Plans for short trip

I am planning for a trip with my mum and one with Mcdull.

Maybe taking my mum to a cruise than to another country is a better choice as she cannot walk for too long. Also, the view of the sea will serve as a break from her daily house chores.

My younger brother is dating a girl who is visiting our house almost everyday. Both my mum and i myself are very disturbed by her presence as she is behaving like a log that would not talk to any one except my younger brother. And instead of helping my mum she adds to my mum's workload by eating everyday at our place and dropping lots of hair on our floor. We are very new to living with girls as mummy is the only woman living in our family for the past 40 years , and she does not drop so many strands of hair on the floor. The behaviour of this girl is below average too as she is not socialising with us.

I really pity my mum as both of her daughter in laws (future daughter in law for my younger brother) is not close to her. Mdm Mcbing (Mcdull's mum )also said the same thing to me recently. After the marriage of their sons, they both lost the sons and did not get any daughter in return. But for the daughter in law's side , her mother did not lose the daughter and gain another son. Mum is telling me that she wants to live alone or just with me. I am upset about that as she had worked hard to bring up the boys and they just run into the lap of the other woman and the woman's family without considering the feeling of their ageing mother. The situation was reverse for the older generation of the Chinese society; my mother was bullied by her mother in law, but she now have to serve her daughter in laws although she is already in her 70s.

What is wrong with the people nowadays? I hope they will understand how the husband's mother must have felt when their own son gets married next time. It is Karma.

darby

Back to home for good

I returned to Singapore on 11 Dec and was under the hot tropical sun once again. It feels great to eat everything i want to eat and speak in Singlish, watch the local TV and breath the fresh air.

Finally i am back for good after almost 4 years in China - enough.

On the first day of my arrival in Singapore, i was exhausted and weak from poor health and the long distance flight. I met Piggy and he gave me a present - his flu. I was infected by him and started to have running nose on the second day (I got cured quickly after i went back to my home town).

Piggy also brought me to a Chinese sinseh on the second day. He is real good for the stubborn abdominal pain that i have been sufferring for the last few months in China. After seeking treatement from 3 different docs in Msia/Spore/SHG, i did not expect the sinseh to be able to cure me with such an instant effect. Instead of gall bladder inflammation/gallstones or stomach inflammation that i have been diagnosed with by other docs , the sinseh said it is because my liver was attacked by the cold. I do not doubt him but i am not sure how he can link this to my liver as i do not have liver problem before and i have not been drinking after I started to develop gastric pain 2 years ago. After taking medicine for just 2 days , the lingering sharp pain is gone, and i am just so happy that i do not need to worry that i am having stomach ulcer or some other diseases that is too horrible for me to think of. This should put a stop to the medical expenses that i have been spending for the same problem (the stomach pain). A good Chinese sinseh is amazing. My money and time is really wasted on those useless doctors that i have consulted before him.

After spending 3 days with Piggy in Spore , i went back to my home town. My mom was smiling and welcoming me at the gate of the house. It was really a great feeling.
I have been reading the papers, eating , doing some simple house chores the last few days. I am regaining my health slowly from the negative effects of the cold and harsh weather of SHG, such as dry skin/bleeding nose/ aching joints/poor sleep and unable to wake up in the morning. They are all gone now. I am eating and sleeping well and my goal is to get back to good health before I start my next job and go on my next trip with piggy.

Darby

The Copenhagen Summit - Sigh...

To my disappointment , the Copenhagen Climate Summit on 18 Dec 2009 ended with a shameful closing. The ugly sides of so called developed countries are exposed in front of the whole world, a bunch of kids in the summit decide the fate of mankind in the coming century. Obama is nothing but a sweet tounged speaker, i wonder why he was given the Nobel Peace Award.

I hope the next species that rule the earth after the destruction of mankind due to global warming will use 'homo sapiens' fossils as a lesson to teach their next generation, a very selfish and stupid species that got themselves into extinction for their childish behavior in Copenhagen.

I am glad that being single myself, i do not need to bring my kids to this world and tell them the world is going to turn into real hell soon before they die.


