Retail Education #101 : Save Money By Avoiding Blogshops.

Pretty Lass, Lovely Dress.
The actual dress is a mess!

Blogshops have been mushrooming on local shores for quite some time. They thrive on marketing 'Korean' clothing and accessories to the hapless consumer. For the non-initiated, these products are actually from Taiwan.

That said, consider why you should not shop online :

• The products are often of inferior quality, despite what the pretty lass donning the outfit in the photograph would like you to believe.
• What you see may not be what you get. Every purchase is a gamble. Think of it as Retail Russian Roulette. I'd fallen prey to these blogshops thrice and finally threw in the towel on the third purchase - The lovely dress that I'd ordered turned out to be a 'bag'. Trust me. It's not a hyperbole. 5 of us had ordered the same dress and all of us wondered what on earth that 'bag' was.
• With the lure of low prices ($10+ for a top, $20-$30 for a dress), you'll invariably chalk up more purchases, thereby spending even more than what you would in a mall. Should the outfit be a disaster (as they often are), it translates to money being frittered away for nothing. Literally.
• Texture, Colour and Workmanship make or break an outfit. What you pay is what you get. So, if you were to fork out $12 for a blouse, it figures when hems and such are found at the wrong places.
• The items in these blogshops are often sold at inflated prices. If you are in the loop and know the actual suppliers, you'd be aghast. I'd once bought a dress from a supplier at $13. It was priced at $39 in various blogshops and subsequently, I caught sight of it at a mall and by then, it was $69.
• If you're petite like me, these clothes are often way too big as most, if not all, items are labelled 'free size'. Right.

Hence, I refrain from shopping at blogshops or shops without labels, for that matter. Who knows where that nondescript dress may have emerged from?

Be a savvy shopper.

Purchase from reputable brands which allow refunds or exchanges on defective items.

After all, a quality product lasts longer than an inferior one that fades in a few washes.

Being petite, European labels like Armani, Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins, Zara, etc are found predominantly in my closet. Only Zara has skirts that come in XXS!The occasional American brands that fit me are Calvin Klein, Guess and Forever 21.

So there you have it, Ladies.

That's my take on blogshops.

Whenever I spot a pretty dress in a blogshop, the horror of that which had started out as a dress and its eventual appearance in the form of a 'bag' never ceases to quell all notions of clicking 'Buy Now'.

X marks the spot indeed - With trepidation, I close the offending window and flee!

After All This Time.

And behind his tired eyes,
She sees the boy with his arms wide
Who made her feel like an angel

Oh, that's why she's loving him still
For the rest of her life,
She's loving him still
For the last of many miles,
She's loving him still

After all this time.
[ Simon Webbe - After All This Time ]

Happy Day.

I Smile.
You Smile.

It's a Happy Day. =)

Love, Me.

Shatters & Tatters.

Missing fragments elude the naked eye.

How do you piece the remnant shards together?

It will never be whole again.

天天快乐.

那时的我
很幸福。

Dear God, Here I Am ...

Everything that You've asked for, I've submitted according to Your Word.

I'd given up the one thing I'd wanted the most.

I'd given ____ up.

I'd backed away even when _____ pursued rigorously.

I'd watched ___ drift away and sat on my hands while quivering in tears.

I'd pursed my lips as tears fell so that nobody would hear a sound.

It's been 6 years.

I've tried to do everything that is right in Your sight.

I'd lost _____ intentionally.

Have I not done well enough?

Is that not enough, God?

Thrice.

That's the number of times I'd dreamt of You in a night.

The frequency of such dreams is increasing exponentially, as evidenced by previous blog entries.

• Dream #1 •
In the midst of a ball, a young girl panned her camera across the room before snapping a shot of you. I happened to stroll by and caught sight of the image. My eyes darted about the ballroom. Then, I found you but you turned your back on me. I caught up with you but you ignored me. In tears, I opined, "Don't you know that I love you very much?". There was a flash of fury in your eyes before you snapped, "No, you don't. If you did, you would have chosen me."

• Dream #2 •
For some reason, my family was at Hotel C. Sprawled across the restaurant was an array of food. As I munched on a salad with carrots and cabbage, a mix of friends from the past appeared and we sat together at a large table. As I got up to leave, a friend joined me. Upon reaching home, I found You asleep on my bed. An alarm went off and it startled us. I watched you with a smile and ruffled your hair as you drifted back to sleep with a cheeky grin on your face.

