Friday, December 31, 2004

A Prayer

My last post in 2004 will be to send out my thoughts and prayers to all the families who lost loved ones from the devastation in Asia. It's impossible to comprehend all these numbers that are reported, numbers that keep going up. As bad as I feel my life is at times, it is nothing compared to what they are going through on the other side of the world. It is a somber end to the year, but I hope and pray they will get through this tragedy.

Last Post of 2004?

Just waiting for my friends to finalize plans as to what we're doing tonight...hope they decide in the next 3 hours or else it's all pointless.

I went shopping today with Lily after lunch and she picked out a nice purple shirt from Mexx. I'll probably go back tomorrow (Metrotown is open New Year's Day from 11am-6pm!) because there are some things at Tommy Hilfiger I might get too. We'll see.

Whatever you all do tonight, be careful, and have a great one. Cheers to all.

The Phantom Returns

There are only 20.5 hours left in 2004 (at least for those of us on the West Coast). I haven't decided on concrete plans for New Year's Eve yet, so we'll see. Perhaps I'll go clubbing with Mei, or just relax at home.

I spent most of December 30 by myself. I went to see the movie version of The Phantom of the Opera and I must say I was quite impressed. I really loved the musical and didn't expect the movie version to be even close, but I was wrong. It was cool watching the spectacle on screen, and the actors did a reasonable job (although no one will ever come close to the original with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman). The new song at the end, "Learn to Be Lonely" was a very nice touch to a great movie. Yes, a few tears flowed during the movie. So I'm a sentimental fool.

I was so hungry at 2:30am I went out for pho at the 24-hour restaurant near my place. Now I'm back and probably ready for bed. Tiff, you must learn to sleep earlier.

Good night folks and if I don't update again in the next 20 hours, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Learn to Be Lonely

Child of the wilderness
Born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely
Learn to find your way in darkness

Who will be there for you
Comfort and care for you
Learn to be lonely
Learn to be your one companion

Never dreamed out in the world
There are arms to hold you
You’ve always known your HEART was on its own

So laugh in your loneliness
Child of the wilderness
Learn to Be lonely
Learn how to love life that is lived alone

Learn to be lonely
Life can be lived life can be loved alone

"Learn to Be Lonely" -- Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack (movie)

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Nothing Much

Pretty uneventful night in Coquitlam last night, the casino was busy for a while but died down at around 3am or so. Tonight I'm back at the Holiday Inn for a 7:45pm shift before two days off....which includes December 31!

Right now I don't have concrete plans for New Year's Eve, might go clubbing or karaoke with Mei (and perhaps Lily) or just have some quiet time. If I'm really silly I could call the casino and see if I can pick up a shift.

I must commence itinerary for employment....I bid you all adieu.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

No Destiny Yet

Still no news on the floor manager position, so we'll see. I have the ugly 11pm-7am shift tomorrow (well, today December 28) in Coquitlam, perhaps I'll hear something then!

Meanwhile, much better news, I won the football pool at work this week! That's a nice $555 for me. There is one more week left in the season, meaning one more week until the overall prizes are determined. Right now I am in third place over all with 132 (first has 134, second has 133).... 1st place is $4000, 2nd place is $1500, 3rd place $750, 4th place $500. It's going to be close, wish me luck!

Monday, December 27, 2004

Destiny

I suspect I will find out something about the relief floor manager position. I have lost sleep wondering why Head Office would request that I apply, perhaps I am the most qualified based on my past experience. It's tough to speculate but I guess I will soon find out.

Work was hectic today, but somehow I managed to get through. If anything, I had to save a lot of people's asses tonight, there are supervisors who always manage to screw up somehow.

I'll be watching Oceans Twelve (or is it Oceans 12?) with Suzanne before a dreadful midnight shift. Then on Tuesday I'm going to old Coquitlam for an 11pm-7am shift. Hope it's not too cold for me.

