30.12.2009, 2:40-ish am, in Dahab, Egypt, I wrote the following entry into my diary:
“I will love and take care of myself more
I will be a better daughter
I will be a better sister
I will be a better friend
I will cherish each day as a gift
I will be thankful for my life
I will learn more from the strengths of others
I will find ways to let my strengths help others
I will look to learn something new each day
I will be less afraid
I will listen to my heart more
I will let my guard down more”
Looking back, it must have been a sudden moment of clarity at a time of pain and confusion. On 30.12.2009, I have no doubt I was a mess. I was feeling the pain and humiliation of a failed marriage. I was feeling the heartache of love lost. I was feeling the fear of being alone. I was feeling confused and without direction. I had spent the year of 2009 running away from my fears. And in the early morning of 30.12.2009, a day away from New Year’s Eve 2010, in a sudden moment of clarity, I put to paper the manifesto above, what I believed I needed to do to get past the pain and sorrow, and move towards a place of peace, of contentment.
Fast-forward to 21.09.2010, and I find things are easier said than done. In fact I have not looked back on those words until today. I spent the better half of the year getting over the heartache, getting over the panic-inducing fear of being alone, coming to terms with the divorce, stopping the tears, and accepting where I am today, which is:
I am 34
I am divorced
I am living alone for the very first time in my life
I cherish dearly the friendship, and the memories I have with Ed
I am thankful for my loving, patient and understanding parents
I am grateful for the love and support of my friends
Aside from the odd “hiccup”, my life to date has been an amazing one
I am child of this earth, born in the Philippines, but a product of the places I’ve lived (Papua New Guinea, Philippines, USA, UK), and the people I’ve known
I have been able to travel and see the world
I am blessed with good health, and can engage in all my crazy outdoor pursuits
I am educated and free to make choices in my career
I have made mistakes in my life. I hope I have learnt from them to become stronger
I seek nothing more than to find and live my destiny, whatever that is
I aspire to live my life by those 30.12.2009 words, my manifesto.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Friday, 19 September 2008
Excerpts from a night out in Brighton, UK
The Setting: A “tapas” (if you consider Eggs Benedict a tapa) restaurant in Brighton. It is Small’s roll-off party Part 1.
Regular Cast:
Croker – The “Geek”
Small – The “American”
Craney – The “Northerner”
PMO – a.k.a “Chloe”
Hewett – The “Trouble-maker” and also the scribe for this excerpt
Special Guest Appearance:
Candy – Friend of the American
Tim – From Manchester. Definitely NOT a Man U fan.
EXCERPTS
Quote of the night:
Croker leans over to engage in some intelligent political conversation with Small and her also ‘American’ friend Candy
“So what do you guys actually think, do you like Bush?”
Snap of the night:
Croker’s intense facial expressions as he air guitars his heart out in Oceana – Small, this must be retrieved from Candy’s camera, all other photographic evidence from that night can be destroyed :-)
Dumb arse of the night:
Craney deep in conversation with Candy, trying desperately to appear intelligent and witty is describing the expense policy:
“So we get 30 pounds a head per person, so 10 people gives us 300, 8 people would give us…….erm………erm…. (lower lip pout)…ah…” Queue trademark blush and hysterical laughter.
Later whilst trying to salvage some dignity Craney changes tactics and moves in with the “So what do you do” line to Candy.
Candy ”I am Cytologist”1
The confident smile falters from Craney’s face and a sweat starts to bead on his brow as realisation dawns he is way out of his depth.
Candy sensing his discomfort throws a life line. “I basically look through microscopes at cells”, Everyone nods knowingly clearly deducing the field of work. Craney seeing this starts to panic as his mind draws blank on the significance.
After an uncomfortable wait, with a pre-emptive pout, Craney throws caution to the wind and squeaks out in finest scouser "Is that medical?"
Gross out of the night:
Small makes comment to everyone as they sit round the table at dinner, finishing their respective tapas, of her preferred method of consuming substances two people swap…”Spread on toast”.
Stupid Ideas of the night:
- Hewett suggesting Oceana
- Hewett suggesting shots of tequila
- Hewett allowing Small and Candy to use him as a human shield on the packed dance floor between them and the hordes of lusty men seeking their wears and thus becoming a target for their collective displeasure.
