Thank You, Singapore!

Happy birthday, Singapore! 

You are 47 this year and between you and me, we have been together for 14 years now. How time has passed. The first time I "saw" you, that was around 20 years ago (Gasp!), I was only a tourist who cramped into one hotel room with 7 others (4 adults, 4 kids - I was the kid, of course!). I remembered I already loved you lots then. I felt safe and amazed at everything I saw. Of course, I was still a tourist. But there's something about you that I love a lot, didn't know what then. Maybe your gigantic book stores. I was and still a nerd.

In 1998, fate has brought us together again. I was supposed to go to Taiwan but since you are nearer, I came here instead. Within 1 month, nobody thought I was an Indonesian anymore. Then I realized what made me love you more, it's the uniquely Singlish of yours. Believe it or not, it helped me with my conversational English. I picked up fast. I blended in fast. I turned into an Ah Beng overnight and loving it. I don't know why people despise it, it's fun, it has character and it's unique. I don't care what people say, I love the way you talk, Singapore. 

Since it's your birthday today, I would like to express my gratitude for the great 14 years I've had with you:

1. Thank you for keeping me safe. For a girl who just escaped from a riot and witnessed the windows of her house being stoned to pieces, you are heaven. I know I can count on you and never take you for granted because I have lived in a situation when you didn't even know when they were going to invade your house or not.
2. Thank you for having all these awesome food at the most convenient places - everywhere. I used to think I am going to miss the food from my country, a lot. I still think they are the best and tastiest food and I wouldn't be able to get it in Singapore. Sure, some of them still don't exist here but guess what, throughout the year you've impressed me. Look at the choices you have given me when it comes to food. I don't miss the food from my country as much anymore because when I miss them, I just go to Lucky Plaza and I will be a really happy girl. You also have tons of choices which I wouldn't even dream of trying unless I am in those countries - Russian, Turkish, Moroccan, Filipino, etc. How lucky I am to be here! 
3. Thank you for the convenience with your awesome public transportations. I always feel "disabled" everytime I go back to my country because I always have to depend on others (as I don't drive -_-") to commute. But here, I just hop on to the bus, MRT and taxi. They have air-cons!!!!!!! They are clean and comfortable and I can do it all on my own!
4. Thank you for the options in learning. For a curious monkey like me, I have been so fortunate to be exposed in so many interesting things in terms of learning and one of the best learning experience I've ever had is taking up French. I need one whole post to give thanks to that but that's about it for now. My life has changed the day I enrolled myself to one of the best school ever. I wonder what I will be learning next. Your options are pretty limitless.
5. Lastly (though I have many more but I'll just stop here for now cause I need to go somewhere haha), thank you for the trees. I know most of them were grown on purpose but still - thank you. You are a country who really loves its tree so much that they have regular haircuts which make them look stunning. With the presence of the trees around me, I met great creatures like the squirrels, butterflies and my favourite of all - the birds. You know how much I love those birds! I chase them! Muahaha!

You are awesome, Singapore. You have your flaws, of course, who don't, but overall, I think you have done an awesome job. Keep being great. Keep doing what people think you can't. 

Happy birthday, once again. I hope you'll have a great celebration tonight!

Love ya!!!!

Singapore Hidden Gem - Mdm. Saripah (The Artist Along Orchard Road)

Recently, I have been meeting many earthly angels in the form of "strangers" from all sort of places - hawker center, on the bus, in a cab, in a restaurant, etc. The "chosen" place this time, at the bus stop along Orchard Road. There is no coincidence, I really believe by now, I was "guided" to be at that bus stop at that perfect timing. Now, I know why.

I walked closer to the bus stop, to check how the route was going to be after a newly appointed "concierge" of mine has assisted me with the bus selections. I passed a lady bending down, seemed to be selecting some bookmarks from a Makcik (a Malay term which means aunty) in her tudung (a type of scarf worn around the head by the Muslim ladies). 

"Looks interesting.", I thought to myself. I approached the Makcik after checking out the route and told her I would be interested to see more of the bookmarks. $2 each, I could buy some and give to my friends.

"Sit down here. You can choose." - she asked me to sit by her side. I obliged.

"Makcik, you painted all these ah?" - choosing ... choosing ... so many of them.

"Yah lah. What to do? Can't find job. I draw faces too. See, I take photo of people, the next day, you can collect the painting." 

"Wow. Nice leh, Makcik! Talented siah!"

"No lah. Making a living only. Are you a teacher?"

"No lah, Makcik. Why teacher?"

"Cause normally, teachers support my work. I used to sell at Arab Street. But someone stole my hand phone, and you see, I am using tongkat (walking stick), injured my leg. Difficult to walk."

"Alamak! So terrible these people!"

"Yah lor ... horrible lah these people. They know I can't run. So, I jadi (become) victim lah."

"So now, Orchard Road okay?"

"Okay lah. Still have to be careful. You don't know siapa baik, siapa jahat (who is good, who is bad)?"

"Iya, Makcik. Harus hati-hati (Must be careful). Today you are not drawing cartoon?"

"No have. I lagi puasa (am fasting). No strength. So, I just sit down here and sell."

"Oh ya! Sebentar lagi sudah mau buka puasa ya (In a while more, you can break fast, right)?"

"Yes. Mosque is just behind. Very convenient."

Done selecting. "Makcik, I want these 5." 

"Thank you so much. You buy 5, I give you one more free lah."

"No need lah!"

"Need! Take one more!"

I obliged - "Thank you, Makcik!"

"Thank you. You are so kind. Blessed your heart." She put her palm on my heart when she said that and asked,"What's your religion?"

"I believe in all, Makcik. Greedy lah!"

"Haha."

"My bus here liao. You take care Makcik!" I gave her a big hug and waved goodbye. (Good training, BFF, seems like this hugging thing is catching on me pretty well now.)

Mdm. Saripah, not sure if I have spelled her name correctly. Easily above 50 years old. Creating something out of nothing and trying her best to make a living. A woman of faith who still chooses to fast despite her physical and working condition. Truly admirable.

I wish I could do more. I really wish, I could.

Thank you for showing me how the $10 spent in supporting your creativity, has given me the indescribable feeling of fulfillment to my soul. 

Sharing one of the quote Mdm. Saripah wrote on one of the bookmark, my favourite:

"The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water; 

but to walk on the earth." 

Indeed, I walked and what a privilege to have met you, Makcik.

 Thanks for the quotes. You know how much I love quotes, don't you? :)

 

PS. If I have spelled her name wrongly and any of you know the correct way of spelling it, please let me know. I will rectify it. I know she has a cartoonist nickname too. I forgot what it was. Her initial is "AL" in all her drawings.

Do support her if you pass by her. She seems to be hovering around Knightsbridge (After Paragon) and The Heeren. Merci.

Old Age is Such A Pain (An Article by Sumiko Tan)

A sunny Sunday afternoon, was sitting restlessly by the pool, spreading out the newspaper and eyes landed on an article by Sumiko Tan. Once I finished reading it, I forced 3 of my friends to read too. Once a gracious friend sent me the soft copy, I made sure 10 more friends of mine got the same message.

What your personal opinion about Sumiko Tan, I don't really give a damn. But this article, is simply portraying the hard truth of being old that many young people tend to take for granted. They do think they are going to live forever.

