New Castle

I’m just back from a short weekend trip to KB. We stayed at Renaissance Hotel (apparently the city’s only five-star hotel, hence it’s quite posh) – well mainly because I was with my parents. We arrived early Saturday morning (which of course necessitated a very early morning start) and thankfully we were given an early check-in. We then tried to find breakfast within the vicinity but it was past the time for nasi dagang and the like. Now the hotel is about two km from the city centre (read: Siti Khadijah Central Market) but the hotel provides scheduled shuttle services (good thing I asked!) so we availed of it and took the 1030 service to the market. After our mid-morning meal, my parents went to explore the market while I visited the nearby goldsmiths to repair various bits of my jewellery (the ones I still have) and to custom make a ring (with the stone I bought in Colombo).

I had to call the hotel concierge to arrange for a 2.30 pm pick-up instead of 6 pm as agreed earlier as my parents were beginning to tire. Good thing the hotel concierge was accommodating. After resting and a light lunch, I went to the shopping complex next door (connected to the hotel). It wasn’t that great but I surprised myself with some purchases nevertheless.

We ventured out earlier for breakfast on Sunday and I packed some laksam. My parents had their meal at a coffee shop. The Kelantanese sure love to eat rice for breakfast – it’s either ‘fish rice’, nasi dagang, coconut milk rice or something else.

We repeated the process on Saturday – taking the 10.30 am hotel shuttle to the market and back by the 2.30 pm service. It was a hot afternoon and I felt drowsy so it was a lazy afternoon indeed.

Alas, Arsenal didn’t manage to proceed to the next round of the FA Cup...

Left the hotel at 7.45 am this morning for our flight back home and I was in the office at quarter to 1.

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The nation bade farewell to the late Sultan of Johore on Saturday after the Sultan passed away the evening before. My parents followed the funeral with interest. Except for Akak, myself and two younger boy cousins (they are the youngest grandsons of my maternal grandparents while Akak and I were the youngest granddaughters), everyone else was born in Johore. Everyone else is a Johorean (I don’t consider myself a Johorean of course as I was born here) and I suppose they did feel moved.

Long live the new Sultan.

A Matter Of Attitude

I’m currently very displeased with a staff who reports to me on a project. He’s unhappy with the rating I gave him which I thought was a fair reflection of his work performance last year. So much so he demonstrated his sulking by wanting to quit and he took the easy way out by emailing everyone in the team yesterday, announcing he’s no longer in the project – without consulting the project managers or project champions. My first thought was what a quitter and what a loser he was. He did come to discuss his appraisal with me earlier and I thought he’d be open-minded but he refused to see reason and couldn’t accept my feedback and decided to take the easy way out.

Can one refuse work? If your boss or super-boss gives you work, you have to deliver it, like it or not, right? You don’t get to choose your work most of the time. What you can do is take it as a challenge, view it as opportunity to grow and learn. How could I give good rating if he didn’t perform? The quality of work was shoddy and I had to grit my teeth and redraft the work most of the time. That speaks volume about his sense of ownership and pride in his work. Don’t expect to get good rating if you could only perform the administrative part of the job: heck, anyone can do that. As it was, I had to carry the bulk of work for him and it was really draining on me. Not smart but the project wouldn’t progress otherwise.

After his email, a string of emails then flew back and forth between the two of us yesterday – I told him he couldn’t just quit like that and he should see the project through until he either leaves the department or the project is completed, whichever comes first. Anyone who is retiring or resigning (unless it’s a 24-hour resignation) would have to see through his terms and duration of employment until he retires/leaves, right. Anyway, it got nasty and towards the end bordered on insubordination: ‘I don’t want to be there if I’m not appreciated’, ‘I don’t want to be in the project anymore. I’m not interested’, ‘No one can push to do what I don’t want to do!’, etc. You won’t believe what else he wrote but he sure provided a clear insight as any to his true colours and attitude. I don’t want to work with anyone after knowing how reluctant that person is about performing but the bottom line is he can’t just quit like that. He must go through the right process and procedure and ensure a documented handover. That’s governance. The way he went about withdrawing himself from the project demonstrated a lack of respect to the other team members - especially the project champions and project managers - and selfishness and inconsideration to the other team members; total disregard of the disruption his action would have on the project; and suggested his immaturity and lack of professionalism. And if we do get a new team member, I won’t blame the new person for feeling resentful. I probably would feel the same too. And it would really set a bad precedent – everyone else would think they get to choose to do what they want or don’t want. That it’s OK to quit a project or reject an assignment. I was really seething yesterday and it affected my sleep.

My conscience is clear. I wouldn’t be honest if I rate him any higher. It’s not payback time but a fair reflection of the effort (not time) put in. With the new insight to his true behaviour, it won’t be a big loss if he leaves but it’s not the proper way of extricating himself of responsibility. I won’t rate someone higher just to have that person like me.

We don’t always agree with our bosses’ appraisal of ourselves because we don’t like to think we are lacking. We all like to think we have done our job well. But unfortunately, as Audrey put it, we must measure ourselves with our bosses’ ruler and question ourselves if we have done enough and if we have performed our tasks well enough. And yes, perhaps I didn’t coach him well enough, perhaps I lack in that area too and if so, I must find ways to correct myself. To me it’s OK to make mistakes – we are only human! – but we must learn from them and improve ourselves instead of refusing to accept our errors, weaknesses and shortcomings.

