Ice Age

Moninet calls the French high comm.

Moninet: hi, I would like to ask about Filipinos requiring a visa to France. Could you transfer me to the right person for me to speak to please?

Staff: sorry they do not answer the phone.

Moninet: how about an email address pls?

Staff: sorry they do not reply emails.

Moninet: then how can I find out more about the visa issue?

Staff: you need to come down personally to ask us any questions. We are open till 12 on xx days (or some weird timing which I can't really remember but definitely within the half day range & definitely less than the 5 work day norm)

Moninet: but I'm not applying for a visa yet. I would just like to find out more info like the fees etc. Can't someone just speak to me over the phone?

Staff: no, they don't answer calls & they don't reply emails.

Cork man, are they still living in the Ice Age or what?!!

STUPID AUSTRALIANS

Warning: do NOT read this post if you LOVE Aussies.

I loathe them. They are stupid, they are lazy. They are the dumbest people on this planet. DISCOVER WEST HOLIDAYS IS AN AUSTRALIAN COMPANY THAT NOONE SHOULD EVER BOOK TOURS WITH.

I emailed them my taxi receipt for reimbursement and told them to do the refund to my credit card.

A month later, I received an A$ cheque in my mail. I do not have an A$ bank account so I emailed them AGAIN to ask them to refund to my credit card.

After a week of no reply, I emailed them with the subject URGENT.

They finally replied and said they will only do the refund if I mail them back the cheque. I told them, that will only incur extra postage charge at my end and told them to stop the cheque instead. I mean, it's no fault of mine that they sent the cheque to me in the 1st place.

They replied, NO, they cannot stop the cheque and will not refund me if I do not return the cheque to them and they will no longer continue this discussion.

DISGUSTING.

Ozzies are like mozzies

I'm sorry if this post offends any fans of Oz or any Ozzies for that matter. It's just that each encounter that I've had with them recently just further proves that they are not only stupid, they are lazy too. Now I know why Asians go there & excel. It's all because their own people are just too slack.

I tell you, never book any tours or hotels through Discover West.

They messed up my entire itinerary there and just 3 days short of my arrival, I will have to re-plan my meet up schedules, my car reservations, my shopping trips, basically everything! And when I actually made the effort to make an IDD call over just so I could sort things out with them, all I had is, "there's nothing I can do". So similar to that stupid Jetstar call centre staff which I had to deal with in July. And yes, never fly Jetstar, not because the airline sucks, but because the call centre is based in Australia and therefore any issues you need help with, you won't get it simply because they are stupid & lazy. They can only say "there's nothing I can do". Asians should just go there, kick them out of their jobs and let's see how much better that country will progress.

I'm so glad we're situated above the equator. Else down under is a cursed place.

Planning baby girl's party

This is so reminiscent of my wedding preps 3 years back. We had to think of the date, the venue, the menu, the guests, the list goes on.

Finally after much debate, if to hold it on Saturday or Sunday, at home or outside, whether to have a bbq or a buffet or both, whether to invite everyone or just limit to family and close friends, we have come to a decision. It will be a Sunday lunch at the Club and we'll only open it to family and the really really close friends, where everybody knows everybody!

Now comes the part which I dread most, the rsvps. It was good that most people had the initiative to let me know if they were attending my wedding but I distinctly remember the handful who just got on my nerves. They kept saying not sure, not sure. Well, screw them. Not sure then don't come. If only they were more emphatic that the hosts have alot on their hands and time could be better spent making the party more memorable for those who were sincere in taking part in the celebration instead of having to chase and beg them for their replies.

I can only hope 3 years on people are better educated on manners and since this is a closed door affair, family & best friends will be much kinder.

Thanks Aunty G for helping me design my invite :) xoxo JD

How Snooty!

Heard this from Dw's friend whose kid joined an elite school in mid primary as he was selected for a gifted programme. Dw's friend is just an average joe, middle class family.

At the kid's classmate's birthday party:

Kid gave classmate a book as a present.

Kid's classmate: Why you give me only a book? What does your father do? How much does he earn?

Kid: It's not how much you spend, but how much u save.

Bravos to the kid. Shame on his classmate. I do contemplate having Jilliane back at St Nicholas for pre primary & primary education but I have my doubts as well. When I was there, there were already snooty kids who say things like hdb estates are filled with criminals so she will never stay in one. I can just imagine how much worse it has evolved now.

