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. ;-)

He Shoots...He Scores

I ended up going to the hockey game with Sue. The game was pretty good considering it was a pre-season game. And the best part was that we (Edmonton Oilers) won 3-2 in overtime against Vancouver. Woo hoo! The Edmonton Eskimos, our local football team (and no we don't have eskimos in Edmonton =P) won 23-22 against Toronto. Woo hoo!

While we were at the game, Sue ran into Greg and Kim, two guys she went to high school with in Lloydminster (small town in Alberta). We chatted a bit and after the game we decided to meet at the Billiard Club. We hung out at the Billiard Club for a while and had a couple drinks. Then at around midnight, we went to Original Joe's (old Iron Bridge) and met with more of Greg's friends and had a few more drinks [yup, I was feeling pretty good after the fourth drink. ;-) ]. OK, lets see if I remember their names...Dirk, Tenille, Christine, Tobie, Ian, and Dave. A couple of other guys came later. It was cool hanging out with them. I think I had too much of the nachos though...

Fall

According to most sources today is the first day of fall. I don't about you, but it doesn't seem like we're having fall weather. There's a light drizzle outside, it's cloudy, windy, and cold! I thought they forecasted warmer weather with sunny skies? The weather people can't seem to get it right. But then again, it's only a weater prediction. Ooh...I think the sun is trying to peek through the clouds. Hmmm, maybe we will have partly sunny skies. Ooops, look at the time. Gotta get head back to work.

Free Tickets to the Hockey Game

Woo hoo! Jeff (co-worker of mine) gave me 2 tickets to tonight's hockey game. Cool! And they're pretty good seats too, since he's a season ticket holder. Thanks Jeff!

Who wants to come with me???

Another Shopping Outing with Irma

After going to the gym, I met Irma at Southgate Shopping Center. The mission was for her to buy a pair of shoes. At the time, she didn't really feel like shopping, but as we walked around she slowly got into it. We went into a couple of shoe stores but nothing really caught her eye. We went into Sears and she found something she liked. Not to mention it was on sale too! ;-)

Now as we were walking toward the cashier, which was maybe 100 feet away, we got distracted and started looking at things we walked by on our way to the cashier (underwear, pantyhose, etc.). In the end Irma ended up getting a pair of shoes, some insoles, and nylons. The store was closing and we were one of the last ones out.

As we walked into the main mall, I noticed a Sony Store in the distance, but didn't get a chance to check it out. One, because the store was closing. And two, because Irma got "distracted" by a sweater she saw in the GAP window. Of course, we had to go in. She didn't get the sweater (too expensive), but got a pair of grey pants like the ones I bought in San Francisco. I thought I got mine at a good deal, but I guess not. Oh well.

After shopping, we decided to get something to eat. Now if you know me and Irma, we're always wanting to try out a new restaurant. [Because variety is the spice of life, you know...hehehe (inside joke)]. Plan A was this German restaurant on Whyte Ave, but they were closed. Plan B was this sushi place on Calgary Trail, but they were closed too. I guess there aren't too many places open at 9:30 pm, especially on a Thursday night. Finally, Plan C was Tropika Malaysian Cuisine, which was open (thank goodness - I was getting hungry). We ordered Indonesian spring rolls, yellow ginger rice, and sweet and sour fish. Mmmmm! I'm not sure what kind of fish we had, but it was good.

To end off the evening, we had one of our "talks." Irma needed to vent, so she's all better now. Don't worry Irma, everything will be fine. ;-)

Rebuttal to Rebuttal

The wrath of Joi-dom huh? Uh, OK?! Yeah, you're really scaring me now. =P

As a sidenote, you should put a "comments" thing on your page, so I can post my thoughts on your blog instead of using my precious space. hahaha.

You are such a dork! =P

Just say three Joi-isms and you will be forgiven. hehehe. Spank you huh? Yeah, you should be so lucky! And what's this about me being an "overbearing cyber dominatrix computer geek"? Whatever! As for the whips, chains, and hand cuffs...you must have me confused with someone else.

I have to let this out...ARGH!!!

My boss made a comment to me today. Normally, I don't pay much attention to what he says, especially if he makes some snarky comment. Usually, I let things just roll off my back. Well the comment he made this morning, was just icing on the cake.

I came into work late (again). Seeing as I was at work until 11:30 pm last night, I figured "ah, why not?" When I got there, I went into his office, he greeted me and asked me how I was, giving me this look like "what were you up to last night." In my mind, I'm thinking "yeah whatever." Anyway, another co-worker was in his office and he asked me what time Sue and I left. Apparently, he drove by the office last night at around 9:00 pm, and saw our cars in the parking lot. I mentioned that he probably wouldn't believe me if I told him what time we left.

Then my boss says "oh, they were probably just goofing around..." OK, strike one. [I hadn't had my breakfast yet, so I wasn't in the mood for this bullshit] The other guy made some smart ass comment too, saying that we were probably slacking off as usual. OK, strike two. So, I called him a "Focker" (like from Meet the Parents), and my boss said that I was giving them attitude. Umm, yeah! Then, my boss had the nerve to say that "it's nice to see that you're taking your career seriously." Strike three. I just about lost it. But I bit my tongue. He was handing me this booklet while he said that, and I abruptly grabbed it out of his hands and said "no comment" and left his office. Talk about a slap in the face. All I have to say is that he is SO screwed when I leave. But that's not my problem.

