"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" & "Towelhead"

We rented these two movies yesterday, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" & "Towelhead". We watched 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona" yesterday. It was a movie written & directed by Woody Allen and we thought it was pretty good. Rebecca Hall ("The Prestige") and Scarlett Johansson ("The Horse Whisperer", "Match Point") were 2 American tourists (best friends), Vicky & Cristina, who were spending a couple of months at Vicky's aunt & uncle's house in Barcelona. While attending an art gallery party, they met and fell for a painter, Juan Antonio Gonzalo (Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Man") unaware that his ex-wife, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz, "Blow") with whom he had a tempestuous relationship would re-entry his life.

The movie was really good. All 4 actors was good in it especially Penelope Cruz. I was not surprised that she was nominated for an Oscar for this role. Watch it if you can.

We watched "Towelhead" earlier today. It was an independent movie so it might be a little hard to get. It also goes with a different title "Nothing is Private" in other countries. It is about a 13 year old Arab-American girl, Jasira (Summer Bishil) dealing with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist neighbor (Aaron Eckhart, "Thank You for Smoking", "Batman: Dark Knight"), strict dad (Peter MacDissi, "Three Kings") and racism.

The movie was exceptionally made. Towelhead, being a slur against people of the Middle Eastern descent is an explosive word. Summer Bishil who played the 13 yr old girl was really good in it. There are a lot of nudity and slur in the movie so please do not let any youngsters watch the movie. I do highly recommend this movie!!!

Trouble Maker

The first Thursday of every month, Dr K has our staff meeting during our lunch hour. So, during my lunch hour at the bank today I had to run over to the dental office so that I can attend their staff meeting. For those of you who haven't been following my blogs, I work part time (Financial Controller/HR) at the dental office and full time (Senior Teller) at the bank. I missed last month's meeting since I had to cover the floor at the bank coz we were short on staff. I made sure I could attend today's meeting because I had some beef to clear up with my colleagues.

I was really upset with an incident that happened on Thursday last week. Thursdays are usually my long work day since I will be at the dental office from 6:00am - 8:45am then I will be at the bank from 9:00am - 6:00pm so I was a little cranky to begin with. One of our part time Hygienist (lets call her "L") was on vacation so we had a temp came over to help cover her shift. It was just before 8:00am so I was well into my work when the temp Hygienist (we call her "C") knocked on my office door wanting to talk to me. "C" had temped for us several times before and I like working with her. Of course I welcomed her into my office and told her to take a seat. And is what transpired....

C: "Someone just told me that L is upset because I make more than she does."
Me: "Who told you that?"
C: "I don't want to name names but I feel bad that L is upset about it. I don't want her to be upset because I like working here and I don't want her not want me to cover for her when she needs time off."
Me: "Please don't worry, I will deal with this today."

I walked up to the front desk. "A", our other part time hygienist and "M", our office manager was there.

Me: "Did either one of you tell C that L is upset because she's making more than her?"
A: "I don't even know what L is making, and of course C makes more because her rate is set by the temp agency and she has more experience." "A" used to temp so she knows how the temp agency set the rate and what she said was true.
M: "I wouldn't say anything like that since we are not suppose to discuss our pay with anyone but you (that would be me) or Dr K."

While I was talking with "A" & "M", one of our dental assistants, "S" came up to the front desk so I asked her the same question I asked "A" & "M". I immediately knew it was her coz I could see the little wheel turning in her head trying to decide whether to tell me the truth or not. She finally acknowledged that she was the one who told "C" what "L" had said.

Me: "What did "L" said to you?"
S: "She just came up to me 2 days ago in the sterilization room and said that C is making more than her and she seemed very upset by it. I also told her that I don't want to know about it because it is none of my business." The 2nd sentence I know is not true just because I know how she is.
Me: "Thank you for letting L know that she shouldn't be talking to you about her pay but why did you tell C what L had said to you? What is the purpose of that conversation?"

"S" was a little taken aback when I said that to her. She finally apologize for repeating what L had said to her to C. I went back to C and told her that I spoke with S about what happened. I apologize to her on behalf of our office and told her not to feel bad because we all do like working with her and wants her to come back...

