First Mishap

Upon arriving back home, I was driving Princess Cutie slow and steady as always. The moment I reached the house gate, I saw that both the cars in my house were parked in a really weird manner. Weird because I have to literally drive at 5 kilometres per hour into the driveway so I would not scratch Princess Cutie.

Just to be safe, I drove at approximately 2 kilometres per hour (I don’t even know if this is possible but you get the drift) and kept my eye on the distance of the two cars. I was so focused on the two cars that I totally forgot to look to my left and only saw the outcome after Princess Cutie was safely parked.

I scratch Princess Cutie’s mirror on the left hand side!!! It was a 2 millimetre scratch but it was so deep that the paint came out hence there it is a point of no return. I was and am still beyond depressed. The word depressed doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt and how I feel.

Poor Ivan had to listen to me moan for the next 30 minutes and repeat the same comforting words to me the whole time. Even my parents said that it is a small matter and scratches are bound to happen but I could not accept it. I felt that I scratched my own heart and soul, I feel wounded.

Welcome New Year

Here is to wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!

May you have a wonderful and prosperous year 2008.

Deep Dark Secret

I think I have a serious problem. A serious addiction related problem. Many have told me to quit but I did not listen. You know how addicts can be, they live in denial most (if not all) of the time and will never admit they have a problem. The fact that I am writing this and admitting I have a problem does actually mean I am NOT an addict, right?

Anyway, let’s get to the point. My name is Amy and I am a shopaholic. Laugh all you want but I cannot be more serious about what I said. Every single time G2000 or MNG goes on sale, I never fail to spend a fortune (I am not speaking literally) there. G2000 for my formal wear and MNG for my casual wear.

In fact, these days there is a Pet Safari involved somewhere too. I shop for Joo Joo quite as much as I shop for myself. If Ivan ever finds out I have been shopping the way I did, he will divorce me. That’s why he doesn’t know the existence of my little ranting corner on the Internet. Consider yourself privileged.

How I intend to solve this addiction related problem? I don’t think I can because I work in the city and coincidentally, my office is located on top of one of the biggest shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur. So conclusion is to continue shopping but keep my credit card bills to myself. And well, burn them if I have to.

Princess Cutie

It was raining cats and dogs when we (my father in law, Ivan and I) drove to Shah Alam to pick up my new ride yesterday night. The arrangement was for my father in law to drop Ivan and I there because Ivan would not let me drive the car back alone. Whatever the arrangement, I am fine, so long I get my new ride!

I was psyched and my heart almost jumped out of my chest during our long drive there. Finally, I was going to have my own ride and will be able to go places on my own. The only setback is I have not driven a car (or any other vehicle for that matter) in the last five years… But I don’t think that is going to be a problem.

Once we had arrived at the factory, we were asked to examine and sign some documents before we could see the car. Ivan dealt with the documentation bit while I paced around the showroom, getting more and more excited by the second. Why can’t they just let me see the car first?

Some ten minutes later, we were finally brought to see my new ride. The moment I laid eyes on it, I can safely say the phrase “love at first sight” stands true. It was beautiful, and well, just perfect… Although wet from the heavy rain, I could still its beautiful silver body clearly and I swear it was beaming at me.

Ivan interrupted my daydream with an abrupt, “You are not driving it home for three reasons. Firstly it’s really dark. Secondly it’s raining really heavily. Thirdly you haven’t driven in ages.” I wonder how long he took to come up with that perfect structure and how much courage he had to gather to say it.

Since Ivan had his reasons, I gave in and allowed him to drive. It was not too fun for him because I nagged him about everything he could possibly do to harm the car, warning him to be very careful all the way. We stopped some 5 kilometers away from home to have dinner, though, and he allowed me to drive home from there.

I had come up with a name (don’t look so shocked – everything you love deserves a name, even if it isn’t breathing and alive) for my new ride. The name I had given it is “Princess” but I had decided I will add a “Cutie” behind as its alphabetical plate is WQT. Welcome home, Princess Cutie.

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone out there a very Merry Christmas!

Four (or Five?) Wheels

I am bursting with excitement because my new ride is arriving very soon, perhaps by next week.

Some two weeks ago, Ivan brought me to the showroom to see the car and also for a test drive. Before getting into the car, I confessed to the salesman that I have not driven a car for the last five years (at the very least). His response to that was, “Oh, no worries!” but when I looked behind at him, I have never seen a more tensed person.

He clutched onto the seat so tightly that I almost thought he was going to rip the cover off. I am almost certain that any tighter, the cover would definitely come off. Also, he sat so upright that if I saw only the upper half of his body, I would think he was singing the national anthem with full enthusiasm.

While the salesman sat behind, Ivan sat beside me at the passenger seat. Taking the wheel was quite stressful for me because firstly, I think the car is pretty big and secondly, I have almost zero experience on the road. I emphasized that I could not estimate the size of the car, especially the left side as I am seated on the right.

There was a point when I arrived at a very narrow (my definition) road, with cars on both the left and right. I could see the right very well hence there was no problem but because I could not see the left, I stopped many times, fearing I will scratch the car. Ivan the smart alec said, “Your estimation skills really cannot pass.”

Why did he have to repeat what I had already claimed to be my weakness??? I gave him a piece of my mind while the poor salesman sat quietly behind. When I was done test driving, I drove the car back to the showroom in one piece. I love how smooth the drive was and I have a feeling I will love driving much more than taking the train or cab.

Let’s just all hope that I will not scratch the car in less than a month (anything more than a month is fine, and perhaps quite normal since its city driving). What car am I getting, you ask? I will leave this as a mystery and when the time comes, I will share actual photographs of my new ride.

