Anybody Wants These Figurines?

Eh... Decided to post some of my bro's figurines on the blog in hope that there's somebody out there who'll take a fancy to them and perhaps purchase them? He has got some Gundam models as well, but didn't take a picture of those. Don't think he wants to sell his Gundam models as he took great pains to assemble and paint them. Anyway, prices are negotiable.

Most of these figurines are from Japanese anime. Somehow the pics appear quite dark on my CRT monitor, but appear fine on LCD screens. Maybe it's time to change my monitor... but I love CRTs. (T_T)

Looking Back on 2006

Last day of 2006. Time to pack away all those happy/ unhappy memories, regrets and glories and stash them somewhere. It's time to move on to 2007. Anyway, thought I will post something to "commemorate" 2006.

Firsts
Blog: This is my first blog. Although I created a second blog, it is pretty much defunct because I finally ran out of steam to complain about stupid rude Singaporeans. I'll still post something in that blog once in a while, but guess this is still where I'll post most of my things.

Bangkok: The first time I traveled to Thailand, and the first time I traveled with Craziblues. First time I bought cashmere, and silk. First time I bargained over prices. The trip was interesting, and as Craziblues mentioned, it's lucky we did not strangle each other. Even then, I'll still dream of traveling with Yun, Tytianne, and Craziblues.

Hokkaido: First time I ate lavender-flavoured ice-cream, and drank lavender-flavoured soda. First time I slept on tatami. First time I ate hairy crab. First time I fed foxes. First time I roamed around the village wearing yukata. Just thinking about the times in Hokkaido makes me want to go back there again.

Baby: First time I carried a colleague's baby. Usually I try not to carry when offered because I'm more used to carrying toddlers; you can carry them upright rather than cradling them in your arms. Anyway, I'm a paranoid. I always think of the worst: what happens if I accidentally drop the baby?

Public Talk: First time I gave a public talk for clinic assistants working in GPs. Was quite nervous, and a little worried because I had the least number of slides out of the 4 presenters, and yet I was given the most time to present. Anyway, everything went fine, and I was able to talk for that given amount of time with just that number of slides.

Canon A700: My first digital camera. Yah, I know I'm kind of slow, but hey I just need a little convincing that the photo results would be as good as my film camera. Anyway, between me and my dad, I think the 2 of us almost drove the salesman up the wall when we went scouting for a digital camera.

Regrets
Job: I'm still working in the same place despite my wanting to get out. Suffered for another year, although it was slightly compensated by a promotion and the fat year-end bonus. Still, I am not satisfied because I am not getting any work-life balance.

Violin: The year has ended and I still have not picked up violin. Not that I'm procrastinating. On contrary, I have attempted to sign up for violin course at Yamaha music school, but I was told that there were no vacancies.

What Next
Job: I will convert to locum next year. Say goodbye to my benefits and bonuses, but what the heck. Even if I stayed on as a permanent staff I am still deprived of my leave entitlement. What's more I do not think the manpower situation will improve; I anticipate an abundance of resignations next year when the coast is clear and HR cannot make us pay back the 2006 year-end bonus.

Traveling: Wanted to go back to Hokkaido next year to watch sakura, but I'd want to go back to Japan in 2008 when Tokyo Disneyland is having its 25th anniversary, so I guess I'll shelf the plans for Hokkaido. Hmm... but I'll definitely travel somewhere.

Violin: Still thinking if I should learn the violin or maybe I should just concentrate on my piano...

Anyway, no point in planning too much now. Just flow with the tide and make the best of the opportunities that come my way. Meantime, I should really catch some snooze. Have karaoke session with colleagues in the afternoon, followed by a New Year's Eve dinner.

Ironies

Irony 1: Financial freedom? When I got my first pay check as a trainee pharmacist, I was elated. It was much more than my monthly pocket money, and suddenly I felt very liberated. I can pause and think for 5 secs when I want to go to a slightly more expensive restaurant instead of pausing for 15 secs. Of course, years of habitual scrimping and saving does not just disappear over-night. I am still a prudent spender except when I was in Bangkok. LOL

However, recent comments posted on my blog regarding the traveling bug haunting me made me realise all the talk about financial freedom is a big irony in itself. We are not free at all. In fact we have all slowly become slaves (by circumstances) to money. We want to have a break and enjoy this short life-time, yet in order to do that we have to spend the majority of our time to earn enough vitamin M to support activities we enjoy...

