Churn and Burn

Churn and Burn. Churn and Burn.

This is a phrase that Cyster came up with.

It denotes how, as an expat, your friends are usually other expats in the same city. Expats, by definition, go back home or get reposted somewhere else after some time. That means that your pool of friends are constantly changing. And if your pool of friends are government people, there is some regularity of 2-3 years before people are churned.

That begs the question, do you want to invest the mental, emotional effort to get to know these people for 2-3 years before they go away because let's face it, most if not all these people are hanging out with you because you're all stuck here in the same place and the only semblance of home is hanging out with people from the same country and with similar accents.

Laundered

Every time I laundry something at a hotel i stay at, I'll keep it wrapped up and include it in my luggage for my next trip. Doing this actually means that I wear the same clothes trip after trip. But at least this saves me from having to fold them trip after trip.

 

Addition

Finally managed to hire the second person I needed to hire for my team.

My team is now officially as big as the entire Singapore office in my previous company. While cool, the thought is rather daunting.

In some ways, Im responsible for the livelihoods of five other people.

*Gulp*

随心所欲

This has become my mantra in life. Doing whatever I want, whenever I want.

If I want to leave work early, I leave. If I want to work late, I do. I will work whenever I want. Like now, It's 12:50am now on a Sunday, and Im still working.

But when i dont have the mood, then I'll just shut down.

Broken

The other day, Someone texted me about feeling a little 不舍得 about being in the last few days in our apartment before it gets rented out.

A whole wave of emotions swept through me.

On how I left my family and Someone to work overseas so that we can have a better life. On how she has to move our stuff alone. On how... oh so many things...

I just broke down there and then.

:(

Fan Count?

Somebody asked me how many people read my blog.

I counted six.

Never really thought about the number before. Six sounds like very little for all this effort.

Really made me consider if I should stop....

Drop me a comment to let me know who's reading? No real names needed.

Online Shopping Again

I visit the online shopping websites once a day to check out if there are any crazy sale items which I dont need but are too irresistible to pass up. I saw these pair of casual shoes - S$14. Decided to buy not one but two! They came the very next day!

 

Orange and grey!

  

These Chinese items are sometimes very thoughtful even for something so cheap! They came with ankle socks, individual bags for each side of the shoe and a recycling bag to carry the box in.

Booked

My President sent me this book the other day. Probably need to finish it pronto in case he asks me about it.

 

Hua Tuo - 华佗

Someone got introduced to a PRC person in Singapore who knows... guess who.. a descendent of the Great Physician - 华佗. Turns out, he has a shop in Shanghai. I was a little skeptical at first. Does his descendent means he is automatically a good physician? The PRC guy said that he was real good at treating muscular ailments and since my neck and back has been giving me so much pain in the last few years, I decided to go him a try. He told me to wait at this particular train station and he'll send someone to pick me. It sounded a little weird for me but he said his shop was hard to find. I actually had to go search for the train station and it turns out it's an hour away by taxi and costs about RMB130! By comparison, I take 15mins and RMB20 to get to work! The area was like a Tuas-like area with lotsa of factories. Then in the middle of it all, there's a small town thingy like a Toa Payoh central. The shop was a little nondescript and a little more understated than I had imagined but i shouldnt have expected much given its location. Hua Tuo must have earned a lot in his time because his descendent looks like life treated him well. Plump plump and way younger than I imagined. Cut to the chase, all he did was to press press here and knead knead there. I was expecting something more hiong and fanciful. But, and Im not sure if it's a placebo effect, my neck hasnt felt so clear for a long time! It's kinda scary! He told me to go back two days later to continue the treatment. I left quite light hearted and light necked.

Oyama Friend #1

The Japanese place we always frequent has a bar counter which we very much preferred over the private rooms once we discovered how fun it is. It was fun being able to see the sushi being prepared but actually by now, the novelty has somewhat worn out. Being at the bar counter means that we also meet other people. Somehow the Singaporean accent is so distinct across all nationalities and one day we were chatted up by middle-aged married couple (New Yorker husband with Hongkie wife). At first we talked about the usual things like how we were coping with Shanghai and how good the sushi was. Then suddenly the topic went into dialects and Someone is Hakka then the husband started saying he bought materials from Taobao to make rice wine. Now, Someone's mum makes rice wine at home. The guy was so excited he nearly jumped out of his bar stool and asked to call my mother in law to find out the recipe. What??!? Well, we didnt in the end cos it was late We did exchange contact details and they promised to bring us out for more nice dinners. What a weird way to get to know people.

