Okay, so here's the thing. I was literally unable to blog on this thing for so long because all I wanted to do was gush. See, the thing is, Nathan revealed to me about a month ago that he wanted to marry me. Now, this was not the official proposal - more like a 'it's gonna happen... eventually' sort of deal. Which, guys, I have to say, really plays on a girl's mind. Because we are the type to start fantasizing about the big day and here we are without a ring on our fingers yet. We like to count our chickens before they hatched. It's a thing.
So, every time I wanted to type on this, the real topic that was floating around in my brain was 'it's going to happen, and I am going to plan a great wedding.' But I couldn't TELL you all this, because it wasn't official yet and who knew when he would seriously pop the question.
But last night, we went out for our dating anniversary dinner. Well, it was more the anniversary of me moving out here. We had started as a 'couple' before then but lemme tell ya, long-distance dating? Not easy. Tons of issues with distance. Tons.
Anyways, it's been a thing that we would do- celebrate me having moved out here and starting the relationship for real. The year before he took me to the restaurant at the top of the observation tower in Vancouver - it gave us a stunning view, as the whole dinning area rotates around the tower so you get a 360 view of the city. And at night, when the lights go on and the sun goes down, it's spectacular. I really love this city.
This year, he took me to Seasons in the Park, which is located within Queen Elizabeth park. Nothing but royalty for me, so says my mother, anyways. And by this time, the edginess I had been feeling with every date I had with Nate after his lil matrimonial confession had popped up again. When he had first mentioned this fact, every time I saw him afterwards I was freaking out in my head - is today the day? Will he propose today? But that date would end ring-less so I started thinking it wouldn't happen anytime too soon. But several days ago I got an email from Nate's mom talking about dress shopping. You know, for THE DRESS. This made me think. Then, Sunday (the day before the big dinner), his mom invited me over for dinner as some family members were over from out of town. And his mother knows, I am good at reading vibes and silent signals. In fact, she is the one who pointed that little gift out to me. And here she was, sending out GIANT signals. Needless to say, the freaking out was back.
So I got all dressed up (I wore a skirt, that's a big deal for me, I never wear skirts) and met him for dinner. He drove us there early, so we could walk around the park before dinner. I thought nothing of it, because typically, you see the guy doing this sort of thing in the restaurant, in front of people (hello, free celebratory drinks!) so I was totally casual. We went into the Bloedel Floral Conservatory and enjoyed their 'scavenger hunt' to spot out various plants and birds (I had seen the gift shop from the outside and claimed we HAD to go in) and then afterwards wandered the park a bit. It had stopped raining, which was nice, so we enjoyed the views afforded to us (though even still, my shoes were soaked).
And then.. he started getting weird. Not creepy or anything, just... different. He was always looking around, not so much to enjoy the scenery so much as to scope out a spot. And he had us move along once other people started walking up to where we were. It was odd, so I got all jittery. Then he started talking about our relationship and I was thinking to myself, ohhh man, he never does that! And why is he constantly fiddling with his jacket pocket? We were in an area with some benches, but I was ready to move on and he shook his head, no, we aren't going yet. He mentioned how it sucked that the benches were still all damp from the rain (haha... benches..) but I waved that comment aside and sat myself down on one that was hardly damp at all, thankyouverymuch. Then he went ahead and pulled out the item he was playing with in his jacket - a ring box. He got down on one knee and asked me to be his bride. I said yes, of course!!! And then I proceeded to cry tears of joy. He laughed as he had to guide me back to the car so I could change my shoes (I brought pretty ones along but they were not meant for strolls, but perfect for fancy dinners) and then I finally looked at the ring. It was perfectly 'me', a thin white gold band with three small diamonds running across it. I never wear jewelry, so this one wouldn't feel too awkward on my finger.
Oh, right, then we had to eat!
Starting my own tradition, I had duck again this year (I had duck the year before as well). It was delicious! Nate chose the halibut, which had a wonderful, light flavor. My duck was done two ways - I had a piece that was rotisserie-style and a strip that was done in hoisin sauce, medium rare and so yummy. I called my mom while we waited for the food arrived and she shouted out in joy and I gave her permission to brag as much as she wanted, FINALLY. Oh and did I mention that apparently Nate had called my dad up the day before and asked for his blessing? How sweet is that???
As this was a fancy restaurant, the portions weren't large (though I still thought I had quite a bit on my plate) and we just ate slowly, enjoying every bite and casually chatting about our future wedding. We have decided on early October 2012. A fall theme. It will be very DIY and I will post about the planning process right here on this blog! How fantastic is that??
We drove home first to his parents so they could gush and his mother could finally let out all her joy and excitement, and then I was finally brought back to my place so I could gush to my roomie Jennifer about my evening, change my relationship status on FaceBook and crash in bed.
Okay, that's it for now. I have work tonight, so it'll be fun to brag to my coworkers about the new ring. I will have to remember to actually work though..
Melody <3
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
You asked, I answer!
Well, I have to honestly say I love to write - but I've gotten to a point where I cannot freely express what's on my mind at this time, and I cannot even let you in on why. It's all about timing, and it's currently not right.
So I asked you through my Facebook page to give me a topic to write on, and the first one is the best one, I should say. Thanks Tak! Something I can write about! And no, I don't do drugs - though recently my dreams have been becoming more and more real, so who knows if the earthquake was truly all in my head or not. I do live in Vancouver, after all, we are prone to quakes around here.
And Francine, yes, I am totally thrilled you are coming to visit me! I do hope you don't mind sleeping on an inflatable mattress as I still don't have a big enough bed - if it's a problem, I will give you the bed to sleep on. I will blog about all this once you have visited, until then all I can say is, yay! You are coming to visit!
