Season's Greetings

Another Christmas has come and gone. Time seems to go by so fast, it seems like it was only yesterday when I had just gotten home from Japan and was happy to be celebrating Christmas again with my family. I loved the travelling and seeing the world, but Christmas was always one of the hardest times for me because I was not with my family. I feel like I missed out on two years of family time.

Christmas was and always will be one of my favourite holidays. As a child it was because of the gifts and the excitement of the holidays but now that I am a little more grown up it is about spending time with my family. It is one of the several holidays that all my cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family all come together. As much as my family drives me nuts but underneath of it all, I love spending time with them....keeping in mind that I can only put up with 24 hours at the most.

This year was not different, we had Christmas at my sister, Christine's house. We had it on Boxing day due to the in-law scheduling with my sister's families. This year was particulary good because it was my nephew's first Christmas. It was quite exciting for everyone else but him. I think he enjoyed being picked up by everyone more than the presents.

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Christmasx and that it was filled with much joy and happines.

Moving sucks...

Finally, we have settled in to our new place. Moving activities actually ended up taking two days and it was a bit stressful, who knew I had so much stuff. I thought that after I got back from Japan that most of my stuff would be not needed, but low and behold I had more stuff stored away from my uni days. Crazy, loads and loads of rubbermaid containers of books and course materials.

Anyways, it took longer than the several hours that I had anticipated to unpack and settle in. I was not pleased that it took so long. Work was also super busy and my roommate was away in Dallas so that left about an hour at the end of the work day to come home before bed to unpack.

Fortunately, with a little alcohol to help the cleaning I was able to clean everything up for the party that through precisely a week after moving in.
The party was fun, we had loads of alcohol and live music. Surprisingly, we crammed a lot of people into our small place.

The awesome thing was that on Sunday I went to my sisters to make cookies and when I got back, the place was cleaned. Almost by magic it was great.

So that in a nutshell has been the last two weeks of life in my new hood.

BRRRRR....Cold....

Last Friday it snowed up at SFU. SFU is about 600 feet above sea level and it was raining down in Vancouver but snowing great big wet clumps of wet snow. It seems that Christmas is upon us and in 5 short weeks it will be here.

Christmas has and will always be my favourite time of year. It is not about the presents and gifts but because my family spends the day together. When I mean family, it is all my aunts, uncles, and cousins and it is a big dinner and fun and games.

Sayonara to the Ghetto hello to cute boys...

As some of you are aware, over the last 5 months I have been half-heartedly looking for the perfect place to live, sans parents away from what I call the ghetto. It is not really a ghetto, quite a nice neighborhood but not for me. Initially, I was adamant about living on my own, my Japan experience told me that I liked it but after looking at several places and the rent that accompanied it I decided that I could not afford to live on my own and thus found a roommate. He was initially a friend of a friend, and at that time a brother in law of another friend, and has now become my friend and I am delighted to say, my new roommate.

I am ecstatic to report that I found a place to live and we will be moving in there Dec. 1st. It is located in Kitsilano, the young hip, trendy part of town, cause we all know that epitimizes who I am. It is located at 6th and Stephens in an old heritage house with stained glass windows a deck and a big backyard. I am very excited about all of this and looking forward to having my own space again. Of course according to the blog below the place for me to meet cute boys and such.

As always hotel Charlene is once again open for business and y'all are always invited to come over and visit

Where you lives dictates your potential to meet boys....

Read the article below, even more reason for me to move away from my affectionate ghetto into the elusive Kits area......

There are research companies who claim they can predict with great accuracy what kind of peanut butter you eat, the type of car you drive, how often you mow your lawn and even your underwear preference just by looking at your address. How? According to Simon Simek, a Columbia University Lecturer and President of Simek/Gomes a strategic marketing consulting firm, "people with similar interests tend to cluster together geographically." In other words, people who are like you do things like you do, buy the things that you buy and live in places that are similar to where you live. It makes sense, doesn't it? Think about your city. Don't certain neighborhoods denote their residents' personalities or lifestyles? Young and hip, broke but cool, just broke, family-oriented, or retiree haven? Simek says, "The kinds of choices people make on how they live their lives, how they spend weekends, what they like to eat, and what they like to do will dictate where they live." He claims that where we live is a choice we make based in our psychographics - sort of a personality soup combining our lifestyle, aspirations, social background, personality, education and experiences. It stands to reason then, that if you want to meet someone who has similar interests and values, who enjoys doing the things you enjoy doing, the first place you should look is where you live. Simek adds, "people with similar psychographics by nature are attracted to the same types of areas or neighborhoods." What's more, is that once a neighborhood starts getting a certain reputation (artsy, highbrow, trendy) even more people of that particular group will be attracted. According to Simek, "there's a comfort level established with that - you want to be around people who are similar to yourself." So, although you may be searching high and low for the guy or girl of your dreams, you might want to at least start your search in your own back yard. I'm a strong believer in looking for love close to home - I met my own sweetie at a restaurant right next door to my apartment. There are other advantages to dating people from your own neighborhood. In big cities like LA and New York, it makes sense to stick to your own turf, otherwise you'll end up spending half the night stuck in a cab or worse, in bumper-to-bumper on the freeway. Not having any luck in your neighborhood? Take a look at where you live. If you're not happy with your current digs, Simek suggests that you start searching for dates in areas where you wish you could live. That way, you'll be meeting people with similar aspirations. In fact, the next time you're searching for cuties on Lavalife, try searching by geography (postal code) rather than your usual criteria, whatever that may be (height, weight, income, love of small animals.) You might just find that what you're looking for is a lot closer than you think. Hey, it's worth a try, right? If nothing else, at least you can start your new romance knowing the two of you probably have the same taste in peanut butter.