Hence, taking this chance to share it here. Hope you will find it a good read too. If not ... it's also okay lah ... may be next time I will find a more interesting article than this.

------
Old Age is Such A Pain
by Sumiko Tan
as featured in The Sunday Times, 19 Feb 2012

I try to be sympathetic, but his voice just gets on my nerves.

It is peevish, it is querulous and it is very loud.

'Missy,' he screams, and his voice reverberates throughout the neighbourhood.

My bedroom must be at least 100m away from where he sleeps, but he sounds as clear as if he were next door.

Who is this angry old man who shouts so loudly at such ungodly hours of the day - 11pm, 3am, 6am - and disturbs everyone's sleep? And why is he so unhappy?

We started noticing his 'Missy' cries about half a year ago.

H, who is new to my neighbourhood, was startled the first time he heard it.

What's that, he asked, alarmed.

Relax, I said, it's just a patient in the nursing home behind our house. Missy means nurse. He's calling for the nurse. He's probably one of those difficult patients.

I knew what the sound was because it wasn't the first time I'd heard it.

Back in the 1990s, there was a patient in the nursing home who was also prone to 'Missy' fits. Another patient would bark 'Encik' all the time.

We put up with their shouts for years until there was silence, which could mean only one thing - they were dead.

Although they were strangers and had caused me sleepless nights, I felt a little sad thinking about that.

Nobody, I'm sure, would want to deliberately make a nuisance of himself or be unpopular with the nursing home staff and their fellow bedmates. They must have been in a lot of pain to be bellowing for attention so often. It can't be easy to be old.

I got a taste of it recently when I attended an Age-Friendly Workshop organised by the Changi General Hospital.

The sessions teach frontline hospital staff how to be more sensitive to the needs of the elderly.

I joined a group of nurses and care co- ordinators, and we started off by listing the ailments the old are likely to suffer from.

We were told to divide them into visual, emotional, cognitive, hearing and muscular problems. We came up with a very long and woeful list.

We discussed the best ways to interact with people suffering from these problems, and what can be done to make their lives a little easier.

A care coordinator related how she deliberately wears bright 'wayang' make-up and floral 'auntie' clothes to work. Old people have poor eyesight, and if she is a colourful presence, they can see her better, she said.

A nurse pointed out that a person's vision in dim lighting and his perception of depth deteriorates with age.

To prevent him from tripping, steps should be clearly delineated, and the walls and floors of a room should be of different colours.

The next segment of the workshop involved morphing - sort of - into an old, sick person.

To see what it was like to suffer from cataracts, we put on goggles which were pasted over with translucent tape.

To experience hearing loss, we stuffed our ears with plugs, and to experience stiff joints we taped our fingers together with surgical tape.

We then took turns to move around the hospital on a wheelchair or walking frame. We had to fulfil a series of everyday tasks - take a lift up and down, collect and read a brochure, go to the canteen to buy a drink, and use a toilet.

It was depressing work.

It's tough wheeling yourself around on a wheelchair, especially when your fingers are stiff. Corners are difficult to manoeuvre, slopes are a nightmare and it was frustrating buying a drink. You feel bad because you're in everyone's way and it was near impossible to reach up and pay because the counter was so high.

It was horrible not being able to read faraway signs as well as the brochures and price tags you hold close to your eyes. Even the going-up and going-down arrow buttons next to the lifts were hard to decipher.

But I must say I didn't mind that much the muffled hearing. It wasn't so bad being shut off from all the noise and nonsense around you.

Going in and out of the toilet in a wheelchair was an exercise in willpower and dexterity, even though it was a wheelchair- friendly toilet I was testing.

The normal-sized door was a tight squeeze for the wheelchair, which meant you had to gingerly ease yourself in or risk your fingers being squashed between the chair and door.

There was no way I could have entered the toilet unless someone was there to help me hold open the door. And once inside, there was no ramp to allow me to heave myself from wheelchair to toilet seat, and back.

Going around the hospital, we met the real elderly in wheelchairs and walking frames who were there to seek treatment. Many were accompanied by equally old companions.

Looking at them, I told myself that this is me, and H, in just two decades' time, if we are lucky (or is it unlucky) to be still alive then.

Ageing sucks.

It's not as if I were a young chick experiencing the amazing, eye-opening stages of ageing at the workshop. I'm already 48 and every year, every decade, has already brought a decline in bodily functions, not to mention physical appearance, and it's only going to get worse.

The skin dulls, the hair loses its shine, the metabolism slows, the heart becomes less efficient, the bones shrink, the muscles weaken, digestion slows, kidneys take a longer time to remove waste, bladder becomes loose, brain cells die, memory fades, retina thins, hearing goes, teeth rot, sex drive diminishes and, baby, it's really the beginning of the end.

One can try to cling on to youth by exercising like crazy, eating healthily, breathing slowly, driving fast cars, chasing after young women, or men, wearing sexy clothes, designer shoes, whatever.

But there's no escaping the clutches of time and sooner than you think, you find yourself with cataracts, blindly manoeuvring hospital corridors in a wheelchair, the bottoms of your trousers rolled.

Is it any wonder, then, that the old man in the nursing home behind my house screams an anguished Missy?

I shouldn't be impatient with him, really, for in time, it could well be me.

sumiko@sph.com.sg

Lichun or Chunli? Does It Really Matter?

Today ... eh ... yesterday - 4th of February 2012, was the first day of spring. Chinese calls it "Lichun" (立春). My friend said, Chinese believe what you do on this day, will set a precedent to the days to come in this new year.

It's apparently quite common that people will bank in cheque or cash to their account in hoping to have more of such occasions in their lives.

If that is so, this simple Saturday has brought so much joy, laughter, and slight tears to remind me that I have been really fortunate to be able to breathe, laugh, cry and share.

My Lichun, to be more accurate, started at midnight where I was having fun with my time-proven Frenchies group - taking photos with cute baby, eating and drinking great stuff and discovering generous souls through the games we played. Pure fun.

Image courtesy of me but baby is not mine

I then began my day with the two great supporters in my life over brunch, planning and plotting for more exciting "mini adventures" to come. Continuing from my previous conversation with them, we plan to have at least one new thing to do per month. However silly it may be such as - to approach a stranger and ask him/her "What's your purpose of life?" - well, that won't really happen ... just yet.

I continued with doing what I love to do - learning French in a carefree and without pressure environment. I also discovered through the lyrics of a song by Francis Cabrel how fortunate my life has been compared to those people who crossed borders with the risk of being shot dead just to have a better future. Saw 2 beautiful Black-Naped Orioles flying around outside the window of my classroom. Talked to a few really nice and friendly classmates of mine and got to know them better.

One Black-Napped Oriole sitting on a tree branch

My last stop for such special day was having another gathering with another group of French classmates (ex- and/or current). We had great food, wine, game, conversation and most importantly pure joy and laughter. Overall, my Lichun ended on a perfect note complete with the occasional serenades from a possible wannabe theatre singer. I had an awesome 24 hours of my life with a few minutes of work glitches that came through my phone.

