Miss Superlatives

oh Paris. em and I  had to deal a 14-hr flight and a 3-hr stopover  just to get to charles de gaulle's, from the other time zone. but then that's perfectly fine. if only to see your majestic towers in person ...err in its towering height :) i was forewarned that your city is a mischievous one. expensive restaurants, no lifts, small narrow alleys, unpredictable weather, unfriendly locals and even being warned that pickpockets are out there to outwit me anytime. nevertheless, the unpredictability and temporary discomfort of all these things made me realize the beauty you are all about. but then, i've always believed that there are no bad holiday experiences, only the wrong company you are with.  so choose your holiday buddies wisely. *wink* - paris, france 03.sept.2014 - versailles, france 12.sept.2014 sitting where life is. Notre-Dame de Paris and we've done it! :P -  +pontdesart   the birthday boy and the louvre em and mum who...

2nd Aug 2013 - Friday. after arriving in sydney international airport at 11am, we went down to board the airport train to the city. we also bought 7-day passes and paid almost AUD 50 each. the trip to the hostel is a mere 15min train ride. i was amazed at the double deck type trains in sydney and the train station is not bad at all compared to the dark and eerie new york subway. arrival in Sydney The nearest station to our backpacker hostel is Central, so we alighted and upon exit, the cool Australian breeze greeted us at around 15 degrees C.  Bounce hotel is just a few blocks away, so getting there was not a huge problem. As soon we paid up and took our card keys, we went to the 2nd floor through the card authorized lift which allows you to go to your intended floor using your personal card for security purposes. The room we've booked was good for 6 persons, so we got two more roommates to expect.  we settled down a bit then later headed out to have a late lunch...

when everyone wants to snuggle in, we want to explore out. that's how em's and my brain works. add in two more canonigo brains and you can just imagine, that if you give them one destination, come hell or high water, it would be a hell of a high!  this time, the theme is a winter summer in australia. while the rest of the world is frolicking on the beach, down under is all under the wraps!  for the newbies em and I, memories of the unexpected 6 degrees C drop in manhattan keeps on flashing back in.  this time we better be prepared. but still the challenge continues. hand carry luggage only at 7kg max. oh boy. how am i going to fit my three hooded sweats, one fleecy jacket and one puffy waterproof thingy? plus, gazillions of socks and thermals?  i can hear em wailing even in my sleep.  that gave him a reason to push the packing task to me. totally. so i had to fit in eveything he wanted to bring. after a few editing ang him bargaining of wha...

this one goes to our lovely reception lady who always makes our coming to work a not-so-Monday feeling :) happy birthday Morni!

the haze psi level has gone down but we are still not too complacent of what might come up later today. but this morning, em and i decided to do our usual Seletar reservoir brekkie amidst   the lurking haze nearby.  we bought our usual $4 packet, usually with noodles, maling (luncheon meat!), sunny side up egg and a couple of chicken nuggets. we added a bottle of Mirinda, Starbucks Frap bottle and Mineral water. Inside my picnic bag - a pack of hotdog buns, Belcube cheddar cheese, mini St Dalfour blackcurrant spread, Sunchips!, some lemonsito and one orange fruit. brekky in the woods We laid everything in our usual concrete bench facing the reservoir.  Em took out his X-mini Speakers and blasted Y101FM through 3G. while i am blogging now, em is relaxing with music blaring. as we wait for the noon sun to consume the shade we have, then we know it's time to pack up and go.  i rested my hand thinking of what to write next and then suddenly. an india...

still very hazy in singapore. with the psi (pollutants standards index) raised up to 321 last night, which is considered hazardous, we could only wait and hope for the best that it goes down on the next reading. it did this morning but it was still high on the index at 198 psi by noon. the wearing of the mask became compulsory for all staff. seletar airport was closed down since morning, no arrivals and departures allowed due to low - zero visibility. the whole airport looked like a scene in one of the "end of the world" movies. after the lunch break, our HR issued memo for all employees to take the afternoon off due to the hazardous condition at work. everyone was relieved but not too happy because we still fear the levels will still rise up tonight.  hope not. hazed!!

a thick haze greeted me out of work today. that means tomorrow i need to don my zorro's. they laughed at me saying the zorro only covers your eyebags and brows and not your nose and eyes. well, that's the whole point, i don't want the haze to mess with those ;)  and they gave me a blank stare.  earlier today was hazier. an accident occured involving one of our known aircrafts. it was towed in this afternoon and boy! the damage was pretty bad. 2 damaged flaps and ldg door got stuck into the inboard flap. really sad but lucky no one was hurt, it could have been worse.