It's a fake fake world

http://www.peopleforum.cn/redirect.php?tid=57881&goto=newpost


Some people just cannot cease to amaze. Well, maybe flabbergast is the accurate description.

The existence of fake branded goods and counterfeit DVD do not bother me. Sorry for the original producers whose profit is reduced but the harm is somehow restrained. Hence I do not make waves about it. When it comes to food; something that is essential to our health and life, we cannot turn a blind eye to any deception of it.


Just when the episode of poison baby milk is slowly fading from our mind, recently Chinese authorities have blasted workshops that produce fake tofu and fake eggs. These are economical food. How is it possible to counterfeit them using material of even lower cost? And Why? How much can one gain from selling inexpensive items like these? Is the small profit worth the risk of being caught? Can one live with the guilt of doing deliberate harm to people?


Today I heard of the manufacturing of fake mutton. My god ! What’s next? Fake air? 


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It's a cold cold winter

It is normal to have dropping temperatures and snow in winter but it is a bit too much and too long this year. Let’s not talk about the chaos in various chaos and flights cancellation in Northern European cities (like London, Ireland, Berlin) because I am not travelling there. I’ve learned my lessons well many years back, never to travel in the month of December.
So, where is the cold?  Inside my apartment. The wooden windows are so old, they are inefficient in blocking the freezing air from slipping in. No matter how hard the home heater works, it is still unable to heat up the apartment to a comfortable thermal condition.

Just change the windows lah!

Well, it is not so simple. Firstly and obviously there is a cost involve. There are 10 windows in total, out of which 3 are floor-to-ceiling type. To replace all of them with modern, good quality casement and double glass panels would cost more than a second hand car. That is not an option at this moment.

Furthermore, minimalist clean designed windows just do not look right in this house, which is strongly characterized in 1930s design.

No solution. One of the things in life to KIV (Keep In View). Meanwhile it is gloves and winter jacket at home !

Christmas Greetings

Can I call for a petition?  Please do not send me any Christmas greetings by SMS.  Ever since mobile phone has become a must-have for everyone, it is flooded with electronic greetings on every festive occasions. Before naming me old school, let me tell you why I don’t like to receive SMS greetings.

First of all, that cute, funny, ingenious, intelligent note is most probably not written by you. You must have got it from someone else, found it interesting and then forwarded it to me. Come on, I am sure I am right on that.

Secondly, if it is so cute, funny, ingenious and intelligent, probably I have already received it earlier from someone else. In fact, I might have got the same quote last year too. Even favorite food can get stale, you know.


Thirdly, every time an SMS is sent, the telecom company makes a small profit. They are already super rich with declared profits in billions of dollars. They do not need us to make them even richer. 

So, you think of me this Christmas? Then you must have missed my voice. I will be waiting for your call.

Merry Christmas.

Ridiculed by the birds

I know nothing about birds and their names. (well, apart from Crows, pigeon and sparrow). I cannot even tell the difference between an eagle and a hawk. Sign. Typical of city dwellers.



But this morning, I was presented with a beautiful spectacle. Maybe it was the warm sunshine after 24 hours of snow. All birds were invited to play. They perched on the tree situated right outside of my window, chipping and pecking the branch. How rare looking they were. The tiny one had a khaki coat of feather with a orange feather tip at the crown. That yellow one wore a black stripe all over its body. The biggest one has to be the black bird with white belly, preening itself with its big red beak. It was ten times bigger than the others and loved hanging out on the taller tree.


Why didn’t I notice them before? Such beauty! I got to take a photo of them. They seemed jealous of their looks, reluctant to share with anyone. The instant I pointed my camera on them, they flew off immediately. Someone said that if you want to take a good photo, patience is an absolute prerequisite. Why can’t they suggest something else instead? Anyway I remained motionless, holding my camera tightly . I did not even breathe! See how professional I am! Still, there was not a single bird in sight.


The moment I put my camera down and throw myself into the comfortable couch, the birds whooshed right back to their previous position to make a little victory dance. Bravo, you just keep mocking on me. Relentlessly I reached for my camera again. Come on, just stay still for one photo, then you can do whatever you wish. “not so easy” they seemed to say, as they flutter away.


So these are the best shots that I got. Obviously, my career as a photographer is out of the question.  

