Channel 5-ism

Disclaimer - This post may offend some. In which case, don't blame me if you choose to read on.

I'm convinced that people who aren't fluent in English shouldn't try and pick up a girl in English. Someone wrote me to ask me out on a date - something about coffee this weekend and made mention of how my profile pic was rockstar. Then someone else wrote "hi, how are you doing?"

Now I ask you, who do you THINK I'm going to reply to first?

Also - if all you can talk about is what movie you like, fishing for me to invite you over for drinks, and then say "haha" as a copout whenever you're faced with a potentially explosive line of questioning, don't expect me to be eager for a date. Cos your competitors are out there talking about the demise of graciousness, the intolerance of society towards homosexuality (and lamenting this)  and how non-state institutions, be they business, professional, personal interest, or religious play a useful role in society. 

Dude, I'm 37, not 13. Please go away now.

There Are Lots of Crazies Out There

I think I've been teaching from home for WAY too long. 

Recently I've had reason to go out cos

1) I've begun teaching part time in a music school

2) I'm on the long long road to getting licensed to sell insurance

3) I have to buy suitable work clothes / shoes so I had to trawl the malls.

And I've come to the conclusion that

1) When you wear great shoes, you feel great

2) You never truly realise how fat you've gotten until you've looked at yourself in a fitting room mirror under harsh fluorescent lights

3) The people who live in Singapore leave much to be desired.

I suppose over time I may have forgotten what it's like to have so many people around me that chances for bumping into ID10Ts skyrocket.

Also, I suspect people have gotten less and less gracious ( not that we were all that gracious a society to begin with) over the last 10 years that I've been ensconced in my safe little world (read: my home).

Take for example, the crazy woman who bumped into me 4 times on the bus because she couldn't balance on her seat every time the bus jerked, and then promptly turns and stares and "tsk"s me. Hello? If you sat properly on the seat you wouldn't have to yo-yo back and forth along with the movement of the bus. And then as if that wasn't bad enough, had the gall to tell me to watch how I sit cos my foot was in her space. I'm like - woman, your whole BODY is in my space. And my foot is nowhere NEAR you. Conclusion - mental. 

Or the fellow teacher who was eyeing me suspiciously, then gave me a limp handshake when another teacher introduced us. Sure, look away when you shake my hand. I really didn't want to meet you anyway. And, oh, go ahead and look at my shoes while I'm talking to someone else because I know you covet them. They're the same colour as when I bought them. Unlike yours, which used to be white... I think. I can't really tell cos your toes are hanging out over the base of the sandals you *think* you're wearing. Did I mention we have a dress code? Clearly she didn't get the memo. Conclusion - weirdo.

And then there's this new habit I've noticed of people turning to stare directly at you. When did it stop being impolite to stare? Maybe *I* didn't get the memo. I get at least 2 stares per day. Not the Oh-you're-so-hot-can-we-hop-into-bed kind, mind you. Not even the lecherous Xiao-Jie-yao-bu-yao-zuo-peng-you? kind. These are creepy look-you-up-and-down stares. And people don't bother hiding it. They'll turn their heads to follow you and are totally nonchalant that you KNOW they're staring. Conclusion - rude.

And oh, the taxi drivers. Seriously? It's unsafe to flag a cab anymore. Taxi drivers are a new breed of NUTS. Here are the rules they play by:

1) Do not be polite to any customer. In fact, be as rude as you can. After all, they're now your hostages.

2) Say you know how to get to any destination then totally screw it up. What can they do? Jump out of your cab on the expressway?

3) Ask if there's a preferred route then ignore their answers completely. You're the cabbie, you know best. 

4) When you see someone flagging you down on the side of the road, slow down, then just when they take a step towards you thinking you're going to stop, accelerate and point to your on-call sign (which should NOT be clearly displayed).

So maybe we take the bus right? Wrong. Bus drivers don't realise there are brakes on their buses. They don't seem to understand that a red light means you have to come to a complete stop.. not test out your clutch control and rev the engine to antagonise the old couple trying to cross the street. And since when did asking if this bus goes to Parkway Parade turn into a conversation that required the services of a kindly old man who was willing to translate for me? Surely even if you're NOT Singaporean you should be able to understand THAT right? 

