Coffee at Starbucks

Sam and I went to Starbucks for some drinks. At 1st I suggested Uncle Ben’s which we both hadn’t tried but she was lazy to walk over to Uncle Ben’s – she suggested Starbucks and I was ok with it.

We had a slice of choc & coffee cake – it was delicious. :)

Sam wanted to order a pot of tea, “Can refill, we share.”

But I thought they didn’t have refillable tea. “But other drinks are almost the same price. Refill also can refill twice only mar.”

I asked the staff, “Which one is the latest?”

She showed the thin sheet of paper -

Hot Chocolate, Hot Caramel and Hot sth Hazelnut Choc. 1 of the ingredients for Hot sth Hazelnut had finished. Caramel, IMHO, is too sweet. We already ordered choc cake too.

I asked Sam, “Ice blended ok not?”

She nodded. “Let’s have tea lar. In pot.”

“Which 1 is in pot?” she asked the staff.

“The press – tea or coffee.”

“Can refill?”

“Cannot.”

She was disappointed.

I thought she was a bit cheapskate… ok, frugal.

“Ice blended mocha ok not?” I went for my favourite coffee.

“Ok ler..” she answered.

We updated each other on mutual friends. :)

Then she gave indirect advice which sounded like direct advice. Again.

It goes something like this, “You have the key already. So educated. But you wasted your time in your previous job.”

I didn’t waste time. I learnt a lot from my retail experiences. But I accepted her input because I believe everyone has the right to speak.

She disagreed. “You shouldn’t let people perceive you as like this. You must make people fuk you. With your education achievements, you could work for big companies like Phizer, get lots of money and career success.”

That’s the thing. I disagreed with her opinion. Everyone has their own dreams and ambition. I had no interest in becoming a marketing staff for medical and pharmaceutical companies even though the pay is really good. Likewise, I had no interest in becoming a company owner just because (if) I was given the chance to become 1 in a company that works in a field I am not intested in.

Success – the definition of success also depends on individual.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) – Cite This Source

suc‧cess  /səkˈsɛs/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[suhk-ses] Pronunciation Key – Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

1.	the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.

2.	the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.

3.	a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.

4.	a person or thing that is successful: She was a great success on the talk show.

5.	Obsolete. outcome.

 

---

[Origin: 1530–40; < L successus, equiv. to succēd-, s. of succēdere to succeed + -tus suffix of v. action, with dt > ss]

—Synonyms 2. achievement, fame, triumph.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Some people think that being happy is successful while others need to have high position in a company. Some wants freedom to travel, spend. Accumulate wealth. Respect from others. Approval even.

However, hearing her “advice” is an encouragement although I felt like she was looking down on me. Sometimes people’s intentions are misunderstood. She definately meant well, she thought I could do better than a Sales Assistant in a retail company.

Then I had stomach ache ooooo *grimace*

Supporting VampireTeeth

After knowing from Car that VampireTeeth’s grandmother had passed away, I messaged VampireTeeth. I didn’t call – she was probably grieving or busy with burial prepartion and all.

Pig and I went to her place yesterday night. Pig bumped into his school friend who happened to be VampireTeeth’s cousin’s classmate too. We sat there chit chatting about death, burial rituals (huh, there are so many), business, career.

VampireTeeth’s uncle told us, “Eat lar..”

We all nodded. All of us had eaten before coming here. “We’ll self-service, thank you.”

Then her uncle came again and told us the same thing. We replied the same thing also hehe. :)

The 3rd time her uncle came over, he carried plates of mee hun and plastic bowls of red beans tong shui (dessert). Aiyak!

I stared at my mee hun plate. I had eaten dinner at home at around 7pm.

I turned to Pig, “Let’s give bak kam 1st.” Bak kam is some sort of condolence donation. No need to put it into an envelope or angpao. The amount depends on yourself.

At the altar (is it called altar?), we saw the – all the joss sticks were lone. Pig passed me 2 joss sticks.

“Eh? Not 3?” I asked him.

He took another one out.

Then I saw the small notice, PLEASE TAKE 1 JOSS STICK.

