Post-Pandemic Chaos 疫后乱象

Thailand - Bangkok

泰国 — 曼谷

After an epidemic, many things have changed!

一场疫情过后，好多事情都变了！

Since when the emergency exist seats of a full-fare flight have to pay extra fare?

什么时候全价航班的紧急出口座位也需要付费了？

I was under the impression that only budget airlines need to pay extra in exchange for a wider legroom.

我的印象中只有廉价航空公司才需要支付额外费用以换取更宽的腿部空间。

Once upon a time, taxi-drivers had to grow vegetables on top of their taxi due to no passenger.

曾几何时，由于没有乘客，出租车司机不得不在出租车上种植蔬菜。

Now that the tourists are back, they start charging without using the meter.

现在旅客回来了，他们又开始不安表收费。

I have always had the habit of eating McDonald's breakfast, but I have never paid attention to its price.

一直都有吃麦当劳早餐的习惯，但从来都没有留意其价格。

Due to having too much time, I stumbled across a shocking truth.

由于时间太多，偶然发现了一件惊天骇人的事实。

Unexpectedly, McDonald's in Thailand is more expensive than Singapore's!

没想到泰国的麦当劳比新加坡的还贵！

That means Thailand's Big Mac Index is relatively higher than Singapore's!

这意味着泰国的巨无霸指数相对要比新加坡的高许多！

P/S: Big Mac Index is an informal way of measuring the purchasing power parity between two currencies and providing a test of the extent to which market exchange rates result in goods costing the same in different countries.

注：巨无霸指数是一个非正式的经济指数，用以测量两种货币的汇率理论上是否合理。以各国麦当劳餐厅的巨无霸汉堡价格，相对于该国货币汇率，作为比较的基准。

Borrow Hongbao 借红包

Singapore - Waterloo Road (Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple)

新加坡 － 小坡四马路（观音堂佛祖庙） 

Today is the twenty-sixth day of the first month of the lunar calendar, which is the day of "opening the treasury to borrow red packet"

今天是农历正月廿六，是“开财库借红包”天。

The devotees queuing to enter the Goddess of Mercy Temple, lined up all the way to the back of the Hindu Temple next to it.

排队进入观音堂的信众，是一路排到隔邻兴都庙的后面。

This year's "opening the treasury to borrow red packet" activity can finally be restored to the way it was held before the epidemic.

今年的“开财库借红包”活动终于能恢复到疫情前的方式举行。

The queue looked long but was moving all the time.

排队队伍看起来很长，但一直都在动。

Thought would be stuck in the queue for at least an hour, but in the end got into the temple after waiting for around half an hour.

本以为需要排至少一个小时的队，最后只排了大概半小时就进了寺庙。

Although there are many people in the temple, everyone is still in order.

寺庙里虽然人很多，但大家都依然井然有序。

P/S: According to folklore, on the day of "opening the treasury", you can borrow wealth by "borrowing the red packet" in the temple, so remember to return the red packet the following year when your wish is fulfilled.

注：民间流传，在“开财库”天到庙宇“借红包”能借富，所以隔年心愿达成后，记得回去还红包。

Happy 10th Birthday 10岁生日快乐

Singapore

新加坡

North-South-Dong-Xi is TEN years old.

Today is Valentine’s Day, ten years ago today, North-South-Dong-Xi was launched.

Unknowingly I have written this blog for ten years.

I started writing nonsense ten years ago, and I am still writing today without knowing what I am saying. (Wathehaha!)

Wrote 295 articles in ten years.

I sincerely thank the readers who do not mind my crazy writing style, and I am grateful for the companionship along the way.

Must repeat this very important phrase every year, hope North-South-Dong-Xi has years to keep everyone company.

~*Happy 10th Birthday North-South-Dong-Xi*~

《North-South-东-西》十岁了！

今天是情人节，十年前的今天，《North-South-东-西》创刊了。

不知不觉这部落格也写了十年。

十年前开始胡言乱语的写，到今时今日不知所云的还在写。（哇的哈哈！）

十年间写了295篇文章。

真心感谢不嫌弃我疯言疯语写作风格的读者，感恩这一路的相伴。

每年都要重复这句很重要的话，希望在未来的时间里《North-South-东-西》可以一直陪伴大家。

～＊《North-South-东-西》10岁生日快乐＊～

Bye Bye Mask 拜拜口罩

Singapore

新加坡

Today marks an end of mandatory wearing mask in public.

今天标志着在公共场合强制性戴口罩的结束。

Yuanxiao Trivia 元宵冷知识

Singapore

新加坡

The fifteen days of Chinese New Year has come to an end.

农历新年的十五天就这样来到了尾声。

This year's Chinese New Year comes earlier.

今年的农历新年来得比较早。

Christmas has just passed, before one catches one's breath, one has to get ready for Chinese New Year.

刚过完圣诞节，气都还没来得及喘，又要忙着准备过农历年了。

It feels like I just sent out Chinese New Year's greeting, and today is Yuanxiao.

感觉才刚刚送出新年祝贺语，今天已经是元宵了。

What does Yuanxiao mean?

元宵究竟啥意思？

In the olden days, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month was called Shangyuan Festival and the night of this day was called Yuanxiao.

旧时，农历正月十五叫上元节，这天的晚上就叫元宵。

Yuan means first, referring to the first glimpse of the moon, which is the first full moon.

元即是首，指首次望月，也就是第一个满月。

Xiao is called twilight, which means night.

宵谓之夜，就是指晚上。

So Yuanxiao originally means the full moon night of lunar new year.

所以元宵本意就是农历新年的第一个月圆夜。

Yuanxiao is called Yuanye or Yuanxi.

元宵亦称元夜或元夕。