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As someone who wants to be left alone, I often do not know what to say when a stranger makes a smart alec comment to me. Depending on my mood, I either ignore them or start screaming at them.

“Why not tell them to mind their own business?” asked Edmund, my psychologist friend. “It’s generic so it can be used for any occasion. Get a life is another good one.”

But they sound so harsh. On the other hand, a business associate of mine likes to tell people to mind their own business. At first, I found him abrupt but now I quite like his direct no-nonsense style.


So on a day when it was raining cats and dogs in Sydney, I was in a hurry to get to my destination unlike the dozens of slow pokes around me. I don’t get why people would want to walk so slowly when it’s raining so hard.

Of course, some smart alec volunteer for the Red Cross had to make a comment about my need for speed.

“Mind your own business,” I shot back at her. No wonder I don’t give blood and with idiots like that, I certainly am not going to back down.

I also noticed those words were not as harsh as I originally thought. I’m going to follow my business associate and use them whenever someone violates my boundaries. This includes nosey neighbours, friends, co-workers, other strangers...the list is endless.

Arriving home, I said to the empty room, “The more I see of people, the more I prefer the company of animals.”
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Being a Scumbag

May 15th 2012 21:00


Two posts ago I mentioned buying a book in pristine condition and swapping it with my copy that has a badly printed page before returning it for a refund. I felt so guilty afterwards that I decided to return to the store and buy it back.

It was not on the shelf. I consoled myself by saying at least they’ve sold it to someone else so the store is no longer worse off, provided the new owner doesn’t also return it. I breathed a sigh of relief. I then found a cat engagement calendar. When I went to pay for it, I noticed my book behind the counter.

I asked to have a look at it just to confirm it was the same one. It was. My conscience told me to buy it back which I did. It’s now sitting on my shelf along with the other two copies. That will teach me for being such a scumbag. I will never do that again.

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Consumer Rights

May 14th 2012 21:00


Further to my previous post, I remember a time when I bought a hardcover book that was on sale from another bookstore. I was curious; it was reduced to $12 but was a bestseller. It also was in good condition. There was no reason for it to be on sale. That said, I decided to buy it, thinking I would never come across such a bargain again.

I was halfway through the book when I discovered why; twenty pages were missing. I finished the book but it was not a satisfying read; I was left hanging. I then went to return the book even though the receipt said “no refunds”.

“Sorry, we don’t do refunds,” said the lady behind the counter after I showed her the missing pages. “Especially on sale items.”

Bullsh*t, I thought. I know my consumer rights and as the book was faulty, I was entitled to a refund.

“But it’s faulty,” I said. “You can see it is missing twenty pages. You can also see from how tightly the pages were bound that it was missing the pages at the time it was assembled.”

She spoke to her supervisor. I then got my money back and ended up buying a full priced paperback copy from another bookstore.

Now, before buying any book, excluding online purchases, I check every single page. It drives my sister mad but I would rather spend five minutes checking the pages and to know it is in good condition before I buy it. That said, I can still make mistakes like the time I bought the book with the black blob on the page which I missed because I was in a hurry to get back to work.
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That’s Scummy

May 13th 2012 21:02


Late last year I bought a book from Amazon. One of the pages wasn’t printed properly; the words were so badly printed I couldn’t even read the text. I contacted Amazon and they sent me a replacement copy free of charge.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Happy Mother’s Day

May 10th 2012 21:00
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A Wonderful Discovery

May 9th 2012 21:00
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Another Weirdo at the Library

May 8th 2012 21:04


How many weirdos can a library attract? The latest one is the guy I call the Magazine Slapper as that is exactly what he does. He also sits there for hours on end talking to himself and laughing at his own jokes, completely oblivious to the fact people might find his behaviour odd and that he is disturbing others.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Brett and I had been invited by a mutual friend to a nightclub industry reunion party at a nightclub. While we don’t exactly work in the industry, we know many people who do. Brett had to work so I decided to turn up first and hoped there were people I could talk to. I was relieved to see the host was already there. Later on, some people from the club scene joined me at my table and we started talking about nightclubs that were around in Sydney about twenty years ago. Am I showing my age?

[ Click here to read more ]
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Snugglepot and Cuddlepie

May 3rd 2012 21:00
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