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And Arsenal did (seem to) learn from their mistakes. We were sloppy in the first half hour and trailed behind by two goals. Heck, we were trailing the leaders Chelshit by 11 points just 7.5 weeks ago. Did we give up our title race? Did we decide to resign to what looked like our fate then? No, we didn’t. As against Standard Liege, we came back from two goals down to win the match and top the table. We came back from two goals down to Blackburn and one goal at Anfield and won. We pushed hard to get an equaliser against a determined Everton side. In the FA Cup, we were lagging West Ham and yet managed to secure a win. It shows that the young squad is ready to fight back. Wenger had been labelled ludicrous and ridiculous but did he let that affect his faith in his players? And the team spirit is such that the captain who had earlier lost his passion now loves life at Arsenal. The whole team and gaffer deserve a credit for working hard although of course at times they are still capable of giving you the occasional heart attack.

As for Gallas, he escapes action as Wiley said he saw the incident as two players stretching for the ball. I don’t condone tackles like that, especially when a worse thing happened to Dudú but to be fair, Bolton didn’t stop play when one of their players went down because they had the ball then. Plus, the referee probably thought the player was slow in getting back to his feet as Bolton players are prone to doing – delaying goal kicks, throw ins, free kicks, substitution, etc.

In other not-so-good news, it looks like Gibbs will miss the rest of the season now too. And the next fifteen days/four matches will reveal our quest for the title and make or break us.

Oh and go here if you want to win a signed Arsenal shirt by the skipper himself (!). Contest ends on 19 February 2010.

Top Of The Pops – For Now

Sorry, it’s mainly footie talk today. The Arsenal-Bolton match last night wasn’t shown live for some reason, yes, how outrageous. I still got up to watch the Liverpool-Spuds game in the hope of getting some info on the other match at the Emirates. It was during half-time at Anfield when I heard that Captain Marvel just equalised and the score was tied at two all. And how outrageous that the goals at the Emirates were not shown on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen!

I only found out later from the BBC Sports that we made a stunning comeback, no thanks to vulnerable defence, from two goals down to hit the summit. With the other contenders seemingly not wanting to win the race since the home match which we lost 52 days ago, it looks like Arsenal stumbled onto the top spot almost by mistake. What a turnaround, eh; imagine where we’d be if we haven’t got so many crocked players. The match was not without a drama of course as there was an incident involving Gallas, which Wenger apologised for after the match. But I doubt that was the turnaround: that incident didn’t change the game; surely the tide had turned even before half-time when Rosický halved the deficit. Man of the match: Captain Fabulous Marvel – he really is the heart and soul of Arsenal now and he is proud to be part of the team. For full report, go here.

Maybe it’s timely for Nick Hornby to produce a sequel to Fever Pitch, with Cesc as the central figure.

Side note: OMG, ManUre’s debts are now a staggering £716 million. *Gulp*

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My scabs have fallen off leaving ugly, ugly scars especially on my left knee. Boo hoo. And my right calf is hurting all of a sudden. How do footballers cope with the intensity and rigour of the game? I don’t even play and I get injured.

20.01.2010

It’s Big Brother’s birthday today. I was struggling to find the words to wish him, I mean, ‘Happy birthday and may you be blessed with a long life and good health’ doesn’t sound appropriate somehow when he is battling the dreaded disease. Of course I hope that he will live a long life but realistically what are his chances? I wonder how he will celebrate today.

It’s strangely hazy out there at the moment. It’s been overcast since Monday afternoon - and the clouds finally did open up Monday evening – but this is not just another cloudy day. It’s outrageous that we have to put with such air quality as if we’re some mining city in China.

Anyway, tonight is going to be a big night. If we win tonight by more than two goals, we will go top of the table. I was surprised to see the following comments from the BBC football page hoping for us to win and singing Cesc praises (interesting that the midfield general admitted that he lost his passion for football last season):

1. From iamshearer on Twitter: ‘As a Man Utd fan, if we don’t win the league I’d like no-one to win it more than Arsenal. Their football deserves it!’
2. From I tried to teach Bent the offside rule but he wouldn't listen on 606: ‘Cesc Fàbregas is the best player in the Premier League. And I’m a Spurs fan.’
3. From the increasingly brilliant optajoe on Twitter: ‘Cesc Fabregas has now scored four goals in his last three PL appearances - despite only being on the pitch for a total of 98 mins. Form.’

Even Owen Coyle whose side will meet Arsenal tonight thinks we are genuine title contenders and hopes we win it – interesting when we were not just written off from the title but also dismissed only a mere few weeks ago. Thanks for the vote of confidence and while we’re desperate for the title, we have to really perform, focus, focus, focus and be calm. We can win and play beautifully. We are running really thin now though (we can form another team with our injured players) and Wenger has ordered a review of the training ground as he seeks for answers for the injury crisis. About time, Wenger, about time.




And it’s about time too that we get some new players, don’t you think, to be seen as genuine title challengers? It’s already 20 January 2010 today so, please, sign some big guns quickly!

