Do people really believe what they read in the papers?

Do they?

I hope not.

I have read a lot of commentaries about brain washed Chinese people are, how blindly patriotic they are, exhibiting irrational nationalism, etc etc..China/communist sympathizer, simply because these people offer a view which is different from the main stream media's stand on China bashing and free Tibet. Whatver happen to free speech, which they accuse is lacking in "communist" countries?

With the disaster in Myanmar a few days ago and a the earth quake in China hours ago, reading the news is just plainly annoying. When these heart breaking, catastrophic natural disasters are happening, the media... (or can we extend it to the "West" by proxy?) had unbelievably xxxx (fill in the blanks! )

Reports were largely absent or relegated as small section in page xx , until one free commuter paper picked up the issue and appealed for mass donation to help Myanmar. Hardly a handful of newspapers had paid attention, until uhh.. there is something interesting to say about the "junta", the military government preventing aid from pouring in. I see (yes, "see". Reading them one by one would only make me angry) more articles about human rights issues in Myanmar, than human life issues. Where were these human rights activists/journalists blah blah blah when the monks marched on the streets a few months ago? Where was the support? Now is the time to really save lives, and all I hear is talk. Talk about the "right" to intervene, "right to protect". What rubbish. Talk is cheap. And "intervening" when a country is down and facing such a big disaster is just so "convenient". I did not know whether to laugh or to cry when I saw comments such as "If the junta do not want to save their own people, why help them?" And when I see news about "rejection of aids", I thought, how naive.

Interestingly, there were also articles about the difference between "Burma" and "Myanmar". It is funny how these people insist on calling another country by a name which they prefer, instead of the name the country wants to be known of. "Burma" being less formal, preferred by freedom fighters!? What rubbish about Myanmar being the name preferred by the "junta". (Just say the truth-Burma being prefered by the Brits because that is how they called their "colony".) The next time someone tell me "My name is Robbinson, call me Robbin", I will tell him that does not sound appropriate, not proper.. blah blah... and insist on calling him "Rob". CONDESCENDING, in full capital letters, bold font!

It is sad, isn't it. When the passion in writing about human suffering and human lives pale so much compared to" human rights", "democracy", freedom of speech .. blah blah blah."Obviously, people who are too well fed may find it difficult to understand human life issues.

Perhaps a full stomach and endless cheap booze cause people lack the imagination and empathy about people's sufferings? Look at the cries about India and China causing the increase in food prices. "Oliver, you have eaten too much! Food price is increasing!"

How dare those Indians and Chinese eat so much!

These two billion people in (JUST) 2 countries want to eat as much as the people in US and Europe? Who do they think they are? We need grains to make biofuel for the cars!!

Fed-up

人善被人欺？ 好心没好报?

I am totally fed-up. I am fed up of people trying to put things into my mouth.

I am fed-up of someone saying that I find others a trouble, when I have never felt that way, and definitely never say or hinted anything about it! That undermine my friendship with others！ 不要把你的问题转到别人的身上去！把被人也拉下水。Sigh.

I am fed up of having to use these phrases so many times in one day: "No, that is not true", "We did not say that!"

And I am totally fed-up, when I try to help others, and they turn back and bite me.

不要在我的面前说我的朋友的丈夫好可爱。。。。。不要故意所一些话让别人以为他也对你也有兴趣！听了就发火。不要在我的面前暗示你们私下有来往。听了就发火！For goodness sake. What would people think when they hear it? And I bet that guy don't even know what you say about him behind him! What do you want me to do? Go and tell my friend? haha... Nope. You wish! You want to flirt, go and flirt far far away. Damn it. Don't come and disturb my friends. I might explode one day. You dun want to bear the brunt of my explosion. Just ask my little brother. He quickly wished the person good luck, when I say I might explode. 哈哈

Don't mess with me, cos....

....I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king.......

Damn I have the worst of both worlds. Weak and feeble like a woman. Always faint here faint there.. and heart of a king--? sure die young of heart attack... stomach? Die. All kings have protruding bellies, but not pregnant.

