on sticky note reminders

during class today (yes, during class... i am an awesome student)... i made a list of things to do... for today and the rest of term... and man. it was a bit overwhelming.

there is so much to do... but i decided, no matter how extensive this list was, i had to keep these things in mind:

oh sticky notes how i love thee

on mondays

i usually hate mondays.

the definition of monday (literally) is the moons day... and in russian, the term used for monday was the 'day after holiday'.

and that's what i feel. every monday comes around and i feel like i need a new beginning - i need a day to 'get my affairs into order', set my life straight again.

after a fun weekend (the nature of weekends are that they are fun), i need the time to re-adjust into my reality. it always kinda sucks, like waking up from a good dream.

but order is good. i realize i've started to look forward to my monday nights. Aside from the fact that Gossip Girl, Big Bang Theory, How I met your Mother, House and Heroes (though i only watch this last one on occasion) all air on mondays, i've really come to enjoy this 'reset' button i get every week.

- reflect on goals on what i need to do
- think about what is due and start working on it
- pay my bills/sort out my financials
- think about groceries i want to buy
- plan my next weekend

i like new starts. a fresh page. a re-shuffling to get things back into a way that i like. so it's only natural i'm growing to like mondays. (i know it's argued that sundays are the first day of the week... and in many aspects it is, but, i've ironically seemed to have chosen monday to be *MY* reset button)

i am an anomaly, cuz seriously, who the heck likes mondays? To be fair, i still strongly dislike monday mornings. but... monday nights? they're cool. hello week! here i come.

on doing things my way

i realize that i have a very systematic, and... almost eccentric way of doing things. For the most part, things end up alright. in the END i'm thorough. in the END it pulls together. but sometimes, the journey is just messy... and people looking on think i'm a bit crazy.

my summer job ended with a ridiculously quick switch over where i had to hand off a lot of my things to a new co-op in a one day switchover. As the term was ending, i realized that though things ran relatively smoothly while i was there, the way i went about doing a lot of things was not exactly the best - i.e. the order in which i did things, or my organizational skills etc.

i also found out today, that something that could've been done to make the process more thorough, i didn't do, just because i was so pressed for time. it was frustrating for me to sit down and listen to my successor tell me what i neglected and how he was doing my job better than me. what he doesn't know is how much politics there were over the summer, how fast paced things were then, how long it took me to establish what i even handed to him. i kept telling myself... well if i had been there longer, if i wasn't in a rush, i would've done it! but to him, my discombobulated way of doing things was wrong, and that was his solution for fixing it.

and as much humility it takes me to admit it - their way might be better... might be more efficient. and that's what gets me. i WANT to do it my way, because i think i'm right. i want to do it my way because it makes me feel better, smarter, superior. i want to do it my way because it means i'm RIGHT. but i am not always right. i am not always the best.

i think i'm so used to doing things on my own, in my own way that i FORGET that other people don't understand. i FORGET that some things... i CAN'T do on my own, and the way i'm going about things... well people can't help me. people can't follow me through my process because it doesn't make sense to them. to them i'm back tracking, then moving forward, then back tracking then jumping 10 steps ahead. my mind in non-linear and it shows.

but i need to realize that... just as people have to accept how i think, and how i need to do things my way... that other people have their way too.

weekend - please don't end

weekend highlights (in chronological order)
location: toronto --> hamilton --> burlington --> hamilton
- catching the GObus RIGHT before it left
- napping while the rain fell on bus's tin roof (not sure if it was 'tin'... )
- catching up
- homemade mac 'n cheese _ RIBENA!
- talk of foot diseases (okay, not such a HIGHLIGHT, but... it was interesting!)
- how to lose a guy in 10 days
- more catching up
- webcam photos
- night out for the first time this [school] year
- NO COVER!
- cute bouncer
- sweet home alabama
- 3am fries with st.louis dipping sauce
- more catching up
- not just noodles lunch
- barrie meets hamilton!
- more catching up
- Spice Avenue + Green Curry
- Coconut + Mango Ice cream (and a banana chip)
- folding 'lilies'
- a clear night after the rain
- view of Hamilton from the escarpment
- 'is that a stadium?'... 'no... that's a no frills'
- pitcher of Rickards Red
- "Fay Hung Kay"
- shadow puppets
- lying on a carpet and just laughing about everything
- a good night sleep
- pumpkin spice lattes
- new pair of boots!
- shopping
- boy talk
- more shopping
- demetre's
- more catching up and getting over the itis
- 'love story meets viva la vida' while writing
- finishing my first paper of my second degree! - "why do i want to be a nurse?"

good friends. good times.
next weekend: thanksgiving - waterloo

on being a snob

when you look at things from one perspective, with a certain set of eyes, or 'glasses' if you will, everything can be spun to look one way.

at mac i am OLD
though this fact may indeed be true... does it really make a difference? i've been in hamilton for a solid week now and i've spent most of it stuck in the mentality and perspective that i'm old. that i am not a frosh. in attending the ccf, when people asked me if i was a frosh, i laughed and quickly corrected them - no, i'm not. i've ALREADY gotten a degree. i went to waterloo. i am far superior to you

i think looking at everything from these glasses has sort of put up a barrier for people who may just want to get to know me. shield them because in my own way, i'm saying, i've got my own friends, i don't need anymore. May way of saying, i'm older, more mature than you, and you have nothing to offer me that i don't already have. i have in a weird twisted way become a sort of snob, who is overly proud, to the point where when i look at others, i look down on them.

in my gtalk conversations, the fact came up - don't be a snob joanna. i scoffed and brushed it off. it's not that i think i'm better, it's the fact i AM older, and i can't be that juvenile anymore, and there's just this separation in understanding between the-.... wait. what did i say?

i've always had my share of younger friends. being in waterloo, especially my last term, i spent a bit of time with frosh friends, 2nd years, 3rd years, 4th years... and though sometimes, yes, i realized it was my age that was bringing up the average age... but it never bothered me. I always believed, you could learn something from everyone. who cares about difference in age. yet, when i arrived at mcmaster, all i've been seeing is the world through age-tinted glasses.

so, ask me again - i dare you. Am i frosh?
why yes! yes i am. and i'm ready for my first year at mac.



note: this is not to be confused with age-delusion. in this new mindset, it's not that i believe that i am any younger than i am, but being comfortable enough with that fact that - who cares? i'm still glad to meet you, age gap or not.

on being stubborn

i have a headache
my stomach is grumbling
it's getting cold
everyone is leaving

but i refuse to leave my seat in the library at mac... because i have no contact with the outside world at 'home'

being alone at home isn't that bad - why am i avoiding it?
man i need to suck it up and just adapt -_-

first day of 'real' class tomorrow. deep breaths. here i go

on taking blood

scene: 5 year old joanna in a blood lab, eyes tearing, sitting on mom's lap
mom: you need to hold still or the needle will hurt MORE!
little joanna: WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
*nurse pokes in needle*
little joanna is crying and shaking uncontrollably now
mom: JUST.HOLD.STILL!!!!!
*end scene*


scene: ~10 year old joanna in a blood lab, getting blood tested after being really really sick
nurse: we're going to take this much (holds up bottle) blood from you okay?
*sticks in needle, blood starts to drain out... nurse leaves the room*
joanna: ooouuuuuch that hurt... and hey... look... my blood is coming out of my a...... *passes out*
*end scene*

scene: 23 year old joanna in occupational health nurse office, getting immunizations checked for nursing
nurse: looks like we're going to have to take some blood to make sure you're immune to everything.
joanna: okay
nurse gathers supplies, and pokes joanna (while she is watching) with a needle, takes the blood. joanna leaves.
*end scene*


sometimes it's hard to see on the surface that you've grown. but then suddenly onions don't taste so bad, tofu has become a choice food, and even taking blood is no longer a big ordeal... you see that there IS growth. i'm growing up. maybe not exactly the way, the speed or HOW i want... but there is improvement and change - and that to me is growth.

