Funny expressions to brighten your day!

Some people tell me they like my funny expressions. They somehow make us look stupid but they also make our day brighter by having us make fun of ourselves. Life is tough, so we should really not make it any harder and learn to enjoy the lighter side of life. And what better way than to start with yourself. Relax, make a fool of yourself and have a good laugh. As I always believe, "Laughter is the best medicine!" It will heal any sickness, it will bring up your energy and it will also make other people happy. So there is really nothing to lose!

And if someone says you are being stupid? Well, they are entitled to their opinions. I strongly believe that ultimately, they will be the one to lose out if they take things too seriously.

As for me, I am far away from home and it can be very lonely, especially if I take things too seriously, as I did when I first came here. Now I have learnt to be happy and grateful for what I have... and share them with others!

So here are two more just for you!

My first taste of Japanese food!

Near where I stay (Bedok), a new Japanese Restaurant opened up. I know most of you would be going, like, "Expensive!" but this is really a low cost restaurant. Can you imagine, a bento set starting from S$4.80? Well, it's not cheap but at least it's not like way out of the range for me. So last weekend, I decided to give it a try.

I've been going to the library most weekends and have been walking past this new outfit. This place is always full at lunch time and I would not have thought about trying it during that time. However, my first thought is, if the queue is always this long, it must be good and economical. Last weekend, I went to the library with my room-mate again but this time we somehow did not not have our lunch. By the time we it came to 3pm, we were starving. So we thought about what to eat and decided to see if this place is still crowded.

As we walked past the shop, to my surprise, it was quite empty. We studied the menu pasted outside the shop and contemplate if we should give ourselves a small treat. We've worked hard and it's only S$4.80 (USD3.50) or a little more if we decided to order some side dishes. In the end, we could not resist as we both have not tried Japanese dishes. We walked in and I ordered a Pepper Chicken Bento while my room mate ordered a Saba Bento. Surprise... it comes with free flow of Japanese Green Tea! Not too bad at all!

Was it worth the money? Well, the bill came up to just a little over S$10 and the food was delicious. I like the sticky Japanese rice and especially the Miso soup. I tried a little of my room mate's Saba fish and it too was delicious... in fact better than my Black Pepper Chicken! I would say it's worth the money but not something I could afford daily... maybe once a month, on payday!

To those who's looking for value-for-money Japanese food, head down this way and let me know if it's anywhere near authentic Japanese food!

Expressions - the window to your soul!

Annoyed!

I've learned in life that your body language and facial expressions tell a lot more about you than what you tell people. For example, you may say you are happy but your face may not show it and that's probably the truth! I've also seen people fake anger and while their voice may sound it, their facial expressions tell me they are not really that angry! This must be a favorite of bosses and parents... ha ha! So there is truth that your expressions are the windows to your feelings!

Pensive?

I'm fortunate to be blessed with a face capable of many expressions. Sometimes, I don't even know that I have them but I only become aware of them after I look at my pictures again. Every now and then, I have a good laugh at my own expressions... wondering how on earth I was able to contort my facial muscles to such an extent! Sometimes the expression looks good, sometimes downright ugly... nevertheless, they probably expressed what I feel right at that point in time.

Tired!

I have never been good at hiding my feelings. So these days, I don't even try... and I let my expressions do the talking... except when I am exceptionally happy of course, then I let my mouth do the talking... or babbling! While not being able to hide your feelings is not always a good thing, I think its a blessing for me! I feel a lot more natural, letting my feelings flow accordingly, instead of trying to bottle them up!

Sleepy?

Fortunately for me, sad days are few and far between. I enjoy my work, I enjoy my colleagues and friends in Singapore and I like the environment too. My mother told me the other day that back home, it is minus 10 degrees below zero and I really dislike the freezing weather we have in northern China. Singapore's weather, while rather hot and humid at times, still beats the freezing cold weather back home any day! Lucky Singaporeans!

Happy!

Of course, my favorite expression is one of happiness. I'm a happy person most of the time and that's the expression you'll probably see the most in this blog. I remembered my first month or so in Singapore when times were really tough and tears do flow occasionally, but things are a lot better now. I've settled my debts and these days, I even manage to save some money. Maybe I can buy a small apartment or start a small business the next time when I go home!

