(150) days of joblessness

Wow times passes quickly when everyday is like a weekend. Nowadays I keep track of time in terms of weeks, not days. Some important people organize their time in chunks of 15 minutes, lately I cannot imagine. The nice thing about not working is that you have all the time in the world to do things you like. The ironic thing is that usually I don't get much done in a day. Read an article here, answer some e-mails, go for a run and then it is almost the end of the day. It also goes to show how much time a person can waste. But how do I pay the rent when I am not working? It is also quite depressing on days because I tie so much of my security and esteem to having a job.

(100) days of joblessness

It has been more than a hundred days since I have quit my job. The 'staycation' has been wonderful so far. Unfortunately, it can't last forever. Reality hits hard when you don't have a steady income. Reality comes in the form of grocery bills and monthly expenditure. Reality also comes in the form of concerned friends and family members. And I don't really blame those who are close to me for they have been very understanding. I would be concerned if someone I cared about decides to be a bum as well.

I took this break because I came to a point when I hated the monotony of my life. I disliked the daily cycle of wake, work, sleep. I wanted an escape if just for a little while. I know pretty soon I will be forced to return to a job. That's just how it goes.

Missing the walkabouts

It has been a while since I have gone on a trip and I do miss my 'walkabouts'. I am beginning to realize that I quite like travelling - mainly independent travelling - where the itinerary is planned by yourself or someone in your group. I like these type of travel because most of the time you don't know what to expect and the journey is usually as important or more important than the destination. You might take 3 days of walking to get up to a summit but the summit is not the important part, the journey is. The summit is the trophy to tell others that you achieve something.

Many of the things I do revolve around doing these walkabouts - keeping fit, working, etc. I am not sure why I like these type of travel because from a pure economical perspective they are a waste of money. However economical perspective is not everything although being Chinese and Asian, people around me constantly remind me of its importance. Money is important for many things but it is not the only value in life - that is my opinion.

I like the walkabouts maybe because I have insatiable desire to move about and to explore new things. Maybe it is because when I move about I do not have to think or worry so much about what is going to happen next - where life is leading or whether my career is going to the sinkhole. Maybe I like it because I am a better me when I am travelling. Maybe it is because as the saying goes a rolling stone gather no moss and I am fascinated by the 'moss'-less lifestyle. As I age, I am beginning to realize many drawbacks of this 'moss' less lifestyle. I am certainly not religious about not gathering 'moss' as a brief glance around my room will convince you that I have much more stuff than I need.

As I am bounded by the lack of travel these days (due to resources), I am often fascinated by those who are travelling. However, I do find that those who go on packaged tour or business trip usually have fewer stories to tell from their trip. But there are always exceptions so I am all ears for your travel stories. If you sponsor me on a trip, I will be very happy to tell you my stories.

Malaysians fatter than Singaporeans

According to the WHO Global Database of BMI, Malaysia has a much higher obesity rate (% with BMI >= 30) than all its neighboring countries. Malaysia has 16.3% (2006) vs Singapore at 6.9% (2004). Now I did not read through the WHO website to determine how they got the number but isn't the figure a bit alarming for Malaysians? Thailand has only 4.4% and Indonesia has 2.4%. What type of food are Malaysians eating that make Malaysians more obese than our neighbors? Malaysian food isn't more different than Singaporean food. It makes you wonder doesn't it? Maybe it is time to cutback on all the extra visits to the mamak stall for supper. Or am I reading the WHO table wrongly?

Upsize part 2

This is a continuation of yesterday's upsize (or super size) post. Today I am eating at burger king and in terms of bang for bucks, BK beats MacD.

Original Whopper meal + Upsize
Whopper - 763 Calories
Large Fries - 410 Calories
Large Coke (32 Oz) - 300 Calories
Total - 1473 Calories for $7.75

That's around 200 more calories for roughly the same price. A fat thumbs up (especially if you keep eating it) for BK. Good news for bums but bad news for regular first world people who are dieting because this one meal is likely almost equivalent to your daily calorie intake if you are dieting.

To Upsize or Not

Since I was calculating the cost of food, here are the calories upsizing will do to your Big Mac Meal.

Normal Big Mac Meal
Big Mac - 520 Cal
Medium Fries - 370 Cal
Coke (21 Oz) - 200 Cal
Total = 1090 Calories

Upsize Big Mac Meal
Big Mac - 520 Cal
Large Fries - 440 Cal
Coke (32 Oz) - 300 Cal
Total = 1260 Calories

Conclusion, unless you are a bum who is trying to save money, the upsize will only add 170 calories (from fries & sugar) to your weight. If you are a bum, you should be eating at a hawker center and not Macdonalds.

P.S. To save money and still eat at Macdonalds. Bring your own water and order the McChicken for $2.

My Table

The picture shows my table which is in a real mess. It also reflects a little of my life right now - unorganized. What I need is a clean up or to throw away unnecessary stuff. It also reflects things that I do for fun. Currently playing Batman, Arkham Asylum on the PS3. It's a great game - good story, solid gameplay, beautiful backgrounds, etc. Below the Batman game is actually the latest Final Fantasy, which I cannot get into. I have been playing about 2-3 hours and it is really boring so far. Yes I have a skinfold caliper and I am not telling you my body fat percentage.

Comics in the library

Wow, lately I found a new hobby - reading comics in the library. I didn't know they had a whole shelf of comics in the library. If I did earlier I would have read them earlier. The only downside about the library thing is that usually you can't find the continuation of the comic series you are reading. Well, it is free so I am not going to complain too much. Needless to say, comics have taken up a substantial chunk of my time. However, I am rather unoccupied nowadays. The books I borrowed from the library went from zero in the last year to easily 30 in the last two weeks. The library in Singapore is another thing that I can confidently say is much better than those available in Malaysia. Before you think I am defecting, I still prefer Malaysia even though I have stayed in Singapore for over a decade.

Virgin Trek - Annapurna Circuit

Well I am back in Singapore now and completed my first multi-day trek of Nepal's Annapurna Circuit. It was exciting and eventful. As it was the off season for trekking around the area, I did not get a chance to update the blog because internet connection was either exorbitant or unavailable. Anyway, I will quickly give you a summary of what is happening. If time or mood permits, I might fill in the story. Otherwise, you will have a good overview. We had some hiccups - I had a bout of altitude sickness up at 4000m. Eric had diarrhea on the first few days. JT had altitude sickness around 4500m. Other than that, the trek went well. The ladies were tough and handled the trek without getting sick. The weather was brilliant - no storms or strong wind - even then it was brutally cold at the pass. Fortunately, I was dressed adequately for the cold as I had my thermals and wind proof clothing. When I was sick, the group did hire a horse to take me through or act as a backup in case anything happened. Luckily, it was not a serious case of altitude sickness and I recovered with rest and medication. Well for now, that's about it. As the others took some pictures, I will hopefully get a copy and post a few on this blog.