Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Life and everything else

Still swimming along in the stream of life. Going along with the current trying to keep my head above the water and trying not to bump into too many obstacles. Occasionally, I feel something slimy brush up against my leg and I quickly swim away.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Life goes on

So, life has been swimming along. The unpacking was haulted due to the lack of storage, ie my books are still in boxes cause I need a bookcase. However, everything else has been unpacked and we are settling in. I am still unsure about the furniture arrangement and will probably change it again, knowing me. The room is a bit weird in that it is big but it is long and not very wide.

Anyways, I am heading off to Toronto this week for work and I heard that it is snowing there. Brrrrrr..... I am going to do some shopping so hopefully the malls are heated.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Settling In

I finally moved!! The actual process was not too bad. The packing was the worst part. I never knew I had so much stuff....Just boxes of books, clothes, shoes, and more shoes! It took about 2.5 hours to complete my stuff and the whole entire process took about 6 hours. Not bad. The only difficult thing is that I live on the second floor and there is no elevator, I do not know how the boys got the couch up the stairs.

So, now I am mostly unpacked. Only a few more boxes left to unpack and then home sweet home. It is a nice apartment and I hope that I will be happy here.

If you are ever in the neighborhood stop by to visit.

Monday, October 31, 2005

Box Lady

You know those homeless people who carry around cardboard boxes and cans. Well, I have become one of those people, well not homeless but what I affectionately call myself, the box lady. I have been slowly taking boxes home with me from work for the last few weeks. Seeing how I commute on public transit to work it is sometimes a very trying process. It is wet, the bus is packed and here I am with several Xerox boxes. It is not a good time. I will be glad when it is all over.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Packing Process

The packing process is very slow going. I still cannot believe how much stuff I have.....I think I need to learn to let go of things. I have clothes, books, shoes, stuff up the wazooo......

In 2 short years post Japan, I have managed to get all the stuff back that I had gotten rid of before going.

Other than that and work, life is going along. Guitar is going, not so well but going, pottery is still lopsided but incredibly enjoyable.

So, in a nutshell my life is still boring.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Moving....

I am once again packing up all my stuff and moving again. I am excited about moving, not the actual moving process but about my new digs. I will be moving into an apartment about 5 blocks from where I am currently living. For those of you familiar with Kits, at 6th and Vine , it is right near the trendy 4th ave, although I am not that trendy. It is super close to grocery stores and a bit closer to the beach. I like this apartment cause it has a huge wide open space, and a big bedroom, small closet (boo hoo), but I will miss living in a house with a backyard and a patio. My brother and I decided to move in together, to the delight of my parents. My parents seem to think that I will be a positive influence on him or something.....little do they know (as I slip on my hood of innocence).

In the meantime, I am busy packing and trying to figure out how I managed to accumulate so much stuff in so little time. As well, seeing how my bro and I do not have furniture and house stuff we are busy hitting up family and friends for their extra stuff. So, if you have couches or other furniture you do not want, let me know.

As always, Hotel Charlene will be open and if you ever need a place to crash then you are welcome to come stay.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Drugs...I want drugs......

Today I had my other two wisdom teeth pulled out and let me just say that I think I am going to die. No, I am not being over dramatic but I am in lots of pain. I had two pulled last week and it was not too bad, but today I look like a chipmunk, my jaw hurts, and I have a throbbing pain. I cannot eat and I cannot take any more Advil. I am in pain, and I want drugs...lots of them.

I am trying to distract myself by going on the internet but that does not seem to be helping. I should have insisted on the prescription for tylenol 3.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Lucy Wu

On Sept. 22, 2005 we added a new edition to our family. My oldest sister, Marlene had a beautiful baby girl. I would love to introduce you to Miss Micah Abigail Wu. She weighed in at 6lb 14oz. She is absolutely beautiful and I cannot believe that I am an aunt again. I plan to spoil her rotten and teach her all the cool girl things that all girls should know, or at least I think she should know.

