I had created a monster then. I had created this thing. This Thing. It was just that because I could not bring myself to give it a name. This hideous Thing. This ungrateful Thing.
How did it get here? This unthinking creature of mine. How did it find me? This wretch that I should not have breathed life in. Would it recognise me? Would it understand the irony, the sick joke that I have become.
Ah, Vic, to the death and beyond, and the Thing is here. Was not there a rumour of it destroying itself. In the most definite and horrible way of setting itself on fire.
Did vengeance kept him alive? Or is it deader than dead.
Let it be. As that is how it will be. To eternity, the created will go in search of his creator.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ore : 11:27 PM
Ore : 11:27 PM
Some say that there are only seven basic plots a story can follow. Some say there are only three. Whatever it is, Fink had one to tell. And it involved a dead person. Himself.
Fink was just Fink as far as he could remember. No family name. No middle name. No nicknames. Just plain Fink. And "far" was a very long time ago. So long ago that he had almost forgotten when he had first heard his own name.
He remembered he was alive then. Quite positively. Hey Fink, Guano had said then. One of his first memories. One of his first memories among other things he could sometimes remember. Like waking up and not remembering anything before the slumber that he had woke up from. And he remembered the smell of goat cheese in the hot humid air.
I am Guano and you are Fink. And so it was. And that was a long time ago. He had went on and crushed Guano's hand that was offered to him. He had never heard someone screamed like that before. But then again, his whole audio experience then had consisted no more than a handful of spoken words. And this constant ringing in his head. Even now, his experience was not much to scream about. He did learned how not to crushed someone's hand. You just don't touch them. And hands include necks and legs.
Fink had a story to tell but he was not a good storyteller. And he would not have cared about plots.
Fink was just Fink as far as he could remember. No family name. No middle name. No nicknames. Just plain Fink. And "far" was a very long time ago. So long ago that he had almost forgotten when he had first heard his own name.
He remembered he was alive then. Quite positively. Hey Fink, Guano had said then. One of his first memories. One of his first memories among other things he could sometimes remember. Like waking up and not remembering anything before the slumber that he had woke up from. And he remembered the smell of goat cheese in the hot humid air.
I am Guano and you are Fink. And so it was. And that was a long time ago. He had went on and crushed Guano's hand that was offered to him. He had never heard someone screamed like that before. But then again, his whole audio experience then had consisted no more than a handful of spoken words. And this constant ringing in his head. Even now, his experience was not much to scream about. He did learned how not to crushed someone's hand. You just don't touch them. And hands include necks and legs.
Fink had a story to tell but he was not a good storyteller. And he would not have cared about plots.
Beep... Beep Beep
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Ore : 4:20 PM
Ore : 4:20 PM
Euro Trip - Day 17
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Ore : 4:06 PM
Ore : 4:06 PM
13 Apr. We woke up late, close to 10am. It was a bright sunny day with a great morning call. Had some light breakfast in the apartment, packed our luggage, and walked to Mardach Ter to take the airport shuttle. Although we spotted the fashion street but we did not have time to go check it out. The transport, a van, came at 12.30pm but the driver said he had to to wait till 1pm, so we took the chance to do some last minute tour. Passed-by a synagogue and chanced upon a minimart where we bought half a loaf of bread, some cheese, and more kefir (which we were determined to cultivate back in Singapore, pouring some into a mineral water bottle).
We were upset when we were told later that we had to pay extra for the 3rd luggage. If only they had told us earlier, we could have packed it into the two big duffel bags! And what more when we found out that the €5 we were told was going to be the charges turned out to be €16. The counter staff cooly said that the price had increased. The attitude.
