Tissues Not for the Sniffles

my profile reads 'a crab who keeps junks from the past'.

now i'm about to reveal the first of my list of 'collections' which is also my favourite. i'm proud of each one - so don't judge me ok!

first and foremost, i collect tissues. tissues, serviettes, paper napkins - call 'em what you want. to date, i have about 468 tissues from all over the world - ok i added that all over the world part - but there are tissues from the faraway places i've been to.

i keep all 468 tissues in 3 boxes; one for rectangular ones, another for square tissues and finally a 'holiday box' for tissues i get from hotels and airlines.

most of the tissues i got on my own, but a good amount also came from those thoughtful people who made the effort to save a piece of tissue when they go makan, had the gentleness to keep it nicely from wrinkles til the time comes to hand it over to me. anyone who has ever given me a tissue they had kept would know how much i appreciate the effort. THANKS!

i printed a list of all my tissues, put in alphabetical order, (of course i keep track!) along with whom i went with, or in a case where i was given the tissue - who gave it; followed by the place where i got it from.

e.g: captain cook cruise family sydney

my list, my 3 precious boxes and the little soaps i put to keep 'em fresh smelling

• it's easy to get, (free for the taking, you can always ask for more, and you can even grab one without actually eating at that particular makan place)
• a little harder to keep (it's paper, it's flimsy, it's easily torn so i gotta keep it in a secure place where it can't be crumpled or torn - or get wet!)
• and i think hardest to maintain (placed without care and you'll get yellowish colouration around the edges - i keep those small hotel soaps in each boxes and it keeps the tissues smelling fresh all year round)

best of all, it holds memories!

each tissue is unique. it's taken from all sorts of nook and corners; with different company of people for different occasions; eating all sorts of yummies.

out of 468 of mine, i took out just a smidgen to demonstrate how these tissues can hold little gems of memories in their folds...

1. the putra world trade center -
got this when wani (a good friend of mine) and i berkampung at PWTC to catch a glimpse of our then PM, Dr. M during the perhimpunan agung UMNO that year. it was really an unforgettable experience for we didn't JUST see him - we barged through his bodyguards, shook hands with him, got his autograph AND got our picture published at the FRONT PAGE of utusan malaysia the next day.

2. dave's deli, black canyon coffee and schlotzky deli -
dave's deli was not quite in my list of yummy makan place - but it's really really special as it was the place where mr khairul and i met for the first time - a rendezvous planned by my youngest sister. black canyon coffee was the place where i first belanja my abah with my first pay. it was father's day. schlotzky deli (susahnye nak eja!) was syida's first working place while waiting for her SPM result and got that when we kacau her at work!

3. indulgence - a quaint little cafe in ipoh, went there with my buddy niraku and i distinctly remember having this simple dessert of ice-cream with grilled banana. a fantastic fusion of hot and cold!

4. the chakri palace - a girls' night out getaway for me and my theater gal pals - put and irda. i always remember this place as where we'd hang out after a theater show @ the actors' studio or istana budaya.

5. kopikau - nearby kopitiam occasionally supplying breakfast for me and my officemates in puchong. i love working with them and now that i'm in dubai, i'm missing the fun working environment esp. lunch time!

6. pakeeza - my wedding party caterer. ;-) 'nuff said.

7. sunway medical - where i gave birth to my first; fresh prince of kl - khaleef khairul.


these tissues are taken from the 'holiday' box which i kept tissues from hotels and airlines. also a treasure box of memories...

1. eastin hotel - used to be a favourite hotel for mak and abah whenever they come over to KL.

2. boulevard hotel - it's adjacent to the mid valley megamall and we always had great fun staying at this hotel as we can come and go to the mall as we please, even catch a midnight movie show as our hotel room is just an elevator away!

3. seri costa hotel - fantastic! a small quaint hotel in the heart of melaka but always a lovely memory as it is our first ever ever holiday with khaleef. it's also where we got to know the BEST ikan bakar place in the world - sg duyung!



others are priceless as it includes interesting bits in their folds - not merely a name and a place or a tagline.

1. like this piece i got from subway, there is a list of calories or carb you'd be taking with their sandwiches.

2. a cute one from ben & jerry i got when the whole family went to US to send yong off to study in purdue, indiana - include a reminder to not waste their napkins 'please use only what you need'.

3. and this one from pizza hut is especially unique as it has chinese characters on it - gotten from hong kong.


the rest of my tissues i group in types - i've got those fancy party tissues - including a precious one of shrek!

there are wet tissues packed in plastics, mostly from japan given by my bro-in-law din when he went there for a business trip.

then there are those tissues which came from the SAME brand but different branches or at different time. like i have 9 from nando's - printed in different wordings and patterns, taken from malaysia, melbourne, auckland and south africa. also have 9 varieties of KFC tissues - different tissues printed according to the theme they have at that time - like the 'KFC 30 Years', or when they did the campaign 'What's Your KFC Moment?'

sigh.

ok, so wanna help me reach 500? gimme some tissues!