Hospital Visit 3 was relatively mundane (and thus not blogworthy). Ro came and we entertained each other, so I wasn't that bored and didn't start writing my blog post in my head.

Today's was quite amusing, though. Luckily. I didn't bring anything to pass the time 'cos I thought we were only going out for dinner and didn't know that we were going to the hospital. Ended up having dinner at the foodcourt at Tan Tock Seng, which is quite sad, really. I was dying for zi char.

Tried very hard to decide between duck rice (tried and tested, but boring) and hotplate garlic beef with rice (delicious and exciting, but definitely not filling). Chose duck rice in the end. Regretted it 'cos I felt like a boring person eating boring dinner. The taste was mediocre and not as nice as normal, I felt.

Then we went up to the wards. As usual, my aunts were there. This time, I decided to stand outside at the table with my mum while she was reading the chinese newspapers as I had nothing to do. My aunts joined her shortly and they started to bitch discuss about internal family affairs like all aunts do when they get together. It doesn't matter whether they are from the upper-middle class category, or the lower-middle class category, english-speaking or chinese-speaking. They all (generally) talk about the same things. Hahaha.

My mother told me that the old lady in the bed opposite my grandmother in the same ward always says the same thing to every visitor-"Come visit at 8-9 am." (in hokkien). My mum explained that that's the time when they're having their physiotherapy and that's when her kids visit her. She (the old lady) feels that we should visit my grandmother at that time too. Don't ask me why. Hahahaa she's so funny. Too bad we can't visit at that time slot because nobody is free from 8-9 am.

After some time, we decided to let my gran sit in the chair instead of lie on the bed. Some time passed and I chatted with my mum and 3rd aunt. Suddenly, the old lady said (in hokkien) "Go and check on her. She's been in the toilet for so long." It took a few times for my mum (to whom she was speaking to) to understand what she was saying cos she kept mentioning the toilet and nothing else. It turned out that she thought my gran had gone to the toilet because her bed was empty (my gran was sitting on the chair beside the bed, hidden from the Old Lady's view because my cousin was doing her homework in front of the chair.). And so she thought she'd just ask us to check on her. Hahaha. So nice.

My grandmother was also very amused by her neighbour's antics. I feel that she looks more ci xiang when she laughs without her dentures. Maybe it's a gumless thing. Oh shut up, you unfilial granddaughter.

I also noticed that my aunts seem to have to act as assistant nurses everytime they visit. They attend to the patients on the neighbouring beds. They help them call for the nurses when they start complaining. They buy whatever food they are craving (if it's available downstairs). They help my grandmother to the toilet. Quite proud that I have such nice aunts =) .

At 10 plus, the nurse chased us out (for the first time. My parents were trying to figure out who complained. They are really convinced that someone must have complained and that's why the nurse said to us "Don't mind ah, visiting hours are over.") and before we left, Brenda (cousin) told my grandmother "Remember to dream of me when you sleep hor.". I have no idea why she said that. My gran's reply to that was "You got dream of me when you sleep meh?" Hahaha.

Brenda: You must dream of me then I will dream of you what.

Hhahahaa. Sheesh. I'm beginning to think that our Chua family is really full of bullshit. My father and 3rd uncle certainly are. And I say that with all due respect.

Ok, it's a LEETLE too late but I just wanted to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RO!!!

Sorry I'm such a jerk and almost forgot. Too much on my mind. SORRY!

You're still my favourite cousin (always will be) and I love you forever and ever! Have fun being sixteen. I miss all the times we used to spend together. I never said this, but you're part of why Daredevil is one of my favourite movies. It wouldn't have been as enjoyable if I hadn't watched it with you =) . Hope we'll be able to spend some time together after your O's.

Happy Birthday to a caring, lovely, beautiful, kind, soft-hearted, *u know the rest* girl whose friendship I'll always cherish.

Ah...there is nothing like a chalet to make you appreciate your own Home Sweet Home. No matter how good the chalet is (by this I mean the facilities and posh-ness of the place), I usually can't help but feel that it is just not home, where I'm used to everything. The same concept applies to hotels. However many stars the hotel is, I would still give a contented sigh whenever I reach home. Because at least the aircon remote control actually WORKS and doesn't give you freezing temperatures even if you set it at the highest possible temperature.

But I digress (as usual).

