I had some friends come over for lunch today. It was a fun gathering with catching up and some inane exchange of opinions.
There were 8 adults and 5 children. The conversation did not revolve any specific topic. We talked about children, colleagues, friends and television programmes. We also had a review of Xavier's Lego sets. Gabriel and Adeline have 2 children and know exactly what I go through even though their children are very well behaved. Jean and Kee Hoe are relatively newly-weds and do not have any children yet. I hope they look forward to having their own children after some of the stories we shared about the children. Edmund and Grace are single and I hope they don't get scared off by the horror stories. Of course, being considerate adults, we did not dominate the conversation with endless children stories. It was nice to have a bit of catch up about some people we mutually know and share funny stories about others.
We had some sushi from Ichiban Sushi. It was fresh and nicely packed. The highlight of the meal was the durians. Yumm....although Gabriel and his son James are not durian friendly. Fortunate hubby said to get other finger food like chicken nuggets, calamari rings and french fries. The kids had most of the finger food and very little of the sushi. In fact James and Sarah did not have sushi. I wonder if my kids were just fussy or too spoiled.
Gabriel enjoys Lego as well and was bugging me to buy a set for him when I get the next one for Xavier. He should have been nicer to me......no more twin peaks stories!!!!
We realize that the X-wing fighter which Xavier fixed had some error. I'll fix that tomorrow.
I'm going to stop for now and join the family for some pre-bedtime fun.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Missing shoes and claws
I cannot resist this......sorry SMRT.
Conversation between train child and mummy.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, my carriages are vibrating very hard.
Mum: Nemmind, just sit back and enjoy.
Child: What if we disturb our neighbours, especially when it is very crowded?
Mum: Nemmind, we have this slab to absorb the vibrations.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, my shoes are coming loose.
Mum: Nemmind, they have been on you for so many years, they won't come off one!
Child: Mummy, my shoes are really coming off!
Mum: Don't bluff lah. So many years no problem already, how can suddenly come off?? Complain some more I cane you ah......
Child keeps quiet. Shoes come off. Child still silent.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, still vibrating very hard. I think my claws coming off!
Mum: Nemmind lah! So many complains....just keep moving!
Child keeps moving.
Child: Mummy....my claws are coming off one by one....
Mum: Aiyah, how many times I must tell you?? Stop complaining!
Child: M...u....m....m....y.......(dead silence due to lack of power).
Mum: Aiyoh!!!! Ah boy what happened???
Mum checks child for several hours. She realizes the shoes of the child are missing and replaces shoes. She realizes some claws are missing and ties them with cable ties. Child wakes up.
Child: Mummy.....I'm so tired. How come I feel like I have not enough energy? I'm running slower than before.
Mum: Aiyah, stop complaining. Already use cable ties to hold your claws. Run faster, sure drop. Just tahan and go slow......I still don't know what's wrong, I have to appoint a committee to check before you can be back to normal.....stop complaining.
Child: But Mummy....so dangerous.
Mum: Aiyoh, what you know. If you don't go, cannot earn money. You go slow, still can earn a bit....I gotta eat you know. If you don't work, I cannot eat my sharks' fin leh....just tahan lah. AND STOP COMPLAINING.
Conversation between train child and mummy.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, my carriages are vibrating very hard.
Mum: Nemmind, just sit back and enjoy.
Child: What if we disturb our neighbours, especially when it is very crowded?
Mum: Nemmind, we have this slab to absorb the vibrations.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, my shoes are coming loose.
Mum: Nemmind, they have been on you for so many years, they won't come off one!
Child: Mummy, my shoes are really coming off!
Mum: Don't bluff lah. So many years no problem already, how can suddenly come off?? Complain some more I cane you ah......
Child keeps quiet. Shoes come off. Child still silent.
Child: Mummy, Mummy, still vibrating very hard. I think my claws coming off!
Mum: Nemmind lah! So many complains....just keep moving!
Child keeps moving.
Child: Mummy....my claws are coming off one by one....
Mum: Aiyah, how many times I must tell you?? Stop complaining!
Child: M...u....m....m....y.......(dead silence due to lack of power).
Mum: Aiyoh!!!! Ah boy what happened???
Mum checks child for several hours. She realizes the shoes of the child are missing and replaces shoes. She realizes some claws are missing and ties them with cable ties. Child wakes up.
Child: Mummy.....I'm so tired. How come I feel like I have not enough energy? I'm running slower than before.
Mum: Aiyah, stop complaining. Already use cable ties to hold your claws. Run faster, sure drop. Just tahan and go slow......I still don't know what's wrong, I have to appoint a committee to check before you can be back to normal.....stop complaining.
Child: But Mummy....so dangerous.
Mum: Aiyoh, what you know. If you don't go, cannot earn money. You go slow, still can earn a bit....I gotta eat you know. If you don't work, I cannot eat my sharks' fin leh....just tahan lah. AND STOP COMPLAINING.
Monday, December 19, 2011
SMRT - still Sotong Monitoring Rail Tracks
I'm now at Hong Kong airport, awaiting a connecting flight to China. I couldn't resist logging in to comment on what I read in the papers on the plane.
This morning's papers reported some development on the investigation of the train service disruptions. The best that could be given was that the claws on the third rail gave way, causing a disruption of power supply to the trains. SMRT had to start train service at affected areas much later than usual yesterday to facilitate a full inspection of affected train tracks. Instead of 5.30am, train service resumed intermittently from 10am and fully at 11.30am. It caused much grief to a lot of people. People were late for work despite making effort to get up hours earlier than usual.
I'm very puzzled. Maintenance is supposed to be an on-going thing. For the claws to be worn off and drop off would have taken time. Why was it not discovered prior to the disruptions? Was someone sleeping on the job? A humorous guess would be that the lighting in the tunnel was not sufficient enough for a proper inspection. Passengers who had to evacuate the trains reportedly walked through dark tunnels which had very little lighting. So imagine trying to inspect the rail tracks in the same condition. A more serious guess would be a lack of clear standards laid out for the people carrying out routine checks to follow. If there were people carrying out checks in the first place.
This episode brings to mind two words - Corporate Governance. How does a corporation govern itself in terms of operations and accountability? There has to be Standard Operating Procedures in place. However, execution is a totally different issue altogether. You can have all the best laid plans but fail with a poor execution. All the smart people in the world can make an ingenious plan but if you have an irresponsible person execute without a check and balance in place, you can still fail.
I feel that this might be what went wrong with SMRT. Delegation to the lower ranks without report back or checks and balance. At work, a classic joke was when a VP delegated a Director to attend a meeting on his behalf. The Director delegated to a Manager who in turn delegated a Supervisor. So a Supervisor attended a meeting on behalf of the VP. Obviously the meeting was postponed due to lack of authority level present. Luckily the Supervisor did not delegate to a clerk.
We obviously cannot expect Ms Saw to inspect the train tracks but it is fair that we expect someone from higher management to routinely check reports and occasionally conduct spot checks personally. All the investigation findings up to this point in time (as of yesterday's press time) is inconclusive. The lack of concrete information is adding a lot more fuel to the fire.
I don't support the resignation of the top brass at this moment because they should stay behind to clean up the mess. Resigning now is not much better than just sweeping their hands clean and having someone else pick up after them. Clean up the mess for crying out loud. Pacify the people. Give us the answers.
This morning's papers reported some development on the investigation of the train service disruptions. The best that could be given was that the claws on the third rail gave way, causing a disruption of power supply to the trains. SMRT had to start train service at affected areas much later than usual yesterday to facilitate a full inspection of affected train tracks. Instead of 5.30am, train service resumed intermittently from 10am and fully at 11.30am. It caused much grief to a lot of people. People were late for work despite making effort to get up hours earlier than usual.
I'm very puzzled. Maintenance is supposed to be an on-going thing. For the claws to be worn off and drop off would have taken time. Why was it not discovered prior to the disruptions? Was someone sleeping on the job? A humorous guess would be that the lighting in the tunnel was not sufficient enough for a proper inspection. Passengers who had to evacuate the trains reportedly walked through dark tunnels which had very little lighting. So imagine trying to inspect the rail tracks in the same condition. A more serious guess would be a lack of clear standards laid out for the people carrying out routine checks to follow. If there were people carrying out checks in the first place.
This episode brings to mind two words - Corporate Governance. How does a corporation govern itself in terms of operations and accountability? There has to be Standard Operating Procedures in place. However, execution is a totally different issue altogether. You can have all the best laid plans but fail with a poor execution. All the smart people in the world can make an ingenious plan but if you have an irresponsible person execute without a check and balance in place, you can still fail.
I feel that this might be what went wrong with SMRT. Delegation to the lower ranks without report back or checks and balance. At work, a classic joke was when a VP delegated a Director to attend a meeting on his behalf. The Director delegated to a Manager who in turn delegated a Supervisor. So a Supervisor attended a meeting on behalf of the VP. Obviously the meeting was postponed due to lack of authority level present. Luckily the Supervisor did not delegate to a clerk.
We obviously cannot expect Ms Saw to inspect the train tracks but it is fair that we expect someone from higher management to routinely check reports and occasionally conduct spot checks personally. All the investigation findings up to this point in time (as of yesterday's press time) is inconclusive. The lack of concrete information is adding a lot more fuel to the fire.
I don't support the resignation of the top brass at this moment because they should stay behind to clean up the mess. Resigning now is not much better than just sweeping their hands clean and having someone else pick up after them. Clean up the mess for crying out loud. Pacify the people. Give us the answers.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
SMRT FiascoS......Trilogy of Disruptions
Thanks to SMRT, the number of hits on my page has increased. It is hilarious
that I am an unwitting beneficiary of SMRT fiascos. Note that I put the S in
the header in capital on purpose.
Apparently I missed one important cock up on Wednesday 14 Dec. So the breakdown on Thursday 15 Dec was the second incident. The major disruption on Saturday 17 Dec completed the trilogy.
This time, it is so huge that even PM Lee had to step in and make a comment. I have to break my policy and say "WA LAU EH" on my blog. (I try not to use Singlish when I write lah...) It's unbelievable.
It may be bad maintenance, sabotage or pure bad luck.
We are still waiting for an explanation.
Apparently I missed one important cock up on Wednesday 14 Dec. So the breakdown on Thursday 15 Dec was the second incident. The major disruption on Saturday 17 Dec completed the trilogy.
This time, it is so huge that even PM Lee had to step in and make a comment. I have to break my policy and say "WA LAU EH" on my blog. (I try not to use Singlish when I write lah...) It's unbelievable.
It may be bad maintenance, sabotage or pure bad luck.
We are still waiting for an explanation.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
SMRT Fiasco
Recently SMRT went under fire for frequent disruptions of its train operations. The worst incident so far happened on Thursday night where there was a 5 hour breakdown along the busiest stretch of its North South line during peak hour. News reports reveal that many passengers were trapped in train carriages without light or air conditioning. Someone even used a fire extinguisher to smash a window for some ventilation. Passengers had to be evacuated along the tracks.
The CEO of SMRT had to make a public apology. There were promises to look into the entire system and review, etc. Until now, it's only possible causes which had been found. Nothing concrete yet.
After that, someone saw an inappropriate message broadcast to SMRT taxi drivers, alerting them of an income opportunity due to the train breakdown. Talk about adding fuel to the fire. This is amid unhappiness with taxi fare hikes.
I saw an article on Yahoo with the headline "Singapore Stocks-Down at midday; SMRT Corp outperforms". SMRT was seen to be a beneficiary of the taxi fare hike. It's a logical win-win situation for SMRT. Taxi fare hike may result in direct revenue for SMRT. They win. The taxi fare hike may drive more commuters to trains. They also win. In August, a 1% increase in bus and train fares was approved by the Public Transport Council. SMRT still win.
And here the government is warning about possible economic storms, etc.
It is not surprising that many Singaporeans are unhappy about the situation. It is a definite let down that such a corporation gave the impression that they did not have a Business Continuity Plan or a Disaster Recovery Plan. Actually, this may not be relevant because no disaster seemed to have actually happened. What seemed to have happened was something broke down somewhere on the tracks, in the stations, or related place. There was no obvious Act Of God, no natural disaster, etc. How such an embarrassing situation can happen under the management of such an establishment is not something laymen, like myself, can comprehend.
At work, I stress to my team that a detailed Standard Operating Procedure is very critical. However, we are humans and cannot predict every single possibility. We may miss something because humans are totally unpredictable. I've learnt that the hard way. A classic example happened a couple of weeks ago. I asked someone to help me courier some documents. For some unfathomable reason, this person did not send the documents out until a week later.
What I've learned is that we are allowed to make mistakes. But we are not allowed to not learn from them. We usually acknowledge our mistake, come up with a corrective action plan, fix the issue, come up with a control point to prevent future occurrences and move on.
That being said, the situation with SMRT is admittedly different because it is about public transportation. To be honest, I seldom take train and bus. I cannot claim to understand how the commuters affected by the recent SMRT fiascos feel. However, I can say that with service providers of public services shoulder a heavy responsibility and they should live up to the expectation of the public to the best of their ability.
With prior small occurrences, someone should have said, "Let's review the whole system before something major happens." Of course it's easier to say that with hindsight. I hope that there won't be news about the top executives of SMRT being paid fantastic bonuses despite such incidents just because the bonuses have been declared. That would really endorse the saying that bad things come in threes - train breakdown, income opportunity and skyrocket bonuses.....good luck to Saw Phaik Hwa.
The CEO of SMRT had to make a public apology. There were promises to look into the entire system and review, etc. Until now, it's only possible causes which had been found. Nothing concrete yet.
After that, someone saw an inappropriate message broadcast to SMRT taxi drivers, alerting them of an income opportunity due to the train breakdown. Talk about adding fuel to the fire. This is amid unhappiness with taxi fare hikes.
I saw an article on Yahoo with the headline "Singapore Stocks-Down at midday; SMRT Corp outperforms". SMRT was seen to be a beneficiary of the taxi fare hike. It's a logical win-win situation for SMRT. Taxi fare hike may result in direct revenue for SMRT. They win. The taxi fare hike may drive more commuters to trains. They also win. In August, a 1% increase in bus and train fares was approved by the Public Transport Council. SMRT still win.
And here the government is warning about possible economic storms, etc.
It is not surprising that many Singaporeans are unhappy about the situation. It is a definite let down that such a corporation gave the impression that they did not have a Business Continuity Plan or a Disaster Recovery Plan. Actually, this may not be relevant because no disaster seemed to have actually happened. What seemed to have happened was something broke down somewhere on the tracks, in the stations, or related place. There was no obvious Act Of God, no natural disaster, etc. How such an embarrassing situation can happen under the management of such an establishment is not something laymen, like myself, can comprehend.
At work, I stress to my team that a detailed Standard Operating Procedure is very critical. However, we are humans and cannot predict every single possibility. We may miss something because humans are totally unpredictable. I've learnt that the hard way. A classic example happened a couple of weeks ago. I asked someone to help me courier some documents. For some unfathomable reason, this person did not send the documents out until a week later.
What I've learned is that we are allowed to make mistakes. But we are not allowed to not learn from them. We usually acknowledge our mistake, come up with a corrective action plan, fix the issue, come up with a control point to prevent future occurrences and move on.
That being said, the situation with SMRT is admittedly different because it is about public transportation. To be honest, I seldom take train and bus. I cannot claim to understand how the commuters affected by the recent SMRT fiascos feel. However, I can say that with service providers of public services shoulder a heavy responsibility and they should live up to the expectation of the public to the best of their ability.
With prior small occurrences, someone should have said, "Let's review the whole system before something major happens." Of course it's easier to say that with hindsight. I hope that there won't be news about the top executives of SMRT being paid fantastic bonuses despite such incidents just because the bonuses have been declared. That would really endorse the saying that bad things come in threes - train breakdown, income opportunity and skyrocket bonuses.....good luck to Saw Phaik Hwa.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Back from holiday
We had another stay-cation at Resorts World Sentosa this week. The kids had a lot of fun and we decided that it was probably more worth it to just check in at a local hotel for future holidays. This time, my parents came with us. My mom used her Resorts World membership points to redeem 2 nights' stay at Festive Hotel for us.
The kids loved the hotel pool, almost endless supply of ice-cream and candy and the cosy hotel room. Ryan keeps wanting to go back to the "hauntel" room....creepy but funny. Keane calls it "The Bed".
The day trip to Universal Studios was not exciting, as expected. We bought the tickets on Monday for entry on Tuesday. We had a bonus discount of 15% for 6 of the tickets because hubby was NTUC member. There's a promotion going on.
We went to the park at about 10am and hit the carousel ride first. That may not have been a wise move. Read on to find out why.
We learnt from last year's mistake and gave the 4D show at Far Far Away Land (aka Shrek land) a miss. But we went onto the mini ferris wheel. The kids enjoyed that ride and it was the first time I heard shrieks and yells coming out of a ferris wheel cabin! Imagine if we were on a roller coaster ride....
We went for the Donkey Live show. Still at Far Far Away. I was expecting a real donkey or at least a fella in a donkey costume. Turned out to be an interactive animation show. The most fun part was when Keane took part in the show. Conversation with emcee Ross and Donkey.
Ross: What's your name?
Keane: Keanetan!
Ross: Keanton?
Keane: Keanetan!
Ross: ???
Mom: Keane.
Ross: Oh! Keane Tan!
Ross: You had a question for Donkey earlier. What was it?
Keane: Erm....because Donkey can sing anything?
This threw Ross off for a couple of seconds...
Ross: Erm...yeah, Donkey can sing anything. (recovery taken place). So how old are you?
Here I'm starting to sweat cos Keane has not been able to differentiate the questions "how old are you" and "how are you"...
Keane: Five! (phew!)
Ross: Where are you from?
Keane: Singapore! (well done Keane!)
Donkey: Are you married Keane?
Keane: Yes!
Donkey: Oooh...where's your wife?
Keane shrugs.
Donkey: You don't know where's your wife?!?! Ah! Did you leave your wife at home?
Keane: (still clueless) Yes!
Donkey: Ah! That's a good plan! Leave the wife at home and come to Universal Studios by yourself!
Ross: Alright Keane, can you dance like Donkey?
Donkey does a tap dance and Keqne follows suit. Donkey shakes his booty and Keane does it back at him.
Ross: Alright Keane, let's help Donkey get started for his next song. Can you say 5, 6, 7, 8?
Keane: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Ross: Erh....that will work too. Let's give it up for Keane!
You couldn't find any prouder parents that day.
We went for lunch and Ryan promptly fell asleep after lunch. We left him with Perla and went to check out the rest of the park. Went for a boat ride at Madagascar and shopping at Jurassic Store.
Hubby wanted to check out the Transformers ride but found out there was a 115min wait at the queue! We should have gone to the Transformers ride first!
