Humanizing Homelessness

I must admit that I used to be one of those people that would cringe at the thought of some panhandler approaching me asking for change. I had the preconceived notion that they were drug or alcohol addicted and they would use the money to feed their habit. I lumped them into all into a group of lazy people who chose to live that lifestyle. I now know that I was very very judgemental and very very wrong.

My graduate studies really enlightened my thinking about homelessness and poverty. I now realize the complexity, difficulties, and prejudices about street involved people. It is not about choice or laziness, there are many factors that place people in that situation. I won't get into it here about the social inequity but I now have a different view about it.

Life lesson from Micah....

My niece Micah is another reason why I think about panhandlers differently. She is a bright three year old who makes me smile with her boundless energy and completely unjaded view of life. My sister told me a story about when Micah saw some homeless people while they were driving and asked why those people looked like that. At three she could see that they were different but she wanted to know why. My sister explained that they didn't have a home. She wanted to know why they couldn't just buy one. She was told that they didn't have the money to buy one, which immediately prompted to her to offer her piggy bank so they won't be homeless. Of course, she didn't understand the scale of money or poverty, but she did understand the principle of compassion. Ever since I heard that story, I try to keep her in mind whenever I see a homeless person. She inspires me to buy someone a coffee, give them food, or just smile at them and acknowledge them as a person and not a social pariah.

Another life lesson....

Almost every morning on my walk to work, at the corner of Burrard and Davie, there is an Aboriginal Man who sits on the corner playing a very lovely tune on the recorder. A few feet away there is a baby carriage filled with his possessions. Without fail, every morning he smiles, waves at me,wishes me a good morning, and as I walk past he tells me to have a good day. He never asks me for money but he always smiles at me. I don't know his name, he doesn't know my name, and we have only had the briefest of conversations. All I know is that he sleeps in a park. Yet, no matter what he always smiles at me and greets me enthusiastically. On my way across the Burrard street bridge, I see these well dressed individuals on their way to work and I often smile at them yet few of them smile at me back at me or wish me a good day.

I look forward to seeing him in the morning because no matter what he aknowledges me as someone worthy of his time and attention. He reminds me that I am human and that at least one person out there that will take the time to wish me a good morning. A smile does truly brighten the day.

Life post-student

So yet again the blog has been woefully neglected. In the aftermath of post-defense and job searching the blog was very very low on the interest and priority list. I spent three months of work search and was beginning to feel like that I was going to have to move in with the parents because I couldn't find a job. Thank goodness that I reached out to some contacts and was fortunate enough to get a job in these economic times (this seems like a common theme). I started a job with the BC Centre of Excellence in HIV/AIDs. I am completely outside of my comfort zone, not only because I have no background in HIV/AIDS but I don't have a clue about the clinical management of HIV. I have spent the better part of the last month learning as much as I can about Antiretroviral drugs, the mechanisms of how they work, the etiology of HIV and the clinical management of it. I keep thinking back to 2nd year undergraduate physiology to understand the microbiology and mechanisms of the immune response. Often at the end of the day, my brain is full and I am ready to head home and decompress. With any job there is always that initial learning curve, it feels extra steep right now but I am determined to conquer it. With that said, I am also eager to get moving and making this job my own.

Happy Chinese New Year or Gung Hay Fat Choi

Growing up as a kid, Chinese New Years meant eating a big special meal, receiving lucky red envelopes with money, and driving into Vancouver for dim sum and lion dances. I can still remember going to Chinatown and hanging onto my grandmother's coat so I wouldn't get lost while watching the lions eat the lettuce. I was in awe of the lion dancers and how they could balance on each other to reach the lettuce. They were a far cry from my sisters and I holding a purple blanket pretending we were lion dancers jumping over the firecrackers.

With the hustle and bustle of our lives now, Chinese New Years has become one night where we all sit down together and have a large meal. Gone are the days of trips to Chinatown to see the Lion Dances and spending our lucky money together. But in this one night, it is a reminder of the importance of family and of culture and its traditions.

Happy year of the Ox.

Bah Humbug...

So much for the joy and good will towards men. Only one day after Christmas, I was struck smack dab in the face by racism. I was waiting for the bus on a very snowy and wet day and trying to think happy positive thoughts to keep me warm when a man walked passed me and muttered something. I wasn't quite sure of what he said, I think he said "too many chinks". My first reaction was anger, how could this small minded person say that to me but then I calmed down thought that maybe I mis-heard. My bus arrived and he got on in front of me and I tried to not think much about it. I got off at my stop and he was behind me, this time I distinctively heard racist remarks. I stopped and turned around, I was about to confront him, saying something like too many "ignorant small minded people in the world". I really wanted to tell this guy off and then I realized that a) he was bigger than me b) he had a mental illness (not just his ignorance but a clear mental issue)and c) it was very cold and wet outside and I didn't want to argue with him. I think that when I turned around he was uncertain of what I was doing. I gave him a smile and said that he could go in front of me. I was trying to be a better person. Although, I think he was ill, his remarks still stung. It brought back a flood of memories of all the racist things others have said to me throughout my lifetime. For the most part I live my life unconscious of race or of me being anything other than me until someone says something like this. I cannot believe that in this day an age someone, anyone still uses these hateful words.

Sharing my work

My friend Jenn, also a classmate in the program did a ceremonial burning of her thesis after she sucessfully defended it. She had suggested that we do the same with mine. It is therapeutic and puts closure to the whole process. I thought it was a great idea considering how hard it was to finally get it ready for defense. It being Vancouver, it has been raining for the last few days and so we couldn't go to the beach and create a bonfire. We were going out for drinks to celebrate the defense and I decided that I would bring a copy of it so we could leave it on cars. I know it is littering but I needed to do something with the extra copy that I had. So at the end of the night we took my thesis and released into the world. I handed out pages of my thesis to random strangers. Many of them had been drinking so they were quite receptive to taking it. Of course, I explained to them that I had defended my Masters thesis and I was sharing it with the rest of the world. We also left it on cars. It was truly letting go of it and sharing what I had worked so hard for.