Hmmm. Where shalt I start? Our class booked the chalet at NSRCC (the same one as the one I booked for my birthday) for 2 days and 1 night. Thanks to my father's membership at the resort, it only cost about $74 bucks. Mr. Ong, our PT (form teacher) helped us get food from this Indian-Muslim restaurant in Little India called Blue Diamond. Sarah and Jawei deserve honourable mention for helping him with the food.

And so we met at 1 pm at Tanah Merah MRT station. At 1.30 almost everyone was there (even Ryan, which was a bit of a miracle =p), just in time to board the shuttle bus (the wonders of knowing your class well enough to ask them to meet earlier than the time when the bus arrives).

LALALALALALA and then we reached the chalet and checked in. The swimming pool area was all boarded up and for a moment, my heart skipped a beat. If the swimming pool wasn't open I'd be beaten up 'cos the weather was scorching and wonderful for swimming. Then I saw that there were people inside the pool. It turned out that they were only renovating the area around the swimming pool.

Unloaded our bags, and then jumped straight into the pool, where we did:

1. Synchronised swimming (failed miserably cos nobody knew how to. Mr. Ong gamely attempted, though. The results were hilarious.)
2. Cheerleading practice (poor Sonia. We made Aizat and Timo support her and she stood on their shoulders and then they attempted to toss her in the air or something like that.)
3. The "train" thing where several people stand in a straight line and spread their legs apart. An unlucky person then attempts to dive down and swim through the "tunnel" that results. This was hilarious, too, if in a rather uncivilised way.

while the unfortunate non-swimmers stayed indoors and attempted to entertain themselves with Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

We eventually got bored and decided to rid the starvation of some of us (read: Jawei and JY, mostly. Hahahaha) by eating the Briyani from Blue Diamond that was initially intended for dinner. It was only about 3 plus then (if my memory serves me well).

The Briyani was *think Barney* DEEEE-LEE-XIOUS! The chicken was to die for. And the curry, though spicy, was wonderful. Jawei could not stop popping the papadums into her mouth. The rice was enough to feed an army, even though Mr. Ong had only ordered 15 persons' worth. Mmmmm.

Some of us then went to bathe in the posh and nice changing rooms. After we were nice and clean, we decided to go and play bowling. Sadly, it was being renovated and so we went back to the chalet, intending to get the volleyball and play with that. Someone then had a brainwave and decided that we should take a 1-hr walk from Changi to East Coast and rent bikes overnight. I and a few others had to be dragged kicking and screaming as we felt too lazy to go and cycle in the heat/could not cycle.

So we walked. And walked. AND WALKED. We passed the long stretch of road leading the East Coast. We passed the jetty. We passed Costa Sands @ East Coast. We passed lots and lots of barbecue pits and shelters along East Coast. Now I know how Tripitaka and company felt when they were on the Journey to the West. Eventually (sometime in the next year), we reached the bike shop, which was in an ulu place somewhere on East Coast. Aizat negotiated with the shopkeeper and we got him to give us a more reasonable price of $10 each (U.P: $12) for the overnight rental of 10 bikes.

Then we sat around and thought about what to do with the people who cannot cycle. There were 4 non-cyclists among us. We attempted to give them crash courses on how to cycle. Sonia became a Miracle Cyclist and really did it within less than half an hour. So she rented a bike. The remaining three had the "good" fortune of being fetched by Jesslin, Aizat, me, Jawei and Mei Hui. After much sitting around, we cycled to the McDonald's at East Coast (which was some distance from the bike shop). I attempted to cycle with Flora sitting on my bike.

I am so unfit. I huffed and I puffed. Luckily, Aizat got to the destination first, cycled back and took over from me. Thanks Aizat! You saved my lungs. =)

Reached McDonald's. Decided to cycle to the hawker centre near Parkway Parade. Sharina injured her foot and limped along. Aizat, the First Aid guy of the day, attended to her like a nice bear boy. Most of us ended up buying fast food anyway 'cos the hawker centre had nothing much to offer to fussy people like me.

Then we sat around waiting for the durian seller to pick the durians from the trees in Johor. Ok that's not true, but they might as well have, at the rate they were serving the customers. In the meantime, I got the most uncool slippers in all the world to replace my broken Elle Active 10-dollar nice slippers =(, which broke when I had a little accident with the rented bike.

YES JN, I am wearing the pink short shorts you got me for my birthday eons ago! =) Aren't you proud of me?

Aizat and Sharina are pointing at my pink shorts (glam) in contrast with my $2.90 slippers (unglam). I have no idea what Jia Ying is doing, either.

