BBQ in Richmond

Tonite, I went over to a co-worker’s house in Richmond for a BBQ. This is an annual BBQ that he throws for his department but this year, he expanded his invite out to the rest of the division. I have heard many great things about his renovated home so I was very excited to see his place. I have seen photos of all his renos but it’s def not the same as seeing it in person. WOW!! His house is BEAUTIFUL, he did some really great renos esp the master bedroom and bathroom. He built a fireplace for his master and his master bath looks like a spa!! Very talented and very good at what he does cos he reno'd his entire home on his own time during weekends and evenings. He even decorated his place by himself which is amazing for bachelor, I would have thought he hired an interior decorator! He is def a very handy person to know and he gives out advice for FREE! He even rebuilt his classic Porsche as a “project”. I arrived fashionably late and missed out seeing a few people that I wasn’t too keen on spending my sat with so was that luck?!? I did get to speak to many of the guys I work with in a more casual environment and that is very different from seeing them in the office. It was an interesting nite and we didn’t leave empty handed, lotsa leftovers and he had take away containers for people!

Best B'day Gift EVER!!!

Wow!! I'm going to Las Vegas!! After much debate and the last minute planning, I had decided not to go to Vegas even tho the deals were super cheap cos I really can't justify the budget this coming month for this trip. But Jas went ahead and booked my ticket as part of my birthday gift!! I couldn't believe it!! She's already bought my Lady Gaga ticket for my birthday!! WTF??!!?? She's a super awesome BFF, she knew how depressed I've been in the last few weeks and really insisted that we get away just cos I needed it and she needed it too. I'm super excited about this trip with the girls (it's T's first time so this will be really exciting for her!) and the get away just a few days without thinking about the issues at hand. It's only for 3 nights and 3 days but I think that is more than enough of Vegas I can handle esp in the upcoming month with the weather being super hot - yuck! Will be spending most of my time indoors since I'm allergic to the sun and SPF :( SO EXCITED, THANK YOU JAS, I HEART U....

Caribbean Festival & Robson Street

This afternoon, we took Tash to the Caribbean Festival cos she's never been to the festival or the Seabus!!! Wow, never been on the Seabus??!!?? Gawsh, she is 16 years old and has lived in Vancouver her entire life and has never been on the Seabus??!!??? As we walked over to the Seabus terminal, we noticed the line up started way at the back and I could not believe how long the line up was!! I've never seen such a long line up for the Seabus even during this festival!! Wow, I guess this event is getting bigger every year. When we finally arrived to the festival, it was packed and there were lots to see! But we headed over to the food section to pick up some grub but the line ups were huge and I was getting hungry so I decided to check out the stands that had the least amount of people in line which turned out to be not such a good idea cos the food was alright and I was paying a premium! After finding a spot in the shade to eat our lunch, we decided to head back over to the other side to check out the stands and get a nice icy drink. After Jas picked up a couple of different types of icy drinks, Kay and I opted for the freshly squeezed lemonade and Tash went with a real fruit icy smoothie, we decided to take a couple of photos by the water on the seawall to commemorate this day. :) Then we decided to head back downtown to Robson Street for a "walk" but really, Jas wanted to see what else she could find at Plenty. After much walking around and finding nothing, we decided to call it a day cos it was very hot and we were really tired from all the walking! It was an awesome day to end the weekend, with best buds!

Inception & Plenty

Today's weather was terribly hot and icky, I almost ended up staying home all day in my underwear but Jas sent me a text to see if I was up for dinner and a movie. I guess I could get into some clothes on and head out for some 'fresh' air :) Kay and I were lying on the couches when she arrived but we didn't leave right away. We decided to stay out of the sun so she and Kay caught up on life. After an hour or so, we decided to head over to Cactus Club for an icy drink, well I had a Bellini, mmmm.... great for a day like today. Since it was still early and we wanted to stay out of the sun, we decided to catch the 6.30 show for Inception. WOW, what an awesome movie! So awesome cos it's a mindfck and even tho Jas was a bit lost, I got every single detail cos my mine is pretty warped! Hahaha.... it's so awesome, I would pay to see it again! This is def a movie to see on the big screen but I'm def going to add it to my collection when it gets released on DVD. We purchased our tickets and had a bit of time before our movie started so we headed over to Plenty cos they were having their 50% off summer sale, gosh, we picked up some great stuff! I love the Plenty and their in-house labels, I got a pretty funky racer tank top with sparkles for $30 and a black slim skirt with pleats for $35. Perfect for summer and we still got a few weeks to go til this season ends! After our movie, we headed over to Thai House for dinner and Earls for dessert. It was still a very warm night but by 11pm, we decided to call it a night!

