Daytime Debut

My first daytime managing shift begins in a couple of hours (can't sleep). Of course it would be on December 31. I don't know what to expect, probably a lot of sick calls since people want to party it up at night. We'll see what happens.

In the meantime, Happy New Year to everybody.

Season's Greetings

It's a bit early but I just want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, or whatever holiday you celebrate at this time. It's been quite an interesting and memorable year for me.

More Presents

I had lunch with Michael yesterday. My original plan was to go to the mall afterwards so I could finish up my Christmas shopping. But he wanted to go play some hold'em so I decided to join him (supposedly for an hour or two). Well before I could blink an eye, we were both down. Five hours later I was in for $150. Michael had already left after he made a small comeback. I decided to be patient and eventually, after 7 hours of play, I ended up winning $155 overall. I won a couple of monster-sized pots. So TODAY, this morning, I'm going to go shopping, since I can buy a few more presents now.

Movie of the Year

After some minor Christmas shopping and picking up my tips, I went downtown to watch Memoirs of a Geisha. You know, in a year of Siths and bats and Hogwarts, my favorite movie was about a Japanese girl who became a geisha. The movie was just magical. The cinematography was divine. And of course, the movie starred three of the most beautiful Chinese actresses ever. All that crap about people pissed off because Chinese actresses were playing Japanese roles....who the hell cares? Ziyi Zhang was enchanting, Gong Li was devilishly evil, and Michelle Yeoh was just as wonderful as she was in Tomorrow Never Dies.

And now back to Christmas wrapping....

Oops Again

So Memoirs of a Geisha is premiering THIS Friday instead of next. Can't they make up their mind? Hopefully I'll get a chance to see it.

In other news, Syama seems to be mad at me about something. It'll be interesting to know why, because I have no idea.

My So Called Life

It's been an incredible few weeks that have gone by like a flash. I realize that my postings have been sporadic, and for that I apologize.

Floor managing has been quite the experience. To be honest, it hasn't been as overwhelming as I'd thought it would be. But that's not to say things are easy. It is an ongoing learning experience, and I have so much to learn. My time management has been below average to say the least. But I know what I have to do and know that I must do it.

In the meantime, life goes on. For the rest of December I will get almost all supervising shifts. I am scheduled for a managing shift on the morning of December 31. The end of one year, and the beginning of my new life so to speak.

Christmas Blues

Damn I guess I should start shopping soon. I hope people buy me nice presents. That's all for now.

Oops

Memoirs of a Geisha is not here until December 23. Rats.

Memoirs of a Geisha

I can't wait to watch this one. Ziyi Zhang is a hottie, and Michelle Yeoh ain't too bad to look at as well. It's about time there was a movie out there worth watching.

Also for Syama

Watch Video:

I'LL BE THERE (Mariah Carey)

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For Syama

Oh, girl I've known you very well
I've seen you growing everyday
I never really looked before
but now you take my breath away.

Suddenly you're in my life
part of everything I do
you got me working day and night
just trying to keep a hold on you.

Here in your arms I found my paradise
my only chance for happiness
and if I lose you now I think I would die.

Oh say you'll always be my baby
we can make it shine, we can take forever
just a minute at a time.

More than a woman, more than a woman to me
more than a woman, more than a woman to me
more than a woman, oh, oh, oh.

There are stories old and true
of people so in love like you and me
and I can see myself
let history repeat itself.

Reflecting how I feel for you
thinking about those people then
I know that in a thousand years
I'd fall in love with you again.

This is the only way that we should fly
this is the only way to go
and if I lose you I know I would die.

Oh say you'll always be my baby
we can make it shine, we can take forever
just a minute at a time.

More than a woman, more than a woman to me
more than a woman, more than a woman to me
more than a woman, oh, oh, oh.

More Than a Woman -- Bee Gees

The Boss is Back

I was trained from Tuesday to Thursday for daytime managing. It was overwhelming at first, as I had to know (and remember) a lot of things. Of course I was slow at first but hopefully that will change quickly. By the third day the manager on duty pretty much let me run the show and I think I did relatively well. Perhaps I could have left some tables closed as it wasn't that busy. Every day will be different depending on how many players show up and what they play.

My first official shift has been changed from December 31....to this Sunday! I am required for a relief shift from 4:30pm-12:30am. This is intimidating because they haven't even trained me for night duties yet, so it will be a challenge. But I must show them I am capable.

I hope everyone is well. Happy Thanksgiving to Johnny and my American friends. Hello to Tiff, Sam, and whoever reads this.

In the Beginning

As I expected I won't be getting a lot of managing shifts (for the rest of the year at least) since there aren't a lot of people on holiday. My first scheduled shift is...December 31. Nevertheless, it's almost certain I'll be called in at sometime during the next 6 weeks or so. Meanwhile, training begins this Tuesday-Thursday at the unrecognizable time of 9am. Obviously my training begins with the daytime procedures. Next week will be the nighttime procedures. I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.

Meanwhile I've been inundated with encouragement from people everywhere: family, friends, coworkers and many Internet buddies. Now I must prove to them I'm capable of doing my job. Thanks again everyone!

A Time to Work, A Time to Play

The party at the Capricorn was wonderful. Well, it was just people drinking but why not? I was given various types of shooters that I drank without really realizing what was in it. Wow, good stuff. It was a great time and of course now I'm feeling the after effects. Well it was worth it.

And now, it is time to begin the next stage of my life, one with more seriousness. I have a lot of apprehension and dread over my position. It's not really the work itself. I know that will be challenging but I'm confident I can do well. It's getting respect from coworkers and to be taken seriously that scares me. The guy who jokes around, is SOOO nice (as everybody says) and dresses in drag on Hallowe'en, can be be a successful floor manager? Time will tell. At least I know that I have a lot of wonderful friends to guide me... Syama, Vandy, Kity.... they mean so much to me.

Third Time Lucky Indeed

It's so surreal that in the middle of a depressing day for me that I would get the most amazing news I could. The wait is over. I got the promotion. Thanks to my buddy Johnny for all his encouraging words. Now I take the next big step in my life.

RIP Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero the wrestler passed away yesterday. Yes, he was "just a wrestler" and wrestling is fake and all that shit, but he was the hardest working of them all. We spend all our time worshipping actors and actresses and you know what, they are all fake too. But some of them work harder than others. Eddie was one of them. Yes, he was just an actor, but damnit he was a great one.

Rest in peace, Latino Heat.

And Again I Wait

The interview is all said and done and once again I come home regretting that I could have done a lot better. Now I must wait and see...

Destiny Awaits Again

The interview for relief floor manager is Thursday at 2pm. Destiny and fate are in my hands.

Marilyn's Back

Wow has it been a week already? As a matter of fact, I ended up dressing up as Marilyn Monroe and of course I won the Best Costume contest. I also realized how a lot of men are just pigs (but we won't go into that). I may or may not post a picture of the great costume. OK back to work now.

Hallowe'en

Well it's that time of year, and all staff at my casino are encouraged to dress up and be eligible for prizes. Last year I got first place with my Austin Powers outfit. This year I was deciding among three: Michael Jackson, Elvis and....Marilyn Monroe. Then Vandy dared me (in fact, she double-dared me) to go as a Playboy bunny. So today I bought some cheap ears, bowtie and cuffs. Now if I get enough guts to get a top, fishnets, and shoes (and wig?) I'm set. This is worse than Fear Factor. I still might "chicken out" and stick with your basic Marilyn Monroe, but we'll see. The things I do.

The Legend of Zorro

With nothing to do on a Friday night (except have a quick dinner with Kity and her son Derek), I decided to go see The Legend of Zorro, starring the utterly divine Catherine Zeta-Jones (and that Antonio Banderas fellow too). The movie was quite predictable and pretty corny, but who cares. Catherine Zeta-Jones was in it and that's good enough for me.

Back to Work Blues

After my six-day mini-vacation, I returned to work and was faced with total mayhem. Because of the Coquitlam overstaffing, over half of the dealers on the tables were new, and I must say, poorly trained. As a result, most of the night was spent correcting dealers' mistakes (hopefully I didn't miss any). It was total stress. Vandy was yelling at me (and she had every reason to). I truly hope the Coquitlam expansion is finished on schedule (and even that's 3 weeks away) because I don't know how much more I can take of this. Oh, and somewhere in there I have to prepare for my impending interview.

Third Time Lucky?

It seems that there is a posting for promotions to Relief Floor Managers once again. So now the weeks of uncertainty and nervousness will begin again. First I must decide if I want to apply, knowing full well that I may be turned down again. It's a foolish reason not to apply, but being passed over is a really shitty feeling. However, not applying means I have NO chance of getting promoted. So we shall see.

Back from my Trip!??

The two days of seminars are over at the River Rock Hotel, and as a result, so are my two nights at the hotel. The hotel itself was beautiful (reminds me of a Whistler lodge) and my suite was huge. It was a one-bedroom suite with two TV's (!) and overall a nice layout. I took some pictures with an instant camera but I still have pictures left to take so you'll have to wait.

The seminars were quite informative and I enjoyed them. I guess my reservations are if the staff will "buy into" the whole program. Let's hope so.

OK, I still have 4 days off so we shall all talk again. Hello to my buddy Johnny and anybody else reading.

Business Trip?

Only one more day until I sort of have 6 days off!??! On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, I will be attending a customer service training seminar at the River Rock Hotel. Being that they are VERY early in the morning (8am and 9am) I've decided to stay at the hotel Monday and Tuesday nights. Is it a waste of money ($99/night)? Perhaps, but I also consider it a mini-holiday so I can relax. Syama is also going and will be staying with me the first night. And no to whatever you're asking. Don't even bother asking.

After that I will have my regular days off on Thursday and Friday, followed by two "leave of absence" days. We are severely overstaffed as a result of the delay in the Boulevard Casino (Coquitlam) expansion. So in essence I have 6 days off from work. Considering the large amount of rookies we have, I'll be quite happy to be away from "the office".

The Crimson Room

This was a cool game that had me addicted for a while (until I solved it). Yes, the solution is all over the Internet if you want but what's the point of that? Good luck.

Crimson Room

Mamma Mia! Forever

What a show! I don't care if I've seen it twice already, and I don't care if it's the same stuff, it's still my favorite show. And this time I got to see it with two really cool people. I even managed to shed a few tears during some of the tender moments (something about "The Winner Takes it All" that does it to me every time). It was a great time and I miss it already.

