Lazy Sunday

This is how Sundays should be spent --- with a book, iced tea and a snoozing furry pal nearby.

Shoes

I normally take the steps that go through the delivery area at the mall across from where I work as I make my way to the Malay stalls for lunch.

On my way back from lunch, there was a deliveryman who was at the top of the stairs about to come down. He had his empty trolley in his hand and I waited for him to come down as the steps are narrow.

As he came down, I saw his shoes. They were sneakers and they were battered and deteriorating and almost coming apart. :'(

Note to self: to use all my existing shoes till they can't be used anymore. If others can do it, why should I be throwing out perfecting good shoes?

Finding Beauty

Beauty is found in the most unlikely places. There is beauty all around us. Have you looked around you lately or have you been going about your daily life on autopilot?

Blood Check

My left arm...

\

...and my right arm

I went to the hospital today to get my blood drawn for my routine blood check and the male nurse made a boo boo and drew only one vial of blood before he realized that he should have drawn two (despite me pointing out that to him the prior to him drawing my blood the first time around). And so, I ended up with having both arms pricked :(

Dins at Bella Italia

I had the Margarita Pizza.....yum!

Worried still

The more I know, the more worried I become :( There is much truth in the saying, "Ignorance is bliss".

Worried

I've been reading up on the subject. I'm worried. It's going to be a very long wait :/

morbid

It's a morbid thought.

Sad :(

What good are all my knowledge and skills if I can't help you? You keep saying that you can't do it. You keep pushing my offer to assist you away. You can't do it, you say. I wish that you have greater faith in me and believe me when I say that you can. You just have to try....Try...that is all I ask of you. Don't give up, please.....

Your endless refusals never fail to remind me of what I already know....that I can only help those who want to be helped. It's hard for me to stand by and watch you deteriorate. Can't you see that I love you too much to want to let you do that to yourself? I know that I'm your least loved child but knowing that fact will not stop me from hoping.....hoping for that one day when you might have a change of mind and welcome my help...

Insults

Please, please, please stop the insults. I'm tired of your small mindedness. Grow up.

Grateful

Today I'm grateful for:
1. the quiet lunch hour that I had
2. having been excluded from the lunch that was provided by the 60-something part-time staff and thus saving on calories :)
3. the gift of the cookies by a more civil colleague

I'm grateful for having more than enough. 

Of Immaturity and the 60-something-year-old

Something happened at work today to reinforce what I already know to be true --- age is certainly no indicator of maturity.

Case in point: A 60-something part-time staff came into work with lunch for everyone in the office  except for the head of the department (and yours truly). For your information, there are only seven of us in my department.

When I came back from lunch (I normally take my lunch early ahead of the lunch crowd), they were all in the office eating at their desks. The head of department was there too and she was looking over their shoulders and making remarks about being left out of the lunch fest as they were busy stuffing their faces. She was whining and they all just ignored her.

I found it all very strange behavior on the part of all the parties involved. I mean, why openly exclude anyone? What good is it going to do anyone? Why not be diplomatic and get food for everyone? Wouldn't that give you the fuzzy feel good feeling? Wouldn't that feel good vibe result in not only a happier you but also a healthier you? I think it was immature to exclude anyone from a food fest. Openly excluding anyone is not about them but about you. It just seems like some people have never played in the sandbox as children.

On my part, I wasn't really upset about not having had been included in the lunch fest but I did find the whole thing extremely strange though... By not buying lunch for me (it was nasi lemak, by the way), she saved me the calories. No complains there! Like everything else, I choose to focus on the positive. I can't change the people around me but I can change my perception of the situation that I'm in.  

Gratitude

1. I'm grateful for the opportunity presented to me today.
2. I'm grateful for the friendly and cheerful people I met today.
3. I'm grateful for having more than enough.

Ikea Pre-Sales Drama

I was in Ikea today. Thought I'd take a look around at the pre-sale event that started today since I was already in the area.

The checkout queue was manic. There were at least 20 people deep, if not more, in all the lines.

A guy (a Malay man, to be exact) in the next line started shouting at the staff. Don't know what about as I was at the checkout counter paying for my purchase. He was really losing it. The cashier, however, was polite. He apparently didn't have something that she needed and he was getting upset.

My heart went out to the cashier. It's hard work having to process so many customers in one go (I know this from personal experience). Getting yelled at is the last thing that they need, not when they are being polite and trying to do their job.

Here's some advice: if you're the kind of person who gets agitated in situations such as queuing up in sales, DON'T shop during sales or pre-sales or warehouse sales or whatever, you get my meaning. There is absolutely NO point in raising your blood pressure. It's simply not worth the hassle and headache (yours, the service staff as well as the people around you who have no choice but to witness your spur of the moment hissy fit). Shop during quiet times, sure, it's not as exciting but there will also be no drama featuring you.

Here's what I normally do when I have to stand in a very long line: I just flip out a book and start reading. Makes the waiting a tad bit more bearable. But then again, that's me. Find something to do to occupy/ amuse yourself while you wait. Getting agitated should not be it. Remember, it's about staying sane... and happy, if that's possible in such situations.

Vitagen Healthy Digestion Walk 2014 Review

I was at the Vitagen walkathon today. I stopped by the local mamak's for a quick breakfast before going to the venue.

