Merepek

‘Normal’ times are back but I somehow realized that my brain is still behaving abnormally. Why?? How come?? I also no understand. Oh ya, of course, I cannot understand because my brain refused to behave normally.

I put up a post on Sunday 'merepeking' how glad I was that Monday is coming right after Sunday and how I looked forward to some semblance of normalcy. Yesterday was Monday and as much as I detest waking up early, I psyche myself that, “YES! Today is the day….I’m gonna embrace this glorious ‘normal’ Monday…I’m gonna crank that semi-comatosed brain back into life again."

First stop…to the office and as I stepped out from the lift, walked to the door and let my fingers run through the door key-pad (oh ya, the office is still using the manual numeric keypad lock) and I then pushed at the door and absentmindedly banged my head hard against the glass. Ouuch…..I tried to walk right in when the door is not even open…I had keyed in the wrong lock number. One hand rubbing the bruise on my forehead, the other hand tried to type in the number again…still tak jalan. Aiyah…I had not been to the office for a few days and I have forgotten the lock number! This is what too much chilling out away from the office, can do to me. I had to ring the doorbell.

I then checked out my personal emails (3 different set of passwords)…hmmmm…no problemos…very good. Next stop, my official company-given email, and you guessed it right…I keyed in all wrong…..I think 3 or 4 times and I got locked out. Aiyaahhhhh…..
Nevermind, I just let it be and then proceeded to go in another site to retrieve some work data, keyed in the right ID number but used the wrong the password again. Another aiyaaahhh…..I then walked away from the pc and tried to do something else and at the same time tried to will that mumbo-jumbo of a password out of my head. Tak jalan jugak. I sat my self down and tried writing it out on a piece of paper all the ID numbers and passwords and access codes that I use and I surprised myself that I can actually store so many sets of numbers/alphabets in my head and all these, not including those bank Personal Identification Numbers. And for security reasons, we are advised to change passwords and PIN numbers regularly and this only add to my misery.

I need a little bit more time and I am certain my brain will slowly crawl back to being normal again.

Hi there, everyone. I am back.

The Chinese New Year festivities are almost over - one week gone and another week to Chap Goh Meh and at midnight tonight , the Hokkien Taoist community will offer prayers to the God of Heaven, Thnee Kong.

Many in the workforce who have taken leave from work last week would be coming back to work tomorrow and ya, folks, it’s back to the grind. Not that I am complaining. In fact, I am quite happy that things would be flowing back to normalcy, unlike the harassed pace before each major festival and especially during year end. Everybody is like chasing everybody else as the major festivals and year end holidays approach. I’d be like chasing my clients and they would give replies such as:-

“Sorry lar, my mother-in-law is in town. Gotta take her to the dentist, the dressmakers, the doctors, the temple……So no time to meet up with you.”

“Sorry, gotta wait till I get my year end bonus.”

“I’ll be on leave and taking my family for holidays. Back in 3 weeks time. Call me in 3 months time.”

“Sorry, gotta cancel appointment. Got diarrhoea after pigging out on the Christmas turkey and meat loaf.”

“Sorry, cannot see you now. I am very busy chasing for payments. If not no money to give my staff angpows.”


On the other hand, I’d be chased by others:-

“Hi, can you send the documents over NOW. I’d be on leave next week, you know?”

“Hi, just to remind you to quickly come over and collect the cookies you ordered. I cannot keep too long for you.”

“Hello, we called you 3 times already. We are sending the settee this afternoon. You at home ar?”

“Hi, can you come in with your son to sign the documents by tomorrow, latest. Next week CNY ledi. If not, we’ll allocate the car to someone else.”

**pengsanzzz**


It’s always the pre-festivals and pre-holidays period that routines are thrown into chaos. The roads are jammed for kilometres on end and the malls are packed to the brim with shoppers with very much loosened purse strings. A journey that normally takes no more than 20 minutes would stretch to an hour and things(edible or non-edible) that we would not give a second look on non-festive season would suddenly jump at us and we willingly lug them home. Talk about inconspicuous consumption.

So, am I glad that the ‘normal’ times are back.

Here's Wishing All My Friends a Very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. May The Year of Ms Piggy Brings Health, Wealth and Abundance.





