Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Almost late
Toronto weather’s been nice lately. We’re finally getting temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. We had to buy a fan because we don’t have airconditioning in our apartment. We slept so soundly last night that we both woke up extremely late this morning and had to rush to be able to make it to work on time. I had a sudden adrenaline rush when I saw the time on our bedside clock. I couldn’t believe that it said 7.43 on it. At first I thought, “that couldn’t be right…” so I woke Steve up and asked him if the time was right. He just nodded and said, “yeah…” and closed his eyes again. My next thought was sh*t we’re going to be late!! I think I may have heard the alarm go off earlier but I think I dozed right back to sleep and that’s probably why we both woke up so late. I hate waking up and realizing I’ve gone waaay past my “getting-up” time. It screws up my morning routine completely and I spend the next few minutes panicking and trying to organize my thoughts and figure out what I should do and the order I should do them so that I can be out the door right away without forgetting anything. Surprisingly, with all that mad dash to get to work on time, we actually arrived a few minutes earlier that we usually do. Oh the power of our adrenaline! Better than Red Bull I tell ya.
I overheard a colleague talking to our manager about his vacation time. He had just submitted his vacation request and they’re trying to figure out if the time he’s taking off is going to conflict with another colleague. I couldn’t help but feel envious. Dude, I want to go on vacation too! I know we just came back from our trip to Punta Cana 2 months ago but still…I feel like going back to the resort and spending a week or two there. It’s soooo nice just sitting on the beach with the sound of the waves nearby. I LOVE the beach and I was blessed to have been proposed to and wed at the beach. I can just imagine myself sitting on a lounge chair, sipping a cold beverage and just basking in all that sunlight. Maybe I should stop torturing myself by thinking of it too much. It makes it hard to concentrate at work.
Back to work!
I overheard a colleague talking to our manager about his vacation time. He had just submitted his vacation request and they’re trying to figure out if the time he’s taking off is going to conflict with another colleague. I couldn’t help but feel envious. Dude, I want to go on vacation too! I know we just came back from our trip to Punta Cana 2 months ago but still…I feel like going back to the resort and spending a week or two there. It’s soooo nice just sitting on the beach with the sound of the waves nearby. I LOVE the beach and I was blessed to have been proposed to and wed at the beach. I can just imagine myself sitting on a lounge chair, sipping a cold beverage and just basking in all that sunlight. Maybe I should stop torturing myself by thinking of it too much. It makes it hard to concentrate at work.
Back to work!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Love furniture shopping
This morning a colleague asked me how my weekend was and I honestly couldn’t remember what I did! I had to think hard for a while! It’s so strange…
Steve and I saw the Hangover with his cousin, had lunch with his mom and sister, saw my family, gave away old clothes to a charity drive and bought dining chairs at iKea. We’ve been looking for dining chairs and a book case for awhile now so we were pretty excited to have found the dining chairs we bought. We found a really beautiful book case at Crate and Barrel but it was unbelievably expensive so we didn’t get it. We might settle for a Billy book case from iKea which you can buy separate pieces and then put them together any way you like it. We just haven’t decided on what we want to do with it exactly so we’re holding off on it for now. Plus, it won’t fit in the car so we either borrow his dad’s van or get it delivered.
Since the dining chairs are from iKea, it required assembly. We decided to put them together last night and it was a bit painful. There were really only 4 things that needed to be screwed together but we had difficulty with attaching the back of the chair to the seat. The bolts just wouldn’t go through! Steve was getting so frustrated that he started to regret buying them. We did eventually put all of them together then we realized that the chairs were too wide to fit two of them between the dining table legs. In the end, we decided to expand the dining table by adding the leaf in the middle (it’s an extendable dining table that can sit 4-6 people) so that we could fit two chairs side by side on each side. Although it was a lot of work, I actually am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Steve, on the other hand, was a bit agitated after all that effort so we had to go for a walk around the block to calm him down. Hahahaha!
Our place is slowly coming along but there’s still a lot to be done. While we were at iKea, we noticed they had a room with a bunch of furniture and décor in the same color scheme we had in mind for our living room so we’re thinking of painting our living room with the same color as that room. It’s funny how similar Steve and my tastes are when it comes to furniture and items for the house considering we have such different tastes in clothing. It’s so evident when we go shopping together for clothes. He’ll often point to a dress that I will never wear in a million years and tell me it’s beautiful. I just raise one eyebrow and tell him it’s ugly. But when it comes to furnishing our apartment, we’ll often eye the same things at the same time. So it really is quite easy agreeing on what to get. We also have no problems agreeing on the colors. We’re only focusing on our kitchen and living room for now. We’ll eventually move on to other areas of the apartment later on.
The best part of furniture shopping for us is finding things we love at reduced prices. Sometimes we come across an item so beautiful and unique and finding out it’s marked down is BIG bonus. It’s almost wrong to not buy it. While we were at iKea, we also saw this really cute wall unit on sale. It was so cheap that we were considering buying it. The only problem is, we don’t know where we would put in our apartment. Otherwise, we would have surely bought it.