Sleep is Overrated

After my great outing at the casino, I got to bed at around 4am, prepared for a long and peaceful sleep before working again at 7pm. All that changed at 10am when I was awakened by the phone. It was work. They wanted me to work at 11am. Wow. If anything, it was cool because that means I'll be off at 7pm (the time when I'm supposed to start work!???!). Anyways, I was pretty tired and dazed at work and managed to get through it.

And now I await the hours before seeing Mamma Mia! for the 3rd time. I can't wait.

29 Black Baby!

I had dinner with two ex-classmates from the Legal course. Then they wanted to go to the casino afterwards and as much as I hate gambling these days (especially at Edgewater), I decided to tag along. As expected, I began to lose, first $20, then $40, and before I knew it I had lost $200. My friends had already left. I was down to my last $85 (before the walk to the ATM) when I decided to go for it on roulette. Then the incredible happened. In a span of 10 spins, I hit my section (29 and the neighbors) 7 times. The other two times I missed but I somehow still got chips back because I was betting everywhere. Suffice to say that at one point I had $85 in my pocket and when I finally left the table, I had $800, for a profit of $540. Life is good.

Mamma Mia! in 72 hours

I am waiting with anticipation, and can't stop thinking about listening to my favorite songs in the world, then dancing the night away. I KNOW I'll have a good time, and it's especially good because I'm going with Syama and her Mom.

Meanwhile, I'm just relaxing at home after going to a hockey pool with some old friends. I still can't believe hockey's finally back after all this time. And Montreal's won their first two games!

2 Days Off

My two days off await me after tonight's shift. It's been an interesting week, and not really because of work itself, but more about what the future holds for work (did that make sense?). Our casino is going through a lot of changes in the coming month in preparation for the expansion of the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam. There will probably be a number of staff members transferring there, and as a result we will be getting new staff here. It will be interesting to say the least to see what happens.

Here's a fun little game I came across. So far my best score is 480.7 but a friend of mine got over 600. Have fun!

http://badger.ing.me.uk/~ahmulh/pingu.htm

Be a Man

I went with a couple of coworkers to see Russell Peters, one of the best (THE BEST?) Canadian comics in existence. Even though he is Indian, he has the best Chinese accent (when he's making fun of the Chinese) around. His jokes are racist but in good fun. He was hilarious. Alas, now my days off are over and it's back to the grind.

Hangover

I went drinking with coworkers last night after work....for 8 hours. This translates to the amazing hours of 5:15am-1:30pm. And now I am getting ready to go to work again. My eyes are a bit bloodshot but hey, at least I'm awake.

Flightplan

I was so excited to see this new Jodie Foster movie because of a great trailer. And the mystery of what happened to her little girl was intriguing. But after seeing the movie, I was very, very disappointed. Suffice to say there are so many plotholes I don't know where to begin. Yuk yuk yuk.

Making Love Out of Nothing at All

I had the pleasure of attending the Air Supply concert tonight at the new theater at the River Rock Casino Resort (same company where I work). Can you believe it's been 30 years since they first got together in Australia? That makes 1975, only 1 year younger than a certain other group that we all know and love.

While Russell Hitchcock doesn't have the lungs that he used to, he and Graham Russell still put together a fabulous show. When they sang "Here I Am", the two of them went up the aisles and shook hands with the crowd. One lucky girl even managed to plant her lips on Russell's.

Girls were still swooning and yelling "I love you Russell" (and even a few "I love you Graham"'s) after all these years. It was like I travelled back to my teenage years. The crowd was in a party mood and near the end about a quarter of the audience (about 1000 or so) made their way to the edge of the stage to shake their hands. I had a great time. You Aussies sure know how to have a good time.

2 Days Off

I went to the new HMV Megastore (or the former Virgin Megastore) and bought two "casino" movies for my days off: Owning Mahoney and The Cooler. These are two movies I've been dying to see but never got around to it. I may not have time to watch them, as tonight is Apprentice and CSI premiere nights. Tomorrow I have tickets to see Air Supply. Hopefully I can get a date.

The Crazy Frog Video

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You Just Don't Fit In

There's the candidate for the catchphrase of the year, said by none other than Martha Stewart as she fired the first candidate from her Apprentice show. Ouch. She could just as easily have said "You're a piece of shit" and it would have had the same affect. She's truly the Queen of Mean.

TV

Finally there are shows to watch on TV! I am watching the early version of Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Tomorrow is Apprentice with The Donald as well as the season premiere of CSI. It doesn't get better than this.

Blah Blah

My apologies for not posting in the last while. My only excuse is that nothing of interest happened to me, other than "wake up, work, eat, sleep". Work has been quite stressful at times (as it usually is). At times your coworkers are your good friends and at other times you can get so pissed off at them. I have begun to question whether or not I should apply for the next promotion. It's not because I don't feel I'm qualified, it's whether or not I can (or want to) deal with all the stress.

Two Days Off

About friggin' time.

The Man

I foolishly went to see this movie which starred two of my favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy. Unfortunately the two of them got together to make a really dumb movie. What a waste of money.

My Name in Lights

I eagerly await the arrival of my Province newspaper, because my name will be in it! I was selected as one of the participants in a Head-to-Head contest to see who picks the most football games correctly on the weekend. The winner gets a $50 platter from Subway (hey, better than nothing!). Good luck to me!

My Weekend

And so ends (almost) another work week for me. Last night I was training the new dealer supervisor at work (Sony); basically he was my shadow for about 5 hours. I hope I did a good job, because it was difficult to tell him everything I knew about supervising, while at the same time doing my job. Luckily there were no big disputes and eventually he managed to get some time on his own. Tomorrow he gets a shift on his own, so I hope he does well, because I will feel partially responsible if he does something wrong.

I don't have any plans this week except to watch some NFL on the weekend. The casino pool begins again so hopefully I can make as much (or more) as I did last year.

Red Eye

I went to visit my ex-boss today and afterwards decided to go to Metrotown for some shopping. I kept myself from buying more shirts and ties, even though I saw a beautiful one at Zara. Guess what color it was. Last week I managed to wear a pink tie (or a tie with pink in it somewhere) every day. Next week is gold/yellow, I'm not sure if I have enough ties with that color. We're going to try the orange/white shirt with a gold tie tomorrow (yes, I'm the man that dares to experiment).

Anyways, after shopping I decided to go back downtown and catch Red Eye. I didn't have high expectations for the movie, but Rachel McAdams was in it and that's a good enough reason to watch it. She's GORGEOUS with a capital G. I also saw the preview for Aeon Flux, starring my ex-girlfriend Charlize Theron.

Oh yeah, the movie (Red Eye) was OK. It was your standard thriller, but this time most of the action took place on a cramped airplane. I guess it would be really scary for claustrophobic people, but I found it average. But again, with Rachel McAdams in it, the movie became excellent!

Mmmmm Chocolate

I went to the Chocoholic Buffet tonight with Syama; it's been a while. Damn I miss it, as usual the crepes were delicious and what can I say about eating chocolate?

Riverway

One more day of golf on Saturday, this time a "surprise" tee time for Michael. Wow, three rounds of golf in one week. It was fairly tiring at work but definitely it was all worth it. Unfortunately now everybody is back to work from holidays so there won't be as much golf now (at least not on a big course). Oh well, it was a wonderful week.

Pretty in Pink

My latest tie purchase seems to have created quite a stir at the casino. It's the infamous PINK Donald Trump Signature Line tie. There must have been ten people at work who said nice tie. I'm the only guy who's gutsy enough to wear pink (whether it's a tie or my awesome hot pink Tommy Hilfiger shirt), but I've learned that almost any color works if you're willing to wear it. OK, here's a picture. My face looks like shit but the tie went perfectly with my light blue shirt and black suit.

Northlands

Another beautiful day of golf, this time at Northlands in North Vancouver. As usual, my pathetic play was overshadowed by the beautiful scenery. It's just so relaxing to enjoy a beautiful day with friends. Next up on Saturday is Riverway in Burnaby. I feel like a doctor playing so much golf....

Furry Creek

What a wonderful day yesterday. It started off quite difficult, as I had to wake up at 8 in the morning (after only going to bed two hours before!), as Andy picked me up to go golfing (with Michael and Vandy) at Furry Creek near Squamish. It was such an absolutely beautiful course. It was well worth the drive and the cost. The fact that I went to work in the evening absolutely tired and half-comatose didn't matter. I wanna go back!

March of the Penguins

I went to see March of the Penguins tonight with Syama. Wow, what a cute an awesome movie! I highly recommend it to everyone (especially Tiffany who will certainly enjoy the movie). The penguins look almost like humans with their demeanor.

This weekend will be busy, either lunch with Glenn or golf with Michael. Then a family dinner. Sunday afternoon is a High School friend's wedding and the reception in the evening. Unfortunately I also have to work at 10:15pm, as during the PNE it is tough to request days off.

I have two more VIP passes for the PNE (good for unlimited entry during the fair). If anybody wants them, email or call me and arrange for some sort of a pickup.

There Goes Another Week

That was quick 7 days. The week went well, as work was pretty much on autopilot. It's great when you can do your job without any problems. I look forward to my days off (as usual).

P.S. Rachel McAdams is hot

Sake

Two bottles of sake, my head hurts, I'm going to sleep.

Party Time

Dinner and karaoke night coming up tonight, although for most of my coworkers all it means is drinking. I'm just there to relax before my hellish weekend (the 8am seminar on Friday). All in the name of work or whatever you call it. But at least I can now supervise in autopilot mode, where everything just comes naturally. At times it seems I know more than the floor managers know, but of course I can't say anything as they are still my superiors. It is all good practice for that fortunate day when I become a floor manager myself, hopefully in a month or two. Meanwhile I just have to make sure I don't screw up big time or anything like that.

Busy as a Bee

And so begins what will be another interesting and potentially crazy week (especially the weekend). Wednesday night I have dinner with some coworkers, followed by karaoke (which in turn means drinking) until the wee hours of the morning. Thursday is an actual rest day. FRIDAY MORNING from 8am-10am I must attend some pilot training session at the River Rock Casino in Richmond. Ouch, 8am-10am isn't a good time for night owls like me. Saturday we are planning a stag for one of my High School friends who is getting married the week after. Sunday at 2pm is a draft for a hockey pool. And of course somewhere in there I have to work nights.

