Birthday

Happy birthday to me.

Fatigue

It is my personal belief that I lapsed into a 2.5-day self-induced coma since Thursday night.

I slept for more than 55 hours in a row.

Except for the essentials - food, toilet breaks, and cuddle time with Bee (which often overlapped with sleeping time).

And I woke up still feeling tired.

I'm just, exhausted. I don't know why.

I've been feeling absolutely drained for the past few weeks, like a flat tire that is fresh out of air.

And I'm tired of feeling tired! If that even makes sense.

Quite a few friends said that they have been feeling pretty rundown too, and we are convinced that there is a bug going around at the moment.

A bug otherwise known as the "convenient theory to explain unexplainable fatigue" in our line of work.

If not, we can always blame it on the weather. After all, what else is this erratic Melbourne weather good for huh?

But I don't feel unwell, or have any other symptoms of cold and flu. I'm just really really lethargic, all the time, everyday.

I envy all those people who seem to have so much time and energy to do so many things on the weekends or besides work.

For goodness' sake, I only work 4 days a week on average, plus I take considerably long breaks from work every 2-3 months, and I still feel like a lousy leaking fuel tank!

Or a maxed out credit card that is always behind and constantly playing catching up.

Where do those people get their energy from? Seriously!

Is there a secret energy pill that I do not know of? If yes, pray do tell, because I'm in desperate need of some.

It really doesn't help that this might be my last long weekend in a long time, and tomorrow is Monday again.

Oh the mere thought of Monday blues and returning back to work makes me feel like going back to bed again!

Monday Monday please go away, come again some other day!

*Yawns*

Diary

Dear diary,

I'm sorry that I haven't been writing at all for the past 2 weeks.

Which normally wouldn't be anything out of ordinary, or even surprising. Given my past record of frequent long hiatus, sometimes even close to a year.

But we recently made a pact that I will make an effort to jot down bits and pieces of things happening in my everyday life, no matter how trivial or insignificant they are, because I have started to believe that my memory is slowly deteriorating with each passing day.

So for that, I'm truly sorry that I haven't been holding up my end of the bargain.

Especially for the past 2 weeks.

It's been, well, a rather eventful 2 week, I'd say. And I really want to update or share with you about it.

But I just can't seem to find the time and energy to do it.

I've been feeling so tired and lethargic lately that whenever I'm not working, I'm always sleeping.

For example, I've been sleeping since Thursday night, all day yesterday, and for the most of today.

And I think I'm gonna go back to sleep again very soon, right after I grab a quick bite to fill my grumbling tummy.

If I have some spare energy after food, maybe I'll quickly pen down a thing or two. Though I seriously doubt it.

The Stilnox I just took will probably kick in half way through lunch and knock me out right after I put the plates away.

If not, my brain is probably too fried and tired to put two words together after weeks of battling with chronic fatigue and tiredness.

But we shall keep writing, my dear diary.

Soon, I promise.

For now, please do know that I'm still here, and remember that I, too, think of you from time to time.

An afternoon nap in the sun after a late brunch on a Saturday, such a bliss!

Oh if only weekends last forever!

Resignation

I tendered my official resignation today.

And I feel, well, nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Nothing.

Rest

I slept in for the whole day today.

I felt absolutely exhausted, like a wrung out old sponge, with not a drop of energy in me.

Maybe it's just that time of the month.

Or maybe it's simply because I really really hate my job.

I'm hoping it's the former, though I'm pretty sure it's more likely to be the latter.

I only worked 3 days this week (after a 2-week break, that is), yet it felt like forever. I didn't really get much work done and we weren't overly busy, yet I feel both emotionally and physically drained.

So I just slept and slept for most of today, only waking up in between for food and nature calls.

It wasn't at all an uneventful day at home though.

The pest control company was supposed to send over a team at 8.30am to inspect the ceiling space because we suspect we have rats infestation (ew! I know.) or possum in the roof, but no one showed up at all.

After multiple phone calls, we have now been rescheduled to Monday.

Apparently, they were flat out busy and overbooked today due to the flash flooding in other areas. The same company also does insulation, ventilation, water/dampness removal, and the lot.

We completely understand (and sympathised, might I add) that those who were affected by flash flooding should be given priority compared to our minor case of having little rodents running around in our roof space. We just wished that the company had the courtesy of notifying us earlier instead of constantly leading us on each time Bee called and checked on them today, so Bee didn't have to wake up at 8am and wasted nearly the whole day waiting for a no-show.

On the plus side, the fella from the renowned sofa manufacturer showed up on time, unscrewed all the chunky wooden legs, replaced the fabric underneath Marcus, and reassembled it back to its original position for us. He was polite, friendly and professional.

I was sleeping when he came over, so Bee was in charge of overseeing the process, except that he didn't. *Rolls eyes*

And since the 2.5 seater is now (kinda) locked to the chaise from underneath, it's too much of a hassle to undo the locking mechanism, flip them over and inspect the work closely.

Can't say I'm not tempted though, given my OCD tendency. I can just imagine how much of a hassle it would be to have to follow up and hassle the manufacturer if we were turn the sofa over a few months down the road and realise that it wasn't done properly.

Oh well, I guess we just have to have a little faith that he did a good job and my Marcus is now back to being perfect, sans the few new scratches. :|

Besides, out of sight, out of mind. How often do you look underneath your sofa anyway, right?

(Chanting to self: let go, MisSmall, let go! Just breath in, breath out, and let go.)

Anyhoo, speaking of faith, I received an unbelievably good news today.

Something that I totally did not expect at all, and to be honest, I think I'm still a little in shock even till now.

I can't reveal too much at this stage. You know, don't really wanna jinx it and all. *Knocks on wood*

But hopefully I can let you guys know more about it once the details have been finalised. Most likely next week since I have an appointment with them on Friday, but it might take a little longer to get everything sorted out.

For now, let's just say that sometimes, maybe we should give ourselves more credit and faith than we think we deserve, and you might just be pleasantly surprised. :)

It's nearly 11.30pm now and I just woke up from another long nap, feeling groggy and drowsy.

Well, I guess I'll go grab myself something to fill my tummy before going back to sleep again.

My Friday night rocks! *Note the obvious sarcasm*

Goodnight, darlings.

Exhausted

Today, I woke up feeling completely worn out. Like an old piece of mouldy soggy rug.

Didn't get much sleep at all last night even though I probably loaded myself with enough sleeping pills to tranquilise a rhino.

To be honest, I feel like a hypocrite.

You see, I advise and encourage my insomniac patients to use natural treatments (eg. exercise, eliminating stress, diet, adjusting sleep patterns and rhythms, supplements, etc.) instead of depending on medications, while I myself pop sleeping tablets like lollies on some days.

I feel like a phoney. I really do.

But hey, haven't you ever had an obese cardiologist who tells you to go on diet or exercise more to lose weight and stay healthy?

We all talk the talk, but how many of us can really walk the walk?

Moving on.

So I went to work today looking and feeling worse for wear. I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open and concentrate.

To make matters worse, we were understaffed today because one of the full-timers called in sick. Actually, she didn't even call, she just didn't show up for work, so I didn't get ample notification beforehand to have time to organise for extra staff to cover her shift.

And it really didn't help that Thursday is the day when all the crazy and cranky come out to play. :|

It was so chaotic that at one point, I seriously felt like breaking down and screaming "STOP!" to make everything and everyone pause for a brief moment just so I can breath.

You know, like in the cartoons, where the frame freezes, the characters become idle, and the world literally stops spinning. How cool would it be if we were able to take time-out's like that in real life huh?

