dawn_1o9's Xanga

Lost for Words

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:19:03 GMT

I don't even know where to begin writing. I just got to read the whole news today, and saw the photos of the devastations.. and the bodies.. The bodies floating on water, with their legs and arms spread out. I feel so sad for them, and so angry.

I had always opposed a US-led invasion to Myanmar, but right now, I'm ready to say, "Bring it on" for the sake of humanitarian intervention.

I am also pissed at those greedy merchants who took advantage of the situation and raised the prices, or don't sell their goods until everyone else had ran out and raised the prices. During the last week, a single egg cost 300 Ks. ($0.30), rising from 130 Ks. ($1.30) ! Unthinkable! They'll go to hell together with the rest of the top people. Definitely.

Happy Thingyan!

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:49:17 GMT

Well, it's that time again! Time for Myanmar New Year Festival! (Thingyan!)

Our office will be closed until the 20th, so I'll be back to office on 21st. Thingyan starts this Saturday (12th) and ends on 17th, and 11th, 18th and 19th are all holidays together. (Part of 10 Days Thingyan holiday).

I will be going to Bago this Sunday. It's just a day trip, and I hope that I get to take some photos there.. And yes, I'm sorry that I haven't been able to post Part 2 of the Indonesian trip.. I've been busy lately.. :P

So Happy Myanmar New Year everyone! *splashes water on everyone*

(Photo credit to: Phantom Mask)

Photos from The Trip

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:11:30 GMT

Here's the belated post of the trip to Indonesia. :P

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Well, I arrived to Jakarta on January 25, 2008 (Friday). On Saturday, I went to Taman Mini, which is an "Indonesian miniature park" which shows the different ways of live of the people in Indonesia's 26 provinces. It was sort of like National Village of Indonesia, with different-styled houses from each of the provinces. It is located in East Jakarta.

In the park, there were also a Komodo Museum, an IMAX theater, and an aquarium. So I visited them also. In Teater Imax Keong Emas (the IMAX theater), I watched "Beautiful Indonesia" which was a very good and informative movie about all the provinces of Indonesia. At the Komodo museum, they have also displayed snakes and turtles. You can even take a photo with a python wrapped around your neck. I declined. :P At the aquarium, there was a lot of species of fish.. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take good photos there because it was a bit dark inside. I finally saw how a piranha looks like though.. :D

Figures wearing Traditional Batik	Wall Painting from one of the pavilions	Wihara Buddha (one of the pavilion)
Cable cars passing over Yogyakarta pavilion	the famous Komodo @ Komodo Museum	Imax Theater

We ate lunch at Taman Mini, and then afterwards, went to Mall Taman Anggrek (translation: Orchid Garden Mall) at the outskirts of Jakarta. Actually, it happened to be just a window-shopping cos we've just reached Jakarta, and we will still amazed by the currency difference - $1=9000 Rupiah Dollar - so we were abit "gasping" at the prices, which were like 200,000 for a blouse.. haha (Don't worry.. I got used to it later :P)

Mall Taman Anggrek

Posing especially for me :P
(a sales promoter at the mall)

Ice Skating Rink
is said to be the first in SE Asia

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On Sunday, we went to Bandung. Bandung is the capital of West Java Province. It is located about 180km (112 miles) southeast of Jakarta. It is 768 meters (2,520 ft.) above sea level. Bandung is sort of like Kalaw – a summer resort town and there are a lot of mountains and pine trees there. It is the city where the first African-Asian Summit was held in 1955. It is also know for its shopping outlets.

We visited Tangkuban Perahu volcano in Bandung. Tangkuban Parahu means “up-turned boat”. It’s 28km north of Bandung and 1830 ft. above sea level. It is still active, but you can only see the mud and not the red hot lava. Since it was cold there, there were vendors selling hats and scarves.

