It has begun... Prices are up everywhere. But seriously, petrol up by 78 sen??? And the price will be reviewed monthly? WTF???
Our salaries are already over-utilised as it is what with car payments, insurance, our kids' milk and diapers, grocery costs.. and by the end of the year we'll be paying for our new house and can add utility bills to our monthly expenses. We can hardly put anything away for savings! And next year Eez will be going to kindergarten, so that's at least another few hundred bucks per month.
It's alright for some people.. You know the adage, the rich get richer bla bla bla.. My parents have been civil servants their whole lives, so I didn't exactly get everything handed to me on a plate. But I try not to be bitter. Itu semua rezeki masing-masing, after all. I have to work. And for working people like me who depend on personal transportation, it's seriously bad news. My husband works in Putrajaya which definitely lacks efficient and fast public transport from outside the city. I work in KL, but to get here I'd have to take the LRT and a bus or a taxi, which basically adds up to what I pay for parking and petrol anyway.
So this means cutting down on luxuries. No more impromptu road trips. Shorter holidays and if any, closer to home. Less eating out. Less SHOPPING!!! OMG OMG OMG... how will I survive???
** I'm typing this post from my office PC which uses an ancient version of IE, so please bear with the wonky settings! **
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Lets Go To The Movies
I am a certified movie addict. Besides reading, one of my favorite past times is watching movies. I have an amazing memory when it comes to movies. I can practically remember every character, costume and dialogue from some of my all-time favorites. Actually, this trait runs in my family. Between my siblings and I, we can quote line by line almost the entire script of Grease and Seniman Bujang Lapok! If only I could use that same talent when it came to studying for my exams, I'd be a rocket scientist by now.
It's not that we spent hours and hours watching videos or going to the cinema when we were kids. Most of the time, we'd be fighting like cats and dogs but when it came to movies, all 5 of us would bond. We had the same taste in movies and watched practically everything. We rented a lot of videos. Our dad would only let us get 2 at a time so we'd take turns in picking them. Romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle. Musicals like Grease. The Star Wars movies. The Karate Kid movies. The Superman Movies. The Indiana Jones movies. We especially liked oddball comedies like Beetlejuice, Cry Baby, Edward Scissorhands, To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything - Julie Newmar, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and a whole lot more.
Even until today, my sisters and I tend to randomly quote lines from movies. It drives my husband nuts as he doesn't seem to get it most of the time. He thinks I'm weird. Ha ha! But he does indulge me in my love for movies. We go out on date nights almost every week and catch the latest movies. He doesn't like chic flicks, so I settle for a DVD copy to enjoy at home. I don't like overly violent movies so he gets a DVD. Our first date movie was Johnny English! Not very romantic, I know. I continued to go to the cinema throughout my pregnancies, to the protest of MIL who feared her grandkids would grow up being kaki wayang like us!
We just watched the latest Indiana Jones movie and I must say, I loved it! Watching Harrison Ford crack his whip again was like going back to my childhood and seeing him for the first time in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I totally remembered which Indy movie his love interest was from, too! (Raiders, fyi). I sometimes avoid movies based on books that I've read since I already know the plot. Some of them fail to make a smooth transition from paper to the big screen and end up shadows of the original script. Others, like the LOTR movies, leave out big chunks from the original story-line and end up a tad confusing and disappointing.
Summer's coming up... the best time for summer block busters. Can't wait.
It's not that we spent hours and hours watching videos or going to the cinema when we were kids. Most of the time, we'd be fighting like cats and dogs but when it came to movies, all 5 of us would bond. We had the same taste in movies and watched practically everything. We rented a lot of videos. Our dad would only let us get 2 at a time so we'd take turns in picking them. Romantic comedies like Sleepless in Seattle. Musicals like Grease. The Star Wars movies. The Karate Kid movies. The Superman Movies. The Indiana Jones movies. We especially liked oddball comedies like Beetlejuice, Cry Baby, Edward Scissorhands, To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything - Julie Newmar, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and a whole lot more.
Even until today, my sisters and I tend to randomly quote lines from movies. It drives my husband nuts as he doesn't seem to get it most of the time. He thinks I'm weird. Ha ha! But he does indulge me in my love for movies. We go out on date nights almost every week and catch the latest movies. He doesn't like chic flicks, so I settle for a DVD copy to enjoy at home. I don't like overly violent movies so he gets a DVD. Our first date movie was Johnny English! Not very romantic, I know. I continued to go to the cinema throughout my pregnancies, to the protest of MIL who feared her grandkids would grow up being kaki wayang like us!
We just watched the latest Indiana Jones movie and I must say, I loved it! Watching Harrison Ford crack his whip again was like going back to my childhood and seeing him for the first time in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I totally remembered which Indy movie his love interest was from, too! (Raiders, fyi). I sometimes avoid movies based on books that I've read since I already know the plot. Some of them fail to make a smooth transition from paper to the big screen and end up shadows of the original script. Others, like the LOTR movies, leave out big chunks from the original story-line and end up a tad confusing and disappointing.
