Don't Understand

My blogger friend suggested the interviewee I met wants to take a break from work.  I must say I don't understand the younger generation.  At 44 with wife and a kid, there are expenses and responsibilities.  However, he may have done well enough or have old money or passive income.

Maybe he has his pride or have side income that he did not reveal.  He did says he restores cars.  Since he is a car enthusiast, he may make enough money buying old tin cans and turning them in antique cars for sale. 

I guess my colleague and I could not figure out how to manage without regular income.  One thing for sure, he did not sound or look desperate.  In this respect, I do not expect people like him to appear in the "transitioning.org" website.

Born in 1972, Jobless for a year now

My colleague ask me to help him interview for a position he has in Singapore.  The candidate was born in 1972.  So he is 44 years old.  I have been reading about PMET having a hard time looking for a job once they are retrenched.  So this is the first time I face a PMET.  However, he is a different case altogether.  He resigned from his job a year ago to look after his mother.  What puzzles me is he resigned almost the same time as his mother passing on.

That was a year ago.  We asked how he spends his time.  He told us he is helping his daughter as she is having her "O" level this year.  I asked him if he is teaching her any subjects.  No he cannot.  He helps her by sending her to school as well as to her tuition classes.  Now that "O" has started he can look for a job.  For the past year, he did not attempt to look for a job.  He can survive without regular pay.  His wife is working but pay is low.

What we gather from his responses is he is not very keen or active in his job search.  He is also not interested in upgrading himself.  He prefers to work with his hands. 

This is just one person but he managed to make me wonder about some of the cases featured in the internet about PMETs having a hard time looking for a job.  How much is their attitude affecting their job search or if they are sincere in looking for job.

Water Pipe Installation

I have bought the solar water heater and it is on its way.  I have the water pipe installed and once my solar water heater is in, I will be able to enjoy free heating for my hot water.  The only problem is installation and heater cost about $4,000.  I save only $2,500 if I were to go commercial.  So it also mean I can sell the system for $6,000 and still make a profit.  If it is working well, I will bring in more systems to sell.

The return for installing a solar water system according to the brochure is 3 to 4 years.  It mean I can save about $200 per month on electricity bill.  But the brochure are overselling.  My monthly electric bill is about $250 to $300.  I have 3 airconds on every night.  So I doubt the returns stated in the sales brochure.

Smoking Roast Pork

On Friday, I bought pork belly and seasoned it with salt and sugar.  This afternoon, I smoke it using the bbq stove.  The meat is so and juicy.  It is also flavorful.  Only issue is not all the skin is crispy.  Some part of the skin is chewy.  I also roast two cobs of corn.  Once they are done, I peel away the husk and butter it.  I did not eat it but my wife and kids think it taste not bad.

It is nice to have a homecooked dinner.  Bbq is much easier to do especially if it is one big piece of meat.  Although cooking time is long, it is not so labor intensive unlike Chinese cooking.  So it is good to enjoy home cooking once in a while.

B3 Totally Stressed!

Yesterday, B3 dropped his phone into the swimming pool.  He brought it back to dry but also put on the charger.  This effectively kills the phone permanently.  Now we have to bring the phone to repair.  We are bringing out all the old phones to try.  Some we have forgotten the passwords and have trouble getting the phone to work.

B3 is totally stressed as we scolded him for putting the phone on the charger when the phone was wet.  It is a bad month for us with 2 phones into water and now for sure one is irreparable and iPhone we will have to send to service to find out.

Even One Pot Meal Takes a Lot of Time to Cook!

We had stopped eating sea cucumber for a couple of weeks.  So my wife decides to buy pork legs to cook with the sea cucumbers.  She spends the morning cleaning and preparing the meat.  The cooking it in a pot has to watch the heat.  Then at Fairprice we have to get additional supplies tau pok and eggs.  Hard boil the eggs to braise them.  It is quite time consuming.  After eating, washing up is quite tedious as well.  Luckily, we have a dishwasher. 

