Culture difference

I am actually researching on : How to tip properly! From the looks of things, tipping is a stressful thing! Growing up in SG, I'm so unused to tipping. Who do you tip? How much do you tip? How do you tip? It's all a philosophy! And damn.. tipping is expensive. A couple of dollars here, another couple there, sometimes 15-25%, it all adds up! And it's not as if I can claim these costs! No receipts dear! Shucks... US$1 = S$1.6! Money just disappears with all the tipping! Think I need a thick wallet to keep all the US$1 bills. Maybe I can have a separate tipping wallet to track on my tips expenditure. Sigh. I am not exactly the most generous person you know.
From the moment you leave the airport, in a foreign and unfamilar place, one has to bear in mind to tip! If not, be prepared to be scowled at! Ahh... another thing to keep in mind! Stressed!

Unsettled

Unsettled - state of preparation for my departure.
I am totally unprepared to leave as yet. My room is still in a mess. My luggage is barely 50% packed. I still need to get more than a dozen items and run few errands. Though, there's still 5 days, but they are 5 working days. I could take leave of course. But leave are precious entitlement that I have much better plans for .. like travels! However at the rate of my preparation, it's very likely I have to spare at least one day of leave. Maybe that's for the best.
Unsettled - state of my emotion.
I guess it is partly because of my lack of preparedness for the trip. But more importantly, I find it odd that I am not exactly looking forward to it. I am not excitied at the prospect of going to U.S. I lack the anticipation which I usually do when I have travel plans. Then again, this a very different trip. I'm not travelling for fun. I'm travelling for work. And shucks.. there will be an awful lot of work to do there. Besides learning all aspects of my work, I will also have to assist my boss with the work back in SG. With the time difference of 13-14 hrs.. I'm gonna work round the clock! Still, I can't deny that this is a brillant opportunity.

***
How do you face someone 24/7 and not get sick of him/her? Even husband and wife generally don't see each other throughout the whole day! (except for those that work together) Family members don't see each other that much either. But I am going to see G in every waking hour for the next 6 months. We work together, we live together. We aren't the most compatible pair but we can tolerate each other. Thankfully, we both aren't the picky nor petty sort. And thankfully, at least we each have our own room and bath! I treasure my own space. Having had my own bedroom for quite a few years, I need my privacy. At least when I am really sick of her, I could still escape to my bedroom and seek solace. Let's just pray that I do not have to resort to that.

Manicure along Orchard Rd

I was walking down Orchard road last Saturday. Can't help but noticed the beautiful flowers planted by the roadsides. I said 'beautiful' as that was my first impression. Guess the authorities achieved their purpose.
But within 2 seconds of the "beautiful", I thought 'How manicured it looks. How artificial it looks.' Now, is that the intention of the authorities too? Maybe manicured is fine - just like Singapore's image, prim and proper. But artificial? Doesn't that contridicts the purpose of having green living plants? Ain't plants suppose to provide a natural landscape?
Now, of course I don't mean that the flowers look like fake plastic ones when I say 'artificial'. What I mean is that as a Singaporean, who typically pops down to Orchard road once every couple of months or more, it's not a natural part of Orchard road's landscape! It's so obvious that the flowers are there only because of the IMF-WB meeting (well.. it is), but doesn't that show that Singapore's trying too hard to impress? Being what we aren't? Having a temporary facade for a show?
I'm not trying to discredit the authorities for their effort. I think that it is brillant that they try to make Singapore prettier and everything. But as a local, I just think that it's too much. Too much of a pretense. I think Orchard road (and most of Singapore for that matter), was already very nice. Not many cities in the world would devote so much land to planting trees and bushes along the roadside, especially when land area is so precious!! I am very thankful for all the trees and shrubs managed by Nparks for they make this city so much livable. But flowers, costing hundreds and thousands of dollars, just for a show? I wonder if the money could have been better spent.
Maybe instead, the money could have been better used to plant perennial flowering bushes that would not be pulled out after two weeks! Then us locals and our visitors from overseas will be able to enjoy the beautiful flowers year after year after year...
Oh... And enjoy the flowers while you can!

It Feels Good!

It feels good.
To have a boss who urges you to go home and rest when you are sick.
It feels good.
To know that you only have to pay $5 for a medical visit.
It feels good.
To have a caring doctor, thorough and attentive.
It feels good.
To be given an MC for a full day of rest without having to request for it.
It feels good.
To sleep at home the whole day on a working day.
It feels good.
To have people asking about your health, showing concern.
It feels good.
To have your health back. Well.. Almost.