After I single-handedly (or shld i say, single-footedly) lowered my social status to the pits, I went to check whether they really were getting the durians from Johor. I was shocked.

The durian seller was flirting with Sarah and Jawei! As he was opening the durians, he'd ask "Nice or not?" (referring to the fruit inside the durian shells). Then after they yelled "Nice!", he'd scoop out the durians with his knife and say "This is for my tian shi (angel)", and "This is for my gong zhu (princess)". The "angel" is Jawei and the "princess" is Sarah. He nicknamed them that because he knows how to sing this chinese song called Tong Hua (Fairytale) and the song mentions angels. Or something like that. Ask those two for the full story. Apparently he asked for Jawei's number and offered Sarah a job at the fruit stall in the end. And apparently he gave them the more expensive durians. Hahahahahaha. The things we get up to.

So after we all got takeaways for our dinner, we got the non-cyclists to take a cab back to the chalet with our food while the rest of us cycled back. The journey back to Changi was quite scary in that it was quiet and dark and eerie. On the last stretch of road back to the chalet, it was so dark that Timo had to lead the way with his handphone light. And we were quite scared that we'd see *something*. So me and JY started to talk about something, anything, to take our minds off the darkness and eerieness. Looking back now, I'm so glad that it wasn't the seventh month yet. Anyway, we made it back safely and found Jawei and Sarah (who somehow had managed to get ahead of us) and the non-cyclists back already, all showered and clean.

They ate their durians. I shuffled off upstairs (yes our chalet was double-storeyed) in search of a sanctuary from durian odour. Chatted with Becky, Jesslin and Mei Hui. Then, we all headed back downstairs for some karaoke (Backstreet Boys. What else? Guess who really needs new karaoke vcds?) and A Lot Like Love. Then another movie called Not Another Teen Movie, which was a spoof and quite funny. Bedtime after that.

Jawei, Sarah and I had a nice chat while the four boys who were sleeping downstairs with us pretended to be asleep while actually eavesdropping on our conversation (haha Timo and Andrew eh?). All was good. Fell asleep at around 5.30 a.m., woke up at 7. Started cycling back to the bike shop at 8 plus (had to get the bikes in at 9). We all looked like walking zombies as we walked from the bike shop to the East Coast Mac's. I truly thought we'd never make it. But we did.

Had breakfast, then dragged ourselves in the direction of a bus stop. Gave up halfway and hopped into a cab which seemed to take forever to get us to Eunos MRT, which was supposed to be the nearest MRT station. Reached there, and I went to the bus stop. Took 93. Missed the stop as I was sleeping. Crossed a busy road with my stiff limbs (thank whoever's up there for not killing me) as I cldn't decide whether this staircase somewhere down the road led to an overhead bridge. Took the bus back and ta daa! Home sweet home. Showered, went online for 1 hr. Eyes got heavy, turned in. Woke up at 7.45 pm.

The school chose the time when I was sleeping to call me about the Poly Forum interview. I was half-asleep in the person cldn't seem to hear my replies (now I'm not even sure if I did reply in my stupor). You can't blame me for saying "The world calls and smses me when I'm not free and ignores me when I'm bored.". Had cold dinner, went back to sleep at 12 a.m.

All in all, it was fun except for all the aches we all got from the cycling and walking (over 30 km in all). It cld have been a bloody triathlon. Wait till I remember who suggested to cycling. Then I'll decide whether to hug or pummel the person for giving me what cld be the most memorable class outing EVER.

Spent 7 hours in school today (from 12 pm) distributing yearbooks at the convention centre (have decided to join the Yearbook. Yes it is a CCA you dopehead =p). If I hear the SP schoolsong again I might slit my wrists. For those who've never heard it before (like me, before today), YES it is that bad and please wish that you'll only have to hear it on your Graduation Ceremony and on no other occasion.

There were 3 ceremonies held today, each for different diplomas (I think). That explains why I and the other yearbook members heard the school song so many times (*shudders*).

So we had to wait until each ceremony was halfway done and people came out after getting their certificates (spoiler: it comes in this ugly red capsule thingy), then try to help them recall

1. Whether they are the class rep for their classes.
2. If their class placed any orders for the yearbook.
3. What class they are actually in. (I am serious. 90% of them had to take a moment to recall their class. Wah graduate already means you can forget what class you're in is it! And some of them can even give the wrong class. Tsk tsk.)

