Feeling the pinch

Even though the cost of almost everything has been increasing for the last several months, it was recently that I realized how absurd it has become.

So after watching a movie at Jurong Point, me and some friends decided to have a bite before heading home. And food prices there are nothing short of absurd.

One of the menus went like this:

2 plain Pratha: $1.80

1 egg Pratha: $1.80

Since when was one plain pratha worth 90 cents. Crazy. Absurd.

Kopi-O : $1.30

Kopi-O ice: $1.80

60 cents for ice?? Never knew that ice was becoming a rare commodity in Singapore as well.

I was having dinner at a food court near my place. And there was a striking similarity between all the stalls. Every stall had masking-taped over it’s original price list and written down a new and obviously higher price.

This ‘phenomenon’ also occurred in Tamil Nadu when I was bag-packing there. But the difference was that the people protested, held rallies and forced the government to issue a statement to reduce the prices of meals in restaurants.

Yes, the likelihood of that happening is the same as the likelihood of taxi companies dropping the 30 cents fuel surcharge when oil prices drop. Or the likelihood of catching Mas Selamat in the near future.

Haha.. just realized how bitter I sounded.

Well to quote the Joker; Why so serious?

Falling sick and how not to remove a ingrown toe-nail

Yeah the title is lengthy and weird, but that’s what exactly I’m going to talk about. Sorry for the lack of imagination. I spent quite a bit of time in India falling sick or having this infection or that, so this post is dedicated to that.

When I landed in Tamil Nadu towards the last week of May, I was rather exciting and was raring to go, wanting to experience a good holiday. And eating good food is definitedly part of having a good experience.

So once I landed in India, I was all Anthony Bourdain-ish. Eating all kinds of street food, never refusing a chance to drink at the local tea shop and just savouring and marveling at the variety of vegetarian food on offer. (and cheap too).

I was a happy man, until what probably only happens in the out-takes of Anthony Bourdain’s show happened.I was down with food poisoning and was reduced to just eating diluted porridge and if my stomach was up to it, some herbal soup.

It is not a very pleasant feeling when you suddenly wake up at 7am because you feel something is rising in your throat, and run to the front door, only to realise in horror that it is locked, and now you frantically run to the back door, only to lose the race against your semi-disgested dinner from yesterday.

And so my Mum ordered me to wash up and I took a long shower. I was given a coffee to drink to feel better. But within 5 minutes I was at my front yard hurling the coffee out. (thankfully door wasn’t locked) And so this went on 2 days before I was able to eat something solid.

While all this was happening, my eye suddenly decided to protest and started turning red. At first I thought it was something to do me wearing contacts; but even after that the reddness didn’t drop until I used some strong eye drops.

This is how my eye looked:

And if that was not enough:

You see, I was cutting my toenail when I had a very small cut because I cut too close too the skin. Normally in Singapore I would have just ignored it and it would have healed by itself. Ahh.. But since the village I was in so dusty, dust started entering the wound and pus started growing. Every morning I would spend some removing the pus because even the pus had become so dirty with exposure.

So instead of healing naturally, the wound starting swelling and imagine a wave crashing on the beach; likewise the swollen flesh covered half of my toe nail and wound promptly closed up. But since it wasn’t fully healed, it was still painful.

After delaying for 2 weeks I went to see the doctor. (I didn’t exactly trust the doctors in my village) So I explained to the doctor:

Me: “Sir, my flesh is a bit swollen, nothing wrong with the nail. So is it alright if you make 2 small slits at the flesh and squeeze out all the excess flesh?”

Doc: “Hmm ok, but this is different more like an ingrown toenail. Why don’t you proceed to the operating table first?”

I was lying at the operating table thinking it’ll be quick one. The doctor entered with 2 nurses and asked the nurse for a injection of some substance. He was just looking casually at my toe and without any warning, just plunged the needle into my toe! Because my toe was rather sensitive to pain, I felt as if my heart just jumped.

(Was thinking of including a pic of my swollen toe here, but decided it was too disgusting)

And even before I could recover, or for that matter of fact, the painkillers to kick in, he took out a pair or scissors with 2 extra pointy bits at the end and shoved it into the gap between the toe and nail. He then proceeds to tear and twist and tear some more until half of the nail is torn out. The painkillers only kicked in as he made the final tear.

I have no idea how an ingrown toenail is removed in Singapore, but it is definitedly not in the manner above which more of a butcher at work. But my toe did recover fully and I didn’t have to amputate it or something.

It’s a good thing my red eye healed pretty fast or they would have just plucked my eye out to give a good cleaning!

Back home.. finally.

And finally I’m back in Singapore. Looking back at the past 2 months, 47 days straight is truly a very long time to be spent backpacking around India, and I’m convinced I have barely scratched the tip of the iceberg called India.

From the towering millenium old temples of South India to the southern most point of India to “God’s own country – Kerela” to Delhi and Agra, the Taj Mahal to the deserts of Rajastan and finally to the foothills of the Himalayas. And forgeting pretty good and cheap food and oh so wonderful tea for just 5Rs.One incredible journey packed into 47 days. I realize i can write and talk about India for at least months, such was the extent that I was am captivated by India.

As much as I am keen to share every single great experience with everyone, I realize that I simply can’t write everything down here for it might be a bit too long and draggy and that some things are just better to be seen and experienced rather than read about. So instead will create my own ‘Best of India’ list.

Moving on, the first few weeks in India offered me a chance at a completely different lifestyle. There I was in my parents’ hometown with a new handphone number known only to a few, and with only 2 Internet cafes with 3 computers each with terribly slow loading times and frequent power cuts which is good as having no access to the internet.

It was good for a while; no one calling me to do this or that, no stress, no commitments, just a carefree life living from day to day. Or it seemed so. For reality eventually caught up.

I missed my application deadline for my registering of next semster’s modules due to a massive power cut. And mails started piling up and I started to fall back on the activities/CCAs in which I had a responsiblity in.

But life goes on. I just got to work that extra bit harder to catch up and complete what ever else I need to complete. Which is what I’m going to do now.