…kitty on the table head-butts my forehead while purring madly asking for attention as I study…

…kitty rubs against my head asking for attention while I sleep…

ok, ok, she probably only likes the heat from the laptop and my desk-lamp, and when she sleeps in the air-con room with us, she likes to curl up against Fat Cat’s belly or on top of my head (where we release heat). So I’m interpretating her practical actions as love, as all pet owners do. But gosh I love her so!

Bali was awesome. Simply spectacular. Valuair has a nice Friday afternoon (3:15pm) flight, leaving Bali at 740pm on Sunday (2hrs each way), so you can take a 1/2 day off work and get to spend the whole weekend there.

After various Asian holidays, I have to say that holidays where Pat and I get to scoot around on a motorbike (HCM (big white), KP (Li’ll Yeller)) have been my favourites. They just become more memorable because you feel the air (and dust), you hear all the sounds, and smell all the smells when you are scooting around on a motorbike, and not chauferred around in an air-con taxi.

So of course, this time in Bali, Pat rented a nice motorbike, Li’ll White (pix to follow later). We stayed at a fancier-than-Chansidine-norm resort hotel, Uluwatu Resort, which sat atop the cliff from the expert-only surfer waves. The place was beautiful and the service top-notch. Whatta treat! Uluwatu is known for its monster waves, reserved only for the pro- or near-pro-surfers.

Now, you have to understand how exotic surfiing is to me. It’s just something you don’t see in Singapore, that you only read in Archie comics and in the Sweet Valley High series when you were 12 (okay, okay, some people read War & Peace when they are 12, I read Sweet Valley high, okay?)! Surfer boys are my weakness…they are just…so… droooooool …. they, as a general stereotype, aren’t the most intellectual people around, but I don’t need intellectual discourse with someone I simply wanna lick. Or I could just watch them all day walking around in their board shorts, hot toned bronzed body, sun-kissed tossed hair and carrying a surfboard. Carrying a surfboard ups anyone’s sex-factor by 60%. When I saw my very own husband walking up the sand with a surfboard on his arms…RRRRWARRFF!!

We had to go to Kuta for more tolerable waves. The mixed reviews were right: if you stayed only in Kuta, chances are, you’d have a horrid time (it looked strangely like a few ghetto places in LA). The female Japanese tourist are strange. They wear full-on make-up (with fake lashes) and high heels on the beach. Rent a bike and get outta Kuta as much as possible, aside from the beach for the lack of choice (the waves there were perfect: strong enough to surf on but not enough to kill you). I had never surfed before, so did the baby-step thing and bodyboarded. And MAN!! It was SO FUN! The angst of being THRASHED by the waves (they look small but boy, are they friggin’ powerful…my bikini top and bottom got almost ripped off more than once) and then the thrill of getting far out enought to catch a big enough wave to go WHEEEEEEE for about 10 seconds is just worth every minute of effort. And then, going back to Uluwatu to watch the pro-surfers catch those MONSTER waves, I had new-found respect other than lust for those boys.

You can tell, I had an awesome (albeit short) holiday. All that while I was battling with a fever/flu bug too. Nothing brings down a fever than a cold splash in the ocean. Beware the Bali equatorial sun though. You think Singapore was hot? Bali’s sun burnt our skin in no time, even with massive amounts of sun-block. Ouch, ouch and ouch. But oh, so worth it. I wanna bodyboard again!

busybusybusy. WorkTravelStudy. I haven’t had time to breathe. Thankfully things are a little slow at work today.

Got back from a whirlwind 5 days in Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. Actually, it wasn’t as whirlwind as it sounds cos they are all next to each other. It was quite an experience. I love Hong Kong, the NYC of Asia. I love the buildings. We got to ‘crash’ over at our friend’s place which turned out to be the bloody Four Seasons where we had our own room and bathroom (thank you lord for our overpaid expat friends). While I love the simple life I have, staying in a daily-serviced apartment on the 41st floor with floor-to-ceiling glass windows over looking the bay and the most amazing king-sized bed with your own flat-screen TV in every room and enjoying the jacuzzi/swimming pool overlooking the city at night was quite a treat. Ah. The Wants! Kowloon reeked of grit and Hong Kong island reeked of wealth wealth and wealth. The opulence was much more pronounced than in Singapore.

And then we go to Zhuhai, which is kinda like the backside of Macau’s casinos. Communist China has more Capitalist aggression than any place I’ve seen. And the streets are saturated with the most beautiful Chinese girls in the night. Never before had we seen such beautiful street hookers literally chasing after the men (even the ugliest creepiest lookin’ ones) and begging them to take them for the night. It was twilight zone…you had beautiful 20-year olds turned down by 50-year old men…they get chased down so much in the streets some of them have to look down and wave them away. One was scolding a girl for ‘dirtying’ his shirt when she pulled it. This is what happens when supply exceeds demand. Interesting too to observe their pimps lurking on the sides, making sure they get the customers. I don’t think many people know of Zhuhai. You heard it here first, dudes…it’s gonna be the next Patpong or Pattaya…only with much more beautiful women.

