Miss Bad Penny is living a penny-ante and penny-pinching life in the Netherlands

Bye bye vacation

2006-07-31T14:07:00.000+02:00

The not-so-summery weather is reminding me today is my last day of summer vacation. No more bumming around, no more sleeping in, and no more "Grey's Anatomy" and "Sex and the City" marathons. Look on the bright side - there are office gossips to catch up.

It is finally cooling down in the Netherlands. I was fanning myself and still sweating like a dog this time last week, but I needed a sweater this morning when I went out. Not that I am complaining because I really do need this bit of cool-down after steaming my butt off for the last two weeks. I am now just hoping against hope that it is not going to rain tomorrow so I could wear my pretty new shoes to work, fingers crossed.

Anyway, I actually have nothing much to blog about as I am still in my "vacation mode". I now have to go prepare for tomorrow - polishing my new shoes (my dad's secret recipe of protecting the leather and making our shoes last), packing souvenirs for my coworkers, picking out an outfit to boost my not-so-deep suntan, and finishing up some housework. Oh oh oh, and cooking up a storm in the kitchen (Translation: Making the simple - Clean the chicken drumsticks, pat them dry, marinate them for 3 hours with the special spices we bought from Hong Kong, bake them in the oven for 45 minutes, DONE - but yummy chicken dish that my man loves) because I am afraid I gonna be too lazy to cook after work this week. From experience, I would be dead beat at night and fall asleep on the couch at 8pm the first week of work after my vacation. I'd better make a proper dinner tonight to make up for my guilt over buying greasy Chinese takeout or unhealthy fast food later. I thought I would be slacking off today but seems like I have quite some work to do.

P.S. The picture was taken during our Sabah vacation. Can you believe this melon was crafted within 20 minutes?? I know one of my friends would really love this fruit craft thingy, but unfortunately, I failed to sneak a juicy melon in my suitcase. Jammer!!

My purple spikey plant

2006-07-27T12:36:00.000+02:00

I thought its name was "Plume flower" but the instruction tag told me it's called "Celosia Venezuela Caracas". I don't really know the plant anyway but I was attracted by its lavish purple spikes while my man and I were wandering off a "tuincentrum" last weekend. I was worried I wouldn't have a clue about fertilizing the plant once two weeks as instructed and hence might kill it. But it only cost 1.99Euro, for crying out loud. It's a real bargain for my little "green experiment", isn't it??

I have educated myself about this plant via the Internet as I do want to see this plant live for at least 35 days (the average plant life as confirmed by a Dutch consumer test, and it could live even up to three or four months if it is in good hands). One of my spikey plant's attractions is its spikes would continue to grow while new spikes appear from time to time. I am told that the spike must be at least 8cm long but my spikes are now 7cm long on avaerage. Should I stretch it or something to make it longer?? The plant seems not particularly demanding - needs plenty of water to keep the soil moist, needs plenty of sunlight to keep the new spikes coming, needs cutting when spikes are too long or dead, and needs plant food once every four weeks to keep it growing healthily.

Two questions though - how long is too long?? what is plant food?? Yes, I gotta admit I have no green thumbs and am never into or good at gardening. That's why I have no idea when and how to cut (cutting the spike or stem??) and to fertilize (what to use?? where to buy it or home-made??) the plant.

By the way, do you know there is a heat wave in Europe?? Second heat wave in July, man!! Two weeks of heat and burning sunshine are apparently too much for me. I can't believe I'm saying this - "When is summer over??". And I can't believe I was literally jumping for joy this morning when it was Pouring (big big raindrops!!) outside. I am enjoying this coolness, the coolness that I miss so much. I love reading on the couch without having my skin sticking on the leather!! I love ironing without having my sweat dripping all over my freshly cleaned clothes!!

Let it rain!! Let it rain!! Yay!!

It has been a while

2006-07-26T10:18:00.000+02:00

My vacation seems to have flown by this summer. Our 3-week Asia bound is over. Let's have a brief run-down:

We were stuck at the gorgeous 5-star resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah for 5 days because of the monsoon from India. But to be fair, we did enjoy a bit of pool hanging for like two hours in one of the mornings and witness the sudden change of weather - from sunny to cloudy to windy to rainy to stormy - at the coast. As we couldn't be bothered going downtown in the storm, we dined at the resort restaurant. It didn't cost us a mint and the food was very yummy (specially the prawn noodles with yellow curry), and on top of that very hygienic. Every cloud has a silver lining, eh?? Our KK stay was "topped off" with a super sunny morning on the day of our departure. Are you kidding me?? (I felt better later as I heard from the news the rain actually continued for another week or so in KK)

We arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after a 3-hour flight, left the airport after a 45-minute queue at the customs, and reached our hotel after a 50-minute drive. It cost us only 13Euro to cab it from the airport to the hotel. We went to most parts of the city via the convenient light railway and were not that impressed by the city. It had a funky smell on the street because of the underground sewage pipes or something and the famous twin towers failed to impress us. Oh well, it was bit unfair as we were comparing the twin towers with the zillion of fancy towers of glass and steel in Hong Kong. We stayed for 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur and caught a flight to Hong Kong at 6am.

Last but not the least, a 2-week stay in Hong Kong when it was rainy, stuffy and HOT. God bless the well air conditioned shopping malls in Hong Kong. We went on several shopping sprees which resulted in an almost 10-kg excess baggage (We had left home with two suitcases but returned with four). We spent most of our time with my parents to catch up with the latest family gossips and to just hang out with them. We also met some of my friends who were still in Hong Kong (many of them had returned home or started a new adventure in another country). I couldn't believe how much things could change in two years - a marriage phobic proposed to his girlfriend whom he has been going out with for over a decade, a lesbian friend found out she actually likes guys instead, a second cousin got married and divorced, a cousin had a baby boy...