So, in the staff meeting today, I let everyone have it. I was so pissed off because they should know better. For one thing, they were all given the policy manual when they were hired and they signed the back of the manual stating that they have read and understood the manual. Even if it was not in the policy manual, it is common sense that you don't discuss your pay with your colleagues!!!

The other thing that got me so po'ed was that "S" told "C" what "L" had said to her. What good does that do? It will just create animosity in the office. But then at the same time, I was not surprise that she did that because she's just that kind of person who like to see people get upset with each other. There are just times when I feel like knocking on her head and see if there is any brain in there......

The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

I just finished reading "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger. I've always wanted to read the book but haven't had the chance until recently. I always hear that serial killers like that book and if you check it out of the library or buy it, then the FBI will trace you. I know it must be a myth coz then all school kids will be traced since they read it in English literature class ;-)

Anyways, I was at Walmart doing my grocery shopping about 2 weeks ago and saw that the book was on sale for US$4.97 so I bought it. The book was about this high school student named Holden Cauldfield who was kicked out of his broading school. It was written in the first person and Holden was telling us what happened to him the next few days after he left the school.

The book is considered by many as one of the best novel ever written. I think the book was good but it gets a little too rambly for me. The author, JD Salinger, never wrote another novel after this and maybe it's a good thing....

February Birthdays

Here are my family & friends celebrating their birthdays & special events in February:

James W Pergo - February 1
Antoinette Pergo - February 5
Raja Zaharira Raja Hj Hussein - February 7
Raja Lyon Ariff Raja Jalil - February 8
Frank Cattelino - February 23
Raja Lyon Ariff & Tengku Aisyarah's 9th anniversary - February 28

How Old are You?

I just had a customer came in to deposit her social security check into her account. She wanted to deposit US$30 into her personal account and US$30 into her husband account with the rest of the cash back. I asked her if she's on her husband's account and she said no. Due to the privacy policy, I told her that I cannot look up her husband's account number for her if she's not on the account with him. She told me that her husband is in the car so he can come in after I'm done with her to deposit that US$30 into his account.

I ran her transaction and withheld the $30. She left and a few seconds later her husband came in. Mine you he's about 80 (I believe she's about 65). The first thing he said to me was, "Why do I have to come in to deposit money into my account? Don't you know she's my wife? We've been married over 40 years." I explained to him that because of the privacy policy I cannot look up his account for his wife no matter how long they've been married. He swiped his debit card and when I pulled up the account, I noticed that his wife is on the account with him. I told him that she is on the account but when I asked, she said she wasn't. He said, "She's stupid!" and totally went off about how women are stupid and all kind of bull shit.

I got annoyed with him and said, "Sir, please keep your voice down. If you keep talking with like that I will need you to leave." Then he said to me, "Why? Do I look like I'm 23?" and gave me his driver's license. I glanced at his DL and said, "It doens't matter how old you are, if you keep talking like that I will need you to leave". I finished his transaction and gave him his receipt. I could hear him talking under his breathe about how women are such and such (I'm not repeating what he said coz it's going to make me madder).

I just don't understand people sometimes. What makes them think that they are better than anyone else, more specifically over other gender or race or whatever. Those people are the stupid ones....

To Kill A Mockingbird

I just finished reading the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. I've always been curious about the book and wanted to ready it. Of course, the first time I heard about the book was the movie by the same name staring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch.

It was one of the best book I've ever read and I am mad with myself that I didn't read the book sooner. It was about a lawyer named Atticus Finch who lived & worked in a small Alabama town called Maycomb. He was appointed to be the defense lawyer for an African American who was accused of raping a white woman. Though there was a lot of evidence pointing to his innocence, the jury still convicted him of the crime. The book, unlike the movie, did not just concentrate on the trial but life in southern Alabama during that time. The book, like the movie, was told from the point of view of Atticus' 9 year old daughter.

I really love the book and really recommend it. If you are not a reader than I suggest you rent the movie....

"The Express"

We saw the movie "The Express" at my in laws yesterday. It was about Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. For those of you who don't know what a Heisman Trophy is, it's an award given to the best college football (American football) of that year.

It was a pretty interesting movie. To see what it was like for him to grow up in that era where African Americans are still considered 2nd class and how he dealt with it. He was drafted to play with the Cleveland Browns but he was not able to play when he found out that he had leukemia and died from the cancer when he was only 23.

