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One morning during the holiday break I received a phone call from my main bank, CIBC. It was an automated message and it informed me that they had detected some anomalies with my debit card and I should phone them right away. Given I was quite under the weather at the time, it took me a couple of hours to drag myself out of bed and make the call to a live person. When I did get through to them, they told me that somewhere where I had used my debit card, there was some funny business going on. CIBC doesn’t let you know exactly what they detected nor will they tell where the offending business is. I’m not sure what detection schemes they have in place. If I had to guess, I believe my debit card data was being cloned at some establishment when I used it there. I would also guess that it happened at a place where I swiped the card as opposed to when I used the chip portion of my card. It’s my understanding the chips on the debit cards are much more difficult to do all that crazy “hacker” stuff the kids are doing these days.

Though I was somewhat concerned, there appeared to be no odd transactions with my account and the CIBC rep told me I just had to change my PIN at any CIBC ABM. They gave me a two-hour window to change my PIN and even in my weakened state, it didn’t take me very long to limp to the nearest CIBC ATM. With my PIN changed, I proceeded as normal with my banking. I kept an eye on my account but nothing strange appeared.

This morning, I got the same automated call again. Since I had done this song and dance again, it didn’t take me very long to call up CIBC. I explained to the rep that it would be very difficult for me avoid going to the same places of business because most people are creatures of habit when it comes to shopping. We all go to the same supermarkets, shops, and restaurants time after time. I again asked if they had any info for me about the possible source of fraud. They again told me that I would not be told which business it was nor exactly what the actual problem was. I then made it clear to the rep that since I didn’t know where to stop patronizing with my card, I’d probably be getting another call in a few weeks again. The rep seemed to sympathize with my situation but there wasn’t anything else she could do for me, other than give me another two-hour window to get my PIN changed. So before I stepped into work today, I once again changed my PIN.

I fully expect to have to go through this exercise again in the near future because I have no idea which business is the evil one. I supposed I could start paying things with cash for a while but that defeats the purpose of having a debit card. I like the convenience of not needing to have cash on me all the time. I suppose I should be thankful that no one has drained my bank account but it still sucks having to change your PIN every few weeks. Has anyone else gone through something like this?

I live in the suburbs and I commute to downtown Vancouver for work. Now that I’ve been doing that again for the last several weeks, I’ve seen a few of my former co-workers who live downtown and commute to the ‘burbs for work. We pass each other on public transit, going in opposite directions. Do I feel sorry for them? I don’t actually, they get to live downtown while I just work there.

A little birdie told me today that one of my former co-workers has made his move away from the big mothership out in Burnaby. This fine gentlemen has his last day out in Burnaby on Friday and will be not half a block from where I am in Yaletown. I am super excited for him and look forward to having another lunch buddy. Another survivor makes his way back west into the promised land!

On a totally unrelated note, if you’re homeless in Japan, here’s a few things you can do.

I had a wicked case of insomnia last night. I even took a sleeping pill but it just made feel kinda of sleepy but not sleepy enough to actually fall asleep. So I just tossed and turned in bed, oblivious to how much time had passed. I learned a long time ago not to look at the clock when you can’t sleep, it just makes you more anxious. I did manage to fall asleep but I don’t know when that was. I do know that it was still somewhat dark when that happened. The next thing I remember was that my alarm was going off and it was light outside.

I wish you could predict insomnia so that you could use those lost hours more wisely. If I knew I was gonna just spend hours lying awake in bed last night, I woulda used them to play video games instead. I wonder what independently wealthy people do when they get insomnia. They don’t have to work, so do they really have to awake at a certain hour? If I was filthy rich bastard who didn’t have to work and I got insomnia, it’d totally be like, “Whoops, looks like I have insomnia, it’s time for all-night Dig Dug marathon” or “Insomnia?!?!? I wonder where I can get some fresh fried chicken at 5am in the morning”.

Damn, I kinda want to get rich just for that.

