My week with Nyk

We reached back in KL last Tuesday evening on a 30-minute delayed flight. Nyk and I had dinner together at a coffee shop near his house and all too soon, it was time to say goodbye.

It was our first trip together and it was memorable. We took many photographs together or in the words of Ritsuka from the anime Loveless, "create memories". I get to see him for 24 hours a day, with him beside me all day long, seeing him smile and cheery, never a dull moment.

The main reason probably is due to our distance and hence our time together is still exciting and treasured.

I got to see him on Wednesday night and on Friday for lunch karaoke. It was another first with him and we kicked off our duet with If We Hold On Together by Diana Ross. Not really a love song but it was a song we are both familiar with as it is always sung in leadership camps.

He went back to work and I watched Hellboy II. I have been a fan of Guillermo del Toro's work since Pan's Labyrinth. And I was not disappointed as Hellboy was a visual feast of weird and fantastical creatures.

After work, we went to this restaurant called DainTi Hill. It serves Japanese and Chinese dishes. We ordered pork, frog's legs, chicken, dragon roll sushi etc. Food was quite good and it was a good choice of eatery by Nyk.

On Saturday, SK, Nyk and I met up again for one last time. I needed a haircut and he brought me to his hairstylist for a quick snip snip. We headed back to my house as we were too tired to go anywhere else.

Surprisingly, my mum never mentioned anything about Nyk during and after his visit. She did seem to take a liking for SK though LOL

Nyk and SK were invited for dinner but they declined.

I headed back to Singapore on Sunday. After a week long break, it was finally back to work on Monday.

A very relaxing week away from work and more importantly, with my dearest. I came back refreshed, recharged and rejuvenated.

Looking forward to our next trip in November.

The cat is out of the bag Pt II

Me: That I am actually a serial killer on the 10 most wanted Interpol's list?

MJ: Should we be scared? Anyway, whatever that we know, we assure you that we won’t tell anyone. We swear.

Me: Ok.

PL: Shall we say out loud what it is that we know or do you know by now? Or shall it be an unspoken?

Me: You can just say it. It’s up to you.

PL: We know what happened in June 2005. And I have to say, I really admire you for that.

Me: Thank you.

PL: So you won’t suddenly resign tomorrow, since that we now know?

Me: No la, just because of this ... I would probably just have to kill both of you haha

PL: So now we can blackmail you ... haha

Me: Well, it’s up to you how you want to use this information. It’s your conscience, I can’t tell you what to do or what not to do ….

PL: Actually I feel bad knowing also. Since you didn’t tell us earlier when we asked ….

Me: It’s a bit too late for that isn’t it? So kepoh (busybody) ...

MJ: OK, OK. We won’t tell anyone. Think we are stupid is it?

PL: You totally had us fooled you know. You told us you have a girlfriend. When I was reading your blog, I was like oh my god, oh my god, oh my god ...

MJ: No it was more like OMG, OMG, OMG with caps!

PL: We were on MSN and we were copying and sending snippets of your posts to each other, like did you read this part? Or look at this paragraph!

MJ: So with that out of the way, I have hundreds of question to ask you.

Me: I wouldn’t expect less from you. Shoot.

MJ: Who is the dominant one in the relationship?

Me: Huh? *try to not roll eyes*

PL: Who is the girl and who is the guy?

Me: There is no guy or girl. We’re both equals in the relationship.

MJ: There must be someone who is more caring and loving …

Me: We take care of each other. We care for each other. There are times when I would care for him more and vice versa.

PL: Quite different from us .....

MJ: It’s so exciting. This other whole world that was unknown to me before this.

Me: I am just like you, I have flesh and bones, blood in my veins, I can feel pain, I cry. Though I am glad this has expanded your worldview. That is always a good thing.

There was so much more to talk about, but it had to wait as lunch time was almost over and we had to get back to the office.

Thus, the cat is out of the bag. I have been discovered. I don’t actually mind them knowing, but the disconcerting fact was that it wasn’t on my schedule and on my terms.

I would probably have told them anyway, but in my own time. What happened was totally out of the blue and definitely way ahead of schedule.

Though come to think of it, they are not the most ideal people to know, judging from their reactions when I sang M2M's Pretty Boy with lyrics that go "Oh my pretty pretty boy I love you, Like I never ever loved no one before you."

Still, it has already happened. It is a kinda a big deal, but not that big a deal. I am glad that the result of them knowing wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. Their acceptance and understanding is much appreciated. It demonstrates their understanding of the issue and its consequences.

We even had another discussion about it three days after the incident. They were supposed to type out a word document of questions that they would like to ask.

I should probably come up with an FAQ of Common Questions from Straight People Once They Found Out You’re Gay.

The cat is out of the bag Pt I

I thought today would be just another normal working day with the usual Monday blues.

I was wrong.

Not long after I sat down at my desk, my colleague PL said "I went to your *social network* profile. How come you only have pictures of yourself? No girlfriend photo? And one other photo taken with a guy? Who is he?"

"Just a friend."

