Love the Christmas season

Love it. But I do tend to get nostalgic about certain things.

Like missing the States. Colorado Springs is a beautiful place. That's just one place I miss. I do miss the base we lived on too in NM.

And I miss some friends that I'm not friends with anymore. I dunno why I tend to feel more like this during this time of the year. I think it's cos we both love Christmas a lot.

I haven't started on my Christmas shopping. Man, I'm so dead. I need to start now.

Have u heard "Happiness" by The Fray? It's a really lovely song.
I love some of the lyrics. 

 

HAPPINESS - The Fray

Happiness is just outside my window
Would it crash blowing 80-miles an hour?
Or is happiness a little more like knocking
On your door, and you just let it in?

Happiness feels a lot like sorrow
Let it be, you can't make it come or go
But you are gone- not for good but for now
Gone for now feels a lot like gone for good

Happiness is a firecracker sitting on my headboard
Happiness was never mine to hold
Careful child, light the fuse and get away
'Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks

Happiness damn near destroys you
Breaks your faith to pieces on the floor
So you tell yourself, that's enough for now

Happiness has a violent roar

Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you'll never find it all
Let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she'll be home

Bye bye ...

So. After much deliberation,  I decided to get the Samsung note 3, instead of the iPhone 5S.

Of course I was a bit heartsick over my decision. I've been an iPhone fan for so long. I really was hoping that they were going to increase the screen size for the 5S and when they didn't,  I was very disappointed. Looking at my friends using phones with much bigger screens, pushed me further into my decision to switch to something else, specifically, Samsung's beautiful Note 3.

I will go back to iPhones when they make it bigger.. I will. Until then, I love my Note 3! 

Zombies .. part 2 ..

Yeap. I'm back to mulling over the possibility of a zombie apocalypse happening sometime in our future. Damn "The Walking Dead". And yet, I can't bring myself not to watch the damn show .. It's just so interesting. And riveting. Well, I guess it's riveting to someone like me who has a morbid fascination with zombies. Lol.

Thankfully, there hasn't been any new zombie movies out recently. I watched "Zombieland" again on cable tv the other night. I have to say I really like that one though. A lot. Especially Bill Murray's small part. Hey, what can I say -  I am a child of the 80s. I grew up watching Ghostbusters. One of my favorite Bill Murray movies is "Scrooged" .. he is PERFECT as Ebenezer Scrooge.

So anyway, back to "The Walking Dead" .. They are now dealing with some sort of flu like illness spreading among their camp. It results in death and therefore poses a threat cos you turn into a zombie if you die from it. never mind if you weren't bitten by a zombie to begin with. 

Great, now more things to worry about for the poor survivors. I was telling The Hubby that I would never survive in a zombie apocalypse .. I'm too chicken shit. And that he'd better be around to look after our kids. 

Lol. He just ignored me. 

Huh. If the zombie apocalypse DOES become a reality, don't say I never told him so.

And so it begins ...

The Walking Dead season 4 starts on 20th Oct 2013 here. I cannot wait.

And I am dreading it. Lol. 

For those of you who don't know .. I have this silly fear of a zombie apocalypse. Yes, you read that right. I do. I can't help it. I've actually spent nights awake thinking about how we were going to survive should that happen. 

It gets worse every time I watch some zombie movie. The worst was after watching  "I am Legend".  Man, the  zombies in that movie were horrifyingly fast and strong. I walked out of the movie theatre a bit shell shocked. Most zombie movies I've seen have them portrayed ambling around rather slowly and therefore not really threatening. So not the case in I am Legend. Damn. 

Anyway, so I haven't been watching any zombie flicks for a while now. And so I've led a blissfully peaceful existence not thinking about a zombie apocalypse. Well, obviously that's gonna end once I'm glued to the tv watching The Walking Dead come 20th October. 

And no, I haven't considered NOT watching the series. Are u mad? Lol. I dunno why I have to torture myself this way, but I can't help myself.

Ok, excuse me now while I make up a list of canned food I should be stocking up on in case said zombie apocalypse really happens. No harm being prepared I say. 

Practice makes perfect

Back when I was in in secondary school, we were made to write summaries and book reviews all the time. Till we were sick of doing them. I remember being quite good at them.

Alas, that was before. Long long ago.

After not utilizing those skills for DECADES,  I find myself having diffculty submitting a simple book review on Amazon. It's pathetic.

