SPG in the city

The Planning Stage

Thu, 28 May 2009 05:25:13 GMT

So, planning for the big day has commenced.

There's so much to do and I have less than three months to plan and execute two events. Urg. And a third event to organise for January/February 2010! So, although this is a pretty small-ish wedding, I'm dreading the planning stages already.

Let's see, first, we have to plan the solemnisation ceremony. This involves looking for a venue, which thankfully we have more or less settled on, getting a solemniser, and basically, everything else needed for the solemnisation! Then of course, there's the HUGE issue of what I'm going to wear, who's going to do my hair and make-up, can I lose 5kg in two months, do I want to have a violinist at the solemnisation (random, I know!), the list goes on.

The next event will be the gift exchange ceremony. This will the be 'cultural' aspect of our wedding, since there isnt any religious aspect to it. The only problem is, I'm not exactly familiar with that half of my culture, never did pay attention when I attended Malay weddings in the past! So I'm depending on the wisdom and advice of friends and relatives to tell me what to do.

Speaking of the the whole cultural thing, my mother (not surprisingly) is being rather irritating about this whole wedding. After the issue of, will he-or-will-he-not-marry-her and how-can-they-live-in-sin, she's now being quite blas� about the whole thing. When I call her to update her, she doesnt seem too interested in the details, UNTIL I start talking about the gift exchange ceremony. Oh that's when she gets all in a flap and asks questions like: who are you inviting; if you invite so and so's mother; wont she ask when the nikah is taking place; what would they think if they knew there is no nikah taking place; should I tell them the nikah will be next year; what are you serving at the gift exchange ceremony - will the food be halal, will you be serving booze? OMG!!!

And I end up sounding really rude when I answer: I'm inviting relatives and friends; tell them them there is no nikah; dont lie to them about having a nikah; (bcos) I dont really care what they think; if they want to know anything else about my personal life, just ask them to talk to me directly; of cos I'm serving halal food (for God Sake,does she think I'm going to have a roasted PIG with apple sauce on the side for this event??), and no, there'll be no booze, unless of cos my future in-laws want a discreet vodka & OJ or a gin & tonic!

Grr!

As for the wedding dinner next year, I'm not even going to think about it for now! It's just too stressful!

I hate weddings! Actually, I like attending other people's weddings, but I think I hate my own since I actually have to organise the whole bloody thing. I tell you, this had better be my one and only wedding, because I'm NOT going to go through this again!

The Ring

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:50:31 GMT

Went ring shopping last night with the BF - sorry, I mean, fiance (still getting used to calling him that) and man, wedding bands in Singapore are FUGLY! Whether 18 carat white gold, or platinum - all the designs shown to me had tiny diamonds embedded in the rings - which was not at all what I wanted! As I explained to the saleswomen at the shops we went to, I wanted a simple ring, no design, no diamond, just a simple band. They said plain wedding bands were mainly for men, not ladies. Oh COME ON! Seriously???!!

After trying a few on, and totally not liking any of them, I asked again for a plain band. Only then did they bring out one or two rings that they had, and on trying the plain band with an diamond solitaire engagement ring, it was absolutely clear to me that a plain band was what I wanted. Also, a plain wedding band is cheaper than the crap with diamonds - one ring cost only S$390!

The thing is, I have rather small fingers, and they are the slimmest part of me! It's actually quite surprising, I am large everywhere, well aside from my tits and fingers, so small, slim rings fit my finger better than a large chunky ones. Apparently, I'm a size 6-7, who knows what that means. But what I found out last night was this: the advantage of having small fingers is that an average-sized rock (say 0.7 or 0.8 carat) would look pretty damn good on my finger! Major bling! I like!! :-D

The fiance also made me try a 2 carat diamond engagement ring! No, it was just for fun, he has no intention of getting me anything that huge! OMG it looked absolutely MASSIVE on my finger, I suddenly felt like I was a Hollywood Star or a Tai Tai! I mean, like any other girl, I like bling, but it was just so over-the-top and if I owned a ring like that, I would NOT be wearing it everyday, I can tell you that! I'd be too afraid!

So, we didnt buy anything yesterday, but it's a good start. At least I know what I want now.

The only problem I have now is for the fiance. He doesnt intend to wear a wedding ring - and I'm not bothered if he doesnt - but I'm just wondering what we should do at the civil ceremony when we're exchanging rings?

