Summer is drawing to a close way too quickly. I was saddened last week when I was working for my parents and it was frightfully dark already at 8:30. I do not appreciate all of Vancouver’s seasons equally even if the rains bring so-called lush greenery, and am only grateful that imminent cool weather will make flies go into hibernation (or die or whatever) and despite it raining seemingly 95 of 100 days, I really am grateful my commute is really short.
In some respects, I had the most boring summer …

Before I got my current job, I applied to a cooperative education department and never heard back from the hiring manager. Given the department and job description, I actually tailored my cover letter to convey that I had been through co-op and was eager to work for a program that so positively impacts students’ futures.
I got hired by  the company anyways, but in a different department, and learned the name of the hiring manager. Because she has a name similar to mine, it would come up when I queried the …

My introduction to the idea of collection miniature bottles came from seeing my Toronto aunt’s mini-perfume bottle display. (Isn’t everything better in miniature?) Now, that is a normal and presentable collection to have.
“Collecting” the miniature lotions from hotels I’ve stayed at, not so much. Whereas I would be loathed to use mini-perfume and empty those bottles of the liquid whose colour may be contributing to the bottle design, I’m less reluctant to use the lotion. I have so far been a bit reluctant to use and then dispose of the …

On Saturday, we all woke up super early to meet up in southeast Vancouver to head on over to the border and onwards to Bellingham, Lynnwood, and Tulalip, in that order.
At first, the driving arrangement was for there to be a “boy car” with the three guys including NPY, and a “girl car” for the five girls. However, some concern about how a U.S. border guard will perceive three guys heading into their country in a hot little sports car induced us to change things up. Ultimately, all day long, …

Following a moment of inspiration, I laid out my marathon/race bibs on my coffee table and mulled over how they will fit on a poster board in a way that information was not lost. But pasting it onto a board seemed too permanent, and the idea to scrapbook my marathons was the next idea to float by me. I have a sketchbook with hundreds of heavy stock pages that I never used since purchasing it quite a few years ago. And I finally had something worthwhile to scrapbook, something …

February 1, 2010 marked the (approximate) five-year anniversary of me living in Vancouver. Although I did arrive in the Lower Mainland in August 2004, my first four months were spent atop Burnaby Mountain in an SFU residence, followed by a month of random, miserable south-east Vancouver living (to wit: I moved into a dump near south Main, non-stop January rains happened, it flooded, I moved out).
Five years ago, I moved into the Cambie Village area of town, the area I spied amongst my first days in Vancouver as my preferred …

I went home for Christmas and, as it usually happens, life carried on and friends in Vancouver had abundant time to spend together since they were all off for holidays. I suspect that my family feels the same way after I’ve shared two weeks with them at home in Halifax and then they are helpless as I resume my life here.
NPY scheduled a shindig in my 500 ft2 studio apt the day after I returned because Canada took on USA in the world junior hockey finals (remember that? sad result) …

Have I told you yet about that funny, funny episode when I endeavoured to formally learn Mandarin a few years ago?
Vancouver, being the special city it is, commonly offers two flavours of introductory Mandarin classes. The first is that class where on day one, you learn basics like sounding out “bo po mo fo” and how to count; students start knowing nothing about the Chinese language. The second type of course is named something like “Introduction to Mandarin for Cantonese Speakers” where it is assumed you have a firm grasp of …

When asked, I like to tell people that from primary to grade 8, I attended “The Convent” (it became a Sacred Heart School). And from grade 9 to graduation, I attended a grammar school. Because, you know, in the real world where private school alum are swamped by former public school kids, you have to focus their attention to your uniquely sheltered lifeview with monikers like “Catholic girls school” and pish-posh British-sounding “grammar school”. Yup, although my ten-year non-reunion rolled around 4 years ago, I think the sheltered life still …

At work, when I tire of doing finances, editing something for my director, wrapping my head around some uncommented code, or am not getting anywhere with some administrative matter, I pull out my copy of Grammar Girls’ Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing for a breather from work and to read a few grammar usage tips.
I bought Grammar Girl’s first book last year when it was hot off the presses but only just now cracked it open on the eve of starting my first proper technical writing/editing class.
Earlier this …