I've been thinking about it, and it's a bit of a draw between Halloween and Christmas, purely because of all the good memories attached to both holidays (though Halloween isn't a day off, nor is it in any way a 'holy' day). Halloween has always been tons of fun for me as a child - all the candy, dressing up and did I mention the candy? One year my mom tried to be a bit creative and make my costume - I was really into the Nightmare Before Christmas (Back when it first came out) and so my mom made me a Sally costume. I don't suppose you know this but my mother is not a seamstress, nor has she ever been. She made the wig with a fleece hat and some red felt and the dress itself was made of a fabric somewhat resembling patchwork. She gets an A for effort, but looking back at it, it wasn't very close to a Sally costume. Not that it matters, really, because Halloween in Montreal is usually really cold, so you end up wearing a snowsuit underneath and everyone just looks like the Michelin Man.
I remember also how my mom got the neighborhood kids into trick or treating by giving them some costumes to wear (she had a bad habit of holding onto all of our old costumes, even if they were well past being too small for any of us to wear) which was fun to see, because what kid doesn't like candy and dressing up? Then there was my dad who loved decorating the house and unearthing the Halloween CD from its sleeping place and having the house sound like it was haunted by bad tunes. And pumpkin carving! My dad enjoyed the use of those stencils that makes having a cool jack-o-lantern a breeze. Thinking over all I wrote down, you might think that Halloween was pretty lame for me, but in reality it was one of those nights that we spent together as a family (well, when we were all still small enough to not go out on our own) and I think that is what really made it special. Even the Sally costume.
Running out of time, gotta get ready for work, so I will talk about Christmas next time!
Melody
So I asked you through my Facebook page to give me a topic to write on, and the first one is the best one, I should say. Thanks Tak! Something I can write about! And no, I don't do drugs - though recently my dreams have been becoming more and more real, so who knows if the earthquake was truly all in my head or not. I do live in Vancouver, after all, we are prone to quakes around here.
And Francine, yes, I am totally thrilled you are coming to visit me! I do hope you don't mind sleeping on an inflatable mattress as I still don't have a big enough bed - if it's a problem, I will give you the bed to sleep on. I will blog about all this once you have visited, until then all I can say is, yay! You are coming to visit!
I've been thinking about it, and it's a bit of a draw between Halloween and Christmas, purely because of all the good memories attached to both holidays (though Halloween isn't a day off, nor is it in any way a 'holy' day). Halloween has always been tons of fun for me as a child - all the candy, dressing up and did I mention the candy? One year my mom tried to be a bit creative and make my costume - I was really into the Nightmare Before Christmas (Back when it first came out) and so my mom made me a Sally costume. I don't suppose you know this but my mother is not a seamstress, nor has she ever been. She made the wig with a fleece hat and some red felt and the dress itself was made of a fabric somewhat resembling patchwork. She gets an A for effort, but looking back at it, it wasn't very close to a Sally costume. Not that it matters, really, because Halloween in Montreal is usually really cold, so you end up wearing a snowsuit underneath and everyone just looks like the Michelin Man.
I remember also how my mom got the neighborhood kids into trick or treating by giving them some costumes to wear (she had a bad habit of holding onto all of our old costumes, even if they were well past being too small for any of us to wear) which was fun to see, because what kid doesn't like candy and dressing up? Then there was my dad who loved decorating the house and unearthing the Halloween CD from its sleeping place and having the house sound like it was haunted by bad tunes. And pumpkin carving! My dad enjoyed the use of those stencils that makes having a cool jack-o-lantern a breeze. Thinking over all I wrote down, you might think that Halloween was pretty lame for me, but in reality it was one of those nights that we spent together as a family (well, when we were all still small enough to not go out on our own) and I think that is what really made it special. Even the Sally costume.
Running out of time, gotta get ready for work, so I will talk about Christmas next time!
Melody
Monday, July 4, 2011
The Master of Losing Stuff
Okay. So I went to check my phone and noticed it's not where I expected it to be. After a small search of my room (really, I am fairly tidy and it couldn't of crawled away to a corner like the lizards are prone to do) I realized I lost it. Misplaced it. Whatever. It's not here, okay? Have you ever lost something, like a phone, and suddenly felt its loss like a ton of weight on your chest? All I started thinking was 'now I'm out of contact with... everyone who isn't currently on Facebook. Which in my circle, is most people, because they work normal hours. Unlike me. I sit here writing this on my day off. So I have a whole day to stress about my phone's whereabouts. I'm just praying it's at June and Chuck's house, or else it's at work... if it wasn't stolen, that is. Why someone would want to steal my phone is a real question, because just the other day I unwittingly tested its mettle against a passing car when I dropped it while crossing the street. The back part that covers the battery was run over good and proper, and came out fitting even better than ever. Weird. The rest of it came out with some tough-looking scratches, making it look... refined. Adventurous. Dropped. So if anyone finds a scarred Samsung Gravity, let me know, okay?
What's worse is today is my date night with Nathan, and I am out of contact with him. Best case scenario, he shows up at my door with my phone in hand, the hero of the hour. Worse case scenario he is grumpy, wondering why I didn't answer his texts/phone calls, because he had things to do tonight and therefore will not show up. That would suck. I would be left twiddling some thumbs, wondering where the heck my phone is. It always goes back to the phone, doesn't it?
