There are no good Thai restaurants around here...but we had Thai food ordered in for lunch at the office today. It was ordered from a place I really don’t care for, but the food didn’t taste all that bad.

But fast forward half an hour…I am thirsty as heck!! This restaurant uses SO much MSG. I hate, hate, hate the aftermath of MSG. So I still dislike this restaurant. It’s um…very western friendly.

My boss sent me an e-mail today telling me to do something. I don’t know why the e-mail pissed me off so much, but it did. It said:

Rosie, I like you to print all the technical documents created to date (from the ____folder in Source Safe), put them in binders and store them on my shelf. This way we can reference them rapidly and have _____and so on review them easily. Add _____.doc as well.

1. I think it’s a really stupid idea to print out all the documents. It would be a waste of paper since these documents are not finished. Putting a 14 page document in a binder would look retarded, too. [I suggested we have all the documents in the set in one binder for now, but he said no. “These documents will get bigger, no?”]

2. If you want rapid reference, put them on the network and have people grab the document themselves.

3. Thanks, jackass, for telling me where I have been storing the documents that I’ve been working on since I started.

Also, is it strange to have a meeting and have documents for review sent out beforehand BUT not have a single person in the meeting bring a printed copy?

I can’t get away from this company soon enough…Yesterday was a department meeting. The three managers in the department told everyone their priorities for the next quarter.

Not only did none of my boss’ priorities involve me or integrate me into what’s coming down the pipe for the developers, but the yahoo (but a nice one) in IT has inherited the training manuals – manuals he gladly wanted me to do. I’d also mentioned to my own boss that I wanted to re-do the manuals. So this IT guy gets his career aspirations assisted (he wants to get into training), and I get jack shit. Not only have my boss and I never discussed my long-term plans, but he obviously hasn’t paid attention to what I have brought up before.

Apparently, every year with my company there is a big gala awards ceremony for all the franchise owners and consultants. For the first time, corporate staff has been invited to the dinner.

And I will be out of town! I am completely elated. It’s an event my boss said he’d like to us attend. He actually linked this event to the “fun” part of our company’s values. It’ll be this black tie snobby affair. We don’t have to attend the afternoon presentation, but in the evening, it’s a cocktail party, dinner, and awards. I already had to spend a whole weekend with these people. Six months is not long enough.

I can’t wait for this snow to be all washed away. It gets really icy really quickly around here. But we’re expecting more flurries. Please, just bring on the (warmer) rains!

And I am taking Chinese New Year off. Just one day off. Hurrah! There is so much I could be doing, but it wouldn’t be right to do it that day. There is a lot I need to do before my benefits run out!

I have just under 16K photos uploaded to my Flickr account -- most of them are set to private...BWAHAHA I think I will start making more of them public. I'm not quite at the point where I want to be showing photos of me, friends, or family. However, I hardly get Google searches for me these days, so that does make me feel better.

On the other hand, most of friends don't have Flickr accounts. Mr. Nick has one but he's never added me as a contact. That pisses me off! 

I called the hotel to make reservations for a show, just so I could have some control over my seats.

Now that I've hung up and booked my non-refundable and non-exhchangeable tickets, I can only hope I asked for the right date!!

GAAAAH! 

We got our biggest dump of the season. It's not really that horrible, but I am working from home! Hurrah! But any more than a day of working at home will make me go crazy.

I just have to resist the urge to clean my place instead of working. I will, however, go for a nice walk in the snow later.

And I might bake some chocolate chunk cookies. That would give me an opportunity to try out my new kitchen scale! And maybe I will even use my new Silpat mats! Woo!

I can’t stand Katherine Heigl…I don’t know why. Her character made me want to punch her in the face because of her doormat quality. Does that mean Katherine Heigl did a good acting job? They made her wear a lot of floral and her hair was a lot darker. The movie didn’t really have a strong storyline either.

Her little sister in the movie is getting better roles, I guess. But they’re always looks-focused. Why not, I guess…She has a really fit physique. She went topless in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.

Saturday was a good day. I spent the whole day with my best friend! We started off with shopping at Costco. Then we had breakfast at IHOP, and toodled off to Michael’s. Then it was some more shopping at the mall (I even got a shirt for work, and I hadn’t planned on getting anything). We finished off with the movie and having some pizza at her mom’s.

