HST

Holy Moly, this HST is really getting a pain in my butt!

Buy books only have to pay 5% tax. But magazine is 12% tax???? WTF???!!!

Damn angry at this.

Why am I not a citizen yet? I want to vote next month to ABOLISH HST! Taking so much money from us and do nothing in return. @#$%!

I ain't going to buy another magazine here liao. Too much!

:<

Central Park

The weather is cooperating over the weekend, sunshine, great days!!

We went to have a walk at central park on Saturday. We saw lots of squirrels out, they want us to feed them, but we were not prepared! Jay wanted to trick them by throwing some small rocks at them, I scolded him. He is very bad. haha... He said maybe they will mistaken rocks as peanuts wor... speechless me..

Next day, we went back to the park again. But this time, the hours were later. So perhaps someone fed them already. They don't seem very desperate unlike the previous day. They are lazily walking here and there... now, we holding the peanuts are the desperate ones. This world is so funny. Sigh... anyway, we really have fun feeding the squirrels. And we found out that the crows also fighting the peanuts with squirrels, and we thought they are meat eaters!

Happy Anniversary

Exactly one year ago, we came to this land.

It was so amazing to realize time really pass by so quickly, wait for no one.

During this one year, we made lots of decisions together, we laughed a lot, sometimes cry a bit (mostly because I watch sad movies, or read some touching novels), talked about future a lot, and supported each other always. We also made some wonderful trips together with some friends, to Okanagan Valley, and to San Francisco. Some people love to go for trips just with each other, but to me, I prefer go with a group of friends. The trip is always much more memorable with a group of friends, because my friends are so funny! hahaha....

We celebrated the one year anniversary with a red wine Shiraz (from Okanagan), and a piece of Tiramisu. The shiraz is really good. I always don't like shiraz but Jay loves it. I find that it has a dry taste. I prefer merlot or ice wine. But this shiraz is surprisingly smooth, and really smells good. We started at 9pm, and finished by 12. Actually, by 10am, I a bit gone. I am easily drunk with alcohol. There's one time at Shanghai, we whole group of friends go to a nice little restaurant/bar to have some drinks after dinner. We called some white wine and red wine. And then I happily drinking... and suddenly, I feel I needed to vomit. I told Jay I wanted to go to washroom (i a bit dizzy at then) but he didn't know waht I really meant is, I wanted him to carry me to washroom. hahaha... the washroom is just like 100 ft away, but I went blank and collapsed half way. Jay carry me back to our table, placed me on the sofa, and gun cheongly ask me, "oi oi, u ok?????" it was very very funny. hahahaa... but very strange loh, after I lie down for 5 minutes, i am back to conscious and I don't feel nausea or the need to go washroom. I sat up again and chat with friends. ahhaa.. of course, no more wine for me that night.

Anyway, back to last night, after the red wine, we had a good night sleep. Don't know why leh? It seems to relax us and gives us a good night sleep til morning.

We must plan another trip to Okanagan. This time, we have gotta buy wine in boxes!!! hahaha... it is cheaper over there and have so many selections!!!! Most of the shop, if you buy the wine, you don't have to pay for tasting. So, practically free tasting, i f not, just for small fee like 2-5 bucks per person. Last time we did that, after 3 shops, we were a bit "gone"... of course lah, each shop taste like 3-4 different wines... so the trip should last for 3-4 days if you really like wine. I think they are easily 50 winery at okanagan, or I could be wrong, it could be more! hmmm...

Happy Anniversary!!!!!:)

乱乱的

最近好多事情烦啊，搬家（跟新房东沟通，跟旧房东玩他妈的游戏）换地址，老公注册公司兼要开公司银行账号，换bc hydro名字到我们的名字，还要看住钱财。我们是去年的今天到温哥华的，所以很多东西都这个月或下个月到期，车保险啦，这个那个，还要留住一笔给新房子的第三笔deposit, 开公司咨询会计师的费用，哇.... 生活真的很柴米油盐！！之后还要搞租房的保险，还有自己俩的医疗CI保险（不怕一万只怕万一）。最近想太多了，连以后放骨灰/棺木的地地也买了，每个月供400，供7年。迟早要用的东西，以后更贵，我们还多买了一个位子，打算以后可以卖掉。这种投资的capital gain, 不用交税！

你看，这样多烦心事，昨天就因为一点小事跟bui bui 吵架。也不是吵架，他对我大声了一句而已。昨天晚上和今早已经把他给教训了，要他跟我道歉。唉，两公婆，毕竟也不可能天天腻腻的。像他这样的脾气，竟然也会跟我大声！再有重犯他就知道！但是我自己也知道自己的语气也很差。我脾气真的很坏，就像美国的龙卷风，快来块去。

什么时候生活才能平静下来呢？乱乱的！

Miss you...

