Introducing Christa Calamity

Hello, I'm Christa; I am very excited to be sharing my daily (sometimes weekly) journal entries with you.

I had recently moved here with my boyfriend E, got a new, interesting job at Harry's as a junior advertising executive and plus, I've just bought this new, amazing pair of stilettos that goes with everything!!

New job, new city, I am literally ready to take over the world!


Let's get started!

Lots of xxx,
C

The Drawing Room

I had spent the entire day being unproductive. Very much so.

See, summer had finally arrived but it is disappointing. Instead of getting warm, breezy afternoons, we are hit with hot, humid, scorching heat all day long. This has been going on for quite some time now. Even E is not his usual, cheerful self these past few weeks.

Truth is, diary, we are still arguing discussing what to convert the garage into. We have been planning this since winter but still no action was taken. The conversion was supposed to start in spring but then we decided to put it off till summer; just so that we could decide properly. We have decided that it would be our little project, something that we could do together. We have learnt some of the basic techniques from "Converting Your Garage for Dummies"

We are now torn between these 2 choices:
1) A guest bedroom (with no bathroom)
2) A painting room with an easel (I would then take art lessons so that I can paint artsy pieces for our still rather dull living room)
3) A storage room (for all the boxes still stacked up from our move late last year)
I liked the idea of the guest bedroom really, but what good is it when we have no guests?! I've argued debated with E about this and he is insisting that we would like to have friends over for weekends sometimes, and they would all hang out there instead of in the house, and in turn this is minimize the mess. Honestly I hate the idea of having a bunch of his mates coming over, getting drunk and passing out on the sofa (before they could walk themselves over to the guest bedroom). E does not see my point of view.

I still think having a painting room will be much better, not to mention elegant. I have always like to tell my girlfriends that we could have tea in the drawing/painting. Sounds posh, better than "Let's get you settled in our guest bedroom". Also, I've always wanted to say "I will see you after art class" then after a few flicks of my hair, "Today we have to do a sketch of an actual person". Everyone will be so jealous.
I survived The Christmas Dinner.

But it sure was not easy.

Mom and Dad arrived a little after noon - although I told them specifically to come at 7pm. By now I've learned that parents do not listen. Ever.

Mom was wearing her still-mad-at-my-daughter-for-stealing-the-china look but I knew she loves the drama so I didn't say anything. After 15 minutes, Mom gave up pretending to be mad and started lecturing me about the numerous health hazards in our fridge. E likes his breakfast big and hearty, so we stock up on packs of bacon, sausages, and pork - we recently went shopping and had filled the freezer with meat. But diary, she did not see the heads of lettuce which were also there!

Dad commented on the various shelves and fixtures which E had put up around the house. I helped carry the DIY pieces and read the "How to Assemble" manuals with him before he managed to piece it together. He did not mention that.

As I was busy preparing dinner, Dad and E just "hung out" in the living room, made small talk about politics and sports until Dad eventually got bored and fell asleep on the sofa with his mouth open. Then he started snoring. I don't know how Mom puts up with his loud snoring. Left alone, E spent the afternoon reading "Converting Your Garage for Dummies". Sometimes I wish that man would make himself more useful around the house.

On the other hand, Mom insisted on helping me in the kitchen - when I obviously could do very well on my own! She kept criticizing my cooking methods. She spent a whole hour correcting the "mess" I've made out of her "traditional" mashed potato recipe. Diary, I was NOT making a "mess". I merely overcooked the potatoes and they turned slightly green. It was still completely edible. I don't know why she had to waste a batch of perfectly good potatoes.

She said "You will one day kill that man" when I argued that E has no problem with my cooking.

Dinner was eventually ready by 6.30pm just as Pinky arrived. Her hair smelled nice although she obviously did not use the Seaweed & Jojoba blend shampoo I bought her. She also brought Zett, a male friend of hers. I must ask her who is he when I get a chance. And by the way, what kind of name is "Zett"?

After dinner, we made cocktails and talked until late.

Had lots of fun!
Note: Remind E it is his turn to do dishes

Almost Christmas

Today is the eve of Christmas Eve.

This is also the first year I am hosting a Christmas eve dinner all by myself with Pinky's help. Pinky's name is Jane, but diary, I am sure everyone will agree that it is a rather dull name for a girl as pretty as her. I like "Pinky" better.

My co-workers have all
made dinner plans with their own families. Spike is on vacation (with a bunch of guys) and will not be back till the new year. I am secretly laughing at him for choosing such a time to relax on a "tropical paradise" as he puts it. Because diary, as we all know, the "travelling package" in December comes with long queues, large crowds and unnecessary stress. And diary, these are the things that one has to experience and to learn by himself. He will know better when he comes back.