Pier 1 is growing on me. I find so many nice little knick-knacks in affordable prices. I always thought that store was expensive but they're actually not bad. I can't help but get excited everytime we pass by a Pier 1 store. It's like I'm a kid again about to go in the toy store. Everything's just so beautiful.
Steve and I saw the Hangover with his cousin, had lunch with his mom and sister, saw my family, gave away old clothes to a charity drive and bought dining chairs at iKea. We’ve been looking for dining chairs and a book case for awhile now so we were pretty excited to have found the dining chairs we bought. We found a really beautiful book case at Crate and Barrel but it was unbelievably expensive so we didn’t get it. We might settle for a Billy book case from iKea which you can buy separate pieces and then put them together any way you like it. We just haven’t decided on what we want to do with it exactly so we’re holding off on it for now. Plus, it won’t fit in the car so we either borrow his dad’s van or get it delivered.
Since the dining chairs are from iKea, it required assembly. We decided to put them together last night and it was a bit painful. There were really only 4 things that needed to be screwed together but we had difficulty with attaching the back of the chair to the seat. The bolts just wouldn’t go through! Steve was getting so frustrated that he started to regret buying them. We did eventually put all of them together then we realized that the chairs were too wide to fit two of them between the dining table legs. In the end, we decided to expand the dining table by adding the leaf in the middle (it’s an extendable dining table that can sit 4-6 people) so that we could fit two chairs side by side on each side. Although it was a lot of work, I actually am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Steve, on the other hand, was a bit agitated after all that effort so we had to go for a walk around the block to calm him down. Hahahaha!
Our place is slowly coming along but there’s still a lot to be done. While we were at iKea, we noticed they had a room with a bunch of furniture and décor in the same color scheme we had in mind for our living room so we’re thinking of painting our living room with the same color as that room. It’s funny how similar Steve and my tastes are when it comes to furniture and items for the house considering we have such different tastes in clothing. It’s so evident when we go shopping together for clothes. He’ll often point to a dress that I will never wear in a million years and tell me it’s beautiful. I just raise one eyebrow and tell him it’s ugly. But when it comes to furnishing our apartment, we’ll often eye the same things at the same time. So it really is quite easy agreeing on what to get. We also have no problems agreeing on the colors. We’re only focusing on our kitchen and living room for now. We’ll eventually move on to other areas of the apartment later on.
The best part of furniture shopping for us is finding things we love at reduced prices. Sometimes we come across an item so beautiful and unique and finding out it’s marked down is BIG bonus. It’s almost wrong to not buy it. While we were at iKea, we also saw this really cute wall unit on sale. It was so cheap that we were considering buying it. The only problem is, we don’t know where we would put in our apartment. Otherwise, we would have surely bought it.
Pier 1 is growing on me. I find so many nice little knick-knacks in affordable prices. I always thought that store was expensive but they're actually not bad. I can't help but get excited everytime we pass by a Pier 1 store. It's like I'm a kid again about to go in the toy store. Everything's just so beautiful.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Why me?
Our CEO approached me today to ask how QA is doing. I gave him a safe answer by saying that we were getting there. I never really get into details with him as it is never good to do so. Not that I am trying to be sneaky about anything. But he does tend to make a big fuss about unnecessary things and completely ignores the big issue at hand. So the safest bet in every situation is to give a safe answer and let the managers take care of the rest. It has always been the way to go within our company.
So anyhow, he asked me if it would be possible to have a meeting with him at some point to go over the QA process. He was curious as to how we do QA – what steps are involved, how we track and report issues, how do they get passed on to development... and so on. I told him I wouldn’t mind having the meeting with him and all he has to do is let me know when he wants to have it. I acted cool, calm and collected... just like how a good employee acts when in front of the big boss. But the truth is, as soon as he leaves, I freak out. I freak out because he really should be having this meeting with my supervisor who is the head of QA and not me. I freak out because I don’t know what his expectations are, what it is exactly he is looking for in terms of QA processes. Mostly I am freaking out because I don’t know what to do and I don’t know just how much information he is looking for and how much information my supervisor is comfortable with me giving (remember the whole keep the details away from him issue I mentioned earlier?).
My other boss (yes, I have multiple bosses because I’m special...hahahaha.. kidding! I have so many different tasks that span different departments so I end up having to report to more than one manager) told me to go ahead and just show him how it’s done. Easy for him to say because he doesn’t have to be in that meeting and he really isn’t involved in that part of my work. Eck! I am so anxious it’s making me sick.
I really hope I get a chance to speak to my supervisor first (she’s on vacation but should be back tomorrow) so that she can give me advice as to how best to go over the meeting with the CEO. Or better, have her spare me the trouble!
If worse comes to worse, I may just have to wing it and hope for the best. Totally not comforting.
So anyhow, he asked me if it would be possible to have a meeting with him at some point to go over the QA process. He was curious as to how we do QA – what steps are involved, how we track and report issues, how do they get passed on to development... and so on. I told him I wouldn’t mind having the meeting with him and all he has to do is let me know when he wants to have it. I acted cool, calm and collected... just like how a good employee acts when in front of the big boss. But the truth is, as soon as he leaves, I freak out. I freak out because he really should be having this meeting with my supervisor who is the head of QA and not me. I freak out because I don’t know what his expectations are, what it is exactly he is looking for in terms of QA processes. Mostly I am freaking out because I don’t know what to do and I don’t know just how much information he is looking for and how much information my supervisor is comfortable with me giving (remember the whole keep the details away from him issue I mentioned earlier?).
