Year In Review - 2008

Time: 10:32pm
Mood: Happy :D
Song of the moment: T.I Feat. Rihanna - Live Your Life

Last day of 2008! To me, this was the year of luck. I felt so lucky all year. First of all, I was lucky enough to celebrate a 1 year wedding anniversary with the love of my life. I still feel lucky each and every single day I'm married to such a loving and caring man. I also feel lucky that despite all the ongoings of the economy, I still have a job (and it's my dream job!). Actually getting the job I had now was luck - a month after I started my current job, the company I previously worked for went bankrupt and closed its doors! I still know some of my old coworkers that are still looking for a job - I pray they find one in 2009. I also became an aunt for the first time to an adorable nephew :D I can't believe how fast he's growing up! Makes me realize that time does fly by, sometimes faster than you want it to.

I also experienced deep sorrow - this was the year my beloved gung gung, my most favorite person, passed away. I knew it as a long time coming, he had been ill for a long time. But it still doesn't take the sting away from loosing a person you so cherished. I miss him, but I know he is in a better place now - with my pau pau.

As for New Years resolutions go, I'm going to go with the typical "going to the gym more often" although I have a feeling this one will be hard to keep (even will a gym set up in my basement now. But when it's that easy, for some reason it makes it harder...). But really, resolution is to enjoy each day and make the best out of everything.

I hope that 2009 is just as lucky as 2008.

Happy New Year to everyone :D

"Snowmageddon"

Time: 11:52pm
Mood: Achy (stupid snow shoveling!)
Song of the moment: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

So today the Toronto area got blasted with a nasty snowstorm. It started as soon as I pulled into the parking lot @ work and it got worse from there. I ended up leaving work early.. and thank God I did! The one thing I hate when we get these huge snowstorms is the fact that my street doesn't get plowed until 1-2 days after it snows, so getting in and out of my street is difficult. And I've seen ample proof of that happening today - my street has been filled with stuck cars, vans.. even school buses! And I watched all the drama unfold through my second story window :P In fact, I just looked outside the window and I saw a car stuck right in front of my house, and a van stuck at the mouth of my street.

They should rename my street "Stuck In Snow Cres." LoL :D

Travel Flip-Flopping

Time: 9:19pm
Mood: Dull... I just want the holidays to start!!
Song of the moment: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Around The Bend

These past few months have been super crazy at work, but now that we're over that hurdle, things have slowed down. Sometimes I think it's a little too slow, but I guess it's perfect timing considering Christmas is a week away! It's awesome because my boss is giving us extra time off for the holidays, meaning I get a week and a half off!! woohoo! And to think I thought I lost all that when I left PMP!

Above all the craziness, I managed to get my Christmas shopping done early and put up our new bigger Christmas tree (I still put up the little one... just for kicks! hehe). I still don't have a star to put on top of the big tree. I tried to look for one, but it seems like all the department stores are going for the "make your tree look like a present" look. blah!

Yes... those are our new red couches beside the tree... I *heart* them!! And

So I've been thinking a lot about the trip that Jimmy and I are planning on taking next year. The plan was to go to Spain before or after going to a wedding in London. We were planning on renting a car and driving around for 2-3 weeks. But if anyone knows me well, they know I always change my travel plans, usually on a drop of a hat. I find that I'm very impulsive when it comes to travelling. A prime example was last year, when I was planning all year to go to Iceland. I was pretty much dead-set on going. But then one day, I just woke up and thought... hm.. Costa Rica.. that sounds like fun! I booked a trip to Costa Rica that week and was baking in the sun 2 months later :D

So this time around, I was flipping through this Gap adventure tour brochure that was left on my desk by a co-worker of mines and I stumbled across a trip to Tibet. I've always wanted to go to Tibet, and I though meh, no better time than the present! So the plan right now is to go to Tibet :) I've already started looking up prices on flights and stuff. I havn't booked the trip yet - meaning there is still time to change my mind.

Ask me in a month to see where I'm going :D It might be different!

Happy Halloween

Time: 6:43pm
Mood: Happy
Song of the moment: Oasis - The Shock Of The Lightning

Happy Halloween everyone! I'm not usually a big fan of halloween (because it's so close to my birthday... and it's very rare I can go out for my birthday without it being a halloween-party night. blahh!!). But this year I'm actually excited! Why? Because I get to give out candy :D Last year I was in Detroit so this is my first year giving out candy.

