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Airline Ticketing Stress

I really do believe that airline booking system induces stress and panic to anyone who wants to book a ticket.

This is the online booking for KLM on Sunday


Almost $1.7K

And this is the same booking for Monday


About 1.4K

My goodness … almost a 300 dollars difference!

I sympathize with the poor people whom already booked on Sunday. I imagine that they must have been frantic – trying to book the airline ticket, afraid that the prices will rise again. Only to see the price went down the very next day.

I’d be stressed out myself.

Luckily for me, I booked a ticket as soon an Zuji returned my refund money. Less than 30 days now to see my dearest 🙂 I cant wait!

I really miss him alot …

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Life’s probabilties

In mathematics, there is something which is called the ‘Probability Tree’ in which it measures what your chances and odds are in a situation.

If you dont do something, there will be a fair chance that something else will happen as a result.

—

Back in Jurong Institute, there was this boy which I was friends with. We both met as we were both from the science stream and would share the same lecture so eventually it would be inevitable that it would be that we stop for a while and talk about school matters.

I liked to go to class a little bit early to recollect my thoughts and to get ready for the day. One fine day, he joined me and accompanied me. From that point onwards, it became a daily routine. I’d meet him in class in the morning, and we’d talk about all sorts of things.

“Look at this assignment Mar, do you remember what Mr Cheong said?”

(Someone opens the grill windows)

“Argh! The sun’s shining on me. I cant see!”

“Aha! God’s shining on you! You’re the chosen one!”

“Hahaha! I’m the chosen one? Chosen for being a slave in class you mean”

I’ve always liked reading poetry. I dont know if he picked up on that, but there was a time when he’d bring a book of poetry for me to read. It was full of sad poetry but I remember being impressed because no one ever did something like that for me.

Then he started to wait for me after school to take me home which I thought was such a nice gesture. And I went back together in complete and full oblivion that maybe perhaps, he actually liked me.

But I didnt know about it. I wasnt aware. There was a time when he asked me to meet him at the library to pass him some malay language notes. It was so hillarious. I waited, saw him coming and said “Here’s the notes you wanted. Got to go now. Bye!”

It took me a couple of years later to actually understand that he was actually trying to ask a date from me! How naive and straight minded I was at the time. (But why cant some guys be more direct about things? If you wanted a date, say that you wanted a date, not say that you wanted some set of notes and then expect us to decipher what you are talking about)

But the routine carried on, we’d meet in class before school started, he waited for me at the bus stop, I guess by then, I took it for granted that I’d have someone to talk to and to confide to. I told him that I admired another guy from the arts class. He nodded his head in his usual quiet demenour and that was that.

My best friend Pam was having her birthday party and she invited her close friends. Her birthday coincided with my month so we decided to have a joint event. It seemed that he gave me complete attention during the occasion. He gave me a stuffed bunny (I still keep it for the good memories)

Suddenly Siva, my classmate blurted out.

Siva : Prove your devotion to Marina!

Him : Dont put fire to the oil.

It was then that I was jolted out of my oblivion. Devotion? Put fire to the oil? Whats going on? Is there a story that I wasnt aware of? What what what?

—

The end of the year, he left for Turkey for a vacation and when he came back he acted much much cooler than how he was to me before.

“Hi, how was your trip to Turkey?”

“It was alright”

“What did you see there?”

“Loads of stuff”

Slowly our friendship drifted apart as he went to do his own things and I continued with mine. I see alot of similarities in his character with my dearest. He was sweet, a gentleman, polite and very kind. Never once was he ever mean to me or said anything hurtful.

Sometimes I wonder alot what would happen if I had chosen the other path. If I had stayed a while longer with him instead of just handing him the pile of notes. To actually realise what he was trying to say to me. For us to actually be more than friends.

Will we be together? Will we eventually be married? Will I have kids with him? Will I be happy?

I’m not sure if he’d be reading this blog but if he was …

Dear Halim,

I still wonder how you are and what you are doing now. How are you? Thank you for the wonderful memories that you gave me. Thank you for being the kind and sweet person that you are and for the attention that you gave me. It really did made me feel special.

I’m sorry that I was such a blur-sotong at the time. Actually I did have a little inkling, but I was secretly hoping that you’d asked me anyways. It would have made it more concrete.

