4 Days.

4 days to go and I am in a bit of a panic.

Why?

Some of the vital pieces of clothing I need for my trip , I ordered online. And they are not here yet.

"WHY DID YOU BUY THEM ONLINE?"

Well.

1. Jeans from Dorothy Perkins.

You see, my size for pants from that store is either 18S or 20S. And no, S does not mean small. It means short , leg-length wise. None of the stores I went to had those sizes. 

"Why not get an 18R and get it altered?"

Brilliant idea. If I could wear something other that bootcut because the rest tends to hug my calves.

While ordering, on 8th of November, the site was very confident in saying "The latest your order will arrive will be on the 20th."

26th and not still here. And since I had to take the cheaper delivery, I could not track the order. And the FAQ? Not helpful. It finally mentioned that sometimes, "2 weeks are the minimum." which it did not say at all while ordering.

"Contact us." means I have to call them. No email.

Brilliant.

2. My jeans jacket.

On the 11th, I went to  Fat is Fab bazaar, a plus size clothes bazaar and saw the most amazing jeans jacket but my size was not available.

So the seller offered to post it over. I was delighted, paid for it.

This all happened via Whatsapp.

14th

"Hey, have you posted my jacket?"

"I'll post it on Thursday."

21st

"Hey, have you posted it?"

No reply.

23rd

"Hey there, I was wondering if you have posted my jeans jacket yet? Thank you.|

3 hours later- "Hey there, I don't know if you're reallly busy or I'm not getting your replies but if its the latter, here's my email. I need the jacket by next week. Thank you."

"Hey, yes. I'll give you the tracking number tonight. Busy at the factory."

25th

"Hey, can I have the tracking number please?"


No reply till today. I have been really polite and patient because I know how these clothing businesses can be really busy and some of them are also studying so they have to divide their time. But, come on. I have bought stuffs from many online shops and they usually update me if the stuff shows signs of being late, or it comes on time.

A particular nice shop even texted me asking if I've got my stuff already because she was worried. She didn't text me a week later, but the day after I got the parcel and I admire that.

Man, I am close to losing my temper. 

*takes deep breath*

When people ask me what sites I plan to visit in Istanbul, I just go "The usual places. The local scenes you know."

I got a confession.

For someone who loves planning and making checklists, I kinda have not researched on where to go, and what to eat.

I know, terrible.

But, at least I have done most of my shopping apart from 3 things I can get at Mydin on Thursday, and also the jeans and jacket. I might have even tried to compensate for that by buying a nice handbag/sling bag type and a sweater.

I got a question for you guys.

How much money would I need for food + transportation + entrance fees at Istanbul? I would be staying there for 8 nights and accommodation is paid for already.

Thank you.

Bound.

To read the first part: Void.

He curled his fingers over hers, his head tilted forward till he could see the doubt in her eyes. His throat was dry and grated with words too reluctant to be voiced.

"I'm half elated."

"And half?"

"Scared."

The word were whispered against the shape of her lips, his breath stolen away by this succubus that had been haunting him for months. 

"Of corrupting me?"

"It was never corruption that scares me."

"What was?"

The etchings on her skin glowed warm under his fingertips, a nod against the softness of her neck as he trembled, ever so slightly.

"Us being bound together, in the ways of legends."

Void.

She tilted her head back till the edges of her curls rested on her hips. Her eyes gleamed with the knowledge she had obtained as her lips formed a sardonic smile. She ran her fingertips along the lines of her palm and lets out a sigh.

"It seems, that you are too late."

"Too late for?"

"To corrupt me."

With a flick of her wrist, she showed him the marks of pleasure she had obtained. Show him the differences in patterns, the accumulation of exposure.

"Aren't you glad?"

"Why should I?"

Her smile took on the shape of pleasure as her fingers reached forward and slipped between his.

"Your excuse is void now."

10 Days.

It seems that Istanbul is in mere 10 days. Our flight would be around 3.15 am, and I expect to look like a bedraggled participant of the Amazing Race. If it is possible, I would like to wear tracksuit pants, a t-shirt with a cardigan pulled over it. Feet in comfy socks and slippers. 

But nah. The only thing my vanity would let me do is skip the contact lenses and just put on my glasses. Which is a big deal, because it has come to the point that most of my friends have no idea I am blind as a baby bat as I never wear my glasses outside the house.

I am quietly excited. Thanks to the mighty deities of the working life, where work will pile up 3 weeks before you are bound to take 9 days off, and not the 4 months before where you spent most of your time staring at the screen.

And no, contrary to popular perception, I have not packed my luggage yet. But, I do have about 8 check lists:

1. To Print - Stuffs like a copy of my passport, the e-ticket, a copy of my identification cards, few copies of my contact details and also a map of the Malaysian Embassy there.(Bro: In case Taken 2 happens to you, you have to know where to escape to)

2. To Query - I am very thankful that the apartment's owner is a soul of patience because I keep asking if there's an iron (yes), towels(yes), lift (no) and so on. I have also asked about using a local sim card (not advisable as it tends to not work in foreign phones), roaming (too expensive) and the sockets there (two pins, people).

3. To Do - Paying the rest of the rent via Paypal (do not transfer the money from the bank account linked to Paypal to Paypal because the latter does not have the option to pay in Euro, hence your bank will have to do it), flu shot (for winter and parents who worry), inform my debit/credit card provider that I shall be using the cards abroad.

4. To Buy - This one is the longest, to no surprise.

i) Pepper Spray, contact lenses, toiletries (refer to ii), bag for toiletries, international adaptor and of course clothes and shoes (Never have I had a better excuse to splurge and buy from the online Dorothy Perkins website, "The stores do not have my size Mama").

ii) I am a Toiletries aka things you can buy at the drugstore/pharmacy junkie. In fact, when I went to Outward Bound School, I had a small orange bag that was well stocked with everything one might need in the jungle. I swear I get a rush everytime I opened it and took out the sanitiser/baby wipes/mosquito repellent/sunblock.

5. To Pack - Has three lists: Luggage, Hand Luggage (Backpack + Handbag) and Toiletries Bag (which will be put in Bagpack).

I think you can already imagine the things in these lists, but I would make sure to throw in a pashmina in my bagpack.

I got one more weekend to go before the trip, and I guess it would be filled with last minute shopping such as: Sweater, charger, prepaid number, toiletries and maybe a small bag. And of course, a half hearted attempt at packing. Who am I fooling, everything would only be packed 30 minutes before going to the airport.

Mama is worried about our safety. Dad is worried we would get lost. Lil Bro is worried our asses will be Taken 2.

Eli is worried that we would look like potential brides for the IS. I am worried that my weight will increase from all the food.

Typical Hanis.