The Drama That Is Jen's Present

Oh dear - Who knew it would be this much work?

Originally I got Jen a nice wallet. I was so pleased with myself. I thought I did good. Of course a week later I found out it wasn't shipped via UPS and suddenly I was a day before the birthday party without a present. I had to either tell her, "Oops your present will be here some time next week," OR "I had something else in mind but it didn't work out, so now this is what I have come up with." I went with the second option.

I went on Bloomingdales.com and got her a "virtual e-card." Gift certificates from Bloomingdale's was something she joked about, and I thought given the amount of time I had this was my best option. I placed my order, went to the temple, ate with Sylvia, then partied with Dave + Jose, etc on Saturday. That night I told Jen that the gift would be sent to her inbox some time this weekend. I thought while not terribly creative nor personal, this e-card certificate was useful at least.

Sunday morning I woke up and found out my order had been canceled! The problem seemed to be that my phone number that was attached to my Visa was disconnected, thus Bloomingdale's did not want to honor or complete the transaction. The truth is that I did close my landline. Still, I never had a problem like this before when I shopped online. So instead of calling my bank on Sunday, I used a different credit card and placed another order on Bloomingdale's. Same exact information, same order, different card. This morning, this order got canceled too!!!

I was dumbfounded. Yes, it was great that Bloomingdale's took great measures to protect its customers. But Jen still had no presents, and now what was I supposed to do? 

I called my bank and updated my phone number to my cell phone that's what. 

After the phone change, I placed my third order. It seemed fine. I waited an hour and still I didn't see the receipt of it being sent. I got worried. I checked my cell phone and saw two missed calls. It was Bloomingdale's representatives. Great. I called the number back and found out because there were more fraudulent charges on virtual e-cards than any other purchases, they had be extra careful. So I went through the verification process and reordered the e-card with the phone representative. I was feeling good at last. Before she hung up, she said, "Thank you for calling Macy's." I thought that was odd, but I didn't stop her or ask her what she meant.

Of course, an hour later I received an invoice for a Macy's e-card. OH MY DEAR FREAKING GAWD! I didn't want a Macy's e-card, I bought a Bloomingdale's e-card! I called the number on that invoice and got to explain myself to one of their representatives. For 10 minutes I was on hold, then I was dropped. ARRGH! So I called back and then spoke to another service representative, after 15 - 20 min of wait, my Macy's purchase was canceled and another Bloomingdale's e-card was reordered. I was about to faint at that point.

Jen at first got the Macy's card and told me. Then I sort of explained to her there was some situation, so disregard that one and wait for the one from Bloomingdale's. I felt so embarrassed.

I do appreciate Bloomingdale's online security and phone service. I just wish I knew it was going to be this complicated, I would've gotten the gift card in store, or wait for that wallet.

By the way, the wallet is still on-route somewhere. Sigh...

Jen's Dinner

Got to Jen's dinner party almost an hour late. Everyone was already eating and I joined in soon after. Steve (and Joseph + Ryan?) got Jen the whole Rockband kit. It was a hit, everyone got to play and kept all entertained. I apologized to Jen, as she had not received the present in the email. I hoped by Monday it would be delivered.

Came back home around 1:30 in the morning. I had not stayed out past 1 o'clock in a while. I was exhausted from all the driving and running around yesterday, so of course I stumbled into the bath and hurried to bed when I was done cleaning up. What a day.

This morning I woke up and found out Jen's present was canceled. Somehow my card and the phone number I provided weren't working. I re-did the whole thing and hoped for the best. She better gets it tomorrow!

Gym was not busy today. I ran and thought I probably left a bucket of sweat there and another ton on my body. Went to Uncle Ong's place and got the watch + pineapple cakes dad asked him to bring. Played with this watch for a while, it's a fancy one. Ate the leftover food from last night. Felt full and sleepy, so I took a short nap. It was a good one :)

Didn't get to go to the costume place in Santa Fe Spring today. PK already got an outfit. I don't think I'm going to this party now.

Exhausted

Yesterday after work I went to the gym. Had dinner with Judy, who just had her facial. Came back home and went to sleep around 12.

I didn't sleep well. Once I woke up thinking there was a spider falling from the ceiling. That was 3:42 in the morning. I went back to sleep, got up before 8:00, and stayed up 'til now. I know, poor me right?

I finalized Jen's present and knew I could've done it more creatively. Sometimes plans just don't work out and I have to figure out an alternative route to get the job done. I hope she'll like it. I met up with Sylvia at Hsi Lai Temple around 10:40 and we spent some quality time there praying and paying our respect. There were lots of tourists today. It was not as crowded as last time I visited, still many were in awe or simply quietly studying the statues, the rituals, and of course us Buddhist folks.