I can't just keep saying the book was "nice and interesting" ... Good God. Of course, I don't need to do a book review for Amazon. I just thought it would be neat to submit one when I liked the book a lot. I think other people contemplating buying the ebook would appreciate it. I know I do. I usually look through the reviews before actually hitting "purchase".

I know I'm out of practice. Man, what do you expect? The only times I hold a pen and write down stuff is when I have to sign something. Even my grocery lists aren't written down anymore. My maid writes down the stuff I need to buy on the white board mounted at the side of my fridge, and I snap a photo of it with my iphone. Huh.

Ok, I'm off to attempt that book review now ...

More than one ...

I watched "Sister Wives"on cable TV once or twice some time ago. I personally think it's fascinating .. the whole idea of having more than one spouse .. ie. polygamy. They have 17 kids between them  .. SEVENTEEN.

Of course, in this reality series, the idiot fella has 4 wives ... only one legally is married to him .. wife number 1. The rest are what they called "spiritual unions" (I'm rolling my eyes here) lol. I thought he was insane to saddle himself with 4 women .. like what the hell. I think managing ONE woman is challenging enough .. plus kids. That's not to say I am a challenging wife to manage .. I am pretty independent and I wouldn't call myself difficult .. HUH.

Anyway, I was having lunch with the bestie today and we were kinda discussing it .. I told her it would be better to have one wife and a few husbands .. come on, makes more sense .. more men to share the financial burden of raising the family .. and also to manage ONE woman and her drama. Of course, if they all end up like my husband .. then I'd have more bodies to massage at night and more men NOT helping me with the housework. Hahahaha.  On second thought, I think more maids better than more husbands .. HAHAHA!

So ....

You really can't have too many gadgets .. The Hubby got me a new Kindle when he was in the States a few weeks ago ... Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite. Man, it's tiny and light and perfect for lugging around in my handbag. I LOVE IT !!

And really, it's such a breeze buying books off Amazon with my e-reader .. I already have some 500 plus books in my Kindles ... some free some paid .. yes, Amazon does have free e-books .. but admittedly, I spend money every month buying books from Amazon. *sigh*

Anyway, I am pleased beyond words with my 2 Kindles ... I do a lot of chauffeuring and waiting everyday .. so it really helps to have an e-reader. My bestie bought herself a Kobo Mini ... she's pleased with her purchase as well ... I have a couple of books of Kobo .. but that's on my ipad ..

We depend so much on technology and electricity .. I sometimes wonder what will happen if we don't have them one day.

Man, I sincerely hope that day never comes. Lol.

So sweet.

I received a really sweet compliment the other day. I was really touched. 

One of Calista's classmates .. His mom, Ghazia, came up to me and told me her elder son (he's 10) saw me and told his mom that she had to tell me that my smile was lovely and worth a million dollars. Lol. How sweet is that? And from a 10 year old no less. 

I laughed and thanked her.

Now if only a nice smile was enough to snag me say, Jeremy Renner, I'd be a happy woman. 

Hahahaha! 

What's in my e-reader ..

I guard my Kindle with my life. I don't let friends peek into it. Why? Because as I told my bestie .. I don't want people  judging me based on what I choose to read.

LOL.

Yes, my Kindle is filled with romance novels .. eh, I don't read it for THAT, ok?!! I have plenty of that without having to read about it in a book (LOL) .. but yes, I hate it when people have that expression on their  face when they find out what I'm reading ..

Why do I read romance novels you ask? I like reading love stories .. the falling in love, the happily ever after, the joy and the high - it's sweet what. Whether it's contemporary romance, historical .. or  paranormal (like werewolves and vampires) .. I think love stories are all sweet.

Of course, my bestie rolls her eyes at my choice of reading material .. lol. Like I give a hoot .. I ain't reading things I'm not interested in just to look learned and special .. hahahaha. My bestie has been my friend since we were 14 so she KNOWS I'm decently intelligent and that my choice of reading material does not reflect said decent level of  intelligence. I read romance novels to be entertained  .. kinda like how I'm not too keen on watching Academy award winning movies .. hell, I'd be happy to watch "Bad Boys 2" for the 42nd time than watch "The English Patient" *shudder* Ok, I LOVE "The Hurt Locker" but that's partly because my darling Jeremy Renner is in it *I love you, Jeremy!!!*

So, as my friend .. please don't be upset if I say .. "No, you can't peek into my Kindle .." when you ask me .. It's not the same as looking at someone's iPad .. when you switch on my Kindle .. the first thing you see is my carousel and the most recent books I've opened .. and you know what kind of covers these romance novels have sometimes .. hahah.

