Cravings

I'm actually looking forward to our trip back to KL this weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing my parents and in-laws (especially Brian). I'm looking forward to catching up with Ee Leng and Tzu-Anne. I'm looking forward to going to Central Market and doing some home decor shopping. Above all else, I'm looking forward to satisfying my cravings for the following:

- Bak Kut Teh  (DARK soup, not PEPPER soup)

- Char Kway Teow  (SOY sauce, not SWEET sauce)

      

- Hokkien Mee  (DARK sauce, not LIGHT sauce)

- Rojak  (INDIAN style, not CHINESE)

- Chendol  (GULA MELAKA, not BROWN SUGAR)

Kiddy Logic

Amusing conversations with my nephew, TJ, today.

TJ: Patch is hungry.
Me: No, Patch is just being greedy.
TJ: What does greedy mean?
Me: Greedy means you are not hungry but you want to eat.
TJ: What if you are hungry but don't want to eat?
Me: That's just being difficult.
TJ: ... What if you are hungry and you want to eat?
Me: ...
TJ: That's being easy  (looking very pleased with himself).

...

TJ's Mummy: Do you want some Smarties?
TJ: Yes.
TJ's Mummy: Here you go  (pouring Smarties into TJ's bowl). How many have I given you?
TJ: One ... two ... three ... four ... five ... six   (counting out loud).
Me: If you tell Mummy six, she won't give you any more; if you tell Mummy one, she will give you more  (whispering).
TJ: One.
TJ's Mummy: I know I've given you more than one, so don't tell me one. If you tell me one, that means you're lying to me and I don't like that. So tell me again, how many have I given you?
TJ: ... Five.

:D

Reverse Sneezing

Patch gave us a fright last night. We were all sleeping when suddenly Patch started wheezing and hyperventilating. This was the first time he'd ever done this, so we were terrified and didn't know what to do. I carried him into bed with us and started stroking him in order to calm him down. Just as suddenly as he'd started, he then coughed sneezed and it was all over! This morning, I did some research and found out that Patch probably suffered a bout of mechanosensitive aspiration reflex, or more commonly known as Reverse Sneezing. In a regular sneeze, a dog pushes air out through the nose; however, in a reverse sneeze, air is pulled rapidly in through the nose producing a noisy inspiratory effort. During a reverse sneeze, a dog will make a loud snorting sound, which might sound like he has something caught in his throat (many dog owners think their pet is suffocating during a reverse sneeze episode). Each reverse sneezing occurrence generally lasts for less than a minute up to two minutes. We learn something new every day.  :)

Godfather II

Just like Ed to go and buy himself the Godfather figurine right after we'd done the Godfather marathon over the weekend (see earlier post dated 19 July).

Godfather

Ed and I 'ran' a Godfather marathon over the weekend. He's always been a huge fan of the 3-part miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola ("Dracula"). I'd heard so much about the series from Ed, colleagues and friends (all guys, mind you), so I was more than a little curious to see what all the hype was about. My verdict? Apart from the fact that I thought Marlon Brando spoke funny (apparently, he'd stuffed his cheeks with cotton to give the appearance of a bulldog) and the young Al Pacino reminded me a lot of a certain person in GfK (whom I would prefer to forget), I liked it. In fact, I liked it a lot.  :)

End of Job Loyalty?

Times have changed. Gone are the days where employers look out for the wellbeing of their employees and employees in turn stick with the company through thick and thin. Most people I know don't think twice about changing jobs (and companies) when they feel unhappy or dissatisfied (whether rightly or wrongly). I myself have gone through 4 companies over the 10+ years of my career, with the longest being 3.5 years in a market research company in Malaysia.

