Saturday, December 16, 2006

The day before Lisa leaves

I slept till 11:15 this morning. I had a most graphic dream. I dreamt that my genitals have swollen up and were hanging between my legs like two giant sacks, except that one was much bigger than the other. And my pubes did not grow proportionately to cover them up. Then I performed some sort of operation on myself, and trimmed them down a bit (no, strangely enough, there was no blood). Didn't look much better after, though. And then I woke. This dream is even worse than the one where I ate a cat alive. I dare not even start to think what Freudians might have to say about this.

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Then I trekked out to TST to do my Christmas shopping. On my way to the train station, I passed by numerous housing estate type housewife type middle aged type permed hair type leggings wearing type women. They were either talking on their mobile phones or talking to the person next to them. ALL of them, and I mean all who were in communication with someone else, were talking about stocks. A couple of them were so excited they were actually yelling, and I can hear them from across the river, almost.

Prices: From 22 cents to 25 cents! Did you not sell? Hahahah I did! I say....

More prices: 58 cents I bought it and that was last week just now I sold it at 60 cents! Ha ahhahah!

Service: They need to hire more staff, when the market is good they can't handle all the orders...

Rambling: One thirty three not one thirteen ah! I said ONE THIRTY THREE! ONE THIRTY THREE ar! Sell one thirty three at one thirteen ar!!!!

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And then I was in TST. After the book store and a bowl of beef tripe rice noodles and iced lemon tea, I went into the adidas "flagship" store. It's kinda new, been opened for a few months but I've never been inside. It takes up three whole floors, sales staff outnumbering shoppers by two to one. They have some nice things, and can get adidas track suits in almost any colour you can think of. It's crazy. The whole store seems to be dominated by these track suit jackets and bottoms. I felt dizzy after a while. I had to leave.

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And then I was in another book store, then a gadget store, a record store, and then went to Laura Mercier to buy a present for my friend and goodies for myself. I bought these books as presents and another gift set. And then, most predictable, the sales said if I spend another two hundred bucks I can get a free gift!! An offer no tired, thirsty and greedy mortal like me could resist. So I bought another item, paid, and left.

I just checked my shopping an hour ago and found that she didnt' give me that gift set!!!! And now I feel lost, a bit sad, worried, and quite frankly, need a drink.

But the half bottle of beaujolais nouveau has been left at B's work! There are no beers in the fridge! All that is left is cheap port, whisky, warm sauvignon blanc, and cachaca!!! But no lime! AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

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Our domestic helper, Lisa, is going home tomorrow, for three weeks. I do mildly dread the days without her. I dread that I might strangle my kids, or my husband. But I shall pray that this will not happen (would help if you could pray for me as well). What I dread more, and I don't think I'm being paranoid here, is that she and her family would get food poisoning some time in the not very distant future. Just hear me out.

When I got out of bed this morning, I wandered into the kitchen to find something cooking. Steaming, to be exact. I lifted the lid of the huge wok which we never use, to find three zillion shrimps cooking there. Then Lisa emerged, giggling, to say that her kids SMSed her last night to ask if she could bring home either some cooked shrimps or some chocolate. She chose chocolate. So, she bought three catties of shrimps from the wet market, and she's cooked them, and she's gonna bring them home to her kids.

Now, this was 11:15 this morning. Her fight is 11:15 tomorrow morning. After she arrive in Manila airport, it is another eight hours before she gets home. I assume it will be pretty late in the evening when the shrimps are unwrapped. They will either consume it there and then, or stick it in the fridge. But there is no way of telling and I am too embarrassed to actually ask her about this. Now how safe is it to leave cooked seafood at room temperature for? I'm too scared to even try to google this. I'm scared that she will be offended if I suggest that she might be trying to poison her family. Why would I think that? Here me out, please. I do have my reasons.

About a year or so ago, a parcel arrived for Lisa in the mail. She unwrapped it with joy, and proudly showed us a giant piece of deep fried pork belly. That has come through the MAIL! Her husband had lovingly prepared it for her. It was very generous of her to offer it for us to sample. Don't ask me why but I ate some of it. Now, obviously I didn't die. I didn't even get the runs or anything. And she ate the whole thing, over a number of days, and she didn't die either. That's why I hesitate to question her about the shrimp thing.

God, it's hard to know what the the right thing to do is, sometimes.

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