Central Europe Escapade

To celebrate my getting a year older this year, Adrian planned a central Europe escapade, taking advantage of the few public holidays here in Moscow. The plan was to land in Vienna, spend a day there, hitch a ride from our friends who will be driving into Vienna to lecture, to Budapest. Spend about 3 days there and hop onto a train that would take us to Prague. Nua another 3 days there and jump into another train that would take us back to Vienna.

Stop 1 - Vienna (Wien)

By being in the capital of music, of course we needed to make plans to attend a concert. We were spoilt for choice. There were people selling all kinds of concerts, operas etc on the streets. So many that you couldn't decide what to watch. Here's a tip. Many of these concerts are private, small scale ones and not performed in nice concert halls. So, go for those which are held in the opera house or bigger concert halls like the one in the famous new year concert.

Stop 2 - Budapest

The "Hungarian Dance" tune came to my mind. It was a scenic little city. Especially so during the night. Budapest is a city divided by river Danube. The side where the castle is situated is called Buda, the other side is called Pest. Pest is not pronounced as "Pest" but "Pesh". The stop at Budapest was quite fun except...the hotel or should I say the guest house. For some reasons, unknown to me and Adrian, he decided to book a guest house and did not see the very fine print of the reception being closed after 6pm. So when we reached the guest house at 12 midnight, we saw a note that was left behind for us. "We have waited for you until 11pm but you did not show up. We have left. Please call this number when you arrived." Great! Temperature was about 6-10 degrees then and I was only in my raincoat! So we called and waited 40 minutes for the guy to turn up. Next came the payment...cash only! What the .....! So all our US$ gone. Then came the room...typical soviet style with a 5cm thick pillow!!! Black face at this stage while Adrian was guilt-stricken (poor thing).

Other than the guest house...which subsequently also created other hiccups (like no hot water, no soap), the experience was quite fun.

Stop 3: Prague

It was a beautiful place. Lots of interesting architecture. At some angles, while walking up Charles bridge, the buildings looked medieval. Nice place but expensive cos it was too touristy. Hotel was comfortable compared to the you know what earlier on. And how often do you meet friends when travelling? We did! Met a friend we knew from Moscow. What a coincidence! All went well until the last day. After dinner, we wanted to take a walk to the Wenceslas (??) square. While crossing the cobber-stones filled road, I gave a loud yell and tears started coming out from my eyes. I had badly twisted my left ankle. So painful that I could hardly get off the track of an incoming tram. That's it, end of the evening walk and the beginning of a limping 2 days in Vienna. Luckily, the swell went off when I got back to Moscow and I was counting my blessing that it was just a twist. Greatest taboo is to go hospital for anything in Moscow...

1.3...time passes so fast!

Today marks 1.3. Time passes so fast. But memories seem to stay....

What have I been doing?

I often wonder, in my free time, if friends in Moscow are wondering about me? Well, sorry for not updating the blog for almost 2 months. Juggling with house renovation and work, there was little time left to do much blogging. Had been feeling very tired recently and all I wanted to do after work was bathe and jump right into bed. Maybe I had been too slacked for the past 2 years. The turmoil of full day work needs a little getting used to. Friends in Singapore were thinking I must be nuts.

Besides the tiredness, I also started to doubt my capabilities. It seems to have gone for a holiday too. I don't seem to be able to perform like I used to in work. I'm scare. Did I really lose it? Or is it just a matter of getting myself back in pace? Or have I overrated myself in the past? I don't know. Perhaps I need some assurance to allay this lack of confidence.

1.2 today....

This is meant for me again. It's ok if you don't understand what it means.

English...Engrish...

For the many that cringe due to poor English, when reading my posts, I apologise. I aspire to write flawlessly but whenever Adrian reads them, he will spot all kinds of grammatical mistakes. I can even visualise my ex-boss circling the mistakes with red ink pen :P. I must admit that I do not have a strong foundation in the language and some of the mistakes are just not apparent to me. Sometimes, I cannot even differentiate Singlish form of writing to English. But I enjoy writing. I enjoy jotting down my thoughts, my perspectives and my feelings about things around me. I guess it would be worse if I do not write at all. Then there will be no room for improvement. While I try to improve, please do not give up reading my posts.

Drivers' Blues

We were once very blessed with a fantastic driver. He took good care of the car, ensured that every inch of it was clean (something very hard to maintain in Moscow) and was very proud to drive in it. All the horror stories we heard from friends about their drivers were distant to us. However, things changed when Adrian changed job.

We have 2 drivers now (on a 2-day rotation schedule) and we find ourselves counting on only one. The other one belongs to the pool of "undesirable drivers". What constitutes being an "undesirable driver"? Here's my experience....

