A Good Week

I've had a really good week this week. I've had 6 different jobs since coming to Canada, and they have been the worse jobs in my life. This job now is definately the best since hitting this country. The hours are strictly 9-5, and the people are so relaxed and nice. The only bad thing is that I am in a small office and there is constantly chocolates, cookies, muffins laying around... and my body isn't thanking me for it. On the other hand, Bill and I have been going to the gym... we're trying to motivate each other, which worked 2 days in a row. We'll see how long we'll keep it up! I'm in search of a social dragon boating team to row with (err... for the exercise, not the guys!), but they all seem to be really hard-core here!

Yesterday I was walking down a major road after work, and I could not walk in a straight line coz the wind was so strong. So here I was struggling like an idiot by myself, and it occurred to me how stupid I would look from a car or across the road. So with this thought in mind, I was also laughing hysterically, whilst trying to keep my balance and my clothes. People must have thought I was a mad woman!

My friend Teoh just arrive last night... a friend from Sydney who also worked on the ski fields near me. He's finished up there season in The Rockies and is touring before hitting home. It was funny to see him still with the goggle tan, and carrying all his ski gear. The snow seemed so long ago to me, when in fact it was only 3 months ago. I left Sydney 6 months ago!!

I'm starting to orgainse my travel plans in Canada and for flights back home. It's sad, because I am really starting to enjoy myself over here. Although I miss everyone in Sydney, I don't think I am ready to come home yet. Maybe coz I've just starting leading a normal work and play life here, I'm starting to make some good friends, and there is so much to see and do still... or maybe I'm just scared that I have to come home and face reality, make plans, job hunt, etc etc. Then I really have to decide what to do with my life... first work out my priorities!

Anyways, it's the weekend.. yah! And I don't have to work.. yah! Prob hang out with Teoh and do some touristy stuff... I am going to take him for a decent chinese meal... the poor guy who has been stuck with Banff food for 6 months!

Meeting Nice Guys

Someone deep... someone thoughtful... someone caring... someone who is always happy... and someone who makes you laugh.

Yep, they are hard to come by, but I met the Dalai Lama yesterday, so there is hope out there... nice guys do exist... pity the only one I come across happens to be a monk! =(

Anyways, we lined up in the rain for quite some time so we can pile into the SkyDome to squint at the little man on the stage. I must admit, his english although really good, wasn't fluent enough to hold my attention for the whole time... but I was still amazed at how witty and approacheable he was, and he promoted equality... like he was just one of us.

Was just thinking... I saw The Pope this time last year, and now the Dalai Lama... how good is that???

Anyways, good news today, after walking out of my last attempt at a day job, I was bumming on Friday, only to receive a call from my Temping Agency... and early this morning I started a new job with an Insurance Company. Not exactly brain draining work, mostly balancing accounts and claims... but hey, anything is better than telemarketing! So yeah, I have a life back... I can have dinner with my roomate now... infact we're planning to go for a run tonight. I have my Saturdays back... and I can party without stressing too much about spending! Yah!

Did heaps on the weekend, met some new people at drinks on Friday, had this scrumptious steak dinner (mouth still watering at the thought) and watched Kill Bill 2. My arms is also very sore from hitting half a bucket of golf balls at the range in the rain!!

Oh yeah... Hockey finals are coming up and the play-offs happened last week... such a close round for Toronto against Ottawa.. anyways, the point is, we won on Tuesday night and the town went absolutely crazy!!! Cars were going up and down Yonge Street (Equivalent to Sydney's George Street) and people were hanging out of cars high fiving every stranger on the street. People were all dressed up.. or dressed down when referring to the chicks hanging out of convertibles in nothing but their bras... and that fat asian dude that was walking up the middle of the road... no-one bothered to tell him that wearing nothing but a blue g-string was not really that becoming. Anyhow, since I just walked out of work at 10:30pm at night, I missed out on the game and the good cheer... but just the short walk down the street back home made me feel all the passion Canadians hold for their hockey teams... I'm hoping the Maple Leafs stay in the comp, just so I can go crazy next time they win!!

