In the country yet again (part 1)

My mum is now with me in Melbourne for the next 10 days and we are going to travel around, doing short one-day tours and walking around the city as well as the suburbs. I have just returned from a 16-day trip back to Singapore for Chinese New Year during which I caught up with the three F's–food, family, friends. I shall post the pictures from that visit soon but first let me share the snaps taken during my previous holiday. At the beginning of the year, Ision and I went back to visit his parents (previous visits were documented here, here and here). I will let the photos from that trip speak a thousand words in two separate posts.

This is the backyard panoramic view. Pretty? Yes. Expansive? Hell yes.

Sightings of kangaroos and wallabies (ie. pests) are a very common thing. They scurry away as soon as you get close so there is no need to worry until they collide with your moving vehicle. According to my father-in-law, usually the vehicle won’t survive in that scenario (and the kangaroos do).

With Ision in the picture, you can see the size of the mosquito-infested pond and we were tasked to de-weed its perimeter. This is just one of the many tasks assigned to us whenever we get back. Think of it as a working holiday–we work in exchange for food and lodgings. For this task, Ision worked the grass-cutter and I had to rake the bits and pieces far away enough from the pond edge so that the lawn-mover can be driven over it to turn it into mulch.

My in-laws are not doomsday preppers but looking at this pantry (and a chest freezer full of meat), you can’t really tell.

I grabbed hold of the new thick Belgian chocolate-flavoured Bailey’s as soon as I saw it at the Duty Free shop and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. Home-made Bailey’s chocolate ice-cream–what could be more heavenly that that?

Task #n: Building a mini mountain with garbage and fallen tree branches. An formal application had to be made in advance to start this fire and we had to go check it the next day to ensure that everything is all right. There was increased amount of junk because of ongoing renovation work in the house. The bonfire would have looked more spectacular at night but the mosquito problem would be much worse as well then I bet.

Plum, papaya and banana trees are but a small sample of the fruit species grown here. The leafless tree is a fig one–I was told it is a parasitic (notice how it took over another tree)?

Harvesting mangoes using a makeshift entrapment developed by my father-in-law which really works and it makes light work without the need for cumbersome and dangerous ladders! I think he should get it patented.

Feeding lorikeets is one of the things we do to relieve a little of the boredom city-dwellers inevitably encounter when “stuck” in the country. What a pretty sight… and the bird is magnificent too.

Ision told me that cats are defenseless against Reiki and proved it to me. The cat’s restlessness immediately stopped and it assumed that still position in the picture when Ision started giving it Reiki. That cat belongs to Ision’s estranged brother but lives there now as his apartment doesn’t allow pets.

Massager my ass! This must be the best-selling product in the catalogue for I am sure there are plenty of lonely middle-aged women in the country who need to please themselves in the absence of husbands that can truly satisfy them.

I was told this gigantic prawn a.k.a. icon of Ballina (the town where the airport nearest to my in-laws’ estate in Ashby is) used to be even larger but it was torn down and rebuilt smaller to make way for the Bunnings store that is next to it.

Musical journey (55)

I have finally endured long enough to see the end of my third rotation in Papua New Guinea and boy do I miss civilisation, my boo and my upcoming trip back home to Singapore for Chinese New Year. I will not say too much about me missing my boo because I have written a song about it and all that I feel is in that song. The tune and words for the chorus came to me one morning as I was on the shuttle bus travelling from camp to site. I quickly recorded that down and finished the rest of the song on the flight back to Melbourne at the end of my previous rotation. Now it is ready to be heard by the world and of course by you-know-who.

Boo, I am coming home tonight!