The awesome Yusheng (Prosperity Toss) - Photo courtesy of DQ3

Whether it will turn out to be true that what happens on Lichun will be an overview of the year to come, one may never know. But by going through a day with such mindset has made me more aware of my own thoughts and expectations. When you set your day with such positive outlook, it doesn't mean glitches won't rain in your parade. You may get nudged here and there but the overall effect of psyching up yourself a notch has its little wonder. You are after all, what you decide to see, hear, feel, think, and ultimately choose.

If Lichun is just some superstition created by somebody, then, what's stopping us in making everyday a Lichun-ish day? That everyday is indeed a new fresh beginning. That everyday is different and unique. That everyday can be a Lichun or a Chunli or whatever you want the name/label to be. That everyday is a blank canvas waiting for you, the artist, to create something as per you wish. Then why don't you just paint it your way? It may not be perfect, you may have a small canvas, but, make it yours. Own your day.

This year is my first time celebrating such concept. I am glad to be aware of it and have the opportunity to spend it with people who enrich my life in all ways possible. I extend my overflown and rebuilt joy of the week to all of you, who even bothers to read my humble blog. In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I would like to say,"HUAT AH!"

Full Circle Moment & What Would You Do If You Have 3 Days and 3 Nights in Singapore?

Life has its funny way of unfolding itself. In December 2008, I was planning a trip to Europe in 3 weeks (including 2 weeks of Visa application with lots of hope and prayers). It was all planned last minute and I seriously didn't know what to do as I am simply not an average traveler.

Luckily, I was active in Plurk and just by posting it amongst the European plurkers, one very nice French lady responded and rescued me from being deserted in Bordeaux all alone during Christmas. She invited me to be with her family in Toulouse and to spend Christmas together. 2 strangers who hardly chatted online but crazy enough to say "YES" to the experience. The rest is history and I blogged about how much I missed Paris and how I will be confident to converse with French kids! To accompany that, 1 couple from Geneva (Swiss) welcomed me to their humble home with fantastic cheese and coffee, then 1 artistic kind soul from Liège (Belgium) showered me with great food and great booze for New Year's Eve party!

Time has passed and it's now November 2011, 3 years have passed just like that! The full circle moment has arrived for one of my saviour. This time, I am able to play host to my French friend! The one who was crazy enough to invite one stranger from Asia, finally came to Singapore! It's her first trip to Asia and she made sure she would stop by Singapore. (She demanded that to the travel agent). She has 3 days and 3 nights in Little Red Dot and I am glad she maximized it to the max.

So what did my friends manage to do in such a short period of time?

Day 1
Places she attacked:
- Botanic Garden
- Tanglin Mall for lunch
- Orchard Road
- Little India
- Chinatown
- Lao Pa Sat for dinner
- Customs House for drinks

Bear in mind she walks from Orchard to Little India in a rainy day. Pretty impressive, I should say.

Food and drinks she conquered:
- Char kway teow
- Satay (chicken and beef) + Rice
- Oyster omelet
- Prata
- Tiger beer
- Ume

Day 2
Places she attacked:
- Holland Village
- Wet market (woke up too late, so it did look like dry market instead)
- Hawker center
- Arab Street
- Peranakan Museum
- Raffles City
- Raffles Hotel
- Suntec City
- Esplanade
- Merlion
- Fullerton Hotel
- Colonial District
- National Museum
- Plaza Singapura
- Newton Circus

Food and drinks she conquered:
- Chicken rice
- Nasi lemak
- Grass jelly drink
- Ice teh limau (Ice lime tea)
- Kue lupis
- Breadtalk's chicken floss
- Yakun's kaya toast, half boiled egg, kopi-o and teh-o
- Stingray
- Rojak
- Hokkien Mee
- Soursop juice

Day 3
Places she attacked:
- Singapore zoo
- Orchard road again as the weather didn't permit her to go to Sentosa (*pout*) and ended up she made Steve Jobs happy. *ehem*
- Clarke Quay
- Geylang

Food and drinks she conquered:
- Starbucks coffee that put her to sleep (oops, I'm not sure on this :p I am just imagining)
- Chili crab
- Mantou
- Turkish ice cream
- Durian

Overall, I think she has done a great job. She conquered a lot and experienced the main attractions of Singapore. What more, she has a very "authentic" Singaporean guide too besides the "fake-made-in-Indonesia" one. I hope she enjoyed her stay with my passable planning and guiding and story telling ... or more like blabbering. I am glad she enjoyed durian with its stench still lingers on our fingers as I am typing this. I am glad I am able to return the favour that her family and she have done to me in 2008. I hope one day her family too will come and let me have the privilege to show them how awesome Singapore can be (in the rain). I hope my other Internet friends who have shown me how great people are just few clicks away, will be here too one day. I am so grateful for this full circle moment that keeps expanding in its own amazing way.

Life becomes more awesome when one is able to share a piece of themselves with others.

17 December 2008 - First photo taken after our dinner on the first night I arrived in Paris

31 October 2011 - First photo taken after our dinner on her first night in Singapore
(Image courtesy of my friend's FB. Approval is pending as she's busy with her novel at the moment of this blogging)

Have You Seen Blue Rice Before?

Look at it.
It's so beautiful, isn't it?
Well to some, it may be a scary sight.
Blue/purplish rice?
Hell yeah!
It smells of lemon grass too.
Heavenly!

Don't ask me what it's made of but I know for sure it's all natural :)


It was supposed to be a business meeting but it turned out to be one of the best, authentic and non-MSG-ish peranakan food I have ever tasted. Plus a few life lessons shared. The whole experience was simply awesome.

The owner, Mr. Philip Khoo, is one of the rare passionate man I've ever seen. Passionate about his food, his culture, his heritage, his history, his recipes, his customers and his life. He lives with total and utmost passion. I have never really seen someone who is like him, except on TV or movies. He really breathes, lives and speaks Peranakan.

I love his sharing of each and every dish where each and every ingredients seem to play a very important part. I love his story on the very rich Peranakan culture, being and living as one, his mission in life is really to make sure the Peranakan food will not be forgotten and will be accessible to everyone. He said, Peranakan is not as subtle as French food, may be because their taste buds are numb (jokingly). Hence, Peranakan food is so rich and full of flavour that when you eat it, you simply can't miss the richness in its culture.

One of the most memorable story he shared is about 2 types of wealthy customers:
1. The one who are comfortable being who they are
2. The one who are not and whose egos demand for every attention they can get

Type 1, surprisingly he said, can be one of the best customer ever. Even if they have constructive criticism, they will try to let you know in a sensitive manner that will not hurt your feeling. Then when they reveal who they are, you will be shocked to death that they either hold a very high position in a company. Or the owner of some super famous establishments.

Type 2, however, to prove that they have all the power, to shout for attention, validation and acknowledgment; will make the biggest noise when something is not right. They are trying to match how they act with what they drive sometimes. "See, I am the boss. I drive a BMW. Treat me like a boss."

Being comfortable with who we are and not attached to any titles, material possessions, status, are not something that is easy to do especially in this ego-driven world. His sharing really reminded me of a phrase in Bahasa Indonesia:

"Seperti buah padi, makin berisi, makin berunduk."
Just like grains of rice, the more full they are, the lower they will bow.
Be humble.

Being a 1/4 Peranakan myself (I think! My grandma told me. So, I will take it that I have a little bittttttt of the Peranakan blood), I feel honoured to be in the presence of Mr. Khoo. Really hope his mission in life can be realized.