Things have been going splendidly at work, I've been in a very good mood. That will help considering I will be losing a lot of sleep with all the things I'm involved with.

Fever

Just relaxing at home. Yesterday I bought the 25th anniversary DVD of Saturday Night Fever, just to hear what the director John Badham had to say about the making of this classic. And of course I replayed the dance contest scene over and over again. Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's now been 28 years since the movie first came out. Where does the time go?

Work Work and More Work

I guess it's been a whole week since I last posted, and for that I apologize. But the 7 days have been rather uneventful. Work is routine but still interesting. All I can do is wait until the next promotions and hope for the best. But at least I'm on the good side with management. Now if only I can get through the interview.

As stupid as it sounds, I've felt a lot more confident about myself... after getting a new haircut. It seems so weird that I've become the so-called best dressed supervisor at work. A lot of customers are coming up to me mentioning that I'm one of the only supervisors that seems to care about the way I look. And everybody says my new haircut makes me look younger. And to think for ten years all I did was put some gel in my hands and rub it in my hair...30 seconds done. Now it takes me five or ten minutes. Now I know what being metrosexual means. Next thing you know I'll be getting manicures and pedicures...not...

Mamma Mia!

Just an average week with work, eat and sleep. I managed to get awesome seats for Mamma Mia! for the last night (Sunday October 9) right in the center near the stage. I can't wait to start dancing again. And I'm bringing a date...and her Mom too!??! Oh why not?

ABBA Rules

Tickets for Mamma Mia! go on sale tomorrow morning at 10am, so I get to stay up after work and get the best tickets available. I have to decide which date to go, and which date to bring (that's easy).

Hockey's Back

Yes I was pissed off at both the owners and the players for screwing around with us for a year. But at least now there's going to be hockey. Time for me to make money in the hockey pools.

Back to Work

It was a relatively uneventful week at work, but I guess it was nice to get back into the swing after my days off. Nothing much has changed except we got a new game (Four Card Poker) and got rid of another game (Let it Ride).

Word on the street is that there will be more promotions coming soon, because of the upcoming expansion at the Coquitlam Casino. So once again I must submit myself to a week or two of torture hoping to get the prize at the end of the rainbow. Again, many people have said that I should get the promotion, but they said that last time. So we'll see.

In other news, I was at Chapters and came across this pen. It's become the talk of the casino.

And So it Ends

It was a relaxing holiday with not too much in the way of news. I helped my parents move and then the same with a coworker. Other than that it was a lot of rest and relaxation. But tonight, it's back to the grind. At least I'll start getting tips again (well not until next week). I need a holiday.

Still on Holiday

I'll be helping a friend move tomorrow, and then we'll see what happens. This holiday has been so uneventful but that's the way I planned it. I also have use of my friend's car until the end of the month, as she decided to fly to Paris. Cool...time to raid Ikea.

I Forgot

Just played 8 hours of online poker to make $50.

Reporting In

What have I done on my holiday so far?

golf
movie (Fantastic Four)
coffee with a beautiful girl
eat
sleep

10 Days Off

At last my well needed holiday begins.

It's sad to hear what happened in London. It looks like the world is once again being scared by terrorists.

Who Me?

I think I'm falling in love again.

Holiday

Only two more days until my 10-day holiday. I've decided not to go to Edmonton as originally planned, but instead to relax at home and get my stuff unpacked and the place straightened out. I may end up picking up shifts at work since it's quite evident that they are quite short of supervisors. We'll see.

Wardrobe Check

I have 24 dress shirts (only three of them are white) and 22 wearable ties for work (five or six cartoon ties that are not within dress code standard), I wonder if that's a record for guys at the casino. I just bought two more today from the Bay, only because they had a nice sale. The funny thing is they're going to put all the staff (except for management) into uniforms at work. I know a lot of the staff have stopped buying shirts and ties and crap but not me. There IS management to look forward to, and I'm not going to stop buying shirts.

Oh yeah, Happy Canada Day to everyone.

War of the Worlds

I decided to go see War of the Worlds, even though I think Tom Cruise has turned into the new Michael Jackson (perhaps even weirder???). The story was silly but the effects were awesome. Amazingly, I give this movie two thumbs up.

I'm Old

Happy Belated Birthday to Me

Back to Normal

It wasn't as bad at work as I thought it would be. Granted, the first hour or two was tough as I started out at the casino wondering why I was still supervising. I was glad that people at work were at least tasteful in their comments. A couple of them felt bad because they were so sure I'd get the promotion. Things are somewhat back to normal now but it's going to hurt when I see the new managers. But what can I do but wait until the next promotion.

Life Goes On

I don't know what work will be like tonight. I had lunch with Glenn today and discussed how tough it will be to face my coworkers. I've accepted the fact that I didn't get the promotion, but it's all the comments that I'm sure to hear. How many times will I hear "How do you feel?" and crap like that. I guess I'm afraid somebody will say something that makes me snap. But all I can do is grit my teeth and turn everything off.

A Time to Rise

What better way to drown my sorrows then to go downtown watch one of my favorite movies this year, Star Wars Episode III. Of course my heart wasn't into the movie, but I still enjoyed it. In fact (corny statements ahead), I began to relate to Anakin Skywalker's character. He started off as a cute little kid but was seduced by The Dark Side. I'm not saying that I have a desire to build a Death Star, but I think that in order for me to succeed at my job (and in life) I do need a little bit of "The Dark Side" in me. I have been cursed with being "a nice guy" all these years, and at times I think it hurts me. In business, in life, and heck, even in poker, a little bit of dishonesty (for lack of a better word) is necessary. And so I must learn from this setback and carry on.

I don't hate any of the people who got the promotion. If anything, I hate myself because the top of the mountain was within reach. But I couldn't quite get there this time. But as they say, life goes on.

A Time to Mourn

I didn't get the promotion.

The Wait

The time is near (I think) to find out about the promotion, and I still have no idea. Some people say it is better to think you didn't get it, so when you get it it feels better. Others say if you think you got it, then believe you got it (but then if you don't get it it feels like shit). Right now I must admit I'm the latter. I can feel that the promotion is mine. But you never know. Last time I was fairly sure I got the promotion but instead I went through a big fall. So we shall see.

Too Much Stress

It was an unbelievably stressful night at work. I screwed up the break rotations and the casino was just too busy. I kept worrying that something major would go wrong but somehow I kept my composure. The wait is killing me.

Waiting

It looks like I will find out within the week if I get the promotion. All signs point to me getting it (but then again I thought the same thing last time) so all I can do is wait and do my job in the meantime. It's been an interesting year for me. One moment I'm stuck between jobs and suddenly I'm in line to become a relief floor manager. I regret ever leaving the casino industry, but now that I'm back I'm here to stay.

The Dark Knight

This week I got Wednesday and Thursday off (instead of Thursday and Friday) which worked out rather perfectly. Wednesday night at 11pm I got to watch BATMAN BEGINS with two coworkers. It was awesome, and I must say much better than Star Wars Episode III. The movie was rather violent but that's who the Dark Knight was.

Today was my interview for the floor manager position. I seemed to do well but who knows. I can only hope for the best. At the end one of the managers said "Jason you have a good chance". I don't know if that's a good sign or just a generic comment. We shall see.

Good

Amazing, not since the OJ trial have we seen an example of the pathetic American justice system. But at least we know that the jury is now rich and will get richer with their book deals.

Bad

20 minutes until the Michael Jackson verdict is read. Wow, this is more interesting than the Apprentice finale.

The Sixth Day

There I was Friday night at Metrotown on my days off, thinking about catching Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but it was sold out. So I decided to go shopping and see if I could find a suit or jacket. I fouhd nothing so I was on my way home (shortly after 8). Then on the Skytrain I got a call from work to see if I could come in (on my day off) and work some overtime, because it was really short at work. Well since I really had nothing to do anyways I ended up working a SIXTH day at work, but I'll be paid pretty well. No complaints.

I have an interview on Thursday (12pm) for one of the floor manager positions, so I can only get ready and hope for the best. I'll spend the next few days brushing up on procedures and anything that I can find helpful, like preparing for certain interview questions. Wish me luck.

Days Off

Work has been needlessly stressful. I guess I'm just worried about the upcoming interview for the floor manager position, and I'm cautiously paranoid (is that an oxymoron?) that something will go wrong. Luckily I haven't made any monumental blunders yet (unlike my chess).

I was lucky enough to get an early shift today (2:15pm-10:15pm) so I can watch some TV and turn in early (which for me will be 2 or 3am). Let's hope my two days off will actually be productive this time.

Right now I'm listening to my MP3's and working on a project for a website. A friend has done a great project on what makes a good casino supervisor, and I promised to write a thing on roulette. So off I go with a stash of bottled water. Let's see how long I go before the eyes droop. Good night to all.

Damn I'm Lazy

Two days off and once again I didn't spend anytime unpacking. My shit is still everywhere as it has been for two weeks. One of these days I'll get to it; then I can decide how I will decorate/renovate my place. I know I'll need some sort of a wardrobe or dresser to put all my shirts and suits, as well as more bookcases and a sofa (once I get rid of the old one that doesn't fit). But I guess I'm anxious and worried about the impending floor manager interviews (again). This time I want to be more prepared.

Blues at Work

Work can be so frustrating at times. Perhaps it's because I'm already thinking as a floor manager, and I see so much ineptitude at work. Certain people always ask the same questions regarding who they should give breaks to; others are still unsure about procedures that have been explained to them time and time again.

There just seems to be no motivation at work. Nobody seems to care anymore. This sucks because I'm starting to love my job more and more. Unmotivated staff translates to lower tips. These same people are complaining about low tips and yet these same people are doing nothing to improve those low tips. I don't know how to motivate them anymore.

The Poker Man is Back

Tonight we had a party for some of the staff that were being transferred to Richmond. Most of us got drunk as usual, some more than others. It was great for me because I brought $120 there, had a few beers, bought some drinks for the pretty ladies, and somehow at the end of the night I took home $275!??!

What happened was we had four poker tournaments, and I cashed in on three of them. The first one was $50+$5, and I ended up second for a prize of $150. The second was also $50+$5, and I got third place for $75. The third was a $30+$5 tournament which I managed to win (yay!) and I got $180. I didn't cash in on the last one unfortunately. It was a lot of fun. Hey any time you can get a bit drunk and somehow make money, it can't be all that bad. And now, back to work in 17 hours...

