Time to pack the suitcases again lah

I'm travelling again starting Oct 13. It's 2 weeks in Thailand for starters. I'll be in Sheraton Laguna Phuket again - I see the meaning of understated luxury there. Nothing loud or garish. Walking across the grounds to have my breakfast in the villa area was like being in a part of the botanical gardens. The place is huge, and it's good thing I've been there on a site inspection visit before or else I'll probably be the only person ever to get lost in a resort property. Many places to catch a good tan like the beach or the serenity corner overlooking the lake. How about pool-access rooms for luxury; the poolview ground level rooms have sliding doors that open out to the patio, overlooking the sand pool. To relax, I just laid a towel on the patio floor and sunbathed there. Not only that, they also have the ladder into the pool - when I felt warm, I just climbed down the ladder (no diving or jumping in lah) into the water. And the pool cleaners - yum! Muscular, brown, with dazzling smiles! Desperate housewife? No! Desperate project manager! *LOL*

It's Singapore in Nov for another week of project work, after Phuket. This time I'll be in Regent Sg - we were in Hilton Sg in March. I love Hilton's location; right smack on Orchard Rd, as opposed to Regent being on Cuscadean Rd - a bit of a walk past the tempting tattoo parlor. Maybe I'll muster enough courage and get my belly button pierced this time. Hell - maybe I'll get it pierced before I leave; it's probably cheaper at 80 RM at Dragonfly in Ikano anyway. I had my 3rd ear piercing there early September for 6 RM and the silver stud looks and feels fine so far...

I'll be in Penang for a week in December. It's Grand Plaza Parkroyal this time. I'm getting the deluxe seaview room so I get to enjoy the balcony in the morning and evening. I was there last year, about the same time. 2 weeks before the tsunami. 2 weeks before I lost my precious travel pals in Phuket. 1 week before I decided to cancel my Phuket travel plan because my parents made last minute arrangements to visit us in KL. 2 weeks before I lost John to the waves; but that's another story for another time.

All these meetings before the end of the calendar year. I've also got to fit a 2-3day meeting in Ho Chi Minh city between Aidil Fitri and Xmas. Next year wont be too hectic, I think. I only have Ho Chi Minh city in March and a few KL week-long meetings, and a couple of Singapore asignments. Hectic or not, I love it. I can always fit in some me time in every work trip. I've also learned to like my own company, and absorb the joy and yumminess of a vanilla pecan Haagen Dasz cone on an Orchard Rd bench!

Cantankerous? Moi? Why not?

I Googled and found a site that generates a legendary kung fu name for you based on your name or whatever text you enter in the query box. Interested? Here's the URL - http://www.dragonslist.com/?page=kungfuname
I entered my first name in full and got 'CANTANKEROUS TORMENTING SHOESTRING' as my legendary kungfu name. I want to keep the explanations of the words for my reference, so here's:

CANTANKEROUS:
Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord.
Difficult to handle: “had to use liquid helium, which is supercold, costly and cantankerous” (Boston Globe).

TORMENTING:
To cause to undergo great physical pain or mental anguish.
To agitate or upset greatly.
To annoy, pester, or harass.

SHOESTRING
n.
See shoelace.
A small sum of money; capital that is barely adequate: a company that started on a shoestring.
adj.
Long and slender: shoestring potatoes.
Marked by or consisting of a small amount of money: a shoestring budget.

Since the only thing on me that can be described as 'long and slender' is my pen or pencil, I'm thinking that my legendary kungfu name reflects me as ill-tempered, difficult to handle shoelaces that cause great physical pain! :-D
I kinda like the name though, and I generated a few more by keyeing in variations of my name.

Here're the results:

1. Venemous Shoestrings (great weapon eh - poisoned shoelaces!)
2. Astonishing Immaculate Slaying Shoestrings (they would be, if theyre poisoned, innit? They'd surprise anyone, methinks)
3. Bemused Disparaging Shoestrings (shoestrings that cause their wearer to be engrossed in deep thought, even bewildered and confused, due to the poison's power of producing derogatory comments that belittle people? If the shoelaces dont kill you, the depression from the low esteem caused by the sneering remarks will)

Get a load of that - looks like I'm a discreet lethal weapon. Ah, but we're a dying breed - with the advancement of velcro fastenings rendering us obsolete!

Note: Clicking on the link I supplied above will now bring you to a martial arts page. I guess they must have moved the kungfu name application someplace else ;-) - note added Oct 5, 2006 -