If you have the chance, and you love the robust and vibrant flavours in each and every ingredient, try the Peranakan food at address below. I swear I will be there again. :)

Baba King Nonya Deli
@ Changi Business Park
1 Changi Business Park Crescent
#01-22 Plaza 8
Singapore 486025

Tel. (65) 6587 3128
Website. www.BabaKing.com.sg

Got Tax?

The tax season is here again. Have you prepared yourself for it? In Singapore the cut-off date for filing it online will be on the 18th of April 2011. Normally, people will wait until the last minute to make sure they are all done properly. I can be considered one of those because I just filed it yesterday! Hey, it’s not my fault. The government sent me a letter and said I don’t need to file tax but alas … as there’s an income limit being set for that, I decided that I’d better file it. You wouldn’t want to mess with Mr. Tax Man (wherever you are). Evasion is a very serious business. You can get to know all about it here.

Punishments aside, there are a few reliefs and rebates for law abiding citizens who are diligently filing their tax on time. I just found out that there is such thing called “Life Insurance Relief”. All these while since 2004, I didn’t know hence I didn’t report it. URGH! Knowledge has its power only when you are able to apply it. Now I know and I am so going to remember this! Imagine the savings I would have got to buy more books I don’t read! That’s so heavenly :p

I am just a small fish with simple income and expense structure. And yet I missed out on the relief that I was legally entitled to due to my not knowing. Now I know why companies or high net worth individuals need a professional or even a team of professional to handle their tax. For the lazy few, there’s always tax software to assist in filing your tax or even filing tax extension (if you are so busy). Alas, they are only applicable for US tax. May be one day Singapore will have one too.

Update: I am not eligible for the life insurance relief as my CPF contribution has exceeded. Aaaa...aaaa... So I don't really lose out much then ... *sob sob still*

A Love Story - Uniquely Singapore

The recent passing of Mrs. Lee, wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has definitely saddened the nation. I am not Singaporean nor I am very actively aware of the political scene of this country but I must admit, the love between both of them are so strong that every time they appeared on TV or their photos surfaced on newspaper, you can't help to see how loving they are to each other. It's not one of those PR moves to appear "perfect" in public. They are truly meant for each other throughout the thick and thin and most importantly, they are a couple who focus on big picture and build a nation and a loving family instead of poking on the small pettiness in life. Mr. Lee has written a great eulogy for one to understand their love story better. Everyone should read it.

Thanks for your contribution, Mrs. Lee. Your dedication to your husband, family and nation are truly exceptional. :-)

Even Taxi Driver Could Blog Regularly ...

And I have been procrastinating for so long ... shame on me!

Yes, you heard me right. A taxi driver in Singapore has been blogging regularly since the start of his career. Though he has only been a taxi driver for 6 months due to an unfortunate event, during those period, he blogged simply to record stories he experienced during his contract. Little that he knew his misfortune made me move my arse and type something here.

This special taxi driver's name is Dr. Cai Mingjie. Yes, he has a "Dr" title as he has a Stanford PhD. He was terminated from his job May 2008 and since then he had so much trouble to find job as either he was overqualified or there were simply no responses to his applications. (He has started to look for job since May 2007!!!!) Putting his PhD aside, he decided to be a taxi driver in November 2008 and the rest is history.

I have heard of him on the newspaper before. At that point of time, I thought the media wanted to show how bad the market was during the crisis that job was so scarce. I pitied him, and many of the Facebookers did too. But few days ago, I was shocked, I saw his book at the book store and without shadow of a doubt, I bought it. Even though it's at quite a hefty price (for local book it is a little bit high, I should have bought it online and I could get his autograph! HAHA) I just thought to myself,"Hey! This is interesting! I want!".

The title is Diary of a Taxi Driver.

Image courtesy of Aktive Learning

The book - it's an easy read. Simply love how simple the way he wrote it and most importantly the daily life stories stories were intertwined with philosophies and reflections. As most people now, there are good and bad people that taxi drivers may encounter and this book covers both sides. But he focused more on the good sides and even the bad, he reflected on it and they become life lessons. He's my idol.

What I love the most is when despite his unfortunate circumstance of losing his job and being pushed from one of the more prestigious career of scientist to one of the lower one of a taxi driver, yet, he managed to put his pride aside and did what a scientist will do to the whole experience - learn, observe, reflect and share. I know I connect with this most because I used to be a passionate observer and sharer like him through my blog. Then ... I slacked and slacked and .... you know what happened after that long time of drought in actions = NOTHING!

Lots of the stories he shared inside, especially about the sides of Singapore that not many of us will chance upon - lives of the prostitutes, the senior citizens who are struggling, the old men with some "needs", the executives who are stingy and rude, etc. They opened my eyes and heart to learn more about what we have easily missed about our surroundings. I am grateful to chance upon his book and slowly awakening that curious gene inside me. One lesson at a time.

The Curious Case of NTU Singapore

Have you heard about the news that have been really hot in Singapore? Well, the university that I graduated from has apparently been in the limelight recently, for the wrong reasons. Dead bodies and blood are involved in Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

For the news, lookie here: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_347185.html

It was said according to the news source that 1st incident, an Indonesian Chinese student has stabbed a professor and then committed suicide. That happened on a Monday. Then, during the same week, on Saturday, a Chinese project officer has found hung.

2 dead bodies in less than a week. Wow ... Is the recession so bad and gloomy that everybody feels so stressed and simply needs to end their lives to feel better? And is it really a coincidence that both of them were from the same faculty - the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering? Ah ... not forgetting a fact that both of them are also working in the same lab - S2-B3a-06. Ah ... yes, don't forget, people who are like the Indonesian student (a scholar who even represented the country for some Maths competition) and the Chinese project officer (who landed a job in NTU which was supposedly not as easy to get in as to work in McDonalds) must have some kind of brilliance especially in the academic arena. They were engineering trained, who were supposed to be pretty logical and "thought-things-through" before experimenting with anything, and these are the outcomes for their lives? And both in the same week?

I don't know how to feel about this news. But the news has definitely stirred certain mood in me when I first read it. I must admit that I must have pointed finger into the direction that media wanted me to believe. The media is a powerful too indeed. How can one forget that? Fortunately, God created this thing called "BRAIN". And some of those who remembered to utilize it, started to ask questions and feel something was fishy and then I was awakened.

I am definitely not in any position to comment about this case. I am no CSI and even if I am one, I have no access to the evidences and witnesses and whatever things that CSI needs in solving a case. So, I'm not here to argue, what's right, what's wrong, what should have been done, etc. I am also not here to dissect this situation as I am in no place to shine any lights to the case. I really hope the truth will prevail but even though if it's not, Miss Karma will take action in its own hand and in its own time.

But what I would like to point out in this era where we are so heavily spoon-fed by what we read, heard and seen, have we forgotten how to think for ourselves? Are we really that mentally lazy? Unfortunately, we are. I know I am. But through the curious case of NTU Singapore, this time, I really hope we'll be more awakened. To be reminded that we are born with a brain that hardly being utilized fully on things that REALLY matter. Life is hardly so straightforward, it needs a little bit of "detective" works and seriously, I am not just talking about this NTU case but about our own lives. I know I'm in the midst of a very big important and puzzling case of my own and I'm going to get my detective hat, coat and magnifying glass in order to find some clues about my own life. I hope you do too. Life is a mystery indeed, solve as much as you can and don't forget, we have a brain.