- Hewett suggesting night cap bottle of red wine somewhere north of 3:30am
Medical Marvel of the night:
Craney ordering 13 shots of sambuca, arguing his fundamentally flawed mathematics with PMO for why we required 13 (there were 7 of us), drinking three and then looking like his head is going to explode and running like a girl from the bar, not to be seen again that night.
Spectacle of the night:
Tim’s awesome flowery shirt
Next Day Mysteries:
Croker leaving to catch the train at 8:30 to Durrington, being picked up in a daze by Hewett 1 hour and 15 minutes later outside the Ardington in Worthing2
Footnotes:
1 Duly corrected from “Scientologist”. Candy does not subscribe to the religion that is Scientology.
2 Worthing is a 25 minute train ride from Brighton. Durrington is a further 2 stops from Worthing.
Regular Cast:
Croker – The “Geek”
Small – The “American”
Craney – The “Northerner”
PMO – a.k.a “Chloe”
Hewett – The “Trouble-maker” and also the scribe for this excerpt
Special Guest Appearance:
Candy – Friend of the American
Tim – From Manchester. Definitely NOT a Man U fan.
EXCERPTS
Quote of the night:
Croker leans over to engage in some intelligent political conversation with Small and her also ‘American’ friend Candy
“So what do you guys actually think, do you like Bush?”
Snap of the night:
Croker’s intense facial expressions as he air guitars his heart out in Oceana – Small, this must be retrieved from Candy’s camera, all other photographic evidence from that night can be destroyed :-)
Dumb arse of the night:
Craney deep in conversation with Candy, trying desperately to appear intelligent and witty is describing the expense policy:
“So we get 30 pounds a head per person, so 10 people gives us 300, 8 people would give us…….erm………erm…. (lower lip pout)…ah…” Queue trademark blush and hysterical laughter.
Later whilst trying to salvage some dignity Craney changes tactics and moves in with the “So what do you do” line to Candy.
Candy ”I am Cytologist”1
The confident smile falters from Craney’s face and a sweat starts to bead on his brow as realisation dawns he is way out of his depth.
Candy sensing his discomfort throws a life line. “I basically look through microscopes at cells”, Everyone nods knowingly clearly deducing the field of work. Craney seeing this starts to panic as his mind draws blank on the significance.
After an uncomfortable wait, with a pre-emptive pout, Craney throws caution to the wind and squeaks out in finest scouser "Is that medical?"
Gross out of the night:
Small makes comment to everyone as they sit round the table at dinner, finishing their respective tapas, of her preferred method of consuming substances two people swap…”Spread on toast”.
Stupid Ideas of the night:
- Hewett suggesting Oceana
- Hewett suggesting shots of tequila
- Hewett allowing Small and Candy to use him as a human shield on the packed dance floor between them and the hordes of lusty men seeking their wears and thus becoming a target for their collective displeasure.
- Hewett suggesting night cap bottle of red wine somewhere north of 3:30am
Medical Marvel of the night:
Craney ordering 13 shots of sambuca, arguing his fundamentally flawed mathematics with PMO for why we required 13 (there were 7 of us), drinking three and then looking like his head is going to explode and running like a girl from the bar, not to be seen again that night.
Spectacle of the night:
Tim’s awesome flowery shirt
Next Day Mysteries:
Croker leaving to catch the train at 8:30 to Durrington, being picked up in a daze by Hewett 1 hour and 15 minutes later outside the Ardington in Worthing2
Footnotes:
1 Duly corrected from “Scientologist”. Candy does not subscribe to the religion that is Scientology.
2 Worthing is a 25 minute train ride from Brighton. Durrington is a further 2 stops from Worthing.
Sunday, 29 June 2008
Weekends
It's been a relatively quiet June, with weekends spent in and around town, catching up on sleep, catching up on gym etc. Below are some pics from our various weekend activities in June:
England vs. Barbarians, Twickenham Stadium
First trip to Twickenham stadium and first live rugby match. England managed to scrape by to win. Phew.
Pennyhill Spa, Surrey
First foray into the previously unexplored world of the English Spa. How did it take us this long to discover this novel concept? Pennyhill had a myriad pools, saunas, steam rooms. Plus I managed to squeeze a mighty fine aromatherapy massage into the hectic day of spa-ing (so many pools to discover, so many naps to take!)
