Weird Dream of the Day: The Empty Office and Norah Jones

If you've been following me on Twitter, you may have seen my tweets about my weird dreams. Normally, I barely remember them once I wake up. But there are days when I remember most of the weird dream; sometimes, part of it or the feeling it left me after I woke up even stays with me throughout the day.

In today's dream, I was walking through my side of an almost empty office with my lunch in my hand. I saw my nine-months-pregnant colleague talking with a couple of officemates who had their back toward me. They looked very serious. My colleague glanced at me while nodding at one guy. I went out to the shop side to get to the lunchroom. But when I closed the door behind me, I saw that the lunchroom had one door boarded up. I don't remember whether the other door was locked or not, though. Also, the tables and chairs from the lunchroom were moved to the shop side, where the manufacturing equipment would be in real life. There were three women - who didn't work at my office - sitting and chatting in the shop/lunchroom. Two of them sat at one table, while the other sat at another table. When I sat at the table where the two women were, I saw that the third woman was Norah Jones. Yes, Norah Jones - the Grammy-winning musician and the star of My Blueberry Nights. They were discussing ideas about either a new video or new movie. I don't remember what Norah was saying when I sat down, though; and I wouldn't have known what song (if it's a song) they were discussing, because I don't follow her music. Which is probably why, when Norah noticed me, she said something like, "Oh, she's OK." I don't recall what she said after that, but I think she mentioned something about that fact that I don't know her music as much as I know, say, Kelly Clarkson's (see two previous sentences). Then the dream ended.

Weird, eh? Disturbing too, because the office and shop were practically empty; although it could also mean that it was a very slow Friday or that the manufacturing equipment was moved to the larger shop section downstairs. Also, three were talking with each other on the office side and three were also talking on the shop/lunchroom side. Also, Norah Jones in my office? Not to mention that she knew the music I prefer and was OK with it.

What could this dream mean (as well as the other weird dreams I've had and will have)? Does this mean that I should buy the new Norah Jones record when it comes out? That's some sneaky and creepy advertising! Or is it just the bottle of Corona talking? Or that I slept at 1 AM? Or that I ate some meat the As brought home from Pinpin Restaurant in Vancouver three hours before I went to bed and four hours before I actually fell asleep? Not that I'm saying there's something in the food, just the fact that I ate something that heavy at 9 PM (after I watched the Stand Up 2 Cancer special on ABC/FOX/CBS/NBC).

Regardless, I'll try to write about my weird dreams as much as I can. I hope that I can figure them out or why I'm having such dreams by blogging about them. Feel free to comment, y'all.

Like I Didn't Know This

You Are an Insomniac

It's likely that this quiz confirms what you already know - you have insomnia. It's difficult for you to sleep well through the night, and it's having a bad effect on your life. You should probably seek treatment for your insomnia ... or at least try some home remedies. Consider giving up caffeine and sticking to a sleep schedule. Everyone deserves a full night of rest.

Are You An Insomniac?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

No Wonder I'm Insomniac

You Shine at Midday and Midnight

You're the type of person who has trouble waking up in the morning, but you're good to go after a while. And just when everyone else is going to bed, you make a comeback late at night. You have a lot of energy, and you tend to go at full speed. You thrive during the summer when the world is alive at almost any hour.

When Do You Shine?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Felice Anno Nuovo!!!

Goodbye, 2009!

While 2008 was a year of healing and 2010 is a year of hope, 2009 was a difficult year. It was difficult for everyone affected by the recession, but it was especially difficult for me.

I started seriously looking for my own place, even without enough money. I didn't - still don't - have much support from my family because they don't think I'm mature enough to live on my own. I lost one unit I liked because my brother took forever to definitely refuse to help me. Every time I mention the words "condo" or "condo hunt," my mom and my sister wig out. It is painful that other people support me in this matter, while my own family doesn't.

Then the government of British Columbia announced that it is harmonizing the Goods & Service Tax (GST, at 5%) with the Provincial Sales Tax (PST, at 7%), thus creating the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST, at 12%). It is effective starting July 1, 2010. The HST announcement led to a surge in real estate sales, reducing the inventory and turning the real estate market into a seller's market - which means, it's not helping me at all. The government is insisting that HST is good for the economy, but more British Columbians disagree with it than those who accept it. For more information about the HST opposition, please go to this site.

