Phuket

Phuket - the land of boozes and boobs.. oppss.... truly really - this is a paradise for men. I just got back from a 5 days trip from Phuket. It is indeed a beautiful place, especially the beaches.

We stayed in Patong - a place where party begins from 10pm. The whole street of Soi Bangla is closed for only street walkers. Pubs, discos occupies the whole street with girls, ladyman parading and walking around looking for customers. Agents pesters you to see shows - lots of weird, exotic and I would say erotic shows.

A few pointers for those who have not been to Phuket. It is a must to bargain for everything, from trips to prices at pubs to shopping. You can actually bargain for 50% or more for the price quoted, especially if you have the numbers. If you like night life, parties and music, Patong is the place to be. Hang out as late as you can and unless you want to catch sunrise, it is pointless to get up early for the shops only operates from 11am (Thailand time) - which is 12pm Malaysian time.

If you like a more quiet place, Kata would be a nice place. The hotels and ambience is more upscale. Do not bother to stay in Phuket town, there is nothing much there except for Robinson but then again, is nothing glamorous. But if you stay in Patong and you would like to visit town, you can consider renting a car. A sedan car would cost about THB1,000. As for us, we rented a small jeep which costs us only THB500 (after negotiation). If you only wish to move around in Patong, you can walk or you can opt to rent motorbike which only costs THB200 per day. If there are a few of you, do nego on the price.

From Patong, we actually took the bike to Kamala and Surin beach. It is really a beautiful journey especially when you drive past the blue sea, but if you are not a good bike rider, is best to avoid the road as it can be quite hilly and steep but otherwise it is really fun.

We make it a point to cover as many places as possible - which we did. We took a jeep and travelled from Patong to Phuket town after which we drove to Chalong where the Big Buddha was. It was really really high on the hill. We decided not to attempt driving up and instead visited Wat Chalong - a very beautiful temple. From Chalong, we head on to Promtep Cape - I would say this is a must see place. There is a view point to see sunset and I would say that the view is simply fantastic.

From Promtep Cape we continued driving where we reached Karon beach and Kata beach after which we reached back to Patong. So the journey is all connected. As you drive past Karon, you can see elephants by the side. I think is simply a beautiful sight.

A few must see things in Phuket would be Simon Cabaret and Fantasea (we did not manage to catch this though). You should also make it a point to visit the island - Phi Phi island. I am not much of a swimmer nor a diver and definately not a fan of speedboat. I was getting all seasick but I still think that it is a must to go to these island when you are in Phuket. The sea is just simply beautiful.

Well, I would say that it has been really a good holiday and a totally different break - it is as if you are in a land where party never stops. Most ideal for singles.

View photos at http://evershots.multiply.com

CNBC - Pleasant surprise!

I just got back from Singapore last night. I would say that it has been a good trip, other than the fact that I do not like to take plane. It is not so much about fear of flying, but the uncomfortable seat, the tight space and the sometimes air sick that I encounter. Well, comfort would be there if you were to take the business class but of course, that would cost a bomb.

Anyway, back to Singapore, I was there with my bosses to receive the CNBC award. The most pleasant thing is that we won 5 star which makes us the Best Residential development in Malaysia 2009. What is even more pleasant is when during the night dinner, we were announced as not only the best in Malaysis but we were the best in Asia Pacific. By winning this title, we actually compete with the world's best in the international level. Wow! and double Wow!

The satisfying thing is actually the fact that the award submission was an effort put in by both my GM and myself. And because we put in so much effort, the winning makes it all worthwhile and satisfying. We did not expect to win but we pray and hope that we won. When we were informed via email that we are one of the winners, we were already happy. On the award presentation day when we were announced as a 5 star winner, we were just pleasantly surprise but when the announcement came in that were were also the winner in Asia Pacific, we were just stunned!

We would know by November 13 if were are the winner of the world's best. Well, we still do not expect it but we just pray and hope that we do!

Letting go

What would you do if you found out that the man you have been with for the past 8 years does not love you anymore? That the differences between both of you are no longer tolerable. And to make it worst, you found out that he is in love with another. So you force your way through and insisted that he does not leave you. So the guy being a responsible person, still stick around but each time he is there, you know that his heart is no longer there. What would you do?

The most logical thing to do is to go separate ways. But of course, it is easier for me to say as I am just seeing this in a third party perspective. My friend is in this situation of which her emotions takes over and she just find it hard to let go. She knows that the most logical thing to do is to let go but her emotional attachment makes it so much harder. At the same time, being dependent for so long, it makes it even harder for her to stand on her own now.

I can only say that it would be best for both of them to go their separate ways for there is truly no love and tolerance anymore from one side. And a one-sided love cannot work. I believe that if she were to let go, she would find peace. Of course the pain, fear would be there but given time, it will heal. So to this friend of mine, I pray that you find courage and that you will find the wisdom to do what you should do.