We went to have Thai food at Baimon that Judy and I ate back in January. It was just OK. We had papaya salad, green curry chicken, and prik king tofu with green bean. The salad needed more sugar and there were bits of papaya tasted kind of funky. Curry had good flavor, but there were pieces of chicken that had that weird not-fresh smell. Tofu was fine, the green bean again didn't taste as fresh. This particular dish came very late too. Maybe we just ordered them wrong.

After the lunch and dessert with Sylvia I came home to take a short break. I then left to go to Valerie's goodbye party. This was a more adult and casual gathering. I ate some more, and also got to see the new house they would be moving to in Oregon. It all seemed very exciting.

Now I'm back for a bit and leaving very soon to go to Jen's birthday dinner party. I'm exhausted.

Thursday Night Out

Came home after the gym last night. Was on the phone with Sylvia for more than an hour. She finally found out about the news and was very happy for me as well.

Left around 11:10 to go to Jen's show at Barcade. The traffic was light. I got there on time and she was surprised to see me. Her band, Meho Plaza, performed a roughly 30 min set. Jen keeps evolving each time she's in a new band. From experimental alt rock, to electronic pop, to pop rock, and now, artsy noisy indie rock. I can't say I understood it, but it was fun to listen to in the bar, I don't know if I would play it at home and for a long time. I'm a little too mainstream.

There was this bar next door that we saw a few young Korean guys walked in and out throughout the evening. They were all nicely dressed, and looked stylish. Steve and Jen told me that was a Korean gigolo bar. I thought they were joking. Maybe not. It sure was a curious thought. Who are their clients? Just how much do they charge? Are they all citizens? Hahaha!

I GOT IT!

Yesterday was one of the most important days of my life. I received an email from the US Immigration Service notifying me my application had been approved. I re-read this short paragraph in the letter, where it says my permanent residence status has been registered, about ten times over. My eyes got a little teary. My breathing grew heavier as my heart beat faster. I couldn't believe I finally got it.

I can still remember how excited I was when I got my first job offer after college. I remember that boss promised me the company would assist and sponsor my green card application in our interview. It did not happen. In fact, even applying for H-1 with them was a struggle. One year after writing and arguing with the management, I obtained the H-1 visa through work. Unfortunately I, along with Megan and another co-worker, were laid off just a few months after. That was April 2nd, 2001. That day I also met Eric online. Soon it would develop into a good, long distance, if not always perfect, relationship.

Six weeks later, June 19th 2001, I started working here. I needed to transfer my H-1 visa, but my lawyer informed me that my passport was expiring soon. This little problem immediately escalated into a major setback as the TW embassy refused to renew my passport, because I already finished my studies in the States and needed to fulfill my military obligations back in TW. Without a renewed passport, I would not be able to transfer or extend my H-1 visa, therefore no labor certificate, therefore no green card. For days, in a panic mode, I called and asked different lawyers' opinions. I asked a family friend who was an official at TW culture exchange for advice. Every corner I turned the answer was pretty much the same - Unless I got married or became a student again, I would have to leave.

I decided then I wanted to stay in the US and pursue my goals here, more than ever. I visited Cal State Fullerton and spoke with the Art Dept. adviser there. My work did not impress him. I re-edited my portfolio and put together a submission package, and applied for a MA program at an art school in San Francisco. I remember not hearing back from their adviser for days. I did not know what my next step was. Feeling so worried, seeing the time gone by and my passport approaching its expiration date, I emailed her again. A week later I received the news that I was accepted into their program. I asked her to mail me a copy of the I-20 document right away. Once I received it, I went back to the embassy with my acceptance letter and my new I-20, and renewed my passport just a week or so before its expiration.

I never attended the art school. I continued to work here. My H-1 was transferred and extended. Immediately I started the process for labor certification. I would pay and post job ads in a major newspaper for six months. I also paid for all of the legal fees, except for one year my boss actually helped me with my H-1 extension. The labor certification procedure unexpectedly changed after I submitted mine, and my case was sent to a "backlog" center. With the new process, applicants could get their certificate within months, I on the other hand did not get my approved labor certificate until June 19th, 2005. That was approximately 3 years and 10 months of wait.

Similarly the last two steps did not go as smoothly as I would hope. During the 2nd to last procedure, my case was suspended and sent back as I was requested to provide more "evidence." They asked to see my company's tax returns for 2005. Anytime asking my boss or my manager for any money related record or document was a pain. I always felt extremely embarrassed about seeking their assistance. I always had this image of me begging for their help in my head and I hated it. The wait was always excruciating. However, I trained myself get used to the wait and asking for their help. To their credit, my manager and my boss did come through for me each and every time. No matter how long or short the wait I endured, they had always helped me.

The last step was of course another bump in the road. Why would they want to see my I-20 from college after all these years? I couldn't find it. Thankfully, the combined "evidence" including the school issued verification letter, my optional practical training card, complete transcript, and re-scanned copy of my I-94 seemed to satisfy their final inquiry.

I finally got it. After 8 years of working towards it, I did it.