Lisa Daily is the author of Stop Getting Dumped!

New Running Shoes

I know it seems silly to write about shoes, but alas I love shoes. As evidence by the number and diversity of shoes I own. Shoes, more shoes some sandals thrown in there for good measure.
I bought new Asics Gel 1090 running shoes over the weekend, my new balance were just not cutting it anymore. My visits to the gym have been sporadic at best this fall but I am hoping that cause I bought new shoes then that would be incentive for me to go more. Let me say that I tried out my shoes yesterday on the treadmill and they were lovely. My running was not so lovely but the shoes were great. I have a bit of knee pain and tight shins but I can safely say that it would have been much worst had I not had the new shoes. Let's face it, my body is falling apart and I welcome the day where I could have bionic knees and other various bionic parts. Super hearing, Super eyesight....being able to fly....

P.S. I forgot to extol the virtues of my new boots too, they are "very Char" as my friend put it.

Fall News...

Fall is definately upon us here in Vancouver, it has been raining for the last 2 weeks off and on. When I groggily wake up and crawl out of bed it is still dark out. Then when I do make it up to work after fighting for a seat on the bus with all these fresh faced doe eyed first years, who are looking a bit haggard this week (mid-terms), I look out of my window to see fog and rain. Welcome to Simon Fraser University, home of concrete and rain. Luckily, today is a sunny day and it has almost made me forget about the previous weeks rain, just as the right moment before I go mental from the greyness of it all.

Lately I have taken up knitting again. My friend wanted to learn how to knit so I taught her what little I know and now we have created a Wed. get together called "stitch and bitch". I am in the process of making socks and will probably start on some toques (hats) for my nephew soon. He has outgrown the one I made for him last winter. Let me know if you need a scarf or a new toque, it will keep my busy on the cold winter nights in Vancouver.

I know I appear to be an old lady with my knitting and gossiping but alas, it is a hobby and keeps me out of trouble.

Visit to the Bay...

Today my friend Muryn and I wanted to get some yarn and we decided that we would pick some up at Zellars (Walmart, Target, like discount department store). While I was there I decided that I would stop at the Bay, where I used to work. Things have changed since I have worked there about a year ago. They now have to wear uniforms and the display cases are now all new. I stopped by to say hi to Isabel and bumped into my old manager. Strange...but glad that I am no longer working there. As much as I complain about SFU, I am so glad that I am no longer selling my soul to the devil.

The way I remember it....

Rain and more Rain...several weeks ago, the view from my window at my desk was of blue sky and trees with red and yellow leaves, now all I see is grey and fog. Welcome to fall, winter, and spring at SFU. Because we are up on a mountain, it gets foggy up here and you can barely see beyond the fog. It all brings back memories of my undergrad.

Between the greyness and the yellow glow from the flourescent lights above me, I am feeling like the happiness and cheeriness that I was bathed in only a few weeks ago has all but vanished. Oh how I long for the beaches of Australia. Which makes me think about taking my Christmas vacation there again....which goes against my rule of thumb only allowing me to visit one country once, until I have seen all the ones that I want to.

Anyways, hoping where ever you are at is warmer and brighter than here.

We have had an Indian Summer...

For the last two weeks, I have worn my trusted Birks and flip flops out and about. It is so nice to have the sun on your feeties, after they have been stuck in shoes and socks for almost a month straight. The weather has been really nice here lately and it makes me feel like singing when I skip down the street. The weather has been fantastic in Vancouver, crisp sunny fall days and I can see the red leaves outside of my window at work. It is nice to be able to look outside and see sunshine and not the cold dreary fog and greyness of SFU.

Yet, still I am counting down the minutes until the end of the day and I get to go home.

Waiting for the Minutes to Pass.....

It is a beautiful crisp fall Friday afternoon, here on the hill. I am literally counting down the minutes before my day ends and I get to go home to unplug from the rigors of my job. The beautiful day outside of my window combined with the red leaves of the trees, is beckoning me to be outside and away from my computer. I just cannot concentrate on the work I am suppose to be doing and thus, thought that I would chip away at some time by writing in my blog, something I have not done in a few weeks now.

It has been an interesting few weeks here, the job satisfaction seems to have plateaued, or perhaps more accurately has flatlined. I am working on trying to do more things that challenge me and keep me stimulated. Some days it is easier than other days.

Nothing too new or exciting in my life. I have not found a place yet. I am after an "ideal" place for me to call my own and so far I have not come across anything that I could call home. Perhaps I am being too picky, but I also feel like I have a right to be picky about where I live. Keep your fingers crossed for me...

I am also plotting my next adventure. Europe and Cuba are calling. New Years in London or in Havana? The only problem is that with the previous month's hurricane in Cuba, I am not all that sure that Cuba will be that great to go to. London may be a better place, but is London wet in the winter time? I am open to suggestions of countries/cities to go visit for Christmas.

I need to start planning now afterall there are only about 3 months before winter break.

Back to School...

The one thing about working in an educational institute is that when school starts up in Sept. the entire campus is filled with wide eyed young and optimistic 17 and 18 year olds, not yet jaded by the realities of papers, unending reading, and exams, not to mention how useless their 4 year degree is the real world. Perhaps that is my jaded bias....

