Now with the coffee, I can finally remember how awesome it tastes. I tried to follow the default recipe printed on the label but it felt somewhat empty, like it was missing something.
Here's the recipe:
1 tsp Nescafe Gold
150ml hot water
low fat milk or 1 tsp sugar, optional
Without either milk or sugar, I didn't like it. Being no coffee connoiseur, I have no high expectations and no bs about how coffee should go without sugar or milk or blah blah blah. Heck, I drink coffee only when I need it, which is during exam periods, and those are twice a year only. So I will always remain the amateur coffee drinker. Coffee with lots of sugar and lots of milk is heavenly. Here's my recipe:
150ml water
1 tsp Nescafe Gold
3 tsp sugar
4 tsp condensed milk
FUCK YEAH!!!!
My second consecutive weekend here in NTU. Last week my mum SMSed me to tell me I'm heartless. Wonder what's next. She probably forgot I'm having exams next week. I hope my bro's mugging will remind her. He's having his the week after.
I like how if they don't trim the bushes and grass out there, little butterflies would flourish. Back when I was in the army, the camp I worked in had this patch of decorative bushes as wide as the porch it was in front of. And I noticed that the week just before the gardeners came, tiny butterflies would be flying all over this patch in the middle of the road. Feels very pleasant whenever I walk past it.
Then the gardeners would come and trim everything down to the barest stalks. Seriously, one day the patch was all green and white and stuff, the next day it'd be mostly brown because all the ugly branches and stalks would be exposed while all the little flowers and leaves would be gone. I've always thought they weren't here to merely trim the bushes - they were here to try to kill the plants without uprooting them.
And from the pretty little garden it'd turn into something close to a desert for a while. The cycle repeats itself every few months, or every month, can't remember exactly. And everytime that happens I always felt it was a pity all the butterflies were gone.
Found this blog(?) website of some guy who's been travelling for years in Asia. For leisure, not business. His post comparing Singapore's Tiger Airways and India's Paramount Airlines caught my eye when I first visited it and it opened my eyes.
Personally I don't have mucn experience with budget flights, but his description of the service of Paramount defies all expectations I have when I see the word "budget". Heck, I've never even heard of inflight meals included in any budget flights but Paraount's got it. I guess I really don't know anything about those airlines outside Singapore.
And real metal cutlery and porcelain bowls? WTF?
The third point that surprised me was the incredible service at the airport. Mainly it was the airline rep who brought them to another counter about 20m away because there were 4 groups in front of him and later bowing in apology to every single passenger for a FIFTEEN-MINUTE flight delay. I repeat, FIFTEEN-MINUTE delay. Holy cow! And did I mention each passenger also received a free snack voucher they could use in the departure area because of the same delay?
Unfortunately Paramount doesn't offer international flights. If it does, Tiger and Jetstar will disappear within a month. It'll be total pwnage.
In short, Tiger really sucks even for a budget airline.
Like Americans lying that they're Canadians, sooner or later we'll need to lie that we're Malaysians whenever we go overseas.
Another post on his website discussed how to retire early like him. His philosophy is so similar to mine - spend less on everything and don't buy useless stuff! Woohoo! I'm retiring early! LOL! But first, I need to learn how to make money without working, like renting out a house in western Europe or buying enough stocks to have semi-decent income just from the dividends.
Then I'll retire and go live in somewhere cheap and good, like the Phillipines. Everyone speaks English and the standard of living is low.
If I can save enough by 35, FUCK YEAH!! But need to do a lot of research on the prices in those countries first. Then need to calc how much I will be paying for what I need. Doing these in the holidays.
Oh yeah, most importantly, no alimony. As in the child-support money a guy will need to pay his ex-wife after a divorce. So, preferably no marriage.
I think my lack of a driving license the interest to get one will prevent me from getting a car. FUCK YEAH!!! Oil prices are so high these days with no sign of dropping, so a car is a very heavy burden even without the bloody COE.
And why do people always say they work hard and spend all their money? The endless cycle of working and consuming? Are they linked? I've never understood why people have to spend more if they work more. Maybe it's just me, but everything I buy, I buy out of necessity. Even food.
When I go grocery shopping, I buy veg and fruits because I don't want to risk getting scurvy from my heavy dependence on canned food. Yea I'm also fucking lazy so I stock up a lot of cans in my drawers every weekend. I only buy real cooked food once or twice a week from the canteen downstairs.
I also buy fish and pork because I think they have nutrients I may need. Milk too, but only condensed ones. And because I have free salt in the public kitchen, I don't have to worry about iodine. Just in case you don't know, processed salt always contain iodine. That's why there is "salt" and "sea salt" which is unprocessed salt. I think I get all my nutrients for the past 2 weeks from the fruits, veg and milk because they cover almost everything I need. And that salt too, of course.