She’s due with Baby #2 right before I’m due for Vegas. Talking with her about having babies sure was different talking to my old colleague the night before.

I joke about not having babies because of all the physical changes, but I don’t think there is any mom out there who thinks not having kids because of the physical aftermath is a valid reason.

I don’t want to think about my body parts ripping…or weight gain…or saggy body parts, or loose body parts…or excess skin. I also don’t have child bearing hips!! I’d gladly use a surrogate mother and implant my fertilized eggs!!

What I saw was a lot of Caucasians in Chinese clothing and kilts, and some Chinese people wearing tartans. It was cool seeing people dressed up!

But the food was not worth what we paid for, even though there was some subpar entertainment and partial proceeds went to some special interest groups…like the dragon boat team. We didn’t know what food was going to be on the menu because they like to keep things a surprise. I did know there was going to be haggis wonton, haggis sui mai, and haggis lettuce wraps.

It would have been nice to go with a big group of friends or something instead of eating with strangers. One (Asian) women thought it was okay to take some lettuce off the serving plate, rip it half with her bare hands, and put the other half back on the serving plate. She was also turning the lazy Susan when other people were still getting food. And she did the lick and dip.

I’ve had haggis only one other time, and it was also for a Robbie Burns dinner. The pageant I was in was put on by the Vancouver Chinatown Lions Club which has Scottish routes. So I’ve had haggis lettuce wraps before. That time was better, I think. Haggis is a little crumbly, but last night’s reminded me of pate. I didn’t really care for haggis as much this time around. It had this smell which I can’t translate into English.

The rest of the food was low-quality stuff – like there were no expensive ingredients used in anything.

One comment I found funny in an ignorant way was said by this really nice (Caucasian) woman. She said, “I must be the only woman on the planet who loves tofu!”

I also tried scotch for the first time last night, too. Johnny Walker was one of the sponsors, and they were giving out samples. From the little bit I did have, my throat sure felt it! 

One of my favourite books ever is Banana Boys written by Terry Woo. It's about a bunch of 5 Canadian-Asian guys who are friends. They're university students going to the U of Waterloo. I loved the book because it was smartly written and I could totally relate to the characters (even though I'm not a dude.)

The play is going on in town right now. The play is very loosely based on the book. And it was enjoyable!

I tend to go to comedies when I see plays. There was some humour in this play but it was kind of dark. The story starts off with one of the guys’ deaths, and the story unfolds with the development of their friendship and the challenges in their lives that they face. Props were very minimal! But I loved the acting and the characters.

I think I ate some moldy bread yesterday.

I am SO ready for my first In-N-Out Burger experience.

And Cute Butt Boy is on Facebook now! I have to admit I had warm fuzzies when he used phrases we used to say to each other in our message exchange. I had forgotten about them. I haven't spoken to CBB since I cut him off when things with me and Mr. Nick started heating up!

My co-workers and I went out for dim sum (a type of Chinese meal eaten at lunch time). I have to say that I do not particularly enjoy having dim sum with non-family. I’m not sure about having dim sum with other Chinese people not related to me (well, aside from Mr. Nick).

I hate having to explain everything – the food, the customs, proper manners. Actually, I never say anything about the manners. I just wouldn’t feel right about it.

Traditionally, with dim sum, servers bring around the food (all kept on small plates or in small bamboo steamers) and ask if you want an item. If you do, they put it down and mark it down on a sheet. Nowadays, it’s more common to order off a menu. This restaurant did it the old way (more appealing to the white folk)

There is one rice dish that is steamed inside leaves. A couple of eastern European coworkers were adamant they were grape leaves. My other Chinese coworker and I were like, “no…these are really big leaves.” I’ve never really thought about grapes in China…but are there grape growing regions there?

