Still here

I missed another two days (blogging) this week. Tuesday I was stressed out after wrok because my car's battery died. I was lucky AAA showed up before the garage closed at 8. I wouldn't want to be stuck in downtown LA.

Last night I was at Dave's 'til 11:30. We watched PR5 and it was a decent episode. Although I didn't like that Suede kept referring himself as the 3rd person, and the winning dress was not that attractive for me.

This is the first time I'm blogging from the new job. Yay. I was given a big project today, and I had never done video editing before. It seemed like it would be a handful. Still - I knew I would rock it.

Weekend is almost here too. I can't wait.

Ping Pong Playa

I saw a funny trailer today - Ping Pong Playa - it was all Asian cast and not made in Asia. Check it out:



It's not very often to see an Asian American (or Canadian?) comedy with mostly unknown cast and by a woman director. For that alone I will support this film. I can't wait to see it in the theater.

Yes I know there was another Asian American movie called Better Luck Tomorrow that came out a few years ago, but it wasn't a comedy and I didn't see it. I'm more a fan of comedies.

Weekend's over

Today is much laid-back. I went to the gym and came back home. Later I rode with PK, Y, and met other friends to see Mama Mia. We went to The Americana. It was a busy day there. I was surprised there were people shopping retail - I thought the economy was bad?

The movie was enjoyable, but not great. The transition to singing felt awkward. The songs were excellent though. I think the strongest singing scene that was Meryl Streep's Winner Takes It All. I didn't expect the movie to be amazing, but it was pleasant overall.

After dinner, it's time again to get ready to rest for the new week. It was a good weekend. I wish there was more time to rest and relax. Work is getting better - so that's good news. Still, when is my vacation?

Productive... What happened to do nothing?

I know I said I didn't want to do anything this weekend and of course today ended up being one of those productive days. I woke up and repacked the box that was going to be shipped to Z. I finished the left-over food Dave got when I was sick. That was delicious and my third meal off of that! I went to the post office and mailed the box out - the clerk was very helpful and thorough today. I was happy that I got that done. I then went to the supermarket to get some produce. It was very packed. I bought some stuff and came back home. I changed and went back out to the gym. There were quite a few moaners and sweaters there today. One was especially stinky. Yuck!

I got back to my car and found I missed two calls. Jose had called me to see what I was up to. I talked to him and set up a late lunch date with him and Dave. On the way back home, I stopped by the bank's ATM for some cash. My car was too dirty for too long. I drove to this new car wash, there were only 3 guys doing a few cars. It was all hand wash too. My car had to wait about 10 min. to get attended. Since it was 100% hand wash and they had a very few staff, it took a while to wash and finish my car. I wouldn't mind under normal circumstances, I would actually prefer them take their time, but I knew Dave and Jose were waiting for me and I was anxious to leave. It took about an hour from start to finish. Needless to say my car was super clean and I would be a happy returning customer in the future.

We had a yummy lunch at A & J. We had a lot of noodles and flour-made Chinese foods. It was fresh, flavorful, and the service was good. Dave and Jose wanted to redo my AC so we came back to my apartment after our late lunch. It took Dave a lot of thoughts, energy and time to get the window to pop out of the frame. We cleaned the area well and removed the original set-up carefully. When it was all done, Dave was drained in sweat. We turned the AC on and let him enjoy the coolness. Jose and I watched a couple of PBS travelogue programs on Taiwan and China. When we were done it was already 7 PM. We started talking about dinner, and Jose was browsing the net for a floor lamp. He found one and called the guy. We decided to see and buy the lamp if it was good, and go eat after that.

The lamp was in a great shape and so we got it on the spot. Then Dave wanted to go to Target for batteries. Once we walked in, there were just too many things to distract us. Dave and Jose both found clothes they wanted for very good prices. We also looked at their DVD's. Finally Dave got the batteries and we went to look for a Thai restaurant. After visiting one that was closed (even though the sign said they were open) we found Thai World. The food was pretty good. We came in with very low expectations, but everything we ordered was better than average, and spicy too. We were pleasantly surprised. Really.