I even carved a pumpkin! :D

Going Back

Time: 9:50pm
Mood: Tired
Song of the moment: Katy Perry - Hot N Cold

This week has been pretty hectic for me so far.  I had to travel to a small town outside Chatham yesterday to complete some material trials for work.  The drive was like driving to Detroit.. the same route, except I got to exit the highway earlier! LoL :D  I had to be there for 9:30am, so waking up at 5:30am was not fun at all!

Today I went back... went back to Waterloo that is!  I was there to do co-op interviews.  Man the co-op program has definitely changed since I was there.  I remember having to photocopy resumes on really nice paper, then going to the drop boxes before the application deadline and apply for jobs.  I think there was one time I actually went in my PJs to make an application deadline! LoL oh the memories!  But now, they just apply online!  I didn't have time to walk around campus and check out the new buildings... I was going to do that during lunch but my interviews went long and it started raining.  Oh well.. maybe next time :D  

I realized something today when I was doing interviews - it's a lot tougher being the interviewer!  After the 4th person (and I interviewed a total of 9) I felt like a broken record.  I was repeating the same thing over and over again.  It was brutal!!  But, I did have fun chatting with the students and getting to know them a bit beyond their resume.  I did however encounter some characters... one of which I will call the "loud talker".  It was like he was yelling at me! LoL

Tomorrow I'm off to Ryerson to do more interviews... but the good thing about tomorrow is I'll be downtown so I get to meet my hubby for lunch! *yay* :D

Chasing Rainbows

Time: 10:44pm
Mood: Enlightened
Song of the moment: New Kids On The Block - 2 In The Morning

I was driving home the other day and it was a wicked sun-shower that was happening. Traffic was rolling along the 407. To my left, I caught a glimpse of what looked like the beginning of a double rainbow. To my right... I saw an end of a rainbow. Then I looked up... and I couldn't believe my eyes....

It was a FULL rainbow.

I donno about you, but I've never seen a full rainbow in Toronto. They're definitely a rarity. The only places I've seen a full rainbow were in Hawaii and New Zealand.

I took a picture of it when I got off the highway - caught just as it started to fade....

Childhood Completed

Time: 9:40pm
Mood: Glad It's Friday!
Song of the moment: New Kids On The Block - Single

Last night I got to do something that I had always wanted to do as a kid - go to a New Kids On The Block concert!

I remember being a kid and being so in love with Joey McIntyre. I played their music hours on end on my tape deck, so much so I'm still surprised the tapes still play. If I was obsessing over a song, I would rewind and play the song over and over again, sometimes freaking out when the tape deck "ate" my tape :) I memorized all the lyrics, watched and studied all their music videos. I was obsessed. I remember my parents telling me I was "absolutely not" allowed to go to their concert when they came into town. And I was so heartbroken when they broke up because then I knew I would never be able to see them live again...

Fast forward 15 years - NKOTB is back :D And they were throwing a concert... and they were coming to town!! AND I got tickets!!! :D

The concert was awesome! I went with Flo and we had soooooo much fun! The concert brought back a sense of nostalgia; I felt like a little kid again. Here I was, a grown woman, screaming like a little school girl when the boys hit the stage. They played all my old and new favorites :) I have to say... Joey McIntyre still has the looks :D

The evening ended with quite a surprise. I met up with some of my Mac friends that were at the concert... and we met Jordan and Jonathan Knight's mom! Woah crazy! LoL

The Ups & Downs Of Life

Time: 8:25pm
Mood: Tired
Song of the moment: David Archuleta - Crush


Things have been crazy busy for me lately. Between spending time with family and friends, attending weddings and work, I've had little time for myself. And now that the olympics are on, I have no time for anything! LoL! I love the olympics.... it usually takes over my life for 2 weeks. For instance, this weekend, because Beijing is 12 hours ahead of us, I stayed up until 5:30am just to watch the men's 8 rowing team row for gold (which they did! yessss! haha). I'm such an olympic nut!

So quite a bit has happened over the past month. I'll start with the ups.

Ups: Jimmy and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary! Hooray! The year has definitely flown by. Maybe it's because I spent almost 8 months of it in Detroit? haha! But it's kinda sad now.. I can't refer to us as "newlyweds" anymore :( Work has been really good! I've completely enjoying my job, and I've been told I've exceeded their expectations. That to me is a big compliment! It's been pretty crazy with work lately... so crazy that they're going to hire someone to help me. I'm going to be someone's boss *shock*. I'm a little nervous about being somoneone's boss (**side note... holy crap I just watched the 200m race.. that Bolt guy... CRAZY! he beat everyone by a long shot!).

