The hierarchical and corrupted Thailand

I miss transparency. If you think that Singapore is hierarchical, think out of the island. Things here are always in my most hated shade of grey.

and

i

hate

it.

On a separate note, Mdm started wearing pants to work few days ago (flats and pants, ultimate pairing for an injured foot). And guess what, I actually received complains for WEARING PANTS TO WORK. I mean... HELLO? I never understand this ridiculous rule. Female workers should ALWAYS be in skirts. Just take a look at my foot, will you. So, I should pair skirts with sandals, or I should risk wearing heels just to look pleasing.

Why don't you just look at what the students are wearing first before nitpicking on unimportant matters? What is the objective in getting students to wear uniform when skirts go so short up their tighs. And come on, most are on motorbikes. How nonsensical things can be.

Yes, Acupuncture in Chiangmai.

See that pillar there?




It's ours!


And this is me doing what I should have months ago.




This is my first time doing acupuncture, and yes, I am doing it in Chiangmai. P couldn't believe that acpuncture is available here. All thanks to google, I found a TCM doctor (who's a Chinese!) and I am so glad I did. All the walking at the zoo aggravated the condition of my ankle and I was actually worried that it will develop into a chronic injury (which my dad's did, I think).

Do what you believe is great work

So, it's FRIDAY!



via Design Crush

and we are going to the zoo tomorrow!

Spotting cheaters

Mdm just invigilated my first class yesterday morning. I was suprised to realise how easy it was to spot cheaters/ potential cheaters from the front. For those who have ever cheated and managed to get away, perhaps it's time for you to know that you probably weren't lucky, the invigilator was just being lenient.

New acquisition

How's your weekend?

Obviously mine was good. That's I am having the Monday Blues yet again!!! ARGH.

We (or I) laid eyes on a very simple, comfy sofa set (finally) which was actually on a 15% discount. Guess what, we actually bought it! To think that our house is still pillarless, this is almost absurb. Anyway, to find something that matches both P's and my requirement, i.e. comfortable leather sofa that looks simple, it is close to impossible. Most of the good looking sofas here are either ridiculous uncomfy or of a sky rocket price (like SGD 3,000 for a 3 seater)

So, we got Rachel, our new sofa. Ours is the leather version, and is in charcoal black. We got the 3-seater and not a set b'cos we figured that we will like to mix and match furniture (meaning costs cutting). We got this at approximately SGD 1,500 which is a good grab compared to the overpriced ones in other furniture shops.




So, Rachel will most probably sit in our current place till our new house is ready.

I have gotten news from mummy that the Chongs are planning a CNY trip to Chiangmai. I was like... OMG! Seriously, the headcount may very well reach 20. Or 30. Or 40. I hope my cousins will ALL be here to share my woes b'cos I seriously do not want to be the single soul to be dealing with the oldies. It will kill me.

Random bits, Thursday Greys, yummy Thai food and CHIANGMAI!

I have been yawning for the umpteen times today. P and I were actually up till 1.30 am yesterday. He was all focused watching Man vs Wild (which was so not my cup of tea. I cannot and will never be able to understand his joy in watching Bear Grylls stranded in the wild, feeding on the insides of a camel and drinking pee to keep himself hydrated. I mean, hello??? Survivor skills are essential but these scenarios are wayyy too over) and I was busy plocking (plocking? yes, plocking. check this out if you are on FB: http://apps.facebook.com/theplock/. WARNING: very addictive!)

Anyway, Friday is arriving in less than 9 hours. In fact, my Friday will be here at 4.30 pm. I wonder if anyone has ever named Thursday (like say Thursday Greys or something). IMO, Thursdays are usually the longest and most unbearable day of the week. I actually hate getting up on Thursday mornings.

We went to make our monthly payment yesterday and were happy to see the piling machine on our plot, with some pre-cast concrete scattered in one corner. I suspect something's going to happen very soon. I actually have this crazy idea of burying something in the ground before the piling works begin. It will definitely bring back pleasant memories (say 10-20 years later, we decide to pull down the house to build a new one and uncover this piece from the past). Sounds like Knowing? Maybe I did get my inspiration from Nicholas Cage.

C's on leave till next Monday, so that leaves me in solitude. Martha was here in the morning and she asked if I felt lonely. In fact, I actually treasure this. I know this sounds kinda weird, but sometimes I crave for personal space (both at work and home).

Since moving here and living like a true blue Thai, I realized how under rated Thai food is. I know I know, tonnes of people out there actually lovvveee Thai food, but do you know that there is more to Thai food than Tom Yum Goong and Tod Man Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)? I was having the most delicious Tub Tim Krob (in Singapore we call it "Red Ruby", other parts of the world, probably just "Water Chestnuts in Coconut Milk") when I have a sudden urge to start a food (Thai food, especially Northern Thai food) blog. I am not sure how many people out there are actually familiar with Northern Thai food but I find it super duper yummy.

Chiangmai is definitely not a top tourist destination for most Singaporeans (in fact, I suspect 50% of Singaporeans have not heard of Chiangmai) but hey, Thailand is definitely not all about the cheap stuff you get in JJ market, Bangkok or the white sandy beaches in Krabi! It's always hard for me to describe what we have here in Chiangmai (and I never fail to presume that Singaporeans will never appreciate the slow pace, backward lifestyle here in the first place). Perhaps I should do a bit of marketing for my (unoffical) adopted country