Thoughts #10 – Kind & Considerate Traits

My Caveat: This is a new series that I have started. It will contain my personal opinion of things happening in Lil Red Dot or around the world. I would love it if my readers will chip in with their views and balance things for my views. There will be no contentious content. But I assure you, a lot of humorous content and about this or that or what ails – theme of my blog site really! So do chime in, like you always do and lighten our work load, put down our worries and just laugh or cry or both.

Sunday morning is a downright rainy one – buckets of torrential rain fell from the skies such that it prevented part time help to come to my unit as he does not own an umbrella! The humble umbrella yet many refuse to have one with them, much less own one.

Ms Young One, a member of my staff team, is another. Millenials refuse to carry umbrellas as it seems to mar their pristine image. In this aspect, I think I am either old or practical as I always have an umbrella with me. I buy a truly lightweight one and it is always in my tote bag when I am out taking public transport.

Ms Young One did not have an umbrella on her and texted me last Wednesday to say that she need to wait out for the rain to stop before she can continue her journey to work. I asked her if the rain does not stop then it means she pcannot come to work. I suggested for her to find a cafe or coffee shop and log in on her laptop to work then. Sigh! I rolled my eyes – I was being cheeky telling her to do that and loh and behold, she replied she does not carry her lap top with her. She is one that carries an itty bitty purse with nothing inside except her housekeys and money bills tucked in her key card to office. Amazing!

I am in this essence, old and fuddy duddy as I have just about everything!

Anti bacterial wipes, tissues, Trace Together Token, housekeys, car key etc including nitroglycerin in case when I am with my folks and they suffer from Angina pain. Yes, I am prepared for anything and everything under the sun, which is why my bag weighs a bit. But I feel “naked” and unprepared if I need something and it is not there.

Back to part time help! I offered to pay for his Grab or Gojek fees but he was too kind as he did not want to incur additional costs for me. I taught him to ask for a passerby with umbrella to shelter him to the nearest train station. He was shy but he ended up doing it. So all he needed was for me to go to the MRT station where he would alight with an umbrella to shelter him. But, again, given his kindness and understanding my condition, he made his way in light drizzle to my place.

Kindness begets kindness I feel. Naïve? Maybe! But I feel that I have been receiving kindness from total strangers lately.

Whilst running errands for my folks, I parked at the handicap lot and was struggling to get back into my car. Given my spinal issues, it is hard for me to get in and out of the car seat. A very kind Malay gentleman approached me and asked if I needed help. I thanked him and said I was ok but still, he waited and pushed the door shut for me when I got in. Time is money and he could have just left me as he had food delivery to do. But his kindness touched me!

Part Time help in his own way was also kind and considerate of me as he knew I was not in the best of mobility health and he refused to take private hire car to my place, hoping to help me save $12. He knew it was his cause that will make me spend this sum and he refused to do so.

If I was part time help and my employer told me to go ahead, I would have dialed for one – fastest fingers and enjoyed a free ride in air con comfort at the expense of my employer, heck care if I do not have an umbrella!

Last Saturday, was my follow up with Dr James. My surveillance Xray showed some minor fusion of the spine with implants. I explained to Dr James on the immense stiffness in my legs and he explained that given the length of the implants, my spine is no longer going to be the same as it becomes challenging to do things.

I asked if I will be looking at immobility in my older years? He did not reply me directly except to say that I need to really manage my spine and not do things that will make it worst. He opined that I ought to get an SUV with height such that my butt can sit on the car seat and swing my legs in. But we both agreed that given the cost of car prices, it is crazy with the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) – birth certificate to own a car. It is currently going at SGD111,000 for open category i.e. 1,600cc and above.

I cannot manage getting into Mr Nice’s Lexus RX nor S Man’s Land Rover as the height is too much for me to climb in.

So my next car choice will have to ergonomically suit me else it will be a chore to get in and out of the car.

