Selfish Assholes

People can be so selfish sometimes and I am appalled at some of the behaviours I’m seeing on my way to work. Last Friday seemed to be the d-day where the general population of Thailand decided to display some sort of contempt for their existence.

In the morning, some idiot of a moron decided that just because he is much taller than me, he could just elbow his way in to my narrow path and in the process, shoved me aside. No excuse me, no I’m sorry. He literally just winged his way and squeezed himself right next to me without giving a second thought that I’m carrying a load of a weight with my laptop and all. While I was cursing and gave out a loud “tch”, he walked off looking out to the world with his head held high. I hope he trips over his own feet and fall flat on his face as he tries to go down the stairs!

Then there’s this bunch of moronic elevator users who just are out for themselves and would not even hold out the elevator door for those who ran the last 50 centimeter to get in. They would rather look at the floor, or the ceiling or even worse, stare at themselves on the mirror to make sure that their hair and their faces are still in place! I hope one of these days, they would make a grand entrance into the elevator by tripping themselves and stumbling across the other end of the elevator as they try to get in!

A sheer selfish attitude stood out again as I made my way from my office to go to a meeting room on the 24th floor. I was carrying a lot of stuff and hardly had any more hands to push the lift button. I thought a kind soul hanging about the elevator area would at least try to hold the lift door for me as I walked into the elevator. That was not to be the case as that one lady who actually saw me fiddling about, decided to look right through me and focused her attention on the windows and into nothingness. I had to use my elbow to hold the lift door for myself. All she did was look at me, without as much as batting an eyelid or have the courtesy to press the lift button or the door for me! Some people I tell you!.

Their behaviours irked me to bits. I just cannot imagine how inconsiderate and selfish some people can be.

Midweek Jokes

Funny stuff on placements all the way from Auranghabad, courtesy of Silver Bullet from his last trip:

Quote of the day

"There are none as deaf as those who will not hear"

Source: Somebody's status update on FB

 Lovely quote and I love it!

The kaypo one

She may not like me all that much, but I still find her rather cute all the same as she attempted to read my letters for me upside down. Or was she?

But of course, who am I kidding, right. She's just a cat and doesn't really hide her dislike for me. Andy being Andy, she was just being her kaypo self and she was purposely trying to annoy me by spreading eagle on my stack of papers! She can't help herself but bite me when I tried to shift her paws a little so I could read.

An endearing sight which left me chuckling to myself, nevertheless.
 
For a second, I almost believed that she, for once, actually tried to be nice and do something noble for me. :p

Tenant with your home, sir?

Came across this ad in one of the classifieds section of an English paper today:

I'm sure the ad is written with nothing but good intentions, but somehow, it just sounded wrong. I don't know what sort of tenant might come with the sale of this condo, but I'm pretty sure I don't need THAT as an extra!

Silly me

I did something silly a few days ago and subconsciously, I’m still trying to get over it. (and by golly! I still can't let go!)

It was simply a silly, silly, silly oversight on my part when I bought a product I needed online. Only after checking out and confirming my payment that I realized I have failed to double check that I have paid for an express shipping charge which, get this: cost more than the product itself.

It was obviously too late to retract my payment when I realized what I have done. I swear I wanted to slap myself purple! I could have gotten 2 of the same product and e-bayed it later! Or, I could also have checked other sites which may have offered a cheaper shipping charge! Of course, being a scatter-brain that I am, I did none of those.

When I lamented to Silver Bullet, all he could do was give me a wide-eyed “have you gone mental” look. Mind you, the product did cost me quite a bit as it is something which I haven’t seen at any retail stores just yet. And I do have a need it. Good that Silver Bullet did not nag me endlessly for it as I already felt quite bad about spending the unnecessary money, just because of my stooopid oversight!

Reminds me of an incident, years back when I bought a pair of boots in Hong Kong. Again, a silly oversight on my part where I simply miscalculated the exchange rate, thinking that the boots only cost me less than SGD 80 dollars per pair. So I bought TWO pairs (of different designs). When I realized, it was too late for I spent more than SGD 250 for one blardy pair. How I got to the final numbers, I don’t know. The calculator I had in my head must have gone kaput then. It took me several months to pay off the darn boots and I could only wear it once or twice because they killed my feet! I never truly forgave myself for it.

