I have moved to wordpress and here is the link.

Experiment 2

Right... So let's see what happens when I try to write more than 2 lines. I haven't a clue what's causing this problem. I can't publish any of my proper entries with or without photos. Sigh.

A Theory...

I have a theory. I think if I keep my entry to only one line, it will be posted. *crossed fingers*

Testing again...

This is really annoying... Grrr....

Test Entry

Have been unable to post any photos or entries so far... testing testing...

Hola Espana!

I'm off to Spain for a holiday (I know I know, I am already on a holiday :P but who's counting)... For the next 3 weeks it shall be beaches, sunbathing, eating, shopping, swimming and more sunbathing.. yeah!

So, till next time then... Inshaa'a l-lah.

Here It Goes Again

This is such an interesting alternative use for the treadmills... There's no way that these guys are amateurs.

It's So Hot...

• You can say 113 degrees (45°C) without fainting.
• You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
• The temperature drops below 95 (35°C), you feel a bit chilly.
• You would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face.
• You can attend any function wearing shorts and a tank top. (and no way you can dress like that over here!!)
  
• You discover that in July, it takes only two fingers to drive your car.
• You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
• You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
• Hot water now comes out of both taps.
• It is noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
• You actually burn your hand opening the car door.
• You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. (I wouldn't know, I am usually still in bed)
  
• No one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.
• You would rather be stranded with your car without petrol than without water.
  

via

The Arabian Nights aka 1001 Nights

I have been reading the collection of stories of the Arabian Nights. They are like the fairy tales of the middle east. It was funny how sometime ago someone thought my blog as a porn site... Hahaha... Now I understand why...

Anyway, it all started with the King Shahryar....

Queen Scheherazade tells her tales to King Shahryār.

Shahryār or Shahriār or Shahriyār or Schahryār (Persian: شهريار, meaning The Great King) is the fictional Sassanid King of kings in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, who is told stories by Scheherazade.

He supposedly ruled over a Persian Empire extended to India, over all the adjacent islands and a great way beyond the Ganges as far as China, while Shahryār’s younger brother, Shāhzamān (شاهزمان) ruled over Samarkand.

In the frame-story, Shahryār is betrayed by his wife, which makes him go mad and believe that all women will, in the end, betray him. So every night for three years, the mad king takes a wife and has her executed the next morning, until he marries Scheherazade, his vizier’s beautiful and clever daughter. For 1001 nights in a row, Scheherazade tells Shahryār a story, each time stopping at dawn with a cliffhanger, thus forcing him to keep her alive for another day so that she can complete the tale the next night. (Information from Wikipedia)

She's such an intelligent woman :)

Inshaa'a l-laah = God willing

I have pottery classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings. So on last Monday I told my teacher that I won't be able to attend class next Wednesday but I will come on Saturday and Monday instead. He was agreeable and he mentioned that Wednesday would be the last lesson for the rest of them as the course consists of 10 sessions.

This is where it got really interesting. One, when I asked at the beginning about the number of sessions per course, I was not given a straight answer. It didn't quite bother me as I thought we will discover the answer in due time. So when I signed up for the lessons in July, I was told that for that fee I paid, it will be for 3 sessions per week and for 4 weeks. Right... I was under the impression that it was only once a week. Nevertheless, I informed my teacher then that I would only be able to attend 2 out of the 3 per week and I will still pay the course fee every 4 weeks or so.

So it was on Monday that I "discovered" that the course is for 10 sessions and not 12. Right... It was fine by me.

Then yesterday, (after I told sir about me only coming on Sat and Mon etc..) teacher said he won't be around for class on Saturday and Monday as he's going away for a break. I was like stunned. He assured us that we can still come by and do our own work in the studio just that he won't be around.

I kept thinking if there was communication breakdown somewhere, or if there was some information that I had seriously overlooked... I guess I was more amused and taken by surprise than being upset. This is really the true spirit of Inshaa'a l-laah.

Inshaa'a l-laah indeed :)

Home...

I wonder if it comes a day when I call this place as my home. I remembered only a few weeks ago, hubby kind of lightly mentioned that this is home now and I was almost violently objecting to that notion. I was adamant that home is in Singapore. He patiently said "Yes, but this place is home now".

Hmm...

Just Driving Around

Am trying this for the first time... let's see how it looks :)

It was taken a couple of weeks ago, on a Friday morning. That explains the light traffic flow. Just an idea about the roads and buildings here as we drove to Sharq mall (that is towards the Kuwait City).

I Thought It Was It...

Last night while we were on the highway coming back from class, hubby was driving on the left lane (that's the fastest lane) and was going at 120 km/h (the speed limit). Traffic was relatively heavy and there was another car on our right, slightly ahead of us, going at around the same speed.

Suddenly this black car came up at God knows what speed, squeezing in between us and the car on our right. At that point I froze, it was so darn close and I thought this was it, we were going to die. It was lucky for us that hubby already saw it coming on his rearview mirror. This car was already overtaking very dangerously from behind and seemed to be in a mighty hurry to get off the highway.

I really thought...

Some Parcels of Life Here

The accident occurred somewhere near our place and this isn't even the highway, it's a road with speed limt of 80 km/h. The car was definitely going faster than that judging by the state of the wreck. This is where it is puzzling. Alcohol is not allowed here, so driver shouldn't be under the influence of alcohol. It is a straight road, so it shouldn't be a situation where driver loses control while negotiating a turn. So is it possible that he/she was trying to overtake and lost control? By the way, did I mention that one can normally see such wrecks along the highway too?

I am constantly amazed at how dangerous some drivers are at this side of the world. It is like as though they started with a death wish. They whizzed in and out of the lanes, in between cars at crazy speed and they seriously think that is the only way to drive here.