Singapore Biennale 2008: Address (Project: Another Country)

Artwork:
Address (Project: Another Country)

Type:
Installation

Description:
Domestic objects cast on balikbayan (homecoming) box

Artists:
Alfredo Juan Aquilizan
Maria Isabel Gaudinez-Aquilizan



Inspired by their own relocation from Phillipines to Australia, the husband and wife team, Alfredo & Maria Aquilizan created this "room" by using tons of personal objects that have been collected from all over for more than 10 years. They then "cubed" the personal belongings, in a very artistic manner, by using the Balikbayan boxes. Balikbayan boxes are used a lot by Filipino migrants to store and relocate their belongings from one place to another. And yes, you can read more about the "Balikbayan boxes" from wikipedia.

Now, if this art project was simply collecting personal items, arranging them in a certain way so that they'll hold up in the Balikbayan boxes, and that make sure when the box is removed they are able to be stacked with the rest of the other items, then you are wrong.

As I walked and paid more attention to the details, each items were carefully placed. Not only the structure aspects were very well taken care of, but also the fun aspects of it. Yes, this "space" actually interacts with the viewer and sometimes you'll find some "spooky" items and sometimes you'll find that the artists were simply want to joke around with you. Like the following items I managed to find here.




First of all, I have to applaud the patience that the artists have in putting all the things together in a "chaotic" and yet organized manner. But what I adore the most from these piece of art is the fun and nostalgic feeling the viewers get while going through items over items. Well, the feeling of nostalgic may be really to the "older" people like me :p what I am trying to say is that everyone will find at least one item speaks to him/her in a special way. What's the item for me? Ah well, may be the duckie (or is it a chickie?) who loves her cocktail below is my personal favourite. Don't ask me why! :-)

What Not to Say in the Airport

Thanks to Panci, I received this forwarded email. I didn't know in Singapore such thing happens. Well, not sure how true it is but there's no harm to be aware of what's happening. Please beware that the following letter is quite long. Read if you have the patience.

SHOCKING EYE-OPENER!!

IS THIS CALLED WORLD-CLASS SERVICE ???

**********************************************************************************************

Dear everyone

Thank you so much for your concern for asking why I did not make it for my trip to Australia . I have told some of you, and not had the chance to explain to all of you. In short, something completely out of my imagination happened and I could not board my flight.

Following is an email complaint that I have filed with CAAS, cced to whoever that is important.

It's 4 pages long – for your leisure reading and entertainment.

=) Sandra

**************************************************************************************************************************

Subject: A FAMILY HOLIDAY RUINED BY ILLOGICAL SECURITY OFFICERS

Dear Mr. Foo,

My name is Sandra Tan (I/C number 7328669G). It is with great disappointment and distress that I am filing a complaint to you with regards to my situation.

My family (including myself, my husband, my daughter, and my son) planned a Darwin holiday for the March school vacation period and was supposed to depart on 09 March. Unfortunately, we were put in a situation by the security officers at the departure terminal, that was way beyond our control and we were not able to make our trip. The following is an account of what had happened : -

I entered the Immigration gantry at about 7.15pm with my daughter (Belle Lee, 13 yrs old) to have our passport scanned and our hand carry luggage checked whilst my husband (Lee Ming Chong) stayed behind with my son (Caius Lee, 8 yrs old) at the ticketing counter to sort out my son's visa. After having mine and my Belle's passport scanned, we proceed to the security gantry to have our hand luggage and our bodies scanned. Belle passed the security gantry first, whilst I followed right behind her. A lady officer asked me to remove my boots for scanning, and I did as told immediately and put my boots inside the basket provided, for it to be scanned together with my hand luggage. I then proceed to the metal detector of which I cleared without the gantry beeping or detecting any metal objects. I was then asked to collect my luggage and my boots. In the mean time, Belle was throwing away a sweet wrapper and retuning to me and saw me putting on my boots.

Belle then asked casually "Mummy, why do you have to remove your shoes?"

Whilst putting on my boots, I replied her and said that "they (the security officers) are afraid that we might keep bombs in our shoes (which is why I need to take it off to have it scanned)"

Immediately, a security officer standing at the conveyor belt (Stephen S Naidira) who was standing in front of me said with a very rude tone "repeat what you just said". I clarified with him what he meant - is it for me to repeat what I had told my daughter? He said loudly again, to repeat what I had just said. So I did exactly what he told me. I said to him that "my daughter asked me why I need to take off my shoes, and I told her that you guys (the security officers) are afraid that we will keep bombs in our shoes." He immediately asked me to stand aside and said that he had to report it to his superior that I said the word "bomb" twice.

Then an Indian lady (Sivamalar) at the customs started hurling at me and my daughter and said that I said the word "bomb" twice and it is against the law and I can be sent to jail and they are calling the police. She (Sivamalar) was so loud and rude and she shoved us to the side, and refused to listen to my explanation. In fact, she got so aggressive that another officer Ricky Lim (I guess it's her supervisor) had to come forward to stop her from further attacking me and my daughter verbally, and specifically asked Sivamalar to "shut up". I told Ricky Lim that I would like to know the names of his staff because their attitude and rudeness were simply beyond any acceptable level.

Immediately Sivamalar got so angry and aggressive that she started charging at Ricky Lim and hurled "What?! What?! What?! She (she meant me) said the word "Bomb" twice, so what is wrong with arresting her (which is me) and we were told that if we heard the word twice, we will arrest!!" At that time, Stephen S Naidira came to me again to intimidate me further by asking me to repeat what I said earlier to my daughter again. I refused to repeat again then because I believe he was deliberately asking me to repeat so that he can count the number of times that I mentioned the word "bomb". I also believe that that the officers were deliberately provoking me by being rude and intimidating, in the hope that I will retaliate in kind, thereby making their unreasonable actions justifiable.

Despite my anger and the fact that my daughter was scared to tears by the situation, I knew I had to keep my cool. I sat aside with my daughter taking down names of the personnel involved on my mobile phone. I was told to wait for another officer of a higher rank to decide on the matter, and I was still hoping whoever the higher ranked officer that was coming will have the logical thinking to acknowledge that what I had said to my daughter was a simple, harmless private conversation taken completely out-of-context.

At about 7.30pm , the Sergeant-in-charge, Amran Buang came. After I explained the full context of the incident to him, he refused to make a decision and decided to escalate it further to the Auxilary Police and State Police. He said that the word "bomb" is very sensitive and I should not have mentioned it twice. I explained to him that I did not know saying the word "bomb" is against the law, and I further explained that I did not say the word "bomb" in a threatening context to the officer, the word "bomb" was taken completely out of context as part of an answer to my daughter's question. Despite my explanation, he said he cannot make the decision and my case has to be escalated to higher authorities.

Meanwhile, at about 7.40pm, my son's visa cleared and my husband and my son came in through the customs. After knowing what had happened, my husband tried to talk to Sergeant Amran Buang, further explaining to him that we are just a family going on holiday and what I have said to my daughter had been taken out of context. Again, no one was bothered to listen.