I have been stopped a number of times by some lost student looking for some building on campus. Lucky for them, my tenure as a tour guide for SFU has well prepared me to answer their queries and I can confidently tell them where the Maggie Benston Centre is and if they should ask the history of it. I have tried to be as helpful as I can, remembering what it was like to be overwhelmed in the first week of school trying out to figure out the maze of the AQ. The only real complaint with the start of the school year is that the bus is always jammed packed with people and I cannot get a seat, however it that is made up for with them once again openning up the cafeterias so I can buy outrageously expensive food on those days where I have woken up too late to make my lunch. Hooray for institutionalized fare...

Rain and the Bus

On Wed. I was on my way to work and had just stepped out of the skytrain station (skytrain is like the subway but above ground) and was on my way to the bus stop, when I see the bus at the corner. I pick up the pace so I can get on this one and do not have to wait in the rain for the next one, only to slip on the curve, land with a resounding thud on my ass, twist my ankle, and bruise my fragile ego. The worst part was that I was wearing a skirt too. I sat there stunned for a moment and gathered what little pride I had and proceeded to hobble up onto the bus. I was so embarrassed and the bus driver kept asking me if I was ok. With my swollen ankle and wet skirt, I manage to feebily reply that I was ok, only to feel completely humiliated on the inside.

That was the start of my day. The day at work was not much better...the dragon lady strikes again. Luckily the saving grace was that my nephew came over, when I got home from work. He is still as cute as ever, a little bit of a munchkin and roly poly. I absolutely adore him to pieces.

Happy Anniversary

I realized today that this weekend was my one year anniversary of arriving home from Japan. I came home a year ago on Aug. 20th amid optomistic and perhaps too idealistic hopes. This year has indeed gone by fast, suprisingly fast considering how at some points it was quite a struggle even to get up in the morning without pangs of feeling like "what the heck am I doing here?". It has been a retrospective year filled with struggles and a bit of self discovery.

My last year in Vancouver has been interesting, I thought that things would be the way I had left them when I went to Japan, but it definately was not. I have said this before, life in Japan is like living in a bubble and when the bubble bursts you think that things outside of it are as you remember it to be. Nope! Wrong.....wrong...wrong....I am far too idealistic for my own good. In fact, almost everything has changed around me, and about me. It has been an eye openner here. I think that at this point I am still learing about all these changes and learning how to deal with it.

I figure that once I learn to deal with everything I will have reached an enlightened state. Life is complex, if you have not figured it out. That much I know for sure, (as well as learning about selling my soul to the retail commercialism called the Bay and learning a bit about real estate). Somedays I am not ready to deal with the complexities of it and would just rather stay in bed. Then there are those days where I am optimistic and hopeful that I will figure it out and eventually become a grown up .....hopefully there are more of those days than the stay in bed days.....

Even with all the difficulties it is good to be home.....

Symphony in the Park

I had been looking forward to this. I heard from my sister that the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra was going to have a symphony in the park. I was quite excited, the last time I went was just before I left for Japan and I had my going away party there with all my friends. It was a nice time and fond memories. I felt loved surrounded by my friends. This time I contacted some of my friends to go as well. I had been looking forward to it all day and was very antsy sitting at work. I was even snuck out early cause I just could not stand to be in my office for any longer. However, just before I left I checked on the internet to see what time it was, thank goodness that I did, cause it was in Deer Lake Park instead of Stanley Park (miles away) which I had thought. We would have driven out all that way for nothing.

So with our subway sandwiches in hand, Carolyn, Jake, Mike, Adam and I, we pulled up some lush green grass to sit and listen to the symphony. It was quite beautiful and nice to be listening to such incredible music surrounded by nature. It gave you that warm fuzzy feeling. The only drawback was the bugs and the cold. We remedied that by leaving a little bit early to miss the crowds and of course had some Tim Hortons to warm us up before watching some senseless violence namely Kill Bill 2. I would say it was a quite enjoyable evening.

More on the Quarterlife Crisis

They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you
stop going along with the crowd and start realizing
that there are many things about yourself that you
didn't know and may not like. You start feeling
insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or
two, but then get scared because you barely know where
you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that,
maybe, those friends that you thought you were so
close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have
ever met, and the people you have lost touch with are
some of the most important ones. What you don't
recognize is that they are realizing that too, and
aren't really cold, catty, mean or insincere, but that
they are as confused as you.

You look at your job... and it is not even close to
what you thought you would be doing, or maybe you are
looking for a job and realizing that you are going to
have to start at the bottom and that scares you.

Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what
others are doing and find yourself judging more than
usual because suddenly you realize that you have
certain boundaries in your life and are constantly
adding things to your list of what is acceptable and
what isn't. One minute, you are insecure and then the
next, secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest
force of your life. You feel alone and scared and
confused. Suddenly, change is the enemy and you try
and cling on to the past with dear life, but soon
realize that the past is drifting further and further
away, and there is nothing to do but stay where you
are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you
loved could do such damage to you. Or you lie in bed
and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough
that you want to get to know better. Or maybe you love
someone but love someone else too and cannot figure out
why you are doing this because you know that you aren't
a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start
to look cheap. Getting wasted and acting like an idiot
starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over
and over, and talk with your friends about the same
topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You
worry about loans, money, the future and making a life
for yourself... and while winning the race would be
great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this
relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst
of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole
thing out.

