The Brochures’ fine print – what they didn’t want you to hear

Although it may appear that we lead a “champagne lifestyle”, we thought it may be time to share some of the adversities we face on a day to day basis:

1. Having to watch cricket highlights rather than NHL.
2. The feeling of being LOST because all the maps are upside down, and street name signs are knocked down by drunken hoodlums.
3. 1.5 hr commute to work via a combination of biking, train, and bus…which requires a 5:30am alarm.
4. FORCED to shop for “reduced” items at the grocery store because everything else is too expensive! (e.g., green capsicums/peppers $9/kg; mushrooms $7/kg). Some days we are forced to fight to buy leftover scraps at the local Chinese market
5. Walking past people who are homeless and have addictions everyday on the way to/from work.
6. Awakening at 2am, 4am, and 5am to the sound of mosquitoes buzzing in one’s ear.
7. Every meal preparation takes double the time due to efforts to keep cockroaches away, having no oven, a bar fridge, and having only 2 “hot plates” as a ‘stove’.
8. Lack of high speed internet and proper telephone connections.
9. 1 sandwich with ham, cheese and lettuce and tomato costs $7.50. Mcdonald’s meal that includes fries, drink AND a burger is $5. Small coffee costs $3, 1 doughnut is $2.50; compare that with 1L beer at $4. Due to ridiculous prices, we are forced to a consume the unhealthier things in life
10. Having to use one of the MOST PATHETIC (perhaps I should use MOST UNRELIABLE) transit systems in the civilized world. (though I could write a book on why this is, let's just say 16 different lines does not equal efficiency. LATE, OVERCROWED, COSTLY, and OVERHEATED are just a few issues to point out
11. Being so far away from family and friends.
12. Searching for hot wings all over the city only to find out they don't exist!

Island Rice’ wisdom: life always seems to balance itself out…total satisfaction vs. “not so nice things”…but these can all be put into perspective. Life could be worse! So we will continue to enjoy it all – even the “bad”