Seriously, Do We Look Like Your Personal Shoppers!?

This has been a on-going ‘predicament’ for my friend, C, and I. After tens and hundreds of hours of non-stop screaming, bitching and tearing our hair out on the phone (it's amazing either of us still has a full head of hair!) asking each other ‘why us?!?!’, I’ve decided to blog about it. So if you’re one of these people who have asked either of us for such ‘favors’ and you’re not related to us, QUIT! We are busy enough… ok, SHE is busy enough and she certainly doesn't need help keeping her minutes of the days more occupied with three kids, a job, a husband, in-laws, parents, friends…. I don’t need to go on and you get the picture… and I don’t work because I don’t want to and if I like to idle my life away and wilt to nothing and mean absolutely nothing to anyone in this world, hey, that’s my prerogative! I like doing nothing and I like things to remain status quo. I don’t have a job for a reason so stop believing that you need to keep me busy!

Having lived in America for awhile now, we have come to realize that our Singaporean compatriots like to imagine our friendships, more often, acquaintanceships as something more than what there really is… we have long time school mates, class mates who barely tried to keep in contact in the last 20 years and once they realize we live in the U.S, it's like a light blub goes 'blink!' and they immediately think we’ve automatically signed up to be their personal shopping assistants. Yes, I’m absolutely serious!

A friend of mine whom I used to know in high school in Canada (she’s Singaporean) once dropped me an email out of the blues. This is what it said “need you to buy song from itunes for me asap – this is an emergency…” and continues to tell me the name of the song. HUH!? Who are you!? I’d heard from her maybe once or twice since high school and she wanted me to do her a favor with a note like that!? Yes, it's a 99 cent favor but it's not about the money! Of course I ignored it and haven’t heard from her since. Muahahaha!

Another time, this girl I went to school with in Singapore (in the early 80s) after a few instant messenger chats (in 2007!) decides that I should be her ‘BUYER’ for her business… ie, she tells me what to order, gets the order shipped to my home address and I send the products to her via the cheapest way of transportation. THEN she will reimburse me for postage (only). What!? You don't believe I really gave up that chance to be her 'buyer/shipper'?! IDIOT!

I have enough of a hard time shopping for my family and especially my little two nieces back home (out of my own free will, thank you very much), I don’t need uncalled stress from people I don’t care about. When I lived in Memphis, the post office was a short drive from me so I did do SOME people a few favors here and there but hello!??! I’m in Seattle now where going to the bloody store is a pain, much less the bloody post office! OMFG! Have a brain!! ...and what's in it for me to all of you these favors?!? No I don't want a bloody job much less one that pays absolutely nothing!

What about the one who bothers me about getting make-up for her girlfriend?! Make-up!? WAH LIAO!! Didn't you guys just return from a whirlwind trip from Australia?! Ohhh, you want the kiddy brands and the organic brands so you can think about starting your online cosmetic store... how about do your own homework and contact these people on your own instead of having me go search for it in different pockets of the city! Honestly! I just can't relate to how these people think!

C got an email today from a complete stranger… well, almost complete stranger. The only bond they have is that they went to the same high school (different graduating years however) but neither of them remember much about each other 'coz... well, they have never met! LOL! In his mail today, he wants her to buy some cellphone-cover. WHO CARES?!?!? Who the phuck do these people think they are?!?! ..and if they know how to email, can’t they learn to Google anything they want and use their own credit cards to buy them online!? Look, you live in Singapore – not Timbak-phucking-too! If they don’t have it in Singapore and you don’t have a GOOD friend / blood relative somewhere who would do you the favor, you don’t bloody hell need it. TRUST ME!!!!