Just chinese

Being a chinese is can be really troblesome.
There are a lot of things to follow and our customs are so different from other races that it is hard to explain to everyone.

So, here are some of the things that we do as chinese.
1) Qing Ming

http://www.fashion-bop.com/fashion-bop-things-about-us/tomb-sweeping-day/

For chinese, when a person dies, he/she is being buried or burn to ashes. One thing that is important is that he/she will be remembered for the following generations. Something that some of the other races wouldnt follow. Most importantly now is that for a chinese, there is actually a spercifice day for the chinese to visit their pass-on family. The entire family will get together (even the long distance reletives) and they would perpare and visit the tombs. Once reach there, they would layout food in front of the tomb stone and burn jaw paper to the deceased. They would also clean up the area. (Therefore, English for QingMing is *tomb sweeping day)

2) The tombs of chinese

http://www.thehornseys.com/2013/04/22/day-252-some-things-are-just-like-home/

When compared with every other races graveyards, chinese graveyard is really unique. It have the biggest tombstones among all others. (That explain why the whole can go there). Chinese believe that the burial area is the house for the decendent. So, the bigger your tombstone, the more wealthy you are. They also are very mindful of fungshui, so there are specific designs for the burial areas to give good luck and good health for the rest of the livning family. (If you are to spent a good amount of money for the deceased, you would have good luck and health for the following generation.)

3) Chinese mourning period are long

http://www.nerdygaga.com/11819/strange-mourning-practice/

The longest mourning period for all races is the chinese. For chinese, there a few different days that are really important for them when someone of the family pass away. So, first, when one of the family member passed, it is important to keep the body for death ceromeny for up to 7 days (it can be shorter than that but no longer). Every single day of the ceromeny, there will be a taoist priest or a monk or a priest (depend on your religion) will come to the venue to chant. It is important as it is for sending the sprite away and comforting the rest of the family members. After which, there will be the 9th day. It is the day that is very important for the hokkienese. It is the day when we will burn all of the jew paper that is given by the friends to the decentent and a big paper house will be burned together as well. It is to give the consolation of other people to the deceased and also, offer the deceased a place to live in the underworld. After which, for 49 days, 100 days, 1 year and 3 years of the person's death, a ceromeny will be held with the chanting of taoist priest or monk to ensure that the deceased has a peaceful life in the underworld. For 3 years, is also the same. During this years, the close family members are not allowed to wear bright coloured clothings, except white, they are also not allowed to give red packets (but could receive).

So, enjoy the tombs sweeping day (for the chinese). For the non chinese, hope that this will help to clear those questions about chinese.^_^

Make time

You all know about making time for yourself right? A lot of the times social media would always shows about how great it would be to have some time of your own where you could sit back and meditate, reflect or just lose your mind in wonderland.
 However, as we are growimg up, we will start to relise that we dont have enough time. Like when we were still studying in schools, we would also get the feeling of not having enough time to complete all of the assignments. But this time, it is more of not having the time to do what we want to do.

It is very different from what we have to do, like: buy groceries, washing the landuries, going on dates and buying the necessities. It is more of having a walk at the park, doing yoga, going to the beach and holiday travel.

It is about enjoying the moments as who you are without the fear of having to be cautious of what you are doing, how you present yourself and how you handle the situation.

Why we didnt have enough time as we grow? There are actually a few reasons to it.

1) Our full time jobs.
When your are working as a full time, most of the time in your day would be spending in the work place. You could spent up to 9 hours in the day just because you are working. If you are a retail sales person, there is a chance for you to stay up to 12 hours per day. (Excluding the extra few hours or minutes that you still have to do to finish your work.)

2) Procrastination
When you are working, there is a very high chance of you procrastinate, especially when you are working in the office. You would tend to do other things that you are not surpose to do just so that you could avoid doing things that are ment to be done. It is really common, and it is also the reason that you would ended up not having time to finish anything. Which will also lead to not having time for yourself.

