Packing Order

I am impressed with people who can pack very lightly like Lin and Andrea. I still have to learn how to travel light; in fact I felt like I actually packed half of my wardrobe on some trips to Europe! The problem with me is that I always think ‘Hmmm, this only weighs maybe 300 grams so I’ll just add it’, ‘I really must bring this top!’ and ‘It’s always better to pack more than less’. You won’t believe it but I once carried a 15-kg backpack on my back for a whole month. Heck, at times I can’t believe it either. That is something I definitely am not keen to repeat.

I used to carry a bigger version of this bag around

I have long since invested in trolley bags – oh my, are they convenient – rather than lug around a travel bag or a backpacker’s backpack on my poor back; besides, I don’t normally have a porter or some eye candy to help me carry my bag.

Don’t Cha wish you have some hunky helping hand like these

However, there are benefits to travelling light especially if you’re on a budget and flying a low-cost airline as most low-cost airlines in Asia now impose checking-in fee just like their European counterparts (I still have to pay for checking in my bag when flying intra-Europe though as no way can I pack a bag less than 7 kg for Europe!). Besides saving money, you also save time as you no longer need to wait for your luggage when you arrive (at some terminals like the LCCT, it could cost you up to half an hour of waiting) – unless you have some hunks to wait your bag with or hunks to wait for your bags for you, and they do so happily and cheerfully *sigh*.

I still made the mistake of packing too many clothes for the Macau trip (but thankfully I had a cabin trolley bag – which by the end of the trip was literally bursting at the seams) so I’m still learning how packing light (vacuum packing my clothes would be the last and desperate resort). What to pack though? Well, this part is always a headache for me. For trips within Asia and/or ASEAN countries, I prefer to pack light-weight clothes because of the heat and humidity (but I don’t necessarily have the right clothes!). Here are my tips on packing as promised earlier:

Clothes
1. A pair of long trousers or cargo pants. No jeans for me ever, not in this heat, thank you very much.
2. For a 4D 3N trip, three pieces of t-shirts or shirts at most. For a week or more, don’t pack more than five tops (note to self: remember this too!). I usually launder my clothes when I travel because I don’t like to bring lots of dirty clothes back.
3. Innerwear: about 3 pairs plus another pair for a longer trip. And a pair of nightwear item too for me.
4. A hat.
5. A thin towel, in case the one provided is dodgy-looking.
6. Prayer attire and a small prayer mat plus compass.
7. Three pairs of socks if I’m wearing any of my Converse pair.

Others:
1. Toiletries and a transparent, resealable plastic case to store those LAG (liquid, aerosol and gel-based) toiletries if you don’t check in your bag. Remember your toiletries must be in containers less than 100 ml/gram if you want to carry them along with you. And do pack your toiletries in a good toiletry bag – to avoid spillage.

2. Vitamins and supplements. Also some paracetamol, diarrhoea pills, oral rehydration salt for me.
3. A small brolly - optional if I already have the hat and the weather forecast is favourable. Must be responsible and protect my skin from the harmful UV rays and possibility of skin cancer.
4. Food: some cereal bars, chewing gum, instant noodles or instant soup and a tumbler. A bottle of water if I’m flying the national carrier so I don’t have to hunt for a grocery store immediately for my supply of H2O when I land.




5. Waterless hand sanitiser and wet tissues.
6. Gadgets: camera and chargers – I invested in a universal charger some time back.
7. A light novel.
8. A small notebook to keep account of my trip and a pen too of course (especially with all those arrival and departure forms to fill up!).
9. Travel toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste.
10. Pantiliners and cotton wools.
11. Sewing kit – I’ve not really packed this but it’s a good idea to pack those kits you can get from hotels for wardrobe malfunction emergencies.
12. Some combination locks – I don’t trust myself to remember where I place the keys so combination locks are better for me!

On myself or hand-carry:
1. Long trousers or cargo pants.
2. One of the three t-shirts I pack for the trip.
3. Camera.

4. My Converse shoes or Crocs.
5. Shades – to protect my eyes against UV, not because I’m vain.

6. My ‘travel bracelet’ and ‘travel necklace’ to hang my shades - something like Cesc wears here (just focus on the necklace and not the ugly t-shirt. Sorry, honey).

