reports by a jobless dude

[taxico]

report #1

i've been on the can a lot more. i think this is because i'm eating more. it's nice to know that whatever color the food i eat they always come out in similar shades of...

(what a way to start the report!)

the malls are not really any less crowded during working hours, but i've put that down to the school holidays. i've been able to use my GPS to find ingenious ways of going places... usually that leads me onto a path that is decidedly wrong due to closed roads or non-existent routes.

i can now drive (off peak hours) at 50-60kmph without getting irritated. much. kinda. okay - 2 outta 10 times ain't bad.

the communal gym, i've realized, is a place that elderly male residents go to ogle at women using the pool/deck chairs.

also, i've been able to use google and linkedin to find where people i used to know are... this ended up with me editing my linkedin profile 98 times a day over the last week before knowing that every edit i make gets broadcasted to everyone linked to me.

no wonder i've been getting concerned text messages.

stay tuned to my next report, wherein i chronicle my leisurely visits to wristwatch shops and wonder if i need a new blood pressure cuff (at the same time) and if my car's front tires should have its brake dust hosed down or go through an $8 hand wash.

p/s: i'm on the can right now.

[nakatago]

TMI, dude.

TMI.

[offshoreoildude]

You want a seriously interesting or useful task? Get yourself a bike or mbike, a portable GPS and some map making software. Get out there and map some of the more interesting locations in the back roads of little Indian, Geylang, Seletar etc....along with the (disappearing) wet market, thieves market, old chinese hotels, temples that are only open one day a year, interesting clubs.... Then make a map a bit like the famous 'Bangkok Market Map' - see here for an example - http://www.nancychandler.net/product.asp?pId=11. You can make a small fortune and a name for yourself.

On other topics - how can I train as a paramedic for volunteer work in disaster areas or for people like MSF?

[zzm9980]

a portable GPS and some map making software.

An iPhone with MotionX-GPS would be perfect for this. (Might be on other phones too). It's software designed for just this. Many mountain bikers and hikers use it for finding and recording new off-road trails.

That's a good idea OSOD. If I'm ever on an 'extended holiday' from work, I might do the same.

[nakatago]

Google maps and Open Street map will also let you contribute.

Or get yourself an invite for Ingress.

[ecureilx]

On other topics - how can I train as a paramedic for volunteer work in disaster areas or for people like MSF?

PA Conducts basic courses, not full fledge medic courses ..

A good place to start off though ..

[taxico]

you might want to enrol in an emergency/medical first responder course from a place like first rescue or singapore medical care training... or even ITE (it's a "college" now)!

i've actually got a handheld GPS from my previous motorcycle. i'll look into that map thing coz it sounds fun.

now, on to my next post!

[taxico]

report #2

i had my tires changed last week and this naturally resulted in a quick (5 days) internet search on what my next tire should be.

during this adventure, i realized that singaporeans care a lot more about having cheap, grippy, durable, quiet and branded tires that work well in the wet but won't harden over time and preferably as recently made as possible.

this combination, as we all know, exists only in imagination land, so i checked into the tyre website recommended recently by another member and immediately found no good deals.

calls to stamford tyres yielded better results - i saved $5 a tyre compared to the next cheapest tire shop quote i got. the tyre website was $7+ more per tire, exclusive of installation.

(i stuck with continental)

they were quick to rub the tires down with an oily rag, giving the tires a "like new" appearance when paired with a set of extremely dirty rims, made more obvious by the mechanic's hand marks.

later that week, a trip to the grocery store for a tube of toothpaste resulted in my spotting of a PURCHASE WITH PURCHASE and my eagle eye saw the 1 liter bottle of listerine was being sold for ONLY $6.50 - naturally i had to take a brisk walk to the aisles nearby to see what i can purchase to make up the minimum spend of $25.

on my return to the PURCHASE WITH PURCHASE shelf, i was shocked to see only one orange bottle of listerine and decided to grab it, along with 3 sara lee pound cakes, a box of mint candy canes, 2 tubes of mentos and 2 loafs of SUPER JUNIOR THICK SLICED gardenia bread.

my wife asked me why i didn't buy toothpaste and told me there was no way we were gonna be able to finish so much bread and cake and we'd better freeze it. i proved her wrong. i also didn't believe it was ridiculous to buy those things to get $3 off my mouth wash. i think.

always wondering abou t whether paying the water dispenser company man to come by and change my water filter was the right thing to do, i decided to change the filter myself... without having the right tool.

i ended up calling the man anyway, and had to buy a tool off him, pay him to install an entirely new filter and filtration device and re-drill a hole in the kitchen. the wife was not happy about the mess HE made.

earlier this week i was wandering around a local hospital and found where i could get free coffee. in my quest to find the awesomest free coffee dispensing machine, i ended up at HDB Hub and had 6 coffees over the course of 2 hours. i also tried going to marriott for free ice but realized i forgot to bring a bag with me to the ice machine so i headed back home.

a few days ago, there was a sale of a set of plates and bowls for only $24.90 - i was very astute in calculating that in a different shade, each plate or bowl was only 90c and i would be better off buying them separately for my wife when we needed them.

when i got home, my wife told me it was meant to be a christmas present, and separates, even if we bought many pieces, don't get us a box. i had to pay full price for it.

my savings at the tire store, free drinks and mouth wash probably made up for it.

all in all, an interesting few weeks.

stay tuned, for more interesting reports from a jobless dude; when he gets job offers despite NOT looking for a job, and the altercation he got into when he used a kleenex from a packet someone left to reserve a table.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!

[JR8]

you might want to enrol in an emergency/medical first responder course from a place like first rescue or singapore medical care training... or even ITE (it's a "college" now)!

i've actually got a handheld GPS from my previous motorcycle. i'll look into that map thing coz it sounds fun.

now, on to my next post!

Any SCUBA shop or club that does training also can provide the EFR course.

I think I paid around £80 to do it, as part of (incremental to) my Rescue Diver course. To keep it 'in license' [valid] you have to do a refresher every three years or so.

I have heard that St. John's Ambulance also offer it for the private corporate sector (you know, like being trained up as a fire warden (as I also did)). Not sure if this applies in SG, but worth a look.

I enjoyed the course, it really opens your mind to seriously helping a person that might one day just happen to need it. You feel empowered I suppose.

[offshoreoildude]

Taxico - I'm enjoying your adventures. Can I set you a challenge? Get into New Phoenix Park!

[offshoreoildude]

If I had time like this I'd be restoring old motorbikes.... 602 Serangoon Road. Stick your head in their - JJ has some real beauties.

[taxico]

i'm actually trying to import a few ABS-equipped baby ninjas into singapore before the stupid emission rules kick in.

plenty of problems... but for a company that gives its museum such a wonderful name, i'll work harder...

[offshoreoildude]

So how much online pron are you watching?

[taxico]

surprisingly much less than i expected!

KAWASAKI GOOD TIMES WORLD!!!

[JR8]

Lol! Kawasaki ... '2 stroke, we show you good time!'.

I love Japanesisms like this.

p.s. Is it true that kawasaki, suzuki and yamaha all mean 'rice paddy'? Someone, probably in Japan, once told me that... oh, and that there are something like 30 different words/names for paddy-fields...