We all know that I've been frustrated with my job. Whether he was joking or not, I thought his remark was uncalled for and I didn't appreciate it. I've come to my wits end. In the back of my mind I think "don't do anything to burn the bridge." AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! I can't wait until he leaves town again.

Working Late Really Late

Guess what time I left the office? 6:30 pm? 7:15 pm? 8:30 pm? Nope. Try 11:30 pm! Yup 11:30! @#$%! There's something definitely wrong with this picture. Sue and I were supposed to go over some stuff. Stuff I'm delegating to her because I definitely can't do it. We started working on this one project, taking inventory of all computer hardware and software in the office. Most of it was already done, except now my boss wanted some big spreadsheet done (great - and you know how much we love spreadsheets...NOT). You'd think it would be easy, right? Uh, nope. We had to go back into old files (files which were created way before we started there) and look up when we bought the computers, how much we paid for them, etc. See, it would be easy if the files were organized, but everything was all over the place. But we managed to get it all done. *SIGH* Just one more project to go over with Sue and I should be able to breathe a little (just a little) bit better.

I need an update people!

Will you two update your blogs already?! Irma, I know you were on the computer today. The reason I know this is because you forwarded me emails. So why didn't you update your blog while you were at it? =P hehehe.

And Joi, here I thought I was going to be able to read something witty from you. And btw, your page is all screwed up. Like what the hell?! =P hehehe.

I'm just buggin. But you really need to update them...;-)

Back on Track

Nothing like a good kickboxing class to get you going! Even though I didn't sweat as much as I usually do (because I didn't work as hard as I usually do...because I haven't worked out in 3 weeks!), it was good to get back into class. I definitely feel much better. Nothing like adrenalin to get you going. Hopefully I can make for the 3 weeks I missed.

Nothing Like Last Minute Notice

Scenario: A couple people from head office are in town. I'm under the impression they're going to be out of the office touring various properties (along with my boss and the head of the leasing department). Well they did that this morning, but they came back here to have a big real estate meeting. No big deal. Until they decide to have lunch here.

"Minnie (that's me), we need to order in some lunch. Some sandwiches or something..."

(Thinking: WTF?!) "Huh?! For today?"

"Yes, they decided to have lunch here."

"Uh, why didn't you guys give me a bit more notice? I don't know if I can get them ready this quick?" (btw, he's telling me this at 12:20 pm)

"They just decided last minute. If you can't do it then you can't do it."

"Ugh! OK, let me see what I can do."

Meanwhile, I called Fife N' Dekel to see how soon they could make sandwiches for about 12 people. Good thing the lady I spoke to (Kathy) was nice about it. I called in the order at 12:30 pm and she had it ready for me by 1:15 pm which was pretty good. Even though they couldn't deliver it (which was understandable since I gave her such short notice), I was impressed that they put it together in 45 minutes. I picked up the sandwiches along with a huge bowl of tossed salad, and brought it back to the office.

The point of this? I just wanted to let out my frustrations. I mean, they could've told me some time this morning that they were thinking of having lunch in the office. They even could've called me from the car, on their way back to the office. Uh hello, that's what cell phones are for. =P

While you're reading...

You should update your comments thing so I can leave my thoughts on your blog. ;-) hehe. I noticed you were leaving comments as I was going through my blog.

Pictures

I'm going to experiment and see if this works. It works. I posted the pictures I took last night in an album on Yahoo. It took me a while, but I got them up. I was just playing around with the camera last night, so some of the pictures aren't that great. Seeing as I spent the evening taking pictures, this is probably the best way to describe the party. Note, we're not really smoking up. It was just a prop used for the evening. ;-)

Now if only I could figure out how to add an image with my blog...

...where did I leave off?

Oh yeah. After Spence's party, Jeff, Jessy, Sue and I headed to Whyte Ave to party some more, still in our 60's clothes (except for Jessy). We initially went to Suite 69, but there was a line-up so we went to The Back Room instead. They played a lot of old skool stuff which was cool. Jeff was getting most of the attention since he was wearing an afro. =P

By the end of the night, my feet were so sore. I was on my feet all night, taking pictures then dancing afterward. Oh well, it was a fun evening though.

Happy [Belated] 40th Birthday Spence!

What a party! The majority of the people were decked out in their 60's outfits. Most of them wore hippy style clothes, representing the late 60's. There were about 8 or 9 of us (including myself) who were dressed in mid-60's clothes (miniskirts and go-go boots) which was cool.

Hmmm, what else can I say about it? Well, there were about 50+ people, lots of food and lots of drinks. I was feeling quite happy after 2 screwdrivers and a shot of sour puss. Sure it doesn't sound like much, but you don't know how Spence mixes his drinks -- really strong. ;-) Anyway, I was disappointed that I didn't eat that much food. Mostly because I was the photographer for the evening. I brought the office digital camera with me, so I could play around with it. But between the digital camera and my own, I was taking pictures left and right. I managed to get a few good shots on the digital camera, and for the last little while, I've been trying to download the pictures into an album where you can see it. But I'm experiencing some technical difficulty. I'll have to figure it out tomorrow when I'm a bit more awake. I'm starting to doze off in my chair again...

