Own Time Own Target

Been sick since middle of BKK trip last month, and yo-yo'ing between flat out misery and almost recovery (but never getting well).

5 doctors visit at 2 different clinics, the 2nd when I gave up on my company's appointed doctor.

the quacks 1st didnt give me anti-biotics despite the infection which has set in over a week; and then gave 5 days of anti-biotics (amongst various other medication) only for me to recover to not suffer as much, but not enough to get rid of the infection; and was finally foolishing optismistic that I should recover by myself, maybe just give some more anti-hisatamines...

lo and behold, i crashed and the infection came back, and stronger because the first course of antibiotics didnt kill it.

By this time, i was seriously frustrated and disgusted, not to mention severely sleep deprived since i was coughing out gooey phelgm every 5-10mins when lying down

Went to my kid's doc (not a pediatrician, a family doctor hor!), and this time was given super-duper antibiotics, 2x in the morning for 3 mornings, with the effect lasting in my blood for 1 whole week. I did recover some what and was at least not out of breath anymore, but i still wasnt sleeping much. Went back for review and this time needed only med to thin the phelgm and something else for the nose.

my lung function improved from barely 350ml per puff to 450ml per puff. Tangible improvement.

But the more important improvement was i finally gotten some decent sleep last night, waking up for only about 10 times.

thank goodness.

light a the end of the tunnel.

and just in time too.

Labels: to Despair

Finally found time to see the doc again to complain that i havent gotten well since finishing the course of anti-biotics, and his optimistic diagnosis that i should recover within 2-3 days.

Well, it is now 10 days since the last consult and 5 days after finishing the course of anitbiotics...

and i'm back to SQUARE ONE plus viral sore eyes

the diagnosis this time?

viral flu, could take more than 2 weeks to recover. no antibiotics, but steroids have been prescribed.

but 2 WEEKS?! I've already been sick for almost 3!

ARGH.

Labels: to Despair

Another song that caught my imagination recently:

Labels: to Listen

for the longest time, i was humming to the infectious "trippin, stumbling, flippin, fumbling" song and havent the faintest idea of the name of the artist or song title

and it was only when Fergie performed it on the recent American Music Awards that i knew it was her song

behold one of the most amazing video in a long while (amongst the tide of the different variations girls writhing in underwear, whether they are singing or not):



awesome

Labels: to Listen

ok, it is more like 21,593km on the meter now...

and i finally found time to send the car for servicing.

the 20k servicing package had the front wheels rotated rotated and balanced, change wipers, synthetic oil change, top up everything and check everything

and then i took the opportunity to have its first complete polishing and waxing done versus the usual handwash at petrol kiosks.

it came back with shining glass, smooth exterior, door marks removed, wet look tyres...

.
.
.

i think i'm falling in love again.

Labels: to Drive

Just one thing after another

sooooo sick

of being sick

feeling sick

and moving at half pace

both mentally and physically

never a good thing, especially now with projects on-going and more work all round

not in the best mood obviously and this pretty much sums it up

thanks to all who borne and are still bearing with my rants and the mean superpokes

just awhile more

i hope

Labels: to Despair

I am amazed i actually remembered and that i have time to track these down:

1. FreeCycling

Read about this on the newspapers sometime back.

I've always been a believer in reduce, reuse, recycle, and in that order.

While I cannot yet subscribe to the compact movement, I try baby steps for things that I can do.

So some of the things I've started practicing are:
- Using my own bags when shopping
- shopping and buying things that i need versus i want
- recyclying glass, drink cans, paper cartons, drink cartons, plastic
- selling newspaper and magazines to the garang guni man
- passing on toys and children's clothes to friends and family

Despite these, I still feel that it is a real waste to simply throw (even recycle or sell to the garang guni man) something that is merely old(er) but is no longer suitable for my needs.

So the freecycling is appealing as it is very different from:
- abstinence where you cannot enjoy new things or shop, i.e. No New Books, only borrow from librabry
- exchange where you get something by trading something you do not want,
- handing down, to whom specifically? Even second hand store dont want the old books, for nothing!
- recycling, where the item is trashed and and remade into something else from its demise, i.e. Nice book but not good enough to keep in my collection, recycle as paper waste.

This is purely giving something that you have no use for, to someone who has use for it. And an active local Singapore Group! (unlike those book exchange groups that trickle down to nothing when they come to Asia)

Joined as a member, gonna lurk around abit and see whatsup before giving away some stuff.


2. Plant a Tree programme

Caught a TV news report on plant-a-tree in Singapore and i thought what an excellent idea!

Living in the concrete jungle, we have no land or garden to speak of.

But to be able to plant a tree and be able to revisit it as it grows!

What a magnificient idea!

To commemerate an event, to honor your parents/ family, to teach your children!

Only $200 per tree, and $1500 for 10.

You are encouraged to be there to plant the tree, you will receive a photo and a certificate, and be able to return to the same spot to mark the growth of a tree. A living, breathing, growing TREE. Not just a house plant. wow.

I just might do it. A present for all my immediate family, for Singapore, for Earth.

what? it is the gahment's job? please...

Labels: to Read Think, to Shop Buy

RANT MODE ON

have been nursing a sore throat since last day in BKK last week (all that drinking there and since probably didnt help)

after the bbq on last Thurs and over the weekend, it became a vicious hacking cough with cottony bright yellow phelgm, signalling an infection somewhere.

went to the company doc on Sun night but it was a locum who looked too young, and who turned out to be too cautious to give me anti-biotics to nib the infection in the bud despite my asking for them, in the end i left with only stuff that treated the syntoms, leading to endless coughing in the night. so much so that both my ribs and back hurt from the hacking coughs, and the endless retching of thick phelgm.

when my eyes were stuck this morning with what looked like those yucky yellow stuff this morning, i went to the company doc again. and this time came away anti-biotics.

