To decline

decline (d-kln)
v. declined, declining, declines

v.intr.
~ To express polite refusal.

v.tr.
~ To refuse politely: I declined their offer of help.

.:::.

The question is, how do one go about declining an invitation from someone who remembers one's birthday and sounds genuinely interested to celebrate for one?

I think yours truly is being too nice. Help me, dear evilness. What is wrong with me or is it the world has gone nuts?

Yours truly has an acquaintance, a really young acquaintance - *immature, who feels that yours truly has been really nice and so, asked yours truly out. *roll eyes*.

Yes, *immature asked me out on or during my bday. Hello?! What is going on here. Yes, dear evilness, I am more amendable to invitations, but this is too much, surely. I mean, *immature is barely an acquaintance, not even close enough that yours truly would want to maintain contact, let alone go out together? But how does one go about declining an invitation from an immature youth? It would feel like stepping on a young puppy or something. *roll eyes*

Again, why me? What is wrong?

Moreover, did I mention that *immature is having a cold war with *blunt, and I'm firmly in *blunt's camp? No? Well, now you see how ridiculous the whole situation is? I am not a neutral party here. Worse, I haven't even been deliberately nice to *immature, in fact, I am likely to be more *short tempered with *immature because prolonged exposure to *immature gets on my nerve. So there's really no call for *immature to think of me as nice and to want to celebrate yours truly's bday?

Maybe I should continue being my old cold-hearted sarcastic bitch again? I certainly dun wanna go back to days where I have so many boringly nice people asking me out and cracking my head to think up the least offensive yet most obvious way of declining. And there I thought I have outgrown the need for such defenses since junior school days. *ruefully*

People must be more masochistic than yours truly believed.

Deary deary me. *dryly*

The Lunch that also Masquerades as Dinner

We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Yours truly is glad to report that although there was indeed ice-cream at *Starry's housewarming steamboat lunch cum birthday celebration for *Starry's fren (which, btw, she didn't tell yours truly it was meant as a bday celebration for someone yours truly dun even know when inviting me!), no one was forced to resort to having ice-cream. Thank Evilness.

Flashback to 1.5 week ago:

*Starry truly rendered an invitation to yours truly to a steamboat dinner (which turned out to be lunch), because she wants to introduce yours truly to 2 of her friends and which, more importantly, she sneakily mentioned that the steamboat was meant to be her housewarming party.

Now, the question was, why the hell did yours truly attend since basically, I hate such events where I dunno the other people and there is a need to make social chit-chat and being a hermit and anti-social, such events are no-no.

Well, let's see. I think I guilt-tripped and outsmarted myself. *ruefully*

First of all, being happily slacking, yours truly is more amendable to persuasion. (You will be surprised at the number of strange events I have been invited to, most of which, I have still turned down, and the number of people trying to persuade me to meet some stranger or go somewhere strange). *archly*

Secondly, yours truly's devious brain reminded me that if I have no qualms whatsoever to ask people I like to meet my clique (and usually that means a whole group of them), then to be fair, I should give my frens the benefit of doubt and meet people they like in turn. After all, I had no qualms just inviting *starry to meet my clique or *candid to meet my clique. If they had to meet a whole group of strangers all at one time, then in turn, how can I refuse to meet just 2 of *Starry's friends? (Damn, why do I value fairness and impartiality? Yours truly will work harder to get these qualties out of my system. *grin* Anyway, not that it matters, it turned out to be more than 2 strangers to meet. There was 3 of *starry's frens, *starry's significant other, *starry's roommate & said roommate's fren. Can I demand compensation for being misled? *laconically*)

Thirdly, yours truly has turned down *starry's invitation to meet her friends, and specifically, one of them in particular quite a few times, so yours truly is feeling a slight tinge of guilt in my practically non-existent conscience. Alas. *shake head at myself*. In any case, it's not that yours truly doesn't think that *Starry's frens will be interesting, it's just that I'm lazy and anti-social enough to not wanna make the effort to meet people. *grimace*

So happily, I plotted to buy *starry a housewarming present, meet her during the day to give it to her and then, wiggle out of the dinner. Unfortunately for me, the dinner turned out to be lunch, so I had no time to wiggle out. *wryly*

In gist, yours truly did indeed meet *starry's friends today and the amount of food prepared by *starry was obviously way too much. So we started having lunch at 3pm and finished about 5pm and that was like full enough to be dinner. And then, *starry also made tea, cooked *cheng tng and there was also the chocolate truffle birthday cake. Gosh. So-much-to-eat.

Ok. As an aside, *starry's frens are fine. No bad vibes. Thankfully. But yours truly is hard pressed to find her roommate and her roommate's fren likeable, not that they did anything to me, but they were distinctly unfriendly and distant, at least, they felt that way to me. I really don't think the blame can be laid at my door this time, since yours truly was in a fairly *sociable state, and I didn't even make sarcastic remarks. (Can you imagine that? Pause for gasp of breath. Even I am amazed at myself. *shake head*) So it's really them. *dryly*

On a happier note, other than finding *starry's frens acceptable, this is the first time yours truly really met *starry's knight in shinning amour, and fortunately, he is quite easy to get along. Not that we had much in-depth significant conversation, but at least it was easy and comfortable. Very important. It's sad if yours truly can't get along with the significant others of her closer friends. I mean, yours truly is already way too selective over who I go out with, imagine if I had to extend my anti-social personality to my closer frens' other halves. Wow. I'll soon have no frens indeed. *deadpan*

Ok. If you have managed to make it this far (I am surprised at you. Go get a life!), here's my thanks to *starry for a nice lunch and desserts, etc.

