Boiling Crap

Work went smoothly today. I was productive and I was happy. When I came home my neighbor gave me extra food for dinner, that also made me very happy. There are times when I think I am truly blessed and today was one of those days.

A bunch of us met up at Boiling Crab for dinner. I know, I already ate a little before I went to meet everyone. It was packed to the max, this place. The hostess was rude, the wait was long, it was just extremely unpleasant inside and out. I was secretly glad I ate some food first or I would be extra annoyed. We ended up waiting for more than an hour to get our table. Some of the items on the menu were gone. Great. Finally we started to eat and the mood was great. That was until we found out they charged extra for sauce. Fine. Then we found out they also charged us for tap water! Freaking ridiculous! I am not coming back again I don't care how good the food is. And it's not that good! Just salty and garlicky. I told Wayne next time just leave me out of this place, I would not enjoy the wait, the attitude, and being charged for TAP WATER!

We did have a good time, I just wished we had hung out somewhere else.

Tamagotchi no more

Both Dave and Jose got sick over the weekend. It was good to see them improving and feeling better. Let's hope I stay cold-free :) I played Wii at Dave's today. Raving Rabbids 2 was a lot of exciting fun. It was a great game. I didn't hate Tamagotchi Party On as much as Dave did, but I understood why he or anyone else didn't like it. We ended up returning the game to the store. There was nothing Dave wanted after much browsing, we even tried Blockbuster's game selections, still turned up nothing. So we gave up and went to dinner. Tomorrow I have work. I wonder if it's going to be my only workday this week.

Cheap lotion

I hung out with Megan today. We went to Staples, CVS, and Cha for Tea. There were big sales everywhere. I got a bottle of CVS's generic brand lotion that was already 1/2 off and on top of that, I could get another bottle of the same thing for 1/2 off of that. So cheap! For dinner we had Megan's leftover food from her lunch yesterday. There was plenty of Cantonese Chinese food for both of us. Yum.

Megan and I always make each other laugh and today was no different. I am blessed. It really is a fortune to spend some quality, and low-cost time with a good friend.

Banh Mi for lunch

I didn't do any cleaning today. I know I'm lazy. The only thing that I did remotely related to cleaning was taking out the trash. I'm looking at the desk mess now. Maybe tomorrow?

I went to one of my favorite banh mi places after the gym today. It was pretty packed. It seemed like my little secret was no longer a secret. A very generous portion, delicious meaty sandwich could be had for just $2.25, who wouldn't flock to the shop to grab a piece himself? Good to see some local small business is still doing pretty well.

Space needed

I had another laid-back day today. I did go to the gym, get some groceries and apply for a few jobs. That's about it. I am thinking about clearing up my desk space for the new printer. I have about 2-3 years of mails, mostly billing statments and junk from all over the place, layering one on top of another in front of my eyes. It's unsightly. I think I'm just lazy. Typical guy mentality: As long as there's space I just keep piling stuff up. Tonight I see it, tomorrow the shredding machine shall receive a good workout.

X'mas Eve 2008

Yesterday we held our X'mas eve celebration at my apartment. We went to House of Fragrant (formerly Lu's Garden) to have porridge and Taiwanese side dishes. It was the perfect feast for X'mas eve. We came back and Dave made an excellent pear tart. We also watched Serial Mom, which was loved by some of us and hated by the rest. There was some serious tension brewing after the viewing, and the situation was about to escalate into some truly unnecessary couple's quarrel, so I intervened and saved the day by forcing everyone open the presents at 11 o'clock instead of midnight. I know, sometimes you have to make something happen in order to distract and redirect attention to what's more important. Yes I saved our X'mas eve.