Driver M arrived at my apartment. It was our first meeting. I opened the car door and discovered grass on the back seat. Driver M indicated to me that the back seat was dirty and suggested that I take the front seat instead. Fair enough, I thought. I was meeting some friends for lunch and it so happened that they decided to hitch a ride to a nearby supermarket after the meal. When they got on board, he was immediately mesmerized by one of my friends. When she failed to get into the car again after the supermarket visit, he asked about her whereabouts. *Scratch head*

I told Adrian about the grassy back seat and we suspected that he had used the car to either transport something or had taxied someone.

The next day, he was tasked to fetch me again. This time, he assumed that I should take the front seat but I declined. (Some drivers, when driving a female, prefer to have them seated at the front; to show off!???) Maybe I was being sensitive but I did not think he took the refusal very well. *But who cares?*

Many days later, I heard that he was skirt chasing one of Adrian's colleagues, trying ways and means to date her. *What was he thinking?!!!*

After that episode, on one cold winter day, we found a bottle of half-drunk coke in the drinks compartment of the car. It didn't belong to the other driver, neither did it belong to us nor Driver M. So, possible scenario is that Driver M, being the driver the day before, picked up a passenger (let's call him Passenger C) who had a half-drunk bottle of coke. As Passenger C got off, he forgot about it and our dear Driver M did not even realise that Passenger C had left behind that bottle of coke! Well, we could not conclude anything as it was all just a guess and he was not caught red handed. But certainly, our tolerance was running out.

All was calm until a few days ago. It was his turn to drive Adrian but the other driver was unable to contact him the day before to notify him about the time. He was nowhere to be found in the morning and when he finally appeared in office, he refused to explain to anybody about his disappearance. *PMS?*

The last straw came today. He was supposed to fetch me at 1130. He decided to leave the office at 0930! On a good day, the drive from the office to my apartment takes only 15 minutes. On a bad one, it would take at most an hour. Never, never requiring a 2-hr lead time. When he was stepping out of the office door at 0930, Adrian's colleague stopped him. "Damn! There goes my plan!", I guess this was what he was thinking then. Well, that's not the end of the saga. When we reached office, he told Adrian that the front car plate had dropped off! How? Don't know. When? Don't know. Where? Don't know. Explaining that he could easily be stopped by the police without the car plate, he said he needed to get back to the leasing company to get the plate replaced. This would take at least 2 1/2 hours (actually, they just needed an hour at the most). So the plan was, he would drive me home first before proceeding to get the plate replaced. I waited and waited in the office. "Where the hell was he?" Turns out that he decided to put the back car plate at the front and take a drive to find the other plate. *I call that stupidity!*

We had had enough! Though it didn't feel good, he would be replaced with effect from Friday. I think it is important to have a driver you can trust. What I don't like about him is his dishonesty. He is also not a careful driver, especially when his mood is down and I certainly wouldn't want to let someone like that accidentally "murder" me. Let's hope the replacement is better.

Gloomy Day...

Maybe it is the lack of sunshine...because I have a very bleak outlook of my future. One morning I woke up and realised that I would be 32 in May. Frantically checking my memory, I was taken aback that I had not achieved much and 2 years just slipped by me. 2 years of doing nothing! I panicked! I was desperate! I needed to kick start my life again. How? I was confused!

The news on TV didn't make it easier. Looks like US is heading towards a recession and Japan too. The job market may not be as vibrant as I want it to be. After 2 years, what am I still capable of? Can I still find a job I love so very much?

Many people have told me that I should find something to do to keep myself going. It's not an excuse but is it really so easy? It is very convenient to say, "Oh, you have all the time to do things you like now." Is it true? I am tired of explaining to people that we have taken conveniences in Singapore for granted and assume that we can apply such conveniences everywhere we go. "Do something you like" ....easier said than done. Half the time, I find myself doing something for the sake of doing. When you don't get to choose, anything available is probably God bless.

Maybe it's mid-life crisis, maybe it's a lack of self-esteem, maybe it's a lack of sunshine, maybe I've had enough, maybe it's a mix of everything.......it's time for me to get my life back.

1.1

It's ok if you do not understand this post. It's meant for me.

Say cheese :)

When I first arrived in Moscow, I found myself feverishly learning how to "swear" in Russian, something which is not me. The worst swear word that ever came out of my mouth was TMD. So why was I trying to arm myself with all the "Russki bad words"? Well...to use them as ammunition when I encountered rude Russians (all the time).

Let me explain further. Russians can be quite ill-behaved when in public. They cut queues, they bang onto you and offer no apology, they cough right in your face, they spit without aiming, they are loud and rowdy etc. When faced with such situations, sometimes you just have to utter some profanities to jolt their conscience (when in Rome, do what the Romans do right?). Anyhow, I just didn't have the knack for language, let alone flowery language. So, I gave up.

