Vandal?

It was around 11:40pm, just before the New Year Countdown..

I was in the living room, watching a very boring telecast of the New Year celebrations party at the Marina when I heard a noise outside my door. It sounded like someone was trying to open my metal grille. I could hear someone trying to put a key in the door and fumbling, as if he or she was drunk. I was scared and I didn't dare to peep to see who it was. Wild thoughts ran through my head .. was it my landlord? Maybe Kek was back early from France? Maybe it was my idiot ex-housemate, Gilbert? Or one of his many his spurned lovers? Maybe it was that psychotic neighbour of mine?? Help!!

The noise at my door stopped. It moved to the rubbish chute and then, it was gone. I waited ten minutes before I dared to go to the door. I peeped out but saw nothing. I stepped out into the corridor. A neighbour was peering around his door and saw me - I guess he must have heard the commotion too. That's when I saw my right-side neighbour's lovely purple orchids all over the floor! She had hung it near the rubbish chute to get the best light, I suppose. Or maybe it was her idea to brighten up that area with a pretty plant.

I was out in the corridor that evening, trying to take some night photos of the expressway and the evening sky. I'd seen the plant and thought of taking some pictures but I decided the light wasn't too good. It would look better in the day. Next time, I said.

Now all I got, are pretty flowers scattered all over the floor ...

My Last Buys Of 2008

I just had to buy something before the year comes to an end. I ended up with ...

* My favourite bubble-tea drink - Oreo Chocolate
* 2 Chinese New Year cards (for 2 lucky friends)
* A "pineapple with gold coins" good luck charm (to hang outside my front door)
* A bottle of Colgate Plax mouthwash in Freshmint (it was on sale!!)
* A can of Nivea deodorant (I need to smell good for the new year!)
* The last newspaper of the year!
* The first magazine of 2009 - 8Days dated 01Jan2009
* I spent a total of S$27.63 - a lucky 4D number, perhaps?? *

I also had my last meal of the year - an all-time favourite - Malaysian style curry beehoon with chicken. Yummy!

47.5

I never thought that I would ever get my weight back down to 47.5kg.

Over the last two years, I put on 4kg?? My weight crept up on me, slowly but surely, from 47kg to 48kg to 49kg. And then I hit the magic 50. I kept telling myself that once I hit 50kg, I would curb my eating and start doing something, exercising if need be. Last resort, of course. But easier said than done. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, not to mention the tummy! I love food! I live to eat! Being in Singapore, it's hard to stay away from food. There is food everywhere! On every corner, every street, at any time of the day or night! My favourite foods - chicken rice, char kway teow, noodles, carbs. My uniform was straining at the seams to hold me in. I think I hit my heaviest at 52.

Then about a month ago, I started to lose my appetite. I could get by with just a meal a day. There were times when I didn't even eat anything for 24hours. I was just not hungry. I also wasn't sleeping well. Was it stress? Or was it because I was missing my makan-kaki, E? The weight started to drop. My cheekbones were a little bit more pronounced. My double chin was now a "half double"? I looked better in pictures. But my buddha-belly was still the same :( Round and wobbly.

Unfortunately, my appetite is back now and so is my weight. I'm hovering between 48 and 49. But I'm glad I managed to see 47.5 on my scales before the year ended. I feel a little better about myself.

So here's to 2009 and a new resolution : To keep my weight under the magic number 50!

Mr Krishna

Mr Krishna was calling ..

I had barely opened my eyes and switched on the lights when the phone rang ..

(Veering off course a little here ..) In this really cool room, I have this really fancy remote thing-y that switches off the lights or dims it to your liking... Cool! Usually the good hotel rooms have light switches near your bed which can switch off certain lights or a master switch that turns off all the lights which is great. Unless you're in the US / San Francisco to be exact.. you have to go to every single switch / light to turn it off... Walk to the passage, switch light off. Walk to the toilet, switch light off. Walk to the desk, switch light off. Walk to the standing light, switch light off. Walk to bed (finally!!), switch off bedside lamp. Phew! What a stupid system, right? And to think that you have to do the reverse when you wake up!! So usually, I just fall asleep with all the lights on! Haha!