7. My sling bag or small backpack to store my money pouch, passport, camera, pen, notebook, novel, hand sanitiser, wet tissues, cereal bar and chewing gum (just like in the pictures below).

So remember the above regardless of whether you’re travelling alone or with friends.

Happy holidays and happy travelling! And maybe it’s a good idea to let your baby take care of your teddy in your absence. Or get him to get you a smaller teddy (of whichever kind, heh).

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Golly, another week is all that’s left to December. Both Cesc (he hopes to be back this weekend) and Adek wish everyone happy holidays and Happy New Year 2010! Have a great white holiday or a fine sunny one!

Phnom Penh

Friday, 18 December 2009/1 Muharram 1431 Hijrah
A morning flight to catch today hence an early morning start for me. It was unusually foggy when I left after morning prayers. Caught the bus to KL Sentral, checked in and hopped on the train to KLIA. Most shops and boutiques were having a sale and I got engrossed checking out the offers, so engrossed in fact that I ended up running all the way to the gate when I realised the time.

It was a smooth flight and we landed at Phnom Penh International Airport barely two hours later. I was reunited with my bag fairly quickly and walked out past the taxi and tuk tuk counter. I spotted a Ministry of Tourism counter and went there for a city map. The Cambodian chap who sat next to me on the plane had actually offered me a ride to my guest house but I declined as I didn’t want to trouble him. That was very decent of him though.

I’d already made up my mind to walk out of the airport grounds to the main road and get a tuk tuk from there as I did in Vientiane. It’s also slightly cheaper (you could bargain if you catch the tuk tuk at the main road instead of the standard USD7 if you buy the ticket from the counter). I was however approached by a tuk tuk driver before I even left the compound and I took up his offer of USD5 (it’d cost me that anyway if I stopped a tuk tuk by the main road). Oh yes, USD is used widely here. Bring lots of small denomination dollars. You may get either USD or Riel back for your balance.

It was a slow leisurely relaxing ride into the city (I reckon we were going at 5 km an hour) with the traffic getting more chaotic and crazy as we approached the city centre. Hardly any motorists there observe any traffic rules and you see vehicles moving in all directions in all lanes. Organised chaos came to mind. If you see a scarred or maimed local, there is as much chance of him being a victim of a road accident as there is of being a victim of the evil Khmer Rouge regime.

We reached Spring Guesthouse at Street 111 half an hour later and I checked in. I wasn’t too happy that my room was at the fourth floor (and there was no elevator of course) but I guess I was spared the traffic noise and dust. After prayers, I walked out into the afternoon sun and proceeded south to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Now odd-numbered streets run north-south increasing as you head west from the river while even-numbered streets run east-west, increasing as you head south. However, I found that the street numbers don’t all run in sequence, just to add to confusion. And my, was it a hot bright sweltering day.

I reached Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum or S-21 about 25 minutes later. It used to be a school before it was converted into a prison in 1975. More than 14,000 people were tortured here before being killed at the Killing Fields south of Phnom Penh. I found the experience a bit disturbing. Lin and I could have gone to Auschwitz in May 2007 but finally we went to Wieliczka Salt Mine instead. Had we gone to Auschwitz, we probably would be very emotionally affected. I spent about three hours at S-21 including about an hour of video show which started at 3 pm (the heat made me so drowsy).

I finally left after 4 pm and walked further south to Phsar Toul Tom Poung or the Russian Market. The streets of Phnom Penh reminded me of those of Myanmar: pot-holed and clogged with rubbish in some areas, barefooted children and tuk tuk or motorcycle taxi drivers standing along the streets offering you a ride. It was a hot and dusty city populated by mainly poor Cambodians. Some locals looked like Malays, some were a lot fairer. I reached the Russian market about 15 minutes later after navigating my way on barely walkable roads and pavements, dodging potholes and rubbish. Apparently you can buy genuine designer clothes at huge discount prices here; a lot of factories are in Phnom Penh and the clothes sold are deemed unfit for export due to minor defects.

The market closes at 5 pm daily and it was too short a time for me to browse among the hundreds of stalls, find something that catch my fancy and bargain. So I left empty-handed. What you can buy of note is Khmer silk and souvenirs made of silk (shawls are popular).