Anyway, we are now back in the Netherlands. My man already got back to work a day after our arrival and I am still enjoying my 2-more-week vacation. This is my last week of vacation and I am getting back to work next Tuesday. Let's hope the heat wave stops by then, knock on wood. So what have I been doing all this time?? It has been so freaking HOT so I haven't done much. I am entitled to slack off, bum around and do nothing anyway. It took me like a week to unpack everything because the temperature turns piping hot after 1pm everyday. We try to keep the windows open in the evening to cool down the apartment and therefore I become a Fabulous target for the mosquitoes, ggrrrrrrrr. I am feeling warm and itchy everyday, how much better can my vacation be??

Mind-numbing

2006-06-23T13:11:00.000+02:00

I am bored out of my mind today as I wrapped up all my work yesterday. Some of you may ask how the heck I can wrap up ALL my work, eh?? I am working in a school so when all the records, reports, schedules and preparation for the new school year are done, I have nothing more to do until the little buggers are back. Blame my efficiency!! *grin*

I have all the time to waste now so let's think of what I need to do today:

1. Last-minute shopping: Presents for mom, aunt, grandma, grandpa, two good friends, some party buddies. Chocolate and puzzle books for the 12-hour flight.

2. Last-minute housekeeping: Ironing clothes that were washed yesterday. Vacuumcleaning the entire house. Emptying out the fridge. Transferring my lucky bamboo to a salad bowl.

3. Last-minute organizing: Emailing friends to confirm get-together's. Calling my parents to confirm our arrival time and flight number. Calling boyfriend's parents to give them our flight information. Transferring money to our travel bank accounts.

4. Last-minute packing: We had planned to do the packing yesterday but turnout I colored my nails and my man watched World Cup. So MUST PACK tonight!!

Anyway, I'll now go to my friend's office to chit chat a bit then I am heading out. It is gorgeous outside and the sun is shining so why the heck am I sticking around with nothing to do??

Notes: Excuse me for this boring post but what can you expect from a bored bum?? To make it up, check this chubby thing out. It puts a big smile on my face!! I bet I won't be blogging during my vacation, so HAVE A GREAT SUMMER EVERYONE!!

Green bunny

2006-06-22T11:06:00.000+02:00

My lucky bamboo is growing (see the before pic) and is turning into a bunny - a cheerleader bunny holding two poms!! I am loving my lucky bamboo because it is so easy (only water, indirect sunlight and shower once a week) and strong. It has not died on me yet, knock on wood!!

My lovely hydrangea, on the other hand, has recently gone to the "flower heaven" when it was steaming hot weeks ago. I did remember to water it on time and keep it out of sunshine. But when I got back from work one day, I found the flower heads all burned and dehydrated. I do have to admit that our living room (faces west) did sorta turn into a sauna those afternoons even when the curtains were drawn. This time water no longer worked like a charm...[insert pouty face] Says who the hydrangea is easy to care for and would bloom its head off for weeks at a time??

But well, I no longer have to worry about finding my hydrangea a plant-sitter then. I now have only two survivors left - my lucky bamboo and purple cactus. I am thinking of putting my lucky bamboo in a bigger tank of water so it has enough water for the three weeks we are gone. Do you think that would work?? And I would give the cactus a bigger drink before we head off. Cactus is supposed to be tougher and can stand not having water for a while, right??

One more day and we are flying out. Packing, packing, last-minute shopping, packing...

Wuppie, wuppie, wuppie...

2006-06-21T15:52:00.000+02:00

The Netherlands has been in the grip of soccer fever lately. See that fuzzy little ball in the picture?? It is a "wuppie" produced by a local supermarket, Albert Heijn, to boost the Dutch soccer fever. You get a little wuppie for free after you have spent 15 euros at the supermarket. There are 4 kinds of wuppie - orange wuppie, white wuppie with red antennae and blue feet, blue wuppie with red antennae and light blue feet, and red wuppie with red antennae and blue feet (I don't need to tell you they resemble the Dutch flag and orange team, right??).

My favorite little wuppie is this white one but I do want to buy (3 wuppie coupons plus some cash) the big orange wuppie. Unfortunately there is also a "wuppie fever" in the Netherlands as the big wuppie sold out already. The supermarket is not ordering any more wuppies either because they are afraid World Cup will be over when the order comes in. Grrr. My coworker is showing off her three wuppies by displaying two of them on her desk and hanging one on the wall. Another Dutch coworker is all dressed up in orange and wearing a wuppie on his head. Yes, most Dutch people wear orange during World Cup and on the day when the Dutch team is playing.

The Dutch team is playing against Argentina tonight. When I talked to my friend today, I found out both our men are secretly praying that the Dutch team will lose tonight. It is said that tonight's game is not that important anyway as it only determines when the two teams are playing in the next round - if the Dutch team wins tonight, they are playing again on Saturday when our men are busy. My boyfriend and I are flying out this Saturday, need I say more?? And my friend and her man are having a short trip away this weekend, again need I say more?? As I told my friend, our men are so loyal to the Dutch team they have to betray them tonight.

[Update] It seems that the "wuppie fever" is still going strong. The big wuppie sold out at the supermarket already but they are still selling like hot cakes on the Net though a wuppie could cost more than 100 euros. My man also read in the paper that people broke in cars to steal not only the car audio system but also the fuzzy big wuppie. Some of my friends have taken out the car audio system to avoid their cars being broken into, maybe they should remove any wuppie-like items too...

I'm eaten alive by little monsters

2006-06-20T18:26:00.000+02:00

My summer vacation is just around the corner...only 3 more days to go, yippeeee!! Vacationing in Malaysia and going on a shopping spree in Hong Kong, yay!!

