Small matters do matter

I'm hardly one to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes, small things do help make a more pleasant day overall.

Case in point - listening to music in the office. More often than not, I put on the headphones to drown out loud discussion by the other team. At one point, I broke the headphone jack and it stayed stuck inside the slot for a long time. So I bought a Bluetooth headset. It worked fine on the phone, but it refused to pair with the laptop. After a few months of inconvenience, I bought a wireless headset.

It worked fine, but it took up one of the 3 USB ports on the computer. I need one for the wireless mouse, and one didn't work very well. So if I needed to plug in the desk printer AND a hard drive/ flash drive, something had to be pulled out. It wasn't too bad, just a little inconvenient.

My old laptop was really breaking down and for a long time, it was hard to turn on. Once it was on, it worked fine, more or less. So at the end of last year, it really broke down. And I got a new machine. Phew! What a relief!

It helps that my IT guy set it up to be as similar as possible to my previous machine, so there's minimal trouble with finding files etc. Recently I tried to hook up the Bluetooth headset and it worked perfectly! So nice. So now no more turning on computer woes, and I have another USB port free. Plus the battery lasts A LOT longer than the wireless set. Hurray!!

Ready to go..

                                       Boots after the trek to           Cleaned and conditioned, 

                                       Setinggi Falls                        ready for our next adventure :) 

I don't know why I even bother to write this... No one wants to know for sure, but I do love having a pair of reliable, waterproof boots to trek in. I may be the only Malaysian dumb enough to actually wear Timbs into the jungle. They're heavy and expensive, most people trek in light sports shoes. The more enlightened will wear Adidas kampung which are cheap, light and damned effective. A lot of people who buy Timbs just wear them for show. You know, when you go jalan-jalan overseas or whatever. 

Mine have been immersed in the peat swamps of Borneo and Pahang, almost destroying the leather when I attempted to clean it. Thank God for Timb staff who advised me to use a leather conditioner on the dry, almost cracked uppers. I might buy some saddle soap for my next cleaning job. I use mild soap for now, but I could change to something milder. 

So far, these puppies have accompanied me to Korea and a few local destinations. They ARE rather heavy, but they really have a good grip on rocks and protect the feet well. Grip is super important to klutzes like me. And I know too well the frustration of having your shoes come apart while trekking, usually when wading up a river. I have to admit they cramp my toes a little, but they're much more comfortable now that I have broken them in. And they would have been lovely during my Lake District romps, especially the long, cold trudge along the railway track. My fabric boots were so wet and clammy, it really wasn't much fun. 

I'll always be thankful to the friend who donated them to me. I may never afford to replace them if this pair dies, but I hope we have many more adventures together before that day comes. :) 

"Wallet fatigue"

Just cleared Abah's phone bill because he's in Singapore and he already hit his credit limit... Because he doesn't clear his bill immediately, he waits until it's due on the 20th. Duh!! I used to pay his Celcom bill because of Makcik's issues, but now that she's gone, he should choose one line and disconnect the other. Come on la, it's not rocket science!! 

Paid cash for the cats' food and litter sand, will soon have to buy more groceries, and I'm trying not to be a beast to my sister... But I am quite tired of buying so many eggs in a month. If you want to live solely on eggs, buy your own boleh tak? I beli sayur semua tak reti masak. Asyik makan megi aja.... Megi and roti. Kalau aku masak pandai pulak makan ye? Dia suka instant food like fish fillets and nuggets. Yang tu cepat aja habis.

I did spend a lot on the Korea trip last year. My credit card charges are too high and I'm struggling to pay off everything. It doesn't help that I may lose my job. I've been looking at my meager savings and trying to figure out how I can save more. What should I do if I lose my job? What should my next job be?

Sometimes I feel so tired of all this shit. Why can't K Ayu find a better paying job? Why can't Abah help her a little? Why can't she pay me at least a little bit? I was planning out my expenses and I end up with so little pocket money. I used to have more disposable income because I was only paying Rm380 for the car. I only had one credit card. And I used to claim a lot for external meetings. Now I'm feeling more than a little pinched.

I hesitate to bully my sister to pay up because even reduced, my pocket money is still more than her salary (according to her lah). To be fair, I need more pocket money because I need to fill up the petrol tank. I pay for stuff - electricity, cat food, groceries... My lunch money is not a lot. I need to spend on eating out with friends and buying gifts every once in a while. I can't be waiting there with my mouth open for people to feed me...

Yet she is SOO calculative about keeping the house clean. If you have to be so picky about who washes a few fucking dishes or wiping the cabinets, at what point can we start spring cleaning the cupboards? Jam mati pun tak reti nak tukar bateri.... Semua tunggu I buat. I'm so tempted to leave. Go work overseas and let her learn to take care of herself...

Sigh. I need a rich husband. ASAP. Please? :P