Master Char

I am very very excited to announce that yesterday at exactly 4:53pm I successfully defended my Masters degree. The journey to this end point was not always easy, it was fraught with so much self doubt and stress...was it worth it in the end? I think so. Through the course of this degree, I learned a great deal about health but I more importantly I learned about my own capabilities. I am not as dumb as I think I am....I think I am actually kind of smart and certainly hard working. Okay, enough of tooting my own horn.

My defense went well. I was really nervous and at times I think my mouth had a mind of its own. I would say something but my brain did not really register what I had just said. The questions were tough and not what I was expecting. A debate about the global health and if working with refugees and immigrants in Canada constitutes doing global health, or what kind of research would I design to get more data on refugees, how do I reconcile the difference between the use of localized services and the disjoint in federal legislation.

Thank goodness for Professor Crush Pants...

Yippie!!!! Charlene M.W. Phung M.Sc.

History Making...50 years late

Last night I could not avoid watching the results of the American election. I was sucked into all the media hype but also very disgusted wih the frivality of what was being covered. Come on...Sarah Palin's clothes, Barak Obama's barber...who cares.

Anyways, like many people out there both in America and Canada I am glad that Barak Obama won. I think that he will be progressive and make some substantial changes to American politics. However, what strikes me is that there was so much focus on him being the first black president, instead of him being an extraordinary human being capable of many things. It makes me sad that in this day and age, colour is still is a factor. We still view the world in terms groupings and not as human beings regardless of what we look like. Which leads me to say that it has taken much too long for the US to choose a President who is not a white upper class male. No matter how far we think we have come, we have so much further to go.

Tooting my own Horn

I don't often talk about my Masters degree in any detail. For some reason I don't talk about it as much as I want to. I generally discuss it in very broad terms or tend to gloss over the work I am doing. I think it is because I worry about boring people, inciting arguments over politics, or sounding like I am on a high horse. Secretly, I could talk about health equity and Population Health all day. Yesterday, I had my chance.

Months and months ago, I did a practicum with Vancouver Coastal Health. I created a toolkit for health care teams to use so they can learn about the social factors that affect health and what they could do to create more health equity. I thought it was a pretty important project and thus, decided to apply to do a poster presentation at the International Conference on Urban Health. For those of you who aren't familiar withe doing poster presentations, it is essentially a grown up version of show and tell except with a large poster that describes what you did. I was accepted and yesterday I was able to present my toolkit at the conference. For 2 hours, I stood by my poster and talked to other people that had the same passion for health equity I had. I was so excited to talk with like minded people and share ideas. The even better part was that everyone was really interested in the work that I did. They wanted copies of the toolkit. I even had a sign up sheet of email contacts.

For the first time in a long while I felt really good about my choice to do this Masters degree. As my blog atests to, the journey has not always been easy. I was often filled with self doubt about my own capabilities and intelligence. Academia is not always kind to your self-esteem. Yesterday was the proverbial pat on the back that I needed as I head into the final stretch of this path in my life.

Transit Trivia

I am a regular user of public transit in Vancouver and generally it is a solemn experience with grumpy almost stoic Vancouverites sacrificing for the environment to take public transit. This morning it was an entirely different ride to do.wntown. I got a packed bus and thought that it would be another morning of being crammed like sardines next to some corporate suit checking his blackberry. As I boarded the bus I noticed chocolate bars hanging near the driver. I thought that this was weird, was he selling them? Giving them away to passengers that smiled at him? I was curious about these chocolately treats. About 15 minutes into the ride, the driver came over the loudspeaker and anounced that we would be playing transit trivia for a chocolate bar and winners were decided by applause. For the first time in many many rides downtown the transit ride had some excitement, people were smiling and laughing. People were chatting with each other and applauding. As many people got off the bus at their stops, they were smiling. This silly little game for an insignificant prize made so many people smile. It definitely made me smile for the rest of the day whenever I thought about "John" our bus driver and his trivia game.

Alternative Lifestyle

Every two years we do a family vacation together. This is an opportunity for almost all of the family to spend an extended period of time together. Our original family of 6 has grown into a two mini-van trip family, with 5 kids under the age of 5 in tow. This year we went to Portland and rented a lovely house in the Irvington Historic District. This was a nice opportunity to catch up with my family and spend some time with my nieces and nephew. I have missed large family sit down dinners and the chaos that goes with it.


This family trip made me realize just how much time has gone by. I remember when we were little my parents packing us up into a minivan and taking us to Disneyland. Now it is my sisters packing their kids and us into the minivan for a family trip. My parents are getting older and it is weird to see how the dynamics have shifted and who has become the parents now.

It was nice to spend time with my family but I am also very appreciative of my space and freedom. I adore the little ones but I am definitely content to be fun Aunty Char, then give them back at the end of the day.

Feeling small

I was so enthusiastic 2 years ago, I felt that the world was completely open to me and the sky was the limit. Now I feel that the sky is falling and the world is not as big as I thought it was. Reality is closing in on me.

Finances and trying to find a job coupled with finishing my final project is causing a few sleepless nights. However, I will survive and it will all work out in the end.

Jude

Almost 2 years ago, I was on my way to New York to visit my friend Marie. On the flight from Washington D.C. to Albany I took out "A Race Against Time" by Stephen Lewis. For those of you not familiar with it, it is based on the Massey Lecture presented by the former special envoy to Africa on HIV/AIDS. It is a compelling book urging the world to rethink HIV/AIDS. The person seated next to me noticed the title of the book and started to ask me about it. An hour later, we had exchanged life stories and aspirations for the future. She was extremely well grounded and emotionally aware. I ended up sharing my email address with her and attending a lecture she was organizing while I was in New York. Since then, she has developed into a motivational speaker and has occasionally sent me emails with thoughts and inspirations. I just received an email from her and it is has inspired me to be more introspective about some of the experiences in my life. I hope to share them with you in this blog.

The End is Near

Tonight I had what I hope to be my last class ever at SFU. I say hope because I am pretty certain my affiliation with SFU will end at the end of this degree but I do have intentions of going back to school again but hopefully not at SFU. I took a course for interest and learning and it turned out to be less than stellar. At least it is done and I have finished my last sitting in a classroom course. Just have to finish my directed readings and my final project. Yippie...I am getting one step closer to becoming "Master char".

