Pretty picture from a magazine

More on Friendly Shopping

(*Another long post alert* Haha sorry people, you'll need another cup of coffee today. Must be all the words held back during the week :))
In the last entry, I recounted the trauma in the dressing room when I was trying to make an exit, knowing that I wasn't going to buy the (beautiful) but exorbitant bra. The retail people in the US are extremely friendly or at least they make a good show of it. When I was back in Malaysia and Singapore, I complained about the low level of service there. Many sales people are unhelpful, sometimes rude and occasionally freaky.

They are, in no order of dispreference:
the "hogger"
Characterized by the constant hovering around a discount bin, folding every article of clothing as you look through them, making you feel guilty for giving them more work;

the snobs
They won't give you the time of their day unless you are dressed rich enough.

the young designer
Freshly out of art colleges, they are eager to display their wares to you their new potential customer. I'm sorry to say this but some of such men look kinda gay. Comfort is not the word that comes to mind when I see a guy dressed more feminine than me.

Then I realized that the "friendly" American style retail doesn't always please me either. When you enter a shop or a restaurant, a waitress or salesperson will come over and ask versions of "How are you doing today?". At the cash register, they would say the invariably "All set?". It's kinda like the "Wassup" that my American acquaintances throw at me. They make me feel at a loss for a reply. Firstly, I don't think they are really interested in your story of how you had a bad day and the gory details of how your boss/friend/whoever pissed you off. So if they really don't want to know, why do they bother asking? I've since found out the accepted answers which vary from "great", "not that great"or "not much". But it still sounds vaguely pointless. Now I can imagine the shock on the European faces when they heard/were asked "Jia ba beh?" (Have you eaten? in Hokkien) when they are in Singapore or "Apa khabar?" (What news? in Malay)in Malaysia.

Well, after you leave the dressing room, the question that assails you would be "How's everything?" I'm sure they are being helpful instead of trying to imposing some psychological pressure on me to buy the garments I just tried. I've heard dressing room assistants give people advice on a styles they think would look better. Afterall, some of them are veterans. Those in the lingerie department are rumored to be able to determine your size in a glance; In the cosmetics department an old-timer can tell instantly which shade of foundation goes best on you. Those are precious assets and skills to be sure since they ensure that a customer is satisfied with their buy.

I'm pretty skeptical about advice given by them because strangers, esp women, tend to lavish undeserved praises on you. They might have some ulterior motive of boosting their sales so they get the sales person of the month award. Or they might say nice things to you because well, it's a nice thing to say. They wouldn't tell you that your butt looks big or that the color just doesn't go. They can't tell you that an item is not value for money or that it doesn't go with anything in your wardrobe. I guess it never really hurts to get input or advice from other people especially when you are not very sure about what to get. So next time, when I try on an item and I don't want it, I should just be honest and tell them with a straight face that it's just not for me.

Something Stupid
In lieu of shopping, I read this from a Singaporean girl's blog and was pretty aghast. She had just spent $200 buying clothes online and some guy which I presume is her bf asked her "Aren't you already in debt from previous months unpaid credit card bills? Why are you still shopping?" Here's what she said:

"Naturally, I said, OK, you can pay for my stuff then. Because, really, I have this theory. Money is important to everybody (don't lie to yourself). Hard-earned and all. If a guy can bear to part with his money to spend it on me (and my frivolous stuff), then it proves he really loves me. Am I right? So now I'm giving him a chance to prove his love.

Also, I have this other theory about how shopping is crucial to a relationship. X-Boy thinks it's sex, but it's really shopping. You see:
1. If the girl is shopping, she's happy and won't nag at the guy. In fact, might even consent to sex willingly.
2. When she's shopping, the guy gets his free time (unless you get a needy chick who wants you around to accuse you of unsaid things when forced to give an opinion). He can go have his beer or ogle at other women. He's happy too.
3. When the girl looks good, she maintains the interest and desire the guy has toward her.
4. As above, when the guy pays for her shopping, it proves he loves her.
5. When the girl makes the effort to look pretty for the guy, it proves she loves him. (Actually, it doesn't, but nevermind.)
Therefore, everybody lives happily ever after."

Here is an example of a growing debt problem among the younger generation. I don't understand why people must spend above their means. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Not only does she spend irresponsibly, she wants someone else to take responsibly for her spending? In the name of love? Please, don't cheapen yourself and whatever it is you call love. So love is only as deep as how much he is willing to spend on you? In her defence, she might have been half-joking and half-wistful thinking. But that idea is prevalent -- he didn't buy me a bouquet of overpriced roses for V-day *waaah* he doesn't love me; he bought me a moisannite (a man-made diamond lookalike) instead of a diamond ring worth 2 month's of his salary *waaaah* he doesn't love me (even though I can't tell the difference); he paid for this overpriced sweater/necklace/dress that I've always wanted, he must love me lots!!!; and also judging from other wistful sounding comments left by other girls for the said blog entry, I'd say the idea is generally met with approval.