i can safely say i've grown out of the fat little chubby kid that first went to westvale for my first day of kindergarten, and would only speak chinese with jasmine because we were BFF. outgrown the nerdy little skinny kid entering Centennial for the first time, excited to see what lockers were about. matured from the (still) nerdy girl that entered WCI thinking it was my 'big chance' at independence. changed from the naive girl that walked through the doors of REV South A to begin my 'life'.

i've somehow changed into this person i am today. there are parts from my past self that i wish i still was - open, curious, creative... but then i realize that i needed to evolve. needed to be harder, needed to be more grounded, to be less whimsical. life's tough stuff.... but it's how we come out of the experiences that shapes and grows us.

so here i am, ready to start at another school. this time, no best friend in the next room. no pre-set of friends. on my own. and i gotta take it as it comes. no crying, no passing out. just go.

on making the effort

this term has been a term of hiding and not trying.

it's pretty bad falling into this complacent state where i prefer to come home and hermit and make my own dinners and eat grapes (partially because i'm trying to save money). but there are moments where i make my entrance into the world and really try to mingle with people and pull myself out of this depressive state.

but sometimes i can't help but stay in this slump, where i lack the motivation in general to push forward and try to accomplish something new... maybe not something new, but even just to work towards a goal.

i think things like deadlines, they help. it's pretty much an external force driving me when my internal force of motivation has failed. but i think predominantly the reason i've been avoiding people is because i know that when i face people, i have to face all the missed deadlines, all the missed opportunities, the skipped efforts, all that. i know that all of those things will come back to haunt me because people remind me of the things i should've done if it weren't for my laziness, tiredness, apathy.

sometimes it's easy for me to lose patience with people because i feel like all they want is me to do stuff for them. my boss is only teaching me this so that i can finish this other for them. my friends are only encouraging me to learn because they need me to help them out. i get semi annoyed at everyone who are pushing me to do things, not for my own sake, but for THEIR sake. i think that makes me frustrated... and 'turns me off' from doing what they ask me to - simply because, well... they asked me to.

but really... i know people mean well. they are encouraging me, teaching me, pushing me... because they want to SEE me become the person i say that i want to be.

so here's to change, to growth, to pushing forward. here's to accountability and watching out for each other.

a tale of two sisters

once upon a time there lived two sisters. they were heading to the younger sister's apartment for the night so they could have a good night of rest before a long day of work and travelling the next day.

unfortunately, there was only one bed available at the apartment, and it wasn't big enough to fit the two of them. the younger sister insisted that the older sister sleep in the bed because she was well older, and the older sister would be traveling all day so it would make sense for her to sleep comfortably in a bed. She also felt as though it was appropriate as the host to offer up the more comfortable sleeping location to the guest.

the older sister being stubborn refused and stole a blanket and fell asleep on the floor.

the younger sister being stubborn as well decided to sleep on the couch in spite of her sister. she figured if her sister woke up she would move to the bed.




in the end, because the two sisters were too stubborn, the bed was left empty.

.the end.

On summer days :)

hair down, wind blowing
shoes off, warm breeze
eyes closed, bus driver blaring country tunes
relaxed
it finally feels like summer

Sent from my iPod

on bad habits

So I've developed a bad habit of falling asleep while chatting to people around 10pm.... Then waking up at 3am because I had left the light on.

Sent from my iPod

on bad luck spells

they say that bad things happen in 3s. a few weeks ago, bad things started, happening, so i counted them, hoping after 3, it'd be followed by 3 good things. that's how it's supposed to work right?

- at FMP I misplaced my dad's car keys
- my Mastercard stopped working
- i started losing massive amounts of hair (like tooons)
- i worked almost 12 hour work days
- my days at work started beginning at 6am and getting home at 8pm
- my (mom's) laptop died
- i got rejected from some grad schools that i really wanted
- i am slowly going broke because i spent a ridiculous (like... REALLY HIGH AMOUNTS) amount of money in May

and the list kept going... and going... and going.

so it's not my fault that i haven't been blogging. i blame it all on the bad luck spell. whoever said that bad things happen in threes... well - there's 7 there. i guess that's three sets of three bad things... almost?

not to be looking on the dark and emo, I'm sureood things are always interspersed with the bad:
-my sister got engaged! :)
- i got new glasses (at FMP where i lost my dad's keys -_-)
- i got a new phone (though i found out that it won't let me read texts while i'm on a call -_-... though it SENDS texts...?)
- discovering that the reason why my mastercard stopped working would explain the reason my VISA stopped working like a year ago. WHICH! means i can reactivate my VISA again toooo yayyyy
- eating cheap wings with laura followed by a cheap (relatively... though not free!) movie night: UP :)
- weddings :)
- we won our first softball game of the season :)
- i got in (and finally accepted) mcmaster Nursing accelerated program for Sept 09
- i signed a lease on a new place to live starting in fall (in Hamilton)
- after realizing i am slowly going broke making a budget... and... err sort of sticking to it - making only cheap purchases - (i.e. 20$ cleats!!! :D)
- i am convocating in 2 days - i got a degree :)
- being disconnected from the world isn't bad. it's forced me to turn to things like books, phone, in-person meets.

perhaps my bad luck has turned. so for every bad thing... wow i have 11 good things listed. I guess my life doesn't suck after all

the climb

I can almost see it
That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Every step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose,
Ain't about how fast I get there,
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb (yeah)

Keep on moving
Keep climbing
Keep the faith baby
It's all about
It's all about
The climb
Keep the faith
Keep your faith

on the ugly duckling donut

I was standing in clinic waiting to see someone about my study, and i overhear the following exchange of words between a mother and her 6 or 7 year old daughter...

Mom: (holding a Tim Horton's bag that looked like it still had a lump of something in it)... so you see, you chose the beautiful pretty looking donut, and it was so gross you didn't want to finish it. When you really should've listened to me. I got a really ugly looking donut, but I knew the inside was delicious... I mean it was amazing, melt in your mouth, amazing!!

* the little girl was giggling throughout*

Mom: ... listen this is an important lesson! Do you remember on the parent trap? Meredith was really pretty on the outside, but she was so MEAN and HIDEOUS on the inside! This is an important life lesson! I hope you remember this when you are choosing a boy...
little girl: okay mommy.... *giggles some more*

the little girl was like 7... or 8... or 9 TOPS...
anyway... apparently the story of the ugly duckling... or these life lessons can be taught through a donut... you can never start to early i suppose...

on taking the leap

Lily: "You're like that goat with the washcloth. You want it so bad and every time the world tries to take it away from you, you keep grabbing it.
But... you know, it's just a washcloth. Why do you even want it?
Ted: because... I... I have to be an architect. That's... that's the plan.
Lily: screw the plan! I planned on being a famous artist, Marshall planned on being an environmental lawyer, Robyn planned on being a tv reporter-
Robyn: uh.. Hey i AM a tv reporter! i'm on every morning at 4am
Lily: is that still on? oh! Good for you!
Robyn: somebody watch it please.
Lily: Barney planned on being a violinist - don't tell me things!
You can't design your life like a building - it doesn't work that way. You just have to live it... and it'll design itself.
Ted: So i should just do nothing?
Lily: No... listen to what the world is telling you to do... and take the leap.

