Assorted Ravings of the Slightly-Weird

Weekend Update

It's been a weekend of firsts.

First time visiting a Chinese temple to find out what the year of the Pig has in store for me, and first time changing someone's luck. My cousin clued me in to this temple near Rangoon Road where using your Chinese birthdate, they tell you what you can and can't do for the year, and try to change your luck if it's on the negative side. All for a fee, of course. And you can even do it for someone else - all you need is the name, the birthdate and an item belonging to that person. If you don't have an item, you can purchase something new, get it stamped and then give it to that person to use. I'm not sure I believe in all this so it was more of a cultural experience than a religious experience. But definitely an eye-opener. I wonder if they can change a person's luck to bad luck? Hmm... And if they actually can, then beware of people who give you nice new face towels with a red stamp on it.

(Contrary to the horoscope for this year, where Snakes are supposed to have a bad year, my forecast was actually pretty benign. The lady at the temple explained that the variations are due to the fact that they use birthdates whereas horoscopes just look at the year of birth.)

First time buying an engagement ring. Not for myself, of course - just helping a friend pick something out. All I'll say is, she's a lucky gal :) It's stunning! And, it's hilarious to see a guy start sweating profusely when he realises that he has to pick something out from a myriad of choices and he only has a rough idea of what she likes.

And finally, it was my first time shopping for lights. Who knew that lights could cost this much? I had a headache by the time I was done and I only visited two shops. Wall fixtures that have to go with ceiling lights, energy-saving bulbs vs. filament bulbs, dimmer switches, figuring out where the false ceilings are, finding the perfect light only to find that it's a nice 4-figure sum, trying to create a look that is at once contemporary and not too out there... Who knew shopping could be so painful???

And you all thought I was a shopaholic. Hah.

Posted by scrabbyfoo at March 5, 2007 05:22 PM