pattiez's blog

So I attempted to track my "entertainment spending" in 2010. It was pretty good, but I stopped keeping track after August. It slipped my mind and I'm a tad disappointed.

My goal was to spend less than $350, but that didn't happen. From January to August 2010 alone, I spent about $690. Oops? I suppose going to a concert didn't help.

Am I going to do the same for 2011? I think I'm going to try. It's nice to reflect on what I've watched in any given year. Plus, I like seeing how I allocate my money.

...must be more strict in my budget. End of 2010 Financial post coming up!

Labels: concert, movie, vacation

After reading Stephen's new post, I figured I should write one too. I've been insanely busy this semester. I've confirmed that the busy lifestyle is what I love. I love the feeling of going from one place to another. The need to have a continuous to do list. It's so fulfilling to see a page of "to do's" all checked up and having it spill to another page. It's weird, but I'm not exactly "not weird".

It sure doesn't feel like summer though. The weather has been horrible. Toronto gave me a real summer to compare to, so Vancouver is disappointing me right now.

May highlights:

I'm not sure if I mentioned about my first official day of coop. Well, the wind blew out the power... twice. I ended up going home after 3 hours of work; two and a half of which we were out of power.

We spent our first anniversary in front of the television watching the very disappointing round two game four playoff game. Oh, and he made steak dinner. Yum.

Toronto! It was nice and relaxing. I really appreciated the luxury of taking Friday off from coop as well, so my trip was Friday to Monday rather than just Saturday to Monday. The concert was amazing. Our last meal before returning to Raincouver was outside in the patio. We enjoyed a nice meal with a cocktail and 27 degree weather.

Just on Friday, I went to a meeting with the organization that's paying for my coop. I found out when they were introducing me that they wanted me to do a short speech. Improvising in front of 23 established professionals is not exactly a easy thing.

The past week, I've had about 5 hours worth of meetings for YWiB (www.ywib.ca). Come to think about it, compared to the amount of work that has been done, 5 hours isn't a lot. I'm excited to see our programs and events launch by the end of the summer. The hard work will be worth it!

I finally tried the new ramen place: Hokkaido Ramen Santouka. It's a ramen chain that originated from Japan. I really enjoyed the soup. The cha-shu was delicious! It melted in my mouth. Om nom nom. I didn't enjoy the noodles too much, despite the apparent claim by Japanese people that Santouka cooks their noodles perfectly. I would prefer it if it was a tad softer. Just a tad. Oh, and locals claim that Santouka is the most authentic ramen shop in Vancouver. That may be true, but I've had ramen in Hokkaido and well... it's not the same.

Labels: canucks, co-op, concert, food, food adventure, him, holiday, Japan, trip, vacation, YWiB

Here are my plans for next semester (so far). Yes, as a student, my life is separated into semesters. 'sigh'

May
02 CTS: Brooks & Dunn
?? coop officially begins
09 CTS: Eagles
15 CTS: Celtic Woman
21 Toronto Trip
22 Taylor Swift concert
24 back to Vancouver

June
27 Much Ado About Nothing (Bard on the Beach)

July
01 Canada Day in North Vancouver (I wonder if I get stat pay...)

August
02 BC Day (day off!)
?? coop ends
20 CTS: Michael Buble
23 CTS: Lady Gaga

*note: this post will be constantly updated

Labels: co-op, holiday, plans, theatre, vacation

01.01 Since I started this last year, I think it'll be interesting to see how it will compare year to year. However, this year I'll include a couple more categories all movies (downloaded/streamed as well), books, and music. I spent $543.24 last year. My goal for this year is to spend less than $350. I can do it! *crosses fingers*
---
So far this year I've spent...

Theatre:
Much Ado About Nothing (Bard on the Beach) $44

Movies:
When in Rome +*
Valentine's Day (two tickets)
Alice in Wonderland +*
Letters to Juliet
Despicable Me
Toy Story 3*
Inception
Charlie St. Cloud (two tickets)

...$11.99*7=$83.93
Shrek Forever After ($9.99)
The Proposal
The Blind Side
Up in the Air
Law Abiding Citizen
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Couples Retreat
Princess and the Frog
Date Night
Hot Tub Time Machine
The Lovely Bones
Vampires Suck ($6.??)

TV Series:
Doogie Howser, M.D.: season one and two
Veronica Mars: season one $16.80
How I Met your Mother
Lie to Me
Community
The L Word

Concerts:
Taylor Swift $106 (in Toronto!)

Attractions:
Olympics: countdown clock, fireworks, Robson St art, opening ceremony rehearsals, Aboriginal Pavilion, Alberta House, Francophone Place on Granville Island, street car, Quebec House, LiveCity Yaletown (Jully Black was performing!), Coke Pavilion
plane ticket to Toronto $509.60
Las Vegas trip (plane and hotel) $

Books/Magazines:
July Cosmo UK $
August Cosmo UK $

Music:
We Are the World, Artists for Haiti $1.29

Other:
Comedy Night at Hennessey Restaurant & Lounge $5
Open Mic Night at the Kingston $5

So far this year... $693.58?

(note: I am constantly updating this post)

In the near future...

Nine
Dear John
The Spy Next Door
The Tooth Fairy
From Paris with Love
The Hurt Locker
The Secret of Kells (short)
Inglourious Basterds
Coco Before Chanel
Food, Inc (documentary)
French Roast (short)
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (short)
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte) (short)
Logorama (short)
A Matter of Loaf and Death (short)
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (documentary)

*=others treated or Scene card rewards or movie gift certificate

Labels: concert, movie, vacation

So far this year I've spent...

Theatre:
Munsch Alley $16.35
Secret World of Og $22.05
The Comedy of Errors $43 (two tickets)
Love You Forever... and More Munsch $14

Movies:
Bride Wars
Slumdog Millionaire
Coraline*
Observe and Report
Obsessed*
I Love You, Man (two tickets)
Star Trek
Up! (two tickets)
Transformers 2 (two tickets)
The Ugly Truth*
I Love You Beth Cooper*
Ponyo*
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs*
9
Funny People*
...$11.99*11=$131.89
Watchmen* (in Imax)
Monsters vs Aliens (in 3D) $14.95
Horton Hears a Who DVD $15
Wall-E at SFU outdoor movie night $0
500 Days of Summer $8.75
Up! DVD*

Concerts:
The Veronicas $20... meet&autograph <3
Jason Mraz $122.75 (two tickets) <-I'm SO excited! =)
Lights $15

Attractions:
Miniature World $9.50
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria $10

Other:
vs St. Louis $50 (section 122 row 15 <3)
Russell Peters*
vs Los Angeles $50

Gah! It's only July and I've already exceeded my budget for this year.
So far this year... $543.24?

(note: I am constantly updating this post)

In the near future...
Earth
My Sister's Keeper
Julie & Julia

*=others treated or Scene card rewards or...

Labels: canucks, concert, movie, play, theatre, vacation