Free internet access???

The stupid hotel did not have my booking, and therefore had no room for me. So, I had to come back "later" for a room. Finally i got a room, a nice room- top floor... yeah!!).Alright, it is a disabled person room with no bath tub, no minibar, no drinking water. Fine. Then i realised that the ironing board did not work, one of the light bulbs was not working, and that made the room dim and difficult for me to do my work, except when I sit at the table. No reading on sofa, or bed. Nvm.. the best thing was the water began to flow out of the shower because the bloody drain hole was choked, despite the low water pressure (that was another annoyance, it took me a long time to shower!). I called the housekeeping many times, but did not even get through. the reception then asked me to call later. I did as instructed and some dim wit told me that it is too late already. Maintenance & housekeeping no longer operate, why didn't I call earlier???!!!

I then asked about my internet access, only to have them tell me that my room has no access. I can use the business centre, go to the lounge on 2nd floor(which was full) or pay for the wired broadband! I was going to scream! My boss booked this hotel because she thought that will give me free internet access, in my room! Doesn't this sounds free?

"Complimentary High Speed Internet Access
Benefit from complimentary high-speed Internet access during your stay at The Xurlington Hotel. Wired broadband access is available in every bedroom and wireless access is available to guests using public areas including the lobby and business centre "

Then the smart aleck offered me a solution, asked me to change rooms. Bloody idiot, changed me to a lousy room, and internet access worked for a while. Then, it all stopped. I feel so cheated. I feel like this was revenge for my complaints. Now I sit at the executive lounge, because they give me a "nice room" (which has many broken things, including a shaky table). I will get all my water supply from this lounge, since this stupid hotel charge so much for a bottle of distilled water from the minibar, since for some unknown reasons, I started to have diarrhoea a few hours after I boiled some water with old looking kettle and drank it... Hotels in Europe and US often irritate me. May be I am too demanding, but they really suck compared to Asian hotels. Forget about sending people here to train for hospitality management. Asian countries can start offering courses about how to give good services to these block heads.

Ban these people from flying!

On my way back from Newark, the mad German woman beside me stood up when the plane was taking off and grabbed her digital camera from the overhead compartment. Apparently, the night view of Manhattan was beautiful enough to risk her life and ours!!

She turned on her huge SLR digital camera to take photos! I was rather horrified, the captain had just announce the usual safety things just minutes ago. I was like, "hey, i don't think you can use a digital equipment when the flight is ascending". She still insisted, pushed me aside (since I had the window seat), and still snapped!!! The idiot used the flash, and of course, she could not capture anything, because of the reflections! She looked at me angrily, screamed "too late", cursed, and said "Bitch!".

Bitch!??? What a bitch!! She should be grounded! How can we have people like that happily flying here and there, and risk the lives of other people? The Americans were so angry with the TB guy, who still flew despite being told that that is a significant risk to others. How about this woman? Who happily did what she wanted, even when it is told that it could interfere with the flight safety?? Is there a fine for a bitch like her?

Theory is proven-Fate like to play play with me

My theory is proven.

There is this perverse "arrangement" which "test & tease" me all the time!

After days of holing up in my hotel room, doing my writings and working in a perfect weather Washington DC, I made my way to the airport. Cursing beneath my breath, "So, this is Washington DC, well at least i know how the famous Arlington Cemetery look like!"

Oh yeah, thanks to my friend's friend getting lost on the way to find "rice", I saw the National Monument and the park, and a glimpse of the Capitol Building roof from the car. That is all!!

Bye bye washington DC!

As the grumpy me walked to the counter to get my boarding pass, a guy gave me a chesire cat grin, and asked me whether I "wish to fly off tomorrow".

I was like, so you read my mind?? Of course??? I haven't seen anything!

My wish was granted.

He explained to me my flight was overbooked, and if I were to be kind enough to give up my seat, I will get a free hotel stay and a pair of free return air tickets for my next flight to Washington DC or another similar US location!!!!