View from Tangkuban Parahu	Tangkuban Parahu's Kantin (Canteen)	View from the Crater (Tangkuban Parahu)
Bamboo Pipes	They call this Batik Wood	Selling hats & scarvers

Afterwards, we went to eat lunch at Kampung Daun Cultural Restaurant and Café. We ate traditional Indonesian meal – rice on banana leaf, fried chicken, fried fish, and Indonesian sauce with vegetables. One thing we have noticed about Indonesian meals is that they put chips (which looks like fish crackers from Myanmar but is not made of fish) on the plates as an appetizer of some sort.

Entrance to Kampung Daun Culture Cafe
Waterfall is abit muddy there

Kampung Daun Culture Cafe

Private Huts
where you can eat your meal in peace

We didn't get to visit a lot of places on this trip to Bandung because by the time we finished eating lunch, it was already around 3:00pm. We didn't want to get caught in traffic so we left Bandung. But don't worry.. I went there again two weeks after (slept a night in Bandung and went shopping!), and also visited the vicinities.
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Will update about other trips next week. (I hope :P)

Build to Last

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:33:27 GMT

Built to Last - Melee

I've looked for love in stranger places
but never found someone like you
someone whose smile
makes me feel i've been holding back
and now there's nothing I can't do

cause this is real, and this is good
it warms the inside just like it should
but most of all
most of all, it's built to last
it's built to last

all of our friends
saw from the start
so why didn't we believe it too?
now look, where we are
you're in my heart now
and there's no escaping it for you

cause this is real, and this is good
it warms the inside just like it should
but most of all
most of all, it's built to last

walking on the hills at night
with those fireworks and candlelight
you and i were made to get love right

cause this is real, and this is good
it warms the inside just like it should
but most of all
most of all, it's built to last

cause you are the sun in my universe
consider the best when we felt the worst
and most of all, most of all
most of all, most of all,
most of all. most of all
it's built to last

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Yeah..... it's built to last... ^_^

Watch MV here.
Listen here.

Alright

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 06:47:29 GMT

Hey everyone.

Sorry sorry sorry again. I haven't been updating once again. :) I've been so busy at work, and with my personal life ;) that I haven't had the time to update. Plus, it doesn't help that internet connection is slower than a snail lately.. It started ever since Gambari visited Myanmar. Some are calling this problem, "Gambari Virus" lolz... I don't know if it's deliberate or the ISP's backbone broke again for the umpteenth time. I just find that it's hardly a coincidence that the backbone had to break just when Gambari comes to visit... It happened the last time when he visit too.

I've been attending morning computer classes at KMD. I have to get up at 5:00am (ok.. ok.. I crawl back into bed and try to sleep until 5:45am :P) to go to the computer center downtown. It's a course called, "Excel in Business Applications" - which teaches, did you guess?, Microsoft Excel. I found that I needed more technique in using Excel, cos I only know the basic functions in Excel, and it's necessary at work to handle more complicated spreadsheets and calculations. My office paid for the fee though cos it's for work... hehe

In the evening, after work, I've started teaching 2 new Korean kids. Grace had gone back to Korea last month - while I was in Jakarta. I didn't even get to say goodbye to her or give her the gift I had bought for her in Jakarta. Oh well. The 2 new kids I'm teaching right now is connected through Grace's mother, who recommended me to them. :)

On Sat. and Sun., I'm teaching a Korean adult English... it's a woman, and I just gotta teach her for an hour in the morning. But so far, I've only taught her one time cos one day, I wasn't free, and the other 2 days, she wasn't free. Hehe So I've been busy busy busy.. :D

I've been working on a journal about my trip to Indonesia. But I haven't work on writing my own entry for blog.. hehe I'm gonna put it on my top priority list this weekend - I'm gonna do it at home.

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*sigh* I'm so happy right now.. hehe I think I'm finally seeing a glimpse of what I've been searching for so long. ^_^ Will elaborate much much later, when things settle down, cos things are so complicated right now. But I'm really happy. :)

Currently listening: Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore - Way Back into Love

Fire in Mandalay's Yadanarbon Market

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 05:09:25 GMT

YANGON (AFP) — A major fire Monday tore through the largest market and biggest shopping mall in Myanmar's second city Mandalay, witnesses said.

