Too cute

This is just too cute not to share! One of those videos which makes you go "awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"....

Link courtesy of Vicvanvinkle.

Singapore Sandwich

This was a plate of a "Singapore Sandwich" we found in some rather obscure in-the-middle-of nowhere cafe in Holland on one of the days after we visited the community zoo --- about an hour or two drive away from my parents-laws'. I just thought I'd take a picture of it then, of course with every intention to blog about it.

It kinda looked nasty, but tasted quite OK from what I remembered.

I honestly don't know what was so Singaporean about it, but they had it in their menu and Silver Bullet was too kaypo not to try! So he ordered, and we ended up with like 4 mega-sized sandwiches for 3 and a half person. (the half, of course, being Spud!)

It makes me wonder how many other Singaporeans came to this cafe.

And then, there's this real Singaporean, a foodie, no doubt, came by this cafe IN Holland and eating a "Singapore Sandwich" that tasted nothing like what Singaporean food should be.

I feel a bit cheated, can. I might as well be the one behind the kitchen whipping up the sandwich and THEN, they can call it a Singapore Sandwich.

OK. I am an idiot. But, thank god the other sandwiches we ordered turned out quite good.

A Reflection: 6th Year in Bangkok

WARNING: A VERY LENGHTY BLOG POST
I could still recall how I felt when I was due to leave for Thailand on a job posting in 2005.

I was excited, but apprehensive.

I felt liberated, but wary.

I was sad having to leave family and friends behind, but hopeful.

I was, in a nutshell, slightly all over the place, a little overwhelmed and full of anticipation of the unknown. Despite all of that, I was certain of one thing and one thing only: It would be good for my soul.

Looking back, right around this time six years ago, the move to Thailand had indeed paved a way for all the remarkable things and marked a new beginning for everything that has so far happened in my life.

I have been told by our Thai colleagues that most foreigners feel that Thailand is actually one of the hardest places to survive and fit-in, especially in the workplace, mainly because of the culture. To that, I personally could not agree more, and given my love-hate relationship with Thailand, I do sometimes wonder: a) Why am I still here b) How could I have tahan-ded (Singlish for tolerated) and survived here this long?

I’ll be one of the first to concur that yes, living here surrounded by the complexities of Thai culture was hard, but I believe when in Rome…

But then again, to be able to live here and keep some sanity, one really has to find a good balance and learn to adapt well without losing your own value system. It is probably one of the most difficult things I have done to say the least. At the end of the day, it is about knowing when to when to pick your battles.

I have to, in the course of my work, remember that Thailand is a very much “face” culture. As a non-Thai, it takes a long, long time before one can earn the respect of a Thai subordinate and colleagues. While respect is given to a certain extent, a large part of it needs to be earned…and that means having to eat your sometiems not-so-humble pie, and to really listen without judgement. That also means keeping your pie-hole shut, keep your thoughts to yourself, walking away and stay detached.

It is not always as straight-forward as you’d like it to be, and from my personal experience, it takes time to figure out the complexities of Thai culture in the workplace. It is HARD.

I am certainly no expert in this area as I have been confused and frustrated many a time over; but I have understood a thing or two to be able to maneuver my way through without overtly offending anyone (I hope!) and still get a decent job done.

What I have been exposed to here is beyond words, and certainly not easy for me to describe. The few tips which helped in my survival here is to just be open to what you see and hear, while not be too set in your ways. In my case, having Silver Bullet as my sounding board saves my sanity as he would more or less have the same experience and sentiments that I usually face.

If anything, regardless of how you feel, sincerity in your words and actions do go a very long way with the Thais. Sometimes, just sometimes, certain things are just not worth pursuing and then it is just time to let go and move on.

Time and again, my thoughts would then drift to our life here in Bangkok. While it has been “home” to us, it does not exactly feel like home. You know what I mean?

In a way, while we do like living here (sometimes! and depending on the context), we both started feeling a little less passionate about staying here longer. For us, it is not exactly HOME since:

• Our families and friends are so far away
• We do not own anything to our names
• As a foreigner, we cannot own a land to call it our own

Because it is hard to really integrate with the locals here, it sometimes feel like we are just living in our little own cocoon…oblivious to what else is happening outside our little, perhaps, sometime deluded world.

It becomes a little scarier with Spud being born as schooling becomes a major problem for us when she gets to the schooling age – the international schools are horrendously expensive and something which we cannot afford, whilst the public schools here are a bad fit for us.