Pinky, on the other hand was recently dumped by her no-good/slacker/loser boyfriend and has not had a good hair day ever since. Honestly! Yesterday, I caught a whiff of her hair and it smelled like she had not washed it in days. The odour is overbearing and I stayed away from her cube all day. She is clearly not in good terms with her parents as she had not mentioned them once the entire time I have known her.

So I invited her to join us for dinner tomorrow night. I have also asked her to accompany me while I do some last minute food shopping. Turns out she knows how to cook and is very familiar with the aisles in the supermarket. As I was struggling to find where everything was, I very obligingly gave her my shopping list when she offered to help me find everything.

She seemed capable enough, so I left her to it and snuck into a Body Shop. They always have the most amazing Christmas gift baskets at a bargain. Since I've already done my gift shopping for E and my parents, I bought a bottle of Seaweed & Jojoba blend shampoo (at 50% off!) for Pinky.

Before Pinky left, I gave her the shampoo saying she deserved her Christmas gift earlier for helping me with all the shopping today. When she saw what it was, she grew very still and kept her head down. I think I saw tears in her eyes.

I knew she would love it. I am amazing at buying gifts for people. I have always known that.
D texted me this morning:
"Ankle almost good to go.
Want 2 catch up? Coffee?
This wkend ok 4 u? Dx"
She is such a fighter! She broke an arm and sprained her ankle last weekend while babysitting her 2 year old nephew. Apparently she slipped on a toy car and rolled down the stairs. I have been telling her to watch where she is going - but she never listens. The poor girl! I hope this teaches her a lesson.

I replied almost instantly:
"Yes! Would ♥ to! Cxxx"
Then I remembered that I had promised to help E tidy up the garage (I have been putting it off for 2 weekends now diary, and I cannot possibly get out of it this time) so that we could convert it into a storage room. I was am not looking forward to it. Really!

So I texted D again:
"My place @ 2? I know u luv spring
cleaning! I hv a whole garage 4 u!
It will be FUN! Cxxx"
She only replied after 20 minutes or so later:
"Oh shoot! I hv 2 babysit @ 2.
Maybe some other time?
U hv fun w/ garage. Dx"
I think D might have to learn how to say "No" to that sister of hers more often. She is obviously being taken for a free-of-charge babysitter!

Anyhow, cleaning out the garage might be fun after all. Maybe I could even talk E into converting it into one of those painting rooms with an easel. Then perhaps with a few art lessons I could paint artsy pieces to decorate our living room; which quite frankly diary, is rather boring.

The Cat Lady

I am still settling in and trying to get myself accustomed to the new neighbourhood since moving here a month ago.

Our neighbour, the lady who lives with her cats is nice but she strikes me as being eccentric. She told E a few days ago that she has a total of 7 cats but 2 of them are missing, therefore she reminded us not to be alarmed if we find them loitering in our backyard. Apparently she is "worried sick" about Blackie and Lulu* and we should keep a lookout for them.
Note:
*Maybe it was Lucy, I was trying very hard at a crossword puzzle when E was talking about this

Last night as I was taking out the trash, I saw a fat, black cat staring at me from about 5 feet away. Its green eyes seem to pierce through my soul so I ran back into the house. Besides, black cats are bad luck anyway.

In the evenings when I get home from work she will be watering the plants and weeding the lawn while talking to her cats; which run free all over her house (and yard). She often complains to me about her son who doesn't visit her anymore. I was afraid to ask any questions about her "son" just in case she is one of those lonely old women who make up imaginary children.

Honestly, diary, she scares me a little bit sometimes and I am putting off inviting her over to dinner at our place like E suggested. And she smells like cat food - I hope she isn't sharing her cat's food.

Our neighbour, the Cat Lady reminds me of my mom, although they bear no physical resemblance. Maybe it's only because I am starting to miss home.

Mom is still upset that I took her set of china without asking. I had argued that she has never even taken them out of the box and therefore will not even know that they have gone missing if it wasn't for her peeking into our car trunk before we left. She is very adamant about "having no good china" left for special occasions.

But diary, in all my years living with my parents, my mother never uses the "good china". Sometimes I wish I had printed "For Display Only" labels and stuck them to some of her kitchenware. Mom is a stubborn woman and is still refusing to call although she knows I am right.

I hope my parents are well and that they do not fall sick over missing me; their only daughter too much.

The People at Harry's

It's been a few days now that I've been working at my new job as a junior executive here at Harry's. I've yet to meet the legendary "Harry" of Harry's Properties. I have gathered from the company distributed leaflets that "Harry" had started out as a humble mail room clerk working his way up to join the board of directors no more than a few years. He was then unanimously voted to become the president of the company. Then as the company almost succumbed to the economic crisis back in the 90s, "Harry"; with his vast knowledge and experience, single-handedly saved the company from an embarrassing downfall. It was evident that he earned his name on the company signboard.