I left the area and walked along Mao Tse Toung Boulevard to Monivong Boulevard (better to stick to the wide boulevards, I thought) then turned right at Sihanouk Boulevard. It was already dark when I reached Independence Monument. There’s a park off the monument and I walked along the locals enjoying the cooler evening. Then I turned left into Sothearos Boulevard before turning into a side street to Sisowath Quay which faced the riverfront (Tonle Sap/Sap River). I walked on until I reached the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (which was featured in The Amazing Race 15) and turned at Street 178 (known as the Art Street for the local sculpture shops and art galleries that line the street) where minutes later, I stumbled upon Warung Bali, a halal Indonesian eatery (it was near the National Museum). I had my dinner there.

I was walking back to my guesthouse along Street 178 when a car pulled up beside me. I noticed the driver looked hard at me and suddenly two men came out of the car (engine still running). I was quite surprised when they came and spoke Malay to me. It sounded like something from the movies where the plot would see me being kidnapped and carried off into the dark without a trace. I didn’t think of all these then (in fact the thought just occurred to me). Turned out the driver was a Cham Muslim and the passenger a Malaysian. They saw me walking alone and wondered if I was a Malaysian and if yes, what was I doing out alone. I told them I was on my way back to my guesthouse and they immediately offered to drive me back. Before I could even think, they quickly produced their name card (and MyKad) respectively to show they were genuine honest folks (lest I think they were going to kidnap me) and insisted on sending me back. So I accepted their offer (although I was very aware of my perspiring self).

It had been a long day and I was knackered. I promised myself a treat of a massage the next day before slipping off to slumberland. Sleep came easy despite the very hard uncomfortable pillows.

Saturday, 19 December 2009

I left the guesthouse early this morning as I wanted to start the day before it got too hot. Fortunately it was an overcast morning (in fact it drizzled a bit). I walked to Street 178 and on to the National Museum. Took some pictures before continuing on to the Royal Palace next door. As visiting hours only start from 8, I walked around the area, returning to Sisowath Boulevard and walking along the river. I was back at the palace by 8 am and bought ticket to get in (USD6.50). It was a huge complex consisting of many beautiful buildings built in the 19th century with French technology and Cambodian architecture. After the ugliness that Tuol Sleng reminded me of and the terrible dusty roads of the day before, the palace grounds provided proof that there is still beauty in this world (and that the two can actually co-exist somehow); in fact such is the beauty in the palace grounds that you can be forgiven for forgetting the grim life of the normal Cambodians just outside the perimeter of the palace. I spent about 1.5 hours around the palace grounds.

After that, I walked along Street 240 (next to the palace) on my way to Norodom Boulevard. There are many boutiques and souvenir shops along this street and I stopped at Mekong Quilts which sells quilts handmade by women in remote villages in Cambodia and Vietnam (you can read about it here). I’ve never really taken much interest in quilts but I was drawn to the shop and spent some time there before buying (!) a bed quilt. I asked the girl to bring it to my guesthouse as I didn’t want to lug it around me.

Purchase done, I proceeded to Norodom Boulevard (there are a few schools along this road and there was a school session despite it being a Saturday) up to Street 130. I turned at this street to find a Malaysian halal restaurant before retracing my steps to Phsar Thmey (Central Market). I walked past the market and on to Monivong Boulevard to find the local mosque. I found it some 20 minutes later; alas the mosque compound was sand and I wasn’t particularly happy about trekking across the sand to the mosque so I turned back and walked back to the Central Market.

The Central Market was a disappointment. It had fewer stalls compared to the Russian Market and too many of those stalls were selling ready-to-wear clothes. I left empty-handed and walked along Street 130 in search of lunch. I wasn’t particularly hungry as yet and when I saw a hair salon, I dropped by for a much-needed haircut. Besides massage centres, there are a lot of hair salons in Phnom Penh although not everyone who worked there speaks much English (there are also a lot of tailor shops there). There was a lot of hand signs involved before I could convey that I wanted a very short layered haircut. I didn’t exactly get a layered haircut but I was glad to be rid off some hair. And it cost me only USD1.50!

Had lunch after the haircut at Halal Restaurant which served both Khmer and Malay food (I figured I can always eat Malaysian food elsewhere hence why I chose this restaurant over Malaysia Restaurant). One of the proprietor’s son was quite cute too, heh (a fact I only discovered after having ordered my meal).

