-Mutti spending 3 hours nametaping Jimmybob's clothes for school

-Dad banging around the filing cabinet and sorting our files

-Me spending 1.5 hours typing up notes for tutor girl (and the worst part is I don't even know if she understands them)

-Jimmybob spacking off somewhere (hopefully swept off the Earth)

Gripping isn't it?

Anyway, out for dinner with the lunatics last night and discussion about money (or apparently lack of) has brought certain issues right back down to Earth for me. Mutti described ourselves as relatively poor people, who, for a short time, have been made to look relatively rich in Hong Kong. Most reassuringly, they said once we go back to the YUK the standard of living will definitely be going downhill (something you always want to hear).

No, for the fear of sounding a rich bitch, I really try not to exploit my parents moneywise (unlike Jimmybob who doesn't understand why we can't have an Astom Martin DB7 and Ferrari cuz 'all his friends have one'). I mean, I think I have a fairly good idea of the value of money (shown by shocked silence at $1000+ phone bill) and even though friends act as though money grows on trees (Mitch) I try not to let it rub off on me, or I will try not to let it rub off on ,e.

But I like the good life, who doesn't? And that's where the problem lies, because it's fucking easy to go from rags to riches, but a bitch to go back again.

I am willing to pull my share, as prissy and princessy as I may act, if I could get a waitressing job I'd very gladly do it and I am willing to do it at Uni. The problem lies not with the people who have lots of money (like here) but what they do with it and their attitudes towards it. Take Mitch. I know my Mutti was taling about her when she spoke of the friend who has 'more money than sense' and I have nothing against her having muchos money. But there's no nice way to say to her, without her getting offended, that no I don't want to spend $300 on a meal when I can put it somewhere more useful, and that no, I can't buy $600 birthday presents for people.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I rather got the impression that once I leave home they are almost cutting me off (apart from paying Uni fees + housing). And that's scary, but at least I'll know I will have worked to get myself where I will be - and I am willing to work bloody hard to get where I want to be - knowing that my Mummy and Daddy didn't hold me up along the way.