Another thing I have misplaced - Nathan's camera cord. So all the pictures I took of my latest baking adventures (actually, I only documented the final product) are stuck in the camera until the cord is found. The worse case scenario in this case is it's in storage. Major bummer if that's the case. All that to say I can't show you what my final product looked like, but it was very nice, and tasted super good - a few people had seconds, even though after dinner they claimed to be full. I can show you the recipe though, and what it looked like when someone else made them. I found them through a blog called Bluebonnets & Brownies and they are called Margarita Bars. I've started following a few blogs recently, and they give me a lot of great advice and tempt me with great recipes and craft ideas. You can find a short list of some of those blogs in my profile!
The bars were great, but I changed em up a bit. I did not put food colouring in them, so they did not look unnaturally green like in the image, but in fact were more the pale colour of a real margarita. I also used organic ingredients as much as possible - only the alcohol, limes and powdered sugar were not, simply because I did not find their organic equivalents (though I didn't search for organic tequila and triple sec - does it even exist? Sounds expensive.) The end result was almost too sugary, so if I make them again, and if you are looking to make your own, I suggest upping the lime juice (and maybe increasing the bake time to account for the extra liquid). June said they were like lemon bars, but I didn't use any lemons at all! I might blame the triple sec for that.
The recipe was added to my recipe box, and I'm looking to make something again soon this week. As I am no longer going to school in the fall (many reasons for that, don't freak out!) I am convinced I have to make up for that loss by trying something new at least once a week to gain confidence and skill through practice practice practice. If you have any recommendations let me know! And if you live in the area, just ask and I will give you some of my finished product. Unless it tastes like gross. Then I donate it to the trash can.
I'm thinking of chocolate in my next recipe. And also thinking about my phone, all alone in the world...
Melody
What's worse is today is my date night with Nathan, and I am out of contact with him. Best case scenario, he shows up at my door with my phone in hand, the hero of the hour. Worse case scenario he is grumpy, wondering why I didn't answer his texts/phone calls, because he had things to do tonight and therefore will not show up. That would suck. I would be left twiddling some thumbs, wondering where the heck my phone is. It always goes back to the phone, doesn't it?
Another thing I have misplaced - Nathan's camera cord. So all the pictures I took of my latest baking adventures (actually, I only documented the final product) are stuck in the camera until the cord is found. The worse case scenario in this case is it's in storage. Major bummer if that's the case. All that to say I can't show you what my final product looked like, but it was very nice, and tasted super good - a few people had seconds, even though after dinner they claimed to be full. I can show you the recipe though, and what it looked like when someone else made them. I found them through a blog called Bluebonnets & Brownies and they are called Margarita Bars. I've started following a few blogs recently, and they give me a lot of great advice and tempt me with great recipes and craft ideas. You can find a short list of some of those blogs in my profile!
The bars were great, but I changed em up a bit. I did not put food colouring in them, so they did not look unnaturally green like in the image, but in fact were more the pale colour of a real margarita. I also used organic ingredients as much as possible - only the alcohol, limes and powdered sugar were not, simply because I did not find their organic equivalents (though I didn't search for organic tequila and triple sec - does it even exist? Sounds expensive.) The end result was almost too sugary, so if I make them again, and if you are looking to make your own, I suggest upping the lime juice (and maybe increasing the bake time to account for the extra liquid). June said they were like lemon bars, but I didn't use any lemons at all! I might blame the triple sec for that.
The recipe was added to my recipe box, and I'm looking to make something again soon this week. As I am no longer going to school in the fall (many reasons for that, don't freak out!) I am convinced I have to make up for that loss by trying something new at least once a week to gain confidence and skill through practice practice practice. If you have any recommendations let me know! And if you live in the area, just ask and I will give you some of my finished product. Unless it tastes like gross. Then I donate it to the trash can.
I'm thinking of chocolate in my next recipe. And also thinking about my phone, all alone in the world...
Melody
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Date Night at the beach and other musings
Yesterday I considered to be my 'only' day off this week, as Monday was spent at the company picnic. Nathan texted and then called me up (as I was oblivious to the text) about his company having a small function with a BBQ at the end, and would I like some free food? Of course I like free food. It's the yummiest sort of food. Next to free family food, that is.
So after a long 'how the heck to I get there' session of planning and yes, some whining (I hate taking buses for the first time, I get so disoriented!) I was on my way. The weather was so odd - when I left it was raining (oh darn! I just remembered I left my umbrella in his car last night!!) but when I got there it was very sunny, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
This was my first visit to his workplace, and I felt like it was 'meet the parents' all over again, but this time with coworkers sizing up the girlfriend. I had a few moments of wondering if I would make the grade in their eyes before I looked at Nathan and thought, 'who cares what they think? He loves me and that's what matters most.' I don't have to tell you all how it feels to have a confidence booster like him next to me, do I?
I had to live through their company presentation, with the big boss making a speech. I wanted to bolt from that room, screaming incoherently. Am I the only one who gets serious bad vibes from offices? It's the whole closed space, poor unnatural lighting and the 3 hour long meetings to come up with a simple mission statement. And all the gossip of an office! Jeez, it's enough to make my skin crawl. I told Nathan, later on, that if we were sitting at desks like in school, I'd be banging my head on the one in front of me to drown out the chatter. Was it all worth the free food? I haven't decided yet. At least at my company picnic, I was not expected to listen in, as all the speeches were made in Korean and my coworker Yoo-li filled me in on whatever was important.
Nathan's coworkers were interesting, I cannot say too much on the subject save for one reminded me somewhat of my brother Cenrik in appearance and attitude. I am not saying that is a bad thing, merely this was my impression. Nathan showed me around his work area and I could see why he wouldn't want to do this forever. There is monotony in this profession. But I can see myself making fun centerpieces of the fire extinguisher canisters. What can I say, my brain seems to be wired on wedding-type things. I'm in love. So sue me. Don't really sue me though, as I'm too broke to make any money off of.