Also, the recession's effect on the construction industry affected my work days and my salary. To prevent more layoffs, my employer entered us in the Work Share Program and cut our working days by one or two days. Employment Insurance is paying us for those days, but it does reduce the money I put into savings, part of which is for the condo hunting.

The above may not match other people's difficult experiences this year (e.g. the Typhoon Ondoy/Ketsana victims in the Philippines, among others), but these were very difficult and painful for me. This is just half of all the pain I experienced in 2009, at least those I can talk about without getting chewed out.

These difficulties did teach me/remind me of a few things:

• God has control and sovereignty in my life. I can't impose my will on His.
• Everything happens for a reason and that God answers prayers in His time.
• God does not give me trials that are beyond me. He has gone through everything He makes me go through.

In 2010:

• I will have a better quiet, devotional time. I usually do it in the morning, before I leave for work, but I feel it's not enough.
• I will register for more editing or writing courses to develop my skills. I'm not sure about the SFU Certificate in Editing program anymore, because it will cost me at least $4,000.
• I will write more - and edit more.
• I will change my sleeping habits for the better. The more sleep, the better.
  
• I will improve my time-management skills.
• I will spend less and save more. Except, of course, if it relates to LOST. *Wink wink*
• I will fix that emotional unavailability thing.
• I will make other necessary changes in my life. *Wink wink*

Lord, I thank You for all the obvious blessings and blessings-in-disguise You bestowed upon me in 2009. *Sigh* More of the same for 2010? Hmmm...

Goodbye, 2009! Hello, 2010!

Felice Anno Nuovo!!!

Buon Natale!!!

That's MERRY CHRISTMAS in Italian!

So, Christmas has come and gone. It`s one of the quietest Christmas I've had. 'Twas neither too exciting nor too boring.

On Christmas Eve, we went to the encore presentation of our church's Children's Ministry Christmas play entitled The Best Christmas Present Ever. It was a hit, just like last Sunday's presentation. My niece sang in the choir and spoke a bit towards the end of the play.

Then we went to our churchmate's - and family dentist's - house for a Christmas dinner party. The C's came with us and I mostly hung out with them. Other churchmates attended the shindig and we wished each other a merry Christmas. I missed MuchMoreMusic's broadcast of VH1 Divas 2009, featuring Kelly Clarkson, Adele, Jordin Sparks, and Jennifer Hudson for this party.

We left with Christmas gifts - mine was suspiciously shaped like Purdy's chocolates - at around 11 PM. We stopped by Shoppers Drug Mart for about half an hour so my sister could get the antibiotics that our dentist prescribed. Then we went home.

We opened the presents just after midnight, after a couple of Kodak moments (i.e. picture-taking sessions). I gave my nephew the Casio watch (a.k.a. Usher's watch) that he wanted, a $50 iTunes gift card, and $100. I gave my niece a copy of Rhythm Heaven Nintendo DS Game and $100. I gave Miss KC a $50 iTunes gift card and $100, because she only asked for money. I gave Little Mr. JC a Rex the Dinosaur collectible figure from Toy Story and $40.

And what did I get?

Aside from my mom's early Christmas gifts during Black Friday, she also gave me Ferrero Rocher. Yum! As I guessed, my dentist gave me Purdy's Hedgehog chocolates. Double yum! The C's gave me the Inglourious Basterds DVD and He's Just Not That Into You Blu-Ray disc. Then the A's gave me Stephen King's Under The Dome and Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever. Yippee!!!

At least I got four items from my updated wish list. Hehehehehe... Didn't get the BlackBerry Curve 8520 or the first issue of Y: The Last Man, though. Oh, well. Maybe I can get these on my 27th B'Day? Hehehehehe...

After all the excitement from the gift-opening, we sat down for a bit of eggnog and coffee for the grown-ups and hot chocolate for the kids. Then I brought my Blu-Ray player to the living room so my bro-in-law could hook it up to his Bose system. Then we watched the He's Just Not That Into You disc. We finished the movie at about 3:40 AM and they went to bed. I stayed up until 4:30 or 5 AM, then I fell asleep.

