Pennies In The Capital

I went to the 7-11 next door, this morning, to pick up a salad and a fruit bowl for breakfast as I woke up feeling guilty about my dinner the night before that didn't have a single shred of vegetable or fruit.

The 泡菜 from last night's 臭豆腐 doesn't count lah.

Anyway, as with all supermarkets, they have the most absurd type of pricing and I ended up with a 2-cent change.

A penny in QQland is SGD 0.002 (note: It's not 2 cents. It's Zero Point Two cents) and I was like "Dude! WTF?? What do you want me to with with 2 QQland cents?"

And it just so happened that the xmm behind bought something that totaled like RMB 17.02 (What is with all the weird decimals? It made no cents sense (ok... I couldn't resist that pun. Sorry).

So taking a penny and giving a penny, I handed my two-cents worth (Sorry!!!) to the cashier and settled my headache as well as the xmm's.

In the past, supermarkets here give you a piece of candy in lieu of every 10 cents' worth of change. This practice was subsequently outlawed and these supermarkets being giam kanas, refused to round it down as a gesture of goodwill like other supermarkets in other countries.

Guess I will be stuck with these almost worthless coins for a while. If you give them to a beggar they probably also don't know what to do with it or worse chastise you for being a cheap bastard.

Imagine a parent coming home to empty his pocketful of change for his kid's piggy bank everyday. After three years of frugal feeding of the piggy bank, the kid finally breaks the pig to enjoy the fruits of his savings only to realise it totaled like what? RMB 18.32?

I think the kid may go kill himself after that.

Le sigh.

- Voxeros

iamboey.com

iamboey.com - chapter 120: I am not your monkey » 07/09/2012 via kwout

naeboo was the one who introduced iamboey.com to me a while ago and I thought I shared it with everybody here.

I like his picture journal. His stuff resonated with me and this particular entry got me so worked up, that I actually emailed him to give him my megatron facepalm as a sigh sign of support.

I love comics since I was a kid. Not the Marvel or DC kind but the really good and funny stuff like 老夫子, Doraemon, Tin Tin, Asterix, just to name a few. And so I am particular fond of comic blogs, especially those that you can identify with.

Here are two examples:

• Bounce Back To Life - Focused on life in Singapore.
  
• 自得其乐 - Author is the famous creator of the Tuzki Rabbit. Her comics focused on her life in QQland, then she went to work for a while in Hong Kong, before heading to the US to further her studies. She is recently back in the Capital for her vacation.

The two blogs above kinda struck a chord in the sense that I am a Singaporean (don't really know what that really means these days) and I work in South Ch1na since 2000 and now in the Capital a month since.

Now there is  iamboey.com where I used to travel to SoCal 6 times a year until 2008, crashing/transiting at relative's place in El Monte, Walnut, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale depending on the cheapest air ticket's route.

There is a lot of stuff that he wrote that I can identify with, hence a loyal following since.

So anyway, I thought I give him a plug and recommend it to the rest of you guys.

Have fun!

p.s. Eh Boey, it's NTU lah.... you pixelated the name of the university also no use. We bladdy know it's bladdy NTU lah.... nabeh.

p.p.s. Come to think of it, I really regretted going to NTU for my degree. I had the option to go to USC lor! No!!! I wanted to save money for the family by attending a local college. Nabeh.... really regret lor..... haiz....

p.p.p.s Imagining graduating from USC and perhaps working in the US for a while and picking up the American accent. Then I won't have so much trouble using iPhone's Siri lor. %^#%#$@!!!

Image Credit: iamboey.com; http://www.licensing.biz

- Voxeros

Hotel TV Remote

This is the remote control of the TV in my hotel room.

Yeah, the battery cover at the back is missing and they had to tape it to prevent the batteries from falling out.

Then, I had to switch to another room a couple of days later and lo and behold, the TV remote in the new room didn't have the battery cover either.

One day, I went to the reception counter and join the queue as I wanted a spare key card.

The lady in front was complaining about depleted batteries of her TV remote. The reception staff was helping her tape the new batteries into her TV remote.

EH! THIS ENTIRE HOTEL, THE TV REMOTES ALL DON'T HAVE BATTERY COVER ONE HAR!!??

*optimus prime facepalm*

- Voxeros

Water In The Watch

This is my trusty Citizen Dual Time watch and as you can see, water went in while I was doing some washing over the weekend.

This is not the first time that has happened. In fact, it has happened quite often in the past especially if I am playing golfing in the rain.

The solution to getting rid of the water is surprisingly simple. You don't even need to take the watch apart (as if you are able to without professional help but what a hassle for a cheap watch right?)

Again, you do not need to take the watch apart coz if there is a way for the water to get in, there is a way for the water to get out.