And did I forget chocolate? That's for staying up late into the night when I mug. I can't drink coffee lest I can't fall asleep when I'm done mugging. Chocolate's effect is much milder and it's easier to prepare. Just need to stick it in my mouth and let it melt.
Cocoa? That was an accident lol! I thought it'd be easier to prepare chocolate with it plus I can use it to make hot cocoa. Sometimes I really need something sweet to drink. I have no sweet drinks in my room and I'm always too lazy to go to the nearest vending machine 4 floors down. Now I can only use it for making the drink.
Vanilla? Necessary for making hot cocoa. If not for it, the cocoa powder would be useless.
And clothes? I don't even buy clothes. I don't see why "holey" shirts can't be worn at home. I even wear them when I go to the neighbourhood supermarket, or canteen when I'm in my hall. Only when I'm going out with friends or for classes do I put on newer clothes.
Every single unnecessary thing in my home was not bought by moi. I'm kinda proud of that lol!
The only fault I find in myself with regards to my expenditure is the fact that I don't normally look at the prices when I buy stuff. Even though everything I buy is necessary, I don't really go for the cheapest one. Unless I'm aware that the product can be very expensive, like coffee powder. $2.50 and $12 are two very different prices. But when I buy fruits for example, I don't care which apples I buy as long as they're red and have stalks. Fruits always must come with stalks attached, if they normally come with stalks. That's the only way I know to tell if the fruit is fresh enough for consumption.
I'd buy instant cereal too for its convenience, but I fucking hate the taste because I used to drink it every morning when I was in primary school. The problem was that I'm never hungry when I'm semi-conscious in the early morning after being forced awake. In fact, I cannot eat. But my mum forced me to because she thought it was very important that we go to school with something in my stomach, a belief I find to be untrue.
I don't know why people complain about fatigue if they don't eat at they normal meal times. I don't feel it. I only get tired in the day when I screw up my body clock, like the way I'm doing now. 7pm and feeling slightly dizzy from fatigue. By 9pm I'll be feeling wide awake again, I fucking swear. Been happening for the past few days.
And I can't go to bed at 7 because I will surely wake up at 12 and feel refresh from 5 hours of sleep. And I'll probably be too refreshed to go back to sleep even at 4am. Maybe by 7am I'll be tired again, and that's not what I want. 2 of my papers begin at 9am in the next few weeks! I cannot feel tired between 8am to 8pm for the following 3 weeks!
Oh yeah, back to buying stuff. Glancing through my budgets of the last several weeks, I realized that I spend about $100 a week. For the first 3 weeks since 6 Oct I have been having unusual matters like medical appointments and stuff causing havoc in my financial output.
This week and the last were the only weeks when I have nothing on. Spent $100 last week, mostly to stock up even more cans in order to stay in my room everyday to mug, and $67 this week because of I haven't finish the food from last week. Not forseeing any need to spend tomorrow, so I can say that I spent the least money this week for these 5 weeks.
Need more data to confirm my personal financial trend. 5 weeks aren't enough.
If this is true, that I spend $400 a month, on food, notes and transport, then I'm quite fucked!
Maybe I really should talk to my mum's insurance agent to discuss what some people call "conservative investments", stuff that can provide a constant income. Doesn't matter if it's low, unless it's absurd like the current laughable interest rates of savings accounts in local banks.
From the above website, I found this article on 88 tips to save money. Very interesting.
First one that I found to be true was to NOT buy a TV. I don't even use the TV at home. Save on license and TV cost and electricity. Only 1 person in my home ever uses the TV, so....
Second, travel at off peak times. Actually, only applies to me when I take a cab. Fucking peak period surcharge is obscene. 35%...
Third, give up snacks. Been there, done that. Actually, still doing that. Those 2 packets of peanuts have been there for a few weeks already. And the chocolate isn't a snack, it's medicine for fatigue, albeit a tasty one.
Fourth, grow your own veggies. I wish I have the space.. :(
Fifth, grow a mushroom log. Sounds like a good idea!!! But where can I get the spores and equipment in Singapore? Or must I order from overseas? :(
Sixth, don't eat. I do that when I get good games.
Seventh, shave less often. I shave only if I remember to do so. Which is about once a week.
So now I'm interested in growing my own mushrooms. According to this blog, it took the blogger a week to grow and harvest his first batch oyster mushrooms and will have one or two more harvests from the same batch soon. Only problem is I can't find any website that sells mushroom kits based in Singapore.
Oyster mushroom before harvest, taken from abovementioned blog without permission. Never seen fresh ones till now.
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