So just to cook a one pot meal, she took literally the whole day!

B3 enjoys OBS

B3 is home today from Pulau Ubin Outward Bound School.  He is tired but still very enthusiatic.  It is apparent he enjoys the OBS experience.  I think it is also because he is fit and can cope with phyical challenges well.  His mummy had lunch with his ex-classmate in Primary School.  She went to RGS cried when she came back home from OBS.  She finds it challenging.

I am glad B3 did well.  He was hungry and I brought him to NEX and he ate a Carl's Junior Burger Meal.  The meal costs $17.40!  He deserves the treat!

Pictures of 51 Grange Road

Someone in the group chat took recent pictures of our old school.  The school field is under construction.  The camera man also tell us the swimming pool is gone when another asks about it.  Many are lamenting the destruction of our memories.

I was in 51 Grange Road and it was 150 years anniversary when I was in Sec 1.  And that was in 1973.  In a few years it will be 200 years anniversary.  It was known as Singapore Institution before it present name.

I have been thinking.  Only after 40 years, someone decides to get a group together.  We are all at tailend of our careers, kids have grown and no longer do we need to be on our toes for our careers.  So it is time to gather together and reminisce over our school time.  I am glad my classmate included me.

Pre U Classmates Group

My classmate asks if I like to be in the whatsapp group for our Pre-U class.  He says it may be a little noisy.  Understatement of the year!  My phone has been buzzing and classmates re-living old times.  Some are very nostalgic.  Unfortunately, one of our chemistry teacher has passed on due to liver cancer.  Everyone likes her including me.  She was very nice and warm.

Many of my classmates are doctors which is why they are keeping in touch with each other.  My classmate invited me as he has my number when I see him to remove my kidney stone.  Some still have retro pictures.  It is faded but we can all recognise and bring back old memories.

So now I feel I am travelling back in time.

Outward Bound School

This morning, B3 goes to OBS with his schoolmates.  He has to take the ferry to Pulau Ubin from Punggol Point.  It was good to see him there when I went to catch fishes for our arowana.  It will be his first time without any phone.  I hope he enjoys the physical workout.

I went to Samsung Repair Center during lunch.  The queue take 3 hours to get to me.  It will cost more than $700 to replace the motherboard, LCD and charging socket.  So it is not worth to repair.  It is the same a getting a new phone.  I cannot get the memory back anyway.  So I give up to repair the Note 4.

Home Again

My poor arowana was not fed for 5 days.  Today, it has a feast.  I managed to catch a number of small toman and ikan bilis.  So it is live and fresh seafood!

Durian galore in Chong Pang.  There are 4 durian stalls.  Many varieties are in season.  So we bought Lau Po and Butter.  It is quite good.  Still pricey at $15 each, not bad considering I ever paid like $150 in the famous stall in Sembawang.

We had good family meals yesterday with all our boys.  Lunch was at Nanbantei.  We had the set meals with additional chicken wings, pickled octopus with cucumber and tomato wrapped in bacon and cheese.  I like yakitori and we regularly patronise Nanbantei.  Dinner was in a new Thai resturant in Djitsun Mall in AMK Central.  We tried the mookata.  We added fried kailan, olive fried rice, minced pork and chai po omelette.  The meal is very reasonable in price and is good value.  So we will visit again.

Lee Hsien Loong fainted live on TV.  Poor guy must be under stress.

Jeju Volcanic Island

Yesterday, our meeting ends at noon and we had team building activity.  It takes the bus about an hour and half to go to the volcanic island.  The climb is 180m above sea level.  It took us half an hour to get to the top.  We have to rest periodically.  A couple of us are quite fit.  I am struggling a bit even though I cycle everyday.  Luckily my boss is not so fit, so it is easy to accompany him as he need frequent rest.