And yes, I spent a great amount of my childhood years sleeping & growing up in a hdb flat. I don't recall having snitched anything nor am I close to being a jailbird.

Horrid Customer Service

I called this particular down under budget airline call centre which unfortunately was manned by the people down under. I had never come across such horrid, rude and condescending service. Makes me wonder if racial discrimination was the cause or are the staff there equally sadistic to their own people. Sadly, there's no redress that I can seek. I'm just resigned to forfeiting my flight but I'll never fly them ever again. Even their free flights offer will never be good enough. It's just not worth it.

Want to know which one? Beep me and I can even share the details with you.

Cyclists

I loathe the cyclists I meet on the roads every morning. From Paya lebar, to Guillemard, along the Nicoll Highway up to Raffles Place.

Some obviously think that they are still in their homeland. Some behave as though they are from _ _ _ _ _. Their bikes are old & rickety. They ride on the roads, against the traffic. They ride all over the place from the left lane to the right lane. They don't have the common sense to know that riding at the side of the lane doesn't help either as cars are too big to squeeze through 3/4 of the remaining lane and will still need to cut out to the next lane. They don't pay road tax. They don't pay traffic fines. They don't pay ERP. They get the choice of cycling on pavements and roads. They get to choose to either endanger lives of pedestrians or ruin the future of drivers. They are able to utilize the green, red man or the greed, red, amber lights, whichever turns 1st in their favour. They get away with everything that we drivers don't. They have the privilege of ringing their bells incessantly at us pedestrians & glare at us as though we are taking up their space.

More patrolling should be done around these areas. Laws should be enforced to ensure that these people are educated, albeit the painful way. Fine them, throw them in jail. Do whatever, just take the menace off the roads.

I loathe them.

Smashed mug

JD kicked my favourite Garfield mug this morning and it smashed into pieces. Instead of looking apologetic, she started crying very loudly as though it was our fault that the sudden "piang" startled her. Tsk. Badly behaved. I was so sad when I saw the smashed cup on the floor and immediately wanted to rant at DW & JD but I controlled, breathed in and out 10 times and I walked away to get a broom.

But within myself I know that no other will ever take the place of my Garfield cup. It can't even be found anymore. And even if I had a new one, the exact same one, it still just wouldn't be the same.

:(

FTWM

FTWM - full time working mom.

For the 1st time, I finally experienced what it feels like. This is my 4th day and I can't help but think of my past carefree days when I could afford to laze an extra minute in bed. My schedule is pretty much fixed. It starts at 6am everyday and depending on THE empress dowager, it's either I start off my day by feeding her or start off by washing & sterilizing the bottles from the midnight feeds.

Life has more or less been a routine since the arrival of Jilliane. Early awakenings, interrupted sleeps, diaper changing, cleaning bottles, feeding every 3 hours. Sometimes I wished I had a maid to whom I could throw these tasks too but usually after such a thought, I will feel guilty and quickly brush it off. These are all part & parcel of motherhood and nothing will mean more to me than knowing that I was there for her throughout the bad and the good.

I had a lunch session today with a single, 40+ yr old female and she began lunch by criticizing me. First she commented how fat I am, then she focussed on my slight paunch, then it went onto how aged I look now and that I can no longer have a life, travelling & going places. As if that was not enough, she said I will never be pretty again. I was offended but I bravely told her that I am enjoying myself with my daughter and I am contemplating making a trip overseas with her soon. In fact I had just checked SQ's website before lunch and it costs $32 for her to fly to KL. On top of that, I'm also toying the idea of having a 2nd one soon. She must have been shocked at my response, given her look of disbelief and told me sarcastically to take care & to call her if I ever need help to discipline my daughter. Is she mad from the lack of men in her life or what? I really wonder. And the biggest irony, I think her butt is bigger than mine despite not having gone through any delivery at all, except perhaps for the delivery of shit from her asshole.

Come on, I don't look all that bad right? I think if I were to head to Zouk tonight, I'm sure I will still have my fair share of admirers. Hmmph! *Thick-skinned Moninet* Whahahaha!

Sha la la in the morning

Wow! The M&P package has actually been backdated to 17 Aug 2008! I am of course overjoyed! This means more time & more money for JD, though I must admit I'm quite skeptical at the sudden change in less than a day. Those who follow politics closely will know what I mean. But, what the heck, politics is afterall, dirty. To me, it doesn't matter how it's played, as long as my objective is met and no harm comes to anyone in the process.