Naughty???

Busy morning... making sandwiches!

Some morning can be really busy for me. Like this morning for example. We had an order from one of the office upstairs which was holding a big meeting and wanted sandwiches and coffee for their breakfast meeting. They wanted 90 sets of assorted sandwiches; tuna, sardines and cheese. While the order was placed the evening before, they wanted the sandwiches made fresh in the morning and their meeting starts at 8.30am! What a big rush for me!

So this morning, I made an extra effort to go there as early as possible, which is tough because I almost always take the first train anyway... so unless the first train comes early, I'll have to resort to alternative means of transport. Singapore is so precise and everything happens like clockwork, it is difficult to expect trains to come any earlier (or later). For this special morning, I took a taxi there... even though it cost me plenty more!

Besides the 90 sets of sandwiches, I still have to make my usual 40-50 sets for sale when customers start streaming for breakfast. And coffee must be hot too... Altogether, this puts a lot of pressure and stress on me. Fortunately for me, these kinds of busy morning do not happen very often, maybe about once or twice month. We do cater for smaller meetings but they usually order like 5-10 sets of sandwiches which is a lot easier on me. At least I can still take a train to work and still be on time to make the sandwiches for their meeting.

But I am not concerned about the tough day. In fact I like it because when you are busy, time really flies and before you know it, it's time to go home!

And besides, it is quite rewarding when the same customers (at the meeting) come by at lunch and tell me, "Nice sandwiches!". These customers are so appreciative of good work and of course, delicious food, their comments always make my day a better one!

Posing for the Camera!

Girls are vain and I am one of those!

The other night, I decided to pay my sister a visit at Ang Mo Kio Hub so that we can go home together. After my shower, I took a train down to AMK Hub to look for her work place. Can you imagine... I forgot where it was and it took me a while to find it! Anyway, after a few calls, I managed to find it... whew!

Anyway, I did manage to find it and while waiting for her to finish work at 10pm, I decided to walk around a little. It's a really big shopping center with many nice, glittering shops and you know are how this things catches a woman's eye. Makes me wish I had all the money in the world to buy the things I want for the people I love! However, for now, I will have to resort to some window shopping!

Outside my sister's workplace is this big, orange cartoon lion which looks beautiful. So when my sister was finally done, I asked her to take a few shots of me with it. I wanted her in but as usual, she's camera shy. Anyway, here are the pictures for your viewing pleasure!

It's fun to be a little vain every now and then!

Instant Noodles - Fast to cook, good to eat... but, is it good for you?

Since coming to Singapore more than 2 years ago, Instant Noodle has become my one of my regular meals, especially before my sister came. We (all of us staying together) usually buy a few bulk packs from the supermarket downstairs and keep them at home, just in case we need a quick, fast-to-cook, good-to-eat meal! And they are very affordable. Each small pack of noodle works out to less than SGD0.50 each... and all you have to do is add hot water!

My Singaporean friends like to tell me not to eat too much instant noodles as I may loose all my hair. I have lots of hair and they are really, really long as I had not cut them for more than 3 years now. Singapore is really an expensive place to cut your hair. Each haircut can cost as much as $20 and usually more! I remember when about a year ago, I went to a QB House where they offer $10 hair cut and told them that I want to cut my hair. The lady took one look at the length of my hair and told me that she don't think she can do a good job at it... ha ha! Anyway, that's another topic! Anyway, I certainly don't want to lose my hair!

I love noodles, instant or not... and I especially love spicy noodles like laksa or Thai Tom Yam flavor! I know taking too much instant noodles is bad for health, but sometimes the convenience of it is just too much to resist. And they taste really good too, especially the soup!

Now that my sister is here, I have cut down on eating instant noodles as I have to cook for her (and myself), so maybe I have to thank her for the change to a healthier diet. But I am just afraid that should we stay apart (she says she wants to stay closer to AMK), I may go back to my bad eating habits!

