Monday, December 31, 2007

Year in Review

And so I sit in front of my computer at 11:15pm typing away when perhaps I should be out on the town getting sloshed. I decided to stay at home and reflect on the past 365 days. This was quite the eventful year for me, with a lot of personal ups and downs, family tragedies, and otherwise things I should rather forget. I can't say 2007 was the worst year out of the 41 other ones I've had (can't remember much from years 1 and 2) but if anything it was in the lower echelons of the spectrum. Let's hope 2008 is better.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

I hadn't gone to see a movie in a long time so I decided to check out the new Nicholas Cage flick. After checking my "suspension of disbelief" at the door I sat down not expecting much from the movie, and that's what I got. It was your typical "treasure hunt" movie. I was puzzled by the casting of Oscar winner Helen Mirren (and also her decision to accept the casting). My next movie will probably be The Bucket List starring two unknown actors named Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Monday, December 24, 2007

MC & HNY

Enough said.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Love Story

"Love means never having to say you're sorry". Every once in a while this 1970 classic comes on TV and every time I make time to watch it. It's one of the first true modern tearjerkers, with a haunting theme and beautiful story. I guess now I'll be in a melancholic mood for a day or two.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Changes

There are a lot of changes happening at work, some good and some bad. We have two salaried floor managers coming in, which means my schedule is no longer the steady Wednesday-Thursday-Friday off. I even have some night shifts thrown in, and I don't have any more 4am-2pm starts on Saturday....just as I was getting used to them. I guess I'll finally get to experience the horrific traffic jams on the highway in the evening.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Christmas in Cloverdale

Fraser Downs had its Christmas party last night, and a few of the table games staff showed up. We managed to just make it in time for the buffet (which was delicious) before the festivities began. The party was held at a golf course banquet center, very beautiful. There was a wide variety of music, I got to request "that ABBA song". There were also some "questionable" tunes that were played, namely "The Chicken Dance" and "Cotton-Eyed Joe", but I guess those songs were quite appropriate for the crowd. I had a good time and managed to leave just before 11pm. After all, I am writing these words just before I have to leave for work at 7:15 in the morning. Red Bull day!

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Coincidence

About three weeks ago I bought myself a Garmin nuvi350 GPS for my car, so I wouldn't get lost during my long trips to Cloverdale. Even though I'd easily memorized my trip, I always brought my GPS on my trip, if only to hear the sexy female voice announcing my turns. So this morning in my haste to leave for work, I didn't bring my GPS. I was already starting my car when I realized my mistake, so I thought, well, it's not like I don't know how to get to work. So I was on my way. Unbeknownst to me, this one day (after three weeks) there was some major accident on the Port Mann Bridge, which I must cross in order to get to work. As a result, traffic was diverted. As a result I started driving on some highway that I was not familiar with. Suffice to say, at 3:30 in the morning, I was easily lost. I managed to make my way to a city and called my shift manager who guided me to work. What are the odds, this one day I don't have my GPS?

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Settling In

I guess I'm settling into my new home (workwise). My sleep cycle is more or less fixed now as I find myself waking up at 9 or 10 in the morning on my days off. I'm going to bed no later than midnight.

As for work itself there are still a lot of things to learn and work on as we continually try to nurture our new casino. But things are going fine and hopefully will continue to do so. Let's just hope we don't have horrific snowstorms for a long time.

Sunday, December 02, 2007

The Weather Outside Was Frightful...

The last two days I've had to experience the "pleasure" of driving the 30km home from work in snow. Luckily both times the highways weren't as bad as expected. For most of the day today the snow as falling quite badly and I was afraid that I'd be stuck when my shift ended at 6:30pm. But as fate would have it, the skies warmed up and rain started falling at around 5. Then the rain fell harder and harder and the drive home only took about 10 minutes more than usual. I hope the rains fall throughout the night so my drive in the morning isn't too icy.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Week 1

And so ends my first week at the new Fraser Downs Casino. It's been an interesting experience being a part of a casino's opening. There are a number of suggestions and plans for us to improve the facility, and we have many great minds working together to create hopefully a wonderful place. I've gotten to meet some new staff and keep in touch with many of the COB staff. Meanwhile I get to enjoy three days off.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

My First Shift

And so begin a new odyssey in the wee hours of the morning, my first shift at Fraser Downs. Because we are only 24 hours on the weekend, I had the scary 4am-2pm shift. At first I was hesitant (to say the least) but the only tough part was getting into my car. I wasn't sure when to sleep so I tried going to bed at 6pm the night before. I woke up at 9pm and then wasn't sure what to do. So I watched some TV and then went to bed around midnight. I fell in and out of sleep until 2am. Somehow I managed to get into my car at 3am and in 35 minutes I was at work. The next 10 hours flew by amazingly fast and I must admit I enjoy this shift, even if it is only on Saturdays. As for work itself, well, it wasn't busy at all in the early morning, but business picked up near the end of my shift. Hopefully word of mouth will bring us more customers.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Opening

The new casino at Fraser Downs opened tonight. Even though I was off I figured I might as well go see the grand opening. Everything seemed a bit confusing at first but everything settled down by the time I left. I foresee a great future for the casino. It was quite busy but that is quite understandable considering it's new. Hopefully we can keep a steady stream of clientele. And if it is successful who knows, maybe there will be expansion on the horizon!

Monday, November 19, 2007

A New Era

The Farewell Party was last night and a good number of staff showed up. It was both happy and sad to see many of them; unfortunately some of them I will never see again. It's so surreal to think that I no longer will set foot into that casino again. The future (for me at least) will now be over 30k away in Cloverdale. But in the meantime I have two morning shifts at River Rock.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

That's All Folks

And so it was that I had the utmost honor of closing the Casino on Broadway on its very last night of existence. Not surprisingly it was a very busy night, and thankfully things went rather smoothly despite a few little glitches. Near the end I kept wandering on the floor but in my mind I was taken back to the beginning. I must admit that a few times "there was something in my eye". But it all went well. And now the next phase of my career with GCC begins.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Memory

Dedicated to the most wonderful staff in the world.

Midnight
Not a sound from the pavement
Has the moon lost her memory
She is smiling alone
In the lamplight
The withered leaves collect at my feet
And the wind begins to moan
Memory, all alone in the moonlight
I can smile at the old days
Life was beautiful then
I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again
Every street lamp seems to beat
A fatalistic warning
Someone mutters and the street lamp gutters
And soon it will be morning
Daylight
I must wait for the sunrise
I must think of a new life and
I mustn't give in
When the dawn comes
Tonight will be a memory too
And a new day will begin
Burnt out ends of smoky days
The stale cold smell of morning
A street lamp dies
Another night is over
Another day is dawning
Touch me,
It is so easy to leave me
All alone with my memory
Of my days in the sun
If you'll touch me,
You'll understand what happiness is
Look, a new day has begun...


Memory - from the Musical "Cats"

And Now the End is Near...

