 | She Left | Jul 20, '09 9:34 PM
for everyone |
Last Monday, when I called home from school at around 5 plus, my Dad picked up the call. I informed that I would not be going back home for dinner, since I promised Merrick to stay back in school to revise for our exams which was on Thursday. Dad didn't say much, just keep repeating, asking me to return home immediately. Mum took the phone and said" Your grandma cannot make it."
At that moment, my heart sank. I felt confused. Really.
All along I know I didn't love my grandma that much. After all, she didn't really look after me throughout my childhood days. All I remembered are the times when I felt neglected and not loved.
But when I heard that, although I had predicted such a day would come, I felt worse than I expected.
When I reached home, my parents and my eldest sister were there by her side, together with the maid whom we have employed for just 3 weeks.
Everyone was teary and it was hard to control our emotions.
For the next few days, all of us were kept busy with the funeral. I guess it was really hard to concentrate at all to prepare for my exams, and I seriously don't expect anything from my paper.
The days were long for us siblings, having to stay awake the few nights to look after the stuff, while our parents took over the task in the day. Thankfully, we had friends to accompany and ton with us till dawn. Thanks a lot.
But sooner than we expected, our grandma was cremated on Friday, and we went to collect her bones on Saturday.
I guess we really need to appreciate the people around us. The last time I spoke to my grandma was on Sunday, when I asked if she wanted more Ribena. I am learning to better appreciate what I have.
House is getting quieter now, somehow. Grandma is no longer around, maid was sent back to agency yesterday, 2nd sis is going to Korea for studies for 3 months...
It's sad that we only meet our relatives after so many years, not for leisure, but at the funeral.
Had my midterm exams today. It was definitely quite stressful for me since I haven't been sitting for an exams like this since my JC era. It feels quite stressful in a class of super muggers, and when you know you are not as clever, you just have to work harder. But of course, people tend to be afraid that you find out they mug really hard, and so they keep denying that they did study. This doesn't really matter to me, 'cause I know in order to do well is to work really hard.
I would say that I haven't been slacking for the past 2 weeks, but I must say it's not easy keeping up to the standards of my class. Just 2 days ago, the prof was asking everyone to give feedback on the class that they had attended so far, and their response were all about the same - easy lesson, want more challenging ones.
Of course, I know these people are super muggers, if they are not, then they are quite intelligent. The fact that they managed to get into a U means they are willing to put in the effort, and plus the fact that it is the dragon babies that we are talking about, everyone is trained since our primary school to fight till the end.
Out of the 3 questions for the paper today, I screwed up the 2nd one. I am quite disappointed with myself for making such a big stupid mistake for something which I had studied before. To make me feel worse, after the prof go through the answers, there were many people who said that they would be getting full marks.
Ah. I want my A. I know it's kind of difficult (if not impossible) now, since everyone is saying we should really get full marks for our exams since people are getting 99% for the overall percentage for Term 3A, and A should be near that figure.
I shall slack for 2 days and work doubly hard over the next 2 weeks before my final exams.
I have to do well.
Photos for the gatherings shall be posted another day.
| Updates | Jun 23, '09 10:32 PM
for everyone |
Havent got time to blog much.Quite a few things happened over the past weeks and I guess I just don't tell that good. Ended the sec 2 classes at the tuition centre on a negative note, with both parties unhappy, and my money forfeited. Also, for Esther, her classes were also affected by this and some lessons have to be cancelled. I feel bad. Afterall, she shouldn't be involved in this issue, since she is just a student at the centre. But I thought I had enough, and seriously wanted to leave the place. But Esther, don't worry k. I will teach u no matter wat.Grandma was admitted into hospital 2 weeks plus ago, and there are quite a lot of complications. Eventually now we have gotten a new maid to go to the hospital every day to look after her.
Last lesson with little Kevin ended last Sat, and today, I brought Janet to his house to replace me. I feel sad, seriously. Afterall, I have taught him for more than 2.5 years. What he told me really made me very sad "Teacher, I am closer to you than my brother, I really like you a lot. Can you continue to teach me please..."
Found out that someone was still very unhappy with me. I keep asking myself what's the problem. Maybe, I am the problem. Sigh.
Special term at SMU turned out to be much less relaxed then I expected. The people are rather competitive and this kinda gve me quite a bit of stress. It doesnt help when certain people reacts in a particular manner, making life difficult for some other people. Lots of mugging to do before my exam next week.
On a lighter note,...
Father's Day celebrations was steamboating at home.
Met up with Siying and Michelle for dinner on one of the nights. It was totally a night full of joy and laughter.
Went to June's 21st birthday celebrations at chalet. She was so pleased with all the Hello Kitty presents we got for her! And yes! She finally created FB! hahha
Paintball session between POMPIA and MEE POK (now renamed to JIAM TAO LO TI), quite a no. of bruises. Although I almost suffocated with the mask on, it was realli fun!!!!
Birthday celebrations for Nigel at Jap restaurant over at Clarke Quay, followed by Drag Me to Hell. It was a freaking funny and scary show. Love it lots!
Photos will be up after my exams! Till then....
