Why I Turned Vegetarian

Daily Paradoxes & Ironies

A woman on the train with big hair, dyed light brown with blond streaks, wearing a black, body-hugging mini-dress, fuschia belt and large gold hoops, was reading a book entitled "Why Men Love Bitches."

In Singapore, if you ask the hawker center vendors to take out the ice from your fruit juice, you will be charged an additional $0.50. Why? Without the ice, you get more juice.

Last Christmas, while shopping at Cold Storage (a supermarket in Singapore), my friend Julie saw the cashier who was a Muslim woman, wearing a Santa hat on top of her hijab (head covering).

In Singapore, you will be fined for smuggling chewing gum into the country but not for consuming it.

In Singapore, they will fine you for dancing without a license.

Not Because It's Fish It's Healthy...

Disclaimer: This is not a psychological ruse to turn you meat-eating folks into vegetarians.

You're having Filet-O-Fish for lunch, and you pat yourself on the back for making a healthier choice. What you don't realize is that you're wolfing down a 400-calorie sandwich, 20% of which is saturated fat!



While it is true that fish and seafood are the healthier picks among chicken, pork and beef, a lot of commercially prepared seafood dishes are as high in calories as any meat dish. Unless nutrition labels are made available in the menu, we wouldn't know that some of these dishes are covertly sabotaging our weight reduction plans.

If you're still wondering why that stupid weighing scale simply refused to budge (you unwittingly assume it's broken), here are some seafood dishes you should keep an eye out for:

Fish and Chips - 570 to 826 calories
Baked Scallops - 230 to 421 calories
Seafood Pizza - 420 calories

Though I personally prefer not to consume our little ocean friends, I want to make it clear that fish and seafood, if prepared right, are good for you. However, if they're slathered up with butter, covered with cheese, or battered and deep-fried in oil, BAN THEM FROM YOUR PLATE.

5200 Steps To The Top

The Adventure Begins...
Romain, Ben, Kristine and I boarded the 12:40PM Mihin Lanka flight to Sri Lanka on the 6th of February. We deplaned four hours later in Colombo and after haggling with the taxi driver for half an hour, we were off to the scenic town of Kandy, 116 kilometers off Colombo.

On the way, we couldn't help but stop and take pictures of the first elephant on the road. It's not everyday you see an elephant trudging along a highway of fast-moving cars and speeding trucks!

We spent the night at a charming hotel called Queens which stood proudly in the middle of Kandy district, its majestic facade boasting of grandiose Portuguese/Dutch architecture.


We visited the Royal Palace and The Temple of the Sacred Tooth. The temple's interior and exterior walls were bedecked with intricate paintings, drawings and bas relief sculptures of gods, royalty, warriors, beasts and protectors. It was sad to learn that such a beautiful shrine of heritage and worship suffered from a sacrilegious bombing in 1998.




Reaching Adam's Peak

Legend has it that this mountain bears the sacred footprint of Adam/Buddha/Shiva at its summit (whose footprint it was largely depends on your religion). With an altitude of 2243 meters, the trek to the top is approximately three to four hours long, 7 kilometers walk with a total of 5200 steps! Though I've never climbed a mountain before, I was motivated by the fact that climbing Adam's Peak could earn you 50 good karma points.

Romain and I woke up at 2:00AM so we can catch the sunrise from the top of the mountain (as recommended by Lonely Planet). Armed with thick sweaters, a bottle of water and vegetable sandwiches, we set off on our grueling journey to the crest.

Stopping only four times to rest and relieve our bladders, we made it to the top in two and a half hours! I quietly congratulated myself for such courageous display of endurance and strength - it was one of my proudest moments!

Note: My calves now resemble a man's.

The Infamous Mister Veejay
Mister Veejay, our driver who had 'commission' tattooed on his forehead, which occasionally wobbled from side to side like the bobblehead on your dash, was quite a character. I'm afraid he was quick to lose temper, but would quickly regain his composure, probably worried that each outburst whittled his tip.


Riding the Wave
The last leg of our trip was spent in Hikkaduwa, where restless waves crashed treacherously on the shore. Surfers were quick to mount their boards to catch the ride. There wasn't any doubt that these were pros, and it was amazing to watch them conquer the perilous thrashing of the sea.

The waves were too daunting for beginners like myself and I could not stay long under the scorching sun. I tried bodyboarding which was a lot of fun, but chose to spend most of my time relaxing on the beach (disrupted from time to time by peddlers offering everything from body massages to weed).




The Funnies
Spelling abominations always make for good laugh trips. There was "Meanieu" (Menu), "Sandwitches", the "Impregnated" matchbox (below) and the winner? "Smashed Potatoes"!

What Unproductive People Do

INSTRUCTIONS: Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following.

They have to be real places, names, and things. Nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person who answered the survey before you had the same initial letter. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1.Your name: LIANNE

2.Four words: LIVE LOVE LISTEN LEARN (lifted off a bumper sticker, for sure)

3.State/country: LESOTHO

4.Boy Name: LEWIS

5.Girl Name: LANA

6.Occupation: LURKING IN CYBERSPACE

7.Word that describes you the best: LEWD, LUST, LUSCIOUS, LIBERAL...your pick.

8.Something you can wear: LATEX (which proves my point in Question #7)

9.Something found in a kitchen: LADLE

10.Name one Object that is so valuable to you: LAPTOP

11.Something you shout: LATER

12.Something you do at school: LEARN (or at least pretend)

13.Name of a friend: LUCAS

14.Name of an animal: LEMUR

15.Name of a drink: LONG ISLAND

16.Name of a holiday: LABOR DAY

17.Name of a subject in school: LETTERING (Remember Papa Cabs, Room F1, Beato, my CFAD mates?)

18.Name of a cousin: LITO

19.Name of a fast food chain: LITTLE CAESAR'S

20.Name of a person you're crushing or had a crush on: LL COOL J (and his drool-worthy abs)

21.Name of a food you like: LINDT CHOCOLATE

22.Name of a food you do not like: LAING

23.Name of a kid's toy: LEGO

24.Name of a flowering plant: LAVENDER

25.Name of a shopping mall: LUCKY PLAZA (where the Pinoys go for Sunday picnics)

26.Name of a person you like: LAETITIA CASTA

27.Name of a person you dislike: LITO LAPID

28.Name of a place in your school: LABORATORY

29.Name of an object in front of you: LOTION

30.Name of an electronic device: LAPTOP

31.Name of a color: LILAC

32.Name of a tourist spot: LANGKAWI

33.Name of your classmate: LADY

34.Brand of a car: LEXUS

35.Branded clothes: LOUIS VUITTON

36.Name of a candy: LINDT

37.Name of a book: LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE by LAURA ESQUIVEL

38.Name of a cellphone brand: LG

39.Name of a sickness: LYMPHOMA

40.Name of a kind of fish: LIVINGSTONI

41. Make a sentence with at least 6 words starting with your first letter name.

LIBERALISM LESSON - LET LOOSE & LIVE LIFE (lame, lame, lame)

Hotel Majapahit, Surabaya

In the middle of the bustling town of Surabaya sits the majestic Hotel Majapahit. I was blown away by the colonial architecture, elegant furnishing and the ambiance of solitude and wanderlust.

I slept in a king-sized bed, sunk my head in the softest pillows, got my body scrubbed to a healthy glow and my muscles kneaded to tenderness.

I owe Romain for this relaxing weekend.