Just started doing volunteering work at the local hospital and we’ve been tasked to do several things already. From looking after the gift store to pushing cpu cart from one department to another and also working in the cafeteria. I loved doing this a couple of hours every week – the only thing I don’t like doing is going up on the wards. Helping out at the doctor’s office or filing in the administrative office and even at the carpark – I have no problems at all. The reason why I don’t like helping out in the wards is because I don’t want to do anything wrong or bump into a patient and I don’t know how to answer their questions. So for now – I’m happy to be doing all the easy work. I think it is a priviledge to volunteer at the hospital – gives me a sense of giving back to society.
Joe
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Joe is my beetle – my car and thinking back I never thought I would own my car outright because back home buying a car was pretty expensive and like they say at home that it’s more expensive to own a car than to feed a wife and a few kids. Yes, the crazy COE (Certificate of Entitlement) that one has to buy before owning your own car. Well, actually – the huge amount of taxes incurred is to discouraged people to own their own car as home is a small place and the government is trying to reduce pollution.
Anyhow, Joe had been with me for many years now and he had ferried my kids to and fro to school and to music lessons as well as tae-kwon-do lessons. When I bought Joe – I didn’t want a girlie car because of my kids – I didn’t want to embarrass my kids – so I bought a car that I was comfortable with but not a girlie color. I also did not dress Joe up or go crazy with stuff animals like some of my friends did with their cars. But it is about time Joe retires and I get another car as for the last few years – we have been paying a lot to keep Joe in shape and so much so – I’m getting worried about bringing Joe out on long drive to the city.
I’m not sentimental about my car but Joe had afterall, served us for many years and seen me thru’ my good days and bad ones – Joe also faithfully kept me warm while I wait for the spouse’s plane to land everytime he had a long trip. I’ve spilled coffee on Joe and he never complained and although I’m OCD at home, I’m quite relax with Joe and not too worried about getting Joe dirty with soccer shoes or snow boots from the kids. But all good things must come to an end and I’ve asked the spouse to bring Joe to the garage as soon as we found me another trusty friend on the road. Good bye Joe – you have been a good friend.
I’ve been in Canada for so long – this must be the mildest winter ever. We didn’t have a lot of snow like other places around Nova Scotia and I’m not complaining at all. In fact, I’m hoping that it will continue to be spring weather right up to it is ready to change to Spring weather now that would be perfect. We did get freezing rain and slushy the other day but not bad, bad weather, if you know what I mean.
While my youngest wants some snow – so that she can go sledding with her friends and classmates – we hope not. We hate to disappoint her but who wants them all stuck at home with no school due to bad weather right?
Sunday nights are game nights for the entire family, there will be no cleaning, no cooking and no laundry, just gaming night for the entire family – a chance for us to get together and do something together. This had been going on for a year now and the reason why is because I decided that we all have got to be in the same room at least once a day doing the same thing and enjoying each others company – in another word – bonding. It’s an attempt on my part to stay close together and since the spouse is very much into gaming when he is in town, I made the kids get into gaming so that they cannot complained that their dad don’t spend enough time with them. Currently, their favorite is the call of duty modern warfare 3 xbox 360 game and even though it’s a mature game – my kids are aware that this is just a game and not to be acted upon in real life.
So what about the cleaning, laundry and cooking that day – well, my housework is done on a weekday and so is the laundry, as for the food – we order a pizza or some Chinese take out on the weekends since the kids eat in every day during weekdays. So does the kids enjoy gaming on the xbox 360 with their dad, yes – very much and even though they mostly don’t win, they do enjoy gaming with their dad and that’s the best part of it.
Well, sometimes! because online friends can turn scary on you. Can you have real friendship with your online friends? I truly don’t think so – I think online friendships are pretty platonic as far as I am concern. I had this online friend who would complain about just anyone who was doing better than she was and would try to sabotage them. At first I trusted her opinion and even followed her blindly and dislike the people she dislike. Little did I know that the online friend had a secret agenda. And of course, I had another online friend who seems quite an honest person but I was wrong, she kept writing to me asking me to loan her money. Not that I don’t have any money to loan her and not that I cannot afford to lose the money but boy! the hounding for money every couple of weeks for a year can get quite scary. So for those who have online friends, I strongly suggest you stay platonic as long as you can – you never know what the other person is thinking on the other end of the computer – for all you know that person may have horns and you can’t see it coz’ you are just online friends.
