Thursday, May 31, 2012

Chills

(Picture was taken on the 28th and unrelated to subject.)
Felt cold... or chills. Totally nonfunctional between lunch and dinner. Kept dosing off at the desk. Body was on the edge of shutting down. Am I falling sick??? But I can't afford to! How am I gonna help mom with her eye-drops? Luckily I finally felt better after the dinner cleanup.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lunch and dinner

Ate out twice today. Lunch with C and L. I couldn't believe my nose. It's now confirmed that L stinks like urine. (Every time he's around, so it's not just me. I hope C didn't think it was me.) Extremely repulsive. Not sure if he's aware of it but I don't think it's appropriate for me to tell him. It just annoys the heck out of me that he keeps invading my personal space.

Forgot to take Pinky pictures at lunch. To be honest, I didn't enjoy today's lunch at all. It was awkward. L's urine stink kept bordering me. C's conversation was aggressive. She still talks about her dad at any chance she gets and use him to preach God to me. She thinks I'm against God or something. (I do believe in God, but at the same time, thinks he's toying with me and my family.) I just can't stand C's "I'm above you" attitude. Heard that S is the department supervisor now. Good for her. If I didn't slip and fall, I probably would be at that level too. (T_T)

Went for a walk with L to GI. I was there to check out the bead store, but with him around, I couldn't concentrate. The smell was that bad. I just wanted to leave asap. Then he got a call from a customer and tried to push the job to tomorrow. He seemed to hope to stay with me until dinner... yikes! So I told him I have dinner appointment, and needed to visit dad too. Tried to get him to take that customer back for today, but that guy couldn't make it anyway. It was 2:30 and just about right to go home. Strangely, traffic was bad even before 3. I couldn't stop focusing on being the first car at the red light... so many times. S scolded me on that yesterday...

Came home and tidy up the broom closet. I simply wanted to put the new light bulbs in there but there was no room left. It reminds me why I keep procrastinating the big cleanup. Dug up a bunch of junk, including salvaged electronic wires, nylon ropes, a pair of binoculars and a travailing iron from the 70's (could possible be sold as vintage?), a big box containing a small wind charm (re-gifted from cousin B), a pair of luggage locks (pretty much useless now), two boxes of old staples, a pack of felt table leg pads and possibly curtain rings, and a slide box filled with metal wire shapes that looks somewhat curtain-related. Oh, and a bunch of loose vacuum-cleaner parts (may be useless as we've discarded the machine itself), old shower head, old thermostat, and old battery-operated suction cup fan. All threw into that shelf randomly. Looks like a partial result from dad's "reorganization". Yup, this house is a huge snow mountain. Touch it and it will avalanches. That's why I don't.

Energy level still low. Took a brake and went to see dad with mom. We stayed until he finished dinner, escorted him back to his room, and continued to LD to get shades for mom's cataract surgery preparations. Got brother's gang to come out and ate near LD. The girls were completely lost in their i-touch and cell phone. It's extremely sad that the next generation is like this now. This world is falling apart. Technology is killing the human future.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Gas and light bulb

Sorry S, I have family dinner tomorrow, and Thursday is the last day for A's credit card deal, so today is the preferred day to clear the purchases. Dinner at the One. Their menu changed and so did the food quality. A said he's been there 2 weeks ago and it was as good as usual. Hmm... If that place changed hands, 2 weeks is not enough to create the degree of wear on those menus. Hmmm...
Best Buy, then fill up, then light bulbs. Dropped him off, then remember mom's shades request at LD, which is also included in A's card deal. So I turn around and kidnap A again to LD. Called up mom to report my finds, and she prefers looking in person. So A bought sunscreen and pumpkin seed.
Turns out S is in crunch time and cannot join us for lunch tomorrow. So it's just C, L, and me. Did not expect this few people. Oh well... sigh...

