Christmas

I have a pen pal that I just adore. She's from Wrexam, UK. I had to look for that place on the map! Never even heard of it.

The other day she had written me and was just talking about her life, current renovations at her house, her family, etc. Just normal stuff which I love. But she asked me a question about invitations. She had received a Christmas dinner invitation...and this was a couple of weeks ago...is it too early?

Really? Do I even have to think about this one?! YES. It's too early for a Christmas invitation. YES, it's too early for the Christmas trees to be out at Costco. YES, I think that Christmas stuff should not be out until after Rememberance Day.

Seriously, I will go bonkers if Christmas becomes a year round event.

Decisions

Sometimes, I can only shake my head at the decisions that managers make. However, I also understand that some decisions are made because of reasons that are unknown to peons such as myself. I accept that. These folks get paid the "big" money to determine certain things, to stick by their decision and live with the consequences.

However, there are times that even peons like me need to say something. One of my co-workers basically was denied some training. The reasons, well, there didn't seem to be any. And the option provided did not make sense. And even the director was somewhat confused.

Today was not a good day for management to be confused or to make a crazy deciion about denying someone's training for no reason or a mediocre reason.

As the learning coordinator in the office, I have a responsibility to ensure that certain training happens. If training is denied, it better be for a good reason.

I marched into the director's office, talked about the act that governs this type of training, talked about the reasons why this person should not be denied, gave him the history, etc. I laid it on pretty thick because it just didn't make sense she was denied. Now, even though I laid it on thick, I know I was respectful. This was about standing up for a fellow employee.

And who knows? Best case scenario is that this decision is reversed. But I don't know unless I try. I'm hoping for some good news for my fellow co-worker.

Connections

I like connecting with friends and family. But I also love making new connections, you never know where they may lead!

As many of you know, I had made a connection with an author that I absolutely love and adore. I actually got an opportunity to have drinks with her in Vegas. And then when she stopped in town while writing one of her books, she actually gave me a shout and we had dinner together. It was fantastic! And all of this took place because of 1 e-mail.

I recently made a connection with another author again through e-mail. This author had written her first book and I thought it was just such an amazing read! Oh, I can't gush enough about it. So I wrote her and told her about it. And I also started reading her blog and it's amazing. She lives in Paris and since I've been there, I can picture what she's explaining and I've been to some places she's blogging about.

Honestly, I don't expect responses from authors because they get a ton of fan mail. But I was so delighted that I received a personalized e-mail from her. I know for most folks, this is on the "stupid" end of things to do. But I just love this kind of stuff! And really, what if I got to meet her too?! I would love to go to Paris to meet her! And so up my alley of things to do.

So, another item to add to the bucket list rather than tick off. Can't wait to finally tick it off!

Productive Weekend

Saturday wasn't that productive. But I got the girls to swimming, finished up a movie with my husband and just chillaxed a bit. I needed it.

But Sunday, for whatever reason was a very productive one. This included taking the kids to the aquarium, taking them to a birthday party, deleting over 8,000 emails (updates, junk, etc), uploaded 700 photos and categorized them, packed up clothes that are going back to a friend, moved all my scrapbooking stuff to a different area that's hidden to give me back 3 feet of my bedroom, and all the other chores to get ready for the week. So even though Saturday was a complete write off, I think I made up for it on Sunday.

And now I'm pooped!!!

Bashing

I have 2 people on my Facebook page that I would consider acquaintances. I used to work with them a number of years ago. They seemed like neat peeople however, I must say, I was somewhat suprised when they said they were getting married!

But off to the wedding I went wishing them the very best. And years later, I went to the baby shower as they introduced their newborn to everybody.

Fast forward a couple more years and things are not so good. In fact, they announced their separation on Facebook with a status change. Well, that's a good way to get news out fast. And things seemed amicable between them.

But now, one side has decided to air out every piece of dirty laundry in the marriage and constantly bashing the other person. We're not talking about light bashing, we are talking about full on stuff. The other person has not eeked out one word about the other ex spouse and has kept their Facebook statuses about their life only.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know what happened between the two to bring about this situation. All I know is that there is a time and place for news...and I don't think Facebook statuses for stuff like this is appropriate. But that's social media for you...anything and everything goes. I find that the more I read from the basher, the more upset I get at this person because it's just juvenile and utterly disrespectful to those that are still friends with the other spouse. And really, puts the basher in a terrible light. I'm not saying they have nothing to complain about. And what if the kids are reading all of this crap? Ugh.