Anyway, after the check-in we went to some cafe to try to spend all our Forint. We got ourselves some quische to go with the last can of beer from Vienna. The Wizzair W6 221 flight took off exactly as scheduled 3.25pm and we arrived at Brussels' Charleroi Airport at 5.30pm. The flight was not the smoothest we had and both of us felt a little nauseous after getting off the plane. Luckily the company chartered cab driver was already there to fetch us. In suit, no less. He sped his Mercedes cab easily above 150km/hr, though we could barely feel it. We reached Denise's apartment in Henri Dunant, and after some slight difficulty contacting Siong Wan we then waited for Dyan and Denise to return. SW, Dyan and me had to call a cab to send us to Brussels National Airport to get our rented car, while Theresa, Denise and you went to the nearest Chinese restaurant to pack some food. It was to be our first Asian food in more than two weeks; coconut milk chicken, beansprout, mixed vegetable and some white rice. 
We lost our way home while following the Googlemap direction printed by Denise and in the end had to get the help of a lady at a petrol station to lead us to somewhere near Louise Ave, where Dyan was able to tell the way back to Sovereign Opera. After we parked the car, we had a problem looking for the entrance to the lift lobby. Apparently it was blocked by some construction material. The apartment was actually a two-floor maisonette, and it was large and pleasantly furnished. Thanks to Dyan, we were really made to occupy the room with two singles-bed. Nevermind that, we finally got to have our dinner at 11pm. We were really famished by then as lunch was not exactly a full meal.
We were upset when we were told later that we had to pay extra for the 3rd luggage. If only they had told us earlier, we could have packed it into the two big duffel bags! And what more when we found out that the €5 we were told was going to be the charges turned out to be €16. The counter staff cooly said that the price had increased. The attitude.
The room.
Only people from our part of the world find these lifts interesting.
Look instead at the well-touched, discoloured butt of the "Dancing Lady". Good luck they say, if you rub her butt.
Anyway, after the check-in we went to some cafe to try to spend all our Forint. We got ourselves some quische to go with the last can of beer from Vienna. The Wizzair W6 221 flight took off exactly as scheduled 3.25pm and we arrived at Brussels' Charleroi Airport at 5.30pm. The flight was not the smoothest we had and both of us felt a little nauseous after getting off the plane. Luckily the company chartered cab driver was already there to fetch us. In suit, no less. He sped his Mercedes cab easily above 150km/hr, though we could barely feel it. We reached Denise's apartment in Henri Dunant, and after some slight difficulty contacting Siong Wan we then waited for Dyan and Denise to return. SW, Dyan and me had to call a cab to send us to Brussels National Airport to get our rented car, while Theresa, Denise and you went to the nearest Chinese restaurant to pack some food. It was to be our first Asian food in more than two weeks; coconut milk chicken, beansprout, mixed vegetable and some white rice.
Flying budget.
Giggle, giggle, yes.
We lost our way home while following the Googlemap direction printed by Denise and in the end had to get the help of a lady at a petrol station to lead us to somewhere near Louise Ave, where Dyan was able to tell the way back to Sovereign Opera. After we parked the car, we had a problem looking for the entrance to the lift lobby. Apparently it was blocked by some construction material. The apartment was actually a two-floor maisonette, and it was large and pleasantly furnished. Thanks to Dyan, we were really made to occupy the room with two singles-bed. Nevermind that, we finally got to have our dinner at 11pm. We were really famished by then as lunch was not exactly a full meal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
A question was asked yesterday. She said yes!
Euro Trip - Day 16
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ore : 9:43 AM
Ore : 9:43 AM
12 Apr. Had bread and ham that HL bought for us, together with some kefir for breakfast. We went to Bajcsy-Zs ut to take the oldest metro in Europe continent. On the way we saw a parade of Mini Coopers and Mini Minors, some of them interestingly decorated. The 112-year old Line 1 took us to Hosok Tere or Heroes' Square. The square was really grand and was really packed with tourists, and in the middle stood the Millennium Monument. And if you do not have a wide-angle lense, you will need to walk to the end of the square to take the whole height of the column, with archangel Gabriel at the top and the seven Magyar chieftains who founded Hungary at the base. The square is flanked by the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art. Behind it is the sprawling Varosliget (City Park). Before entering the park, we got drawn into a stall selling various animal fur and someone really liked the soft sheep fur so much she intended to get one later.