How about instead of behaving like rude Russians, let's just concentrate on nice things to say. This question came to my mind, "What's the nicest thing someone said to you today?" Do we ever remember the sweetest sentence we receive everyday?

A sudden realisation?

This headline caught my eye and I read the article with much skepticism. They finally drafted a law to prepare for the WHO's framework convention on tobacco control due to dire demographics? Hurray! But call me a cynic or maybe I do not have a deep enough understanding of the country, I am not convinced that all these are done for the benefit of the people and that they finally realise their people are dying out fast and dying young.

The article highlighted that some 65% of their men and more than 30% of their women smoke. With my observation, I think this is an understatement. I think the statistics should be 80% of their men and more than 50% of their women smoke (but this is purely my guess, please do not quote me). It is hard to find a non-smoker on the streets rather than the opposite. And when you walk into a restaurant, you are basically stepping into a heavily smoked chimney. When you walk out of it, you are automatically transformed into a human-size cigarette. If you are unlucky, you probably smell of 50% stale smoke and 50% fresh ones. If you are lucky, you will just be like a newly lighted one. Smoking, is just their way of life, just like vodka! With such an "unique tradition", it is unlikely that a total ban on smoking in bars and restaurants will pass though it seemed like a bill was already approved in its first reading to ban smoking in certain public areas and aboard airplanes (huh? how many airlines allow that in the first place nowadays?) and commit restaurants and cafes to allocate at least 50% of their spaces to non-smokers. Pardon my ignorance, but I do not see many restaurants and cafes preparing or having such an arrangement.

The article also mentioned that unlike other countries that have signed onto the convention, Russia has never allowed smoking in movie theatres and in the subway. I think this is not something to be proud of as I believe allowing the above is already a very primitive act and if the country is truly keen on moving towards being a healthier, smoke-free nation, the benchmark should be with countries in the convention who are constantly pushing the frontiers, and not with the underachievers.

Having said all that, some actions is always better than none and being a smoke-free advocate, I certainly hope that they can carry this vision through, just like how they manage their economy after communism. It definitely will give their people a better quality of life than what they are enjoying or not enjoying now.

It's finally here!

Many believe that we are freezing our butts out in Moscow as it is typically a very very cold country with harsh winters. On the contrary, we have not had real snow or extreme cold winter until today! We woke up to a super white Sunday (much to our astonishment) :P. The snow had finally arrived! I guess we have been taking the though cold but dry winter for granted. Just 1 night...the snow on our car is about 4cm thick!

While waiting for Eugene's car, we observed how the workers get rid of the heaps of snow piled on the streets. Quite interesting but hard work. I wonder how it would be like without the workers. I guess we would all have to put on our gears and head off to the roads with our shovels :P

天降运财 :)

One of my friends have just completed his first telemovie, "天降运财" or "Heng or Huat". It is scheduled to be released next week. If you are looking for something light-hearted to watch for Chinese New Year's eve and would like to support local production, you can consider picking up one of this next week. Here's the trailer for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXSARzRuoE0

Talent...how come I don't have?

The meaning of talent seems to be very vast; from it being an ancient unit of weights, endowment of a person to a special often creative or artistic aptitude. I ponder if it is an entitlement to everybody and I conclude that it is not. For, I am one of those that are not entitled to it.

When we say that a person is talented, we often refer to one of those outstanding skill that he/her exhibits like Bach, Mozart in music. But, what if my conclusion is wrong and that talent is indeed a living being's entitlement? I once read a book that truly believes in this. That we should all be aware and exploit our individual talents rather than look for improvements in our weakness. If that is true, then, what is mine? I can't draw, I can't write.....

Fortunate are those who discover that they have certain talents and hence can further develop it. They can use it to make a living, to enhance their lives and maybe even to influence lives. I certainly wish that I have one of those talents.

Pseudo Life

Do you ever wonder why your life is the way it is? If you are able to create a pseudo life, how would it be like? Would it be like the female characters in Korean series where there will always be 2 guys fighting over 1 gal? Where 1 of the chap is a great buddy while the other is the perfect man? Or would it be one of those super intelligent characters in CSI, 24 etc?

My pseudo character, if I may, would be ......

She likes travelling, sometimes alone, sometimes not. She can speak a few different languages. She dresses with style. She has a job that she is madly passionate about, something related to creativity/design. She has hobbies, one of which is photography. She is a talented musician who can play the keyboard, the harp, the guitar and the cello. She has a character that is very endearing. She draws people. She is not petty. She is easy-going. She speaks with wit. She makes people laugh. She is comfortable with life. She is not fantastically stunning but she is pleasant looking. She is not fat. She is rather tall. She has great dimples. She is outspoken. She is opinionated.