We came back feeling tired and satisfied. Dave and Jose help me so much with everything I really don't know what I am going to do without them. So blessed and thankful for them :)

Sweaty and bloody

I went back to the gym for the first time since Monday. Yea it's only been 3 days, but it felt like a long time to me. I did feel my wound getting worked. Still I kept going because I knew this would actually help its healing. Of course I was careful and watched out for more intense exercises, I definitely took a more casual route, just so I wouldn't stress my body too much. What a relief when I left - It felt real good to move again and take care of myself.

I am watching Elite XC on Showtime now. The fighters have it so much worse. All that blood and concentration - It does make most of my complaining a little embarrassing. Whatever. Let's get back to the show and my do-nothing weekend.

Getting better

I'm glad Friday is almost here. I can't wait to relax and do nothing. I know, what's new right? Jen called after work and we talked about her job situation. She works so hard and I feel embarrassed to complain about my new schedule. I think I'm definitely moving and shaking more confidently with the new responsibilities. The job is the same, my attitude and perception are the elements that change for the better.

Still - I can't wait to stay home and do nada starting tomorrow at 6:00 PM.

Good day

First day back to work after my surgery was by far the best day at the new place. I was happy with my work, and people that I helped out with were appreciative and impressed by what I did. I couldn't be more glad. Of course, my wound was and is still healing, so I have to be careful how and how much I move. Hopefully this weekend I will be 100% again.

Tomorrow is Thursday - Yay! I'm in a good mood.

The Infection

That was a first. I took two days off from blogging! Yea big deal.

I got sick over the weekend. It was an infection. I was in such pain I could not concentrate on doing anything. I even missed work. I know. I am a new employee only for 2 weeks and I took both Monday and Tuesday off. I felt horrible, but I had to make sure my body was strong enough to work.

When I called the hospital yesterday the earliest appointment I could get was for Thursday afternoon. I was not happy but fine with that. I thought I could sleep it off. Of course it didn't happen. I was in pain all day long. I couldn't even sleep. So this morning I called the hospital again trying to get into urgent care - same day appointment. I did, for 3:10 PM. Dave was coming over to take me to the hospital. I went back to bed and tried to rest in the meantime. Around noon Dave got to my place and brought me lunch too. I didn't have much appetite so I ate a little and went back to bed. About 2:15 Dave came to wake me up. I was still in a lot of pain, but I was glad Dave was here to help me.

We got to the hospital and we were very early. I waited about 30 minutes to see the doctor assigned for me. I was a nervous wreck. I was still in a lot of pain and I knew it was only going to get worse before it could get better. My doctor told me he was going to cut it to let the gross stuff out. I said OK. That few minutes before the cut was breathtaking. When the knife cut through my skin, that was something else. It was like a paper cut, but instead of a nanosecond, I got 5 seconds of it. And then there was the squeezing, which made me scream and shiver. He went back and squeeze the opening some more, just to make sure everything come out. Oh dear that was the sharpest type of pain that I would never forget. I mean I had lower back pain before and that was like paralyzing, world shaking type of pain. And what I had gone under today was more like, piercing, concentrated dose of poignant pain. Both are no fun, by the way.

After the procedure I felt better right away. The doctor taped me up and gave me an antibiotic prescription. He was very nice. I came back with Dave, he was so patient today. I am truly lucky. For dinner we met up with Jose and went to Angelo's and enjoyed pretty good pizza and pasta. I was very thankful to have Dave and Jose in my life. Now I'm back home resting, pain-free, I'm going to take it easy for the next few days. It has been too much suffering for yours truly last few days. I'm going to pig out and enjoy life for now.

Fabulous Saturday

I got up and went to see movies by myself today. I have read many horrific reviews on Hancock, but it's not a bad movie. Will Smith is still likable and I didn't find the last 1/3 awkward like most critics did. Sometimes I read those advance reviews and walked in with certain expectations. This time I was surprised that I didn't hate it. In fact, I almost wished the movie was longer and there were more scenes between Charlize Theron's character and Hancock. They had pretty good chemistry. Yea of course it was just another summer popcorn movie, but for what it was, a fun action superhero story with different twist, it was pleasantly enjoyable.

