3rd Stop: Dubai

if u're joining me now, u've missed my entire trip, so before u read this it's time u go back to my first stop in London BABY!

after a sad goodbye to all my cousins and my relatives we flew our tired asses to Dubai and arrived during the night. after checking in, it was time to explore the city. dubai is like...Ipoh (located in Msia). it's filled with traffic, there wasnt exactly much sights where we stayed because they were pretty much in the process of building everything. this is the fountain somewhere near the city, about a few minutes walk from our hotel. weather was about 13 degrees which was pretty cool, hot for me since i was already used to the weather in london and prague.


we checked out the shopping mall near our hotel which was ajoined to a boutique shopping mall so my granddad decided to take a picture of himself and the ivory horses that seemed to be exploding out of a big rock. apparently the king in dubai loves horses, so there's quite a few carvings and paintings of horses pretty much everywhere.


dubai is quite a fascinating city, it's tax free cause the government doesn't exactly need money from the citizens, they get money from exporting Oil to other countries. so they're a pretty rich country, and with that money they decided to make dubai a futuristic city. they're planning on building an underwater hotel which is at-the-moment being built in Germany. they're building the tallest building in the world and they're not telling anyone how tall it is because if someone else builds something taller, they can just add another couple of levels to retain the title of the country with the tallest building. it's sorta like Lego if u ask me.


so how do i know all these facts? that's because i'm sitting on the big bus...yeap it's pretty big and it's called The Big Bus (ha...ha). my family and i were sitting on the upper deck of the bus so we got to see the sights and the views. it's so hot when the sun shines but it's good cause when the bus was moving, hell the wind whipped my face and it was bloody cold! apparently during the summer, u can expect the temperature to go up to 45 degrees. oh yeah, there's gonna be some roasting during the summer.


this is the world's most expensive hotel and it is classified as the only 7 star hotel. a night in this hotel can set u back RM10,000 to RM48,000 and apparently (according to the tour guide) u have to book two weeks in advance just to go inside and have coffee which will cost about RM250. btw i didnt calculate this, the currency in Dubai is 1 to 1 for msian ringgits. oh yeah, entry to this hotel is RM100, yeap we're just talking about going inside and taking a look. i cant believe there's a cover charge for a hotel, it's insane but it exists. so what's so special about this hotel? if book a night in this hotel, there will be a limo sent to get u from the airport and they will bring u to ur room. no u didnt read wrongly, they will BRING u TO ur ROOM. the limo goes straight into the elevator which will take u up to ur hotel room, OR u can choose to pay more and take the helicopter from the airport to this hotel. yeap there's a landing pad on the top. talk about arriving in style...


after listening to the facts and the futuristic plans for dubai we had to stop by the museum and check out the past. so there's my granddad posing in front of the museum which was in the shape of a castle.


what the hell is there to do in a museum? check out the history, read the past, find out how they got to where they are now, oh and of course! take obscene photos! yes here i am with another guy, and he loves it up the ass. hahaha my sister took this photo and we ended up taking alot of photos that will upset the locals in dubai if they saw it.


this is what the arabs do, sit around in their camps with guns and swords and a no smoking sign next to them. oh wait there's my sister...she apparently wanted to join in with them...and looks like she is preparing to swim...why is she pretending to swim when everything around her is sand? puzzling...


that's a fake camel, yeah we took alot of photos which would make the dalai lama bitchslap richard gere. i would post the photo of what my sister and i did to the ass of this camel but i dont think anyone wants to see that.


so the next day we took a safari trip to the dessert, where we sat in a jeep that took us around the dessert. it was a bumpy ride and hell it was fun! the guy revved and went up slopes and went down it sideways...it was like a rollercoaster ride!my mom and dad trying not to fall off the steep slope in the dessert. they were pretty woozy after the ride in the jeep. we had so much fun just sitting in the car. and the driver, yeah he was cute.
we had to see the camels in dubai, i've never seen one in my life. they smelt HORRIBLE! and i saw one pissing and the one behind it licking it's private area while it was pissing (drinking up the pee perhaps?). it was disgusting! then i saw a camel eat another camel's shit! according to the driver, the camels are one of the smartest animals in the world, u can even teach it to kiss. after seeing what they do i doubt i would wanna french kiss any camel.