Wouldn't be out of place in a steampunk movie.
Heroes' Square and the Millennium Monument
Archangel Gabriel
The original posers.
Displaced Indians. Very displaced.
Public toilet in Hungary
Mao in Hungary.
Rain dance
What do you call a "pole guy" in Cantonese?
After playing around at a field, including climbing up some columns, we then rented a quadcycle (a bicycle with four-wheels and pedaled by two. That was real fun although we almost toppled over a few times while riding around the park and to Szechenyi Bath too fast too furiously. Also saw some people playing pingpong, considered an important sports here. We returned the bike later, and walked on to Szechenyi Bath, only to find out that I had dropped by guidebook. So we traced our trail backward and was about to give up when, voila!, we found the book on a tree stump. Someone must have left it there after picking it up. We then walked to a pond next to the Budapest Zoo. Paid a heavy fee to go to the toilet. Bought a Kokusz Cservege and Rumos Csemege selling at Ft250 per 10dkg. We then sat down on the bench, looking at the ducks and having our dessert.
Quadcycle
"We are gonna beat the Chinese next year."
Szechenyi Bath, not a hotel.
Our lost guidebook, mysteriously resting on a tree stump.
Anonymous in person.
Wouldn't be out of place in a steampunk movie.
Heroes' Square and the Millennium Monument
Archangel Gabriel
The original posers.
We proceeded to Vajdahunyad Castle that is in the middle of the park. It is a mixture of Renaissance, Gothic, Baroque, and Romanesque styles, designed for the coming of the 20th century millennium celebration. The architect Ignac Alpar wanted to display the evolution of Hungarian architecture in a single building, hence each section reflects an important building, e.g. the Romanesque section is a copy of a chapel in Jak. All in all, the castle represents more than 20 famous Hungarian buildings. In the middle of the castle's courtyard is a statue of a nameless king's chronicler who is until now still known as Anonymous. We both touched his pen for good luck. Nearby, a couple of Red Indians were basking, their music lending a carnival-like feeling to the air.
Displaced Indians. Very displaced.
Public toilet in Hungary
Mao in Hungary.
Rain dance
What do you call a "pole guy" in Cantonese?
After playing around at a field, including climbing up some columns, we then rented a quadcycle (a bicycle with four-wheels and pedaled by two. That was real fun although we almost toppled over a few times while riding around the park and to Szechenyi Bath too fast too furiously. Also saw some people playing pingpong, considered an important sports here. We returned the bike later, and walked on to Szechenyi Bath, only to find out that I had dropped by guidebook. So we traced our trail backward and was about to give up when, voila!, we found the book on a tree stump. Someone must have left it there after picking it up. We then walked to a pond next to the Budapest Zoo. Paid a heavy fee to go to the toilet. Bought a Kokusz Cservege and Rumos Csemege selling at Ft250 per 10dkg. We then sat down on the bench, looking at the ducks and having our dessert.
Quadcycle
"We are gonna beat the Chinese next year."
Szechenyi Bath, not a hotel.
Our lost guidebook, mysteriously resting on a tree stump.
Anonymous in person.
On our way back to Horos Tere square, you finally could not help yourself and went to buy the sheep skin (€42). We bought a long-fur piece because it was softer although it would be less hardy when compared to the shorter-fur pieces. We went back to our apartment and dropped our stuffs, packed and met up with Christian and Stephanie. Christian was bringing us to a bathhouse (which eventually turned out to be Szechenyi Bath) but Stephanie could not join us due to a cold.
To allay unnecessary fear (and excessive self-righteousness), these furs are from farm animals.
To allay unnecessary fear (and excessive self-righteousness), these furs are from farm animals.
