Male, Maldives

last month, when i got to know that my company has arranged for me to go to Colombo and Karachi in May, i was so depressed. like why ME, and why these two places? darn. but 2 weeks ago, we (my colleagues and i) were told that Colombo is no longer where we're going, but instead we'll be going to MALE, Maldives. YAAAYYYYY!!! Male baybeh.. well that's because Colombo is in such a chaos now, and due to security reason, we'll be going to Male instead. free holiday in Male, that's freaking AWESOME.

see, i'm not the bitchy beach-ie kinda person. i don't like sea, wide-water, i don't know how to swim and best of all, i don't like scorching hot sun. friends went to Redang, Perhention, Bali, bla bla bla, i'm never interested to go because i don't see the point going there when i don't even know how to enjoy. but Male, it's just so hard to resist the temptation to not to go there. besides, it's FREE. so i'm fully prepared; beach sandals, short pants, bikini top, cap, camera and the most important thing, sun protection cream (MUST HAVE).

we departed from KLIA to Male International Airport on 15th May, 2005hours. once we reached Male, we were transported to our place of accommodation, Paradise Island Resort & Spa via speed boat. it takes around 20 minutes to get there. all of us got the super deluxe room and as you can see from here, all the super deluxe rooms are facing the beach and have their own terrace sitting area. SWEET! we couldn't see how the whole place looks like coz it was dark when we were there. *doink* but we knew, it's gonna be nice.
(p/s: you can look at the pics of the rooms from the website too)






the walk to our room takes ages. from the hotel reception/lobby to my room takes around 10-15 minutes walk. NO, i'm serious, no joke. blardy hell, if you forget to take something then that's it, you have to walk all the way back to your freaking far room, and once you're in the room, you're going to be so darn lazy to walk out again. not good at all.


Walkway to the rooms.


Map of the island/resort.

next morning, all of us woke up pretty early for free breakfast buffet. i went thru the backdoor to see how the view looks like. not really facing beach la, more like a small river but still, the water looks so clear. saw double rainbows leh. spotted a lot of sharks along the way too. geee...i think it's the tame tame one la, not great white sharks la. takkan they let the great whites to swim around the island and let humans go swimming, snorkeling, diving there right?





Can you see the shark? the blacktip reef shark.

when my friend, Cindy and i walked to the Main Restaurant for breakfast, we just went OMG OMG OMG nonstop. let me tell you, it is extremely gorgeous. beautiful, breath taking view, no better words to describe it and you'll have to see it with your very own eyes. trust me, it's really beautiful. speechless..












first day, Cindy and i just walked around the island. some colleagues went snorkeling. Cindy knows how to swim but she's afraid that she'll be drifted far far away by the strong wave. till then, she doesn't have to take the speed boat back to the airport as she'll be there waiting for us. haha...lame. went back to the room around 2pm and we went out again around 4pm just to catch the sunset. stupid clouds just blocked the whole view. bummer! when we were walking back to our rooms, we stopped by the water bungalow area to take some pics. saw two housekeepers who were cleaning one of the water bungalows, and me went over and asked them if we can look-see-look-see the water bungalow. one of the ham sap housekeepers said yes and there, we were given the opportunity to see the water bungalow. it's freaking BEAUTIFUL AND LUXURY. of coz la wei, one night around US$700 leh. then before we left, the bodoh ham sap housekeeper wanted to take a picture with us. but my so mou-yi-hei friend ran away and left me there, so i have no choice but to take a picture with him, with his hand all over my shoulder. fucker!! nevermind la, we got to tipu a bottle of water each from him too, so it's ok la. fyi, a bottle of water cost US$5. moral of the story, next time wanna go Male for holiday, bring own water.








Water bungalows.


Water bungalow.

second day, we decided to go sun bathing. so both of us wore our swimwear and went sun bathing. but seems like we strolled along the beach, took more pics and played with water rather than sun bathing. *teng* i met the Hongkie couple who were on the same flight with us when we came and they actually recognized me. hehe..what to do, i'm so nice. the husband was so nice, he offered me his goggles and asked me to join his wife snorkeling. according to him, what you see from the surface and underwater are very much different. i actually turned down the offer as i was so afraid, but after much persuasion from the wife, i decided to give it a try. plus Cindy was in the water too, she used her Daddy's goggles. so i just grabbed on hold to the handrail, stepped on the stones below and submerged my head. it was fun, i got to feed the fishes too. but i drank whole loads of salty water. yucks. we went back 3 hours later and slept for a while as we'll be flying back in the evening.