How to get messages from strange men on Facebook from all over the world who want to get to know you ..

It's damn easy. Just post a profile photo of yourself .. taken far away enough .. and preferably wearing sunglasses (it hides a multitude of flaws) .. against a nice backdrop .. and voila, strange men start messaging you on Facebook. Admittedly, I was initially mystified .. hahaha. Cos you know .. not like I am Miss Universe or anything .. then I realized to my horror, that it was probably due to my very misleading profile photo.

And yes, it does state  on Facebook that I am married ok?! I don't hide these things .. Anyway, the men who dropped messages to me .. some seemed harmless enough .. some outright creepy .. (lol) .. but of course I never responded lar. I have a husband ... a jealous one .. plus I really had no interest .. I was amused yes .. it was really quite funny.

Anyway, I changed my profile photo after that .. and in this one, it's much clearer .. taken up close and I am holding Charlotte ..

LOL.

I haven't received any messages from strange men any more .. it's too funny. I kinda miss reading them out loud to my bestie ... it was a hoot.

Finally ...

I've been looking for a speaker system for my iPhone for YEARS. Yes, I kid you not. Ok, at least 2 years. I've come close ONCE to actually buying one .. but I changed my mind at the last minute .. right at the cashier counter. Lol.

Ok, what's the big deal you ask. I am particular. I wouldn't go as far as to call myself an audiophile .. but man, I HATE it when the sound system is bad .. like too sharp, too muffled .. you get the idea. It must sound good whether I'm blasting Nickelback or Lifehouse or Zero 7.And it must look nice. Ok, so far the ones I've actually liked are of course, as usual, the high end ones so out of my budget .. lol. Too bad for me ..

So, I FINALLY find a set that I really really liked. And it was from my bestie. She sold hers to me. Virtually unused. And I think it's made in Japan cos it was never for export .. it was sold only in Japan .. and it's so pretty. The sound is pretty good for a small speaker system. Just right for a bedroom .. AND it's pretty !! .. It's the iHeart Jewelry Box Speaker. It looks like a blinged up jewelry box, but if you lift the cover .. what you get is a docking station that not only plays music .. but charges my iPhone ... YAY!

Someone she knew actually brought the speaker back from Japan .. and since my bestie isn't an iPhone user and she isn't the sort to listen to music at home .. her loss is my gain !! And she sold it to me at such a fabulous price too !! When the speaker was released back in 2011, it retailed at US$110 .. and you can't find it for sale anymore .. well, not online anyway. 

Here are some pics ..

Damn ..

Ok, that's it. It's either rhinoplasty or a small tattoo. Lol. I decided.  Actually, I'm quite sure the tattoo will be cheaper. Unfortunately, I have one obstacle to that. A big obstacle. The Hubby.

We were on the way to town this morning after church, and I say to him, "ok, on a scale of 1 to 10 .. How angry would u be if I went and got a tattoo?" 

His answer? "Nearly 10" hahaha. 

Guess that's a no then. 

Darn. I thought it'd be cool to get a small tattoo on the back of my shoulder. An animal. I love wolves. And no, not because of Taylor Lautner, ok ?! Lol. 

Ok, why a rhinoplasty? I hate my nose. It's ugly as hell. Not say the rest of me is wonderful .. Just that my nose is the worst part of my face. See the pic !! Ugh, can die. 

Of course if The Hubby says no to a small tattoo, no way in hell he'd agree to rhinoplasty. Lol. Anyway, I think my girls have my nose .. So even if I get rid of my nose .. *sigh* - karma really doesn't like me apparently. 

Karma is a bitch.

Sigh. I swear. Every time I say something I shouldn't, it comes back to bite me ..

Just last week, I was again saying to someone (one of my girls I'm sure) that I thought champagne gold or whatever gold was an awful horrid colour on a car. And that I preferred black or a pearl white. 

Yesterday, our vehicle was at the workshop for repairs, and guess what colour the rental car was. 

Yeap. 

What. The. Hell. 

So it's a small saloon. A Toyota Corolla  Altis. Easy to drive. But really cramped. The colour is killing me. Lol. I am almost ashamed to be seen driving the damn thing. Eh, it isn't because it's an Corolla Altis ok?! Not like I myself own a luxury vehicle. It's just that I love my Honda Odyssey. And I think she's a beautiful vehicle. And my sound system is a whole lot better with 12 speakers in my MPV and my subwoofer. The one in the Altis sucks to high heaven ..