I went home last night after sharing the evening with Dave, Jose and PK. I sat by my desk, and I read that email again. My eyes started to get watery and I began to cry. I cried hard. I told myself I did it finally. I gave myself a good self-patting. That was the release I needed.

This journey has now concluded.

Ants

It's official: The ants have found and invaded my kitchen. When I woke up yesterday morning I noticed those little ones strolling leisurely on the countertop. I wiped them off with my sponge, moved the dish drainer, cleaned that too, put away the sugary items, took out the trash, and hoped they wouldn't be back. Of course they did. It was infuriating last night trying to kill and stop them. My neighbor actually came to help me with her chalk. It was more effective than my detergent soaked sponge. I checked again later in the evening and of course this morning too, no ants so far. I should get me one of those chalk things.

Stuffed

I'm feeling stuffed today. Actually my tummy's fine, it's my mind that's full with stuff. More specifically, mom stuff.

I talked with mom last night. It was more like she talking, me listening. That was never fun. Among the things she poured into my head was my grandfather, family history, my dad, his flaws (her favorite topic), my godmother's summer visit, and Christianity. I was taking it all in, mindlessly, while watching DWTS. I wish I watched KY's performance with the music, but I was "talking" to mom, so I had the TV muted.

It really bothered me that she promised my godmother that I would take a weekend out to show them around, without talking to me first. It also really bothered me that she asked me to go to church because she believed it would help me. I just felt mad and incredibly frustrated because ... how should I say this, it was like she was telling me that I am not good or capable enough yet, and I should change the way I live my life. Maybe that is true, maybe that's what all parents do or say to their kids, but that doesn't make it any easier or better to digest.

I feel seriously irritated whenever she starts to tell me this or that will improve my life. We don't necessarily have the best histories and when she starts to play the mom role, it just rubs me the wrong way. Right now I hope I have something planned good in the summer and won't be around then to be a driver. I feel bad saying that. And next time she's pouring and pouring, I'm going to tell her to stop. She's just airing out her thoughts and I don't want to be her audience.

I'm just stuffed with my mom's "advice"and ready to explode.

Moving Forward

I finally paid my traffic ticket today. I did call the automated service first, I thought I would pay via phone. Too bad there was a $10 service charge. Who would want to pay $10 more on top of the bail amount plus traffic school option plus actual traffic school fees? I hung up, wrote them a check, put a stamp on the returned envelop, and mailed it from work. That was that.

PK sent me his friend's blog link. He's way more intellectual. He said he was going to talk about bible. He wasn't interested in talking about his life, his likes or dislikes, tastes in movies, etc. Well, that's what my blog's about. No, PK doesn't know, actually no one knows I have been blogging. My stuff seems insignificant and boring compared to others. Nowadays everyone has a blog and usually has something more interesting to say. Not mine, I will stick to my just about average sort of quiet hardly exciting or informational or enlightening everyday blogging.

I started the process of copying my designs from work to a folder on my desktop. The goal is to archive, if not all, most of my work here, so when the time is set for me to go, I will have at least 90% of my boxes, ads, instructions, brochures, blister packaging, speaker spool prints, etc. ready to come with me. This is another big trip down the memory lane, similar to when I was looking for my I-20 at home a couple of weeks ago. All these years I have accumulated some real great, some just so-so, and some questionable designs. Lots of hearts and efforts here and I am not about to leave without taking part of my work history with me :)

Sylvia talked to me about the mishap this weekend today. Glad we talked it over. She felt that she was ignored, which was true. I didn't mean to and I apologized to her again. She sounded a lot better today.

So hot

What is the deal with the weather today? It is so hot, like in its 90's. I felt dried and tired today walking outside. Has spring gone? I thought there was a transition of some sort before the summer.

PK came over and we had dim sum today at The Kitchen. When Cameron and I visited before, it wasn't as crowded as today. We waited about 20 min to get our table, and this time I knew what not to order. We first had their shrimp dumplings, leek dumplings, leaf wrapped rice, and siu mai. The dishes were decent. I was happy I didn't get anything half warm or too experimental. For the second round I got us bbq buns, shrimp in rice noodle wrap, tofu skin wrapped abalone, and egg custard. The buns were again a little sticky to the teeth, but other dishes were good. We left feeling too full.

PK wanted to check out the gift shop across the street. We found a good video store for him too. He bought a Japanese movie VCD for $4.99! He was hoping he could find other DVDs or VCDs to buy because they were having a sale. Too bad we didn't see anything else interesting, also PK didn't have enough cash on him.

I was so drained and full after the big lunch and walk around, I took a short nap after PK left. It is still too hot!

Making Sylvia Mad

I met up with Sylvia today for lunch. She came in a little later. I ordered the first two dishes. We started to eat, I finished my noodle but the two other dishes that she added to our order did not come at all. When we inquired the waitress we found out the dishes did not get added. I immediately said we had to cancel them because we were running late. What I should have said was, "We would like them in the to-go boxes please." Sylvia became silent right away and the more I tried to get a response from her or make her smile, the more she withdrew herself. It was an extremely uncomfortable scene. I apologized but she didn't seem to accept it. It was my fault.