Hmm, more stuff to think about!

PS: Sorry, this blog is going to get pretty boring, cos it'll prob be about weddings, marriage, how to stop myself from killing busybody relatives, how to stop the wedding from turning into a freakshow/circus, etc, etc, etc! Bear with me!

Join SPG in mourning the death of....

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:43:23 GMT

... her Single Status.

Just to announce to the world - SPG is getting married! That's right folks, the BF of 4 years proposed last weekend!

It was very unexpected and I think I was in shock when the BF popped the question, "will you marry me?"

I think I looked at him in silence for at least five seconds before quietly replying, 'yes, of course I will!'.

[I wonder, if in those 5 seconds, the BF was actually worried that I might actually say no?]

Then he started crying - yes, he cried first - which in turn made me cry!

After hugging and kissing, we just beamed at each other, both feeling very very happy!

So yes, the SPG has lots to think about now, what kind of ring I want, when to do the civil ceremony, what kind of dress to wear, what kind of party to have... lots of planning and decision-making time!

Hmm, I think I should change my facebook profile to 'Its Complicated'... because the business of weddings is ALWAYS complicated!

Oh, and I hope I dont end up being a Bridezilla! :-D

I know I should be flattered...

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:28:20 GMT

... but really, it's beginning to annoy me.

I have a female colleague who is also my lunch buddy. She's a nice girl and all, chatty, generous, and we get along quite well. However, what annoys me is that Ms WorkFriend tends to talk about herself ALL the time. It's always about HER problems in the office, HER problems at home, HER son, HER life, HER HER HER! Even when I'm telling her something about my life or my day at work, somehow the conversation will go back to HER! These days, I tend to lend her a listening ear, but have stopped telling her my own stories - it seems pointless. I suppose I should feel flattered that she's confiding in me, and after listening to all her problems (and believe me, she has lots!), I can see how she's in desperate need of attention.

The thing that really annoys me is that she is rather sparing with compliments. No, I'm not attention-starved and want her to compliment me 24/7, but when I showed her a necklace I made (yes, I'm artistic and I make things!), she doesnt seem to be able to show much enthusiasm for them. She would just nod or smile to acknowledge whatever I've shown her, but would then follow-up with a negative comment like, 'oh, but this is too big, I would like it better if it was smaller', or 'oh nice, but too bad its not in black/white/blue'. Meanwhile, if I show the necklaces to other colleagues whom I'm not even that close to, they would be really enthusiastic about my efforts - one colleague even bought one of my necklaces! But what did Ms WorkFriend do? She went off to Island Shop - WITH ME - and bought a necklace which I could have easily made for her for half the price! It was as if she has no faith in my abilities and wanted to show me that she'd rather buy the necklace from a shop. Thanks for the support!

Or the time I showed her my brand new red Kate Spade suede handbag. Ms WorkFriend did show some enthusiasm and said, "oooh nice, but I dont really like red handbags'. WTF - it's my handbag, I'm not asking YOU to carry it! :-P About a month later, she shows up at work with a new handbag and surprise, surprise, Ms I-Dont-Really-Like-Red-Handbags bought a fire-engine red one, and proceeded to talk about how everyone in the office noticed and complimented her new (I'm being catty now but I dont care) $30 handbag!

One time, I was window-shopping with her at a shopping mall. A complete stranger came up to me and told me she really liked my leather pass-holder asked me where I bought it from. I told her that I had bought it in the Coach outlet in the States and proceeded to have a short chat about how expensive Coach bags/items were in Singapore. Ms WorkFriend was quiet throughout the conversation. Then surprise, surprise, what do I see around her neck a few weeks later? You guessed it - an almost identical fake leather pass holder!

It doesnt end there! I have a black jacket that I wear in the office when it gets cold. It's nothing special, just a plain black zip-up cotton-lycra jacket from Gap - a sort of 'biker chick' look to it. Ms WorkFriend didnt seem to pay any special attention to it, she didnt ask me about my jacket, nor did she compliment me when I wore the jacket, and I wasnt expecting any compliments anyway - like I said, it wasnt anything special, just slightly different from the other jackets/cardigan people wear at work. A couple of weeks later... that's right folks, she bought a similar 'biker chick' jacket, except that her's was shiny pleather and had unnecessary zips all over. She proudly went around the office saying she bought a 'biker chick' jacket because she wanted to be a 'rebel'.