Anyway, here are several table manners to keep in mind when having (real) Chinese food:

• Chopsticks are not to be meant to be used as drum sticks or orifice picking implements. No, it’s not okay for kids to be playing with chopsticks either.
• If there is a teapot near you, make sure everyone’s tea cups are always filled. Don’t ask if people want tea. Just do it.
• Use serving utensils provided unless your chopsticks have not touched your lips. If no serving utensils are provided, don’t lick your chopsticks and grab food. It is okay to use the “wrong” end of your chopsticks to grab what you need.
• Do not pick up the serving plate to grab what you need (that’s the North American way). This is my BIGGEST pet peeve. If there is a lazy Susan, use it. If you still can’t reach, move YOUR dish closer to the serving plate. You can even stand up to get food. Just make sure you’re not reaching across the table. Otherwise, ask someone to put a serving in your dish.
• Also, take only a little bit at a time. The point is not to grab enough to fill you up. There will be more food, and you want to make sure there is enough for everyone.
• When grabbing food from a dish, take what’s closest to you from the dish, and don’t dig.
• Make sure chopsticks are never standing straight up. Lay them flat or on a chopsticks rest. 

I was next to The Farter on the elliptical on the gym today. She was really engrossed in the ads in the magazine she was reading. Normally I don’t even glance at them, but she was reading every word. One time she was two elliptical machines away from me, and she let something nasty go.

This morning I sat next to a guy who wore cologne that didn’t agree with me so much that I thought my nostrils were burning. His cologne had hints of fart in it, too.

I noticed my energy levels and mood being a little weird again, so I started on the Floradix again. I meant to do it sooner anyway.

One thing my friends and I don’t do is discuss our possessions and how much money we make, etc. I have no idea how my friends are doing financially. Last night Mr. Nick told me he looked up to see how much The Godmother and The Godfather were selling their condo for. I don’t know why it bothered me so much. I felt like it was none of my business, and it wasn’t even something I was curious about. And then I gave him a piece of my mind about it. I don’t know if I was peeved because he was digging into something that wasn’t any of his business or because he wasn’t using that time to help plan our Vegas trip!

Apparently my dad has settled into his new place and has a landline. Has he given me his address or his phone number? Nope. He’s probably mad at me for telling him to not call me so late. I’d really like to give him a piece of my mind about what I think of him as a father and as a man. Me telling him would probably be the end of our relationship.  I wonder if I would regret not letting him know ever.

Tomorrow I get to spend the whole day with my best friend. I can’t wait! I don’t know how long she will last given she’s exhausted and 5 weeks away from her due date.

I have the flexibility to work from home if I want, which is great. I take advantage of this benefit if I have an appointment or if I’m sick.

I’m finally over my cold, but I spent 2 and a half days working at home. I think any more than 2 days, I go crazy.

My home workstation is not that ergonomically sound, and I didn’t take many breaks. When I work at home, I almost work harder so I have something to show for not being in the office. Yesterday, as I worked, I realized how STIFF my neck was. I also had a headache and was feeling a little nauseated. I am still experiencing such symptoms. (No, I am not going to the chiropractor for these issues!)

It is going to take me a while to get myself back to normal…Lots of stretching is in order!

A coworker asked me how I was feeling, and I told her that I was going stir-crazy working at home, being cooped up all day. [Oh, that is another thing. I guess I don’t like being cooped up at home all day after all. I totally had to get out of my apartment by the time I was able to get away.] And then she said to me, “well, you will catch up.”

She sure is deadline-driven. In the past, she’s asked me how I’m doing with my deadlines. And now *that* comment? Who said anything about falling behind?

I would have gone out earlier yesterday, but I had to speak with my new manager :-D I verbally accepted the job offer! My salary will be higher than it’s ever been, and I am back to 3 weeks of vacation and a highly-likely bonus. I hope those things and being able to work with one of my favourite colleagues will trump the potential frustrations of working with this manager. I think he’s the kind of manager with grand ideas that may not always be feasible (or possible) to implement.

I won’t be starting for another couple of months though. I could be starting next week if I want, but instead…I’m going to try to finish up a large chunk of what I’m doing currently.

Also, Mr. Nick and I pushed our Vegas trip a week later…all because of NASCAR. It’s been his dream to attend a NASCAR race, and we were going to be in Vegas for it. However, attending the race is not in his budget right now, so we won’t be attending. He doesn’t even want to be in Vegas during it. Going the following week is significantly cheaper, so it’s all good. We’ll have to plan for a future race. :-)

Technically, I will be giving almost 3 weeks notice. I'll give my notice, work a couple of days, take several days off, work some more, and have my last day be Good Friday.  

I hate some of the ads in Facebook.

One is this financial advisor who's had "over 20 years of experience." The thing is that he looks like my current manager. I want to punch the monitor when I see that photo.