• Dream #3 •
Along the shore was a school carnival. Children and adults flocked to the various draws. Laughter permeated the air. The sea turned rough and the waves swept away large canopies. I took to my heels and led a pack of people up the stairs, over boulders and such. Finally, we arrived at Hotel C (from the second dream). The sight of flooded streets with nary a sight of life struck fear in us. We were stranded and death was imminent. The hotel in which we were residing (Hotel GD) crumbled before our eyes. Then, a crackle on a walkie-talkie caught my attention. A faint voice muttered your name. You were at Hotel E. Desperately, I deduced your location and threw myself into the torrential waters. [Note: In reality, I can't swim.] I had to get to you. The waters diluted my tears as I fought against Nature. I thrashed about wildly, but I never found You...

The subconscious registers a firm grip on my repressed emotions and this fleshes out in my dreams.

How do I stop it?

Can I?

Will I?

Budget 2011. =)

So, the word is out -

Details of Budget 2011 can be found here.

I'm pleased because the poor are given financial assistance.

Although it does not benefit me, I am Happy that the leaders have not chosen to sweep the poor under the proverbial carpet.

Having had to fight tooth & nail for every ounce of financial aid to be handed to my students whilst I was in the ministry, I know that every cent counts. $100 may seem paltry to us but to a struggling family, it pays the electricity bill & conservancy charges.

I've seen what it is like to be without and it certainly ain't Picasso in the making. There are children who are delighted at receiving a pen, new exercise books, crayons and nondescript items that the average person takes for granted.

The Budget provides relief to a certain extent and I'm delighted that the needy are given a larger share of the pie this time round.

It is not perfect but Something is a better shade than Nothing.

With Something, we can fashion More Things.

One Thing at a time - This forments gradual Empathy for those who are languishing, a prime choice in place of Apathy.

Singapore, let me Believe in you again - in your systems, values & practices.

Let our Home not be mocked as a rich man's playground, for a toy is tossed aside after its novelty has waned.

The Budget for 2011 is a step in the right direction.

Thank you, leaders for lending a helping hand to those in need. When needs are dealt with, education will cease to be the sacrificial lamb at stake. That lays the foundation for true meritocracy.

A sprinkle of kindness and love is always appreciated.

On behalf of the children in needy homes, thank you. :)

I Dreamt of You Today.

and then, in dreaming,
the clouds me thought would open
and show riches ready to drop upon me;
that, when I waked
I cried to dream again.

[ William Shakespeare
The Tempest, Act III Scene II ]

Fail.

Fa-la-la-la ...
Smile.
Fail.

Smile!
Smile!
Smile!

-GriN-

Whispers.

Hey, Sleeping Seal.

Have a good day. :)

Love, Little Kitten.

Clarification.

== Start: 1.44am ==

This entry is purely for clarification purposes and may be typed in a haphazard fashion to ensure authenticity (ie. without amendments).

Clarification without clarity of thought? Well, if it need be, so it shall.

The previous entry had me in a sort of verbal meltdown, of which was opined that 'I am a victim of circumstance'.

In no way does this make me a pushover nor a weakling.

Everyone has a pushcart. Mine may very well contain some boulders that others may not have while some may have walls to fashion.

Life is not a bed of roses.

I ought to be thankful I had the first 21 years of my life being completely unaware of what misery was. That is not a hyperbole. Before that, I had no idea why people moped, why tears fell and why some people are emotionally scarred.

Whatever is bugging me will not go away overnight. It will not magically disappear with the wave of a wand.

So, I try to make the best out of a given situation. These are the very words that I said to You when we last met.

And if what I'm doing isn't right, then I'll just have to keep going at it till it is.

Erstwhile, this shall be where my vulnerabilities are scrawled.

So thank you, dear reader, for respecting my need for this outlet in which my innermost thoughts may be inked.

== End: 2.01am ==

Brevity.

Do you know what it's like to have many issues and you can't tell a soul?

You're bursting to tell but you know you shouldn't.

(No, I'm not talking about You.)

You clamour to keep it all together.

You try your darnest best.

You hope that nobody can tell and yet, subconsciously you wish someone would dig deep.

It's a sort of a sick & demented irony.

