Jane tried to escape but she found herself.....

Her captors were closing in on her. The everglades were hard to get out of but she remembered the shack where she had registered herself for a personal tour. Cowering now under the table, she could hear noises in the distance of propellers bursting the silence of the wristling fronds. It was coming closer.

There were no phonelines that she could see, the shack of an office was an hour's drive from the urban jungle up north - where could the satellite radio be? The sensation and anxiety of hoping to find help was again heightened by her fear. It was getting hard to breathe - only the thumping of her heartbeat drumming in her ears grounded her resolute. She could not move no matter how hard she tried though - just the memory of the binds around her hands and feet tightening send shivers down her spine. She needed to move. She was perspiring profusely now - hiding under the table is not going to help. She needed to get up - move, move or they'll get you.

Hadi's dream continues.....

When is being honest just way way too honest....

Where was Jane Austen when you needed her. No more Virginia Wolfe moment Hadi - shut your gap! Sorry Andrew...

Amy's Valerie....

Valerie....damn who is this girl Valerie??!!

Pics for Today...Hadi trying to be happy...

Hadi is happy today as he got a report out of the way. SOX ahoy!!

Hello Peter, Pinoyboy,

John,

Brad, Ben

&

Andrew!!

April will see me out of the office - 3 days in Qld, 4 days in VIC/Canberra and 5 days in Sydney including ANZAC day.

I have booked myself at the Stamford in Brisbane, The Park Hyatt in Melbourne and the Marriott in Sydney where the conferences will be held. Maybe I really need to get out of the office so anything out of the usual these days is getting me all excited. So the plan is positive positive positive till 5pm today.

Pic isn't great...done with a Sony Ericsson phone. I still love my Pro1.

Something I have plenty of....

I realised that I say the word "I love you" at least twice a day - once to myself and another to someone that I care about. I have to say that I do not take the word love lightly as it means giving yourself to someone without reservation.

One of the things I am bad at is saying what I think and to that I attribute it to my need to be understood with decisive clarity. The first step is to accept the fact that I can learn to love myself a little more, take my existence to a level that I feel good to be me and then I can share it with others. To love someone else is a big responsibility.

And so today, one step at a time Hadi...

Something I would never wish for....

I came back from my walk tonight thinking what would be the worst thing one could ' wish' for someone in a fit of rage. It is SORROW! The English Language is rather profound sometimes but first and foremost it can ravage your soul with the simplest of words. Hopefully I will never utter the word with such malicious intent nor malice.

AMY WINEHOUSE - HOLY COW!

Where have I been all these years? I have recently acquired this album from Amy Winehouse "Back to Black" and it is superb. A cross between Roberta Flack, Macy Gray, Jill Scott and a touch of Joss Stone and Erykah Badu all in one voice. For those looking for something out of the ordinary that transcends you to the 70s of the Supremes and yet fresh... this is a must listen. Back to Black teleports you to the good ole days of "Goldfinger" - undoubtedly from a parallel universe!!

As they say, once you had black, you'll never go back!!

My Anime Tribute before the weekend...hooray!!

Nostalgia - my friday moment...

Today is nostalgia day.... a couple images of India. People are still saying not to venture to places like IRAN but if you are an architecture fan I totally recommend it. It is also in our list of places to go.

We have been very busy lately planning our next trip in 2008. It will see us in Cambodia, Thailand & Laos for almost 2-3 weeks. We will be venturing into hard to get places at the edge of the border between Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. This will be different from the usual as we won't be able to live the highlife at some remote locations. It will nonetheless be a good experience to see rural life at its most honest. In the meantime, we have been reading and looking at hardcore backpacks rather than the usual Samsonites.

Mum and Dad have finally left for their silkroad trip which will see them in Shanghai for three days and then off to Beijing and onwards by train to Russia i.e. St Peterburg, Moscow etc. A total of 32 days. A red hammer and sickle T-shirt and babushka dolls are expected upon their return.

Have a great weekend guys and be safe.....

If you are a Joss Stone fan, well this is a good buy. She is still as amazing as ever and the sound has improved a little - more soulful and mature. It is an easy listen and you cannot be too critical really... music without the stress.

