Pickles n' Tickles by JJ

BEFORE we left for Africa, we were bombarded with crime alerts from concerned friends and family. In fact, safety was the only thing that got mentioned when we announced our dream holiday plans to them. By the time we left, we were quite bothered by all those alerts. And then, we landed in Johannesburg.  We took a cab and went out that very night when I realised what I was doing: I was looking at every person on the street and judging them indiscriminately. And I was very ashamed of myself for that. That night, I changed my tarnished mindset about the whole safety issue. Would I go out alone on foot or even in a car to some places in my own country? No! Why, I don't even have the peace of mind to walk in some areas during the day in Bangsar (Kuala Lumpur)! Crime risks are anywhere and everywhere, we just have to be street smart. I could have been pick-pocketed in Paris or robbed at gunpoint in New York too. When I was able to release that mindset, I saw the people ...

I faced it but failed to ace it. My fear of speed on undulating coaster tracks that is. We were at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi last month. It's  a huge indoor theme park running on the Ferrari theme. You can pretty much tell that speed and red are big at this park - two things that get me a little nail-biting nervous and cranky. If it wasn't for the theme park junkie who is the husband, I'd much rather be on a random desert or beach trip.  The park is an impressive steel structure with machines  like this on random display.  It's basically like the Disneyland of Ferrari. If you've experienced Disneyland, then you'd know of the kind of rides that I'm talking about. Indoor water rides, themed introductory rides, coasters and various games. The difference is that this park is entirely indoors (except for the coasters) and the rides are meant to give you a look and experience into the world of Ferrari and its technology. In short, it's the ultimate Fe...

SO I've been to Doha a few times already by now. Minimal or no changes at all on this flat land of sand and sandstorms, except that the population seemed to have increased by god-knows-how-many-folds judging from the volume of people seen at the popular Souk Waqif in the city centre two days ago. It's like people have multiplied like the sea sands. The last few times I was there, I remember liking the place for what it was - a perfect venue to people-watch, smoke Shisha and be a tourist. Now I don't know if that's a good thing... ...if there aren't enough social venues for this astounding volume! Perhaps, I'm a little spoiled coming from a city where food is available 24 hours a day, with freedom of alcohol consumption at random bistros and cafes and to do just about everything I wished for in a cultural setting that doesn't stare at me like I'm some kind of a three-eyed monster. I suppose people here are just a curious bunch given the potpourri of ...

HAPPY New Year y'all ! Hope you've had a blast and let's hope for a better year.  It's really been a long holiday for me and sadly it's coming to an end today as I get back to work on Sunday. Loved it although I think I need another short break to recover from it. The past three weeks had been a juggle between managing family members and finding precious pockets of time to recover from all that social and family interactions. In between all that, Aloy and I managed to seize some time, two nights and three days actually, to re-visit Penang. The road trip took us to Ipoh first for two days where my dad fed us with Indian curries and yummy Ipoh hawker food before we got back onto the North-South Highway to Penang. I've always liked driving up north for its endless green hills sprouted like brocolli heads in the vicinity. Really scenic especially when the sky is clear and blue.  Driving north on the North - South Highway is always a delight. Green hills and blu...

I'VE just checked into the Baan Amphawa Resort and Spa in Maeklong, Thailand, and really, it's been a long day. All thanks to our really sweet but also over-ambitious tour guide who was very insistent on visiting ' just  another beautiful place' before the next destination. With that, we've managed to squeeze in the Maeklong Market tour which includes watching the train pass through the market and visiting the community temple, Siam Cultural Park, a visit to another temple before shopping at the famous Amphawa floating market by the Maeklong River, dinner and a one-hour boat ride along a canal to see twinkling fire-flies. That was my day four of a six-day work tour to some tourist attractions in Thailand in an effort to promote the Northern neighbour after the November flood disaster. The railway market is along the track and it's amazing how the traders very quickly make way for the train which passes through  them 8 times a day. The train is passing...

I hardly curse or swear. But when I'm on the road, experiencing various forms of irresponsible driving, it brings out the monster in me. The blood pressure and the middle finger go up as I honk and swear at a suicidal motorcyclist or the retard behind the wheels of a poshy Beemer, who has no road courtesy at all. Unladylike of me, but really - I was once tempted to hire a bulldozer to graze the stretch of illegally parked cars along the ramp across Phileo Damansara I in Petaling Jaya (PJ). It's not funny how these immobile vehicles can drive me crazy. The selfish drivers, who refuse to pay a small parking fee at the basement car park rather take the easy way out by obstructing traffic at the ramp and the road below it, which leads to the Damansara - Puchong Highway (LDP). During the evening rush hour, the path to LDP becomes severely obstructed due to the odd vehicles which take up one side of the road. Council enforcement and the police do summon them occasionally, but ...

     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 ...

A French friend of mine once told me that I had an old soul beneath the young countenance. Rejean Fontaine, whom I had met at a birthday party several years ago, said he saw it in my eyes, hence I attracted older people. Trust that pick-up line from a charming French man but when I look back today, Rejean was probably right. Most of my friends (Rejean included) are older people, if not senior citizens, and I love them all. I'm particularly fond of senior citizens -there is something about them that's endearing. I love listening to them, to their stories of the past and present, even if they forget and repeat them a few times over. So befrending the Scotts during the second day of our holiday in Paris was a pleasure indeed. My husband and I bumped into the elderly Welsh couple while on a L' Open Tour bus (hop-on hop-off), which took us to the North of the city. Angela and Alistair had been on the Orient Express from London ear...