Movies and sight seeing...

I finally had the time to update my blog. Been so tire at work that at the end of the day, i just crash and burn on my bed with the TV staring back at me. So what besides work, what have i been doing. Well for starters, I had watch both Star Trek and Fast 6. And all I can say is Fast 6 really blow my mind. Spoiler Alert!!! Mr Transporter is going to be in Fast 7... hehehe.  Watch it and you know what i mean.

Over the weekend, we also found this awesome night market which focuses on antique themes. The place is call Rod Fai Market. Basically it is an open-air bazaar set beside an abandoned railroad track, the vintage look never goes out of style. Spread on the ground is all kinds of collectibles and memorabilia from the yesteryear, from antique furniture to hippy fashion to Mao kitsch. But it could be hard to find, as it’s tucked behind what appears to be an abandoned warehouse near the Chatuchak Weekend Market.

I noticed there are two sections to the market. Facing Kamphaeng Phet Road, the front section occupies a large empty space that looks like a parking lot. Here, market vendors display their collections on the ground or on makeshift props like wooden crates, pallets and retro cars. After I venture further in, down a narrow backstreet and you will get to the abandoned warehouse where even more vendors and goods fill the entire area that leads to the old trains and railroad tracks.The variety of products available is impressive. I saw everything from household goods, old electronic appliances and used auto parts to secondhand clothes, shoes and fashion accessories – all vintage style of course. I was told many vendors are also collectors of vintage items, so it’s not uncommon to see hobbyist items such as old cameras, bikes, Coca-Cola collectibles and Japanese anime toys on sale as well. Anyways, i uploaded some photos here.

On the other note, Mummys oral glucose test results says she has high sugar. So the hospital gave us some sort of glucose monitoring test kit and mummy has to stick the needle in her fingertwice a day to get a little blood to check her sugar level. And that really bothers mummy because you see, mummy is afraid of needles. I mean who doesnt. I know i do. So here is some photos how it looks like. Till then, ciaoz !

GE 13 - Hello! Lu cakap apa?

Yes, GE 13 is over And yes I am still disapointed with the result. And when I read the news today, I am utterly disgusted. I am too angry to express myself here. So I am just going to share with you what these idiots are saying.

IDIOT NUMBER 1 < Mohd Ali Rustam, Chief Minister of Malacca >

“They say Malays are racists but it is they who are racist. The Chinese do not do not appreciate what we have done as they come late to my house to seek help and this is what I get in return.“Am I that bad, for Malacca performed as the best state in Malaysia, with the lowest unemployment?“The Chinese are as prosperous as the Malays, they have bog houses and good basic infrastructure and when they are rich, they despise us,” Mohd Ali, who lost his bid for the Bukit Katil parliamentary seat, is quoted as saying.

His statement has so many wrong that I dont know where to start. Nevermind la.

Rasicts apa? Appreciate apa? Best state apa? Lu sudah kalah. Diam la. Hello! Lu cakap apa?

IDIOT NUMBER 2 < Abdul Ghani Othman, Johor Menteri Besar >

"Voting with emotion has caused polarisation to occur in Johor, especially in urban areas as shown in the results of 13th polls," he told a press conference at Johor Persada Convention Centre here.

Emotion apa? Polarisation apa? Lu sudah kalah. Diam la. Hello! Lu cakap apa?

IDIOT NUMBER 3 < Huan Chang Guan, VP Parti Cinta Malaysia >

"This election is interesting, (we were) totally played out by the Chinese, when they need help for schools, temples, association and others, they come for me. But when they vote, they vote for DAP."I have learnt my lesson. Now I will close down all my service centres. Will spent my time enjoying myself. Lu orang mati lu punya pasai. Jangan cari saya lagi. (If you die, it is your business. Don't look for me again)," said a bitter Huan on his Facebook page.Huan contested for the Batu Kawan parliamentary seat in a four-cornered fight and lost to DAP's Kasthuriraani Patto who won by a whopping 25,962 majority.

Chinese apa? So sore loser meh? Lu sudah kalah. Diam la. Hello! Lu cakap apa?