My favs:

Tell me what we're gonna do now.

Something for Brad!! This will make you smile.

A good sound for right after a dinner and a movie date.

Bruised but not broken.

Isn't love worth the price we pay...... (Hadi 101)

Sometimes it is easier to love without reservation... no strings, no plots, no reasons, no agendas because you're you!! - John, Peter, Pinoyboy, Andrew and Brad - Thank you, my life is a little more colourful once more. I am blessed for the simplest things you do....

THE MELTING POT....Hyde Park

The degustation dinner two nights ago I reckon is one of the best this year. The six course dinner was further accompanied by 8 glasses of wine (half French - half SA) + an added cheese platter.

The deco is sparse with a tinge of apple green for walls, demure and reserved. The fact that it isn't a big restaurant should not belie the quality of the food produced here. The team is young, vibrant and I think is committed to serving good food for once. And it shows.

I have to say that the presentation is not as theatrical with the ones you see these days in Sydney or Melbourne (degustation) but the meal was pure substance. It is French inspired afterall with Australian influences.

Must Try:
Four Ps: pigeon carpaccio, porcini ragu, soft polenta and parmesan.

Triple Brie Cheese Plate

Baby Beetroot, goatcheese over caramelised baby onions etc.

So if you are ever in Adelaide, this is a must-go restaurant. The floor team is vigilant and eventually a Sommelier would make the whole evening complete. Expect to pay $800 for a table of 4...abit rich but if your b'day is around the corner...why not.

Till then. Bon appetite.

The World Police & Fire Games - International Buskers Festivals

OK - I was distracted...buskers aside. The WPFG has brought 8000 people into the city for a week...the city is bustling - good on you Adelaide!! I'm counting on the brazilian team to win many medals!!

My kind of Mona Lisa

Its Friday.... Phud Thai for Lunch!!!

Focusing on what's important...

Today I've received 2 emails from people that matters. Thank you both - you know who you are. Sometimes I sit down and think how we tend to be irresponsible with the connections we make with others. People say, "how can I keep up?" Simple - just take care of a few and make sure that you never take them for granted. And never over-extend yourself.

I was listening to John Ong (http://www.onglinepodcast.com/) and I gather displacement is a very big issue with people whom has decided to move with their partners abroad. Often a little understanding goes a long way, but can be futile at times to explain when the big 'D' hits you, why no one seems to see the obvious look on your face. Sometimes people are made that way - idiotic and emotionally inapt so we provide the crutch they need - but then you ask, "what about me?"

It is not easy picking up your bag, leaving behind all those memories of places that matters to you, the familiarity of sights and sounds plus trying to start all over again somewhere foreign. The fact that we have entrepreneurial aspirations back home does not help our case either. So, we have to draw strength from someone, we gather, but if we ourselves are vulnerable, it will come to a head eventually. It makes us human and the process humbling.

I've long decided to leave my old self back in Singapore and move forward with the new me now that I am in Australia. After all this while, it is still a work in progress. I believe the journey will give me the strength I need so I am focusing on what's important.

The big D is therefore an enemy you know and as the saying goes, "keep your friends close and your enemies even closer" and face it head-on.

So anything new Chickadee?

When I was young like 10 years of age, my best friend had a nickname for me; he called me Chickadee. I can still remember how it upset me and I confronted him and told him that I didn't like being called Chickadee. Being young, we parted ways thereafter never to speak again.

I learnt then that when you tell someone the truth, not everyone can handle it and you need to be prepared to loose big. I seldom spoke about the wisdom of truth until much later in my life and said little of what I saw and what I thought till then. He was my chess partner since I was six. I stopped playing chess thereafter. I was a sad boy for a very long time.

My Melbourne trip brought me back to this incident - I flew home with a very sour taste in my mouth. It was good to get out of the office but I guess being eccentric and an individual, I don't seem to fit into the mould nor do others try to understand me. I see solutions into the future while they're caught in time.