3) Unknown events
As you are getting to work, there is always that 1-2 hours of you getting to your work place, for example would be that you got up, brush your teeths, get dress, board the train and head to work. There will always be time when the train would delay, would crush, would be too pack and missing the train. This are the times when you would be wasting those time waiting for things that is not in your sechdule. Result in you not finishing your work and ended up of not having enough time for yourself.

So, wanting to make time for yourself, it is acutally really easy. If you are a office person, just make sure that you make a plan of what work you need to finish for the week and what other things you need to do by that week. Once you make out that plan, see if everything can be fit in your sechdule. Once everything fits, all you have to do is plan your alone time. Make plans to go to the park or even the cafe to hang out with friends, have a nice long dinner with your family or even plan to do thing alone. ( Click here to see what can be done alone.)

When you only have 2 days off (for office jobs) or 1 day off (for retail jobs), it is only when you make plans and make it work, then you would have time for yourself.

Enjoy your day off ^_^

Egg tarts

If you are a chinese, you would know what is egg tarts.

It is a mini tart, filled with stream egg filling that is a very common street food among the chinese.

It is actually a kind of custard tart the is orignated mainly from Hong Kong, Portugal, England and vairous part of asia.

In Singapore, we also have egg tarts find here, mainly were the Hong kong style ones.

So, here are some of the best egg tarts in Singapore:

1) Tak Po

With just $1.10, you could get the sweet, wobby goodness that melts in the flasky skin. The conjoined pastry shop is a humble but chaming shop located in Chinatown.

Tak Po HK Dim Sum Restaurant: 42 Smith Street, Singapore 058954 | Monday to Sunday 0700-2230 | Tel: 6225 0302 | Website

2) 8 Tarts N Pastry

The egg tarts that this shops sells are the authentic Hong Kong style egg tarts that has the soft pastry texture that compliments with the velvety egg-custard filing. Perfect for those who loves the thousand layered tarts.

8 Tarts N Pastries: Vivo City, 1 Harbourfront Walk, #B2-K4 Singapore 098585 |Tel: 6276 0915 | Monday to Sunday 1000-2200 | Website

3) Ng Kim Lee

Credit

These $0.80 egg tarts here are one of the more unquie shaped egg tarts compared with the usual round shaped kinds. It is more of a biscuit-like texture rather than traditional egg tart crust. The harder outer layer brings a perfect balance to the jelly-like custard filling. (My farvouite kind of egg tart)

Ng Kim Lee Confectionery: 4 Chun Tin Road, Singapore 599591 | Tel: 6466 3515 | Monday to Saturday 0900-2100, Sunday 0900-1300

4) Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry

These $0.90 egg tarts are one of the most eccentric ones. It is also one of the most common kind that most Singaporens have during childhood. 

Tiong Bahru Galicier Pastry: Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Rd #01-39, Singapore 160055 | Tel: 6324 1686 | Tuesday to Sunday 1000-2030, Closed on Mondays

5) Madeleine's Original Portugese Egg Tarts

Credit

This shop sells the traditional kind of egg tarts from Portugese and it is very similar to a Creme Brulee with charred carameiized on top and creamy centre. The sides are flaky but the crisp is top notch.

Madeleine’s Original Egg Tart Pte Ltd: 198 Tanjong Katong Rd, Singapore 436997 | Tel: 6247 9363 | Monday to Sunday 0800-2000  

6) Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries

These $1.20 egg tarts are the best egg tarts with its thick, smooth custard filling, with an not overwhelming eggy flavour and pastry soft and flaky to a good extent. It is worth the price and worth to try.