On a side note, our air-conditioning is not working again. It is the second time this month. Am trying to remember to stay cool and drink lots of water. It's going to be a hot day.

Pottery at Last!

This week has been rather more interesting. I joined a pottery class in this Arts school over here. Pottery is relatively not as popular as oil painting but nevertheless there's some efforts in promoting it. Hence this department was set up in this school.

The first time I visited the place, I was totally struck with awe. It was really cool. This place used to be an old Kuwaiti house and the compound is big. I managed to take some snapshots of the place while I was there last Wednesday. Will try to take more next time.

These kilns somehow reminded of me Wizard of Oz.

I have been told the difference between UAE and Kuwait is that UAE have a substantial population of its citizens investing in their country, developing it; whereas in Kuwait, due to the Gulf war, many of these capitally abled citizens had fled the country and only a few had returned.

The state of development in Kuwait is very much slower than UAE. UAE has been developed to draw in visitors and tourists, as one can see from its hotels, tourist attractions, public transport, even the beach front says alot. Kuwait is only talking about a tourism plan that hopes to be completed in 2008. At some parts where we stay, hubby often liked to say, you may break your neck while trying to walk on the pavement here. We don't even get a proper pavement.

This isn't a complaint entry really but rather it brings to mind some stuff I read back home. There have been lots of discussion back home about certain political issues and general unhappiness about freedom of speech and expression. It is alright to talk and complain about it I guess but what was disturbing was when I get comments from friends like "That's why, if I can, I will leave this place".

So if the abled leaves, leaving the unabled behind, what will become of our fate? Would it be one where we have a plan but we no longer have our own people supporting and making it happened? Where only foreigners find it an attractive place to seek a better life, where its own people finds it too unattractive to inhabit? There is no utopia out there, if there is, it would have been flooded with people by now. If Singaporeans are seen to be an unhappy lot, there's no use complaining about it or playing the blaming game. For a start, be happy yourself, find things to be happy about. If you find Singaporeans to be generally rude, then start with yourself to be courteous. You will be surprised how difficult it is for a rude person to continue to be rude to another who is persistently pleasant and courteous.

Perhaps some may say... it is easy for me to say as I am not in Singapore, I am one of those who left. Yet being out here makes I realised that I do wish to go back and we will. There isn't quite another place on this earth that's like Singapore.

And Then There was None...

Finally the wind has stopped. After 5 days of huffing and puffing, it has finally decided to take a break. What a relief! It took however a couple more days for the sand and dust to settle and to resume the clear blue sky days.

Just when I thought it was finally over, the taps ran dry. We were stranded without water for a night.

Welcome to the Kuwaiti summer.

The Rage Continues

Looks like there's no sign of the storm stopping, it has doubled its efforts in fact. I can't even see the sea anymore.

This is how it ought to look like on a clear beautiful day.

By the way, if there's no more entries on this blog from this day forth, you know I have been buried by the desert sand.

Sand Storm

It has been four days
The wind howls relentlessly
Blanketing the city with sand and dust
We are not safe in the house
We feel the wind seeping in at the closed windows
We hear the pounding of the wind on the closed doors
We see the layers of dust and sand
settling on the furniture and kitchen tops
Nothing is spared

Chocolate Cake

Made a chocolate cake today. You can find the recipe here if you are keen to try. It tends to be moist, which is the way I like my cakes. Not sure if this recipe works by steaming instead.

Oops!

One lesson I learnt yesterday is that one should never (let me stress NEVER) incur the wrath of an expat tai tai. For one, she will have all the time and an extensive network to ensure that your misdeed is made known to the other ladies... and these ladies will in turn inevitably update their husbands over the dinner table. And you really wouldn't want to embarass your husband at his workplace with your ungraciousness.

Sounds kind of negative but this is how the grapevine works and I saw how powerful it can be over an incident yesterday. I wasn't the party involved (thank goodness!) but I was one of those who got to hear about it. Sounded very unbecoming but then again but there will be more to come, I'm sure.

Prata Anyone?

Tried my hand at making roti prata today. Verdict? It tasted kind of healthy... hahaha.. I guess it was just not oily enough. It was surprisingly easy to stretch the dough to a very thin sheet, needless to say, it was the more oil the better. But I somehow thought the final prata looked a little too smooth. It didn't have the usual "wrinkles" or folds as what we normally see in the ones from prata shop.

For anyone who's interested, the recipe can be found here. The recipe doesn't state the quantity and proportions of the ingredients, so everything is "agak agak" one. Of course if you are in Singapore, it isn't necessary to go through such length to make your own prata :)

Is This Goodbye?

How will it be like when we die?
How will we see this world on our last day?
With our last breath?
What will be our last thought?
What will be our lingering regret?
What will we take away?
What will we leave behind?
Will we be thought of?
Will we be missed?
Will we miss this world?
Will we see each other again?
Will I hear you again?
Will I be able to call you again?
Is this goodbye?

Sunday in July

I suddenly realised that it's already July. The months had quietly and peacefully come and gone. I curiously asked hubby if I had changed over the last few months... and he candidly replied "We all change over time". Hmm... not the answer I was seeking. So I asked again (this is so woman... hahaha...). This time round he said "Yah, you are more relaxed now". Hmm... Does that mean I am a nicer person now than before? More amiable, agreeable? Or less ruffled, less agitated? Anyhow, I take it that it is an improvement :)

During my last trip back home, needless to say, I bought lots of books. They are all crime fiction novels. I guess I haven't outgrown them. Reading helps me to escape the reality, reminds me of my youth, indulges me. So it was during this book shopping trip that I found this book written by Jake Needham, The Ambassador's Wife. It is a crime fiction based in Singapore featuring a local inspector- a Singapoorean who whined about everything from the weather to the people and foreigners... Oops!