The Lucy part, is that my co-workers were the one of the first people to find out that my sister had a baby girl, at that time I did not know her name and one of my co-workers decided that we should call her Lucy.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Goth Girl

So, the piercing experience was not too traumatic. Actually, I was a bit disappointed that it was so uneventful. It was not painful at all and was pretty quick. The explanation on how to take care of it, took longer than the actual piercing.

Promptly after that, I decided that I needed more changes in my life. Me with my short attention span was getting tired of my hair colour. I have been sporting red highlights for the last 2 years or so and decided that I wanted a change. So, I decided to go back to my roots, literally and dye my hair black.....jet black. Well, my hair is jet black and yup, you guessed it boring. I think I look like one of the Beattles. Between the bad haircut and the colour, I could pass for one of the fab four. The hair colour looks too much like my natural colour and it is boring, I have lost a parf of my funkiness. I am sad about it. I called my hairdresser to see if she could put some different coloured highlights in it but she essentially told me that if she were to lighten it it would fall out. So, ladies and gents...I am stuck with boring black for the next 3-6 months.

Monday, September 19, 2005

Getting Pierced

As some of you know, I have wanted a tattoo for a long time. At 18 it was going to be a green nice swoosh, at 20 it was going to be a sunflower on my big toe, at 22 it was going to be a lady bug on my big toe, now at 27 a cherry blossom on my ankle. As you can tell, I am very much indecisive and my choice of tattoos vary with my interests at the time. So, although I have always wanted a tattoo, I have never gotten one cause I know with my short attention span I will inevitably grow tired of my choice. I have yet to find something that I like to keep it on my body for the rest of my life. So....I have decided to get a piercing instead, not quite the same but perhaps easing myself into the motorcycle loving, leather clad, pierced, tattooed rebel that resides in my heart. When I was in Australia I nearly got my nose pierced but did not actually do it cause I was worried about what my school and students in Japan would think. So, today at 5:00pm, my best friend Seunghee and I will get our belly buttons pierced together. Not nearly as permanent as a tattoo but just wild enough to make my mom cringe. Not that I am doing it for that reason, but I always want to be different...To have that edge, although you would never know by looking at me that secretly in my heart I want to be edgier.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Surf's up Dude!

My girlfriends and I took some time off work last week so we could have an extended long weekend. We decided that we were going to go to Tofino, on Vancouver Island to learn how to surf. At first I was not to keen on surfing, oh so not flattering wetsuits and bathing suits and the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean just did not appeal to me, but then the idea of surfing warmed up to me, cute surf dudes hopping on my board and teaching me how to surf….hmmm…the possibilities. We were suppose to go camping but ended up staying in a lovely cabin on the beach, where it was a hop skip and a jump down to the ocean. The cabin was a bit crowded with 16 of us but it turned out to be a really good group of people and we all got along. I particularly liked the morning breakfast and the warm coffee. Yes, for this weekend only I was a caffeine junky….now I am in detox mode and no more caffeine for me.

The surfing was good, although my cute surf dude teaching me how to get up on my board did not materialize, I still ended up having a good time. The water was cold and the wetsuits tight but that was all forgotten about when you make that small triumph and actually get up a bit before you fall over. I got over my morning grogginess and ended up getting up early a few mornings to get out and hit the beach when the waves were good.

The trip was a great idea and I ended up having a really good time. It was a really good bonding moment for us girls, and we all got to know each other better. Surprisingly consider how much time Sandra, Nicky, Seunghee, and I spend together already. In addition to meeting some other new people in that cabin.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Wanderings of my mind...

I am sitting here at work trying to be productive but it is difficult. I am in the process of doing an analysis of Childhood Obesity Grant Application reviews....yes it actually is as tedious and boring as it sounds. Earlier this morning I was in a teleconference and could barely stay awake through it.
I am allowed to be bored with some of the work that I have to do but I am not allowed to complain about my job. This is what I have decided recently. because after being in a few jobs were I was not entirely happy, this job has been a godsend. I actually feel like I am doing something and being productive instead of selling my soul to the devil. Some of you know what that refers to.

