I painted it, again...

I've got an interest for art now. Painting on my own, that is, after a friend introduced me to this paint-by-numbers handicraft. Yeaps, I still got to work with numbers, even for a hobby.

But this is pretty easy. The colours are mixed for you. Just pick up a brush, dip into the allocated colours and work your way onto the canvas. Perfect for lazy and non-art talented people like me. I would never have painted anything from scratch.

It actually had became an addictive remedy. They said colours eases the mind. Indeed it has. You seem to forget all the misery once you focus on the colours in front of you. Worked wonders. You should give this a try, if alcohol doesn't do the trick anymore.

  

I'm tempted for a third piece. Dad is already complaining that I'm turning the house into an "art gallery". Well dad, that saves us on wall accessories. Your daughter, me,  is going to have all of that covered. Home is going to be my personal gallery from now on, starting with my room.

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Phuket, on the 29th

Okay, the dates have been arranged on purpose. But the location was not. And I was glad that there are people spontaneous enough to celebrate my birthday with me away from home, with it being the last of my twenties.

It was supposed to be budgeted trip. Turns out that we spent more than we should, with no idea where the extra spending had gone to. Phuket was selected because someone had wanted an island getaway. And this had been the only affordable island that all of us have not been to.

The trip was for 6 days. A little too long, so I've been told. Indeed it was. Cause there is nothing too fancy about this island. I've been to much better ones. Not too sure why it's on the "must go" list for all avid travelers. Now why do I say so?

First, the sea waters are not clear and rather murky. Thumbs down for snorkeling. Second, there are no corals to be seen. Probably got washed away by the tsunami back then. Thumbs down for snorkeling. Third, the beach is not pleasant to walk on as it is full of rocks and crushed corals. Thumbs down. Fourth, every place is crowded with tourists and speedboats. It's a chicken's den, so says my tour guide. Thumbs down for an exotic and relaxing holiday.
 

 Maya bay, 

"polluted"

Well, not all is bad. There are still a few things to boast about the island. While you could forget about taking cabs and  other public transportation in getting around, you could always rent a car. We got ours for THB900 per day, for a Toyota Yaris in reasonably good condition. Fuss free!

Our ride

The local cuisine is splendid. For one who always try foreign food on a foreign land, I've made it a point to avoid the commercialized places and cuisines. Well, you could get western food and fast foods even back home right? We found these diners from a guide book - Tunk-Ka Cafe and Raya diner. Well recommended. Reasonably priced Thai food with the right ambience. Not only the food got to be good, the place has to look good as well. Seriously, the food is real good. Well cooked to the Thai flavour. Those Thai diners we have back in Malaysia, are nothing compared to these.

 

Tunk-Ka Cafe entrance

Hilltop view

Raya entrance, 

sino-Portugese architecture

Raya interior, rare

As for the scenery of Phuket, I was pretty surprised with this one. We had actually planned for Promthep Cape, one of the more famous tourists spots, famed for its sunset view. But a wrong turn made us stumbled upon this place instead. I don't even know what it is called. But the view, was absolutely breathtaking. Watching the sun set from this hill was totally unforgettable. If I ever return to Phuket, this would be one of those places that I would visit again.

I guess there is still one island that earned a thumbs up from me. No, not Phi Phi, not Maya, not Phang Nga. But Raya. Raya island, a not so well known island, about an hour's boat ride from Phuket, preserved its clear waters and white sandy beaches. Very much to my liking. Now this is what you call an island. This is what an island should be.

What I couldn't get over the trip was, that I'd been repeatedly being mistaken for a Thai! C'mon! I'd been a typical tourists with maps and all. Don't I even look Chinese? Apart from the hotel reception, everyone else spoke to me in Thai - the waiters, the spa masseuse, the drivers, the gas attendant, the 7-eleven cashier, everyone! Only when I gave them a dumb-founded look and said 'English please?", only did they realized I wasn't local. Great! Perhaps I should pick up a few lessons on the Thai language. They might give me better discounts if they thought I was one of them. :) 

Oh ya, part of the trip was to celebrate my 29th. The last one before I hit the big 30. Thank you for the gift and for the surprises. Although the cake had been a complimentary one from the hotel. There are certain perks in traveling on birthdays. I do like the pearl alot. I never knew pearls could come in so many colours. All I knew was white and beige. There are actually pearls in green, purple, blue and like mine, brown. They are indeed genuine pearls, if you should know.

Happy 29th!

And the wine sucks! Someone got conned! :p

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Disappointments

It's inevitable. 

Question is, how many times can you take it?

I came to learn that, to avoid one, is to be less expectant. 

Not everything works the way you want it to be....

Not everyone becomes the person you want them to be....

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Playing to win

Have gone from one after another. From place to place. Have tried to stay clear out of it. Have tried not to get too involved in it. Have actually got pretty tired of it all. But it's like a plague that couldn't be avoided. It somehow manages to float in and stick to you, no matter how you shake it off.

Fine. If it's not to be avoided, then we shall all play along, shall we? Even if it means turning me into someone that I wouldn't want to be.

So, let the games begin....

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Fang-ed teeth

I never had perfect straight teeth all my life. It has always been crooked & fang-ed like. It was an imperfection that had tarnished my self-esteem. All those girls out there have got nothing to hide when they smile. And I used to hold back mine so that my "vampire" teeth wouldn't be too obvious.

Had actually consulted with the orthodontist. I was given the explanation that this happens when the molars crowd the canine, which means I had too many teeth for my jaw to accommodate. Braces would fix it. But that would involve the extraction of 4 other teeth to make way. I didn't like the idea of having my healthy teeth pulled out in the name of beauty. And so I stuck to my imperfection.

But lately, I had been craving for that "perfect" smile. The idea of getting those braces came back. Just when I am in serious consideration of having my teeth extracted, I found out that fang-ed teeth has become an "in" thing in Japan! It has become a fashion trend in Japan!

Japanese women are going crazy over it. They are spending a bomb to have their perfectly straight teeth to be crooked and fang-ed like. It's called the "yaeba" look. And Japanese men loved it! They love the "yaeba" smile of a woman. Unbelievable!

Can you believe that I actually had people coming to me and say, "Oh, you've got those fang-ed teeth!". And I had replied shyly, "Yeah, I was thinking of getting them fixed with braces." "Oh no! You shouldn't! They are so cute!!" I thought I had heard it wrongly. My imperfect teeth, cute? You've got to be kidding me.

Does that mean I can scrap my braces plan now? Or if I still want that "perfect" smile, I can always move to Japan? At least I've got that "yaeba" smile naturally. No cosmetic procedures involved. Guaranteed!

this is cute?

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The Return

The initially thought was perhaps, this has been out-grown. With the likes of Facebook and Instagram, there really isn't a need to maintain this page. Pictures and events could be shared on them. The double re-posting here could be done away. So this have been left alone for close to 6 months now. There was even a thought to have this page closed off.

But it seemed like the urge to write has not died away. Although other social media tools have allowed the posting of pictures, but nothing beats the blank page here that allows words to be typed freely. With no constraints.

And so, the writing continues....

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