I am almost half way through with the book and I am still struggling to read it. For one, the inspector worked only from Monday to Friday. While working on the murder case, he was significantly annoyed when he was disturbed on a Sunday by a guy who supposedly had some leads to his case. There was little anxiety or pressure in him wanting to solve the crime quickly. Did I mention that he didn't like his mobile phone switched on?

I am beginning to wonder if this is fiction or fantasy.

Chicken Rice !!

Cooked chicken rice today. It wasn't too bad. I was initially quite skeptical since I couldn't get all the ingredients here and the chickens here aren't particularly chubby either. The best part of it is that it survived my hesitating chops :) For anyone who's keen to try it out, you can check out the recipe here. The person who wrote the blog left a very detailed recipe... almost dummy proof.

It's a Small World Afterall...

I had picked up a copy of the Gulf News on 23 June while I was on my way back from Dubai and didn't look at it till a couple of nights before. Even then it was because hubby pointed out a photo to me. It was a photo of a man who we met some years ago when we were diving in Pulau Aur.

The newspaper reported that he had gone missing in Dubai and his wife had gone over there to look for him. Unfortunately, he was found dead a few days ago. Murdered by a couple whose motive was evidently to rob him. I can only imagine his wife's devastation.

I have been somewhat affected by the news as I believe that it has at least taken a little fate for people to meet in this world. Henceforth we are somewhat connected by a little thread. Sometimes we are able to let this little thread grow, otherwise it remains faint and obscure.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go... Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

It is a dangerous world out there...

This incident happened yesterday night. I was just minding my own business when this guy came to message me and asked for a chat. In my usual mode, I checked out his details and replied. His profile revealed his name and that he's a romantic and passionate person.

I really have no axe to grind but I really didn't like the way he got carried away. I copied the original transcript from the beginning to the end.

BATMAN (07:39 PM) : hello
me (07:40 PM) : hello :-)
me (07:40 PM) : how are you simon?
BATMAN (07:40 PM) : how are u
me (07:40 PM) : i am fine.. thank you..
BATMAN (07:40 PM) : yr hobbies pls
me (07:40 PM) : hmm.. for the time being it is reading, painting, running..
me (07:41 PM) : what about yourself?
BATMAN (07:41 PM) : i am a biz consulatnt
me (07:41 PM) : that's your hobby?
BATMAN (07:41 PM) : travels,music, spas, massage, travels, etc
me (07:41 PM) : anything else that's not in your details really :-)
BATMAN (07:44 PM) : ??
me (07:46 PM) : sorry.. i meant i have read your description.. so if you have any hobbies that aren't there
BATMAN (07:46 PM) : too many
me (07:46 PM) : :-)
me (07:47 PM) : glad that u have time for many :-)
me (07:47 PM) : out of curiosity..
me (07:48 PM) : what are you passionate about?
BATMAN (07:49 PM) : pls aswr my q and i shall be glad to aswr yrs
me (07:49 PM) : oops.. :-)
me (07:49 PM) : i think u may have to copy your previous messages to me ..
me (07:49 PM) : i didn't get your question
BATMAN (07:49 PM) : yr job pls
BATMAN (07:49 PM) : yr job pls yr job pls
me (07:50 PM) : i am not working at the moment
BATMAN (07:50 PM) : yr marital status pls
me (07:50 PM) : are you conducting an interview?
BATMAN (07:50 PM) : juz askin some basic q pls
me (07:50 PM) : ahh.. so matter of fact way..
me (07:50 PM) : married..
BATMAN (07:51 PM) : can we still be freinds?
me (07:51 PM) : aren't we still talking?
BATMAN (07:51 PM) : yr name pls
me (07:51 PM) : hahahaa
BATMAN (07:52 PM) : yr name pls
me (07:52 PM) : *my name*
me (07:52 PM) : do u talk like that all the time?
BATMAN (07:53 PM) : juz askin some basic q first
me (07:53 PM) : hahaha
BATMAN (07:53 PM) : any skype or msn
me (07:53 PM) : u didn't say "any skype or msn pls"
me (07:53 PM) : hahahaha
BATMAN (07:56 PM) : guess u are too bizzi
me (07:56 PM) : no i am not..
BATMAN (07:57 PM) : why cant u aswr q
BATMAN (07:57 PM) : u are very difficult to chat with
me (07:57 PM) : i am difficult??
me (07:58 PM) : do u know how to have a conversation?
me (07:58 PM) : u are questioning me...
me (07:58 PM) : like you have some criteria.. and u are only concern if i qualify
BATMAN (08:00 PM) : normally, i ask q to keep the conversation goin cos if not , it will stop. pls dont be presumptous as i hv not disqualify u so far
me (08:00 PM) : hahahaha
me (08:00 PM) : you should hear yourself..
me (08:00 PM) : yr work pls
me (08:00 PM) : yr marital status pls
me (08:00 PM) : yr hobbies pls
BATMAN (08:01 PM) : OK I STOP ALL MY Q AND I DONT ALLOW U TO ASK ME Q. PLSSS CONTINUE
me (08:01 PM) : hahaha.. now you are defensive :-)
BATMAN (08:02 PM) : i am merely askin some basic q bef startin a conversation and u got so worked up
BATMAN (08:03 PM) : u try to mocked me juz cos i asked yr hobbies, etc and u went berserk and into a frenzy
BATMAN (08:04 PM) : i will not ask u any more q and neither will i aswr.
BATMAN (08:05 PM) : Believe me, this conversation will not last.
BATMAN (08:06 PM) : u are here to chat and so am i
BATMAN (08:06 PM) : juz cos i asked some basic q, u went bonkers and now u cannot continue
BATMAN (08:08 PM) : normally, i ask a few q bef goin on to tel conversation
BATMAN (08:09 PM) : U ARE SO MOTHER FUCKIN STUPID
BATMAN (08:09 PM) : U ARE HERE PRESUMABLY TO CHAT AND EVEN ASKIN Q IS A FORM OF CHATTIN
BATMAN (08:10 PM) : I CURSE U

OUCH!! He was seriously upset. I didn't respond after the "you are defensive" part. He just went on and on and on... My goodness. Admittedly, I must have pushed his hot button by saying that he doesn't know how to hold a conversation but it was more like an interrogation than talk. I almost could visualise his checklist as he went from one item to another.