[Paradise]

Through the mist way up high, I can see with sleepy eyes
A home away from home to which I've said goodbye
We call it paradise to speed up the time
Where cannibals still thrive amongst the feuding tribes

Never mind rain or shine, we push on a day at a time
The shit pile's getting higher for us to climb
Those darn lazy asswipes, I just can't get them all in line
My face is tired from smiling, still I have to try

Another day in paradise, the sun is just about to rise
Where you can almost touch the clouds getting in the light
As the mountains reach the sky

Another day in paradise, can't wait to leave this all behind
So I can see the smile in your eyes that you can't hide
With your arms opened wide, I'm coming home tonight

Gone for four weeks at a time, that's not what I had in mind
The things we all have to do to pay our bills on time
But when you're on the home-bound flight
Your love's waiting to hug you tight
Nothing else matters, you'll know the path you're on is right




PS: Looks like it's official. I am doing a good job in PNG indeed! Here are the positive comments I received from the Deputy Production Superintendent which I forwarded to all the relevant bosses. This certainly ends my third rotation on a good note!

My first photo book!

Pictures from more than 30 photo shoots spanning over 7 years of my modelling career have finally been compiled in a 64-page glossy A4 landscape photo book. Jam-packed with nearly 180 of the best pictures carefully selected by myself, this pictorial is sure to make an excellent addition to your coffee table book collection. Regardless if you are into swimwear, underwear, implied nudes or full-frontals ranging from the artistic to erotic, there are plenty of shots that will excite and tantalise. It is not easy to find a page that is totally G-rated without complete nudity but here are some of these pages and pictures as a preview, including the picture featured on the cover.

Also, some of the people who have obtained a copy of the book have the following to say:


H from London:
"Kim is photogenic–every part of him. I especially enjoyed his outdoor pictures, where he is standing in the forest wearing nothing but a smile or splashing about in the river having fun. He dares to be bare in some surprising public places, but no one can object to beauty wherever it is. I will be coming back to it again and again to keep his Asian handsomeness fresh in my mind."

Richard from New York:
"I admit I love and adore all things Kim! But even I could not have imagined such a spectacular and incredible book. Every picture of Kim is exceptional–true artistry in every pose, smile, and flex! These images really highlight his extraordinary body and handsome face. Although I can never spend enough time admiring his perfect abs, incredible quads, and sexy calves, there are enough imagines here to keep me satisfied for a very long time!"

Anonymous from Singapore:

"In terms of postures and photo taking, the pictures are indeed professionally, if not, well taken. I presume that there is no lighting but the effect is like as though there is. The photo book is made of good - very good - paper quality. Even though Kim may not be trained in modelling, he has what it takes to produce such a pictorial. With training, he will be even better. Next time he should be even more daring - have a picture of him cumming. That will surely attract attention. I think so far, none of my magazines have that. :)"

Lester from Singapore:

"A devilishly seductive piece of work. Every page you flip only serves to tempt you with more images that are both artistic and erotic. Feast your eyes on the beauty of Kim's body as well as the beautiful sceneries chosen as backdrops. You will wish that the figure in the book to come alive before you."


If you want to see these printed pictures uncensored or are interested in getting your hands on a book, please comment on this post and I will provide you with further details. You can access more shots by clicking the links to my pictures on the left on my blog under the heading "my shoots". If you would like some uncensored preview shots to help you better decide, you can also leave a message here.

I look forward to reading all your comments!

Musical journey (54)

I am now at the end of my first week back in Papua New Guinea on my third rotation and I have just arrived at an even more remote site where I will be stationed for the next three weeks. I have my own room and theoretically I have to share the toilet with my neighbour. How I wish I could share it with a hunky guy but alas I am less a neighbour. Well at least I could call the toilet and shower my own... for now. I flew to the site in a helicopter (my first time ever) and it was not as exciting as I thought it would be (the flight was only 20 minutes). I was originally scheduled to fly in a fixed-wing aircraft but it was faulty and so there was a last minute change in plan (sure doesn't give you a lot of faith in the local aviation industry does it?).