| Updates | Jun 14, '09 12:21 AM
for everyone |
Did some shopping with Duanyu and Yucui for presents last week. And, yes, there are so many presents that should have been given to the birthday boys/girls, but it just keep getting pushed back. This is what happens when you are 21 this year and so many of your friends are also 21, and there is just so much presents to buy, and hence so much money to spend!     Anyway, after we shopped for the presents for two lucky people (while the rest would just have to put on hold until erhems I don't know when..), we went to Graffiti Cafe for our dinner and spent a really long time there drawing on the walls and the stools! :D It was really fun, and do spot our 'vandalisms' if any of you happen to go there! Brought the little Kevin, my Pri 5 tutee to the Botanic Gardens on Tue after his repeated requests asking me to bring him out. Botanic Gardens is really big. Other than the few trails that I went for over the past month, haven't really got a chance to explore Botanic Gardens.        It was really nice to be able to spend the whole afternoon out in the sun, enjoying the greenery :D It's definitely better than spending a few hours shopping in the malls.Met up with Michelle and Janet for our long awaited K session over at Bugis on Wed. The highlight of the session was to sing "Wo Wen Tian". The song is simply too nice. Not to forget "Mei Lan Mei Lan Wo Ai Ni", the song that I now keep singing after watching the 7pm drama serial on Ch 8. And yes, the duet "Hao Xin Fen Shou" that Janet and I sang was recorded down by Michelle. But seriously, I spoilt the song. Haha. It's available on FB though.   2 days of shopping - with Bro yesterday, and Jinyuan today. Bought 3 shirts, 3 tees and 2 berms so far. Mum is complaining about my exploding wardrobe. I can totally understand why. But some clothes are just not suitable to wear at the moment you see, and it too wasteful to throw them away... So... hahha. Mum and Dad at RC Event. Super wrong Kinderjoy toy.. If u know what I mean... Lol.Starting school on Monday. Kind of mixed feelings for now. A little excited, nervous and worried. But there's no point thinking so much now! Just go for it! :D | Updates | Jun 5, '09 6:36 PM
for everyone |
Went out to celebrate Esther's birthday last Friday. Since my morning trail with the students to Vivocity ended before her lesson ended, I waited for her outside her school. It was really weird standing in a bus stop full of schoolgirls. Really. Haha. Had our late lunch at Seoul Garden. Esther was creative enough to add all the prawn heads to give the soup some flavour. I am so sure that she would feel so proud when she sees this compliment,   As usual, I would never ever leave such buffet style meals without a bloated stomach. We wanted to catch a movie but there wasn't any suitable timings at Cine, PS and Cathay, so we ended up chatting for a really long time and thinking of how to deal with MAC. Met up with Bear, JJ and Daniel on Sat for dinner and Terminators. Nice show although there are some parts which I don't understand that well since I haven't watch the previous few. Lunch with Desmond and Andy at Sizzler on Monday. Surprisingly, there wasn't any lunchtime crowd at the Suntec's outlet. Lunch was really long, and I went for 3 rounds of ice-cream :D Brother's birthday was yesterday. Dinner was brought forward to around 6 plus as I had to go for my tuition later in the night. This was the cake that Dajie got her friend to design for my bro. It is a volleyball with a whistle and a gold medal at the sides. I thought it looked really nice, although from certain angles, we all agreed that it looked more like a cabbage. Haha.    Anyway, didn't have a chance to eat the cake yet. Was supposed to cut the cake when I returned home at 10pm last night, but Grandma was admitted to hospital again, and so the 'volleyball' is still in the fridge.Sigh. | Har? | May 28, '09 10:05 PM
for everyone |
Have been receiving a lot of calls from office yesterday and today. Apparently the Army photos that I took with an official Army camera and that I posted on Facebook 1 years plus ago was claimed to be a security breach and according to them, I have violated an offence.
Had to write a statement while they do their investigations. Even those whom I tagged in the photos had to write statements as well.
I just don't understand. There was nothing sensitive, nothing, just a group of people with a cake in the middle.
Waiting to see what's the outcome
Crap.
    Oh man! This is scary.Enjoyed myself bringing the P4 students from Kheng Cheng Pri Sch this morning to Hort Park. On the way back, since we have completed everything that we needed to finish, I asked a question on the bus to see how many of the students actually live in Toa Payoh. As expected, most live around the area. And when I was asked the question of where exactly I lived, I just brushed off the question with "I live at 9th storey in one of the buildings behind the church".After the trail, I headed to my parents' stall for lunch, then headed home for a short nap before my tuition. 10 minutes into my nap, my uncle came into my room and told me there was a girl looking for me. Guess what! Standing outside my door was one of the P4 student in the 20 students that I was in charged of for the trail. I was half awake then, and was very shocked by her sudden appearance. I did not state which block I lived in, neither did I mention the unit that I am in. And how did she know I live in that unit, and how did she managed to ask my uncle (who was in the living room) if I was around. As in, I didn't even mention to the kids my name. Instead, throughout the whole trail, I have been mentioning to the whole class of 40 to address me as "handsome gorgor". (Ok, I am sorry to make them lie, but that is something that makes me feel better when I hear from them. LOL haha) Anyway back to where I was, so how did she managed to get me?!OMG. Now to think of it, I wonder how many blocks of flats she went around looking for my unit. And yet all I did was to ask her to quickly head home. There isn't anything else I could ask her to do anyway.WOW is what I have to say. Haven't been to Botanic Gardens for a really long time, I think the last time was when I was in primary school. Went down for a 3 hour plus briefing for the facilitation over the next two days, bringing primary 4 kids from Yu Neng Primary School.
     Facilitation was indeed very tiring, since it's not easy feat to handle so many students, and at the same time, trying to think of enough stuff to share with them throughout the whole bus ride as well as during the whole trail. Moreover, there are some very interesting kids which makes it more draining for facilitators.
But, I must say so far, I am enjoying myself. Perhaps, it's because it gives me a really good opportunity to talk non-stop. For a talkative person like me, it's really a pleasure to have a group of audience listening to me for a few hours straight. Next, the kids are just so cute and innocent, and their conversations and questions can be so interesting and funny! Also, I have gained a lot of new knowledge about plants and yes, now then I know the differet names for the plants that we see around Singapore and the different types of gingers etc.
I am so looking forward to the next trail to Hort Park on Monday! :D
The few of us have been planning online for quite some time to give Elton a belated 21st birthday surprise yesterday. Met up with Jinyuan to do the shopping for the gift at Bugis, but it was only until Pei Zhi turned up did we get to serious business. Before that Jinyuan and I ended up doing our own shopping. Lol. Soon, Yunkai and Choonwee joined us. And GUESS WHAT?! WE MET ELTON AT BUGIS JUNCTION. OMG. He ended work at 6pm and decided to do some window shopping there before meeting us at 8pm at Commonwealth MRT. It was quite obvious to him we had something planned for him as the few of us mentioned to him that we were not free as we had other committements before the dinner. -.- Anyway, at least he tried to show to us that he didn't sense anything (although he did haha) and continued with his window shopping alone.
We tried to make it sound like it was just a normal dinner gathering, and the meeting time was 8pm. However, the rest of us actually met up earlier to prepare. We actually wanted to have someone spilling the drink on another guy and Elton would accompany that guy to the washroom, while the rest prepare the cake and stuff.
     Anyway we realised that there wouldn't be enough time since we had 21 candles to light up, and so in an excuse of being too full and needed to go for a short walk with Jinyuan, I asked Elton to join us. Meanwhile the rest prepared the surprise.
  As expected, he wasn't that surprise la! ARGH!
       Anyway all of us had lots of fun!!!!
Happy Birthday Elton ya!