It might be time to do another deletion of folks of my Facebook.

Block Party 2010

Oh, another year, another block party. This year was a little earlier than usual. And I love going these block parties...but it also lets me know the passage of time. i.e. the summer is coming to an end real fast!

These parties are always a nice reminder that we do have some great neighbours. I get to catch up with people, the kids play on the street and there is always good food and conversation.

Honestly, people's lives are just so uniquely fascinating. I just find my neighbours to lead interesting lives and they have interesting jobs. There is one couple that are performers and they travel around the world. One neighour used to be a spy. One is a cop. One is a stay at home dad. One is a scientist. Totally neat jobs and great stories to go with it.

This year, my husband outlasted me and he stayed out way later than I did. And good...he seems to rarely see our neighbours.

So, to another great block party. Time to enjoy the rest of the summer before it's back to school for the kids.

Trip Planning

Seems like I've been helping all my co-workers plan their trips this summer! I should be upset that I'm not going anywhere. But I'm suprisingly not. I'm having fun telling them all the places I visited, happy to talk about my adventures while there, the food, the culture...all of it.

And I'm extra happy as they are starting to get excited about their own trips! You can just see that they can't wait to get going. It'll be great when they come back and I get to see how the cities have changed.

Travelling and seeing the world is an amazing experience. In hindsight, I wish I did more and lived more in the moment while younger. Can you believe it, I was busy trying to save money?! I can't wait for these folks to have amazing adventures!!!

Loans

The idea of an RV is really awesome. I just like the fact that it would be a ton more comfortable than camping. I'm just not a good camper. But even the smallest RV can be quite expensive. Thinking of getting a rv insurance quote is enough to make me cry. Money leaves my wallet all the time...do I need to spend more? Probably not. And I have no place to park the damn thing.

Oh well. I guess I will have to stick to camping. Boo.

Disney DVD

I sent in for one of those free Disney DVD planning DVDs. It finally came! It also came with some pamphlets to let me know about all the new things at Disneyland.

Seriously, within the first 3 minutes of the DVD, I was already tearing up. Everything is so magical...even the DVDs they do! But thinking about how my girls are just going to love this place. It really will be incredible and so magical for them.

The best part is, when we decide to go next year, it'll be a suprise. We'll have everything to go and put them in a car and tell them we're going someplace. They're going to be shocked! I can't wait!!!

Until then, I will have to hold onto my enthusiasm, make my list of antenna balls I want to get, and not say a word to the girls! FUN.

Winnebago Man

I know this is sad...but there is a show called the Ultimate Trailer Show and I just LOVE it. Basically it's a half hour show with a host who is quite funny, and the whole premise of the show is movie previews. Yep, a whole 1/2 hour of previews.

Today, I was watching it and they were talking about a documentary called the Winnebago Man. The title sounded terrible but I thought I'd just see what it was all about. Basically it's a guy that did commercials about RVs but it's the out takes that were the best things to watch. They made a movie about this guy, his life, where he is now and how pissed off a guy he is.

Now remember, he's supposed to be selling RVs. But all the out takes has him swearing about rv loans, how the door isn't working, swearing at flies because they are in this way...just think, CRANKY old guy with a severe attitude. But yet there was something about him that was actually quite endearing.

So thanks to the Ultimate Trailer Show, I'll be watching Winnebago Man in the near future.

Information Management

I was telling a co-worker about my fun times at the Powell Street Festival. One of the things I was telling him about was how the guy sitting next to me also worked for the government but was in the field of information management.

My co-worker and I talked about how this field really is the future. There is just SO much information out there. And unless it's tagged/catalogued in a meaningful way, it's not useful.

One of the forms of management my co-worker would like to see is document management. He works with a large group of folks and they all have a shared network drive and each person has a folder full of documents. But he mentioned that at least 1/2 of it is duplicate information, if you're searching for stuff, you don't know what's most recent, and how one copy is different from another. TOO much information but no way to use it properly.

Seriously, information management is the future.

Cigars

I was watching a movie and some guy was smoking a cigar. I figured that this kind of item would have gone out of style...especially with so many cities banning smoking in any public area. I personally love the ban but that's me.

