Skating for the First Time!

Seems like it's been a month since my last post. Quite a bit of drama happened here and there, but I don't see the point in mentioning them here...

It's the second week into my winter break and fortunately didn't do much sitting around! I worked almost everyday last week, which is a pretty good remedy for overspending on Christmas gifts. Aside from working, I got a chance to have some fun today: skating!

I skated for the first time today at Nathan Phillip Square. As a first-timer, it wasn't easy. During my first few steps, I gripped on my friends for dear life and pulled them to the ground with me! Everyone else around me were moving so quickly, even the little kids. Tee even said that I was moving 0.5 metres/hr, though I think I was moving a LOT slower than that! But nonetheless, I had a lot of fun and hopefully we'll go again next week as planned before classes recommence.

My First Autograph!

Two weeks ago, HK producer/songwriter/singer, Pong Nan, visited Toronto to perform at NTSA (New Talent Singing Awards). Weeks before his performance, I heard about his promotional visit to Market Village and there I was when he came. I took some pictures, but not a whole lot, since mom kept nudging me to prevent me from taking any more because I would "run out of space." Nonetheless, here's a picture of him singing and another one of him signing autographs below.

Even though he smiled at the audience, I couldn't help noticing some sort of sadness in his eyes - even his smiles seemed teary too. Perhaps he was tired from the long flight (which is about 22 hours), but he still seemed depressed when he performed at the awards the next day. Maybe something upsetting happened... Who knows?

A Very Happy Birthday!!

In the end, I didn't attend my friend's wedding. Mom was against it the entire time because I didn't receive a proper invitation to the party. She was afraid that I would undergo some sort of embarrassment when the bride didn't expect my arrival. I don't know, it's weird. But hey, mom was just trying to protect me right?

So, I stayed home and had a pretty "relaxing" birthday. All I did was watch TV, listen to music and talk to people on MSN. Despite the peacefulness, it was a rather boring day. Worst of all, there was no cake - a great disappointment. And so, the day passed by as if it was any other day...

The next day, I met up with Kay and E.C., the friend from Korean BBQ!! who described my pile of meat as Mount Everest, at Town Centre RT station. Together, we took the RT to downtown and had lunch at Forest View Chinese restaurant for some Dim Sum. Finding the restaurant was not a breeze as we had a little trouble locating its specific location. Still, we did and had a fun time eating. After the meal, we went to Eaton's Centre where Cat joined us with a little surprise, a Black Forest cake! Even though it wasn't a good quality cake, I was so happy that I couldn't help hugging her at the sight of it.

That brought us to our next mission, finding a place to enjoy the cake! After a long discussion, we finally decided to go to E.C.'s place. Along the way, Cat and E.C. bought wine and soon we arrived at his place. We took off our jackets and slumped onto the couch while E.C. took out plates and glasses for the cake and wine. Almost on cue, Cat quickly opened the bottle and poured me a glass...and that was how I had my first drink! The taste of the alcohol wasn't that pleasant, but I did manage to ingest two glasses - not a whole lot because my goal was to give it a try and NOT get drunk.

Soon the sky was dark, bidding us to return home...

We all had a blast! Even though it was past my birthday, the day was intended to celebrate it. And now, I can happily say that I had a very happy birthday!!

So Far So Good!

Well...just finished my first class after the summer holidays!! Came to class on time and didn't get lost!! (I"m so proud of myself!! XD) So far, the worst fear has not happened YET! Althogh I am starting to feel a little more confident about Teresa being in my class(es). Who cares if she's in my lab class. So what? Although I do have to say, if I do have to partner-up with her, chaos will prevail. That I'm definitely not looking forward to (I'd rather die than to have THAT happen...well maybe not death...but you know what I mean!)

Class won't start until two and a half hours from now....

Lunch, My Treat!

It's been about a month and a half since I started working! Awesome huh? For the first time, I finally did something that I really wanted to since my first paycheck! What is it? It's treating my mom to a meal!! And today, I finally did it!!

When I got off work at three, mom picked me up (to save bus fares). Since we were both a little hungry (I didn't eat anything since last night), we went to Market Village (beside Pacific Mall) for lunch. After we finished ordering, I quickly told mom that I wanted to treat her. As I paid for the order, mom must have been smiling during the whole time because the lady behind the counter exclaimed, "Look at the huge smile on your mother's face!" Mom was still smiling as she said, "Yup! She just started working and is treating me for the first time!"

The meal didn't really cost much, but I certainly noticed how much she enjoyed it. The whole process felt so good! I finally did something that made her happy! It was a small and simple gesture, but I'm sure it's the thought that made her so happy. Seeing her wearing such a huge smile filled me with something that I can't fully describe..was it happiness? pride? or a mixture of both? I can't tell - but whichever it was, it's definately one of the greatest moments of my life!

First Day at Work!

Finally, a chance for me to type in my blog!!

