Penang -- Week 13 -- Bargaining Skills

Week 13
FRIDAY, June 6th
Day 85
Today I have a date, a webcam date with JoAnn. I'm headed to the mall to eat lunch with George (who is still working there every Friday), hijack his laptop and chat with my sister. This time, the internet is good enough that there aren't too many problems at all. We are free to speak about anything. Anything at all. We could talk about whatever we want, for as long as we want. Hmm... yeah, it's great, talking about anything. We don't need to waste time talking about whether or not the webcam is working. So yeah, any topic at all! Let's go! Let's talk! No restrictions on what topic? What topic? What topic...

I'm so talked out with this blog that I don't have much else to say! Plus, she knows at least some of what I've written here, so it's like, well, I have nothing to tell you, what about you? Maybe we have to think of discussion topics for next time because it was great to have the webcam go smoothly, at least technically. Anyone else want to make a webcam date? I just need enough advance notice for a trip to the mall, and preferably some topics to discuss. You could ask me questions, or could even fill me in on your life!


SATURDAY
More chores and video gaming. George is almost finished with our copy of Midnight Run 3. I'm still only about halfway through. I've been playing games here longer than George, but once he started, it's all he's been doing. Sometimes he gets on right away when he comes home from work. He's a little obsessed.

I'm obsessed too. Right now I'm obsessed with getting little things for the office; to make it more organized, so I can set up my desk and get started on some work I have to do. We head to a couple of stores. Nothing. But we do go to a wicker shop that has some of the other needs we still have: laundry baskets, patio chairs, etc.. I'm overdue for dinner though, my brain is getting a little foggy, and we really have to leave. We decide to just go and come back when I'm thinking more clearly. They won't let us go!
"Thank you, we have to go eat. We'll come back."
"Ok, I give you this one 65 ringgit."
"Thank you, we really have to go."
"Ok 60 ringgit, You take now."
"No sorry, we really have to go."
"60 ringgit final, and I give you this one 90."
"I don't know, do you want to get them now George? Well.."
"High quality."
"...we should go."
"Ok 80 ringgit."
"No really, we're not trying to bargain with you, we really do have to go. We'll be back I promise."
"Ok, ok, 75 ringgit, last one, you take now."
"I'm sorry. I promise we'll be back."

You know, some are born good bargainers, some develop bargaining skills over time, and some have bargaining thrust upon them! So much for our fears of haggling!

Shanti's not available to babysit, but there are some great Cuban-style dancers in town from KL, and everyone is going to be there. Last night and tonight are the nights to go to really meet everyone. We decide to go for a little bit, with Regin asleep in his carseat. It actually works out fairly well. A whole group of the staff decides they will watch over him while we dance and socialize, and they stand crowded around him, stroking him and rocking him. There is one Cuban-style dancer. The other is screaming LA. The Cuban-style one is really great. He doesn't know much rueda, but we convince him to do one anyway. Halleluyah! I'm totally grinning. But he's leaving tomorrow. Humph.

When Regin wakes up, he's a little frightened by the crowd of strangers fawning over him. So I take him out and cuddle him for a few before we go home. Would it be so bad to do this every once in a while?