Hubby headed back to hotel with Xavier and Keane while the rest of is went for coffee.
We took the train ride out to Vivocity for dinner on Tuesday evening. The rest of the time was spent in the hotel room.
Even though it wasn't glamourous, we still had good fun as a family and that's what is important.
The kids loved the hotel pool, almost endless supply of ice-cream and candy and the cosy hotel room. Ryan keeps wanting to go back to the "hauntel" room....creepy but funny. Keane calls it "The Bed".
The day trip to Universal Studios was not exciting, as expected. We bought the tickets on Monday for entry on Tuesday. We had a bonus discount of 15% for 6 of the tickets because hubby was NTUC member. There's a promotion going on.
We went to the park at about 10am and hit the carousel ride first. That may not have been a wise move. Read on to find out why.
We learnt from last year's mistake and gave the 4D show at Far Far Away Land (aka Shrek land) a miss. But we went onto the mini ferris wheel. The kids enjoyed that ride and it was the first time I heard shrieks and yells coming out of a ferris wheel cabin! Imagine if we were on a roller coaster ride....
We went for the Donkey Live show. Still at Far Far Away. I was expecting a real donkey or at least a fella in a donkey costume. Turned out to be an interactive animation show. The most fun part was when Keane took part in the show. Conversation with emcee Ross and Donkey.
Ross: What's your name?
Keane: Keanetan!
Ross: Keanton?
Keane: Keanetan!
Ross: ???
Mom: Keane.
Ross: Oh! Keane Tan!
Ross: You had a question for Donkey earlier. What was it?
Keane: Erm....because Donkey can sing anything?
This threw Ross off for a couple of seconds...
Ross: Erm...yeah, Donkey can sing anything. (recovery taken place). So how old are you?
Here I'm starting to sweat cos Keane has not been able to differentiate the questions "how old are you" and "how are you"...
Keane: Five! (phew!)
Ross: Where are you from?
Keane: Singapore! (well done Keane!)
Donkey: Are you married Keane?
Keane: Yes!
Donkey: Oooh...where's your wife?
Keane shrugs.
Donkey: You don't know where's your wife?!?! Ah! Did you leave your wife at home?
Keane: (still clueless) Yes!
Donkey: Ah! That's a good plan! Leave the wife at home and come to Universal Studios by yourself!
Ross: Alright Keane, can you dance like Donkey?
Donkey does a tap dance and Keqne follows suit. Donkey shakes his booty and Keane does it back at him.
Ross: Alright Keane, let's help Donkey get started for his next song. Can you say 5, 6, 7, 8?
Keane: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Ross: Erh....that will work too. Let's give it up for Keane!
You couldn't find any prouder parents that day.
We went for lunch and Ryan promptly fell asleep after lunch. We left him with Perla and went to check out the rest of the park. Went for a boat ride at Madagascar and shopping at Jurassic Store.
Hubby wanted to check out the Transformers ride but found out there was a 115min wait at the queue! We should have gone to the Transformers ride first!
Hubby headed back to hotel with Xavier and Keane while the rest of is went for coffee.
We took the train ride out to Vivocity for dinner on Tuesday evening. The rest of the time was spent in the hotel room.
Even though it wasn't glamourous, we still had good fun as a family and that's what is important.
Monday, December 12, 2011
The night baker
For some strange reason, I am now quite keen on baking. I watched a lot of Australian Junior Masterchef Season 1 on Starworld when I was on medical leave. Although I couldn't see very clearly, I could manage to follow the show. Thereafter, I started to explore cooking on my terms. What are my terms? Read on.
I tried to do some traditional cooking - soup, fu yong egg and pork balls. That was my only attempt at making a meal for the family. I ended up putting too many prawns into the soup and the egg. The pork balls turned out alright.
After that, I attempted to do some baking using a miserably small oven which my mom gave me before. It's one of those which do not have a good seal so there is a small gap between the oven and its door when the door is closed. The thermostat is not near precision. That's my excuse for my failed attempts at baking scones and a chocolate cake. The cake turned out undercooked and the scones ended up like cookies.
I tried the chocolate cake again and it turned out alright. Not great but alright. The scones turned out ugly, still looked like cookies, but tasted better. So I decided to invest in this new hobby. I bought a proper oven. It came with multiple pre-set modes and a big steamer which can be used in the oven.
The day after I bought the oven, I had to leave for a 2 week work trip overseas. I came back and tried the oven. It was pretty cool. The scones still turned out ugly but tasted better. It is probably not due to my oven. I actually tried to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. I think I will try to use top flour next time. Top flour is in between cake flour and all-purpose flour in terms of protein content. I read that in a cook book.
With work, and my unstoppable enthusiasm, I baked at night when I got home from work. Hubby was laughing about it. I tried to make sesame cookies. Had to prepare the dough at night and then leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Then I baked it early in the morning, before I left for work.
I tried to make a vanilla chiffon cake yesterday. Twice. Both were failures. The first attempt was pathetic. The cake tasted funny and I suspect it was because I didn't mix the ingredients well. The second cake tasted better but was flat. Not very chiffon like. I need to try again with another method. The recipe called for folding and I obviously can't fold very well. Cut, fold, turn. Cut, fold, turn.
I am not going to turn this into a cooking blog because there are many of those around. But I'll keep you posted of my attempts. I'm not giving up yet.....
I tried to do some traditional cooking - soup, fu yong egg and pork balls. That was my only attempt at making a meal for the family. I ended up putting too many prawns into the soup and the egg. The pork balls turned out alright.
After that, I attempted to do some baking using a miserably small oven which my mom gave me before. It's one of those which do not have a good seal so there is a small gap between the oven and its door when the door is closed. The thermostat is not near precision. That's my excuse for my failed attempts at baking scones and a chocolate cake. The cake turned out undercooked and the scones ended up like cookies.
I tried the chocolate cake again and it turned out alright. Not great but alright. The scones turned out ugly, still looked like cookies, but tasted better. So I decided to invest in this new hobby. I bought a proper oven. It came with multiple pre-set modes and a big steamer which can be used in the oven.
The day after I bought the oven, I had to leave for a 2 week work trip overseas. I came back and tried the oven. It was pretty cool. The scones still turned out ugly but tasted better. It is probably not due to my oven. I actually tried to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. I think I will try to use top flour next time. Top flour is in between cake flour and all-purpose flour in terms of protein content. I read that in a cook book.
With work, and my unstoppable enthusiasm, I baked at night when I got home from work. Hubby was laughing about it. I tried to make sesame cookies. Had to prepare the dough at night and then leave it to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Then I baked it early in the morning, before I left for work.
I tried to make a vanilla chiffon cake yesterday. Twice. Both were failures. The first attempt was pathetic. The cake tasted funny and I suspect it was because I didn't mix the ingredients well. The second cake tasted better but was flat. Not very chiffon like. I need to try again with another method. The recipe called for folding and I obviously can't fold very well. Cut, fold, turn. Cut, fold, turn.
I am not going to turn this into a cooking blog because there are many of those around. But I'll keep you posted of my attempts. I'm not giving up yet.....
Friday, November 25, 2011
P1 results
Xavier received his results this week. He came in 4th in class and 12th in the standard. He also won the Character Value award for his class. I am very proud of his achievements. He was delighted with his trophy.
It's encouraging to know that Xavier is doing well. I think he should be fine going ahead. He has a long way ahead of him but he is off to a good start.
I had a lot of things to say over the last 2 weeks. But work travels have since dried up my thoughts......
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Analysis of my blog
I just realized that I can see how many times each of my post is viewed. I have come to a conclusion that I have 2 regular readers. I think one is Gabriel who recently told me that reading my blog is the only way he knows what is happening in my life. I'm not sure about the other one. I guess it might be me?
The post about my domestic helper woes drew the most views. 27! I know that is not much by blogger world standard but that is the highest view count on mine.
The posts about the General Elections drew the next most views. 12. I think many views may be accidental browsing. Some might be the government scanning the internet. I'll never know.
I seriously need to put in some effort if I want to have a higher level of readership.
The post about my domestic helper woes drew the most views. 27! I know that is not much by blogger world standard but that is the highest view count on mine.
The posts about the General Elections drew the next most views. 12. I think many views may be accidental browsing. Some might be the government scanning the internet. I'll never know.
I seriously need to put in some effort if I want to have a higher level of readership.
Toys are us.....
We did a partial clean-up of our store room this week. Partial because there was too much stuff in the store room. The store room contained an unbelievable amount of paper bags (in our attempt to recycle), bags (for travel and previously for golf) and toys.
We kept some toys, some being an understatement, in the store room because we didn't want the clutter in the living room or bedroom.
After rummaging through the mess, I have come to a conclusion which is a lesson I've never learnt and hopefully will. Toys are definitely not a must have in a kid's life.
There were so many toys which the kids never played with and never missed.
My general rule for cleaning is "if you haven't touched it for more than a year, you probably do not need it unless it's an official document".
We have a Toyogo box full of Thomas and Friends trains and rails. Yes, I bought thousands of dollars’ worth of trains and rails. Last count was 27 trains and they were all bought pre-Keane, i.e. during Xavier's time. What was I thinking of, buying train sets for a 2 year old? I thought that the kids could play with them even when they are older because the rails are components of what may be a huge railway track. I found the sets on display in various stores fascinating and thought that Xavier could produce something like that when he was older. The reality was probably me entertaining my own fetish for building stuff.
I guess I was trying to fulfil my own lack of such sophisticated toys when I was a kid. My family wasn't well to do and I was happy was paper dolls and books. Remember the paper dolls? They came in sheets which contained one girl and some clothes. You tear the girl and the clothes out. Then you place the clothes on the girl and fold the tabs over her shoulders and hips. You could interchange the clothes and if you bought a few sheets, you'd have a fabulous wardrobe. This was before I knew about Barbie.
Barbie was too expensive and the only Barbie I owned was a gift when I was twelve. My mom bought some additional clothes for my Barbie but I created my own with some unwanted clothes and cloth. My Barbie lost her hair to a beautiful crop after I mistakenly believed someone who told me that Barbie's hair can grow. That person decided not to cut her Barbie's hair after seeing mine around with a crop for a long time. Back to my present mess......
We also inherited a few sets of toys from Xavier's cousin. They were in pretty good condition and I guess it was a result of Xavier's uncle being meticulous about his kid's toys. We never played with those. The kids had more than enough of their own toys. So I think I will not pass on toys to any other relative. It just moves the clutter to another home. My brother took some of our Fisher Price toys when he had a girl who is 6 months younger than Ryan. But I observe that my brother and his wife still buy toys for her. It's like us. We couldn't stop buying toys even when we had some toys given to us. It also never stopped when the kids had more than enough toys they could play with.
The excuses frequently used for buying toys:
1) It's educational - they can learn the alphabet.
2) They can improve their cognitive skills.
3) It allows them to explore their creativity.
4) It's an investment which can last years.
I buy most of the toys in the home. Not because my hubby is cheap. It's because he's smarter when it comes to spending money on toys. I always cave in to pleas or the pity me look. I bet that if we took stock, we would find that the amount of money I spent on toys could have bought us something substantial. And no, I'm not tempted to do this count.
We have not done a count of the number of cars we have at home but I am willing to take a bet that it's more than 50. These are the miniature cars from Hot Wheels, Tomica and Matchbox. Tomica ranks first in quality. Hot Wheels rank first in design. Matchbox is almost non-existent in our home. I found endless parts of Transformers in various Toyogo bins. There were also body parts from Ben 10's aliens (Lego). There were tires of cars which I cannot find. Yes, these are rubber tires that came off what were probably model cars. Did I mention Keane's obsession with speed and cars? He can tell a Lamborghini from a mile away.
I threw out an almost endless supply of freebies from McDonalds as well. I surprised myself when I was able to recognize some of the parts of toy sets which have been "disintegrated". I managed to regroup a few sets. I really think I bought some of these toys for my own entertainment but Xavier proved me wrong. He could also do the same thing. I guess this skill is hereditary. Yes, yes, who am I trying to fool here? It's rubbish.
My conclusion after this clean-up boils down to one thing. The only things worth investing for your kids are: books, music and Lego. Our books have been read and re-read by the 3 of them. Music is a skill they pick up for life if they are interested. Lego is something they will never tire of. If they do, the Lego sets will always have a backup player - the parents. Speaking of which, I need to start work on my AT-AT Walker.
After rummaging through the mess, I have come to a conclusion which is a lesson I've never learnt and hopefully will. Toys are definitely not a must have in a kid's life.
There were so many toys which the kids never played with and never missed.
My general rule for cleaning is "if you haven't touched it for more than a year, you probably do not need it unless it's an official document".
We have a Toyogo box full of Thomas and Friends trains and rails. Yes, I bought thousands of dollars’ worth of trains and rails. Last count was 27 trains and they were all bought pre-Keane, i.e. during Xavier's time. What was I thinking of, buying train sets for a 2 year old? I thought that the kids could play with them even when they are older because the rails are components of what may be a huge railway track. I found the sets on display in various stores fascinating and thought that Xavier could produce something like that when he was older. The reality was probably me entertaining my own fetish for building stuff.
I guess I was trying to fulfil my own lack of such sophisticated toys when I was a kid. My family wasn't well to do and I was happy was paper dolls and books. Remember the paper dolls? They came in sheets which contained one girl and some clothes. You tear the girl and the clothes out. Then you place the clothes on the girl and fold the tabs over her shoulders and hips. You could interchange the clothes and if you bought a few sheets, you'd have a fabulous wardrobe. This was before I knew about Barbie.
Barbie was too expensive and the only Barbie I owned was a gift when I was twelve. My mom bought some additional clothes for my Barbie but I created my own with some unwanted clothes and cloth. My Barbie lost her hair to a beautiful crop after I mistakenly believed someone who told me that Barbie's hair can grow. That person decided not to cut her Barbie's hair after seeing mine around with a crop for a long time. Back to my present mess......
We also inherited a few sets of toys from Xavier's cousin. They were in pretty good condition and I guess it was a result of Xavier's uncle being meticulous about his kid's toys. We never played with those. The kids had more than enough of their own toys. So I think I will not pass on toys to any other relative. It just moves the clutter to another home. My brother took some of our Fisher Price toys when he had a girl who is 6 months younger than Ryan. But I observe that my brother and his wife still buy toys for her. It's like us. We couldn't stop buying toys even when we had some toys given to us. It also never stopped when the kids had more than enough toys they could play with.
The excuses frequently used for buying toys:
1) It's educational - they can learn the alphabet.
2) They can improve their cognitive skills.
3) It allows them to explore their creativity.
4) It's an investment which can last years.
I buy most of the toys in the home. Not because my hubby is cheap. It's because he's smarter when it comes to spending money on toys. I always cave in to pleas or the pity me look. I bet that if we took stock, we would find that the amount of money I spent on toys could have bought us something substantial. And no, I'm not tempted to do this count.
We have not done a count of the number of cars we have at home but I am willing to take a bet that it's more than 50. These are the miniature cars from Hot Wheels, Tomica and Matchbox. Tomica ranks first in quality. Hot Wheels rank first in design. Matchbox is almost non-existent in our home. I found endless parts of Transformers in various Toyogo bins. There were also body parts from Ben 10's aliens (Lego). There were tires of cars which I cannot find. Yes, these are rubber tires that came off what were probably model cars. Did I mention Keane's obsession with speed and cars? He can tell a Lamborghini from a mile away.
I threw out an almost endless supply of freebies from McDonalds as well. I surprised myself when I was able to recognize some of the parts of toy sets which have been "disintegrated". I managed to regroup a few sets. I really think I bought some of these toys for my own entertainment but Xavier proved me wrong. He could also do the same thing. I guess this skill is hereditary. Yes, yes, who am I trying to fool here? It's rubbish.
My conclusion after this clean-up boils down to one thing. The only things worth investing for your kids are: books, music and Lego. Our books have been read and re-read by the 3 of them. Music is a skill they pick up for life if they are interested. Lego is something they will never tire of. If they do, the Lego sets will always have a backup player - the parents. Speaking of which, I need to start work on my AT-AT Walker.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Lessons from a child
Mummy: Ryan, you need to go to the doctor.
Ryan: No!
Mummy: Why not? You have a bit of sore eyes...you should go to the doctor.
Ryan: No, I don't want to go to the doctor.
Mummy: Why?
Ryan: There are germs......
Mummy: Did you eat your medicine?
Ryan: No. Mummy: Why not?
Ryan: Because I DRANK my medicine.
Ryan: No!
Mummy: Why not? You have a bit of sore eyes...you should go to the doctor.
Ryan: No, I don't want to go to the doctor.
Mummy: Why?
Ryan: There are germs......
Mummy: Did you eat your medicine?
Ryan: No. Mummy: Why not?
Ryan: Because I DRANK my medicine.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Eye saga meets accident
4 days after my last post, I was struck with conjunctivitis. I was out on medical leave for last week. I went to the GP 3 times before he reluctantly handed me a referral to a specialist. I went to the specialist on Saturday and he prompted gave me one week medical leave with the assurance that it will take at least another week for me to recover. This is the least of my issues.
This afternoon, I received a call from hubby who yelled into the phone, "Come here now, we just got into an accident, it's very bad! Very bad!". I couldn't hear him clearly but I could hear Ryan crying in the background. I quickly changed out of my pyjamas and asked the domestic helper to get ready to follow me. All the while my heart started beating faster by the minute. By the time the phone rang again, a minute later, I was shivering.
I finally got the location of the accident and we made our way. Remember I still have conjunctivitis and I couldn't open my eyes very wide. All throughout the drive, my heart was racing and I kept asking God to watch over my family. Strangely, I was grateful I just said a prayer of thanks to God 2 days ago and asked him to keep my family safe from all danger.
I reached the place of the accident within 10 minutes and was relieved to see my kids sitting on some structure near the junction. They were surprisingly calm until they saw us. Then they started crying. After some comforting, they stopped crying. I was aghast at the sight of the cars. For some weird reason, hubby's car was in the wrong lane, facing the wrong direction. I asked him how the heck it happened.
Apparently a lady was turning right from the opposite lane but didn't stop to check for oncoming cars. I guess her vision was blocked at the junction. Hubby was going straight and he swerved sharply to the left to avoid a headlong collision. Hence, the weird angle. A guy was taking photos at the scene. The lady came up to me and said she was the one who caused the accident and that she was sorry. I said it's ok, no one was seriously injured. I could tell she genuinely felt bad and I didn't want to make it any worse for her. I remember that I was very scared when I hit the back of a car on an expressway many years ago and I don't think she need another source of stress.
Ryan had abrasions and a cut on his forehead because he was on the front seat. Apparently he slipped off the booster seat and onto some broken glass. Luckily he had his seat belt on. I think there was bleeding but it stopped before I arrived on the scene.