Wanted

Wanted small 1-bedroom suite for a single working female. Responsible and clean, not too much of a partier. However, not opposed to having groups of friends over for a few drinks and movies. Must be open to allowing friends come stay the night at "hotel Charlene"

I am clean not neccessarily a neat freak but not a pig either. Preferable not to share a bathroom with some random strangers who apparently has not cleaned it in a while.

Location is negotiable, as long as it is away from SFU Burnaby campus so I can get as far away from that place when I leave work as possible.

Not willing to pay an arm and leg for rent, something resonable would be nice. Trying to save money to go back to school next fall so the lower the rent the better, as long as it is not a festering dark dodgy apartment surrounded by shifty people so when I come home at night I do not fear for my life.

(I think this ad sums up some of the difficulties I have been having in trying to find a place)

Changes are everywhere

I decided to change the look of my blog, you know me and my short attention span. I think that this change is a good one. Although, I have a short attention span I am not all that fond of change in real life. Change is inevitable and there is nothing I can do about it, but at the same time I am resistant to it. I know that change equals growth and maturity and is usually viewed in a positive manner by most people, but in my juvenile way I am not always welcome to change. In some aspects of my life I think change is important but in other aspects, usually something as I view that will change to a negative manner than I want to run from it. Is this normal, do any of you feel that way?

Working girl....

I have been diligently getting up early in the morning and dragging my sorry sleepy ass onto the sky train and making it up the mountain to get myself into work before 9:00 am each morning. I have been consistently getting there early, not quite bright eyed and bushy tailed, but as eager as I can muster to be at 8:30 am, to be the bestest Executive Assistant I can be. I must admit though, that for the most part as keen as I appear to seem I am bored out of my mind. I am just not sure how I can spend 8 hours planning and scheduling someone else's life.

I am not going to complain at all about this job. There have been issues but true to my word I am thankful that there is some consistency to my life and I am doing something.

Last weekend was a long weekend in BC, coincidentally called "BC Day". I went to Seattle to visit my friend Tara who lived in Japan with me. It was nice to see her and to hang out with her before she headed back home to Minnesota. We had a chance to catch up and to reminisce about Japan. On Sunday morning we went kayaking on Lake Union. It was a spectacular day and the water was warm. We paddled around for about an hour or so and then had some lunch at this great Thai restaurant. After that we went to Discovery Park and did a short little hike down to the beach. The water was this beautiful inviting blue but in actuality freezing cold. The mighty Pacific as you would guess is not that warm. It was a nice relaxing weekend with her and then to cap it off I went shopping and bought some new shoes. Nothing like a little bit of retail therapy to feed the soul.

It was a wonderful weekend. I have been visiting all my JET friends and crashing on their couches..you never know, I just might call you up one day and say that I am coming out to your neck of the woods to sleep on your couch......be warned..

Other than work consuming the most of my day, everything else seems to be fine. I have not really made much of an effort in the apartment hunt. I am still trying to decide the exact area I want to live in and how much I can afford to pay in rent. There is a

A hunting we will go.........

I have been halfheartedly looking for a place to live. After a long day of staring at a computer all day the last thing I want to do when I get home is go on the internet and do more blank staring at the computer screen. I guess my hunt has been rather unsuccessful, seeing how I have not been really looking.

The few places I have come across have been out of my price range. However, in the Japanese way I will gambatte.

Back to Life...Back to reality

Well, I have been home for almost two weeks now...My brain however is still on vacation mode.  It wants to sleep in and not think about work, I have a hard time kick starting it in the morning.

It seems that each time I go to Toronto it gets harder and harder to leave.  With my two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts in hand, I begrudgingly walked into the airport in Toronto.  I am not sure if I got strange looks cause of the number of donuts or because I was all teary eyed and sniffly.   I felt so sad about leaving that when I went through the metal detector and it beeped, and they asked me to remove my birkenstocks, I nearly burst into tears.  It was a sorry sight to see me walking through the metal detector bare foot sniffling.   

Previously I was complaining about the fact that I was unemployed and was feeling like I was not doing anything.  Well, I am now a functioning member of society, contributing to the work force.  Albeit in a less than self-desired level.  I am not going to complain though.  I am determined to do the bestest job I can and be the bestest person I can be. 
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It is strange to be going back up to university everyday.  I spent the better part of 4 years at that place and once I graduated I never thought that I would be back there so soon.  It is some ways it is a little unsettling.  Probably attributed to the pavlovian training we endured as undergrads.  Just walking past the large lecture halls of first year Physics and Chemistry makes me cringe with fear.  I can remember the stress of sitting inside that cold fluorescent lit hall trying desperately to write as much information down as possible before my brain released all the information. 

Some days it still feels like I am a student again, when I walk into the student run coffee shop and buy my breakfast and think to myself," man this food is overpriced".   I am surrounded by these kids who are untainted by the realities of life and the lack of possibilities with just only having a silly bachelors degree.  ;)
Boy do I sound like a jaded crusty bitter old woman at the ripe old age of 26...aiya, really I am 26....

Seriously, I am happy to be employed and with that financial freedom and other travel opportunities.  I am itching to do another trip again.    There  is so much more of the world I have yet to see, I have only seen the smallest part of it.

Wedded Bliss

I finally made it to Toronto after traveling via bus, car, and train across upper New York state. I arrived in Toronto late Thurs night sitting on my butt for 5 long hours from Buffalo. I must say that I enjoyed spending time with my friend Marie and meeting her family and friends.

