Taking a Break

I will be taking a hiatus from blogging. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but I will be back. Until then...

Loungin Around on a Sunday


It was just one of those days where I felt kinda blah. I slept in until 11:00 am and have been in my pj's all day. I had no motivation to go out or do anything. [Hmmm, maybe it's that time of the month for me?] I hardly did anything, except clean up my room a bit, but that was pretty much it. Since I don't watch much tv, I decided to watch EDtv with Matthew McConaughey. It was quite funny, but I don't think I'd like the whole world to tune into my life. But then who does?

Just when you think something's not going to happen...

...you get a phone call from your uncle and suddenly anything's possible. Thanks Tito Joe, you're the best!

Walking Over the Bridge

Since it was quite a nice day (probably the last until winter is officially here), Irma and I went for a walk. And we decided to walk over the High Level bridge. We had talked about walking over it during the summer, but it never happened. But we finally did it. Yay! Crossing the bridge took 10 minutes. Considering we came from Whyte Ave, which is the southwest part of the city, it took us about 25 minutes to reach downtown. Once we crossed the bridge, we made our way around the Legislative Building and then headed back. We finished the day off with a Booster Juice. Yum!

And you thought that was all?

It's official. Canada 3000 has stopped operating. After watching the news and reading this article, Canada 3000 is gonzo. Which means that I'm not going to Hawaii. WHICH TOTALLY SUCKS!!! I've looked at other ways of getting there, but the airfare is double what I originally paid for. I'll call my travel agent on Monday to see if she can do anything for me. Cross your fingers...

There's more...

I skipped going to the gym before kickboxing because I was so tired. Mentally drained from what happened earlier this morning with the phone calls and the whole Hawaii thing, and physically drained from all that driving and running around this afternoon. I took a 30 minute power nap instead and felt much better. Then it was off to kickboxing.

Thinking nothing else could happen today, something minor did. As I was heading toward the freeway to get to class, traffic was backed up. Wasn't sure what was going on but traffic was slow. I started to think that maybe I shouldn't go to kickboxing and just turn around and go home. Apparently there was a 7 car pile up. A semi rear-ended a Neon (which was toast), which rear-ended a minivan, which rear-ended another car, and another car, and another car, oh and guess what ANOTHER CAR. [OK, I'm being just a wee bit sarcastic, but that's because I can be =P]. Anyway, I made it to the freeway and figured the drive would be OK. Wrong. I had people tailing me and cutting me off, and one almost caused another accident. How do these people get their licenses? I made it to class in one piece and I'm so glad I went. I feel much better now. :-)

I don't know which was worse -- the morning or the afternoon?

I left the house at 2:00 pm to drive out to Stony Plain. Since I'd never been there, I figured I'd take a dry run at trying to find my way to this place, so I'd know for tomorrow. Getting to Stony Plain was no problem. Trying to find the roads that they told me to turn onto was difficult. I don't think these roads even exist. I drove around for an hour and couldn't find the damn place. AARRGGHHH!! I finally decided to head back. I still had other stuff I had to do.

I went to the mall to pick up (and drop off more) drycleaning. Then I went to Esprit to look for this top that I want to wear to this anniversary party next weekend. But no luck. Ugh. I went to a couple other stores but couldn't find anything. I was getting irritable so I decided to go home and get something to eat.

So now I'm home. I'm tired and the sinus cavity above my left eye is throbing. And I still planning to go to the gym and kickboxing. Is this day ever going to end?

Could anything else happen today?!

I haven't left the house yet, and what a morning I've had so far. Between scheduling a time to go out to Stony Plain (small town west of Edmonton) for a possible temp job, scheduling doctors' appointments, calling the travel agent, and calling AMEX, I've been on the phone for the past couple hours. The temp job thing is only from now until Christmas, but I'm going out there tomorrow to see if it's something I want to do. The doctors' appointments were scheduled in no time. Talking to the travel agent was a bit disappointing.

I saw a bit of the news last night and the airline I booked my flight with may be filing for bankruptcy. Just great. I was talking with the travel agent and she couldn't really give me any answers as to what's going to happen. She looked at other flight alternatives, but they were double the price. I have no idea what's going to happen now, so now I have to wait. I hate waiting. If the airline does file for bankruptcy, I won't be able to go to Hawaii, which totally sucks!! AARRRGGHH!! It's a good thing I got travel insurance, so at least I'll be able to get most of my money, if not all of it, back should the airline go bankrupt. As for the hotel, that's up in the air too. I'll have to talk to my travel agent on Monday to see what's going on. After talking to her, I called AMEX to get some kind of purchase protection thing. In the event that the airline goes bankrupt, then I don't have to pay for the charges on my credit card.

And that's only been my morning. I still have a lot of running around to do. Not to mention a lot of driving too. *sigh*

Busy Day Ahead

I have a lot to do today. And why does it always seem that there's more to do on Fridays than any other day? OK, so maybe I've just been putting stuff off until today but whatever. I know it's gonna involve a lot of driving around. *sigh* Great. Oh well, better get going so I can get all this stuff done.

Workout

I went to the gym earlier this afternoon. It was good to go at that time because there was no one around, which meant that I didn't have to wait for any machines, etc. I hate going to the gym when it's totally packed because when you do get on a machine, there always seems to be one person who gives you the "eye" and you know they're thinking "Hurry up and get off will ya?!". Now they can stare at me all they want, but it's not gonna make me go any faster. And I'm not about to rush MY workout simply because they're following their program to a T and they happen to need that machine at that point in time. Sorry chickie, you can wait. =P

So being able to take my time was good. After I was done, I went to stretch and couldn't help but overhear a conversation between these 2 girls next to me (no, I wasn't being chismosa =P):

Girl 1: I love doing this one stretch because you just feel the stretch down your whole leg (as she places her leg on this bar and bends forward).

Girl 2: Oh really?

Girl 1: And I've noticed that my rectus (pointing to her thigh) is developing. I noticed it the other day and was like "sweet"

[blah blah blah -- they continue talking. I figured they were studying human anatomy in school or something with all these technical muscle terms they were using, so I stopped paying attention.]

Then Girl 1 says: *sigh* We're 23. We're so ancient.

I'm thinking "If you think 23 is ancient, what the hell am I supposed to be at 28?!" After I heard that, it just made me shake my head. I mean, I don't feel 28, nor do I feel ancient. All I have to say is these girls still have a long way to go before they feel ancient.

New Blog Experiment

As I was chatting with Bern, we came up with the idea of starting a collective blog. The idea is to come up with a new topic each day and then put our opinions on it, without using Reblogger (since it's been acting up again). Kinda like a daily debate. Each person will take turns coming up with something to talk about. It will be interesting to see what topics we come up with. ;-)

Day 2 of Unemployment

I'm starting to like this whole unemployment thing. Sleeping in. Lounging around the house. Running errands with my mom. Going to the gym. Going to kickboxing. Blah, blah, blah. Nothing to worry about. Well, I know I DO have to find a job. Can't be unemployed forever (unless I marry some rich guy or win the lottery or something, but what are the chances of that happening?). Guess I'll just take advantage of this freedom for the time being.

Reblogger is down again...

...*sigh*. I wonder if this is going to be a regular occurrence?

Oh well. Better get ready for my day...

New Additions

I've been wanting to do this for the longest time, but never had the time to figure it out. And I finally did it! YAY! After reading Bern's blog on tagalog and stuff, it kinda inspired me to add a few filipino links to my site, which I've been reading from time to time. [Hey Irma, now I don't have to search for all those sites I was looking at before. ;-)]. As for the colors, still not sure what to do with them. I'll figure that out another day.

*yawn*...

Cheap Movie Night

Irma and I watched 13 Ghosts at Eaton Centre tonight. The movie was OK. Not as scary as I thought it would be (didn't scream or jump out of my seat or anything). And it was a short movie too. I wouldn't recommend it. If you must see it, wait till it goes on video or DVD.

Since the movie ended early, we headed to the Sawmill for a drink. Of course, I had to get something to eat. So much for not eating out until Hawaii. =P

Keeping Myself Busy

Now that I have all this free time, I'm able to do things I wasn't able to do before because there was never any time. I cleaned up my room a bit, washed my car, picked up my drycleaning (which had been sitting there for 2 weeks) and at the same time dropped off more stuff to be drycleaned. [I think I should get a discount for all this business I'm giving them]. Hmmm, now what should I do. I'm kinda hungry, so I'm gonna get a snack. Ginatan anyone?

Day 1 of Unemployment Enjoyment

Slept in until 10:30 am. Woo hoo! But I've already received 2 phone calls in the span of 10 minutes from a former co-worker asking me questions on how to do things. What's wrong with this picture? Uh hello, I DON'T WORK THERE ANYMORE! Yes, I told her she could call me if she had any questions, but I didn't think she would. Not this soon anyway. And twice in 10 minutes? OK, I realize there's a lot to learn, but couldn't she look back in the file and figure it out?


Random Thought

Ever notice that some people can't figure things out for themselves? They always want someone to help them and hold their hand through the process. There's no initiative to think of the many different ways to do things. They've become so focused on a task that they end up limiting themselves to other possibilities. Then they get frustrated when things don't work out because they're so set in their ways of doing a certain task. And if they do have a process of doing things, they seem to make it so complicated that it's almost impossible to do whatever they have to do. They fail to see the simple way of accomplishing things.