I also saw Hellboy 2 today. It was funny and gorgeous to look at. Whoever created those creatures and monsters deserved some kind of fancy awards. They were simply beautiful. This time Hellboy and Liz have become more involved and the story of them working out their coupling issues are cute and relatable. I did find the villain prince and the main plot less than exciting. I can't remember where or what, but haven't we all heard of the story where the prince came back to claim his power and take control of the army, only to be defeated by our hero? Sorry, it's a decent movie, but the story doesn't feel that fresh. Anyway I'm a fan of Guillermo and especially his Pan's Labyrinth, so even if this sequel doesn't come close to his masterpiece or to the original Hellboy a few years ago, I still give it a "better than most" approval stamp. Maybe Hellboy 3 will be just as good as the original? I can hope.

I came back, ate a tuna sandwich from Subway, then took a much needed nap. It felt good, but I had one long bad dream. It was about living with two roommates and one could be a murderer. Of course it didn't make any sense. When does a dream, good or bad, make sense anyway? Megan finally woke me up around 7:30 and we hung out afterwards. It was great seeing her again. We laughed and chatted while having some shaved ice. This was a good Saturday - a day where I get to see films, take a nap, and hang out with friends is a good, no, fabulous day.

Figuring out PDF bookmarking

I'm so happy it's Friday! I survived another week at the new company. Today I spent 90% of the day trying to figure out how to use bookmarks in PDF. Sometimes the answer to a question is so simple but we keep looking the other way. I knew how to make a big PDF, and I should've just gone that route and applied the bookmarks to it. I didn't. Instead I followed the "bible" and tried to put 18 PDF's in a Adobe Bridge folder, and assigned bookmarks to each file in this "template." It worked, but not the way I wanted it. Every time I clicked on a bookmark I created, that specific page would come up just as the bookmarks / navigation panel disappeared. I had no way to go back to where I was, or get the bookmarks / navigation back on the screen. I would have to close the document and reopen it to see my bookmarks. I kept playing with the file, following the instruction, reading stuff online, thinking I should find out how to "copy" the bookmarks for each PDF. I tried this and tried that, but the result was always the same. Anyway I finally surrendered and asked Dave, who then told me Jose might have a solution. I im-ed him and of course he had the simplest and most straightforward answer. Make all the PDFs into one 100-page document, then bookmark the section as I see fit. It worked! The bookmark / navigation panel stayed on the screen and I was SO done with this file.

I am going to take it easy this weekend. Will do nothing :)

Can't Stop

I don't know what is wrong with me. I keep thinking about work even when I am already out of the office. It's irritating. Why can't I stop? I guess I care. Hahaha.

It's weird how I keep saying negative things about this job but it's all I can think about. I think Megan is right. Adjusting to a new job is like meeting someone new. You keep finding things that trouble you, but because for some reason, deep down somewhere you know it's worth the fight or the time, you hang on - I think in all honesty I want to do a good job and prove that I am competent, so I keep working even when I'm off. I think I'm also excited about the new challenges I am given everyday. If I can't figure it out, I look in the book, research on the net, call Dave and Jose, I have to and I want to know. It doesn't really end 'til I get the project done and over with.

Who knows how long this drive to knowledge will last?

PR5

The laptop mom left me with is officially ill. I took it to Dave's and both he and Jose believed it was infected by something. It was unusually slow and also making some weird noises. Dave lent me his Mac book to practice video editing. He's too sweet.

Work today went well. One of the Vice Presidents liked my work. I will keep learning and delivering good products.

I overate tonight. We watched Project Runway 5's premiere. Too bad the Asian guy got auf-ed. I thought the garbage bag outfit was the least polished and most boring, and the judges would eliminate that designer, but I was wrong. Bravo didn't seem to promote this season's PR as heavily as before. They must be pissed that the show's moving to Lifetime next year. I don't know if I will switch and follow.

I probably will. I'm a junkie for TV.

It's Here

Wow I forgot to put in an entry last night. I was too stressed over the new computer I guess. Yes they actually got me a brand new Mac with a cinema display. It was beautiful and the best computer I put my hands on. Again, I got nervous that I would not be able to produce at the level the new company was expecting. Too bad I didn't get to do much on it yesterday since most of the software weren't installed yet. So I came home thinking about the designs last night. I never like bringing home work, but since last week that's all I have been doing. 