Hahha. 
| Updates | May 19, '09 11:55 PM
for everyone |
     Went to help out on Mother's Day for the Mother's Day Dinner at Fo Guan Shang. Turned out that it was more 'hip' than what I expected. Elton was so busy the whole day, shuttling between the building itself, and the tentage. As for me, beside helping out with some carrying, ushering, cleaning stuff, that's about it. Spend quite a lot of time talking to Charles and Boon Siong. It was also Charles' first time helping out there too, while Boon Siong was a 'lao jiao'. It was really nice and entertaining chatting with them, and before I knew it, it was night time. For the whole event, what I thought that really touched my heart that night were the words in the prayer that was read out near the end of the dinner. It really made me stop to reflect, and allow me to better appreciate the things my parents have done for me.Celebrated Mother's Day a week after the actual day. Went for lunch celebrations at Ah Yat Restaurant over at Turf City.  It was another CC event, and Dad got a table for us. The table was meant for 10, and I guess it will only be full if all the four siblings bring our respective bfs/gfs. Anyway, Dajie is the only attached one now, and her bf was working that day. And so, Mum invited a close friend cum customer along. We call her Pizza auntie because she works in Pizza Hut and often brings pizzas for us :D In fact, sometimes she brings pizzas to us so often (like 3-4 times a week) that we do get a little sick of it. But it's definitely nice of her to bring it for us, and so I really appreciated it. Dad asked our bus driver to join us too.        (Dad tried to kiss Mum)      Altogether, there were 11 dishes. The meal was good, and I love the roasted chicken and the crayfish. The service was bad. It was clear they were seriously shorthanded and it took 20 minutes before my glass was filled after signalling to the waiter. The performance was as usual, aunties and uncles singing, and yes, unprepared emcees screaming and laughing into the microphone, not realising that the speakers were just above me. As for lucky draw, no no, no luck. Neverthless, I was happy to have the whole family out for lunch simply because I understand that I should never take whatever I have now for granted. Instead, I must appreciate whatever that I have now.
It was already 3 plus when it ended, and we wanted to go karaoke. But Mum and Dad had to visit my auntie and so the 4 of us went ahead to Party World at International Building on our own.   The waiter who served us was a little careless and spilled all the 4 glasses of drinks on the floor. Both Dajie and Bro were dirtied.   I was safe simply because I was singing at that point in time, with myself standing on the sofa. We got a change of room, and we continued k-ing till evening. (The extra BIG bottle of water I brought)  Anyway, I realised I enjoy talking to people. Since it was quite boring doing invigilation, a lot of my time has been spent chatting with other invigilators (whispering of course), and ya Ms June, the head that I am under. It was nice talking to her as she share her life experiences with me, and that explains why the 3hrs paper past so quickly for that session. And no wonder one auntie invigilator came forward to complain to Ms June that I was slacking too much. Haha.As for my facilitation job, went for on-site briefing at Vivocity as well as Hortpark, another few more to Singapore River, Labrador Park, Botanic Gardens.. coming up. Not really looking at the money here since it isn't really that much if you do some maths. But I guess it's the interaction as well as the experience that I look forward to gain from these trails. And yes, now I definitely know more about plants! As I was surfing the net, I came across an article on yet another ugly commuter. "Teen hogs priority seat in front of old man with walking stick". After reading the post by a STomper, I decided to voice out my own personal opinion on this topic.
Whenever we hear or see incidents of such inconsiderate commuters, be it on the bus or on the train, we first thing we do is to condemn their actions. Being the more abled ones, it is only right for us to give up our seats to those in need.
The reason why I am typing this post is not trying to tell everyone that the reverse is true. In fact, the many years of the Singapore education and the not-so-successful courtesy campaign has moulded me to believe that it is definitely my duty to give up my seat if there is someone who need it more than me.
The agenda of this post is to express my discontentment to those people who go around STomping pictures of commuters who are claimed to have been ungracious in their actions, and to support those who have been wrongly maligned.
Perhaps the boy who was STomped wasn't drilled from young the importance of being gracious. He may not know who is there a need to give up his seat. Or maybe he didn't bothered....
But we cannot assume that he is wrong. And it is definitely inappropriate to judge him that way. Just when we thought he was yet another ill-mannered kid, how many people would actually know that in fact, he offered his seat to the old man, but the old man rejected his offer?
And who knows, maybe the person who didn't give up his seat felt that he needed the seat too. What if the boy had studied the whole night for the exams and needed that few minutes of power nap? What if the boy was sick and didn't feel too well? As in my case, 2 hour plus of standing plus 3 hours of standing for invigilation , coupled by the training that I had the previous day was making my whole body sore last Thursday. Beside my legs feeling sore, I saw the urgency to get a seat as my back was really breaking. I was really glad I got a seat on my way to Redhill, and there wasn't anyone whom I needed to give up my seat to.
Who would have expected I felt really tired? Who would have understand that I got a back problem and long hours of standing can really kill me? So what if I was the one who got STomped? So does the person who take down my picture know my situation? What rights does the person have to make untrue judgements about others?
Personally, I detest STompers who post pictures of commuters who just happen to sit in front of the elderly or those carrying many bags items. Through their small action of posting the picture online, and typing a few lines of criticisms on the 'victims', these 'victims' could easily be framed for things they didn't do. Or rather, they are not given the credit despite offering their seats.
I know some people may disagree with me here, with the misconception that I am trying to push away the blame on behalf on those who do not bother to give up their seats. However, it is only through my very own life experiences that I realised that not all those who are offered the seats accept the offer, simply because some of them feel that they do not need help from others (as this will make them inferior), or perhaps they were alighting at the next station.
I do give up my seat to others when I see the need to. In fact I gave up my seat today for an old granny which was so nice to ask if I wanted to squeeze into the seat with her since she was quite skinny.
Personally, I recognise the importance of giving up our seats to those who need it more then we do. However, I strongly feel that it is unfair to simply take photos of commuters when the STompers themselves are in no position to determine whether their actions are right or wrong. We, as adults understand the importance of being gracious people.The act of STomping other commuters is simply ungracious to begin with. What's more if the person who took the photo is sitting on a seat himself. Wouldn't it be such a joke. If that's really the case, I think we seriously need to reassess the whole Singapore education system and the courtesy campaign.
In fact, I thought that these STompers should be taught the basic etiquette when STomping.
| Updates | May 9, '09 1:18 AM
for everyone |
Celebrated 2 birthdays over the weekend. Andy's was on Labour Day while Amanda's was on the 3rd.
For Andy's birthday, we went to East Coast Park for picnic. Although it was earlier planned to commence at around 10am, it eventually got dragged till about 2 plus 3 before we made our way from Parkway Parade to East Coast Park. Before that, we had nice pizza at Pastamania and some shopping around Parkway. Those who went included Joanne, Wilson, Desmond, me, and of course the birthday boy, Andy.
Made a tee-shirt for the birthday boy. Not too ex, but spent quite some time designing it. So... it's the heart that counts right!
