Losing my life, a second time

Less than two years ago, my handbag was stolen from under my feet. A guy who was sitting back-to-back with me at a busy cafe, reached back back and plucked my bag from where I left it - next to my feet, under the table. Nine people at my table, and no one noticed.

Contrary to belief, losing your wallet is not the biggest hassle. Replacing cards is easy - the banks are used to it. It's not being able to drink on a Friday night, because a Police Report reference isn't sufficient ID to get you in a bar. Losing an iPod wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't a gift, and losing a USB stick is unnerving when it is full of personal and work information. And house keys - biggest hassle ever. Changing all the locks on the house is an expensive exercise, and the whole family needs to adjust to using new keys. Add the fact that you're overseas to the equation, and replacing cards is not so simple after all.

So you'd think that I'd be guarding my handbag with my life.

My favorite handbag was left dangling on the arm of a chair in Chapters where I sought refuge from an unexpected change in weather. Yep, it was left swinging there as I strolled down the block, waited for a seat in a restaurant and was nearly finished my dinner before I realized.

Thank god for honest people. At least an hour later as I ran back to look for my bag, the dude who found it, stuck around to tell me that he had turned it into the front desk. I almost hugged him.

Lessoned learnt. A second time.

Laying low...

... or being lazy, I admit, I'm a terrible blogger and email buddy these days. But you haven't missed much, things are good, but not terribly exciting.

So what has been happening since my last sob story?

I went to NYC again, my second time in 6 months... this time to meet up with long lost friends that decided to all fly in on the same weekend. I still marvel at how small the world is these days - who would have thought 10 years ago as we were hanging out in the Quad on the campus of UNSW, that we'd all end up catching up over dinner and drinks in NYC?

In the one weekend I was in the Big Apple, I managed to meet up with 5 Uni friends Alan, Chris, Jen, Tim and Yin who were scattered over the U.S. and London; Bernie & Ken were also in NYC for their last leg of their on their RTW adventure; Bei, Tax and Dex on a whirlwind visit from London; and of course resident New Yorkers Kev & Bec. Gord was perplexed with the Aussie invasion in North America, and shook his head as I reverted back to the good old twang!

Back in Toronto, things are picking up as the city goes into full swing with Summer festivities. It's so nice to be out soaking in the sun with a beer and live music... beats shoveling snow for sure! But like usual, the weekends fly and before you know it, you're back at work on a Monday morning.

Anyways, here are a few random photos from NYC and T.O.:

PM of all sorts

I have had many great managers in my time, people who I think really shaped me personally and professionally, and who I have immense respect for.

Then there is the other kind. Managers who throw their title around like they are more precious than others, when really it is just a different string of letters on a business card.

Is it because I am contracting these days, that the focus is different? I understand it is more above delivery and less about development, but surely leadership shouldn`t be compromised?

On my current project, I have a Big Boss and a Project Manager.

BB is a fantastic boss. She is a tough European lady, who is blunt and to the point. A great Consultant without the useless Consultant speak. If you raise an issue or express a concern, she gets it right away and helps with a resolution. You never walk away without an answer. She rolls up her sleeves and participates in the grind, and she has become a powerful woman in the industry because she is truly experienced (not just on paper) and what is more important to me in a leader - she leads by example.

PM on the other hand is a typical PM. She is concerned with her project plan, and compromises quality to finish work at 5pm and deliver pretty status reports. Short-sight or just plain lazy - PM does not realize what she compromises this week will come back and bite her next week. Leading by example goes are far as condemning any time spent understanding the work, and encouraging the `just wack it in - it will work itself out` philosophy.

A perfect example of YES people, my friend explains. YES people are usually recruited to the job because they don`t object, they do not reason, they just say YES. These people are only interested in managing upwards and do not give a care in the world if their team kills themselves delivering it. At the end of the job, they walk away dusting their hands while everything crumbles behind them. A little dramatic, but but a crappy week and a few too many martinis does this to you.