So we followed their rules loh, 1 joss stick each.

After praying, we looked at her grandma’s body. She looked pretty young for being 80 sth. Had pink lipstick on her downturn mouth. She didn’t look peaceful.

When VampireTeeth joined us, she said, “I have to watch the light (candle beneath the casket) tonight till 7 (tomorrow morning).”

I asked her, “Did you all give anything she love to eat? Last time my mom bungkus chicken rice for my grandmother – because she loved chicken very much. The next day, all the chicken were gone. She must have taken it.”

“Maybe cat or dog take,” she mused.

“Maybe also. But the rice wasn’t moved at all woh,” I replied.

“Don’t know lar. Usually people say there should be a butterfly at the candle. Mean she comes back home. But maybe she don’t know the way yet.. she died at the hospital.”

No wonder her grandmother’s face didn’t look smiley.

Nevertheless, it was rude not to eat, so I scooped some to my mouth like a robot.

Pig laughed, “Hahaa. Luckily mine is not as filled as yours! I’ll see how you can finish it!”

I looked at his plate. It was 3/4 of mine. Huh.  I’d eat slooowly…

The 1st person to finish the food was Pig. His friend chided him, “Said not hungry, can eat all!”

“I ate my dinner at.. 4pm,” Pig excused.

“Ho! 4pm was early loh!” His friend accused.
“I ate at 7,” I said.

“I ate dinner just now only,” his friend said. “I’m very cold lar. Can off the fan ar?”  He was wearing a sleeveless t and it was raining.

“Drink the hot bean lar,” Pig advised him.

“Cold one lar!”

“Hot one ah! See, got steam!” Pig pointed to his bowl of red bean dessert.

It was entertaining, funny even…

The chanting by the 3 nuns was pretty quiet and short.

VampireTeeth and family wore dark blue t-shirts and long pants. I remembered for the praying (at night and day), I had to wear rattan hat and dark, thick and coarse assemble provided by the uh, PIC of the burial. Paid by us, of course. It was so old fashioned.

I asked Pig, “Got what else there at the table?”

We had finished our food.

I had nothing to do with my mouth.

I went over there to look. I lifted 1 of the plastic containers. Not much mee hun left. Kacang. Which I couldn’t eat (braces and pimples) and wouldn’t eat (I dislike packaged peanuts). I came back to the table.

Then VampireTeeth’s family who had finished the praying went over to the table and took food onto their plates.

“You said got no more food?!”

“I really saw no more food mah! Maybe they (unseen spirits or God) let me saw nothing so that others could eat. But then I was only looking lar.” I didn’t want more mee hun, thank you very much.

Smells like pee

Yesterday night, as I was blogging, I smelled… pee. It was strong but not overpowering. I felt it moved around, to grandma’s cupboard. I stood from my seat and moved over to the cupboard. I inhaled. I looked inside the opened a bit cupboard, just her clothes. Exhaled. Inhaled deeply. Yep.

I called mom, “Come here…”

“Why?”

“Do you smell something?”

She sniffed the air, holding her bread and then said, “Wait, let me put this 1st.”

Then she came back without the bread but the smell was gone.

Afterwards, it came back again! I looked around the room. Nothing.

I mentally told it, “Don’t bug me, I didn’t bug you.”

But the thing is, I want to help but I don’t want to be involved. It’s cruel and selfish when one can see or hear them (the spirits) but chooses not to interfere because it would endanger one’s life. But if it could endanger one’s life…

I told mom, “Again.”

She came over and confirmed, “Yes… but just now when you called me, I smelled it but then when I came back, it was gone.”

Mom has higher… I don’t know. She was born at a time and date where she couldn’t see or feel the other side. Unless it was a terrible other side. She had only witnessed such paranormal incident once when she was staying at a haunted house – the spirit had stayed in that house for a long time and kicked Dei Ji Gong‘s pai down.

Then the smell was gone as fast as it came.

Mom said, “Usually it’s either a dirty smell or something sweet/nice.”

Maybe it was VampireTeeth’s grandmother, who had just passed away.

Whoever it was, I hoped it had peace.