WOooooo hooooooooooooo...I have taken countless flights! This is my moment! The "bump off" deal!

Errr.......no thanks. I got to work tomorrow.

No? Sure? We will give you a free return flight, you choose your US destination, and we will put you in a nice hotel tonight. You can spend another day here. Weather is beautiful.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. NO thanks. Not this time. :((

Really? You can think about it.

Bloody hell. Is he tempting me to quit my job???? That is a good reason!!! Especially when I was coming back to clean up shit. .... but i got to pay rental and the deposit for the new rental flat, and pay for lots and lots of things :(

Sigh........not this time. I have to give a lecture tomorrow. :(

Perverse. Perverse!!! Why does life have to treat me this way????? I had this almost out of body experience: watching myself walking away sadly with my boarding pass, "someone up there" was having a good laugh at me.

back to reality

I am back, after a very good time in "Holland". haha. we made so many silly jokes about "Holland", thanks to watching too many Cantonese movies. All I wanted to do today was to come home early, blog & show off my perfect tulip bloom photos. However, my plans are dashed, and my day is ruined!

Last Wed afternoon, I was told that I have to go to US for a business trip. I was like, what?? Why no one told me earlier? Then, it was a mad rush to arrange for the visa interview blah blah blah. From the sly looks and the remarks, i knew that this was not an accidental miscommunication. It would be convenient to leave me out because "I cannot go", isn't it? To my great luck, my friend has just applied for a visa, and could tell me all the procedures, strategies and saved me lots of mess.

After some hiccups here and there, spending more than £100, and almost 2 hours standing by the roadside in a queue looking like a beggar wanting a bowl of free soup, I "passed", and got my visa! I looked like a panda, after sleeping at 2am to prepare for the interview, and waking up at 6 am.

Happily, I went back to work with the good news. Then, B told me there is a "change of plan". TMD!!! Despite all my obvious hints about the cost of a visa, there was no offer to pay for it. So, afterall, I might not get to go. Keeping my fingers crossed. Bloody hell! Are they playing me? I sometimes feel like I am taking a kindergarten level office politics here, the tactics are so crude and cheap.

Stealing of a nation: the thief has no shame

Have you heard of the Chagos Islands? The Diego Garcia?

Stealing of a nation: an example of brutal power abuse. Little people like me could only put a link on their blogs, with the hope that more people will watch the video.

Towards the end of the video, it is laughable to see a foreign secretary consider spending £5 million relocating people back to their homeland as not a good "choice" in spending tax payer's money. It is a duty, not a choice! You don't have a choice of whether to pay the fines when you are booked for speeding, do you?

I am afraid, this have to be tagged: CRIME. A dog lover like me just felt so nauseated that more than 1000 dogs(the pets!) were killed as a warning to the people.

More details of the CRIME:
Diego Garcia: Remembering paradise lost
The Chagos Islands: A sordid tale

Humongous words

This week's new theme:

Humongous words. Yes, the more complicated it is, the better, and preferably used in an alliterative way.

Eg, make sentences like:
...to include inputs, involvement and interactions of important members....

Then, insist on Englishness, by saying:
"....irregardless..., we have to use UK spelling!!!"

Damn, it feels like I am back to secondary two. J was angry because he lost to a gal in science. Gals should be terrible in science and losing to one was a major loss of face to a pimply 14 year old.

So, J threw me huge huge words. Big was slum-ish. Large was laughable. Only humongous words could show off your intellect. :D I miss "quarrels" with J. We were after all really good friends, and J actually brought along a dictionary in school. Honestly, without J, I wont be who I am. He is one of those important friends in your development stage who helped to shape who you are today.

This is how we used to fight:

"choppp!!! What did you say?"

"xyz! Don't you understand? Proven-girls are stupid"

"Don't understand! Not like you, I don't speak English at home! Ok, why don't we speak in Chinese? Speak Chinese!"

