The itchy post

It's less than an hour to 2010 and here I am sitting at my desk scratching my arms and legs to get some relief from the itchiness of dry skin brought on from my China trip. I woke up in the middle of my sleep last night to a scratching frenzy. I'll never visit China in winter anymore because of the cold dry air that causes nosebleeds, itchiness and dry cracked skin. It's pretty harsh up north! I prefer the warm, tropical air of home where the only itches are caused by mosquito bites and cracked skin caused by strong detergents!

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain

Woke up to a freezing morning at 6.00am. Today's the day to ascend the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Having breakfast before sunrise and temperature just above freezing point, I prepared to fuel myself to keep warm for the trip. The first stop was to buy entry tickets, A maximum of 10 groups are allowed per day only. The next stop was to buy oxygen cannisters to prevent altitude sickness. Then was the scenic ride on the tour bus to the foot of the mountain. The mountain standing ever so magnificent loomed in the foreground intimidatingly, as if challenging us to take the climb. A brisk walk to the station revealed that it was indeed cold. Ice had formed overnight and the wooden fences and benches were frozen - it looked so pretty with ice crystals glistening under the clear morning sky. The moment had finally arrived as we boarded the world's longest cable car ride. There was no turning back. We had reached the point of no return. The feeling of not knowing what to expect at the top gave an adrenaline rush. The ride which took us 1,200m in 15 minutes was a quick but scenic ride. On the way up we saw the topography change from coniferous forest to grey stone, snow covered slopes and finally the jagged mountain peaks. In the distance were other peaks of the Himalayan ranges breaking the blue horizon like the ridges of a dragon's back. Once we reached the top and made our way through the droves of tourists out into the open, the immediate effect of the crisp, fresh, cold mountain air could be felt. With 6 layers of clothing, a hunter cap and a woolen scarf to protect me from the elements, I could still feel the chill while snapping away happily in the cold with my camera, admiring in awe the breath-taking views from mountain top.The strong wind blew snow from the higher peaks onto us. It looked like white dust and it felt so soft and powdery. Looking down from the vantage point, one has got to feel a tinge of vertigo when looking down into the steep drop-offs below. After spending almost an hour up in the cold, it was time to descend before the symptoms of altitude sickness could manifest into more serious conditions. Although a little short of breath from either the thin air or sheer excitement, it was nevertheless an unforgettable memory. Pictures cannot describe the thrill of the moment, and even while penning this down on hotel paper, I still feel a bit queasy and out-of-breath. Perhaps I am just reliving the feeling of being up 4,500m armed with nothing more than warm clothing and an oxygen cannister to keep me alive...

Screw Thursday!

Screw Thursday! Tomorrow's Friday and I'll be off to China in the morning! Hahaha! I'm being so unproductive at work today. Not in the mood for work. Don't feel like taking on a brand new file to work on since it'll take unnecessary time for someone else to pick up from where I stopped. So, here I am chatting away with close buddies on Messenger (5 chat windows open simultaneously), checking the weather forecast (it's winter now and the lowest it can get is minus 15 degrees Celcius) and updating the blog. I promise to take loads of pics to share with you guys and gals! Until then, see ya and Merry Christmas! If you need me, I'll be hiding somewhere up 4,680m in the snow-capped mountains :)

Monday Blues

It's Monday again. Had a blast over the weekend, didn't get enough sleep last night, my head is spinning, I cringe at the thought of sitting in the office and working 8 hours on a new complex file on a Monday morning. Even my co-workers are coming in a bit late with the sleepy, puffy-eyes look, yawning, dragging their feet to their desks. Perhaps even the bosses feel the blues since they are not in yet...

I could have shopped all night!

*To the tune of "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady:
"I could have shopped all night! I could have shopped all night! And still have asked for more!
I could have spread my wings, and bought a million things I've never bought before..."

December's THE month for a shopping spree! Purge your thoughts of saving your hard-earned money. Enter a world where wants overpower needs. With all the bargains too good to ignore, I got myself the following items:

1. TOPMAN hunter hat
2. TOPMAN ear warmers
3. TOPMAN fingerless gloves
4. TOPMAN duffle hoody
5. Levi's 523 straight jeans
6. Ted Baker sunglasses

The sheer opulence of the decorations that deck the malls in green, red and gold trimmings add to the inevitable hedonistic feeling one gets when entering the high-end malls carrying all sorts of designer brands. Huge banners depicting sultry-looking models, mannequins wearing the season's latest fashion, the word "SALE" boldly emblazoned on the store's windows and familiar carols playing in the background are the sights and sounds during the Christmas season.

Sleepy Sunday Afternoon

I just purchased David Archuleta's "Christmas from the Heart" album today. Can't say that I really like it except for a few songs like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (duet with Charice Pempengco), I'll be Home for Christmas and Ave Maria. It's nothing wrong with David - I just feel that the arrangements for most songs are too boring and do not bring out David's talent to the fullest. Not my favourite Christmas album indeed. Mariah's album still rules after all these years!

Invasion of the crawling kind!

Help! My bathroom is being invaded by long thread-like worms crawling out of the drain. It gives me the creeps when I see their dark-red, slippery bodies crawling along the wet surface of the floor, squirming and writhing to move from one point to another. Just imagining it is enough to make my goosebumps appear. It must be the endless monsoon rain over the past 2 weeks that has caused them to surface as I have never had any worm problem in the past 4 years since I shifted to my new house. I plan on emptying a bottle of Clorox into the drain and then sprinkling a thick ring of salt around the drain overnight to trap any potential survivors. Leave none alive!

Mid-week comfort

I used to hate Wednesdays because it meant piano lessons. For 8 consecutive years, I had piano lessons on a Wednesday. I don't hate music lessons but I never felt intrinsically motivated enough to practise the piano as a kid. The only motivation was to avoid being punished by my piano teacher. She was a nasty lady.

Fast forward to the present. I actually look forward to Wednesdays now because Wednesday is the median of the working week, being far enough from Monday and closer to Friday. It's like a marker that signals half of the week has gone by and that the weekend is drawing nearer!

Bitten by Twilight

I finally gave in to watching Twilight despite refusing to read the novels as I am not a fan of romance fiction. I remember last year when the girlies were so high on Twilight and bugging me to read it. I was feeling a bit jaded on a Monday night (Monday blues??) and so I watched Twilight on satellite TV to kill boredom. Poof! 2 hrs went by quickly. Although I must admit I was a bit disappointed at not seeing any Cullen fangs and while the final battle scene was a bit lame (I wish they showed how James was destroyed), I did feel somewhat entertained for the night. Anyway, here's a funny video I discovered on how Twilight should have ended :)