Valen’s Vanity Square

People who are crazy about cars would talk about engine performance and aerodynamic design. Those who love photography will tell you about their camera body and lens collection.

Likewise, music lovers, especially those who make their own music and record their own pieces, will tell you which AKG studio headphones will be best used in the recording studio. And audiophiles will certainly be very excited to share about their speakers and amplifier system.

Just like my friend’s husband. When we visited them during CNY, he was really enthusiastic to show us his audio room, explain how his hi-fi system is set up, answer to our questions, and play really nice jazz for us, such as Eva Cassidy and Alison Krauss. After that, we felt like we want to have a room like that in the house too, haha!

But of course we can’t, as this hobby and enjoyment requires a significant amount of investment and a spare room. We don’t have that money, we don’t have a spare room. So we will just stick to our cheap 5-speaker system in the living room for the time being. Even enjoying music and songs on YouTube is fun, too!

Hmmm… looks like I may have a bit of extra money to spend on CNY shopping! I think the company just released my portion of bonus, hehe. That’s the only explanation for the sudden increased amount of cash in one’s savings account.

Still, I have to watch my spending, not to go over the board and spend all my hard-earned bonus. At least not all at once, haha!

To be wise consumer from now onwards, whatever items on the shelves that don’t carry a price tag, I should check it with the promoter or have it scanned at the barcode scanner to find out its price. It can be very ‘dangerous’ of putting things into the shopping cart without first knowing how much they are going to cost my wallet.

I don’t want to find out how expensive the item is only when I am already standing right in front of the cashier. It will be so embarrassing to say, “Whaaaat, how much is this thing?… Oh, I think I don’t want it for now.”

So, the best thing to do is to bring along hubby while I shop, so that he can be the human buzzer in case I go wild in the lady’s department. Haha!

Just a one-day break from work, and I got a dozen of things to attend to when I’m back in the office! *faint*

Can’t imagine the number of emails I will have to read and reply and act on after a one-week break, which is about to happen soon. It will be a trip to PD with hubby, sister & her hubby, and of course my cutest niece.

Although with us four adults we could have probably rent a small apartment for the two-night stay, we ended up with our own individual rooms because sister only confirmed to join in the trip and made her reservation later. Perhaps in the future when we plan for a bigger family trip, we could look out for vacation houses for rent to save on accommodation.

After spending that 3 days (Sun - Tue) by the beach, I will get to rest for another two days at home due to the public holidays that follow. (I love this country!)

Then upon resuming work on Friday, I shall be doomed.

Instead of a rejuvenated body and stress-free soul, I foresee a 200% increase in stress level when I get back to work. Haha!

Whatever, when one has the opportunity to enjoy life, food, idleness, freedom, just enjoy! Shall worry about work later… much later.

Knowing that tomorrow is a public holiday makes one feel so much better after a day’s hard work. Not to mention that I have already got plans well laid out. Oh well, nothing makes me happier than spending money in the shopping mall. Haha!

First, I will go to the saloon to get my hair dyed. The last time I dyed my hair was a year ago. My head has pretty much gone back its original hair color, including gray hair! Yucks! I hope Wece, the hair stylist who cut my hair two weeks ago, will be there. Too busy to call him today to make an appointment.

Next, I will be on the hunt for the perfect little black dress… or floral print blouse… or white lacy top… or… Ohhh! I can’t make up my mind! There’s a high school gathering to attend this weekend and I still have no clue what style to put on! May be I’ll let my mood decide on that tomorrow.

After that, may be will accompany hubby to go check out some golf clubs (i.e. the stick). He has been mentioning it time and time again, but has never found one. It’s not about winning golf trophies or making the perfect tee-off. He just needs one for use at the driving range, to test and see if he actually enjoys the swinging game, haha!

If he doesn’t want to look at golf clubs, then we will look at cameras. Of course, can’t leave the shopping mall without enjoying a cup of good coffee first!

Then, I suppose I will slowly get back into some sort of pseudo-depressed tomorrow-has-to-go-to-work mode and end my eventful day off from work.

Although my iPhone has only been with me for a short two months, I am using it more frequently than I used to with my previous mobile phones.

I don’t talk on the phone much, coz I am not the phone-chatting type of person. I use my iPhone mainly to FB, read news, check emails and occasionally download some free apps and games. And that’s why the phone battery drains out very fast.

