Don't get it (old, old entry)

First thing first. So I switched to blogger beta (indeed the future is upon us, everything is beta now), but I can't seem to find anything particularly new and exciting about this beta version. It must be me.

Second thing, there is this really uncomfortable wound on my right index fingertip, causing me unable to type properly, or do anything properly for that matter (ie. putting on and taking off my contact lenses). Only then do you appreciate the importance of a wound-free index finger.

I read my August blogs and November blogs, obviously I am becoming more restless, cynical, mad, etc., etc.. It's not entirely because of work, family stuff also. And I finally unloaded onto my unsuspecting co-workers, and they've proven to be most sympathetic. However artificial it may be, I guess sympathy still has its values.

(Brief summary of home problem: my brother being the teenage rebel/delingquent/idiot that he is, almost got threw out the first night, when he came home late due to an extremely odd excuse of "my friend cut himself and his parents called me to go to the hospital to see him" The next night he went out without permission, called home and was told by my mom "don't come home again" so he decided to stay the night in our strata complex public bathroom; of course we were all frantic, but he came home, and I got him to apologize to my mom and he is basically now under house arrest)

Must say though, I really appreciate the RHS early warning system. The morning after my brother was assumed missing I called them, and asked them to call my cell whether my brother went to school at all, because he has not came home all night.

If I am not the only one

I was watching The Office last night, basically the company went through a merger, so there were all these new people coming into the office, and also some reunions. This girl ran up to this guy, they exchanged greetings. The girl rambled on about TomKat and Brangelina. After she was done, the guy was like, "What's new with you?" and the girl just looked at him and said, "I just told you."

I tell ya, that's what I feel like. Living the life centered around gossip. At least I am not that delusional. (whew)

Just rereading Murakami Haruki's Underground. In it this person's interview really made me read over and over again. It's just one sentence really, translated as follows, "In the decades after the war the economy grew rapidly, and without the sense of urgency/alarm, we seem to value material goods as the only things that hold meaning." I don't know why this sentence gripped me so, but it did.

Went to a pastry meeting... our store is so screwed up, people ringing in things wrong left and right. Since when did we have cream cheese?! I guess I just need certain empowerment to crack the whip, so to speak. And get out as soon as I can.

Pointless

I believe I have said this before, but I must say it again: it's pointless to complain to people, because they can't do anything about it.

Yesterday when I got to work I must've looked like shit. Because our SM pulled me aside and inquired as to how I am doing, is anything wrong, what's stressing me out, etc., etc.. I had to repeat several times, that nothing is wrong, the store is ok, I'm just tired. And she finally let me go.

Seriously, I am not very happy there right now. The past Saturday, Remembrance Day, I was invited to this wedding. When I got the invitation, it was already too late to write it in the Request day-off book. On the schedule I am to close that night. Ok, I asked SM if I could switch my close for her open. She said ok. Two days later I was talking to a fellow SS, and she was saying how she wanted to work on Remembrance Day for the double pay. I said, sure, if you want to just take my shift that'd be great, I don't even have to work at all. She said yes, so I left a note with the peach. A week later when I went to confirm with SM she said no, we can't let the lovely SS take the shift, because that would be overtime (something to do with holiday pay and labour and hours). I started to panic. Called around, nothing. No one would take my shift. No one would switch with me. I went and told my mom (I was supposed to go to this wedding with a co-worker of hers). They flipped out, tried to scramble around for someone to take my place. All these extra drama.

And yesterday the peach asked me to switch my today's mid for close. I said yes. I feel like shit, because not only I am not able to pick my mom up from work at 9pm in this god-awful weather, I'm not able to drive my sister to the airport tonight, either (though I didn't know about that after the switch). Stupidest thing is, I have to be at the store at 7:30am after my close at 11:30pm. This is such bullshit. I can't take this anymore.

And they asked me what's wrong. Everything is wrong. I should've just said no. Next time anyone asks, I'll say no. Seriously, I said yes to everyone if they wanted to switch or leave early, but I never had those requests. I am really pissed off at everyone of the management team right now, but I have to learn better than to show it. To spare me of the stupid conversation: Are you ok.

This is all so pointless. Ranting makes better, complaining to a real person won't. What's the point of sympathy?

Randomness

1. Marie Antoinette, according to Antonia Fraser, did not utter those infamous words, "Let them eat cake".

2. I am tired of driving

3. I am tired of the driving that made me miss Monday night TV

4. I have never disliked a winning contestant, but I am willing to make an exception for Jeffrey, the winner of Project Runway

5. Sorry, disregard that, I still cannot stand Eva, the 3rd season winner of ANTM

6. Let me reiterate, I hate people

7. This week I will go see Stranger than Fiction, Borat and Babel, alone

8. Only You is the cutest chick movie ever; how can you resist the combination of Italian scenery and Robert Downey Jr.?

9. If not of TV people, my Freebie Five would be the below:

Kimura Takuya
Johnny Depp
Robert Downey Jr.
Sacha Baron Cohen (this is a new one, he is indeed very hot)
Al Pacino (when he was young, preferably Godfather I)

10. For Christmas, I want to buy an Apple iPod for myself

Lusting...