When all that was said and done we went to the beach. As the day's rain was far behind us it was in the end a great day to spend by the ocean. We laughed and talked and I reminisced about our first visit there. White rock beach was the first place (after IHOP, of course) Nathan took me on my first trip to BC, back when I was still living in Montreal and we were SL avatars cuddling up in cyberspace. I will simply say that these days he is much more the gentleman, who isn't trying to fit in as much 'private time' as possible before I need to fly back. I am not going anywhere so now its all sweet romance which many of you might disagree with me when I say I much prefer it this way. Ladies, make your men treat you like ladies. It feels way more special.
Anyways, enough of that. We sat there on the beach surrounded by stones and made a game of hitting a log in front of us in such a way as to have the stone bounce over it. After I won at that game we started really admiring all the kinds of rocks to be found on the beach, and Nathan mentioned how fun it would be to have a rock tumbler to really shine them up and see their potential. So we zipped over to the mall and found one which Nathan believed was much more expensive than it ought to have been, but we split the cost and brought it home to his parents place, set it up and started it running.
It's really noisy. And it takes up to 4 days just to finish the first round of a total of 4 to have them polished up. We ended up putting it in the laundry room, surrounding it with towels to muffle the noise while we laid on the bed enjoying some peaceful tunes (by Casting Crowns) on his computer. Once it finally decided to load up, that is.
Eventually I had him drive me home, and that was my day, really. I will try to post the final product once the stones are finish tumbling to perfection. Then I will try to decide what to do with them...
Melody
So after a long 'how the heck to I get there' session of planning and yes, some whining (I hate taking buses for the first time, I get so disoriented!) I was on my way. The weather was so odd - when I left it was raining (oh darn! I just remembered I left my umbrella in his car last night!!) but when I got there it was very sunny, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds.
This was my first visit to his workplace, and I felt like it was 'meet the parents' all over again, but this time with coworkers sizing up the girlfriend. I had a few moments of wondering if I would make the grade in their eyes before I looked at Nathan and thought, 'who cares what they think? He loves me and that's what matters most.' I don't have to tell you all how it feels to have a confidence booster like him next to me, do I?
I had to live through their company presentation, with the big boss making a speech. I wanted to bolt from that room, screaming incoherently. Am I the only one who gets serious bad vibes from offices? It's the whole closed space, poor unnatural lighting and the 3 hour long meetings to come up with a simple mission statement. And all the gossip of an office! Jeez, it's enough to make my skin crawl. I told Nathan, later on, that if we were sitting at desks like in school, I'd be banging my head on the one in front of me to drown out the chatter. Was it all worth the free food? I haven't decided yet. At least at my company picnic, I was not expected to listen in, as all the speeches were made in Korean and my coworker Yoo-li filled me in on whatever was important.
Nathan's coworkers were interesting, I cannot say too much on the subject save for one reminded me somewhat of my brother Cenrik in appearance and attitude. I am not saying that is a bad thing, merely this was my impression. Nathan showed me around his work area and I could see why he wouldn't want to do this forever. There is monotony in this profession. But I can see myself making fun centerpieces of the fire extinguisher canisters. What can I say, my brain seems to be wired on wedding-type things. I'm in love. So sue me. Don't really sue me though, as I'm too broke to make any money off of.
When all that was said and done we went to the beach. As the day's rain was far behind us it was in the end a great day to spend by the ocean. We laughed and talked and I reminisced about our first visit there. White rock beach was the first place (after IHOP, of course) Nathan took me on my first trip to BC, back when I was still living in Montreal and we were SL avatars cuddling up in cyberspace. I will simply say that these days he is much more the gentleman, who isn't trying to fit in as much 'private time' as possible before I need to fly back. I am not going anywhere so now its all sweet romance which many of you might disagree with me when I say I much prefer it this way. Ladies, make your men treat you like ladies. It feels way more special.
Anyways, enough of that. We sat there on the beach surrounded by stones and made a game of hitting a log in front of us in such a way as to have the stone bounce over it. After I won at that game we started really admiring all the kinds of rocks to be found on the beach, and Nathan mentioned how fun it would be to have a rock tumbler to really shine them up and see their potential. So we zipped over to the mall and found one which Nathan believed was much more expensive than it ought to have been, but we split the cost and brought it home to his parents place, set it up and started it running.
It's really noisy. And it takes up to 4 days just to finish the first round of a total of 4 to have them polished up. We ended up putting it in the laundry room, surrounding it with towels to muffle the noise while we laid on the bed enjoying some peaceful tunes (by Casting Crowns) on his computer. Once it finally decided to load up, that is.
Eventually I had him drive me home, and that was my day, really. I will try to post the final product once the stones are finish tumbling to perfection. Then I will try to decide what to do with them...
Melody
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Woah a Post!
Well now, it seems like I had enough of a break from this thing. Time to get back to writing. Plus, I am sure my family wouldn't mind hearing a bit about my life and what's going on inside my brain.
I am trying to decide how to go about this, and all that goes through my head are those classic questions - who, what, where and when. Who, that is the biggest question, isn't it?
So who am I? Well, I am a girl (well, maybe more of a woman) who dreams. Have you ever written a bucket list? You've at least heard of the movie by that name. It's about two men who are at the end of their lives (both in the hospital, and it's not looking to great) who decide to embark on this whirlwind adventure around the globe crossing out items from their 'bucket' list - which is essentially everything they want to do before they kick the bucket. As a duo they end up being able to cross everything off their list (and I am freely able to cry my eyeballs out) and become better people for having done so.