But it was quite a good slack day la. Just lifting the books. Not that heavy, better than FOP that time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL (TAN)!

Ok. Now. The class chalet thing tomorrow. If any of you see this on time (i.e. before you set off tomorrow to meet at Tanah Merah MRT station at 1 pm), please remember to bring the following:

1. Swimming costumes (if you can swim *sniggers*). Though I'm not sure if the swimming pool and bowling alley are really being upgraded like rumours say.
2. Money.
3. Socks if you wanna play bowling. (Disclaimer: Refer to point 1) If you don't bring your own socks, they'll charge you $1 and give you socks of appalling quality. Seriously. Bring your own socks.
4. Change of clothes (duh).
5. Karaoke vcds (if you have any)!
6. VCDs/DVDs of interest
7. Digital cameras (if you own any and don't mind bringing. Remember to charge it!)

Ya that should be all. Just thought I'd do a friendly reminder =) .

I'll be back on Thursday. Ciao world! =D

Just came back. We reached there at about 3, and my grandmother was sleeping. So we decided to go down to the food court and have our lunch first. As we were having our lunch, the following conversation ensued.

Everett: Will pimples turn into some serious disease?
Me: Yes. It will turn into a disease that makes people KILL their brothers.

Brothers should be locked away somewhere where they cannot cause further harm to humanity.

And then we went back up to the wards and stood around. I was then banished to the sitting area by my mother. I sat there and stoned. And stoned. And stoned. For about 2 and a half hours. I'd had the sense to bring a book, but somehow the book made me sleepy. No mean feat, considering that I'd had 10 hours of sleep last night.

My mum decided to go and watch Zhen Qing at the Patient's Lounge. I decided to follow her before I lost my will to live. The lounge was full and thus we had to stand and watch. Being a very bored person who is not extremely interested in that 1000-episode show, I discovered the following pattern in their 1,000 episodes. Each episode goes something like this-

Run Shan: My eyelids have been twitching all day./ I've been feeling uneasy the whole day.

*not-so-horrible event takes place*
*Family works itself into a state of chaos.*
*conflict is resolved*

Aunt Rong: I must go and offer thanks to Buddha! (This happens regardless of whether the result of the conflict was a happy ending.)

Wen Juan (the head honcho, the great-granny): Let's play mahjong.

The family will eternally be playing mahjong/eating dim sum/plotting against some family enemy.

Well, so much for entertainment from a tv show about a family who calls themselves the Char Siew Clan (how glam a name is that?!).

Then, a handful of relatives came by. I'd never seen some of them before and I had no idea how to address ALL of them. So I just smiled as they gave the standard Chinese New Year commentary: My, how you've grown! I haven't seen you since you were this (insert gesture) small! Where are you studying now?

Thankfully, my father decided to stop chitchatting with other unknown relatives in the midst of Zhen Qing and take us home. I will remind myself to bring my lecture notes or tutorials on my next visit so as to prevent any more time wasted stoning. I mean, if I have to stone, I might as well make sure that I'm stoning at my notes and making an effort to pull up my C's and D's.

Last night, I went to Tan Tock Seng hospital to visit my paternal grandmother. She fell down and broke/dislocated/fractured (I dunno which one it is) her hip bone on Wednesday. Now, she is undergoing surgery to put some metal thing in place of the damaged bone.

I regret to inform you, Leong, that the hospital has NOT improved by leaps and bounds since u went there donkey years ago for your Tan Tock Seng fracture. I really have nothing good to say about that hospital. There is a 7-Eleven, Starbucks, Polar and a food court there. The shops make it look like a bloody shopping centre. I even spotted what looked like one of those mobile kiosk thingies.

When we reached the wards (had to walk some distance), I discovered that they were non-airconditioned and there were like 8 pple in a ward. Their nurse alert system is really irritating. This is how I assume it works: the patient presses the button. A machine on the counter produces this constant beeping sound that sounds like the kind you hear when you walk into 7-Eleven and the door sensor announces your arrival. IT KEEPS BEEPING until (I assume) a nurse attends to the patient. How to sleep, I wonder?! No wonder my grandma said she wanted to go to Gleneagles after the first day.

She seemed to have lost weight. I couldn't really look her in the eye because I felt really guilty for not going to visit her earlier. Of course, her desire to die instead of suffer the pain (she seems to have a very low threshold for pain) didn't deepened my uneasiness. After standing around her bed for a while and chatting with Brenda (my cousin), I stepped outside as I felt that there were too many people in the ward. I didn't know what to say to my grandmother, too.

