Sooo tired..

Worked 11 hrs today..from 930am - 830pm..so tired..tat i fell asleep on the tube..first time i did so ever since i started work..despite having a 1.5 - 2 hrs journey one-way..i dun usually sleep on the tube/train cos the journey's broken into 3 half-hour sections..so quite hard to sleep..

And the crowds at the park today was unbelievable..i think there were 20,000 guests in the park today? Cos the average number for a weekend is about 15K & it definitely appeared more crowded than a usual weekend..maybe it's the weather? Just when i complained about the weather..it turned out to be unusually good today..hot in fact(by UK standard lah)..a high of 21degrees..i guess tat's british weather for u..

Rojak Blog

Haven blogged for quite some time liao..so dunno where to start..should i backtrack & blogged about stuff tat happened 2 weeks ago tat seemed so 'must-blog' then or minor things tat happened yesterday which aren't really tat interesting?


Was thinking about wat to blog when i talked to twink..the first person to finish up all the credit in my mobile..but despite tat(& prob tat's why)..made me listen to her call waiting..AND asked me to hold so tat she can wash her clothes..

Ah yes, i know wat i should blog about..THE video clip..i finally managed to view it liao..gan dong..chu le gan dong hai shi gan dong..to know tat your frens are thinking about u on your birthday despite being miles away is really heartwarming..esp at a time when ur ear insists on giving u problems..when you are working 10hr shifts in addition to a 4 - 5 hrs journey..when the weather is getting more & more hostile by the day..okok..i'm starting to kaobei again..stopstop..

On a lighter note(though it wasn't tat amusing at the time it happened)..i was on the bus to work last sunday & i missed the connecting bus by like 3 secs & was late for work by 30 mins(i shall not comment anymore about the bus services on Sundays)..& do u know why? Cos the bus was stuck behind a horse carriage! Yes, a horse carriage on the road..& since it was a one lane road, the bus couldn't overtake the horse & crawled behind it for wat seems like eternity..

Imagine how ridiculous i would sound back in Sg if i told my boss tat i was late cos of a horse carriage or an airplane crossing my path(refer to previous³ blog)..

Hmm..say dunno wat to blog also blogged quite a bit liao..till i find the time(& mood) to blog again..

P.S. To whoever(i dun recognise the number leh.. 81212xxx)sent me a MMS sometime last week..sorry i wasn't able to retrieve it on time since the pc was down then.. @~@

happy(belated) 5th month anniversary & happy(belated) birthday..

..to myself..haha..

The pc at home had died-ed..tat's why there were no publications of ZXL Times for the past week or so..

Anyway, thanks to everyone who remembered my birthday & sent me wishes from all over the world..of cos special mention to the ssc folks who celebrated my birthday with lionel as my rep(?!) & for producing a video clip for me(though i've yet to view it yet)

XIE XIE DA JIA..

Pek Chek Shi Jian - Part III

As visitor has left his/her comment(who are u huh??)..this is my blog & i'm allowed to rant..& so i shall rant..somemore..

Why was i so insistent on seeing a doc the other day leh? Besides the fact tat my ear problem is irritating the hell out of me..another just as important reason is..i just received my first paycheck from the Park..tat's good news, u might say..yes, indeed it is..but when u open up the payslip & realise a whopping 30% went to taxes..u'll be just as inclined to scold somebody's mother..

My first week of wageslip goes like this :

42.5 hrs worked@ £5/hr £202.50

Tax £44.44)

National Income Contribution (£11.93)

Nett Pay £143.13



Therefore, i concluded tat if i'm paying taxes here..i should be entitled to their (free) healthcare services..which was why i was so determined to get registered with NHS..a f***king 30%..to think i dun even pay tat much taxes in Sg..

Pek Chek Shi Jian - Part II

The other thing I was so frustrated over the other day was to visit a doctor. You know over here, you can’t just walk in to a clinic and ask to see a doctor(unless u go to a private clinic, which obviously charges some exorbitant prices..but more on that later)


The way the system here works is..you need to register with a GP in your residential area(you cannot suka suka register, it must be within 3 miles of your address)..and then, you make an appointment to see the GP u registered with..this appointment date can be on the day itself(which u should really go buy toto) or a week later whereby you might have already recovered from whatever u were suffering from(if u’re lucky) or fainted from the pain(if u’re not)


I always have problems with my ear..somehow it always start with it being itchy/blocked(too much earwax maybe)..& then I will itchy hand go disturb it until it gets inflamed. It happened to me again recently and the problem came on & off for a couple of weeks until I was so irritated by it, I decided to go see a doctor.

I went to a health centre about 10 mins walk from my place..after negotiating thru a series of receptions(there were 4 clinics in the centre and an average of 3 docs in each clinic..i was to pick one and then get myself registered) I went up to the receptionist and told her I want to register myself with Dr XX..