This is the first blog in more than a year. I had decided to stop blogging because it seemed that my life didn't warrant writing about (Most of my blogs were only centered around life of a grad student) but, after some consideration, and some cajoling by my sisters, who are avid bloggers, I decided to resurrect the wacky world of char. Hopefully, there are some readers still left out there.

I am still living the life of a grad student but the end is in sight and I am happy to report that I am nearing the end of my degree. I am not going to say how close I am to the end cause I still have a piece of major work to do, but close enough that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the year that I have stopped writing, nothing too exciting has happened in my life, ie. no major changes, however, I don't have any complaints either. This was not always my mind set though, I had some months there where I was feeling quite unsure and lost again. I felt really lonely and insecure. I am not sure what has changed but it is nice to be back on a positive note. I am really enjoying where I am at in my life and I am excited about the future. I am completely open to where life will take me next. We will see what transpires after I finish.

Last weekend I went up to Williams Lake for a friend's wedding and I had a wonderful time. It was really nice to be carefree and relaxed. I must admit I did some silly things and was dressed as a fairy but it was fun. I always thought that I was a city girl but after spending a weekend there, memories of my childhood in the wack and spending time on a farm came back and I started asking myself if I could live in a small city again. Not sure what the answer is but it is not so definitively "no" anymore. Who knows where I will be.

Perhaps the influences of the wack have not all disappeared.

I hope that the faithful readers of the wacky world of char will come back and that I can continue to share the bits and pieces of my life with you. I promise that the blogs will be more than just school.

Death to the Blog

I think it might be time to retire the blog. I am not sure if anyone out there is still reading this anymore. What started as a means to update my friends and family about what was going on in my life when I lived in Japan has now turned into a boring, once in a blue moon generic update of my not so exciting life. It seems that everyone is on facebook now and that is the new trend, making the blogging arena seem outdated and obsolete. There is a part of me that would love to keep my blog for the nostalgic purposes but I am also aware of the changing times. So, although I will not officially delete the blog, it may be that this will be the last blog for a long time, unless I hear the cry from the masses that I should keep updating this. So sad...so many memories

Freedom Sweet Freedom

My blog has been woefully neglected for weeks now. School took over and sort of mowed over my life. There were assignments and papers due almost every week. It was a pretty insane couple of weeks there. I am happy to report that I survived almost with my insanity intact. I still have one paper to hand in and I am dragging my heals on that but by April 20th I will officially have completed my second semester of gradschool. I am now in to deep to back out, although there were moments in there where I did not think I could do it and thought about dropping out of the program. The most important lesson that I learnt from this semester was that I am not indestructable, working 17 hours a week and being school 11 hours a week, plus staying on top of my reading, managing to see my friends, sleep 8 hours and exercise is nearly impossible. Finding balance is important in my life and I am a very very grumpy person if I don't take care of myself.

The long awaited summer break is finally here. I am excited that I can finally do the things that I want to do, like pottery, salsa and not feeling guilty for spending time with my friends. I will be working full time and doing some work for a professor but I am free, free like a bird...yippie. Freedom never felt so good.

Happy Thoughts

I have noticed lately that my blog has been full of complaints and whinings about how "terrible" my life is.. woe is me and poor student me (puts wrist to forehead in an overdramatic fashion and sighs). I do admit that in the last month I have been glued to my computer at home, school or at work. I think I might have developed a tan from the constant glow of my computer screen, or is that I now have a sickly colour because I have been stuck inside for months. My friends have dubbed me the grounhog, because I will emerge 6 weeks later from hiding when spring arrives.

So, in an attempt to bring some cheer to this blog and not bring the faithful readers of the wacky world of char down, I thought I would write about all the silly things in life that make me smile. Completely arbitrary and in no particular order and probably only meaningful to me, afterall it is MY blog.

1. waiting at the bus stop in the morning when you notice a cute boy standing next to you totally oblivious to the world, singing along to this MP3 player and not caring that a silly girl is smiling at him. Then that boy sits down beside you on the bus

2. reading the Georgia Straight every Thursday, but reading the back first and in this particular order: Horoscopes, Missed Connections, and Savage Love, then maybe the rest of it

3. shoes..need I say more

4. having green hair, although I think people judge me with it, a chance for me to prove them wrong

5. the feeling after going to the gym, (I dislike every minute of actually being at the gym and can't wait to finish my workout)

6. waking up and hearing a great song on the radio, then dancing to that song naked after you get out of the shower

7. realizing that you are kind of smart and can make some fantastic points in class

8. feeling strong after my power yoga class

9. hanging out with my friends and realizing that they don't care what Masters I am doing or how smart or not smart I am

10. seeing someone you have a crush on in the bus and realizing he lives super close to you

11. laughing over silly things

12. getting an email from your best friend in elementary school who you have known since you were 3

13. completing an assignment or debate and handing it in

14. a great big cup of tea in the morning

15. clean clothes

16. knowing that you did something good for someone else

17. finding a cute jacket that you tried on months ago and liked but couldn't afford on sale for half off

18. thinking about all the things I am going to do in the summer, pottery, guitar, hiking, kayaking...

19. having a great conversation with someone and realizing that 2 hours have gone by

20. Being comfortable in my own skin, being me

Tools of Procrastination

So life has been insane or is it that I am going insane as a cause to life...I don't know anymore...All I can think about is the papers, midterms, debates, assignments and readings that are taking over my life. I love gradschool and like I said before, I am meant to be here. I love what I am learning but I am not absorbing it cause I am so focused on not drowning in the sea of work and more work.

I know gradschool is about making sacrifices for the end goal but I think I am sacrificing my sanity. There is just so much to do. To the point where I am feeling so overwhelmed that I just want to procrastinate, thus the reason for this blog posting.

I know, one thing at a time, I will get through it, ya da ya da ya da......

overstressed and feeling overwhelmed = grumpy no fun Char

My friends Rock!!