Downs: And this one is major. My gung gung passed away last month and the news was absolutely heartbreaking for me. He's been in poor health for so long, and realistically I should have been ready for it, but I don't think you can ever prepare yourself for the heartbreak you experience when you get the news. Or maybe I was sort of prepared... I found I've cried less. I remember a few years ago, when even the though of losing my grandfather would leave me crying for days. My uncle suggested making a slideshow that showcased my grandparents - which I helped prepare. Let me tell you... it was such a hard thing to do. I still can't watch that slideshow without bursting into tears.

I miss you gung gung.. more than you'll ever know... but I know one day we will meet again. I love you.....

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Time: 10:50pm
Mood: Exhausted
Song of the moment: Coldplay - Viva La Vida

This weekend has been absolutely exhausting, but fun! Jimmy's cousins came down from NYC this weekend to surprise my sister-in-law and to see her new baby :D Also, my uncle and cousin from Van-city came for the week. So Jimmy and I ended up hosting 2 family BBQs - on one Saturday afternoon, one this evening. I'm exhausted!

Recently the company I used to work for filed for bankruptcy and completely closed down (it was all over the news...). I still keep in touch with a lot of people I used to work for so I was getting a play-by-play on what happened. I got an email from an ex-coworker when they filed for bankruptcy, and I got a phone call the day everyone got the call that the company was shutting it's doors and they were all out of a job. Even though I hated the job and the senior management staff that ran the place, I really really cared for the people that worked there. It was incredibly sad to hear that everyone had lost there jobs. And the worst part is, no one was offered any severence, even the people that had worked there for over 15-20 years. They were pretty much thrown out on the street like garbage.

I can't say this was completely unexpected because of the way the economy was going and the state of the industry they catered to. But I heard senior management lead people on, telling everyone there was nothing to worry about. People were so angry with how abruptly the plants closed, and how management pretty much left them in the dark that they began to picket outside the main plant. They met with senior management, who all got major pay-outs, in attempts to get some level of severence, but got nowhere. I was told after a meeting they had with the management team that those assholes were seen laughing about the whole matter. Of course they find it funny.. they have their money.

Even though I disliked a lot of the management team, there were some people I had highly respected. Now, I'm absolutely appalled by their behaviour. As far as I'm concerned, they're all selfish and evil, and I hope Karma comes and kicks them all right in the balls.

New Beginnings

Time: 11:07pm
Mood: Happy
Song of the moment: New Kids On The Block - Summertime

It's been almost two months since my last entry, and so much has happend in that time. Two weeks after I got back from Costa Rica, I got a phone call on a Saturday - it was someone from a company that found my resume online, and was wondering if I wanted to come in for an interview. The way the guy described the job... it really sounded like my dream job. I thought, ok, I really have nothing to loose by going to the interview. So we agreed to meet on Friday over lunch.

The Monday before the interview, my boss decided to make me an example out of me by sending out an email to my department, pointing out that I made a mistake. It made me look like a complete dumbass - which made me furious. I was in Detroit, so I couldn't go in and say anything to him, but it ate at me all week. I was really looking forward to the interview b/c I was so pissed I wanted out. So the day of the interview, I walked into my boss' office in the morning and told him that he had crossed the line with me and that I expected more from him as a manager. After that, we had a really good conversation, and I left his office feeling a lot better about everything. So I went to my interview that afternoon with a "I have nothing to loose" mentality. The interview went really really well - I got the sense that they were impressed with me and I left the interview with a good feeling.

Needless to say, I got the job. They called me an hour after I left the interview and offered me the job! It was extremely hard to leave my job though because I've grown so attached to the people. I still keep in touch with my ex-coworkers - I actually saw some of them last week :) My new company's test facility is just around the corner from my old office, so it makes it convienient to see them :) I miss them though.

