Great run!

I went running after work today at 645pm. It rained earlier and I had to change my plans from swimming to running. Also, there is going to be a meeting after work tomorrow which starts at 530 till dunno when it will end, and I need to run once before going for my event this coming Sunday. Hence, the run had to be carried out in spite of the slight drizzle.

Great run. Refreshing. Fresh air. It felt good to be running just after a rain as the grounds are slightly wet and the air smells crisp. Unfortunately, my right foot crushed a snail! That’s the problem with running at night and after a rain. All the slimy little creatures will be out for their rendezvous and then they are putting their lives at HIGH risk. Reminds me of those days in old NY building when the fields would flood and the gardens around the library would be filled with snails… I stepped on 2 snails, one after another, just outside the library while running past it with some friends. All of us shrieked and they too, stepped on snails! What an encounter with snails. That was my 1st homicide on the slimy-shelled creature. Geez. They were just everywhere!

A total of 1hr 7mins. I’m surprised with my strength after a hard day’s work where I hardly sat down the whole day except during my half-hr lunch. Yeah. It was so buzy that I could only get a half hour lunch. It was the same case yesterday. However, I have an hour off in that case! And my senior told me to claim it tomorrow by reporting for work at 9 instead of 8. So, that’s why I’m blogging now even though it’s close to 12am.

In fact, I felt that today’s run was even better than Sunday’s run when I was resting at home the whole day. Probably because I was moving around throughout the day today, but was simply sitting most of the time on Sunday. That’s why when I finally got up to get my body in action, it felt stiff and reluctant to budge.

Some pain in both ankles every now and then, stiffness in both knees and pain in my right hip. Not getting enough rest? Probably. Due to the nature of my work, I do not get to sit down at all the whole day except during lunch. And I have to carry heavy cassettes and move heavy patients at times… geez… lotsa wear and tear on my joints! L rubbed in muscle rub already.

Looking forward to my run this Sunday. Feeling good already!

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It’s been 5 years… I have thought to myself before; Sometimes, my purpose of traveling is not only to see the world, which is my top most reason. I get to escape as well. Escape from some realities that I refuse to face up to at home. Escape from some ugly truths which are bugging me but will never go away. Escape from the noisy household… and I will get peace…

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This Saturday would be my turn to be off! Need not report for work. Have plans to go for a morning swim and allow my skin to receive some Vitamin D. And will be FINALLY meeting up my classmates! Wonderful. Then there’s the run on Sunday which I will be doing with 2 good friends. Fulfilling weekend!


Having the wisdom to face the truth will bring us closer to peace.
Melody Beattie - Journey to the Heart

The sky was just breaking into dawn... and the rain just poured... What a beautiful morning... 

18th June: One of the good things about waking up early in the morning is cataching the sunrise.  

Could not surf for the past week!

My computer is finally up and working again!!!

Yeah, it was down for the past week or so... Actually, not exactly down but I could not surf internet at all due to a bug in ZoneAlarm that affected me and ZoneAlarm, being my firewall, bloacked me from surfing. I could log online though. I could not uninstall ZoneAlarm as a software was using it or something like that. Got so fed-up with it and could not reply so many emails from friends overseas... Luckily I had a simple instruction from an IT technical support officer who came to my aid! And it was all so simple! Simply press 'F8' when ur computer is starting up and it will take u to a black screen with various choices on it. Choose 'Safe Mode' and then I was able to uninstall the stupid firewall!!! Haha... Great! Spent the past hour or so uploading pics and replying emails. And i'm still not done! Tomorrow...