IDIOT NUMBER 4 < Tun Mahathir, Ex-PM >

Mahathir said the Chinese community has been taken in by DAP's "propaganda" to topple a "corrupt Malay" government.He also rejected the notion that the voting trend reflects the urban-rural divide in politics."Now urban extends to suburban areas as well. As a result, even Selangor has become a Chinese-majority state," he said.Mahathir repeated his stance that the DAP's campaign was to make the Chinese community hate the Malay community."I have said this several times in my campaign, even in Johor. Lim Kit Siang brought about the concept of Malaysian Malaysia, with the intention of making the Chinese hate the Malays,” he said. “As a result, many Chinese rejected the Malay hand of friendship."

Propaganda apa? Reject apa? Lu sudah tua dan nyanyuk. Diam la. Hello! Lu cakap apa?

IDIOT NUMBER 5 < Ah Jib Gor, Mr Magician >

 Najib Abdul Razak has branded the election results tonight on a "Chinese tsunami" and warned that such "polarised" voting trends would be "dangerous" to the country.

Aihs. Look at our leaders today. Maths fail. IQ zero. Is it so hard to accept the fact that people want change and has nothing to do with race. Keeping dancing to these tunes you old goons. Enjoy your victory while it still last. And please stop embarassing yourself by using Utusan as your mouth piece.

What to do right? Just enjoy these photos lor..
And lastly...

Hello! Lu cakap apa?

GE 13: I am so fxxking disapointed

After so many months of not staying up so late, i could say i am totally exhausted. I stayed up till 3am Thai time for the GE result and yet so disapointing!!! Tears roll down my cheeks as I fall asleep. I was actually too tired and disappointed to write a proper GE-13 post but after seeing the different stories and opinions being shared around Facebook, I am tempted to write down how I feel too about this election.

From what I've seen so far, the response to the news have been diverse, from the overly optimistic ones (at least we have 80% turnout!) to the ones demanding action (lets sign a petition!).I, on the other hand, belong to the disillusioned ones. The ones that think that try as we might, it is almost impossible to change the federal government. As much as we're screaming for change now, come GE-14, the outcome would most probably be no different. Because like it or not, the status quo has become so entrenched that unless some drastic action is taken, nothing much will change, even if it's 5 years to the future or even 10 years into the future. Why, you may ask, when everywhere the sentiment has been changing?

Lets face the facts here. I think we can all agree that the majority of politicians in BN are interested in nothing except to keep their power. They are not interested in the process of democracy nor the development of the nation and as far as I see it, they only perform their job only to a minimal satisfactory value. Meaning that as long as they can pass, they don't mind getting a D or C+ grade, never an A grade. Self interests rather than the interests of nation always come first. Which is why you see most BN politicians love to indulge themselves with luxurious spending while ignoring the plights of many normal Malaysians.

And from what happened during the election, we can all see that they have no qualms sabotaging every feature of our Malaysian democracy. From bringing in foreign voters, to unusable ballot papers, to magical blackouts, it would seem that they are prepared to do whatever they can to ensure that the odds are in their favor. And they would surely do the same again 5 years later. And this is totally embarassing . Did you think that the world do not know of such hanky panky in Malaysian democracy. International media has all eyes focus in this GE. Im also surprised to see on front page of the Bangkok Post the cheatings of the ruling government and the ink flaw by the election committee. Is all reported in Thai news. My wife even said "Wah.. You guys better than Taksin (Formerly outcast thai pm). fly aeroplane bring Bangla come vote"

Which is why I think that no matter how much Malaysians try to change the government through the politically correct way, we can't. Because ultimately, the power to change the system lies with BN themselves. Just look at this election. Even though PR won by the popular votes, with 51% as compared to BN's 49%, BN still garnered way more seats than PR, thus forming the government. I don't know about you but as far as I understand democracy, the party that wins more votes should be the elected government. The fact that the election commission itself, which is supposed to be impartial, came up with such a seat division speaks volume about BN's influence.

