Kisses, hugs, and hard nipples

It's tough sometimes when my guy and I have to part our separate ways after a nice reunion. I didn't want him to leave and hugged him a little tighter. He understood and we hugged some more on the couch.

It was nice when we kissed and hugged before he left the hotel room. He groped my left breast.

"Ooh, no bra," he remarked.
"You finally noticed," I said.
"Hey, both your nipples are now hard," he said.

He was right. I was wearing a purple blouse and both nipples were protruding. He has that effect on me.

Dropping in at 6 am to cuddle and kiss

Last Sunday, my guy knocked on my hotel room just before 06:00. I opened the door and liked seeing him smile at me.

"I'm sleepyhead," I said, which made him smile.
"I know," he replied.

He got plenty of sleep on the plane. This time around, he found the bathroom just fine. Last time, he thought the closet was the washroom.

We sat on the couch and cuddled. I got him some powdered peanut butter. It's great for travelling. You just add water, stir, and you get peanut butter. It has practically no carbs, which made him happy. I also got him sugar-free mints from Sweden.

He thanked me. He moved in to kiss me on the lips. I loved having his lips pressed against mine. It was nice.

We held hands. He admired my pink nail polish. He loved looking at my hands. He then enjoyed looking at my wrist.

"You're wearing the evil eye bracelet," he observed.
"Yes, I have been wearing it since you got me it. I love how when light hits it, the blue changes to purple," I said.
"Nice! It looks good on you," he said.
"Thanks! I love it," I replied.

It was my time of the month. He was also a bit tired from his travels, so it was nice to chat and cuddle.

"Is your shirt new?" I asked him, snuggling up to him.
"Newish. I got it at our favourite liquidation outlet for $5. My pants were $10," he said proudly.
"I love you, CB," I said.

I love when my sweet Cheap Bastard takes pride in saving a ton of money while looking stylish.

Evil eye bracelets and pouring rain

Before I drove my guy to the airport over a week ago, he gave me presents from Istanbul. He had asked me what I wanted from the city.

It's easier for me to think of things that I'd like, for I have been to the city before. I asked him for looseleaf tea.

When we first met, I had an evil eye bracelet. It had a dainty chain that eventually snapped. I tried to repair it, but I couldn't salvage it after a couple of tries.

I then got a replacement one. Months later, that one died, too.

Istanbul is known for all things evil eye. So, I asked my guy if he could get me an evil eye bracelet. Not only did he get me one similar in style to the ones that I once owned, he got me another one that has small evil eyes all around the bracelet. I loved them both when I saw them.

It was raining fairly hard that day. I got soaked walking from the restaurant where we had dinner over to my car.

"I'm wet right now," I said, as my shirt and hair had absorbed some of the rain.
"Of course, you are," he said with a smirk.
"I didn't mean that!" I said. "Then again, I am sitting next to you."
"You're sweet," he said, holding my hand.

We got to the airport. I gave my guy my umbrella so that he could fetch a cart for his luggage. An older gentleman saw our umbrella exchange and smiled.

My guy came back and loaded everything onto the cart. We kissed and hugged. It seems more romantic when it's raining and you're saying goodbye to a loved one for a brief period.

A couple hours later, he called me.

"Hey, is your flight delayed?" I asked him.
"Yes, but only for forty minutes," he said. "I heard that it's pouring in Toronto."
"It was quite the downpour driving home, but I'm safe," I replied.
"That's good," he said.
"You're sweet. Thanks for the evil eye bracelets. I'm wearing one of them now. I love them," I remarked.
"I'm so glad," he replied.

He's thoughtful and sweet. It was nice to hear from him before his flight took off.

Back from travelling - happy, but sleepy

It has been a while! I am back from my work trip. Oddly, I wasn't exhausted when I returned. However, my first day back at work drained me.

I returned on Saturday afternoon. I spent a quiet day running a few errands before checking in at a hotel for a night. My guy was scheduled to fly in at 5:30 am.

Well, I slept well that night. I woke up to the sound of my guy calling me at 5:15 am. I didn't catch his call in time and called him back.