The food here really does taste better compared to the main camp (every one who's been here has told me the same but I did not believe them as I needed a personal taste test). This site here is at sea level and so it is a lot hotter and more humid  than the main camp. Fortunately the air-condition in my room is quieter and more efficient (room-size is half as big as in the main camp). Unfortunately there is no air-conditioning in the gym so it can get quite unbearable in there. There is also a lot of down-for-maintenance and half-assembled gym equipment strewn around and I hope they will be up and running soon. Things have been slow work-wise, which is expected as the team here is pretty new to alarm rationalisation. For all of you who don't yet know, my title here is "Production Lead (Alarm Rationalisation)". This is the first time I have the word "lead" in my title and I will try to milk the hell out of it, if that is even possible.

OK, PNG update over and now on to the reason behind this post which is to share my rendition of one of my favourite Hokkien songs. I have posted this song by the original singer on Facebook before and I have mentioned then that to me Hokkien music is the more lyrical and sentimental version of American country music. Though there are bad examples, Hokkien songs about family and kinship never fail to invoke strong emotions in me. This is why I decided to record my version of this song about an old single father bringing up a young son and telling him to study hard so that society would not look down on him. The father also laments that he might not live long enough to see his son grow up and start a family. As a person missing a father from the age of eight, this song really struck a chord with me and I hope you like my version of it (the original could be found here).

Bangkok through Facebook (part 3)

Here is the last part of my Facebook picture posts made during my Bangkok vacation in November last year. I thought the weather was going to be cool seeing that it was the end of the year but no it was not. I always get a heat rash whenever I visit Bangkok and this time was no different but this is not going to keep me away from this amazing city. A really colourful, friendly, at times crazy but totally vibrant and unique city—there's no other like it!

Breakfast of champions, necessary for a long day at Babylon. All for 100 baht (AUD$3.50).

The first day's routine now done, it's on to the second day's at the best gay sauna gym I've ever been to. Who says holidays are always easy? — at Babylon Sauna and Spa | สาธร ซ.1.

A well-deserved break after a 3-hour workout. For all you leg fans, this pic is for you. You know who you all are! — at Babylon Sauna and Spa | สาธร ซ.1.

Ah. How I wish this afternoon never ends. Now what shall I do for my last night in Bangkok? — at Babylon Sauna and Spa | สาธร ซ.1.

This is a place meant to be explored with a friend or partner, not alone. The vibe here is great but I am not feeling it by myself... 8( — at Asiatique River Front.

... so here's me wolfing down a late dinner meant for two. That excellent green curry (the ones found in Australia come nowhere close) managed to make me feel a little better. I was charged 3 baht for ice by the way, which gives an indication of how touristy this place is. — at Asiatique River Front.

Wow. I don't remember drug-taking paraphernalia was so brazenly sold in public the last time I came. If this is the current state of things above the surface, imagine the state under.

That intense attention I get by simply walking into this alley! If I were ever depleted in energy, I will just come here to charge up with just the electricity buzzing and streaming in the air towards me. I wonder if I could capture and store this with some sort of an attention capacitor... — at Silom Soi 4.

Finally found my shredder tank top! The arm holes as shown have been folded at the seam for a deeper cut so by right this one is still not ideal. But it's a good starting point!

10.30pm. This is early depending on whether you have exciting plans or you have been stood up by someone you were supposed to be out with. Alas it is the latter for me on my last night in Bangkok. Well at least there is mango sticky rice and reliable BBC to keep me company in this lonesome hotel room tonight. Goodnight Bangkok one last time for now. — at OmYim Lodge.

You know you've overstayed your welcome when a city's weather starts giving you heat rashes. It's the perfect natural weapon of a location against people it wants to get rid of. I've had fun Bangkok and I will definitely visit you again but not by myself. I'm now so not looking forward to an overnight flight in budget economy!

