:: Gone ::
soundcheck : Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
spoken. at 12:33 AM :: I Like Seeing You Bitter ::
soundcheck : Frank Klepachi - Rain in the Night
In two days' time I'll find myself in a country I've never visited - clinging to my belongings and managing a balancing act with my eyes giving equal attention to a pocket map and my surroundings.
Beyond looking for the guesthouse in District 1, I'm walking in with nothing planned. If my cheque comes in February, I might even extend my stay well into late March - but of course, I've not planned anything so I'd rather not toy with that idea too much.
I've got a new (well okay, second hand) toy to play around with - and it'll probably be my most treasured piece of equipment during the journey. Well, hopefully I don't fuck up and mess up my photos but Valerie mentioned there being CD burning services in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
One of the bonuses I'm really psyched about though, is the seven-article series that I've agreed to do for a traveller's portal. Write what I want, keep it short and edgy and keep it personal. It's a paid job and it pays for me to really get into it - wherever I'll be. Fucking A-grade awesome.
_
spoken. at 9:16 AM :: Knives ::
soundcheck : Incubus - Punch-Drunk
...it's almost four in the morning.
Oh, but Sal! Isn't that a bad thing, seeing as how you're writing an entry two hours before you usually get up for work?
No, because today was my last day showing up for work at Mint (I don't work in a mint - that's just what we call my studio). I guess I was lucky enough to get an early release! Instinctively, I headed straight home to do things like:
On a more promising note, though; today was also a day of prospects. I don't profess to be the best writer around, but you know it's a very nice thing when you change your facebook status and immediately get two offers for freelance work.
The most interesting thing is, an old friend has professed his company's interest in hiring me as a travel writer. With effect from my upcoming month-long trip, I'll be paid for articles and selected photos!
I hope I'll still be able to get enough work as a Copywriter, but you really can't say no to having more avenues to fund your journeys.
Right before I woke up from a random dream of me trying to hire a bus somewhere in Laos, I started thinking about the journey, and how it'd be so difficult to tear myself from the people I'd be meeting. So I got up to try and shake the feeling off, right? And as if like a sign from above, I see this on my RSS:
Talk about a perfect set of guidelines to live by.
Oh, lastly - I realise there are a lot of people visiting and not leaving comments on the tagboard (or flooble or whatever the hell you call it these days). Hey, I mean, come on - how long does it take to leave a 'mmmm yeah, nice tits' or 'nah, could afford to be a little more firm'? Say something, plzthx.
_
spoken. at 3:42 AM :: Unghhh ::
soundcheck :DJ Tiesto - Andain/Beautiful Things
It's difficult for myself to come to terms with the fact that I'll be off on the big trip in less than two weeks' time. It's exciting to realise that I've finally come to this point, but at the same time I feel so unprepared and just this morning, a few realisations made me feel as if I was going to be walking in there just to die haha.
One of these realisations is - How am I going to make 800 USD last for more than a month?
I'll have to figure something out, but the more I look for a solution or a safety net, the more I feel like I shouldn't be thinking about it.
I'll be going to Ho Chi Minh on a one way flight and go through the borders to visit Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and then finally into Pakse.
I'm hoping to go through Champassek by boat, up the Mekong, but I'm sure either route should be just as scenic.
The biggest fear right now? Is having to deal with being alone in a guesthouse at night, with noone to talk to and no avenues to make new friends (ala Siem Reap and the old tourists).
_
spoken. at 9:49 AM :: Pakse ::
soundcheck : Nine Inch Nails - We're In This Together
It's like someone was reaching out for the shaker and his or her fingers couldn't quite wrap themselves around the circumference.
It's a slip up and the shaker tumbles from the cabinet, emptying it's contents all over the stove and onto the dish because someone else forgot to screw the cap on tight enough after a refill.
So everything is fucking salted and blanketed in white crystals that don't look very appealing, especially considering the heat of the kitchen and the mess that you now have to deal with - and don't get me started on the fact that you'll have to throw whatever was on the stove out, and start from the beginning.
Mmm, yes. Start from the beginning.
_
spoken. at 6:55 PM :: Solicit ::
soundcheck : Afroman - Crazy Rap
I threw the letter today! (For those unfamiliar, that means handing in your resignation.)
What am I gonna do? For starters, take it easy and get some freelancing done. The money doesn't even cover half of what I was drawing, but hey it's all good until I can decide on when to settle on my offers.
You know you've reached a milestone in life when your mum tells you about how her colleagues, who also happen to be mothers of sons, discuss how to tell if your son's been boning a girl.