Have a super Sunday all and take care. Bank loans and interest rates are on the rise as Feds raise it and it is causing a dent in most wage earners pockets here. Inflation is crazy as yesterday I was at the supermarket and 6 tiny mandarins from Australia cost me $5.00. I thought it was $2.95. I had to have the cashier void it and instead I exchanged it for a bag of mandarins (about 8 of them) x 2 bags for $5.90. Topping up $0.90 was a no brainer as it gave me more mandarins than the $5.00 ones and I think my 2 bags came from Israel.

Yes, I am not a savvy shopper and must learn to do better as given these tough economic times, we need to save as much as we can to overcome the rising bank interest rates on mortgages as most Singaporeans have loans to service for their homes.

Don’t forget to do something nice for someone. I will try and do that, pay forward what the nice Malay man did to help me.

Thoughts #8 – Just Another Day In Lil Red Dot

My Caveat: This is a new series that I have started. It will contain my personal opinion of things happening in Lil Red Dot or around the world. I would love it if my readers will chip in with their views and balance things for my views. There will be no contentious content. But I assure you, a lot of humorous content and about this or that or what ails – theme of my blog site really! So do chime in, like you always do and lighten our work load, put down our worries and just laugh or cry or both.

The icon that symbolises Singapore is the “Merlion” – With the head of a lion and body of a fish, it is a cherished icon synonymous with the Republic’s humble beginnings and journey as a nation. The Merlion has turned 50 years in 2022. I enclose the news link on it for your information.

https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/09/singapore-merlion-golden-jubilee-50/index.html?shell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlion

I remember when I was working in Hainan, China, I saw this symbol atop a steep mountain, looking out to sea. I wondered how a Merlion, the icon of Singapore, sat there? No answers were found and the locals that I spoke with said that probably it was a Singaporean who decided to erect the Merlion there (?)

If that is the case, then he or she is indeed a proud Singaporean to have the Merlion “guarding” the waters of Sanya!

This week has been a stressful one for me as work suddenly fell from the skies onto my work desk! Everything needs to be done and I do not have enough help. So, I start work now at 6am in the office and leave at 6pmish. Effectively 12 hour shift without lunch break. I munch on some cut fruits or a bread bun and continue working else I can leave only at 7pm and that is my break point really as by then, my spine is almost in seizure.

I am not making progress in my physio sessions as I personally do not feel the improved effects. Zen Ally (my therapist) said that I was not resting enough and do enough to re-strain the affected body areas to cause the pain cycle to recur all over again. Sigh, but that is life isn’t it?

I had another blow out with my idiotic sibling who is nonchalant about things that concern our mutual parents. Don’t get me wrong, she is a birth child of my parents, but her self centeredness and selfish “I before others” attitude has been her mainstay in her life. She is not much of a sister to me either, in as much as I can remember, pre and post anesthesia! I know that multiple general anesthesia can erase memories but I honestly cannot remember any good things she has done for me or put herself before others.

But that is her and I had resigned self to fate that she is not a blood relative that I can ever rely on for emotional or physical, much less financial support. Money is everything to her and she is never one to share a treat or buy me a gift for special occasions. She is not poor, she is well off but she feels that her finances are best kept for her own use.

It is sad to have a relative like her. I feel especially sad for my parents as she is their eldest child and yet, she has effectively “abandoned” them. This was my blow out topic with her. I tried to knock sense into her but failed miserably. A lost cause really!

Ah well, onto better things in life. Life is what life gives.

Life has given me another day. I woke up and am in the office. Will I get more work assignments? Definitely!

May you all have a good or better day ahead!

Garfield hugs to all and remember you are alive 🙂

Thoughts # 5 – Just Thoughts

This Saturday is Mid Autumn Festival…..festival of moon cakes and lanterns. I heard that our Chinatown is lit up with giant size lanterns again and making the scape warm, lively and fun. I am not up to hanging out in Chinatown, crowds frighten me as I have an autoimmune disorder too.