 

Politicians

Today is a tumultuous day. Members of the upper house of parliament battle amid thousands of students protesting chaotically in major cities. Voting and voting again. Maybe it is the only nation in the world that conduct voting campaign least a couple of times every year. And maybe it is also the only nation where politicians appear in tv talk shows on a weekly basis. (Some on a nearly daily basis). Do they have time to work?


Politics is so complicated for layman like me. It is more web-like than an episode of “Dynasty”. We live in a complicated world, where politicians are actors and actors are politicians.

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How about a change?

Watching movies is one of my favorite pass time. I am little selective in terms of genre except for horror. However something strange happens to me. Recently I notice that I cannot handle fast pace actions , heart broken tear jerkers, time racing adventures and suspenseful thrillers. They give me rapid heart palpitations and eventually cause me loss of breadth. What happened? Don’t ask me. I want to know too.




I also notice that the news in the papers fail to interest me. Accounts of injustice are so disturbing. Tragedies are stressful. Negativity is saturating every space in the air. Can we please have something cheerful and nice for a change? Please? I do not want to end up like most people I meet in the streets.


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Boredom is a luxury

“I am so bored, anyone care to chat?”


“Boredom!”

“Bored to death”...... etc etc


These cries are so common nowadays, you can almost hear every other person mouthing it in any social network web during weekends. They sound absolutely desperate and full of despair. Boredom must be the most common sickness for the youngsters of the 21st century.


To understand the origin of this situation would require a complex study which is beyond my capacity and capability. So let’s not go into that.

My question is: “Is it so disastrous to be bored?”


People in misery never complain about being bored. They are so worn down by the problems that they have, their mind has no free time. Solutions searching occupies a major part of their waking moment. The word boredom never crosses their mind. Boredom is a luxury. It happens only to people who has nothing to do and nothing to worry about. No stress on term examination, no anguish of job losing, no health problems, no need to concern about their children. no torture of hunger, no flood in the house. Nothing. The moment when totally nothing is happening. That is where boredom creeps in.


A kind reminder to those who has the temptation to declare oneself bored. Before saying the five-letters word, please be aware of how lucky you are. It is actually a privilege to be bored. And don’t ever make it sounds like you are in such a pathetic situation. YOU ARE NOT.




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Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

The phone ring. It is Pat.

“I am now in the hospital. I was rushed to the emergency department on Monday due to an excruciating pain in the abdomen. They found a cyst in my ovary. The doctors are deciding whether to operate or not.”

“Do you have health insurance?” I asked her.

“No”, she replied. 

My heart drops. Since her arrival to this country 3 months ago, she encounters almost every misfortune one can possibly imagine. Now this, what could be next?

Pat was full of hope and enthusiasm when she wrapped up everything in America. With a master degree and several years of experience in law practice, she was confident to meet new challenges in a new country. Where to go next? Italy seems a romantic place, with delicious pizza, singing gondoliers, charming Italian men. Or so it appears in the movies.   

Merely after a month, her landlord raised her rental by 120%, citing as “winter tariff”. There was no choice but to seek a new place in October, a month where hundreds of university students are doing the same. Her working experience and education bears little relevance in this country. Her sufficiency in the Italian language is not a barrier but yet enough to convince. Jobs are not available. Pat has no contacts, no relatives, no friends. Money is running out.  Depression is slipping in.

Returning to American is an improbable option for Pat has given up her job and apartment in order to come to Italy. Blame it on the lack of research. It’s nice to live on instinct at times. But for such a drastic change in life, preparation and research is absolutely essential. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Let’s hope everything will turn up well for Pat. She deserves better. 

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It's Halloween again

Not that it’s a popular festival in this part of the world but there are still some signs hinting of its arrival. Some shops and department stores decorate with toy bats, spider webs, tapered witch hats and the inevitable pumpkin with a smile craved onto it. Yeah. If there is a chance to earn an extra buck (in this case, it is Euro), every commercial merchant will embrace it.

The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain (which Halloween is associated), allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. So, whether you observe it or not, it is never a bad idea to follow some rules during Halloween.

1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it's really dead.

2. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.

3. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately.

4. Avoid walking under a ladder.

5. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.

6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

8. If you're searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it's just a black cat, …. GET THE HELL OUT!

9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; just get out!

10. If you find a town which looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. Don't stop and look around!

11. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up 
with you eventually.

12. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.

13. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange because you thought you had half of a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and most likely be eaten.

14. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. You still suffer, but  at least your wife will be happy. 

Superenalotto

When TOTO’s grand prize reaches beyond $1 milion in Singapore, there will be a long queue at the betting kiosk. $1 milion dollars can change one’s life. But wait till you hear about the recent TOTO grand prize in Italy. It is called Superenalotto.  And Super it sure is. For the prize has reached 156 million Euro!  Yes, I say it again. It is 156 million Euro. (about SGD282 million)

Here we really talk about life changing moment.  I cannot even spend 10% of it in my whole life time.  (Ok, maybe it is slightly difficult for me since I’ve passed half of my life time already)  With that amount of money, one can purchase a few islands and made oneself the king there or go insane.

Only 6 numbers are needed. Any 6 numbers from 1 to 90.  Seems easy but apparently it isn’t because there is no winner for more than a few months and the prize continues to increase. Let’s hope I’ll be lucky this Saturday.  One thing is for sure: If I win, I am not going to tell.

PS: the writer is presently living in Italy.

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Another birthday

I just had my birthday last week. Like previous years, there was no celebration. The only difference is that this year, I receive numerous greetings through the social network.  Long live Facebook.

So what now?  Any changes?  Yes, there are several but one affects me particularly. I am obligated to change my Curricular Vitae by adding another year in the age column. And there goes my further chances for employment.

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Welcome for Indian food

Folks, I really have no intention to make this blog into a food column. Let’s hope this will be my last attempt to talk about food and move on.

8 of my friends were here for dinner the other day. Ok, I admit that I was trying to impress. So instead of the usual Italian or Chinese food, I cooked some Indian dishes (with the help of the BBC program “Indian food made easy”)

A few friends commented that the food was not spicy enough. That is the common misconception of Indian cuisine (and in a certain extend, on Thai food too). Many think that the more it burns your lips, the more authentic the cooking is.  Little did they know that Indian food was not to be judged by how fiery the chilli is or the quantity added. Besides chilli, there are other exciting spices like cardamom, mustard seeds, fennel, fenugreek, coriander, cumin etc.  Clever mixing them will highlight its intense flavor but not overpowering the principal  ingredient. A fish, in the end, has to taste like a fish. Same for mutton, or pork or any vegetable. Isn’t it strange to taste nothing but chili in a fish?

  

By the way, there is a standard to measure the piquancy, or “hotness” of various chilli peppers (capsicums).”The Scoville Organoleptic Test”, now standardized as Scoville scale was invented by the American chemist  Wilbur Lincoln Scoville in 1912.

The normal Italian variety measured under 5000 Su (Scoville Units), while some Thai varieties top the scale with 100,000 units. Selected Indian species can reach to 1 million Su, a level, in my opinion, suitable for weapon making. Why? Because when its scale top 250,0000 Su, only pain can be experienced.

Oh, I drifted too far, now back to my Indian dinner. Now I am in a dilemma. Next time, should I make the food authentic to its origin or adjust its taste to suit the diners?

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Fighting with my fig jam

Summer has just ended and the fig tree is bursting with its fruits. Anything free is so rare these days. Surely I cannot and will not live to see these figs ripen and drop to the ground. So I put those tree climbing skills learned during my boy scout days to good use.  Having a low tree helps too. 30 minutes later, together with 2 kg of figs, I got patches of rashes (due to skin allergy from the leaves), a few ant bites and a torn in the pants.  At least I don’t need to pay for the figs.

What to do with them? They perish fast. Someone suggested “figs jam”.  Yeah, just as I was making a list of 20 interesting things to do on a lazy afternoon.

At this point, Google came to the rescue.  With some recipes in hand, I start to make fruit jam for the first time in my life. There is a problem. Is it REALLY necessary to stand over a hot boiling pot stirring and getting splattered by hot jam until all vitamins is cooked out in order to get the final thick consistency?  It is the 21^st century. There should be some micro chips invented for making easy home cook jam. Google again.  The search result came out: No chip for that, you idiot. Alternatively, you can try Pectin.

Pectin? What is that? Some kind of pesticide, I reckon.  Google again. 

Result: Pectin is a naturally occurring substance. When heated together with sugar, it causes a thickening that is characteristic of jams and jellies.