Then there is the other extreme - Micro Managers! MMs are control freaks who loves to remind the team who`s boss. Lucky, he manages the other team, one who I feel deeply sorry for. Every request to the team must go through MM, they love to delegate, and they love to monitor. MMs talk only in statistics and percent completed. Never mind that the team does not have the tools to do their work, the big question is `when will it be completed`. MMs hate self-sufficient team members because it makes him feel useless and gives him nothing to manage. Regardless, MMs always find some way of managing, whether it is welcomed or not. They are similar to YES managers but worse.

Oh, oh, there is one more type of manager that I`ve experienced on this big and crazy project... the Ditzy Manager! DM was topic of my frustrations a few blogs back, but let`s not go there. DM has gained the reputation because we have no idea what value she adds to the project. Many suspect DM has no idea what the project is about. What really tops it off is that everyone groans when they get an email meeting request from DM - because you can bet your booties there will be another 20 to follow. As DM does not like to listen to suggestions and learn from others, after four months of averaging 10 requests for every meeting planned, DM still does not know how to use Outlook. DM is overly friendly at times, and is very nasty other times - it baffles us all as to what will hit us next.

Sorry for those out there who are great Project Managers - be proud because your are indeed a rare breed.

Six months

It's been six months, a long journey, and what seemed an unreachable milestone. There are times when you just want to give up, go home. Other times you are determined to fight it and not let it overcome you.

But it feels good when you get there. When you can finally put on your dusty old sunglasses, exercise your flip flops and shake your head at the young girls with incredibly short shorts.

I have survived. Survived 'the worst winter Toronto has seen in 30 years' weather. It's been a journey - I have dug snow at midnight, I have dug snow at 5am in the morning, we have braved the highway during storm alert, and we have even driven the car into the side of the house because of the dang ice.

But now that the sun is out, this city looks brand spanking new. I think I can like this city.

I wore a skirt the other the day. I even wore open toe shoes! There is nothing I want to do but sit on a patio and drink beer - and I'm not even a beer drinker!

Love summer.

Sophisticated Banking

I'm in North America, who considers themselves brain child of internet and computer technology.

So here is how I transfer money from my bank account to another:
- Add recipient name and email address to my account
- Select how much I want to transfer
- Set up a security question and answer to verify recipient
- Physically call the recipient to tell him of my security question and answer
- Recipient checks email, is asked the questions, answers correctly and provides bank account details for the money to be transferred into.

Sending my hard earned money through silly bank processes via gmail and yahoo internet email accounts is not only inefficient and backward, it also costs me me a whooping $1.50 a transaction.

The banking industry here is ridiculous. At least I can transfer funds electronically though, a big improvement from 4 years ago.

Oh, and interest rates for savings accounts are 0.012% (compared to my 6.1% in Sydney), and the interest rates for credit cards are 19% (compared to my 16% in Sydney).

Don't get me started on telcos!

Be warned of rambling

The purpose of this blog is really to keep in touch with friends back at home and around the world. Share my embarrassing moments, and basically let you all know that I am still alive and kicking. I've been lousy, I know...

So just a quick update (as much as I love you guys, I value sleep):

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Despite my last blog entry, I'm really enjoying my contract. At first, I had absolutely nothing to do. Zilch. They paid me by the hour to sit, chit chat, and surf the net. It was brain numbing and I was bored to tears. Literally.

Then they asked me to join a team that was absolutely drowning in work - and now I'm drowning with them. My long hours the last few weeks is nothing compared to what will come. The project plan has each of us scheduled 15 hours/day, every day from April to July, and I suspect it's on the optimistic side (another reason to hate PMs on this project). I've told G to be nice to me now coz I won't be around for a while.

Having said that, I'm enjoying it so far. I thought it was going to be very similar to my last big project, but this is bigger and more ambitious. I love my role, and I love my team which is also a bonus.

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I'm getting used to Winter (note: this does not imply liking it), it's been a brutal one as everyone reminds me... we have only 5cm of snow to go before we break to all time record for snowfall in one season. We have had the biggest snow dumps that T.O. has seen in 30 years. Great timing on my part *humph*

Only good thing is, I tried snow boarding again last weekend, and surprisingly enjoyed it. G was shocked to see me holding my snowboard and grinning simultaneously (and this was even before the Beavertail). I'm still crap, but at least I can link my turns and I'm on my board more than I'm on my bum.

