okie... i have decided to post an new entry just for my rumbling and complains abt work related stuff... hahahaha... i have decided to go on strike today!! refuse to work!!Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Work related rumbling and complains
okie... i have decided to post an new entry just for my rumbling and complains abt work related stuff... hahahaha... i have decided to go on strike today!! refuse to work!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Operation Bangkok
With only 10 days left till our trip to Bangkok, we need to put plans together fast. It being my first trip there, I don't really know much, so I am putting together bits of useful information for your reference and comment. I will be updating the information here as the days go by. So do keep check and leave comments to let me know who are reading. Those who wish to modify the details to the post may do so. (P.S. emi - what is the status for the hotels?)
Exchange rate
1SGD -> 22.7 THB
Weather
28Deg - 36Deg
Suvarnabhumi Airport link
Transportation
simple map of both Metro and SkyTrain lines
Metro(MRT) link
6am – midnight daily
Adult stored value tix – 200thb(150thb initial, 50thb deposit), 30thb issue fee
(est. cost per trip is 13 to 33thb)
Business Traveller – 100thb initial, no deposit, 30 thb issue fee
1 day pass – 120thb
3 day pass - 230thb
30 day pass – 900thb
Single journey - 15-39thb
SkyTrain link
6am - midnight daily
1 day pass – 120thb
30 day pass 20 trips - 440thb, 30thb issuing fee
Single journey – 15-40thb
Taxis
Taxis cruising city streets are metred. They charge a minimum of 35 baht for the first 3 kilometres, and approximately 5 baht per kilometre thereafter. Make sure you have change, as taxi drivers often dont! Passengers must pay tolls in the case of using an expressway.
Tuk-Tuks
These three-wheeled open-air motorised taxis are popular for short journeys. Fares must be bargained in advance. Minimum fares, for journeys of up to 3 kilometres, are approximately 30 baht.
Bangkok Places of Interest (from Lonely Planet)
1. Grand Palace - open 8.30am to 3.30pm everyday. Baht 250.
This also includes admission to Wat Phra Kaeo, The Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion in the same compound and to Vimanmek Mansion Museum on Ratchawithi Road. Baht 100. for rental personal audio guide in English. The dress code states no short skirts, sleeveless, sandles and tight trousers. link
2. Wat Phra Kaew - open 8.00am to 5.00pm everyday.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Next to Grand Palace. link
3. Wat Pho - 8am to 5pm. 20 Baht.
located just outside the Grand Palace compound. Country's biggest temple, oldest temple at more than 200yrs. Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. You can pay for a traditional massage, 150Baht for 30 mins and other massages. link
4. Wat Arun - 8.30am to 5.30pm. 20Baht.
Temple of the Dawn. Across the river. Tall structure. Take a photo of this imposing sight at sunset with the river in the foreground to bring back beautiful memories of Bangkok. link
5. National Museum - Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. 40 to 50Baht.
1km north of the Grand Palace. Photography is banned. There are free English language tours, lasting about 2 hours, available of the museum, starting at 09.30am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 6 buildings make up the National Museum. They illustrate Thai history and prehistory,the Inscription No. 1 from the Sukhothai era, the Phra Buddha Sihing, impressive murals in here, recovered jewelry and gems, giant shadow puppets, weapons, ivory, royal possessions, musical instruments, and Asian art and antiques through the centuries. link
Wat Saket & Golden Mount - 7.30am to 5.30pm. 10 Baht.
2km east of Grand Palace. Only man-made hill in Bangkok, a diameter of 500 metres and soars 100 metres to the sky, is of great significance for all followers of The Lord Buddha. 320 stairs take you up to the top for panoramic views of the Rattanakosin Island.
Jim Thompson' House - 9am to 5pm. 100 Baht.
Antiques, artifacts, silk.
Mae Nam Chao Phraya - 7am to 6.45pm. River ferry rides are found at many stops. 6-15Baht.
Chatuchak Weekend - 8am to 6pm.
Chinatown -
2km southeast of Grand Palace. 1.5km in length. Sells all sorts of stuff. Open day and night. Hours unknown.
