life in first gear

Every year, like my kids, I look forward to the long year-end break when life suddenly changes to first gear and we do everything in slow motion. We wake up late, we can eat at any time, go anywhere and do anything we please.

When it's the holidays, it's really the holidays for us. I pity the poor kids who are being shuttled to tuition for next years' school work! What a joke! And those that are being packed off to some holiday camp so their parents' lives can go on as normal, with no interruptions and no kids at home to bother them.

been to the mall lately?

Have you seen the crowds at the malls these days? Ya? Well, now do you understand why I, a self-professed shopaholic, am avoiding the mall at all cost? Hahaha. I never thought I would do that but really, when push comes to a shove, I might as well save my hard-earned money to buy gold bullion instead of blowing it.

That said, I have a new addiction now. I prefer to shop online. I don't have to dress up. I don't have to spend on eating out. I just stare at my computer screen all day. Which is more than I can say for people who are wasting their time on Facebook all day long. So ya, if there's cheap gold to be found on the internet, that's where I'll be.

spa at home

There's a reason why I say the bathroom is the most important room in the house except for maybe the kitchen. The bathroom is where you can be alone and not have to face anyone else if you're not up to it.

So if the bathroom is the most important room in the house, shouldn't it be done up in a way that makes you breathe a sigh of relief just to step inside and close the door?

I would certainly say so! If you were to go to www.betterbathrooms.com, you'll find items that will simply transport your private space into a heavenly retreat.

I think that if you had the space and talent to design your bathroom in a way that it becomes your private space to sit back, relax and find reprieve from the day's rush, you've got yourself a spa right there in your own home.

No need to travel anywhere to find that spa experience. Stock it with tons of magazines, light a few candles here and there, and just sit in your own bathroom at home! Man, how did I just come up with such a brilliant idea? The more I think about it, the better I'm liking it!

no place to go

Another drowsy weekend afternoon with no place to go. Well, put it this way, I'm not crazy enough to go out there and compete with those people for parking, a table at the restaurant or any of the sale items which are jacked up and then discounted back down. Enough is enough!

retail rehab

Confession, I love shopping. Everyone who knows me knows that LOL! With the holiday shopping season upon us, I will soon be crossing out my shopping list which, incidentally, is as long as my arm.

My only regret is that I should've listened to my girl friend when she nagged me to start saving to buy gold bars. She said it's a good investment. Instead I took to procrastinating.

Now with a shopping list this long, I'm going to max out my credit card for sure and then I'll have to go into retail rehab. Good thing I'm used to shopping only during the sales!

those grocery trips

I'm dreading the thought of going groceries again tomorrow. Yeah, the weekend grocery trips that I've come to loathe because the crowds are getting ruder and more annoying! Spoils my mood for the weekend, grr! But I'll try to paste a smile on my face!

the heat is on

It's very humid today and we are sitting here complaining about how much perspiration it takes to finish a dinner. So I decided to look for Glenn Fry's song "The Heat is On" and now we're blasting it and banging our heads. Oops, that makes us even more sweaty!

teach them to save, not just spend

These days, schools try to incorporate some element of real life in their syllabus. To what extent they are being successful with instilling some financial awareness in kids, I don't know.

But I guess it can't be bad, right, for kids to learn about saving money and investing, maybe throw in a few stories about gold bullion that may be vaguely reminiscent of the Pirates of the Caribbean and fighting over gold pieces.

Most kids grow up knowing nothing about saving. They seem to have been exposed to spending from day one, what with all the toys and games and gadgets available out there. So teaching them to save is a good thing.

gym rat

I've been the regular gym rat. It gets so much more challenging with a gym partner that I wake up every morning practically rearing to go! And it's a great feeling getting all excited about exercise, which is quite a rare thing among most folks in our food-crazed culture.

same difference

The weekends get busier for some strange reason. I hadn't even realized this is gonna be a long weekend. Not that it matters because every day could be a weekend for how hectic life is. Weekday, long weekend, short weekend, same difference, right?

rare as ancient gold coins

I swear if I could have a gold coin every time someone lies to me, I'd be a billionaire in no time. I just watched on the Today show a segment that begs the question, is civility dead? I think it's quite obvious that 'please' and 'thank you' are becoming as rare as ancient gold coins.

Yes, it has to do with all this technology and rushed lifestyle that seem to make us forget our common courtesies. The other thing is that parents and teachers these days seem to let kids get away with things that our parents and grandparents would've frowned upon.

What do you think?

wake up already!

How is it that some parents are just waking up to the fact that their Chinese school-going kids are learning rotten English at school?

Wake up, man, that's been happening for ages and you guys are just noticing that's why your kids can barely string together an intelligible sentence in English?