yeah they're disgusting and smelly creatures, but they were so friendly. when my sister was taking this photo of me and the camel, it's head was actually facing the camera, but when i started stroking it's neck, it's head came down and started wrapping around me sorta like a hug. it was a pleasant end to a fantastic trip.

before i left i saw this camel licking the rust off the metal railings. it's tongue was so long...imagine what they could do...hhahaha disgusting alert. well anyways this stupid camel almost spat at me! i got away in time and got laughed at by the tourists. i'll be forever known as the poor asian guy who almost got spat on by a camel.

so to end off the trip, we spent the evening in this camp where we got to ride dirt bikes and ride on camels and try the local food. there was also a show on belly dancing by a rather plump woman who u can tell, is very good in bed. do u expect less out of belly dancers? this is the last photo of my holiday out of malaysia, and i must say it was one of the best trips EVER.

so this is my advice to travellers
1) visit london for the sales
2) visit prague for the history
3) visit dubai for the futuristic plans
4) most importantly TRY THE FOOD!

and always watch the ground while u're walking. i stepped on horse shit when i was in london which was a nasty thing to get off.

2nd Stop: Prague

prague is such a beautiful city with such a sad past. this is one of the first few photos i took in prague and i loved it coz everyone there was so gloomy and down but this child was happily skipping with her mother and tripped and then got up with a bright smile on her face. the buildings are so old and it's unbelievable, knowing that i am touching something that's over a few centuries old and no i'm not talking about elton john. the weather there was -2 degrees and it was freezing cold, even worse than london and if u know me, i loved every bit of it.
after settling into our hotel which was pretty fabulous i might say, we went out to get some local food and beer! the food portion there was humungous and yummy! the beer was like elixer to me, so i had a couple and started talking giberish to my granddad in the corner there. he laughed it off and we had more drinks until my mother started complaining that we were disgraceful asians in a foreign country so we had to stop.

since we only had 3 days there and i didnt bring my phone charger (crap...) i had very little time to go exploring and take photos of everything i saw. this is the famous charles bridge (if i remember correctly). i was walking alone around the city that night and this bridge...it's so haunting and beautiful at the same time. there were statues every 20 feet on the bridge, i couldnt take the photo coz it was too dark. i felt so....lonely weirdly enough. it was such a beautiful place and here i am whining again, but i was literally alone. i sorta understand why the Czechs are so depressed most of the time.

it's amazing how they put such a modern spin to buildings that are a few centuries old. i took this photo on my way back to the hotel. on the right hand side there was a huge club with techno music blasting it's way out into the streets. speaking of music, i noticed that the people in prague loved oldies, in every restaurant or store i went into there were music and it came from the 70s and 80s. i now understand more of why the Czechs are depressed.

this is the last photo i took in prague. i saved up my most of my battery for this and it was worth it. this is the famous Astrological Clock near the palace. i dont really know how it works, the tour guide was explaining it but i was too busy...umm...checking out other things. yeah there was a cute korean dude on my tour ride. i'm such a dingbat. but i did pay attention to some of the things he said, like stuff he said when we visited the Palace and if the flag is up, the president is in the palace, the church that took 600 years to build (which was extremely beautiful), the jewish holocaust and the obelisk that was built for the jewish people who died during the holocaust, the market which the astrological clock was built near, etc. ooo cute korean guy...

it snowed the day before i took this photo during the night, and it was beautiful. this is the first time in 12 years that i've seen snow. even though it was just a couple of hours during the night...it was the epitome of beauty. it covered the streets like a white blanket and as soon as it arrived it was gone the next day. my sister and i did have a snowball fight which ended abruptly after my parents and my grand dad got hit in the bum....not by me though

so the prague trip was over, we went back to london where we spent the next few days returning the clothes that we bought during the x-mas sale that we didnt try on and bought and couldnt fit in. I CANT BELIEVE I CANNOT FIT INTO A XL T-SHIRT FROM TOPMAN! that really pissed me off...am i really that big? no, wait...dont answer that.