One day off this week today and then tomorrow on November 17, Wayne and I have the honor of being the last two managers to work at the Holiday Inn on Broadway. Last night I was chatting with Maite, one of our long-time customers, and it was like at one point both of us wanted to cry. I've often been accused of being too sentimental, and I'd have to say it's quite true. I have so many vivid memories of the last 18 years it's tough to think that in 48 hours the casino will be closed. It will be tough to work that last shift but in a way, I'm glad it's going to be me.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

The Last Week

And so we've reached the last week that the Holiday Inn Casino is open. Way back in March 1989 I vaguely remember stepping in there for the first time as a player. For various reasons, 5 months after that I became a Blackjack dealer then. Then, through good times and bad times, I left and came back and then suddenly it is now 2007 and the place that I can surely say has been my second home will cease to exist in 7 days. While my new home at Fraser Downs will bring new challenges, I will surely never forget the many years I've spent at the HIB. It will be sad to see it all end so soon. I've met some very wonderful people over the years.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Thanks Mel

It was nice to catch up with Mel after so many months. I'd MSN'ed her a couple of times since she left but we really haven't talked too much lately. But she gave me some good advice and made me feel better through this rough time at work. It's too bad she's on the other side of the world.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Rumors

I've heard so much stuff regarding me and my staff that I almost can't separate truth from fiction. Even though I've known for some time that I'm going to Fraser Downs, there's been some gossip about me going to another location. Why would I do that when I might end up going back to supervising? Anyways it's now November 5, only 12 more days until the end of an era for me.

Thanks Nat

I had a nice email exchange with Nat who managed to make me feel a lot better about the closing situation. I'll miss her, and I'll also miss a lot of the other people who will not be going along with me on the ride to Cloverdale. But onward and upward I guess.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Scary Times

With the end drawing near, an unfortunate rash of dismissals and resignations have occurred at work. People I have known for almost half my life are now no longer with the company. Everybody is scared not knowing if they have a future after our closure on November 17.

While this is a short yet somber note, I guess I wanted to write something now because in the next two weeks I really don't know what my state of mind will be like.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Self Control

Now that our casino is no longer open 24 hours in order to deal with all the staff shortages, I'm off at 3:30am (instead of 7:15am) which means I have nothing to do. So I've gone to Edgewater. I think I will start documenting my visits if anything to see exactly how things go.

Today, bought in for $150, cashed out for $285, +$135

Saturday, October 27, 2007

I Will Survive Part 2

I had the "pleasure" (written quite sarcastically) of working a Friday graveyard shift. It's bad enough that it's busy even when we are fully staffed. But when we are short staffed (as was the case last night) then it's mayhem. The last four hours of work were a blur because I was pretty much running around like a headless chicken. Actually I knew what I was doing but the fact of the matter is there's nothing I could do. There was a total of 26.75 hours of OT. Normally I would perish the thought of such a high number but that was what happened. I wish the end of the Holiday Inn would be on a positive note but I don't know sometimes.

Friday, October 26, 2007

I Will Survive

As the time draws near to the demise of the Holiday Inn Casino, our staff is beginning to dwindle more and more. We lost a number of them to the new slot department at the Hastings Racecourse. Five others are being accepted into the next poker course. The phrase "skeleton crew" will mean a lot in the next three weeks. But that's the way it is. Perhaps johnnymc can come up with a daily picture of Natalie Portman to make me feel better.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Mixed Up Week

I switched shifts with Nat this week so instead of Wednesday-Thursday off I have Wednesday and Saturday off. Today I went to the States with Cathy to do some shopping at Premium Outlets, got some loud Adidas shoes. I was also looking for a thick and warm jacket for the winter but couldn't find anything. Then we went to Tulalip and each made about $100. Yay.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Countdown to Oblivion

And now the end is near...November 17 is only four weeks away. I hope the final days at the HIB are relatively stress-free.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Work and Stuff

I haven't written in detail about my work situation. The next month will be quite interesting for me as we are in the process of closing down our casino. But there is a new opportunity at Fraser Downs for me and most of my fellow employees. While it is a much longer distance than I have been accustomed to (8 blocks vs. a 45-90 minute drive depending on traffic) it is a part of life.

As for work at the Holiday Inn, it was business as usual last night after my one-week layoff. There was the usual Friday OT but that's become a way of life for the HIB now with our staff shortage. It will be interesting to see how the next month unfolds. November 17 is our last day and as far as I'm aware, I have the honor of being the last floor manager of the HIB.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Heartbreak Kid

There wasn't much in the way of interesting movies last night but I decided to go see this Ben Stiller film because I thought he was a pretty funny guy. After seeing this movie I've changed my mind. The movie wasn't funny and the plot was dumb. It was a waste of money.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

HOLIDAY

8 days off, nothing more needs to be said. I have no plans to go anywhere other than the States for some shopping. It's nice to be away from the rigors of work even if it doesn't mean going anywhere. Rest and relaxation, and lots of TV Trivia on Facebook.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Friday Night Torture

It was busy and short-staffed at work last night, which of course resulted in a large amount of OT. I recall taking about 20 minutes of breaks altogether. It was hilarious because twice I'd walk into the breakroom hoping for a breather, and just as I opened the door to the room I get paged for a phone call. Tonight it's Saturday, which means it will be just as busy (if not more?) as Friday. Let's hope not a lot of people call in sick.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Know When to Fold'em

I returned to the poker scene last night as I went to Mike's place for a friendly $1/$2 No Limit game. It was a tough game for me because I just couldn't get any decent cards. But I managed to break even due mostly to my correct folding of some good hands because I was pretty sure I was beat. And then I went and lost a bundle at Edgewater but that's a different story.

Friday, September 21, 2007

The Fever

Next week is the release of the 30th Anniversary Special Edition of a certain movie starring John Travolta about a disco dancer. Yes, it's hard to believe that it's been three decades since Saturday Night Fever came out. I can't believe how fast time flies. Nevertheless, this movie has remained my favorite over the years.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sleeping In?

Wow, I was supposed to go for a family dinner last night at 7:30pm, and my cousin called me at about 7:30pm wondering where I was. Evidentally I'd slept in! I remember going to bed at about 8 in the morning and being woken up by a couple phone calls which I didn't even answer. So the good news is I finally got a decent day's sleep. The bad news is I better set my alarm clock, even if it's for an 11:15pm shift. Weird.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Across the Universe

Sacrilege, other people singing Beatles songs? Nevertheless, I was dying to see this movie/musical based around parts of 33 Beatles tunes. I enjoyed the film and the singing wasn't that bad. There were some interesting takes on the classics (I Wanna Hold Your Hand comes to mind) and of course songs such as Let It Be and Hey Jude are touching no matter who sings it. Now I only have to wait 10 months for Mamma Mia the movie. I'm not sure how Meryl Streep will do singing Dancing Queen but she's done almost everything else in her acting career...