My other boss (yes, I have multiple bosses because I’m special...hahahaha.. kidding! I have so many different tasks that span different departments so I end up having to report to more than one manager) told me to go ahead and just show him how it’s done. Easy for him to say because he doesn’t have to be in that meeting and he really isn’t involved in that part of my work. Eck! I am so anxious it’s making me sick.
I really hope I get a chance to speak to my supervisor first (she’s on vacation but should be back tomorrow) so that she can give me advice as to how best to go over the meeting with the CEO. Or better, have her spare me the trouble!
If worse comes to worse, I may just have to wing it and hope for the best. Totally not comforting.
10 Embarrassing Songs...
So the rule is to list 10 embarrassing songs from your iTunes library. You know, the songs that you have downloaded and probably listen to once in a while (or maybe a lot) but you’d never admit to having it in the first place. Oh, and I didn’t come up with this idea... I just happened to come across it from another blog. I just thought it would be fun to come up with my very own embarrassing song list. So here goes...
Baby Got Back by Sir Mix A Lot - This is a more recent download actually. While we were in Punta Cana a month ago, we went to the disco within the resort and they played it while we were there. My cousin and I just had so much fun making whacky dance moves and laughing our heads off to this song so I decided to download it because although the lyrics really are shallow, it always puts a smile on my face. C’mon, how can you resist not singing along to...
Don’t you just want to laugh?
Be A Good Lover (Zuo Ge Hao Qing Ren) by Jerry Yan - I think you all know by now how big of a Meteor Garden fan I was back then (and in some ways I still am) and... I ended up actually listening to the F4 albums and buying their concert DVDs! There I said it! I know, it’s silly because I can’t even understand the lyrics but I love them anyway! I would never dare listen to it in the car with someone else present though... they just wouldn’t understand.
Boombastic by Shaggy - Two words for ya – Levis Commercial!
Yes, remember the Levis Ad where they had this clay man wearing Levis jeans and he zip lines from the top of his building to rescue the lady in the burning building using his jeans? I think that’s where this Shaggy song became so popular. Anyhoodle, I have it in my iTunes library because I think Mr. Levis is HOT. Hahahaha! Kidding! I just like the song really... funky and funny at the same time.
Liquid Dreams by O-Town - Okay, I don’t really remember any other O-Town song although I’m sure there are others. The only one that stands out is this one (obviously if it’s the only one I can remember!). I remember thinking to myself back then, what’s up with the title? Then after listening to the lyrics I went, “oohhh.. ew...” hahahaha! But I like the song anyway.
Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega - This, I think, classifies as a one-hit-wonder. I don’t even know what happened to Lou Bega after Mambo No. 5. My mom absolutely loves this song and a part of me thinks that I downloaded it because it reminds me of how her face lights up every time she hears it. She always bobs her head in a cute, funny way.
What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones - Okay, I honestly do not know how this song got into my iTunes library to begin with. I am guessing I had copied it from a CD together with other songs that I actually like. It’s so annoying too because during the odd times it ends up playing on my iPod, it gets stuck in my head and I get a really bad case of LSS (Last Song Syndrome). I tell you, it’s bad spending your afternoon hearing Tom Jones sing “What’s new pussycat? Ohhhh ohhhh..” over and over and over again.
You’re probably wondering, why don’t I just remove it? Because my dears, it’s still a classic song! Hahahaha!
Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex by CSS - The only reason this song made it to my library is from a TV commercial (yes, as you may have noticed I have a bad habit of picking up songs from TV commercials... I actually have a bunch of them on my iPod). I don’t even really like it. I think I liked it for a few minutes after I downloaded it and then that was it. It’s just one of those songs where if I happened to be listening to it, I really hope no one asks me what I’m listening to. It’s just really uncomfortable having to respond with, “Music is my hot, hot sex”.
Oh! Carol by Neil Sedaka - Huh. I didn’t even know I had this. You know what it reminds me of? Driving to church on Sunday mornings. While we lived in the Philippines, we used to tune into this radio station (I forgot which one it was) and they would play oldies like this one. We used to like it so much that it almost became a family tradition. I can just picture my boss’ expression if I ever played this song out loud at work... hahahaha! He’d be like, WTF?
Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton - Oh boy... I don’t know what to tell ya.
Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! by The Vengaboys - I don’t know why. But it sounds like a fun song... you can’t help but think of the Vengabus right? Hahaha! Seriously though, it reminds me of a DDR song.
Baby Got Back by Sir Mix A Lot - This is a more recent download actually. While we were in Punta Cana a month ago, we went to the disco within the resort and they played it while we were there. My cousin and I just had so much fun making whacky dance moves and laughing our heads off to this song so I decided to download it because although the lyrics really are shallow, it always puts a smile on my face. C’mon, how can you resist not singing along to...