My 4th aunt arrived. My mum and aunts soon started on what appears to be their favourite topic-my complexion. I am happy that I have such caring relatives, but I do wish sometimes that they would approach that topic with a little more tact. "How's your acne?" isn't a very encouraging conversation starter.

My 4th aunt told us of her discovery that everyone in our extended family whose surname is Chua cannot take chilli. My mum and 3rd aunt were very excited at that discovery, nodding vigorously and agreeing with her. And so they came up with a new theory as to why my complexion is like this: I don't take chilli. Now let's review all the theories my relatives and friends have, okay?

1. Dad-Not enough vitamin C. Thus he bought me vitamin C tablets.
2. Mum-Not enough sleep. Thus she switches off my internet connection at 11 pm (sometimes). This is why I suddenly go offline on some nights. I like to refer to it as "my mum's way of saying goodnight".
3. Aunts-No chilli. I have no idea why my aunts believe that chillies are omnipotent.
4. Dunnowho-It's just a phase.
5. Friend-Not seeing a dermatologist.
6. Friend-Not enough veggies. (I only eat 5 kinds)
7. Dad and Mum-Not enough fruits.
8. Parents and friend-It's my fringe.
9. Relatives-I squeeze my pimples. (I don't! I have no idea why the rest of the world think I do.)
10. Pharmacist and I-can't-rmb-who: I don't wash my face with facial cleanser. (Only with soap and water.) NOT TRUE.
11. Flora-Too much fried food
12. Dad and Becky -Too little water

That's all I can remember. Sometimes I really dunno who to believe, whose advice to take.

Yeah. Okay. Back to the hospital visit. So basically I just stood around there, trying not to look bored and trying to look more concerned (I was. It's just that it's kinda hard to show it.). I overheard the adults talking about hiring a full-time maid to take care of her after she gets discharged or sending her to a nursing home. The second option is obviously the more practical and convenient one, but I really dunno how she'll take it. I think she'll think we're just trying to get rid of her and throw her there. Which isn't true.

As much as the adults like to complain about the hassle of looking after an aged parent, I can see that they do care about her and they won't take the opportunity to just abandon her in some home (or they would have done so long ago already).

I actually woke up to the sound of my father's voice on the phone yesterday. He was talking to someone from a nursing home and enquiring about the details and charges. I lay in bed, listening to the entire conversation. I really wonder if they'll take this option.

Whatever it is, I really hope she makes a full recovery soon. And that she develops a zest for life at the nursing home by making friends (if my parents and uncles and aunts choose that option) or taking up a hobby.

Got this in an email a long time ago. Just wanted to share it with you guys. I hope it makes your day, lifts your spirits and gives you courage to go on during the low points in life. =)

For those who have just gone through breakups-Sorry, you are banned from reading this because it might trigger some memories and cause heartache. You have been warned.

Ok, if you really want to read it, at least avoid numbers 1, 5, 28, 31, and 45.

**********************************************************************************

"Think about them one at a time BEFORE going on to the next one.........IT DOES MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD specially the thought at the end.

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price.

12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla) (or strawberry)

13. A long distance phone call.

14. A bubble bath.

15. Giggling.

16. A good conversation.

17 The beach

18. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

19. Laughing at yourself.

20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

21. Running through sprinklers.

22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

24. Laughing at an inside joke.

25. Friends.

26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).

29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

30. Playing with a new puppy.

31. Having someone play with your hair.

32. Sweet dreams.

33. Hot chocolate.

34. Road trips with friends.

35. Swinging on swings.

36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating cookies and drinking your favorite drink.

37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid.

38. Going to a really good concert.

39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger

40. Winning a really competitive game.

41. Making chocolate chip cookies.

42. Having your friends send you home-made cookies.

43. Spending time with close friends.

44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends.

45. Holding hands with someone you care about.

46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change

47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over.

48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.

49. Watching the sunrise.

50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.


Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. "

**********************************************************************************

Thank you all for lifting me to my feet every single time. =)

Valuable lessons from my favourite Law lecturer:

1. "Did you cut your hair?" is wrong because it suggests that you cut your own hair. The correct expression should be "Did you have a haircut?"
2. Flowers will never be pass�. (And you will get an invitation to her office by insisting otherwise.)
3. We should not use "grammatically inelegant" words like "bastard". Instead, we should refer to the offensive person as a "dreadful person". This expression may also be used for (fictitious or real) people who engage in morally unethical conduct (usually involving a lawsuit).
4. Self-fantasies are the way to get through difficult days. (Self-fantasies about coffee that are G-rated , of course. What were u THINKING?!)
5. 25 degrees celsius and above is classified as "baking temperatures".
6. Setting the air conditioner at below "baking temperatures" can be good training for when/if we go to England or some other place where we will experience winter.
7. We should not say "shit". It should be replaced by "sugar" wherever possible. E.g. Ali: "You forgot to zip your fly. Baba: "Oh, Sugar!"
8. "Very unique" is grammatially incorrect because (apparently) there is no such thing. "Unique" would suffice.

Heehee. I love Law lessons, I really do. I thought it would be deeply boring until my favourite law lecturer came along and proved otherwise. Thank you, Double P, for making each lesson so interesting and filled with laughter! =D

To: Darlie Toothpaste



Dear Sir/Ma'am,

Recently, my mother purchased your "Teacare Natural Green Tea Essence" fluoride toothpaste containing tea polyphenols. While I congratulate your company on achieving and maintaining a respectable position and amount of market share in the toothpaste industry for so many years, I propose that you reconsider the flavour of your toothpaste products.

This particular green-tea flavoured toothpaste is, I regret to say, truly appalling in the taste department. I wonder twice a day, everyday if my mother had murderous intentions upon buying your product. After using your product every morning, I find that my breakfast always has a hint of green tea.

I regret to inform you that green tea does not go very well with bread or any other breakfast item. At all.

While I admit that I am not a green tea fan, I believe you would agree with me that green tea has become very much overused in recent times. It is available everywhere in almost every edible (or, in your product's case, even inedible) food item. Perhaps it should be communicated to other marketers that green tea does not go with everything. I make particular reference to bizarre creations like green tea mooncakes, green tea ice cream and the like. I feel that we do not need to add toothpaste to the long list of products with green tea additions.

I realise that the green-tea flavour innovation may be in line with your motto, "A naturally healthy mouth" but I do believe that your company can help customers achieve the aim of having "a naturally healthy mouth" with other flavours.

I was also deeply disappointed in another of your products. I cannot remember the exact flavour, but the tube was blue in colour and it was a relatively new flavour. It had a very peculiar taste, which was far from what the advertisement had promised.

I hope you will take my feedback into consideration.

Thank you.

P.S I would be delighted to engage in market research for your company, if you are interested. At a humble fee, of course. Attached is my namecard. Please contact me by 31 April 2006 if you wish to make a deal.

**********************************************************************************

Sorry I haven't been bloggin much recently. It's just that when I'm in the mood to blog, no computer with internet access is available to me and when I'm free to blog, I have no mood to.

Haha. This is the last complaint letter I'll be composing in the foreseeable future, in case you're wondering/really hate my complaint letters. I didn't send any of them out. They are written for the sole purpose of entertaining myself and you readers. BUT the events they're based on are true. As in the Topshop thing really happened, and the Darlie toothpaste really changed my mind about the joys of brushing teeth.

Okay. More tomorrow. Me needs to sleep. Good night everyone.

To: Topshop

Dear Sir/Ma'am,

On 2 July 2005, I visited Topshop at Wisma Atria. I was accompanying my friend to the changing rooms when I was stopped by one of your staff, who said "No men allowed" to me.

I congratulate your company on its commitment towards minimising the risk of sexual harrassment of your customers. However, I would appreciate it if your staff hadn't been quite so overzealous in implementing this sound policy. I am a woman.

I was deeply insulted. The saleswoman gave me a second once-over, then made the stunning discovery that I am actually a female. She did not bother to apologise to me, and merely stood aside to let me pass.

I wonder why she did not further display her merits as a saleswoman by pointing me in the direction of Topman downstairs, because then I could sue your company without hesitation.

It is my hope that after reading this letter, you could educate your staff on the dangers of gender stereotypes and automatically assuming that girls/women who do not wear skirts/pink clothing/Topshop clothes and have short hair must be male.

Thank you.

P.S. Sending me a Topman voucher will not appease me, in case you are toying with such an idea. On the contrary, it will lead to you receiving my lawyer's letter faster than you can say "Moto".

**********************************************************************************

Hmm. To send or not to send, that is the question...