And again, we were told to wait for another officer with an even higher ranking. With time ticking away and at 7.55pm with no sign of the higher authorities appearing, we knew then our hope of boarding our flight had diminished.

Whilst waiting, Stephen S Naidira (the security officer) gathered with a few security officers at the side, including Sivamalar to discuss how they should present their statement to the police when they arrive later to make sure that they are adequately covered, and that they are just following the rule and doing what they were told to do. They said by insisting that they are taking actions "by-the-book", they would be ok.

I hope by now you have a clear picture of the situation. My kids were both crying then, with more and more policemen arriving which scared the living daylights of them, and with no hope to continue our holiday plans. I believe every action inside the terminal is recorded and I would insist that your review the CCTV recordings on that night to know that I am only stating the truth without exaggeration. You can also see that during the entire episode, I was not at any point defiant or rude or refused any further check by the officers, despite the infuriating situation that me and my family were put through.

I know it is important to stay vigilant to protect Singapore . I have young children, I know how important it is, which is why I complied without complaining when I had to remove my boots for scanning. However, here is an obvious case of the security officers trying to get away with their rudeness and aggressiveness by taking things way beyond what was necessary, in the name of following the security protocol. They were really angry when I asked for their names from Mr. Ricky Lim, and they knew very well then that they can abuse their power to make things very difficult for me and my family.

At around 8.05pm, we were informed by the Tiger Airways personnel that the plane will have to depart and they will off-load our luggage from the plane. At around 8.10 p.m., the State Police and other policemen arrived to take our statement.

In the entire episode, the State Police and the SWISS PORT personnel were the only ones who conducted themselves professionally and offered us consolation and meaningful advice. They have also at some stages expressed their personal views that they acknowledged this incident was gravely mis-handled on the part of the security officers. The State Police further confirmed that there is no case against us, and they would just need to complete the paperwork.

The Budget Terminal manager came to meet me and said that whilst he empathized with our situation, it is an airport security protocol and frankly, it's "just too bad" that this happened to us.

My statement and my daughter's statement only completed at about 10.45p.m. The counter service staff, Ms Nur Aisah Bte Ali Hassan was very helpful and advised us on our next steps. She was kind enough to ask us to return the next day to change the traveling dates and advised the additional charges involved.

I am not given a report for this case, but my case number with the State Police is P/20070309/0015. I was already told by the State Police that the case is closed without further action.

For the ordeal that my family had been put through, I would want an official reply from CAAS and all relevant authorities addressing the following : -

Whether the security officers were trained to handle passengers with such bad attitude and rudeness and if such actions by them are condoned by authorities. I would insist you to refer to the CCTV recordings during the period of the incident.

What actions would be taken by CAAS and all relevant authorities with reference to both the security officers, Mr. Stephen S Naidira and Ms. Sivamalar, for their unruly behavior and attitude? Surely, characters as such do not belong to a national airport that aspired to be a world class traveling hub.

What actions would be taken by CAAS and all relevant authorities with reference to Sergeant Amran Buang, who had the authority to end this episode promptly, but instead decided to prolong our ordeal for no justifiable cause? Is it a protocol that even after establishing the facts that we, as a family poses no security threat, there is still a need to escalate the matter to the authority and have the State Police and other policemen carry out a full investigations only to end up in vain?

Why is it that even at level of Sergeant, whom I reckon is better educated, experienced, and able to make logical sense of the whole situation, refuse to make a simple decision and end our ordeal quickly? Is this a Singapore civil service practice where decision making is pushed and shoved from one level to another no matter how obvious what the final decision should be from the very beginning?

Whether all the officers concern are properly trained and competent to handle such situation. Besides hardware ( i.e. the protocol book), are they taught to apply the software ( i.e. common senses)? Is it really a protocol that as long as the word "bomb" is mentioned twice by a person (once being asked to repeat by the officer) – then no matter what context, tone, situation and profile of the person who said it, it would not be taken into consideration? What if my daughter instead of asking me a simple question about my shoes, decided to say: "mummy, according to news report, there are speculations that the recent Indonesian air crash may be attributed to a bomb inside the plane." Would your security officer would come up to her and ask her to repeat one more time, and she would be put under arrest? Your staff kept telling me that saying the word "bomb" in the airport is illegal and I can go to jail. They quoted newspaper examples of how people have gone to jail because of that. I think your staffs need to be trained to understand and differentiate situations and circumstances.

As far as I knew, the people that went to jail had VERBALLY THREATENED staff members in the aviation service or had DELIBERATELY caused public alarm using sensitive words. My case was clearly none of the above. Even if, I am saying if, indeed its illegal to mention the word "bomb" in the airport no matter what context, the person involved need to be warned ahead of time. You cannot arrest a person for committing something illegal when the person has no idea that the word is illegal in the first place. Your staff could have given me a verbal warning to say that such sensitive words should be refrained in the airport and I would have walk away remembering the warning. But instead, they decide to let the matter escalate further.

Who is to compensate for the expenses that are already incurred and forfeited for this trip, and our emotional stress and duress during the entire episode? The total cost incurred, including air tickets, accommodation, and land tours amount to about $4,200. We had to put up with hours of humiliation with more than twenty policemen and officials surrounding us, questioning us, checking our luggage through and through. We had put up with never-ending questioning from different departments, and best of all, repeated checks on my same pair of boots. My kids were terrified, puzzled, disappointed and exhausted from this entire ordeal. My husband and I are left with one week of applied leave and no vacation and holiday to look forward to.

I would like to state that not everyone that we came across in this episode had been unpleasant. I wish to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the empathy shown by the State Police and the SWISS PORT personnel.

I will be waiting for your reply. Please let me know when to expect it in email. In the mean time, I may seek legal advice for my rights and entitlement in this incident.

Yours sincerely

Sandra Tan Hong Lian

A Sunday to Remember

Sunday.
A day when D.D. is normally at her best mostly by doing NOTHING!
But that Sunday, 29 June 2008, it was truly a Sunday to remember.

It's a different start and this time D.D. was finally moving her lazy arse and actually doing something different with her friends. I woke up early (well, 8AM on a Sunday is indeed early, you know!) and off we went to Hougang Avenue 1. 5 of us, we were doing a volunteer work. My friends joined me just by me asking them,"HEY, wanna be a volunteer to distribute food for poor people?" Most of them said yes without even blinking their eyes (if I could see their eyes at that moment, I believe they were not blinking).

Though the start was a bit shaky as we were late -.-" .. yep, not proud of that .. but we were finally there. It was a shaky start to be honest as when we arrived, 99% of the volunteers were already there and they were already briefed!!!!! ARGH! So, I was kneeling on the floor (trying to squeeze among the crowd) to go to the registration book and trying to make sense of what the organizer was saying. Honestly, most of the time I was looking at my friends and they were looking at me ... we were lost!

At this point you must be asking me,"HEY! What on earth are you talking about? What charity work are you doing? What? Who? Why? How?" Trust me I thought it was straightforward apparently it was but with a slight twist.


