So expensive what!

There is an article in the Today newspaper regarding the rising cost of living here in Singapore. In the annual survey – Singapore ranked 14^th in the world…. overtaking New York. In Asia – it is ranked 5^th after the usual suspects Osaka, Hongkong, Tokyo and Seoul.  According to the survery – the rising cost of housing rental, transport costs and groceries are the main reasons why Singapore move up from 17^th last year to 14^th this year. 

This is not really a surprise. Everyone is complaining about the rising cost of house rentals ngayon. Yung mga nasa Private condo nga ay lumilipat na sa  HDB dahil hindi na kaya ang rent.  Yung usual SGD$1500-SGD$1,800 3 bedroom private condo now costs around SGD$2,200. So not worth it… lalo na at tulugan lang naman talaga.. dahil most of the time ay nasa labas naman. Because of the rising demand for HDB flats – the rental costs sky rocketed as well.  Maswerte na pag nakakita ka ng 3 bedroom HDB for SGD$1300. Grabe. Isama  pa dito ang pagtaas ng GST (EVAT dyan sa Pinas) this coming July. From 5%  to 7%…. hay… big headache…. Pero di pa dyan natatapos….. nandyan pa ang continued strengthening of the Philippine Peso… alamak…… I am really glad that the economy of the Philippines is improving. Kahit may mga kapalpakan man … we should give credit where credit is due … well done Ate Glue… noh… Nga lang….. pag nagreremit na kami ng aming hardearned money… hay… lungkot….. baba ng conversion hehehehe.   

With all the above factors happening… patuloy na bumababa ang purchasing power naming mga Noypi dito sa Singapore.  Technically — bumababa ang sweldo namin..  Wala naman adjustment na ginagawa ang mga agents/employers naming dito. Hindi naman kasi treated as “expats” ang mga Noypi dito. Slaves pwede pa…. expat… asa pa…. Kaya saa mga nasa Pinas…. Hello…Wake up… hindi ninyo monopolyo ang paghihirap… kaya pwede lang… tigilan na ang reklamo …  minsan puro daldal… wala naming gawa. Hmp. … sa mga kapwa ko Noypi dito sa SG…. Ganyan talaga…… tiis lang….. sabi nga ni Kuya Kim — ang buhay ay weather-weather lang… J 

PS… Copied the article from Today Newspaper July 19     

Singapore more expensive to live in than New York; fifth most costly in Asia: Survey

 Christie Loh (christie@mediacorp.com.sg)

 THE by-product of a long-running economic boom has inevitably materialised. For the fourth straight year, a comprehensive survey shows Singapore scaling the ladder of expensive cities, raising concerns about whether rising costs will start to put off businesses and foreign talent. On a global scale, the Republic has overtaken New York to become the 14th most expensive city, up from 17th last year. Asia-wide, Singapore moved up a notch to fifth place behind Osaka, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul. Pushing the island up the rungs were housing rental hikes, higher transport costs and costlier groceries, said Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which yesterday released the annual Worldwide Cost of Living Survey of 143 cities. The results are of interest to multinational companies and governments, which buy the reports to determine compensation allowances for their expatriate staff. .Already, some foreign investors here are having second thoughts. “We have heard of at least one case where the company plans to staff a particular Asia-wide role in Hong Kong instead of in Singapore, given the difference in costs under new rents,” Mr Fermin Diez, Mercer’s worldwide partner and market development director for Asia-Pacific, told Today. Several of his multinational corporation (MNC) clients have also started worrying about the burden on current expatriate staff here and the impact on profitability. As leases run out, “everyone balks at the rapid rise in rental”, said Mr Diez. Overall private home rents surged 14.1 per cent last year from 2005, official figures showed, but landlords in prime areas have reportedly asked for as much as 50 per cent more. Some MNCs are now providing their expatriate employees with extra funds to cover their rental differentials, he said. Meanwhile, other Asian capitals may look more alluring. Mercer’s survey shows that all cities in this region slid down the table, except Singapore and Indian cities. This trend was part of a major reshuffle in the 2007 rankings, due mainly to the weakening US dollar and the stronger Euro, explained Mercer. While Moscow remained the most expensive city for the second consecutive year, several European capitals — such as London, Paris, and Copenhagen — have moved closer to the top. Mercer compared the cost of some 200 items including transport, food, clothing and entertainment. Expats paid in US dollars – whose value slumped to the lowest since 1997 last year – would have less spending power in, say, Singapore, where the currency has strengthened. And even though cities — say in China — may be cheaper, some are often viewed by expats as “hardship postings”, said Credit Suisse First Boston economist Sailesh Jha, an American citizen living here for the past five years. Pollution, for instance, is causing some expats to move out of Hong Kong. Since 2004, Singapore has gone from 46th place on the Mercer survey to 34th, then 17th, and this year 14th. The ascent mirrors the economy’s steady recovery from the 2003 Sars crisis to the present good times of perkier wages and bigger profits. But although the horizon looks clear for Singapore over the next 12 to 24 months, it remains to be seen if the rosy picture would stay intact three to five years down the road.

“For any company wishing to expand in Asia, it’ll need to measure costs of relocation versus strategic value in nurturing growth of the company,” said Mr Diez.

-19JUNE07-

Fun with History?

I never had a professor/teacher who made history fun. Mostly… history class if fun because we made fun of the professor /teacher.  Hey… can’t help it… if you are in a boring as hell class… you need to  find ways to amuse yourself. And the professor/teacher is always there… standing in front of you…. teasing you….asking to be ridiculed… a very good target for temporary amusement… Whenever I hear the word History — I always have a mental image of thousands and thousands of dates slowly filling up the room I’m in until it filled up.. suffocating me in the process… J   I hate dates… mainly because I am terrible at them.. can’t remember them… don’t give a damn about them. Frankly.. the only date I can never forget is my birthdate. And only because I am always asked about it (e.g. filling up of forms,  applications  etc).   History class is always a pain. All (and I mean all…. Not exceptions) of my history teaches make it a point to inform the class that the dates are very important…. So important that they need to include them on the exams. So.. as a dutiful student… I try to memorize as many as I can every exam period.   After reading Ambeth Ocampo’s article in the inquirer today…. I can’t help but wish that I studied in Ateneo… and have him as my History professor.  I think his attack on teaching history is rather interesting – a breath of fresh air as you may say.  Can you imagine your history teacher wearing an old monk’s habit? Hmm… interesting right? If you think about it — if they teach history like a teleserye… it will be more interesting right? Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio’s rivalry is way better than Jericho Rosales’ Panday or Robin Padilla’s Asian Treasure. Jose Rizals’ lovelife can be a Piolo Pascual/Judy Ann Santos/Claudine Baretto starrer.   Hay….. wishful thinking. Saka … tingin ko okay lang na wag na lang nila baguhin… alangan naman generation lang naming ang mabato sa history class… dapat patin future generations…. Hehehe… ganyan talaga… ganti-ganti lang J  

P.S. copied Ambeth Ocampo’s article below..  