Darby

Together

i have been reading blogs from AJ couples today; they seem to be more loving than me and Piggy. I am indeed not a very good lover i guess, after pak tor with Piggy for almost 6 years. But i think we are getting along well , from the honeymoon days we only thot about meeting up right after work every day when we were in the offices, till we became the Old Couple who care for each other and begin to plan for our future by house hunting, we certainly grow old and mature together. And the trust is building up for this 3.5 years when i am in China, and i have turned down so many suitors (Spore boys and China girls) when he is not around :-), and i believe he is well behaved when i am not in Singapore.

My mummy told me today after lunch, if a couple is too loving, one of them will depart earlier, that's why she and her parents live a longer life because the spouses fight everyday. I rolled my eyes and thought, that is very much like us, i always bully piggy and he's always trying hard to stage a revolution to snatch back the authority as President in our little world (but he usually fails in the end). I am a tiger disguised in cat fur, and he is a real silly pig under human skin, he will never able to overthrow me no matter how hard he tries. hehehehe... But deep down in my heart, i know he gives way to me not bcs i am fierce but only bcs he cares for me. it is good to know that couples that fight will live longer, altho there is a limit for the scale of the conflict , we only have small catfights.

I know that together we will go places , go through hardships, fights and make up, learn new things , one will depart before the other, but i am really at ease because i know we are so so lucky that we have each other.

I will be flying back tomorrow to SH , and serve my notice period. I will go for my tour in China or elsewhere, and after that i will be back to Spore and stay put with Piggy for good.

Darby

A little bit of Shanghai

I have been taking some photos of SH city itself , the foods , the places , the things that i can see from the street. Unfortunately , i shared the same thoughts as my friend Alien told, Shanghainese is a far cry from being a lovely ppl. Old Shanghai , been the most capitalist city , it is full of filthy rich and mercenary stories / ppl. Hate and Love , this is what ppl feel about this city, depends on what they found from this city.

Ji Ang Temple , a Jap style Buddhist Temple. The lion is on top of the pagoda , and you can see the high rise building next to it.


Chang De Apartment , where Zhang Aileen lived.


Jin Ang District where Zhang Aileen lived.


The phoenix wearing Peony, a very symbolic fabric design of Shanghai.


Lychee from Guadong Province , namely the laugh of a concubine.



Pan Tao , yes , the peach that Sun Wo Kong stolen.

Back for medical check up

I was back to Spore again on 1st Oct and spent two days with Piggy in Singapore. I was sufferring from abdominal pain and giddy spell recently and wish to get that diagnosed and cured before i start my year end trip in China or other places as i have tendered my resignation in early Sept .
It is strange that the pain is less severe when i am back to singapore ,maybe it is piggy's power that heals me ;-). Piggy was so tied up by work that he has to go to office early in the morning every day altho he took leave to keep me company. I can see his female boss is not very good to him as she dumps lots of work on him but the rewards are less than satisfactory. Piggy is a very diligent employee and has worked many years in his co; he was not in her good books untill all her fav employees left her a few years ago, but the female boss did not take good care of him and make him take up everything that she cannot handle herself. I really hope that she will wake up one day when piggy is headhunted by another firm. hmmmph.

After his work , piggy made his way back to the hotel to wake me (the lazy fat cat) up for breakfast together at the hotel . I had two days of good rest and piggy was arranging the hospital appointments and paying for my medical fees (it is quite ex as i am not a PR now ). I am very touched by his affectionate acts, he does not have to do so much for me but he did it. We spent some time at the pool teaching piggy free style swimming till we check out. I know we have a long long way to go, and i want to get myself recovered fully and back to Singapore for good, then he and i can have more quality time.

Piggy, Happy mid autumn. Thanks for everything you did.

When i was back to JB home yesterday , I took a small piece of sweet potato , 1/4 piece of a mooncake and 2 slice of pomela as I did not take my lunch. I vomited very badly about 1 hour after finishing all the foods. After that, i went to bed to lie down as i had no more energy to move my butts and my head was too heavy. Slept for 2 hours and i felt much better. I guess it is food poisoning but i dun know why.


Darby

无眠 苏打绿

无眠是一首不像台语歌的台语歌。反复听了几次过后，我又觉得如果不用台语来唱的话，这首歌还会这么动听吗?