I’ve always loved Bak Kua even when I was living in Asia and now that I’m not in Asia, of course I craved for it when the Chinese New Year season is round the corner. I think moreso during the festive season, for the Chinese New Year is a huge festival in Asia. Someone asked me the other day if I missed home and I have to say that I missed the food more than the place. If they had a mini Hong Kong or mini Asia in Canada, I think I’m all set.
Bak Kua comes in various flavor and sizes – many varieties to choose from and during the Chinese New Year season, folks would queue up for hours at the most popular Bak Kua store and wait for a few boxes of Bak Kua for gifts and personal consumption during Chinese New Year. Lucky for me – the spouse travels a lot around Canada and United States, so I got my munchies for the new year from Vancouver and they are certainly not cheap at all. about $25 for 1Ibs of meat jerky – my grandmother would have flipped. Not everyone is as lucky as I am to be able to afford something so small and so expensive, I am really grateful for my life here in Canada and a good spouse.
Yes! the party is finally over and it’s time to call our favorite carpet cleaning apex nc for a good clean up to start the new year. I prefer to get the professionals to clean my carpet after a huge party because they do a really good job and they are affordable too, I find carpet cleaning on your own is too time consuming and you need to have the right weather to dry up your carpet if you don’t have the equipment to do it. But with a professional carpet cleaning service they have the huge heater to dry up your carpet after cleaning up – therefore, you won’t be left with wet carpet which in my mom’s opinion can get one sick if they are not dried properly.
I’m exhausted after hosting a christmas dinner with the family and then a new year’s party for the spouse and his friends – so I’m glad we have a carpet cleanign pro to come help us with the carpet cleaning else I won’t know where to begin with the cleaning. Time to get back to the daily routine after the carpet cleaning and putting away all the party stuff.
2011 is almost coming to an end and I asked myself if I’ve made good for the year? or did I make any new endings for 2011. Well, the spouse made more money than he did last year and saving more too – better planning with money but I still feel that he is spending too much on games and toys that he doesn’t need at all.
I’m still trying to hold on to my past – and that’s not good at all – I really have to learn to let go and forgive myself but I dared to change this year and let go of some worthless friendship in my life. I also learned to take care of my own first but I still got a long way to go – to try and take more care of myself. I want to learn to enjoy my life a bit more and not think all the time of making money and paying bills and saving for rainy days. Making new endings is my new year resolution for 2012 – what is yours?
Las Vegas is a great place for Christmas even with kids – as I typed my friend in Los Angeles is heading out there today bringing her kids and her nephew and nieces there. The hotel they are staying in has pool gates and most holiday homes in Las Vegas also have pool fence – so that parents need not worry about toddlers heading to the pool by themselves and dropping in them accidentally. Therefore, pool fence las vegas must be a pretty busy company because they do the pool gates and fences for lots of family with children.
I would loved to head to Las Vegas with my kids too – although they are not toddlers – but we had no trouble bringing them there when they were younger because Las Vegas has become quite family oriented and not just about casinos. So if you are thinking of visiting Vegas for a holiday – don’t worry about not having things your children can do because there are plenty and most holiday rentals have their pool fence up. Plenty of shops too in Vegas – and plenty of eateries.
It’s the end of the year bonus time for the spouse – and I look forward to that every year – because i can use that extra money to buy gold bars for investment into our future or old age – as some of my besties loved to say. You never know what the future may hold and I don’t want to be a burden to my kids when I’m old and feeble and need assistance. Plus I love buying gold bars because I can always resell it if I need money badly, these days having a fixed deposit in the bank don’t mean much. Why? look at the miserable interest or returns they give us and when we buy a house – the mortgage’s interest are at exorbitant prices – which is crazy. So I rather buy gold bars and invest in gold – because the returns are a lot higher that’s for sure. What do my other friends do with their spouse’s bonus? well, many would go out and splurge and buy themselves a Hermes handbag or even a diamond ring or bracelet – to each their own I guess and I’m not going to judge them – but I know I am making a wise investment here.