I tried looking through old articles and newsletters in my computer database but I could not find a publication which mentioned "Harry'"'s last name. He must think it's fashionable hip to go on a first name basis - like Madonna or Prince. I am laughing as I'm writing this.

I have eventually decided that it did not matter if I didn't know. Everyone refers to him as "Mr Harry" or "The Boss".

Within the last few days, I've also gotten to know my co-workers a little better.

Fringe mostly keeps to herself. She disappears for a few hours sometimes and just yesterday I caught her sneaking away into the broom closet while whispering into her cellphone. She must be having an affair. Otherwise there is obviously no need to hide in the broom closet of all places! I still did not get her name as she does not talk to me very much. I think she's shy. I will make an effort to invite her out to lunch one of these days.

I like Pinky. She did not wear pink shirts every day. But the name kinda stuck since I made it up for her the first day I was here. I think her name is Lily or Nilly or Milly, I'm not very sure. I usually just greet her with a "Hi" or "Hey" when we talk to each other. She's pretty and smiles a lot, sometimes she does a cute little girly wave when she sees me in the elevator. She sits only a few cubes away from me so I'm looking forward to knowing her better.

Big-S; the girl whom I've started disliking since Day 1 has an atitude problem. I am very sure of it! Yesterday I asked her how to operate the coffee machine in the pantry and she said "Didn't your managers teach you?" I knew she was only referring to Mr C-H (we all share one manager) so I said "No, HE did not teach me". I must have emphasized the HE a little bit louder than I needed to. She stared with widened-eyes, then shook her head and walked away. I don't know what is her problem. Maybe she is bitter about life. Big-S has a habit of widening her eyes when she speaks. I've observed that quite a few times already. When she does it, her pupils look very tiny against her eye-whites. She must've not known that it's very unattractive. Someone needs to tell her and it won't be me. I am wondering if she has a boyfriend.

Spike is a very nice guy. He invites me for lunch with the other female co-workers he mixes with. He seems like the kind of guy who has a lot of female "buddies". He asked me out to dinner a couple of times already, says I should get to know some of the people from the other departments. I said I shall arrange some time. However I am wondering if he knows I am seeing someone.

Note: Must find out Pinky's name

It Began at Harry's

First dat @ new job!

It was 7.20am when I woke up this morning. I've overslept by 20 minutes. I sat bolted upright in bed considering which morning routine I'd have to forego. I hate hurried showers in the morning.


My usual 45-minute shower was shortened to 30 minutes.

I finally managed to find something suitable to wear for my first day at work. I had worn the new red top with the little buttons I bought last week. It must be my lucky day! I have completely forgotten about this gorgeous little number since chucking it aside.
Note: Must not try to hide shopping bags from E by throwing them on top of wardrobe. Try other, more visible hiding spots. Behind bathroom kitchen door?

I managed to fix my make-up, twist my hair into quite a nice stylish bun within 10 minutes. Will tell E tonight during dinner. I was right after all, I COULD be ready in 15 minutes if I put my heart into it.
Another Note to Self: Must get a regular, household size hair-dryer. Current, tiny economical-size one takes too long to dry hair. Plus there's always a burning smell...!


Several thoughts occured to me during the drive to work this morning;
1) Will my co-workers be fun to hang out with?
2) Did I forget to use the concealer? (I was pretty sure I have forgotten, and almost worked myself into a state of panic - it was my FIRST day at work! But as it turned out; diary, I haven't forgotten. Silly me!)

I finally reached
Harry's Properties; my new place of employment and is one of the largest real estate firms in the area. Oh, I had another idea on my drive here.

3) Will see if any of my new co-workers live nearby my place, we could carpool and then I could definitely save a lot on gas. Besides, I'm pretty sure the guys would offer to drive most of the time. Brilliant!


My best friend D had driven me around the block to survey the area after coffee last night. I had wanted to make sure I could find a decent parking spot when I got to work this morning. D tells me quite frequently that I have incredible hindsight. I'm pretty sure he means foresight. Sometimes I think D is not very bright. So I couldn't find it in my heart to correct him.

I had to walk approximately 500 meters to reach the office. My feet hurt when I got there. Turns out the parking lot furthest from the office building charges the cheapest rate for the day. These things add up. So I had no choice.

Mr C-H is my manager and he seems nice. After a brief welcome, he introduced me to the rest of the staff in my department. I did not manage to memorize all their names yet but I think I'd be working with Fringe (girl with long, untidy bangs), Big-S (girl who adds "S" in all her sentences, i.e the others peoples are coming), Pinky (girl who wore the cute little pink shirt) and Spike (guy with the spiky hairdo)

When it was almost lunch time, Big-S came over and said to me, "Christa, I thinks you forgots to remove the price tag which says 70% off from your shirt"

I immediately disliked Big-S.