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Is it me or are high school proms a rip-off these days? In my day, there were no high school proms so my folks got off lucky . These days, they have a graduation ceremony where we have pay like $50 for our teen to receive a bunch of flowers and scroll on stage.

Then there’s the formal high school prom held at a hotel, no less! Mind you, my kids are not even in private schools. During Steev’s time 3 years ago, we paid $75 for the prom held at a somewhat obscure hotel.

These days, it’s not just high school any more, we’re also leading the high life! The school has ‘moved us up’ to a posh 5-star hotel where we have to fork out $180 for the dinner and dance. Remember we haven’t factored in the cost of that evening gown, purse, shoes, accessories and hairdo yet !!

Not to say that I’m a Scrooge or anything when it comes to one-time events like these. But is it really necessary to have an event this posh for teens who, by the way, aren’t making their own money yet and still have a long ways to go before they should even think to spend half that amount for a night out?

I think they’re doing just fine without being given the impression that they need to live beyond their means to have a good time! The organizers, of all people, should know better! What are they thinking?

I’ve just finished baking a batch of my infamous cheese-crusted melt-in-the-mouth shepherd’s pie and they’re sitting in my oven waiting to be delivered to my two princesses at school.

Wednesdays and Thursdays, I have one finishing school at 4:00pm and the other at 5:30pm. My poor teens are up from dawn and at school from 7:00am with a measly 20-minute recess. That’s 10 hours straight, yes, even longer than working at an office. And of course, they’re most generously allowed a lunch break at 2:00pm.

That’s when I’ll be standing outside the prison school gate with a bunch of other parents waiting to sneak them lunch over the school fence!! I feel so sorry for my poor girls I just have to make them an extra special lunch to brighten up their day.

I pack their school lunches with a bottle of ice-cold water each and sunblock as they’ll be out in the blazing 95 degree sun all afternoon. Sometimes I throw in a couple of candies just for treats. These school hours are a real drag and frankly I can’t wait till they finish high school! Oops, look at the time, I’m off to grace the prison gates !

Don’t get me wrong, I love the gym. But I love it even more when it’s empty. Devoid of others, um, let’s just call them superhumans aka those who insist on switching OFF both the air-conditioning and fans in the gym, those who don’t need to breathe when they exercise, what do we call them again??!!

Here I am, spewing perspiration and gasping for air in my sleeveless top and shorts. There they are, wearing long sleeves and long pants, huddled over cardio machines wrapped up in thick towels!!

Note there’s only one window, which is sealed shut, and only one fan whirring away! Overhead there are 32 light bulbs burning their way through the tops of our heads! What’s up with the spotlights already? Are we looking for needles in a haystack here?

Oh and while we’re at it, could we please be allowed to exchange some of that carbon dioxide for oxygen? I can only assume folks work out to stay healthy. Um, stupid question. Without oxygen, could we be defeating the purpose – possibly?

That said, the fan and air-conditioning won’t cause you to catch the chill of death no matter what your grandmother told you! Those old wives’ tales really have to go, people!! But if you insist on shutting off the air circulation, then you’re obviously in the wrong place. You should be in the sauna! Savvy?

After report card day yesterday, I took the kids to McD’s for breakfast.

Me: I’ll have 3 sets of Breakfast No. 2 please.

Server: Okay. (And a minute later, as if she’s seeing me for the first time!) Yes?

Me: 3 sets of Breakfast No. 2 please with 1 orange juice and 2 tea.

Server: Okay, (punching earnestly into machine) 2 coffee and 1 tea.

Raine : No, 1 orange juice and 2 tea!

Server: And your order?

Me : Breakfast No. 2!

Server: What’s Breakfast No. 2?

Me : Sausage McMuffin with Egg.

(I was tempted to say, “Look, there’s a huge menu signboard behind you with even better than outdoor home lighting and you’re asking me?!!)

Server: How many sets?

Me : Three!!

I took a good look at the young lady serving us.

• She looks to be 20, not 85.
• She has stud earrings on, not headphones.
• The clock on the wall says 10:42am, not 4:12am.
• There are no good-looking hunks within a 6-mile radius of where we’re standing.

Pinch me, somebody! This is not really happening!!

Busy as I am, I rarely get the chance to socialize with our neighbors. Those who are just as busy tend to keep to themselves and those who love to gossip for hours, I just don’t have the time for them.

