Tips from the "Whatever" Series Part 2

This is the continuation of the past blog I’ve been procrastinating to write about (Sorry bout that). So, to pick up where we left off…

6) Regifting is not always a bad thing. Okay having said that, I seriously hope I don’t discourage my future gift-givers . But come on! do not look me straight in the eye and tell me that you’ve never been guilty of re-gifting in your life? One time, hubby and I got a set of Ceramic Mother Goose book ends. Although we appreciate the thoughtful gesture…the look of bewilderment in our faces simply couldn’t be contained, as if saying “What the hell are we gonna do with these?!“. Well, I still kept it and come Christmas, as serendipitous as it may sound, we encountered a lady who happens to collect ceramic figurines in all imaginable shapes and sizes. We didn’t think twice about wrapping up the goose set and giving it to her. Needless to say, the lady was tickled pink. And as for us, we were secretly relieved. Okay but there’s a disclaimer on this one, make sure you remember who gave you what before regifting. Just so you don’t fall into a trap of trying to get out from “Why are you giving me that, eh I gave that to you for your birthday?!” Uh-oh!

7) When you feel like you’re about to fall asleep in the middle of a meeting, grab a pen and start doodling. Believe me it works. A lot of times when I feel like I will literally collapse and let out a loud snore, I just grab a pen… put on a “I am so into what we’re talking about right now” look. The kind of look that entails touching of the chin, subtle nodding, a little squinting of the eyes… and you’re all set. You can draw circles, flowers, smileys… whatever it is that will keep your brain running. Course this only works if the other person doesn’t actually see that what you’re scribbling isn’t the minutes of the meeting. I’m actually flagging this tip because earlier today, I just encountered a doodler who did the exact same thing. She did the squint, got her pen and the funny thing was, she doodled but seemed to have forgotten to hide her notes from us. From across the table I could see swirls and swooshes from the center of her notebook that seemed to extend to the edges every second. I wanted to laugh out loud, but thank God I’ve mastered “the poker face” that actually comes in quite handy in such situations.

8) When talking to someone, never do a dramatic pause, matched with a look of shock in your face saying “Oh my God! Don’t look now but…” and actually expect the other person to follow. Because the instant that you say that, chances are, the person you’re talking to will spin quickly to look at what you’re telling him/her not to look at. This applies more to girls with cheating boyfriends, or friends with stalkers, or girls with major crushes.It’s actually pretty similar to “Promise you won’t get mad at me if I tell you…but...”, because the moment you say that, expect that whatever it is you plan on telling that person will most likely backfire on you. Even if you follow it up with “But you said you weren’t going to get angry if I told you!“. People, that doesn’t help, not the least bit at all.

9) When you’re going out with friends for karaoke night. It’s always best to have that one song that you’ve perfected down to the last note. Make sure to rehearse in the shower at least a day before. Speaking of showers, do you notice how better you sound when you sing in the shower? Must be the sound bouncing off the tiles or something….Anyway, this tip actually works better especially when you pull off a nonchalant-I-didn’t-practice-look, while your busy keying in your song choice like it’s just an afterthought or something.

And the last tip from the “Whatever” series is…

10) When doing baby talk with your dog or your boyfriend, make sure it’s just the two of you in the room. I’ve experienced being caught baby-talking with both my dog, and my boyfriend (now my hubby) of course on separate situations. And since then, I cannot seem to redeem myself especially among the people who have witnessed my scary transformation from being ms. composed to little ms. itsy bitsy voice. Aarrrgh!

Oh well…so there, that’s a wrap. I sure would love to hear your whatever tips too. 🙂

(Source of photos: from the web)