青峰真优秀， 苏打绿好棒！

Mcdull

无眠
今阿日月娘那这呢光
照着阮归暝拢未冻困
连头毛都没休困
你甘知阮对你的思念
希望你有同款的梦
咱两人做阵返来那一天
互相依偎的情爱
底你的心肝内 是不是还有我的存在
永远拢底等 有时阵嘛会不甘愿
想讲要作伙飞 去一个心中美丽的所在
所有的一切 拢总尬你放作夥
希望你 会当了解
今阿日月娘那这呢光
照着阮归暝拢未冻困
亲像鱼死底花园
你甘知阮对你的思念
希望你有同款的梦
咱两人做阵返来那一天
互相依偎的情爱
底你的心肝内 是不是还有我的存在
永远拢底等 有时阵嘛会不甘愿
想讲要作伙飞 去一个心中美丽的所在
所有的一切 拢总尬你放作夥
希望你 会当了解
我不管多少时间多少目屎多少失望来忍耐
我不管你当时会返来
其实我嘛不知影为怎样为怎样憨憨等待
你 是我唯一的爱
底你的心肝内 是不是还有我的存在
永远拢底等 有时阵嘛会不甘愿
想讲要作伙飞 去一个心中美丽的所在
所有的一切 拢总尬你放作夥
希望你 会当了解
为着你 我一定等

5 stars Mcdull

I sent two of my very recent original compositions to Fat Cat to bring some cheer to his otherwise mundane life. It gave me 5 stars for each composition, but refused to lavish any praise on me for my creativity and talent. That's the Fat Cat for me - I never get praised for anything.

The soon to be award winning compositions are as follows

麦兜：“达比，猫都吃鱼吗？“
达比：“对呀，我最爱吃鱼了“
麦兜：“猪肉比较好吃。我妈妈说猪的全身都可以吃“
达比：“那我吃你吧“
麦兜：“妈呀！”

*****

晚上十点。
麦兜：“妈咪，好热呀！我睡不着“
麦太：“乖啦。咪一咪眼就会睡了。睡醒给你吃雪糕“

十秒过后…..

麦兜：“妈咪， 我睡醒了！”

Mcdull

Room 241

Fat Cat and I got our little reunion and spent some quiet time together this Thursday and Friday in Hotel Intercontinental. Thanks to a streak of luck (and some persistence from the Cat), we got ourselves checked into the hotel room before ten in the morning. The Cat was able to get its much needed sleep whilst the Pig went gymming to beef up its not too impressive torso and trotters.

We both agreed that the room we got was one of the best hotel rooms that we had stayed in thus far. It was very spacious (with a bath tub plus a separate area for showering) and has two big beds which were very comfortable to sleep in.

We didn't pack too many activities into our two-day schedule - even shopping was kept to a minimum for the necessities like drinking water, fruits and Gummy Bears candy - but I was thoroughly happy - happy to see the Cat eat its favourite pratas and chicken rice, happy to see the Cat sleep and snore (a sound which I told it I have gotten used to), and most of all, happy to find the Cat regaining a healthy appetite and experiencing slightly less pain and discomfort inside its stomach and abdominal area during and after meal times.

Fat Cat kept asking what I wanted for my birthday in August. I want to tell the Cat that its company over the last two days was the best birthday present that the Cat could give (and have given) me.

That leaves the Pig with only one unfulfilled wish - a dire hope that the Cat could regain its employment status back here in Sg soon.

Fc is a good person. The good God up there will be fair and treat it well, right?

Mcdull

Way back into love

Today is the second day Piggy and I am lazing in Hotel XXX Spore. We did nothing except eat sleep shop and some .. you know what.

I just had 3 hrs of sleep when i returned to Singapore on a midnight flight, but i was glad to see the pig again.

I will heading back to home in JB tomorrow morning and spend 3 days there with my family before i fly back to SH again.

Certainly i feel good to come back as Spore is such a fantastic country to live in; the food, the pple, the weather. I wish i could work and live here again.

Darby

Two headhunters

I have been approached by two headhunters this week, the first one called from Guangzhou and asked me if i am interested to work in Suzhou or Tianjin. I rejected this opportunity as i do not want to stay in China if i have to be headhunted.

The second headhunter wrote a mail to me from Malaysia , Penang, stating that there are overseas opportunities for me , mmm... i have replied and wish to find out more. i just hope i can come back to Singapore or near Singapore. Shanghai is too cold for my ageing bones. Maybe they can send me to Thailand. I can eat and sleep well there as there are no winter days, and Thailand is a heaven for you know what.

