は　ホイアン　（Hoi An) 　へ　買い物します ホイアン　（Hoi An) 　で　買い物できます　。　いろいろ　物　が　あるん　ありますから　　とくに　テーラードスーツ　（Tailored suit)。なんでも　いろいろ　な　デザイン　が　コピーできます。

まい　がつつき　の　十四か　は　お祭り　が　あります。乗り物　は　使えません。自転車　しか　のりません。
時間　あったら、ホイアン　(Hoi An) 　いっかない　でしょう　か　へ　いきませんか？


Side note: Sensei must've listen to some very good classical music when reading my 作文

I really shouldn't go out...

Ok... I realise everytime I step out of the house, more than RM 50 will disappear from the purse. I'm not even a shopaholic but the $$ flows out faster than water... creepy.

Blood test - RM 114
Lunch - RM 10
Books - RM 68
Miki Ojisan no Mise cheese cake - RM 18.90
Socks - RM 10
Starbucks coffee - RM 5.35 (cos I have RM 10 voucher)

and all that spent by 4 pm... and darn.. me hungry again.. = ="


Side note: Guess I'll have to settle for oats for dinner...

In the SP2

In the train from Lao Cai, heading to Hanoi, an Italian young lady said in Italian, "How come there isn't any Italian guy?"

A Vietnamese young man replied her, also in Italian, "There isn't any Italian guy but there's a Vietnamese guy who can speak fluent Italian."

The lady was surprise and shock, running back to her berth, she explained to her friend, "OMG, OMG, there's this Vietnamese who speaks fluent Italian!"

Ok... the first two sentence, I have totally no clue about it... cos I don't understand Italian at all to save my life. The third sentence was in English and when I heard it before knowing the whole story, I was wondering why is it that she was so embarassed.

And now, you would question, then how did I get to know the whole story? Reason is simple. My sis and I got to know this talented young people on our journey to Sapa. And this Italian speaking Vietnamese young man is one of them. :)


Side note: I was just packing my things and saw the half written "story" above. Decided to complete it. Just an excerpt from my memory

First post Vietnam 2008

Pen turning

Are you guilty of turning your pen or pencil when working on your homework? :P

Oh well, I was chatting with a friend over YM and I have this vivid memory of him sitting next to me in Physics tuition class during Form 6 and turning his pen effordlessly. I casually asked him if he still turns his pen. He still does... and me? I'm still trying hard to learn that.

Opps... now you know why I did badly in my Physics back then... got distracted. Haha... just joking lar. Another friend said I just don't have the gene for pen turning :P


Side note: So little time, so much to think...

The tree it is named after...

Ok... I don't remember seeing the tree itself the few times I've been to Ipoh. Anyway, from Wikipedia it says...

The name Ipoh derives from a local tree, pohon epu or now more commonly known as
pokok ipoh. The sap of this plant is poisonous and was used by Orang Asli
(indigenous people) to coat the tips of the darts of their blowpipes.

So, here's the tree itself. One in front of the railway station and there's another one at D. R. Seenivasagam Park (if I don't remember wrongly).

And since I took a picture of the tree, might as well snap a few pictures of the flowers & leaves nearby so the Ipoh tree picture got some "friends". Haha. Nay... just crapping.

Side note: Ahhh.. I'm just crapping... it's way too hot tonight...

The advertisement said "The Land of Grace"

Ever since I moved to where I've stayed now, that was only the 3rd time I took a local public bus. To be more exact, I have not taken a bus from the nearby bus stop near the apartment I stayed since I moved in about 3 years back. Anyway, after toying with the idea of following Little P back to her hometown for awhile, the "mist" in the brain cleared in a sudden. I gave her a call, telling her I'll take a bus to Ipoh and follow her back on Sunday.

Took a local public bus to Pasar Seni, from there walked to Puduraya and bought the ticket for the next available bus to Ipoh. 3 hours later, I got down at the "new" bus station in Ipoh. Hmm.. but it said Gopeng... shrug.

As Little P got "wahyu" to resume her daily jogging in the park back at hometown, I loitered a bit at the bus station. Taking numerous pictures of the cars, setting sun, taxis, lamp posts... u know the usual non-living things.

I was really in Perak

Then Little P came to pick me with her little aqua colour kancil.