Fireworks!

Tonite, I meet up with Charly cos he wanted to head over to see the fireworks and Rosa wasn't able to make it. We met up after work and we headed over to Kits to find parking. He got a pretty good spot, close to Vanier Park (where we were going to watch the fireworks) and close to West 4th (where we were going to eat). We walked along West 4th and found a place called Mr. Shawarma which serves chicken shawarma! It was inexpensive and very filling! We both ordered a platter which had a ton of food, very yummy and we had a dessert but I can't remember what its called. After our dinner, we headed over to Vanier Park to set ourselves up on the grass and close to the street so we could exit quickly! It was nice to catch up with Charly and we had a fun time! He's a great friend and I know he will be here for me always.

Finished :)

Finally finished the colour on my tattoo! It was awesome to finally have it semi complete :) Mica was thinking about adding clouds to my piece but I didn’t think I could afford any more pain nor could my finances! I was already $300 over my budget and I would think the clouds would be at least another hour! In 2 hours, she coloured in my cherry blossoms and touched up a bit on my dragon. Hopefully, this time my tattoo will heal easier than the first time. Right now, my skin is getting dry and itchy but I think I’ll only use the ointment til this weekend before just applying a body lotion. Kay and Tash were suppose to keep me company but both girls didn’t get up til just before I left. By the time I finished and was back at the condo, they were still getting ready! Since the two of them were slightly hungry, we decided to head over to Crystal Mall for some si long bao :) Yummy and I picked up a fresh mango coconut tapioca drink from a little dessert place in the food fair, not as good as the one at the night market tho! It was a nice and relaxing Sunday before Kay and Tash ended up heading into Vancouver and Richmond.

Mexican Fiesta!

Tonite, Jas, Kay and I headed over to Charly's house for a Mexican themed dinner cos Rosa and him were cooking a festive meal for their friends. It was nice to see everyone and the meal was very good, the Mexican dinner was almost authentic altho it isn't the same without Ivan :( Susan was in town for a visit for a few days and it was so nice to see her and catch up with her. I haven't seen her in over 2 years cos she lives out in Trail, BC with her hubby (also Charly's BFF). Susan and I had a chance to catch up before other guests starting arriving. It was nice to meet some of Rosa's friends and it was good that there were a few people that had accepted Charly in her life. It was a really nice time and I ended up staying late cos there were some good conversations but Jas and Kay had to leave early for other plans. After it was getting dark, I decided it was def time for me to go cos I was getting tired. It was nice to have the condo to myself since Kay was out til late.

Aritzia, Urban Behaviour, Richmond Nightmarket ... oh my!

Wow, what a day! Yesterday, Kay and I went shopping after I dropped the car off at Bronco Glass to get the passenger window replaced. These guys are awesome, they make the claim for you with your insurance - GREAT! Less waiting time for me, plus a courtesy car and even tho the closing hour is 5pm, the owner of the shop told me he would wait for me until I arrived cos I wouldn't be able to make it til just after 5pm. Jas and I met up after work cos we were going to hit the Richmond nitemarket for the first time since it started. We were suppose to go with my friend, BQ a couple of weeks ago but due to my emergency, I had to cancel our plans :( After we picked up the car, we were trying to decide on where to eat for dinner, I wanted to have dessert at nitemarket not dinner :D Since we had to go over to Metrotown first cos yesterday, Kay had left her school books at Underground Clothing. She was so excited about buying her True Religions at the sale price that she didn't even realize she left the store without them! Once at UG, I showed her the 7 of all Mankind white super skinnies on sale in the store, Kay didn't like them on me yesterday said it made me look like I had sausage legs but Jas thought they looked really good! I didn't think they looked that bad either so I ended up buying them!! Half off and even cheaper than buying them in the states!! Since we were already at Metro, we decided to have dinner at The Boss cos we haven't been in there in ages!! After dinner, we stayed in the mall for the air conditioning and ended up in Aritzia cos Jas wanted to look at the sales again! I ended up buying a cute light blue lace tanky for only $24! I'm done with Aritzia, gawsh, I've picked up so many items from the sale! As we walked around the mall, we talked about what was going on in our lives and by the time we were done, it was time for the nitemarket. The first place we headed was to the food section cos there is always so many yummy things to eat! Jas picked up a icy drink and a deep fried cheesecake (Me - YUCK, Her - Oh not so bad!) and I ended up with a fresh mango tapioca coconut milk drink, mmmmmm so yummy! We walked around the entire nitemarket and gawsh I ended up with a lot of stuff which was unexpected cos for the past few years, I haven't been able to find anything useful at the market. I ended up with a huge Hello Kitty blanket (a very soft and comfy blanket), 8 pairs of tights (from Taiwan and Korea), and a Lotuswear short sleeve hoodie for only $20!! I think Lotuswear is closing their doors and all their items were marked 70% off, the hoodie was originally $50!! It was a great nite and an awesome way to end a long work week!

