Meet My Unicorn

"You're in danger of being replaced by a prerecorded muzak tape."
~ Gregory on Jonathan Goldstein's WireTap


Crazy busy at work. Very stressed out about year end. And there's so much to do. Morgan is picking things up really fast and tries to relieve the prevalent doom cloud over my head. She drew me my very own unicorn. Other people's stratgies: lining up chocolates next to their "RUSH" files. I have been abusing the comma.

Life outside of work has been eventful too. Must update with details later. UADC 50th Anniversary celebrations with Top Hat tomorrow. But really just looking forward to a nice, long sleep. O.k! Back to work!

Everyone's doing it!

Next set of CGA classes have started. This time Auditing 2. Teacher has the right idea - candies for participation! I speak up more than usual. Found out that both Morgan and Grace from work are working towards their CGA. Extra motivation to get this done (need all that I can get).

Took off part of yesterday to go with Mom to have her mammography and bone density exam. Uncomfortable reminders of mortality. Parents are getting older. People can die at any time. One should live life fully. Sat in sectioned off waiting rooms, filled out forms, and waited... Mom scolds Dad for falling asleep with his mouth open (no dentures in sight), which I leads me to giggles. It all seemed so absurd. All the initial scans turn out o.k.

Tip Tip and Lidia's lunchtime discussion about their grown-up daughters reminds me of some elaborate game. Not totally unlike some of the (what I thought was stupid) rules / advice on dating. Don't call them too often. Let them call you. Make them appreciate the time they have with you. Thinking again that I should appreciate Mom more. But often too irritated to even be in the same room. All much, much too complicated.

Finally made the call to a physiotherapist. Yes. It took a while. And to jump on another bandwagon joined Facebook.

In-House competition in less than 3 days. Too many nerves.

A birthday kind of weekend

As proclaimed by "She Who Must Be Obeyed Stephanie" there was cake. Tuxedo cake. Spice cake. Carrot cake. Lots of cake! And fudge (made by Simony). A nice gathering of people for Stephanie's Birthday Eve. I arrived late and missed Anne by moments, but she left JP (Just Pig), who had lots of fun in the fudge. (Thank you Anne! He's adorable!) Sliver by sliver, we made signficant dents in the cakes.

Rutherford Tea House for High Tea the next day. Anne, Sophie, Stephanie, Rem, Clair, and I drank tea and traded goodies. One spiced shortbread cookie for a brownie? How about the caramel chocolate triangle for a gingersnap? Hm... raspberry butter...

Lots of sun and warmth made the Saturday even more beautiful. The snow was melting, and I thought about going without the big jacket.

Headed over to Catherine's next. Christa has been scoping out condos on the web. We talk. I get discouraged. Then found out that neither Catherine nor Jaclyn have seen Amelie. Well then, isn't it perfect that I just happen to have it here in my bag? We sit down and watch. I guess I should have warned them about the birth scene... we were kind of eating dinner.

The movie was almost better than I remembered it. Trish wondered if we were watching a video game (the soundtrack she said had a "SuperMario" quality). I tried to watch their faces as my favourite scenes came up, but was too drawn to the screen. Were they confused? Horrorified? At the end, Jaclyn said I was weird. But at least she could tell her friend she saw that movie with the talking pig lamp. I was inspired to decorate - all in the Amelie colour tones... oh, I need a gnome. Catherine sits with me, and we watched the special features.

Almost forgot the private lesson with Delphine on Sunday. First one with Kenny. Managed to bus down just in time. Again, amazed by how much easier moves can be when done properly. She fixed our routines! O.k. now we have to practice.

Planning things with Theresa just seems a little more aggrevating. Maybe she thinks the same about me. Many phone calls back and forth today, and it is official. In less than one month, I have a date with a mouse... a very ugly mouse (a statement that will probably haunt me - at the rate of poetic justice). Celina's birthday party will be held at Chuck E Cheese. I feel a developing cloud of foreboding.

Alternate Endings

"I've got my files. I've got my red pen. I'm ready to extend my way to ecstasy." ~ Morgan

Usually when you hear growling, one should step away. I however peeked into the filing cabinets to see what was going on. Finding that it was Janet, I ducked back behind the partition. She is one powerful woman, and I don't want to be in her path if she growling. Though I rationally know nothing would happen. Other news in work: a turn for the better! Morgan joined our team. She's fun. A bit (a lot?) sarcastic... so I'm not entirely sure if she finds me funny... or just um... crazy. But we get along so far. And I look forward to getting rid of some files!

I did think after the exam that I would get some sleep... but really... I've been rotting my brain on stuff such as listening to Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City. Liked it infinitely more than Lipstick Jungle. Both worlds were unbelievable - but had some pretty strong female characters. I think I can understand the appeal of the show... hm... did they do one on "Bicycle Boys"?

Friday Feast, at Erik's turned into quite the event. Beth and I called Erik from the grocery store ahead of time to see what was needed. A cry of "Cheese!" from the background let me know that Rem was there. And when we got there, found there was also the (in)famous Cam. Was waiting for a "Cam Fact"... but it didn't seem to materialise. Drunk on dark hot chocolate, and some awesome comfort food (I declined on a "salad" that was made of coolwhip and something green), we retired to Erik's living room. A review of the shelf revealed some very interesting games (one of which had the potential to help broaden my vocabulary "street" style). And then it was the moment of truth: Karoke! In a word: fun! So they chalked up my excitement to being Asian, but before long, everyone (sans Jen - "I do not give into peer pressure") was singing. Some "Red Red Wine" for Michael, and a "Son of a Preacher Man" for Beth... Steph, Beth, and I declared "Girls just Wanna have Fun". Some of us danced with our avatars. And someone got to play the spoons *smug look*

Practicing for the competition has also been good. A super big thank you goes to Pib for all his help. Now if I only my brain (and body) can remember all these awesome tips that we've been getting. The workshops with Dominic on the weekend were truly inspiring. The lines he referred to seemed so easy (once he pointed them out). And it was all in a version that I could digest. Not once did he say "pain is good". Rather he referred to the idea of - when it's done right, it shouldn't be a struggle. The physics of the move will carry the move. Wow. Little particles dance in my head, with leading vector lines and comet tails...