The view is gorgeous and plenty of Chinese tourists in our midst.  I took a few pictures which is similar to what is available in google. 

After the climb, we went for dinner to pack in the calories we just expended.  We then adjourned to the beach.  I check it out and there are fishes there.  Maybe due to the number of people in the water, not so many fishes and they are quite big.  So it will be easier to catch in Punggol as the fishes are plentiful.

I thought I will sleep well since I am tired from the exercise.  Instead I feel wide awake and have hard time falling asleep.  This is the benefit of exercise and climbing up a hill.

Roast Pig Dinner

We had a roast pig dinner.  The meat is soft and not as tasty as our roast pig or roast pork.  It is quite good Korean food.  There are lots of side dishes and kimchi.  The group drank a lot and had fun.  I enjoy the company and the meal.  It is a long day and luckily it was quite good.

My colleagues are happy as the presentations are over.  So it is relaxing.

Jeju

I am stuck in a resort in Jeju.  There is practically nothing to do other than work.  Even no resturant is open after breakfast.  To go anywhere, you need a car or taxi as the place is sparsely populated.  It is good tourist resort to relax and do nothing.  We had fish dinner and it is not bad.  The fish is quite fresh and not fishy.

The English programme is quite limited.  So I have an DW on.  The documentary in DW is not bad.  Usually, I do not have the patience to watch as I would flick the channel to a movie or finance news.  Here, I have DW as a bedfellow.

It is good to just to reminisce how it is like to travel in my early days.  Not much tv I can watch and I have to read and read.  Now there is internet and I can write my blog.

Dell Laptop

It is a real hassle.  I went to the shop and the technician is off on Sunday.  They could not find the computer.  The computer was sent to another unit.  So I have to wait for two hours to get my computer back.  It is not good.  The CPU blows, battery no longer works and touchpad is gone.  So I am not going to fix and just dump the computer.

Dell Computer

My brother gave my mother a Dell Laptop he won.  However, mum do not know how to use it.  So I tried to use but it died.  So I send it for repair and the motherboard was bad and cost $130 to fix and then the technician call to tell me the mousepad is bad.  And the battery has shorted out as well.  So I am not going to replace the battery as it cost $70.  But the time it is done, more than $200 for a machine that has not been used before.

Now I under the stress of getting a bad present.

Major Personal Disaster in Punggol

After fishing for so many years in Punggol Point, I have my first major disaster.  My Note 4 dropped into the sea.  The phone is gone in split second.  At Chinatown Point, I got a quotation of $230 for the repair.  So I think I will get a new phone if there is no cheaper offer.  The problem is recovering all my data from the phone.  I did not back up the phone.  So much for Android Phone.  iPhone has all the information on the computer at all times.

So Many Recall - Toyota Prius

Every time I send my car in for repair, there is a recall.  This time there are 2 recalls.  One for airbags and the other for carbon filter for the fuel.  It is no kidding.  I have no idea if there is any compromise in safety.  I drive Volvo for years and years and always send back to SM Motors for service and I have not experience any recall there.  Granted, the car's technology may be dated but it is very safe and quite sporty to drive especially my S60.

Pretty Girls Are Everywhere!

It seems like pretty girls are everywhere.  It means my mood is good, so I am looking through rose-tinted glasses.  I am fairly happy to finish my presentation for next week.  It could be better but I am not a detailed person.  So I send it to my boss and wait for feedback and he did not as he is probably busy.  So I am happy as a lark!

I also caught enough ikan bilis for my arowana.  I am glad it will not have food for a week while I am away at in Jeju Island.  So it is important I fatten it up a bit before fasting.

I called Hyflux Customer Service Centre and the phone when into a recording machine.  It requested I left a message and they will call back.  Until now, it has not.  Why the machine did not mentioned how long it will take for them to respond?

