India’s Prime Minister Modi’s Visit

We have had the honor of hosting Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to our little red dot.

India and Singapore have been strong and good friends for a long time.

Dating back to our founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore has provided India with good economic advice, trade partnerships and now, a free trade pact between ourselves.

Yesterday whilst I was crawling on the highway home, I heard the screaming sirens and a long convoy  our government vehicles and vans whizzing on the fast lane.

I was envious that despite a chock a block rush hour traffic, trust our efficient and effective police force to ensure these guests are not stuck in traffic like me.

It would be embarrassing if they were stuck in traffic.

I spotted our PM Lee’s car with state flag flying on bonnet and the formation his security team would take to escort him and PM Modi.

They made their way to Little India’s Komala Vilas for Indian vegetarian food.

They loved our food :-)….yes…our little red dot never fails in the food department 😂

I am sure the Indian expatriate community is happy to see their PM Modi at the restaurant and his visit.

I wish our VIP guest and friends from India, a pleasant stay and may both Singapore and India grow in strength and forge even closer economic ties!

Wednesday Laughs!

Sadly no graphics to show but mere words. I hope this makes you laugh though.

Work….I always have a lot to say about work as Newbie is the latest topic as she is Flavor of The Month.

Today, Electrical Lord suggests tracking devices for all minions!! As a Head Minion, my ears heard alarm bells ringing and I assure you, it is not Christmas bells ringing.

I also assure you there was no Salvation Army tripod set up and that bell was no where in sight 😀

I could hear “human rights” and ” privacy act” in loud tones except in everyone’s head.

Some said in whispered tones….people will resign if we are tracked. I could see another biblical parting of the Red Sea as the exodus of people leave the gates of our Electrical Lord’s compound 😉

Others said, so how are they going to track us? Microchip our ears?

Guess what the Flavor of The Month expressed, ” I am ok, no problem”

We have commuters from across the Causeway to work with us. Think of their phone bills if they have to leave their tracking applications via mobile switched on all the time!

Sheesh! If Newbie had half a working brain and not be out just to currying favors of the Electrical Lord, maybe, just maybe she may be Ms Popularity and spout “World Peace” as her aim.

Right now, she has made powerful enemies in the way she talks or approaches fellow minions.

It is really about how one presses another’s buttons to get things done is how I feel. Most times, I like to start with the Reasonable Man on the street concept.

If we do not rile others, others will not be out to hit back.

I could picture self with a prison anklet tag and a red light emitting wherever I go.

Worst still, I may have a micro chip in my tender little ear!

Ugh! I would not even bear to micro chip my inanimate furball Garfield as it would hurt my poor little fella.

Seriously, I have a Newbie problem. We all at the work place have a Newbie problem and we are all now wondering what antics she would be up to next.

Newbie loves to be the snitch too. I am just wondering if I should let her carry tales of the wrong kind…now wouldn’t that be peachy LOL!

Evil laughs and cauldron boiling as 3 witches dance around the fire that surrounds the cauldron. Darn spell ain’t working is what I feel….Merlin….where are you?!

 

If Only….

If only I knew what morrow brings, I would be a seer. Man oh man….imagine all the dollars I would make drawing in the crowds and being a popular as those illusionists on the big top or movies 😉

If only I knew how to predict Electrical Lord’s think thoughts! He would be mighty impressed with me anticipating his request for work as I could deliver it immediately! 😊

If only I could scale the highest of mountains, run across the Gobi desert and stop by to chat with the camels. I think, I could be collecting atheletic medals😆 But truth be told, it I complete my 6,500 steps daily without lugging my spine into rigor mortis…I have achieved 😜

If only I could tell those odd folks who wheel their pet dogs in baby prams, “erm what is the use of 4 paws”😁

If only I could rid the earth of morons. Hmm….no no…I am not an assassin ha ha but I would like to be popping morons like soap bubbles.😂

If only I could be the most brilliant person on earth. Think of all the great things I could do. Cure for cancer, cure for auto immune disease…painless death…dying serenely in a 4 poster bed amongst your loved ones, including pets amidst cherubins and music from a 4 string quartet.

If only I stop dreaming and wake up and smell the coffee….😂😂

Dinner Time! Ting! Ting!

A kind hearted staff cooked me a small portion of nasi lemak, complete with Petai and a small Kembong Fish fried.

It had 2 tablespoons of basmati rice and it suited me to a “T” 😃

Nasi Lemak is rice cooked in coconut milk and the condiments that accompany it, are truly simple.

Nasi Lemak is a malay dish that is very much enjoyed by all. Chinese, Malay, Indians, Europeans and Americans who lived in little red dot.

Sometimes it is served with a sunny side up egg, fish cake or chicken wings.

Plated on banana leaf and wrapped with wax paper, it is sold at hawker centers.

Petai is a malay word for a type of bean we call “smelly bean” – it is pungent but tasty.

Petai has medicinal properties as it aids kidneys and cleanses the kidneys. Touted to be a good preventor of diabetes and it is believed that taking this bean help diabetics control sugar levels.

What touched me was that this staff got up at 4 30am to cook this for me. It was her way of appreciating me and how I have helped her at work.