Now, if I would only not confuse myself more with other dance classes... such as Argentine Tango! It was a crazy last minute drop in class. I had so much fun with Chris! It reminded me how great it is to not have a Tuesday night taken up by accounting. Overall, pretty low key, and not once did we talk about the music, but of course I loved the music. And now I have 3 more options (before letting go and walking away) when the music stops.

Found out that the "mom" inside me can make an impact: Pib brushed his teeth on trip to Calgary. With that, I am proud. Hm... did Darren? Ah, toothbrushes...

And as we watched the cheerleaders in WEM, an alpacha walks by. Catherine: One day I'll own an alpacha.

Happy Birthday, Christiana!

Leading Ladies

As soon as you trust yourself you will know how to live.

~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

My first year anniversary at work passed by with little celebration. We were all too involved and busy to observe it - even though Lidia thought it was a significant milestone. I was happy enough to I finally get rid of the 10 pounds that is the textbook and ITA. Yay! No more lugging around the extra weight, which had me question the force needed to hop up from street to curb (mid-leap, flashing into brain: miscalculating cats that don't make the ledge). But now: Finished! No more studying! Um... cramming. Until the next time. Buckling down was definitely harder than usual. Was it simply a matter of having more distractions?

Salsa class on Friday night officially moved into the territory of "much too complicated for me fathom leading". Followed by a moonlit walk home from downtown, that was official procrastination. But then tied myself to the kitchen the next day for a whole 8 hours and then some, to find that nothing made sense. Argh! But things made a turn for the better. Sunday, minimal studying in the morning gave good results.

My mood improved even more when I met up at Anne's for a Girls' Night. We chatted while sipping tea, and partaking in a cheese, and later, chocolate fondue. It was great to be with them. Would it be silly to say, it was a surprise? Only because it seemed to be exactly what I needed, when I didn't know what I needed. For weeks I had felt distracted and not grounded. And the remedy had fallen into my lap. We caught up on what was going on each others lives. I relaxed and started a project by chopping up a T-shirt (not the one I was wearing). Steph knit away. Sophie told me that I wasn't the Best Friend, I'm the Leading Lady in my life. Ah, to have such a pep talk. Some times one really needs a pep talk. So... what makes a Leading Lady?

"Like evil origami!" ~ Catherine, on my description of prions *laugh*

Janet caught me smiling at work again, and gives me this grin with eyebrows engaged, “So are you our closet pornographer? Because you can’t enjoy this job that much.” I burst out laughing. What she doesn’t know is that spoons can make me smile (yes, those would be in my slideshow too). Is porn then really necessary? In actuality, it was this fun little piece that caught my attention:

'What" will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Morbid? But wasn't that one of those exercises? What would you like them to write in your obituary? ... And then live the life to acheive it...

Anyway, there haven't been many things directly related to work that's been smile-worthy. Officially 3 people are leaving from the team, and we just had a meeting earlier this morning about Year End, which included an huge argument. Ack. Very impressed with our managers and how they kept calm. I was as usual... avoidant.

Wished Dad "Happy Birthday" on the weekend. This is an annual running joke, since the 7th day of the lunar new year is "the common man's birthday". So in effect, we're all a year older than we think we are (and it gets terribly confusing when people from my parents' hometown talk about age). I wonder if this is linked to a creation myth? Cool possibilities. Another little push of motivation to learn these stories from my heritage (possibly another sign of growing older?). Dad was in a good mood after that.

Finally got to see Sophie's place with her brunch on Sunday. It's so pretty with lots of colours (her curtains made me think of summer and watermelons), and interesting art. And of course she prepared a great spread. Crepes! Had lots of fun talking and meeting some of her friends (turns out everyone has a pen story at work), but had to rush off to OPDS. It was the first time I've gone to the new location. Felt very rusty. But it was also very exciting since I met up with Kenny. He's agreed to compete with me in the Bronze Latin category for the In-House competition! Ryan was there and very nicely gave us some pointers. Um... but should we be concerned? One look at our rumba routine and he blurts "Cucaracha?! Holy crap!" So this is what happens when Lana tries to cheorograph ;) I think we will end up cutting them out. Marching band people certainly have the right idea - a little music stand that clip to their instruments to keep thing handy while they're moving. For dancers, I propose *drumroll*: the magnetic dance routine bib. Worn by the lady, this addition can compliment any Latin costume. Though preliminary tests have shown that people will laugh (and very loudly and exerburantly at that, Ryan), at least Kenny (the lead) could track our routines.

Thought that Monday's TA class would be rough after such a long break, but it turned out o.k. Some of us discussed the upcoming UADC 50th Anniversary celebrations. And the talk turned to cheese. There would (could) be races and games with the Great Cheese Tradition. The Running of the Cheese where us dancers would run down a hill with large wheels of cheese rolling close behind... Cheese rolling - like log rolling, but with... um... yeah. Probably we'll stick to dancing, with cheese snacks on side. At least for this time around.

Without really knowing it, it's the 2007 Alberta Winter DanceSport Classic in Calgary this weekend! Good luck Team Edmonton! I expect lots of documentation (and hardware) from Darren and Ryan - go guys!