Happy new year guys! I know, I'm five days late, but please forgive me because I have been overwhelmed with work. My boss agreed with a task that is simply humanly impossible, and now that he realised it, he's pushing us to put in lots of extra work to get it done. I would really like to lash out at him, but lucky for him it's a new year and I'm trying to have a better mood so I wouldn't want to tread that far at the moment. But I did make it pretty crystal clear, though through insinuations but he would probably catch it, that I am extremely unhappy with the work he agreed. You put in such a low quotation for a work you clearly underestimated and then you push us to put in ten times extra work to get it done, while not even a cent is given to us, nor would we receive extra bonus or allowance. We work ten times more, but still get the same pay. 2020, yes it's a new decade but you should be aware that cheap labour still exists in Asia, and even in a first world country like Singapore. Welcome to 2020 guys.
Well, yeah I'm a few days late but I guess it couldn't harm to wish Merry Christmas now since everybody seems to be pretty much still in that mood. On Christmas day itself I did not celebrate much, mostly because I'm not a Christian, but also because I'm away from home and most of my friends are Christians so I couldn't celebrate with them due to their church commitments. It was rather lonely for me, but I did shopping all the way to Jurong Point and even went to IMM and bought a freaking Under Armour shirt I swore to myself I should never buy because I'm spoiling myself but then I didn't care anymore. I cleared my leave yesterday and went to JB but it turned out isn't a great idea because on a normal weekday, there are tonnes of lorries on the roads and apparently they shared the same lane as the buses. During the weekends there aren't many lorries so I did not notice it, but on weekdays due to these lorries, the traffic is also particularly heavy with almost zero motions. But the customs on both sides are rather clear for Malaysians. I didn't do much in JB because I want to practise a minimalist lifestyle and ergo I abstain from compulsive purchases, which I believe was rather successful. I did bought a drink in Starbucks and chilled, while also banked in some money in CIMB Bank near Menara UMNO which required a little walk. Oh, while on the way to the bank, I accidentally infringed upon the land of "massage" and was asked whether I wanted a service. No thanks, ladies, not me, and even if I want to, not that place.
The Impossible Meat is an artificial (or to be a little technical and perhaps slightly less offensive or hypocritical, plant-based) meat that attempts to disrupt the meat industry by gravitating the loyalty of the meat-eaters to a similarly tasting plant food that claims to be much healthier, carbon-neutral and yet equally tasty. Being a person who tries to reduce intake of meat for the sole reason of health that does not pertain to religions, I gave the Impossible Meat a try out of curiosity. I was hesitant to try it because it was bloody expensive. Stuff'd sold Chicken Kebab for SGD5.30, but if I opted for the Impossible Meat version, it cost extra 3 dollars. But out of curiosity I ordered it anyway hoping I wouldn't regret it, even though I hated the taste of beef and the Impossible Meat is crafted with the beef eaters as the main target. Anyway, the meat was really as advertised - tastes like beef, perhaps a little stronger but its ersatz taste stands out pretty strong. It looks also a bit bright red due to some chemicals they put in (said to be original, not synthetic, and plant-based) and that colour frankly looks a bit off-putting. Otherwise, it tastes as good as a real beef (yes I tasted beef before, I just hated the taste) and is definitely a good option for a vegetarian seeking for new food choices or for beef-eaters who want to be a little health conscious and yet able to indulge in the soul-savouring tastes of beef. But if you ask me whether I would eat it again, my answer is a no, for now. It's ridiculously expensive for a plant-based meat, it tastes like beef which is a meat I do not fancy, and it actually looks pretty disgusting - they tried hard to make it looks like real beef but it ended up looking like a little mushy balls of meat that is uncooked. The food could be better processed to look a little less repelling. It would also be great if they come out with a chicken-tasting meat, and if the price is halved I may slowly become a loyal customer.
Well, luckily for us in Malaysia/Singapore, Jumanji: The Next Level has a releasing date that precedes the US/UK. I only knew the movie was a hit when I was little (which means in the 1990s) but I did not know there was a reboot/sequel 2 years ago and I certainly did not know this movie is the sequel to that. Anyway, I'll get straight to the point: the movie is good, exciting and the actors are fabulous. They - spoilers alert! - wonderfully play out different characters superbly and they gave colour I did not foresee. Plot wise it was rather hollow with no real storyline, but it did not really bore me. Only three challenges for two hours was quite a let down but each challenge was unique and exciting on its own so I'll try not to complain much about it. Anyway I thought the movie started rather slow, but at the end it was alright. Would give it a 4/5.