Ramblings of a Chaotic Mind

Things to Know For Your First Electrocardiogram

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:16:00 +0000

Or, notes to myself for the next one.

Bring running shoes.
Wear comfortable pants that you can move in.
If you're a girl, wear a comfortable bra - you're going to be wearing it during the test.
Bring some water.
It's not as scary as it looks.
The stickers on your body are going to be itchy.
The gown they make you wear is really cumbersome and heavy.
Next time will be easier.

A New Life Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:34:00 +0000

Today, I went to see a cardiologist at one of the hospitals here. She is my father's doctor during his recovery period from his surgery. Because of my father's unusual circumstances and the fact that he did not display the normal symptoms of having a heart attack and heart disease, they want to be careful and see if my brother and I have inherited this defect from my father.

His cardiologist arranged for me to be referred to her and they set me up to do a stress test to see how my heart and blood pressure performs under exercise. I really had no idea what to expect. I should have done a little bit of research, but I feel like if I did that then I would have been more scared than I already was. When they took my resting heart beat, it was a lot faster than what it is normally because I was so nervous and anxious. I was just afraid of the unknown I guess. This is a totally new experience and hospitals are relatively foreign to me. Before going to that hospital in Slovakia last year I don't even remember the last time I was in one.

They had a ECG (electrocardiogram) machine with a bunch of wires attached to me. The machine is the one in the center right under the monitor and behind the keyboard. It was very clunky. I had to wear a belt like thing on my waist the whole time. There were so many wires! At first, when I was at rest, the things that were stuck onto my were really itchy. I just wanted to scratch at everything, but I resisted the urge. I've actually done a ECG before. Way back when I fainted in Slovakia. The doctors there wanted to make sure my heart was okay. But this was a very different experience.

The treadmill they put me on was weird. Very different from the ones that you find at gyms. You can see it above on the right. They have intervals set out and it increases every 3 minutes. I was surprised at how fast the thing was going even from the start. I feel like if I haven't been exercising on and off the past few months I wouldn't be able to keep up. Every time the pace quicken, they also increased the incline of the treadmill. Every couple of minutes my blood pressure was taken as well.

I had no issues for the first 3 sets of intervals. But the 4th one was really uncomfortable so I asked to stop. The pace was one that we between a run and a walk. It was too fast for me to walk, my strides aren't long enough. But much too slow for me to jog. I was already sore from running yesterday so trying to lengthen my stride was rather painful so I gave up. The gown that I was wearing didn't help matters either. It kept getting caught up. But it was okay. They wanted my heart rate to get to 175 and it did that already.

It was interesting to watching my heart rate go up and down. When the pace of the machine changed, my heart rate would increase, but as I stayed at one pace for awhile, it would fall back down again. At the last interval I think my heart beat got up to 184 but within a minute fell back down to 179 where it stayed.

I met with the cardiologist immediately after the stress test and she went over my test results. I had my cholesterol taken previously and she was really happy with that. My bad cholesterol score was really low - for most people they need to be medically brought down to that point. I had more good cholesterol than I did bad as well so that's really healthy. My heart rate was normal - no weird patterns and when it was brought down to rest, it performed normally as well. My blood pressure was fine the whole time. So all in all, I have a good heart. It's just about keeping it up and maintaining it. Exercise and eating healthy. Less meat.

I have a follow up ultrasound of the heart. I've been put on the wait list so really it can happen any time they have a cancellation. Because my father's condition was a result of a valve, they just want to take a look at mine to make sure it is operating fine.

So this is good news. This is one less thing for me to worry about. So many other things on my mind.

On Marriage and an Unconventional Life

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 17:11:00 +0000

Yesterday my mother asked me how I imagined my wedding to be. I've never really thought about it, to be honest. And when I told her that she seemed a little put off. But my dad seemed to get it. My mom's response was that every little girl dreams about her wedding. Yes, that may be true, but this girl dreams of food and travel, of adventure and exploration. Not just one day of her life.

When I think of my wedding day, all I see are blank, hazy bits. I can see WHO is there, but all the other details are all blurry. because I really don't know. I have vague ideas, and even have a Pinterest board for it, but that is all they are - ideas. It seems my mother, and according to her, my grandmother, already know who they want to invite. As the oldest of my generation and being a girl, the pressure is there. My mother keeps reminding me, by my age, she was already married to my father.