Some part of me is probably biased because earlier, in the same entry, she said one of the thing I've heard in a while. Here's how it goes:

"...I have this theory. You know on auctions and flea markets, all the second-hand retail, you always see all the large sizes? That's because bigger sized people have a lot of clothes to sell which they bought on impulse thinking it'd one day fit them. But then it doesn't and it's unflattering on their current body. Skinny people don't have that problem because whatever impulse purchase will still look good on them anyway. That said, I still appreciate that I'm not a skinny person."

Now that I reread that, I can't quite tell which part of it I specifically dislike but it irks me to some degree.

The Thrill of Shopping
Johnny was wondering aloud the other day when he saw how happy I was with my new clothes and stuff, "What is it about girls and buying things? It's like they get a thrill just from buying things notwithstanding how much they actually like it" I guess he was referring to the hardcore shopaholic types who appear to get an orgasm from just the process of buying. I wouldn't say that that applies to most normal people but girls do get an inordinate amount of pleasure from buying things. I remember those younger weekends when I would walk the malls aimlessly. There's this sense of futility when I go home without something new in my hands, like I've just wasted my whole day (Sunk costs my dear. SUNK COSTS!!!) Luckily, the older me no longer feels that unreasonable urge but I remember that feeling vividly.

Somehow guys just don't feel the same kinda of joy when I lay my hands on something you really wanted or that giddy happiness that makes me giggle when I see the cute bag I bought a month ago. I can't really say if that's fortunate or unfortunate. Actually, I'd probably think that a guy who gets really happy buying a new shirt and giggles every time he sees the shirt is gay. No offense to gay people. I just don't think that's what straight guys to do. The same goes with dieting. The beauty of being a guy is being able to eat whatever you want and not caring. Being a little health conscious is okay, dieting is just roll-eyes ugh. Leave the feminine stuff to the women-folk please!

Last week

(*Long post alert* Get a nice mug of coffee and your most patient demeanor as you walk through my ramblings)

Sorry for the week long hiatus. It was my homework + prelim + random group meeting week. I have two classes which have problem sets due biweekly and they coincide on the same week so one week I'd be free (as a bird) and the next I'd be swamped. Let me try to recall what actually happened during the week:

Monday:
Walked to my 8:40 class and then back instead of getting a ride from darling. He was so sleepy I didn't have the heart to drag him out of his warm bed. Also got my MEng group assigned. The project will be about inventory management stuff. Meeting with group members on Wednesday.

Tuesday - Thursday:
The in between days that appear as a blur. Choked with random homework and classes.

Friday:
Arrrrgh, my beautiful red scarf is (mentally) scarred. It has been sitting next to darling's stinky socks the whole night. Some of the smell stuck too. *sniff* No more soft, warm scarf to wear to school. :(

At 4:10pm, dropped by at the library to return some books and grabbed even more magazines.

4:30pm, played basketball at North Campus. Well, darling was playing basketball with the guys (I guess this is equivalent to the boys night out?). I was shooting hoops which was kinda fun. I got 16 of 50 shots in, and later 12 out of 30 and subsequently 10 out of 20. At least I'm improving! *grinz*

Despite the popularity of basketball in Singapore/Malaysia and US, there are just very few women who play basketball. In Hwa Zhong hostel, we used to have basketball competitions but there were never enough teams to get a competition going. I was actually quite fortunate in JC where the girls in my class really enjoyed the game. So much so that we skipped PE (it was dumb ole great Singapore workout (GSW)) to play bball which resulted in us getting caught. Blearh. What's the whole point of the GSW anyway? Wasn't it to get people to be fitter? In that case, isn't playing a game of basketball much better? Or is it one of those get patriotic acts? Maybe if being patriotic means doing something stupid together. The PE teacher's attitudes are nothing to be proud of either, they might be "just doing their job" but their real job is to help students get into a healthy routine of exercising not just following orders.

Went to Victoria's Secrets to try on a bra. Apparently American sizes are a little different from the ones we have at home. Our cup A's are AA here. (haha like battery sizes. No triple A's though) and B's are American A's. Maybe it's another instance of size inflation. They had this beautiful sea blue bra in the Body line. It cost a freaking US$38. (= S$68 = RM144!!!)

Before I left the dressing room, I was trying to cook up some excuse to sneak away if the lady asks me the usual "How was it?". I don't think I can convincingly say that I didn't like it coz I do!!! I can't say it's the wrong size either coz she will then offer to bring me different ones or *gasp* measure me. Think! Think fast! Okay, I'll tell her I need a second opinion about the color and need to grab a friend. I opened the door, confidently armed with my excuse. Nobody was there. I was half relieved and almost disappointed that I didn't get to put on my best actress face. Mission accomplished! I'm now ready to order some (cheaper) bras off eBay where they sell overstocks. I'm such a cheapo :P

Today:
I woke up with physical evidence of a good work out the day before. My whole body is aching. This is the only type of ache that actually makes me happy. (Well, technically, if I'm so fit that I don't ache, that's even better)

Finally finally got my Def Leppard CD!!! It's been 12 days since I bought it on eBay. Yay, my CD collection is growing *beam* It was somewhat impulsive actually. I probably would be able to get it from a second-hand store in Singapore for less or something. How much do CDs usually cost anyway? I bought this one for US$7 (shipping included), is that a good or not so great deal? Oh well, too late!!! :) Wokies, gonna stop here. Have a good weekend everybody!