Being part of the sexual minority is also a big "no no" in the fuel industry where being a prick is part of the Australian way. V-Power my ass!! Having a life outside work doesn't help either especially when you're not married to your job lest you even mention that you have other passions in your life like seeing the world or travelling. Don't even think about saying that you don't have any kids - they'll hate you for life.

The world of Finance is far too rigid and I'm not one to be respected because I'm good at kissing ass. I'm good at what I do because I am - that should be good enough. I spoke my mind yesterday and I think it didn't go down well.

C'est la vie! You and your big mouth Hadi....again.

Off to Melb for 2 days....

The work incorporates a little travel but doing it alone and to a schedule is always no fun. It has to be done though so that I can finish some work. Wonder what has happened to Andrew Faith lately - maybe hijacked by some ravishing bull over Mardi Gras weekend never to return again?

The hard bit is blogging continuously and having the drive to do so - much like podcasting. That is why I am amazed at how decidicated people like Peter and Pinoyboy (www.ohmypod.net) and John Ong (www.onglinepodcast.com) are at keeping their listeners informed and amused. I take my hat off because being lazy is an easy trap.

So will have more pics of Melbourne when I get there. Apparently I am staying at the Park Hyatt Melbourne in the city which is AAA+. I predict I will not be eating at the hotel till next time - tonight will be a trip to memory lane i.e. TGI Fridays at Chapel St and then to Borders to check out the specials. I think I am a bookshop addict...everywhere I go around the world, a trip to a local bookshop is inevitable.

The dogs were already missing me as I stepped out of the house today. It was nice not having to rush at 7am in the morning to get to work. Today the partner went into town on his own leaving me an hour or so to get prepared, pack and ensure that I have not left my toiletries behind. I cannot imagine working as a flight steward and trying to have a decent relationship... it will be hard.

So till I get to Melbourne, it is time to sign off. Need to get my first cup of coffee today before I kill someone or worst they kill me for hogging the computer in the club.

The Balloons went up and up....and away....

It was an early call that morning again - the whole trip has been plagued with early starts so we were used to it by now. We were told to be at the reception at a quarter to six in the morning so that the 'Balloon people" could pick us up. We came 15 minutes earlier - we're just weird that way, not wanting to be left behind - punctuality being our most sacred act while travelling and apart from that, we were also self-conscious not to be tagged as a travelling moron who could not tell time.

When the bus arrived, we were tickled pink...not knowing whether this was the real deal or were we going to be pleasantly surprised when confronted with the not so 'state of the art' balloons with baskets made out of twigs? A Burmese boy in a longyi came out looking like he just got kicked out of bed welcomed us, hair unkempt. It is very hard to explain how it looked like this bus of ours but if you remember Ms Penelope Pit stop and the Ant Hill Mob - just imagine the Mob in a bus. "Sorry sir we do not actually have propane, you will need to manually blow the balloons up with your mouth the old fashioned way and yes that is part of the experience".

As we stepped into our old colonial people carrier accosted by a makeshift step-upper to get into the cavity, I thought to myself that this was going to be exciting/refreshing. A small part of me was also a little anxious. After 5 minutes in the bus, we understood the reason - it was the novelty of travelling in the days where Bagan was Bagan, making this experience even more tantalising - my expectations heightened. "Excuse me sir, can I have some more?"


The bus swung around from new Bagan to old Bagan where we picked up more people.... a late 20s German couple, an English couple (one uptight male - I assumed to be a public servant), 2 German men with diapers on and ourselves plus a mid to late 40s French couple. A real eclectic bunch - strange that everyone was rugged up as I would think that it would be winter where they came from while we wore shorts. Maybe, we're the insane ones - Aussies....

So here we are being thrown left, right and centre in the middle of the dark - rushing through the morning mist not knowing where we were being herded to. No one spoke in the bus and if they did well it would have been amongst themselves or they were just too cold, too snobbish or just too nervous to say a word. I sat there on the vinyl seats thinking who these people are and why are they here? Are they as excited as I am? Why are Europeans so uptight?


