Sometimes I am still taken aback by people’s inability to read and follow simple instructions. I begin to wonder if the person’s (a) just busy, (b) confused, (c) slow, or (d) inept.
I’ve had a rough day at work today. Come to think of it, I’ve been a bit unhappy at work lately. To be honest, I just feel unappreciated and taken for granted. It just feels like the longer I stay with the company, the more unhealthy it’s becoming. I love working with Steve – he’s great and he’s probably one of the few things I love about my job. Aside from the paycheque that pays the bills and helps us afford a few things, he’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed for as long as I have with the company I work for. But everything else that surrounds us is becoming more and more unbearable as time goes by. I don’t know if it’s because we’re getting busier by the day and everyone’s stressed out and have the tendency to take it out on others. I’d like to believe the when all the stress-inducing factors go away, people would be less edgy and there would be less tension around the office. But I know the problems go deeper than that. It seems like every day, Steve and I have to talk each other into staying on the job. We both know it makes sense to stay for now... but there are days when we’d love to just hand in our resignation papers and walk out the door. Sometimes when I am so frustrated, I daydream about winning the lottery and being so stinking wealthy that I wouldn’t have to take BS from anyone anymore. That lottery ticket would be the slap in the face I am dreaming of giving them.
On the other hand, I can’t help but also be grateful that I am employed... that we are both employed. I watch the news and read about the lives of those affected by the recession and I feel extremely guilty for even complaining about my circumstances. By their standards, I have no right to complain. And to be honest, at the end of the day, I think to myself that it is better to have a job that I somewhat hate but pays the bills than having no job and worrying about where the money is going to come from. Despite all my work-related frustrations, I do feel blessed to have what I’ve been given.
I guess I’m just venting. It’s almost midnight and I’m tired. I am thinking of the things I need to do tomorrow as soon as I get to work. I am thinking of the little spat I had with one of my managers. I am thinking of all the things I need to follow up on and trying to prioritize my tasks so that nothing false through the cracks. I am trying not to screw up. I am trying.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Shopping Online - Love and Torture
I really have to stop window shopping online (if there is such a thing). It’s driving me nuts! I want to buy buy buy! But I can’t!!
Oh man, this is the hard part when you live in a place that has 4 seasons. You always feel the urge to check out the new stuff coming out for the coming season. The temptation to spend is so strong!
Arrgggh! Someone should just put some sort of security setting on my computers to prevent me from even visiting online stores. It’s pure evil.
Oh man, this is the hard part when you live in a place that has 4 seasons. You always feel the urge to check out the new stuff coming out for the coming season. The temptation to spend is so strong!
Arrgggh! Someone should just put some sort of security setting on my computers to prevent me from even visiting online stores. It’s pure evil.
A night to remember
I’ve had an interesting weekend.
Last Friday, we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday by going to a dinner/dance event at this banquet hall he frequently goes to. I asked Steve what the name of the place is so that I could “Google” it in advance. “Googling” is something that’s become a habit of mine. If I wanted to check out a restaurant or a nail spa or a hair salon or even check out a store, I would go online and search for the website first before deciding on whether I should physically go there. Steve says I’m a little nuts for doing this but I tell him it’s perfectly reasonable to want to know whether the place I am going to is worth my time and effort. He finds it funny that if I wanted to check out a shoe store, I would first go their website and see what they have online and then call the store to see if they carry the styles I am interested in and if they have my size in-store. He calls it crazy, I call it research.
Anyhoo, the website for this dinner/dance event specified that there was a dress code which made me a bit uncomfortable. Any event that calls for a dress code always has the tendency to make me feel anxious. I’m not particularly good at doing my own hair and make-up so any event that’s fancy enough for me to have to do my hair and make-up is somewhat stressful. I did eventually manage to pull myself together and go to this thing.
I later found out that this dinner/dance is actually a single’s mixer. But it wasn’t a mixer for the young and the hip… rather, it was a mixer for the 50 and over… Steve calls it “the geriatrics mixer”. I felt out-of-place… Steve, my sister-in-law and I were probably the only ones under 50 there if you don’t count the bartender and the personnel selling the tickets by the door! At first I thought, “hey this isn’t so bad, we can grab dinner and maybe dance a bit and then go home”. Boy was I wrong! I had barely finished eating when a guy in his early 50’s (maybe?) asked me for a dance. I usually decline dances with strangers (I just find it so uncomfortable) but because these men were older, I thought it would be disrespectful to do so. I mean, how much harm could it possibly be if these men were old enough to be my dad or even my grandpa right? So there I was on the dance floor with this man and the first thing he says to me is, “I couldn’t decide who to ask first… you or the other girl.. I wasn’t sure which one of you was with the guy…” OMG I couldn’t believe it! I just laughed and told him that he asked the wrong girl. I was with “the guy” and that I’m actually married to him. He then said, “Oh.. okay.. I’ll ask the other girl later”. I couldn’t help but grin widely. I knew how feisty my sister-in-law can be. I politely answered all of his questions, danced the entire length of the song (despite the fact the he smelled strongly of cigarettes), thanked him for the dance and then went back to my table. Steve found it amusing because he knew how uncomfortable I was.