Cutting through complexity By Ambeth Ocampo
Inquirer
Last updated 02:23am (Mla time) 06/15/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Classes have finally opened and I will face a new batch of over 160 students this semester. The challenge is to live up to my reputation both as a historian and a teacher. Coping with the curriculum is easy, but living up to the students’ ideals is another matter because many of the legends that surround me are simply untrue, or at best half-true.In the days before I grew enough gray hair to be assigned air-conditioned classrooms, students noticed that I perspired a lot (from the exertion of lecturing) and used baby diapers, instead of a handkerchief, to dry myself. I thought this a novel way to deal with the heat, for how can you beat an absorbent cotton diaper? The next best thing would be one of those coarse “Good Morning” face towels you see like yokes on the bare necks of jeepney drivers. Unfortunately, students misread the teacher who used diapers as a face towel and branded him eccentric.With the reputation for eccentricity firmly established, the urban legends followed. One student asked, “Is it true that you came to class once dressed as a pirate? Is it true that you came with a costume complete with sword, eye patch and a parrot?”I didn’t know where that came from, so I replied, “No, I didn’t come to class as a pirate, I came as the parrot!” And because teachers do not lie, that remark was taken literally and I now have a reputation of coming to class in a bird outfit.I did come to the first day of class once in my old monk’s habit. The sixth-century cut was so new to the 21st-century students that they were terrified. But that was not the punch-line. I introduced myself and told them how happy I was that they had an interest in learning biblical Greek. Stunned, everyone just sat in their seats and only recovered when I told them they were in a class on Philippine history.Every semester my students cross their fingers, hoping that I will be inspired enough to do my (in)famous Josephine Bracken impersonation where I act out the two hilarious versions of her miscarriage in costume that comes complete with a curly wig and a pillow inside the “daster.” If at all, one of the life lessons they will learn from class will be expectation and disappointment.When I was younger, I would come to the first day of class early, pick a seat in the back and wait for the students to file in. I would hide my face in my arms, pretend to sleep and count the minutes before the students became restless. In time, a rabble-rouser would stand up and incite the class to leave room and teacher. When he left the room, I would stand up lock the door and introduce myself, but not before I had talked to innocent students and asked what they had heard about the teacher and his grading system. Those who gave feedback turned red when they discovered that I was their teacher. Unfortunately, I’m too old to pass for a college student these days and can’t play this trick anymore.One would think that students would flock to a teacher who gives high grades for minimal effort and avoid one who gives low grades and horrendous tests. Unlike most teachers who cancel the lowest score attained in tests during the term, I prefer to cancel the highest score. The rationale is simple, if you cancel the lowest score you are giving allowance for bad-hair day, you encourage mediocrity. But if you cancel the highest, you are removing a chance score, or “tsamba” score, from the equation and encourage consistency. If your grades are consistently high, canceling the highest will not matter very much, but if your grades are low, then canceling the highest score really matters.Bonus questions are written in the “baybayin” pre-colonial Philippine script. Essay questions are designed to make students read and analyze a given document. In one case, my students were asked to read Antonio Pigafetta’s account of the Battle of Mactan in 1521. Surely it is easier to just ask an objective, fill-in-the blank question or perhaps make the student sweat over true or false. But that is not as challenging as asking the student to use the primary source document and narrate the events and outcome of the battle, not from the viewpoint of the chronicler of the Magellan expedition but from that of a fish. What will a fish (presumably a species we now know as lapu-lapu) see but legs in murky water? (One student filled a page with “glub, glub, glub…” and ended with, “Sorry, I cannot understand fish language.”) Senseless it seemed at the outset, but it does make the students read and re-read a given text and think outside of the box.Another famous question was, “What is the significance of the dog in the execution scene of the Marilou-Diaz Abaya film on Rizal?” Students gave very elaborate answers like: “Before Rizal was shot, the dog was on a leash, but when he fell, the dog ran round his corpse. This symbolizes that we were once enslaved but Rizal’s death freed us all.” To everyone’s surprise the question could be answered by one simple word: None, or “Wala.”History is not just about dates, names, places and events. It is supposed to teach the student to be critical in dealing with texts and more critical in dealing with questions that require commonsense answers expressed in a clear and lucid manner. Cutting through complexity is a skill everyone has to learn.

-18JUNE2007-

Arrogance

I called up my usual travel agent to ask for the plane ticket prices. Ang nakasagot ay isang Chinese lady. I asked for the PAL (Plane always late este Philippine Airlines) rates and she told me. The I asked for the SQ (Singapore Airlines) rate… and she answered “It is more expensive”. Alamak!  Nagpanting talaga ang tenga ko. E ano naman ngayon kung mas mahal? Ano ba yun. Bakit? Hindi ba namin afford na mga Pilipino na mag SQ? Excuse me no.  Kaya namin magbayad ng SQ fare if we want to… at kung hindi kami nagtitipid… at kung mas mababa ang fare … J … Pero that is not the point ….. I am a customer first and foremost… I asked for the price… you give it to me…. Hmp.  Anyway .. sabi ko…”I know….. I still want the price please.”… Hmp.. buti nga may please. She may have sensed that I am irritated…  kasi medyo nagbago na boses nya… medyo naging sweet na. Ayun… binigay ang price… and in fairness… mas mahal nga hehehe….  I have no patience for arrogant customer service people. Kahit ano pa ang ugali nung tumatawag.. as long as hindi sila minumura, binabastos o ginagawan ng kalaswaan… they should be nice. Yun ang trabaho nila no.  Oo … I know that it is quite hard dealing with people. E di kung nahihirapan sila.. lumipat sila ng ibang work.  If they do stick with the job – they should be professional enough para magampanan nila ang trabaho nila.  Tandaan nila… it’s a very competitive world…  maraming ibang companies ang nag-ooffer ng same services… minsan at a much lower price. Isa sa mga dahilan why a customer doesn’t leave is good customer service. Yung maramdaman ng customer na may relationship sya with the store/company. That he/she is not one of the many nameless/faceless customer.   

Oo nga pala…. Hindi ako dun bumili ng ticket… I decided to buy sa ibang travel agent… a little more expensive… pero mas convenient ang location when I pick up the tickets….. and the person who answered the phone is definitely friendlier… binigay agad nya ang presyo ng SQ hehehehe….