Appendix to Previous Chapter

The intention was to go in for a couple hours (key word is COUPLE) to tie up the loose ends. And say my "goodbyes." Well, the couple hours turned into the whole day and the "goodbyes" weren't made. So I guess I'll just have to settle for the fact that the farewell lunch on Friday was my goodbye. I know I shouldn't be too concerned about it, but I guess I just wanted to "close" everything. I do know that I am detached from that place. I've made my decision to move on, and I'm not looking back. Now if only I could figure out what to do with all this spare time I have (besides look for another job)???

Birthday Celebration...the conclusion

I had the final birthday outing today. Thank goodness. As I've mentioned before, I'm getting tired of eating out. But what a way to end things off. Jenn took me to Hotel Macdonald for brunch. I had never been there before and it was interesting to see the hoity-toity people in this classy hotel. Jenn and I felt somewhat posh to be amongst this crowd. I noticed this one lady who was the epitome of high society. Your typical snob. She was so prim-and-proper and was all about the whole etiquette thing. Um yeah, that's nice. I mean, I'm not saying that I don't have any manners, but do other people really pay attention to which fork to use, and how you place your napkin on your lap, or even how you chew your food? Whatever...

Jenn and I were only there for the food anyway. Talk about FOOD! And the best part was it was a buffet. We started out with champagne and orange juice, eggs benedict, banana walnut pancakes, blueberry danish, and this lemon herb chicken dish. Yum! The second round consisted of shrimp, smoked salmon, adobe (not adobo =P) special baked halibut dish (or something), honey glazed carrots, and pasta with creamy sundried tomato sauce. That was only half of the buffet. We probably could've had another round, but we decided to have dessert instead. Because there was so much to choose from, Jenn and I decided to get a few things and just share them (we were starting to get full). We had tiramisu, chocolate cake, fruits (had to have something healthy), and peach crepes. The crepes were SO good.

After we ate, we went for a short walk around downtown because the food was starting to settle in our stomachs. Good thing the weather was nice. It got up to 13C/55F which is not typical weather for us during this time of year. Usually when there are warmer days like this, it's followed by a really cold day. And the weather forecast is calling for snow tomorrow (like you didn't see that one coming...). Oh well.

So that concludes my eating out phase. Since I'm going to be eating out when I go to Hawaii, I better stick to mom's cooking until then. Her food's always better anyways. ;-)

Blog Withdrawal

I feel like I haven't blogged in ages and it's only been a couple days (yes Irma, I'm feeling OK. hehehe). I guess I got used to entering something on my blog on a daily basis. But the last couple of days have been hectic, not to mention exhausting. But I'm back. Bear with me as I write about the events that happened during the past couple days.

Shopping with Irma

Irma and I went shopping at West Ed this afternoon. She had to return her boots (and no, it's not my fault that you bought them on impulse, so you can't blame me if you bought them and I wasn't there to stop you from doing it. hehehe. =P), as well as get her glasses fixed. We shopped around and of course, got something to eat. [I REALLY need to stop eating out! ;-)] As we were walking through the mall, I noticed that a few people have started their Christmas shopping. Ugh! It's too early for that. I don't even want to think about Christmas right now.

After shopping, we went to Chapters. Since I'm going to Hawaii (YAY!) and I've never been there, I figured I should pick up a guide on stuff to do, site-seeing, etc. So I got Frommer's Hawaii from $70 a Day. I took a quick glance through it and it seemed helpful. Which reminds me, gotta start thinking on what to pack...

Our next stop was to watch a movie. We saw Pearl Harbor at the discount theatres. I heard the movie was long, but I didn't think it was THAT long. My butt was getting kinda numb from sitting that whole time. I'm not a big fan of war movies, but I managed to stay awake through the whole thing. There were a couple teary moments, but overall I enjoyed the movie.

Key Notes from the movie:

stuttering

"Do you have any friends?" [hehehehe. :-)]

And of course, the night wouldn't be complete if Irma and I didn't make our "appearance" on Whyte Ave. ;-) We walked around for a while (to relieve the numbness in our gluteus maximus) and went to Tim Horton's to eat, AGAIN! Then it was off to the Billiard Club for a drink and finally called it a night.

Key Notes:

"Are you feeling OK?"

"Hold on a second. Let me look at your eye. You have an eyelash that's about to go into your eye" and gently blow into his eye, even if there's nothing there (excerpt from La Vie En Rose by Dominique Glocheux.

[another inside joke. hehehe. :-)]


The End of a Long Chapter

I woke up to an early alarm and as usual I turned it off. Not "snooze", but off. I looked at the clock and thought "What the hell am I doing up so early?". So I went back to sleep. It must've been a light sleep because I noticed these strobing lights shining through my window a little while later. A police car had stopped someone for speeding? Now who could possibly be in such a hurry that early in the morning when there is no traffic? I finally pulled myself out of bed and got ready for my day.

As I was pulling out of my drive way, I noticed the sky was a pinky-purply-orangey color. They say it's a sign that it was going to be a windy day? I'm not a meteorologist, so I don't know if that's true or not. [OK I'm digressing again...get back on track again Michelle =P]

I finally got to work and I was actually early. How ironic is that? I haven't made it to work on time for the last year, and I finally make it to work early on my last day. Speaking of irony, it was also my 3rd year anniversary with the company. How fitting is that? And the weird thing was, when I walked into the office, I felt detached.

I chit-chatted with Lynne for a while. She (along with a couple other co-workers) mentioned that they were going to miss my presence in the office. I didn't realize I had such an effect on people. From what Lynne told me, she said that she'd miss hearing my laughter from the other side of the office. She went on to say that, even though she didn't see me, as long as she could hear me she was OK. I didn't want to get all emotional first thing in the morning, so I put an end to that. She and I have become somewhat close, especially as of lately. I guess you could say she became my "big sister" in the office. I know I will definitely miss Lynne.

I finally decided to start my day. All these "last minute" things to wrap up. I plugged away at them and did what I could. Then we broke for lunch. [*sigh* another lunch? hehehe]. We went to Doan's Vietnamese Restaurant and had lots of food. Lemongrass chicken and beef, this seabass dish, cashew chicken, mixed vegetables and rice. Mmmmm! Before we ate, my boss made a toast to my pregnancy [No, I'm not pregnant. He just said that because he doesn't know the real reason I'm leaving because according to him, I gave him a half-ass answer when I handed in my resignation and he thinks there's more to it. Well, maybe there was but I didn't want to get into the details with him. What's the point? I'm digressing again, aren't I? Focus Michelle, focus!! =P].

After lunch, we went back to work. My boss and I were supposed to meet later that afternoon to "button things up." Only thing was, it didn't happen. His meeting took longer than expected, so we didn't get a chance to finish everything. Which means I have to go to work on Monday for about an hour. I could've been a bitch and just left him high and dry, but I would like to use him as a reference. Plus, he realized that I didn't want to stay longer than I had to, but was appreciative for me doing so. Monday will also give me a chance to say my final "goodbyes" to everyone, since they all left by the time I was done my meeting with my boss. Gee thanks! Yeah, I can see I'm really going to be missed.

So I guess this chapter isn't quite finished. There will be an appendix to follow...

1 more sleep...

...*yawn*...

[Sorry for the lack of blog updates. It's been a rough day.]

2 more sleeps...

...I'm starting to get into a bit of a panic mode. Why is that? [Hmmm, maybe it's the fact that my boss called me twice in the span of half an hour earlier this afternoon (and I could hear the panic in his voice)? =P]. I mean, all I can do is whatever I can manage in the next 2 days. So I shouldn't worry...right? Ugh! I hate feeling like this. But I can't help it sometimes. Yeah, I definitely need a VACATION! ;-)

Birthday/Farewell Lunch(es)...the saga continues...

I had yet another farewell lunch today with Lisa and Sue because they wouldn't be able to make it to my actual farewell lunch on Friday. Hence, another day of eating out. Not that it's a bad thing (I mean they pick up the bill), but I feel like I'm running out of places to try. And, I'm not really into the whole eating out thing everyday. Especially since I've been eating out since last Thursday. I have another dinner thing to go to tomorrow night, and then the big farewell lunch on Friday. And possibly going out for drinks Friday night. Here we go again...

Oh well. It doesn't happen that often so I'm enjoying it. :-)


Early Goodbyes and Well-Wishing

I've talked to a few people this week who didn't know I was leaving. So they were shocked to find out. Of the people I've spoken to, they all wished me well and hoped for the best for me. [Thanks everyone!]. I will definitely miss the people I interact with outside the office, whether they be clients or contractors. I only wish I had a chance to meet them all in person. Talking to them on the phone is not enough sometimes. So now I'm left with a blank face to put to their names. I can only imagine what they look like, but how you perceive someone isn't always how they really are.

I also had my first "goodbye". Ron (one of my co-workers), is leaving for Japan tomorrow morning for 2 weeks. It's too bad that he won't be at my lunch on Friday, but he wants to keep in touch and for me to call him after he gets back. Which I'll probably do, since he owes me a lunch. hehehehe. jk. ;-)

It'll be interesting to see what will happen on Friday. Not that it's going to be emotional or anything, but I will definitely miss most (key word is "most" -- as opposed to "all") of the people in the office. But it's time for me to move on. And although most of the people are great, it's not enough for me to stay.

OK, so it doesn't work...

...who broke it? =P

Oh, and for some reason the reblogger to my last post isn't working properly either. Ugh! Is anyone else experiencing problems with reblogger?

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Click Here

3 More Sleeps...

Yup, I'm counting down again. I'm just hoping this week will go by quick. As long as I keep myself busy, I guess. But then who's got the motivation when you know you're leaving? And it seems like I still have a lot to do. I know I shouldn't really worry about it, but oh well. I'll just do what I can...