With the start of the new year, homeowners in British Columbia can now see what the government thinks their homes are worth now. This is a yearly exercise for me since becoming a homeowner and it is of great interest to see if my apartment is a dump in the provincial government’s eyes. If you’re interested, you can view assessment’s online here. If you know anyone in British Columbia, this is a great way to snoop on how much their home is worth.

This is only the third assessment my apartment has ever had, so there’s not a lot of data to go on. Between the first and second assessment, my property value went up by $25K. Between the second assessment and this latest one, it went up by another $30K. In just two years, the government thinks my apartment is now worth approx. $55K more. Keep in mind, that’s just what the government thinks it’s worth. The actual value of my apartment and all other homes is usually higher on the real estate market and that’s the number that counts.

The online assessment tool also shows you the sale prices of surrounding properties and when they were sold. This is particularly interesting for apartment owners because they can see how much units with the same floor plan have been sold for. I suppose it’s good news that every unit with my floor plan in my building and the two other buildings in the block have all sold at prices higher than what I bought my apartment for. The units that sold for the lower ranges were all on floors lower than mine. The units on the floors higher than mine have been selling for anywhere between $55K to a whopping $94K more than mine. Of course, there are a lot variables in play here. Some of those apartments might have improvements that I don’t have. I can easily see hardwood floors, an updated bathroom, and new fixtures can add value than I couldn’t offer.

In the end, these numbers are just good to know for now, until I decide to sell my apartment, which at that point, these numbers mean a whole lot more.

I ventured outside today for more than an hour for the first time since about Christmas Day. I’m still not feeling very well but I had to leave the confines of my apartment because of two reasons. First, I had postponed an appointment to get my haircut on Monday and re-scheduled for today. Second, I discovered this week that I had somehow managed to wear a hole in my bed sheets. I’d like to say it’s from all this crazy monkey sex I’ve been having in my bed but that’s sadly not the case. The hole is three-quarters down from the top of my bed (or one-quarter up from the bottom of my bed if you’re reading this from Australia). This area is suspiciously close to where the heel of my feet wind up when one of my legs is slightly bent. I’m not sure if I’m aware of any repetitive motions I do when I’m sleeping but it’s clear that some sorta of rubbing of the fabric has caused the tear. In spectacular bachelor fashion, these were the only set of sheets I bought for my new bed so they were constantly being washed and then used. I think I’ve learned a lesson here that you should switch between different sets of sheets in order to prolong the life of them. It’s a shame what happened to the fitted sheet, they were 500 thread count and felt almost like silk. I still have the pillowcases so that lessens the blow a bit.

So owing to my haircut and my holey sheets, I had to venture out into the public and the cold weather today. Things got off to an amazing start when I managed to develop a coughing fit not ten minutes into my ride on the Skytrain. I’ve attributed these coughing fits to the sudden changes in temperature, specifically from cold to warm. For some reason going to warm to cold is no problem. So here I am trying not to hack up a lung on public transportation and failing badly. The urge to cough can be such a strong physiological response. It was out of my control. After about five minutes or so, the fit ended for reasons I still can’t figure out. I had another minor coughing problem about ten minutes later but that was it for the rest of the day and evening.

My haircut was uneventful. I had a delightful discussion with my hair cutter. We caught up on our respective holidays, families, and of course, my stupid illness. She mentioned that many people had been rescheduling or canceling this week due to sickness as well. Indeed, as she was finishing up my weave, a young lady came into the waiting area. My stylist said that was her next client and she had also rescheduled due to illness. I watched as the young lady sniffled and politely coughed. This detail has absolutely no bearing on my story but I have to mention my stylist’s next client was absolutely beautiful. Though she might have been sick, she looked great. She did somewhat resemble a girl that was a grade or so behind me in junior high. Ok, let’s get off this creepy stalker tangent.