We all want our lives to have meaning. If we were to die tomorrow, how much regret would each of us carry with us in the afterlife? (assuming, of course, that you believe in such a thing). A bucket list embodies our dreams, everything we want out of our lives. I really think everyone should write one. Sit your bums down for a few hours and really hash out what you want. And the fun thing about all this? You can achieve it all, if you have the drive for it.
So here's mine SO FAR (because, I've found, the more you go through life, the more your dreams might change or expand) as an example. It is, by the way, in no particular order.
MELODY'S SUPER DUPER BUCKET LIST
-get married
-have 1-2 kids (in this case, this must come after marriage. Just because. So there.)
-adopt a dog
-own my own house with a greenhouse
-run my own small business
-take as many baking classes as I can (this will be ongoing for life)
-learn a ballroom dance (at least one)
-go skydiving
-go hang-gliding
-take a hot air balloon ride (see a pattern?)
-learn to snowboard
-learn to scuba dive and dive in tropical waters
-go on a romantic and adventurous cruise
-travel across Europe
-go cave-diving in giant caverns, such as those in Lebanon
-learn a martial art
-go sailing
-eat jerk chicken off the beach in Jamaica (not literally.. that would be too sandy. yuck.)
-go white water rafting
I used to, as a joke, have in the list 'win the lottery' but really, it's not likely, and not necessary to achieve all these goals. What are your dreams? Do you have a bucket list of your own?
Now, forgetting all those questions at the beginning of this post, I will tell you about my day yesterday, because I would say it was fairly blog-worthy.
As many of you know, I am taking care of Nathans pet lizards - they are female bearded dragons named Rhea (Ray-uh) and Toothless (named after the dragon from 'How to Train Your Dragon'). They often eat crickets, and Nathan brought over a hundred or so for their food - to be fed a few dozen a day or so, to make them last. They were fairly small, and got out of the cricket cage they were being held in and wandered the top floor of the townhouse I live in. Now, I live here because Jennifer, the owner and housemate, is a total sweetheart who needed an extra body in the house to be able to pay the bills, and I've been here less than a month. Daily, she has been finding these insects roaming in her room and it's got her freaked out. I am totally embarrassed, to say the least, and made sure to feed all the remaining crickets to the lizards and yesterday moved all my furniture and vacuumed everywhere to make sure there was none remaining. I cleaned out their cage completely as well, and when I placed everything back, all clean and tidy... out popped a cricket from nowhere. I mean it. There are, in fact, such things as ninja crickets, I am convinced of it now. I nabbed in and hand fed it to Rhea, to make sure it was eliminated. Now, I just pray that NO MORE somehow ninja their way into Jennifer's room and scare the bejeezus out of her. I also plan on baking her something sweet as a "I am so sorry and embarrassed, it won't happen again' apology gift.
Later on in the day was the company picnic. I work for a Korean grocery store as a cashier. It's not a glamorous job by any means, but they are amazing people to work for and I feel blessed to be there. And seriously, I am. I am the ONLY non-Asian employee. Of all the branches. At least, I was the only one to go to the picnic.
The food, as always, was delicious. But it was the games that we came for. First up was volleyball, and the guys played amazingly well. Most of the employees at my branch are older, and in some ways this puts them at a disadvantage. But they excelled, and came in 2nd behind the catering company, who were younger and obviously better players. Even so, it was a close game and really fun to watch. I led a few cheers, teaching the other cashiers a few simple English ones (Let's go Langley let's go! woo woo!!)
Then came dodgeball. I used to be fairly good at this game but jeez the field we played on was tiny and you had no room to maneuver. We totally smoked the downtown branch, which is mainly comprised of young girls who squealed when the ball came their way and were seriously easy targets but when it came to playing against the warehouse crew, we fought valiantly but eventually were defeated. So once more we were 2nd place.
Then came *groans* the relay race. Remember when I said we were an older group? I will also add that all the men are avid smokers. Yeah, we didn't have a chance. I was pegged to be last in the relay to run for our team - they thought that since I've been biking to work on sunny days I must be somehow a great runner. Umm yeah, sure. I would like to point out that I am very short, and have only just started using my bike this month. But I didn't really have to worry, because we had already lost by the time the baton was passed to me. I just had to run against a girl for 5th place (of 6) and tried hard to a)not trip her up as she was running into me and b)not sprain my ankle as we were running on rough terrain, and not a track. Oh, and I don't have running shoes. Maybe I ought to add 'own a pair of running shoes' to my bucket list.
Finally was the XO game. It's trivia statements that you had to determine was either true or false. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well, it's all in Korean. One of my co-workers, Yooli, helped me by translating, and everything she couldn't translate I simply went with the majority. I ended up winning third place. Out of EVERYONE. I was stunned. My co-workers were thrilled!
I won a 1TB portable storage device for a PC. For those who do not know what a TB is, its 1000 gigabytes. I looked up the model and it sells for about 120$. Not too shabby. Only thing though? I own a Mac. So I am deciding now what to do with this thing. My boyfriend has been needing one for quite awhile, so maybe I might trade it to him for something?
I am trying to decide how to go about this, and all that goes through my head are those classic questions - who, what, where and when. Who, that is the biggest question, isn't it?
So who am I? Well, I am a girl (well, maybe more of a woman) who dreams. Have you ever written a bucket list? You've at least heard of the movie by that name. It's about two men who are at the end of their lives (both in the hospital, and it's not looking to great) who decide to embark on this whirlwind adventure around the globe crossing out items from their 'bucket' list - which is essentially everything they want to do before they kick the bucket. As a duo they end up being able to cross everything off their list (and I am freely able to cry my eyeballs out) and become better people for having done so.