Pics (L-R): Ed in spa robe and slippers, grounds and outdoor pools, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, gardens
Mucking about London
This weekend we had an afternoon appointment in town and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon mucking about – first jug of Pimms for the year (hooray! – Summer’s here) in St Christopher’s Place, followed by first Japanese dinner since our Japanese vacation, capped off with a movie in Leicester square.
England vs. Barbarians, Twickenham Stadium
First trip to Twickenham stadium and first live rugby match. England managed to scrape by to win. Phew.
Pennyhill Spa, Surrey
First foray into the previously unexplored world of the English Spa. How did it take us this long to discover this novel concept? Pennyhill had a myriad pools, saunas, steam rooms. Plus I managed to squeeze a mighty fine aromatherapy massage into the hectic day of spa-ing (so many pools to discover, so many naps to take!)
Pics (L-R): Ed in spa robe and slippers, grounds and outdoor pools, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, gardens
Mucking about London
This weekend we had an afternoon appointment in town and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon mucking about – first jug of Pimms for the year (hooray! – Summer’s here) in St Christopher’s Place, followed by first Japanese dinner since our Japanese vacation, capped off with a movie in Leicester square.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
Out of Steam
It’s an absolutely glorious day in London today. Maybe one of the best of the year so far. I’m still in my pajamas. I can’t get my butt off the couch. I am officially pooped, shattered, tired and in need of a generous dose of inactivity.
And what’s an active month it’s been.
This week
Just back from Basingstoke this morning after dinner and late night drinking/hookah smoking last night with Vineet and Rhadikha. Absolutely gracious hosts! Thanks very much. The food and company were amazing.
Spent the workweek trying to stay awake past 6 p.m. and not wake up at 4 a.m. Inconvenient sleeping patterns and 2 weeks of work catch-up had me feeling exhausted by Friday.
May Week 3-4
Spent two amazing weeks traipsing around Japan (Tokyo-Kinoski-Kyoto-Himji-Osaka-Fukuoka-Tokyo). Taking in the sights. Eating everything in sight. Drinking an awful lot.
Ed and I have finally finished sorting through the 1678 pictures we took on our trip. They can be accessed via the Travel Page on Smallzone.
Brain is too fried to give a decent play-by-play and I am ashamedly resorting to highlighting my “Mosts”:
Most unique experience – 3 days of onsen bathing (naked!) in Kinosaki. This includes 3 whole days with nothing but a robe on in between baths and eating the most amazing and endless meals served by our gracious chambermaid.
Most surprising insight into locals – They are party animals!. Every city had one or more nightlife districts packed with eating and drinking establishments catering to hordes of locals out any (and seemingly every) night of week until sun rise.
Most envious of –
1. Super toilets (seat warmers, odour free, wash and bidet modes, with adjustable water pressure and oscillation settings, etc)
2. Amazing train service, especially bullet trains. Made traipsing around the country an easy task
Most can’t get enough of food item – Fukuoka ramen with its distinctive white, rich pork-based broth, ramen noodles and sesame seeds. Were almost certain we couldn’t get it back in London so we ate a bowl or 2 at every opportunity
Most heart-attack inducing food item – by far Kobe beef, absolutely rippled with “burst in your mouth as you chew” fat although the fatty tuna isn’t far behind.
Most surreal experiences –
1. Getting jiggy with it in Roppongi with sumo wrestlers
2. Stumbling onto a tiny 2nd floor Piss Alley (Golden Gai, Tokyo) bar with flaming belly dancers
Most self-insight inducing experiences -
1. Sushi at 6 in the morning is a struggle. Love sushi. Just not at 6 am
2. Bathing in the nude with random strangers is not as bad as it sounds, and can even be a relaxing and liberating experience
Most admiration inducing experience – each perfect Starbucks cup of coffee caringly and meticulously made. The Japanese are perfectionists, or at a minimum very serious in delivering only the best service and experience possible. Whether it be the perfect Starbucks cappuccino, or the room service breakfast with orange glasses in specially made coolers, and a toaster and bread (rather than cold toast), or the specialised tools for every possible thing, or the cleanliness of all public places. Aside from being perfectionists, the Japanese are also very respectful, friendly and industrious people, eager to please. This made travelling around Japan an absolute pleasure.
