Customer Service Nightmare

I hope you're enjoying a lovely weekend! I'm finally back online after going through some *bs* with my ex-cable company. And this is what happened:

When we had the water damage several months ago and evacuated to my in-law's house, my mother in law had suggested that maybe I should call my cable company and asked to have my cable service suspended while I'd be out of the condo. I wouldn't be using the cable nor internet, so that made more sense, so I did. Florida has lots of Snow Birds, so the cable company I used offered the seasonal suspension. The rep told me to call them whenever I was ready to move back in and they would restore the service with no problem.

So, past Monday morning I called the cable company and let them know that I moved back in and wanted my service back on. The rep said no problem and the technician could come to my place the next day. I was really ecstatic until she said, "One thing though, we need to get $236 to restore the service plus the installation." - WHAT????? I asked again, "Ahem, excuse me... What did you say?"

The rep explained to me that I needed to pay the bill for a month in advance and the service restoration fee. My bill was supposed to be only $136 plus tax., even I had to pay restoration fee, it still didn't add up. "But, still, I want to know why is it so expensive, my bill is only $126?," I asked. "Well, since you suspended your service, the promotion you had when you signed up with us is no longer available for you. Therefore you need to pay $206 a month from now on," - WHAT A Hell?? Seriously, WTF????

I explained to her that I had to move into my in law's house due to water damage, and I called and spoke with several reps, and that they had never mentioned anything about losing my promotion nor having to pay more money to restore the service. The rep said there's nothing she can do. Meanwhile, my heart was beating fast with anger and confusion, so I told her I'd call her back.

My thinking is that, maybe I got a lazy rep who didn't want to go through all the trouble to give me the promotion back. So I called the cable company back. Again, another rep told me the same thing, well, she mentioned she'd talked to the supervisor and she wouldn't be able to help me with my promotion being taken away. I ended the call saying I'd call back and I called back again, and the response was the same thing. I talked to my clients at work and they all told me it's ridiculous that I had to pay that much money to restore the service when I was never informed by the reps from previous that this was going to happen if I suspend or disconnect my service.

I was almost in tears because not having able to watch TV or use internet would suck, but I didn't want to pay over $200 every month when it wasn't my fault. That's when I realized about another option - switch the cable company! I knew I didn't have any contract with the cable company, so if I wanted to stop using the company, I could! I said to the rep, "If this is what you call a customer service, then I don't want your service anymore." and hung up. I'm not ususally a complainer. I'm a happy person who always tries to strike a conversation. But I was not happy at all - I felt like I was totally mistreated. Was it because of my accent? I don't know, but I felt like they didn't try to solve the problems. I had gone through a lot after the water damage and I'm still dealing with issues for not getting any checks from the insurance company. There's no way I was going to deal with another *bs* and I felt good about it.

So here I come Verizon Fio - again. We used to use Fio until past February and I switched to the other company because they offered more affordable service. Anyway, I called Verizon and the rep was so kind and told me he'd try to give me the best possible rate and he did! He asked me what I really wanted in the cable and I told him I definitely wanted HBO which I couldn't have with my ex-cable company because their movie package didn't include that. So he gave me HBO and Cinemax for free for 24 months with no contract and free installation! Yes, free for 24 months and free installation! Woo Hooo! Also, the whole bill is a lot cheaper with all the channel that I get compare to the old ones. They offer me more HD channels and movie channels.

The only downside was that I had to wait five days for the Verizon tech guy to come to my house and hook it up. But it was so worth it. Just hearing the sound of music from the Weather Channel (for local area info) or being able to go online and visit your blog make me feel like I'm finally, truly home. I'm really impressed with my daughters for not complaining one bit that they couldn't watch TV. They have enough toys and art stuff to keep them busy and also we were able to watch DVD. I'm truly grateful for my girls for helping me out while I cleaned the house and get ourselves situated - they are very patient little things indeed!

I'm so sorry for not having able to visit your blog - I'm so excited to be back home and have my own space and blog and visit:)

So, do you have any horrible experiences with customer service???

One Fine Day ~ The Day Before Memorial Day on Lido Beach ~

I went to Lido Beach (yes, that's right, our favorite beach) the day before Memorial Day on Sunday with my dear friend A and her son D. We decided to snap some pics on our own and see who takes better self-picture : Maki or A? I took this pic and A took the one below...

A is such a beautiful lady - she looks just like my favorite actress Kate Beckinsale. I'm serious. It wasn't so crowded at the beach, but it took us 30 minutes to find a parking spot. A who was there before me called me almost in tears that she hadn't found parking. I got there, we circled around the road and I told her on the cell, let's park at the circle (St. Armands Circle) - we walked 15 minutes to the beach, but it was worth it.