Image courtesy of www.HeartToHeartService.org

You see, I was amazed with the work of Teresa Hsu (pictured above), a lady of 111 year of age and still can't stop giving her life to others. Can you believe that at one point she had S$10,000,000 on her hand and she chose to give it all away by building a home for the aged and sick? Yes, she's that special soul that still exists in Singapore. Touched by her story and her work, I found her website at www.HeartToHeartService.org. I saw they have regular volunteer work where they gave food and necessities to the poor people. So, I signed up for it and asked a few of my friends too.

So, when we were there (yes, we were late), we found out that the places we need to distribute were not of walking distance from the meeting point. Most of them were far far away. We definitely need some kind of transport besides our beautiful legs. Looking at our super puzzled faces while announcing the destination, the organizer quickly said that we need to grab a destination if not we could sit there whole day just looking at his face. ARGH ... PANIC ATTACK!

Then, realizing we have no cars at all he did ask other volunteers (with cars) if we could tag along and thanks to a few kind souls, namely Raymond, Xue Yu (assuming her name is spelled this way) and Audrey, who took us along. Thank God both cars were going to the same location just different units. Hence, we began our volunteering journey with them.

We arrived at one of the prime location in Singapore, center of the city, somewhere in Chinatown. I was surprised the place is so near to the city center. Well, it's my first day, I was there with open eyes and minds.

Our first stop was supposed to be a gentleman but he's out working, so only saw his pregnant wife. Didn't spend much time there, only managed to give the necessities to the wife and off we go. Then we moved on to our second unit. This one was actually not part of the list. But Uncle Raymond chose to help this person on his personal account. At first the grandma refused to open the door even though she knew we brought something for her. Uncle Raymond knocked for sooooooooooooooooooo long, then she lowered down her barrier and pride, she opened the door for us. We went in.

It's a 1-Room apartment. In Singapore, basically 1 room means ... there's no bedroom, the whole place is a room by itself. Once you open the door, it's the room/living room/dining room, all together. There's a small little kitchen with small little bathroom (I believe, I didn't manage to see the bathroom). Aunty Wong spoke only Cantonese. Most of them spoke only Cantonese and hence I was limping in that area, I can't communicate! URGH! ... Anyway, doesn't mean I can't be there and be present.

So, we were in Aunty Wong's apartment and first thing you couldn't miss was the pile of papers everywhere. At every corner of the apartment. PAPERS! PAPERS! PAPERS! Newspapers, envelopes, letters, brochures, card boxes, etc. I believed she is in her 90s? or late 80s. Then she blabbered and complained about her life and stuff ... I couldn't really understand. Then the part I understood was when she mentioned - may be if I commit suicide will be better. HUAH!!!! I used my super basic Cantonese and said "can not!!!! you got new friends. can not commit suicide." -.-" GEEZ ....

Then we moved on to the next aunty, I think this one she's 92 years old. Aunty Chong? (Erm, can't remember, she belongs to the other group, our group was nosey and we also paid a visit). Wow, this aunty even though she's old and has arthritis, compared to the first one, her place was much neater. And you could tell in her youth she must be quite pretty!!!! Anyway, her Cantonese was like from another realm ... I couldn't catch a word at all! Even my Hongkie friend was scratching her head most of the time. Anyway, Aunty Chong mentioned her place was robbed! -.-" Yes! Some idiot broke into her place and took some of her belongings! Thank God she's personally okay! She's pretty traumatized by that. She said it happened twice. Once they barely managed to open the door but the second time they managed to get in! Horrible! Who will do such things to old helpless people??? CRAZY! Anyway, Aunty Chong too has given up on life most of the time. :( But she's pretty much able to let go and most of the time spoke with smile. She's quite a somebody. :-) When we were leaving, we asked her to stay inside. All of us want to make sure she's safe inside the house before we left, but she ran out again and wanted to say bye bye to us. So sweet and really heart breaking to leave her alone there but ... oh well ...

Third aunty, this one I really can't remember her name! -.-" I'm sorry, aunty. Her place had the most stuffs! I mean TV, 3 fans, red wine. HAHA! She even had some gold jewelleries. :p But she had one of the most tragic story, she was robbed S$2000 and even threatened to the knife-point! SIGH!!!! She still has her family too, in Malaysia I think. Well, but they are her nephews from her husband's side? Erm ... I'm not sure. But I think mostly from her husband's side. She said she didn't want to trouble them so she chose to stay alone. She too has given up in life. I don't think she see anything beautiful in life anymore. Then the volunteers will always use sister Teresa as example why they shouldn't give up in life. At 111 years old, she's still going strong. This example has made most of them paused and pondered for a while, but whether they chose to see it as a bright light ... that I'm not sure.

The difference between Teresa and the rest of the aunties are their take on life. Whether they are living for something bigger than themselves or not (like Oprah said in her speech to the Standford University graduates). Teresa's life has been based on the service for others and that goal itself has been bigger than herself. Equipped with her sense of humor, her love of knowledge (tons of books at her house) and finding joy in simple things (e.g. vanilla ice cream - her favourite), she has the reason to go on and stay happy despite her old age and fragility have also kept up with her. Even though she doesn't have blood-family anymore, but people that she has touched become her family.

On the other hands, surprisingly, those aunties who do have real family, are in fact being abandoned. :| What an irony. In the end, whether you have kids or not, you only have yourself to depend on. And the outlook on life is one of the most important thing to make sure one stays sane in this insane world. It's hard to see the beauty when all around you are the ugliest things ever ... I mean, come on! Someone who's younger and stronger were pointing a knife on a 90 year old lady, how sane can that be? How can one be jolly after going through that? Not only you almost lose your life but you lost SGD 2000 which is a lot for someone who's not working anymore. May be those are what she had until she died.

It's tough. And really. It's grim. And the fact is, anyone of us can fall to that lifestyle easily too if we are not careful with our own life. Yes, most of us who are reading this are definitely not 90yrs old or even 100 yrs old, we still have our "youth" (50s are the new 30s, don't you know? which means I am 7 :p) hence we may not see how those horrible things are even part of the reality. But to us who have seen it, it is real. It's an eye-opening experience. I'm not sure what my friends brought back with them with that life experience, to me, it's been a journey of compassion, a wake-up call, a mirror, a life lecture, a group of new teachers, a new perspective and a realistic discovery of the side of life I've never been.

To all of you who've involved in this activity, my friends who were willing to spare their beautiful Sunday morning, the organisers, the volunteers, the people who drove us there, the people who translated the lessons, the teachers of life, etc, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am looking forward to the next session though I still have no cars by then, but life somehow will work out by itself. :-)

1 Think I Hate About Library@Orchard

Yes. Finally. I'm ready to write the very one thing I really hate about Library@Orchard.
One thing that I've been scratching my head over and still I can't understand why.

And that is .....

I HATE TO SEE YOU GO!!!!

From the day they announced that you may be going away, the feeling has never been the same. Yes, other library may be as awesome but it'll be so different. Seriously! Though the countdown can't be avoided, part of me still hope that a miracle can happen and all these are just dreams. How I wish.

And a final message to you ...



If you ask me why?
Because you are like no other ...

Thank you for being part of my life even though it's only for 8 years, you'll be carried in my heart for life ... just like what E.E. Cummings said. Guess there are still many words unspoken and only you will know what it is. All the real stories and feelings are well kept in between the walls, floors, pillars and ceilings. Trying to save the image that soon will be lost to us forever. Even this row of glass panels seem to be in a melancholy mood and trying to get ready to say good bye.

