Entries Tagged 'Ramblings' ↓

Not “sex” and the “city” lah… Sex and the City - the hit tv series and now, the Movie. “Sex” and the “city” will be another story altogether won’t it?!

All beauty blogs and fashion blogs and girly girly blogs were all a buzz in the middle of the month about the premiere of the Sex and the City movie.

All except this one you would have noticed.

This site and all my other related sites have been bereft of all mention of Sex and the City whether in movie or tv series form. The answer is simple.

I’ve never watched Sex and the City.

And I have no desire to.

I read the book - I have it in my book shelf - and I wasn’t all that taken by it. I read it and promptly forgot what its about. Was there sex in the city? Don’t ask me! I have no idea!

I’d actually rather go and watch Kungfu Panda.

Now, what does that say about me?

With this latest fuel price increase have you considered what lifestyle changes you have to make other than counting the pennies and tightening your belt?

I’m working on the belt tightening. But before I do, there was one budget busting item I had to get, and then I’m done with the spending money like water for a while. There are a couple of things I’m working on that need the money more than mere frivolities.

Behold!

Eeks! Yes, I know I was asking about a Lumix previously. I went and made many enquiries about the various Lumix models until I was so sure I was about to buy one.

Then I saw this one and suddenly all thoughts of a Lumix flew out of my head. I’m so fickle! I knew it was a Canon for me. Never mind that my first and only digicam thus far was a Canon that died on me. I knew after testing it that it was “the one”.

So, I’m all gadgeted out now. But at least I know I’ll now have better looking photos instead of having to rely solely on the phone camera!

Speaking of lifestyle changes, I’d like to steal a question off the evening news. With this present price incease in fuel to RM2.70 per litre of petrol, are you prepared to take the public transport instead of drive?

My answer is simple.

Even with the price incease, and even if it means pinching a penny till it squeaks, I will not take the public transportation because:-

1. Public transportation is non existent. The buses are never on time and bus stops are never properly designated. The buses stop anywhere that someone sticks their hand out. Trains (in KL city) are a nightmare. Not all lines service every part of the city and all the lines do not intersect at any point. If I were to take the trains, I’d have to change 3 times for what would be an 8km drive to work.  Taxis aren’t an option for me because (see reason 2)
2. Security. I’m paranoid about personal safety on the public transport and while going to the requisite stop. Some bus stops are isolated and walking to the bus or train stop may prove to be dangerous. While on the bus or train, you have to watch out for pickpockets or people with octopus arms. In a taxi its even worse - strange car + stranger = disaster.  I’m not saying all taxis are bad. I just can’t feel comfortable enough to ride in one alone.
3. Wasted Time. With the uncertain timetables of our public transport system I’d probably need 2 hours to get to work when I can drive there in 10 minutes. I guess at the end of the day, it is how much that time saved is worth vs the money  spent on petrol.

And so, public transport is just not an option for me. I know I’m polluting the environment with my single occupier vehicle, and that driving is eating into my monthly income. But I’d rather have the security, peace of mind, mobility, convenience and time saved by driving myself places.

Would you consider switching your car for the public transport to save money?

With this point to ponder, here’s wishing everyone a happy weekend!

Late yesterday evening, the announcement was made after much speculation, that petrol prices in Malaysia were being increased by a hefty 78 sen. That takes us up from RM1.92 to RM2.70 per litre. RM2.70! I remember when a plate of wantan mee was RM2.70.
That’s a very substantial increase and the biggest ever price hike in the country’s history. You know you are (a) old and (b) bitter when you can recall petrol prices of RM1.10 as a kid. This price increase comes hot on the heels of the denial and statement by the Minister of Domestic Trade just 2 days ago that fuel prices will only be increased in August 2008.

This is also a typical case of “Esok Tak Ada” which were the immortal words of the Prime Minister just a day before Parliament was dissolved to pave way for the General Elections.  If there was a compilation of the most oxymoronic phrases uttered by our leaders, this “Esok Tak Ada” would go down in history right on top at No. 1. (Note to all government agents reading this: Please look up the word oxymoron in the dictionary before arresting me for sedition yes? )

So, with only this amount of petrol left in my car fuel tank

I grudgingly hauled my butt over to the nearest petrol station to fill ‘er up at the never to be seen again price of RM1.92 per litre of petrol.