Anyway, the phone rang and the caller ID read "Mr Krishna". I didn't know a Mr Krishna. I was in Dubai and I was a little apprehensive in picking up unknown numbers. But it could have been a wrong number and we were staying at the Angsana so certainly no riff-raff here! I picked up and it turned out to be my colleague. I know him as Viviek. He wasn't feeling so good so he wasn't coming back with us. Poor guy - he'll be celebrating his New Year here in Dubai all alone instead of at home with friends and family.

So Mr Krishna, Happy New Year and get well soon! Hare Hare :o)

Best Before??

Look at the date!!

I was going through my pantry to stock up my noodle-bag for my upcoming trip to Dubai when I came across this packet of noodles. It was 13 months too late.

This shows you how bad I am when it comes to shopping. I can go to NTUC, buy my groceries and stick them in the fridge / pantry and totally forget about them till it's too late. I buy oranges because I felt like having some or a carton of milk because I know that I should be getting some calcium. I usually end up with prune-ny looking oranges and tofu-like milk. Sometimes, I'm just plain greedy. I hardly get to go to Tokyo so when I do, I buy lots of fruity jelly-cups because they are so yummy. And who knows when my next trip will be, right? So I stock up... just in case. I end up throwing them away because I can't finish them in time.

That day, I went through my pantry and threw away packets and packets of expired noodles and drinks.

Now, what if they DIDN'T have a Best Before date??

Mini-Bar Mystery

This was my mini-bar in Istanbul.

A mini-bar doesn't usually get that cold, much less freeze a whole bottle of Coke. The rest of the drinks inside the fridge were at the right temperature. So how did one single bottle get frozen solid while the rest remain chilled?

I had to call Housekeeping to clean up the mess. The guy wasn't too happy. I don't know if it was because he had to handle broken glass or he just looks like that all the time?

Who knew that Coke Light would be that explosive?

Aftermath!

This was my bedroom floor after I finished wrapping some Christmas presents! All this for only ONE person's pressie!!

Christmas Basketcase Of Blues

At 17:27 today, I got an sms from E. Finally.

Well, what more did I want? I was the one who wanted to break it off. I was the one who thought we could be friends. And then I decided that we couldn't be friends. And then I go all psycho when I don't hear from him!! @#%^&#^

I'm a total basketcase!

Christmas Carols

What is it about Christmas carols that can lift your spirits in an instant and make you feel all festive and jolly?

I was moody this morning. I woke up at 8am and that's enough to make me depressed. The weather was gloomy. I had spent Xmas eve alone (By choice. I only have myself to blame, I know) Watched Sex & The City last night and saw the episode where Carrie and Aidan broke up and that made me cry. Went to bed with swollen eyes. This morning, I was listening to Corrinne May's Fly Away and that is not exactly a "pick-me-up".

So I thought, how about some carols? I'm sure I have a Christmas CD ..somewhere .. somewhere .. somewhere .. Now where is that darn CD? (Oops, no swearing on Christmas!)

Found it! Don't remember when I bought this CD though. But I'm sure I bought it at Target. How do I know that?? Because it was a Target-store compilation!! Got one big-big Target logo on the cover :o) Popped it into my player, volume up high and .. Hallelujah! I was jigging and singing along to the songs in no time!

Now all I want for Christmas is ...

Merry Christmas!!

Lucky $$$

I picked up M$11 yesterday.

We were walking to the Tiger Airways plane, parked just off Gate T3 at the LCCT. At the LCCT, there are no aerobridges to the planes. We have to walk to the aircraft via covered walkways, much like our walkways here under the HDB flats. Then a short open-air walk on the tarmac to the aeroplane steps. Which is fine..as long as it doesn't rain!

Anyway, I was just a little ahead of Peng who had Lisa napping in her baby-sling. Then I spotted something on the ground. One M$10 and one M$1 note, folded together, as if someone had collected it as change after a purchase and stuffed it in a pocket in haste. The person ahead of us was pretty far away and didn't look like she was turning back. So I picked up the money. It was my lucky day!

I thought that M$11 would probably be just enough to buy Peng and myself a cup of coffee and maybe a hot Milo for Lisa when the drink-trolley goes by! Well, it wasn't. A cup of coffee was S$3 / M$7. It was free money but it just wasn't worth paying $3 for a coffee which I can't even drink leisurely because the flight time is only 35mins??