Irony 2: FedEx. You know all the ads shown on TV about how the FedEx "Live to Deliver". Well, that became an irony when mother nature decided to snap the underwater cables through the Taiwan earthquake. My department had a parcel with FedEx, and naturally with all the chaos going on the in-charge decided to check on the location of the parcel. Guess what. Yesterday, FedEx called back to say they cannot locate the parcel because the cables in Taiwan were severed and they've lost communication with other branches in Asia. What happened to all those super-staff that we see on TV who ensures our parcels get sent to the destination on time? lol

Travel Bug

I want to go traveling again. I know I just returned from Bangkok less than a month ago. Was actually hoping I can get leave for the first week of Jan 07, then I can make use of the long hols to go somewhere further. Should be summer now in Australia and I've always wanted to go on a hike in the Blue Mountains. I cannot forget the beautiful rainbow-colored beetle I saw the last time and I want to find it again.

Don't Feel Like Being Charitable

I know Christmas is just round the corner and it is again the season of excessive giving and sharing etc, but I just do not feel charitable at all. Not referring in monetary terms, but rather in terms of emotion eg. empathy, sympathy etc.

I cannot feel any empathy for the pregnant woman who called in and say she's not coming in for work because she's afraid that she would slip in the heavy rain and lead to miscarriage. She is not the only pregnant lady in the department and I do not see the others, who happened to be more advanced in their pregnancies, calling in to say they are not coming in to work due to the rain. Essentially this person has been using her pregnancy to give all sorts of excuse to come in late and go off early, and the in-charge actually accepted her reasons hook, line, sinker and all. The department's helmed by imbeciles.

Neither can I feel sympathy for a colleague who need to go on leave "quite often" for the next couple of weeks because of some family problem. Because I had promised not to tell others about the problem, I am not at liberty to go into details here on my blog.

Basically, I am angry because I am again not allowed to take leave. Again, the reason was "lack of manpower". Well, actually I am allowed to take leave if there is something urgent. What good is that? If I do not have anything urgent then I cannot go for a break? This festive season is so full of crock.

加了糖的普洱茶...

喝起来怪怪的! Of course I'm not the crazy one who added sugar into the Chinese tea. T'was my mom, but it made me ponder and my conclusion: some things are not meant to go together, and some things are not meant to be. You can force things to happen or go your way, but to what end?

Amazing What a the Sun Can Do

At last the rain took a reprieve this morning. Was so happy to wake up seeing sun rays in the room instead of the usual gloom for the past 2 days. It's amazing how the sun can affect one's mood. I was certainly much cheerful and not that perturbed by what the rumor-mongers are spreading. For a moment I felt invincible and almost certain I will be able to face the rumors head on and just continue my friendship with my senior as per normal. Well, that was until I saw my senior and I am yet again reminded of the nonsense that people are talking behind our backs. Sigh, my invincibility is short lived.

Nevertheless I found out I'm not the only one who was much happier after seeing the sun. A tech told me she was really happy to see the sun and it really lifted her mood. She was sick of the incessant rain which left her quite depressed.

It's amazing how much sunlight can affect one's mood. :D

清者真能自清?

It's not that I do not want to believe, but sometimes it is just hard to believe. Told my tech what my junior said, and her face changed. She paused for a very long time before telling me all the things she has heard, and all the questions other people asked her.

I really cannot believe it that people said I'm my senior's "other wife". Naturally they've been reading too much between the lines eg. they believe the reason my senior's "so attached" to me is because from certain angles his wife looks like me. When my tech tried to clarify that there really is nothing between me and my senior, their answer was, "How can you be sure? Are you with them all the time? How can you be sure they did not go out together?"

I admit that my face can be quite black when my senior's not around, but that is only because I have to work with covers and to be frank, one of my regular covers really gets on my nerves. Apparently my senior's face was also black when that cover comes so I do not see why people have to read between the lines that my senior and I missed each other. Why can't those people understand that it is hard to find people with the same working convictions? That was why I wanted to leave the main retail pharmacy in the first place. The people there has different working convictions from mine. It is the same as when I work in inpatient. I usually feel out of place when it is not my regular tech working merely because there is a certain 默契 between me and her.

My tech said that everything I did with my senior would be "sensationalised", which frankly quite pissed me off. But just now, I really feel like crying. Why do things have to turn out this way?

