Libraries

Dear SG,

Another thing I miss in SG is your library... You know how much I love going to the libraries. I wish I could just spend my time in a cosy chair and read non-stop. (This and computer game playing explained the reason for my myopia)

There's libraries here too and they are pretty well equipped. The subject range is pretty wide but the size isn't quite as big as our average library. Then again, the libraries here do exchange their selection around so it's possible to see something new each time. Also, the libraries here are manage by different Counties, I was told the library manage by Auckland City is much bigger.

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting that one, the libraries I frequent all belongs to the Manukau Town Council. If I need to borrow books from that library, I WILL need to apply for a different library card, one that is for the Auckland City Council's library. SG is easier, one card from the National Library Board if you are not a citizen or PR, or simply just with our Identity Card.

Another cute differences between the libraries here in NZ and in SG is the book drop. Both countries offer book drops which are wonderful for folks like me who could never return my library books during operating hours. But in SG, we are only allow to drop the books back in one at a time. The scanner automatically checks in the book so that we qualify for another book if we so desire. There is no scanner in NZ, we'll just squeeze as many books as the slit would allow and drop the whole lot in. The books will fall into a bin and gets scanned in manually the next day.

Now, you might think that NZ's a little behind us when it comes to automation of books returned. SG used to operate like this but we are now fully automated. NZ is also automated when it comes to checking out of books but it's not a priority for them to scan in returned books. This is because there is almost no limited to the amount of books one can borrow from the NZ library. The last time I borrowed books in SG, the limit was 4 books per person. Sigh... oh well, nothing is perfect in the world.

with love from NZ,
J

Spot the differences:

In NZ, you need different library card to borrow books from libraries operated by different town council

In SG, you will only need one card (identity card) if you are a citizen and PR or a library card if you are not.

In NZ, we can returned books to any libraries so long as the books that belongs to a certain council are returned to the libraries in their district

In SG, the libraries are owned by the same board and we can return the books to any library's' book drop.

In NZ, there is almost no limits to the amount of books we can borrow. We can borrowed up to 19 books if necessary

In SG, the limit is 4 books per person but we can pay a small subscription fee to extend that.

In NZ, the duration we get to keep a book is 30 days. When our books are overdue, an automated phone call will be made from their system with a pre-recorded voice message reminding us to return any overdue library books. The overdue fine will not start immediately, we noticed that we do get an extra day or 2 allowance to return the books before they start fining us.

In SG, the duration is 21 days. If we forget to return, all that's automated is the overdue fee which will increase intelligently by itself every day.

Birthday treats! My treat or your treat?

Dear SG,

You know how during your birthday on Aug the 9th, you set up this big party called "National Day Parade" at the Marina Bay and invited heaps of people to celebrate your birthday? Birthdays are certainly a big thing for everyone and that got me comparing the differences of having a birthday in SG and in NZ.

In SG, whenever there's a birthday, we'll have gatherings of families and friends, getting together to celebrate the once a year event in the honor of the birthday person. Usually it's a lunch or dinner celebration, where we'll find a nice spot of place to sit down and catch up with one another. Preferably, a place where we get to enjoy some delightful cuisine as well. Usually the birthday person will get a free treat, cost bore and shared by everyone.

I've been working in an office environment in SG for around 9 years. From my personal experiences, everyone will contribute a token sum of money to get the birthday person a gift or a birthday cake. (unless that person is really unpopular which is pretty rare... I hope) Sometimes, the person with a birthday will bring in some tasty snacks or treats to show their appreciation afterwards but it's not expected and it's optional.

So far, I've been working in NZ for the past 3 months, the culture here is certainly different. If it's your birthday, it's a culture expectation for you to bring in some cakes or food as a treat for everyone in the office. Isn't it interesting? And it seems that most folks will apply for annual leave if their birthday falls on a working day. They will bring the cakes in a day before and share it with everyone, then they will go on leave on the actual day.

My birthday is still a few months away but I will be ready for it now. I wonder if the folks in my office is adventurous enough to try a new type of cake, our Pandan Cake! haa.... or Kueh Lapis? Some parents in Victor's school was so curious about the Pandan Cake that Ann put into his lunchbox. They asked him why is our cake green!!! haa.... But they don't seems very eager to try it though. hee... Gosh, they don't know what they are missing.

Here are the 2 cakes you won't find in New Zealand. Photos from Bengawan Solo Cake Shop in Singapore. Boy do I miss these yummy cakes....