As a staff, she did not get along with her colleagues as she has the gift of a gab.

She annoyed others, sadly and she resigned.

Life is funny I feel.

Why do people refuse to co-exist?

Why is having that “rice bowl” (job) so hard to keep.

I cannot understand life and I doubt any amount of time I spend trying to meditate under the boddhisatva tree will grant me nirvana.

I may turn into stone and still not see the “light of day” – heaps of sighs I emit.

I do wish this lady all the best her future job search.

It is afterall about job fit, job attitude and synergies.

My dinner is yum yum! I hope yours is too 😉

More On Newbie….

I must confess that it is interesting times ahead with Newbie and I can literally see the “Clash Of The Titans” – 2 great accountants fighting tooth and nail…it is my own version of War except it is “live” and in action before me.

Money Bags is terribly protective of his turf and he now has an encroacher called Newbie.

Newbie is going all out on a witch hunt to find someone to stake to the ground. HA! That would be Money Bags.

I am not particularly fond of Money Bags and knows that he is a youth in archaic times. What this simply means is, he hires the plankton to do the job of specialists.

As to if he is deliberately doing this to ensure that he has ultimate say is his choice.

On the other hand, I am now finding Newbie irksome and everything to her is due yesterday when she asked for it today.

Seriously, who died and made her King?!

Diplomacy is out the window as she feels that she wields King Arthur’s sword which she had probably drawn from the proverbial stone it was stuck in.

From an objective view, Newbie must assimilate into the workings of the company. One cannot make a sweeping statement to say that without understanding how or what to benchmark things to.

Yes, we are in interesting times indeed and I wonder how this movie will pan out.

*Rubs hand in glee and awaits the next move 🙂

 

 

Today’s Lesson

Monday passed swiftly and I am not complaining.

In fact, I would do a jig on the table if I could 😂 as time flew out the window like a speeding bullet!

From 7am, I had meetings unending and when a break for toilet appeared, I received a deluge of phone calls.

Busy is good, as before I know it, it was 7pm! By the time I dragged self out of the office and arrived home, it was 8pm.

Bro has left for Hong Kong and I am sad.

Sad because mum and dad will miss their only son. Yup! They are stuck with me….griping, work battling daughter. I am still reeling from seeing mum worry unnecessarily over Bro 😢

Electrical Lord’s sermon was a mere 2 hours today. He boldly told me that I was paid to listen to his “stories” – of course he is not wrong! 😉

New developments on work matters.

I have to take on more duties. Sigh!

Nothing new by my books, I have to do what I am told to do though I did a silent protest that only dogs can hear!

Yup at high decibels that only doggies can hear ha ha!

Meanwhile……

I resolve work conflicts.

I mediate between warring parties.

I sit in when Newbie tried to complain against Money Bags and Electrical Lord beckoned for my presence.

Newbie is out gunning for Money Bags. This is sad as I feel that Newbie is unreasonable and trying to gain favor fromElectrical Lord. But Newbie should not hurt one’s rice bowl to gain glory.

I abhor office politics and was appreciative of Electrical Lord calling me in to mediate between the two.

Electrical Lord advised in a hinting way to Newbie to stop diving into details and instead focused on bigger issues at hand.

I hope Newbie listens and let us live. I am sure she will be after me soon as she has an agenda to “kill” and conquer territories.

I am unafraid as Newbie’s English is terrible and her emails unclear and confusing. Newbie is power hungry and is garnering information for her garrison of ammunition.

Such is life.

Newbies when power hungry can cause more destruction and set us back more than good.

Meanwhile, I watch, I learn and I see.

Battle is on between Money Bags and Newbie as Newbie drew first blood by trying to show off her spotting an error of Money Bags only to be deflated when told she “cut and pasted” information incorrectly!

*rubs hand in glee and wonders how this battle will end*😆😆

Why Worry? Be Happy!!!

I love Bobby McFerrin’s song, “Don’t worry be happy” as it is a perky chirpy song, telling me that literally…what can worrying do to help!?

My mum is a worry wart.

Given her age in years (she is 83 years old), I get annoyed when she starts to wail and say she worries for me or my brother.

Seriously…what can worrying do, much less what can it do to help?

Firstly, it dampens one’s spirits and makes blood pressure rise.

It does more harm than gives positive help.

In that same light, I often feel that praying to the Gods also do not help. If I do not proactively partake in resolving my own issues, can any God really help?

I am having little faith in any religion right now. I used to be a Catholic but have found God literally abandoning me when I battled unending illness.

Sadly, I did not feel his presence and decided that it was in my own hands and that in my own hands, I will need to solve my own issues.

If my work sucks, can praying help? If I have no food, do I bang fists on chest and expect manna to drop from heaven?

Erm….no!! It means I have to get a job and earn my bread.

Maybe, I am becoming an aetheist?

If I am given a new medical diagnosis, it means I have to start interviewing doctors for treatment.

If surgery is required, I research and know what are my odds and I take a calculated decision to go with surgeon A or B. The rest is up to fate.

If I live, I live.

If I die, I die.

Does worrying help? Not to me as I find it a waste of time and energy.