I really can be such a moron sometimes.

Andy hates me

I do think that Andy has a pent-up hatred towards me somehow. She sometimes like to seek attention while you are still asleep, and most often than not, she’d seek some attention from her favourite human (i.e Silver Bullet, of course). Depending on her mood, she’d sometimes come and greet me in bed while I’m still sleeping as I wait for the alarm to go off and after Silver Bullet has left for work. I never knew when this "nice" gesture of hers would come, but she did that yesterday morning.

As soon as I felt her nuzzling up, I petted her lightly, only to be met by her snapping jaws at me almost immediately; something she’d never do to Silver Bullet. The more I tried to scratch her ears to ease her up and make her stop, the more she made a go at me like a snapping turtle. Just when I was about to ignore her completely and turn away, she, being a smart cat that she is, got her claws imbedded in my pajamas as I was still half asleep. She was royally stuck to me for a few more seconds. Of course, being the most intelligent cat that she is, she just doesn’t know how to retract her claws, and so I had to help her free herself. Having to touch her paws to help free herself from being stuck to me means I have to endure a few more seconds of the wrath from a snapping cat. Even as I was trying to help her, she continued biting me again and again and like a black mumba! I was half asleep, for crying out loud. and I wasn't, in any way, was acting  mean to her!

See! I have every reason to believe that the ungrateful cat just has an intense dislike for me. Sigh!

V: Auranghabad Cool Tees

Here are the last few for the weekend.

P.S: Sorry I can't uite figure out the last one on the right , no matter how much I tried to squint. Just blame it on Silver Bullet for a bad shot! :p

Caught in a crossfire

3 sets of nasty gashes in just ONE run-in from across one end of the bed to the other, courtesy of Fudge who was chased by Ah-Nut, just as we were about to retire for the night. Not a bad one for a "one shot-one kill" attempt, I must say!

It was painful though. The pain was so intense  that I was literally squealing in pain. So much so that I could not get up for a while and Silver Bullet had to help me nurse my bleeding wound. Darn cat! And all because I was unfortunate enough to be the innocent by-stander who just happened to get caught in the crossfire.

The perils of having cats...sometimes, you just never know. They mastered the art of being predictably unpredictable.

IV: Auranghabad Cool Tees

The first one here has gotta be my favourite.

Father's Day

It's probably way to early for the real occasion, but I thought this one here, courtesy of Silver Bullet, is really hilarious. And cleverly done.

Insanity

There is insane and then there is I.N.S.A.N.E! Pardon my insensitivity, but this article here comes across as ridiculously mental to me and I just cannot empathise why a mortal human would want to spend more than 8 grand SGD to bury her (get this!) STUFFED TOY.

Some people have not only just lost their marbles but having way too much money on their hands. Perhaps she could consider donating some to me and I'll put them to better use...

III: Auranghabad Cool Tees

The 3 out of 5 series for mid week laughs.

Sunday snackings

One of the best things about Sunday is, apart from being able to be a couch potato all day long, it's also a day for snacking, which has somewhat become our usual Sunday routine if there are no pressing errands to run.

It just so happened that I was in the mood for some deng-dengs this afternoon, and I can't help but pan-grill some of those wonderful, greasy, mystery meat-parts made from beef which we have stocked up in our fridge . This mystery looking meat-parts made of beef apparently are only sold in Singapore during the festive period of Ramadhan and I'm glad we had the foresight to tar pao the raw slab of meat back to Bangkok from our last Hari Raya's loot from home.

These babies taste so good you just cannot stop gorging yourself silly, I tell you! I guess it is a good thing that they only sell these during the festive season! I'm sure it's an instant heart attack waiting to happen if you are to consume these everyday!

These deng-dengs are also actually the halal version of the Chinese bak kua which is made out of pork. Just as I was savouring these delicious, sinful and all greasy slabs of meat, I realised that the bak kuas are also often usually served and eaten during the Chinese Festivities and it happens to be the first day of Chinese New Year today. How apt, eh!

And by that token, here's also wishing a Gong Xi Fa Cai to all my Chinese friends out there!