But she is not without flaws.

She can be hot-tempered. She can be messy. She is not meticulous. She loses things easily. She cannot really manage money. She is not academically intelligent.

I can only visualise her existence but I cannot imagine her life. Though I rather choose one that is challenging but something at the back of my mind tells me it's smooth sailing. If it is the latter, wouldn't it be too boring, too cliche? If it is the latter, wouldn't it be too dangerous? That one day the whole fairytale will burst? That all her "haves in life" will be taken away...maybe by the divine, simply because she has had her fair share of "fortunes" and it's time these are being given to others who have yet to enjoy them.

Maybe I should give her "powers" only to be used in desperate situations. Power of courage, strength, resilience and optimism. How else should I develop my pseudo character?

Sin's Special!

Today's SQ flight from Singapore was a highly anticipated one. Besides the return of friends who were away for quite some time, there was also the long awaited greens that one of them had kindly brought back. It is pathetic to get vegetables now in Moscow, unless you wouldn't mind the salad types. But for me, I need leafy greens. One of the essentials to keep bowels moving besides coffee. Finally, I get my Pak Choy and Chye Sim. Hope the supplies can keep me going till I got back :)

Thanks, Jason :)

House Exchange

I was watching "Holiday" last night. In this movie, the 2 actresses decided to do a house exchange. That means, they both took a holiday to each other's country and stayed at each other's house. It turned out that both found the vacation they were looking for. Would you do a house exchange to someone you don't know? It sounds like an interesting concept but the stakes are a bit too high isn't it? Though you are on holiday, half the time you would be worried about what will happen to your house! I don't know but I would not choose such a vacation style...would you?

My life this week....

Nope...my russian is not that good. These are English movies. Don't be deceived by the cover :P

Russian's Car

Russians have different ways of safe guarding their cars from theft. They will either install primitive/modern security gadgets or spray their cars with exotic prints, e.g, leopard prints, bears etc. But this one.....is so interesting!

Sophie...

Many who read this blog will know about Fu, Darren and Chloe. Some will know about the new additions we have last year. This is one of them....Sophie. See how she has grown :)

P/s: I hope I got the photos right..that they are all Sophies...Liang Mama, please ascertain :P

Life-size matyoshka

We were driving along Dimitriv Shonsei and this was what we saw....

Ending...you like?

Russians always have the habit of combining public holidays so that they become either long weekends or super long breaks like in Jan. The first 9-10 days of Jan is usually public holidays and it is peak travel period for them. While many are out travelling, I enjoyed 9 days of peace in the city. How did I spent my time? Prison Break Season 2, Lovers In Paris and 24 Season 7.

I wish there was no season 3 for Prison Break because it would had concluded nicely if season 3 had not existed. I like shows with good ending. It need not be a happy one but one with conclusion. What irritate me the most are those which make me dangle in the air, second guessing if there is a sequel.

This is precisely the reason why I like 24 (though the individualistic, "I-know-all" characteristic of Jack Bauer irks me at times). When a season ends, it ends with a conclusion. It doesn't matter if you follow up with the next one or not.

I was tricked into thinking that Lovers in Paris was a nice serial to watch. Ending was......absolutely absurd. Such ending makes you feel "cheated", that you even come so far to catch it. I just felt that I needed to throw some rotten eggs at my new Plasma!! Ya, it was that bad! Have you caught any show / serial that you enjoy recently?

Top destination for the year...

I hope I can make my Spain trip happen this year. It is always a country I want to visit since my Uni years. When I was with the guitar ensemble in Uni, we used to come across many compositions about Spain. You see her beauty in these works as well as from the many travel journals and websites. Not to mention that it is the home of Mango and Zara too. So we decided. It will be the top destination for us this year. I have marked out the places that I wanted to go but have not decide if we can cover everything in 1 trip (doubt it). Will do more research about these places and will give first hand account when I finally make it there :) Stay tune ....

Best of Friends - The Next generation :)

I love these photos...what about you?

Breakfast...

2 Sundays ago, we joined some friends for a lazy breakfast morning. We met at this place called the Nespresso Cafe, a nice and cozy place. What perks you up in this cafe is the constant coffee aroma. We ordered our breakfast while waiting for our "kakis" to turn up. The policeman at the road outside caught our attention. Basically, we just wanted to see how much "business" he could get on a quiet Sunday morning. Not very much we guess as he didn't seem interested to stop any vehicle at all. A moment later, our friends arrived and so was the breakfast order. Hmm...yummy! But that breakfast cost us S$60. It's time like this that you will miss the "kaya, cold stori" bread with "kopi" :)

Out in the open in -24 degrees :(

How does it feel to be out in the open at -24 degrees? It's numbness at the extremities, pain on the face, aches on the joints, dizziness due to pressure maybe and lungs feeling like they are collapsing. Not a fun experience :(

We are all connected!

