The Daily SHOOT! - Fisherman's Bastion

Fisherman's Bastion, originally uploaded by tgtwb.

A neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque terrace on the Buda bank of the Danube, perched atop Castle Hill - Budapest, Hungary –

Emptied My Kuching Mentel Today...

September's earnings were better than that of August's!

Emptied Kuching Mentel today and i managed to save a total of $134 for September. I like rounding off my numbers so i rollover my $4 back into KM so that'll make it $130 for September... and a grand total of $130 + $96 (August) = $226 in 2 months!

WOW WOW Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! If i continue this fantabulous habit that Meebops instilled in me, i should be earning approximately, $130 X 7 months (till April 2009) = $910 + $226 = $1136!!!!!

I am a happppieeee camper! If i bring all that to Melbourne with me, i will have roughly AU$1050!

Happy... I am very very happy :D

The Daily SHOOT! - Candi Prambanan

Prambanan Temple, originally uploaded by tgtwb.

UNESCO World Heritage Site - The majestic Prambanan Temple, also cited as one of the largest Hindu temple complex in South East Asia - Yogyakarta, Indonesia -

Its All About Momentum They Say!

Hark!

I've been so busy with stuff the past week that i completely had no spare time for me blog! Arrgh!

And the rule of thumb in blogging is to constantly keep the posts updated, for momentum sake but its sooo difficult doing that with a day job! Argh! Argh! Argh! I know i'm whining instead of writing productively but Time! I needed time! Like if there was more than 24 hours in a day - i'd be the first in line to grab it like Dear Life!

Writing is stragely becoming rather difficult for me; especially to keep ideas flowing constantly. I need my muse! And then when you start writing again, it isn't easy. And this is especially when you write on travel destinations that you went weeks, months or even years ago, where most of what you did is a distant memory.

So i tend to depend a lot on the pictures i took, trying to recall what we did, how much everything costs and the feelings we felt during time of travel. Most of the time, emotions hit hardest (be it good or bad!) and it often cause such an impact that its hard not to remember.

I need to get my groove back and overcome the "blogging block" (is that what it's called?). I absolutely love writing and i love writing about our travels and our experiences when we are journeying, pawwing, trotting the world - but i cannot lie when i say that time is often a rare commodity.

Its one thing about having the idea and its nothing until you write it down.

Speaking of which, i'm thinking of trading in my old dinosaur of a notebook (which is still a spankin' good 'ol buddy of mine!) for a mini-me laptop that will serve my needs well when i travel - light and easy to pack.

I hate losing my inspiration and ability to write because it is probably the best thing that God blessed me with, apart from life itself.

I am never gonna give up. And as they say, remember why you started blogging in the first place, and hold on to that passion and determination!

Sweet!

The Daily SHOOT! - Candi Borobudor

Candi Borobudor, originally uploaded by tgtwb.

The many beautifully crafted Buddhist stupas found on the steps of Candi Borobudur - Yogyakarta, Indonesia -

African Wild Dogs And The Very Essence Of Teamwork

Grrrowl!!!

I have just returned from a work trip to Bangkok, Thailand - which was easily my most stressful trip ever!

Traffic jams, rude cabbies, pesky vendors, high prices, pollution and a grouchy, angry, clingy humanoid colleague... Ahh! The list goes on and on! I love Bangkok and i love how people are gentle at most times and how cheap food (not to mention, delicious!) and stuffs really are... and as meebops puts it,"How perfectly lined the streets are in Thailand, that we can easily stroll from one Soi (or side-street) to the other, knowing that eventually, we will reach our intended destination" ...

But my most recent trip was a major headache and i didn't like it one bit.

Anyhow...

I was so determined to get myself a new set of nature DVDs to add to my collection. And i knew DVDs are cheap in Bangkok (even the originals!) and so i set on a quest, looking for Planet Earth and i got it at a shameless steal of course!

And so i was watching the first episode of my newly acquired DVD with wide-eyed enthusiasm this morning, right after morning prayers. My idol, Sir David Attenborough, was the given narrator for this series, which i found out was recorded fully on High-Definition. No idea what that is anyway, but i heard from a human friend, that you will basically get super intense pictures and with awesome sound (and the fact that it was done expensively) - which was exactly it. I am totally blown away at how sharp the images are and sound so clear, i could almost hear the narrator breathing in between pauses! Way cool!

The first episode featured some of the most unbelievable footage you will ever see on screen. It was all good... then i got to the part where they featured the nimble African Wild Dogs posse hunting for its prey, shot in Botswana, Africa.