-18JUNE07-

Sufficient?

Due to some recent events – I decided to go back to the Philippines for a couple of days. Wala lang. Mag-aksaya lang ng pera hehehehe. Anyway – my problem is that I have only earned 1 day Vacation Leave so far. Di naman kaila sa lahat na kasisimula ko pa lang dito sa aking new job. Dahil sa nalagay na sa aking isipan na uuwi ako Pinas ….. lakas loob akong nagpaaalam ngayon. Actually… dapat last week pa ako nagpaalam – kaso nakabakasyon ang aking amo. I sent a mail early this morning seeking permission to go on leave (June 25 and 26) due to family matters. Hehehehe…..hindi poi to lie. It matters naman talaga to my family pag umuuwi ako. J I am expecting a mail na either approve or disapprove. The mail I received was definitely a surprise. My supervisor replied to my mail and asked if I think 2 days is sufficient.  Whoa! Parang hindi ko yata naririnig yan dito sa Singapore… ever. Nung nasa Utsu pa ako – paiyakan lagi ang magleave. Laging may tawaran. Para kami laging nasa games show. Parang lagi naming katabi si Kris Aquino at si Banker — is it a Deal… or No Deal! Dahil sa ang No Deal ay di ka makakapag leave …. Kadalasan… Deal agad. Ganito ang sitwasyon ng karamihan sa mga nasa Utsu. Iilan lamang ang katulad ko na dahil sa katigasan ng ulo — hindi pumipili ng brief case! Basta… nagsabi ako na magleleave ako. Yun na yun. Wala naman magagawa ang amo… pero naku… talaga naming kukunsensiyahin ka hanggang sa kahulihulihang araw ng iyong buhay. Mental torture ang kapalit ng ilang araw na bakasyon. He’ll make you feel that you are being irresponsible because you are going on leave kahit na tambak ang trabaho. Asus. As if naman nababawasan ang trabaho dun no. Kung hihintayin ko maubos ang trabaho bago ako magbakasyon – di na ako makakapagbakasyon… ever!     Now you know why the mail caught me by surprise? Naku… first thing na naisip ko… gawin kong 5 days hehehe… Pero naisip ko rin… don’t be too greedy. 2 days ang unang pinaalam… kaya dapat magstick to 2 days. I replied and said 2 days is enough. Wala pang isang minuto – my supervisor sent a mail to the people of Singapore that my leave has been approved.  Yehey… 2 days….  I’m so excited… and I just can’t hide it…  Para tuloy gusto kong kumanta ng…  

Manila, Manila
I keep coming back to Manila
Simply no place like Manila
Manila, I’m coming home Hinahanap-hanap kita Manila
Ang ingay mong kay sarap sa tenga
Mga Jeepney mong nagliliparan
Mga babae mong naggagandahan
Take me back in your arms Manila
And promise me you’ll never let go
Promise me you’ll never let go 

Hmmm…. jeepney? Wala bang FX? Mainit sa jeepney e…. J

-18JUNE07-

Balik Tanaw

Balik tanaw ang “theme” ng isa sa entry ng aming photo club (Finestra Photo Club) nung sumali kami Photoworld exhibit held sa Glorietta Makati. Tagal na nun.. if I am not mistaken… around 1999 siguro. We have two entries — Senses and Balik Tanaw. Sa Senses – mga close-up pictures ng “senses of the body”…. So eyes, nose, hands… etc… gets? Then hinaluan naming ng mga common things na ginagamitan ng senses… tissue, lollipop, books etc… The pictures.. well ok naman… wala akong naicontribute hehehe…. Puro patapon yung kuha ko e… Hehehe…  Yung second board is “Balik Tanaw”… all black and white photos from a cemetery. Binabalik-tanawan naming ang mga namayapa na. Nice no? I think I have a couple of photos in this exhibit. Favorite ko itong board na ito kasi I love black and white photos. Mas madating kasi. Mas may drama. Makikita mo yung picture at its rawest stage. Makikita mo kung ano talaga yung picture. Your eyes will not be fooled by vibrant colors. You get to appreciate the subtle lights, the lines and shapes, the story the picture is conveying. In other words… you get to see the picture as it is.  Wala lang… sumagi lang sa isip ko today ang Finestra club. Nakakamiss na rin kasi yung mga gimik namin. Sa group – I am the least talented when it comes to photography. Pero never did I feel that I am inferior compare to the other members. Kahit na madalas mapintasan ang mga pictures na kuha ko… okay lang. Kasi talaga naming palpakin minsan ang mga kuha ko. Hehehe… okay.. palpakin madalas…  Hay….  Paano ba kami nagsimula? Hmm…. I attended a Basic Photography seminar sa may Fort Santiago. Wala lang.. kabibili ko lang kasi ng aking Nikon camera hehehe…  Syempre di ko alam gamitin.. kaya nag-aral ako Basic Photography. Dun na kami nagkita-kita at nagkakilala. Di ko matandaan kung ilang weeks yung class – basta every Saturday. 6 kami original na medyo nagka-jive. Me, Ginny, Leo, Techie, David and Warson. Usually after class – we go out to eat.. hangout.. ganun. After nung seminar – the class decided to form a Photo club. Finestra was born. Dun naman naming nakalapit sina Lerma, Jommel and Ricky. Tulad ng ibang club… paunti ng paunti ang mga umaattend ng meeting.. kaya sa dulo mga 9 na lang kaming active. Okay lang… kasi aside from being club members we also became good friends. We also enrolled sa Advance class together. 4 Saturdays yung class. Masaya kasi marami nalalalaman. Pero kilala nyo naman ako… medyo hirap sa mga technical na bagay… kay click lang ng click ng camera. Bahala na hehehe. Hindi ko na iniisip kung ano yung speed, light, aperture etc..etc…. Mumbo-jumbo para sa akin ito hehehe…  Even after the class is over .. we still see a lot of each other. Love namin tambayan ang McDonalds Greenbelt. Sa lugar na ito madalas maganap ang alipustahan. Hehehe… syempre pa.. madalas kasama ang mga litratong kinuha ko sa mga naalipusta.. Minsan magphotoshoot… minsan kain trip lang…. minsan meeting….  Medyo nagkalayo-layo na lang nang pumunta na ako dito sa Singapore… Yung iba naman ay naging busy na rin with their respective lives… Paminsan minsan nagkikita pa rin yung mga naiwan sa Pinas.. pero rare event na yun… hirap na raw i-schedule ng mga nilalang e…. Ako rin naman paminsan lang umuwi ng Pinas. At minsan kapos talaga sa oras kaya di ko rin sila namemeet… However – we still try our best to keep in touch… Mga paminsa-minsan na mail.. or sms…. Kahit madalang… its our way of saying that we are still friends. Pag may nangailangan — nandyan pa rin ang bawat isa para dumamay.  Finestra died a few years ago. Cause? Kulang sa nurture. Kulang sa time. Do I feel bad about it? Hmm.. konti. Di masyado. Nawala man yung club…. the friends still remain. At yun ang importante sa lahat…  P.S.Hmmm.. magenroll kaya ako sa Photo class? Tingin nyo? 