Compared to my previous phone, of which its power can last for three days after every full charge, my iPhone can last me for the max of 1.5 days. I suppose this is the norm for every iPhone users? Coz you just can’t stop meddling with it.

That’s why I’m considering if I should have more than one telephone batteries to support my usage at two different places - at home and in the office.

By the way, my office has finally ready for use. By that I mean the power cables are fixed, no more tripping when I switch on the lights and air-conditioner, and the internet line is installed.

With me traveling to and from work now, it is possible that one day, some day, my iPhone might run out of battery when I need to use it the most, just because I forgot to charge it the night before and did not bring the phone charger with me!

Ended up working from home today. Was so tired this morning, and slept till 5 minutes before my ‘working hours’ start. I bet I will sleep till noon tomorrow!

I am really amazed by guys and gals who are so energetic on weekend mornings, especially those who do mountain biking! You can’t perform those sort of activities even if you are a tad sleepy and tired. You really need physical strength and endurance as well as the ability to focus well as your ride your way up and down the bumpy and winding paths in the forest area.

Not forgetting to mention that you also need a vehicle big and sturdy enough for you to mount a bike rack to carry your two-wheeled friend around. Finding a suitable bike rack is another issue to tackle, but I guess avid mountain bikers can always find their ideal hitch bike racks at cracksandracks.com.

Cycling is really a good form of exercise and a healthy way to socialize with the others enthusiasts alike. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to ride a bicycle. But thanks to that, I will never be forced to wake up early to do mountain biking in the woods on a Sunday morning!

Keeping my fingers crossed, hopefully next week the office will be ready for operation. Well, not completely set up with the necessities such as printer, fax machines and stationary supply, but at least the electricity, air-conditioning, telephone lines and wireless connection should be all working fine.

Then I will be able to start working like an ordinary employee, you know, one that commutes to work every morning, has lunch with a whole bunch of strangers, grabs a cup of coffee on the way back to the office, dozes off for a short while on the working desk, and tries to leave the office right on time.

I don’t know why, but I just so look forward for the opportunity to walk to and fro between the office and the LRT station every day. May be I know that’s the only form of regular exercise I will be getting, haha! So I need a pair (or more) of comfortable shoes to do all the walking.

Don’t think I will get a second pair of womens boots for the time being. Will be looking at pumps, sandals and flats. And they must be from brands well known for making comfy shoes.

Really, investing in a good and comfortable pair of shoes can make a lot of difference - less muscle ache and tired legs.

Although it’s just the beginning May, the newspapers, magazines, TV and radio are all flooded with commercials relating to Mother’s Day.

Oh well, it’s the time of the year to celebrate motherhood again. Kudos to all mothers!

My sisters and I are of course planning which dining place to go to celebrate M-Day. We are not getting her any present because we have just gave her a Coach bag back in March, during her birthday. And if we give her flowers, she would say it’s a waste of money, and that we could have given her the money instead, haha.

I reckon my girlfriend who is staying in San Francisco will receive nice gifts and flowers from her two primary school-going sons. Always saw photos of her and her sons posted on Facebook. She indeed raises her sons well. I wonder if her kids will know where to buy Mother’s Day Flowers in San Francisco.

But I suppose they are internet-savvy children, so they can always go online to order flowers and have the plant delivered right to their house’s doorsteps and surprise mom. It would be a very lovely and touching sight to behold, wouldn’t it?

“I want to be a billionaire, so freaking bad. Buy all the things I never had~”

Thanks, Travie McCoy. That’s exactly what I wished for.

But wish is just a wish. Being a billionaire is just a dream. Moreover, I don’t need a billion dollars to live my life.

Well, I might need a million to buy and decorate a nice and spacious house, hehe. For my occasional shopping of clothes and shoes and handbags and cosmetics, I don’t think I need a million bucks to do that.

I don’t need a luxury sedan, and I can go for any cheap auto insurance or car wash by the road side. I don’t fancy 3D LCD TV, nor the best hi-fi system for a home movie theater experience. I don’t have to stay in a 5-star hotel every time I travel. Fine dining experience in a French restaurant can only be precious and treasured when it is done once in a blue moon. I can still donate money to charity and foundations, even though the contribution is small.

So, actually I don’t need to be a billionaire to enjoy life and be happy. Do I?