Interesting Handwriting Analysis

I'm not a big quiz person but this is quite cute. Analyze your handwriting here if you're bored :)

This is what I got. Sounds somewhat reasonable though I'd say the part about me being "stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories" is kinda... too mushy for me.

Yannie is selective when picking friends. She does not trust everyone. She has a select group of people that are truly close to her, usually two or three. She is careful when choosing her inner circle of friends.


Yannie is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect her ego when she feels hurt. She pokes people harder than she gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.


Yannie is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. She needs to visualize the end of a project before she starts. she finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said she plans everything she is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Yannie basically feels good about herself. She has a positive self-esteem which contributes to her success. She feels she has the ability to achieve anything she sets her mind to. However, she sets her goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". She has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, she will not take great risks, as they relate to her goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, her self-perception is better than average.


In reference to Yannie's mental abilities, she has a very investigating and creating mind. She investigates projects rapidly because she is curious about many things. She gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but she soon must slow down and look at all the angles. She probably gets too many things going at once. When Yannie slows down, then she becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, she must slow down to do it. She then decides what projects she has time to finish. Thus she finishes at a slower pace than when she started the project. She has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. Her mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. She can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Yannie can then switch into her low gear. When she is in the slower mode, she can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. She is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.


Yannie is talkative. She enjoys talking and socializing. She may talk when there is absolutely nothing important to say. She enjoys speaking.


Yannie will demand respect and will expect others to treat her with honor and dignity. Yannie believes in her ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. She has a lot of pride.


Yannie is moderately outgoing. Her emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, she can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. She has the ability to put herself into the other person's shoes. Yannie will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes she will be happy, the next day she might be sad. She has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because she is in between. Psychology calls Yannie an ambivert. She understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, she will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." She doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing her to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to her. She puts herself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet she will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Yannie is an expressive person. She outwardly shows her emotions. She may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Yannie is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. She weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when she finally has to. She basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.


People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Yannie doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others

Anti-social

One thing that couplehood has made me -- anti-social. Having the constant company of someone you enjoy essentially eliminates the need to socialize. It saves me from the need to force a fit into the excruciating pack mentality of the Singaporeans here. I have somebody to be anti-social with. Or you could say we socialize with each other. Having to wade through throngs of Singaporeans and making inane small talk is as appealing as eating a wash cloth. Sometimes, I do feel kinda awkward for being so... alone.

I start wondering about why I wasn't quite like that in JC or sec school. In a way, I was forced to interact with people but I wasn't really unhappy doing it either. It was a pretty fun period -- quite a few intense friendships that I somehow let go for the last few years, lots of silly things done -- every single thing was so dramatic. Isn't it funny that somehow all those people and events nudged me here and there until I'm who I am now? A lot of things appear so insignificant but really, a little act can affect someone else. Kinda like this person who held the door for me at the DBS bank at Coronation Plaza years ago. I don't remember the face or even gender but I always remember the smile he/she brought to my face.

On a side note, I'm suddenly reminded of my primary school classmates. We used to meet up about once a year. These gatherings were usually organized by Chuan Yinn or Jack's mum. Even though I always feel slightly alienated during the gathering itself when they start talking about school (most of them are in a common sec school) and from the subtle cultural differences, I wonder how they are faring.

A couple of them went to an Australian uni so by now they should have graduated. Chuan Yinn went to UK to read medicine. Last I heard, Wai Yan went to a private college (can't remember the name) to read law(?). So what happened to the rest? Like See May the canteen uncle's daughter, or WaiLin (her primary school best friend), or Kok Hou the cheeky monkey. Then again, I don't even know what happened to the few who went to Singapore like Cheng Hou who I know went to NUS but not sure what happened after, Jun Ghee who was my primary school best friend, SyLing I think went to Australia? Not very sure. Incidentally my dad and his dad work in the same company which is how I knew. And how about Jing Biao the king of rope skipping (and chicken wings), Ke Wei and Ai Lian who were inseparable... By now, I've become practically strangers to them -- we could walk past each other in a mall and not know each other. Yet we are linked by this distant but memorable past.

My Little Guzzlers

Baby car almost ran out of fuel today. After the New York trip, we haven't bothered stopping at a pump. By the time we got to the Tops petrol station, the "Warning, I have no fuel" light was actually on. We were behind this horrible queues of cars and the guy at the front of our line was taking forever. Maybe his truck came with a growling belly like ours. I almost thought we would run out of fuel from just idling. I guess this is when I'm really glad we got a fuel efficient Toyota instead of a guzzler.