[For someone who could not even pronounce his name accurately in Chinese...] "Ok, ok. Check dictionary..."

Wait, how do you spell XYZ?

Girls are stupid, X-Y-Z!!!! Grrrr.

.... and then I would check the dictionary & get angry when I realised what he meant. During the "cease fire", I would compose my argument by substituting the words with humongous synonyms to scold him.

Those were the fun, innocent days. Where did they go?

This time, it is not innocent. It is a constant stress.

Gosh, I am a lazy bum. Why must you insult me?

DONKEY STORY:

A person who is as stubborn (and probably as stupid) as a donkey likes to listen to donkey stories.

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel loads later,the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw.

With every shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Life's too short to moan over the + DIRT +!! SHAKE IT OFF!

Some donkey info:


Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness, but this is due to some handlers' misinterpretation of their highly-developed sense of self-preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest, as opposed to horses who are much more willing to, for example, go along a path with unsafe footing.

Although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. [Source-wikipedia]

Chillingly, the Honolulu Zoo's description of the donkeys' behaviour is more accurate compared to those zodiac signs ...

BEHAVIOR:

Donkeys are complex creatures, capable of many moods. They can be friendly, affectionate, independent, patient, and even sad, and there is no questioning their intelligence. But when a donkey would rather not do something, it can be the laziest and most stubborn creature in the world.

Like horses and ponies, donkeys are capable of biting and kicking with both hind legs. However, such behavior is unlikely from any animal accustomed to children unless there is a great deal of provocation...

... Donkeys are most active in the evening, but also move about during the day and at night. When threatened, their defense is to run or bite....

Conclusions: I got to go for kick boxing classes and the dentist- to sharpen my teeth!

One day I will be rich...

"One day I will be rich..."

dunno WHY I think this way this morning...

I wonder where the "inspiration" came from. I think I am just too stressed up, trying to hit deadlines when I am feeling so unwell. Sigh...

Alright... maybe I should just keep the "sudden thought" there.. my since my previous "thoughts" did turn out quite correct...

rite, like real. One day I will be rich.. and I can fly here, fly there, fly everywhere to eat whatever I want to eat. I can charter planes to fly "The flying goose" and the egg tart from HK, the chef from Sg's Mandarin just to cook me Hainanese chicken rice, my favourite hawker uncles and aunties to cook me carrot cakes and chow kuey tiao... and fly my favourite "muscleman" chendol uncle to make me chendol.

If only I am damn rich, my face would work like a credit card without limits, and without a need for signatures or PINS.

"Mrs C, anything you fancy? Why dont you try our latest designs from XYZ..... Ohhh that is so nice, shall we wrap it up for you?"

"Errr... Sorry, i just happened to walk in, did not even bring my wallet and my cards"

"Uh, no problems at all. Dont worry about it. Pick as many as you want. We can deliver it to you immediately and send the bills to Mr C's office at a later date".....

Depending on my mood, and since I am usually fickle, I would buy the whole collections of everything so that other tai tais "got nothing to wear".. woah hahah

...............still dreaming................

One day when I am rich, I can high tea everyday, and do 3 liposuctions a year, and I will not longer be fat.

RIte... day dreaming time over... back to that stupid draft.

Why am I doing everything, and someone else just go to "look through and think about it to shape it up" to put his bloody name down? That is my blood and sweat. He is not even my boss or superior or have more knowledge or experience than me. Just a bloody boot licker.

When I came out with the idea, thought out everything, bloody idiot just need to say "ohhh that sounds good, can i participate in that?" "Participate" what? !!!! Well, he "participates" because he cant handle it on his own. Things that he could handle, he would talk to boss, and that would have been his! Bloody biased. Damn it.

His participation will waste me another 1-2 weeks(if lucky), with no beneficial outcomes, or additional improvements...

One day when I am rich, I will tell people like him to get lost and send him 10 pair of boots, and some butter. Butter up, lick the boots and get out of my way.

Sorry.. photos missing!