About 15 minutes later, after being rattled and jolted a little by the bus ride, we arrived to an open field and there was Mr. Lee Hooper at the door cajoling us to step out of the blender. It was going to be light soon and in the distance we could see the balloons all laid out flat waiting to be inflated. I had a rather quizzical look by one of the locals...one of those 'you look like Myanmar people' exchanges but could only smile. As long as I was not mistaken as Indian, I am fine with that. I said "Champagne" as we got closer to the group and a measured reply from nowhere came "after the flight". Chief Pilots are no fun sometimes. Mimosas?


The pilots with their torches then began introducing themselves - it was still a little dark then. Coffee/Tea and Croissants were being served by some smiling Burmese boys while we were being addressed on the do's and don'ts followed by a roll call which I totally misunderstood as a checklist. The partner started nudging me to say "yes" to my name while I was happily sipping my tea and making eye contact with the other tourists - totally oblivious. "Ishak! Ishak!Ishak", Mr Lee said. "Oh YES! Here!" raising my hands like some illiterate fool...it was just too early for any cognitive function to kick in. Anyway Ishak was my dad's name.


As they started cranking up the fans all 3 balloons came to life, impregnated by propaned driven hot air, it did not take long before they were beginning to look like lollipops while the basket lay on its side. Chuppachup chup, 8 people in a tub + 1 pilot (PS refer to vids). I was glad that we were going to be with the Chief Pilot - Mum and Dad had said that he was excellent when they took their ride 2 months ago. I was confident that he was not going to send us spiralling down 2,000ft screaming I want my money back or you promised us the ride of our lives. I hope my confidence was not misplaced.


When they were ready for us, we were called over and like clockwork climbed into the basket. We began the climb within a few minutes...it was a very odd Alice in Wonderland sensation. You know how you feel when you dream yourself flying and everything moves very slowly, it was almost we were moving up frame by frame. I felt like a giant as everything else became apparently smaller. The plains slowly beckoned us as we lifted higher and higher. Although we were unable to fully control our final touch down destination, the balloon was extremely agile in changing its altitude at the hands of its pilot.


Bagan finally introduced itself to us in all its glory. REM REM REM - we could not get enough. The memory card began working overtime as we were apprised of the various pagodas that were in our path. Bagan I have to say has its days. Today though we were blanketed by a little smog due to back burning. Of course, my camera had to pack up then - the manual operation just didn't like the polariser filter but luckily the partner was also trigger happy which was rare indeed.


We virtually glided across the plains flanked by 2 other balloons - one which went up and disappeared into the sky while the other was caressing the contours of the land. Pierce was his name - the famous pilot that took his client up into the sky for an aerial view of the clouds. We kind of lost him for awhile and only caught sight of his balloon 10 minutes before landing on an open field.


One might expect some familiarity in terms of being up in the air but ballooning is entirely different. Time just stood still and you seem to wash yourself across the plains without fear or reservations. Maybe that is why people love ballooning - the science is pretty straightforward but the control that is required though subtle is an art in itself.

Our final 5 minutes saw us gliding across tree-tops which I presume is a method of slowing the descent. Small owls made famous by the lucky papier mache ones sold at markets around Bagan, scattered around us, looking for an alternative spot to nestle after being rudely interrupted by our wicker work. We finally understood that this was a local species in Burma - we saw them again in Mandalay being sold by a vendor as good luck charms - the homing owl they're called. You buy them, make a wish and release them - to see them again in the same basket the next day being sold to some other foolish tourist for twice the price.

As we were told earlier, once the basket is on land, we should only step out when it has made a complete stop and signalled to do so by the pilot. The winds are unpredictable and deflating the balloons required a little more time. We were dragged for a minute or 2 and finally came to a full-stop. I have to say that I wanted to go again but alas that was it. Almost an hour went by but the experience was worth every minute.

Our champagne was waiting for us and I relented to a glass though it would have been great to be able to go again. We were then herded back to the human cocktail shaker and were promptly whisked off to our hotel.

It was wonderful from start to finish.....

Burma Videos

OK so here are a couple of short videos that I took for the trip. I think they're a little idiosyncratic but that is just me.....too much wind on the mic....maybe the mute button is in order before viewing. Definitely the mute button.

Hard Gay whoooooo!! fhoooo!!