The Wilful Sunflower

I'm beginning to think that Murphy's Law was created especially for me. I need to go back to the Road Transport Department AGAIN early Monday morning. I don't even want to talk about it.

What I will talk about is buying a mattress & bed (divan) for seven hundred bucks. Yup. $700.

Coz you see, my current mattress has been giving me problems. It's thick foam, or sponge, I'm not sure which, and I've been using it for almost five years now.

About two months ago I decided to get a bed instead of sleeping on the floor. But after I put the mattress on the metal bed frame, it became obvious that the mattress was sagging. Plus, all I had to do was sit on it and I could feel the outline of the bed's metal bar right under my bum. Not good, not good at all.

To make things worse, over the past year or so, I used to wake with the occasional back pain, but since getting the bed, increasingly I wake feeling achy and uncomfortable. AND I'M TOO YOUNG TO HAVE BACK PROBLEMS, DAMMIT.

So I was walking around in 1Utama Shopping Centre the other day, and home furnishing store Homelife was having a promotion on beds and bedding, with display units in the mall concourse area. After making an enquiry about prices, I went back and asked Google, "How to choose a good mattress?"

The articles I found told me to spend 15 minutes on a mattress before making a decision.

Consumer Reports found that in most cases a 15-minute in-store trial of a mattress can accurately predict how comfortable you will be on a bed in the long run. Consumer Reports recommends spending five minutes each on your side, back, and belly.
-- KY3 News

They said it is not enough simply to press or sit on the mattress...

Never compare the mattress by sitting, walking or just pressing the mattress. Just make yourself as comfortable as you want to be while asleep. So lie down at every angle and try to feel the support & comfort for at least 5-10 minutes.
-- Sleep Symphonie Buyer's Guide

Since I'm very obedient and compliant, I went back to 1Utama the next day and proceeded to lie down on one of the beds there for 10 minutes, in full view of anybody walking through the mall. If you're one of the people who walked past and stared at me... hi!!! My name is Sunflower, and I am now the proud owner of a brand-new RM700 mattress. Or at least I will be, when it arrives tomorrow

It's the King Koil Europedic mattress, said to be endorsed by the International Chiropractors Association and the Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research. The saleslady said this particular mattress line is usually exported to Europe and not sold at all here in Malaysia, but is being made available now for the duration of the promotional period. They always make it sound like you are so privileged to be able to buy the thing and that you should grab it while you still have the chance. (Yes, my cynicism is showing )

Well, I liked it, could afford it, and my sleep is precious to me, so I bought it anyway. I asked Dad for his advice and he said, "If you can afford it, why not? You're going to be sleeping on it for the next 10 to 20 years." I was thinking, doesn't he expect me to ever marry? This is a single mattress, you know!!