By the time I finished for the day, I was exhausted. I just wanted to go home, dig a hole, crawl into it, and hibernate for rest of the year.

And that is when I suddenly remembered that I've actually double-booked Bee and myself for dinner. This whole going-back-to-work and lack-of-sleep thing has really taken a toll on me.

I promised to meet up with Wen and KT in the city, and completely forgot that Bee and I already had dinner plans with another friend.

So we had to cancel on Wen and KT because we made plans with the other friend first and I already bailed on him once last week. :P

Dinner was good, except that I didn't know this friend of ours seems to know everyone in the area.

We sat at the alfresco dining area because it was such a beautiful summer night, and we constantly had people stopping to say hi or sitting down at our table for a chit-chat. Mostly owners of local businesses and vendors.

It was delightful, really. Unexpected, but rather entertaining.

Well, I guess it was only enjoyable because my 3-day weekend officially starts tonight.

And maybe the fact that my mum texted me earlier on to remind me that it's Chap Goh Meh today so I felt slightly more, well, festive.

By the time Bee and I got home, I was absolutely drained.

I'm so tired at the moment that I don't think I want to move a single muscle on my body for the next 24 hours!

Oh thank God for weekends!

Tired

Barely 2 days back to work and I'm already sick of it.

I was hoping that the 2-week break will help me to regain some momentum, at least enough to carry me through to April, but I guess the plan didn't work out as well as I had hope it would.

It felt as if I had never left, and now, once again, I'm just back to being stuck in the shit hole that makes me dread waking up to go to work everyday.

Also, I've been falling asleep in the car every morning when Bee drives me to work, which has never happened before.

Not just like resting-my-eyes sleep, but real deep sleep. I was fully lolling around in the passenger seat like a pissed drunk sailor.

The first time it happened, Bee got a little freaked out because he actually suspected that I might have passed out. He even contemplated whether or not he should shake me to see if I was still conscious. Haha. Oh you gotta love that man!

Maybe my body is still adjusting to waking up early. I've been waking up at noon everyday for the past 2 weeks, for goodness' sake!

Or maybe it's just that time of the month and I'm more lethargic than usual.

Or the simplest explanation is, I really really hate my job, my irresponsible dodgy boss, and his super annoying uneducated uncultured mother.

Whatever the reason is, I'm feeling so very worn out and honestly can't be bothered with doing anything.

But still, I have to put up a smile and try to greet everyone in a (seemingly) happy spirit, "Good morning, how are we doing today? What can I do for you?"

At the end of the day, I'm paid to solve their problems, not the other way round.

But some of my regular patients did realise that I'm, well, different.

"Are you unwell? You are not your usual bubbly self." She said.

"Nah, I'm just a little tired, that's all." I smiled politely and said.

The the truth is, I'm just too exhausted to fake a "bubbly self".

And mind you, this is actually one of the (very few) nice patients that I actually like. So imagine having to face those patients who already drive me nuts even on a normal day.

Okay, enough ranting.

I might go get myself a really strong cup of coffee or slash some icy scold water on my face. I've been yawning like a thousand times an hour it's not funny.

It's only Wednesday, but I can't wait for for the week to be over already!'

*Yawns*

Leisure

Today, I decided to embrace my lazy nature, instead of constantly feeling guilty about it.

After all, there is a very fine line between lazy and leisure.

And in my case, lazy is leisure.

So I slept in till noon, had a large piece of lemon cheesecake with earl grey tea as breakfast, and spent the rest of the day laying on my leather chaise with a blanket and my laptop.

Blogged a little, watched a few movies, took short naps, and well, just be lazy.

I was happy. Relaxed, and happy.

And I'm beginning to think that maybe I don't even want to go back to work at all.

Maybe, just maybe, I should quit my job earlier than planned. Like, next week.

I don't know whether I will get bored after a while, or if I will miss working (definitely not my current job though) down the road, but at the moment, I seriously think that this is a lifestyle that I'm more comfortable and happy with.

However, the thought is not without a tinge of nervousness and guilt though.

Now let's put aside the bad economy and how tough the job market currently is, and let's just ignore my massive credit card bills due to my shopaholic self.

You see, I came from a background where almost every woman in my family and extended families has her own career.

My mum runs her own business, which she built from scratch after she left a job she was second in charge after nearly 20 years. She works 7 days a week, and runs a household of five (excluding maids) at the same time.

Between juggling work and family, she still managed to take over and supervise the building of our new house when my dad got sick in year 2000, after which she single handedly did the interior designing, decorating, and garden landscaping all by herself.

And if not for my over-controlling and jealousy dad, I have no doubts she would have a social calender busier than queen of England.

She has more interests and hobbies than I can count with both hands, and she's always on the go. Always something to do, always something to see, always something to learn, always something to start, and of course, always something to buy.

For an example, this is the text message she sent me when I told her that I'm too lazy to do anything lately:

"我的人生座右铭是坐言起行，理想没去实践就是幻想，梦想要实际行动才是理想，贫富两和尚的故事就是例子，年轻就是本钱，凡事别拖，马上行动，成功等着你！共勉之."

So yes, how a motivated and driven mother like her ended up having a lazy daughter like me is beyond me.

Especially since I'm supposed to be the genius and trophy child of both of my maternal and paternal families.

Maybe it's quarter-life crisis. It began after the age of 25, I think.

Maybe it's because of our privileged upbringing, which my parents were not fortunate enough to have when they were young.

Or maybe it's because as my my mum once jokingly said, I'm destined to be a lady of leisure.

Honestly, I don't know what I'm meant to or supposed to be.

(Do we ever?)

I wish I do, but I don't.

So, as with everything else in life, it's a matter of choice.

And today, I chose to be lazy.

Lazy

I woke up feeling kinda tired today.

Not unwell, just lazy.

(Then again, I'm lazy everyday.)

We had quite a few errands to run today though, but since I wasn't feeling up for it, my very understanding and loving husband had to go out and do them all by himself.

He even specially brought home a cheesecake to cheer me up. Awww, isn't he just the sweetest boy ever?

Was planning on doing some organising and filling of documents (which I've been putting off for months!), but as usual, I procrastinated.

Ended up spending the whole afternoon curling up on the chaise with my laptop, and before I knew it, it's nearly 5pm!

Another day has gone by wasted and now I'm left feeling guilty for having been so unproductive and done absolutely nothing at all for the whole day.

"It's okay, girlie, you're on holidays! You're fully entitled to not do anything." Bee tried to comfort me as he gently stroked my greasy unwashed hair.

I know, but still.

Maybe I'm just starting to feel a bit sad that my 2-week holiday is coming to an end and we didn't actually do anything we originally planned on doing.

Eg. road trips to Great Ocean Road and Mornington Peninsula, dinner at this Nepalese restaurant we have wanted to try out for a while now, going to the theater, getting the roof fixed and the garden/house in order, shopping for new furnitures, etc. etc.

But 2 weeks has (nearly) flown past, and we did none of those things we set out to do.

Not even tidying up and opening the pile of mails that have been sitting on the floor for weeks now.

I really am the queen of procrastination, ain't I?

When I'm working, I normally justify my weekend of doing absolutely nothing by blaming it on the draining nature of my work that sucks out every single strand of energy from me. But I've been completely away from work for nearly 2 weeks, what is my excuse now?

*Sigh

Oh well, I guess there's no point crying over spilled milk huh?

And since nothing can really be done now, I might as well be lazy all the way.

