A shopping spree

Liyang treated me to a Greek lunch at Opa. I've been helping her out with a project, and it was her way of thanking me. Sigh, it's nice to feel appreciated.

Also, last night I confided in her and we had a really long girl's talk. But, today our goal was to shop till we dropped. It's always interesting shopping with someone who has a completely different sense of style than you. Anyway, she was quite candid with me, and there were a number of times when I was told that an item I was trying on made me look fat or old(er) or... :)
I'll stop there, but no offense was taken.

I helped her pick out a jacket, two sweaters, a Chanel-like handbag, and a tee. And, she picked a sleeveless silk top and camisole for me.

What fun, having your own personal shopper for a day!

An uncomfortable situation

Our company usually hosts Ministry of Fun events. This Friday, a few of us left work in the early afternoon to play basketball. The closest I've come to playing basketball is netball, where you have to stand still before passing the ball. We worked up a bit of sweat and I even managed to score a point for my team.

Afterwards a co-worker asked me if I wanted to watch a movie at the theatre across the street. I hadn't made any plans so I didn't mind hanging out. I was under the impression that other people were being invited, but it just landed up being me and him. He insisted on paying for the movie, so I brought nachos and some drinks.

It was messy eating nachos in the dark so I was holding onto a bunch of dirty napkins. My co-worker asked me if I wanted to throw them away. I was thinking, that's polite. After I gave him the napkins, he asked me to hold his hand...I said "No!" I was thinking, WHY did he just ask me that? He is married and I've met his wife and daughters. He asked me a second time to hold his hand...No! I rejected him flatly again. "I don't want to", I said firmly. What didn't he get the first time? I felt uncomfortable the rest of the movie. He wanted to walk me to my car. I declined. He called me and left a messaging thanking me for being a true friend. Creepy!

I was really upset on the drive home. I kept wondering what had I done to encourage his behaviour...After much reflection, I concluded that this was not something that I could have anticipated. We have spent time hanging out one-on-one, including lunches and a prior movie, and none of those activities resulted in any incidences. Our relationship has been professional. Thank goodness we do not work in the same department.

When I check my emails at home. He'd sent a message to make sure I made it home safely and the usual joke emails. I haven't returned his calls or emails, but I think that he is realizing that he crossed the line in our friendship.

I feel like he took advantage of me being nice to him.

I'm almost done with my melodrama; after all, there are worse things than asking someone to hold your hand. But next week at work, I'm going to tell him he crossed the line and that his behaviour was inappropriate. He made me feel uncomfortable and I want an apology.

End rant.

An unexpected evening

Tonight I went to Metrotown to return an item of clothing to Jacob. My plan was to head straight home and not be distracted by all of the sales in the mall. I'm a bargain shopper, so it always makes me happy when I find a good deal.

When I was in the store, I ran into a co-worker who I've been trying to catch up with since Christmas. What a coincidence. We'd been playing telephone tag and kept missing each other. With her new job downtown, I didn't expect her to be shopping at Metrotown...on a Thursday night.

We used to work in the same department and she recently took up a new job with an internet marketing company downtown (closer to home), leaving me holding the fort. I miss her because we made a great team.

She was with two friends and they invited me to join them for dinner. The four of us landed up at the Green Basil. The waiter recognized me from the week before so I got the royal VIP treatment, thanks to Kim. The waiter also gave me a package to return to Kim (it had been unknowingly left there). Lucky that I just happened to be dining there that night or who knows where the package could have ended up. To top off the evening, they gave us FREE ice-cream. That's better than any bargain!

Pretty in Pink

Friday night's dinner at Green Basil with the Kim, Shan and Tanya was full of laughs.

On Saturday, Wanda celebrated her 30th birthday. The theme of the party was Pimpin' and Pretty in Pink. Sophia, the excellent host that she is, greeted me with a Pina Colada. It was a fun filled evening catching up with everyone, hanging out and even a little bit of dancing. Wanda, welcome to the 'dirty 30s'.

Curing a cold

After fighting a cold for five days and not feeling better, I finally gave in to seeing the doctor. I was reluctant to sit in the waiting room surrounded by other sick people. My own 'love doctor' had been encouraging me to resist antibiotics -- trying to convince me that my own body would be able to fight it off and how rest and Vitamin C would cure me. The doctor diagnosed me as having a chest infection which moved upwards into a sinus infection. Just nasty. No wonder I was phlegmy, congested and headachy. The prescription was a dose of amoxicillin. I resorted to the drugs, feeling quite sorry for myself. Next time I will settle for some R&R and TLC.

Cheering on the Canucks

My co-worker, Stefan, invited me to a Canucks game. I'm not much of a hockey fan, but do enjoying watching any sport live. The match between the Canucks and the Dallas Stars was nail-bitingly close. The score was tied 1-1 and went into overtime. The Canucks scored the winning point in the shootout and the crowds cheered. Singing the anthem, listening to the drum rolls, doing the crowd wave, cheering on the home team and booing at the opponents all made it a fun experience.

Happy New Year

With relatives from London and South Africa visiting, we had 40 people at our house for New Year's Eve. We counted down till midnight, toasted and there were hugs all round.

For those of you that we didn't get a chance to see, hope you enjoyed the holidays with friends and loved ones. All the best for the new year; we hope that 2007 is filled with lots of happiness and special moments.