My dad thinks that the younger generation of workers is spoilt and has no sense of loyalty. I don't agree. I think we're simply more aware of our rights and less hung up on job security. To be fair, I think that our attitudes and behaviours are a mere reaction to the way we are treated by our companies. I have personally never been in an organisation that offers long-term benefits that make it worthwhile for me to stay rather than leave. Forget about car or housing loans (nice to have but not necessary), look at the miserable yearly increments (3-5 percent on average) that companies give to employees who stay. Then compare that with the (very) attractive potential increment (20-30 percent) from switching jobs. Honestly, who in their right mind would not be tempted to take the second option?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that we change jobs every year. I still believe that one should stay in a job (and company) for a fair amount of time (3 years?) in order to really learn the ropes and acquire new skills and knowledge. Thereafter I think it's only natural that one assesses the situation to decide whether to stay or leave. If I'm in a company that recognises and rewards my performance and loyalty, I would not think twice of staying. Otherwise, I'll leave. Now that's what I call conditional job loyalty.

Cat Attack

It's no secret that Patch hates cats. Every time he comes across one, he goes berserk and attempts to attack it. Unfortunately for him, the cats don't seem to be afraid of him  (perhaps because of his small size?). There's one cat in particular that likes to come to our apartment in the evenings. This cat is probably the same size as Patch and does not even flinch when it sees Patch approaching. Most times, Ed and I feel sorry for Patch so we will chase the cat away  (for the sake of Patch's esteem). Last night however we did not realise that the cat was hiding under a car and before we knew it Patch had dashed under the car to confront his feline nemesis. Ed immediately pulled Patch out from the under the car and I chased the cat away, but it was too late: pore Patch suffered scratches on his face. But I think the real damage was to his ego.  ;p

Melodramatic

This one cracked me up.

Hairy Home

Last week, my nephew (TJ) said to me, "Lai Yi (youngest aunt), your house is very dirty". I was puzzled so I asked him, "Can you show Lai Yi where is dirty?". He then gave me a cheeky smile and replied, "Patchy's hair is everywhere!".

It's true. As tidy as our home is, Patch's hair is everywhere; on the floor, on the couch, on our bed, on our clothes, in our car, etc. People are always amazed when I tell them that Patch sheds alot of hair because he's got such short hair and he always looks so neatly combed. But what a lot of people don't realise is that short-haired dogs (especially Jack Russell Terriers) actually shed much more than long-haired dogs.

When Patch was staying with my parents, my dad would sweep the floor every single day. Even then, it was a losing battle because you wake up the following day and you see hair all over the floor again. I guess it's more obvious in our home because our couch and floor are dark brown in colour while Patch's hair is white. I feel a little embarrassed when people come to the house and there's hair all over the place. Or when we give our friends a lift and they get out of our car with furry behinds. Or when I go to work and have hair all over my clothes (mostly black, ironically). Still, all said and done, I reckon it's a small price to pay for all the love and affection that Patch gives us in return. After all, as Ed puts it, Patch is family.  :)

Shoe Crazy

Don't know what came over me but I went a little shoe crazy today. Went to Tampines Mall (on the pretext of returning our additional remote control to Starhub) and ended up with FOUR pairs of shoes in less than 20 minutes! Thereafter I quickly took the train home before I had the chance to buy anything else.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Every so often, I wake up filled with thanksgiving for all the blessings that God has bestowed on me. Today is one such day. So here goes:

Thank you Lord for Ed.
Thank you Lord for Patch.
Thank you Lord for my home.
Thank you Lord for my new job.
And in case I've left out anything (or anyone), thank you Lord for everything.
Amen.