Which is why I'm cynical over the prospect of the election doing any change in Malaysia in the future. After all, BN operates in the shadow. Because they have been in power for so long, one can never know what tricks they can pull to ensure that they stay in power. Unless we are able to ensure the impartiality of the election commission, which I highly doubt so because BN can just resort to bribery and intimidation tactics and we can't do shit about it because the police are under them too, we can forget about using election to change the government. Coupled with their absolute control over the media, getting the message out would not be easy. Which is why for me, the giving up option looks especially tempting. My wife said "You cant do anything. You only 1 person. The thai people knew then they cannot throw taksin through vote. So we go to the streets. We protests. Pressure him." Although i myself is no supporter of demonstration and resignation by force, but in this case I think shes right. Is no way BN will lose through the democratic process.

Not only that, BN has also created a system whereby a huge number of people are brainwashed every year to believe their propaganda. Just look at the local university education for example. Tons and tons of graduates are churned out every year believing that BN is their protector and PR is evil (looking at the status updates of some of my Malay friends breaks my heart) and while not all are like that, a lot of them are. Unless we can come up with a way to stop the institutionalized racism advocated by BN, there would be still a lot of ready made soldiers who will be groomed to continue to support BN. The entire system itself is designed in such a way to allow BN to continue to stay in power.

But then again, 5 years is a very long time. A lot can happen in the period of 5 years. As sad as the news yesterday might be and as bleak as our future might look, I think the only consolation here is that Penang and Selangor still went back to PR. While it might be impossible to force a change in the central government due all the measures put into place to ensure BN's grip on power, it is still possible to change the state governments. The task is not easy by possible. Only though a change in state governments can we slowly weed the negative influence by BN out and to give PR a chance.

My only concern now is what the BN government might consider to do for the next 5 years. For starters, the thought that Muhyiddin Yassin will be the next PM scares me. Here is a man who identify himself as a Malay first and a Malaysian second and also someone who is well known for his corruption streak during his tenure as the Johor MB. As much as I hate Najib, I think he's forced into a corner most of the time and as compared to Muhyiddin, Najib is seen like an angel. Not only that, given their dismal performance this time, I would not be surprised if UMNO decides to take more drastic action to solidify their power and position. The common thinking that the Chinese are to blame for this Ge-13 performance propagated by UMNO currently certainly does not bode well for us. Aside from that, the possibility of veteran leaders such as Anwar and Lim Kit Siang retiring is also not a good news.My only hope is just for Malaysia to survive the next five years.

Work, Baby shopping & Iron Man 3

Lets all face it. We hate our jobs! IMHO, theres nothing worst than working for a company 8-12 hours a day for 5 days a week. Its like you at work all the time and the world is just passing you by. The dream of being self-made is just that, a dream! They pack you in the workplace and it becomes habit. By the time its all over with you’re than old man sitting on the edge of the bed wishing you had the guts and will to go out and make it happen!

Thats basically how everyone thinks about work. But today im not going to whine about my work. In fact im fortunate to have a job. Im used to be always on the run. I use to be a salesman you see. Thats all I ever done and thats all I ever know how to do.I have always wanted to experience what it would be like to work in an office environment and have considered working in an office. This work experience will give me a chance to see if working in an office would suit me in the future.

On my first day I was introduced to Mr Thongyai who was my supervisor. He gave me a brief overview of what they do in Cimb Thai. He then brought me around the office and showed me the fire drill. He introduced me to the other members of staff who I would be working with. I was then brought my desks which is a small cubicle at the end of the room.
So what do I do? Im a product development manager and I develope unsecured lending products for emerging markets. Basically that was what ive been told. Im still quite blurry myself at the moment. I was then given a stack of files to read through and was shown in the area which I was to look for them. I found the staff extremely helpful and were more than willing to help me with any problem I had. They were extremely friendly and brought me to lunch with them. I observed that there was great communication between the staff which contributed to an excellent working environment. A bit surprise isn it? But the thais working here can speak a fairly good command of english that some of our malaysian grads are put to shame. Anyway it was my first day, and not much is done. Hoping that the rest of the week is more useful and enjoyable!!