Clean Up

Just going through files and stuff. Gotta make sure to clear off any personal bookmarks I have on the net. Guess I should take off Blogger on this computer too. Wouldn't want them to think that I slack off or anything. hehehe. =P

So I guess this will be my last entry from work. That seems like it'll be hard to do, but I guess I'll be busy with other things, like filing (my favorite being the G-file), making phone calls, etc...

My Last Week

5 more days (including today) to go. Which equates to 4 more sleeps. Yeah, I've decided to stay till the end of the week, even though my last day is technically tomorrow. I figured if I left tomorrow, I wouldn't really want to come back for my farewell lunch. Not that that's the only reason why I'm staying. Maybe I'm being too nice, but it's all about karma (for me anyway). Plus, I can just finish off the week, do the lunch thing, and it's sayonara! At least I'll be leaving on somewhat good terms, keeping the "bridges" in tact. And how ironic is it that Friday happens to be my 3rd year anniversary? Hopefully this week won't drag on.

Just a note to self

"We're even now.".....Thank you.

Birthday Celebration...continued

[OK, let's try this again. Seems Blogger was acting up last night when I tried to post =P]

It was quite the busy day yesterday. My day started with another massage (this is 3 of 3). I went to Eveline Charles, and the massage was OK. I guess it's because I had a masseuse and she wasn't applying too much pressure to my muscles? But it was still relaxing. After the massage, I went home and took a hot bath in Epsom salts to get rid of the lactic acid build up. I even had the aromatherapy thing going. Yup, I pampered myself (and why shouldn't I?). Once my fingers got all wrinkly I figured it was time to get out and get ready for my day.


Being Artsy

Once I was ready, I picked up Irma and we headed downtown to go to the Edmonton Art Gallery. Neither of us had ever been, so we decided to go. It's nothing compared to SFMOMA, but it was alright. There was one exhibit which focused on the art work of high school students around the city. There was one piece done by a 16 year old, which described her "journey through life" thus far. From constant relocation to dysfunctional family issues, she had been through a lot. Kinda sad to see stuff like that happen. But I guess that's reality.

There were 2 pieces I really liked. One was a room with 1,500 glass balls suspended from the ceiling with what looked like fish line. [Mental note: this would be a cool idea in a house with high ceilings]. The other piece consisted of dried up leaves, flowers, twigs, etc. combined with electrical wire, plastic ID bands, etc., which was in a casing that covered an entire wall. It was kinda cool the way it was set up, not to mention all the different colors and textures [yeah, look at me talk about colors and textures as if I know what I'm talking about. =P]. Once we were done walking through the gallery (which took approximately an hour), Irma wanted to check out the gallery shop. She ended up getting me a Japanese rice bowl with chop sticks (my little birthday present). Thanks Irms! :-) What I didn't like was the birthday present left on my car from the bylaw officer - a $25 parking ticket for an expired meter. Ugh! Oh well.


Let's Eat

Since we hadn't had lunch yet, we decided to go to Joey Tomato's on Jasper Ave. We started off with some wine, then had dinner. And as usual, I ate too much. But it was so good! We hung out at the restaurant for a while, and then headed to The Comedy Factory at Gateway Rec Centre.


HA HA HA

The comedy club was OK, considering the comedians were local. The improv was pretty good, similar to Whose Line is it Anyway?. What made it more funny was the type of laughter you could hear in the crowd. You know, contagious laughter? There were these 2 ladies who had a bit of a delayed reaction to the jokes, and as they laughed hysterically, it made Irma and I laugh even more. There was also this lady sitting next to the stage whose laugh seemed to get louder and louder with each joke. Irma figured she had too much to drink. And of course there was this annoying one sitting at the back of the room who would yell "NO" everytime one of the comedians would ask a yes-or-no question.


And it doesn't stop there...

Yes, there's more. From the comedy club, we headed back toward Whyte Ave to meet one of Irma's friends at O'Byrne's Irish Pub, but she wasn't there. What to do now? Irma and I headed back downtown. We were hungry again, so we went to the Sawmill and had a snack [mental note: when you have an idea of what to eat, stick with it]. After we ate, we decided to call it a night. I was going on 5 hours of sleep and had been out all day, so I was pooped.


Key Notes:

"Are you lost? Wait, I forgot..."

Guys with curly hair

Name confusion (G*** vs. P*** -- right Irma? hehe)

Sidenote: The mental states of Irma and I have changed yet again. Irma has gone from being an "ultra bitch" to being a dyslexic traumatiiiiiiized amnesiac. I, on the other hand, have gone from being "clinically depressed" to being completely lost. [hehehehehe. ;-)]

Party On...

After work, I went out for sushi with Jessy, Lynne, and Sue. Sue and I had some plum wine (mmmm), and Lynne and Jessy had sake (they were feeling pretty good after dinner). After dinner, Sue, Jessy and I headed to the Billiard Club for a drink. We hung out there for a while, then I had to go pick Irma and continue the party at Rum Jungle. Sue and Jessy were supposed to be there, but they didn't show up. Oh well. More drinks for me. ;-)

Once at Rum Jungle, we met with Dimple and her boyfriend, Ghie-ghie and her date Shaw, Grace, Marose, Elaine (and all their friends), Joi, and Paul. I had so much fun! Hey Gary, Bern, and Leah, I wish you guys were here with me. After a few several drinks (I think 9?), I managed to dance on stage with Irma, Grace, Marose, and all their friends. I can't believe I did that. But hey, I had fun. And it's not like anyone's going to remember me after tonight anyway.

After Rum Jungle, Irma, Irene, Elaine, Paul, and I went to Boston Pizza to get something to eat. As usual, I was hungry. ;-) We ate, had a few laughs and called it a night. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me, but I didn't want to have to lug it around. I was going to borrow the digital camera, but it was already being used by someone else in the office. Oh well.

It was a lot of fun. And I have another massage tomorrow at 10:00 am. This time at Eveline Charles. I guess I should get to sleep, considering tomorrow is another busy day for me - day 3 of my birthday celebration. ;-)

The Waiting Game is Over

I finally got the call I was waiting for and unfortunately I didn't get the job. :-( Only because the other candidate they chose had way more experience than I did in the oil and gas industry. Oh well. I guess I'll be able to take some time out for myself and "re-group." Hmmm, I'm leaning more toward the idea of going on a little vacation. Any suggestions? Anyone want to join me?

Extended Massage

I treated myself to a massage today. I know, I just had one the other day, but hey it's my birthday so why not treat myself. Plus, as I mentioned before, it's covered by my work so why not take advantage of that too. Now, this massage was only supposed to be an hour long. But it ended up taking more than an hour. I somehow mentioned to the guy that it was my birthday, and he said that he'd do something for me (no, not that =P), so I figured he'd extend it by like 20 minutes or so. Uh nope. Try 2 hours! Maybe he lost track of time, or maybe it's because we were talking too much? But yeah, in total I had a 3 hour massage. And I feel really good! ;-) Not to mention, quite relaxed.

Well, I should probably get some sleep. But here are some pictures taken from my little birthday thing at work. (I'll do the picture thing when I have more time. It's too late to do it right now).


Unexpected Message

As I was driving home from my massage, I checked my cell phone voice mail. "You have 1 new message". It was from my ex. [We're on good terms now, but I'm so over him. But that's another story...]. He wished me a Happy Birthday (didn't think he'd remember) and wanted me to call him back because we hadn't talked in a while, and he wanted to take me out for my birthday. OK? I'm thinking he doesn't have to take me out, but whatever. He also mentioned in his message that he had something for me [not really necessary], but insisted that I call him back. Fine. So I called him back. We talked a bit, and made plans to go out for lunch on Sunday. Again, he mentioned that he had something for me and that I would really like it. Gee, thanks for peaking my curiosity. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait...

OK, I'm really going to sleep now...*yawn*

I did something I haven't done in a long time...

...I went to church. And I'm glad I went. I felt so relaxed and calm, listening to the organist play. I managed to lose myself for a while, and when I "woke up" I felt...better. I can't say that I came out of there with answers to the questions I have, but I think I have a better idea on how to handle them. I know God will guide me in the right path.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yay! Yup, the big 2-8. Can't really say I feel 28, but then what is 28 supposed to feel like? Or what is any age supposed to feel like for that matter? Anyway, I just spent the last hour or so going through birthday greetings on email (from Jenn, Bernadette, Marcel, Rochelle, Liz, my cousin Grace, and Myer), and sending thank you cards. I guess I could've just posted one big thank you on my blog, but I know everyone doesn't read this. Plus, I like to thank everyone personally. Well, for those that do read this THANK YOU! I wish all of you were here to celebrate it with me. :-)


An email from a friend of mine...

24 Things to Always Remember...And 1 Thing to Never Forget

Your presence is a present to the world
You're unique and one of a kind
Your life can be what you want it to be
Take the days just one at a time
Count your blessings, not your troubles
You'll make it through whatever comes along
Within you are so many answers
Understand, have courage, be strong

Don't put limits on yourself
So many dreams are waiting to be realized
Decisions are too important to leave to chance
Reach for your peak, your goal, your prize

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying
The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets
Don't take things too seriously
Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets

Remember that a little love goes a long way
Remember that a lot... goes forever
Remember that friendship is a wise investment
Life's treasures are people...together

Realize that it's never too late
Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way
Have health and hope and happiness
Take the time to wish upon a star
And don't ever forget... for even a day... how very special you are.