What I do know is that I want to play homage to my Chinese heritage, probably having two receptions, like my aunt and uncle when they got married, one Chinese and one western. But beyond that, I really have no idea what I want in a wedding. That can be something I resolve when I decide to settle down, but for now, I enjoy living the unconventional life, dreaming about the next exotic travel destination or adventure.

Dreams So Real

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 03:46:00 +0000

Last night I had a dream that felt so real to me that when I woke up I was sure it was happening to me. It was all related to my health - something that I've been worrying about (but trying hard not to as I wait). My doctors are giving me the run around. My family doctor says I need to see a specialist and referred me to one, but I can't make the appointment - they have to. They said they sent my file, but when I called the specialist, they don't have anything. And so I keep having to wait. I've called and called. I'm sure the specialist office thinks I'm a pest calling every day. But I have to. I have a timeline, if I want to go back to Budapest. Plus, this is the initial meeting. I'm sure there will be more tests and follow up appointments. I only have 6 weeks left now.

My dream last night was one where I had a major flare up with patches of rashes all over my body, aching bones and general discomfort. I was convinced when I woke up that it was actually happening and it was all over my body. But thankfully it wasn't and it was all a dream. But it was unsettling and until I know for sure either way, its going to continue to be unsettling.

I'm sick of waiting for confirmation. The signs are all there (mostly), and the blood work so far proves it. Of course there are other possibilities than what I think it is, but regardless, there is definitely something wrong. I just want to know so I can focus on getting better and figure out how to manage it. Most days I feel absolutely fine. Occasionally some soreness in my bones - mostly my wrists and sometimes in my elbow and arms. But it could just be me being paranoid. I try not to dwell on it too much, but some days when I'm hurting, I just can't help it. I just want to know and I'm so sick of waiting.

I've made my peace with it. I'm prepared for the worst already, but secretly hoping that its not as bad as I think it is. My mother gives me hope that it'll be okay. She is living proof of it.

Trashy Books

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:56:00 +0000

I'm currently making my way through Reflected to You by Sylvia Day and I don't even know why I'm trying to put myself through it. I read/skimmed through Bared to You, the first of the series, on the flight home from Budapest. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to borrow the second book from the library. I've been half-heartedly reading it this past week.

I've read 50 Shades of Grey. and once I got past the whole sex thing, I thought it was okay. So I read the rest of the series. By the time I was done with it all, I felt so disgusted by it all and all the time I wasted reading the series. I equate reading the series to eating way too much junk food and ice cream in one sitting, or perhaps watching too much reality TV (of which I'm also guilty of).

One of my friends in Budapest really likes this genre, and she recommended this other series to read. I put it off for so long, but leaving me on a plane for 10+ hours without internet called for some escapist reading. I just don't know why I put myself through it again.

The story line is so empty and the characters are so stupid. Yes, they're flawed, but aren't most characters? That makes them complex, but its totally not the case in these books. And I've come to realize why I really can't make myself finish the book. It reminds me too much of a past relationship - of the obsession, of all the crazy dramatic fights. At the time, I knew it was unhealthy, but couldn't be strong enough to break free. In hindsight I see all the wrongs in the relationship and is the source of many regrets. This book just run too close to home for me and I can't bear to read about it. I really have no idea why people like it so much.

Enlighten me?

When You’re the Boss

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 18:45:00 +0000

When you’re the boss you have no one to turn to with your problems. Things have been rather stressful for the past few weeks since the previous head teacher left. With me taking on more responsibilities and trying to train a new member of the management team its getting a bit intense. Not to mention arranging for new teachers to come and getting new contracts all set up. Its all getting a bit much and while I trust my decision making, sometimes I wonder if I’m making the right decision at all.

I’m stressed out about what I’m going to do. I’m going home for sure. But then what? Stay in Vancouver, come back to Budapest, move to Toronto? London? I don’t know. I can’t make up my mind. Europe or North America? I wish I could just make up my mind and start planning a course of action, but there are too many factors. Too many things to think about and I can’t stop thinking about it. I try not to dwell on it. Trying to live in the moment, but its just so hard. I want to know what is happening now!

I’ve started a list of things I want to do in Hungary before I leave. I’m pretty sure I that is the best course of action. If I come back, it would be for all the wrong reasons. All my friends have left and I’d be only returning because it is comfortable.

Lately life has been like walking on eggshells. I never know what will set me off. I get irritable easily and I’m almost always exhausted from the day. I want it to stop. I want to go back to my bubbly self.