Found this when I was trying to find ads for the ConB tutorial.

Yay! It really rained today, after I came home from town at 3 plus. Just as I stepped into the toilet to have my shower. There were screams of "Yes! Yes! Yes!" from the lunatic on the toilet bowl.

And so I started on my Feature Writing article, after much ado and dilly-dallying. I don't know why I do such things. I knew that I should be thankful that it really started raining while I was at home and I really should grab the opportunity and start writing ASAP, but somehow I just decided to muck around for a bit before starting. I gave myself the excuse that inspiration hadn't struck yet.

But luckily for me, I eventually started while it was still raining and managed to write 1,028 words. Then I got stuck as it stopped raining. Yes, I'm a weirdo whose inspiration collaborates with the weather.

Still, I'm really thankful that I managed to write at least a fair bit. However, I suspect that a large part of my 1,028 words will be taken out once I get down to editing because even as I was writing it I noticed that I was repeating the same points in a lot of paragraphs.

Hopefully inspiration will strike again tonight and I can produce a better second draft with at least 1,200 words and fewer no repetitive points.

I could do with a bit of inspiration for the trailer project, too. I'm still trying to find suitable music. Though it is kinda fun and I feel like I'm learning a lot through this sourcing-for-music process, it is truly a pain in the ass (in that it is quite difficult to find a song/part of a song that fits the scenes) and I have decided that it is actually much easier to make the trailer around the song instead of vice versa. It is one of many valuable lessons I've learnt throughout this rather interesting project.

Ok, will stop rambling now. Am hungry and will go bug my parents for dinner soon. I am a spoilt brat. Will try to post some funnier entries soon. I don't feel very funny today.

I'd love to update more often. I really would. Just that these past few weeks have been so crazily busy. Project meetings and tests dominated our lives. Deadlines. Notes. Test papers. Questions. Answers. Tiredness.

Go to sch 2 hrs earlier for project meeting. Attend lessons. Meet again. Return home. Fret about project. Fret about other assignments. Doing tutorials didn't even cross my mind. Too much traffic.

Well at least MMR/ConB project phase 1 is over already. Won't be having that many meetings for a couple of weeks. Short breather for now. Or so we thought. Deadlines for DMA and FW CAs loom.

Sigh. So much I wanted to blog about. No time. Stress kinda kills the mood too, if you think about it. This semester already like that, subsequent semesters how ah...

Ok. Shall stop being so gloomy. It's better than it sounds, really.

I feel cheated by the weather. It really looked like rain just now. But till now there is still no sight of my friends the raindrops.

Please let it pour. I really need my inspiration for Feature Writing. I just need a good storm lasting a few hours when I am at home. Then I'll be done with FW. Please?

And while you're at it (whoever is up there), I don't suppose you could make all my sad friends a little happier? Cos it really kinda bothers me. In the heartwrenching way. Click. Sad post. Click. Depressing entry. Click. "Is anyone there?". Click. "Does anyone understand?"

Ok. End of uninteresting and gloomy post.

I have a few slightly more interesting (hopefully) posts in mind. Will post them when I'm in a better mood. It'll be funnier then. Stay tuned ;) ! Oh, and sorry for the really lame James-type jokes these few days. I think my humour took a vacation =p .

Oh well. Maybe it will rain tomorrow..

6 July 2005

Dear Mr. xxx

RE: DRYING OF LAUNDRY

I refer to your letter dated 05 July 2005.

I am a resident of xxx condominium. I was dissatisfied at the absence of reasons provided to explain the �Drying of Laundry� rule in your letter.

I fail to understand your management�s insistence on preventing us from drying our laundry outside/at our window grilles, along the common corridors and on the railings at the common corridors. As much I would like to refrain from drying my laundry at the abovementioned locations, I am somewhat deterred from the fact that there is no (comparable) alternative location where I can dry my clothes.

I understand that your management�s stand is drying our laundry in those locations could be detrimental to the good image of xxx. I beg to differ. On the contrary, I find the �display� of laundry at the windows of most of the units in xxx a welcome sight when I return home after a long day. Nothing makes me feel more like home than seeing my own family�s clothes flapping in the breeze, flanked by our neighbours�. Why, it is almost like seeing a huge �Home Sweet Home� banner, right at your very windows!

My family has lived here for quite a while now, and we find xxx to be (generally) a very pleasant place to stay in. Now, if your management could just drop this �drying of laundry� rule, I believe that mine as well as many other residents� lives in xxx would be happier.