We met up with Judy at Cash Box Karaoke. I told her what happened and we started to laugh, Sylvia did not find it funny at all. She kept telling me to cut it off. Like 5 times. I joked because it was so awkward and uncomfortable, but to Sylvia, I was embarrassing her. I just couldn't stop her being mad at me. The situation got a little better after we started to sing and picked out silly songs to entertain each other. Still the air was a bit tense and I was trying to be very careful not to piss her off again. It was like I was walking on eggshells. This had to be the most nervous and sensitive karaoke experience for me ever.

We went to have Korean food for dinner afterwards. Sylvia seemed to be in a finer mood. I was slightly relieved. It wasn't that I was afraid that she got upset, it was that I felt awful for making her feel angry and she refusing to accept my apology. After dinner I felt the air had been cleared, and we even went to another place for dessert. We talked and enjoyed the sweet treats.

Now I still feel weird about what happened. I hope she is ok now. Sigh.

Good Friday

We get to leave work at 2:00 today because it's Good Friday. No I don't really know what that means. I am just very happy we can go home early. I'm going to go to the gym first, go home, and relax for a while. Maybe I will even take a nap. I'm loving it.

Last night PK came over and we watched Lost and MMAS. We had sandwiches he got from Quizno's and chips, soda, and cake I bought at Trader Joe's. It was a nice evening. PK and I are becoming closer. It feels excellent to develop friendship and enjoy each other's company. We've known each other for years but it's only a few months back then that we started to hanging out more. Who knew that we would become better friends?

Wallet

I went to Dave's house first thing in the morning because I couldn't find my wallet at home. I thought I had it in my laundry basket, but before I left home for work it just wasn't in it. I called in, explained the situation, and drove to Dave's. It wasn't at Dave's either! I looked at the shelf where I left my wallet last night, checked the couch and underneath it, searched everywhere I could think it might have been, it just wasn't there. I was going to go home and keep on looking, then I thought I should go to work and take off early instead.

I got to work, finished some stuff, and went home. It wasn't in any bag, it wasn't on the couch, it was hiding and sitting in the laundry basket! I was running late this morning and didn't look for it carefully. What a relief. I came back to work and now it's again almost time to go home. It's been a good day.

Electricity out

Yesterday after I finished my blog entry the power at work went out. I heard a loud popping sound outside and electricity was out. I think even the building shook a bit. Everyone got to leave early, so that was nice. I went home, changed, went to the gym, came back, ate, then went to Dave's. He and Jose went on a mini vacation yesterday and I was house-sitting for him.

I checked on Claire's food and water. Had some snack and watched AI. They let DA sing earlier than usual, which was perfect, because I was going to switch to ABC on 9:00. That boy could really really sing. Unfortunately the rest wasn't as amazing last night. I didn't stay watching Fox after 9 PM. DWTS was a lot more entertaining and fun. Who knew KY could dance that well after her intro footage? Those editors!

I received an email from the Immigration saying they received my resubmission. I have a good feeling about it. I don't know why.

Done

After I got home last night, I started to look for my I-94, but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I re-scanned my I-94 at work today. I also made both the front and back clearer, then sent the PDF to my lawyer. It's been more than 11 years since I left the U.S., the little document has turned yellow, the ink has faded, it's even got a visible stain on the lower right corner. Perhaps when I receive my Green Card I will take a nice trip overseas. Maybe more than one trip. That'll be sweet.

My lawyer told me my package was ready and they were going to send it today. I should hear the good news in a month. I was so happy that this resubmission project was done. I finished shopping for Jen's present too. I redesigned the image again and asked Jose's opinion, who told me to go with the 2nd design. I went with it and emailed it back to the service dept. The representative replied with "Yes - OK now," so that project was a wrap. I started to look at other gift options for Jen and came across a few items. I found and got her a present that I felt would work for her. Finally her presents are done today. Now I'm waiting for them to arrived.

Will be going to Dave's tonight to check on Claire. I will stay longer tomorrow and watch TV there.

Sleepy

There wasn't a lot to do at work today. I was pretty sleepy all the way through. I found out I had to re-work Jen's present. It is now making me nervous. I hope everything will get done next week.

I called my lawyer and made sure they received my mail with school verification, transcript, and school officials' contact info. They would try to send it out today, if not, tomorrow. I am optimistic about the resubmission. This morning I also checked on the traffic ticket online. I am still debating whether or not to file for extension. Megan said I should. Other friends disagreed. I am going to think about it some more tonight and make up my mind tomorrow.

Tim's celebration dinner

I woke up before 10 this morning. I thought about going back to sleep, but decided to stay up anyway. PK called and wanted to know if I had anything planned today. Not really. I said we should do something after my working out and Ralph's.