But sure enough, cigars of all kinds, including cao cigars are keeping millions happy still. Well, good for those folks I suppose.

But until I have to travel somewhere where smoking cigarettes and cigars openly, I'll enjoy my clean air here.

Mirrors

I have a co-worker who is just adorable. But I walked by her desk and noticed she now has one of those convex mirrors on top of her computer monitor. I guess she needs to see who is coming towards her. I hope it works for her!

But I'm sure I would be distracted. LOL! Is someone coming to talk to me or give me work? I'm ok with the talking bit, not so much with getting extra work. I have enough, thanks.

Or maybe she's trying to figure out who is stealing those supplies from the First Aid kit!!!Maybe I should pay her a couple a bucks a month to find out for me.

Horse Races

About 2 weeks ago, there was a tragic accident at the local race track. Quite sad. The horse basically ran into the winner's circle...something about the blinders not letting him see properly. Some folks got hurt too. Scary stuff.

But I wonder if something like a horse tack could have helped? Or maybe we shouldn't have horse races. I never really understood it. But to each their own I suppose.

Well, hopefully no more freak accidents like that happen again. I hate those stories.

Backstreet's Back!

Oh, the dissing from friends. Well, at least it's friendly dissing.

I recently went with a friend to the Backstreet Boy's concert. Yep. Boy band lover! And the great part was that she loved them too. She made me look like an amateur boy band lover though. But just knowing that you can share an experience/like with someone and not be dissed is awesome. And really, for any concert, you can't go with someone that doesn't like the group.

For example, the guy sitting behind me. After the opening act, someone tapped me on the shoulder. She said that I need to be careful because the guy behind me (who she was sitting next to) had fallen asleep with a food tray on his lap...that was slowly slipping down his leg...and it had a full cup of beer in it. It was definitely looking like it was going to spill. So I just sat closer to the edge of the seat hoping to not be spilled on.

Thank goodness his girlfriend showed up. When she did, you could hear her asking "why are you so wasted? What's wrong with you? Do I have to take you home?" At that point, I turned around just to push his tray a bit and I just said to the girl that I didn't want him to waste his beer. She was good about it.

But the next thing you know, the guy is puking his guts out. Yeah, he's behind me, puking on the floor. Nasty. So the girl that originally tapped me on the shoulder told me to go get security. She was nice enough to say to the guy's girlfriend that it wasn't her, but it was him and this wasn't acceptable. So off to report this guy. A bit of chaos and a hair check for puke. But in the end, the guy and his girlfriend were removed.

I felt terrible for his girlfriend because he ruined a great night out for her. Obviously he didn't want to be there. And she probably forked out a ton of money for the tickets, drinks, etc.

But even though it was literally a yucky situation, my friend and I got bumped up to 10th row. The other girls around us also got bumped up. I met some gals that were very nice. Enjoyed a much closer view of the Backstreet Boys. And I hope that was the opportunity for that girl to dump that loser boyfriend.

So, despite the drama and the dissing from friends, I must say, the Backstreet Boys have grown up, cute as ever, sounded good, had the moves and were just FUN to watch! Yep, I'm not too shy to say that I sang my little heart out, cheered, swayed, pumped my arms. It was a totally fun concert that I would do over again.

LOL! Though this was a great time to think about my younger days and how much I loved them, my body is definitely not able to handle late nights and I felt old when I woke up. I felt jet lagged. But well worth it for a fantastic concert and great time with a buddy!

Vitamins

Recently, I had lunch with a girlfriend and she told me she was pregnant for the 2nd time! Yah. She looks amazing and she is doing well. But I felt bad for her when she told me about her prenatal vitamins. I think it's the iron content that's probably a tad high for her...but basically, she wants to throw up everytime she takes them.

And of course, because she's done it a couple of times, chances are, her body is just used to not wanting them in her body and as a reaction, she just gags.

Pregnancy and kids is a great thing and I realize it's not for everybody. But sometimes I wonder why pregnant women have to "suffer" so much during their pregnancy! I mean really, toting around a watermelon for a long period of time, not being able to sleep, not being to eat properly, and then having a misshapen body for the rest of your life... and then you can't even eat your supplements without gagging just seems cruel.