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I've put on weight. A-lot-of-weight. And I'm not sure how it is I'm going to lose it. I think I have a fair idea of how I gained it though.

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I won poker... it was a while ago, but I was proud and I want to boast about it. After many many weeks of contributing to the pot and not reaping any returns (the boys love it when I play), I finally turned the tables and took their money.

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It's sad, but the highlight for me this week is shopping for a laptop so I can work more comfortably from home.

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I think I am delirious now. So much that I am rambling. I think I need sleep.

Lessons not learnt

Experience is gained by learning valuable lessons, and being open to learning more. Time is not the sole measure of experience, a certification does not prove you can apply what you have been taught, and a business title alone is certainly not commands respect.

I don't care if someone has been in an industry for five, fifteen or fifty years. If they are not open to giving someone else with a difference of opinion to speak, not willing to listen to suggestions for improvement (or listen at all for that matter), or allow an intellectual conversation to take place because they already made a decision - and hell no, decisions can't be changed... their experience means nothing as far as I'm concerned.

If they haven't realised in all their grand years (often mistaken as experience, and sometimes more outrageously mistaken as wisdom), that valuable learnings can often be gained from others if only they had an open mind to catch it, then I'm not interested in learning from them.

Winterlude

After all my bitter blogging on the Canadian weather, I went to enjoy the festivities of Winterlude last weekend. Winterlude as the name suggests, is a celebration of Winter (yay… *rolls eyes*) in the nation's capital of Ottawa.

The neat thing about Winterlude is NOT the cold (we'll get back to the cold later), but the fact that the Rideau Canal is frozen over, creating the worlds longest skating rink of over 7.8kms! As the University of Ottawa is situated on the canal, students can literally skate to school in winter. My plan was to skate the canal, but when I saw the masses of people on it, I chickened out. I've only ever skated in a indoor ice rink where there is smooth ice and walls for me to slam-stop. No one was offering to be my wall.

So whilst G skated down the canal, I plodded along by foot which was just as acceptable. To be fair, the weather was actually behaving very well, definitely more tolerable than I had imagined. By the time we finished walking the canal though, it was painful to move my poor little toes. Still not a complaint out of me (much to G's surprise). I only had one thing in mind and that was Beavertails!!! There is something irresistible with fried dough sprinkled with cinnimon and sugar, and drenched in lemon juice. It was sooo good no one heard a peep out of me until I had finished stuffing my face with it. Not sure whether the cold had anything to do with it, but the hot chocolate I had with my Beavertail… it was the best hot chocolate I had ever tasted, and it was only off the back of a truck. Who says I lack passion??

Anyways, pictures are up, you can click on the Ottawa link to check out the frozen canal and ice sculptures that were part of the festivities.

Apple juice no ice please

I'm told this winter has been the worse winter since anyone can remember. Great.
Last big snow storm, we only had 20cm of snow. 30cm topped it yesterday.

5pm - G gets home early to shovel before going to volleyball.
6.30pm - I get home. Shoveled areas are already covered in a deep blanket of snow.
9pm - I come out of hiding and shovel driveway i the dark so G's car can get in.
11pm - G comes home, driveway is covered in snow AGAIN. Car gets stuck in the shared driveway. I get out of PJs. Both shoveling.
11.30pm - Car won't budge. We give up, G finally has dinner.

6.30am next morning - Surprise. More snow. Barely awake. We're shoveling.
Neighbour helped push car out.

The whole city of Toronto is like a gigantic Cola slushie.
For those that know me, I hate slushies. I order drinks with no ice. I hate slushies.

My first shovel

My stance was, if I was to move countries and live in snowy Canada, I refuse to shovel snow. I'm not a princess, I can manage household chores, but I don't do garden... until today.