Marathon

It was a Boys Over Flowers Korean drama weekend marathon for me. OK, I’m a sucker for Korean and Taiwanese dramas – and especially if there’s an eye candy in the cast (there’re more than two or three eye candies in Boys Over Flowers) so I was glued to the idiot box the whole weekend. Heh. It was the first weekend in many, many months that I stayed in (and saved myself from spending).

I wasn’t just idle the whole weekend. I cleaned the house and did two rounds of laundry work (which included the curtains). Ugh. I so hate ironing and changing the curtains. And cooking. Speaking of which, a technician came to fix my induction cooker on Saturday but he didn’t manage to fix the problem and had to bring it back with him. Bahhh. Good thing I bought one induction cooker just two Fridays ago otherwise I would have starved over the weekend (I did think of surviving on pizza and microwave food but hey I still I needed to boil water). Next on the repair/fix list: my bangle, sunnies, lawn... yikes.

Arsenal travelled to Bolton late Sunday evening in another race to the top of the Premier League (why couldn’t they have fixed it for Saturday or earlier on Sunday instead?!). My baby is back and he scored too (he really has a much-improved eye on goal now. According to Wenger, it’s his new-found calmness)! In fact, the Spanish armada punished the wasteful Wanderers as Merida scored a second one for Arsenal and his first PL goal and effectively ruined Coyles’ homecoming/debut. The new Bolton manager was drooling and gushing over Cesc, the man of the match. For the interview with the MOTM, go here. C’mon Arsenal, take us to the top! The destiny of Arsenal now lies in the hands of God and... Arsenal physio – to ensure everyone, Cesc especially, remains fit and healthy.

Oh yea, and it’s confirmed, Sol is back in heart and soul at Arsenal.

What I Think About When I Take My Trips

I love everything that goes with travelling: searching for the destination, the means to get there and the accommodation; reading up on the destination and plotting my visits; planning how to get from point A to B in the most cost-effective and time-effective manner; packing and flying; soaking up the atmosphere when I arrive at the destination; exploring the destination; learning as much as I can about the local culture, customs and traditions; picking up some local lingo; trying to blend in; sampling the local food... If anything, I just hate the sorting of what to bring and the associated ironing of clothes.

Besides visiting the attraction sites, I also love to walk around and try to learn as much as I can about the place by observing. I try to listen to the local dialect and tune into conversations around me to try to figure the intonation of speech and the language (how it’s spoken and whether it has any resemblance to other languages. I especially love trying to guess the English language ‘translation’ to any foreign words). I look at the locals and try to figure them out from their hair colour (blonde, dirty blonde, dark brown, brunette – each hair colour can give you some clue to ethnicity), eye colour (similarly eye colour also can give a clue to one’s ethnicity), names (from which you can tell if one is a native or a foreigner in that country), skin complexion (what is the predominant complexion? India borders China but the sight of a fair Indian with Chinese features still took me by surprise) and demography (if the country is populated by aging people or is it mainly a young country?). Also, is the society male- or female-oriented?

Other observations also provide clues: the local restaurants give some clue of the local diet; the local market and shops provide some hint of the main economic activity and the goods produced, and the culture and customs practised; the presence of museums and art galleries may indicate a cultured society; and even the buildings can tell us so much about the history, economic situation (affluent, in a recession or struggling?) and the local passion (for sports, arts, music etc). Some contact with the locals can also shed some light as to their background or history.

Because I hate cigarette smoke, I can’t help observing if the locals smoke a lot. And because I rely on maps to get around, I also tend to notice if the locals are predisposed to helping out strangers or if they’re just boorish and unfriendly (and if they are, I try to think why they are so – is it because of the country’s history or is it simply their nature? Or could it be because they’re not used to seeing someone like me and are also trying to figure out as much about me as I do about them?).

Travelling is indeed a state of mind, of exploring and learning not only about the world but also of ourselves.

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A strong quake hit Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, on Tuesday (its worst quake in two centuries). More than 100,000 people are feared dead. It will take a long time before the country which is already struggling economically to recover. I’ve mentioned before that Haiti already is an environmental disaster and the latest catastrophe will really hurt the Haitians. For pictures go here (some pictures may be disturbing though).

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An old schoolmate whom I was never close to back at school and only reacquainted with recently via Facebook has sent me a message asking if she could borrow some money. I haven’t yet replied. I mean I may consider if it’s someone I’m close to (note the word ‘may’) but I hardly know her. She didn’t mention any timeline either; if there’s a timeline mentioned, that would have provided me some comfort (but it doesn’t mean I will still lend the money). My parents have bad history of lending money to people (usually relatives, unfortunately) – years and decades of money that they lent out is still not paid back. Of course, I’m not saying that she won’t return the money but I don’t want this to be a habit and don’t want her to think she can just ask to borrow money anytime. And if she doesn’t return the money, I don’t want to be put in an awkward situation asking for it back and I don’t think I’ll easily write the debt off just like that. It’s not a considerable sum but enough to enable me to fly somewhere by MAS (what more AirAsia). I can’t solicit for opinion on Facebook because she might read it so I’m asking all three of you out there. What do you think? Should I? I don’t think I want to so how can I tell her nicely?