Usually the headhunter does not get me jobs;i always get my job offers through friends' recommendation/reference, i think i am still not detested by others at work.

i hope God will cast a spell on the pig in Singapore , and teleport it to Shanghai . I can then have someone to bite and for ear twisting.

Darby

I am worried

On Saturday morning , i received a SMS from my younger brother, stating that my dad might be diagnosed for having throat cancer. I was shocked, and upset. Although i am not very close to him, i certainly do not want any bad things to happen to him.

On Monday, the biopsy is done and his report will be out by next wednesday, and the doctor could tell from the intitial sypmtom and from the biopsy process, that he needed an operation. I guess it is not going to be an easy case, as he has been smoking and drinking for 50 years. I always know that he has been neglecting his physical health. It is a volcano building up for 50 years, and waiting to erupt.

It is a lesson learnt, that there is karma for everything you do to others or yourself. Same thing goes for your body. i just hope he will not suffer.

Darby

Nan Hui Peach Flower Festival

Every one is going to see Peach Blossoms at Nanhui , 1 hr drive from where i live. And some went to see Cherry blossoms in the Park in Shanghai.
But i just do not have the mood , so i cut and pasted some photos from others' website on Nanhui Peach Blossom Festival outing. Lazy me.

Darby

上海的第一个春天

自3月某个周五早晨开始，冰冷的空气已转成微凉， 我不再需要强逼自己从被窝爬起来。 上班途中，公寓前的河边的柳树已冒出绿芽，不知名的花满树的开。我冻僵的关节，已慢慢舒坦。鼻子不再塞，皮肤不再干躁。 我想，春天到了。我在上海的第一个春天。

一切都那么规律， 上班下班吃饭睡觉。 我好像已经变成一个机器人， 没有朋友， 没有亲人。我慢慢不记得， 我原来是如何生活。 一个人在异乡，上海。 有时周末，吃了午餐，自己一人经过公园，足球场，小馆子，看到小孩和家长，恋人，人们都开心的享受周末，觉得自己孤身一人,惨。

Darby

Promotion came too late

I received the announcement from the management last week, that i have been promoted to an asst manager position beginning from Jan. I am quite numb to my new title and not a single tinge of excitement is felt. It came too late after my ex boss has resigned and gone back to Singapore. He has been trying hard to get me promoted, and i am not ambitious enough to take up the position.
After he left, i have to face the harsh management style from the local china ppl and i just do not like it. i have no motivation to continue in cold and wet Shanghai alone. I am in my mid 30s now, i just hope i can settle down with someone who is already my kin, and i want no more challenges for me. I feel old.

Darby.

Hate and Love Taiwanese

In any industry, Taiwanese customer/boss is notorious in China for their nasty approach at work , being arrogant and autocratic, and treating their suppliers like dirt and their employees like slave. I have heard that many times from others, and i finally got to see it for myself during this trip to Taipei.
However, as a customer in Taiwan, I was quite surprised to find that the service from the locals is friendly and good, with heart warming advices always given by the hotel staffs and shop keepers. I hope this is not because those who have a friendly character are usually from the southern part of Taiwan. I have heard the female receptionists in the hotel where i stayed talking in a "sweetened" tone when they are on the phone, but changed their tones to their usual rough selves after they hanged up. I could not help but to laugh out, it's just so dramatic.
Nevertheless, Taiwanese food is among the best. It's hygienic (after staying so many years in China, i put this as first priority), delicious and unique.

darby

Munching in Taipei

When i was playing mahjong in JB with Alien and the gang, he mentioned that he wanted to come to Taipei for a holiday. I did not foresee that i will be sent to Taipei for business trip a few days later. It was quite a rush and a hectic week just after Chinese New Year and i really do not have time to take a break, coming soon is Hungary and Mexico trip ,which i hate to go because of jetlag.
My hotel here in Taipei is near to Lao He night market, and my colleagues brought me to a Taiwanese restaurant which is really good. We then walked to Tong Hua Night Market, and then spotted 101 tower near by.
Taiwanese food is still as delicious as ever. May be piggy and i can come back again.

Darby