1st May... Similiar to Msia. Its labour day. Which means. Holiday.
With the impending arrival of Baby Justin, we’ve had to rethink and readjust how we use the space in our room and also things to purchase. Our room is small currently. That means we’ve had to get creative in terms of storage. We made progress but there’s still so much to figure out and there are so many different shelving and organization systems out there, I want to make sure we’ll get the most use out of whatever we get. My poor brain has been on overload trying to think it all through.With playroom organization on the brain 24/7,  in the end we only got some basic products for Justin arrival.

In the evening, we went to my most anticipated movie.... IRON MAN 3. Im not going to be a big spoiler here. But its really good ! Go watch it !

Just for the records, theres this awesome Iron Man expo at Siam Paragon. There are lots of iron man models and figurines and its just super cool. And there is this simulator where you get to become ironMan. Great fun! Anyway i'll just let the photos speak for themselves. Till then. Tata!

The Tough Road to Redemption

Eckhart Tolle believes we create and maintain problems because they give us a sense of identity. Perhaps this explains why we often hold onto our pain far beyond its ability to serve us. We replay past mistakes over and over again in our head, allowing feelings of shame and regret to shape our actions in the present. We cling to frustration and worry about the future, as if the act of fixation somehow gives us power. We hold stress in our minds and bodies, potentially creating serious health issues, and accept that state of tension as the norm.

Though it may sound simple, Ajahn Chah’s advice speaks volumes: “If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.”

I have learned that there will never be a time when life is simple. There will always be time to practice accepting that. Every moment is a chance to let go and feel peaceful. But this is not always the case. People often talk about running away to another, better place to escape their problems. But they are reminded that the problems remain even if they clean up and do things right this time around.

I often have thought of getting a fresh start somehow. I got that opportunity. But no matter how many times you try to do something right this time, you are constantly reminded on your past failures.

I left a good job last year because i couln't stand the people and felt i deserved better pay. Since then i've gone from job to job earning a fraction of what i used to and basically being taken advantage of to make ends meet. At the moment i dont care what i do if it keeps debtors off my back. I've had offers of telephone interviews but ive always bailed out at the last minute - i get nervous and don't like 'performing' for people, it feels so fake and annoys me so much. Even a proper interview I had I cancelled at the last minute becase if I put my all into it still didnt get the job i probably would never recover mentally - it almost seems like im protecting myself from disappointment because I know I can't take anymore.

I've always been optimistic growing up but sometimes things just don't work out the way you hoped. Friends are off advancing their careers and buying their houses and i'm up to my neck in bad debt and a child on the way. I basically single handly destroyed my wife's life. (Back then my girlfriend). She had a great life going. She managed to work her way to university, learning english and like any young lady, full of hope and passion to drive. That until we had a baby. I destroyed her dreams. I hate the feeling of unable to provide food on the table for my wife. I cant give back her previous life but I want to be able to support her. At least I owe her that much.

Back then, by the end of this month the banks and what not will be hassling me for money i don't have. I just need time to get myself back together maybe two months but they wont give it to me and especially not if they find out im unemployed. I used to thinking about opting out of life. Liquid detergent, rat poison, running towards a moving car, jumping of the 11th floor. I have actually thought about it. And the only thing that was keeping me from not doing it was my mother who doesn't need the pain and also myself - I truely feel i deserve better than to end my one and only life for banks that wont give a fuck after im gone anyway. The sad thing is i know i can bring it back, i know i can get back on track i just need time, space and money and I have none of those. Now that my father has taken that burden from me, I feel like I owed my life to him. The pain and suffering I caused to my family, the monetary burden I caused to my father, the hardship to my wife for needing to bear all this. I want it to all go away. I wish I could change and amend the past. I wish I could continue living without doubt and fear. Now I have to constantly look behind to see how people judge me. Being reminded what a failure I am and what a torn I am to the ones I love.

 I dont think I can ever forget, and I definitely cant forgive myself.

Sorry....

Budgets vs Expenses

One of my many attempts to better myself is to start taking charge of my daily expenses. Today the 25 is a significant day as it would be my salary day next month once i start work. Hence, it also the day we should review our expenditure for the month. And with encouragement from my father and my wife, I have took iniative to write down what I spend on and below is the result. I always ponder why cant i save money. I was educated in accounting and finance. And brought up in a family where money is hard earned and should be well saved. And yet and i do not hold all these values. In fact i have to admit im the total opposite. I am foolish and spending money i dont have. And hopefully this would be another step to a better me.