Wanted to go for a run today, but decided to give my body a rest after a hard day's work. It was the busiest day so far that I have come across so far in the department ever since I started work 3 weeks ago! There was a meeting at the end of the day at 5-630pm and I almost fell asleep at the beginning of it! :p However, on the way back, my mind was still strong... Surprisingly... Mentally strong... My hips have been giving me some slight problems this 2 days. Not a good sign. When I ran on uneven ground(ie. Grass patches) last Wed, I ended my last 100metres with a slight pain cum numbing sensation down the whole of my outer (lateral) right thigh. Of course, the origin was the hip joint area which has been 'creaking' for the past few years ever since I injured it in the Judo days. The 'creaking' only got more serious afterI started running longer distances. And that kind of sensation I experienced last Wed was a 1st. Geez. Not a good sign at all. What's happening to my hips?!?! I'm so young only! I'm not going to let anything happen to my body! It was alright on Sunday's run when I ran on concrete ground, but there were definitely signs of an impending recurrance due to 'creaking'. Hmph. Maybe time to see the sports doc soon? I will monitor and gauge... Don't want to spend the money and don't have the time too... :p

Much to write but want to catch an early night today. Going swimming tomorrow! Certainly looking forward to my 1st event this Sunday after I returned from Iran!

Trust, Love & Keep Moving (Growing)
---Caitlyn Woollard

Thoughts of the day...

Whoa oh! MSN is amazing! I wanted to log off and go do some stuff but decided to just scroll down my list of contacts and guess what? The Korean guy, Hyeok Jun, I met in Iran was online! Yeah, I have his MSN and this is the 1st time I meet him online! He's in Turkey now! Going to Cappadocia and then Istanbul next... And then onto Syria, Egypt...And perhaps down to Africa!!! Damn cool! And as usual, eveyone is saying that Turkey is so expensive! As compared to other Asian countries! Yeah, I told them to consider it as a European country, with one foot already in the EU.

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Today was 'Orthopaedic Day' at SGH, whereby there's supposed to be a lot of cases to do as many of the patients would come from the clinics and we are supposed to do the xrays for them! But but but... surprisingly, it was relatively QUIET!!! Everyone was surprised! Hence, despite not sleeping last night, I had the energy to go swimming. And also because of the low work load, I could leave on time! On Tuesday, which was also 'Ortho Day', many of them worked O.T. till 6pm! Terrible! I'm lucky!

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I'm getting the hang of it again. I'm looking forward to upcoming events such as biathlons, aquathlons and any runs... My dear friend, Limino, is coming back from Belgium also!!! Finally, after 6 long months! Actually time really flies... She left in Jan and now, I have already started work and she's coming back already. Geez. I have a regular website which is actually someone's blog to check out for upcoming events. A very good website by a local runner. www.thelonelyrunner.blogspot.com For those who are interested in such events, u should really check out his website. I get really inspired every now and then. :)

It's an act of balance. This time between my work and sporting events. And the time for training. Will have to limit the time for other stuff if I'm training for an event. Mmm... Like meeting up with friends. It's just 2 weeks after I returned from Iran and I'm getting into the swing of action again. Good, good. Not as hard as I expected to pick up from where I dropped off before I left. Love the feeling of being able to outdo myself and better my times every now and then. And I'm especically upbeat today because of the improvement in my swim times today!

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I talked to A-xian who just got back from India this morning! Totally cool! She went to Kashmir! And we chatted a while about our trip... Wow! There seems to be so much to share! Can't wait to meet up with her next Saturday! WHOA OH!

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My favourite author has a new book! Paulo Coelho has a new book! Found out about this when I dropped by Kino last Saturday. Cool! I'll wait for the smaller version to come out before getting it!

"The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a man's determination."
-Tommy Lasorda

Felt like posting some photos cuz Felt that my blog has too any words lately and no pictures to spice it up. And thought these 3 would make a good change. Been receiving emails and replies from friends that I made on the trip, namely Felicity(the German lady), Misa and Atsushi(the Jap couple), Goto(a Jap) and several Iranian friends from Qazvin. It's fun and delighting to open up your mailbox and find replies from them. It really brighten up my day. :) However, I have sent out so many photos to so many other Iranian friends but receive no replies from them. 2-3 of the emails even bounced back. Sigh. How I wish I could get the photos posted over so that they can remember that they once made a difference in this Singaporean's life with their friendliness and hospitality. I will try again this weekend. Spent lotsa time attaching the photos and sent out more than 10emails!

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Iran's election is this Friday. Been following the news for any sudden events. Hope there will not be any suicide bombings. Damn those idiots.