I miss my Odyssey. *sob* hope I get her back soon. 

Indeed.

My bestie just lost one of her good friends. My heart ached for her because I know she's hurting. She wrote this on IG. 

Nice, ya? She should've been a writer or a poet. I remember back in secondary school, she had a real way with words. And she could write beautiful poetry on the fly. I always was in awe of that. 

Reading what she wrote made me think about my own loss. I still miss the friend that I lost almost 2 years back.

Seriously?!

Ok. U know you watch a bit too much of American TV when you start picking up some of the phrases or words they use. My favorite word, which I more or less picked up from "Grey's Anatomy" is "seriously". Which can be said in a number of ways. Incredulously, mockingly, angrily .. I use it all the time. Sure, it doesn't say much about my vocabulary but what the hell, I'm 39 - I'm out of school. I don't need to be adding new words to my vocabulary which is already pretty decent thanks to my love for reading and going to a good secondary school years ago. 

Last week, while trying to drive out of an open air car park, and waiting patiently for some cars ahead of me to reverse into some lots, an idiot driving a tiny Kia Picanto rammed into the back of my beloved Odyssey. 

I wasn't hurt. But it took me 2 seconds to process that someone had hit me. I was kinda stunned too.

I left the engine running and jumped out of my car and the first thing I said to him was "Seriously?! You hit my car?! SERIOUSLY?!!!" He was taken aback. He hadn't come out of the car yet. I think he was shocked that he actually hit my MPV. F-ing idiot. And he wasn't sure how to react ... he did admit it was his fault (duh of course) ..

Hahahaha! Eh, the dude was really an idiot. No way this was my fault. Although, inwardly I groaned cos I KNEW somehow, The Hubby would be pining this on me. lol. And the worst thing was, I wasn't out doing anything important. I was getting my nails done. HOW UNLUCKY IS THAT? I try  to save a few bucks and visit a HDB manicure place and end up getting the car damaged. SWELL. Plus my nails hadn't completely dried ... so on top of everything else, I had a ruined manicure. *sigh* I took a few seconds to pray for patience to not HOLLER at the fella over everything. I really wanted to, trust me.

Of course, at first glance, it looked like pretty light scratches on my bumper and tailgate. He wanted me to go to his workshop to get everything sorted out .. and I resisted knowing I had every right to dictate where I wanted to get my car repaired since HE hit me. When I opened the door however, the damage was pretty obvious. And so I stuck to my guns and insisted that I would be taking the vehicle to my regular mechanic which just so happened to be the authorized dealer .. hahaha .. Kah Motor. I could tell he was getting pissed with me for not caving in and going his way. Too f-ing bad for him.

My vehicle was drive-able .. the only thing is the sensor which now detects that back door to be "open" as such I cannot lock the car with the remote so I have to manually lock it with the key. You can tell the back door isn't sitting flush against the body of the vehicle but other than that .. no outward indication that my car had been in a minor accident.

Minor though it was ... estimates on the repair have come to $8640 and I'd have to leave my precious Odyssey at the workshop for 7 whole days and get this, drive a saloon .. a Honda Civic .. It's been YEARS since I've driven a saloon. I drove a Dodge Grand Caravan in the States which was slightly bigger than the Odyssey I think.

Anyway, I am praying that the whole insurance thing goes through smoothly so that I can bring in my car for repairs soon.

Genetic lottery

I love watching the tv series, Nikita. Man, that's one hot chick - Maggie Q. I initially watched it for Shane West but who am I kidding, here really? It's Maggie Q that is the main draw of that show. The woman is not only gorgeous, she can kick ass too. Damn it.

I remember as idiot teenagers back in secondary school, we asked ourselves the oh so profound question .. "Would you rather be pretty but dumb, or unfortunate looking but really smart?"

*Snort* My answer hasn't changed in 20 something years. At least I'm consistent. Lol. I came from the top girl's school .. And sad to say, I wasn't smart. Neither was I pretty. Bummer, man. At least my fellow classmates .. There were quite a number who were smart and pretty. So this Maggie Q .. She's gorgeous and sexy and she doesn't strike me as being dumb as well. Damn her ... Lol.