We all want our lives to have meaning. If we were to die tomorrow, how much regret would each of us carry with us in the afterlife? (assuming, of course, that you believe in such a thing). A bucket list embodies our dreams, everything we want out of our lives. I really think everyone should write one. Sit your bums down for a few hours and really hash out what you want. And the fun thing about all this? You can achieve it all, if you have the drive for it.
So here's mine SO FAR (because, I've found, the more you go through life, the more your dreams might change or expand) as an example. It is, by the way, in no particular order.
MELODY'S SUPER DUPER BUCKET LIST
-get married
-have 1-2 kids (in this case, this must come after marriage. Just because. So there.)
-adopt a dog
-own my own house with a greenhouse
-run my own small business
-take as many baking classes as I can (this will be ongoing for life)
-learn a ballroom dance (at least one)
-go skydiving
-go hang-gliding
-take a hot air balloon ride (see a pattern?)
-learn to snowboard
-learn to scuba dive and dive in tropical waters
-go on a romantic and adventurous cruise
-travel across Europe
-go cave-diving in giant caverns, such as those in Lebanon
-learn a martial art
-go sailing
-eat jerk chicken off the beach in Jamaica (not literally.. that would be too sandy. yuck.)
-go white water rafting
I used to, as a joke, have in the list 'win the lottery' but really, it's not likely, and not necessary to achieve all these goals. What are your dreams? Do you have a bucket list of your own?
Now, forgetting all those questions at the beginning of this post, I will tell you about my day yesterday, because I would say it was fairly blog-worthy.
As many of you know, I am taking care of Nathans pet lizards - they are female bearded dragons named Rhea (Ray-uh) and Toothless (named after the dragon from 'How to Train Your Dragon'). They often eat crickets, and Nathan brought over a hundred or so for their food - to be fed a few dozen a day or so, to make them last. They were fairly small, and got out of the cricket cage they were being held in and wandered the top floor of the townhouse I live in. Now, I live here because Jennifer, the owner and housemate, is a total sweetheart who needed an extra body in the house to be able to pay the bills, and I've been here less than a month. Daily, she has been finding these insects roaming in her room and it's got her freaked out. I am totally embarrassed, to say the least, and made sure to feed all the remaining crickets to the lizards and yesterday moved all my furniture and vacuumed everywhere to make sure there was none remaining. I cleaned out their cage completely as well, and when I placed everything back, all clean and tidy... out popped a cricket from nowhere. I mean it. There are, in fact, such things as ninja crickets, I am convinced of it now. I nabbed in and hand fed it to Rhea, to make sure it was eliminated. Now, I just pray that NO MORE somehow ninja their way into Jennifer's room and scare the bejeezus out of her. I also plan on baking her something sweet as a "I am so sorry and embarrassed, it won't happen again' apology gift.
Later on in the day was the company picnic. I work for a Korean grocery store as a cashier. It's not a glamorous job by any means, but they are amazing people to work for and I feel blessed to be there. And seriously, I am. I am the ONLY non-Asian employee. Of all the branches. At least, I was the only one to go to the picnic.
The food, as always, was delicious. But it was the games that we came for. First up was volleyball, and the guys played amazingly well. Most of the employees at my branch are older, and in some ways this puts them at a disadvantage. But they excelled, and came in 2nd behind the catering company, who were younger and obviously better players. Even so, it was a close game and really fun to watch. I led a few cheers, teaching the other cashiers a few simple English ones (Let's go Langley let's go! woo woo!!)
Then came dodgeball. I used to be fairly good at this game but jeez the field we played on was tiny and you had no room to maneuver. We totally smoked the downtown branch, which is mainly comprised of young girls who squealed when the ball came their way and were seriously easy targets but when it came to playing against the warehouse crew, we fought valiantly but eventually were defeated. So once more we were 2nd place.
Then came *groans* the relay race. Remember when I said we were an older group? I will also add that all the men are avid smokers. Yeah, we didn't have a chance. I was pegged to be last in the relay to run for our team - they thought that since I've been biking to work on sunny days I must be somehow a great runner. Umm yeah, sure. I would like to point out that I am very short, and have only just started using my bike this month. But I didn't really have to worry, because we had already lost by the time the baton was passed to me. I just had to run against a girl for 5th place (of 6) and tried hard to a)not trip her up as she was running into me and b)not sprain my ankle as we were running on rough terrain, and not a track. Oh, and I don't have running shoes. Maybe I ought to add 'own a pair of running shoes' to my bucket list.
Finally was the XO game. It's trivia statements that you had to determine was either true or false. Doesn't sound too complicated, right? Well, it's all in Korean. One of my co-workers, Yooli, helped me by translating, and everything she couldn't translate I simply went with the majority. I ended up winning third place. Out of EVERYONE. I was stunned. My co-workers were thrilled!
I won a 1TB portable storage device for a PC. For those who do not know what a TB is, its 1000 gigabytes. I looked up the model and it sells for about 120$. Not too shabby. Only thing though? I own a Mac. So I am deciding now what to do with this thing. My boyfriend has been needing one for quite awhile, so maybe I might trade it to him for something?
Monday, April 26, 2010
*heh..*
Ok.. so.. I am posting, I suppose.
It has been awhile, hasn't it? And many things have happened, though most of you know about it, because regardless of how often I update this thing (i.e. NEVER), I still try to keep in touch with as many people as possible. Plus, I was in Montreal for a few weeks, so that certainly helped me to catch up with all the old friends.