Summer's coming up... the best time for summer block busters. Can't wait.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Life on Planet Mom
This is actually my third draft of this post. I've switched on the laptop a few times before in the past few weeks with the sole purpose of updating this blog but something ALWAYS comes up. Someone needs milk, another needs a diaper change, one of them wants to go to bed, someone needs me to find a certain pair of socks (you have a dozen pairs, man... just pick any of 'em for crying out loud!!), someone wants me to read his "fish book" or put on his "watch fish tv"... so I turn off the laptop again and promise myself to go online the next day. Or the next.
I love my life as a mommy and a wife, I tell myself everyday.
So the abbreviated version of my recent life's events. Last week, Eez took a fall down the stairs and bumped his head somewhere, sustaining a cut just below his left eyebrow. Which needed stitches, of course. While we were waiting to be admitted at DSH, Eez was jumping on and off the plastic waiting chairs and playing catch with the other (supposedly) sick kids in the A&E prompting a nurse to remark, "Oh... patut la dia jatuh." Cringe. So he got patched up (under general anesthetic, no less), we came home and by the next day he had gone back to jumping off furniture. When I received the bill the next day I almost had a coronary. The one night stay in a double-bedded room (no singles were available), the consultations, anesthesia and minor surgery cost more than my delivery bill for Ray at the same hospital!! Thank God for employee medical plans.
A week later, the bandage is off and all that's left of the wound is a 3/4 inch thin red line and half an eyebrow that is yet to grow back from the surgery. Thank you, Dr Razak for your fantastic work. Definitely value for my employer's money!
Last week, I took my car to the mechanic for balancing and alignment. It was okay for a while but then a few days ago I heard a low humming sound whenever I speeded up or took a left turn. Even my friend commented on the noise when we went out for lunch yesterday. So today, I drove back to the mechanic and told him about my problem. Incidentally, this is the cleanest mechanic I have ever met with an almost spotless workshop. Weird. Anyway, one of the other mechanics took my car for a test drive to figure out the source of the noise. Five minutes later he came back scratching his head. After a brief conversation in Chinese, all the while shooting me "crazy lady" looks, my mechanic instructed me to go for a drive with the other guy and point out the sound. Which of course, did not emerge even once during our spin around the block. By then I was seriously starting to doubt my own sanity. I explained that I heard the sound whenever I drove fast or took left turns. Then yet another mechanic took my car for it's third round of the day. When he came back he jacked up the car, manually spun the wheels a few times and pronounced that the bearings of the rear left tyre was shot and needed to be replaced. Hallelujah! I wasn't imagining things after all. An hour and RM75 later, I drove out of the workshop probably to the mechanic's relief. Apparently mechanics aren't like paediatricians where you're encouraged to bring in your kids if you even slightly suspect something is wrong, even if there isn't.
Oh, and my almost house! Miracle of miracles, we finally signed the SPA two weeks ago. I gathered all the necessary documents and reports and after a few harried phone-calls to my not-so-friendly HR rep, I submitted my loan application two days ago. So now the nail-biting time to wait for the loan to go through. Judging from all the money we've had to fork out on the kids various expenses, lawyer fees, deposits and car expenses, I predict that my house will go largely unfurnished until next year.
Well, before this post goes on and on and on and on... I'd like to wish all mommies a Happy Mother's Day. Our hard hard work is appreciated, really. A toast to all mothers, young and old... keep on doing the good work of raising tomorrow's leaders!
Update to this post on 29/5: Apparently this self-injury thing runs in both families. I forgot to mention that my husband has a scar in the exact same place due to a fall he took when he was a kid. I just realised it after Dotty asked me when I saw her 2 weeks ago. Today, I had one of my monthly catch-up phone calls with my grandma. She reported that my dad also has a small scar above his eye which he got when he fell as a kid! Ha ha ha ha haaaaaa...
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Dying Inside
Okay.. I will try not to make it a habit to let whole months lapse before I post a new entry. Promise. :-D
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My mom always told me if I didn't have anything nice to say, just keep quiet. So I really should stop tempting myself on purpose. Like right now I'm semi-watching the weekly concert of this local reality show that has that "fever" catch phrase. Like really, does anyone actually take this seriously? Is it really a matter of life and death that you have to dissect every single aspect of these kids lives and trash them on national TV? I really really kesian these poor fools who willingly put themselves up for public ridicule like this. Like last week that poor girl with the obviously sweaty arm-pits? So sad.
I have to admit I was caught up in it during the first season a few years ago. I was single, had lots of time on my hands and not much of a personal life after work hours. I faithfully watched the daily updates and stayed in every Saturday night to catch the concerts. I even cried once or twice when my favourite contestants were booted off the show. It was a novelty being the first show of it's kind locally and EVERYONE was into it. Then came season two with all it's outrageous sponsorships, surprises and scandals. I started to get menyampah because it was all kind of staged and I finally came to see what a load of bollocks it all was. Once season three started, I really couldn't be bothered. Buat sakit hati je tengok. The contestants could hardly sing, the "top" ones were appalling and the judges were over the top. Like their opinion really mattered. Haha.