Singapore's a scary place right now. I miss the country I grew up in. Maybe we should bring back the Courtesy Song... 

I did a bit of snooping and it seems I may be on to something. The last campaign was in 2000. So it *HAS* been 10 years. 

I'm shaking my head at this revelation. Are we so pathetic we need a campaign to tell us to be nice?

Mummy Dearest

Guess what I recently discovered about my mum - she likes pretty shiny things!

We were wandering around the shopping mall yesterday (with my sister) and everytime we went past an accessory counter she would pick up the shiny blingy bits to admire them. LOL. 

I turned to look at my sister and we had a good ol' giggle. I admitted my weakness for shoes a long time ago. My sis came clean with her affection for shopping bags. And there was mum smiling up at us with a diamante brooch in hand.

Ah, I wish we had more of these moments.

What's Up Pussycat?

Hello Pretty People

I've been gone so long I'm almost ashamed. Then I remember that 

It's My Blogger & I'll Post If I Want To.. Post If I Want To.. Post If I Want To

You Would Blog Too If It Happened To You. *deng deng deng deng--deng!*

(did you sing along? awww..)

Ok. I'm happy. And why shouldn't I be? I am stressed out with preparing students for Piano Exams (17-18 Aug); I have to finish reading my super-thick insurance book by 23rd Aug AND attend tutorials AND go take the exam on the 27th; I have no more life on the weekends cos I've started teaching at Cristofori on Sundays; I'm overwhelmed by all the new rules that exist in the world of singlehood and dating; I've been steadily putting on weight and have committed to get back to regular walking. There. Aren't those great reasons to be happy about life?

I have a job I love, I have challenges to take on, new people to meet, more time (walking) with my sister, I get extra pay for a job I already do well (and enjoy doing). Awesome. 

Life is Great. *chuckle* (inside joke... or not!)

And I recently discovered I'm not the only 37/38-year old looking for new things to do and more stuff to take on. DJ found a change in pace when he was 38 too. So maybe 38 is the new 21. When you've been doing the same thing for a while, when you've been swimming in the same pond for so long, can you blame us for wanting to try out a bigger habitat?

For those of you who are wondering if this is my mid-life crisis, I say this - I'll let you know when I'm at the end of my life. We'll do the math and see if this is "MID-LIFE". Whatever it is, I'm happy! Woo hoo!

3 weddings and a tummy ache

My best friend in the whole world re-married 3 saturdays ago. She married the same guy. The story is that they never did the big church wedding with the gown and the tea ceremony and hotel dinner. So to celebrate their 10th anniversary, they did the whole shabang!

She was beautiful, radiant from the start of the day right up to the end of the night - well, the end for me that is. I took leave earlier than I would have liked because my tummy wasn't feeling very happy that weekend. So in honour of my being her non-bridesmaid, she saved the bottle of Moscato that had been sitting on ice in the suite that day, and lugged it over to my place last weekend - she wasn't kidding when she said that bottle was intended for me and me alone. 

I love you MW!

My cousin announced via his mother that he, too, would be tying the knot soon - on the 15th of July. In Germany. I wish I had the funds to crash the wedding. I love him and wish him well.

And it must be an auspicious date because MB is signing on the dotted line too - in Malacca. It has been many years, and now she's met someone whom she can see herself having a future with. It'll be tough for sure, with the logistics to consider - her here, him in KL and KS in Malacca with Po Po... but I'm sure they'll be able to make it work in the meantime. Congratulations Nya Lisa. I wish the best for all of you!

And me? I feel as if my life has shifted a little. I'm not sure for better or worse.  I'm embarking on a new stint with a music school, I'm re-assessing my relationships with friends and family; it feels like something's changed, except not really. Looking at my daily comings and goings, everything seems the same. Perhaps it's something in my spirit. I feel restless, but at the same time assured of movement and change in the near future. I am consoled by meaningful words and thoughtful actions, but just beneath the surface there's a tinge of discontent. I'm optimistic and pessimistic at the same time, if that's possible. And if it isn't, well, that's how I'm feeling anyhow. Yeah, that's the best way to describe me at the moment.