And that's when i thought:

Teamwork and tactics make African Wild Dogs efficient predators. "Their secret is teamwork..." was what the narrator said - which was exactly what fascinated me most! Just think about it - they work in groups. They split up when work beckons, but their aim is all the same - to find that one meal for all.

And i'm thinking, well... this is much like in an organisation where we each hold a different duty within the company but our ultimate aim stays the same course - for the benefit of the organisation.

And really, that is the beauty in the spirit of teamwork, without which, it will be almost impossible to accomplish a task!

What a revelation! Absolute Awesomeness!

The Sleepy Dusty Town That Is Siem Reap

Grrrowl!!!

Hark! I was going through the entire batch of photos we took from our Cambodia trip and i realised, we didn't take any city photos of Siem Reap (which is mostly dusty of course...)! Unpleasantness... Much to the abomination of budding photographers! Arghh... Must be snap happy the next time! Like meebops...

Anyways, this will be the first of the many post to come on Siem Reap...!

Let us start out with a picture of our US$15 ride. I can't remember Mr. Tuk Tuk's name but for the price we paid, he patiently bam-bammed his motorbike from our hotel to view sunset and a day's worth of trip to the majestic Angkor Wat! (Admission tickets to the Angkor is not included...)

Fact: Tuk-Tuk Uncle No. 3745 was the cheapest, friendliest, most pleasant looking Tuk-Tuk Uncle in the whole of Siem Reap (Oh yes! We went Tuk-Tuk shopping!!!) He wasn't pushy (like those other buggers), always smiling and very very patient. Ok, so his Tuk-Tuk wasn't equipped with the largest seats for our bearish buttocks and it was a little squeezy and squeaky but he was our best choice. 3745 is also, only 42 years old (despite his looks) and resembles my late grandfather from the state of Perak, Malaysia.

I must say there were more things to see and go to in Phnom Penh then we ever get to in Siem Reap, possibly because PP is the capital city of Cambodia. Being "city chics" ourselves, we were pampered enough to get all oogly-eyed at the old war-torn buildings turned cafe bustling with expats and tourists, aromatic coffee in giant coffee cups, great massage, good food...........................

WARNING! Our depiction of Siem Reap is biased! And only centered within the compounds of the Holy Temples of Angkor Wat... Those who have seen more of SR should look away now!

This is an aerial overview of the majestic temple of Angkor Wat, from atop Bakheng Hill. The temple in which you will have to climb hand and foot on is called the Phnom Bakheng - which is easily the most scenic, solitary refuge you probably can find in all of Angkor.

BEAR NOTES: Arrive at the summit of the temple just before sunset and if you're lucky, you might just be able to spot the Angkor Wat down below (you normally would anyway!). According to some guidebooks, you would also be able to see the Phnom Krom to the Southwest near the Tonle Sap, Phnom Bok (pronouced penumbok for those in the know...) in the Northeast, Phnom Kulen in the East and the West Baray.

The Travelling Teddies (Meebops especially!) weren't too fond being greeted by the long flight of steps for sunset... Yup, yet another long climb up the stairway to heaven...

And oh no no... It wasn't an easy climb either. What with our fat little paws and Cubbies with her little booties on her hands and feet. Wasn't easy at all! Bah!

There were people who reported to have used the "elephant trail" up the temple which is apparently longer but less step. Well, from what we saw, no trails of the elephants here... so we used the shorter and oh-so-steep way up.

Right hand... Left foot... Left Hand... Right Foot... Left Foot... Right Hand... Left.. no.. Right.. Arh.. Left... Duh!!!

All those who survived the climb were disappointed that God wasn't there after all (what a bummer...) and most paced around the top snapping pictures after pictures of the areas surrounding the temple, while waiting patiently for the Sun to set.

Meebops for instance took several positions in the same spot and will then later pick the best looking picture of all... She is so fond.. so fond of doing that little vain pot bear thing...

And the moment we've all been waiting for... An overview of the sunset in Siem Reap from atop Bakheng Hill (temple, one of the hundreds found in Cambodia alone!). It wasn't much of a sunset that evening because the evening was cloudy; but it was serene and breathtaking nonetheless!

After the sunset and on our way down from the long climb uphill, we were greteed by a string ensemble consisting of musicians (with physical disabilities) who were victims of the vicious land mines, laid down by the Khmer Rouge, the Heng Samrin and Hun Sen regimes, the Vietnamese, the KPLNF and the Sihanoukists.

Apparently (though not surprising), Cambodia has one of the largest rates of physical disability in any country in the world due to land mine accidents! And even till today, no one know exactly how many landmines were planted in Cambodia and how many still remains.

Best advice you can get when you travel to Cambodia?- STAY OFF THE ROADS LESS TRAVELLED! Literally...