Samu’t Sari (ulit)

1.     I created a new playlist in my Ipod yesterday. It’s the “Idol” playlist. Dito ko nilagay lahat ng Idol related songs. So far – I like Chris Daughtry (Daughtry), Carrie Underwood (Some Hearts), Elliot Yamin (self titled — This guy is a huge surprise. The album is really good), Kelly Clarkson(Breakaway). I am not too sure of Katherine McPhee’s album (self titled).It seems that the album is going in different directions. She’s not sure if she wants to be the next Beyonce or a rock star or a sentimental singer.  I am not a fan of Fantasia’s Album (self titled)too. Not sure why but I keep on seeing Donald Duck every time I hear Fantasia. I have the winning songs of Jordin Sparks (This is my now) and Blake Lewis (You give love a bad name) and I like them both. I have a couple of Taylor Hick’s songs pero di ko pa ito napapakinggan… kaya no judgement muna. As for the other idols… hmmm .. hanap na lang ako ng madownload sa net hehehe… o baka naman may mga mababait akong kaibigan na magpapahiram sa akin… any friend who wants to be elevated to nice status?     

 2.     I had a haircut last Friday. Yup I’m bald now…. Okay.. an exaggeration… I’m short-haired now. Gone are the days of long, black, shiny hair. O sige na po… puro reactions – gone are the days of long, black, bad hair days. Now – it’s short (too short for my liking) and easier to manage. Pagkaligo – kaunting suklay.. can na. Di tulad dati na kailangan pagtuunan ng pansin at panahon. Ngayon green and go lagi. Sabi ng katabi ko dito sa office … I look very young daw… mukha na kasi akong sanggol hehehehe….  

3.     I experienced a momentous event last Saturday. Finally — nakapunta na rin ako sa Holland Village! Yes! Hehehe… I watched Oceans 13 with Cha and Elaine sa Vivo City. After the movie – nagkayayaan mag-dinner. I told them we can check out The Station Kitchen at St. James Power Station or Holland Village. Una naming pinuntahan ang Station Kitchen – the place looks ok…  di lang naming trip that night. So… Holland Village! Yes! We took the cab kasi di naming alam kung saan yun. Nung nakita ko na… initial reaction ko is wala lang… para lang pala syang Siglap. Am initially wondering bakit masyadong hype ang lugar na ito. Pero okay pala syang tambayan. The place is nice and quiet (compared to Orchard/East Coast). We decided to eat at NYDC – stayed there till around 1:00 a.m. Kain, tawanan… catching up… I will definitely go back… hirap maghanap ng masayang tambayan.. and Holland Village definitely suits me just fine…… 

4.     I went to Moomai’s house last night (Sunday) as she is begging me to attend a product demonstration. As I am a very good friend – I attended (with her promising that dinner is free!). The product – Saladmaster. Nung una — deadma lang ako. Kasi madalas na natin nakikita itong mga ganitong gimik sa TV shopping. Anyway – dahil sa di naman ako bastos (masyado) I listened intently. Aba – first demo was to cook Betty Crocker cake without the vegetable oil and water. Tapos hinaluan pa nila ng shredded carrots and zucchini. Aba… kakaiba. They use the saladmaster sauce pan. Tapos habang niluluto ang cake – nagluto naman ng sinigang…. Na walang tubig. Opo… hinalo-halo lang ang pork/vegetables(kasam yung pechay leaves)/sinigang mix sa saladmaster wok at niluto na in low heat. Habang niluluto — nagprito din ng chicken sa saladmaster electric skillet. Prito lang.. no oil. Nagsaing din using the saladmaster sauce pan. Nung naluto na lahat… around an hour — pinatikim na. Wow.. sarap.. malasa lahat. I was amazed by the sinigang. May sabaw na sya. The vegetables are cooked just right… hindi nalanta yung pechay considering sabay ito nilagay with pork. The chicken is very crispy. Sarap. The cake – well its your normall Betty Crocker cake pero di malasahan yung carrots and zucchini. Amazing hehehe… I was actually ready to buy… hanggang malaman ko ang presyo – the set with promo (na kasama na yung mga gusto ko) costs around SGS$6,500. Opo… in pesos — around 200K. So expensive. Hay. Pero lifetime warranty daw… and very durable. May mga patotoo naman na it’s a very good product. A friend’s grandmother bought dati (early 50s yata) and nagagamit pa rin nila ngayon.  Hay. Si Moomai bumili na pala. Sabi ko nga hiramin ko na lang hehehe… If you want to know more their website is www.saladmaster.com. Nga pala. Sabi nung nagdemo – Kris Aquino bought the entire set sa Pinas… around 1 million pesos lang naman ang presyo… biro mo.. si Kris — nag-deal! So.. tingin nyo.. Deal or No Deal?  

5.     Bought a Nautica cardigan… for a bargain price of SGD$62! May 20% discount kasi dahil sa Great Singapore Sale. It’s actually a steal. Lam nyo naman… hirap maghanap ng size for me dito sa land of the payatots…. Ngayon, ang problema ko na lang ay kung saan ko ito isusuot… Hmmm… makapunta nga sa Alaska…… Masarap kaya halo-halo dun?

So busy what!

According to an article in Inquirer today – Filipino women work longer than their male counterpart.  Pero wag naman masyadong mag-aklas ang mga Pinoy. If you’ll read the article, main factor daw nito ay ang growth ng Service sector wherein more female workers are being hired. Pero I don’t want to dwell on that point. Pinoy or Pinay man – the good thing is based sa study na ito  – on average – Masipag ang mga Pilipino!   Kung makakausap ka ng mga Pinoy dito sa Singapore — isa lang ang sinasabi nila — grabeng magtrabaho ang mga tao dito. Parang walang bukas hehehe.  Yung ibang mga nakakarinig  nito – feeling nila OA lang kaming mga noypi dito sa SG. Iniisip nila na reklamador lang kami by nature  (which is totoo… pero hindi ibig sabihin na walang basis ang reklamo! Hmp! ).  Ayan — the article is proof enough na mababaho… este workaholic ang mga nandito sa land of Merlion.  “The report said that all over the world, people in general work 35 to 45 hours a week. However, people in a significant number of developing countries work more than 48 hours. These include workers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey. Among the developed countries, the exceptions are the southeast Asian countries of Singapore and Korea.” 