The other 4 Asians: 'Marand', Hyeok Jun(Korean), Junko and Naoki (L-R) The 3 Japs were my roomates!  

The Jap couple I met at Amir Kabir Hostel in Esfahan. They are in Turkey now! Going to Bulgaria next! 

The beautiful Esfahan Square 

Work and time management

11th June: It’s a Saturday morning and boy, was the streets quiet when I stepped out of the house at 735am! Many people don’t work on Sat eh? And I was off to work. Work was from 830am to 1pm. Luckily for me, it was a very quiet morning. No complicated cases. All I did were chest x-rays after chest x-rays. A relaxing one. However, my senior said that it was very busy the previous Saturday. :p Lucky us!

Went down to Orchard to meet my friends after that. Been a long time ever since I went to orchard on a Sat! The train was packed, the station was packed, the streets were packed and there were just too many people. Fortunately the weather was not burning hot on you, simply warm and slightly humid. The crowd was a bit too much for me to take. Definitely not in the mood to squeeze with others after a week’s work!

It was a great meet-up, except that it was too short. With 1 friend back for summer holidays from U.S., and the other working for her aunt now during the NUS holidays, I have not seen them for months and there was so much to catch up on! My girlfriend and I reminisced about our girls’ school days and about old schoolmates whom she managed to get in touch with. Amazing how Friendster can help me get in touch with one of my Sec 2 close friend whom I have lost touch since she dropped out of NY.

As for the other friend, he’s also working now, as an intern at Biopolis. And all 3 of us agree that working life is indeed tiring. Geez. There were simply too much to talk about, as we shared a common interest in TRAVEL. And I must say we did not get to delve much into this topic at all yesterday! Gotta meet up again soon man.

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Yeah, working life. It takes up the best part of your days. From the waking hours of 630am till the time u knock off at around 5-6pm, they’re all dedicated to work. Some people have the luxury of sitting in front of the desk to do their work and diverge sometimes to do their own things online or read a book and take a break at 10am when you’re tired from staring at the screen. I certainly do not have this luxury. They used to have a 10am break for staff at SGH. Around that time. It depends on the work load. U can go for a 15min break to munch on something and give your legs a rest in the tea room. Not now anymore. Come on, we’re also human! And our work is so physically demanding. U have to position patients, life patients(for those old ones who cannot walk), carry those heavy cassettes, position the HEAVY x-ray tube and carry those cassettes to the processor after the examination. There’s also the mental stress of forgetting to key in some particulars or missing out on something on the computer system. Gee. Although I have gotten used to all these during attachments and mentally prepare myself for the HEAVY workload in SGH, I’m after all still human and at the end of the day, it still tires me out no matter how fit I may be. :p

Last week was just honeymoon, having not worked the full day on Mon, Tues, and Thurs as we attended orientation sessions and lectures and what-have-you. The real nightmare has yet to descend. :p I’m braving myself for all that at the moment. I saw how my senior worked herself ‘crazy’ last week when the workload gets heavy and u are simply just clearing cases. No patient care, no sense of any attachment to the work that you are doing. It was simply just ‘shoot-and-out’. It’s really sad as I know that she is capable of providing so much more! I can also understand her frustration of not being able to transfer to another department after 4 months in ‘outpatient’, which is shitty work and the politics in this department is the most. She also did not get to clear her leave at all as the ‘boss’ did not approve of any. She still has 27 days left this year! That’s a lot right?!

I just hope that this would not happen to me. I’m optimistic by nature and I am still optimistic despite seeing what my seniors are going through. It’s the best to stay that way. I will find ways to get around this. I can munch on biscuits or my banana secretly when there’s no cases at around 10. I usually get really hungry at that time. Or maybe, I should make some cereal drink in my thermo flask and keep in the room so that I can drink it anytime!