Anyway, every week I watch Nikita and drool over her good looks. I am fairly convinced actual spies must also be watching the series but scoffing away. If real spies looked like ANY of the main characters on Nikita, they'd be in trouble. They'd attract too much attention. I'm pretty certain spies need to blend in with the rest of us common looking folk and not stand out too much. Her partner in the series, Alex .. She ALWAYS has full make up on .. Complete with the smoky eyeshadow and eyeliner. They look more like supermodels than spies I swear. Lol.

Yeah, yeah .. Suspension of disbelief and all that. I'm still a big fan of the show. They all just look too gorgeous to NOT watch. Plus, the series is action packed and has its funny moments.

And it does have yummy men. Like Dillon Casey (he's sooooo hot I tell you) and Noah Bean and Shane West.

Give the series a go :) ..

Escapism ...

I read and I watch tv for the sense of escapism it gives me. Don't get me wrong .. I'm not escaping from my life. I just like temporarily being distracted. And tv and books are the safest bets. Lol. No danger. No wrong doing.

I've started reading properly on my iPad but mostly on my Kindle Fire. The iPhone was getting kinda tiny. I would get headaches after a long time staring at the screen.

I get escapism from watching movies too. You don't have to tell me twice to suspend my disbelief. I'm not one to delve too much into the details or loopholes. The Hubby was complaining about GI Joe Retaliation and how some things didn't add up. I rolled my eyes. Ok, maybe I was too busy ogling Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum to really pay attention but what the hell man, it's a movie. A very entertaining, action packed movie. I enjoyed it.

I can read for hours. I mostly do it when my family is sound asleep. I can plough through the pages really fast and not get interrupted. Love.

I've been encouraging my kids to read as well. I visit the National library and borrow books for them. I'm hoping they glean more than just stories from books. I hope it improves their English, fuels their imagination and gives them the escapism if only for a little while as they read.

I love my nails ..

Ok. Confirmed I have an obsession with my nails.

Lol.

I went for another manicure and pedicure yesterday. My nails had grown really long. Like really really long. I was almost handicapped by them. Hahah! I couldn't open a bag of chips - that's how bad it got. Anyway, I told my manicurist to trim my nails. And got PINK GLITTER GELISH. oh the love !!

Because I can complain.

I tell you this weather is getting to me. I try very hard everyday to NOT complain. Ok, I still do .. I can't help it. But I try to not complain CONTINUOUSLY throughout the day. And I try my best to not let it affect how I deal with my girls.

Cos man, the heat sure makes me super grumpy. I can't help it !! It's really hot. And you just feel not and bothered. And super sticky. The whole day.

How to stand it? I can't. And I'm trying oh so hard to NOT switch on my air conditioners daily in the afternoons. We already have them on the whole night. And our electricity bill is erm, not low. It would be far worse if I were to be trigger happy with the air con in the afternoons.

So, now I suffer. Suffer the whole damn afternoon.

It's killing me. I try to think of reasons to linger on at the malls just so I can be in air conditioned cool comfort.

And to think we have to suffer like this till near year end. Seriously.

I was lamenting to The Hubby the other day. Why didn't I marry someone overseas? Why? Then I wouldn't be suffering here in this tropical weather.

He, of course ignored me. Lol.

I'm dreading the rest of the year. It's going to be a long HOT year. And we aren't going ANYWHERE for a holiday this year. Nowhere at all. Bummer for me. 365 days of being stuck here. 365 days. Man, that's miserable. There's only so many times you can go to the zoo here. Lol.

Now that I'm approaching 40 .. I don't think I'm left with many years to go to all the places I've dreamt of visiting when I was younger. I try not to think of it. Once in awhile it hits me and I get depressed about it. I really thought I'd see a few more places by now. I really thank God we lived in the States those 2 years or I think I would have travelled nowhere.

I used to have a best friend who travelled at least once or twice a year with her family. While it was awesome hearing about her holidays, it was also very very tough to hear. Especially when you don't get to go anywhere. After we got back from the States in 2004, I was stuck here for 6 years. It was awful to think that I had just let those years of my life go by without traveling. Not even to nearby destinations. We finally went to Club Med Indonesia in 2010 and then went on a cruise last year 2012.

I've been armchair traveling as its called since I was young. Back then, we didn't have the money to go anywhere and my Dad really wasn't the kind who took his family on holidays. He wasn't interested in traveling so too bad for us. My mom only finally started traveling abroad AFTER they got divorced - good for her. She didn't have enough money to take all 3 of us kids and so most times, she would take the youngest. At the time, we didn't mind because we knew we'd have plenty of time for traveling when we became adults.

