Been back in Aberdeen for 2 days. Have already had a night of interrupted sleep thanks to annoyingly loud flatmate. Then again it might be my fault for sleeping at 7pm. The point when I seriously considered to clobber her head off amidst my drowsiness may very well have been only 9pm or even earlier. That said if it was not for her jolting me awake every now and then, how could I then not be refreshed after 12 hours of sleep?!!?
Then there's the part where the kitchen is beyond filthy. After lugging my luggage up the stairs, I had to empty the bin then lug down bags of rubbish which were left on the kitchen floor creating a fort around the bin, the tops agape with contents visible to all- damn bloody disgusting! I haven't even mentioned the sinks. Hoho.. they were both clogged up with dishes and food remnants. The interesting bit is how one side had the same plates from 2 months ago. Live culture experiment yipee!!! From the looks of it, the cleaner was obviously MIA last week. But then again, how difficult could it be to bring rubbish downstairs on the way out? And people complain they don't exercise enough.Haiyo don't ask me how people (or if you want to be sexist, girls) can stand living like that. I'm wondering as well.
This reminds me of my weed-loving flatmate 2 years ago. Being the only guy in the flat, he was surprisingly pretty clean, taking the rubbish out and all. The only thing is the smell of pot in the kitchen which arguably gives a certain oomph to the food prepared there. At least he's neat! Ha! And come exam time, he nags me to study when he catches me watching Sex and the City reruns instead. So yeah, between pot and hygiene, I choose hygiene. It would be great if there wasn't a catch but life's unfair like that.
His lil' ashtray
Oh and speaking of exams, my panic sensor's faulty!
Less than 5 days to finals..I haven't revised and this is my most unprepared form to date yet I don't seem to have the urgency to crash-revise. Looks like I need to have loads of luck to bullshit my way through next week. Dam di da doom la la la...
This benign but potentially malignant syndrome is denoted by a cluster of psychosomatic symptoms and signs as a result of having to budge from a familiar surrounding not out of an individual's choice. More common and predictable in those with a previous similar history. The alteration in one's personality and habits usually begin a few days prior to the actual relocation but if severe, can be observed a week before with subtle signs manifesting up to a fortnight prior to that. The duration varies depending on the severity of the syndrome, with Grade I seeing resolution within a week post-move, Grade II less than 2 weeks and Grade III less than a month. A period more than a month should be referred for treatment.
Symptoms
Unable to palate large amounts of food despite the desire to have them all
Limbs feel like they are made of lead
Interrupted sleep, waking up before afternoon
Vivid dreams involving memories of people associated with this place called home
Inability to concentrate even when thinking of devilish plans
Imagines to have superhero abilities to transport oneself from one place to another just by wishing
Signs
Decreased speech content, tone or may just be odd eg. incomprehensible sentences randomly peppered with words like fishball, watermelon etc
Reduced mischievousness
Clinging to pieces of furniture in an octopus-like manner for hours on end
Doesn't respond to retail therapy, bribes of new toys and doesn't even blink at the sight of money
Management
Reassurance of better inducement and continuous offers of toys MIGHT work. However, in seasoned syndrome sufferers, trickery might be the best bet, with bags packed by a third party and the individual forcefully bundled off with the luggage when the time comes...
"WHAT?!!?? Hill-walking? You?!!!" "Go Gunung Tahan la...ahahaHaHaHAHAHAHAHAHA" *_*'
In the end, we ended up at Thean Hou Temple on Robson's Height which did involve hill-walking ;) At the end of the day, on a pavement leading to Jalan Tun Sambathan, Mr Bigfoot left his trackmarks...
"I hope my 2 young kids will be strong after I'm gone. Without the vital surgery, my days are numbered. Where would I find the money? I'm just a housewife and my husband can barely make ends meet. Social welfare can't help me as I am only a PR here. My children will have to watch me fade away before their very own eyes."
In the next bed, an elderly gentleman was patiently cleansing his unconscious wife's body with a damp towel; her shrivelled upper half form laid exposed barely hidden by the portable screen, which he had wheeled there himself in an effort to produce some form of privacy and to maintain his wife's dignity. The screen was so small that it could only envelope a quarter of the lower half of the bed, shielding them from privy eyes only from the front but failed miserably in its function if viewed from the side. Nevertheless he patiently continues with this routine a few times in a day, optimising his surroundings and keeping his wife as comfortable as possible.
Across the cubicle, a breathless middle-aged woman who was sitting crossed-leg on a mattress on the floor propped in the small space between opposite ends of four beds, was furiously wiping away her sweat. Although the fans were on full blast, the midday heat was clearly too much to bear for the 70 odd (and increasing as seen by the number of people waiting at the entrance) inhabitants of an amenity ideally designed for less than 40. More mattresses were quickly laid out on the floor to accommodate the new residents...
Lunch was a small serving of rice, boiled vegetables, boiled fish, all sans salt and sugar, and a slice of papaya. Does nutritious and balanced meals equate bland and unpalatable food?
In contrast, those who could afford it will be placed in a bed space with slightly better conditions that offers the opportunity to select their own meals preferences. And if they have more to spend, an air-conditioned space, a 2-bedded or even a private room is possible instead of the 'military barracks'. Yes, the cost of running these different stars facilities within the same institution does reflect the decision on whether to book someone with a business, first or economy class bed.
However an idealist me is wondering why some mercy can't be awarded to some of the unfortunate in terms of monetary assets by upgrading the economy to super economy class, or even better, if and when there are more than enough empty beds in the latter? Sure enough, it will not make any economic sense but if the facilities are already readily available, and that they only lack 'tenants', can we at least consider to 'subsidise the upgrade' of the chronically ill especially the elderly? Should there be a demand in these bed spaces later on, those who were previously upgraded could maybe be downgraded again until further opportunity arises.
I know it is easier said than done especially with all the beauracracy and protocol hurdles to consider. It's ironic that although I view them as 'underprivileged' in terms of equality, most adapt and cope with their situations very well. Not only do they not complain, but they expressed gratitude to the availabity of free / minimal fee care in times of need. This is starkly different with some of those in private setting who PAY to be rude and treat staff as their personal servants.
His lil' ashtray
