29 July 2008
twins?
over the past few months, i have been told by several different people that they saw someone who looks EXACTLY like me. i wonder if it's the same girl that people are seeing, or if i have multiple versions of myself running around the GTA. or maybe we're all just short asian girls with long hair.
22 July 2008
le grand update
it has been a very long time since i've updated, thanks to the craziness of moving, getting settled whilst working full-time jobs. because of this, you'll only get tangenty, all-in-one-shot-blog:
we thought our house would be more finished when we moved in - as promised, we didn't sneak in to see it from the sunday until our inspection on tuesday so we thought things would be completed during that time. when tuesday rolled around, it didn't look like much had been done. the staircase was still missing carpet. the hardwood stairs and banisters had just freshly been stained, to the point where they were still tacky when we walked on them. the shower stall wasn't up yet either and the baseboards and trim still needed a second coat of paint. aside from the paint, all of these things were installed on moving day - good timing. there are several areas of drywall that needed to be patched, sanded and repainted...we're still waiting for that to happen. for the longest time, there was green painter's tape everywhere marking the spots they were supposed to fix before we moved in. we got tired of waiting, so we ended up taking pictures of the tape and removing it so we don't feel like we live in the land of green tape.
at first, the kitchen cabinet doors were a different colour than the rest of the cabinets. this was a problem. the other problem was that the cabinet guy found out that his contract was being terminated - well, they asked him to finish what he started, but never to come back after that, our botched cabinets being the last straw, i believe - he blew up when he received the bad news, and was screaming and swearing several blue streaks. i consider myself to be a pretty street-savvy person, but i was blushing with the words and phrases that were coming out of his mouth. then i felt like our house had a negative energy, thanks to mr. cabinet potty-mouth, but it's gone now. good riddance. and our cabinets are all the same colour now, but took 2.5 weeks for that to happen. at the beginning, it seemed we witnessed a different construction worker swearing into his phone or threatening to kill someone for the first few days. apparently construction workers aren't very civilized, who knew? things have settled down since.
living in a new development definitely comes with its growing pains. we couldn't park in our garage because the trades workers kept parking in the alley that leads to the garage. we gave up and started parking in front of the house. then the builder called us and politely asked us to stop parking in front of the house so they could do landscaping. we politely asked them to tell their workers to stop blocking the path to our garage and we would happily park in our own garage. it has gotten much better, but lately there's been a couple guys who missed the memo about not blocking us in.
there is no garbage/recycling pick-up yet. when we want to dispose of garbage, we have to go looking for dumpsters that are strategically located throughout the development. these dumpsters keep getting moved around, so everyday is like a treasure hunt, only the treasure isn't as exciting as old artifacts or gold coins. there also isn't any mail delivery. we asked the post office to have our old mail addressed to the condo held for us. we didn't think it made sense to change our address officially since there was no mail delivery yet. the post office only had 3 letters for us the first time we went to pick it up, then found the rest of the mail once we went on vacation. while away, the hold expired and the mail was delivered all at once. to the condo. the girl who bought our condo contacted us, so we have it now and thank you kenji and shelley, for the lovely birthday card!
we recently discovered water damage in one of the second bedrooms; we thought it was coming from the shower based on the location of the damage, but one of the guys came to check it out and said it's not leaking anymore...it's probably from the bathtub which was used just once. just in case, we aren't using the master ensuite and patiently waiting for someone to fix it. we were thinking we were unlucky, but then met the neighbours across from us. their move-in date was delayed twice, and their old house sold and closed long before they could move in, so they stayed at a campground in the interim. yuck. they have several leaks to deal with inside their house, including one in the master bedroom; whenever it rains a lot, water drips from the light switch! their roof has already been replaced. now we are thinking our house isn't so bad. it is strange since our builder is considered one of the premium builders in the area...but we also were told from the disgruntled cabinet-maker-potty-mouth-guy that this is the biggest development they have ever built and they have taken on more than they can handle. not unlike the cabinet maker. hello mr. pot, have you met mr. kettle? he is black, as are you.