The sun had managed to struggle out from behind the clouds when I left the restaurant. Walked the short distance to Sisowath Quay and on until I hit Street 178. On my way back to the guesthouse, I stopped at a little shop called Champa Massage Professional by Blind and had a body massage (foreigners are charged USD5; locals USD4). Reached the guesthouse just after 5 pm and stayed in.

Sunday, 20 December 2009

Despite the brief sleep I had (because of football, heh), I woke up happy because Arsenal won. Checked out at 8.45 am and went out to find a tuk tuk to the airport. It was another slow ride to the airport and despite it being a Sunday, the roads were not much different from the other days. We reached the airport at 9.15 am (already a lot of people were queuing to check-in) and I immediately checked in (thanks to my Enrich card, I can check-in at the Golden Club counter). I paid the departure tax of USD25 (hefty I thought) before going through immigration and on to the duty-free area. There were only about four shops and two bars in the duty-free area and I browsed all the shops before settling down to read my novel.

Our flight thankfully took off on time (Silk Air was delayed by almost two hours due to the delayed flight departure from Changi) and we landed at KLIA at 2.20 pm.

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Arsenal hosted Hull on Saturday. My baby was in the stands; he’s been ruled out for up to ten days. We won 3-0. The first half was a bit dull until the altercation between the two sides after Nasri childishly trod onto some guy’s leg who reacted by theatrically falling down like a sack of spuds. Shortly after, Denilson scored our first goal from a freekick. The visitors were bizarrely gifted a penalty (he was the one pulling at Silvestre) but Geovanni failed to convert it or rather Almunia saved it (!!). Dudú then scored another immediately after (despite trying his best to miss it but from a yard out, he couldn’t really) and Diaby even managed to score for us. Also there were some entertaining songs sung at the visitors’ gaffer. Elsewhere, ManUre were thrashed by Fulham, Man Sh*tty sacked Sparky and 24 hours later, the Hammers held Chelshit to a draw (like they did to us). Footie is funny like that.

All I Want For Christmas

I had a disturbing dream (nightmare?) last night. What I recall was being in some sort of treasure hunt with a challenge to perform (like The Amazing Race ‘detour’) and the challenge was to cook a pig (of all things). Somehow more time was required in cooking and we (can’t recall my team-mate) had to store the pig and I remember dreaming how careful we were not to let any part of the gravy spill onto ourselves. Then the dream progressed further. We left the pig and went to a mall where I was engrossed in finding a Korean shop. On the way back to complete the challenge, a tomboy who was with her family stopped me and proceeded to make out with me. So yeah, like I said, it was a very disturbing, confusing and weird dream.

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After that trip to Anfield and having noted that Arsenal can tough it out, last night’s result was a disappointment. Cesc scored early but the Gunners paid the penalty when Burnley equalised within in the first half. And... Cesc then walked off with an injury (hamstring or shoulder?). !$^#&$@^ I hope it’s nothing serious. Get well soon my magnificent maestro matador munchkin.

Well at least he definitely won’t take part in that meaningless Catalonia match now. He seemed keen enough earlier despite Wenger’s stance on the matter.

Oh Arsenal, why do you keep breaking my heart like this? A draw is never good enough and this result hurt me as much as that against West Ham. My year-end wish is for Wenger to buy a new goalie (why didn’t we get Shay Given earlier?), some new strikers and some defenders. I’ve been good I think but I don’t think I will get my wish.

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On a happier note, I’m happy to note that I’ve somehow managed to shed off the one kg that saw me record my heaviest weight so far. Thank God. Maybe some people say I should gain more but I’m perfectly happy the way I am.

Sizzling

This part of the globe has seen and experienced some shining scorching hot days since last Tuesday. I’m missing the rain already.

Been having a headache since Friday and suspecting wind, I decided to go for a cupping session on Saturday. Dropped by KLCC on the way home – even met up a couple of uni mates – and inflicted some damage on my plastic. That reminds me, I need to return some of my credit cards or I’ll risk incurring service charge after the New Year’s Day.

Nine PL matches on Saturday – and six of them ended in a draw. Two away wins and only one home win; all these results gave me optimism for the Sunday clash (and why, oh why did it have to kick off at 1600 hours GMT when the other nine matches were all already played on Saturday?). Thanks to the Toffees and Bolton for drawing with Old Money and New Money respectively, and also to the Villains for beating ManUre.

