The Cube

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...

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

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...

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 :)

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

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

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.

First post Vietnam 2008 Next post Vietnam 2008