u_topia's Xanga

Monday, October 19, 2009

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:05:19 GMT

Weekend!

Friday:
Cleaned all day. Swiffer and Pine Sol, my best friends. Skipped Jay-Z and reluctantly headed to OAC to prep for Cafe Night. Needless to say, the prep we did on Friday could've easily been done on Saturday afternoon. But Selene needed this Friday night set-up for her own peace of mind, and since I highly value and treasure peace of mind, I obliged. I will do anything I can if it means that someone else can have peace of mind. Including saving $170. Next time, Jay-Z.

Saturday:
Hid out in The Loft all morning. Nicole still found me! Still managed to catch up with Krystle after. Also Joana and her Walla Walla entourage. They're so sweeet. Met me for 2 secs and said they would call me up to hang out the next time they were in Vancouver. Still had time to chat with Cameron even after that! He stayed for a bit though. =)

Panicked way too much over Cafe Night. Marcus+Chelsea came an hour early and witnessed me panicking. They wanted to help me out, but I had nothing to delegate. Because everything I could've delegated, I had already done on my own. I'm dumb sometimes. I was panicking over things I had no control over. Like Selene+Joshua being late and knowing where things were that I couldn't find, and people not coming. haha.

Long story short: It went alright, I think.

Today:
Brock House 19th Wedding Show! Krystle and I tried cakes, and met photographers, and videographers, and decorators, and florists, and saw more bridesmaids dresses then we ever cared to see. Were we too hasty in picking the bridesmaids dresses..? I want one with pockets now! Having my phone on me is my peace of mind... what will I do the whole day without it? I can't even pin it to my shoe Cinderella-style because they're knee-length... oh well. I'll have to deal.

Ps: Finally started a personal Twitter account. Why is everyone else allowed to tweet nonsense and I'm not?? Because. Subconsciously, I know that @always_v will be linked to my professional blog, and I cannot be having any of those neurotic, nonsensical tweets there. haha. Finally! I can tweet about all my ridiculous stupidity for everyone's amusement! Awesome.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:27:00 GMT

"Sometimes, life is gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for work as it is for your lovers. Your work is gonna fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. And don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking. Don't settle."

So, Japhet made me watch this video. It's Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement address at Stanford University. Watch it, if you like. It's 15 mins though, so you might wanna wait until you have a little time.

Spoke with UCan and SFU today; I'm so on the ball!
• Option A: The advisor at UCan said that if I complete my application in the next two weeks, I could probably make their December intake. Back to school in 7 weeks? Exciting!
• Option B: The advisor at SFU was really nice about explaining my situation! He said 24 credits is required for admission, and I only have 9 that are transferable from Kwantlen. (I knew I should've taken more classes while I was there...) Anyway, he said that as long as I get those missing credits, I can begin in May. So, 15 missing credits.. that's about 5 classes? I could easily take those this coming semester.

Pros/Cons:
• The program at UCan is only two years. If I start in 2 months, I could be done by Dec 2011. Downtown campus. Small classes. Small school. Limited opportunities.
• SFU = prestige (or so I keep hearing..?). People I know. Gym! A zillion clubs, aka, zillions of ways to get involved. (Not to mention Campus Ministries if I even still wanna do that.) Located on a mountain in the middle nowhere that makes me feel like I'm trapped. Four years. End date: May 2014. UPass!

And if I take Option B, that would involve going back to Kwantlen, which excites me a bit to be honest. I loved that school - the classes, the professors, the people I met... not to mention there is one person there I'd go back for. He'll be happy to hear I'm coming back. I've only mentioned the possibility and he was already looking up what classes I could take that would transfer over.

I could discuss this extensively with my friends or something, but I know that in the end, the decision is mine ultimately. Feel free to weigh in though.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:41:00 GMT

Uhm. I think I'm supposed to be crying, but I suppose I'm way too stunned for even tears right now.

I was getting a little OCD about my admission to SFU. I signed in to the student info centre almost everyday just to check on the status of my application, even though for the past week it has stayed the same: Completed. But when I went to check on it today, it said: Cancelled. Beneath that, it said: Admission Denied.