Work is such an uphill battle and it seems more things are going wrong than right and I don’t know if I have the energy or willpower to fix it and make it work. There are so many things against it and I’m so ready to give up the fight. But when you’re the boss, its best not to let these feelings show. I really have no idea how my boss managed this before me. But I guess its his business – so he really had no choice. It HAD to work. Sigh.

When The Going Gets Tough

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 11:27:00 +0000

I didn't end up going to Croatia as planned. I did go to Romania for that wedding though and then as soon as I got back, I got really sick. You can read about it here.

And now, my luck has gotten worse. Last night my office was broken into and my laptop was stolen. I don't always leave my laptop at work, it was just my bad luck that it happened on the only day this week that I decided to leave it at work. My laptop wasn't the only that was taken. Another coworker's was taken as well. They also took some petty cash.

I'm not so upset at the fact that they took my computer. A computer is easy to replace - just buy a new one. But its more the files and documents that were on it that I'm more upset about. It was my work computer as well. I lost all my emails, all my data and now I have nothing for work. I do have a back up, but I haven't done one in almost 2 months. And I'm sad that I lost photos. I think that is what I'm most upset about because those I cannot recreate. Those captured moments are lost.

It just seems like there have been a series of unfortunate events. First getting sick, not going to Croatia, then having a massive medical bill to deal with. One of my really good friends has also just decided to leave Budapest. Needless to say, my spirit is feeling a bit defeated. So much bad news in such a short period of time.

25 Things: Visiting 25 Countries Update

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 09:21:00 +0000

I was speaking to my parents last night and they mentioned to me that I was in the Bahamas when I was younger. To be honest, I didn’t know they were an independent country (ooops!) and I have very vague memories of being there. We were there on a cruise and I remember my dad drinking some kind of orange juice with alcohol in it. I wanted to try it and they gave me a sip. I remember it tasting terrible. Must have been pretty traumatic considering I still remember it years later.

So here is an updated list of the countries that I’ve been to:

Canada - home
US - of course
Hong Kong – 1992, 2005
The Bahamas - 1993
France – 2002, 2008
Cambodia - 2005
Thailand - 2005
The Netherlands, 2008
Belgium - 2008
Germany – 2008, 2011
Austria – 2008, 2011
Czech Republic – 2008, 2011
Italy - 2008
Vatican City - 2008
Ireland - 2008
Hungary - 2011
Romania - 2011
Poland - 2011
Slovakia - 2012
Croatia - 2012
Slovenia - 2012
Great Britain – 2012

So I’m sitting at 22 countries. I am planning on going to Spain in October and Serbia is only a short bus ride across the border, easy enough for a long weekend trip. That leaves me with one more country to get to 25. Need to investigate more options!

This weekend I’m heading to Romania again, but this time for a wedding! Next week I’m on holiday, going to Croatia for some sun, and beaches. I can’t wait!

25 Things: Cook a 3 Course Meal–Easter 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 07:52:00 +0000

One of my goals for a really long time was to cook a 3 course meal by myself. I finally felt confident enough in my cooking ability, had a decent kitchen and had enough time to attempt this.

The day started off early. I was up with the sun to visit the market. My original plan was to make a brisket, but there is no brisket to be found in Hungary. Or maybe my translation was wrong. I can’t tell the cut of meat by sight either.

I started cooking early in the day. Originally I wanted to make the cake the day before so I wouldn’t have so much to do the next day. Have you ever tried to whip egg whites by hand? Its pure torture. I soon gave up that idea and went to purchase a hand mixer the next day. I managed to rescue my half whipped whites and baked the cake first thing.

Next up was making the stock for the soup, followed by making my mashed potatoes and honey glazed carrots.

When I asked one of my Hungarian friends what whipping cream was in Hungarian, she gave me the wrong name which I soon found out when it wouldn’t whip. Luckily the stores hadn’t closed yet for the holiday and I popped back in to take a look. I managed to find the right thing thank goodness. I also got some canned whipped cream just in case the liquid didn’t work. I had so many kitchen fails while baking this cake. Its so much more difficult in a foreign country, but I’m really happy it turned out.

The last thing I did was make my stuffed chicken. I took a chicken, butterflied it and put slices of ham, spinach and cheese inside, before rolling it up. You dip it in a seasoned flour base, eggs and then in some breadcrumbs. I didn’t have breadcrumbs, so I smashed up some crackers with a rolling pin (great stress relief!).