"Hey," I said, sleepily.
"Hey," he said. "Did I wake you up?"
"Yep, you did. I thought that you were getting in at 5:30 am and that I could sleep in till 6 am," I said.
"I know. My flight got in early. I didn't see an e-mail from you," he noted.
"I used to write them and you didn't bother reading them. You'd call me instead," I replied.

He needed my hotel room number. I let him know what it was. He was coming to see me once he got his luggage off the carousel at the airport. I love when he does.

Crazy travel plans and a lovetap for being bad

Geez, it has been a while. I will post about all the craziness that happened last week in a bit. I'm exhausted.

I made it to my European destination today on a couple of hours of sleep. It was painful transferring from one method of transportation to the next. I'll explain what actually happened versus what was supposed to happen in a future post.

On a good note, I took my guy to the airport on Friday. I helped roll a couple of his luggage pieces from his side of his car (he had taken them all out of his trunk) over to my car at work.

"Don't touch anything!" he said to me, looking at my rolling his computer bag over.
"You don't let me touch anything," I protested, caressing his perfectly uniform head.
"You can touch my head. Just don't do any heavy lifting," he said, passing by me and smacking my left buttock.
"That hurt! You're mean!" I replied.

It was fun. He loves when I caress his cleanly shaved head. I like getting a lovetap for being his bad girl.

Incompetent manager and craziness at work

This week is already shaping up to be super crazy!

At work, we have a major software release. It isn't going as well as we had hoped. At least our part of the exercise isn't too bad.

It's my mini me's last week with the company. I will miss her. My manager finally got around to booking her farewell lunch. Unfortunately, he can't get his act together collecting money from the team and buying a gift. He asked me to do it. I am a good organizer, but this week is not good for me I declined and asked my intern to help me out.

As a manager, if you can't organize something as simple as getting a farewell gift, you have issues. I am also trying to wrap up my work, ensure that my intern is okay while I am way with work, get tasks that my mini me has left, and prepare for my business trip next week.

I've started to pack. I have a ways to go. My guy is also doing training this week and flies off a day before I do.

On top of all this madness, my intern and I have to train a new employee this week. So, no, I do not have time to do a task that my manager should be able to handle.

I'm glad that I put my foot down. He made the argument that I would need to get a gift for my intern, so I might as well get both gifts. First, we have never got parting gifts for interns -- only a farewell lunch. Second, I said that I couldn't do the gift-buying this week, but could when I am back. He finally accepted.

Sometimes, I feel like I am the manager and my boss is the incompetent one.

Madonna's birthday and spankings

Madonna was a huge influence in my younger years. I first heard her music ("Holiday," to be specific) when I was eleven years old. I have been a fan for decades, although my fandom isn't as strong these days as it used to be.

When her song, "Hanky Panky," came out, I was secretly thrilled. I was in my teens, and got aroused when I thought about getting or giving a spanking. This sentiment hasn't changed.

Madonna turns sixty years old on August 16. She looks terrific! I was brought back to being a teen again with her latest instagram:

I like that she has spankings in plural. I love it!

Wish - reusable drinking straws

I have been shopping on Wish for roughly two years. I like that you can find cool items for cheap. The downside is that these items come mostly from China and it takes a month for them to arrive.

I am a patient person. However, I don't recall what I had ordered until I see something in my mailbox.

For a while, I have wanted to get reusable drinking straws. I often go out to Starbucks to get an iced drink or someplace else for a fountain drink. I seem to use a straw every other day, which is not helping our planet.

I got a five-pack of purple glass drinking straws. They also come with two straw cleaners. I am extremely pleased with my purchase. It was also carefully wrapped in massive bubble wrap. I was impressed.

The downside is that I do not have some sort of travelling case for my straws. I guess that I need to look on Wish for it... haha!

Preparing for my business trip to Sweden

I leave for my business trip a week from today. It's crazy that I have been planning for a while. My travel date is fast approaching.

I got my SIM for European countries yesterday. I just activated it. Things are going well.

Part of me wants to bring my medium-sized luggage with me. Considering that I am doing a plane-train-bus-train set of switches to get to my final destination, bringing a smaller piece of luggage along with my rolling computer bag makes sense. The worst case would be to add more stuff in my rolling computer bag, which is pretty spacious.

I am looking forward to my trip on the whole. I need to figure out what to bring with me. Luckily, I have the weekend to sort everything out.