Kamsiah Banyak-Banyak To All My Friends For Your Kind Wishes ^O^

Last Sunday afternoon, a friend invited me to join her and another friend for some jalan-jalan and shopping. Ah…the word ‘SHOPPING’…who can resist! Even I, who most times would be too lazy to traipse the malls, would once a while, indulge in shopping therapy, especially when you have good company.

First stop was Lot 10 and really, this place, I have not been there for ages. One friend was looking for a good pair of comfortable slippers, so we browsed around the footwear department. Hmmmm….shoes…shoes…I have to remind myself that I do not need any more shoes...there are soooo many pairs lying in the house and some I have not even opened the box since I brought them home like…like….errr… when, I also cannot remember. “No more buying, just see and don’t touch”, I told myself. Then, my eyes settled on a pair of cute leather court shoes and automatically the hand reached out for it, put in down on the floor, slipped my foot in and I instantly fell in love with the shoes.

“I want it, I must have it, I must buy”, my heart screamed out. My head then told me to take a good look at the price..it read RM319 …..it took my breath away. A ‘Heart to Head’ talk ensued:-

Heart : Aiyoh, you like it so much. Buy only lar.

Head : Look at the price!

Heart : You look good. It’s so elegant. Buy lar.

Head : Do you need anymore shoes?

Heart : See, you don’t always find court shoes that you like.

Now you have one pair that you like so much, buy lar.

Head : Don’t be mad. Move away!

I am a head-rule-the-heart person, so I just put back the pair of shoes and walked away but I could almost hear the shoes calling out my name. My friends and I then walked someplace else and I don’t remember how many shoe shops we went into but somehow, all the myriad pairs of shoes does not entice me at all. My friend then commented, “It’s like that lar, Nyonya. Once you saw a pair you like, nothing else will come close.” How spot on! Only a woman could understand another woman.

Anyway, I came home without any loot and I was actually quite pleased with my self-control. Monday came and I was at work….somehow my mind wandered to that pair of shoes at the shoe-shop and I kept thinking about it. Whole day I was thinking about the shoes and Tuesday came, I was still thinking about it. Haiyahhhhh…I just can’t get it out of my mind and …and … then I just went straight to get it off the shelf.

A case of The Heart Overruling The Head.

p.s. Finally managed to get the picture uploaded on the 4th try. :))

I called the bank last Monday and enquired about the availability of new ringgit notes and was told that it would only be available starting Wednesday Feb 7. Wednesday came and I was so busy on that day that I completely forgot about it and only remembered when I was at the bank this afternoon to do some transactions.

I then approached one of the cashier but was told that, “Oh, Sorry, No more already.” “Not even a couple of hundreds in tens?” I asked. The cashier just shook her head. I then asked for some angpow packets and she shook her head again, “Sorry, habis.”

I then walked over to another bank just two doors away and the answer was, “We have only ones and fives.” I thanked them and said, “It’s OK. I need tens.”

To the next bank another 20 metres away; I stepped in and saw a big piece of cardboard with the words boldly printed “NEW NOTES”. Ahhh….I am in luck, or so I thought. I approached the cashier sitting behind the counter and told her my requirements. She said, “Sorry, exchange only starts at 3.00pm.” I looked at my watch and it read 1.00pm. I then asked her why? She repeated, “3.00pm”. I thought she did not hear me, so I leaned nearer and asked, “How come?” Her answer? 3.00pm!!

Adoi! I thought I was talking to a robot or something, programmed to give the answer, "3.00pm"

I was at the car showroom the other day and I found out some queer ‘rules’ regarding a new purchase and I can recall the following:-

1/ You are ‘encouraged’ to take up a much loan/financing as possible, preferably up to 90% to 95% of the purchase price subject to as much as your monthly income can support.

2/ You are ‘encouraged’ to sign up for the longest loan/financing tenure and the ‘ideal’ would be 84 months and I have heard of some banks giving up to 108 months.

**roll eyes** Can the car last that long?? 9 years???

3/ And of course, for the national cars, (new registration) the banks charge the highest financing rate and I was told it is set by the ‘higher-ups’ and it is non-negotiable. I was offered a rate of 3.88% per annum, as against some other vehicle models which come with rates as low as 1.88% per annum. Lidat wan ar?

4/ For this car that I am interested in, the car company only allow all it’s customers to charge to their credit card a maximum of RM5,000. Why this peculiar rule, I asked? The salesperson was stumped for awhile and then he gave me the evergreen no-brainer, “COMPANY POLICY”.