When we got there, I reapplied sunblock on Ju Ju and Soapy. You have to do that - sun is so strong in FL. Then off they go, they were in the water non-stop. The water was beautiful, nice and just right temeprature. Birds were flying over us and waves hitting the beach. It was such a lovely day...

Girls and baby D enjoyed Fishy and Japanese tea (mugicha) which I frozed them in the bottles so that they wouldn't get warm.

Soapy???? What happened? Looks like a cave girl. LOL...

Soapy and Me. I don't know why, but lots of seaweed that day. A ton of them. It was kind of annoying, but still it was nice to be in the water.

Ju Ju is a mermaid. She doesn't come out of water - She is in the wanter through day and night. Even this day, she was in the ocean, then in the pool once we got back to grandma's. She truly enjoy being a swimmer.

The robot apparently managed to put a cap on the pipe. It's past midnight and there is no one from BP or Coast Guard to brief on this important event. Anyway, I'm pretty much giving up and come to understand that this oil will not stop until August. I was hopeful before, but I am not anymore. I think it's time for us to face the reality and approach this spill from a different angle.

All I hear nowadays is people criticizing and blaming on BP. It's no brainer that BP is responsible and should be held accountable. But right now, what we need to do is not protesting against the oil giant, but work together to find THE way to solve and clean up the oil that contiune to spread out in the Gulf. 37% of Gulf is off-limits for fishing. That's a huge number. And it's been reported that the oil is reaching toward Panhandle of FL, about 4 miles away, and it could reach to crowded beaches in Tampa area by end of this month. That's our reality. Many of wild birds that have been covered with oil and rescued are transported to Tampa area bay and beaches and released to the wild.

When this whold thing started, I said in one of posts that "what if oil starts to show up here in FL?' - now it's becoming a reality. I'm terrified. Every time when I see dark oil gushing into the water, I feel like I can't breathe. And every time when I see the oil covered ocean on TV or in the photos, I can almost feel our planet is gasping for air. I cry every day because overwhelming emotions fill me up and I can't help it.... Now, my girls know about oil and they ask me about it every day and night. "Did oil stop, Mommy?"

I believe it's important for them to understand what's happening to their favorite ocean. The girls and I watch CNN together and let them see BP's live feed or the images of affected animals or coasts...

I pray that if we can't stop this for a while, at least we can contain and clean it as much as possible... And I pray for BP, too, so they can come up with some answer to this non-sense.....

Give or Not Give...

I was driving to Target to get my kitties' food with my daughters when I spotted a homeless man standing at the corner of exit way from the shopping center. He was clearly in need of help and almost painful to watch.

I could hear myself talking, "Oh no... what should I do, what should I do..." and before I knew, I turned around and back to where I came from. My Ju Ju soon realized that I changed my route and quickly asked, "Mama, where are you going?" - I told her not to worry and drove close to the man and switched to the left lane, so I could give him a few bucks when I drove next to him. "Mommy, what's that guy doing standing there?," Ju Ju asked again. "I think he needs help.." I answered...

When I drove close to him, I saw him holding a sign that read, {Need Work, War Vet, God Bless..} - my heart sunk. I quickly reached to my wallet and grabbed $3, drove right next to him and stopped. As I opened my window, he looked at me, so I said, "Excuse me, here, would you take this and get somethng to drink..." and handed the money. He walked towards me, and said, "Oh, you don't have to do that...." I said again, "No, take it.." - He thanked me and I sped off. "Mommy, what's wrong with that man, he looked kind of scary...," I heard Ju Ju saying in the back.... His face, arms and legs looked all burned from standing outside for so long - or from drinking, I just don't know.

There is a fine line between helping the need and helping the addicts/alcoholic getting their fix. I often see this young homeless couple in their early 20's standing in the middle of main road in my town, waiting for some kind drivers to give them money: clearly drug addicts who have no intention to make their lives better - I have no sympathy. They can starve themselves if only thing they want to do is to shoot up and be stupid.

But when it comes to the older people, I just don't know what to do. Many people are having really tough time these days. I've read many articles on newspaper about how quickly the Afghan and Iraq war vets are becomng homeless due to their injuries and not being able to work or their emotional scars have caused them not being able to hold jobs. Or people are losing their jobs and takeing forever to find a new job. I know too well how hard it is to find a good job because my husband had had tough time with it... Or there are many people who have jobs, but are homeless in Hawaii due to the increase in living expense and housing which is a major issue right now. So you never know how and why people become homeless and to bring your life to the lowest point you could ever imagine. It's tragic. It's really sad...