‘I need a photocopy of your passport’

‘I have my passport with me now’

‘No, I need a photocopy of your passport’

‘Can’t u do it for me here?’

‘No, u need to do all the paperwork yourself’

‘Ok, so if I bring you a photocopy of my passport later, can I see the doctor today?’

‘No, the earliest will be next week’


‘…………………………’

Of cos, I gave up the thought of registering with the doc..but I was so damn fed up(the just-as-frustrating bank account thingy just took place 30mins before) tat day..i actually spent 5 pounds and 1 hour to travel out to central London & went to a walk-in clinic at Victoria train station(I saw it during one of my journeys thru there). I did manage to see a doctor within 10 mins but she said she couldn’t do much about my ear cos it was badly inflamed and I need to administer ear drops to it for at least 3 days before she can syringe my ear for me.

Guess how much this 5 mins consultation cost me? A whopping 40 pounds. And the best part was, I needed to get the ear drops myself (doctors here only provide prescriptions, patients need to get their own medicine from the pharmacy)


So please dun blame me for being so ‘kao bei kao bu’ for the past few days.. ‘yi4 xiang1 you2 zi3 de4 xin1 ku3 you2 shui3 zhi1’

And lastly, you would have thought that NHS would have better things to do than to make registration with a GP so tedious for a foreigner..



Extracted from a local newspaper :


Cooing over babies banned

Hospitals visitors have been banned from cooing at newborn babies – to protect the infants’ human rights..visitors in hospitals are greeted by posters featuring a doll in a cot with the slogan ‘What makes you think I want to be looked at?’

..‘We know most people cannot resist cooing over new babies but we need to respect the child’..

..Hospital staff say they have acted to protect the human rights of ‘little people’ who did not deserve to be ‘prodded like tins in a supermarket’..

****************************************************************************************



P.S. I got the flu today..but decided to stick to the age-old method of ‘drink more water, get more rest’ than to attempt to see a doc again..

My happiness level is down again..

I blame it on

#1. I had forgotten to buy bread last nite(i reached home at 7.30pm & ALL the shops were closed) so i couldn't prepare my breakfast & lunch today..ended up eating some unappetising sandwich from the canteen for 3 pounds..

#2. The tube - it was down this morning again & i had to take the bus..resulting in being 45 mins late for work..opportunity cost of money + bad impression

#3. The weather - it's sooo cold & wet today..wearing 2 sweaters & i was still freezing..add the rain & it's a totally miserable day..it's really no fun at all to be emptying garbage bins in the rain..

#4. I realised the park is closed from next mon - thurs..& i just bought a weekly travel card starting today..it costs me a f***ing 50pounds & it's not gonna be worth it..not to mention, i'll have no income for tat 4 days..

#5. I thought i had left my locker key at home but despite turning the house upside down, i still can't find it..which means it must be lost..which means i need to pay for a replacement one..

At times like this, cant help but think 'zi gei lor lei sui' (read in cantonese)

1 down

Today is a slightly better day : ) Mainly cos i managed to solve some of the problems which caused my pekchek-ness last week..

I dun wan to be too whiney..so i shall first talk about problem #1 - Opening of Bank Account

If u had friend/relative living in UK before..go ask them how they managed to open a bank account here..it's damn f***ing tedious..at least for a foreigner(who's neither working nor studying fulltime)..

They need a prove of residence in UK..which means i need to prove when/why i came into UK..& the most headache of all, bills to prove my address..which i obviously do not have..& despite a letter from my employee, the stupid H bank(this bank exists in Sg too, so go figure) near my place refuses to open an acc for me..& the lady who attended to me spoke to me as if i'm an illegal immigrant..'if u cannot prove u're staying at this add, we will not open an acc for u'

Why i need a bank acc so urgently is cos my current employer credits the pay directly into employee's bank acc..& despite knowing tat i have yet to open a bank acc here, my employer was stupid enough to pay me my first week's wages in cheque..a crossed cheque somemore..now, how am i supposed to bank the cheque without a bank acc leh??

In any case, after i got rejected by H bank, i went to B bank..same thing, i can't open an acc if i dun have any document to prove my add..but the lady was nice enough to add that if i can produce a bank stmt from my home country, she can try & do something for me..

And so today, armed wif a bank stmt summoned from home..i went to B bank again today..the same lady told me everything i needed to know about opening a bank acc here & did it for me straightaway..which means i'm finally the proud owner of a bank acc here in UK : )

Problem #1 solved ; case closed

Of cos, not forgetting the 'good lucks' & 'jia yous' i got from u folks..u provided me wif all the support when i needed them..with friends like this, wat more can i ask for?