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Who Says You Can’t Go Home? Sol’s back at Arsenal and has set himself a goal. He’s enjoyed his most successful playing days at Arsenal but will it be an Indian summer for him? Will he be a Sol Survivor? In other news, my baby (he loves Arsenal so much he still thinks it was worth putting himself on the line) and Clichy may be back for Sunday. And apparently Wenger has done it again: signed Bolivian wonderkid Samuel Galindo.

Soul Gamble

It was a frozen show on Saturday. Arsenal didn’t play well and there was no repeat of a 6-1 thrashing of the Toffees. We were lucky to salvage a point but I would have preferred them winning of course to keep within touch of Chelsh*t. And there went our game in hand. Bahhh.

Almost two weeks into January 2010 and I was thinking last night who Wenger will actually buy (if he does at all); he said he’s not selling anyone and yet, and yet, Senderos wants to leave. Tuned into the sports channel this morning and was shocked to hear that he will gamble to bring back Sol into the team. He even played in the reserves team against the Hammers last night which we won 4-2 (and Emmanuel-Thomas scored a hat-trick). Good move or not and why not Vieira instead (maybe because Wenger is satisfied with Sol’s fitness having seen him train with the Gunners for a few months now)? We’ll just have to wait and see.

And guess who else was in an Arsenal shirt? Why, the captain of Togo (who is out of the African Cup of Nations) who was also an ex-Arsenal player, that’s who – in an interview too, mind you.

Wenger had written to the Spanish giants to warn them off his players but had received no response. Such courtesy, I tell you. And speaking of my baby, he has been braving the snow to make his comeback ;’) but no pictures of him seem to be available although those of his team-mates are.

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Some time last year, I was offered a free-for-life gold credit card from one of the local banks (X bank). Thinking it might come in handy, I said yes. The said card never arrived although apparently it was couriered to my workplace. Finally I called the bank to cancel the card.

Last week, I received a call on my mobile (ID withheld) from a Chinese guy who asked if I owned an X-bank card. I told him the card never arrived and I’d cancelled it. He told me instead that an amount of RM2,400 was charged against the card. When I pressed him further, he hung up. I immediately called the bank and was assured that the card had indeed been cancelled. I thought that was the end of it but this morning, I received another call (ID withheld again), this time from a Malay lady. Again, I was asked if I owned an X-bank credit card and again I was informed that RM2,400 had been spent using the card. Another call to an X-bank personnel confirmed that the card had well and truly been cancelled.

How on earth did these people get my number, how did they know I almost had a card from X bank and why did they both quote RM2,400 as the amount having been charged? I’m almost regretting saying yes to the card in the first place now.

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It looks like it will be a month of repairs: sent my chain for repair on Saturday. Next will have to repair my induction cooker – have called up the technician and he promised to revert. I also want to change the lens of my sunglasses – it costs me less than buying a new pair altogether (although I did buy a pair of sunnies on Sunday!). I still haven’t got back the Samsonite I sent for repair in early December though.

Ice Ice Baby

Days of heavy snow across England has left icy roads and pavements across England resulting in delays and accidents, closed schools and postponed footie matches, including the Arsenal-Bolton match scheduled for last night (I didn’t realise the match would be postponed and actually woke at 4 this morning. Boo hoo). I’m just worried the effect of the rescheduled match will lead to further fixture congestion and the gaffer is aware of this too. For pictures, go here.

Oh well swell. There’s nothing we can do about it except to Keep The Faith then and pray the force be with us in the Star Wars over our current top two contenders.




My wounds still hurt; in fact I don’t think the hurt lessens. It seems like they hurt more by day, probably as the wounds start to dry. It’s hell I tell you. Go ahead and Cry Me A River.

I’ll leave you with some old photos of crocked Gunners. Just because (and so you’ll appreciate the pain I’m going through).

Oh and on the transfer front: apparently we’re interested in Lacina Traore. He’s unknown (check), no one’s heard of him until today (check), no reputation (check), tall (check), is below 25 (check), and costs little (check). His value-for-money price tag fits the bill, pardon the pun. The only problem is he reminds me of the last tall African striker who used to play for us. Oh and while you’re at it, gaffer, how about a new goalie and another midfielder please (Beckford perhaps? He may be interested in Newcastle though so act fast!).

Pain In My Heart

I visited Big Brother along with Akak and family two weeks ago. I must say, for someone battling the C-disease, he didn’t look too bad – from the outward, that is. He had a fall three weeks back and has since suffered some muscle cramps, which means he can no longer sit. He can still walk but with the aid of a cane and/or crutches.

Even my brother-in-law remarked how strong he looked in facing up to his disease. I’m glad Big Brother has not given up on life; he still looked determined to keep himself healthy, yes, against all odds. God knows how I’d react if I were in his shoes. I’d like to think I have a fighting spirit too, that I won’t give up because I don’t want to die regretting and wondering if I have fought enough, but then again, anything can happen when one is ill. One can become either stronger or the opposite in the face of obstacles. God forbid that I give up too easily.