Everything turned out the way it was suppose to and it really tasted good. With the exception of the cake, everything is super simple to make. I think I’ll have to keep some chicken breasts on hand in case I ever need to whip up something presentable for dinner.

Here is my menu for the evening:

Appetizer: Vegetable soup with home made rolls

Entree: Stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes & honey glazed carrots. Veggie option: sour cream pasta (no photo).

Dessert: Japanese style strawberry shortcake.

Waking Up to Fabulous News

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:08:00 +0000

I haven’t mentioned it here before as I felt this particular piece of information is too personal for the blogosphere, but now I feel comfortable writing it down. A couple weeks ago during a routine check-up on his eyes, my father needed to perform a series of tests which involved him being hooked up to machines and doing various activities. I don’t really understand what it had to do with his eyes, but it was necessary.

As he was performing these activities, his heart rate rapidly rose and the doctors though he was going to have a heart attack while in the lab. Thankfully they were able to get to him in time and calm down his heart. After another series of tests, it turns out that two of his arteries are clogged – one at 90% and the other at 70%. These clogs are too much for a simple procedure to clear them out. Instead he needs to undergo an operation – a double bypass surgery.

Within 2 weeks of this discovery, my father was headed to the hospital and undergoing the surgery. The surgery was set for 4 pm PST and was suppose to last 4 – 5 hours, maybe slightly longer. With the time change, that meant I could sleep through the operation and not worry. When I woke up Thursday morning this week, I was greeted with a message from my mother:

Dad came out of surgery in less than 3 hours. The surgeon called to say that everything went as planned. He has a double bypass. Uncle A went to the hospital with me and stay with us until Dad went in. We thought that the surgery will at least take 4 hours so I went to A's place to wait. I took a little nap and woke up refreshed. We were just about to go back when the surgeon called.
A, D and I went to the ICU to see him. Even with all the machines and tubes, he looks very well. He is breathing on his own and does not require machine support on anything. He just looks like that he is asleep. He will stay in the ICU tonight and move to a regular room tomorrow noon. I am happy the surgery is done and thankful that Uncle A stayed with me. I felt less stress. I will update Dad's progress regularly.

I’m so thankful to hear that everything went well. Being abroad while something so major is happening in my father’s life is difficult. I’m thankful that my mom was not alone and that my aunt and uncle were there to support her during this difficult and stressful time.

I was so happy yesterday! This morning I received another email from my mother saying that my father is awake and alert. He was able to feed himself and sit up in bed. Everything is looking good. So thankful.

Strange Day

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:13:00 +0000

This morning, I woke up and Facebook was not working. Apparently it was down in a lot of European countries. There is conflicting reports of what exactly was happening, but it seems like there was something wrong with the servers. Friends back home had no problems connecting though.

Later while at work, I was talking to a colleague when all of a sudden I hear a loud bang on the window. I look out and I see a pigeon flying away. I have no idea what the pigeon was thinking, but that is definitely a first. Our windows aren’t that clean, and yet, there was pigeon flying into it. It was fine, and flew away.

Also, the heating in the office has decided to give out completely. With each passing moment it gets colder and colder inside. Doesn’t help that its –5 outside. I’m sitting in the office huddled under a blanket and drinking copious amounts of tea. Hopefully it starts working again!

Nutella Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:08:00 +0000

I was inspired by a friend to make some Nutella cookies. I love hazelnut and was pretty excited to try it out.

I followed the recipe from Sugarcrafter. I made two different versions. One with sea salt and one without. I prefer the ones with the sea salt, but some don’t like the salt at all. There is just something about sweet and savoury at the same time.

If I were to make this again, I would use more nutella. There wasn’t much of a hazelnut flavour which was a bit disappointing. I baked them for only 10 minutes and they came out soft and chewy. The inside was moist and had the perfect amount of melt in your mouth texture to it. One batch I accidently baked too long and they came out crispy. It was still tasty, but I definitely prefer the softer ones.

I’ll be adding this recipe to my baking repertoire. They were a hit with everyone and very addictive.

25 Things: No. 23 Movie Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:37:00 +0000

I was 13 when the first Lord of the Rings movie was released to theatres. Its so hard to believe that that is over 10 years ago now. Time flies! It seems like it was only a couple years ago that these films were released.