Had our picnic once we reached East Coast. The place was really crowded and we finally settled for a spot nearer to the sea. Everyone tried to find space on the small and pathetic mat that I brought, and we started feasting on the egg and tuna sandwiches and chicken sandwiches that Joanne prepared, and the Nyonya kuehs that Desmond brought. As for the tidbits that I bought, it wasn't really a hot favourite among them, and so I ate it myself (Already predicted it, and so I finished a bottle of Pringles while shopping in Parkway earlier that day).   
Until all of us were extremely full, we tried our best to finish all the food. But there were just too many Nyonya kuehs for the few of us. We then decided to go for some cycling and roller blading. The last time I bladed was when I was in Primary 5, and that was for 10 minutes. So in other words, I can't skate. I thought that it would be nice if I could try to learn it, and since Wilson was very keen on skating, I decided to join him, and also brainwash Desmond (who can't skate as well) to join me too!
First few minutes of skating was tough, and of course, the two who were cycling (Andy and Joanne) were clearly far ahead of us. It was really nice of Wilson to slow down his pace for the two skate-dummies. Thanks to our shifu, we ended our 'class' for the day relatively satisfied. Although both Desmond and I fell down twice each, and that we were overtaken by so many young kids skating, we did manage to skate by the end of the two-hour session. Cheers! Went around the area, and we played pirate ship. Joanne's reaction on the ship was just so hilarious!      Dinner was at Swensens. Lots of crap stuff that we did that night. Joanne was busy criticing the dishes while I tried to transfer food from my mouth to Andy's. Definitely gross, but fun. Didn't manage to succeed anyway, the food landed on the seat. Haha.  
Attended Amanda's birthday chalet at Coasta Sands Pasir Ris on Sunday. Those from 05S1D who went included Duanyu, June, Yu Cui, Michelle, Kah Yee, Shu Wen, Meng Yeow and of course yours sincerely. It was really nice that all of her family members were very friendly, especially her Mum, who took 4 Farmosas for me when I had already ate quite a lot. Other then the BBQ, of course, the highlight of the party was the cake-cutting portion. Wonder how should I plan for my birthday this year?...
           
Met up with Esther on Tuesday. It was our unofficial extra-curriculum activity to Orchard. She accompanied me to get some stationeries from Borders, after which we headed to Shaw for dinner. I ate Subway, she ate Long John's Silvers. Next was the movie - The Ramen Girl. Esther got free tickets to the show after answering some questions to some on-air show on 91.3fm and yes, I was so honoured to be invited to join her. Before she entered the threatre, she was so worried that she may not get past the temperature taking exercise since she was running a fever earlier that day, and was sent to sickbay because of that. I give the movies 2.5 stars.
Went home after movie since it was Erjie's 22nd birthday that day, and although we previously planned to give her a more elaborate birthday celebration (since she missed her 21st birthday as she was overseas for some OCIP stuff), it was later cancelled as she had to go for her make-up classes and would only be back home around 9 plus to 10.
   We got her a cake, and guess what, the cake was super not fresh, and the layers of sponge cake was terribly hard. In the end, we decided not to eat the cake and tried to piece it back. Erjie went down to the store personally to change to a new one the following day.
Met up with Ronald for lunch on Wednesday at Suntec. Yes, long time since I had a nice talk with this secondary school friend of mine. The last time that we actually set down to talk was in fact secondary school days! He was the one who introduced me to Insights Tuition Centre previously. He is no longer teaching there, simply because of certain reasons which I totally agree with. Lunch was at Pastamania followed by some window shopping around the area.
Introduced him to the invigilation job at Expo, while he gave me the number to a part time facilitator job at Zenitant. The jobscope is more of like a tour guide for school children places like the Zoo and T3.
Headed for 2 sessions of tuition and Potong Pasir and Kovan, before meeting Duan Yu, Yu Cui and Jia Hui at a Japanese restaurant for dinner.
  Since we paid for the green tea, and the green tea powder was free-flow, we decided to experiment by adding the green tea powder to our chocolate ice cream. Result - Very nice! Do try it next time if any of you have the chance! Haha.
 Will post more photos on our dinner when I get them.
Thursday was my first day doing the invigilation job at Singapore Expo for University of London. Those who went there with me included Duanyu, June, Kah Yee, Yu Cui, Ronald, and many other friends whom I just made friends with. Did see a few familiar faces among the candidates but didn't have a chance to say hi.
The job was easy. Ironically, it was super exhaustive. Perhaps all of us were simply too bored doing the simple tasks of giving out question booklets, ensuring that the tables were not shaky, etc. No wonder everyone started to whisper to one other during the examination process, and that accounted for the many many new friends we made. The paper was delayed, and by the time we left, it was already 2 plus (we reached at 8 plus). The person who earned the least was Yu Cui I guess, having to leave her house at 6.30am in the morning, transferring 2 buses before training to Expo. And not forgetting June, who parked her car at the carpark over at Expo, and so half of her pay was gone just like that.
Duanyu, Yucui, June, Kah Yee, Karen & Gang, and I headed to Changi Airport for our lunch at Popeyes. By the end of the meal, it was already 5pm and all of us were totally worn out for standing for such a long time.
Another session of invigilation today.It wasn't that bad today, since it was a shorter paper.
After the paper, I went down to Redhill for interview to be a facilitator at Zenitant. Yes, very soon I will be leading little kids around Singapore for trails :D Sounds so fun! Haha.
Since I was at Redhill, decided to visit the place where my aunty's jewellery shop previously was. Realised that there is quite a number of changes to the place. Took a long 45 minutes meal at the hawker centre there. That was the place where my parents always brought the few of us for our dinner after swimming at the already shut-down Bukit Merah Swimming Complex and after visiting our aunty.
Getting busier these few days. Enjoy it seriously. Can't stand myself too slack. Time to do some blogging since someone commented that my blog is dead? Is it? I thought I updated recently. Hahha. Anyway...
Hmm... failed to meet up with a number of people. Movie outing on one Friday with Esther was cancelled, while movie with Bear and Gang on Saturday was cancelled, and movie with Andy on Sunday was also cancelled. Dinner with Michelle on Tuesday was also postponed to a later date. Yep, this = save money, but it also = can't catch up with friends. Somehow I still prefer to chit chat face-to-face than to be totally dependent on FB to do the job of catching up with my friends. It just loses the type of bonds that I feel is required.
In any case, met up with Kevin on that Saturday night for movie at Shaw Plaza over at Balestier. We went to catch Taken. Like the idea of the story, but the fact that the female actress, who was kidnapped for prostitution but was later saved, could actually lead a totally normal life after the whole incident without being truamatised, really made it seemed a little unconvincing. Show ended till a time where there was no more bus back home. Walked home from Balestier to TPY. Wasn't such a long walk, it took about 25 minutes to get home. Was stopped by this group of Malay guys with tattoos at the overhead bridge and they started cursing me and stuff. Too bad, I was alone, and no matter what, I wouldn't be able to win them (and I know that the few Aikido skills that I learnt from my brother isn't going to help given that my physique is so pathetic). Tried to ignore them throughout and after a while, managed to get across the bridge. You can bet that I was cursing so badly using all the available fanciful words in my vulgarities' vocabulary after I came down the bridge.
