Non-Stop Weekend

Kyle came to visit with his family on Friday and I (including my parents and my sister) have done some kind of "event" with them. Here's what went down this weekend:

Friday:
Kyle calls around 7-ish to tell me he's arrived in Toronto, but I don't pick up my cell because I left it at home and I had to go to the airport to pick up my dad from Montreal.
Btw, the airport lost his luggage...so there was nothing to wash when we got home. We made dinner and my mom and I went to go pick up Kyle so he can sleep over Friday and Saturday night.
Kyle and I watch most of Man in the Iron Mask but John Malkovich was horrible so we stopped about halfway.

Saturday:
Kyle, me and Abby met up with his parents and one brother to go to the Ex. We parked at Finch and took the subway down (they haven't taken the subway in a while or ever). When we get there, we split up and Kyle and I decided to sign up for the Prison Break Challenge. The challenge consisted of going to 6 different tents around the CNE and answer a question about a random primetime Global tv show. There is a chance that you can be chosen to be an instant winner at any of the booths and claim a prize. It also consisted of a draw for $150,000 but you had to go to all 6 tents to be eligible. Well, just to let you know, we did go to all of them, and I was an instant winner at the first tent we went to. I got a 6 GB Sony mp3 player (model NW-A1000)...not sure how much it actually costs yet.
After the fun at the Ex, we met up with my parents at our house to go to a nice Chinese dinner. My dad was the one who really explained all the food to Kyle's parents and brother. I think they liked it which was pretty good. I think there was still a bit of a culture shock for them with the dinner.
After dinner, Kyle, his brother and I go to STC to watch Talladega Nights, it was pretty hilarious except I was already really exhausted from an entire day of walking (and I didn't have coffee to keep me going). I had to drive his brother back to his aunt's place (which was where his parents were staying) and she lived off the 401 a little bit past Yorkdale mall so it was a bit of a drive. On the way back, I find out the 401 ramp was closed for late night construction and I was totally bummed so we didn't get home until around 1:30 am. We both just died on the bed.

Sunday
Wake up early-ish and we head to Ikea to meet up with Kyle's family again to have some $1 breakfast. I bump into Dragonboat people during breakfast but not Kyle's family. We start walking around the displays and we finally meet up with Kyle's parents about 2 hours later. We split up again and meet up at the cash.
I end up buying a bookcase and a nice reading lamp.
I said goodbye to Kyle and his family and they went back up to Wiky.
After they left, the REAL shopping began. My mom, Abby and I went to Staples to do back to school shopping and then went to Pac mall where we got new cell phones for $0 a phone. I got a Sony Ericsson mp3 phone.
It was about 5:30 when we got home and half an hour later we drive off to have dinner with my grandparents. After that, my mom drives my sister back up to Waterloo along with her newly bought bookcase while my dad and I build his/my mom's new bed. Also did the laundry and caulked up this big gap in the living room that we think wasps keep coming into the house from.
My mom gets home around 11:30 and we finally get to sit down and talk.

I just realized I got 2 mp3 phones in 2 days for free (almost). Swweeeet!!1

Back to work tomorrow.

Natural Bargaining Skills

This past Monday my boss asked me to go across the parking lot from M&Ms and get a cheap boombox for under $40 (since that was how much money she gave me). I walk over and check out the Sears outlet mall and all I see there is garbage electronics. I step out of Sears and found The Source hidden away in a little corner of the mall.
I go inside and I seem to be the first customre of the day. The brown guy working at the time was friendly and asked me if I needed help. I told him I needed a cheap boombox for under $40 and he goes to show me a couple that were like $50...obviously not right for me. I kept telling him that I only had $40 and nothing more and I desperately needed one.
All of a sudden, the man climbed a ladder, grabbed a new box with a new stereo inside and tells me that he'll slash the price for it just for me.
The stereo was originally priced at $99.99 and he took off a certain amount and made the excuse on the computer that it was damaged and then went on to give me the employee discount. Therefore, I went off with a $100 stereo for only $45.
I have no idea how I did that and that will probably never happen to me again.
When I got back to the store, the other person working at the time asked me if he could give me $5 and get him an ipod.


On another note, Kyle's coming to visit this weekend with his family! Excited.

Pow Wow!!

So earlier this week I just got back from visiting Kyle for 7 days. I had such a blast! It was worth the uncomfortable 6 hour ride back and forth just to see him (mind you it HAS been more than a month).
We visited the Pow Wow that was going on (I got really tanned from that) and also went golfing. I didn't want to seem like such a tourist so I didn't buy a souvenir but Kyle did have to pay $2 for the Pow Wow brochure so I'll take that as my gift :). I guess in a way he kind of pampered me lol...but not really since he's making the big bucks working hard at the golf course.
Speaking of golf, we played a lot of that too! I brought up my golf clubs in my mom's handy-dandy squishy yet durable traveling bag and we played a couple of times, most of them with Kyle's relatives and family friends. It's kind of cool to meet some family friends since our family doesn't have that many. We are just kind of to our selves and there aren't like huge social gatherings like his....but then again he's native so I can't really compare.
One of Kyle's cousins recently got engaged and we had a little party to celebrate. It was really neat because everyone wrote their own personal advice to them and put it in this bag that they're not allowed to open until after their wedding day (which won't be for a year or two). The lady that the cousin is engaged to is in kind of a similar situation as me (but now much more serious because she's engaged). She was in a small family and when she first went up to visit his family and realized how huge it was she was kind of in shock. So now I know I'm not the only one that's going through it....but then again, she is part native while I'm 100% chinese (I think...). The engagement party was great, it was pretty interesting getting totally drunk with Kyle, his parents AND his grandma....I wish I could go get drunk with my parents and grandparents and still have a good time. But yea, we both drank too much and I need to find pictures of that night so I can piece what happened back together (I remember dancing with Kyle's grandma though....that was pretty fun!)
I loved the fresh air and seeing the stars and seeing my boyfriend. It was almost magical, I had just an amazing time and I can't wait to visit again. Probably not for a while though since school's about to start and I don't think my boss at M&Ms is going to give me more breaks off.
Kyle said he might come down in two weeks time with his parents but I dont think there is much we can do except play a round of golf and then eat dinner. That's ok though, I'll see him probably almost everyday when school starts (hopefully everyday if possible...not saying I'm clingy or anything).
When I got home, things went straight back to normal and it almost felt like I didn't go at all. I get that feeling every time I come back from a totally awesome and vigorating trip. I'm helping my parents with their huge backyard project to turn most of the grass into a nice stone patio-ish type thing. It's much better than what we had before because all the pine needles from our humungous pine tree isn't letting grass grow anyways so why not.
Time to go! Bye bye!