Holiday at Chiang Mai, Thailand

My honeymoon weeks are ending. I've been in denial long enough. Refusing to go out snack shopping with my parents week after week (I'm suffering from a lack of snacks right now). Not wanting to do anything but play play play. Sleeping like it's nobodys business and taking afternoon naps as well. I'm sure you all know how I can dream in chapters like a book. Must be all the book reading I've done since young.

It is now time to start working! (yay! *groan*) I'm through with feeling crappy and dissatisfied with life (though 'living it' is its description. what the hell am I saying? ^^;) I've managed to keep my room neat and the floor visible for the past week for once and perhaps that has put me in a better mood.

But really, without a mess I feel reluctant to start any project! So while I wandered round and round, I decided...aah, I need a secretary. Actually, I'm starting to get this rather bad habit of forgetting appointments or things like that and constantly mess up my own schedule. Time to shape up! So here is my current priority list:

1. Recording my mom's cassettes (DO NOT ask me why cassettes)
2. Writing (for Purpose no. 2)
   
3. Writing (for Purpose no. 1, why was it kicked lower than 2 is a mystery)
   
4. Completing the three blog layouts I started but never finished
5. Writing (for purpose no. 3)
   
6. Dreaming and finally starting my Dream Notes Notebook (so that none of my chapters go missing)
   
7. Making a four poster bed
8. Completing that bloody floor lamp
9. Finalising the house plan (should I go stay over at S's and ask her opinion?)
10. Drawing Yuuko-san on the wall. At least I've already decided on the darker pink square.

I'm hoping to stick to the list. So, tonight itself I shall start recording session (provided I don't go out and play. I'm already thinking of calling that irritating R). If only the cable YH bought was longer then I wouldn't feel so reluctant to do this task. I really should go get it myself but I'm so lazy and reluctant to ask anyone. Talk about being indecisive! Grrr.

I made a trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand earlier this month. Here are some of the pictures I took while I was there. Oh, about the wording on those pictures? Don't mind them if they look weird or pixelated because I'm using the same pictures for another project of mine and am lazy to do new letterings. If I'm feeling hardworking later on, I may do something about it.

This is The Park Hotel's lobby. It's a pretty decent place to stay at and quite close to the Night Bazaar which is the place to shop for cheap souvenirs and imitation branded bags.

Drying hand-painted silk umbrellas. Not for use in the rain or sun. Use either the bamboo or woven ones or so I'm told.

Me and my mom on the tuk-tuk we took back to the hotel on the first night from the bazaar. It's pretty scary to think that a scooter-like motorcycle can carry up to five people at that speed.

A trek to visit the Hill Tribes in Chiang Rai. Looks like Daddie-san's having some line trouble, hmm?

The Karen Long Neck's infamous girls. Even their legs are elongated! I'm pretty freaked out by them so I didn't take any photos near them.

The Yao ladies selling their homemade wares to tourists. It's a side income to the money they receive through ticket sales when tourists go to visit them (and it wasn't cheap either).

My family, being city folk all our lives, have never seen the paddy up close and personal before hence the picture. We've all seen lots of paddy fields however.

At the last village we visited, these two statues made their appearance numerous times. Isn't it interesting?

We arrived at the Golden Triangle soon after. This place was named thus due to its location which borders with Myanmar and Laos, separated from each other by the mighty Mae Khong river.

A Buddhist temple at the Golden Triangle. There were a bunch of children going round bugging tourists by singing a chant that translates into, 'I want two 5 bahts pieces'.

The temple's arch overlooking the Mae Khong river.

Lookout point en route to Doi Suthep, an important hilltop temple at Chiang Mai.

Just some bells found all over the temple.

This is, a 'Mom' statue. Maybe Mom means something else in Thai but it was amusing nonetheless for us English speaking folk.

My parents, upon exiting the musuem. Me and my bro had decided to stare at trees, a hidden Buddha and more elephant carvings on a lamp post nearby then.

A quiet section of the 400 year old hilltop temple.

We took the elevator up (because we were lazy to walk) so that's why this picture I placed it at the end though it is the temple's entrance. It's only right I go according to sequence ne?

The fittest one in my household is probably my mother really.
The mythical creature's body that served as a balustrade was beautifully detailed.

The elaborate creature's body that welcomed visitors at the foot of the temple's stairs.

There was even a live band at the new outdoor food court found along the bazaar. Have you ever tasted roti canai with chocolate? Yum.

They were just too beautiful to resist (not that I intended to). In fact, it was the only thing I was looking out for when I arrived in Thailand thanks to S and her pretty set atop her cupboard. The amount I bought at this particular stall could've allowed me to open up shop here in KL.

That was Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai in a glance! I bought some souvenirs (naturally) and will be posting them here soon for you to drool over (^^;). Talking about souvenirs, I nearly bought a fake Louis Vuitton carry luggage but decided not to and get originals back here in KL. I still haven't completely given up on Elle Paris yet and I know it will come up with great designs in the future!

Here's a link to a post I made at my class blog on the trips to Genting and Malacca. Please visit it and give your support to the young and budding Malaysian journalists and writers!

http://utarants.blogsome.com/2006/10/13/a-couple-of-out-o-town-trips/

The Month where One is Supposed to be a Goody-2-Shoes

Hypocrites. Really. Just because its a holy month so everyone's being nice to each other and doing charity work? Like, what happened to the rest of year? Hypocrites. Most of them anyway. I know a few who do them all year and those people are those I really respect and admire. Me? I have zero patience for such things but call on me anytime for planning or organising. I love such stuff.

Anyhow, I've just been through an eventful weekend! There was this HUGE drama going on between my wife and her university pal. I've met this pal of hers a few times and I thought she was pretty cool, something like me, my wife and our mutual friends. I was thinking, at LEAST there is someone normal at my wife's university.

That was until this. I've never met a more pitiful person my whole life (well, maybe a few).

Really. She says she totally envies my wife because of all the friends she has whom she is so close with (meaning me and the others). Like, of course we're all so close and familiar with each other. We practically grew up together! I've known E since we were in Standard One. Same goes for the others or at least most of them.

Then she comes up with that freakish line of how she wants to be exactly like E and later on she says the same thing to L (I love the way you eat! I love the way you walk! I love, love, love!). Like, stay away please, stalker-type?

Luckily I had listened to E rattling all the way back from Melaka (the whole two hours plus!) and managed to dodge the bullet when it came my way. You see, this intruder upon my circle of friends had seen it fit to crash at people's homes though they were not invited and definitely not wanted. Close call! Poor E did not even spend any time with her family the last week and its making her upset.

All-in-all, I suppose one needs to let time pass by awhile before one can really say that one knows another person. Personally? I'd love to be friends with the whole wide world (isn't this a line from an old song or something?) but that's just crazy thinking maybe. I'm pretty contented with my friends as of now. I wish people who'd intrude upon others and especially so shamelessly and without a care would just wake up and sniff the air...its smelly and dirty because of them. Shoo shoo! Give me back my clear and fresh air.

I'm going off to Thailand tomorrow! Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai to be exact. It's now 1a.m and I've yet to pack my bags. Another 8 more hours to boarding time! I've got to figure out is 23 degrees Celcius is cold or not for me quick so that I can start deciding what to bring. Too bad my favourite umbrella's sitting on the workstation at the place I'm interning at. (Go get it for me already J!)