PK came by after I was done with the gym and grocery shopping. I told him I wanted to buy new underwear and I also had Gap gift card, so off we went. The Santa Anita mall was packed. We couldn't find any parking spot. As I was leaving the parking lot, we found it was no problem to park on the outside of the mall. We were happy we finally could get into the mall.

There were a lot of sales going on and people were everywhere. I bought a pack of new underwear and a pair of boxers at Gap, and used up my gift card. We then shared a nacho at this nice sit-down Mexican restaurant in the food court. The food was decent. It was mall food, we weren't expecting too much.

We stopped by Vanille de Patisserie on the way home to get Tim a birthday cake for this evening. There was a lot of gorgeous colorfully designed cakes in their showcase. We looked at a few and picked this rectangular shaped "caramel pear vanilla" cake. PK and I then came back to my place to rest. He laughed a lot while we were watching Crank - The movie had a lot of over-the-top moments. Kind of crazy, with stylized stunts, funky camera work, and of course non-stop violence, similar to this other movie we saw called Shoot 'em Up.

Tonight we had dinner at Hong Yei again. This has become our go-to restaurant. We had sizzling beef, spicy chicken, leek with tofu skin, fish-flavor eggplant, and ma-po tofu to start. Every dish was tasty. Tim was more than satisfied and really enjoyed the food. Later I helped Dave order garlic bitter mellon and also beef pancake for Tim. We were so full. The food was exceptional, and the service was excellent. I even cleaned all the plates. Finally we had the cake that PK got. The flavor was subtle. I didn't really taste pear however. The cake was not sweet, and had a light caramel taste, with delicate pear like texture. It was a understated cake.

After finishing the cake, Tim opened his presents and seemed to like the fragrance and iPod. We left the restaurant around 9 o'clock, and PK came to 99 Ranch market with me. Every sort of fruit was more expensive here than other Asian markets. Still I found and bought some apples, and PK got more Transformers toys from the little quarter machines outside the bookstore. We came home before 10 and I helped PK load the books from my boxes to his car.

I am exhausted, but I feel very good. This has been a productive and wonderful weekend.

Hanging out with the girls

This morning I woke up knowing I didn't have much to do today. The one thing that stressed me the most was taking my car to get an estimate. I went to a local auto body shop. The appraisal guy was busy so I waited in the shop's lounge. The receptionist was very polite and gave me a big smile. They even had hot chocolate ready for guests. The appraisal guy was done with the others in just a few minutes and I showed him my car. "It would be around $1000," he said. I was a little surprised. He didn't want to write me an estimate. I decided to go to another shop to get another estimate. I went to a place that didn't have a lounge or a nice receptionist. The guy there checked on it, wrote me an estimate, and told me I could drop the car off in the morning and come back in the afternoon to pick it up. Let's just say the estimate he gave me was a lot more reasonable. I would be keeping the insurance settlement check. I felt good because I wouldn't need to call that claim manager again.

I took a short nap before leaving to meet up with Judy and Sylvia. I did a lousy job wrapping her present, but I thought she would like the gift anyway. The traffic on 60 Freeway was horrible. The rain was short and abrupt. That certainly helped cars move any faster. I was already running late because I stopped on the way to get gas and cash. I called Judy to tell her that I would be 10 min late. Not quite. I got there at 6:30. I even saw Sylvia, who told me she was going to be very late, driving into the plaza before me. It was bad that both of us were so late and the birthday girl was there on time. Fortunately Judy didn't get mad. We were celebrating her birthday at Kanpai House. It was not busy at all. We got our table and settled down. We ordered grilled sausage, grilled tempura, grilled chicken glizzard for starters. Judy picked a couple main dishes from the menu: three cup chicken and stir fried beef with basil. Sylvia said their chow mein was good so we had that instead of rice. Overall the chow mein noodle was the best dish. Sylvia was right again. I liked the grilled tempura too. I thought the beef and chicken were over-salted. It was understandable they made these dishes salty to sell beers. This is a good place to hang out, eat simple Chinese food, and drink beers, Taiwanese style. I shouldn't pick on the food too much. Judy opened the gift after finishing the cakes that Sylvia bought from RJ Patisserie. The cakes were beautiful, colorful, fancy, and delicious. Judy seemed to like the bodycare combo I got her too. I was happy.

I came back to meet up with Megan, who just completed her flight training. She was in the mood for hot grass jelly, so we decided to meet at Tea Station. It was very busy inside. Luckily I got us a table towards the back when that table's people moved to the front booth. We sat down and it became the same old laugh fest. We both ordered the same thing. Too bad Megan didn't really like her hot grass jelly because she wanted it hotter. I thought it tasted good, but could be better if it had some rice balls, taro balls, or yam balls. We left around 11:10 and I got home not long ago.

Including last night out with Jen, this has been a busy weekend with the girls.