The more interesting quotes, made by sources unnamed, go something like:
"YOU JUST SEE THE BEDSHEET, CONFIRM ONE I TELL YOU!"
and
"AAAAIYOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH".
Interestingly enough though, my mum brought to the table something one of my favourite aunts (her ex-colleague, not a relative) said after she witnessed me take sips from a glass of Bacardi coke at age 10, and through teasing and other conversations.
"You better watch out - he starts young and breaks hearts."
Thanks for not telling me mum.
But yes, it's still strange to be able to talk about these things with your mum.
This is fucking hilarious and reminds me of the stupid diagrams that my brother and I used to draw and laugh at when we were younger:
I'm still very lost, like floating debris in space, but things are slowly coming back to me and I hope I'll be able to make more sense about these new feelings and new ideas.
In any case though, I don't need to go on about how much I absolutely miss the people I've met and how two months is too fucking long before I get to see them again.
In the meantime, I should be able to put those photos up on fbook over the weekend, since I'm collecting them on Friday!
_
spoken. at 11:08 PM :: 206 ::
soundcheck : Rika Muranaka - The Best Is Yet to Come
I'm back, and bitter sweet about the entire trip.
I can go on about the many things that I regret not having done, not having seen, the people I did not speak to etc - but I think the most important thing is that I realise - for a mere five days - I did things I could never really do with five or six years in Singapore.
The idea, was to find myself - the question was not where and who, but more so 'how'.
It is still an unanswered question, but I know I will never forget the simple roads I have taken to at least, try and get there.
I have left my heart in Phnom Penh. For, without rhyme or reason, falling in love is as simple as love itself should be.
I just hope we all meet again - and that we never stop letting the roads we take guide us through our many journeys.
_
spoken. at 1:20 PM
soundcheck : Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Run and tell all of the angels -
this could take all night.
Think I need a devil to help me
Get things right.
Hook me up a new revolution,
cause this one is a lie;
sat around laughing
and watched the last one die.
I'm looking to the sky to save me -
Looking for a sign of life.
Looking for something help me burn out bright.
I'm looking for a complication,
Looking cos I'm tired of lying.
(I'll) Make my way back home,
When I learn to fly, high.
this could take all night.
Think I need a devil to help me
Get things right.
Hook me up a new revolution,
cause this one is a lie;
sat around laughing
and watched the last one die.
I'm looking to the sky to save me -
Looking for a sign of life.
Looking for something help me burn out bright.
I'm looking for a complication,
Looking cos I'm tired of lying.
(I'll) Make my way back home,
When I learn to fly, high.
spoken. at 12:33 AM :: I Like Seeing You Bitter ::
soundcheck : Frank Klepachi - Rain in the Night
In two days' time I'll find myself in a country I've never visited - clinging to my belongings and managing a balancing act with my eyes giving equal attention to a pocket map and my surroundings.Beyond looking for the guesthouse in District 1, I'm walking in with nothing planned. If my cheque comes in February, I might even extend my stay well into late March - but of course, I've not planned anything so I'd rather not toy with that idea too much.
I've got a new (well okay, second hand) toy to play around with - and it'll probably be my most treasured piece of equipment during the journey. Well, hopefully I don't fuck up and mess up my photos but Valerie mentioned there being CD burning services in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
One of the bonuses I'm really psyched about though, is the seven-article series that I've agreed to do for a traveller's portal. Write what I want, keep it short and edgy and keep it personal. It's a paid job and it pays for me to really get into it - wherever I'll be. Fucking A-grade awesome.
_
spoken. at 9:16 AM :: Knives ::
soundcheck : Incubus - Punch-Drunk
...it's almost four in the morning.
Oh, but Sal! Isn't that a bad thing, seeing as how you're writing an entry two hours before you usually get up for work?
No, because today was my last day showing up for work at Mint (I don't work in a mint - that's just what we call my studio). I guess I was lucky enough to get an early release! Instinctively, I headed straight home to do things like:
- Take an unjustified and completely unnecessary nap
- Attempt to lotion my scabbing back myself
- Go halfway through a Rambo marathon and get bored just moments before the first movie ended.
On a more promising note, though; today was also a day of prospects. I don't profess to be the best writer around, but you know it's a very nice thing when you change your facebook status and immediately get two offers for freelance work.
The most interesting thing is, an old friend has professed his company's interest in hiring me as a travel writer. With effect from my upcoming month-long trip, I'll be paid for articles and selected photos!