Met up with Andy on Friday afternoon after helping out at parents' stall to catch Knowing. Had in mind to catch this show since I saw the trailer previously but just didn't get the chance. Nice show :D
It was really sweet of Esther to actually make me baked rice plus the prawn noodles that her mum bought for tuition that day. Didn't manage to have time for dinner since I went for another session of tuition after the movie. So you can imagine me feasting during our lesson.
Picture taken using my 'new' phone. Oh did I say new?! Yep. Bro got a new phone and so, the budget guy, that is me, decided to use his old Sony Ericsson W960. At least it's better than my previous phone.
Anyway, both Esther and I agreed that the baked rice would taste nicer if there was more cheese and less salt. But anyway, THANKS for the baked rice. It was good (although look wise...)!
Met up with Mdm Esther on Monday. Yes, her tummy is getting bigger and bigger, and her baby is due in Sept. She passed me the last assignment to type and yes, I have finished typing the 20 over pages of report, if not, I wouldn't be blogging now. And as what I was hoping for, she gave me an angbao, a token for the reports that I have been typing for her. And I must say, I am really happy with the amount :D
Following that, met up with Esther, ya, this is the young one that I am talking about. She brought me the baked salmon, together with egg omelette, that she cooked for her F&N exams. I like the ham and mushrooms in the omelette, but not the egg. As for the salmon, it tasted not bad (of course, since that was the $7 plus salmon which I recommended her to buy when we went Cold Storage 2 days before). As for the broccoli and pasta... erm I shall not comment. Haha.
  Headed to the library and she did her mugging, while I hunt around for books that apparently seemed boring to her....
Went for SMU CIP Talk on Tuesday. Went alone, because Elton and the rest went for the Wed's one, but managed to see a few familiar faces. Eventually sat down with Kenneth and his friends. It was boring listening to the talk, and at one point, there was an irritating lady speaking to us. She reminded me of Ms Queenie Wong, my JC Chem HOD. During her speech, she actually told us to 'fill in the blanks' for a piece of notes given to us. -.- ||| It was so dotz. It was as if we were little kids going for some tutorials or something?
What a small world! One of the person who went up to introduce their CIP project was the guy who doubted my ability to think for myself when I was introduced to Emmax (formerly Sunshine Empire) last year. He was the same guy who tried to brainwash me but didn't managed to do so. Surprisingly, he was there. Ya. Saw Kim Wei too. Wondering how he is now, since I believe he is also a victim himself.
Went for the briefing at RELC Building this morning. Going for an invigilator job for University of London at Singapore Expo next month, and yes! this will bring in money $$$ for me. And guess what, I met another Esther that I know in NY who was also there for the job :D
(Don't worry if you get confused with all the Esthers cause even I get a little confused when blogging about them!)
OK. That's all folks! Nothing much unusual and happening in my life for now. Just tuition, coffeeshop, swimming and reading at the moment. (Yes, I am ignoring my guitar for now, I think I should go for proper lessons!)
Meanwhile, take care everyone!, with the swine pandemic going around.... Note: This post may cause some discomfort to some people.
 Started on the book The Rape of Nanking by Ms Iris Chang after finishing the book on the Iraq War.
It is really a horrifying experience for me as I read this book as it clearly shows the atrocities that took place previously. This is the first book to give me goosebumps when reading. It can be hard to imagine such things actually took place previously, and that this holocaust actually took the lives of over 350,000 people.
The book tells the story about Nanking in the hands of the Japanese in three different perspectives. The orgy of violence described inside the story can never be imagined including live burials, mutilation, death by fire and death by ice.
While some healthy young man were gunshot, others were treated more gruesomely. Some were hooked up in the air with their tongue, while others were half-buried, and waited for the hungry dogs to savour them. Along the streets, one could see men with their penis removed, as it was believe to have vitality effects.
Not only were girls raped in broad daylight out in the streets, and forced to have sex with more than 20-30 men per night, until they die, pregnant women were not let off. They were also raped and after they were raped, their heads were chopped off and their bellies were cut open, ripping out the fetus for amusement, before throwing them into the air and bayoneting them. All these girls would be killed after being raped, and what the Japanese soldiers did was to forced beer bottles, golf clubs or any other things that they can find into their vaginas.
Even the little young girls and the old grandmas were not let off. Young girls of a few years old had their privates sliced wider, for the penetration of the Japanese soldiers.......
I shall not go future, but my point is I think it's important for us to learn from the past, for those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it in the future. For those who are free, do consider finding time to read this book as it shows how inhumane the humans can be.
It can be interesting to see different kind of customers. Sometimes I just wonder why such customers exists. But I must admit, it is this variety of customers that I see every day that makes my day so interesting.
Customer Type: 1
This is the kind of customer that loiters in front of the stall for a long time when there is no other customers at the stall. When approached, they just swiftly move away, and say that they are not intending to buy anything. Just when the crowd comes, you will see them appearing and trying to cut queue. It just makes me wonder, why didn't he/she order his/her food earlier when there wasn't a crowd?
Customer Type: 2
This customer wants everything in large quantities. Extra rice, extra vegetables, extra gravy. Of course, the price will go up too. Yes, they are the people who are willing to pay, but at the end of the day, you see that they can't even finish a quarter of their food.
Customer Type: 3
This customer is a slight variation from Customer Type: 2. Although he/she wants everything in large proportions, don't expect him/her to pay extra for the larger portion. They are born to believe that there we are doing charity.
Customer Type: 4
He/she just can't decide what to buy. This is the type of customer that spends a long time deciding what to buy. And very often, these customers appear when business is at the peak, and they are the ones being cursed by the people waiting behind. Even after deciding on a vegetable, before payment, they can actually say that they don't want the vegetable. This makes me wonder if they actually wanted to benefit from the few strands of vegetables that were not taken out.
Customer Type: 5
This is the customer that refuses payment when served with food. They try to brainwash themselves that they are in a restaurant, and people like us have to join them in their whatsoever mindset. They would just continue their meals, and creep away when everyone is busy serving the other customers. It's really very common. This is what I call 'cheapskates' and I am so very good at catching these people. Of course, you can expect them saying "Oh I forgot!" And for one, it was the forth time I heard that reply. What a joke.