I had a comfortable day at your place.

As for the person you really wanted me to meet...*shrug* I have no comments really, except, oh my evilness, you can't even refrain from not asking me about so-and-so in front of your knight? *roll eyes*

Patience and resisting temptation are virtues, my fren.

Go acquire some. *wryly*

Yours truly,
Evil me

One's Destiny

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

~ William Ernest Henley 1849 – 1903

Yours truly decided that my new state of mind (ie, as a happy slacker and jobless bum) deserves a new beginning. Happily, yours truly is starting over on a clean slate, and having now had 5 days of slacking (or 5 days since my offical last day at work), I am really mentally and physically healtier and happier. There is an exhilarating sense of relief, which tells me how bogged down I have become in 2 years of work. On hindsight, I am really glad to have taken the final plunge and throw in the towel. (PS: From *Candid's description, work situation seems to have degenerated further. Yours truly really think *Candid will eventually resign and join the club).

Okay, here's some meaningless bits of information before yours truly go on with her eulogy of gratitude for resigning and being free to slack:
1. Acta et fabula, plaudite - The Act is over, appluad ~ said to be Emperor Augustus' last words
2. Invictus - Taking responsibility for one's destiny (and one of *Wallflower's fav poem, mine too actually)
3. Picture on blog - Prada's advertisement (this is according to *Wicked, personally, I have no idea)
4. *Doormat is curious and concerned about how I have been, because and I quote "you have been blogging less". Please, yours truly blogged the same amount, ie, irregularly and only when I am in the mood or when some really bored reader (read: wat's wrong with them?) complains that I haven't blogged in ages. Then I might, if I am in a mood to blog to *appease them. But then again, maybe it's just *doormat having more time? *archly*

Ok. Back to my current state, yours truly is happy to report that she is really occupied with slacking (you have no idea how much planning there is to slack properly). Of cos, she is always catching up with old friends who she hasn't met, reading, writing, sleeping, watching anime, looking for job, reading, sleeping, watching films, etc. In other words, lots to do and time is flying rapidly. Good times never last. *wryly*

Perhaps, what really is gratifying at the moment is the aimlessness and sense of freedom at not having to go to work at a fixed hour and follow a fixed routine. A really perfect time to reflect and decide on what I want to do with my life.

Yes, even I think I'm going overboard with giddness at slacking and resigning, but really, if I haven't resigned, I really won't know I needed to so much. I suppose, on hindsight and of course, if you are of a mind to reflect, stopping and pausing in the rush of life is beneficial.

Oh well. Yours truly will probably get bored in 2 weeks and seriously get down to looking for a job, but in the meantime, yours truly will go on with her happy aimless slacking.

Don't send me hate mails. Even though it's really flattering. It will only make you feel worse.

Trust me. *grin*

Freedom

I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation.
~ W. Somerset Maugham

And so it is offical. Today is the day I say "so long & goodbye" to my job, my office and my colleagues of 2 years.

Notice that it's "goodbye" and not "good riddance".

And so, it is with a surprisingly sentimental heart that I write this.

Yes. Yours truly left with a surprisingly sentimental but cheerful mood. I suppose a large part of my equamnity arises from the fact that I have resigned before I started "hating" my job. In fact, I left with fond memories of it.

Any regrets on leaving?

Again, surprisingly, there is none. Oh yes, I think I will actually miss some of my colleagues but I am completely not forlorn about leaving my work of 2 years behind.

2 years = 365 days x 2 = 730 days = 17520 hours = 1051200 mins

Years, days, hours and minutes I can never re-live again.

But no regrets. I guess yours truly did get along with some of my colleagues and the Company has been good to me. It is just unfortuante that in the long run, the nature of the work does not fit my long term goals.

Such is life and life must go on. I hate to mouth plantitudes, but in this case, I suppose I can be excused on grounds of being in a rare mood of *gasp* sentimentality.

Of course, perhaps my chirpy mood has a lot to do with the very very cute "Goodbye" card given to me by my department and the very nice sentiments expressed by my Group in the mini-cards that made up the whole card.

It probably also has to do with the very "practical" farewell gift of a cashier order, which they made a duplicate and laminated for my posterity. *wryly*

Yours truly heard that it is illegal to make a copy of a cashier order. But much as I appreciate the cheque, being as I am, broke, in debt and jobless, but I appreciated more the thoughtfulness in my colleagues' gestures.

Perhaps, yours truly is getting sentimental in my *old age. *horrified gasp of breath!*

Alright. I shall go sleep off my moment of sentimentality.

Time enough tomorrow to be the resilient, independent and cold-hearted bitch that I am.

And before I end off,

I AM FREE TO SLACK FOR AT LEAST 2 WEEKS!

Yes, I simply cannot resist rubbing it in.

So sue me.

shrug.

Sheer in Bliss

Read! Read!

Yours truly's HIM must firmly agree that "One must always be ready & eager to read"

Let's start with two "easy" books: -



Hmm...may I shld just ask for a book review instead of asking a question? *wryly*

After all, then yours truly can rate both his taste and writing? And if he adds in a dash of humor, a sprinkle of wits & intelligence with just enough sublty and a sense of compassion. PERFECT or almost as perfect as can be?

Laconically Sheer