Maybe, if I feel up to it, I will do a drive through for my folks to admire the lanterns and festivities. It will mean a lot to them as they went through the traditional mooncake festival in their era of years long ago.

I am in a bit more pain than usual post booster covax vaccination. Plus not in the mood for wanton chit chats although I was pleasantly surprised by 13 Points when she plonked a bag of “White Coffee sachets”on my pigeon hole’s floor. Rather kind of her. She shared that a student in her class whose parents gave her that packet of coffee sachets and she did not appreciate our Asian style of coffee grinds so she shared it. Nice of her to think of me.

Neighbor has been brewing kombucha and I have tried her batch done with Earl Grey tea. This weekend, she said she would be doing a batch with Pu Erh tea, a smoky and stronger tea. I am curious as to how it will taste. She is good at cooking and her brewing kombucha skills are good too.

In turn I shared one mooncake with 13 Points, only when she confirmed that can appreciate mooncakes. She is from UK and today we learnt the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, 96 years old. I am sad to hear it but life is such, there is an expiry clause. At 96 years old and being of decent health till the end, I am proud of her achievements.

Finally King Charles will get to the throne. He has waited so patiently for this and the consort Camilla becomes Queen (?)

I wonder if he will pass it to William though?

It will be a sad time for Britons this week as the late Queen Elizabeth has done much for England and I bet her corgis will miss her. I hope the family adopts her corgis.

Deepest condolences to the citizens of United Kingdom on the passing of their beloved Queen. May she rest in peace!

Thoughts #6 – Mid Autumn Festival

My Caveat: This is a new series that I have started. It will contain my personal opinion of things happening in Lil Red Dot or around the world. I would love it if my readers will chip in with their views and balance things for my views. There will be no contentious content. But I assure you, a lot of humorous content and about this or that or what ails – theme of my blog site really! So do chime in, like you always do and lighten our work load, put down our worries and just laugh or cry or both.

Like any other human, I am always looking for something to celebrate too. But sometimes, the meaning of a festival or occasion can become overly commercialized.

The Moon cake festival or mid autumn festival has a couple of versions of its origins and the one I liked best was that the moon cake was devised to act as a holder of messages to prisoners in cells in China during some revolution or other. I like this version as it has that espionage setting, in early dynasty type days when tyrannical leaders imprison the innocent trying to revolt for a better life.

In Lil Red Dot, mid autumn festival is an occasion for suppliers to send boxes of these delicious mooncakes to clients and our company received a lot of boxes which the staff enjoyed and ate. The varieties of moon cake fillings have progressed from the simple lotus nut paste to chocolate, mixed nuts and grains, traditional salted egg yolks to truffle flavored ones and the list goes on. It is a chef’s desire to be creative and people just buy it to try it.

I like the traditional moon cakes – the simple lotus nut paste ones with nuts or melon seeds. These are nice to have with Chinese tik guan yim or pu erh teas. Smoky teas goes very well with the sweetness of moon cakes.

Today is not a good day for me as my legs are super stiff and my spine is not behaving. I found self having a hard time, climbing 2 flights up and down for my Xray at Bates this morning. I knew my legs were not behaving as each time I lumber out of the office chair, my spine is arched and I have to use effort to straighten my spine.

My consistent advice to all is NEVER EVER hurt your bag of bones as our bag of bones control the body and once it is unhappy, we face a myriad of mobility issues. My future is not looking hunky dory as I know that the possibility of being immobile is real or mobility with pain is on the cards.

I remember a former stateman of Lil Red Dot saying that life without quality meant nothing. Euthanasia is not in our books and if it was, I will be the first to sign on the dotted line.

My simple belief is that I have lived, supped, hugged Garfield and done what I wanted to do in life – it is enough and if I were to croak, I have no regrets. At least I can croak on my own terms!

I know that the disabled live life with gusto and I admire their tenacity and will to survive and plod on. I feel their pain and understand their struggles or challenges.

Which brings to mind, a rhyme:-

Live life with gusto,

Not as a fatso!

