Blogging on Trivials

Dear Diary,

Caught the movie “The Sum of All Fears” on television. Love that plot… I was after all once a war-junkie, haha… still remember those days when I was complaining about how little details on World War II were taught in Secondary 2 history lessons. At that time, I was reading so much about the two World Wars, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War (ended not too long ago after I entered Secondary school) that I could name generals (used to like German field marshal Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox"), remember dates and incidents of specific battles and even the types of military tanks and planes they used! That was me… not exactly the typical average student. I did try to assimilate into the general culture and soon picked up an interest in football. Supporting Newcastle and Juventus over the years.

As a child, I read a lot on prehistory. In fact, my Dad used to buy me dinosaur toys when I was crying for protracted periods, haha… I was quite spoilt I guess. My early primary school days were the studying of the evolution of one-cell amoebas to early amphibians (Permian era) to the eventual dinosaurs (Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eras)… yup, discussing about whether Lagosuchus should be classified officially as the earliest dinosaur or whether the honour should go to Coelophysis. However, I did enjoy fantasy stories in my childhood days and used to read every single book by Ruth Manning.

Anyway, today was a pretty relaxing day. I worked just 4 hours and then took a bus to Marina Square. Let me tell you how a guy went shopping. One fine day, he realised that his work was ending at 3pm. Lots of time left before going home for dinner. So he did an online google search for his usual favourite departmental stores within an hour before his work ended for the day. He learnt that there is a massive clearance sale at his favourite “John Little”. He noted down the location and then rushed off to grab a bite for lunch. Checked the bus service to reach that shopping complex. Reached the destination and was pleasantly surprised that it was nearer than he estimated. Stepped into the departmental store and felt even happier because he correctly predicted that the crowd wasn’t too large. It would be very crowded tomorrow. With full concentration, he moved from one section to another, one brand to another, one shelf to another, one fitting room to another…. Errr… no… he just took up all the shirts and pants he wanted. Looked for just one fitting room. Tried on all the clothes and posed in front of the mirrors. Very happy and bought 3 shirts and 1 pair of pants within 40 minutes of stepping into the store.

Yup… that was it, haha… I popped into two nearby pharmacies and chatted with the pharmacists there. Then took a walk to the Esplanade. It was a long time since I walked along the Esplanade Walk I guess. I was totally surprised that the Outdoor Theatre was levelled. Not a single piece of pillar… just a bare patch of green grass. A sign stood there, telling me how the Outdoor Theatre was removed since April for the National Day Parade in August. Now… it is November. Basically, memories attached to certain places in Singapore do not last. They disappear with the landmarks and rapidly changing landscapes. There is no room and value for a little nostalgia in this island.

Gonna have a nice holiday break tomorrow! =) Heard that the hospital pharmacists got a pay increment of $400 to $800 on their monthly salaries! So a newly graduated hospital pharmacist could be earning more than $3.5K per month these days! Not too far off from a medical doctor and definitely ahead of a dental surgeon. Are they going to follow suit in the retail pharmacy world? Keeping my fingers crossed. So should you! That is if you are a pharmacist, haha… ;-)

God Bless,

Andrew