Hello 2006

I expected a mad crush on the way to work today, with everyone getting back to the office after a long Christmas break but it was remarkably quiet. And it's pretty quiet (relatively speaking) in the shopping mall downstairs too. Where are all the good people of Singapore if they're not at work, and not out shopping/ eating? What on earth else could they possibly be doing?

Discovered a new (and much faster) route to work this morning. Actually I 'discovered' it about a month ago, but was too much of a wuss to find out more. It's this anonymous bus that shows up every 10 to 15 mins at my bus stop. 3/4 of the people waiting at the bus stop will get on whilst I sit tight, staring dumbly at the bus and wondering if I'll ever have the guts to get on the bus just to ask the driver if he can take me to Suntec City. What if he says no? And then makes me walk through the bus to get out the back door? It's just like people who get into a crowded lift and lean on the "Door Open" button whilst they finish a stupid conversation on their mobile phone or, worse, ask the people already in the lift if this is the right building. It's for these special souls that I reserve my full-blooded mullet-headed axe murderer glare. Because they're being inconsiderate and wasting my time.

There's a woman I see every morning at my bus stop that does exactly this. Ignoring the very comprehensive bus directory at the back of the bus stop, she will get on every third bus, say something to the driver, walk through the bus and get off by the back door, smiling to herself. I used to think she was the bus inspector until I saw a real bus inspector at the bus stop, wearing a proper uniform and not just a tee shirt and slacks. I'd ask her why she does this, but I'm really afraid that she'll actually say "Well, I'm completely insane, I'm homeless and I offer sexual favours to the bus drivers in exchange for a free ride to nowhere."

Speaking of the homeless, they always say there are no homeless people in Singapore because our Government takes care of everyone. But the Government is not going to buy a roof over your head if you can't afford one. Where do all the homeless people go? I stepped over a homeless guy at Amoy Street 3 months in a row and then he disappeared. I'd like to think he found a new perch, some other corridor to sleep in and make smelly. My worst suspicions are that we grind up homeless people in some factory and use them for landfill. That's why we have so much reclaimed land and no homeless people. Ditto for the stray dogs, cats and pigeons. If so, I wish they would round up the guys who skateboard and roller-blade outside of the train stations. They're ruining the granite seats and finishes with their stupid stunts.

Oy. Sometimes I get so cranky and I use my blog as a wailing wall. This was never meant to be a whiny blog. Let's finish on a happy note.

Happy Thoughts On The First Working Day of 2006

1. I'm happy that the value of my first, one and only beautiful little house is still higher than the value of my first, one and only horrifying little mortgage. Now if I can only stop calling property agents pretending to be an interested buyer of my neighbours' property.

2. I'm happy that my son is healthy and has fat creases on his wrists, tummy, thighs and even on his neck (because of all the back fat).

3. I still have half of an Awfully Chocolate choc and cherry cake in the fridge, as well as 3 tubs of ice cream including Cookies and Cream which I adore (thanks, Mo!)

4. My hair looks good today as my son has stopped pulling on it to wake me up.

5. It's quiet in the office today.

6. There's apparantly a new bra available at Tangs that can solve my bra problems forever. Like, no lines, no strap alternately peeking out or falling over my shoulder, no chest constriction. Someone recommended it to me yesterday, you know who you are, and my undying gratitude is yours if this works out.

7. Last, but not least, I'm happy to be alive. I just found out a few days ago that someone I knew died in last year's tsunami. Obviously we didn't keep in touch. She got wiped out by some completely random natural disaster just because she stayed at the wrong hotel for a last minute vacation. It took almost 8 months to identify her body. 8 months alone, anonymous, in a mortuary freezer. It's enough to make me wonder what's the point of planning anything when it could all just end like *that*. I'm sorry, sad, and just horrified at the randomness of life.

Sigh. Am feeling so maudlin now. To cheer myself up, I have to think of Gordon.