Funny thing...

As I was posting my blog last night (er, wee hours of the morning), I noticed I fell asleep in my chair! =P Reminds me of someone I know ;-) hehehe (jk). And I think I dozed off for an hour too? I had a few things I wanted to post, but I guess I'll do them now.


Sex In a Pan

For those who don't know what this is, it's a dessert! ;-) I'm thinking it must be a Canadian thing or something because when I talked about it to my friends across the border (during my SFO trip a few months ago), they didn't know what I was talking about? Basically it's a layered dessert with whip cream, chocolate/vanilla pudding, cream cheese, and a crust made of nuts (pecans, peanuts, or whatever other kind of nut tickles your fancy). VERY good!

Anyway, Sue and I went to Safeway last night to pick up the ingredients. Since I'm going to my co-workers 40th / 60's retro party tonight, it's pretty much mandatory for me to bring it. I mean, everytime Spence hosts some kind of get together at his house, it's just automatic that I bring this dessert. Hmmmm...maybe it is true that chocolate is better than sex? =P I do remember that the last time Spence had a house party, a newbie to the office tried it and I swear she had an orgasm or something! LOL! Whoa, that was the first time I had that reaction!

Well the sex [in a pan] is ready to go. Now all I have to do is buy some booze and I'm all set.


Night Out

After I made the dessert at Sue's apartment, I headed to Irma's. We planned to hang out on Whyte Ave (where else?) with Joi (since he's in town again), so we went to Iron Horse. Joi was out with his friends, so we didn't get a chance to meet up with him. Oh well. We met up with Irma's friend, Deanna, but decided to go to O'Byrnes pub instead. Had a couple drinks and chit-chatted for a while. There were 2 guys at the next table who were quite obnoxious, so we left and headed to the Billiard's Club. Had a couple more drinks there and chit-chatted some more. Irma and I noticed this bald guy at the next table looking in our direction. We're thinking wtf?!. I guess he was waiting for Irma to get another drink from the bar because as soon as she got up, he got up too! How predictable. They talked for a bit at the bar, he bought her a drink, and went back to sit with his friends, where he fell asleep in his chair. [I'm noticing a trend here] hehehe.

Highlights of the Evening:

• Bald-headed guys
  
• Irma's psychic ability (construction worker or electrician?)
  
• "I'm not here." [This is a saying Irma and I have when people get in our space so-to-speak (i.e. people walking into us, almost getting run over?, etc.)]

The Look

I was talking to my boss today about the computers in our office. Basically he wants someone in the office to be the "techie." Someone who understands the networking and all other technical stuff about computers. Uh hello, that's why we have an outside computer tech to that for us?! Duh! I guess, he wants someone "in house, " but really who has the time? Originally he wanted me to be the "techie," but I don't know anything about the technical stuff. Sure I know how to operate them, and work with them everyday, but that's about it. Everything else is greek to me.

The point of this is, while I was explaining to him that I wasn't the right person to be the "techie" he was giving me this look, like he didn't believe me or something. You know how when people look into your eyes, as if to see whether or not you're telling the truth? That bothers me. What I also didn't like was the fact that he just assumed I'd be that person, since his former executive assistant used to be responsible for that (her experience stemming from the fact that she taught computers at her previous job), and since I took over her job, somehow I'm supposed to have the same knowledge she did? Yeah right! Damn I hate it when people assume.

I'm Hungry Again

After reading what you wrote about the different kinds of food you were eating in PI, it's making me hungry again. And I just had lunch a half hour ago too. =P

But it's so true how filipinos eat ALL the time. And notice how the majority of the people there are not overweight. You'd think they would be from eating all that food. Yup, that's one thing I miss about the Philippines. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack (maybe 2, depending on the time frame), dinner, and then snack again. Yeah, I think I need to eat something again. Hmmm...maybe I'll have my bibingka (sp?) ;-)

Mini Shopping Spree

OK...The intention was to get one top and one skirt for this 60's retro party I'm going to on Saturday. Spence, a co-worker of mine, is turning the big 4-0 (actually, his birthday was last weekend, but he's celebrating it this weekend) and since he was born in 1961, him and his wife thought it would be fitting if he had a 60's party. Cool, huh?!

Anyway, I went shopping on Whyte Ave during my lunch hour to get this blue 60's type shirt I saw a couple weeks ago. Good so far. The next task was to get a denim miniskirt. Denim because I wanted to be able to wear it again. OK, so I went to Le Chateau after work. Big mistake! Sure I got the skirt, but I also got 2 pairs of jeans. *sigh* But they were on sale. I mean, you can't go wrong for 10 bucks, right?! ;-) hehe.