I miss blogging so much but as it was the last weeks of school, I had a hectic schedule and was dead beat when I got home. It is now much mellower at work as the kids are gone. I thought I would be jumping for joy working in an empty school as my toes would not be stepped on and my workplace would finally be nice and quiet. But hell no!! I felt a feeling of complete isolation once I entered the school on Monday - no more chaos in the hallway, no more screaming in the playground, no more kiddo's getting in and out of the office. Oh I miss those little buggers who always brought loads of energy and joy (and noise) into the office...

As I now have some free time, I have been surfing on the net for information of Kota Kinabalu (KK). Someone said it somewhere KK is a "mosquito's paradise". Nooooooo!! Please tell me it's not true!! Please tell me mosquitoes/mozzies/mossies are not allowed in our 5-star spa resort!! I hate mosquitoes but unfortunately these freaking insects love me (or my sweet blood). How much love are we talking about?? Let's see. I had six mosquito bites that almost formed an hexagonal pattern on my butt two weeks ago after I had sunned myself at our balcony during weekend (have I mentioned we painted our balcony rusty orange??). And now three mosquito bites have "integrated" into this nasty big bump on my arm.

I woke this morning scratching the big bump and couldn't go back to sleep hearing the mosquitoes buzzing. We did not open the door or window in the bedroom, where the heck did the mosquitoes come from?! I am desperate to find some anti-mosquito stuff as I can't stand finding new mosquito bite(s) every morning!! And does anyone know of any remedies for mosquito bites?? I have tried ice, toothpaste, soap, and baking soda paste but none of them works!! In other words, it's bloody itching and swollen!! @#$%&?!!

Grrr

2006-06-08T04:25:00.000+02:00

Nightmare SUCKS!!

I have been wide awake since I woke out of a weird bad dream at 3.35am.

I was walking down a street in Hong Kong with my boyfriend when I spotted a guy waving for help from a building. We then heard a gun shot and so started running. When I hopped into the cab, I was accompanied by two of my old friends while the cab was driving around downtown Vancouver. Kirs was complaining as the cab smelled like puke and Earl was persuading the driver to knock 5 bucks off because of the smell. My parents were with me when I got off the cab. Someone was firing into the crowd so we ran for our lives. While we were running down a street in Malaysia, a cop and some guys with gunshot wounds ran pass us. I was scared stiff. Then I saw our home in Rotterdam and was struggling to run faster...

I woke and was covered in sweat. How come I remember every single detail of this weird dream that doesn't even make any sense?? Shooting in Hong Kong, cab ride in Vancouver, shooting again in Malaysia, and running from Malaysia to Rotterdam??

It is now 4.20am. Should I go back to bed, try to get to sleep in order to sleep for another 2 hours, and get up feeling all cranky and tired?? Or should I stay awake, keep sipping on my coffee in the hope that it would keep me awake for the rest of the day, and try to (pretend to) function properly at work?? I doubt if I can get to sleep anyway so I'd better cling on to my Senseo machine. Another Dark Roast!!

This reminds me of the good old days in university when we went out clubbing all night long and had a lecture at 8.30am. The only difference is I kept sipping on alcohol in order to avoid hangover and to stay (sort of) awake. A shot of vodka during lunch break used to get me through the day until I could hit the sack and crash out.

Oh and another difference is - I'm no longer 18!!

Yes water, No sunshine

2006-05-26T07:58:00.000+02:00

Yes, I kept thinking its name is hydra-something - HYDRANGEA that is!!

Is it supposed to be a difficult plant?? This little plant has been living/blooming happily in our apartment for almost a month already and seems to be doing okay. I got it as a gift and the only advice I got is to water the plant - putting the pot in a sink filled with water to let the water soak up to the soil - twice a week. I am trying to water it every Wednesday and Saturday but there were times that I thought the plant was dying on me as its leaves were drooping due to dehydration or something. Sometimes the soil dried out faster, sometimes I simply forgot to water it...

When it happened the first time (I forgot to draw the curtain so the plant was sun-baked for hours and looked all "dead" when I returned home), I almost tossed it to the trash. But since that was only the 4th day I got the plant and I thought I just started to have a better green thumb, in order to save the plant and my reputation, I performed "CPR" by soaking the pot in a big tank of water and putting some coffee grounds in the soil. Why coffee grounds?? My green-thumbed friend told me that my "blue balls" love acidic soil ("pink balls" work differently though) and suggested me to use aluminium sulphate (or sulfate??), egg shells or coffee grounds to boost the blooming. I had no freaking idea where to find aluminium sulphate and was afraid egg shells would stink up our place so I ended up with coffee grounds. And you know what?? It worked!! Lesson learned - "Blue balls" love water and acidic soil, but hate sunshine!!

You know what worries me now?? Weird to say but I am now worried that the plant is living too long. I got this plant in late April and thought it would be long gone before our summer vacation in late June (FYI, my plants tend to live for only a month though I start to earn a reputation of having a not-too-bad green thumb). Since my little hydrangea has been blooming slowly, I am afraid we may need to find a baby(plant)-sitter to take care of my "blue balls" while my man and I are tanning our butts off in Malaysia. I'm thinking of putting the hydrangea pot, together with my lucky bamboo, in a water tank so they have enough water when I am gone for three weeks. Do you think that would work?? If not, any good plant-sitter to recommend??

By the way, why the heck am I awake at 7am today when I'm having a long weekend?! Jeez, it has been rainy and grey for almost two weeks already...Rain rain, go away. Little Penny wants to play...

It's about time

2006-05-20T10:09:00.000+02:00

It has been a loooooooooooong time since I last blogged. Life has been okay - working Monday through Friday and bumming around during weekend. How's my "new" job?? I still feel happy (and not cranky) to wake up at 6.35am to go to work everyday, how's that?? I have been working for bit more than 7 weeks now and there's always something fun to look forward to at work.