Got the letter

I received the letter from school today. I called my lawyer immediately. I would send the verification letter, transcript, and contact information of the school officials to him. I mailed my lawyer the document he asked for after work today. I felt relieved. I don't know if this verification letter will verify my attendance or clarify the reason why I don't have my I-20. This journey has taken more than 7 years of my life. I have given my all to get here and I hope I receive my Green Card very soon.

Had dinner with Jen and Steve at Hunan Chilli King tonight. I ordered the fried string bean, spicy chicken, water broiled fish fillet, tofu with celery and broiled bamboo shoot. Every dish except the bamboo shoot was spicy. The tofu tasted great, the pieces were flat and hot. Lightly toasty on the outside, it was my favorite. I didn't like the fish as much - the fillet still had bones in them and the slices were very thin too. A little troublesome to eat because the pieces were so small and thin, it would be better if the bones were taken out. If the fillet were thicker, I wouldn't mind the bones.

We went to Tapioca Express for some boba goodness. I had passion fruit slush, Steve had taro milk tea, and Jen got lychee slush, all with boba. Steve was feeling out of it because we overate. Jen and I talked about purses and Dave. Jen's birthday's coming up and I am still not done with her gift yet. I better finish ordering the stuff next week or I'm going to show up empty handed!

Night at Dave's

Dave made enchiladas last night. It was so delicious. It had walnuts, big cheese flavors, and vegetarian chicken. The sauce was yummy with a kick. The tortilla was slightly toasted and oh-so-tasty. I told him this was better than what we would get in the restaurant.

We had this Trader Joe's peanut butter chocolate toffee cake for dessert. That was another hit. Just enough sweetness and all three components work well. Both Jose and I had two slices. It was ridiculously cheap too. Jose told me it was only $2 at Trader Joe's. Unbelievable!

I finished my laundry and we also watch the premiere of TC on Bravo. Dave never really wanted to watch it but last night he gave it a try while writing checks. It was a good starting episode. We also watched AI before TC, and were surprised DH got eliminated.

Dave was on a roll, he predicted the critique on ANTM, and the new Dr. Seus movie being a Fox production, and who was going to get eliminated on TC. A laugh-filled night.

March Birthdays

I spent a good amount of time looking at gift ideas for Jen this week. I already have presents ready for Tim and Judy. There are a few good Jen's presents I've seen so far and will decide which ones will work best very soon. This Saturday I will celebrate Judy's, then Sunday Tim's. Jen's is always a big event so I expect a huge party by the end of the month.

Today's a sleepy day. I was nappy in the morning, and was just the same now. Going to be leaving soon to Dave's. It's been a stressful week psychologically. I know it's the expectations and worries that keep my mood down. All started by me. Still learning how to let go of frustrations and find that peace within. Baby steps.

Headache

Today I called the insurance company and found out that they would cut me a $580 check. I was relieved and went back to work. Of course, later I told my manager who then told me not to sign off on it. He said I must take the car to another shop and get another estimate to make sure the check amount is enough. I came back dreading the thought of calling that claim manager again. She was so rude on the phone, completely stone cold and unfriendly, I felt gross every time I talked to her. To think that I will have to call her again and ask for more money and deal with her attitude makes me feel uncomfortable in the worst way. I suppose there are nastier things in the world. I just need to tough it out and bear with her super unpleasant and extremely tacky phone skills.

Dave and Jose came to have dinner tonight. We went to this small Chinese restaurant. I didn't get to remember the name. We ordered a bunch of dishes and enjoyed their noodles and hand picked pancake the best. Afterwards we came back and watched AI. I will see them again tomorrow. 

I can't wait for all the dust to settle down. Green Card. Insurance claim. Traffic ticket. Ugh! 

First time skipped the whole weekend - Catching up today

I was so forgetful this weekend that I didn't remember to blog at all. I was a little stressed. Nothing major. I went through my boxes again on Saturday to look for my I-20. This time Sylvia was here to help me as well. We didn't find it, but she did get rid of a lot of junk for me.

We had lunch at Hong Yei after seeing the line outside the first restaurant we went. This place was quite busy too so we needed to wait a while to get our table. The staff was friendly. Our table was right in the front of the kitchen door. Since the restaurant was so busy we didn't have a choice. We were too hungry to care anyway. We ordered chung king cold noodle, spicy chicken cube, and leek with tofu skin. Everything was seasoned well and extremely tasty. The noodle had that buzzy goodness, so was the chicken cube. We were both saying to each other how yummy and authentically Szechuan this place was.

After lunch we went to see CJ7 with PK. Sadly I didn't love the movie. I thought it was trying really hard to be cute, or dramatic, I didn't like some of the harsh, cruel scenes either. Some of the acting were off too, like a little over the top or uneven, I wasn't sure why Stephen Chow let some of the scenes played out that way. I did laugh aplenty. Overall it was not a bad movie, but for a Stephen Chow movie I was hoping it would feel less artificial or forced. I miss his earlier sillier films. 