 To be honest, I am not really proud of my current financial standing but given the fact that most of the expenses are not expected before hand, I am surprised that I could actually control my expenses on necessities such as food and transportation which is key to survival. Expenses uncalled for was the cost of obtaining my visa. Other large expenses were the purchase of tv and fridge but I reckon that this 2 are definetely needed and this are one time off expenses. The other costs were the hospital expenses for my expecting wife which yet is unavoidable.

In summary, this month should be a good month if is not due to the one time off payments.  I started off with 40506 baht after conversion. This budget only took consideration of rental deposits and Food & Transportation. Unavoidable expenses were pouch medical fees and visa application which sums up to 16959 baht. In the end,Total expenses went up to 56215 baht.

But based on my calculations, I shall require additional 30000 baht for the months of May. The May budget is as follows:

Calculation of food is based on average from the month of april expenses.
Calculation of transportation is based on 70 baht 2 way for train to work. And remainding for other form of travel.
Rental is 5500 to be paid 1st of every month together with utilities.
Utilities such as electricity and water are based on estimates.
Telephone is based on usage in the month of April.

To be honest, this is really a good way. And next month will be a great month! Gambatee!

Chaengwattana - Immigration Headaches

Monday

Got my letter for a medical check up at one of the the panel clinics. I was only then inform to resubmit my pending documents including my health report to the immigration office. However, I have to pay the costs on my own. I died once again. $$$. The one thing I really trying not to use. But I guess is unavoidable. I tried negotiating with my future boss can these expenses be claimed later on. He simply replied "Maybe after your confirmation". Anyway nice try huh. So Firstly, I headed to the nearest panel clinic available at Chidlom.It was pretty fast. About an hour,  I got my medical report free of charged and I was good to go. Though the dovtor say im overweight, I Couldnt care less. Im just happy to cross out another item from my lenghty to-do lists. Arrived at Chaengwattana around 2pm. I walked to the counter to get my number. Before I could even ask, The lady at the counter quickly said " Too many people today. Come back tmr. Open 8am". I was lik e wtf!? So ten minutes after setting foot in the complex I was back in the taxi again. Nothing much I could do then.

Tuesday

Went to Chaengwattana again this morning to submit my documents for a 1 year visa and working permit. Arrived at 08.29 and my heart sank when I saw the queue waiting for the Immigration office to open, the queue was in a circle back to the entrance of the complex.Doors opened spot on 08.30 and there was a rush like the first day of the Mega sale, I got my queue ticket at 08.45.  There are actually a list of different visas. Mine is the Thai non-immigrant 'O' visa.

I provide the details to ease the way for others interested in this option and who would like to conserve their time and energy providing the proper documentation.

No police record.Clean medical record.The documentation has to be notarized.The requirements are listed on the consulate website but it’s not exactly clear Iwhat actual documents they want. They refer to an “income certificate”, a “medical certificate”, and a copy of you “police record” but exactly what these started out as and what they will accept was a bit of a mystery.Over the months, I’ve gotten inside the head of Thai bureaucrats and understand the Thai paperwork process. It’s not about really proving or documenting anything. The process is about making you jump through some hoops for the sake of appearance.  It creates jobs and everyone is happy pretending they are doing something. It’s mindless, harmless, eats some time and money, and is hardly unique to Thailand. Most Thai bureaucracies are not computerized and the paper gets filed away somewhere and forgotten.


Working permit is a different story all together. But im too tire now to write it all down. All in all u get an inch thick stack of documents to be submitted.

I got to my turn around 11am. Submitted the documents and answered a whole bunch of ridiculous Questions prrompt by the officer. In the end it costs me:

Thai visa - 5500 baht
Working permit - 3000 baht For 1 year
Translation services - 2000 baht including certification chop on all my documents by the Malaysian embassy.

Grand total: 10500 baht and this is excluding my taxi fare. God pls help me..

Im asked to return 2 days later and my passport handed in. My budget just overblown. Thanks to mr immigration.