Leung Sang Hong Kong Pastries: 18 Jalan Membina, #01-06 Singapore 164018 | Monday to Sunday 0730-1600 

Credit: http://sethlui.com/best-egg-tarts-singapore/

Author: Giulia Pulvirenti


When in Singapore, try going to all this places and get the best snack in Singapore ^_^

Thanx and thank you

Everyone knows about thanx and thank you right? It is very common for anyone to say it to anyone. 
However, the weird thing about some people in the world is that it can be very hard for them to spoke those words towards a certain kind of people. (Those people i am talking about are customers, some of them not all) 

I know the term 'customer' is a very board term. 
So, lets break it up into a few categories:

1) polite customer 
These are the type of customers at are polite to you, who is the server. They would say 'excuse me'; 'may i'. They would also smile at you and most importantly, they would say 'thank you' in the most appropriated way. This are the customer who would receive the best services and definitely a cheerful and polite server. (because if you want people to treat you a certain way, you treat them the way back) 

2) busy customer/impatient customer
These are the customer who would came, looking in a rush, choose their stuff very quickly, make a fast payment, said thanx, grab their stuff and went off. This is the normal busy customer. But there are always these other kind of busy customers. For example, when you are busy with your work, there would be this customer calling out in a very hurried tone, making you believe that that person is in a rush. When you are ready to serve the customer, he/she would take their time picking what they want in front of you. After that, once you pack their items, then they would find the amount that they need to pay for the item. (if you are this kind of customer, please dont expect a smiley service. Unless, the server is required to do so.) 

3) ignored customer 
I am not talking about customer who are being ignored by the server and would walk off feeling horrible, but more towards customer who would ignore the server. This kind of customer would be that when someone approaches them, asking 'may i help you?', they would just keep looking at what they are looking and just pretend that no one is there. Or, there are chances that the customer would walk to the store with earphones on (clearly showing that they dont want services). 

4) picky customer 
There are customer who wants their items to be perfectly perfect. Like when you are selling products (merchandise) they would want it to be new, just took out from the packaging. Or, if you are selling food, they would want it to be freshly make today (cases are very common when you are working in f&b retail.) 

So, thats it. These are some of my personal experiences that i encounter during work. Also, i realise that by saying thank you, really can makes the server's working time better. Appreciate their help by saying thanx or thank you. 

Here's a bonus: 
* road asker
Some of the potential customer are actually a road asker. They will appear out of no where even when they know that you are busing (especially when you are dealing with one of your customer). Since the store that i am working at is a u-shape corner shop, passer-bys have the tendency to just dropping by the store and ask for direction. I understand that you are unable to find your way so you are asking for direction. However, after you got your answer, it is polite to say at least a thank you or thanx. But no. Some of them would just walk away like nothing ever happen. It is something that is really rude, it makes the person who replies you feels that he/she is being played by you. So, at least says a thank you when someone tells you the answer for your question, even if it is not the answer that you are looking for.

Growing up

Nowadays, a lot of people have no idea what they want to do with their life. Just like me, after graduating, I have no idea what to do with my life. The diploma that I have received is just a piece of paper and the course that I choose that time is just a course that I choose at that time because I thought I would have an easier life in the future. But who would have thought that in the middle, I just lost interest.

Now, let me tell you, a lot of people would have the same problem. Some of them, would just go back and study courses that they have interest in. Is like just restarting the interest that they have and then find the job that they are interested in. But most of the other people would go and find job that they could find at the moment and just continue living their life. It is all part of growing up.

What your parents told I you when you were young have a lot of impact in a kids growth. I believe many of us are the same. When we were young, our parents would compare us with other kids, they would tell you that when you grow up, you have to find a stable job, studying hard and graduate from a university is the only way to do so. But, a lot of parents didn’t know that that is not the only way how a life should be. So, trust me, growing up is something that make us realize that what parents said, not all are true.

There are a few things about growing up, it is about finding what you wants to do, what you like to do and what you dream of doing.

1)what you want to do
This is something that a lot of us don’t know about. Most of us would just eat, sleep and do what we do everyday. Working, studying or daydreaming. Know what you want to do is really important because it will help you build the road towards a future that you have dream of, or it will lead you to the dream job that you would enjoy working for the rest of your working life.

2)what you like to do
This is something that you would enjoy doing even if you are tried from the day. Simply to say, it is your hobby. Something that you would do whenever you have free time. Something that you would wish to do when you were just dreaming about it. Knowing what you like to do is something that might affect your choice of job or your entire lifestyle (if your job is related to what you like to do).