The entrance fee for the bath was Ft2400 per person and you get yourself a Ft400 refund for exiting within 2 hours. The changing room was big with a few locker areas. We changed and went into the first thermal pool, already filled with bathers of various sizes. There were sprayjets around and were very useful for massages. After about 20 minutes, we took a chilling walk, or rather run, to another pool with a whirling current. The current of the whirlpool was strong enough to almost pulled someone's pants off. Then we went indoors to try out the hot springs, carbonated baths, sulphuric and mineral pools. And of course the saunas. We skipped the colder ones (e.g. those at 28 Celcius). Although I was not really complaining about the bikini babes, I actually saw an old woman showering in the open without any clothes on.
Afterbath. With Christian.
Afterbath. With Christian.
We left a couple of hours later, not before all three of us took a picture together at the bathhouse. Christian then invited us back to his apartment and cooked us pasta. His apartment was old but the interior was neat and modern with a tinge of the old world feel about it. We sat in the kitchen, chatting with him while he prepared dinner. The pasta turned out to be surprisingly edible. A good dry red wine was also served. Throughout the meal, we found out that Christian could really talked. And gossiped. He is a really open person. He even invited me to check out his bathroom when I asked whether one of the door leads to a storeroom, and we all laughed at the naive question. Later he served us some Hungarian peach liqueor (the taste was not something we fancy) before we took leave.
As this was the last night before we flew to Brussels, we decided to take a long walk back, by the Danube River, where a question was answered by giggles.
Happy Anniversary, my dear.
Happy Anniversary, my dear.
Euro Trip - Day 15
Monday, November 17, 2008
Ore : 2:21 PM
Ore : 2:21 PM
11 Apr. This was the morning we bid farewell to HL, and it struck me that we probably won't be seeing each for a long time. Just like before this. Hmm. Anyway, got to thank him for being a gracious host. He sent us off at the busstop near his hostel, and we took the ride to the bus station.The bus ride to Budapest was at 9am and after a slight traffic jam near the city, we arrived at 11.30am and checked in at the Boomerang Hostel and Apartments at 12.30pm. We got a whole apartment at €52 per night. The building was old, as those being in the middle of the city (it was at Bank utca or Bank Street. Needless to say, we came across a lot of banks later) tends to be and not of the topmost in cleanliness. But still, it was in the middle of the city and the sheets were clean. 
Artistic impression abound in the city's underground scene.
Walked to the magnificient St. Stephan's Basilica, where purportedly the mummified fist of the first king of Hungary, St. Istvan, is housed. We continued to Vaci utca, the most famous pedestrian street in Budapest and is lined with eateries and souvenir shops. At the end of the street was the Central Market Hall. There were many stalls in it and selling items ranging from fruits, vegetables, cheese, cookies, desserts, seafood, and of course salami (we found out 500g of Hertz Salami cost Ft3000 or SGD24!). We bought some strawberries (Ft350) instead and went up a level where there are some foodstalls and had our lunch. Langos is a Hungarian specialty of fried flat bread. Think yau char kwai but bigger, round and flat. We had ours with purple cabbage (choices include cheese, cream, sausages, honey, jam, vegetable). Also tried a Kolbasz - Hungarian for sausage - one with a lot of pepper and spices in it. So much so that we barely could taste the meat. It was also crumbly. But this all went down well with a huge glass of Dreher from the next stall.
Badass yau char kwai, with purple cabbage.
This is not what it looks like. And yes, that's a Dreher.
Leaving the market, we walked along the part of the Danube River that runs through this city. Took pictures of the National Gallery (formerly the Royal Palace) across the river. Saw another Petofi monument. It was said he died in the war because he went ahead even though he was a writer. We were tired and sat at a bench facing the river. We were so relaxed that we fell asleep and woke up half an hour later. We continued on along the river and took some pictures of the Parliament and Hotel Intercontinental to show Chin Yee. Then we crossed the river by Chain Bridge, gave the Palace and museums a miss, and ended up at Fisherman's Bastion after going uphill through some small beautiful streets. The Matthias Church in the vicinity was under restoration but the architecture from the outside was Gothic feast for the eyes, matching those of the Bastion. We took quite a look of pictures from the Bastion as it gave a great view of Budapest.
Woman at the Fishermen's Bastion.
John found out later that this was not a good basking spot.