Twisted, contorted & beaten, you lie seemingly defeated.

Then, you muster remnant strength & get back on your feet.

Yes, I am a victim of circumstance.

Today, for the first time in my 32 years of existence, this is scrawled in ink.

Of what circumstance(s), I will not say, except that it is not financial. I'm adamant about being financially independent.

The determined streak is overshadowed by a self-defeatist resignation.

Mich used to be very Happy.

She had a perfect childhood, was loved by all, was immensely popular & well-known in school for her academic accolades.

What a bittersweet memory!

At 32, she constantly stumbles. Apparently, she must have lost her touch. Her winning streak has come to an end. How laughable!

These useless tears - what good does it do to weep?

Nobody would expect me to have such deep and dark secrets. They are well-guarded against prying eyes. I'm well aware of the walls I build to fend off potential mongering. Nobody genuinely cares about the chip on someine else's shoulder. Everyone's too busy taking stock of their own lives. Hence, why bog others down? It's easier to wheedle a smile out of someone than to get a listening ear.

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone. Unseen. Unheard. Unnoticed.

Verbosity lends a hand to mask the truth.

Anyhow, this is yet another mass of words to be buried in the annals of time.

Unseen. Unheard. Unnoticed.

Hark! It's a new day.

Breathe, Mich.

Inhale.

Now, go out to the world.

Don't forget that plastic smile now.

Cheese! :)

Punting on Puns.

Disarray.
This array.
Either way,
Have it your way.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

A word that I've never uttered to You.

Sorry, I should have told You then.

Sorry, I didn't expect to grow close nor spend much time with You.

From the late night calls to the flurry of text messages to the small little gifts that made me smile, You were my dream come true.

What were the chances that dreams did flesh out in reality? That The Boy I'd secretly held a torch for many years had not only become a friend but was the very one who wanted to get off the bus to keep me company, who'd cornered me to go out with him? Thus, I held my tongue.

Unfortunately, that which had started with a Lie could not bear good fruit.

Separate lives chalked in reality, we were but from different worlds.

Call it a transient intersection, if you'd like.

I'm trying my utmost best to live a life without You; to curb any stirring emotion should a word, picture or familiar relation appear.

I will always remember You

And how special & precious You made me feel.

Goodnight, You.

=) Being Stoic, Or So It Seems. =(

B : How do you forget The One?

Me : You don't.

B : Then?

Me : You try not to think of ___ and live life to the best of your ability. Occasionally, your thoughts will drift to ___. You'll miss the laughter, the sweet moments & lingering whispers will swirl in your head. Sadness permeates as you smile at the past. You'll leaf through pasted memories before tucking them away in the deep recesses of your mind. Tears wash away these memories till the pendulum oscillates yet again. Erstwhile, life unfolds. As always.

B : Isn't that sad?

Me : When one has experienced Happiness, Sadness awaits invariably at the other end of the continuum.

( -sad smile- )

Warning : Rant Ahead.

This notion grates within - shallow people irk me to no end.

Yes, shallow.

Shallow people define Life by the number of possessions they accumulate. Often, these people are not exactly in the prime slab of society to begin with. With the little they have, it is magnified to inflate their ego and they assume a certain air of (false) superiority while despising others who do not match up to their supposed standards. [Pass the barf bag, please.]

It's one thing to enjoy a certain lifestyle. Who wouldn't like a comfortable life?

It's another to centre your life around dollars and cents while thinking you are better than others when there are scores of people ahead of you. It's sheer arrogance!

I like my cosy teas & fine dining. I enjoy a little shopping now and then. However, that does not give me the right to feel privileged nor believe that I'm head and shoulders above my peers.

Rich or poor; Academically-inclined or otherwise, it matters not to me.

You are defined by the treasures that lie within, not for what You have nor for the position that You wield at work.

That said, what sets you off, my friends?

Maintaining Equilibrium.

But the first thing you learn about emotion is that it has its price -- a complete paradox. But without restraint, without control, emotion is chaos. The difference being is that when we want to feel, we can. It's just that some of us ... some of us have to forgo that luxury so that the rest can have it. Some very few of us have to force ourselves not to feel. Like me. Like you.

[ Jurgen, Equilibrium ]

Deft Strokes.

Trim the fat.

Dispense with the pretence.

Words - Few and far between.