Last week Wednesday, the manager of the store called me and asked me to work that day! Unfortunately, I wasn't near ready and so I requested to start the next day...

My first shift was scheduled at 10am, when the store opens. The assistant manager led me to the back room and gave me an apron, which was the store's uniform, to put on. Then she gave me a training checklist for the cash register and allowed me to spend my first two hours there "playing" with the machine. When I truly started working on the cash, I was quite nervous. I was afraid that I might overcharge the customers, or worse, undercharge them! Fortunately, the customers were nice enough to not rush me and gave me lots of encouragement along the way. My coworkers were also pretty nice and didn't show any irritation when I asked them for help. Instead, they were happy (or seemed to at least) to guide and walk me through each step. Before I knew it, my first shift was over and it was time to get home.

I continued to work on cash for the next two days and I couldn't believe how many people came to do last minute shopping for Father's Day. I didn't really feel the rush until Saturday. There were huge tides of people coming into the store and purchasing indefinite amount of gifts. Of course, the pressure to work faster was unavoidable (I'm still pleased with myself as I handled it quite well). After several herds of people coming in and paying at the counter, the day was finally over! My feet were in pain (from long hours of standing), and my shoulders and legs were sore!

Business was slower for the next few days, granting me more time to explore the store. I hope I will continue to do well in my first job and make lots of money (enough to help my mom, and perhaps pay for tuition and books). For now, all I can really do is to work hard in my studies and do well at work.

Wish me luck!

I GOT A JOB!!

YAY!! I'm so happy!! After all this waiting, I finally got my first job!! Words can definitely not describe my happiness!! As soon as I got home, I kept on jumping up and down, squealing "YAY!"

This morning, I woke up to my ringing cell phone and immediately jumped out of bed to answer it. It turned out to be the lady who interviewed me last Friday and she asked me to come by today for the second interview! As soon as I hung up, I couldn't fight the urge to laugh hysterically (I only do that when I'm either extremely happy or extremely nervous - and in this case, I was extremely happy). But honestly, since my disaster from my first job interview three weeks ago, I lost a great amount of confidence in getting a job - especially after each visit to my email account. Anyways, when I finally stopped laughing, I got myself ready for the interview and got there twenty minutes late (and yes, it's something that can seriously prevent me from getting the job - I totally agree).

Another lady interviewed me and she was the assistant manager. To my amazement, the lady who interviewed me last Friday was the manager! When the interview started, I was told that I was one of the top five candidates selected after the first interviews held last week. I can't believe it! I was one of the top five! Honestly speaking, I've never been in the top five before, NEVER! And so, she asked me a few questions and I was pretty pleased of how calm I was when I answered them...okay, I lied. I was fairly nervous (and I think it showed), but the questions were pretty hard; they were mostly job-related.

When the interview ended, she asked me if I had any questions and if I have anything to say before I leave (to place a last impression I guess). I remember mom telling me that if a potential employer asks you if you have any questions when the interview was over, it is strongly recommended that you do ask! This would show him/her that you do have an interest in the job. Having that said, I asked what the job responsibilities were and I was given a very detailed answer! I also, out of curiosity, asked how many people they were planning to hire out of the top five and it was one or two. That made me a bit disappointed since I was hoping that they would hire three of the five, which will increase my odds in getting hired. Before I left, I expressed my gratitude for the second interview plus how much I wanted the job and what it would mean to me (which goes beyond the salary). Thinking back, I think I kind of babbled during this part. Man, I think she was dying of boredom during that time!

Before I left, she asked me to wait a bit to see if the manager wanted to ask me any further questions. After three minutes or so, they came back to tell me that I was hired! I was so surprised! I just couldn't believe it, as if it was too good to be true! And yes, I laughed quite a bit and so did they (maybe because of my reaction). Then, I was given a form to fill out and was told to return it as soon as possible so I could start in a week!

I seriously couldn't believe it. I thought it was a dream and that I would soon wake up to disappointment. I can't wait until my first workday! I'm so excited! Wish me luck!!

First Interview Gone Wrong!

It's almost a week after the first interview and they haven't called me for another interview. I think I screwed up badly...

Last week Saturday, I went to the store for my interview. Including myself, there was a total of twenty-nine candidates. The first interview was done as a group where we introduced our partners. I guess I was too nervous and a bit overwhelmed by the pressure because I forgot everything about my partner! Then, in groups of four, we had to compose a few outfits with a given piece of clothing. Since I had a pretty bad fashion sense, I messed up on that as well! I'd be lucky if they called me for a second interview.

But for now, I guess it's back to job searching...

An Anticipated Concert!

Raymond Lam is holding a concert in June of this year!! I really want to go and see him perform in his first concert! However, I know I won't be able to since mom won't let me travel to the other side of the globe (Hong Kong) just for a concert (she was worried sick when I traveled to London - the one in Ontario - with my uncle two years ago) alone. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait until it comes out on DVD and buy it (but I'd be thrilled if someone will give it to me as a gift)!