After work hours are so precious. Besides concentrating on my runs and swims, I have to find time to meet friends. And right now, there’s one more BIG group of friends added into my list of ‘friends to meet to keep in touch’ after leaving school. And they are no other than my Poly classmates. Everyone should be starting work soon or leaving to go Australia to study. In the past, this is the group I meet every single day and there’s no need to find time to meet up except for the occasional after-school dinners or movies. Now, I really do miss them and the crapping times we used to have during our lunch times. Sigh. I have anticipated this but never thought that it would be this strong sentimental feeling.

Time management is sooo important. There’s no need to study after work now in the night except when I need to refresh my memory for something new that I’m learning. Other than that, I might just make phonecalls at night to friends and talk to them. Or else meet up for dinner. With the need for runs, swims, meet-ups, my own personal time, weekend times with parents and the need to catch at least 7 hours of sleep, AH! 24 hours is so short!

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I heard this song when I was typing the above. Loved this song. It echoes my thoughts at times.

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Great. The G8 nations have come together to cancel all the debts of the world's poorest nations. I ahve been following this news closely as I'm signed up to this particular website which is dedicated to urge the G8 leaders to allow full debt cancellation. The world's 8 richest countries ought to have done this long ago. More news at CNA website. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/152213/1/.html

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Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.
M.Scott Peck

BREAKAWAY - Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I'd pray
I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jetplane
Far away
And break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away
Buildings with a hundred floors

Swinging with revolving doors
Maybe I don’t know where they’ll take me
Gotta keep movin on movin on
Fly away
Break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
Though it’s not easy to tell you goodbye
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away
Breakaway
Breakaway

Activism websites

A humanitarian action network website, whereby u simply click to send out emails to important people to urge them to act for the less privileged. Please do check it out.
http://capwiz.com/interaction/home/

Another one that workd to eliminate hunger for kids around the world, especially in Africa. Please do check it out too. There's a walk in Singapore this coming Sunday on 12th June too. Venue is Sentosa and 300+ people will walk for a good cause to contribute to the fight against hunger. Please check out the website for more details!
http://www.fighthunger.org/

3rd day of work

Quite tired. Actually could doze off on the train while standing on the way back on Monday after reading a book! I lost my balance and stepped back 3 steps! Must have frightened the aunties around me. The entire way from Outram to Jurong before changing to CCK. Nah. There’s no seats at all. Have been standing for the past 3 days!

And I’ve not yet entered the full swing of work yet. Attended an orientation session yesterday afternoon after lunch and another ‘Infection Control’ lecture this morning. Tiring. All 6 of us (my classmates and I) were fighting not to fall asleep. Well, 3 of them did.

Did my 1st swim yesterday and 1st run today after work. The run today was not too bad, much better than I expected. The swim was really tiring though. Somehow, I felt a bit empty these 3 days. I do not feel like a full working adult as I’m tagged to a senior to learn all the protocols in the dept and I do feel very much like a student still. Neither here nor there. Trying my best to find myself right now and get into the swing. No more a student, no more radiographers to back u up if u should get into trouble. Have to keep reminding myself.

Need to talk to friends. The other 5 who are in SGH with me are not my close friends. Even if I can talk to them, the 2 other girls are in different departments from me and I hardly see them. I miss my gang in school. Sigh. Those days of gossip and crap. Those carefree days(more or less). I will be mentally unstable if I should go on keeping to myself like this. Need an outlet. I shall make it a point to meet friends this weekend.

Yet to get over Iran too. Needa talk. That’s the key thing there. I need to talk and share my feelings and thoughts and vent my frustrations, if any. Argh.

Tired, shall turn in and sleep. Sleep-deprived me.

Thoughts of Iran...

I have to write this before I start my 1st day of work tomorrow! Before the busy and tiring days wash away all beautiful memories and the evocative feelings I have after I returned from Iran.

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I returned to Qazvin for my last night in Iran. I would love to stay one more night in Esfahan which is my favourite city of all, and there's many more things I want to see too. However, I chose to return to Qazvin so that I can see the friends I have made there, namely Giti, Dr Azizi, Ely and Maryam and their families. I have called up Giti twice when I was in the other cities. She has given me her relative’s number in Kerman, but I only stayed one night in Kerman, so did not want to bother her relative. Dr Azizi’s son is actually a doctor living in Shiraz and they wanted me to go look him up. After I called up the drugstore when I was in Shiraz, Maryam called me back at my hotel. The next day, her brother actually called too but I was out. Maryam then invited me to go over to her place(which is actually Dr Azizi’s house, cuz they stayed together) for my last night. I obliged cuz they are such sweet people.