The one that available in the nearby supermarket is a kind of ready mix of pectin with sugar. Well it should be the same anyway. So I proceed with the science experiment. One hour later, my pot resembled some kind of deep red watery sticky gravy, not different from a tomatoes pasta sauce. Another 30 minutes more on the fire. Nothing change. Hmmm…maybe because I wanted a low sugar jam, I put less pectin/sugar mix. So the jam just does not set.  By now, my enthusiasm is all dried up. I just have to learn to live with syrupy jam.

 Soon, it is the harvest period for apples.  Syrupy apple jam anyone? 

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Thai Basil

Finally the Thai basil seeds are sprouting!!! It is just a token to remind me of Asia and the fabulous Tom Yam soup.

I wonder if it can grow to sufficient height before the arrival of Autumn... or will it survive the winter here. After all, it is a tropical plant. Not all plants can thrive in a foreign land, even given the same climate conditions and temperature. There are exceptions though. Actinidia, the khaki colour fruit that resembles a stubbly egg, did not turn a hair in China, its country of origin. Yet it found its spotlight in New Zealand. So popular and loved, it become synonymous of the country to the point where it was named “kiwi”, just like its symbolic bird of the same name.

Likewise, not all people can live through in a foreign land, let alone making a name for oneself. Luck and timing are undeniably important factors. But in the end, it comes down to the core: what is this person made of.  Perseverance, adaptability, flexibility etc. 

Anyway, I’ll do my best to provide all the right conditions for this Thai Basil. Whether will I have my authentic Tom Yam soup in the end, will all depends on plant itself. 

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Too "Bat"

As I am writing, there are many small bats flying outside the glass window. They are out in the summer time to feed on mosquitoes. How their wings flutter frantically as they tremble nervously in the air. They dive from vertiginous heights and in less than a heartbeat, twist and divert themselves to another direction. It is quite a performance, albeit an eerie one.


Have you ever seen a bat at close distance? I mean “right in your face” kind of close. I used to mistaken them as swallows... wow..so beautiful swaying in the sky, how romantic.... until one day one of them dashed into my house and hung itself upside down near the entrance door. Enveloping itself with its own wings, it looked only as thick as a whiteboard marker. It is possible to miss it easily. Not until when it started to frown and smirk with its face that I realized that this rat has wings !!!!! It was a repulsive sight. I wonder why the ancient Chinese used these ugly mammals as a symbol of prosperity. On the contrary, I only felt bad luck having one of them visited my house.

There are talks about using bats as a ecological way of fighting mosquitoes. With the capability of catching 3000 mosquitoes in a day, it is a cost free and toxic free alternative to commercial chemical insecticide spray. It will be a pleasure to meet the person who did that calculation. Surely it will be a spectacle watching him doing the recordings. Anyway it is suggested to keep 5 or 6 bats near our house in a 60cm x 20 cm wooden box. But, will you do that? Oh sure, maybe there is even a need to bring them for a daily walk?

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Hi ! Long time no see

Hi, I am back. Not sure how long I will be here but for the moment, I am 100% present. That is more important, isn't it?  Things that we can see, feel, touch are more valuable than plans, ideas which may sometimes unrealisable. The future? It's so unpredictable. Let's celebrate today. Right now.

Who will I be?

How to cope when the doctor tells you that your mum has only one month left? The truth is, you can’t, you won’t and you don’t. There is no way to cope with such news. Not especially when your mum is your only friend, your only parent, your only relative left. And she happens to be the person you love most in your entire life. Her arms are the only ones strong enough to make you feel protected when you are embraced by them. You know that you cannot be harmed with her around. The smell of her skin is familiar enough to coax you to sleep. Her smile makes you smile, knowing that your life is complete.


Who am I without her?


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Questions from a grumpy passenger

The eruption of the volcano in Iceland last week paralyzed aviation in Europe. The microscopic but potentially menacing volcanic grit is capable of knocking out jet engines. With all airports closed, countless passengers are left stranding in foreign land and undelivered cargo rot in warehouses.

For stranded travelers, nothing can be done to change natural disasters such as this, except to finger point at our luck. But certainly the situation can be made less devastating with some human effort; for example the airline companies. What is so difficult to diffuse more information about the real situation. Okay, it is a weekend. But can’t the airline offices be opened for this extraordinary situation to help the thousands of passengers? Why are they still observing their official “9 am to 6 pm” working hours ? Why all telephone lines are jammed or even hung? Why must we personally march to the airline office for some information and why only 3 persons manning the counters? Why can’t they deploy more staff to work a little extra hours for their weary clients who are stuck in the airport for the past 48 hours? Why are we not contacted? What is all those advertisements about taking care of their passengers and making them feel at home? Sweet marketing talk?

