My One Cent Worth of Thoughts

I thought I had outgrown Phantom and that I probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much (considering that tonight’s performance was my THIRD!). Phantom’s splendid sets had never ceased to amaze me. The last time I watched it was in London. However, tonight’s show was a strong reminder of its grandeur,the elaborate costumes and emotion evoking songs.

I had the greatest urge to insert my Phantom CD while I was in my car. But, as usual, my stuff was all over the place and it was definitely unreachable at that point of time. Well, the actor who played Phantom was fantastic, as usual. I don’t remember having heard a lousy phantom before. Christine was good as well. However, 3 words appeared in my mind for Raoul – a weak voice. A very weak imitation of Michael Ball.

To me, I have always preferred Les Miserables to Phantom. I find Les Miserables more rousing and Phantom is, a love story. I have never been much of a romance junkie. I do read trashy romance novels now and then for stress relief and as an intermission for heavy duty reading. I even thought that the plot for Sleepless in Seattle was illogical (how could they possibly have recognised each other at the top of the empire state building?! DUH!), only to have my friend accuse me of being UN-romantic.

However, this time, at the final installment, where Phantom gave up Christine so that she could find her own happiness with Raoul, strangely, it felt like something was stuck in my throat. I am becoming a softie as i age. Sigh… Or it might very well, be that my seat was so good that I could see the anguished look on his face!

Phantom to me is more than a world-renowned musical. It brought back fond memories of the MAGXXM, scenes of us rolling around on Seow’s bed, listening to musical CDs, her prancing around in her Phantom T-shirt and all the silly antics (which included making prank calls to the guys in our French class and making them say dumb-ass things). Life was so much simpler and idealistic then. I’m wondering if these are being remembered. I had the urge to call Seow and discuss about Phantom. But, now, everyone has her own life to lead, husband to pander to and children to fuss over. Nothing much, just a very strong sense of loss…

Anyway, it was great that I had been there, done that. It certainly beats not even having such memories at all.

So if you ask me, will I watch Phantom a 4th time? I’ll tell you, “oh yes!” Not only that, I will prepare my Phantom cds on hand so that I will not be suffering from withdrawal after the musical ends.

Well, life goes on…. Back to reality now!

Remember my “very clean” brother? Well, yesterday, he really outdid himself. I swore that for every cartridge, there was at least 1 bar of ink left. I checked. And, as usual, before every print job, my dear Brother went through his cleanliness routine. He cleaned himself so much that he used up all the available ink and left me stranded for my print job. ARGH! So now, I’m out of ink, and out of “print” job. This is just GREAT! Thanks to my dear Brother….

Here I am, dying to get my post printed out, in black and white, so that I can use it tomorrow, and then crawl into bed. BUT! My dear brother just has to clean himself! ARGH! Every time I ask him to perform a task, he will clean himself for at least 5-10 minutes before setting his mind to it! What’s his problem! Is there a need to do that?! I can’t stand his freakish habit!

Still, being such a cleanliness freak sure beats the Epson. My last Epson got so clogged up that the nozzles couldn’t be used. That’s how I ended up with Brother. But then again, nothing could beat my faithful HP. He slogged and slaved for me for a good 3 years before he decided that enough was enough. He hung up his inks and went into permanent hibernation. How I miss him!

After my clean little brother expires, I will go back to HP. Nothing beats good old HP….

Yes yes yes. I’m a dead duck. Tomorrow will be the long awaited day to articulate my Toastmaster’s Project 2 speech. It’s much anticipated, considering that I did my Project 1 speech, 1 year back. Procrastination kicks in ever so often.

Now, I can almost see the back of my head with my eyelids being strongly magnetised to the lower side of my eye sockets. My brain can hardly function with less than 8 hours of much needed Zzzzz…

I have, thus, decided to plagarise my own blog and rattle out the post on MRT habits tomorrow. Heck! I figure that since it’s good enough to be read, it should be good enough to recite. But, I wonder if it’s good enough to win the much coveted Speaker’s award. It will be a miracle, since it’s a such a 13th hour work. Oh well, just to get myself through the process. Project 2 here I come!

Gone were the days when I possessed only 1 pair of brown heels and 1 pair of black heels (to match my meagre wardrobe which consisted of black/beige clothes), since Yinghui introduced me to strappy heels. Now, I have a few pairs in varying degrees of brown and black. Hah! (So if you happen to spy someone dressed in black or brown, that’s moi!) Ok ok, go ahead and yawn at my boring wardrobe.