I miss them.

Sigh. The feelings get stronger at night. When I’m all alone in my room reading or filling up my past diary entries or simply listening to song, it gets so unbearable at times. Do u know that Giti actually called me on Thursday night? Oh dear… How sweet of her…

I made my way to the drugstore on the last day of my holidays(29th May) after arriving at the railway station in the morning. I was whisked off to Dr Azizi’s house for a shower after a while and to leave my bag there. Then Giti came to pick me up for lunch. After lunch, we went back to her apartment and I took a nap. It was already 5+ when I woke up. We then sojourned to her mother’s place where her sister and her daughters were. I have met them earlier in the morning when they came over to the drugstore especially after they heard that I was there! Had tea and some beans.

(For those who wants the low-down on the drugstore, please re-read the email/blog: “Back in Tehran after 2 weeks. 10th May�)

Off to the drugstore again where Maryam and her hubby, Amir, were waiting for me. Giti then drove us out to the outskirts of Qazvin to a hilly area with lotsa greenery and strong winds. Fadak. Beautiful. The teahouse we went to overlooks the town of Qazvin. What a great way to remember Iran on the last night.

We had tea and some cakes there, after which it was already 930pm when we got back to the drugstore. Mustafa, Giti’s hubby, was preparing to close the shop. Went back to Dr Azizi’s house and bade a final farewell to Giti there. I did not cry then. She teared. But after I’m back, I miss her so much I actually teared a few times. This friendship is simply amazing. I have no words for it. Something so pure and simple. So beautiful. The beautiful things in life are free. I cannot agree more.

The journey from Qazvin to Tehran takes 2 hours by car and then from another 1 hours is needed to get to the new airport outside Tehran. The ride from Tehran to the airport would cost me a whooping USD10. I actually planned to take a shared taxi the next morning at 6am and then hire another cab or the one that I’m on to go to the airport. All in all, the journey would take 3 hours. Ahhh!!! My plans were totally ruined cuz Dr Azizi insisted on driving me there!!! Oh my goodness! My flight’s at 1135am, so they were actually calculating the time and planning the route in the drugstore in the morning when I just arrived. Oh dear… Giti laughed it off and told me, “Yeah, it’s set. Dr Azizi invited u here, so he will be responsible for making sure u don’t miss your flight!� Maryam also shrugged it off, “My father is a retiree who has nothing to do… So just let him drive you to the airport!� I was soooo lost for words. If I had known they would do this, I would not have visited them!

Sigh. Can u understand how I feel? I have never met people like this before. People who become your friends overnight, no, not even overnight, just the moment they met u! I’m truly touched and grateful what they have done. I did not write about this, but I encountered problems earlier when I was extending my visa in Tehran. I arrived at the office too late which closes at 1pm! I already got a train ticket for my onward journey to Kerman for that night. I also had a misunderstanding with the stupid taxi driver. I called up Giti who acted as the translator. After she found out about my predicament, she offered to drive down to Tehran the next day to help me get my visa while I continue my trip! All over the phone, with no hesitations at all! Of course, I did not want to trouble her! Besides, it’s my own problem! Sigh. Where do u find such dear people on Earth? I don’t have a religion, but oh dear God, please bless them. They place their faith in You so much…

I miss them… Aww…

30th May: Woke at 4.38am! Showered and packed to go at 520am to pick up Mustafa who would accompany us on the whole way to the airport. Dr Azizi may have nothing to do after that, but Mustafa still gotta work in the drugstore after that! Sighz.

I dozed off every now and then on the car. We took photos and bade farewell at the airport. I wonder when I will see them again. They did not leave after I went to check in. (The check in section is barred from outsiders). Mustafa reminded me to change my money out into USD again. Only after I have changed my money and cleared customs which was like an hour after we arrived at the airport, only did they leave! Sigh.