Dusit Park
Lettuce Farm Palace
Lumphini Park
Wat Traimit
Wat Mahathat
other links
short tour ideas , other attractions
signed
la!uep
Exchange rate
1SGD -> 22.7 THB
Weather
28Deg - 36Deg
Suvarnabhumi Airport link
Transportation
simple map of both Metro and SkyTrain lines
Metro(MRT) link
6am – midnight daily
Adult stored value tix – 200thb(150thb initial, 50thb deposit), 30thb issue fee
(est. cost per trip is 13 to 33thb)
Business Traveller – 100thb initial, no deposit, 30 thb issue fee
1 day pass – 120thb
3 day pass - 230thb
30 day pass – 900thb
Single journey - 15-39thb
SkyTrain link
6am - midnight daily
1 day pass – 120thb
30 day pass 20 trips - 440thb, 30thb issuing fee
Single journey – 15-40thb
Taxis
Taxis cruising city streets are metred. They charge a minimum of 35 baht for the first 3 kilometres, and approximately 5 baht per kilometre thereafter. Make sure you have change, as taxi drivers often dont! Passengers must pay tolls in the case of using an expressway.
Tuk-Tuks
These three-wheeled open-air motorised taxis are popular for short journeys. Fares must be bargained in advance. Minimum fares, for journeys of up to 3 kilometres, are approximately 30 baht.
Bangkok Places of Interest (from Lonely Planet)
1. Grand Palace - open 8.30am to 3.30pm everyday. Baht 250.
This also includes admission to Wat Phra Kaeo, The Royal Thai Decorations & Coins Pavilion in the same compound and to Vimanmek Mansion Museum on Ratchawithi Road. Baht 100. for rental personal audio guide in English. The dress code states no short skirts, sleeveless, sandles and tight trousers. link
2. Wat Phra Kaew - open 8.00am to 5.00pm everyday.
Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Next to Grand Palace. link
3. Wat Pho - 8am to 5pm. 20 Baht.
located just outside the Grand Palace compound. Country's biggest temple, oldest temple at more than 200yrs. Thailand's largest reclining Buddha image and the most number of Buddha images in Thailand. You can pay for a traditional massage, 150Baht for 30 mins and other massages. link
4. Wat Arun - 8.30am to 5.30pm. 20Baht.
Temple of the Dawn. Across the river. Tall structure. Take a photo of this imposing sight at sunset with the river in the foreground to bring back beautiful memories of Bangkok. link
5. National Museum - Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 4pm. 40 to 50Baht.
1km north of the Grand Palace. Photography is banned. There are free English language tours, lasting about 2 hours, available of the museum, starting at 09.30am on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 6 buildings make up the National Museum. They illustrate Thai history and prehistory,the Inscription No. 1 from the Sukhothai era, the Phra Buddha Sihing, impressive murals in here, recovered jewelry and gems, giant shadow puppets, weapons, ivory, royal possessions, musical instruments, and Asian art and antiques through the centuries. link
Wat Saket & Golden Mount - 7.30am to 5.30pm. 10 Baht.
2km east of Grand Palace. Only man-made hill in Bangkok, a diameter of 500 metres and soars 100 metres to the sky, is of great significance for all followers of The Lord Buddha. 320 stairs take you up to the top for panoramic views of the Rattanakosin Island.
Jim Thompson' House - 9am to 5pm. 100 Baht.
Antiques, artifacts, silk.
Mae Nam Chao Phraya - 7am to 6.45pm. River ferry rides are found at many stops. 6-15Baht.
Chatuchak Weekend - 8am to 6pm.
Chinatown -
2km southeast of Grand Palace. 1.5km in length. Sells all sorts of stuff. Open day and night. Hours unknown.
Dusit Park
Lettuce Farm Palace
Lumphini Park
Wat Traimit
Wat Mahathat
other links
short tour ideas , other attractions
signed
la!uep
Sunday, March 2, 2008
2 months in Ireland
“How do you do?” and I responded “Not too bad”, and that, is the typical Irish greeting. My friend once recounted to me that she was walking down a corridor of a client’s office, and a whole row of Irish starting with “How do you do”, and they walked past her before she could respond. Amazingly, they can speak the “How do you do” so quickly, that it barely takes more time than for me to say “Hello”. Other Irish peculiarities include saying “grand (it means great)”. And like most Caucasians they are expressive in their language, and would often reply PERFECT, or BRILLIANT and of course the ubiquitous GRAND. A friend once joked; saying “you should reply BRILLIANT to their PERFECT. “
As the title suggests, It has been nearly 2 months since I have left tidy little Singapore for the even more minuscule Dublin City. Whereas Singapore has a population of close to 5 million people, Dublin’s population is closer to that of 1.5 million, with the total number of Irish residing in Ireland being about 5 million. Amazingly, about 20-30 million Irish stay abroad, a result of a poor economic environment in the 1970s to 1990s.
