7

Number 7 is associated with bad luck, failure, love-lorn, etc. At least it's so true to me last month - July, the 7th month of the year, one hell of bad lucks and disappointments fell all over me!
At first, the journey to Cuba faced many obstructions. By flying via London, I needed to apply for Transit Visa for UK! Ever heard of that?! Normally u don't need a visa to a country if u only transit there and don't ever put a step inside that country, right?! Then, what's wrong with UK siah! Somemore, the visa fee is not cheap at all, S$100/person! Hah! Tourist visa to any Europe country cost u only around half of that! If u want to enter UK, the visa fee would be around S$200! Ain't that ridiculous! No wonder England is famous as the most conservative country in the world ( who else could be if u know only Britain and her colonial countries got right-handed steering wheel, but it's another story )! I won't complain much about it if at the first time, my visa application was accepted. Yeah, u don't hear wrongly, I was refused entry to UK because the bloody guy of the visa section said that my application didn't sound convincing to him, that my itinerary was so long while I can fly in shorter way by Air France. Ok, it's shorter but air tickets are more expensive and I can't persuade him about that. Damn conservative fucker! I needed to apply the second time, this time with a sponsorship from a British person and things go well. Guest what? I need to pay 100 bulks again because that guy said it was my fault not telling him at the first time that I got sponsorship, insisting that I have to pay again. Haiz... forget it, at least I could fly liao.
The bad luck does not end there. When I arrived in Havana - Cuba, my luggages was lost! Not actually but they only arrived after 3 years... I mean 3 days... every day needed to go to airport to check and went back with disappointment. But finally it settled on the 3rd day.
Well, bad luck continued to haunt me on the way back. On the day I have to go back Hanoi, the flight from Madrid was delayed! What should I do?! After a while running here and there to ask, finally Iberia - the Spanish airways booked me on the flight directly to London by Cubana - the Cuban airlines. It appeared to be a better route since I didn't need to transit at Madrid. Ok, lemme draw out my itinerary first so u don't get confused:
Hanoi -> Bangkok -> London -> Madrid -> Havana
Well, as I mentioned, my journey back started from Havana directly to London. Sounds good, doesn't it? But it turned out not! Instead of arriving at Heathrow airport in London, it landed on Gatwick! I got into trouble with Immigration procedure because i only got Transit Visa which means I am not allowed to enter UK which also means I cannot enter UK to travel from Gatwick to Heathrow!! But it was not my fault! It was Cubana's fault since they booked me on that flight. They should have checked my travel documents and known that problem! In the end, UK Immigration still let me get in with a promise that I have to leave UK in 24 hours. Thank you! The Immigration lady did my case was so nice and considerate!
I had to pay S$50 for a bus trip from Gatwick to Heathrow! Well, is that considered visiting England, haha... I am going there anyway.
It hadn't yet to cease! When I arrived in Hanoi, my luggage lost again! But this time, the service was much better. It was found 2 days later and delivered to my home with an apology!
I was thinking about it and believe that July was not a good month for me to do anything but what said is done, how to reverse the time! Anything I did turned out to be a disaster with such disappointment and pain. Today is 1/8, hope that things get better this month... One more thing, today is my dad birthday!


Carpe diem

In my time of need

I can't see the meaning of this life I'm leading
I try to forget you as you forgot me
This time there is nothing left for you to take, this
is goodbye

Summer is miles and miles away
And no one would ask me to stay

And I should contemplate this change
To ease the pain
And I should step out of the rain
turn away

Close to ending it all, I am drifting through the
stages
Of the rapture born within this loss
Thoughts of death inside, tear me apart from the core
of my soul

At times the dark's fading slowly
But it never sustains
Would someone watch over me
In my time of need

Opeth has just released their 2005 album: Ghost Reveries. I really really long to listen to it but somehow, yesterday was not a good day! The link to download it was no longer available... I wonder if they are releasing their new album in Singapore. Even if they will, it won't happen so soon since metal is just so unpopular in Singapore that even most famous and recognized bands only released a few albums in their whole careers here...Wait and see...


Carpe diem

Photos in Cuba

As promised, I will post some photos that I took in Cuba here. Unfortunately, I should have left 1 CD of photos at home!! Ok, here are some:

Havana city behind me...


With my cousins...




Paintings market...


The famous lighthouse...


The place where they fire cannon every night - a ceremony left from colonial past...


Capitolio - the president palace in the past ( Fidel does not stay there :)


Close up...


Behind us is the most beautiful building I've ever seen in Cuba...



Carpe diem

Cuba - The lost world... when will I be back there?!

As most of you already knew, I was just back from Cuba 1 week ago. It is a beautiful country with remnants of the colonial past still remain in architecture and culture, wonderful beaches and friendly people. It is where you still can see antique cars rolling on the streets that can only be seen in your "History of cars" book! It amazed me how well-built those cars was, still able to run after 30-40 years! But overall, Cuban people are poor. Normal workers can only make USD10/month ( Vietnam workers normally make USD70/month ) while everything here is more expensive than in Vietnam except food but the food is not good too, especially vegetable. It aint't fresh at all! The only good thing in Cuba is people are provided basic utilities like sugar, oil, bread, soap... every month in a minimum measure and schooling, medical cares are free!
I wasn't there for travelling since my first priority was to visit my uncle's family and help them financially if they need. My uncle got married with a Cuban and had 3 daughters but he died of cancer 5 years ago. Since then, in a period of 2 years, our big family in Vietnam kept on visiting and helping my aunt to raise the children and I got the chance to go Cuba this year. I was so glad to see them. After 7 years since I last met them, my 3 cousins look so different! Those half-blood Cuban-Vietnamese princesses are beautiful! They are all younger than me but are very good in studying! They are studying in the top school of Cuba and are very intelligent. It makes me feel shame of myself :( but proud! ( of them :) . Well, I'm missing them!! 1 week in Cuba gone so fast. I don't know when I can go back to see you all, 10 years? 20 years? I will try my best, make money and go back to see you again... I can't bear not see your dearest faces anymore!
Check out photos I took there in "My photos". I will also posting some soon...

Carpe diem

I will be blogging soon...

I am back to Singapore and will soon have spare time to write something. Yesterday was Grad Ceremony and today I was seeking for bank that can provide Banker's Guarantee for me to go oversea to study. I will get my laptop back tml ( damn lousy service took 1 month to replace the LCD screen! ) and start to blog more. Hold on!



Carpe diem