I hope I'll still be able to get enough work as a Copywriter, but you really can't say no to having more avenues to fund your journeys.
Right before I woke up from a random dream of me trying to hire a bus somewhere in Laos, I started thinking about the journey, and how it'd be so difficult to tear myself from the people I'd be meeting. So I got up to try and shake the feeling off, right? And as if like a sign from above, I see this on my RSS:
Talk about a perfect set of guidelines to live by.
Oh, lastly - I realise there are a lot of people visiting and not leaving comments on the tagboard (or flooble or whatever the hell you call it these days). Hey, I mean, come on - how long does it take to leave a 'mmmm yeah, nice tits' or 'nah, could afford to be a little more firm'? Say something, plzthx.
_
spoken. at 3:42 AM :: Unghhh ::
soundcheck :DJ Tiesto - Andain/Beautiful Things
It's difficult for myself to come to terms with the fact that I'll be off on the big trip in less than two weeks' time. It's exciting to realise that I've finally come to this point, but at the same time I feel so unprepared and just this morning, a few realisations made me feel as if I was going to be walking in there just to die haha.
One of these realisations is - How am I going to make 800 USD last for more than a month?
I'll have to figure something out, but the more I look for a solution or a safety net, the more I feel like I shouldn't be thinking about it.
I'll be going to Ho Chi Minh on a one way flight and go through the borders to visit Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and then finally into Pakse.
I'm hoping to go through Champassek by boat, up the Mekong, but I'm sure either route should be just as scenic.
The biggest fear right now? Is having to deal with being alone in a guesthouse at night, with noone to talk to and no avenues to make new friends (ala Siem Reap and the old tourists).
_
spoken. at 9:49 AM :: Pakse ::
soundcheck : Nine Inch Nails - We're In This Together
It's like someone was reaching out for the shaker and his or her fingers couldn't quite wrap themselves around the circumference.
It's a slip up and the shaker tumbles from the cabinet, emptying it's contents all over the stove and onto the dish because someone else forgot to screw the cap on tight enough after a refill.
So everything is fucking salted and blanketed in white crystals that don't look very appealing, especially considering the heat of the kitchen and the mess that you now have to deal with - and don't get me started on the fact that you'll have to throw whatever was on the stove out, and start from the beginning.
Mmm, yes. Start from the beginning.
_
spoken. at 6:55 PM :: Solicit ::
soundcheck : Afroman - Crazy Rap
I threw the letter today! (For those unfamiliar, that means handing in your resignation.)
What am I gonna do? For starters, take it easy and get some freelancing done. The money doesn't even cover half of what I was drawing, but hey it's all good until I can decide on when to settle on my offers.
You know you've reached a milestone in life when your mum tells you about how her colleagues, who also happen to be mothers of sons, discuss how to tell if your son's been boning a girl.
The more interesting quotes, made by sources unnamed, go something like:
"YOU JUST SEE THE BEDSHEET, CONFIRM ONE I TELL YOU!"
and
"AAAAIYOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH".
Interestingly enough though, my mum brought to the table something one of my favourite aunts (her ex-colleague, not a relative) said after she witnessed me take sips from a glass of Bacardi coke at age 10, and through teasing and other conversations.
"You better watch out - he starts young and breaks hearts."
Thanks for not telling me mum.
But yes, it's still strange to be able to talk about these things with your mum.
This is fucking hilarious and reminds me of the stupid diagrams that my brother and I used to draw and laugh at when we were younger:
I'm still very lost, like floating debris in space, but things are slowly coming back to me and I hope I'll be able to make more sense about these new feelings and new ideas.
In any case though, I don't need to go on about how much I absolutely miss the people I've met and how two months is too fucking long before I get to see them again.
In the meantime, I should be able to put those photos up on fbook over the weekend, since I'm collecting them on Friday!
_
spoken. at 11:08 PM :: 206 ::
soundcheck : Rika Muranaka - The Best Is Yet to Come
I'm back, and bitter sweet about the entire trip.
I can go on about the many things that I regret not having done, not having seen, the people I did not speak to etc - but I think the most important thing is that I realise - for a mere five days - I did things I could never really do with five or six years in Singapore.
The idea, was to find myself - the question was not where and who, but more so 'how'.
It is still an unanswered question, but I know I will never forget the simple roads I have taken to at least, try and get there.
I have left my heart in Phnom Penh. For, without rhyme or reason, falling in love is as simple as love itself should be.
I just hope we all meet again - and that we never stop letting the roads we take guide us through our many journeys.
_
spoken. at 1:20 PM