I definitely recommend this movie. Rob Brown played Ernie Davis and Dennis Quaid was his University of Syracuse football coach.

Something Funny...

Something funny happened a few moment ago at work. Since we were bought out by another bank last year, some of the branches are being consolidated. Our branch is one of those that will close mid next month so we are trying to go thru tons of stuff in the branch. Sensitive materials are being shredded and collected by the shredding company while the rest are put in a big dumpster in the back of the bank. And let me tell you...this dumpster is HUGE!

So, the phone rang and I answered it. Turned out it was our RM (Regional Manager) wanting to talk to my BM (Branch Manager). Asked him if he wouldn't mind being put on hold while I get my BM, he said no. So I put him on hold and dialed the extension to my BM's desk. There was no answer so I went looking for her in the back office. The back door was open so I know she was just outside dumping stuff into the dumpster.

The sight that greeted me when I walked out was to die for. Mind you, my BM is short, maybe about 5'1" and with the shoes that she's wearing, she's probably be at about 5'4". The dumpster is maybe about 7 feet high. Here was my BM doing this frog leap thing trying to throw stuff into the dumpster. It was a little comical coz she reminded me of how a little kid would do this little jump while throwing their ball into a hoop.

Anyways, I took pity on her so I told her to hold the back door open for me while I dump the stuff. I am 6 foot tall and with my shoes on, I'm about 6'2" so it was just a matter of me tip toeing and hauled the stuff over the dumpster. Here's the syncher...as I turned around to get back into the bank, I noticed there was a cop car parked a few yards away from us. The policeman was laughing his head off so I gave him a big smile, saluted, did a little bow and walked back into the bank.

Weird Day

What a weird day today is starting to be... First of all, I kept waking up every hour on the hour all night last night so I am a little sleep deprive at the moment.

My first customer today told me that he wanted to cash his check so I proceed to my transaction menu on my computer to do so. When I asked him how he want his cash (what denomination) he said he wanted to deposit US$200 of it into his account. So, I cancelled the original transaction and proceed to fill the deposit slip for him and ran the transaction. Again at the end, I asked him again how he wants his cash broken down and he decided that instead of depositing that US$200 into his account, he wanted to get all the cash. So, again I cancelled that transaction and proceed to the first one and guess what... he decided to change his mind again. Luckily this time he didn't change his mind again... coz I would have smacked him he he he

The other customer I had was an old lady. She handed me her checkbook and said that she wanted copies of the checks she had written this month. I asked her for her ID and she said, "You can't look me up from the checkbook?". I told her that I can look up her account from the checkbook but I need to make sure that she's the one on the account. She pointed to the name on the checkbook and said that's her. I was trying really hard not to laugh but I told her that I need to see her ID so that I can verify that that is her. So she grumbily walked back to her car to get her ID. After verifying that it was indeed her, I pulled up her account on my computer. I asked her if she just wanted me to print the statement which shows all the checks that had gone thru her account but she said that she wanted to get the copies of the check. I also indicated to her that if she has internet, she can get the copies for free but she said that she doesn't have a computer. Since there were about 8 checks that had gone thru I brought her over to the PFR (personal financial rep) along with her statement that I had printed listing the checks so that he can help her print the checks and I can go back to running transactions at the teller line. Not 5 seconds later she left so I asked he PFR if he was able to help her. He said that she said to him that she can look up the checks at home and left the bank with the statement that I printed... What the F---? I asked her if all she wanted was the statement & she said no... Another undecided customer I guess...

Well, while I was with the old lady, another customer came into the branch wanting to run transaction and he got my Assistant Manager. He was trying to deposit cash into someone else's account. A restraint came up on the account so my AM was trying to ask him some questions. Unfortunately, the guy doesn't speak anything but Chinese so here they were, my AM speaking in English to him and he jabbering away in Chinese. My branch manager came over to try and help them but since she doesn't speak a lick of Chinese, there was little that she could do. They kept looking over to me hoping that I understood what the guy was talking about but I only know a couple of bad words so I was no help...