I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung...
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung...
Don’t you just want to laugh?
Be A Good Lover (Zuo Ge Hao Qing Ren) by Jerry Yan - I think you all know by now how big of a Meteor Garden fan I was back then (and in some ways I still am) and... I ended up actually listening to the F4 albums and buying their concert DVDs! There I said it! I know, it’s silly because I can’t even understand the lyrics but I love them anyway! I would never dare listen to it in the car with someone else present though... they just wouldn’t understand.
Boombastic by Shaggy - Two words for ya – Levis Commercial!
Yes, remember the Levis Ad where they had this clay man wearing Levis jeans and he zip lines from the top of his building to rescue the lady in the burning building using his jeans? I think that’s where this Shaggy song became so popular. Anyhoodle, I have it in my iTunes library because I think Mr. Levis is HOT. Hahahaha! Kidding! I just like the song really... funky and funny at the same time.
Liquid Dreams by O-Town - Okay, I don’t really remember any other O-Town song although I’m sure there are others. The only one that stands out is this one (obviously if it’s the only one I can remember!). I remember thinking to myself back then, what’s up with the title? Then after listening to the lyrics I went, “oohhh.. ew...” hahahaha! But I like the song anyway.
Posters of love surrounding me, lost in the world of fantasy
Every night she comes to me and gives me all the love I need.
Now this hot girl, she's not your average girl
She's a morpharotic dream from a magazine
And she's so fine designed to blow your mind
She's a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen
I dream about a girl who's a mix of Destiny's Child
Just a little touch Madonna's wild style
With Janet Jackson's smile, throw in a body like Jennifer’s
You've got the star of my liquid dream
....
Looks ain't everything she's got the sweetest personality
Like Halle B
My mama thinks I'm lazy, my friend all think I'm crazy
But in my mind, I leave the world behind every night I dream
Oh.
Liquid Dreams, my Liquid Dreams
Waterfall and streams, these liquid dreams
Every night she comes to me and gives me all the love I need.
Now this hot girl, she's not your average girl
She's a morpharotic dream from a magazine
And she's so fine designed to blow your mind
She's a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen
I dream about a girl who's a mix of Destiny's Child
Just a little touch Madonna's wild style
With Janet Jackson's smile, throw in a body like Jennifer’s
You've got the star of my liquid dream
....
Looks ain't everything she's got the sweetest personality
Like Halle B
My mama thinks I'm lazy, my friend all think I'm crazy
But in my mind, I leave the world behind every night I dream
Oh.
Liquid Dreams, my Liquid Dreams
Waterfall and streams, these liquid dreams
Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega - This, I think, classifies as a one-hit-wonder. I don’t even know what happened to Lou Bega after Mambo No. 5. My mom absolutely loves this song and a part of me thinks that I downloaded it because it reminds me of how her face lights up every time she hears it. She always bobs her head in a cute, funny way.
What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones - Okay, I honestly do not know how this song got into my iTunes library to begin with. I am guessing I had copied it from a CD together with other songs that I actually like. It’s so annoying too because during the odd times it ends up playing on my iPod, it gets stuck in my head and I get a really bad case of LSS (Last Song Syndrome). I tell you, it’s bad spending your afternoon hearing Tom Jones sing “What’s new pussycat? Ohhhh ohhhh..” over and over and over again.
You’re probably wondering, why don’t I just remove it? Because my dears, it’s still a classic song! Hahahaha!
Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex by CSS - The only reason this song made it to my library is from a TV commercial (yes, as you may have noticed I have a bad habit of picking up songs from TV commercials... I actually have a bunch of them on my iPod). I don’t even really like it. I think I liked it for a few minutes after I downloaded it and then that was it. It’s just one of those songs where if I happened to be listening to it, I really hope no one asks me what I’m listening to. It’s just really uncomfortable having to respond with, “Music is my hot, hot sex”.
Oh! Carol by Neil Sedaka - Huh. I didn’t even know I had this. You know what it reminds me of? Driving to church on Sunday mornings. While we lived in the Philippines, we used to tune into this radio station (I forgot which one it was) and they would play oldies like this one. We used to like it so much that it almost became a family tradition. I can just picture my boss’ expression if I ever played this song out loud at work... hahahaha! He’d be like, WTF?
Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton - Oh boy... I don’t know what to tell ya.
Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! by The Vengaboys - I don’t know why. But it sounds like a fun song... you can’t help but think of the Vengabus right? Hahaha! Seriously though, it reminds me of a DDR song.
Monday, June 15, 2009
I could use some zzzzz..
It’s Monday morning, we’re back to work and I am exhausted. Steve and I had a busy weekend attending a conference in Kitchener from Friday to Sunday and we haven’t gotten much rest. We were up as early as 6.30 am and then getting home at roughly about the same time in the evening. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the way home every day. And then last night, we went to Mississauga to spend some time with a visiting family friend so we didn’t get home until late. It was past midnight by the time we went to bed. So you can just imagine how difficult it was for both of us to get out of bed this morning. We had forgotten to set the alarm clock too! Luckily, I happened to glance at the clock at just the right time.