Monday, May 28, 2012

Strawberry Dorayaki Pancakes

From 2011 December. It's T&T brand and on sale for $1.50 or so. The sampling was so good, I bought a box last month. (Each box contains 2.) I think they're over frozen. At least more frozen than the sample. The pancake part felt a bit unfresh. (Nope, it doesn't expire until next September.... hey wait a sec! It lasts for 10 months???? That's wrong!!!) The strawberry ice-cream taste is dominant yet still let the pancake taste show through. The red bean filling was definitely over-frozen, which makes the texture icy. I was hungry too, yet it didn't taste that good. It fails as both pancake and ice-cream. Even fails as ice-cream sandwich. Overall, I don't know what went wrong, but it should be better then this.

Chiropractor

Thank God for chiropractor day. I've been in another dimension. No energy. Couldn't think. Extremely slow. Not alert. I don't think I should drive, but no choice. Replying C's mail made me late for almost an hour. OK the vampire too. Didn't do anything else and went straight home afterwards. Low energy. Kept dosing off at the desk. Once again, didn't set up A's hand-me-down monitor.
One last sentence came back from W, and the manual is ready to go. S still haven't replied yet.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Prescriptions / tooth

Could not get out of bed easily. Aching all over. It has to be the front door light bulb changing yesterday. Had to deal with the vampire too. Then mom seemed to subconsciously shackled me down with a full dinner dish-washing plus alpha. Sigh... There's plenty of food in the fridge yet she went to buy a lunch box. Of course lots of left-overs. And she put everything on plates and bowls so I had to transfer them to glass Tupperware. There weren't enough so I had to do some juggling and ended up having to wash double the amount. By the time I met A, it was 3:30. I had dinner appointment at 5. Sigh... (T_T)

Thanks A for coming to Costco with me. Well, you got to pick up your parcel, and I got to pick up my prescriptions. As brother said, their fee is below $5 as to $7 to $10 at other pharmacies. Mom's 4 items saves her about $12. (But her total still exceed $130.) Now I feel it for her, and understand her concern when she said other people got 2 types of eye drops while she gets 3 plus an ointment.

Luckily traffic wasn't bad, and I was only late for 5 or 10 minutes with L's dinner. I got a half sandwich with multi-grain bread... bad decision. I thought something got stuck between 2 molars. After clearing the area, I felt a hole in one of the molars. OMG OMG OMG... lost filling!!!!!!! AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!! I thought it was caused by the grains, but now that I think about it, the filling could have been lost who-knows-when! The grain only got caught in the hole!!!!! OMG... feeling so grossssss... Must call the dentist tomorrow. I really hate having to visit the dentist. First, I believe no one in this world enjoys sitting in a dentist's chair. Second, it's gonna cost me a fortune to refill that tooth! Third, he's gonna enlarge the hole first, I'm sure about that. I really really don't want to loose any more teeth mass. I've already lost 8 teeth. There are not many left. (T_T)

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Eruopean Festival / translations

Thanks A for taking me there. I'm glad it's so much closer this year. The stadium is a much better venue too. We no longer have to worry about seating like last time. It's covered too. However, $10 admission is too expensive. Don't the venders pay rent for the venue? (I suspect the money went largely to the unnecessary nicely printed admission tickets and food tickets.) There seemed to be fewer non-food venders too. The weather was awesome and felt like summer. I got all sweaty just form walking there. We stayed from 2:30 to 4:40, then went to Costco for both me and mom's prescriptions. Brother said their fees are cheaper and worth the drive. However, the lady told me right off that the prescriptions will only be ready after 1:30 tomorrow. Oh well, no choice. Have to leave empty-handed and go back again.