Today the computer was set up finally and my email was spelled correctly too. I began to work on the flyers for the center branch. I also designed one ad for the hotline. Both of them still needed to be approved. So we'll see. After those I called Jose and asked him how to initiate the external hard drive for the Mac. I felt good that I also figured out how to get someone else's name off the Mac. It wasn't that I didn't want her on the Mac as another user, I just didn't want her name on it as the Main reference. So I changed it to the company's name and kept her profile. Hahaha... I felt much happier once I took her name off.

It's good to finally work on some stuff and be productive. The stress of not doing stuff and hearing everyone tells me how much work they need me to do, and over-thinking everything from people to projects to hours really drags me down even I am already off. Tonight I went to Borders and got a book on CS3. They didn't really have the one I saw on Amazon.com, but since I had a Borders gift certificate I might as well save some money. I made sure it would be OK to bring it back if it wasn't the right book for me. Having a CS3 "Bible" on hand certainly calms my nerves - I look forward to days where I don't have to think about work when I get home.

Almost 2nd Monday

Today went smoothly. I slept in really late, woke up around 11:30 - I was happy about that. Went to the gym and came back. Ate my second banh mi that I got yesterday. I watched Shear Genius, it was slightly better than 1st season. I really didn't like the judge before, she was too cold and unlikable. The judge this season is warmer and more personable. Still, it's no Project Runway, which is coming back on Wednesday! I'm excited about that. Yes I watch too much TV.

I went out and did some grocery shopping. I also used my KFC coupon and got a free Original Recipe chicken burger. It was saltier than the one from McDonald's and also less juicy. I filled up my diet Pepsi and came back home. I watched Nurse Betty and vegetated on the couch. The movie was good but it didn't have any charm. Characters were mostly mean and selfish, and why must Chris Rock yell in every scene? It would be more fun if the whole thing was outrageous or over-the-top, but it was not. Anyway, it was nice to finally see it.

I am not exactly thrilled that a new week is about to start. At the same time, it's not the end of the world. I really want the next week to be better than last. It will... It will... It willl.

Lazy Lazy

What a unproductive day this Saturday turned out to be. I woke up around 9:20 and watched TV mindlessly. I ate too. Then I remember to play the DVD I got, Margot At The Wedding, it was surprisingly good. Nicole Kidman's Margot is so unlikeable that I can't help but really enjoying her performance. The dynamics between the sisters and the almost groom have a lot of friction, at the same time, very human. The writing is very sharp and acting is well-rounded. I can relate to most of the scenes in this movie. Margot actually reminds me of my own mom. One minute she's your best friend the next she's your worst headache. She usually has good intentions but most of times things get twisted and ruined because she gets involved. Yep I like the movie a lot.

The rest of the afternoon I had Bravo on. I waited 'til 6 to get ready for the evening. My posse was coming to have dinner to celebrate my new job. Most of them already knew my first week there had been terrible. In any case, this would be a great chance to see everybody. We met at Lucky Dragon and ordered some of the spiciest Chinese dishes around. Everyone got stuffed and had the left-over cake I brought too. We laughed and John told me his first week at the job was horrible too. Sharing his stories and laughing about our experiences really helped and put things in perspective. Let's hope the coming weeks will get better and better.

Quiet please

I feel bad complaining about my new work everyday so I'm not going to do that today.

The weekend is here again. I am having dinner with my posse tomorrow night. I should find some time to clean up my apartment. It seriously needs some TLC. I also have to watch the movie I got from Netflix, so I can return it. Yes I am feeling drained and unmotivated. Let's hope I wake up tomorrow feeling anew.

UGH!

The level of frustration at work reached its peak today. I still don't have a computer or place to call my own. I feel powerless and helpless. The highlight today was that I did some work with the HR director, who was very funny. It felt good to work with someone who was upbeat and complimentary. Still, I was not pleased that I couldn't be any more productive. Who knew without a computer I would feel so aimless and lost?

Maybe I will find other stuff to complain about once I get my Mac. This week I feel stressed and I also feel extremely discouraged. Most everyone there seem disorganized, and even though they are so busy everyday, they don't seem to get much work done. I don't understand it. It's such a mess. However, both Sylvia and mom think I will move into a better position especially in this chaos if I can prove myself. 