First 2 weeks: Tried to remember everyone's name
(fun part: I kept forgetting and mixing up people's names, what's new?? I asked my coworkers to keep introducing themselves whenever they bumped into me until I could shout out their names once I see them. It took me 2 weeks to remember all the 50 people in our department and more than 20 in departments that I work closely with, not too bad eh??)

3rd week: HOLIDAY!!
(The greatest advantage of working in a school - loads of holiday!! But I was actually dying to go to work throughout the week.)

4th week: Had a bunch of appointments with new parents and students
(After I had been trained for weeks, I started interviewing new families. It was great fun because I gotta know more about the students and to communicate more with teachers in order to place the students in different classes.)

5th week: The due date of my first assignment to the teachers
(I needed to collect work from more than 40 teachers and many of them handed in their work last minute or late so this week was hectic.)

6th week: Was given several new assignments
(I needed to touch base with people from other departments, so more name-remembering activities. And more meetings...that made the week fly by.)

7th week: Loads of ad hoc projects
(I was tested on the strong multitasking skills mentioned on my CV. Every day was super hectic and I LOVED IT. Yes, weird me!!)

Coming week: 3 working days only
(Ascension Day/long weekend. Meetings lined up for the 3 days already, so the week gonna fly!!)

In case you still don't get it, I LOVE MY JOB!!!

Okay, enough of my job. One of the highlights of May was my man's birthday two weeks ago. We went to an Indian musical extravaganza - Bharati - that Friday. There were a little live band playing traditional Indian instruments, 6 live singers singing some famous Indian songs while making some gestures accordingly, a narrator guiding the audience through the tale, and last but not the least, LOADS of dancers in colorful costumes. I loved loved loved those traditional Indian costumes and the Indian dances. The combination of Indian dance and swaying long dress made me wanna dig out my exotic long dress and belly dance again...

Oh yay, my man is finally awake now so I'd better go start another lazy weekend with a big breakfast!! Plan for this weekend?? I planned to finish painting the window frame and to start painting the balcony but gotta postpone as it's POURING today!! "Maybe" playing some squash, then definitely doing grocery shopping, then...maybe a stay-in movie weekend??

By the way, I've been having houseplants since I started working. Ain't they blooming beautifully?? Does any one know the name of that blue "flower ball" plant??

New job, New routine

2006-04-08T10:10:00.000+02:00

It has been a long while since I blogged, because I feel too beat (translation: lazy) everyday after work to do anything but hanging around. In a nutshell, I love my job, I love my coworkers, I am actually happy to wake up at 6.30ish to go to work (doesn't that mean something??)!!

My first two days were hectic, as I was bit sick (felt nauseous and ran a temperature) and had to receive an intensive two-day training (to get used to the database system and everything). I was not able to do anything after work, but bought home microwaved dinner and crashed out at 8.30pm. This week was better. I worked Monday through Friday, and have become more used to my new daily routine - get up at 06.30, head out at 07.15, return home at 18.30, and go to bed at 22.30!! I have been sleeping like a log lately, so I have a great 8-hour sleep every night, yippee (knock on wood)!!

Loads happened at work that I thought I would blog about them later. But now that I'm typing, I have lost the vibe already. Maybe it will come back later. What now?? It's Saturday and I'm in the mood for bumming around. Don't we LOVE weekends?? One of the great things about having a job is that, I could sooooooo enjoy weekends, haaa.

Wakey wakey

2006-03-30T05:03:00.000+02:00

My alarm was set to go off at 6.40am so I could grab a shower right after my man, then have enough time to get ready for my first day at work. But I woke at 4.30 this morning with a growling stomach and a sore back. I tossed and turned in bed hoping that I could get back to sleep again. But since I am now typing this post at 5am, need I say more??

I am now having terrible butterflies in my stomach because I have not worked for more than 1.5 years (1 year studying, 4.5 months waiting for my work permit, 2 months waiting for a job offer) already and I am very antsy about getting back to the working world. How to calm myself down?? Let's think about...paycheck, vacation, shopping spree, paycheck, paycheck...

Anyway, the weather is very not promising today. It's gonna be a dark and rainy day. But well, I'm in the Netherlands, so...GET OVER IT!! I just gonna bring a big umbrella to make sure that my makeup would survive intact in the heavy rain. You don't want mascara smeared all over your face on your first day, right?? Wish me luck, everyone!!

BRAT diet??

2006-03-29T10:18:00.000+02:00

My poor hunn has been suffering from diarrhea for 4 days (if he still has it at work today, after his 2-day sick leave, then 5 days in a row), and has been feeling weak all the time. He has lost 5kg because of the diarrhea and the super bland diet - either watery congee or soup and plain bread - I'm glad that he has not fainted on the bathroom floor. I'm desperate for another diarrhea diet, because my heart aches seeing my frustrated man eating his boring meal and aches more hearing his "bathroom" action.

Thanks laura for the heads up about the BRAT Diet to ease my man's diarrhea. I understand that BRAT is an acronym that stands for - Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast. But how to make it??

Eat them separately - a yellow banana, a bowl of rice cooked in water, a bowl of applesauce without sugar, and a slice of plain toast??
Mash up the bananas, rice and applesauce to form a spread for putting on toast??
Mix and match the four ingredients to your liking, say blend rice and applesauce into a thick smoothy and have slices of bananas on toast??

I am going to supermarket to buy these foods anyway. I am so desperate that I would try anything that could save my man. If you have ever tried this diet and know how to do with these foods, please, PLEASE enlighten me!!

When I was surfing on the net for more information about the BRAT diet, I found a CRAM diet (Cereal, Rice, Milk) that is supposed to ease diarrhea even faster. It should be a CRM diet, right?? Where does the A come from?? It is said that milk is good for easing diarrhea because of the fat and protein that it provides. By the way, isn't milk the worst food to have when you have diarrhea?? I am confused.