And you think it stopped there? Ummm, nope. I went home and picked up my mom to take her shopping. We went to Winners, the Canadian version of TJ Maxx/Marshalls. I wasn't planning on getting anything there (isn't that always the case - NOT), because my mom was the one who was supposed to buy some stuff. She ended up not getting anything, and I walked out of there with a pair of pants, a shirt, and 2 pairs of shoes. Yeah, like I need another pair of shoes, let alone 2. =P Again, they were on sale. One pair was $70 which were marked down to $25. And they were in my size too. [Logic: my size + on sale + and last pair = must buy them. hehehe]. Oh well. I'm a victim of my surroundings. If it weren't for these sales, I wouldn't buy anything. Yeah OK, so I'm reaching... =P

Random Thought

When you have a cold and constantly blow your nose, do you ever wonder how your nose could possibly hold that much mucus? I know that sounds gross, but sometimes you just sit there and blow your nose, going through kleenex after kleenex. And just when you think you've blown it all out, your nose starts to run again. Ugh! That's why I don't like being sick.

The Glass House

I just got home from seeing a movie with Sue, Lisa, and Lisa's friend Monica. We got free movie passes (yes, FREE) for the sneak preview of The Glass House tonight. The movie was not bad, but I expected it to be more suspenseful, like more "chase scenes, " and a bit more jump-out-of-your-seat type scenes. I probably wouldn't pay full price to see this one. But hey, I got to see it for free.

What is the world coming to?

My drive to work was quite unpleasant. Despite the usual high volume, faced-paced traffic, that didn't matter to me at all. What bothered me was the news on the radio about a possible terrorist attack. Planes crashing into the World Trade Center in New York. Another plane or helicopter crashing into the Pentagon. A car bombing happening somewhere else. I couldn't help but feel sick inside. And now everything is pretty much shut down. Airports closed, borders closed, and from what I've heard some communication has been down.

Being Canadian, one might ask, "How could this news possibly affect you?". Well, when you have family and friends in the U.S. (regardless of where they are), it hits a little close to home. My friend Gary is in New York this week for business. I hope and pray he is nowhere near all this madness and chaos.

It's simply unbelievable. A co-worker of mine made an interesting comment, on how it's scary to hear the headline that "America is Under Attack." Sure you read about some Middle Eastern country being under attack (which is not unusual), but since America is considered a powerhouse, and the fact that we're neighboring countries, it's just....ugh, I can't even find the right words to describe it. But you get the drift.

Going along the lines of your comment, this is something you see in the movies, not in reality. Unfortunately, now it is reality.

"Comments" thing works again

It wasn't working for a while. But that's because they changed locations. So, it's up and running again. And it had nothing to do with the electromagnetic field in me. =P (hehe).

Blogger Newbie

Welcome yet another blogger! I got my friend Joi to start bloggin. Now this should get really interesting. ;-)

All I have to say is, have fun with it. Hey, maybe you should post one of your poems or something. BTW, that color changing thing is kinda trippy.

Makes You Reflect

Every now and then I get emails that are inspirational. Sometimes they're a bit long, so I don't forward them because I know how some people simply don't have the time to read long messages. I got the following email from Irma and thought "this is so true."

This isn't like other quizzes....don't bother getting
a pen and paper.
Just read.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America
contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer
prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for
Best Actor and Actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series
Winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of
yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're
the best in their fields. But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades
and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through
school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a
difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something
worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel
appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories have
inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life aren't
the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or
the most awards. They're the ones who care.

When you have a chance, pass this on to people who've
made a difference in your life.

I did.
*******************************************


And this goes along the same thoughts.

A group of Geography students studied the Seven
Wonders of the World. At the end of that section, the
students were asked to list what they considered to be
the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some
disagreement, the following got the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids,
2. Taj Mahal,
3. Grand Canyon,
4. Panama Canal,
5. Empire State Building,
6. St. Peter's Basilica,
7. China's Great Wall.

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one
student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet.
So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with
her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I
couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so
many!" The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have,
and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read,
"I! think the Seven Wonders of the World are:

1. to touch,
2. to taste,
3. to see,
4. to hear."

She hesitated a little, "and then
5. to run,
6. to laugh,
7. and to love."

May you be reminded today of those things which are
truly wondrous.

Just helps put things into perspective, don't you think?

I Hate Being Sick

Coughing, sneezing, runny nose, plugged up sinuses, congested. Symptoms of the common cold. Ugh! Really, there is no cure. Sure you can fill yourself up with vitamin C, echinacea, and whatever herbal medication there is out there. Or perhaps have mom's "chicken soup" to make you feel better? Better yet, drink plenty of liquids and piss it out of your system.

I guess I'm just a bit cranky because I hate being sick. Don't like doctors either, so I avoid them as much as I can. I try develop my own remedies (the steam thing, eat lots of fruits, etc). I'm not a big fan of "poppin pills" so taking Tylenol is my last resort. I'm stubborn that way. In my mind, I think I can overcome this cold the natural way? Whatever that is. But since I've had this cold bug for 5 days now, I have no choice but to take the Tylenol. *sigh* Hmmm. Maybe I should try that "nighttime-sniffling-sneezing-coughing-achy-stuffy head-fever-so-you-can-rest-medicine."

It's about time...

...you updated your blog! =P hehe. Hopefully you can update it more often.