Jetlag and sleep

My guy loves sleep. I endearingly call him my sleepyhead.

When it comes to travelling to a different country, he has a difficult time adjusting to the time difference.

Last week, he was in Istanbul. He told me this story.

"I first woke up at 6 am. I then went back to bed," he told me.
"What time did you get up at?" I asked him.
"It wasn't until housekeeping knocked on the door at 9 am that I got up. I got to work just after 10 am," he said.

He's my sleepyhead.

Android 9 Pie and my Pixel's dying battery

I wonder whether Google has been hearing about my current and probably only woe with my Google Pixel phone.

My phone is nearly two years old. These days, the battery doesn't hold a charge as well as it used to. A couple of days ago, my phone had 34% battery life and then it automatically shut itself off. I tried booting it up and it simply didn't have enough juice to stay on.

The good news is that whenever there is an Android update, Pixel phones tend to be the first to get it. This time, it's Android 9, also known as Pie, that is out.

I installed it. One of its biggest features is adaptive battery. The idea is that the operating system learns my phone usage patterns. It then direct power to apps that I need. It's essentially predicting my day-to-day battery usage. That's cool to me.

So far, I've noticed that my phone's battery drain at a slower pace. There is also a battery saver option. Nice!

The next Google Pixel phone gets revealed in early October. Chances are that I will upgrade to it. I love my phone. I am hoping that the new phone's battery is better. For now, I thank Pie for extending my battery's life for another couple of months, at least.

August travel and dinner date

My guy and I are both travelling on business at roughly the same time. He departs a day before I do.

"My flight leaves on a Friday at 7 pm. You'll be at work, so we can do dinner before I leave," he said, planning.
"That sounds good. I'd love to," I noted.

He is gone for a couple of weeks. I am gone just for a week. August is already shaping up to be a busy month for both of us.

Where are you from?

A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a number of academics. Most folks at my table had doctorate degrees. I was one of two who did not.

My guy has always said that I can hold my own ground no matter whom I'm with. All because you have earned a doctorate degree does not necessarily mean that that you the brightest person on the planet.

I was sitting next to a woman who possessed a doctorate degree at the table. I knew most of the people, except for this woman and my friend's husband. Many of them flew into Toronto from the States for a conference.

The American woman tried to strike up a conversation with me.

"So, where are you from?" she asked me.
"Toronto. I'm born and raised here," I said.

And so, the conversation stopped there.

My guess is that, to her, I do not seem like a typical Canadian. However, as Canada is incredibly multicultural, it's not odd that I can say that I was born and raised in Toronto.

If she had asked about my heritage, I would have said that I'm Chinese. The question was never posed that way.

Perhaps she was expecting me to say that I am Chinese-Canadian. I could have. That's more common to hear stateside. I'm Canadian. I happen to also be Chinese.

Her question has stuck with me ever since. I liked my answer. I still do.

Low-carb changes for the better, including chicken wings and bacon

On the whole, getting back to a low-carb diet has been pretty good. I have lapsed a few times, but I'm okay with it. I'm doing a ton better.

I make sure that I have salads for lunch again. I definitely have more energy.

For lunch the other day, I ordered New York-style wings. I didn't know that having wings that aren't battered or dusted is the Big Apple way. You get sauce off to the side. I asked for my wings to have sea salt and pepper, and ditched the sauce. Yay!

It has been ages since I have bought bacon to fry at home. It was on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart yesterday. I got a package. I'm thinking that a bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad sounds inviting.

Travelling home with a cleanly shaved, sexy head

It's a long weekend for me. My guy travels home today. I am hoping that his middle ear infection is gone or close to it.

He has a long flight coming back home. It'll be nice to see him again.

We had this conversation the other day:

"I can't wait to see you," I said to him.
"Likewise," he replied. "I will make sure that I have a cleanly shaved head for you to caress."

I love touching his perfectly uniform head. He likes that I love to.

Middle ear infection, work changes, and reassurance

I got concerned when I tried contacting my guy on Skype and he wasn't available for a couple of days. He called me on Thursday afternoon.