Bangkok through Facebook (part 2)

Let us now continue with my Bangkok series that I have previously posted on Facebook. The next time I visit the Land of Smiles will be with a travelling partner as I found that interesting things I encountered were much less so without a physical person to share the experience with. Sure we all have a lot of virtual people on social media we can spread the fun to but nothing can ever beat face-to-face communication when it comes to these things. Well at least I got to share my joy and excitement on Facebook.

Taking the scenic route to Khao San Road via the Chao Phraya River.

I don't remember Khao San Road being so dead and boring. Perhaps it is too early (though it's a Sunday at noon) or this place has developed into a night spot since I last visited. Suffice to say I won't be coming back again in my next trip.

In 100 years, this photo will be worth something.

Mystery solved. It is corn puff. Still scary looking though. — at Food Island MBK, Bangkok.

Have you ever wondered why drag shows follow the same formula all over the world? Do they have a secret international agreement to behave the same way on stage that I don't know about?

If only this means what I want it to mean.

This is what I am doing this moment. Kinda different from my last shoot eh? — at S1 Hostel.

Before I wash my face off... This is a really tough shoot and I am glad it's over. Quite impressed with the shots myself. Now on to some proper relaxing at Babylon, which just happens to be a stone's throw away from the studio. Haha.

Lots of street food for yet another well-deserved supper after a tough shoot with very little to eat for the whole day. 3rd shoot so far is a no-go as a good location can't be found. Oh well, 2 ain't bad at all.

Perve alert! Managed to snap a set of what I think are very sexy legs. Just the right amount of hair and just the right calf-thickness.

The poshest cafe I have seen so far in Bangkok in this new mall that wasn't here when I last visited, a mall (Siam Sq-1) with the strangest layout. — at Dao Coffee.

Indulging in the two things not available in Australian Maccas. Pork burger and pineapple pie.

Mobile device charging station in McDonald's. Australia can learn so much from in her eyes the third world. — at Mcdonald's Siam Paragon.

Bangkok through Facebook (part 1)

For the benefit of those not in my friends list, I am going to share with you the picture posts I made on Facebook from my Bangkok trip a couple of months ago. It's going to be a three-part series documenting a relaxing trip with two photo shoots worked into it. I used to travel to Bangkok a lot but did less of it when I thought it became unsafe. I heard that things were going to be cheaper to encourage tourism but I didn't find that to be the case. In fact other than the emergence of more Fitness First gyms, I found Bangkok totally unchanged since my last visit a few years ago. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable and stress-free week-long vacation. Here is part one of this series.

A very successful shoot today! So happy. The adrenaline of so many people watching was pushing me so much that the fact that I have not had anything to eat the whole day didn't matter a single bit! — at Soi Cowboy.

Anyone know what this is? Is it even edible?

A well-deserved dinner. You can't get more authentic pad see ew anywhere.

Rod Fai night market is truly a foodie heaven. And lots of cool vintage stuff and live performances. If you guys are unaware of this place, you should so check it out! — at Rod Fai Market Srinakarin.

Let the claustrophobic pandemonium begin! — at สวนจตุจักร l Chatuchak Market.

Right, nap over. It's time to hit the clubs. Finally wearing this having had no chance to put it on for years.

Oh no. Stuck in the notorious Bangkok traffic in a cab. Well I knew the risks and took the cab anyway. Too tired and still feeling under the (freakishly hot) weather to really care. Besides I have lots of time to burn here.

In the oft claustrophobic Bangkok, a shot like this is refreshing.

This 350 baht prawn is more than a foot long and freaking thick. Godzilla in the making. — at Food Island MBK, Bangkok.

Green curry shrimp fried rice with tom yum kung. This really is the first proper meal I have had so far 4 days into the trip. Need to keep my strength up if I want a fulfilling time later at Chakran. *wink wink*

So much food for only 140 baht (AUD$5). And this is already the trimmed down version! I kept asking them to give me less. Bangkok, you amaze me with the cheapness of your food.

As I rule over my subjects. Now bow before me. — at DJ. station.