So, I don't know if there is a full moon out tonight or what but I hope the "weirdness" ends soon

January 20, 2009

What a day it was yesterday, something that I will not forget anytime soon. Almost 2 million people gathered at the Mall in Washington DC to watch Barack Hussein Obama sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. I had to work yesterday so I set my VCR to tape the proceedings (no, we don't have Tivo), though I did catch some snipets of it on the internet while at work (shhh I'm not suppose to do that while at work). It was amazing to see all those people braving the cold weather to be at the ceremony. What is more amazing to me is to see an African American sworn in to the highest position in this country. Here is to a better future....

Superbowl 2009

VS

This year's Superbowl will be between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game will be held in Tampa Bay on February 1st. This will be the Cardinals first time at the Superbowl since they were in Chicago 61 years ago...

GO CARDINALS!!!!

Selsema

Ick... it's that time of the year again for the flu/cold season. I was successful in fending it off for the first few months but now my defenses are down and I finally caught the sniffles. I've been taking lots of vitamin C so the cold isn't full blown, just the snuffy nose and feeling conjested. I am just glad that today is Friday and I only have to work half a day tomorrow so I can rest over the weekend.

16 Years Ago

16 years ago tomorrow I embarked on a life long journey. 16 years ago I left my family and life behind in Malaysia and came to the US. When I came, I had expected to just be in the US for about 2 years. Just enough time for me to earn my BSc as well as some life experience. I had fully expected to return to Malaysia after I graduate and spend the rest of my life there. Little that I know that 16 years later I am still in the US.

I bet you wonder what happened, right? How did 2 years ended up being 16 years? Well love happened... See just before I left for the US, my heart was broken. And this was not any kind of broken, it was not just cracked in 2 but smashed to smitherens. So I left hoping that it will mend eventually and I also had a little revenge planned. I was going to get my degree and go back to Malaysia, get a great job where my ex is working and maybe be his boss. Obviously that was a stupid plan...the revenge part anyways.

Anyways, the first part of my 2nd year in the US, I met this wonderful guy. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone, much less falling in love. We hit it off immediately and have been together since. We dated for about 2 1/2 years and just a little over a month ago celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary.

So, that is why I am still here 16 years later. I wouldn't trade my guy for anything in the world and I am hoping for many years to come with him...

January Birthdays

Here are my family & friends celebrating their birthdays in January:

Wan Nor Diana (Dina) - January 4
Raja Nor Izma (arwah) - January 13
Raja Norshirin (yours truly ;-) - January 14
Aubree Stephens - January 15
Christine Cattelino - January 20
James J Pergo - January 29

Happy Birthday every one!!

"Iron Man"

We rented "Iron Man" yesterday and I thought the movie was okay. It was a movie based on Stan Lee's Marvel comic "Iron Man" about a weapons manufacturer named Tony Stark whom after being captured in Afghanistan decided to make an iron suit for himself.

Robert Downey Jr was Tony Stark/Iron Man and Jeff Bridges was his company's, Stark Industries, business partner. Gweyneth Paltrow was Tony Stark's assistant/love interest. Downey Jr was pretty good as Iron Man though I thought the movie itself is okay. When I first heard that he was going to be Iron Man, I didn't think that he would make a good superhero. I was pleasantly surprised that he actually made a good one...at least a very convincing one.

If you like Marvel comics than this movie is for you...

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

"Get Smart" & "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"

We rented a movie for quite awhile and this weekend we decided to watch "Get Smart" & "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"...

"Get Smart" was a remake of the TV show "Get Smart". Steve Carell played Maxwell "Agent 86" Smart and Anne Hathaway was his reluctant partner, Agent 99 for a secret agency called CONTROL. When the CONTROL headquarters were infaltrated by their nemesis KAOS and their agents identities compromised, Agents 86 & 99 has to do whatever they can to thwart the plans of KAOS...

I thought the movie was funny. I definitely love Steve Carell!!! Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock played Agent 23 was funny too....


"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" was funny too though I thought it could be funnier. Jason Segel played Peter Bretter who after being dumped by his actress girlfriend, Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) went to Hawaii in an attempt to forget her. Little did he know Sarah decided to vacation at the same resort with her new boyfriend, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). As you can imagine, Peter trying to forget Sarah but she keeps popping up wherever he goes...

The movie is funnier though was a little bit predictable...I still recommend watching it if you want some laugh...