I woke up at noon on Christmas Day and stayed in bed until about 1 PM. Then I went upstairs to eat. I went back to my room to watch The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and the rest of the trilogy. However, partway through Disc 2, I fell asleep. I didn't wake up until 10:30 PM. I was hungry, so I went upstairs to get some food to bring to my room. I  continued the trilogy; it's now 5 AM and I'm watching The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Disc 1.

I must finish the movie, and maybe get some sleep before tonight's party.

Buon Natale! And Happy Boxing Day!!!

My B'Day Wish: Extra Strength Tylenol!

I had imagined my 26th B'Day to be the same old thing that my B'Days have been. Take last year's for consideration: I woke up and my mom handed me my gift. I had breakfast and went to Metropolis at Metrotown to do a little shopping. After spending $108 on clothes and what-not (it's true, I'm not kidding), I went home and waited for everyone to come home so we could have my B'Day dinner. Boring as it was, it was fine.

Except that I'm sick this year. Actually, I've been ill since Saturday, May 23rd. I've been coughing, running a fever, and sneezing for six days now. And my co-workers are freaking out and blaming me for their little sniffles, little sneezes, and little coughs.

Seriously. Worst B'Day ever.

But all was not lost. People cared enough to greet me on Facebook - and my best friend didn't forget my B'Day this time! (Hehe.) Some are still sending me belated birthday greetings! A few people even sent cards!

I got great gifts too. My mom gave me an emerald-and-diamond ring a few weeks ago, and then she gave me clothes too. My sister gave me my very first Coach purse when they came back from Orlando, FL a couple of months ago; she said that was my early birthday gift. My niece and nephew/godson gave me Lipstick Jungle Season 2 DVD set (because The Big Bang Theory Season 2 DVD and Fringe Season 1 DVD aren't released yet) and a digital photo frame/key chain. Then the C's gave me my very first Guess purse, a Salvatore Ferragamo perfume, and a little poem/note from Miss KC.

We had spaghetti carbonara, baked chicken, two sets of pizza, and Pepsi. Then my niece took the DQ ice-cream cake for dessert.

Yes, they didn't listen to me when I said I don't want an ice-cream cake for my B'Day. No LOST-themed cake for this B'Day girl! (Humour me, it was my B'Day.)

Eh. Whatever. I was already having the worst B'Day ever.

The best B'Day gift ever? Ironically, it came in the form of a non-B'Day gift: a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol!!!

I took one caplet and I fell asleep at around 9:30pm. When I woke up at midnight, I felt slightly better, although it still took me two hours to get back to sleep. When I woke up at 5:30am, there were less coughing fits, which lasted the whole day!

Anyway... Overall, I had a fine B'Day. It wasn't as great as my 25th or my 21st, but it will do. I'll just think of my Guess purse and Salvatore Ferragamo perfume.

Red Wine Made My Christmas More Interesting

It may not be politically correct, and it may piss off someone, but I'm gonna say it anyway:

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

Happy birthday to all whose birthday is 25 December too!

I just woke up (10:30!) from a night of food, red wine, singing, games, and Christian love. My mother is far away in Houston, Texas, but I still feel her love: I was not well yesterday, and she kept calling my cell phone to check up on me. (Cue "awwwwww".) Sadly, I was either asleep or busy when she called.

Anyway, we had a "formal" Christmas dinner (or noche buena). I especially liked the bottle of red wine, since I hadn't had alcohol for a while. Relax, I'm not an alcoholic. We then put the dishes and glasses in the dishwasher and proceeded to sing karaoke using our neighbour's system. I didn't have a solo - heck, I didn't want one - but I helped out with a few songs. My favourite piece that we sang was Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". Nobody could reach the high notes, but I think I did well. *Wink wink* Then, we played Guesstures, a version of charades. Ah, the red wine screwed up my ability to act out the words. Hahahahaha!

Eleven-thirty came, and we got ready to open the presents. I filmed my favourite toddler, J, as he opened my sister's present (a toy train). The C's went down to the basement to do their Christmas-present-opening tradition, and we stayed in the living room to open our presents.

I asked for either the Wanted DVD or the Forgetting Sarah Marshall DVD; I got the 2-Disc Special Edition of the former. Good enough, although I was really hoping for the latter.