Musical journey (53)

This month's musical piece is a song I wrote on the eve of 2000 and I still cannot believe that 15 years have passed so quickly since then, when I just started university. A youngster with rock-bottom self-esteem and zero life experience struggling with his sexuality and looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places, I was one maladjusted homosexual. Not really a boy but barely a man, I had to brave the arduous journey of self-discovery and constantly pick myself up after having fallen and my heart broken by people I did not even know. Never losing faith though, I had the same single dream of finding a partner for many years. In fact I kept that dream alive for so long that on the eve of 2000, I truly felt I have had it for a thousand years, hoping that it can come true in the next millennium.

Loneliness is very easily magnified in celebratory crowds especially when they consist of happy couples and countdown parties on new year's eve are a prime example where sadness in people just gets worse. On 31 December 1999 I needed an outlet for my depression and so I wrote this song. 15 years on when I hear this song again on the same day, those emotions back then still manage to get to me. Fortunately I am now in a much better position, happily married and all. I guess being steadfast and holding on to the same dream relentlessly did pay off in the end.

Here's to a fabulous year ahead. Happy 2015.



[一千年的美梦]

词 / 曲 : 锦泉
 
听寂寞的钟填补心里的洞
听孤单的风带来一丝寒冻
耳边熙熙攘攘喧哗闹众
听自己呼吸最感动

看灿烂烟火炫耀心里的孔
看赤裸夜空带来无限的痛
眼前无数身影放肆晃动
看自己泪水眼底涌

一千年的美梦
換来的只有痛
过了今夜
过了这一秒我还会剩什么

一千年去匆匆
我无法回头
为何末日没有来让一切告终

快答应自己    从今要好好地活
就算从明日起  痛会历历如昨
来重新编制一个美梦
日子还是一样要过


[A Dream of a Thousand Years]

Listen to the lonesome ticking of the clock as the sound fills the emptiness in my heart
Listen to the solitary wind bringing a little chill
Listen to the noise from the crowd beside my ears
Listen to the sound of my breaths which touches me the most

Look at the brilliance of the fireworks highlighting the hole in my heart
Look at the naked sky a moment later bringing unending pain
Look at the countless swaying shadows in front of me
Look at the tears welling in my eyes

A dream of a thousand years
In exchange for nothing else but heartache
After this very second at the end of the night
What would I be left with

A thousand years so fleeting
Giving me no time to look back
Why did doomsday not arrive
To put an end to everything

Tell yourself that from now on you shall live your life well
Even though the pain tomorrow will be like yesterday
And make yourself another dream
For life still goes on

Dear diary (part 4)

That is a picture of me in my messy office at 6am. It's not too flashy I know but it is put here in case people want to see me clothed for once. Hehe. Let me now share more of my everyday life for this last week of my second full rotation in Papua New Guinfea.


17-Dec-2014:
OK, two hostages have died in the Martin Place siege in Sydney, which is not a good outcome. I am keen to know the fallout of this tragic event especially around why the man was not put on the terror watch-list and out on bail despite allegedly committing so many offences (he has not been formally charged for a single one of them). Workwise, the visitor left early this morning (good riddance! I can finally get my life back). In the last few days, we managed to correct almost all the bugs and cleaned up the errors in the application's database. I also managed to load in all the alarm changes and all I have to do is to work with the production team to execute them little by little. I am well on track to deliver what I have promised my boss. Phew! I also have to train the operators as part of this change, which will be a breeze because they are really nice and friendly people. On an unrelated note, I finally moved the mouldy chair out of my room to the far end of the corridor and placed a note to ask for camp services to dispose of it. I can't believe my back-to-back was fine with a chair covered in mould in the room. Also, you might not be aware that I take my little bolster everywhere and it is now with me in my room. I make it a point to keep that locked in the cupboard so that the cleaners who enter the room daily won't find that extra bedding item strange and out of place. However I forgot to hide it before I left the room today and the cleaner placed it nicely on the freshly-made bed. Eek. That bolster has stains on it and is quite unsightly (but oh so comfortable) and now my secret is out—I cannot live without it, something that has been with me for many many years. The Christmas decorations are now up in the mess together with very old-sounding Christmas carols on repeat over the PA system. All this and yet not a shred of Christmas mood in the air—this is quite a feat. I guess the locals have lower standards as they are quite easily satisfied just like how easily amused they are—it takes very little set them off laughing without a care in the world. I envy them.