Another one is this chiropractor. He was on an Internet dating site. I sent him a message, and he never wrote me back.

I think the power of my sneezes should be harnessed as a new energy source. I sneezed so hard yesterday I thought I was going to pee my pants. And I never stop at just one sneeze! They're always in series of 3 or 4!!

Later this afternoon, I will be on the phone discussing my next possible job opportunity. My desired salary range was do-able. Hopefully they meet me at least half way, and then we discuss when I'd start. They said that my start date could possibly be pushed back to May, but I wonder if that is dependent on pay. Otherwise, I may suggest starting April 1?

At first I said mid-March, but with this Vegas thing...I don't want to have my vacation days too close to my last day.

I have a co-worker who's always been very loyal to our company whose gotten extremely bitter and unhappy in a very short period of time. He is planning on leaving, and it could be soon. I hope he leaves first! I can't wait for an exit interview! I wonder if I'd end up burning bridges...not a really good thing to do, but I'm definitely going to let them know how the company did not meet my expectations which were laid out from the beginning. I might mention some of the things that my boss said to me at my 3-month "review" that I was going to talk to HR about anyway.

So I've been working from home the last couple of days, and I've sent my boss updates, etc. Today is our weekly team meeting. I sent him an email telling him I would glad to call in for the meeting, and of course I get no reply to my email. Oh well. 

I also got some Facebook message from someone I didn't know. She asked me if I had been looking at her profile and talking to her sister. I wasn't sure if she was accusing me of anything, but she came across that way. I told her that I hadn't been looking at her profile, and that I didn't even know her sister was on Facebook. (I worked with her sister a while back, and her husband was my manager for a while, too). I tried to end on a bitchy-happy note to tell her sister that I said hi.

I can't taste anything right now and I'm all snotty! (I could be snottier.) I thought I was wining with this cold!

Tomorrow night I'm supposed to be going out for a nice dinner. I want to be able to taste it!!

This Contact C to fight congestion is not enough anymore! I need something more hardcore! NOW!

I'd be at home right now if it wasn't for my waxing appointment. 

When I came home yesterday, there were three police cruisers outside my building. That is rather unusual for my 'hood although I often see one cruiser on the street on weekends in the evenings.

When I picking up my mail, I saw some guy getting escorted out in handcuffs. I wonder what the issue was...domestic dispute?? Anyway, maybe our strata council meeting minutes will say something in the next bulletin.

My mom made me a proposal...I can pretty much live in her place, rent free and either rent out my place or sell it. (No, she wouldn't be living there.) It would be such a good opportunity for me to save money (or even make money! I don't know what it's like to be a landlord...) However, I'm not sure if I sold what that would mean for me recovering my leaky condo costs with the lawsuit (or an upcoming possible lawsuit). And I am not too crazy about my mom's complex. It's really busy. And it's also farther away from the future Skytain that's getting built.

I also read an article entitled "Woman Pinned Under Car". It should have been "Daughter Runs over Mom". This woman was waiting in her car to pick up her mother. When her mother fell, she got out of her car to go help. However, she didn't put the car into Park, and the car rolled onto poor mummy and pinned her. The mom was airlifted to a hospital. 

A coworker complimented me on my jeans.

I bet she was checking out my ass.

I hope I am not acting too soon!

But I am now in the process of using up vacation days I have at my current job. I'd rather take them instead of getting paid out. (Not like I have a lot of vacation days...I'll have accumulated 6.5 days by mid-March. I'm just going to use 4 days, which is what I accumulated in 2007.)

Vegas is in the works!

Oh, Vegas...how I have missed you. 

Sure there are lots of places I could be going, but it's just going to be a short trip! And I can guarantee it will be action-packed!!

And now I am fighting off a cold *ACHOO* 

If you were taking a temporary position (although a somewhat long one), which would you go for?

1. Getting paid a salary equivalent to a permanent employee and getting medical and health benefits.

2. Getting paid a contractor’s rate (about 50% more than a permanent salary) and no medical and health benefits.

It's true. The only time I use a brush - and a round one at that - is if I am trying to style my hair with a blowdryer.

A colleague said to me today, "you must brush your hair a lot."

I'm not sure why he said that.  

I do comb it, though.

And I got tickets to a Scottish Chinese banquet dinner! 