scout adjusted pretty well to the move. she was a little scared at first, but now she's happy with her new home. she likes the stairs...more specifically, the banisters - she likes poking her head through the spindles to play peek-a-boo. on a completely different note, sometime on the weekend, she managed to pull out a wad of fur beside her eye. so she has a bald patch right under her eye - she looks like she is crying a single tear, how emo. she must be going through her adolescent phase.
we have been busy purchasing things for the house - the last thing on our list is window coverings - apparently we are exhibitionists as we never did get window coverings for our condo and we still haven't put anything up other than some temporary paper blinds in the bathroom. roller shades are next and last on our shopping list. once that's done we will be out of money. round 1 of spending a lot is coming to a close. i think round 2 will come around december...
in the meantime, we wait for the deficiencies to be fixed and enjoy having triple the space, pretty surroundings and that new-house smell. mmm!
we thought our house would be more finished when we moved in - as promised, we didn't sneak in to see it from the sunday until our inspection on tuesday so we thought things would be completed during that time. when tuesday rolled around, it didn't look like much had been done. the staircase was still missing carpet. the hardwood stairs and banisters had just freshly been stained, to the point where they were still tacky when we walked on them. the shower stall wasn't up yet either and the baseboards and trim still needed a second coat of paint. aside from the paint, all of these things were installed on moving day - good timing. there are several areas of drywall that needed to be patched, sanded and repainted...we're still waiting for that to happen. for the longest time, there was green painter's tape everywhere marking the spots they were supposed to fix before we moved in. we got tired of waiting, so we ended up taking pictures of the tape and removing it so we don't feel like we live in the land of green tape.
at first, the kitchen cabinet doors were a different colour than the rest of the cabinets. this was a problem. the other problem was that the cabinet guy found out that his contract was being terminated - well, they asked him to finish what he started, but never to come back after that, our botched cabinets being the last straw, i believe - he blew up when he received the bad news, and was screaming and swearing several blue streaks. i consider myself to be a pretty street-savvy person, but i was blushing with the words and phrases that were coming out of his mouth. then i felt like our house had a negative energy, thanks to mr. cabinet potty-mouth, but it's gone now. good riddance. and our cabinets are all the same colour now, but took 2.5 weeks for that to happen. at the beginning, it seemed we witnessed a different construction worker swearing into his phone or threatening to kill someone for the first few days. apparently construction workers aren't very civilized, who knew? things have settled down since.
living in a new development definitely comes with its growing pains. we couldn't park in our garage because the trades workers kept parking in the alley that leads to the garage. we gave up and started parking in front of the house. then the builder called us and politely asked us to stop parking in front of the house so they could do landscaping. we politely asked them to tell their workers to stop blocking the path to our garage and we would happily park in our own garage. it has gotten much better, but lately there's been a couple guys who missed the memo about not blocking us in.
there is no garbage/recycling pick-up yet. when we want to dispose of garbage, we have to go looking for dumpsters that are strategically located throughout the development. these dumpsters keep getting moved around, so everyday is like a treasure hunt, only the treasure isn't as exciting as old artifacts or gold coins. there also isn't any mail delivery. we asked the post office to have our old mail addressed to the condo held for us. we didn't think it made sense to change our address officially since there was no mail delivery yet. the post office only had 3 letters for us the first time we went to pick it up, then found the rest of the mail once we went on vacation. while away, the hold expired and the mail was delivered all at once. to the condo. the girl who bought our condo contacted us, so we have it now and thank you kenji and shelley, for the lovely birthday card!
we recently discovered water damage in one of the second bedrooms; we thought it was coming from the shower based on the location of the damage, but one of the guys came to check it out and said it's not leaking anymore...it's probably from the bathtub which was used just once. just in case, we aren't using the master ensuite and patiently waiting for someone to fix it. we were thinking we were unlucky, but then met the neighbours across from us. their move-in date was delayed twice, and their old house sold and closed long before they could move in, so they stayed at a campground in the interim. yuck. they have several leaks to deal with inside their house, including one in the master bedroom; whenever it rains a lot, water drips from the light switch! their roof has already been replaced. now we are thinking our house isn't so bad. it is strange since our builder is considered one of the premium builders in the area...but we also were told from the disgruntled cabinet-maker-potty-mouth-guy that this is the biggest development they have ever built and they have taken on more than they can handle. not unlike the cabinet maker. hello mr. pot, have you met mr. kettle? he is black, as are you.