When I was told that I had a 60% chance of recovery, It was a percentage. It means squat. What will be, will be!

My surgeons prayed. They were more worried than me. Ha ha! They were paid to care and worry I guess. They took my load as I entrusted them the task.

I can handle work woes or health woes. But I have little patience for my mum who is wasting her precious life to worry about this or that when she is powerless to do anything about it.

I blew my lid and am not proud of myself as I have a full plate 😢

If only she knew that being difficult or wasting her good health by worrying can do her more harm than good.😐

In turn it pressures me even more because if she falls ill, my plate gets even fuller and it adds to my burden of ill health that I bear the brunt of.

So for pete’s sake….why worry?

Instead be happy and live life to the fullest as others are worst off!!

Wholesale Market At Pasir Panjang

In my little red dot, most food sellers would make their way to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market to buy veggies, dried goods (e.g. dried shrimps, anchovies, shitake mushrooms etc) or fruits.

Prices are cheaper than supermarkets as this is a bulk center where all shipments come in from the port.

I have not been here since school days and so, I thought it would be great to revisit this place.

I wanted to see how this market has evolved.

As it was a Sunday, not many stalls were opened.

But the few that were open, had their rows of styrofoam boxes laid out in the open, displaying our local produce imported from Malaysia, Indonesia and or Vietnam.

Our local greens displayed in make shift stalls and racks.

In each section, there are a few workers sitting on plastic crates, sorting out veggies, removing dying or ugly leaves.

I see loads of ugly cabbage leaves torn off, producing very wholesome and nice looking cabbage heads.

Hard labor intensive work as each cabbage head is “cleaned” and primed for its beauty for sale.

Spring onions was another veggie requiring “beautifying” work. I see a whole huge rattan basket of more than 50 kg waiting to be “cleaned”

Mounds of cucumbers and brinjals were displayed for buyers to pick and choose.

I left with a medium sized bittergourd for $0.90, half a kilogram of chinese greens or chye sim for $1.50 and wong bok for $2.

I also bought 2 small papayas for $1 each and a nice bunch of Malaysian bananas for $2.40.

I felt it was value for money as these would cost me much much more at Cold Storage supermarkets.

Plus it was the excitement and fun of buying in bulk prices though I did not buy a lot 😆

Sunday

Sunday is my fun day before Monday!

Sunday is also a pre Monday blues’ day. Sigh!

Sunday is a day to catch up on extra laundry loads. Ugh!! Wearing of fig leaves and spartan leather is off the grid for human decency…Flintstones got it good though I remember the elephant helping with laundry and crockery 😄

Sunday is newspaper reading catch up day. The world seems to be behaving thankfully 😊

Sunday is extra blog posts’ day as I have time to write as much as I want on topics that tickles the hamster in my wheel department. Whoopee!! Bliss! No hawking eyes of Electrical Lord 😄

Well, I am off to check out a fresh produce wholsesale market! 🍉🍐🍊🍏🍋🍄🍅

Here’s hoping I have interesting photos and blog posts after!

Garfield hugs and enjoy your Sunday 😉

I Am “Redeemed” By Saucony

Marketing is a powerful tool.

My old pair of running shoes are coming to a 2 year mark.

Based on my bro’s expert advice, “it has expired” – outlived its usefulness of giving good feet support.

My old pair is Ghost by Brooks. I paid a pretty sum for that pair of shoes to walk in. If I am not mistaken, it was close to $300.

Arch support and padding for that comfort is much needed for my spine. Neurosurgeons and my physiotherapist opined. Bro is firm in ensuring I get Rolls Royce on my feet or German Engineering of sorts! LOL!

Yesterday, I stepped into Royal Sporting House to buy my replacement pair.

I had a budget and had to manage my brother’s expectation as he tends to buy or propose top range and latest models. He believes the best or nothing!

He explained to me that most of the models displayed were already a year old. Life span of the shoes would be already a year old.

At most, another year of use and then I would need to dump it.

I know he is not wrong as rubber tends to have a shelf life. With age, it hardens and cracks.

Bro means well as given my health, I would need a good pair of walkers.

I shared that a mid range price pair would suffice since I was not running marathons or going for triaththolons. Iron Man or Woman was way out of my league ha ha!

I learnt that Reeboks are fashion sneakers and of little use to me.

I finally settled on a pair of Saucony…Redeemer series. $219!!! But thankfully after a storewide pre Christmas sale discount, it was $179.50.

We would have gone to our usual haunt ie Queensway Shopping Center…this was the in place to go for sports items. But I felt that with lesser bargaining power, these smaller shops would not have economies of scale to buy and pass us better rebates.

Besides Queensway Shopping Center sells top range and  latest models that cost $300 and above for a pair of sneakers. I once saw a pair that cost $500!!😨

It was not even remotely a pair of Jimmy Choo’s but made of canvas or whatever gortex material 😆

Note to self: Get real…Jimmy Choo or Gucci has several more zeros….😆

Anyway…I am happily redeemed by Saucony …black shoes with purple laces and cheekily would rhyme Tuscany for my bottle of Vino on the balcony.

Sunday morning madness and it is not even noon yet 😉