A day after the snow storm, the snow was so deep I didn't have the heart to refuse. It actually wasn't too bad. It's true, there is always a calm before the storm, and once the storm has passed the weather becomes much more tolerable too.

So this is what happens, I move country for a boy and he puts me to work in the yard.



And the first shovel comes with my first snow angel...


For the record, this was just an exception, I'm not backing down on the deal.

Here to stay

It's been a flurry of activity lately which has been a refreshing change.

Firstly, Millwood Road welcomed Miss Ada, fresh from London. She momentarily forgot her dislike for cold weather when she saw the snow we had, very much a contrast to my lack of enthusiasm. It was so excited to have her here that I even got out of bed in the a.m. not the usual p.m.!

When Teoh arrived a few days later, we took a road trip up to Mont Tremblant for some skiing and boarding action. This is where Ada was reminded of her dislike for cold weather, a blast of -38 degree weather is a good trigger.

I didn't mind the weather, but "displeasure" would be an understatement if asked to describe my sentiments on snow boarding. My bindings broke on the first run... so I walked (stormed) down three quarters of Mont Tremblant. Poor Gord took the brunt of my anger as I stomped down the mountain - anyone who attempted to help or speak to me was susceptible to a snow board being swung at them. My second run was slightly better, my bindings were intact, but my butt was bruised so much it was like a built in heating system. The many flat parts of the run tired me out so much from having to traverse across, that there was no third run.. an unspoken relief for Gord.

Having said that, Tremblant is just as gorgeous in winter than in summer, and my bad luck on the slopes thankfully did not ruin the whole trip.



In other news, Ada and Teoh must have been my good luck charms, the week they were in town, saw my work visa approved and a job offer made - all on the same day! So I'm a working woman now - no more sleep ins. It's a similar project to my last project in Sydney... so I'm looking forward to tackling another large scale business transformation.

For those planning to look for work... I cannot stress enough how great uploading your resume to job sites are... I uploaded mine to the Canadian www.workopolis.com and recruiters really do search them. I didn't even have to apply for the position, recruiters are much more proactive than 4 years ago!!

Here's some photos where I dragged the crew across the U.S. boarder to get my visa stamped in my passport. We literally drove through U.S. customs, drove down the highway, did a U-ey and came back through Canadian customs. My passengers got treated to a Wendy's lunch to celebrate!

You pay for what you get

I'm quite conservative when it comes to spending money on my hair. I know the hairstyle is important, and I by no means scout for the cheapest and worst hairdresser... but sacrificing a gorgeous top, or a chic pair of shoes for a relatively intangible hair-cut (after-all, it grows out after a month or so!) is not something I practice. You either have it all, or you pick the shoes!

G on the other hand will walk down to the road to the boutique filled Bayview strip to get his hair trimmed (so little change that it doesn't even count as a haircut) at the "Spa Salon". He pays top dollar and a decent tip for a Senior Stylist every 6 weeks. Not sure whether it is convenience, or whether it has anything to do with the hot petite Asian stylist who he used to go to religiously - or the Parisian chick who has now replaced her. Or even the fact that all the hot stylists wear white from top to toe... yep, go the white pants!

Sorry, back to the point. I needed a haircut. I was considering splurging on the "Spa Salon", even if it was to check out this Parisian... the price G pays is not cheap but affordable... but ofcourse when I check the prices, it costs way more for women than it does men. I guess it's normal, but suddenly it is not so affordable for an unemployed bum, with a huge Amex bill (the NYC shopping spree has finally caught up to me!), and who doesn't really care for women cladded in white.

So, I went the adventurous route and went to the Hair Academy where young and newly graduated Hair Stylists finish their training and "build confidence" before they are farmed out to the "Spa Salons". It was the first time I had a Goth cut my hair - no I didn't come out looking like her... but I did have to give her a few pointers before I was willing to walk out of the place. It wasn't free, probably more expensive than my very experienced hairdresser back in Sydney, but oh well. I even left a $5 tip. Call it encouragement from the goodness of my heart, or just social pressures from North American tipping standards - ah well!