scout adjusted pretty well to the move. she was a little scared at first, but now she's happy with her new home. she likes the stairs...more specifically, the banisters - she likes poking her head through the spindles to play peek-a-boo. on a completely different note, sometime on the weekend, she managed to pull out a wad of fur beside her eye. so she has a bald patch right under her eye - she looks like she is crying a single tear, how emo. she must be going through her adolescent phase.
we have been busy purchasing things for the house - the last thing on our list is window coverings - apparently we are exhibitionists as we never did get window coverings for our condo and we still haven't put anything up other than some temporary paper blinds in the bathroom. roller shades are next and last on our shopping list. once that's done we will be out of money. round 1 of spending a lot is coming to a close. i think round 2 will come around december...
in the meantime, we wait for the deficiencies to be fixed and enjoy having triple the space, pretty surroundings and that new-house smell. mmm!
06 June 2008
she's baaack...again...
the girl who bought our condo asked if she could come back again for more measuring. after she was finished, she asked if we had sold our buffet/sideboard yet. we told her that we decided to keep it because we found a place for it in our new home - we were pretty sure it would fit in the kitchen and planned on painting it to match the cupboards. we had grandiose plans for it, we did. she begged us to sell it to her; she's been searching all over and can't find anything like it. after a bit of contemplating (we were pretty set on keeping it), we said okay. one less thing to move! yay!
i wanted to say "i told you so," but bit my tongue...
i wanted to say "i told you so," but bit my tongue...
05 June 2008
update #3
appliances galore! they're here - or there, should i say? regardless, we have them! the fridge is bigger than we thought it would be, which is a bonus.
the entrance is finished. tiles are done, drywall is up. garage is drywalled. second coat of paint is finished in the entire house (except first floor) and trim has first coat. fireplace mantle is in. kitchen and bathroom faucets are in. thermostat is in, as are all the light fixtures.
what's left? banisters need to be stained...cabinets still need doors...pot lights...carpet in two rooms and two flights of stairs...so close yet so far!
and i was mistaken, our home inspection is scheduled for june 10, which is tuesday - one day earlier than i thought. we've decided to not go back to see it until then, mostly because the first floor banister got ripped out of the wall, we think when the appliances were brought in. we don't want them to accuse of us wrecking stuff (again), so we will just wait. ieeee!!!!
the entrance is finished. tiles are done, drywall is up. garage is drywalled. second coat of paint is finished in the entire house (except first floor) and trim has first coat. fireplace mantle is in. kitchen and bathroom faucets are in. thermostat is in, as are all the light fixtures.
what's left? banisters need to be stained...cabinets still need doors...pot lights...carpet in two rooms and two flights of stairs...so close yet so far!
and i was mistaken, our home inspection is scheduled for june 10, which is tuesday - one day earlier than i thought. we've decided to not go back to see it until then, mostly because the first floor banister got ripped out of the wall, we think when the appliances were brought in. we don't want them to accuse of us wrecking stuff (again), so we will just wait. ieeee!!!!
03 June 2008
update #2
we went back to visit our new house. right from the beginning, there was an octagonal window that was a bit off. we pointed out that the window was not installed properly since it wasn't symmetrical on all sides. the builder kept promising to fix it, but they put in insulation around the crooked window, drywalled around the crooked window, then installed trim around the crooked window. we brought it up one last time on sunday, and when we went today, it was fixed! they actually ripped out the window and put it back in, this time straight. yay!
the first floor was being finished when we went (as of sunday there was no drywall, which is what they were doing today) and they added all the banisters/railings. grout in the ensuite was finished and the granite countertops were caulked. slowly, but surely!
our home inspection is scheduled for next wednesday, june 11! we get the keys on june 12, and then moving day is friday the 13th. good thing i'm not superstitious...
the first floor was being finished when we went (as of sunday there was no drywall, which is what they were doing today) and they added all the banisters/railings. grout in the ensuite was finished and the granite countertops were caulked. slowly, but surely!
our home inspection is scheduled for next wednesday, june 11! we get the keys on june 12, and then moving day is friday the 13th. good thing i'm not superstitious...