I talked to our 20-year old masseuses about this issue and I asked them what they thought. As with most poorer places, you never get a moralistic judging tone (as you will with richer world sub-urbanites): “Can’t blame them. Can’t judge them. Their life is so tough. Who wants to do that job unless you are desperate? Many of them come from very poor families.”, they said.

I asked them, of the 30 yuan an hour I was paying for the massage (US$4 an hour massages!), how much did they earn? “8 yuan”, they said. But they don’t earn 8 yuan an hour. They stay in the place for about 15 hours a day and they earn whatever business comes in. “We’d be happy if we earned 1,000 yuan a month.” Out of that possible 1,000, 300 goes to their worker’s quarters where they sleep with 12 girls to a small room, and they’d still have to save to send money home to their families in the farms.

Both of them were farm girls. “We started working when we were 15. Whatever job, you name it, I’ve done it. Started out working at a chicken farm for 15 hours a day. Tough. Tough. This is a good stable job.”

Did they have boyfriends? “No. The men here mostly come here to play. Don’t want a boyfriend here. If I want a stable men, probably will have to go back to the farm.” Did they want to go back to the farm? “Don’t know. Probably not. Life is so tough there.”

What were their dreams? What would be a good life to them? Would they want to leave the country? “Leave the country? Impossible. Of course if the opportunity comes, I’d want to. But if people don’t speak Chinese there, I’d be so lonely. No dreams. Just working now. Maybe save enough money to set up a shop somewhere, maybe find a good man…”

I asked if they were happy with their life in Zhuhai. “It’s okay. Same as you. There are happy times and sad times.”

Happiness is all relative, and can be found whether you live in the Four Seasons or in the farm. And so can sadness. I choose happiness.

It was a damn interesting trip. The Chinese dragon is really rousing and we should all be concerned. The pollution index in HK/Macau/Zhuhai was horrendous (PSI above 100 in all 5 days we were there). And with their increasing love for free market capitalism, it is highly unlikely that the pollution would dip or even flatten out. We are all worrying about the sprinkle of terrorists peppered around the world while being shrouded by America’s and China’s smoke.

Pat’s off to Bali today and I’ll follow on Friday. Have never been to Bali before and have heard mixed reviews. I keep my fingers crossed.

About 2 years ago…

We had spent a good night out in San Francisco, bumping into friends here and there. A guy friend we call Rave Dave is out and about with us. He introduces us to his “soul mate”, Hideo, a Japanese trance DJ that’s one of the coolest chicks I’ve met. We hang out, go to a bar in Lower Haight, hear her spin for a bit. And say “nice to meet you!”

3 weeks ago..

Friendster message from an Antoni, someone I haven’t met in my life. Our message thread:

Antoni: Hey, Kelly, how’s it going? Remember me right? How have you been since DOMM?

Me: Sorry did you get the right Kelly? Where did I meet you and what’s DOMM?

Antoni: Gosh I’m so sorry. Thought we worked together on the ‘Dance of the Modern Marriage’ short film. I was pretty sure it was you. Can’t be a pick up cos you are married. haha. Sorry Kelly. If not on this job, my memory is usually very good with faces and I’m sure I know you from somewhere. But if you don’t recall me, them I’m sure you got a sis somewhere.

Me: That’s bizarre, that you’d think I’m someone else even with all my pix up on Friendster. Nope I don’t have a sister and I’m pretty sure I’m not an actress!

Antoni: ok, now I got it. I know you from Balaclava. We have a good friend in common. You have met me a couple of times, and she introduced us. Can recall now??

Me: I’ve never been to Balaclava.

It goes on for a bit. I told Patrick about it cos it was hilarious. I’ve never met the guy and he insisted he has met me. Maybe all Asian girls really look alike to him?

Last night. Pat’s at km8 with friends, I’m studying at home.

8pm, on the phone.

Pat: Hey sweetie. Guess who is here today?

Me: Erm…who?

Pat: So Kentaro (one of our random Zouk friends) brought his friend visiting from Japan and it’s bloody Hideo!!

Me: No way!

Pat: God, whatta small world.

So they all hang out, and went to Phuture later in the night. I studied and went to bed. At about 5am, I needed to pee. I heard voices outside the door. Pat brought some guests over. Pat peeks in.

Me: Who’s out there?

Pat: Just a coupla of other people, Ken, Hideo and some tall French ang moh dude that Hideo met at the club. They’re just chilling.

I stumble out, blind as a bat without my glasses, kinda wave to everyone and went to pee and stumbled back in to the room.

At about 5:05am, Pat bursts into the room:

Pat: Oh honey! You gotta come out! Please, you have to!

Me: WTF? I’m sleeping lah!

Pat: No, just a minute, you have to come out…that dude out there…oh my god this is hilarious…that big ang moh that Hideo met…it’s your Friendster friend! That guy!

Me: WTF?

Pat: Seriously, it’s hilarious. He saw you step out, and his eyes widened. After you went back in, he saw the framed picture of us on the shelf (which I have up on Friendster as well) and put two and two together. And he said “Pat, I have something to confess. I’ve been talking to your wife on Friendster”.