Last night under the pretense of needing my help for something, my two dear friends, Risa and Karin surprised me with a belated birthday celebration. Risa picked me up and took me to one of my favourite dessert places where Karin was watiting with flowers, balloons, pink flamingoes and presents. It was awesome and I felt truly loved. I always say that my birthday is no big deal and it doesn't really matter, but secretly I like it when someone makes a big deal out of it, I feel extra loved when they remember. Although, I do know that I am loved by those in my life regardless if they wish me a happy birthday or not. Last night was very unexpected and truly appreciated.
Risa and Karin you girls rock!!!

Bitten Hard by a Bug...


The travel bug has bitten me hard and I can't wait for my next trip, there are entire continents that need to be explored and a brand new passport with no stamps. If you look at the map below there is a lot of grey left on it. The red is the places I have travelled to.



create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Get Your Cyborg Name

Do you wash your hands?

For my research methodologies class I had to do an observational exercise and monitor how people washed their hands. It was bit of a covert operation where I would pretend to use the toilet and then go and wash my hands, while secretly memorizing every detail of the movements of the person next to me at the sink. My group and I chose to monitor the largest bathroon at our university and you would be surprised at how many people who kind of just rinse their hands. It is kind of gross in fact. It has made me hypersensitive about washing my hands and touching germy washrooms.

Which is kind of ironic considering that the day after I did my observations, I got the flu. I have been sick for the last 4 days, with the first 3 days being absolutely whiny and miserable. I was a trooper and went to school and work anyways, only to go home after work and hide under my covers shivering and coughing. I am happy to report the fever is gone and all that remains is a stuffed up and runny nose and a hacking cough. At this point I am glad that I no longer have a fever.

Okay, so back to the hand washing. Did you know that there are guidelines to proper hand washing techniques?

1. you must take off jewellery
2. wet hands
3. lather soap, don't use bar soap or antibacterial soap,
4. scrub between the fingers, the palms, back of hands, and the wrists
5. use lots of friction while scrubbing for two singings of Happy Birthday (note don't sing it outloud, they will really think you are weird)
6. Rinse thoroughly, one hand at a time
7. take paper towel and use that to shut off the tap.


The weird stuff you learn in gradschool huh?

Broke my Monkey

I had my first day of classes for the new semester today. It was nice to see my classmates again and to be back into it. It felt comfortable, like I have known my classmates for more than a semester. I am really liking the program and am excited about the next semester. I am taking some more interesting classes and really think that I am going to learn some really cool stuff. I am truly excited about it. It seems strange that I am excited about university, I remember my last few semesters of undergrad and really dreading going back after Christmas. It will be a tough semester, lots of work but in the end well worth it. I am still working 20 hours a week but taking 3 courses. I will have to work on time management and still maintaining my sanity. I plan to add yoga and bring back pottery into my life. Things I enjoy and good stress relievers for me. Wish me good luck for the semester.

The monkey reference is to a necklace that I have been wearing. It is a wish necklace, a string with a monkey charm hanging on it. The idea is that you make a wish and when the string breaks then your wish comes true. It is based on the idea of a prayer string. Well, my string broke and we will see if my wish comes true. Of course I am not going to tell you what my wish is cause a) you are going to laugh at me and b) if I say it out loud it won't come true.

I am not normally this silly nor so superstitious but sometimes you have to believe in something beyond the ordinary. It gives you hope.

Happy New Year

I cannot believe that another year has gone by and we are now starting 2007. It is incredible how quickly time goes by.



2006 was an incredible year for me. It started out as any other year but somewhere along the way I discovered how incredible life can be. This was the year that I really thought about and took time for me.

• I discovered pottery and my ability to produce crooked pieces and be happy about it.
• I learnt that I could spend 7 days in the wilds of Northern B.C. canoeing and not worry about not having a shower.
• I learnt that living with my brother is tough but as long as you don't nag him and are willing to deal with dirty dishes it is okay.
• I learnt that "he is just not that into you", which means life is not about finding a mate and worrying about spending the rest of your life alone (no matter how much your mom worries about you having a boyfriend).
• I am not defined by my job, and when I tell someone about what I do they have no clue what I am talking about and I am okay with that.
• I figured out that I like gradschool and that I am indeed smart enough to be here. I will also never make millions of dollars in what I will eventually do and I am okay with that.
• I love my family and they mean the world to me-my nieces and nephews are the loves of my life and I can't imagine not being their aunty.
• I have the travel bug and I can't shake it, I love to travel and quite possibly I am passionate about it.
• I am weird and also a bit of a dork. However, I am okay with it. I like who I am.
• I finally got my tattoo and it hurt, but I love it. It goes with the green in my hair.
• I make silly mistakes and have done some incredibly silly stuff when I am drunk but those that care about me love me regardless if I sleep under a tree or kiss someone under the mistletoe or not.
• Reading for fun is a luxury and miss it when you have articles to read and textbooks to read in its place.
• There are really interesting people out there who know so much more than you do.

I hope that my 2007 will be as good as 2006. I am excited about getting older and putting my "quarterlife crisis" behind me. There is so much potential out there and I am excited about it.

Thanks to all of you faithful readers of the wacky world of char. I wish all of you out there a very happy 2007 filled with joy and happiness. I wish everyone continued success and personal growth. May 2007 bring to you even more discoveries and a love of life.

The big Apple...

I did it...I got through my first semester of grad school and I really really enjoyed it. The beginning of the semester was a bit of an adjustment period but as the semester progressed I really felt like this was something I was meant to do. It was not about the courses but being surrounded by like minded people who inspire me and make me realize my goals are possible. There are lots of interesting people who have such diverse experiences in the program. It makes me excited about the potential when I am done.

So, exams did not go as well as I would have hoped for, but it was hard for me to stay focused. I did pass my courses which is good and I think I did manage to get an A+. I was hoping for a better grade on my final then I actually got in Biostats. Oh well..... I think I complained about getting a B+.....My how the times have changed since undergrad.

After a few nights of relaxing and one night of drunken debauchery. Yes, there was definite debauchery, mistletoe.....I hopped on a plane to go see my friend Marie in New York. Marie and I met 3 years ago when I was in Japan.