Sunday, December 26, 2004

Christmas Roundup

The casino was pretty dead so a lot of us were sent home early. My shift was supposed to be 8pm-4am but I was sent home at 12:45am! Well, it was time and a half anyways so I didn't lose a lot in wages.

No Boxing Day shopping for me, it's not worth the mayhem and craziness for a couple dollars in savings. It's silly to think that right now at 4 in the morning there are people lining up in front of A&B Sound. No thank you.

My Christmas presents consisted mostly of items that a dealer supervisor would expect to get....cologne, two ties, and a shirt. There was also the obligatory ABBA DVD that somebody always gets for me. My ex-boss asked me what I wanted, and I said a stereo so I just might get that.

Friday, December 24, 2004

Oink Oink

Just finished Christmas dinner at my uncle's....ROAST PIG! Damn that thing was huge. My cousin and I picked it up from Richmond. It cost $140! We could barely finish half of it, because my uncle and aunt made so much food other than the pig. So bloody full now.

Then a bunch of us (10) got together and played Cranium, which was a pretty fun game. We were divided into "Boys vs. Girls" and of course the men won.

Well, time to relax before I have to go back to work at 8pm....on Christmas Day too. Oh well, at least it's extra pay for working on a holiday. Wonder what it will be like to work with what's her name. It'll be interesting if I manage to get the floor manager position....I'll be her boss....

Chance of a Lifetime

An interesting development has occurred at work. There was a posting for a position as a Relief Floor Manager, which basically means you are in charge of the running of the casino. Above that is the Shift Manager. I was not going to apply this time around, because last time I did, I was told that I did not have enough "continuous gaming experience", since I had quit for so many years and only recently came back to the casino industry.

However, somebody from Head Office REQUESTED that I apply, which I found strange. Perhaps he sees something in me. If I somehow manage to secure this position it will mean a lot of responsibilities, and perhaps a lot of "enemies", considering I'd only been back to the casino industry for 6 months. Granted, I have a total of nine years casino experience, but that has been divided into stints of 5.5 years, 3 years and .5 years. But who knows, maybe I'll become the boss soon! I'll probably have to go through an interview process, but we'll see.

In the meantime, I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas!

So Be It

I have vented, and nothing more will be said about the matter below. I have better things to lose sleep over.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

BITCH

The quest for Anna has ended. She's turned out to be one heck of a bitch. There I said it. It's mean, but it's true. If you happen to find this blog, Anna, well you are a bitch. And if anybody who knows Anna reads this blog, you can tell her that too. I know she's saying bad things about me so she'll get a taste of her own medicine. I'm usually very easygoing and can take a lot of jokes, but don't ever say things behind my back. So be it.

And for those who are wondering, no I won't say anything more about the matter. I'm going to enjoy my two days off and get ready for a nice Christmas dinner at my uncle's on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow I'll have lunch with Lily and dinner with Mickey. Somewhere in between I have to take that bloody Field Test to see if there is anything wrong with my eyes.

I'd like to say a special hello to my buddy in Oregon, the great johnnymc. It's been too long, we must keep in touch more often! I wonder where White Pants is after all these years.

Merry Christmas to all (except the Bitch)....hey, I'm actually feeling better now.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Christmas Party Pics

The pictures from the casino party are at the link below. That picture of me is yukky, did I look that bad? I guess so.

CHRISTMAS PARTY PICS

Monday, December 20, 2004

Commencement of Hangover




The party's over. The music sucked but I made $100 in the hold'em tournament so who cares. They played NOTHING from the 70's and one or two songs from the 80's. I didn't even hear a lot of the recent stuff, it was more house and rave music, which I knew nothing about.

My head hurts like crazy from consumption of alcohol, so now it is time for sleep so I can recover. Luckily I have a late 10:15pm shift so it won't be so bad.