Anyway, to walk down a flight of stairs on a pair of strappy heels and to maintain the elegant posture, it takes a lot of patience and skill – 2 qualities absent from the very core of me. Therefore, imagine me, grimacing as I attempted my light-footed walk down the stairs, just to keep the decibels down. Picture the internal stress that it caused in me. I was almost experiencing a nervous breakdown, every time I come to a flight of stairs.

So, recently, I have given up all attempts to look ladylike and walking lightly down. What the heck! I simply bounced down the stairs in my normal manner and took pride in the deafening “clack clack” made by my heels. I received a few shocked looks from my fellow stair-walkers. Hey! It only gave me a chance to smile at them and make their day/night! Why not!

Therefore, I have resolved that I shall walk loudly and make the presence of my strappy heels known! If you want to walk down the stairs, why do it like a mouse?! Make it loud and clear and known!

I have just been stood up again… By my very own consultant. I’m going to box his ears when I see him on Monday. HMPF!

Another purpose for blogging is for cursing people! YOU ^%$%@#$#@ mangy dog! So there! I feel so much better… This is what happens when you get so bored, you start talking gibberish to yourself.

After suffering 4 days of criticisms, I felt that enough was enough. It’s time to take some measures to right the fault.

Upon a recommendation, I hastened my way to Chinatown point (in dark shades and turban to lessen the possibility of being recognised) to get my fringe re-shaped.

While surveying the damage, the hairdresser asked, “Aiyo! Which hairdresser did you go to?! Why cut your fringe until sooo shoooort???!!!!”
Ahwei: Yalor Yalor! Lousy hor! Next time don’t want to go there again!! (Who in the right mind would confess to this horrific crime?! So I decided to blame it on an imaginery person.)
Hairdresser: Please! Next time don’t ask your hairdresser to cut until so short!! Not nice!! (Made some tsk tsk sounds) I will try to thin it. Next time when your fringe grows back longer, then I cut it nicely for you. Ok??

The fringe now looks a wee bit better than before. It will be another few months before I can get it styled again……

I declare that this would be the very last time I would ever go to this hairdresser!! NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN!!

For weeks, I was looking at the world through the gaps in my fringe (sort of reminded me of those white and grey shaggy dogs) and as usual, I procrastinated getting it cut (what’s new??). So one very day, I resolved to go to the nearest QB station to get my $10 haircut. They cut really decently for $10, serious!! However, I was soon talked out of it by Brenda and Julie, who declared that it’s a total waste to spend 10 whole bucks, merely on trimming my fringe!!!! They convinced me on the merits of cutting my own hair, citing that it was not only simple (any idiot can do it) but it’s also free….

I should have read Napolean Hill earlier. One of his chapters mentioned that Millionaires make their decisions quickly and chanage them slowly. Sigh….

So, I got ready the tool of the trade (bought a pair of scissors from Guardian because the scissors at home have developed teeth…) and prepared myself for life-changing event.

I carefully combed my fringe so that every strand of hair fell into place and delicately snipped it off, just below my eyebrows with 2 quick snips. That was easy and quick, ya??!! Feeling rather proud of myself, I took another view of it in the mirror and SHIIITTT!!! My fringe has shrunk above my eyebrows!!!!! I looked, and still does, absolutely TUT (slang for country bumpkin)!!

I realised that when I was cutting my hair, I was actually looking up, so, as a natural reflex, my eyebrows were raised. Therefore, I was actually measuring the length of my fringe against the raised eyebrows. Mystery solved.

All great people have to go through failures and jibes from the public. SO I braced myself and have since lived through 2 days of jibes and jeers. I have decidedly sacrificed myself for the good of the world, by providing them with good, clean entertainment for 2 whole days and a few more days to come. Meanwhile, I have just learnt that XO aids hair growth…..

P.S. Julie mentioned that I should have snipped my fringe in layers and not in 2 clean snips….. Just a word of advice for people who decide to take their hairs in their own hands…..

It all happened on a Friday morning… KL was recounting to Kirk about my German hamster’s (the nationality being its place of birth) escapades and the rest of my silly stories on my.. blog, before she exclaimed, “Hey! Is your blog still around!!??”

Oh yeah.. I do still have a blog. Although it’s been at the back of my mind lately. Either I do not have any humourous stories to narrate or when one actually pops by, I have no time to pen it down and eventually, it deserts me.

As I went down memory lane just now, going through what I had written, I was really quite surprised with myself. Can I actually reproduce that now?

Oh my Humourous self, where have you gone?????

Pig’s oatmeal was definitely the hot topic among the few of us last night. The conclusion was, that’s how child prodigies are made, by devouring a lot of insects for protein. I will be collecting ants and roaches around my house for Pig’s staple intake. See! So nice of me arh!