I took Sylvia to Vietnam Restaurant for dinner. It was full again. This location has seen many different restaurants. How nice that this owner finally gets it right. We had the rice wrap roll, and two 44a, the same vermicelli dish with shrimp paste and spring roll I always ordered. The food here was exceptional and affordable. We were very happy with the dinner.

Sunday I didn't do much by myself. I went to the gym, did grocery shopping at Ralph's and Asian supermarket. I made the soup for the week. This probably would be the last time I made the soup before the winter. The weather is getting warmer so I can go back to be lazy in the morning.

Today I went to work and called the university to request the verification letter. I was working on an email for the director as well. I needed to make it sound serious but not to the point where people would feel like they were being burdened. I sent the finished draft to the assistant and attached a separate email for the director. A couple of hours later the assistant wrote back and said they could do the verification letter. I looked at the form she asked me to fill out, it was very standard. I wish I could customize it but I understand it would be too much trouble if everyone wanted to make changes. I made copies of the form and filled it out like 6 times. I kept making small mistakes because I was so nervous. Finally I had the right one in my hand and I scanned it to PDF. I sent that file to the assistant and told her I will also send her the paper copy tomorrow.

Not much planned tonight. This verification letter and resubmission deadline have been on my mind. I am making good progress each day. I hope for the best.

It's about the journey

This morning I emailed my university's adviser. I was hoping perhaps they would still maintain a copy of my I-20. I got to work and scanned my OPT card. Emailed it to my lawyer. Called my school and found out they destroyed the record 5 years after the student's graduation. That was the first blow. I thought I would try checking on my first lawyer, who obtained my first H-1 after college. Nope, they didn't have a copy of my I-20 either. That was another letdown.

I called my lawyer next and was advised to request a verification letter from my school. So I called the office again, but this time, I called the adviser directly. He was not available today. I left him a long message. I hope to talk to him next Monday. If not, I will have to write to the director of the office. I must get this done.

The insurance adjuster came and took a lot of pictures of the car. He was cordial. I will need to call the claim manager next Tuesday to learn more. That's progress.

This morning I got the bad news that my rent was increased. It will be $20 more each month starting April. If I could cut down more I would. Prices are going up everywhere. Unfortunately my salary stays the same.

Had dinner with PK at Bella Italia tonight. This was our second time dining here. I ordered spaghetti with meat sauce plus mushroom, PK had their alfredo fettucini. The clam chowder that came with the dinner was good, chunky and creamy. PK's salad on the other hand looked average to me. My spaghetti was very tasty, the sauce was hot and tangy, adding mushroom was a good touch. I did feel the portion was slightly less than what I was used to. Not a big problem. PK did not like his fettucini as much and was adding red sauce that came with the bread, then later my pasta sauce to his dish. He thought the food tasted better the last time we visited.

We forgot his food in takeout box on the table after we left. PK didn't mind. He was just not too impressed tonight. I came home and watched random TV programs. Chatted with Sylvia for a bit. It's a quiet night.

Finally

I didn't have much to do in the morning at work. Just when I was dozing off my phone vibrated. I looked, it was my lawyer! I ran into the other room and answered the call.

So the evidence in question sounded less maddening than I was expecting. I would have to find my I-20 from my university and OPT card I received right before my graduation. I felt a slight sense of relief. I was fairly confident I still could find them in one or two of my boxes.

Work continued to be slow all day. I was contemplating the strategy to finding the items. Still I went to the gym, and to the banh mi place I went last time. They raised their prices too. Everyone's price is up. I ordered two No. 5 and waited. Some other guy came in and ordered something else in Vietnamese. Somehow the owner thought the other guy ordered what I ordered and gave him my sandwiches. The guy didn't object either. I was too confused to protest. The owner always looked mean and grumpy anyway. I prayed the sandwich that the other guy ordered was not head-cheese or sardine. Yay - it turned out to be shredded chicken with egg. I was more than fine with it.

I got home, finished my sandwich, and started pulling boxes out of my closet. One by one I looked. I found a lot of H1 visa document. I also found the F1 from my high school. But I couldn't find the F1 from my university. I did find the OPT card, so that was good. I will have to call my school and see if they can send me a copy. Let's hope they still keep my I-20 after all these years.

Christian is fierce

Tonight Dave, Jose and PK came over to watch PR finale. We went to Vege House after finding the restaurant we wanted to go originally was closed. We got pan fried bao, midnight intestine, brown sauce tofu with mushroom, pigeon wrap, and sauteed eggplant. I was surprised the midnight intestine was actually spicy. I always asked them to make it spicier but they never did. Tonight they finally made it the way we wanted. I think I liked this dish and the pigeon wrap the best. The eggplant was ok. The rest was on the bland side. This is normal because in Chinese vegetarian restaurants they usually don't use garlic or green onion. So sometimes the flavors feel like they miss a certain kick.

