Part 1.

This year is not considered to be a good year for me, at least according to the Chinese calendar. It suggests that this year brings bad lucks to those who were born in the year of tiger. Me being one of them. Considering the skin allergy I’ve had for several months now, brought my mum to believe that no medication or doctors’ help would ever cure this allergy until I have been to the temple to do some praying and go through a certain ritual led by the master of the temple to “chase away” those bad lucks. Never mind that I’m not and have never been religious in nature, it is imperative that I shun my eyes to what I really think of the ancient ways of things and keep an open mind. Being a good boy that I try to be, I agreed to her plea. The problem is, the temple I’m supposed to go to is located almost two-hour flight away from here. In the city of Medan, North Sumatra island, to be exact.

Collaborating with my eldest aunt whom residing there, my mum had been keeping in touch with her on a frequent basis to check on which date would be best for me to be there, while reminding me of the plan for about two weeks to get my mental ready. According to my aunt in Medan, the temple master has the ability to let a certain Chinese god to invade his body and allows him to “see” things about people that others would not have discovered otherwise. And he practices his “ability” only twice a month following certain dates set by the Chinese calendar. He does his thing by the request of those who seek his professional help. One Friday morning, out of the blue I got a call in the office from my mum reporting that I would need to buy a plane ticket right away and fly that very evening to Medan, to seek the help of the temple master, whom will be available for consultation and rituals the next morning. And so I did.

Truth to be told, I have never been fond of visiting Medan, for that’s where my nosy relatives able to hold me hostage with personal questions that I know so well they would ask. Me, far away from home, thus nowhere to hide. The evening of my arrival turned out to be quite mellow in atmosphere. There were no questions asked that leaned towards the invasion of my personal life and privacy. I was expecting worse. Much worse. I thought, well, maybe tomorrow. They were so graciously pleased of my arrival, after years of us not seeing each other. They fed me and urged me to retire early for the night, for the next day is going to start quite early. 4.30am early. Why? I asked. It turns out that it is going to take hours of car ride just to go to the temple.

The temple is not exactly located in the city but about three hours north outside the city border between the cities of Medan and Aceh. Since it’s such a long journey, there is a possibility that we (me, my aunt and cousins) may have to stay overnight at the temple incase if the ritual doesn’t fruit a positive result. This way, we could redo the whole ritual again on Sunday morning. Great, I thought. I won’t be getting enough sleep this weekend. And so I headed straight to a bedroom readied for me, on the second floor of my aunt’s house. A bedroom belonged to the daughter of my cousin. As can be expected, it is covered with the color of pink and pretty little things on display and pictures of animated characters here and there. The bed is covered in pink sheet with a huge picture of a princess right smack in the middle. On top of it, sit a cuddly furry yellow thing you would call Winnie the Poo. Imagine, me, a grown 34 turning 35-year-old man sleeping on a pink bed with Winnie the Poo as my companion for the evening. Sigh…

Since my last post I have been to seven airports, stayed at six hotels, read five books, missed four weeks of gym routine, went to three doctors, bought two shirts and a pair of cufflinks, had a facial (let’s pretend I never mentioned this), rode a horse, rode a camel, and had zero sex. Ain’t life grand. And oh, I’m now also a vegan.

LOL... this is hilarious! have you seen this?

http://jack.zunino.net/knowjack.htm

Just experienced an earthquake here at work. Everyone else panicked and got off from their seats, ready to leave the room, while I remained extremely calm in my seat as if nothing happened. Is that considered normal or do I lack certain emotions?...

Having read a blog written by fellow Xangan Matt (ElusiveWords) on his family, made me think of my own personal family and how we bond and communicate. As a chinese I know that it is never a surprise to another fellow chinese when I say that I come from a BIG family.

How big is my family? Well, I never knew the family from my maternal grandparents, sad to say, with the exception from my mum’s older sister. From my paternal grandparents, however, it's a different story. Both of my paternal late grandparents married twice. My grandma was his second wife. They had 3 children together. My dad was their second child. My grandpa had 6 (I think) with his first wife. Years later after my grandpa passed away, my grandma remarried. This time she was ALSO the second wife. They had 6 kids together, while he had 4 (I think) with his first wife. This was WAY back when chinese tradition was still in its prime among the chinese people and there was no law or public criticism against a man having more than 1 wife.