暧昧

唱 : 杨丞琳

暧昧让人受尽委屈
找不到相爱的证据
何时该前进
何时该放弃
连拥抱都没有勇气

I think this song has been around for sometime, but never really paid attention to the lyrics. Anyway, I find that the lyrics actually make some sense. LOL

Just thought of the song yesterday when my junior said (jokingly) that my relationship with my senior is quite 暧昧. I know there are people out there who thinks there's more to my friendship with my senior, but I would usually shrug it off because I know those people did not know that my senior's married. However, to hear it coming from my junior who can be considered quite close to the 2 of us did throw me off a little.

I started to 检讨自己 to see if there is something that I have done to cause such a misunderstanding, and I really cannot find any. I treat my senior the same way I treat all my friends ie. all the loud talking, teasing, showing him my fist when he made fun of me, and the occasional 撒娇. As for him, I do not recall him treating me or others any differently. He is your typical Mr. Nice-Guy; he treats everybody nice.

Anyway, I wouldn't want to be in a 暧昧 relationship.
暧昧应该真的会让人受尽委屈
不能有相爱的证据
不能前进也没勇气洒脱地放弃
连拥抱都得压抑

爱得那么麻烦还不如选择不走上这条路.

Dormancy

I know I have not been very active on my blog for quite some time. Not that I have nothing to post, but I was distracted. First by Sudoku, then by Diablo II (online game). However, the greatest distraction is the myriad of thoughts, and emotions that constantly go through me. Left me quite tired.

Many a times I had started typing the first paragraph only to delete everything I typed and just sign out. Hopefully with the long weekends coming I can 整理我的思绪.

Some People Just Can't Be Trusted

Really pissed off when typing this. My colleague paged me a while ago saying her nurses claimed that I did not fill in the pharmacy column for the TPN (total parenteral nutrition) form. I naturally insisted that I had filled in BECAUSE I DID FILL IN! I even clarified with her if the nurses are looking at the original copy as I could not have filled in the original since it was not sent down to me. However, as per normal workflow, I would make a photocopy of the faxed copy that I filled in to be supplied with the TPN bag. Anyway, I faxed my colleague a copy of the faxed form that I've filled in, and she faxed me a copy of the form that the nurses claimed was not filled in.

At first I thought it was odd that the second column was empty, but upon inspection I realised that the fax details from the earlier fax was not there at all. Which means, the stupid nurse photocopied from the original form (which was obviously not filled in because it was not sent down to me) and decided to check the bag's content against an empty form! What stupidity, and these are people who are looking after the sick.

What really sickens me is that a significant number of healthcare workers in Singapore cannot be trusted. Nurses who cannot do simple calculations. Nurses who do not even know which part of the leg the calf is suppose to be. House officer who just anyhow write down a drug name because she cannot decipher the consultant's handwriting (and by the way, the name was not even a legit medicine name, she just could not figure what it was and simply came up with her own name)! Pharmacists who think it is okay to overdose on healthcare products. The examples go on, and to be frank, hospital is the last place you would want to go. Never know which idiot is looking after you, and you may just end up seeing your maker instead of going back to your family.

More Than Just Lack of Etiquette

Came across an article on the lack of etiquette in library users in Singapore. Naturally, most of those interviewed felt there was nothing wrong with them doing whatever they were doing in the library. After all as the man who plucked stubble put it, he has been plucking his stubble in public for more than 10 yrs and he does not see anything wrong with it.

See, with Singaporeans it is not just a lack of etiquette. It is the mindset that etiquette is not needed. Just like the day when Craziblues and I went to the library to borrow some guide books on Thailand, there were a bunch of students sitting on the floor blocking our way and access to the the books on the shelves. Was really pissed off. When Craziblues mumbled something along the lines of how were we suppose to get to the books, I blurted out, "Step on them." Loud enough for the group the hear and look up at me.

Believe me, it felt good to say that out.

Sudoku Overload

Picked up my mom's copy of sudoku a few days before I left for Bangkok and I am hooked onto the game. Well, at least until just now when I was playing the samurai sudoku. Guess I have finally reached the saturation point. Too many numbers and my brain is tired from processing. Need rest.

Bangkok From the Eyes of a Pampered Singaporean

My first trip to Thailand. Can't say the same for the rest of Thailand, but Bangkok is a quirky place. It is a place of bad traffic, terrible pollution, "money laundering", raunchy T-shirts, "have size can try", Pashmina, funny English, money swatting, tuk tuks and Coffee Me Travel Agency.