Er... ok.....

Anyway, I suppose imitation is the greatest form of flattery, but I tell you, I'm getting mighty tired of being flattered!

Will stop being so catty now and write about something that happened to me in the ladies bathroom yesterday.

I had a tummy upset in the morning, so I headed off to the bathroom to relieve myself. The bathroom was empty, and I thought, oh great, I have the place to myself and can pretty much be as noisy as I want. :-D Not that I was.... but anyway, back to the story. I decided to use the third last cubicle because the water pressure was much stronger than the others. As I sat there, half day-dreaming, half falling asleep, I suddenly heard flushing noises from the cubicle next to me. 'Strange', I thought to myself, 'I thought there was no one else in the bathroom'. It sounded as though there was a blockage and the person using the toilet had to flush multiple times. The flushing noise continued and after awhile, I started to get a very strange feeling about the whole thing. The hairs on my neck started to stand, and I thought, 'I have to get out of here! I dont want to know who or WHAT is in the next cubicle!' I quickly finished my 'business', and walked out of the cubicle. I took a quick peek at the cubicle and the door was wide open! I looked around the bathroom and there was no one in the bathroom! And horrors of horrors, the flushing continued!

I kept cool, washed my hands and refused to look in the mirrors in case I saw something I didnt want to see. I pretty much RAN out of the bathroom, feeling rather spooked!

I told a few colleagues who've been working in the company for a long while, and they said they too have heard this story before, but have not experienced it first hand. Oh dear... I was trying to be rational, told myself it was probably bad plumbing or something, but my office building is a pretty spooky place. I've heard stories from several colleagues who've had first-hand experiences with the unknown. Spooky!

Of course, when I told Ms WorkFriend about my experience this morning, she managed to turn the story round to how she had experienced something in another ladies' toilet, and how her husband was once possessed! I told you, it's ALWAYS about HER HER HER!!!

With friends like these.....

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:03:19 GMT

I am pretty pissed off.

I had invited two friends (A&B) over for pool-cum-makan session yesterday. I thought it would be nice if we could chill out by the pool, then come up for nice homecooked food, and then maybe a spot of karaoke after dinner. My two friends sounded pretty enthusiastic about the idea when I suggested it to them.

The BF and I even went food shopping. The BF was planning to start off with a mozzarella and tomato salad, followed by his delicious pasta dish with prawns in a tomato sauce.

So we were all ready for a nice afternoon/evening.

Except that my friends didnt turn up.

At about 5pm, friend A texted me to say that it was raining and that he was watching football/rugby on telly. Ok, fine, I could understand, after all, it was raining and who would want to venture out in the rain? I texted back and told him to come later for dinner, say about 7-8pm, since the BF and I had already bought enough fresh food for four. He didnt reply so I thought, ok, he'll probably discuss with friend B about when to meet, etc.

6pm came and went and still I had no news from either of them. I finally rang friend B to see what was happening. She said she was waiting for Friend A to call. She then called Friend A, and apparently Friend A suggested to her that they come over today instead.

Today came and went and I didnt even get a single call or a single text message from either of them. How bloody rude of them! All I wanted was to spend some time with my friends, even roped in the BF to cook, and they couldnt even show up and didnt even bother to call. That's why I'm so pissed off with them. Especially since this isnt the first time it's happened.

Yup, it's happened before.

During Hari Raya this year, I had mentioned over email to a few friends that I wanted to organise a tea party on Sunday at our place. Nothing fancy, the BF was going to bake and I thought it would be nice to have my friends and family over for tea. But I didnt get a reply from even one of them. No, not true, one did reply, but the reply was very ambivalent. I figured they were all obviously uninterested, so I told them to forget it - and that we could do this some other time.

But is there really any point of doing it some other time?

The tea party on Sunday went on without a hitch. The family and extended family came and we all had a very nice time. The BF baked two heavenly cakes and my dad brought delicious Bengawan Solo cakes. YUM!

I actually felt bad about excluding my friends, so I texted and invited them again. One replied to say he couldnt come as he had to work - valid reason. One texted on the day itself to say she couldnt make it as she had car issues. One said he had to go on Hari Raya visits with the family. Another said 'Insyallah' which I took to mean no. And one didnt even bother to reply. Nice.