They had to wait for the tow truck and file a police report for insurance purpose. I had to whisk the kids off to fetch Xavier. On the way to Endeavour, I listened to Keane's rendition of the accident. "Daddy went straight, then turned left, then bang!". Ryan said, "Daddy's car crashed! I have blood!"
It was a close call. By the time I reached the school gate, a lot of kids were on their way out. Xavier was normally one of the first few at the gate and I was worried that I missed him. Remember I cannot see very clearly with my eyes. After some time he appeared. When I told him that dad was in an accident, he asked, "So whose fault is it? Didn't the lady hear Daddy warn her when he came?". This is a result of his dad sounding the horn every time he is approaching a junction to warn people of his approach. Something which I don't do and get criticised for. What's the need if you are on a slow approach and can stop easily?
We went to the clinic for a check on Ryan and left with an anti-bacterial cream. All's well now at home and you wouldn't know that they were involved in an accident. Ryan even said, "I want to tell my teacher my daddy's car crashed!".
I stayed pretty calm throughout the episode which took no more than an hour. This is just another reminder that life is very precious and we sometimes need reminders like that, as much as we don't want them. I'm glad my family is safe and sound, conjunctivitis and all.
This afternoon, I received a call from hubby who yelled into the phone, "Come here now, we just got into an accident, it's very bad! Very bad!". I couldn't hear him clearly but I could hear Ryan crying in the background. I quickly changed out of my pyjamas and asked the domestic helper to get ready to follow me. All the while my heart started beating faster by the minute. By the time the phone rang again, a minute later, I was shivering.
I finally got the location of the accident and we made our way. Remember I still have conjunctivitis and I couldn't open my eyes very wide. All throughout the drive, my heart was racing and I kept asking God to watch over my family. Strangely, I was grateful I just said a prayer of thanks to God 2 days ago and asked him to keep my family safe from all danger.
I reached the place of the accident within 10 minutes and was relieved to see my kids sitting on some structure near the junction. They were surprisingly calm until they saw us. Then they started crying. After some comforting, they stopped crying. I was aghast at the sight of the cars. For some weird reason, hubby's car was in the wrong lane, facing the wrong direction. I asked him how the heck it happened.
Apparently a lady was turning right from the opposite lane but didn't stop to check for oncoming cars. I guess her vision was blocked at the junction. Hubby was going straight and he swerved sharply to the left to avoid a headlong collision. Hence, the weird angle. A guy was taking photos at the scene. The lady came up to me and said she was the one who caused the accident and that she was sorry. I said it's ok, no one was seriously injured. I could tell she genuinely felt bad and I didn't want to make it any worse for her. I remember that I was very scared when I hit the back of a car on an expressway many years ago and I don't think she need another source of stress.
Ryan had abrasions and a cut on his forehead because he was on the front seat. Apparently he slipped off the booster seat and onto some broken glass. Luckily he had his seat belt on. I think there was bleeding but it stopped before I arrived on the scene.
They had to wait for the tow truck and file a police report for insurance purpose. I had to whisk the kids off to fetch Xavier. On the way to Endeavour, I listened to Keane's rendition of the accident. "Daddy went straight, then turned left, then bang!". Ryan said, "Daddy's car crashed! I have blood!"
It was a close call. By the time I reached the school gate, a lot of kids were on their way out. Xavier was normally one of the first few at the gate and I was worried that I missed him. Remember I cannot see very clearly with my eyes. After some time he appeared. When I told him that dad was in an accident, he asked, "So whose fault is it? Didn't the lady hear Daddy warn her when he came?". This is a result of his dad sounding the horn every time he is approaching a junction to warn people of his approach. Something which I don't do and get criticised for. What's the need if you are on a slow approach and can stop easily?
We went to the clinic for a check on Ryan and left with an anti-bacterial cream. All's well now at home and you wouldn't know that they were involved in an accident. Ryan even said, "I want to tell my teacher my daddy's car crashed!".
I stayed pretty calm throughout the episode which took no more than an hour. This is just another reminder that life is very precious and we sometimes need reminders like that, as much as we don't want them. I'm glad my family is safe and sound, conjunctivitis and all.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Eye and more
Xavier is recovering from conjunctivitis. It's Day 12 and the left eye is now recovering. The right eye is in its fifth day and looks set to recover after we went to a specialist today. The stronger antibiotics definitely helped a lot.
Keane has sore eye - the right one. He tagged along to the specialist today and hopefully the stronger medication will curb the spread to his left eye.
Hubby's right eye is also down. Even the domestic helper has a case of sore eye.
The only spared ones so far are Ryan and myself. Ryan had fever today and his left eye looks like it's turning red. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
The trip to the specialist was almost uneventful. I went home from the office when I found out that they could squeeze us into the schedule this morning. I brought Xavier and Keane to Mount Alvernia Hospital. We consulted Dr James Pan. Young chap who was good with the kids. The nurses were kind. The boys couldn't keep their hands to themselves and Keane received a chiding from one of the nurses after she observed my inability to rein him in.
She apologized to me for chiding him but said we need to impose discipline. I wasn't too upset about the incident but I guess some parents might have been offended. When I was a kids, I witnessed how my mom would sometimes make use of strangers to warn us. She'd say, "you better behalf otherwise uncle or auntie will scold you". Why we would believe her words is something I wouldn't understand but believe her we did.
I read 孔子's 弟子规 today. It is very interesting and I took some time to go through some of the paragraphs with Xavier. 弟子规 is part of the syllabus they cover in Endeavour Primary School and I appreciate that part of the education Xavier is receiving. Before I share some parts which I found interesting, I must give credit to the company that printed this book for free distribution. C.W. Printing. I picked this book up from People's Park Center. There are a couple of shelves in a corner where materials like CDs and books are placed for free distribution to the public. It is mostly Buddhism related material. This one was titled "弟子规-Standards for Being a Good Student & Child".
I like the following parts and I'm going to quote from the book which has an English translation for every phrase of the original Chinese text:
亲仁
Chapter 6 - Be Close to and Learn from People of Virtue and Compassion
第六章 - 亲近仁慈以及有德行的人向他们学习
同是人 We are all human,
类不齐 but we are not the same.
流俗众 Most of us are ordinary;
仁者希 only a very few have great virtues and high moral principles.
果仁者 A truly virtuous person
人多畏 is greatly respected by others.
言不讳 He will not be afraid to speak the truth and
色不媚 he will not fawn on others
能亲仁 If you are close to and learn from people of great virtue and compassion,
无限好 you will benefit immensely.
德日进 Your virtues will grow daily and
过日少 your wrongdoings will lessen day by day.
不亲仁 If you are not close to and learn from people of great virtue,
无限害 you will suffer a great loss.
小人进 People without virtue will get close to you and
百事坏 nothing you do will succeed.
I think this chapter truly explains the need to pick our friends carefully. I will make it a point to explain 弟子规 to my sons when they are of age to be able to appreciate the values. Xavier is on the start of his journey and I pray that I will be able to help him grow as a person.
Keane has sore eye - the right one. He tagged along to the specialist today and hopefully the stronger medication will curb the spread to his left eye.
Hubby's right eye is also down. Even the domestic helper has a case of sore eye.
The only spared ones so far are Ryan and myself. Ryan had fever today and his left eye looks like it's turning red. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
The trip to the specialist was almost uneventful. I went home from the office when I found out that they could squeeze us into the schedule this morning. I brought Xavier and Keane to Mount Alvernia Hospital. We consulted Dr James Pan. Young chap who was good with the kids. The nurses were kind. The boys couldn't keep their hands to themselves and Keane received a chiding from one of the nurses after she observed my inability to rein him in.
She apologized to me for chiding him but said we need to impose discipline. I wasn't too upset about the incident but I guess some parents might have been offended. When I was a kids, I witnessed how my mom would sometimes make use of strangers to warn us. She'd say, "you better behalf otherwise uncle or auntie will scold you". Why we would believe her words is something I wouldn't understand but believe her we did.
I read 孔子's 弟子规 today. It is very interesting and I took some time to go through some of the paragraphs with Xavier. 弟子规 is part of the syllabus they cover in Endeavour Primary School and I appreciate that part of the education Xavier is receiving. Before I share some parts which I found interesting, I must give credit to the company that printed this book for free distribution. C.W. Printing. I picked this book up from People's Park Center. There are a couple of shelves in a corner where materials like CDs and books are placed for free distribution to the public. It is mostly Buddhism related material. This one was titled "弟子规-Standards for Being a Good Student & Child".
I like the following parts and I'm going to quote from the book which has an English translation for every phrase of the original Chinese text:
亲仁
Chapter 6 - Be Close to and Learn from People of Virtue and Compassion
第六章 - 亲近仁慈以及有德行的人向他们学习
同是人 We are all human,
类不齐 but we are not the same.
流俗众 Most of us are ordinary;
仁者希 only a very few have great virtues and high moral principles.
果仁者 A truly virtuous person
人多畏 is greatly respected by others.
言不讳 He will not be afraid to speak the truth and
色不媚 he will not fawn on others
能亲仁 If you are close to and learn from people of great virtue and compassion,
无限好 you will benefit immensely.
德日进 Your virtues will grow daily and
过日少 your wrongdoings will lessen day by day.
不亲仁 If you are not close to and learn from people of great virtue,
无限害 you will suffer a great loss.
小人进 People without virtue will get close to you and
百事坏 nothing you do will succeed.
I think this chapter truly explains the need to pick our friends carefully. I will make it a point to explain 弟子规 to my sons when they are of age to be able to appreciate the values. Xavier is on the start of his journey and I pray that I will be able to help him grow as a person.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Food for thought
I'm trying to cut down my food intake in a futile attempt to lose weight. It's definitely very hard.
Food is a big feature in our lives. A good breakfast heralds a good day ahead. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee will stir the cogs of one's mind. The golden and runny yolk of an egg is a gentle reminder that the simplest thing in life can be very fulfilling.
Lunch is often a well thought plan where I work. A group of us will take turns to nominate the day's craving. The troop never fails to have a good lunch. It's not just the food. The camaraderie makes the whole affair worth the trip, the wait and the suspense for your order to turn up all the more bearable. Gossip, jokes and idle chit chat are the important fillers toward an enjoyable lunch.
Dinner is the highlight of my day. It's when I get a chance to sit down with hubby, and sometimes the kids, for a meal. It's usually when family catch up, asking about each other's day and highlights. Companionable silence while you eat your food at the end of a disastrous day is a sure way to soothe your nerves. The comforting presence of your family speaks volumes.
Now you can see how hard it is to reduce my food intake. It sounds like a lame excuse, but I find it hard to deprive myself of the joy of eating with someone. The amount of food I eat increases with the amount of fun I'm having.
I conclude that the best way to diet is to eat alone. For me anyway.
Food is a big feature in our lives. A good breakfast heralds a good day ahead. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee will stir the cogs of one's mind. The golden and runny yolk of an egg is a gentle reminder that the simplest thing in life can be very fulfilling.
Lunch is often a well thought plan where I work. A group of us will take turns to nominate the day's craving. The troop never fails to have a good lunch. It's not just the food. The camaraderie makes the whole affair worth the trip, the wait and the suspense for your order to turn up all the more bearable. Gossip, jokes and idle chit chat are the important fillers toward an enjoyable lunch.
Dinner is the highlight of my day. It's when I get a chance to sit down with hubby, and sometimes the kids, for a meal. It's usually when family catch up, asking about each other's day and highlights. Companionable silence while you eat your food at the end of a disastrous day is a sure way to soothe your nerves. The comforting presence of your family speaks volumes.
Now you can see how hard it is to reduce my food intake. It sounds like a lame excuse, but I find it hard to deprive myself of the joy of eating with someone. The amount of food I eat increases with the amount of fun I'm having.
I conclude that the best way to diet is to eat alone. For me anyway.
Friendship
It's amazing how friendships can withstand time, especially for someone like me. I'm not good at making effort to keep in touch with friends. It's a miracle that I still have friends from 20 years ago. I've not kept in touch with anyone who went to the same primary or secondary school with. I've lost all contact with friends from university as well. The bunch that could really survive my lack of effort were the guys from my junior college, specifically the ones from the students' council.
Maybe it's because they knew me when I was at my best. At a time when I wasn't bossy, aloof and self absorbed. When I was 16, I was more cheery, less jaded and just simply sunshine. Of course there will always be those, like Gabriel, who will beg to differ. He knows too many of my dark secrets and would make a lucrative trade through blackmail or sale of secrets.
Jokes aside, these are the people I trust and most accepting of me, faults and all in tow. Maybe I'm just being too critical of the other people who were once part of my life. Truth be told, those days when I was with this group of friends was when I truly was at my best as a person. I felt good when I was with them.
At other times of my life, I was either trying to figure out what I wanted and ignoring people around me or just plain self centered, going after what I thought I wanted in life then. It was mistake after mistake. That is the part of growing up. I'm taking a defensive approach of "out of sight, out of mind". If I don't see the people who witnessed my mistakes or who were hurt in the process, I would not feel so bad. It's like how some people change jobs to have a fresh start. I did that once and never looked back since.
Marriage and family definitely affected my social life as well but I don't feel the loss. My family is still the most important part of my life.
I'm just glad that I still have this group of friends. They know me and know that my lack of effort does not equate to my lack of spirit. After all, my flesh is truly and undeniably weak. That's my excuse.
Maybe it's because they knew me when I was at my best. At a time when I wasn't bossy, aloof and self absorbed. When I was 16, I was more cheery, less jaded and just simply sunshine. Of course there will always be those, like Gabriel, who will beg to differ. He knows too many of my dark secrets and would make a lucrative trade through blackmail or sale of secrets.
Jokes aside, these are the people I trust and most accepting of me, faults and all in tow. Maybe I'm just being too critical of the other people who were once part of my life. Truth be told, those days when I was with this group of friends was when I truly was at my best as a person. I felt good when I was with them.
At other times of my life, I was either trying to figure out what I wanted and ignoring people around me or just plain self centered, going after what I thought I wanted in life then. It was mistake after mistake. That is the part of growing up. I'm taking a defensive approach of "out of sight, out of mind". If I don't see the people who witnessed my mistakes or who were hurt in the process, I would not feel so bad. It's like how some people change jobs to have a fresh start. I did that once and never looked back since.
Marriage and family definitely affected my social life as well but I don't feel the loss. My family is still the most important part of my life.
I'm just glad that I still have this group of friends. They know me and know that my lack of effort does not equate to my lack of spirit. After all, my flesh is truly and undeniably weak. That's my excuse.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
The Mee Pok Man
I just had an enjoyable lunch of fishball Mee Pok with Gabriel and Adeline. Before I go into other details, I need to state that I was chided for being an inconsistent blogger during lunch.
We met up to enjoy my father-in-law's fishball noodles. My father-in-law sells fishball noodles at Beo Crescent. His stall is quite famous and has many followers. One of Gabriel's friend, who is one such loyalist, was the catalyst for our lunch. He craved the noodles but never fail to go to the stall during their rest day. We don't understand why he cannot follow instructions. The conclusion was that his craving was so strong that it drove away all logic and sensibilities from his mind.
Yes, the fishball noodles are that good. It is all about the chilli and ba-yu pok. What is ba-yu pok? It's fried lard! It adds the fragrance to the noodles. Nan Yuan (南园) @ Blk 38, Beo Crescent, #01-68. It's a must try. The unfortunate thing is no one wants to inherit the business. Even my in-laws do not encourage their children because it's a hard life.
More about this later.....
We met up to enjoy my father-in-law's fishball noodles. My father-in-law sells fishball noodles at Beo Crescent. His stall is quite famous and has many followers. One of Gabriel's friend, who is one such loyalist, was the catalyst for our lunch. He craved the noodles but never fail to go to the stall during their rest day. We don't understand why he cannot follow instructions. The conclusion was that his craving was so strong that it drove away all logic and sensibilities from his mind.
Yes, the fishball noodles are that good. It is all about the chilli and ba-yu pok. What is ba-yu pok? It's fried lard! It adds the fragrance to the noodles. Nan Yuan (南园) @ Blk 38, Beo Crescent, #01-68. It's a must try. The unfortunate thing is no one wants to inherit the business. Even my in-laws do not encourage their children because it's a hard life.
More about this later.....
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Away again
I'll be away for another 2 weeks. It will be painful to be away from my kids for another 2 weeks. Work calls......
I told Ryan that I'll be in China for 2 weeks. His initial reaction was "No.....". That tore my heart. The second time I tried to tell him, he said, "I want to go to your office. I want to go to China." I had to bribe him with a trip to Universal Studios in November. Guilty as I am, I still have to go. How do I cope? I'm not sure. I guess it's very routine for the kids now. See mom during the weekend and occasionally on weekdays. I think what's more important for them now is routine and stability.
Thankfully the domestic helper is working out well so far. The kids like her. A bit too much maybe. Don't misunderstand....I'm not jealous. They like her very much because she is easy to bully. That's not a good sign. The kids are becoming too reliant on her, especially Xavier. He is now asking Auntie Perla to shower him, dry him and help him wear his clothes. That's moving backwards 2 years. I put a stop to it today. Just talked to him and asked him to mind his manners - no shouting instructions to the help, must use "Please" and "Thank You" when asking for things, no more asking her to do things like shower and helping him wear his clothes.
Xavier followed me to the salon for my facial today. He enjoyed himself drinking honey and playing games on the iPod. He's doing well in school, gets along well with his friends, excellent scores in topical tests, independent and helpful. But he is not very keen on certain activities. I'm still unable to put my finger on the issue. Maybe I'm just thinking too much.
Ryan is very sweet. He was eating a piece of mooncake and asked, "Do you want to eat this?". He is an adorable child. He is very shy and is not participating in the school concert this year. He refuses to dance in front of strangers. His favourite movie now is Rio and he would sing, "All the birds of a feather......" very loudly at home. Kid with a strange temperament.
Keane is showing much improvement in his speech. The other day, he drew a picture of a cheetah. Although the cheetah looked more like a snake, it had 4 legs, 2 eyes, 1 nose and a big smile. It was excellent effort on his part and he received much praise for his accurate coloring. He is still grumbling at the slightest provocation. Today he cried because his dad played a phrase "Fatty Bom Bom" from his phone. He thought that his dad was calling him a fatty. We notice that every time he is playing, he cannot bring himself to stop. He will cry or grumble very loudly whenever we ask him to put away his toys or to go home. He is still sensitive.
I guess I need to pay more attention to him.I shall bring my net book with me on this trip. Hopefully I can get a good connection using a colleague's mobile 3G gadget.I am considering a "Dear Xavier" series....till then......