Funny, I was just wondering before my visit how my brother is coping with his disease. C-disease destroys one’s cells and eats one from the inside so if you look at someone suffering from it without knowing he’s a victim, you may not know he’s a sufferer unless you look closely – the shrunken body and face, the thinner waistline, the receding hair (if the sufferer opts for chemotherapy), the tell-tale scars of post-surgeries (if any), etc. I can’t imagine how much pain my brother is suffering (and I will be honest here and say I’m not sure I can try to imagine it because I have very, very low pain tolerance) because from the outside, he still looks the same (except for the fact he is now lying down most of the time instead of sitting or standing up or walking around). You see, his pride and ego is such that he would not let us see his pain or even begin to guess it. He wants to spare his family from suffering his pain and is so far doing a good job at it although I could see – and agreed by my brother-in-law – that the mask he’s adopted is beginning to crack slowly as the pain intensifies by day.

My distant cousin whom we met in November after so long shared that her late dad also suffered from lung cancer. The doctors actually predicted he had less than three months to live but he ended up living a further three years. But she said his insides were already decaying or destroyed by the cancer cells. Ever since that meeting in November, I keep remembering this part of our conversation and wondering about my brother. What does he feel?

And now, with my own injuries and wounds, I’m having a molecule of understanding of how it must be like for my brother. Oh sure my injuries and wounds will heal in time, God willing, and what pain I’m feeling is nothing compared to what he is facing. And I’m not a drama queen enough to think that my pain is more acute than his. That would be belittling his pain and suffering. All I’m saying is that I’m getting a glimpse to what pain is and whereas I can hope I’ll be back to my old self in a few weeks, it’s not the same for my brother is it.

I know it’s irrational of me to say this but there are times when I get mad, angry and frustrated with my brother. For bringing this disease onto himself, for not listening to reason, for refusing to stop smoking all those years ago, for being stubborn with his nicotine addiction, for burning his money away just like that (and what did he get in return for this ‘investment’?), for not heeding well-intentioned advices, for not being strong enough to quit earlier, just to name a few. I think he knows and realises it too now.

I wonder how I’ll cope with dying and death. I don’t want to and I’m sure no one wants to either but unfortunately it’s inevitable. It pains me to think of my brother but it pains me even more to see how his children are dealing with his illness because it looks like they don’t really care what happens to their father. And that hurts me even more than the pain of my own little bruises and wounds.

And this indifference makes me wonder if anyone will take care of me when I’m ill and mourn my death when my turn comes.

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And it looks like my querido will be out for much longer (I hope he’ll be back by mid-January and not at the end). What a blow. This is painful. Dang. Congested fixtures are coming up soon too with five matches (one FA Cup, four Premier League with three of them back-to-back against the ManUre, Chelshit and Liverpool, yes, in that order) in like 17 days... starting from 24 January 2010 *gulp*.

That Was The Year That Was

2009 was a mixed year. I managed to pursue my interest in travelling, alhamdulillah, by visiting new and revisiting other places. It was also the first year that I managed to travel every month (despite the H1N1). A recap of the trips is as follows:

January
1) Took my niece and nephew to Solo and Yogyakarta (Jogja) among others to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Borobudur and Prambanan
2) Took my parents to Chiang Mai at end of the month

February
Back from Chiang Mai on 3rd of the month

March
1) Weekend trip to Bangkok in early March
2) Went to Krabi with Elle end-March

April
High school reunion in Port Dickson

May
Another fortnight-long solo trip to Europe covering Germany (Frankfurt), Spain (Madrid, Granada, Córdoba, Sevilla and Toledo), Malta (Valletta, Sliema, Rabat and Mdina), Cyprus (Larnaca), Austria (Vienna), train ride into Austria and Slovenia before entering Croatia, Croatia (Zagreb, Plitvička Jezera (Plitvice Lakes), Zadar, Dubrovnik, Split, Trogir and Rijeka), and back to Germany again (Cologne and Bonn) before catching the flight home.

Alhambra and Albaicín in Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba, Toledo, Valletta, Plitvička Jezera, the old city of Dubrovnik, the historic city of Trogir are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

June
Took an overnight train to Singapore to check out the Great Singapore Sale (massive disappointment) and flew home the next evening

July
1) Pre-birthday celebration in Bohol and Cebu in the Philippines before a stopover in KK prior to flying home
2) Took a coach to Singapore to watch the Kop and flew back by Firefly

August
Spent the Merdeka weekend in Jakarta with a day trip to Bandung

September
Flew to KK to attend SK’s wedding

October
Visited Myanmar (Yangon, Nyang Oo, Bagan and Mandalay)

November
1) Treasure hunt trip to Awana Kijal
2) Checked out Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

December
1) Spent a weekend in Phnom Penh
2) Had a reunion with Andrea in Sri Lanka. Among others, we visited six of seven of the country’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

I also watched movies during the year, some good, some lousy (Transformers was disappointing) and majority were average. Cut down on movie outings after August, specifically after new ticket prices were introduced. Haven’t watched 2012 or Avatar (Audrey, you’re not alone here) and don’t intend to. Am considering watching Sherlock Holmes and maybe some good movies this year. Otherwise, will just borrow DVDs.

I also managed to finish reading three dozen books. Could be better but I’m glad it’s not worse.

Health-wise, thankfully, no sick leave. But I managed to hurt myself badly the moment I was out of the country, didn’t I. And on the last day of the year too. So I’m now as injured as my baby Cesc ;’ (heck, even Capello is to undergo a knee surgery).