I told my daughters about the man that he needed a help because he's a homeless. "What is homeless?" - of course that was Ju Ju's next question, so I had to explain what homeless means. I think it's hard for them to understand because they are only small. Some people are very harsh about the way they look at homelessness in our town. I agree with some extent because many of them can help themselves if they really want to make their lives better. Some people however, I believe, don't even know how to work or start their lives again because they lose hope.... I feel really sad at times....

One of my favorite movies is called "The Fisher King" - Have you seen it before? It's about a DJ who has caused a horrible murders befriends with an ex-professor who became a homeless man. The professor loses hope after losing his beloved wife - lose everything...

I changed the way I look at homeless people after I saw this movie. Sometimes, you just don't know the history behind it...

What would you do if you see a homeless man/woman on the street?

Stop It, Stop It Now!

This is beyond ridiculous. I have no words to describe how angry and frustrated, and sad I am.

I live in West Coast of Florida and this is no joke.

Every day, thousands and thousands of gallons of oil keeps spillng out.

I take my girls to the beach almost every weekend. The beautiful Lido Beach we always go to hasn't seen the effect of the craziness, but what if BP can't come up with the solution to contain the oil? Then what?

What am I going to tell my children, if the oil reaches the land here, they can no longer play at the beach? Or what if we start to seeing the dead fish washed ashore or oil covered Pelican or birds reach the beach? It's really scary and upsetting.

Have you seen the video, how scary it looks?

I feel like our ocean life in the Gulf is over.

And I feel helpless....

{Some images are from AP}

Midnight Blues...

My daughters and I have been displaced from our own home for over two weeks now. We are lucky, JT's mom's been taking us in and taking care of us, but you know it's not easy being at in-law's house for a long period of time.

I get along with my MIL well and quite frankly, we're very close. But if you have someone over at your house for a long time, you want your space back. And now I'm the one who's invading her space, I feel like I'm intruding and taking her freedom away from her and her husband.

She and her husband don't say anything, but only being kind to us. They saw it with their own eyes the destruction of our condo, so they only want to help us. But I want this restoration start already. Tired of going back and forth with the insurance people, getting the estimates and telling us that they'll get back to us. We've been doing this non-sense since the day one of the water damage.

When you're not in your own home, you can't walk around naked (not that I always do this, but sometimes. haha.) or play music loud or do all the things that I accustom to do without having people around me 24/7. It's exhausting. I'm sure my in-laws feel the same at times. Sorry mom...

Now, if I had a magic wand, I would rewind to the day that we encountered the accident and would tell the kid not to use the tool by the fire extinguisher.

or

I would restore my condo in a second and back to where everything was.

I miss my home. I really do. And when the night falls, I feel so anxious when can I go home again??? The sadness or the nervousness surround me and I get scared sometimes...

I'm simply exhausted....

Vlog - This is What Happened to My Condo (Guest appearence by Firefighters)

Two posts in one day, what do you think about this? Ha!

So, I was at work while this was happening to my condo almost two weeks ago. My husband who was at the pool with our daughters didn't know that our place was totally getting wet until he came back to make PJ sandwitch for the girls...

In this clip, the firefighters had to break the ceiling, so the pressure from the water upstairs wouldn't collapse the whole thing. They also had the blue tarp to put on the floor so it would catch the water, but really, it didn't do anything, useless indeed. We had way too much water - well, all the water from above came all down to us, so you can imagine what was that like from viewng this clip... It was crazy and scary!!!

The good thing is most of the things that were in our living/dining room will be replaced by insurance and I can rearrange and redecorate the house. Although I greately appreciate the fact that my in-law's (JT's mom and stepdad) taking us in, I just can't wait to move back and enjoy my own space!!

Four Is Better Than Three

My husband JT left again last Monday. I didn't get to share the happy times we had while he was back in town with you because of all the craziness that happened a few weeks ago, but we have plenty pictures to share...

I'm going to download all the pics tonight, so I'm hoping to post them tomorrow. (I know, I said that last week, but I'm seirous this time!)

What I know is that Four is better than Three (Me, Ju Ju & Soapy minus Daddy).

Thank goodness my girls didn't cry when they said goodbye to daddy this time, but I cried the night before while he was packing because I felt really sad that Daddy doesn't get to see the girls for over a month again or the girls don't get to play with him. It's the best time to see the girls grow and I know it's not easy for both him and I...

But it is what it is. Daddy gotta work..

Hope you're having a lovely Wednesday...

Daddy Is Home, But Our House Is Ruined!!!!

Hello My Ladies - I've missed you so much. It's been a week since I posted the last entry, but it's not because I've been lazy nor didn't want to post. I've had such a crazy week..