Nevertheless, I'll give our current government the benefit of doubt, that the modern Singapore government is pro liberalisation, consultative and open to criticisms and feedback.

Thanks to all who made this possible: God, our nation's leaders, Felicia and all who contributed to the petition and also not forgetting Mo & Fong, who bore most of the brunt of my ranting since Wednesday!

Mass disappointment by Aug - Dec 08 MTB

The online petition by parents of babies due from Aug - Dec 08:
www.petitiononline.com/mums2008/petition.html

The media has been reporting on issues like how people are pleased with the new goodies dished out, for eg: the IVF subsidies & tax reliefs. There're also reports on how employers are concerned that the 4th month of maternity leave will affect work efficiency. However, these only serve to reflect & emphasize the kindness of the government. I've yet to see any reports on the disappointment felt by many other people affected which has been taking root since 1pm on 20 Aug 2008.

It leaves me to wonder if this online petition will see any changes or make any difference. This is a big enough issue for the media to pick up on. However if there's no squeak about this in the media, then we all know for sure what's going on behind the scenes. *Evil Snigger*

Govt's rationale

What's the rationale behind the cut off date for the enhanced motherhood package?

Yes, I understand that there has to be a cut off date and not all decisions will please everyone. But why 1 Jan 2009? It's neither here nor there. If talk abt fairness, then shouldn't it be either wef May or June 09, afterall, the purpose is to encourage couples to start a family. But then again, since when was life fair? hmmph.

My baby is due anytime now and I feel a little sad that I'm not eligible for the 4th month maternity leave. It even pains me more knowing that I've lost the chance to "earn" the $7k cash benefit extended by the govt for 1st borns. If I can feel this this way, just imagine those mothers due in December 08! I wonder how's Pam taking this news.

Nevertheless, regardless of what tangible benefits I may have missed out and how disappointed I am with the policymakers, I'm still grateful for this little wonder inside my tummy. It's more than what I can ask for. All I hope now is to have a smooth delivery & a healthy baby.

Oh btw, congrats Lenggu, on the birth of your bb girl!

Speeds up, with new ERP gantries: LTA - 9 July 2008

Just wondering.. what were the 1st thoughts that swept across your mind when you saw this headline?

For me, I was insulted. Deeply insulted. Did LTA think I was an idiot? Any person with the most minimal brain cells can tell you that. It doesn't take a team of civil servants to do any checks or survey after the implementation. I could even have told LTA that before 7 July 2008 and made a bet of a million bucks. But of course if there was really a bet in place, I'm pretty sure the speeds would have been skewed to such that the erection of the new gantries resulted in loss of speed as the million bucks which is guaranteed to be lost would be much more than the revenue collected.

Couldn't LTA do a more meaningful research, such as surveying the outlying areas & study how traffic & lifestyles overall were affected and produce to us information that is more useful. Afterall we don't pay taxes for nothing. But then again, on 2nd thought, would I really want to read a report which will most likely be full of cover ups or excuses. Nah, forget it, save the efforts, don't waste our taxpayers' money.

Bewildered AND disillusioned.

On a lighter side, received this picture via email yesterday, for sharing, just for laughs.

Why the change in traffic lights timing?

Has any one who has been driving down from Upper Thomson, past Marymount Road towards Novena before 30 June 2008 in the morning felt that the timing of traffic lights has been changed at the junction of Marymount Road & Thomson Road?

I feel that it has and if that is true, I wouldn't be surprised if it's probably another attempt to try to create congestion for a legitimate excuse to either set up a new gantry or to up the 7.30am ERP rates at Thomson. Another probability is to force people to hit the other 8am ERPs down the road. To avoid this, people can only leave the house earlier. And when this happens, ERP will start even earlier. A vicious cycle, like what the papers always say. Prior to this change, traffic was smooth, no jam whatsoever. I've always been a fair person. If traffic is really heavy and action needs to be taken, so be it. But it's a different story if someone tries to create havoc when there's none. That is despicable.

Anyone with common sense will know that by deliberately shortening the time of the green light at at the junction in front of 7th day Adventist Community Ch will only serve to create a tailback all the way to Thomson Road. The cars coming from Marymount & Upper Thomson will all cross their respective traffic light junction and converge into a short road and are restricted from moving forward because of another traffic light. This may sound confusing. You probably need to be there to know what I'm referring to.