So I had my interview tonight...It sounds like I pretty much have the job?? There has been nothing official yet. However, the guy who interviewed me thinks extremely highly of the colleague who recommended me.

He wants to bring me on now even though he hasn't discussed with his boss. The original proposal was for me to cover my colleague when she goes on maternity leave, which isn't until June or July. I did think it was a little strange that he'd want to talk to me now. Anyhow, he'd like the contractor to start asap. Officially, the position would end June 2009, but he said if things went well, he'd try his best to get me on full-time afterwards. I know my colleague would rather work part-time once baby #3 arrives.

Also, he needs to talk to HR about such a long contract position...they might want it to be a full-time permanent? At this point, I need to supply him a monthly contract rate and an annual salary $. The annual salary amount is a no-brainer for me, but I have not done anything in the contracting world. I've been advised to tack on 50% to what I make monthly. But I need to consider what the employer should provide for me, such as a workstation if I'm going to be in their office, etc.

What do I need to know about figuring out a contract rate??

Even though I would love to quit my current job right now, I feel like I should finish my current project. I told him my earliest availability would be mid-March. 

Everyone in my company has reviews at this time of year, and I had my review with my boss today. His comments were useful, but none of the scores were. With our reviews, there are 4 sections. Each section merits an overall rating: 1, 2, 3, or 4, and then there are smaller items, where you’re rated on a scale of Low to High.

Boss likes to keep his scores absolutely middle of the road and a bit lower. “Meeting expectations” is even a little too much. Even my writing and grammar were given 3/5 Excuse me?

I also got no raise. There was no mention about salary either. I don’t know why I didn’t bring it up. In my contract I was supposed to have a salary review at my 6 month anniversary, which was 5 days ago.

Should I mention it to my boss now?

I have a job interview tonight, too. This is for a contract job during my old colleague’s maternity leave. If I am offered the job, should I take it? The job wouldn’t start until July, and if I find something full-time before then, I’d definitely take it. Why are they doing interviews now?? Maybe they’re just short-listing.

Anyway, the sooner I get out of my current company, the better I will be financially and professionally.

To this day, my ankle hurts if I wear high heels or if go upside down on poles. I went snowshoeing yesterday and I stepped on it funny, so now my ankle is bothering me again.

What sort of health practitioner am I supposed to see to help my ankle heal?? I don’t think seeing my doctor will help.

Nonetheless, I am really enjoying showshoeing these days!

After I picked up my orhotics, I figured I would be done with my chiropractor. Actually, I didn’t even want to see him before then. The receptionist told me that he preferred to discuss with his clients when getting their orthotics.

There was no discussion for me. My chiropractor had told me to read the instructions in the packaging.

Anyway, someone called me on my cell phone today. I thought it might be a job lead, so I answered. What a mistake. It was HIM. He was calling to get me to book an appointment!!! He didn’t even inquire about anything else! Well, he asked me how my holiday was. I guess he forgot I saw him right after Christmas.

And all he did was push, push, push for me to book an appointment. Sadly, I did not have the guts to tell him that I didn’t plan on seeing him ever again. Instead I lied and said I was going away, and that I would book an appointment when I got back. But even then he was still trying to get me to book an appointment for later.

I have never, ever had a health “professional&rdquo ; make a sales call with me!

I also saw my boss sitting on a chair with his foot on another chair (think of the elevated leg’s knee at a 90-degree angle) while he was in our retired CFO’s office chit chatting. Nice and professional looking!

I have only 2 regularly scheduled meetings that occur every week at work. Put together, they are supposed to be only 1 hour long.

My boss just sent me a meeting request for my review, and his timing is impeccable. Of course the review is to take place during one of those meetings.

Of course this scheduling conflict wouldn’t have had to even arise if my company didn’t think Microsoft Exchange Server was “too expensive” to implement for everyone in the company. Only managers and execs are on Exchange Server. What a joke.

I dislike how meetings are handled in my department. What’s the point of having scheduled meetings when they never start on time or be as long as the time specified??

I guess I will attempt to reschedule my review.

Hurrah! I picked up my new glasses last night. I like their look, and I am excited about them because they’re an Asian brand…perfect for Asian faces!! The nose nubbies are higher…perfect for Asian noses.