Then we went to Superstore to pick up mom's Ensure which are on-sale. A got groceries. Who would expect the box of salad leak? It left a puddle of garlic-vinegar-smelling liquid in my shopping bag. (T_T)

Can't believe I brought along a Pinky and didn't take any Pinky pictures a the festival. Fail! (T_T)

W's manual translation came later than I expected, so I spent pretty much all night working on it. Fatigue doesn't help. Forgot to attach one file, and missed another one completely. Instead of changing the copy, I changed the original, and sent the unchanged copy. The worst is, I had already deleted the original! Aaarrrggghhh!!! Luckily I still remember what I wrote, so it didn't take long to redo it. I was stupid not to double check before sending the files. At least I finished it before going to bed... And then the vampire showed up! AAARRGGGHHH!!!!!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Carpet

(No photo today. This is from the 20th.)
Oh dear... mom changes her mind and does not want to remove the carpet. Sigh... This carpet has soaked in dad's pee. Not to mention we've lived here for 20 years. It's worn and beyond dirty. In shot, it's dead, period. Sigh... There is, however, one concern. I was told that there's hardwood floor under the carpet, and is the same as in my room. Which means, it's the type that needs waxing. Then, it would be a hassle... (T_T)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Mrs. May 's Fruit Rounds

Mrs. May 's Fruit Rounds Whole Strawberries, from 2011 December. The strawberry is freeze-dried. As I took the first bite, I tend to inhale a little to reduce crumbs, but ended up inhaling some powdery strawberry. Of course I chocked. Not a big deal, though.

The chocolate itself has a waxy coating that's a bit crunchy and was kind of tasteless. You can clearly tell when that layer is melted away. The dried strawberry inside is also crunchy and light. I imagine the texture is like chewing a certain type of Styrofoam. Together, they're slightly tart. It's all natural and supposed to be good stuff. Not cheap either. However, there's something that feels wrong. Maybe I'm used to the filling being moist? Maybe it's the waxy coating? Hmm... not sure...

Awning

(Photo is taken today but unrelated to subject. Just want a record of that bottle.)
Finally, brother got his church friend to look at our broken awning. All the places I looked up in the phone book or online sell new ones only. No repair. This church friend even said he'd try to repair it, for free. (Not right... not right...) However, the bushes had grown so high, the awning cannot be fully released. So, first thing would be to cut the bushes. It's gonna take longer, but we should be able to make it before summer.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Dinner

Eat-out day with brother's gang. It's so cold, I had to dress like early winter. Mom gave brother a hair cut so I got to talk to M. Glad that she finally found out why her hands had been shaking. Not a single doctor she's seen in the past 5 years suspected overactive thyroid because she's on the chubby side. But now she's lost 10 pounds, and on medications. Hope she'd be back to normal soon.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Receipts

Thought I left my receipts in brother's car, but found them in my bag. Good. Don't have to delay the bead pricing.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Beads

Yesterday's lute. Spent all day making room for them...

T&T Multigrain Rice

From 2011 November. Haha not really junk food, but still food. It was on sale so we gave it a try. Our regular Taiwanese brand is $7 and this one was on sale at $5. (Regular would be a buck more.) Seems like "you get what you pay for" is true in this case. The content is consisted of cheaper type of rice. Testes pretty much the same as the other one, though.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Bellington

Sis-in-law's b-day. Brother's gang came after church and we ate the birthday cake and some buns for lunch. Since I didn't write anything down right away, most of the activities were forgotten. (Well, mainly shopping.) Turns out there were a few families of brother's church friends meeting at the buffet restaurant. The food was delicious at an awesome price. However, they got rid of the birthday person eats for free deal. Someone had a coupon and we got an equally good deal too.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

New Ikea

Gotta buy some US dollars for tomorrow's shopping, plus pick up sis-in-law's birthday cake. Pizza at A's, then kidnapped him to Richmond. Got coffee beans, currency exchange, some grocery at Osaka, and beer and a liquor store. A hair salon in the same corner mall was broken-in earlier, and has not been cleaned up yet.

Then off to the new Ikea for an early dinner. That place is way bigger than the old one but still has the casino-psychiatric-attack-layout. Went back for the cake last because it needs refrigeration.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Shopping trip

(Picture taken on the 16th and unrelated to subject.)
Brother's gonna go cross-border shopping for sis-in-law's b-day on Sunday. They know this awesome buffet restaurant that lets the birthday person eats free. Of course that's not the only reason to go. It's gonna be a shopping trip as usual. Dinner is a bonus.