Good news first. My husband has been home since last week Wednesday for eleven days. We've taken some photos which I will definitely post at a later date. Our daughters are sooo happy their daddy is home and I'm very happy to see their faces brighten up every moment they're with him.

Now to the bad news.....

I was working last Saturday as usual when my cell phone blew up with constant calls from my husband. I was so busy, 30 minutes had passed when I finally was able to pick it up. "Maki, you need to come home," my husband said. I was the only receptioniost working that day and the salon was extremely busy, so I told him I couldn't and hung up. He called again and said, "Maki, you don't understand, it's an extreme emergency. You have to come home." Apparently , the lady who just moved in upstairs a week prior decided to fix the AC and hired some guys and one of them was using a tool right by the fire extinguisher and set it off. He said that the house has two inches of water...

I still didn't think it was that serious until I saw four firetrucks, two police cars a management van at the parking alot. When I got close to my condo, I saw 10 firemen and police officers standing outside by my house. I didn't have to go inside to see what had happened - my husband was taking stuff out from the house, my BFF K was holding my baby Soapy crying and my in laws were just coming out. As I saw my mother in law, she came straight to me and I started crying. "My house, my house..." I couldn't believe my eyes. The water was everywhere and it's falling down from the ceiling like Niagra Falls. The firefighters had to break the ceiling, so the water upstairs would run downstairs. It was a mess!

To make the long story short, my house has suffered the severe water damages. The living room and dining room are shot. Our bedroom and kids room were soaking wet. Thank god, we're staying at JT's mom's, but we don't even know how long it will take for us to move back in. They have to fix A LOT of stuff.... If we didn't have Mom, we'd have been asking Red Cross or someone to find us a place to stay. I'm so angry and upset, but it is what it is.

I'm thankful that no one was hurt, that most of the stuff are replaceable. Also, the insurance from the AC company and the condo upstairs are paying for our damages, thank goodness. I can't believe that we're displaced from our own home, but we're trying to stay positive!!!

I won't be able to post every day until things get settled and back to normal again, but I will try to post some pictures from last week when my husband and I took the girls to the pony rides. Hope all of you're doing well and having a lovely week!!!!

xoxoxo

p.s. I'm sorry I won't be able to visit each one of your blog to comment - my time is so limited right now since using my in law's pc:(

Broken Heart... Heart vol1.

The salon where I work get many bridal party appointments, especially on weekends. It's always nice to see soon-to-be brides being so happy and anxious for the big day. And I must say I love weddings!

About a month ago, a woman called in to make an appointment for her and her bridesmaids. "I'm getting married the next day," she said with delight. I congratulated her and told her she must be very excited. "Yes, I am very excited! I'm still nervous because there are many things I need to get done, but I'm very very excited."

How wonderful is that? The feelings of being in love and walking down on the aisle to meet her future husband. It's one of the lifetime moments where you feel tremendous love and happiness surrounded by your loved ones. It's just so special.. So, I was all gigglie and felt warmth in my heart when I made the appointment for the girl.

But then, the beginning of last week, the girl's mother called the salon saying that her daughter made an appointment for her wedding. The mom said, "Well, I need to cancel the appointment for her because.... well, you know, the groom called off the wedding.." I was speechless. I didn't know what to say except, "Oh no.. I'm so sorry. That's no problem. So sorry again."

What a shocker. I was stunned. I felt really really terrible for the bride. It happened a week before their wedding when the groom just decided he didn't want to get married. Really? Seriously? Of course it's for the best for the long run, I'm sure. It's brutal honesty on the groom's part. But I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her dream of becoming a wife of her dream and it was totally shuttered a week before the wedding. I'm 100% positive she's broken hearted.

A few days later her wedding planner came in and she told me and my boss what happened. She said the groom called his fiance/bride and told her he doesn't want to get married. The planner said, "She didn't see it coming, so she's quite devastated actually..." Yeah, really? I woul be! I don't know about you, but I think weddings are kind of a big deal. You can't just say "let's get married!" and the next day, "let's not get married!" - you really have to know what you're doing.

I'm sure most of you have gone through many breakups and makeups in your life. You often wonder how many breakups do you need to go through before you find "THE ONE" that won't break your heart. When you find a prince charming and he asks your hand to marry him on his knee, don't you believe right there and then that he'll never break your heart? I guess in reality, sometimes that's not always the case. It's really sad, but true. But I also know that marriage sometimes hands you lemons and limes. And it takes two to make good lemonades and delicious margaritas.

I just hope the bride finds joy and happiness in her life and the real prince charming very soon...


xoxo

P.S. Did you have a nice weekend, my loves?