Shortly after, another man approached and asked if I would mind dancing. I politely declined but he was rather insistent and since Steve told me to go ahead, I decided to once again venture out into the dance floor with yet another stranger. The first thing he asked me was whether I came to the mixer often. I told him no, it was my first time and that I came to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. He seemed surprised that I was married although I don’t know why he would be since I was beside Steve the entire time. I joked with Steve later on by saying that maybe my engagement and wedding rings weren’t big and sparkly enough for people to notice. Hahahaha!
I didn’t mind the dances – they were innocent. But what made the entire thing uncomfortable was how aggressive some of these men were and how often they kept coming to our table and trying to get phone numbers and such. It really was very, very weird. One man even told my sister-in-law that he could “take care” of her and that he had the means to do so. It’s like these men had no shame saying these things in front of Steve and their dad!
I couldn’t help but feel bad for some of the people there. What if they’re lonely? I couldn’t help but think that maybe some of them have lost their spouses and are now single and are in want of another life partner. Granted, some of the men there were strange and aggressive and unbelievable but I’m sure some of them were decent and are maybe there for the right reasons – to meet someone they can potentially have a relationship with.
In any case, this was definitely a memorable experience... for so many reasons.
Last Friday, we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday by going to a dinner/dance event at this banquet hall he frequently goes to. I asked Steve what the name of the place is so that I could “Google” it in advance. “Googling” is something that’s become a habit of mine. If I wanted to check out a restaurant or a nail spa or a hair salon or even check out a store, I would go online and search for the website first before deciding on whether I should physically go there. Steve says I’m a little nuts for doing this but I tell him it’s perfectly reasonable to want to know whether the place I am going to is worth my time and effort. He finds it funny that if I wanted to check out a shoe store, I would first go their website and see what they have online and then call the store to see if they carry the styles I am interested in and if they have my size in-store. He calls it crazy, I call it research.
Anyhoo, the website for this dinner/dance event specified that there was a dress code which made me a bit uncomfortable. Any event that calls for a dress code always has the tendency to make me feel anxious. I’m not particularly good at doing my own hair and make-up so any event that’s fancy enough for me to have to do my hair and make-up is somewhat stressful. I did eventually manage to pull myself together and go to this thing.
I later found out that this dinner/dance is actually a single’s mixer. But it wasn’t a mixer for the young and the hip… rather, it was a mixer for the 50 and over… Steve calls it “the geriatrics mixer”. I felt out-of-place… Steve, my sister-in-law and I were probably the only ones under 50 there if you don’t count the bartender and the personnel selling the tickets by the door! At first I thought, “hey this isn’t so bad, we can grab dinner and maybe dance a bit and then go home”. Boy was I wrong! I had barely finished eating when a guy in his early 50’s (maybe?) asked me for a dance. I usually decline dances with strangers (I just find it so uncomfortable) but because these men were older, I thought it would be disrespectful to do so. I mean, how much harm could it possibly be if these men were old enough to be my dad or even my grandpa right? So there I was on the dance floor with this man and the first thing he says to me is, “I couldn’t decide who to ask first… you or the other girl.. I wasn’t sure which one of you was with the guy…” OMG I couldn’t believe it! I just laughed and told him that he asked the wrong girl. I was with “the guy” and that I’m actually married to him. He then said, “Oh.. okay.. I’ll ask the other girl later”. I couldn’t help but grin widely. I knew how feisty my sister-in-law can be. I politely answered all of his questions, danced the entire length of the song (despite the fact the he smelled strongly of cigarettes), thanked him for the dance and then went back to my table. Steve found it amusing because he knew how uncomfortable I was.
Shortly after, another man approached and asked if I would mind dancing. I politely declined but he was rather insistent and since Steve told me to go ahead, I decided to once again venture out into the dance floor with yet another stranger. The first thing he asked me was whether I came to the mixer often. I told him no, it was my first time and that I came to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. He seemed surprised that I was married although I don’t know why he would be since I was beside Steve the entire time. I joked with Steve later on by saying that maybe my engagement and wedding rings weren’t big and sparkly enough for people to notice. Hahahaha!