. how i met your mother. season 4 finale. the leap.

on settling

what happens when everything you hoped for, planned for in life leaves you high and dry, flat on your face?

You have a backup plan. Something you won't be dissatisfied with. enjoyable even. but this is the point you ask yourself - is that good enough? am i willing to settle?

overwhelmed - just breathe

on the lack of motivation

have you ever looked at a task so daunting that you don't know where to begin... and you just want to give up before you've even started?

i've recently been playing pokemon (yes i'm quite lame =P) on my way to work, because it passes the time and is relatively mindless. But as the end of the game approaches and I have to go face the elite four/defeat team galactica/capture the rare pokemon... i just suddenly got really unmotivated to finish the game. I haven't touched it for a week.

i'm not sure what sort of instinct i have in me that i just want to give up once the tasks get too big, or the chance of failure is really high. At work, i'm involved in numerous projects in which there's a lot to do... and i don't know where to start, so sometimes i sit there and twiddle my thumbs - not because i don't know how to do it... or don't have anything to do - the task is simply so large that i feel like i'm drowning before i begin.

It reminds me of this time my sister decided to come in and clean my room. She said 'the best strategy is to dump everything off your shelves onto the floor and start from scratch'. She proceeded to do this, and after she was done, i had a pile of junk up to my knees. We sorted through for awhile, and soon after we just called it a day, because after hours of sorting, we still had barely made a dent. Once we started doing one thing, we realized we needed to do something else in order to finish that first thing we started. It seemed like we started from the wrong place, and therefore leave a trail of unfinished tasks.

i'm not used to feeling overwhelmed. i like to believe i'm the type that rises to a challenge and, no matter what, finds a way to conquer it. but as i look on these little details in my life, i realize that i really am just a coward running away when things get too hard.

... and the ugly green-eyed monster rears it's head again. After being dormant for so long, it's hard to know what to do when he shows his face unexpectedly; me, unaware...

One Afternoon, I am complaining about the confusion of my age, what is expected of me versus what I want for myself.
"Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" he says.
The tension of opposites?
"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."
Sounds like a wrestling match, I say.
"A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."
So which side wins, I ask?
"Which side wins?"
He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
"Love wins. Love always wins"

age of marriage

so i have an exam in a few hours that i don't want to be studying for. I was really bored and decided to take the 'what age will you get married' quiz... this is my result

When will you get married

Created by pterodash

Your Result

At the age of 21.

.i am turning 23 in a few weeks. i am not married yet.

it's march.
where did the time go?

brand new day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97df0Q5qxa8

Some kind of magic
Happens late at night
When the moon smiles down on me
And bathes me in it’s light

I fell asleep beneath you
In the tall blades of grass
When I woke the world was new
I never had to ask

It’s a brand new day
The sun is shinning
It’s a brand new day
For the first time
In such a long long time
I know
I’ll be ok

Most kind of stories
Save the best part for last
Most stories have a hero who finds
You make your past your past
Ya you make your past your past

It’s a brand new day
The sun is shinning
It’s a brand new day
For the first time
In such a long long time
I know
I’ll be ok

This cycle never ends
Gotta fall in order to mend

And it’s a brand new day
It’s a brand new day
For the first time
Inn such a long long time
I know
I’ll be ok

on msn conversations

i used to think i was awesome at msn conversations. There was something about being on msn (or any sort of online conversation medium) that made it easier for me to talk. I was able to verbalize myself well... and could stay up until 2am, 3 am , 4 am etc. just chatting. Something about msn was liberating. i could be myself with no regard and just talk for hours and hours... and it was fun. people would be like 'you're so different online than you are in person! you're a lot more outgoing, not as afraid to speak your mind'.

so i hung onto this belief that I was amazing at msn conversations. It wasn't until recently i learned that i've apparently come to suck at talking online.
I give one word answers. I ':p' ':)' ':(' 'aww....' 'yea...' all the time... and frequently the conversation always just end because... well because how do you respond to 'oh that's cool!' or 'aww... that sucks' or just ': )'

Upon talking to a friend about my seeming 'lack of interest' online, i realized that... what came so naturally before, the whole act of being myself and just speaking my mind and having good conversations has somehow slipped from my fingertips. May it be because my life has suddenly become a lot more boring... or i've drifted from my friends... or i just have lost the social skills, my msn skills just... well they stink. So my friend suggested a few rules to abide by when chatting online- so i'm not so frustrating to talk to online. Here they are:

1) an easy way to indicate interest in someone's answer is to ask a follow up question about something they said in their answer
2) general rule of thumb... the amount of text a person types to you should be roughly the same amount as what you reply with
3) when someone says A and B, respond to both A and B

When you don't have enough time to obey these rules in a conversation, it is better to not start the conversation at all (i.e. pretend you are not there when they message you) than to carry on in a half-hearted manner.

So, if i no longer answer your messages on msn, you know why.

.wise words.

-sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too-even when you are in the dark. Even when you're falling. -

-So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning. -

-The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.-


.Tuesdays with morrie.

On funny eating habits

So after two 'normal' days of eating 'breakfast' (if eating a slice of toast with peanut butter is considered breakfast!!) in my rush this morning I forgot to grab a slice.
Didn't really think it was a problem- I don't USUALLY eat breakfast... This is no different right? Wrong.

I got to work and about 10:30 rolled along and I was ready for lunch... I witheld my hunger until maybe 11:30 then just pulled out my sandwich for a quick bite. I ate the whole thing in like 5 minutes.

So I thought it wasn't too bad... It was noon-is anyway!!

Then around 3 my stomach started grumbling again... And by 3:30 I thought my stomach was going to eat itself so I bought a box of pad sew from Thai express and INHALED it

Now.. It's 7pm and apparently my stomach needs more food... So i eat some cereal... Talk about a backwards day.

on achieving big things

i was working at a pediatric clinic the other day and one family came in - a mother with two daughters - one who was about 1.5 years old, the other about 4.5. The older daughter desperately had to pee, but the mother, had her hands full with the younger daughter and couldn't take her.
so i volunteered to take her to the washroom which was just down the hall. The mother gratefully accepted and me and this 4 year old ventured into the tiny (no stall) bathroom.

the conversation went as follows:
little girl stands there a little awkward
me: i'm going to give you some privacy. I'll turn around and just let me know when you're done okay?
little girl looks at me funny, then laughs
little girl: i think it's okay for mommies and daddies and doctors to watch me when i pee
myself still not that comfortable, turns around and just let her do her thing

she thought i was a DOCTOR
at least this little girl believes i can achieve greatness. *sigh* i need to make a list

on chocolate cravings

so the past two weeks (and a bit) our house has been snack free.
i've eaten a steady 2 meals per day, colourful, and with all the food groups.
i've been drinking milk and taking vitamin supplements
i even went to the gym a couple times... okay so i went once, but still

esther and i have sworn off junk food from our apartment for the purpose of stopping ourselves from pigging out when we want to

but when you have a chocolate craving... like a real craving - you just can't resist

i'm allowed at least one indulgence per term. it's a rule

on being 'you'

i was bored at work and i was browsing through people's old blogs, and i came across 'special k' . one of her friends posted a comment that i just absolutely love.

"You know, you've had 20 years, of 24/7 experience being yourself. That's over 174720 hrs of experience at something, and so that makes you an expert on you. And so, that is why you are great and should be yourself, because you've perfected the art of being [you]. So be happy, that's a great accomplishment."

i love that.

on cooking

being away from home makes me really sad that i can't cook very well. It's led to lots of experiments with cooking, and trying to replicate some of the stuff i remember eating at home.

i LOVE leen goh (or 'shanghai nian gao') and WHENEVER we go out to a shanghai place, i ALWAYS order it, because i know that i can't make it. BUT! today, i made an attempt. And everything seemed to go wrong - i soaked the stuff for like 2 days and it STILL didn't get soft, i added too much pepper, after mixing everything together, it didn't have enough sauce... just all these things and i was so disappointed.