I told Ryan that I'll be in China for 2 weeks. His initial reaction was "No.....". That tore my heart. The second time I tried to tell him, he said, "I want to go to your office. I want to go to China." I had to bribe him with a trip to Universal Studios in November. Guilty as I am, I still have to go. How do I cope? I'm not sure. I guess it's very routine for the kids now. See mom during the weekend and occasionally on weekdays. I think what's more important for them now is routine and stability.
Thankfully the domestic helper is working out well so far. The kids like her. A bit too much maybe. Don't misunderstand....I'm not jealous. They like her very much because she is easy to bully. That's not a good sign. The kids are becoming too reliant on her, especially Xavier. He is now asking Auntie Perla to shower him, dry him and help him wear his clothes. That's moving backwards 2 years. I put a stop to it today. Just talked to him and asked him to mind his manners - no shouting instructions to the help, must use "Please" and "Thank You" when asking for things, no more asking her to do things like shower and helping him wear his clothes.
Xavier followed me to the salon for my facial today. He enjoyed himself drinking honey and playing games on the iPod. He's doing well in school, gets along well with his friends, excellent scores in topical tests, independent and helpful. But he is not very keen on certain activities. I'm still unable to put my finger on the issue. Maybe I'm just thinking too much.
Ryan is very sweet. He was eating a piece of mooncake and asked, "Do you want to eat this?". He is an adorable child. He is very shy and is not participating in the school concert this year. He refuses to dance in front of strangers. His favourite movie now is Rio and he would sing, "All the birds of a feather......" very loudly at home. Kid with a strange temperament.
Keane is showing much improvement in his speech. The other day, he drew a picture of a cheetah. Although the cheetah looked more like a snake, it had 4 legs, 2 eyes, 1 nose and a big smile. It was excellent effort on his part and he received much praise for his accurate coloring. He is still grumbling at the slightest provocation. Today he cried because his dad played a phrase "Fatty Bom Bom" from his phone. He thought that his dad was calling him a fatty. We notice that every time he is playing, he cannot bring himself to stop. He will cry or grumble very loudly whenever we ask him to put away his toys or to go home. He is still sensitive.
I guess I need to pay more attention to him.I shall bring my net book with me on this trip. Hopefully I can get a good connection using a colleague's mobile 3G gadget.I am considering a "Dear Xavier" series....till then......
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
From my iPhone
This is the first time I'm trying Blogger from my phone....
Well done!
Here's a funny translation of a shop name in Hangzhou. Do you get it?
Well done!
Here's a funny translation of a shop name in Hangzhou. Do you get it?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Back home finally......
I went on a 2 week business trip to China and returned today.
I spent most of today travelling - to Guangzhou on a 2 hour domestic flight then on a 4 hour flight home on SQ. I am beginning to feel the pain of travelling during the day. It makes me feel idle because I don't like using my laptop in public places. I prefer to take an overnight flight to Shanghai or Beijing and connect on the first domestic flight to my final destination. I can sleep on the plane and I can maximize my day.
I still cannot accept the standard of hygiene in most of the public toilets in China, especially in government buildings like airports or train stations. There is no soap at the sinks which never fails to irk me. Of course, there are also places in Singapore which do not have hand soap in the toilets. Every time I have such an encounter, I feel uncomfortable until I can lay my hands on some hand soap. I was complaining about this to a friend. "How can people eat after they going to the toilet and not wash their hands with soap?", I asked. His reply was, "Why bother when the people who prepare the food don't wash their hands with soap too?". That really shut me up.
I also find that the food is oilier and saltier than what we can find at home. A lot of things take some getting used to. It is fortunate that I am pretty easy going when it comes to food. Of course that means that my waist line never gets smaller.
My trips always make me appreciate Singapore more when I return.
Xavier wants to use the PC now......till next time.
I spent most of today travelling - to Guangzhou on a 2 hour domestic flight then on a 4 hour flight home on SQ. I am beginning to feel the pain of travelling during the day. It makes me feel idle because I don't like using my laptop in public places. I prefer to take an overnight flight to Shanghai or Beijing and connect on the first domestic flight to my final destination. I can sleep on the plane and I can maximize my day.
I still cannot accept the standard of hygiene in most of the public toilets in China, especially in government buildings like airports or train stations. There is no soap at the sinks which never fails to irk me. Of course, there are also places in Singapore which do not have hand soap in the toilets. Every time I have such an encounter, I feel uncomfortable until I can lay my hands on some hand soap. I was complaining about this to a friend. "How can people eat after they going to the toilet and not wash their hands with soap?", I asked. His reply was, "Why bother when the people who prepare the food don't wash their hands with soap too?". That really shut me up.
I also find that the food is oilier and saltier than what we can find at home. A lot of things take some getting used to. It is fortunate that I am pretty easy going when it comes to food. Of course that means that my waist line never gets smaller.
My trips always make me appreciate Singapore more when I return.
Xavier wants to use the PC now......till next time.
Monday, August 29, 2011
A new era
Before I go on further, THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL BLOG. I'm just expressing my personal opinion, especially now that I know some people are actually reading this. Don't want any ISA officers coming at my door.....was that just an invitation?
The result of the Presidential elections was somewhat unsettling in more ways than one. We have an elected President who was selected by about a third of the voters. Can we consider that as a President chosen by the people? Many people do not think so. You can’t even say most of the people voted for the president elect because a third is definitely not “most”. The runner up was only 0.34% behind. The smart people call it "first past the post". I call it a matter of “cup half full” or “cup half empty”. With 4 candidates, you cannot realistically expect a majority win unless there is one who is a clear cut above the rest. This Presidential election was a fight among almost equals during a time of unhappiness with the government. I suspect the discussions made it more difficult of a choice for Singaporeans.
Tan Cheng Bock – 737,128 votes
Tan Jee Say – 529,732 votes
Tony Tan – 744,397 votes
Tan Kin Lian – 103,931 votes
Rejected votes – 37,826
Total votes cast – 2,153,014 votes
I was pretty shocked that so many votes were invalid. Even half of the 37,826 votes could have made a difference to the result. Were these intentionally void? Does this group really not care who our President will be? There is another group which did not vote. I'm trying to find out this number but have been unsuccessful so far. I'm sure I saw it on The Straits Times but I'm too cheap to subscribe to the online version. These people might have genuine reasons for not voting. Or did they think their vote would not really count? The results show that every single vote counts.
The fact that more than half a million people voted for Tan Jee Say says something as well. It is a clear sign that many people are able to differentiate between the president and the government. Most of us definitely didn’t want someone who was obviously anti-PAP as a President.
It is still a fact that half a million people wanted someone who promised checks and balance on the government, despite the fact that the President doesn’t have much constitutional powers to do so. They are definitely trying to send a message to the government but I personally think that it’s such a waste. I suspect that some might have voted Tan Cheng Bock instead of Tan Jee Say if they knew it was going to be such a close fight, just not to have Tony Tan win the race. I am probably wrong though.
Surprisingly the results were not in line with the polls conducted online. Why? The baby boomers and their parents are still eligible voters. This group was most likely supporters of Tony Tan. Many folk on the street know only Tony Tan. Who go online to take the polls? Young people who are dissatisfied with the government today. Hence, online polls show Tan Jee Say being way ahead of Tony Tan and Tan Cheng Bock.
Even though Tan Kin Lian received only 4.91% of the valid votes, it was still admirable that he could get 103,931 to vote for him! Personally, I wonder what these people were thinking. I’m sure some will say that Tan Kin Lian should have withdrawn from the race. The 103,931 votes would have definitely made a bigger difference than the 37,286 invalid votes. Even the statistician in Tan Kin Lian didn’t expect himself to lose the S$48,000 deposit.
I’m sure something good came out of this exciting year. I’m inclined to hope that the PAP government will respond to its wake up call positively and change their perceived high handed approach towards policy making and the people. If this is the outcome, Tony Tan would be a good complement as a President. If the government chooses not to change its approach and make it even more obscure with Tony Tan in the President’s office, it is still good. Singaporeans will then clearly know who they should vote for during the next General Elections. However it turns out, Singaporeans will win. It’s only a matter of time when we can cash that win. I’m hoping it’s sooner than later. I believe PM Lee Hsien Loong is intelligent enough to make the right decisions. He has demonstrated so thus far, after GE 2011.
I wish I could say that is the real reason why I voted for Tony Tan. I tell people that I voted for Tony Tan because he seems to have a better stature on the global political scene. I wish I could say that I voted for him so that we can see how genuine the government is in trying to change to regain the trust of the true majority of Singaporeans. Truth is I still believe in our government. Whether my trust can be sustained until the next General Elections remains to be seen.
I’ll be in China for the next 2 weeks and I can tell you that I’m glad none of the MCP people made it to government in the 60s. I cannot even access my blog in China without going through many loops. That doesn’t make me a happy person. Either that, or I’m not much of an IT savvy person.
So don't expect too much from me these weeks.....what a wonderful excuse for my laziness.
The result of the Presidential elections was somewhat unsettling in more ways than one. We have an elected President who was selected by about a third of the voters. Can we consider that as a President chosen by the people? Many people do not think so. You can’t even say most of the people voted for the president elect because a third is definitely not “most”. The runner up was only 0.34% behind. The smart people call it "first past the post". I call it a matter of “cup half full” or “cup half empty”. With 4 candidates, you cannot realistically expect a majority win unless there is one who is a clear cut above the rest. This Presidential election was a fight among almost equals during a time of unhappiness with the government. I suspect the discussions made it more difficult of a choice for Singaporeans.
Tan Cheng Bock – 737,128 votes
Tan Jee Say – 529,732 votes
Tony Tan – 744,397 votes
Tan Kin Lian – 103,931 votes
Rejected votes – 37,826
Total votes cast – 2,153,014 votes
I was pretty shocked that so many votes were invalid. Even half of the 37,826 votes could have made a difference to the result. Were these intentionally void? Does this group really not care who our President will be? There is another group which did not vote. I'm trying to find out this number but have been unsuccessful so far. I'm sure I saw it on The Straits Times but I'm too cheap to subscribe to the online version. These people might have genuine reasons for not voting. Or did they think their vote would not really count? The results show that every single vote counts.
The fact that more than half a million people voted for Tan Jee Say says something as well. It is a clear sign that many people are able to differentiate between the president and the government. Most of us definitely didn’t want someone who was obviously anti-PAP as a President.
It is still a fact that half a million people wanted someone who promised checks and balance on the government, despite the fact that the President doesn’t have much constitutional powers to do so. They are definitely trying to send a message to the government but I personally think that it’s such a waste. I suspect that some might have voted Tan Cheng Bock instead of Tan Jee Say if they knew it was going to be such a close fight, just not to have Tony Tan win the race. I am probably wrong though.
Surprisingly the results were not in line with the polls conducted online. Why? The baby boomers and their parents are still eligible voters. This group was most likely supporters of Tony Tan. Many folk on the street know only Tony Tan. Who go online to take the polls? Young people who are dissatisfied with the government today. Hence, online polls show Tan Jee Say being way ahead of Tony Tan and Tan Cheng Bock.
Even though Tan Kin Lian received only 4.91% of the valid votes, it was still admirable that he could get 103,931 to vote for him! Personally, I wonder what these people were thinking. I’m sure some will say that Tan Kin Lian should have withdrawn from the race. The 103,931 votes would have definitely made a bigger difference than the 37,286 invalid votes. Even the statistician in Tan Kin Lian didn’t expect himself to lose the S$48,000 deposit.
I’m sure something good came out of this exciting year. I’m inclined to hope that the PAP government will respond to its wake up call positively and change their perceived high handed approach towards policy making and the people. If this is the outcome, Tony Tan would be a good complement as a President. If the government chooses not to change its approach and make it even more obscure with Tony Tan in the President’s office, it is still good. Singaporeans will then clearly know who they should vote for during the next General Elections. However it turns out, Singaporeans will win. It’s only a matter of time when we can cash that win. I’m hoping it’s sooner than later. I believe PM Lee Hsien Loong is intelligent enough to make the right decisions. He has demonstrated so thus far, after GE 2011.
I wish I could say that is the real reason why I voted for Tony Tan. I tell people that I voted for Tony Tan because he seems to have a better stature on the global political scene. I wish I could say that I voted for him so that we can see how genuine the government is in trying to change to regain the trust of the true majority of Singaporeans. Truth is I still believe in our government. Whether my trust can be sustained until the next General Elections remains to be seen.
I’ll be in China for the next 2 weeks and I can tell you that I’m glad none of the MCP people made it to government in the 60s. I cannot even access my blog in China without going through many loops. That doesn’t make me a happy person. Either that, or I’m not much of an IT savvy person.
So don't expect too much from me these weeks.....what a wonderful excuse for my laziness.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The stakes are up!
I just came back from a gathering with my JC mates....it was fantastic. And I'm not saying this to angkat them!
I said the stakes are up because I went "public" with my blog tonight. Gabriel said he actually reads my blog to see what mischief I am up to. I was both pleased and sad with that. Happy because my good friend cares about me enough to read my blog, and he's increasing my hits. Sad because it shows how bad I am at maintaining real face time with my friends. I'm just too lazy.
The presidential elections is turning out to be a close fight between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock. Whoever wins between them, I'm glad it's down to two of them. We're all waiting for the results. The analyst on TV is now analyzing the stands of the candidates and how some of them changed their stance, or approach towards the end......
We had a very healthy discussion about politics, raising kids, online gaming and health during our gathering. I missed my friends. It's not often that you can say something and not need to explain it. The chemistry between us has not changed. I think it was probably because we knew each other during the time when we had formed our character. It's been 20 years but most of us are still who we were except being a bit more prosperous physically. It's great to find that none of us have become jaded. Just wiser and more interesting.
I'll be away from home for the next 2 weeks. Hoping to post some entries next week but that might be being too optimistic. *wink*
I said the stakes are up because I went "public" with my blog tonight. Gabriel said he actually reads my blog to see what mischief I am up to. I was both pleased and sad with that. Happy because my good friend cares about me enough to read my blog, and he's increasing my hits. Sad because it shows how bad I am at maintaining real face time with my friends. I'm just too lazy.
The presidential elections is turning out to be a close fight between Dr Tony Tan and Dr Tan Cheng Bock. Whoever wins between them, I'm glad it's down to two of them. We're all waiting for the results. The analyst on TV is now analyzing the stands of the candidates and how some of them changed their stance, or approach towards the end......
We had a very healthy discussion about politics, raising kids, online gaming and health during our gathering. I missed my friends. It's not often that you can say something and not need to explain it. The chemistry between us has not changed. I think it was probably because we knew each other during the time when we had formed our character. It's been 20 years but most of us are still who we were except being a bit more prosperous physically. It's great to find that none of us have become jaded. Just wiser and more interesting.
I'll be away from home for the next 2 weeks. Hoping to post some entries next week but that might be being too optimistic. *wink*
Monday, August 22, 2011
Elected President
Its's been 2 months since my last post. On 27 Aug Singaporeans will head for polling stations for the 2nd time in 2011. This time to elect our President.
There has been much talk and debate about who we should vote for. Many are asking for us to vote for an independent candidate. One who can provide a check and balance on the government. Some are asking for someone who has the ability to make the right decision when the call comes for the President to exercise his custodial powers. Others are looking for someone with the stature to represent our country in the international arena.
It is mostly a battle of words to me. Some candidates come up with a strong stand and back down a bit when challenged, especially where their words can bring about consequences outside the campaign. We are voting for a President and not a politician after all. Until the government decides to initiate any change, the constitution is what it is today. Why waste effort and resources debating issues that are currently outside the current powers of the presidential office according to the current constitution?
I prefer someone who can do his best for the country given the existing circumstances to someone who talks about change beyond his powers. This is not the mark of a weak person to recognize limitations beyond his control. It takes intelligence to recognize where one's capability can be put to best use with the most positive results. Track records count, despite the fact that many may claim otherwise.
The incumbent has been in office for 12 years and was never elected by the people. However, that did not stop him from garnering the support and love of the general public by his actions. His act of championing worthwhile causes which benefit many Singaporeans did not go unrecognized. Was he a radical President who endlessly challenged the government? We do not know beyond what is in records available to the public. So far nothing has shown that he has challenged the government substantially.
If the 4 Presidential candidates felt very strongly about the ability of the President to provide check and balance on the government, why didn't they stand for election during the last Presidential term? We have had the same government for 46 years. It is the times that had changed. During good times, nobody thinks about such matters. Why? Everyone is busy making money and are happy. Bread and butter issues are not on the table when we have caviar and champagne. Did the income gap exist prior to 2011? Of course it did. Were there always people who needed help? Of course there were. Did the capacity of the President change over the last 12 years? No.
Then why didn't any of the 4 candidates do something about it then instead of now?
Some are riding wave of dissidence among the public against the government. The President has less say in policies than the opposition Members of Parliament. It's a reality that we must accept. If the President were to overstep his authority as outlined in the Constitution, wouldn't he stand the risk of being prosecuted by Public Prosecutor in the District Attorney's office? I wouldn't know because I'm a commoner with no legal knowledge.
All I know is that although my vote is secret, I can share my vote with you. I will be voting for a Tan.
There has been much talk and debate about who we should vote for. Many are asking for us to vote for an independent candidate. One who can provide a check and balance on the government. Some are asking for someone who has the ability to make the right decision when the call comes for the President to exercise his custodial powers. Others are looking for someone with the stature to represent our country in the international arena.
It is mostly a battle of words to me. Some candidates come up with a strong stand and back down a bit when challenged, especially where their words can bring about consequences outside the campaign. We are voting for a President and not a politician after all. Until the government decides to initiate any change, the constitution is what it is today. Why waste effort and resources debating issues that are currently outside the current powers of the presidential office according to the current constitution?
I prefer someone who can do his best for the country given the existing circumstances to someone who talks about change beyond his powers. This is not the mark of a weak person to recognize limitations beyond his control. It takes intelligence to recognize where one's capability can be put to best use with the most positive results. Track records count, despite the fact that many may claim otherwise.
The incumbent has been in office for 12 years and was never elected by the people. However, that did not stop him from garnering the support and love of the general public by his actions. His act of championing worthwhile causes which benefit many Singaporeans did not go unrecognized. Was he a radical President who endlessly challenged the government? We do not know beyond what is in records available to the public. So far nothing has shown that he has challenged the government substantially.
If the 4 Presidential candidates felt very strongly about the ability of the President to provide check and balance on the government, why didn't they stand for election during the last Presidential term? We have had the same government for 46 years. It is the times that had changed. During good times, nobody thinks about such matters. Why? Everyone is busy making money and are happy. Bread and butter issues are not on the table when we have caviar and champagne. Did the income gap exist prior to 2011? Of course it did. Were there always people who needed help? Of course there were. Did the capacity of the President change over the last 12 years? No.