Ju Ju Is Sick Again

When I went to pick up my daughters from my mother in law's house after work, I learned that my Ju Ju got sick again. She was sleeping quietly on the couch and I took her home. After she woke up, she said she wanted to eat dinner, but she started crying again hysterically that her headache wouldn't go away. I gave her Tylenol and jumped in the shower with her (she loves to take a real hot shower when she has headache) and rubbed her neck. But, she decided to go back to bed after the shower.

I talked about her suffering from headache for the past six months or so in the previous post. We got her brandnew glasses in hopes that her headache would go away, but she still gets migrane. So I think I need to take her to see a doctor next week. Funny thing was, she had a trash basket right next to her when she was taking a nap at grandma. Her grandma and grandpa said it was her idea just in case if she had to throw up (which happened many times before).

I'm exhausted today - working non-stop from 8:30 am - 6pm (volunteering at my daughter's class and my regular job) - then taking care of sick Ju Ju. It's really heartbreaking to see her like that and it takes out all of my energy too....

Anyway, I'm signing off today. I'm so sorry, but I will try to catch up with all of your comment tomorrow. I love you!!!

I Think I'm Getting Old!!!

It's no secret that I'm 36 years old. I've always believed that regardless of my age, I'm very young at heart and truthfully, I feel like I'm getting younger more every day. But I also know that believing and actually aging is two different things.

The other night when I was getting ready to go out, I noticed gray hair - and it wasn't just one string of hair, there were four - five of them in a one area. You might think it's only 5 grey hair, but to me, it was SHOCKING!!! My hair is dark, so they look more obvious. You don't understand how much I freaked out: My heart started beating strong and the cold sweats running through my back. I was combing through my hair like a mama monkey looking for fleas in a baby monkey's hair. And I found more grey hair! OH NOOOOOOOOOO!! I almost wanted to die! It's over, I'm officially old..

Now I'm going to be the one who color grey roots at the tender age of 36. So sad girls, so sad...

Seriously, I even googled how to prevent gray hair and there's no such things - it's just human nature. It's one of those events that I can't deny that I'm no longer in my 20's.

How would you react if you find gray hair - wouldn't you be shocked too???

Today Sucked!

Today was one of those days where nothing went right.

1. I've misplaced something that is VERY important. I've looked every
where in the house, even the outside. I'm trying to give it a few more days to see if it will turn up. I really need to find this - I'm going to die if I don't!

2. I realized the kittie food is gone, so my daughters and I headed to Target. We're looking at some stuff and walked to the Pet section. After we got all the stuff we needed, we paid and walked back to our car.... When I couldn't fine my keys! I looked and looked and I don't see my keys in my handbag. My face totally turned blue, carried Soapy and told Ju Ju to follow me and ran back to the store!

First, we went to the casher - he said nothing was left at the casher. Next we went to the customer service and they said no one turned anything in. I backt-traced the place, but I couldn't find the keys. I was starting to get really nervous: What if someone who found the keys decided to click the alarm and find my car and drive off? So I told my girls to run back to the car again. Okay, car was still there. Now I called the store and see if anyone had turned it in. No keys. I went back in again, back traced, asked the same casher and back to the customer service. No keys...

Now my daughter Ju Ju said, "Mommy, we have to go back to the kitty place again because we're playing with the litter box.." Believe me, we'd gone back to the pet section twice alreday and I couldn't find my keys. But when Ju Ju said "Litteer" - I felt like there is still hope. So we ran back and looked the litter box section where I didn't look and there is was - my keys!!! I was only looking at the cat food shelf. I remembered that I had to help the girls who were trying to see if they could lift those heavy litter sand because they couldn't put it back. I thanked my daughter SOOO many times because I would have totally given up if she didn't tell me about litter.

The thing is though - people at Target was not helpful at all. When I said I lost my car keys, they acted like "so what?" - they never asked my name nor phone number to call me if anyone turned it in. Don't you think they should've at least took my information? They were like, "Sorry, well, too bad!" Some people amaze me because they have no work ethic. Anyway, I hope you're having a great weekend!! Olympic is on!

The House Without A Man

I couldn't quite figure out why I've been so tired lately. Staying up late, sometimes until 2am being in front of computer and getting up at 7am was not a big deal for me before. But now, I get really sleepy by 9pm - I even fall asleep with the girls while I'm putting them to bed - simply exhausted. And I didn't know why...

I realize now that my exhausion comes from doing everything around the house all by myself without my husband's help. Tell you the truth, I've always done most of the stuff around the house - cleaning, cooking, bathing the kids and putting them to bed. But I never realized how important a role my husband had played until now. It's the little things he did for me - if my hands were full, he went to the bathroom and check on the girl while they played in the tub or if they didn't listen, all I had to do was call his name.