The Dream is Over

My dreams of playing in the World Series of Poker were dashed, as I could only manage 4th place in the last stage of the online tournament. Oh well, maybe next year. Or if somebody wants to lend me $10,000US so I can buy into the tournament directly.

Coffee and Soup?

Busy day today, although technically I really didn't accomplish anything. Michael called me in the morning to play golf, which we did until about 1:30pm. Then I went home for a little nap. At about 5pm the electrician came to fix one of the outlets (the one closest to the fold-down ironing board). Then I had to walk to the casino and attend a "Coffee Talk" session with the Chief Financial Officer of Great Canadian Casinos (7pm-8:15pm). RIGHT afterwards I had an interesting time downtown...

I joined some company called Consumer Research, a focus group company where you test certain things and they pay you for it. They'd called me yesterday saying that they were testing Beef Vegetable Soup tonight so what the heck. As it turned out, it was for a new Subway soup. They gave us four different kinds of Beef Vegetable and we made comments on what we thought. The third one was the rest; the last one tasted like shit. We even got to make comments on different kinds of bowls and lids they wanted to use (something tells me Tiffany would like stuff like this). Anyways I got paid $35 for it. It's cool. If anybody is interested, go to www.consumerresearch.ca and join.

Relief?

A posting has come up at work for Relief Floor Managers again, but only at the River Rock location in Richmond. If I apply and get promoted, that will in all likelihood involve transferring to Richmond. I really like the location that I'm working at now, and there are many reasons why I hesitate to apply. However, opportunities like these don't come every day. I have until May 27 to apply so at least I have a few days to contemplate the matter.

I Suck at Hold'em

Albert, Mei, Lily and I decided to check out the Cascades Casino in Langley after dinner. We got lost but somehow managed to make it there. I proceeded to defy all odds by losing in poker and winning $400 (??) on Texas Shootout, one of the biggest house-advantage games out there. I also made about $30 in slots. But how could I lost $80 in poker? Very strange indeed.

In other news, I realized that Lily is not capable of an intelligent conversation.

Couch Potato Night

Two finales I've been dying to see are tonight: CSI and Apprentice III. CSI is on now (thank goodness for digital TV) and Apprentice on later. Guess I'm not doing anything tonight.

Review of the Sith

What a fun night at work before the movie! I was obviously so excited I was in a terribly good mood at work. I kept telling players "May the Force be with you" and whenever I won (unfortunately), I'd say "The Force is strong with me today". I even signed my cards "Anakin".

Oh the movie. There's nothing like a midnight show with crazy people everywhere, although this time the crowd was a bit more subdued. We cheered at certain parts. The best line came when Anakin just helped Palpatine kill Mace Windu. Anakin yelled something like "What have I done?" and somebody in the audience yelled (much louder) "You just became f*cking Darth Vader!". That was awesome.

Well back to reality. I have to get to bed early as I have a checkup at the doctor's office at 8:30am. Yuk. Be good everyone.

Revenge of the Sith

I bought tickets to the 12:30am showing of THE MOVIE tonight. I'm going to the Granville 7 right after work (which ends at 11pm). I even have a date! I hope it doesn't rain. Now let's see if I have time after I wake up to get a costume or something. Shall I be Anakin Skywalker or shall I be Darth? Hmm...

I'm Back!

I'm finally moved in! Somehow I managed to complete the most gruelling and stressful days of my life yesterday (Sunday). It started as I finished my shift at 6:15am. I got home at around 6:30 and tried to pack a few small boxes of shit. It's amazing how much shit one accumulates in a short time. Anyways, the movers came at 10am. We moved all the big items and some boxes. They finished their part at around 2:30pm. The big sucky thing is that my big sofa won't fit into the living room. There is a little "S" turn to get from the kitchen (where the door is) to the living room, and I can't manoeuver the couch around there. The loveseat fits so now I have to decide what to do. Maybe sell the sofa and loveseat as a set and then buy furniture that matches and fits (Ikea anyone)?

Then I had the undaunting task of moving the small stuff. I didn't realize how hard that would be, especially given my extremely limited time frame. Somehow, someway, I managed to get everything done by 8pm before my appointment with the old landlord to return the keys, etc. Then I got to my new place at around 9pm, in time to take a shower and then change to get ready for another 10:15pm shift.

In order to survive, I bought a triple espresso at work, then bought a can of Red Bull at work and cup of Coke. Then I just drank everything quickly. It was fun to see me alert for about three hours and then slowly deteriorate into a zombie. I didn't want to drink any more caffeine at 3am as I wanted to get a good night's (well good morning's) sleep when I got home.

I managed to totally zonk out for 5 hours before the cable guy came in to hook up my Internet and cable. Right now my muscles are so bloody sore from the previous day. It's like I just completed a marathon or something. I'm not even going to consider to start unpacking. But at least I'm back online.

Ugh

Of course it's going to rain the day I move. What else is new?

Last Night

My last night in my old apartment. The move begins at 10am in the morning. I won't have Internet access for a day (I can live without it) so I will post in a day or so.

The Dream

This month has been so full of ups and downs I don't know where to begin, and I don't know how it will end. I could say I'm having a great month or I could say I'm having a bad month. It all depends on if I think the glass is half empty or half full. I'll go with half full.

As many of you know, I play online poker every so often. I haven't done too much of that lately, as I'm in the middle of my moving, and being so busy at work. But I started participating in a promotion on one of the sites, Tiger Gaming. The promotion is for the World Series of Poker, the Grand Daddy of poker tournaments. It is a 7-level tournament. If you win a Level 1 tournament, you have an entry to Level 2, and so on. You can also buy in to various levels. Level 1 started at a measly $.14; Level 2 is $1.15, Level 3 $5.00, Level 4 $22, Level 5 $215, Level 6 $1500 and Level 7 $2980. The prize is a $10,000 entry into the World Series tournament.

Well, I started at Level 1 and right now I've gone through the first six levels. I've spent about a $1 and now, somehow I'm one tournament away from going to The Big Show. Level 7 is a 5-player tournament, winner takes all. If I win it, I'm going to Vegas. If I don't then the dream is over, but the consolation is it's only cost me $1. It's been a great ride and who knows what the future will be. The Level 7 tournaments are on the weekend so I will probably wait until next week, as this is "Moving Week". My destiny awaits me once again.

Girl Power?

Let's just do a quick Apprentice III post as I'm not in the mood to say much. It looks like it's time for the girls to show their stuff. And to tell you the truth, none of the candidates this season were exceptional enough, and overall the season was rather boring. But since I'm addicted to the show I'll have to watch to see who gets to be THE APPRENTICE this year.

Strange Night at Poker

It was a strange night at the casino. I only won three hands in three hours at the poker table, but somehow managed to make $40. I was lucky because my pocket 7's were severely beaten before the flop (somebody had 9-9, somebody else had K-K), but the flop was the beautiful 2-3-7.

Saturday will be golf day with Michael, since I have Friday and Saturday off this week because of the customer service seminar. I'll talk more about that later. Meanwhile I'm heading to bed early. Hope everybody is well.

Short Week

And now the fun begins. After one more day at work, it's two full days at the seminar on Wednesday and Thursday. I really don't know what to expect but it'll be a welcome change from all those graveyard shifts. I just hope I'll be able to relay what I've learned to the staff. I can sense that this is a good test for an upcoming promotion to floor manager. We shall see.

Nothing in Particular

It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm wide awake, so I'm going to just start typing here and see where it leads me. Grab yourself a cup of your favorite beverage and/or snack and enjoy.

I'm 50% relieved that I found a really nice basement suite to live in. It's a wee bit more than I probably can afford, but the area is nice and the landlords are great. If anybody cares (and I certainly don't), they are a same-sex couple with two children (Abby aged 4 and Dane aged 22 months). Both children are so cute (then again, aren't all children cute?). The landlords (Tracy and Janet) were concerned that the kids would make too much noise, considering my graveyard shifts and that I would be sleeping during the day. But I convinced them that it wouldn't be a problem. And I really don't think it will be. I look forward to sitting out on the porch enjoying the great summer weather (hopefully).

I'm 50% worried about my impending living arrangements after May 8. I was silly enough to give notice for May 1 not knowing that the place I found wouldn't be ready until June 1. But luckily the current tenants at my new place will probably be moving out earlier so the place may be ready the second week of May. I still may have a problem though. Friends have offered to temporarily house me, but it's my furniture and shit that needs to be stored somewhere. I'll look into temporary storage, but what sucks is that I'll probably have to hire a moving company TWICE, both to move into temporary storage and then move out of there into my new place. Oh well, that's life. Perhaps my current landlord might be able to let me stay a while longer. To be continued.

Work has been quite hectic. I've felt a lot of stress lately (exacerbated by my apartment search) in many areas. I feel a lot of coworkers are not doing their job and have gotten lazy. They also expect other people (like me) to do things for them. Why don't they just take care of the problems themselves instead of calling me to call whoever they are supposed to call themselves (know what I mean?)? It's true what they say "trust no one".

Next week (April 27-28) I'll be attending the training seminar with two colleagues (Chap Wing and Lubna) for the customer service and supervisory training "courses" that I in turn must teach to the casino staff. This is a big project for the casino, and an equally big project for me. I have no idea what the course entails, so hopefully I'll be able to do a good job.

Anna...Anna...Anna... strange but I feel that a little flame still flickers for her. There's just something about her, but unfortunately she is seeing someone, and I have learned NEVER to pursue someone who is attached. And so I must only admire her from afar. But if they break up....

Lily...Lily...Lily... I'm not sure what happened last week, but I am really pissed off at her (and Mei too). I don't want to get into it, but suffice to say that women can be incredible nags and whiners sometimes. They say things without really thinking about it. She said things which were pretty hurtful, even though she thought she was just "joking". As a result, we did not have our usual Thursday lunch. And next week's lunch won't happen because of my course. To be honest, I could care less.

And so, there is my rambling for now. I'm tired of typing and so I will rest. I hope all is well with everyone (if anyone is actually reading this). Sam, Elaine, Tiff, Be.... May the Force be with you, always.

Apprentice III

Gosh, that Carolyn is nasty. I like her.

The Search (for an Apartment) is Over

The place is mine, so now the undaunting task of packing and moving begins. There's still a minor little problem concerning mid-May that I have to deal with. I'll need temporary accommodations and somewhere to put my stuff until the new place is ready.