But is okay to be fatso,

As long not el nutso!

MR EX was el nutso,

Not fatso.

Genuine mental challenges is not el nutso,

It’s sympathetic to be so.

Devious, greedy is defined el nutso,

I confirm MR EX is el nutso!

Happy mid autumn festival all.

Thoughts #3 – White Coats Can Be Bullies Too

My Caveat: This is a new series that I have started. It will contain my personal opinion of things happening in Lil Red Dot or around the world. I would love it if my readers will chip in with their views and balance things for my views. There will be no contentious content. But I assure you, a lot of humorous content and about this or that or what ails – theme of my blog site really! So do chime in, like you always do and lighten our work load, put down our worries and just laugh or cry or both.

5 September 22 was an ultra marathon day with White Coats. Some good experiences, some bad experiences.

Personally, I had to do a scan, an ECG and consult with a cardiologist. I was hoping for my mum’s Dr Anders Lehland, as he is superb, easy to discuss with, sans airs of White Coats who have God personaes.

But it was not him …it was Dr Guna. There is history with Dr Guna as he was my mum’s original cardiologist but my mum failed to follow up with him and got an angina attack which placed her under Dr Anders.

Dr Guna is in his 60s I think. White haired but still very kind. I was glad because I was worried post 6 major surgeries when my chest hurt a bit. I wanted to discount heart disease and with the heart, one cannot tell unless cardiac tests are done.

Good news was that my ECG was normal. Dr Guna suggested an echocardiogram with calcium Xrays to see if I have calcium deposits in arteries. This is the best option he opined.

Dr Guna is being careful and with my bag of bones, I could not run on treadmill for a stress test and Dr Guna dare not chance me being injected with something to stress the heart to simulate as if running on the treadmill.

He felt with my allergies, he should not chance it as steroids if administered not in time, could see me quite dead!

Then I had to dash to my parents’ place to pick mum for her doctor’s appointment. This was where my saga with Dr Bully arose.

Dr Bully thinks she is God and my mum and I are her lowly footmen. Our appointment was 2pm but by 2.30pm she still did not start her clinic. Mum was tired and so was I as I had no breakfast nor lunch, much less water to drink too as I was dashing like a maniac from White Coat to White Coat.

So I knocked on Dr Bully’s door to plead on behalf of my mum to be seen first.

On entering the room, Dr Bully started berating my mum and I. She said she had to see 60 plus patients and did not have lunch. She was rude and her tone of voice was at the point of shouting at me.

I spoke up, sternly and firmly telling her that my English was precise and concise. I reminded her that I pleaded for help. Dr Bully relented and wanted to take it out on me was unacceptable and not right. If she did not want to see us, tell us and she can go sup to her heart’s content.

I did not like Dr Bully shouting at me to say I did not respect doctors. I reminded her that she too, ought to respect patients too. She then shut up!

Lesson learnt, do not take bashing lying down, I fought back, staying calm, composed but stern and equally loud.

For the life of me, I do not know why Dr Bully snapped. Tired? Hungry perhaps. So was I with no breakfast, no lunch and no snack.

I am tired from today’s drama.

When In Doubt, Good Aura Comes From Crystals?

I used to be a loony hobbyist over crystals or gem stones. Amethyst, rose quartz, peridot, ruby, opal, citrine, sapphire, tanzanite, tourmaline etc. This was during the era of when these were considered stones with healing properties of sort. I guess it was also because I was with friends who really loved collecting crystals and found it therapeutic.

Crystals are not expensive nor valuable as compared to gold or diamonds. Which is why I could afford to keep some of them, although mostly these were gifts from good friends.

Amethyst, the purple colored stone, is supposedly meaningful to Catholics as the color Purple is regal and that this stone meant something to the Catholics. It is also the stone for doctors to have. If memory serves me correctly, I did give an amethyst stone to the surgeon who did my 3rd spinal surgery as he did a really good job to fix me up.