Hmm... there must be a "How to Chat" textbook somewhere in the market that I haven't seen.

Of Poise and Grace

There is one thing I like about sandstorms. The next day after the storm, we get a beautiful day. Not just any beautiful day, but one with clear blue sky and a sparkling blue sea. If the temperature is lower, it would be an awesome day to hang out at the beach. Alas, it is the burning desert afterall, so all I did was to stand at the balcony and admired the view for a while.

Spoke to someone on icq today and we ended up talking about women. Not just any women mind you but older women. He commented about how older women seemed to have more poise and grace as compared to younger ones. He particularly liked the way they carry themselves and the elegance they exude. I wonder if this is acquired over the years, like wine maturing with age. Do we learn to shed our insecurities and learn to embrace our qualities and flaws alike as we mature? Are we more certain of ourselves as we gain experiences in life and thus feel more empowered?

Then again why do most people associate beauty acquired over the years with wine and not cheese? Some old cheese are preferred over the young ones, as they have stronger flavours and smell. But this is a matter of personal preferences and acquired taste isn't it? Afterall not all men find the taste of old cheese appealing and some do find the smell pungent.

Look What I Found... ...

Found this note stashed at my front door. How on earth did that person come up to each of our apartment? Security aside, is she offering door to door on-demand massage? Actually I kind of wondered what exactly defines a chinese massage. Is it chinese as the masseuse is chinese or there's some technique that makes it uniquely chinese?

Paid sex is not allowed in this country. Am not surprised if sexual services are nevertheless offered under a mask of housekeeping or massage. It is afterall a situation of creating supply to meet the demand... no?

Blog Graph

This is how this site look like in html graph. Kind of pretty. Check out yours here

It's Burning Out Here

Just when you think that it can't possibly get any hotter... It did.

Temperature today soared to 46 degrees celcius, coupled with strong wind, we got the howling sand storm. The heat is unbelieveable. It kind of burns you on your skin and the wind picks up whatever moisture your skin surface can possibly have and evaporates it.

Took a brief walk outside yesterday evening. It's hot. Felt that I was getting cooked right in the heat. Let's see if I can put it within everyone's imagination, it is so hot that even the coldest water in the shower is still scorching to the skin. Guess it is time to get those big buckets and start collecting water and cooling it down for a nice warm shower.

Rain

Something we hardly see out here in the desert. Surprisingly, it took me 4 months to be out here, to appreciate that beautiful sight back home.

It rained alot while I was back. I thought it was kind of nice. I couldn't believe that walking in the rain had brought me so much glee and delight. Perhaps I hadn't realised that I had missed the rain too.

Back Again... ...

I lived my tai tai life while I was back in Singapore for a month. It is a luxurious lifestyle but pretty cumbersome to maintain... hahaha... Anyhow, I got my wish and here I am back in the middle east.

In some many ways I am glad to be back. Home was exciting and never a dull moment but at times I felt as though I was a stranger looking at what's happening around through a looking glass. It felt so surreal like I no longer belonged to the life back home. The world around was spinning so rapidly, people rushing from point to point and here I was totally out of rhythm and beat. Yet when I hear the familiar chatting of the hectic life, the no ends of stuff, I count my blessings and remind myself how desperate I had been wanting to walk away from it all.

I saw a production on "Stranger at Home" while I was back and it struck me as how similar the emotions were when I left home. It had come to a point when life in Singapore became predictable like the weather. It was a matter of rain or no rain. There was such desire to get out of this well and see the world. It isn't that home isn't good enough. In fact if you ask me, Kuwait isn't like Singapore but I find the life here endearing. For one, I felt renewed. I found myself and I wondered how long I have been lost really. So there's not much entertainment here, men are somewhat perversed, working culture is alot different.. but that's experience isn't it?

However, the most amazing thing I realised was when I got back to Kuwait, back into my man's arms, I know I am home.

If you have been wondering...

This blog has not been abandoned.
I have been home.
Homecoming has been much anticipated and looked forward to
but it has been one heck of a time...
So much to do, so many people to see,
So little time, so little stomach space...
Hardly a dull moment...
It has been good to be back,
for a while

Night # 106 to 109

Excuse Me... Are You a Tai Tai?

Stranger: So what do you do?
ME: I am a homemaker.
Stranger: A homemaker? Oh you are a tai tai!

I get that comment alot these days. For some reasons, I have been awfully uncomfortable with this label that hangs around my neck. Perhaps it is the connotation of the word or that I don't see myself in that role at all.

From Wikipedia, Tai tai is a term used in Chinese circles, which translates in its strictest sense as 'supreme wife' where a man is wealthy enough (Tai-pan) to have several wives. The term implies respect but it is no longer strictly interpreted. It now applies to the wife of a wealthy man who does not need to work for money. A Tai tai is a privileged lady of means.

Most importantly, to qualify as a Tai tai, one must have lots of leisure time, lots of money and lots of gossip to exchange.

Right... I have lots of leisure time, I don't have lots of money and I barely have enough gossip to pass around. Strangely, I always see tai tais are women who indulge themselves in manicure, pedicure, high teas, pampering sessions in the spas or hair salons, working out in some high class gym... In other words, they glam up to a fault, putting in alot of effort, not to forget money, to look their best.