But at least I've dealt with #1 on my major priority list. Here comes #2 (car).

Home Sweet Home

It appears as though I've found a new place to live. It's a bit of a walk to work compared to where I am now, but it is a really nice basement suite with incredibly nice landlords. They are just calling my references so hopefully everything goes well. More details to follow.

Women

I really can't understand them sometimes. They can be the most insensitive people sometimes. They speak without thinking and when you try to explain something, they don't understand.

There's my sexist comment of the week.

Stressful Days Ahead

The next two weeks will be full of stress for me so I don't know how much I'll be blogging. I have to find a place to live (and when I do I have to pack everything up) and get ready for the customer service training thing. Then I have to make plans to get my car.

At times like this I wish I was back in High School with no worries in life other than to watch the next Star Wars movie. Wait, the next one is coming out in a month. Wow.

Saturday Night Fever Again

One of the greatest movies of all time is on MuchMoreMusic tonight, at 6pm and 9:20pm. I can't wait to go to work (early since my shift starts at 10:15pm) and dance the night away (in the breakroom).

P.S. 40 more days until Lord Vader Rises Again

I WANT FOOD

Had lunch with Lily, came home to watch some golf and then went out for dinner.... with Lily. Actually we went shopping downtown for awhile first. I tried out a few colognes for work and the lady behind the counter said something to Lily like "Your husband will like this one" while looking at me...ewwww. Actually not ewww. I'm not going to be stupid and say I never dreamed I'd be married to her. But I digress.

Anyways, we went to Boston Pizza for dinner, when I had my favorite Curried Chicken Penne. Then I went home for about 20 minutes when Michael called.... and asked if I wanted to go for a bite to eat. Who am I to refuse food? So I went for dinner (again)at Gigi's. I had a few slices of pizza and some spaghetti. I'm such a pig.

My stomach's bloated now. But I'm happy.

Oh Well

It's a no on the place downtown with two Japanese students, but the search continues. I may just stay close to where I am now, but I need a one bedroom place. The cramped quarters I'm at now are just driving me crazy.

Bleh Bleh

I was at a friend's stag party before work. Unfortunately I couldn't make the highlight of the evening, which was going to Brandi's. Tiff, you're probably not old enough to know what Brandi's is, but ask Ben, perhaps he knows....

Anyways, work has been work. I may have found another place to live downtown, possibly living with two Japanese students. Yes. I hope it works out. Then the car. Then the women. Then the wedding. Well, we'll see.

At Long Last

I have retired from chess.

Second Party

I forgot to link to pictures from the SECOND party. There was lots of drinking involved (as usual), it's amazing considering it was morning. I took it easy this time. Enjoy the pictures.

Party Pics Part 2

Back to Work

I got home at 11:30 in the morning after the party! I turned my phone off and managed to get a relatively restful sleep until about 7pm. I think I can make it to work.

My moving plans have changed somewhat. The friend that I was going to share with backed out, so now I'm looking for a place on my own or to share with someone else for May 1. I would still love to live downtown, but with the expensive rentals there I doubt I can find something. If so, I wouldn't mind living as close to work as possible. If anybody here knows of any rental properties available, let me know.

Million Dollar Baby

I finally saw Million Dollar Baby tonight. Wow, what a movie. Even though I knew the ending, it was just as powerful as if I hadn't. Hilary Swank sure knows how to pick a good role. Too bad for Sandra Bullock and Ashley Judd, who were originally chosen to play the role of Maggie.

OK, time for some rest before more partying at 4am. I'm sure I won't be feeling well at work tomorrow.

Recovery

Well I drank and partied from about 7:30pm-2am. I didn't go as crazy as before, mainly because there is another party tonight after work (4am-11am!!). I have to pace myself. Everybody had a good time and as usual some of the people were a little too drunk (that's what makes it fun!). Pictures can be found at the link below...

In other news, I'm looking for an apartment to share downtown with a chess friend of mine. It's time I moved back downtown; I miss all the fun there. Then I'll get a car. And hopefully after that the girlfriend and wife will be soon after....

Party Pics

Getting Drunk

Two days off, two nights of parties for one of our maangers who is transferring to Richmond and eventually Coquitlam. Party #1: Thursday Night 7pm-2am; Party #2: Friday Night (Saturday Morning) 4am-11am. It will be interesting to see how I look (and feel) when I have to go back to work Saturday night.

Let the inebriation begin!

Nap Time NOW?

Not much too update except that Just got up from a 2-hour nap!???! Now I'm wide awake. But that's actually OK for my sleep cycle at least. I'll stay up for a few hours before getting back to bed.

Strange trivia: My TV has been off for a while week!??! I've either been sleeping or on the computer. Quite peaceful here if you ask me.

I bought a novel to read today, haven't done that in a while. The book is called "Improbable" and it's about...what else... a compulsive gambler. It's been a pretty good read so far.

What to Do?

Happy St. Patrick's Day...it's Lily's birthday as well. I have to plan something for tonight...what to do, what to do...

BITCH Part 2

It looks like I get a dealing shift at the Holiday Inn tonight. I don't know about Tuesday and Wednesday (last week I was sent to Richmond for those wonderful roulette shifts). I must admit things are great at work now, although a couple of the dealers piss me off now and then. Believe it or not, one of them is Jolene. She's turned into a lazy dealer with attitude. She has the nerve to question me when I say one of her payouts is wrong. Granted, every once in a while I do a calculation incorrectly, but that's as rare as seeing Bobby Fischer in the United States. I considered writing her up last night.

Meanwhile I've been playing on Empire Poker for the last two hours, just getting nothing. I'm down about $20 just passing the time until I have to get ready for work.

More Poker Playing!

Currently I'm up about $100US since returning to the online poker world...a little at a time. The suckers are still there on the smaller limits, all it takes is a little patience. Hey, if I can make $50/day that's an extra $1500/month! Or perhaps I may even set a higher goal.

Meanwhile, I had dinner with Lily because her husband was away on a business trip... and we went back to her place... to watch a movie. We rented The Terminal with Tom Hanks and ultra-babe Catherine Zeta-Jones. It wasn't bad. Then we played hold'em (for fun) for a few hours and I just got home...back to the real money hold'em.

Poker Playing!

After dinner with Albert, I got home with nothing to do, so I decided to get back to playing some online poker. I bought in for $80US and although it took me about 4 hours, I turned it into $140US. Every little bit counts. If anybody is interested, go to the link below. You will receive a 20% bonus on your first buy-in and I'll get a little bonus myself for referring you. Ben?

Time for bed...

Online Poker!

Roulette Dealing!

Wow, what a great two days before my two days off. I was sent to Richmond on Tuesday and Wednesday, both to deal roulette. I had so much fun; it was so busy the time just flew by. I miss dealing busy games and working like a dog. I am so tired now my whole body is aching. That was because I've only had a TOTAL of 8 hours of sleep in two days. I was supposed to work graveyards at the Holiday Inn but instead got called into afternoon shifts in Richmond. As a result, my biological clock or whatever it's called is out of whack. I hope to get a great night's sleep tonight before lunch time with what's her name.

I'm Not Drunk

Tonight there was a dinner for Rommel, one of the shift managers at the casino who was transferring to Richmond (and eventually Coquitlam). The dinner was at 8pm and I had a shift at work at 11:15pm. Well, it's a dinner and of course at a dinner you have to have a few drinks. As much as I'd love to have gotten disgustingly drunk, I had to work and of course it wouldn't look too good if I went to the casino totally hammered. So I'd decided to have a half-glass of wine and once about 9:30 rolled around I'd stop drinking. Things were going great until around 9:15 when I realized that somebody filled up my damn wine glass. And since it's rude not to drink all the wine in one's glass, I took a chance and drank it all...before 9:30. Now the fun began....my face was quite red (it's a Chinese thing, my face gets VERY red after just a few drinks even if I am absolutely conscious and sober). Unfortunately I'd probably get in shit if I went to work with a red face. So for the next hour or so, in between some yummy Chinese dishes, I drank tea, and more tea, and more tea, then went to pee, came back and drank more tea. Somehow I managed to get to work with a decent-colored face (there was the headache but I could handle that). My head still hurts a little bit but at least I didn't get into trouble.

There will be another farewell thing in two weeks, this one is after work so I will get a chance to get terribly drunk. Somebody started a rumor that I would be dancing on the tables again......

Be Cool

I went for a matinee movie with Suzanne; we went to see Be Cool, starring John Travolta and Uma Thurman (among others). It was hilarious! There were a lot of corny moments, like Travolta and Thurman dancing with each other a la Pulp Fiction. The Rock was funny as well, playing an ambiguously gay bodyguard.

Now it's time to relax before going back to work tomorrow.

Stress

It was pretty stressful at work today. It's not that anything major happened, but I just had this funny feeling something would. It was remarkably busy for a Wednesday night and there was one guy playing rather suspiciously. It also didn't help that the dealer was new and was sometimes lost. That's nice, the guy is playing $1000, PLEASE be careful. Luckily nothing happened.

It's time for hopefully another two wonderful days off. Even if I do absolutely nothing, it's a welcome relief from all the mayhem that sometimes occur at work. I get to watch The APprentice and then who knows...maybe try my luck at Edgewater...

Bleh

I'm stuck in another rut. My day pretty much consists of waking up, doing some random surfin on the web, then going to work. The process repeats itself until I get my two days off. On one hand, I've been getting a lot of sleep (which is good) but on the other hand, I'm too lazy to do anything (which is bad). Plus I'm starting to eat less now, which has to change. While I shouldn't be eating like a pig, I should still have at least two meals a day. I remember how unhealthy I looked years ago when I was at the casino, and I better not go back to that time.

Show Me Da Money

I just did my taxes and I'm getting a huge refund of about $1144! Wow! It's like winning a big hand of hold'em! All this was because I only worked half the year in the casino. Next year things will be different and I should expect to pay taxes (unless I get some RRSP's).

Anyways, the return has been filed so now it's a matter of waiting for the money to show up in my account via Direct Deposit. Hmm, shall I buy another suit? Shirts? Ties? Nice watch? Mont Blanc pen?

Remember Me?

Nothing much has happened in the last week or two, hence my sporadic blog updates. Who wants to hear stuff like "I worked and I went home"? Work itself has been pretty good, but yesterday it was rather stressful for some reason, or at least I felt so. There's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes. It's not that I'm really paranoid, but it's just that you really can't trust anybody there. I have two people in the whole casino industry that I can consider my friend. That's not a good percentage but it's the truth. Nevertheless, it's still a job and I must continue on.

