Saturday, April 10, 2004

Hoboken, N.J

I was just reading the New York Times this morning. I've finally gotten round to getting it emailed to me everyday. Whether I have the time to read it everyday is another matter. Anyhow, there was a little side ad, for the house of the week, in Hoboken, New Jersey. "This picture perfect unit offers a 1/2 bath with a tile floor, a full kitchen with new high-end appliances, a tile floor, and a separate eating space, and a living room with a fireplace, hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a lot of open living space. One floor up your wooden staircase you will find 2 nice sized bedrooms with a lot of closet space and a full bath. Next up to the private roof deck with new trek deck and roof." Sigh.

How nice.

I'm not saying I don't like my house now. I do, although I would like more wardrobe space if I could. However, Dan thinks thinks it's a matter of me buying less clothes. Crazy man.

But just looking at the ad reminds me of what it would be like to live overseas. No doubt we lived in an apartment in Melbourne, we've seen some very nice houses. Not going to happen anytime soon. I shall just make myself miserable by looking a real estate ads of other countries while I sit in a cramped workspace. Apparently Singaporean workers have something like 2 sq.m less of work space then the average office worker in other industrialised countries.

But I can't complain. I have a comfy chair and a lap top so I'm happy.

What I do have issue about is the number of parents who clog up our streets by sending their precious darlings to school. Every morning, the front and end part of my journey to school is hampered severly by traffic jams. A stretch that would take me 1 minute non-peak, takes me at least 6 to 7 to clear in the mornings. And no matter how early I leave for school, I am always late. The poor merc takes the heat for that. Sometimes I worry that the engine will fall out of the car on the expresseway.

I know it's hypocritical for me to complain seeing that I got sent to school all the way till uni and even when I first started teaching. But really, have these people ever heard of car pooling? Or sending their kids in earlier? At half 7, just before the bell is about to go, the queue to get into the carpark is the longest ever. And if they are so concerned about getting their children to school safely, why in the world do they drive with such great wrecklessness? Every morning, my heart leaps into my throat at least twice as some blind and unaware parent hurtles toward me with wreckless abandon!

Hello, HUGE car approaching, STOP line at junction, you do not have right of way! And chances are their little Japanese cars will crumple upon impact with my old German tank. Heh.

Off now. There's a class I should be getting to, sometime this year.

5 Feb 2004

Ondine tossed this thought in at 09:53

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