Big Brother discovered he has the dreaded C-disease (to be honest, I’d be surprised if he didn’t see some disease coming even if it’s not C-disease at the rate he was smoking).

My parents also managed to travel quite a bit. And they did well health-wise considering their respective ages and the wear and tear to their bodies.

And of course there were also those break-ins, first my parents’ and then my residence. Reminders that wealth doesn’t last, times are bad, life is not always smooth or goes the way we plan it. And that God’s test comes in many forms. It’s how we deal/react with His tests and challenges that shape our lives and determine our strength, faith and trust in Him and His love.

May God’s love see us through and keep us strong. Espero que usted tiene una maravillosa 2010!

Halcyon Ceylon

Thursday, 24 December 2009. Christmas Eve
An early morning start for me as I had tonnes to do. After house-cleaning, I caught a bus to the National Science Centre for the Da Vinci Exhibition. Spent close to two hours there then went to the office for a while before heading back home to pack.

Left home at 4.15 pm and reached KL Sentral about half an hour later. Was told at the KL City Air Terminal (KL CAT) that my flight which was originally scheduled to depart at 8 pm would only depart at 2340 due to bird strike (a bird entered the engine!). Spent time at Le Meridien Hotel before returning to check in after evening prayers.

The flight was full of dark passengers and it turned out that the flight would make a stopover at Male, Maldives, first before continuing on to my destination. My seatmate was a strange fellow who kept making funny noises, usually just as I was about to doze off. Sheesh.

We transited at Male Airport for an hour and had new passengers joining in the flight.

Friday, 25 December 2009. Christmas Day

Landed at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, at 3.45 am. I stumbled on to the immigration and it turned out to be a painfully slow process (it didn’t help that another plane landed just before ours did). It took me 25 minutes before I was through the immigration.

I had earlier planned to catch some shut-eye while waiting for Andrea at the departure area as I reckoned there wouldn’t be much space at the arrival area; however, that would mean exiting the arrival area and going to the departure and as I wasn’t sure if I could re-enter the arrival area without problems, I decided to wait for her at the arrival area instead. It was almost time for morning prayers so I performed ablution and then prayed behind some counter.

Andrea came through at about 7.40 am and after converting money (USD1 = LKR 111.52 and LKR100 = MYR3.00; in KL, every LKR100 cost me RM3.50 so take note if you plan to go to Sri Lanka), we walked out to find the shuttle bus. Pretty soon, one pulled up and before long, it was already jam-packed with passengers and their suitcases and duty-free purchases (for some reason, the duty-free area sells a lot of electrical items and appliances. I remember wondering who would want to buy a fridge or a TV here. Well, turned out the locals do). We rode the bus to the bus stand and changed for an A/C bus/min-van to Colombo city central bus stand.

At the city bus stand, we navigated our way through the crowds of people before finding the bus that could bring us to a village near the Ancient City of Sigiriya. The fare was dirt cheap at LKR158 each. It was a painful 4.5-hour journey through rural Sri Lanka with the driver honking every few metres (oh boy, do people over there love to honk their horn!). Somehow, I still managed to doze off on and off. Some passengers stood all the way and were still standing when we left.

It started raining some time after Kurunegala and all the way until we alighted at Inamaluwa. From there, we took a three-wheeler or tuk tuk or bajaj (yes, just like they call it in Jakarta) to Sigiriya and looked for a guest house. There were not many to begin with and most were full so finally we agreed to spend the night at Flower Inn. A late lunch, prepared by the hostess, was had there. And the weather was cccooolllddd.

We also asked the hostess if she knew anyone we could hire as driver and she contacted her distant relative to help out. I thought the price he quoted was exorbitant but we didn’t have much choice.

Saturday, 26 December 2009. The Rock

We left at 7.10 am and went to Sigiriya Rock after purchasing entrance ticket (the ticket to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura cost USD50; it would cost you USD25 for each site if you don’t obtain a round ticket). We spent more than an hour climbing part-way up to the famous Sigiriya frescoes (featuring around 20 bare-breasted damsels floating on clouds). Upon descending from the frescoes, I walked to the Lion’s Paws, which formed the entrance to the summit. As the steps were slippery and wet from the rain the day before, I didn’t climb up.

We then drove on to the Ancient City of Polonnaruwa, which was Sri Lanka’s second ancient capital. First, we went to the museum which displays artefacts from and information about life in the ancient city. Next we went to the ruins of the Royal Palace and Audience Hall then to the Quadrangle, which was the religious heart of the city, before visiting Gal Vihara where there are four huge statues of Buddha (we saw only three from where we were) sitting, standing and reclining. You need to take off your shoes before entering the compound and not being eager to do so, we just viewed the statues from outside the perimeter.

After that, we drove to Habarana to check out a room at Acme Transit Hotel which our driver, Lal, had reserved earlier (we had initially planned to spend the night at Anuradhapura but according to him, there were hardly any available room within our budget left, what with it being a long weekend). The room looked good so we agreed to spend the night there.

After a buffet lunch at the hotel restaurant, we drove to the Sacred City of Anuradhapura. We barely just arrived when the rain started. Anyway, we went to Jetavena dagoba, Twin Ponds, Abayagiriya dagoba, Moonstone, Guard House, Lankarama, passed by Thuparama Vetadage, then on to Ruwanweii Seya dagoba, Sri Maha Bodhi (Sacred Bo Tree temple) and the Brazen Palace.

