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Checkmate

Posted on December 26, 2006 by Ching under Flickr, Games, Movies.

Today was kind of a disappointment but we managed to make the best of it. Today was supposed to be the day Brian and I get to spend to ourselves and enjoy our couples massage together at Healing Waters. The last few days have been really hectic (Christmas eve at my parents’ house in Derby and then Christmas day at Brian’s parents’ house, always an all day event) so we were really looking forward to our relaxing hour and a half massages. I had scheduled it as a surprise for Brian almost a month ago, but I ended up telling him about it shortly after. In the spirit of pragmatism, we agreed that it would just be our Christmas present to each other.

We started our day by having lunch at Chili’s. Our friends the Dills work there so we thought we would pop in on them. Anyway, lunch was good. When Dill found out that we were watching a movie that evening, he gave us a couple of movie passes. In exchange we left him a really good tip (almost as much as our entire bill). I thought it was nice of him to give us the passes. One good deed deserves another, right?

After lunch we hit the nearby Super Target to get some fruits and veggies for the suggies. Then we came home to take care of some last minute stuff and leave dinner in the cage for the suggies because we anticipated being out for the rest of the afternoon and evening. When we arrived home I found a message on my phone. It was Healing Waters calling to reschedule our appointment because one of the massage therapists assigned to us had fallen ill and was sent home. They could not find anyone to fill in. Brian was really mad and threw a fit. I felt really bad because I had scheduled this way in advance and I knew he was really looking forward to it. We ended up rescheduling for Thursday afternoon, but Brian was already upset.

Add to that the fact that we noticed Bebot’s “maintenance required” light lit up and would not go away. Being the worry warts that we are, we figured we’d just go to Eddy’s and have them check it out. Brian called them ahead of time so they would expect us. When we arrived, one of the Eddy’s guys looks at the car and fixes the problem by simply pushing a button. Apparently, the light is set to come on every five thousand miles. They are supposed to reset it each time we come for an oil change but we went at three thousand miles and I think they forgot to reset it or something. Anyway, I’m glad that Bebot is fine.

With that out of the way Brian and I decided to cheer each other up by having a contest. We said we’d give each other a hundred dollars each to spend at the mall and who ever got the most items for their money would be declared the winner. The only rule we had was that we could not buy crap just for the saying of having the most items. It had to be something that we wanted or would use. Naturally, Old Navy was the perfect venue for our competition. Where else can you buy a ton of crap for cheap?

Brian and I ended up getting about the same amount of items but his totalled about $75 and mine came to $99 and change. We declared him Victor but truthfully I think he had an unfair advantage because they usually have more guys stuff on sale. Next time we we have a contest I think we will do it like supermarket sweeps. The winner would be whoever can come closest to the maximum limit without going over. Although, if we do it that way then I’d have an unfair advantage because I’m better at math. LOL. Of course, Brian could always use a calculator. There won’t be a rule against that.

After Old Navy we stopped by the Gap (Brian still had $25 more to spend and I wanted to see if we could get another pair of his-n-hers matching shirts–yes, I like to torture Brian–incidentally, our total came to more than what he had left but that’s ok because we got our matching shirts–LOL). Brian found some cargo pants he liked and I found us some green mens tees on sale for $5 a piece. I got one in XS and Brian got one in XL. He was really hoping I wouldn’t be able to find a shirt that came in the sizes we needed, but I’m pretty resourceful. Now we have four matching shirts! We have our Nerve shirts (I think these were our first), Blogger shirts, red shirts and now our green shirts. I made him promise to wear it to poker on Friday and he agreed. (more…)

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There is a God

Posted on December 17, 2006 by Ching under Flickr, School.

The unofficial grades for fall term have been posted. Somehow I made it through with three A’s and only one B despite all the obstacles I’ve had to overcome this semester. Like, not realizing that I wasn’t supposed to take four courses in one semester while working a fulltime job. I’ve dropped it down to three classes next semester so I don’t have a nervous breakdown and don’t kill Brian. I wanted to finish my MBA in three semesters and received a rude awakening. That may be possible if you don’t work at all and you just focus on your studies. However, it’s not realistic for someone like me who actually has to work to pay the bills. You live and learn.

Anyway, it was such a relief to receive a B in Operations Management (DS 850). That class is so horrible. It was the first business class that I thought I might fail in. It was the only class I had this semester that required so much effort. It was so challenging, in fact, that it almost discouraged Ray from pursuing his MBA. In all my other classes the learning came very naturally with minimal effort on my part. Minimal effort is all I can afford to exert right now for school because work is requiring a lot out of me as well; which is really difficult for me because I don’t like turning in mediocre homework and projects but this semester the quality of my school work is just not at the level I would like it to be. To all the potential employers who might be reading this, I just want you to know that I am very much capable of superior A-plus work. I just spread myself too thin this time is all. I learned my lesson, though. (more…)

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McAlister’s Deli

Posted on November 10, 2006 by Ching under Flickr, Food and Drink.

Brian and I finally got to try McAlister’s Deli. Their restaurant reminds me of Jason’s Deli. The prices are about the same.

They are located on Rock Road where Hana Cafe and Red Beans used to be. They took over both units and converted it into one. There’s plenty of room inside. Their process is a lot like Jason’s Deli except they have multiple registers instead of only one.

The food offerings are pretty similar except Jason’s Deli offers better quality fruit and has a salad bar. Brian also wanted me to mention the free dessert from the autodog. That’s what Brian calls their frosty machine because frosty comes out of the spout like dog poop. I’m not sure if that’s the official name for it but that’s what Brian has always called it.

Anyway, our food was good. Brian had the Spud Max and he really liked it. I had a chicken salad wrap just because that is why I usually get everywhere else and that’s how I compare different places. So far the Upper Crust is in the lead. They have the best chicken salad sandwich (and chicken salad period) in Wichita. McAlister’s chicken salad wrap is pretty good too but what I really liked was my Kentucky pie. It’s pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream covered with whipped cream and drizzed all over with chocolate syrup. It was yummy!

Anyway, the place is pretty nice and the food is good. I wouldn’t mind going there again. You all should try McAlister’s Deli if you haven’t already.

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Thanksgiving Plans

Posted on November 10, 2006 by Ching under Family, Flickr, Food and Drink.

For the first time in years Brian and I are on our own for Thanksgiving (his parents who usually host Thanksgiving will be visiting Aunt Verna in Houston). You’d think, having been married for over four years and as old as we are, that we would have plenty of experience hosting Thanksgiving. Sadly, though we thought we were the entertaining type years ago, we realized we don’t like to entertain at all. Thus, our house is often in grave disarray and not in the best form to accept visitors.

I tried to see if mom would mind hosting Thanksgiving dinner. After all, her house is perfect for parties. There’s lots of room for everyone, their home is beautiful and always picture perfect, and mom is a consummate host. She even has all the fancy chaffing dishes and stuff. Alas, mom already had Thanksgiving plans. Because we’ve never really celebrated Thanksgiving (there’s no Thanksgiving holiday in the Philippines) we just treat it like any other day. As it turns out, Tita Beverly is having a fancy soireé for her 50th birthday on this very day. So mom and dad are out. Back to the drawing board we go. (more…)