I always have the belief that we are all connected with one another, in one way or another. Recently, one of my ex-colleague found me on Facebook through another friend's profile. The latter, I acquainted with in Moscow. It was a nice feeling to be "lost and found". Looking back, there are friends whom were once close but not anymore. There are friends whom we used to see everyday but not anymore. There are people whom we once sworn by but not anymore. The sentence "people come, people go" is so commonly heard in workplace but I think it applies to life too. If only life is simpler. Maybe then more beautiful things are sustainable. Hmm....sounds a bit melancholic but that's not the aim of this post.

2008 KPIs?

Pardon me for the title. It might sound unpalatable for some. But I do wish I have some real KPIs to meet for 2008. I have been putting off writing the so- called "new year resolution" because being on "sabbatical" doesn't motivate me to formulate any. But there are 3 things which I really want to achieve in 2008;
a) save more money

b) be a better person

c) do something useful/fulfilling

2x in a row!!!!!

I never thought I would be so "lucky"! I logged on to my yahoo mail this morning and saw an email from my interior designer. All was well until he "announced" that he had resigned from the company! #$^*&^! This is the second ID that quit on me! I am beginning to wonder if there is something wrong with the company and I hate to have to run through everything all over again with the new chap!!!!!Moral of the story.....never ever use an interior designer! Anyone with a good contractor to recommend?

1 year anniversary....

You were the best among the batch.
You were full of character when we met.
We had great times together.
Playing hide-and-seek, trying to find each other.
27 Dec 06, the day when our game did not end.
Not being able to find you was not our intent.
The questions of "where are you?" and "how are you?" always linger.
Sometimes memories of you just trigger.
I pray that you are well. I pray that you are happy.
Hope we will have a chance to meet again......

Something playful III

Since Chloe is the only girl in this "Something Playful" series, her photo montage will have something extra :P Can you spot it?

Something playful II :P

I was sorting out all my pictures and came across the series of Fu's photos his mum sent me. I thought it would be quite cute to arrange them in a sequence. That was how "something playful" was created. "Something playful II" is for Darren. Hope you like it :)

P/s to Chloe: Yours got to wait ok! Ganma needs to scout for photos :)

Botanic Garden, Singapore

Something Playful :)

Christmas in Moscow :)

24 Dec, a day many get together to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25. We, in Moscow, did the same. As Russians do not celebrate Christmas until 7 Jan (as they are Orthodox Catholics), the Christmasy feeling is not as strong as what we have back home. So, we chose an American restaurant hoping to get a little more of the festivity, besides the wintry weather outside.

Journey to the restaurant was not at all pleasant, especially for Eugene and May who came to pick us up. The normal ride of 10 minutes (from their place to ours) took 1.5 hours in this weather. By the time we got to the restaurant, it was already around 8pm (poor John, Soe and Eddie had to wait for us for almost 30minutes).

Though there weren't many of us in Moscow (yes, we are missing Reuben, Tracey, Cecilia, Steve, Annice and Mike), we still manage to gather a group of 8. Those who could drive made it a point to either take the metro or be driven by drivers. This is so we could all drink! The night ended with nice company, lots of laughter and catching up, below average dinner (imagine an American restaurant which ran out of fries!), not so fantastic service and ok beverage. To all my friends, Merry Christmas and a fabulous year ahead. CHEERS!

A Safe Haven In the Cold

A friend brought Adrian and I to Mother Theresa Home yesterday. She was going to deliver some Christmas presents she and her husband had prepared. Walking through the cold and slippery door way, we were greeted by 2 of the residents. Both should be in their teens. Though visibly mentally slow, we were greeted with lots of hospitality from the pair. They brought us to the room where we hung our jackets and changed to slippers and excitedly vanished with the 2 packets of presents.

I must admit that I was not prepared for the excitement the children displayed when they saw us. I found myself being surrounded by children who expressed their friendliness in a way I am not used to. One took my hands and gently swung them as though she wanted me to dance with her. One just needed to feel you with his hand for he seemed partially blind.

I was attracted to this 11-year old who was suffering from Cerebral Palsy. A very sweet looking girl but paralysed from waist down. At some point, she seemed to be calling out for her mother who had not visited her for 2 weeks as she was sick. Her teary eyes made it unbearable to look at her.

The Sisters who keep the place going give the children their unlimited love and care. Their commitment to them makes me feel so small and insignificant. It is not easy looking after children with special needs. It's not just about providing a roof over their heads. It compasses understanding them, empathising with their handicap, guiding them and treating them just like their very own.

The visit made me feel that there is still warmth and love in this very harsh and cold country.