O… ano… nakita nyo… kasama ang Singapore… kahit na developed country na itong bansa na ito… praning pa rin sila.  Kaya next time na may magreklamo sa inyong Noypi from SG na over ang workload… tumango-tango na lang kayo. Mas malamang kasi sa hindi – nagsasabi sya ng tutuo. Sige kayo – pag di kayo naniwala sa sa kanya….. baka ipabasa nya sa inyo ang ILO report na ito. At may pop quiz pa sa dulo… 

 P.S.   Below is the full article … happy reading….   Filipinas work longer hours than Filipinos — ILO report  By Veronica UyINQUIRER.netLast updated 06:19pm (Mla time) 06/07/2007  MANILA, Philippines — All over the world men work longer hours than women except in the Philippines, an International Labor Organization (ILO) report called “Working Time Around the World” said. “Average hours of work are longer for men than for women in almost every country reviewed in the report. The sole exception is the Philippines,” it said. The role reversal in the Philippines showed that employed women were two to three times more likely than men to work exceptionally long hours of over 64 hours per week.  Citing 2002 figures, the ILO report said that working Filipino women worked 41.3 hours a week, slightly longer than the 40.4 hours a week put in by Filipino men. The report said this phenomenon is driven largely by the growth of the service sector, which employ more women than men. In particular, the service sub-sector of the wholesale and retail trade posts a weekly work time of 48.8 hours; that of the hotel and restaurant, 48.6 hours. The international agency said more than half of the country’s workers who log more than 40 hours a week are in the service sector, which has grown substantially in the last decade. “All of this raises an important question: Given the long hours of paid work of many Filipino women, how are they able to balance work and family?” it asked. The same study, which focuses on working time in over 50 countries and explores the implications for working time policies in developing and transition countries, said that one in five workers around the world — or over 600 million persons — still work excessively, or more than 48 hours a week, just to make ends meet. “For the most part, it shows that the distribution of working hours in developing and transition countries to be highly diverse, with some individuals working very long hours, and others working short hours,” it said. The report said that all over the world, people in general work 35 to 45 hours a week. However, people in a significant number of developing countries work more than 48 hours. These include workers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey. Among the developed countries, the exceptions are the southeast Asian countries of Singapore and Korea. In the Philippines, more than 90 percent of workers put in more than 48 hours a week to earn more.  For countries with the highest incidence of long working hours for 2004 to 2005 (defined as more than 48 hours per week), Peru topped the list at 50.9 percent of workers, the Republic of Korea at 49.5 percent, Thailand at 46.7 percent, and Pakistan at 44.4 percent.  In developed countries, where working hours are typically shorter, the United Kingdom stood at 25.7 per cent, Israel at 25.5 percent, Australia at 20.4 percent, Switzerland at 19.2 percent, and the United States at 18.1 percent.  

SALAMAT!!!!!!

I have been blogging for a more than a month now. At napapansin ko na ang mga entries ko ay normally about food, music/movie/tv, reklamo at mga kahilingan. Hmmm… tingin ko kailangan ko naman gumawa ng blog about the things that I am thankful for. Pero para maiban naman – ilo-localize ko ang pasasalamat ko. I will try to list down all the things that I am thankful for this whole day. Minsan kasi we tend to overlook life’s little miracles. Pero kung iisipin lang natin – this little miracles often lead to big-life changing ones. Parang prelude lang sila to bigger things.

Eto na…..

 1.     6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Natulog ako kaninang 1:00 a.m. and woke up 7:00 a.m. Dire-diretsong tulog yun. Walang gising-gising para mag-cr/uminom/etc. Dahil dito… mas alive/alert/awake/enthusiastic ako…..

2.     Alarm clock. Aba… kung walang alarm clock… sino ang gigising sa akin? Kaya pasalamat tayo sa alarm clock

3.     Water Heater. Masarap mag hot shower/bath. Nakakagising. Nakakarelax. Paano kung walang heater? Magpakulo ng tubig? Okay din naman – medyo kain oras lang. Pero kung may water heater… hot shower at the tip of your finger (finger kasi mag on ng heater switch…  sabagay  pwede rin siko.. or kung flexible ka — paa)

4.     No rain. Dahil nag-MRT na ako ngayon (wala na pera pang-taxi) – big pain kung umuulan. Kanina – walang ulan. Medyo makulim at mahangin pa. How nice.

5.     Saktong dating ng MRT. Eksto lang talaga. Pag-tapak ko sa platform – padating na ito. Saya. Nakakainis mag-intay lalo na kung mainit,

6.     Beehon delights. Dito sa Singapore – ang beehon ay plain lamang. Wala itong mga sahog kung kaya’t may mabibiling add-ons. This morning – daming pagpipilian… luncheon meat, kikiam, fish cake, hotdog, egg etc. Syempre happy ako… luncheon meat, kikiam and egg. SGD2.50 oks na ang breakfast!

7.     Kopi-C less sweet. Syempre – kailangan ko ng coffee overload sa breakfast. Dahil sa nagtitipid ako… Kopi-C na lang… iwas Starbucks/Coffee Bean muna. Pagdating ko sa Coffee n Toast – wala masyadong pila. Ayun. Nakabili agad ako… Kopi-C less sweet…. Sa mga di nakakaalam … ang Kopi-C po ay coffee with evap milk and sugar. Kailangan sabihin na less sweet kasi kung hindi — dessert po ang maiinom nya… halos wala nang coffee.

8.     Hans Solo?… Maricar and I decided to eat lunch sa Hans. Lam nyo naman ang lugar na ito… laging madaming tao. Umalis kami office ng 11:50… dating sa Hans ng 12:00… aba… wala pa ang santambak na nilalang. Kaunti lang kami kaya nakaorder agad – at nai-serve kaagad ang order naming. Egg and Bacon + Rice ang order ko. Sarap! Nung kumakain na kami – nagdatingan na ang mga tao. Parang Judy-ann/Piolo movie ang pila. Blockbuster!

9.     Today’s Brew. Hapon na naman…. Antok na naman…. Feeling ko na-immune na ako sa Kopi-C. Hmmm…. wala na choice (uyyy….. nagdadahilan) dumaan na ako sa Coffee Bean…. Ang hatol ng bayan.. isang Regular Today’s Brew Take-away. Hay… sarap ng kape. Paano na lang ako kung walang kape? Paano?