Also on a the new beginning list - Jimmy and I became a first time uncle and aunt :D Katie and Ray had a healthy baby boy :D He's so cute. But it made me realize I'm not ready for kids yet (I don't like holding babies... hahaha). Eh... kids are more fun when they're more responsive :)

A Well Needed Vacay

Time: 8:48am
Mood: Tired
Song of the moment: Kyle Minogue - All I See

Every so often, usually once a year, I get bitten by the travelling bug. I get this uncontrollable urge to get on plane and leave the country. Last time I did this was in August for my honeymoon, so I figured I wouldn't get the itch until July.. but I was wrong! Around Feb. I knew I had to go on vacation soon. So I went out and booked a trip to Costa Rica. Jimmy and I just got back last week :)

We had a fabulous time! It was a 8 day Eco-tour, where the first half was spent exploring the northern province of Gunacaste, and the second half at an all-inclusive resort. I booked this tour because I wanted a mix of both adventure and beach time - I was in dire need of a tan. We started a the tour in Liberia, but we were quickly wisked into a bus for a 3 hr bumpy car ride to Monteverde - home of the cloud rain forest. There was only 4 of us on the tour, so it was nice. I was expecting 30 ppl. Less ppl meant we wouldn't be herded like cattle :) During our time in Monteverde Jimmy and I did a lot of hiking on nature trails, and we went on a zip-lining tour. We got to zip-line through the rainforest - it was awesome! From Monteverde we headed to the Arenal Volcano - which is the second most active volcano in the world. We got to hike around the base of the volcano, where we got to observe different species of birds, trees and monkeys. Oh yes the monkeys... one decided to have some fun and began to throw poo at us! It didn't hit me... but it hit my tour buddies... how awful! But it makes for a good story :) The last 3 nights were spent at an all-inclusive resort - this was where Jimmy and I concluded we are not resort people! haha! The resort was pretty bland - there really wasn't anything to do there. It consisted of a pool, a restaurant and a bar (notice all those things are singular). The beach wasn't that great either. On the plus side, we had an room with a great view! We stayed in a suite that had a kitchen (that we didn't use), and a deck with a small dipping pool that overlooked the bay. It was gorgeous! So Jimmy and I spent a lot of time hanging out on our deck and just baked in the sun :) I got the tan I was looking for!

After coming back from the vacay I realized it was much needed. I really needed a mental break from work! I'm enjoying a job a little more now - I feel more on top of things and I've been so productive the past couple of day\s. But ask me in a week's time - this will most likely change! LoL :)

Zip-lining through the cloud rainforest:














The town of La Fortuna - Arenal Volcano














The view from our room

Too Much Snow!

Time: 8:12pm
Mood: Sleepy
Song of the moment: OneRepublic - Stop & Stare

Toronto got blasted with another winter snow storm this weekend and let me tell you - it was brutal! We have so much snow piled up in front of our house, it's taller than me! Not only did we have to put up with the storm, it was daylights savings - so all our clocks moved forward an hour. This is why i'm so tired!!

Here's a photo during the snow storm (this was after shoveling trip #3):

And the day after (after shoveling trip #6):

My poor tree it's completely covered!

Cancelled Long Weekend

Time: 11:50pm
Mood: Pissed (but in love! It's V-day after all!)
Song of the moment: Fergie - Clumsy

A couple of months ago, the Canadian gov't decided to add another statituory holiday to their list - Family Day. This was to promote time spent with family.

When my coworkers and I turned on our computers and checked our emails this morning, we were greeted with this note from our executives:

"It has recently come to our attention that the majority of *company name* customers will be working on Family Day (February 18, 2008). Knowing that we need to fulfill our customer requirements and meet customer demand, we have made a decision to remain open on Family Day (February 18th) and substitute this public holiday for another day.

All employees are asked to report to work as usual on Monday Feb. 18th, and instead observe Monday March 24th as a paid holiday when *company name* will be closed. We realize that this is a late decision on the company’s part, and therefore this is not “mandatory”. All employees have the following options:

1) Observe the holiday substitution on March 24th as outlined above, OR
2) Take Feb. 18th as a paid holiday; however March 24th will be an unpaid day off as *company name* will be closed on this day"

Now this pisses me off for several reasons. First of all - isn't it a little late to tell us to come into work on Monday, after everyone has made long weekend plans? Secondly, they're making us choose between coming in on Monday, or to dock a day's pay if we do take it off. And lastly, they're missing the whole point of this holiday. It's called Family Day because we're supposed to spend it with family (even though most of us wouldn't, that's still not the point). Ok fine we are still getting a day off later in the year, but my other family members don't get the same day off as me - how am I going to spend time with them?!

This shows me exactly what my company thinks about where family should fit into life. I hope I never absorb that mentality - please shoot me if I do.

Luck On My Side

Time: 12:38pm
Mood: Relieved
Song of the moment: Dragonette - I Get Around

I've taken a snow day today, and I feel like such a wimp because most of the people in my office (including the people that live near me) made it in. And I was supposed to have my annual performance review at work today with my supervisor (one of the few people that live near me - he made it in! lol). So yeah.. perfect day to take a day off huh? LoL :D

So I went through an emotional rollercoaster yesterday. It all started yesterday afternoon, as I was leaving Detroit. The hotel room I stayed in this week was incredibly dry, and it left my hands so dry it started to crack and bleed. I took off my wedding band and engagement ring to put cream on my hands (I always take them off... cream tends to guck up the ring) and I placed it on my lap.