I dont know why it is so hard to organise a meal with this group of friends. All I want to do is to invite them over for all of us to have a good time, but everytime I try to organise anything, it's like pulling teeth when I want to get a response from them. All I get is a 'see how' or 'I'm so broke', all sorts of bloody excuses. Is it so hard to decide? Not asking for anything complicated here, a simple yes or no would suffice. Like the time when I wanted to get friends over to my parents to surprise the BF on his birthday. I had to remind friend A that the BF had cooked dinner for his birthday and all he needed to do was to show up. But seriously, why do I have to resort to emotional blackmail just to get my friend to join us?

Come to think of it, it's not only when I want to invite them over to our place. Earlier this year, I came into some money and wanted to buy my friends dinner and drinks. Again, I got the usual 'see first / i cant go bcos i hv to spend time with my family" and in the end, I didnt buy dinner for anyone. As I said to my sister, well too bad for them, I wanted to treat them but if its SO hard to get them to agree to a date, then I'll just use the money to buy myself another handbag!

So I am rather disappointed with my group of friends. This group of friends are my closest friends - I consider them almost like family. They are the ones I share my good fortune with and are also the ones I turn to when in need of help or even just a listening ear. And I thought I was the same for them.

But maybe, it's not the same for them after all?

I dont know what it is. I know we all have our own lives to lead and we have different interests/responsibilities/etc, but sometimes I wonder why I'm treated like a second-class friend. It's as though my feelings dont count when my suggestion to this/that is shot down/ignored, but the moment other friends suggest something - it's all systems go.

Perhaps my friends dont like the BF? Or perhaps we've outgrown each other? Perhaps they dont really want to spend time with me because I havent really been around since I left to go overseas, and when I do come back to Singapore, it's only temporary? Sometimes I get the feeling that they are sharing all sorts of secrets together, but they share secrets between themselves, not with me. Perhaps I'm now merely an outsider, being allowed to look in the inner circle, but not really allowed in?

Perhaps I'm just clinging to the past - clinging to the friendship we used to have?

Oh I dont know.

What I do know is that I'm very pissed off, and frankly, trying to continue this friendship is pretty damn tiriing.

I'm tired of trying to invite friends over, tired of trying to organise stuff, tired of being rejected or being shown zero interest/enthusiasm. I'm tired.

So I'm not going to do it anymore. I'm not going to bother.

I'm not saying I dont want to be friends with them anymore - that's just silly - we've been friends since we were 14 and we've all been through a lot with each other. But perhaps I shouldnt treat them like family anymore, and just treat them as ordinary friends?

Hmm....

The Mole

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 08:46:47 GMT

So, I have gone and finally done it. I now know what movie stars, singers, famous people, have gone through in their quest for perfection. Heck, even my mother has gone through it, and now it's my turn.

I've had cosmetic surgery.

Oh, but dont worry, nothing drastic, havent had botox or anything major like that.

I've just removed a mole from my face.

Not just any mole, it's my 'Madonna' mole, as I used to call it. Above my lip and under my left nostril. Just like Ms Ciccone, except that mine grew double the size of hers and had hair sticking out of it. Mmm.. very attractive.

When I told a friend about what I did, he exclaimed, "but that's your trademark!!". It may be so, but not only do I have.. I mean, did I have a Madonna mole, I'm also blessed with a Cindy Crawford mole too. Also in the same position as Cindy and about the same size IF it doesnt grow bigger. In addition to that, I also have a mole on the side of my nose, quite a large one, but at least it's relatively flat and no stray hairs in sight.

And that's just the moles on my face, I'm not going to start about the moles on my body!

So I was getting rather self-conscious about my Madonna mole. Everytime I met the rellies, they'd ask if my mole was getting bigger (yes Auntie, it is!). And even my late Grandad used to tell me that I should remove the Madonna mole. I always wondered what why he didnt like that particular mole - maybe he could tell that it was going to grow into a huge monster mole that would end up covering my nostril which in turn would cause me difficulties in breathing? Or maybe that was just my overactive imagination... sorry.

Anyway, after thinking and plucking (stray hairs) and thinking some more about what to do with the mole, I finally decided that I wanted to get rid of it. So I picked up the phone, rang the National Skin Centre and made an appointment to see the doctor for a consultation.