First off - Francine Jones, MISSY, why you not brag about your pregnancy? And WHEN are you due?? I wish I could send you something.. maybe knit something for the babe? Girl or boy?? I wanna know!!! I had to find out through a friend about this, and you are constantly on FB, so why not update with a hearty *ughhh, baby making me feel nauseous!* or something like that. I know I would. The entire world would find out in a New York minute if ever I was pregnant (so stop asking, mom, honestly, you'll be the first to know.)
Second off, I have to say that it's my old high school friend (one of the few true ones I had) that's got me posting again. Yeah, Alessia, it's you. You and your fantastic figure and your plans for a summertime blog that are just flooring me. http://radical-health.blogspot.com/
I am going to follow you, often. I don't think I can ever really implement your dietary movement in my apartment - Nathan, my bf, is way too much of a carnivore. Though I am going to try, maybe at least some baby steps.. In the meantime, these blog plans made me recall this ol' blog I had up, which apparently wasn't updated since before Halloween! Gosh! Well, don't expect me to put you all up to speed.. that would take too long.. and I am not much of a typist.
I have gotten back into drawing, though! Nathan's sister, Lora, gave me a great art kit for Christmas, and it got me in the mood to put pencil to paper. You can see the results of this on Deviant Art here: http://adelleristas.deviantart.com/
And if you are wondering, why Adelle Ristas? That was the name I made for an alter-ego of mine, for a game I used to play in College. I do so enjoy a certain anonymity at times.. And please, if so moved, rate my pictures. I am a fan of criticism *grins*
So, what am I up to these days? Well, not much, YET.
I am between jobs, but constantly looking for work - I am no slouch!
I do have a goal - I want to go into baking and pastry making at a community college here in Vancouver, which would start in October - which means saving up my $$ (and/or looking into loans). The classes look really interesting (except for that weird English class.. seems more relevant for foreigners, but whatever, would be an easy 8 credits for me) and I am looking forward to actually LOVING going to school again! I haven't felt that way since my art classes at Vanier College... I miss that, that drive to succeed.
I am still living with Nathan, which has gotten into a very "comfortable" place in our relationship. We enjoy each other's company, and less and less do I feel homesick for Montreal... BC is starting to feel more like home (if only my family lived here though, that would SOO be ideal).
That is it for now, I think.. If you are still interested in my reading habits, check out the Visual Bookshelf application on Facebook, I update all my reading there, and absolutely love it. It's really handy for the average bibliophile.. Otherwise, if you have a topic you want me to rant about, send me a note :P Til then, toodles
Melody
It has been awhile, hasn't it? And many things have happened, though most of you know about it, because regardless of how often I update this thing (i.e. NEVER), I still try to keep in touch with as many people as possible. Plus, I was in Montreal for a few weeks, so that certainly helped me to catch up with all the old friends.
First off - Francine Jones, MISSY, why you not brag about your pregnancy? And WHEN are you due?? I wish I could send you something.. maybe knit something for the babe? Girl or boy?? I wanna know!!! I had to find out through a friend about this, and you are constantly on FB, so why not update with a hearty *ughhh, baby making me feel nauseous!* or something like that. I know I would. The entire world would find out in a New York minute if ever I was pregnant (so stop asking, mom, honestly, you'll be the first to know.)
Second off, I have to say that it's my old high school friend (one of the few true ones I had) that's got me posting again. Yeah, Alessia, it's you. You and your fantastic figure and your plans for a summertime blog that are just flooring me. http://radical-health.blogspot.com/
I am going to follow you, often. I don't think I can ever really implement your dietary movement in my apartment - Nathan, my bf, is way too much of a carnivore. Though I am going to try, maybe at least some baby steps.. In the meantime, these blog plans made me recall this ol' blog I had up, which apparently wasn't updated since before Halloween! Gosh! Well, don't expect me to put you all up to speed.. that would take too long.. and I am not much of a typist.
I have gotten back into drawing, though! Nathan's sister, Lora, gave me a great art kit for Christmas, and it got me in the mood to put pencil to paper. You can see the results of this on Deviant Art here: http://adelleristas.deviantart.com/
And if you are wondering, why Adelle Ristas? That was the name I made for an alter-ego of mine, for a game I used to play in College. I do so enjoy a certain anonymity at times.. And please, if so moved, rate my pictures. I am a fan of criticism *grins*
So, what am I up to these days? Well, not much, YET.
I am between jobs, but constantly looking for work - I am no slouch!
I do have a goal - I want to go into baking and pastry making at a community college here in Vancouver, which would start in October - which means saving up my $$ (and/or looking into loans). The classes look really interesting (except for that weird English class.. seems more relevant for foreigners, but whatever, would be an easy 8 credits for me) and I am looking forward to actually LOVING going to school again! I haven't felt that way since my art classes at Vanier College... I miss that, that drive to succeed.
I am still living with Nathan, which has gotten into a very "comfortable" place in our relationship. We enjoy each other's company, and less and less do I feel homesick for Montreal... BC is starting to feel more like home (if only my family lived here though, that would SOO be ideal).
That is it for now, I think.. If you are still interested in my reading habits, check out the Visual Bookshelf application on Facebook, I update all my reading there, and absolutely love it. It's really handy for the average bibliophile.. Otherwise, if you have a topic you want me to rant about, send me a note :P Til then, toodles
Melody
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
October News
*throws the idea of a weekly blog to the winds*
*sighs*
Well, I am back to it! And what a month it has been!