The following solution was taught to me by my caddie from several years back.

All you have to do is turn the watch around. We normally wear the watch on the back of our forearm. Turning it around means moving such that the watch face is on the same side as your palm.

I can't explain the scientific logic behind it, if any. I just know that it works.

It's 3 hours since I took the above picture as I am typing this out.

The water in the watch has cleared.

- Voxeros

Escort Cards In The Capital

How's this for a nice photo to kick start everybody's Monday morning?

I have been receiving these cards slipped under my door everyday at the hotel that I was staying. They go straight to the trash bin as these are usually scams and/or racketeering.

Problem is that every evening, new cards will be found on the floor slipped under the door when I return.

This is the sign put up by the hotel management inside the elevator warning guests against the escort cards.

Here's what are some points that I don't get:

1. In order to access every floor, a key card is required to be swiped at the elevator button panel before you are able to operate the elevator buttons. This is required at all hours of the day, not just after dark. The elevator buttons of each floor only responds to the corresponding key card i.e. if you have a 14th floor key card, you can't push for the 9th floor.
   
   So how is it, the card distributor(s) is(are) able to slip these cards to every room everyday?
   
   
2. Every floor has close-circuit monitors in the hallways. Surely, the distributing activities would have been captured on disk. So why didn't security* take any action?
   
   
3. The last was discovered by accident. I have been picking up and throwing it away everyday for the first week and a half. I gave up and decided to leave it on the floor as they were in the hope that the chambermaid will pick them up together with the rest of the trash.
   
   The cards stopped appearing!

This led me to the following conclusion:

1. This hotel is aware of this and has condoned this if not at the very least, chosen to look the other way.
   
   The sign in the elevator? That's a just a way
   
   - To appease the authorities and the general public (PR) that the hotel has taken active measures to "oppose" such activities.
   
   - Provide adequate warning to hotel guests and therefore are no longer liable, should the guest proceed to engage the escort service and get into trouble.
   
   
2. I think it's the chambermaids who are distributing the cards.
   
   - This way, the security cameras won't be able to pick up any footage of distributing activities since they can drop the cards on the floor while inside the room. Therefore, the hotel management is able to deny knowledge of any distribution.
   
   - Chambermaids has access key cards to every floor at all hours.
   
   - The moment I stop clearing the cards, they stop appearing since the chambermaids cannot ignore the cards on the floor as they are required the clean the room. Hence, if they continue to do the silly thing of clearing the cards and putting new ones on the floor. They rather not as it is too much hassle for them.

Elementary, my dear Watson. It's Colonel Mustard in the Dining Room with the Candlestick.

p.s. Speaking of security. The hotel's one AND only security guard is a puny kid about 2/3 my size.  I feel so safe already!

p.p.s. I feel sorry for the kid coz the security guard uniform that he is wearing is about 1 size too big for him. I guess the hotel management only has that size for the uniform. Maybe the poor kid can grow into the uniform in 5 years. *shrugs*

p.p.p.s. Ok, I spotted another security guard. A young chap but significantly bigger in size. I think both of them are sharing the same uniform which explained why it was so lob-sided for the puny one.

- Voxeros

Three Baos

Just the other day, I blog about my mega-huge-ass-Airbus380 bao, correck?

Then my friend RN1209 hor, he one-up me with 2 baos wor!

☠RN1209 says yesterday, @JayWalk had a big Bao, but only one. Today, i counter with two... - #gs9k41 via kwout

Kanina!! No big no small ah? Wait I use my Genghis Khan poke your eye then you know ah!

But hor, I ish ceeberlised people one. That kind of thing cannot anyhowly take out poke here poke there one.

Nahbeh.... neber die before ah?

It's ok! Nairmind!

Limpeh accept your challenge!

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Nearly There Liao.

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Aiyoh. Don't Lazy Lah..... Scroll A Bit Bit More Can?

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Coming...... wait

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LIMPEH HOOT THREE BAOS GIVE YOU DIE AH!!

Eh. I chope first ah. Cannot say my bao small ah. Don't force me take out Genghis Khan come out challenge rematch hor.

p.s. You don't think you berry crever later go and buy 4 baos to one-up me again. Don't say I neber warn you. Tomolo, limpeh organise staff lunch. Don't force me make every mother father son daughter in the office eat bao for lunch ah!

p.p.s. I noticed our baos getting smaller and more wrinkled as we move on. HAIZ....

- Voxeros

I Am Not Sorry To See You Go

I have a female staff who travels 2+ hrs just to get to work and then the same amount of time to get home everyday.