So many questions from a grumpy exhausted tourist yearning to go home.


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A saleswoman's winning move

She stopped me while I was carrying 2 shopping bags in each hand. It was raining this afternoon and my feet were wet. “sorry, I am really not interested in your products.” I said grouchily.

Not easily backed down by a simple refusal, the young woman continued pushing her product. She beset, I fenced. She persuaded, I refused. Then she execute her ultimate deadly stroke “How old are you boy? Twenty something?”

I ended up buying what she was selling. Flattery always win.


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Birthday

Celebrating one’s birthday can sometimes be a demonstration of one’s ego. Just check out on Simon Cowell’s recent 50th birthday where images of his face was everywhere : projected on the wall, on the cake, waiters wearing masks with Simon’s face etc.

Emphasizing one’s birthday party launches the message “Look, I was born on this day, I am special, let’s celebrate! Me me me me me…” but what is there to celebrate? To drink to one’s birthday also indicate the praising of his arrival into the world. But what is so great about his arrival? Most of us hasn’t contribute much to the world except consuming its resources.

Maybe the only person worth honoring is our mother. In order to bring us to this world, she endured 10 months of hardship, further sustained tremendous labor pain and trauma.

So our birthday is not really about us. It should be an occasion to show gratitude to our mother who gave birth to us. No amount of birthday cakes can repay her but we can start by giving our love.


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Public Apology

Finally someone in Singapore joined the league of high profile adulterers; The latest celebrities being Tiger Wood. Like him, our local breed comedian turned self taught director Jack Neo was made to publicly apologize in front of a group of journalists and reporters. Apart from the theatrics, tears and flash lights, I ponder why there is such a necessity. Shouldn’t the matter be conducted between the husband and the wife? Since when the people in the street has the right to know other’s extramarital affairs? Forgiveness can be begged in the privacy of their home, why involve the public?  

“He is famous and he is a role model for youngsters.”

But they did not force others to take him as a role model. The public picks them as their role model. They are famous for their job only. They have no obligation to up keep their morality. In the end, it is revealed that they are, like the rest of us, less than perfect. When we make mistakes like infidelity, we don’t apologize to the whole world. So why should they?


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Brillant !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwpbtmFK4BM&feature=related

The song just came on air. This is one of those songs that I cannot go near to for it makes me bawl. Could be due to the strumming of the guitar, the melody, the singer’s voice or his style. However it is the lyrics that strike a cord in me.


I strongly feel that it is written from the songwriter’s true experience. It is a born loser’s one minute ecstasy after spotting a beautiful girl in the subway. That was probably the most beautiful thing that happened to his lousy, dead boring life. That sparkled his imagination as he dive into his mental escapade. The depiction of love so pure and simple yet bittersweet until the last two brutal verses bring things back into reality. Such heart wrenching vulnerability.

Now let’s imagine things from another standpoint.


You walk in the subway. You wear your usual clothes, mind your own business, do nothing in particular. By just being yourself, there may be a chance that you bring happiness to somebody’s life albeit a brief one. It makes a change in his life. Isn’t that wonderful?

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New world

It is always nice to know that we are not the only nation with wacky procedures and regulations.

Our domestic helper is arranging to ship a big carton home. Besides a packing list, her country’s import customs department also requires photocopy of her passport; Not just the front page with her photo and personal particulars but every page of her passport. That means 30 photocopies of A4 sizes are needed. Nobody can explain to us the motive of such requirement. The only reason that I could think of is that the customs office wants to scrutinize the past traveling itinerary of the sender. But why? What has it got to do with the goods that is in the carton box anyway? Imagine the tons of unnecessary paper wasted, the human effort that requires to handle them, the space to keep these papers.

There’s a lot of absurdity to keep up. Welcome to the new world.


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Post Office in the 21st century

It took me about 20 minutes to purchase postage stamps today. There was a long queue at the post office, a scene quite common in the recent years. No, it is not a queue to purchase “first day cover” stamps. (that is so 80s)

Paperless electronic mail system is gradually replacing the traditional letters. In order to survive, the post office has to engage new business direction and diversifies their product and services. As a result, the poor staffs behind the counter find themselves in a weird situation, trying to define what their job really is. Ditto for us too.