Then why didn't any of the 4 candidates do something about it then instead of now?
Some are riding wave of dissidence among the public against the government. The President has less say in policies than the opposition Members of Parliament. It's a reality that we must accept. If the President were to overstep his authority as outlined in the Constitution, wouldn't he stand the risk of being prosecuted by Public Prosecutor in the District Attorney's office? I wouldn't know because I'm a commoner with no legal knowledge.
All I know is that although my vote is secret, I can share my vote with you. I will be voting for a Tan.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Domestic helper - rest day or no rest day?
The International Labour Organization (ILO) recently adopted a convention listing standards aimed at improving working conditions of domestic workers. Singapore was one of the 63 nations which abstained from voting, citing the need to examine whether it was plausible to implement in Singapore, before any commitment.
This raised another wave of "talk" in the newspaper about rest days for domestic helpers. There are always 2 opposing views. Some try to draw a middle way.
There are many stories about maids "gone bad" after a long period of going off on regular rest days. Maids getting themselves pregnant, stealing from employers, prostituting themselves, amidst others. But there are good stories as well. Maids who go for classes, do volunteer work, participate in religious activities.
After experience with 7 different domestic helpers, I feel I have seen my fair share. I used to be cautious about giving domestic workers rest days for fear of the kind of activities they participate in.
Now I have come to realize that it is a reality I have to accept. My latest domestic helper will have one off day a month after she pays off her loan which takes about 6 months to clear. All humans need to have the basic feeling of freedom. To be cooped up at home or with the family the whole day can be tough. It is even more trying with 3 boisterous boys. We all need a break from our daily routine to keep ourselves sane.
My previous helper who worked for us for 6 years did not have any off day. She didn't complain because she gets to go out on Saturdays and Sundays with the family. She prefers not to spend any money going out on her own. I think that is a smart choice. Her focus is to come here to earn sufficient money to build her business back home and to go home with savings.
I have heard of maids who spend half their salaries on phone cards. I personally think that is a ridiculous thing to do. My new helper asked me if she could buy a phone after she has enough savings. I agreed but I laid out some rules. No talking during work hours. No excessive talking at night such that she does not have enough energy the next day. I need her to be alert during the day, for the safety of my kids and herself. I don't think that it is unfair. The helper before her used to walk around with a ear piece while she is working. I got really upset because I don't know where her focus is. I don't think it's fair for the employer if the employee doesn't give her full concentration at work.
I don't demand my worker to work excessively. She wakes up at 6am and I ask her to sleep by 10pm the latest. She can sleep earlier if they complete the basic household chores. There is not much household chores to do if she does it regularly and not accumulate a backlog. The first 2 weeks are always the toughest. She has to adapt to a new environment and routine as well as clear the backlog that accumulated due to a lack of helper for almost 2 months. If I look back, the previous helpers were able to relax pretty much during the day after they go into a routine. They could talk on the phone or watch TV programs during the day.
We don't expect a robot but we need to feel that we are being treated fairly as well. That our home is clean and our kids are taken care of. We are not fussy about the work that needs to be done or how it should be done. We believe in giving the basic guidelines and minimum requirements. The helper can take her initiative to arrange her own schedule as long as she gets the kids ready for school in the morning, feed them when they come home, shower them when it is time to and get them ready for bed. She spends about 6 hours with them daily. It's not 100% staying by them for the full 6 hours. The boys are independent enough to keep themselves occupied with toys and books. They know how to look for her to get help or food.
I hope that when she starts to go on her rest days, she does not mix with the wrong company. If she can find friends, it is well and good. I also look forward to spending a day with my kids alone without the helper. It really makes bonding much easier. It makes us less reliant on the helper as well. If she is responsible and mature, I don't mind giving her one off day per week. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
This raised another wave of "talk" in the newspaper about rest days for domestic helpers. There are always 2 opposing views. Some try to draw a middle way.
There are many stories about maids "gone bad" after a long period of going off on regular rest days. Maids getting themselves pregnant, stealing from employers, prostituting themselves, amidst others. But there are good stories as well. Maids who go for classes, do volunteer work, participate in religious activities.
After experience with 7 different domestic helpers, I feel I have seen my fair share. I used to be cautious about giving domestic workers rest days for fear of the kind of activities they participate in.
Now I have come to realize that it is a reality I have to accept. My latest domestic helper will have one off day a month after she pays off her loan which takes about 6 months to clear. All humans need to have the basic feeling of freedom. To be cooped up at home or with the family the whole day can be tough. It is even more trying with 3 boisterous boys. We all need a break from our daily routine to keep ourselves sane.
My previous helper who worked for us for 6 years did not have any off day. She didn't complain because she gets to go out on Saturdays and Sundays with the family. She prefers not to spend any money going out on her own. I think that is a smart choice. Her focus is to come here to earn sufficient money to build her business back home and to go home with savings.
I have heard of maids who spend half their salaries on phone cards. I personally think that is a ridiculous thing to do. My new helper asked me if she could buy a phone after she has enough savings. I agreed but I laid out some rules. No talking during work hours. No excessive talking at night such that she does not have enough energy the next day. I need her to be alert during the day, for the safety of my kids and herself. I don't think that it is unfair. The helper before her used to walk around with a ear piece while she is working. I got really upset because I don't know where her focus is. I don't think it's fair for the employer if the employee doesn't give her full concentration at work.
I don't demand my worker to work excessively. She wakes up at 6am and I ask her to sleep by 10pm the latest. She can sleep earlier if they complete the basic household chores. There is not much household chores to do if she does it regularly and not accumulate a backlog. The first 2 weeks are always the toughest. She has to adapt to a new environment and routine as well as clear the backlog that accumulated due to a lack of helper for almost 2 months. If I look back, the previous helpers were able to relax pretty much during the day after they go into a routine. They could talk on the phone or watch TV programs during the day.
We don't expect a robot but we need to feel that we are being treated fairly as well. That our home is clean and our kids are taken care of. We are not fussy about the work that needs to be done or how it should be done. We believe in giving the basic guidelines and minimum requirements. The helper can take her initiative to arrange her own schedule as long as she gets the kids ready for school in the morning, feed them when they come home, shower them when it is time to and get them ready for bed. She spends about 6 hours with them daily. It's not 100% staying by them for the full 6 hours. The boys are independent enough to keep themselves occupied with toys and books. They know how to look for her to get help or food.
I hope that when she starts to go on her rest days, she does not mix with the wrong company. If she can find friends, it is well and good. I also look forward to spending a day with my kids alone without the helper. It really makes bonding much easier. It makes us less reliant on the helper as well. If she is responsible and mature, I don't mind giving her one off day per week. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
Analysis of holiday
I made a few observations during our family holiday.
The crowd on a Monday was drastically lower than the crowd on a Sunday. I found that there were many Filipinos at the park on Sunday. I guessed they are mainly domestic helpers on their day off.
There were many Chinese nationals at the park on Sunday. We can see that the target crowd for the Hong Kong park is mainly Chinese nationals. The cast members spoke Mandarin to all Chinese. Most of them were more comfortable with Cantonese and Mandarin. Some of them were a bit uncomfortable with English.
Once the Disneyland park opens in Shanghai, I suspect the draw from the Hong Kong park will not be so great.
I saw relatively more Singaporeans on Monday than Sunday. You can tell from our accent. It is very obvious, even when we speak Mandarin. Being the last week of the school holiday, it was natural that the Singaporean crowd was smaller.
I saw virtually no Caucasians......I don't wonder why. I guess the park is relatively smaller compared to those in other parts of the world. You can cover it in one day.
I chose to stay in the Hollywood Hotel this time because of a few reasons:
1) The Disneyland Hotel was more expensive. At least HKD500 more per night, depending on the type of room you choose.
2) I heard that the Hollywood Hotel was more suitable for kids.
After the stay, I think I will choose Disneyland Hotel next time for these reasons:
1) The bathroom in the Hollywood Hotel was tiny.
2) The Hollywood Hotel was very crowded with tour groups.
3) There is a good Chinese restaurant in Disneyland Hotel where you can have ala carte meals.
4) There is a nice garden with a maze at Disneyland Hotel.
5) Disneyland Hotel is the first stop of the bus shuttle after the park so getting on is much easier.
Travelling with kids was a bit of a challenge, especially with 3 boys. Keeping them close was not easy. They like to run off on their own or to explore new places. I know it is natural but it is not really appreciated when we are on holiday!
I must admit that the holiday gave us an opportunity to bond as a family. I got to learn things about my kids that I never knew before, due to the lack of interaction.
Ryan likes to order food just because his brothers are doing so. He is very intelligent and this can sometimes be exasperating.
Keane seeks our attention a lot so we have to show our love more often. He is very good natured but seems to be bad tempered because he has difficulty expressing himself.
Xavier is matured most of the time and loves to be the leader. We tend to forget that he is still a kid and loves to play.
I am looking forward to our next holiday. If I can afford it, I would love to bring them to the Disneyland in Tokyo.
The crowd on a Monday was drastically lower than the crowd on a Sunday. I found that there were many Filipinos at the park on Sunday. I guessed they are mainly domestic helpers on their day off.
There were many Chinese nationals at the park on Sunday. We can see that the target crowd for the Hong Kong park is mainly Chinese nationals. The cast members spoke Mandarin to all Chinese. Most of them were more comfortable with Cantonese and Mandarin. Some of them were a bit uncomfortable with English.
Once the Disneyland park opens in Shanghai, I suspect the draw from the Hong Kong park will not be so great.
I saw relatively more Singaporeans on Monday than Sunday. You can tell from our accent. It is very obvious, even when we speak Mandarin. Being the last week of the school holiday, it was natural that the Singaporean crowd was smaller.
I saw virtually no Caucasians......I don't wonder why. I guess the park is relatively smaller compared to those in other parts of the world. You can cover it in one day.
I chose to stay in the Hollywood Hotel this time because of a few reasons:
1) The Disneyland Hotel was more expensive. At least HKD500 more per night, depending on the type of room you choose.
2) I heard that the Hollywood Hotel was more suitable for kids.
After the stay, I think I will choose Disneyland Hotel next time for these reasons:
1) The bathroom in the Hollywood Hotel was tiny.
2) The Hollywood Hotel was very crowded with tour groups.
3) There is a good Chinese restaurant in Disneyland Hotel where you can have ala carte meals.
4) There is a nice garden with a maze at Disneyland Hotel.
5) Disneyland Hotel is the first stop of the bus shuttle after the park so getting on is much easier.
Travelling with kids was a bit of a challenge, especially with 3 boys. Keeping them close was not easy. They like to run off on their own or to explore new places. I know it is natural but it is not really appreciated when we are on holiday!
I must admit that the holiday gave us an opportunity to bond as a family. I got to learn things about my kids that I never knew before, due to the lack of interaction.
Ryan likes to order food just because his brothers are doing so. He is very intelligent and this can sometimes be exasperating.
Keane seeks our attention a lot so we have to show our love more often. He is very good natured but seems to be bad tempered because he has difficulty expressing himself.
Xavier is matured most of the time and loves to be the leader. We tend to forget that he is still a kid and loves to play.
I am looking forward to our next holiday. If I can afford it, I would love to bring them to the Disneyland in Tokyo.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Disneyland Day 2
It was a leisurely Day 2 for us. We had breakfast at Hollywood and Dine in the hotel. It was quite a lovely breakfast. A proper one.
When we reached the park, I was a bit disappointed because it seemed that a lot of people were there already. I prepared myself for another long day of queues.
We took the train ride from the main entrance to Fantasyland. Keane's sandals gave way there and we had to calm him down. We bought him a pair of Lightning McQueen slippers. Ryan wanted a pair of course.
Then it was to Cinderella Carousel. There was no queue. Amazing!
We headed for the Small World ride. Surprisingly there was no queue! We headed straight into a boat. The kids loved it and it seemed as if they have never been there before.
We took some photos along the way before heading to the Royal Banquet Hall for lunch. This time it was easier to get a table and we had a nice lunch. It was sushi for the kids again. We had a sandwich and some dim sum.
I made sure that we were back at the Lightning McQueen show area by about 11.30am. We waited around for the queue to be set up. The kids had some ice-cream while waiting. Once the queue was formed, we lined up and it was a 30 minute wait in the hot sun. Fortunately we bought the kids umbrellas the day before. The tiny umbrellas provided some respite from the heat.
When the car came onto the scene, it was pretty amazing. We could see the car up close because we were in the front. The dancers were very professional. I could see their faces filled with perspiration. I had to give it to them for being able to perform a rigourous dance in the noon sun! We took photos with the car. Then the kids joined in a side activity where they could swing the checkered flag.
When the event finished, we were too dehydrated to go on another ride. We went to the shop on Main Street and spent time selecting some gifts. Then we went to buy our photos before heading back to the hotel.
After a short rest we headed down to Chef Mickey for our dinner. It was a lovely buffet with a good spread. I wanted to go back to the park to watch the fireworks. It was a dilemma. At the end Xavier and I went to the park while the rest headed to the room.
When we reached the park, we sat in front of Tinkerbell's castle for the castle lighting show. It was almost a 30 minute wait. Xavier entertained himself with Plants vs Zombies on the iPhone. The castle lighting show was interesting but nothing spectacular. There was some fireworks towards the end. Xavier was frightened by the noise. I told him that the fireworks would be much louder. He requested to go back to the hotel 5 minutes later.
As we headed back to the shuttle bus stop, I had an idea to show him the MTR train that runs between Disneyland stop and Sunny Bay stop. I told him that it was a special train. He was undecided. I showed him a glimpse of the train and he was hooked. He was very eager to get on the train. After some questions, I realized that he was in a hurry to get away from the fireworks!
The train came and we got on. He was very amused that the windows and handle bars were in the shape of Mickey. He took photos with the statues displayed on the train. He liked Donald, Mickey and Tinkerbell. We stayed on the train until it returned to Disneyland. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and rested early. It was going to be an early morning the next day.
When we reached the park, I was a bit disappointed because it seemed that a lot of people were there already. I prepared myself for another long day of queues.
We took the train ride from the main entrance to Fantasyland. Keane's sandals gave way there and we had to calm him down. We bought him a pair of Lightning McQueen slippers. Ryan wanted a pair of course.
Then it was to Cinderella Carousel. There was no queue. Amazing!
We headed for the Small World ride. Surprisingly there was no queue! We headed straight into a boat. The kids loved it and it seemed as if they have never been there before.
We took some photos along the way before heading to the Royal Banquet Hall for lunch. This time it was easier to get a table and we had a nice lunch. It was sushi for the kids again. We had a sandwich and some dim sum.
I made sure that we were back at the Lightning McQueen show area by about 11.30am. We waited around for the queue to be set up. The kids had some ice-cream while waiting. Once the queue was formed, we lined up and it was a 30 minute wait in the hot sun. Fortunately we bought the kids umbrellas the day before. The tiny umbrellas provided some respite from the heat.
When the car came onto the scene, it was pretty amazing. We could see the car up close because we were in the front. The dancers were very professional. I could see their faces filled with perspiration. I had to give it to them for being able to perform a rigourous dance in the noon sun! We took photos with the car. Then the kids joined in a side activity where they could swing the checkered flag.
When the event finished, we were too dehydrated to go on another ride. We went to the shop on Main Street and spent time selecting some gifts. Then we went to buy our photos before heading back to the hotel.
After a short rest we headed down to Chef Mickey for our dinner. It was a lovely buffet with a good spread. I wanted to go back to the park to watch the fireworks. It was a dilemma. At the end Xavier and I went to the park while the rest headed to the room.
When we reached the park, we sat in front of Tinkerbell's castle for the castle lighting show. It was almost a 30 minute wait. Xavier entertained himself with Plants vs Zombies on the iPhone. The castle lighting show was interesting but nothing spectacular. There was some fireworks towards the end. Xavier was frightened by the noise. I told him that the fireworks would be much louder. He requested to go back to the hotel 5 minutes later.
As we headed back to the shuttle bus stop, I had an idea to show him the MTR train that runs between Disneyland stop and Sunny Bay stop. I told him that it was a special train. He was undecided. I showed him a glimpse of the train and he was hooked. He was very eager to get on the train. After some questions, I realized that he was in a hurry to get away from the fireworks!
The train came and we got on. He was very amused that the windows and handle bars were in the shape of Mickey. He took photos with the statues displayed on the train. He liked Donald, Mickey and Tinkerbell. We stayed on the train until it returned to Disneyland. We took the shuttle back to the hotel and rested early. It was going to be an early morning the next day.
Disneyland Day 1
I am now at home. It is almost 7am. I'm still feeling dehydrated. A much needed 8 hour sleep didn't really help me get over the fatigue yet. I would have posted my entries for Disneyland daily if not for the fact that IE9 does not allow me to do that. I was not encouraged to I decided to wait till I get home before I made any more posts.
The 2 days we spent in the Disneyland park went by pretty quickly. The kids had a great time and didn't want to go home. Let me try to recall what happened during our holiday.
Sunday was the first day we spent in the park. We took a shuttle from the hotel to the park and was surprised to see many queues. Then I realized that the park didn't open until 10am. To think that I thought we were late. Fortunately it was only a 15 minute wait in the sun for us.
Once we entered the park, we joined another queue to take a photo with Mickey and Minnie. It then dawned on me that the day would be filled with queues in the sun.
Keane wanted to take photos with Donald and Daisy but nobody else wanted to queue with him. So I queued with him and the rest went to the animation studio which was air-conditioned. Fortunately the queue for the ducks was shorter! Then it was off to the rides.
We grabbed a sandwich at Market House Bakery before we moved on.
Tarzan's Treehouse in Adventureland:
It was quite uneventful. I felt that the path was very narrow, making it very difficult to take photographs at the spots where they had statues. Xavier was a bit afraid coming down the stairs because he could see the water below. I had to encourage him to keep moving without looking down. Keane was the bravest and went down on his own. I had to remind him to move slower!
The kids had brunch at the Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland. It turned out to be barely palatable. The non-spicy version of Penang laksa which Xavier ordered was poorly prepared. The bean sprouts were half cooked and it was a challenge to pick them out from the noodles. There were a lot of bean sprouts in there. Keane's Hainanese chicken rice was normal, nothing to rave about.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland:
We didn't know what we were queuing for. Nearer the start of the ride, we were relieved that it was not a 4D show. I remember the Shrek 4D show in Universal Studio freaked Keane and Xavier out. We had to go in separate cars because each car could take only 2. Hubby and Keane went ahead. Xavier was alone as I needed to watch Ryan. Xavier was afraid in the beginning. I told him that it was a game and he warmed up to it. I could see that Keane was frightened and his daddy was hugging him all the way. Ryan took to the game like fish to water. He even kept reminding me to shoot at the aliens!