Supplies

I'm currently a First Aid attendant at my office. As part of my duties, I need to ensure that the First Aid boxes are up to date and the appropriate supplies are in it. Or more like, ensuring that there are enough supplies because people haven't pilfered through it thinking it's their own medical supply box.

So I checked the box recently, and some items are missing or not correct. I went to a local place that sold medical supplies and asked to buy the missing items. Unfortunately, every medical company sells specific items under different names. And this guy had no clue what I was asking about and couldn't help me.

So, I called another medical supply place and I left a message. They couldn't be bothered to call me back.

I asked our finance person if we could order online. Well, the one place is for industrial supplies but I'd have to order in bulk. Nope. We don't need 600 of the conforming bandages.

I'm off on my own time tomorrow hoping this next place will have the basics for the First Aid kit. I just hope that nobody needs the supplies until the box is refilled. Worst First Aider's nightmare.

Old Stuff

I was cleaning up an area of the house that needed to be cleaned. I know, me cleaning is quite suprising! But I have my limits on yuckiness in the house too.

I fell upon an old binocular set. The case is just falling to bits. And everytime I see it, I think of when I was younger, spying on all the neighbours. That's what kids do! I never saw anything interesting from the neighbours. But I just remember the awe I felt when I was younger using them. It was so neat to just see so far away.

I'm sure my kids will get a kick out of spying on neighbours too.

Bags

I try to do my tiny, tiny part in saving the environment. I try not to buy plastic bags when possible. Yes, there are times that I still buy them because they're a heck of a lot cheaper to buy at 5 cents a pop then garbage bags. Call it the Asian in me.

So, when I go shopping, I take my reusable bags. However, I'm finding that my assortnment of custom tote bags is getting large and is quite varied. I have bags from different car garages, different grocery stores, some from Chinese stores, some that are made from Richmond banners and some from the conferences that my husband goes to. You get the drift. I feel like I have to haul out a rainbow of bags everytime I go shop now.

But I suppose it's a small inconvenience to do my small part.

Sink

It's hard to believe that I've been in my house for close to 6 years. It goes by so quickly. But what is hard to believe is how things break down within a certain period of time.

For whatever reason, my vegetable sprayer hasn't been working for I don't know how long. And yet I put up with it. But it would be nice if it did. And then there is some weird stuff seeping out the back of my kitchen sink handle. I don't even want to know.

I'm not good at fixing stuff so I just want to go and get something new. But then, I'd have to install it and maybe putting up with something wouldn't be so bad! I was looking at a sleek Kohler kitchen sink. It didn't have a price in the catalogue so I'm scared.

Oh well, hopefully that's only 1 thing that decides to break down. I can't afford too many more breakdowns!

Powell Street Festival

I volunteered again yesterday at the Powell Street Festival. It's a great little festival to celebrate the Japanese culture. This festival has been around for 34 years and it's hard to believe the crowds that it draws when it's on the same weekend as the fireworks and the Pride Festival. But they do and it's one heck of a festival.

I continue to volunteer at this festival even though I have to venture out from Whiterock because of what it means to me. The community and my old Taiko group was very supportive of me while I played taiko for a number of years. I think that by giving back, not only does it feel great, but it's the last I can do for what they did for me.

The "meh" part of this festival is having to see some people I went to high school with. I don't hate these people, but it's always a little awkward because we really have nothing in common except for the festival itself. But at least we're all there for the right reasons and we say our little hellos and go on our merry way. Like I mentioned, high school was not the best for me and I'd really rather not deal with any folks from that period.

The great part is that I get to reconnect with folks from my old taiko group. That's always awesome. I love hearing what everybody is up to and changes in their life. It's always so positive.

Other great reason for me to volunteer is that I always meet the neatest people. They are warm, so positive and so utterly interesting! And I love hearing how they are connected to the festival. I usually find that we know the same people too...makes the world a little smaller.

And this year, I got an extra bonus of catching up with a person that I have not seen in YEARS. Probably a good decade. And yet, we just chatted like we were old friends, caught up with everything in the little time I had before I had to go back to my duties. It was as if no time had passed. It was so, so awesome.

Of course, some other added bonuses is the festival itself, some good sunshine, and one of my favourite added bonuses, doing my pilgrimmage to the bestest Japanese grocery story ever...Fujiya. YUMMY.

So overall, I had another great year at the festival!