The doctor, a nice young man, but who seemed to try rather desperately to sound and act cool - he had probably watched too many episodes of Nip/Tuck and fancied himself to be a Julian McMahon-type plastic surgeon, sat me down and asked me deep soul-searching questions. Just kidding. Kidding about the soul-searching questions, not about the Doctor that was trying too hard to be cool. He just asked which mole I wanted to get rid off and why.

I told him about how it was growing bigger and how I was worried it could possibly turn into something cancerous. Not that I was really worried about that, I was just trying to charge the surgery fees to my Medisave account and not cough up my own cash. Unfortunately for me, the doctor took one look at my mole - with the largest magnifying glass I've ever seen - and said everything looked normal - Damn! - and that it would be considered a cosmetic procedure, not a medical one, which meant no touching my medisave account!

The doctor then explained that because my mole is a raised mole, he would have to surgically remove it, ie, cut it out, and not, as I had hoped, have it blasted out by laser. This would mean, stitches, and (gulp!) scarring. Not major scarring, but damn it, this is my face we're talking about - I didnt want to look like a freak with a huge red scar on my face!

So I was faced with quite a dilemma. It was a decision not to make lightly - to cut or not to cut?

A minute later, I decided - OFF WITH THE MOLE - and made an appointment to have surgery done the following month.

To be continued................

Who will it be?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:02:27 GMT

Today's the day, when Americans get choose who they want in the White House. And all I can say is this:

Obama for President!

If you've been reading my blog, or really, just from my blog name, you can tell that I'm completely superficial and dont really give a rat's ass about politics. However, I do NOT want to see another Republican in the White House.

Enough is enough.

Hasnt Bush screwed up enough things? I mean, aside from being able to make stupid pubic hair jokes about his name, and for late night talk show hosts to make fun of his poor pronounciation and lack of intelligence, what else has Bush done for the American people?

The BF, who is a hardcore Republican, actually thinks McCain and Palin have a shot of making it to the White House and actually do a good job. Seriously? Do Americans really want Mr Senior Citizen and Mrs Beauty Queen in the White House?

Anyway, like I said, I have no interest in politics - but if I could vote in America, I'd vote for Obama. I mean, if hot George Clooney is supporting him, then he cant be all bad, can he?

;-)

A little trip down memory lane...

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:00:11 GMT

This whole fasting month was a month of looking back in time for me.

During a visit to my parent's last week, and I found pics of my parents waaay back in the 60s and 70s. My Dad looked very handsome - he looked very 'TV hero from the 60s'. And my mum had a tiny waistline, probably half the size of it her current waistline. They made a very good looking couple, I have to say.

Then I found pictures of myself in school. I realise that I was quite a vain little thing. In my Primary 2 class picture, I was sitting down, had put both hands on a knee, slanted my body and pouted! What was I thinking! I remember looking over at my classmate - who looked waaaay older than 8 - and she was posing in quite a grown up manner, and I thought to myself, I want to look grown up too. Unfortunately, my pose didnt come out quite the way I wanted it to. :-)

Looking at other primary school class photos, it also brought back memories of me being ostracized by my malay classmates. Having a non-Malay/Muslim name, the girls couldnt figure out my race, and so didnt want to play with me or share my water-bottle. Mean Girls from the 80s! Though, really, I couldnt understand the difference myself. I thought I was Malay and told my teachers that I was. (Which in turn meant that my school fees were subsidized for six years - YEY!) So, looking back, how does one explain to a bunch of 10 year-olds that although I may not have a 'binte' in my name, I'm of the same religion! How would they know? So I made friends with the Chinese girls, and there was only one Malay girl, who was open-minded enough to 'accept' me and we eventually became best friends. Funnily enough though, when I was demoted to a 'B' class in my 5th year of Primary School, the malay girls were a lot more accepting of me. I remember being a lot happier in the B class, and I'm sure the girls of 5A were probably glad to see me go too - only to see my return to 6A the following year!