They go to church on Sundays, so the trip will be in the afternoon. Time would be super tight. So... he asked me to pick up a birthday cake. They'd pick me up and cut the cake at my place.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Beads

Another package arrived. (Part of the "missing diary".)

Brookeside chocolate

From 2011 November. Only the blueberry type was available at Costco until now. Thanks A for these!

Acai & Blueberry
First encounter mislead me into thinking there's a blueberry inside the chocolate. The texture feels exactly like that, and it tastes like berry. The size was right too. However, a closer look at the packaging reveals that it's only a lump formed from fruit juice. Nevertheless it's still excellent. The price is reasonable too.

Goji & Raspberry
Tastes like berry alright, but can't tell if it's really raspberry.

Pomegranate
Slightly more sour than the other two. Still think the blueberry is the best.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Lougheed

Mom's eye appointment today near Lougheed mall. I also have chiropractor but I set it later, hoping I could make it. The day went well. The drive took 40 minutes, longer than what Google says. We got there at around 1:20, over an hour early. Normally, I'd go to the mall first, but knowing mom, she's gonna be overly worried, so we went to the clinic first. Amazingly, there was no one in line. The nurses let us have our appointment right away. It's just taking measurements. Even more simple then getting glasses prescriptions. 15 minutes later, we were out. Then of course we gotta make use of this long drive, and see the mall. Bought some batteries, and some junk. Ate afternoon snack at A&W. Their sirloin mini burger is back and as good. Perfect portion to share with mom. On our way back, we pass in front of dad's nursing home, so I went in with mom's orange. (She brought along a peeled orange besides water. She seems to think she's starve if she doesn't do so.) Was going to stay for 10 minutes, but got caught by a nurse who wouldn't stop chatting. So I ended up spending half-an-hour. Oh dear, I would be late for chiropractor! They close at 5 today (so I was told) and I must not be late. After dropping mom off, I rushed to the clinic, and was 5 minutes late. (Know myself, 5 minutes is considered doing well!) There were 2 parties in front. By the time I finished, there were 3 more parties in the waiting area. So... was I lied to? Can't blame them, though... I don't even trust myself especially about time.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Continental Belgian chocolate

Thanks neighbour Mrs. S. Mom and I ran into them in LD and gave them a ride, then Mrs. S gave me one of her huge chocolate bars. I took it along to the last cross-border shopping trip with brother's gang, but everyone brought food and it came back unopened.

Anyway, it's good chocolate as expected from "imported from Belgian". The nuts (I think those were almonds) provide the perfect texture. It's good, but I don't think I'll buy such a huge bar.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Mother's day (2)

Mom's been way too eager to go see dad so today she finally went... despite a few left-over cough. Brother drove her to and back, picking up some grocery on the way. Mom complained about the bakery bread I bought yesterday being too flaky, so she pick up another loaf today. She also gave dad a haircut and a shave. I guess things are back to normal.

Eat-out day with brother's gang. It was the belated Mother's day dinner.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Mother's day (1)

Mom is still not completely recovered, so we didn't go out. Instead, I picked up half a chicken for take-out, plus some pastry at the bakery. Dropped off an egg tart at dad's, and got him to talk to mom through my cell phone. To my surprise, Stone was there. My theory of her only show up to greet new people falls apart.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Aberdeen

Got up late and didn't meet A until he finished shopping at Aberdeen. He seemed super happy. That was good. (Although a bit alarming that his mood-swing is so big.) Had afternoon snack at Aoyama, then headed to M to pick up his PC case. He got the store to price match, so all of a sudden a monitor was added to my trunk. I barely had enough room, but thank God, we didn't have to put anything in the back seat. I couldn't believe I forgot to check out the dollar store and XS Cargo right next to M. I'm glad that those stools are not sold out. After that, Costco. A didn't buy that much but the bill went over $100! Yikes!!!!! Had junk food for dinner at A's. Tried to cook him some oatmeal, but the eggs must be old. He couldn't finish it.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Christie Swiss Cheese cracker