Petrol was a horrible $2.089 per gallon. Not too long ago, people (me included) were marveling at the record breaking $50 per barrel oil prices. As of this Monday, crude oil was at $55 per barrel. I wonder if utilities have been affected by these prices. Well, I'm glad I don't have to worry about utilities in general.

Recently, I've been spending quite a lot. Not to the extent that I have to live off instant curry and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I'm actually more worried about myself turning into one of those extravagant young executives (yes, the ones I usually scoff at) who spend beyond their means. I'm starting to see why there is the term retail therapy.

Once again, I'm probably just exaggerating my case here. A closer look at our expenses for the month shows that $1,500 of that are fix costs like my evil $1,180 rent, cable bills, parking fee, car insurance, textbooks etc. Hmm wait...Goodness!!! Food costs a whopping $700?!? How did we consumer $700 dollars worth of food in a month? Well... *sheepish smile* I guess our tummies are not unlike those SUV guzzlers. I guess I can indulge in some retail hedonism after all. *grinz*

Some of the stuff I bought recently:
a) 2 CDs (by Def Leppard and BT)
I justified this by the fact that I've never actually bought a single CD in my life. Yes, you heard me right. Not a one. The only CDs I own are the Savage Garden cds that Eilene gave me as a b'day present and some rap cd I got from prom night in Nanyang.

b) Boar bristle brush
I need a brush. Simple as that.

c) A coat and skirt combi
Errr.... I bought this mainly because I was looking out for something to buy. Since I couldn't find a satisfying bra, got this instead. *guilt trip*

Hrrrm doesn't sound so bad after I list them after all. Cheers, mate!

Books

Books I'd like to read by end of the year: 10
Books read so far (since term started): 1
Magazines read so far: 10++

The days of 40 books a year seem so far away. I'm an officially retired bookworm. I guess I should now be labelled magazine worm. Still can't believe subscriptions to Female or Her World in Singapore doesn't actually give you any discounts from buying from the newsstand. Guess I'll be one of those browsers at Borders, Orchard next time. Haha still remember me and Eilene sat, cross legged, at the children's section of Borders after A's and finished reading the fourth book of Harry Potter. That took like half a day.

3 1/2 Inch Killers

They are black, sleek, above average height for their type. They also killed my feet today. Walking up slopes and 3 1/2 inch heels do not mix. At all. Neither does walking to school for 15 minutes and standing around for 1/2 hour. Beauty (or vanity) comes at a steep price. Somehow heels are just so damn sexy esp to men. Nothing quite beats the allure of swaying hips. Well, I'll be leaving sexy for those more sedentary days. For now, sneakers will have to do.



The heel 

Last year's Slope day

Pics of some funnily dressed people I took from Slope day last year. Haha, I had no guts to take it from the front. So they are all backside shots. :P



Jappy wannabes 


Sorority Girls 

Tired

Stupidly tired, stupidly because it's not due to work but because I was too busy playing Warlords Battlecry :( I'm actually more tired than my busiest week so far. Once again, I fell asleep during class. It's kinda bad when the class has only 20 people. At least I showed up. My 8:40 class has dwindled to 1/4 the usual attendence.

Presentation later tonight about RFID technology. Singaporeans are such horrible entrepreneurs. We had a great idea but whenever we reach some obstacle, they'd start saying "how? how?" instead of coming up with a way to improve and distinguish our product. I wish they'd do their homework and actually read about the technology instead of coming to a group meeting clueless and asking silly questions. Progress is so slow when the people you're talking to just don't get it. For once, I feel like I'm actually pretty special. I appear to have the ability to grasp concepts quickly and put them into prespective. I've always thought it is a ubiquitous skill. Either I'm wrong, or I have the luck of the devil to land myself with people who don't have them. That and my uncommonly seen common sense might just make me a winner!!! Riiiiiiight.....

Oh man, I'm so looking forward to my 1/3 pound bacon cheeseburger with cheese fries... tummy's growling but darling still has 25 minutes more of office hours to go. Maybe I'll distract myself by reading Kafka's The Trial. Haha if any freshies see me reading it, they'd probably think I'm crazy. It was supposed to be their reading for summer (much like my "Guns, Germs and Steel") and as with any reading forced upon anyone, most people hated it. Or maybe I'll go reply my emails... they've been rather neglected of late.

Thus, a new craving is born.

The garlic with red wine pate Wegmans mind-controlled me to purchase was really yummy. The first time I heard of pate, it was in a RJ play (was it Hedda Gabler?) where the English characters were talking about port and pate. Then Eilene started looking at the canned pates at Cold Storage at Queensway Shopping Center. At that time, I grimaced at the thought of eating ground up pig liver.