OT and more OT

I got to experience a Friday night graveyard shift for the first time in a long time, and boy was it an experience. We were extremely busy and as a result, there was a LOT of OT. Even I, well known for despising making my staff work overtime, had to "give in" and keep some staff for close to 10 hours. I hated to do it but when the customers are playing you can't just ask them to leave. I haven't worked this hard in a long time. And now I'm so wired I suspect I won't be sleeping for awhile.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Merv Griffin's Crosswords

I don't usually review TV shows but being the crossword fanatic that I am, I guess I had to write something about this new gameshow that is on daytime. It's pretty dull actually, all the host does is read out clues and the contestants buzz in to see who gets the word first. I doubt this show will last. Meanwhile I will go back to enjoying my own crosswords.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Ouch

A nice quiet evening at home before I get sprung with the morning shift. I wanted to finish some errands but instead I was a couch potato for my days off. I did spend some time at the dentist and now I feel really sore from having my mouth poked around (getting three crowns). But I'm armed with a bottle of T3's with Codeine so that should keep me from screaming in pain.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Nice and Easy Part 2

Once again I had a relaxing night, now I have two days off before working 7 in a row to cover some holidays. The first shift will be a rare morning shift for me, followed by 6 graveyard shifts. But for now, it's time to enjoy my 48 hours of freedom.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Nice and Easy

I had a really easy and relaxing night at work last night. Everything ran perfectly. It's been a long time since I've had such a stressless time at work. I wish I could write about such times more often, perhaps after tonight's shift.

Friday, September 07, 2007

3pm So Soon?

I managed to get a good night's sleep for once. I was in bed around 3 in the morning and pretty much slept for 12 hours. It's been a while since I've been able to get that much uninterrupted sleep. Now I'm in the midst of deciding which one of my procrastinated errands I should get done first.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Holt Renfrew

I finally got a chance to visit the newly renovated three-story store with Lily. Wow! What a wonderful place. Of course most of the items were overpriced and way beyond my budget but it was fun to shop. I felt bad for the lady in the watches section because she was really nice and showing me watches that cost two of my paycheques. I felt bad having to say that I'd "think about it". But both Lily and I managed to pool our two Louis Vuitton purchases together for a nice $100 coupon which I let Lily have. Lily has her new bag and I am the proud owner of a ridiculously priced (but matching to my LV wallet) belt.

And now I'm going to enjoy my two days off. Good night to all.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Efficiency

Busy night at work. I was staring at a lot of OT and in fact there was quite a bit (even for me who despises OT for dealers unless it is absolutely necessary). But I think I managed to cut the OT down as efficiently as possible. Somehow I managed to get from 5 pits plus poker to 2 pits plus poker (I won't explain for those who don't understand). Somehow I'm still awake at this hour, too wired to go to sleep. Oh well, more of the same tonight.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Balls of Fury

I knew when I went to see this movie that there would not be one Oscar-worthy performance. It was going to be a silly movie. In many ways it was but I nevertheless had a good time. Christopher Walken was his usual "Christopher Walken" character. Of course the fact that he was called Mr. Feng in the movie made it all that enjoyable for me. Maggie Q got to show off both her beauty and great martial arts techniques. But I think it's time to cast her in some other role.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

FM OT

One of the best things about being an hourly employee as opposed to salaried is that OT and extra shifts are paid at time and a half or more. I also get stat days and if I happen to work on that stat day, time and a half again! Well, last week I worked an extra day and this morning I worked an extra hour. I can't wait to see my paycheque next week because it's going to be a nice one (just like the last one). That's good because I'm about to go to the dentist for some crowns and my extra pay will at least cover some of the costs.

Can't wait to see Balls of Fury either today or tomorrow.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Mr. Bean's Holiday

I've been a fan of Rowan Atkinson's comedy for a long time. I must have seen every episode of his TV show 100 times by now. But this movie was somewhat of a disappointment. Rowan Atkinson is a genius when it comes to short skits. His style does not work for a feature length movie. He had one good scene in this movie when he was busking on the streets of Paris. Other than that there was nothing special about the movie.

Ahhhh

My long work week ended with a nice relaxing midshift. Although I'm someone who prefers to be active at work instead of having nothing to do, it was good to have a stressless day on Saturday. The floor ran smoothly and there were no significant problems or concerns.

Now I have one precious day to relax before restarting the cycle again (yup, split days off this week). I can't wait to see Mr. Bean's Holiday.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

AM/PM

And so I managed it, working at 11:15pm-7:15am and then coming back for a 3:15pm-11:15pm shift. It actually went along wonderfully. I usually wake up at around 2pm anyways after a graveyard shift. And the midshift was easy as I remembered it. When the floor is running smoothly there really isn't a lot to do other than cover sick calls and prepare for the next day, which I did. For once we have a full complement of staff (assuming no sick calls) so hopefully we'll make some money.

Friday, August 24, 2007

OT

Today is Day 5 of my 6-day work week. We are so short that when one of the managers called in sick a couple of days ago, they called me in but unfortunately couldn't cover one of the days that I would need off. I'm not even complaining, as 6 days as a floor manager means a nice paycheque with the OT. Even though I'd gotten off work about 7 hours ago, and I'm going BACK to work about an hour from now (yup, 8 hours between shifts), I'm cool with it. I haven't seen the midshift staff in ages. It's also a bit less stressful on midshifts.

My work week has been challenging to say the least. During the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) we are always short. We only had 6 dealers coming into work at 6am, and at 5:30am there were 8 tables open. As it were, I had to keep two dealers for OT in the morning (yuk), but that's part of the game.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Mixed Up

While I'm comfortable running the floor on graveyard shifts, I haven't been able to get comfortable with my new sleep cycle. When I was on days, I would stay up until about 9 or 10pm and then sleep until 6 in the morning. It's different on graveyards. I go home and it's about 7:45 in the morning. If I sleep, I end up waking at around 1 in the afternoon on five hours of sleep. I can't seem to get myself to sleep during the day, so instead I end up taking four or five short naps (as opposed to one long sleep). It'll take getting used to.

La Dee Dah

It was an interesting week at work to say the least. It's been a nightly challenge trying to run the floor smoothly considering we are so short staffed. Normally I wouldn't even have to think about giving staff OT but that isn't the case anymore. Sometimes it's just unavoidable. Nevertheless I've tried to keep the OT to a minimum. Last night was fairly busy. Even at 6am when the the new staff comes in, most of the 8 tables open were full.

Meanwhile I get to relax for two days, as a kink in my schedule resulted in two days off Thursday and Friday followed by one night of work and then two days off on Sunday and Monday. And then my schedule gets weird.... but that's another story.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Superbad

I went to this movie expecting another "toilet humor" movie with no substance, but I sure was pleasantly surprised. Seth Rogen is turning out to be a gifted writer. While there was a LOT of toilet humor and sick jokes, the movie actually had a decent plot. I could identify with one of the characters (I won't say which one). And of course everybody is talking if the "pie" scene in American Pie and the "hair gel" scene in There's Something About Mary now have another member in the sick joke club. The answer is YES (no I'm not giving it away). I must see this movie again.

Rush Hour 3

And here we have another entry in 2007's "Part 3" sequel collection. I went in expecting the same tired old jokes, but the movie was actually quite funny and refreshing (if not predictable). Jackie Chan still needs to learn to speak English but Chris Tucker stole the show this time around. He was hilarious. The scene at the Kung Fu studio was a nice take on the "Who's on First" routine.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

How Much?

I read in the newspaper today about a local coffee shop that was serving a new kind of coffee so I had to check it out. I bought a cup for both my friend Albert (the coffee connoisseur) and myself and it came out to.... $30. Yup. I had to see what a $15 cup of coffee tastes like. I must admit it was OK but you have got to be kidding me. I could have how many Tim Horton's coffees for $15? Anyways, here is the link below if you're really interested.

$15 for Coffee?