Traffic: Bangkok has got terrible traffic. It took us almost 2 hours to get to the hotel. Traffic was sluggish and I was getting restless being stuck in a cab for that long. The taxi driver must be frustrated as well. He made an agonising moan when we continued to be stuck in the traffic for 15-20 mins with the hotel less than 5 metres away. I thought that was quite comical of the taxi driver seeing he should have already gotten used to the terrible traffic in Bangkok.

Pollution: I am sure those who have been to Bangkok will readily agree with me that the pollution there is bad. Everything is dusty from motor-vehicle soot and I think my lungs must have turned at least 1 shade darker after breathing the Bangkok air for 4 days. When I blew my nose, the mucus was black! I was not ready for this so I asked Craziblues if she noticed any black things from her nose when she was cleaning it. Having been to Bangkok before, Craziblues just gave a wry smile affirming there were black things from the nose.

Tuk Tuk: I have people and travel guides telling me it is more expensive to travel by the BTS or MRT then tuk tuk or cab, but frankly speaking, I think it is actually more expensive travelling by tuk tuk. We went Suan Lum on the first night. Took the BTS to Sala Daeng station and walked 15 mins to Suan Lum. That was only 20 bht per head. We decided to take a tuk tuk back to the hotel, but the driver quoted us 300 bht. Further negotiation was not allowed because he said our hotel is far from Suan Lum. Decided to take the MRT from Lumpini station to Si Lom station then transfer to BTS all the way back to hotel. In total that was only 35 bht per head. A far cry from the 300 bht quoted by the driver. (x_x)

Money Laundering: Well, this is a joke between me and Craziblues. Less than 10 mins walk to the right of our hotel is this official building dealing with money laundering. Being an official building naturally there are country flags on poles just outside. Problem was, one of the flag has a tendency to block the view of an important word making the building a "Money Laundering Office". It was actually the Anti-Money Laundering Office. :D

Coffee Me Travel Agency: This is one of the good finds we had in Bangkok. According to the signage it provides information for tourists. Actually it serves food and at the back there are broadband computers for use at a very reasonable price. Maps of bangkok and other parts of Thailand are sold there and you can also book local tours through them. Why is this a good find? For 120 baht (~$5), you can get an English breakfast set comprising of pineapple or orange juice (it's actually mandarin orange lol) + tea or coffee + toast with butter or jam (they serve both butter and jam for you to spread) + baked beans + egg (scrambled or ... I forgot what's the other option) + bacon or sausage (I ordered sausage but there was a slice of bacon as well, not too sure if they've misplaced it from Craziblues' order lol). We had sandwiches the next day, and prices range from 30-55 bht. By the way, the sandwiches are good with plenty of fillings. *drool*

The internet charge is 35bht/hr or 20 bht for 30 mins. According to Craziblues the connection is quite good, not sluggish at all. Another good thing about this shop is they do not mind you hogging their seats after you finish your meal. It was an idyllic life reading about Jack the Ripper and watching where the ants are going while waiting for Craziblues to check her email. We were disappointed to find the shop closed for a day's rest on Sat (02/11/2006). Just when we were thinking of eating to our fill before hitting Chatuchak market.

This little shop is located less than 5 mins walk to the right of Asia Bangkok Hotel.

Raunchy Tees: Not sure if the Thais know what those T-shirts are saying, but they are going at a really cheap price of 99 bht per piece. Then again, I suppose they should know. Some of the T-shirts are pictorial showing stick figures having group sex... Some of the really funny ones include a sperm in the shape of the Nike logo with the slogan "Just Did It!", a Tee showing the various sex positions you can try from Mon-Sun (didn't use real human figures of course), and Mission Impossible featuring a couple in cartoon having difficulty mating because their tummies were too big. LOL

Have Size, Can Try: This is a refrain I kept hearing from sales girls trying to get me interested in their shoes, and they all say it in the same sing song manner. Maybe this is some Thai way of speaking... Actually it sounds kind of familiar; just like the way we counsel patients on painkillers, "For pain, no pain, no need." Everything is super truncated, but those few words are enough to get the message across.

Pashmina: It is one of the materials used to make shawls, and it is all over Bangkok esp the first and top floor of MBK (Mah Boon Krong) Centre. Not sure if the ones I bought are the true blue Pashmina, but only testing the fabric in air-conditioned room would tell. Apparently, pashmina is made from the undercoat that goats develop in cold weather. According to those who owned one, it is able to keep the body warm although the shawl looks thin.