Mom said the management style there is flat, like a clock, and I will be the center for all the characters. Even though everyone there is either a VP or director, they need someone like me to do the hard work. We'll see. I want to get on with it and show what I can do. At the same time, I worry about not being able to satisfy all these executive types. UGH!!!!

Give me the weekend already.

Let's talk about it

Today at this new company I experienced one thing that is rather new to me, exhaustively so too... People call it "conference call." I see it a lot in commercials and I heard friends talking about having them at work. I just never had the chance to be in one. Today, I was in two, very very long ones too. I found out that even though everyone had a handout or an outline of agendas, stuff rarely got answered or resolved. It was more like, let's bring it up and talk about it, describe it, air out your opinions or sit back saying nothing, but no one really is up for doing anything about it! So 80 - 90% of the issues would still be up in the air, which would be carried over to next week to discuss further! Both meetings ended up the same way! Maybe it's just this company?!

I still don't have a computer at work. They told me it would be set up for me soon. We'll see. What about where I will be sitting? Who knows? 

I haven't look forward to a weekend like I am today in a long long time.

Parking Crisis Averted... Again!

This morning I went into another panic attack when I found out the little tag I got was my monthly permit. I thought, for some reason, that I would be getting a new tag every morning. The attendant told me the replacement would cost me $25! I looked everywhere in the car and I just couldn't find it. Fortunately I remember two things: 1. I didn't throw anything away from my car yesterday. 2. Check my trunk. 

The tag was hiding in my backpack inside the trunk. Thank goodness! Crisis averted! I won't take that tag off for the entire month!

I still don't have anything at work. No computer. No telephone. No desk, or cubicle, or office. The VP came in and assured me things will get sorted out soon. Let's hope that's the case.

I found a good spot in the dining hall today when I had lunch. I also spent some time walking outside around my building to know the streets better. Downtown LA is so big and hectic. I will learn to get used to it somehow.

First Day at the New Place

Today is exciting, long, and stressful. The parking lot I was referred to ran out of monthly permits, so I had to find another garage to park. The next building had their monthly parking available, but they only accepted checks for payment. I didn't bring any on me. I had no choice. I meter-parked my car, went to Rite-aid, bought a lunch box case, and got cash back. The parking attendant at first refused to take my cash, but after some girl almost ran me over with her Mercedez, she took my money and told me to bring her a personal check next month. Phew.

At work things were went from boring to hectic. I talked with the HR assistant for a long time, filling out forms and signing off papers. She also took me to say hi to every employee and check out the dining cafe on the other floor. Then the HR director told me to buy food from another cafe down the street because she said they were cheaper and food tasted better, so I did. Still it was not a lot of food and kind of pricey. After lunch the Communication Director took over the orientation. It was pretty good for the most part. We exchanged information and learned about each other. She gave me a task to come up with some ideas for a campaign. She asked for one, I came up with ten. She liked some of them and was impressed.

The last hour there wasn't so great. She asked me to call some of the clients and asked them if they could call her back. It was not completely clear why I was asked to do this, and also I was never comfortable talking on the phone with strangers. I did what she asked anyways. It was not easy at first and I actually left a very awkward voice-mail on someone's cellphone. I also was hungry and dying to leave, but I couldn't because I had all those people to call and the director also walked out for a bit. I waited for like hours and decided to use the restroom then come back. Of course I got locked out. Luckily someone I met earlier from the office was leaving and he let me back in. The director finally came back to the office and told me more tasks we'll be doing tomorrow. Oh great.

I'm fine with working on stuff I don't particularly like, but I was just drained. And piling stuff on me at the last hour really messed up my mood. Now I know it's the norm there to leave around 6, that also added on extra stress because I was used to leave soon after 5. Hahaha... Aren't I spoiled? Yes I just need to readjust my expectations.

Oh I was a little annoyed that I didn't have a space or computer or phone or email at the company yet. It felt like I was an alien. I hope by the end of the week the set-up will be ready.

Full Weekend

This 4th of July has been a full weekend. Yesterday I had lunch with Sylvia, whom I had not seen in months. We ate and then shopped. She picked up a pair of nice dress shoes and some new socks to go with them. "It's important to look work-appropriate," she said.

