Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Philosophy

Feel happy and content with what we have and blessed with, than to lament over what we do not have.

There. A philosophical thought that crossed my mind early in the morning fresh after contemplation and meditation. It's amazing I can wax lyrical like this.

How do I love thee? Let me go count my Tods......

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Circular Reference

Italy. Paris. Japan. These are the places in my leisure travel horizon. Of course it doesn't say anything about whether I can afford it or not. Considering it involves H and Tod's. I inwardly cringe at the $$ damage it will bring. Lamenting to C of my dilemma:

Present situation = zero storage space.
More storage space available when I get my own apartment (cum yoga studio).
$$$$$$ needed for apartment/yoga studio in the guise of storage space.
Italy, Paris, Japan means spend more $$$$.
If spend more $$$$ then the ability to save for apartment is reduced, by the power of nth degree.
In fact Italy Paris Japan will actually set back apartment saving plan by 1.5 years or more.
1.5 years savings delay = 1.5 yrs + 2 yrs delay in getting apartment (original assumption is I need min 2 yrs to save downpayment $$$).
Total 3.5 yrs no apartment = 3.5 yrs no additional storage space.
No additional storage space = no additional H bags.
No additonal H bags = what the heck is the point of going Italy Paris Japan????

C's answer? Get rid of the brother. Take over his room.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Kids R' Us

My office came up with a great idea on employees bringing their kids to work. Great idea. Except, don't get me involved, and kids please don't get it my way. Except somehow I got roped into the organizing committee (these things happen when reciprocal favours are involved). If the prospect of having to supervise 50 screaming kids between the ages of 2 - 16 is not scary enough, then the prospect of having to supervise 50 screaming kids, of which half of them have an opinion of some sort, is enough to send chills down my spine. Must be all those additive vitamins and supplements in some branded milk powder, but when kids of 3 and 4 ages start to have an opinion and TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, then it's Houston, we have a problem.

This re-affirms several things I already know of myself:

1. I rather have dogs
2. At least my dogs don't talk back. They have some opinion but I can ignore them.
3. If I want kids, I'll just borrow some. There's plenty around especially from my friends. ha ha.
4. I rather fight a fire or tackle an impossible situation at work, than to supervise 50 screaming kids.
5. Ditto #4, I rather face the firing squad.

And YP's girl turns 1 today, birthday party means more kids. Ok at least they weren't screaming.

It's been a long long day.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Perfect Boyfriend...Impossible love story



Want a good story on innocent and impossible love between a human and a non-human? No, not Twilight, but Absolute Boyfriend (絶対彼氏. Zettai Kareshi), originally a six volume manga series by Yuu Watase made into an 11-ep Jap series.

Ok it's good. It's damn good. The male leads are Hot. Not just good looking, but hello,, check out those bods and the abs. The female lead is absolutely cute. The story beats Twilight anytime (sorry, Veron), and yes, there I was with my tissue box right to the last episode. What's it about? Sweet love story of a young lady out of luck with love, and the robot lover created for her, and a triangle with a human (also very hot) male who later falls in love with her.

Laugh factor, 8/10. And yes, bring out the tissue box.

Did I mention the abs?

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Peace and Tranquility available in Singapore....

Peace and Tranquility is available in Singapore....at a price. Not just any price. But a HUGE price. I continue to be amazed and my jaw dropped several times today already at the sizes of these bungalows in Singapore. Not just any bungalow, but GCB (good class bungalows). No doubt the news of Jet Li's $20 million GCB purchase piqued some interest in several Sporeans. As C and I drove around on our little viewing excursion, it's amazing houses with such large plots of land exist in land scarce Singapore. And yes these areas are built so peaceful, so quiet (so scarily far away from the main road you'd need a car to get anywhere), so much like a getaway island (some of these places look like little bali or little phuket). And so huge even Bis and Holly could get lost running within the compound.

What I learnt today?

1. If you have so much money you buy not only 1, but several houses in the same row.
2. If you have so much money, and do as #1 above. One of these houses is your house, the one across the road is your 'entertainment complex' aka a Gym/ pool/ court only.
3. Selling Popiah skins make you a heck lotta money you can buy a whole row of houses, and build them so ostentatious. But who cares, because you HAVE MONEY. LOTS of it.