How many rejections can a girl take in one year??

I know the responsible thing to do now is to figure out what my other options are for post-secondary education. But when you narrow down all the schools in BC that offer a bachelors degree in communications/media (see? I'm specific! I know what I want!), there are only 4: SFU, KPU, UCan West, and Emily Carr.

I never considered Emily Carr because you need like an insanely high average (high 80s?) to get in, and I've never had that.. not even in high school. I just got rejected from SFU and KPU... so that leaves UCan West. Which is a private school. And also insanely expensive. And I figure, if I'm gonna spend that kind of money on my education, I might as well go back to the Art Institutes and go after what I really want....

(Or not. That's not even an option. There are no jobs in audio engineering; how many times do I need to remind myself that??)

I'm sure this is all a mistake. And if it's not, I have a hunch that it has to do with my math credits. And if that's the case, I'm definitely requesting an application review... if SFU even does such a thing. I still feel like crying. But if it is a mistake, it would be such a waste of tears and I should save those for things that actually matter.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:36:11 GMT

I woke up feeling I could take on the world today. Days like that come about once a month for me; I gotta take advantage of those days when they come. So far, it's been a productive day. I've done nothing in terms of writing, designing, coding.. things I should actually be doing, but at least the house place is clean and the parents are happy. (Actually, they could probably care less; the cleanliness is for the benefit of my own sanity and happiness.. hahaha.) Oh, and this week's podcast is up!

Down to the nitty-gritty...

I had an unsettling evening last night. I probably indulged more information about myself than I ever wanted to. Like, in one basket. (What did I say about putting all my eggs in one basket?! I just wrote about that too... how ironic.) And afterwards, I felt like a tiny little bug that could get squashed in a second. Both irrational: the excessive sharing and the terrified feeling that came afterwards. I'm so dumb sometimes.

The fun: late poker night at Joey and Esther's, spending time with Krystle, painting/origami with Selene, hanging out with Stevan, Vesna and Japhet... and finding out that tomorrow's design meeting is CANCELLED! Yay. Don't get me wrong; those meetings are fun, but I just get so stressed beforehand thinking whether or not I did all I could do before our next mini-deadline. I'm so dumb sometimes.

That seems to be the theme this weekend.

Who is the one person you can go to for anything and everything?

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:51:21 GMT

(Why do I feel like I've answered this question way too many times already this year??)

I personally believe that it's irresponsible to rely on one person for anything and everything. Ideally, I think everyone wants to have their person. And in finding that person, perhaps be that person's person as well. Ideally.

But life happens. Life is not ideal. What are you going to do when your person leaves? moves away? dies? is coping with someone else's death? coping with some other loss? loss of a job? What if they start a new job? start a family? start an affair?? The bottom line is this: life will get in the way of your person being there for you in any sense - physically, emotionally, or mentally.

With that being said, I don't have a person. I'll be honest; maybe I've wished for a person, but life happens and whoever I've pinned to be my person at any time in my life has been consumed by family, jobs, significant others, career-chasing, dream-chasing, distance, and so on.

There is not one person who knows everything about me. (But no one needs to be subject to that anyway... haha.) And why should I put all my eggs in one basket anyway? I don't have a person; I have people. I give parts of myself to a few different people. That way, I can be whole and complete without worrying about dropping my basket. I'm a clumsy person! If I tripped, I'd probably smash every single one of my eggs... then where would I be?

I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:18:14 GMT

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, truly!

Whenever people ask me what I've been doing while not in school or working, I tell them I'm savoring my (extended) summer and/or working on my website. (Which I am..! Taking my sweet, sweet time with it though. Ha.) Anyway, today was just another one of those lazy days when it finally hit me what I've been doing all these months...

I've been playing housewife!

After four loads of laundry (which occurs in 3 steps, might I add - washer, dryer, folding! =P), vacuuming, mopping, dishes, and dusting, I was starting to feel very productive and pleased with myself for getting so much done. Not to mention there really is no other feeling in the world than knowing that every inch of your place is spic and span; even the corners no one sees.