18-Dec-2014:
Alright, yesterday wasn't very productive (it was supposed to be my rest day after a hectic week fixing software issues, manipulating spreadsheets and databases and taking care of a visitor) but today is a different story as I formally begin the background work for the alarm management program that will be kick-started at a new site in my next rotation. The best thing about this is I am totally in charge of this site meaning I don't have to work with materials that have already been pre-developed by my back-to-back (some of them are not working correctly or in the way they should be). There is a lot of work involved and I am not going to rush through it. I am going to go into detail and do it well—people will remember a project if it was done well, not because it wasn't delivered on schedule. Quality not quantity applies here. I also had an opportunity to talk to the new boss that just came on site (the back-to-back of my site boss) and highlighted the challenges I am currently facing in this project. I don't expect anything to come out of it but at least now he knows (well he only knows of the main issues, there are lots more under the surface). I guess he will soon find out that this PNG site is nothing like the other established facilities. It is business-as-usual here everyday despite nothing really working well. Today I completed the background work for only one system out of thirty but still I am satisfied with my progress for a least I started the ball rolling. Tomorrow will be D-day—the alarms that have been loaded into the software will be enforced onto the control system, whether the production team likes it or not. I will make sure that it happens. On a different subject, my room will undergo spring-cleaning tomorrow (I suspect this is done annually) and I have been told to lock everything away to facilitate this. I left a note asking the cleaners to dispose of everything that has not been locked away as they are pieces of junk left by the previous occupants. I know the cleaners won't do it immediately (they did it five days later) but at least they will know why there are so many unwanted loose items in the room.

19-Dec-2014:
I got quite a scare this morning when I encountered a fresh bug in the application just when I was about to execute the alarm changes. I couldn't believe that after so much work, the application was going to fail me on D-day! I called the vendor of the software and he suggested I reboot the server and I did just that. The problem went away thankfully and I managed to execute 446 alarm changes. It felt so bloody good to be able to check this off my list. I will make sure I milk this major progress to the max so that everyone knows I was the one who made it happen! Now that that is over and done with, the rest of my five days on site will be a breeze. All I need to do is more of the background work required for the meetings I am facilitating in my next rotation. You'd think that with a relaxed workload ahead, I would have more time for gym right? Today something that never happened before happened—I actually worked all day in the office and then moved on to dinner like a zombie only to realise I was supposed to be doing cardio after work just when I got my food in the mess ie. it was too late (I didn't want to gym after dinner as that is my quiet "me"-time when I veg in front TV watching news on the cable network). This means that I would have to do both gym in the early morning and then cardio in the evening before dinner tomorrow. I can't believe I have become one of those people I never understood—people who allow work to replace gym. Even though I did it inadvertently, I still can't "forgive" myself for this. That is what ten years of gym routine does to your mind. However this is an addiction that I am willing to continue. And on a totally separate topic, today marks one year of married life for me and my boo. It is such a non-event that I actually am writing this on 21-Dec as I totally forgot the date. Ision forgot about it too as he also didn't mention this when we talked over the phone. The thing is we "celebrate" the anniversary of us getting together ie. 06-May and we think this marriage anniversary is not really a significant date. Maybe if we had a grand wedding then we might think differently. Here are the pictures we took at the British Consulate in Melbourne one year ago.