Above, you will see two of my favorite flavors. I usually add an egg and some vegetables to it to increase the nutritional value... so I'm not just eating junk. Makes me feel less guilty eating instant noodles!

Drink lots of water!

I seldom fall sick... very rarely actually... touch wood! However, recently, just before Christmas, I fell sick and it was bad enough that the doctor gave me a day's Medical Certificate without my asking for it. Since I recovered, I had been trying to analyze to see if I had done anything wrong to have fallen sick! Was it my diet? Was it my work? The environment or the stress?

I think I am quite a healthy person, especially since lately, I have started jogging on a regular basis... so the sickness came as a surprise for me!

Since then, I came up with the answer... at least I think so. I'm not 100% sure but here's what I realised. Since working here, I have been pretty busy and with my sister around, I have been even busier. One of the things I forget to do when I am really busy is to drink lots of water.

I remember my mother always telling me to drink lots of water. To her, water will heal anything! If you have a fever, drinking lots of water will cool you down. If you are tired, drinking lots of water will energize you! If you have bad skin complexion, drinking lots of water will smoothen your skin. Since young, she made us drink lots of water!

I'm not sure if this is some old wife's tail... but then it's worked pretty well for me through the years. So here is what I decided to do! I am going to drink a big glass of water before I go to work every morning, drink a big glass of water every 2 hours and drink a big glass of water before I go to bed at night... as long as I don't ahve to keep going to the toilet!

Remitting money back home - Part 2

I wrote about remitting money back home a few post ago. Just a few days after I remitted the money, my dad texted (sms) me to tell me to call home, saying that it's urgent! I was working then and it was during my peak period which means that I cannot even make a phone call. As usual, I panicked... trying to figure out what emergency had happened back home. Had my mum slipped and hurt herself? Did somebody close pass away? I don't know about you but I certainly don't like this feeling of anxiety! Beads of sweat started forming on my forehead... some from the heat of the noodle stall I was manning and some from the anxiety I was feeling.

I could not wait for the day to end and it finally did. The first thing I did was to call my dad and all he had to tell me was that I had filled up the form wrongly and he was not able to get the money. Instead of filling out my name in the "Remitter's name", I filled his name instead!

I immediately made my way down to People's Park again to correct the error. Fortunately, the place was still opened, although not as crowded as before... which is good for me. Anyway, I managed to get the error corrected and so all is well for now... at least I assume! Sometimes, I think my home folks should not use the word "urgent" unnecessarily. While this is certainly important, I did not think it was that urgent and it had caused me alot of unnecessary concern. My dad could have just said in the text message that I need to correct an error I made in the remittance and to call back after work! Ha ha... anyway, we all  learn from our mistakes!

Some of my room mates!

Ever wondered what kind of room mates you may have if you live like one of us migrant workers? We all stay 4-6 people to a room and often the house gets so packed that some of us have to sleep in the hall. And to make matters worse, we all share two miserable toilets; one in the master bedroom and another common toilet outside. I am quite happy that I leave for work at 5.30am in the morning, otherwise, I have to just queue up to use the toilet!

The lady at the top right works at the airport. She's quite a smart lady, and has her own computer (what a luxury). She is often on the internet chatting with friends at home (China).

Here on the left, is one of room mate who works at a nearby factory. She's a nice girl who keeps to herself most of the time. Sometimes, I wonder if she is happy or sad, although she seems to smile quite often. But I always learn never to judge a book by its cover.

This lady in the black tank top was the one who had a squabble with my landlord over the washing machine. She's actually quite quiet but can be quite fierce at times when the situation calls for it, as I had witnessed. Oh, and she has a pretty loud voice when she decides its time to use it as well!

And this one to the left is our pretty lady with nice straight flowing long hair. She accompanies me to church sometimes and she also jogs with me when she's in the mood. Always the best dresser in our home... the diva among us! She is the same one in the red track suit in the picture above together with the lady in black tank top! She works as a teacher in a childcare center!

This is the cute lady who used to call me "baby" (宝贝)! She's really fond of me and we get along really well. Unfortunately, she will be leaving us soon, probably towards the end of the month. One of the "difficulties" in such "communal" living like we do, is that people come and go. Sometimes you get pretty attached to certain people and it can be heart wrenching to watch them leave. While with today's technology, you can keep in contact easily, sometimes, it can be costly... too costly for many of us.