Most wtf?!% moment – Seeing light out of window after an all-nighter capped by copious amounts of whiskey, cigar smoking and iberico ham at a cigar bar. Could have kept on drinking, smoking, eating if the bar did not close at 5 (NB. This was Day 1 (or should I say 2?) of the trip. Certainly set the tone for the trip!).
Most stealthy consumable - Sake. Went down much to easily
Only regret – amount of dieting I now need to do
Some pics from the trip (L-R): Beautiful gardens at Ginkaku-ji (Kyoto), Geisha sightings (Kyoto), Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto), Decked in robes (Kinosaki), , Shinjuku lights (Tokyo), Himeji Castle (Himeji), Sumo-sandwich (Tokyo)
May Week 2
Spent the weekend in Paris with work folks. There was much drinking to be had. Nothing much else to report on this except to callout to my good friends Ian and Steve H who insist on being mentioned on my blog. To Ian – hope we stay firm friends. Else I’ll just have to add a link on my blog to your very special website. To Steve H (2nd) – hope we stay firm friends, as I’d like to avoid having my own very special website put together by your very capable self. Pics on Facebook.
And what’s an active month it’s been.
This week
Just back from Basingstoke this morning after dinner and late night drinking/hookah smoking last night with Vineet and Rhadikha. Absolutely gracious hosts! Thanks very much. The food and company were amazing.
Spent the workweek trying to stay awake past 6 p.m. and not wake up at 4 a.m. Inconvenient sleeping patterns and 2 weeks of work catch-up had me feeling exhausted by Friday.
May Week 3-4
Spent two amazing weeks traipsing around Japan (Tokyo-Kinoski-Kyoto-Himji-Osaka-Fukuoka-Tokyo). Taking in the sights. Eating everything in sight. Drinking an awful lot.
Ed and I have finally finished sorting through the 1678 pictures we took on our trip. They can be accessed via the Travel Page on Smallzone.
Brain is too fried to give a decent play-by-play and I am ashamedly resorting to highlighting my “Mosts”:
Most unique experience – 3 days of onsen bathing (naked!) in Kinosaki. This includes 3 whole days with nothing but a robe on in between baths and eating the most amazing and endless meals served by our gracious chambermaid.
Most surprising insight into locals – They are party animals!. Every city had one or more nightlife districts packed with eating and drinking establishments catering to hordes of locals out any (and seemingly every) night of week until sun rise.
Most envious of –
1. Super toilets (seat warmers, odour free, wash and bidet modes, with adjustable water pressure and oscillation settings, etc)
2. Amazing train service, especially bullet trains. Made traipsing around the country an easy task
Most can’t get enough of food item – Fukuoka ramen with its distinctive white, rich pork-based broth, ramen noodles and sesame seeds. Were almost certain we couldn’t get it back in London so we ate a bowl or 2 at every opportunity
Most heart-attack inducing food item – by far Kobe beef, absolutely rippled with “burst in your mouth as you chew” fat although the fatty tuna isn’t far behind.
Most surreal experiences –
1. Getting jiggy with it in Roppongi with sumo wrestlers
2. Stumbling onto a tiny 2nd floor Piss Alley (Golden Gai, Tokyo) bar with flaming belly dancers
Most self-insight inducing experiences -
1. Sushi at 6 in the morning is a struggle. Love sushi. Just not at 6 am
2. Bathing in the nude with random strangers is not as bad as it sounds, and can even be a relaxing and liberating experience
Most admiration inducing experience – each perfect Starbucks cup of coffee caringly and meticulously made. The Japanese are perfectionists, or at a minimum very serious in delivering only the best service and experience possible. Whether it be the perfect Starbucks cappuccino, or the room service breakfast with orange glasses in specially made coolers, and a toaster and bread (rather than cold toast), or the specialised tools for every possible thing, or the cleanliness of all public places. Aside from being perfectionists, the Japanese are also very respectful, friendly and industrious people, eager to please. This made travelling around Japan an absolute pleasure.
