Goodbye 2008

6 1/2 hours before the new year is here and I am contemplating the events that happened this year. What a year it has been, lots of things (good and bad), some are monumental, some are just blah but still it has been a pretty good year.

Things/events that happened this year....

Jim is finally getting better for which I am truly grateful. My sister, Deen, had her first child, a beautiful little girl named Eva Khairunnisa. My other niece, Karsen, turned 3 the day before our 12th wedding anniversary. My 2 nephews, Aman and Apan are naughtier than ever (at least that's what their parents told me).

Barrack Obama was elected as the first black for the US. What an event that was. I am happy to see that a more qualified person is elected to the highest office in the country.

Err what else happened in 2008... So many and I can't remember all of them at the moment.

Anyways, customers are starting to pore into the bank at the moment (no doubt to withdraw money for their New Year party tonight) so I better stop here.

Have a Happy & Safe New Year everyone!!!

"Dark Knight" & "Recount"

We rented "Dark Knight" & "Recount" over the weekend and these were 2 of the best movies I've watched all year. "Dark Knight" was really good and I think Heath Ledger was awesome as the Joker. "Batman Returns" & "Dark Knight" are my favorite of the Batman series because they are more serious and not cartoonish (George Clooney was the worst!). Christian Bale returns as Batman/Bruce Wayne as well as Gary Oldman as Lieutanent Gordan. Maggie Gyllenhaal played Rachel Dawes (she way better than Katie Holmes in "Batman Returns"). Aaron Eckhart played district attorney Harvey Dent who later on became Two Face. But best of all was Heath Ledger as the Joker. Ledger's Joker was more psychotic & disturbing than Jack Nicholson's Joker (which was more in line with the tv series). Anyways, if you haven't seen this movie, rent it....

"Recount" was about the 36 days fiasco in Florida during the election year 2000 between the Democratic nominee Al Gore and the Republican's George Bush. Due to several "mistakes" the Florida electoral votes can't be decided because both nominees were too close. Al Gore team wanted a recount because in several counties in Florida voters said that they had mistakenly voted for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore to the way the voters ballot (known as Chad) was designed. There were quite a few famous actors in this movie, among them, Kevin Spacey, Tom Wilkinson, Ed Bagley Jr, John Hurt & Laura Dern. All of them were really good in the role they played in. Really good movie...

"Tropic Thunder" & "The Happening"

We rented "Tropic Thunder" earlier this month and really loved it. It was a spoof about a bunch of actors who while filming their "base on a true story" movie about a Vietnam vet experience found themselves in a true life or death situation. The movie starred Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr & Jack Black, among others. This was one of the funniest movies that we've watched. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciate a good funny movie.

We also saw "The Happening" the same weekend we saw "Tropic Thunder". I normally like all of M Night Shyamalan's movie ("The Sixth Sense" & "Signs" being my most favorite) but this movie was very dissappointing for me. There were a lot of gory stuff and I think that was the main point of the movie - to be gory. Mark Wahlberg was not very convincing as a scientist/teacher and the plot was just unrealistic. So, unlike "Tropic Thunder" I would not recommend this movie (especially kids) unless you just like watching people doing disgusting stuff to themselves for the fun of it.

Riding an Old Bicycle

Today is the end of my 2nd week at my "new" job. It is not exactly new since I had the same job about 4 years ago. You see, after much thinking and "heart-to-brain" talk with myself, I decided to go back to the bank which I left 4 years ago. I don't have to do much training classes except to go through some training modules online. Most of it I already know since I was with the bank for over 3 years before I quit. The modules are more of a refresher course for me as well as keep me up to date with some new bank policies and procedures. Still, it can get a little overwhelming..I feel like a sponge soaking up all these knowledge..he he he

A few people (family, friends, colleages and yes, even customers) have asked me if I like going back to the bank and my answer is always "Yes & No". "Yes" because the benefits are awesome!!! "No" because everyday that I am at the bank, it reminds me of why I left in the first place. The "Yes" definitely outweight the "No" but when certain situations came up, that "No" does loom heavily on my head.

I am sure you are wondering what the "No" is, right? Well, the job itself is not bad at all but I just despise (hate is too harsh but I do feel it sometimes) dealing with people. Not all people, just those who are assholes, jerks, ..etc, oh you know those people...some of you are those people in fact.

All the jobs I have had since I was in college had been in the public service/customer service sector so at this point of my life I am truly tired of dealing with people. I like my little "cave" at my other job because I do not have to deal with people, most of the time (usually just my co-workers). It was just me, the computer and a bunch of paperwork & data entries...

So there you go...my 2nd weeks at my "new" job...it is just like riding a bicycle