I'm moving over to blogger at http://deobserver.blogspot.com. My reasons are as listed in the first post over there. Also I need a change. If I've added you as a friend, you'll still see the occasional "friend only" post here.

Thanks for being such wonderful readers. I'll still be following your blogs (hehe..is that a threat?) and posting in my favourite communities.

"I’m a little nervous when we apply financial terms when we’re talking about relationships." -- Kat Wilder on Return on Investment in Relationships

Mr. "Sex Me Up" wanted to know why I am still "open to other offers" so to speak when I can just utilise the "back up spouse". It's not so simple of course. There are the mental hurdles to cross (conjuring up carnal thoughts about a long time platonic friend for one) and "due diligence" to be done.

Personally I don't get why people are so jittery about it. Is it so wrong to hedge against loneliness and the cynicism that seems to come with the territory of a single 30-something (male and female)? Using financial terms to describe another situation doesn't mean one is mercenary. Any  more than guilt charges of being a "fixer upper" makes me a renovator. But hey, I'm only a bimbo, so using analogies I understand to explain something perplexing like dating and relationships makes perfect sense to me. 

Interesting post on hunting for a CEO by Bram Cohen of Bittorent fame.

"Unrelatedly, if there was any candidate who literally stood me up five times and then removed themselves from the search as if the job was theirs for the taking, I'd like to let them know that I'd already knocked them off my internal list of potential candidates after stand-up #3, because that was a strong enough hint to make me not care how godlike some people view them. Really, the nerve of some people."

Well, even for a head hunted C-level executive, that's pretty bad behaviour. No matter what your status is, common courtesy should always be extended to everybody.  

 君子怀刑，小子怀惠。君子和而不同，小认同而不和。

I wish my mother wouldn't ask troubling hypothetical questions. How would I know how I'd behave in a given scenario? I could die before her, so the caregiving in her old age mightn't fall upon me.

My grandmother was warded overnight in an "A" (first class) ward because all the "B" wards were full. My family didn't want to put her in an A ward just for overnight observation because of the extra "premium" on billing.

The Bill:
Medication - $150
"Nasal Test" - $80
"Emergency Call" to the doctor - $250
Consultation (5 minutes) - $300
(This might seem cheap to American readers, but it's not over here.)

I think my mother wants me to a marry a doctor, dentist or lawyer because we've been screwed by ridiculous consultation fees. What's not to like about $300 for a 5 minute client reassurance job after all?

Not only that, they wanted to bill for the medication my grandmother had brought in. They had simply recorded what medication she was taking and made it a billable item. When my mother confronted them with the bill, they denied any mistakes at first until she insisted on looking at the records. They then backpedalled and claimed it was just an "oversight".

They also double billed for the medication. How did that happen? The doctor wanted to hold a "discussion" in the office so my mother dutifully went. He told her that my grandmother had been playing fast and loose with her medication dosage and hadn't been monitoring her blood pressure. He suggested that my mother pick up the medication from the nurse outside right away. My mother requested for the prescription so she could buy it outside where it was probably sold for cheaper. He then told her a story (lots of melodrama here, very salesman like) about how a patient of his had not gotten his medication right away (from the doctor) and consequently died from a stroke and how his family members lived to regret it. And what a sad story that was, all because they didn't listen to the sagely doctor. Being the good daughter she was, my mother didn't want to have my grandmother's death weighing in on her conscience. So she obediently picked up the pricey medication and paid for it. Only to be slapped with the same bill item by the hospital the next day. Again, an "oversight" on their part because the accounts people don't coordinate payments with doctors. But it is hospital policy that patients must buy medication from the hospital for "best patient care".

The nasal test? They stuck a cotton bud in my grandmother's nose and took a swab while she was sleeping. Without her consent. Nor the family's. They didn't tell us about it beforehand. When questioned about it, they said it was a germ test because she'd been admitted to another hospital before. Does that mean people who walk in from outside do not have germs?

Remember, every time you receive a bill, go through every single line item. They might just make you pay for their "oversight" and their "policies". Especially if you are at a private hospital like Mount A.

My grandmother has been having heart problems lately. She was warded on Saturday night, placed under observation and released this morning. She felt sick again this evening and she's been admitted to a private hospital (public hospitals are only good for emergencies). They can't operate on her because of her other medical condition and she doesn't want to undergo surgery in any case. She doesn't look as healthy as before. And I know she's really very sick, contrary to what she says, when she's lying on the hospital bed fretting about me being too skinny (all my life, I've been too fat to her). I'm supposed to pay her a visit, but I don't know what to say or do.

"Has the nurse been good to you? Do you need a drink?"

What do you say to a person you have never really had a conversation with? To be sure, she's talked to me before, but it's always been a one sided affair. All I could do was hold her hand the last time. She's the last of my grandparents. Am I being cold and unfeeling?