Not my fault

OK, this "comments" thing is not working. And it's not my fault! Nor does it have anything to do with the possible electromagnetic field in me. =P hehe.

Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir?

Irma and I decided to catch the midnight show of Moulin Rouge at the cheap theatres. The movie was...ummm...different. A lot of singing and dancing, kinda confusing in the beginning, but overall it was OK. Weird how they were singing songs from the 21st century when the movie was set in 1899? Huh? Songs like The Sound of Music, I Will Always Love You and my favorite Like a Virgin???

Funny thing was, while Irma and I were waiting to get into the theatre, we heard a tune playing from the theatre next door which sounded like the theme song from Indiana Jones. We both looked at each other and killed ourselves laughing (inside joke). I'm sure the other people waiting to get into the same theatre as us thought we were psycho. ;-) hehe.

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return."

Shopping with Jenn

The mission: Updating Jenn's fall wardrobe.
The "agenda": Jenn wanted to get a peacoat, brown or tan colored pants, jeans, skirt, and shoes.
Time limit: 3 hours.

You'd think that it shouldn't be that hard to find all these items, especially if you're shopping in the World's Largest Mall. Think again. Jenn and I pretty much have the same taste in clothing, so no big problem there. It's trying to find the "right" item that's difficult. Color, cut, style, fabric, washable vs. drycleaning, price, etc. are all factors that have to be considered before making the purchase. I mean, this is an investment so you don't want to buy something that isn't going to last. Being Jenn's fashion consultant, I think I did a pretty good job helping her find a couple of the things she was looking for, all within the set time limit. She ended up getting 2 pairs of jeans (both on sale), a black skirt, and a purse. OK, so the purse wasn't on the list to begin with, but it was inexpensive and she could use it everyday (i.e. practical). As for the other items on her list, nothing fit right. But that's OK. We can always shop for them another day. ;-)

Although I was helping Jenn shop, of course I had to buy something for myself. OK, maybe I didn't HAVE to, but it was on sale! I got these comfy gym pants and a t-shirt at American Eagle Outfitters. Now I'm just waiting for the matching sweatshirt to go on sale.


Tin Pan Alley

After our semi-successful afternoon of shopping, Jenn and I went to Tin Pan Alley for dinner. She ordered the atlantic salmon with lobster cream sauce, and I got the seafood medley (with shrimp, mussels, scallops, and lobster). Mmmmmm. And for dessert, we had the apple betty (very good).

Since we were too busy concentrating on shopping earlier this afternoon, we had our "sisterly" talk during dinner. Seeing as Jenn was in Atlanta for 2 weeks, and I just got back from San Francisco (again), we had to catch up on a few things. Plus I hadn't seen her in almost a month, so it was good to get together with her.

Another One of Those Evenings with Irma and Joi

Joi's in town this weekend. The three of us had nothing planned, so we decided to just chill somewhere. Irma suggested we go to Mikado's for sushi, but they were closing at 11:00 pm and by the time Joi got there, it was around 10:30 pm. OK, so on to plan B. We decided to go to Earl's Tin Palace. Irma and I were really hungry so we got something to eat. Only it was hard to "chill" when the DJ was playing these tunes? Since when did they have that?

After Earl's, we headed to Cafe Select where the ambience was way more mellow. Although I ate a whole pizza (only 8 inch), I was still hungry. So I got this chocolate raspberry torte thing. It was really good, but a bit rich for me. The chamomile tea was very relaxing too. We just sat there and talked about stuff that we did "back in the day," etc. At first, Irma was kinda out of it ("Huh? I don't get it"). Maybe it was because she started drinking at 5:00 pm with her co-workers? Yeah OK, Irma's cut off! hehe. Joi was a bit quiet in the beginning too (you're scaring me), but after a couple drinks he loosened up and joked around (now, that's the Joi I know). We somehow got on the subject of blogging and by the end of the night, I think I convinced him to start one. That should be interesting ;-)

Quote of the Evening: Shut up!....I love you...;-)

Key Notes:

"Wanna go fishing?"
The pottery scene from the movie Ghost
The theme song from Indiana Jones (dat da rat da, dat da ra...) hehe

Sidenote: Yup, my friends are definitely weird. Irma has evolved from a manic depressive arsonist to a paranoid schizophrenic alcoholic (with the potential of being an "ultra bitch"). Joi, on the other hand, has [almost fully] recovered from his suicidal alcoholic loner state, but has become an undercover depressed fisherman (who has been mourning the loss of his fish. =P hehe). [another one of those "you had to be there to understand" moments ;-) ]


You Da Bitch!

While Irma and I were waiting for Joi to get to Mikado's, we were becoming a bit antzy. I was getting tired and hungry (as I've mentioned before, you don't want to be pushing my buttons when I have this combination), and Irma was hungry, getting a headache, and PMS-ing (really bad combo).

So we came to the conclusion that there are 3 levels of bitchiness. First, there's your regular bitch - spiteful, overbearing woman. Most women fall under this category. Next is the "super bitch" - which was my tired-and-hungry-so-don't-piss-me-off mode. And finally there's the "ultra bitch" - the I'm-hungry-have-a-headache-AND-I'm-PMSing-so-don't-piss-me-off mode (which was Irma's state).