I arrived in Toronto to a house full of family and friends, which I would later discover to be the first of a weekend long of partying for the wedding. I was promptly introduced to everyone and welcomed into the family like their long lost sister. It was nice to be so quickly and readily accepted to be a part of the family.

We spent Friday prepping for a party for more family due to be arriving for the wedding. When I casually asked how many people were coming, I was expecting 50 at the most, but to my shock, I was told "only about 120" or so...Just a small family get together. This was only the brides family too...Uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins, half brothers and half sisters.....I could not keep everyone straight, but was introduced to everyone among hugs and kisses.
It was a big party, with lots of food and good times. They hired African drummers to provide the music for the dancing. Little did I know that this would African dancing, let's say that it puts the lambda to shame, I have not seen so much hip gyrations and grinding in so many people at the same time. I was happy to clap along, until someone grabbed me and pulled me into the circle. I was desperately grabbing at anything to prevent humiliating myself. Alas it was futile and I had to accept my fate, so with a deep breath and a quick silent prayer, I attempted to shake my booty like there was no tomorrow. Lets say it was not pretty and not even that appealing but for the sake of the party I was willing to sacrifice my pride.

The wedding went beautifully and everyone had a lot of fun. I pulled out the good ol' dress and the healy things they call shoes, put on some make-up with my newly manicured hands, and headed out in a rolls Royce. The rolls was arriving too late for the bride to go to the ceremony so I was designated bride stand in and got to ride in the rolls to the ceremony, along with 3 cousins.

Stephi and Ken, looked so much in love and the ceremony was fun and light hearted. Everyone seemed to enjoy the wedding very much. There was a lot of personal touches, like hand made cards, wine, and personalized CD's. Their family loves to party and have a good time. Everyone was on the dance floor having a ball. Even after my previous nights humiliation, I figured that I would dance too. That of course, was helped along by some liquid courage. We danced so much that at one point we all took off our shoes and hiked up our dresses and put our sore feet in the fountain. It was an interesting sight to see a bride with her shoes off and her wedding dress hiked up with her feet in the fountain. It was so much fun to let loose and enjoy it. This has probably been one of the most enjoyable weddings I have been to.

The family has been absolutely welcoming and lovely. I was introduced as their adoptive sister/daughter and welcomed as one of their own. Of course the father having 11 siblings and the mother having 9 siblings, I have picked up a lot more uncles, aunts, and cousins, not to mention second cousins. The only problem with getting to know all of this family, they inevitably decide that they know of someone that they can set me up with to rightly marry into the family.

I am having a wonderful time in Toronto, it is nice to surrounded by such kind warm hearted people, who so quickly and unequivocally accept you as one of their own.

Mad Wanderings

I spent a week in the city wandering around from one tourist attraction to another. Armed with my trusty subway map and my credit card, I managed to have a good time in the big apple. I figured out the complex puzzle of the subway system without getting lost too much, but mostly I just walked around the city. It was a great way to get a feel for it and to be able to see a lot more of it, the only down side is that with walking 40 blocks a day your feet inevitably rebel against all the walking and you develop blisters. My feet definately had enough of my walking and decided that it would no longer fit into my sandals. My trusted Tevas which have accompanied me on many of my trips were one of the worst shoes to wear.

I probably hit most of the famous must see sites in the city. However, I think that my favourite ones would have to be the empire state building and the Guggenheim. I went to both the Metropolitan and Guggenheim museums of Art. Each had their own charm, but I have to admit that I was partial to the Guggenheim, because of its beautiful architecture and design.

No trip to the city would be complete without doing some shopping, unfortunately due to my limited funds and the limit of my credit card, I could not shop as much as I wanted to. There is a plethora of shops that I could have spent a fortune on but alas the life of a poor twenty something.

After lugging my big ole bag onto the greyhound bus, and sustaining an injury in the process, I managed to avoid talking to some dodgy Chinese men on the bus, to arrive safe and sound in Albany New York to stay with my friend Marie. I am having a great time with her and spending time catching up. I am a serial friend floor crasher. Heck, what are friends for....

I (Heart) NY

So, finally after what seemed like an endless bus ride filled with fitful sleep and a very uncomfortable seat, I made it to NY city from Toronto. It was one of the worst bus rides I have ever experienced. I was not a happy camper at the end of it.

I have been in the city for several days now and am slowly checking off my to do and to see list. Most importantly I was able to spend some time with some friends of mine that I have not seen in a while. My friend PAK, (there, satisfied I mentioned your name) came up from Boston to see me. He was a fellow JET and one of the first people I met in Japan. As well as Elita, she and I came up from TO together.

Our first day we spent wandering around getting a feel for the city...umm...getting a feel for the shopping more accurately. There is some great shopping to be done here. Then Pak and I ventured to Little Italy for dinner. It was a great experience. It was a street that was blocked off and full of open air restaurants. It is if I were actually in Italy, well at least how I imagine Italy to be.

Day two started off in time square. We lined up for tix to a broadway show. Unfortunately, Pak could not come back with us because he had to take the dodgy Chinatown bus back to Boston. He missed out, we saw RENT. We were pretty close to the front so we had great seats. It was a really neat experience. We did some more wandering through the city. Elita and her friend Connie, had to catch their bus and train respectively back to Toronto. So I was left to wander around by myself.