(Oh how driven of me! *Note the sarcasm*)

You know what? I think I'm gonna go make myself a glass of Earl Grey tea, look at the afternoon sunlight shinning on my overgrown backyard, and learn to accept the fact that some of us are just, well, lazy.

Sequel

I had so much fun playing tai-tai yesterday that I decided to have a sequel today.

No, not really.

I simply had an appointment today and I thought I might as well dress up for it.

I mean, I have all these new dresses and shoes that haven't even been taken out of shopping bags yet and truly, they deserve better. To be seen, at least.

I have a weird habit of buying things and just putting them aside once I get home, sometimes never ever seeing or using them again.

I think I only enjoy the process of buying and the satisfaction of owning them?

Yes, I have issues, I know.

Moving on.

After a night of obsessing and mentally scrutinising (plus repeating) in my head every single little stupid thing that I may or may not have said during my less than perfect performance yesterday, I woke up early this morning and made an appointment with a consulting agency.

So, a new pair of peep-toe heels, new pantyhose, and a new simple black dress. There is much to be said about taking a dress, still wrapped in monogram paper, out of the shopping bag and cutting off its price tag.

The appointment was quick and brief, not much of concrete help, but I walked out feeling slightly better knowing that at least I have been proactive.

I might never be as eloquent, persuasive or assertive as I'd like myself to be in stressful situations, but it's comforting to know that it's something I could work on to become better by being well prepared beforehand.

Bee took me out to another scrumptious lunch after my appointment, and we had the pleasant surprise of discovering the best beer battered fish and chips at a local cafe.

A friend was supposed to join us for coffee, but he canceled last minute because he lost both the original and spare keys for his car so he was stuck at the dealership to get new ones made. He has a successful career which is making him big bucks, but he was recently dumped by his long term girlfriend and then his new house was flash flooded on the first day he moved in. We were hoping to catch up with him to check on how he's coping and if he needed help or just company, but I guess we'll have to reschedule for another day.

While I was sipping on my orange and mango sparkling water, Bee said to me, "See, sweetie, everyone has it hard sometimes and their own set of problems, no matter how perfect their lives might seem to be on the outside. So maybe you should toughen up a little, and not let every single silly trivial thing get to you so easily."

He has a point.

For as long as I can remember, I have been so vulnerable and feel defeated way too easily.

These days, I'd stay in bed, sulk and mop over the smallest things, such as the slightest imperfection of a few tears on fabric underneath my new leather sofa, a minor hiccup at an interview, a bad work day, interrupted internet connection, an unfinished task, a speeding ticket, small leaks in the roof, etc. etc.

I'm aware that this behaviour and attitude of mine is highly unappreciative and ungrateful given the many privileges I've been blessed with in my life, but I just couldn't help it.

This not the real me, it's just my depression. I know that.

But I do not know how long I will be feeling this way, or if I will ever go back to my old self again.

Oh well, let's not dwell on the sadness and our shortcomings on a beautiful day like this huh?

For now, there is glorious weather, pretty dresses, and absolutely delicious beer battered fish fillets.

Tai-Tai-Hood

Today, I decided to take tai-tai-hood out of the storage for a test drive.

Or should we say, a re-run.

(Tai Tai by definition, is a privileged lady of means.)

So I got all dolled up with a new dress fresh out of its unopened shopping bag and a pair of gorgeous new heels, went for a wash and blow dry which left my hair all shiny and silky smooth, had long lunch with husband at trendy cafe, then followed by an afternoon of jewellery shopping by dumping some serious bling on bling-blings.

To say the least, I took to the lifestyle like a fish to water. It's practically my natural habitat!

Which kinda made me wondered why did I, in the first place, even choose to leave it all behind in Malaysia 2 years ago and returned to Melbourne. To slave myself in a job that makes me so miserable I want to stab someone everyday?

Oh yes, it's because I used to love what I do for a living. Hmm. *Note the sarcasm*

But it was probably because I have been out of practice for too long, the lifestyle as a lady of leisure left me with unspeakable guilt afterwards.

Only about the jewellery shopping part though, which I'm beginning to think I overdid it a little.

In the span of less than an hour, I picked out nearly 30 pairs of earrings and 3 brooches!

Well, most of them are only of semi-precious stones, if that makes it any better.

The sales lady was really nice, and as you all now, I'm a sucker for good customer service, hence the inability to say no to whatever she took out from the shiny glass cabinet.

(Bee in the background, "She ought to be nice, you nearly bought the whole shop! It was probably her biggest sale in a single transaction for the month!")

But mainly because yours truly suffer from OCD when it comes to shopping.

Among my circle of friends, I'm known as the girl who specialises in bulk-buying. The honourable title came after the time when I bought 10 pair of shoes in one seating.

(Wait till they hear about my most recent blow-out!)

I'm never able to stop at just one item. I'm like Pringles, once I start, I can't stop! It's getting to a point that is seriously worrying me and, not to mention, my bank account.

It's a disease, really. I think I need to be institutionalised.

But I guess my spending bonanza could be justified by blaming it on a rather disappointing appointment that I had earlier on today, which kind of left me feeling like a complete idiot afterwards and kicking myself in the face for saying some of the things I have said.

In an emotionally vulnerable and fragile state, I let go of my self-inhibition (if I had any to start with, that is) and used lots of sparkles to mask my humiliation.

You know what they say, nothing beats retail therapy!

So tonight, as I'm obsessing and over-analysing in my head every single little things that I did wrong or didn't do, at least I have some new shiny things to look at.

Now I only have to find (in other words, create) some occasions to wear them.

Which I believe is part of the job description, as a professional tai-tai.

And so far, the role fits like a glove.

Queen of Procrastination

In honour of the title, I've decided not write today but post an article by Craig Harper instead.

The 2006 International Queen of Procrastination

Look out; I'm in one of those moods.

If you're feeling precious or a bit fragile, you may want to read this later.

Or never.

I have a friend (surprising, I know).

To call her a bit of a procrastinator would be like calling Tiger Woods a bit of a golfer.

In the world of procrastinators, she is a pioneer, an innovator.

She's the benchmark.

She has a PhD in time-wasting.

Just when you thought there could be no more reasons for not doing something, no more excuses.... she pulls out a gem; every time.

Slam Dunk.

Didn't see that coming.

And she does it with such conviction.

She talks herself into it.

Logic and reality don't even come into it.

I know what you're thinking; we create our own reality.

But sometimes we create a reality which destines us to being emotionally, socially and psychologically paralysed... forever. Living the life we don't want, but too fearful, too lazy or too indifferent to do anything about it.

I think deep down she knows she's full of crap, but at the same time she knows she can't admit it because then she would have to do something.

How many million reasons can one person give for putting off making decisions, and dealing with issues which should have been addressed forever ago?

Apparently, squillions.

I have crowned her the 2006 International Queen of Procrastination.

The judging criteria revolves around an individuals ability to fluff, waste time, make excuses, avoid issues, go around in circles, rationalise, justify and ignore logic, while simultaneously having an amazing ability to identify all the things which need to change in their own life.... just not right now.

But soon.

Aah, the mystical, mysterious... soon.

No matter how big the issue or situation, whenever I chat with her (we recently had chat number 14,728), it's never the right time.

It ain't about timing.

Or resources.

Or practical issues.

Or work.

Or kids.

Or money.

It's about her.

It's not the situation; it's her in the situation.

I'm not suggesting that we should all run out tomorrow and make rash decisions or put ourselves (or others) at risk. But I am suggesting that, if we're not careful, some of us will wake up one day, we'll be ten years older, we'll still be procrastinating, we'll still be unfulfilled, we'll still be frustrated and we'll wish like crazy that we had listened to Craig in 2006, got over our fear, got off our arse and stopped waiting for the right time.

