Monday, May 30, 2011

Hello! ... and Goodbye!

All my life I had never read a single copy of celebrity magazine Hello!, let alone buy one. This in itself is ironic, considering I spent the last five years of my journalistic career covering the entertainment beat for an English daily.


To be fair, Hello! wasn't the only one I kept at arm's length. Apart from a few local staple which I had to peruse in the line of duty, the rest were consigned to my 'Not Interested' bin.


The world of artistes and entertainers, all those glitz and glamour (not to mention the constant bitchings), had never been my cup of tea. In fact, as I write this, I can still feel the retractable claws of some whose path I had crossed (intentionally or otherwise).


People well acquainted with me over the years would know that I have an intense dislike for attention. That I had to deal with people who lived and breathed adulation and the spotlight was a nightmare unto itself.


Which was why I surprised myself today when I picked up a copy of the latest Hello! from a newsstand on my way out of Tesco this morning, after my weekly shopping for provisions.


Truth be told, it was the cover that did it - a lovely picture of the world's most famous newlyweds, Prince Williams and Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge, and a blurb that says "Collectors' Item" (or something to that effect, I can't recall exactly).


I'm a shoo-in for anything remotely resembling collectibles. In fact, the house is chock-a-block with junk masquerading as collectors' items (and I'm not in a hurry to spring-clean just yet).


Be that as it may, I gladly parted with RM8.90 for a copy of the latest Hello! special edition, flipping the RM1.10 change into a nearby receptacle in aid of a charity.


It was when I was unloading my bags of provisions from the car that I realised the magazine was nowhere to be found. Now, where the heck could it be? RM8.90 is a lot of money!


As I sat there in the driver's seat pondering over the missing rag, it dawned on me that I had inadvertently left it in the Tesco trolley whilst transferring the contents to my car.


Since I had no desire to return to Tesco parking lot and try my luck at retrieving it, it's Goodbye! to Hello!


Now, if you happen to be the lucky person who found my first (and definitely last) Hello! (still pristine and virginal, cello-wrapped and all), have fun reading at my expense, literally..

8 comments:

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Puteri,
Hello....is it me you're looking for? Sang an unhappy magazine abandoned in a shopping trolley at Tesco. Wanna bet nobody would take it home too? har har har *evil laughs*

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Cat: hahaha.. that was funny!

ninotaziz said...

It was just not meant to be, Kak Kama! Or subconsciuosly, you just refused to read it!

My magazine story - We took the girls on a short commuter ride yesterday. On the way home, Rudi bought the Malaysian Esquire. And I bought Personal Money...But no one else was reading and the aircon did not work, so I ended up fanning Little Ikesha to sleep with my mag...

ninotaziz said...

By the way, I love that typewriter. I have my late Grandad's typewriter. You have inspired me to take it out and give it a prominent place in my office at home!

mamasita said...

Awwwh..kesiannya.
It was meant to be..Hello will never be your cup of tea..:D

p.s.I buy the magazine every now and then..just to brush up my verbal English..nope, I am not into the gossips either..hehehe..I normally just read the juicy stories and forget them..hehehe

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Ninot: that's the beauty of magazines; they are multi-functional.. as for the typewriter, i have fond memories of my early days as a reporter when the typewriter was our tool of the trade...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

mamasita: actually i was taken by the picture of the bride & groom and so was curious to read more...

Kak Teh said...

Puteri, no Hello , no OK for me as well. Well, I suppose that is one thing NOT to give you via Ollie.