Mr Cat - The 11th Month

The smell of Mr Cat is getting lesser. Mr Cat was Pebble's favorite toy. She liked to grab it by her mouth and toss it up into the air. The smell came from the saliva left behind after all these chewing and grabbing. Now, it is the only smell that is left behind by Pebble. Today is the 11th month :(

The Lure of "S" & "11"

Many of us will envy people who do not need to plough for money. Nonetheless, realistically, how many of us can be in that category? Day in day out we are worried if we are earning enough, if we will earn enough, what if it is not enough? I started my 3 weeks of hell to minimise my problem of "what if it is not enough?" today. Going through the first report was a breeze. But the second one stopped me from going on. "This one is going to score badly", I told myself. Anyhow, the motivation factor is the "S" with "11". 加油!

Made In Singapore

I was shopping with Adrian last week and we stumbled into a shop called "Loang & Noi". Maybe you have seen this shop in Vivo city or Paragon. Maybe you have seen their advertisement in the magazines. Adrian used to think that "Loang & Noi" was probably Vietnamese but he was wrong. Both Loang and Noi are Singaporeans. The interesting thing is that all the jewellery you find in there are exclusive, i.e every piece is unique. For people who likes the idea of "one and only", this may be a place you can take a look. Maybe it is a kind of "selfishness", I quite like the idea of having something that is unique to me, something that review some bits and pieces of my identity. Am I having identity crisis?

Being DIPLOMATic

Life as a diplomat had made quite a difference in our stay in Moscow. Here's why....

Even though working life had been as busy for Adrian,

he is supported by capable and supportive local staff. They are....Elena, his marketing officer and Sasha, his driver (cum bodyguard :)).

Besides assisting Adrian, both Elena and Sasha had been a great help to me too. You may not be able to see the car clearly but it is a Volvo S60. The great thing about this car was not its model but the fact that it had a red car plate. In Singapore, red car plate means weekend car but in Moscow, red car plate means diplomatic car, = police would think twice about stopping you, some hotel would offer free parking, cars on the road would try to avoid you (they have this thinking that diplomatic drivers are reckless drivers) etc.

For those who had visited Moscow before, you might had bad experience at the airport customs. Many had been "detained" for quite a while before the stamp finally got "chopped" on your passport. However, if you have the above, all else do not matter. If they make trouble, just point to the word "diplomatic". You will be surprise how many of them are "blind". It is also very effective if they decide to check your luggage. Just give them the passport and they will signal you to pass. With this, you can also use the diplomatic lane for faster clearance at immigration.

Next is this diplomatic card. In Moscow, you always have to bring your passport wherever you go. But if you have this baby, you will not need to bring your passport and will never get "extorted" by policemen. Sigh! I will sure miss these conveniences.....:(

Get Together...

One of the things that always draw me back to Singapore is the pals I have here.

These are just 2 of them.....

She is one of our 2 new additions. Line said she caught me drooling over her many times during dinner. How not to right? :PUs and the next generation. (Missing : Rachel & Fu, Fang & Chloe, Darren)

10th Month...

It's the 10th month today. Saw the "Caesar" advertisement yesterday. The westie in there reminded me of Pebble when she was young. So cute..

First Home Restaurant in Moscow

Tonight, I decided to bring some of my closer friends to the first home restaurant in Moscow. I don't really know the real name of the restaurant as we conveniently called it "Emily's" (named after the owner). Emily had stayed in Singapore before and maybe that's why we felt totally at ease in her "home". Menu at Emily's is quite standard but definitely not unimpressive. The chef, who is her mum makes fabulous Russian home cooked cuisine. My favorites are her piroshki, stewed pork, plov and cheese cake. Yummy! If you are wondering why there is no photo? Well, my camera ran out of battery!

Emily paints too and you can see some of her paintings hang up on the restaurant's wall. If something catches your eye, you can always buy it off. Besides paintings, you can also find traditional Russian embroidery there. Occasionally, you can find yourself dining with her cat and her 2 dogs. They are likely to be sitting around your table, making themselves at home too, just like in your very own dining room.

On the whole, it is a wonderful place to share some private, comforting times with these great pals whom we would not have met if we had not landed in Moscow. Cheers my friends!

原点

今天的心情很乱但不糟.
心的深处埋着一丝丝的依憾,
一丝丝的不舍,
一丝丝的伤感,
一丝丝的委屈.
心的一个角落却很感激他给我的终止,
让我回到原点, 让我轻松地放下这不必要的包袱.
对不起, 朋友, 只能陪你走到这里.
要健康, 要快乐喔 :)

Essentials for winter

The temperature has been hovering between -1 to 2 degrees and it is time to pack the bag with winter essentials.

a. Gloves - to keep upper extremities warm.

b. Book - to wild away time while waiting for friends as traffic is a killer during winter.

c. Music - to create your personal space while wilding away your time. Get lost in your own world.

d. Scarf & hat - besides your feet, the next 2 important areas to keep warm is the head and the neck.