OK here's a picture of what somebody can look like when they're drunk.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Commencement of Intoxication

Can't stay up too late, I have a 12:15pm start on Sunday, which I requested so I can go to the Christmas Party. I can't wait. Time to party, time to dance, time to make a fool of myself again....but mainly it's time to have fun. BARTENDER!

Friday, December 17, 2004

Commencement

Commencement of shopping began at 12 noon Friday.
Completion of shopping occurred at 11:59pm Friday.
Now commencing a break before commencing wrapping of presents.

Short and Sweet

Has anybody watched the video for "Call on Me" by Eric Prydz?

Christmas Mayhem

I was going to go shopping today on my day off but ended up staying home most of the day.....and without my computer too. I lent my notebook out to Michael because his was broken and he needed to take care of all his financial wheelings and dealings. I did go out briefly but came home in time to watch The Apprentice. It was pretty uneventful, as I pretty much knew who would win early on in the show. And when it was live, everybody voted for Kelly. Damn I would have chosen the Vegas condo, maybe if the Donald reads this blog....I'm available.

I've pretty much planned my Christmas shopping. My plan each year is to decide what to get for whoever I'm getting present for, then spend a day (or two max) running around frantically. This way I only experience the mayhem for one day. At least this year I'm starting "early". I've been known to start my Christmas shopping on December 24 about an hour before the shops close.

Only three more days until the Christmas party for work. Time to get drunk and dance the night away. Ben (and Tiff too), I hear there will be a hold'em tournament so if you can somehow get a fake ID, come to the Aqua Lounge Sunday night after 9pm.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Random Rumblings

1.75 hours of overtime last night (well now this morning), but why not if you get time and a half? I have the same start tomorrow (well tonight now) at 8:15pm so who knows.

Everybody at work got their Christmas present from the company. It's a nice leather carry-on bag. It actually doesn't look bad. In February we'll get our profit sharing, should be a couple hundred bucks for me. Cool.

Well, it looks like the NHL season is pretty much over, what a shame. At least they keep showing classic hockey games on TV.

And now I lay me down to sleep....

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Something to Pass the Time

take a pencil and a piece of
paper...answer these questions

1. Think of a person who is important
to you
(not a family member)

2. Which is your favorite color out of red, black,
blue, and green, yellow?

3. Your first initial?

4. Your month of birth?

5. Which color do you like more, black or white?

6. Name of a person of the same gender as
yours.

7. Your favorite number?

8. Do you like California or Florida more?

9. Do you like the lake or the ocean more?

10. Write down a wish. (A realistic one).


WHEN YOU'RE DONE, SCROLL DOWN
(DON'T CHEAT)








********************************************************
**


THE ANSWERS

1. You are completely in love with this
person.

2. If you choose:
Red - You are alert and your life is full of love.
Black - You are conservative and aggressive.
Green - Your soul is relaxed and you are laid
back.
Blue - You are spontaneous and love kisses
and affection from the ones you love.
Yellow- you are a very happy person and give
good advice to those who are down.

3. If your initial is:
A-K You have a lot of love and friendships in
your life.
L-R You try to enjoy your life to the maximum
and
your love life is soon to blossom.
S-Z You like to help others and your future love
life looks very good.

4. If you were born in:
Jan-Mar: The year will go very well for you and
you will discover that you fall in love with
someone
totally unexpected.
April-June: You will have a strong love
relationship
that will not last long but the memories will last
forever.
July-Sep: You will have a great year and will
experience a major life changing experience for
the good.
Oct-Dec: Your love life will not be too great, but
eventually you will find your soul mate.

5. If you chose...
Black: Your life will take on a different
direction, it
will seem hard at the time but will be the best
thing
for you, and you will be
glad for the change.
White: You will have a friend who
completely confides in you and would do
anything
for you,
but you may not realize it.

6. This person is your best friend.

7. This is how many close friends you have in
your lifetime.

8. If you chose:
California: You like adventure.
Florida: You are a laid back person.

9. If you chose:
Lake: You are loyal to your friends and to your
love. And you are very reserved.
Ocean: You are spontaneous and like to please
people.

