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.