Yu-Kym's Blog

I was in Shanghai for work.

I expected the flight to be delayed, it being a Monday morning flight. I was well-prepared with a paperback version of Great Expectations. The guy seated beside had his pillow on the arm rest, invading into my space. I smiled and asked him whether he could remove it. He did so immediately. He decided to be friendly and asked me whether I am a student, etc. etc. while I was trying to read. I was relieved when he feel asleep as the plane took off, surprisingly on time.

The immigration offers were very friendly. Perhaps it's because there's a "rate me" device on the desk that cries out to be pressed by blinking after each person clears immigration.

I monitored the weather a week before my trip: the temperature was below 5 degrees Celsius. Thankfully, the temperature on the day I arrived was a comfortable 9 degrees.

My colleague had arranged a ride (RMB 200) for my group so we had a comfortable ride in a spacious car to the city. Traffic was smooth so the ride from Pudong airport to Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel (this hotel is closer to Hongqiao airport) took about 45 minutes. If we had taken train the train, we would have gotten to the hotel in 45 minutes too but we would have to walk about 500m to change train once and probably stand on the train if we could get on.

I waited about 15 minutes for my room. The room reserved for me was a smoking room. Apparently, if you are registered as "Mr" they'll assume that you smoke. (It was a company event so I didn't want to trouble the organiser to amend my reservation to "Ms").

The hotel room was nice but the walls were thin. I could hear people talking, doors slamming, water running and the door bell ringing in the next room so I didn't sleep well at all. In walls of the conference room also had thin walls. Like many recently designed rooms, the bathroom can be seen from the bed. The toiletries provided were adequate but they were missing bath salt. If I had a choice, I wouldn't stay here.

Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel (with blue lights)

Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel

Overall, the service at the hotel was good. There was always someone to direct you to the correct lift on the main floors (some lifts don't go to certain levels). The food was just bearable (you know what I think of hotel food). I saw one service staff by the name of Wendy drop napkins on the floor. She then picked it up and used it to wrap the utensils.


There is a mall, Cloud Nine Shopping Centre, adjoining the hotel so we didn't need to put on warm clothing to get food and to shop. My colleagues advised that the things in the mall were expensive (they went there a few months ago) so I brought only SGD200 worth of local currency (RMB) with me on the trip. There was no money changer in the mall.

There are many restaurants in the mall. The food is inexpensive (compared to Singapore).

Fried Xiao Long Bao

Fried Xiao Long Bao

In the basement, which connects to the train station, you can buy cheap food from the food counters. The shop which I bought the beef balls and noodles from had an item on the menu named "Beef urinate balls". (Did they mean marinate?) The counter was too crowded so I did not take a picture but bought myself some urinate balls to try instead.

Beef Balls and Noodles

My colleagues like this snack. One bought the entire stock in the shop the last time! It's nice but not worth SGD1. I bought 10 pieces because there was nothing else to buy.

Tai Yang Bing SGD1

Tai Yang Bing shop

The shops in the mall were similar to those that can be found in Singapore. Prices were similar as well. The only item worth buying were sanitary pads - curiously labelled "diaper". 20 slim pads (China brand) costs only SGD1. In Singapore, we would pay SGD5 for a similar pack of a different brand and in Indonesia SGD2 for an Indonesian brand. It's not condoms, so I think it is fine to use a local brand.

Diaper??

SGD1 for 20 slim pads

On one of the days, we had dinner at a restaurant at Zhongshan Park. It was quite a walk, especially when it was raining and cold! Honestly, I'd rather stay in the hotel and eat beef urinate balls.

On our way back after dinner, we found an underground connection through the mall that could have kept us out of rain for a while longer. There were some shops there but there weren't many customers.

Cloud Nine Shopping Centre

Subway station

Shops at the subway

Shops at the subway

SGD2 for 1 panty

I didn't do any sight-seeing during the trip. My daily schedule was fully packed from 8am to 8pm with work-related activities/functions/meetings/meals (NOT tour).

On Friday morning, the temperature dropped below 5 degrees. Thank goodness it was time for me to return to Singapore!

During my recent participation in a team-building event, there was no prize but I wanted my team to win anyway - and we won despite our handicap of having 1 member less than the other teams. Someone from another team said that had there been a prize, they might have tried harder.

I love winning; I hate losing.

Although this may sound like what everyone loves and hates (respectively), I have observed that many people love winning but they don't mind losing at all. When they don't win, they may say that they don't care for the prize or that the prize wasn't worth the effort.

Have you ever had team members who always complain instead of focus on the goals? I've been in such teams for short periods of time but I find ways to break away eventually. I don't like to be associated with losers. Spare me the "everyone's a winner" and "win-win situations". If people are not winners, they're losers. If they didn't even compete, they're nothing.