But the bottom line is all women are B.I.T.C.H.es. [Babe In Total Control of Herself ;-) ]

???

Urgency - must happen now
Frequency - every 2 hours
Duration - average
Sensation - pressure, then relief
Simultaneous feelings of bloatedness and dehydration?

After 3 glasses of water and 2 glasses of cranberry juice, this the result of attempting to cleanse your system. =P

Change of Season

Even though the leaves haven't changed color yet, autumn is slowly approaching. Technically, fall officially starts on September 21st. But with the slight drop in temperature, the fact that you can see your breath in the air, the morning dew on the car, etc. you know the dreaded winter won't be too far behind (I sure hope not). Plus I noticed last night that the geese were doing a "trial" run or something with their semi-V formation, only they weren't flying south? The fact that I'm wearing a turtleneck (what's wrong with this picture) in early September and I'm all congested is a sign that the season is changing. Ugh. I would be OK with having summer and fall as our 2 main seasons, but that's just wishful thinking.


Random Thought

Do you ever notice how the seasons seem to mirror your moods/overall being? Or is it just me? I find that my mood is on "high" during spring and summer. Happy, stress-free (for the most part), and physically always on-the-go. But as soon as autumn hits, I slowly get into a "depressed" mood. Not depressed as in oh-my-gosh-I-hate-my-life mode, but everything just slows down. The depression is more of me not wanting winter to come, the dreaded snow, etc. That's what makes me depressed. Spending winter in a warm place is appealing to me more and more. *sigh*

Mission Accomplished

I just spent the last couple hours (yes, that long!) trying to get this "comment" thing to work. I copied and pasted the links like I was supposed to, but there was a glich somewhere. So I went through it a few times, and didn't know why it wasn't working (I mean, how can you go wrong with "copy & paste?"). I was getting frustrated, so I got my brother to look at it. He didn't really change anything (except made it easier to read), but somehow it worked for him? Hmmm. Maybe I have some electromagnetic field in me or something? Anyway, the assignment is done ;-)

What day is it?

You know you had a good mini vacation when you return and you don't know what day it is? Hmmm. Have to re-adjust my internal clock back to reality. I just realized today was Wednesday. Which means I have a super short work week. But it sure feels like a Monday. I only missed 2 work days, but it seems like I missed more. Gotta love being back at work (yeah right!). Oh well, I had to come back sooner or later (preferably later =P).

I'm Finally Home!

Although I had quite the ordeal (AGAIN!) on my way back to Edmonton, I finally made it home. Let's do a re-cap of events shall we:

3:00 p.m. PST - Shuttle picked me up and took me to the airport. I figured I'd get to the airport around 4:00 p.m. since there was traffic on Van Ness. Uh nope. The shuttle weaved in and out of traffic, and we made it SFO airport in 30 minutes.

3:30 p.m. PST - At the airport. What the hell am I supposed to do for 2.5 hours?! I didn't want to hang out at my gate, so I walked over to the international terminal and got something to eat at Emporio Rulli (again, only this time I had this "fritata" sandwich - egg, grilled eggplant, peppers, etc). I was going to do some window shopping, but I stopped myself. Didn't want to get tempted again.

4:30 p.m. PST - Headed back toward my gate. I figured they'd start boarding in an hour (er, wrong!).

5:30 p.m. PST - Just when I thought they'd start boarding passengers, they changed the time of departure to 6:30 p.m. Ugh! Just freakin lovely!

6:10 p.m. PST - Passengers started boarding. "OK, so I'll only be a half an hour late" (think again!).

6:30 p.m. PST - As soon as I heard "Good evening ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking..." I knew something was up. Apparently, they decided to fill up the fuel tank of the plane? Uh, hello? Why didn't you guys do that to begin with? Duh! So we had to wait for the fuel truck to come back and re-fuel the plane.

7:00 p.m. PST - By this time, I was pretty much half asleep. But then the captain made another announcement that they were having some maintenance problems. Aaarrrrgghhh!! OK, what the hell is wrong with this maintenance crew? Why do they come across these problems after the passengers have boarded, and not before.

7:30 p.m. PST - We finally took off. But to make matters worse, the flight was SO uncomfortable. For some reason the A/C was on high, and it was freezing! A couple of us complained to the crew, and they turned on the heat. And left it on, so half way through the flight it was hot. Cold, hot, cold, hot. (I think I'm coming down with something). And if that wasn't enough, the food totally sucked! All it consisted of was a chicken caesar salad (with no dressing and dry chicken), a bun (also dry), and a lemon cookie (not a big fan of lemon). I was SO not impressed. ETA was 11:15 p.m. (Edmonton time), but we arrived at 11:00.

11:08 p.m. MST - Got off the plane and proceeded to customs to claim what I brought back. Thinking I could just walk through, one of the officers stops me and decides to go through my stuff. Huh?!? I've never been stopped at customs before, but I guess she just randomly chose me. She did a quick scan and let me go. Can anything else go wrong?

