Pickles n' Tickles by JJ

I hear it's been raining cats and dogs back in Malaysia. Apparently the monsoon season this time around has been terrible and yet I can't imagine all that water pouring out of the sky. Over here,  I haven't experienced a single raindrop ever since I arrived last month. Not that I miss the rain and the traffic woe it brings to the city people + I love a bright sunny day any time but it's always refreshing after a shower. The sky is clearer and the air, cooler and maybe even cleaner. With or without a rainbow, it gives hope to a few more days of blue skies and sun.  Last night when I stood by the balcony in a star-gazing attempt, I was sorely disappointed. I had read somewhere that there'd be a rare meteor shower this week and I was hoping to catch a few falling stars. Unfortunately, it was an unnaturally cloudy night that had blocked away all the stars from me, crushing my wishes to wish upon a shooting star. The sky here is usually cloudless and when it's dar...

     Desert   Summer  SO I'm in Doha again, this time experiencing summer since so much has been said about the Middle Eastern summers. All my trips here to visit the husband had been during its cool winters, and while I do like the region's mild winters, I'd also love to experience its legendary summer heat. "It's not too bad now, you're lucky. At its peak, which is usually in June, July and August, the temperature can go up to 52 deg (Celsius). Just stepping out of a building totally drenches you like you've taken a bath. Clothes stick to your skin and you're just sticky all over," warned a Malaysian aircraft engineer whom I met on my flight here on Tuesday. So I'll need waterproof mascaras during summer time, I thought to myself. But I still couldn't imagine such an extremity. Fifty-two degrees. I've never experienced anything more than 34 deg, which is the hottest in Kuala Lumpur and even ...