Perhaps you have a friend like mine... or perhaps you are the friend.

~ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Craig_Harper

Yes, I am the friend.

And I do have a phd in time-wasting.

Storm

It started raining really heavily around 7.30pm last night.

Sure it was nothing compared to the Cyclone Yasi in Queensland, but a pretty bad storm nonetheless. The palm tree at my outdoor deck was swaying like crazy in the strong wind.

And about 15 minutes later, things got worse.

The ceiling in our family room started leaking water again!!

This time, all over my overpriced sofa, Marcus.

To say the least, I freaked out. There was water dripping (or more like, splashing) from the ceiling onto my brand new leather sofa that retails for 5 figures Oz dollars!

I was frozen for a brief moment, for my brain to comprehend what was actually happening in front of my eyes. Then Bee and I started frantically trying to find things to protect the sofa.

I guess it's a good thing that we haven't thrown out the original wrappings and paddings that came with the sofa. Laziness does pay off sometimes. :p

We covered the sofa with a layer of the plastic wrappings first, and then reinforced it with some absorbing fabrics we can find around the house (eg. large beach towels, bath robes, etc.) on top.

Bee immediately called the French tradesman, J*, who was supposed to thoroughly examine the whole roof and fix up any possible leaks for us but haven't gotten back to us since Bee first met with him in December.

Apparently, J* has been out of action for the past month or so because his son is undergoing eye surgery in the hospital and he himself is having some sort of health problems as well. But he assured Bee that he hasn't forgotten about us, and will get in touch with us as soon as he's back to work, hopefully in 1-2 weeks time.

Well, you can't really blame someone for being sick, so I guess we are gonna have to wait till him and his son's health conditions improve. What are you gonna do huh? *Shrugs*

The weather forecast predicts more rainy days ahead and more chaos to come. So far, there already has been flash flooding, fallen trees, power outage, damaged buildings and storms wreaked havoc across the state.

According to the weather bureau, Victoria recorded the highest daily rainfall total ever overnight. Around 150-200 millimetres of rain and wind gusts of over 130 kilometers per hour.

*Sighs* We can only hope and pray that the weather improves soon so the damage and destruction can be minimised.

Till then, many of us might have to sleep with one eye open. :|

Oh how I wish someone could hold a giant umbrella over our home to shield our house from this madness and crazy weather!

Progress

I'm proud to announce that there is finally some progress on the few matters that have been bugging me.

Keyword being: some. :|

Being the control freak that I am, I literally had to sit on my hands for the past few days and kept my fingers tightly crossed just so I wouldn't pick up the phone and harass those people to no end.

It's a new thing I'm trying out for the new year - to be less uptight and more laid back. If possible, to be able to just sit back, relax, and let things take its own course.

It's not easy, believe you me.

Though in the process, I did make a phone call to David Jones and sent an extra email to Barneys NY. But you have to understand, that's like 2 on a scale of 10 of what I normally would have done.

Anyway, moving on.

I received a phone call from the manufacturer of Marcus yesterday, and later a confirmation email to advise us that a service agent will contact us within 12 working days to arrange for an inspection time and date.

The repair work involves removing and replacing the entire piece of fabric underneath the chaise. The staff on the phone confirmed the colour and type of fabric with me, though pretty vaguely. I'm assuming that the fabric will be cut to size before the service agents actually come over for the appointment, and I can only hope that they will bring the right fabric of the right size.

For some weird reasons, people tend to make all kinds of mistakes that is beyond your wildest imagination. You just never know. *Shrugs*

So for now, I can only continue to keep my fingers crossed and sit on my hands with my full body weight for 12 more days. Wish me luck, ladies! :|

Another very happy development is that the sales rep at Barneys finally replied my email and he is going to send out a Manolo Blahnik dust bag for me as soon as possible..

Apparently, he's been away on vacation and the Barneys NY in Chicago had to be closed on Wednesday (in US) for a day due to the heavy snowstorm, hence the delay in getting back to me. No wonder no one answered the phone when I tried calling yesterday.

Oh yes, I did that too. *Blushes* But I figured since no one actually picked up the phone, it didn't count. :p

Rest assured that I will be monitoring my mailbox closely for the coming week, in anticipation of the one and only missing piece to make my "Cinderella shoes" perfect again.

Now something totally unrelated to furnitures and shoes.

Another sudden plot twist is, when it's least expected, I was contacted by a headhunter.

Nothing is concrete at this stage, so I probably shouldn't go into too much details. Wouldn't want to jinx it too, though I'm still rather unsure how I feel about it yet or if it's something I'd like to pursue further at all.

So, we will see. :)

On a different note, I've been getting phone calls from work almost everyday this week.

The locum is inexperienced while patients, as usual, can get very demanding and out of control at times. So she rings me up whenever she has difficulties containing the situation or comes across things she that doesn't understand.

She's a nice girl (or so it seems at the moment), so I don't mind helping her out at all.

I'm just a little crossed about how irresponsible the boss is. It should have been his job to answer the locum's queries, to give her ample orientation for the role before she starts, and to handle difficult situations as they arise. Or, dare I say, make sure she is capable of handling the workload involved.

And if he wasn't prepared to do so himself, then he should have at least asked me to meet with the locum beforehand and talk her through important things to look out for.

I gave him ample notice before I took my leave and even prepared detailed handover notes for the locum, so technically, I shouldn't be disturbed on my holidays since I've held up my end of the deal and done my job. It is not my problem and responsibility that he is an unorganised ass who employs incompetent staff!

But nooooooooooo, he just did what he does best - cowardly disappears and avoids phone calls when he is needed or confronted with difficult questions. Yeap, that's him!

So instead, I had to step in and take over, answering multiple phone calls and emails in a day, talking to troublesome patients over the phone trying to calm them down, while remote controlling the business and solving the locum's problems, plus cleaning up whatever shit that someone else messed up.

All while I'm not getting paid for working overtime on my holidays. :|

Well, it's not all bad, to be honest.

It actually got me thinking about the possibility of working from home, something I had never considered before.

Maybe I could do some consulting work over the phone, if there is even such a thing for my profession.

Instead of waking up early and dragging my sorry ass to go to work everyday, I can do my job from the comfort of my own home. In my pyjamas!

And the best part is, I get to hang up the phone if someone pisses me off too much. How cool is that?!

Hmm, maybe it's time to explore a different direction of career.

But the thing is, I've already pretty much made up my mind to take the rest of the year off, so what's the point of doing it now?

Oh well. Maybe later on then.

For now, I shall probably go make myself a cup of soothing chamomile tea while anticipating the next phone call about another uncooperative patient.

Like I don't do enough of that already on the days that I actually work. *Rolls eyes*

Later, people!

Rabbit

It's the year of Rabbit!

In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I would like to share this really creative phrase that I've come across:

"虎盡甘來，兔戲揚眉!"

(To be pronounced in Cantonese.)

For some reason, I really like the phrase.

I thought of substituting the word "戲" with the word "氣" to be more traditional and closer to the original meaning of the saying, but decided to stick with 兔戲揚眉 since I'm hoping this year to be less work and more fun. :)

Here's hoping for a happy, healthy, and prosperous year of Rabbit, full of joy, fun, and love!

年年有餘, 歲歲平安!

CNY Eve

It's Chinese New Year's Eve today.

My mum texted me in the morning to remind me to do a spring cleaning for the house so we can have a fresh start to the new lunar year.