It doesn't make sense to have my staff waking up at 4am just to get to work and almost 11pm if she returns home after dinner in the Capital. Worse, if she stayed behind to join us for staff dinner gatherings.

So I thought it would be helpful to arrange accommodation for her at our warehouse where there is a built-in hostel facility. I was initially surprised when she turned down the offer and one day but chance, I found out why.

She was molested by the gatekeeper of our warehouse.

She was reluctant to divulge this incident which has been eating at her for the past few days. It is the Ch1nese culture to keep quiet about these things as it is a big lost of face for the womenfolk here.

I had a close-door session with her addressing this issue and agreed that reporting this to the police is not an option as she does not want to risk this leaked into the open i.e. news media.

Besides, it was a case between her word against his. I think I would risk aggravating the situation if the police dismisses the on the ground of lack of evidence or worse, the police refusing to handle the case.

At the end of the discussion, I made the decision to dismiss the 60-plus year old gatekeeper. I am not sorry to take away the livelihood of the man who needed this meagre salary to survive his twilight years. Firing him also mean kicking him out onto the streets. He can go sleep in the streets for all I care. Again, I am not sorry.

Granted the case was resolved swiftly, the damage was however, done. Though not physically but the mental scar will be with her for the rest of her life. I am doing all I can right now to help her heal and hoping that the scar will be kept to the smallest possible.

I am arranging for other staff, though a series of gatherings, to keep her company and to minimise her alone time in case her mind wanders out of control in the negative sense. It is a tricky arrangement considering that the other staff must not know what happened but I felt that at this time, she must be surrounded by good trustworthy people.

In a way, it was most unfortunate, but looking at this from another perspective, she is also lucky at the same time.

It could have been worse.

Still, any infraction, regardless how minor, must not be dismissed as trivia and most certainly not be tolerated.

Image Credits: http://43tigers.files.wordpress.com

- Voxeros

Bao In The Capital

This is one of my favourite breakfast item here in the Capital.

A mega huge-assed bun.

I deliberately have it placed on my blue mug to let you have a good idea of the size.

All for a modest sum of RMB 3.00 (SGD 0.60).

I've never liked the buns here when I was in southern Taobaoland coz they are very stingy with the filling. It is almost all bun and a token pinch of something inside.

It's different here as you can see. The meat filling with cabbage is very generous.

Accommodation in the Capital is ridiculously expensive but the price of food here is relatively acceptable

- Voxeros

The Subway Newsstand

There is a traffic junction that I cross everyday to and from work.

Underneath that junction is a subway station.

In other words, there are two ways to cross the street to get to the other side.

One is the walk on the road above while the other is obviously to go underground and use the station as an underpass.

I have always been one to use the road as it is quicker and more direct.

Granted that Taobaoland is notoriously known for their hay-wiring traffic where everybody ignores traffic lights, it is not necessarily a bad nor dangerous thing.

In fact, in the capital, ignoring traffic lights is actually safe to the pedestrian.

The Power Of Critical Mass.

When EVERYBODY anyhowly cross the street, all cars, bikes, buses must stop.

People Power, yo!

So one rainy day, to save myself from acid rain getting wet, I took the underground route and noticed the newsstand for the first time. It was a first time despite using the subway pretty often.

A closer look and realised that they have English newspaper. Ch1na Daily.

Granted the news probably kelong one, I still bought a copy coz it was only RMB 1.50 (SGD 0.30). Besides, our own $traits Times lagi kelong one lor.

Speaking of newspapers, I like South China Morning Post. It is Hong Kong's major English broadsheet. I like their objective reporting although it has been said that the Capital does have some influence over it when it comes to news critical to the main1and.

Anyway, coming back, I regretted buying that copy of the local newspaper. It was a very thin newspaper without any interesting news. Perhaps it was a slow news day that day.

I wonder if their weekend edition is better? Let's wait for the weekend then.

- Voxeros

Spaghetti In The Capital

Lunch here is mostly a solo affair as most of my sales staff are out while my office staff pack their own lunched from home.

Don't really like to lunch with them coz:

1. They ALWAYS insists on paying making me feel very free-loader.
   
   Also, I don't like people trying to angkat my bola.
   
   
2. They ALWAYS over order.
   
   
3. I ALWAYS over eat their over orders.
   
   Haiz.

So here I am at this Cafe De Coral-styled type of restaurant where you order your food and make payment at the counter before they bring your food to your table.

The service is fast and my pasta arrived less than 5 minutes after I sat down.

I look at the place of food, then I look at the cutlery their gave me.

Chopsticks and fork.

Har? Like that how to eat??

Fortunately, they do have spoons. You just have to walk up to them to ask for it but they will give you the strange puzzled look why you need a spoon for spaghetti.

*facepalm*

- Voxeros