I am also excited about my upcoming trip to Tofino, I am feeling like I need a bit of a get away. I was recently in Toronto but I feel like I need a bit more of a holiday. TO rushed by all too quickly and then I was back at work again. So, this Tofino trip will be good for me. I am looking forward to camping and even looking forward to the ferry ride. Strange, seeing how for many years I hated the ferry because of what it signified. That is another long story and I will not get into it here.

The summer has been good to me. Lots of good times with friends and sunny weather. The weather in August has been nice and almost makes up for the crappy rest of the summer that we had.

I am now in the process of looking forward to the Fall. We have a busy work schedule with several conferences and perhaps a bit of work related travelling to these conferences. I do like travelling but work travel is not always so relaxing. I have my eyes set on going on a bit of a European Vacation. I would like to go to London, Paris and Prague this fall but that is all dependant on the Finances as well as what I am going to do about my living situation. Our lease is up in December and I am unsure of what I would like to do. I like having a roommate, but I also like living on my own and I miss the space and solitude of having a place to myself. Decisions....decisions.....

Anyways, I think that is all the mad wanderings of my mind on a lazy Tuesday afternoon in the office.

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Birthdays and Anniversary

Last week I went to Toronto to celebrate my friend Stephi's great Aunt Flora's 100th birthday. Aunty Flora is the matriarch of this incredible family and helped raise several generations of children. Stephi's family is huge and there are an abundance of Aunts, Uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, second cousins, half brothers and half sisters. I was once again overwhelmed by the sheer number of family, although a bit less overwhelmed this time around because I had met a lot of them last summer for Stephi's wedding. Once again, I was made to feel very welcomed and one of the family. I have been adopted into their family and feel truly loved by them. Imagine meeting about 140 people and every time being introduced as "my daughter". It was lovely.

This weekend is my 2 year Anniversary being home from Japan. I am glad that I am home, although I have pangs of missing my life there and sometimes wish I could be in two places at once. However, I think that I have settled back in to reality and am enjoying Vancouver.

On other news, I am continuing with pottery and have managed to make some more lopsided mugs and bowls. I call it "Wabi Sabi", the Japanese art of imperfection. I still really like it and have been challenged by my friend Barney to make a fruit bowl. I tried to do it last week, but darn my small hands and my inability to bring the clay up to centre it. I am determined that I am going to get it done.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

long time

It has been a long time since I have posted anything on this. It was definitely not one of my priorities over the last few months. However, I was reminded by my friend Stephi to update it recently. So, lots has been happening over the last 2 months. I went to the Maroon 5 concert, the Barenaked ladies concert, the Sarah Mclachlan concert, went to see Miss Saigon and also went paragliding. Hmmm...I think that is it though.

The concerts were very cool, I really enjoyed all of them but I must admit that the Sarah one was the best. She is such a gifted musician and you become lost in her music. I sat there mesmorized and at one point had tears in my eyes. She has this ability to convey so much in a simple song.

Miss Saigon was incredible, I knew the story but did not really appreciate it until I actually saw it. There was a audible gasp from me at the end. It was touching and once again made me teary. Yes that seems like a theme for me. I can only imagine how it was like, my parents actually lived through this part of the story and it made me realize just how lucky I am.

Paragliding on the other hand did not make me cry like that but shout and scream in excitement. Paragliding was awesome. I cannot believe how incredibly high up you get to go and how far you can see. I was allowed to steer and it was very very cool. That is until we landed with some cows who were very curious about what I looked like. We jumped out near Agassiz near Chilliwack where I grew up. I miss the "wack" and I was happy I was able to see it.

It has been an incredibly busy few months with me with work and trying to live a very full social life and enjoying the summer in Vancouver. It seems that I am trying to jam pack everything in there before the weather turns wet.

Anyways, I am sure that I have done a ton of other things that I cannot even remember doing.

