Archive for 2009

Looking forward to 2010

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

I don’t do resolutions, never really have, never really want to.

But I do have some goals for the next 365-ish days.  Mostly broad and generalized, some more personal and not-really-for-the-public, and some just… why the hell not, right?

Things I’m certain I’m going to do:

Dec 31st-Jan 1st, Party like it’s on sale for $19.99
What can I say, I <3 Badur’s NYE parties, I’m even willing to (sort of) get dressed up for them!

In April (Easter Weekend), go to Dallas Suscon 2010.
I’ve already got accommodations and car rentals figured out thanks to Mister, so it’s just my flight and the funds I need to really work on, which shouldn’t be too difficult.

By around May/June-ish, pay off the car.
My parents technically paid for the car for me last May/June-ish, they took money out of their line of credit to pay for the car in cash, and I paid back about 65% of it within a week or so.  The other 35% plus interest has been split up over the year so by this time it should be 100% mine. Then I can start saving for other big ticket items (mostly… a house.)

Around November, go visit family in Hong Kong.
Not really sure how that will work out, but I want at least a week-ish (almost two if I can swing it) to go to Hong Kong, and maybe China.  I haven’t been to Hong Kong since grade 7 when I was 12, so it’s a bit over-due for a visit, especially with the not-so-good health of my grandfather on my mom’s side.

Throughout the year, Blog more.
After the last post it seems that I don’t really blog much, especially since signing up for Twitter. Which makes the last post more difficult to write, and generally makes me forget about what I have accomplished within the year.

Things I really really really want to do/stick to:

Going to the gym more.  Is that even surprising? Isn’t that on everyone’s list? Although I seem to have a better goal at the same time, and that’s to get camera guy going to the gym as well.  And I seem to do well with projects.  He’s my project. Which may include me having gym memberships at two different gyms, but we’ll figure it all out.

Going out more (but not spending a lot of money doing it.)  I think this is mostly going to be photography adventures with camera guy.  He wants to work on his photography, as do I, and in order to do that we need to get off our butts & go out & shoot!  Need to find some awesome locations, or figure out how to make ordinary locations awesome.

Be more upfront with how I want things to be.  I’ve gotten pretty tired of people… for lack of better term… using me, physically, mentally, financially, so this is my first attempt at having it end here.  If someone pisses me off, I tell them straight away they’re pissing me off.  If I think someone’s trying to rip me off, I’ll tell them they’re being assholes and to stay the hell away from my wallet.  Those are the only two examples I can think of.

Become more financially independent.  Guitar Hero Boy is supposed to help me with this.  Apparently I’ve got all the “Saving money” bits down, now it’s just the “investing wisely” bits I need help with.  What’s fun is the fact that I really like talking about this kind of stuff.  He really likes talking about this stuff.  And I think he’s all sorts of happy that I don’t do the eyes-glaze-over thing when he starts going on and on about it.

Things that would be ideal but… I’m already not sure it’s really going to happen.

Getting tattooed.  I’ve run out of real estate that I can tattoo that my mom won’t find out about.  And I’m still living at home, I want to respect her wishes in that I not get tattooed (which… I guess I already broke) but visible work will likely have to wait til after I get my own place and move out.

Win the lottery.  This would include purchasing lottery tickets… which I generally don’t do.  I do sometimes because it’s fun to dream when there’s a super duper big pot but most of the time? Meh, I’ve got better things to spend my $3.00 on.

Looking back at 2009

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

The one thing I noticed while writing this post is… I probably need to blog more, to remember more of the year. I feel like I accomplished much more than what is listed here, but this is all I have really to reference.

So… what’s up for next year? Not sure yet. Tune in tomorrow?

Oh, and I signed up for formspring.me because I thought it’d be a cool thing to add.  Check the side-bar to ask me any question you want and I’ll do my best to give you an answer! (Please refrain from asking about advanced calculus or fractals… you probably won’t get any answer that will make sense at that point!)

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-26

Saturday, December 26th, 2009
  • Who's got two thumbs and spent way too long yesterday picking up two 1.5tb HDD's to build into a desktop tower? This chick :-) ZOMG. PURR!!! #
  • Blech after dentist visit yesterday my gums and my ear are both swollen. And ouchy. And I normally like going to the dentist. Blarg I says!! #
  • Why would a customer un-check "Ship FedEx," select "Customer pick up" then get mad when I can't ship anymore becuz they didn't pay shipping? #
  • It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! It's here! <3 you Chez! And you too @thinkgeek! :-) ) #
  • Bwahaha. I tell my Boss "Hey, your best friend wants to know something" He looks at his right hand and asks it "So what did you want?" #IMMD #
  • experimenting with epicness. Just farmville'ed on a mac mini hooked up to a 46" HDTV…with a QWERTY FTW cake in the freezer…just cuz. :-) #
  • worries for the state of humanity when @terryogaki decides its a good idea to dress up in multi-boxes to be the boxing day mascot OMGWTFBBQ! #
  • is "working" in a computer store today… and was just asked for rolling hair-removal wax… and for hair straightener. Srsly?!? OMGWTFBBQ?? #
  • just realized that in the span of 7 days she spent just around $1,031 on computer stuff…erm…and nothing was even boxing day sales. Oops! #

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Why I like where I work…

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

I need something to post on Christmas eve…

Now with the advent of the live-chat at my work for tech support, I can very easily blog about some of the customers that come through here with a few simple clicks rather than trying to type verbatim what they were saying/screaming over the phone.