But we were young … But I still wonder about the different possibilities that could have been …

I’m sure by now you’ve probably have a wonderful lady friend to accompany you. Maybe you’re married and have kids now even. If so, congratulations! I’m happy for you. How is she treating you?

Here is my sincere hope that you’ve gotten what you’ve always aimed and achieved. Life is such a vast puzzle.

Fondly remembering you,
Marina

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Sensei Rinaz San

Yay!

My first win ever at the blogexplosion’s battle of the blogs. Such a nice surprise 🙂

And what a close race too! Many many thanks to the lovely people whom voted for Marina’s Bloggariffic!


Smooches for you 🙂

Ahem

(poses like Miss Universe)

I’d like to thank my wonderful and patient mum and dad, my lovely grandma, my eclectic bro and sis, my dearest cartcart, my night class lecturers, my classmates, all the cats of the world, Mr Gopal, My neighbours, the auntie that sells me the bowls of delicious noodles, Baby Sarah, Minoshe, the photography club, the 8 lego dudes, my beloved EOS350 camera, blogger, the bicyle, mp3 player, nimmo and friends, teddy bear, portable hard disk drive, Nokia handphone, youtube, Simple face wash, macromedia flash, adobe photoshop, notepad2, msn chat, compy, chocolates, gnocchi, penne arabbiatta, and 10,000 cups of green tea.

I promise to continue to blog about shoes, lingerie, take loads of pictures and post any eccentric thought that I have no matter what adversities that comes along.

Thank you. Thank you all.

*bows*

*dream bubble bursts*

And back to work I go.

Sigh

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Jurong Constituency VIP Luncheon

Fazna is an ex classmate of mine from Jurong Institute. It has been a long time since I’ve seen her ever since she left for UK. She stopped by in Singapore for a while and we visited her place yesterday to see how she was doing.

Her daughers are getting so much bigger. Her first daughter was just an infant the last time I saw her. And now, she already has a younger sister!

Thats chocolate on her by the way, not poo

She is so adorable! She the way she smiles is so heartwarming. Makes me wish I had a child of my own. But that could be just my womanly biological clock asking :

I wonder how my kids will look like.

I wonder if I ever will get married.

I wonder …?

Mum is a volunteer for the women’s wing in the Jurong constituency and invited my father and me for a VIP luncheon organised by the community centre.

Today was the day after the results of the polling for the general elections were announced with the People’s Action Party attaining 82 seats over 84.

Many thoughts come into my head about the results as I enjoyed the food.

And what do I think about the elections?

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Pretty shoes makes me go crazy

I don’t think I am a very gentle person, especially with shoes. Moreso with incidences such as this, this and this.

Guess what? I’ve already broken this one. Poor camel suede shoes from Mondo. May you rest in pieces.

So today, when the rubber heel came apart from this pair of shoe which I bought about a month ago. Incidentally I bought that while out with Juli because the camel suede shoes decided to die there and then.

Luckily for me, I had extra rubber heels that I could attach to the shoe. I decided to buy another pair of shoe before it got too damaged. I stopped by this shop called Moda Paolo which was near my workplace.

I thought to myself, “Get sensible shoes Marina. Nice flat ones. Something that you can walk comfortably in”

And in the end, I got this:


Undeniably, it was beautiful and stylish. With beautiful gold trimmings and I love the lovely details in the front. But what on earth posessed me to get a stiletto? This was the tallest shoe that I’ve ever owned in my lifetime. This isn’t practical shoes! I would never be able to wear it at work!

I was remorseful. I felt guilty. So I decided to buy this:

Looks pretty simple right? But when I put it on, I was taller, more attractive. Suddenly I had the legs of a goddess.

Oooh! Sexy! Ooo laa laa! Tres Magnifique! Mi piace molto!

Oh gosh. Practicality and sanity all thrown out of the window. Manolo Blahnik here I come!

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The beautiful face

According to research as shown from ‘The human face‘, a beautiful face constitutes to a face that is symmetrical.


Yoanna House, winner of America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 2

I, on the other hand, do not have a symmetrical face.


I’ve had a wonky eye since birth

But on the other hand, I think I look freaky if I were to look like this :

or this :

So what exactly constitutes to someone being physically attractive?

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Foodie woodie

Question:

Daphne, Taufik, Cheryl, Slyvester and Eric went to a concert. How many arrangements are possible when they sit in 5 adjacent seats if

a) Eric insists on sitting next to Cheryl?
b) Taufik refuses to sit next to Slyvester?