The Right Person

A few days ago, someone asked me, “How do you know when you have found the right person?” That was not the first time that question was thrown my way. I suppose people ask me because they assumed I have found the right person, as I am married. Sometimes I wonder if that assumption applies to everyone out there.

There are too many possibilities to explore. By that I mean the possibility of one single person being the “right person”. Even if you do get along very well, how do you know he is the one? Even if he treats you better than anyone else, how do you know he is the one? Even if he kneels down and proposes, how do you know he is the one?

So if the general assumption is that all married people have found the right person, why do these people stray? I guess the simple conclusion here that I can draw is not everyone married the right person and if they did, love is still a very fragile thing. Love can be nurtured in a day and can even die within a day.

That is how I normally answer when someone asks me, “How do you know when you have found the right person?” They normally walk off feeling enlightened but will soon realize that I did not really answer their question. The smarter ones (those who did not walk off), will ask, “Did you find the right person?”

For those who do not already know the answer to that question, let’s leave this story for some other time.

Back from the Silence

Yes, I am back after my long leave of absence. I can come up with so many excuses for it that will likely drive you away so I won’t even attempt. The main reason for my absence is of course, the (furry) love of my life. The moment she came into my life, all the time that I used to spend writing entries was invested on her instead.

Joo Joo is now almost a year old and twice as heavy as when I first brought her home. She is now allowed to roam the entire home (only on the inside) and her crate has been buried ten feet underground. Everyone at home loves her and she has definitely become a significant member of the family.

I have also changed jobs hence I am free from Lemon. It was a tough decision for me but my new organization offered me such a good remuneration package that I could not refuse the offer. I never regret the decision I made one single bit because I am happier now (with my job) than I have ever been.

After much persuasion from my mother, Ivan and I have finally decided to hold our Chinese wedding (ceremony and dinner) next year. We have yet to select a suitable venue for the dinner due to some complications but everything should be finalized in the next few weeks. Planning a wedding is never easy!

Ivan and I have also decided to buy a second car because his car is so rundown that even a rat refuses to go in no matter how big the slice of cheese is in there. Just kidding. It is actually because I need a car to run around with for my new job as it requires mobility – which comes with lots of freedom.

The Millionaire Joke

Not sure if you people have read this before… If you have not, knock yourselves out.

NEW YORK – Idaho resident Kathy Evans brought humiliation to her friends and family Tuesday when she set a new standard for stupidity with her appearance on the popular television show, “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”

It seems that Evans, a 32 year old wife and mother of two, got stuck on the first question, and proceeded to make what fans of the show are dubbing “the absolute worst use of lifelines ever.”

After being introduced to the show’s host Meredith Vieira, Evans assured her that she was ready to play, whereupon she was posed with an extremely easy $100 question. The question was:

“Which of the following is the largest?”

a) A Peanut
b) An Elephant
c) The Moon
d) Hey, who you calling large?

Immediately Evans was struck with an all consuming panic as she realised that this was a question to which she did not readily know the answer.

“Hmm, oh boy, that’s a toughie,” said Evans, as Vieira did her level best to hide her disbelief and disgust. “I mean, I’m sure I’ve heard of some of these things before, but I have no idea how large they would be.”

Evans made the decision to use the first of her three lifelines, the 50/50. Answers a) and d) were removed, leaving her to decide which was bigger, an elephant or the moon. However, faced with an incredibly easy question, Evans still remained unsure.

“Oh! It removed the two I was leaning towards!” exclaimed Evans. “Darn. I think I better phone a friend.” Using the second of her two lifelines on the first question, Mrs. Evans asked to be connected with her friend Betsy, who is an office assistant.

“Hi Betsy! How are you? This is Kathy! I’m on television!” said Evans, wasting the first seven seconds of her call. “Ok, I got an important question. Which of the following is the largest? B, an elephant, or C, the moon. 15 seconds hun.”

Betsy quickly replied that the answer was c), the moon. Evans proceeded to argue with her friend for the remaining ten seconds. “Come on Betsy, are you sure?” said Evans. “How sure are you? Puh, that can’t be it.”

To everyone’s astonishment, the moronic Evans declined to take her friend’s advice. “I just don’t know if I can trust Betsy She’s not all that bright. So I think I’d like to ask the audience,” said Evans.

Asked to vote on the correct answer, the audience returned 98% in favor of answer c), ‘The Moon.’ Having used up all her lifelines, Evans then made the dumbest choice of her life.
“Wow, seems like everybody is against what I’m thinking,” said the too-stupid-to-live Evans.

“But you know, sometimes you just got to go with your gut. So, let’s see. For which is larger, an elephant or the moon, I’m going to have to go with B, an elephant. Final answer.”

Evans sat before the dumbfounded audience, the only one waiting with bated breath, and was told that she was wrong, and that the answer was in fact, c), ‘The Moon.’

The Scream

I spent most of yesterday evening trimming Joo Joo – her face, her paws and her butt.

It is important to trim the hair on the butt so that it does not get dirty when she poops. When it normally does, she will aggresively reach for her butt to clean it. That is where I have to come in and wash it for her.

Anyway, I was slowly trimming the bottom part of her tail as well because the hair there normally comes in contact with her poo and hence gets dirty. She just sat very patiently and still while I trimmed her…

Suddenly, she SCREAMED and I dropped the scissors I was holding. I realised that I must have accidentally cut her tail to cause such a scream. Hence I started apologising profusely, hugged her and kissed her.

All she did was sit still and looked on the floor. That look saddened me so deeply and I felt so guilty about the whole thing that I stuffed her with treats. Her scream really startled me and I never knew fluffers could scream.

I promise to be more careful than extra careful the next time I do that…