Weekend

Nel has been asking what are we going to do on this weekend.

At first, I was thinking maybe we could do a weekend getaway. However, it's a bit late to plan anything. And tickets are expensive!

Anyway, we are going to the National Museum of Ireland tomorrow. We've been staying here for a year and ten months now but we've never been there yet! And best of all, it's free!

Korean BBQ

We had Korean BBQ for dinner last Saturday.

Meet my housemate - Ta Wei. He's from S'pore. Coincidentally, his girlfriend is Nel's hometown friend's sister. What a small world. Anyway, he brought us to this Korean BBQ restaurant. The food is nice!!!

The food is good for a Korean restaurant in Dublin. It might not be the best but it is certainly better than what we expected.

Some friends might have heard my experience with another Korean restaurant in Dublin. It was dreadfully awful. Actually, this particular restaurant is just two doors away from the Korean BBQ restaurant! Let me briefly describe the experiene one more time - they served sushi wrapped with cheese and mixed pepper. Can you imagine that?

Sushi Rice

plus

Cheese

plus

Mixed Peppers

How distasteful is that! Some might suggest that the restaurant is trying to alter the dishes slightly to suit ang moh's taste bud! Fusion? Don't tell me about fusion! I want authentic Korean food!

What I like about the Korean BBQ restaurant which we went last week is the BBQ hotplate is fired by charcoal! The food are definitely tastier.

I gonna return for my birthday dinner this weekend. My birthday has just passed but who cares! So I'll celebrate my birthday at this Korean BBQ restaurant on this coming Saturday :p

It's my birthday

I'm turning 27th today! I'm not sure whether that's a bad news? Oh well, I prefer to take it as a good one. Afterall, at least I'm not 50th :p

Let me see...what I have done during my 26th?
- travelled quite a lot of places
- failed my exams on last June and passed them on last December
- moved to a place much nearer to workplace. Till today, I still couldn't believe it takes only 5mins.
- started to work out at gym
- learnt to surf

OMG! It's only a few items? I suddenly feel like as if I've wasted my 26th!!!

I think I should plan ahead and list down more resolutions in this coming year.


and on the very first day of my 27th, I own my first laptop ever!!!! Thanks to Nel, muackssss!!!

He probably thinks it's a relief since I don't have to use his from now onwards. Haha!

Hot Chocolate

I need it!

It's a necessity on a cold day!

Best Espresso

I am craving for a cuppa and some cookies now.

It reminds me of the alfresco cafe in Florence.

We were starving after a long walk in the morning so we just simply chose a restaurant for our lunch. 

It's cold and probably around 3 - 5C.  We had to put on winter jacket while having lunch! See how clumsy we were...

The meals were mediocre. You could guess how tasty it was by looking at the photo of carbonara spaghetti above; obviously it didn't look tasty at all.

Nevertheless, they served the great espresso! It's the best espresso we've ever had thus far! Its aroma alone would be good enough to kill you. Mmmmm~~~~~~

I miss it so much!

Ripped Off

I felt like being ripped off by the Irish government.The income tax rates are 20% on the amount under the threshold and 41% on the above of threshold. On top of that, I have to contribute 6% of social insurance.

On 1 January 2009, there was an introduction of INCOME LEVY.1% of income levy of my GROSS INCOME regardless of what I have already contribute on income tax and social insurance contribution. WTF WTF WTF

Says individual A earn 2,000euro

2,000 x 20% = 400

An individual get a tax credit for 305euro per month.

So, Income tax = 400 – 350 = 150

The income tax individual A has to pay is 150euro.

And… individual A has to contribute 6% of social insurance after the tax payments.

Social insurance contribution = (2,000 – 150) X 6% = 111euro

And…

Income levy = Gross x 1% = 2,000 x 1% = 20euro

TOTAL AMOUNT PAID = 281euro. (281euro can eat 200plates of Nasi Lemak in M’sia ler)

And… there was a 21% of value added tax on whatever goods we buy! This rate has been increased from 21% to 21.5% from 1 December 2008.

Ok, so now you think you have paid all of them.

Wait!!! Guess what??? This is not the end yet. They’re going to change the tax rate again and it will be announced on around April.

Happy St Patrick’s Day and thank you for ripping off my hard earned money.

Maybe

"Maybe we're not supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human. Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we're thankful for the things we'll never know. At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate."

-Grey's Anatomy