The Script - No Good in Goodbye

I am going through a difficult time at the moment. This song perfectly describes what I feel. No need to say more. Lyrics are below:



"No Good In Goodbye"

All the things that we've lost
Breaking up comes at a cost
I know I'll miss this mistake
Every word I try to choose
Either way I'm gonna lose
Can't take the ache from heartbreak

Oh, but as you walk away
You don't hear me say

Where's the "good" in "goodbye"?
Where's the "nice" in "nice try"?
Where's the "us" in "trust" gone?
Where's the "soul" in "soldier on"?
Now I'm the "low" in "lonely"
'Cause I don't own you only
I can take this mistake
But I can't take the ache from heartbreak
No, I can't take the ache from heartbreak

No matter how it falls apart
There's an "art" in breaking hearts
But there's no fair in farewell, no
And when I see you in the street
I pray to God you don't see
The silent "hell" in "I wish you well."

Oh, but as you walk away
You don't hear me say

Where's the "good" in "goodbye"?
Where's the "nice" in "nice try"?
Where's the "us" in "trust" gone?
Where's the "soul" in "soldier on"?
Now I'm the "low" in "lonely"
'Cause I don't own you only
I can take this mistake
But I can't take the ache from heartbreak
No, I can't take the ache from heartbreak
I can't take the ache from heartbreak
(take the ache, take the ache)

If I could turn back time then I would re-write those lines

HBD to me :)

December 7- My birthday is actually a day before this day. However, I have decided to celebrate it on the 7th so we would be complete.

It was a lazy rest day for me. The birthday celebration was not until dinner and so I slept most of the day. There was no electricity nor internet in our staff house which forced me to just lay around and sleep. When I got to the office at around 5:30 in the afternoon, I came to this.

I would give them an A for their effort. Those balloons contained their birthday messages for me. I almost cried! But I didn't :-P

I love balloons as much as flowers and surprises. Just had to have a photo with their work of art :)

After the photo session, we had to drive to Laem Hin Pier. It was about 10 kilometers away from Phuket Town. We passed by a little village and eventually arrived. This was while walking towards the pier after we parked the car.

 Taken while we were waiting for the others to arrive. 

When boredom strikes, we know what to do. Take photos :) 

There were a lot of long tail boats on standby waiting for customers to be taken to the floating restaurants on the other side. These boat rides were free.

There were about 4-5 floating restaurants on the other side. We chose Mhor Add Seafood because of its reviews. We boarder after telling the boat driver which restaurant we want to go to. This was taken while riding the long tail boat. Excited and hungry!

Finally arriving to the floating restaurant we chose. The Mhor Add Seafood Floating Restaurant whose previous name was Black Crab.

Excited to open the menu!

This was our view. We were also seated in a table like this. 

Pictures were taken while the table does not have food yet. 

Then, the food came one by one.

This is my new favorite: Prawns in Tamarind Sauce. My mouth waters by just saying its name.

 

Next up was the soft shell crab. Also aroy! (Thai word for delicious)

I just had to take a photo of them with the food. It took all their strength not to eat yet and pose for a second! :)

Secretly we're saying can we eat now??!! :)

The fresh fish was cooked perfectly.

I forgot to take a photo of the crabs and the Som Tum Mamuang (Green Mango Salad). It did not matter that the rain poured hard when we started to eat.The food was finished in seconds. That was how famished we were. While talking and waiting for our bill, our attentions were directed to the fish swimming near our table. It had the appearance of a large tadpole.

We just thought the lady was asking us if we want to eat more or have this fish cooked, We just smiled at her. All of a sudden, this guy picked the fish and showed us this.

Surprise, we just met a puffer fish that night! The puffer fish is the second most poisonous creature of the planet after the Golden Posion frog.

We found out that when a puffer fish is threatened it inflates it's body. It will then expose sharp toxic spikes. If an animal manages to eat this fish, it will be poisoned by the toxins from the spikes or organs of the fish.