10. This wish will come true only if you RE-
POST THIS BULLETIN in one hour, and it will
come true before your next birthday!

Saturday, December 11, 2004

The Phantom Returns

December 22 is the premier of a movie I've been waiting a LONG time to see....Phantom of the Opera. I saw the musical twice and it was awesome. It is one of the most beautiful stories ever....and a pretty good book too for those who prefer to read.

Meanwhile, I guess the Chess Christmas Party thing is on Sunday so maybe I'll go for the food.

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Apprentice Review II

If Jennifer beats Kelly then this show is the biggest joke of all time.

Sing Me a Lullaby

I hate it when I can't go to sleep. Might as well stick a pointless entry into my blog.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Work Blues

My days off changed for this week from Thursday-Friday to Wednesday-Thursday, so... I have two days off! As usual, the first day off is spent doing absolutely nothing. I've slept for most of the day but now I'm up. Perhaps I'll do some shopping since December 25 is rapidly approaching. I usually like to plan all my shopping beforehand so it doesn't take me too long to buy all the necessary presents. I just hate all the lineups and pushy people.

The casino Christmas party is on December 19 (Sunday), and I requested the night off so I could attend.... and possibly make a complete fool of myself again. But why not, it's a great time to unwind. No more topless pictures I hope.

Sunday, December 05, 2004

O.T.

I switched shifts so I could start early at 7:45pm (instead of 10:15pm) so I could go home at 3:45am...or so I thought. It was SOOOO busy at work that probably half the dealers and supervisors had to work overtime. I didn't get off work until 5:15am. Oh well, can't complain, overtime means time and a half, extra tips, and hence more money. And now for some reason I'm wide awake even at 6 in the morning.

Well, I'll have to try to sleep anyways, so good night.

Friday, December 03, 2004

Time For Work Again

So much for two days off, they went by way too quickly.

What did I do today? Not much. I had lunch with Lily and then at about 4pm we went shopping at Oakridge. It was too early for me to start my Christmas shopping, so I just hung around with her. The one thing with Lily and me is that we can just hang out like friends, making crude jokes at each other (she's unbelievably good at that too). She's a really good friend to have and I'm really glad I met her.

I did a silly thing; I came home at 7 and took a nap. Now I'm wide awake. Guess I'll be up for a while watching TV and surfing randomly on the Web.

Thursday, December 02, 2004

Apprentice Review

B.S. Two sluts can walk around selling candy bars for $5 but the girl who took a chance got accused as a stripper. Well, it didn't help her name was Ivana. But at least I got to see a bit of her ass before she left.

Well it's two smart guys against two bimbos, wonder who the Donald will go with. Then again, he's married a few sluts himself.

Who Needs Sleep?

Eek, I get home in the morning (Wednesday) at around 8:30am, hoping for a decent sleep. I knew at some point a new fridge would be delivered since the old one broke. But I was told it would come around 3:30pm, which was OK...

At 10am I was woken up by the casino, asking if I could go to Richmond for a 12pm shift. The floor manager was not aware that I had just finished an 11pm-7am shift in Coquitlam the night before. Due to health regulations (or whatever it's called), I cannot work unless 8 hours have elapsed between shifts, so I couldn't.

Then at 11am a friend of mine asked me out for lunch (no not Lily). And at 11:30am my Mom called to make plans for lunch on Thursday. Finally at 3pm the fridge arrives. And at 5pm I started my shift at work. Was I grumpy? What do you think?

But it's over now and I have my days off. I have lunch with family tomorrow and then a trip to the eye specialist to see if there is anything wrong with my eye. I certainly hope not, I'm actually a bit scared. Well, we'll see.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Time for Bed at 9 in the Morning

It's 8:45am, I just got home from work. I'm going to bed. Just a note to say hi to everyone. I have another shift at 5pm, this is bordering on crazy. Good night everyone.