20-Dec-2014:
Locals here are friendly but they tend to have a hidden motive. For instance, one kitchen worker asked me to buy a cheap touchscreen phone for him from Australia (he would pay me first). I had no choice but to say ok as I was taken by surprise (he asked me at point blank). I will try to drag this on till he forgets about it. Why must they approach me?! URGH! Anyway, I mentioned in one of my earlier entries that if I could participate in the karaoke competition held on site on the eve of 2015 I would surely win. I said that from the perspective of locals being very shy and therefore not good at performing in front of an audience. But I do know that some of these locals have really nice voices (think rich tones typical of black singers) and I am sure they will not miss the chance to share their gift. If that happens, I might very well lose but there is no way to find out when I cannot join the contest. Workwise, things have been quiet. A lot of meetings here have to involve people in the Brisbane and Sydney offices and teleconferencing is heavily relied upon. The network is not always reliable and the signal breaks now and again so I had to stress to people today that if remote support is the only way to go for those meetings I am chairing in my next hitch then I would have no choice but to highlight any consequent ineffectiveness and inefficiency to the managers (I will be holding those sessions at that faraway site ie. remote dial-in is required if people can't make it to that location). That lazy person who is required to support my meetings first have to commit to providing that support before I can start worrying about it being remote or not. The big challenges I face at work here are usually things like that that are non-technical. If only things work smoothly here... On the exercise front, I did weights (biceps and back) at about 7.30am and then 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at 5.30pm to compensate for the missed session yesterday. Looks like the estimated amount of protein powder I brought to PNG from home based on a projection of I needed was spot-on—I would run out of it after my last weights session for this rotation tomorrow. My carry-on luggage when I left PNG last time weighed exactly 7kg on the scale at customs. My guesstimation skill is very good it seems.

21-Dec-2014:
I just discovered that company employees who do rotation work on site get their public holiday entitlements paid to them in March every year as well as get their annual bonuses in April which means a fat pay cheque for two months in a row. With such high salaries, you still get expats lazy to the bone and you can't help but look at them with even more disdain. And it is this unmotivated attitude that causes so many incidents on site. As I go through the incident log, I am surprised to come across many rather over-the-top cases that would never have happened in a normal plant elsewhere in the world. Here are some examples: lightning hit atmospheric vent that constantly emits flammable vapour into the atmosphere and caused a fire (this can only be rectified with a re-design of the system though); a cook doubling up as camp maintenance personnel while clearing vegetation around the camp lacerated his own leg with a bush knife (what the hell is a cook doing that?!); while performing a lifting operation, the crane boom hit the roof of a building (WTF?!); uninterrupted power supply switch that ensures seamless power supply to the process control and safety systems found in the 'off' position for an extended period of time (another WTF?!). Luckily I don't need to go out to the plant that often (nor am I interested at all in improving how the plant is running, unlike my back-to-back) and in this way I am less exposed to these potential disasters. This place is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and it seriously needs a major incident or fatality in order to wake everybody up. The scary thing is I am starting to feel that even if that happened, everyone will still carry on with their lackadaisical business-as-usual attitude. I think as long as the fat cats on top still get their massive salaries, there will not be major improvements on site at my level. I am afraid that is the modus operandi of all major companies nowadays—no one cares for their employees and what really happens at the bottom rung of the ladder anymore (my company is a prime example). Christmas gifts have also been given to employees only on site—it's a freaking battery-operated lantern so thank goodness I am not missing much!