Back in 2008, I also visited Geylang during the fasting month. The BF, two friends and I went on a Saturday night and I was reminded why I've not been to the Geylang bazaar for years and year - it was SO crowded and it was SO hot! And aside from food, there wasnt really anything to buy either, stuff looked cheap, and every other shop sold the same thing. Rather boring for me, but it was an eye-opener for the BF. He said he has never seen anything quite like it! Anyway, while doing the rounds, I spotted Mr N, the best friend of my ex-boyfriend (circa 90-94). Oh sh*t, I thought to myself, if Mr N is here, then I bet ex-bf IZ will be around too! I havent seen IZ since I left Singapore 13 years ago, and it wasnt exactly an amicable split. Even while I was overseas, IZ would write me super soppy love letters - enclosing his pictures - and begging for forgiveness. He even sent cards to my parents, and also visited them! I thought it was all very sad and creepy!

True enough, I spotted IZ. And he looked exactly the same, still skinny with unkempt hair, and I wondered to myself (yet again) what I ever saw in him. But I didnt want a reunion there at Geylang, so I ducked my head and quickly walked past him. I didnt know if IZ saw me, as I didnt want to make eye-contact, but I couldnt resist telling my friend who I saw. She turned to look at him, and said that he looked shocked and was trying to look into the crowd to confirm if it was me. Oh dear. Told the BF what had happened and he thought it was all very sweet! :-S

Meanwhile on Facebook, I've been getting requests from friends whom I've lost contact with since leaving school in '93. One request came from a school-mate who used to call me SPG-banana (dont ask) and she actually called me that again on her message in Facebook. I found it really odd, as I've not spoken to her since leaving school, and is that really the way to re-start a friendship? Oh I dont know, maybe it is! Another schoolmate wrote a very nice message but I havent replied as I dont really know what to say to her.

Back to Mr N, his wife, whom I met probably twice or three times at most, also sent me a message and requested me to add her as a friend. I agreed but also found the request really odd - its not like we were best buds back in the day. Mr and Mrs N stayed with me twice in London and that was that. According to a source, Mrs N is picky about her friends, but apparently she has a good opnion about me. Hmm, I'm sure it wasnt my charms or looks that did it - probably had something to do with me living in a pretty nice flat in St John's Wood!

So that was my blast with the past. Looking back, it's all very funny. I can spend hours looking at old photographs, and even reading my old diaries. Never fails to amuse me. Hope this blog will continue to be up 50 years from now, so that I have something to read when I'm old and toothless! :-)

Addicted!

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 03:55:53 GMT

Like David Duchovny's sex addiction in reel and real life, the BF and I also have a guilty little secret.

We too have an addiction.

An internet addiction.

[Sorry to disappoint, if you were expecting a more exciting confession!]

The BF reads his newspaper online. He is also addicted to youtube, where he finds ALL the music vids of bands I havent even heard off - from punk, rock, even reggae. He is also addicted to all sorts of forums - on politics, diving, money, music, living in Singapore, how to fix a laptop - whatever DIY you need doing, he'll probably get onto one forum or another to get advice on how to do it.

The BF can spend hours, and I do mean HOURS on the internet, just surfing and reading and listening to music. In fact, I was offered a posting in a rather interesting Third World Country, and although I was game to go, the BF wasnt, as he read that there was NO internet in that country! If that's not addiction, I dont know what is!

Though, on hindsight, I'm pretty glad that I didnt take up the offer, or rather, the circumstances didnt allow me to take up the offer, as I dont think I could survive without the internet either.

As everyone knows, I'm addicted to TV.

And since moving back to Singapore, I've been too cheap to subscribe to any cable channels or the latest Singtel offering, Mio TV. And there's really no point watching Channel 5 since all the 'latest' tv shows are a season or two behind the States (with the exception of American Idol, of course). And I've watched all the latest seasons of all my favourite TV shows. So what do I do? I'm not going to wait until Channel 5 catches up - which will be never - so there's only one thing to do:

I watch tv shows online.

Dont you just love broadband!

Oh, and since it's not the 'fall season' yet, I havent been watching that many programmes. I've been keeping up with:

(dont worry, no spoilers!)

America's Next Top Model Cycle 11 - they're in LA and there's a tranny in the competition!! Go Isis!

Project Runway Season 5 - there's a Cher wannabe in the competition!!

Gossip Girl Season 2 - what can I say, I LURVE this teen-drama-soap-in-the-city series!

90210 - I had to watch it. I know, it's lame, but you would too, if you were a teen in the 90s and didnt miss a single episode and had massive crushes on Luke Perry and Jason Priestly... what manly sideburns they had!