The downside to this is that I have so many relatives whom I know little about and some never even met. My late grandma alone had 6 siblings. My late grandpa had 3 siblings (I think). Not to mention the families of my step uncles and step aunts. To make it harder, they all are spread around the world. Mostly are here in indonesia (total 6 cities), while the others are living in overseas, from australia to singapore to hongkong to taiwan to usa, and some unknown extended family still living in china. Believe it or not, we all (those who are still alive and well) still in touch and get along well enough as one big family, and it is safe to say that we are quite close and care for one and another. The trouble is… your business seems to be theirs also.

Anyhow, this year’s past chinese new year I had a chance to explain a little about the family tree to a much younger relative. He is too young to remember or to know who’s who in our family and how they are connected. It triggered a funny and happy conversation with the relatives who were in the room and are much older than us and know more about our family tree. They seemed surprised that I know as much as I did. They figured I would be too young to know or to even have an interest to know. Somehow the conversation turned into an agreement that I should take time to draw up a family tree, complete with pictures, for the sake of the younger generations. The suggestion was only made in a joking way but I couldn’t help to think that maybe, just maybe that’s what we need in our family to get everyone closer and for all of the kids to know whom exactly they are getting their ANGPAO from every chinese new year. I could always try to bother the many relatives of mine to ask questions but with so many of them, including those living in overseas, I think I need more than just family stories to help me draw up a family tree.

Just in case anyone’s wondering… nope, I haven’t started on the project. Yet.

my left ear is still semi-deaf from the weekend diving trip. we went in 4 times. twice on saturday and twice on sunday. as fun as it was getting back into the under water world and looked at the pretty colorful things, this half-deaf ear drum of mine is freakin' annoying. arrgh!!

I just got back from a long weekend trip in Penang, Malaysia and learned a new word from a new friend from Sydney, Down Under… “Schnella”. Apparently, it’s a word from one of the eastern European countries and can be used in a sexual way, e.g. OH JA… SCHNELLA…!! SCHNELLA…!!

We know that because it’s a word used in a dance song using a female’s voice expressing her orgasm. The funny things is, neither one of us knows what the word really means. So we just joked about it constantly by using it as part of the everyday vocabulary…

How’s the noodle? Good? Oh JA, SCHNELLA. ;p

I’m also happy to report that after years of searching, I have finally found HERO dvd. The original, not the pirated one. I found it in a record store during my trip in Penang. Along with it, I also bought THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. Yes, I’m a BIG fan of KUNG FU movies.

Yup, it’s my first from my jiu-jitsu routine. At first I thought… great, I’ll look tough and mean. Sad to say, I just look more like a looser

It has been 5 months since the first time I joined Brazilian jiu-jitsu, 4 months since I got my first crotch guard, 3 months since I paid for my very first Gi (uniform), and a month and a half since I finally got the Gi. Now it seems that I may need a mouth guard.

A couple of weeks ago our instructor, M, decided that we needed a bit of a change in our weekly routine. He is a MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) athlete and knows a thing or two when it comes to different styles of martial art. Brazilian jiu-jitsu that he has been teaching us, his students, is only one of the many he knows. So he decided to introduce the rest of us a different style of fighting – Kick Boxing, just for fun.

It was definitely fun. It was fast. It was exhilarating. It was… a sure way to get sore. The technique of kick boxing trains your feet, legs, leg bones, hips, shoulders, shoulder joints, arms, arm bones, and hands in a way that you otherwise wouldn’t need to use when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. After only 2 sessions of it, I was sore all over. REAL sore!