Me and Cindy.

when i woke up, i noticed that my skin looks different. holy cow, i'm having a skin allergic reaction. DARN!! i'm allergy to the sun. too long direct sun exposure. only the exposed part was affected. so definitely not the sea water. the part where i had my short pants and bikini top on aren't affected. how weird! it's all covered with tiny red dots and they itch and i look like a red red lobster. man, i'm meant to be a Puteri Lilin. once i got home, i went to the doctor right away. she told me that it's pretty bad and i have to get an injection for it. 3 creams were given to me; 1 for the lips, 1 for the face and 1 for the body. plus 2 different tablets; 1 for allergy and 1 for itch. KNS!!

WARNING: picture below might be a lil disturbing. geli!!
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beach is just not my kinda place/thing. though Male is extremely beautiful, been there once is enough. have to cancel my plan to join some friends to Redang in August and the PD trip in June, i'll consider that.

more pics...


Who's wig is that man?? haha...obviously it's seaweed la.


This coral really caught my eyes. :P














Moray eel.


How i wish i could have this for dinner...


New pet, hermit crab.


A330, flight back to KL.

Sound of waves - Paradise Island


Lotsa hungry fishes..

BONUS!!! Happy, I Shall Not Be.

good news, our company is making profit and as a way to express gratitude to us, the kuli who work so freaking hard and well, we are like the main reason they’re making profit, they’re giving us bonus, for the very FIRST TIME after so many years. the amount, RM1800. i know what you’re thinking, kiam siap right? OMG...other small small company also got bonus every year and the amount is like way higher than ours. dah la our company SOOOO big, no bonus every year never mind. now that they’re giving us bonus also give RM1.8k only. malu saja. oh well, at least it’s better than nothing at all. plus i chose to be with the company so i can’t complain much, right? whateva la.

so everyone is happily spending their bonus, rewarding themselves with things that they’ve always wanted to buy. well apparently, i wanted to get myself a Coach bag as a reward, get my hair done (either perm or rebond), get the eyebrows embroidery and perhaps get myself another tattoo. for now, sigh...no reward, NOTHING. the bad news, bonus=none of my business, as i will not be able to get any of the above.

remember about the incident, the one that i accidentally locked myself outside my room, and i have to prick open the door to get myself in and i said that i’ll pay for the new door? well yeah, my friend’s mom has called someone to change the door. and that freaking door which is made of i think SUPER HIGH-QUALITY WOOD cost me RM1K. wait, so i actually bought something, a door but not as a reward for myself, but for someone else. F**K!! a friend said that perhaps the door is gold plated, thus the hefty price. another friend said that it might be studded with diamonds. one of them told me that i shouldn’t be paying that much as that door will never be mine, that i can never bring the door with me when i decided to move out someday. whatever it is, i’m the one who said that i’ll pay for the door, so there you have it. it’s just that i never thought that freaking door is going to cost me so much. CRAP!!


Tadaa...the super-damn-kau-expensive-super-high-quality-diamonds-studded-door that doesn't belong to me.

RM500 will be given to my mom as Mother’s Day gift for her to spend when she’s going to China with my Dad, Aunty and Uncle. RM50 for my Grandma, RM50 for my Aunty and with that, i’m left with RM200 for me to belanja my family makan makan. Coach bag gonna postpone till i don’t know when (perhaps next year’s bonus, that is if we’re getting one), same goes to tattoo. as for my hair and the eyebrows embroidery, i will have to dig from my account, that is if i still have one. money is definitely not enough for me to spend. wat the toot, bonus=no saving too. how sad... :(

Tegan and Sara
The Con

I listened in
Yes I'm guilty of this
You should know this
I broke down and wrote you back
Before you had a chance to
Forget forgotten
I am moving past this giving notice
I have to go
Yes I know the feeling
Know you're leaving

[Chorus]
Calm down, I'm calling you to say
I'm capsized, erring on the edge of safe
Calm down, I'm calling back to say
I'm home now
I'm coming around, coming around
Nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Nobody likes me
Maybe if I cry

Spelled out your name and lists the reasons
Pain of heart
Don't call me back
I imagine you when I was distant
Non-insistent
I follow suit and laid out on my back
Imagine that
A million hours left to think of you
And think of that

[Chorus]

Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Nobody likes to but I really like to cry
Nobody likes me
Maybe if I cry
Nobody [x9]
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down
Encircle me, I need to be, taken down



*************************************************************************************

got to know Tegan and Sara from Lee San. they're pretty good and i especially love this song very much. check out their myspace and listen to their songs.

Le Tour De Alberta - Part 3

4th day was spent in Edmonton. the journey took around 1hour 45mins drive from Calgary. i think the main attraction in Edmonton is the West Edmonton Mall, the largest shopping mall in North America, fourth largest in the world. too bad, i do not have the cash to shop there. things there are pretty cheap compare to those in Malaysia, plus they have more varieties. all i did was window shop and then got frustrated coz no money to buy. GERAM!!!


West Edmonton Mall.


Downtown Edmonton.


Frozen river.