To date, my experience with Dublin has been slightly disappointing. Perhaps, my initial expectations of the place were set too high. I was expecting a vibrant city booming with activities, but unfortunately, it has not been the case. Pubbing appears to be the main social activity here, and the city appears to have not much to offer in terms of other social activities. Perphaps, it is because I have yet to fully settle into the pace and beat of the city. I have heard that musicals are of a relative high standard in Dublin, but had not have the time to visit it yet. Nevertheless, my friends and I remark that Dublin is probably 10 years behind Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, which is probably true, given that Dublin’s plan to become an international financial centre was only executed in about 2000.
Nonetheless, aside from the weather, not all is gloomy. It is indeed a beautiful place. About 3 weeks back, I travelled slightly north of Dublin City, to a place called Malahide. Our driver, is an Irish Man, who could speak English fluently without a strong Irish Irish accent. Accordingly, my mates and I did not have to strain our ears to listen to him as he gave us a quick overview of the city. Unfortunately, Dublin does not seem to have done much good to my brain cells, and I am unable to remain the bulk of his introduction. He does posses a good voice, and the bus passengers all applauded in appreciation of his singing. I can imagine we were rather fortunate that he has been in this business for over 15 years. I speculated to my friends that his voice probably improved considerably with his daily or weekly singing.
Malahide has a small castle, which is about 3-4 stories high, some beautiful paintings and some medieval furnishing. In many respects it is quite similar to the many castles you see in Hollywood movies. What was more beautiful was its surrounding park, which was expansive and filled with lush green grass. Having experienced good weather that day, it was rather unfortunate that we did not bring our picnic mats along. In reality, our tour guide and the rest of the tourist were waiting for us at the bus, as we were too busy taking photos and exploring the beautiful park. Our journey back allowed us to further appreciate the beautiful landscape that Dublin is famous for. To side track, real estate is expensive in Dublin, with a lower end terrace house (equivalent) costing about 800k euros and better ones costing about 2 million euros. Considering the high tax rates (41% for annual income that is earned beyond 30 plus thousand Euros), and the lower per capita income of Ireland than in Singapore, the price is staggering.
A quick description of my typical day would be as follows: I wake up about 6.30 to 7 in the morning, and ‘speak to some of my friends’ on msn, followed by showering and breakfast. I would leave for office about 8 and reach about 830 to 840. Lunch is usually sandwiches as the local staff canteen, and I usually lunch in. I usually knock of about 6.30 and would bring some of work home. Following dinner, (My housemates do the cooking), I will do the dishes and shower again, and do some work. I tuck in about 1130 pm. I shall stop providing greater details, lest your eyelids are unable to support your droopy eyes at this stage. To put it mildly, life is not exactly exciting. My most exciting bit would be trying to keep my blood from boiling or keeping my irritation in check, to which I would explain later.
Another positive thing about my experience in Dublin is that I have learnt to appreciate my juniors more in Singapore. I have had coached /led about 10 juniors over my time in E&Y, but some of the juniors here may result in me having to visit a cardiologist frequently. I once asked junior A to transfer some information form one excel spreadsheet to another, and he replied that was not confident about getting it right. In the end, I had to write down for him that information in Col A of spreadsheet 1 has to go to Col B of spreadsheet 2, even though most of the headings are identical if not similar for most of the columns. To date, I am still undecided as to whether Junior A or B is more challenging to manage. I once told Junior B to send an email to query a Bank about some details about an audit confirmation. Incredibly, the email was sent to the client instead of the Bank, simply because the client’s name was included as a CC, on the hardcopy of the confirmation. He had mistaken the client for the bank! What was mentioned above was more of the norm than exception. Suffice to say, these incidents have provided me with all the excitement I need at work.
My 2 months in Ireland has caused me to better appreciate the BIG and little things more in Singapore. I miss my loved ones, and my friends. I miss blading, dinner and our little chit chat sessions. I miss our drinking and clubbing sessions. To all of my dear friends, your presence is missed.