I have a NY moment to share, I went to Rockefeller Centre and sat down on this round bench to eat a sandwich. I have just taken out my sandwich, when a police officer starts heading towards me. I make eye contact and smile, and he keeps walking towards me. I start to worry..uh oh...have I done something wrong, maybe I cannot eat here. Just as soon, as I start to become nervous. He approaches the guy next to me and says, "what are you doing here?, What's this? Why is it open? The man says, well officer I was going to go to the bathroom. The officer tells, him to put it away and zip it up and then takes out his baton. He tells him to leave this area and escorts him away from me. The officer then walks back to his post and starts whispering to the guy next to him. I swear, he is whispering about me and how naive this west coast girl is. I simply continue to eat my sandwich, swearing that I will be more conscious of who I sit next to from now on.

That probably has been my only real negative experience in NY and it was quickly remedied. I have done quite a bit of touristy things, like the Empire State building, lady liberty, and the UN. Besides the Jay walking, the constant honking traffic, and the pushy people, New York definitely has its charms.

Last English Class

Yesterday, I had my last volunteer English class. I have really enjoyed my weekly visits and lessons. It was a chance for me to stay connected to the Japanese community and to hang on to a bit of the JET life. I will miss it a lot. The classes were never really well planned...my fault, but nonethless really enjoyable for me. It was a combination of teaching English and a chance for me to practice what little Japanese I have left. They were a fun group of ladies.

It seems that this trip will mark the divide from my post-Japan floundering and the next step of finally participating in a grown up life. I am happy to take this step, but at the same time conscious of the challenge of it. Hopefully, when I get back from my trip, I will finally settle in and have a bit of direction in my life.

Friendships....

I am happy to announce that a few of my friends have finally moved back to Vancouver. I am excited to be in the same city as them. It has been too long since we last lived in the same part of the world. Hopefully, we will be up to our old mischief again.

Friendships is something that is hard to describe, it is just something that is there. I have always been blessed by some incredibly special people in my life whom. They have stood by me and encouraged me on some of my bluest days. It is nice to know that there are people out there rooting for you.

Some friendships have changed over the course of the last few years, some have become closer while others, we have drifted apart. I guess, that is a part of the way things work in life. I figure that it is about kharma, those people meant to be in your life will stay in your life, those not meant to be will not be....

Harry Potter

Last night, I went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was definately my favourite Harry Potter movie by far. This one was more interesting and more as I had pictured the book in my mind. The story line was true to the book, while not being caught up in trying to have every detail of the book in the movie. It was scarier than the other ones but not as dark. If that makes sense. I definately recommend going to see it if you have not seen it yet.

Finally

After 8 long months, 2 less than stellar "jobs", unfathomable job applications and cover letters, and numerous thoughts of unworthiness and self pity, I finally found a job. I got a real job that pays real money and I do not have to sell my soul or sell anything. I will be working as an administrative assistant at Simon Fraser University, my alma mater. I will be working in the institite of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes with Dr. Diane Finegood. It should be a challenging position. It will be similar to my previous job at SFU before I left for Japan. It is a familiar environment and probably will remind me of my undergrad days. I just cannot get away from that place.

As well, I have decided about school and what direction to pursue. I want to do the MSc. in Public Health at SFU in 2005. I plan to do the stream relating to working with non-profit organizations. It is finally something I am excited about. Yippie!!

Life

It has been a while since I have updated my blog. It seems that I spend very little time on the computer now. It is a definite change for me. I remember the days in Japan where I would check my email several times a day, now I check it about once or twice a week. Strange isn't it. I guess it is because, email/internet is not the only link with the outside world for me now.

I have not really contacted anyone. Ever since my return home, I have been sort of a recluse, not entirely sure why I have been anti-social. I think that I am in a reflective mood, a bit self absorbed in my own inner chaos. That is not to say, that I do not think about you guys out there once in a while. I do miss everyone.

I have been reading quite a bit, from very deep and thought provoking books dealing with self-help and differences in cultural identity to total garbage fictional stories, which I can finish in a day. I have also been exercising my creative energy by doing some design work. I hope to have a website showcasing what I have been doing, up and running soon. Wish me good luck. I will keep everyone posted on the progress of that.

I have also been working. I got a job as a hostess for a real estate company. I definitely do not have to sell my soul in this position, like I did at the BAY. It is quite relaxing and I get a lot of reading done there, but sometimes I feel like I need to be challenged more. I have this brain, which I barely use and it most certainly is well on its way to turning into mush. The ideal job has still alluded me but the only thing I can do is to gambatte and keep on it. (gambatte is the Japanese term for persevere). I am sure that something will work out, be it sooner or later. Hopefully sooner than later though.

I guess, the only thing I can do is approach life with a great big smile and face it head on as best as I can. I am confident that good kharma will help me out.

Dalai Lama

Last weekend I had the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama give a talk on "Universal Responsibility". Ever since reading the "Art of Happiness", I have wanted to hear him speak, so when I heard he was coming to Vancouver I had to go to his talk.

Unbeknownst to me, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was also there and he introduced the Dalai Lama. You would think that these two great spiritual leaders from oposite ends of the religous spectrum, would be very serious and unapproachable. However, this is not the case, both are very charismatic and have this quirky sense of humour. I can now see why those two are best of friends. It is like sitting down with two of your grandfathers.

I think the message that the Dalai Lama presented was universal regardless of religion. The fate of humanity lies within each and everyone of us. Each of us has a responsibility to act compassionately towards our fellow man. With this ideology, many conflicts and wars can be avoided.

The Dalai Lama is serenity personified and he just fills you with that same sense of peace and calmness. He can pack a stadium like a rock star but yet hold his entire audience captive to the point where there is utter silence around you. It was a truly unique experience.