But after waiting a few minutes with the lid on, and letting the steam work... it WORKED! somehow the sauce thickened, i had added sugar to balance out the pepper, the steam softened the rice cake... and voila! it worked!!!

and somehow it just tastes so good - because i made it myself =)

on coming to terms with the past

Say goodbye, say goodbye to the way I was before
Say hello, say hello to a new way
I was lost, but I found what I was looking for
Waking up, waking up to a new day
A new day

I was sleeping in a twisted dream
Dying just to make believe
A pretty situation was far from where I was

But I’m not up for giving up
Lying down and out of luck
My mistakes are in the open and know I’m finally coming clean

.A New Day - Tamar.
(http://myspace.com/tamarmusic)
- jasy posted her singing 'apologize' and recently discovered 'a new day' which is currently on repeat on my ipod-

sometimes it's easy to 'forget' the path and the mistakes that have lead me to where i am at this moment. It's really easy to 'make believe' a pretty situation to make me feel better about myself. I've screwed up so many times, and i think as a way of protecting myself, i paint a pretty picture to tell myself that i'm not all bad. That there were outside forces 'pushing' me to do things, and therefore that's why i made mistakes - not because *I* did anything wrong. Don't put the blame on me.

but then the harsh reality, that regardless of whether outside forces denoted my actions, or whether it was purely me - they were still my mistakes - no justifications. It makes me confused as to how many of my memories of my past are tainted with 'prideful' innuendos - ones that make me seem more innocent than i was in certain incidences, or other ones that shelter me from past hurts.

i'm finally coming clean. Say goodbye, say goodbye to the way I was before.

I refuse to give my future to my past.

one step at a time

Call it guilty pleasure, but enjoying my Jordin Sparks :)

It's been a theme for awhile now - sometimes i just want opportunities to leap out at me - in an instant i'll get what i want.

But i'm constantly being reminded that maybe taking things slowly allows me to understand why things are happening - and appreciate it that much more.


"One Step At A Time"
Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can't touch

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting
We live and we learn to take

[Chorus:]
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you always wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
when you need to find the strength
It's the faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time

indulgence

don't judge me -

a girl is allowed to indulge once in awhile right?? :)

things i learned while trying to get my G

- patience
- take your time
- failure is just an opportunity to try again, and next time, own it
- people in red cars really are more aggressive
- look both ways (always)
- just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there
- when you argue for your weakness, the weakness is yours
- always try and think about things from another person's perspective

FINALLY G'd =)

.failure.

as everyone re-enters the blogging bandwagon... the emergence of so many people's thoughts on the internet have spurred me to start thinking about my own things. Start thinking about things that i refused to think about during exams because, well it was exams. Things i stopped myself from pondering post-exams because well- that was my summer! But now, with no excuses, I am re-entering the closet of thoughts and sorting through to try and remember the things that were so pertinent in my mind when i was trying to cram biology into my head.

so amidst all the hustle and bustle of living in toronto... it's given me adequate time to simply just... think.

I've been reading a lot of people's blogs on new beginnings, and 'fresh starts' for summer.
Unlike most people (or so it seems) this first week has been a challenging one.

Failure is not something I (or anyone else i'm sure) take a liking to. It's hard enough admitting to yourself that you're not good enough for something... but to have someone else tell you that... whether it's through a really bad final, or just through straight plan out words... it hurts.

It's one thing to not prepare for something and not do well, but after sinking hours of time into prepping, and just... not making the bar... it just pulled me back into a deep feeling of inadequacy.

But, today, when i opened the 'care package' my parents prepared for me... i pulled out a 'special' item.

very simple - a water bottle with Jeremiah 29:11 written on it - "For I know the Plans i have for you, declares the Lord"

it was a simple reminder. This whole week, i had an agenda. my whole life i have an agenda. And i wanted life to unfold in the way that i had planned. I would love to say that i'm not the type to mope and can see the bigger picture after failure... but i'm not. But this reminder... that there's a bigger picture... and that maybe failure is a part of it... is holding me together.

just re-learning to trust

sometimes there's something that you know is true... but just.... don't really want to believe.... but then once you actually hear it from someone, there's no hiding from it anymore.

and then there's that gut-wrenching pain where the reality of the situation hits you like a wave, and leaves you flat on your back and completely breathless. You're lying there wondering why, this has to be true.

It's like waking up from a dream relieved and thinking, it's only a dream, only to come to the realization it's not, and all you want to do is go back to sleep and pretend that reality doesn't exist anymore.

but the thing is, it does.
and all you can do is rub your eyes, and stretch.
then smile.

my wish for you

as grad dinner came to a close, i don't think it really hit me that some of these people are leaving.
i think my initial hope for the night was just that these people, these people who mean so much to me will feel appreciated - just as they should be. Not necessarily because they've made huge world changes... but because of the things they've done to slowly help shape MY life, and how they've encouraged me to grow and become who i am throughout the past 4 years i've been here.

there's a lot that i could say... after listening to countless grad interviews, pouring over the many pictures and endless memories.... but i will leave the grads with this song... and it truly is, my wish for you. (i know i've coped out the past couple blogs and just posted song lyrics... but... sometimes a song just says it so much better)

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
and each road leads you where you wanna go,
and if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
if it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile.
But more than anything, more than anything...

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but you never forget,
all the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,and you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
and always give more than you take.
But More than anything, yeah, more than anything...

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
and while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish. Yeah.

so small

jasy introduced to me this song awhile back... and i just can't stop listening to it


What you got if you ain't got love
The kind that you just want to give away
It's ok to open up
Go ahead and let the light shine through
I know it's hard on a rainy day
You wanna shut the world out and just be left alone
But don't run out on your faith

Cause sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
And when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small

It's so easy to get lost inside
A problem that seems so big at the time
It's like a river that's so wide it swallows you whole
While you're sitting around thinking about what you can't change
And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
You better make it count cause you can't get it back

Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing
Is just a grain of sand
And what you've been out there searching for forever
Is in your hands
Oh, and when you figure out love is all that matters after all
It sure makes everything else seem
So small

standing

i still remember the feeling when i first started skating again after not skating for so long. I remember i kept telling myself that it was easy, that I used to be able to do this. But as i put my foot on the ice, my ankle started wobbling and i quickly withdrew my foot so i could tie my skate tighter, or i could grab an extra pair of gloves, any silly excuse to prevent me from falling flat on my face, and embarassing myself, because i told people that i already knew how to skate.

but eventually, i had to try again, and after enough tightenings and grabbing missed pieces of equipment i just had to do it. I had to walk on to that ice and -- fall.

Getting back up on the ice when you're just not sure on your feet, it's hard. I felt like staying down... and i really believed that if people came to my aid and held my hands and pulled me up would help keep me standing. Using my hockey stick as a crutch, it was easy to just rely on it when i skated. My third leg to keep me standing.

But then I fall again. Even with all the support. Even with all my crutches, i just fall. And it's so discouraging because I thought that these things, these people are supposed to keep me up, keep me standing.