For some reasons, the snow photos are not showing up.

Now I am seriously thinking of abandoning this blog! Loading good quality photos is a pain!

Wanted to blog about my BOOTS sweep, but my mood is totally spoiled now.

Machu picchu??? My heart sank..

My heart sank when I saw this picture. The official limit per porter is 25kg/person, as the load is weighted at the start.

25kg!!! It is not even 25 kg on a flat path! I believe that this will be the minimum as it seems there are many ways to load them more! Gosh!! Are we talking about humans or cows??

This photo is already making me so queasy. Will I be able to withstand actually seeing it happen? Will I be helping them when I go? Or will I contribute to more problems? Pay them well--> social instability when they earn much much more than anyone else. What will a simple man do when he suddenly has so much money? I shudder at the thought.

Pay them little-- exploitation exploitation!! Whether you pay more or less, I have no idea how they came up with 25 kg as the "law". That is still back breaking! I remember my 25 kg day hike. Flat road. After a few kilometers, the 1.5 litre plastic water bottle started to feel heavy. After a while, I was dying to finish drinking it to lighten the load, and yet did not dare because that means I would have no more water!

And can I trust those companies talking about porter welfare? Can I trust a company which say the main problem about bringing more food is the weight??

Weight or no weight, you got to eat means you got to eat. So what if you bring one more porter, just to carry the food? How does one more porter in the group determine profit or loss when they earn so little? Why don't they earn less profit and carry more food? 1 porter's pay is so little! Even poor me could afford to pay an extra porter all by myself, for 4 days!!

This is sick!!! And this info is supposedly from a company which has above average welfare! Argh.

This article, Inca Trail - Through the Eyes of a Porter is a nice account, but can we just take everything the porters say at face value?

The "grandma" at the bus station taught me "dignity"

I was reading about a granny in her 90s selling home made malted sweets in the corridors of one of the "hippest", richest, coolest "village" is a very prosperous nation. The granny has been there since the 1990s. She was already very old then, but very strong. In recent years, she looked much more frail. The gals in the forums I haunt are wondering where she is these days, as she is seldom seen. Perhaps it was the bad weather, or her ailing health. Either way, there were concern among netizens if she is alright. I hope she is alright too.

I was so touched to see other caring souls around.

I don't know much about that "granny", not as much as that feisty soul near my home, whom I regularly obtained my supply of tissue paper.

I care about her, I realised. Last year, I knew she recognized me and probably cared a little bit about me too. I could see it from how her face lit up, and pleasantly surprised when I stopped by to get some tissue paper from her. It is the face that of someone who is really happy to see you, as if your appearance answered her questions/doubts/worries about where you are. There is an unexplained warm fuzzy feeling when that happened.

This granny, who had never spoken more to me other than "thank you"s and pushing more tissue paper or change into my hands whenever I "overpaid", suddenly started talking to me!!! Alas , for the first time in my life, I really hated myself for not being able to speak Hokkien!!! I could not speak Hokkien, and she did not seem to be able to speak Mandarin. So, "our conversation" ended with the granny pressing a packet of tissue into my hands--hard. I told her I don't live there anymore, take care; and hoped that she understood me. Granny must have been wondering what happened to the gal who needed so much tissue paper (cry baby??), and then "disappeared". I had been away for a year.

I am really worried about her now, since I am overseas. I wonder if she is still healthy enough to fend for herself. Is she sick? Does she see a doctor? Can she understand the instructions from doctors/pharmacists about how/when to take her medicine?

A few years ago, she would walk around the bus terminal, asking if people want to buy tissue from her. Unlike the typical tissue paper seller, this granny will not push you to buy, or hang around gaining your sympathy if you say "no", or just shake your head.

If you are like most of her "fans" who try to pass her a 2 dollar note and make away with only 1 packet (the BIG packet, containing 12 packets of tissue, which she was selling for $1, and costs about $1 in shops!!-how much profit could she get???), she would run after you, and insist that you
a) take another packet of tissue
b) take the change

Out of these, I figured out it was best to get 4 packs of 5 per bundle tissue. 4x5=20. If you get two big packs, it was 2x12=12 packs of tissue. So, I would offer her a choice (c).