Sunset are beautiful everywhere

And of course Ipoh has good food. I quote from Little P, her favourite phrase, "Ipoh's superior _____." You can fill the blanks with heong peng, dim sum, kuih kapit, yim kuk kai (salted steam chicken)... But I was hungry, besides everybody would have intro about the food in Ipoh. So I shall skip it in this post. :P

The next day, after a late breakfast, Little P brought me to Ipoh's old railway station to take pictures.

Anyways, it's good to have spontaneous trip :)


Side note: Have you heard the story where the little boy tried to curb his anger and spitefulness by hammering a nail to a door? As time passes and his anger is much controlled, he removed the nails one by one. However, the nails will always leave a mark. Just as how when you hurt someone, it will leave a scar...

Phone Call

Penned this down 2 years back. Happen to locate it when I was housekeeping my files. Oh well, since I meant to blog it down then, but due to unknown reason why I did not, so there...


My sister went to Labuan for hols and it suddenly strike me that she might be able to get miniature liquor there. So I called her on the phone...

*Dial number*
Someone picked up the phone but not my sis. I put it as stranger

Stranger: Hello? Me busy now.

Me: Hello? Mmmm.. sorry
*Hung up* (Dont know why keep on have this image of a malay guy walking around in Puduraya, must be cos the background sound very noisy*

*Redial number and this time got my sis, talked to her on the liquor*
*Got new email prompt*

Verb sent email asking me why I call him.
Oh oh... hehe.. the stranger is Verb. :P
Subconsciously I ter-dial Verb's number and didnt realise. -__-"


Side note: My turn to feel like a slug...

Dell Truelife or non?

The thing about making a buy online is you don't get to see, touch, smell, whatever. However there's no stopping one from trying to find out more by a few clicks. Read about a review here and it is enough for me to decide not to opt for it.

However as you read it in my previous post, I had a laptop with the glossy truelife screen. I've finally decide that I would go through the hassle of changing it to a matte screen rather than living with the glossy one and probably curse and kick myself in the future days.

Initially I was told that they would treat it as a new order whereby I'll have to send back the laptop they send to me earlier and they would deliver a new one for me... and of course I'll have to wait for another 2 weeks probably. With my pc monitor not in very good condition currently, I'll probably left laptop/pc-less but I guess I could live with it. Anyway, it was decided later that they would send their engineer to change it for me as I ordered a printer together. Reason being if I need to send back the laptop, it has to go together with the printer.

Anyway, I had the screen changed just this evening... and I am so glad that I changed it. No doubt the colour was sharper with truelife but the matte one wasn't all that bad. And yes, I would rather pick a less sharper colour but WITHOUT all the reflection. It's annoying that I could see myself everytime I visit a dark colour blog or website, regardless if I pin my hair up, didn't comb my hair or whatsoever... I'm not pretty ok, I don't need to see myself so often to remind myself about it.

Or the irritation every single time my mother pulled off the curtain to go to the balcony during daytime. Of course, you could argue that I could learn to train myself not to get distracted with all the reflection but why should I when there is another better choice? Also yes, I could move myself away from my usual place in front of the tv, next to the door and sit at another spot but... why should I? Why should I compromise for the screen when I just love to sit in front of the tv when I work on my pc?

Having said all that, for the feel of it. This is how my dell truelife looks like... I took a few pictures of it before I had it changed.

And this is from the same angle, purposely making it to face the door as well... on a non truelife screen.

Well... anyhow it's all up to one's preference. I think the truelife does makes the colour looks sharper but personally to me, I don't see it as very significant. Instead, I am truly happy with this matte screen :D


Side note: Hungry... weird

恋人未满

歌手：S.H.E

为什么只和你能聊一整夜
为什么才道别就又想见面
在朋友里面就数你最特别
总让我觉得很亲很贴
为什么你在意谁陪我逛街
为什么你担心谁对我放电
你说你对我,比别人多一些
却又不说是多哪一些
友达以上恋人未满
甜蜜心烦,愉悦混乱
我们以后会变怎样
我迫不及待想知道答案
再靠近一点就让你牵手
再勇敢一点我就跟你走
你还等什么时间已经不多
再下去只好只作朋友
再向前一点点我就会点头
再冲动一点点我就不闪躲
不过三个字别犹豫这么久
只要你说出口你就能拥有我
为什么你寂寞只想要我陪
为什么我难过只肯让你安慰
我们心里面明明都有感觉
为什么不敢面对
我不相信
都动了感情却到不了爱情
那么贴心却进不了心底
你能不能快一点决定
对我说我爱你


Side note: Everytime I watch HK drama, I feel like going to HK...