- by Collin McCarty

Given the circumstances on what's been going on with me lately, it was uplifting to read this message.

Random Thought

Stuck between a rock and a hard place
Torn between two choices
No matter what decision is made
no matter what the outcome is
It still seems like a no win situation
You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't
And the longer you take to make up your mind
the longer you remain on the emotional rollercoaster
constantly fluctuating, spinning in circles
Until that moment when you get off the dizzying ride

My cell phone's fixed...

...I think. I've been having problems with it lately because my current cell phone provider is being taken over by Telus. Since I wasn't able to get the software upgrade over the weekend, I went this afternoon. And I think it's working OK now. Yay!! =P

Stress Relief

I went to the gym after work and as I parked the car, I realized that I didn't have my gym bag with me. Great. So I had to go home and grab it, which meant driving down the freeway during rush hour and in terrible road conditions. I took a different route and managed to get home in less than half an hour, considering the weather. I was pressed for time at the gym, since I had booked a massage for 7:30 pm. I usually don't go to the gym if I'm going to be there for less than half an hour because really, what's the point? I mean, you're body's only starting to get warmed up and then you have to stop? But I went to the gym anyway because I didn't want to skip a day. I went for a quick run and did some weights and then it was on to my massage appointment. And I feel SO much better. Ilya, the masseur (he's russian), did a good job on loosening up the knots in my muscles. I know the knots in my muscles aren't completely gone so I made another appointment for Thursday. Hey, this is covered by my work so why not take advantage it?! ;-)

What's wrong with this picture?

Boss calls me. Asks me about the weather, blah, blah, blah. Making small talk. Then asks if I'm going to be around when he gets back? Huh?! Well, seeing as he gets back in the office on October 30th, which is my last day, I think it's safe to say that I'll be in the office. Don't really want to be here, but oh well. He also asked if I would be around until November 15th? WTF? I told him that I didn't know and didn't want to make any promises.

What threw me was the fact that he offered to look at my resume because he says he's "an expert on it." Uh yeah, whatever buddy. Could this be just another ploy for him to try and get back at me because he feels that I somehow "owe" him something? I mean, even though he says he wants to "help me out," does he really want to do that? Or will this somehow benefit him in the long run? I know, my mind's working overtime again. But I can't help but think about stuff like this when it comes to him. After all the comments he's made to me before, I've lost all respect for him. And I'm supposed to trust him with my resume? Thanks, but no thanks! If it takes a bit longer for me to find a job, then so be it. Everything happens for a reason right? And at least this way, I know I did it by myself. Knowing him, he'll probably use this against me somewhere down the road and say that "I owe him" something. Uh, I don't think so.

Crappy Driving Conditions

I left my house at around 8:10 am. It took me half an hour to get from my house to the freeway. And it's only 8 blocks away! Traffic was insane (again) and it didn't help that the roads were like a skating rink. Having winter tires doesn't help much either. I was pretty much crawling my way down the road, barely stepping on the brakes, and I was still fish-tailing. This is one of the reasons why I don't like winter. Besides the cold weather and snow, the driving conditions are really bad. I finally made it to work in an hour, which normally takes 15-20 minutes. Ah yes, the joys of winter driving...=P

Back in the Gym

I haven't been in the gym in the longest time. It felt good to get back into it. After I did my cardio, I just happened to pass by the scale and decided to weigh myself. Great - I gained 3 lbs! I know, it's not a big deal, but for me it is (being the somewhat health freak that I am). I even noticed a bit more flab around my mid-section. Ugh! Not good at all. Well, that's what I get for not going to the gym in so long. After the gym, I went to kickboxing and it was a pretty good class. We're starting to do some spinning kicks, so that's kinda cool. Now the trick is to maintain this schedule...

No Motivation

I just got back from lunch and I have no motivation to work. I guess part of it is because my morning was pretty much a write-off (seeing as I got in at 10:00 am), and haven't really done much. Made a couple phone calls, but that's about it. I spoke to my boss this morning, and now it's just a matter of being civil towards him. Hmmm, what to do, what to do. Maybe I should get my cell phone fixed? Yeah, and waste more time. =P

It's Winter...*sigh*

I was hoping the snow from last night would've melted by this morning. Uh, nope. The snow is still on the ground and there's more of the white stuff falling down. Ugh! Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Although I was kinda hoping for later. Like after my birthday perhaps? =P

The drive to work was insane. Traffic was backed up for miles and by the time I got to the southside, I had already been on the road for almost an hour. My intention was to go to the office for an hour and then go to my interview. Well, I skipped the office and went straight to the interview. I was half an hour early, so I sat in my car for a while.


Second Interview

I finally decided to go into my interview at 9:15 am. I think it went well. The "potential employer" was really nice and he was not what I expected at all. We talked for about half an hour, and I went back to the office.

So now I'm back to the waiting game again. Hopefully I hear something by this afternoon.

First snow fall

I was about to go to sleep and I happened to look out the window. And what do I see? snow! Ugh! I was hoping it would come after my birthday, but obviously not. Well, it is wet snow so hopefully it'll melt tomorrow. And if it does, then it doesn't really count as snow. The way I see it, if it doesn't stay on the ground, then it doesn't count. [yeah OK, so I seem to have a reason for everything...=P].

Now I'm going to sleep...

Blah

It's Sunday afternoon and I've done nothing so far, except play around on the computer. Checking email, surfing the net, etc. [No, I haven't done the picture thing yet because I don't feel like doing it right now. =P]. I am getting hungry though. Hmmm, what to munch on????

Knocked Out

OK, so my nap turned into sleep. Guess my body needed it considering I haven't been getting much sleep lately. I had a quick snack and thought I'd check my email. I got a message from my friend Cheryl who's in Tahiti right now, working on a cruise ship. She mentioned that she might be going to the Philippines in January for 3 weeks with her boyfriend Don (he's filipino). Lucky bum! I wouldn't mind going to the Philippines right now.

I should probably go back to sleep, so as not to screw up my sleeping pattern. g'night...

Re-cap of Today's Events

My day started at 9:00 am, which is early for me considering I didn't get to sleep until 4:00 am. I had breakfast and got ready to go to my hair appointment. I got red highlights and got rid of most of the blonde streaks in my hair. You can still see a bit of the blonde, but it kinda blends in with the rest of my hair (no more "blonde moments" for me. =P). Anyway, this process took almost 2 hours. At one point, my stylist had me under the hair dryer and I almost fell asleep.

After my hair appointment, I went home to have lunch. I cleaned my room a little and then headed to the bank. From the bank, I dropped my mom off at the mall, and I went to the drycleaners to drop off some stuff. Then from there, I headed to Edmonton Cellular to get this software upgrade for my cell phone? But when I got there, the guy said that the system was down and would stay that way for the rest of the day. Great! What a waste of time to go out there.

My trek continued to the southside where I had to pick up my prescriptions. As I was approaching 23rd avenue, I noticed all this traffic at the intersection. To avoid it, I decided to pass the intersection and go to the next one to get to Wal-Mart. Big mistake! I missed the turn off, and ended up on the highway heading toward the airport. Ugh! So I had to drive out to Nisku to turn around and come back. Did not like that at all. I finally made to Wal-Mart and the place was a zoo! Apparently it was their anniversary sale or something, so it was a mad house. I quickly went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescriptions (good thing I called them in the night before), and went back out. Trying to get out of the parking lot was a pain in the butt. Traffic all over the place. Cars trying to turn left, but can't because they don't have the right-of-way. Cars trying to turn right, but they can't either because of the 4-way stop. I managed to bypass the traffic, drove down the road a bit and made a U-turn. I was starting to run out of patience at this point.

I finally made it to Irma's apartment at around 3:15 pm (only 15 minutes late). We decided to go to Montana's for lunch and skip shopping (yes, we're feeling OK. It's just that we wouldn't have time to do both). . By the time we were done eating, Irma noticed that we still had 45 minutes left to shop. So we went to a nearby store to look for a winter jacket for her. She found one in Le Chateau and bought it (you go girl! hehe). From there, I drove Irma to the grocery store so she could pick up a couple things and then I took her home.

I am pooped! I think I'm going to take a nap...*yawn*...

Outing with Irma sans Joi

Although I was looking forward to another night out with Irma and Joi, Joi couldn't make it here this weekend because he's sick (get better by next weekend). So Irma and I went to Tim Horton's for a quick snack, and then went to see Shrek at Cinema City 12 [yeah I know, it was out long time ago, and we're just seeing it now]. That was a good movie. Cool animation. Since the movie ended at 1:10 am, we decided to go for drinks on Whyte Ave. We went to, where else, the Billiard Club and sat there until closing (hey Irma, this is getting to be another one of our "regular" hang out spots, huh?). It was pretty much a chill evening.

I'm just thinking ahead to tomorrow (well actually, later today) and what I have to do. Hair appointment in the morning, then gotta go get my cell phone fixed, pick up my prescriptions, and maybe (key word is maybe) go shopping with Irma. That all depends on Irma and if she does all her errands and wants to go shopping. *sigh* Looks like another one of my "busy" Saturdays...

I seriously need to get back into shape...

I went to kickboxing (was going to go to the gym before hand, but something came up), the class was good, but I was having trouble keeping up with some of the drills which I used to have no problems with. Ugh! I haven't been to the gym in the longest time. And it shows. Gotta get back to my regular routine, but it's hard with all that's going on right now. I know, that's probably no excuse, but sometimes at the end of the day, I simply do not have the energy to do anything active. Hmmm, maybe I should go to the gym tomorrow...