Nowadays, post office does not merely sell stamps, greeting cards and administer the delivery of packages. Remittance of money is nothing new too. Post office also accepts payment of hospital bills, CPF top up, exam fees and insurance renewal. It also deals with Readers’ digest bills, Pacific internet bills and road tax. Well I must admit being intrigued by its division of “Equipment dropping off (IBM, HP equipment)” What does it actually means?


But today’s visit is really an eye opening. There are several items on sale. Get ready for this. There are electric iron, rice cooker, vacuum cleaner and hand phones! I wonder when will they start selling tomatoes and potatoes too. Who knows, in future, it may be named Super-post or ShengSiong Post.


I suggest you make a trip to your nearest post office because soon it is going to be extinct forever.

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Gray sky

“As you are aware, your mum’s creatinine level is gradually building up but still it was within normal accepted level. But this time, it is different.” As the blood test result appeared in the computer terminal, I was shocked. Never before has it result worsen by 60% within 3 months. In conclusion, mum’s kidney has only 4% function. It also signifies the arrival of the end of the road. I shook my head in disbelief as perspiration kept rolling down on my forehead. For the last few months, we executed faithfully every advice given by the doctors. Daily diet was carefully followed. In the end, those efforts just went down to the drain.


What are we supposed to do? Or what am I suppose to do?

“There is nothing much we can do. Just observe her. Her body will tell you and give you signs. If she is unconscious, then you send her to the Emergency department.” The doctor says.

My sky suddenly turned gray.

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The customer is always right

As soon as I placed the plate of spaghetti onto the table, the guest whined peevishly. “There is cheese! Why do you put it?”

“This dish comes with cheese in it.“ I replied.

“I cannot eat cheese.” The guest raised his voice.

“You instructed me not to use put oil in the spaghetti but you did not mention anything about cheese.” I reminded him.

“If I cannot take oil it also means that I cannot take cheese.”

Oh, it is nice to know that someone regards oil and cheese as the same thing. Anyway, the customer is always right. So the chef cooked another plate of spaghetti without oil and without cheese.

A few days later, the manager informed me that it was my fault for not informing the guest beforehand that the plate of spaghetti comes with cheese. In my opinion, the logic is a bit twisted. If that is what should be done, then I should also inform the guest about the salt, pepper, parsley, water, wheat (for making the spaghetti) etc. If a guest orders a complicated roast beef, then is it necessary to inform him about the various spices, oil, wine, rosemary, thyme, salt, sugar etc Nobody does that, come on.

If someone is allergic to cheese, there is also someone who is allergic to pepper or salt. So it is usually the guest who inform the restaurant what he does not like in his plate. Not the other way round.

The policy in this restaurant stipulates that the waiter pays for the mistake he makes. The plate of spaghetti costs $28.00. My daily wages is $24.00. So it means that I have to pay $4.00 to work in a place, something that I believe doesn’t exist in any part of the world.

Ok, to avoid argument, go ahead and deduct it from my salary. But since I have paid, I want to have that spaghetti, the one with cheese in it, which they considered was my mistake. I am the one who pays, so that makes me a customer too.

So where is my spaghetti? So whoever threw that spaghetti away the other day, should pay for it now.

I want my spaghetti. The customer is always right, remember?

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House regulation

A center for dementia patients has just recently opened in Jurong area. Its vicinity to my house makes it a perfect choice to enroll my mother in. After a brief interview, the person-in-charge said to me “I am sorry. Your mother is having moderate dementia. Our center only accepts dementia patients of early stage.”

That is so nonsense.

Why would someone open a center for dementia patients and select patients based on their degree of illness. Center for cancer patients cures everyone with cancer, don’t they? Despite whether they are beginning stage or end stage.


Then came the expected standard Singaporean answer “It is the regulation.”

Yes, I know it is your regulation. But regulation was made up by you people. So my question was why your regulation was made in such a way? Since so much money was thrown in, why not offer your service to every dementia patient? Why you chose the easy way out; To cure only beginning stage patients when the serious patients are the one who really need help?

“It is the regulation.” She repeated firmly, as if unable to comprehend my doubts. This is how Singaporeans are brought up, without asking questions to the authority. It will be pointless to insist any logical answer because there will not be one offered to the public.