Years later, this very summer, I went to a German restaurant, Paulaner Brauhaus, mentioned in this post. They served some lovely creamy pate which I thought tasted like glorified luncheon meat. So this time, when we were at La Petite Auberge in NY, I had to get pate as appetizer as well. This one was chunky with bits of roasted pork bits and some herbs. It was good too. The store bought Wegman's pate was of the creamy variety. There was something familar about it though I can't say what. But I can foresee that a love affair with pate has started. Minced chicken liver, pork and pork fats anyone?

Wegman's trip gone wild (laced with gripe about Cosmo)

It's official. The Wegman's store douses people with shopaholic powder. We went out with the intention of buying some spaghetti, milk and the yummy Ithaca Soda co ginger beer. We first tried it at Collegetown Bagel's. It's refreshingly unsweet, laced with ginger and has a nice kick to it. But it costs a freaking $1.70.

Going on a total tangent here but according to Cosmo, American guys will freak out if you have bulk groceries in your fridge. This 34 year old guy was quoted as saying " I was really digging Amy until I opened her freezer and found an enormous tub of cookies and cream ice cream. Either she's secretly harboring a family of five or stocking up for the next great depression." In the same article, another guy said that he met this girl he really liked that is "until I ... inspected her CD tower. It was like a sound track to my own personal hell -- Celine Dion, Whitney Houstan and ... Les Miserables...I thought, This is a girl who likes to cry herself to sleep" What what what? Listening to Celine Dion and Les Miserable equates to crying myself to sleep? Either Cosmo is great at finding guys with really stupid pet peeves or Americans are just plain weird.

I'm more inclined to think the former. Especially when they told me in the next few pages that body language that signals he loves me are as follows: tilted head, extended palm, lifted eyebrow and raised shoulder ("Shoulders are expressive because the trapezius, the hump of muscle between your neck and shoulders, is linked to emotional centers in the brain through special nerves. Riiiiiight. Special nerves) Cosmo seriously need to brush up their content and stop giving me this crappy page fillers.

Anyway, onward with the bewitching Wegmans. I came out with $52 of groceries. Somehow a simple trip to pick up three items (I even know which aisles they are on), became a full blown grocery shopping and it sure looks like I'm stocking up for winter. Stuff I came out with: smoked ham, mallow twirls (think chocolate covered marshmallows), Oreos, Chicken in a biscuit, potato skins, kit kat, cheetos, angel hair spaghetti, 2 gallons of milk, 2 cans of chunky soup (pot roast and beef and mushroom), 8 bottles of ginger beer @ 1 dollar a piece, red wine pate, grapes, peaches, tomatoes, quiche Lorraine and pistachios. Pretty much all of it is junk food. Hrrrrm.... I need to put Wegmans on my boycott list before I go broke from grocery shopping of all things.

Private Moments

I'm essentially still a very private person. There are lots of things between me and my darling that I did not tell anyone about. Esp the not so good days. Partly, I feel that it's not fair for him since this would be a one-sided account. On the other hand, I realize that the image I'm projecting of us is one of almost unreasonable bliss.

In actuality, we do disagree on many things. At the beginning when the relationship was still fresh, I cried buckets almost every day over some thing or another. He refused to believe when I told him that for the past years I've rarely cried *grump* Even then, we've never argued. (By argue, I mean raised voices, heated words etc) We are both somewhat good natured and I'm usually more upset than angry.

Over time, the tear ducts have dried up some. Our main disagreements usually occur over dinner when we talk about random stuff. One time it was about fat people, another time about translators for manga. Usually I get miffed at him for all of 5 minutes, mainly because I can't get him to think my way. I've learnt not to take those little arguments too seriously. Girls tend to view conflict as strictly negative but for guys, it's okay to argue over an issue and not resolve it. So as long as it's not personal, I've learnt to let it go.

Yesterday was slightly different though. That was the one time I've actually thought: We might just break up over this. The whole thing was pretty much a misunderstanding, but it left me hurt. For once, darling was angry. But in the end, everything is fine, we're closer than ever, some things were settled (like how he should give me a chance to explain before getting angry and not to do things that are deliberately hurtful) and I know with all my heart and soul that he is someone I want to grow old with.

Working out

Yay, I'm not quite that unfit afterall. Surprisingly, after the 4 laps and 5 minutes of stair-climbing (with breaks in between :P) yesterday, I'm not aching at all. Climbing stairs is seriously tiring. After 1 minute of it, I was panting madly. Well, now I take comfort at the fact that my heart has grown stronger. Even in the PE days (JC and sec school), I've worried about my poor little heart. Sure, I've no heart attack but I've no stamina either. My heart beats a lot faster at rest than others who exercise.

For the record, non-fat milk is not very nice. I need my fats!!!

Random "Facts"

Pumping iron after a long flight may ease jet lag by affecting genes that regulate your internal clock, finds a University of California at San Francisco study.
Wish I knew about this handy tip. *Remembers her horrible 3(?) jet lag the last trip back from Singapore*

Fats below the belt are harder to lose. Blood flow to the butt is 67% less than to the abs, making these fats less likely to be used as fuel.