First Stop: London BABY~

welcome to london! this is the first photo i took on my arrival to london and that's the famous underground train station, well i took it coz it was pretty cool at first. 16 hours of flight doesnt do well to a person, so therefore no photos of me on the first day.


my family stayed at my aunt's place in sudbury town, there were 4 families living in this house so therefore i had to sleep on the floor for several days. when i arrived at the house at the corner there was this big sign that said THE CHINE, hahaha it's pretty ironic stating the fact that this house is occupied by over 10 people and all of them were CHINEse.



so after a long rest the first day, the second day we decided to go out, it was about 3 degrees and it was friggin cold, and no that's not me wrapped up in 5 pieces of clothing, that's just me with a shirt underneath that huge jacket, and yes i'm fat. hahaha the cigarette in my hand was quite distasteful...


my first meal in london, yeah their portions are pretty huge and i loved it. i gained so much weight but who the hell cares! it's LONDON BABY! btw this meal cost me about RM40 so being malaysian, i inhaled everything. i didnt take any photos after this but i did alittle bit of shopping the whole day

the famous oxford circus, i was in a bus with my cousins and sister which u could see below. it was a busy and bumbling street where no one really cares what the hell u're doing, they just wanna get to where they're going

when coming to london, of corz u have to take photos whereever u go, so we decided to pose for the camera and take a photo on the way to camden town, where my aunts and uncles have shops there.

the arrival of camden town...huge street with ALOT of funky people. we're talking punks, goths and a whole lot more. one store i walked into sold chains and leather, i took one look and walked out. i didnt dare see what else was inside...

this was taken at my aunt's shop, she sold hats and stuff so i took the chance to try on everything she's got. my sister and my cousin soon joined in and i'm not tooting my own horn here but we looked damn fine in those hats that i had to get not one, but two and bring it back here.

yeap we wore those hats back, and with my hair being dry and unmanagable i wore it home back to my aunt's place. we had to take a photo with part of my family in camden town.

second day in london, well this was taken on the first day but i totally forgot about it. hahaha yeah it was freezing cold and it was fantastic. me loves the cold weather!

what do chinese people do when they're in a foreign place? check out chinatown of corz! had a horrible meal there and vowed never to step into a chinatown restaurant ever again...until the next day.








me and my cousins bumming and chilling out at home. of corz after a busy day of endless walking, there must be a time to go out and have fun...but where?

where else but a gay bar in london with my best friend. what do u think? i would step into a straight bar and get harrassed by straightees? no way, i had loads of fun and engulfed shots after shots and whiskey and jelly shots and i cant really remember what happened that night.

hell yeah i went clubbing after getting drunk. it was time to get down, dirty and sweaty (literally) with the crowd and we rocked it.

nah we didnt rock it, we brought it on till 4 in the morning and took an exhausting bus ride home and i passed out on the living room couch. what happened in that club? sorry, i dont kiss and tell...

yeah the next day was full of shopping again. after the long day my mom and my aunt and uncle passed by this street where Stella McCartney's boutique was! whoopie~ i've never seen her designs so i was outside oogling at what she had to offer...wasnt exactly a big hoot though.

so london trip over...next stop, PRAGUE~!

Lonely Christmas

it's time, i'm giving up the whole "i'm single because i want to be" facade. it's awfully depressing when u have no one by your side during the holidays, especially during holidays that stress on the fact that people in love are alot happier than the people who are single and ready to mingle. yes, for those of u out there who have someone by your side, cherish it.

i'm lonely. it's good to have good friends by ur side and family who loves u and stuff, but there's a part of me that's missing. i cant really explain how the feeling is, it's like everyone out there is having fun and enjoying their lives and they're with people. i feel like i'm stuck in one place, stagnant through time. i feel like i havent progressed at all, relationship-wise. i try and tell myself and other people that i'm fine being single, it's alot better than having a ball and chain tied to ur foot but in reality i'm breaking down inside, bit by bit.