Anyway, Finders Keepers!!

p/s : I picked up 20cents today. I was looking at cards in a stationery shop when a card fell behind a vase. I moved the vase to get to the card and there was a 20c on the floor. I picked both things up. Put the card on the rack, the coin in my pocket! :O)

Susan's Pot Of Goodness

Susan boiled soup, just for me! Bless her heart! And she only used the "ho-liao" too, good stuff like chicken drumsticks (because she knows that this "pah-pai" friend of her's, doesn't eat anything else!) and the Chinese herbal stuff. Sorry to say but not even my mom boils soup for me when I go home. This picture was taken after I've had like 3 bowls?? It was yummy, not to mention, nutritious! Left the "cha" only!

Thanks, Girl! Hugs :o)

A Sneak Peek!

No one's ever been in my bedroom before.

I think B was the only one because he helped me choose the apartment. I spent very little time at my place when we were together. I'd go home to grab a change of clothes or drop off my stuff after work, before heading over to his place. He never stayed over. Maybe just that once. We were just more comfortable at his apartment.

E probably took a peek or two. At first he was shocked when he thought he saw the stuff on my floor. But he was a gentleman and never pushed and accepted the fact that I didn't like anyone to see my messy room. I liked that about E. Never pushy.

So hey, here's a sneak peek into the Forbidden Room!! (after the clean-up, of course!!)

Beer And Cigarettes

Why do I always turn to beer and cigarettes whenever I feel down? Do I hope that it numbs my brain so that I don't have to think about my problems? Do I hope that it gives me a throbbing headache that makes me forget the pain in my heart? Kinda like taking a hammer to your thumb when you have a nail stuck in your head.

Maybe the movies play a part?

Cue .. sound of soft waves in the background.. the sun setting into the horizon.. a beautiful girl is sitting on the beach, with a beer bottle stuck in the sand and a lit ciggie in hand. A teardrop slowly making its way down her cheek. She's pondering what went wrong. Why she is, where she is. The sky turns to night. She stubs out the cigarette, drinks the last drop of beer and flings the bottle into the water. The world is suddenly a better place and she seems to have the answer to her troubles..

I lit a cigarette. Took a puff. Took another puff. And another. I put it out. Took a bottle of Hoegaarden and had a sip. Yuck. Tried another sip. Emptied the bottle down the kitchen sink.

Nothing like a drag on the ciggie or a gulp of beer every now and then to remind myself WHY I never smoked or drank beer!

p/s : I'm no closer to finding an answer :o( Any ideas??

Inspection OVER!

I got the house ready with 45mins to spare. Talk about cutting it close. Phew!

I cleaned up my room. I can see the floor now. And I can walk from the doorway to my bed, without having to follow a narrow, treacherous passage, through piles of DVDs, unopened mail, credit card receipts, toiletries, bags, paperwork, clothes. Yes, I had all these on the floor before. It was like navigating through a mine field. Even in my sleep-muddled state, I was able to walk to the bathroom, 20feet away, and retrace my steps back to the bed. Most times, with no incident. I'm pretty sure that the laminate flooring is a little more worn-down in some places.

Now all I have to do is to keep it just the way it is for the next 3 months. Darn.

My Mickey Mouse

I once told B that my wrist hurt after using my laptop for a few hours. I had switched from a desktop to a lappie and I wasn't used to using a touch pad. The awkward position and constant tapping while surfing was not very comfortable.

He surprised me with the above - a wireless mouse. I didn't have to use the touch pad anymore and hey, no wires to mess around with. The little black USB thingy popped out the back and once plugged into my lappie, I had a remote mouse! It even had a scroll-wheel. Cool! When I was done, I just stuck the black stick back into the mouse's ass. A neat little package.

The mouse died after a while. I kept it till today because I wanted to remember B and his sweet little ways. I took a picture for remembrance and threw Mickey out in the trash.

My Chu-Chu

This is Chu-Chu.

B gave her to me as a surprise. She came with a small bouquet of blue roses. She used to sit in the car and keep us company.

She has since lost her nose. And the roses have disintegrated.