I didn’t mind the dances – they were innocent. But what made the entire thing uncomfortable was how aggressive some of these men were and how often they kept coming to our table and trying to get phone numbers and such. It really was very, very weird. One man even told my sister-in-law that he could “take care” of her and that he had the means to do so. It’s like these men had no shame saying these things in front of Steve and their dad!
I couldn’t help but feel bad for some of the people there. What if they’re lonely? I couldn’t help but think that maybe some of them have lost their spouses and are now single and are in want of another life partner. Granted, some of the men there were strange and aggressive and unbelievable but I’m sure some of them were decent and are maybe there for the right reasons – to meet someone they can potentially have a relationship with.
In any case, this was definitely a memorable experience... for so many reasons.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Feeling a little frustration
Uh oh, I’m feeling the shopping itch again… tsk tsk… very bad. I did a bit of shopping during our 1-week stay in Virginia and my primary objectives were to buy a pair of nice, comfy black leather boots and a sweater dress to wear during the cold season. I specifically wanted to buy boots that would look nice with a dress or a skirt, preferably with heels and one that covered my leg up to just below my knees. Who knew it would be so impossible to find a pair that looks good and fits me well at the same time?! I tried on so many different pairs but none fit right. I’m beginning to think that maybe I have odd-shaped legs. I have really small calves which makes it extra difficult to find a nice fitting pair since most of the ones I do find don’t hug my legs well enough and there’s always a bit of a gap between my legs and the boot. Not flattering at all. Over-the-knee boots are what seems to be dominating most shoes stores and those just make me look even shorter than I actually am. I also find that scrunch boots seem to look best on me but I don’t know if they look good with dresses or skirts.
I found a nice sweater dress at Banana Republic here in Canada before we left for the States. I had seen it online before and had always wanted to buy it and it finally went on sale for $100 at the store. But because I had planned to go shopping with my cousin in the States, I wanted to wait until I was out with her before spending money. And so I didn’t buy it. As it turns out, I didn’t really find any nice sweater dresses during my stay in Virginia so when we got back to Toronto, I checked out Banana Republic to see if they still had the dress. As expected, it was gone. Not a single one left in the store. Bummer.
I saw this one very cute dress at Esprit in the States but they no longer had my size. It was on sale too which was a bonus. I checked online to see if they maybe still had sizes on their website but as it turns out, they’ve completely run out of my size.
I can’t help but get frustrated because when I have the means to shop, I can’t seem to find what I need and there aren’t a lot of nice things out. But when I’m completely tapped and shopping is out of the question, the stores will be filled with nice, shiny items. Why is that?
I found a nice sweater dress at Banana Republic here in Canada before we left for the States. I had seen it online before and had always wanted to buy it and it finally went on sale for $100 at the store. But because I had planned to go shopping with my cousin in the States, I wanted to wait until I was out with her before spending money. And so I didn’t buy it. As it turns out, I didn’t really find any nice sweater dresses during my stay in Virginia so when we got back to Toronto, I checked out Banana Republic to see if they still had the dress. As expected, it was gone. Not a single one left in the store. Bummer.
I saw this one very cute dress at Esprit in the States but they no longer had my size. It was on sale too which was a bonus. I checked online to see if they maybe still had sizes on their website but as it turns out, they’ve completely run out of my size.
I can’t help but get frustrated because when I have the means to shop, I can’t seem to find what I need and there aren’t a lot of nice things out. But when I’m completely tapped and shopping is out of the question, the stores will be filled with nice, shiny items. Why is that?
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Holidays in Virginia
I spent the last few months looking forward to our trip to Virginia and I can’t believe it’s all over now. Ang bilis talaga lumipas ng panahon.
The drive to and from Virginia took 12 hours and I managed to stay awake during the entire drive there but I slept during the drive back. We were worried because our car hasn’t been running well lately and we didn’t know if the car would make it. We held our breaths as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains. Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere would have been catastrophic. Thankfully, the car survived the drive and we didn’t experience any car trouble during the entire trip. We even made it back to Toronto just fine and dandy.
It was nice being able to see my relatives again. It’s been a while since we’ve had a big family reunion like it. Although we still weren’t complete (we were missing one family and my dad wasn’t able to come because he had to work), it was still just as enjoyable. I finally got to meet my nephew – Aiden (who’s over a year old) and my new niece – Jacqueline (who’s about 6 months old). I’ve only seen them in pictures and I was really excited to meet them. I was also happy to see my other nephews (Chris and Cjem) and my niece (Charis) who I haven’t seen since May of 2008 (or was it 2007?). I always have to remind myself that Alicia (who is 2 years old) is my cousin and not my niece. It never fails to surprise me to see how fast they’re growing. I swear they grow an inch by the minute. The last time I saw Alicia, she had already started talking but she was so shy that she’d burst into tears whenever someone looked at her. But when we walked in the door at my aunt’s house in Virginia the night we arrived, the first person to greet us was cute, little Alicia with her squeaky little voice. A very high-pitched “Hi Tita” and “Hi Tito”. I couldn’t believe how tall she’s grown and how social she is now. She’s still a bit shy but she’s very cheerful, very friendly and very polite. I can go on and on and on about how adorable the little ones are! Aiden’s charming smile, Jacqueline’s chubby cheeks... so cute!