Last Minute Social

So we're about to have our first office social in a long time. Not sure I want to participate. Partly because I'm sure the whole office wants to know why I'm leaving. Like I need to deal with this right now. I've got enough stress as it is and I'd rather not get into the details. Oh well, maybe they'll focus on something else. What exactly, I don't know. Plus, I'd rather go to sleep. I'm so tired. [No Michelle, wake up!] I think I should go to the gym to get the adrenalin going...

Mental Note

Don't go shopping when you're depressed. Because you end up buying something really expensive (oh, like a cK leather coat) and then think "Why did I buy that?" Not that I'm regretting my purchase, but I didn't think that I'd ever spend that much on a coat. My justification: I liked it, it was on sale (50% off!), it was the second-last one in my size (OK, so I'm altering this one a bit), AND I'm not going to be able to buy stuff like this when I settle down and have kids (OK, so I'm stretching with this one). Oh well. It is a nice coat though. =P

Back to the Lunch Thing

The lunch thing seems is getting to be a regular thing these days. Or maybe cuz today's Friday. I got 2 invitations for lunch and I turned both of them down. I can only eat out so much before I get sick of it. I mean I already went twice this week, plus it gets expensive after a while. Not a big fan of fast food either. I guess I'm somewhat of a health nut, but that's just me.

Let's Do Lunch

With me leaving, it seems that everyone wants to go for lunch. Yesterday I had lunch with Edna at this chinese restaurant (can you believe it? I actually ate chinese! For those that don't know, I've been avoiding chinese food because the MSG just messes up my system. But the food at this place didn't have MSG...anyway...), and today I went to the Olive Garden with Spence and Sue. Next week, there's my farewell lunch, and then a farewell drink thing after work. Anyone else want to go out for lunch? ;-)

Another Phone Call

My agent called me this morning to let me know that I have a second interview on Monday. Woo hoo! I'm so excited. And a bit nervous at the same time. I mean I'll be meeting with the VP of Engineering, whom I will be working with (providing I get the job, of course). Gosh, it's all happening so fast. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I guess I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed. I didn't think an opportunity would come up this quick. I thank God for watching over me.

OK, so I still haven't added my picture yet...

...but if you notice, I did add a link to my guestbook (because no one can see it...because it's at the bottom of the page). Woo hoo! Hey, not bad for someone who has no experience in HTML and stuff. I'm just learning (by trial and error) as I go. ;-)

Rest Room Break Rebuttal

In response to Gary's blog on emptying one's bladder, here are some points which might help explain why we go in pairs or group:

1. Since girls go in pairs or groups, there's always a line up. By going with a buddy, you can scam your way through the line (i.e. if one of you is in a stall, the other one waits right outside the door to avoid waiting. A bit rude, I know, but when you gotta go, you gotta go).
   
2. I look for a clean, empty stall with toilet paper and a lock on the door. Clean meaning fresh bowl, no floaties or splatters on the seat, etc. Personally, even though I don't sit on the toilet seat, I prefer fairly clean bowl. If there's no lock, that's where the buddy comes in and holds the door for me. And vice versa.
   
3. If my buddy and I happen to each get a stall, preferably next to each other, and one is out of toilet paper, then it's an easy hand off underneath the stall. If one happens to be missing a lock, that's where the third member comes in and holds the door for you (hence groups). If there is no third member, then you just have to hold it shut yourself (takes a bit of skill to perform this maneuver, with one hand on the door and the other trying to rip off some toilet paper).
   
4. Wash hands.
   
5. Dry hands underneath hand dryer because it's more sanitary and we don't have paper towels (save the trees).
   
6. Fix make-up, check teeth, make sure everything is "in place" (hehe), etc., all while chit-chatting.
   
7. Because girls wash their hands, we don't have to worry about touching the door handles.

In conclusion, I hope this gives you a better understanding of why girls go in pairs or groups. hehehe. ;-)

I noticed you're online...

...so you better be updating your blog. hehe. =P

What's going on with Reblogger?

OK, who screwed up my Reblogger? And why are all my comments gone?

[A little while later...] I'm just a random victim of Reblogger deletions. Apparently the Reblogger guy was running low on disk space so he had to delete those with larger comment files. Which makes me wonder why he deleted mine? I mean, I only started the "comments" thing a few months ago, so how could I possibly have a "large comment file?" Oh well, at least my blog wasn't deleted...

LOL! Thanks Gary...

...for posting my picture on your site. =P Just what exactly prompted you to do that?! Oh well. Who knows, maybe I'll become famous this way! hehehehe. ;-)

Back from the Interview

Overall, I think it went OK. Not spectacular or anything, but OK. I guess it's because the lady interviewing couldn't give me a definite job description. She was very general, saying that I'd be doing some secretarial stuff (correspondence, etc.) and some projects. Uh, could we be just a bit more specific please? Apparently, no one's had this position before, so whoever gets this position would "set the standard" so to speak. That'd be kinda cool (starting something from scratch and implementing it for the rest of the office). I asked her a couple of job description type questions, to see if I could get it out of her another way. She mentioned that those were good questions for the guy I'd be reporting to (hmmm, so does that mean that I get a second interview?). So now I'm back to the waiting game. Waiting for my "agent" to call me let me know.

Official Announcement

A memo was circulated around the office announcing my resignation. Some of my co-workers already knew, but of those that didn't, they were surprised to learn that I was leaving. Those who found out today either came up to me and wished me well, gave me a hug, or buzzed me at my desk. Lynne even got teary-eyed when I told her yesterday. Ron even gave suggestions of who to call for potential opportunities (networking). Who'd ever thought I'd have this much of an affect? The popular questions were "Why?" and "Where are you going?" I sounded like a broken record saying "It's just time for me go" (or variations of the same statement). Jeff, one of the leasing guys, is even planning a "going away" lunch for me, which is really sweet. Not necessary, but thoughtful. Sue wants to go drinking that night too, so I guess I'll be partying that night! Anyone wanna come?

The irony is, everyone probably has an idea or can sense why I'm leaving, without me having to give an explanation. Yet my boss can't seem to see it. Do I have to spell it out for him? I mean Gord, another co-worker whom I hardly work with, pretty much figured out why I was leaving. As he put it, I was "all over the place." I guess you can say that I'm a jack-of-all-trades.

Well, it must be done. And I'm glad and relieved that I'm making this move. I have an interview tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. I hope it goes well.

New Links

As you can see, I've added a couple more links -- Leah (a friend of mine from Vancouver), and Deep Thoughts (a blog showing Irma's other side. Yes, despite her usual whacky state, she does have a "deep" side to her). So check them out if you have time.

Challenge #2

After talking to Gary (uh, long time no talk btw), he's given me a new challenge which is adding pictures to my blog. I tried to do it before, but I couldn't get the picture to appear. The last time I tried it, it showed where the picture was supposed to appear, but it was just an empty box. OK, like I need a new challenge right now? My challenge at this point in time is getting out of my predicament. Can I postpone it to a later date?

Persistence

My boss and I were the last ones to leave the office. I was there because he had me working on a project (what's new with that?). He was still there because he was on the phone. When he finally got off the phone, be buzzed my desk (which I think is so pointless because there's only a wall separating us) to verify that I was still around.

Obviously he was upset that I was leaving because he still tried to get the reasons out of me. Uh hello? Were you not listening to me earlier this morning? He said that he just wanted to make sure he understood me correctly. I think it was just a way for him to test and see if I'd cave in and spill my guts. Er, nice try buddy!

While we were talking he mentioned again that he wanted me to help him find my replacement. But while he was saying it, he was putting the guilt trip on me. Normally that trick doesn't work on me, but somehow he was successful. And he did it by using some reverse psychology crap ("I'm not trying to give you the guilt trip, but...). So now I feel awkward, and I'm starting to feel some anxiety again. I'm supposed to be happy at the fact that I'm leaving, but with this guilt trip he's pulling on me, I feel like I'm going to puke. The worst part was he had bring up the "we're friends" thing. I don't know when and where he got that notion from, but he has it.

I guess what gets me is the different techniques he tried to use to get the real reason why I was leaving out of me. But I managed to hold my ground. That's when made a comment that he hasn't figured me out. According to him, he has most of the people in our office figured out. Whether it be personality, demeanor, or whatever. But I'm the one person whom he works closely with, that he has NOT figured out. In his words, I'm a big mystery. [Perhaps it's because I'm a Scorpio? OK, I'm digressing...]

Which brings me to my next point...


Am I Mysterious?

I mean, is it really that difficult to figure me out. I'm a pretty easy going kinda person (I think). What else do you want to know? If I know you well enough, I'll answer most of your questions. I'm blunt and to the point. Deal with it. I never really considered myself as being mysterious. Yes, I'm selective on what I share with whom, but aren't we all? My boss also mentioned that I keep "my cards close to my chest" and I probably do, especially around him. He's my boss for pete's sake! It's not like I'm going to share my entire life story with him. I guess it's all part of the "control freak" in him. He can't figure me out, therefore he has no control over me per se. And that most likely bugs the hell out of him.

Ah well. What can I do?

That was quick

Hmmm, maybe I will be out of here by October 30th after all? I got a call from the employment agency and I have an interview lined up for Wednesday. I sure hope it goes well. Now if only I could find a replacement just as fast. *crossing my fingers*

It's Done

I made it a point to get to work early before my boss did (7:15 a.m. - can you believe it?!). When he got here, he was in a pretty good mood. We joked around a bit, and he went into his office. I asked myself "should I tell him now?" It didn't feel right and I wanted him to get all settled first before I dropped the bomb. In the meantime, I was developing the largest knot in the pit of my stomach. I finally told him about an hour and a half ago.