Now on a less spiritualy enlightening experience....

Random Man

On a different note, I had an encounter with another random man while driving the other day. I made the mistake of looking over to the car beside me and making eye contact. He motioned for me to roll down the window. We proceeded to have a little bit of a conversation while stopped at the light. Without getting into the details I could have had some Italian man's phone number and a coffee date.

It was a small reminder that even when you are not feeling your most attractive, something like this reminds you that you just might not be as ugly as you think.

Serious Thoughts

When I was little I would always fall asleep in the car during a long car trip. I remember all the times that I would pretend to be still asleep when we got home, so that my father could carry me to me room. As a child you believe that your father is the strongest and smartest person in the world. No matter how old you get , that idea is always in the back of your mind and you carry that with you always.

Well, I have been faced with confronting that notion of invinsibility. Several of my friends' dads are facing very serious forms of cancer/disease. All the sudden, at 26 my friends are dealing with their fathers becoming dependant on them and eventually not being there. My friends' dads have made me realize that I do not value time with my father, I often take him for granted. Over the last few years, I have noticed that my dad is no longer the same invinsible super hero that I had always pictured him to be in my minds eye. Although, I have known for a long time, I rarely talk about my father's degenerative eye disease. Still now, it seems weird to be writing about it on my something like this and still not comfortable with talking about it. With each passing day, my father becomes more human and more dependant on those around him. It is a tough idea to face that your father is no longer that same person, who carried you up to your room.

So, I guess this is just a small reminder to tell your dad that you love him...a bit cheesy perhaps, but tell that to my friends faced with potentially losing their dads.

Sandals Report

Due to the unseasonably warm weather we have been having in Vancouver, I have been able to release my poor feetsies from the confines of socks and shoes early this year. I love the feeling of being able to wiggle your toes and allow the fresh air to touch my gross feet after months of stuffing them in icky thick socks and shoes. This weekend we had a record high 26 degree Celsius- beautiful blue skies weather here. It was wonderful to feel the warm sun on your face and chase away the drab dreariness of the winter blues. It is amazing how a little bit of sunshine can lift your spirits and make the world seem so much brighter.

Quarterlife Crisis

It is sort of like the mid-life crisis but it happens when you are in your 20's and 30's. Defined as the time in your life from when you finish school until you figure out where you are headed in life. It can be confusion about a career, your love life, the decision to start a family, etc. It supposedly is very common but not talked about.

What are your thoughts on that? I have picked up a book on it and have been reading about it. I am curious to find out what you faithful bloggers out there think about this topic. For those of you who think you have a quarterlife crisis or those of you who think they have gone through their quarterlife crisis, I am interested in your opinions.

For those of you interested in the book, it is called "quaterlife crisis and is written by something Robbins.

Bringing Japan to Vancouver

It was just like I was in Takaoka again, surrounded by noisy 15 and 16 year old kids, giggling and excited about all the damage they could do shopping. It was great. On Monday, 18 of my former students had a 3 day stopover in Vancouver and I was invited to meet them.

I was looking forward to seeing them and catching up. I met them at Granville Island and joined their little tour group. I cannot believe that over 6 months have passed since I was last in Japan but it was like nothing had changed at all. I felt like I was one of them, in fact almost everywhere I went, everyone thought I was Japanese. It was fun to be immersed in it all over again.

On day two we went to Victoria and left at the ungodly hour of 7:30 to catch the 9:00 am ferry. I was super tired. However, it was fun to hang out with them all day and get to know some of the kids that I had not taught. They were a good group of kids and made me feel welcome.

Ohhh, my little kiddies....

Random Man...

I was waiting for the bus on Saturday morning, reading my "What should I do with my life book", when I look up to see a man staring at me. I make eye contact and smile, yes, I know I probably should not have done that, but he was wearing cute overalls and I cannot resist overalls. They remind me of kids.

Well, he proceeds to ask me what I am reading and I tell him about the book. He does not seem to get it and asks me, what kind of jobs are they doing? I try again to explain the premise of the book but again he does not seem to get it. He then asks me where I am going, I tell him I am going to work at Oakridge. He then starts talking about all the hockey games on that night and how it is all Canadian teams playing. He says that the Canucks did well the night before. I smile and ask him if he likes hockey, he mutters something and then starts walking off.

It has been a while since I have run into random men, so I guess it was about time. He was harmless and seemed nice. Plus it was on a busy street with lots of cars going by so if he tried something I could just run into the street for help. No worries.

Proud Aunty!!

I have just added some more photos of my nephew onto my online photo album. Just click on the link to the right. Enjoy.

Teaching English...

When I left Japan, I thought that I would never again teach English again. Heck, after 2 years of unruly highschool students anyone would feel the same way. Well, today I volunteered to teach a group of adult Japanese people conversational English. I actually really enjoyed it. It was fun and something I am totally comfortable with, it was like second nature. In fact, it reminded me of Japan and all the Eikaiwa lessons I did. Sugoku nasukashi!! I hope to continue doing it week after week.

What should I do with my life?

Recently I picked up a book called "What Should I do with my Life?" It is a collection of real life stories from people who found careers/jobs/a passion in life. I have started reading this book in the hopes that it will inspire me to get out there and do something. So far, I have read about a doctor who left her job to work on robotics and an advertising agent who became a hortoculturalist. Interesting changes those people took, hopefully like them something will spark the passion in me and I will find my calling in life. Wish me good luck.