Just Rambling

This is how my pc monitor look like now currently...

Was told to unplug and plug the monitor again but it doesnt seem to work. Perhaps the monitor has finally reached it's lifespan. Am now typing on my new lappie but I'm a little dissatisfied with the glossy screen.

Story is like this... has been intended to get the matte screen, but as it was PC Fair and the sales agent who served me, taking it into his hands and help me "upgrade" it to the glossy one. Me bad anyway, didnt realise it till it was too late. By the time I called to change it, it was already too late. The sales agent who called me informed me that I could opt to change it for a fee if I still to decide that I dislike it within 14 days. So now... I'm in the midst of contemplating if I should change it. If I change it, any hidden charges aside from the one quoted to me? How long does it take? Do they send the technician over? Or do I send back via courier? If via courier, do I need to pay for delivery? How do I pay them? Haha... yes, I think too much.

Of course, I could kill all the questions with a phone call to query. But unfortunately, today is a Saturday. I could only call on Monday, at 9 am. Oh well, can't blame me. I'm a INTP. I'm a thinker. I think too much. Period.

Don't mind me. I just had a dose of alcohol, on the advise of a friend. This friend has the tendency of suggesting me to have a cuppa whenever I feel restless and he didnt want to entertain me. Tsk tsk.

Umm.... likewise the title... I'm just rambling.


Side note: It would be nice if I have a blender... then I can make more cocktail :)

Vietnam - the place to go

Despite all the scares, we were blessed to have met good Samaritans along the way. Likewise having scares in about every stop we made, we met good and kind locals in the stops as well.

I called up an old colleague in Hanoi. Dr Bui patiently waited for us outside the theater where we caught the Water Puppet show while we trying to secure the local tour to Halong Bay before hurrying our way to meet him. He brought us to try a local dessert and accompanied us back to the guesthouse to pick up our baggage. Not to mentioned helped us contact a cab and negotiated a good price for us for the ride from Old Quarter to the train station.

On the train to Lao Cai, met a group of talented and nice young Vietnamese. Not only we were directed to the correct berth as the train tickets were all in Vietnamese words. We were very lucky to also bump into this same young people who saved us from the agony of fearing that we were given the wrong tickets and not able to get back to Hanoi. To top it, we were invited to join them for a birthday celebration. Ah... as to why I said they were talented. The birthday boy was blessed with birthday songs in different languages - English (of course), French, Italian, Russian and Mandarin. They did not speak all the 5 languages but everyone of them masters at least 2 languages, the very least - Vietnamese Language and another foreigner language. We joined one of them and sang birthday song in Mandarin. :)

Or in Hue, a nice train master who even personally came to inform us when it reached the station we wanted to go. In Danang, we met the very kind receptionist of a Hotel, the lady who brought us to cross the road, the uncle who doesn't speak English trying to tell us where can board the bus by "sign language".

All the way to Hoi An, the uncle who sold pastries and backpack to us in very, very reasonable price. To note that foreigners are always charged a higher price but this uncle charged us the same price as fellow Vietnamese. Not only that, when we returned to buy more pastries, he gave us discount without us requesting for it. With needing to bargain and negotiate in everything include food and bus rides, it felt really warm to know that we were given such good deal without having to bargain till the cows come home.

Despite all the warnings of scams given in guide books and the scares that befell us, I am glad to say that all the good people that we met has made up for all that. If I am a little too subtle in expressing, I can tell you that I love Vietnam, it's a great place :)


Side note: Aiyak... ppl chase dy...

First post Vietnam 2008 Next post Vietnam 2008

The Scares...

I quote from my Form 6 Chemistry teacher, "If my heart is any weaker, I'll have heart attack." Oh well, he said that upon reading our unbelievable answers in the school exam. In my case, it's the scare more than half the times when we booked the tickets in Vietnam.


Scare #1:
Sapa - Requested for the guesthouse to arrange a van to pick us from the Lao Cai station to Sapa. The van did not turn up and the rest of the vans only willing to pick up guests who made booking with their hotel. The rest charge 50k dong more than the usual price. We were almost left stranded in Lao Cai.

Scare #2:Lao Cai - train tickets back from Lao Cai to Hanoi. The destination was Long Bien instead of Hanoi and there was only a separate sheet of paper attached over an expired ticket. If it was a wrong ticket, we would not have make it in time for the Halong Bay trip.