Well, nothing else went wrong, thank god! I hopped on a shuttle to Fantasyland Hotel, and since it's just right across the street from my house I walked the rest of the way home. The $11 shuttle sure beats taking a cab home, which probably would've been around $40.

And now I'm home. Sure don't feel like going to work tomorrow. *yawn*


Random Thought

I hate saying goodbye's over the phone. It's so impersonal. Even if you say goodbye to the person a couple of days before they leave, the fact that you said goodbye to them face-to-face is just...better. Nothing's left "hanging" per se.

Gary was on his way back to the apartment to see me off. Only thing was, my shuttle got there before he made it back. As I was talking with him on the phone, saying "bye" wasn't the same. Well Gary, if I didn't mention it before, I did have a good time. Thanks for everything! It's your turn to visit me ;-) hehe [p.s. That assignment will have to wait till tomorrow, since it's getting late for me =P].

[San Francisco, CA]

Exploring the Streets of San Francisco

I decided to go for a walk and just absorb the surroundings [Gary had to go to the office. Huh, what's that?! (jk)]. My trek began on Laguna Street and I walked 4 blocks to Union. Since I had a few hours to kill, I figured I'd do a bit of window shopping on Union. OK, so maybe I had an alterior motive (hehe). Anyway, as I was walking up and down Union, I noticed most of the shops didn't open until 11:00 a.m. (at least the ones I wanted to go into). Great. What was I supposed to do for 45 minutes? I kept walking. I went to Starbucks and got an iced cafe mocha and banana nut loaf, and I don't even drink coffee? Might as well keep myself busy somehow, right?

Still on Union, I walked to Polk Street, and did a loop around Green, Van Ness, and then back to Union. I didn't want to walk too far. By the time I got back to Union, the shops were starting to open. Yay! I don't remember the names of the little boutiques I went into (short term memory isn't that great), but I did go into Armani Exchange. Since the closest Armani Exchange to Edmonton is in Vancouver (and I'm not planning on going there anytime soon), I had to check it out. I ended up buying a pair of pants and a shirt. I told myself I wouldn't buy anything else. Yeah right! =P

Sidenote: I can't say enough about how friendly the people in San Francisco are. This one window washer guy happened to look at me, stopped what he was doing, said "Hi, how you doin?" It's a good addition to the day.

After walking up and down Union, I headed back to Gary's apartment. Gary was still at the office, so I decided to drop off my stuff, and do more walking. [In case you haven't noticed, I can walk for miles] This time, I walked down Chestnut Street. And I had an Aloha Pineapple Jamba Juice with the energy booster along the way (yum!). Had to replenish my energy reserves from walking up and down Union. ;-)

Anyway, I walked down Chestnut all the way to Divisadero. I happened to stop by at the Lucky store, just to take a look at their jeans. Big mistake! I saw a t-shirt I wanted to get, but I held back. The guy who helped me though, said I should try on a couple pairs of jeans. Since I was wearing my Lucky's (which are a bit long and they didn't carry this style there), he suggested I try on a couple pairs which were my length. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try them on, right? I even told the guy I was "only going to try them on" and he was OK with it. He gave me 2 pairs to try on. One was a bit big (didn't have my size) and the other fit me perfectly! Aaarrrggghhh!! Just what I need. I tried to hold back, but he mentioned that department stores didn't carry the style I liked, and he kept going on how they'd last forever, etc. You know, the big sales pitch. So I gave in. Damn, I'm so weak. In my head, I'm trying to rationalize and justify this purchase. I even tried to blame it on him, suggesting that he probably used some kind of subliminal tactic or something (hehe). He was cool about it though. Oh well, can't return them now since I'm leaving for the airport in about half an hour. *sigh*

[San Francisco, CA]

SFMOMA

After breakfast at IHOP, Gary and I met up with Phuong and Rob and went to SFMOMA. It was interesting to see the Ansel Adams exhibit, but some of the other stuff was just too bizarre for my taste (like this one piece that consisted of tiles and underneath it was human organs? gross!). There was a cool blue painting that I liked but I could probably do something like that myself, seeing as the whole canvas was painted blue?

Random Thought - Do you ever wonder how some art work winds up in a museum? Especially if a canvas is just painted blue or grey or black (or whatever), or even a sculpture made of a whole bunch of everyday things just slapped together? I'm sure anyone can paint a canvas in whatever color they want, or even glue pieces of macaroni together and call it art, but if they happen to be some "no-name" off the street, art galleries won't give them the time of day. Why is that?

OK, I'm digressing. Anyway after SFMOMA, the four of us went to the Metreon and watched Jay and Silent Bob. It was OK. They made references to other movies, but unless you watched the ones they were referring to, you wouldn't really understand some of it.

After the movie, Phuong and I went shopping while the guys went to Borders. Can you believe it, I haven't gone shopping since I got here?! But then I wasn't really planning to. I know some of you are thinking "are you feeling OK?" hehe. So, I ended up getting a pair of pants at GAP and they were on sale too. Woo hoo!

I was actually thinking of buying things just for the sake of saying that I got something. I mean, when you cross the border you have a certain amount you can claim (I think I'm entitled to bring back $500 CDN worth of merchandise based on my stay). I figured if I didn't get anything, the customs people probably wouldn't believe me and end up searching my bags or something. With my luck, that would probably happen to me.