Home Massage

I have a membership to the massage parlour near my house. But even though it's about 10 minutes walk away, sometimes I am lazy to go. I have been going to this chain on and off in the last nine years I have been running around China. I got to know this masseuse who was quite good and I got her number. Got her to come over to my place to give me a massage. Hee hee. This is the life man. Home massage and watching TV in my ipad some more.

What's Wrong?

Whats wrong with this picture?

Maid Made

This picture might not be much. Just a box of cut pear.

  

 I took it cos it's the first pears that the maid cut for me. I havent had much fruit here cos I have been lazy to peel them. Then a friend told me that the maid can cut fruits for me and keep it in the fridge until Im back. Maids here do everything, from buying groceries, paying bills, marketing and even moving. Yes, I know someone who moved to a condominium across the road. He has 25 boxes of stuff to move. He paid the maid a month's salary (S$90) and gave her the keys to the new place. The maid moved everything within a few hours. Amazing!

Fanned Out!

I had blogged some time back that I bought a fan but was too embarrassed to use it. I actually kinda forgot about it until it got real hot the other day. It slipped my mind that I had a fan cos I actually hid it behind the table! Haha.

  

Opened it up immediately that day. Kinda smaller than I thought.

Golf!

Sun's out! Time for golf!

It's much harder to golf here cos I dont have kakis, no car, no golf memberships and golf here is actually quite expensive.

But i do miss golf and do miss being out on the course with the fresh air. So I went to buy a golf set here and await my next opportunity to golf.

How true

I saw this on the Straits Times online website the other day.

How apt.

Sunday Blues

It's a nice clear day with no traffic.

It's odd working on a Sunday.

Most people dont come to work cos it's just odd to work on a Sunday.

Stained

Saw this stain in front of my food drawer. Im not sure if i have seen it before. Looks kinda scary.

Here's a pic of my beverages stash.

Mother's Love

A friend of mine is 40+ now and she decided to quit her job and go to Australia to study. I asked her how her mum was taking it cos her dad isnt around anymore. Her reply was "My mom feels I am away on holiday so she is cool about my absence. As long as I am doing well, she is happy. She knows that I am enjoying my time here so she is happily doing her own stuff." My reply was: "That’s what a mother’s love is all about right? They don’t necessarily need us to be nice to them but their happiness is derived from seeing us happy. " How true this is, I feel. How apt that mother's day is coming soon.

Scarce Resource

Here in Shanghai, good quality stuff is rather scarce or it could be expensive. Even the trash bags or plastic bags from supermarkets are of low quality. So we save whatever we can and use is sparingly. With this in mind, I was hesitant to eat my bin bin, cos it means i have to use another bag for the trash. Better eat it when I have more trash to throw.

Stacked!

In my previous post, I had mentioned that I didnt have enough noodles. I raided my store to see what food I had. I actually didnt realise I had so much food. Actually hidden behind the Bin Bin, are six packets of Tim Tams.

"Instant Food"

Making instant noodles isnt new to me. I do it once in a while but sometimes, I think i'm so picky that the process of making it is so long that im not sure if it's worth the effort. I typically like my noodles a little undercooked so that it's springy and i usually only eat dry noodles. We bought a lot of instant noodles every time we went back. This time we bought a new flavour. Hokkien Mee! I was hungry this long weekend and I didnt feel like seeking solace at Oyama. Decided to make instant noodles for the first time in Shanghai. Because this is a new flavour, plus it's soupy, which Im unfamiliar with, I had to take special effort to make sure there isnt too much water, and that the noodles dont get soggy. What a hassle. In my haste, i forgot that I actually usually eat two packets! ARGH! I only realised when I put it in a bowl. I was like... "Hey this looks less than usual..." Still need to wash the dishes later. Not very instant eh?

See my toes?

The weather is finally better now and I can wear my birks now.