We pulled into the Detroit Duty Free shop and we went in because my coworker wanted to buy some stuff. He got his stuff... we left... half way across the bridge I look at my hands and realize my rings are missing. I freaked a little, began to check my pockets, and when I realize they were in there I went into full-out freak mode. I frantically searched my purse - nothing. By the time we got to the Canadian border guard I was sobbing uncontrollably. Looking back, it was a little funny, because while we were at the booth, I was still frantically looking for the rings. I had my seatbelt off, I was sobbing, and I was out of my seat, with my back to the windshield. The border guard said nothing!!

I had a feeling they were in the parking lot at the duty free shop. My coworker managed to get the phone number of the duty free shop, and called to see if anyone found the rings. The man that picked up the phone graciously agreed to go out and look for them, and told us he would call us back if he found anything. Immediately we turned around (after dropping off 2 other coworkers in the car + our purchases we accured over the course of our stay) and got back on the bridge. I was certain my rings were lost forever... and I was so sad. How could I have been so stupid?! Why did I put it on my lap? I usually put my mitts on my lap in the car, and they always fall when I get out of the car (I lose a lot of mitts that way) - so why would I do that with my precious rings?! Mitts are replaceable - my rings are not.

As we were on the bridge we get a phonecall from the duty free shop - they found my wedding band!! But still no e-ring. I was slightly relieved, but still distraught. As we approached the US border guard we get another phone call - they found my e-ring!! Seriously it must have been like finding a needle in a haystack - it was dark and there were cars driving around that area... I couldn't beleive he found it!!! When I got my rings back I gave that man a big hug and thanked him a gazillion times.

My rings always have a way of finding their way back to me. A couple of months ago I lost my iron ring, and I was so sure it was gone forever. Turns out it was in the trunk of of my coworker's car! It slipped off when I was removing my luggage from his car after a trip to Detroit.

Thank GOD I got my rings back... I donno what I would have done if that man didn't find them. To Ken, who works at the Detroit Duty Free shop - thank you SO much.. no words can express how thankful I am!!!

The Last One

Time: 11:35pm
Mood: Missing my baby...
Song of the moment: Mute Math - Typical

Happy New Year everyone! The new year has been good to me so far. I opened the year with a few friends that invited themselves over :) It was just great to open the new year with friends I love, and of course to open it with my new hubby. I'm really enjoying all these firsts as a married couple. And I constantly remind him about these firsts:

"Oh honey it's my first birthday as a married woman!"
"Ooh our first Christmas as a married couple!"
"We've celebrated our first New Years together as a married couple, baby!"

LoL I think Jimmy's getting sick of it!

I'm here in Detroit again - the first time this year. So it begins! The bad part is I really didn't have to come down. My US counterpart called me as I left Toronto that I didn't have to come down. You would think it would have been easy for me just to simply turn around right? It wasn't so simple. I was travelling with a co-worker, and he lives near me so when we travel together he usually picks me up from home. So if I had turned around, that would mean he would have to drive me all the way home (which is waaay east of the city), then drive to Detroit. It just seemed more pratical to go to Detroit for a couple of days to see what was going on.

Yeah... there's nothing going on here. Which is why I'm going to cut my trip short and leave tomorrow! Hooray!

Today was more eventful than most days. My highschool friend Ruby recently moved down to Detroit to be with her husband, so I met up with her for dinner. But before that, I went to Best Buy to see if I could score Guitar Hero III for the Wii. I had went the night before but it was sold out. And guess what? I got the last one!! Awesome!! :D I can't wait to play it!

Ruby and I went out for Mongolian grille for dinner, then headed to the mall to do some retail therapy. We quickly found out we were shopping for the same things (we both need skinny jeans and nice pointy shoes). Man it's hard finding skinny jeans! LoL :D I've been having a really hard time finding pointy shoes that I like. Usually they're either too pointy, or too expensive. Today.. I found a pair of Nine Wests I actually liked! But I didn't get them because a) I had a coupon for that store that I didn't have with me, and b) it was a display pair - the last pair of 7s. I usually don't like buying display shoes :( I just hope they restock those shoes cuz I'm going back the next time I come down!!