Ghost-Cover-Eye

I lost my Sales Receipts the other day. It was the first time ever, in 4.5years? I am usually very careful with my sales-paperwork. I didn't even realise that it was missing until I started to look for my little clipboard before I did my Sales rounds on the flight. And this was already on the way back to Singapore. I searched my cabin bag and my mamasan bag but it wasn't there. I was upset but I thought, Hey, I'd probably left it on the cart. All I had to do was write an email to the other girl and see if she found it. When I got home, I gave my bag another peek before I wrote her.

She replied today. She didn't find anything. I was really upset now. I was 90% sure that I had left it there. Where else could I have put it? That was probably the last place I saw it.

I went through my bag again. One more time, I said. Searched all my little pouches, pockets and even in my files. Nothing. Then I picked up my announcement book in its little black bag to put it away. I felt something. And there it was! It had been in my bag the whole time! The weird thing was that I had been using the announcement book during the whole flight and yet, I didn't see it at all. Didn't even realise that it was there in the little bag although it was a little heavier than usual.

I'm so relieved now. I don't have to write an official report to state my loss. I don't have to worry about having to pay for any shortfalls. I guess when your mind is so preoccupied, you do tend to overlook things and not be focused.

Or, it could have just been a case of "ghost-cover-eye"??!! I wonder ..

3:30pm Deadline

My landlord, D, texted me to tell me that he'll be by at 3:30pm. Darn and double DARN!

Today, I was supposed to clean up my room. I did.. well, does 2 feet x 2 feet of space count?? I threw some stuff away, wiped the area clear of dust, and cleared some old mail. Then I got distracted. I took a nap, watched two episodes of Sex And The City and even went to town for a photography shoot! Now, I'm yawning and can't wait to go to bed.

I still have 20 feet x 20 feet of stuff to go through. By 3:30pm, mind you. Sigh.

I HATE Housework!

I hate housework.

Especially when it's dictated by others and not by my schedule. I need to be in the mood to clean. I need the urge before I can clean. And the urge comes well, once in a while. Ok, once in a few months or so. Then a few days ago, my landlord decides that he needs to come by and assess the house. So I have to clean. But I'm NOT in the mood!!

This evaluator-person is supposed to come by tomorrow to check the house, take pictures and well, evaluate! As much as I dislike my landlord, I still have to clean up the place a little to make it a bit more presentable. And sell-able.

First impression : My place looks pretty decent. I do try to keep the general areas as neat and tidy as I can. The living room, the kitchen and the dining areas are presentable and free of clutter. My room? Well, it's a junkyard. It's a dumping ground. It's a MESS! I have stuff on the floor, stuff on the bed, stuff on the desk, stuff on my TV. Stuff everywhere. If there's a surface, there's stuff. There's stuff ON stuff!!

I would post a picture but I'm too embarrassed :o(

EX And The City

Sex And The City - Season Two, Episode 30.

Can you be friends with an ex?

My answer is NO. I've tried doing that with three ex-boyfriends. It didn't work. Let's ignore the fact that I'm neurotic!

I was dumped by one boyfriend, BH (my fault, but that's a whole other story) After a few months of silence, he suggested that we be friends. In the beginning, I was happy because it meant that I would still see him and have dinner and still go out with my best friend. After all, we were together for 8 years. You don't just throw that away. I also secretly hoped that he would take me back again. But after 6 months of "friendship" and friendly hugs and pecks on the cheeks, he told me that he was dating again. It killed me to hear that. This time, I called it off.

It was easier with the next guy, J. I didn't feel as strongly for him. I was also the dump-er. It is always easier when you're the dump-er. We met for the occasional dinner every few months or chatted online. No hard feelings there. One night, we were out for dinner and Alison called. That's when I first found out about her. J was one of those "Don't ask, don't tell" guys. Then another time, he invited me to a family gathering to celebrate his brother David's birthday. I thought that if I were Alison, I wouldn't want to see my boyfriend's ex-girlfriend at a private family function. It's a NO-NO. So in view of Alison's feelings, I started to fade into the background. Last I heard, he was in Malaysia for a holiday with Alison. I'm happy for him.

With E, it was hard. He still wanted to be friends. I should take that as a compliment because he didn't want to be friends with any of his exes, other than Amy. But the few times we went out, I found myself trying to sneak a whiff off his shoulder (he smells so good all the time!) or accidentally bump into his arm or playfully chuck his chin. It was hard to keep my hands off him.