Lazy

I sleep too much.

Tired

Two days, 6 hours TOTAL of sleep. I went to bed at around 5am, but had to wake up early (8am) because workers were coming into the suite to install new windows (all windows in the building were changed) and it was my turn. So I decided to go out for breakfast and ended up walking to Chapters where I hung out until around lunchtime when I called my cousin. I've been up all day and now it's finally winding down. But I can't sleep now or my cycle will get all screwed up. Maybe a little nap.

Back to the grind at work tomorrow after two pretty nice days off.

To Hell With Hockey

Well it looks like it's over for the NHL this season. Both the owners and players can go to hell for what I care. But guess what? I wrote a letter to The Province and it's been printed! Read A19 of today's (Wednesday February 16) paper, first one. And if you don't have the Province click on this link for the "online" version.

My Letter!

Hmmm

The strange get stranger....one of the people who "took" one of the relief floor manager positions when she transferred from Head Office has quit. Does this mean there will be another posting? Am I ready to go through a week or two of heartache again? We'll see.

I have two graveyard shifts in Coquitlam so I probably won't be on here for a while.

I'm Rich!

I got a $3 raise at work! They decided to pay me the equivalent of someone with 5 years experience. I guess it shows they have been satisfied with my performance so far. That makes up for the disappointment of the non-promotion. However, I'm still driven towards reaching that goal the next time a posting comes out.

Apprentice 2

What a hilarious show! There's nothing like directing a commercial with cucumbers. These candidates are pathetic compared to the ones from the last two seasons. I miss Ivana.

Gung Hei Fat Choy

Happy Chinese New Year everyone. Hope you all get a lot of red envelopes!

The Competition

I just got back from the new casino downtown. Michael and I played some poker, made some money and left as usual. It was strange. The very first hand I had two aces, kept betting, and lost to some idiot who stayed in and got a flush on the last card. So after about 2 minutes I was down $40. Two hands later I got it all back (and more) when my ugly A-6 rivered a straight. Next hand I had a pair of jacks and won another pot. So after four hands I was up $150. Unfortunately my luck went up and down (mostly down) after that, and in the end I left up $35, better than nothing.

And now I am tired and will go to bed, because I have to work tomorrow (well, today). Cheers to all.

Couch Potato Days

I don't plan to do much on my days off, although Albert will probably call me later for dinner...might as well eat. I didn't sleep well last night, probably because I was in bed earlier than usual (2am)... woke up about an hour later and then kept waking up every now and then.

Good night on TV tonight....Apprentice and the Happy Days 30th Reunion Show! The Fonz! Sit on it!

Feeling Better

I had a great night at work (finally). They were playing awesome music that made me feel a lot better. I heard Dancing Queen (of course), YMCA, and a lot of 80's favorites. It put me into a good mood.

Then again, I received some bad news (sort of). Even though I was supposed to be off at 6:15am, I was needed in Coquitlam 9 hours later for a 3pm-11pm shift. Ouch. Not much time to sleep. Anyways, I requested to go home early and I managed to get sent home at 4:30am. Even though it's 5:40am now and I'm still awake, at least I can get some extra sleep (usually if I'm home at 6:30am I stay up for another hour or so).

Anyways, I guess it should be bedtime for me. At least I'll have two days off on Thursday and Friday as usual. These two days off are more than welcome for me after the weird week I've had.

Gonna break these chains around me
Gonna learn to fly again
May be hard, may be hard
But I’ll do it
When I’m back on my feet again

Soon these tears will all be dryin’
Soon these eyes will see the sun
Might take time, might take time
But I’ll see it
When I’m back on my feet again

Chorus:
When I’m back on my feet again
I’ll walk proud down this street again
And they’ll all look at me again
And they’ll see that I’m strong

Gonna hear the children laughing
Gonna hear the voices sing
Won’t be long, won’t be long
Till I hear them
When I’m back on my feet again

Gonna feel the sweet light of heaven
Shining down it’s light on me
One sweet day, one sweet day
I will feel it
When I’m back on my feet again

Chorus:

And I’m not gonna crawl again
I will learn to stand tall again
No I’m not gonna fall again
Cos I’ll learn to be strong

Soon these tears will all be dryin’
Soon these eyes will see the sun
Won’t be long, won’t be long
Till I see it
When I’m back on my feet again
When I’m back on my feet again
I’ll be back on my feet again

Back on My Feet Again -- Michael Bolton

The Day After

I'm trying to get over the disappointment of the non-promotion, and it's not easy. I can try to make myself feel better by saying things like "It wasn't meant to be" or "Maybe next time" but either way, it's tough to wait all this time and then not get what you wanted. But in the end, I think I didn't get the promotion because I really haven't been back at the casino long enough. After all, it has only been seven months. All I can do now is apply myself to supervising, and wait patiently for the next promotion. I may have fallen, but I just have to get up and keep walking forward. There's always next time.

I prepared myself for the bad news and lo and behold the news was bad. I did not get the promotion. I had mixed feelings throughout the night at work. On one hand, I was obviously disappointed I did not get the position, considering that I was REQUESTED to apply from somebody at Head Office. However, I'm also flattered (for lack of a better word) that I was considered. All I can do now is apply myself and wait for the next promotion. I can only assume that I'll have a better chance the next time around.

Life goes on...

Midnight is Here (in about 4 hours)

I decided not to go to the chess tournament on the weekend. It would be fruitless because my mind would not be on the games, and I would be too tired at work. Instead, I went to dinner last night (Friday) with Lily and Mei, then went to Lily's house to play Big 2. We actually stayed up until 6am? Hmm, cool, just like I was working.

I went to bed at around 7am and had an incredibly wonderful sleep, waking up just before 5pm. I haven't had a relaxing sleep like that in a while, and I'm surprised I did considering the stress I have been through. Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure I'll find out tonight whether or not I got the floor manager position. I'm pessimistic but still hopeful. So I will sit here for another four hours before learning my fate.

Midnight is Near

I just finished talking to a friend who works in Richmond who also applied for the floor manager position. He was working tonight and on one of his breaks they gave him the "bad news" that he didn't get promoted. Unluckily (luckily?) I have two days off, so I'll either get the news when I work on Saturday....or they'll call me? But at least I'll know.

Meanwhile, to take my mind off of things, it's time for The Apprentice.

YES OR NO

Whoever said "no news is good news" is full of shit. No news just makes things more stressful. Thankfully I have two days off to relax and not think about it too much. It has affected my work and I'm a mess at times. JUST TELL ME YES OR NO.

Other than lunch with the lovely Lily, I don't have plans Thursday night. Perhaps I'll hang out with Albert again or something. I'm debating on whether or not to go to the chess tournament on the weekend. I haven't played in so long I'll probably suck, but who knows.

Bad News (Maybe)

My chances of getting the promotion just took a dip. Without getting into detail, there was a small restructuring at Head Office, and one of the departments basically got disbanded. As a result, two of its members suddenly got "promoted" to floor manager. So now from what I gather, there are only four more positions available. I don't like my chances. Either way, I wish they would just TELL ME. It has now been eleven days since my interview and I've lost sleep every night.

No News is Excruciating

There is STILL no news concerning the promotion. I have no choice but to go to work and try to concentrate. Tonight was tough, as I guess I had one of my off days. I was stuck closing tables with new dealers who were slow and uncoordinated. My stressful state didn't help matters at all.

The thing is, everybody in management seems to think that the news will come out this week, and I hope they are right. Whether the answer is yes or no, I JUST WANT TO KNOW! This is like hearing a doorbell and not being able to answer it. Meanwhile, the wait continues.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Carson

Johnny Carson passed away yesterday. I still remember staying up as a little kid watching The Tonight Show, and growing up with him. Nothing against Jay Leno, but the show just wasn't the same after Johnny left in 1992. Johnny and I seemed to share the same sense of humor. There were nights when I would laugh so hard I could barely breathe.

And now he's gone.

Can it Be?

Tonight I wore the new black suit, with a simple white shirt and gold tie. As usual, it was well liked.

Something weird happened. Two of the floor managers were practically congratulating me on getting the promotion, even though there has been no announcement. Perhaps they know something or have received some sort of an email from Head Office. This is odd because tomorrow is "Day 10" after my interview, and I was told that I would probably find out in 10 days whether or not I got the job. So we'll see.

Sharp Dressed Man

My new navy suit made its debut at work tonight, accompanied by the infamous hot pink shirt and a nice complementary pink/blue/white tie. Tomorrow will be the new black suit but I haven't decided on the shirt/tie combination yet. Somebody suggested a white shirt (boring?) with a yellow/gold tie. I'll see what mood I'm in. I'd been thinking about the LIGHT pink shirt.

Work has been a bit stressful lately, largely because of the unknown promotion. I'm feeling a bit paranoid at times that something will go wrong. I just want to know whether or not I get it. The wait is agonizing.

Elektra

I went to see Elektra with Albert, Ryan and Tanya. The movie was OK, not what I expected. This was more like one of those Japanese Anime things, featuring weird characters with strange powers. I didn't particularly enjoy any of the fighting sequences, but overall I guess the movie was 7/10. Jennifer Garner looked nice in her red outfit and the Oriental-looking Typhoid was gorgeous. Hey, any movie with two girls kissing can't be all that bad.

Couch Potato

Watching the early version of The Apprentice while waiting to go out for dinner and movie. It looks like "Street Smarts" will prevail over "Book Smarts" tonight but we'll see.

Tonight I get to see the lovely Jennifer Garner in Elektra.

I can't think of anything more to say so....see ya.

Rain Rain Go Away

The rain has been terrible around here. There was a mudslide in North Vancouver where my uncle lives. His house is OK (but obviously lots of mud) but the same can't be said for his neighbor. Evidently one of his neighbors died from the mudslide. That's sad and scary. At least my relatives are OK.

It looks like the next few days will be quite miserable weatherwise, but not enough to pass up my weekly Thursday lunch with Lily. I'll probably go see a movie with Albert tomorrow, now that he's by himself (it's a long story). And meanwhile I wait anxiously for that phone call from Head Office saying whether or not I got the floor manager position.

Until next time...