There was a long exchange of speculation about my relationship status in the comments of my recent post. I didn't bother to read the long paragraphs because I know my own relationship status :D

To set the record straight, no, I am not attached. I have made plans to live the rest of my life without being married. Should I meet someone suitable, that's great. Life goes on anyway, with or without men, boys and dogs.

I just keep doing the things that I love to do: travel, dive, run, write, read, cook, etc. If I were to opt to spend the rest of my life with someone, the person must have a few similar interests; I cannot expect the person nor be myself expected to change drastically. If I do meet someone along the way, that's a bonus. If not, at least I would have spent my time doing things which I enjoy. True, I may get bored or lonely sometimes but boredom can be comforting and more desirable than anxiety and trouble.

To set straight another point, I am not looking for the feeling of being in "love". I don't give a shit about romantic fantasy love the way the media makes it out to be. That is for the naive. The love I believe in is about responsibility, reliability, patience, kindness, self-love, self-denial, acceptance and understanding. Like the love that I share with my parents, love isn't a "thing" that is perfect. If we really believe that love can last forever, shouldn't we believe that love is a journey, an adventure which has no destination?

As usual, my flight was delayed. When it was finally my flight's turn to take off, we were told that the plane before us might have caused some burns on the track so the ground crew would have to examine the runway before we could take off.

Coincidentally, I met my university course-mate (my senior) on the same flight. It was good to have some company while waiting to clear immigration.

My colleague and I decided to stay at Grand Diamond Suites Hotel which is just beside Platinum Mall.

I checked in at a different time from my colleague who went to meet her family. Strangely, the receptionist asked me to pay in full upon check in but made no such request to my Thai colleague. I insisted on paying upon check out and the receptionist showed me her black face.

The smallest room is a 45-square-meter Junior Suite at 2,800 THB per night. I found it rather spacious. The living room with kitchenette was useful for inviting someone to my room to work. The glass on the windows were thin. I could hear the traffic from the 22nd floor. 2-hour wifi to be used within 24 hours costs an additional 300B and there was no wired internet connection. The wifi broke down on the 2nd day from 8.30am till some time after 6pm so I couldn't fully utilise the 2-hour connection. No refund was offered. The suite was clean but looked dated. Given the whole-day malfunction of the wifi, my colleague commented that many things in this hotel needed upgrading.

Grand Diamond Suites Hotel

Breakfast was ok but nothing like the spread at Pullman King Power Bangkok we stayed at on our previous trip. That hotel isn't as accessible though. It's rather hard to get a taxi to agree to take us there or take us out.

Road-side sushi is not recommended

I walked to the BTS train station (closest one to the hotel is Ratchathewi) and took a train to Nana station to look for a tailor that I had used before. They quoted me 1400 B per long-sleeved blouse/shirt and later reduced the price to 1100 B (SGD45) but I found it still too expensive so I didn't tailor any. They used to charge 800 B (SGD32). For the price of one blouse, I can buy 4 dresses at Platinum Mall! Totally not worth making a blouse there.

I had dinner at a restaurant in Siam Paragon. I didn't like the food. The prawn cakes were too salty and the green curry was too thin and tasteless.

The star attraction there was a chocolate counter where fresh chocolate was made by the chocolate chefs there and small portions given out for free.



On the 2nd day I had Thai chicken rice for lunch. The rice and chicken are drier and not as oily as the Singapore version. The chilli is also different.

Thai chicken rice

Some shops at Platinum Mall sold the same things that they did half a year ago. I had wanted to buy a particular dress on my last trip when I didn't bring enough money. O this trip I (almost) didn't have enough money again. I had approximately SG$200 cash and US$300 traveller's cheques only. One of the ATM machines at the airport was out of order and I forgot to find another one. But I managed to cash a cheque at TMB bank money changing counter outside the mall (it is beside the 7-11). They charge THB 33 (SGD1.40) per cheque. Anyway, I managed to buy that dress :) The owner/salesperson was very friendly and helpful.

I bought the majority of my dresses from one particular shop. The owner/worker there wasn't trying to rip me off unlike at other shops where they sell things at higher prices to tourists. I bought the first 3 dresses for 250 B each. I went back to the hotel and tried them on. They fit well so I went back to buy another 7. I got a discounted price: 200 B each. I also bought from a friendly lady a long-sleeved shirt for 250 B which I tried on and my colleague said was nice (compare this to the 1100 B at the tailor with attitude!)

For my own reference and if you need to know, there are costume shops in the basement, on both ends of the building. You can get French maid, schoolgirl, policewoman, etc outfits there. They don't cum cheap though. The list price is about 800 - 1000 B (SGD32-45) but I think you can bargain. Photography is not allowed so I did not snap pictures.

