New things

There's just something about the word s.a.l.e. that gets to you.

Especially since you have a long l-o-n-g shopping list of furniture, lightings, fabrics and what-nots along with the usual clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics, knick-knacks.

Shopping is fun. 'S long as it doesn't involve your own hard-earned money. But what kind of shopping doesn't?

And the credit card is evil. Definitely so. It doesn't feel like I spent anything at all. But I know that next month, I'll definitely FEEL what I've spent.

But, I can't just cut off those cards. I mean, spending on credit cards means I get points, which I can accummulate and redeem for future household things I need.

See, the whole world conspires to make everyone shop. The London summer sale was on at the same time as Hong Kong's and Singapore's big sales. And now, Malaysia's having its own newly-annual-rather-than-triannual mega sale.

And, to add to that, Air Asia has those frequent cheap flights constantly advertised, so much so that you have to totally hold yourself down in order not to purchase flights to nowhere just because it's cheap.

And then, because I don't have enough to shop with, I start griping that I earn a measly income for someone who's an M holder. I mean, it's real easy to blow off my entire month's salary just walking around 1 Utama, you know! But of course, I'm not that irresponsible. Not like I have mouths to feed - merely have a mortgage to maintain and a wedding to plan for, definitely one of those biggest expenses of your life.

But, the point is, ... hmm, I have no point at all. Merely blowing off some steam before I begin my shopping spree this weekend, if my immense willpower succumbs to a spree :)

This is the place I come to rant. Realized that?

I just settled down after an early evening home from work. I take out my digital camera and prepare to download the photos. I pull open the drawer to grab the download cable. And, ta-da!

The cable's not there.

I pull open all the drawers and realize that someone has rearranged all the contents in all the drawers.

See, this is the reason why most family houses are cluttered and slightly untidy. Because a family lives in it.

S-I-G-H.

This weekend I shall go to the mall and get myself a new cable. I just hope it costs very little.

And therefore, here's to another delay in announcing my adventures.

Random thoughts

It keeps on popping up everywhere!

AirAsia has a promotion - flights to Bangkok from RM9.99!! Boy would I have lurvvvveeed to just book the tickets and fly off for a week of luxurious massages, fantastic food and cheap shopping.

Friends from everywhere just returning from a sojourn to Bangkok claiming they already miss that city of angels.

If there were anywhere in the world I'd go for a holiday right now, it would definitely be Bangkok. Because I've done all the touring I need to do there, and all I have to do the next time I'm there is just to shop, eat and luxuriate - definitely THE way to holiday.

I know, I just got back from one.

Didn't feel much like one though. Because I just realized that travelling takes work. And you usually work your feet more on holiday than at work. (My poor poor feet, I suffered cramps almost every night in Italy.) Also, when you just feel that you need to do the Collosseum, the Vatican City, the Pantheon, the Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, etc etc, it doesn't so much feel like a holiday anymore when there's a set itinerary to the day.

A holiday should mean that every day of the holiday feels like a Saturday, right?

Well, that's what a real holiday should mean. But seeing that we spent half our life savings for the trip, it'd have felt like a real waste just curling up in the bedsheets. So we dragged ourselves out to walk and walk and walk.

Not that the trip wasn't good. It was. Really. But I'm just sucked up in a lot of work at work right now, so you'll have to forgive the rather unpositive mood.

I'll post on the trip soon, promise I will. After I've downloaded the photos. After I've unpacked my luggage. All which will be done only after I'm done with deadlines at work.

Work, work.

When I was driving home from work, there was this topic going on on Radio 4. Something about, "What would you do if you had a million pounds i.e. RM7 million?"

Ooooh! I had this exact thought before I left for London that I'd buy a British lottery, just for the heck of that slim chance of hitting the million pounds jackpot. Haha.

Anyway, that question got me thinking.

Would I quit my job? Probably, because I find no satisfaction whatsoever in what I do.

And then? Stash half for investments. Give about RM100K to 2 medical research charities like AIDS or cancer. Pay off the mortgage. Beautifully renovate and furnish the house. Have a dream wedding. Go on an even dreamier honeymoon in Eastern Europe. Bring the family on holiday to Bangkok.

Anything else? Then ah, get on with life la! Probably work again, but this time do what I want to do lor. But that's another topic for another time ;)

See, I've thought it over. So, whoever's up there, you know I'm ready to win the lottery! :)

Burn

Today is one of those days I'm looking forward to the jam driving home.

Today I shall purposely leave the office at 6.30pm, to get stuck in the jams involving the end of the afternoon-session school. I pass 3 schools on the way home.

I usually either leave by 6.15pm or after 7.00pm, just to avoid the crowds of cars stopping and parking haphazardly to pick up happy kids.

But today.

Today I shall relish the extra-long time in my car just listening to the radio, inching my way down the roads, and not having to face my files of work at all.

I should actually be staying back to work until my eyes can't open. But I just cannot do it. Working on this same case for a week (even thru the weekend) and not seeing it progress anywhere is driving me nuts. Bugger deadline's this Wednesday and I'm nowhere near halfway.

Too bad my salary isn't much of a motivator.

Ah well.

I'm that wick on the candle. Flickering, flickering, blows off for 0.5 seconds, flickers again.

One of the saved ones

This pic is one of those salvaged from THE memory card. JC on my right and Cindy on my left. KF's behind the camera ;) 

Swamped

With work.

Seems like all I can do these days is complain about work. So what else is new? :P

Peeved that I have to work through this weekend. I was thinking of using the time to unpack and blog out my holiday adventures. Looks like that plan isn't going to work out.

Photos aren't upcoming yet because they're in KF's laptop which is taking a trip across the South China Sea this weekend.

Speaking of photos, we nearly suffered a heart attack. Until the miracle of computer geeks managed to resolve it to only a minor heartache. A memory card of ours suffered some glitch during transfer. And of all the memory cards to corrupt, it HAD to be the one with THE graduation pictures - THE reason we made the trip.

Thank goodness, really THANK goodness, for PC Inspector Smart Recovery. We managed to recover the graduation pictures. But we lost all of our pictures from Stonehenge and Hampton Court :(

I am still amazed, much amazed and thankful, that there exists software such as PC Inspector Smart Recovery. Free, at that!

Right, back to the swamp. Later.

Back.

At work.

Trying my hardest and bestest to cope with everything that happens after an extended holiday, and then some.

Amazing that after only 2 weeks, my house looks somewhat strange but familiar, my workdesk looks slightly different but same, and driving and typing at the keyboard seems to feel odd-ish.

I'll have to take down that daisypath when I have time, it makes me disillusioned :P

Yes yes, holiday trip reports coming up, s-l-o-w-l-y but surely :)