As the title suggests, It has been nearly 2 months since I have left tidy little Singapore for the even more minuscule Dublin City. Whereas Singapore has a population of close to 5 million people, Dublin’s population is closer to that of 1.5 million, with the total number of Irish residing in Ireland being about 5 million. Amazingly, about 20-30 million Irish stay abroad, a result of a poor economic environment in the 1970s to 1990s.
To date, my experience with Dublin has been slightly disappointing. Perhaps, my initial expectations of the place were set too high. I was expecting a vibrant city booming with activities, but unfortunately, it has not been the case. Pubbing appears to be the main social activity here, and the city appears to have not much to offer in terms of other social activities. Perphaps, it is because I have yet to fully settle into the pace and beat of the city. I have heard that musicals are of a relative high standard in Dublin, but had not have the time to visit it yet. Nevertheless, my friends and I remark that Dublin is probably 10 years behind Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, which is probably true, given that Dublin’s plan to become an international financial centre was only executed in about 2000.
Nonetheless, aside from the weather, not all is gloomy. It is indeed a beautiful place. About 3 weeks back, I travelled slightly north of Dublin City, to a place called Malahide. Our driver, is an Irish Man, who could speak English fluently without a strong Irish Irish accent. Accordingly, my mates and I did not have to strain our ears to listen to him as he gave us a quick overview of the city. Unfortunately, Dublin does not seem to have done much good to my brain cells, and I am unable to remain the bulk of his introduction. He does posses a good voice, and the bus passengers all applauded in appreciation of his singing. I can imagine we were rather fortunate that he has been in this business for over 15 years. I speculated to my friends that his voice probably improved considerably with his daily or weekly singing.
Malahide has a small castle, which is about 3-4 stories high, some beautiful paintings and some medieval furnishing. In many respects it is quite similar to the many castles you see in Hollywood movies. What was more beautiful was its surrounding park, which was expansive and filled with lush green grass. Having experienced good weather that day, it was rather unfortunate that we did not bring our picnic mats along. In reality, our tour guide and the rest of the tourist were waiting for us at the bus, as we were too busy taking photos and exploring the beautiful park. Our journey back allowed us to further appreciate the beautiful landscape that Dublin is famous for. To side track, real estate is expensive in Dublin, with a lower end terrace house (equivalent) costing about 800k euros and better ones costing about 2 million euros. Considering the high tax rates (41% for annual income that is earned beyond 30 plus thousand Euros), and the lower per capita income of Ireland than in Singapore, the price is staggering.
A quick description of my typical day would be as follows: I wake up about 6.30 to 7 in the morning, and ‘speak to some of my friends’ on msn, followed by showering and breakfast. I would leave for office about 8 and reach about 830 to 840. Lunch is usually sandwiches as the local staff canteen, and I usually lunch in. I usually knock of about 6.30 and would bring some of work home. Following dinner, (My housemates do the cooking), I will do the dishes and shower again, and do some work. I tuck in about 1130 pm. I shall stop providing greater details, lest your eyelids are unable to support your droopy eyes at this stage. To put it mildly, life is not exactly exciting. My most exciting bit would be trying to keep my blood from boiling or keeping my irritation in check, to which I would explain later.
Another positive thing about my experience in Dublin is that I have learnt to appreciate my juniors more in Singapore. I have had coached /led about 10 juniors over my time in E&Y, but some of the juniors here may result in me having to visit a cardiologist frequently. I once asked junior A to transfer some information form one excel spreadsheet to another, and he replied that was not confident about getting it right. In the end, I had to write down for him that information in Col A of spreadsheet 1 has to go to Col B of spreadsheet 2, even though most of the headings are identical if not similar for most of the columns. To date, I am still undecided as to whether Junior A or B is more challenging to manage. I once told Junior B to send an email to query a Bank about some details about an audit confirmation. Incredibly, the email was sent to the client instead of the Bank, simply because the client’s name was included as a CC, on the hardcopy of the confirmation. He had mistaken the client for the bank! What was mentioned above was more of the norm than exception. Suffice to say, these incidents have provided me with all the excitement I need at work.
My 2 months in Ireland has caused me to better appreciate the BIG and little things more in Singapore. I miss my loved ones, and my friends. I miss blading, dinner and our little chit chat sessions. I miss our drinking and clubbing sessions. To all of my dear friends, your presence is missed.
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