Incredible Savings or Slaughtering?

The 6 hours of hell was wll worth it. Cochin to Munnar via private car - 24,000 rupees; Cochin to Munnar via public bus - 81 rupess; the savings - a HELLUVA LOT!!!

Unbelievable Tranquility in India

After 6 hours of hell-ride on an Indian public bus from Cochin to Munnar, I finally made it to this hideout along the hills of Munnar - Kaivalyam Retreat. What a gem? It's quiet, blissful and peaceful (this is pretty amazing, considering I am in India). The air is cool and fresh. I could probably stay here for a week and do absolutely nothing.

There is daily yoga and the organic vegetarian food they serve taste awesome. What a great way for post CNY detox.

A Decade Gone By

If a year passed by in a wink these days, I feel like the past decade has gone by in barely two blinks. After more than 10 years in children book publishing, I am seriously thinking it’s time for a change. The question the begets an answer now is… change to what?

Burglared & Flooded

Barely 2 months after moving in, my apartment was broken into on the afternoon of November 24. The burglars broken in by prying open my kitchen window grill and in the process, snapped the kitchen tap. My entire apartment was flooded. They even broke in kitchen tile in the process.

It was heart-breaking. After all the renovations.....

The burglars took my Vaio-P and my brand new iPad. That was it! The total cost of thos 2 items was far less that the damage the caused me. 

The neighbours to my left and right were also burglared. However, I was the unluckiest of the lot, with the water damage.

Everything but the floor has been repaired now and the cost can be claimed from my insurance. But the floor cannot be repaired yet. That will be another headache - to remove all the furniture to regrind and repolish the flood. Sigh....

French Connection

By some strange arrangement in the stars, I have 3 french lover now. Guess I can't complain.

Puppies

I don’t know why my life is full of begging men.

- Soo Hoo who moved to Nebraska .
- Desmond who laid out in the snow.
- Andrew who could out take No for an answer.
- And now Steve.

All puppies hoping to tug on my heartstrings.

All finally accusing me of being cold.

Truly Finally Moved!

After dragging my feet through renovations for over a year, I have finally moved over to my new place in Bangsar. And boy, am I loving it hear. Bird chirping on my balcony every morning and crickets singing throughout the day. I get cool fresh air coming through from the hills behind and I have this spectacular view every day and night.

Getting to work is now a breeze, a mere 6km.

Goodbye Max

You are missed dearly.

My Dear Friend, Maxine

I still can’t believe that Max is gone… forever. I just spoke to her 2 days ago. We were supposed to have lunch tomorrow.

I saw pictures of the freak accident this morning. It was heart-wrenching. She lost control of the car. It was raining. Her car ramped onto the divider and was then thrown off back to the shoulder of the road. The damaged was all on the driver side. She was trapped in her seat. The reports said she sustained severe injury to the head and died on the spot.

Gosh, I miss her so much. She was such a wonderful soul. Why does fate play out this way? Despite all my grouses, she is such a precious friend, always caring, always kind, always reaching out to help. I hate myself for ignoring her when I was busy with work. I hate myself for not meeting up with her more often.

I kept going back to the photos and thought how it was for her in those final moments. The fear… the shock… the pain… I don’t know. I am still wondering from time to time if this is real. It’s just senseless. She has never been a reckless driver.

My eyes are swollen from all the crying. It feels almost the same like when Dad died. There are so many things left unsaid. Yet, I open my mouth and I have no words; I only have tears that could not stop flowing and a heart that could not stop aching.