Monthly Archives: February 2008

to be or not to be a plumber in UK

February 27, 2008 – 2:51 pm

After I discovered that plumbers in the UK earn between £25,000 to £40,000 a year, I quickly launched my currency converter.
This is what I saw…

My gosh, why are we still encouraging our children to be doctors, lawyers, accountants and engineers when they could have been plumbers?! But of course, that is not the full picture.

Even though the average plumber in the UK may earn a whooping RM15,833.575 a month, his cost of living may be higher.

Over there, if you want a roof over your head, you will have to consider getting a hugemortgage which can really dampen your spirits. UK home owners are constantly worried that their mortgage rates may increase at any time. There is the insecurity of not being able to make your next payment just because the market is volatile.

So what would you choose? To be a doctor, lawyer, accountant or engineer here? Or a UK plumber?

By Precious | Posted in career | Comments (4)

What makes me melt

February 26, 2008 – 7:07 pm

Are you one of those who when sitting in an office cubicle, notice every thing else that’s going on outside the cubicle? Lol, I have to admit, I’m definitely like that.

Just today, I was sitting quietly in the study, apparently doing my work, not disturbing any one, when I heard that the Precious Blockbuster Home Renovation is starting soon.

A few hours later, I was still sitting quietly in the study, apparently doing my work, not disturbing any one, when my nose started twitching to the delicious fragrance of fresh home baked bread.

I tried to ignore it, continued to type away at 52 words per minute, when I couldn’t take it any longer.

I flung the door wide open, marched into the kitchen, saw the most captivating treasure.

My knees crumbled.

By Precious | Posted in home-cooked meals | Comments (1)

Proud of the plumber’s apprentice

February 26, 2008 – 6:08 pm

A friend of mine have gone to the UK to be a plumber. Another one have gone to the UK to be a musician. Guess which one stayed on? :D

Obviously the plumber. :D

In some parts of the world, plumbing is a very lucrative profession. According to the IPHE, the average self-employed plumber earns between £30,000 - £40,000 a year while the average plumber employed by a company earns approximately £25,000 after a couple of years experience.

Not every one can be a plumber though. You have to sit in a class and study hard to get your certifications. I felt proud of my friend that he succeeded because years ago, he wouldn’t have been interested. After his plumbing training, he is now working as a Plumber’s Apprentice.

By Precious | Posted in career | Comments (0)

Memories of my old room

February 26, 2008 – 4:53 pm

All good things must come to an end, and my room is no different. Before it gets torn down at 9am tomorrow, I took a few photos to file away its current look in memory.

I’ve slept here on this bed for more than ten years. It was custom built for me when I was little. When pink was the order of the day. Not much have changed since then.

View from the windows on the left.

View from the windows on the front. Notice the birds sitting on the wire. I’ve loved watching them twitter happily about so and so who laid three eggs and arguing about who got the biggest worm. Goodbye birdies…

There is one other who have known this same bed as long as I.

*hugs* monkey. Let’s say goodbye to the room together.

By Precious | Posted in home & garden | Comments (0)

dreaming of my new bed

February 26, 2008 – 4:29 pm

Soon she will be moving out of her room, sleeping on a brand new bed in a brand new room. Her mum have already warned, it will be messy.

Amidst the banging and hammering, Precious dreams…

Of a simple life with a simple bed in a simple room. Like this sturdy frame finished in classy stone white, with smooth, elegant curves at the head and the foot.

Others may prefer a French Gilt bed upholstered from the finest silk featuring deep buttoning and a luxurious gilt frame from the age of Louis XIV. But no, not she.

Not all french beds are her style to begin with…

By Precious | Posted in home & garden | Comments (0)

Major Upheavals at Home

February 26, 2008 – 3:51 pm

I was quietly minding my own business in the study when I heard voices.
The first voice sounded warmly familiar.
The second voice sounded brisked and polite.
I looked up and saw…

The contractor!

I knew it wasn’t voices in my head because Flame heard too. She went for a sniff. At that point, I knew.

