How much is expensive?

My husband was invited to a dinner a few weeks ago. At that (home-cooked) dinner, he was served some tomatoes, which he thought was the tastiest tomato that he had ever eaten. He found out where the host had bought it, and then last weekend went to this gourmet food shop to purchase it. The family was treated to these super sweet and firm tomatoes!

When I went to the markets yesterday, I chanced upon the same tomatoes. So I went ahead and chose some.

When I asked the stall holder how much it was, he responded: $1.80 for the 3 tomatoes.

He went on to say: These are really expensive, but they are really sweet and tasty. Compared to those, (he pointed to the local tomatoes), you can get a whole big bag of it for the same price! But those have a sourish tinge which these do not. It's worth the expensive price. (I guess he was expecting me to protest about the price).

I smiled, paid for it and went on my way.

So were those tomatoes really that expensive? Not compared to what my husband paid. He coincidentally bought 3 tomatoes as well. He paid a whopping $10.60 for them!!

Guess, how much expensive is really relative!!

Envious? Maybe not!

What is envy?

It is as defined as:
"A feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by and in conjunction with desire for the possessions or qualities of another". Source: thefreedictionary.com

Well, I have always felt envious of my friends who are able to travel with their other friends at the drop of a hat.

My friends are all planning to get away together in the year we turn 50. I dont know why, but many ladies I know love the idea of going away with their girlfriends when they turn half a century old. I know many that have done it or will be doing it.

At a recent gathering with some ex-classmates, one of the husbands kept telling mine about how envious I was of his wife's recent shopping/eating/relaxing trip with some of her friends to the region. And she together with some others are planning another get-a-away again some time soon.

Oh yes, I did mention it to her once that I was envious of her trip. But it was just mentioned in passing and never revisited. So I was quite surprised when the hubs told me that it was mentioned a couple of times during the recent get-together.

I have already told them that I would not be able to join them for the trip. My kids are still young, and I dont think logistically I will be able to swing it at all. They in turn bugged the hubs to let me join them.

Well, the hubs did think about it, and said that I could join them if I wanted.

BUT, I really am not interested. Why? I really dont know.

Being together for a dinner or even a day is very different from being stuck together for a whole week!! Much as I know these girls for more than 30 years, BUT do I really know them?? (like I do my family?) NO!

Much as I enjoy my friends' company, I am also spooked by the many stories I have heard of people going away on vacation as friends and coming back as enemies.

And I dont think I want to vacation without my family. I think I will probably be sobbing away and missing them the minute I board the plane, even before the trip has begun ... and in the process, spoiling everyone's trip in the process.

Hubs and I have recently started going out more often without the kids. And what do we talk about when we are out? The kids!

So perhaps the feeling I feel of my friends' trips is not envy! Cant think of the word to describe it.

So,the question is: When I turn 50, dont I want to travel with my best friends? Well, yes, I do! But with only my "bestest" friend of more than 30 years - my husband. Erm, maybe we can try to do it without the kids.

Majulah Singapura

Our Nation celebrates its 47th birthday tomorrow.

And the gift it received from its citizens (albeit new ones) is the 2 Olympic bronze medals, one for the women's individual table tennis, and the other for the women's team event also in table tennis.

What a wonderful gift for the nation.

To all the naysayers critising the foreign talent, try topping that gift to the country.

Well done ladies!

And indeed. Majulah Singapura!!

Ding dong

Ding dong commonly refers to the sound of the bell, but there are also other slang terms for it.

My head is going ding dong, coz some people just cant make up their minds.

Their decisions swinging from east to west, and back and forth, pretty much like the little ringer inside a hand-bell.

So what are we supposed to do? Allow them to ding dong away, and give us that headache, or take action into our own hands and not allow them to annoy us with their indecisiveness? Yup, I think that would be best.

No more ringing bells for me PLEASE!!!

Tho I must say I love listening to the hand-bell choir.

Time flies

Yes, the month of July flew by especially fast.

They say that time flies fastest when you are having fun.

So, did I have fun in July?

You bet I did.

I joined fatsmumslim's photo-a-day challenge in July. I managed to get my creative juices flowing, and put some practice into photo taking. Must say that my photo taking skills are still not quite there. I am not good at framing my shots. So i guess, I must Practice, Practice, Practice by continuing with the challenge in August, and hopefully, my skills will improve :P

Here are some of the shots i posted:

13. Open

18. Plate

July also saw me turning a year older, and hopefully, a year wiser. The day was spent with my best pals who came over for tea. Dinner was spent with the hubs. Celebration with the children was the weekend before.

July being the month of the summer vacation in the US as well as the UK also saw many friends visiting, and lots of catch-up gatherings.

So that pretty sums up my July. Hope yours was as fun as mine.