P.S. I'm super duper busy today, because I have to do grocery shopping, hit the dry cleaner's, return DVDs, sort out my monthly train ticket, meet a friend for high tea, help the friend find a suit, and get myself ready for my FIRST DAY tomorrow!! Yes, I start to work tomorrow!! I am soooooo excited!! Please please please let tomorrow be a sunny day without any train delay, please please please!!

Sicky bum

2006-03-27T11:17:00.000+02:00

I'm on the look out for some diarrhea remedies to save my man, anyone??

Can you believe that the nurse refused our request for a doctor appointment after we had told her my man's symptoms - having diarrhea since Saturday (3 days in a row, man!!), bit vomiting on Saturday night, bit high temperature on Sunday, waking up in the dead of night to pass watery stools?? I checked out some sites about diarrhea and they all mention something like "If you have diarrhea for more than 48 hours and have temperature, consult your doctor." But how if your doctor doesn't give a ratass??!! %$&#&@!!

I bet it's time for some home remedies. The most basic remedy is to drink loads and loads of water/tea/soup in order to replace everything that is put out to avoid dehydration. I have found some remedies for diarrhea on the Internet. Buttermilk - to be taken with a pinch of salt four times a day - is one of the most effective and popular home remedies for controlling diarrhea, as the acid in the buttermilk could fight germs and bacteria. But the combination of diarrhea and butter"milk" makes my flesh creep, because butter milk reminds me of diarrhea's worst enemy - dairy products. I know, I know, buttermilk is different because the fat has been removed yada yada.

Okay, so buttermilk is out. What else?? Carrot soup. It feeds water to avoid dehydration and supplies sodium and calcium and some more chemicals. Carrot soup can coat the intestine to stop the tummy ache and to stop vomiting. Cook half a kilo of carrots in 150ml of water until they become soft, strain the pulp, add extra boiled water to make a litre, add a pinch of salt, and give in small amounts of the soup to the patient every half an hour. I think my mom used this remedy once when I was in elementary school, and I remember that it was a complete failure because when I was suffering from profuse diarrhea my siblings were poking fun at my "orange poo poo". But since my man is never that crazy about carrot anyway, this carrot soup would be used when other remedies are proved not effective.

An oriental home remedy - Watery Congee - was proved very effective, as it saved me from spending days on the pot when I was small. Fill a big pot with 4L of water, bring it to a boil, add half a cup of white rice, put the lid on, reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour, remove the lid, continue to boil over high heat until the rice is gone, and feed the patient a small bowl of congee every hour. As this remedy was my life saver when I was little (I had very weak stomach), I am giving this one a go to see if it works the same on my man. The congee has been boiling for almost 2 hours now, and I have been checking on it every 15 minutes (every 5 minutes when boiling over high heat). Believe me, you have to be very attentive and "devoted" to the pot or the congee will spill all over your stove. Let's hope my effort will not go to waste, knock on wood!!

SAHM

2006-03-26T11:05:00.000+02:00

Another incredibly stupid idea from the Dutch political party -

"A highly-educated woman who chooses to stay at home and not to work - that is destruction of capital...If you receive the benefit of an expensive education at the cost of society, you should not be allowed to throw away that knowledge unpunished...If someone chooses not to work, then a substantial repayment is in order." MP Sharon Dijksma, Deputy Chairperson of the PvdA's parliamentary party said. [from Expatica]

In other words, women with high educations (HBO or University) that do not work should pay fines to recover the costs of their public education, as they are not returning anything to the system that funded their knowledge. When they choose not to work, they have to be fined. I agree, fair and square. If a person chooses to be a bum and refuses to go to work, then the person should be punished. But these stay at home moms are not slackers, they give up their job to take up one of the most challenging jobs around - raising a family!! Have the party members reckoned that if kids are properly raised by attentive parents, the government may save up a lot in the cost of counseling problem teenager in the future??

I think stay at home parents should be praised for their selflessness instead. Do you think it's easy to be a SAHM?? I was holding Lianna's (my former supervisor) hand when she went through the struggle to be a SAHM. It's tough. She had to make financial sacrifices so the family has to live on only her hubby's income - bye bye luxurious vacation. The toughest part is the emotional sacrifices. Lianna had to give up the career that she truly loved and worked very hard for. Being a workaholic, Lianna was worried that she would miss work and would not be able to get back to the job market once she left. She was also afraid that she would lose her friends, who are mostly career women, as they might find her unworthy.

Lianna turnout chose to be a stay at home mom because she wanted to be there for her baby girl as she grew from a meatloaf to a little person. She also wanted that secure feeling of knowing that her baby was taken good care of. As traditional wisdom holds that having a parent home for the baby's first three years is the best, Lianna decided to give the first three years a go and see what would come along. It has now been two years already, and so far as I know of, Lianna is still telling everyone that it's the toughest but most valuable job in the world.

Do the party members still wanna give more hassle to these devoted parents?? Have a heart, man!!

Little doses of weirdness

2006-03-24T11:01:00.000+01:00

(Attention: The snapshot of my lovely "Easter tree" has nothing to do with the weirdness, it's just a pretty sight)

1. Peeping Tom

I freaked out last week when I saw that an apartment across the street had a webcam by the window, looking right at my downstair apartment. But as my man said the light of the webcam was off, we assumed that the webcam was just chucked there. But today I saw a bald guy carefully adjusting a surveillance camera (something like this), along with that webcam, by the window. You may say he does it to check who is at the entrance or something, but the camera is not facing the main entrance of his building. I am worried now. That apartment is on the 2nd floor and mine the 3rd, please tell me he couldn't spy on my apartment. Is that guy a creep or just a paranoia??