Saturday, May 14, 2005

Ghost....

I have been taking pottery lessons and I absolutely love it. There is something rewarding about transforming a lump of clay into something that is functional. I must admit somedays it is really frustrating to throw a piece on the wheel and get it so that it is not lopsided. However, it is also very therapeutic to work with your hands. Sometimes, I am amazed at how a simple idea can turn out to be this great piece. It has only been a month or so but I am really loving it and could see myself doing this for a long term.

I have always wanted to do this and never really got to doing but am so glad that my friend signed me up.

I will keep you guys posted on the going ons in my pottery world.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

So it has been more than a months since I have written.......

A lot has happened in that month. I made a final decision about gradschool. I decided that I am going to defer my admission and go back to school fall of 2006 instead of next fall. My heart just was not excited about it. I think it is the right thing to do. That along with a new possibility at work of taking on some other responsibilities and moving beyond what I am currently doing. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

On a personal note, it has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. There was some excitement about someone that came back into my life, but in the end my heart was too fragile to deal with it. It seems that I too easily throw my heart out there and expect everyone to accept and to feel the same way about me as I do with them, but that is not always the case. My friend calls it passion but sometimes I think it is stupidity and recklessness. Not everyone is like me.

My uncle passed away 2 weeks ago and it is still very tough for me. We were close and I always felt a connection with him. From the day I was born he has always looked out for me and loved me. He was ill for a while but I was not really aware of it. He died at the age of 66 which I think is way to young. It was especially tough cause it was around the same time that my grandmother passed away 4 years ago, it seems like this is deja vu all over again, with some of the same type of stuff happening again.

Sometimes, I feel like I am so wrapped up in my own life that I neglect to think about my family. They are incredibly important to me and I never ever let them know enough how much they mean to me.

Monday, April 04, 2005

The Verdict is in....



I heard from gradschool last week, the day after I got back from my short trip to San Fran. I was in vacation mode and was quite relaxed and then I check my email and I found out that I have been accepted to the program. I am not sure if I am happy about it or if I wish I was not accepted. It is a bit of a mixed feeling. Not sure what I am going to do at this point. I have been grappling with this decision for almost a week now. Wish there was some simple answer.........

Anyways, SF was fun and I had a great time. The weather was fabulous and I loved the feeling of the city. Definitely laid back and cultural.

Monday, March 21, 2005

What has been going on?


It seems that I am not a very regular blogger anymore....hmmm..not even sure if anyone out there reads my blogs anymore...if you are reading this then send me a message and I will keep posting.

So, what has been going on in this little head of mine and in this life of mine over the last couple of weeks...........well, there is the thing called work which seems to take up most of the week. The job itself has not gotten any better and I still have moments where I want to leave, but there has been a change in the dynamics with the staff and it is actually quite fun to be in the office when everyone is there. We have a comradery and we all go out for walks together. It is nice. I feel less isolated and more willing to deal with work.

I have applied to gradschool, one school and have had a subsequent interview. The interview was rather short and I was nervous, not sure how it went....not sure I care...which is the worse part. Do I really want to go to gradschool??? Hmm...it seems that I am not terribly excited about which says something to me, but at the same time I think it is time to go back to school and population and public health seems to be what I want to do. I should hear back in 3 weeks or so.

What else have I been up to....... the guitar practice is coming really slowly. I am definitely not as musical as I thought I could be. Come one, everyone picks up a guitar and they think, cool now I am a rock star. How wrong we are, my darn mushroom fingers and trying to move them. I am determined though.

I have been chilling on the weekends, trying to get some training in for the sun run, a 10 km run around Vancouver. We are doing as team building exercise. It should be good and I am pretty sure that I will super sore after I do it.

For the first time in a while, I am feeling truly like I am home again. Up until recently I never quite felt like I had settled back into Vancouver. I felt like an outside observer along for the ride. I am feeling a lot better now and am enjoying where I live and appreciative of how close the beach is.

