One week to my birthday.
What am I looking forward to? Presents, yay! Drinks, wo-hoo! Being the centre of attention for a day, hurrah! Strip me of those 3 indulgences and what do I have? Nothing much, except that I’ll be a year older. What can one look forward to at 32? Well, a promotion (snore), a raise (yawn), more white hairs (aarrggh), marriage. Marriage? Nooooo. That’s definitely not in my list of things-to-do. Though I’m tempted to experiment with it. Yes, hardly decent of me to view this sacred matrimony as an experiment for the advancement of behavioural or social science. Don’t think anyone sane gets married for the ‘fun’ of it. Okay, strike that one off the list.
Mambo Kings is bloody awesome. Saw it for the hundredth time last night, and I was still hooked on the Cuban clubbing scene, from the Havana cigars to the Cuban horns and trumpets; the flamboyant costumes, the classy clubs and the tempestuous Creoles. Cesar Castillo still appears cool to me. The movie always takes me to an era long gone; a time very few still remember. The Fifties. Guess things here were pretty vivacious, as it was in America back then; look no further than the P. Ramlee movies, ronggeng girls and all. "Mari kita bergembira, di Kelab Copa Cabana.” It’s from Anak Bapak, if I’m not mistaken. Makes you wonder where this country and its people went wrong in the 80s. I’m pretty sure Malaya/ Malaysia was a happier and more happening place in the years leading up to the 80s, before racial and religious prejudices became ingrained in society. Plenty of sighs. A pity.
Cuba, now that’s a place I’d like to visit in my lifetime. Probably the most authentic of Creole nations in the Caribbean. Okay, I stand corrected; there probably is no such thing as a ‘Creole nation’ but I think the essence of what I’m saying is clear enough. Wonder how Havana is, with Fidel Castro no more in power, and the Cuban government seemingly receptive to gradual social and economic changes. Looks like Wikitravel is going to come in handy soon. On the subject of travel, there is a list of places I hope to tick off within the next ten years. Here they are, in no particular order:
And what’s in store for the immediate future? Well, hopefully a holiday before the year ends, but I haven’t pinpointed the destination. I’ve been hearing a lot about Hanoi, and Vientiane; odds are the former will be more my type of place (barring the cursed dog-eaters). It’ll all depend on good ol’ Air Asia. And if I can rustle a posse to fly with me.
Like I said, see how.
What am I looking forward to? Presents, yay! Drinks, wo-hoo! Being the centre of attention for a day, hurrah! Strip me of those 3 indulgences and what do I have? Nothing much, except that I’ll be a year older. What can one look forward to at 32? Well, a promotion (snore), a raise (yawn), more white hairs (aarrggh), marriage. Marriage? Nooooo. That’s definitely not in my list of things-to-do. Though I’m tempted to experiment with it. Yes, hardly decent of me to view this sacred matrimony as an experiment for the advancement of behavioural or social science. Don’t think anyone sane gets married for the ‘fun’ of it. Okay, strike that one off the list.
Mambo Kings is bloody awesome. Saw it for the hundredth time last night, and I was still hooked on the Cuban clubbing scene, from the Havana cigars to the Cuban horns and trumpets; the flamboyant costumes, the classy clubs and the tempestuous Creoles. Cesar Castillo still appears cool to me. The movie always takes me to an era long gone; a time very few still remember. The Fifties. Guess things here were pretty vivacious, as it was in America back then; look no further than the P. Ramlee movies, ronggeng girls and all. "Mari kita bergembira, di Kelab Copa Cabana.” It’s from Anak Bapak, if I’m not mistaken. Makes you wonder where this country and its people went wrong in the 80s. I’m pretty sure Malaya/ Malaysia was a happier and more happening place in the years leading up to the 80s, before racial and religious prejudices became ingrained in society. Plenty of sighs. A pity.
Cuba, now that’s a place I’d like to visit in my lifetime. Probably the most authentic of Creole nations in the Caribbean. Okay, I stand corrected; there probably is no such thing as a ‘Creole nation’ but I think the essence of what I’m saying is clear enough. Wonder how Havana is, with Fidel Castro no more in power, and the Cuban government seemingly receptive to gradual social and economic changes. Looks like Wikitravel is going to come in handy soon. On the subject of travel, there is a list of places I hope to tick off within the next ten years. Here they are, in no particular order:
- Rio
- Sun City
- Barcelona
- Berlin
- Rome
- Athens
- Istanbul
- Moscow
- Amsterdam
- Monte Carlo
- Havana
- Casablanca
- Dubai
- Macau
- Vientiane
- Tashkent
- Bali
- Kiev
And what’s in store for the immediate future? Well, hopefully a holiday before the year ends, but I haven’t pinpointed the destination. I’ve been hearing a lot about Hanoi, and Vientiane; odds are the former will be more my type of place (barring the cursed dog-eaters). It’ll all depend on good ol’ Air Asia. And if I can rustle a posse to fly with me.
Like I said, see how.
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