Indeed, it was a pretty daunting match to look forward to: Arsenal have not won on any of their previous five league visits to Anfield and have not kept a clean sheet there since 1989. And with other serious contenders all dropping points 24 hours earlier, both sides were understandably desperate to take advantage and close the gap. I was happy to note that the lads were not wearing their schoolboy white away kit, phew! It reminds me of the Spuds although of course our kit is classier.

We were awful in the first half and Liverpool capitalised on this with a goal from Kuyt four minutes from the break. A different Arsenal emerged in the second half – an Arsenal side that responded to Wenger’s angry team talk rant at half-time. Apparently Wenger told them they were not fit to wear the shirt and this so stunned them into producing a better display. Glen J popped the ball into his own net and gave us the equaliser and that Anfield tormentor, Shava, sealed the win for us with a magnificent strike from his hurt foot.

So we’re back in third with three points separating us from ManUre with one game in hand. It doesn’t look like Pavlyuchenko would be a Gunner though...

No Greek Tragedy

So Wenger made a gamble and placed trust in teenagers including a certain Tom Cruise.

TomKat were at the Sevilla-Rangers match instead. The Hollywood Tom Cruise is filming his new movie Knight and Day in Seville

We lost by only one goal but it was no Greek Tragedy as we lost with honour. While eyes may be on Tom Cruise, there were a Few Good Men amongst them too. Man-of-the-match Ramsey especially did brilliantly. Vela must do a lot better to assure a start in the Premier League – I for one have yet to be convinced of his abilities – had it not been for his profligacy, the Risky Business would have been Mission Possible. No mean feat, but this is simply mean.

An ancient capital hosted the modern and youngest Guns last night (averaging 21 years and 215 days)

Ramsey was brilliant, hope he continues to perform well

‘Tis The Season To Be Jolly

... or in the case of Arsenal, it seems like it is The Season To Be Injured instead (apparently for ManUre too but what do I care about them). Let’s hope I’m not jinxing anyone else by listing those currently walking wounded. OK, here goes (deep breath): Djourou, Bendtner, Diaby, Clichy, RvP, Gibbs, Walcott, Dudú and Rosický. Gallas, Eboue, Traore and even Shava suffered knocks in the Stoke match but should hopefully be back in the shorter term. Our physio, Colin Lewin, certainly is earning his keep and is kept busy, busy, busy.

There didn’t look to be much rejoicing or jolliness as the lads went for the post-Stoke match Christmas party.

And we have Tom Cruise landing a breakthrough role and being part of the 18-man Top Gun-ners in the Champions League match against Olympiakos this evening – and no, I’m not kidding - in what would be a Mission: Impossible match. For Arsène, there’s only one Tom Cruise and he plays for Arsenal.

Hmm, I wonder if perhaps Arsene should sign Roman Pavlyuchenko instead.

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‘Tis also the season to be packing and going on holidays! Yes, baby, it’s that time of the year again. The Europeans will be either heading for ski resorts, tropical islands or soaking up the sun in the new hot destinations for 2010 (Malaysia included!!). Maybe I will share some tips on packing/travelling in style soon.

Deal Or No Deal

I was in the mood for shopping on Friday (and after last Friday, there is only one more working Friday left to the year!) but met up instead with my old roommate for lunch. There were so many people thronging KLCC, what with it being school hols and all. Prada and Gucci have started their sale but I found the Gucci sale a bit disappointing. Anyway, if you don’t already know it, the discount for the first few weeks of Gucci sale is only 30%; it’s always better to shop there in January and end-July/early-August (for winter and summer sale respectively) when the older stock is brought out for clearance. Now that’s what I call a real deal. As it turned out, I did do some damage to my plastic after work on Friday.

On Saturday, I surprised myself with a camera purchase; yes, I was looking for one but I was surprised that I made the decision quite fast. This is not usual for me and a few hours later, I was almost kicking myself for the hasty purchase as I found the same model at KLCC Convention Centre at a much significantly lower price, a whole new unit and in the colour that I much prefer. WTFK indeed. Note to self: always, always, always shop around first. Like I said, I always do this so I don’t know what came over me on Saturday. Not a good deal at all *sigh*

My aunt (and almost the whole clan of her family) came to visit on Sunday. It’s been years since I last saw/met her as she resides in the southern state now. A brief visit it was and I’m not much of a conversationalist among relatives. Wonder when/if we’ll meet again.