I think i do that a lot with my life. There's so many people and so many things that i hold onto, and i use as a crutch because i don't trust my own ankles to hold me up. I'm afraid to fall on my own, for fear of not being able to get up by myself . Because i'm constantly leaning on other people, i am beginning to forget what it's like to stand on my own two feet. It's not that other people aren't great. That things aren't great. They are. But maybe they're not so great if i feel like i'm crippled without them.

i don't remember how long it took me, but i do remember going to a freeskate, with no one i knew around me and just getting onto the ice and just going. I did fall. But i got back up. No hockey stick, no people to help me. And i remember thinking "hey, this isn't so hard. Maybe i can do this on my own". Since then every fall is less of a disappointment. Every time i get on the ice i have more confidence.

I want to be able to look at myself and say the same thing. "...hey, life isn't so hard. maybe i have what it takes to keep standing..."

i hate the sinking feeling i get when i am reminded that i am not good enough, not worthy of something, may it be a job, a relationship, a course, anything.

i hate the feeling because it's this idea that i feel that i am defeated, that i am starting to believe that who i am is not good enough to be something. And that my self worth is dependent on what another person thinks. That in order to get what i want, i need to be something different than who i am.

the sinking feeling always settles in and i wallow in my own self pity because i think that's the only thing i can do as such a defeated creature.

but lately... though these sinking feelings still settle in, within a few minutes they disappear, because somehow, even though the pressure is still there, i can slowly begin to find self assurance that hey, who i am is not perfect, but i'm working to change it. If my friends, or an employer or professor cannot recognize my slow climb to improve... then i can't do anything more about it. I am trying to change. If they choose not to see that, and if who i am is not good enough, then... i cannot convince them otherwise. the only thing i CAN do is believe that who i am is okay. That where i'm headed is the right direction for ME.

"God made me and God doesn't make mistakes"

Oh heart of mine, why must you stray?
From one so fair you run away
And one more time you have to pay
The heaviness of needless shame

Oh heart of mine, come back home
You've been too long out on your own
And He's been there all along
Watching for you down the road

So come home running
His arms are open wide
His name is Jesus
He understands
He is the answer
You are looking for
So come home running
Just as you are

Oh child of God so dearly loved
And ransomed by the Savior's blood
And called by name, "daughter" and "son"
Wrapped in the robe of righteousness

... break out the cheese...

i'm sitting at an almost empty SLC 3rd floor study room... feeling slightly unhappy.

too many things to think about...

but i proceed to open my lunch, and i remember that my dad gave me grapes. i have a few... they're not that great. Open my bagel with ham... and several slices of Brie Cheese.

I then get the best idea ever. If cheese and wine tastes so good....


Grapes + cheese = fusion of flavour. I now understand how remy must've felt when he mixed flavours with all the swirly lines and stuff.



When life gives you sour grapes... break out the cheese.
Maybe it's not about what you're given... but what you choose to do with it.

Friends

so as people are declaring they are going to give up MSN/Gchat/Facebook for lent.. i'm thinking about the thing that sucks up the most of my time... and i've discovered what it is.

Friends.

no, not real life friends. I'm talking about Chandler, Joey, Phoebe, Monica, Rachel and Ross. These 6 have occupied my time and attention a little bit every day, and i feel, that it's adding up. They are too demanding. And i can't stop myself. I think I'm addicted.

for those who know me, they know i am obsessed with this show... and even for those that know me, you may not know that i watch this show every day. On my computer. and it plays on the background as i go to sleep.

so, i've officially decided to give up Friends for lent

Left my fear by the side of the road
Hear You speak
Won't let go
Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray

Got every reason to be here again
Father's love that draws me in
And all my eyes wanna see is a glimpse of You

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is you Lord

One more day and it's not the same
Your spirit calls my heart to sing
Drawn to the voice of my Saviour once again
Where would my soul be without Your Son
Gave His life to save the earth
Rest in the thought that You're watching over me

All I need is You
All I need is You Lord
Is You Lord

....

You found me
When no one else was lookin'
How did you know just where I would be?
Yeah, you broke through
All of my confusion
The ups and the downs
And you still didn't leave
I guess that you saw what nobody could see
You found me

(taken from All i Need is You - Hillsongs United and You found me - Kelly Clarkson)

2 starbucks coffees + 2 best friends = 4 hours of chatting



sometimes, all you need is starbucks and a good friend to make everything else (including time -_-) disappear

integrity

I remember having many conversations on this topic in first year... what (would) make me a person on integrity? what do i have to change in order to be someone that has integrity?

After the William's ordeal, my parents had stories on stories that they told that show how much the new people seemed to hate on my parents. In my own head i was wracking my brain trying to figure out what we could maybe do to make amends, to try and make them not so angry at us. It's my nature to do something like that. I am a people pleaser. If anyone doesn't like me, i can't stand it. But then i realized something. My search for integrity had reached its first stepping stone.

There's a common quote that says: "integrity is who you are, how you act when no one is watching". Though i've heard it many times, its never really meant anything to me until that moment. It's not just the idea of what you do when you're alone in your room. It's what would you do if there was no one else in the world who paid attention to you.

In my world, where what people think matter SO much, i think i would've done ANYTHING to change the mind of these people; that our family was a good family who ran a good business for 10 years. But as i came to the slow realization that doing anything doesn't make me have integrity. It makes me someone who is willing to even do the wrong thing to make someone like me, think highly of me. What people choose to think of us, I have no control over. It's as simple as that.

In the end, i told my parents "don't worry... in the end, no matter what they think of us, it doesn't matter. If we can look back on this ordeal and KNOW we did the right thing, did it with as much humility, and as much grace as we could muster, then whatever they think, that is their misconception, not our wrongdoing."

Still after telling my parents that, i haven't been able to grasp that concept in my own life. I still parade around living for other people, acting like i would to ensure that people would like me for what i do. It's gotten to the point where i've allowed myself to be a puppet; the puppeteers are my peers and my family, because i LET them be. I hang onto their every word, do what everyone tells me to do because i don't want to step on any toes. In a sense, i don't think there would be much of 'me' that would exist without the presence of other people.

You can tell who a person is, by who they have as their 'enemies'. What happens with a person who doesn't really have any enemies? Living a life where you have no enemies, doesn't it just show there's nothing that you're PASSIONATE enough for that you would try and fight for it? Doesn't it show that you are a pushover and are willing to adapt anyone's beliefs to your own just so they don't dislike you/think you're weird?

*snap out of it. I want to be a person of integrity.

'all-you-can-eat'

For the past two months i believe i have been to an 'all-you-can-eat place at least...10 times. In the coming week alone, i will be going to two places, last week i went THREE times.

The thing about all you can eat, is that i always completely stuff myself. Why? because you always have to eat your 'money's worth'.

Oddly enough, i'd think that eating so many buffets would stretch my stomach making me someone that is harder to feed. But it hasn't changed anything. It's like something in my head 'clicks' when i go to a buffet, and i am just 'able' to eat a lot. I went to hot pot on saturday and i was NOT full! even after everyone else at my table was done, I was still not full!! same with sushi dinner last week. i think that i helped people polish off all their orders and STILL by the end of the night i could go home and eat ice cream. But today for lunch, i was SO FULL i could not finish my bowl of congee (ONE bowl!)

this is my theory: I'm weird. Either that, or by the end of the Christmas season (and this term) i will have gained 50 lbs.

tomorrow Ye's, Friday King's buffet *yum*

the helpless hero

ever since i was a kid, i had a tendency to have dreams where i was always the hero. The hero that saved a girl from drowning, the hero that made sure a town did not get buried in an avalanche, the hero that sacrificed their own life so that their friends wouldn't die.

but as suddenly as i was the hero, i was the victim. I became the person that people rushed to the hospital to save the life of, i was the one that would clutch my friends hands and tell them not to worry about me and to save their own lives

it's all a bit ridiculous. i remember in each of those dreams, it was always a struggle to determine whether i wanted to drop from the hero to the damsel in distress, or become one of those rugged heroes that could always walk out of any act of heroism unharmed.

it's a tiresome chore, floating back and forth between being a hero and being someone who needed someone to take care of them. It was very easy to see where the dreams come from.