Answer:

Just what the heck is wrong with you, Eric and Taufik?! Cant you sit down quietly and just enjoy the concert? Annoying kids! Just sit down and dont disturb me! Any more complaints from the two of you and I’m going to smack you!

—

I’m glad that my tummy stopped rumbling. Since this morning, my tummy has been playing the opera.

Juli asked me to a dinner buffet at the Cafe Vienna. Having always wanting to eat there again, I said yes and got ready to meet her and Red at the Royal Plaza on Scotts.

It has been donkey years since I’ve eaten there. Back then, it was called the Royal Crowne Hotel. It was a treat from my teacher for being best in geography 🙂 I’ve been completely enamoured by the sheer choices of gormet food there. And since then, I’ve subconsciously dreaming of the lovely food there.

We talked over a dinner of a whole load of mish mash. I sampled the roasted duck, herbal tomato fish, salmon, couscous, potato salad, sushi…

Red : Have you ever read about the true story of count dracula? It was in this facinating book that I’ve read about a historian. She found a book that mysteriously materialised and decided to read it. Then she heard footsteps at the door, getting louder and louder … and then there was a loud knocking at the door. The door shook. There’s shouting now. And then…

Juli and me got startled when someone interrupted us.

Waiteress : Sorry sir, maam, may I clear your plates?

And then I went for another round to try the lobster, and oysters. I’m not really a fan of mollusks, but gosh the canadian oysters tasted real good and was quite fresh that I slurped it down with no additional seasoning. Mmm good!

Juli : Have you read the Davinci code? I know that its fiction but there are so many things in there that just makes me think and reconsider about the different views that we have.

Red : That reminds me, do you know about the illuminati? An organization from the freemason era, that is supposed to control the entire world. It still supposed to exist today…

And then I force stuffed myself with royal chocolate cake, walnut cheesecake, chocolate pudding pie, bread & butter pudding, and this banana & chocolate caramel pudding.

Oh my gosh, the royal chocolate cake was so smooth, I had to savour it slowly and give sighs of satisfaction every few seconds. Sigh!

I was so greedy. I should have taken pictures of what I ate but being totally focused on my dinner, I didnt manage to take any picture but this banana & chocolate caramel pudding.

I’m completely stuffed! My tummy feels like a washing machine on spin mode… But I want to go again!

—

Its funny how that when I think of something, its so coincidental that it would somehow materialise.

I’ve been thinking of chocolate all week, wanting to devour a nice bar of chocolate when Shirin, one of the heads that I worked with gave me a beautiful box of chocolate. I love the patterns on the chocolate. So intricate!


The very next day, Teresa, a lovely science teacher passed me a couple of Hershey bar chocolates. Awesomeness!

All of them didnt last long though, I’ve eaten them all. And now I’ll have to face the consequence of having fat thighs in a few weeks ..sigh

By the way, have you heard that there is actually a place called Hershey in Pennsylvania where you could have a chocolate spa? They cover your body in chocolate and then wrap you up in foil. And then after a few minutes, you could soak in a tub full of warm cocoa with foamy cream on top. Both are supposed to be good for the skin.

Ah .. what decadence…

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One wedding and a fun-o-coffee

A couple of things to observe at at a Malay Wedding :

a) Try to dress up during these events. Shirts and pants for men and dresses for the ladies. Denim shorts and slippers arent appropriate.

b) Before sitting down at the table, if you are a woman, try to recognize the mother of the bride/groom to say hello to her.

Shake her hand and bring it to your heart and only sit when she, or any family member invites you to.

Same thing with the father of the bride/groom if you are male.

They are usually dressed alike in matching clothes.

c) Enjoy your food and be merry 🙂



d) After eating, you take leave by saying your goodbyes to the bride/groom if they are there by slipping a small envelope full of money discreetly with your palm. If thats not possible, the mother or father of the bride.


Its supposed to say “Selamat Pengantin Baru” but I dont have any of those at hand. Doesnt really matter (I hope)


One of the rare times when I use makeup

—

I really didnt want to go to the wedding alone and out of desperation and boredom, I started to text Vai, an old classmate of mine.

MarinaSMS : R u free 2 accompany me 2 a wedding lunch 2day?

Couple of minutes later he replied back

VaiSMS : R u serious? Where is it?