Well. I'm almost 40 now. And I'm still stuck at home watching travel shows.

Man, I hate this heat. It really gets to me.

FYI ..

In case you didn't know .. Before last year, I hardly went and had my nails done at the nail salon. Ok, never. Seriously.

The very first time I had them done was for that formal dinner we had to attend at the Istana. That was when I was pregnant with Charlotte. Heavily pregnant .. So it was end 2010. After that one manicure, I didn't go for the whole of 2011 I think cos I was busy with Charlotte.

That first time I did my nails, I was truly astounded at how they turned out. Truly. I've always had short nails. And I had a habit of biting my nails almost all of my life .. So it was hard for my nails to be long and so I didn't see the need to go and get them manicured.

After that first time, I would sometimes have long nails .. Most times not.

It was only about last year that I finally totally dropped the nail biting habit. Partly because I did want to have nice long manicured nails.

When I started going for manicures regularly .. It became more than just a "waste money" activity .. Lol. My toe nails looked nice peeping out from sandals. And I started valuing the time spent in the nail salon away from my kiddies doing something for myself.

Ok, admittedly it got out of hand. Lol. I now LOVE my manicured nails TOO much it seems. Haha! I count down the days till my next manicure. And I put a lot of thought into my NEXT manicure - what colour gelish I would choose.

I've also mastered the art of poking at the my iPhone virtual keyboard with my long nails and am getting less and less typos. Haha.

Ok, I know that a lot of women have relatively short nails. And still get them manicured nicely. I'm not most women. My nails are teeny. If I were to trim them short, they would look ghastly. I keep them long to make them look bigger. And not as weapons. Lol. I've become quite good at NOT stabbing my girls' eyes out. I hardly hurt anyone accidentally with my nails these days. That's quite a feat you must admit.

I leave u with a pic of my nails. Pretty aren't they?

Choices ..

If I ever had to choose between hair rebonding (and my new hair dresser says it will take 5-6 hours for my hair cos of the length and thickness) and watching a musical (2 hours and 45 minutes long), rebonding would win. HANDS DOWN. On any freaking day. No doubt about it.

The Hubby had received an email invite to watch Gypsy the musical at the Lasalle College of the Arts. The musical featured graduands (I thought the word is "graduates" but the program said "graduands") of BA(Hons) Musical Theatre.

The musical was 2 hours and 45 minutes long. I kid you not.

While the musical was really entertaining and certainly very good, no one can sit still for that long. No one. Ok, if you're at home sitting then lying on your bed and watching tv .. Then sure. Otherwise, it's really quite a feat. I walked out with a massive headache after the musical ended. The Hubby's back hurt. Lol. The last musical I watched was with Claudia a few years back .. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang .. That was awesome.

In other news .. I had my nails done again today. Ya ya, I know it's barely been a week since my last manicure. This time I went with gelish again. Love. Love. Love my nails.

Here are pictures of the musical and how near we were to the stage. The theatre had no cell reception. I idly wondered if they had a some kind of signal jammer (Yes, I watch too much of Nikita) at work cos the second I stepped into the theatre, my iPhone was like a black hole. No reception. 2 or 3G. It was blardy annoying. I was banking on playing with my phone had things gone south with all the singing .. But no such luck. Without cellphone reception, my phone was pretty much a camera and/or a weapon to smack someone with in the dark theatre. Cos I sure as hell couldn't CALL or text or surf on it .. Lol. I was asking The Hubby what if someone's Grandma was on her deathbed and people needed to remain contactable ? He wryly replied that people shouldn't be watching a musical if their Grandma was about to kick the bucket then.

Good point.

We got home past 11pm. I think that's the last musical we'll be seeing for the rest of our lives. Lol.

We enjoyed the night out though. And being together. Just that the next time, we'd rather catch a movie than a musical.

Never again a musical that lasts that long.

Hubby and me

Heh. The Hubby and I may have been together forever .. Lol .. Ok since 1991 - that's like freaking forever ok?!  .. But we still enjoy each other's company immensely. We try our best to be together .. Even if it is just watching tv together for a short while before he falls asleep at night - the man sleeps early .. Like really early. Haha.

Anyway, we went for dinner on Tuesday .. Just me and him. Took a cable car ride from Harbourfront to The Jewel Box on Mount Faber specifically Sapphire fine dining restaurant. It seemed strange being on the cable car ride without the girls.