I also got a nice picture frame from my boss. Hmmm... What picture shall I put it in there?

The C's gave me a dark blue Ralph Lauren sweater, a small Dior Addict perfume, and Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. Ms Atkinson also wrote When Will There Be Good News? that ended up on Stephen King and Time Magazine's best fiction/books of 2008 lists (#3 and #8, respectively). Now, I really wanted that book, but I guess Case Histories is a start.

My absolute favourite gift of all is my sister's: a Columbia Sportswear Company women's jacket that I really wanted (after the BlackBerry Storm, one-way plane ticket to Zurich, and an emerald ring, anyway) and needed (the horrible Vancouver snowstorm post is coming up!)!

When I was getting K's gift at Sportchek, I also tried on a few jackets and parkas to help me brave the terrible winter. A few of them fit nicely, but they were so expensive ($150 to $200). So I returned them to the racks and went on with my day. But I swore that I would come back for one of them tomorrow (Boxing Day - huge sales all over the country and a stat holiday too!). Thank God my sister recognised my need and got it for me. Thanks, Sisteh!

I'm gonna try and upload the pics and videos later. Stay tuned!

Overall, I had a great Christmas. With the early Christmas present (wink wink) and the early Christmas bonus (woohoo!), the presents and the familial love all around made for an absolutely lovely Christmas.

Happy birthday, Jesus!!!

Join the Blogathon Vancouver 2008

I saw this article from yesterday's 24 Hrs: it's about a Blogathon being organized by Rebecca Bollwitt of Miss604.com.

On 26 July 2008, bloggers have to post to their blog every 30 minutes for an entire day (24 hours). According to the Blogathon wiki, "...the idea is to give 24 hours of your time so that your readers can pledge/donate to your cause of choice to keep that steady stream of content going." Readers or sponsors can donate to the charity of the blogger's choice.

I'm not sure if I can participate in the Blogathon, with my wacky sleeping habits and the dedication of my friend's son. That's why I'm spreading the word now. Although I can probably try the mobile blogging feature of Blogger.com...

If you're interested in the Blogathon Vancouver 2008, go to the Sign Up page. Go to the Blogathon wiki and Miss604.com for more information.

Rain Delays and Laziness

I'm supposed to be out shopping for clothes today. I had planned to buy summer clothes - like jeans and Capri pants - so I can have something denim or really casual to wear on Casual Fridays at work. I also wanted to get a haircut, and possibly some highlights, today.

Then the weatherperson forecasted that it was gonna rain today. And I only had three hours of sleep (wanted to sleep early, but couldn't; watched early morning broadcasts of Men in Black and Casanova, which finally made me fall asleep at five AM). So I stayed home and wrote.

Thank God, because I was able to write 850 words in two hours - which is good enough. Three hundred and fifty words more, and I will reach the word count that I had before I changed the conflict and had to revise most of what I'd already written. Hopefully this will help further the story, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it by my 26th birthday.

Anyway, I took a lunch break at 1:08 (it's the Numbers, man!). I went upstairs (I'm in the basement), and - lo and behold! - it was not raining! It's cloudy with sunny breaks.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is still rain, but I would really like the forecast to be changed to, at least, cloudy with sunny breaks. But, then, I will get out of the house tomorrow anyway - rain or shine. I just hope it would be the latter.

*Sigh* It's nearly 14:30, and I have to get back to work. Then I'll take a nap.

So much for the first day of my week-long (another sigh) vacation...

Sleeping On It

Here's another reason to love sleep.

Apparently, the science section of The New York Times (or the Science Times) is devoting a special issue to examine "a cascade of research into the science of sleep."

According to the article, deep sleep, on which healthy sleepers spend more time earlier in the night, improves memory of learned facts, such as names, numbers, or places. This could mean that those who need to remember facts for exams would do better to sleep and arise early than to stay up late studying. Also, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep enhances pattern recognition learning, such as grammar or chess. The bulk of REM sleep comes later in the night, which means those who need to learn grammar, chess, or the like would benefit from staying up later rather than turning in early. Moreover, Stage 2 sleep, which is the intermediate stage between REM sleep and deep sleep, boosts learning motor skills, such as playing the piano or guitar, or playing hockey.