After all that was seen, we headed back to Habarana. We reached our hotel after 6 pm.

Sunday, 27 December 2009

Woke at 3 sth and couldn’t sleep after that. Left at 7.35 am for the Golden Temple of Dambulla, also another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Paid USD10 each for entrance to the rock temple and climbed hundreds of stairs to get there. Only to be told, after stamping my ticket no less, that I would need to remove my scarf before I could enter. The sign said no hats or shoes allowed so I argued but the guard still insisted that I remove my scarf (same goes for those wearing hat or skullcap or yarmulke or turban, you need to remove your headgear before you could enter). I argued that I’d been to other Buddhist temples in South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar and none asked me to remove my scarf. The guard remained unmoved. So I stalked off. It really irked me to be told that in order to respect someone else’s religion, I have to compromise mine and especially so after climbing those hundreds of steps and paying the admission fee. Strewth. Seething, I returned back to the car.

We left Dambulla and drove on to Matale passing villages and paddy fields. The majority of Sri Lankans are still poor but at least they have houses. Most prefer to walk barefooted for reasons that escaped me. After an hour or so, we stopped at a spice and herbal farm. We left empty-handed as we thought the prices were ridiculously high – and later, much later, we found that we were right.

We left Matale and drove on to Katugastota near the Sacred City of Kandy (because Lal told us there were no affordable rooms left in Kandy) and checked into The Fair Haven at Elephant Bath Junction. The room cost us LKR2500 (!) before 10% tax (oh yes, you have to pay 10% service tax on accommodation and meals). Lal then agreed (reluctantly, I sensed) to take us to Kandy where he left us near the prison and within walking distance of the bus and train stations. Really, I wished we hadn’t paid him what we did.

We walked into the dirty and dusty part of Kandy and went to the train station. After queuing for more than 20 minutes, the counter finally opened and we bought tickets back to Colombo for Tuesday early morning as tickets for other service times were already sold out.

We then headed out and walked to the lake, stopping at Devon Restaurant for a well-deserved lunch. While waiting for our food, we noted that the Devon group also has a rest house and a hotel and we decided to check out the rest house after lunch. The room was basic but it cost only LKR1650 inclusive of tax – and it faced the lake too!

It started raining (again) as we stepped out of Devon Rest. A bajaj driver saw us and offered to bring us to view some rest houses and because riding in a bajaj offered escape from the increasingly heavy rain, we hopped on. He took us to a few but we decided to stick to Devon Rest. He also informed that he was registered with the city’s tourism board or something like that and can act as both driver and guide. Hearing this, we asked him if he could bring us to Nuwara Eliya aka Little England the next day. He offered to bring us on his bajaj reasoning it would cost us USD40 compared to USD50 if we took the car. When we pointed out he would earn more if he used the car, he said there was no point for us to waste money on a car when a bajaj would do the job equally well. Compare this to Lal who wanted to charge us first USD100 then USD60 for bringing us to Nuwara Eliya and back to Kandy.

He also agreed to drop and pick us up at our guesthouse the next morning.

Monday, 28 December 2009. Little England

Woke at midnight and laid awake for more than an hour before sleep reclaimed me. Received text from Audrey – up until then I thought I couldn’t receive or send any text message or receive any calls, well Andrea still couldn’t – to inform that Arsenal won over the Villains at the Emirates. Yeay! My fabulous Captain came off the bench to score twice too ;’) but got injured again ;’( and Diaby scored late on for the Gunners’ third goal. Thanks dear!

Tried to sleep again after morning showers and prayers. Checked out at 7.30 and waited for the bajaj driver to come. He came at 7.40, citing an accident along the way. Had some buns bought from a bakery on the way as breakfast.

We drove up to near Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka’s Little England. Hill Country is simply wonderful. I loved the mountains, the valleys, the waterfalls, the cool climate... we went to Blue Field tea factory and spent time there learning the various processes of producing tea and then to Glenloch tea factory.

We left around noon and headed back to Kandy for lunch before going to the Ayurvedic massage clinic next door. Had our Ayurvedic massage after bargaining hard (USD50 for both of us)... my first Ayurvedic massage and I felt like a piece of dough kneaded to make roti – so much oil was applied and smothered all over! And I’d never felt so exposed and so embarrassed in all my life before. We also had shirodhara where you lay on your back and oil is poured onto your head slowly. An unusual experience, I must say.

We returned to Kandy and checked in at Devon Rest. Ventured out briefly in the evening to buy buns for the next morning before returning to the rest house. Dinner was had at the rest house’s restaurant.

Tuesday, 29 December 2009

Woke at 4.10 am. Left at 5.25 and waited for 10 minutes for the bajaj driver. He didn’t show up so we walked all the way to the train station. Train left on time (!) at 6.10 am. It was a scenic hill country route and we passed valleys and misty mountains along the way. Fantastic view.

We reached Colombo Fort station at 8.40 am. Bought tickets for another train to our hotel at Mount Lavinia. Mount Lavinia is about 10 miles south of Colombo and has a number of hotels and resorts. Train fare was dirt cheap at LKR15 (less than USD0.15) only. Checked in at Berjaya Mount Royal Hotel.