When negotiating it pays to have a surly grimace. Heated hagglers get better deals than happier types, reports the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Note: Only works on strangers i.e hawkers and flea market stalls. So don't try that on THE boss.

Random facts collated from May 2004 issue of Self.

Magazine Craze

Okay, here I am with another entry that's a spin off of Yufen's. Blame it on her faulty comments box *grin* Sometimes things just never seem interesting enough until someone else mentions it. Much like the way a sale item looks much more attractive in someone's hand than lying in a discount bin.

I've been reading tonnes of magazines recently as well, mainly on tips on what kind of cosmetics or beauty products are good or how to apply make-up. I'm hopeless with that kind of stuff. New things on my radar are pretty clothes and tips on how to decorate rooms *wink* For that matter, I've now decided I want a toilet that is yellow. Like sunshine yellow. Yellow tiles, yellow everything!!!

Well, since magazines cost a bomb and I'm a cheapskate, I've been browsing relentlessly at Border's. Then I discovered the beauty of magazines online!!! (and recently, the even greater beauty of the library!!!)

Here are a couple of links to some online magazines. They only feature certain articles so it's obviously not as nice as having a glossy spanking one in your hands and on the bed.... that's where the libraries come in :)

Cosmopolitan

Self (fitness magazine)

Her World

Marie Claire

Frolicking

This coming Friday, I'm going to run a couple of laps around the Barton tracks. After my last fiasco of running three laps around 4 basketball courts and aching like an old cow, I decided I need to be more fit. Heart attack risks and all. Running is really my least favorite activity. I feel embarassed that I run as fast as some guys can walk but darling says he'll run with me *beams happily* I can even wear my Lerner NY track pants and spanky Reeboks.

Just wait for my Saturday morning (maybe even Friday evening) post with whines and groans as my creaking joints protest the work. Or worse, guilt trip when I somehow manage to talk myself out of exercising. Which happens often enough. *whistle innocently*

Pics From NYC

Will remove these pics in a few days to remove clutter. If only I could make the hide thingie work...




Manhattan Skyline (by day) 


Manhattan Skyline (by night) 

I'm baaaack!

The trip was really enjoyable,though the only things I have to show for it is my pretty rose pin, boyshorts, lots of pics and good memories :)

The Ride to Jersey City

Foggy town (Redford).

Detour on the interstate.

Almost took wrong turn to another interstate.

Drove through Pennslyvania. Road kill aplenty (various degrees of goriness)

Broken tires lining the road (how the hell did they get there? Darling guessed that maybe they were from trucks. Image of trucks shedding tires....freaky!!!).

Missed turn to Woodbury Commons.

Turnaround was faaaar faar away, so onward to Jersey City

Missed another turn to Jersey city.

Inched towards Lincoln tunnel to NYC (that took like 1/2 hour).

Told the toll guy and he called police escort to turn us around. Whee $6 toll waived and police stopping traffic to let us through!!! Haha, I'm a VIP for all of 10 seconds.

Jersey City

Stayed at Hyatt Regency.

Regular price: ~$200++

Priceline bargain: $55.40 (incl taxes etc).

Arrived: 1:30pm.

Check-in time: 3pm.

By 2:30pm, finished half my book -- Confessions of a Shopaholic

Beautiful view of Manhattan.

Path train to NYC right in front of hotel.

New York City

Path station at WTC!!!

Snap snap snap pics of WTC site

Subway to Brooklyn

Walked Brooklyn Bridge back to New York. Windy. Lots of joggers, cyclists, photographers.

Walked to Chinatown, E.Broadway for fav dim-sum place -- 88 Palace

Wedding in 88 Palace!!!! Noooooooo

Ate at random Chinese place. Decent roast duck. Less decent noodles.

Walked around Chinatown. Bought grapes and lao por bing (Translate: Old Wife Biscuit)

Walked to Century 21 at Cortlandt St. Blast! It closed at 7pm. So much for city that never sleeps.

Hee hee, Century 21st was opposite the Path station!!!

Back to Hotel Room

Snapping night view of manhattan

Shutter speed ultra sloooooow. Most pics rotten except one.

Damn cold

Feet hurt. Guess I'm not wearing boots out tomorrow

Actually no good tv to watch!!

Sat in bed and read till 12pm.

Boiling water with coffee maker.

ZZZZZZZZZ....

Day 2

Went back to Century 21.

Damn crowded and claustrophobic.

Bought boyshorts.

Nearly bought cute Barbie, Eeyore and Pooh socks.

Some designer wear actually locked up. *roll eyes*

Columbus day street fair right outside.

Bought my pretty rose pin for $2. Pweeeety!

Les Halles of the celebrity chef,Anthony Bordain fame right around the corner!

Pics of Les Halle. *snap* *snap* *snap*

Smell of grilled meat from the gyros stalls making us hungry.