2. Zoenbutton

My friend told me about the zoenbutton (Eng: kissbutton) today. There are 5 kinds of button that tell people what kind of greeting you prefer - no kissing, kissing once or twice, or shaking hands. I would love to have that "Ik zoen je 1X" (Eng: I kiss you 1X) button, because I find the traditional Dutch three-time kissy too much. Imagine you're leaving a family birthday bash and you need to kiss everyone goodbye. There were 9 close friends and family members at the party and I gave out 54 kissy's in total (3 kissy's per person, and you needa kiss them at the beginning and end). Ain't that tiring or not??

3. Dog poop

Dog poop is a very popular topic on the expat forum. But I now am not gonna bitch about most Dutchies don't know how to stoop-and-scoop. What made me go ummm this time is - how can you let your dog poop at your door and not do a thing about it?? There's a pub round the corner and the pub owner has a big bulldog. Last time I saw the dog owner let his dog make a dump right in front of his pub, then they just went back in and left the "business" right there. Big dogs make big poop, you know. So there was a big piece of dog crap right at the door of the pub. Imagine a drunk walking out of the pub, and BINGO!! Ick...!! I could somehow understand why people don't give a ratass when their dogs poop by the bus stop or in the middle of a crowded street, as they could just walk away. But at your door??

YIPPIE!!

2006-03-23T12:42:00.000+01:00

My current mood: Like my lovely tulips -
JOLLY & CHEERFUL!!

Guess why?? Come on, make a guess.

Yes, I HAVE GOT A JOB!!!
Yes, I AM EMPLOYED!!!

And what's more?? I've got TWO JOB OFFERS!!!

HOORAY, the bitchy and bitter Miss Bad Penny has disappeared in a puff of smoke!! I actually got a job offer (let's call it Job One) and typed a post about it yesterday, but the post vanished into thin air after I hit the "Publish Post" button. But well, I had too good a mood to bang my head against the computer and bitch about my bad luck. I instead went "Awww, that's too bad, anyway", left the computer, and enjoyed being a couch potato with my lovely bottle of red for the rest of the night. Happy drinking is gooooooood.

I woke in the dead of night yesterday (this morning, I should say) and stayed sound awake from 2am to 5.45am. I finally crawled back to bed at 6ish after I had dozed off on the couch. Then a loud bang woke me up at 9ish. My eyes and head were sore. I should be Miss Cranky Pants today, but I am not. Because a super nice email was waiting for me once I turned on the computer. I got another job offer!! My oh my!! I've got this job (let's call it Job Two) that I would work with the two very nice and friendly women who interviewed me. When I knew that I got Job One, I was relieved and glad that the painful process of job hunting was over. But after I talked to this Job-Two lady and confirmed that I nailed the job, I was literally jumping for joy. I got the job!! I got this job that I really really like, that I know I would be really really good at!!

As I said last time, I felt really happy after the interview of Job Two because I loved the friendly work environment and could see myself grow in the position. When I was extremely desperate and didn't have a hope in hell of finding a job, I am suddenly offered two job positions!! Life is just full of surprises, eh?? I called everyone yesterday and told them that I was out of the jobless market and about the new job. And now I needa make the calls again to spread the even better news. I got not only a job, but a job that I could soooooo see myself in. Andy, you're right. Something will happen and something has finally happened!! Lisa, thanks for the support and hey I'm holding on to your coffee offer!!

So what's more for today?? I'm now blogging and doing my nails, so I'd just take it easy for a while until my nails are dry. I may meet up with a friend this afternoon to celebrate a bit. He suggested going window shopping to spot the stuff that I like to buy, so I would be all prepared once I get my pay check. Hahaaa. Then I'm going to this expat get-together tonight. So today is pretty much planned out.

Gosh, I'm still so very excited that I wanna scream my head off with joy!!

Recommended dose of Bitch

2006-03-21T10:06:00.000+01:00

Confessions:

I snap at those who ask me how my interviews went.
I am angry at those who give me an awwww-face when they know that I haven't got a job yet.
I hate those who ask me what I do with all the free time on hand.
I avoid get-together's to get away from all the questions about my job stuff.
I cry after get-together's.

In a nutshell, I am bitchy & angry & bitter & anti-social & very bitchy.

I used to be bubbly and out-going, what's wrong with me??

Is it my hormones talking or just me??

Top 3 hotel-room books

2006-03-20T10:47:00.000+01:00

My man and I have a habit of examing the hotel room once we check in. Looking into drawers, flipping all the switches in the room, checking out the toiletries, flipping through all the telly channels...Something was missing this time when we examined our hotel room last Friday. No Gideon Bible?! We had no interest in reading the Bible, but we did miss seeing it. A hotel room is never complete without the Gideon, right?? So we kept digging. We finally found a spiritual book on top of the telly - a bilingual Dutch/English copy of The Teaching of Buddha.

I always found the Gideon in hotel nightstand drawers, and once found a Mormon book in a hotel desk drawer in Hong Kong. It was our first time finding a Buddhist book in a hotel room, so we thought the Alfa Empire Hotel in Antwerpen must be the pioneer of replacing the Gideon with a Buddhist book. But my friend found only a copy of The Teaching of Buddha at her hotel room in Hilton too. Ummm. Since when has Buddhism become so popular with Belgian people??

I was burning with curiosity - has this little Buddhist book become the next favorite hotel-room spiritual book and replaced the famous Gideon Bible?? I googled The Teaching of Buddha this morning and found out that this book has found its way into hotel room drawers in Antwerpen and around the globe for years already. Apparently loads of copies of the Buddhist book has been donated to hotels by the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, BDK), founded by a Japanese industrialist 20-something years ago. So next time when you stay in a hotel, look in the nightstand drawer to see what you can find - the Gideon / the Book of Mormon / the Teaching of Buddha??