The drive to Kitchener took about an hour or maybe a bit more but it was a smooth ride for the most part. We did encounter a bit of traffic on the way there both Friday and Saturday mornings and then got stuck on the way back on Friday afternoon. I find it to be a quiet ride with a nice view of some farm land and what appeared to be a ridge. I liked Kitchener too – it seemed like a quiet, peaceful place to live in and I found the residents to be very friendly. The houses we passed by were really cute and I couldn’t help but admire them. It was also nice seeing so many kids outside riding their bikes with their parents. You don’t get to see very many of those here in Toronto.
Although the ride there took only an hour or so, it felt long to me. It’s weird because I should be used to long rides – with all that back and forth commute to UST which sometimes took up to 3 hours! It seems I may have gotten used to travelling short distances within the GTA and anything over an hour makes me a bit impatient. I still enjoyed the ride though I kinda felt sorry that Steve had to drive us to and from for all 3 days (I haven’t applied for my driver’s license yet... I should though and soon).
I could really use at least 8 hours of sleep right now.
The drive to Kitchener took about an hour or maybe a bit more but it was a smooth ride for the most part. We did encounter a bit of traffic on the way there both Friday and Saturday mornings and then got stuck on the way back on Friday afternoon. I find it to be a quiet ride with a nice view of some farm land and what appeared to be a ridge. I liked Kitchener too – it seemed like a quiet, peaceful place to live in and I found the residents to be very friendly. The houses we passed by were really cute and I couldn’t help but admire them. It was also nice seeing so many kids outside riding their bikes with their parents. You don’t get to see very many of those here in Toronto.
Although the ride there took only an hour or so, it felt long to me. It’s weird because I should be used to long rides – with all that back and forth commute to UST which sometimes took up to 3 hours! It seems I may have gotten used to travelling short distances within the GTA and anything over an hour makes me a bit impatient. I still enjoyed the ride though I kinda felt sorry that Steve had to drive us to and from for all 3 days (I haven’t applied for my driver’s license yet... I should though and soon).
I could really use at least 8 hours of sleep right now.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Love it
I love this new site called Swish and Swanky which I recently discoved while browsing through blogs. Oh how I adore all the lovely colors and decor! Just beautiful.
See what I mean? Some people are just REALLY talented when it comes to putting things together. If I can make our apartment look like the rooms featured on the blog, I'd be very happy.
See what I mean? Some people are just REALLY talented when it comes to putting things together. If I can make our apartment look like the rooms featured on the blog, I'd be very happy.
Frosted Flakes and Fairy Dust
So I finally decided to make some minor changes to my page layout. I call it “minor” because I basically re-used one of my former templates and tweaked it to make the design a bit better (I hope!). It didn’t take me a long time (surprisingly!) since I was able to find the things I needed quite easily. I know, the colors are somewhat “childish” – light blues, pinks and greens – but it’s easy on the eyes so I figured why not?
To the people that developed Adobe Photoshop, a BIG THANK YOU!! I love it more each time I use it. I always learn something new.
Looks like there won’t be any furniture shopping this weekend... BOO! We’re extremely busy so I don’t think we’ll have time to look around. Le sigh...
We have to go somewhere tonight for dinner and it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to go home early. That means we also won’t be able to go to bed early. Which means that we’ll be up early tomorrow and I’ll be bobbing for apples by mid-day. Yeesh. I just hope nobody notices... I think I’ll have to buy me some gum. Actually, maybe I’ll buy me plenty o’ gum.
When we went grocery shopping two weeks ago, I bought a big box of Frosted Flakes. Steve kept asking me if I’d be able to finish it since it doesn’t look like anyone else will be eating it but me. He kept reminding me that it would be a waste of money for me to buy an entire box and not eat it (I suddenly felt like a five-year old again). I told him I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish the box but I love Frosted Flakes so I don’t think I’ll have a problem eating plenty of it. He says he doesn’t understand how I can eat cereal without milk. I told him milk ruins it. I love my cereal plain. Like eating a bag of potato chips except they’re not made of potatoes and they’re sweet. I’ve been eating it little by little and the box is now half-empty. Hey maybe I will be able to finish it after all!
Oh and by the way, I didn’t necessarily find a “creativity” store. But I did borrow some fairy dust from a pixie this morning. Hopefully it's working!
To the people that developed Adobe Photoshop, a BIG THANK YOU!! I love it more each time I use it. I always learn something new.
Looks like there won’t be any furniture shopping this weekend... BOO! We’re extremely busy so I don’t think we’ll have time to look around. Le sigh...
We have to go somewhere tonight for dinner and it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to go home early. That means we also won’t be able to go to bed early. Which means that we’ll be up early tomorrow and I’ll be bobbing for apples by mid-day. Yeesh. I just hope nobody notices... I think I’ll have to buy me some gum. Actually, maybe I’ll buy me plenty o’ gum.
