Metamorphosis 10 June, 2011
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear2, Slice of Life.add a comment
I’ve bought new tops and skirt. I’ve changed my $200 Bonia bag to a $285 Coach bag. I’ve cut my hair short again and let down my fringe. I will be changing my black glasses to something none-black soon. I’ve decided to start jogging and hula-hopping so as to slim down a tweenie bit more. Hmm… It seems that I am undergoing an image change.
Suddenly, I want to look pretty again. I hate that bulge (or rather bulges) from that tummy and waist. I hate seeing my big thighs and legs through the reflection in the roadside mirror. Suddenly, that still-can-make-it Bonia bag really seems out-of-fashion now; really/ finally time for a change. This long overdue birthday present/ what-I-wish-for-Christmas is really half a year long overdue. And forget about waiting for that hair to grow long enough to be flowy – shorter means less time need to dry and a more refreshing look too. Running – we just need to make sure that we knock off on time to go jogging on those days when Dear1 does not have IPT.
Looking good. Yes, I really need to look better so that I can feel better!
- Dear2
Dear1 the Handyman 9 June, 2011
Posted by dear1dear2 in Around the House, Dear1, For Him For Her.add a comment
A handyman is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, both interior and exterior, and are sometimes described as “odd jobs”, “fix-up tasks”, and include light plumbing jobs such as fixing a leaky toilet or light electric jobs such as changing a light fixture.
When we first moved into our current home, Dear2 and I had a small discussion about the distribution of housekeeping tasks. There are just about a thousand and one things that require our attention around the house, from sweeping, mopping and laundry, to painting, repairs and maintenance.
I was of the initial opinion that a man should be doing man’s stuff. So I quoted examples of tasks that I will take charge of, such as setting up any new purchase (electronic and non-electronic), any general repairs, and any other works that requires strength. However, it soon became clear that works of these nature only occur once every now and then. In other words, these events are usually one-off events, as compared to cleaning and regular upkeeping tasks such as sweeping and mopping.
So, I had to take on more regular housekeeping roles in addition to my handyman’s roles. For that, I helped out with the laundry, dish washing, dry mopping, occasional wet mopping, occasional toilet washing, and changing the bedsheets. I may have left out some.
But when it comes to the handyman’s tasks, I’m proud to say that I’ve done quite a fair bit as well. Let me list them down in bullet points.
- Fixed leaking kitchen sink pipe.
- Fixed leaking shower head.
- Fixed leaking toilet spray.
- Fixed leaking washing machine pipe.
- Fixed minor blockage in gas stove.
- Fixed rattling sound in ceiling fan.
- Cleared choked drainage.
- Cleared choked toilet bowl.
- Cleared choked toilet sink.
- Changed numerous light bulbs.
- Changed broken lamp shade.
- Changed remote car key battery.
- Installed new graphics card for living room desktop.
- Installed new harddisks for living room desktop.
- Repaired laptop.
- Repaired DS.
- Applied screen protector for Dear2′s HTC Desire.
- Attempted to repair spoilt cupboard hinge but it was beyond repair.
- Oiled numerous creaky hinges.
- Set up anything Mio.
- Set up anything wireless.
- Set up many more home appliances.
- Set up all Baby1′s toys.
- Assembled various furniture (with Dear2′s help).
- Partially disassembled various furniture for safety reasons.
- Moved furniture around.
- Caught and disposed various house pests.
- Sanded smooth Baby1′s bathtub.
And maybe some other things that I’ve forgotten.
It is not that Dear2 is not able to do these things. I think if she’s required to do them, she’ll figure them out eventually. But the point here is that I, Dear1, enjoys being the handyman in the house. Doing these man-chores provides me with a satisfaction and fulfillment that I cannot get out of doing the cleaning tasks.
Perhaps it is because I like to impress Dear2. I especially enjoyed it when Dear2 looks amazed by how I managed to fix a leaking pipe. Perhaps I enjoyed receiving praises from Dear2. Because I will know that I have her admiration and acceptance. Perhaps it is just egoistic. But isn’t that what it means to be a man? To be showing off my best abilities in front of Dear2? Perhaps I just want to be her knight in shining armour, slaying dragons and standing tall.
I will continue being the handyman in the house. There are currently 2 blown light bulbs in the kitchen, I will get the replacements the next time we visit the supermarket. I will also help out with the housekeeping so that Dear2 and I will have more time to spend together as a couple. It isn’t easy being a FTWM, I understand that and I appreciate Dear2 for working hard.
And it isn’t easy being a modern family man either. The role of man in the house has changed to one that shares the maintenance of the household while the woman steps out into the workforce. Both are subjected to more stress compared to parents of our parents’ era.
So while both of us are coping with the stress and difficulties of our additional roles, I want us to continue to strengthen our bond, deepen our love, support each other at all times, and cherish the little time we have together for each other. Some times, a simple life is the one most worth living.
-Dear1
Why a $2 lunch makes my day 2 June, 2011
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Food & Beverages, Slice of Life.add a comment
It’s getting really hard to buy food with $2 nowadays. I remember some years ago (5-6yrs?), it was still possible to find decent food at hawkers for $2. Nowadays, it is almost impossible. It’s really quite a daily pocket pinch to have to fork out a green ($5) or red ($10) note just for a simple lunch.