From Thursday to Sunday

2006-03-16T22:48:00.000+01:00

I went to the interview today. Since I had that bad experience with NS, I decided to head out earlier and enjoy a nice cup of tea at the station cafe while waiting for the bus. When I thought everything was peachy, bad luck approached again. I broke out in a cold sweat when the 10.12 bus did not show up. Thank god I'm such a paranoiac that I planned to take the 10.12 bus to arrive 15 minutes earlier. So then I waited for the next bus which, according to the 9292ov site, would leave me exactly 5 minutes to walk to the location and arrive "right on time".

While I was keeping my fingers crossed and hoping against hope that the bus would arrive on time, I went to check out where the train taxi stand was, just in case if the bus's a no-show and I needa cab it. Waiting and waiting and waiting. THE BUS IS HERE!! Got on the bus, stared at the clock, and hoped the driver would take off according to schedule. THE BUS TOOK OFF RIGHT ON TIME!! When I was weeping for joy, the bus slowed down. Guess what?? The bridge was up and the red light was on. WE WERE STUCK!! The 3-minute wait was sheer torture. When the bus finally moved again, guess what next?? Two red lights in a row!! What the heck?? I was so close to have a nervous breakdown right there, I kid you not. One more turn, and there - I ARRIVED!!

Checked the time and I had only 2 minutes to walk the 5-minute distance (I needed to walk around the car park to get to the main entrance). I missed the interview last time because of the retarded NS delay, I couldn't and shouldn't be late this time. So I started running. It was not that easy to take to my heels when my heels were like 2.5-inch high!! So what I meant by "running" is - did a bit of "granny jogging" then walked a bit then jogged again. While I was running like a headless chicken, I looked up and saw the security camera staring right at me. Yes, the little red light was blinking. I could sooooo see the security guys pointing at the monitor and laughing their heads off. But hell, I couldn't bother that much. I need to get there at 11 sharp!! When I was 10 feet away from the main entrance, I started walking properly again and tried to catch my breath. I walked to the receptionist and the clock said...11.00AM!! YAY!! Now, do I still need to explain to you why I tend to get in a sweat about taking public transportation in the Netherlands??

The rest of the interview?? It went alright. I felt happy after the interview, because the two interviewers were very nice and friendly. They seemed pretty satisfied with my answers and responses. They even gave me a grand tour of the building. Now just gotta wait and see. I have another interview tomorrow. Yea, the companies seem to have some sorta agreement - they would both either ask me for an interview in the same week or not invite me at all. I have already read the job description again, made some jottings about what must be emphasized or mentioned during the interview, tried to predict some difficult questions and to answer them, and picked the clothes and heels. I think I'm all set.

You wanna wish me good luck with the travel tomorrow?? That's okay, I bet I don't need much luck this time. Because the only transportation I need tomorrow would be my feet. The place is only a 10 to 15 minute walk away, so I don't have to pace up and down all morning worrying if there would be delays. I am so very looking forward to tomorrow night, because I am meeting one of my very best friends in Antwerp!! She's now on her 5-day business trip and would spend a night in Antwerp before heading off to London and Paris. Since the last train from Antwerp to Rotterdam is 21.40, my man and I would crash at a hotel tomorrow so I could chat away with my friend. My best friend, Mexican dinner, Frozen margarita's, and Breakfast buffet the next morning. How can I not look forward to it?? Then back on Saturday late afternoon or night (would like to visit the Antwerp zoo if the weather is good), and have a Dutch birthday bash to crash on Sunday. What a busy weekend!!

Big sigh

2006-03-14T13:01:00.000+01:00

To quote this British guy I talked to at the station,

"The NS is one of my bloody pet hates!!"

I hate NS.

I freaking hate NS.

They promised the moon to boost the efficiency and quality of their train services when they raised the price of train tickets. Have they kept the promise?? NOOOOOO!!

I am freaking pissed now because I couldn't make it to a job interview today as the Rotterdam Centraal station suddenly shut down for like an hour this morning. According to the train planner, I should get the train at 11.30am so I could arrive 15 minutes earlier to prepare myself for the interview. But as being such a paranoid person, I arrived at the train station at 11am instead. My plan was to arrive even earlier and grab a quick coffee to calm my nerve. I could already smell trouble once I arrived at the R'dam station, as all the trains are having 20- to 40-minute delay.

I grabbed the train ticket, went up to the platform, and heard the announcement that no train was arriving or departing due to some technical problems. %#@#&!#%#!@?!!!!!! I patiently waited and waited, and was hoping against hope that my lucky bamboo could make miracles happen. But when it was 11.30am and I was still stuck on the platform with many other frustrated passengers, I knew that my luck was out. I felt like I had ants in my pants. If I couldn't get a train at 11.30am, I could never make it to the interview on time.

I called my boyfriend and asked desperately for other means of transportation. I could take a bus which would still make me 45-minute late for the interview. I could take a cab that would cost me a mint and may still be late as cab drivers in R'dam are not that familiar with the road in other cities. My man could come drive me there but I would still be late as he needed like an hour to drive from his work to R'dam station. I ran out of options, so I had to call and rearrange the interview.

The interview is rearranged, but I am still feeling so very frustrated. But hell, shxt happens and life moves on!!

A slight moan

2006-03-13T09:56:00.000+01:00

The weekend was mellow and seems to have flown by.

We did absolutely nothing but rented 3 DVD's on Saturday. Though we had planned to check out some balcony furniture at Gamma, the freezing weather was just a big turn-off for shopping outdoor furniture. My man and I have been saying that we gonna re-paint the balcony and finish the last coat of the kitchen's window frames. But again, blame the rainy/snowy/chilly weather!!

