27 Imaginary Candles

First post of December! Been bumming since I started on my 5 weeks vacation :D I'm so used to remain motionless in the living room or just stuffing myself with food that anything out of this range of activities, everything else seems to be categorized as work :\ 

Mum asked me how I wanted to celebrate my birthday, and we (I think it was more like she planted the idea) decided to drive over to Penang for lunch as a treat.

After a few ideas thrown in on where to have lunch (E&O, the Ship), we decided to settle for Eden, which, back in those days was THE place to makan makan western food. I clearly remember that each time we have a special occasion, a birthday, or scoring a major exam, we'd get rewarded with a meal there.

Unfortunately, I did not feel exactly rewarded for my birthday :( Place was dingy and dark - we had to find seats just next to the dessert display section for the extra lighting, cos it was even hard to read the menu. Speaking of the menu, it probably has not changed since 10 years ago and food was really average.

I was in the mood for fish and chips. Okla, to be fair the fish portion is really huge! I can barely finish it... Dad had the same order as I did, at least he seems to enjoy it :) Mum had this baked fish which I conveniently did not take a photo of.... didn't seem tempting.

We also ordered a mushroom soup that arrived just as soon as we'd placed an order for it.... Incredibly diluted and runny, the soup obviously came from a can... Mum was disappointed with it and complained to the waitress... lol... typical.

Matchy matchy with Mum. When I put the yellow top on, Mum was like, har? wear like that only ah, as if I had thrown on a used rag or something #$(&#($#) lol... it's a comfy top, ok?

My birthday 'cake'. Mum asked if I wanted cakes with candles at the restaurant. I was mortified and firmly said no, no, no cakes nor candles lol. So we settled for banana split with an erected wafer in place of my 27 candles.

Happy birthday I love me :/

K, the following flow of events a bit cheating la cos it's no longer on my actual birthday itself but still, I consider them as a substitute to it :P

Was supposed to catch The Hobbit but somehow timing was off so went for duck rice in Buterworth instead.


Don't you just looooove food that looks like these, greasy and glistening...... Duck was really tender, sio bak skin so crispy nomnomnom. Also had chai boi which isn't in the picture.


After the movie, proceeded to dinner at a steakhouse (The Cruises) on Bishop Street.

Mango salad. Was yummy.

Mushroom soup so thick it puts Eden's to shame - well, which isn't exactly hard to achieve...

My order of honey lamb chops is super. The mint sauce (a must have for every lamb dish lol) is incredibly good paired with the sweet cutlets.

Dining mates.

And other random whatnots....

Finished the night with more dessert - tiramisu and my favourite carrot cake @ China House. Oh wait, that wasn't the end.... we still went for roti canai afterwards hehehe. I love Penang.

27, all the wiser I hope!

Approaching the end of my 5 week holidays. I just hope I have time to blog all of them!

La Maiden Voyage

Started out from Singapore on the evening of 5th November, though work should really start on the 7th. Journey from Singapore to Chennai took about 4 hours. Arrived 10:30pm Chennai without much delay but unfortunately the same cannot be said about our luggage. Don't get me wrong, just that the luggage took forever to come out on the conveyor. So in the meantime, I dashed off to the toilet and immediately gagged. One of the cubicle still had pieces of shit floating inside. Why the heck nobody bothered to flush? Ah well, this is India, I guess. And it's wet all over.... ugh.. I think I'm spoiled by Singapore.

So, after quickly finishing up my business while trying not to breathe, I collected my luggage and headed out of the arrival hall only to be greeted by a sea of Indians... I searched for a sign with my name on it, the whole time discomforted by the people staring at me, mostly because there just isn't any other single female traveling alone. But I just ignored them lah, which is probably best dealt that way.

Felt slightly panicky when I couldn't find my name on a placard, but spotted one as I walked further on. Phewww...... I certainly don't want to look lost or stranded in this place! Anyways, three of them escorted me to the van, felt like some important diplomat kekekeke.

The superb view from our hotel in Port Blair

As I climbed into the van, a small voice in my head was telling me, what the hell am I doing? What if these people just kidnap me into some abandoned warehouse and gang-raped me? Haha, but the thoughts were quickly diminished as soon as they introduced themselves and the company name which all sounded correct. LOL. Talk about being paranoid.

They then whisked me off to the Hilton Hotel in Chennai, which is 15 minutes away from the airport. The roads in India are just exactly like how it is portrayed in the movies! Chaotic and cars zig-zagging in and out... and HONKING! Overtake also honk, slow also honk, fast also honk, ugly also honk -.-

Got to the hotel in one functioning piece, and I must say, wow, impressive! But only too bad I get to spend a couple of hours in the posh hotel. But kinda scary as well, the agent warned me not to get out of the hotel lol. I was still paranoid about the tap water, so, brushed my teeth and gargled with bottled drinking water :S Flipped through the tv channels, they only have local cable. Saw some 'forum' going on with two important-looking Indians but the way they talked is like they're about to get into a fight.