10.     Sit-man. Sabi ko nga… one of the best invention of the millennium is the Ipod. Malaki kasia ng tulong nito habang nakaupo ako at inaantok (katitingin sa Excel sheet para sa aking current task – “Beautify the worksheet”) dito sa office. Na-tuneout ko ang paligid (yehey.. di ko marinig ang Careless Whispher)… na-aaliw pa ako. Medyo napapa-sway-sway pa ako habang pinapakinggan ko ang aking American Idol playlist (Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks, Camille Velasco, Jasmine Trias). Hmm… makahanap pa nga sa net ng mga libreng MP3s hehehe….

11.     Lambat Access. As usual… wala na naman ako masyado ginagawa. Update lang ng ibat-ibang excel worksheet. 10+ of experience and I’m updating stupid worksheets. Hay. Pasalamat na lang ako at may Net access kami. At least nakaka-sideline ako mag surf. Mula kaninang 4:30 nag-iinternet na ako. Nabasa ko na ang Inquirer, Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, PEP, Pinoybigbrother, Pilipino Star Ngayon at kung ano-anong trivia from Wikipedia and IMDB.com. At least — nalilibang ako kahit papaano. Kung wala ito – baka pumatay na lang ako… wala lang… para at least may magawa ako. J

12.     6:15. Ok… 6:30…. Uwian… hay…. Yan ang dapat talagang ipagpasalamat. Pagkatapos ng buong araw na pagkukunwari  – uwian na! Pwede nang magrelax… and watch a movie. Pero Thursday ngayon. Sa weekend na yang movie na yan. Diretso uwi. Good boy dapat!

13.     Lovers in Paris. Opo. Muli itong mapapanood sa  TFC. Nakikita ko na ulit sina Vivian, Martin at Carlo araw-araw. Tagalog pa salita. Saya!

14.     Krispy Kreme!!!!! Hay… sinful in every bite. Valid reason ba ang Krispy Kreme para umuwi na ako sa Pinas? Hehehe… Big thanks kay Vider (ala Brenda)… Ang nagtiyaga na ibyahe ang mga espesyal na donut na ito from Pinas to Singapore

15.     Pinoy Big Bother… este Brother. Ok..ok… I am still thankful for this show. Kahit na panginis ang Brendy. Nababalanse naman ng Mickey/Gee-anne at Bea. May pait (Brendy sino pa)… at tamis (Gee-anne, Bea, Mickey).  

Yan… isang buong araw yan. Isang buong araw na maraming dapat ipagpasalamat. May malalaki… may maliliit… pero  lahat dapat ipagpasalamat. Remember … SIZE DOES NOT MATTER….(except nga pala si Godzilla…)

pinoy big B_OTHER?

I’m a Pinoy Big Brother fan. The idea of watching a group of individuals with different personalities living inside a house is a very interesting concept. Tapos mga pinoy pa ang contestants. Tiyak na magulo. It was very exciting watching the show everyday – seeing the “teleserye ng tutuong buhay” unfolds before me.   Season 1 is a good show as a whole. The housemates represents the different Pinoys – from jologs to sossy. The interaction is very natural as the housemates themselves are not sure on what can happen inside the house. Let’s not forget the very catchy themesong. Hit na hit! Pinoy ako, pinoy tayo. Ipakita sa mundo… hey… what’s not to like. The housemates are relatable and lovable. Everyone hates JB. The masa can relate to the antics of Franzen and Jason. Rico and Sam is the hunk factor. Cass and Chix are the resident sex kittens. Uma is the frank housemate. Raquel is the misunderstood one. Say is the cheerful one. Jenny/Bob/Nene are the house’s wall-flowers.  It’s a good set of housemates — and a good show. I would have preferred if Franzen or Jason won … but I guess Nene is okay as well. 

Teen Edition — well what can I say. I had low expectations for this season. What can we expect on a bunch of teens. Hey – I am not saying that teens are not interesting. I have been a teenager once — and I know the issues and challenges of this age bracket. I was already expecting that it will be more of an “artista” search. And I was not wrong. Among the teen housemates – we often see Kim, Gerald, Matt and Aldred in ABS-CBN shows.  

Celebrity Edition is quite interesting actually. Ang hilig ng mga Pinoy sa tsismis — and this show is voyeurism at its finest. Lahat tayo ay naging interesado kung ano ang ikikilos ng mga celebrities. Too bad that there are few “known” names in the bunch. But still – it was a good season. Who would forget Rustom Padilla’s coming out. Everyone was entertained by Keanna Reeves’ Keanaisms. The KFC fight is a classic. Good girl Bianca falling for “close friend” Zanjoe gave the viewers something to discuss. Bianca was committed at that time – kaya mix ang reviews ng tao. And of course – there’s the Rico/Roxy brouhaha. Frankly – they are both irritating and it’s good that they both faded to oblivion. The season may not be as great as Season 1 — but it was still good entertainment.  

Season 2 is currently on the tube. I was jobless when the season started. Kaya I have all the time para subaybayan ito. From TV to PBB website and Pinoyexchange forums – lahat nasubaybayan ko. One glaring difference ng Season 1 and 2 are the housemates. Kung yung Season 1 well represented ang lahat ng klase ng Pinoy – the Season 2 housemates seems to be chosen primarily based on their looks. Parang masyadong na-excite ang ABS-CBN sa naging phenomenal rise ni Sam Milby kung kaya’t they decided to select housemates na “artistahin” ang dating (even Nel is artistahin – pang-comedy nga lang). Anyway – okay lang naman ito. Maganda nga panoorin pag maraming eye-candy di ba? First few episodes seems okay as well. Entertaining pa din naman. Initial observations? Sa guys – I like Zeke (frank but playing the game) and Mickey (a nice guy, todo sa mga challenge). Sa mga babae – I have a soft spot for Gee-ann. She has this vulnerability na gusto mo syang alagaan at iprotect. I also like Bea (responsible, can control her emotions, motherly) and Jasmin (frank, pretty – may dating na magugulo ang bahay ni kuya). Wendy? — ah… eh…. She’s an ok housemate nung simula – with strong emphasis on the word simula yan …. as in SIMULA in bold, italized and underline.  PBB Season 2 is on its 100th day today. That’s why – I feel that it’s timely for me to revisit what I think of PBB Season 2 today.