And no, I'm not going to hang out of a car in a bra... unless someone buys me a convertable, I'll prob consider it then.

A Quitter

Yep, a quitter I am.

I'm quitting my day job. As if telemarketing isn't bad enough, they monitor my tone of voice and make me read word for word off a script... no... not "Can I please speak to...", it's "I need to speak to...".. beats me, really!!??

Anyways, I have to speak as though these poor customers have used the service before, than convince them to give me $379 for it!

Makes me feel shit. But I feel good today, coz I've decided not to go back tomorrow!
Ah well, back to good old job hunting!

Two Weddings and a Funeral

Yep, like all great journeys through life, there will be weddings and funerals. And this short one year jounery was no exception.

After two cousins getting married during my travels, there has been an unfortunate turning in celebrations and Bills' grandfather passed away during Easter. Bill has been holding up very well though, and hs been spending a lot of time with family. I attended the funeral on Saturday, a gloomy and grey day (literally), and full of chinese customs and services... it all seemed rather complicated for my first funeral.

On a brighter note, I did make up for the gloom the rest of the weekend. Despite the unpredictable weather, a friend offered to drive me out of Toronto to some small towns where we visited a few antique fairs, and walked around one of the nature parks and gorges out there. It's a nice change from being couped up indoors for 6 months because of the cold winter. Temperatures are slowly rising up 15 - 18 degrees... yah!

Been partying this week a bit as well (and the week is still young).. clubbed on the weekend, worked 14 hours yesterday and then went to a bar last night. I'm meant to be clubbing tonight as well, but I will be working 14 hours for the next few days, so not sure whether I will be able to handle it.

Loads of people coming next month and I want to take some time out to spend with them... so trying to burn myself out these two weeks so I can. Started a second job in the morning this week, and I absolutely dread it. It will be difficult dragging myself out of bed tomorrow I can tell you. Been living off soup I cooked on the weekend for the past few days... lunch and dinner! I don't have time to cook otherwise!! =(

Anyways, no time... between shifts atm, so just quick update.

Be Goood Peoples! =)

A Little Encouragement

I tell everyone here that I have great friends. People who keep me constantly in the know of things back home, always offering encouraging words of wisdom.

This is a cut and paste of email extracts:

Him:
"Yes, what you've done is a terribly brave thing! and you are a stronger person having done it. I'm sure you'll come home like a new version of software! still got a few bugs but definitely more improved :P"

Me:
"you are such a dag!! =P 'a new version of software'??? work must have affected your brains!! but it is true, only thing is that there was no bugs to begin with!!! hehe"

Him:
":) yes i know i'm a dag and yes work has affected my brain :P no bugs??? thats what the developers (you) of the software always say... its the users (your friends) who find the bugs :P"

*humph* I have to meet more friends who aren't IT geeks I tell you! =P

One year ago today...

I never was much of a gambler - I valued my money too much to think I would be forgoing a new piece of clothing of a swish dinner was enough to restrain me. Plus I was scarred when I lost $1 at the slot machine in first year uni. But as I stood amongst the gawdy flashes of light and the sound of coins being cashed at the machines, I thought about it - I think I have risked bigger things in life. Hey, I did leave a stable job, family and friends to move to a foreign country, live with strangers and have no money. So I shrugged and decided to take the plunge... I gambled $5.

Alright, so that was spare change, but hey, I'm only a telemarketer! I profited $15 though, so I'm a lot less bitter about that $1 I lost 7 years ago. My friend was a lucky boy though, he walked away with his pockets $300 heavier. Poor thing, he didn't even get to shout us dessert since everything was closed at 3am!