I admired them for that, cause I for one, will start such regime with enthusiasm and only to lose interest after a month. It is some determination to consciously remember to put on makeup whenever you leave the house... and to conscientiously do the whole routine of removing the makeup, cleansing and toning... you get the picture...

So as I sit here with mud on my hair, I seriously doubt that I will qualify as a tai tai. Otherwise this mud treatment should be done in some hair salon and not me trying to do a diy version at home... it would ruin my nails, manicure and my expensive clothes don't you think so?

Night # 101 to 105

Tried out this Japanese restaurant over here. Food is so so but it was so expensive. I think I am spoilt. We have had better options back home... but beggars can't be choosers right?

Night # 101 to 105

It has been a while since my last entry.

Well, firstly, I got older, technically. I turned 32. I was actually looking forward to it. Can't exactly put my finger into it to explain why but perhaps it is the acceptance of many things in my life. Hubby asked why the difference in now as compared to when I turned 30 and 31. Do I now know where I am heading in life? Am I achieving what I seek to? The answer is still no to both. Yet, I sensed an inner peace of accepting it... and really so what? So what if I do not know where I am heading. Is that so bad that I should mop over it and groan that years have flown by and nothing much has changed? No. So what if I have not achieved what I seek? To begin with, what am I seeking? If I am not going to get an answer in that... what's the point in driving for some achievement that I am not even sure if that's what I want.

I know why I am contented at this age. For once, I feel that I am happy being me... being in my own skin. I am happy with how I look, how I feel... happy that I no longer have to spend the time and energy to please people whom I don't care about... happy that I no longer feel the pressure to pursue for things which ultimately are insignificant.

Back home, we are the ones who drove the pressure skyhigh. I am sure many of us do not see it that way. I mean, we are the very ones who lament about being stressful and having no time to pursue our own interests.. how can we be the ones who pushed up the stress level as well? We can't let go... So many of us just can't let go. It is like the game with 8 people with their thumbs supporting the hula hoop. We all want to lower it.. but subconsciously, we are the ones who kept it up and keep pushing it up.... cos, we were afraid to let go... we were afraid that we are the ones who are responsible for not making it... So it became a situation where, even though we see it as stupid and redundant, we will still do, otherwise we are perceived as the weakest link.

Maybe one day, one day I will miss that pressure... I will miss that competitiveness in life and I will feel brave enough to face it again... but I think it will be a situation where I may not be seen as relevant anymore?

Night # 100

HooRay!! I made it! Initially wanted to skip the night entry then I remembered that it is the 100th night, how can I miss it... Anyway M suggested that I try the meme he posted... my first but let's hope I last till the end.
___________________________________________________________________

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn on page 18 and find line 4.

"A small piece of cinnamon stick" One of the ingredient for Saffron Milk found in "The Flavour of Holland".

I brought with me some reliable cookbooks out here. Well especially that I am now a part-time cook, I am not even surprised that I grabbed a cookbook.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.

And do what? There's nothing on my left except air.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Martha Stewart... My goodness I am a goner...

4. Without looking, guess what time it is?

7.15 pm

5. Now look at the clock, what is the actual time?

7.25 pm

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

The Air conditioning... It is so loud that even the silence is deafening.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

This afternoon at 2.15 pm. I had to go for my run!!! Sob sob... I hate running.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

The number of questions I had to answer... So many!! Thou shalt perservere only because this is the only meme I am going to do.

9. What are you wearing?

Errr... is that question necessary?

10. Did you dream last night?

Yes but I can't remember what it was... ask me again tomorrow morning.

11. When did you last laugh?

This evening I think. Don't you laugh everyday?

12. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Nothing. This is a rented apartment.

13. Seen anything weird lately?

I thought for 1 min... can't think of any.

14. What do you think of this quiz?

Too long. You know some questions are redundant... blah blah blah...

15. What is the last film you saw?

Firewall in Kuwait cinema. Air conditioning is nice not too cold like in Singapore.

16. If you became a multimillionaire overnight, what would you buy?

Well.. not likely to happen yah? So not going to think about it.

17. Tell me something about you that I dunno.

who's the "I"?

18. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?

Everyone... be kind.

19. Do you like to dance?

Absolutely! When no one is watching.

20. George Bush.

Right... what shall I say about him? He's the president of USA... not?

21. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?

Dawn

22. Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?

hmm... let me get baby first can?

23. Would you ever consider living abroad?

I am living abroad... Given the chance again... I would still make the same consideration.

24. What do you want GOD to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?

"Finally you made it."

25. Five (5) people who must also do this meme in their journal.

I don't even know if there are five people reading this blog. So whoever's willing... be my guest

Night # 99 - May Day

It's finally May... not that it made much difference this year. I tried posting a photo a couple of times but for some reason it isn't working. Will try again tomorrow.

Night # 98

Found a few jokes on the web about marriage and this literally cracked me up.

The Silent Treatment

A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment.
Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM."
He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and he had missed his flight.
Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed.
The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up."
Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

If you need something to cheer you up... that's one interesting site.
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Night # 97 - A Fleeting Moment

I have been rather puzzled by the sudden influx of icq chatters during this couple of days. I mean it is usually dead quiet with an occasional "oh oh" from strangers but since Thursday it has been extremely busy. Then it occured to me that it is the long weekend and people are probably hoping to meet someone from the cyber for a sexually exciting weekend. I may be wrong.. but try explaining the 9 out of 10 chatters who are only interested in your height and weight and whether you meet people online for sex... or the occasional ones who asked if you would like to see their naked self on the webcam... I asked a friend to check out my account to see if there's anything that's attracting those hornets. Nothing turned up.. but hopefully the buzz shall end tomorrow.

Night # 95 & 96 - Wishlist

List of food I am going to eat when I get back to Singapore (The list will grow over time)...
In no particular order...