In fact, I believe that your management�s efforts would be much more appreciated if action is taken to improve our facilities. I also suspect the security guards would gladly do more rounds of patrolling than knock on our doors and be screamed at by angry housewives when they are, after all, just doing their job.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

*********************************************************************************

I wrote the above letter in reply to a letter from the management of our condo "reminding" us yet again that we shld "refrain from drying our laundry". My mother was so mad at that letter that she asked me to write one in reply. The point is to make the manager as pek cek as he made my mum by sending the security guards knocking at our door every now and then to get us to remove our laundry from the window grilles "immediately". I hope it works muhaha.

Went out with JN and Mandy just now to celebrate JN's 18th (HAPPY BIRTHDAY JN, by the way). JN had to spend her $70 Topshop voucher (birthday gift), so we went to Topshop at Wisma Atria to see what she could find.

She grabbed some items she liked, and headed to the fitting rooms. I went with her. As we were queuing, I noticed the "No Men are Allowed in the Female Changing Rooms" sign and thought to myself "Maybe one of the saleswomen will think I'm a guy and not let me in.". And when we reached the head of the queue, one of the saleswomen took out the hangers for JN and looked at me. Then she said "No men allowed.".

I think I stared at her. I can't remember how exactly I reacted. Then she looked down (YES I saw her look down. She TILTED her head. Didn't even bother to try to disguise it by only moving her eyes. I tell the truth, Your Honour!) and made the astonishing discovery that I have mammalian orbs. Then she said something along the lines of "Oh, can." and let me into the fitting room area. I was fuming by then.

She didn't even bother to apologise after she found out that she'd made a mistake. What does that say? I'll tell you what I think it says. It says "It's not my fault that you led me into thinking that you were a guy." Which makes me even madder.

It is at times like this when I wish I were some famous journalist or something. Then salesgirls/salesladies everywhere could try harder to refrain from making such mistakes.

It's not the first time something like this has happened to me, and you might be wondering why I am making such a big fuss. First there was the time when the hairdresser checked "male" on my receipt. Moreover, she looked at me before she did that. Now, this. I am so sad.

I am worked up about this because it baffles me how people can think I am a guy when I'm not even trying to act like one. My mannerisms may resemble that of the male species, but I am CERTAINLY not trying to emulate them. I just happen to behave that way because I used to be a tomboy and I feel much less comfortable behaving the way a girl "should", in terms of mannerisms. (I only like guys, by the way. Just to set the record straight.)

Is it because I am tall for a girl? Is it because I don't sway my hips enough when I'm walking or something? Is it because of my short hair? Or because by thinking if someone would say "No men allowed" to me, I was unconsciously using my body language to dare her to do it? Whoever dictated that girls must behave in a certain manner and have long hair, anyway? What if some of us are just not comfortable with having long hair?

I know girls usually just happen to behave like that and have long hair, (and good for them) but isn't it a little unfair to discriminate against people like me who don't fit perfectly into society's mould? Yes, perhaps "discriminate" is too strong a word to be used in relevance to such a situation, but I'm thinking more in terms of the big picture. Like how Cheryl (Tan) got a funny look from an old lady when she was jiggling her leg on the MRT, trying to stay awake because she was desperately sleep-deprived. But I digress.

We all stereotype, I know. And today, I found out how people can be hurt/upset because of stereotypes. Perhaps it'll make me a better person from now on. But alas, such little lessons of life usually only have short-term effects (if any) on us humans.

I almost decided to grab 3 skirts and try them on, just to spite the saleswoman. But I didn't because I was undecided about whether that would mean I will try to fit into society's mould from now on. Why can't I just be myself? Because it is irritating to be thought of as a male by the rest of the world other than those who know you? A tug-of-war is going on in my mind. Team A: Be Myself; Team B: I Don't Want to be Irritated Anymore.

Sigh. I don't know why I bother. Team B might win, because Team A is not extremely strong. It'll be a sad day when Team B emerges victorious, though. It would prove how often I fall victim to society's expectations. I do try, but what can I do when so many people are under this very wrong impression? Yes, there is no need to correct their impression, but do you know how hurtful it is that people get your gender wrong? The thought that you might be one of those that people hesitate to approach to do surveys because they might have to stand, pen poised, when they come to the "Gender?" question, wondering if they should ask? Sigh. The answer will come....