So I turned to another Dementia center in Chua Chu Kang area. The supervisor replied “Sorry, since your mother is in a wheelchair, we are not able to accept her.”

I was really surprised by this ridiculous answer.

“Excuse me, I have problem with your logic so help me out here. Dementia affects mainly the old people. Most elderly have physical mobility problems. That is the nature of aging. It all comes in a package. So how can you expect all dementia patients to walk without aids?” I asked furiously.

“It is the regulation.” Came the cold reply.

 
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New year celebration

I love going to the movies on the first day of the Lunar new year. With every established is closed, watching movies seemed to be the best option. Tickets were easy to obtain because everyone was busy visiting their relatives. That was then.

As I stepped into the mrt (metro), I realized the congestion of person. Even in the streets, the crowd is no different from a normal Monday. Recently there is a tendency of having many shops and restaurants opened during this festive period. We all benefit from this convenience. Thanks to some hardworking F&B operators, who harvest the opportunity by doing business today.

If one has money, he can live like new years’ day on a daily basis. Although the person who said this might be low on the meaning of the Chinese new year, in some way he is not totally wrong. How celebration is done? It is no other than eat, drink, new clothes, a non working day and gathering with relatives and friends. How could one fully enjoy all these if there is worries about financial issues? So, let’s work today. We can celebrate the new year some other time.

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Breaking my record

Every Chinese new year’s eve, I like to take a walk in Chinatown street market after dinner. It is almost like a pilgrimage for me. Don’t ask me why. It does not seem or feel like Chinese New Year without that trip. There were a few occasions which I stayed till the next morning.


This year, I broke my own record.

It is absolutely the shortest time that I remained in the market. In less than 30 minutes, I was heading home. What happened? I don’t know. That is the problem. I do not even know why I lost interest for a routine that I faithfully followed annually. Could it be the warm weather? Or the inconsiderate crowd? Or the uninteresting merchandise on sale? Or my age? Somehow, one thing I am sure. The magic is gone.

Close encounter with an American Idol

The guy next to me is “invited” by the group of Borneo tribal dancers onto the stage, joining them in the fire-eating dance. Shows like this always like to pull someone from the audience to embarrass them or to make fun of them. The one being hailed on stage is suppose to be happier afterwards.

Hey, wait a minute. I recognize him. He is Kris Allen, the 2008 American Idol winner. From the newspapers I know that he is here in town to promote his new album. Tonight must be one of his night out together with his staffs (personal assistant, entourage, PR personnel etc) And all along, he was standing right next to me. “It’s the American Idol.” I told my friend. But he does not know nor recognizes him. Same for the rest of the audience. I don’t blame them. Even for me, a die-hard fan of the “American Idol” series, did not notice Kris Allen by my side until he was hailed up to stage.

He is really a simple, down to earth guy-next-door. Wearing just a plain white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, he blends in so well with everyone next to him. He is not loud nor interested in calling attention. This is the charm that made more than 40 million Americans telephoned to vote for him last year. Not an easy feat at all.

I adore the American Idol show. If not being 20 years overage, I would have tried my luck in that show too. So being in such vicinity to someone /something connected to the show is as good as it gets! As Randy Jackson sometimes says, “Yo Man !”
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Revival of the 80s

What do you remember of the good old 80s - the era of break dance? How about big frizzy hair, head band, white knee length socks, ground cum neck breaking dance moves? “Out-of-the-world” size audio cassette player hefted over the shoulder, churning out music in ear blasting volume. Then we expect Irene Cara to burst out singing and everyone in the gang kick out a frenzy dance performance.


Today I got a chance to relive that period. Well, not exactly in the same way.

As soon as she boarded the bus, the tranquil silence was broken. Our private thoughts were immediately forgotten, replaced by the attention we have for this young girl. She was surrounded by a big cloud of music. Unfortunately, neither was the sound system good nor the brand of music involving: Someone was trying to make music out of moans and hiccups. Her looks was as irritating as her music and she was so arrogant in her manners. Everyone turned back to give her an eye. She was indifferent and had non intention to lower down the volume. And the chunky cassette player? Oh it has evolved into a small hand phone. This is 2010.

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Shame on you

Seriously, can we please stop all these maid abusing? It is getting out of hand for too long. Every two days, someone is exposed in the newspaper for severe physical violence and psychological ill treatment towards their domestic helpers. For whatever reason, there is no excuse and no one has the right to ill treat anyone, not even when the recipient is a housemaid.