II: Auranghabad Cool Tees

Here are a few of an all-too-real a reminder for what looms after Sunday...

Lamebook

This link here is really a riot! Check back often when you have the time for some laughs and rolling of eyeballs!

What makes me laugh

…one of which is when I see Fudge meowing and realizing that she has to yawn and at the same time while having done that, she lets out a stunted-sounding meow in between a full-blown-satisfaction-of-the-century yawn. Then looking at you as if nothin has ever happened.

If you can half imagine it, it can be quite a funny sight and guaranteed to make you chuckle.

Travel thoughts

On the subject of Auranghabad, India...

Silver Bullet must have, by now stepped foot in India for more than 10x now. And he is loving each and every visit there. However, I find this to be almost unacceptable and so absolutely and superbly unfair...especially to me!

You see, for the longest time, India has been one of the top travel destination of mine. Even before I met Silver Bullet, I dream ( and am still dreaming) of travelling all over India. I know of an ex-colleague who did India more than 3x, covering India over 2 or 3 years almost continuously year on year. I can only imagine it to be a very rewarding trip, especially after I saw all her pictures and hearing her experiences. So imagine, all my pent-up desires that has so far been building up for a good 5 to 6 years already and still somehow, I have yet to get my arse there.

Now, this is where it gets unfair. When I first met Silver Bullet, we used to talk about our passion and love for travelling and I mentioned India as one of my must-go places. At that point, Silver Bullet had almost vehemently looked at  me with a wide-eyed are you crazy look as if I have lost my head  for wanting to go India. His reaction was to the point of violent objection, saying that he has no desire or whatsoever to go to India as nothing there appeals to him and he could not imagine why I would want to be there. Me on  the other hand, wonder why he would not consider India. The conversation pretty much lead to a friendly banter, with me saying that I'd go to India without him anyhow, since he was adamant that it wasn't a place he'd like to explore. Considering I don't usually wait for anyone to plan for my travels when I was still single and free then, it was an easy decision for me to make without waiting for him, if I have to.

A year or so past and the next thing we knew, Silver Bullet HAD to go to India on a business assignment. Boy! I was so jealous. I'm thinking, how could they send an unwilling party for a paid trip to India and I am not the one going! I could see that Silver Bullet was not too keen on going, but could not say no either. Neither can I go on his behalf considering we both do completely different things for work. I was seriously gutted. More than just gutted really,and it was really unfortunate that I could not join him there due to my own work commitments. But, I really had wanted to go if I could and  funny how Silver Bullet was just dreading each day that got closer to his trip. I couldn't help but rub  it on his face then on the fact that the more one does not want something, the more it will somehow just come your way. It could not have been more true.

That's why I am so envious each time he has to go for a business trip to India. I just cannot believe that for someone who has initially wanted to avoid India like a plague, he has gone there numerous times and even fall in love with the place...not to mention the food. However, for someone who already has been thinking of India for the longest time (i.e me!), after all this time, I still have yet to have the opportunity to get there!

Sigh! Life can be so unfair sometimes. But I count my blessings that now Silver Bullet loves the place and share my passion for the India I have yet to see. I hope we are able to do India together at least once in our lifetime. It is only a matter of when.

I: Auranghabad Cool Tees

Silver Bullet has been raving about the funny and cool prints on tees and table-tops he saw at the restaurant of a hotel which he stays in whenever he travels to Auranghabad on a business trip. He raved about it so much everytime he comes back home, but always forgetting to take a picture of them. The previous time he went though, he captured a few shots and I'm gonna post them up in series over several days.

Imagine being greeted by these every morning as you walked into the restaurant for breakfast before you start your day.  What a clever tactic to jump-start your day!

 

iPhone Invasion

My god! These iPhones are everywhere! The craze started about more than a year ago in Thailand and it was already driving me nuts as everyone in the office started to sport one; not to mention, spending way too much time (and money) on one.

I used to like Apple stuff, but I realised that I could not keep up with the financial aspects of Apple's technology and the aftersales services required once the warranties are up. I decided to go cheap for the health of my bank acount. Hence, my nonchalantly blase attitude towards iPhone when it first hit the market.