Copulating beetles. Budapest is a romantic city.
Headed down to Mammut, one of the biggest shopping centre around. On the way we saw some kids playing soccer in a fenced-up clay field, something that I mentioned was quite easy to maintain. We also saw two mating bugs. The only thing we bought in Mammut was a bottle of Torley (Ft850), a delightful Hungarian sparkling wine), some bread (Ft300) and some kefir (Ft300).
We could not find any Hungarian restaurant nearby and ended up at an Italian one instead; Pizza Oregano Kifozde. Had Kinley Ginger water, a Tarkonyos Csirkeragu leves (chicken ragont soup with Tarragon), grilled vegetable and Hungarian Pizza (Ft3300). After dinner, we took a walk to the river again. Romantic. We were interested to check out through the window of a building, a group of people having fun doing some traditional Hungarian dance, dancing to a equally enjoying 5-7 men band. When we left the window, a lot more people had joined us watching the dancers.
Artistic impression abound in the city's underground scene.
Euro Trip - Day 14
Friday, November 14, 2008
Ore : 2:19 PM
Ore : 2:19 PM
10 Apr. Woke up to a host who had gone to work in Budapest for the day. He did bought us salami, kefir, and tejfol to try. As well as bottled sparkling water. When we were halfway through our breakfast in the kitchen, the housekeeper came in and started to speak in Hungarian, presumably greeting us and asking where HL was. 
We continued our sightseeing that day, an hour from Veszprem to the unpronounceable city of Szekesfehervar, reaching at 5.30pm. Saw some big breads again but this time we settled with some cheese-cum-sesame stick (Ft140) and Studel (Ft140). Triangel. Crooked cross. Antique lamppost. We strolled around the historical downtown and Palace before meeting with HL outside Alba Plaza. Dinner was at a foodcourt (these establishment are considered unique to Hungary, especially being in this part of the world i.e. Europe). It was another heavy Hungarian affair of meat ball, stewed beef, stuffed chicken drumstick, pork, bean paste, and a very creamy sponge cake (sometimes taken as a full meal by Hungarians). All for an equivalent of €25. 
We changed and walked on to the bus station to go to Tihany. As the direct service were not frequent, we decided to take the bus to nearby Balatonfured and take a connecting bus to Tihany. On the way we passed by the great Lake Balaton. At noon, we got down at the Tihany stop at the footsteps of Benedictine Abbey. Walked around the little village and got an unblocked view of the Lake Balaton. With a beautiful reflection of the clear blue sky. Also checked out the roof of some of the hundreds-of-years-old houses; made of straw but very strong. Saw some local handicraft shops displaying traditional (read: outdated) table cloths with floral motifs. Passed by a cemetery with tombs lined up in two straight rows up a slope.
Lunch was at a restaurant called Echo (probably alluding to the famous echoes of Tihany's church bells), where we had another jug of white wine, roasted duck leg with mashed potato and pickled purple cabbage recommended by HL, and some gnodel. And dessert was a yummy walnut paste made into rod-like bites. We took a slow walk back to bus stop. Had to wait for an hour for the next service, so I continued reading The Castle and my dear continued her sleep as you had run out of caffeine.
Queen of Paprikas
We continued our sightseeing that day, an hour from Veszprem to the unpronounceable city of Szekesfehervar, reaching at 5.30pm. Saw some big breads again but this time we settled with some cheese-cum-sesame stick (Ft140) and Studel (Ft140). Triangel. Crooked cross. Antique lamppost. We strolled around the historical downtown and Palace before meeting with HL outside Alba Plaza. Dinner was at a foodcourt (these establishment are considered unique to Hungary, especially being in this part of the world i.e. Europe). It was another heavy Hungarian affair of meat ball, stewed beef, stuffed chicken drumstick, pork, bean paste, and a very creamy sponge cake (sometimes taken as a full meal by Hungarians). All for an equivalent of €25.
She was shocked by the size of it.
Somehow the smiling but quiet lady did not mind posing one for the album.
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