Most wtf?!% moment – Seeing light out of window after an all-nighter capped by copious amounts of whiskey, cigar smoking and iberico ham at a cigar bar. Could have kept on drinking, smoking, eating if the bar did not close at 5 (NB. This was Day 1 (or should I say 2?) of the trip. Certainly set the tone for the trip!).
Most stealthy consumable - Sake. Went down much to easily
Only regret – amount of dieting I now need to do
Some pics from the trip (L-R): Beautiful gardens at Ginkaku-ji (Kyoto), Geisha sightings (Kyoto), Pagoda at Kiyomizu-dera (Kyoto), Decked in robes (Kinosaki), , Shinjuku lights (Tokyo), Himeji Castle (Himeji), Sumo-sandwich (Tokyo)
May Week 2
Spent the weekend in Paris with work folks. There was much drinking to be had. Nothing much else to report on this except to callout to my good friends Ian and Steve H who insist on being mentioned on my blog. To Ian – hope we stay firm friends. Else I’ll just have to add a link on my blog to your very special website. To Steve H (2nd) – hope we stay firm friends, as I’d like to avoid having my own very special website put together by your very capable self. Pics on Facebook.
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
May Bank Holiday Weekend
This past weekend was long bank holiday weekend. It was the perfect time for some R&R after a long weekend in Miami last week, a weekend in Paris coming up, and 2 whole weeks in Japan the weeks following. The cherry on top of the cake is that 2 of the 3 days were sunny and absolutely glorious.
Saturday – Boozing and Snoozing
On Saturday we spent the day boozing and snoozing in the sun. The picture below says it all.
Sunday – Chill, Gym, Pub
Sunday was the overcast day of the weekend. We spent it quietly at home in the morning, then hit the gym in the afternoon. We then drowned our sorrows for the gym sauna being out of order at the pub where we downed a couple of pints of pretty strong beer before meandering back to the apartment for some patio BBQ and more booze.
Monday – Spurt of energy
All the booze we had on Saturday and Sunday must have had an energizing effect for we were on the go go go on Monday. We brushed the cobwebs off the bicycles and went for a leisurely ride around South West London. Our route was as follows:
• Navigate through stroller filled Wandsworth park
• Cycle along Wandle River (little pocket of nature sandwiched between ugly industrial sites)
• Pitt stop and refuel at Wimbledon town centre
• Find way to Wimbledon common and climb killer hill to get there
• Meander through trees and trails of refreshingly overgrown/non-manicured Wimbledon Common
• Resist urge to “quench” thirst in outdoor seating of several pubs along the way
• Make way back home
Some pics from the bike ride:
Wandle Riverside
Nature juxtaposed against industry
Wimbledon cottage
Wimbledon Common
Changing topography - cycling on main road
After a brief stop at home to get directions, we picked up our Streetcar VW, loaded it up with golf clubs and gym gear and headed to the driving range where we hit a couple hundred balls. It had been 2 years since we’d done anything golf related and we were surprisingly not as horribly bad as we thought we would be. Definitely something we’ll be wanting to do more frequently, and maybe sometime in the next month or so even venture onto a course.
From the driving range we dropped the Streetcar car off, then headed to our beloved gym which we love at the moment but is in grave danger of falling out of favour if the sauna continues to remain out of order :-(.
Exhausted and with weary bodies, we headed back home stopping off at our local pizzeria for big helpings of pasta and an antioxidant-rich sleep-inducing bottle of red wine.
Last stop was home. Sleep. Zzzzzzzzzz. Good bank holiday weekend over and out.
Saturday – Boozing and Snoozing
On Saturday we spent the day boozing and snoozing in the sun. The picture below says it all.
Sunday – Chill, Gym, Pub
Sunday was the overcast day of the weekend. We spent it quietly at home in the morning, then hit the gym in the afternoon. We then drowned our sorrows for the gym sauna being out of order at the pub where we downed a couple of pints of pretty strong beer before meandering back to the apartment for some patio BBQ and more booze.