Reading this book now.

It is amazing how some books can soothe your mind... make you feel calm...

This book includes some real stories of how people deal with the loved ones who are dying, or are dead. Reading some of the stories brought me back to the time when I was losing my dad.

I am the eldest daughter to my dad. Though he never explicitly admit, I think his love to me is more than to my siblings. I was the first who is born, first who went to university, first to drive him here and there, the first to seek his tutorial in Algebra when the first few algebra homeworks I brought home, I almost cried because I don't know how to make them work, the first who laugh at his pronounciation when he teach me single bond and double bond in chemistry, and first to make him proud in many things. Though it is certainly fair to say that my brother and sister do make him proud too, but I guess the feeling is never the same when you are the first. Of course, that includes the bad things too, the first to argue with him and broke his heart many times, which I regretted big time and is willing to do anything on earth, to take those moments back.

He is also the first person I tell when I got admitted to my dreamed university, scored flying scores in university, obtained the Honors Rolls. I emailed him mostly for this kind of news, or I wrote him letters (yes, 15 years ago, writing letters is still a normal thing to do). After he was gone, my sister and I were cleaning his files, and I saw he kept those letters. I must have really made him proud. Or, he was keeping the letter and all the university receipts so he can throw this at me when I made him mad and screamed to me, "who gave you the life you having now huh?":)... I still remember he calculated and he told me I costs him 3 mercedez in my school fees! Wow... plus a Proton Iswara of course, the car he bought for me when I came back to work. Actually, I was not that into car that time. I was taking bus to go to work in KL, I don't remember I complaint about the commute to him, but he did it anyway. He loves me a lot. I didn't feel that way last time, but I certainly can see clearer now.

Right before he was sick, I remembered I called home to complaint something the china police station. Something they make so difficult to get me the residence paper. My dad was not home when I called. But he called me back to comfort me, that means a lot to me. He is always my hero. Though as he aged, I realized he is becoming more dependant on me in many things, but he was still a hero to me. Knowing I had a dad at home gives me hope in many things. And holding his hand crossing the busy streets buying newspaper, or buying fruits, makes me feel strong and yet at the same time feel protected.

His whole life was busy planning for his students, and for us too. I just hope he could have stayed a few years longer, so we can be busy planning for him and mom too. Planning for their trip (though I did once, and that memory of inviting them and having them in Shanghai is still surreal now) could bring so much joy to me when I see his contented look. My dad is such a contented person. Every small things his students did for him, he will tell us how happy he felt.

And speaking of his students, sometimes when he told me they celebrated his birthday, and bought him gifts, I will feel very jealous. I jealous because I didn't get to do these to him while his students who live daily around him can. I jealous they can bring him out for dinner while I can only give him a long distance call. I jealous they surprised him with the birthday cake while this job should have been my job. I jealous because he spent his birthday at Terengganu (he was a professor there) more than in KL, so even before I moved to Shanghai, I already didn't get to spend his BD that much on his real birth date.

Why can't my dad still be here leh?:( Next month is Father's Day again. Yes, I use the word "again" because I really don't like this day. It makes my heart ache. Several days in the year always make my heart ache, Father's Day, Whole of June, July and August, and his birthday. And I really envy my friends who still have their dad. You guys do not know how lucky you are, so lucky...

I really miss him. I used to think he is at heaven. But now I don't believe in God, so the image of Heaven also not there anymore. And I feel so frustrated don't know what to believe where he is now. :( I kept some of his ashes in a small urn and placed it in my drawer. So I will always know he is there.

Miss you daddy. A lot! And I will share this book with mom after I finished reading it. I hope it will bring her peace too. The pain of losing someone to death never goes away, we can only try to comprehend and embrace it with positive attitude. whoever says "time can wash away pain" is only trying to make you feel there is hope at the end of the tunnel. Time did not wash away pain. Or maybe there is not enough time I put in yet...

After "Something Borrowed", here comes "Something Blue"

I mentioned previously I finished reading Something Borrowed right? It was so good. I continue to buy the next book, "Something Blue". It is like the second episode after Something Borrowed.

I was reading it on Kindle... and it only lasts me 2 days, sudah finished! Something Borrowed talks about Rachel. Something Blue is totally about Darcy. I really love the story!

Selling our dining table set

This is was our dining table set.

We actually bought this set from our landlord 1 year ago when we moved in, because it was already there. The landlord said it was not used before (table lah), it was in a box, so we trusted him. I think it was new lah. Anyway, he sold the table to us at $150, 5 chairs at $200. Now I think back, is very expensive (on the chairs, the chairs was not that new, got scratches). No wonder we call him sikappang.