On a more positive note, I have started doing Yoga and Pilates. I find that the Yoga is good for relaxation and dealing with some of the stress in my life. The pilates is good because it forces me to use those core muscles that I have taken for granted, all the slouching I did at my desk in Japan over the computer. It makes me feel good to be using all those muscles that I had to learn about but now have forgotten the names of.

Here is a picture of my new nephew

Meet Caleb.

I am very very happy to announce the arrival of Caleb Isaiah Wu. He weighed in at 7 lbs 9oz. I have to say that he is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Usually, when they are first born they are all wrinkly and red, not very attractive at all but he is simply perfect. I am not saying that cause he is my brand new nephew but in actuality in a totally unbiased opinion he is beautiful.

I sense our bond already, afterall we almost share the same birthday and when I picked him up today he was crying but soon after he stopped crying and fell asleep. I think we will get along well, I am going to be the bestest ever aunt in the whole wide world to him.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Sorry, it was a little late but I have been preoccupied as of late and completely forgot to wish those faithful blogheads out there a very Happy New Year! Gung Hay Fat Choy! Wishing each and everyone health and prosperity over the upcoming year of the monkey.

Supposedly a good year for the horse folk out there.

I was a good Chinese New Year surrounded by my family eating traditional Chinese foods, a far cry from the lonely New Years I had last year in my cold apartment eating sushi.

Aunty Char!!

You know how it is, you are in the perfect REM sleep dreaming that you are on a white sand beach, sipping a margarita, enjoying the view of the ocean, and as far as the eye can see you are surrounded by nothing but coconut trees and your very tall, dark, handsome, and highly intelligent personal masseuse, then from out of nowhere you hear the phone ring. You groggily think, hey there are no phones on my beach, then you wake up and realize the phone is ringing.

I was woken up at the un-godly hour of 7:00 am this morning by my brother-in-law. It seems that he took my sister to the hospital because she was having contractions. So, for the whole day I have been patiently waiting and waiting for the stork to drop off my little niece of nephew, it has been 12 hours so far and nothing, nada...hope he/she comes soon. I cannot wait to be Aunty Char.

I find myself spending too much time watching TV. What is it about TV that sucks you in and then proceeds to zap your brain of all independant thought. I question whether I have any self control what-so-ever and how long it will take for my brain to turn to mush.

In my efforts to combat the slow decay of my brain I have tried to switch to the computer and read interesting things and the news as well as reading books. I will also try to get out and about and try to do some lessons or something other than sitting my butt down in front of the zombie machine.

Still looking for a job but no luck so far.....I have decided to redo my resume and see if that helps any. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

As for going back to school next year, still not 100% sure of what direction to head. Everything is up in the air still. Hope to come to some conclusions. If anyone out there has any suggestions of interesting careers then send them my way.

Happy New Year!! Full update of what is running through my head as of late.


Well, actually, Happy January 8th. I wish a 2004 filled with much joy, challenges, achievements, and above all laughter, for each and everyone of you.

I had a wonderful holiday, it was my first holidays back and it was good minus the working part. I was able to enjoy the sights and sounds of a "Canadian Christmas" and also learn how hellish it is for those poor people working retail. It was also wonderful to spend time with many of my friends whom I have not seen in a long time. They were home for the holidays and I was really happy I could spend time with them. I truly missed everyone and our crazy interactions.

As well, we had some snow in Vancouver. Which is a rarity. I was quite happy about that. The one thing I always liked about Japan was the snow we got. I love the way it makes you feel when it snows, like a big kid. I still get all excited about snow and want to rush out and play in it. I will never get too old to go out and build a snowman nor go sliding down the hill. It was funny cause we had a snow warning for Vancouver, oohh nooo, we were going to have 10 to 30 cm of snow overnight. "Tell everyone to stay at home if they can, power might be knocked out, yada yada yada" The whole city shuts down for a little snow, trust me I have friends in TO who get that on a regular basis and where I lived in Japan it snowed for an entire month.

I did have a chance to see some movies during the holidays. I tried to catch up on a bit of pop culture that I had missed during my tenure living in my bubble overseas. I watched quite a few movies, "the Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-men 2, Lord of the Rings Return of the King, American wedding, and Bowling for Columbine". Let me say that I would recommend the Last Samurai, LOTR, and Bowling for Columbine. The other ones kind of sucked, well let me say that Hugh Jackman makes a very hot wolverine.

I watched Bowling for Columbine twice and I really liked it. It was thought provoking and reminded me just how stupid we as humans can be and how careless we are with each others lives. Time to stop and think.

Finally, life is still moving along in a transitional kind of way, a little too slow paced for my liking. I am as always still searching for a job. I am a bit disheartened by the whole process and the sense of futility. I try my best and do what I can but sometimes it just does not seem like enough. I will persevere though. Life always has its way of working itself out. Until something better comes up, I am still working one day at the BAY, long story but the bottom line is that I love working with the people there.

If no job appears in the horizon in mid-Feb. I will take a little train trip to TO, Montreal, Ottawa and NY. I have some friends in that neck of the woods and thought that I would take some time to see them as well as see this country a bit. It should be fun and I am looking forward to it. The plan is contingent on the employment situation as well as the new addition to my family. I am going to be an aunt. Can you imagine, auntie Char...I am ecstatic. My eldest sister is pregnant and is expecting in Feb. Let me say a great time to be born.

I will fill everyone on the details when he or she arrives, although I have a gut feeling it will be a little boy.