October, already. Serious!?

Captured this during lunch break some time ago

Just unbelievable. October's gonna zoom by, for sure.

I was lining up at the Post Office earlier today, planning to send some stuffs back home to my mother, and there they were.

Yes, Christmas greeting cards. Glittery things they were, all piled conspicuously along the queue so that unsuspecting people waiting in the line would buy them without intending to do so. I meticulously kept my eyes towards the counters, paid for my envelope and hurried out. To think Christmas is coming soon. How scary is that? I'm sure my 31st birthday will swing by pweety quickly at this rate.

I went around mortgage quotes hunting, on this day when I wasn't at work. I decided to try the credit unions, just to see why they were the 'alternative' to the banks. The representative at Savings & Loans was absolutely professional and patient with me, so that gained immediate KFC brownie points. I would be half-inclined to go with that institution simply based on that incredible customer service!

The next one was MECU, which I had to admit, was one of the top 3 which offered competitive interest rates, and I checked them out simply because I loved their designs on their official website. I know, how funny am I?

In all seriousness, I narrowed it down to these 2 institutions because RateCity threw their names out in a search, and they seemed far more affordable than my current quote from one of the big 4 banks, ANZ prima facie. ANZ won the best home loan provider of the year award, which should and must account for something.

Right?

Without a doubt, I have tons of paperwork to sift through, especially the bits where the fees and charges are listed. Credit unions seem less imposing in terms of interest rates, but there's always that catch which one needs to be aware of - ongoing / recurring costs during the mortgage term. That could equate to a pretty handsome sum as well.

Along the way, I picked out 2 pairs at SpecSavers - one black-framed glasses and one prescription sunglasses. Been on my mind for some time to get new frames. So yes, at long last, I have decided to take the plunge and get those sunnies prescribed to my myopic state / astigmatism. Thank you, my private health insurance, for honouring your part and giving me a $170 rebate. The total of the 2 pairs complete with multi-focal lenses and 1 ultra-thin lenses cost me $369 altogether. Heck, my current glasses already cost me $500 itself last year when I needed one after my accident. But well, it was an emergency since I didn't want to be 'blind' no longer, and I sure didn't want any gawd-awful frames too.

Nugget of the day: The optometrist who checked my eyes informed me that I was literally borned to be myopic. My eyes were made that way. Yes, it's genetic. And yes, I could blame my parents (I wouldn't do that, haha). So, it had nothing to do with reading or computers. I guess you learn something new every day.

Popped by The Face Shop because my toiletries supply was dismal. It was one of those periods where you realised you were running low on everything, but you procrastinated and kept forgetting to restock when you had the opportunity. I found I had minimal conditioner, body lotion, cleanser and hair serum. So, when I waltzed in simply to have a 'look-see', it was like unleashing a carnivore in a butcher's shop. I started putting products into that adorable wiry basket the shop provided to hold your selection, and also asked for assistance since some of the products only had descriptions printed in Korean on them.

I reckon the Koreans had done very well in terms of catching up to the Japanese. In everything. Whilst browsing, I saw a mother with her young adolescent daughter coming in, with the former asking the shop assistant for advice on what her daughter needed. I gave a brief glance over her way, and saw a familiar sight - me at 17. Redness, pimples, awkward composure, happy to hide behind our mothers' figures. Well, I don't think I'd actually grown out of those.

The difference is that I've gone much better in hiding those traits. Ha.

One feels contented when one feels fruitful and achieved. I certainly do. I just wish it didn't involve money.