From 2011 November. I think there was a low fat version but this box was the last one left. (They were on sale.) I was hungry when I ate them, so they automatically tasted good. The cheese is strong and with a bite. A bit on the salty side, but I was having a salt craving so it was perfect. Don't think the low fat version would taste this good.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Out patient

The appointment was at 2:15 but I was told to get there earlier for paperwork, so I tried to give it an extra 15 minutes... Didn't know the actual clinic was one floor below. Only managed to have 10 minutes for paper work. Before I knew it, it was 2:35!!!! Aaaarrrrgggghhh!!!!!!!! The doctor didn't look too friendly. He speaks fast, and seemed to just run down a list of questions. At the end he prescribed anti-depressant. Heavy dosage too. I'm super worried.

Was hoping to take mom to Toshi but she refused. Well, as mom may not have completely recovered, it was not good to line up outside the restaurant. We ended up eating out nearby. Toshi will have to wait.

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Spray paint

(Picture was taken on the 3rd and unrelated to subject.)
Finally get to spray paint the stuff. It's still cold and the wind was kind of strong.

Used up half the lemon for lemon honey. Which means mom and I each got 1/4. I cannot understand why she's been so resistant about it. (Maybe she stubbornly believes sweet-tasting food is bad for cold.) Nonetheless she drank it, but didn't seem to like it too much. Did I make it not well or something?

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Rice roll

Mom still has some cough so it's better to stay home. I went to see dad instead. Managed to catch him at dinner time. As usual, he's got spit all around him at the dining table. The staff praise him for feeding himself. Well, comparing to other residents there, he's not that bad. Except for spitting, taking things apart, flushing things down the toilet, refusing diapers while incontinent.

Went to get some take-out Vietnamese rice roll for dinner as mom seems to have gotten tired of the multi-grain rice. Got a huge lemon across the street for lemon honey. (Although mom said she didn't want to try any.) Massive construction on Kingsway and everyone thinking the same, went onto Knight Street. Took me a while to get home.

Simply Food chocolate chip cookie

From 2011 November. With the last one tasting bad, I hope this one would be better. And it didn't disappoint me. It's sweetness is just right. Texture was quite loose and crumbly, though. Which makes it very messy. It's edible but not really my cup of tea.

Monday, May 07, 2012

Chiropractor

Woke up by brother. Turns out mom phoned him last night asking him to see dad... despite asking me to do the same. Does she not trust me?

Thank God for chiropractor day. Last night's scrubbing did a number on my shoulders. Was going to check out Thursday's appointment location. A wanted beans so I went to Innocent right after chiropractor. Then the clinic location. My lack of direction sense had me went in a big circle. Oh well. Delivered the beans to A. S came to pick up the x-box while I wen to pick up pizza. Thought he'd stay for a game or two, but he didn't. Hung out at A's for a bit while he did some post-trip laundry.

Once again, I saw the communication block is high.

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Airport

Picked A up from the airport, took Pinky pictures of all the chocolate bars he brought back. Wish I had more Pinkys on me. Went grocery-shopping with him, came back and made some crapes for dinner. Sifting the flour didn't help. Ended up squishing the lumps with the back of a spoon. Kind of works. Still made a mess by burning the crape and left tough burnt-on black patches on the fry pan.

L asked for my mailing address through e-mail. It must be for the wedding invite. I'm really in no condition to go, so I tried to discourage him from sending me one. Seems like that's the only thing on his mind. He ignored my other greetings and questions, and kept insisting that I send him my address. I hesitated. Then he got mad at me. Sigh... oh yes, I'm the biggest failure in this world. Everyone hates me. God hates me. At the end, I took a huge risk telling him that I'm going through an extreme retreat phase and will be seeing a doctor in a few days. No more reply form him, at least none tonight. Let's see if I've driven away yet another friend. Or, the whole world rejects me. I'm not allowed to have any friends.