"How are you, sweetie?" he asked me.
"Things are crazy. My colleague, mini me, is leaving the company in a couple of weeks," I replied.
"Oh, no," he replied.
"It's okay. I hope that she is happy in her new job. I am also used to getting thrown back into regular work," I replied.
"Well, you have a couple of students to help you out soon," he pointed out.
"I know. More importantly, how have you been? I tried to get a hold of you, but you must have gone to bed," I asked.
"I haven't been great for the last couple of days. I went to the doctor and found out that I have a middle ear infection. I'm on antibiotics," he said.
"Oh, geez. I had that. It hurts when you fly, mainly takeoff and landing. I had that years ago and didn't have antibiotics when I flew. I think you should be fine by the time you fly out on Saturday," I said.
"I hope so," he replied.

It's his way of being reassured that he'll be fine. He seemed relieved that I have been through it and was fine. The only difference is that my middle ear infection caused some instability with my balance. It was mild. For him, he's perfectly fine.

Here's hoping that his antibiotics continue to help mend him.

Booking flight, train, and cell phone plan for European work trip

On Wednesday, I spent roughly half my workday booking my flight and train tickets for my upcoming work trip. I dislike how strict certain rules imposed by my company are.

My destination is a remote part of Sweden. It's actually more convenient to fly into Copenhagen and then take a train to this town.

I booked my flight. Going to Copenhagen was fine. The challenge is booking a flight back home, keeping in mind that the train ride to get back to the airport is three hours.

I wanted to take an afternoon flight. This flight selection got flagged by the travel booking system that I was using as being more expensive than the recommended flight. So, my departure schedule consists of taking the first train out on a Saturday at 6 am and getting to Copenhagen airport by 9 am. I then have two hours to board my flight.

It's doable, provided that everything is on time. I don't like travelling under tight circumstances.

The roughest part of my travel plans is actually after I land at Copenhagen airport. I have two hours to find the train station. Normally, it's one train to this town. On this particular weekend, it's a train-bus-train route. Each segment is roughly an hour. I have eleven minutes to transfer. Again, I hope that it's enough time. Luckily, all three segments run practically every hour.

I also went ahead and got a SIM card for my phone. It comes with a gigabyte of data and a fixed number of minutes for calls. I can use it anywhere in Europe, so it'll cover my Denmark-Sweden visit just fine. It should get to me in a week.

I don't mind researching travel route and plans. They are definitely more enjoyable when I am planning a vacation than a work trip!

Getting strict with being low-carb

I have been on the maintenance part of losing sixty pounds roughly seven years ago. I was on a strict low-carb diet. I have kept the weight off, which is probably one of my greatest accomplishments.

For five of those years, I changed up my salad for lunch. I find that if I lean towards carbs for lunch, I am sluggish for a couple of hours before it wears off.

I wanted to have a sandwich for lunch. I swapped my salad out for it. After nearly two years of having sandwiches for lunch, I wanted my energy back.

It helps that my guy is on a keto diet. It has inspired me to go back to eating salads for lunch and being more strict with eating low-carb foods.

I'd say that I have been pretty good at ditching processed foods. I make breakfast in the morning, and have enjoyed sautéed mushrooms, eggs, and sausage for breakfast. I even made low-carb pancakes and poured sugar-free syrup on them. They were surprisingly good.

My energy is up. Sometimes, when I work from home, I feel the need to take a brief nap after my day is over. I have been doing that less in the past couple of weeks.

It's all good. My guy has been pretty good staying on his keto diet while he is away on business.

"Remember how we used to laugh when that woman would smuggle food from the hotel lounge?" he said to me the other day.
"Yes, I remember that fondly. She put food in styrofoam cups and left," I remarked.
"I am becoming that person, except that I put cheese and eggs in plastic Ziploc bags for work," he said.

At first, I felt a bit embarrassed for him. However, considering that it's probably easier sticking to a keto or low-carb diet when you bring your own food, his method makes sense. He is also transparent (the clear see-through bag speaks volumes) about bringing his food to work.

Now that I think about it, it's not bad at all. You have lounge access because you either paid for it or have earned it. Why not take a snack with you when you leave? It's not like you are hauling the entire food spread home. I don't find that greedy by any stretch.

I go on business in three weeks. I'll see whether I will be doing the same thing as my guy.