3) what you dream of doing
Just as the words says, it is something that you have passion for, something that is like your childhood dream or something that you really wants to do. It is different from what the other two are, but yet, it is quite similar. What you dream of doing is like a stepping stone in your road to success. You would work your hardest to achieve the final result and you would keep working hard for it.

So, there you have it, this is just the first part about growing up. As you grow up, you will notice that things are not the same as you have imagine. But, keep growing!! ^_^

Jigsaw Puzzles

I love playing with jigsaw puzzles, and i even brought some that i could work with and display in my room through out the years.
So, here i some of the things i find interesting while playing with jigsaw puzzles:

1) it is mind entertaining
For me, i love to stay at home whenever i have my own free time. (Especcaily when its my off days.) I would just work on my jigsaw. Jigsaw puzzle is all about putting pieces of indiviual puzzle together and form a picture at the end. For some reason, it is actually entertaining for me because subconsursly i am using my brain without me noticing.

2) it is satisfacting
When you see the random pieces being put together and ended up into a big picture in the end, it is satisfacting. You would know that the amount of time being put into making that puzzle is worth it especcailly when you frame it up and display it on your wall.

3) it is time killing
When you are at home with nothing to do, playing with your phone or tablet or laptop ir watching the tv is never a good opion, because, all that would ended up giving you problems in the end. Whereas, playing jigsaw would actually help to exersice both parts of the human brains. (Left for liner fashion, right for emotion and performing task.)

4) it is a brain exercise
Jigsaw actually help to active the brain cells to exercise and increase their efficency and capacity. It also increase our alertness, concentration; expend our creativity, help practise our visualisation. It also effects our health rate by lowering our breath rate, reduce heart rate and lowering blood persure. (Becasue it calms us down). Reason for all this is very simple, because consentrating on one picture, it can actually turns out to be one kind of medetation that would induce some calmness and peace in mind. When that happen, no other thoughts would tranquility the persons mind.

So, there you have it, my explaination on how good jigsaw puzzle is. Also, it is not just a game for kids, but for adults as well. So, pactise good hobbies and it will benefits you. (Sorry for being too one sided for jigsaw) ^_^

Maggi mee (instant noodles)

In Singapore, when we talk about maggi mee, often, we are talking about instant noodles, cup noodles. Not really the brand for the instant noodle.

http://www.oneduasan.com/2006/02/25/how-to-cook-maggi-mee/

(Like this one, maybe sometimes.)


So, why Singaporeans or people living in Singapore would call instant noodles maggi mee? The answer is simple,

1) Maggie (one of the brand for instant noodle), is the first instant noodle brand in Singapore. Back in the early days, when people talks about instant noodles in Singapore, they would say 'lets go eat maggi'. Its a short form that people invented after awhile, and it just became a slang.

2) It is easier and faster to say. Like when you hear someone say "i want go toliet", it simply means "i need to go to the toliet". So, when you hear someone say "lets buy some maggi", it would mean " lets buy some instant noddles packs". They dont really wan to buy the brand called "maggi". Instead, it could be other brands of instant noodles.

Trends

In Singapore, pace are moving very quickly. One moment you could be relaxing at your sofa with a cup of coffee, the next moment would be your boss calling you and you rushing out of your house.
With such a fast pace lifestyle, it is very easy for trends to come and go in this small country.

So, here are the few use to have trends in Singapore:

1) cafe hopping
In Singapore, about 2 years ago, 2014, it is very trendy to go cafe hopping in Singapore. All you have to do is to go find a cafe, find some friends and bring a photo. Most teens who go cafe hopping are there to take photo of the food and drinks, or they would take photo of the cafe interiorand post it on facebook, twitter or instergram. So, basically, it is to show off of what they do. This trend, is definitely not for people who lacks of money. Because in a day, you have to go at least 3 cafes to meet the requirement for cafe hopping. Just to let you know, cafes in Singapore are not cheap. (This proves that teen are rich, with their parents money)

2) kpop
In 2008, there was a starting raise in kpop in Singapore. With the release of the song 'sorry sorry' by super junior (if you dont know them, pls google), debut of new hot groups ( 2am, shinee, davichi, 2pm, ukiss). Following that, more hot groups got debuted (2ne1, after school, 4minute, beast, secrete, mblaq). These are some of the well known kpop groups that debuted during that period of time. And you know what, it is also the time when Singapore accepted entertainment industry and drama too. It starts to become really popular to watch all those shows and talks about over meals.