The blaze broke out around 8:00 am (0130 GMT) and was still burning six hours later, they said. Flames swept through the Yadanarbon market as well as the three-storey Sky Walk shopping mall.

Plumes of black smoke filled the sky as vendors raced to rescue their goods and load them into pickup trucks, which lined the nearby streets.

Police said they were still trying to determine if there were any casualties.

The fire appeared to have spread to most parts of the market, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, in Myanmar's main city Yangon, a fire erupted at a tea shop in the Hlaingthayar industrial area early Monday and spread through the surrounding neighbourhood.

Firefighters spent more than two hours putting out the blaze, which destroyed 200 homes, many of them small shacks, authorities said.

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I'm hearing that there are causalities, since Yadanarbon Market is a busy place, where there is Mandalay ICT Park (with IT companies and IT training schools like MCC), and also Skywalk Shopping Mall, which boasts that it fits international standard, but I doubt that there are proper arrangements there (smoke alarms, water hoses built in the wall, emergency exits?) in case of fire.

I have no words to except to say that I'm feeling very sad about all of this.

You can see the photos at Ko MgHla's blog.

I'm Back!

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:10:01 GMT

Written on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2008

Well, I've arrived back to Yangon yesterday. I've been in Jakarta for almost a month, can't believe it... Even though I was staying in the hotel, with full luxury that I don't have in Yangon (room service, hot-shower, cable TV, etc. etc.), I was missing Yangon and my family, and was glad to be back home again.

The night before yesterday, I stayed up until 3:00 AM, using the internet, and I woke up late! I only woke up when my co-worker called me, and said, "Hey, are you ready to leave?" I had to prepare extra quick - I only had 15 minutes left! It's a good thing that I've packed my stuff that night! I didn't have time to take a shower, so I just washed my face, and brushed my teeth. I didn't even have time to eat breakfast. The plane was leaving only at 9:10am, but we were preparing to check out of the hotel and go there early (6:30am) just in case there's traffic. It turned out that the roads were really clear, and there was no traffic at all.

When we got to the airport, I repacked one of my duffel bag with plastic, since I recently bought that bag, and it didn't have any locks, so I didn't want to lose anything from there. I've bought a lot of stuff, and it didn't fit in my suitcase anymore, so I had to separate things into that bag. The plane we were going to take from Indonesia to Singapore is Singapore Airlines. We got the middle row.

When we got to Changi, we had 2 hours, so I spent time at the free internet computers, and chatted with a few people online. I also saw a friend of mine who were also going back to Yangon from Singapore. This time, finally, I got the window seat! So I spent most of the time, looking out the window, taking photos of the clouds. It's a bad thing that I got the side where the wing was, so the wing was in the view. I think I fell asleep for awhile too, hugging Leo, my stuffed lion that I bought at Taman Safari. (It didn't fit anywhere anymore, so I just carried in my hand, Chit Thu Wai style :P)

When we got back to Yangon, my mom, my father, and my sis, and my co-workers from the company were waiting for us. My family took my bags, and went home, while me and my co-workers went to YKKO to eat Kyay-oh.. Actually, I only ate "Phat Htote Soup" since I was not feeling that hungry. I just wanted to eat the soup!

My parents were happy with the stuff I bought. They didn't scold me for spending all the money I had there. :P Wheww! But they didn't like the batik I bought for my mom and my cousin.. Oh well, I've already told them that I am a lost cause at choosing batik... :P I don't like batik so I never bother to buy it for myself. I bought some make-up for my sister, and for myself too. And also t-shirts for me, my sis and my brother. I also bought some blouses for my friends Su Yin Mon and Khine Yu Wai, and also some stuff for my co-workers who were left in Yangon.