What tipped my irritation from a "I'm going to ignore this iPhone craze because it's just a phase, to I bloody hate iPhone" on this iPhone phenomenon, is when I saw almost everyone at the Singapore Indoor Stadium got busy on their phones the moment they parked their asses on the seat while waiting for the bands to come and play. And I do mean almost E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E in the darn stadium. Never mind that they come to the stadium to watch the concert with a bunch a friends. It seems that it' s ok to ignore your company and give all your attention to the phones instead!

This lady captured here on the left - she just could NOT put away her iPhone for just one second, while her two friends on her left and right looked on.  I'm sure I saw more than a dozen people doing the exact same thing.

People are taking their mobile phones way to seriously nowadays. So much so that I can't help but think that it's just rudeness personified, especially in the presence of another company.

Just out of sheer rebellion, I'm refusing to get an iPhone, even if it's the last thing available on earth.

@ Muse: The Big Night Out

This law-abiding citizen bearing the "pink ic" decided not to smuggle in her compact digital camera mainly to minimize unwanted hassle. Afterall, it was written on the tickets that cameras are prohibited in the concert venue, and Singapore being Singapore, I am so sure that somehow we would get into unnecessary trouble for bringing our own camera. Boy! Was I full of regret, especially after noticing that several people had their DSLRs with them in the audience. Hmmph!

Could have gotten better pictures had I brought my digital cam, but oh well! Here are a few shots taken from my mobile phone anyhow:

Can't resist with a "I'm here!I'm here, I'm here!"  pic. :p

Muse Musing

Muse didn’t make it to Bangkok alright, but we certainly were lucky enough, and by sheer coincidence too, that we happened to be at the right time, and at the right place to catch them live in Singapore last week.

Unlike Bangkok, concerts in Singapore are more likely than not to have an opening band or two before the actual artist(s) comes on stage. You know, the artist whom you actually pay the tickets for cause it’s him/her/them that you actually wanna see and not the opening band(s). I actually forgot about that and in truth, the 2 opening bands were just so-so for me. It seems like forever before Muse came on stage and started their performance about 2 and half hours later…

Verdict? Regardless the wait ,  I love it! I love it! I love it! I.L.O.V.E.I.T!

Even though the show seemed choreographed and purposefully orchestrated, they were very spectacular live that I got butterflies in my stomach throughout the night! The crowd was amazing. From where we stood, there’s just throngs and waves of people jumping and moving in unison at the free standing area. The sight was just spectacular.

The front man is truly a musical genius for creating the kind of music that Muse is known for. Word has it that he customizes his guitar for each and every song he plays. True to that, he was also seen changing his guitar after each and every song. I could barely keep up! They were all really talented in their own right, and the drummer was just truly awesome – he plays like he has the legs of an octopus! Times like this, I wish I have such talents...

To this day, I’m still psyched that I was able to catch them live in this lifetime! If they would ever come to Bangkok, I would not hesitate to go watch them again. Only, I’m convinced that in Bangkok, the sound system would not be half as good as what they would get at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. I’m thinking, that would probably be the reason why they have yet to perform here in Bangkok.

Never enough time

It’s always a joy to get out of Bangkok and away from work for several days every once in a while. Going back to Singapore for a short visit to help out and attend my brother’s wedding last week provided a nice change of air and a much more vibrant social pace despite the time constraint.

There’s always excellent food and good company. Both of which I could never get enough of… As always with such trips back home, there’s never enough time to meet up with everyone.

I have to admit that I feel kinda bleaaahhh the moment I stepped out of Suvarnabhum Airport to grab a cab home. Suddenly everything seems almost third world all over again, especially in the area of language and communication, being able to get things done more efficiently, traffic and pollution as well as the ease of social integration. None of which, in my opinion, can be compared to what we have in Singapore...

The fact of the matter is, while I like the lifestyle and (lower) cost of living in Bangkok, I can’t help but miss the variety of good company and friends I can hang out with. I really wish I had more time to catch up with every single one of my friends over dinner and coffee…

Quote of the day

" Everybody seeks happiness! Not me, though! That’s the difference between me
and the rest of the world. Happiness isn’t good enough for me! I demand euphoria!"

-- Calvin (& Hobbes)--