I cannot describe how grateful I am to them. For making my trip such a beautiful one. And for allowing me to experience ‘Ta’arof’, the system of formalized politeness in Iran. It is a mode of social interaction in which everyone knows their place. It is all about sensitivity to another’s position. Whatever it is, I have fully experienced the hospitality of Iranians, the way they would go out of their way to accommodate you and very often, spring surprises on you. I may have miss out certain sights I wanna see in Qazvin and Esfahan, but nothing can beats the experiences I have had with the people at the drugstore. I would never exchange anything for that matter!

They were like my 2nd family in Iran. I can safely say that they are almost as close to me as my parents are. My relatives sucks, so don’t even mention them! At mealtimes, it’s so different from the Chinese way of eating cuz I could feel no restrictions at all. I was not used to it at 1st definitely, but they are not like Chinese who would always push food to you and they would chat among themselves in Persian, allowing u the ‘freedom’ to pick your own food without feeling being watched. I love Iranian mealtimes. I eat slow and I eat whatever I want, however much I want. It feels so good. Chinese are just too ostentatious at times… Argh. And I love Iranian food… Miss it…

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I am starting work tomorrow at SGH. Yeah, no longer a young kid where there’s an institution to shelter me… anxious? Nervous? Not really, just looking forward to see how my work schedule goes so that I can plan my time around it. Not thinking too much too… Cuz my mind’s very much on Iran too! :p

It’s close to 12! Better turn in soon! Till the next blog!

Hope I will dream of Iran…

A beautiful dream I refused to wake up from

Still missing Iran... and very much so now cuz as I walked around the supermarket buying groceries this morning, I was trying to get all the stuff I ate there... Sighz... It's already Sat and I gotta start work on Monday! Still reeling from the days in Iran and yet I have to face reality in less than 2 days! Such a hard jolt back to reality!

Halfway through to labelling my photos. Will post them online tomorrow I hope.

Went swimming today. It felt weird still, although it's my 2nd time swimming after I returned. It's just the return to normalcy that I'm not used to. I feel like I'm still floating in a dream that I refuse to wake up from. A quote from Dr Azizi with whom I spent the last night in Iran with his family, "When u get back, it would all be like a dream from which u have just waken up from." How aptly he put it. I can really feel that.

Jet-lag. Maybe? Been sleeping late at 1-2am and waking up late at 9-11!!! ARGH! It's so unlike me! Gosh... 1.15am already. I better turn in now. I need to work on Monday! :(

Seeking solace in my memories...

I am back!

It’s been 3 days ever since I touched down on Singapore and yet, I’m still trying to readjust back to ‘normal’ life back here… it’s weird, having to go about my daily chores and get my life up and running. No need to wear long sleeves, nor the head scarf… No unwanted attention from the opposite sex… No friendly kids or ladies who smile shyly at you or call u out from a distance…

I tried my best to resume my life back to normal as soon as possible by going swimming and running the past 2 days. Found the swim to be tougher than I expected. :p Haven’t swam for the past month anyway! Enjoyed both activities but yet, something seems to be missing… I do enjoy the solitude but it’s just… something seems to be missing…

I’m definitiely not used to things around here yet. After 1 month, I’m not used to seeing drivers sitting on the right side of the car in Singapore, I’m not used to looking right before crossing the road, I’m definitely not used to the HUMIDITY level here (it’s CRAZY! Is it like 101%?!?!), I’m not used to being alone and not talking to anyone about countries and politics and exchanging email addresses… and I’m suffering from withdrawal symptoms from… the food.

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In Iran, the drivers drive on the left side, like the Americans. Hence, u will have to look left before crossing the road. I’m always splattering loads of moisturizer after bathing everyday, as well as the lip balm, cuz it’s so DRY there! The skin on my hand around the knuckles peeled whenever I miss a day of applying lotion. Both my heels cracked and left very deep cuts the 1st week when I was there and it hurt like MAD! Owww! They are completely healed now. No pun intended.