1. Chilli crabs
2. Char siew and roast meat rice
(I am never so fond of it, but I found myself thinking about it so often these days)
3. Curry puff (the kind with chicken and egg)
4. Sashimi
5. Sushi
6. Durians
7. Char kway teow
8. Fried hokkien mee
9. Spagetti carbonara (with pork bacon)
10. Dim sum
11. Chicken rice
12. Satay
13. Black forest cake
14. Chicken wings!

That's about it for now. Goodness, I think I got to lose 10 kgs to make space for all that :)

Night # 94

Sunrise symbolises new beginning and to some, renewed hopes... the start of another brand new day.
I rather prefer the sunset 'cos I am never in time to catch the sunrise.

Night # 92 & 93

I saw the wildest sand storm over here last night. The scene outside resembled a heavy downpour coupled with strong winds. Visibility was that bad. The only difference is that it isn't rain that's pouring, it's the sands. Closed doors were slamming against the door frames and we heard the sounds of wind trying to get through the gaps and into the house. I was just glad that I watching Zorro at home and was not on the streets.

Night # 91 Stalked!!

Went to pick up my laundry today and was going to buy some tomato paste for pizza at this little shop just some 30 metres away. All in all I was going to be about 100 m away from my apartment building.

As I attempted to cross at the exit of a carpark, a SUV pulled up in front of me. The driver rolled down his window and said that he wanted to speak to me. I looked at him briefly (behind my sunglasses), turned away and continued my walk.

At the next carpark exit, I saw the same guy again. Initially I thought I must be imagining it but I noticed that same car made a turn at the carpark ahead of me after passing me. I was thinking "Oh no" and decided to be more alert... but the path which I was walking on is parallel to the carpark, so he was driving towards my direction as I headed closer to the shop. I decided against looking in his direction especially, you never know, he may think that I am interested in his attention. Just as I was about to reach the shop, he pulled up again in front of me. I quickly went into the shop and ignored him.

I was so frightened. I think terrified seemed to be a better word. Though there are people on the streets and cars on the road, I wasn't sure that there would be people who would come to assist me if I were to scream for help. I did the only thing I can think of. I called my husband and kept talking to him till I got home.

Night # 90

Wow... It has 3 months already that I have been out here in the middle east.

It is interesting to see how sometimes, just when you think you know exactly where your life is leading you to, it made a turn and heads you off to somewhere else.

Some of my close friends would know. There have been talks about relocating to Houston, China, before this middle east thing came along. By then I was pretty sure that it will be only just talk. Nothing will happen. I will only get excited and in the end we will be just where we were, in Singapore. I remembered when a friend contacted my husband about this job here in Kuwait, I was thinking... yah yah... this will entertain us for a while and then it will go away. Nothing will come out of it.

It turned out to be the one that did work out. I know I have been the envy of some of my friends for being able to take time away from my work, to be away from the pressure and hectic life, but my friends, this does come with a price.

It is hard to be away from home for so long. It is hard not to see the people and the things you are used to. It is harder than I thought to start all over again. I have been surprised at some of the little things I missed... (a friend just msned me and talked about having curry puff... God.. when was the last time I had one?) I suppose the adjustments are harder when I have gathered 30 years of moss on me (you know, I always think of my mom when I remember the "Rolling stones gather no moss"... she taught me that).

Don't take me wrong. I am happy here. Am contented and comfortable... but nothing is the same as home yah?

Night # 88 & 89

I think I caught an Italian bug while I was away. Had been sick for a few days now. The rich italian food certainly didn't help either... but I ain't complaining. The photo above is a typical metre pizza from Naples. We weren't there but there was a restaurant in Arezzo opened by these good people from Naples. It was yummy. It is nothing like our local version of pizza.

Anyway, I got to show you all this photo of the house owned by Prada. The land is enormous. Makes you wonder about all the bags and clothes that you have bought to support this huh?

Night # 87 - Room with a View

I realised a couple of things about myself while I was in Italy last week. Living in a country, as opposed to a city, is nice as long as it is not a long stay. I am pretty much a city person. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Singapore is a city and having grown up there, I am used to certain conveniences and the way of life in a city. There is only so much peace I can take before my mind starts wondering "What's next?".

Of course it didn't help that my brother in-law did not have internet access nor a computer at his place. Both of which have been very much a part of my life. I kept all the photos that I wanted to show my in-laws in my portable hard disk and that device is totally useless without a computer. Fortunately, there was still the digital camera that I could rely on as I had kept a few of them there intuitively.

Life is perhaps less complicated without the computer and the internet. Can we ever reverse it? Would we be able to "uncomplicate" and make it simple again?

Night # 85 & 86

Do as Romans Do

Have been away for a family reunion in Italy. We stayed with my brother in-law and his family at the countryside. It was awesome place they got there and it was certainly nice to see it in spring. The greenery and blooming trees were a welcoming change from the desert scene.

I had been looking forward to see everyone again as this is the first time for me that the whole family is together. However, I kept having this sense of regret that my father in-law wasn't there with us all. I am sure though we all had him in our thoughts.

Night # 83 & 84

I will be taking a break. Will be back at the next "bloggable" moment.

Night # 82 - Clarification

Allow me to explain my earlier entry on Apartment for Rent.

The pool is within our estate compound and there's a wall next to the pool that prevents curious passerbys from looking into the compound. Hence it is "safe" for the residents to be clad in swimwear - one piece or 2 pieces, and to hang out at the pool.

I was doing just that the other day, basking in the sun and enjoying a leisure dip in the pool, until I spotted this man on the other building beyond the wall. He was standing at the window of his apartment with his mug, staring in my direction. Feeling rather uncomfortable, I decided to move slightly to my right so that I will be blocked by the pillar and the lamp from his view.