The later seasons have turned into instant cash cows encouraging people to vote via SMS with weird sponsorship deals thrown in. The kids are obviously acting, the clothes are atrocious, the songs are boring and the judges.. ooops, "pengkritik" are as loud as ever. They like to play the good cop, bad cop and cop on the fence routine a' la A*erican Idol. And what's up with the pancing undi taktik of bursting into tears at the drop of a hat? Are there really all these 20-something kids who've never ever been away from their parents? Are all of them really sad and tragic and this is their last chance at making a better life for their families? And what in the world does ready-made asam jawa have to do with singing?
So of course la one cannot help but kutuk whenever the show is on. But surprisingly come Saturday night the whole family gathers in front of the TV to watch and comment on the show. I keep saying, "If all we're going to do is kutuk, baik kita watch something else. Buat tambah dosa je." But we never do change the channel... so God help me, I have to be extra nice and recite extra long doas to make up for my weekly bitch-fest. Hahahaha.
Sorry if anyone terasa, but I hate blogs where all the bloggers talk about is where they shop, what they bought and gloat about it. So you have the money and resources to stock up on designer goodies and fly off to glamorous locations with nary a care in the world. Like your kids for example. Not all of us do. Please try to avoid rubbing it in our faces.
Like there's a certain blog that I desperately try to avoid. It does nothing but piss me off. Ms M and me, we never have anything nice to say about this particular person. I have personally met this girl a few times (I attended her wedding even) and our families are connected. But to read what goes on in her life is mind-boggling. Her family is the nicest, humblest of folks but this girl is so outspoken and flashy you really can't describe it. She's made it her life's mission to single-handedly raise the country's economy. She shops like there's no tomorrow, snapping up serious designer stuff without batting an eye. If her posts are anything to go by, this goes on every week. However I'm not sure if it's her rich daddy's or her husband's money she's throwing around. As far as I know she doesn't work and is a SAHM to her young child. However, I have recently discovered that she uses everything once or twice then sells them to her friends and families. So it's a kind of roll-over deal with her, I guess.
I don't read her blog if I can help it. Once in a while though, if she buys something really fabulous or extreme Ms M will text me and together we'll rant.
Stop it stop it stop it, me. Really. Be the better person. Keep your bitchy thoughts and comments to yourself. Or so I keep saying. Sigh.
I have to admit I was caught up in it during the first season a few years ago. I was single, had lots of time on my hands and not much of a personal life after work hours. I faithfully watched the daily updates and stayed in every Saturday night to catch the concerts. I even cried once or twice when my favourite contestants were booted off the show. It was a novelty being the first show of it's kind locally and EVERYONE was into it. Then came season two with all it's outrageous sponsorships, surprises and scandals. I started to get menyampah because it was all kind of staged and I finally came to see what a load of bollocks it all was. Once season three started, I really couldn't be bothered. Buat sakit hati je tengok. The contestants could hardly sing, the "top" ones were appalling and the judges were over the top. Like their opinion really mattered. Haha.
The later seasons have turned into instant cash cows encouraging people to vote via SMS with weird sponsorship deals thrown in. The kids are obviously acting, the clothes are atrocious, the songs are boring and the judges.. ooops, "pengkritik" are as loud as ever. They like to play the good cop, bad cop and cop on the fence routine a' la A*erican Idol. And what's up with the pancing undi taktik of bursting into tears at the drop of a hat? Are there really all these 20-something kids who've never ever been away from their parents? Are all of them really sad and tragic and this is their last chance at making a better life for their families? And what in the world does ready-made asam jawa have to do with singing?
So of course la one cannot help but kutuk whenever the show is on. But surprisingly come Saturday night the whole family gathers in front of the TV to watch and comment on the show. I keep saying, "If all we're going to do is kutuk, baik kita watch something else. Buat tambah dosa je." But we never do change the channel... so God help me, I have to be extra nice and recite extra long doas to make up for my weekly bitch-fest. Hahahaha.
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Sorry if anyone terasa, but I hate blogs where all the bloggers talk about is where they shop, what they bought and gloat about it. So you have the money and resources to stock up on designer goodies and fly off to glamorous locations with nary a care in the world. Like your kids for example. Not all of us do. Please try to avoid rubbing it in our faces.
Like there's a certain blog that I desperately try to avoid. It does nothing but piss me off. Ms M and me, we never have anything nice to say about this particular person. I have personally met this girl a few times (I attended her wedding even) and our families are connected. But to read what goes on in her life is mind-boggling. Her family is the nicest, humblest of folks but this girl is so outspoken and flashy you really can't describe it. She's made it her life's mission to single-handedly raise the country's economy. She shops like there's no tomorrow, snapping up serious designer stuff without batting an eye. If her posts are anything to go by, this goes on every week. However I'm not sure if it's her rich daddy's or her husband's money she's throwing around. As far as I know she doesn't work and is a SAHM to her young child. However, I have recently discovered that she uses everything once or twice then sells them to her friends and families. So it's a kind of roll-over deal with her, I guess.
I don't read her blog if I can help it. Once in a while though, if she buys something really fabulous or extreme Ms M will text me and together we'll rant.
Stop it stop it stop it, me. Really. Be the better person. Keep your bitchy thoughts and comments to yourself. Or so I keep saying. Sigh.
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