louder louder voices in my head

i went to UOB branch in bendemeer road last friday during lunch time. i wanted to ask them to list down all giro deductions from my accounts 'coz i have a feeling money kept being deducted here and there lately.

when i was at the counter, the lady asked me, ' may i see your passport or your work permit?'.

work permit!

i was dumbstrucked. ok i know i don't look like a typical local guy but must they stereotyped me like that? i mean, i'm still ok with the passport thingy, but work permit? what, do i have the work permit holder look or something?

but as always i didn't complain. i just smiled it away.

that's my problem, i am too nice. i'm the kind that keep it all inside, and later go to find some voodoo dolls type of person.

well that's among what living in japan has taught me. the art of being hypocrit.

instead, i went on to meet their financial planner personnel to discuss about my financial plans. after the house, then the car, i figured i really need to start managing my money more systematically. especially after my father blurted out, 'do u have savings for wedding?' the moment i mentioned the car purchase.

so i sit there for 20 minutes hearing this guy explaining about various types of plans but what i could think of was, 'gosh this guy's breath smells'.

i mean, you'd think that being in a customer oriented service like this would make them take care their physical appearance a little bit more carefully. i work in the lab, but i still goggle my mouth with listerine every morning and dab on refresher.

it's just not at the bank. even just now at the saloon, the girl drying my hair has smelly breath too, which was worse because i was strapped down in the chair and couldn't move. i felt like i was being punished. thank god she was only the dryer girl not the hair stylist or else i'd have to find another place.

am i just being ridiculuous? i'm not a clean freak you know, if you drop by my place unannounced you'd find how normal my place is, with groceries left in shopping bags by the door, used cups beside the tv and the bed that never made.

so you see why i'm not so keen to sign up for the financial stuff. i'm on the fence actually but all these minor things just pushes me one side.

although looking at how i spent my money this weekend could undo just that.

yesterday i called the electrician because my ceiling spotlights kept getting burned and that's money down the drain. i wanted to get them changed to 12V bulb type because they are cheaper, consume less electricity and easy to find. hopefully they don'tburn easily too.

little did i know that each bulb needs to be installed with a transformer that costs $18 each. $18 each! and i have like 30 spotlights. that's not gonna work, so i asked them to do only my bedroom 'coz that's where i'm in most of the time anyway. ok $200+ gone.

then i called the carpenter to fix my kitchen worktop, you know, the one being drenched by water from the sink. he quoted $750 and i agreed. i didn't even know how much it would cost, i just prayed hard he was not cheating me or something.

paid my condo maintanence fee for half a year until december too. another $1000+.

man those are a big hole in my pocket it's almost obscene. if there's any consolation, at least all of that are easily justified, right? i mean, it's not like i bought xbox-360 and playstation-3 like this friend of mine in my office. both of them could easily cost the same amount of money that i just spent, and only for some stupid games.

although i did give myself a treat when i bought christina aguilera's back to basics singapore concert tour ticket off sistic last week. the show is going to be on june 30 and i'm going with this friend from bangkok. i'm so excited. i got the next expensive seat for $188, which is expensive but hey, i need to get in touch with my cool side sometimes.

this is totally one off. really.

where i'll be on june 30th at s'pore indoor stadium

so you see why i need the financial planning.

i just don't need people to ask me for work permits.

or buzz my msn saying hi then disappear. what are they thinking? gosh.



...ed