22-Dec-2014:
I don't know if it was the heavy rain or the fact that the generators were being worked on but there was a blackout last night (unplanned) at about 8pm. It was a tad too early to sleep but I guess with a blackout in camp where there is already very little you can do after work, the only option is to go to bed. I took a peek outside and it was eerily-pitch black (because of the remote location). The only light came from the huge constantly-burning flare at the refinery about 1 km away. And this morning, there was a planned power outage in the office for half an hour or so. Luckily I have a laptop so I could continue working. Food wise, papadums were served in the mess today. It seems that they serve them only once every four weeks as I also only had it once in my previous rotation. It is so yummy and I wonder why they don't have that more often (I'd choose to load myself with calories from that over dessert any day). Also, the internet connection went down again today due to a downed link from here to Port Moresby. This happens VERY frequently and it affects the entire business. I wonder if they factor this loss in productivity every time that happens into their budget plans and site performance statistics. It is because of this unreliable network that I have given up on the local SIM card I bought back in September. It was chewing up credit (which is not cheap for a place like PNG) without actually providing any connection and it expires so quickly! It's not long more before I get on that early morning flight leaving this home away from home. Let me start thinking of what my first outside meal at the airport would be (the meal is reimbursable)—this always makes me feel super excited. It's too bad there is such a limited food variety on offer at Cairns International Airport. Also it's been raining quite heavily in the late afternoon these few days, I wonder if it is the monsoon season again (I can never figure out when exactly this monsoon season is).

23-Dec-2014:
The network went down again today!^$#%^#*(@*! Anyway, I must have slept wrong last night as I woke up this morning with a sore back on my right side as if I have pulled a muscle. Fortunately I am done with weights and it is only cardio I have to do until I leave for my break. Thank goodness for the fact that you can freeze your Fitness First gym membership back home and pay only $8 every fortnight. Too bad you can only freeze it six times a year (I will try to "negotiate" out of this restriction and threaten to leave Fitness First if they can't make an exception for me as a last resort). The Christmas program is out and looks like there is carols by candlelight tomorrow night at the indoor stadium (known as "Iagidome" because the camp is called "Iagifu Ridge Camp") and a day service on Christmas Day at the same location. I know I am not missing anything. If my contract were to be extended beyond 2015 then I will be able to experience Christmas in camp next year. Actually the contract has already been non-formally extended for three months as I was originally due out September 2015. If everything is as per the contract, my last working day in PNG will be 25-Nov next year. We shall see. Tonight will be spent packing up my room. It is a pain to always have to lock everything up in the cupboard before departure as I share the room with my back-to-back. I am coming back with check-in luggage for my next rotation as I need to travel to the faraway site and therefore would need a suitcase. This means that I can bring to PNG a lot of supplies like bottles (a few of each) of mouthwash, body wash, foot powder and snacks as these are not on sale here (well snacks and powder are but they are not cheap for PNG standards). I can't bring these in if I only had my hand luggage due to fluid-volume restrictions. Also there will not be enough space in my backpack. Once my luggage is packed, the room and office are cleaned up, my mailbox is tidied and the detailed handover document is drafted for my back-to-back (I don't like to do it over the phone unlike him), there will be nothing more to do for this rotation. Oh, and they started serving Christmas dinner tonight.

24-Dec-2014:
I am now all packed and ready to go and this will be a short entry as I need to make it to the shuttle bus that doesn't wait for any one and it would be a major pain if I were to miss it. The bus leaves the camp at 5am sharp and my flight leaving Moro departs at 6.30am and lands in Carins at 9.30am. If all goes well without delay, my connecting flight home will fly out at 12.30pm and I will be at the Melbourne Airport at 5.50pm. With this darn daylight savings, I will not be able to make it home in time before boo leaves for work. Therefore I will try my best to stay up tonight so I can give him big hugs and kisses the moment he enters the door. Hopefully I can stay awake as my body clock would still be in PNG mode ie. awake at 4.30 - 5.30am and asleep by 8.30 - 9pm! Ah... the things we do for love. Hehe. OK, gotta end this last diary entry now.


So there you have it, my life in the remote Southern Highlands province of PNG for a full four-week hitch, I hope it is as you've expected and that you have enjoyed reading as much I did sharing. On Christmas eve, I get to fly home unlike my back-to-back who is also going to lose Chinese New Year too (hor hor hor)—how lucky am I?