The first thing I did was go home and rake out the awful mushroom she blow dried my hair into. Why do they do that?? People package things to entice consumers, giving me the mushroom that added 10 years to my age, did not entice me to go back. Luckily a wash and usual finger comb-through did the trick. The only styling implement I own is a comb - if you can even call it that. And it only comes out on important days. None of this curling wand, hair dryer business.

So the cut didn't cut it (ok, that was corny) but I've at least ticked off a
"must-try-once-in-your-life" experience though - and I'll leave it that way. Next time, they will have to pay me, to get a student anywhere near my hair.

Heat wave hits town

Thats right, a balmy 10 degrees as I post this blog, with a high of 12 degrees expected. Who says winter in T.O. was tough??? The weather god must have heard my pleas and delivered enough temperature to melt the ugly mounds of snow built up on the sidewalk. No longer fluffy and white, but more like miniature coal mines obstructing the pedestrian crossing.

The last couple weeks has been nothing but a never-ending meal. We spent Christmas at Gord's relatives house, washing the yummo food down with creamy white eggnog and trying to beat the kids at darts, pool table, air hockey, pinball machines, you name it. You know you're old when Monopoly cash is replaced by an electronic swipe and players hold debit cards (cash is so passé). Boots and hats are also unfashionable around the game board, anyone who is someone will have to be a cell phone or at least a segway.

My memories of NYE was nothing by lychee martinis, long island ice teas and singing "...it's too late to apologize" at the top of our lungs in a basement. Oh, and the very long treacherous car ride home that kept me from my porcelain bowl. Oh dear.

Now with the holiday season calming down, it's time for the gym. Gord has dragged me out of sauna mode and I'm actually making use of the equipment! My goal for 2008? Being able to do one push-up... and for a stretch, a chin-up would be nice.

Sorry for my lack of diligence for emails and cards. Hope it's not too late to wish everyone a happy, exciting and safe 2008. Love you.

Retail therapy works wonders

My week hasn't been the ideal week, with my main two obstacles being nothing but obstacles...

1. Winter

I'll try not to turn this into I-hate-winter blog, but let me tell you, snow in a big city sucks. For those who have only seen snow in the mountains, who have snowboarded through heavenly powder snow, created snow angels, witness pretty crystals on your gloves... for a big city after a snow storm, it's like that for one day. It is gorgeous, especially if the sun is shining after the storm. I don't manage the shoveling in our household though, and I don't drive here, so I can't give my experiences for the first day of a snow dump.

The day after the snow storm, the simple walk down the road ends up being a hike. Car tires carve these wonderful big hurdle-like ridges that you have to clamber over.

The third day... the third day is pretty depressing. My walk to the gym doubled in time, because the the big-hurdle-like ridges are now great lakes. The Chinese have a saying that says "Stomping in a puddle even when you see it", excuse my Chinese, but it means something like... "jumping into trouble even when you see it" But if we were to take the literal translation, that was me!!!. I see a big puddle , I see the lights change, and I have to grit my teeth and stomp through the puddle just to cross the road. We're not talking about glacier snow here, this is dirty snow on the side of the road that has created a pulp with leftover autumn leaves, and absorbed all the mud and grime from car tires (the stuff that hasn't already landed on me). Crossing the street elsewhere is out of the question, the snow banks are so high you would risk climbing over only to slip on the road in front of a car.

My mesh sneakers was no help, 10 steps down the road and already my socks and feet are soaked. I refuse to wear my lovely winter boots out because they come back with salt from the roads (used to melt the ice) that eat into the leather. My poor shoes.

2. Work (or lack of)

If I haven't explained it before, I haven't been pro actively looking for work in the last month because I need to apply for a work visa at the beginning of January and be legally able to work before I can apply for jobs. Fortunately I had some contacts who kindly referred me to a couple of firms in Toronto that were happy to interview me. This week being the week of bad news, I didn't get either job! One was finance related which I don't have the skills for, nor does it interest me. The second role was HR related - not my core skill, but I did have a little experience that I can expand on, I was really interested in it, and it would have been a welcome departure from IT. But once IT, to a stranger, you will always be IT. I guess now, I really will have to dig out the job sites and start hunting - in the new year anyway. I'm not in desperate times, and I still want to be picky, so fingers crossed I have something lined up before the end of February.