Today I received a text from someone in my past. He was someone whom I was infatuated with 2 years ago. It was a severe case of I liked him more than he liked me. Things between us ended unexpectedly, and except for the occasional flashback, I tried not to dwell in the brief memories we once shared. I did not know how to reply after he wrote "Keep in touch! Hope to see you sometime soon." Suddenly the train of thought took off, and I was chasing, running down the memory lane. I typed, and retyped, then reworked some more on my response to his surprise text. I saved my draft and a minute later checked on it again. I even asked my friends what to write so I wouldn't sound desperate. In the end, I erased my response and stopped that train. Some things are best left unstirred once settled. What we had was awesome while it lasted. It might be OK now if we were to restart, but most likely we would walk right back to where we ended. Call me pessimistic or insecure, the message he sent today simply meant that he too, was feeling lonely during the holidays and needing a familiar voice to side with... It meant nothing more.

It was nice though, that he considered me.

Friends and Holidays

Today was a friend-ful day. I hung out with Tim, who had called me severals times now trying to see if we could do lunch. This morning we finally made it happen. We went to Jazz Cat for their mini hot pots. The restaurant was a lot less crowded than the times I visited before. The food was ok, really nothing to write home about. Tim and I chatted laughed and had a nice time. Afterwards I came home, while the painters worked on the apartment doors. They used to be plum color, now they are dark green. I am anticipating my rent to go up any day now.

Tonight Wayne and I met up with Jane John and Jen for dinner. We got a table at Palm's Thai without waiting at all. That was a first! The Thai Elvis wasn't singing tonight, perhaps that explained the less-than-packed house. Overall our food was pleasant. I don't remember any standouts. We talked and talked. Jen suggested that we went to have a drink or two at Bird's, which was very nearby. Once there, we found a good table by the window. We ordered some appetizer and dessert and beers. Our waiter was not very cordial or attentive. I thought he was almost unfriendly. The atmosphere was great though. The mood was lively and colorful. We left around 11:00. I came home and felt very happy. It's good to see friends around this time. It makes me feel less alone. Not that there's anything wrong with being alone, but during the holidays being single can make anyone feel a bit uneasy. It'll all be fine after the New Years.

Wow it's almost 2009.

Bath

This week turned out to be a one day work week. The company really didn't have more for me to do and the boss went on his annual vacation. I'll be back next Tuesday. Say hello to many late mornings!

I took a long hot bath tonight. I used up the remaining shower gel and it was a bubbly fest. It feels good to take time to soak in warm soapy water. Somehow when the body immerses in the water it helps take my mind off of things. I see the world stops spinning temporarily. Everything is still. Then afterwards, life's back to normal, coming together surely and slowly. I feel completely relaxed warm and happy. How very spoiled :P

Quickly

I woke up around 6 this morning. I ate some yam, went online then went back to sleep around 8:30... Got up again before noon. Had gym, ate soup, watched random TV, showered, shopped for groceries, talked to Nicole, came back home. I made the steamed ginger fish again (with sprinkles of curry powder), and watched the Charmed School finale. It's not a quality show, but why not, I wanted to know who won. Needless to say, today went by rather quickly and not all that eventful.

Sorting out clothes

I finally sorted and cleaned out some of my old clothes today. Some of them were sitting in one of my closet shelves for years. I never touched them after I moved in. Today I threw everything from that shelf on the floor and went over them one by one. Could I just keep them? Sure. But I really needed the space and I could donate them for tax purposes. Since I work only part-time now I have to watch out for that filing next year. In total I managed to fill out two boxes of clothing. So I have room to move my other old clothes to this shelf now! Hahaha.

Dave and Jose came over tonight to have dinner. We went to Nguyen Hoang Vietnamese and had a complete vegetarian dinner. It was tasty, but I think they used MSG in their dishes so I felt very thirsty afterwards. Dave said it was probably the soy sauce. We came back to my place and watched Hairspray. It was a lighthearted fun movie. We all enjoyed the singing and the lively performances. Although we all felt John Travolta was miscast for this film. Why not John Goodman or some other cool big drag queen who could sing and act convincingly as a big lovable woman? Before they got back here Dave and Jose also went and bought a Sara Lee apple pie that was on sale for $4.00 or something. It was good, but was quite sweet too. I was still thirsty from the dinner... so I might be drinking lots of water tonight before bed. Not that smart of an idea... Who wants to wake up in the middle of freezing cold night and use the icy bathroom? Still... MSG plus sugar equals thirsty, so water and bathroom must follow...