01 June 2008
updates
as if i didn't think things could get busier...they did.
work-wise, i've been putting in a lot of 12-hour days, facilitating training sessions, preparing for two upcoming exam sessions, writing performance reviews, conducting interviews for september hires, rehearsals for accompanying gigs, and hosting and playing in a faculty concert last friday.
home-wise, we are busy packing our lives into neatly labeled boxes, while visiting our new house on a regular basis. technically it's not ours yet, so i guess we are intruding, but politely. i'm pretty sure the security company has a picture of the two of us, with the words "the enemy" underneath. most of the tradesmen don't seem to mind, with the exception of the tile guy. he told us that when we walk on the freshly laid tiles and ruin the job, it won't be his fault - as if we're stupid enough to walk on freshly laid tiles. he probably doesn't know that we've had our kitchen tiles re-done enough times to know the rules.
so with the new place, the hardwood floors havebbeen laid down...kitchen and bathroom cabinets are in, but cabinet doors aren't yet installed...island is half assembled...granite countertop (kitchen) and marble vanity (bathroom) are both in...first coat of paint is done...trim, crown moulding and baseboards are almost all done with the exception the top two floors...patio floor is down. excitement! they keep reassuring us that they will be ready in time, a good thing considering we're supposed to move in less than two weeks...
but just in case, don't be surprised if we show up on your front step on june 16 (when our condo closes) looking for a place to crash...
work-wise, i've been putting in a lot of 12-hour days, facilitating training sessions, preparing for two upcoming exam sessions, writing performance reviews, conducting interviews for september hires, rehearsals for accompanying gigs, and hosting and playing in a faculty concert last friday.
home-wise, we are busy packing our lives into neatly labeled boxes, while visiting our new house on a regular basis. technically it's not ours yet, so i guess we are intruding, but politely. i'm pretty sure the security company has a picture of the two of us, with the words "the enemy" underneath. most of the tradesmen don't seem to mind, with the exception of the tile guy. he told us that when we walk on the freshly laid tiles and ruin the job, it won't be his fault - as if we're stupid enough to walk on freshly laid tiles. he probably doesn't know that we've had our kitchen tiles re-done enough times to know the rules.
so with the new place, the hardwood floors havebbeen laid down...kitchen and bathroom cabinets are in, but cabinet doors aren't yet installed...island is half assembled...granite countertop (kitchen) and marble vanity (bathroom) are both in...first coat of paint is done...trim, crown moulding and baseboards are almost all done with the exception the top two floors...patio floor is down. excitement! they keep reassuring us that they will be ready in time, a good thing considering we're supposed to move in less than two weeks...
but just in case, don't be surprised if we show up on your front step on june 16 (when our condo closes) looking for a place to crash...
22 May 2008
re: freedom
wowee.
the writers have been alluding to alex's story all season, and it finally comes out. his performance was amazing, from his anger at izzie (he called her a stupid bitch! ha! take that!) to his desperation at the end. he felt he could fix rebecca...i'm assuming he didn't fix his mom either, but he just blamed it on his youth and inexperience at the time. his past has come back to haunt him, just like meredith's. i thought rebecca had slit her wrists in the shower, so i totally KNEW when he put down the knife and walked out of the kitchen, it wouldn't be a good scene when he returned. by the way, for a surgeon, i thought he'd slice tomatoes a lot more neatly. fantastic symbolism when meredith was cleaning up the blood later...
george. it's like the chief was just waiting for george to stand up for himself and demand that he take the intern test again. i can't see him holding george back based on one measly point. george has played into the role perfectly up to this point, thinking that his role as the chief's intern is important and meaningful, and should be considered an honour. he has been running around being everyone's lackey, but lexie helped him realize that he's better than that.
speaking of lexie, i love that she tried to have a coy, elevator moment with alex, but failed miserably. in typical, clumsy grey (thatch) fashion! at least she has george now; it makes sense, she is the grey that will be right for georgie. i do have to say, that guy gets around.
cristina needed the sparkle pager to get out of her funk and now she's back! i'm glad that the chief finally approached hahn about her ridiculous behaviour. i'm surprised it took so long, considering it's a "teaching hospital" - that was such a big focus in seasons past, and was pushed aside this season. stupid hahn. speaking of which, i really don't like the hahn-torres storyline. i guess torres can be bi-sexual, because...well, i'm not going to finish that sentence.
