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Sep. 8th, 2014 10:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jhameiaLast night I had a birthday party--more specifically, an unbirthday party for people of my dad's generation. Also my brother wanted to test out his new grill... a "practice cookout" for my actual birthday party this Friday. It was fine; an aunt came, my mother's brother and his wife, couple of dad's friends. Also, my cousins on my dad's side! Terry, especially; he's the middle one who's always been a bit of a social misfit, but he's gotten so much better as he's grown, and he's doing REALLY cool things. It seems everytime I've come home and want to hang out, he's off in the jungle somewhere researching stuff (he's not ALWAYS in the jungle, he kept insisting). Right now he's looking to get into a PhD program at Universiti Malaya to research dung beetles (his area is entomology).
My brother's lamb and chicken were awesome (we're thinking of getting some fish in for Friday) (there's no beef because my mother has suddenly decided that now that we have a Guan Yin altar we shouldn't cook beef in the house anymore).
The cake that one of my dad's friends brought in was pretty amazing. We broke out a bottle of chardonnay, which was kind of dry, and a bottle of Vidal ice wine from Grand Pre, which went down well, as ice wine always does with people who aren't fans of dry wine.
In the afternoon prior, my mother insisted I accompany her to Subang Parade, for lunch and also so she could get her eyeliner embroidered on her face. She injured her hand so she can't draw her eyeliner properly, and she seems to be under the impression that eyeliner will detract from puffy crying eyes (it doesn't). I left her to it, went shopping on my own, came back an hour later, only to be told to come back in ANOTHER hour. When I returned, having had my eyebrows threaded (for a cool TEN RINGGIT), it was to find that she'd also paid for a facial and had paid for several more facial treatments and wanted me to get my face done as well.
I rather wish I'd inquired the details because as it turns out the facial at this place involved ELECTROCUTING THE ZITS and if I had known I would have booked it out of there as soon as I understood.
Today, most of the day was spent moving crap and sweeping my mom's new premises. The renovators are going to install a new plaster ceiling so we had to cover the furniture. My mother has a condo in the same building so we had to move stuff up (she's thinking of moving in there and I can't handle how slap dash the place looks).
Then my brother and I went to a cafe nearby, to hang out and try out their stuff, but didn't realize my mother expected us home for dinner. So we got home in good time, had dinner, then my brother was fading so he went home. I dragged my mother to Parkson to shop with me. This may seem counter-intuitive, seeing as my mother cannot help but harp on the fact that I'm fat as if it's a bad thing, and she's also a bit of a social embarrassment since she no longer knows how to keep track of sales assistants unless they speak Cantonese with her. She also has a different shopping style; she can't see a piece on its own and needs to buy whole outfits. But we do tend to have tastes that align, and I figure it cannot hurt to give her a couple of hours of bossing me around on something relatively neutral. She says she doesn't like shopping because it makes her tired, which, whatever, something doesn't need to energize you to make you happy.
Also, she bought way more stuff than I would have bought for myself and I also now have long skirts WITH POCKETS, four blouses, and, uh, two jackets.
I am also now an XL. Ten years ago I was an M. How time flies and changes a person!
On the way home, we overheard on Capital FM (a women-centric radio station) what sounded like the start of a discussion on cultural appropriation, with ALL THE FAIL that one might hear from it. Some woman was all like "I don't think it's offensive because the Native Indians are all wiped out anyway" and the DJ was like "well I like tribal designs, what do you think, listeners? SHARE YOUR OPINIONS" and I was like HELL NO and switched the channel because I cannot deal with that kind of ish when I'm tired.
I may have then ranted about it on Twitter. I also mentioned them so maybe they'll see it.
Tomorrow I head up to Penang with Ray and Roy (hahahahahaha). We've got to visit Auntie Mimi. Ray's never been to see our grandparents' ashes either. So, that will be special! It's also my first road trip with my brother without the parents, so this should be interesting. We're only going for one night, and coming back down Wednesday because Ray has to get her new (secondhand) car.
My brother's lamb and chicken were awesome (we're thinking of getting some fish in for Friday) (there's no beef because my mother has suddenly decided that now that we have a Guan Yin altar we shouldn't cook beef in the house anymore).
The cake that one of my dad's friends brought in was pretty amazing. We broke out a bottle of chardonnay, which was kind of dry, and a bottle of Vidal ice wine from Grand Pre, which went down well, as ice wine always does with people who aren't fans of dry wine.
In the afternoon prior, my mother insisted I accompany her to Subang Parade, for lunch and also so she could get her eyeliner embroidered on her face. She injured her hand so she can't draw her eyeliner properly, and she seems to be under the impression that eyeliner will detract from puffy crying eyes (it doesn't). I left her to it, went shopping on my own, came back an hour later, only to be told to come back in ANOTHER hour. When I returned, having had my eyebrows threaded (for a cool TEN RINGGIT), it was to find that she'd also paid for a facial and had paid for several more facial treatments and wanted me to get my face done as well.
I rather wish I'd inquired the details because as it turns out the facial at this place involved ELECTROCUTING THE ZITS and if I had known I would have booked it out of there as soon as I understood.
Today, most of the day was spent moving crap and sweeping my mom's new premises. The renovators are going to install a new plaster ceiling so we had to cover the furniture. My mother has a condo in the same building so we had to move stuff up (she's thinking of moving in there and I can't handle how slap dash the place looks).
Then my brother and I went to a cafe nearby, to hang out and try out their stuff, but didn't realize my mother expected us home for dinner. So we got home in good time, had dinner, then my brother was fading so he went home. I dragged my mother to Parkson to shop with me. This may seem counter-intuitive, seeing as my mother cannot help but harp on the fact that I'm fat as if it's a bad thing, and she's also a bit of a social embarrassment since she no longer knows how to keep track of sales assistants unless they speak Cantonese with her. She also has a different shopping style; she can't see a piece on its own and needs to buy whole outfits. But we do tend to have tastes that align, and I figure it cannot hurt to give her a couple of hours of bossing me around on something relatively neutral. She says she doesn't like shopping because it makes her tired, which, whatever, something doesn't need to energize you to make you happy.
Also, she bought way more stuff than I would have bought for myself and I also now have long skirts WITH POCKETS, four blouses, and, uh, two jackets.
I am also now an XL. Ten years ago I was an M. How time flies and changes a person!
On the way home, we overheard on Capital FM (a women-centric radio station) what sounded like the start of a discussion on cultural appropriation, with ALL THE FAIL that one might hear from it. Some woman was all like "I don't think it's offensive because the Native Indians are all wiped out anyway" and the DJ was like "well I like tribal designs, what do you think, listeners? SHARE YOUR OPINIONS" and I was like HELL NO and switched the channel because I cannot deal with that kind of ish when I'm tired.
I may have then ranted about it on Twitter. I also mentioned them so maybe they'll see it.
Tomorrow I head up to Penang with Ray and Roy (hahahahahaha). We've got to visit Auntie Mimi. Ray's never been to see our grandparents' ashes either. So, that will be special! It's also my first road trip with my brother without the parents, so this should be interesting. We're only going for one night, and coming back down Wednesday because Ray has to get her new (secondhand) car.