I mysteriously caught mononucleosis, aka the kissing virus. And I know I didn't get this from Nathan. Mono is the kind of virus that can get you repeatedly, not just once and then you are immune like the chicken pox. And Nathan was as healthy as can be. So...? Who did it? I don't recall kissing or sharing a drink with anyone, and it's not like I know anyone here in BC, really... so... dun dun dunnn!!
I found out something mighty interesting when I went to the doctor's office too - Quebec's medical insurance card (Medicare Card) is not valid anywhere except Quebec (*NOTE* it took me about 2 months to get the BC Carecard, and by November 1st, I will finally be covered!). So... with my funds dwindling I had to pay to see a doctor, then pay to get tests done as well. Luckily there isn't really any medicine you can take for mono, although I took penicillin for the resulting sore throat/tonsillitis and breathed a sigh of relief when it cost very little (and tastes like bananas!). In the end, the mono lasted no time at all, and that was strange. I suppose my body saw how I was in such denial of being THAT sick that it agreed with me and killed off the virus in record time. That and I was tired of not being able to kiss my boyfriend darn it! *laughs*
I had two calls for job openings! Huzzah! The first was for La Senza, which if you do not know is a lingerie store owned by Victoria's Secret. Pretty posh. I was so nervous when I went for the interview, but I did (in my opinion) very well in it. They never called me back though. Tough cookies for them, they lost out. The second was for Chapters, an amazing bookstore! Right up my alley! Though I got sick right when I was supposed to go in for interviews. No matter, though, I decided to tough it out, and go in anyways, do my interview with a sore throat and all. And obviously, I did well, since I am now working for them!! It is only a seasonal job, the contract I signed with them expires in January, but I have a chance to (perhaps) continue to work for them afterwards, if sales are good, they continue to need the staff and like me enough to keep me on. Here's to hoping, but in the meantime, I GOT A JOB WOOT WOOT!!
I became a bit homesick during Thanksgiving, but I quickly got over it as I was kept mostly busy. I called up dad and got his recipe for stuffing, and made it for the dinner we had at Nathan's sister's house, slightly altered, as it wasn't in fact going to stuff anything (except my tummy mmmmm). Nathan put up a bit of a fight, as it wasn't his parent's recipe for stuffing, but as he did not have theirs on hand, and his parents were busy in Banff for a family wedding, we used my dad's recipe instead neener neener!
Now I get to fret about xmas... what to get everyone??? Some help, please?? And your postal addresses, since I have decided I am going to send out xmas cards this year. That would be awesome, thanks! Nathan and I are going to get a lil plastic tree, and an ornament, and maybe I will really get in the mood and decorate a bit around the apartment - I love xmas!
I am settling down now, finally getting comfortable in this world. I have a job, a good place to live, and an amazing boyfriend! I am truly a lucky girl!
Hopefully the next blog won't take so long to come to fruition!
Melody
*sighs*
Well, I am back to it! And what a month it has been!
I mysteriously caught mononucleosis, aka the kissing virus. And I know I didn't get this from Nathan. Mono is the kind of virus that can get you repeatedly, not just once and then you are immune like the chicken pox. And Nathan was as healthy as can be. So...? Who did it? I don't recall kissing or sharing a drink with anyone, and it's not like I know anyone here in BC, really... so... dun dun dunnn!!
I found out something mighty interesting when I went to the doctor's office too - Quebec's medical insurance card (Medicare Card) is not valid anywhere except Quebec (*NOTE* it took me about 2 months to get the BC Carecard, and by November 1st, I will finally be covered!). So... with my funds dwindling I had to pay to see a doctor, then pay to get tests done as well. Luckily there isn't really any medicine you can take for mono, although I took penicillin for the resulting sore throat/tonsillitis and breathed a sigh of relief when it cost very little (and tastes like bananas!). In the end, the mono lasted no time at all, and that was strange. I suppose my body saw how I was in such denial of being THAT sick that it agreed with me and killed off the virus in record time. That and I was tired of not being able to kiss my boyfriend darn it! *laughs*
I had two calls for job openings! Huzzah! The first was for La Senza, which if you do not know is a lingerie store owned by Victoria's Secret. Pretty posh. I was so nervous when I went for the interview, but I did (in my opinion) very well in it. They never called me back though. Tough cookies for them, they lost out. The second was for Chapters, an amazing bookstore! Right up my alley! Though I got sick right when I was supposed to go in for interviews. No matter, though, I decided to tough it out, and go in anyways, do my interview with a sore throat and all. And obviously, I did well, since I am now working for them!! It is only a seasonal job, the contract I signed with them expires in January, but I have a chance to (perhaps) continue to work for them afterwards, if sales are good, they continue to need the staff and like me enough to keep me on. Here's to hoping, but in the meantime, I GOT A JOB WOOT WOOT!!
I became a bit homesick during Thanksgiving, but I quickly got over it as I was kept mostly busy. I called up dad and got his recipe for stuffing, and made it for the dinner we had at Nathan's sister's house, slightly altered, as it wasn't in fact going to stuff anything (except my tummy mmmmm). Nathan put up a bit of a fight, as it wasn't his parent's recipe for stuffing, but as he did not have theirs on hand, and his parents were busy in Banff for a family wedding, we used my dad's recipe instead neener neener!
Now I get to fret about xmas... what to get everyone??? Some help, please?? And your postal addresses, since I have decided I am going to send out xmas cards this year. That would be awesome, thanks! Nathan and I are going to get a lil plastic tree, and an ornament, and maybe I will really get in the mood and decorate a bit around the apartment - I love xmas!
I am settling down now, finally getting comfortable in this world. I have a job, a good place to live, and an amazing boyfriend! I am truly a lucky girl!
Hopefully the next blog won't take so long to come to fruition!
Melody
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