TV can make you feel bad sometimes

I watched half of Oprah today. The show was about finding the right job for anyone. I don't know when that show was taped, but supposedly 1/2 of the women who went through this workshop found jobs that best suited them. Sure, I learned something new by watching just a half of the show. It has to do with comparing some things you love vs. some things you loath.

I think similar to cooking shows, I enjoy watching them and always believe I walk away gaining new knowledge. However, I rarely go ahead and actually practice it. Like, I won't start making 30 minute meals after watching Rachel Ray doing it. Fortunately with cooking shows, they cycle fast and I never have all the ingredients at home, so I don't feel bad about not doing any cooking. But with Oprah or other help-yourself programs, I always feel guilty not making an effort afterwards. Like, hey all those people are doing this and wow their lives totally change! Amazing! Me? I just switch to another channel and move on.

Maybe I need to stop watching Oprah. I don't want to feel bad.

Rain. LA.

It's another end of the work week. Yes, 3 days of work - not exactly my choice, but it's the best available option now. Considering there are people who can't get any jobs I am pretty lucky. I know one of these days my old company won't need me there and I will be back on unemployed full time. Who knows, I may have a real full time job then.

It's been raining in LA. Tonight when I was on my way to Dave's I decided to play one of the songs that always made me teary eye. I was feeling sentimental. Go figure.

Cold LA

LA is very cold and wet today. Well last night the rain finally came and made a ton of noise outside my bedroom. It was pretty chilly too. Ladies and gentlemen, the LA winter is officially here.

I worked today and it went fine. Before taking off, I made sure to send my manager a copy of my invoice. This talented but jobless boy needs his paycheck! Traffic was bumper to bumper after work. I was stuck on 10 Freeway for over an hour. Surface streets were just as awful. People seemed to lose their driving abilities in LA whenever the rain starting to drop. Thank goodness I finally arrived at the gym around 6 and finished up an hour later.

The evening at home went by pretty fast. I really couldn't find anything exciting to watch on TV, until just about now. The English Patient is on and it's one of my favorites. It's epic, beautiful, and heartbreaking. And surprisingly the film holds up extremely well. It's been 12 years since it came out and today still it looks amazing.

Time to shower soon. Going back to work tomorrow... Yay to free heat!

X'mas shopping

It seemed like this weekend went by like a blur. I did try to stay productive. Did some X'mas shopping. Applied for a few jobs. Vacuumed. Got groceries. Slept. I even helped PK get gifts. So maybe it wasn't that much of a blur?

This is the first time I am jobless during the holidays. I am watching my spending and keeping my list. It is still going to be a fun X'mas, just less costly. There will be a few more weeks before all the projects at the company are complete. So we'll see what happens next.

Enjoy and appreciate

I slept 'til 10:44 this morning. I felt so blessed. I went to the gym, came back, went out again to hang with Meg. It was a good afternoon. Of course I was not in my "productive" mode. I did look at the jobs and really, I didn't find any new jobs that I could apply for... perhaps I would try again this weekend. I chatted with Jen, who was busy planning her wedding. We didn't think the job market would improve anytime soon. It would take a while so everyone just sit tight, hang in there and think good thoughts. It's not worth it to drag yourself down. We'll all get through this. Now just enjoy and appreciate every little thing in life. Leave stress alone. Stay in happy.

Time for self

I am happy I don't have work tomorrow! I know I know, I should be looking forward to going to work. I should be thankful to have a job, even if it's just short term. I should this and that. And I totally work hard for what I have too. Still, I love to have time for myself. I don't need to go out or do anything. Simply staying at home and taking a sound nap will be enough for me. So tomorrow I am meeting Megan for some tea and laughs. There will be gym. Some produce shopping too. And of course, rest - sleep - nap... it's the best.