Customer Type: 6
This is the customer who seems more interested in my family tree than the food itself. The only reason why they are there is to show off how good their children is as compared to my family. And to break the ice they always say to me "You got no work now ah?! Can't study too right? Dropout is it? Finished your NS le? ... My son is now going JC le.... (and it continues). I will always give them a standard smile and reply "Oh, I am admitted into SMU and is doing Accountancy and Business." And before they question further, I would continue to say "Currently giving tuition at night. Easy money, so afternoon come over to help." I guess these people just need me to shut them up and make them realise that they should just focus on their plate of food.
Customer Type: 7
This group of people just love to complain how expensive the food is. A plate of rice, with 1 egg, 1 vegetable and 1 meat for $2 is deemed too expensive for them. They will start making a big fuss at how expensive it is, and what Mum said on one occasion was "If you want it cheaper, there is one way, ask your wife to cook herself, cause she pays for the groceries, not you." Surprisingly, this is the group of people that is most loyal to our stall.
Customer Type: 7a
This group of customers is similar to Customer Type: 7. Instead on complaining how expensive it is, they will always give a shock face when you tell them you need to pay 30cents for extra plate of rice. And they will give you a pathetic face (when they are in fact very rich) and hopefully you will feel sorry for them and eventually give in to them. And this is the group of customers which we hope they never appear.
Customer Type: 8
This group of customers is the group that we understand least. We seriously don't know what they want. With twenty over dishes available, they can actually say straight in our face that there is no food left, nothing to their liking. I seriously wonder what they grow up eating. Something more organic I guess - Grass.
Customer Type: 9
This is the customer that just doesn't get enough rest. It seems that the 4 hours of admin work in the morning has drained all his/her energy. They would find a table at a corner and settle down. After spending 10 minutes on their food, the next 50 minutes would be spend napping on the table. Sad to say, they always end up becoming the target for jokes like "what she did last night?..." And when the clock strikes 1, their body alarm would automatically wake them up, and then they go back to work.
Customer Type: 10
This group of people seemed to have eaten too much restaurant food and when they are told the price, they would give a stunned face and asked if we calculated wrongly. They would say that they can't believe it's so cheap. Of course, we are out here to make a living, so definitely, we are making a profit! These are the customers that we are happy to see, as they are the ones that do publicity for our stall.
Customer Type: 11
This group of people are the few people who bother to response to the nationwide return-your-plates campaign. They are the very nice people and can range from the men in officewear, to the garang guni man. But sometimes they can get really aggressive when Ioffer to help them return their plates. Some just insist on doing it themselves.
Customer Type: 12
This is the group that my mum likes the most. They are not choosy with the dishes, and just with a price set, my mum would choose the dishes for them. They are the ones that take up the shortest time to get their plate of food.
Of course, there are many other kinds of customers, with new varieties coming out every other day. It can be really interesting to interact with these people. Do you happen to be one of them?
| Updates | Apr 17, '09 11:08 PM
for everyone |
Yes I know, I have been taking a long time to type my post on my Korea Trip. No, it's still not done. Only managed to finish typing the draft on my experience for the 3rd day of the tour, and I am just too lazy to upload the photos for day 3, before starting on day 4. Unless I can find back the mood to do so, guys, if you want to really know more about the trip, ask me out, and I will tell you more. Hahha.
Finding a part-time job at this time is tough. I emphasise part-time, that is for me to do for a month before uni begins for me. So if anyone has any lobangs, please let me know. Thanks.
For now, beside improving my skills cutting the vegetables at my parents' stall, since I got more time now, I am taking part in all those contests that you see in newspapers, online websites and magazines. Been investing in all the envelopes and stamps, so hopefully I DO WIN some grand prize or something. Hahaha. I know I WILL.
Swimming as usual, 3 times a week, and not to forget the nice vanilla cone I buy for myself after each swim. It used to be McFlurry, but nowadays, recession, so hahha downgrade to ice-cream cone. And yes! With my more-intense-than-previous home training, my waist is now officially 31 inches from the previous 34 inches when I was in Army. Others slim down during their NS due to all the hardcore training, I gained weight due to all the teabreaks.
Mum was so shocked when she saw me digging out all the canned food and using bags of them as weights. I don't have dumbell at home you see. And there is no budget now to get one. Hahha. Mum became worried and went to ask my brother what exactly happened to me to actually see such a sudden chance in me, and that I exercise so much at home now since I have never been a sports' person.
Spending my midnights surfing the net and trying to design a few tee shirts for myself. I realised if I print my own self-designed tees, not only will it be personalised, it will definitely be cheaper than brands like NUM. Hopefully the final products look good. :D
Another accomplishment that I made is that I managed to finish reading a book in 2 days. Had always took ages to finish reading the books I borrow from the library, sometimes even having to renew the deadline. This time round, I borrowed a book on Kim Jong-Il, the North-Korea's Dear Leader who always make headlines in the newspaper. It really gave me an indept description of his whole life and the possible reasons why he acted the way he do. Also, the reason why the book attracted me so much was the fact that the book clearly describes the many unknown secrets about the experiences of the people living there. When I read some portion of the National Geographic I think 2 issues back, from what that was described in the magazine, I thought it was bad enough. But reading this book, I realised that many experiences that the North Koreans face were/are no less painful than those in the Japanese Occupation.
Anyway, it is a really insightful book by Michael Breen that prys into the Dark Kingdom.
I shall now embark on my next book talking about the Iraq War. (Hopefully it's not too boring) Let's see how long I will take...