My parents haven't mentioned my sudden cleaning obsession; they're just so pleased that I am taking the initiative to clean that they unquestioningly oblige to my requests for paper towels, rags, Swiffer!! (we're best buddies), sponges, and assorted cleaning chemicals that are probably bad for me (but I like the smell).

And I like cleaning. Where's the downside? I'm burning calories, I get to listen to music, and I didn't even need to go to the gym. So if this whole setting up my own advertising firm thing doesn't work out, I know I can happily clean for a living (provided that I'm allowed to have my iPod at work). And aside from the fact that I can't cook, I'm going to make my ~~husband~~ ~~wife?~~ ~~spouse~~ ~~life-partner~~ ~~roomie?~~ whatever.. very happy.

(Eff, I'm never getting married.)

Our vacuum cleaner is broken. It's been broken for a little over a year now. It hasn't really bothered me until now though. I bet if I ask the parents for a new one, they'll get it for me... hehe! Yeah, keep ya posted with that one.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:48:33 GMT

Am I back? Am I really back?

2009 has been weird. I've been taking more writing hiatuses than I ever imagined... but most of those were due to school. The last major one was BECAUSE OF A GUY. Yeah, I finally said it. Whatever happened to taking back the only place I can be honest with myself? The only thing that fully belongs to me?

Well, that begins now. Again. But for real this time, because
a) He doesn't matter anymore.
b) I am so xanga-sick, I started choking up. (Halfway to tears, but not quite.) Seriously. Go back and read up on my life's commentary (Okay, you don't actually have to do this...), and you have to admit that I am sometimes entertaining. (Is that a little conceited? Of course it is. lol.)

I just finished reading way back through to mid-late 2008, when I just quit Timmy's and started at Kwantlen, and I gotta admit, I miss the way it used to be on here. Don't you? I don't expect anyone to answer that; I'm sure I've lost all my readers by now. Anyway... my own spin on what life throws at me is just so refreshing to myself (Eww, is there some sort of complex/disorder that has to do with being self-absorbed? LOL.), and I just miss being her. Because whoever she was seems way more interesting than whoever I am now. Even with my trendy Twitter persona.

c) Japhet.
It was Japhet who got me to write again. Not just here, but at Fight Embitterment as well. I don't remember why now, but when I remember, I'll be back of course. I know I've apologized to myself before (see April 6 - only 3 pages back, sadly enough.. that's how little I've written this year)... for changing who I was, including my blog just for a guy... but there's gonna be none of that anymore.

I'm back in all crazy, obsessive glory.
Stay tuned for my usual commentary on everyday life.

Summer Reading #9

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:56:24 GMT

Thanks to my experience with The Restoration Project, I can easily comprehend most of what Brian Mclaren has to say. I'm 100% sure that without The RP, I would not be able to translate Mclaren's numerous allegories to situations in my own life.

Is this book a kind of follow-up to The Secret Message? I'm not sure. I just know that many of my beliefs line up with his, and therefore is a good thing. (Right?) Now whether or not I will put his ideas to practice is the question...

There's this one part that made me happy: (I just returned the book, so please accept my very loose paraphrase...) Mclaren said that the point of the book was not so that we could add more things to our list of Things To Do To Become A Better Person... Rather, keep doing what we're doing, but find ways to align it with this way of living.

That doesn't sound like toooo much work. Awesome.

Summer Reading #8

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:27:38 GMT

I heard about this one through my marketing classes as well. This book explores how trends get started, the kind of people who start trends (aka, Law of the Few), people who know people (aka, Connectors), and the power of word of mouth (aka, Mavens).

Gladwell also explains "stickiness" - how fads and trends gain staying power. He delves into the trials and triumphs of Sesame Street and refers to it's example many times throughout the book. How many of you watched Sesame Street? Exactly. Sesame Street = sticky.

Summer Reading #7

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 05:34:43 GMT

Gladwell's research uncovers the following as the "secret" to success:

a) opportunity
b) 10,000 hours of practice/experience
c) date of birth

among other things. He dissects success stories such as the Vancouver Giants, Bill Gates' and many others and finds common threads to explain each one's journey to success, including his own. This book overthrows the myth that one must know certain secrets to be successful. It was riveting.