When you keep on jabbing, you have to use the strength of your arms and move them as if you’re about to pull your shoulder joins off to lengthen your arms to reach target. Well, it may not necessary to be this extreme but hey, I’m a beginner. Do this long enough with many repetitions and you’re sure on the way to achieving a major sore on the joints where your upper arms and shoulders meet. Not to mention that your face get jabbed so many times if you don’t know how to protect your jaw away from your opponent’s jabs. This is why I may need a mouth guard.

I woke up on Tuesday and felt for the first time as if my arms had been cut off. My left and right shoulder joints were sore enough to make me think that I wasn’t able to lift anything. With the fun we had, now the guys have been talking about getting necessary equipments and stuff to allow us to continue the learning of kick boxing, in addition to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. So not only I may need to get a mouth guard, but it seems that soon I’ll have to spend more money for the rest of the stuff they’ve been talking about. Geez, who knew getting fit can cost you so much money. Sigh…

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In this day and age, food is no longer considered as just something that keeps you alive, but as something that is part necessity, part tradition, part creative art, and part adventure.  We all are too familiar with the idea of “weird” food – food that is not considered to be edible/palatable by one’s standard due to lack of knowledge and experience as well as cultural differences.  Whether that be raw animal flesh or creepy crawly creatures or animal’s blood or intestinal parts or simply stinky fermented stuff, we all have our own opinions on what should not pass our lips and into our stomach.  So, in this world full of culinary richness, where does “human semen” play into a role in the world’s culinary realm? 

I was browsing through one of the many food blogs available online, ChaXiuBao – a HongKong based blog by a food blogger who talks about his life and food in HongKong, where I came across one of his older blogs that shows a picture of a cookbook for dishes made with semen.  That’s right, human semen (http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/2008/12/a-very-serious-cookbook-for-your-xmas.html).  Now I don’t want to be judge mental or anything but why would anyone cook with semen, let alone create a whole cookbook devoted to the use of semen as a culinary ingredient?

True, we probably have heard things worse than this, like certain groups of people who believe they are vampires and thus live on blood.  Some drink human blood while some decided to go “vegetarian” by drinking animal blood.  Certain communities in Alaska, if I’m not mistaken, also happened to enjoy whale’s secretion as part of their diet (I’ve seen this on Discovery Channel once).  Not to mention a whole community of people who enjoy the addition of semen in their sexual fantasies and acts.  So who’s to say that semen, human’s or otherwise, can’t be used as a food ingredient?  The author of that book would certainly be the first to support the term “semenlicious”.

I know what you’re thinking, this is kinda gross but bear with me for a bit, ok.  If we, society in general, is to accept the idea of consuming semen as food, I can’t help but to think how many men would have to “spank the monkey” and how many times each of those men would have to be “milked” in order to fulfill the creation of every single recipe on that cookbook.  Think about it.  “Stroking” could very well be an occupation a lot of men would jump into.  But that wouldn’t be convenient for anyone, would it?  I mean, it’s not like you can pick up a quart of semen off the rack in a supermarket, now can you?  Consumers would have to rely heavily on online shopping for those who can’t produce their own.  What about the legal aspect of selling semen?  There has got to be a written law that prevents or allows the sale of semen.

I would definitely NOT be interested to cook up a storm using that book, but just like the next person I can’t help but to be curious to find out what kind of recipes the author came up with.  Macaroni and cheese and semen?  Semen mousse?  Beef and semen lasagna?  Cream of mushroom with semen?  Well, guess possibilities are endless.  But would you actually buy the book?  Let alone try out the recipes?  Is this beyond gross or just one of those things?  I’m eager to hear people’s thoughts and opinions.

ok, the fever is gone, the coughs are gone but the damn migraine keeps coming back once or twice.  but i'm all better now.  for a second there i thought i might catch the swine flu.  phew!

anyhow, being a procrastinator that i am, i really thought it'll take me at least a month or two before i can sort out my pics.  glad to say that i just finished uploading all the pics from my trip to bali onto my photo album here on xanga.  unlike my previous trips, this time i get to show a little more skin ;p...  well, one can't help it when in bali, right?  the sun, the beach, the beautiful people topless... hhmm, maybe i need to start planning my return to this island of the gods.  to kick back and relax once again in bali, i think i wouldn't mind getting another fever...