Cinderella Carousel in Fantasyland:
This was the safest ride of all. Only Keane went on a horse. The other 2 preferred to sit in the chariot or carriage, whatever you call the seats.
We had tea break at the Royal Banquet Hall. It was a tight squeeze because half the hall was cordoned off for an event. We managed to get a table with 3 chairs and hurried through a lunch of sushi for the kids.
It's a Small World in Fantasyland:
This was the ride that the kids enjoyed the most on the first day. It was harmless, uneventful and interesting for the children. They loved trying to identify the animals they could recognize from the display.
We missed Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Autopia because of the long queue. We caught a glimpse of Lightning McQueen but was told that there was a quota for photo taking and we missed it. I made it a point to remember the time of the shows for the next day.
That's all we did on Day 1! It was too hot for us to bear. We headed back to the hotel at about 3pm and rested.
We then made our way to the Chinese restaurant in Disneyland hotel for dinner. It turned out to be much better than what we had on the first night in the Studio Lounge of Hollywood hotel. We took a walk in the Enchanted Garden in the hotel grounds. The kids had fun in the maze.
It was then back to the room for the fireworks show followed by endless games on the iPad and iPhone.
The 2 days we spent in the Disneyland park went by pretty quickly. The kids had a great time and didn't want to go home. Let me try to recall what happened during our holiday.
Sunday was the first day we spent in the park. We took a shuttle from the hotel to the park and was surprised to see many queues. Then I realized that the park didn't open until 10am. To think that I thought we were late. Fortunately it was only a 15 minute wait in the sun for us.
Once we entered the park, we joined another queue to take a photo with Mickey and Minnie. It then dawned on me that the day would be filled with queues in the sun.
Keane wanted to take photos with Donald and Daisy but nobody else wanted to queue with him. So I queued with him and the rest went to the animation studio which was air-conditioned. Fortunately the queue for the ducks was shorter! Then it was off to the rides.
We grabbed a sandwich at Market House Bakery before we moved on.
Tarzan's Treehouse in Adventureland:
It was quite uneventful. I felt that the path was very narrow, making it very difficult to take photographs at the spots where they had statues. Xavier was a bit afraid coming down the stairs because he could see the water below. I had to encourage him to keep moving without looking down. Keane was the bravest and went down on his own. I had to remind him to move slower!
The kids had brunch at the Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland. It turned out to be barely palatable. The non-spicy version of Penang laksa which Xavier ordered was poorly prepared. The bean sprouts were half cooked and it was a challenge to pick them out from the noodles. There were a lot of bean sprouts in there. Keane's Hainanese chicken rice was normal, nothing to rave about.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters in Tomorrowland:
We didn't know what we were queuing for. Nearer the start of the ride, we were relieved that it was not a 4D show. I remember the Shrek 4D show in Universal Studio freaked Keane and Xavier out. We had to go in separate cars because each car could take only 2. Hubby and Keane went ahead. Xavier was alone as I needed to watch Ryan. Xavier was afraid in the beginning. I told him that it was a game and he warmed up to it. I could see that Keane was frightened and his daddy was hugging him all the way. Ryan took to the game like fish to water. He even kept reminding me to shoot at the aliens!
Cinderella Carousel in Fantasyland:
This was the safest ride of all. Only Keane went on a horse. The other 2 preferred to sit in the chariot or carriage, whatever you call the seats.
We had tea break at the Royal Banquet Hall. It was a tight squeeze because half the hall was cordoned off for an event. We managed to get a table with 3 chairs and hurried through a lunch of sushi for the kids.
It's a Small World in Fantasyland:
This was the ride that the kids enjoyed the most on the first day. It was harmless, uneventful and interesting for the children. They loved trying to identify the animals they could recognize from the display.
We missed Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Autopia because of the long queue. We caught a glimpse of Lightning McQueen but was told that there was a quota for photo taking and we missed it. I made it a point to remember the time of the shows for the next day.
That's all we did on Day 1! It was too hot for us to bear. We headed back to the hotel at about 3pm and rested.
We then made our way to the Chinese restaurant in Disneyland hotel for dinner. It turned out to be much better than what we had on the first night in the Studio Lounge of Hollywood hotel. We took a walk in the Enchanted Garden in the hotel grounds. The kids had fun in the maze.
It was then back to the room for the fireworks show followed by endless games on the iPad and iPhone.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Greetings from Hong Kong Disneyland
It's been a month since my last post.....it always feels strange to take stock.
I'm now in a room in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort's Hollywood Hotel with my family. Bringing the kids on an overseas trip was as much as the challenge that we thought it would be. The easiest part of the holiday was making the booking. I called up the resort for room availability, made a reservation and paid for it. That took all of 20 minutes. Then I went online to redeem tickets on Singapore Airlines for 5 of us. That took all of 10 minutes. Easy peasy. From then till yesterday, the kids were always thinking of going to HK Disneyland. It was a good tool to illicit good behaviour for that month!
I came home from China on Friday night after 2 weeks of intensive meetings and discussions. The flight on the way into Shanghai was on time for once. But the flight out from Shanghai was delayed by an hour. I reached Singapore at about 9pm. The family came out to fetch me at the airport. Once we reached home, I immediately set out to get the kids to bed - shower and sleep. For Ryan, he had to drink his milk first. That boy is a milk addict. Both Keane and Ryan fell asleep very quickly because I said that whoever didn't close his eyes and sleep would not be able to go to HK Disneyland with us.
We packed 2 suitcases for the entire family. It was a bit of a struggle because we wished we could pack the entire wardrobe. Xavier was pretty brilliant about that. He said, "4 days and 2 sets per day means we need to bring 8 sets for each of us!". But that would have been a bit too much so we settled on 7 T-shirts and 4 pairs of pants each. Xavier was very excited and couldn't sleep. We all went to bed at about 1am.
The next day, everyone woke up early to get ready. We had to take the taxi at 7.15am. The taxi driver was very amusing. After we settled into the cab, he said he had 4 questions for me.
1) Passports? Check.
2) Tickets? E-tickets, so check.
3) Wallets? Check.
4) Terminal? T3, so check.
Fortunately this maxi-cab had a TV screen. So it was a smooth ride filled with Tom and Jerry. After checking our luggage, we went for breakfast at Kopitiam. Then headed for customs clearance. It was tough to keep the group together because Ryan kept exploring. 3 of them were very excited about getting on a plane. We made our way to the gate and it was a smooth transit to the plane.
The flight was delayed so it was a bit tough to get the kids in their seats. Krisworld was switched on but the experience was quite disappointing without the headsets. Fortunately the crew distributed the headsets and all was pretty well for a while. Throughout the flight, everyone was interested in different things. Keane flitted between games and food. Xavier was very keen on the food and exclaimed that everything was good except the raisins. Ryan fell asleep and woke up when we were halfway to Hong Kong. He was pretty easy to handle when there was food. Food and a movie kept him in his seat, but not for long. He kept wanting to change places. He refused to remain in his seat during landing. Keane dozed off during landing. We had to wake him up and he remained grumpy for the rest of the day. I'm sure I don't need to go into details.
We took a taxi to the hotel and it was a pretty easy check in process. The room was average. The toilet was tiny. But we were able to get 2 queen sized beds so it was still a good fit. The kids were very happy. I had a brilliant idea to bring them to Tung Chung where there was a Citygate factory outlet mall. I thought we could fit in some shopping and dinner. That turned out to be not very brilliant. The kids were tired, we definitely couldn't shop. So we ended up going to the supermarket. We ended up with 2 boxes of Tamago maki, 4 waffles, some snacks and a lot of bread. Then it was back to the hotel before any more complaining could throw both of us into a temper.
At the hotel, the kids finished up a lot of the food. Xavier was very excited about taking a bath. So we went down for dinner after a short rest. Dinner was not nice. The food wasn't good and Ryan kept running off. The evening looked like it was headed for disaster. We went back to the room and put out a bath for the kids. It was very fun for them and after splashing around for some time, we rushed to get them ready for the fireworks. Our room gave us a fantastic view of the fireworks and it was pretty amazing.
After that, it was pretty easy to get everyone to sleep......and it is now morning.
Wish me luck for the rest of the trip!
I'm now in a room in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort's Hollywood Hotel with my family. Bringing the kids on an overseas trip was as much as the challenge that we thought it would be. The easiest part of the holiday was making the booking. I called up the resort for room availability, made a reservation and paid for it. That took all of 20 minutes. Then I went online to redeem tickets on Singapore Airlines for 5 of us. That took all of 10 minutes. Easy peasy. From then till yesterday, the kids were always thinking of going to HK Disneyland. It was a good tool to illicit good behaviour for that month!
I came home from China on Friday night after 2 weeks of intensive meetings and discussions. The flight on the way into Shanghai was on time for once. But the flight out from Shanghai was delayed by an hour. I reached Singapore at about 9pm. The family came out to fetch me at the airport. Once we reached home, I immediately set out to get the kids to bed - shower and sleep. For Ryan, he had to drink his milk first. That boy is a milk addict. Both Keane and Ryan fell asleep very quickly because I said that whoever didn't close his eyes and sleep would not be able to go to HK Disneyland with us.
We packed 2 suitcases for the entire family. It was a bit of a struggle because we wished we could pack the entire wardrobe. Xavier was pretty brilliant about that. He said, "4 days and 2 sets per day means we need to bring 8 sets for each of us!". But that would have been a bit too much so we settled on 7 T-shirts and 4 pairs of pants each. Xavier was very excited and couldn't sleep. We all went to bed at about 1am.
The next day, everyone woke up early to get ready. We had to take the taxi at 7.15am. The taxi driver was very amusing. After we settled into the cab, he said he had 4 questions for me.
1) Passports? Check.
2) Tickets? E-tickets, so check.
3) Wallets? Check.
4) Terminal? T3, so check.
Fortunately this maxi-cab had a TV screen. So it was a smooth ride filled with Tom and Jerry. After checking our luggage, we went for breakfast at Kopitiam. Then headed for customs clearance. It was tough to keep the group together because Ryan kept exploring. 3 of them were very excited about getting on a plane. We made our way to the gate and it was a smooth transit to the plane.
The flight was delayed so it was a bit tough to get the kids in their seats. Krisworld was switched on but the experience was quite disappointing without the headsets. Fortunately the crew distributed the headsets and all was pretty well for a while. Throughout the flight, everyone was interested in different things. Keane flitted between games and food. Xavier was very keen on the food and exclaimed that everything was good except the raisins. Ryan fell asleep and woke up when we were halfway to Hong Kong. He was pretty easy to handle when there was food. Food and a movie kept him in his seat, but not for long. He kept wanting to change places. He refused to remain in his seat during landing. Keane dozed off during landing. We had to wake him up and he remained grumpy for the rest of the day. I'm sure I don't need to go into details.
We took a taxi to the hotel and it was a pretty easy check in process. The room was average. The toilet was tiny. But we were able to get 2 queen sized beds so it was still a good fit. The kids were very happy. I had a brilliant idea to bring them to Tung Chung where there was a Citygate factory outlet mall. I thought we could fit in some shopping and dinner. That turned out to be not very brilliant. The kids were tired, we definitely couldn't shop. So we ended up going to the supermarket. We ended up with 2 boxes of Tamago maki, 4 waffles, some snacks and a lot of bread. Then it was back to the hotel before any more complaining could throw both of us into a temper.
At the hotel, the kids finished up a lot of the food. Xavier was very excited about taking a bath. So we went down for dinner after a short rest. Dinner was not nice. The food wasn't good and Ryan kept running off. The evening looked like it was headed for disaster. We went back to the room and put out a bath for the kids. It was very fun for them and after splashing around for some time, we rushed to get them ready for the fireworks. Our room gave us a fantastic view of the fireworks and it was pretty amazing.
After that, it was pretty easy to get everyone to sleep......and it is now morning.
Wish me luck for the rest of the trip!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Singapore General Elections - my take and feelings
May 7 was a watershed elections for Singapore. It was a hard fought one.
All constituencies, save for one, was contested. Even the uncontested one was because the nominees were supposedly late in their submissions. The opposition was out in full force. Many young candidates came up for election.
In the end, the PAP won all but 2 constituencies. They lost 5 seats in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and 1 seat in a Single Member Constituency. Aljunied and Hougang. The biggest number of opposition ever since PAP came into power in Singapore.
It was purely a game of politics - mind games and scare tactics. Who won in the end? I am still unsure. Some people said that Singaporeans lost because we lost our Foreign Minister George Yeo and 2 other ministers in the Aljunied GRC. The opposition told Singaporeans not to worry about George Yeo losing his seat in Parliament. He could always run for Presidency or the government could give him another position. Well, the PAP was smarter than that. After George Yeo lost, he announced that he will not run in Elections any more. He will also not run for Presidency. He will, however, continue to help PAP reform. It was expected. If the PAP gave George Yeo another position, or if he ran for President, they would have proven the opposition right and opened the Pandora's box for future elections.
The opposition stressed a lot on the secrecy of our votes in a bid to give the citizens courage to vote for the opposition. Although the overall percentage of votes garnered by the PAP fell from the last elections, there were still some constituencies which showed a strong performance despite some alleged strong opposition. I think Singaporeans were mostly smarter than that. A lot of citizens, however, vote with their emotions riding on anger and disappointment. Anger at what was deemed as the government's pompous and somewhat arrogant attitude. Disappointment at the lacklustre showing of some of the key ministers over the last 5years in office and lack of disciplinary action or corrective action for what was seen as major mistakes.
After the elections, I heard many people said that they were not saying the PAP did a bad job. They just felt that the government didn't listen to the people as much as the people wanted them to. I feel it was a lot to do with perception, communication and education. I asked my hubby why he thought that his one vote to the opposition will not throw the balance towards to the opposition. If everyone thought like him, then the PAP would be in jeopardy. It was a risk I didn't want to take.
Yes, I admit that I voted for the PAP. Why? Because the opposition was not strong in my constituency. I heard one of the opposition candidates say that he would reduce spending in ministries that overspent, such as defence, and put it in health care. I was worried when I heard that. Not because I didn't think health care was unimportant. More because defence is of utmost importance to us. Think back to the days before Independence. Even after, while we were part of Malaysia. We are so tiny, but we are economically strong. We have a good location, a good harbour. It is definitely something that people will eye, if we don't have a strong defence. I don't want to put the security of my home at risk.
A few days ago, MM Lee Kuan Yew and SM Goh Chok Tong announced their intentions to retire from Cabinet. Many people said it was because they made some comments which didn't go down well with the younger generation. Talk of repentance over wrong vote and snide remarks about the opposition party were much talked about. Today, PM Lee announced that 3 ministers who held the ministries which drew the most flak from the nation also retired from the Cabinet. It is very clear that PM Lee Hsien Loong is trying to send a message to our people. Many people are appreciative of that. He is like the son who has clearly stepped out of his father's shadow even though he can clearly stand on his own. I salute him.
Another hot topic of discussion during the elections, and even today, was Tin Pei Ling. The 27 year old who is now a Member of Parliament through what many dubbed as no credit of her own, riding on the coattails of Goh Chok Tong. There were rumours about her being a test of how the people will react to a young candidate. There were some personal attacks on her. People were complaining that she could suddenly draw a high salary at such a young age by doing nothing much except stomping her feet, rolling her eyes and making discriminating posts on her Facebook page. This was truly an epitome of how politicians must face the paparazzi, except in this case, the paparazzi was the public. Out of the blue, many embarrassing videos and photos of her surfaced on youtube in an attempt to discredit her. Many people made rude comments and remarks about her on almost every article related to the elections. Such was the power of the Internet. Although I don't trust a 27 year old to be a solid Member of Parliament, I wish her all the best.
One thing I observed - a good grassroots leader may not make a good Member of Parliament or a Minister. A good grassroots leader sometimes may be a better social worker. A strong Member of Parliament or Minister must have good grassroots support. I hope Singaporeans know the difference when the next elections come. By that time, the now 24 year old Nicole Seah would be 29. She has demonstrated that she has a kind heart with good intentions to work for the people. However, our government must be able to see the big picture without losing sight of the commoner. A 5 years, 10 years and even 20 years plan which not only takes care of our people, but also bring our country to greater heights. It's easy to voice such aspirations but the execution is a thousand times harder. You cannot please everyone. You have to take care of the majority. And you have to admit that you cannot help everyone, you cannot reach out to everyone. It's almost impossible. To do so would require a lot of resources and planning. We also have to ensure equity which is something that not everyone can see clearly. We have to draw the line somewhere. For example if the current limit for a family to be able to obtain grants is a household income of $2500, someone earning $2800 would want it to be $3000. Someone earning $3100 would say it is unfair, a $100 difference doesn't go to much to help them. Then where do we stop or draw the line? The government has to engage their super smart analysts to calculate the cost benefit in order to determine where to draw the line. The line will not please everyone but it still has to be drawn somewhere. It cannot be a never ending story, otherwise you might as well say that there is no line and end up with a bankrupt government. If you say $10,000 is a lot, someone earning $5,000 will say $8,000 is a lot. Someone earning $2,000 will say $5,000 is a lot. See how it can work both ways?
I read somewhere that a 2 party system where both parties are almost equally strong may also not be good. You wouldn't know whether the government will stay in office for the next 2 tenures or not. Even the government themselves do not know. With that comes a risk that no one will be brave enough to make a hard decision. With that comes a risk that decisions are made with only short term personal gains in mind. A lot more time will be spent politicking to secure support instead of doing something concrete which will bring in faster results.
I am personally happy with our socialist system. I don't long for a pure democracy. Of course I am not rooting for communism. I believe in a meritocratic system. I believe that people who are willing to work hard, work smart, and contribute to society should not be embarrassed to enjoy the fruits of their own labour. They have to pay taxes of course. I believe that the government must provide opportunities to each and every citizen. Whether or not that person takes that opportunity and make the fullest use of it should not be the responsibility of the government. Assistance is a must but opportunities does not equate hand outs. Also, a drive towards a nation with stronger social responsibility and values will help - we can and must help each other. The government must be the facilitator to ensure that resources given up for assistance are given to the appropriate parties, that there is no misuse or abuse of such resources.
I think that's enough. Again, it's just my own thoughts. I do not know any better. After all, I'm just a Gen-X Singaporean with 3 kids, who is unwilling to put her home and family's security at risk.
All constituencies, save for one, was contested. Even the uncontested one was because the nominees were supposedly late in their submissions. The opposition was out in full force. Many young candidates came up for election.
In the end, the PAP won all but 2 constituencies. They lost 5 seats in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and 1 seat in a Single Member Constituency. Aljunied and Hougang. The biggest number of opposition ever since PAP came into power in Singapore.