Monday – Spurt of energy
All the booze we had on Saturday and Sunday must have had an energizing effect for we were on the go go go on Monday. We brushed the cobwebs off the bicycles and went for a leisurely ride around South West London. Our route was as follows:
• Navigate through stroller filled Wandsworth park
• Cycle along Wandle River (little pocket of nature sandwiched between ugly industrial sites)
• Pitt stop and refuel at Wimbledon town centre
• Find way to Wimbledon common and climb killer hill to get there
• Meander through trees and trails of refreshingly overgrown/non-manicured Wimbledon Common
• Resist urge to “quench” thirst in outdoor seating of several pubs along the way
• Make way back home
Some pics from the bike ride:
Wandle Riverside
Nature juxtaposed against industry
Wimbledon cottage
Wimbledon Common
Changing topography - cycling on main roadAfter a brief stop at home to get directions, we picked up our Streetcar VW, loaded it up with golf clubs and gym gear and headed to the driving range where we hit a couple hundred balls. It had been 2 years since we’d done anything golf related and we were surprisingly not as horribly bad as we thought we would be. Definitely something we’ll be wanting to do more frequently, and maybe sometime in the next month or so even venture onto a course.
From the driving range we dropped the Streetcar car off, then headed to our beloved gym which we love at the moment but is in grave danger of falling out of favour if the sauna continues to remain out of order :-(.
Exhausted and with weary bodies, we headed back home stopping off at our local pizzeria for big helpings of pasta and an antioxidant-rich sleep-inducing bottle of red wine.
Last stop was home. Sleep. Zzzzzzzzzz. Good bank holiday weekend over and out.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Bahama Mamas!
Last weekend I got to spend 4 days in glorious sunshine with 4 of my closest friends as we embarked on our much anticipated Bahama-Mama (plus Miami) vacation! It was great to see the girls. I met them all as a freshman in high-school, and since then we’ve each come a long way, had our fare share of ups and downs, and remain to this day fast friends.
Thursday – Convergence
On day 1 we all fly into Miami from our respective home cities. Me from London, Candy from San Diego, Joffin from New Jersey, and Lubs and PJ from Maryland. We spent the afternoon catching up over tropical mixed drinks, and soaking up the South Beach atmosphere.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at Wish Restaurant, then checked the Sobe party scene out till the early hours of the morning.
Some pics from the day - 1) Dinner at Wish, 2) Sobe club
Friday – Nurse hangovers, Intro to Fascination
Friday morning we head down to the Big Pink diner for some hangover therapy (big plate of steak and eggs for me!!) before heading to the beach for a good dose of rays. The grown up girls stripped down to their grown up bikinis :-). How far we’ve come!
In the afternoon we head over to Miami port and board our home for the next 3 days – the Carnival Fascination. Fascinatingly cheesy is what it was, with flashy panels, disco lighting, and Pepto-Bismol pink upholstery – fascinating indeed. Oh, and there’s a sorry and severe shortage of eye candy :-(. But I’m in good company and the weathers great. Before long we trundling down south, boat lurching and stomachs turning but we manage to do the boat justice with visits to the karaoke bar (Go Joffin!), the “Passage to India” (bar with a 4-Filipino-dude band), the casino (Go Lubs! – a serious rouletter) and of course “Diamonds are Forever”, the supremely classy (not!) dance club for some entertaining exhibitions of grinding on the dance floor.
Some pics from the day - 1)Miami Beach, 2) Carnival Fascination, 3) Quality decor
Saturday – Bahama Mamas
We get up early Saturday morning and find we’ve docked in Nassau. Woohoo! Time off the boat. We’d signed up for a beach island excursion, so we’re up and out by 9, and on a ferry over to an island near Nassau for some beach bumming. We get a good dose of sunshine (more bikinis!), and do some snorkelling with the resident sting rays.
In the afternoon we eat our way through Nassau. After a short stroll around the downtown, we stop at a restaurant to try some conch fritters washed down with cold Kalik beer (local beer). We then hop onto the local 10 bus to a fort for some quick tourist pics before heading across to street to the “Fish Fry” i.e. a street of fish shacks. We duck into Antonios and proceed to consume a fish snack, fried conch snack, and a conch salad, washed down with more Kalik. Note, the Bahamian meaning for snack is by no means the common understanding of the word. A Bahamian snack is a plate fully loaded with a small helping of salad, a big helping of fried fish or conch, and an even bigger helping of chips (fries). We were no match for the Bahamian appetite!
In the evening we get all decked out for a night out at the Atlantis, and dance the night away at the dance club, before heading back to the boat, confirming the latest time we can get back, spend our remaining time at a club nearby, and stumble back onto the boat when the club closed/kicked us out, or at 5 a.m. (whichever came first).