Left at 1230 and took a bajaj to the train station. As it was another 45 minutes before our train into the city, we went to the grand Mount Lavinia Hotel next to the train station. It was a beautiful, gorgeous building alright.

Train was late by 30 minutes. From the Colombo Fort train station, we walked to Pettah bazaar. It was disappointing – dirty and dusty so we left almost immediately. We went up to Cargills, a supermarket in one of the colonial buildings. It was another disappointment as I’d thought it was a departmental store but it turned out to be like an abandoned warehouse instead.

We then walked to Laksala where we bought some tea and then to the World Trade Centre (there were security checkpoints) where I bought a purplish pink star ruby.

The train back to Mount Lavinia was delayed by more than an hour (!!) and when it finally ran, we discovered it was actually an express train – which meant it didn’t stop at Mount Lavinia. We got down at Muratowa and took a bus back to Mount Lavinia (again, the fare was dirt cheap at LKR15 each). Wow, train, bus, bajaj all in one day and we were ready to call it a day.

Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Woke up for morning prayers and took a walk along the beach. Was disappointed to see litter on the beach. And the sand was brown too. I didn’t linger long and walked up to the main road instead. Back to the hotel by 7 am.

We left at 8 and took a train to Galle in the south. The Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications are another of Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage Site. We took a train to Muratowa then changed for an express train. Alas, the express train was full so we had to stand – all the way to Galle (about 2.5 hours!). Trains going south don’t have seat numbers and the absence of seat numbers mean the seats can’t be reserved.

There was a carnival at one of the entrances to the fort so we had to go the longer route to enter the fort. I love old buildings and ruins and Galle Fort was charming. We had lunch at Mama’s Roof Top Café and decided to take the 1430 train back instead of the last one at 1545 as we feared the train would be full. Well, the train came but no one got off so yes, you guessed it, we stood for another 2.5 hours all the way back to Muratowa. The train back to Mount Lavinia was the best we had taken so far – spacious and clean.

Thursday, 31 December 2009. New Year’s Eve

Woke at 0115 local time to watch Arsenal travel to Pompey. No Cesc but Dudú and Nasri scored in the first half, Rambo added a third before Pompey pulled one back and Song scored the last one.

Woke up much later at almost 10 and lazed in. Had lunch at a nearby beachfront restaurant. Tried to rest after that but the New Year preparation was loud and noisy so didn’t get much rest. Left the hotel at 5.25 pm after showering and took a bajaj to the train station. Took the 1758 train to Colombo Fort and waited for the 2020 train to a station near the airport.

However, I got down at the wrong station and when I realised my error, I ran back for the train. It was pulling out of the station, I ran after it and suddenly I fell down. I didn’t realise it at first but my injuries were quite bad. Anyway, the train stopped, I managed to get back in (and everyone was staring at me, yikes). I was trying to convince everyone I was okay and it was only when I looked down when I realised that my trousers was torn and there were blood splashes on them. Eeeks. I took out some wet wipes and wiped some blood off.

I got off at the right station minutes later (I noted there was no station name) and a chap walked me to the main road nearby (he didn’t help carry my luggage though). He helped me find a bajaj and the bajaj driver helped me get on and off the bajaj. At the airport, he notified some airport staff about my injury and she called for some paramedic to help. They came about 10 minutes later and that was when I realised the extent of my injuries and wounds. Great, that’s some nice souvenirs from Sri Lanka that will stay on for some time. Silly me.

I limped around the airport, changed trousers (good thing I packed a second pair; I thought of bringing only one at first) and performed prayers at some corner (it hurt to bend my knees but I did it somehow). Checked in my bag after 11 pm and went in. Didn’t really check the duty-free area as I wanted to get online and check my emails instead.

The flight was already almost full when I boarded and I remembered that the flight was en route back to KL from Male. I managed to get the middle seats all to myself and tried to rest. Not easy as the wounds were starting to hurt.

Friday, 1 January 2010. New Year’s Day

We landed at 7.45 am. I missed the transit train by a minute so had to wait another 29 minutes for the next one. Only reached home at almost ten.

Went out again after 2 pm to meet up Andrea (her flight back to Manila was after midnight). We had a late lunch at Pavilion and dinner at KLCC. We took the LRT back to KL Sentral and she took the coach to LCCT while I boarded the Rapid bus home.

And that was my year-end holidays. Hope yours was as good but not as painful!

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Captain Cesc came off the bench for less than half an hour but he managed to score two goals to inspire a masterclass win (Diaby added a third in stoppage time) over the Villains. He backed his gaffer’s decision to risk him (oh, my hero) and again reiterated that his future is at Arsenal and not at either Real or Barcelona. Get well soon my hero. For more pictures, go here.

Arsenal then travelled to Pompey just before the year-end. Another fantastic performance albeit without the injured Captain (hopefully he will return soon). For more pictures, go here.

And late last night, Arsenal came back from behind to score a win over the Hammers, thanks to late goals from Rambo and Dudú. For more pictures, go here. We will now travel to Stoke. Amazing, just a mere few weeks ago, we were written off but after that Anfield rant, we seemed to have hauled ourselves up again. And I’m not complaining. Alhamdulillah.