My friends and I were pretty obsessed with the movies and I have many memories revolving around the Lord of the Rings. I still remember sitting in anticipating in the theatres waiting for the Return of the King to start and the epicness. My aunt and uncle gifted my brother and me each of the series on DVD for Christmas following their release and I would spend hours upon hours sitting in front of the TV watching all the extra footage and special features.

From the very beginning I’ve always wanted to do a marathon of the Lord of the Rings extended version and now I’m happy to say that its been done! Surprisingly time and the movie went by very quickly. The story movies along quickly and soon you’re caught up in the adventures of Frodo and the rest of the fellowship. The worst part is probably the last hour when you know how its going to end, but the movie just won’t end. The total time for all 3 movies? About 10.5 hours non stop.

To make things more interesting and “adult”, we decided to turn this movie marathon into a drinking game with you having to drink every time a particular event happened:

Every time Frodo and Sam have a man love moment
Legolas looks off into the distance
Whenever Frodo falls over
Whenever someone smokes a pipe
Every time there is a Dward vs Elf insult or moment
Whenever Golem / Smeagol says precious
Every time Aragon kisses someone
Every time a hobbit is seen eating
Every time there is a close up of hobbit feet
Close up of the Ring
Merry or Pippin do or say something stupid
When a character of importance passes away – finish your drink

Needless to say, these events happens a lot more than you think. Its only when you’re looking for it, do they stand out.

It was fun reliving the obsession I had with Lord of the Rings. Now I’m inspired to re-watch all the extra features and to reread the books. I guess you now know what I’ll be up to for the next couple of weeks!

Prank Call

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Today in the office I got the most ridiculous prank call. Well at least I think it was a prank call. They specifically asked for my boss by name. My boss is out of the office so I asked if there was anything I could do to help. They asked if I could take down their email and the email they wanted me to write down was suckmydick @ something I don’t know. By the time I got to the i, I realized it was a prank call and hung up.

Seriously. What a strange start to my day. Threw me off completely. What were they hoping to gain?! Seriously. People!

WTH Moment of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:37:00 +0000

We hired a new assistant for sales and help with admin work. She was suppose to start on Monday. It is now Wednesday. She hasn’t shown up. No phone call, no email.

We phoned and we emailed. No answer. So strange.

Not sure what we’re suppose to do in this situation. Hopefully things are okay…

Motivation

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:08:00 +0000

For some strange reason, I just can’t be bothered to do anything. My motivation is completely out the window.

I wonder where it has gone and when it will come back. I just need to get over it and just do it I think.

One week until holiday! 3 weeks of it! I can’t wait!

Phone Conversations

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 13:37:00 +0000

Guy on the phone: Hello, I have some questions regarding invoicing. Can I speak to ___?

Me: Unfortunately they’re out of the office today. They’re not feeling that well.

Guy: Okay, then can you tell me what bank it is you invoice through?

Me: I believe its ____

Guy: So you mean you’re not sure. Is there anyone else there that will know?

Me: No, unfortunately I am the only one in the office at the moment.

Guy: Ah okay.

Me: Yea, sorry about that. You can try back on Monday.

Guy: Are you American?

Me: No.

Why does it matter where I come from?? GAH! Today has just been a day for strange interactions. Nem jo! This 11/11/11 thing has just made everyone weird!

Birthday Dinner Success

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:13:00 +0000

Last night I hosted another murder mystery and it went off so well. I wanted to post my recipes so I will remember it in the future if I ever have to make this stuff again.

Spinach Artichoke Dip – except minus the artichoke. I couldn’t find any. So it was just spinach dip. Everyone loved it. I omitted the mayonnaise. I feel like the mayo in the Europe just tastes funky. Instead of roasted garlic, I used a garlic salt package i bought at a grocery store. I forgot to get a cheese to sprinkle on top, but it was tasty without it as well.

Kidney Bean Veggie Burger (The base recipe)

Wash and drain kidney beans from a can. Mash them. I used my hands which was kind of gross. Better than mixing meat though. I diced up some onions, mushroom and paprika and put it in with the beans. Added an egg and then mixed in oats as needed. I added some seasoning: garlic salt, & black pepper. Next time I’ll add less oats. The burger fell apart in the cooking, but at least it tasted really good.

This was amazingly easy. I can’t believe I’ve never made veggie burgers before.

Burgers

I more or less followed this recipe. Instead of making mushroom powder, I just diced the mushrooms. Originally I was going to mix in some onions, but the onion I had diced up was so strong, I thought it would over power everything. Instead of Worcestershire sauce I used soy sauce. Then seasoned it with a bit of salt, pepper and some grill mix packet I found at the grocery store.

