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 ...