心烦的日子

最近过得很pek chek。AIA的保单问题困扰了我将近五个月，始终还是“半天吊”。最令人气节的是，有些人挂着Customer Service Deputy Head的头衔，办起事来更像PR部门的，一味只想帮公司开脱疏失之责，全然没有帮客户解决问题之心，更提不上运用最重要的5"W" 1"H"，下属的表现比她好上千万倍！居然还要我come out of my own pocket to right a wrong they created!难怪人们说新加坡的服务水准，要达国际水平，still a long, long way to go......

更糟的是，宝贝生病了。今天已经是第四天，看了两次医生，烧还是不退。如果明天还不康复，又要去看医生。本以为这个星期能放两天“大假"（星期一，托管中心举行中秋节活动，星期二，需提早到学校参加年终毕业典礼演出彩排），结果......简直就是血管爆炸的一星期，可否想象，Naughty 2 Syndrome x 2,3,4,5,6.....!!!晚上还不能睡，因为小鬼夜夜都起来“做戏”，黑眼圈比熊猫还糟！

老天爷，救救我吧！

因为某原因与一位多年没联络，很特别的朋友联系上。心里一直有个问题，无法找到答案，性格使然，还是问了。不知为何，泪水在眼眶里打转，得到答案的那刹那，心中那块无形的大石，骤然碎成粉末。事过境迁，我想也不仅是放得下、放不下，毕竟在生命的某一阶段，他陪我走过。好与坏、对与错，到了今时今日，一切看似没那么重要了。相当庆幸，一路走来，还是多了个朋友，而非多一个敌人。

Phuket - Island of Friendlies

Just came back from our 4D3N (6-9 Sep) Phuket trip. Was kind of apprehensive initially cos it's right smack in the middle of Phuket's monsoon season now. However, guess "monsoon" for Phuket is very different from how it's being defined in US. There was hardly any rain, except for a very light drizzle for couple of mins on our 3rd day.

Our visit didn't just benefit Phuket's tourist industry, the mozzies couldn't wait to welcome us. They didn't hesitate to help themselves to their two 肥羊 (En and me). We're still suffering the effects of their VERY vicious attacks, swollen bumps that itches ever so often, especially Baby En who ended with a swollen left eyelid (after one horrendous mozzie landed on it while she was sleeping). Those mozzies were a tad different from what we get at home. They were leaner, meaner and faster. And they were EVERYWHERE!! Insect Repellent could only do that much......

The best part about Phuket is it's people. They are generally a friendly bunch who loves children, especially. Thus, our Miss Popularity topped the chart again, playing with hotel staff, toilet cleaners, store vendors, strangers, practically anyone she ran into. Having said that, it doesn't mean you don't bargain when you shop. Come on! That's the culture! Start with at least 50%- 70% off, unless u enjoy being a "radish head" (坎菜头). Patong is the HIP place to go, for shopping, food, clubbing, beach activities etc. Nightfall is when the place comes alive. Personally, I prefer Bangkok for shopping as it has a wider variety. Moreover, most of Phuket's stuff comes from the other provinces. If you're looking for "branded" stuff, it's paradise (don't expect AAA grade like Korea). For Shopping Malls, there's a new and rather big one - Jungceylon (http://www.jungceylon.com/) in Patong itself. Another one to look out for is Central Festival Market. We passed by it while on our way to the airport. It's huge and houses many international brands. However, the public transportation in Phuket is almost non-existent, thus it's very expensive to travel to CFM (approx. S$50 2-way from Karon). There might be free shuttle to and fro Patong though. Shopping aside, if u intend to go for a seafood feast, it's not cheap at all, even if you don't go for hotel fare (1 steam pomfret, 6 BBQ prawns, chap chai and fried rice cost us about S$50).