So my Good Friday was spent at the Casino. It was one of those impulsive roadtrips decided late at night after some bored deliberation to drive an hour away to Niagra Falls for gamble. Almost (but not quite) as impulsive as driving to Penrith for donuts or The Entrance for Fish & Chips. I also got to see the Falls at night, pity the lights weren't on else it would have made a pretty picture. But from what I could make out in the dark, it wasn't as spectacular as what I last remembered.

On the weekend I also did a very Canadian thing... I sat in a pub, with chicken wings (which are very popular here), a Canadian Beer and watched a hockey game. In good tradition, the guys watched the game and I lost interest and just disrupted them by yapping away.

We also had the most amazing weather over the weekend, it was possible to go out without a jacket. A friend drove me to a park and we took advantage of the sun with a long walk, the only bad thing was the trees were still very stark, should pretty when the leaves come out though.

So that was my Easter. Hard to image this very same weekend one year ago, I was sitting in the Vatican City, attending Mass held by The Pope. One year later, I am gambling and drinking... hmmm... The Pope should be so proud.

My First Asian Dance Party...

in Toronto, was like most dance parties back at home (continuing my stroll down memory lane).

Firstly, it reminded me of the Melbourne roadtrip where our big night out ended up in an asian dance club where the population looked 15 (legal age is 19 in TO). If there was ever a height restriction like for rollercoaster rides, the asian dance party scene would be non-existent. My friend dared me to pick up a guy that night, I said I would go through with it on one condition - if I succeed, she will need to continue the challenge by picking up someone shorter than my lucky guy (which really wasn't a challenge at all)... depending on how bored we were, we could have kept ourselves amused for some, but she had second thoughts.

Secondly, the club really reminded me of this real classy joint we used to hang out at all the time in first year... UTS Bar (ofcourse, none of us were from UTS). Yep, the disposable cups added a touch of elegance in the decor.

And lastly, it reminded me of all those RnB clubs I went to in Sydney where I would dance for about 5 songs, and sit out for the rest. I didn't mind it this time though... the heels, courtesy of the Exotic Dancer were killing me... and I expected the night to be like this anyways. Despite the bad and blarey music, I managed to find myself in a quiet haven in the corner of the club - just amusing myself with people watching.

It must be a universal thing with asian dance parties and RnB clubs - not just the average height, but the attitude of the music and the attitude of the people. From the line outside to the dance floor and the bar, you get a feeling that everyone is out to impress. To impress their friends, or perhaps that good-looking stranger across the room. And along with that, you're there to judge - you condemn the girl who istoo scantily dressed, you dismiss the guy who is trying too hard to impress, and you roll your eyes at the dude with the weird moves.

I must admit, I was guilty of being too judgemental.. yeah the height thing, but also when I was sitting in my corner, I resisted the urge to tap a guy on the shoulder and tell him that his tight black lycra tank top with his oversized-unbuttoned-white-shirt and similarly oversized-baggy-white-pants although suited his grease-slicked-hair, it didn't really do much for the girls he was trying to impress.

I guess I shouldn't be complaining about the attitudes at clubs, the fact that I couldn't find anything that impressed me makes me just as bad as the girl next to me who is out to impress.

Trip Down Memory Lane

I know this isn't my usual Monday-post-weekend entry, but I was really bored coz there was no work on the job boards, so I visited another friend's blog (go dayangsta!). Anyways, thought I'd check out what he had under the "Pictures" link and was greeted with all these group photos... so here I am laughing like an idiot in the library, or smiling at the screen of fond memories. Damn, just when I have been telling people I'm not ready to come home yet!

Just in time for long weekend as well, bet you guys back at home have plenty of eating and driving plans. I heard there is a dinner partee without me! =(

I'm getting jipped of my Easter Monday, apparently it's not a holiday here.. but I it's a good thing coz I don't get holiday pay anyways! Paintball was cancelled for Saturday, so not sure what I will get up to this weekend. I do know I am going to an asian dance party tonight, my friends here hate asian dance parties (and rightly so) but think I should at least experience one whilst I am here. I've been given prior warning that I will be standing out like a sore thumb above every heads though... *rolls eyes* I guess no action here tonight then!