An of course, there's me and my sister! I'm sticking my tongue out below as I wonder what my room mates will think of me if they find their pictures on my blog! I sure don't want to offend them but I thought it would be interesting to let my readers know who I live with!

Well, in a few days, if you see any of the pictures gone from here, you would know that they have probably requested that I take them down! Meanwhile, have fun reading!

Remitting money back home!

It's New Year's day and I just had my pay yesterday. I decided to go to People's Park to remit some money back home as I had not done so the previous month.

Surprisingly, People's Park was still crowded despite it being a holiday and most of the shops were opened too. However, it seems that many Chinese had the same idea and the shop that I frequently use to remit money back home was packed with Chinese. Hmmm... is it "Great minds think alike" or "Fools seldom differ"? Well, never mind. I managed to get into the queue and within 20 mins, I had it all done. Then I made a call to my mother to inform her to keep a lookout for the money going over. I expect her to receive it most probably on Tuesday next week.

They had changed the form since the last time I came and I had some difficulty filling up the form. I had to ask some of the others and they explained the new form to me. Thereafter, it wasn't so difficult! Anyway, I guess I had better get used to the new form as I am sure I will frequent this place. I also have to teach my sister how to remit money back home.

It seems like the owners of the business are having a great time helping Chinese to remit money back home. They have opened another side of the shop to cater to the ever increasing crowd of Chinese, eager to make sure their families at home have a comfortable life. Must be a good business!

Shopping for a little grocery!

Before my sister came, I rarely cook, other than the instant noodle that I used to eat with maybe an egg in it or so. However, since my sister came, I have been cooking quite a bit for her. I wonder if I can sustain this as it can be quite tiring... especially after a long day's work!

On New Year's eve, I ran out of vegetables and meat and decided to do a little shopping at the Sheng Siong supermarket downstairs. The supermarket was packed with people making their last minute grocery shopping for the New Year, I guess. I was also a little surprised to see that the cashier ladies were still wearing their red and white Santa caps. Didn't they realized that Christmas is over?

I bought some green vegetables, some pork (which my sister likes), some onions, garlic and bean sprouts. These cost me just a little over SGD20 but I figured I could cook about four meals for two, so it's still cheaper than eating out! Since my sister came, I am finding it harder and harder to save! Ha ha!

Maybe my readers can help me make some side income by browsing some of the advertisements on my blog if you find that it interests you!

I like Bubble Tea!

The first time I tried Bubble Tea was after a year or so in Singapore. I was out with a friend and we were both thirsty and she decided we should share one. We knew it was quite costly and we could have water at a fraction of the price but then, we thought we should pamper ourselves a little. So we bought a "Red Tea with Pearl" at SGD2.50 per cup and shared between the two of us. Ever since then, I have been "addicted" and every now and then, when my pocket says "Yes", I would treat myself to a good cup of "Bubble Tea"!

I'm not sure what is the cause of the addiction but the feeling of chewing the "pearls" can be quite addictive. I'm not sure what they are made of, but good ones are always very chewy and difficult to break. I guess the addiction must be similar to those of chewing gum... you try to chew and break it but somehow it just stays there as long as you don't swallow it. The only difference between "Bubble Tea" and "Chewing Gum" is that to end the sensation in "Chewing Gums", you spit it out, while for "Bubble Tea", you swallow it! And of course "Bubble Tea" is legal in Singapore... unlike Chewing Gum! Or maybe its because the government here banned Chewing Gums that people take to liking Bubble Tea.

After having lost it's flavor with the crowd after the initial introduction, it's now making a slow comeback as I start to see more Bubble Tea stalls opening again. There are three in Bedok just walking distance from where I stay! I even remembered that while looking for a job some time back, I walked into one of these and asked if they were hiring foreigners!

Gambling again!

Over the long weekend (New Year's day weekend), I was looking forward to some peace and quiet around the house. Life's been quite hectic and this was a great opportunity for me to take a much needed break. Unfortunately, my landlord had other ideas.

