rip-off

was browsing at times t2's outlet n saw the movie tie-in edition of pride n prejudice. ahh...finally one wif a nice cover..i thought. couldn't believe my eyes when i saw the price at the back.

this one costs $18+!! of cos this is at t2...so theres the slight mark-up. but i'm sure it costs pretty much the same elsewhere.

what's the big idea? i mean....i thot the copyright for the book has expired? only explanation for the much higher price is the fact that it's a movie tie-in. n the fact that it has a better cover. but sheesh...those who buy this edition are truly ripped off.

i got this one on the right for only $4.73 a few months back from mph. same story, same author, different prices. why? cos one was a movie tie-in, but the other is not.

i still don't get why someone would buy the movie tie-in.

ruins from the site of the al-yipzyana attack

picture n headline courtesy of the 'kind' colleague who rushed to the pantry wif her ever-ready phone once she discovered what the commotion was all about.

the story....

mani n i were hunting for something to munch at 6plus in the evening..rummaged thru the fridge n realised there's still the leftover egg from the gift package we got from our other colleague the new daddy. n mani said its not good to eat a cold boiled egg cos theres gonna be a lot of 'wind', so she heated it up in the microwave oven.

n everything's just dandy. oven beeped, she took the egg out, decided its not hot enuff...n heated it again! there i was minding my own business, admiring the view from the pantry windows when

"pop"!

n the rest is plain to see. am bracing myself from the ridicule/censure(?) to come when this goes out in the revered AV

sometimes we just need to get something that makes us happy..it might make us better people

or something to that effect - lynette of desperate housewives

yes i've made fun of my fren's irrititating habit of quoting from shows often enuff..but i cant help but quote from this. its like suddenly.. i had an epiphany....a "ting!"

but isnt it all so true? you tell yrself you hv to make certain sacrifices for the greater good. n then u go on whining abt yr life n the sacrifices you've made. what happens if you'd made that small allowance to yrself....allow yrself one small bit of luxury. who knows...you might end up happier...n our quality of life in turn would be better...n we'd end up treating others around us that much better...which will then naturally make us better people!

of cos lynette's example is a bit extreme. i mean....i'd never even think of owning a US$900 suit. the extravagance! then again that amount of money might be a mere sum to her. *shrugs*

what i have in mind are the small 'sacrifices' we make everyday. like say you need a massage desperately to ease that nagging ache on yr shoulders. if you're like me trying to save up for the big day...then chances are you'd say no. after all....a $30-$40 massage times 10 would be a cool $400. which is no drop in the ocean. but if you go along that line then you'll be nursing that ache all day..all week..all month. n believe me...an ache on the shoulder is no funny thing. what's the chance of you enjoying the things you do carrying like a boulder on yr shoulders? n you're definitely not gonna be the life of the party wif that.

now imagine how much happier you'd be if you'd gone for the massage. you're $40 poorer for sure. but! if you're happy...your creative juices start flowing n before you know it you might even come up wif ways to make even more money! hahh!

this seriously make sense rite?? rite??

of dreams big & sacrifices made

its always hard trying to balance the different needs in yr life. on the one hand you want to achieve yr dreams...which usually revolve around making money. loads of it. n to do that you have to work hard. working in an easy 9-6 job wont give you loads of money. u have to get out of yr comfort zone. sweat a little. sacrifice yr time. take on more jobs if you have to. start up a business. just do it.

on the other hand, you want a life full of happiness. an easy life. where you can have all the time in the world to spend with yr loved ones. all the time to pursue yr interests. where life's not all about hard work. where you're happy.

its when you want both that it starts getting hard. how do you balance work n life? you have all these dreams...having yr own business..making yr own money...being rich. but that wd mean spending less time wif yr loved ones. having no time to yrself. do u become a slave to money then?

but if you dont do this, will you be happy with status quo? will you be happy earning $5-6k a month, knowing that you'll never be a millionaire but that at least you'll have yr sanity n yr happiness? its ok if you're someone who doesnt dream big to begin with. but what if you're always dreaming, always questioning if this 'normal' life is the one for you?

if we're always afraid to make sacrifices, we'll never achieve our dreams. you tell yrself sacrifices hv to be made for yr future good. once yr dreams are achieved, you can step back n enjoy the good life. but will life ever be good..or do you start dreaming of bigger things? when is enough enough?