I would always check my Messenger to see if he were online. Switched on my mobile the minute I land, hoping for a message from him. No familiar beep-beep. I always assumed that he would look me up for breakfast / lunch / dinner when we were both in town. I would always end up eating alone. Pathetic, I know.

After one too many downs, I told him that I couldn't be friends anymore. It was too exhausting. All that disappointment. I was the one with expectations. It was not his fault. He was just being him. E.

Carrie went through the same thing. She thought that she could have dinner with Big and just when she thought it was going so well, he dropped a bombshell - he was getting engaged. That is NOT something you want to hear from the guy you still want, you still care about deeply, you still love.

I hope that I will be over E soon. Wish me luck!

Clothes!

Susan suggested that I donate my old clothes or throw them away. My response??

I have 3 categories of clothes :

One - My current wardrobe : Which consists of what I like to wear now. What I consider fashionable. Regardless of what others might think. The all-time favourite jeans, Abercrombie tops, tshirts, some Uniglo shirts, the denim shorts that will go with anything and everything.

Two - My future wardrobe : Clothes that I might be able to fit into, if I ever lose some weight, that is. Skimpy spaghetti tops, some ultra short minis, a few dresses, some tshirts that hug you in all the wrong places. Clothes that are in the Extra Small-Small range. Target weight : 45kgs or less. There are also clothes in this wardrobe that I might need if I put on more weight. Or get pregnant (horrors!!) Large flowy dresses, huge tshirts that double up as night shirts, pants that you could probably stuff a chicken or two into it. The XL range.

Three - My past wardrobe : Clothes that I can wear again, if and when it comes back into fashion!! Clothes that you could wear to a Halloween party or on a cruise. The loud Hawaiian shirt. My retro stuff. The Madonna-bustier lookalike minus the tassels, of course. The colourful Cyndi Lauper skirt, the 80's sweet-Kylie floral dress. Clothes that you bought at a sale where you thought, "Hell, it's only S$10." What-was-I-thinking??-clothes fall into this category too.

I'm sure we're all guilty of the above. Minor or otherwise.

What would the retail industry do without us?? :o)

p/s : The above applies to shoes as well!

Men Are Like Oxygen ..

Just yesterday, a colleague, Astley, told me a very interesting analogy.

Men are like oxygen. You know its there but you can't see it.

I'm sure he made this up. But why would I want a man, in this case - my boyfriend, there.. but "not there"?

He said that I needed to understand that a boyfriend was there all the time. I know he's there. But I don't need to see him to know he is there.

He gave this example :
If you were sick and you called me, I would tell you to go to the doctor. My logic is because only the doctor can cure you. I would not go to the chinese sinseh and get herbs and stuff to boil or come over to your house to rub your back to make you feel better or run to the local supermarket to get tissues for you. But if you need some money to PAY for the doctor, then I'm there for you. Because its something that I can do.

What is it with men? They know WHAT to do, what they SHOULD DO! To make a woman feel good. But yet,they refuse to do it? I'm referring to the :
Oh, you're sick, Baby. Let me make you feel better. (Man : I'd rather have sex! That would make me feel good!)
Do you need another blanket? (Man : Just don't expect me to get in with you!)
Should I give you a massage? (Man : Please say No.)
Do you want me to stay home with you and keep you company? (Man : I'd rather go out and be with my buddies since you won't be much fun!)

Astley said that I should treat my boyfriend like a friend. If I'm able to do that, then my man would love me for it. Well, I do treat my boyfriend like a friend. Sometimes. When we talk about common, general things like work or photography. But then, I treat him like a boyfriend other times. I WANNA treat him like a boyfriend. Like when I hug him even if he reeks of cigarette smoke or tell him that he looks good with his 3-day-old stubble all over his face. Or that he's cute when he smiles even if his teeth are a little crooked. If he were just a friend, I'd tell him to shave, shower and get his teeth fixed! But because he's my boyfriend, I love all that about him. Smoke, stubble and all!

And besides, I have my regular friends. Friends that will tell me to see the doctor when I'm sick, logical friends that will not pamper me just because I'm making wontons in bed or coughing my lungs out. They have lives of their own. Their own boyfriends or girlfriends, husbands and wives, that they need to take care of and be with. They have no time for me.

I need a BOYFRIEND.