After we shopped we went to have some Taiwanese shaved ice. It was sweet and delicious. Then I came back home to meet up with PK and Y to have dinner. We went to this small Italian restaurant called Alex Di Peppe's in Arcadia. The food was surprisingly good and the wait staff was attentive and friendly. We'll go back again.

Today I went thrift store shopping with Jose. We went to Out of Closet in Atwater Village. I got two shirts there for less than $12, I wasn't sure if they were wrinkle-free, but they looked good on me and at that price, how could I resist? We stopped by at this racquet shop on the same street to pick up box of badminton shuttlecocks. I was surprised to see that all the people in that store seemed to stand up facing the service crew, and none of them was moving or shopping. They just stood there in lines, motionless and facing the same direction, like they were under some type of trance. I thought it was very strange.

We then went to another thrift store called St. Vincent De Paul and looked for more clothes. This place was huge. So much second-hand goodness! I managed to find a nice dress shirt (Made in France) and a pair of wrinkle-free Docker's pants. Together, with tax, cost me less than 4 bucks! We came back to Dave's feeling hungry and a little tired. Still, there was a BBQ about to happen, so Dave and I headed out to get some food for the party.

After we got back Jose started the grill and Dave prepared the food in the kitchen. I was the middle man going in and out of the house transferring food. It all came together great. The vege burgers we made were ridiculously tall and of course tasty. We also had grilled seasoned asparagus, grilled mushrooms, BBQ beans, and refreshing limonade to go along with our burgers, all our summer favorites. It was a lot of food and we were stuffed. Cameron joined us after we finished our burgers but I continued to eat. Yea the food was yummy and I was very hungry.

We played LIFE the board game after cleaning up the plates and the table. I had never played LIFE before. It turned out to be a lot of fun and I won too. Hahaha... If only this was real.

I'm now back at home and preparing for tomorrow's debut. It'll be my first day at the new job and I am hoping I will make a good impression. Wish me luck :)

Migration of the old laptop

Last night's fireworks didn't end quietly. It went on well into the night, past the midnight hour, then kept on for another couple of hours. Around 3:30 a crowd near my neighborhood got rowdy. Some drunk girl was extremely obnoxious and loud. She was joined by a bunch of guys and girls, all screaming and yelling and crying. I had no idea what they were fighting about. I wanted to turn my AC back on, but I was dried out earlier, so I left it off. The noise did not calm down for another hour or so. I was drifting in and out of sleep. It was a struggle.

This morning I woke up around 8:10 and again, couldn't fall back to sleep anymore. I woke up, watered the plants, and managed to pull my old laptop into my bedroom. It's very ghetto the way it looks. Since I don't have wireless internet set-up I carefully and neatly extended all the cables and wires to my bedroom. Their length was just long enough to reach a corner of my bed facing the door. So I had to be mindful moving the laptop and getting in or out of the room. I know, lame-O. Still, it's nice to lay in bed and use my computer at the same time.

I'm getting lazier and lazier. At first I had the laptop on the bar panel by the kitchen sink, and I always stood to use it. Then a month ago I moved it to my table in the living room, because I wanted to sit down to use it while watching TV. I also had to play with the wiring to make sure it had enough to reach the table. And now, all the way to the bedroom, and I'm lying down. Such a lazy ass.

Wanted then Get Smart

I woke up around 7:20 this morning and stayed in bed for another half an hour. I couldn't sleep anymore so I got up. I went to the gym, came home, then went to the movies. I first saw Wanted - It was a little bloodier than I expected. The action scenes were outrageous and a lot of fun to watch. Angelina Jolie is perfect for this role. It felt a little Matrix-y - then again, most action films that featured super slow-mo sequence were called that.

After finishing that film I went to see Get Smart. Wow... This has been a Terrence Stamp Day! He was a seemingly bad but actually good guy in Wanted, and a true villain but pretty dry and funny in Get Smart. Good for him! Get Smart was a cute, feel-good and funny film. The story is simple but the sharp dialog and great chemistry between the cast kept the film fresh and breezy. This was a good day because I liked both films.

After the movies I went to Marshall's to get some clothes for my new job. Any excuse to shop right? I had not bought clothes like today in a long time. I mainly looked for "wrinkle-free" or "wrinkle-resistant" shirts and pants. It took me a while to find what I wanted, most sizes in the store were bigger than mine. In the end I found 4 shirts and 2 pair of pants. I might go shopping with Jose this weekend again, who told me thrift shops sometimes have pretty good selections and of course prices.