While we were there, we visited the Smithsonian museums (the Natural History and National Air and Space Museums – both located in Washington DC which was about 20 to 30 minutes away from where my relatives lived). We were quite impressed with the museums... all very big and free! Yup, no admission fees (which was awesome by the way)! I went shopping with my cousins a few times while Steve and my brothers visited the different monuments in Washington DC like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, etc.
We played a board game one evening which was total chaos because we were all laughing so hard and it was really fun because our aunts and uncles joined the game too. We played a bit of Scrabble too so our lola can join (the other game was too fast and chaotic for her). It was quite cute watching everyone play and just have fun. The entire clan seems to enjoy playing board games. As far as I can remember, we’ve always either played cards or a board game whenever we’d get together for reunions or birthdays or holidays in the Philippines. It was always either a game or watching the Sound of Music. Hahaha
I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad going back to Toronto. Sure I missed home and my routine but it was nice being able to spend time with my relatives. I can’t help but envy how close they live to each other (generally between 15 to 30 minutes apart). They can easily come over to each other’s houses for lunch or dinner or they can meet up and go shopping together if they wanted to.
The trip was a bit exhausting because we slept at 2 am and woke up at 6 am almost every morning the entire time we were there... but I have to say, it was all worth it. I would go back and visit again in a heart beat.
The drive to and from Virginia took 12 hours and I managed to stay awake during the entire drive there but I slept during the drive back. We were worried because our car hasn’t been running well lately and we didn’t know if the car would make it. We held our breaths as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains. Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere would have been catastrophic. Thankfully, the car survived the drive and we didn’t experience any car trouble during the entire trip. We even made it back to Toronto just fine and dandy.
It was nice being able to see my relatives again. It’s been a while since we’ve had a big family reunion like it. Although we still weren’t complete (we were missing one family and my dad wasn’t able to come because he had to work), it was still just as enjoyable. I finally got to meet my nephew – Aiden (who’s over a year old) and my new niece – Jacqueline (who’s about 6 months old). I’ve only seen them in pictures and I was really excited to meet them. I was also happy to see my other nephews (Chris and Cjem) and my niece (Charis) who I haven’t seen since May of 2008 (or was it 2007?). I always have to remind myself that Alicia (who is 2 years old) is my cousin and not my niece. It never fails to surprise me to see how fast they’re growing. I swear they grow an inch by the minute. The last time I saw Alicia, she had already started talking but she was so shy that she’d burst into tears whenever someone looked at her. But when we walked in the door at my aunt’s house in Virginia the night we arrived, the first person to greet us was cute, little Alicia with her squeaky little voice. A very high-pitched “Hi Tita” and “Hi Tito”. I couldn’t believe how tall she’s grown and how social she is now. She’s still a bit shy but she’s very cheerful, very friendly and very polite. I can go on and on and on about how adorable the little ones are! Aiden’s charming smile, Jacqueline’s chubby cheeks... so cute!
While we were there, we visited the Smithsonian museums (the Natural History and National Air and Space Museums – both located in Washington DC which was about 20 to 30 minutes away from where my relatives lived). We were quite impressed with the museums... all very big and free! Yup, no admission fees (which was awesome by the way)! I went shopping with my cousins a few times while Steve and my brothers visited the different monuments in Washington DC like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, etc.
We played a board game one evening which was total chaos because we were all laughing so hard and it was really fun because our aunts and uncles joined the game too. We played a bit of Scrabble too so our lola can join (the other game was too fast and chaotic for her). It was quite cute watching everyone play and just have fun. The entire clan seems to enjoy playing board games. As far as I can remember, we’ve always either played cards or a board game whenever we’d get together for reunions or birthdays or holidays in the Philippines. It was always either a game or watching the Sound of Music. Hahaha
I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad going back to Toronto. Sure I missed home and my routine but it was nice being able to spend time with my relatives. I can’t help but envy how close they live to each other (generally between 15 to 30 minutes apart). They can easily come over to each other’s houses for lunch or dinner or they can meet up and go shopping together if they wanted to.
The trip was a bit exhausting because we slept at 2 am and woke up at 6 am almost every morning the entire time we were there... but I have to say, it was all worth it. I would go back and visit again in a heart beat.
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