Romantic french restaurant -- Le Petite Auberge for lunch.

Yummy but embarassing since we both know no French. Really nice choc mousse... mMmmm

Went to Loehman's. Saw a black leather Anna Klein bag on sale.

Couldn't find a non-scruffed one. Gave up.

Took subway to WTC again.

3:30pm. Waited around to give away our unlimited day-pass. :)

Got car out. Drove home @ 4pm

Arrived @8pm. Home Sweet Home!!!

Off to NYC

Wokies off I go dudettes. After my bowl of salad :P

The last warm day...

I'm somewhat confused. On their size chart, a size 6 for GAP is 27 inch waist and 37 inch hips. Size 4: 26 waist and 34 hips. Unless the flannel skirt was meant to be "hipster", which I seriously doubt, no way is my waist less than 27. Trust me, I've measured it countless times with my handy Ikea paper measuring tape. Somehow or another the size 4 was a perfect fit. Maybe this is their marketing ploy. Enter shop --> pleasantly surprised that you've gone down a dress size -> you are happy -> you buy more of their "flattering" clothes. Anyway, I changed mine to a size 4 but I almost changed it for another colour as well. This one is in berry.



Same skirt in berry


It was definitely a colour that goes well with other clothes but I don't know if it's too bright for my taste. I didn't like it when I first saw it but it looked pretty okay on me. Even darling who didn't really like it as much conceded that it was probably easier to match clothes with that. In the end I got the same cascade blue one instead. I guess I'm not really ready for bold pink yet. I don't know, what do you guys think of that color. I was thinking of wearing this skirt for the office next time.

Yesterday was one of the last days of good weather so we went to play basketball. By play basketball, I mean we stood around and shot hoops. Not I played a real game with real people. I don't think I stand a chance against guys -- I'm short, I can't shoot, I'm not fast. Pretty much everything that makes me useless except maybe I don't stand in my own team members way or step on their hand or something. I was inspired to run a couple of laps around the basketball court. Big mistake. My stamina is totally nil. I ran a grand total of errr 3 laps on the perimeter of 4 basketball courts and I was pooped. Out of breath, legs-tired. The likes. Played frisbee as well. We're getting pretty good at it :) After that, I just sat under a tree and read my book while Johnny,another Singaporean and a couple of Taiwanese played a couple of games.

Happy

I smile, a grin like the sheep who has found the most tender patch of grass.
My heart flutter, like an intoxicated butterfly.

Milk Obsession

Well so much for my grand plan to slim down while drinking milk. SUpposedly low-fat means 1/2% - 1%. Gah, my 2% fat milk is "merely" reduced fat. Well, I guess it's a good transition to wean me off whole milk.

The first time I was at the dorm cafeteria, I was quite stunned by the different selections of milk -- whole, 2% milk, 1% milk, skimmed milk. My first reaction was "if it's 2% milk, what's the rest of the 98%? Water?" Well, it did look like diluted milk, fragile and thin. I happily went for my usual whole milk.

Up until, this semester (?) I've been drinking my whole milk happily except once when the expiration date on the 2% was later. In our household, we have a tendency to keep milk till they expire so the date was important. Now that I found out that the nutrition value of low fat milk and whole milk is the same AND more importantly, I can actually increase metabolic rate by getting my daily dose of calcium AND keep the ever looming osteoperosis at bay *rub my hands in glee*... keh keh keh keh!!! For once, something I really like to eat is actually good in everyway. This is an opportunity not to be missed.

When I was staying in hostels where we don't even have communal fridges, we could never buy any consumable that could not be finished in one sitting. So that means no eggs, no milk, no frozen products... Whatever we bought was shared among the four of us. Like the cow cheese thing with eeky mushroom flavored cheese that me and e* finished while walking back from Cold Storage to our place at Eton Hall. Or the dozen of eggs the four of us bought and then cooked to our individual liking -- half-boiled, quarter-boiled or hardboiled. Nothing fancy like scrambled egg since we don't have cooking facilities. The only fried/scrambled eggs we had in those days were the tissue paper egg that came with the tissue paper ham. Those were really great days we shared. We had our fair share of bad days and good ones surely. In the crucible of my reminiscence, all the bad times disappeared. All that is left are the beautiful memories. Well, that and some nasty ones like the old communal fridge we had for a while in Block C that smelt funny. Or the coconut that e* drank that was ....gross. And Ms Warden-who-lives-next-door who dragged Yufen and Chinkit(?) along on her shopping trip.

I'm convinced that because I didn't get my required dose of calcium in my formative years, (I only had enought of grow my big feet and hands) I never grew to my rightful height! Still remember Winston getting freaked out when I bought a carton (1 litre) of milk, gulped it down in half an hour and shortly after complained that I was thirsty. When me and e* went to a nicish cafe near Cold Storage (same as above), I had to order some frothy warm milk instead of something more chic like coffee or camomile tea or something.