So I said to C, maybe a good idea if I open a yoga studio in these lanes. C sighed, and told me I'd never make any money. Because these peeps are so ridiculously wealthy, they'd rather pay for the instructor to come to their house.

Sigh.

Sigh #1. First scenario above not gonna happen to me.
Sigh #2. As above, thus 2nd scenario won't happen either.
Sigh #3. Obviously too late for scenario 3.
Sigh #4. Can't even make money from yoga.

Nevermind. One gets what they deserve, and there is Karma. Just live and be happy.

Passage of time

Nearly 10 years ago...

C to Me: "You're such a pretty little thing"

Fast forward to nearly 10 years later....Present day.

Me to C: "You know next year it'll we'd have been dating for 10 years"
C: Crap! You mean we're so old already?


Nearly 10 years ago....

Me to C: "Someday I'd like my own apartment, plenty space for dogs...maybe you and me."

Fast forward to nearly 10 years later...Present day.

Me to C (whilst staring at all the giant bungalows): "Holy cow. How the heck can anyone afford to buy such large houses???!!"

So yes, reality of life sinks in. Budding love is...oh so sweet, so budding, like the joy of morning dew. Give it a couple of years, and mature love is simply just....mature. Real life, practical conversations, efficient dates. No illusions. Just plenty of hard work. (ok ok so there are a couple of Tod's and H acquisitions along the way, but that's not the point here).

Moral of story? Err...dunno. Watch more K-dramas for the perfectly unrealistic love story I guess.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Dear Forum, I struck the lottery

Forums are amazing platforms. For education, For gossip, For chatter, For information gathering, For showing off. As I was describing to C the rather amusing posts of a certain show-off (let's just call her Ms. Haolian) in the purse forum, who had gayly announced to the entire forum of her plans to fly all the way to Paris to find the sacred Birkin. On FIRST CLASS. And it's FREE (because she redeemed miles) - side note, how many thousand economy trips one has to take to accumulate enough miles for first class ticket, can someone pls do the math? If Paris trip fails, she's announced backup plan to fly all the way to Tokyo to find that Birkin bag. C, being in his suanning mode these days, drummed up an imaginery response to her post in the forum:

"Dear all. I have won the LOTTERY."
"So I am going to fly all the way to Paris. On FIRST CLASS."
"And it's FREE."
"Because I won the LOTTERY."
"And I will buy lots and lots of BIRKINS bags."
"Just because I CAN."
"Because I won the LOTTERY."
"So all of you here with your entry-level BIRKIN bags can just die of envy."

Maybe it's too much coke. But C sure has an acid tongue these days. Ha ha.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

And the cost of Coffee is....

It all happened when I was grabbing a late lunch sandwich at Spinelli. I winced when the barista duly informed me that said sandwich would cost $6.90. Resigned, I handed over my Spinelli card, hoping there is enough in there to pay for my lunch.

"Would you like to redeem your points for the sandwich?", she kindly asks. "It will take 1,500 points, and you have 4,500 points in your card." She continues. Surprised, I responded and asked her how much I had to spend to accumulate 4500 points. And the answer......... a shocking $480.

Gasp. I had spent $480 on coffee?!? Granted, it was over a long period of time (unlike some kopi addict friends who need double or triple doses a day), but my mind quickly computed $480 = 1 pair tods shoe on sale.

Ok no more designer kopi for me. Stick to Ya Kun (and even the $2 for kopi at Ya Kun I think it's a rip off).

Moral of story? Drink water.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

H alert

With the new H awareness, it's no wonder suddenly I'm very quickly now able to identify H bags I spotted over this weekend. A picotin at paragon, an evelyne at taka in the same lift going up to the yoga studio (no way one can miss that),....and, just minutes ago, the holy 30cm Birkin in Bleu de Prusse. Actually the Birkin spotting was an accidental discover as C and I were walking towards the car after a very satisfying durian fix at balestier.

Me: (tugs C's arm repeatedly). Look look, the girl there long legs, so long it's up to her armpits!
C: Hmm. No not really.
Me: Not sexy meh? (Girl was wearing short shorts, and ultra high platform heels).
C: No lah.
Me: *GASP*!! She's carrying a BIRKIN!!! (tugs C's arm frantically)
C: You sure? You sure?! Lemme get take a photo...

of course by the time we get phone camera out, Ms Long Legs with Birkin Bag totters out of view already. But during that brief 20 sec Birkin viewing, I was already able to scope out the size and colour. Well educated by tpf forum. haha.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Willpower

Maybe I've finally wised up, or maybe I've finally grown out of it. Or maybe because my bank account is so crippled. Because I had enough willpower today to walk in to one of my fav shoe shops, large 70%! SALE sign blasting everywhere and resist the most beautiful pair of satin Lacroix shoes. Why? Because. Just because.