When we went grocery shopping two weeks ago, I bought a big box of Frosted Flakes. Steve kept asking me if I’d be able to finish it since it doesn’t look like anyone else will be eating it but me. He kept reminding me that it would be a waste of money for me to buy an entire box and not eat it (I suddenly felt like a five-year old again). I told him I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish the box but I love Frosted Flakes so I don’t think I’ll have a problem eating plenty of it. He says he doesn’t understand how I can eat cereal without milk. I told him milk ruins it. I love my cereal plain. Like eating a bag of potato chips except they’re not made of potatoes and they’re sweet. I’ve been eating it little by little and the box is now half-empty. Hey maybe I will be able to finish it after all!
Oh and by the way, I didn’t necessarily find a “creativity” store. But I did borrow some fairy dust from a pixie this morning. Hopefully it's working!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Where do I buy a bit of creativity?
I am considering revamping my blog but I’m too lazy to do it. It takes so much work to have it look like the way I want it and since I don’t always know what codes to use, I have to go online and do a bit of research. I also often find myself looking for graphics and images to use and the ones that are free aren’t always that great, and the ones that are great aren’t always free. I got really inspired after seeing a few other blogs that had such beautiful designs. The only problem is, most of them were web designers and they know a lot more than I do. I know what I know only be reading and practicing but that’s about it. I need to re-learn web design via Photoshop since I’ve already forgotten most of it.
I am also considering changing the site name but I can’t think of anything. How do other people come up with such cool and witty names anyway? I feel like a dumbass for not being able to come up with anything creative or original. You’d think I’d know a lot of words with all the reading I do but nothing comes to mind whenever I think about it... nada, nil, zero, NOTHING.
Other people can pull it off with a simple phrase or word and it would still sound interesting. Me? I come up with the cheesiest names possible. I don’t even dare mention the names that have come to mind.
Oh how frustrating... do you think I can buy creativity even for a day?
I am also considering changing the site name but I can’t think of anything. How do other people come up with such cool and witty names anyway? I feel like a dumbass for not being able to come up with anything creative or original. You’d think I’d know a lot of words with all the reading I do but nothing comes to mind whenever I think about it... nada, nil, zero, NOTHING.
Other people can pull it off with a simple phrase or word and it would still sound interesting. Me? I come up with the cheesiest names possible. I don’t even dare mention the names that have come to mind.
Oh how frustrating... do you think I can buy creativity even for a day?
The way of the geese
It’s already June but it’s still cold during the mornings and evenings. I’m disappointed because I thought I’d be wearing flip flops by now! Instead I’m still going out with a jacket... MEH!
The geese are in town having babies and I don’t know why but they seem to always come back to our area. I don’t really get it since we’re in an industrial area in the city and it’s not like we’re beside a pond or anything. It’s quite amusing because there’s a pair of geese in almost every building and they build their nests and lay their eggs. Our pair wasn’t very smart because they’ve decided to build their nest up on our roof (our building is a single storey by the way) and it gets really hot up there with barely any protection against the elements. We suspect that the babies had died because the pair of geese we have aren’t very good parents and it seemed they neglected to feed their young. The poor little babies weren’t big enough to go down from the roof to our lawn to fend for themselves.
It’s quite cute because the babies of other geese in neighbouring areas have grown and we see them crossing the street or walking across lawns and there’s so many of them. There are parents and babies and there must be about ten pairs of geese and their young ones of different sizes. It’s funny when they cross the road and they walk sooo slow that they cause traffic. I find it rather amusing when the babies decide to lie down in the middle of the road, totally oblivious to all the cars waiting to cross. Steve says they’re defiant because they don’t seem to want to move even when there’s a car tire or person right beside them. Man I tell you, they must know they’re protected by law and that they can’t be harmed.
I still haven’t figured out what it is that they eat at lawns but whatever it is, they seem to like it very much.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Furniture and Decor
Among the many new and exciting experiences of being married is picking out furniture and decorating our apartment. We live in a 2-bedroom apartment with a balcony in a quiet neighbourhood amidst beautiful, big houses. I have to say that it’s both inspiring and depressing living around big homes. Inspiring because it motivates me to do well in my career so that one day, hopefully, we too could live in a decent-sized house. Maybe not as big as the ones around us, but one that can fit a family. But like I said it’s also depressing at times because I can’t help but wonder if we’re ever going to get there. I can’t help but envy the people who own those houses. I always tend to wonder about what do they do for a living, how they can afford such luxuries and wishing that us, too, could afford the fancier things in life someday.
Anyhow, I find furniture shopping somewhat addictive. I get so giddy knowing that we’re going to go see a furniture store. I can’t wait to see what they’ll have and what new ideas it will give me. It’s always fun even when we’re just looking because it give us as glimpse of what we could do with our place. New ideas about what color to paint the room, how to arrange our furniture, little trinkets that could spice up our little space and so on. I’m always amazed at how talented other people are at putting things together especially when they combine different colors in a room. A purple couch with green pillows and a pink paisley rug?! Who knew it could look so good?!
I keep seeing different kinds of color schemes and they all look so good when put together that it’s beginning to confuse me. One day I want red, the next it’s green and then white and then blue... Eck! So many color combinations to choose from, so many different ideas! I almost want to try them all just to see which one we’ll like the best. That’s not a very practical thing to do, of course, but it would be fun.