I wanted to quit my part time job by the end of last year, but I couldn't and it seems I have to stick around for another month or two. Thank god for JT's mom and stepdad's - they take care of the girls while I'm at work; 23 hours out of five days (which is not bad at all). I also was able to switch two of my shifts to morning, so I can pick up Ju Ju from school (I could only pick her up once a week before and JT picked her up every day) - she is seriously happy that I'm there waiting at the gate when she walks out with her classmates: Her face totaly lit up when she seems my face...

Anyway, what I want to say is I totally respect all the single moms out there - they do so much without anybody's help. I know it's not easy, seriously it's not easy - Jenn, I'm talking about you!! :) If you know anyone who's a single mom - please be kind and respect her. She may be putting a brave face, but I know sometimes all she wants is a good cry.

BTW, JT sent me a photo of snow to my cell phone this morning - his message said, "6in last nite 6 more today.." - I must admit I miss my husband..

Stay warm everyone...

Hey, What Is Your Favortie Digital Camera? Plus the worst film I ever saw

I've been shopping around for a new digital camera. My Olympus is getting old and I need to replace it for a better looking one. I've owned PowerShot, CyberShot and Olympus' water registance digital camera.

So, question for you today is, what kind of digital camera are you using, my dearly? Canon, SONY, Nikon or Olympus? I really like Ashton's COOLPIX Touch from Nikon, but it only has 10 mega mix. Then, my cousin just bought a SONY CyberShot Touch. The color was shocking pink and it was really cute! But I found SONY camera has very harsh flush lighting. Canon has great cameras, but not touch screen. I'm just sucker when it comes to gadgets. I can't choose. So I need your help!!! Share you thoughts on your digital camera. What should I get?

Oh by the way, I jsut saw one of the worst films of my life last night.


"Surveillance" it is.

JT had been wanting to see this movie on Demand for the past month or so, because the preview did look interesting. So, we decided to see it (or should I say JT decided). And my verdict - It SUCKED!!! We paid $7 and I want my money back.

There were some parts that were suspenseful and I must admit I got really scared, but plot line was terrible. TERRIBLE.

I think I am getting old, so I don't want to see anything that could cause damage to my heart (like brutal murder scenes and blood ) - and this movie was all about that.

The whole movie didn't make any sense. I hated it. So, if you ever wanted to see this film, don't do it. Wait until it comes on HBO or something for free. This film is not worth a penny. However, this film got 60% (Fresh!) on Rotten Tomatoes which I don't know why... The only thing I learned from this movie is that there are many crazy people out there, so lock your house door and have something close to your bed to protect yourself, just in case. (JT has a bat hidden under the bed.)

On the other hand, JT and I have been watching Jamie Fox's "THE KINGDOM" over and over again for the past few weeks since we saw it for the first time. It is ficitional of course, but I really love this film.

Especially, the actor named Ashraf Barhom who plays Saudi's police/national guard who helps FBI to catch the bad guys was excellent. His acting was better than Jamie Fox. He was truly awesome and he made the film 100 times better.



Also Jennifer Garner was good in it, too. The FBI agent she played was strong - I like strong woman in movies. And Jason Bateman was funny as always. The style of this movie was very casual. Subject is serious, but the movie follows characters like it's following their normal life. It didn't make me feel like watching a Hollywood movie. So, if you don't mind some actions and a little bit of thriller, then watch "The Kingdom" And DO NOT pay to watch "Surveillance" - you'll regret it if you do!

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

xoxo
Maki

Something I Need To Learn & Sunday Music Choice

Okay, here is the thing...

I realized now that me haven't been posting on my blogs has nothing to do with blogging funk. It has to do a lot with my schedule with work, trying to start my own business and being a good mother and wife to my family which have contributed for me to have more less blogging time.

A lot of people can multi-task which I am not so good at. If I blog, my whole evening has to be spent on blogging. I have tried to blog about two hours each night, but forget it, it's not happening. I always ended up spending a lot longer than two hours.

Anyway...

What I want to say is that as much as I want to blog everyday, I realized it's impossible sometimes. I used to have this fear of losing my readers if I don't post everyday which kind of connected something that I am going to talk about today. But I know now that I have been fortunate enough to meet wonderful friends here on the blogsphere, it's time for me to let go of my fear. And I want to thank all of you who have taken your precious time to read my blog. Thank you!!!

So, I have this weird habit of doing things based on the numbers or music I listen to, kind of over analyzing the whole situation which often times interfere with my life.

In a good term, you can call it as "Good Luck" or "Superstitions", but I often think it's caused me more strain to do things freely.

Let me give you some examples here. When I am working or doing something important, I always check the time first. If the time says {3:30pm} and things go well afterwards, then it's my lucky number/time. If the things don't go well, then it's my unlucky number/time, so I would try to avoid the exact same time to start a new porject next time.