It was quite funny when one day, she was "negotiating" (the above choices) with me, and one man slipped a $5(or $10?? Cant remember) note into her bag. She turned around, found out, and gave chase! Ran after him. That guy got to stop, because he was obviously worried that she would fall down. And if he did not stop, with a granny running after him, people might think he had robbed her???

Well, that is her history. I always told my hubby, if I am old and poor one day, I will be like her. she really got "gu qi". Even if you are poor, you can still keep your dignity!

In the last 2-3 years, she no longer walked around the station, but would sit there on the sidewalks, on her stool, displaying her wares: tissue paper, towels, sponge, on the floor. She looked really weak compared to last time. If you pay her 1 dollar, and take only 5 packets (normally sold for 50 cents), she would push you another 5 packets. But if you say no, and go away with just 5 packets, she would call out to offer you change. If you insist on paying $1 for a 50 cent packet, she would no longer chase you, and just keep on saying thank you in hokkien.

I admire this grandma very very much. I suppose you could get a glimpse of her character from how neatly she "packaged" her towels and sponge. She was still charging 5 packets for 50cents when I saw her last year. With the inflation going UP, does she earn less these days from a packet of tissue?

"Ah ma" is too old weak to run these days, which really saddens me. My heart breaks. It takes a lot for someone like her to accept the extra 50cents from strangers. Something in her dignity must have been chipped away by the time-a thing called old age which will visit us all.

Will I manage to keep my dignity with me in my last years/days on earth?

p/s: if you pass by BB station, please buy from her, yeah?

What an anticlimax!!!

I have been feeling really really tired from my work. And have been using whatever left that from my strength to read THE devil Wears Prada.

That Miranda Priestly was indeed worth her Pradas and Chanel. However, the ending was an all too predictable thing. Hate these kind of books. Maybe that it why is a chick lit. Sigh. Just like Lipstick Jungle. Good too read to keep up with what corporate America's latest fetishes are... but.......

just forget the story line.

A revelation from the dead.....

Sumerians..Egyptians etc etc

Visited the British Museum (yes, again)

This time I came out with a conclusion.

We eat too damn much!!!

Look at the pottery of the earlier civilisations, their "vessels", their "plates", and their "bowls". Phi tried to tell me those storage jars might be "cups", but I was determined to have none of it. Look at the size of that God damn bracelets! I cant fit in!!

Sigh.. I MUST LOSE WEIGHT

THE MUMMIES and sumerians were telling me to.

Note: TAlking about death. I saw a woman walking pass, stopped, placed flower on the hedges of the house across the road.

So, it is that house. I had tried to imagine that it was further away, but no, no. With all the leaves dead and off, I can see the house so clearly. Poor woman.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be shopping in Tesco?"

What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be shopping in Tesco?

"...Exclusive London department store, Harrods, sacked its Santa after complaints that he racially abused an Asian family and made unpleasant remarks about their daughter, a London Evening newspaper reported Wednesday. The store's Father Christmas shocked shoppers with his outburst on Monday, the report said.

When Santa saw an Asian couple and their children, he reportedly blurted out: "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be shopping in Tesco?" - a British supermarket chain.

As the furious family turned to leave the Knightsbridge store, he made suggestive comments about the couple's teenage daughter, asking her to come and sit on his knee."

Haiz... why are there people like this? Offending people without provocation? Although I suspect that the "victim" is Ah Neh( I got most problems from them!), I still think that no one deserved this unprovoked. I have two incidents lately, and really thought that these people need to be taught a good lesson.

Sam Soon against Ah Neh.....

Yeah. I did it again.

This time to a big company. The company which is supposed to give me one loyalty point for not taking plastic bag.