There are still a few big items we need to purchase for our living room but buying furniture is no joke. It costs a lot of money and even when you don’t think it’s a lot, it IS a LOT. I am always surprised when it comes to paying for it. “Huuwaaat?! It’s THAT much?!” We are also thinking of painting and it’s always a question of when do we paint and what color to paint our rooms with. But as Steve keeps reminding me, Rome wasn’t conquered in a day. So I think we’ll take our time and continue to look around and save up until we find something we absolutely love. We’ve both decided that it’s better to hold out for something we both really want rather than settling with what’s good enough. After all, if we’re spending that kind of money, we might as well buy something we really, really like.
Anyhow, I find furniture shopping somewhat addictive. I get so giddy knowing that we’re going to go see a furniture store. I can’t wait to see what they’ll have and what new ideas it will give me. It’s always fun even when we’re just looking because it give us as glimpse of what we could do with our place. New ideas about what color to paint the room, how to arrange our furniture, little trinkets that could spice up our little space and so on. I’m always amazed at how talented other people are at putting things together especially when they combine different colors in a room. A purple couch with green pillows and a pink paisley rug?! Who knew it could look so good?!
I keep seeing different kinds of color schemes and they all look so good when put together that it’s beginning to confuse me. One day I want red, the next it’s green and then white and then blue... Eck! So many color combinations to choose from, so many different ideas! I almost want to try them all just to see which one we’ll like the best. That’s not a very practical thing to do, of course, but it would be fun.
There are still a few big items we need to purchase for our living room but buying furniture is no joke. It costs a lot of money and even when you don’t think it’s a lot, it IS a LOT. I am always surprised when it comes to paying for it. “Huuwaaat?! It’s THAT much?!” We are also thinking of painting and it’s always a question of when do we paint and what color to paint our rooms with. But as Steve keeps reminding me, Rome wasn’t conquered in a day. So I think we’ll take our time and continue to look around and save up until we find something we absolutely love. We’ve both decided that it’s better to hold out for something we both really want rather than settling with what’s good enough. After all, if we’re spending that kind of money, we might as well buy something we really, really like.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Updates.
This is my very first attempt to post directly to Blogger from MS Word 2007. I didn’t even realize this was an available feature until today. I honestly don’t know how I missed it before! So we’ll see how this post goes and if it looks okay, then maybe this will become my method for posting.
I have recently discovered shopping online for Bath & Body Works. They opened their first location here in Toronto at Yorkdale mall but they don’t carry all their products. There’s so much more on the website. Too bad... the ones I like are not available at the store so I have to buy them online which means I’ll have to pay shipping costs on top of it. They’re pretty affordable at $8-$15 compared to buying L'Occitane at $45-60. I still love, love, love the Almond Milk Concentrate from L'Occitane even though it sells for $58 (plus tax!). It’s just sooooo good with a light scent that stays from when you put it on in the morning to when you go to bed at night. I find it really expensive for a body lotion but it’s my favourite so I’ll splurge. I’m one of those people who are very particular to the creams they use. Some people splurge on coffee beans and cigarettes... I splurge on body creams and lotions.
The last book I read was the Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Our VP had lent it to me a week before the wedding and I was so busy that I never really had the chance to read it until after we came back from our trip. I actually brought it with me to Dominican but could only read a few lines here and there and then I would drop it and just go swimming. I found it slow in the beginning but I kept on reading it until I got to the part where I could no longer put the book down because I was dying to find out more. The conclusion was very surprising, one that I didn’t expect. I found the book very different because it had a sort-of melancholy tone and I couldn’t distinguish whether it was sad or mysterious or both. Nonetheless, it was a really good read. There is still a book at home I haven’t read and it’s entitled The Long Walk Home by Will North. I started reading the first few chapters several months ago and for some reason I forgot about it. I literally put the book down and put stuff on top of it and just completely forgot I even had the book. I have to re-read the first few chapters because I can’t recall what I had already read. Last week, I saw a book at Indigo called The Disappeared and it looked interesting. I was going to buy it but then I changed my mind because I still have a book to read at home.
I just have this big urge to read. I can’t go for months without reading. It’s like writing, I just feel the need to do it because I enjoy it so much.
The big highlight of my work day was making strawberry shortcakes. They’re so yummy and perfect for an afternoon snack. Exactly what I need to tide me over until five pm. Yum Yum Yum!
They finally narrowed it down to the top 20 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance last night. I was so bummed out that Alex Wong didn’t make it simply because he is under contract and wasn’t allowed out of it for a few months. I felt soooo bad for him because he looked like he really wanted it and he seemed like such a strong and talented dancer. I also felt bad that they chose between Ryan and Evan. It just wish they didn’t have to choose between the 2 brothers. They were both equally talented and Ryan just sounded like he needed a break.
I can’t wait till it gets to the choreography... it will be a blast!