In my life, it's always been a struggle to choose whether to stay strong and push through trials and come out the hero of all situations, the hero of my life. To be the invincible warrior who made it through all that stuff and lived to talk about it. But then there's always the little part of me that loves being cared about... being hurt so that i had scar to show for all the stuff i go through. And in desiring that care, i no longer am the hero that can make it through anything, but am the helpless hero, who parades as invincible but secretly is just longing for someone to save me from life...

perhaps what the dreams are telling me is that being a hero is not as glorifying as i think; that its impossible to go through life without tripping and falling once in awhile needing someone's help. That somewhere between hero and victim is where i will find myself and be fulfilled. I don't need to save the world. i don't need to be on my deathbed. that to be me, just me, neither extra-ordinary or under-ordinary... that being just plain old me, would help me live a much less tiresome life

"run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up"
- dean karnazes, runner

note to self: .NEVER. GIVE.UP.

frustrated

when you pour time and effort into something sometimes you hope to reap rewards. or not necessarily rewards... but response.

Sometimes i need reassurance telling me that i'm not doing something wrong, or that i'm not some complete idiot. Maybe that makes me insecure... and i guess maybe that's what i am.

but a lot of the time, i never get that response... i feel as though all that time and effort was wasted. what's the point? Things can run on their own, what is my role, my impact at all?

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
~Galatians 6:9-10~

why is it so hard?
i'm just so frustrated there's so many more things that i can commit my time and effort to... why can't i just give up?

i can't wait until i can climb into a hole and just sleep... and forget about everyone else

i was watching full house the other day.... and one of the episodes i watched was talking about DJ's first boyfriend... and... and he only 'dated' her because he could get help with his homework, and in the end, choosing to sit with cathy santoni because she's "pretty".... DJ then proceeded to hide in her room crying....

the three guys (danny, uncle jesse and joey) try to tell DJ the story of the 'ugly duckling' and it made DJ even MORE upset because 'she never thought she was ugly, she thought she was just not as pretty... and NOW she's ugly!!!'... becky (uncle jesse's soon-to be wife) annnd yells at the boys and tells them to go away, and says she'll talk to DJ herself...

so she does. one of the things she said her mom said to her was something along the lines of... "don't worry what anyone thinks of you... you just be the best becky you can be... then she made me stand and list all the good things about me..."

every since i've been young i think there is an incredible urge to compare myself to other people. Everyone else seemed better and it was such a struggle for me to determine what *i* was best at.

i think watching that episode reminded me that... there's a reason to why i am the way i am. no matter how great the next person is, or how much 'better'... i'm me for a reason, and all i can do is be the best 'joanna' i can be...




but sometimes i wonder is the best joanna is good enough...?

"little black book"

the first time i watched this movie i hated it. like HATED it. thought it was retarded a huge waste of my time. i did however enjoy the fact that *spoiler alert* that the 'girl' didn't get her 'prince' at the end, but it was still a 'happy' ending.

But... some 4 years later (or so) i watch this movie again and though still not the 'best' movie i've seen (far from it)... but some of the things they say really resonate in me, and i just needed to write them down:

I believe we write our own stories. And each time we think we know the end...           
... we don't.
Perhaps luck exists somewhere between...the world of planning, the world of chance...
and in the peace that comes from knowing...that you just can't know it all.
You know, life's funny that way. Once you let go of the wheel, you might end up...
... right where you belong.

Bean: John Lennon said, "Life happens when you're busy making other plans."
Stacy:  Then he got shot.
Bean: Right.You just gotta live.
Stop planning your moves.
Let them happen. I mean, you might be surprised.

Life... happens. When time flies by, because you're so busy planning everything. You're so positive that your happy ending is supposed to happen in a specific way at a specific time with a specific person/specific people. You expect certain things to happen to you because that's how you imagined your happy ending in a particular way/form. But in the end... its when you let go of the wheel, and you just LIVE, and you stop planning everything... that you might be surprised where you end up, and that's where you TRULY find your 'happy ending'.

How does a girl fall down a rabbit hole, plummeting into chaos...come out the other end unchanged?
the answer? She doesn't.

My life is OBVIOUSLY not that dramatic. But how can you go through life and NOT change?
When your life falls into what APPEARS to be chaos, how can you not come out the other end looking at everything differently?

break

sometimes its just necessary to take a break from things and just... set aside the things that you worry about, that you need to do, that you just can't stop thinking about.

for me, i think i find it very difficult to find a "break". i can never seem to grasp the concept of letting go of something. The thought is constantly plaguing my mind, and its as if there's nothing i can do about it, except wallow until finally the pervasive thought leaves my mind (which is usually not for a long time)

but oddly, yesterday when i think this 'break' was necessary, it came... easily.

sports have often been my release. Whether it was rugby in high school, hockey earlier in my university career, or softball this summer... it has always been a time where i can take my frustrations out on an item and not physically cause [too much] damage to another human being.

This summer, softball has been a Godsend. it allowed me much time away from my lonely apartment to spend weekends with many familiar faces. It helped remind me that i was not old enough to learn a new sport, and continue to improve in it... it allowed me to meet new friends and see old ones that i haven't seen for a long time...

and last night, spending one last night with this group of people reminded me that God didn't leave me "high and dry" with no way to exert my frustrations. That for me, there WAS escape, even when i didn't realize it. That there was always a way of letting things go..... just like in most sports... you screw up one play... you can't let that one play screw up the whole game. Sure, you miss a popfly... but so what? catch the next one (and make it look good)
you have to let GO of things... and you can't think short term.... you can't give in to one thing that could potentially ruin your entire game.

as i stare out my window i continue to wonder where this term has gone... and why i didn't enjoy some things, like softball as much as i should've :)

funny... lately things have been going a bit crazy ever since i stopped playing softball... the whole beginning of the summer was so relaxing and chill... then once the season ended chaos ensued.
maybe its a sign that i need to quit school and go into sports full time or something... for the sake of my sanity

chicken salad sandwich

so the building i work in is in a bunch of buildings with cafeterias scattered among some of the high rises.
for the first 3 months of my work term here i've been going to the cafeteria that was closer... their food there is okay, and is pretty cheap (i can get a soup and salad for... 4$?) so when i didn't bring a lunch i would go there.
lately i've been afraid to go there because the man there is quite scary. He's done things like feel my coworkers biceps, introduce me to his son (yes he is that old) then check me out... all in all he's a nice man, just a few creepy tendencies.

aside from this, this cafe sold BAD TURKEY BREAST to my coworker about two weeks ago. I'm sure it was an accident, and maybe was just a BIT different tasting, but none the less, it tasted weird in her tiny sandwich. She ended up having a lettuce tomato sandwich.

