i do have a social life*

"Wake up, my human, wake up!"

It was supposed to have been a day for running errands and catching up on elf work. Not exactly the sort of day you bounce up from bed and greet with joy.

But the day got better just one hour after I dragged myself off my supremely comfy -- albeit dog fur-covered -- bed, when Mel suggested we lunch with Randolph at the Botanic Gardens.

Errands can wait.

We had a yummy laid-back lunch in the open-air cafe, which brought back so many memories of the golden age of the Friendship Programme**. Was it already that many years ago that we frittered away hours there planning a surprise birthday for TPL [which involved a hotel room and a half-naked Ah Gu]?

Doggie had fun, too, sniffing every single tree, pissing on every other pillar and basking in admiring looks from strangers.

After a very fruitful running of errands in Chinatown, it was off to the shop to do more mindless things like sending out mass emails about Swirl's latest collection.

Then unexpectedly, a Facebook event invite popped up. Drinks that night at Jessica's new place! I couldn't wait to see her spanking new and very white apartment, but oh, how it rekindled my dreams of home ownership. One day, one day, when Swirl makes it big...

Somehow, I found myself messaging my lurve in the middle of happy hour: "So many people here, but only two cute guys max."

Sadly, it was true. [Even sadder still, I later found out that one of the cute guys whom I did speak to was a practiced charmer, while the other one, who probably didn't even notice my presence, was married with a dozen kids. Oh, there was a couple of cute angmoh boys, whom I mistakenly picked up on my gaydar cos they were dressed so spiffy and air-kissed me and all, but then I've always preferred decent Chinese boys.]

Still, it was nice to talk to a whole bunch of really articulate people, including one who tried to educate me on the intricacies of the re-insurance business, another on the labour laws of employees earning above $1,600 and yet another on the joys of the SAF. No, really, it was more interesting than it sounds.

Happily, serendipitously, six-degrees-of-separationly, I also met up with a high school friend whom I'd not seen for -- get this -- sixteen years. Yup, we were both horrified at how old we were.

The night ended with me being driven to pick up my car -- parked stupidly far away -- by the SAF enthusiast, narrowly missing a police road block at Holland Village, and a very happy doggie who had stayed up all night waiting for his human to come home.

* Just a couple of days ago, I was lamenting to Mel that I have zero social life. My schedule revolves around sub-editing, elf work and dog-walking. Oh, and a lot of crime programmes on TV. Yes, I follow Bones, but don't look down on me please. But for once, I actually have plans for Saturday night -- Boogie Night! I've got my outfit all planned and it's a good one [ie. I think I look kinda hot. Haha, shameless!], so watch this space for drunken pix.

** The Friendship Programme deserves a complete post of its own, but it's shrouded in so much nostalgia that I find it impossible to capture even its essence in words. [Actually, I feel very clumsy with words these days. Coherent sentences, form with difficulty, by me.] Coincidentally, the subject came up thrice that day with three different people.