I was checking in a couple of minutes later if he's still there, when lo and behold I saw him standing at the window of another room staring intently in my direction, still holding his mug. I didn't enjoy being watched and I definitely didn't like being "stalked".

This is outrageous... and enough is enough...

Night # 81

As I think about yesterday's the cabby incident and reading through my entry for last night, it dawned upon me that perhaps I could be in trouble if that arab man decided to open the cab door and pull me out... Afterall I didn't lock the door and the window was wound down since the cab was not air-conditioned. But at that point in time, I think I was more fuming mad than afraid.

Anyway, to continue my next first...

Two:

It was my first time stepping into a girls school in Kuwait. It is a very different experience really. I was warned about how curious these girls could be as they are rarely out of their houses... but nothing beats finding it out for yourself. I was sitting at a chair, browsing the textbooks, while waiting for my friend to finish her class, a girl came up to me and asked "Miss, what are you doing here? Are you lost?" Awww... so sweet right? They aren't afraid to ask questions that's for sure. During the change of periods, they were all over the corridor, I was thrown with other questions by different girls. "Miss, are you a teacher here?" "Are you a student here?" "Are you going to be our new teacher?" "What is your name?"

Did I also mention that they are persistent too? This girl who asked me for my name, refused to give up. I told her that she will find out my name in due time. She said "I want to know your name now." Wow. That's one challenge I can't resist. She left without knowing my name. :)

Night # 80

The Bahrain boat incident was reported extensively in the newspapers. What was interesting was the difference in the reporting in Singapore and the one reported over here.

S'pore Times : http://www.asiaone.com/st/st_20060403_382420.html

Arab Times: http://www.arabtimesonline.com/arabtimes/world/view.asp?msgID=7473

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Today's a first for a few things.

One:
I took the taxi on my own today. It was one heck of an experience. I called ahead for a cab to take me to the school where I was going to have my interview. The cab came late (why am I not surprised) and was waiting for me at the school instead of at my apartment. That mistake happened even though I called the company 3 times when the cab failed to arrive and I repeated where I am each time I called.

Oh well, I was still able to quickly grab a cab by the roadside and was on my way. Cabby was super friendly, well, men here are always friendly to asian women. I made minimal conversation and made a point to call hubby while in the cab to be on the safe side. The trouble with hailing a cab by the roadside is that chances are he may not know the exact location where you are heading.... So needless to say, we got lost. Cabby was good. He stopped and asked for directions despite being a man and we took a bit of time going round.

It was during one of the times when he stopped that this arab man pulled up and walked towards the cabby inquiring the nature of the concern. The cabby was fluent in arabic and was explaining the situation. BUT this arab man, chose to walk round the cab and talk to me. I thanked him for his trouble, but asked him to nevertheless speak to my cabby since I have no clue as to where I am. He spoke briefly to the cabby, continuing to stand at my side and ended off by saying to me "I give you my number. You call me if you are still lost. Ok?" Maintaining my smile, I thanked him again for his trouble while the cabby pulled away quickly. The cabby was furious but he kept apologising profusely. He kept saying that man was no good.

I reserved my comments then as I still needed to be calm for my interview.... but @$%$^!&*!!!

To be continued....

Night # 79

Apartment for Rent

Spacious rooms with big windows.
All rooms have pool view but no access to pool facilities.
Sightings of men in skimpy swimming trunks
and women in sexy bikinis guaranteed.

ps: Make sure you move in with your mug.

Night # 77 - 78

I am going to take a break from writing... I have run out of ideas :)

Night # 76

Found this in the classified section of the online news. This is under the Matrimonial Section. I initially thought it is where you announced your engagement or marriage. There are like 145 posts, mostly (I say mostly cos I didn't look at all of them) looking for a bride. Hmm...

Night # 75

Have been wondering what they are doing out there... Maybe forming a private lagoon. Yes, there are people here who are rich enough to have their own private beach. This weather is so good to just laze around on the beach. Too bad I can't do it here... unless I have a private beach :P

Night # 74

Just the other day I was talking to another friend about the kinds of food I miss back home... and of course we mentioned chicken rice, laksa... yum yum...

I haven't found any place here that sells chicken rice yet and I doubt it is possible to have good chicken rice here. The chicken here are small, excellent for grilled chicken but not suitable for chicken rice.

Anyhow, all is not lost. I found Cup Noodles SanWa. Strangely, I have never seen this brand in Singapore but this is a product of Singapore. Well, if the free trade is established, we will soon have frozen satay too. :)

Night # 73

I have been having this strange feeling these days... I am beginning to wonder if it is boredom that is slowly creeping into my system. I found myself restless and having some difficulty in sustaining interest in some things like reading. I am also beginning to think more and more of home. I have never been so long away from home.

Perhaps I have been at this mode for too long. I need a change in momentum and rhythm. I remembered when I first arrived in Kuwait, I was so sure that I would not want to teach. I don't want to be working in a school. Yet a week ago, I was doing up my CV to apply for a teaching position. Yesterday, I was checking out the various international schools over here. Maybe it is time to start again. I ought to be quite well rested by now.

I still can't understand myself. I think if someone were to ask "what is it that you seek in life"... I would be utterly lost. I have absolutely no idea... Am I in denial? Am I lost? Have I stubbornly refused to see? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... :)

Night # 71 & 72

Wrote something yesterday, but I didn't like it... so it was unpublished in the end. Am not going to rewrite Night # 71, so I will lump them both together.

Yesterday, I made a big boo boo in my laundry. I had a brand new top and I put it in the washing machine and subsequently the dryer. It shrunk and I can't wear it anymore. I was so mad with myself. I think it is definitely harder when you are mad with yourself... especially for me. I can't even blame anyone else for my stupidity. I don't know what I hate more... that I was stupid or that it is now a problem that I can't solve.