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Groundhog Day

No, this isn't a review of the movie, which incidentally was a pretty good effort for Bill Murray. But so often I feel my life is mirrored in this movie. While I am happy where I am at the Casino on Broadway, it just seems that every day is the same for me. Wake up, run some errands (maybe), go to work, go to sleep then repeat. I need to do something more productive during my off time, otherwise I'm going to go crazy from boredom. That being said, I do enjoy all this quiet time to myself. But it's pretty darn impossible to find someone to spend the rest of my life with if I'm stuck at home playing online Scrabble.

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Bourne Ultimatum

It was probably a bad idea to see this third installment of the Bourne series without having read any of the books or seen any of the previous movies. As a result, the movie seemed like a predictable thriller. I didn't think there was anything special, just the usual special effects.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Back on Graveyards

Well after a short time "relaxing" on day shifts, I was transferred back to graveyard shifts. It had been a long time and it took a while to get everything going. And it was noticeably busy even for a Saturday night so there was some OT incurred. It will take some time to get that rhythm back again, and also to get used to being up at night. I'd been used to going to bed at 9pm.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Hairspray

I never saw the original film by John Waters, but it didn't matter as this movie was wonderful! I expected it to be silly but instead I was treated to a happy refreshing film. John Travolta in drag was absolutely hysterical and Nikki Blonsky must be one of the greatest finds of the year. Great performance!

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Nightmare

It wasn't the best of days today, so many little things snowballed into a bad day at work. I was disorganized and wasn't even close to finishing some of my tasks. I hope Minh isn't too mad at me for leaving him with a little mess. I hope things are better tomorrow, even though we are massively short at work. We need dealers... and suits!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Don't Forget the Lyrics

For the longest time if you asked me which game show I would like to be on more than anything in the world it would be Jeopardy. And maybe to an extent that still is true, but now I have a new favorite game show, Don't Forget the Lyrics. It's tailor-made for me... a karaoke game show!? Maybe I wish I was American after all...

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Transformers (Again)

There weren't a lot of movies this year worth watching again, but Transformers is worth watching ten times! It was even better the second time around. Knowing what was going to happen made me enjoy the effects even more. And Megan Fox is one stunning girl.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Back from Hibernation

Well it's been a week, and not much to say. I just returned from my days off and it's business as usual at work. Same ol' same ol', but it's all good. I've still only seen Transformers once but hopefully I'll get to catch it a couple more times.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Transformers

I shall start with the bad part about this movie. The plot didn't make a whole lot of sense. But now, the good parts. EVERYTHING! This movie was the bomb, the hot diggedy or whatever they say these days. The special effects were phenomenal. The last 60 minutes of the movie was just non-stop action. Heck, even the token girl with cleavage (Megan Fox) was awesome. It was as if I was transported back in time to the 80's when Transformers were the rage. I was perhaps too old in those days to fully enjoy them, but nevertheless, I felt young again. This is BY FAR the movie to see this year, and I plan to do so again. Autobots, roll on!

Friday, June 29, 2007

41

Yup, that's how old I am now. I guess after hitting the big FOUR-OH last year this one isn't as traumatic. The scary thing is one of the dealers at work also has a birthday on June 29, but she was born 20 years after I was. Yikes. Scary.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Live Free or Die Hard

And yet another sequel to subject myself to, but I was pleasantly surprised at this one. Even though there were bits of the story that were too far-fetched, I had a good time at this movie. The effects were awesome, and Maggie Q was her usual sexy self. I dare to say this was the best of the sequels I've seen this year.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

RIP: Chris Benoit

I read with shock and disbelief about the death of one of Canada's most popular wrestlers, Chris Benoit. The frightening details (that of Benoit killing his family before himself) is too much to take in. Before anybody starts saying "Hey, he's just a wrestler", well, he was an entertainer. Just like we mourn the deaths of movie stars and athletes, the life of Chris Benoit was cut too short at the age of 40.

I remember vividly the last time a prominent wrestler lost his life. In 2005, wrestling lost Eddie Guerrero. I remember because it was the same day that I got news I was promoted to Relief Floor Manager. It was so surreal. It's very sad to hear of this. We may never know the whole story of why a whole family has perished, but it is sad nevertheless.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Evan Almighty

After all the disappointing sequels I'd seen in the past month, I went to this movie not expecting too much. Without Jim Carrey I doubted that Steve Carrell could carry the movie. Nevertheless, it was fairly enjoyable. There was nothing special about it, but the film was enough for a good laugh.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I went to see yet another disappointing sequel. Jessica Alba cannot act and the special effects were average. Hopefully Evan Almighty and will turn out to be a much better sequel because so far everything has been quite disappointing this year. Away From Her is still by far my favorite movie so far.

Monday, June 18, 2007

In a Row?

I've somehow managed to get two days off in a row, and I will cherish them deeply. I'm settling in more to my new "life" as a morning person. It still takes getting used to, as I've been sleeping at 2 or 3 in the morning for so long. I'm trying to get to sleep by 12 or so. It's tough getting up in the morning, but the prize is leaving at 3 in the afternoon when the sun is still out and I still have most of the day to run errands.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night I'll be seeing Russell Peters (for the third time!) and I can't wait.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean 3

I went to see it two nights ago. It didn't help that I was quite tired from my morning shift and so I took a nap near the beginning. When I woke up the movie didn't get much better. It was rather bland. Chow Yun Fat needs to work on his English. Even Keira Knightley was nothing more than average. All the blockbusters this summer have been disappointing.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Alarm Clock

And so begins three weeks of morning shifts (7:15am-3:15pm). So why am I still up at 2 in the morning? Well, I'm just relaxing a bit after Kity's farewell dinner (and drinks) and I'm still wide awake. It will take time to adjust to daytime, I just hope I actually get up in the morning (in about 4 hours). They better have Red Bull at work.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Ocean's Thirteen

Grammatically I can't remember exactly what the movie is called (Ocean's 13 or Ocean's Thirteen) but OK, I went to see the George Clooney flick. It was definitely better than "12" but not nearly as good as "11". Al Pacino was smooth as usual. Ellen Barkin was ultra-hot and definitely cougar material. The plan itself was outrageous (this coming from a casino manager of course) but taking away the suspension of disbelief the film was OK overall.

Part 3

All is right with the world, as the skanky Ms. Hilton is back where she belongs. I am now at peace.

Friday, June 08, 2007

Paris Hilton Part 2

I thought the Canadian justice system was a joke but it looks like the Americans are giving us a run for the money. Letting Paris Hilton free after three days "because of a medical condition"? How much did the Hilton family pay the sheriff for this privilege? You have got to be kidding.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Just Checking In

Other than the fact that Paris Hilton is in jail for the next few weeks, there's not much else to report. I had a rare supervising shift today, which was rather uneventful. It was actually a welcome change from the often stressful managing shifts. Next Sunday will be a farewell party for Kity. It'll be sad to see her go. She's helped me a lot these past two years (thanks) and I've learned a lot from her. It'll be an interesting change when I move to morning shifts (mostly). Then on the 14th, it's the retirement party for Marlene. It's hard to believe I've known her for 18 years now.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Mixed Emotions

My schedule for the next month will be very unpredictable and mixed up, but it looks like I will be on morning shifts (7:15am-3:15pm) for the most part, with random days off. It'll be an interesting change from the mid shifts I've had for the last three months or so. The bad news is I have to wake up around 6am every day and try not to look like a zomebie when I get to work. The good news is since I'm off at 3:15, I do have most of the day left to run errands, have dinner and catch movies. The daytime floor manager has different job functions from the mid, but it's all good. I just have to get used to everything again.