This turned out so well. I now have another 12 sitting in my freezer for another burger dinner.

On top of that, I made a side of poutine and served milkshakes.

Mushroom gravy.

Hurray for a 1950s party. Pictures to come!

Things On My Mind

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:54:00 +0000

The following are going to be a series of unrelated rants. Just things that have been on my mind for awhile.

Money – or the lack of it

Today is October 20th. Normally I get paid on the 10th of every month. The set up is a bit strange where the company pays AIESEC and then AIESEC transfers the money to me. So even if the company pays on the 10th, I normally don’t receive it till the 12th or so. But this month, its late. Its ridiculously late.

When you’re living pay cheque to pay cheque you kind of need to have consistent source of income. No one warned me that I wasn’t going to get paid on time. My landlord was asking for rent. I had no money. So by last week I asked someone about it. Apparently the bank account didn’t have money. There was no mention of when money would be coming in and when I would get paid. I asked for an advance so I could pay rent and this was met with the most unhelpful and rude response.

The thing is, I know there is money in the account. My coworker had to withdraw some the other day. If there is money to be withdrawn, why is there no money to pay me? Its utterly ridiculous and the source of so much stress. I’ve been in a constant bad mood because of this. I hate not knowing.

I asked my boss this morning about it. Apparently its been transferred already but I still haven’t seen it. Here is hoping I get it before the weekend.

People being sick

Everyone around me is sick. Its utterly ridiculous. I’m in the office alone right now. One has a throat infection. Another stomach problems. Someone else is nauseous and is throwing up. Teachers are dropping like flies. Everyone has a cough or sore throat.

My theory is the weather. It literally went from 20+ degrees to 10 overnight. People were not prepared. People are going out without jackets, not bundled up enough. Just generally being idiotic about the change in weather pattern. I like to think that years of living in Vancouver where the weather changes 5 times a day has prepared me well for the sudden change from summer to winter.

Time to drink copious amounts of tea and eat oranges. Gotta keep up my strength and immune system.

AIESEC and CC

My flatmate recommended me to apply for the social media manager position for the congress committee for Global Leaders Summit. And so I did. I went to my interview last night. I’m not sure how I feel about it.

The interview was interesting. They kept asking the same questions just phrased differently. I got a bit annoyed trying to put together unique answers. Maybe it was a language thing or maybe they were just testing for consistency. Who knows. At the end of the interview, I had a long list of questions for them. I almost felt like I was interview them, not the other way around. My general feeling, and this is from both the application and the interview, is that they really don’t know much about social media and are only using it because it is the “cool” thing to do and because its hot. Granted, I did do some research on the previous year’s conference and their online presence is almost non existent.

They also sprung on me that I would be required to be at the conference the whole time. Its 3 weeks long. I don’t know if I can take that much time off and not that I want to take time off to go work at a conference. Holidays should be for holidays. So I guess we’ll see.

Homesick

I think I miss home. It could be the change in weather that is making me a bit emo, but definitely, I think homesickness is starting to set in a little. On Thanksgiving this year I was thinking about how I had spent it the previous year, surrounded by friends and family. I think I had 3 different turkey’s last year.

I miss sushi and good Chinese food. I miss bubble tea and dim sum. I miss being able to read signs around me. I miss reading actual books. I miss people. I miss my cat. I miss my own bed. I miss Vancouver and everything it has to offer.

I feel like this feeling is only going to get worse. As we head into the holidays, its going to be difficult to not want to hop on a plane and head home. If only flights weren’t that expensive.

2 Hours, 3 Drunk Guys, 1 Racial Gesture

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:24:00 +0000

Last night was probably one of the strangest nights I’ve ever had in Budapest. I went to this bar in Budapest that is one of those things you need to experience at least once. One of those things you need to do if you live in this city so I’m told. The bar has quite the reputation as well. I’ve heard so many stories of this place and with me being here 4 months already and not having experience this establishment, I felt it was due time to check it out.

I was so not in the mood. I was there for 2 hours and was hit on by the creepiest of guys. Each of them got progressively creepier. First guy asked if I was Thai. After learning that no I’m not, he quickly lost interest and left me alone. He was the most normal.

Guy number two got reallllly close to my face and he was disgusting sweaty. Nearly dripped on me. Thank goodness he didn’t.

