Friday, April 09, 2010 

Stop over

Beautiful spring day in Milan. Day after Easter Sunday and the plaza is full of people, enjoying the sun, the atmosphere. As usual, there isn't much time to fully immerse myself into the whole scene. I did have lunch at one of the restaurants there. French onion soup, salads, Beef strips milanese style, with rocket lettuce and parmesan cheese, and tiramisu and coffee to finish the meal. Most of the boutiques were closed that day, so there wasn't much to browse around. Just a stroll to enjoy the energy and a sit at a cafe to watch the world go by.




Wednesday, March 24, 2010 

Bored at night

I get bored easily. Since I tend to go back to my home country to help my aging parents out, I don't have many friends here. Unfortunately, I don't have many friends there either since most have become expats all over the world. So in the end, I find that I can count the number of friends I have in a country with one hand. It's also because I tend to like my alone time, so more often than not, I'd not call people who I know, out when I get the chance. This, plus the fact that I usually can't sleep at night, I find myself usually bored at 1am.

Sometimes I wonder if I can drive a taxi as a part time job. I love driving, especially at night. The calm, the quietness, the cool air, the empty streets. It'd be right up my alley. Sometimes I do drive around aimlessly at night. Look at lights, watch night owls hanging out at restaurants, food stalls. Usually, I'll just cure my boredom by reading online news, or re-watch old movies I have. Doesn't really shake the feeling of boredom that I have, but it just fills the time til I feel sleepy which is usually around three, and I'll be awake again round seven in the morn, to have breakfast at a cafe while watching people go to work and the world passing by. I live a very sedated life here...


Sunday, March 21, 2010 

Movies onboard

Just came back from a flight as a passenger. Sometimes the company just needs fewer people to bring the plane back. I prefer to bring the plane back as there's more things to do than just sit around and watch movies. Movies are updated monthly and, if like this month, I had to be a passenger twice, you basically would have seen through most of the huge selection of movies, tv series, and other videos available. Let me explain. I would have probably seen new releases of movies, being a movie nut myself, which leaves me with movies I'd like to watch again, and foreign films. There's usually around five films per language, I'd have watched popular chinese and hindi films as I have friends who enjoy watching these in theatres or bought them on dvd.
Which leaves me with some European films and and a few japanese and korean films. So, what did I watch this month? Up in the Air, Fantastic Mr Fox, Whip It, Hachiko, Amelia, Life ep1, 2 eps of The Big Bang Theory, Fight Back to School (HK), Looking for Psychic (Japanese), Kiss Me Kill Me (Korean), Some ther Korean Movie about psychics, 2 eps of Hank, Top Gear, Modern Family, Cleveland Show, and How I Met Your Mother.



Really recommend Up in the Air, Fantastic Mr Fox, Life, Looking for Psychic, and that Korean Movie that I forgot what the title is (heh).



Anyway, I felt connected to Up in the air, because basically thats how I actually want my life to be like, simple, and routine, but I'd also like someone I can connect to. I don't believe in fate, love, faith and most things intangible, but I really love it when I see someone who does. I'm someone who sheds a tear when watching movies of these types, which the Japanese and Koreans have it down pat. Maybe it's because I'm searching for something that I can believe in. Heh, guess I'm just confused at the moment. Anyway, I'm another year older. Still a lot more to do and see in this world. Wish me luck!




Wednesday, March 10, 2010 

Indo Travel


By Bromo
(since I couldn't seem to get my remote to work, I had to use the camera's timer, thats the best picture of me by bromo folks!)

Bromo is an active volcano, it's one of many in Indonesia, and it is beautiful. To get to the new crater isn't that hard, you just need to climb a bajillion steps. Yes, there are stairs, but at altitude, and having a bajillion steps, I found myself out of breath by the time I reached the top.

The picture above is inside the caldera of a volcano, it...is....huge! It really is hard for me to imagine a volcano erupting and blowing away it's whole top to form this humongous area. And the basin has really fine ash/sand. Some grass has started to grow, but there's still a lot of ..sand that makes walking around hard, and switching camera lenses unadvisable. They do have horses to help you cross the dusty, fine sand/ash field. It's a short fifteen minute ride or so to cross the final ash sand field from the jeep area, but if you walk, I'd guess a good half hour or more to cross the field. I'll post more Bromo pictures in the future.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010 

Travel


Ha Long Bay

Halong is a really beautiful place, quite serene and was a totally relaxing time off. Stayed on the modified junk for a night with just a handful of other people.



London Eye

The first time I saw it, I thought it was huge! That was some 6 years back. Recently, I went there again and thought it looked kind of small. Of course when compared against the Singapore Flyer, Eye of Malaysia, that big wheel in Perth and Sydney, it does look smaller. But then, it's location is the best among them all.


SFO

"Frisco" is one of those few American cities which I like.

 

Moving on


Ness on the rocks

In two years when I stopped updating last, I failed in a relationship where we were supposed to get married and she called it off (sigh, again), met a charming family friend who I broke it off because I felt that I, who is a wretch, didn't deserve someone as nice and innocent as her (maybe it was just too soon), and after a while got into another relationship by a persistent lady.



 

Dubai downtime


Bashing Away
Had some time in Dubai, and went sand dune bashing. It's quite a fun experience, smoother than riding a speedboat, but not as vommit inducing as a rollercoaster. The desert is a beautiful place. Endless stretches of beautiful colored sand.


Solace


Belly Dancer



Burj Dubai

 

Sunset
So, a lot of things has happened in two years since I've fully checked out. Still a lot more to learn, a lot more things to understand. The posts won't really be chronological for a while, as I'll be putting up some pictures and just writing a bit about where it's from, what I remember on how I felt then, or something I've learnt so i won't repeat it again.
Cold contemplation
I've turned 30 when I went to the Yukons. I was looking for the northern lights. I wanted to stare at the lights, sit in the quiet chill, and mull over where I want to be in life, whether I've done what I should have done, basically, questions I'm sure everyone has asked themselves to better understand who they are. I wanted to do it on my birthday.
Flying high
Passed probation and am following the path of my career of choice.

Somewhere in Greece, there's a stadium with the coolest acoustics.

Saturday, September 13, 2008 

Shadows in a temple

 

Inside the Hagia Sofia


Thursday, September 11, 2008 

Almost a year


Maldives

Bored...sick, tired...I need a holiday. Flying has been amazing! So many pictures, so many experiences. Just that I haven't the capacity to express it all, nor the passion to continue updating every so often.

Anyway, I hope I get better before my next trip. Haven't been there before, so I'm quite eager to go. Unfortunately, if my flu doesn't get better, I'll have to skip the trip.



Roman Statue Gunslinger

Trips are always enjoyable when you have proper company. Sometimes you just have to strike it alone to make it memorable. So far I've been quite lucky to have good company at most of the longer stays that I've had.