life skills : carpentry...

I was trying my hand at some woodwork yesterday to fix up the staircase which was damaged by termites. After buying some wood at the hardware shop ( they always smile at me when I buy stuff there...must be unusual seeing a lady buying hardware) I proceeded to saw it to the proper length and then found out that I had to make a groove in the wood to fit it properly to the step. Thinking about how the heck I was going to do this, and also lacking the proper tools., I rummaged around the steel cabinet outside where we keep a multitude of stuff and found what appeared to be a chisel ( i don't really know what one actually looks like- last time I did any woodwork was about 20 years ago- how time flies!) Then I started hammering the wood. After some time, I actually managed to get system going and produced a decent looking groove ! Today, hopefully, I'll be able to finish it. Next step- polishing the finished job with some floor treatment!

beating bullies

I don't know what possessed me the other day when I was trying to find a parking spot at the local Giant. As usual, I prefer to wait by the side of the road hoping that somebody in my lane is going to pull up, putting on my signal lights to let people know I'm waiting there. Somehow, I have this uncanny (God-given ) ability to kind of sense when a parking spot is going to be available, and sure enough, a few metres away I could spot someone about to pull out. I waited patiently for the driver to start moving, not bothering to inch too much closer, so as to give them plenty of space to come out.I was pretty confident that the other drivers could see me waiting there as my signal light was on , and sure enough, they drove past me to look for other spaces. Lo and behold, a car suddenly pulled up right in front of me, seemingly to take the parking space I had so patiently waited for. I honked at the guy ( I could see two of them in the car), in case they had not seen me there waiting, but he didn't budge. I honked again, just to make sure and at the this point, I was getting pretty cheesed off. I knew this guy was trying to be funny and thought he could bully me seeing that I was all alone. I waited for it, and as the guy moved his car forward to reverse park, I inched my car forward so he couldn't get into the space. As expected, he wound down his window to yell at me. I yelled right back, knowing he probably couldn't hear me, since I didn't lower down my own window. ( I know, some of you would be thinking-what the heck are you doing, just give in and go find another space- there were two of them and I was by myself) but somehow I just didn't feel like giving into this bully and besides, there were plenty of cars behind me ( ergo, witnesses) to back me up in case something nasty should happen. He made as if to open his door, once again gesturing threateningly at me, and so I just kept yelling at him. Seeing he had no choice ( I couldn't and wouldn't move anyway, and the cars were piling up behind me) he slammed back into his car and drove off. Hurray!!!! I quickly reversed park into the slot and then went off into Giant, hoping he wouldn't be crazy enough to seek revenge by slashing my tyres or scratching the car, and thank God, when I came back out, everything was safe and sound.So much for men being the protectors for women- nowadays we have to look out for ourselves!

time to look good..( or try to, at least)

I have decided that it is time to take my beauty regime seriously, since I'm already in my early 30's (shock!horror!). Actually I think that I've passed the recommended age at which we must begin to take such things seriously, but what the heck, better late than never, I guess. I have tried to be religious about it, but inevitably I would falter when other things start taking up my time!! But after having a look in the mirror lately, and noticing some things which I have not noticed before (gulp!!) I resolve to do a better job. Thank God I have been good about going to monthly facials, that's something, at least. I have learnt that if we don't take care of ourselves, no one else will, and that by taking care of myself and thus making me feel better, it will only help in making this life less stressful and thus more pleasant for me and the other people in my life:)