I have recently discovered shopping online for Bath & Body Works. They opened their first location here in Toronto at Yorkdale mall but they don’t carry all their products. There’s so much more on the website. Too bad... the ones I like are not available at the store so I have to buy them online which means I’ll have to pay shipping costs on top of it. They’re pretty affordable at $8-$15 compared to buying L'Occitane at $45-60. I still love, love, love the Almond Milk Concentrate from L'Occitane even though it sells for $58 (plus tax!). It’s just sooooo good with a light scent that stays from when you put it on in the morning to when you go to bed at night. I find it really expensive for a body lotion but it’s my favourite so I’ll splurge. I’m one of those people who are very particular to the creams they use. Some people splurge on coffee beans and cigarettes... I splurge on body creams and lotions.
The last book I read was the Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Our VP had lent it to me a week before the wedding and I was so busy that I never really had the chance to read it until after we came back from our trip. I actually brought it with me to Dominican but could only read a few lines here and there and then I would drop it and just go swimming. I found it slow in the beginning but I kept on reading it until I got to the part where I could no longer put the book down because I was dying to find out more. The conclusion was very surprising, one that I didn’t expect. I found the book very different because it had a sort-of melancholy tone and I couldn’t distinguish whether it was sad or mysterious or both. Nonetheless, it was a really good read. There is still a book at home I haven’t read and it’s entitled The Long Walk Home by Will North. I started reading the first few chapters several months ago and for some reason I forgot about it. I literally put the book down and put stuff on top of it and just completely forgot I even had the book. I have to re-read the first few chapters because I can’t recall what I had already read. Last week, I saw a book at Indigo called The Disappeared and it looked interesting. I was going to buy it but then I changed my mind because I still have a book to read at home.
I just have this big urge to read. I can’t go for months without reading. It’s like writing, I just feel the need to do it because I enjoy it so much.
The big highlight of my work day was making strawberry shortcakes. They’re so yummy and perfect for an afternoon snack. Exactly what I need to tide me over until five pm. Yum Yum Yum!
They finally narrowed it down to the top 20 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance last night. I was so bummed out that Alex Wong didn’t make it simply because he is under contract and wasn’t allowed out of it for a few months. I felt soooo bad for him because he looked like he really wanted it and he seemed like such a strong and talented dancer. I also felt bad that they chose between Ryan and Evan. It just wish they didn’t have to choose between the 2 brothers. They were both equally talented and Ryan just sounded like he needed a break.
I can’t wait till it gets to the choreography... it will be a blast!
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Grumpy.
I’m having a really bad day at work. Not only did I have so many things to do today, but I also received a phone call from a really difficult client who almost single-handedly consumed what little remaining patience I had in me. I’ve had several back and forth emails and conversations with our development team regarding certain major issues within our application and because there is a bit of communication gap in the department, it has made it even more challenging to get a task done. To top it off, I am told that the pay raise we were promised isn’t exactly going to happen. Just what I needed to hear at the end of my work day.
I suddenly feel very tired and unmotivated. I would elaborate on why exactly it is that I feel so upset over the things I’ve mentioned but something’s are just better left off the internet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful I even have a job. But sometimes there are things that just drive me off the ledge.
I suddenly feel very tired and unmotivated. I would elaborate on why exactly it is that I feel so upset over the things I’ve mentioned but something’s are just better left off the internet.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful I even have a job. But sometimes there are things that just drive me off the ledge.
Monday, June 01, 2009
I made a cruel joke
Someone at work showed Steve the Jim Gaffigan comic skit on Hot Pockets and he thought it was so funny that he keeps playing it over and over again. That’s one new thing I’ve learned about him... that when he finds something amusing, he will play it over and over again and will laugh at the exact same things over and over again. I think it’s cute because he tends to think about it even when he’s driving and he’ll suddenly burst out laughing without me knowing what made him do so. I always end up giving him a questioning look and then he’ll tell me he just remembered the clip. He gets so excited that I can’t help but find it rather amusing.
I missed work last Friday and spent the entire day mostly sleeping. Around five in the afternoon, I sent Steve a message on MSN telling him to come home and that dinner’s ready. He arrives home about 20 minutes later (yes, we live that close to work), tells me about his day and the proceeds to surf the internet. After a few quiet minutes, he asks, “Hey honey, where’s dinner?” to which I reply with, “Oh I didn’t make any... I was only kidding...”
He then goes on to saying, “aww... why did you tell me dinner’s ready? I got so excited that you finally decided to experiment in the kitchen...”
And then I say to him, “Oh honey, you should know better.”
He says it was a cruel joke.
I thought about it after and I agree, it was a cruel joke.
I think I'm going to have to make him a meal one of these days...
I missed work last Friday and spent the entire day mostly sleeping. Around five in the afternoon, I sent Steve a message on MSN telling him to come home and that dinner’s ready. He arrives home about 20 minutes later (yes, we live that close to work), tells me about his day and the proceeds to surf the internet. After a few quiet minutes, he asks, “Hey honey, where’s dinner?” to which I reply with, “Oh I didn’t make any... I was only kidding...”
He then goes on to saying, “aww... why did you tell me dinner’s ready? I got so excited that you finally decided to experiment in the kitchen...”
And then I say to him, “Oh honey, you should know better.”
He says it was a cruel joke.
I thought about it after and I agree, it was a cruel joke.
I think I'm going to have to make him a meal one of these days...
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