throughout these clinical trials, each time the patient has been introduced, you really want the virus to work. it never did, and you knew it wouldn't, but there was always that glimmer of hope. this time it worked, but you knew it would only be for one of the two patients. sigh.
funny moments...when izzie was trying to explain to meredith about rebecca's state and how she was worried. i loved her imitation of alex nudging her to eat! when cristina paged lexie to hand her the banana, and lexie said with a cringe, "would you like me to...peel it for you?". and when derek fished the champagne bottle out of the garbage, and cristina said "THAT'S not sanitary"...ha!
of course you know what i'm saving for last. i am SO happy this wasn't a cliff-hanger. for one very scary moment, i thought that all the happy couples would be embracing while the music swells, and meredith would be waiting at the trailer and derek would be at her house. i imagined the split screen with looks of sadness on mer and der's faces, but yay! it was a fairy tale moment for our favourite couple. the candle house was the perfect way to end it. one rant...how come every character in a tv show/movie that wishes to create ambiance through candles just HAPPENS to have 100 candles of the same colour/type (in this case, exactly the same holder too) in their back pocket? yeesh. anyway, if this glorious, happy ending is the writers' way of apologizing for the strike, then they are forgiven. just don't let it happen again, okay?
the writers have been alluding to alex's story all season, and it finally comes out. his performance was amazing, from his anger at izzie (he called her a stupid bitch! ha! take that!) to his desperation at the end. he felt he could fix rebecca...i'm assuming he didn't fix his mom either, but he just blamed it on his youth and inexperience at the time. his past has come back to haunt him, just like meredith's. i thought rebecca had slit her wrists in the shower, so i totally KNEW when he put down the knife and walked out of the kitchen, it wouldn't be a good scene when he returned. by the way, for a surgeon, i thought he'd slice tomatoes a lot more neatly. fantastic symbolism when meredith was cleaning up the blood later...
george. it's like the chief was just waiting for george to stand up for himself and demand that he take the intern test again. i can't see him holding george back based on one measly point. george has played into the role perfectly up to this point, thinking that his role as the chief's intern is important and meaningful, and should be considered an honour. he has been running around being everyone's lackey, but lexie helped him realize that he's better than that.
speaking of lexie, i love that she tried to have a coy, elevator moment with alex, but failed miserably. in typical, clumsy grey (thatch) fashion! at least she has george now; it makes sense, she is the grey that will be right for georgie. i do have to say, that guy gets around.
cristina needed the sparkle pager to get out of her funk and now she's back! i'm glad that the chief finally approached hahn about her ridiculous behaviour. i'm surprised it took so long, considering it's a "teaching hospital" - that was such a big focus in seasons past, and was pushed aside this season. stupid hahn. speaking of which, i really don't like the hahn-torres storyline. i guess torres can be bi-sexual, because...well, i'm not going to finish that sentence.
throughout these clinical trials, each time the patient has been introduced, you really want the virus to work. it never did, and you knew it wouldn't, but there was always that glimmer of hope. this time it worked, but you knew it would only be for one of the two patients. sigh.
funny moments...when izzie was trying to explain to meredith about rebecca's state and how she was worried. i loved her imitation of alex nudging her to eat! when cristina paged lexie to hand her the banana, and lexie said with a cringe, "would you like me to...peel it for you?". and when derek fished the champagne bottle out of the garbage, and cristina said "THAT'S not sanitary"...ha!
of course you know what i'm saving for last. i am SO happy this wasn't a cliff-hanger. for one very scary moment, i thought that all the happy couples would be embracing while the music swells, and meredith would be waiting at the trailer and derek would be at her house. i imagined the split screen with looks of sadness on mer and der's faces, but yay! it was a fairy tale moment for our favourite couple. the candle house was the perfect way to end it. one rant...how come every character in a tv show/movie that wishes to create ambiance through candles just HAPPENS to have 100 candles of the same colour/type (in this case, exactly the same holder too) in their back pocket? yeesh. anyway, if this glorious, happy ending is the writers' way of apologizing for the strike, then they are forgiven. just don't let it happen again, okay?