I got to Taman Jaya pretty early, at 6:30 AM to be exact, when it was still dark out there. I went out to examine the booths and at that point had not yet worn my bib, which I left in the car. When I went to register sans bib, I was given the Spanish Inquisition by this bossy Malay woman who was less than polite. She thought that I didn't know my bib number and when I did and I told her what it was, she made an issue of having to check it. Believe it or not, they didn't have a laptop on site and were relying on paper printouts (who would have thought that they would still be living in the Dinosaur Age...).

They gave the participants a bottle of drinking water and a banana at registration and later, they gave Marigold fruit juices (I had OJ) and Vitagens before the run to the participants. It has been a looonngggg time since I last had a Vitagen. Believe it or not, the last time I had Vitagen was when I was 13!!! I was not milk friendly and needed to consume milk (long story there) and this was the closest that my parents could get to getting me to consume a milk based product.

The execution of the walk itself was not very well planned. The path around the lake is quite narrow and when it was flag off time, it was quite impossible to even walk at a comfortable pace and this went on for the whole lap. Most people stopped after the first and second laps thus making it easier to walk after that as there was more space not just to walk but even to run! I did 10 laps (I think I was the only one who did that).

The handing out of the goodie bags at the end of the walk was well executed. Most of the volunteers were sweet and efficient.

The goodie bag 

The contents of the goodie bag

They even included a cooler bag (which came in really handy as the Vitagens needed to be kept at a cool temperature) and a microfiber towel in the bag.

And this is my second breakkie for the day!!! You simply have NO idea how often (and how long) I have thought of having an A&W's waffle with syrup and butter for breakfast!

My second brekkie :)

a much needed treat

Mmmmm.... sheer indulgence on a hot night

A Chocolate Frappe on a very hot night...it's a tad sweet though...

I hope it helps me sleep as I need to wake up early tomorrow morning for the walkathon.

Sweetness Overload

Today is the very first day in a very loooonnnngggg time where I indulged in a soft drink. Yes, I had a Sprite (I could have had a Coke to go with my meal, but that would be pushing it as I have had a history with Coke where one isn't always enough), and not just a regular sized one too, I had an upsized Sprite!!!

In my defense, it was not planned (how was I supposed to know that the Old Town White Coffee in Mid Valley Megamall is an "Old Town Signature" outlet that doesn't serve Honey Lemon or Iced Lemon Tea with their tea time sets like all the other "normal" Old Town White Coffee outlets??? So yes, there was no other choice for me but to have a naughty indulgence!

Note the Sprite order listed!

Mmmmm.... it was a very tall glass of Sprite

And as if that wasn't enough, I don't know what possessed me, a few hours later, I ordered a Cendol at Nyonya Colors. 

Super sweet treat

It was one of those things where the idea seemed better than the real thing coz the real thing was extremely sweet (what was I thinking???). I tried to finish it but ended up leaving half of it behind. Note to self: don't order it the next time!!!

Watermelons and Me

I've always loved watermelons. As a child, I was told that I could finish half a watermelon all by myself.

As an adult, I still love watermelons though I've got some watermelon "experiences" to share...like the time that I carefully selected a watermelon at Jusco Supermarket, qued up in a very long line to pay for it (it was a busy weekend), only to realise when I got home that I had left it at the cashier counter in the supermarket!

Once, I purchased a watermelon, took it home and put it on the floor for what I thought would be a minute as I took off my shoes but I soon became distracted and continued doing other things which, I'm afraid, didn't  include putting the watermelon in the fridge ASAP. When I finally remembered it, it was dead in the middle of the night when I was feeling peckish. The watermelon, by then, had sadly gone bad :(

And then, there was another time when I bought a watermelon, paid for it, took it home and put it in the fridge well meaning to eat it but forgot about it until one fine day, I was inspired to see what was in the fridge only to discover the science project that used to be a nice ripe and juicy watermelon!

So nowadays, when I am inspired to purchase a watermelon in the supermarket, I make sure that I consume it within a day of buying it (and before I forget that I ever purchased it in the very first place and before it morphs into a science project!).

Oh, by the way, you might want to know that I purchased a watermelon yesterday and made sure that I carried it home with me. I had it all last night  and it was simply divine! :)

My Wish for You

Good luck for later today. Just know that I love you and wish that your marriage will bring you the happiness you deserve :)

discouraged

My brother's getting married tomorrow and my mom has discouraged me from attending the ceremony on the bride's side. She doesn't want me there. She kept saying that it's really out in the sticks and I wouldn't like it, we'd have to share a home stay place with other people and there wouldn't be individual rooms (and I wouldn't like it)..... Note that she was the one telling me that I wouldn't like it. Actually, I was quite game for it but sensed that she didn't want me there.... but why???

Sensing her feelings about not wanting me to go, I didn't want to aggravate matters and told her that I'd changed my mind about going (no point going when your presence is not wanted; she's not going to make the trip a pleasant one for me if I did go on the trip). She heaved a noticeable sigh of relief when I said that I changed my mind and decided not to go.

Hmmm..... I must be a HUGE embarrassment to her.... I have absolutely NO idea why my own mother is doing this. In fact, I wish she would tell me what the problem really is but I doubt it if I'll ever know.

Yes, I've been to see my mom again today. Yes, I was abused yet again (what else is new, huh???).

My brother was there when all this happened. He did something which he has never done before as I was leaving --- he hugged me and told me that the last six months has been hell for him with mom too as mom didn't approve of his getting married.

It's painful, it hurts and I cried while driving home.