“She is so stupid, she is so slow.” The commonest excuse.

That is so lame. If these cleaners are any cleverer or faster, they would have chosen another job. We must first understand where they come from and accept their capability.

“They don’t even have the basic common sense.”

True but their job requires them to use physical strength, to do repetitive errands and other things that we are not able nor willing to do. They are not paid for their intelligence or so called common sense (which is subjective at times).

Nefarious acts includes hitting them in the head, burning their body with an electric iron, forcing them to eat feces, deprive them of food etc. Is it true that everyone has a hidden dark side? More appalling is the revelation of the people who commit such crimes. There are teachers, CEO, police staff sergeant and the more recently exposed vice president of sales dept in mediacorps. Most of them are highly educated people. Unfortunately their academic achievements have little to do with their civilized level.

Shame on you.

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For every 2 nice girls, there is always a bitch. Out of my 3 female colleagues, one of them is bossy, selfish and petty.


Apply this formula to another category, it works too.

For every 2 nice polite dining guests, there is always a demanding hell cat.

“I want a pizza with MORE meat. I mean more more, not just a few thin slices of salame.” She squeaked.
Anyone who wishes to have more meat would have ordered a beef steak instead. Perhaps she does not know that pizza was invented by the poor, using left over available in the kitchen; flour, some tomatoes sauces, water. Whatever additional ingredients found (like bits and pieces of salame, olive) was added to make a variety. So in a pizza, there will never be “more meat” because it was originally a poor man’s food.

Another guest complained: “I don’t like it. Next time ask your chef to make thinner spaghetti. They are so thick, I have difficulty swallowing it.” Maybe she needs to know that there are numerous kind of pasta. Spaghetti comes in various sizes. If she is not so ignorant, she could have ordered thinner pasta forms like vermicelli, linguine, bucatini, spaghetti no 5, no 7, tagliatelle, fusilli, farfalle etc. The next time before one starts to complain, it is better to get some basic knowledge of things. Otherwise apart from being a bitch, one risks to be imbecilic too.


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Precious laughter

“Do you watch the local tv drama series every night?” My friend asked me.

“No”, I replied, “I do not want to go into depression.”

What the script writer can come out one after another, year after year are all tragedies, celebrating every mishap and hardship under the sun. A little bad fortune is being transformed into a catastrophe. What is so interesting about that? Does the audience really licking up all this?

Every time I switch on the tv, there are some actress in tears, screaming or dying. Is this reflecting real life? Does all drama shows have to be like this? Does this mean good acting?

Such programs are so unnecessary. On the contrary a little laughter is appreciated but it is so difficult to write humor into the script. There are just so few examples in our daily life to draw examples from. Because happiness is rare, that is why we need it so much in tv. Life is not just tears, there are laughter too.

 
 
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Hands up !

This high class restaurant apparently embraces all the right elements towards hygiene:

Industrial high temperature dish washer? Checked.
Drying utensils with cloths? Checked.
Chefs wearing gloves when handling food? Checked.
Bartenders using pincers? Checked.
Disinfect dinning table after every use? Checked.

Waiter with clean hands?
Hello, waiter with clean hands?

Well, After 8 days of observation, I have not seen anyone cleaning their hands after collecting dirty oily plates. The same pair of hands also brings freshly prepared food onto the table for the next guest. The same pair of hands then picks up a towel to wipe the table and sanitize it with a strong, poisonous chemical liquid.

If you demolish with the same hands that you build, then why bother with building in the first place? Maybe the building is just for exposition.


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Fine Dining

Now that I am working inside, I am about to dissect the whole myth of a high/fine dining restaurant…step by step. Beyond the breathtaking deco, is a world quite different from the diners and layman like us.

Firstly, of course is the organization. Everyone has a role to play and the hierarchy is as complicated as a spider web. The kitchen staff has its own, the service staff has theirs. The one that I am working for has 15 in the kitchen and 12 on the service side. All working hard for 108 guests (if the restaurant is full, which it is usually not).


It is nice to be pampered by all these people. But of course, the cost of this huge labor force eventually goes back to your bill. That is why a bottle of mineral water costs $9.00 while normally you get it in the supermarket for $1.50.


That is why they call it fine dining. Besides dinner, you also get a hefty fine.



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