We were all surprised and amazed of the close encounter we had with this kind of fish. More so from the  delightful dishes served to us. It was definitely worth our time and money. We all went home happy and full. A happy birthday indeed :)

Celebrating Loy Krathong

6 November - Today was my first time to experience Thailand's Loy Krathong Festival. This is what they also call Festival of Light. The rivers, canals, lakes or different sources of water become lighted with seemingly floating candles. At a closer look, one would realize these candles are on a solid and beautifully decorated krathong. A krathong is a  buoyant, decorated basket made to float in the water.

  

To witness the event, we walked towards the park near where we live. First we found sellers of krathongs on the street.

This is what a krathong looks like up close.

Traditionally, Krathongs were made of banana leaves with flowers. My Thai friends said that Krathong made from bread was better as it provides food for the fishes. I found these too.

What the people do is to put their krathongs in the water. They would then ask the water spirits to sail away their troubles in the krathongs. The flowers and the incense serve as offerings and some even put coins in them.

We had to try this ourselves. One krathong was about 70Baht. We then asked a few people around to have our candle lighted. Thi was done a few times as the wind was quite strong that night.

 and we're ready to have it sail away.

Other people were then gradually arriving to float theirs. Saw this man praying for good luck before putting it into the water.

It is also the time to pay respect to the Goddess of Water. It was originally believed as an event to apologize to her for using and sometimes polluting the waters.

This Festival coincides with a Lanna festival which Thais call as Yi Peng. Floating lanterns are flown into the air. I saw a family getting ready to have their lantern released.

Because these may cause hazards to passing aircrafts or may cause fire on houses, the government has restricted its use. Therefore, we did not saw a lot of these flying lanterns.

It was indeed a night filled with lights and enchantment as the waters and the skies were somehow filled with flickering lights.

Seeing Similan Islands

image courtesy of www.goandamantravel.com brochure

20 February 2014– I woke up early today. No, I am not going to work. I am scheduled to go with a few friends to a tour going to Similan Islands.

The word Similan is derived from the Malay word “Sembilan” meaning “nine”. Similan Islands is composed of a total of nine islands which has a name and a corresponding number. The high season is from December until April, when the monsoon stays far away. It usually closes from mid May until mid October.

We paid 2,500THB to our tour operator the day before. We had a discounted price as the usual fee is around 3,500THB. I think it was a little bit expensive than the other Phuket Island tours as it includes 400THB for the National Park Entrance fee to the islands.This already includes the pick up from a place near our workplace. We waited at 7am and our driver arrived at around 7:30am. We were not upset with him being late. We were just excited to go and see what Similan offers.

The travel to Phangnga Pier was about 1 and a half hour. We were ushered to a waiting area where other tourists were also itching to see the islands. Our tour guide provided an orientation on what will be the course of the trip. There were complimentary tea and toast for everyone. They even gave out anti-vertigo medication for those who are the dizzying types.

After the orientation, off we went to the pier. We were asked to leave our foot wear in their basket.

Riding the speedboat. From the pier,we went to Koh Payu Island (Island No. 7). It took about an hour ride to the island.

This island is where we had swimming and snorkelling. It was my first time to snorkel but I was not afraid because I have a life jacket on J The weather was very sunny at that time. The waters were crystal clear and so you can easily see the corals. The coral reefs are about 5,000 years old and is said to be the oldest in Thailand.

Next stop was the Koh Miang Island (Island no. 4). This is where tourists can really enjoy the beach.

We had a great time eating the delicious buffet lunch prepared for our tour. 

Postcard scene

Paradise :) 

We also explored Koh Ba Ngu ( Island no. 9) and Koh Similan (Island no. 8). Koh Similan is the largest island. The right side of the bay of the island has a towering rock formation.

We climbed to the Sailing Rock Viewpoint

This is what I saw.

Zoomed in my phone's camera for this

Today, the Mu Koh Similan National Park is a candidate for the United Nations World Heritage Site.

We went back to Phang nga Pier at around 5pm and was dropped back to where we were picked up. It was a long travel going there and back. Despite of this, we were happy to see nature's beauty through the azure waters of the Andaman Sea and of Similan Islands.