My favorite coffee house...

It was a snowy afternoon, my friends and I decided to get out of the house for some fresh cold air. We headed for one of our favourite hunts in Moscow, the Coffee Bean. This is not the Coffee Bean chain that we are familiar with back home. It is rated one of the more desirable coffee place because it is a totally smoke-free coffee house, something very rare in Moscow. Sitting there, you really miss all the nice, cozy coffee places in Singapore. You imagine yourself sipping coffee, plugging into your IPOD and reading a book in a big cushy couch, occasionally looking out of the glass panels watching the world goes by. How peaceful. What a luxury....:)

Do people like your face?

I was playing around with Facebook recently and was pleasantly surprise to receive an invite from a friend who has not been in contact for many years. I was telling Ah Line that it was a very nice feeling to know that people still bother to look for you after so many years. On the other hand, I begin to wonder what if someone rejects your invite to be added in Facebook? That will be an awful feeling won't it, especially if that person also has a facebook account?

It's October..But snow has arrived..

It was only 3 days ago when I posted the photos of the fall. Today, heavy snow everywhere. Cars were begining to be covered with piles of snow. Here comes winter....

Fall In Moscow

I was out trying to capture some fall colours but was badly disappointed. It could also be that my mood was already lousy before this. I was down at the departmental store looking for a birthday present. The store was having huge sale and it was very crowded. I was queueing for about 45 minutes at the cashier before this shameless russian fat a_ _ cut into the queue. Everybody was totally pissed with her. When asked by another russian lady to move behind, she simply uttered some patronising words and continued to stand in the line, refusing to budge. How shameless can these people be! Anyhow, I managed to spot these shots at the embassy's garden....

Winter is just round the corner. Temperature has dropped tremendously throughout the week. It is now 2 degrees. I wonder if I will see snow tomorrow (I should if the weather report is accurate).

Gen Y Workers

I was reading a rather disturbing article in "The Edge". It is call "Meet The Gen Y Worker". Gen Y, as defined in the article, are chaps born between 1977 and early 1990s. They possess the following working attitude:
a) opinionated, self-assured
b) want early opportunities and expect immediate rewards
c) outspoken, trend-conscious and eager for new experiences
d) pertinent, arrogant and lacking in commitment
e) highly intelligent, confident, interactive and productive
f) "me" generation with parents who will most willingly provide for them at any time

While companies are scrambling to change their HR policies to meet the needs of this generation, I read the article with great concern and sympathy. While I think it is welcoming that GEN Y is opinionated, highly intelligent, confident, interactive, potentially productive and outspoken, I am disappointed that humility is not among the list of attributes. It seems to me that we are cultivating a generation that is full of themselves, over-the-head, "ruthless", totally unreliable and with "great" intellect. And if all else fails, they will have no qualms scrambling back to their parents for financial support. Where is the part on character? Where is the part on interpersonal skills? Where is the part on passion? And where is the part on being self-reliant?

Are we really so proud to have a generation that is of this manner? Do we really think that they can bring the country and the economy to the next level, given the fact that they can, at any time jump ship? I think the experiences that this generation have are fantastic but there are still a great chunk of work / life experiences these youngsters have yet to go through. And to write these off thinking that they already have what it needs to succeed is dangerous.

The Wait....

We are expecting our new house to be ready by the end of the year. It is a much smaller unit. Nonetheless, I reckon that cleaning will be much easier. The greatest challenge now is to ensure enough storage space for our things. Is back to looking for a reliable contractor with some sense of design again. Anybody with good recommendation? I am also cracking my brains for interesting design and I think the greatest problem will be the shoe cabinet. Not sure where will be a good place to put up one. I guess I cannot really tell until I see the actual unit. So exciting!

Testing 2

I could not resist the temptation of showing you the other label that I did. This is the transparent background version. The picture is taken in Vladimir, one of the towns outside of Moscow. I think this is by far, the most beautiful picture I have of Russia's landscape.

Effect Testing

Wanted to test out the effect of my first label. Did a series of it. This is the first. No time to test out the rest because it is about time to prepare dinner :)

My Label

I get a lot of inspirations from CanICan's blog. One of the things I thought was quite cool was CanICan's trademark / signature on all her photos. Maybe I can also create one of my very own? Here it is:

What do you think? The idea of putting in my blog address is not original. It is a copy from CanICan. I hope she doesn't mind. Look out for my very own identity in all future photos. Cheers! Oh ya, in case you are wondering where CanICan's blog is, here it is: http//canican.blogspot.com

The Heating Is On!