It was purely a game of politics - mind games and scare tactics. Who won in the end? I am still unsure. Some people said that Singaporeans lost because we lost our Foreign Minister George Yeo and 2 other ministers in the Aljunied GRC. The opposition told Singaporeans not to worry about George Yeo losing his seat in Parliament. He could always run for Presidency or the government could give him another position. Well, the PAP was smarter than that. After George Yeo lost, he announced that he will not run in Elections any more. He will also not run for Presidency. He will, however, continue to help PAP reform. It was expected. If the PAP gave George Yeo another position, or if he ran for President, they would have proven the opposition right and opened the Pandora's box for future elections.
The opposition stressed a lot on the secrecy of our votes in a bid to give the citizens courage to vote for the opposition. Although the overall percentage of votes garnered by the PAP fell from the last elections, there were still some constituencies which showed a strong performance despite some alleged strong opposition. I think Singaporeans were mostly smarter than that. A lot of citizens, however, vote with their emotions riding on anger and disappointment. Anger at what was deemed as the government's pompous and somewhat arrogant attitude. Disappointment at the lacklustre showing of some of the key ministers over the last 5years in office and lack of disciplinary action or corrective action for what was seen as major mistakes.
After the elections, I heard many people said that they were not saying the PAP did a bad job. They just felt that the government didn't listen to the people as much as the people wanted them to. I feel it was a lot to do with perception, communication and education. I asked my hubby why he thought that his one vote to the opposition will not throw the balance towards to the opposition. If everyone thought like him, then the PAP would be in jeopardy. It was a risk I didn't want to take.
Yes, I admit that I voted for the PAP. Why? Because the opposition was not strong in my constituency. I heard one of the opposition candidates say that he would reduce spending in ministries that overspent, such as defence, and put it in health care. I was worried when I heard that. Not because I didn't think health care was unimportant. More because defence is of utmost importance to us. Think back to the days before Independence. Even after, while we were part of Malaysia. We are so tiny, but we are economically strong. We have a good location, a good harbour. It is definitely something that people will eye, if we don't have a strong defence. I don't want to put the security of my home at risk.
A few days ago, MM Lee Kuan Yew and SM Goh Chok Tong announced their intentions to retire from Cabinet. Many people said it was because they made some comments which didn't go down well with the younger generation. Talk of repentance over wrong vote and snide remarks about the opposition party were much talked about. Today, PM Lee announced that 3 ministers who held the ministries which drew the most flak from the nation also retired from the Cabinet. It is very clear that PM Lee Hsien Loong is trying to send a message to our people. Many people are appreciative of that. He is like the son who has clearly stepped out of his father's shadow even though he can clearly stand on his own. I salute him.
Another hot topic of discussion during the elections, and even today, was Tin Pei Ling. The 27 year old who is now a Member of Parliament through what many dubbed as no credit of her own, riding on the coattails of Goh Chok Tong. There were rumours about her being a test of how the people will react to a young candidate. There were some personal attacks on her. People were complaining that she could suddenly draw a high salary at such a young age by doing nothing much except stomping her feet, rolling her eyes and making discriminating posts on her Facebook page. This was truly an epitome of how politicians must face the paparazzi, except in this case, the paparazzi was the public. Out of the blue, many embarrassing videos and photos of her surfaced on youtube in an attempt to discredit her. Many people made rude comments and remarks about her on almost every article related to the elections. Such was the power of the Internet. Although I don't trust a 27 year old to be a solid Member of Parliament, I wish her all the best.
One thing I observed - a good grassroots leader may not make a good Member of Parliament or a Minister. A good grassroots leader sometimes may be a better social worker. A strong Member of Parliament or Minister must have good grassroots support. I hope Singaporeans know the difference when the next elections come. By that time, the now 24 year old Nicole Seah would be 29. She has demonstrated that she has a kind heart with good intentions to work for the people. However, our government must be able to see the big picture without losing sight of the commoner. A 5 years, 10 years and even 20 years plan which not only takes care of our people, but also bring our country to greater heights. It's easy to voice such aspirations but the execution is a thousand times harder. You cannot please everyone. You have to take care of the majority. And you have to admit that you cannot help everyone, you cannot reach out to everyone. It's almost impossible. To do so would require a lot of resources and planning. We also have to ensure equity which is something that not everyone can see clearly. We have to draw the line somewhere. For example if the current limit for a family to be able to obtain grants is a household income of $2500, someone earning $2800 would want it to be $3000. Someone earning $3100 would say it is unfair, a $100 difference doesn't go to much to help them. Then where do we stop or draw the line? The government has to engage their super smart analysts to calculate the cost benefit in order to determine where to draw the line. The line will not please everyone but it still has to be drawn somewhere. It cannot be a never ending story, otherwise you might as well say that there is no line and end up with a bankrupt government. If you say $10,000 is a lot, someone earning $5,000 will say $8,000 is a lot. Someone earning $2,000 will say $5,000 is a lot. See how it can work both ways?
I read somewhere that a 2 party system where both parties are almost equally strong may also not be good. You wouldn't know whether the government will stay in office for the next 2 tenures or not. Even the government themselves do not know. With that comes a risk that no one will be brave enough to make a hard decision. With that comes a risk that decisions are made with only short term personal gains in mind. A lot more time will be spent politicking to secure support instead of doing something concrete which will bring in faster results.
I am personally happy with our socialist system. I don't long for a pure democracy. Of course I am not rooting for communism. I believe in a meritocratic system. I believe that people who are willing to work hard, work smart, and contribute to society should not be embarrassed to enjoy the fruits of their own labour. They have to pay taxes of course. I believe that the government must provide opportunities to each and every citizen. Whether or not that person takes that opportunity and make the fullest use of it should not be the responsibility of the government. Assistance is a must but opportunities does not equate hand outs. Also, a drive towards a nation with stronger social responsibility and values will help - we can and must help each other. The government must be the facilitator to ensure that resources given up for assistance are given to the appropriate parties, that there is no misuse or abuse of such resources.
I think that's enough. Again, it's just my own thoughts. I do not know any better. After all, I'm just a Gen-X Singaporean with 3 kids, who is unwilling to put her home and family's security at risk.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Drama with the domestic help
I'm not exaggerating when I say I have had domestic helper woes.
Last week, I received a call from hubby to say that the helper was not doing work in the morning, when she is meant to be, and was on the phone. Worse was she received a call from a man and started chit chatting with him. When hubby asked her if it was her boyfriend, she got angry. She said that if hubby doesn't like her or is unhappy, there is no need to get angry, he can just transfer her to another employer.
I went home and got her to start packing. Before I instructed her to pack, I asked her to give me both her mobile phones to be held in custody until we reach the employment agent. She refused. I threatened to call the police and inform them about her abuse of my child and she tried to test my resolve by agreeing very aggressively.
I gave up trying to struggle with her and asked her to pack her belongings. I went through the items she packed in her luggage. I found out that she had actually locked her luggage and when she opened it, I found some polo t-shirts which belonged to me in it. I asked her why she had them in her luggage and she said that I said I was going to throw them out so she took them. I obviously have not thrown them out yet. I shall cut to the chase...at the end I found that she had started to use some pouches which were left lying around the house without informing us.
Before we left the house, she locked both her mobile phones in her luggage. When we reached the car park of the building where the agent was located, she opened her luggage and took out her mobile phone despite my protests. She said she was going to call her family. I immediately asked the agent to come down to the car park. The agent took some time during which the helper took out the SIM card from her phone and broke it.
At the agent location, they did another search of her belongings and I found another T-shirt and pouch which I didn't notice earlier. There were also 2 one dollar coins in her pocket, for which she wouldn't have use when she was working at home. More suspicion. After the agent gave her a telling off, I signed some paperwork and left.
The replacement would only be available to work for me, if all paperwork was approved, in June. I almost cried. Good riddance but domestic woes for us....more for the hubby really.
Last week, I received a call from hubby to say that the helper was not doing work in the morning, when she is meant to be, and was on the phone. Worse was she received a call from a man and started chit chatting with him. When hubby asked her if it was her boyfriend, she got angry. She said that if hubby doesn't like her or is unhappy, there is no need to get angry, he can just transfer her to another employer.
I went home and got her to start packing. Before I instructed her to pack, I asked her to give me both her mobile phones to be held in custody until we reach the employment agent. She refused. I threatened to call the police and inform them about her abuse of my child and she tried to test my resolve by agreeing very aggressively.
I gave up trying to struggle with her and asked her to pack her belongings. I went through the items she packed in her luggage. I found out that she had actually locked her luggage and when she opened it, I found some polo t-shirts which belonged to me in it. I asked her why she had them in her luggage and she said that I said I was going to throw them out so she took them. I obviously have not thrown them out yet. I shall cut to the chase...at the end I found that she had started to use some pouches which were left lying around the house without informing us.
Before we left the house, she locked both her mobile phones in her luggage. When we reached the car park of the building where the agent was located, she opened her luggage and took out her mobile phone despite my protests. She said she was going to call her family. I immediately asked the agent to come down to the car park. The agent took some time during which the helper took out the SIM card from her phone and broke it.
At the agent location, they did another search of her belongings and I found another T-shirt and pouch which I didn't notice earlier. There were also 2 one dollar coins in her pocket, for which she wouldn't have use when she was working at home. More suspicion. After the agent gave her a telling off, I signed some paperwork and left.
The replacement would only be available to work for me, if all paperwork was approved, in June. I almost cried. Good riddance but domestic woes for us....more for the hubby really.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Domestic helper woes......again
Our domestic helper who joined us in November is giving me a headache.....
Last week hubby heard Keane crying very loudly in the shower. When he went to check out the cries, he saw long red marks on Keane's forearms. Keane said auntie pinched him. Apparently she grabbed his forearm very hard and squeezed it extremely hard. She then tried to cover up the marks with powder. Hubby questioned her and she admitted to hurting my son after he hit her. Call me biased but that's no reason to cause hurt to a 4 year old kid. Keane may be stubborn and because his communication skill is weaker, he can test our patience at times. But she still shouldn't have squeezed his arm so hard. I tested it on myself and found that only a very hard squeeze could leave such a clear a mark on my arm. And for the mark to stay on long enough for my hubby to ask questions and take photos, it must have been painful.
Hubby gave her a verbal lashing about how she was not supposed to do that. A couple of months ago we found a very big scratch mark, probably caused by something other than a finger nail, on Keane's shoulder. He told us that auntie scratched him. She denied it when confronted. That time hubby gave her a warning that we don't want her to physically hurt our kids. She cannot cane them or beat them. If they are naughty, she has to inform us and we will discipline them. And trust me, we do discipline them. It's a combination of scolding, caning and quiet time on the balcony. Not so quiet time. More like 10 minutes of mummy's nagging.
So this incident really pissed us off. Coupled with the fact that she was caught lying about her mobile phone. Initially when we fetched her from the agent, we asked if she had a mobile phone. She said she didn't. A couple of months later, Xavier saw her on a mobile phone, sending SMS. When we asked her about it, she denied it. A few weeks later hubby saw her talking on the mobile. She then said she lied because she didn't want us to confiscate her phone. He told her that she has to do all the housework before she uses her phone. When he caught her with it, the housework was not done. Thereafter, she began to start going to her room around 8pm, off the lights and start using her phone in the dark. There were several occasions when she would doze off during the day due to lack of sleep from using the phone till late at night. We know that because there are times when I went to her room to take something from my cupboard and see her mobile phone light in the darkness. The latest trend is for her to do housework while talking on the phone or listening to radio on her mobile.
I called the agent last week and informed that I wanted to find a replacement. The agent sales representative was not very enthusiastic about helping us find one. She asked me to go on the Internet to look through the bio data before giving her a call. I saw 2 that I thought were suitable and she ended up giving me the telephone numbers to interview them myself when I requested for an interview. The best part was that the numbers were not valid!!! The person who answered the phone was not the same as on the bio-data. The other one was not in use.
Am I destined to have domestic helper woes most of the time????? Help!
Last week hubby heard Keane crying very loudly in the shower. When he went to check out the cries, he saw long red marks on Keane's forearms. Keane said auntie pinched him. Apparently she grabbed his forearm very hard and squeezed it extremely hard. She then tried to cover up the marks with powder. Hubby questioned her and she admitted to hurting my son after he hit her. Call me biased but that's no reason to cause hurt to a 4 year old kid. Keane may be stubborn and because his communication skill is weaker, he can test our patience at times. But she still shouldn't have squeezed his arm so hard. I tested it on myself and found that only a very hard squeeze could leave such a clear a mark on my arm. And for the mark to stay on long enough for my hubby to ask questions and take photos, it must have been painful.
Hubby gave her a verbal lashing about how she was not supposed to do that. A couple of months ago we found a very big scratch mark, probably caused by something other than a finger nail, on Keane's shoulder. He told us that auntie scratched him. She denied it when confronted. That time hubby gave her a warning that we don't want her to physically hurt our kids. She cannot cane them or beat them. If they are naughty, she has to inform us and we will discipline them. And trust me, we do discipline them. It's a combination of scolding, caning and quiet time on the balcony. Not so quiet time. More like 10 minutes of mummy's nagging.
So this incident really pissed us off. Coupled with the fact that she was caught lying about her mobile phone. Initially when we fetched her from the agent, we asked if she had a mobile phone. She said she didn't. A couple of months later, Xavier saw her on a mobile phone, sending SMS. When we asked her about it, she denied it. A few weeks later hubby saw her talking on the mobile. She then said she lied because she didn't want us to confiscate her phone. He told her that she has to do all the housework before she uses her phone. When he caught her with it, the housework was not done. Thereafter, she began to start going to her room around 8pm, off the lights and start using her phone in the dark. There were several occasions when she would doze off during the day due to lack of sleep from using the phone till late at night. We know that because there are times when I went to her room to take something from my cupboard and see her mobile phone light in the darkness. The latest trend is for her to do housework while talking on the phone or listening to radio on her mobile.
I called the agent last week and informed that I wanted to find a replacement. The agent sales representative was not very enthusiastic about helping us find one. She asked me to go on the Internet to look through the bio data before giving her a call. I saw 2 that I thought were suitable and she ended up giving me the telephone numbers to interview them myself when I requested for an interview. The best part was that the numbers were not valid!!! The person who answered the phone was not the same as on the bio-data. The other one was not in use.
Am I destined to have domestic helper woes most of the time????? Help!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
May is coming
The month of May is always a busy one for us. All three boys are born in the month of May by pure coincidence.
Xavier is very excited because he has requested for a Lego set for his birthday. The Scorpion Pyramid from the Pharaoh's Quest collection. I placed an order online and arranged for the set to be sent to my friend's house in the US because Lego in US does not deliver to Singapore. I tried to use VPost but was informed by Lego that the VPost address was blocked due to fraud. I was pretty perplexed by the situation at first. Here I was, willing to pay up front with my credit card, but unable to place an order. Finally Jerry came to the rescue...actually I forced him to.
Then the order was messed up. I ordered a few sets which Lego put into 2 separate packages for delivery. True to Murphy's law, the box with the Scorpion Pyramid has not shown up yet. Xavier's birthday is on 4 May. I may end up spending a lot of money just to ship the Lego by Express USPS service. There goes the savings from ordering online.
Keane and Ryan are going to have birthday celebrations in school. I'll be spending the next weekend buying things to put into bags for the kids. The kids in school look forward to receiving a goodies bag during each friend's celebration. It has somehow got to a point of being competitive.....I have not decided what presents to buy for Keane and Ryan yet.....ideas?
I recently had domestic helper woes again....will update in another post. That will take a long time and I'm tired after a long day at work.
Xavier is very excited because he has requested for a Lego set for his birthday. The Scorpion Pyramid from the Pharaoh's Quest collection. I placed an order online and arranged for the set to be sent to my friend's house in the US because Lego in US does not deliver to Singapore. I tried to use VPost but was informed by Lego that the VPost address was blocked due to fraud. I was pretty perplexed by the situation at first. Here I was, willing to pay up front with my credit card, but unable to place an order. Finally Jerry came to the rescue...actually I forced him to.
Then the order was messed up. I ordered a few sets which Lego put into 2 separate packages for delivery. True to Murphy's law, the box with the Scorpion Pyramid has not shown up yet. Xavier's birthday is on 4 May. I may end up spending a lot of money just to ship the Lego by Express USPS service. There goes the savings from ordering online.
Keane and Ryan are going to have birthday celebrations in school. I'll be spending the next weekend buying things to put into bags for the kids. The kids in school look forward to receiving a goodies bag during each friend's celebration. It has somehow got to a point of being competitive.....I have not decided what presents to buy for Keane and Ryan yet.....ideas?
I recently had domestic helper woes again....will update in another post. That will take a long time and I'm tired after a long day at work.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Singapore's General Elections
It's been a while since my last post. I travelled to China once and has since been "grounded". It does feel nice to sit at my cubicle and feel I belong somewhere.
There has been much coverage about the upcoming General Elections in Singapore. Many people have a lot to say about the PAP candidates, the opposition, etc. I don't keep up with the news and what I know is from what hubby tells me. Here's my two cents' worth about some things I heard.
Talk about having a stronger opposition presence...maybe a 2 party government....we have 1 ruling party which forms the majority of the parliament. We have a few opposition parties. I may be naive but I doubt the intentions of the opposition. They probably have their own parties due to differences in belief, policies, personalities, agenda, etc and whatever. Is their true intent the good of Singapore? I cannot answer that but I have my doubts. I guess I am over-simplifying things. I'm not a politician after all. If I were the opposition, I would garner strength by consolidating efforts. I'm sure we all know the story about the chopsticks - it's easy to break a single chopstick with your bare hands but almost impossible to break a bunch of them put together. Now, in case the ISD is reading this, I'm not encouraging the opposition to form a single party and revolt against the government. I'm just wondering if they can do better if they have the good of Singapore in their intentions - common goal. Birds of a feather flock together. If they have the same objective or goal, they should be able to meet together and strengthen their presence.
Another piece of news from the hubby....DPM Teo Chee Hean....some talk about how he has made some comments which drew a lot of flak from netizens. A story about how he demanded VIP treatment at a grassroot event and refused to make a contribution for a Hungry Ghost festival event. This is what I told hubby.....DPM Teo is not a stupid person, I seriously doubt that he would put his reputation at stake by demanding VIP treatment. I think that it might, repeat MIGHT (in case I draw flak from grassroots leaders), be a case of grassroot leaders trying to impress their MP. This often creates a misunderstanding. I've seen it happen in the private sector and I'm not surprised that it does happen in the public sector. The top gun may be a simple, humble guy but his subordinates try their best to put up a good show to impress him. Can he refuse to sit at the VIP table after being shown his seat? That would have been disrespectful of the host, utter disregard for the efforts put in by his people and being difficult. As for contributions, since it was a Hungry Ghost event, which is religious in a way, I put it down to personal reasons why he didn't make a contribution. Besides, it might be policy. Making a contribution to one specific group will definitely lead to the need to contribute to all groups, to avoid giving the wrong impression of favouritism. You want to do something, do it for everyone. Otherwise don't do it at all.