We are moving soon, and we have to get rid of it because our "new" home comes with an antique dining table set that the new landlord refused to move away, he says, "it is antique leh... u don't want?" When we said we really don't want because we have a set already, he implies he won't move it because it was too heavy to move... I find that ALL landlord is sikappang in this world... #$%!.

And so, We have to sell this set.

And don't know why, my ah be always got the $$ sense wrong. He don't know why go and tell the new landlord we bought this whole set for $50!!!!! He sot plug already!!!!! The new landlord quickly found a buyer for us, said he jacked up the price to $100 for us. I was like "What? $100?!!!" Then the landlord (we called him old uncle) said, "your hubby said u bought with just $50, $100 no good deal??" I nearly fainted! I told old uncle there is no way I am selling this for less than $200. He said he will bet me I can't sell it for $200. I said, let me try first. That was Friday 7pm.

So, quickly finished dinner, I quickly clean the table, and arrange it nicely and took photographs and go online to post it to sell, that was 9pm. I sell it for $250. I figured out since I bought it with $350, $250 is a fair price to get rid of it. The table and chairs are very new still. As usual, we use things with care and our used stuffs are normally in great condition.

5 min I posted it up, got a chinese woman called me want to view. I said sure. She said let's set it 11am next day, but she will call to confirm. Then there are few emails communicating about its availability. I see people very accurate one. I knew the chinese woman is not serious, so I clicked on the next email to schedule for them to come have a look, also 11am next day. They were a philippino couples who just moved to this part of the world. We  met them next day, they are very nice people. And, the deal is sealed. They transfer money to me, and arranged for pick up today.

Even last night, I still kept on receiving enquiries about this set via email. I guess I must have priced it too low :( what do you think? But we are glad we got rid of it... one less thing to worry about loh.

We feel quite sad to have our "last" meal on this table last night... I am always full of emotion, even a cheap pen like kilometrico if I used it, and I lost it, I will feel very sad. So imagine saying good bye to this table and chairs...



p/s:we actually saw this exact table over the weekend at some other store. It was on sale, and it was selling at $399, just the table alone! And even that, I think our table looks more leng chai than the one at store, don't know why? haha..

Trapped

I just finished this book, "Trapped". First time I read books they have the reviewed version, and the uncut version. By the time I finished the story on reviewed version, my head damn pening with all the violent scenes in the book, and sick psychopath thingy in the book. I definitely won't read the uncut version again loh, unless they highlighted where are the changes. so far I flipped flipped, the only changes I saw was the ending. The uncut version, got one chi xin lo still survived, where as the reviewed version, every bad persons is dead. Hahaha...

I give this book, 7 out of 10. It's toooooo violent... all the eating cannibals, and torture scenes are too much to visualized. But this is a perfect story for movie along the same lime as "I know what you did last summer", something like that. Or "Scream", those kind lah.

By the way, I bought the kindle version, is only US$3.00, vs $12 something if you bought the book. I love my kindle:)

Missing one, from the four

This morning, I was still half sleeping and half awake, and I was trying to put back some of the dried plates and cups back to the cupboard, and then suddenly, "piang", I "retired" one of my favorite plate in the kitchen. The plate splattered into hundred pieces...

落地开花！

That set of plates, is really my favorite. I bought them when I was still attending university here, I think that was in 1995 when I bought it. And then, after I graduated, I packed them nicely and bring them home with me to KL, in the luggage. And when Jay and I relocated to Shanghai, I, again, packed them nicely and brought them to shanghai, in the luggage again. And now, we are in Vancouver, I packed them and shipped them over here all the way from Shanghai. It has been with me for the past 16 years! The set has 4 big plates, 4 small plates, 4 bowls, 1 big bowl, and they are in white! They are from Cornelle. I love it because it is light, white, easy to clean, and is very user friendly. Just love it.

Now, I destroyed one of the small plate, the set is incomplete liao :( I feel bad....

Lesson learnt: Never, ever try to re-organize your plates back to the cupboard when you are still half asleep and wearing the bulky nightwear (in winter mah)! The plate was dragged to the floor because of my bulky nightwear lah. Silly me..... :(

iPhone

Sometimes, I think the advertisement in Canada is very lurn si.

Their rules allow direct comparison (with name and logo mentioned) over an advertisement/tv commercial. It's very direct, totally not subtle. Very bold.

Then just now I watch tv, Iphone has a new tv commercial, the main message is, "if you don't have an iPhone, well.... you don't have an iPhone". This tv commercial line is so bold, I am loving it!!!

I really love my iPhone =) By the time my 3 years phone contract is over, it should be iPhone 5 or possible iPhone 6 era already. Can't wait!