I just wanted to treat myself after this semester. Cuba and Costa Rica did not pan out so NYC was another option. New York is a pretty crazy city. There are people everywhere and even more lights and cars. Christmas time in New York is insane. A bit of shopping was done and a whole lot of walking...my poor footsies....

I did manage to make "friends"....yes I encountered random people who happened to be men...I can't help it if I have a tendency to smile and they recipricate. Let's say that NYC was good for the part of my self esteem related to boys. New Yorkers don't deserve the stereotype that they are given. They are actually pretty nice.

I have 5 more days here. There are plans to go to Boston and hit the hills for some snowboarding....yippie...

Snow Days

I meant to write this blog last week but was having too much fun in the snow to actually come inside to write about it on my blog. Last week it snowed in Vancouver. For those of you not familiar with Vancouver weather, snow is a rarity. We get rain in the winter but hardly ever get snow. Which means it was chaos....but that also means a snow day. Fortunately, because I work in a university, if the weather gets bad it shuts down. So last Monday SFU was closed and I got to stay home. The snow day was to cap off the already great time I had playing in the snow during the weekend. I made snowmen, had snowball fights, and of course went to Queen Elizabeth park at 10:30 on Sat. night to go sledding down the hill. We had makeshift sleds, boogie boards with a garbage bag over it to decrease the friction and slid down the hill. It was like I was a kid again and sliding head first down the hill. I was in heaven.

Unfortunately, it warmed up and once again it is raining. The snow is slowly being washed away and that means no more sledding. I guess it is a good thing cause I have a final exam to write and probably don't need another distraction to take away my focus from learning about multiple linear regression for my Biostatistics Exam.

Everyone needs a Hug

Today I participated in a Free Hug event. We gave away hundreds of free hugs today in downtown Vancouver, in front of the Art Gallery. With hand painted "Free Hug" signs around our necks we set out to hug as many strangers as possible, to spread some joy and bring smiles to everyone. It was incredible....hugs do make you feel good. I know I felt good hugging everyone. For the most part people were pretty receptive to being hugged. There were some skeptics and an occasional dodgy fellow but all in all I think it was a success. People walked away with smiles on their face and told us how much they needed a hug.

The free hug campaign was started by a fellow named Juan Mann, whose mission in life is to bring hugs to everyone in the world.

You can read about the campaign at http://www.freehugscampaign.org/

Let me know if you are interested in participating in the next free hug event. Here are some photos that show just how much fun we had.

http://s119.photobucket.com/albums/o124/jennifer_archer/Free%20Hugs%20Vancouver%20Nov%202006/

Who are you trying to impress?

Today's rant and raves is directed towards guys that just don't get it. If you try too hard with a girl, she will sense your desperation and be completely turned off. I repeat, don't try so hard. I like boys that know what they like and aren't afraid to go after it, but there comes a point when you have gone way to far. When you try too hard it tells me you are insecure and don't know what you are doing. Don't come on so strong and please don't use cheesy pick up lines.

Happy Halloween

I may be too old to go trick or treat'n but I am not too old to go to the pumpkin patch and get the biggest pumpkin I could find. My friends-Risa, Karin and Adrian and I drove out to Richmond to go for hayrides, sing alongs and pumpkin picking. We were probably the oldest kids there but definitely the most enthusiastic. We sang our little hearts out while we rode the hay wagon out to the field to find the most perfect pumpkins. We rocked "Old McDonald".

We initially picked small pumpkins, but then we came upon some bigger ones, we immediately decided that bigger was indeed better. Much huffing and puffing later we got them back to the car and spent the evening carving and creating the best jack'o lanterns. I decided that my pumpkin would be called Denise....after Denise Richards....I was inspired....

The Key to success for me in Gradschool relates to me finding a Man????
I got sent this article and thought that it was interesting. Take a look at it and let me know if I should go man hunting so I can get through gradschool. I wonder if my Mom's nagging about me getting married actually would help me finish my Master's sooner.....maybe she knows something I don't know.

This is an interesting news item about the relationship between marital status and success at graduate school! http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/20/marriage

Bipolar??

I know that last week, amidsts the two midterm studying and the biostats assignment I was doubting myself and was wondering if I was smart enough to be in gradschool. I still on occasion doubt my "worthiness" to be doing my masters but I this week, post midterm craze, I am feeling like I belong. This Masters in Population and Public Health is what I am suppose to be doing. I like the people in the program and I am amazed at how diverse they are. Just talking to them makes me excited about what I will be able to do once I get through this. I am sure that I will have my up and down days once again, surely in about 9 days when I have my next set of midterms but for the time being...I belong....I belong....

It has been a while since I have felt like I have purpose in my life and am feeling truly passionate about school again. My brain does like the stimulation although, it would rather not have to think about statistics, probability and two tailed t-tests.....

Plus, I aced one of my midterms, although it was probably one of the most easiest tests that I have ever written....15 multiple choice with over half of them true false....gotta love Michel and Epidemiology

Smart Enough.....

I knew grad school would be tough but I didn't really think about what it would do to my self esteem. This week I started to question whether I am smart enough to do this. I guess this self doubt stems from my struggle with trying to understand Biostatistics and feeling mowed over by the formulas and numbers. I cannot believe the amount of work this course requires. I am only taking 2 courses but between work and trying to maintain balance in my life, I am pretty exhausted.

I know that this will all be worthwhile in the end. I know I can do this, just need to focus and I will get through it. Gosh darnit, I am smart and people like me.....

The 43 things you want to do....


