I'm home.

Unwittingly took almost 200 pictures with the phone. Then there are the nine rolls of film (I brought 16 but it turns out I didn't need them all).

I liked Siem Reap. Apart from some amazing temples, it was a rather charming town with friendly people.

Phnom Penh, not so much. That the trip ended there was a little bit of a killjoy.

Pictures to come, slowly.

3.14pm: Trapped on St Paul's Hill. It was the heaviest downpour but what made it immense was the whipping wind. It was pushing me off my feet as I stood in the pavilion, rendering the shelter overhead useless. A dash into the darkest recesses of the church ruins was necessary. Fortunately or unfortunately, I had lots of company, including a boisterous group of teenagers hell-bent on filming a music video.

3.23pm: The wind has decided to give it a rest. Slowly the crowd has stepped back out from the dark corners to get some air. Some have headed down the hill with their umbrellas. But the rain is still terribly heavy and the thunder sounds threatening. But I am terribly thirsty.

3.29pm: Fuck! Thunder made me almost jump out of my skin. Twice. Just as I had made up my mind to go.

3.32pm: Oh, my terribly comfortable hotel room, I am thinking of you.

3.33pm: To think the day started off so scorching hot. It's a good thing I managed to see this church when it was still sunny. Because it's breathtaking against a blue sky. The extended Korean family is leaving. I shall follow them. They're so noisy it's comforting right now.

It's easy to feel at home here, along these winding streets.

There are lots of curious guest houses. Shall venture to stay in one the next time. With such charming accommodation options, it's hard to imagine why people would opt to room in generic chain hotels. Which look really out of place here.

Hallo, Malacca!

Yet to take any photos of the hotel facade. The postcards provided in the room do a fantastic job. And quite honestly, that's the classic shot everyone takes.

The room is marvellous.

Mostly because of the bathroom.

And the fluffiest bed.

View from the bed. There's a Japanese novel in the room. Along with boring mags like Prestige, Tatler, etc. The usual "atas" crap.

Welcome tea came in this super lovely basket with fitted slots for the tea set.

View from the window. Walked past the ferris wheel in the afternoon. It's a mini wheel in a mini theme park. So dilapidated I thought it was no longer operational.

Turns out, it was waiting for night.

I didn't realise that I'd taken so many pictures on my 3GS but I did. More than 300 of them.

It's not an astonishing number considering how much there is to capture in a city like Tokyo. But it is a little brow-raising when I factor in the 13 rolls of film waiting to be developed, and the fact that I no longer find a lot of charm in digital pictures.

But I like the camera on the iPhone. It produces pictures that ignite a warm, fuzzy feeling in me. It's not the sharpest chap around. Sometimes it's dreamy, sometimes it's hazy about details, sometimes it captures light so beautifully the resultant picture takes your breath away.

So I keep using it.

This is the view from my first hotel room. Stayed there for two nights. I would off all the lights, curl up on the couch by the floor-to-ceiling window, and stare at Tokyo Tower till I felt cushioned by the enigmatic city.

Sleepless Weekend

So I headed to Mustafa after the movie. It was after midnight so the streets were much quieter.

Jam/ fruit puree/ fruit concentrate that Mustafa suggested eating with prata.

Delighted to see my favourite Red Leaf pens though I didn't buy any.

Even more delighted when I turned a corner and stepped into pencil heaven.

Shelves of wooden pencils waiting to be sharpened. There was also pail heaven. And dishwashing sponges heaven. And water bottle heaven. Lots of heavens, depending on what rocks your world.

Went home. Finished a book. Hesitated. Then headed out again.

Chinatown for my favourite glutinous rice. The two smiley, friendly uncles have two more helpers now. The price has also increased (from $1 to $1.20) and there're also $1.50 and $2 portions. But that's super cheap for something that is so bloody good.


That shophouse is lopsided. And I was a little disturbed by the repaint job when I first saw it. But the yellow and green have since grown on me.

Lantern time. Did you ever play with candles at old playgrounds or along the corridors? I loved that about Mid-Autumn when I was a kid. It was always "Yes! That time of the year to play with fire again!".

Decided to squeeze in a trip to this estate at Bendemeer. I always go past on my bus rides and I love the way the blocks of flats look. There's so much detail.

See the cat waiting for her turn?

And I started to get woozy and decided to head home to bed. Sleep debt is hard to pay back. Still freaking sleepy now, despite collapsing soundly from 1 to 4pm, and then again at 11pm till 9am this morning.