Pretty cool, eh?

This article was written by Benedict Carey and was published on 23 October 2007.

Two-Hour Sleep, Anyone?

I survived it.

I only slept for two hours last night. Two hours.

Well, my insomnia came back with a vengeance during my three-week vacation. But I was asleep by midnight the night before I came back to work.

What happened? Dunno.

Was I depressed? Hmm... Not quite.

Were there things in my mind? Yeah. Work and my outfit for the morning (that is, this morning).

I was tired, very tired. I just couldn't sleep.

I tried breathing evenly as though I were asleep, but it failed. Imagine that? I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind, but it failed again. I tried listening to folk/jazz, as in Theresa Sokyrka (Kalan Porter's runner-up in Canadian Idol Season 2), but her songs didn't put me to sleep. Maybe I should have listened to Patti LaBelle's Greatest Hits CD?

I finally fell asleep just before three in the morning. As in, 3 AM.

Guess what time I have to wake up?

Five o'clock in the morning.

And what was my day like?

Before I showered, I drank hot chocolate - which should have been coffee. Heck, I'll take black coffee or espresso. The cold shower helped a little bit to keep me awake. In the bus, I tried to keep my brain busy by reading Anna Karenina. At least, that worked. On the SkyTrain, I read - skimmed, actually - the new and improved 24 hours free newspaper. While waiting for the 116 bus, I started the crossword. Pretty normal stuff.

Instead of the normal stuff that I did, I wanted to go back to bed.

Anyway, at work, I keyed five invoices in the system. I also finished the revenue accruals for the Helifor manday billings and for Myra Falls, which I could have billed if I only received all the backups for the manday counts summary for the period ending June 22/07!

But all I wanted to do was sleep.

Well, I managed to last the day without actually falling asleep involuntarily.

I need to make sure this doesn't happen again. Ever again.

Through the Looking Glass... With Tearful Eyes

Did I waste my tears this time?

Last Wednesday, Charlie didn't die. Did he really die in the season finale? (I'm just in denial; he did die. *Sniff*)

This and a few other questions.

Was Ben telling the truth? When he said he was going to talk Jack out of turning off Rousseau's message, did he know who Naomi really is?

Who is Naomi? Who is she really? If Penny didn't send her and her company, then who sent her?

Why didn't Pryce and Tom kill Bernard, Jin, and Sayid? Who decided to shoot the sand three times instead of the three Losties? Pryce? Tom? Neither?

Why did Juliet lie to Kate (back in "Left Behind") as to why Jack didn't want Kate to go back for him?

Why did Jack kiss Juliet if he loved Kate?

Were the off-island events really flash-fowards instead of flashbacks? (They were.)

How did Locke know what "work" he was supposed to do? Did Walt tell him?

Was it Walt? Was it a manifestation of what Ben called "forces stronger than anything it has faced in many many years"? Was it Cerberus (a.k.a. Smoky the Monster)? Was it Jacob?

What was a gun doing in the DHARMA mass grave? Did it belong to one of the dead DHARMA Initiative people? Is that why one skull seemed to have a gunshot-wound-sized hole? Who shot that particular person? Was that the same person who left the gun in the mass grave?

Who was the musician that programmed the code in The Looking Glass?

Who did Jack talk to on Naomi's satellite phone?

Where is the temple that Ben talked about with Richard? What are Richard and the rest of the Others supposed to do there?

Why wasn't Jack supposed to make that phone call?

What was in the newspaper article? Was it the dead person that he visited? Why was he neither a friend nor a family? Was it an Island person? Why was he so devastated after he read the article that he wanted to jump off the bridge?

Is Christian Shephard dead or alive? Why did Jack, in the flash-forward, speak about his father as if he were alive?

Did baby Aaron inconsolably cry because he felt what happened to Charlie?

Will Claire and baby Aaron get off the island so Charlie's death wouldn't be futile?

OK, I'm gonna stop now. I might cry again.

But I can say now that, until February 2008, the LOST-related sites will be smoking with theories and stuff about season four. I'm gonna start with this blog and the official LOST Wiki.

I'm gonna cry myself to sleep now. Ciao.