I'm Really Good at Losing Things.

Intended to write to SingTel and get my phonebill to be mailed to me instead of my uncle/aunt as it has been for the past 5 years, but apparently, I lost the only copy of the bill my aunt passed me.

Wanted to see Tokyo for the very first time, but I lost my appetite, lost a lot of fluid (due to a semi-loss of control in my bowel movements), and hence, lost my chance to do so.

But I will not lose my memories of my week in Phuket, at least not for a long time.

Here we are, doing as they do in Thailand, and zipping around the way locals do - going against a tourists' guide advice not to do so. On Phuket Island, it costs barely over a hundred Singapore dollars to own a little 125cc motorbike. So it's no wonder whole families (ie father, mother, sister, brother, baby) get around using that.

I didn't get to take any pictures underwater, nor did I have my picture taken underwater, and nope, no hunky shots of instructors either (thought they were in abundance), so you'll have to be content with this shot of my diving instructor and her class (that's The Boyfriend, me, and Petra, the other student).

See how much darker we've become. Really, I didn't know how much 4 months inside a building during the sunlight hours of the day is really the best skin-whitening treatment once could ever hope for, until I went out into the sun again and lost it. But it's alright, I think I look pretty good tan. At least that's what The Boyfriend says.

Speaking of melanin in the skin, we had a discussion over lunch with our instructor's boyfriend (one of the hunky ones) (The Boyfriend begs to differ, and I wish he wouldn't read behind my back while I am writing) about the economics of skin. If you know about the economics of weight then you would be familiar with this theory: In temperate countries, being tan means you can afford to pay a whole lot to get someplace far away with a lot of sun. And by extension I suppose, being fair in a tropical country would mean that you work a lot indoors, which by loose definition means you are a white-collar worker who lives comfortably well. Either that or you have the money to buy those expensive get-white treatments lesser souls don't have access to.

Whatever it is, dark or fair, I just want good skin. Which I do not have the privilege of owning right now, due to stress, hormones, irregular bedding hours, a lousy diet and so on. Part of which is my own fault, part of which is out of my hands. But at the rate people are bombarding me with skincare products I don't know whether work, however, I think my skin will only grow more stressed with the constant changes I introduce to my regime. Help?

Okay. As blog-deprived I am, it can't compete with lack of sleep. I'm just going to throw out some random photos and captions.

Seafood

Little crab on the beach. One of them snuck up on Chye, who sent sand and a "whoop!" into the air.

(Seems almost a crime to eat something that magnificent. That sounds like we ate it. Didn't.)

I have no frickin' idea why they put a potato (at least that's what we think it is) in that fish's mouth. Gross, huh?

Birds

At the Phuket Simon Cabaret (Or Cabeleh, as The Boyfriend likes to call it)

Only stickers to protect her modesty (not that she seems to care, however)

Getting rewarded for her brazen-ness later. She came down with her chaperone (the chubby one, on the right) during the finale, with everyone on stage! Tipped handsomely, I'll bet.

Having a field day taking shots of the pretty lady-boys.

Empress Dowager katoey

Cuban katoey

Thai princess katoey

Did you spot the only thorn amongsts the latter-day roses?

And finally, the bird with the most natural (though not necessarily most beautiful) plumage, the source of her irritation in the background.