Most of the time, I dont take plastic bags. My two pints of milk and loaf of bread were perfect dumbells (esp the milk!), I could imagine my arms getting slimmer as I swing them on my way home. Slim and safe. No one will attack a woman walking like that with 2 pints of milk in her hands.

BUT they never gave me a single point! One evening I was curious and asked them, "How come I did not receive a green point? I have never received any so far" in a very friendly way when I got my receipt at the till.

Damn ah neh. Dunno why he must offend me.

Told me, " I dont know! If you want your point you can call customer service"... that kind of challenging looking, like it will be stupid to spend money to call for 1 point which worth is 1 cent. Do I look that cheapskate??

He picked the wrong person. By now, after 1 year here, I know these ah neh style. Not the first time.Whether the locals like you or not, they are always polite enough not to make you feel that you are discriminated. But ah neh in London, but not central London is one kind (Oxford street types are ok). Plus I was really pissed off that this is supposed to be for the environment, there is a big campaign about it, and yet here in my local stores they don't give you what was promised.

So I sent an email to their customer service (email is free)..


"... blah blah blah
..blah blah blah..
....Your staff told me to call you if i want my points. Do I really have to call you to get that 1 point or find out whether I can get my G***n point? I have figured out it will be much cheaper to text to the papers, to check if I am the only person not receiving the points or others have the same experience too".

I received their apologies. Now I get my points when I dun take plastic bag. Why can't they just be nicer in the first place?

Today I got another experience, another ah neh. All I wanted is to take home 1 form to apply for a credit card from the pile there. Not only he did not allow it, he also asked sarcastically whether i am above 18. As I have been in good mood but in a hurry, I was still polite and friendly. I just wanted to grab a form and go!

"Of course", I said.

From my short reply to his insult,he probably thought that I cant speak English. I am easy to bully, or probably the new cleaner on the block. I was wearing sports shoes due to my ankle pains, and an old blouse ( thanks to the mould). I am easy to bully, or probably the new cleaner on the block. To add insult to the injury, he tried to lecture me about there is something called "Data Protection Act", and implied that if I take home the form, I would fill in other people's details, and commit fraud!!In my fury, and my hurry, I just put back the form and walked off.

Hmmm. I am not sure if I want to complain, because

1) I sensed a racist discrimination in they way he spoke to me-enough to get him in shit
2) By trying to make me fill up the form and return immediately, he tried to coerce me to sign up for a financial product on the spot, not allowing me sufficient time to consider it, or go through the information which is necessary to make informed judgment-enough to get his whole team in shit
3) The way he said about the danger letting me bring a credit card application from is indirectly insulting my character, and i suspect this is a form of discrimination-even more shit.

Saw what happened to the Harrods' Santa?
Asked " asian couple" : "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be shopping in Tesco?" SACKED.

I never want people to lose their job, and wouldn't want my complain to cost someone their rice bowl. Too vicious. But I want to teach that chap not to be mean to a woman, just because she is not exactly of a SYT age. Because she gave you a 2 word friendly answer to your sarcasm about her age, it does not mean she cant speak enough English to retort you or is the cleaner of the university. Like I told my brother over msn, you want to bully people also think of the location you are at.

So shall i complain of or not?

The Sam Soon in me...

As I walked down my flat with two bagful of clothes to the laundrette, and depressed with those thoughts about my flat, and how helpless I am because I am in a foreign country with not many friends, I saw the door latch of the entrance to our block unlocked. Angry me decided to confront woman who just came in to tell her off-almost Kim Sam Soon style (the fattiness, and the awkward bags!). I cant believe I really did it!

Everytime I come home at this time of the day, the door is unlocked! Could she please remember to close it properly? She just need to give it a push, and it would lock. Otherwise, everyone could just come in. This building is occupied mostly by women and young children. We just need to so something that is very simple, and everyone would be much safer! A woman is just robbed and murdered 50 metres away from us! We got to spare a thought for everyone's safety!