I figured it is my stupidity that I can't stand and I can't forgive. It is strange how one can be more forgiving to others than to self. Did I mention that my jeans shrunk together with my top too? Arggghhhhhhh...
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Night # 70

Have been wanting to change my blog template... have not been particularly excited over the red and orange combination... and somehow never quite like the layout as well. Finally found this template that is subtle yet pleasing to my eyes. Worked on it for a whole morning... I am a dodo when it comes to such stuff... but nevertheless tried to modify a couple of things to my preference.
I have a few pressing questions. One, I removed my white tulip photo as it was obscenely huge. I can't seem to be able to resize it nor does the template gave any dimensions that allowed me to change. So how can you resize the photo? At the original source perhaps?

Two, I would really like to change the size and type of fonts on this template. Again, there's nothing mentioned in the template that I can easily substitute. As we get older, I think most of us prefer to go easier on our eyes yah? So till I can figure this out... it will be this small font...

Thirdly, maybe lastly, this is where I know I have been in school for too long, I spotted an alignment that is off. How can I correct it? hahahaha.. this is terrible... I shall see if I can live with that for a while.

Anyhow, I have my old template backuped somewhere... if need be, I will switch back... I have realised that my previous entries with photos looked dreadfullly messy... I will have to spend some time to go through them again.. (keeping my fingers crossed).

Night # 69

Has been surfing the internet today... There is so much free stuff floating around in there... So much to see :)

Night # 68

I had no internet connection for almost 12 hours today.

I tried everything... well almost everything. I restarted my computer a few times, Checked my lan cable to see if it is secured properly, refreshed my lan connection a few times, waited for an hour before I tried again... Nope.. none of them worked. I thought perhaps the server is down, I ought to be patient.... yah right.

I finally called the internet people to inform them of my problem. They sent a couple of men to come and take a look at the problem. So this guy did exactly the same thing as I did... but he did however, stared at the lan plug a couple of times. There was still no sign of my internet coming back. So he summoned help. He called for his laptop and a BUS adapter (whatever that is). He tried to put that adapter into my laptop... it didn't seem to work... He attached the lan cable to HIS laptop but it didn't work either. He went out with his laptop and came back with a different lan cable much later.

I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer, so I asked him what seemed to be the problem. He said "We are still checking, Mdm". (Patience is a virtue - I got to remind myself) Without getting much results, he then decided to bring his laptop to the main lan cable (that is like 15 cm hanging from the wall) and tried to connect to the internet there. At last, the connection came on promptly. He called again for a wireless router and was fiddling with it, tried to get my laptop to detect the wireless network... but my laptop remained unresponsive and stubborn.

Finally he turned to my husband and said "It is your computer problem". He claimed that his laptop was able to connect using the cable and the wireless whereas mine couldn't. So it got to be my laptop that has the problem. So I asked what's the nature of the problem... he said he doesn't know. Sigh... That's always such a convenient answer to any seemingly unsolvable problem.

Anyway, with that conclusion, he left.

We rebooted the computer and we got the internet connection back on... What a joke.

Night # 67

I initially wanted to write the story related by my friend yesterday, but I decided against it. It is an unpleasant and upsetting incident.

So, am going to let the past be buried and not mentioned here....

Night # 66 - Hard Rock Cafe

Went to the Hard Rock Cafe for the British Ladies coffee morning today. Thought I should check out the place since I haven't been there.

First there's this awesome view (above) from where we sat and the place looks nice (photos below), for someone who's not much of a Hard Rock fan. Shared a portion of the "round the world" chicken wings with my friend. Yum yum :)

Over the wings, my friend recounted her horrifying experience while she and her family were residing in Saudi Arabia. Am going to do a bit of reading up on it and write about it maybe tomorrow.... I can only say, this woman has courage of steel.

Night # 65 - Power Failure

Was in the house when the blackout hit the apartment block. I was happily eating my last night's curry chicken rice when I realised that there was a power failure... Then it occured to me that almost nothing here works without electricity. For one, even my stove is electric. So I can't boil water to make myself comfortable with a cup of tea. I can't continue with my laundry... and I worry about my fish in the refridgerator.

I was actually halfway through my CV and was supposed to settle some air tickets stuff and the information was in the computer. I think I felt kind of lost for a few minutes, not exactly sure what I should do, before I decided to just laze around and work on my Sudoku.

Just when I was getting so comfortable on the couch and was all ready for a little siesta, and there was light :)

Night # 65

Don't worry this isn't our car. This is one of the many which had been left abandoned along the highway. Very often they had been totally smashed up and left to the natural elements.

I guess this is an interpretation of "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust and metal to rust"

Night # 64 - Sightseeing on the Road

Caught some sights in the car while on our way to Souk Sharq. It was a beautiful day with lovely clear blue sky.

The one above shows Sharq mall and the one on the right is the Liberation Towers. It was built when Kuwait was liberated from Iraq in the Gulf War.













These two shots are taken in the car when we drove through another souk. The shops were just right next to the alley.

Night # 63 - Friday Market that Opens on Thursday

To market to market to buy a fat urmmm... goat :)

Went to the Friday market today. It was a huge place that basically sells everything from household products, carpets, clothes, bags, shoes, makeup, accessories, furniture, garden supplies, chickens, goats... you get the idea.

I was expecting some open area where they will set up stalls and display their good on ground sheets... I think I have too low an expectation over here. I sneakily took some photos while I was there.

The photo below on the left kind of shows the place. The market is made up of a few of such buildings.



There is one section of the market that is solely for secondhand goods. The range of junk they got there was amazing... like the one below (left). I mean who buys such stuff? But I guess if you are searching for a spare part, this is one good place to start. I also discovered this strange sight of men pushing wheelbarrows around in the market. They are the alternative version of the shopping trolleys... you got to give it to them for being creative :)