Farewell. And again ... thank you for your existence.

11 Things I Love About Library@Orchard

So ... This is D.D. the Drunkard Citizen Reporter ... hmmm I'm sorry I'm not drunk. How can I be drunk when I only love to drink Teh-Oh-Peng (a.k.a Iced Tea - with no lemon or whatsoever flavouring. Just tea with sugar and ICE!!!!! Uncle, more ice, please! And yes, alcohol is no good for ya! Stay away!!!!).

As corny as it sounds, I'm going to list down 10 things I love about Library@Orchard before its final moment approaches. I'm sorry, it's actually 11 things. -.-" This sanctuary really means a lot to me. So, here I am trying to unite the fragments of my memory of what I love about this place.

1. The Tasteful Interior
   
   
   The first moment I stepped into this library, I thought I've entered a bookstore. Not only the interior was tastefully done but the books are so well preserved that they look so new. And even years have passed, the interior has never gone out of style. That's what I call - great design and foresight. It doesn't age with time and sigh ... it's soon going to be demolished. All of them. :(
   
   
2. The Collection
   
   I understand when Library@Orchard was in its planning stage, there's a certain targeted age group of people was envisioned to come to this library often. And, that great vision fits well into my life. The collection that's chosen is honestly perfect. My favourite sections: Business, Investing, Self-Improvement, Arts, History, Health, Religions $ Spirituality, and how can I forget Comics. And oh ya ... the ever-changing section where they promote books that from certain category ... that's priceless. You just know how much braincells have been contributed in making all these possible.
   
   
3. The Cafe
   
   It used to be Dome Cafe and I used to order their pie + coffee without fail. But even though Dome is gone, Cafe Galilee is as good. There's coffee and there's water, what more can you ask? (Have I mentioned the toilet is really just few steps away ... awesome)
   
   
4. The Study Area
   
   Ah ... this bring back all the sweet memories. This corner accompanied me through the thick and thin of exams. Imagine, you can study as hard as you want. When you want to unwind, find yourself a great comic, laugh it all off (in silent) and get back to the studies. Or when you are falling asleep (though you are not supposed to sleep in the library (look below), quickly grab yourself a cuppa coffee to perk you up. It works. I love this corner! That time it doesn't even have any internet access yet! I think now they do have it, makes it even much better. Arh ... I am gonna miss this a lot. I also came to this spot to do some deep thinking (which eventually bring me to ... la la land ... zzzz)
   
   DD Zzzzzzzz .... Don't dare lar don't dare lar! There I'm awake already! :p
   
   
5. The Music Corner
   
   Yes .... music corner!!! In a library!!! With choices of music ... classical, asian, pop, jazz, etc. Awesome!!! I love this library soooooooooooooooo much! I really can't contain it :( SIGH!!!! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy must it be torn down? :( Hicks!!!!!!! :( Can't the property owner see the value in education and give back to the society in the form of ... erm .. cheap rent? :| ... Praying ... Praying hard... :(
   
   
6. The Fountain of Wisdom
   
   
   There's a water feature in between the magazine/newspaper corner and the cafe. I've captured the video so that you can also enjoy the sound of the running water. Soothing and great way to cover up noise created by the chatty people. Sorry for the not so proportionate size of the video, I've no idea why it's like that. (For those of you who are receiving this by email, you may check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kO2KhAgBj4)
   
   
7. The Hi-tech Machines
   
   I can't live without the 2 machines that I'm surrounded with. Moreover, these 2 terminals are the ones I always molested whenever I'm in the library. To my right, that's the borrowing machine (I'm not sure whether technically it's called that but ... erm ... that's how I called it haha). It's so cool and efficient. So, what do you need to do to borrow a book?
   
   • Scan your identification card by putting it into the provided slot
   • Put your book on top of the blue spot and wait for 1 second for the book to be scanned and confirmed borrowed
     
   • Take back your identification card
   • Take the receipt which indicates the books you borrowed and their due date
   and voila ... you are done ... and happy with your books. The whole process take less than 30 seconds!!!!! Unless while doing so you are singing, chatting, acting, make-up-ing, dancing, massaging, yoga-ing, etc.
   
   To my left, that's the search engine machine. Yes I love it!!!!! Search search search search! Before my fingers were so addicted to Google, I was addicted to this machine. There's nothing that I can't find using it. If the book is not in this library, it can always be transferred from somewhere else (with a small reasonable fee - cheaper than you travel down to the far-far-away library and save you lots of time). And now, you can do all those things from this link too. NLB Rocks!
   
   
8. The Book Drop
   
   You must be thinking, I'm nuts to even include the book drop is also one of my favourite thing! Hey hey hey ... you don't know how convenient it is!! How do you return a book? You just dropped it and you can avoid being fined for being late. And what best, it's so convenient. You can do all your shopping. Watch any movies in town and then you drop your book and head back home. Wahh ... it's such a enlightening experience (for my back too .. I mean the books are heavy, you know). Not to mention ... I have a roommate whose office is just right above the library!!! So ... not only my back are not complaining (may be hers did :p) ... I don't need to get fined ... (but sometimes she did made me get fined) and I can go there and look for more books or .. comics. :p Now you know why I love this book drop here? Hehe.
   
   
9. The Friendly Librarians
   
   Her name is Jillian. She was not there when I went to take all the photos. :( So instead, I took picture with her cut-out. Not so bad eh. Hahaha. She's one of the most awesome librarian I've ever seen. Not only she's funny and friendly ... but she's very very funny indeed. Haha. Hmm I'm sure she's going to read this so ... heck. You are very funny and veryyyyyy funny, please keep it up and keep being funnyyyyyyyyy!!!! :p
   
   
10. D.D.'s Favourite Route
    I have a favourite route. Which I take on everytime I go to the library for more than ... 15 minutes. I can not dismiss this point and hence here I am presenting you my favourite route. Let me show you ya (Actually I have a video for this but, the file's too big for Youtube to handle....
    
    
    
    It can be A -> B -> C -> D -> E -> F -> G -> H -> I -> J
    with most frequent visits at point D -> F -> D -> F -> D
    
    A. The Lift (This is where I will show up. Ngee An City level 5)
    B. The Book Drop (Turn to the left and there'll be the book drop)
    C. The Search Engine (Books dropped. Time to find new books)
    D. The Study Area (You have to find a table to sit on before you go to ...)
    E. The Cafe (...and get yourself coffee/tea to hog the seat ... i mean to relax :p)
    F. The Toilet (... erm ... what more can I say. My bladder is tiny :p)
    G. The Comic Section (Unwind!!)
    H. The Study Area again (Duh ... zzzzzz)
    I. The Borrowing Machine (sounds like loan shark but it's not :p u know what i mean)
    J. The Exit (Time to say good bye ...)
    
    
    
11. The Existence
    
    Ultimately, if I have to choose only one thing I LOVE about Library@Orchard, it's got to be its existence. As without its presence, point #1 - #10 will not mean a thing.
    

Is this the end? Nope. In my next post, I'll share with you the ONE (01) thing I HATE about Libary@Orchard. Yes! There's always 2 sides of everything. Find out what it is after the break, I mean ... my break ... So, stay tuned.