If you had to list the 43 things that you want to do in your life what would it be? Look at the following website for inspiration

http://www.43things.com/

My top 43 tihngs would be

1. Finish Grad school
2. Dance in the rain
3. learn to play guitar
4. Learn to salsa
5. travel to Paris
6. Live in Africa for a year
7. Surf in Australia
8. learn to speak French fluently
9. own my own house
10. Exercise more
11. go to Havana and have a Mojito
12. cook a gourmet meal for my friends and family
13. launch Wah Wah designs
14. learn to let go
15. read war and peace
16. have babies
17. be more decisive
18. learn how to take great photos
19. buy a digital camera
20. laugh more
21. paint a large painting
22. bake an apple pie
23. start a charitable foundation
24. be more open minded
25. live in the moment
26. tell someone I love them and mean it
27. hug and kiss more
28. get rid of some of my shoe collection
29. save the world
30. deal with some issues
31. spoil my nieces and nephew
32. learn to ride a motorcycle
33. write a book
34. rent an RV and go for a road trip
35. hike the West Coast trail
36. get a crazy hair cut
37. Swim more
38. meet someone special
39. realize that I am beautiful
40. build a house with habitat for humanity
41. do a chin up
42. visit as many countries as I can
43. find a job that I love and am passionate about

Happy Anniversary

Today 10 years ago I started university and now 10 years later I started school again. It was like I went back in time, except I am now older and hopefully a bit wiser. I started my first day of gradschool today. It was a long time coming something I have been planning to do for years. I finally decided to do it. It was a bit overwhelming especially when I cracked open my Biostatistics textbook last night, to get an idea of what I was suppose to know for today, OMG....I have forgotten so much. In fact, I should be reading right now.

The other good thing is that I am already with some of the faculty. I interact with them in the kitchen that we share and they were all surprised to see me in the class. I guess that is one of the perks of working where I work.

I am surprized by how diverse the students are in my program. We have dentists, doctors, nurses, Statisticians, anthropologists, and a whole crew of others. Many of them are well traveled and have had interesting other lives. I think it will be good...wish me good luck.

What day is it.....

I have been on vacation from work for almost a month now, I have completely lost track of time and have fallen into a routine of going to bed late and getting up late. If you know me I am usually a 6:45 am riser even on weekends. My internal clock keeps me on a tight schedule. However, with this lack of work I have been getting up later and later, sometimes at 9:30 am and even once at 10:25 am. I miss the early mornings, but I do wake up just in time to see all the morning talk shows. After a few hours of watching nothing on TV, I manage to take a shower and eventually make my way out of the house just before or after lunch to either find food or to wander around my neighborhood. Luckily the beach is near by and the library is close.

Other than catching up on sleep and reading a lot I have been doing nothing too exciting about my vacation. I was going to do some crazy spontaneous trip but that never panned out. I looked into those all inclusive vacations, which are not usually my style, are much more if you are going solo. I was a bit disappointed that I wasted my time off.

The one cool thing I did was finally get my tattoo. It is a cherry blossom and I love it. It is a simple design that I drew. It has symbolism for me and I think it represents a significant period in my life. It did hurt when I got it done, I asked Jay the tattoo artist if any body has cried on him and he said no....I wasn't about to be his first so I sucked it up. My family stills does not know and I think I will let them discover it on their own. My mom especially would freak.....sometimes they just don't it.

Countdown to being a student has started, in about 2 weeks I will join the masses and re-enter the classroom. I am a bit scared but ultimately more excited then frightened. I can do it.....or at least I hope I can. I just can't leave that university.

Bowron Lakes

I got back from an incredible 8 day canoe trip in the Bowron Lakes last Saturday. I had a wonderful time paddling the very scenic series of 5 lakes in Northern B.C. The weather was awesome except for the 2 days of head wind which nearly killed me. I swear that my shoulders were burning at the end of it. It was an amazing trip and this city girl managed to tough it and survive the lack of showers, the killer mosquitoes, and the lack of flush toilets. The water was so clear and the mountains so green. I loved every minute of it. Every night we stayed at a different campsite and they were all equally cool. My favourite part was running this portion of the lake leading up to a river. It is called the "chute" and it a small channel of fast moving water. You are suppose to do it only if you are an experienced canoeist and should run the canoe unloaded. We decided to float down in our life jackets first to "scout" it out and then ran it with a fully loaded canoe after doing some manoevers as practice. We all nailed the chute and no one tipped. It was a fun ride. I wish that the rest of the lake was like that. I love that along the lakes there are large signs stating "Danger, waterfall do not go pass this point" and then a picture of a canoe going over a waterfall. There was a group of kids watching us and I think we broke all the rules and set a terrible example for them.

The Bowron Lakes was a great vacation and I had a wonderful time. The group that I went with got along well. We also learnt about the qualities of moonshine and its effects on sleep patterns, that we need the words to Cecilia by Simon and Garfunkel, headwind sucks, and travel scrabble rocks.

Bed time

My summer has started and that means being away for almost all of the month of July. I have slept in my bed for about 5 days in July.

Bus adventures

As a regular transit user in Vancouver, I have the standard bus misfortunes, wet umbrella smells on rainy days, crying kids, sleepy people who put their head on your shoulder, and occasionally the lonely people who talk to me. For the most part I am used to the trials and tribulations of bus riding. However, this morning there was a lady who was definitely not with it. She was a mix between a TV Evangelist and a children's entertainer who sings about not doing drugs. I was waiting on Granville street and this lady suddenly says, the air smells like sh"t, those cigarette smokers make the air smell bad" She then starts to sing a song about how cigarette smoke stinks and smells really bad to the tune twinkle twinkle little star. She also says that kids do not believe in Jesus because they lie, have sex, swear and are dingalings. She also went on to say that Jesus loves her cause she does not do any of the above. She got onto the same bus as me and then harassed a poor man claiming that he could not pay for his bus fare because he spent his money on cigarettes. She was at the front of the bus and he was at the back, but that did not deter her she continued to yell at him. She entertained us with another cigarette song and at one point was so moved by her convictions that cigarettes are bad that she burst into tears.

I do not think I have ever heard a bus so silent in my life. We all smiled uncomfortably to ourselves but I could tell that everyone thought she was nuts. She got off the bus but not before telling us that Jesus does not love us because we are dingalings.

I am not sure her anti-smoking campaign is working...I think it is a better deterrent for kids to stay off drugs so you don't fry your brain.