Precious’ Blockbuster Home Renovation is starting soon…

By Precious | Posted in home & garden | Comments (1)

Is virginity overrated?

February 26, 2008 – 3:13 pm

If I have a child, I will definitely teach him to keep his pants on until the night of his wedding. I dislike it when a guy expects my girlfriend to remove her skirt for him when he doesn’t even love her enough to have married her. I dislike the culture that acts as though this is not at all crude and insensitive.

However, that does not mean I consider singles who are not virgins as worthless. I once read about a Saudi girl who was raped. Instead of rallying together to comfort and protect her, her community unanimously decided to treat her as dirt. That was downright cruel.

Even if she was not raped but had chosen to participate, she is still a precious human.

The other day, I shopped in Parkway Parade and saw a clinic offering vaginal surgery. I was surprised that it exists, it made me realize that there is a subculture here that greatly prizes virginity.

As for me, what I appreciate is the active decision to keep a dignified distance. It has nothing to do with the boast of having an untorn hymen.

By Precious | Posted in boy-girl relationships | Comments (2)

Welcoming Li Li

February 25, 2008 – 8:53 pm

There’s some one new in my family, and she’s not a newborn baby. A few months ago, my brother proposed to Li Li. Yesterday, we went to Seck Kia Eenth to make sure he didn’t change his mind at the last minute.

They signed the papers,

sealed it in a red book,

and it’s official. Tak Feng & Li Li are legally married! It was a dream come true for many of us as well as for the beautiful bride.

Here’s a small part of our family. We’ll take photos with the whole crazy gang at the traditional ceremony later..

Do visit Li Li to congratulate her and welcome her into our family!

By Precious | Posted in family | Comments (2)

Cut the cost of Christmas

February 25, 2008 – 6:44 pm

A few months ago, I discovered to my bemusement that many of my online friends woke up earlier than the early bird at 5am on the day after Thanksgiving even though they were dead exhausted from Thanksgiving.

This is because the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday which is when sinister merchants offer tired shoppers the biggest discounts. Since it is just before Christmas, shoppers take advantage of this to cut the cost of Christmas.

Today I discovered Black Friday 2008, a site that lets shoppers purchase Black Friday items online without the hassle of having to stand in line at the store at 5am. It also offers email alerts that lets shoppers know when new black friday ads have been posted. This is far kinder and friendlier for planning the holiday shopping.

The other day, Nic casually mentioned a trip to the U.S. at the end of the year so I browsed through the site to see what bargains are available. From Old Navy, I found women’s five-pocket jeans for USD$14.75 and men’s jeans from USD$14.75-USD$17.25.

What bargain!

By Precious | Posted in finance | Comments (0)

Spot the Celebrity

February 25, 2008 – 6:00 pm

We were driving past East Coast Park when we spotted this new, brightly lit cafe. Old Town White Coffee? We’re game! We stopped the car and pressed our nose against the glass door, only to discover the cafe was not yet open for business.

We love white coffee so much though, the next day, we had to try again. This time, we were too late. It was 10:15pm, the cafe closes at ten.

The day after that, we tried again. This time, we found ourselves waiting behind a snaking queue. We didn’t have time to wait though, we had to leave.

The day after that day, we tried yet again! This time, it was slightly after lunch hour on Sunday. We were finally ushered in.

We sat near the counter where we were frequently tempted with fragrant food coming out of the kitchen. We ordered plain bread…

with really delicious curry chicken. Please do not view this picture if your cholesterol level is already high.

We ordered two sets of runny eggs on toast. It was fun trying to slurp the slippery eggs off the toast. Not recommended for a romantic first date.

Of course, we had two coffees. I absolutely love my white coffee although Nic prefers his Kopi Si.

Right after our food arrived, we heard the waiters passing messages that the cafe is out of bread! And out of this! And out of that! Business is soo good. I felt soo thankful that our food made it to us at all.

Can you recognize which famous actor is working here as a waiter?

By Precious | Posted in cafes | Tagged , , , | Comments (12)