I'm home now, baking in heat. Fireworks outside are loud. It's that time of the year again. Let's hope they'll give it a rest when it's my bedtime.

Last day at

chatThe last day at work turned out to be a little anti-climatic. There was a bunch of tasks to take care of and a ton of junk to get rid of. Not a lot of people knew that I was leaving, I caught myself feeling sad I did not get a chance to say that I was. On the other hand, my manager was very sweet. He bought a big beautiful delicious fruit tart + cheesecake for me. I was going to cut a slice and share with a girl from the sales, but I was so busy today, before I had time to get the cake out of the fridge she had already left. In the end, just my manager and I enjoyed two small slices before we left the building. He was very considerate and thoughtful about my new job. We continued to chat while walking to the parking lot like we usually did over the years. We gave each other a short hug and said goodbye. I have always had a good relationship with my manager and I am very thankful for the friendship and guidance he had given me. It was sad this part of my life had finally ended. At the same time I had hoped for a new beginning for years now and I am excited the big change that is about to come.

There was a small, but serious shock that sent waves thru my head this morning. I found out the new company was still running the ad. I always get the job posting email notification from Monster, but that ad had not been featured in a long time. So now all of sudden it was back on I was very surprised. I started to think that perhaps they were dropping me. Then again, I did email the HR lady this week! I asked her about my starting day there and my concerns, she wrote me back too, so she knew I was coming in! Then why in the world would she repost the ad? I was pretty worried. I told Dave online and he said I better call her and figure out what's going on. Of course when I called she wasn't in yet, and when she called me back I wasn't able to pick it up. Just what I needed - More stress on top of work stress! Finally she got a hold of me after I left her a message. No I didn't ask her about the ad, because I thought having her known that I was still reading job notices would not look good. I know, it's ok if I do it, but it's NOT OK if they are doing it!!!

During our conversation the HR lady asked me to fax her the acceptance letter. In fact, she emphasized that a couple of times, so maybe that's the reason why? I was planning to just bring in everything on Monday. However, I could see that might be an issue if they needed to at least see that I accepted the offer with my signature, just to be certain that I agreed to the terms. She talked to me at length regarding many issues today, like health insurance, coverage, 401K, office wear, security badge, procedures, etc. So I think, they weren't really still looking. I hope!

I felt tacky using my work's fax machine to send her the signed acceptance letter. Then again, it's my last day, and I must make sure the new job is still mine! Phew!

The big cake is still in my fridge. I will have to share it... It's so pretty and delicious. And BIG!

Wall-E

I just came back from watching a great movie, Wall-E. It's stunningly beautiful, sometimes breathtaking, very funny and full of heart. It's a solid and outstanding piece of work from the beginning to end. The short film that shown beforehand was excellent too. It was cute, funny, fast and sharp. Clearly Pixar made another winner in their line-up this year.

Tomorrow is my last day at this company. They still can't find someone to come in before I'm gone. I was hoping to train someone to take over, but it doesn't seem like it will happen. Today I typed up another two pages of notes on how to find files and do my job. This manual would have to do now. After the long weekend I will start working at the new place. I am looking forward to getting challenged and learning new things. Hope it will start off well. Good luck to me next Monday :)

HR - What do they do all day?

I wrote my new company another email today asking them about parking, health insurance, and work wardrobe. The HR assistant yesterday did not respond, so today I called, then email her supervisor to get answers. I didn't hear back from her 'til after 5:30 - I did not like that. If that's how slow and unresponsive the people act at HR, what does that say about the company overall? Well, it is nonprofit, perhaps that's the norm.

I hung out with Megan tonight. We went to a new cafe / tea place in the Long's Drug plaza in San Gabriel. I forgot to get their name. Megan ordered their "beauty" tea. I got myself some Taiwanese shaved ice with plum sauce on top. Under the ice I had pineapple chunks, grass jelly, lychee jelly, boba, and aloe bits. It was tangy and refreshing. The owner was very sweet, cordial and friendly. She told us they just opened the place two months ago. So far so good. We will come back for sure.