Happy Halloween! I don't celebrate it, since we don't have that tradition here. Anyway, I can't imagine myself going trick-or-treating! 

Gave Wafe a bath today, finally! My baby was largely good during the bath save for the meows, but did attempt to swipe at me a few times when he felt I was paying too much attention to his paws. Since it was raining, I gave him a warm bath - usually I just use lukewarm water - and now he's almost dry and smells marvellous. Baths get easier once pets get used to them, but oh it takes some getting used to. Wafe has had 4 years! Still, he's not averse to being clean, so all is good!

I love rainy days, they're awesome. Just seeing the rain pelt down makes my day. I know some people don't like rainy days because they're cold and you can't really get anything done, but maybe rainy days are there to remind us that we need to sit back and relax once in a while, and that no matter how powerful man has made himself out to be, nature still reigns supreme.

junny@8.40pm

Lately, Wafe has been using the cat tree that I received for my birthday last year. This is nothing short of a miracle, albeit a mini one, because he'd largely ignored the cat tree other than to use it to launch an attack on my ankles. However, he's been using the tree's scratching post and this is very good news because he'll ease off wearing down my cardboard boxes - which are already in tatters. 

The cat tree is a nice height because Wafe can jump up on the platform and perch there. He doesn't often do it, though he jumps up there to dry himself after baths. He likes to tunnel through the hole sometimes when he's being sneaky, and you know how cats are so silent when they walk. Dave was astonished that Wafe had finally decided to use the cat tree, but you know how cats are, you just can't force them to do what they don't want. So I figured it might have been because I shifted the tree's position from near the doorway to further into the room, that was why Wafe eventually deigned to try it. So it is a good thing after all. He still likes to scratch wherever he feels like it, but at least he's using the tree's scratching post!

I also put up a Flickr for Wafe. Check it out here.

So I found my transcript. Boy, I never realised I'd never opened the envelope since it was sent to me yonks back. This should-I-go-to-grad-school thing has been so back and forth, I'd lost count of the times I felt that maybe I should go, only to chicken out because I didn't find anything I wanted to do, and I wanted specifically to avoid writing a dissertation. But McGill doesn't have what I want, so perhaps I should get over my fear of dissertations and give it a shot. I might not even get in, but who knows, right? I'll get the transcript scanned and get around to sending the application soonish. 

And I know you don't really visit this blog anymore, but happy belated birthday, Bingy! I miss you and hope all is well with you.

junny@4.10am

Today I was scared out of my wits. Wafe actually leapt onto the ledge of the backyard wall and could have jumped out like the previous two times. I was terrified and panicking and yelled his name repeatedly, and fortunately he turned around and jumped back into the backyard, knocking over the flower pot on the ledge in the process. I was so relieved, yet angry and worried and all, and my emotions were all over the place. I grabbed Wafe and hugged him tightly and scolded him too for scaring me. I don't know if my kitty understood me, but I thank the heavens that he didn't jump out like the previous times. 

Moiny says I must think positive, that Wafe jumped back when I called. I think that split second when he was on the ledge and deciding whether to go out or back in was one of the most terrifying moments in my life. I told mom not to let Wafe out in the backyard and she agreed. At the very least, I must be there to watch him and I must be more vigilant in making sure he's safe. I know people think I'm paranoid and all, but how would you like it if you lost something or someone incredibly precious to you, knowing that you could have taken measures to prevent the loss? All I know is that I want to keep Wafe safe with me at all costs. I don't care what anyone says about it. I don't want another experience like this. I just want my cat safe with me.

Update about the cosmetics: both Hourglass and Missha emailed me back to say they don't test on animals. Missha USA even promised to ask the main Korean company why it is still not on PETA's list and that it'd get back to me on that. So I guess I won't have to return the products, though I'd think twice about shopping at Sephora again. The damn place doesn't do cash refunds. 

junny@6.02am

Went shopping yesterday and picked up pet food as well on the way back. There's a new Sephora store in town (well, not too new since it's been around for a bit now, but I'm a practising hermit, okay?) and I checked it out because I was in need of some basic cosmetics and stuff. I've been trying to buy skincare products and cosmetics that aren't tested on animals, but there's just such an overload of data about which company is safe and which isn't, sometimes it's hard to tell and you just have to go with gut feel and hope you've bought the right thing.

So I bought a compact foundation from Hourglass Cosmetics, but am now having second thoughts because I emailed the company to ask about its animal testing policy and it hasn't replied. The product cover does say "product not tested on animals" and it's on PETA's list of safe companies, but well... I guess I'm just praying for a positive reply before Monday or I may have to return it to the store. Also stopped by Jurlique's counter and got a couple of samples (miserable-sized ones) for their cleansers - I would have loved to try, but this is a bloody expensive brand, so maybe I'll try when I feel richer because it does have some lovely things. 

Then hopped off to Missha and got a cleanser, eye cream and anti-blemish cream, and a bunch of freebies to boot. I have been using on and off Missha's face masks and like them a lot, so it was a relief to find that they have a store here. And they don't do animal testing, so that's the cool thing about it. They're not on PETA's list of safe companies, but when that list includes dubious ones like The Body Shop, I just dunno. Originally The Body Shop was free of animal testing, but since it's been bought over by L'Oreal, which still does animal testing, you never know where your monies spent on Body Shop products will end up. A lot of companies still aren't clear about their testing policies. A company may say its "finished product" is not tested on animals, but what about the ingredients? Or they could pay a third-party laboratory to do the testing? You never know. 

I'm slowly moving away from using products that have been tested on animals. I have a cat myself, and animal testing just makes me sick. I know some of us are gonna argue that we can't help what we eat and all, but at least we can control what we put on our faces and bodies, right? We eat to survive, but we don't need to sacrifice animals to make ourselves look movie-star pretty. There are plenty of alternatives out there, products that are free of animal-testing, and that's the direction I'm going in. It's a huge mess out there, the cosmetics industry, and we all contribute to that mess. But I hope that my small step in the cruelty-free direction will ultimately help all the animals in the world to be free from testing. One can only hope.

junny@5.50am

I've been meaning to write about the dumb people I work with, but never really got round to it. I guess it'll suffice to say that I thought my IQ was low, but turns out there are people out there who are stupider. It's always something that amazes me to no end. Online... well, I won't say much except that a couple of weeks ago I quit as mod of a forum because the top brass were just too stupid and ridiculous for words.

As for work... well, there are two bimbos and god knows why they came back after leaving the office or how they got hired. I suppose dressing like trailer trash helps. Who on earth wears four-inch heels + a massive necklace sans bra to show off non-existent cleavage on her first day at work? Or a hat and a gurney sack-like dress in an air-conditioned office? Worse, one thinks she's so pro at Indesign because "I've been doing this for five years" but can't style headlines and straps correctly or see that she's left too much space between stories. She takes pages and fucks them up.

Worse, there's a new moron who doesn't know the difference between its and it's. He's 30, loves to take days off by pretending to be sick and basically fucks his pages up. How did he even get hired? Why does he bother even coming to work if all he does is to leave such a bad impression? I just don't get it. 

I can't find housing. Maybe I should just stay put.

junny@6.22am

I think it's amazing how I still have a job despite my temper. Today I blew up at work again. I mean, it's simple, right? Don't screw up other people's lines and pages if you know you haven't got an ounce of brains. But whatever. I'm at the stage where I don't care if they fire me for insubordination. I'm too jaded to care.

junny@7.20am

I need a break.

junny@6.37am