because seven eight (ate) nine!

what I saw on a kid's t-shirt.

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got a call in the morning from BIG bookshop saying that my books are sold out to the last copy :) went to top it up again in the afternoon and to get the check.

was on my way after tuition to the zoo to fetch my wife and kids when I reacted too fast and drove off in the filter lane and banged into a L plate car whose driver was having his driving lesson! the side of his back bumper was dented. Amazingly, my car was unscathed despite the impact.

after fetching my family, I went down to the driving centre to pay for the damages. the cost was higher than what I expected but I decided not to pursue the matter because I know it would be futile to do so.

was initially very upset about the payment I had to make but God reminded me to give thanks to Him for every circumstances in my life. In spite of the feelings within, I did what I knew was best for me to do instead of sulking about it.

I thank Him that my car was unscathed.
I thank Him my wife was not upset about what I did but was patient and understanding towards me.
I thank Him that the check i received in the afternoon and another order from my ex-student (cheryl, thanks!) later on that evening covered the full cost of the car damage!
I thank Him that I managed to find the strength to thank Him though I don't feel like it.

I prayed for the trainee driver whom I knocked into as well. I prayed that the knock will not deter him from learning to drive, especially when I saw his pale-white face when he stepped out of the car with his instructor!

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Too tedious to upload the videos so I resorted to words indeed... as summarised as possible...

What I did not know: Bangkok is not the full name of the capital of Thailand. It's full name is so long (the longest in the world), it is more of a poem and the people take pride in remembering it!

Where I stayed: Grand Hyatt Erawan, the hotel that George Bush stayed when he visited Bangkok. It costs S$325 per night and I had the whole spacious room to myself! It was first class stay but I wished the money could have been used for more meaningful things instead...

Where I shopped:
for low budget, night markets and weekend markets was good! But most of the stuff are fakes, some are real fakes (so good that you can't distinguish from the real, especially watches) while others are fake fakes... some of the t-shirts are distorted with wicked sense of humour... puma becomes coma with an inverted puma, johnny walker becomes johnny walked with the man sitting on a wheel chair instead, i-pod becomes i-pood with a person listening to the i-pod on the toilet bowl... some are too *** to be mentioned here

for mid budget, MBK and Platinum is not bad... level 4 of MBK is mobile phone paradise with endless shops selling any models under the sun... there is this model which is shaped as a toy ferrari, with bluetooth, SD card slot etc, multi-coloured flashing speakers when music is played and at a very reasonable price of less than $250... but I did not buy it! don't know why... probably too much of an iconic phone to be used by me I guess...

for high end budget, SIAM paragon and Central World would be good... typical like that of Singapore just that it is so high-end, you can even buy a real lamborghini car from one of the shops in the shopping centre...

Who I met: a colleague of mine who used to work for the victim identification department in the army and police force... one afternoon, over lunch, he started describing to me about the procedures for determining the death of a victim who died from an unnatural death (e.g. suicide, accident, drowning)... from the first cut (which is the bloodiest) to how the brain is removed and weighed to how all the organs are finally wrapped up and reinserted into the body... strangely, I wasn't very hungry that evening...

What I dread the most: the weather. blazing 37 to 39 deg celsius! and it's rather dry there... so all the heat is all coped up within... lemongrass and coconut drinks was my source of relief...

What I learnt to do: take the train when the infamous traffic jam is Bangkok is happening and take the taxi when there are more than 3 of us, stating clearly that you want to go by the meter (or they will charge you at ridiculous prices). It's cheaper and faster that way when there is no jam.

What I experienced for the first time: Thai style foot and full body massage. nerve-wrecking and painful, yet soothing and relaxing. it is priced very reasonable at about $17 for 2 hours of massage! the parlours I went are "clean" so it is done very professional and the ladies are very proper and courteous. My colleagues were laughing away because of the distorted expression on my face when I was doing the foot massage... since I was bearing the pain and dare not shout it out...

What I saw that will remain in my mind: while walking along the night market stalls, I saw small gaps under the stall tables... when i looked in, I was shocked and saddened to see a young toddler sleeping a thin sheet of cloth on the bare road...

What I never expect to see: the last few days I stayed in a church building because I was attending a youth camp organised by the local Thais... the weather was so hot, the neigbouring grass patch caught fire and was blazing a short distance away...

What I see too often: the he who becomes a she... it's getting very prominent in Bangkok. This "kind" varies: some are more gentle and refined than real women, some are crude and unshaved like a man but dressed up like barbie doll in pink...
They said it's poverty driven, others said it was there all along just that the media became open about it and the real she in him started to show herself openly... I personally find it pitiful that they are not happy with the gender that they are born in... it is a personal choice at the end of the day, i believe there is nothing genetic about it

What I dared to try for the first time: the food sold by the roadside vendors... they have all kinds of fried stuff and delicious looking local delights, which I finally plucked up the courage to try on the last day, neglecting the layer of dirt and dust that would probably be part of the garnishing in the meal...

What I enjoyed the most: the way the local Thai christians sang the hymns... very energetic and full of actions... no self awareness just pure enjoyment of the songs... wonderful!

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I finally came back after an enjoyable trip to Bangkok! was down with food poisoning on the last 2 days. recovered briefly for the interview by the press on wed and photo shoot on thurs and before you know it, the photo and new article was out on fri! when I asked how in the world did the reporter got to know that I home-schooled, she replied that she got to know it from my blog! talk about the power of search engines these days!

There are so much to show and say about the Bangkok trip but I just can't find the time to upload them... :(

meanwhile, here is the picture that I gotten from the straits time web-based news article about home-schooling!



here is the link to the article:
http://www.straitstimes.com:80/Free/Story/STIStory_228371.html

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my wife and 3 kids saw me off as I boarded the shuttle bus to take the MRT to the airport. As they waved their hands and our eyes met firmly at each other firmly between the glass window, I imagined myself in those typical movies where the man in the family goes off for an important mission (me and my heroic ego!), away from my family, away from everyone...

It's been ages since I took the train. Looking at the sleepy and mundane faces of people on the train came as an interesting experience to me, something I never get the chance to do when I drive. The ride was a breeze. I reached the airport in record time. the tradmark of Singapore's efficiency!

Got to meet this guy called Jack... he has a cooking business school that teaches people how to cook up a storm and set up your own restaurant in 2 weeks! I thought it was a brilliant idea, since a formal training in food would take at least 2 years and the valuable advice and suggestions in setting up a restaurant is something you can't find in books.

got to go... blogging using one of the free terminals at the airport. it has a time limit... Bangkok, here I come!

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I felt the need to be challenged and to experience something new these days because life has been rather predictable as I teach part-time and homeschool my kids with my wife. I am thinking of bringing my family away for a long trip to experience the diversity of life on this planet but feel kinda lost where to start... I realise that I enjoy having adventures and some degree of unpredictable circumstances in my life or I will slip off to auto-pilot mode that can really make me feel lethargic and unsatisfied. I guess that is why the chronicles of narnia appeals so much to me... I guess that is why my heart skipped when i saw what this family did...



I will miss my wife and kids when I go to bangkok on tues... will be away for a week as part of my company's incentive trip and to attend the YYPC organised by the church in Bangkok. will try my best to make full use of my time there so that my wife's hard work of taking care of the 3 of them will not be wasted. I will accomplish what I set out to do during the trip. as to what that is, it shall remain a secret...

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