You know it's been a bad year when we spent the last 3 months of the year reading about it in past tense.

You know it's been a bad year when TIME Magazine dedicates a 16-page memoir to the passing of the world's greats in 2009 alone.

You know it's been a bad year when our celebratory countdown to New Year's fireworks display lasted no more than 12 minutes.

My 2009 hasn't been the best. I did decide that it would be the year for learning, and learn I did. Lessons are difficult things to digest so, in a way, I did achieve my goals though I hardly planned for it to be such choppy waters. With 2009 in the rearview mirror, 2010 is off to a bleak start.

Bombings/attempted bombings everywhere, Malaysia paves the way for terrorism, musical divas accept awards drunk, lunches at desolate, badly decorated cafes cost RM18, I have classes scheduled on my birthday, Malaysians have more things to be discriminated for, and the much anticipated The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus turned out be a self-indulgent Terry Gilliam spin that regular people might not appreciate.

At least, for now, with every New Year comes something new to work towards. I dread a time when that too will come to an end; when all a New Year holds is a reminder of a better time. 

They stood side-by-side. One was too familiar, one was a distraction. Why did I even get distracted in the first place? I already knew what I needed to buy. Maybe it's being human, but I went with the distraction. I bought the second choice. I bought the new cleanser.

For a person with sensitive skin, finding suitable skin care products don't come easy. That is one thing I know. But yet, I chose to buy the new cleanser. That was two months ago. Since then, I'd been experiencing unmanageable, highly uncomfortable skin problems. The rashes, the pimples, the itching, and the extra money spent on facials. My initial reaction was to nitpick on all circumstantial faults. Stupid sensitive skin. It's the humid HOT weather. It's my bedsheets. I'm not washing my face enough. It's the dust in my room, gotta run my air-purifier all day. I found fault in everything I could think of. I tried to fix the problem to the best of my ability. Safe to say that I wasn't seeing things too clearly. After attempting solutions from every angle, I was on the verge of succumbing to the "inevitable" when it dawned on me. Every single time I used the cleanser, I felt like something was wrong. It didn't jive. The new cleanser was incompatible! Why did it take me two months to figure it out?

Several possibilities:
1.  I wanted my decision to buy the new cleanser to be the right decision. Pride check.
2.  I wanted to be in control of the situation so I did all I could to gain control. Stubbornness check.
3.  I thought I knew best because I've been living with sensitive skin all my life. Expertise check.

Things I could've done to rectify the problem sooner:
1.  Been more honest with myself.
2.  Taken some time to reflect.
3.  Not gotten distracted to begin with.

Life lesson much?

The weekend was like an escape from real life. I spent a night on a rooftop bar with a good looking guy. My group pulled off a song that we barely practiced. A relative told me I looked like a model at a cousin's wedding (God bless blood relations). I made my early morning commitments relatively on time. My mom made pork roast. I made up for a week's worth of late nights.

And then Monday came. Like a train off its tracks, it came. Unexpected, undesired.

I overslept. I couldn't find my device chargers. Everything I did had a two-second lag due to oversleeping and hand moisturiser (no grip). Didn't iron any clothes over the awesome weekend so this morning greeted me naked. I found my brother at home, which I hoped upon every shooting star and wishing well that that meant it was a public holiday I wasn't aware of. No such luck. Upon setting foot in the office, my mom gasped at my disfiguring eye bags and told me I look like I've been in mourning. -_-

Happy weekday everybody!

Hello World,

You've been sending me parcels of Grey Skies and Rain the past few days. I'd just like to inform you that I have received the parcels, and there appears to be a problem with the order.

In reference to my PO no. 1001, I ordered Everyday Blue Skies. The Grey Skies you sent has caused a slight raucous in my workplace. Job efficiency has dropped by 15%, while the number of absentees has significantly increased. This is unacceptable as the reason I placed an order for Everyday Blue Skies was to affect the exact opposite effect. 

Also, the Rain that you sent was too large in quantity. Its arrival has thus caused great chaos. The workplace is experiencing visual obstruction, slow traffic, damaged shoes, and dampened spirits.

The week is almost up. I need you to rectify this problem by early Monday morning. These mistakes have caused me and my colleagues much unpleasantness and additional monetary costs.

Please advise your counter measures.

Thank you.

Regards,
KL Man