| Updates | Apr 13, '09 1:44 AM
for everyone |
    Friday was public holiday for everyone, except Dajie. She went to work early in the morning. The rest of us went to Xin Fu Yum Cha Restaurant for Dim Sum. It was my Erjie's treat. Don't expect me to treat anything since I am so cash-strapped. As usual, Dad ate at home before we reached the restaurant so that he wouldn't eat so much and spend unecessary money. As for me, I skipped my breakfast for the feast. Next, we headed to TTSH to visit my grandma. The doctor extended her stay in the hospital till next week. Yes, you can expect the bills to come in really soon, and the money in the Medisave accounts that could be used are depleting/already depleted. What pissed me off was the fact that after checking with the nurse, we were told that my grandma refused to take medication and that results in her problems getting from bad to worse. My grandma had to be referred to a wound doctor for special treatment of her wound since she refused medication. And because of this, she was made to stay in the hospital. But seriously, what's the point. Just while we were there, a nurse past her the medication. She refused. Eventually the nurse left, with my grandma not completing her full dose of medicine. This was unexpected. So the nurses are not going to force it on her or..? Then how she recover? Does it mean she will keep extending her stay in the hospital. Already, the cost of living in a Class C ward is about 200 plus dollars a day, and we just found out that both my uncles are jobless. Reason - don't ask me. I seriously pray hard that my grandma completes her medication, if she even bother to note that 2 of her sons are totally broke (and I shall not use the word useless), and the burden is all on the eldest son, that is my Dad...Enough said, let me blog about something less serious.Met up with Julyen and Derek on Saturday after tuition at Raffles Place. Managed to save enough money to pay $200 back to Derek. We decided to visit the Asian Civilisation Museum  to visit the exhibit on The Kangxi Emperor - Treasures from the Forbidden City which is here in Singapore from March till mid June this year.  Apparently, this man, hailed as one of China's greatest rulers, ruled for 61 years and he actually became the emperor at the age of 14. What was I doing when I was 14? Watching Pokemon I guess. (Part of the 39m stroll) Another thing that caught my attention was the ceremonial armour and helmet that Kanxi Emperor wore during the grand inspection of his army. It was supposed to take place once every three years. The helmet is decorated with pearls and dragons in gold filigree with Buddhist texts written in Sanskrit. The armour has padded segments fastened by gold loops and buttons. Its main sections are covered with bands of gold foil alternating with brocade and gilt copper studs. Other cool treasures include the egg-shell-thick cups that allow you to see through a little, a twelve digit calculator that was used during that period and instruments for astronomical calculations!  Dinner was next, and Julyen brought us to this eatery for nice food. Had a set meal with egg, lemon chicken and nice spicy stingray, together with our spicy soup and prawn-paste chicken. And oh I almost forgot, my kopi! The food was nice, but thought it would have been better if not for the so many power failures during our meal that made everyone paused since it was pitch-black.After dinner, Julyen and Derek wanted to go Karaoke, but seriously I am really broke and I hadn't expected them to have any programme after dinner. So sorry guys to bansei you two. Already promised Joanne that I will join them for Karaoke the following day to celebrate her birthday and I don't have any spare cash left.
And so I left.
Family outing today cancelled.After tuition, met up with Joanne, Andy and Wilson to celebrate Joanne's 32nd Birthday!!! Okay maybe I shouldn't say out her age, but... never mind.We decided to have lunch at the Japanese eatery in Far East Plaza that Justin recommended to us previously. But after searching for a long time, we realised that it doesn't open on Sundays! -.- So we headed down to Pastamania for our lunch.  After lunch, we headed to Partyworld KTV at International Building for a nice session of Karaoke. Video of Joanne singing is available on Facebook.
         1 hour before end, went to Bengawan Solo at Takashimaya to get a nice cheese cake for Joanne. Then it was birthday-song-time followed by cake cutting. Guess what, Wilson doesn't take cheese cake and Andy was quite full, and I ate more than half, going to 3/4 of the cake! Fattening I know!!!!     Anyway, after K session, it was shopping (window shopping for me) around Far East and later Plaza Singapura before we said bye bye to the birthday auntie whose husband, together with her cute little girl, came to fetch her home. | Money | Apr 7, '09 4:22 PM
for everyone |
Went to Tan Tock Seng Hospital today with brother to visit my grandma. She was re-admitted to hospital last Thursday and according to Mum, she almost couldn't make it. She looked fine to me, and the doctor said that she would be able to come home this Thursday.
Parents went to apply for a maid yesterday. Non of us really supported the idea, but there wasn't really a choice. We were comfortable living without a maid for quite a few years, and an additional person in our family can make a lot of difference.
The most important thing - an additional expense. The two uncles will never contribute in hiring a maid, and so my family will have to pay for it. Already, my 2 uncles seem to be plagued with illnesses and it is sooner or later before we have to fork out money for their medical bills.
Business at the stall today was more than just bad, it was terrible. I basically sat there and did nothing. The rain came at the wrong time, and before we knew it, lunchtime was over. The additional financial burden, coupled by the fact that business is poor, made Mum really troubled.
I wanted to drop my Term 3B course, and start university in August instead. But I checked with the school and realised if I do so, it means I will still have to pay 40% of the fees, so it was stupid to do so. Sad to say, after spending quite a lot of money for the past few months, I don't even have sufficient money to pay for my special term. But I am so not going to let my parents pay for it.
I guess there is a lot of saving up for me to do and I have to really cut down on my expenses.
It's always a pleasure to go out with Michelle cause it's not often do we find someone so nice to hang out with. Sometimes I wonder why some other people have to be so restrained in their actions. Shouldn't we just behave like ourselves, and present the very 'us' to others? I guess the answer to many people will be "no". And of course, I have learnt to control my actions, and it's only when I go out with people like Michelle do I feel really relaxed and free to do all sorts of things.
Anyway, met up with Michelle on Thursday for movie. Guess what we watched... Coming Soon. She said she needed something scary, and so we decided to go for this movie. Happen to meet Terence at Vivo, so we got another tickets and he joined us for movie. Just about 20 minutes before the show, both Michelle and I had a strong urge to eat KFC's cheese fries and we started rushing to the KFC in Harbourfront Centre. The way she brisk-walk in her heels was so hilarious. Hahhha.
During the show, she was trying hard to cover her ears from the scary sound effects. As for me, getting so tensed up until I keep gobbling down the popcorns. It was only when Michelle asked me why I finished the popcorns so quickly did I realise how much I ate. Hahhaa.
Anyway the show was nice, and the female ghost actress has been in my thoughts late in the night. Hahaha.
Met up with Justin, Andy, Nigel, Desmond and Jia Liang in the evening for a belated birthday celebration for Justin. Met up at Orchard and after much wandering around, since no one wanted to decide where to eat, we eventually settled for Shokodu Streets of Japan at the Heeren. Good to know that Nigel is no longer suffering, but now it seems my understudy, Jonathan is having a really hard time.
    Dinner wasn't enough for us, so we headed for Tau Huay at Rochor Beancurd. The youtiao was really nice, but Andy only managed to finished half of his set, just like what happened to his Fish & Chips previously. Hahha.
   Didn't stay long after since it was a weekday and guys have to work the next day.