MarinaSMS : Yalah. Feel v lonely if go alone. Its at chua chu kang.

VaiSMS : Ok. Wat time I meet you?

MarinaSMS : I wait for u at cck mrt at 1pm how?

VaiSMS : How about 1.15pm instead?

MarinaSMS : Sounds good! Thanks! You’re a lifesaver!

VaiSMS : Anything for an x wife.

MarinaBrain : Ex wife??? You Crazy gila pazzo.

Vai and I were friends since our Jurong Institute days. He was a nice guy – funny, witty and easy to get along with people.(Plus he was tall, dark, and handsome! Hahaha!) It was very comfortable for me to express myself with him as he wasnt judgemental and was rather open minded. Its hard for any stranger not to like him. He has this charm to make anyone feel special.

I dont remember what was the first thing we said the first time we met, back in school. But I had an great impression of him as he’s always nice and polite to me. Heck! He even tried to teach me physics and mathematics even though I never asked him to, since he knew that I was weak in these subjects.

Eventually we became good friends and confided in each other in numerous agendas. 8 years has passed by since we started our friendship, sitting in a classroom. Thats amazing.

After the wedding luncheon, we went to have coffee together and catched up with each other and talked about different things like some updates with our ex classmates, and just life in general. It was just nice to do nothing but chat with an old friend.

“How’s life man?”

“Did you know that Doris is getting married?”

“I just talked to Yue Heng the other day – he’s a teacher now”

“I met this incredible girl … ”

“I’m so happy for you! Marina, tell me all about your guy”

It was such a lovely afternoon.

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The wedding invite

Marina & partner. It specifically said Marina & partner. Where on earth am I supposed to find an eligible and strapping male partner for this weekend?

—

As much as I get thrills when two people in love getting married, I do get a little apprehensive – Theres so many factors that contribute to my dislike of attending wedding functions.

Like expectations of people looking at me as a single malay female. They’ll see that I’m of that ‘marriageable’ age and then they’ll start their talk of how I should get married as soon as possible. And then chide and scold me for still being single.

I’m rather sick of that. Why should I please you for something I’ll live with for the rest of my life?

But secretly, I do want to get married and care for a partner and have kids. I do want to share my life with my significant other. I just dont like the idea that I have to be obliged to do something, just because of social propiety.

—

But coming back to my colleague’s wedding, maybe I’ll just go to the wedding alone. She’s a friend and it would of course be lovely to see her on her most special day 🙂

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The relativity of time and age

It seems like time is passing by so quickly more so than ever. I wake up in the morning and head to work and before you know it, the day is over already and I’m back home again.

I hypothesied that “Time is proportionate to age. The older you are, the faster time passes by”

Unfortunately, I was standing next to Chan, a mathematics teacher who was sitting closeby started to debate about how flawed my hypothesis was.

Chan : Time doesnt go faster as you grow older! You just feel that it goes faster as you have more work to do.

The only way when time can go faster is when you go against the speed of light! Einstein already stated in his theory of relativity that if you want to go against the speed of light, your mass has to decrease while your volume increase which is impossible!

Thus time can never go faster. It is always constant. Time is always 24 hours a day. If time were faster, we would have 23 hours or less in a day.

Me : But Chan, time *is* going faster. You do know that there is evidence that the black hole is pulling the solar system closer.

That in turn, already disbalances the entire timeframe and effects the rotational spin of the planet. That would definitely affect time.

I think we must have argued debated some more for a little while. It surprises me how lively I get into these type of discussions when I keep failing my physics and maths (back in my schooldays)

Why do you think about the relationship between time and age?

Update :

Cartcart : If time itself was actually slowing down or going fast, we couldn’t even notice it. It’s all about our PERCEPTION of time.

Our perception is that time goes faster because of a given while, let’s say 1 year, is a lesser fraction of our lived time so far.

Like, when you are 5 years old, 1 year is 1/5 of your life

when you are 60 years old, 1 year is 1/60 of your life

Hence, you see it flowing fast. This has nothing to do with actual time speed – that thing doesn’t even exists since time is used to define speed.

If the whole universe goes on faster, our brain is included. and we can’t notice any difference

The best statement I’ve heard today was by Sin

Time doesnt go faster! You’re just slow!

Ok fine. My hypothesis isnt valid then.

Back to the drawing board I go.