Life and Times of a Shopaholic

My apologies for not posting on the weekend. It was rather uneventful except for the fact that Lily and I went shopping (again) on Saturday). We went downtown to Pacific Center. We decided to go to Holt Renfrew and check out the Louis Vuitton section. I need a wallet, but they are so bloody expensive. However, LV rules so if I get the floor manager position, I'll definitely buy one. Lily ordered a nice purse which "only" cost $900 or so. I also went into the Hermes section, where they sell ties for ridiculous prices. No I didn't buy one.

It seems that everybody is assuming I'll get the floor manager position, which is good or bad. I guess I should prepare for an eventual promotion, but also prepare for NOT getting the job (in which case I shouldn't be disappointed). But it's almost like everybody is expecting I'll get it. We'll see.

I have an early start on Monday so I'll head to sleep early (as if 7am can be considered early).

Accepting Donations

I had lunch with Lily today, since I had the interview on Thursday. She originally wanted to go shopping downtown tomorrow (Saturday), but I mentioned that I was going to go to Metrotown to get some suits at Grafton. So we decided to do so at about 4pm after she was off work. We drove to Metrotown and I proceeded to buy two suits (one black, one navy) for $615 or so (both suits were 50% off). The weird thing was I was wearing my hot pink shirt at the time, and it matched quite well with the black suit. It's true what they say, anything goes with a black suit. We also did some random shopping; she bought some nice little pendants for her niece and we had a nice walk around the mall. Tomorrow we will continue our shopping excursions downtown before I work at 10:15pm.

I also bought a USB cable thing for my new phone, and just received my CD from eBay that has a bunch of wallpapers and ringtones for the phone. Hmm, shall I go with ABBA?

All I know is just like that my bank account has decreased by $700, so if anybody wants to donate to the "Make Jason Look Good" Fund, please go right ahead. Nighty night.

And Now the Waiting Begins

The interview went fairly well today, as I was fairly prepared for it. However, it's hard to say if my answers were exactly what they were looking for. By the way, I was interviewed by three (!) people at once; two people from Head Office and one of the shift managers at the Holiday Inn. It was intimidating at first but I managed to relax myself. Now we'll see what happens, and there's nothing else more I can do at this point.

The Final Countdown

I'm off for the interview of my life now. Wish me luck.

Point of No Return

Here I am, sitting at home at 11:30pm, trying to calm my nerves as I await my big interview tomorrow in exactly 12 hours. There's nothing more I can do now but accept whatever cards I am dealt. If I fail and don't get the position, that's OK. I'll still be a supervisor and can apply the next time. But if I impress the powers that be enough, I'll see myself promoted. It's strange, part of me wants to get promoted and part of me is still hesitant about moving up so quickly. But when an opportunity comes your way, you have to grab it. So we'll see what happens tomorrow.

Destiny Finally Awaits

I have an interview on Thursday morning (11:30am) for the relief floor manager position! I guess there's no lunch with Lily (I actually found something more important than lunch with Lily!) but we'll probably reschedule or something.

Now I have less than 3 days to prepare. I hate interviews but I know they are a part of almost any job application, so all I can do is try my best. Hopefully the result will be something good.

Meanwhile, I'm just relaxing at home before an 11:15pm start at work.

PINK

I forgot to report on the debut of my hot pink shirt two nights ago (Saturday). I definitely turned a few heads. Some were shocked to say the least, but generally the shirt got very good reviews. Somebody said "it takes a real man to wear pink". In a way that's right, some people wear the same old crap every day and they look dull. My philosophy is to be different. Tonight I wore my purple shirt with the olive green Armani and a perfectly matched purple/green tie.

Unfortunately the next three nights I'm stuck wearing a white shirt and black pants, as I'm dealing! In fact I have 6 dealing shifts out of 10 this schedule; quite a refreshing change from all the supervising.

I am still waiting for "the interview" for the floor manager position, but inside sources seem to indicate I have an extremely good chance to get it. And if I don't, then that's fine, because in a way I almost hope I don't get it. To achieve such a high position in so short a time is quite overwhelming. But whatever happens happens.

Loud Pink

Michael picked me up at about 12:30pm and we went to Metrotown with her little daughter Renee. We went to the pet store to look at the little kitties and doggies and fishies, then had some lunch at the new and improved Food Fair. Then it was time for Uncle Jason to buy that loud pink shirt and equally loud pink tie. Do I have the nerve to wear it tonight? we'll see.

It's hard to believe it has snowed in Vancouver for four days straight now, almost as hard to believe that it was snowing Vegas too! What's going on?

OK time for a little nap before work.

Was it Worth it?

I had dinner with Michael after he was off work at 9pm because he had the money for me from the football pool. I'm rich! I'm rich! We went to the Cactus Club, the restaurant with the coolest washrooms around.

Afterwards we had nothing else to do, so what else is left but to go to the casino to play some hold'em. We both had lousy cards but somewhow both managed to make money. Michael made an astounding $20 and I earned an extra $5 for 2 hours of work. Yuk. I'd have lost if I didn't practically force myself to play A-8. Luckily the third and fourth cards were 8's.

Snow?

What the hell is going on? Is this Vancouver? Anyways, I guess for once I hope I don't have any shifts in Coquitlam, because I hear there's a lot more snow there. It's tough enough for me to walk four blocks to work at the Holiday Inn.

In other news, my new Motorola phone came today and is charging as we speak. Now I have a camera phone and must now make the important decision of picking a decent ringtone. This phone has MP3-quality ringtones (even voice ones!).

And now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

The Bad News

I went to visit the eye doctor today and the bad news was revealed. I have a form of glaucoma (not sure which one yet). At least it was diagnosed early so it's not like I'm going to go blind any time soon. But the eye will get worse over time and now it is imperative that I take steps to control the deterioration. The doctor has prescribed certain eyedrops and she will see in three months if they work.

For now I just can't worry about it, but I do have to take the drops every day. Life can be a bitch sometimes, but I can't let it bother me. On one hand, I must keep the prevention steps ongoing, but on the other hand I must ensure life goes on. If I'm lucky, I'll have my eyesight until I'm 100, who knows.

I spent most of the day at Metrotown just walking around. I considered buying an extremely "bright" loud pink shirt, but couldn't match it with anything I have. Even I will find it difficult to wear this to work. But I never back down from a challenge so we'll see. I was going to go see a movie but there was nothing that jumped out at me, other than Meet the Fockers, but I wasn't in the mood.

Ultimate Quiz

OK since Tiffany and Ben both did this thing and I have some time, I will fill out the great Ultimate Quiz Thingamabob...here we go...

Full name: Jason Feng
Nicknames: MJGod, Fengmeister, Fengenheimer, Jay
Sex: Male
Age: 38
Birthday: June 29, 1966
Place of Birth: Hong Kong
Siblings: 4 half-sisters (that I know of)
Mother’s name: Brenda
Father’s name: Peter
Step-parents’ names: George
Pets: none
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 185 pounds
Zodiac sign: Cancer
Religion: Christian
Hair Color: Black
Blood type: red
Eye Color: Brown
Eye Color of Choice: Brown
Writing Hand: Right
Current Residence: Vancouver, BC
Occupation: Casino Pit Boss
Status: Single

BODY ILLS AND SKILLS

Nervous Habits: None that come to mind
Do you bite your nails?: Sometimes
Are you double jointed?: Yes
Can you roll your tongue?: No
Can you raise one eyebrow at a time?: Yes and I can also wiggle my ears
Can you blow smoke rings?: Yes
Can you blow spit bubbles?: Yes
Can you flare your nostrils?: Yes
Can you cross your eyes?: Yes
Tattoos: Yes
Piercings and where?: None
Do you make your bed daily?: No

STYLE

What goes on first, bra or underwear?: Underwear
Which shoe goes on first?: Right
Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone?: Yes
On the average, how much money do you carry in your purse/wallet?: $50
What jewelry do you wear 24/7?: None
Would you rather be on time and look OK or 10 minutes late and look great?: On time
Favorite Piece of Clothing: Olive Green Armani suit
Pajamas: None
Type of music: 70's and 80's
Makeup you generally wear: None
Any bodyart: Just the tattoo on my back
Hair drying method: Air dry
Have you ever colored/highlighted your hair?: All the time
Do you paint your nails?: No

CURRENTLY

Wearing: My underwear, but tonight I worked in white shirt and black slacks
Listening to: Phantom of the Opera soundtrack
Thinking of: Promotion at work (maybe)
Taste in your mouth: Nothing
How are you?: I’ve been better, I've been worse

FOOD

Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut?: Twirl
Have you ever eaten Spam?: Yes
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Pistachio
How many cereals in your cabinet?: None
What's your favorite beverage?: Coca Cola
What's your favorite restaurant?: Gotham
What utensils do you use to eat pizza?: Hands
Do you cook?: Only things that go in the microwave or my George Foreman grill

GROOMING

How often do you brush your teeth?: Onece a day
How often do you shower/bathe?: Every day
How long does your shower last?: 10 minutes

MANNERS

Do you swear?: Yes
Do you ever spit?: Yes

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE

Actor/Actress: all time would be Audrey Hepburn, current would be Natalie Portman
Animal: Horse
Food: Prime Rib
Month: June
Day: Thursday
Cartoon: The Incredibles
Flower: Rose
Shoe Brand: Aldo
Band(s)/Singer(s): ABBA, Bee Gees
Subject in school: English
Color: Red
Sport: Hockey
Body part on you: Lips
Body part on the opposite sex?: Legs
TV show: Days of Our Lives
10 Best Looking Male Celebs: Haha check out The OC…
10 Best Looking Female Celebs: Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Tilly, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Sheryl Crow, Beyonce, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Jenna Jamieson, Asia Carrera
Holiday: Christmas
Book: anything about poker
Vacationing Spot: Vegas
Thing To Do In The Spring: Vegas
Thing To Do In The Summer: Vegas
Thing To Do In The Fall: Vegas
Thing To Do In The Winter: Vegas
Perfume or Cologne: Thierry Mugler
Game: Chess
Quote: “It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.”
Scent: Vanilla
Movie: Muriel's Wedding
Season: Fall
Author: Phil Hellmuth
Relative: Uncle Cosmas
Shampoo: Head & Shoulders
Commercial: Telus ones
Magazine: Games Magazine
Non-alcoholic drink: Coca Cola
Thing to do on the weekend: watch TV
Boys name: I'll stick with my own, Jason
Girls name: Gloria or Annie
Hangout: Tea Hut
Feeling: Happiness
Store: Sears (Men's Wear Section)
Dog breed: Basset Hound
Cat breed: Siamese
Bird breed: Budgie
Fish breed: Shark
Day of the year: June 29