As expected, he was disappointed. He tried to pry the reasons out of me, but I kept it general enough that he couldn't ask any questions. Besides, I'm not obligated to tell him any details. For one thing, anything I say to him can be used against in me in the long-run. And I also didn't want to get caught up with every single thing that bothers me in this office.

The only down side is that my last day will be extended to a later date. Instead of October 30th, it's now based on when I can find my replacement and spend enough time (approximately one month) training them. I know some of you think I shouldn't stay (and I've even mentioned before that it wasn't my problem), but if this is what I have to do in order to leave on good terms and keep "the bridge in tact" then so be it. Maybe I'm too nice, or maybe I feel guilty? But despite the stress and workload, I know I would want someone to train me for a position rather than being thrown into something. Guess it's all about the karma thing -- if I do this, then maybe something good will happen to me.

The Big Day

Wish me luck...

Reblogger is down again...

...and it's definitely not my fault! =P


OK it's working now.

Countdown

One more day...At the moment, I'm pretty calm. Get back to me at the end of the day. I'll probably be flippin out by then.

You are becoming one of us

Face it, you are starting to blog on a somewhat regular basis. It's about time. hehe. Now all you have to do is add the comment feature and it'll be all good. See, this is why you need to get a laptop instead of a car. hehehe. =P

Maybe I Should Become a Consultant?

I've had this conversation with my friends Irma and Jenn before. They usually take me shopping with them because they need my advice/opinion/moral support? Or perhaps it's because of my impeccable taste? Anyway, now Ryan's asked me to help him look for a couch that will match the rest of the furniture in his apartment. So I've somehow become a fashion consultant and an interior decorator. Between the 3 of them, I could make some money out of this. hehehe. jk. ;)

It's cool that they ask me though because I find it enjoyable. Call it shopaholicism or whatever, I like being able to help my friends out like that and being able to make them feel good about their purchases [I think I've written about this before].


But at the same time...

...I wasn't in the mood to go shopping for myself today? (yes, I'm feeling alright =P). I went into American Eagle Outfitters [yes, we have it in Canada too ;-)] to look for this sweater that I've been eyeing for a while. I already bought the matching pants, but was waiting for the sweater to go on sale. To my disappointment, they didn't have any left. :-( I also wanted to get this blue sweater, which was already in my hands, but ended up putting it back on the rack. Something just told me not to buy it. Oh well, if it's still there the next time I go, then maybe I'll get it (another one of my logic. hehe. =P)

Coffee Here, Drink There...

I wasn't planning to go out tonight (it's too damn cold and windy outside), but Ryan called me and wanted to go for coffee. Fine. We met at Second Cup, chit-chatted for a while, and then he went home. I, on the other hand, called up Irma because she wanted to go for drinks. Plus I hadn't had a chance to tell her what's been happening with the work thing. Once I filled her in, she was happy for me. We had a drink at Billiard Club, then went to Keegan's for a snack.

Not really sure why I wrote this? Guess, this blogging thing has started to be an automatic thing for me? Oh well, gotta go to sleep now. *yawn*

I Told Someone

Seeing as I've known Spence for 8 years now (I used to work for him at my previous job, and now we work together), I figured I could trust him in telling him about my resignation. He was surprised to hear it, but he understood the situation. He told me to be honest with my boss, because we both knew he would have a bunch of questions. But what could I possibly say that won't bite me in the ass in the long run? I mean I still want him to give me a good reference. Spence suggested I just tell him that I'm looking for new challenges, and that I've learned a lot during my time here (which I have). At least this way, I don't have to get into too much detail (hopefully). I am grateful for the opportunities my boss has given me, but my time has come for me to go.

I'm thinking too much again. Quick, somebody slap me! Wait, scratch that idea. =P

I can see!

Light bulb's been changed. But now it's almost too bright. It's like my office is glowing!

I'm in the Dark

Literally! The lights in my office are burnt out. How can I possibly work under these conditions? Hmmm, maybe I should take the day off. Just a thought. hehehe. =P

Thinking Too Much

I have a bad habit of doing that. I start off with one idea, and in no time my imagination goes wild. At times I end up over-analyzing the situation. But it's kinda hard not to think about it when you have something that's somewhat exciting happening to you. This whole quitting-my-job-and-a-possible-opportunity-ahead thing has got my brain working overtime. Thinking about the resignation, how my boss is going to react (he'll most likely be pissed, but that's not my problem), contacting my references, looking at the company's website to get some background info, etc. Then thinking about how the interview will go, how I'm going to be, "will they like me" type scenarios, blah, blah, blah. I need to stop thinking about it and just go with the flow. I don't want to set myself up too much and then get disappointed in the end. It's not that I'm being pessimistic or anything. I'm just trying to see things from all angles.

Which brings me to my next point...


I need to bite my tongue

Now that there is this potential opportunity, a part of me is so excited that I want to tell everyone. And it's not the fact that I'm actually getting the job, but more of getting out of my current predicament and the situation looking better for me (light at the end of the tunnel type thing). I want to tell a couple of my co-workers, but the risk of it slipping out is too high. Initially, I called my mom and she was like "yeah, go for it" (she didn't really say it in those words, but you get the point). Then I called my brother at work and he was happy for me too. After talking to my family, I still wanted to tell someone. So I emailed my friend Alison in Toronto and told her the news. Haven't heard back from her yet, but I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that I'm finally taking the step. There are still a few people I want to tell, but they're either working, or I haven't been able to get a hold of them.

[OK Michelle, calm down....] Like you said, it'll be all good in the end. ;-)

Countdown

4 more days...uh, I'm starting to freak out a bit.

Gotta make a couple more phone calls...

2 hours later...

...I'm back from the meeting. Finally met Tracy in person. It's always good to put a face to a name. The meeting went pretty well. I filled out the forms I needed to fill out. She told me about the potential company and then asked me "interview" type questions (I guess to create a profile for me in their database). What I didn't expect was the evaluation I had to take. A test on Word, Excel, and then a typing test. Overall it went OK. I felt like I was in school again, taking this multiple-choice/true-false test. Now I'm just waiting to hear back from her. Cross your fingers...

Oh my gosh!!

Got the phone call I was waiting for. Now I have a meeting at 11:30 am to get registered, sign papers, etc. (mental note: make sure to ask lots of questions to be clear on all the terms and conditions). Things are starting to look good. OK, don't get too excited. Possible opportunity awaits. Wish me luck!

I'm glad I went to kickboxing

I was going to skip class, but I needed to release some tension. Plus, I haven't worked out in a while and after all that food I ate over the weekend, I was starting to feel...blech. It's all good now. ;)

Random Thought

Suppressed emotions from within
gradually surface
Too overwhelming to hold back
A burst of negative energy
released through tears
Attempting to cleanse the soul

Note to Self

I think I might actually be clinically depressed. Either that or I'm extremely hormonal. =P


The Green Mile

I watched The Green Mile last night and thought it was really good. Quite powerful. Made me cry. And the worst part was, once I started bawling, I couldn't stop. Good thing I was by myself while I was watching the movie. I don't like crying in front of people, especially if I'm watching a movie (because I feel like such a dork).


Countdown

6 more days....

Holiday Monday

What to do, what to do? I did nothing. Well, actually I went shopping with a friend to look for a sofa. But that's about it. Then I came home, had lunch, checked email, watched Oprah...and that's it. I wish I had kickboxing today. Then at least I would've been able to say that I did something. But I guess I'll have to wait until Wednesday. Not really looking forward to going to work tomorrow either. *sigh*

I'm Stuffed

I didn't realize how much food my mom cooked. I'm talking lots of food! Let's see, there were 3 salads: oriental, greek, and potato. For the main course there was rice (of course), mussels with black bean sauce, BBQ ribs, lollipop chicken, lasagna, and turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. For dessert, we had carrot cake, custard and fruit tarts, pionono (sp? -- one with custard and the other with makapuno), fruit salad, and a fresh fruit platter. I think that's all of it. And we still have a lot of leftovers, even though we packed up doggy bags for our guests.

It was a fun night though. I hadn't seen one of our family friends in over 8 years, so it was surprising to see that their kids were now 15, 14, 13, and 4 (a new edition). How time flies. After dinner, most of the guests were dancing (mostly ballroom) in the basement, so that was fun. It was kinda cool to teach a couple of the younger kids how to do some of the dances. Not that I know a lot of ballroom stuff, but I taught them a couple steps. Well, now that they're all gone I gotta help clean up.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just got back from picking up a couple things from Safeway. Everything's pretty much set. Turkey's in the oven, all the salads, desserts, etc. are chilling in the fridge, table's set, etc. Now it's just waiting for the guests to arrive (which won't be for another 4 hours). Anyone want to comeover? My mom has been cooking for 2 days straight, and all the smells are making me hungry [stomach's grumbling]. I helped out with the desserts only because trying to help her do any of the big stuff is just off limits.

Sidenote: You know how it is when your mom cooks, especially for special occasions -- everything has to be "just right" and the kitchen is like a sacred place to be in. No matter how much you try to help out, you're somehow just in the way. And it doesn't matter how big the kitchen is either.

Anyway, I just want to say that I'm thankful for my family for being healthy and supporting me in what I do, and my friends for being there for me. Personally, I'm thankful for being alive and being able to enjoy life. Most of all, I'm thankful for God's many blessings.

And Yet Another One of Those Evening with Irma and Joi

[This is getting to be like an episode of a multi-part series, which doesn't seem to end. I think this is episode 3 now...]