Besides, even if by some miracle that Spud is able to go to the international school later on in life, I don’t like the idea of her schooling being a privileged one. To me, that means missing a good chunk of time in her formative years being in a proper public school just like any other ordinary kids and actually get into the real groove of social dynamic--- growing up with kids with ordinary parents, leading very ordinary lives.

While it was work that initially brought us here, we can only wonder how long it will be before we say enough is enough. Living in Thailand is nice, but is not quite the reality for us. As I found out, a true friendship is quite hard to forge, given how superficial things and people (foreigners or not) can be. I guess it accounts for a lot of things given that the few people we know and enjoy spending our time with have all left Thailand.

And, as every year gets added to our time in Bangkok, I can’t help but think that our time here is numbered.

That being said though, I feel nomadic, and somewhat lost, as after being away from home for so long, I don't feel the affinity to a particular place for us to call our home.

As of this time, we both are still paying our corporate dues for at least a few more years before we make a decision to leave Thailand. At this stage, we both don't know where we would like to be or where we can go as a lot of it depends on our jobs.

I guess, only time will tell where in the world we will eventually end up in.

I really wish I knew.

Ain't over till the Fat Boy sings!

Look who is coming to town on 10th June?

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Okay, Okay. I know the pictures appeared blurry (thanks to no more digital camera and having to use my old-skool mobile phone and I cannot keep my hands still!), but there it said these:

Fat Boy Slim. Live in Bangkok. Royal Paragon Hall. 10/06/11. 19:00. A Standing. 2500.

Can't wait!

Last of the last

Earlier this month, I made the decision to stop pumping and start introducing the much dreaded follow-on formula milk. Since then, I gradually decrease my pumping frequency and about 2 weeks later, my milk supply has completely dried up.

Today, marked the day where the last of the last stash of frozen breast milk was used and mixed in together with the formula milk for Spud. It felt a bit nostalgic, seeing the last frozen bag, I tell you. So nostalgic that Silver Bullet actually took a picture of it as something to remember us by...with date, time and all. Unfortunately, the picture had disappeared in the orbits of my point-and-shoot camera which died on me this morning.

So. There is now officially no more frozen breast milk stashed away in our freezer. All that is left are just a few unused boxes of breast milk storage bags...

And with that, Spud will start on 100% follow-on milk (I still don't like the thought of it) until she is able to take cow's milk when she turns one in a few more months.

Now that this is over, I am truly glad to be able to provide Spud with exclusive breast milk for a good 9 months, despite all the challenges I faced in the initial stages.



Point-and-Shoot: Dead

My 3 year-old shock and waterproof, point-and-shoot digital camera officially died today.

It suddenly developed a mind of its own by turning itself on and changing its settings altogether which makes no absolute sense, before giving out a funny "bomb-alert" type of sound that just would not stop beeping.

That means, I am going to take crappy pictures for my blog using my super out-dated Sony Ericsson's mobile phone, until I get it replaced. Bleahhh.

And double bleahhh as now I have to think about what type of digital camera I will have to get as there are so many out there, and at present, I don't really know what I want. That means, I have to research (which takes time and waste time) and then, the actual hassle begins when I have to shop for one. Bleahhh.

And, spending unnecessary money. Bleahhh. Bleahhh.Bleahhh.

Given that it was a waterproof camera, I thought it was ironic that it probably went hay-wire right after I took it into the pool with me (for like the umpteenth time already) for Spud's swimming lesson yesterday. I guess it could not handle the stress no more after being trashed around (shock proof, too, remember!).

While all the pictures "taken" this morning did not register into the SD card, at least all that were taken at the pool yesterday still turned out okay. And, I guess, it is only right that I post up some of the last pictures as a final tribute to my Olympus  Mju 770 SW.

And here's one of the many unsuccessful underwater takes I tried...always, forever too slow to sync in time with Spud.

I wonder what will be a good brand for my next point-and-shoot digital camera.

Electrocuted in Krabi

Each time I read news such as this, I shudder and cringe in horror.

While I suspect it probably mostly happen in cheap, touristy guest-houses, you can't discount the fact that this is Thailand. And, in Thailand, safety is not necessarily the utmost importance.

Knowing that people have lost their lives from innocently taking a shower sent shivers down my spine. I don't think this is something that we consciously think about (tourists or not), but it exists and it is very real.

It makes me wonder if there are some sensible way to gauge when safety in the shower is being compromised.