ok, one more week before I am back to work. Let me give a little account of my trip before the sizzle dies again. As I have recounted to a few friends, the trip was good; the companion was shit. Ha, who did I go travelling with to garner such a conclusion from me? He was my poly classmate and he had worked as my assistant for a while last year. Yeah, it was a 'he' I went travelling alone with. Unfortunately or fortunately, love sparks did not fly between us. *Phew*

We had decided to go together because we were interested in going into partnership together for business and this trip was to recce the market situation in China and the business potential for us there. So nothing romantic; but nonetheless, I do not think it warrants the kind of treatment he rendered me.

Throughout the trip from Singapore to Guangzhou to Shanghai and finally to Beijing, he was nothing but full of whinings and comments like a woman.

On arrival in Zhuhai, while waiting for a relative's friend to meet us he complained about having to wait for her.

In the evening when we were picked up by another friend of my relative and taken to dinner, he asked why did I not order lobster and abalone since they are buying dinner. Never mind if it was said in jest or not. It was simply poor taste and bad unbringing to say such things in the first place.

The next morning, he complained about having to get up so early in the morning, when it was he who said he wanted to go 'climb mountain'. My relative's friend was kind enough to offer to bring us there. On top of that, he made such horrible obscene noises every morning as he is waking up with no regard for my presence. When I asked him if this was to be expected every morning he gave a very quick and unapologetic 'yes'. When I further asked if I am to just accept it he told me 'ya, get used to it'. The audacity of that.

The following 2 days while we shopped around town, it was the norm thing for him to stop and look at things because 'we are on holiday leh'; but if I did the same I was 'wasting time'. How much more rude can he get? Read on.

My very best friend had moved to Guangzhou prior to my arrival and she came to meet us and bring us around for meals. The very first meal, which was a late night supper, came to a bill of over 500 yuan, which amounts to approximately over $100. Why is a late night supper so costly when food cost is supposed to be very low in Guangzhou? Because the fool requested all the 'exotic food', like the snakes and bugs and 'elephant clam' you saw in the earlier photos. And he only took a bit of each. Needless to say, my friend paid for the meals. For each of the subsequent meals, my friend and her hubby took us to quaint little restaurants to try many different cuisines.

At this point, he kept bugging me about having to buy them a meal back after having imposed on them. Now, my friend and I are as close as sisters, and I have talked to her in private and the understanding is that she and her husband want to play hosts to us (Not to mention our friendship goes beyond a few meals). So with this understanding I told him not to worry and I would let him know if we should buy dinner or not. However, being the smart aleck he thinks he is, on our last lunch before we left for Shanghai, he went to settle the bill on the pretext of going to toilet. Now the embarassing thing for him is that the restaurant and China in general, did not recognise his 'H_ _C credit card'. O...kay. Who's embarassed now?

On both train rides to Shanghai and then to Beijing, he did not display any kind of travel companion camaraderie nor the least sign of having looked out for me because I am his friend and a female. He did not offer help or even ask if I am alright with my luggage throuhout the entire journey. Heck, the strangers on the train were nicer to me than he even tried to be.

We ate when he was hungry and saw things he wants to see. And even before arriving in Shanghai, he kept telling me he wants to go off on his own. Duh. Not that I am helpless without him, but we are after all in a foreign city and travelling together, what is this attitude of wanting to go off on your own? Never mind I am a girl. Because the fact that I am female is never an issue he ever acknowledged, judging by his behaviour.

I got lost twice in Shanghai, the first I took the wrong bus and had to walk my way back and the second time I took a wrong turn and made a huge detour. Both times he did not show concern as one would normally when a friend gets lost in a foreign place. In fact, the second time round, the moment he saw me walking in he asked me 'which country did you walk from?'. Never mind that I would probably not have made the wrong turn if he HAD given the map to me instead of keeping it for himself. Best of all, after saying that to me and showing not even the least bit of concern for me, he told me he 'shopped too much and bought to many things', meaning his bags are bursting and asked if I had any space in my bags. Which I did. Both my bags were only half full, but I pretended I did not hear him or get what he meant. Call me petty but if he had been more courteous and considerate towards me I would not have been so petty. What happened next only affirmed my decision not to be nice was right. He insisted I had remembered wrongly the amount of money he had to pay me for the accommodation and told me to go 'check it again with the reception cashier'. Come on, I was not the one who overspent on my shopping. Why should I be the one paying for you?

And when we reached Beijing, I had made up my mind not to let him tag along with me to get free stay in the hotel my uncle was working for. Why let him have such a good deal when he had been most ungentlemanly so far? Alas, he did not get my hints to buzz off and so still stuck with me for 2 nights in the hotel before going off to find his friend. You see, staying with me is such a good deal. You get to eat and stay for free in an international 5-star hotel in Beijing, not to mention the room and laundry services that comes complimentary as well. He was such an ass that he was rude not only to me but also to my uncle and auntie. He did not even manage the basic courtersy of greeting them.

He spared no effort at telling me repeatedly, how he is 'very good-looking' and I am not. Especially when we were in Shanghai. 'Wah see, even the most common looking Shanghai-mei here is prettier than you'. Duh. He is the last person I need to have thinking and agreeing with my looks. Besides, only he thinks his huge nose is good-looking. I think it just looks HUGE.

So, that was my trip. With an ass for a companion. Wait, at least the ass would have helped me with the luggages and not make rude noises in the morning when it woke up.

I have no idea what to compare him to, but reckons it will insult whatever it is I choose.

As for the business partnership, forget it. I had written him off even before we left Guangzhou.

So there goes my recount of having travelled with an obnoxious, selfish, arrogant, chauvinistic, conceited man who behaves more like a boy.

Haha.