Friday, May 25, 2007

May the Force Be With You

I'm sure most of you geeks will know that 30 years ago today, a movie called Star Wars opened in theaters. How time flies.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Away From Her

In between some big blockbuster movies (Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, and that pirate movie) I'd heard so much about this Canadian-made movie that I had to see it. And I'm glad I did. I guess I'm still a sucker for sappy sad films, but this movie was more than that. It got me thinking a lot about mortality and what life will be like in my later years. Without giving away the movie, the plot was very well laid out and as far as I know, terribly realistic. I'm glad I saw it, and I'm glad I didn't overdo it with the tears.

A wonderful and poignant line from the movie: "It's never too late to become what you might have been"

Next week is that pirate movie.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Paris Hilton

I don't write a lot of stuff about celebrities in my blog, except when I'm talking about a movie I saw. But here begins my rant on the big joke known as Paris Hilton.

Her sentence of 45 days has just been cut to 23 days "for good behavior". What kind of bullshit is this? She broke the law (twice), she's still partying, she's late for her hearings, and now her jail time is cut because of good behavior? Maybe there's a sex tape with Paris and the judge. Whoever ruled on this is on some serious sort of drugs and should be sentence himself (or herself) to the missing 23 days in jail.

Equally sad are the pathetic people who are still on the side of "the heiress". People actually look up to this lame excuse for a human being and think she shouldn't even serve ANY jail time. Well good, next time she's out drinking and driving (which should be about one day after she's released) maybe we'll have her hit and kill somebody and see where that leads.

I used to think the laws in Canada were a joke but it looks like the Americans are giving us some competition. And to think one day she's going to inherit the Hilton empire. Sad sad sad.

Shrek the Third

Last night I went to see this cute little cartoon. There was nothing special about it but at least it was pretty funny. There was some interesting casting (even if it's only the voices): Justin Timberlake as Artie, Larry King and Regis Philbin as the Evil Stepsisters to name a few.

Next week is "the pirate movie".

Friday, May 18, 2007

FREE AT LAST

My long 7-in-a-row work week is now over, and I have my precious three days off in a row. I'll be pretty busy but anything is a welcome change from work. Time to relax. Friday I have a checkup with the eye doctor, then having dinner with Kim and Chap. Saturday it's off to the States with Four-Eyes, and Sunday, hmmm, maybe catch a flick with Lily. Good night.

Monday, May 14, 2007

No Rest for the Wicked

I'm in the middle of a 7-in-a-row stretch. It started with a 2:30pm supervising shift on Friday followed by 6 straight 3:15pm managing shifts. Just finished Day 3 of 7. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened except it was Mother's Day today (Happy Mother's Day to my Mom of course). I celebrated it by being in a bitchy mood, but that's mainly because certain people were making it bitchy for me. They shall remain nameless. All I will say is I can't wait for Friday because that means three days off in a row for me. I sure could use it as soon as possible.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Spiderman 3 Again?

What the heck, I decided to go see the movie again. This time I admit I enjoyed the movie a bit more, perhaps because I knew what to expect. I think the big problem with the film is that the story focuses too much on Goblin 2.0, as opposed to Spiderman. Both seemed to get equal status in the movie. Do I perhaps sense a Goblin sequel?

Monday, May 07, 2007

Spiderman 3

I heard there was some movie with a guy dressed up in a spider suit that was out this week, so I decided to contribute to the $148 million estimated gross.

For me, the movie was average. Of course the effects were amazing, but that's all they were, effects. For all the hype and talk surrounding this movie, I must say I was disappointed. I think they tried to cram too many stories into a film. This would have been better off as a TV series or even split up into separate movies a la Matrix.

I'm actually looking more forward to seeing Away From Her, a simple movie with no special effects. But of course I do have to make room for the upcoming blockbusters, some pirate movie with Johnny Depp and that green cartoon ogre...

Saturday, May 05, 2007

Luongo

Blog about hockey coming up, my American friends can stop reading...

It has been one hell of a playoffs this year. Two absolutely amazing performances by goaltenders this year has resulted in their teams being eliminated. First there was Marty Turco, who had three shutouts in one series. Unfortunately his Dallas Stars also lost 4 to the Canucks.

And then there was Roberto Luongo. Now most of my friends and coworkers know that I am not a Canucks fan. Rather, I am not a bandwagon jumper that cheers just because a team is winning. I was, am, and always will be a Montreal Canadiens fan. But that's not that point. Luongo's performance for the Canucks in the regular seasons was nothing short of phenomenal. But what he did in the playoffs was beyond mind-boggling. He singlehandedly kept the Canucks within sight of the Cup. And it was sad to see how it all ended, by a fluke goal in double overtime. Nevertheless, I want to say to Mr. Luongo: You have shown me what hard work is. Your work ethic and obvious love of the game should be a testament to everyone, and not just in hockey or sports. The guy never wants to take a break. Anybody who says anything remotely bad about your performance should get his or her head examined. Without you, the Canucks would be in last place.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Just Checking In

That was a quick week. I've spent most of my waking moments on friggin' Facebook so I haven't had time to blog. Not much to blog anyways. Work/eat/sleep/repeat. It's also hockey playoff season in Canada. That's about all.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Unchained Melody

I must have heard this song a million times on the radio (and on MP3) and sung or heard it sung a thousand times at karaoke. But I don't recall having heard the cover by the Kings of Sappy Love Songs, Air Supply. Could this version actually be better than the original Righteous Brothers version? Probably not, and Air Supply was never known for making good videos, but enjoy nevertheless.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Fracture

Damn that Anthony Hopkins guy can act. In a lot of ways, this movie was like Silence of the Lambs without the mask. Hopkins was creepy as only he could be. He even showed a comedic side with the memorable line "My dick is big". As to the context of this line you'll have to see the movie.

In other news, oh great, another week of bandwagon jumpers. There's a reason why I don't cheer for the Canucks. I don't suddenly root for them just because they're doing well. I have no team to cheer for this year because my team is not in. To be honest, I have 7 Anaheim Ducks in my pool, so if I'm gonna cheer for someone....

Sunday, April 22, 2007

The Landlord

Easily one of the funniest videos I've seen in a long time. Enjoy.

What Happened?

It was a challenging end to my week at work. Most of the last few hours were a blur. My obsession with avoiding OT (unless absolutely necessary) mean I would be out on the floor a lot, and I was. I had to supervise for about an hour but somehow things turned out and nobody had to do OT (lots had to do exactly 8 hours). And now it's time to rest and catch a movie. Tomorrow I'm hanging out with Lil (hope she's feeling well) and probably do some shopping. Life is good.

In other news, put in a fork in them, the Canucks are done.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Another Day Another Dollar

It's been a relatively easy week at work. I had the graveyard shift on Sunday, followed by two days off. The last two days I've been supervising midshift and it really hasn't been busy at all. My week ends with midshift and graveyard managing shifts (the latter a switch). It will probably be busy on the weekend but it's been busy before. It's just a matter of making sure everything runs smoothly.