Funny English: I guess this happens to all countries where English is not the native language. Not saying Singapore is perfect. However, there is a limit to how much one can tolerate. For example, there was this food place in Platinum Mall which used some really hilarious words to translate its Thai menu. What I think they are trying to convey is the word "fragrant", but when translated it came out as "Seafood Mix All with Offensive Odor and Rice". I almost burst out laughing while I stood outside the shop trying to decide what I wanted to eat. Anyway, just to be on the safe side, Craziblues and I steered clear of those dishes with "offensive odor". LOL

Then there was this signage outside Coffee Me Travel Agency that says "Oversea Call". Craziblues remarked that we can only call over one sea. :D

Money Swatting: I thought this is some common practice, but when I think back I only saw the shop owners in MBK centre do this. Basically, the shop owners would use the first earning for the day to swat at all the goods in the shop in hope that the luck from the first earning would carry on for the rest of the day. I really wanted to laugh when I saw them doing that, but I guess that would be disrespectful. Anyway, I am not complaining. Usually, by 12+ if the shop has not made any business they would give you really good discounts. That was how I got a pretty pashmina shawl for my mom at a discounted rate. The sales girl immediately took my money and started swatting all the pashmina and thai silk she's selling. LOL

Good Buys
If you're ever in Bangkok and need socks, try this shop located at the top floor of Platinum mall. The shop sells socks (there are many variety) at wholesale rate, and I really do mean wholesale rate. 3 pairs of ankle socks cost only 57 bht. That is about S$0.85 per pair, and if I recall correctly the cheapest we can get in Singapore is 3 for $10. Between Craziblues and I, we bought 13 pairs of socks. It was so cheap that I forgot to bargain. Anyway, the owner also sold me one scrungee at wholesale price, 25 bht instead of the 35 bht quoted on the shop floor. Apparently when buying from wholesale shops they will require you to purchase a minimum number before giving you the wholesale price. Eg. in this case, I should be paying 35 bht for 1 scrungee, and 25 bht each if I purchased 3 scrungees and above.

Handphone trinkets, the flat spongy type with a screen wipe on the back. There are many designs available, mostly Sanrio's characters such as Little Twin Stars, Melody etc. Again this is wholesale. Craziblues bought 12 trinkets at 50 bht. Divide that up and it's about S$0.17 per piece. It is located in Platinum mall, near the shop selling socks I mentioned above.

Pashmina from MBK is a good buy too. At least from the stall that I went to on the 6th floor. It is the first stall next to Watsons. Gave me 120 baht discount for a simple 2-toned pashmina (was originally 350 bht), but then again, I bought more than 1 shawl from her (no this was not the stall that I was referring to in my comment about money swatting). Anyway, I like the auntie. She's very friendly and readily gave the discount without me asking for it. I like owners who gave discounts without me asking for it. :p

A point to note for those who wanted to buy things from departmental stores. Go when it is near the Thai king's bday. According to one of the store owners in MBK, many shopping malls and Far East Plaza-like stores are now having sale in celebration of their king's bday.

Conclusion
Although it was an exciting shopping trip with many funny incidents, I do not think I would want to go back that soon. Bad traffic, pollution and airport inefficiency put me off. Language barrier is another issue. I absolutely do not understand what the Thais are saying and cannot read their Thai language. Sometimes it's really chicken and duck talk. At least I speak rudimentary Japanese and I can read some Japanese (even if I do not understand the meaning of the hiragana, I can still guess if there is kanji).

In addition, like what Craziblues said, I'm overly pampered. I cannot stand the hot and humid weather in market places such as Chatuchak and Pratunum. Was perspiring like crazy in these 2 market places, and that did not set the mood for me to weave round the shops for good buys. Felt bad that I kept hurrying Craziblues because I could not stand the heat and wanted to get out ASAP. Give me the mountain coolness of Blue Mountains down under, or Akan National Park in Hokkaido any time.

Singapore at Last!

So glad to be back in Singapore. Flight was delayed for 4 hours at the new airport in Bangkok. Apparently there was not enough runways for the airplanes to land so a number of flights were delayed. What kind of s***** reason is that! The airport is so much bigger than our beloved Changi airport and they are telling me there is not enough runways. *roll my eyes* Anyway, I spent most of my time doing the Sudoku book I bought from a bookstore.