After all, it's Bee and I's first Chinese New Year together in our very own home.

Well, I see the point, and I really did give some very serious thought about doing it, but after a few hours of serious contemplation (ha!), I decided against it.

I'm just not feeling very festive this year.

I mean, we still don't have most of our new furnitures yet, and the house is in pretty much a mess. We still have lots of unopened boxes in every room, my shopping bags are everywhere, even all the paddings and wrappings for our new sofa are in a corner of our family room, imagine that.

Besides, I definitely do not have plans to entertain or having guests over for CNY this year or for the near future. The house is simply not ready!

Also, I'm currently feeling a bit on edge because I haven't heard back from David Jones or the sofa manufacturer about my Marcus or Barneys about the dust bag for my Manolos Blahnik. :|

And technically, maybe spring cleaning in not even mandatory when the house is situated in a country where Chinese New Year is not even a public holiday.

Oh blah blah blah. The truth is, I was just lazy and couldn't be bothered. :|

But at the same time, I felt bad for not doing the spring cleaning because I was brought up in a household where the tradition is taken very seriously. You know, to get rid of the old and bad things of the previous year and usher in new and better things of the coming year.

I posted my dilemma on my Facebook, and surprisingly, received many encouraging responses. It seems that a lot of new age couples and young families these days prefer to embrace Chinese New Year in their own ways instead of sticking to the old superstition and taboos.

That was not only enlightening, but refreshing! (Not to mention how relieved it made me felt!)

This is our household, and every household is entitled to make their own rules.

And in the spirit of making up our own rules, I've decided to make next year our official Chinese New Year in our home.

Who knows? I'll probably have to do the spring cleaning then. *Grins*

(Yes, this is your procrastination queen speaking.)

Being our usual anti-social selves, Bee and I avoided reunion dinners with relatives in Melbourne.

And because yours truly forgot to make a reservation at Nobu (again, procrastination), Bee and I had our very own simple reunion dinner at home.

With takeaway dishes from the local restaurant. *Hides head in shame*

We had assam fish (because fish is a must have during reunion dinner), spicy chicken with cashew nuts, fried vegetables, and some sort of red beans in coconut milk as dessert.

It was, um, a Malaysian-Chinese fusion reunion dinner.

Which very much resembles who we are, Malaysian Chinese! *Wide grins*

(The real reason is we didn't book early enough at those Chinese restaurants that cater a full banquet for reunion dinner, but I'm sure you've figured that out already.)

Oh well, it worked out well. We enjoyed the food, each other's company, and the comfort of our new home.

So yes, I guess we are gonna have a quiet one this year.

For those of you who are going all out and celebrating CNY in full fledge, good on ya! And I hope to join in the festive spirits next year.

Till then, a very happy Chinese New Year of Rabbit to everyone.

Gong xi gong xi!

One

I slept at 3am last night, which is rather unusual for me these days.

For the past year or so, I have been going to bed before 12 o'clock midnight everyday, even on days when I'm not working.

And we woke up at 6.50am this morning because Bee needed to pick up the things he had on hold at our local Officeworks.

Yes, in case you are wondering, it had something to do with the whole Logitech 100% cashback redemption promotion thingy.

We (read: Bee) managed to get four products we wanted from Officeworks and one from Dick Smith.

(There is a limit of 5 items per household.)

By the way, I never realised that Dick Smith is so much more expensive than Officeworks. For the same item, we were charged $20.70 more at Dick Smith than from Officeworks.

There are also rumours saying that Dick Smith specially jacked up the prices for those few particular items since they already anticipated to get an influx of sales due to the promotion. Well, that is pretty dodgy, if you asked me.

I guess I shouldn't be complaining, since we are among the lucky ones who are getting 100% cashback on those items purchased. *Fingers crossed* I just thought it's a bit unfair for those who ended up losing out on the promotion because the high prices charged by certain retailers also meant that the $300,000 limit on rebate will run out much quicker than it should have been if everyone had stuck to their usual competitive pricing.

But hey, it's not personal, it's just business. *Shrugs*

On a different note, the heatwave is still roasting Melbourne and it's scorching hot! On a day like this, I thank God for creating the person who invented air-conditioning.

Bee and I took a nap together in the afternoon to make up for our loss of sleep, and played a little Guitar Hero after that.

I was supposed to do some filing of documents (which I've been putting off for months) in the evening, but as usual, I procrastinated. :|

Alright, let's get back on track and talk about the purpose of this entry, which is also the reason behind the post title.

Over the years that I've maintained this blog, every now and then I get random emails from readers who asked the following question:

"How do I know if he/she is the one?"

Well, I gotta say I'm no expert, and I honestly do not know the answer to that question.

(If there is even an answer to that question.)

But here's a thought.

As Bee and I were prepping our brunch in the kitchen today, I took out one of those pre-packed diet meals I occasionally have and casually said to Bee, "Honey, maybe you should eat this. It's Tuna and Fresh Vegetables, but I hate tuna!"

Looking up from the sink, my husband said, "Okay, sure. But why did you buy it in the first place since you hate tuna?"

"Oh they only had 5 of my usual Chicken and Pasta, and I needed an extra one for the discount, so I thought I'd buy this for you." I said while still having my head stuck in the pantry.

He burst out laughing, came over, took me into his arms, kissed me on the forehead and said, "Am I a sadist or abnormal in any way? If not, why do I find you absolutely adorable for saying that?"

That's when I realised I basically just said, like it's the most natural thing in the world and rightfully so, "Bee, I hate tuna. But since I bought it already, could you please eat it and tell me how it tastes like?"

And my husband found that lovely about me. Oh God bless that silly man!

Normally he doesn't even eat any of those pre-packed meals, for goodness' sake! And I asked him to have it just because I hate tuna but didn't want it to go to waste.

What a normal person would take offence or see as a selfish (albeit an unintended one) act on my part, my husband finds it irresistibly cute.

So yes, my dearest fellow readers, I guess the right person is the one who would find your less than attractive traits more than charming and delightful, and even adore you for them.

One who could still love you during those times when you are unlovable to others.

That's the One.

Holidays

My 2-week break from work starts today.

(Yay! *Jumps on bed*)

Yet I set my alarm to wake up before 9am so I won't, once again, miss the delivery of my Manolo Blahnik.

I had already signed the FedEx's shipment release authorisation form and sticky-taped it on our front door last night so the deliveryman can leave the parcel on the doorstep in my absence. You know, in case I didn't hear the doorbell or him knocking.

But still, I wouldn't want to leave my Manolos on the doorsteps for too long. That would just be, rude?

After all, these shoes traveled halfway around the globe to come to me, their rightful owner. *Grins*

So I woke up early, made myself tea, surfed a little, got impatient, made more tea, and just when I was about to doze off while re-watching an old episode of Sex and the City, I heard the faint sound of a truck driving off.

I jumped out of bed, rushed to the front door, and the box was already sitting outside the door!

The parcel I have been waiting for 2 weeks!

I picked it up, skipped into our living room and, like a kid with their Christmas presents, couldn't wait another moment longer to open the parcel.

There they were.

Quietly laying in the signature white box of Manolo Blahnik were the pair of shoes that I have been wanting for 7 long years!

Holding a breath in my chest, I slipped them on, and they fit perfectly!

It was a monumental moment, definitely.

These are the shoes that I fell in love with the first time I saw them 7 years ago but never thought I would own them one day.

And here I am, holding them in my hands.

At long last, they are mine. *Sighs*

Even my husband, who normally doesn't have much of an opinion about my shoe obsession, commented that they are nice. He calls them "Cinderella shoes".