***

Oh geez. Our world is too small. Be careful about pissing anyone off, cos we are connected.

Flipping through Think magazine (issue #17), I came across this ad.

Alright. A somewhat provocative ad (by Singa-standards). Whatever. Then I realized that it is…

Gaaah! It’s supported by the government! [For non-Singas, Romancing Singapore is this bizarre year long attempt by the government to...make Singaporeans have more sex and have more babies to save economy from an ageing population, hereafter known as "The Cause".] And I may be wrong, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Oohtique In’tl Pte Ltd is linked to the government somehow.^

Which other government in the world “supports” so explicitly a sex toy shop? Our country is AWESOME!

I say, stick with the economic incentives (e.g. paying you to produce for The Cause*), whatever, it’s commonly used in every aspect of our ‘civil’ societies (e.g. tax structures). But if I choose to stick a dildo up my pussy, I really don’t need to be supported by anyone.

^ While it can be used to enhance the sexual experience, The Rabbit has oft been publicized as a substitute, not complement, to the baby-spurting penis. Isn’t this an ironic endorsement contrary to The Cause?

* this eligibility exception in the baby bonus disturbs me: A child is eligible for the bonus only if the mother is lawfully married to the father. In most cases, isn’t it true that a single mom would be more in need for the bonus than a married couple? A rhetorical question cos we all know why the bias is there.

Time for some saccharine candy pop.

Between workworkstudystudy, I really enjoy plopping down for that hour or so watching American Idol twice a week. Nothing soaks your brain in un-nutritional candy better than passive TV viewing. And I, with utterly no talent in singing, simply like to hear people that can sing sing. The problem with this season is that with the exception of Taylor Hicks, everyone seems to be a replica of previous seasons’ contestants. Ace’s rendition of ‘Butterflies’ was only good in that it wasn’t disastrous. But it simply made me run and listen to the original genius that is Michael Jackson.

Randomly surfing the net, I came across this link. Now, you’ve probably heard of this dude, apparently he is very famous now, and you are probably laughing at me because I only just heard him name. But I haven’t heard of him nor a show called The X-Factor, from which American Idol probably copied off (another Simon Cowell thing). I don’t know much about that show but this dude blows any of the contestants I’ve seen this year on American Idol.

Shayne Ward – Somewhere over the rainbow.

Shayne Ward – I believe in a thing called love.

The funny thing about these videos was that I couldn’t quite understand the disturbing relationship between that old fart and 20-year old pretty boy Shayne. I kept wondering: why is the old man talking to him over romantic dinner telling him how great he is? Why is the old man gushing over the young man? Why is this young man groveling all over the attention. I just thought, damn, the Brits are real liberal these days aren’t they?

Only later I realized that the TV show had the judges pick out their favorites and be their mentor or something.

I love all the drama-mama over the top clips before each song. It looks like one of those crappy news stories on Fox News.

The problem with these competitions is that they do get talented people, then erase any personality they had with canned pop songs their music label makes them sing that sounds so awful I never want to hear them ever again.
But anyway, that’s my 2 seconds of pop. I desperately need sleep. Now.

Geez. 7:30am. Accident at the corner of South Bridge Road and Pickering Street. I got pictures but can’t upload them at work now.

Picture a taxi facing the right way, all smashed in front. A motorcycle turned on its side next to it. In front of them, a huge pick-up truck turned on its side laying horizontal to the road. Big baskets of fresh vegetables lay on its side. About 10 meters away from this mess, 2 taxis, facing each other on the curb all smashed up.

What the fuck?? How did that happen?

Pictures, if you hadn’t seen it on the news already.

From afar, I only saw the overturned lorry:


And then, you just have to wonder how did the taxis get up to the curb?


Because there was so much traffic, I only realized there was a motorcycle laying flat only later. Damn.

Prayers to those involved.

Sign at a local Country Club

Patrick asks “How do I know how you forget your membership card?”

For non-Singaporeans, that sentence is just another way of saying “I forget my membership card…what do I do or what happens?”. Unelegant, yes, but a great short-cut to a proper sentence, and it gets its meaning across to all Singaporeans.

P.S. Pat was just kidding. He’s been in Singapore long enough to know what that meant.

Haven’t been too diligent with Kellog lately. In between a crazy awesome time at KM8 last weekend, and a nice chill weekend at my parents’ on Friday and a cooking party at home last night (russell made chicken-fried-chicken, pat made mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, and I made JMFW’s oatmeal cookies! *gasp*! I cooked! And it was gooood), I have been rather occupied with work and studying. In the next 3 months till my CFA exam, I will be juggling work, studying and traveling: going to Tokyo (Apr) and NYC (May) for work, and to Hong Kong (Mar), Bali (Mar), Hanoi (Apr) for holidays. It’s going to be interesting how I can juggle it all and catch all the American Idol episodes (aiyah, it’s my only TV-sin lah! Go Taylor Hicks!).