Some pics from the day - 1) Disembarking, 2) Snorkelling with sting rays, 3) Clubbing in Atlantis
Sunday – Cabin Fever
With hangovers and achy feet we awake to another sunny day. The boat’s back out at sea but is craaaaaawling. We’d wondered about what Sunday held in store and were somewhat disbelieving of the itinerary i.e. day on boat. Itinerary was correct. The boat continues to craaaaaaawl. And we’re stuck on it! Cabin fever ensues. Somehow we manage to kill the time. Barely. We end the day with watching the a-la-Vegas show (scantily glad woman with bad wigs dancing), a pretty entertaining midnight comedy show, a short stint at the Piano bar, and one final try at “Diamonds are Forever”- still barely palatable.
Monday – One more dose of Miami Beach, Goodbyes
We awake to find ourselves docked back in Miami port. With all our flights leaving later in the afternoon, we decide to book a hotel in Miami for the day, and head back out to the beach for one final dose of rays, and then some window shopping along Lincoln Road. After quick showers and packing, we begin the sad process of saying goodbye :-(. It was great seeing the girls. We’ve tossing around the idea of all heading to the Philippines sometime next year for a mini-reunion with the rest of the gang. Can’t wait.
N.B. For more pictures from the trip, visit the photo album accessed via the Smallzone Travel Photo page for 2008
Thursday – Convergence
On day 1 we all fly into Miami from our respective home cities. Me from London, Candy from San Diego, Joffin from New Jersey, and Lubs and PJ from Maryland. We spent the afternoon catching up over tropical mixed drinks, and soaking up the South Beach atmosphere.
In the evening we have a wonderful dinner at Wish Restaurant, then checked the Sobe party scene out till the early hours of the morning.
Some pics from the day - 1) Dinner at Wish, 2) Sobe club
Friday – Nurse hangovers, Intro to Fascination
Friday morning we head down to the Big Pink diner for some hangover therapy (big plate of steak and eggs for me!!) before heading to the beach for a good dose of rays. The grown up girls stripped down to their grown up bikinis :-). How far we’ve come!
In the afternoon we head over to Miami port and board our home for the next 3 days – the Carnival Fascination. Fascinatingly cheesy is what it was, with flashy panels, disco lighting, and Pepto-Bismol pink upholstery – fascinating indeed. Oh, and there’s a sorry and severe shortage of eye candy :-(. But I’m in good company and the weathers great. Before long we trundling down south, boat lurching and stomachs turning but we manage to do the boat justice with visits to the karaoke bar (Go Joffin!), the “Passage to India” (bar with a 4-Filipino-dude band), the casino (Go Lubs! – a serious rouletter) and of course “Diamonds are Forever”, the supremely classy (not!) dance club for some entertaining exhibitions of grinding on the dance floor.
Some pics from the day - 1)Miami Beach, 2) Carnival Fascination, 3) Quality decor
Saturday – Bahama Mamas
We get up early Saturday morning and find we’ve docked in Nassau. Woohoo! Time off the boat. We’d signed up for a beach island excursion, so we’re up and out by 9, and on a ferry over to an island near Nassau for some beach bumming. We get a good dose of sunshine (more bikinis!), and do some snorkelling with the resident sting rays.
In the afternoon we eat our way through Nassau. After a short stroll around the downtown, we stop at a restaurant to try some conch fritters washed down with cold Kalik beer (local beer). We then hop onto the local 10 bus to a fort for some quick tourist pics before heading across to street to the “Fish Fry” i.e. a street of fish shacks. We duck into Antonios and proceed to consume a fish snack, fried conch snack, and a conch salad, washed down with more Kalik. Note, the Bahamian meaning for snack is by no means the common understanding of the word. A Bahamian snack is a plate fully loaded with a small helping of salad, a big helping of fried fish or conch, and an even bigger helping of chips (fries). We were no match for the Bahamian appetite!
In the evening we get all decked out for a night out at the Atlantis, and dance the night away at the dance club, before heading back to the boat, confirming the latest time we can get back, spend our remaining time at a club nearby, and stumble back onto the boat when the club closed/kicked us out, or at 5 a.m. (whichever came first).