I do wonder if that means my glasses are closer to my face. Last night when I tried them on, I could feel my eyelashes brushing against the lenses. I did use a little too much mascara yesterday by accident. But I have long lashes albeit they’re poker straight and on the sparse side.

I like my mascara to thicken.

I also tried a Papa Beard cream puffs last night. I’ve never been a cream puff kind of person, and I guess this particular cream puff hasn’t changed me. The cream was more like a custard, but not as thick. The pastry part was nice and crisp, though! Maybe if I think about them some more I will crave another one.

I still have my Lindt Christmas advent calendar to finish off. When I was at Costco last week, I saw a Lindt Easter thingee. It wasn’t a calendar, but looked like those advent calendar without numbers. I think I will eventually buy one to share with Mr. Nick.

I have been feeling stressed and really burnt out for quite some time. I think it’s really starting to affect me. I haven’t felt totally happy for quite some time, and it’s affecting my interaction with people. It almost feels like a burden to see people because I feel like it’s cutting into my me time. I sense a snowball effect going on.

I’m constantly doing something so it saves me time farther down the road. And I feel like these are things I have to do. Usually these things are cooking and laundry?! Never mind the “to-do-when-I-have- time” list that seems to get longer and longer…

I always have to make sure I have enough for lunches because if I’m home late one night, I don’t have to worry about cooking (I hate buying lunch because I don’t like my food choices where I work). I have to make sure I have enough gym clothes for at least two days because I hang my clothes to dry. It probably wouldn’t as hard to coordinate if I had a schedule of events 2 weeks in advance. Or if I was single or if I always slept at home.

I really need to find ways to de-stress that doesn’t involve increasing my cost of living! Maybe I need to make bigger batch of freezer-friendly foods and buy more gym clothes. But whatever it is, I need to do it now!

“The holidays are about spending money”…Does that sound wrong? Anyway, there were 11 birthdays and 2 anniversaries between me and Mr. Nick in December and January.

What is with people getting it on March and April? Stop it!

My company does annual reviews for everyone at the same time of year. I wonder if there is some smart reasoning for it instead of doing reviews on people’s anniversary dates. I am due for a 6 month salary review anyway. In two days, I can’t be fired without just cause. Woo.

Anyway, the process for these reviews is that the manager and the employee get the same blank form. We both evaluate and compare, I guess. It’s never been explicitly explained. Too bad I don’t get to review my boss. And the lame thing about these forms is that every one gets the same one – the same 9 page form.

I am SO not looking forward to the review meeting.

I’ve started taking iron supplements since my energy is low. Now is probably the best time since it’s PMS week!

Where did the weekend go? I don’t even feel like I did much. I did start reading those Women’s Murder Club books. I wonder how the author comes up with such twisted tales? At least the book is keeping me interested, and I am thrilled I am reading more!

Last week, I bought a couple of .ca domains. Does anyone know how to set up gmail so that I’d be able to receive email if I had some addresses set up??

I don’t usually pick up on people having a dislike for me, and I hope I am not being paranoid, but I get this feeling that one of Mr. Nick’s friend’s girlfriends doesn’t seem as friendly towards me as when we first met. Maybe her boyfriend and I get along too well?? She used to be quite chatty with me, and the chattiness has decreased. When they came by to pick up his umbrella yesterday, she didn’t even say anything to me, and we were both at the door. She did however ask Mr. Nick a lot about his holiday. (No, I’m not jealous. She is usually quite inquisitive and personable.)

And it hurts so much to sneeze and cough! I knew I overdid the ab work at the gym!!  

I printed off a job posting to a printer in the office. I hope it never gets printed. I think we are having printer network issues. In fact, we were cut off from the Internet and our LAN for a few hours because of some virus issue.

I applied for a job a couple of weeks ago, and they called me back to let me know that they were re-assessing the job description and wouldn’t be hiring for the position for another month or two. I’m happy they called me, but what does their situation really mean?

There is a mercury retrograde starting up close to the end of the month and won’t end until the 3^rd week of February. This tells me I really shouldn’t be applying for jobs right now because I refuse to start another job during a retrograde. However, today, I found a job posting for a job close to my place that is up my alley…I’ll apply anyway.