The bus never ceases to bring interesting people into my life,

World Cup

I love my job, because it allows me to take a 2 hour lunch break to watch the World Cup. We went to the SFU pub to watch Italy play Ghana. (Italy 2:o)

I have never been a huge football fan, yes I called it footy..thanks to my brit friends, until I caught the World Cup fever in Japan 4 years ago. It was so exciting to be in the thick of it. I remember creating English Lessons around football players.
I like this game, very exciting, plus soccer players have nice legs. Ichiro and Nakata two of my most fav. Japanese men.

Go Japan go!!

I am so cute....you can't help but hug and kiss me

See, everyone in our family loves shoes....it is genetic


Micah Bunny.....she laughs, she eats, she poops, and smiles.

Singing in the Rain

I do not think there is a part on my body that is not soaking wet. It is monsooning out there tonight. I finished pottery class and I usually walk home but tonight it was raining so hard that from the pottery studio to the bus I got soaked. I normally do not carry an umbrella cause I am a west coast girl and am used to the rain. However, it was raining so hard today that it rained through my coat, my jeans, and my shirt. Luckily I had flip flops on today or else......

I did meet a nice man at the bus stop and we chatted about living in Kits and growing up in Chilliwack.....

Copacobana

I would like to introduce everyone to a new edition to my little family of toys...I got my new laptop today and I have decided to name her Lola....yes Lola....yes, I also know that I am too old to name inanimate objects but I just cannot help it, I have a bike called Gracie, a guitar named Kaiya and a computer named Lola

I am indeed a bit wacky...

My computer is fab, 15 inch screen, Pentium M, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I cannot remember...but it works like a charm and I am now connected to the world on my very own piece of technology.

This is a big purchase for me and I am so far still trying to test out the waters

Random Thoughts for today

1. I love the sunshine and the fact that I do not have to wear shoes and socks, yeah for flip flops and birkies
2. Flexibility in a job is great, ie you want to leave at 3pm cause you need to get groceries
3. It is cheaper not to eat, food is expensive
4. Parents will do almost anything for their kids, even when they are 28
5. I adore my nieces and nephew, I miss them when I don't see them and love hearing my nephew on the phone
6. eating ice cream instead of going for a run is bad
7. trying to meet nice boys in Vancouver is near impossible
8. and when you meet a nice boy, who you think you will have beautiful kids with, relying on a third party to hook you guys up is near impossible....(frustrating)
9. Parents and family will always ask you why you are not dating someone....(see point 5 and 6)
10. I hate coming home to a messy house....(groan, messy brother bah!!)
11. I love the dishwasher
12. I love my independance and don't ever want to lose that again even if it means living with a messy brother
13. spending $150 on an super duper sonic care electric toothbrush on the recommendation of the dentist is okay as long as it prevents your gums from receeding
14. It is okay to be scared about going back to gradshool, you just wish they would make a decision about whether you can go part-time or not
15. When a friend asks you to help her move, you help her move even though you hate moving cause you adore your friend
16. Purple highlights fade to a yucky orange brown after 8 months, time for new highlights
17. Self-proclaimed detox is still detox when you have a max of two drinks
18. I do not like being woken up by a telephone call in the morning
19. I love music and could not imagine a world without it
20. It has been a very long time since I have driven a car

Thursday Afternoon Blues.

It is 3:30pm on a Thursday afternoon and I cannot seem to concentrate on work. Today has been one of those non-work days, which means I spent the better part of the morning checking email and surfing the internet. Some of it was work related but mostly it was not. I know it is very bad seeing how I work for the government and I am perpetuating the stereotype but some days all you want to do is to do nothing. I guess today is one of those days.

I am tempted to go to the gym for a little while and kill some more time but my energy level is low and all I want to do is to find a place and go for a nap. Too bad my boss is still here or else I would crawl under my desk and sleep.

Anyways, all is well in my world. I am looking forward to the warmer weather. I have already broken out the sandals and gone sans socks a few times. I hate shoes and socks and cannot wait for it to get warm enough so that I can wear sandals all the time.
Yeah for summer!!!!!

I played some beach volleyball last weekend, it was sunny out but not all that warm. I was freezing and the sand was blowing everywhere. When I got home there was sand in my ears, my mouth, my hair and in my shorts. It was fun despite the cold and it also made me realize just how slow I have gotten in my old age. The joints just do not move and bend as fast as they used to.

Post-Easter report

The Easter Bunny did not stop at my house this year and drop off chocolate. Not sure why he did not visit. It could be because he heard rumours that I had been naughty, which are entirely untrue...well okay, I have been a bit naughty, but still my actions did not warrant the lack of chocolate. Oh well, considering how much other unhealthy food I ate this weekend, the chocolate was not missed. I had two Easter dinners this weekend. One with friends and one with family. I am a sucker for desserts and could not resist the yummy goodness of pies and cakes.

I even contributed to my own downfall by making two lemon meringue pies. My sister special requested pie and cause I was in charge of dessert for our family dinner I took on the challenge. I must admit during the baking process there were moments where I thought I would burn the lemon filling and I had to have 2 tries in getting the meringue to form soft peaks. This was my first time making pies and I think it worked out okay. However, if anyone ask I will deny that I enjoyed it and will stand by my proclamation that I cannot cook and bake.....

Hopefully, the Easter Bunny did not skip your house.

Pirate's life for me


I was talking to some girls from my pottery class and we were discussing the very intellectual subject of what is your pirate name...well it is

My pirate name is:

Iron Charity Bonney

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You can be a little bit unpredictable, but a pirate's life is far from full of certainties, so that fits in pretty well. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Break through

I finally did it!!! I linked my turns for snowboarding. Finally, it happened. Last Thurs. night I finally decided that I was going to committ and do it and not let my fear stop me. So, I decided not to think about it and just did it. So, I did up my bindings, squared my shoulders, took a deep breath, kept my weight directly over my board, put pressure on my front foot, shifted my hips forward, leaned back and made my first turn from my heel side to front side....I did it, that is until I leaned too much forward and caught and edge and went down. For the brief moment I made the turn and was feeling proud until I went down and hit the snow. Luckily, it was fresh powder and it was soft to hit. I have been practicing and subsequently have linked my turns, still not stellar but getting better. This is a mini triumph for me and fear of committment...well at least when it comes to snowboarding...Committment is a whole different story when it comes to other aspects in my life.