5th and 6th day were spent in Fort McMurray. we went shopping at Ikea in Edmonton before driving for around 4 hours (431km) to get to Fort Mc. well Lee San wanted to get some stuff for her new home.


The highway, heading to Fort Mc.

so Fort Mc is where Lee San stays and works. she just bought a house in Fort Mc with a friend/colleague, share mortgage. so i went there on the right time, get to see her new house. i love their house, a 3 storey townhouse, with 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and a garage. which means each room has it's own bathroom. that's sweet!!


The house and the car.

she’s working with Syncrude Canada Limited, the largest producer of synthetic crude oil from oil sands and the largest single source producer in Canada. if you have the time, seriously i would encourage you to read the articles about the extraction process. very interesting.

when we got to Fort Mc, it was snowing. everywhere was all white the next morning. lovely. Lee San brought me to her workplace for a tour, her office la, not the mining site. her team leader, Craig Simpson signed the permission letter to get me in. everyone is so nice there. :D we had dinner together before we went to Paddy, the pub that they usually go to. minum again. from the 1st day i came to Alberta till the very last day, i was drinking and drinking and drinking, doesn’t matter day or night. but i drink less, like a glass or two. only on the last day i had more. there’s alcohol in my blood for 6 days straight. people there drink beer more than they drink water, and they drink from day to night. how i wish i could be like them. unfortunately, i hate beer. and they love shooters too, so many types of shooters. got to try the china white, jagerbomb and crispy crunch. drinks i had when i was there (besides the shooters): vodka redbull, malibu cranberry, whisky coke, cranberry margarita, apple martini, alo vera, peach bellini and melon madness.





Syncrude bison.





Kevin said this looks like a war zone.


BiG BIG power shovels. couldn't imagine how big it is???


That's how BIG it is. hUMoNgOuS!!!


Fresh tracks.


My visitor's pass.

"hey Lee San, million thanks to you for spending so much time and money, and most importantly the hospitality. i really appreciate it. i don’t think anyone else will do that you know... haha. so, enjoy the housewarming gift that i've got for you. i know you love it. sheesha and Chivas; great combo, right? take care my friend!!"

last but not least, let me share these videos with you; Kevin doin double shotguns. he's really GOOD!!

First shotgun


Second shotgun

Le Tour De Alberta - Part 2

we went nowhere interesting on my second day in Calgary. we grabbed some doughnuts and coffee from Tim Hortons. coffee double double. that’s how they said it if you want coffee with double sugar and cream. the doughnuts there were yummylicious. next, we went for the gals’ ball practice. Carianne brought one of her dogs along, Sage. such a sweet gal. after ball practice, Lee San and i went for our late lunch. met up with Uncle Singam hours later. he’s a friend i knew when i was studying in London. we were staying in the same hall of residence, my flat mates who stayed right opposite me. his family migrated to America like 2 or 3 years ago, but i don’t know how/why he went sesat in Calgary. he’s working there. so nice to see him again.

after coffee with Uncle Singam, we went to the pub in the hotel. yup, they started drinking again. some of the gals came over and joined us later. it was a pre-drink session before hitting the gay club AGAIN. i tried convincing Uncle Singam to go with me and obviously i wasn’t good in convincing as Uncle Singam firmly said that he will never go. of course i understand why, he is trying to protect his nice lil ass. doesn’t want to be molested by the ham sap/desperado gays.


Ball practice.


Good gal, Sage.

third day, we had breakfast in one of the Hong Kong style char chan teng in Chinatown with Uncle Singam. later, Lee San and i headed to Banff. it’s about an hour drive (114km) from Calgary. along the way, you’ll get to see beautiful, breathtaking view; the Rockies (Rocky Mountain), farms, forests. according to Lee San, during summer you’ll get to see animals like moose and bears very easily. you'll get to see them still during winter but chances are very rare. but we were lucky, we saw moose. stopped by the roadside to take picture, but they looked so tiny as they were pretty far away from us.


Tiny moose..


Moose's poo poo..

Banff is amazingly beautiful. love that place so much. let’s just let the pictures tell you how beautiful Banff is. plus i’m pretty lazy to ber-story now.

note: the pictures are pretty boring, we were saving the battery for more important pics. told Lee San to find her universal adapter but she’s pretty lazy, giving excuses and all. so no charger, canot charge my camera’s battery. so have to berjimat. bodohss sial...


Downtown Calgary.


Banff, here we come.


Canada Olympic Park





Welcome to Banff.


Banff Springs Hotel.


Cows, i love this store, soooo CUTE!












we spent a night at Uncle Singam’s place. "thanks so much, Uncle Singam". Lee San and the gals went to gay club AGAINNNN. 3 nights straight!! i really canot leh!! i do enjoy looking at pretty gals (i didn’t see any at the club), but i enjoy looking at cute guys more (there were plenty at the club but hell no, they’re gays). i’m freaking straight and i can never spent the entire 3 nights straight at the gay club, so i decided to stay at Uncle Singam’s place while Lee San went on to have fun.