I did not email nor blog in the last week of my holidays cuz I was simply too busy taking in the sights and sounds of Esfahan. It got to be the most beautiful city I had been to in the whole of Iran. I love it. In fact, I’m going to go back to Iran one day and Esfahan will be one of the cities I will revisit.

When I was in Esfahan the last few days, I stayed in a dormitory. It was actually a room with 4 beds, each night costing me only S$5.60! I wanted a single room, but it was full. This hostel is very popular with travelers as well, so I had lotsa company! And the other 3 beds were all occupied by Japanese backpackers, all of whom have been traveling for a year and more! I feel like a little girl with them. Well, to a certain extent, I was, cuz I was the youngest!

There were tables outside the rooms and many travelers would self-cater and dine outside. There’s a fridge for u to store any leftover food u have. I arrived Esfahan at about 7pm on the 1st day and there were only 1 Jap guy, Naoki, and me in the same room that night. The 2nd, came another lady and guy… Thought they were a couple at 1st, but they are only friends who are traveling through the world on the same route and they met earlier in India! Hence, they arranged to meet up again in Iran. Cool eh? Wow… I wonder how it would feel like if I have fellow Singaporeans doing this round-the-world thing and then we arrange to meet up at different points along our route on different continents! Totally awesome! They are actually traveling certain parts of the journey together. If one wants to go somewhere and the other don’t, then they would simply split. This was the case for Naoki who was with a married couple, Atsushi & Misa, during the earlier part in Iran. They went separate ways after that at the hostel.

Staying in a dormitory means having to think of others at times; when they want to sleep, u have to turn in too so that the light can be switched off, otherwise go outside of the room. Not much privacy to talk about, but they are travelers too and each of us understands one another, so we would not poke around. Trust is an issue too, and I feel I have no problem with that at all.

Luckily it was my last few days, so I need not wash my laundry. :p The toilets and bathroom are outside and I’m too lazy to wash my clothes too. Simply packed everything to go home and wash. I have this habit to bath every night before going to bed, but the Japs… mmm… maybe they shower in the morn or afternoon when I’m already out, cuz they do not seem to have the routine (although they may have been out the whole day already).

On my 3rd and final night at the hostel, I got the chance to talk to the 5 Japanese and 1 Korean guy at the hostel. They have been hanging out with one another during the day. I’m always alone, and going to all the sights. I did meet them at the teahouse on both 1st and 2nd day evenings. It was great. I felt like a ‘real’ backpacker then, for having stayed in a dorm(it’s my 1st time!) and hanging around the communal areas chit-chatting with like-minded people. It felt like there was nothing in the world that I need to care about. I’m simply a young girl out there wanting to explore the world and fulfilling my desires to see, hear and smell what She has got to offer.

On my last day in the hostel, I had breakfast with the rest of them at the table and I loved it! I always loved to self-cater and eat in a communal way… there was lotsa fruits and veg, with some bread, cheese, yoghurt and tuna. Delicious. The company was great, the food was good and the feeling? Never been better. So glad that there was no single rooms available and I had to stay in the dorm instead. Otherwise, I would have become a hermit crab and hide into my room everytime I return from my day’s exploration. Things happen for a reason eh? Wonderful memories as a result.

All of us exchanged email addresses. In fact, I have been giving out my email address every single day in Iran. The people are simply too friendly. They would chat with you, and then offered you their email address or ask for yours. I had been busy emailing everyone in my notebook the past 3 day. How I wish this holiday would go on…

Withdrawal symptoms: Food. I miss the food soooo badly… The bread, the rice mixed with butter, the grilled chicken, the onions, the mint/parsley leaves, the yoghurt, the olives, the salad… Owww… one of their kind of bread is like the Indian naan and I know it can be bought in Cold Storage, but at a very ridiculous high price! It’s really just flour and water… How can they charge $3+ for 6 pieces of that??!! And it’s merely 15cm apart in size! Crazy! Guess I’m only going to satisfy my cravings by going to Turkish restaurants… Anyone know of any Iranian restaurants here?

It’s late and I’m going to turn in. I will write more soon.