to think that i'll be totally rejuvenated by the trip... boy, was i wrong!

i just got back from Bali a couple of days back and i have not been feeling quite myself ever since.  i have been feeling rather worn out, weak and light headed.  as if that's not enough, i've got the coughs too.  the cough syrup has not been a big help at all.  only a temporary relief, if any.  a friend who joined me for the trip got a skin condition where he got red spots all over and they itch.  he just went to the doctor today to get a blood test and he advice me to do the same.  he thinks we may have caught something back in Bali.

at first, i thought it may just be one of those 24-hour thing.  i always get that after any trip.  but it's been a few days and it's getting worse.  my head feels a little too heavy or too light for it to remain steady.  makes me feel like i should lay down somewhere.  my eyes are constantly tired and slightly reddish in color.  the eye drops don't help either.  my whole body has been aching a little here and there, especially on my lower back.  i feel so sluggish i'm even too tired to sort through my pics. 

is it a virus or am i just getting too old to have a little fun under the sun continuously for 5 days?  i think i better go to a clinic tomorrow morning, just in case

Ok, it's time to travel again.  I’ll be enjoying the sun, the beach, and the food of Bali next month.  all of the arrangements have been confirmed.  the hotels, the tickets and the few friends who are joining me.  year 2000 was the last time I set foot on the soil of the island and that was only for a couple of days.  it was a compulsory trip to do my diving tests in order to get my license.  it was brief.  much too brief to do anything and I swore back then that someday I’ll make the time to visit the island again.  that someday will be the long weekend in April.  5 days 4 nights with 4 other friends venturing the area of Seminyak and Ubud.  Can’t wait.

As if the trip plan to Bali isn't enough, I have managed to get myself a free return-ticket to Hong Kong for the month of May, again for a long weekend.  Accommodation not yet confirmed.  I am not a virgin to HK but I have only been there twice in my lifetime.  The first time was in early 90's and the second time was a decade ago.  So you see, I’m so way behind in catching up with the development of HK tourist attractions, although I’m more interested in eating my way through HK.  I would really appreciate it if my fellow Xangans could provide some insights on HK of the new millennium.  So, what are the 5 MUST DOs in HK? (considering this guy doesn't speak a word of Cantonese).

It’s a little embarrassing to say but it’s my first and only.  Never have I had it before.  I’ve thought about it in the past but never felt the need to have it as it didn’t seem that important.  I have always survived without it.  I have always wondered what it would feel like and what other guys think about it, etc.  No, I didn’t dare to ask.  Seemed too private of a matter at the time.  Now that I have experienced it, it makes it so much easier to communicate the feeling and any complaints of discomfort down there.  No, it’s not what you think.  I’m talking about a crotch guard.

You see, I’ve been taking this class at my local gym since January this year, one that requires you to take extra precautions in order to prevent major injuries.  It’s called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.  It’s an awesome cardio exercise but requires one to be extra limber and willing to get pinned down on the ground and get some bruises.  For those who are not too familiar with the sport, one would think it’s a bit gay, where you always on the ground, always keep yourself close to your opponent, body to body, either you’re on top or bottom.  Your face, arms, wrists, stomach, hips, legs and ankles will always be tangled up with your opponent’s. 

What one may not know is how serious this sport is and how effective it is as a self-defense method when applied in a real-life combat.  If your opponent is not fast enough, his neck will be the first choice you go for to cut off his supply of oxygen, or maybe his arm or ankle if you choose to dislocate them.  And it’s all done while you’re on the ground where your opponent thinks you are in the loosing position, when in actual fact jiu-jitsu teaches you to turn the whole situation to your advantage when your opponent thinks the opposite.  So you see, with such nature of the sport, there is a need to wear a crotch guard to prevent any kind of injury to your errr… balls.

When I went to a sport store to buy one, I wasn’t expecting the crotch guard to come in two different styles.  One is slimmer than the other.  And they both come in different sizes too, from large to extra small.  There is no way I could try them on to find my size and it would be embarrassing to ask the store staff.  I mean, how would he know my size, right?  But I did ask about the difference between the regular and the slimmer version.  So I got one with what I think is the best size and style for my needs. 