In short, the "brains" ain't that brainy afterall. You know who you are. You are a shame. Try harder, you may fool your subordinates but you can't fool me. The next sheduled change for the ERP rates are on 8 November. Let's see..

$1.40 for TEH *blur*

I paid $1.40 for this TEH from Toast Box. It's not even TEH C. I was shocked! I didn't expect inflation to be this much. True enough, my colleagues told me I could have gotten a decent cup of tea for much less at kopitiam or even other branded shops like Mr Tea or Coffee & Toast. Average now would be 90c - $1.20. I should have realised something was fishy when there was no queue at Toast Box. It used to have a snaking queue that just never seemed to end. Well now I know... btw, Teh & Teh C cost the same at Toast Box - $1.40. Now you know...

Sour Grapes

I love grapes.. all colours, green, red & black. But they have got to be seedless and needless to say, sweet. I hate sour grapes, yes, pun intended. Recently some people have gotten on my nerves. People who are sore about my baby. These recent brushes are so deja vu. It was similar to what had happened when I first announced I was going to get married.

When I told the world that I was getting married, I had mixed reactions. Some were happy and excited, some were skeptical and some others, obviously sour. There weren't many in the third group, probably a handful, but at times like these, even 1 would have had an impact. A marriage is a happy occasion. Yes, i thank those who tried to pre-empt me to the ups & downs of a marriage. But I despise those who told me that it was a grave mistake, that I was on the route to disaster. Some even went to the extent of asking me to talk to a priest about my decision which to them, is a blatantly wrong one. I wonder, talk to a priest for *^@#! Is a priest even married? Does a priest know what I want? Is the priest a soothsayer? None of the above. Eventually I deduced that it was out of sheer envy & jealousy. Not surprisingly, the people belonging to the 3rd group were without partners, some hitting their 3rd decade, some just crossed over their 4th decade.

Well, it is this same group of people who are now pouring cold water on my pregnancy. They are telling me that getting pregnant is simply a waste of time, a waste of money and which will result in a complete loss of freedom. Whilst it is sad that these people cannot share my joy, it is even more disappointing that these are the people whom I thought were one of the closest to me.

To share my opinion, since 5 August 2005, the day I booked my wedding banquet till today, I have not looked back. Marriage has made me happier and more positive. I have learnt about sacrifice and tolerance and I am grateful for the presence of my life time companion. I do not lament about the loss of freedom nor the absence of the late nights partying which I used to enjoy. In fact, I treasure life even more, knowing that I am a big part of another person's life.

Pregnancy has brought even a deeper meaning and different perspective to my life. I'm not afraid of the hassle of a wailing kid in tow, much less of the coming sleepless nights which I have to endure. No doubt, these may not exactly be the most wonderful of things but I know for sure that the joy of having a child will make me a stronger person. I beam at mothers who share with me stories of how their children brighten up their lives, albeit the silly & annoying habits which they have to put up with. I cannot say now for certain, how I will be when I finally get out of my mother-to-be status and become a full fledged mom, but I definitely look forward to every gynae visit because I can see JD and each time I feel JD's kick and see my tummy nudge, I get overwhelmed by emotions. Like what Lenggu sms-ed me on Mother's Day which just passed, "this is a miracle.." For the record, she's due around the same time as me!

I do not expect everyone to be as elated as me or dw or my parents about the good things that happen in my life. Afterall it is my life. But the negative and disparaging comments that are put to my ears are rather much uncalled for and I totally condemn them. I have 2 choices now, to either write them off my life completely or to put on a pretentious front and allow them to continuously jar my ears or even my eyes with their presence. For now, I just hope that they will be able to realise that happiness can possibly happen to them only if they are happy for others. To me, it's a cycle. If you continue to be sore that happy things do not happen you and think you can blame others for your sad life and put them down just to make yourself feel better, you will never open up the door to the wonderful opportunities lying right smack in front of your face. You are wasting your time wallowing in self pity, and sad to say I do not sympathise with you.

Having said all these, I do appreciate my friends out there, who are either not attached yet, not married yet, or not close to starting a family, whether by choice or not, who have been supportive of all my actions. Friends like Fong, Dy, Mo etc who have helped me to keep my sanity amongst the rest of the unwarranted "attention".

