Recovery Long Weekend

The thanksgiving long weekend this week comes at the right time for me. As I noted in previous entries, my health and mental condition over the past two weeks has strained much of my energy and I am slowly recovering - recovering my lost drive, acumen, and confidence.

Yesterday was a good day, did lunch and dinner with family, did some shopping, watched a movie - all in all, the day was relaxing, and I felt great. Today, somehow I am a little jumpy again. Feeling a bit anxious, seems something is going to happen. I didn't have coffee yesterday, may be that's what's causing it.

I still have the rest of today and tomorrow to rest and collect myself. I hope I'll be better next week as there'll be tons of things coming up again.

Seniors Arcade Game

I've been to casino 4 times in the past 2 months. This is kind of unusual considering I'm not in Las Vegas. Anyway, Starlight is new in Richmond/New Westminster - guess it opens only earlier this year. As part of their marketing campaign, they sent value cards, lucky draw entry forms to every household in richmond. We didn't take them seriously at first as we are not gamblers and we don't believe in free lunch.

One time we were feeling lucky after the cash register ringed $7.77 and $2.22 in a row... We decided to go to the casino and try our luck... played a few rounds of slot machine, and won $60 and left right away... we only stayed at the casino for 5mins.

Another time we went was the day after the Moon Festival, and they have free mini moon cakes to give out at the cafe. The taste was ok too. We redeemed the coupons. We can't believe they just give you cash for the coupons. You don't really have to play.

This is not vegas, and we should not think it is. It's crowded, but I mean it's not packed and the atmostphere is different here, people are here to relax and it's almost like a seniors arcade center if you look at the slot machine area. Most people liked to play slots, and you'll only find a few tables open.

The chinese restaurant was good too. New and grand, another reason to go to the casino while waiting for a table at lunch there.

Library Book Sale

Kenneth told me a while back that he bought books from library book sale at very low prices - 25cents to $1. I was really amazed and was very eager to go to one some day.

After a few months, I finally went to one organized by RPL at the Thompson Community center on Oct 4th & 5th. The sale started at 9am, by the time wife and I arrived few minutes before 9:30am the parking lot was almost full and needless to say, the venue was packed.

Tons of books were placed on some 40-50 tables arranged along the interior walls and as two aisles in the middle of the room. Categorized into Business, Computers, Self-help, Hobbies, Chinese, Other Foreign Language, Fictions and Classic literature -- the books were mostly in good-to-great conditions. Prices range from $3 a bag for old fictions to $1 per hardcover fictions to $4 for rarer books.

We went separate ways as we entered the room - wife is interested in children books for school work, and me the business, self-improvement, and general interest sections. I scanned every single book in sight, catching words of interest - success, business, strategy, and other positive words - and bestseller titles. I also scanned the fictions, but thought I can't buy them all anyway, so I've got to buy books that I wish to keep. Fictions are those that you would put aside once you finish, so the investment value is very little - I'd rather read them in libraries.

We spent more than an hour 'shopping' there and came out with 25+ books for $30 between us. It's a very good deal. I'll definitely go again next time.

Brain Dead

I've not been functioning well the last couple of weeks. Allergy and overtime has killed all my brain cells and left me with a blank memory storage.

The harder I tried, the more difficult it seems to think. I can't seem to converse and articulate my ideas.. and I can't seem to participate anymore... I just can't think... It's scary.

Eventhough I tried to get to bed earlier this week, I don't seem to get enough sleep. My heart is beating fast, and I feel anxious and tired. I am just too weak now... but work still keeps piling up on me... more challenging tasks and not enough resource to handle at the pace I wished.

R started her 2-week-and-2-day vacation today... she helped me a lot... I'm gonna miss her.

Perhaps it's the medication - once gave me strength and confidence. I shouldn't have stopped it... It will take another week for it to work again.

Today is the start of a long weekend. Hope I can rest tomorrow, and pick up some work on Sunday and Monday.

Think outside the TV Box

I find it annoying that people talk about HK soap operas all the time. In restaurants, in buses, in MTRs... All they think about is what's on TV - the fictional lives portraited by so-called artistes, and the cheap lame jokes told by so-called MCs. To me, a lot of these salaried TV personalities are unprofessional professionals.

Refused to watch these programs now. These TV dramas are insulting viewers. They subliminally blocked the viewer's view. The viewers thought they saw, but they only saw what's made up. Everyone knows that, you may argue, but everybody is still talking about it.

Gotta watch less TV. Stay away from fiction. Think outside the TV Box.

Have always liked western talk shows, game shows, and comedies though - but new comedies are not funny anymore. I still remember what an executive once said: "I never watch movies. Why pay to see dumb people act?".