My three little munchkins

What is going on?


I have once again been neglectful of my blog. In all honesty, it has not been a priority for me at all. Obviously, my mind is elsewhere. Mostly, very focused on work and getting these projects off and running before I go back to school. I am actually very happy with work and everything I am doing. I have been pretty involved in the planning of a 2 major meetings, one focused on bringing together researchers we have funded to discuss their science and the other on increasing capacity in the areas of obesity research. It is nice to be so involved and have feedback on what is going on. In addition to those meetings, I am also working on 2 major funding initiatives that I have written and will help administer. Work is hectic but going well.

As for my real life, things are good. Most of my activities are going well, volleyball is fun, pottery is shaping out to be really interesting, snowboarding okay, guitar non-existent, and French class a bit overwhelming. So, beyond guitar and snowboarding all is great. However, I am determined to master the two.

What else is going on? My birthday was great; my friends blindfolded me and took me to the spa. I was really surprised and it was so relaxing. I think it was one of the best birthdays yet. My friends actually cared enough to plan it and keep it a secret. I thought we were going snowshoeing but when I finally could see it was the spa I was in shock. It was so incredible. Then the following weekend we went to Big White. That was fun, albeit the big wipeout took the wind out of my sails for a day or so, but the next morning I was at it again. It was really good snow and the Sunday we had blue skies. I really enjoyed myself.

Officially Old!!!

Today I can no longer honestly tell people I am near my mid-twenties. I am now officially in my late twenties. I was fibbing a bit before when people would ask how old I was, I used to say "oh near my mid twenties"...aiya no more!!! I am old.

I am not sure if at 28 I am any more grown up, I certainly don't act that way but perhaps there is a different level of expectation of me now that I am 28. Certainly my family feels that I should start "settling down", whatever that means!!! 28 to my family seems like an ear mark for life to take root, but I am just not on that path. I have no desire to have babies and buy houses right now, I think I am too busy just enjoying being me. There is another adventure in the horizon and so many places yet for me to travel to.

I would love to share my adventures with someone but until that right person comes along I am content to travel solo. My co-workers jokingly tell me I am a spinster but if being a spinster means I can take a month to travel Europe and not have to worry about responsibilities other than what city to see next then I am happy to be a spinster. Don't fret too much, I want to put down roots and have a family but not before I am ready, perhaps after a stint in Australia and some time in Africa....hmmm...by the time I am 40 should be about right.

As well, thanks to all you folk out there who sent me birthday wishes, it was appreciated and I was touched you remembered.

Hawaii

So, the plans for Europe have been put on hold yet again, a bit sad but definitely for a good reason. My friend from uni, Vesna is getting married in April in Hawaii. I have never been but am excited about being there for this occasion. Hawaii would be a lovely place to get married. I know that it will be beautiful.

I guess, Europe will have to be post-poned again. There is some thought about going in August, but that is prime Tourist season....perhaps it is just not meant to be at this point. I guess I will have to deal with my disappointment about not going to Europe by going parasailing or snorkeling in the blue waters of Hawaii. ;)

Boarding Babes

In an effort to be a more well rounded individual I have been taking a number of different classes and trying to get into different things. There is of course my ongoing struggle with my mushroom fingers and guitar, mastering the clay and showing it who is boss, a return to volleyball, my desire to become more worldy-French lessons, and finally my efforts to channel the edgier boarder in me. The latter being the most painful I have decided.

I bought snowboarding equipement a few months ago because I figured that it would incentive to go up and learn. Who knew I was so uncoordinated, well actually I knew that but the bunny hill beat it into me yesterday, just extra emphasis that I am not very coordinated. Every muscle in my body now aches, and I am sure that there are more aches coming as I try to board on a more regular basis. However, I will not be defeated by the soft white stuff that is not so soft when you are zooming down the mountain and lose your edge. I am going to get good, all it takes is committment as my cute Aussie instructor told me yesterday, of course I smiled back and said yes, you are totally right, while in my mind I was thinking.."I have fear of committment", I hate the C word. Oh well, I have to learn to deal with committment in some form and this might be the first step in conquering it.

So, wish me good luck and pray that my bones are not as brittle as I think they are. Feel your fear and do it anyways, go committment!!!!

Blogging

Heya, it has been a while since I have written a blog, beyond the announcement of my new niece. I guess it is because I have been busy but probably because I have been lazy.

So, what is going on in the Wacky World of Char, well I have decided to keep myself very busy. I have a schedule that is jam packed, playing volleyball, doing pottery, snowboarding and learning how to parle francais. So that ties up every weeknight except Tuesdays. Tuesdays was suppose to be self learning guitar, so far that is not going so well, darn these mushroom fingers and lack of musical talent.

I figure that this is a great time to be doing all this stuff cause once I start gradschool in Sept. I will have no time for anything but sleeping, studying and working. I am almost looking forward to going back to school, not entirely sure if I am excited about it, but not dreading it. It is about time I start a new chapter in my life.

However, before I head back I would like to have one last adventure. I am thinking about doing a trip to Europe this spring, London, Paris, and Prague. Three places I have always wanted to go to. Paris in the Spring, it will be lovely...perhaps even meet that dashing European man who will sweep me off my feet. Well, that or try to mug me.

Other than a full plate and visions of springtime in Paris and Prague I have been recuping from way to much festivities over the holidays. It seems that I have been at one social function or another since the beginning of Dec. I think it will all come to an end once we get past Chinese New Year, Jan. 29th. Finally, no more food.

Just also want to say thanks to you faithful readers of this blog. The postings are not always so entertaining but I am glad that there are a few of you who keep reading.

More babies

My sister Christine had her baby on Dec. 28 at 3:00pm and I am now a proud aunt to another baby girl, Kiyah Rylee Cho. She is adorable and a beautiful addition to our family. I cannot believe that we have another little baby in our family. Time goes by so fast and my nephew will be 2 in a few weeks. Sometimes thinking about it makes me feel old and then my nephew does something silly and I am right there acting silly with him and he makes me feel like a kid again. I adore those kids.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.......

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.