Holiday Makers in Punggol Point

Plenty of holiday makers brave the blazing sun in the hot afternoon to enjoy Punggol Point and many are playing Pokemon Go.  The sea is filled with Indian foreigner workers enjoying a saltwater dip.  The water is quite clean and is pristine if compared to the sea in India.

It is high tide and easier to catch ikan bilis.  I caught a few for my arowana.  It is fun when fishes are plentiful and easy to catch.  Many times, I also come back empty handed. 

My sister-in-law came with her two boys and we had dinner at the Kopitiam outside Seletar Mall.  Two half chicken i.e. roasted and steamed with 6 rice and 4 eggs equals to $34.  Not bad.

Pokemon Craze

Everyone is holding their handphones and staring at it yesterday.  It is the Pokemon craze.  Even our fairer sex are actively engaged in the Pokemon.  I always thought only boys are crazy over Pokemon and then grew out of it.  Now adult males are enjoying their 2nd childhood and young women are joining their boyfriends!

On the PCN, everyone is catching Pokemons!  It is so difficult to cycle as they are so engrossed.  I have to find the lull period to cycle.

Feeling Good in Penang

Although my trip is short in Penang, I feel good about the place.  The few hours I have on my own to walk around the hotel is very enjoyable.  I bought Penang 3-in-1 coffee powder, a bottle of ginger tea with brown sugar for RM15 and Tie Kuan Im tea.  I also had Penang fried kway teow but it is just average.  A cup of coffee and a cup of tea.  Kopi is only RM1.50 or 50 cents Sin!  Hae Mee or Prawn noodle RM4 or $1.30.  Most of the prices are very reasonable by Singapore standards. 

Plenty of Chinese hawkers and bak kut teh is easily available.  I can live there for long time.

Komtar Hawker Center

Hawker food is wonderful in Penang.  Hokkien Prawn noodles is only RM4 per bowl.  Satay was pretty good and oyster is not so good.  Bbq chicken wings are fine.  The bbq stingray is just average.  I love the chee cheong fun.  Overall, we had a wonderful dinner.  It is very hot and humid but I enjoys the food. 

I am glad our meeting is over.  And tomorrow I have a free morning before flying home.

Penang Food

I will get a chance to eat Penang food again.  Will fly to KL and have a couple of meetings.  After that, my colleague will drive us to Penang.   I have not been to Penang for years now.  Love the hawker fare there.  I will not be gluttony this time.  I has trouble with their hawker food as my stomach is pretty weak. 

I am looking forward to soak up the atmosphere there even though I will be stuck in meetings all day long.

Mother Does Not Understand Boys

My favorite time is lunch time.  I will think of all the food I like to try.  This afternoon, we went to Far East Plaza Level 5 for Bento Yakitori.  After the not so good yakitori in Plaza Sin, I needed to get a fix of yakitori with a good standard.  I also ordered chicken wings and shitake mushroom.  I find the shitake mushroom not as good as Tokyo. 

Since B3 will be off school at quarter past 2, I decided to get a takeaway Bento for him.  The Bento plus taxes cost almost $15.  When my wife heard the price, she told me the story of a Single Mum who had a problem when her teenage boy asked for 2nd set of chicken rice at $3.50 each.  This Single Mum run her own business and earns a lot.  She has more than a couple of millions in cash.  Yet when it comes to food, she had a problem that her son wants to eat more.  She compares his appetite to his younger sister who is satisfied with one plate of chicken rice.  She has a boy and a girl.  She will pass her millions to her two kids when she moved on.  Yet, she quarrel with her son over an additional plate of chicken costing $3.50.

If the Single Mum told me this story, I would have advise her to spend her money on her kids while she is alive rather than letting her kids feel she is starving them.  So instead of leaving say $2million each, she can let them eat to their heart content and give them $1.8million.  I supposed her argument will be it is not good for his health to eat so much.  I am taking good care of him so that he stay healthy and well.

Frankly, I am happy to spend my money on food for my boys.  They can enjoy good food and in future they can feed me with good food.