christmas hasnt exactly been the best for me. i've always spent christmas alone. while my family is heading off to dream land at night, i lie awake at 4am without any friends by my side wishing i could be with someone, even if it's not a partner or boyfriend or whatever, then at least some friends. i dont really understand how people view me, they hold on to the belief that i have many many friends when i dont, i tell them i dont and they wouldnt believe me. yes i do know a lot of people but that's because of my job but actually sitting down with a friend and pour my heart and soul into our conversations is something i long for. i let my guard down yesterday and my friends just thought i was in a bad mood; i so want to tell them "no i'm not in a bad mood, i'm just depressed" but i know the feedback that i'll get from them. "life's too short to be depressed", "you're young! what's the point in being depressed?", "how can u be depressed? u're supposed to be happy and enjoying life!", etc etc. this is basically why i stop showing the ugly side of me, because people dont want to listen to me. they have this idea of what i'm supposed to be; happy, bubbly, fun, playful, immature, whatever. sometimes i think to myself that no one really knows me and that's because they dont bother to know me. people see what they want to see. no one wants to be around a depressed party pooper all the time, so i form this guard, this almost picture perfect of what they think i should be and i suffer in silence.

so what to do? complaining isnt going to solve any of my problems so right now i'm going guy hunting. i need a lover, i need to be in love, i need to feel like i'm being loved, i need someone whom i can hold on to when i'm scared, i need someone whom i can talk to about my feelings and my future and anything under the sun, i need someone whom i can watch fireworks with during festive seasons, kiss at the stroke of midnight during New Years Eve, wake up to and snuggle with during rainy mornings...i need a boyfriend.

Recent Happenings of Ethan Lim

so this is an update of my life, just in a nutshell. i have been working, going for meetings with my boss to hopefully get promoted to assistant manager of 65, seems like everything is going according to plan. i'm writing proposals and helping out in organizing the christmas event that is coming up.

recently i'm getting harrassed by dirty old men who seem to think that my colleagues and i are toys who they can touch and hold, etc. i'm sorry if a colleague of mine presents that he's a slut to everyone but i have my principles and my morals and work ethics so no touching or copping a feel when i'm working. firstly it's annoying when u're busy mixing drinks or writing down orders and this dirty old man with glasses asks u to come over to cop a feel. geez i dont care whether u opened a bottle of J.D. or whatever, i am not someone u can harrass.

the other day i was working as well and this drunked idiot kepted on calling me to sit with him and talk to him. so i spoke to him alittle bit and went back to my job. i was playing this dice game with one of the regulars and he came along and wanted to join and he was making a big fuss and everything so i stopped the game when he broke one of the lolipops into pieces. as i was picking the pieces up and throwing them into the garbage he grabbed a piece and sticked it in his mouth and then took it out and held it out for me. i was completely disgusted and told him i dont eat candy and finished what i started. i was behind the bar clearing stuff and i see him coming in and holding out the same piece of candy which he stuck in his mouth and took out and he was glaring at me. i forced him out and closed the small swinging door so he wouldnt come in again.

i continued to play the dice game with my friend and the regulars from behind the bar when he came again to annoy the shit out of us. he even whacked my friend in the head. so we stopped again and i went to clear some stuff and he came after me again, this time asking what time i get off work and he's going to wait for me. then he started to repeat his questions like why wont u take my candy, and do u think i will hurt u? he started grabbing on my hands and trying to force me out of the pub, i swear i was panicking and tried to break free of his grasp and get away as fast as i can. luckily Sam came and tried to help me out but seeing that he couldnt pry his hands away from my arm he called for Eric (my boss) to help out. i was able to break free once eric came to my rescue and i hid behind the bar and locked the door in case he came back.

i must say and i stress this, i am not a plaything. i am not someone who anyone can just harrass and think they can get away with it. karma's a bitch and it will come back threefold so these people will definitely get what's coming to them.