Yes, honey, it was a Cinderella moment indeed.

I might take pictures of them and post them on here sometime later if I could be bothered. (You know how lazy I can get these days.)

Although, if you've been following my blog, you probably already know which pair I'm talking about anyway. (And for that matter, how lazy a blogger I am.) *Winks*

Oh, and I forgot to mention that, as with all things in life, there are always imperfections.

The shoes are perfect (oh thank the Lord!), but the sales person forgot to include the dust bag in the box. :|

And yours absent-minded truly only realised that after she immediately ran off, in an ecstatic mode, to send an email to thank the sales person who helpfully tracked down the shoes in size 35.5 for her.

(Actually, Bee was the one who pointed it out. Imagine that!)

So she had to send another email to see if Barneys NY is willing to send out a dust bag separately for her special shoes.

Oh why does everything have to come with imperfections?! Grrr.

Maybe the universe is trying to teach my type A personality a lesson. Hmm. *Rubs chin*

Speaking of which, I still haven't heard back from David Jones or the sofa manufacturer about the tears in the fabric underneath my Marcus.

Well, I guess I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the next few days.

If not anything, at least to stop me from dialing the numbers of those mentioned above. :|

For now, I think I'm going to lie down and take a nap on my incredibly comfortable sofa.

Let the holidays begin! :)

Marcus

Melbourne is sweltering through a heatwave today with temperatures topping 40°C.

Coincidentally, it's both the championship match of Australian Open today, and the Big Day Out 2011.

Also, my rostered Sunday to work.

My 2-weeks break starts tomorrow though, so I ain't complaining. *Grins*

While I was stuck at work trying to tie up loose ends before my holidays, Bee headed to the city to do some damage control to calm his neurotic wife's nerves.

First, he went to David Jones' furniture department about the tears in the fabric underneath our new sofa.

The nice sales rep, who sold us the sofa in the first place, reassured him that it's actually a very small problem and there is absolutely nothing to worry about. He believes that the fabric might have been accidentally ripped in the process of transportation or due to manhandling while it was still in packaging.

So I guess the deliverymen weren't as careful as we thought they were, even with the notice of specific instructions pasted all over the packaging of the sofa. :|

Anyway, we were also assured that it's an issue that can be easily taken care. The sales rep will contact the sofa manufacturer on behalf of us and ask them to send down someone to replace the whole piece of fabric underneath the sofa.

Apparently it's an easy and painless process that can be done quickly on the spot, in our living room, which I'm REALLY glad about because I seriously don't trust anyone else to handle my Marcus anymore.

Yes, I love our new sofa so much that I've nicknamed it Marcus. Feel free to judge me. :p

The only thing is, it might take the sofa manufacturer 1-2 weeks to schedule an appointment. Now, THAT I'm worried about.

After learning (the hard way, might I add) that people can be shockingly incompetent in doing their jobs, these days it's hard for me to trust anyone to do anything properly.

But I didn't want to be unreasonable. I might have a typical uptight type A personality, but I'm definitely not a difficult and pushy person.

So when Bee called me from the store to ask if I was comfortable with the arrangement, I simply said yes.

I guess I'll just try to relax, give people the benefit of doubts and trust that they will do a decent job.

A little bit of faith wouldn't harm anyone, but I sure hope that it doesn't go wasted. After all, there isn't plenty of those where it came from. :|

Bee also went to Myers on Bourke Street to pick up the Royal Doulton plates that have been reserved for me. Oh isn't he such a sweet darling? *Muacks!*

We were supposed to run a few errands after I finished work, but it was seriously too hot out so we decided to just go home instead.

Stopped by Officeworks on the way home to put on hold a few items that Bee wanted, then off to Grand Tofu to get our usual takeaways. Seriously, we go to that place so often that I think we deserve a VIP card.

Stayed in to watch the men's final for Australia Open 2011 - Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic - with our Malaysian food takeouts and ice cold lemon lime bitters.

It was such an underwhelming match that I think I enjoyed my char kuey teow more than the game itself. And Andy Murray is such an ungracious loser! Couldn't he at least force a smile and pretend that he has the sportsmanship to lose with class?!

Oh the tennis world will never have another Roger Federer, just like Formula One will never have another Michael Schumacher.

Just my 2cents worth.

So at the end of today, there are still 2 holes on the fabric underneath the chaise of my Marcus, but I think I'm ready to overlook that and start loving it as it deserves to be.

I'm still a little nervous, yes, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone will soon come to redo the fabric so Marcus and I (plus Bee, of course) can finally begin our perfect relationship sans flaws and imperfections.

Till then, goodnight, my dear Marcus. Welcome to our home. :)

Unwrapping

I woke up around 8am this morning and couldn't go back to sleep.

So I waited patiently for my sleepyhead husband to wake up around noon so he could take me out to Westfield Doncaster.

The main purpose of the trip is to exchange a few items from the Royal Doulton dinnerset we purchased yesterday because they have minor imperfections on them.

Unfortunately, those particular items I was after were sold out at Myers in Westfield Doncaster.

I couldn't be bothered to go all the way into the city, finding a parking on a Saturday is an absolute nightmare! Instead of trying my luck at Chadstone again, I called Myers on Bourke Street to have those items put aside for me. The ladies at Wedgwood and Royal Albert/Royal Doulton are always friendly and helpful.

So Bee and I had our usual Saturday brunch at Laurent, and proceeded to do some shopping since it was the last day of Myers' stocktake sale.

I tried on a few Cue dresses, which fitted perfectly, but I wasn't sure if I wanted dresses made entirely of polyester. Besides, I really don't need another new dress since I have too many dresses that haven't even been taken out from the shopping bags yet!

Bee and I were also looking for some throws and cushions to accessorise our new sofa, but nothing caught our eyes.

Didn't see anything I like at Swarovski either since this Myers has different stock than their city store.

I did, however, come across the Maniac necklace worn by Blair Waldorf in the latest episode of Gossip Girl. It's absolutely stunning! Though I'm not sure if I can carry it off like Blair did, it might look a little OTT on us laymen. :|

So I walked away from the sale empty handed, but my husband came home with 2 Guitar Hero box sets (World Tour and Warriors of Rock) and a few other games for his Xbox 360, so now we can actually battle against each other since we have 2 new guitars! Woot!

Later in the afternoon, we finally got around to unwrap our new sofa.

I was going to record the whole unwrapping process, like one of those un-boxing videos on Youtube that I love, just for our own keepsake. But my usual technology-incompatible self forgot to press the record button, so yes, no video for us. :|

Okay, back to the sofa.

Whilst I'm glad to announce that it looks even better than the display in the showroom, I have to admit that the dark brown colour does darken the room a fair bit, and in a way, makes the room look a little smaller.

I mean, we have a fairly big family room, but this is a seriously huge sofa. The chaise itself is bigger than a king size single bed! I don't think we would have space for the reclining swivel arm-chair with matching ottoman that we were planning on getting, otherwise it would just crowd the room too much.

I guess we'll have to find ways to work around it. Maybe try to brighten the room up with a white rug (the carpet is already a light cream colour), ivory throws and cushions, and other light colour accessories. *Shrugs*

For the moment, I'm head over heels in love with our new sofa. The leather is so soft and luxurious, and the sofa itself looks absolutely majestic and elegant.

Then again, there's always the inevitable part of life - imperfections.

As we turned the chaise over to remove its paddings on the bottom, we discovered 2 small tears on the fabric underneath the sofa.

Not on the sofa itself, just the fabric underneath to cover up the wooden frames. If you know what I mean.