In other news, I've acted somewhat grumpy at work. And I don't care.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Perfect Stranger

It was a tough choice for my weekly movie; the "teen" movie Disturbia or seeing Halle Berry in Perfect Stranger. Despite the unfounded rumors (in the American version at least) of the aforementioned Halle Berry in some masturbation scene, I thought I'd go see it instead of Disturbia. What a mistake. Ever since her Oscar performance in Monster's Ball, she has gone downhill. Ironically the only reason why anybody would watch her is to see her breasts, and since I didn't even see them in this movie, the movie was very very bad. I had it figured out in the beginning. Halle Berry cannot act.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Senseless Violence

My prayers go out to the families of the victims at Virginia Tech. I don't know too much of the details as to who and why, but to hear that 33 people have lost their lives is almost too much to bear.

When's My Day Off?

At least it was a relatively easy night as graveyard floor. The casino was busy earlier but died down quickly as the night wore on. Now I'm hoping for two days off today and tomorrow. Might end up being tomorrow and Wednesday. Who knows anymore.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

One out of Three Ain't Bad

My hopes of a three-day weekend were dashed this afternoon, as TWO of the managers called in sick. Of course I could have said no but I've become the company man and with no plausible reason why I SHOULD say no, I agreed to go to work for the graveyard shift. I am scheduled for tomorrow off of course, but it is possible that I may have to work tomorrow as well. At some point I will get two days off (hopefully in a row). I can't complain because it is I who agreed to work. The alternative would have been to find a manager from one of the other locations. Besides, I really had nothing much to do tonight anyways other than perhaps catch a movie. There's always another night.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Textbook

My week finished off wonderfully at work, even though I had work my ass off to avoid OT. I had a number of mad rushes at 1am, 3am, 5am and 6am, but utilized my staff fully to achieve no OT. And it wasn't as if I closed tables haphazardly. Everything was done to perfection. I had three supervisors who were pretty sure they were doing OT for their 9pm-5am shift but I pulled off a miracle in the end. I couldn't have run it better if I tried again. And now it's hibernation time for three days.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Hanging On

One more graveyard managing shift and then it's three days off in a row (hopefully). It's been a weird week and I'm glad it will be over. The weekend will be spent doing very little, maybe catch a movie with Lil and then who knows. Let's hope the weather is OK although I've heard otherwise.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Talk to the Hand

That's become a favorite expression at work, even though it's usually in jest. But today, I was in an unusually bitchy mood and it was quite evident that it showed. And you know what, I didn't care. Once again, I had sick calls coming in left and right and it got to a point where I could have just given up. But I didn't. And in a way, I almost liked this mean streak that's becoming a part of me. I'm not going to let those (fill in the blank)'s take advantage of me anymore. I have a job to do. Outside of work we can be good friends but work is work. So piss me off and you can talk to the hand.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

...(I forgot the third line)

It wasn't that it was a tough day at work as much as it was a frustrating day at work yesterday. It was a matter of dealing with the staff that wanted to go home early. Normally there is no problem with this; it all depends on how busy the casino is and if I feel (as floor manager) that I can close a table to send somebody home.

It was that one of the supervisors wanted to go home because she "just had surgery and she forgot to bring her painkillers". First of all, is she telling the truth? It gets to a point at work when I take every statement with a grain of salt. She could just as easily have said she "forgot to turn the iron off". Added to that, there were other people ahead of her on the list who always said "they weren't feeling well". Granted, she did look to be in pain, but then again, we have some great actors and actresses at work. Against my better judgement, I did send her home.

Then a dealer works no more than 30 minutes before she suddenly decides she wants to throw up because of food poisoning (because she ate some bad cake). So little by little, the staff disappears well before the end of the night. Meanwhile, I've been sick for two weeks practically unable to talk, taking shit from anyone and everyone.

"Calgon, take me away"

Sunday, April 08, 2007

...let me count the ways

The week from hell will be over shortly. What was supposed to be four days of 2:30pm supervising shifts became a plethora of start times that would make grown men cry. Let us summarize:

Original Schedule:

Thursday April 5: 2:30pm
Friday April 6: 2:30pm
Saturday April 7: 2:30pm
Sunday April 8: 2:30pm

But Thursday I was awakened to be told that I would be working the graveyard managing shift instead, 9 hours later. This created a problem for Friday, as I would be back to work 7 hours 15 minutes after I got off work. Yes, it's "illegal" but I thought just this once, it's no big deal. Even though I was sick (but not as sick as the managers that called in sick!) I could handle it. And so I struggled on Friday, surviving on my can of Red Bull. I got home and it wasn't so bad.... except Saturday I was called to do the same thing again... another manager called in. Now as much as I love my job, I couldn't do the 2:30pm on Sunday. Luckily we decided on a 7pm start instead. I won't even begin to talk about some of the problems we had tonight, maybe another post. And now, my Neo Citran is almost finished so good night all. Happy Easter and all that.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Job - How Much Do I Love Thee?

Yesterday morning I was awakened at around 10am. I thought they'd needed me to come in earlier (I had a 2:30pm start) but instead, they woke me up to tell me that I was coming in later.... much later... almost 9 hours later at 11:15pm for a graveyard shift, as one of the managers was sick. While that's no problem (the occasional graveyard shift is OK), I just got home (finished at 7:15am) and my next shift is another 2:30pm supervising shift. And I'm sick. But once I drink my Neo Citran I'm going to bed for a few hours, then it's back to work but not before a Red Bull and perhaps my old favorite, triple espresso with caramel.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Trivia

Interesting trivia question that I came across which I can't seem to find an answer to (and I'm sure there would be a number of answers) even with my immense knowledge of TV and Movies.

Which TV shows or movies featured actors playing siblings ended up in real life with the actors engaged or married?

Did the question make sense? Like A and B played siblings on TV show C, then afterwards A and B hooked up. And no, A and B aren't siblings in real life. That would be a nono.

Monday, April 02, 2007

Blades of Glory

After a great week at work, and an unexpected early shift today (a 9am-5pm shift after a 3:15pm-11:15pm shift the day before!) I had time to take a quick nap before deciding to catch this movie. It was hilarious! I'm not usually a fan of Will Farrell's toilet humor, but this was an exception. Jon Heder (he of Napoleon Dynamite fame) has the makings of a real movie star.

And now I still get to enjoy two days off!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Feeling Good Again

It was an easy and pleasant three-day week for me after my vacation in paradise. Things went smoothly although there were a few hiccups. The holiday was a very good refresher and I went back to work feeling a lot better. And now tonight, it's back to the usual Vancouver favorite, KARAOKE!

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

I Need Another Holiday

Back to work today. It was rather uneventful although it was a bit hectic around 7pm because the poker room was full. As well, I had to cover some sick calls on the floor, but it wasn't like anything I couldn't handle. As a result, my first day back was nice and easy. Let's hope it stays that way for a few days.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Shooter

When I was in Portland I went to see this movie with Johnny. Wow, $5 for a Saturday matinee, haven't seen those in a long time! The movie was your standard thriller, nothing special. The two girls in the movie were hot. I remember Rhona Mitra from Hollow Man but the other one I don't recall from any films. Not bad at all.

