Cheat Work Thursday

Sitting in my room, sometimes my mind is transported back to that room. I don't even have to close my eyes. It was 6 in the morning, but I could see from the glass window that it was already bright outside. I loved the view, even if it was only the roofs of other buildings. Under my warm blanket and because I knew how high I set the heater the night before, I could almost feel how cold it was outside. I waited 10 minutes before getting up, not willing to let go of my blanket and sweater and socks just yet. My feet touched the soft, wall-to-wall carpet eventually. I got into the squeaky clean bathroom. The floor was dry and cold. The shower was hot. Then I walked into the tiny closet and picked out my clothes for the day: grey skirt, black top, black stockings, gold-coloured stud earrings, and nude-coloured handbag with metal and PVC handle. I only had two handbags. The other one was black. I had bread, scrambled egg and iced chocolate for breakfast, and packed my bihun goreng...

@ TheNardvak Etiquette -- spelling the word is already tough. About 2% of the time, I think about the effect of one action in two different situations. Why does a 40-year-old Lady A look good in a knee-length pencil dress, while another 40-year-old Lady B looks like she's wearing her daughter's clothes? (If you haven't heard about this already: my never ending clothes-age research.) Why could Country C invade Country D in the name of looking for WMDs, couldn't find any (unless WMD means oil) but still managed to get away with it? Can Country D get away with it if it's the other way around? Why do some food pictures posted on the internet inspire us (really, elevate our mood and make our hearts beat faster!), while some make us chuckle? I read about this a lot. Apparently, it's eye-rolling to post food photos on Instagram and Facebook. Honestly, sometimes I get that. And if you cross to taking pictures of other people's food... *gulps, cringes*...

On some days -- ok, many days -- all I want to have in one sitting is a quarter kilo of cheesecake, a quarter kilo of red velvet cake, a plate of spicy fried chicken drumettes, one packet of Oreos, a bowl of milk and a cup of McDonald's Chocolate Cornetto McFlurry (alright, some water too). But I'd take a deep breath, cut a piece of mango, drink some green tea, stretch and do Tracy Anderson's workout instead. *Wipe tears*.

I finally checked H&M out. Now I know why I was not that eager and took six months to do that. (Don't throw things at me please, but) the shop is overrated. After four episodes of season 4, Glee started to annoy me (again!). The Rachel / Kurt / NY parts are not so bad (now I so want to be a dancer and go to dance classes in Rachel's and Cassandra July's outfits, and have those legs and abs too), but the McKinley parts feel sooo old. Who still hangs out at their school after graduation? Ugh. Survivor, on the other hand, is still one of my favourites. It still makes me nervous and giddy. I could talk about it every day and have a blog entirely for it (because my opinion is so important). Because most movies don't reach me at normal speed, I finally saw Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and accidentally saw The Iron Lady, and I love them both. The Iron Lady was not what I expected. I thought I wouldn't like it. I thought it was going to be long and slow and ol...

For the purpose of this post, let's pretend that I'm a stylist/personal shopper. (I've pretended to be a personal shopper , a doctor and a web designer before.) So let's say I'm a stylist/personal shopper, can I still justify my work if I recently decided to shop less for myself? Why can't I, right? Just like a doctor who smokes and does not exercise, a healthy living advocate who owns a bakery or a bar, a businessperson or an actor who prefers a secluded life, or a teacher who doesn't like kids? It's nice to have an aligned interest at work and outside work -- but should that not be the case, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy both worlds, does it? While we are at it, how about a corrupt politician who's also a parent? Do they get to teach their children to "get in line at the canteen, queue up getting on the bus, do your homework..."? LOL. (Yes, not exercising is enjoyable. And please don't provide me with studies saying...

It was more painful than two bus and two train rides. It was dark yet so vivid. It was a huge car but such a tiny space. They were nice words but severed the tie. It was at night and has been waking me up sometimes. It was a merry occasion but felt like a blurry series of events played in slow motion.

When I said I'm gradually building my wardrobe with pants , I didn't mean I'm getting tons of those either. For the past one or two years, I've come to love the idea of a simpler life. And mine includes having a smaller wardrobe. Smaller, not uglier . So if printed on a placard, it would read, "Look my best and have a smaller wardrobe." See, a perfect balance of vanity and seemingly noble philosophy. There was a short period before that when I was more about "not wasting any more money on things that don't add value." But soon after, I felt that I could  do this for more than just money. I was not convinced I'd go with it for long, though. Yes, I feel lighter. I got rid and gave away a lot of my stuff and clothes and started to only buy things that I need / will use / make me happy, but I thought this must be a phase. I must be just temporarily bored. Because do I really want a smaller wardrobe? (Please also note that the needs of a l...

The Litigators is lighter than most of Grisham's books. This is not his usual, suspense thriller. It starts when David Zinc, a young but already burned-out lawyer, leaves his fast-track career at a huge fancy firm on a whim one morning. He spends the day getting drunk and finds himself landed at the doorstep of a tiny firm, Finley & Figg, his next employer. It gets funny after the first half of the book, when his new team's plan to win a huge settlement from a pharmaceutical giant falls apart. This is a story about the unglamorous life and work at small law firms. Unfortunate events make good stories. I've also just finished reading mrmrsglobetrot.blogspot.com this week. If you were only to read one travel blog this year, you've got to read this one. This couple started the blog to document their six-month travel after they got married a couple of years ago. The blog is packed with beautiful photos and details of the places they visited -- from fashion to h...

When I blogged that I was going to have a bit of free time , I was actually waiting for a result, which I expected to come out next week. It will officially come out next week, but I already knew the outcome yesterday, and it didn't turn out in my favour. So unless a miracle happens, I'll be dealing with this in the next five weeks: life's little imperfection. Miracle and luck sound nice, but I'm practical enough not to depend my life on them. I'll make myself obsessed with routine to get through this. I'll get up early and say my thanks for all the good things that I have. Take my time and enjoy my food. Look my best. Do meaningful work. Breathe and exercise. Clean my mind and concentrate on all things positive. Have a good rest and sleep. Only watch and read pleasant movies and books. Laugh out loud. I'm going to get through this sane or and happy. - Haven't been watching Glee for ages. Saw the first episode of season 4 last week. ...

It was a good weekend at home (parents' place). It was December last year. My mother cooked delicious food after delicious food the entire weekend, and I volunteered and helped her in the kitchen a lot, which is a very rare event except in recent one / two years. Yes, I spent the first many years of my adult life NOT helping my mother in the kitchen unless I've already been summoned three times with some threatening words involved. One morning after I finished preparing the ingredients, I sat in the kitchen with my book, coffee and a tiny bowl of cekodok pisang while my mother was making soto. (I made the cekodok, a limited edition just for the cooks.) It was a nice, quiet morning. I drove her to the grocery shop after that. It was cold and drizzling outside, and everyone was still sleeping. We went to the town for more grocery shopping and coffee in the afternoon with my sisters, stopped by for durians and had easy conversations the entire weekend. Had a really nice (and ...