Lost In Imagination

i'm feeling mighty restless these few days, a feeling which i do not understand very well. mostly because i usually feel restless for a couple of hours and then it dies down but ever since last week, i've been jumpy, my fingers cant seem to stop tapping or twisting my ring (i have this habit when i'm feeling nervous or uncomfortable or restless, i'm play around with my ring), etc. what i dont understand is i've done my work, i'm done with my exams, i'm pretty much done and yet i feel like i have some unfinished business that needs attending to. is it my love life finally calling out to me?

i've been a good boy recently, people come to me with all their problems and secrets and i never tell a single soul. i havent been trying to date anyone and have been rejecting one or two. i try to tell myself i need this time to really know who i am and that i want to be single. but i know truthfully that i'm not truly over a certain person yet. i've been thinking about him recently, maybe that's what's making me restless. dreams of his house, us going to australia and visiting my sister, his room, etc. i know they're all dreams and sometimes dreams mean nothing. i think it all started when i found his t-shirt in my closet. i wanted to dump it into the garbage can but instead i sat there on the floor and took a big whiff of that shirt. it certainly smelt like him, and my head was dizzy from all the nostalgic memories. i dumped it behind all my clothes and closed my closet door, hoping that i would forget about it.

how long does one take to get over another person? a week? a month? a year? a couple of years? never? i dont want to be one of those people who can never be able to move on in life because of a certain person. it's hard enough as it is dating other people and trying to get dates.

so this weekend i'm treating myself to a vacation in singapore, this one will be different as i'm using the money i earned from work to travel there and do stuff. i need a big old drink and to feel that feeling of weightlessness and floating in the air. i need to let myself go, as i said earlier, i've been a good boy....it's time to be a little bit bad.

Ethan Enchanted

it's 8.30 in the morning and i havent gone to bed yet. why? cause my bedtime antics have been at play and my biological clock seems to think that daytime is for sleep.

my exams are finally over. i can feel the overwhelming sense of stress finally dispatch itself from me and latch on to another unsuspecting victim. i finally can concentrate on the better things in life such as running around naked in a field of flowers and bending over and making an obscene pose in the barnyard where i once used to play.

jokes aside, the adrenaline has stopped producing itself in my body and i'm feeling the side effects of it. i went to LQ yesterday with a couple of friends only to sit there have two drinks and leave alone. i have alot on my mind lately and it's not been going so well. the breakup with ah hong has lead me to blame myself for shitting where i eat. let me explain...

i woke up at 9pm to find my phone singing harmoniously into my ear. when i picked it up it was my friend asking me whether i was going down to LQ with him and his friends. i told him i'll meet him at 65 and i'll discuss about it when i'm there. i dressed up nicely and arrived only to find out that ah hong was inside 65 with some guy i didnt like. anyways the side story is that i dont think ah hong took the breakup very well as he stopped contacting me (i got the hint). so i didnt want to go inside and create any mixed emotions and i was pretty much forced to go to LQ, being that there was no other choice. so i went, with the feeling of missing my family at 65. i saw B there. i spoke to him for a while and realized how much i miss him, while knowing the fact that we cant be together cause firstly he's the type that gets jealous very easily, and secondly apart from each other we dont have anything else in common. so i had to let my feelings go there and then, leaving him at the crowded disco and going down for a much needed drink. i left about an hour later after that only to face the ever tragic story of my friend Jimmy and his ex.

Jimmy, a good friend and lover. he has a mouth laced with poison but a heart made of gold. he's the monogamous type and i can feel in him, he's crying out silently in desperation. his long story short is that his ex wants to break up with him, jimmy still loves him and will wait for his ex to come back to him. i sorta have a small little crush on jimmy to be totally honest, i guess that's why when i met his ex i was cold to him. i just dont understand, this is a guy (if he was into me) that i would have a monogamous relationship with and his ex has the decency to break up with him. i know these things are between two people but seeing my friend wanting so much for them to work things out made me die alittle inside. i've been looking for a person like jimmy for so long and here is his ex having it within his grasp and he doesnt even want it. sigh, maybe i'm just a bit jealous. i cant really explain how i feel, i'm complicated and dramatic in that sense.

a friend also told me how he got to know his lover last night as well. they met through friends and were friends for 3 months and one night it just happened. i just sat there and listened and ate it all up with a spoon, wondering whether that fantasy story of two people meeting each other and developing feelings for each other will ever happen to me anytime soon...