Guess Who's Drinking Milk Now?

The other day, I was sitting at Borders flipping through the O Magazine (O for Oprah, I actually liked her talk show except when it talks about politics and Iraq. Watched it over summer when I was at home and bored. Damn, I'm turning into a middle-aged) So there was this article talking about rumors that calcium actually make you lose weight. It's pretty much myth at the moment coz the study was never replicated and it was done on mice. But just in case, look who's stocking up on fresh, 2% milk?

Anyway here's an article I found on the web about it...(if only I could do the hide/show thing. One more thing on my to-do list for fall break)

Wow it's been a year??

I didn't notice till Yufen mentioned it but it has actually been a year (+3 days since I forgot) since I first blogged. Just like her, I was inspired by the ramblings of our dearest e*. I've long betrayed my diaryland roots and hopped over to blogspot instead while vyanne has remained faithful to her first ever choice. Blame it on my lack of web-design ability. And my lack of friends who will design one for me.

After some "internal auditing", I found that I had a total of 87 posts. 44 on diaryland, 43 on blogger (with this post, the score will be even). That's somewhat dismal. On the bright side, I wrote the 43 (going 44) posts on blogger in 55 days. So that's like 0.78 posts per day as opposed to my rate of 0.14 posts per day pre-blogger. (Damn, my inventory management class is getting to me. Equations for production rates etc are still stuck in my brain apparently. Need to clear them out and make way for SQL and other IT stuff.)

Haha yeah, so that's a 5 times improvement over my previous blog. My readership hasn't really changed since though. Still people I can count on one hand.

Exam Jitters

After so many years of exams, I still get it. You'd thought the body, mind, spirit and everything within you must be sick of it by now. But NOOO, I still fret around the house 1/2 an hour before my prelim. I'm all dressed up to go. Bag's all packed. Stationary? Check! Notes? Check! Just waiting for time to go by so I can leave the house. I inevitably leave too early. Better to be out of the house than in.

Saw this pretty Lauren dress on Macys.com.

I think when I get married I'd like a dress like that. And instead of a bouquet, I want a laurel crown. And a silk flower around my wrist. I imagined myself running down Orchard Road in my wedding getup, shouting to everyone who cares that I'm married. Oh yeah not to forget beautiful glass slippers like Cinderella or something. Except I'm not transformed into anything and don't transform back. Okay, brain going crazy. 20 minutes to exam! Gonna run now

Funny Blogger shit

If you noticed the blank, "read more" links that were in my blog, that's my failed attempt to do a show/hide method. I was actually trying to do the expandable post summary thing so I could put my some pics I took without forcing everyone (which includes me) to look at them EVERY TIME they load the page. But that didn't work. I'm sure I followed the instructions to the t.... Will look at it again after prelims.

Oh yeah, finally got myself a new memory card for my digicam. 128bMb for US$60 + tax. Maybe I should have gotten it off ebay instead.

Confessions of a Mini-shopoholic

Bought a damn pretty skirt from GAP today! Couldn't resist it when something I like is going for 60% it's original price. I'm such a sale-whore. *beams happily*

Edit: Just checked the Gap website and realized that this skirt was actually going for $29.99 and I got it for $19.99 at the mall. Maybe it's a defective one and that's why this size 6 skirt is actually resting on my hips?!? Too bad it looks pretty anyway. I could go down next week and see if size 4 fits me better.


Gap flannel skirt in cascade bluePicture taken from www.gap.com

My Rented Space

The sun is out. It's a lovely Friday. And I'm at home. Blasting tunes. Waiting for the laundry to get to the dryer cycle. Half and hour ago, I walked out with my basket of laundry. Plonked the detergent on top of the laundry since I needed two hands to carry the basket. When I walked to the door, the bottle of detergent toppled, spilling the blue gunk onto the dirty laundry, myself, my shoes and the floor. Gack! Which moron left the cover unscrewed?!? Hrrrm, wait I was probably the last one who used it, so the moron would be..... me... *grump* I had to rinse off the stuff from my shirt. The rest is still sitting on the floor and my jeans.

My hands are all wrinkly and tight. I suddenly thought of my mum's palms, wrinkled and cracked palms from hand-washing all our clothing these 20++ years. At least I haven't really been contributing much to the washload for the past 9++ years. Wow, has it already been almost 10 years? It feels so funny to think that I've been away from home for so long now. Granted, about 1/4 of those years were actually spent at home but those were like vacation periods. Kinda like taking a break from my real life and moving into a resort.

For many years, I've been lamanting that I don't even have my own room in my "former" home back in Malaysia. Even in the cold, prison-like hostel, I had my own inviolable space. Square feets that I could claim, albeit temporarily. I've become so used to having my space. But none of them really belonged to me. Even this apartment that I'm claiming for the third year in the row has a timer clicking in the background. When can I finally put down my suitcases and boxes and say "This is mine" with no irony in my tone?

Now Playing: Rest in Pieces by Saliva