I just had a pleasant surprise. The heating is on! Finally! It was freezing in the apartment (good excuse not to get out of bed). But as usual, the one in the diner is not on yet. It is usually the slowest. However, the switching on of the heaters also means that it is time for moisturizer to be applied everyday. The heaters dry the air. Something I dread.

So Boring...............!

Weather is bad. It has been raining for the past 3 days. TV is not working. It can only be repaired on Wednesday (with some luck). No driver as he is on leave. No motivation to go out. No good book to read. No one really to talk to. No latest music. I'm glad I will be going home soon. It is just SOOOOOOOOOOO BOOOOORRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGG here!

My Little Red Dot

Being given the opportunity to live overseas, I have learnt that I have always been a Singaporean and I will always be. Maybe the grass is always greener on the other side; many of us fantasize about migrating abroad, enjoying a slower pace of life, having bigger living space, dreaming of spending weekends at the countryside etc. Is it all such a bed of roses? All so simple?

I, for one, enjoy holding my little red passport. It symbolises my country, a place where I am its priority, where I know I will never be treated as second class, where I will never experience discrimination, where I am known as a citizen.

My experience in Moscow makes me cherish things we have back home more. In Moscow, going onto the streets is always a struggle and the inertia for doing so is great. It is not because the streets are unsafe but more because you are likely to encounter something unpleasant which will just ruin your day. Let me give you an example. I was walking home from the supermarket one day and a middle-age man was right in front of me. It was a busy street but he did not bother to ensure if there were people near him before he decided to clear whatever was stuck in his throat onto the floor. His dirty, disgusting load of spit nearly landed on my pants and my shopping bag. Totally disgusted, all I could gave out was a loud "SH_T!" and a hard stare. I couldn't express more of my disgust due to language barrier and the fact that spitting is a way of life here. He wouldn't be bothered to apologise so don't waste your time. How uncivilised he was but you just got to look out for "spitters" when walking on the roads.

Going to restaurants is another way to make your blood boil. Poor service (sometimes you don't know why you need to tip the waiters), loud, rude voice, waitresses who look everywhere except at the customers, smoking and non-smoking areas being only 1 foot away from each other etc. Who says service at Singapore restaurants are not good enough? Try here and you will appreciate what we have back home.

But, it is not all these bad experiences that make me feel proud to be a Singaporean. Rather, I don't think anyone can truly feel like they belong to a place that is not theirs. Just like one will feel most comfortable and at ease in their own house no matter how posh or dilapidated it is. We can adapt to living in another country, we can make our lives as enjoyable and comfortable as we want but we can never blend in as naturally as the natives. Just like we can never speak English like a British and they can never speak Singlish like a Singaporean. Something will always be amiss. And if we try too hard, we forget who we really are.

Little red dot to me symbolises home, natural fit, pride (small but tough country) and ownership.

Exhauserobics!

Two days ago, I finally decided to unwrap the aerobics DVD that I bought from London last Dec. Did a quick screening of the movements and thought to myself, " I think I can do it. I have done these movements before!" So I tried. After half an hour, I was exhausted, barely could lift up my legs and my arms. Then came resistence training with weights. Good thing was, weights were optional and you could do the same actions without them. Could not really complete the whole set and by now, I was just tapping my feet on the ground. Next was crunches. I thought I better worked on my abs if I ever want to wear bikinis (wildest dream). That workout was great, only to realise that the muscles were aching the very next day.

Today, I decided to put on the DVD once again and had another 1.5 hours of workout. It was great to be perspiring and feeling the muscle aches. But I just have to admit that I am not as fit as before. I used to be able to complete the full aerobics routine but not anymore. Sigh, hate to see lesser and lesser muscles and more and more flabs. Nightmare of a middle-age woman....AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Handphone Bills :(

Sigh. Got my handphone bill last night. I had been spending too much on my Singapore mobile. For the last 2 months, the bills were at least S$160. Got to find a way to bring down the amount. Maybe because we had been corresponding with our lawyer for the sale of the house using this number. Maybe I should ask Adrian to pay half of it??? (Idea!)

Looking through the service plans of M1, nothing interesting that would allow me to lower my cost :(

You have a message!

Ever sent out an sms and received no reply? Ever sent out smses to a particular person and never get a single reply? Ever consider why such response or no response? I know of some friends who are very back dated with their sms replies. It's like they accumulate a week's supply before they reply. For friends like this, I know I will not be able to count on them in times of emergency. But late replies are better than no reply. No reply may just mean; no time, not important, no in existence anymore, don't care, not interested, cannot be bothered, what a pain.....the list goes on. Is such a person still worthwhile to consider him a friend? Still worthwhile to try and keep in contact (there's no contact to begin with)?