One little thing about wearing a crotch guard is, well, how uncomfortable it is.  A fellow student who is a senior in the sport said that I still need time to get used to it.  Let’s hope he’s right.  I wasn’t sure the best way to wear it either.  I’ve seen how my fellow students would wear it over their underwear.  Looked like two underwear on top of each other.  Last night I tried it for the first time for the class and wore it under my underwear.  Not a good idea.  The next time, I’ll try to wear it over my underwear.  Maybe it’ll give less discomfort on my skin this way.

It's that time of the year again, guys.  It's time to GAIN a few more pounds.  That's right!  You heard me.  Though the economy is going down the drain, that shouldn't stop you from indulging the finest pleasure the holiday season can offer.  Why worry?  EVERYONE is doing it.  So there's no excuse for not loosening your belt and slouch on any chair with a spoon or fork ready in one hand and a plate or bowl of delicious treats in the other.  Ditch your gym partner for a week or so.  Better yet, invite him/her to join in the fun.  Trust me, 2009 will seem so much brighter and promising when you have a full stomach and sleepy eyes and a grin across your face ;p

Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays and a great New Year!

I have just returned from a much needed weekend retreat to the jungle of Kalimantan Island for a little bit of jungle trekking and an encounter with “Orang utan” (literally means “jungle man”).  I went to Kalimantan in a weak condition of still recovering from heavy coughs.  I brought all kinds of medicines including vitamin C tablets and Korean ginseng tea.  I figured that I would need to have a good stamina in order to enjoy the trip.  Luckily, the non-polluted air, the sights of everything-green, and the non-existence of traffic noise were all that I really needed to boost my immune system faster. 

The surrounding area of the Tanjung Puting National Park was not what I imagined it would be, though.  The whole area is a wet land densely covered with various vegetations with a single river running across the middle, the Sekonyer River.  It is that same river that took me to the Rimba Eco-Lodge, to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Camp Leakey, and to the local villages.  All wooden housings are built on water.  I think of it as the Venice of Indonesia.  The only transportation that would get you to anywhere would be a boat. 

It is also the start of the rain season.  The sky grows dark more often and the wet land of Tanjung Putting seems to be submerged in water even more whenever the rain starts pouring down.  The only activity makes sense when you’re on the boat or at the lodge would be conversations with fellow travelers or engage yourself in a good book, which I brought one with me.  Being on a moving boat is best, considering the hungry mosquitoes would be all over you whenever you are walking through the jungle or relaxing at the lodge.  So hungry that they actually bit though my pants!  A mosquito net is very helpful to get you through the night. 

Sitting on the deck of wooden KLOTOK (boat), feeling the wind breezing through me, listening to the sounds of the jungle, with a cup of hot coffee in one hand and a camera in the other, it seemed so surreal that I finally got myself in Kalimantan to meet the Orangutans for the first time in my life.  When the sun is up and shining bright, the thick jungle on both sides of the river seems friendlier to the eyes.  Occasionally, various monkeys and birds can be seen lurking among the branches of the tall trees, surprised and curious by the sight of humans and by the sound of the engine of the boat. 

The long journey to meet the Orangutans was really worth the trip.  They swing from tree to tree as they come to you.  Funny enough, they spit, piss and shit while they are up on a tree.  Standing right beneath the tree where they are stationed is NOT a good idea.  They are huge, fast, powerful, yet endearing and fascinating all together.  Only when you get close to one that you’ll realized their sparse orange-colored hair resembles that of the sparseness of hair on an elephant.  The hair is long, the arms are long, the hands are huge, and the belly seems Buddha-like comical that one would think of it as the most comfortable cushion for resting heads.  The face of an orangutan, with its thin wrinkly lips, to me more like a sad, sappy elderly that somehow able to look adorably baby-like.  Their eyes beg you to take them into your arms and to take them home.  I wanted one badly, real BAD. 