Unless ofcourse I do a repeat of Melbourne and decide to start a fight by pushing someone...
*evil grin*

A New Discovery

How good am I?... Three entries in one day!

Anyways, just to let you all know, I think I can now text Australia now! Woohoo!
Well, I can text Vodafone, but apparently having problems with 3 Phones (dodgey they are!)

Anyways, you can hit me on +1 416 704 1206

Sometimes Normal is Best

Just when you think that winter is coming to a close, it comes back with a very forceful wind that made walking down the road feel more like drifting. But one thing that cheered me up was the daylight saving adjustments... a sign that summer is really just around the corner.

For those who have been following my ups and downs lately, this week has definately been an up for me. And it wasn't because of a very adventurous Saturday night. Although the job situation is sometimes frustrating, I figured I am really here to have fun, and fun I will have. Being overseas, it's like everytime I go out, it's to a club, or a lounge, or something touristy, coz thats what you do when you're overseas... which is all good, but sometimes, you just want to be able to walk around the shops with a friend, chat over coffee or kid around over dinner. Sunday was a bit like that. I went shoe shopping with a friend and afterwards we met up with some other people for dinner. Usually back in Sydney I would get really annoyed when everyone is indecisive about dinner, and phone calls are going left, right and centre with no hope of settling on a place. But for once, I felt comforted because it reminded me of the group dynamics back home.

And dinner was just like that too, we had people kidding and paying each other out, we had serious conversations, slack conversations, in jokes, mentions of stupid things people have done in the past etc etc... just like home. I brought Bill to dinner, and he even said that meeting all these people and having a typical friendly dinner made him miss home a lot.

I've met a lot of people on this trip, and some of them very interesting. But a lot of the times, it's a strain to meet people. It's exhausting trying to make conversation, and find some common ground. It is so much more difficult with different ages, social backgrounds and interests. I know I craved for all these differences back at home when I was bored of meeting just like minded industry professionals (aka, yuppies), but since I am out of my comfort zone of home, this I guess is the closest thing I have.

The Exotic Dancer

You know how I mentioned in my last entry that I met an exotic dancer, but wasn't sure how exotic she was? Well, for the benefit of my readers (naturally), I decided to investigate this. Yep, we went to her "place of work" and yep, it's confirmed she is very exotic *nods*.

Let's just say I was with three very bored girls who wanted to chill out, plus they wanted to see what the big deal was with guys going to places like these. So we're walking briskly past all these other bars (one thing about Toronto is that if you walk through the clubbing district, there are line-ups left right and centre going into all these clubs which you never even noticed in the day)... so anyways, we walk past all these bouncers who tell us we have overshot the place and to come back because their lounge is better... but we keep walking. And curious as to where this group of girls were going, we felt their gaze follow us to the end door, the one where there was no line-up, where we were greeted by a very confused bouncer.

My first visit to such an establishment was done with style... we went to the very best one in Toronto, mainly because we also wanted to see our friend, who I must say was the hottest in the house. Apparently the night before, Vin Diesel had come into the place and was chatting to her. He had also been texting her all day offering to take her shopping. She wasn't phased at all.

The place wasn't anywhere as sleazy as I had imagined. There was no yelling, jeering or touching, the clientele were pretty well mannered, and basically there to chill out. We didn't really feel out of place, being the only four fully clad girls at one table, and we ended up chilling there for two hours. It was a surprisingly good night, definately a little more interesting than the usual clubbing or lounging. Not that it is our new thing to do, I guess it was more of the attitude that "guys do it, why can't we?", so we did.

On my to do list, thats a tick in the rough hand-drawn check box added last minute.

Oh and for those who have been concerned with my financial status, don't worry, it wasn't an interview.