Promotion!

Wow! Kay makes me so proud :) She got a promotion today with a new title, Crew Trainer and a small pay increase! I'm super happy for her even though I can see her spending every single cent on her paycheque within hours of her receiving it in her account. Since summer has started, she has been working a lot more and working long and hard hours, in hopes to get a promotion or a pay increase. So Proud of my Bebe :)

WTF??!!??

Gawddamnit! My fckn car got broken into and all they stole were 2 mini bic lighters and my emergency bag which had a 12V air compressor to repair a flat tire, my first aid kit, bottle water and an emergency screw driver!! Now I need to replace those items and pay a deductible to fix my window! I don't have the time or do I need to add another expense that is uncalled for. Ugh, I am SO MAD! Stupid visitor's parking lot! This is the 2nd time my car has been broken into in this parking lot! There should be cameras or a gate for this covered lot, I'm sure it's either the addicts, the homeless or the stupid kids that broke into my car, it's really warm outside and this is the time of year when the cars get broken into! Just so many people hanging around the train station and the park. UGH. So Pissed.

Company BBQ

Wow! What a day! Gawsh, I'm super tired, it takes a lot of work to set up a company BBQ and thankfully, C helped us out this year with the prep work for the BBQ. This year, we had less people at the BBQ but it still took so much work and we still had so much food left over :( We arrived early to help Val with the setting up of the tables and supplies. C and Phil started putting together the chicken and beef skewers for the grill. Kay had a job this year and she was our photographer cos SB couldn't make it this year (she did the photos last year). But Kay didn't show up until 12.30pm!! When she did show up, she did a great job at capturing the moments at our BBQ. After a couple hours of BBQ, we did the raffle draw for the prizes (which we didn't have as many as last year) and once that was over, we started packing up as people were starting to trickle out. It was a fun (but tiring) day and all the kids had a great time plus it was nice to talk to my co-workers outside of the office. Everyone seemed relaxed and enjoyed themselves which made it all worth while. Too bad for the few people who were going to come couldn't make it but overall, I think it was another successful BBQ. But next year, we are def going to have look over the menu and adjust the amounts on the food items being served cos there was way too much again!

Prep work for BBQ

Wow! What a day, I'm soooo tired. It's been a long week and an even longer day. Yesterday, right after work, C and I went straight over to Costco and Superstore to pick up items for the BBQ. Gawsh, we had so much to do! We had to pick up the snacks, drinks, condiments, tomatoes, onions and fruit / veggie trays! But first, I had to move our stuff from mom's and from the storage unit back to the condo which took us about an hour, thank goodness for the 2nd set of hands, I don't know how I would have done it myself since Kay was working until 11pm! After the moving and shopping, we decided to head over to Nando's chicken for dinner cos I didn't defrost any meats or had any veggies in the fridge! Mmmmm, I forgot how yummy Nando's chicken is! I must consider eating there more often when I want to dine out, so yummy! After dinner, we headed back to condo to slice and chop the onions and tomatoes for the BBQ. Thankfully, C did most of the chopping cos I was trying to rearrange the condo back for Kay and I. After the prep work, C headed home and I decided it was time for a rest altho I realize halfway thru the rearranging that I left a few items at my mom's :( I decided to drive back over there to pick up the face wash cos I couldn't leave that behind! Plus I left my netbook over there, it was a nice stay at mom's cos we were "guests" and we got so many yummy dinners!