Departing from them surprisingly rips your heart out.  They want to follow you, to hop on the boat and stay beside you as you feed them food.  Unfortunately, that is out of the question.  Their chance of survival is best when left in the wild.  Surprisingly, every grown male orangutan is a loner.  Whenever there is a community of them, there is only ONE male, as the leader of the pack, and more than twenty females and their babies, whom will always be seen clinging by their mother for the first 7 years of their lives.  Male orangutans are said to constantly have a hung you-know-what to please his twenty-something wives.  Why so many wives?  Because technically speaking, a female orangutan can only give birth once every 8 years.  Unlike humans, it is easy for a male orangutan to have so many wives since the wives look for food themselves.  The only job that is required for the mature grown male orangutans is to lead a pack and moonlighting on regular basis, day and night, to ensure the continuance of new generations.  Ahh, such a life is an envy for all men ;p 

Though I am back in the office now, it is difficult to erase the memories even for a few minutes.  I loved my experience in Kalimantan.  One that is not to be exchanged for anything.  I wish that I am still on that wooden KLOTOK on the way to meet the orangutans.  I close my eyes and I can feel the wind is breezing right through, the sun is warm against my face, and I can hear monkeys howling.  I just need to stay put, not to trip over and fall into the water.  Keep closing my eyes, until I smell the coffee brewing under the deck of the boat where the guide is preparing our lunch…

An old junior high-school friend, Yee, in Down Under recently made me realized that I could be spending too much money on material things.  We both have a fond for fountain pens, an expensive hobby, and have chatted about fountain pens numerous times.  Recently, he mentioned how he likes to collect watches also and that he currently has 5.  I replied to him that I don’t collect them but have 5 watches also, and that answer surprised him since watches can be more expensive than fountain pens.  I wonder… am I too materialistic? 

On 10/31/2008, rudy wrote:

5??  I have 5 too.  one for a different occasion.  I don't collect them, just bought them out of necessity.  if you really like watches, I’d expect you to have at least 10.  one of my aunts, who does not collect watches but likes to buy them for fashion accessory reason, probably has more than 10 now. 

by the way, hope you're having a good b'day week.  sorry for the belated greeting. 

I’m off tomorrow to japan for business.  will be in a factory for 2 damn weeks of training!! 

sucks ;( 

On 11/2/08, yee wrote:

5 watches "out of necessity"? I can understand maybe two watches (dressy and sporty) out of necessity but 5? Now you're starting to sound like a collector yourself...you know "I really NEED to have that".  What watches do you have?

Don't forget, as I said watches are more expensive than pens and it's hard enough having more than one watch with the missus asking why you want to buy another watch that looks very similar to another one you already own...

Enjoy Japan and thanks for the birthday wishes. 

On 11/22/2008, rudy wrote:

ha, ha... ok, ok, so 5 is a bit excessive.  it wasn't actually planned, you know.  you buy a cheaper watch hoping that it'll be enough but turned out it's not so great and so you ended up lookin' for another that fulfills what you're lookin' for.  this is how I accumulated my watches. 

first I got a real cheap plastic Timex supposedly for sports and travel but the adhesive strap keeps on getting loose and the watch comes off whenever the strap gets too wet, so I can't wear this especially when I swim, which means I need to get another that works.  so I got a Swatch.  I wore this during years of culinary school and whenever I go to the gym or for a swim.  then I got a nice leather Nixon.  it's nice enough for parties but casual enough for weekends.  I thought "This is it, I won't need to get another watch for years". 

when I got back to indonesia and started working an office job, I realized that my Nixon is a little inappropriate for "office" and meeting overseas guests for business and so on... so I decided to get a metal Nautica.  it is very business appropriate and good enough for formal gatherings.  and to think that this is the last watch I’d spend my money on... WRONG. 

after several business and personal travels I realized I need a watch that would ease my life during my travels.  a watch that I could use as an alarm clock, provides night light whenever I need to check time in dark settings, and has a dual time whereby I could change one to the time of the local place I’m at but still able to show me the time at home or another place.  and so I’m finally down to the last watch, a Casio.  I was going to get a Casio that has temperature and compass functions as well, but the watch is too damn huge so I got a smaller cheaper one that does the 3 things I was looking, and it’s also great for outdoor sports. 