Yes, Joi is in town again. I guess because it's Thanksgiving long weekend here (yeah, we Canadians celebrate it early). We started the evening off by watching Zoolander at Paramount Theatre. The movie was OK, but not as funny as I thought it would be. After the movie, we headed to Cafe Select to hang out. That seems to be the place to go whenever we're downtown, since we went there last time. Anyway, while Irma and I were chatting, I noticed this painting on the wall above our table, which was a picture of this lady holding a bottle of wine and her breasts were hanging out? Uh, OK?! Irma and I figured that she was probably advertising the wine -- perhaps suggesting that if you drink that brand, it'll enhance your boobs? hehe. Joi met up with us a little while later (he had some "business" to take care of) and he noticed the painting too. As we looked around the cafe, there seemed to be a common theme of women's breasts hanging out in these pictures. Maybe they think customers won't notice it because it's a bit dark in there? Or maybe they think it'll put people "in the mood?"

After a while we were getting a bit bored, so we thought about going to a karaoke bar. Only thing was, no one wanted to sing without having some alcohol in their system. None of us felt like drinking either, so, so much for that idea. The next plan was to go to Metro to play pool. When we got there, the place was going to close in half an hour. So we didn't play pool either. We ended up walking along the river valley and taking some pictures, since I had a few shots left on my camera (Blue Steel or Magnum look?)

Key Notes:

Magnum Male Model Moment (Joi drinking Irma's glass of water)
"Relax"
"What movies did we watch?"

Sidenote: The status of my friends' mental states have changed again. Irma has now gone from a paranoid schizophrenic alcoholic to being an "ultra bitch". Joi, on the other hand has regressed from his undercover depressed fisherman state, back to being an alcoholic. Except this time dropping the "suicidal" and "loner" aspects of it, hence becoming an alcoholic insomniac. I too have developed a condition. Based on these 2 tests I took on the internet, I have been classified as being clinically depressed? I don't know how, but I am. *sigh* =P hehehe. ["had to be there to understand" moment ;-) ]

Bad Sad Dream

I dreamt that I went to see my friend off. I'm not sure who it was, but I knew him? I wasn't sure where he was going, but he needed to take this trip. Thinking he'd be back in a couple weeks, I was shocked to find out that he'd be gone for an entire year. What should've been a simple "See you soon", turned into an emotional goodbye. The whole thing was so overwhelming that we didn't say much. Both of us had tears rolling down our faces. And the time came for him to board the ship? (I guess he was going on a cruise). We kissed and gave each other one last hug before he boarded. I was left there crying, upset that he'd be gone for a year. Then I woke up. But the worst part was that I woke up crying. I hate that feeling -- waking up with this sad and empty feeling in the pit of your stomach. I managed to calm myself down and go back to sleep. I feel better now, but I'm not too sure why I had that dream?

Cleaning My Room...Again

I just spent the past couple of hours organizing my closet again. Yes, again. Why? Because I had all this laundry that I hadn't put away. They managed to form little piles all over the place. And since I've been having trouble lately finding some of my clothes, I figured I better put these clothes away. OK, I can see my room again. =P

One Step Closer

Initially a thought
Which led into words
Many ideas spoken
But never acted upon
Faced with a wall
Reluctance, hesitation, apprehension
to make the leap
Uncertainty of the outcome
Until now
One simple action
One small step closer
to make the leap that much easier

I know him too well

My friend Ryan visited me at work today. He thought I was off at 4:00 pm and wanted to go for coffee. When I told him I couldn't leave the office, he gave me this look and said "your boss isn't even in, so who cares." But see, I know my boss almost too well. I figured he'd probably give me a call (since I haven't heard from him in 2 days), if I left the office. Sure enough, while Ryan and I were chatting outside my office, my boss calls. He's almost predictable (key word is almost).

La, la, la...

...I have no more motivation to work...la, la, la...Even though there's a whole whack of files on my desk...la, la, la...I'm just sitting here bloggin away...la, la, la, =P

Blah Day

Today is quite blah. First of all it's hella cold! It was -1C/30F this morning, and it's only going to get up to 7C/45F today. And it's cloudy and gloomy outside. Just makes me want to go back to bed and hide under the covers. Second, I can't seem to keep track of my days. While you're a day ahead, and you're an hour behind, I'm totally lost. Maybe I just need to get something to eat. Oh look, it's lunch time! =P

Random Thought

Issues
A thought process involving many combinations and permutations to the outcome
Always a possible solution
But never an end result
Many different scenarios
So much to figure out
Factors to be considered
Determining what's important, what takes priority
Fear comes into play
Then excuses are made
Until you convince yourself otherwise
But why?
Why are we afraid?
Why do we make excuses? And give the reasoning behind it?
It becomes an endless cycle
Ideas being played over and over in your mind
Until you get frustrated
The imbalance of your well-being becomes such a strain
Eventually the realization sets in
It's not worth it
And out of nowhere the answer presents itself

I just noticed...

...that my archives are up again. Yay! If anyone cares...

hehehe. =P

Losing Daylight

As the days go on, we slowly lose more and more daylight. Pretty soon, we'll be waking up in the dark to go to work, and going home in the dark after work. Not really looking forward to it, but it's not like I can control it. Ah well. It's all part of the seasons.

Lynne and I went for our power walk today. It was still bright out, so we figured we'd be able to do our trail with no problems. We didn't think it would get dark that quick though. It was a bit difficult walking the final stretch, in the dark, through trees and stuff. Even though you could still see the path in front of you, trying to decipher between trees and other things was hard. There was one point where I heard something rustling through the leaves, but I didn't know what it was. I suggested to Lynne that if we do this again, we should bring flashlights or something. [That would almost have a Blair Witch theme to it.] But if the weather gets colder, the walk will have to be put on hold until the spring.

Inhale.............Exhale..........

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1....

In with the good....out with the bad.....in with the good.....out with the bad.......

OK, I think I feel a bit better now.

Frosty

The weather is slowly dipping down. Currently we're at -2C/28F. BRRRRRRR!! I even had to scrape the frost off my windshield this morning. Great. I suppose this is more typical fall weather. As long as the geese don't fly south just yet, we'll be OK.

All I want to do is pay my bill online...

...is that too much to ask? I can't seem to access the bank's website to pay my Eatons bill. It's not due until next week, but I don't want to worry about it. And no, I didn't break it again. =P

Why does this seem to always happen to me? Please tell me I'm not the only one...

Potential Buyer for My Vehicle

I had lunch with Lynne today, and she mentioned her daugher was coming to visit her from Whitehorse (somewhere way up north in the Yukon Territory, next to Alaska) at the end of the month. She also mentioned that her daughter was in the market for a minivan. Immediately, I jumped at the opportunity. "Hey, I'll sell her my MPV!" At least it will eliminate her daughter having to look around for a minivan (assuming, she buys it from me of course). Plus, this vehicle is too big for me anyway. It's not like I have kids to lug around. The only thing I will miss is the huge ass sun roof, which takes up half of the roof of the MPV! Oh well. I can always get a sun roof put into whatever car I get. Haven't quite decided what type of car to get, so I guess I should start looking. I sure hope she buys this minivan from me...

Crunchy Leaves

Originally, Irma and I were supposed to watch a movie with Joi, but Joi cancelled on us (he was too tired - boo hoo =P). So Irma and I decided to go for a walk. We walked down to Queen Elizabeth Park crunching through the leaves that had fallen. We were like little kids stomping on the leaves, trying to step on every single one on the ground. It was just good to be able let the kids in us loose. ;-)

We continued walking through the trails and ended up going through residential areas. We zig-zagged up and down the streets, just so we could walk through the leaves. [Yeah I know, it doesn't take much to entertain us. hehehe. =P] Two hours later, we called it quits. Besides, my right calf was killing me (it's still a bit sore from Friday's kickboxing class).

Hey, we might as well enjoy the weather while we still can because once winter hits, outdoor activities will be kept to a bare minimum, if anything at all. But then again, there's always snowboarding (hmmm...not sure if I'll be able to do that this year). Or not...

Minor Glitch

OK, so I can see the full page of my blog now (had to republish). But I still can't get my archives to work...grrrr

More Problems with Blogger

OK, this isn't amusing anymore. My archives are missing and now I can't view the entire page of my blog (the bottom half of the page is missing). Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! So what the @#$! is going on?!? I mean, my fingers can't be that magnetic?! hehehe. =P

But really, wtf is up with this thing?!

Another one of those Saturdays spent running around...

It all started off with going to work this morning for a few hours (yes, I went to work *sigh*). After work I went to CompuSmart to check out an iBook. Although I like the Titanium PowerBook better because it just looks nicer and has a bigger screen, I don't really need all the extra features on it. I'm just trying to figure out when I'm going to get one (not sure if I'll have enough funds). Anyway, after playing around on the computers for a while, I went home, had a quick snack, and then headed to Irma's place. We hung out there for a little while because she didn't know what to wear. ;-) Once she had it figured out, we headed to Joanne's apartment, where she and a few friends had started drinking. From there we went bar hopping.

We started at the Iron Horse, then to Suite 69, and then to Cook County(?). I have no idea why we ended up at a country bar. Talk about standing out! Irma and I were like the only 2 Asians in the whole place! Not to mention, that almost everyone in there was wearing cowboy hats and cowboy boots (yee haw! =P). Yup, definitely out of place there! Joanne and her friends headed home, while Irma and I went to Keegan's to get something. Great, eating out AGAIN! Ugh! [I really have to stop doing that]

*yawn* I'm too tired, I'll have to finish this tomorrow.