Boycott Killiney Kopitiam - Golden Shoe Branch

All along, I had thought the staple business of Killiney Kopitiam was the sale of bread, coffee & eggs. But surprise surprise, when I went to the above branch to buy the usual toast, the response was: we don't serve bread during lunch. You come back after 2pm. HUH?? Not only that, I even offered to order now (1.55pm) and pick it up at 2pm. But the answer was still no. My only guess that this could have happened is because the sales proceeds from bread just doesn't justify the rental in the heart of CBD. Still that's no excuse. Just imagine, what if Teck Kee Pau decides not to sell Pau during lunch, Old Chang Kee decides not to sell fishballs & curry puffs during lunch and Macdonald's decides not to sell burgers during lunch, all just so for the dollars & sense..

Hey, what happened to the good old fashioned Killiney kopitiam that we all know? The old coffeeshop at Killiney Road itself has just damaged its own reputation by not having good quality control for their franchising business. If Killiney Kopitiam doesn't serve bread, then why is it even in operation?! Of course, we all know that they have since expanded their product range to include mee siam, laksa, sweet & sour fish and so on and so forth. But frankly, their food sucks. Their hor fun is too starchy, their fish too stinky. I rather go to my HDB kopitiam for their zi char. Cheap & good.

Well, to the original owners of Killiney Kopitiam or the inheritants, wake up! I suggest you relook at the workings of your franchise business and buck up your service! Thumbs DOWN, shame on you!

Some feedback for Pastor Goh

Dear Pastor Goh

It was disheartening when I learnt that a member of your church is a devil's advocate. Recent incidences in 2007 - 2008 have made me think that perhaps the teachings that are preached in your church are just not adequate to redress their evil deeds.

Perhaps you may want to broach on the topic of kindness begets kindness and bad karma will befall on those who are evil. It would be a timely reminder to those members who donate their ill gotten gains to your chuch & appear to be angels that these actions will not ease their journey to heaven. Their heartlessness and attempts to bring about the downfall of mother(S) & child(REN) will eradicate any goodness they have done, ie if they had any to begin with. Procreation is an important aspect of our lives & of our Christian faith. You may want to stress on that and drum this down the devil advocate's thick skull.

I'm proud to be a Catholic, I am true to myself, unlike certain Christian denominations who go around forcing down the throats of other mankind to believe in only what they believe in and that only what they believe in is right. What a whole load of BOLLOCKS!

civic mindedness on the MRT

Monday 7 April 2008

It was already 8pm. Although many people are heading home & the MRT is packed, somehow SMRT still denotes it as OFF PEAK. Beats me.

I was lining up at the station door at Raffles Pl mrt, 1st in line, patiently waiting for the train to arrive. A young lady, came & stood beside me, inching her body closer & closer to me, aka closer to the station door. I'm starting to smell something fishy...

True enough, when the train arrived, she literally pushed me to edge her way into the train 1st. Why.. my guess is to get a seat. Luckily I was prepared so I had broadened the width between my legs for more stablity & pushed her back with no further hesitation. So I entered the train 1st. Not very civilised behaviour on my part either I admit, but.. I guess this is a dog eat dog world. U offend me, be prepared for consequences.

That smelly woman, who coincidentally has a sour, LPPL face ( I wonder why) managed to get a seat opp me. I took her photo, pretty clear one. But alas, I found out that unless the photo actually depicted her caught in the act, I should not be posting it publicly as it could lead to legal implications. Ah Fong - FYI....

Tuesday 8 April 2008

I was on the way to work, needless to say, on a super packed train. I was standing at one end of the train. It was not a good morning, I had nausea since I woke up. Still, I do not expect seated people to give up their seats to me, understandably they're prob still trying to catch some 40 winks before they reach work. To my pleasant surprise, when someone got off the seat to alight at the other end, the 3 ladies standing next to me actually called out to me to take that seat! Gasp! What a far cry from the previous day's incident. There is hope afterall in civic mindedness in Singapore!

Wednesday 9 April 2008

I was standing in front of the row of seats when at Bishan MRT, this lady decided to squeeze herself in between me & the row of seats. Sometimes it's almost impossible to comprehend the brains & actions of some humans. I almost lost my balance and her hair was in my face, and her hair is those long, curly wolly kind which somehow always reeks of wax. In any case, I just went " Niagh Liao Lor" into her ears. I was half expecting a cat fight to arise, but luckily she got the hint and moved away.

In short, never offend an educated, ex ah lian, filled with raging pregnancy hormones.