My "week-off" went pretty well. I didn't to close to anything terribly productive. I did buy some containers to put loose items, which helped reduce the amount of piled up clutter in the apartment. There's still a bit around though - I wasn't able to find a bookcase that I really liked. Asides from that, I lounged quite a bit by catching up on Tivo & Greencine and sleeping in. Unfortunately, all the sickness I've encountered in the past month caught up with me on Friday and went in full-bloom on Sunday. In spite of that, I troopered-on and day-tripped up to Vancouver with a group of friends. Notable stops in the Vancouver area included the best dim-sum I've had so far @ Kirin Seafood Restaurant in Richmond & sampling 2 of the 208 flavors @ La Casa Gelato.

Right now, I should (in theory) be searching for gainful employment for great economic freedom in leisure pursuits, but I'm still recovering from the above-mentioned cold. It's annoying having to fight the congestion, interrupted sleep & fatigue while trying to think straight & take care of various tasks, like picking up Interpol tickets.

Overall, I continue to be cautiously optimistic about this break. I sincerely hope that I will be able to get a software development position that allows me to work on something actual external clients will use instead of yet another business IT system. I plan on working on getting closer to physically fit. I will finally make my way to the public library downtown. I want to take this opportunity to do some recreational (non-techies insert snorts & misc. mockery here) programming. I don't know how long this period of time will last, but I want to make the best of it.

As of Friday evening, I am no longer an employed individual. It's a bit of a strange feeling becoming an unfettered one since I had been working for the same company for over three & 1/2 years. Right now, I don't have anything lined up to fill up the days. In theory, I should have started looking much earlier, but vacation, work and life were excellent conspirators in preventing me in doing so.

Normally, I would have jumped straight back into the hunt - especially given some of my resolutions this year, but friends have convinced me to take some time off to decompress & relax. After thinking about it, it seemed like an excellent idea since it really has been a while since I've taken a long stretch of time off that wasn't consumed by traveling. It will be nice to just sleep in, take care of random little tasks and maybe make a quick weekend jaunt up to Vancouver.

Asides from that, I don't really have any big plans for the immediate future. I'll probably just hit all the various job sites and resort to resume spamming. If any of you think you could hook me up, I'd appreciate it greatly.

It's 2005. That means it's time for resolutions for the upcoming year that inevitably will get broken. BUT...it's the thought & the ideal that matters. After all, it's a fresh start for bettering oneself. In honor of this tried and true tradition, I am shooting to get a job that I actually like. I am also hoping to get myself into shape (perennial resolution). I would like to buy a place of my own, someplace I can call home. I also plan on throwing my normal caution to the wind and actually go out to meet people, even if I make an ass out of myself.

And finally - because it's good to have one gimme - I pledge to drink more wine. In Vino Party Time WOOOOO.

It occurred to me that I watched a lot of movies while I was travelling over the holidays. Return of the King: Extended Edition, Finding Neverland, The Italian Job (new), Meet the Fockers, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Mean Girls, House of Flying Daggers and Vanity Fair. One would think that all that movie watching would be enough for a while. But if that's the case, why did I buy Garden State and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle this week? I guess I must be insane-o.