With my hair new coiffed and styled, I ventured downtown. Now with Boxing Day on Sunday, I discovered that a lot stores had their merchandise picked clean by today. Nearly everyone was still advertising Boxing Day sales but many stores had very little left to offer. I had my eye on a particular sweater at Banana Republic but they didn’t have a single one left, in any colour or in any size at all, at either of their downtown stores. Luckily, the majority of people don’t think of bed sheets when they think of Boxing Day (though I bet some women do), so I was able to pick up another set of 500 thread count sheets for 50% off. I hope this time around, I don’t rub a hole where My Little Pony’s face is.

I have no idea when I’ll be feeling healthy again but I think I’m able to go outside again. Yay! Outside!

I hope all of you are enjoying your holidays. I’ve been off work for a week now and I have spent all seven days being ill. As some of you read earlier, I got sick right when I started my new job. I managed to slog through the first few days of work while feeling awful. I managed to recover in time to have about two full days of work where I wasn’t sick before somehow catching another cold. It was one of those odd colds that started off pretty mild but grew in strength and tenacity slowly. It started to get really rough for me the evening of Christmas Day. I nearly hacked up a lung last night while trying to fall asleep. I think the only reason I got any sleep at all last night was because I coughed myself to exhaustion.

I was looking forward to spending my holidays at least partially outside my apartment but didn’t really work out. Since I can make it to the video store and back without too much effort, I’ve been able to catch up on some of my home video releases: The Other Guys, A-Team, and Salt. All three are fairly decent movies but none of them will go down as a classic. I like to think I’ll get healthy in time to spend some of my holidays not wrapped up in a blanket on my couch but we will have to see.

Everyone else seems to be having fun with their time off!

On behalf of everyone here at et.com, I wish our loyal readers a happy holidays!

Tomorrow is my last day of work before I go on my holiday break. I’m looking forward to finishing my last working day for 2010. As far as my career is concerned, 2010 did not go so smoothly. I’m looking forward to a better year in 2011 where I hope things will once again be on track.

So on Sundays, I usually head over to my parents’ place to have dinner with them. It gives me a chance to talk with them and see if they their VCR clock set. It’s also convenient because I don’t have to worry about finding dinner on Sundays. On this most recent Sunday, this was no different as I made my way over to Port Moody. When I got there, I discovered my parents had decided on having hot pot for dinner. I’ve had hot pot with them before and it’s usually quite enjoyable. There are plenty of meats and vegetables to choose from and getting to cook your own food is cool.

As I was eating dinner, I began to get thirsty. The boiling stock has got salt in it for taste and I’d been dipping my food in this soy mixture. It was all very tasty but I had to start drinking some water. Over the course of dinner, I had an entire bottle of water, about 500 mL. When I got home, I had another bottle of water almost right away. For the rest of the evening I had a few glasses of my beloved hot water (that everyone else thinks I’m strange for drinking). By the time I needed to go to bed, I didn’t feel thirsty but I knew I needed more water. It was bit of a weird feeling, like I was being brined (is that a word?) from the inside. So I drank more water and then climbed into bed.

I did feel somewhat tired but sleep did not come to me. I knew I was in trouble because I was wide awake. I felt like I needed to drink some more water so that’s what I did. It didn’t really help and the minutes blurred into hours. I don’t remember falling asleep but the next thing I knew it was almost light outside around 5am. Whatever amount of sleep I had gotten didn’t feel too restful. I got up to pee and then went back to bed and then fell asleep for reals. Unfortunately, my alarm clock went off at 8:30am and that signaled the beginning of a tough day.

I was out of it for nearly the entire day but luckily work wasn’t too bad. On the way home, I fell asleep on the Skytrain almost immediately and came pretty close to missing my station. Oddly enough, this isn’t the first time I’ve had insomnia because of dehydration but it was certainly the worst case for sure. My loyal readers, make sure you’re well hydrated before you go to sleep, even if that means you gotta go pee at night.

On Saturday evening I was had the pleasure of attending a holiday party at the home of two lovely people that I know, one of which I’ve known since I was 20 years old, in my undergrad years. In fact, we lived in the same residence together while at UBC. The majority of the other attendees at the party were also people whom I met when I 20 years old, when we all lived in the same residence as well. As a bit of a tangent, I’ve noticed my friends come from four main groups: people from undergrad, people from grad school, people from the games industry, and people in a miscellaneous category. I hate to paint these groups with a wide brush and there are certainly exceptions but I think each group has a slightly different perception of me as a person. I think this stems from when each group first met me and who I was as a person at that time.