IN AND AROUND

The CD Player: Phantom of the Opera soundtrack
Person you talk most on the phone with: Michael
Ever taken a cab?: Yes
Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows and mirrors?: Yes
What color is your bedroom?: White
Do you use an alarm clock?: Yes
Name one thing you are obsessed with: Looking good
Have you ever skinny-dipped with the opposite sex?: No
Ever sunbathed nude?: No
Window seat or aisle?: Aisle

LA LA LAND

What's your sleeping position?: Under my blanket, curled sideways
What kind of bed do you like?: King Size
Even in hot weather do you use a blanket?: No
Do you snore?: Yes
Do you sleepwalk?: No
Do you talk in your sleep?: Yes
Do you sleep with a stuffed animals?: No
How about with the light on?: No
Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on?: No

WHEEEEE

Do you glow in the dark?: No
Do the walls talk to you?: No
Do you talk back?: No
Can you lick your elbow?: No, but I’ve tried…
What is the square root of meep?: √meep
Do you worship ramen noodles?: Yes
Do you believe in the 5 second rule?: 3 seconds for me
What does "n double o d l e s" meen to you?: No friggin idea
What is the meaning of life?: To survive

WHICH IS BETTER

Club or houseparty: Club
Tea or coffee: Coffee
Achiever or slacker: Achiever
Beer or cider: Cider
Drinks or shots: Drinks
Single or taken: Single
Pen or pencil: Pen
Gloves or mittens: Black gloves
Pop or soda: Pop
Food or candy: Food
Cassets or cds: CD's
Matches or a lighter: Lighter
Coke or Pepsi?: Coke
Oranges or apples?: Apples
One pillow or two?: Two
Deaf or blind?: Deaf rather than blind
Pools or hot tubs?: Hot Tub
Blondes or brunettes?: Brunette
Tall or short?: Tall
TV or radio?: TV
Beach or pool?: Pool
Tic-Tacs or Certs?: Certs
Snooze button or jump out of bed?: Snooze
Sunrise or Sunset?: Sunset
Hamburger or Cheeseburger?: Hamburger
Morning or night?: Night
Sports or news?: Sports
Bikini or one-piece?: Bikini
Indoors or outdoors?: Indoors
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?: Christmas Eve
Cake or ice cream?: Ice cream
Bert or Ernie?: Ernie
Spicy or Mild?: Mild
Spearmint or Peppermint?: I hate both, but would choose peppermint
Call or Write?: Write
Peanut Butter or Jelly?: Jelly
Hamburger or Hot Dog?: Hot Dog
Dog or Cat?: Cat
Bath or shower?: Shower
Book or Movie?: Movie
Green or Red apples? Red
Rain or Snow?: Rain
Nike or Adidas?: Nike
Hot or Cold: Cold
Lace or satin: Lace
Blue or red: Red
New or old: New
Give or recieve: Receive
Wool or cotton: Cotton
Rose or daisy: Rose
Private school or public school: Private
Chocolate milk or white milk: Chocolate milk
Celsius or faerenheit: Celsius
Math or art: Math

PERSONAL STANCE ON

Homosexuality: Indifferent
Brand names: Indifferent
Abortion: Up to the mother
Religion: To each his own
Eating disorders: Sad
PMS: Happy I don't go through it
Animal rights: Survival of the fittest
Love at first sight: Yes
God: He exists
Marilyn Manson: Scary
Guy bands: Who cares
Spice Girls: Who cares
Premarital sex: If both are OK with it
Titanic: One of the greatest
Jerry Springer: Depressing
Suicide: Cowardly
Self mutilation: Scary
South Park: Dumb
Dreams: Can't figure out some of the ones I have
Aliens: Non believer
Horoscopes: Silly
Heaven: It's there
Hell: It's there
Reincarnation: Maybe
Transvestites: Scary, but some of them look damn good
Pop music: As long as it's the 80's, cool
Rap: No thank you
80's music: Yes please
Punk: Disgusting

QUICK ADDITION

What’s the prettiest instrument: Saxophone
What’s the prettiest part of the body: Legs
Biggest fears: Failure
Do you live in a moment: I try to
Do you care about looks: Yes
Do you like your handwriting: No
Looking forward to: Promotion at work
Favorite weather: As long as I can golf it's fine
Do you ever wish you were somebody else: Yes

DO YOU LIKE

Giving hugs?: Yes
Receiving hugs?: Yes
Taking walks in the rain?: Yes
Going on stage?: Yes

DO YOU

Drink: Yes
Smoke: No
Do drugs: No
Eat meat: Yes
Insomnia: Sometimes
Eat a lot: Yes
Sleep a lot: Not enough
Eat sushi: Yes
Bake: Rarely
Get motion sickness: No
Get along with your parents: Yes
Like to drive: Yes
Type with fingers on the right keys: Yes
Wear contacts: Yes
Have any siblings: This was asked earlier, I have 4 half sisters that I know of

WHO DO YOU WANT TO AND WHY

Kill: Nobody at the moment
Hear from: Genevieve Garcia because I haven't talked to her in years
Get really wasted with: Dennis because he gets as rowdy as I do
Look like: Brad Pitt because the ladies would be all over me
Be like: Jimmy Ho, because he gets the most respect at the casino
Avoid: Steve because he's a loser

WHEN/WHAT WAS THE LAST..

Time you took a shower?: 6:30pm January 5 (8 hours ago)
Time you watched Bambi: No
Time you cried?: December 30, when I watched Phantom of the Opera
Time you talked on the phone?: With Kim about 30 minutes ago (2:30am January 6)
Time you read a book?: last month
Time you Punched someone?: Haven't been in a fight in ages
Time you got a real letter: It's been a long long time
Time you got an email: 10 seconds ago
Tv program you watched: Amazing Race
Thing you purchased: dinner at the casino
Movie you saw at the theatre: Phantom of the Opera
Time you were grounded: I don’t get grouded
Words you typed: I don’t get grounded
Phone numbers you called: Kim's
Person you talked to on the phone: Kim

LAST PERSON ..AND WHEN?

You touched: Lubna
Talked to: Kim
Hugged: Lubna
Instant messaged: Johnny
Kissed: Anna
Who broke your heart: Gloria was the last person who truly broke my heart

WHERE DO YOU

Eat: At home I eat in front of my computer
Dance: At a nightclub
Cry: Wherever
Wish you were: Vegas

HAVE YOU EVER

Been on a date with one of your best friends: Yes
Loved/Liked somebody so much it made you cry: Yes
Drank alcohol: Yes
Done drugs: No
Broken the law: Yes
Ran away from home: No
Broken a bone: No
Cheated on a test: Yes
Skinny dipped: Yes
Played Truth or Dare: No
Flashed someone: No
Mooned someone: No, but I got mooned once at a karaoke
Kissed someone you didnt know: No
Been on a talkshow/gameshow: Tried out ofr Jeopardy once
Been in a fight: Yes
Ridden in a fire truck: Yes
Been on a plane: Yes
Come close to dying: No
Cheated on your boy/girlfriend: No
Given someone a piggy back/shoulder ride: Yes
Eaten a worm/mud pie: No
Swam in the ocean: No
Had a nightmare/dream that made you wake up: Yes
Snuck out of the house: No
Stayed up till four on the phone: Yes
Made a prank phone call: Yes
Tipped over a portapotty: No
Used your parents credit card : No
Skipped school: Yes, to watch Return of the Jedi
Fell asleep in the shower/bath: No
Fell asleep while eating: No
Fell asleep while driving: Yes
Driven a car: Yes
Met someone famous: Lots of them come to the casino so yes
Wanted to die: Yes
Been in a school play: Yes
Cried in public: Yes
Let a friend cry on your shoulder: Yes
Gone to church: Yes
Read the bible: Yes
Fished: Yes
Seen someone die: No

LOVE

Boyfriend?: No
Girlfriend?: No
Sexuality?: Yes
Virginity existant?: No
Children?: None
Current crush: None
Been in love?: Yes
Been out with someone?: Yes
Too Shy?: Perhaps
Been hurt?: Yes
Have you ever said "I love you" and meant it?: Yes
Cheated on someone: No
Gone out with someone you only knew for three days?: Yes
Have/had an online relationship?: Yes
Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with?: Lily if she wasn't married

MEDICAL

Fracture history: None
Operation history: None
Allergies: None
Had stiches: No
Cavities: Lots
Phobias: None

WHAT IS

The most embarassing CD in your collection: I'm proud of all of them
Your bedroom like: A Mess
Your favorite thing for breakfast: Sleep
Your favorite thing for lunch: Whatever Lily chooses
Your favorite thing for dinner: Prime Rib
Your favorite resturaunt: Gotham

ARE YOU...

A vegetarian?: No
A good student?: Was
Good at sports?: Not really
A good singer?: Yes
A good actor/actress?: Yes
A deep sleeper?: Yes
A good dancer?: Yes
Shy?: Sometimes
Outgoing?: Not often
A good storyteller?: Yes
Last words?: Is it over?

THE FUTURE

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?: Married and managing the casino
Where do you see yourself in ten years?: Married still
What season are you going to get married in: Spring
Place of honeymoon: Vegas
How many kids?: Two or three
Your profession: Casino Pit Boss
Future School: No thank you
Car of Your Dreams: Lambourghini
I Wanna Live: past 100

RANDOM

What is youre most prized and important possession: My laptop
When you wake up you: Hit the snooze button
Your mouse pad has on it: Shape of a cat
What is on the walls in your room: Miscellaneous paintings and art
Other Room: Nothing much
Thinking of right now: Finishing this bloody thing finally
What do you do that really pisses off your friends: Being disorganized
Do you have a job: Yes
After school/work you: Go home
If you were a crayon what color would you be?: Red
What makes you happy?: Getting money
Whats the next CD you're going to get?: Probably something from ABBA
Who do you consider good friends?: Michael, Sam, Tiff and people I know who read this
What do you like to do?: Vegas, golf, karaoke

No More Bets

I have a late shift at 11:15pm, but instead of supervising tonight I am dealing! It is a nice change from standing around and pacing and watching your tables. As a dealer you get to participate more. I have no idea what I'm be dealing but they're all fine with me.

In the meantime I'm watching The Amazing Race before getting ready for work. I love this show.