A milli a milli...

Oh my dear Blogspot!

It's 10th of Ramadan already and also, it's my last weekend before school resumes this Monday. My June has been quite interesting, with me exploring Vietnam and going back to Krabi, this time with my Mom. I was away for almost half of June. Now, I need to lie low financially...

...but that is going to be hard cause Hari Raya is around 20 days away.

Low key Hari Raya as usual for me. For many years, I have gone without new shoes, bags and accessories (cause the best accessory you can have is your, ahem, mind). Still, I think this Hari Raya, I shall get myself a new pair of shoes. Don't think my mom will be happy with my wearing of Converse sneakers or Doc Mart boots with baju kurung.

Ah, all these earthly things.  *breathes*

Abby is leaving for Canada next month. Think that's the last of my Filipino friends leaving me. First it was Gladys, then Jing and Des, and now Abby. These were the peeps who coloured my TMC days and I'd never forget their company. Good times, good times.

Time check: 3.10pm.

Slept my morning away, only to wake up to worry about my bills (it's payday and it's headache day as well). I have survived 2.5 years without my credit cards and well, the pain of seeing everything paid in cash is both heartbreaking and liberating at the same time. Such messed up thoughts.

Okay.

I shall go back to staring at my bank account in disbelief. I woke up with a few grand and after paying and planning and setting aside, I'm left with hundreds.

A millionaire I'll never be.

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Don't turn the fish over

Date: Monday 8 June 2015
Time: 2330hrs
Place: On a train from Hanoi to Da Nang (with 13 more hours to go)

"Should I turn the fish over?"
"We, Chinese, have a belief...we dont turn the fish while we're on a boat. You know...it's like a boat overturning or capsizing."

So I did not turn the fish, even though logically I should, for there was still some savoury flesh on the other side. I then deboned it, albeit poorly, so as not to waste the fish.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is that, as much as I wanted too scoff at Lauren's logic, I decided to just stick to her belief for it would then give her (and the three fellow table mates from China) a peace of mind as we cruised the Halong Bay.

This little anecdote really coincided with what happened down at Mount Kinabalu recently. Many indigenous people believed that the earthquake was a reaction to the indecent acts done by the Canadian climbers who decided to strip naked up the mountain, considered sacred by many Sabahans.

Being the rational, logical people that many of us are, it is hilarious for some to grasp how an earthquake can be associated to silly frat acts done by ignorant, obnoxious tourists. Still, that does not give us the right to belittle the belief of those Sabahans who believe that Mount Kinabalu (Aki Nabalu) is the place where the spirits go once their earthly bodies have expired.

I am definitely one who is for the freedom of behaviour and speech provided they do not hurt or harm. It is the right of humans to have beliefs and customs so to make fun of that is to tar the sanctity of freedom. You want to strip naked at your home ground, sure, go right ahead but to do that in a place not your own, that just reeks of arrogance, snobbery and foolishness.

Anyway, I have not heard much but I hear the Sabah authorities are making sure the starkers stay in Sabah to help them with investigations. I think it is for the indecent acts (stripping naked, much to the dismay of the local mountain guides) and not for the earthquake. One of the nudists tweeted something really offensive and even insulted a Malaysian minister. Well...that would definitely make his predicament better...NOT.

Okay. It is hard to carry on penning this thought on a moving train.

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Ha-Noi the crap out of you :)

Pardon the lame title. Must be the (Ha)noi-sy traffic getting to me.

Greetings.

Hanoi has been laidback, nothing much to do àfter 8pm. Didn't help that it had been raining buckets. Went to Halong Bay today and my highlight was the kayaking segment. Loved it.

Tomorrow will be the last day here. One more round of Hanoi before heading to the train station in the evening. Close to 20 hours on the Vietnam Railway...all the way to Danang. This is going to be interesting.

Ok. Blogging using my phone is bloody Hanoi-ing. Ah.

Tour of duty

It is time. School vacation is here and I am off to Vietnam.

Heading to Hanoi..before making my way down to Danang and eventually, Saigon.

Watch out for this space

I think.

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