Stuff I like

1. My brother

It was our first complete family outing in years. The six of us got to the mall 20 minutes before the movie started, so we sent my brother, who is usually very streetwise, to get tickets while we parked.

My brother caught up with us as we were walking into the mall.

"The guy said to just go in first and pay later."
"Hah? Which guy?"
"The one there lah."
"... you mean the parking attendant?"
"..."

2. (the rest of) My family (too)

We got tickets to District 9 anyway. I won't comment on the movie now, not least because I only actually watched half of it: they'd used handheld cameras liberally, so I got really dizzy and burped and coughed a lot and had to close my eyes a lot and take a ten-minute break outside the theatre.

So after the movie I had an excuse for not walking straight. (For once.) And I wasn't the only weird one during our trek to the mall escalator: my mother was clutching a basketball, because the rest of us had been discussing the logistics of dropping the ball from the top floor. To see how high it would bounce back, of course. Preferably without killing any unsuspecting shopper. And Ma decided that she didn't trust us.

Then in the car on the way back we had a debate about why we always debate.

<3

3. Walking

And trains over buses, though I don't have that option in Penang. Tumpanging other people's cars is comfy, but I always feel bad for imposing. Taxis are more an economic choice than an environmental one (yes lah, I know the two fields overlap and all that). And driving isn't a choice, because I can't yet. But it's been scary to realise how much having your own wheels enhances personal safety, especially in areas with long dark alleys and sketchy cabbies between the train station and home.

4. Fitted sheets

Every time I've made a bed over the last half decade I've felt thankful for modern conveniences. Well, usually lah.