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Riding an MRT

MRT is my daily mode of transportation here in Singapore aside from the bus and occasional taxi cab. Whether reporting to work, going to mass on a sunday or just simply moving around. As I am a regular commuter, I get to used to all sort of usual and unusual situations  possible in a public transportation's capable of squeezing as many as it can accommodate in a rush hour. Most of the time I have my iPod with me and unmindful of fellow commuters doing. But there are times that there are situations just too hard to ignore. Like when two young lovers public display of affection becomes overboard that you made to think how they can do it hugging tightly and lips-locking unmindful of others. But more interesting is the facial expressions of the people around them. Seeing an old lady's can't paint face reaction is a delight to notice. a drooling face of a guy of the same age with the couple, an old-maid lady's don't care attitude will really made you unmindful of the travel distance.


In one occasion, there is this not so old lady who positioned herself in front of a sitting guy and making face so that the guy will be conscience to give up the seat for her, to no avail. After two stations the guy alighted but the not so old lady was not fast enough to take the seat as another young lady zoomed from behind took the seat. I was having goodtime observing her, imagine her disappointment was all over her face. After the young lady who happens to be pinay settled on her seat, she noticed that she was being watched by the not so old lady with a furious-look. Eventually kabayan sensed what the lady was after and stood up and offered the seat to the not so old lady. Surprised by the move, the not so old lady declined the offer and pretended she don’t need to be seated. Kabayan spoke to her companion saying “kala mo pag-aari nya ang upuhan” with a drool eye look to the not so old lady. I ended up amused.


Another time, I was on my way to Orchard on a Sunday morning the coach I was in have kabayans on their off-day. There were these two kabayan ladies who were seated, when one of them received a phone call from another lady who happens to be on the same train but seated somewhere. The lady appears to be excited and while talking to the phone she was looking for her and eventually stood up and continue talking so the seat was left vacant. There were few who attempted to take the seat but prevented by the other lady. The lady on the phone continue talking with gusto and in high note obviously delighted either because she is talking to her long lost friend or she is just bragging, in my observation it was the latter. Then the trouble came. On the next station, an old man hurriedly approached the vacant seat and eagerly delighted to take it. Just as fast as he took the seat, the lady told him the seat was taken and he can not take the seat. Imagine the disappointment of the old man that he rapidly nagged the lady in a mad manner. He was talking mandarin I supposed. But the lady won’t give in even when almost everybody was looking at them and the lolo continuously nagging her. The lady who supposed to be occupying the seat was having a lively conversation on the phone unmindful of the trouble she just created. I eventually asked the lady to give up the seat and told her that it’s the old man’s privileged to be seated and just give up the seat. After the old man settled, still he continuously lambasting the poor lady and the lady who vacated the seat scolded her companion why she let someone took her seat. That moment I felt embarrassed and pretended they were not my kabayans and slowly moved away.


These are just some of the scenarios you can get while riding on mrt. But the footage below is highly regrettable. I don’t know how you will react to this video, but one thing I can advice you, be very cautious on whatever you do or say while riding in a public transportation. I pity the guy standing just beside the lady, notice his reaction.


In the year of the Ox


In this year of the Ox in chinese calendar, this is how this year fare me and looks like it's  going to be good vibes.


Characteristics : Strong, Pride, Boastful, Power-oriented, Clever

Career :  Good career luck. However your career will only advanced with the quality of  hard work you put in.

Wealth :  Wealth is good for you. Consider expanding your ventures overseas to reap bigger profits.

Relationship :  Married are advisable to spend time with your partner and guard your heart to avoid unhappiness to your family. Singles need to wait for opportunities to meet your ideal partner.

Health :  No major help problems this year. Water sports activities should be  approached with caution.


So, it's going to be a good year of the ox for me? Let's see.

'the rainy days' has come

Hearing Senior Minister Goh on tv news last night talking that ‘the rainy days’ has come made me frissoned and for a while my mind numbed. Then I began making wishes...

I hope it will not bring flood and huge damage...
I hope all places have a very good drainage system...
I hope the government will do more even beyond expectation...
I hope this ‘rainy days’ is just forecast based on Pag-asa...

If not, my existence here will become extinct...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

This coming weekend will be longer than usual due to Chinese New Year holidays. My worksite is somber since last week as everybody seems on a holiday mode. Nobody now seems to care if there is deadline to meet and works to be completed. It's pretty much the same during Christmastime back home. But unlike in pinas where everybody is expected to come home for the holidays, here everybody is expected to be out of the country, though with the economic crisis, I think there are few who were contemplating to just stay home. I myself given the four days I will be idle, I was planning to go back home and do holidaying in Iloilo City for the Dinagyang festival. But that plan will not be materialize as there is no more available plane seat from Manila to Iloilo. Rather than pursuing a trip back home, I made option of a bus trip to Kuala Lumpur or an overnight trip to Bintan which is just a boat ride from Singapore. As money would be the deciding factor given the little amount left after the Christmas spending, I might just stay home and spend the rest of the holidays on the world wide web. Anyway given the current situation I just might save the money for the stormy days aka economic crisis we are going to embraced.