And for those who don't know - I've decided to stay in Toronto. It's a lot easier for me to set myself up, I have friends here, a place to live. I resent comments (although far and few between) that I am giving up and opting for ease and laziness. To be entirely honest, I think I loved telling people that I was moving to the glitzy glamorous city of New York rather than loving the city itself. Five years ago, I would have loved it there, but my last two visits had me wishing that it was a shorter trip. I don't sport the attitude nor the energy to make the most of the place. A great city that I plan to visit often to see my wonderful friends, eat and shop up, but not one that I can call home. Maybe if Toronto doesn't work out, it might be option number 2, we'll see.

So being a long arduous week, finding out that my unemployment status has not changed, I hit downtown - a nice long lunch, and shopping spree. Now I am a proud owner of boots that I can stomp around puddles in, and a nice thick winter jacket that I can snowboard with, but doesn't have an overly sporty edge so I can wear normally. And mission accomplished on Christmas Shopping!!! Retail therapy is great a band-aid to slight depression, well only until the Amex bill comes in.

The calm after the storm

This is what stands between me and food, coffee and bus stop the day after the snow storm =( It might not be obvious, but some piles of snow are almost the same height as me! At least the sun was out and it actually looked quite pretty.

"I'll check with 'rarara' and let you know..."

Replace 'rarara' being your girlfriend, boyfriend, dog or cat.

I used to get that response a lot when I ask friends whether they are free to meet up on a certain day. It used to annoy me to no end when I regularly get the same response from the same people. I figure it's fine to decline an invitation if you have plans already, but if you don't, you're a free man / woman to do as you please, and doing as you please does not need permission from your partner. If they wanted the date, they should have put dibs on it first.

I'm not that harsh on everyone, just close friends who should know better than palming you off instead of telling you the truth - that they have no interest in the event, you're boring, you smell.

However, now that I actually live in the same city as my partner... I find it quite convenient to pull this line out when I want to decline an invite with no valid reason. It's terrible. It's hypocrisy I know - but this is only reserved for desperate times (when invited to see a chick-flick, RnB clubbing...).

Well at least I know now that it wasn't because I smell (I think).

... and another year wiser

It always takes a little trigger for someone to snap out of it and realise that self pity is pointless and there is nothing like planning, purpose and action to get out of a rut. But that's being dramatic.

I'm far from being in a rut, and my birthday was hardly a life changing event. Whether it was just good timing, or it really was a pivot to get over my boredom, I've decided to get off my butt and do something constructive with my time.

So this week is the start of my new gym membership, and I'm proud to say that I spent two hours at the gym yesterday (never mind that half the time was spent in the change room and sauna - love the sauna!). I'm also yet to start the make-over upstairs at Gord's house. It's recently been vacated, and we're using the opportunity to do a few quick-wins with a lick of new paint, change of colour schemes, and bright new lighting.

My other resolution was to get up earlier in the morning - because for someone who complains of being bored, I actually don't have enough hours in the day to the basic stuff I plan to do. And I haven't even started the job hunt yet. So with new additions to my agenda, I'm aiming to get up at 10am - hardly early, but goals need to be achievable, and I'm being realistic. Unfortunately, I'm yet to reach my goal - not sure why, but my eye-lids are so heavy in the morning and my ETA (estimated time for alertness) still hovers around the midday mark.

It's a start, and it'll keep me busy for the next few weeks until I can apply for a work visa in January, and then start looking for work Toronto. The you'll hear a different type of complaining!

'tis the season to be jolly...

I'm not a romantic. I'm a realist. So when I think snow, I don't think soft flurries floating down to squeals of children (god forbid) playing in the yard making frosty the snowman.