Hmmm, I think more than ever the show lives up to its tagline – “Ang teleserye ng tutuong buhay.” Before you raise any violent reaction —- please continue reading as I listed below why: 

1.     Those who doesn’t deserve it – were given a second chance. No need to worry about the thousands of people who voted thinking that these housemates should be eliminated. “We need to bring them back because of their strong personalities.” –  crap.. crap… and more crap….. If they really want to bring someone back – why not ask the people who among “ALL” the evicted housemates should return? I think its not fair that there are already 4 pre-chosen housemate then ask the people to choose 2.  They decided who should be evicted — why not let them decide who should be given a second chance.  But hey – this is the teleserye ng tutuong buhay. And in real life — not everything is fair. So to the loyal voters – sorry na lang. Ganyan talaga ang buhay… parang life.  

2.     The sickening Brendy loveteam. Base sa feedback sa forum, litanya ng mga kaibigan/collegues/kaaway, naririnig sa mga katabing lamesa — wala naman may gusto sa loveteam na ito. Pero grabe ang airtime nitong dalawang ito sa primetime ha. Minsan buong lingo sila lang ang mapapanood mo. OA na. Even the tasks are designed para mag-shine ang dalawang ito. Pwede ba. Tigilan na. Di nakakakilig. Sabagay – ito ang teleserye ng tutuong buhay. And in real life – there is a thin line between love and hate. Siguro ang gusto ng creative people ng show na ito ay mainis ang lahat sa dalawang ito… and in time ay mainlove sa kanila. Di ba sa tunay na buhay naman — may tendency ang mga tao to like something kasi lagi nilang nakikita or naririnig? Remember Britney Spears’ “Hit me baby one more time”?   

3.     Surprising number of votes by one of the Balikbahay houaemate. If I remember correctly when this housemate was evicted – her votes percentage is less than 20%. But during the balikbahay voting — wow… 50%++ of the votes! Hmmm…. something fishy right? Pero acceptable ito – kasi nga ito nga ang teleserye ng tutuong buhay. Di ba uso naman ang dagdag bawas sa eleksyon? Yun nga lang – walang NAMFREL or PPCRV sa PBB voting. Sana next time meron na — para talagang tutuong buhay.   

4.     Blatant disregard to Kuya’s rules. I have no 24X7 access….. so ang source ko lang nga information ay ang pinapalabas sa tv at nababasa sa website at forums. I don’t easily believe issues that are being raised specially on forums. May mga fans kasi na minsan na impartial ang judgement. Anyway – 2 unforgivable sins sa bahay ni Kuya ay ang communication via writing  at mouthing of words. Franzen was force evicted in Season 1 because of this. The same incident happened in Season 2 — according to the Pinoyexchange forums (supported by video, vidcaps) a certain Housemate did this. Surprisingly — it has been quite a while that this happened (specially the mouthing of words, the writing happened couple of weeks ago)and it seems that it has been “missed out” by Kuya and his gang. Wala lang. Tahimik lang ang lahat. Sabagay – ito ang teleserye ng tutuong buhay. Di ba in real life naman talaga — may favoritism? Saka minsan – kahit may nagawang kasalanan ang kapatid/kaibigan mo – deadma ka na lang lalo na at hindi naman ito labag sa batas (e.g. nakapatay, nagnakaw, dagdag-bawas sa eleksyon, mag-neon na damit ang maitim, kumanta ako sa stage….)  

Hmmm…. tingin nyo? Anyway – balikan naman natin ang mga natitira pang housemate. Pagkatapos ng 100 araw ano na ang pagkakakilala ko sa kanila. Again – this is my personal opinion…. Kaya walang pwedeng kumontra… Kung iba ang opinion nyo — ilagay nyo sa sarili nyong site… hehehehe…. List is in alphabetical order… baka sabihin may favoritism :  

Bea : I still like her. Sabi nila masyado raw safe. Pero di ba sa tunay na buhay naman – you need to be safe? Kailangan pag-isipan ang lahat kasi a wrong move may be catastrophic hehehe….

Bodie :  Hmmm…. minsan daming sinasabi at napapansin. He must learn to keep his mouth shut. 

Bruce :  Wala masyadong makuha dito. Puro na lang Wendy. As an individual – parang wala syang maioffer.  

Gee-ann :  Still have the vulnerability. Parang sarap alagaan hehehe. Need someone na makakapag-boost ng kanyang morale/self-worth. Sana si Zeke hehehe… pwede na rin si Mickey. 

Mickey :  He’s still one of my favorites. He speaks his mind – hindi iniisip na maaring maging cause ito ng kanyang nomination. 

Nel :  He is funny. Pero – other than that wala na. Puro crush-crush na lang. May gusto ba syang pagtakpan? Selos pa kay Bruce dahil puro na lang daw si Wendy. Hehehe…  

Robert :  He should open his mouth when talking. All I hear is “mumble…mumble… mumble…”. Puro na rin sya Saicy. Yun lang. Wala rin makuha sa kanya. And one unsolicited advice…. Magtagalog na lang sya…  

Saicy:  Sayaw Saicy… sayaw saicy… ikembot mo… ikembot mo…. Wag nyo na lang sya interviewhin… kasi wala ka makukuha ng matino sa mga sagot nya. Medyo nagkapersonality sya nung na-evict si Wendy… pero ngayon… balik na naman sya bilang dakilang alalay ni Wendy.   

Wendy :  Still the queen bee. Nung una – she’s interesting. Your typical poor girl who strive hard to succeed. She’s pretty and spunky. Yun nga lang — pagdaan ng mga araw — lumalabas din yung mga negative traits nya. She’s insecure — which I think is due to her status dati. She likes talking negatively about other people. Tuwing may kwentuhan – sya ang bida. Medyo shallow din ang outlook in life nya. Ngayon – tingin ko sa kanya…. Typical poor pretty girl who uses her looks to move forward.

My final four? Hmmm… I would like Gee-ann or Mickey to win. Bea for third place. For fourth – well choose the lesser evil… so I give the fourth slot to Nel.   Do I think this will be the final four? No….. I think it will be Wendy, Bruce, Bodie and Nel. Why? Bruce-Wendy loveteam is being shoved down our throats by ABS-CBN. I think Kuya and his gang will do their everything to have this two housemates on the final four. They will not win… but they should be there. Paano na lang ang storyline pag wala sila. Bodie is a dark horse… notice that he was not being nominated…. He might be the “Uma” of season 2. And Nel – well they need someone from the masa. I think a guy will win this season – prediction? Probably Nel.   