It's really nothing, but for yours truly and her typical type A perfectionist personality, it was an instant buzzkill.

I slumped onto the floor, nearly bursting into tears.

Bee tried to comfort me by reassuring me that it's no biggie and David Jones is either going to replace the chaise or get the manufacturer to fix the problem, but there was nothing him or anyone could say at that moment to cheer me up.

My stubborn head was fixated on the fact that my experience with the sofa has been tainted and can never be perfect again.

I was deeply saddened and disappointed.

I know it all sounds really overly-dramatic and unnecessary, but I was so upset that I couldn't even bear to look at the sofa again for the rest of the night.

I guess the higher the expectations you have for something, the harder it is to accept the disappointments.

"Sweetie, it's only underneath the sofa, normally no one or you would even see it." Bee said.

"But in my heart, I will always know that they are there!" I replied.

And when you pay *undisclosed amount* for a sofa, you would expect it to be nothing less than perfect, no?

Moreover, it's not just about the money. I had really looked forward to this and wanted it to be perfect, so it's a bit hard to swallow when it comes with such flaws.

But I guess that's the thing about life. Sooner or later, you will have to learn and accept the fact that things will never be perfect.

Sooner or later.

Delivery

Our sofa was delivered today.

On time, just after 1pm, as scheduled by David Jones' warehouse.

For that, I am impressed.

Then again, maybe I'm just easily impressed these days after my recent shocking experience with bad customer service and unbelievable incompetency of Optus.

Linfox was the delivery company DJ used, although the sofa came in a giant blue truck which I think used to belong to Officeworks (with the "Officeworks" word already scrapped off, of course).

The deliverymen were friendly, and the moving process was handled rather professionally and carefully (well, from what we could tell anyway), so no complaints there.

The sofa came securely padded and nicely wrapped up with the manufacturer's monogram all over the plastic covers.

They (a 2.5 seater + chaise) even had a notice on them that says " Dear Handler, could you please kindly handle the furniture with care. This is a piece of very expensive furniture, please DO NOT DROP OR DRAG the furniture. Thank you."

That really cracked me up! I should take a picture of it and show it to you guys.

The deliverymen didn't undo the wrappings and paddings, which is fine by us since Bee and I both like to unwrap things.

You know, kinda like the excitement of opening presents.

We didn't really have time to do it today though. So as we speak, the sofa is still all wrapped up and sitting in untouched our family room.

To sidetrack a little, I'm pretty bummed that I missed the delivery of my new Manolos this morning. Now I gotta wait till FedEx redelivers them on Monday. I've been waiting for those babies for nearly 2 weeks!

Oh well, good things come to those who wait? :)

On a brighter note, we finally got our new internet connection today, which we are SO glad about!

Bee and I were really struggling with having no internet access at home for the past week or so. We curbed our cravings by doing some surfing at work and on our phones, but it just wasn't the same. Or enough, for that matter.

So yes, as sad as it might sound, we are seriously happy to once again have real internet and be connected to the rest of the world.

In the evening, Bee and I rushed down to the city to pick up a Royal Doulton dinnerset that has been reserved for us at Myers on Bourke Street.

But the moment we arrived on 5th floor of Myers, the fire alarm (I think?) went off and the whole building had to be evacuated, all staff and customers.

Now that's something I haven't experienced before, being evacuated from such a large department store. I'm pretty sure some of the staff hasn't as well, because most of them looked just as clueless as us of what was happening.

While waiting for Myers to re-open, Bee and I distracted ourselves by doing some unnecessary shopping at DJ and Forever New, but my heart was just not in it. We came all this way just for those overpriced plates, man!

Luckily it was only a false alarm. Everyone was allowed back into the Myers building after 45 minutes or so, and I successfully collected my fine bone china.

Afterwards, we accidentally stumbled across the newly renovated 6th and 7th floor of the Myers building - electronics, entertainment and gaming department, aka my husband's candy store.

I gotta say, I'm very impressed with what Myers has done to their Bourke Street store. It's modern, contemporary, yet classy.

Though we (read: Bee) were particularly fascinated by the life size Lego Woody and Buzz Lightyear on the 6th floor. I seriously believe Bee would have brought them home if they were for sale.

On our way out, we passed by the Swarovski section which was having 50% off on nearly their entire range of collection. Too bad I didn't have time to browse properly since it was near closing time. There are a few pieces that I wanted and a few other that would make great gifts since there are quite a few birthdays coming up in the next few months.

I was too tired by the time we got home, so I guess we'll leave the unwrapping of our new sofa till tomorrow.

For now, it's time to dig into our supper takeaways and have an early night.

Happy weekend, people!

Disconnected

Our AAPT broadband internet was disconnected yesterday.

The technician from our new ISP, who was supposedly scheduled to visit yesterday, is now "unavailable" until Monday. :|

So yes, thanks to yet another example of human's error and incompetency, we are stuck with an internet-less weekend.

It's harder than I thought, really.

I guess internet is just one of those things that you don't realise how much you actually depend on it until you don't have it.

I mean, I would think I'm a person who doesn't even go online that much or that often compared to the average public, so I was really surprised to find it so difficult to cope without having constant access to the cyberworld.

Everything is just so convenient when it's only a click away. You can practically look up any information you want anytime you want. You can connect with your friends all over the world at the same time without even leaving your couch. Not to mention the beauty of online shopping!

Without internet, you suddenly feel so disconnected from everything and everyone else.

And I actually feel a little, um, insecure?

What is the human race going to do if the almighty internet were to be taken away from us once and for all?

Or rather, what did people even do before it came along?

Luckily, I could still get some quick fix with my brand spanking new Blackberry Bold 9780. You know, stuff like checking emails and Facebook. The surfing part is a little tedious, but hey, something is at least better than nothing huh?

My husband, on the other hand, had to freeload off my unlimited Blackberry browsing since he has yet to receive his Samsung Galaxy S. :|

And in between, we relied on our 58" Full HD 3D TV and Xbox 360 Kinect to keep us entertained.

Gosh, how much does our daily lives evolve around technology and electronics these days huh?

We originally planned on going shopping in the afternoon to pick out some new dinnerware from Wedgwood, but got lazy and decided against it.

I guess we will just stay in, watch a few movies, and, well, be disconnected from the rest of the world.

Tennis

I slept through most of today.

Maybe because of the weather, hot and humid.

Maybe I was tired from work.

Or maybe I was just bored because there was no internet to keep me entertained.

Our AAPT home phone and internet service was officially terminated around noon today.

I know this as a fact because I actually woke up early around 7am and still managed to surf, check emails and watch a few Youtube video clips before the line was completely cut off.

At one point, while I was still able to use the internet, I even doubted AAPT's efficiency. Like, maybe they did not key the correct date for service termination into the system, even after my 500 phone calls to them over the last week to confirm that a cancellation notice has been ordered in place.

These days, you just can't trust anyone to do their jobs right anymore. Somewhere and somehow, mistakes are bound to be made. Human errors (mostly), computer errors, system failure and the likes, sometimes beyond your wildest imagination. Hence the key is to double check, triple check, quadruple check and check again AND again.

Sounds tedious and lots of hassles, but hey, it's the only way to get things done nowadays. Sad, but true, how incompetent people can be.

So yes, I'm pretty sure you'd agree that my doubts were justified.

But no, AAPT came through, and our service was terminated as scheduled.

I'm not too sure if I felt disappointed or relieved though.

Maybe more of the latter. At least it saves me time and energy from having to get on the phone again next week and hassle them to rectify the mistake, not to mention there will be lots of other problems settling the bills and stuff.