I actually have a 6th watch, an Armani.  but this doesn't count 'cause I got it as a gift.  so most of the time I wear only 3, Nautica for work, Casio for travel, Swatch for gym/swim.  Nixon I would wear occasionally on weekends.  expensive Armani and cheap Timex are kept as spares, just incase.  and no, no more watches! I swear.  didn't even look at one when I was in japan. 

On 12/2/08, yee wrote:

Looks like you have learned the lesson I have learned many times over - don't settle! It will cost you more in the long run. That even happens with things like my glasses where I'll buy a pair that are cheaper and then they fall apart and/or they're just not the same so in the end I buy what I couldn't bring myself to buy in the first place, thereby meaning I've spent more money than I would have in the first place.  

Fortunately that hasn't really been the case with my watches. But I've never planned to only have one watch - I like watches, so like pens, it's a question of not finding anything else I'd like to buy.

Do you believe in the powers of a magnetic bracelet?  I don’t know how knowledgeable people are of the existence of magnetic jewelry that is said to have the power to heal many health problems, such as joint & muscle pain, constipation, insomnia, stress and many more, but here in Jakarta there are more and more of them lingering around the wrist of men and women.  Some made in china, some made in Korea, and even japan produces them. 

Wearing a piece of jewelry is not exactly something I’m fond of, including watches.  I try not to wear a watch whenever I can avoid it.  Only on certain occasions that I make sure I’ll have a watch on my wrist.  The more stuff you wear the more you buy as a spare or as a fashion statement.  “Wants” tend to be unlimited in comparison to “Needs”.  You can never buy enough.  Anyhow, in a defense for those who wear them, I now wear a jewelry on daily basis – a magnetic bracelet that is. 

It all started with a couple of uncles of mine who introduced me with this so-called “health” bracelet of the brand Amega, made in USA.  They claimed that the one they wear has helped them is getting a better sleep at night.  The bracelet has a biological electric and magnetic reactions to human conditions that stimulate a better blood flow, thus helps our organs and glands to function better without a need of a medication.  This statement of theirs enticed me much considering I have always had a problem in falling asleep at night (due to a non existence of a warm body perhaps, who knows?).  On average, it takes me at least an hour before I can actually start to doze off.  And so I got myself an Amega bracelet.  This thing is very costly but I thought to myself “Well, when it comes to health, nothing is too expensive. Many people have spent lots of money to invest on many things, so why not on health?”  I got one with the design that’s called DUDE.  Groovy, huh?  To be more accurate DUDE Silver - Men's Combi Premium Bracelet, Code- ATB4465P (http://www.eamega.com/Web/titan.asp). 

I do sleep better nowadays.  Now I fall asleep within only a half hour.  To me that’s worth the  money.  Plus, I tend not to feel lethargic easily and find myself having more energy while working out in the gym.  I know this may not work on everyone so I’m just curious to know how many people out there, including in overseas, wear one of these magnetic bracelets and find them actually worked.  I want to know whether what I feel is only in my imagination thus I have wasted my money on this piece of jewelry or I have just made the best investment ever.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

i'm at work and itching all over, thanks to my encounter with a school of tiny red/pink jellyfish at the sea in west sumatra where i snorkeled this past weekend.  now my whole body, from ears to feet, sparsely covered by red bumps that look like i've been attacked by fire ants

i should be pleased that i just returned from a great weekend getaway trip but currently too pissed to think that i can't even stand to look at my own body, now that it is covered by annoying red dots.  due to this condition, i have to decline an invitation from a bunch of friends who's going for another weekend getaway this weekend.  the only plus side to this is that i get to stay away from the gym for the whole week, or at least 'till i'm positive that the guys at the locker won't think that i have chicken pox when they see me without my clothes on.

got tons of digital pics to share.  will have them posted on a photo album here on xanga as soon as i get the chance to sort them out.