but is it also fair to say that you'll never be happy if you're pursuing money? isnt it all a bit of a cliche..that a rich man is never a happy one?

steps bummer

i scored a 123 in my step test. great. so my fitness level is officially 'below average'. wonder how accurate a test this is. of cos this is just me being deluded.

but i cant accept it. we just completed our training sessions n i thot i was 'fitter' than most of them...

if i'm better at my 2.4 but my step test heart rate is higher too, does that mean that i'm less fit than someone else who took twice as long to complete the 2.4 but has a heart rate of 100?

get over this already!

on the work front, i was all psyched up for my next rotation when i was given the bomb. apparently they're now looking at 'developing capabilities'. right.

may we be saved

He’s 29, and she 22. They have 6 kids between them – 3 from his earlier marriage, 2 from her earlier one, and 1 from theirs, conceived and born before they’re even married. Amazing. I’m close to 30, and I’m not even married yet!

Even though this is like far removed from my life and the lives of the people around me, I can’t help but suspect that this is not a case in isolation. I’ve heard of stories. And statistics don ‘t lie. Afterall, don’t we have the distinction of having the highest divorce rates, highest teenage pregnancies, highest I donno wat else? So I don't think I’m wrong if I say there are many families like that out there.

Donno. Am feeling kinda helpless. I complain abt my life and my work sometimes. But what abt the lives of these others? They seem so helpless, their situation so hopeless. Her death is a tragedy waiting to happen. One consolation tho…she’s now in heaven for being the innocent small girl that she was…

Education is key to getting out of the trap. With education, anything’s possible. Yes there’s subtle discrimination out there, but if you’re educated you can at least be guaranteed of a leg up in life. But education’s not the only ingredient in one’s recipe for success. Upbringing and discipline is important too. In fact, could they be more important than education? Perhaps, but that’s a chicken and egg thingy.

You can be dirt-poor and still lead a respectable life, free from the problems of broken marriages, jail terms, teenage pregnancies and the like. You’re dirt-poor, but happy.

But how do we ensure that we give our kids the proper upbringing? How much discipline is too much? It’s scary thinking of the many responsibilities suddenly thrust onto you once you become a parent.

Once the wedding’s over, I’ll have to start thinking of my married life ahead. And that should include having kids. But am I even mature enough to have kids? Am I psychologically prepared to have one?

Funny how nearly-30 me is having thoughts over this, when out there mere girls already have kids of their own.

sardine puffs

For the second time in 2 days I’ve been given potato curry puff when what I wanted was sardines! What’s wrong wif the aunties???? I said sardine yesterday. She confidently gave me one. But when I got to the office and have a bite I realized it’s potato! But anyway…I thot I’d give her the benefit of the doubt cos maybe I was murmuring my order or sthg and she didn’t get it. So…tried again today. Told her “sardine curry puff one aunty. Saaardine ah”. And she gave me one (donno if it’s the same aunty). And I was confident that I’d finally get my sardine puffs which I’ve been craving since Sunday (couldn’t get it then cos they were sold out at century. Hmmph!).

But what did I get when I finally took a bite in the office??? Potato!!!! Uurrgghh. Not only have I not gotten what I’ve been craving for, I also have to contend wif POTATO puffs which r sooo rich in carbo n oh so very sinful. (not that sardine puffs r not sinful but they’re at least a notch higher in the hierarchy of ‘healthy’ food what..) N of cos since they’ve been bought wif my hard-earned money I’d have to eat them, and fail once again in my bid to eat healthily and keep my weight down!

I’m pissed off. I will NOT buy from eastpoint old chang kee any time soon.

But I’m still craving for those sardine puffs :(

burnt!

The result of a joke gone way wrong. For a moment I couldn’t remember how to treat a burn...certified first aider my head! Then it suddenly hit me, and the good cooling water came to my rescue. So now I’m scarred. Not for life I hope.

On a separate note, finally saw LG yesterday. N I wasn’t looking my best. Bummer. To finally see the one who’d captured his heart for so long, was kinda cathartic. She’s not an unknown quantity anymore. I know it sounds stupid (n rather ridiculous), but I’ve been measuring myself against her for the longest time. Think I can breathe a sigh of relief now. Think I definitely measure up :)

But yeah, if only I was neater and better dressed!