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We hosted the Potters on Saturday (the match was not shown live; the Blackburn-Liverpool match was shown instead and I watched it hoping that they’d show any goals scored. For some strange reason, most other goals from other matches were shown but not those scored at the Emirates. Grrr...). We were a depleted team (heck, shrinking and some say no threat at all); we don’t have a striker (what with Dudú out – though he’s been dismal of late - and Bendtner still not back) and were vertically challenged (compared to the Potters’ side which played to defend); Cesc, in the year’s top five players, missed a penalty (his taking it showed how short we are of attacking options); but Shava put mind over muscle and hit the height. Let’s hope he turns his frustration over Russia’s exit from the World Cup to helping Arsenal win and win – though how strange would the World Cup be without the diminutive Russian.

It was also the match where the Russian scored his century of goals, Cesc played his 250th match for Arsenal, Wenger in charge of the 500th game as Arsenal manager and the century of games played at the Emirates. Unfortunately, we have more players added to walking wounded, Rosický included. This is a big, big deal for us: last year we were rocked by defensive injuries, this year, we are rocked by both defensive and offensive injuries.

A special guest was there, still as dapper as ever
Poor baby. Better luck next time, honey. It was a weekend of penalty misses anyway

The Russian hits his century of goals

What a cutie pie he is. Only his second Premier League goal though. More to come hopefully

I share Wenger’s about shaking hands after any match. His opinion is that ‘despite shaking hands being a courtesy, a ceremony, the most important thing is not the ceremony. It is the courtesy of behaviour.’ Hey, it’s a big deal to remain professional before, during and after any match and Sparky couldn’t offer that courtesy.

Rainy Days

It’s the rainy season here in this part of the world and I got quite drenched this morning coming to work. No complaints though: getting a little wet doesn’t hurt although I won’t deny it’s a brief inconvenience. It’s the dark, (slightly) cold, long evenings like these that remind me of winter (no, I don’t miss winter. Having said that, I don’t mind the cold - as long as it’s not too cold).

Hopefully my days of spending long hours in the office are over for now (well, until the next nightmare begins that is). I attended a meeting on Tuesday and was able to return home quite early (such rarity these days) so much so I decided to send my trolley bag off for repair - at long last - I guess I must have looked a sight with the trolley bag in a carrier bag in one arm. Dropped by BSC on the way home and am happy to report that despite being in my sports attire, I was accepted warmly in the shops – and even ended up spending. No complaints and no regrets, I think I got very good bargains from the two stores I visited. It rained as I walked home so I was glad of the brolly. Again, I must have made a sight - in my sports attire, walking briskly at almost 8 pm in the rain with my brolly.

Three more weeks to Christmas and most of the shopping centres are already decked out in elegant Christmas decorations. I don’t celebrate and yet I am in the mood to shop (am I ever not in the mood?!) and envisage and look forward to more (window) shopping days ahead: I definitely need to buy a camera pronto. I’ve been borrowing from a mate for the past two trips and it’s getting embarrassing having to keep borrowing. Dragged myself to a nearby ‘mall’ lunchtime yesterday to browse and plan to check out another plaza in BB on Saturday. The thing about purchasing gadgets in the city is it’s better to pay in cash as credit card transactions cost about 2% more. And I’m not one keen to pay an extra amount if it can be obtained for less.

Three more weeks to Christmas and today I feel like a stuffed turkey, like a non-stop eating machine. Had some lovely laksa and durian cake this morning (yum!) despite knowing a scrumptious lunch was waiting, courtesy of my lovely Peach. Thanks love.

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Well, we got knocked out of the Mickey Mouse cup. No surprises there. Hey, Chelshit lost too. C’mon Arsenal, let’s pick ourselves up and start scoring again. We must stop dwelling on the past, learn from them, yes, but move on in our battle. And oh, will there be a Ruud awakening? Golly. Ian Wright seems to think so. Good move or bad? In the meantime, anyone else wants a tattoo removal? (Beckham comes to mind!)