Le Tour De Alberta - Part 1

Canada was great, well except for the chilling and freezing weather. yup, i went to Canada, Alberta to be precise. it was snowing when we get to Fort McMurray (that is where Lee San is staying). love snow though but hate it when the wind started blowing. grrrrr...

well it was a really last minute kinda thing. since my plan to Australia has been cancelled...again and i really need to go somewhere (i’m not going to waste my 10 days off doin nothing, right??), so it’s either Denmark (bro’s there) or Canada (Lee San’s there). i called Lee San and told her about my plan and she was all excited, giving me tonnes of reasons why i should choose Canada. part of it, she’s goin to pay for all the expenses; food, hotel etc etc. all i need to do is to get the tickets and get my ass there. hey, wat a deal eh. so there you have it, i chose Canada in the end. sorry bro, i’ll go visit you next time, ok?

so last minute plan, everything was quite in a mess with no proper planning. i got my visa done on the 12th March for RM250. changed a lil Canadian Dollar and US Dollar, and started packing a lil for my Dubai and Canada trip. yup, company sent me to Dubai for a week, from 13th-19th March. once i’ve reached KLIA on 19th morning, i went to the ticketing office to get my tickets issued;

19th March (Kuala Lumpur/London)
MH 2 KUL/LHR with MAS (ya you read it right, i just arrived on 19th morning and departed on 19th evening. imagine how tiring i was. doesn’t matter coz i slept thru the entire flight..hehe)
20th March (London/Calgary)
AC 851 LHR/YYC with Air Canada (i was on transit in Heathrow for freaking 7 hours ok!! blardy hell!!)
26th March (Fort McMurray/Toronto)
AC 1198 YYC/YYZ with Air Canada
26th March (Toronto/London)
AC 856 YYZ/LHR with Air Canada
27th March (London/Kuala Lumpur)
MH 3 LHR/KUL with MAS

pheww...it’s not easy to travel from KL to Canada. no direct flights from KL, no connecting flights/codeshare with MAS and worst of all, long flight time and i'm on standby tickets. KL to London takes around 12-13hours, transit for 7 hours, London to Calgary takes around 9 hours. you do the math. backside flat flat di.



as i’ve mentioned earlier, Lee San is staying and working in Fort McMurray, north of Alberta. she told me to get to Calgary, south of Alberta as that will be our starting point to kick start our Le Tour De Alberta. from there, we headed north to Banff, Edmonton, and finally Fort Mc.fyi, she has to drive for 8 hours from Fort Mc to Calgary. holy moly...she’s crazy. she does that quite often especially on weekends just to find her friends in Calgary. one word: SIAO!!

landed at Calgary Airport on 20th March, was welcomed by Lee San and her white Explorer. so cool!! first stop, a pub downtown. -_-" she’s still the same old kaki-minum Lee San. had a drink first before meeting her friends for dinner. we had dinner in another pub and there, they were drinking, again. warming up konon. the gals had the entire night planned out for me. after dinner we went to see strippers and throw loonies. loonie is a dollar in Canada.

note: this is in that particular strip club i went to, couldn’t remember the name though, guess it’ll be different everywhere. so one of them, she’s called the queen of piercing or something like that coz she has tonnes of piercing on her body. piercing on the ears, face, boobies...that’s pretty common. BUT...jeng jeng jeng...she actually has 7 piercing on her genital area. \(@.@)/ holy cow!!! i wonder how she did that. nvm, so she came out and stripped and she went around asking whether you wanted to throw loonies. if you’re interested, she’ll lay down on her back, legs up and wide open and she’ll hold a folded poster in between her legs, and ya, all you gotta do is to aim and throw loonies in there. then you get to choose either to have a keychain, magnet or a poster of her. i got to throw loonies...wheee...and i was pretty good. haha.. 3 out of 4 of the loonies that i threw got in and i got a poster. had her signed for me and i gave it to Mary, one of Lee San’s friend, who is a lesbian. fyi, all her friends in Calgary are gays. \(@.@)/

then there’s the other gal who will rub herself with lotions and she’ll stick one loonie on each of her boobies, and you’ll have to aim and hit the loonies on her boobies. if u hit both down, then you’ll get a t-shirt with her face imprinted on the back of the shirt. haha...only ham sap lou wants that shirt. tsk tsk...

after strippers, we went to gay bar. -_-! i know, wat’s with that man. but i just followed the crowd. the bar closed at around 2 and her friends went to another gay club, Lee San and i went back to the hotel as i was drained out. there you have it, my first night in Calgary.