Food for Thought.

Last week was a mess. One of my coworkers was on vacation for three days, and of course, the client dropped the ball on us. Us two remaining designer stayed past 5:30pm everyday. I even stayed until 7pm a few days, just to get the work done. Ugh. I was exhausted!

On an upside, we had a wonderful lunch on Friday. The asians in the agency decided it was time for a little dim sum, so off we went to Chang's for some food and fun! Of course, we had 3 non-asians with us. Not a problem. Watching them eat was quite a fun spectacle. None of them had been exposed to dim sum, so this was a fun-filled eye-opening experience. They were so glad when we got some 'normal' tasting dishes. On the other had, they were just amazed at how we just ordered dish after dish after dish. That lunch lasted 90+ minutes, so we were late coming back to the office.

Today, I made a salad for lunch (pictured above). It was healthy and delicious, so I thought I'd share it with you. Well, a picture of it, anyways.It was easy to do, once I got everything together.

The shrinkage continues ...

As if Thursday's loss wasn't enough...I get to work today only to find out that we lost 3 more people last Friday. Very sad. This whole ordeal has me concerned. Very concerned. What the heck is going on?!? I have some ideas, but I'll keep them to myself, for now. In the meantime, I am grateful that I am still employed. I guess there's a silver lining to my previous ordeal after all.

On an up side, one of the ladies released this past Thursday visited the office today. Everyone was glad to see her, me included. She looked so much happier, and I know why. She was never happy at her job, always stressing out and lagging behind. When you have a job and a steady paycheck, you tend to become complacent, despite how much you may suffer and hate the job. Sometimes, being forcefully ejected from that position is just what is needed to get things back to the way it should be. A blessing in disguise, if you will. I know, because I was in her exact position at one point. Had I not been released, I would not be where I am today. Sure, it hurts in the beginning, and it is downright scary (especially when you consider my immigration needs). But then you come to the realization that you just may have not been meant to be there, doing what you did. You move on, and you seek happiness again, with a renewed outlook on life. You don't really have a choice.

I will miss her very much, and I hope she finds her happy place in life. Actually, I am very sure she will, and very soon to boot. My best wishes to everyone released from any company. May you find what you're looking for.

The Shrink + Shrinkage Week

Back from Portland. Back to the office and straight into the doctor's chair.

This week, I had to be a good listener, counseler and advisor to two people. One to a girl at work who is concerned and frustrated about her visa situation. Understandably so. Having dealt more with such matter, she asked me for advise. I did my best, and she's a little more optimistic now. Especially considering what happened this week (see previous post), she's still here. And so am I. The other is to a very nice (visiting) guy I met online. We have some very interesting (and freaky) similarities. His problem comes from his ungrateful and non-contributing boyfriend. Granted, I am hearing only one side of the story, but assuming its true, I feel really sorry for him. No one deserves to be used, abused, and hung-out-to-dry like he is. But he is moving along. And he might be single soon. Good for him! Life is too short to keep on living it unhappily. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

There's my karma deeds for the week. And what a week it has been! I'm totally pooped-out.

I <3 WEIRD.

OK! So I am a few days behind ... but, lo and behold I am back in Las Vegas. And I already miss Portland. It was weird. And I love weird. My four days of walking was fantastic. I had booze in me a good bit of my trip. It was actually sunny on all four days. A little chilly, but sunny nonetheless. Portland is a very green and green-conscious city. Reuse. Refuse. Recycle. Everywhere. People of all kinds. Fantastic public transportation. Weiden + Kennedy. Pride weekend. And Michael. Meeting Michael there was so much fun. He's a really nice guy, and was gracious enough to let me stay at his cute, stylish studio. I call it the Taxidermy Suite, because he has a thing for fur. Nevertheless, it was nice place, located in Nob Hill, aka the Alphabet District, making it close to 23rd Street and to the Pearl District.

The 23rd Street area is very much like Virginia Highlands back in Atlanta. A few streets of great local stores, restaurants and bars, surrounded by residences all over. The Pearl District is just a few blocks away, and it is a downtown area, filled with many, many hip trendy spots. Contemporary industrial-modern styles meets historical greco-roman architecture at every corner, with mod-pop strewn in for a good mix.

I do want to go back. I didn't get enough time to see everything I wanted to see. And of course, to visit Michael again. But, what I did manage to see and experience includes:

Powell's Books - A whole block and 4 levels of books. Old. New. Used. Rare. Out of Print. A book lover's paradise. I could spend days in there.
Rich's Cigar Store - Best magazine selection in town. I don't smoke, but they do seem to have a great cigar selection too.
Hotel Lucia - A small boutique, modern and fun hotel. Includes a cute lobby area with a rotating art gallery. Check out Bo and Typhoon while you're there.
Ace Hotel - A mod, posh mid-century modern hotel in the Pearl District. Use that photo booth and capture the experience.
Ken's Artisan Bakery - fantastic sandwiches and baked goods. Always packed. Always good. Try some marionberry pastry.
Portland City Grill - the 30th floor location gives you an awesome view of the entire city, including all 7 bridges across the Willamette River. Very crowded and popular, so good luck scoring a table with a view.
Portland Japanese Garden - A beautiful place to spend a sunny day. Picturesque.
Reading Frenzy - A zine shop for all things 'zine.'
CounterMedia - small bookstore with all kinds of tasteful and not-so-tasteful erotica.
Mio Gelato - Go here for your Pearl District gelato fix.
Alotto Gelato - Go here if you're near 23rd Street.
Caffe Umbria - Fun, modern Italian joint. Good for a lunch break.
Masu - Grab some sushi and Hakutsure. Then chill.
Bleu - Enjoy an ever-changing menu, designed and served by the students of the Western Culinary Institute.
Silverado and Boxxes/Red Cap - Gay Nightlife.

PS. I also managed to see my ex-roomate John while I was there. Also managed to spend some time with Ben, another fellow Malaysian who was visiting Portland that weekend.

PPS. Southwest Airlines was ok an airline. The flight to Portland was nice and on time. The flight from Portland was delayed an hour and was completely full. I'll have to remember to check in early, so I can get good seats.

WTF?!

SERIOUSLY! What the Fuck is up with this week? The workload has been piling like crazy. I had to play counselor/listening bud a few times. Fine. But today ... we lost 4 people! Within 30 minutes! Two Traffic Managers and two Jr. Designers. Restructuring and more restructuring! Such are the lean times known as economic depressions. It affects us all. I will miss them. The aura around the office after that was NOT a productive or happy one. Ugh! This shows that NO ONE is safe!

I •••• Mornings!

I really really do! Ugh! So summers are coming up fast. The warm weather, crazy winds, clear nights and a crazy sun schedule. With the sun now rising about 5am and setting at 8pm, my body has decided to roll along. While I am still a night owl, by bioclock now gets me up at 5:30am. Even on the weekends. Even if I fell asleep at 2am! Ugh! Sable isn't helping either, as she is up when the sun is, and wants me to be as well. And while she can sleep the day away, I have to work. Thank gawds tea has caffeine. Otherwise, by 2pm, I would be dragging. And that is bad. What a fun sleep-deprived summer this will be.

李聖傑 - 靠近

Here's another C-Pop song that I have been enjoying a lot lately. (Sam) Li Sheng Jie has a great voice, and Kao Jin (from the album So Fun 收放自如) is very powerful and emotional. The MV is very simple and evocative at the same time, proving that everything need not be flashy to be effective. And now, thanks to bubbleheadcharm, you get to sing along the KTV version! Yay! Have at it.