If you like red and black dresses, this shop has a good range. It's located at Nathan 14 (817-831). The material is difficult to iron though (that's why I didn't buy any).




You must be aware of the flooding in Thailand a few months ago. This picture shows the flood level of one of the places I visited. At the highest water level, a person of average height would barely be able to keep his mouth and nose above water.

Flood water level

Across the road from the hotel and a short walk down, I patronised a massage place. The place was new and the massage was good. 1-hour traditional Thai massage costs 200 B.

Cat seated in a pot outside the massage place.

2 dog pals looking for food nearby.

Wifi wasn't working at the airport either.

No wifi

The food at the airport sushi bar was just ok. The sushi was fine but the fried noodles was too chewy.



There was no flight delay back to Singapore but I was stuck in traffic because of an accident near East Coast Park. I'm glad to be back and will try to enjoy my stay in Singapore for the next one week before I fly to Shanghai.

I know it's way past the 1st of January but it's not too late to write my new year resolutions!

One common phrase that people use is "Life is short". I would rebuke that with "But it may be longer than you think".

While I believe that we should live in the present, I also believe that living responsibly today improves one's chances of living well tomorrow. Today can't be good if we did not do the right thing yesterday.

My goals are not different from those in 2010. (I did not write any for 2011). Some resolutions which I had back then now come easily to me without much conscious thought so those are removed. These are the things that I consciously need to do this year:

1. Work hard: Do my best at work, define and develop work processes, increase delegation of work, forge stronger relationships with clients.
2. Play hard: Do the things that I love such as going to nature spots, train hard, meet people (friends, ex-colleagues, new people, etc).
3. Eat well: Pack food to work more often, eat more vegetables, eat vitamins.
4. Sleep well: Sleeping before 10pm every day.

I plan to follow strict routine and timetables!

What are your goals and resolutions?



Related posts:
[New year goals and resolutions - Part 1]
[New year goals and resolutions - Part 2]
[New year goals and resolutions - Part 3]
[My new year resolutions 2009]
[What kind of person I want to be?]
[5 Rules for Happy Living]

Many people abandon their pets and dogs. "It requires much effort to keep a large dog, which needs a lot of food and exercise. Many people get puppies because they want to follow a fashion, without being prepared to take care of them when they grow up."

I think the same thing is happening with children. We hear of children who get abandoned and children whose parents give toys and money but no love or attention.

A baby bump is fashionable. The celebrities have it. Pregnant women go to photo studies to have nude pictures of themselves taken by so-called artistic photographers (disgusting!).

I wonder: do people really want to have children to love or do they love having children as accessories to their lives?

Parents brag about how smart their children are. Well, I guess it’s something to talk about if there’s nothing else in their lives worth mentioning. When friends start talking about children, that’s when I shut up. The only thing I have to offer is my opinion that what a child grows up to be is 80% nature and 20% nurture so parents shouldn’t be too hard on themselves when their children don’t behave as they wish.

And the Chinese year of the Dragon is a popular year. It is silly to raise children based on superstition. E.g. having a baby born in the year of the Dragon. They might have forgotten to choose the right month, date and time too. Are all the 12, 24, 36, 48- year old people successful? And are people born in the other years less successful than those born in the year of the dragon? I thought it should be obvious that the year of birth has got little to do with how the child turns out.

Hospitals are full, it is difficult to hire a confinement lady, it would be difficult for the child to secure a place in a good school or get a good job upon graduation if any at all. Furthermore, the parents who plan to give birth to children this year because of superstitous belief aren’t intelligent themselves so in the absence of good sense and good genes, I shall wish them good luck with hoping to have intelligent children!

Someone posted her problem online:

So, I love a man who is into this...
It freaks me out...
He does it secretly through pictures over the internet.
All I want to do is shower him with love, affection and tenderness.
But instead I find over 600 pictures on his computer of self punishment sent to his online master...
He calls himself "slut"

Can I love him
Can he love me?
Am I chasing nothingness...

I'm so frustrated, afraid, and f&$%ed up

My friends are surprised when I tell them that there are many men who secretly refer to themselves as sluts and slaves.

I showed a female friend a picture of a male slut (with his consent). She commented that it's hard to imagine that such a well-groomed guy can be so "perverted". I have to agree. I wouldn't be able to guess that from the picture or in person.

What would you do if you discover that your partner has such sexual preferences?
a) Read up more about it and explore it with your partner;
b) Insist that he/she change or break up because you can't bring yourself to do it;
c) Come to an agreement that what he/she does with the Master remains online only;
d) Pretend not to know; or
e) Be really happy because you are a closet dom/domme.