Return From Paradise

And so ends my short holiday in Portland. Actually I stayed in a town called Colton, about 30 minutes drive from Portland. It was up in the mountains and it was so peaceful. The back of the house overlooked a stream that is actually a waterfall in the spring as the snow melts. It was breathtaking and I miss it already. Thanks to my good friend Johnny and his wonderful grandmother for their hospitality.

Aside from the amazing view, I had a great time at Powell's City of Books (as I knew I would), that's a bloody big bookstore. I also had a nice walk downtown to check out the LV store, and buy See's candies for my Mom. No tax! And of course Johnny and I spent Saturday night at Chang's Mongolian Grill, all you can eat for $10.95. How can you beat that?

I need a holiday.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Premonition

Yeah well I pretty much had a premonition that Premonition would be a bad movie. BINGO! It was too confusing and the supposed ending was just silly. What's with Sandra Bullock and all these back and forth in time movies as of late (first Lake House and now this)? Her acting is so bland there was just no chemistry between her and Julian McMahon.

Fido

No, this post isn't about my cell phone company, it was about the quirky Canadian-made movie I saw last night, starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Billy Connolly. I was pleasantly surprised at this comedy-horror mixture. There were some really corny lines but in the end, I really liked it. I'm glad because the last two movies I saw (Number 23 and Ghost Rider) were absolute duds. Next up is probably Premonition with Lily tonight.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Bye for Now

And so begins a well-deserved holidays for me, as the week didn't exactly end on a positive note work-wise. I look forward to visiting my good friend Johnny down in Portland, as well as: buying candies for Mom, booze and cigarettes for Daryl, checking out the coolest bookstore in the world, and eating Mongolian BBQ, and of course catching up on old times with Mr. Mc. I haven't decided yet if I will Greyhound it or Honda Fit it, but either way I can't wait. See you all on March 25.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Torture

And so ends a long and frustrating week at work. I had to work 6 days in a row due to the usual management holidays. At least after my days off I only work 4 days before I'm off again. It wasn't the best of weeks at work, all graveyard shifts. According to the higher ups, I made some incorrect decisions which I still stand behind. But what can you do?

I'm awaiting my holiday, even if it's to a silly crossword tournament in Connecticut. Anything to get away from thinking about work.

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Ghost Rider

Last night I went to see yet another "adapted from the comics" movie, this one starring the guy who named his baby Kal-El Cage. All I can say is I should be more selective in choosing the movies I see, because I saw another bomb. After Music and Lyrics early in the month (which I liked), I've seen two really bad movies with supposedly good actors (Number 23 with Jim Carrey and Ghost Rider with Nicholas Cage).

The fact that I'd never read the comic Ghost Rider probably had something to do with the confusion I felt in the movie. It just didn't make sense. Perhaps the only good thing about the movie is that every once in a while I got to see Eva Mendez' cleavage because they definitely had that in mind when they selected her wardrobe in the movie. If you can get a hold of ANY clips with her in the movie you'll see what I mean.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Pissed Off

This bloody kidney stone is really frustrating. On one hand, I've felt pretty painless since my brief stay in emergency. They detected the 4mm kidney stone and now it's a matter of it passing. Supposedly 85% of them pass within 1 or 2 days. Luckily for me I always defy the odds so now I'm on day 3. Every time I go take a piss I wonder if it's THE TIME. Just get it over with and let me have the painful pee that is usually required. Then again, maybe the stone managed to already sneak through (because I really don't feel much these days). Just get it over with.

Now aren't you glad you read this entry?

Sunday, February 25, 2007

The Number 23

No use waiting at home for my friggin' kidney stone to come out so I decided to go watch this Jim Carrey "thriller" despite a lot of negative reviews. Perhaps the movie would be so bad my kidney stone would pass. The movie was pretty bad but my kidney stone didn't pass.

The movie made no sense. Yes, I know about a lot of these connections with the number 23 but that didn't make the film any more sensible. Yuk, I should have gone to see Ghost Rider.

And now back to my suffering.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Pain Threshold

So that's what having a kidney stone feels like. And so for the first time in over 13 years, I'm calling in sick for two days. Hopefully this friggin' stone gets pissed off soon enough (hmm, that sounds hilarious on second reading).

Thursday, February 22, 2007

But Seriously Folks

I've begun to change a bit at work, acting more seriously (and therefore more professional?) because I know for a fact that my "Mr. Nice Guy" persona means that I can easily be taken advantage of (and I have). Interestingly, a number of people have come up to me and ask me if something's wrong with me. They're used to the "Happy Go Lucky" atmosphere that I try to convey at work, but now it's a bit different. They have to do their job... and as long as they do that I have no problem. I snapped at two dealers because they decided to switch tables without telling me. We'll see how this turns out.

Just a thought, a really mean girl is called a bitch, what's a really mean guy called?

Monday, February 19, 2007

Words from a Friend

The following is taken word for word from the blog of my old friend, johnnymc. The words are hauntingly similar to those I would have written for myself.

"There are times when I am not so sure that things are at closure. Though it is obvious by this time in my life that relationships from a decade ago or longer are long over, apparently my greatest thrill in life is wishing to 'try again' at old jobs, relationships, etc where I know I can do 'better'.

This of course is all horse puckey since hindsight is just that; a view of the past with wisdom to do 'right' where you did 'wrong' and cannot be reversed.

These things should not be dwelled upon, unlike my realization to let go, inasmuch as my life needs to continue forward - growing with these past experiences and blooming future endeavors to be more productive and successful."

- Johnny McMenamin

Friday, February 16, 2007

ThankYou Mr. President

Thanks to President Bush, all Canadians wishing to fly to the States (as of January 21) had to get a Canadian passport. I haven't had one for 10 years because I've never needed one. But I needed one now, and yes, it was my fault for waiting so long but I figured that the lineups to get one wouldn't be as long one month after the deadline. Well I got to the "end of the line" at 8:33am this morning, and waited... and waited... I did not leave the Passport Office until 2:25pm. This was after I'd completed a 10:30pm-6:30am shift. I'm gonna be friggin' grumpy at work tonight.

Boy I can't wait to do this again in five years. No wonder nobody likes that Bush dude. Sorry Johnny, I really can't stand the guy.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Music and Lyrics

In truly masochistic fashion, I decided the best cure for my Valentine's Day blues was to go BY MYSELF to see a romantic movie. And it just so happened that this movie was out today. I sat down expecting the usual formula:

boy meets girl
boy and girl falls in love
boy does/says something to upset the girl
boy and girl break up
boy does something mushy and gets girl back

The movie itself could be summarized with the above formula, but it was a lot more than that. I found myself travelling down nostalgia lane. The opening music video had me (and most of the theater) in stitches because it was so 80's (which was its goal), and in fact, so WHAM! In fact, the main character reminded me so much of Andrew Ridgeley (you know, the OTHER guy that was part of WHAM!).

Both Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, et al) and Drew Barrymore (Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, et al) have done these movies before and there was nothing spectacular about their performances but nevertheless I enjoyed the movie. I also like the song that the two characters wrote together. Maybe it will become an actual hit?