The third guy puts the icing on the cake. He tried to stroke my neck with what I think was a brochure or some sort of folded paper. Seriously?! WHAT THE HELL!

Then later that night, I was getting gyros with my flatmate and we were attempting to chat with the gyros guy. He was asking about where I was from and somehow in the discussion he started pulling his eyes out to make them look more Asian – the racial gesture that most people do. I don’t think he meant it in any derogatory way, but I still just wasn’t impressed.

Not a good evening at all. I don’t think I’ll be headed back to that place anytime soon. Bleh. It was just an awkward and weird evening.

Goal For My Internship

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:12:00 +0000

I want to facilitate at a conference. Preferably for a country that I would otherwise not visit.

When I joined AIESEC, there were a series of goals I wanted to accomplish. Year on the EB? Check! OC member? Check! Exchange? Check! The only thing I wanted to do, but didn’t was be LCP. Thats okay. My OCP experience was good enough.

I also wanted to go to an international conference. I was hoping when I was in the Netherlands for school I would be able to go to a conference there, but the LC there was useless and didn’t do anything to help me. This time around though, I have better connections.

So goal for the next year and a bit: facilitate at a conference!

My flatmate told me that the CC for IPM is looking for someone to manage their social media networks. I want to apply but the new myAIESEC.net is being silly and I can’t access any of the files. Should be interesting to see what happens with this though!

Sorry to anyone that reads this and isn’t in AIESEC. I’m too lazy right now to spell out all the different terms…

Lacking Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:18:00 +0000

Last week, I didn’t blog at all. This week, I put up my Monday photo and I started a post for Wednesday, but didn’t finish it. I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it, but nothing could come out. Its like I hit a wall. I have photos, those help me get through and at least give me the basics of what I want to say, but I can’t say it. I can’t string words together in a coherent way. In a way that tells a story.

I don’t know what is wrong. I feel very lazy and I can’t work up the motivation to be writing consistently. I read somewhere that writing is more than just coming up with ideas. Writing happens because of execution – because someone has the determination to sit down and put pen to paper (or in this case, fingers to keyboard). That coming up with ideas and things to write about isn’t the problem. The problem is actually physically doing it. I think that is the problem with most people and blogging. Most people can’t be bothered to actually sit down and make it happen. I don’t want to fall into this category. I’ve been so good for so long. I think I went a solid month of consistently blogging. I might have been a little late with the occasional post, but they still went up relatively on time.

This all broke down last week and I don’t know why. I’m really busy at work, but even there I just don’t care. I’m struggling with certain situations and am currently untangling a big web of lies left behind. By the end of the day I just lack any sort of energy to think clearly. I’ve been going to bed ridiculously early in hopes of getting my full 7 – 8 hours of sleep.

That is another problem. No matter what, I’ve been consistently waking up at 6:30 – 7:00. Nothing I do changes that. Its rather annoying actually. I’ve resorted to sleeping earlier. It has somewhat worked in that I’m getting more sleep now.

I’ve been getting a lot of headaches lately. In the middle of the day I start coming down with an overwhelmingly painful headache. Sometimes I wake up with a headache. I think its because I clench my teeth when I sleep. When I’m at work, I clench my teeth when I’m thinking deeply. Or if I’m really stressed out. I don’t know how to make these headaches go away. Is there something actually wrong with me? I’m thinking I might get a mouth guard for when I sleep to prevent waking up with a headache.

I’m toying with starting a new project / blog. I currently have two ideas going: first is pairing meals with music. Providing a meal that someone can prepare and then enjoy with a playlist to create a particular mood. I bought a domain for this. It was going to be a side project my friend and I were going to do.

Another idea I have is combining all the things I like into blog entries based on consistent themes. I really like food, trivia and random internet apps type things. So each blog entry would have a delicious recipe, a random trivia idea to discuss over a meal and some sort of internet app. I don’t know how the internet app ties into everything yet, but I’m working on it.

Grammar Rules

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:59:00 +0000

I read a lot about writing style and grammar. This popped up in my inbox today: The rule stands: One space after a period. Period.

Exhibit A: Associated Press Stylebook is as direct and simple as possible: “Use a single space after a period at the end of a sentence.”