Some pics from the day - 1) Disembarking, 2) Snorkelling with sting rays, 3) Clubbing in Atlantis
Sunday – Cabin Fever
With hangovers and achy feet we awake to another sunny day. The boat’s back out at sea but is craaaaaawling. We’d wondered about what Sunday held in store and were somewhat disbelieving of the itinerary i.e. day on boat. Itinerary was correct. The boat continues to craaaaaaawl. And we’re stuck on it! Cabin fever ensues. Somehow we manage to kill the time. Barely. We end the day with watching the a-la-Vegas show (scantily glad woman with bad wigs dancing), a pretty entertaining midnight comedy show, a short stint at the Piano bar, and one final try at “Diamonds are Forever”- still barely palatable.
Monday – One more dose of Miami Beach, Goodbyes
We awake to find ourselves docked back in Miami port. With all our flights leaving later in the afternoon, we decide to book a hotel in Miami for the day, and head back out to the beach for one final dose of rays, and then some window shopping along Lincoln Road. After quick showers and packing, we begin the sad process of saying goodbye :-(. It was great seeing the girls. We’ve tossing around the idea of all heading to the Philippines sometime next year for a mini-reunion with the rest of the gang. Can’t wait.
N.B. For more pictures from the trip, visit the photo album accessed via the Smallzone Travel Photo page for 2008
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Sunday Dinner Series, 12-April
I love seafood, and will quite often opt for seafood pasta when at an Italian restaurant. So for this week I decided to try make a Linguine Con Frutti Di Mare at home, and was duly rewarded. All the components are easy to make, and come together at the end for some lip-smacking goodness. Yummy. When choosing a wine for the meal, memories of a spicy crab pasta at a small restaurant in Alghero, Sardinia served as inspiration.
Marina Sauce
2 cans peeled or crushed Italian plum tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt
Olive oil (about ¼ cup)
Heat olive oil, then add garlic and cook till slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to lively boil, add salt, them simmer for about 30 minutes.
Seafood – any kind you prefer. I opted for:
Scallops
Prawns (I left heads on for flavour and just sliced down the middle for ease in cooking)
Clams
Olive oil
2 cloves, crushed garlic
In large skillet, heat olive oil and cook garlic until lightly browned. Remove garlic. Cook scallops in olive oil about 3 minutes a side until nicely browned but still plump/juicy. Remove to plate. Season with salt. Cook prawns about 2 minutes a side until done. Remove to plate. Season with salt. Add marinara sauce and clams and cook until clams open, removing to plate as they open.
Linguine pasta – cook in boiling salted water for 11 minutes.
To finish, add pasta to skillet. Add generous dousing of olive oil and toss. Add in seafood. Plate and finish off with generous sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
Wine
For wine, I opted for a Sardinian red - Rocca Rubia 2004 Carignanon Del Sulcis Riserva - tasty with a slight kick to stand up to the richness of the garlicky spicy tomato marinara and seafood.
Some pics fro the meal:
Marina Sauce
2 cans peeled or crushed Italian plum tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp crushed chilli flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt
Olive oil (about ¼ cup)
Heat olive oil, then add garlic and cook till slightly browned. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to lively boil, add salt, them simmer for about 30 minutes.
Seafood – any kind you prefer. I opted for:
Scallops
Prawns (I left heads on for flavour and just sliced down the middle for ease in cooking)
Clams
Olive oil
2 cloves, crushed garlic
In large skillet, heat olive oil and cook garlic until lightly browned. Remove garlic. Cook scallops in olive oil about 3 minutes a side until nicely browned but still plump/juicy. Remove to plate. Season with salt. Cook prawns about 2 minutes a side until done. Remove to plate. Season with salt. Add marinara sauce and clams and cook until clams open, removing to plate as they open.
Linguine pasta – cook in boiling salted water for 11 minutes.
To finish, add pasta to skillet. Add generous dousing of olive oil and toss. Add in seafood. Plate and finish off with generous sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.
Wine
For wine, I opted for a Sardinian red - Rocca Rubia 2004 Carignanon Del Sulcis Riserva - tasty with a slight kick to stand up to the richness of the garlicky spicy tomato marinara and seafood.
Some pics fro the meal:
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