It's 6 am now.

I just can't sleep.

Guess my body clock has haywired.

Were so tired when I got back from London this afternoon.

Slept at 2330 hrs but woke up at 0300 hrs.

Till now, I am still wide awake.

Appointments later that will take my whole day.

Damn it.

Feel like a piece of shit now.

1 Sheep, 2 Sheeps, 3 Sheeps.....& 100 Sheeps...I am still wide awake. Haiz.

MOSCOW ( 2-5 February 08 )

As promised long ago :P, here's a long overdued post on my Moscow trip before CNY.

It's been almost a year since my last Moscow trip back in March 2007. Wanted to stay in the hotel during my 2.5 days there initially but the great company and weather made me revisit the attractions again. No doubt nothing have changed but I really enjoyed this trip...thanks to the great company I had.

View outside my hotel room...White Moscow...the 2 buildings in the background were the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Aquatic Center.

Since Roy & I did not manage to go to the Weekend Flea Market with the rest of our colleagues due to insufficient seats on the free shuttle van provided by the hotel, we met up with Melissa and had a helluva time taking pics and playing with the snow outside our hotel. The snow was really nice, thick and cool but the fact that we were not wearing the appropriate footwear made our movement kinda of difficult... Our feet were wet after stepping onto the thick white snow and we gotta be extra careful with every step we took while walking on the streets as it were damn slippery. I nearly fell a few times during the less than 400 metres walk. Not a joke if you really fall.

That's how cold Moscow was during my stay...look at the way the water from the drainage pipe froze.

Walked past this local open makeshift wet market while on our way to the metro station. Decided to explore a little before proceeding to our destination. Kinda crowded and freezing cold. Really salute to those stall holders who have to endure the cold in the open for hours ! Earning Money isn't easy eh.

Frozen Ducks...thanks to the weather.

Cured/smoked fish and meat plus fish roe

A very unique & different stall selling vegetables and fruits. Love the expression on her face.

Very nice hats made out of rabbit, arctic fox fur etc. It's really warm when you don on them.

Melissa trying her 1st bite on a curry puff lookalike snack she bought...it's very nice though.

Metro Station

Heard that metro underground stations were all beautiful and unique with different architectural designs.

The names of the stations in Russian. It can be frustrating trying to figure out where we were for we got to compare symbol by symbol in each word.

Guess the metros were very deep underground. The escalators were all so long and it can easily take a few minutes to get from the top to the bottom. Plus the escalators were those old school types with the steps made out of wood. Interesting.

Where shall we head ? Time to ask around again.

It's so happen that we hopped onto this train that was so old. Look at the interior...it's like those in the 1970s.

Souvenir shops lining 'Apbatskaya' (not sure of its spelling, furthermore its in Russian).

Meet the very famous man who appeared on TV and magazines for his beautiful handmade Russian Dolls. Many said he looks like Santa Claus and so he made a Russian Doll that resemble him (the one he was holding). In order to take pictures with him, you got to make a purchase first.

RED SQUARE

A makeshift Ice Skating rink that were set up in

The World famous St Basil Cathedral...Beautiful with some snow at its 'onions' shaped dome.

The back view of the Cathedral with the morning sun shining directly on it.

Look the snow in this park located next to Red Square

KREMLIN

One thing about travelling in Moscow, everywhere is in Russian and the local speak little or nil English and so it can be quite a challenge to navigate around. Be honest, maybe we do not know how to appreciate Russian food, it's McDonald all the way during our stay there...haha. All in all, I quite like Moscow and wouldn't mind going there again.

I wonder what's wrong with me recently....have been really down on my luck ever since after Chinese New Year. Things weren't going smooth for me at work ( lots of hiccups ), my body wasn't feeling well recently and worse still, I met with a minor accident in the bathroom in London !!!!! While reaching for the towel on the rack next to the bathtub, I slipped and fell with my lower body in the bathtub and my upper body outside. Fortunately, my head did not hit the toilet bowl which was just next to the bathtub ( I swear my head is just inches away from the toilet bowl )....otherwise, I may be in the hospital now or lying motionless in the coffin...who knows. Guess what... the commotion was so loud that Evon who was staying in the next room claimed that she heard a loud thud while using the bathroom. Just a big bruise on my left thigh...Lucky!!!! I just cannot believe that I am that sway...who have I offended...I must really visit the temple to pray. Mum mentioned to me that I (the rat) must go pray 'Tai Sui' and that its a bad year for the rat....haiz. It's really a series of unfortunate events. Hope things will get better soon.

Was in London for the past few days and I simply love it. Not sure why some people hate to go there. One thing for sure, there are so many things to see and do in London. The beautiful parks, the many tourist attractions and famous landmarks, the vibrant shopping scenes and the list goes on. I doubt I can finish London within a week.

Did not do much this time in London...merely went to some flea markets and shopping areas with 2 of my other colleagues. Initially wanted to visit the Windsor Castle with Daniel and Joy but decided to give it a miss in the end. Kinda regretted now...haha.

1st Stop.... Portobello Market (which comes alive during weekend)

Does the station name rings a bell in your head ?

Guess where are we now ?

You will find many antiques along the street

Scottish Cashmere, anyone ?

I love this shot...a couple deciding what to buy @ Portobello Studios...They are really sweet and loving, don't they?