Scare #3:
Halong Bay - Reached Hanoi safely from Lao Cai with help from a few good Samaritans. Took a cab to the tour agency where we book our local tour to Halong Bay with. Ahem... the shop was not opened yet when we were informed to wait there around 8.15 - 8.30 am. I could imagine the 100 USD flying away as we saw vans after vans already started their journey. Anyway, after a while we note that the PIC to open up the shop is sitting next door enjoying her breakkie = ="

Scare #4:
Hue - We informed the reception to help us get 2 motorcycles to transport us to the railway station. As the time ticking closer to the train departure time, the bikes were yet to arrive. We had to ask a couple of times and lucky they decide not to wait for the bikes anymore and got a van to send us there. *Phew

Scare #5:
Hoi An - Were told bus will leave the town at 8.30 am. We were still waiting in front of the guesthouse at 9.00 am and the receptionist didnt want to help us call the agent as we did not book from them. I tried to sms, only to receive reply to wait for the bus after awhile. In the end, bus came at 9.30 am.

The only other booking we made that did not scare us was in Saigon. We booked a local tour to Mekong Delta and crossed over to Phnom Penh with Sinh Cafe. That was the only booking that didnt left us worry. But oh well... things went ok thereafter cos there are kind locals to assist :)


Side note: One dell laptop is more expensive than my whole 2 weeks of Vietnam trip...

First post Vietnam 2008 Next post Vietnam 2008

Final stop Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh. 4 years ago, it was part of the plan when we saw the magnificent Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we came home earlier and chopped off PP from the itinerary.

Around Phnom Penh

We love Siem Reap. The sights were great, the people were kind, the food were good, the experiences were cool. Hence there were hopes of seeing Phnom Penh, after all, both the places are in The Kingdom of Cambodia.

Maybe it was the timing, maybe it the booming of tourism. Shrug. After all it has been 4 years since we stepped in Cambodia. Also that Siem Reap is a much smaller town. However I regret to say that I prefer Siem Reap a lot more.

Anyway, we were only in PP for only about a day, probably too soon to make a conclusion. Actually the only place we wanted to see is the Royal Palace. However unlikely that we would spend the whole day in the palace, and the Russian Market seem like quite an interesting place to stop by, we decided that if there is time, we would drop by there as well. However, that was optional.

The next morning after had our breakfast, we walked to the Royal Palace.

The Royal Palace - The throne hall

A huge area of the place was deem as no entry for visitors. Also no pictures are allowed inside the main buildings like The Throne Hall and the Silver Pagoda (so named due to the silver tiles though currently covered by carpet).

After finishing rounding the palace, we still have enough time to drop by the Russian Market. From the surrounding of the Royal Palace, we got on a tuk tuk which cost us 5,000 Riel to Russian Market.

Quite a reasonable place to hunt for souvenirs

We left the Russian Market after having our lunch at about 10 minutes after 1 pm. Did not anticipant that it could be rather hard to flag down a tuk tuk with reasonable price. Travelling from the Royal Palace to the Russian Market is about 2 times the distance from the Russian Market back to the guesthouse but we were charged 2 USD (equivalent to 8,000 Riel). The max that we could bargain was to 6,000 Riel which still doesnt really make much sense as we only paid for 5,000 Riel for about twice the distance.

We decided to walk and try to get a tuk tuk along the way. Wrong move. Somehow due to unknown reason, the nearer we were to the guesthouse, we were quoted an even higher price. Weird. There was one tuk tuk driver who doesn't know the way and after we showed him the map, he asked for 5 USD. = ="
Grumble. Taught him how to go and he charged even more expensive that the fella at the Russian Market.

To cut the story short, we walked all the way back to the guesthouse. We could tolerate the walk and the distance, it was just that we already make a booking with a tuk tuk driver to pick us up at the guesthouse at 2 pm to go to the airport. We didn't want to be late nor wanting him to wait for us. Anyway, we make it in time.

Bike with extension

This was the last stop. We flew back from PP to KL, reaching KL at about 8+ pm. Then my sis drove us to Subang and had a fulfilling dinner of bak kut teh. :P


Side note: Brilliant idea from sis for me to transform my bike to a tuk tuk and can tuk tuk-pool to work, and for some extra income, suggested that I give day tour = ="
P/S: PC dying... probably won't blog so often already, unless can find some substitute to go online.

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