Do I still watch PBB? Yes… pero hindi na regularly. I missed the last 2 Saturday eviction shows. Dati – I made it a point not to go out para lang mapanood ito. Pag walang magawa – I still go to the PBB site… of scan the forums. Pero di na religiously like before. Wala lang … nakakatamad na kasi. Why bother …. Brendy lang naman makikita ko … (04JUNE07) J    

Samu’t Sari

1.        I am beginning to develop hatred to the song “Careless Whisper”. Bakit? Ringtone po kasi ito ng anaps na nakaupo sa likuran ko. Sa isang araw siguro ay naririnig ko ito ng mahigit sampung beses.  Minsan – tahimik ang lahat – bigla na lang may tutunog … anak ng pating… Careless Whisper na naman. Minsan naman umiihi ako… tahimik… biglang tutunog… ano pa ba… Careless Whisper… nasa cubicle pala yung may-ari ng phone.  Feeling ko — the song was written to annoy me. Hay….. I’m never gonna dance again.. guilty feet have got no rhythm…   

2.        Lunch is one of the highlights of my day.  Pagdating ko pa lang dito sa office — I am already looking forward to lunch. Not because of the food (okay partially because of the food). Siguro kasi lunch for me is a reminder that half of the day is over and  half day na lang ang kailangan hintayin at uwian na!  Saya di ba?  

3.        Green tea cannot be use as substitute for coffee.  I drink coffee to keep me awake. Lalo na ngayon – I need all the help I can get para di ako makatulog dito sa office.  Ngunit dahil gusto ko na bawasan ang aking coffee intake – sinubukan ko mag-green tea. Isa lang ang masasabi ko – lalo ako inaantok.  Balik coffee na ulit ako.   

4.        I’m a Friends fan. I am re-watching it again. One thing I noticed is that — there is no scene wherein anyone of the characters are ironing clothes. They have “doing the laundry scenes” but no “ironing the clothes scene”. Hmm.. does this mean that they don’t iron their clothes? Bring them to a Cleaner? Fold the clothes neatly after washing/drying? Hmm…. Just wondering.  

5.        I think that the Ipod is the best invention ever… okay… so I am exaggerating – it’s a very good invention. Because of the Ipod video – I can discreetly watch Grey’s Anatomy here in the office and still look like I am busy working! Long live Apple!  

6.        I love reading Michael Tan’s column “Pinoy Kasi” and Ambeth Ocampo’s  “Looking Back”  in the Inquirer. Wala lang. Di kasi bias. Saka interesting ang mga topics. Their columns are intelligently written and is not boring kahit na mga “facts and studies” na ang binabanggit nila. Bakit kaya wala akong mga kaibigan na tulad nila? Sabagay, Birds of the same feathers flock together… and I don’t think I am a Bird. Siguro pwede akong Koala Bear? O Panda? O.. wala nang kokontra!   

7.         I sold my Xbox 360 to a friend. I bought it at SGD 699 — it’s an emotional purchase.  Honestly – I am not much of a video game fan. Kaso nung mga panahon na yun — I need to buy something or kill someone. I would have preferred the latter – di ko lang trip ang makulong at malatigo. Kaya bumili na lang ako ng Xbox. Sinubukan ko ito laruin — pero it was damn complicated. Aiyah… the controller has thousands (ok.. I am exaggerating a litte again) of buttons. Ang daming combinations para lang umandar ang letseng kotste o tamaan ang pesteng bola. L  Hmp. Gone are the left-right-left-right-up-down-up-down-a-b days. Hay… Namimiss ko tuloy ang Nintendo Family Computer. Life was so much simpler then.  

8.        I am looking for Veronica!  Veronica Mars to be precise. Veronica Mars is one of my guilty pleasures. I like the witty humor, the sharp dialogues and the predictable unpredictable storylines.  I watched Season 1 and 2 with gusto. I am now dying to see Season 3. I  am wondering why this show did not reach mainstream popularity here in Singapore. Season 1 was shown in Channel 5 in a forgettable timeslot — so forgettable that I already forgot. Star World normally picks up good shows – but missed out on this one too. Axn was also too slow to notice that this is a great show. Hmp. Cable tv sucks!  Hmmm… I wonder if TFC can include this in their line-up. If they do – it will surely be dubbed in Tagalog — but I don’t care. Veronica saying “Salamat po” will surely be something worth watching!  

9.        I am not sure if I like or hate Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) … I know I like Grey’s Anatomy…. But I have unresolved feelings to the lead character. I am not sure if she’s weak or strong… a slut or misunderstood….. a good surgeon or a bad one? Hmmm…. she’s a complex one. A one-woman teleserye. You can add a Mc Dreamy, Mc Steamy or a Mc Flurry… but that’s what they are… an addition…..the token hunk factor. They are there just to add spice to an already spicy show.  But if you loose Grey’s character – then the show  wont make sense anymore. First – the show will be called “Anatomy”  which in my opinion is not an interesting title at all.  They can add the surname of another character… like “Yang’s Anatomy”…(well after Meredith, Christina’s character is the next interesting one) but I don’t think it will work either. Maybe I do like Meredith…and hate her as well.  She’s a complex character and viewers are expected to feel complex emotions as well. Hate, love, pity, madness, happiness… all rolled into one….. seriously….  

10.     In a few hours… I will be the proud owner of the new  Nintendo Wii. I have been waiting for the Singapore launch since last year. I saw the demo last year and fell in love with it.  A colleague informed me last week that it is already available in Best Denki in Vivo City. I went there lunch time last Friday to check. It was there — in all its glory. I decided to purchase it the next day as I don’t want to bring it with me in the office. I went to back to Vivo City the next day to meet a friend… and made a detour to Best Denki. It is still there — calling my name.  I decided to delay the purchase — think it over… and see if there is a better deal on the IT show. I went to the IT show yesterday and pushed my way against a flood of people all looking for a good purchase. Luck has run out —- there is no Nintendo booth. I decided to go back to Vivo City… excited to make the purchase.  And surprise of all surprises — the Nintendo Wii is sold out — in all  Best Denki branches. My day ended in vain.  This morning – as I have nothing to do here in the office – I called the official Singapore distributor for Nintendo. The customer service provided me with a few stores to check out.  I called them and hit jackpot on my second call! Alleluia. A store in Tampines still have a few units left. Tampines…see the irony? Well.. to those who’s not familiar with the places here in Singapore — Vivo City is very far from where I live… its probably an hour or so via MRT. Tampines on the other hand is one MRT station away! See the irony?  I went to London to visit the queen… only to find out that she’s in Singapore drinking Teh-tarik! Anyway – long story short — I asked the store to reserve one unit for me. After office – I wll buy it. Come hell or high water. (01JUNE07)