[San Francisco, CA]

Challenge put on hold

Obviously, the "comment" thing didn't work. I got too frustrated and hungry to figure it out. [frustration + hungry = bad combo for Mich] I'll have to postpone this challenge for another occasion. Maybe when I'm not so hungry or something. hehe. I was experiencing some technical difficulty. ;-)

[San Francisco, CA]

Challenge for the Day

I feel like I'm on Mission Impossible or something. Anyway, I thought I'd try to install this "comments" thing on my blog as suggested by none other than Gary ;-) hehe.

Let's see if this works...

[San Francisco, CA]

5, 6, 7, 8...

I went to Gary's dance practice this morning and met a few more people in his dance troupe (don't remember all of their names). It was interesting to watch the different dances they were doing. I recognized a couple of them (Itik Itik, Tinikling) from watching the Baranguay dance troupe perform in Edmonton. I thought they would be practicing a couple of dances, but they did all the ones they are going to perform at the Palace of Fine Arts in a couple of weeks. So I stayed and watched the whole thing (seeing as I'm not going to be here to see them perform). Not to mention I was Gary's designated photographer with his digital camera ;-). [yup, I need to get me one of those too].

It's funny how you don't truly realize how much work and preparation it takes to put on a show like this, without watching the rehearsals. Lot's of hard work, but probably all worth it in the end.


[Richmond Area, CA - somewhere across the Bay Bridge]

After dance practice, we headed to John and Lori's house for a little get together. They played this filipino video showing performances in the Philippines, and that was interesting to watch as well.

[San Francisco, CA]

Omigosh, I haven't blogged yet today...

Let's see where did I leave off? Oh yeah, haven't written anything about last night yet. OK, here goes...

Gary and I went to Metreon and Jillian's last night. Metreon is kinda similar to Playdium at West Ed., but a bit more futuristic looking. We went into the Sony store (because Gary had to look at his toys - hehehe), and all I have to say is I want to get that small laptop. I think it's the perfect size for what I need (which is updating my blog at any given moment, and of course checking email =P ).

After walking around the Metreon, we went to Jillian's. Initially we played pool since there wasn't much of a crowd there. I think overall I beat Gary (jk. hehe). When the crowd did pick up we hit the dance floor. I noticed there were a lot of Asians there (not that there aren't a lot of asians in San Francisco to begin with). I also noticed this one girl who was a bit "heavier" but yet light on her feet (hmmm..maybe I'll write about that as a random thought on a later date). Anyway, it was obvious that this one guy was trying to "out dance" her, but the girl was way better than the guy. He even attempted to this breakdancing move, but didn't work. Nice try though.

[San Francisco, CA]

Agenda

What to do after lunch? Gary and I planned to go to Safeway, bake some cookies, then possibly go to the book store. Oh my gosh! We actually made plans?! I thought it was supposed to be a "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" type of weekend (jk). hehehe.

And now I'm eating chocolate chip cookies (yum!). Don't worry, I'll make sure not too eat too much, just in case I stretch my stomach again. ;-)

[San Francisco. CA]

Mel's Drive-In

But with no drive-in? Beverly, Gary, Kuya Rudi, John, OJ and I went here for lunch. I made a mental note to myself not to eat too much for fear of stretching my stomach (plus I had Gary's help too). Didn't want to get that feeling again. Hmmm...now what to have for dessert? hehehe.

[San Francisco, CA]

Photo Shoot

I went to Gary's EARLY MORNING photo shoot at Marin Hills. The fog was thick (reminded me of The Others), but it gave good effects to the pictures.

Let's see if I remember who I met - Beverly, Nini, Kuya Rudi, John, Joanna, OJ, Ike, another John, Joe, and the photographers, Angie & James (did I forget anyone?)

The shot that took the longest was Nini trying to balance the pots on her head without using her hands. It took several tries, but she got it. Yay!

[San Francisco, CA]

Chevy's and The Others

Gary, Phuong, Rob and I went Chevy's for dinner last night. Even though my stomach was feeling a bit stretched, I figured I'd eat more food thinking it would help. Uh yeah, try again. Well, I was hungry and I had to satisfy my hunger pangs, so I ate more food.

Anyway, there were two gay guys sitting at the table next to us and I couldn't help but notice how one of them was eating his burrito. Just the way he was holding it and how he shoved it in his mouth like...you know?! Quite disgusting, but I couldn't help but laugh! hehehe.

After dinner, we went to see The Others with Nicole Kidman. The movie was alright - a bit weird. Similar to the Sixth Sense, but not as good. There was one scene where I screamed. Good thing I wasn't the only one who did. =P

[San Francisco, CA]

Don't you hate it when...

...you eat too much and it stretches your stomach and you get that "sick feeling?" That's what happens when you skip meals and eat when you're extremely hungry. You end up eating WAY more than what you're supposed to, so you don't really realize what or how much you've eaten, thus giving you that "sick" feeling. That's why you should always have a "set" time for feedings (give or take about an hour) so you don't experience this feeling.