Are we experiencing some technical difficulty again?

My archives are missing. I've republished them all and they're not there. I've tried what Blogger suggests in their troubleshooting section, and they're still not there. I've even tried logging out and logging back in again. And guess what, they're still not there! So what the hell's going on?! Ugh!! I'm too tired to figure this out right now...

TGIF

Let's see...what have I done today? Sent a couple emails (work-related of course), sent a couple faxes, updated a spreadsheet...and I think that's about it. OK, so I haven't been that productive. But it's a bit difficult to do things when a few people in your office are all giddy. hehehe. :-)

Between transposing letters, tongue twisters, and whacky stories, our office has pretty much gotten out of control. People laughing, snorting (?), and then in tears. It's just absolute craziness around here!

Here, try saying these tongue twisters 10 times:

• unique new york
  
• toy boat

Yeah I know, I'm a dork. =P Just having some fun, that's all. hehehe. :-)

Line-Ups

They always seem to be long and slow moving. Especially on Fridays. Not to mention that it's the last Friday of the month which means people are getting paid and taking out money, paying bills, etc. Plus the bank closes at 4:00 p.m. and of course everyone has to do everything at the last minute.

I walked into the bank to deposit a check, and there was a major line-up. I thought I was going to be in there for at least half an hour. But good thing one of the bank tellers were only doing straight deposits. So when she asked "is there anyone with straight deposits, no cash?" I immediately walked up. I kinda felt bad for the rest of the people who were standing in line because it seemed like they were there for a while, and here I am bypassing them. Well, it's not my fault that I only have a straight deposit and the others don't. All I have to say is "sucks to be you!" hehehe. =P

I gotta stop eating out...ugh!

I think I've eaten out more in the past two weeks than I ever have before. I'm getting sick of it actually. I mean, nothing beats home cooking. ;-) And you can only eat out so much. With all that grease, fat, etc. Yuck! You try to eat healthy, but what's left besides salad? And what's one to do when you have all these social events to attend to? What makes it worse is the fact that I haven't been to the gym or kickboxing the last few days. OK, gotta make up for that today.

Shopping with Jenn - Part II

The mission: To find shoes and a purse to go with this dress she bought in Atlanta.
Time limit: 2.5 hours

When Jenn and I went shopping about 3 weeks ago, she described a dress which she was planning to wear to an upcoming wedding (another one?!), and asked what type of shoes and/or purse would go with it. At the time, it was hard for me to give her any suggestions because I couldn't see the dress. But since she brought it with her this time, I had an idea of what would go well with it. As usual, we went to West Ed to look for a pair of shoes and a purse. Shouldn't be that hard right? WRONG! Sure there was a big selection, but nothing really stood out. The styles weren't quite what we were looking for. So we ended up going to Shoe Company. And we were able to find her a pair of these really classy shoes and a purse to go with it. Am I good or what?! Don't answer that. hehehe. =P The point is, I like being able to help her out like that. ;-)

The office seems a bit quieter now...

...hmmm, I wonder why?? Maybe it's because of the fact that I told one of my co-workers (whose on the opposite side of the office) to keep it down. It's just so disruptive when you hear this whining and complaining (because another co-worker is bothering her) coming from the other side of the office and you can't hear yourself think. Uh hello? Have a bit of consideration for the people working around you. I mean, it's like she's talking to deaf people or something. If I came across as a bitch, well too bad. It happens all the time and no one's ever said anything, so excuse me for speaking up. =P

Lunch with Irma

I went downtown to meet Irma for lunch. And now I'm hungry again! Ugh! What the heck is wrong with my system?

Random Thought

Do you find that during the fall/winter season you have an increase in appetite? I don't know if my metabolism is working overtime or what, but I find I get hungry faster and more often. I guess it's part of the preparation for hibernation? Not that I'm going to be hibernating until spring, but you get the point? Or do you?

Anyway, as I sit here typing away, my poor stomach is grumbling. Guess it's feeding time. This so screws up my schedule now. I was planning on going for a hike then go to kickboxing, but I'm too hungry to think about participating in any activity. Plus, I wouldn't want to pass out in the middle of class or something. That wouldn't be good. So, I'm skipping yet another workout session, but I have to listen to my body. Well in this case, my stomach. ;-)

Back to Hiking

Lynne, Sue and I started hiking again after about a 3 month hiatus. It was good to back into the trails, going through the trees and into the residentials. The leaves were turning so it was nice to be outside. And it was warm. We got up to about 28C/83F today. Whew! Too bad the entire fall season wasn't like this. Anyway, as we were hiking, I felt like a little kid walking through the fallen leaves, "crunching" my way through them. I was kinda hoping to come across a pile of leaves that was raked together and just jump into it. Call me crazy, but that's just the kid in me. ;-)

I need new tires

As I was pulling into work this morning, I happened to scrape the edge of my tire on the curb? I guess I wasn't awake yet? At the time, the tire seemed OK. But when I went home for lunch, I noticed this bulge protruding from my rear left tire. It was almost as if my tire was growing a tumor or something. I didn't want to take any chances driving down the freeway to go back to work (in case my tire blew up or something), so I took my dad's car.

So now, I need new tires. Oh well, I had to get them sooner or later anyway since I have to get prepared for winter.

Random Thought

Sound. Pitch. Tone. Qualities of people's voices. Usually you think nothing of it. But sometimes they're just down right ANNOYING! As you sit and listen, you can't help but cringe at the sound of their voice. Why? It's the underlying negative attitude toward the person, which is the ultimate problem. Try to shake it, but you can't. Try to think positively about it, but that doesn't work either.

Point of this? There is no point! Just writing down thoughts that don't make any sense whatsoever.

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Mike, Shelley and I took my mom out to Earl's for dinner. Since I was working late (not by choice), I had to meet them there. I managed to time it perfectly so that when I called my brother to order me some food, it was ready by the time I got there. Am I good or what?! =P

Anyway, it was just an intimate dinner. I can't believe my mom's 55! I hope I look as good as she does when I'm that age. Well mom, Happy Birthday! We love you! :-)

Dinner at Dante's

After walking on Whyte with Irma, I went for dinner with Jenn at Dante's. She hadn't been there before and she wanted to check it out. I had the grilled arctic char with veggies and rice, and Jenn had the chicken with veggies and potatoes. Very good. We hadn't seen each other in a couple weeks, so it was good to get together and catch up. You're probably wondering what can possibly happen in 2 weeks? Well, a lot. We always have "updates" for each other so that's always interesting. So now we're all up-to-date on everything. Until next time... :-)

Walking on Whyte Ave

With who else but Irma (hehe). It was such a nice day today (it got up to 26C/79F) that we decided to take advantage of it. So we decided to walk on Whyte Ave and figure out which places we haven't been to. We have this mission to go to most of the places (that we think are worth going to) on Whyte Ave. And since we always have trouble finding these places during the night, we figured we'd look for these places during the day. Our list of "places to go" consisted of 4 or 5 restaurants, 2 coffee houses, 2 or 3 quick snack-type places, and a new nightclub we discovered. I doubt that we're going to be able to hit all these places before the end of the year, but we can try. Before, we'd always think of where to go and ask each other "where else is there to go (or to do)?" At least now, we have something to work with. ;-)

Another Wedding

Sue invited me to go to her sister's wedding last night. Like every other wedding it was....a wedding. Both the ceremony and the reception were held at the Best Western Hotel and Conference Center in Sherwood Park (small town immediately east of Edmonton). I found it odd that the ceremony was only half an hour long? I guess I'm just used to the traditional Catholic weddings that take an hour to an hour and a half. The couple were Christian, but they didn't have mass like Catholics do. The pastor spoke for a bit, then the couple exchanged vows (which they read from orange pieces of paper?), had bread and wine, and that was pretty much it. Not that there's anything wrong with a short ceremony, I just thought it was different.

After the ceremony, Sue and I went to Southgate to pick up her sister's gift. Sue figured she'd get the present and just put it in a gift bag. Yeah I know, it's the lazy way of wrapping gifts. But when you're shopping at the last minute, you don't really have much choice. The only problem was that when Sue bough the gift, the sales lady put everything into a box. Normally, that would've been OK, but we couldn't find a bag that was big enough to fit the box. So we ended up wrapping up the gift in the middle of the mall, using a Blockbuster membership card as a cutting instrument. Creative huh? Suprisingly, it worked and the gift was wrapped nicely.

We headed back to the hotel for the reception. Dinner was not bad. The people at our table were cool though. Sue didn't really know anyone at our table, but we all just started talking to everyone else and it was fun. After dinner came the dreaded "speechES" Toast to the bride, toast to the groom, toast made by parents, etc. It's not that there were a lot of people making toasts, it was just that they were telling stories. Not just one but a few. Dinner was over by around 8:00 pm, and the speeches were over by 10:30 pm. By the second speech, our table was starting to get antzy. We started playing with the rose petals on the tables, origami with our napkins, etc. I know it was bad, but damn, the speeches didn't seem like they were going to end. I know when I get married, people are going to have a time limit on what they have to say. You know keep it simple. Because I want people to be able to dance all night and have fun. But I can't worry about that now. ;-)

Highlight of the Evening: Singing You've Got That Loving Feeling to get the bride and groom to kiss. They made a rule that tinkling glasses wasn't allowed, so in order to get the couple to kiss, guests either had to putt the golf ball on the mini green, or say a poem/sing a song with the word "love" in it. Our table opted to sing. ;-)