I needled the salesperson a bit further and he then cautiously indicated that the Company has to pay the 2% merchant fee to the card company and thus, have this ruling to impose a ceiling amount allowable to charge through credit card. They are not willing to pay anything in excess of RM100. Aiyah…lidat pun boleh meh?

On the one hand you have the credit card companies enticing/encouraging you to sign…and sign …and sign and just charge as much as possible to your cards…ya, just charge until it hurts…and they keep topping-up the credit-limit… but on the other hand, you have companies and establishments ‘discouraging’ you to do so by ‘capping/limiting’ the amount chargeable. Why bother to increase the limit????

Apa macam, huh?

I put up a post many moons ago about how I hate reading manuals – hated then and still hate now. How lar, to fall in love with something so dry like the Kalahari Desert and to read and enjoy as if it is the most thrilling fiction that ever reached the bookshelves. **sighs**

You see, my old faithful of a handphone died on me two weeks back and I just went to the shops and got myself a new unit. Ya, new means new problems and new headache and new heartache for me and of course, with my lack of affinity for reading manuals, the headache can turn into migraine. This new unit, according to my no. 2 is pretty basic only; it comes with the usual camera with video recording, voice/sound recording, mp3, speaker, bluetooth (whatever this is), radio (oh, got radio jugak) and of course lar, I can make and receive calls and can send and receive messages. Very basic, right?

Err….for me, it’s a kinda of new learning process altogether. Of the above listed features, I only know how to use a few and for the other few, I practically have to hand the phone over to whoever is next to me to help me sort it out. Some of my blogger friends would have noticed this. Please don’t laugh at me lar, ok?

And past few days, I noticed that sms’es reached the phone without me realizing it. How? Why? I thought there is a default message notification tone but of late, I don’t seem to hear a buzz or anything…mmmm…the sms must have came in when I was at someplace noisy or the phone must have dropped very deep down my big bag and I didn’t hear a thing. So, I badgered no. 2 to put in something a tad louder and he let me sampled some ‘buzzes’ which I seriously find annoying…no, not this one…..no, dowan this one….no, this one tak sedap. Throwing his arms in exasperation, he then asked, “Momma, tell me what is it you want?”

Me : Some catchy music can ar?

Son : Which one?

Me : Err…catch-catchy one lor?

Son : **roll eyes** Who’s the singer and what’s the name of the song?

Me : There, that one we heard at the hair salon the other day.

Remember?

Son : Aiyoh…Momma…that was like a month ago lar. How to remember?

Me : **putting finger to mouth** Okie, we do lidat lar.

You play the songs you have on your pc and let me choose lor.

Son : **turns on his media player**

After like 5 minutes or so with me standing next to him and asking him to skip this song and that and then I went. “Ah, this one, this one.” As no.2 was in a hurry to go out, he told me he will work on the phone for me when he comes back later.

I forgot completely about it and this morning, I heard a tune coming from my phone and I just picked it up, pressed the ‘Answer’ button and in my sweetest voice said, “Hulllooooo…, hulllo…hulllo…” Aikssss! Why no sound one???

No. 2 who was standing nearby, was like rolling in uncontrollable laughter “kakaka….aiyoh, Momma, that one your sms tone lar…kakakakaka…You asked me to put in for you mar, the song ‘Buttons’…kakakaka”

It took like a good 10 seconds for me to catch my sheer cluelessness and I also burst out laughing.

KAKAKAKAKA.....KAKKAKAKA.... Adoi, gua ni kelakar betul.

What did I do on a public holiday? Well, I tried to catch up on lost sleep, so I only woke up at about 10.30am, no thanks to a phone call. Then did some chores and was lazing around when I decided to go look for a friend to shoot the breeze.

Picked her up from her place at about 4.30pm and we went for some snacks at Oldtown Kopitiam….then walked 3 doors away to have some healthy freshly squeezed juices….then drove to another coffeeshop for our dinner. She had ‘too thor’ soup with rice and I had herbal chicken with mee suar. Still not satiated, we then popped in at Char Chan Teng for some desserts and drinks and we would have stayed longer if not for the extra polite waitress to come by with the bill and telling us the place will be closing shortly. It was only 10.30pm lar. Aiyah, kena ‘chased’ away again. How many times have we 'experienced' this, my friend? hahahahaa....

I saw this at my friends' blog and pestered her to take me to buy a set for myself. I like it very much. And my friend would be sending a set to another friend far, far away.