Several reasons contributed to the gradual disappearance of cheap food. First is the rate of inflation in recent years. Food prices and oil prices have been on the raise. Second, which I think is the more important reason, is the local upgrading program. Most people should have noticed that once a hawker centre is “upgraded”, the food will cost more there. This is because the rents of these stalls were increased as part of the “upgrade”. Then the stall owners will have to pass on the extra costs to the customers.
Personally, I would have preferred hawker centres to remain simple, safe and hygienic, and continue to serve cheap tasty food. And this is the reason why I preferred to take a 5 minute walk to the hawker centre across the road to buy my $2 lunch every day.
Mixed vege rice @ 2 vege + 1 meat = $2 and the portion is pretty big – see how the food is overflowing the box.
A standard meal of 2 vege + 1 meat still sells for just $2, and no extra charges for taking away. This is so much cheaper than the $3.50 I have to pay for the same meal at the foodcourt in my office building. A simple calculation will reveal that I will save ($3.50-$2)x22days=$33 a month just like that!
My china colleagues prefer to eat at the foodcourt, I really don’t know why. Do they have too much money to spend? Do they prefer the air-con environment? Are they just lazy to walk?
Recently, I’ve stop lunching with them, for a few reasons. First, I really prefer the taste of hawker food. Somehow, hawker food taste so much better than the foodcourt. Second, of course is the cost. Third, I really have nothing I want to chit chat with them about. It’s really tiring when I have to stop every other sentence just to explain a local term that we use or translate parts of my sentence to mandarin.
I digressed.
Back to the topic. I’ve seen many mixed vege rice stalls secretly “increasing” their prices. Some will give a smaller and smaller serving of rice and dishes. Some will include slices of meat into their seemingly vegetable dishes so that now the dish will be charged as a meat. I’ll stopped patronizing such stalls as soon as I discover their dishonest ploy.
Luckily, this mixed vege rice stall near my workplace is still honest with their business. And for that, they’ve earned my loyalty. Good taste, good portion, and most of all, good price! I’ll rather spend the savings from lunch with my family instead.
-Dear1
p.s. also see my art of ordering vege rice. :P
Passion Run 2011 in infinite time 1 June, 2011
Posted by dear1dear2 in Dear1, Sports & Health.add a comment
Yup, we went for the Passion Run 2011. Well, technically, only I registered for the run, but the whole family went along to have fun at East Coast Park.
Initially, I decided to register for the run mainly for the race pack, because there was going to be a digital heart monitor watch in the pack. I thought it would be something nice to have since I don’t have a digital watch anyway, and the heart monitoring function would be nice too. Well, let’s just say the watch is rather disappointing. At least, it’s still a functional stop watch for me.
The other reason I registered for this run for to kick-start our running routine as well. Similar to Dear2, I have also nua-ed for so long ever since Baby1 was born.
On race day, it was a pretty tight schedule for us as we were attending the wedding lunch of a close relative. So after the wedding lunch ended at around 3pm, we made our way down to East Coast Park for the event at 4pm.
Perhaps due to oversight and long absence from running events, I forgot to check and confirm the exact flag off timing for the category that I registered for, the 5km fun run. We soon found out that my flag off time was the very late 6.50pm, meaning that we were 2 hours 50 minutes early. With Baby1 in tow, 2 hours 50 minutes of aimless wandering and waiting in the hot and humid afternoon can be is a nightmare.
*** Start digressing ***
It’s good to arrive early. As we arrived slightly earlier at around 3.45pm, we were able to find a parking lot at the E2 carpark. By the time we left, there were so many cars waiting in the carpark that there isn’t really any hope of finding a nearby lot other than being very lucky.
*** End digressing ***
We decided to have some fun and check out the carnival. None. There simply wasn’t much of a carnival. We decided to get some free drinks so we can enjoy a cool drink while we walked along the beach. Nope. Free cold 100-Plus was only for finishers inside the finishers tent. Sigh.
We decided to check out the 500m kids dash which was the first event to flag off so that we have an idea of what it’s like so that we can register Baby1 for the kids dash next time. But unlucky us, by the time we arrived at the finishing line, most of the kids had finished dashing.
Oh well, we walked the other way to the start line and managed to catch the first wave of the 25km race flagging off. We were there to experience the atmosphere right at the start line. And we caught a glimpse of our very famous Returning Officer Extraordinaire Mr Yam Ah Mee shouting off encouragements to the runners at the starting line. Hee…
By this time, we’ve pretty much decided that we’re not going to wait until 6.50pm for the fun run. So we walked to East Coast Lagoon hawker for some satay snacks and made our way home.
It wasn’t really the running experience I was expecting but it’s a good start. We will definitely make our next run – Jurong Lake Run. And we’ll probably have to bring Baby1 to her granny’s place during the event so that we can both attend the run together, just like old times. :)
-Dear1
For those who dunno him, I’ll embed the Yam Ah Mee Remix here.