RANT MODE OFF

I want to get well soon.

I NEED to get well soon.

Korea Ski trip is less than a month away.

Labels: to Despair

Had a BBQ potluck gathering yesterday. My assignment is salad (of which i decided to try 2 diff recipes, and otah)

Since E was out of town, had to manage the marketing + kids alone

Thought I had everything covered by buying the non-perishable ingredients before my trip, and pia-ing from airport straight to supermarket to buy the veg.

But there wasnt any baby spinach leaves in sight at Cold Storage Compass Point, I went round and round, and bought 1 kg of ordinary spinach in unlabelled packagings. i thought they were a little too big (old) and will need to discard the bigger leaves and stems.

Unfortunately, when the cashier scanned the 4 x 250gm packs of veg, the readout says CHYE SIM.

can die.

but but but, supermarkets do mislable their stuff right? especially veg in what seems to be generic-used-for-everything-by-the-same-company packaging... RIGHT~?

anyways, as I reached home in my sleep deprived stage, I tried a leaf raw to see if it IS spinach.

doesnt taste like leh...

in desperation for confirmation i took a pic, mms to Leng and asked her what she thot, despite the ungodly hours.

Also NO leh. too long stems and too little leaves per stalk.

ARGH!

Ran out of the house in the morning and finally found some REAL spinach.

Assembled the recipe with ingredients:

Spinach Salad (for 10)
20 g butter decided no need.
125 g almonds, blanched and slivered replaced with toasted pine nuts because i like
570 g spinach (leaves only), rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
150 g dried cranberries
20 g toasted sesame seeds
10 g poppy seeds cannot find, replaced with some cracked black pepper
125 100 g white sugar
9 g minced onion
0.7 g paprika
75 ml white wine vinegar
75 ml cider vinegar
150 ml vegetable oil

It came out GOOD. though I was asked the recipe several times, the whole bowl was not finished cos I was late to the party and pp already ate too much of the other stuff. DUH.




oh. the other dish, a carrot thingy, didnt come out so well. 'nuff said.

Labels: to Eat Drink Party

Oh, the trip came out EVEN BETTER.

Cos we managed to finish all the work, AND have lunch at PING sharkfins restaurant.

- Claypot Sharksfin
- Abalone Rice
- Claypot Fish Maw (though I prefer the fried ones better)
- Duck Feet Kway Teow
- Veg
- Coconut Jelly

BURP~*!

and then it was straight to airport, without the bosses, and we went for more sake.

Ahhhhh......

Labels: to Eat Drink Party

non-stop number crunching from touch down till 2 am (local time, meaning 3am SG time. ARGH) in the hotel room, and repeat the next morning.

Finally something different today. Managed to sneak in a 1.5 hour traditional massage after sending my draft for the locals to reconfirm the details, and promising to return to approve their confirmation, which i DID!

The massage at Chaopaya Bangkok was good, but it could have been better.

but the better came after we decided that we did all that we could in the office, and the rest could be done in our hotel after a decent dinner

so off we went to Fuji at Esplanade for good Japanese food with a local twist, fresh ingredients, and 5 bottles of 300ml sake share by 3.25 people, the 0.25 being a tee-totaller.

Nicely buzzed though barely high.

but enough of rare indulgence on a pure working trip.

cant ask for more

unless it is another traditional massage ata the airport tomorrow

or some donuts from Dunkin' Donuts before i go.

Either one will do.

Though both will be really nice!

;)

Labels: to Eat Drink Party

have been barely surviving with a kink in my back since forever (ok, at least a month back) and finally went to my regular massuer at Far East Plaza (or is it Lucky Plaza? i'm forever confusing them by name, but i mean the one next to Goodwood Park) last week

the good news is she restarted the head/ face massage as part of her service when she received a replacement tool which looked alot like this


the massage as she explained it, is actually a type of 刮沙, and she applied the tool on my scalp and my face. And the immediate sensation was a releasing of tension in my head. I was relaxed, somehow refreshed but not sleepy. I felt like I was floating as I left the shop, and i could work on a thousand worksheets.

unfortch, the bad news is she had to increase prices due to yet another rent revision by her landlord. So it is $60 per hour now instead of $50, but that had stayed the same for at least the 6 years I've been going to her.

So I'm not going to begrudge her a single bit, but in fact welcome it as long as it helps her stay in business. I mean, who would i go to if she ever closes shop? i can hardly survive when she goes on a long holiday, she's practically my physiotherapist for all the kinks and kooks that comes from my job.

Labels: to Shop Buy

Lively dangerously is forgetting to fill up your less than 1/8th full tank and going on to the expressway, and less than 1/3rd into that journey, the scary LOW FUEL indicator comes up.

While trying to exit the highway, you
- turn off the aircon,
- roll down the windows,
- gets light footed on the accelerator,
- allowing the car to glide on engine brake (with foot OFF the pedal) as much as possible,
AND
- struggle with a road map to check where the *beep* is the nearest petrol station, preferably a Shell cos that's where you have a petrol card.

slightly more than 10km from the low fuel light first come up, you roll into a Shell petrol station.

YES!

Labels: to Drive