Over the Moon

StarHub Upgrade

Went to Plaza Singapura today to upgrade our network subscription plan. We used to pay SGD89.88 per month for 8Mpbs internet connection + 3 basic groups of TV channels. Now we pay only SGD59.92 per month for 16Mpbs internet connection + 4 basic groups of TV channel. Plus we get 1 additional channel free for 6 months. So basically, we're getting more for less! I've always liked Starhub best (amongst the 3 key Network Service Providers in Singapore). I mean, you really can't go wrong with a brand that has a Jack Russell Terrier for its mascot.  :)

Omersa

Picked up our first (but hopefully, not last) Omersa "pet"  (www.omersa.co.uk). Not sure how Patch feels about his new "friend".  :)

Resorts World Sentosa

We decided to go check out the new Resorts World Sentosa over the weekend. We gave the casino a miss because neither of us was feeling particularly lucky so we didn't feel like paying the SGD100 entrance free. We also took a raincheck on Universal Studios because the main attraction, Battlestar Galactica (roller coaster), is temporarily closed so we didn't feel like paying the SGD72 entrance fee. In the end, we didn't do much except walk around (Festive Walk) and have lunch (Chillis), but I felt excited merely being there amongst the crowd of tourists with their incessant chatter and photo taking. It felt almost like being in Disneyland. We definitely plan to go back, hopefully with family.  :)

Plane vs. Car vs. Bus

We're planning to make a trip to KL this month. We can't decide whether to go by plane, car or bus.

Option 1: Plane
I personally prefer to fly but the budget flight timings are so odd that we would need to spend on a cab ride to the airport (early morning flight i.e. 7am) or check Patch into the doggy hotel one day earlier (evening flight i.e. 7pm). Plus if we fly, we would need to trouble someone (either my dad or father-in-law) to pick us up from the airport or spend on a cab ride from the airport to Elaine's place.

Option 2: Car
Ed prefers to drive however I'm not very comfortable driving a Singapore car in Malaysia ("asking for trouble", as my mum puts it), particularly since our car has a bright red plate (off-peak car). Plus if we drive, we would need to factor in the cost of petrol, toll and supplementary licence (for use of off-peak car on a weekday) so it all adds up to be more expensive than flying.

Option 3: Bus
Neither of us is particularly keen on taking the bus but Ed threw this in as a last-minute option. I suppose we could always take the bus, particularly since it's the cheapest and we would get off at Sunway Pyramid, just outside Elaine's house ...


After much deliberation, we've agreed to drive.

White Coat Hypertension

Ed has been trying to get his insurance scheme upgraded. As part of the application process, he needs to undergo a full-body medical examination. Problem is, he suffers from White Coat Hypertension - a phenomenon in which patients exhibit elevated blood pressure in a clinical setting but not in other settings. What this means is, every time he goes to the doctor and takes his blood pressure, it comes out high! As a result, his application was denied.

He's explained his condition to the doctor, so we're now waiting to see whether the insurance company will accept his explanation and approve his application. In the meantime, we've also put Ed on a diet; we're hoping that by cutting down his weight, his blood pressure will fall sufficiently that even when he goes to the doctor and his blood pressure rises, it will fall within the acceptable range. I know it's a long shot, but at this point, we really don't know what else to do.  :(

Library

In an attempt to curb my growing spending and boredom, Ed and I started going to the library recently. For just 10 dollars, we were each granted lifetime membership and allowed a maximum of 6 items per visit. Typically, that would translate into 2 fiction novels + 4 home decor magazines for me and 6 graphic novels (read: comics) for Ed. Not a bad deal at all.  :)

Online Shopping

I'm totally hooked on Gmarket.com! I think it's the result of a combination of factors:

1. I'm currently not working so have a lot of time on my hands
2. It's very hot outside so I prefer to stay at home
3. The stuff on Gmarket are so cheap


I mostly buy clothings, which is really quite risky because you never know if the size fits. So far though I've been pretty lucky because all the items I've purchased fit. Of course, some of them don't look as nice as they do on the website but they're the exception rather than the norm. The rule of thumb is: go casual, buy cotton.

Lots of my friends are surprised when I tell them that I shop online; most of them have never done it. It's really very simple. You just browse through the items on the website, select the one(s) you want, enter your credit card and mailing details, then confirm. Typically, it takes about 2-3 working days for the item(s) to be delivered. I always get a rush when I open the letterbox and see a package addressed to me. It's almost like receiving gifts, except it's from myself.  :)