Showered, changed and slept in the cozy bed for 2 hours before grudgingly waking up and got ready for the next connecting flight. Collected my packed breakfast from the hotel (chicken sandwich and a fruit juice; I took the sandwich but handed the juice to the driver hehehe, he seems really pleased). At the airport, met up with the rest of the crew (other 6). I had it real good compared to the others. Some of them have been on a 10-hour flight, reached at midnight and been waiting at the airport since (it was 5am by the time I got there). Hehe, lucky me again!

Another shot from the hotel.

At the waiting gate just before going on our flight, we have to board a bus which fetches us to the big, metal bird, it was only about 3 minutes drive away? lol. Convenience? Hmm... maybe. The domestic flight from Chennai to Port Blair was an uneventful 2-hour affair. Everyone was sleepy, including myself. Dozed off through the entire flight (woke up only to eat the vegetarian meal of chapati and some curry, followed by fruits).

2-3 hours later, landed safely in Port Blair. It was a hot, blazing day, 31deg C! I sorta liked Port Blair, I find it's like a Bali of India or something like that. It has a laidback kind of feel to it, compared to Chennai. Lesser vehicles on the road too. Even the airport is kinda quaint lol (digressing, when all of us reached the airport, we were still hanging around for our documents to pass through etc. Everyone else had no problems cos we were the only foreigners to Port Blair LOL. That's how little publicity Port Blair gets).

Dropped our things at the hotel, breakfasted (no pics, but obviously an Indian meal - masala chicken, vegetable curry, chapatis...) and rested for a bit before commencing to get our work visas done at the police station. It's really hard to get anything done here. First we were told to gather around at 9:30am to the police station. Come 9:30am, we were told that superintendent is busy, so postponed to 1pm. 1pm came and still no urgency, back to the room for another nap until finally at 3pm got a call to gather at the lobby along with our luggage.

Shots mostly taken from the van.

Cute little roundabouts put up on the junctions around Port Blair where police women controls the traffic.

Caste system is truly prevalent in India. We were first called one by one into a small, dingy room with a single fan cooling the room where a police officer checks my documents. Felt like the whole scene was grabbed from a Bollywood movie haha. Officer had a thick, bushy moustache and he was just scolding his assistants (maybe that's just the way they talk?). Then when it came to pasting my pictures on the forms (about 6 photos), they called a girl to come in with a glue -.- Yea, like a guy can't glue photos?

That wasn't all, after that the superintendent (prolly the biggest shot in the building) wanted to see all of us. In a single file we went into his office (this one air-conditioned). He's obviously an important person, had three phones on his side with his officers flipping pages for him to sign. Once, his pen went out of ink and he started sort of shaking the pen and in a split second, another pen was whipped out and presented to him by another officer, lol.

Anyway, I was really unlucky (according to the others) cos instead of getting the quick chopper ride from Port Blair to the vessel, apparently there was a cyclone so the transfer of the chopper to Port Blair was delayed; so they could only transfer us with chase boats. Think of it as a 1 hour + chopper ride versus a 12 hours boat ride -.- Got onto the chase boat by 7pm, had dinner and slept in a small bunk bed before finally arrived close to the vessel at 7am the next morning!

That feeling when you're transferred to a smaller boat and transported to the huge vessel is just indescribable. The size of the vessel just makes me go whoa! in my head.

A glimpse of my first cabin (cos I was transferred to another better cabin after a week here). Basic, but really comfortable. I like the fact that there's a toilet/shower attached to every cabin, so there's no need of sharing, overhearing awkward sounds... lol. Only thing is that you share with someone on the opposite shift, so you hardly see each other anyways. But I am super duper lucky, had the whole cabin to myself :D

A few of the crew during one of the fire drills lol. Took the chance to just snap about.

I absolutely love my new job. Compared to what I have to deal with before this, this is an almost stress free job. I work on a 12-hour shift and seriously, I don't think I'm even really working the full 12 hours. I'll be dodging off to the galley to find food, or talking with the other friendly crew, or doing mindless surfing, Facebooking, or simply just leaning over the railings and stare at the horizon. Simply because I have too much free time!

Just a glimpse of the kind of humor you get with these crazy bunch onboard :)


What else can beat the bluest of skies and the bluest of the sea? Not being able to take a dip!!

By far, the most beautiful sunset I have ever witnessed. The sky was absolutely clear, with only a scatter of clouds. The clear outline of the sun is absolutely breathtaking. I was quite surprised at how fast the sun sets. Just a few shots later I can see the sun dipping quickly beyond the horizon.

And the surrounding sky just turned into this beautiful blushing pink.

And just a little later, the view changed with the skies rebounding the faint rays of the setting sun, shades of pink reflected on sea, with an almost golden shimmer to it. Absolutely breathtaking.