CNY show in a mall

Killing time

Every year around this time back home, after the all spending mode of Christmastime, I busied myself doing things trying to console myself for being broke. As money was not an issue during the holiday, I maximized spending all the money I have and received before the Christmas and the half-month pay at the end of the year. So during these days of January I end up almost having nothing to spend. Busying myself, means doing things that doesn’t involve spending money. After work you will find me inside bookstores reading magazines, and all sorts of books, and with frequency that one time the guard who was tasked to roam around had recognized me and told me pointblank that I have mistaken the store as a library which I countered back saying that I just haven’t find the book I will going to buy. Other that I watched movies, visit Timezone until my top-off card went zero. Watching movies then was cheap until the big malls came out with their humungous theaters that eat so much space and air-condition that as few people coming in due to high ticket price and cheap pirated DVDs' abundance you will end up watching movie inside a refrigerator. In few times with no much money and etching to kill time, I ended up watching movies in second run movie houses and boy what an experience you don’t want to have. I wonder if such thing is still happening up to now.

A new look

 Yes! I change my webpage and you are not lost. I finally completed my rejuvenation work for two nights and a day, and honestly I'm impressed with the outcome. I do hope you too my avid readers. 


By the way my cable channels is still same.

Do they think I'm stupid?

This morning I received a call from my cable television provider telling me that I am one of the lucky subscribers who have been upgraded from my 15 channels to 40 channels free of charge for six months. Instead of being ecstatic I end up complaining. Since day one my tv reception keeps on hanging. The first time I complained they told me to reboot and check the line installation, filter and on/off the modem then it would be okay. True enough for a day. The next day it’s the same thing and so I called them again and requested for a technician’s visit since maybe there is something wrong somewhere. The lady who answered my call told me that it is normal for a new connection in the first week I just have to be patient and once the modem become accustomed to (sic), my reception will then be okay (As I was away for more than a week that time I did not have the chance to repute such explanation). When I insist for a technician visit the next day she told me that there is no available, that was Thursday, and will only available in three working days. When I told her it would not possible since I will be out of the country by that time, she won’t budge. After several begging and end up by telling her that I will just terminate my subscription, she did not give in and told me that cancellation is not possible since I already sign for a year contract. I was disappointed and mad. The next day at lunch time while I was in office she called me that the technician is on the way to my place to check my connection. After so many begging to her the day before and she keep on insisting that there is no way a technician will be available the following day, then all of a sudden a call. I end up madder. Why? My office is far from my place and it is not possible for me to come home and be able to accommodate the technician and she knew it. Had she checked first the schedules of their technicians before she dropped instantly my request she would have learned that there is a technician visiting my block at lunchtime. So out of exasperation, I ended her call abruptly.

After I come back from vacation, reception seems okay for at least few days then the problem recur again. So, for me to watch tv I have to switch off the modem every after hang up. I did not make complain then until today. So when this guy called me this morning I told him about this dilemma, he said he will call me back. True enough he called back and told me that my problem can be solved by subscribing for a new telephone line just for the cable, I was dumbfounded.

By the way I still have to check when I’m home later if really my number of channels had been increased to 40 from only 16 channels. I have doubt because the real reason why he called was to convince me to subscribe to season pass.
Dung!

Smallville

I am a big fan of this tv series back home. I find these at vimeo.com and I would like to share it with you here. Music is awesome.

Touch my body

Watching this video makes me realized I am still not hopeless with my singing, you see though I can't sing well but at least I can read subtitle correctly. 

Enjoy 



List of tasks

Years ago I resolved to not making any list of tasks and to-do's whenever a new year comes in.But this year I decided to have one. I would like to write down what I'd like to accomplish or achieve in the next twelve months. With the present state of the world economy, I'm going to jot down only things that are within my control so that, no matter 's how is going with the world this year, I should be able to tick this list off one by one.Will 2009 be another year full of potential for me so that this list of resolutions be not be promises that will most likely be kept for a few weeks or months, or not at all.

1. Learn how to cook healthy food.
2. Be resourceful in choosing food to eat given the many choices available island-wide. Hokkien mee, fried rice are not the only food in hawkers center.
3. Exercise at least three times a week.
4. Explore and discover one place a month, Orchard Road is not the only Singapore.
5. Learn mandarin, hokkien whatever so that ordering food in hawkers center is not always mind-boggling experience.
6. Learn to control temper.
7. Limit intake of coffee.
8. Visit at least three places in Malaysia.
9. Go home every three months.
10. Stay more on top the finances.
11. Learn how to create web page by not using ready-made templates.
12. Be part of the solution and not of the problem.

I’ll let you know at year’s end how I did.

The year in cartoons



This caption was taken from The Straits Times
Events that highlights here in year past. One particular caricature which I find it amusing is the one where the flyer was sent for repair, so simple yet so funny and relevant. How can a high tech machine stop moving by just simple electrical malfunction and takes time to repair, you cant really undermines technology.

My new year eve

I have an uneventful new year eve, because of that I hibernate for three days. I was too lazy to go out and just stay home until now. My mind seemed not functioning well also because of what happened. Before that I have  planned to visit Kuala Lumpur after new year so I filed  Friday leave.


You see I planned to celebrate new year eve at the Marina Bay and be there just in time for the countdown and the fireworks, so I attended the 10.30 mass at the Novena church and expected that the mass will end at 11.30. I did not expect that the parish has plan to finish the mass just in time and have their own countdown. I arrived church minutes before it going to start, I choose to sit inside the church though there were already people sitting at the covered carpark which I have regretted after. I was trapped inside and was not able to leave for Marina Bay. Should I chosen to sit outside I had able to leave in time for the countdown. I was disappointed that upon leaving church I heeded straight home. 


How was your new year's eve?



I missed new year's eve back home....