Weeds Season 4 - the show's about weed, what's not to like? :-D

And when the fall season does start, I cannot wait for these:

Grey's Anatomy, Season 5 - it's a hospital drama - almost like ER but its light and frothy.. Ok, it's nothing like ER. If these hospital shows are like coffee, then ER is like an expresso and Grey's a cappuccino.

Desperate Housewives, Season 5 (or is it 6, I've lost count) - they're going five years into the future, how can I not watch that!! Will the women of W(H)ysteria Lane age?

Brothers and Sisters - Rob Lowe. Senator. Yum. Oh yeah, the Ally McBeal chicky is in it too, you know, Indiana Jones' girlfriend in real life. She's still as annoying as ever, by the way.

The L Word - (Lots of) Sex in the (west coast) city for lesbians!

Heroes!!!!! After an absolutely CRAP season 2, season 3 had better be good! Save the cheerleader, save the.... ok, I know, I'm a geek.

Cashmere Mafia - 4 powerful women in NY, with man issues and fabulous wardrobes. No, it's NOT sex and the city, but it might as well be!

Dirty Sexy Money - it's Dynasty, without the Dy. A senator cheating on his wife with a tranny. A priest who has a child out of wedlock and lies to his wife about it? Hard to resist! Also, the other chicky from Ally McBeal and Cashmere Mafia, Lucy Liu, will be in season 2. And she's always bitchy, which is always enjoyable!

24 - Jack Bauer, where have you been - I've missed you! Though I do have a replacement - Adam Carter from Spooks!

And of cos, season 2 of the David Duchovny series, Californication. Will he have sex with other women even if/when he gets together with the woman he truly loves? Why is he so addicted to sex?

Why am I so addicted to tv?

That's it, i'm not watching anything online tonight!

(But I will watch Spooks on dvd tonight!)

:-)

SPG in a HDB

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 03:29:31 GMT

I am finally of age, the magical age of 21!

I have freedom, I can do what I like.... oh who am I kidding. I turned 35 last week and I can finally do something I've been wanting to do for ages.

I can actually buy a HDB flat.

By myself.

I dont have to be engaged or married. Neither do I have to share it with family members.

It will be mine, ALL MINE!

The only problem is, I dont actually know where to start.

Being a single buyer, it means I have to buy a resale flat.

But what kind of flat do I want to buy - a 3, 4 or even a 5 room flat?

Which areas do I like? Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Toa Payoh? Hmm, reality check, 3 room flats in Toa Payoh already cost over S$300,000 - can I really afford these areas?

And what can I afford?

How much cash do I need to cough up to HDB and the owner of the flat? And what's all this about cash-over-evaluation - whatever that means? What if the owners ask me for a ridiculous sum of cash upfront? I mean, there are suckers out there paying over half a million dollars for a HBD flat. What hope is there for a poorly paid person like me with hardly any savings to afford anything out there in the resale market?

And when do I buy the flat?

HDB has ridiculous rules about not allowing people to rent out the whole flat if the owner owns the flat for less than 5 years.

The BF doesnt want to live in a HDB flat - and well, to be honest neither do I. We're very comfy in our rented condo. And I may move overseas at the end of next year.

So what do I do? Do I buy a flat just before moving overseas, so that the furniture in the current rented condo can be moved to the HDB flat? Which means I can rent out a fully-furnished HDB flat, which in turn means getting more money?

Or do I buy a flat in January 09, keep one-door locked (in keeping with HDB's dumb policy) and then rent out only rooms to tenants? Which means my target tenants are riff-raff or worse, students, who can only afford to rent rooms, rather than whole flats.

Sigh.

Why is it that HDB has come up with so many rules and regulations for something that we've paid for with our sweat, blood and tears?

HDB will probably answer - oh because your flats are subsidised.

Paying S$300,000 for a flat? What kind of subsidy is that?

Oh, but we're giving first-time buyers a $11,000 subsidy, they might say.

A meagre amount, with a very long string attached.

Double sigh.

I should seriously think about leaving Singapore - for good! Renounce my citizenship just so that I can get my CPF money, and with that, find a home for myself elsewhere!

And the Government wonders why so many Singaporeans are dissatisfied and want to leave -or be a "quitter", to quote one Singapore Leader.

Enough moaning and bitching, back to scanning the classified ads.

:-(