Sunday was a smiley day as we had to put on our smiley faces to visit my man's family. He was annoyed by his two siblings, while I was irritated by all the questions and suggestions about my job hunting progress. Four people in that house asked me if I got a job yet, so I had to admit defeat that I still don't have a job. I said that out loud four bloody times!! As I have been in denial lately, the admission of my jobless situation triggered off a wave of shame. I broke down once we got home, and allowed myself to cry my heart out for 10 minutes. I had a nightmare last night that even the dog asked me if I had any luck in job hunting, I kid you not.

But life has to go on anyway. There would be a big-ass family party in May as it is the 60th anniversary of my man's grandparents. All the close and distant relatives would be there. I had been feeling so paranoid and was convinced that those people would see me as a loser, who is jobless and speaks Dutch with a funny accent. But hell, I'm just going through a sticky patch and I shouldn't get myself down. My theory is: If I don't feel good, I have to look good!! So I have made a promise to myself - if I can nail down a full-time job or a 300 euro freelance project by the end of April, I would buy that 60 euro dress that I spotted at Zara.

By the way, my friend got me that bunch of flowers last Friday. Anyone knows the name(s)?? Though I don't know their names, but they look pretty cool and tough. One down side is - they keep losing some tiny pointed leaves.

Bit of luck

2006-03-10T15:08:00.000+01:00

I bumped into this lucky bamboo pot yesterday when I was wandering around downtown. It immediately charmed its way into my heart after I had read the little instruction card -

Much light, no direct sunlight - Water regularly - The soil must not dry up - Loves to be sprayed - Keep at room temperature

Only water and indirect sunlight!!

When I asked the florist which one to choose, he talked up a storm in great enthusiasm. Put it in a nutshell, choose one with a bright green color and healthy leaves (no yellow or brown leaf tips). He also gave me a tip to water the lucky bamboo with dirty aquarium water. I bet the lucky bamboo must love the microscopic stuff that builds up in the water. Try it if you have goldfishes.

He's apparently a Fengshui fan as he started explaining to me why it is called "lucky bamboo" and how to "use" it. The lucky bamboo is a symbol of luck and success because of its rapid growth and amazing strength. When I told him that my mother-in-law actually killed two lucky bamboo arrangements already, he explained that the lucky bamboo had probably sacrificed itself to screen her from some bad luck. I don't know if it's really the case, but it's definitely an interesting perspective.

This reminded me of my backpacking trip in Thailand, when an old monk gave me a red string. It was an interesting experience, as I was wandering round the temple with my friend and was stopped by the monk. He gave me a red string (my friend even asked for one but the monk refused to give him one), tied it round my wrist and told me that it would protect me from bad luck. He also warned me not to re-tie the string if it was broken, as the string would be carrying the bad luck. The string was broken that night, so I followed the instruction (as I had heard so many mysterious stories about Thailand at the hostel, better be safe than sorry) and chucked the string. I still wonder if anything bad would have happened if I had kept the string instead.

Anyway, the florist also told me that different numbers of bamboo stalks symbolize different kinds of luck. 2 stalks for love, 3/6 for happiness, 5/7 for health, 8 for wealth, 9 for general good fortune, 21 for blessings. He said that since my arrangement had 18 stalks, it symbolized a "double good fortune". I may not believe in Fengshui, but I sure love the idea of having a double good fortune sitting at home. Maybe this lucky bamboo would bring me a good job, hahaa.

Vigorous cleansing

2006-03-08T08:05:00.000+01:00

I am sending my dad a bath brush all the way from the Netherlands, because he is super picky about his bath brush. He has been using, and constantly bitching about, this bath brush for like 15 years. Can you believe that a bath brush could have a lifespan of 15 years?? I always bought him a bath brush as a souvenir from my trip - he got bath brushes from Whistler, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Cambodia, Belgium - in hopes that one of them could satisfy him, but all of them ended up in the trash after a week.

My dad explained that the loofah grew mildew, the boar bristles frayed easily, the handle was too short, the wooden handle was too straight, the plastic handle was too slippery, and the nylon bristles were too soft to give him a "vigorous cleansing" massage in the shower. He tried them, complained about them, chucked them out, and went back to his 15-year-old bath brush. My mom complains that the old bath brush looks ugly, but my dad says it serves him the best. GRRR. This Dutch bath brush is a cheap one, but its bristles are extremely stiff. Let's hope this would be the winner, fingers crossed.

Retarded me

2006-03-06T10:22:00.000+01:00

I'm super duper pissed now!!

One of the employment agencies sent me an email and told me that they couldn't further my application because my work permit would be expired soon in April 2006. I panicked because I'm dying to work. And I really can't afford to be screwed up by mishandling my work permit stuff. You must wanna ask me why I don't ask for a visa extension earlier to play safe, eh??

Here comes the part that triggers all my anger. The day when I collected this precious identity card from the City Hall in Dordrecht, I asked specially for the date that I should ask for an extension. If my memory serves me right, the conversation went like this -

(Me: Me, of course; GO: Government official)

Me: Just to be sure, when should I come back for an extension??
GO: That (pointed at the expiration date on my card and looked at me like I was an idiot).
Me: Ummm...so I should ask for an extension on April XX??
GO: Yea.
Me: Can I ask for one earlier??
GO: No, on April XX. Snap je dat (Eng: Do you understand)??
Me: Ja, kom ik terug bij April XX dan. Bedank en dag!! (Eng: Yea, I'll come back on April XX then. Thanks and bye!!)

But today when I surfed on the IND site and checked for information about visa extension (in order to get back to the employment agency). It is stated that a visa extension should be applied THREE MONTHS BEFORE the expiration date. What the...???!?!?!?!?!!?! I don't know if I should be pissed at the official for giving me the wrong information, or myself for counting on her words when Duth government officials are infamous for not caring/knowing much about their work.

Why am I so freaking stupid?? Why didn't I double check the information?? I didn't play safe, and I now am a sorry sight. Lesson learned!!