Pandan Chiffon aka Pandan Cake

(I bet everyone will also wonder why there is a hole in this cake! kekeke...)
Read more about this cake @Wikipedia

Kueh Lapis aka Thousand layer cake (千层糕)

(And why this cake has so many lines? *grin*)

I'm so ashamed I've taken these cakes for granted when I was living in SG. Dear SG, I will never take any food in Singapore for granted again! I Promise!

with love from NZ,
J

P.S. I've only had 3 months of working experiences here and only in one NZ company, I may have assumed too much, please pardon me if I am wrong. :)

Lunar eclipse on 28 Aug 07

Dear SG,

You missed the Lunar eclipse last evening because of cloudy skies, I read it on http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

I'm so sorry you've missed it, it was an interesting phenomenon. The moon was really bright and high in the NZ sky last night (9pm NZ time). As it moved into the Earth's shadow, more stars were visible and the stars shines brighter. By the time it was completely in the shadow, it was reddish in colour because of the reflection of light from the Earth's atmosphere.

This is the first time I make plans to watch a Lunar eclipse, we bought Pizza so that we can fill our stomach and enjoy the phenomenon at the same time. However, our Pizza was delayed because the staffs had forgotten to add Bacon to half of our BBQ Chicken and Bacon Pizza. To compensate us, they gave the "damage" goods to us for free and bake us another pizza. We had to watch the start of the Lunar eclipse in front of the Pizza store.

By the time we got home and was enjoying our pizza in the yard, the moon was nearly gone. The sky had turn cloudy and the wind was picking up. I was so cold from the wind I had to put on ski wear! hee.... (not that I've ever went skiing before but you get the idea)

It then started to rain a little when the moon had been completely in the shadow for a while. It was too cold and windy for me to stay out in the yard, thus we gave up the idea of watching the rest of the eclipse and went back to our bedroom.

Dearest SG, no matter where we are, I'm glad we are sharing the same sky, the only difference is that we are watching it from a different angle.

with love from NZ,

J

Slower tempo in NZ?

Dear SG,



Everyone is saying that Singapore moves at a really fast pace. We walk faster, talk faster, and eat faster. Life just pass by in a flash. But if Singaporean are fast, why couldn't we catch a housefly?



My 5 year old kiwi nephew here could hit a fly since the age of 3. The only problem is his height, he can only go as high as he can reach. So why is the houseflies in NZ slower? Or are they really slower?

Joseph told me that it's probably because of the scent they used in the house just for summer time. The scent makes insects like bees and flies disorientated and dizzy (I didn't know insects will have fainting spells too). This cause their reflex to be slow down. Interesting...







Oh well, try to relax a bit more in SG, life is too short. Cherish each moment so that we may look back with no regrets.

with love from NZ,
J

Need MC or not?

Dear SG,

I'm not feeling well today and so I'm staying home to rest. The good thing about NZ is that there is a certain degree of trust in the system. So long as we don't abuse it, we are allow to take sick leave without a Medical Certificate (MC). Since I should be resting instead of blogging, I will end my post for now.

May everyone be bless with good health and hearty laugh.

with love from NZ,
J

Car trouble...

Dear SG,

When we got back from Singapore, our first major problem was the cars. Both our cars won't start. They've been left out in the cold winter for too long without any loving touch from us. We've only been away for 2 weeks or so... I guess we should have hire a car-sitter to watch after our cars for us. A professional car-sitter to start the cars each day, "walk" them, "feed" them nutritional fuel, "groom" them, and "play" with them. Sigh... how will we know our cars will give us the silent treatment when we are back?

Just a few minutes ago, Andrew was replying an email to reserve a car lot for a meeting with a financial consultant. The email request was for Andrew to give the details of his car so that they can identify it and won't tow it away for packing in the reserved lot for their customers. Andrew type down the make and the model, then suddenly turn around and asked me, "What's the car plate of our Nissan???!!!" In SG, cars are a luxury item. We would have never forget any tiny details related to our expensive and precious car. Yet in NZ, our attitude to our cars did a 180 degree changed because they are so affordable here.

Just in case we don't remember the details again, our cars are
19 something year, Dark Green Honda with a round and long backside - BTT803
2000 something year, Silver Nissan with no backside - DYS627

Just don't ask me about the year and the model, I don't remember... *embarrassed*

with love from NZ,
J

Happy Birthday Singapore

Dear SG,

It’s been a while since my last blog. We’ve actually went back to Singapore to celebrate the Singapore’s National Day and came back again soon after. When we got back home, almost everyone asked us this question, “Now that you have some experiences living in Auckland, which do you prefer? Singapore or New Zealand?”

We always replied, “Having lived in Singapore for most of our life, New Zealand is certainly a refreshing change. But we still love Singapore. Singapore is like our “parent” and New Zealand is like our “parent-in-laws”. You can’t help but have strong feeling for both places.

David helped us recorded the National Day Parade on a disk. We brought it back so that the 2 nephews here will be able to see the grand celebration held in Singapore every year. Happy national day Singapore.

With love from NZ,
j