On the family front, my little nephew is getting much bigger now. I had the opportunity to spend an entire day with him and I could not help but love him even more. He discovered cats for the first time and it was a neat experience to see the discovery reflected on his face. At first it was a bit of a scary look, our cats are pretty big and he was frightened of them. I took him over to the cat and took his hand and let him touch the fur, it was funny to see the reaction, it was this mix of confusion and delight of how soft the cats were. By the end of the day he was walking up to them and petting them himself, while he was doing this, he would laugh uncontrollably. When he left he went up to the cats to say good bye. It was absolutely so cute.
I still cannot get over how much I love my nephew Caleb, someone who cannot even talk yet and all he wants to do is eat and sleep.

The joys of being an aunt.

So....I think that is everything that I can think of to write about. I am going on a bit of a roadtrip tomorrow, we are driving down to San Fran. which should be fun. I am looking foward to it.

Sunday, March 13, 2005

Sakura


The weather has been incredible in Vancouver lately. We have had lots of sunshine and warm weather, which means that the cherry blossoms (sakura) are in full bloom. The sakura always reminds me of spring in Japan and sitting underneath the blossoms and having a cherry blossom viewing party...hanami. It is a reason to drink, but I think a good reason to enjoy the beautiful flowers. I have been thinking a lot about Japan lately, it seems like it was such a long time ago that I was there. There are days when I think to myself that I was not there, it seemed like forever ago.s

Monday, February 21, 2005

Kaiya,

I have wanted to learn how to play the guitar for a while now, ever since I had the opportunity to hear my friend Barney played. I was inspired by how incredibly cool it sounded. So, 2 weeks ago Jason, King and I went to go check out guitars. I had the intention of only going to look around and not actually buying one. I was playing around with one, when I mentioned that I was having a hard time reaching around the neck. One of the salespersons heard me and mentioned that they had smaller guitars on the other wall, I immediately was drawn to this cool looking blue one and started playing around. I tried some other ones but just could not get over this one. According to my companions, it had a nice sound and was not too bad to play. I was definitely drawn to it and thought, what the heck if I am going to learn to play, than I should invest in something nice.

It took me a less than a day to come up with a name for him. At first I was not sure if he was a he or a she and thought hmmm...should he be a Naoki, a Lola or even Cal...but then it came to me.....Kaiya. Barney and I were having lunch and there was a little boy named Kai sitting beside us and was t0uched by his enthusiasm and gentleness. I thought that this would be the perfect name for my guitar. I have always like the name Kai, but I know someone named Kai and did not want to appear that I had named my guitar after him. I do like him but to name my guitar after him......I think not....so Kaiya was the next best choice.

I have been working hard at getting the fingering right and developping the callouses.....I am determined to go from A7 ot D.......

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Post Party

Last Sat. we had a bit of a party for my birthday. A grand time was had by all I think.
We decided that we would create a drinking chart based on the "Char Ratio" of drinks, eg. for every one drink that I had someone had to have two drinks. I must admit it was probably not a very fair ratio but afterall it was my party.

Valiant efforts were made by all to keep up and I think that several people actually did. There was live music, cupcakes and lots of friends and new faces to meet and greet. My roommate, Jason even wrote a song about me. I was touched, that was the first time anyone has ever written anything about me...nice stuff, I mean.

The post party clean up was not too bad, thanks to the help of Barney and I was not too hung over. All in all it was a good way to usher in being 27.
Happy Chinese New Year!

A very happy year of the rooster to everyone out there. May this year bring you much prosperity and happiness.

Supposedly, as a Horse the year of the Rooster will bring me good luck and romance in my future. Yippie Skippie...romance...does that mean long term committment or just a random boy?...hmm....what does the Chinese fates have in store for me. We will see. It also suggested that this year will be a good year for a new career or for travel. Both equally inviting to me. Keep your fingers crossed, if I do not meet someone at least I will get to travel or start a new job. Perhaps I could somehow combine all three together.