I'm thinking... fumbling of gloves, scarves for practicality and not fashion, and how to safely get across the pavement without falling flat on my face (or shoulder popping out of socket) in front of a line-up of cars... because I know what all the bored drivers at the lights will be doing - checking out the pedestrians who are fighting against the wind and clambering over small but lethal piles of snow to get to the side-walk.

I haven't quite worked out what the best approach is... to test with the toes before lowering the rest of the foot when crossing glossy pavements, or to land the whole foot at once for stability. I miss my Merrel outdoor shoes, although they haven't been at all trustworthy in the past, it would do more good here than collecting dust under my bed.

Before the snowstorm hit

Overnight transformation to this

Gord put to work whilst I cheer him on from inside

New York Madness

When I think New York City, I think sight-seeing, shows and shopping. Being my third visit to the Big Apple, sight-seeing was not high on my agenda. The writers' strike meant there were no shows. Which unfortunately (for my wallet), left me with only shopping to occupy my time.

So with the agenda set, I was keen to put the best effort that my bargain-shopping-career had seen yet. So I joined thousands of post-Thanksgiving shoppers at Woodbury Outlets for the Midnight Madness sale. Doors open at midnight, and eager shoppers queue up in sub-zero temperatures to get extra discount off already reduced outlet prices. We got there at 2am and shopped for 12 hours straight until 2pm the next day.

Ofcourse, such an operation required careful planning:
- We had Navigator Jany (thanks Jany!!!!), who traced our path on the map, and made sure that we visited all the shops we had circled
- Navigator Jany also doubled up as Queue-up Jany who lined up for the impossibly long check-out line while we shoppers raced around the store and back before Jany got to the front
- Singlet tops were key. Forget change rooms, we stripped our ten layers off down to our singlets and tried clothes on in the middle of the store, and
- When waiting for fellow shoppers, 5 minute power naps on lounges is the secret to shopping longevity.

Funnily enough, I actually felt fine, until 2pm when I started to dwindle. Now I understand the adrenalin experienced by athletes.

Contrary to the above, New York wasn't just about the shopping (so I try to explain). I managed to catch-up with friends, either visiting from London, or who have settled in NY. My girlfriends from TO were also in town to celebrate a 30th birthday. This meant a lot of eating and (a little) drinking. Food in NY is fantastic, and it helps to know locals, and not being a poor backpacker this time to enjoy all the amazing restaurants and bars the city has to offer. My only complaint is that there weren't enough cafes. In my opinion, greasy American diners should not call themselves cafes. Nor should any other establishment that can't make a decent coffee.

I also experienced my first Thanksgiving in North America. We glimpsed part of the Thanksgiving Parade where huge balloons and floats were paraded through the city, and Bec's roast turkey was a success at Thanksgiving dinner.

I'm back in TO now. The little colour that was left on the trees are now ash grey - it's started to snowing, although I've been told that dandruff does not count as snow. This is definitely a winter I am not looking forward to!

Does unemployment count as a holiday?

Europe is well and definately over. I arrived in Toronto two days ago and had my first interview today. What can I say, interviews are a drag. I even had to go out a buy a new ironing board just so I can straighten up my suit that has seen nothing but the bottom of my banged up suitcase for the last few weeks.

Interview went ok I guess, since I am going back tomorrow to meet with the business. A one hour interview, a one hour written test, and lunch with the Director... not even the free lunch makes up for the three long hours I have to sit through! Even if I do get an offer, this is all pending on me being able to get Permenant Residency... this was no where on my grand plan, but has managed to creep it's way to the top of the list if I am ever to work in TO.

My first interview and I'm already getting a headache. Just to make myself feel even better, I wouldn't let myself eat this muffin that was calling for me from the coffee table until I had sent out all the job-hunt related emails I needed to send out. Man that muffin was hard work.

The weather has somehow followed me from Croatia to TO... I experienced the first snowflakes this season, and it's only Autumn! This is going to be a long winter. The thickest jacket I have ever owned in my life can't even keep the biting cold wind out.

Don't get me wrong, it was great coming home (my other home), seeing the boy, and getting pampered.

I blame the weather.