So... just last week, i decided to try the OTHER cafeteria in our set of buildings... "sweet rosie's".
I just about DIED
the decor on that side was so nice. it was like a fancy cafe with nice couches, it was clean and it was just... a very nice looking place.
I decided to order the 'chicken salad sandwich' because i had heard good things.
let me explain to you this sandwich:
it is made with two pieces of fresh, homemade bread.
FRESH, HOMEMADE bread.
these slices are lightly buttered and spread with mayo. Topped off with some lettuce about 3 tomatoes with pepper sprinkled on top. The lettuce is not soggy and does not soak into the bread. It makes the sandwich taste "crisp" just as lettuce should
the chicken salad is made with REAL CHICKEN. thick squares of juicy chicken breast marinated with something yummy and mixed with mayonnaise... not to mention they put.... like SIX scoops of chicken salad. its massive.

presentation is important too. the sandwich is cut from corner to corner into triangles.

all this for 4$ how can you go wrong?

printer woes

for the entire day today (and part of yesterday) our printer in the office wasn't working. this poses a problem because we print thousands and thousands of pages of documents, pictures, reports, maps, emails, tickets, receipts every single day.

and the entire day today, we couldn't get it to work.

so about 5 minutes ago, my coworker calls one of the guys and says:
"i know its not your problem, but our printer is broken and we don't know what to do. we took it apart yesterday and it still doesn't work."

meanwhile, i am walking over to the printer determined to fix the printer after all its stupidity.
i pull out the print cartridge and the paper tray. nope nothing stuck. check the light again and the stupid orange light was still there. i finally get fed up and turn off the printer.
a second later i turn it back on, and the orange light is gone.
i ask my coworker to try to print something... and lo and behold... it worked!!

arms raised i yell "i'm a genuis" then proceed back to my seat, my coworkers amazed at my geniusness.

we tried to call back the guy that was supposed to come help us, but his line was busy. we figure, it's okay we'll call him later with the news of my awesome control over technology.

finally we reach him. "... i'll come over and formally fix your printer later. pretty much what happened was your wires were crossed and the printing was feeding over to our printers over here so that's why you never got your print outs. i'll come over later to check...."

i'm hiding behind the back of my chair trying not to laugh at my own stupidity :P

tech guy = 1 Joanna = 0

Christmas in July

so there's a custom around the office and at 8:30 every morning they make a pot of coffee (tim hortons, van houtte. whatever is around) and then same thing around 2pm.
Problem: i hate the taste of coffee.
oddity: i love the smell of coffee grinds. So when my co worker cracked open the can of van houtte grinds, i stole it and smelt it for a good 10 minutes.

anyway... today a new co-worker introduced me to chai tea. i told her that i'm not a coffee person, that i like tea better. so today she brought in packets of chai tea and earl grey tea... and me being so adventurous i had my VERY first cup of chai tea.

it tastes like christmas my coworker said.
annnd she was right.

chai tea... tastes like Christmas.

bloody jeans!

There are no "hitch" characters in real life who swoop in to save a girl when they are being hit on by a guy who is way to persistent to be comfortable with.

A considerably older man sat beside on the subway this morning. Okay, not CONSIDERABLY older; he told me he had just graduated from UWO, but he DRESSED old enough to be my father.

Anyhow, the subway was fairly empty and as i sat down at a three seated bench, i usually didn't have to worry about people sitting next to me until bloor station. That's how subway rides usually go. People like their personal space, and so usually if there are multiple empty seats you never CHOOSE to sit beside someone.
But when i got to about college station, this man sits beside me. noisily, might i add. i glance up from my metro and i see him rearranging his lunch box. Opening it, taking a bite then stuffing it back into his bag. His elbow nearly hit me. I refrained from comment, it is none of my business; if anything it was a good note to remind me that that is something i shouldn't do on the subway... pull out my ricebox and eat from it while nearly elbowing my neighbour.

i continued to read from my metro, and i see him glancing over at my newspaper. maybe he wants to see what page i'm on. He opened his metro and read, his elbow jutting out a little bit into my seat, but i figured, hey, no big deal, i can squish. by about york mills station, his elbow was halfway across my seat, i couldn't open my newspaper even if i wanted to. I figured, York mills, i'm getting off soon anyway. i close my newspaper. Bad idea.

he turned and asked what time it was, i reply. he asked if they fixed the train tracks at laurence (which they did). He commented on how the trip is so much faster. he asked me if i'm from toronto, where i studied, what kind of work i'm in, where i'm working. in turn replying his own questions with his own answers. me, trying to be polite answered the questions with as little detail as possible making no eye contact. I'm stupid and naive.

he says "i get off at finch". i say, "i get off at the next stop". He answers: "can i contact you". I say "no". then get up. THANK GOD i transfer. i don't work that close to sheppard/yonge.

i'm standing at the door, and i glance at my chair to see if i've left anything (a custom, though i shouldn't have done it this time!)... "are you busy tonight?" YES. he returns to his metro, arms folded nicely at his side. so he CAN keep his elbows to himself. And then it hit me. he stuck out his elbow so i would close my metro so i would talk to him. wow.

then another man starts talking to me randomly on the way to my bus. i wonder if i have a sign that says "hit on me please!" on my forehead. and i try contemplating what is DIFFERENT about today.

Then i remember. its casual day at work and i'm wearing jeans. must be the jeans.

internet praise

i decided to send an e-card to a friend to day.
upon receiving the "the person has opened your e-card" email, this was the first line:
...
Hello!

someone@gmail.com has viewed your Hallmark E-Card. You’re very thoughtful for sending one.

...
why thank you hallmark, i think i'll do it again sometime

When it rains, it pours.

I was talking to kat yesterday, and she was asking me how long it takes me to get to work:
(disclaimer: conversation edited a bit, it was late, I can’t remember exact contents of what was said)
Me: ummm 40 minutes or an hour
Kat: oh! Why the wide range?
Me: its not really a range. I either get there in 40 minutes … or an hour
Kat:….
Me: pretty much if I miss one subway I miss the one that I need to switch to AND I miss the bus. So on good days, I’ll catch them all *bam, bam, bam*… other days I wait like 5 minutes for each. It stinks…

I’ve come to realize that when it rains, it pours. Once one bad thing happens, everything happens concurrently making one situation 10x worse than it usually is just because everything sucks around you.

Good days, are generally just good. There aren’t very many obstacles that get in the way of a good day.

Yesterday was one of those good days. I rolled out of bed@ 7:15 made it out of the apartment by 7:30 and to the office by 8:15 (okay, so 45 minutes including walking to the subway station and walking from the bus station to work :P) and was sitting at my computer ready to attack the day. Subways/buses were there waiting for me when I got the respective stations… it was great.
This morning it wasn’t great. I left my house @ 7:31. that ONE MINUTE made me slightly late for work. That ONE MINUTE was the difference between making it here at 8:15 and making it here at 8:35. here I am, NOT ready to attack the day, incredibly sore throat with mild headache. I am grumpy.

Not to mention it’s a beautiful day outside but they recommend we stay inside cuz of a SMOG alert. Not to mention it’s FREEZING in my office. Not to mention… okay things don’t suck that badly, I’m just grumpy.

When it rains, it pours.

This morning i discovered how big of a problem i had.

so i decided to take annato's advice and "watch people" on the subway to help my commute pass by faster. As people were exiting the subway, i began to "watch" people, watch how they pushed and shoved to get out of the subway as fast as possible, to RUN down to the lower level to catch the next subway. but then, i got bored, and my eyes dropped. very low.
and there is where i discovered my problem. I found something down there that caught my eye.

shoes. as each person stepped out of the subway car, i stared intently at their shoes scrutinizing whether i should get a pair like it or not. Whether i HAD a pair like that or not. Whether they would look good on my feet, whether they looked good on THEIR feet. i found myself wanting to shop and buy NEW shoes (even though i definitely have MORE than enough)

*sigh* I am Joanna Wu and i am addicted to... shoes.

subway etiquette

within my first couple of days in toronto i've learned several things in which i realized were essential to my stay in toronto. The most important i have encountered is the idea of subway etiquette.

Upon my arrival at work, i began to commute from work with my coworker. On our first trip back , he commented on the poor performance of my ttc-ing skills: otherwise known as my lack of subway etiquette.