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Yuk

And so begins the most overrated day each year. People (like me) without a loved one to spend with curse February 14 because it makes them feel that much lonelier. I can't go out anywhere because the thought of going somewhere by myself on Valentine's Day is silly. So I have a dentist appointment at 2:15pm instead.

Monday, February 12, 2007

Ennui

It's been a boring week at work but at least I'll finally have two days off after tonight's 10:30pm shift. There was one graveyard managing shift but other than that, it's been all late night supervising shifts. I found myself staring endlessly into space. Unfortunately it will be more of the same as next week is also to be comprised of supervising shifts.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Anna Nicole Smith

When she was alive, I have to admit I thought her life was a joke. From her marriage to someone 60 years older than she was, to her weight/drug/alcohol problems, I couldn't believe how silly she was.

But in the end, she died too young. I don't care how she died, but her death mirrors a lot like that of another blonde whose life was cut way too short. Elton John sang about the death of one Marilyn Monroe and this one is just as tragic. She leaves behind a 5-month-old daughter who will never get to know her mother.

Rest in peace, Anna Nicole Smith. I hope you are at peace.

Monday, February 05, 2007

Laughter is Contagious

This must be the most hilarious video I've seen in a long time. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. I dare you not to.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Work is Cool

I had a great night (and morning?) at work yesterday. The casino was busy and as a graveyard manager it is my responsbility to close tables and run the floor as efficiently as possible. Every now and then staff will have to incur overtime, and for a long time it looked as if that would happen. Rather than close tables haphazardly, I managed to do everything efficiently and somehow, some way, everybody went home on time. Some of the staff were amazed that I pulled it off. I love my job again. Stress actually is a great drug for me.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Another Week

Two graveyard floor shifts to start the week, and then who knows. My schedule keeps changing as the week goes on, as it seems even the managers have to call in sick once in a while. But, as I've said time and time again, that's work.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

What Time is It?

Friday January 26: 10:45pm-6:30am, but stayed OT until 8:30am!
Saturday January 27: 10:30pm-6:30am
Sunday January 28: 9pm-5am, but changed to 11:15pm-7:15am
Monday January 29: 3:15pm-11:15pm

Sleep who needs sleep when I have Red Bull at work?

Thursday, January 25, 2007

I Like Dreaming

So the video is not the actual video but who cares. I forgot how much I used to love this song and now I can't stop listening to it. I also can't believe that it was thirty years ago when Kenny Nolan had this song near the top of the Billboard charts. Enjoy.



I like dreamin' cause dreamin' can make you mine.
I like dreamin', closing my eyes and feeling fine.
When the lights go down, I'm holding you so tight.
Got you in my arms and it's paradise 'til the morning
light.

I see us on the shore beneath the bright sunshine.
We've walked along St. Thomas Beach a million times.
Hand in hand, two barefoot lovers kissing in the sand.
Side by side, the tide rolls in.
I'm touching you, you're touching me.
If only it could be.

Chorus

Through each dream, how our love has grown.
I see us with our children and our happy home.
Little smiles, so warm and tender looking up at us.
Blessed by love, the world we share
Until I wake, and reach for you,
And you're just not there.

I like dreamin' 'cause dreaming can make you mine.
I like holding you close and touching your skin
Even if it's in my mind.
Oh, sweet dream baby, I love you
Oh, my sweet dream baby
Don`t keep me waiting all my life
I need you, sweet dream baby
I love you, sweet dream baby
You`re in my dreams every night.....

-- Kenny Nolan

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Oscar Predictions

Why wait, I'm confident enough with the following predictions. Let's see how close I am.

Best Picture: The Departed (although I suspect Little Miss Sunshine will get a lot of buzz as the night rolls near; it's one of those years)

Best Actor: Peter O'Toole (even though Forrest Whittaker should win, they'll hand it to O'Toole so he won't end up 0 for 8 in nominations)

Best Actress: Helen Mirren (bet the farm on this one)

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy (but damn, what a comeback for Jackie Earle Haley; remember him from Bad News Bears?)

Best Supporting Actress: Rinku Kikuchi (strictly sentimental because she was so hot in Babel; I know Jennifer Hudson is the front runner and Abigail Breslin stole the show as a 10-year-old in Little Miss Sunshine)

Best Director: Martin Scorcese (if he doesn't win this time...)

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

zzzz

I'm back into a rut at work. As expected, my supervising shifts are nothing but excuses to count the ceiling tiles and pace nonchalantly back and forth in the pit. After my almost month of straight managing at the end of 2006, going back to supervising (even if part time) is just soooo boring. But I have no choice of course. I have to accept what I get and be satisfied.

I have to set some goals for myself this year. Thing seem like an endless cycle of work/eat/sleep. I need to do something better with my time.

I was at the bookstore and came across a new book called "The Secret". I browsed through some of it and it seems quite interesting.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Banana Living

This post is to help my friend launch his magazine, which will be out in the stores shortly. The website is up and running and is linked below. The magazine is geared toward the Asian-Canadian community but is open to all. I will be contributing articles and what not. Have a look!

Banana Living

My New Toy

I recently bought a new cellular phone, the Sony Ericsson Z710i, which features MP3 player, radio, and a 2.0 megapixel camera. Oh yeah, and I can talk on it too. It is compatible with the Sony M2 memory stick which means I now have an MP3 player with 1G of songs! Battery life is quite impressive: 9 hours of talk time and 15 days (!??!) of standby. So far I've only been successful at finding about 350 megs of worthy songs. I can probably keep the rest of the memory empty for photos and videos.

I love the new toy. Two nights ago at work when I was supervising, I spent every break closing my eyes and losing myself in my music, something I haven't done in a while. It's quite relaxing. I'm sure I'll wear out the battery quickly because I'm pretty sure playing music uses up more power than talking on the phone. Oh well, so be it.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Alpha Dog

Originally I was going to go see Casino Royale again with Suzanne but it was sold out (still?) so the only other reasonable choice was this movie. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't just a typical drug movie. Sharon Stone put in a surprisingly powerful performance which just might garner a Best Supporting Actress nod. And for all you teenagers out there, yes, Justin Timberlake is in this movie, and for a debut he was pretty good.

Back to the Dungeon now.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

No Comparison



To this day, and probably forevermore, the most beautiful woman of all time. Thanks Johnny.

Summary

The year has been both dull and interesting, if that makes any sense. Work is work... same shit different day. I've opened up a lot to Mel over the past few days, something I hope I won't regret having done (that's some weird grammar there). I've pretty much told her everything about my life, something I have not done to anybody else. And even though right now I'll have to say there's nothing serious, at least I have her as a confidante. Maybe the future will bring us together, but at least in the present we aren't apart.

Tomorrow is a graveyard shift, one of those rarities. Then my schedule is going to get weird, some midshifts, some graveyard shifts and even some day shifts thrown in. Just part of my job.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

2007

And so begins another new year. I had a graveyard shift on January 1 and it was dreadfully slow. As a result, the night was pretty boring and dull and I ended up just walking around the casino for 8 hours. But at least it was less stressful and relaxing for once.

I don't know what 2007 will bring, hopefully more joy and happiness for me. There are a lot of unanswered questions about life, and worries about my future. But I guess that's part of every year.