an electronic pardon

now i am back in yyz and life is back in the full (well, never that full really) swing.  back to multiple hats and different duties and peoples throughout the days and nights, often filled with music. but there are also some mundane or ordinary things i must do.  one of the very first thing i did when i got back was going to the bank, with my suitcases and all. it's kinda silly to think of flying seven and a half hours in a small tin can then another stint with the subway, then rush to the bank- seriously, monkey, you?!

well, it's been a funny holiday in a sense it was free- well, almost.  you see, my initial departure was in mid-december. it seems alright, finish the semester in style, then leisurely leave to a european holiday, how classy. except in my life, things rarely happen as planned.  out of total amusement, i decided to take a look at last minute departures from yyz.  things werent really too hectic and so i was wondering aloud: hmm, how difficult is it to catch last minute flights in december? you see, the difference between second and third week in december can make or break your financial record for the year. but who cares, i had my seat booked and reserved and everything! i had nothing to worry about.

till i saw a crazy price: 50 CAD for flight to london? what? seriously? so after much deliberation (may be of total of 30 minutes or so) as a cool cat would not do, i ended up leaving in a hurry, with proper dust storm and everything.  i got the ticket on saturday and i left on  monday. speedy gonzales! well, here's another funny thing though.  two weeks prior to that, i had an identity theft.  someone was trying to get their hands onto monkey's dusty wealth (sorry guys, for all that trouble, i didnt have much to offer. what a shame) and so in middle of family sunday dinner, i had to cancel my bank card and visa etc etc.  so i couldnt even book the ticket with  my visa card. haha. it was 'on its way,' and i thought i would be leaving in mid-month, no problem.  till i decided to jet off like some wealthy yuppie thing! so... minnow kindly offered his magic sixteen digit numbers and over the phone, we settled the deal. just like that.

so easy to do certain things sometimes eh?

then silly enough, i thought i should call the bank and let them know that i am leaving early, just in case they are eager and wants to keep an eye on my activities (ie. freeze my account soon as i whip it out to be a consumer) and the rest is history:
http://rantmonkeyrant.blogspot.com/2010/12/apology-to-phone-agent.html

anyways. so i left with no phone banking access and no cred card. but i thought it'll be fine, as long as i can draw some cash.  well, that thought lived well for may be a week. what happened is during that first week, one day, my wallet took a dive into a closed drawers by the fireplace. how? i dont really know. it's part of the bookcase right by the fireplace yet i have not even open it up myself.  but these inanimated things often being alive, it sneaked in to take a nap.  hmm.

i decided to be a bit lax and wait till it shows its lazy bum again in the dull winter sunlight. alas. one day. then second day. and so on. and i think it was fourth day when minnow thought may be it's really gone.  we looked everywhere. and after such a long deliberation (just like when i decided to leave early), i opened skype and start to discuss with the bank agent, which will result in most secure decision of all: cancel it!  doubtful monkey hesitated but with gentle coaching from the phone dudette and minnow, i agreed to close it.

and then.

minnow peeked from living room, holding... wallet. it was lazy and yawning, not even a single hint of apology or manners, really. with practically empty belly (no cards! yay! i am thin and beautiful now!) so it returned. after it lost its- ahem- purpose, shall we say?

life is a funny thing. so i was to wait till my cred card to arrive to home addie in yyz then my housemate PO was going to kindly send it over. which he did. then was returned to him for some reason or another. and it just returned home, this prodigal cred card, shmoozing and socializing among christmas greetings and boxing day sale flyers, with a blue marker on its face (i still dont know what it means- not enough postage?) and by the time it got back to gerrard, there was no point to even try to courier that to england. so well, we gave up and i met it at home, and it was all green and new, with sparkling letters, spelling my doctor title and name and all, with bright sixteen magic digits.  

so meanwhile, what did i do with no access to my wealth?

well, you see, i was wealthy beyond belief.  with minnow's generosity, everything was alright. we didnt have decadent christmas as i was not able to purchase anything really and that we really didnt need things anyhows. but it's a good thing, as decadency mean point of decay, literally rotted and falling apart.  we had close, lovely holiday full of one another's company, along with all the lovely people we share this world with, both in person and in thoughts/electronic connections.    so it was all great. instead of expensive dinners and night out, we did what we do best: spend time together.

and yesterday, with the newly issued bank card, the first thing i did on web was to check my banking.  not my balance, but of my inbox. just to see if i have gotten a reply re: my apology. and there it was:

Hello Dr. (monkey),

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your recent EasyLine experience, we appreciate hearing from you.

We understand how frustrating it can be to deal with a stressful situation after a long wait on the telephone. Running into an unexpected difficulty when leaving for your trip, may have been the final straw.

It's very thoughtful that you have taken the time to write to us. We will be pleased to pass your apology on to (my poor phone agent).

We hope this proves helpful Dr. (monkey) and please accept our thanks for choosing TD Canada Trust. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. We hope you have a wonderful time in the UK.

Warm regards, (supervisor)

and with that reply, i hope that i learned to be a better person. the bank did cause me trouble by not telling me  that my phone code has been reset with the new debt card. i think it was inevitable to lose some temper. i wasnt combative nor confrontational, just exasperated. however, it is always a great feeling to be pardoned.  and after all, who knows, may be my holiday was even more beautiful because of the fact money was 'out of it,' that we, instead of showering one another with nice things (which we still did- i now have access to watercolouring again, with lovely small metal palette with colours he picked out for me- no bright green! yay! and luckily, i did pick out a few items he may like from yyz, phew...) and unintentionally trying to outdo one another, we enjoyed one another's company with 'usual' things, like cooking, hot bath, cold night walk back from the pub and shared time with family and friends.

i am rich beyond my initial expectation and it's a great feeling to live with. much love to you all!