Asian Dragon with Cherry Blossoms Part 1

Wow, what a session! Mica (an amazing and super talented artist) sketched a freestyle dragon with cherry blossoms on my back and at first, I wasn't sure about the sketch but as soon as she inked the outline, I was in love! I didn't realize how long this session would be since she had only drawn the outline and in hours 2 - 3, she started adding details like scales and shadowing on the design. After 4 hours in 30C temperatures (but I'm pretty sure it was 35 or 40 outside!) and with my period arriving the very same afternoon, I could no longer lie there finishing off the piece! I was hoping to do it in one session but with so many details, I could not go on and my face was starting to look pale as most of my blood had been removed from my body! It was an amazing experience and with the pain, I manage to breathe and concentrate on the beautiful painting in the room. Yoga has def helped me with this since I manage to block out and sit through the strenuous pain I was feeling as she added the scales on the dragon! I am very happy and grateful to have Kay with me during this experience as forever bonded us and made us stronger as a unit. She even pushed her shift 2 hours ahead so she could stay with me until I finished the session cos she wanted to be here for me. Also, wanted to make sure I got home alright. I love her to pieces and without her, I don't know how I would survive. I'm really happy to finally get this done (it's been a 10 year process) and I can't wait until Mica adds the colour and finishes off the little details! So Exciting!

Super Excited!

Wow, Kay and I had a great day! We spent the afternoon together as she did not have any plans til tonite. First off, we headed over to my 12pm appointment at Monkey King on Kingsway to see Mica, a guest tattoo artist from Japan, - Detroit Diesel Tattoo Works) she's only here for 3 weeks to discuss my back tattoo and to look over her photos. Wow, she is super talented and does amazing work! I am so excited, I'm booked in for Wednesday at noon and I'm hoping to do it all in one sitting! It's possible to break it up to 2 sittings but I want it done all at once, I've been waiting 10 years to get this done! After our tatt appointment, we headed over to Coast Capital Insurance Services on Broadway / Cambie cos my auto insurance was due today!! Yikes, I'm cutting it pretty close! But I didn't want to wait til Monday to renew it cos I mite need to use my car tomorrow! As we sat down to speak to the insurance person, we realized that I only had basic cover and did not renew my liability insurance cos last year, I was suppose to go back to Coast Capital to renew it but I misunderstood and thought the other insurance company had done it for me! Apparently, the other insurance company could not sell me CC's insurance as they are not related to them therefore THIS ENTIRE YEAR, I've been driving around without liability!! How lucky am I that I did NOT cause any accidents! WOW! I am very shocked but not to worry, I made sure I had liability insurance before I left the building! Kay was getting very hungry cos she had not eaten before we left the house so we decided to try this japanese udon restaurant on Broadway. She said Tashna has eaten here before and it was pretty authentic and yummy. Wow, we ordered HOUSE MADE GYOZAS and they were SUPER GOOD, very light and full of flavours! The noodle soup came with a rice ball (japanese style fried rice wrapped with seaweed) and 3 pcs of gyozas! It was a lot of food but luckily I ordered a soba wheat soup noodle dish and it was much smaller than Kay's larger udon soup! Her soup base was pretty yummy and I think I will def have to try that one next time! Once lunch was finished, we decided we should walk off our lunch! Hahahaha.... we decided to check out the lulu store and Change cos I needed to get measured into the correct size bra. Wow, what great service and selection of bras! I've had so many women tell me to go to this store for my next bra plus there is a huge sale so I decided to get measured and to pick up some pretty (and to fit!) bras for myself. Wow, I couldn't believe how well these bras fit me and the very informative SAs were very helpful in explaining why the sizes in other stores did not fit as well as these ones did! I came out with 4 bras and a matching panty for only $110!! I'm set for a while now :) I've never had any "pretty" bras so it'll be nice to wear these under my tops and I know how pretty they are :) After bra shopping, I could tell Kay needed a nap cos she only had 4 hours sleep, chit chatting on the phone all night! We decided to head home so she could nap and mom and I headed out for some errands. After our errands, mom and grams cooked a lovely seafood meal with ling cod and geoduck from Alaska! So yummy! It's not bad staying over at my mom's :)