Tod's sale, GSS, I've resisted spending so far. Maybe being crippled by H is a good outcome. And even TPF forum is getting a tad too dry and boring for me these past days. Maybe I can only be shallow for this long, and my true inner not-so-shallow self is fighting to return to the surface.

Maybe I'll strike the lottery.

Yeah maybe.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The Virus

C laments the shallow amongst us is deeply inflicted with the H1N2 virus. As in, Have 1 Need 2 (Hermes Bag) virus. Which will shortly multiply and mutate quickly into the H2N3, and then manifests as H3N4 etc etc.

Am afraid he is right. Scary.

This is a deadly affliction with no cure.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Lights for Dimwits

C had to attend a seminar for professionals in his industry. Is it like a light-changing seminar, I asked? So I asked C:

Me: So how many Hollys does it take to change a set of lightbulbs?
C: None. Because she's so dim she doesn't need any light.

Corny. I know.

Class, and Perspectives

Perspective is a strange thing. It just occurred to me this morning (as I was cleaning up dog poo) that there's a real big fuss over a bag costing more than $10K, but people hardly bat half an eyelid or twitch a toenail over a good swiss watch which would cost more than 10K anyway. See these uncles out there with their Loh-lex, or some banker with their Patek...heck, any good watch worth their hand-made parts would set one poorer by over 10K at entry-level. There's even magazine journals and horology magazines and catalogues on these wrist accessories. So what's the big hooha about a hard to get bag? Nothing. Madame Birkin, Herr Muller and Msier Cartier are probably in the same social class. A dozen Madame Birkins and her cousin M'selle Kelly will hardly impress the the lofty M'sier Patek, who will hardly make an appearance unless one's bank account is in the elite class.

So moral of story? No need to bat any eyelashes at the house of H, because the true signal of one's elevated bank account is only shown by the piece worn on your wrist.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Welcome to Shallow Club

So I jumped on the shallow club bandwagon, in a moderately big way. To quote Veron, "last time you were not so shallow, now getting shallower. Ha ha". And so did YP, with her Happy Diamonds. The person I'd least expect though is C. Apparently the dude happened to pass-by a reseller of designer bags store and decided to kaypoh a bit. Conversation with rather snooty sales girl went like this:

C: Is that a Birkin bag?
Snooty: No it's a Kelly.
C: How much for it?
Snooty: $12,500.
C: That's pricey.
Snooty (with a bit of snob): Well the price is like that one. It's not as if you can get this bag anywhere.
C: Not reallly. My gf just bought one recently.
Snooty (with a Yeah right look): There's a waitlist one. You can't just buy it off the shelf.
C: Nope, we can just fly to Japan to buy it. Anyway she already bought 2 bags from there, I just wanted to get her another one in a different colour.
Snooty: ......

C exits.

Wow, didn't think my usually very diplomatic and generous-hearted bf had it in him to suan a salesperson. Lesson for Ms. Snooty? Don't think your customers are not well educated by their partners. Ahahahahhaah.

And to C, I say, Welcome to the Shallow Club.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Italian vs French

Finally it has come to this - Tod's sale tomorrow and for the first time in ....7 years maybe, I'm not going to the sale. Why? Because the French leatherhouse has completely dominated and possessed my time (and my bank account) this past weeks, I can no longer afford Italian.

Is that why French restaurants are frequently more expensive than Italian? These frenchies make one so broke.....

Oh my poor Tods.

sob.

Monday, June 01, 2009

To make oneself

I spend a great deal of my life in pursuit of knowledge. And then some. And these pursuits come at a price. When friends are building their lives in a home and family, I build mine with books, courses, and of recent times ...good quality leather. I'm proud of the fact that I'm a self-made person, depending only on myself for what I have achieved so far.

Long of the short? This is why I have so little savings. Ha ha.

Major milestones:
MBA = 30K
Yoga training + lessons past 8 yrs = same cost as MBA
Good quality leather = reaching MBA
Dogs = luckily not yet reach MBA

Labels