Talk too much

I went over my minutes this month and fortunately today I am free. I shouldn't have gone over my limit, since I was away for half a month. I think the long conversations I held after I came back with Sylv Nic and Meg "helped" a lot. I know, for someone who's unemployed and looking to save, I sure can talk. I will be more watchful this month. Promise.

Busy evening

I had an eventful night. After leaving work I went to the bank to deposit my check, then I went to get gas + TJ's for groceries. Judy finished her facial around that time, so I met up with her to chat and get more stuff from Taiwan (Yay!) ... After we were done, I drove to Subway and had dinner with PK. Then we came back to my place to watch Chungking Express. We finished the film around 10, PK left to go to Wal-Mart, and I went to the gym for some late night workout. Phew... I can't believe that I fit all that in in one evening. I am having some panettone with cranberry juice. It's like a bedtime snack. Mmm... sugar... sleep...

Taking care of business

Another weekend has passed. I didn't do much except resting and eating. What's really new? I am going back to work for 3 more days this week. Probably another few more next week. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I know I am going to keep an open mind and take care of business, and more importantly, myself.

Take it slow

Friday finally! I thought I was going to leave work early today but I ended up staying 'til 4 PM anyway. I worked too hard! Dad said I shouldn't finish the work that quickly. I should take my time and show them it would not be done in just one week. I understood what he was saying, at the same time I really wanted to get this done and move on... I don't know. It's not like there other projects going on, everyone's focused on this catalog so it's not easy to "take my time" or treat it more casually. I suppose I can take a couple of days off next week then come back to polish, and finish it up. I think that's what I'm going to do.

Still good

The second day back at my old job was just as manic and exciting. I was very productive. The boss came in too. He was very appreciative. The overall mood in the office was positive and cheerful. I must admit I found myself happy working for them again. It wasn't that I forgot how stressful things could get around here, it was just that we all seemed to bring our best face and effort to the table. It was friendly and collaborative. I'd love to have this kind of working relationship forever, but it's not going to last. People get tired of each other, people take others for granted. I do it. My boss definitely does it. Who doesn't? Fortunately I know there's an expiration date to this and we'll all behave.

I am going to enjoy this 2nd trip down the same road. I will enjoy it while it lasts.

Back again

This was my first day back at my old company. It's been 5 months since I left and things have definitely changed there. The most visible difference is the staff. There are a lot less people working there now. Sigh. The economy is slow for all businesses.

The feeling I had today was strangely energized. I felt good doing work after a lengthy hiatus. It also helped that I enjoyed spending time with the familiar faces. I got a lot done, and I was excited. I will be back for a few more days until the project is finished. I do look forward to working again, and of course, taking a break from it all some time later.

Dave was moody today. I think my cologne had something to do with it. Of course his oven not functioning correctly and certain laptop issues contributed to his overall annoyance. Sometimes men do have PMS. Every now and then it's a good idea to give them plenty of space and lots of time to calm themselves down. Fortunately he was feeling better after dinner. When the host's happy, everyone is happy.

Irreplaceable (Que the Beyoncé song...)

I can't seem to shake my old company... the one that I moved on from this summer. I worked for them for the last 7 years. In July I changed jobs and still I kept in contact, I even helped them with some projects from time to time. Then I got laid off. I did one last thing for them before my trip to China. Seriously, I really thought that was it. I was wrong. I will be there helping them out again tomorrow, and perhaps the rest of the week. They could not find my replacement, or the person they hired didn't work out - It's the same thing, I guess. I am irreplaceable!

I look forward to not working again. Kidding!

4 jobs

Today I applied for 4 jobs! So proud of myself! There wasn't really a lot of updates going on with internet job boards. Hey, at least I found 4 that seemed like decent positions for yours truly. Tomorrow's another day. Maybe I will find another 4... if I'm lucky.

I didn't do much else today. I cleaned out the vanity counter. I put the registration sticker on my license plate. I visited the gym too. What a day! I could really get used to this. Hearing Washington Mutual is going to let go about 9200 people and Wall Street stumbled hard again today, I really wonder how all this is going to recover and when I am going to land myself a good job. These are the times. These are the times.