Today, I spent some time cleaning the house, (ok.. ok.. I only dusted a few places and went to take a nap :P). In the evening, I went to Su Yin Mon's house, and then went to eat Rakhine Moat-te at Min Lan. Wooh.. I've missed the taste of Rakhine Moat-te... :D

Tomorrow, I'll be going back to work again... Argh, will have to take a bus again.. Oh the humanity! When I was in Jakarta, I was picked up at the hotel every morning, and was sent home every evening by a driver. Oh well, back to normal routines.

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I feel like I'm missing someone.. :) Though it had only been recently that I've gotten to know him more, I feel like I've known him for a long time. I want to thank him for making me feel special again. I miss the late night chats...

I don't know if this is just over-friendliness, or something more, I'm not sure. But I've learned from my past mistakes to be realistic, so I'll try to be realistic about all of this.

Me

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:12:58 GMT

Yeah.. I'm a bad drawer :P

I know I said I'll update, and I will......
soon.......
when I feel like it......
cos I'm facing a writer's block.

I'm Alive

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 00:29:06 GMT

I'm just updating to say that I'm alive, still in Jakarta, and haven't taken the wrong plane to Iceland or something... :P

The trip has been extended. I was supposed to go back to Yangon on Feb. 9th, but I'm going back only on the 23rd.

I've gone to Bandung during the weekends.. Actually, gone twice to Bandung... I've visited Taman Mini, this Indonesian national village, and Taman Safari. This weekend, I'm going to Jogyakarta to visit Borobudur Temple. Ofcourse, I've gone shopping also, at Bandung's factory outlets. I also visited Tangkuban Perahu volcano in Bandung, which is still active.

I'll update in details with photos later. I get to use internet but only at work, and I've been busy with work too.

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Quite interesting news from Myanmar: a referendum is going to be held.. Finally! And a promise of elections in 2010. I just hope that this is not some smoke and mirror trick.....

Monday, January 21, 2008

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:18:02 GMT

Well, guess what? I'll be going to Jakarta for 2 weeks. No.. it's not a leisure trip.. It's a business trip, since I have to go there to attend a job-training course, but I'll be sure to get some leisure there too since I love traveling and even if it was a business trip, I'm sure that I'll still enjoy it. Actually, I've known about the trip since months ago.. But the trip date kept getting changed, and it's only just this month that it was confirmed.

I've been preparing for this trip since December. I've gone to the tailor to get new suits (because most of my clothes are Burmese-style). Also, I've been preparing for the job-training session too. We'll be transiting from Changi Airport in Singapore... (ahh. that reminds me: I gotta send an e-mail to my cousin in Singapore to see if he can see us at the airport and if he wants to forward anything to his family) and we'll have to stay there for about 4 hours. So also have been reading about the transiting and about Changi Airport. See.. I've never traveled abroad by myself, so I'm quite nervous about it. I would be traveling with my 2 co-workers, who's never gone abroad.. so I'll have to lead the group. I'm worried that I will get lost or miss the flight! I expressed my worries to my friend, Ken, and he said, "Well.. there are signs everywhere".. "Yeah.." , I replied, "How thick would you be to get lost there?", at the same time, trying to assure myself.

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Though I said I'll be updating often, I haven't feel like writing any thing lately, so that's why I haven't update. Maybe sometimes in the future, I'll be able to update again regularly.

Hmm.. maybe after the Jakarta trip. :D I'm sure that there will be something to blog about... :P I'm not sure if I'll be able to use internet there so it'll probably be after.

And also, I've been trying not to surf the internet while at work. No.. the boss didn't scold me.. Anyways, I've been feeling guilty about it anyways, and I shouldn't take advantage of my boss's good-nature.. :) He's one of the best bosses hehe.. (No.. I am not saying that just in case he happened to reach my blog, and give me a raise.. He wouldn't recognize me anyways.. hmm.. maybe I should put up my photo again :P) So I'll be using the internet just for work-related stuff, and use for my own during lunch hours and before and after working hours.

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(credit to: Ko Kalvin from NativeMyanmar for sharing this)