Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year! The CNY this year falls on Saturday so it means we've less public holidays than we dream of, but nonetheless it still marks the beginning of a new year and this year we welcome the year of the rat! As usual, my company closes for one week and I, owing to the exorbitant price tickets that made me cringed and stumbled over, took the bus organised by my school's alumni in Singapore and it departed 7.30pm on Thursday. Lucky for me the traffic was rather smooth, barring a little stretch towards Yong Peng, and I reached Juru at 06:30 on Friday. Anyway, it's time to be fat again because the cookies are devilishly delicious and there are just too many good food (come on, this is Malaysia anyway). I'll just sin for a week and try to lose fat after I return to Singapore. Anyway, happy CNY again!

Killing Eve

Okay I wasn't even keen about watching this show because, well, I don't know, the synopsis hardly charms. I didn't also know it was based on a book. I gave it a try anyway because a change in genre may be welcoming since I have been watching the same shows for quite some time. As it turns out, this show blew my mind! I just started watching season 1 like 2 days ago, and even though it has only ten episodes in one season, I found it difficult to pace myself and resist finish watching them in one day. I particularly like the character Villanelle, and boy isn't she an awesome actress? She's so good in acting that anybody would really convince she is a psychopath. If you're searching for a good show, give it a try!

Out of Curiosity

Is anyone out there like me, grow up in a bilingual environment, simultaneously exposed to both cultures and therefore is coloured and influenced by both to create some weird mix? I personally grow up with a Western-influenced father and speak English to my father, but I also grow up with a Chinese-influenced mother and speak Chinese to her (how these two met despite these conflicting and colliding cultures escapes me and I don't really want to ask too much). The result is that I'm exposed and ergo absorbed both cultures' values. I listen to both English and Chinese songs, but unlike most people of my age and around me, I do not have an inclination towards one. I read both books, again against the norm because most people have a preference: either only Chinese with occasional English books or the inverse. I read both, rather frequently. I watch both dramas, though I show a preference for Western's.

In my life, I pick and select values I desire from both cultures, which most people do not because they do not grow up like me. The result is that my personality is a little ironic: for instance, I like the West's independence and respect for personal liberty, but I also respect Chinese's value of collectiveness and togetherness. The result is that even though I want to have liberty and, to some extent, freedom to run wild, I also simultaneously wish to work with people in a group to produce an achievement that I could be proud of. But most people do not, they yearn for only one: they either want to be completely free, or they want to work hard in a group together. Hence I always stand out: I want to work in a group, but my presence is often incongruous because the way I work often goes against the norm.

I think growing up and being exposed to both cultures is a blessing in disguise for me, for it coloured me in a unique way I do not think a lot of people enjoy. But sometimes it causes conflicting personalities, and occasional identity crisis.

Zedd - Clarity (feat. Foxes) [Acoustic Version]

I never knew this version exists!

I liked this song but as you know, I've often detested the heavy musical instruments as I consider them unnecessary interference to an otherwise mesmerising vocal (provided, though, the vocal is nice).

This version is leaps and bounds better than the original one. And thanks to Fly Fm who played it and prompted me to search this version, I cannot really stop listening to this!

Happy 2020!

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.

By the way, the image I attached with this post is by Tango Gao. I don't know who he is, where he is or, well, basically I do not know anything other than the name is Tango Gao. In fact, I can't be sure it's a he. It's just that the content smacks of masculine ideas, so please forgive me if I'm wrong but I'll stick to the masculine terms (forget neutral terms. In this world men and women will never ever reach equality however you try because biologically there's a difference and ergo any other things would bound to be different. Just a cheap and simple example, women will always get to clean men's toilets freely even if men are peeing, but men will never, ever even get to step a foot in a ladies' toilet. I'm not saying it's wrong, in fact I understand why and fully appreciate it, but this one rule is one example of why equality will never realise. By the way, I don't really intend to make myself sound like anti-feminist, but if we are both civil engineers and I have to go to sites and do all the dirty works for you because you're a woman and you cannot climb, it's dirty, and it's dangerous, then our job nature is different and you should not be demanding an equal pay. If I do all the dirty, dangerous and difficult work, I deserve a higher pay. And if you want an equal pay, you'll have to do what I do, else don't be entitled. These things come in a package, you don't get to pick and choose.) Anyway, the creativity he displays in his comics are awesome and is quite unique, so if you wanna see more of this creativity, please feel free to browse it here, I'm a follower on his Instagram account!

Merry Christmas!

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.

Impossible Meat

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.