"And you look horrible in those photos. Except for the main picture."

"Fine, fine. I will put up new ones when I am free."

"Oh, do you have an English name?"

"No I don't."

I have no idea where this was leading to so I changed the subject to shoes. I told her about the shoes I bought.

Lunch time came. PL, MJ and I went for lunch. Usually we have lunch in a bigger group but somehow for today, it is just the three of us.

I have always wanted to try out this new place called OchaCha. It serves green tea in all its permutations and variety. Think of it like the green tea version of Starbucks.

I ordered the tuna wasabe sandwich. It doesn't look like much, but it was quite filling. The tuna has a hint of wasabi and the taste goes well with the tuna. I also had a green tea latte.

PL: Do you treat us as friends or colleagues?

Me: I think of you as colleagues and friends. Heck, we just went for karaoke last week.

PL: But friends and colleagues different.

Me: Well, I would say that some of our colleagues I would just consider them as colleagues. But you guys are friends as well.

MJ: Hey, ask us ask us. Ask how come it is only the three of us today?

Me: Hmmm, I don't know why. It is because you have something to tell us? You finally got a boyfriend?

MJ: No la ....

Me: Oh, you are getting married!

MJ: Of course not.

ME: Then why?

PL: Should we tell him? Think better not la.

MJ: We should. I feel that he should know that we know.

PL: But I can pretend that I didn't know.

MJ: No you can't. How can you pretend that you don't know when you DO know?

This goes on for another minute or so.

PL: You tell him then.

MJ: So could you guess what is it that we know? *looking at me*

Me: Errr .... no.

MJ: We know your deepest darkest secret.

To be continued ....

Bangkok trip

For the past two days, I have been back in KL for the past two days. It is great to finally see my family again after a hiatus of five months.

Something pretty exciting thing happened that disturbed the tranquility of my life last week, a few days before my planned trip home. I shall blog about that later.

I was in Bangkok from the 12th to the 15th. It was a group of 14 guys and 1 girl. It was too short, but we managed to visit the Chatuchak weekend market, the Grand Palace and a lovely session of spa. The spa was excellent and the choice of it was an unexpectedly pleasant experience which deserves a repeat.

I bought 3 pairs of short pants, 5 shirts (including my first purchase from Zara), a belt, a bag, a pair of underwear. There were also souvenirs for my colleagues and a Naraya handbag for my mom which she likes a lot.

Another highlight of the trip was the seafood dinner we had. It was at this place called Lek Seafood. The food was really delicious and I especially like the seabass in lime sauce and curry crab.

Anyway, the main thing was that Nyk and I finally went on a trip together. Our unforgettable maiden trip to the land of a thousand smiles. It was also the longest time I got to spend with Nyk. A full 100 hours non-stop continuous physical presence of him. He got to know me a tad better and I also found out some interesting things about him.

Time really flies when we were there. Now that I am back in own room, I miss waking up to him beside me, receiving a morning kiss and hug.

These boots are made for walking

I have been looking for a pair of sneakers or walking shoes for the past three weeks. My current Adidas one which was bought back in 2005 causes my feet to ache after wearing them, so I suppose it’s time for it to go.

The expensive MBT shoes which I bought a year ago have a tear on its sole. I wanted to get it fixed but the Singapore distributor has just been changed and they are sorting their things out. Hence, I have to wait a month or so before I could get them to do something.

Basically, I needed an excuse to shop a pair of work shoes and casual shoes.

Initially I wanted to get another pair of Adidas. I quite like their sneakers, with their trademark three stripes on the side. Went into every Adidas shop that I passed by and saw a pair which I quite like at Parkway Parade. But unfortunately, it is a size too big.

The search continued. I even went to Queensway where I first bought the Adidas shoes. That place is well known for selling shoes and other sport-related equipment. I think I saw dozens of shoes but sad to say none was to my liking. I am not sure whether it is due to cost-cutting or something else, but the shoes didn’t feel as comfortable. Most of them felt inferior to the touch.

Thus, it was a failed mission.

Finally, after all the hard work I bought a pair of Rockport work shoes last weekend. I quite like Rockport (thanks Ry!) and I already have a pair of their shoes.



So half of the mission is completed.

The remaining half of the task was solved on Sunday. I bought a pair of Reebok walking shoes called Rainwalker. Apparently they are water-proof, but the main reason I bought them is because of the excellent sole cushioning which is made of air. The air flows from the heel to the front of the feet as my feet on the ground.

The Rainwalker shoes cost S$139. I contemplated buying online from a U.S. store, thinking that it would be cheaper but there wasn't much difference in price.

Said one review, “Good shoe, but too much air cushioning - These shoes are taking a while to get used to. In the pictures you can't tell this, but this shoe has a thick sole, that bulges slightly outward and is mostly made of air. When you are walking in these shoes, the air cushioning is overpowering to the degree that it feels like you are walking on springs”

Yes, they are indeed bouncy, but they are really comfortable.

So now, I have two new additions to the shoe cabinet ;-)