And a little of the former, because we are now left with no internet access. :|

Anyway, I overslept and only woke up around 5pm when Wen called me.

Bee and I were supposed to meet her and KT around 5.30pm for the match at 7pm, but I completely lost track of time.

So Bee and I got changed in nano seconds, jumped into the car, and headed towards Melbourne Park rightaway.

Good thing the traffic on the freeway and exit to the city wasn't as heavily as expected on a Friday evening, so we managed to arrive just before 6.30pm, with still a little spare time to walk around, visit the kiosks and got something to eat.

The atmosphere was lively and vibrant as usual, with an enthusiastic and cheerful crowd to boot.,

The matches, on the other hand, were a little underwhelming.

Well, a little is an understatement actually.

In Rod Laver Arena, Venus Williams retired without even completing the first set in the 3rd round of women's singles.

Things are slightly better in Hisense Arena, though Kei Nishikori was clearly no match for Fernando Verdasco, currently ranked number 9 in the world and the second most celebrated tennis player in Spain after World number 1 Rafael Nadal.

Not sure if it he was feeling intimidated, but Kei Nishikori didn't even put up a good fight. Verdasco won by three straight sets - 6-2, 6-4, and 6-3 for 3rd round of men's singles.

But the crowd was still in good spirits nonetheless and cheered on for both opponents throughout the whole match.

Also, not to play the race card, it was refreshing (and funny at the same time) to hear people yelling out "ganbateh" in the crowd.

And by people, I was referring to yours truly as well. Haha.

The match between Kei Nishikori and Fernando Verdasco was still showing on TV when we got home, because there was no match to broadcast from Rod Laver Arena. :|

Oh well.

All in all, it was a pretty fun night, despite the short matches.

Good atmosphere, great company, and a glorious summer night with cooling breezes.

Tuesday

David Jones called and woke me up at 7.30am this morning about the delivery of our sofa.

You would think that the courteous thing to do is to call at least after 9am?

But I ain't complaining, just as long as my sofa is delivered on time and in perfect condition.

A friend of mine was furious at the deliverymen from a different sofa manufacturer for leaving multiple scratches on her brand new white sofa. She later made a complaint to the retailer (not DJ) for the sofa to be exchanged, but ended up only having the cushions with scratches replaced.

I think Linfox does deliveries for David Jones' furniture. I haven't had much experience with them in the past, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will do a decent job.

I mean, when we are spending that much money on a sofa, I would really prefer to not have the whole experience tainted by some people's un-professionalism or inability to perform their jobs properly.

Anyway, I booked in the delivery for next Friday. I like to prolong the anticipation.

Yes, I'm weird like that. :P

My new Blackberry Bold 9780 was delivered to me at work first thing in the morning today, so I have a new toy to play with this weekend! Yay!

Work was pretty quiet today, which I'm glad.

It's that time of the month, I'm feeling very tired and worn down, so I really couldn't be bothered with anything.

The weather has turned rather chilly again these few days. It's a good thing that I haven't stored our heaters away huh?

At the rate we're going, I think it's gonna be a very erratic summer ahead for us.

For now, I guess I'll go curl up under my favourite blanket and have a piping hot cup of tea while re-watching Sex and the City for the Nth time.

Stay warm, people.

Optus

Optus is seriously pissing me off!

I practically spent half of today hassling them on the phone, yet still achieved no real outcome of what I was after.

They just kept transferring me from one department to another, and everyone I spoke to either gave me a totally and absurdly different answer, or told me that it's not their department and transferred my call.

In more than 10 years that I've been with Optus, I've never had so much problem with them as the past few days.

Kinda reminded me of the type of customer service you would expect in Malaysia.

No offence, but I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that Optus is owned by Singtel. I'm just saying. :|

I ended up having to file a complaint for the unresolved matter.

Someone is supposed to call me back within 5 working days with a solution, or at least an answer.

Oh well. We'll see. I'm not exactly holding my breath though.

Can't anyone do their jobs properly anymore? Seriously!

These days, every corner you turn and every single thing you need done, someone is bound to make a mistake and screw something up. What's up with that?

I used to think that it's only bad and happens a lot in South East Asia where no one really takes their jobs seriously, but I'm starting to think that Australia is just as bad.

*Sighs*

On a lighter note, Australian Open starts today!

I have to admit that I'm much less enthusiastic about the tennis this year because work is wearing me down, but mainly because my heartthrob, Tommy Haas, is not playing.

Nonetheless, we got tickets to go watch the night match with Wen and KT this Friday.

Despite Haas' absence, I'm actually really looking forward to it since this is going to be the first time Bee and I go to Oz Open together!

It's only Monday, but I can't wait for the weekend already.

Hurry up already, Friday!

Sofa

Work was really slow today.

It was only a 4-hour shift, but for some reason, time was crawling!

Maybe I was just too eager to get off work so I could go visit my sofa. :P

We decided to take the 2.5 seater + chaise that we had our eyes set on yesterday.

The sales rep was nice, we were given a fairly good discount. He even threw in free delivery and the original leather care kit.

To be honest, I was still a bit weary at first. Until I was reassured by an independent interior design store in Richmond that the price we were quoted by DJ is a superb deal.

Apparently, it's even lower than the cost price for some of the independent retail stores. Not sure how true that is, but it sure made me felt much more relieved and convinced that we weren't being ripped off.

You see, Bee and I both suck at bargaining, and we have "easy targets" written all over our foreheads which the sales people can spot from a mile away, so it's rather rare that we get genuine deals and discounts.

Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the sofa won't overwhelm our family room, as it's nicknamed as the "papa bear" of the range.

But you know me, the bigger the better. I always tend to go over the top. :p

The chaise itself is big enough to be used as a single bed, and the sofa is soooooo comfortable!

Choice of leather is always a tough one, especially the colour.

Personally, I would have loved white or ivory leather furniture. But they are notorious for being really unforgiving and high maintenance. The slightest scratch or dirt is going to show and be an eye sore, which is going to be a huge problem for my OCD personality.

Bee and I were tossing between black and dark brown. In the end, we decided to go with the latter because it's readily available and we don't have to wait 3 months for it.

Oh well, another self-resolved dilemma! *Grins*

Besides, the colour is nearly a perfect match to my dark brown leather dining chairs.

Come to think about it, most of the new furniture we have bought so far are of dark colours. Mostly dark brown, since I love solid wood furniture.

We might have to brighten up the place with some light coloured accessories for contrast.

I was eye'ing some ivory throws and pillows by the same manufacturer of the sofa, but couldn't justify the cost of nearly $200 per pillow. Especially after we've just spent a ridiculous amount on the sofa itself.

After making commitment to the single most expensive piece of furniture we have bought so far, Bee and I loitered around the city for a little while more since it was such a beautiful summer day.

I tried on a pair of Miu Miu peep-toe gold glitter pumps with hidden platform, which retails for AUD720 in DJ. To my disappointment, they run really small to size and were very uncomfortable. My toes were struggling even in a size 6, and I'm normally a size 5.5.

I'm not giving up hope just yet though. I might check out the Miu Miu boutique in Chadstone next weekend to see if they have the closed toe version.

But I should really be chained to the chair to stop me from buying more shoes. :|

Had my weekly fix of salted fish fried vermicelli for dinner, followed by an evening nap.

All in all, it was a pretty good Sunday, but now Monday blue is slowly creeping up on me.

Hopefully it's going to be a good week ahead.

Until then, I shall be thinking fondly and looking forward to the delivery of our overpriced sofa.