I met up with an old co-worker for lunch today. She had told me there was some possible contract work if I was interested. Turns out she’s preggers and would be on mat leave starting July. She is sort of trying to find a replacement for herself already. BWAHAHA

I am a little uncomfortable being in competition for jobs right now with my old boss, though!

I thought my luck ran out yesterday since I got that phone call about the postponed job opportunity. And also, I thought I lost the keys to get into my condo (main door and suite). I really HATE the rule that there is only key per resident. I have a 2 bedroom suite, but I am only allowed one key for the main door/garage. RIDICULOUS. I tried getting a spare key because I didn’t’ want to be locked out of my own home, but they wouldn’t budge.

Anyway, I called the after hours phone number for the property management company because the strata committee told residents to do that if they were ever locked out of the building. The guy who answered the phone said that they didn’t deal with building access issues!! He took my phone number and information and told me that someone would call me back “soon”. NOBODY called me back, and 20 hours later, nobody still has!

Not everyone is a night owl, but when I used to be one, I'd never call people after 10. I felt uncomfortable even calling some people after 9 pm.

But my aunt never calls earlier than 10:30 (I don't answer), and my dad thought 11:15 would be a great time to call me last night! 

My dad had called at 7 pm first and left a message to say he was calling to see if there was anything important he needed to know about his place.

Quite frankly, I am not sure where my dad is right now. All I know is that he is in China –whether it’s Hong Kong or the mainland, I have no idea. Despite my numerous requests for some sort of address, he’s not told me. All I have for him is a cell phone number for a cell phone that’s rarely turned on.

He calls using Skype, and it’s the worst connection EVER. I hear maybe every third word amongst a lot of static.

Every time I have to talk to him, I just get angry. E-mail would be easiest for me to deal with. I actually thought he was calling about a Christmas parcel I picked up for him from his “friend” that he “no longer speaks with.” I had just sent him a short e-mail that morning. He is 15 or 16 hours ahead of me.

I told him to not call so late next time. Normally I don’t even pick up the phone after 10 pm, but I knew it was my dad calling so I answered. He called 3 times before I could actually hear him. The third time was almost 11:30 pm. (I am trying hard to get to sleep between 10 and 11 these days because I don’t get enough sleep during the week.)

He said I was difficult to get a hold of. I always call him back when he leaves a message. Also, he has my cell phone number. The last time he called me was on my birthday, almost 2 weeks ago…but it was to tell me (for the third time) to pick up Christmas cakes for him). The message did end with, “oh, and happy birthday.”

Yeah, I am choked he called not to chat and see how I was doing, but to ask if there was anything he needed to know about his place. You’d think I would have attempted to let him know?

I probably won’t hear from him in a couple of weeks until his cheques are estimated to arrive. He’ll call to ask if they’ve arrived and give me directions (again) to deposit them for him asap.

He also rushed to get off the phone when I was trying to tell him about my cousin’s wedding. We have to RSVP by the end of the month, and my dad won’t have a chance to look at the invitation.

I’m quite excited for the wedding. There’ll be a Chinese banquet for the welcome dinner the night before the wedding. The following day is the ceremony and then a reception at the aquarium! I didn’t think my dad would be interested in the aquarium festivities since it’s not Chinese food, but he said he was going to skip the welcome dinner.

I think he’s being rather disrespectful to not attend every thing. Oh well.

I felt really lucky yesterday. I should double-check my astral transits printouts…

Anyway, I went grocery shopping yesterday for two things: paper towels and unsweetened soy milk. I’ve been using these coupons that give me free paper towels. The store ran out for a while and got some more stock in. When I went yesterday, I got the last roll!

They were out of my unsweetened soy milk the last two times I went to the store. Yesterday, I got the last carton!

(Yes, little things make a difference. :-P)

I also got my annual assessment on my home in the mail. Maybe someone in the building will contest, and we’ll get re-assessed. But as it stands, the value of my place has gone up by 10% this year. It’s gone up 36% since I bought it 3 years ago.

For my birthday, a friend gave me a cupcake decorating kit. Unfortunately, I already had the same kit, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her. It’s not something I need doubles of. It’s a book and several frosting tips. I decided to try returning it to Michael’s with no receipt. Luckily, they gave me a credit, and the value was more than I was expecting.

I also saw Juno a couple of days ago. It was a really good movie! It’s the best movie I’ve seen all year!!