the parents are finally back! now, this is liberation. no more wearing smelly clothes and stepping on dusty floors. my mom was so proud that my brother and i made our own dinner yesterday that she resolved to go on trips more often.

i object! mom, do you really wish to spend more money on gas that's gone wasted due to uncountable attempts at making an omelette? do you really want the water bills to skyrocket yet again due to unsuccessful tries at getting the washing machine to spin, instead of rinsing all night, damn it?

on a more anecdotal note, the first time i did the laundry when they left, the clothes came out washed but smelling really bad. as in, phew. and i had to rely on my brother to inform me that it's probably because i put the socks in with the shirts. three-day old socks, mind you.

i hung the clothes up to dry and they were so sopping wet they formed dangerous puddles on the floor. it seemed like it was raining in the house. i really should wring them out next time.

ok, so second attempt. the clothes came out great, no smell! (probably cos no socks) no stains! not sopping wet! it was perfect. i am really getting the hang of this housewife thang. how bad can it be when you have washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwave and toaster ovens? all i need is a dishwasher and for all of them to be automated.

at my third attempt, i had a pretty full load and lots of socks which i had already soaked overnight in soapy water, the way my mom did it. i dumped them all into the machine, and set the machine to knob 5. when it's done, the knob should be at knob 8, which says 'stop'.

twelve hours later, the damn machine is spewing water into the drainage hole and leaking water all over the kitchen floor. the clothes refuse to spin, and the knob is still at 5! so for twelve hours, the water's been running. like some devil spawn sapping the life out of the ice caps of antarctica.

i didn't know what to do, so i just switched off the machine and left the clothes there until my parents came back. so now, less than 24 hours later, they've washed all the clothes we've worn for two weeks and the clothes that they've worn for the whole trip. while they were at that, they've been to the market, made breakfast, lunch, dinner and peeled rambutans just for us kids.

aren't parents amazing?

today was the first day of the matriculation fair, and cue sports was dumped right in between the juggling club (don't ask) and rock climbing (hi meishuang!)

floorball was nearby too, so the whole time our lives were being endangered by the jugglers on our left juggling unsuccessfully at some points with concussion-causing pins; and the floorballers on our right crashing into various tables and people while whacking those balls with holes in it.

once again, bidding fever has taken nus by storm. bet the freshmen will be headaching next wk when they start. it's been a year already, gosh. my sociology of food! just gone down the drain.

many people are afraid of approaching strangers and trying to hard sell some product that you know they don't give a shit about. i've been rejected countless times promoting nail products for nail contours. when i first started it was awkward: i stuttered and stammerred and had to stop to think of what to say next. i waited till i saw a kind face, someone who looked like she might listen to me talk about the life-changing benefits of having shiny buffed nails. i would hesitate, then approach, then step back again, and the fish would just swim away.

of those that i did manage to catch, they'd patiently listen to my speech and then not buy. some just wave me away like some fly. when you face enough rejections, you come back more thick-skinned, your speech becomes programmed into your brain and you can approach even the witchiest-looking tai tai and the lines will deliver like some pre-recorded answering machine message.

today, many clubs were hard selling their activities and getting the innocent freshies to join them. okay, i don't really know why i brought this up, but i just felt like i was at work again, having to approach strangers. we shouldn't feel dejected just cos of a one-time rejection.

i attended a seminar today and the speaker mentioned about selling an idea to ourselves. if we try to convince ourselves to go to the gym, listing out all the benefits like meeting gays, that hot instructor, and oh, keeping fit, but in the end we decide not to, then we're bad salesmen; we're just not convincing enough.

it was a refreshing way of looking at things. i like to think that i have the power to influence and sway other people to my side, but it turns out that i'm not even close; cos i never could convince myself to do myself good, like finally going for that damn jog, or eating yucky but oh-so-nutritional vegetables, or drink water so that i won't get bad breath.

before i forget, i watched the love letter tonight.

Dearest,