The Year That Was

The year went by in a blink of an eye. This is the year that I've actually worked least of all in my working life. "Worked" as in office that is. This is the year that I'd had the most life changing moments in history. This is the year that I became a big fan of that one person - and a fan I shall be for the many years to come. This is the year I had a complete change of lifestyle and interests. For the record, and since every other blog is kind of reminiscing the year that was, I would like to state my events for the year too but just find that I could not fill up to number 10.....Anyway.......

1. The year that I've not watched any movies at the cinema, nor much TV for that matter. I am so outdated that I don't really know what's up in the cinemas or what's showing on TV these days. And yes, the programs that I ever watch these days are those of squeaky voices and nursery rhymes like Dibo, Mickey Mouse, Pocoyo and Barney - some characters of which I never knew existed before this year.

2. Sleep early, rise early - yes, this could be my motto for the year that was. People think I'm weird for going to bed as early as 9pm every day and waking up by 7am although I don't have to leave for office till 9am (and of course not to mention waking up another 2 or 3 times in the night too). All I can say to them is to wait for their turn. Oh.....and I can also say that this is the year that I've slept least of all!

3. Ummm..what about being hospitalised 3 times this year - the first two were for horrid reasons and the third was a happy one but heck, I've never been hospitalised in my entire life, except for that time when I had stomach ulcer 8 or 9 years ago.

4. Nope, I am not a big fan of Josh Groban, although I like his songs, or any other stars for that matter. Well maybe I'm starting to like Dibo and Tigger. But I became the biggest fan of this little person named Khyentse. He's so funny sometimes that whatever tears of sadness will just crawl back into the back of my eyes and disappear. Like yesterday when I was having a very bad time at Ikea and he laughed like a lunatic just looking at the little frog doll fall off causing everyone around to stop and look at him like he was this little superstar. Whatever angry words I've wanted to hurl at Ikea just disappeared.

5. I changed jobs - I never thought I'd change jobs this soon. I once even had that idea that the previous company will be my retirement place. Heck...I guess one will never know what's in store until you reach there. Or maybe it just wasn't meant to be. And this is why I am not on leave today when everyone else are.

6. I moved! Yes! After umpteenth years stuck in the area with worse traffic nightmare one would ever get, I can now see myself complaining less about traffic jams. This also means leaving behind part of my life history. I wouldn't say that I didn't love my old apartment at all nor would I say that I love being there a lot. There were good and bad things. The only consolation when I think of some happy memories at that old house is that hey, its just 20 minutes away and it's not like I moved to another state or something.

7. The one and only year that I didn't go anywhere - no holidays, no nothing. The furthest place I've gone to this year would be - Ikea. Haha.

Ummm....see, I did say I couldn't finish ten didn't I?

My email to Ikea Customer Service

I used to love shopping at Ikea. Everything from curtains to beds and waste baskets in my home were all bought from Ikea. What do you know, I just spent close to RM4k on Ikea items last month and this month alone. But you know, visiting Ikea during weekends and public holidays doesn't seem like an easy task or a good shopping trip anymore these days, unless I wanted to be shoved around or be around smelly armpits. My recent three trips to Ikea have been such a horrendous experience that I vowed again and again never to shop in Ikea until Ikea has their own online store for me to shop conveniently from home! But yet, I had to go trip after trip again, wasting so much petrol (caused by the horrendous jam around Ikea) and precious time (you know you have to walk the whole Ikea from the door to the check out counter even if all you wanted to get was a piece of screw) because of Ikea's marketing concept. Here's why:

1. The head of the Ikea bed I bought two years ago broke when I dismantled it to shift house. It's now proven true that most Ikea stuff are made of cheap chipboards that cannot be dismantled once you set them up. I had to go to Ikea to get the new screws hoping that the bed can be fixed even though its chipped in 4 areas (where the screws were placed). I was asked to go get the model number of the bed to get the replacement screws which your staff at the bed department had no idea of and in turn asked me to go down to the service counter again. It took your service counter one whole hour to determine what screws were needed for the bed. Oh...and you know, the wooden planks on the bed fell off more than 5 times while I was sleeping on it - I had to buy heavy duty double sided tapes to tape the planks on to the bedside so it would not move.

2. I bought railings to be placed in the kitchen to hang up pots and pans just like the kitchen design shown on your Ikea magazine only to find out that I needed to buy the screws to fix the railings on. And what do you know, any other screws form the hardware shop will not fit. The screws are specially made and has to be purchased from Ikea.

3. I bought this pink glass lamp which really has nice design only to find that it's bulb which has to be purchased only from Ikea won't last more than 4 days of continuous usage. I have to throw the lamp away because I can't afford to go to Ikea every weekend just to get bulbs.

4. Another square glass lamp I bought from Ikea a few months ago which was placed on the floor, turned over and it broke. Mind you, it turned over on the floor itself, not even from the table or from any higher point. I then went to Ikea but found that I had to buy the whole set of lamp again. That's not the whole story. I know I should have checked before I bought the lamp but all I wanted to do then was to get away from the horrendous crowd that day. It's not easy shopping with a baby around. I also placed my trust on Ikea's products and didn't think that there would be anything wrong with a new lamp. And guess what, the lamp had a chip at the top - I've bought a broken lamp from Ikea.

I really don't wish to go to Ikea yet again just because of that chipped new lamp that I bought. The petrol for the trip that I have to pay will be even more expensive than the lamp itself. This seems like a good marketing concept from Ikea - you know, getting people to go back again and again to Ikea once they've made even one small purchase, just to get things like screws and other accessories that are proprietary to Ikea and once you're in there you're trapped and have to go around the whole store, picking up some other stuff on your way to the counter. But after the last 3 visits which I vowed not to go there again, it seems this broken lamp is making me go back yet again just to get a replacement or a refund. I know this is a very long story for you to read and I do hope to get a reply (most companies in Malaysia, even multi national companies don't seem to read their emails). I just wish to solve my lamp problem by NOT having to go to Ikea again. I hope Ikea can understand my situation - it is not easy to shop with my baby around in that horrendous crowd and the horrendous jam after, and I've spent so much at Ikea that I do not wish to hold a grudge on Ikea and be reminded of it every single day when my house is full of Ikea stuff that it can be a model house for Ikea. And all because of this broken lamp that I've bought to replace the other broken one. Please give me a reasonable solution.

Best regards,

Wendy Heah

Someone who used to be a big fan of Ikea.

P/S: I thought Ikea had really good ideas and designs. But then the curtain I just bought proves me wrong. Who on earth would want to take off the curtain railing every time the curtain needs to be washed? I thought Ikea would have a better idea, maybe use velcro for the curtain top or buttons like the rest of the other curtains rather than sew on the whole top. I now have to remove my curtain railings each time I need to wash the curtains unless you tell me that Ikea curtains need not be washed. :(

Ikea's Screamng Competition

Have you ever seen a screaming baby and mad woman in Ikea? If you have, that must be last Sunday and the screaming woman was none other than me trying to inflict some civic consciousness into some people.

The little monster was already screaming for being too tired and not being able to fall asleep with so much going around. There I was, waiting hungrily for my piece of sausage bun and the rest of the family when some darn unconscious people removed the chairs around me without asking, leaving me with the one I was sitting on with the screaming monster.

Feeling so helpless, of course I had to 'pretend' to say something like this to the monster - "GO HOME! GO HOME! No more place here!" And whaddya know, as soon as I get up from my seat, another family pounced happily on the table and only available seat as if they'd die if they didn't get it.

I am never going shopping in Ikea again until they introduce online shopping.