Ellie wrote about tv guys that one may have fantasy about... which I found fascinating. You know that Friends episode where they listed 5 celebrities they'd like to get together with if the fantasy ever came true? Well, I've always kept a list after that episode. So has Lainey. Except she calls hers the "Freebie 5" and it's not limited to tv personalities.

But if I must choose from tv folks... I would probably go for:

1.



Nah, can't think of any. I watch more movies than I do tv. And the tv I do watch are mostly reality tv, which is bent on creating the most vile personality ever. How can I ever be turned on by that?! Let's see, ER... nope, CSI... probably Warrick, but he is married on the show now, ANTM... I don't go for girls, except Elyse from the first season, Project Runway... ha ha ha.

Forget it. I just can't. But I'll admit Matthew Fox of Lost is really hotness himself.

We are not so different, you and I

*Warning: below contains my limited understanding of politics, feel free to correct me.

Is a direct quote from Austin Powers I & III (well, the III one was a quote from the I one). You'd get it if you watch the entire Austin Powers franchise as avidly as I did. Anyhow. The "you" I refer to is the Americans, and the "I" I refer to is the Taiwanese.

Perhaps I should specify, I am talking in terms of government and the perception of the general public. But I am sure it is the same everywhere else in the world. Dubya is not particularly popular because of many things. Neither is A-bian from the other side of the Pacific pond.

A-bian (or President Chen Shui-bian, formally) has just been charged with graft. A-bian is the leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, and they are supposed to be all about the independence from China thing. A-bian has been in office for 6 years already, and nothing has happened in that respect. Then this huge scandal broke out in the middle of 2006, and it started out as the First Lady herself taking huge amounts in department store gift certificates in bribery, in exchange to effecting who will be taking over the said department store. Gift certificates, you ask? Don't ask. Then A-bian's son-in-law was charged with bribery as well, and was in jail for a good while (a month, maybe? I can't recall). All these allegations that flew around, and the Taiwanese media being the ruthless sharks they are, just piled it on. Finally by September, a former leader of the DPP came out and organized this "Million people depose A-bian" thing. Basically they wanted to get him out of the office, so they organized donations to that cause, and sit-ins. Massive sit-ins where everyone was dressed in red. And now A-bian is charged.

You can read about the details @ BBC. They have more articles about this thing than CNN.

But the similarities not only lies within their un-popularity. Also their supporters. I just spent an hour watching this Taiwanese call-in show with all these "political commentators". In it you got people saying, "It's not A-bian's fault, it's the system." I just find it uncanny that many of Dubya's supporters, from the s0-called "Red States" are mostly, I hate to be politically incorrect, but hicks/rednecks. On the other hand, most of A-bian's supporters are, mostly, undereducated, dialect-speaking, hicks. (Disclaimer: Just my perceptions, does not mean I intend to insult anyone, nor does it mean I am better than these people.)

It's entirely stupidity at work here, being so greedy and can't get your hands out of the honey jar they called "Top Secret Diplomatic Funds". That's how A-bian got his money you know.

Anyhow, thus concludes my two-minute rant about the current situation of Taiwanese politics. I am not saying it's so bad that I wouldn't want to live there. Because face it, this may all be going on, but life goes on as well.

I feel old (not in a self-pity way)

I've always felt mature for my age. Basically, I am just waiting for my actual age to catch up with me. So when I say I feel old, I am serious.

Today I went to a coffee meeting for Shruby. When I got there it was time for self-introductions. We were supposed to say our name, store, number of Christmases we've had at the bucks, and what are some holiday traditions. When it was my turn, I was counting with my fingers to see how many Christmases... (saying to myself: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005...) I looked up and I blurted out, "This is my 5th Christmas, holy crap" with the DM sitting right next to me. Time flies, non? Christmas at the bucks is always such an event. I used to get excited, but now I'm just tired of it. Retail Christmas is not Christmas. And you know it.

A lot of things doesn't bother me, because I look at things in perspective. Sounds grand, might not even be true in most cases. But feels good to say it anyways.

Last week I worked with A and C. Boys, slacking off. I said, "Are we working or are we chatting?" really loudly. They came out, looking sheepish. A asked me if I found any customers annoying. In his case, this lady who asks for extra-hot, A would make it, she would go to the ladies' room, and come back for her drink. Obviously, after sitting there for a few minutes, the drink got cold, and that's precisely what she told A. She made A remake her drink, and give her a SRcoupon. Bitch. I couldn't think of any off the top of my head. If I see an annoying customer, I just rant about them in the backroom and let go. Like this lady who came in asked for grande long americano. Three shots of espresso goes in there, but the machine automatically makes four. So we usually just let the last one drip out on its own. I was explaining to the green bean how to make it, the lady overheard it and said, you can just give me that extra shot. I was like, okkkkk. Went to the back and said to whoever, "I hate greedy people." Seriously, extra espresso shot is 55 cents. If you don't pay it, you don't get it.

I do rant, haha.

I am keeping a list of things that annoys me. So far I only have:

1. My sister calling Port Coquitlamd "PoCo" as if it's something cool. Things gotta stop!! It was cool when J.Lo did it, but not so much, Bennifer, Brangelina, TomKat, KFed, so on and so forth. God I hate it.

2. I forgot

But I will remember soon...

Will watch Borat, Babel, and Stranger than Fiction. Who's with me? (wink wink ellie)