We stayed at Centara Karon Resort's (http://www.centralhotelsresorts.com/) private Cabanas (as the name implies, it's located at Karon Beach, about 10 mins drive from Patong). Though there's some shopping places and it's relatively easy to find eating places, convenience stores, massage parlours etc, Karon is much quieter compared to Patong. The hotel staff are just as friendly as the others but they generally lack initiative. Thus, it's quite unrealistic to expect first class service. Citing an e.g., we arrived very early on Day 1, around 9am Phuket time at the hotel. They weren't able to check us in as there were few Cabanas and they were all occupied. Even though we had a very young one in tow, and the mozzies were attacking us like 饿鬼, we were basically left to fend for ourselves, till I enquired if there were other rooms available. THEN, they brought us to one (they had plenty of unoccupied rooms as it was low season). Same thing happened when we checked out. I had to request for another room type for late check-out. They didn't offer me an option when we were told the Cabanas were fully booked. Thus, we ended up staying in 3 different room types for the trip :).

The Cabanas are really a class of it's own. We have our own private outdoor Jacuzzi (but it's not as well-maintained as the one in Siloso Beach Resort and you can't choose when you want the water jets to work) and rain shower. Though the Cabana is suppose to be a private en clove, it's not exactly PRIVATE. For shy ones, who're afraid that there might be people peeping at you when u shower INDOOR, then I suggest u give it a miss, as guests staying at the taller buildings around might still see you. Look at the pics below and you're probably understand why.

Our Cabana came as a package deal, meant for honeymooners. So, we got to enjoy 45min massage for 2 (which we upgraded), welcome drinks, bottle of sparkling wine, fruit basket, nightly canapes (snacks), dinner for 2 and the usual daily breakfast. All these merely cost about half of what it should be during peak season, which makes it really worthwhile.

Since the Cabanas are one of the most exclusive suites there, even the toiletries are special (yes, they are different from what the other rooms carry). On the first day, they even decorated the bed as if it was for honeymooners. We also had our rooms made twice everyday. The housekeeper would come in once more in the evening to tidy up the bed and spray a relaxing mist on the pillows. Sweet dreams......

Though we didn't have much to do (basically spent 2 half days at Patong), it really tires me out. Still suffering from exhaustion now. Guess that's how it's going to be with a naughty 2 year old tagging along.

热脸贴冷屁股

我经常都有这种感觉。当你好声好气跟人家说话，或找一些话题闲聊，结果那人一点反应都没有，连点个头示意都懒得这么做。而这不是一次、两次，甚至当你把不满告诉他，他还是时不时把你当成flushed into the environment。

还以为，只要自己做好榜样，show people respect, 久而久之，人家会体会到，自然会有所改变。可惜，不是人人都能将心比心，更多的却是take things for-granted。

看来，应该用最原始的那招了 - 以牙还牙！（如果成功了再通知你:)）

TV Features - All-truth/ Half-truth/ No-truth?

In this instance, my verdict is NO TRUTH. Ever heard of 天天火锅？The aggressive ads, features in TV programmes, with the hosts raving about the superb soup etc. Well, I would say utterly OVER-RATED and OVER-PRICED!

Why eat steamboat? For the soup of cos! This joint actually charges for the soup ($10 for 2 flavours), unless you go for their "promotion" - outdoor seats along the corridor. I'm lucky I opted for that. The soup did taste different from the usual "instant chicken stock" taste u get from most steamboat joints, but it's definitely far from spectacular. Couldn't even make out significant differences for my 2 choices of Chicken & Pork Ribs soup. Though they claimed that no MSG was used, I still felt rather thirsty after the meal. So much about 真材实料。

Besides the $10 for soup (if u're not going for the "promo"), they charge $18/pax plus 10% service charge. U would think for that kind of money, the spread should be quite substantial. Shocked!! Fishballs, mushroom balls, luncheon meat, some vegetables, tang hoon.... about 15 variants???, inclusive of the staples in the buffet spread. Oh, they still have some in their menu, say about 10 variants, which includes Tiger Prawns, the size you would use to make hay bee. For $12 at Marina South, u DEFINITELY get much more out of it (if u don't mind the smell and heat). Put it this way, if I were to throw away 10 plates of ingredients uneaten, the operator will still be laughing all the way to the bank.

As if I wasn't suay enough, I burnt my oesophagus while eating a tofu and paid $31 for the doctor. And I'm still suffering from it now, the constant choking, congested feel, especially near my heart when I have to swallow stuff, or even just burping.

If u really must try, u just need to take a look along the same stretch of shops, compare the size of the Tiger Prawns from another joint nearby, that should send a CLEAR signal - DON'T GO!