These were not as costly as diamonds as, because crystals were considered for hobbyists and considered stones. Though I was warned that a lovely cut amethyst with facets done beautifully can cost a pretty penny!

Clockwise: These 3 bracelets were gifts to me.
The blue quartz, followed by different colored tourmalines were a gifts from a friend who was into the business of selling gemstones. The larger rose quartz bracelet was from a friend from Nigeria. He brought it to me when he visited Singapore for a business meeting with me.

The oyster pearl necklace was a gift from someone – honest truth, I forgot from whom and the rose quartz and the amethyst & peridot uncut stones were what was given to me as a souvenir from a mine I visited in Vietnam

Peridot and spinel are birthstones for the month of August. I could not get a spinel and managed to get a peridot which I made into a ring with blue zircons

This was my latest gift of a healing bracelet which Piglet bought and gave me when I was in Bates. This has properties to heal one from illness.

Crystals and all its healing properties are based on belief. I have not come across scientific proof of its ability to heal without medicinal intervention although there might be the occasional miracle.

To me, it could be complementary, just like Qi Gong, Reiki or meditation….it complements main stream medicine I feel. I may be wrong as some may cite miraculous cure without medicinal intervention. I guess this is where the divine intervention comes in and a miracle is pronounced.

Thoughts #1 – Interesting Comments

My Caveat: This is a new series that I will start from. It will contain my personal opinion of things happening in Lil Red Dot or around the world. I would love it if my readers will chip in with their views and balance things for my views. There will be no contentious content. But I assure you, a lot of humorous content and about this or that or what ails – theme of my blog site really! So do chime in, like you always do and lighten our work load, put down our worries and just laugh or cry or both.

Several toons appeared in our Sunday Times.

Toon 1

2 lions chatting; Lion 1 telling Lion 2 that he looked like crap, as if he did not sleep much.

Lion 2 replied that he was awoken very early by the new neighbors, the birds. I laughed as this was a poke at The Bird Park being relocated to Mandai Reserve, joining the Zoo, Night Safari animals in their kingdom. The authorities here felt it was good to consolidate all into that area so that it made it easier for tourists and visitors to have a chance and choice to visit either or all.

But it is so true as birds get up at the crack of dawn and in the days of yore when the jungle is a wide expanse of land with hills, rocks and trees, the birds were not congregated in one condensed area. I am sure the birds will make a din.

Considering that we have a green Singapore and trees are planted everywhere, the trees planted near high rise heartland flats are hosts to mynahs, sometimes crows and sparrows.

Mynahs dominate the trees mostly and boy, what a din comes dawn or dusk and not to mention the poop it delivers onto cars parked beneath these trees!

Toon #2 shows people bring food along to the un used upcycled MRT buses into new homes in Changi Village- we have a future container Inn being developed too with upcycled containers, given a new lease of life.

As the people walked towards these homes, they wondered if they will be allowed to bring food and drinks as the old MRT buses always had the poster that screamed “No Food, Drinks Allowed. Fine $500”

True enough as they arrived inside the bus homes, the poster was there.

In case you are not aware, Singapore or Lil Red Dot as I fondly call it, is a “Fine City” – besides being fine, it has a lot for fines for things you choose to do when you cannot do.

No littering.

No spitting.

No chewing gum. Not allowed to import and sell chewing gum.

No drink driving.

No jay walking.

No smoking in prohibited areas.

The list goes on. To some of you, you might feel it is a violation of personal rights or Lil Red Dot is draconian. I call it parental.

We lost precious lives to silly acts of jaywalking or drink driving. All preventable I feel, but a silly act in a moment of folly cause lives to be lost. This is not good.

As for the proverbial chewing gum ban, I am happy as the used wads of gum by people chewing it were stuck on seats in public transport. Ladies with long hair had gum stuck to their tresses which required cutting to remove it. Also it was stuck onto cinema seats by irresponsible chewers of these gums. Public spaces and public transport train doors were also jammed with these used gum.