I had dinner with my family last night. It is tradition that you have New Year's Eve dinner with all your family and everyone has to be there. You are supposed to end off the year together as a family and start the next one together. There are a bunch of other superstitions that my family practices but are not overly zealous about. Stuff about showering and brooms.

I just know it was nice to be fed good food and spend time with my family.

Monday, January 31, 2005

Birthday Boy

Saturday was my nephew, Caleb's first birthday. I cannot believe that he is already a year old. It seemed like it was only a few months ago that he was born. He is absolutely the cutest little guy in the whole wide world and I adore him. He is beginning to walk and recognizes faces. Of course his Aunty Char is one of his favourite faces. He likes to touch your face and will laugh and giggle if you smile at him. He is beginning to take steps on his own and when you tell him, "where is the light, he will look for it".

We had two parties for him, the first was dinner at the Richmond golf and country club for all his family, 60 of his family from both sides. Then on Sunday we had another party for him with all his little friends. It was fun, but I am not sure if he understood what all the hoopla was about. He did have fun though, he laughed and got lots of hugs and kisses.

I feel a special connection to him because we almost share the same birthday. Of course his is a few days earlier than mine but we have a connection nonetheless.

Speaking of birthdays, in a few minutes I will officially be 27, aiya. As a child I could never imagine ever reaching 27. It seemed like an impossibly high number and now I will be 27.

I had visions of myself at a different place at 27, perhaps at a different job, with someone and maybe even married. However, that is okay, I am content with my life, because it extends to beyond a job beyond boys.....that is what I have learnt in my ripe old age.


Saturday, January 22, 2005

Progress of Gradschool applications

The gradschool applications are progressing slowly through the haze of what has become the fogginess of my mind....yes my mind is quite foggy, because it has been so long since it has been challenged to think about anything beyond the most simplest of things, including adding and subtracting and making photocopies.

Rest assured though, that I will get them done and have them submitted. No guarantees that I will get in but I am certain that I will have made a valiant effort.

I have a little more than a week to get it done, I am almost there. Reference letters are on the way, 1 pager essay done-needs to be proofread, CV is being composed as we speak. The only thing left to do is to give them money...yes bribe them...or more likely have them take my money to reject me.



Thursday, January 13, 2005

Many Frosties

Last week it snowed in Vancouver. It was incredibly beautiful. I hate the cold but I love the snow. Seems strange because the two things are inherently linked, and how can I like one but not the other? Part of the dichotomy of me I guess.

Snow brings out the child in me. I cannot help but laugh and smile as I play in it. You cannot resist making a snowman or throwing some snowballs at your friends. At night while it was snowing I would go for walks and look up at the sky and marvel at all the millions of perfectly formed snowflakes falling to the grown, hoping that it would snow more so I could have a snow day and not have to go to work. I did have to go to work but the snow made it worthwhile I guess. I took a walk on my lunch break to Burnaby Mountain park and saw lots of people sliding down the hill, it was too bad I was in my work clothes or else I would have commandeered a slide and slid down.


The snow is slowly disappearing now. It has been super cold out lately and most of the snow has turned into trecherous ice patches that are determined to get me on my way to the bus in the morning, not so beautiful now but a reminder of what was once all the beautiful snow we had.
Happy New Year!!

It has been a few weeks since my last blog and I just wanted to wish everyone a great 2005, as they say in Japan akemashite omedetou gozaimasu.

Things are well at the new pad and I have gotten used to living away from the fam. again, and let me say it is lovely. I now have two cats which never cease to shed all over and fill my dark clothes with enough hair to construct a new cat.

Work is work, and I am plugging along. I am currently trying to keep all my options open. I am also attempting to complete my grad school application but it is not going as well as I thought it would be, perhaps there is a part of me that does not want to go to gradschool...not sure why exactly. Perhaps it is the fear of ending up with another degree and not being able to find a job again, or the fact that I will not have any income while I pursue this thing that I am not really sure about.

I am working on trying to come out of my transistion period and try to pursue something that I will be passionate about.