He brought a group of his rowdy friends over to gamble... Sometimes they would play Mahjong, which is one of the nosiest game ever... the incessant clicking of the chips against one another just keeps me awake the whole night through. It's not just me though, my room mates are complaining too.

This time though, they played cards. I'm not sure what game that is but while the cards themselves are not noisy, they chat and smoke a lot. And you know how our Chinese men like to talk. It's like the louder you are, the more macho you are... so they try to outdo each other at the volume thing. The smoking makes the little kitchen very smoky too. I tried to get in there to cook a little something for my sister and  all I could smell of was cigarette smoke! I think many of the tenants here are going to suffer the effects of passive smoking!

What frustrates me is that these men gambles non-stop. I saw them come in on Friday evening and they were gambling as I struggled to sleep. When I woke up in the morning on New Year's day, they were still at it. At about 11am, I went with a room mate to the library but realized that it was closed for the New Year's day holiday, so we decided to have lunch out. By the time we got back at 2pm, these men were still at it. In the evening when I wanted to cook dinner for my sister, they were still at it... They sure have a lot of energy and stamina... I wonder where they get these energy and stamina from... Redbull perhaps?

"Finally a little PEACE!"

Saturday evening after my sister came home from work, we ate and chatted a little while these men continue their game. We again struggled to sleep and finally tiredness got the better of us, maybe at about 2am or so. When I woke up the next morning to see my sister off, they were still at it. Finally I went to church at 10.30am and when I came back at 1pm, they were finally gone. My landlord was snoring away at the sofa! Finally... a little peace!

Looking back at 2010!

Looking back at my short stint at my previous work place, I wondered if I had been working in a hell house just like a slave? Or am I just  being naive and many employers in Singapore are the same? I do not think so actually because non of the local Chinese workers that I know (including my room-mates) ever complain. Here's why I think I worked in a slave house :

1. When I first came to Singapore, I told them that I intended to stay at Bedok. However, they told me that I will be working in Punggol and some shifts are at 6.30am and I must move there or I will not be in time for the early shift. So with this advice, I found a place and moved. Having moved, he kept telling me to work at Tampines. When I finally left, I realised that I had worked 10% of my time in Punggol and 90% in Tampines...
2. He moved me around as and when he wants. When a worker did not turn up at his Sengkang branch, he calls me in the morning and tells me that I have to be there. And when I finally got there, I worked there for half a day and he told me that I had to go back to Tampines. Because I did not know the place, I  had to take a cab and there is no reimbursement for taxi fares.
3. He deducted my pay when I took half day sick leave (Yes I did not get an MC) 
4. He did not compensate me for all the extra hours I work at his requests. On quite a few occasions, he had a shortage of staff, and I had to fill in an extra hour or two each day now and for free, which meant I worked a 13 to 14 hour day!
5. He gave me a time-table and when I turned up at 7am in the morning, I was told that my shift that day had been shifted to 11am and nobody told me. And because I had 4 hours (from 7am to 11am), I cannot hang around in Tampines, so I decided that the best thing for me to do was to go home and take a rest and come back later!
6. He gave me my off-day just one or two days before so I cannot plan for anything.
7. I found out that I was the only one working a 12+ hour day. When I asked him why that is so, he just replied, "Because you are new!" Working a 12-14hour day with almost no time to rest or sit down (other than the 20min lunch) with one day off every two weeks is tough, even for a "toughie" like me!
8. He made me pay S$1,000 agent fees when he was the one who hired the agent to process my documents.
9. He promised me $150 lodging and food allowance on the phone before I came but when I arrived, he said it's been changed to $100.
10. When I resigned, I worked another 2 weeks. For this I am entitled to another day off which was not given.
11. Having worked for him a total of 2 months, I should be entitled to at least one day of leave as I have seven days leave to take a year. However, this was again not given. 
12. He made me (and all those working in the shop except the admin workers upstairs) pay for a lost aluminium ladder. It cost us $8 each!
13. He made me pay SGD85 for 3 T-shirts which was part of our uniform when I left.

So what do you think, readers?