I think as responsible citizens, netizens, members of society or just members of humanity, we all have our responsibility. Social responsibility. We are part of a bigger thing here. Give each other a break. Look at the common good. Oops, am I beginning to show signs of Marxism? No, I'm still a socialist. Yes, there has to be differentiation where it comes to people - meritocracy. I make my share of donations to the needy. Whether that is deemed a fair share or not is subjective. But I don't pity people who don't help themselves. Society doesn't owe any of us anything. Before you demand something from society, ask yourself what you have given society. Instead of just complaining, put your effort to a more worthwhile cause. If you think something is not right, do something about it. If you think the government not effective, prove you can do a better job. Constructive criticism, suggestions are good and in fact needed. But destructive criticism without any viable suggestions is just what it is - waste of resources.
Do I aspire to be a politician, a public servant? No. It's a tough job that you don't really get appreciation for. People think that it is a given and sometimes they treat public servants like servants. Utter rudeness. Do people come up to you and say, hey great job on keeping the city safe. No. They come up to you and say, hey why did you let that crazy guy kill that lady randomly? Ok, my comments here may be extreme examples, but you get the picture. I will not vote for the opposition now. Why? Because I still have my doubts. Will I vote against the PAP just to give the opposition a voice. No. Why? It's too big a risk. Yes, I admit that I am a coward. I will not put the security that I am enjoying now at risk. Many may say that I have bitten the bait of the PAP, that I have been blinded by their threat of security. So what? This is my home, I have every right to want it to be safe and stable. If you think that your one vote will help to give the opposition a few seats, without toppling the government, think again. What may happen if everyone thinks the same way? I don't dare to think. I prefer stability.
We are years from where the USA is now. They have many many more years of political history. We are still a fledgling by comparison. But honestly, I don't want to be a USA citizen today. I am a realist as well.
Enough said. Everyone has the right to their opinion. I'm just a woman with a lovely family, good job and happy life. What do I know?
There has been much coverage about the upcoming General Elections in Singapore. Many people have a lot to say about the PAP candidates, the opposition, etc. I don't keep up with the news and what I know is from what hubby tells me. Here's my two cents' worth about some things I heard.
Talk about having a stronger opposition presence...maybe a 2 party government....we have 1 ruling party which forms the majority of the parliament. We have a few opposition parties. I may be naive but I doubt the intentions of the opposition. They probably have their own parties due to differences in belief, policies, personalities, agenda, etc and whatever. Is their true intent the good of Singapore? I cannot answer that but I have my doubts. I guess I am over-simplifying things. I'm not a politician after all. If I were the opposition, I would garner strength by consolidating efforts. I'm sure we all know the story about the chopsticks - it's easy to break a single chopstick with your bare hands but almost impossible to break a bunch of them put together. Now, in case the ISD is reading this, I'm not encouraging the opposition to form a single party and revolt against the government. I'm just wondering if they can do better if they have the good of Singapore in their intentions - common goal. Birds of a feather flock together. If they have the same objective or goal, they should be able to meet together and strengthen their presence.
Another piece of news from the hubby....DPM Teo Chee Hean....some talk about how he has made some comments which drew a lot of flak from netizens. A story about how he demanded VIP treatment at a grassroot event and refused to make a contribution for a Hungry Ghost festival event. This is what I told hubby.....DPM Teo is not a stupid person, I seriously doubt that he would put his reputation at stake by demanding VIP treatment. I think that it might, repeat MIGHT (in case I draw flak from grassroots leaders), be a case of grassroot leaders trying to impress their MP. This often creates a misunderstanding. I've seen it happen in the private sector and I'm not surprised that it does happen in the public sector. The top gun may be a simple, humble guy but his subordinates try their best to put up a good show to impress him. Can he refuse to sit at the VIP table after being shown his seat? That would have been disrespectful of the host, utter disregard for the efforts put in by his people and being difficult. As for contributions, since it was a Hungry Ghost event, which is religious in a way, I put it down to personal reasons why he didn't make a contribution. Besides, it might be policy. Making a contribution to one specific group will definitely lead to the need to contribute to all groups, to avoid giving the wrong impression of favouritism. You want to do something, do it for everyone. Otherwise don't do it at all.
I think as responsible citizens, netizens, members of society or just members of humanity, we all have our responsibility. Social responsibility. We are part of a bigger thing here. Give each other a break. Look at the common good. Oops, am I beginning to show signs of Marxism? No, I'm still a socialist. Yes, there has to be differentiation where it comes to people - meritocracy. I make my share of donations to the needy. Whether that is deemed a fair share or not is subjective. But I don't pity people who don't help themselves. Society doesn't owe any of us anything. Before you demand something from society, ask yourself what you have given society. Instead of just complaining, put your effort to a more worthwhile cause. If you think something is not right, do something about it. If you think the government not effective, prove you can do a better job. Constructive criticism, suggestions are good and in fact needed. But destructive criticism without any viable suggestions is just what it is - waste of resources.
Do I aspire to be a politician, a public servant? No. It's a tough job that you don't really get appreciation for. People think that it is a given and sometimes they treat public servants like servants. Utter rudeness. Do people come up to you and say, hey great job on keeping the city safe. No. They come up to you and say, hey why did you let that crazy guy kill that lady randomly? Ok, my comments here may be extreme examples, but you get the picture. I will not vote for the opposition now. Why? Because I still have my doubts. Will I vote against the PAP just to give the opposition a voice. No. Why? It's too big a risk. Yes, I admit that I am a coward. I will not put the security that I am enjoying now at risk. Many may say that I have bitten the bait of the PAP, that I have been blinded by their threat of security. So what? This is my home, I have every right to want it to be safe and stable. If you think that your one vote will help to give the opposition a few seats, without toppling the government, think again. What may happen if everyone thinks the same way? I don't dare to think. I prefer stability.
We are years from where the USA is now. They have many many more years of political history. We are still a fledgling by comparison. But honestly, I don't want to be a USA citizen today. I am a realist as well.
Enough said. Everyone has the right to their opinion. I'm just a woman with a lovely family, good job and happy life. What do I know?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Return to Japan?
My boss told me to wait for things to settle down in Japan before returning to work. It's a good thing I have a lot of other things to keep me occupied......
I feel that the radiation levels in Tokyo are minimal but everyone is saying that we won't know what will happen next. Besides, there is some scepticism about the truth being reported accurately.
My ex-boss told me today - if not for any other reason, then do it for your family.
That's why I came home last week, before what I now call the chaos.
If I were single, I would have stayed on. Some might say that I'm just saying this because I'm now in Singapore and it's easy to hide behind a physical excuse. Those who know me better will know better.
When I was home last week, I spent time with my family. We went to the zoo and we went shopping. Xavier and Keane both had new Lego sets. Ryan had a new pair of Barney sandals which I absolutely detest. I think they are so ugly and ergonomically challenged but he loves them with all of his heart. He refused to wear the pair of Clarks which I bought him, even though they have blinking lights on the straps. Keane loves the Clarks but unfortunately they were obviously too small for him.
Xavier was lucky enough to get 2 sets of Lego from the Pharaoh's Quest series. The Rise of the Sphinx and the Cursed Cobra Statue. He now has my colleague from the US promise to get the Scorpion Pyramid set. It's much cheaper to buy them at the US. Xavier's dream is now to go to Legoland in California. He is now pretty Internet savvy and is able to give me loads of information from the Internet. Of course it is limited to only topics of his interest.
He has also surfed the Hong Kong Disneyland website to identify that he wants to go to Adventureland and not Fantasyland for his June holidays. This was after the Japan disaster ended his Tokyo Disneyland dream. There's no way my in-laws will allow us to bring the kids to Japan now.
Keane was able to fix a small race car and helicopter from the Racers series. At least I think it was the Racers series. He was surprisingly good except that his fine motor skills still have a lot of room for improvement. He was very excited with his accomplishment. I think Lego is awesome!
My count has been increasing slowly but surely....I wonder if it was because of someone reading all my past posts, or if there were people who keep tabs on my blog for new posts. I highly suspect the former.....but it isn't me.
I feel that the radiation levels in Tokyo are minimal but everyone is saying that we won't know what will happen next. Besides, there is some scepticism about the truth being reported accurately.
My ex-boss told me today - if not for any other reason, then do it for your family.
That's why I came home last week, before what I now call the chaos.
If I were single, I would have stayed on. Some might say that I'm just saying this because I'm now in Singapore and it's easy to hide behind a physical excuse. Those who know me better will know better.
When I was home last week, I spent time with my family. We went to the zoo and we went shopping. Xavier and Keane both had new Lego sets. Ryan had a new pair of Barney sandals which I absolutely detest. I think they are so ugly and ergonomically challenged but he loves them with all of his heart. He refused to wear the pair of Clarks which I bought him, even though they have blinking lights on the straps. Keane loves the Clarks but unfortunately they were obviously too small for him.
Xavier was lucky enough to get 2 sets of Lego from the Pharaoh's Quest series. The Rise of the Sphinx and the Cursed Cobra Statue. He now has my colleague from the US promise to get the Scorpion Pyramid set. It's much cheaper to buy them at the US. Xavier's dream is now to go to Legoland in California. He is now pretty Internet savvy and is able to give me loads of information from the Internet. Of course it is limited to only topics of his interest.
He has also surfed the Hong Kong Disneyland website to identify that he wants to go to Adventureland and not Fantasyland for his June holidays. This was after the Japan disaster ended his Tokyo Disneyland dream. There's no way my in-laws will allow us to bring the kids to Japan now.
Keane was able to fix a small race car and helicopter from the Racers series. At least I think it was the Racers series. He was surprisingly good except that his fine motor skills still have a lot of room for improvement. He was very excited with his accomplishment. I think Lego is awesome!
My count has been increasing slowly but surely....I wonder if it was because of someone reading all my past posts, or if there were people who keep tabs on my blog for new posts. I highly suspect the former.....but it isn't me.
Mistake....horrors!!!!
I found out yesterday that the Fukushima 50 actually comprised of a group of at least 150people who work in shifts of 50 persons...hence Fukushima 50.....I'm deeply embarrassed.
Nonetheless, that doesn't diminish my respect for them. The actually number of people working the shifts are unknown, as of yesterday's newspaper report.
Nonetheless, that doesn't diminish my respect for them. The actually number of people working the shifts are unknown, as of yesterday's newspaper report.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Back in Singapore
I am back in Singapore....in fact since Tuesday 15 March.
It was an experience trying to get home. I wasn't planning on returning so soon. My family kept asking me to return home before the situation in Japan worsens. I went to office on Monday and called the travel agent to make arrangements. I was able to get on the flight home at 6.25am on Tuesday.
I returned to the hotel to pack in the evening after dinner. Upon arrival in the hotel, I asked the receptionist to book a taxi for me for 4.30am. She said she would not be able to help me do so. She advised that I should make my way to the airport as soon as possible since no one is sure of the situation and how it was going to go.
I was very reluctantly convinced by a Chinese colleague travelling with me to heed the advice of the receptionist after I made a call to a local colleague. The Japanese said no one knows what the next announcement would bring and the safest bet was to take whatever transportation was available at the earliest.
I started packing and was done in about an hour and a half. By the time I got into the taxi, it was 10pm. It was barely a 5min wait for the taxi. Much to my surprise, it took a whole 15 minutes to reach the airport by highway. It typically takes 20 minutes. I was way too early. 6 hours too early.
I went to the SQ counter to check if they could let me go on the earlier flight which was leaving at 12.30am. I was informed that the flight was full. They wouldn't let me check in earlier either. I was stuck with 2 luggage bags, one mine and the other my boss'. She left hers while getting out on Friday, the day of the tsunami. I went to the baggage storage counter but they refused to take my bags because of the possibility of earthquake. I was not happy. I asked the information counter if there was an airport hotel and they said there wasn't one. I asked for the whereabouts of the 24hour restaurants. The one I selected was closed.
Since I wasn't really in the mood for food, I decided to take a rest on one of the benches outside the restaurants. It proved to be a wise move. Within 15 minutes, all the benches in that area were taken. I slept at about midnight. Some children from the bench opposite mine woke me and I woke myself up thinking that it was already 3.30am. Again, I was early. It was only 2.30am. I didn't want to run the risk of oversleeping so I decided to take a stroll. I walked around the airport and found people everywhere. It wasn't packed but there were people occupying every seat available. Some were sleeping on the floor.
After more walking, some stretching and a drink from a vending machine, I managed to find a coffee shop that was opened. I had a coffee and a bowl of edamame beans. That took me to close to 4.25am when the check in counter was scheduled to open. I made my way to the counter. I was not surprised to find that there was already a queue. Despite the queue, the staff could not accept any check in until the system was opened. Still they didn't forget their manners and in true Japanese tradition, all the counter staff gave us a polite bow before they started to let us check in. I found it a little ironic.
It was all very civilised. No rush, no panic crowds. Uneventful. Which made me regret my rush to get out.
After clearing immigration, I went to the DFS to buy some items for my colleague and family. Then it was straight to the lounge. I tried to make sense of the news delivered in Japanese. Uncannily, I felt a slight quake just as the news broadcast another after shock. The news reader was shaking on tv while I was shaking in the lounge. Creepy.
The plane arrived without accident and we boarded. Surprisingly, I was able to sleep for another couple of hours on the plane after breakfast and a movie. The King's Speech. It was interesting but too deep for me at that moment.
Once I arrived, I was surprised at my own lack of feeling. No feeling of relief, no stress, no excitement. My hubby told me that another reactor had a blast in the morning. Again, no feeling. I was just too tired. I spent the next half day sleeping.
It was school holidays and the kids were at home. I went back to office on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. I couldn't get myself back into the right mode. I wasn't stressed but was a little depressed. I felt a bit guilty about leaving my China colleague behind but fortunately he got out on Tuesday night.
As news of developments were delivered, I felt that it was a good thing that I got out earlier as the airports seemed more congested by the day. The nuclear situation in Fukushima was looking more bleak. The Singapore government issued a warning yesterday and urged Singaporeans in affected areas to leave Japan or the affected areas as soon as possible.
I read an article about 50 people who were remaining at the Fukushima reactor plants, trying to keep the situation within control. They are responsible for ensuring that the reactors are not overheated. All the while they are being exposed to radiation. They know they have a job to do and they are not leaving. They are the brave ones.
Still no feeling for myself. Sadness for the Japanese......and a lot of respect for the Fukushima 50.
It was an experience trying to get home. I wasn't planning on returning so soon. My family kept asking me to return home before the situation in Japan worsens. I went to office on Monday and called the travel agent to make arrangements. I was able to get on the flight home at 6.25am on Tuesday.
I returned to the hotel to pack in the evening after dinner. Upon arrival in the hotel, I asked the receptionist to book a taxi for me for 4.30am. She said she would not be able to help me do so. She advised that I should make my way to the airport as soon as possible since no one is sure of the situation and how it was going to go.
I was very reluctantly convinced by a Chinese colleague travelling with me to heed the advice of the receptionist after I made a call to a local colleague. The Japanese said no one knows what the next announcement would bring and the safest bet was to take whatever transportation was available at the earliest.
I started packing and was done in about an hour and a half. By the time I got into the taxi, it was 10pm. It was barely a 5min wait for the taxi. Much to my surprise, it took a whole 15 minutes to reach the airport by highway. It typically takes 20 minutes. I was way too early. 6 hours too early.
I went to the SQ counter to check if they could let me go on the earlier flight which was leaving at 12.30am. I was informed that the flight was full. They wouldn't let me check in earlier either. I was stuck with 2 luggage bags, one mine and the other my boss'. She left hers while getting out on Friday, the day of the tsunami. I went to the baggage storage counter but they refused to take my bags because of the possibility of earthquake. I was not happy. I asked the information counter if there was an airport hotel and they said there wasn't one. I asked for the whereabouts of the 24hour restaurants. The one I selected was closed.
Since I wasn't really in the mood for food, I decided to take a rest on one of the benches outside the restaurants. It proved to be a wise move. Within 15 minutes, all the benches in that area were taken. I slept at about midnight. Some children from the bench opposite mine woke me and I woke myself up thinking that it was already 3.30am. Again, I was early. It was only 2.30am. I didn't want to run the risk of oversleeping so I decided to take a stroll. I walked around the airport and found people everywhere. It wasn't packed but there were people occupying every seat available. Some were sleeping on the floor.
After more walking, some stretching and a drink from a vending machine, I managed to find a coffee shop that was opened. I had a coffee and a bowl of edamame beans. That took me to close to 4.25am when the check in counter was scheduled to open. I made my way to the counter. I was not surprised to find that there was already a queue. Despite the queue, the staff could not accept any check in until the system was opened. Still they didn't forget their manners and in true Japanese tradition, all the counter staff gave us a polite bow before they started to let us check in. I found it a little ironic.
It was all very civilised. No rush, no panic crowds. Uneventful. Which made me regret my rush to get out.
After clearing immigration, I went to the DFS to buy some items for my colleague and family. Then it was straight to the lounge. I tried to make sense of the news delivered in Japanese. Uncannily, I felt a slight quake just as the news broadcast another after shock. The news reader was shaking on tv while I was shaking in the lounge. Creepy.
The plane arrived without accident and we boarded. Surprisingly, I was able to sleep for another couple of hours on the plane after breakfast and a movie. The King's Speech. It was interesting but too deep for me at that moment.
Once I arrived, I was surprised at my own lack of feeling. No feeling of relief, no stress, no excitement. My hubby told me that another reactor had a blast in the morning. Again, no feeling. I was just too tired. I spent the next half day sleeping.
It was school holidays and the kids were at home. I went back to office on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. I couldn't get myself back into the right mode. I wasn't stressed but was a little depressed. I felt a bit guilty about leaving my China colleague behind but fortunately he got out on Tuesday night.
As news of developments were delivered, I felt that it was a good thing that I got out earlier as the airports seemed more congested by the day. The nuclear situation in Fukushima was looking more bleak. The Singapore government issued a warning yesterday and urged Singaporeans in affected areas to leave Japan or the affected areas as soon as possible.
I read an article about 50 people who were remaining at the Fukushima reactor plants, trying to keep the situation within control. They are responsible for ensuring that the reactors are not overheated. All the while they are being exposed to radiation. They know they have a job to do and they are not leaving. They are the brave ones.
Still no feeling for myself. Sadness for the Japanese......and a lot of respect for the Fukushima 50.
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