19 May 2008
my new favourite blog...
the grey's anatomy writers have started a new blog called "the intern". it's supposed to be written by, yup, you guessed it, one of the interns, steve. it's by far the best character blog they have, save for the grammatical errors. try to overlook the "excepted" instead of "accepted," the changing of "shut down" to be one word, the unnecessary capitalizing "zzzs" in the middle of a sentence...i could go on, but i won't. maybe they're doing it on purpose to make it seem more realistic. that's what i'll keep telling myself, because i can't fathom by a writer would make grammatical errors. most doctors don't make mistakes prescribing medication, right? well, according to one of my co-workers, apparently not (he was prescribed medication for parkinson's disease instead of a sinus infection. they are recouping his lost wages because he had to take two days off work due to difficulty breathing and a ridiculously high fever). but, i digress.
reasons why the intern blog great?:
>i think this guy has a bigger crush on mcdreamy than i do. and that's saying something.
>the different names of mcdreamy's fan clubs are alone are worth it: "derek is my shepherd"? "we triple heart mcdreamy"?! priceless.
>this intern has respect for his resident. unlike all of izzie's interns - although i would have a hard time respecting izzie too - he knows his place in the pecking order and thinks of cristina accordingly.
>this blog somehow seems less contrived than the other character blogs. i'm not sure why.
so go, read it (yes, it's worth two hyperlinks in the same blog). and enjoy.
reasons why the intern blog great?:
>i think this guy has a bigger crush on mcdreamy than i do. and that's saying something.
>the different names of mcdreamy's fan clubs are alone are worth it: "derek is my shepherd"? "we triple heart mcdreamy"?! priceless.
>this intern has respect for his resident. unlike all of izzie's interns - although i would have a hard time respecting izzie too - he knows his place in the pecking order and thinks of cristina accordingly.
>this blog somehow seems less contrived than the other character blogs. i'm not sure why.
so go, read it (yes, it's worth two hyperlinks in the same blog). and enjoy.
16 May 2008
re: losing my mind
did you notice when greta (the tumour patient) was talking about how there's nothing better than being with the person that you love, derek stole a glance at meredith. greta's situation is a metaphor for mer and der's love...derek was convinced that andre existed, that love like that is possible, while meredith was skeptical. it seemed that in the end, the nay-sayers won, but then andre showed up! yay! i can't imagine being told that something that i think is real actually isn't - the sad part is that greta believed them and conceded to the fact that andre was a symptom of her tumour. but you KNOW she's going to wake up and you KNOW they'll be toasting her amazing survival when they pop that bottle of champagne. and you KNOW what will happen once the champagne is popped...happiness!
while i'm happy meredith is making progress (albeit, it's a bit of a volatile kind of headway), i don't like how she just barges into dr. wyatt's office whenever she feels like it. and how did she know she was in the bathroom? who does she think she is?
and hahn and torres?!?! i KNEW hahn was a lezbo, but torres? you can tell she's totally thinking about it...weirrrrd. i just don't know how i feel about that.
ava is so crazy. why does she think she's pretty, her forehead is about as big as the northwest territories. and how does izzie have perfectly curled hair being the busy, sleep-deprived resident she is? at least meredith's hair looks terrible - still being consistent with my theory about her happiness having a direct co-relation with her hair. that, by the way, was my first foray into blogging about grey's. look how far we've come.
while i'm happy meredith is making progress (albeit, it's a bit of a volatile kind of headway), i don't like how she just barges into dr. wyatt's office whenever she feels like it. and how did she know she was in the bathroom? who does she think she is?
and hahn and torres?!?! i KNEW hahn was a lezbo, but torres? you can tell she's totally thinking about it...weirrrrd. i just don't know how i feel about that.
ava is so crazy. why does she think she's pretty, her forehead is about as big as the northwest territories. and how does izzie have perfectly curled hair being the busy, sleep-deprived resident she is? at least meredith's hair looks terrible - still being consistent with my theory about her happiness having a direct co-relation with her hair. that, by the way, was my first foray into blogging about grey's. look how far we've come.
13 May 2008
wuv...i'm in wuv...
my latest crush is sarah richardson. she has two tv shows on HGTV - sarah's house and design inc. i love her.
that's all.
that's all.
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