Like this guy… who doesn’t like me, and has stated this on many occasions, to me, to my coworkers, to the general voice-mail box because no one else will listen to him.  Actually… it’s easier to just explain this guy by pointing to my previous post about him.  There may be plenty more posts about this guy before I’ll ever be through.

While I can very obviously read between the lines and the note of sarcasm in the last post from the customer, my coworker insists that I should just take it at face value as a compliment.  No matter how I take this conversation… I’m giggling like a little school girl over here.  Too freaking funny.

Oh, and while I’m at it, everything typed is as the customer and I typed it, except for deleting extra lines and adding a few punctuation marks.  Also he mis-spelled the shipping company name 3 times, 3 different ways… which is impressive since he only mentioned them 4 times.

14:15 **CUSTOMER** has joined the chat.
14:16 **CUSTOMER**: when you ship by **SHIPPING_COMPANY** if the box is going to business or home, and no one is there, will **SHIPPING_COMPANY** leave a delivery slip and try again next day
14:16 Angela: i don’t know  that’s up to **SHIPPING_COMPANY**
14:17 Angela: sometimes they try again.  sometimes they leave it.  i think it depends on the building.  some businesses have rules for leaving packages, others don’t.
14:17 **CUSTOMER**: we you are using **SHIPPING_COMPANY** and you are doing the shipping – do’nt you think that you should find out
14:17 Angela: it depends on who is receiving
14:18 Angela: most of the time they take it back and try again the next day.  but some companies have notes saying “please leave packages with so and so”.  and they’ll follow those instructions.  i can’t control what another company does
14:18 **CUSTOMER**: I amd talking about **SHIPPING_COMPANY** rules with your company.   the house is closed and the businessis close – what will **SHIPPING_COMPANY** do?
14:18 Angela: **SHIPPING_COMPANY** picks up from us at 4:45pm every day… that’s all i know about our arrangements.
14:19 Angela: if there are no instructions **SHIPPING_COMPANY** will take it back and try again.  if there are instructions to leave it somewhere they’ll leave it
14:20 **CUSTOMER**: you truely are amazing at times
14:20 **CUSTOMER** has left the chat.

(Heart) the Holidays, (un-heart) the Holiday Shopping

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

So it’s very obviously that time of year again where commercialism hits. And this year is new and awkward for me.

After two years of being with someone who perpetually was unable to save his pay cheque for more than 48 hours, hanging out with someone (remember, “it’s complicated”!) who can budget enough to have money for when we go out somewhere, is definitely just a strange feeling.

Stranger still, is that we’re doing a holiday gift exchange… and while I already know that (if it arrives on time) he’ll <3 what I’m getting him… I also know that I’m getting something in return that I will equally <3. (Someone forgot to hide said present & I accidentally tripped over it during an evening visit :P )

Which brings me to… I’ve always felt warm & fuzzy inside giving people gifts I know they’ll enjoy. I don’t do it to get something in return, because trust me if I did, I would probably have never given anyone anything.  This is the first time, ever, that someone’s bothered to pay attention to my inane ramblings and figure out what I’d want as a gift in return.

I’m confused.

How does this work?

I’ve never received gifts well, because I’ve never really received anything that would be something I truly would want.

My parents and I haven’t exchanged gifts really in years.  I believe this year besides the two gift-cards already in my wallet (since my mom doesn’t go to those restaurants and I would) I’m getting a chap-stick.  Previous years have included more chap-stick, nail clippers, snow globes and stuffed animals that I’ve re-gifted to other people.  My dad doesn’t get me anything.  I get them both a handful of cash to go spend at the casino or to go out for dinner. (As I do with any major “Holiday”)  Although this year I’m getting my mom a netbook to surf the internet with (well… she’s getting my old one while I go buy myself a new one, heh.) and my dad’s getting a GPS so he can stop complaining how I have the family GPS in my car all the time (because I’m the one who uses it most often… since he’s out of the country on average 6 months out of every year.)

My friends generally don’t bother with Christmas gifts for each other, there used to be the tradition of everyone piling together into an apartment and ordering Chinese food & generally just hanging out & watching movies for the day instead.  The gift of good times is as good a gift as any I suppose, but there’s just something missing when there’s no wrapping paper to tear off a package. (I think that’s my most favourite part)

The worst example of this is my last boyfriend who decided to get me a matching ring & necklace for Christmas last year… which was pretty… but very little thought was put into the gift.  Because I’ve never worn a necklace or a ring around him, because I don’t like wearing rings or necklaces. I dislike flowers (which is what the theme on this jewelry set was) and the real kicker in the end was the ring didn’t fit a single one of my fingers… and I ended up being allergic to the metal in the necklace, which gave me an unsightly rash… and it was the only thing I’d received in two years? Where I’ve gifted countless video games, gaming add-ons, table-top figurines, clothes, food and meals out… which to this day I never really felt appreciated for.  But I think I’ve ranted on about that enough by now.

So for once I’m actually getting excited about the holidays, because I’m getting to give gifts to people I care about… and while it sounds super selfish… I know I’m getting gifts that I’m going to like and are useful to me!

Edit: Blarg, the post kept thinking my <3 and </3 were HTML tags and tried to link the text in my entry so I had to edit it! Boo-urns I says.