If chewers of gum had been responsible, discarding used gum without causing destruction of personal or public property, this draconian act of banning it might not have occurred.

It worked for us in Lil Red Dot but I am sure there are always the unhappy lot who wants to do what they will or say no, just to say no.

It is not completely eradicated mind you, as offenders still get caught now and then for some of the described acts although the chewing gum one is muted.

I’d rather ban smoking in childcare areas than have children and staff inhale in daily second hand smoke isn’t it?

I’d rather an elderly or young turk gets caught and fined instead of having grieving relatives or parents at a funeral.

No law is acceptable readily by everyone. It is more acceptable by those who have suffered without it or still with it. But in societal norms, there cannot be lawlessness isn’t it?

For the greater good is what I feel the laws were crafted upon. As a citizen of lil red dot, I comply.

Why? Because of our laws, our safety are preserved. We are one of a few cities that citizens can walk the streets at night in the wee hours of the morning and return home safely.

We do not have slums or bad neighborhoods with gangsters or a bad guy waiting with a gun to shoot us or a knife to stab us before running off with our belongings.

Good or bad – I think it is how we see it and experience it.

Miss Conniving Flies The Coop Soon

I could hardly believe my ears when I was told by Lady Dowager (usurped throne of Eunuch who left for a greener pasture) shared that Miss Conniving is leaving.

As if the peals of bells ringing were heralding a new beginning, I could feel self like a leprechaun leaping into the air, clicking my heels.

When I was on hospital leave, Eunuch had out of the goodness of his heart appealed and obtained a contract headcount to assist me. I was told then that this person would report to me and work with me.

But when Eunuch left, Lady Dowager’s approach was divide and conquer with silo approach and made Miss Conniving report to her. Miss Conniving then started to act arrogantly towards me, without even wanting to share her background as she felt it was impudent of me to ask. My intentions were clear – it was to know how much to impart or share knowledge so as not to waste my time explaining something she might already know.

Understanding Miss Conniving’s mindset, I avoided speaking with her since our work did not need to cross at all. Miss Conniving’s arrogance was her downfall as she had no knowledge of the industry business we were in.

Her decisions or advice she gave my team were all recalled by me as it was erroneous. For example, how can one on an expatriate posting still retain a car park lot in the building which is to be paid for by the company. It does not make commercial sense. If the expatriate returns to Singapore for meetings, he is compensated for transport reimbursements as he is now based in another country. I rolled my eyes at her logic.

I left her to her own devices and know that she deliberately withheld information from me, to make it hard for me to get back into the groove after being away for 6 months. But it did not matter to me as nothing fazes me anymore and knowledge is easily obtained.

When she realized that I am not to be trifled with, she tendered her resignation.

My philosophy at work has always been that I am replaceable. There is no iron rice bowl mentality for any minion and I just have to ensure that I am continuously good at what I do, how I do it and when to do it.

I was open to her taking over my job if she can hack it. But this job is not easy as it is demanding and honestly had I not undergone the tyrannical ways of Scorpion Lord or Electrical Lord, I might have failed here too.

Life goes on.  I now have to manage Lady Dowager. She is eagerly waiting to chuck everything from Miss Conniving to me soon.

Oh what fun it is going to be!

Strength, Courage & Gumption To Carry On

Someone I know and treat like a ‘sister’ shared that she had suicidal tendencies. This arose from her worries and fear that her husband may have “lost” his job as a result of the sale of the company he was working for.

Honestly, who would not be anxious as without income, I too would be worried. No one has the luxury of money from the skies unless that being is financially endowed with heir or heiress status!

I am very worried for her mental well being as she was doing very well over the last 2 years, in a stable plateau and I knew this new situation could trigger her depression.

I felt she should not pressure self to look for a job and leave the role of bringing home the bread to her husband. Let him sort it out instead of getting self very mentally unwell and adding to stress load.

I urge her to seek therapy and if need be, get self admitted into a psych ward to be watched over and ensure she does not do anything untoward to self.