Met up with Bear, Daniel and JJ on Saturday. We were supposed to meet at 5.30pm at AMK Hub, but left the tuition centre only at 5.05pm, after the really enthusiastic Mrs Chan spoke to me about her desire to go for a holiday. Obviously, I was late, especially since I missed my 136 at the bus stop and had to wait another 25 minutes. -.-
Dinner was at S-11. Yes, we need to go 'budget' followed by movie - 12 rounds at the Cathay. It was an interesting show - I give it 3.5 stars. Had the thought of going supper, but as we got 2 drinks and 2 popcorns for the four of us, and the fact that Bear just ate 1 small little popcorn, the rest of the popcorn went into my stomach. So I was really full, and ya, we headed home. My Korea Trip - 24 to 31 March 2009Got into this tour with Derek and we signed up for the tour package during NATAS Fair earlier last month at the Singapore Expo. Met up with Derek at City Hall MRT at 4pm on the day of departure although our flight was scheduled to depart at 10.40pm later that night. Since Derek preferred MRT to cab, and in order to avoid the working crowd, we decided to set off to the airport much earlier than necessary. We explored around all the 3 terminals, and failed to locate Justin who was supposed to be working in T3. Anyway, we decided to have an early dinner at Popeyes. Ordered a set meal, and with an extra mash potato. It was surprisingly very filling and I must say the fries were great. More of the random stroll around the airport after our dinner before we headed back to the train station to meet Derek's parents who came to sent Derek off. Some Biz people wanted to send me off, but seriously, since it's not as if I was heading overseas for months to study, I didn't see a need for anyone to send me off. Unlike Derek, I did not activate the auto-roaming service for my Starhub phoneline since I thought that it was just a 8-day trip and Mum agreed with my decision. Finally, the personnel from the Dynasty Travel came and we checked-in our luggage. There were a total of 17 of us, one family of 8, a mother with 2 daughters, 2 honeymoon couples, and the 2 of us. Sent Derek's parents to take the skytrain before we headed to the gate. Got up the Asiana Flight to depart for Seoul. Time was 10.40pm. I was seriously getting excited since it was my first time travelling that far. The furthest I went was only Taiwan during my JC times.Watched 20 minutes of The Day The Earth Stood Still and got really bored, and so went for a short 15 minutes nap. Supper on board was Bibimbap. It was good and soon I went back to sleep. But I wasn't really comfortable with sleeping on board and so didn't really slept well.
  Reached Incheon International Airport at about 5am Singapore time. It was no wonder this airport was awarded the best airport for 4 consecutive years. Beside the fact that the airport was new, the staff was friendly too. But I accidentally hit a female staff at her chest. Not on purpose, but it just happened during the security check, when I was told to lift up my arm, and as she stood there...Something everyone of us observed was that out of 10 Korean females, ranging from little high school girls to old aunties, about 7 of them cut bangs! OMG. It can look really sweet for some, but after you see so many of them, you can get really sick of it.After we got our luggage, as we were early, the local tour guide had yet to arrive. Both Derek and I decided to step out of the airport to see how cold it was since it was supposed to be -3 degree Celsius then. It was cold, but not unbearable, although we only had a tee and a jacket on each of us. Then we started to breathe out our breath to see how much white vapour was produced. When he finally appeared, he came with a twenty-something-years-old photographer.
We realised how good the exchange rate at the local airport was, and it was actually higher than that of what we exchanged for over in Singapore. Arhh!Breakfast was at MacDonald's (and freak, the queue was super long), and Derek decided to give it a miss. Reason being that his tummy didn't feel that well. I didn't feel well too. So after my Big Breakfast, we decided to have a TOILET BREAK. It can be amazing to see how occupied are all the cubicles in all the toilets, and we finally found empty cubicles after checking out 3 toilets. Definitely, both felt better after our massive explosions at the toilet.Due to flight changes, instead of taking a domestic flight to Jeju in the morning, the tour guide, James suggested that we go Everland (theme park) instead. Most of us were not too keen with what he suggested, but since we didn't really have much choice, we agreed. Apparently the fireworks show that we were told over at Dynasty Travel wasn't available yet. (Disappointing) And as what I told Derek, I seriously wonder how we would be able to enjoy ourselves at the theme park when we were suffering from a lack of sleep and troubled tummy. In any case, we went.
        
The theme park was huge, with quite a number of attractions. Was started to feel the cold from the weather, and my hands were getting numb. Derek was lucky as he had the gloves that his sister lent him. As we were making our way to take the skyride, 2 of our tourmates slipped and fell on the frozen ground and landed on the floor.      We took a ride around their Safari, entertained by lions, ligers and bears which responded to the commands of the bus-driver. Next, it was self-roaming time, and Derek and I went around exploring all the coolest rides and stuff. It really didn't matter whether we didn't sleep well the night before, there was no time for us to stop and rest. And just when I thought I was feeling cold enough, after coming down from the rides where I was exposed to stronger wind, I ended up trembling...              This is a really cool cubicle inside the theme park. One is for Daddy, the other for the little son.. Lunch was at one of the eateries in the theme park and I had chicken katsu. It wasn't too long before we realised that we had to leave since we were not allocated that much time at the theme park as we had to catch a later domestic flight to Jeju.
       First stop at Jeju was a local restaurant where we had our dinner - Bibimbap, after which we made our way back to our hotel. Stopover at GS25 (a local convenient store) and we got some tidbits and their Soju. And guess what, their Soju is really cheap, just about SGD$1!!!!
   Back to the hotel, after a little exploring, we headed back to our room and started feasting the things we bought. One thing I realised is that when you suffer from lag jet and lack of sleep, avoid drinking too much. I guess both of us drank too much and soon Derek was heading for sleep. Didn't really thought I was going drunk too, until I decided to go for a pee in the toilet when I couldn't walk straight. Haha. That more or less concluded my first 2 days of my Korea Trip.... What I encountered today at my parents' stall....
I thought it was already very cheap to actually order mixed rice vegetables for $2 - Rice with 2 kinds of vegetables and a meat. Leave out food courts, just talking about coffeeshops and hawker centres, the price can easily go up to $3 to $4 for a meal like this.
Yet this lady, halfway through her meal, actually asked for more rice. When asked to pay $0.30 for the extra rice, she gave a totally surprised look and said "U mean I have to pay?"
I was nice enough to explain to her that the amount she paid previously was already quite low and it was only reasonable to pay for the extra rice. She rejected my explanation.
I headed back to our stall to ask my Mum for advice. At that time, there were many others queuing and there was no time to entertain this lady. Mum got another plate with slightly less rice and told me to ask $0.20 for her.
I went to that lady and asked her for the $0.20 in the best way that I could and with a smile. She replied "I don't want so much. Since it's not free which I have no idea why, I will buy just $0.10 rice."
I was getting really pissed, but told myself that it's only with such jerks then will I be able to appreciate the nicer people around. I told her there was no $0.10 rice. Minimum was $0.20 since it was already very cheap and counting in the fuel for the cooking, I wonder how much we were earning. Other places definitely charge $0.50 - $0.70 for the rice.
She was still mumbling to herself, apparently unsatisfied with my explanation, but I tried my best to stay calm and faked a smile, apologising for the fact that her request could not be met.
In the end, she finished all the food, including the extra plate of rice, and left,
I seriously wonder which era she lives in, and how much people have been cursing behind her back.
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