3) fashions
In Singapore, our fashion trends changes every year. But for some reasons, it is always one step behind other places. For example, in 2005, it is really popular to dress in clothing that are more towards the Japanese style, which is very popular in taiwan. (Back then, taiwan are quite popular in Singapore). Then in 2006, it is more simple with the wear of knee length pants. In 2007, are jeans and sport shoes, sport shoes wearing as a casual shoes. In the 2008-2010, is more towards skinny jeans and kpop style. In 2011-2013, is all about brands. No matter whats the brand that you are wearing, it is important that you are wearing some well known brands clothing. Finally in 2014-2015, it is all about ankle length jeans, boyfriend style, crop tops, tight and revealing and logoism.

4) social media
In social media, you can see and sense the trends is moving. 5 years ago, is all about 'did you know', then it is 'types of  ...' then now is memes, gif and videos. It is moving so fast that you can see the news feed on your page changing every month.

Trends are really changing, and it definitely are affecting the way we look at things, the way we are living and the way we are moving.
So, keep up with the trends.

Stress

Recently, i have started on a new full time job which i have very much enjoyed.
Like all jobs, even though u might actually found a job that is within your interest, your expectation for earning, or even something that you have actually wanting to work for a very long time, it will still give you stress at some point.

Now, whatever i have said just now, it happens for me.
I totally enjoy this new full time job that i have found a months ago. I like the pace of it, the environment and the people that i get to work with. However, after working this few months, i came to reliese that this job might not be what i actually enjoy doing.
The stress came at me straight on and it hits me real hard. It even got me wondering it i should just quit the job and move on to others.
So, i went and did abit of research on job suitability.

So, here's what i found:
1) knowing what you like to do and what you can do.
It is really important to know what you like to do, because this way, there will be a higher chance for you to continue in doing it. When finding a job, these are the 2 factors that will determine what kind of job you should find. Knowing what you can do is also very important. For example, if you know that you are not a very good speaker, then don't find jobs that requires you to talk much with the customers or clients. But do take note that communication is really important in any company. Even if it is a small company with only 10 people working.

2) know your time limits.
If you love to have a work-life working timing, don't go for retail. Even if you are to go for retail, it is really important to talk about it during the interview. From what i know, some retail jobs are meant to be 5 days per week, while others are 6 days per week. Trust me, 6 days per week job might seems ok at first, however at the end you will feel like a crap on your day off. One day of rest is never enough. If you know that, don't go for jobs like that. Look for others instead.

3) knowing your working limits.
Like the point says, knowing whether you are able to handle responsibility, whether you can take charge and whether you have the ability to make decisions on your own is really important. If nether of this you are able to do it, i suggest that you don't look for jobs that are at least a supervision position. You will not be able to handle it. Really you wouldn't, and you will, regret all the way. However, if you believe that you are up for the challenge, then go for it. But be mindful that you have to be extra careful as you are no longer just a staff in the company.

4) knowing your work relationship.
Know your work relationship with the people that you are going to work beforehand is really important. Imagine that you are going to work very closely with the manger at all times, you have to know what he/she working style is like. Because no mater what you are going to work under he/she and knowing their working style will make your life alot easier. However, if you are unable to do the way the manager wants, or you just couldn't keep up with it, then probably you might have to talk with your boss about putting to work under a different people. After all, it is hard to work with people that doesn't match in the beginning. Sometimes, its better to avoid than to collate.

With this, i hope that anyone who is finding a new job, or having difficulty in their job, would have a better understanding about looking for jobs and probably how to overcome those difficulty.
Happy job hunting ^_^