Oh... these people really spoil us here.... we have 3-4 cooks on board, including one pastry chef and one Indian chef. The menu changes at every meal, so technically, there shouldn't be any repeats lol. My favourites are the hamburger days and steak days. The steaks are heavenly! Tender and juicy, they beat some of the best steakhouses to steak hall of shame.

Oh, the Indian food is superb as well. My favourites are the chapati and paneers. But coming from Penang, no matter how good the food is, I still miss my laksa, assam belai, hu chee huan chio, tu tor th'ng, jiu hu char.... arrrgh! I could go on and on :(

There's so much food in the galley that to die of starvation here is almost laughable. There is always a stock of bread that you can toast, along with Nutella chocolate spread, peanut butter spread, packets of yoghurt, baguettes, jams, biscuits, nuts, fruits, oat, cereal along with a multitude of juices and milk, instant noodles, milo, coffee, tea bags, potato chips.... the list goes on....

Not to mention that laundry is kau-tim-ed by the steward :P Just lump all dirty clothes in a bag, dump it to the laundry room, and collect warm, fluffy clothes when it's done :)

Fun's when you're out on a work boat mission... certainly beats the monotony out of your routine, eh.



This little soft toy called Super Grover follows us out occasionally lol.


The guys tanning LOL!! The one at the bottom looks like a roadkill.

And finally, this is what our office looks like... can you count the number of monitors? lol.... and this is not even the full wide view :P

Chapter 5: No (Wo)Man's Land

Lately, I've been feeling like a nomad, not that it's a bad thing, really. I've always been driven by dynamism, flexibility and anything non-monotamous. I'm just a sucker for anything out of the ordinary. An experience collector, I'd like to call myself (phwarrr like super deep :D).

Anyhoo, it's been a while. I've finally put a halt on the rat race. Going round and round without seeing the end, like a hamster struggling on the wheel. Now I'm on a different sort of rat race. It's hard work but the reward is oh-so-satisfying.

5 weeks work, followed by a 5 weeks off. Now, who wouldn't want that? But I must admit the job is not for the fussy-pots nor the pampered kind. Hard labour is involved, lifting, carrying, sweating and covered in grease with your coveralls on. Complete un-glam is an understatement. But the advantage of being the 'weaker' sex, you usually don't get the chance to do all that hard work (though I find it fun and seriously liked it!)

So..yea... my first maiden voyage towards India. Once I get my pictures sorted out on my camera and phone, (btw am blogging now during my shift kekekeke.. sibeh free hor) I'll blog more about life on a vessel.... It's Day 11 today (almost ending too) and I must say I loved it, though I had to suffer a bout of seasickness, but with a patch, I'm as good as new.


Ending my prelude to Chapter 5 with a beautiful sunset bidding farewell to me ;)


Dempsey House

My so-called farewell dinner that turned into pre-wedding celebration for Ck and Pee Yee. lol.

 I was assigned the task to determine the rendezvous cause everyone assumed I was the one most free. In a way quite true la for the time being...

It was quite a pain getting there though. No direct MRTs or bus routes. Though a few buses pass by quite near, but still had to walk for a fair bit before reaching.

 Majestic me on my throne :P (I is looking so very skinny here -.-)

Meat content here looks healthier.

 Menus that look like newspapers.

 Snap snap snap while waiting for the king of non-punctualness. 

Be warned, just lots more shots of meself.




 Quirky ornaments and décor.

We ordered two appetisers to share amongst ourselves -

Baby beetroot salad
Refreshing baby beetroot balanced with Seville orange segments, crumbled feta cheese, pine nuts and drizzled with citrus vinaigrette.

Portion was small and could only 'appetize' one single person. At $16, this is a complete cutthroat. Taste wise also pretty forgettable.

Sweet corn soft shell crab
Crispy soft shell crab served with crispy herb salad, buttery sweet corn purée and Mojo sauce (inspired from the Canary Islands). Topped with curry popcorn.

At $24, it's definitely better than the mediocre baby beetroot salad. But again, portion is really minuscule. Love the crispy soft shell crab though!

 Hv's order of fish and chips. It was surprisingly sooooo gooooood. Omg I can almost taste it thinking about this right now. Soft, soft fish deep fried in batter, yummers.

My order of medium sirloin steak served with a bed of vegetables. I am not impressed at all with their steaks. Although mine was medium, the meat is not tender at all. Maybe the meat isn't that fresh, I have no idea. (psst, the vessel I am in now serves better steak! Juicy and melts in your mouth kind).

BH's snapper something. Didn't try it.


There goes the mediocre steak, hmppf. Bleargh.

Just trying to post something before November ends!

Shall blog about the Chapter 5 of my life. C'est la vie!

The Georgian Adventure - Hike to Chalaadi Glacier

Our third, and last hike in Svaneti. There are so many more places to hike and explore around Georgia, it was a hard decision to premature...