Even the car can be used as an advertisement to attract patrons.

It's Teatime...Cakes & Cupcakes are available

2nd Stop : Camden Town

Introducing my 2 other khakis...Sharon & Evon

It gets real crowded on a Sunday afternoon @ Camden Town

Camden Town is similar to Harajuku in Tokyo. You will get to see some youngsters dress up in these gothic costumes with some weird make up and roam around the streets. If you are lucky, you may get to see a vampire...hahaha...Interesting eh.

The food market at the end of the street. Lots of good food can be found here.

Pit Stop : My 3 pounds (S$9)lunch - Rice with fried Chicken Chunks, squids and prawns. Kinda of cheap considering you are in London.

I like this name very much....The Horse Hospital...very unique and kinda catchy.

Bidding goodbye to Camden before heading to Covent Garden, our last stop for the day. Oh yes, I was really happy that I managed to buy a pair of leather sneakers from Aldo for just 10 pounds (S$30)....its really a very very good deal !!!!

3 tetra pack juices for just 5 pounds from M&S....Its really nice....a must try!!!

A Walk through Kensington Park to Bayswater for our Duck rice...I love the park....serene and beautiful. Did not have the chance to roam around...shall do so when I go on my next visit.

Time to hit the sag...Heading to London again later and will be back on Monday afternoon. This time round, I hope to visit the Parks and Harrods!!!

Oh yes before I signed off, I realised that I have yet to post my long overdue Moscow photos...my sincere apologies...shall do so when I am in London...my promise. New schedule is out and I will be going to Beijing with Faith...yes with her again!!!! Looking forward to that.

In London now..took this photo while on our way from our hotel to Bayswater for our Duck rice. Simply Love this scene...if only Life can be like this - Quiet, Relax and Calm.

Either I am getting older or my body is getting weaker or both...somehow I am down with flu AGAIN...What the...it's so damn irritating. Argh... I guess I really need rest, rest and more rest.

Here's a short entry on my Dubai trip while on my way to Moscow before Chinese New Year.

This is the best time to visit Dubai because of its weather. The weather is so cooling and comfortable unlike the rest of the year when Dubai really feel like the oven.

As Melissa wanted to snowboard at Ski Dubai, she brought us to this Mall of the Emirates which I guess was the biggest mall in Dubai. Wanted to visit this mall since my previous trip here but decided to give it a miss due to poor response and the long distance from the hotel. One thing I hate about Dubai is the difficulty to get a cab especially during peak hours. You can wait as long as 2 hours for a cab. Anyway the mall is real big and houses many big brand shops. It's worth to visit I would say.

Guess this is the main attraction @ Mall of the Emirates besides its wide array of shops and restaurants plus a cinema. Only Melissa went to snowboard, the rest of us merely went shopping around the area. Reason being : Its admission fees aren't that cheap and that we will see the real snow anyway in Moscow.

This baby loves Faith so much that he kept smiling at her when she played with him. Plus wherever Faith goes, his big sparkling eyes would follow. Haha...So adorable.

Decided to visit the place where (Strongly recommended by Melissa) we could have a good view of the Burj plus a place where we could have our dinner and unwind....Madinat Jumeirah...which is about a 15 minutes ride from the mall. A very nice place I must say. Oh the place was real hugh and offers many restaurants...I would sat something similar to Clarke Quay except its much bigger and much more beautiful.

Came across this makeshift store which sells some wigs, big sunglasses and all sorts of funny accessories. Yea...Can you recognise who he is ? Hohoho...

This is where we had our dinner. I really love its ambience. Calm and relaxing. Plus this restaurant is just next to the beach and offer unobstructed close view of the Burj ! Very nice interior and somewhere where you would not want to leave soon when you have sat down on its super comfortable sofa and seats. Very very very cozy.

The Burj with different colours ...

All taken from different location at a different time.

As we need to stock up on our foodstuff before we head to Moscow, we went to Carrefour at Deira City Centre the next morning.

Nice Arabic desserts/pastries. They are popular for the pistachio, cashew, almonds and dates etc.

followed by ....

A Sumptous lunch @ our favourite Silver Eagle Restaurant

The Four Gluttons : Roy, Faith, Magaret and yours truly

What we ordered ...

The omelette and the small bowl of fish curry was complimentary. Many thanks. I strongly recommended the Chicken Pepper Fry and the Special Chicken Biryani...its really nice and tasty. They are a must to order whenever I patron the restaurant.

Went to this famous Chicken Tikke Inn when we were back in Dubai from Moscow on our last day of the whole trip.

This is what they are famous for...

BBQ Chicken Tikke...their meat is so tender and juicy. Plus its very well marinated. Oh if you are one of those who can't take spicy food, fret not, you get to choose from very spicy to non spicy ( like Nandoes) ...its entirely up to you. Nice...Really delicious.

Besides the Chicken Tikke...

One should try their Fried Prata...crispy and fragrant.

Bon Appetite !

That's it folks for my Dubai trip...more coming on my Moscow trip...stay tune eh.

Anyway, I will be extremely busy this month due to my very hectic and tight schedule. Be heading to Brisbane and then to London. So you guys won't see me anytime soon till 26 February. We shall keep in touch through MSN though...Take care everyone.