Why is this important?
Subway etiquette is important to help in the efficiency in transporting you from one place to another. The knowledge of subway etiquette will help you travel from one point to another in the quickest way possible, and help avoid conflict or other forms of potential trouble.

My first mistake as a rookie ttc-er, was in my anxiousness to board the subway, i stood in a place which slightly obstructed the door in which the numerous amounts of impatient commuters were waiting to come out. As the door opened, the packed subway emptied onto the platform, and do to my partial obstruction, there was a narrower exit for the many people to come pouring out. This forced many of the people exiting to push and shove one another to squeeze out of the even smaller opening. My obstruction even caused a few angry ttc-ers to run into me and give me a look of disgust. In subway etiquette it is important to remember to let passengers exit before barging onto the subway. This will allow for a fully unobstructed door, and will deter dirty looks being thrown your way.

Second, i stood on the left side of the escalator. It is a well known fact (especially if you are from the big city) that this is very inappropriate. Much like a road, the left 'lane' acts as a 'passing' lane. Such as with the road, drivers will honk at you if you drive too slowly in the passing lane, and if you don't pick up speed, will try and manoeuvre around you. This increases the chance of a potential accident (with all the weaving). Likewise with the escalator. If you choose to stand on the lefthand side, commuters may choose to try and manoeuvre around you weaving from left to right and then back. This is a potential hazard as it increases the chance for someone to trip and knock into someone, or even fall down the escalator. Therefore, according to subway etiquette, if you choose to ride the escalator up (or down), please remember to stand on the right side of the escalator

The third, was not a mistake of etiquette i made on my own, but rather was one i observed this morning with my coworker. This mistake made an ordinarily composed young businessman to lose his composure temporarily and caused me to step back onto my coworkers toes. When departing from a bus from the back doors, take note to listen for a 'click' before trying to push the door open. failure to wait for the click (or at least see a green light turn on) to push will cause the door to lock and make a loud buzzing noise. I am told this is a safety mechanism. Nonetheless, blocks the one door and causes chaos as exit is only possible from one door instead of two. In order for the door to unlock, the buzzing needs to stop and the bus driver to reset it. But, if you are like the gentleman this morning and keeps pushing on the door, the busdriver is unable to reset because the buzzing will persist. This chain of events caused the man to back up in anger and impatience onto my foot, which caused me to step on my coworkers. Therefore, when exiting a bus from the back doors, subway (or ttc) etiquette says to wait for the click.

as my travels continue on the ttc i will hopefully to make more notes of subway etiquette, but as for now, i hope that i have enlightened you to become just a little bit more courteous when you choose to "ride the rocket"

see #24

According to Google maps, this is the quickest way to get to Paris, France from New york, New York:

1. Head southeast on Chambers St toward Broadway
0.2 mi 1 min
2. Turn right at Centre St
0.1 mi
3. Slight left at Park Row
210 ft
4. Sharp left at Frankfort St
0.3 mi 1 min
5. Turn left at Pearl St
56 ft
6. Turn right onto the F.D.R. Dr N ramp
0.4 mi 1 min
7. Merge onto FDR Dr N
7.7 mi 12 mins
8. Take exit 17 on the left for Triboro Bridge/Grand Central Pkwy toward I-278/Bruckner Expy
0.4 mi 2 mins
9. Merge onto Triborough Bridge
Partial toll road 0.4 mi 1 min
10. Merge onto I-278 E via the ramp to I-87 N/Bronx/Upstate N Y/New England
0.6 mi 1 min
11. Take exit 47 to merge onto Bruckner Expy/I-278 E toward New Haven
1.9 mi 2 mins
12. Take the I-278 E exit toward New Haven
0.3 mi
13. Merge onto Bruckner Expy
5.0 mi 6 mins
14. Continue on I-95 N
Partial toll road Entering Connecticut
62.1 mi 1 hour 12 mins
15. Take exit 48 on the left to merge onto I-91 N toward Hartford
36.8 mi 37 mins
16. Take exit 29 for US-5 N/CT-15 toward I-84/E Hartford/Boston
0.4 mi
17. Merge onto CT-15 N
1.7 mi 2 mins
18. Merge onto I-84 E
Partial toll road Entering Massachusetts
40.7 mi 38 mins
19. Take the exit onto I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike toward N.H.-Maine/Boston
Partial toll road 56.0 mi 56 mins
20. Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy
0.4 mi 1 min
21. Merge onto Atlantic Ave
0.8 mi 3 mins
22. Turn right at Central St
0.1 mi
23. Turn right at Long Wharf
0.1 mi
24. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean
3,462 mi 29 days 0 hours
25. Slight right at E05
0.5 mi 2 mins
26. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban
0.1 mi
27. Turn right at E05
Partial toll road 17.3 mi 22 mins
28. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A131/E05 heading to A131/Rouen/Paris/Evreux
Partial toll road 9.1 mi 8 mins
29. Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie
Partial toll road 20.3 mi 17 mins
30. Take the exit onto A13/E05/L'Autoroute de Normandie
Partial toll road 56.5 mi 47 mins
31. Take the exit on the left onto A14 toward Nanterre/La Défense
Partial toll road 12.5 mi 16 mins
32. Slight right at N13
1.4 mi 3 mins
33. Turn right at Avenue de Neuilly/N13
269 ft
34. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Avenue de la Grande Armée
0.7 mi 3 mins
35. At Place Charles de Gaulle, take the 5th exit onto Avenue des Champs-Elysées
1.3 mi 3 mins
36. Slight right at Voie Georges Pompidou
1.4 mi 3 mins
37. Slight left to stay on Voie Georges Pompidou
440 ft
38. Slight right at Quai de la Mégisserie
377 ft
39. Continue on Quai de Gesvres
0.2 mi 1 min
40. Turn left at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville

*disclamier... i'm NOT trying to sound profound by quoting or discussing this quote. I simply posted it up here because i encountered it while reading one of my 10 books for the summer, and it really spoke to ME*

There is, in a word nothing comfortable about the Bible-- Until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves... Have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it? Have we ceased to fight it? Then perhaps our reading is no longer serious. For most people, the understanding of the Bible is, and should be a stuggle: not merely to find meanings that can be looked up in books of reference, but to come to terms personally with the stark scandal and contradiction in the Bible itself... Let us not be too sure we know the Bible just because we have learned to to be astonished at it, just because we have learned not to have a problem with it... -- Thomas Merton

this really made me think. it made me realize that sometimes i struggle to read the bible, and maybe that's a GOOD thing. not that i give up, but that i'm not "abnormal" for not always "getting" everything that i read in the bible. Sometimes i think that's what holds me back. i just don't get things like everyone else seems to. I can't look at a passage and be like "I feel God is speaking to me..." sometimes it takes me TIME, and it takes a lot of effort to see God speaking to me through the word. But maybe its good that i don't just take it for what its worth and just stop asking questions. Maybe the idea is that you SHOULD take the time and mull over a passage. to sit and question what you're reading, to think about what applicational aspects it has to your life, and what purpose does it serve in your relationship with God, AT THIS MOMENT...

Reading this quote this morning on the subway really encouraged me to keep TRYING to read the Bible...

back from reality

so after a long break, i'm back.

after much contemplation, i've decided to give my blog another chance to fulfill a purpose in my life. A chance to get my creative juices going, to maintain a place in my life which does not need to be controlled by reality. just a corner in which i can overdramatize my life, where i can simplify everything just to make me feel better. this is just for me.

and it IS me.
no inhibitions.
me, straight up.
No 'on the rocks' business