Saturday, May 05, 2012

Kerrisdale

(Photo is taken on another day and unrelated to subject.)
Didn't get any reply from L, but I was just not comfortable calling him. So I went. No he wasn't there. As much as I dislike it, I had to send him a message. Then I walked to the hobby store. Glad that they're still in business. Nothing to buy, though. They no longer carry that 1/48 stuff. Walked back to the cafe. It was safe to say that L didn't show up so I went home.

Simply Food chocolate cookie

From 2011 November. On sale at Shopper's $2 a box. When I cut open the inner bag, I could smell the chocolate. The cookies are very black and kind of bitter. However, the filling still tastes like icing. All of this kind of cookies have icing-like filling and this is no exception. I think the bitterness helps neutralize the sweetness of the filling. Wait till I read the ingredient list...

Friday, May 04, 2012

Cold

Mom, not me. She cancelled lunch with aunt L's gang and I took her to see the doctor in the afternoon. Parking was not smooth. 3 circles and still no empty spot. Didn't know meters can display a "card only" sign. Lost a quarter before noticing. Tried to set up the pay-by-phone thing, but wasn't comfortable sending my credit card info over the cell phone. Luckily the 4th circle yielded a spot right in front of the clinic. Mom was done too, so I didn't even need to go upstairs to pick her up.

Went o the $2 store at IV. Left mom at the food court while I walked to Dressew to get some stuff I forgot last time. Only took half the time I thought. Then stopped by the bank to pay my visa bill. Could not resist visiting the bead store across the street. Came home and couldn't stop dosing off. Mom hates the dumpling from aunt Y so I was stuck eating them all. Now I'm gonna stink... (T_T)

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Ophthalmologist

After all these time, uncle and aunt Y finally got over a long cold and could visit dad. Aunt Y made some dumplings with super stinky veggie so we didn't eat any at the nursing home. (Dad would want to eat them all. We did give him a few, though.) Uncle and aunt Y had to leave first. Me and mom stayed until dad finished lunch. The original plan was to eat those dumplings at Metrotown's food court and then go to mom's appointment. However, the container was tipped upside-down, and the soup spilled all over the shopping bag. Moreover, the forks seemed to be unclean. I couldn't bring myself to eat any.

Picked up some bread at T&T's. Mom was impatient as usual so we went to the ophthalmologist a full 25 minutes too early. That place hasn't changed a bit since dad's last appointment. As expected, not enough chairs too. I was prepared, though, and brought along that fold-up stool I got for mom. Didn't think I'd be the first one to use it.

So, it's cataract all right. The doctor said it's the right time for surgery too and mom agreed. Not before one more test, though, at his other office. That doctor is super busy. Which means he's good, but I hope he has enough time for every patient and doesn't screw up.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Draw-string

Mom brought home all of dad's pants to add draw-strings. (As a device to prevent him from tearing up his diapers.) I just cannot understand why she insists of making draw-strings from scrap fabric. Yet she'd complain about being jailed in front of the sewing machine, and has no time to work on the back yard. So! I went to Dressew to get some ready-to-use ones. She still tried to stop me up to the moment I left.

Thanks to a sign at the mall saying "activities may be monitored", I wasted some time there and ended up with only 40 minutes to shop at Dressew. (Sorry, I get paranoid from actually getting a parking ticket at Safeway from "walking away". Evil...) With help from the staff, I got something I though would work. However, mom considers it too thin and said she'd sew them double up. My point of trying to safe her time from the sewing machine is completely broken.

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Pen nip

Brother wanted me to lend niece G some pen nibs. I haven't touched them for year, so I checked them out to see if they're still usable. Then I remember I no longer have any ink. Oh well, at least I could make sure they're clean... and they were not as clean as I thought. Some have rusted too. Nonetheless, I also lend niece an old art book with pen nib instructions. Hope that helps.

Oops... forgot to take pictures of the box of pen nib collection. (Just in case I decide to give the whole thing to niece G. Those things are not cheap and I don't think I'll used them much anymore...) Eat-out day with brother's gang.