Dinner was really nice. Spending time with The Hubby was better. Hehe. We could've been at our favorite place to eat at Zam Zam restaurant and we'd still be pleased.

Love u so much my husband.

The hair saga continues ..

About a month or so back, I went to my hairstylist to get my hair colored. I was rather unhappy with the result. It was colored properly ie all my white hair was covered well. The colour just sucked. It was darker than my actual hair colour. I hated it. Friends asked if I made a scene at the hair salon. I hadn't. What would be the point ? I'm just never going back there.

And now 6 weeks later, my hair needs to be colored again. Yes, I'm old. 39 years old and I have plenty of whites and grey hair that needed covering up. Plus I wash my hair everyday and that only seems to hasten the fading of the hair color.

So now I'm back at square one. Looking for a new hair stylist who will LISTEN to me and what I want. Apparently that's hard to get here. My friend recommended her hair salon but then I would have to travel all the way to her place. *sigh*

Come let me see if I can dig up a pic of my hair from a month back.

See? My scrunchy is a nicer shade of brown than my stupid hair. I was so freaking irritated. It was such a horrible boring shade of brown. Almost black. And I look ghastly w too dark a hair colour. Why? Because I'm fair so it just makes me look washed out. Damn.

Anyway, I have to do it soon cos the hubby and I are watching some musical next week. Yeap, u read that right. A musical. Hubby forwarded the email invite to me and asked if I was interested. Trust me, I said no I wasn't. Lol. Anyway, we are going. I told him he'd better not play me out and fall asleep during the performance. Leaving me to suffer through it alone. I just know that's gonna happen. Damn it. Lol.

One of those days ...

Today is one of those days that I miss our days living in the States ... ah hell, who am I kidding? .. I miss the SHOPPING in the States .. hahaha! Brands that I immensely miss are Longaberger, Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn .. just to name a few of favourite places to buy things from .. lol. There is also TJMAXX and Ross ... and though we have Payless Shoe Source here now ... the prices are NOTHING like the prices at the ones in the States ...

A good friend of mine used to be a Longeberger consultant ... they are sold like Tupperware here .. not at the stores but through a consultant .. and the minute I was introduced to the brand, I fell in love with the baskets. The Hubby was not only mystified by my fascination, he was stumped by the prices .. LOL! Ok, he was AGHAST is more like it.

I'm ashamed to say .. I did amass quite a collection of BASKETS .. yeap, baskets .. lol. They are, however, of extremely excellent quality and the ones I have and are using around the house .. they've not only lasted, they are still in wonderful condition ..  the thing about these baskets .. they come with separately sold accessories ... like a fabric liner .. and a plastic protector (to protect the inside and the liner) .. so essentially, to buy ONE basket, you end up buying 2 more separate items .. hahaha!

Anyway, here's a picture of a small basket I have on my table in my bedroom .. I love these things I tell you. Even in our heat and humidity, they have not become mouldy or cracked ... and every piece is HANDMADE in Ohio.

Ah ... those were good times ... living and shopping in the States ...

I miss her ..

Suddenly, one day last December .. As we were walking around in the mall, I turned to The Hubby and told him that I missed her. I missed her friendship, the things we shared and laughed over .. Her friendship.

I just don't miss her psychotic nature. Bwahahaha!

What to do? It was a whole package. And while our friendship lasted, it was good. Then when she shot it all to hell, it was truly regrettable. Truly.

We won't ever go back to being best friends. Not even friends I think. I just can't help but feel sad. I used to be more sad. It's better now.

Thankfully, I have a posse of gal pals and a bestie whom I love dearly. I love being with them. Bestie asked recently if I would ever be friends again with ex-friend. I said no.

Doesn't stop me from thinking back on our wonderful relationship. And all the fun times we had.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The Hubby was sick. Really sick. He's been sick for awhile now. A particularly nasty flu that's been dragging and so the poor man has been out of it for awhile now.

I really didn't expect anything for Valentine's Day since he was unwell.

He had flowers delivered. So sweet. They're gorgeous. I love them!

Hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day too!

An epiphany today ...

Firstly, although I MISS my long nails .. there were an absolute pain to type with .. on a PC keyboard AND on the iPhone keypad (cos I would misjudge where my finger pads were no thanks to my nails) .. So I often found it a chore to blog .. cos there were just too many typos.