Having said that, we do have a couple of darling neighbors. The lady who lives on our other side is in this wonderful habit of passing us barbecued pork and other yummies across the fence. Her husband takes it upon himself to water our plants and warns us if it rains and we still have our rugs hanging outside to dry!

The lady who lives across the street from us knows all my favorite foods, and whenever she cooks them, she always makes extra and brings me a bowl or sometimes, even a pot of it!! She sees me rushing about all day and she pampers me with her delicious herbal soups and comfort food. How sweet is that!

I usually try to get my weekly groceries done by Saturday at the latest. Grocery shopping on Sundays are, well, just a little too wild for me. Of late, it’s beginning to feel more like a battlefield. Where do these people come from?

I mean, what can be more frustrating than following a Sunday morning driver straddled over two lanes with his left indicator light flashing when he’s clearly turning right, huh? Or a family having a picnic in the parking lot with groceries, strollers and kids when they know you’re waiting for their parking spot?

On Sundays, the grocery store is one big, happy playground . Toddlers pushing shopping carts twice their height and crashing into people and shelves! Kids dancing, doing kungfu, sitting on the floor and turning the aisles into race tracks. Parents pushing empty strollers and parking their carts in the middle of the aisle. Grandmothers strolling along and stopping to smell the vegetables every 10 seconds.

Not to mention, those couples taking a lovey-dovey stroll along the aisle, tentacles wrapped around each other, deep in whispered discussions of what to buy. Seriously, folks, I hardly think grocery shopping qualifies as a romantic escapade !

Then there are the folks behind me at checkout who slam their carts right into my butt, then proceed to edge close enough to breathe into my hair and peer over my shoulder as I sign my credit card slip. Just great! Whatever happened to personal space?

So you see, all I want to do is to go in, grab my stuff and get out. Fast! Do you grocery shop on Sundays and is it ever a problem for you?

For the past few weeks, Steev’s been working part-time at a service center. His job is to help the customer get a number, fill out a form and wait their turn.

Now if you’ve been reading my posts about Steev, you’ll know that besides being a total geek, he’s also a very friendly young man with impeccable manners and a really engaging smile.

So it’s not surprising that when customers approach him with technical questions, he’ll happily explain away though that’s entirely his own attempt at providing the best service he can, rather than part of his job specification.

Since Steev started work, he’s been like the shining star in a room full of dowdy service clerks who are grumpy and not too polite. In fact, several customers have openly commended Steev on his friendly disposition and willingness to answer questions as opposed to said clerks. That’s my son !

Sadly though, that’s the problem right there. The service clerks, fearing that they won’t look too good now that Steev is there, are making life miserable for him. The senior witch complained to the boss that Steev is flouting work rules which she claims is creating a bad image for the company. Say what ??

As a result, Steev’s had all his privileges revoked and said witch is watching him like a hawk. He’s been told not to be too friendly with the customer, not to answer their questions, not to use his cell phone or his computer even when there are no customers.

I feel really sad it turned out to be such an unpleasant experience for Steev. He’s 18 and raring to go and obviously he’s no match against a 40-something who’s an old hand at office politics. I’ve advised him to just do what he’s told, nothing more, nothing less. If they don’t appreciate his efforts, so be it, it’s their loss. I mean, what else can I tell him? *sigh*

So I’ve effectively wasted another day waiting for the Electrolux man to show up. My two month old washing machine is springing a leak somewhere.

So soon? Well, I guess I should consider myself lucky it’s still under warranty. I’ve had stuff conk out days after the warranty period expired so I guess this is good then .

Still, I hate calling for service. I’d rather fix stuff myself, if I can. Even if it means thumbing through those utterly useless manuals (reminiscent of the ones for my new microwave oven that I’ve had to read from cover to cover, twice, recently) and making a big mess.

The manual mentioned something about the filter cap being loose maybe so I went on my knees, found the darned thing and stuck it back in tight. But that, apparently, wasn’t it! Because it’s still leaking from underneath.

So I had no choice but to call the company last Thursday. Yes, that’s 4 days to call me back and 2 (and counting) days to not even show up. See what I mean? It’s a total waste of my time. I actually put off my breakfast date with a girl friend because the guy said he was on his way over. He must’ve gotten lost in the swamps of Florida !