Exhibit B: Grammar Girl. For a writer, what's the next-best thing to a hard and fast grammar rule? A woman who writes, blogs and creates podcasts about grammar rules, complete with a cool superhero name—Grammar Girl. I'm not sure whether she wears a cape, but I like to imagine that she does. For me and my word nerd friends, she's the bomb. And Grammar Girl's verdict echoes the AP Stylebook: One space after a period. She goes on to say, “I know it's a hard habit to break if you were trained to use two spaces, but if you can, give one space a try.”

Exhibit C: A little background from Wikipedia: “Double space (English Spacing). This convention stems from the use of the monospaced font on typewriters. If the ribbon were too dry the visibility of the period would be reduced significantly. Adding two spaces after the period ensured that the reader would know where the end of the sentence was if the period didn't strike properly. This historical convention was carried on by tradition until it was replaced by the single space convention in published print and digital media today.”

I remember it wasn’t too long ago that I made the switch to just one space. I remember it wasn’t too difficult to switch my habits. Now its definitely second nature and having two spaces is just strange. The gap is so big. But I guess its standard convention now.

Hectic, Yet Lazy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:23:00 +0000

This past week I don’t even know how to describe it. It went by in such a blur. So much was done and then so much wasn’t. For the first time in a long while, I fell behind on my blog. I woke up Monday morning and just wasn’t inspired to write anything. So I didn’t.

And that one day stretched into the next and then now before I even knew it, its Friday. Nothing was written. Its not for lack of trying. I would sit down and think about what to write, but nothing came out.

I feel a bit spread thin at work to be honest. So much is happening. Monday morning was met with bad news from another one of our new teachers. She has decided to leave due to family reasons. That now makes me 2 people down. Its starting to get a bit tight fitting in teachers and classes. Everyone is starting to get booked up and new requests keep rolling in. I guess its a good thing when demand is high and supply is low. I’ve done some more interviews in hopes of getting people here quickly. But how quick can people back up their bags and move? Its quite the adventure.

A bunch of teachers went to Slovakia last weekend and when they came back, a group of them were feeling ill. Not to mention I have 2 teachers who are currently on holiday. That left me scrambling to get people to substitute lessons on Monday and Tuesday. Those days just went by in such a blur. I don’t even know what I did with my time.

I interviewed a bunch of people for AIESEC internships. We’ll have a couple more AIESECers joining us in January of next year.

Last night I had the first lesson of a new group course I picked up. Its the same course I was teaching before the summer, but now it has new people and even a textbook. I don’t know how I feel about it yet. First classes are awful. I have this one guy, he is a bit older and he really doesn’t need much teaching. In fact, he gives me a bit of attitude. Its almost disrespectful. But he really does have a pretty good understanding of the English language. I also have 2 high school students in my classes. I guess this is a good thing if SELTI is trying to break into high schools. It means the demand is there. Another 2 of the students I’ve known from the previous class. And there is one last lady that I don’t have much of an opinion on. Hopefully for the next class I’ll be more prepared and have a better plan. At least what they want is conversation and that makes it easier for me. I just need to figure out how to get everyone talking. Some people are definitely quieter than others.

My coworker has to do a border run. We’ve decided on Romania yesterday essentially. Booked our train tickets, booked the hostel last night and then now, in about an hour or so I’ll be headed to the train station! I’m excited. Romania will mark my 16th? 17th? country. I don’t know much about where we’re going, but I have a book to read on the train.

Yes, there ramblings are very random I would say. Pretty much whatever is on my mind.

A Testing Week

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 18:26:00 +0000

This past week, work has been crazy. So many new experiences to deal with. I almost fired someone. I came ridiculously close to firing a teacher due to them not doing their job properly. It was a case of similar behaviour repeating over and over again until it was unacceptable. There is that saying “once is chance, twice is coincidence and three times is a pattern.” This was definitely a pattern.

When I took on this job, never did I think I would have to deal with firing someone. I couldn’t go through with it. Instead this person has be placed on probation. They better get their act together. Needless to say, my boss was pretty upset.

This morning another teacher quit. They were new, barely here for 2 weeks. They said it wasn’t what they expected. Well what do you expect? It hasn’t even been a week. Makes no sense to me, but who am I to judge. At least this way there will not be any more problems in the future with this teacher. One less headache.

Work has been busy. Too busy. So much to do and I feel like I’m not accomplishing anything. Its frustrating. But its the start of the year. Hopefully it will calm down soon. Too many people to manage. I feel like I need help. I’m probably going to take on an intern to help with the social media things.

Despite all the tough things, I still really like what I do and I’m definitely learning a lot. I just hope it calms down!