A Lost Lamb

Recently I found myself lost in the deep woods, wandering deeper and deeper and not knowing what to do. I'm lost. Not mid-life crisis, I'm not there yet, but it's something worst. For the past few years, I've prayed and still praying, but it seems like my prayers have never been answered. I'm starting to feel the separation. My personal relationship with Him is no longer strong. Where's my shepherd?

Happy 1st Birthday to Caitlyn

One year ago at this time, I had a little bundle in my arms, crying helplessly for hunger. I spent nights and days comforting this little one and had to hold my breath everytime I put her down on the bed. Today, exactly a year later, I am still sitting on the same couch, still have the little one snugs in my arms, her face is still as sweet as a newborn when she sleeps. The difference is that she had turned into a little princess. All the memories, good and bad, came back as if they just happened yesterday.
Happy Birthday to my dear little princess!

Scams

This is not about MSN scams or emails from some security departments asking you to update your account info. This is a total scam from a large wireless service provider. A little more than a month ago, I called in to subsribe a communication value package and was told that I could get a month free trial. A month later, I called again and asked to switch to a lower price package since I don't need "Enhanced Voicemail" and they said I still have another 2 weeks before my free trial period expires...that's fine, and I thought everything is settled, until I received my statement today and noticed there were 2 charges, one was for the package I subsribed which was supposed to be free, the second charge is a prepayment for next month. My first response was to call them and inquire about the charges, and I was told that there were no messages in my file that indicated I have a free trial of the package and that I have to pay the full price. After complaining about the misrepresentation, they said they could waive half of the package fee, and that's it.

Lesson to learn: Always ask for the name of the representative. I didn't bother to ask for her name since I trust the company. But this tells me that business is business, always ask for proof or records of all things we do.

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

I've never experienced such an intensive interview, it was even more intensed than the one I had when I joined the bank. The whole process took 2 hours, a major part of it was answering HR's favourite behavourial questions, the final half hour was a 10 page written test. What type of questions? Hmm..it's everything, testing your proofreading skill, vocab, basic math calculations, problem solving, logic, comprehension, and analytical skill. Here's an example of a basic math problem. 10 boxes of apples weigh 300 lbs, when emptied, each box weighs 3 lbs. What is the total weight of the apples? If you can answer this question, congrats, you are smarter than a 5th grader. Hope to see you on the show :P

You Think You Can Dance

I don't know where she learned it, but everytime she hears music, she would rock her body. It's difficult to capture her dance moves, she just doesn't cooperate.

Customer Service

Ever since I set my path in a client-focused industry, I know how important it is to deliver and receive great customer service. You can make or ruin someone's day by that 3-minute conversation. In this job, I learned, and am still learning to say things in a more politically correct way. I have to admit that I am not a very well-rounded person, but common sense tells me what kinda tone I should use to avoid being blunt. Anyways, this entry is not about my job, it's about the service I got at Tim Hortons. I have to say that "everytime" I go there, something went wrong. At the one in Parksville, I waited more than 10 minutes for my order, then I realized they gave it to another customer. Yesterday we went to Michael's in Richmond. Ray suggested to have a light lunch, so we dropped in Tim Hortons next door. I was served by a trainee, beside him was his trainer. After answering them all the standard questions, the lady (trainer) took out 2 ceramic cups, and when I asked if I could have paper cups, she took a deep breath and let out a big sigh...
I got no instructions as where to pick up my order....I guess they assume everyone knows. Anyways, they got my food ready almost immediately this time. Then I noticed something was missing. That's it...it's the donuts!
We don't eat out at Tim Hortons very often, the main reason I go there is to get Timbits for my mother-in-law because they're her favorites (yea..I'm a good daughter-in-law :P) Everytime when I asked if they can give me the ones with fillings, they would stare at me and give me a weird/unfriendly look. Is something on my face?

Caitlyn's first dental visit

The dental clinic was big, and scary! When we were led into the examination area, I started to get goose bumps, not because I was cold, it was all those tools and the row of exam chairs lining side by side that freaked me out. It was like being in a big dental lab, waiting to be examined. They are all pediatric dentists, but the setting is not too child-friendly, except that there are some stickers on the wall. I guess Caitlyn didn't know what was going on. She was placed on my lab facing me as I sat in the patient's chair and her head rested on the dentist's lab. I thought she would cry, but to our surprise, she did well. She was very brave :) The examination took less than a minute, and before she knew it, it was over. So there goes Caitlyn's first dental exam.