She apologised, and told me that she saw me coming down, and therefore did not latch it. She was very happy that there is another person watching out for the door. Her flat was burglared last month, and that is why she wrote the notice and stick to the door to remind people to close it! And if the insurance company found that the main door of the block of flat is unlocked, she would not even get any compensation. All our home protection insurance would be void because of this. However, some idiots still dont give a damn!! We ended up having a very friendly chat, and made a pact to really catch all those idiots who dont lock the door to lock it! We are going to watch out for them, and remind them that it is important to give the door that gentle push!

Yeah, we talked about the poor woman who was killed. She knew her. Apparently everyone in this area knows her. She is a very nice, kind lady, the owner of a popular takeaway business.

When I walked past the murdered woman's house to the laundrette, my heart sank. This row of houses look so peaceful, facing busy road. I was very happy when I saw there were 2 other women, and a BIG DOG at the laundrette. I felt safe.

The women were friendly. One of them work for the laundrette. She would close the shop, and she comes in at 6 everyday. Seeing no other worker or owner, I asked her if there is someone else at all in the laundrette. Apparently not. At other times, it is empty!!

Gosh, I said. Then I am glad you are here, and your lovely dog. A woman was just murdered nearby. Scary.

Ohhhhh. they started talking. We all know her. Lovely lady. Apparently, she had been watched, followed from the bus-stop perhaps. That is why these days it feels very uncomfortable whenever a dodgy man walk past. They told me how uncomfortable they were when another man was there.

A man came off a car, and walked pass.... Jasper the dog was all ears. We, the three women in the laundrette, were all eyes. Eying the man approaching carefully, and let off a quiet sigh when he walked next door.

Thank goodness for Jasper's presence. We all felt safer. I just got to pat Jasper. He is really adorable.

More talk on the murder. They reassured me that it is the FIRST murder here. This is a lovely friendly peaceful place. The fact that the 4 suspects were bailed and roaming freely in the community again, makes everyone very uncomfortable. Human rights gone mad.

When a few guys walked pass, the woman locked the door. We all laughed. More conversation about the senseless beatings, these youth gangs.

Robberies take away more than our property. The take away the sense of trust in the community.

Mold city!!!

Mold ie fungi.. is just like mushrooms (their cousins). Have you heard something like of "like mushroom after rain"?

Overnight, we discovered so many patches of mold in our room-black toxic mold!
Maybe that is why my nose has been feeling really stuffy and I asked hubby to vacuum the house.

I did not notice anything when I went out this morning, but when I came back... I noticed so many patches!!! Did they appear while I was shopping?? Damn!!

I suspected some potential problems when the landlord came last time, he was looking at ceilings checking corners.

Everything ok? Any problems with the ceilings and walls? These are newly done.

Ohh thanks. They are ok.

That is good!

Hmmm... if you are renting, and you got this conversation with your landlord, you better beware.

You could be moving into MOULD CITY!!!-Nah, the picture is not art, it is mould.

At the rate the mould appears in our room, we will become like this by the time we come back from our weekend trip. And all our clothings, books (!), will be damaged as well. Darn!!!

We had a fixed term contract with no exit clause, and that is a big big damn. Should not have taken something without break clause. I cant remember why I went through with it. I will have to live here for 6 months.

Even if the mould seems controlled, they will still come back again anytime. They will still be there.. deep in the walls and ceiling waiting to come back and attack.

I am already allergic to many things, if I am allergic to this one, life is going to be really shitty. It ruined my whole damn night. I am supposed to prepare for an important meeting, but all I could do is Googling to see how I could minimise the damage.

I am not going to sleep well tonight.

Not when my brain is running background processing of all the studies which have associated mold with cancer, asthma, allergies, blah blah blah blah. And this is the damn toxic black mold! Gosh. And to think of all the newer studies that are looking at other ways the fungi family is kiling us slowly is more damning! Shit!!!! Damn. Lets hope that the landlord does something about it. I am going to get tea tree oil tomorrow and hope that it would slow the mold growth at least.