After my gelish nails for Christmas grew out ... the sides that had no protective nail polish  .. well, some chipped and a few outright broke .. *sob* (side note - gelish is an awesome solution to those of you whose nails chip easily)

So, after chopping off those few nails, I decided to just have the manicurist trim them all .. had I done extensions, there would be quite a number to do .. so forget it. Nails grow .. and pretty fast too. Plus, there was the keyboard problem .. and I did occasionally stab my kids with my nails ... lol.

Anyway, as I was sitting there and getting my finger nails and toe nails attended to by TWO manicurists, I had an epiphany:

Wow, so this is how it feels like to be a princess .. HAHAHA! .. Ok, maybe not Kate Middleton style .. but since my manicurists are from Vietnam (they DID have emperors)  .. heck, I could've been an Empress back in the old days. Ok, Ok .. more like Empress DOWAGER .. lol. Ok, don't get me wrong .. I LOVE my nail salon manicurists .. they are lovely ladies .. very polite and friendly and that's why I love going there .. that and they haven't said a mean word about my gigantor feet .. (lol) of which I am eternally grateful.

Anyway, I reckon that's why most women have their nails done. It's nice to have someone else prettify you ... well, at least your nails. I think it's the same for going to the hair salon or a spa or going for a facial. Face it, men do not know how to pamper women .. besides buying us stuff. While I do appreciate all the stuff buying .. I think we need to pay for other women (or men if they work in a hair salon) to help us achieve said pampering that we lack from our men.

The Hubby thinks I should save the money and just not go to hair/beauty/nail salons.

No way José

Without my eyebrow threading, hair colouring, facials and manicures/pedicures ... I would look CRAPPY .. I mean, come onnnnn ... I already don't look like Maggie Q (the lady that plays Nikita on Fox TV) . .. or ANY of the VS models .. I think I should be allowed to TRY  to at least NOT look completely UGLY, right?

LOL.

Anyway, I am really pleased with my nails .. short though they may be now. They will be longish soon, so until then, I can use the PC keyboard and my iPhone keypad without swearing ..

January is over ..

Seriously, time is going by really fast. One minute it was December 2012 .. And now, it's February 2013.

Ok .. So it looks like we aren't going anywhere this year. That's just sad. One whole year and we ain't stepping out of this country at all. I am planning to bring the girls to the new aquarium at RWS. Can't wait. And to the Gardens. Haven't been there yet too.

I met up with Pei Ling for tea. I've missed her. And I did high tea with a couple of girlfriends. Saw my bestie a few times In January. So yay for me.

Celebrated my eldest and youngest birthdays too in January. Claudia turned 14 and Charlotte turned 2.

There is a week long school holidays in March. That's something to look forward to.

Our first cruise !!

We decided to go for a cruise last year. We planned way in advance and really looked forward to it .. We decided to go for a cruise with Royal Caribbean on board The Legend of The Seas. And I have to say, going for a cruise is nothing like what I had imagined it to be. Lol.

The Hubby picked 2 staterooms with balconies. That was awesome. We were up really early every morning and I managed to see the sun rise. That was really something.

I assumed I would feel claustrophobic in the room. I was wrong. I thought the ship would be bobbing more. Wrong again. The room is spacious and really lovely. And I hardly felt the ship. Oh sure, it's not like being on land .. But more of a relaxing lull. Really nice to fall asleep to.

Our cruise was a 5 days 4 nights cruise to Phuket. It was amazingly lovely weather every day. And there was a lot to do. Sure, you could CHOOSE to do nothing and just sit on the deck all day and read. But we have kids. No sitting around aimlessly happening. Ever. The middle 3 kiddies we dumped, er, deposited. at the kids club on board. They did arts and crafts, played games and watched movies .. I brought Charlotte to a little play area every morning after breakfast for some play time. The cruise obviously has a tie up with Fisher-Price so they have quite a decent selection of relatively new baby toys out for toddlers to play for an hour or so.The we'd roam around till it was time for lunch then we'd grab the kiddies then head to the dining hall for lunch. The food is good. Nothing else I can say about it. Wide variety. Good quality.

Being on the cruise was like being on The Love Boat. Come on, you remember that series ? It ran from 1977-1987 on tv. I remember watching it and thinking how grand it would be to be on a cruise.It seemed surreal actually walking up the ramp into the ship when we first boarded. Yea, I don't travel much if you can't already tell.

Anyway, here are some pics we took.