All in all, it took me an hour to get to the pump, fill up to full tank and drive back home. Was it worth it? I think so. At an increase of 41%  I saved RM23 last night as opposed to pumping my car today.

The man in the car before me was drastic enough to tilt up and lift up the hose of the pump to make sure that every single drop of petrol flowed from the pump into his car tank. Some people looked like they had been sitting in a jam for hours as the first thing they did when they reached the pump was to run for the toilets. Others stood around griping and sharing their misery with other like minded consumers. Interesting how it is in times of adversity such as this that the people will bond.

With the price of fuel going up, so too are the electricity tarrifs effective July 1. Expect your chicken rice to similar rise in price as well as every other consumer good out there. Inflation will soon hit an all time high, I predict, looking into my foggy crystal ball.

It looks like hard times ahead.

I’m so efficient that I ended up getting suspended again!

I also ended up screaming at the Streamyx technical people to connect my account back this morning when it was still off line. I know they told me 24 hours but its never taken more than half an hour before (I seem to be an old hand at this!) so I told them they really suck (in my exact words) and that they were so quick to suspend my account but when I make payment they are so slow to reconnect.

What d’ya know? 10 minutes later, I’m back online. Amazing how useful “persuasion” is

And so, this explains why I’ve been quiet on all blog fronts.

On another note, I’ve been thinking of getting a new point and shoot camera. There is only so much a phone camera can do and that is mostly in daylight. Come dim lighting and it really sucks. Not useful when I’m working on my food site - Pink Parisian (Have you visited or revisited HaveYouEaten.Net? You didn’t realise the site address has changed? Where have you been?! ) that needs me to take some decent pictures and not rely on the phone. I mean, a phone is after all, a phone first and camera second (or rather it should be) else I’d be able to make calls from a DSLR yes?

So, ideas ideas! I’m not in the league of the DLSRs. I just want a basic and simple point and shoot that takes decent pictures, especially close up pictures. Preferably costing about RM800 or so. I saw a few Panasonic Lumix cameras that fell into this price range, but I’ve never used a Lumix, only ever a Canon.

Cheap and good. Does it exist?

Yet another whirlwind weekend has passed by in a blur. Honestly, I sometimes look forward to week days simply because its the only time I have to myself, to blog, to take pictures to blog, to watch tv, to do laundry, to clean house… to do everything I should be doing on a weekend! My weekends always pass by in a blur of activity which usually involves ferrying someone from one point to another or running around getting all sorts of things. Juggling 3-4 different projects isn’t fun!

Actually it is. I enjoy it

This weekend was no different. I spent the better part of Saturday at the Bloggers Tea Party organised by Rinnah and it was great fun meeting her and SengKor, Winn, Angeles, Beetrice and some other bloggers who I didn’t catch their names (sorry!) who made it to the party.

The rest of the weekend, I spent on a DIY mission. This is part 1 of about 100 of my DIY things to do around the house. A while ago, I bought a pair of bookshelves from Ikea. My mom insisted that I buy the doors to go with it, because it would get dusty otherwise. But, I being rather short in the money department, refused.

I ‘m glad I did. This weekend, I popped by Ikea and on a whim, went to check out the As Is department - where all rejects and ex-display units go. Behold!

I got my bookshelf doors at a total of RM84 off! Glass doors that matched my bookcase perfectly and they came fully installed with the hinges and handles so all I had to do was to screw it into the bookcase and voila! New doors! Now, I need to look for another pair for the other book case.

And while I was there, I also picked up a glass fronted door for another bookcase I transformed into my storage cabinet in my bedroom. It was  marked down to RM84 from RM120 or something ridiculous. It was still unassembled and in the original packaging. The sole “defect” was a little scratch running down the back of the board (which you can’t see from the outside in any event!).

Needless to say, I spent a happy 2 hours setting up my doors. I also bought something interesting which I’m using to remove the clutter from my dressing table, but I forgot to take pictures of those. Maybe next time.

My next DIY project : Painting my room walls. I shudder at the thought.

What did you do this weekend?