And music, I love music and it brings so much joy to my life. However, there are many songs that I love, but haven't been able to listen and enjoy because bad things had happenend after listening to those songs. I tell myself, "Nah.. stupid, I should be able to listen to it," and get the nerve to do so, but it always seems something bad happens after that. It sounds crazy, but it's true (maybe only in my brian, it's true..)

It sucks because it truly holds me back to do things without worrying about the outcome. I have been getting better at it and trying to ignore the inner voice telling me the certain numbers or songs are bad for me.

Superstitions supposed to reinforce the positive behavior, but in my case, it reinforces negative thoughts and behavior...

So, my friends, are you supersitious? Have that affected you positively or negatively? And do you know how to kick this bad habit of mine?

Here is one of my favorite songs "Save Room" by John Legend. (and i have so many favorite songs. lol) - So perfect for a beatufiul Sunday afternoon just like today...


Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

What Is Happiness?

For the past few weeks, I have had tough time going to bed or falling asleep. Even when my body says I'm exhausted and need some sleep, I find myself either facing computer @ 2 am or in bed tossing and turning for hours, just to realize it's 3am. It has to do a lot with uneasiness and uncertainty that my life brings at the moment, non-stop thoughts racing through my tiny brain. It also has to do a lot with my husband losing the job in December and hasn't been able to find a new job for over a month. And it's making me really nervous.

And that has got me into thinking about my life lately. A lot. What is my life and what's in it; what is my choice in life that I can provide the best for my daughters? I'm trying to figure out the meaning of life itself...

The question that comes to my mind always and first is, "What is happiness?" - is it wealth? Is it all the money you make and how rich you can be? Does it have to be fame? If you're a Hollywood star, would that make you happy (because they are loaded!!)? Or is it the simple thing you have and feel in your life; looking at the beautiful blue sky or feeling the beautiful breeze. What is happiness?

I know the answer, and for me, it is my two daughters. As cheesy as it may sounds, my daughters are my everything and they have shaped my happiness the moment they were born. But when I feel I am not doing my job to provide what they deserve, I question my ability as a mother.

Life brings you expected and unexpected events and some times you have no control over what's to come. Honestly, JT losing his job was one of those unexpected events that we had no control over and it's not fair to blame him. But I can't deny the fact that it has given us tremendous grief and trial. It sucks because the finacial burden has weigh so much on our relationship right now that even when I know money is not everything, it is definitely causing the tention between me and my husband, hense I often ask myself, "is money = happiness?" That is kind of shallow, I know..

Today JT is going for another interview. I am praying. I'm praying really hard that he gets this job. We are in serious need of a miracle...

What is happiness to you, dear readers? Are you happy now?

Are You Sure You're Talking About Me?

Many of you know that I have been working at a salon for the past three months. I work as a receptionist and it's been fairly fun experiences. I get to see/meet different clients = different types of people. Most clients are kind and nice. But just sometimes, we get those women who think they rule and own us.

The other day, I picked up the phone as always and there was this client who has been one of the longest client at the salon. I have never seen her yet, but I know her name.

Me: "Good afternoon, {my salong's name} How can I help you?"
Client: "Hi. I want to make an appoint with B either tomorrow or Friday."
Me: "I am so sorry, but B is already booked up through the weekend. Is there any day that you would like to come in next week?"
Client: "No, I want to come in this week."
Me: "Well, B has been all booked since last week, can anybody else do your nail?"
Client: "No, I don't want anybody else to touch my nail."
Me: (Big Sigh in my mind)"I am sorry, then I will need to book you next week..."
Client: Are you telling me to go somewhere else to get my nails done?"
Me: Of course not, it's just that B and K are very popular and sometimes you need to call in a week early to book the appointment."
Client: I've been going there for years and I've never had the problem booking with him.
Me: I am sorry.
Client: Ask B if you could squeeze me in...
Me: {Really really pissed off by this time} Sure.

Now I have to ask my boss.

Boss: "What does the computer(clender) say?"
Me: "Um.. you're booked."
Boss: "Then I'm booked. Tell her that."

I am now in between my boss and his client.

Me: "I've been saying that she's booked, but she is very pursistant about it."
Boss: "Who is it?"
Me: "M.R"
Boss: "{big big sign} give her my lunch spot."
Me: "okay"

So this client got the appointment she wished. You know, this is why certain people think they can call and make a last minute appointment. They think they are special because my boss and another boss try to accomodate their clients doing whatever possible.

On the other hand, me and my other receptionist C look bad because we have to tell them first that our calender is booked.