I have this message for her if she is reading my post….

Strength comes from within,

Still your mind, shut off the things you have no immediate solutions for.

One step at a time, ride it out.

Government grants exist to help you financially till your husband finds alternative employment.

Go after the old employer for not paying salaries of previous months.

Fret not. One door closes, new opportunities arise.

Do not feel as if the walls are closing in, simplify and categorise each worry and “can” it!

Think of Garfield giving you big hugs, sending you love and encouragement to overcome.

Still your mind, soothe your fears and stride forward.

You will survive,

You will overcome,

You have gumption,

You will regain strength and tenacity to overcome.

More importantly, you are a precious life and don’t you forget it!

Garfield Hugs!

Neighbor’s Cooking 26 Aug 22 & Boy’s Treat For Me

Neighbor seems cool about her odd behavior towards me the other day and I ignored it.

But I did apologize to her by saying that I was sorry if I had offended or upset her in any way.

For me, an apology is never difficult to utter and I can do it even if I know I am not in the wrong. After living with siblings of the selfish kind, I found it was easy to just utter the mere word of “sorry” to preserve harmony and move on. This was what I chose to do with Neighbor. But this has taught me to mindful of her attitude and my way forward to manage her when she elicits advice from me.

My new resolve is to listen and for me not to give opinions as all she wants is for me to echo her decision so that she feels she makes a right choice each time. I can do that! Have had lots of Evil Lords that only want to hear selves speak.

This kind of reminds me of the fairy tale of Emperor’s New Clothes – no one dared to tell the Emperor he was conned without clothes by the wily tailor. Aaah well, I now know what to do with Neighbor’s solicitation for advice next time.

In reflection, I now understand why her helper sometimes confide in me of how Neighbor treats her. Examples such as putting her down and reminder her she is a mere helper and that she can be dispensed with anytime. She felt like a worm most times and I respect this helper of Neighbor as she does not bad mouth her employer but shares just her sadness working with her. She needs the job as she is putting her daughter through university studies in the Philippines. So, she needs to suck it up and tolerate her hurtful words.

Neighbor’s character is unique and I recognize now that she must be in charge of everything and to be able to enforce dictatorial control of things.

Neighbor then texted me that dinner was ready on 26 August 22 for me to collect. She then went on in her text to ask me if I was going to the Mid Autumn Festival organized by the Managing Agent of our estate. She egged me to go so that she can have company to talk. I am wary of close proximity chats so I gave my almighty excuse that I might have to work.

I politely replied that I do work Saturdays and I might be busy, so I need to see how on that day. Her reply to me was that it would be silly not to go and enjoy the free food since we already paid for it from our management fees to the estate.

I am honestly not thrilled about going as I I would be exposed to maskless people congregating in a small area passing viruses around. This is the real deterrent as to why I might not want to attend as given my current health status, I need to be infection free from all sorts of stuff.

Besides I am planning for 2nd booster of Pfizer next Saturday at the clinic. I was lucky to have had my appeal approved for my 2nd booster done as a walk in patient.

26 Aug Dinner

Fried rice vermicelli with chinese greens and slivers of carrots. Meatless!

Corn on cob soup with tomato and carrots with pork bones

Boy bought me a treat of my favorite “Butterfly” croissant and Dough sticks from Bendemeer market.

It is always my perennial favorite street food snack.

Butterfly croissant and dough sticks. This is my fave retro snack

The plot thickens with Neighbor as I get to understand her and know her better. In the past I did it out kindness whenever she texted me when she wanted urgent information on legal stuff as I always looked out for her interest as a neighborly friend. But hence forth going forward, I need to take her words with a pinch of salt as I see how she can manipulate others too. I was one such person she manipulated me to go after a person she perceived as “evil” when she wanted legal advice.

Quite exciting really – her “altruistic” ways of cooking for me is now reward for doing her bidding….I am one of Pavlov’s dogs! Silly me…..so innocently trapped and controlled. I am awakened!