Back to the last night’s party in any case. There was one guy there whom I’ve known since his first year at UBC. I wouldn’t say we’re friends but we are merely acquaintances. I see him perhaps twice a year, sometimes only once a year. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s had a sarcastic side to him but I know deep down inside, he’s a good person because he treats his real friends with genuine friendship. During the party, we talked about half a dozen times. It didn’t dawn on me immediately but after a while I realized he had some sorta backhanded compliment, verbal jab, or some joke at my expense every single time we talked. I distinctly remember the last conversation we had in the evening, he made some stupid joke about me, which no one really laughed about and in my mind I just thought, “so are you done yet?” as the people around us just kept awkwardly silent. It was at that point I made a huge realization that going back I don’t know how many years, the summation of my interaction with this guy was, for the most part, a series of conversations where he just made every other comment some verbal jab at me or some joke at my expense. There was the odd time where we talked about something normal but I think that was the exception.

For those of you, my loyal readers, who know me well, I think it’s fair statement to say that I don’t have thin skin. I have a good sense of humour and I can take the odd jab directed at me all in stride. It’s when you suddenly realize that your whole interaction with one person is basically based on how many digs he can direct towards you, that’s the point when you know something is wrong. Now we did have two short conversations last night that were somewhat normal. He told me about some tax tips for contractors and then he said we should play Xbox 360 together sometime. I even copied his Xbox Live tag down but when I got home, I thought, “why the fuck would I ever want to play an online game with this guy?”. I feel terrible for writing this but as it currently stands, I’d rather play online with dozens of other people before I’d even go into a lobby with this guy.

I’m trying to play armchair psychologist and trying to figure out why he acts this way to me and not other people (at least not as badly). One theory is that he genuinely has very little or no respect for me. I think perhaps he sees me as some dude he met along with his other real friends and I’m some sorta mascot that’s just part of the whole deal. I often get the feeling that when he’s talking to me, he’s doing me a favour by letting me interacting with him. It’s very condescending. Most of the time after we end our conversation, it feels like he was talking to me as if I was mentally-challenged person even though I have no helmet on. The other theory I have is that he actually respects me as a person but he either thinks it’s ok or doesn’t even know about all the stuff he says to me. I’d like to think the second theory is more plausible but either theory is still pretty shitty.

So the question remains, what should I do going forward? I think the mature and correct thing to do would be to tell him, the next time I see him, that I think he’s been very disrespectful to me most of the time and we should talk about why he treats me the way he does. Yeah, that’s the mature and correct thing to do but to be honest, it’s gonna be at least another six months before I see him again and it’s gonna be some random bullshit conversation on the street when we just happen to bump into each other. I sure as hell won’t go out of my way to get a hold of this guy and hammer out a peace accord. Again, I hate to be brutally honest but that’s not something that’s on the top of my “to do” list for a guy that I run into twice a year. It feels really bad to write that but it’s the truth. Now, I gotta be clear, I don’t wish the guy any bad luck or ill will towards him. I think he treats his real friends quite nicely and they cherish his friendship, so you know he’s got some good qualities.

Now some of you are probably wondering if it was a good idea to write this post given how anyone can read this. To be frank, he doesn’t read my blog. Do you think a guy like that is pounding away at F5 on his keyboard every morning to see what drivel I’ve written? No chance in hell. Now there’s a possibility someone might send him the link to this post but I don’t care, if he reads it, whatever, it’s about time he knows what I feel anyways. Then the next time we meet, we can dismiss with the pleasantries and get down to a more meaningful conversation.

I think if I were younger, I might just let this slide and not saying anything, just because we don’t see each other so often. It might be another six months or a year before this gets resolved but whatever, I won’t lose any sleep over it. I’ve gotten too old to chase after people to get their undying approval.