So, yesterday I go in to work and the next thing I know, my boss tells me he needs to talk to me. I smelled something bad.

Boss: "So you know M.R. came in yesterday right?"
Maki: "Yes."
Boss: "Well, she complained about you that you didn't want her to come in."
Maki: "What!?"
Boss: "I know, I know. Don't worry, we know it wasn't the case. She is a very difficult client and she gets angry when anybody said we can't take her.
Maki: "I told her what I saw on the screen that you're booked. I was nice about it"
Boss: "I just want you to know that you rule the the world in the salon. You book the appointments. Don't let customers tell you what to do. Be firm about it."
Maki: "{I was firm about it} Yes, I understand."
Boss: "Okay, don't worry, we told her that you're the nicest girl on the planet."

So my dear readers, I have been upset about it. I got the first complaint yesterday from someone who thinks she can do whatever she wants and telling a lie that I was mean to her. What? Mean? Are you sure you're talking about me? The other girl C was there when all went down and she told me, "Man, we have no idea what her problem was. We kept telling her Maki is a nice girl, but she went on and on how mean you were.. We laughed."

Yes, I say this. Bitch. I don't usually use this word unless someone really, I mean REALLY makes me angry and I don't get angry easily. I talked to a friend of mine who works at one of Starbucks last night about it and she told me there are ton of those that she deals with at her work. Apparently they even have a black list and they have all the right to kick out customers who mistreat their employees. I did not know that! That's kind of cool.

I was feeling down because of this, but do you know what happens when you're feeling blue? Awards! Yes, my blogging friends have given me several awards. Because I was slow on posting the awards, three of my friends have giving me the same award.


Cloie over @ Orchestrated Destiny
BakerGirl @ An Extended Vacation
Kaitlyn @ unturned.barbie
gave me the cute Lemonade Award!!! Thank you so much, my lovely Girlies!!! Sorry it overlapped because I didn't post the first time I got the award from Cloie, but still, I'm graterful that you all thought of me!!! You cheered me up!

Now, my dear friend Carrin over @ Carrin's Comments gave me another award. Thank you my Sweet! I like the phrase "Measures Up!" I will treasure it:)

Now I need to follow the rules and pass these two wonderful awards to well deserved bloggers. I have to get ready to go to work now, so I will post all the recepients I will pass these award to tonight, so make sure to check back later when you can!! I poromise I will follow through this time. Thank again, Cloie, BakerGirl, Kaitlyn and Carrin for making me feel better going in to work today!

xoxo

UPDATE (Jan. 10 @ 3am)

So, I'm done with painting and back to blogging. I am starting from where I left off - I think I need to pass these two awards to my favorite bloggers.

First, for the award "Pink Lemonade" (God, I love that name) - I have to give link love to the person who gave you the award and secondly, nominate ten of your favorite bloggers to receive the Lemonade Award.. I will pass this on to..

1. Rene over @ Not The Rockefellers
2. Colby over @Spittin'(out words) like a Llama
3. Sara over @ Blogging in Bed
4. Needsleepy over @I barely survived yesterday and it is today already!

Second award's rules are:

Rule 1 - Say a nice thing to a man in your life.
Rule 2 - List at least 6 ways you measure success in your life.
Rule 3 - Assign 5 other worthy blogs

So, I told my husband that he is becoming a better father each and everyday. He was afraid to be a father before we had Ju Ju, but I see so much change in him. He tries and helps me more with the girls and do stuff around the house for me. He was very happy to hear it from me.

At the end of the day, if I know that I am a great mother to my daughters, wife to my husband, sister to my younger sisiter and daughter to my parents, then I think I am successful. Teaching my daughters the meaning of "Love" and the importance of "kindness" and "honesty" weighs a lot in my book as well... Success is not about money (although it looks like it some times), but to become a decent human being, at least that's what I believe.

I will pass this award on to...

1. Alev over @ Bad Seed
2. LadyStyx over @ LadyStyx's Blog
3. Hollylyn over @ If I were really skinny

I am sorry, it's 3am - I can't nominate total 15 people all at once.... I tried and I will have to post more deserving friends later on. Wait, I've been saying the same thing to the other awards that I had received also. I'm in trouble! But, sleep is important, too! Goooood nigggghht!

I Showed My Cheek And Life Punched It.

JT came home early today.

He got laid off - right before Christmas. Is this fair???

JT and I have been through a lot and pretty much there is nothing we can't handle together.

But, losing a good job is very tough, especially in the time like this..

JT is pretty optimistic and he's trying to calm me down and cheer me up, but I think I should be the one doing the job.

Truthfully, I don't know what to do... It's not his fault, but I just want to find a huge sandbag and totally go crazy on it.

Please God, tell me what a F's going on???