We came back to my place and Dave immediately went to test my doorbell. He's helping PK re-record the sound for his college film. While Jose and I watched AI, Dave and PK were busy figuring out the logistics on how it all should work. They had to set everything up correctly, from the doorbell, the mic, to the mixer, and the MacBook. After Dave got the application to work properly, they got to "act" by pressing the doorbell and record it at the same time. Several takes later, the job was done. Dave showed us the film segment with the sound in sync. It looked great. And just in time the PR finale was about to begin too.

The show was less dramatic than previous seasons' finale. There was no accusations or surprise challenges. I thought Jillian's collection was consistent, stylish, but not very exciting. Rami's was a little uneven, the color choices were odd, but a few very beautiful strong pieces. Christian's work was one Wow after another. It was emotional, fresh, consistent, edgy, and fun. Yes he's that fierce. I was rooting for him.

So excited that he won. He deserved it. Bummer I won't have a show to watch on Wednesday night now :(

Seafood + Ice Cream

Last night we went out to Broiling Crab for dinner. I had never been to the restaurant before and was surprised how popular the place was even on a Monday night. We decided to let Wayne order for us. He ordered shrimp, crawfish, crab, catfish, fries and sweet potato fries. The food came fast, the shrimp and crawfish came together in one big bag. Crab was in another bag. Clear plastic bags too! I had never had crawfish before and I didn't know they were so small. Obviously I ate most of the catfish. I am not skillful at picking things apart with fingers then eating them clean. Still, the food was good, if a little on the salty side. The fried catfish was light, not greasy. Sweet potato fries tasted crunchy and sweet. The atmosphere was festive and fun. Everyone had a good time.

Afterwards we went to Fosselman's for some ice cream treat. Jane had dark chocolate, John got cookie dough, Wayne had green apple sorbet, and I got mocha almond fudge. The place was closing but we got in just in time. The most interesting one was Wayne's sorbet. It was refreshing, tart, and had just enough sweetness. We stayed there for a bit and left feeling satisfied.

Today my manager asked me to drop off his document at the court house before 4:30, so I could leave work early. I went to the gym, shopped at Trader Joe's, watched AI, and just relaxed. I still haven't heard from the lawyer. I did talk to the insurance agent who told me I should hear from a claim adjuster within 2 business days. I hope tomorrow will be the day I find out what's needed for my resubmission.

Skipped again

I skipped another entry yesterday. Oh well. It didn't really occur to me until it's past midnight.

I won an eBay auction yesterday. The deal was almost too good to be true. I did not expect to win. In fact, I was sure the bid I placed would be outbidded before the auction ended. What a surprise it was when I checked the page and found out that I had won. There wasn't even a second bid after mine. How strange, given it was a very good bargain. In hindsight, this seller did have a couple of odds against him. First, his ID was fairly new, he only had a rating of 2. Second, the other eBay sellers who gave him the ratings were porn companies. Maybe that's why he didn't get any bidders.

I sure hope this transaction go through successfully. It will suck if he backs out or sends me a defective item. We will see.

I stayed home mostly yesterday. This was a mindless Sunday. I don't think I did anything productive besides going to the gym and shopping at Ralph's afterwards. Caretas and Eduardo BBQ-ed in the afternoon and gave me a plate of their grilled steak, sliced tomato, and white rice. I saved it all for dinner. It was very tasty.

I didn't sleep well last night, and today I woke up feeling grumpy. Work is sort of slow today. I'm going to take my lunch break soon. Meeting Wayne, John and Jane for dinner later tonight. Yay!

Full

I woke up before 10 this morning. I was feeling hungry and could not fall back to sleep. I did some apartment searching for PK. He's been complaining about how his space is too small. I found a bunch of places on CL where he can pay around $500 and rent a master bedroom. Of course he'll have to share living room and kitchen with a roommate. I gave him the information during our google chat. He won't be ready to move 'til next year.

I finished my breakfast. It was the last bowl of soup I made using the slow cooker. The meat got tender but not the vegetables. I don't think using the cooker to cook my soup is a good idea. Maybe for other recipes.

Dave and Jose wanted to have lunch today, so PK came over and we met them at Northern Chinese Restaurant. We ordered a wild green salad, stir-fried mushroom, sauteed eggplant, fried spicy chicken and "hand-picked" pancake. The food tasted good. However, two of them unexpectedly had meat in them. So I ordered an extra dish, fried spring beans. It was a good dish, but Dave decided that he wanted to get the wild green salad without the meat. He was craving that dish and not getting to enjoy it today just seemed wrong.

Dave and Jose decided to go used book shopping. PK was going to meet up with his other friends. I felt really full and would feel sick if I just stayed home. I went to the supermarket and got some stuff to cook more soup with. Came back, prepared the food, put them in the pot, and sat down to watch some TV.

I don't feel like going out tonight. The gas is so expensive.